《The Legend of Innate Mage》


 Chapter 1 Young Spiritless Master

    At the very beginning of time, the whole universe was in chaos. It was only a pitch black, piercingly chilly immeasurable expanse.


    It stayed like that for millions and millions of years until one of the gods decided to act again, came to this world, and opened up land. At long last, the earth took shape with an abundance of light, spirit and even life. Afterwards, the god acted again, choosing to divide the earth into four parts and spreading our ancestors across the continents.


    Once settled, the industrious ancestors of modern men soon embarked on one of the most ambitious explorations, which in due time would lead to breakthroughs in cultivation methods. At last, they developed land enough for the species to flourish and not simply exist.


    From that time on, the species began to live and spread across the four continents, namely the Pure East, the Bleak West, the Misty South, and the Vast North. .


    The Misty South included all the territory of the Stone City, which was inhabited by several prominent clans, including the Nan Clan.


    The Nan Clan''s dominance was in part due to its success in martial arts among the top three clans across the city. Besides, the clan''s way of life also favored large families. In general, their section of the city was always abuzz. But tonight, the atmosphere was far more charged after the announcement that Nate would be crowned their next leader today. Nate was loved, both for his talent and charm among the people.


    Compared to the bustling Nan Clan, the small shabby yard in the west appeared to be a little ill-adapted. A fair-skinned young man, who was somewhat troubled out of sorts, was sitting on the roof of the small yard. Looking at the bustling Nan Clan, he knitted his eyebrows tightly, a tinge of hatred slightly reflected from his glassy eyes.


    With a sneer, he blurted out what was going through his mind. "Brotherhood? Clan? It is utterly ridiculous!" As he grumbled, he flatly smiled on impulse. Beneath his skinny, feeble frame, anger consumed him like a big, terrifying beast. As if under a spell, violent current jolted him, leaving his hands clasped so tightly that the fingernails cut into the flesh. He only realized it when blood began dripping on his palms.


    This was Ricky Nan. Like Nate Nan, he was also a young talented master from the Nan Clan. In any way, he was much as Nate. Moreover, they had been bosom buddies, almost like blood brothers. The two young talented masters of Nan Clan enjoyed as much respect as those at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement.


    However, everything was completely different now. Ricky had lost all his cultivation base and was now merely at the first grade of Skin Refinement. Thus, he was not a young talented master anymore, but a jerk in everyone''s eyes.


    All this was Nate''s fault. Despite their close friendship right from childhood, Nate, set as the successor of Nan Clan, now treated Ricky like a stranger. And Gilbert, Nate''s father, currently the Dominant Top Elder, was no better either.


    Previously, Ricky''s father had as well served as Dominant Top Elder. But one year ago, while on duty for the Nan Clan, he was raided by masked men. In that heinous attack, the clan suffered untold loss, including the deaths of dozens of outstanding disciples and almost a third of the clan''s property.


    The head of Nan''s clan was infuriated so much that he immediately deposed Ricky''s father as Dominant Top Elder and dumped him into prison on a life sentence.


    Just as the saying went," When a tree falls, the monkeys scatter." Those who had avidly followed Ricky''s father crossed over to other camps in Clan in succession hierarchy. To serve their new masters, the defectors had even deprived Ricky of something even more precious - his accumulated cultivation base at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement. Once they had emasculated him, they also took away his inferior three-star spiritual meridian.


    Every cultivator had a spiritual meridian implanted in his body. Spiritual meridians ranked from one-star to nine-star in ascending order. At each star rating, spiritual meridians were subdivided into inferior, intermediate and top.


    After Ricky''s father was imprisoned, his followers fell subordinate to Nate and his father Gilbert.


    But before Ricky''s father went to prison, the old man had whispered a secret to his son. Nate and Gilbert were no doubt the people behind that damnable attack.


    Now, Ricky had realized how unfair life could get in his clan. No matter how significant your contributions for the good of the clan, only one mistake could erase your name and send you to disgrace. For Ricky and his father, their lowest moment was made worse by the fact that Nate - a once close friend, had turned to betrayal and malice. Despite the previously sworn brotherhood, Nate was now the worst enemy, with his insatiable appetite for power and the clan''s leadership.


    "Father, I will take revenge for you and get back everything we should have deserved!" Ricky, still perching on the roof, solemnly swore to himself when he heard the endless bustling and celebration of Nate''s coronation.


    Thump! Abruptly, Ricky leaped off the roof and landed on the ground of the yard with a thud. Then, he straightly walked towards a wooden pile, swinging his fist ba


    ck and forth towards the pile, in practice.


    Although his three-star inferior spiritual meridian had been taken away, leaving him no cultivation base, he had worked hard in honing his skills back again. By now, he had recovered enough to reach the peak of the first grade of Skin Refinement. Not an easy task, the achievement came through a full year''s efforts, sweat, and sheer persistence.


    Diligence redeems stupidity. Ricky was just a diligent guy. Although he had lost his spiritual meridian, he believed there was hope for him if he cultivated hard enough.


    Hooyah! Hooyah! A faint whiz sound followed Ricky''s every move as he wielded his fists back and forth in front of the pile. In particular, he concentrated on perfecting his Whiz Fist, a Yellow Level intermediate cultivation method. The louder the whiz sound, the stronger the force produced.


    Cultivation methods were absolutely necessary for warriors. Those who mastered skills had great advantages in battles.


    Ricky knew cultivation methods were divided into varying levels, including Yellow Level, Black Level, Earth Level and Heaven Level methods. The Yellow Level was the lowest, while the Heaven Level was the highest. Ricky had no idea if there was any level higher than the Heaven Level. But he knew that cultivation methods at each level were classified into inferior, intermediate and advanced stage.


    Every time when he made a fist move, he was contemplating how to raise enough whizzing to enhance his power.


    Through years of arduous cultivation, Ricky, in fact, had figured out how to bring the might of his fists into full play for quite a long period. But now, the might of his Whiz Fist appeared quite weak. Of course, he knew it was because that he almost didn''t have any blood vitality inside his petite body.


    Blood vitality was essential for a cultivator to give his power into play. However high the level a cultivator had reached, a warrior''s physical strength depended on blood vitality.


    For someone with Ricky''s ambition, it was needful to have blood vitality replenished by cultivation and food, especially meat and blood. However, it was also reported among the more spiritually inclined that a powerful master could directly restore their blood vitality by absorbing nimbus from the universe. Such a master would not have to rely so much on cultivation or nutrition.


    Unfortunately, Ricky was but a humble, less spiritually endowed young master. Even worse, after his father''s fall from grace, it was even impossible for the clan to offer him cultivation resources and nutrition for his advancement.


    Could Ricky hunt beasts on mountains by himself? This would be more impossible. Since he was only at the first grade of Skin Refinement and physically weak in his current situation, there was no hope in sight that he would get anything. At this rate, it was likely he would end up neglected, ostracized and left to die a slow painful death from hunger. If not, then there was the chance of a beast mauling him to an even more painful death.


    At the mere thought of the grim realities ahead, his anger, like a pot of brew, began to boil. In his eyes, vicious hatred took over. He pounded the wooden pile more ferociously until his fists began to bleed.


    "Ahh! There''s never a chance that I''m going to be reconciled!"


    Soon, he bounced against the reaction force of the wooden pile, until at long last, he fell to the ground.


    Deep in him, he knew that he almost had no blood vitality. He knew it all along. The real question was, what could he do about this? Sadly the answer was absolutely nothing!


    The whole situation left him feeling helpless.


    "Unless you enter the tiger''s den, you can''t catch its cub," he shouted at the top of his voice. By now, he had been lying there on the ground for quite a while, his eyes being as cold as snow.


    While he lay on the ground, he had decided to go hunting for food in the mountains, the next day. If he only stayed and cultivated inside this small yard, he would reach a higher level. But for peak physical strength, he had no other way, but to take the risk and go hunting for blood vitality.


    In addition, blood vitality was the only ticket for his return to form.


    Whichever way, it was better for him to do something than to sit around in a pity party.


    Entranced in what his next move should be, he didn''t notice the blood on his palms flowing along his arms. He had forgotten about it all after he fell down. For a moment, he looked at the white bracelet around his right wrist. But he had never known which material the bracelet was made of.


    As the blood flowed down his palm to the wrist in rivulets, the white bracelet arrested the flow by completely absorbing every trace that reached it.


    Gradually, the white bracelet turned blood red. Not just that. It also began to heat up.


    "What''s wrong?" Ricky asked, startled at the burning sensation on his wrist. Then, he lifted his arm up to take a look.


    What he saw was even more alarming. Slowly, the blood soaked bracelet was fusing into his wrist.


    "What the..." Ricky stammered, scared out of wits by what was happening. What would he do?


    In a short time, while worried and wondered, he found that the bracelet disappeared, fusing completely into his wrist.

 Chapter 2 Regain The Spiritual Meridian

    "No! Don''t! Stop it! Now!"


    Ricky roared as soon as he came to his senses. He quickly grabbed his right wrist with his other hand and tried to prevent the scarlet bracelet from entering his body. Because his father told him that the bracelet was the only thing his beloved mother left him.


    But time was not on his side --- it was too late for Ricky.


    The chain attached itself into his wrist and he even felt the chain''s power wander around inside his Soul Sea after reaching the depths of his body, even the tiniest of his nerves.


    Bang! When the chain circled round, Ricky felt his frail body shudder at the unexpected impact. His entire body was suspended in a state of palsy, which strangely made him feel comfortable as though he was protected by the chain from its impact.


    Ricky felt that his entire body --- bones, flesh and blood seemed to be reformed in an instant, overfilling with endless power hidden within himself waiting to be unleashed.


    During the transformation, the chain attached to him changed its appearance, and it somehow made a connection with the meridian center of his brain and meridians all over his body.


    "What is happening..."


    Ricky felt the change within his body and became aware that his hands kept trembling. There was a panic, yet joyful and unbelievable expression that you could see in his eyes. Ricky was overjoyed with tears. He had forgotten to take out the chain left by his mother from his body.


    The warrior''s mystic spiritual meridian was circling round and round in his Soul Sea and connected with the very meridian center of his brain. The spiritual meridian absorbed the spiritual energy of the heaven and earth which went through the skull and planted itself to Ricky''s medial being. The spiritual energy flowed into every part of his body and scoured every inch, every fold, and every nerve, flesh and blood and the soul. At last, it returned to the elixir field to make a breakthrough.


    And that was the process of cultivation.


    And now, the stuff made from the chain transformed exactly the same as the spiritual meridian. It was impossible for Ricky not to be excited or nervous. The power from the spiritual meridian he had lost for a long time finally came back.


    Subconsciously, Ricky pushed this newly acquired spiritual meridian to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.


    Clatter...


    Immediately, Ricky sensed that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him was rushing to get inside his body crazily, like the flowing water bursting to flow open. In a flash, every part of his body was filled with spiritual energy.


    "Aha! This must be the spiritual meridian! The spiritual meridian... I knew it!"


    At the moment, without thinking about anything else, Ricky stood up and roared up to the sky with a thrill of exultation.


    However, all the members of the Nan Clan went to the central courtyard to congratulate the new chosen successor. There was no one else around Ricky''s small shabby courtyard to witness his transformation.


    Crack!


    In tune with Ricky''s excited laughter, a sound of a film breaking appeared from his belly.


    While being covered with the invisible spiritual energy of heaven and earth, Ricky''s aura changed and was promoted to a higher level. Without a doubt, it was the sign of breakthrough.


    After Ricky regained the spiritual meridian, he made a breakthrough and quickly reached the second grade of the Skin Refinement.


    Of course, after having the spiritual meridian back, the change was inevitable. Ricky was once a powerful warrior at the sixth grade of the Skin Refinement. Although his cultivation base was destroyed, he still had the physical form of someone in the sixth grade. Because Ricky had worked hard for the past years, he had a very solid foundation for his form.


    He now understood why he couldn''t break through before. He was unable to do it because he lacked the necessary blood vitality for the breakthrough. And also, most importantly, because he didn''t have the spiritual meridian back then.


    Now his spiritual meridian was back, like a blocked river bursting open, even better than before. Naturally, he could break through effortlessly.


    "Aha. Father, did you see it? I now have the spiritual meridian and can cultivate again," Ricky said excitedly when he realized that he had reached the second grade of the Skin Refinement.


    He reopened the door to the martial arts world.


    "Nat


    e, Gilbert, and all the bastards who have betrayed me, just you wait and see. All of you will repay for what you have done to my father and me," Ricky stated coldly with his fists clenched.


    ...


    It took a long time for Ricky to finally control his excitement and calm down.


    ''Father said that the bracelet was given to me by my mother. Is my mother giving me her blessing?'' Ricky thought as he felt the spiritual meridian that was in his body and made his skin glow with ethereal aura.


    When he was a little boy, Ricky''s father barely mentioned his mother and just promised to tell him everything about her when he reached adulthood. And when Ricky grew up, his father changed his mind and told him that he would tell her story when he became the most powerful man in Stone City.


    ''Mother, what kind of person is you? You cannot be just some ordinary person since you have left such a magic bracelet to me, can you?'' He thought of everything that might be related to the magic chain passed down from his mother.


    Crack!


    However, before he thought too much, the courtyard door was shattered open to pieces. Three men dressed in guard''s uniform from the Nan Clan walked in with disdain.


    The one leading the group was a middle-aged man, older than the other two. He had the mustache and furtive eyes like a rat''s, with a wretched appearance.


    Ricky couldn''t be more familiar with the evil group''s leader, whose name was Hunter Wang. Hunter was at the fifth grade of the Skin Refinement and used to be a subordinate of Ricky''s father. He was also one of the people who had taken out Ricky''s spiritual meridian.


    Behind Hunter were two fat and burly men who carried a raw head of a wild beast. Ricky stared at it carefully and found that it was a skull of a Pig Monster with Bloody Eyes. The skull was so big that it took two big men to carry it.


    "What are you worthless people doing here?" Seeing Hunter, Ricky felt his hatred toward him surged and cursed through his veins and flowed all over his body. He was anxious to kill Hunter immediately.


    But his mind was still clear and he told himself to calm down and endure it. Otherwise, if Hunter found out that he had the spiritual meridian back, the consequences would be unimaginable.


    "Fuck. You are already a lowly loser, but how dare you speak so crossly to me?" Seeing the killing intent in Ricky''s eyes, Hunter sneered. He could not believe that this powerless being would dare talk to him like he was still the proud prince with everything at his command.


    In an instant, Hunter rushed towards Ricky and pounded his shoulder. Ricky spit blood directly and fell on the ground.


    "Loser, don''t even stare at me. Or else, I will dig out your eyes, and crush your skull in an instant." Hunter clapped and shouted angrily.


    Feeling the pain all over his body, Ricky didn''t say anything but clenched his fists and stood up with difficulty.


    Bang! The two burly men threw the big pig''s head on the ground.


    "Hey loser, Young Master Nate sent this pig''s head for you. He wants to share the happiness with you. Ahahaha." Hunter then kicked the pig''s head to Ricky and laughed so loud that the yard boomed with his laughter.


    "Haha, Young Master Nate is so kind. He is the successor of the Nan Clan but still remembers his loser brother. He was afraid that his brother would starve to death and die quickly, so he told us to send a big pig''s head. Aha!" The two burly men also joined into laughter.


    Nate''s real intention of sending a pig''s head was clear to Ricky. He meant say that Ricky was a fool, just like a pig.


    Crack! Crack!


    Ricky looked at the pig''s head on the ground and then the men who were laughing hysterically. Humiliation and fury almost drove him crazy as he dug his nails deep into his palms.


    But now, what could Ricky do? Would he risk his life just to get back at these people?


    His father''s former subordinate and two cooking servants dared to speak rudely and laugh recklessly at him. There was only one reason. Ricky had lost his power and fallen from grace --- because he was now a loser without strength.


    He had to endure everything they did to him! He had to endure all the humiliation and suffering that Nate and his crew dealt at him.


    For now, Ricky could do nothing but endure everything, including the endless anger and humiliation. He had to wait for the day to come when he could explode his strength and avenge himself.

 Chapter 3 The Miraculous Medicine Pavilion

    The slick, disgustingly sticky saliva fell on Ricky''s trembling form.


    The mistreatment and humiliation was a menace he had to endure; he was no longer their respected genius young master. Now, he was nothing more than a frail boy at their mercy, one that had lost even his cultivation base. Ricky couldn''t help but let the vulnerability he felt show on public display. It was an exploitable weakness that led Hunter''s group roaring with laughter.


    Ricky was an insignificant pest in their spiteful gaze. Someone¡ªno, something that didn''t even deserve a beating, as the savages harbored an arrogant thought that killing him would only dirty their hands in the process.


    "Oh! Right, I almost forgot," Hunter exclaimed in a cheerful tone. The two men he was with looked down on Ricky, exchanging knowing glances between each other while smirking. "There''s an order from the Dominant Top Elder. They said that all disciples in the Nan Clan who had failed to reach the third grade of Skin Refinement in the next three days¡ª" Hunter paused, smiling jeeringly at Ricky. "¡ªshall work as miners in the clan''s mine."


    He gauged Ricky''s expression upon hearing the news, but the boy remained unnervingly silent. Hunter scoffed before he and his men chuckled at him scornfully. As they prepared to leave, he called out to him for the last time to deliver an ominous threat. "So, loser Ricky, my ''Young Master'', don''t be late to the mine. If you''re not there on time, we''ll be the ones sending you there in person!"


    ...


    "AHH!" A scream full of hate and loathing shook the old, thin walls of the shabby hut Ricky was living in. He refused to accept this miserable fate he was in; he wanted to deny his lack of power before the people who abused him.


    He cursed as he sat with his legs crossed on top of his creaking, wooden bed, and glared at the half-cooked head of the Pig Monster with Bloody Eyes placed in front of him.


    It was sent to him by his enemy, Nate, as a satirical move meant to tease and mock his current circumstances. Ricky felt ashamed; itching with the desire to burn the abominable thing into ashes. However, he knew that his pride came second to his need for the pig''s blood vitality.


    He had to absorb it together with the function of the renewed spiritual meridian in his body, so that he might soon be able to reach the third grade of the Skin Refinement.


    Otherwise, he would be taken to the mine to do hard labor work, and be forced to come to a dead end.


    Gritting his teeth, Ricky swallowed his indignity and gobbled the pig''s head after tearing it into pieces.


    During the remainder of the night, Ricky poured his all into refining his body and flesh. Perhaps, the joy of regaining his spiritual meridian also helped in retaining his focus during his rigorous training.


    He didn''t stop until the first telltale signs of dawn broke through the early morning sky. Yet, Ricky remained unbothered as he continued to persevere until he heard the satisfying crisp clicks sounding all over his body.


    It was, without a doubt, an indication that Ricky had made a breakthrough in his cultivation base.


    One night¡ªonly in one night, had he managed to jump from second to the third grade of the Skin Refinement.


    "This¡­ this was way beyond what I had expected!" He regarded his newfound strength in astonishment. "What grade is this new spiritual meridian? Its speed of inhaling the spiritual energy of earth and heaven is ten times more than that of my previous one."


    He was quite aware that the reason for his breakthrough was mostly due to the regain of the spiritual meridian in his Soul Sea.


    "Could it be a five-star spiritual meridian?"


    Ricky murmured to himself with great excitement.


    In all of Stone City''s history, a five-star spiritual meridian hadn''t appeared yet.


    This granted him a chance to sit on top of the hierarchy, seeing as those who possessed a high caliber of power were regarded as praised geniuses among the region''s ruling force, the Snow Sect.


    "Father, please wait for me. I will come to save you soon!" With fists closed tightly in unwavering will and determination, Ricky exclaimed his promise with confidence. The thought of being able to wield this ability with great prowess made him feel more thrilled and encouraged than ever.


    ...


    "The Miraculous Medicine Pavilion of the Nan Clan is accessible to any disciple who had successfully reached the third grade of Skin Refinement. From there, they may also receive three Body Refining Pills," Ricky mumbled. After spending half the day for reinforcing his current level, he became lost in his thoughts again.


    The three Body Refining Pills were a valuable cultivation resource; given his unfavorable situation, he needed them to survive.


    ''They probably won''t give me the Body Refining Pills that easily. I''ll have to fight them, '' He deduced, frowning in disdain. ''No, even if I win, there''s no guarantee that I''ll get the pills. After the fight, I have to escape from this clan. Otherwise,


    after Gilbert and his son know that I have reached the third grade of Skin Refinement, they definitely would try to ruin my cultivation base again¡ªall to make me work at the mine.''


    "I''ll have to escape," he whispered to himself in contemplation.


    Despite his musings, his feet unfailingly carried him towards the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion.


    It was a quick journey that took him less than fifteen minutes to arrive, with the site located on the west side of the Nan Clan''s courtyard that was only a small distance away from Ricky''s run-down hut.


    His entry to the esteemed property went far from unnoticed, as he had already expected.


    After all, he was infamous among the whole Nan Clan. His nicknames such as "Loser Ricky" and "Traitor" were ones that spilled from gossiping mouths every time someone had caught sight of him wandering around.


    Sneers and words of ridicule flitted through the tense atmosphere; all aimed directly at his unwelcome presence.


    "What the hell is he thinking? Is the loser here to get the Body Refining Pills?"


    "You''re talking nonsense! Our ''Young Master'' Ricky came here to¡­smell the fragrance of the Pills!"


    Guffaws and endless mockery from the disciples of Nan Clan felt akin to shrieking hyenas in his ears.


    Still, he pretended to be oblivious and went straight inside the Pavilion.


    "Look, the former genius is really going inside!"


    "Let''s bet on how the Traitor will get kicked out!"


    "I''m telling you, he''ll be beaten and thrown away like a pig head! Haven''t you heard that our current young master, Nate, considering their former brotherhood, sent him a big pig head last night? Isn''t it hilarious?"


    A shadow fell over Ricky''s face as he continued on his path. For now, he was useless against their sarcasm and judgments, but he believed that he would someday be able to avenge himself.


    ...


    "I am here to get the Body Refining Pills!"


    Ricky declared with conviction to the two burly men who were responsible for distributing the coveted item.


    He estimated the men''s spiritual meridian grade, and assumed that they both possessed a one-star. A low grade, and as a result, they were both stuck in distributing the pills despite their ages being over thirty years.


    "You''re just a piece of garbage without a spiritual meridian! Don''t you come here just to mess around, otherwise I don''t mind teaching you a good lesson in accordance to the rules of our Nan Clan." The guard closest to Ricky snarled at him threateningly.


    Without warning, Ricky had raised his hands and choked the man tightly like a ferocious tiger''s claws enclosed on its prey''s neck.


    Then, with a loud thud, he dropped him directly on the ground.


    He stepped hard on his ugly, fat face without any hesitation hindering his movements and retorted menacingly, "If I''m a loser, what are you?"


    The pressure of his foot increased, and the man screamed in pain. "You''ve survived for more than thirty years, yet you''re here being trampled underfoot by youth like me."


    The burly man wasn''t able to utter a single word as his eyes betrayed his prominent fear for the boy above him.


    How could he have thought that the renowned loser had the power to defeat him? He didn''t even have any resistance to fight against the dishonor the one-sided battle was giving him.


    "Give me the damn Body Refining Pills, or I''ll kill him now!"


    Ricky demanded, regarding the man''s other companion with a cold anger brewing behind his frightening glare.


    "Alright! I''ll get the pills immediately!"


    The other burly guard scurried to find the bottle hastily, shivering upon sensing the former young master''s steely gaze watching his back as he did so. After reaching for a bottle of pills behind the counter, the man passed it to Ricky without a second thought.


    The bottle had ten Body Refining Pills, and according to the rules of Nan Clan, Ricky could only take three. Though, he could only keep that fact whispering at the back of his mind, having lost the nerve to even speak to the young boy.


    After having accomplished his initial mission, Ricky kicked his captive away and walked out of the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion. His main priority now was leaving the Nan Clan, and he had to do it as soon as possible.


    As for the disciples around them, they were completely dumbfounded.


    The power that Ricky briefly displayed was one that could only be attained by someone reached the third grade of the Skin Refinement. They were at a loss, wondering how a loser without a spiritual meridian could have achieved such a feat.


    Still, their disbelief was meaningless. With no courage to even muster, the crowd, overwhelmed by Ricky''s prowess, was left gaping.


    If it weren''t for their curious sights settling on another subject of interest, their prying eyes would''ve never left Ricky''s receding figure. Because there, in the distance, came a good looking couple of a young male and female, walking hand-in-hand as they slowly approached the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion.

 Chapter 4 A Price On His Head

    "Well, well well... If it isn''t ''Ricky the genius Young Master? Why are you here? A servant could have run this errand. Oh, that''s right. I forgot. You''re now the Loser Ricky, the waste of blood, who has no servant at all. Ha ha!" The handsome guy sneered at Ricky and laughed loudly the moment he saw him.


    "Ha ha! Ricky the waste of blood!" The woman laughed at Ricky as well, covering her mouth with her hand. She wore a disgusted look on her face.


    Neither the young man nor the young woman bothered to hide their expressions. How they felt was how they felt, and the waste of blood before them wasn''t worthy of any kind of respect, either feigned or not.


    Ricky glanced at the two and quickened his pace as he just wanted to leave the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion.


    "Avery! Young master! Help!" Avery looked around, and saw two strong men from the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion. They were bumping into each other, sometimes almost falling. They were also being quite loud about it. They were headed his way.


    Both of them spoke quickly, words spilling out of their mouths faster than they could think. They gave their account of how Ricky grabbed the Body Refining Pill against the rules of the Nan Clan.


    "Idiots! You can''t even handle a waste of blood with no spiritual meridian!" Avery pushed one of the men away, and kicked the other one. He strode up to Ricky and stood in front of him, blocking his way.


    Avery was Nate''s cousin, and had a one-star top-grade spiritual meridian. He was also at the peak of the third grade of the Skin Refining Level.


    "Loser! You broke the rules of our clan! You should die for robbing from the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion," Avery said to Ricky arrogantly. He gave Ricky a cold smile and continued, "Besides, the Dominant Top Elder has ordered everyone lower than the third grade of the Skin Refinement to the mine. Head there now and report for work!"


    Avery had accused Ricky of the two most unforgivable crimes of disobeying the rules of the clan and the order from the Dominant Top Elder.


    "You used to have talent, but you lost your spiritual meridian. So hand over the Body Refining Pill, and go to the mine to atone. Since you and Nate were close friends, I''m sure he might make you the overseer," the woman said, pointing at Ricky''s nose. She wiggled her slim waist charmingly, laughing at him.


    She was Inge¡ªher father was one of the head servants. When Ricky was on top, Inge followed him around like a lost puppy and told everyone she was Ricky''s concubine.


    Now the situation had changed, so the woman threw herself at Nate. But Nate wasn''t interested, so she moved on to his cousin Avery.


    "They say your bark is worse than your bite. Problem is, you can''t even bark properly!" Ricky spoke coldly, regarding the two of them with an icy stare.


    "Go to hell!" Avery had enough. Furious, he struck at Ricky with the Whiz Fist, and everyone could hear what sounded like the roar of a tiger.


    "Hum!" Ricky sneered and fought back with the same move, Whiz Fist. When in doubt, fight fire with fire.


    Ricky''s maneuver, however, sounded fiercer than Avery''s. His sound was like a real tiger roaring, shocking everyone.


    And that threw off Avery completely. How could a loser make his punch roar like that?


    He only had a split second to think about it. He was imagining what kind of pain he would inflict on Ricky, maybe even break his arm and knock him to the ground.


    Bang! On the first pass, Avery and Ricky were locked in a fierce battle. Energy scattered in all directions, as their blows connected.


    "Ahhh!"


    A crowd had gathered to watch the fight. As expected, they heard one of the fighters cry out in pain. One of them flew backwards with the force of the blow, and landed on the ground heavily.


    But soon every person there shook in fright, shocked. Especially Inge. They remained still for a while staring in disbelief at the fighter rolling on the ground. It was not Ricky, but Avery.


    The only one standing was Ricky, the so-called ''waste of blood.'' He didn''t even look hurt.


    "What the hell? How did you break through the third grade of Skin


    Refinement with no spiritual meridian! ?" Avery asked, left hand covering his nearly broken right arm.


    So a young man with no spiritual meridian had bested someone of Avery''s considerable skill.


    Though Avery was technically more powerful, he knew the score. He had improved himself with pills and elixirs, rather than actual skill. There was no way he''d beat a fighter at the same level.


    Of course he fell to Ricky''s fist.


    Bang! Avery had scarcely finished his sentence before a foot caught him in the face and knocked him to the ground. Then Ricky stomped on his head harshly. His once handsome face was now covered with dust and blood.


    "You said I was a waste of blood. How about you? See what a waste of blood can do!" Ricky said to him coldly, foot resting on Avery''s head. Then Ricky kicked him again, catching Avery full in the chest. Avery flew into a tree near him and passed out.


    Of course, Ricky wasn''t going to kill Avery¡ªat least, not yet. For one thing, his father was still held captive by the Nan Clan. Another reason was that he did not have the time. If some more powerful members of the Clan heard about this and showed up, he wouldn''t stand a chance.


    In a moment, Ricky turned and walked over to Inge. His black eyes glared at her with a sharp murderous intent, just like that of a hunting hawk.


    "What... what do you want?" Inge asked, terrified. She wanted to back up, but she was too frightened. All she could do was standing there, paralyzed. She could sense he was intent on mayhem. Inge slumped to the ground with a glassy-eyed look.


    "You cheesy slut! I wouldn''t dirty my hands killing you!" Ricky said with an icy look, "I just wanted to tell you all that I''m back!" While he said this, his eyes swept the other members of the Nan Clan, who wore the same expression as Inge.


    "You can tell Nate and Gilbert I''m taking everything! Whether it belongs to me or not!"


    After finishing his speech, Ricky ran off. He returned to his own small hut quickly, and gathered up some clothing and a few copper coins. Then, he climbed over the wall, leaving the Nan Clan behind.


    Ricky did not head to the gates of Stone City, as that would have been quite a distance to cover. After the powerful cultivators of the Nan Clan found out what had happened in the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion, the city gates wouldn''t be safe. They''d be waiting for him there.


    As he expected, in less than an hour there was a warrant out for his arrest in Stone City.


    One of the three largest martial arts clans in the city, the Nan Clan, of course, had massive power and influence. Once the arrest warrant was announced, all the warriors, except the ones of the other two clans, started to chase down Ricky. It was license to kill him.


    After all, Ricky was only a waste of blood without any spiritual meridian. They could easily catch up to him. The fact that these hunters had the backing of the Nan Clan didn''t hurt either. Anybody who joined in the chase would score brownie points with the clan.


    Two days went by, and they still had not captured him. And they had no idea where Ricky even was.


    This enraged the Nan Clan and a reward was added to the arrest warrant. Anyone who ratted him out would be rewarded two hundred silver coins. Ricky had a price on his head.


    All the warriors were excited to hear it. Even many members of other powerful clans joined the chase.


    Because two hundred silver coins was a large fortune, equivalent to twenty thousand copper coins. A warrior at medium-level of the Skin Refinement, hunting wild beasts for two years, could only bring in two hundred silver at the most. They figured this was easy money.


    ...


    Unbeknownst to anyone, Ricky hid in an abandoned well in the western part of Stone City.


    This land belonged to the Wang Clan. And they guarded it jealously from the other clans. He wouldn''t run into any bounty hunters here.


    He was safe for a full five days and nights.


    But danger finally found him on the sixth day. He was secretly followed by two furtive figures and they did not show themselves until he came to the well. He''d been found out!

 Chapter 5 Xenia Wang

    Standing beside the dry well, Ricky''s face took on a gloomy cast. He sized up the two fighters who had found him. He figured he was in for a fight, and he knew a misstep might mean his death.


    There were two girls standing before him. The one in front wore a pink skirt, which perfectly highlighted her developing figure. Her beautiful eyes looked just like two polished dark gems. Every breath out through her bright teeth and alluring red lips was laced with a delicate fragrance.


    There was no doubt that once she grew up, her beauty would cause the downfall of a state.


    The other one stood behind the first respectfully. She was a rather pretty servant girl, and followed her mistress wherever she went.


    "Oh! Xenia Wang? Why are you here?" Ricky asked in a calm tone. He was still startled, still shaking and trying to fight down the fear. He whined to himself, ''Damn it! I still got tailed. I should have been more careful!'' Xenia''s appearance set him brooding. If she could find him, would others be far behind?


    Xenia Wang, daughter of the Wang Clan, was believed to be a rare genius in her clan, just like Ricky used to be in his. But Ricky speculated that she was even more talented than he was¡ªwhen Ricky had just reached the sixth grade of Skin Refining Level, Xenia had already broken through the seventh.


    Ricky''s first encounter with Xenia dated back to a Toughening that happened several years ago.


    To improve himself at the time, Ricky entered a mountain range where ferocious beasts were known to dwell. Soon he happened to spot a heavily injured and beautiful young girl. That girl was Xenia. Considering the dangerous situation she was in, there was no doubt Xenia''s life was at risk. But he couldn''t leave her alone in such a treacherous place, so Ricky cut short his trip to save her life. Not only did Ricky heal Xenia''s wounds in the nick of time with his internal power, but he also personally escorted her back to her clan.


    Xenia was so thankful that Ricky lent her a hand. Ricky was surprised to learn that Xenia''s grade at the Skin Refinement was even higher than his. As a result, they shared a mutual admiration. And so Xenia started to hang out with Ricky and they''d spar together.


    They had practiced together, enjoying their time as martial arts practitioners, losing themselves in their art. But when the spiritual meridian inside Ricky''s body was destroyed, his cultivation base was removed. Since then, Ricky hadn''t seen her again. But he wasn''t hurt. He got it. It was useless for a genius to spar with an ordinary person.


    Therefore, he didn''t hold a grudge against her.


    "Hey, I get it. You come here to claim the bounty. Gonna arrest me and get that 200 silver coins?" Ricky scoffed. He didn''t want to think that way. He didn''t think that was what she had in mind, but the possibility had occurred to him.


    The former genius couldn''t help sighing in his heart, ''Wow! Who could have ever thought my friend could become my enemy over a few coins?''


    Her face a mask of anger, the young servant finally spoke, "Her ladyship is far richer than that paltry reward! How could you say a thing like that?" As she shouted at Ricky, he could feel a stirring, a disturbance in the air. She was gathering energy. He recognized it immediately¡ªthe fifth grade of Skin Refinement. Clearly, she was ready to start a fight with Ricky over her lady''s honor.


    Before anything could happen, Xenia snapped, "Stop!" Hearing Xenia''s order, the servant noticed her misbehavior and stopped herself. The stirring subsided, and Ricky was safe, for the moment.


    Xenia Wang continued, "Ricky, I owe you my life, so I''m here to return the favor. This is my way of saying thanks."


    "Oh? Are you saying that trash like me once saved a noble woman like you?" Ricky faked a smile, and then he continued, "When did that happen? How could I forget a thing like that? Thanks anyway, but I wouldn''t have you lower yourself to save me. I''m dead already. So leave me alone, please."


    Ricky was a young and stubborn man, and he was proud. Even though he was deep in the darkest time of his life, desperately in need of help, he wouldn''t allow himself to accept help from Xenia Wang. It was like she pitied him, like an animal caught in a trap. Help like that he didn''t need.


    Hearing no response from the two, Ricky thought about it for a while and continued, "Okay, fine. If this is really how you feel, just don''t reveal my hiding place. Can you help with that?" Without any reply, Xenia Wang stood quietly, studying this man in front of her. This wasn''t the proud confident warrior she used to spar with. This was a broken young man. She felt a pang of disappointment in her heart.


    Still receiving no answer, Ricky had no intention to continue the conversation, so he just turned and made ready to leave.


    "So you don''t care about your own life, do you? But what about your father''s?" Seeing Ricky was about to walk away, Xenia intended to make him pause with that remark. She waited to see what he''d do. He just continued on his way, so she explained, "If Nan Clan can''t track you down in the next few days, they''ll probably just kill your father. Vengeance will demand you show yourself."


    By the time Xenia Wang finished her monologue, Ricky froze abruptly.


    She had just told Ricky the hardest truth. Whether Ricky wanted to believe it or not, what Xenia Wang had just said really made se


    nse. Like she said, he didn''t care about his life, but he wouldn''t let anyone threaten his father.


    To spare his father from death, he had to be humble and accept help, because that was the only way to save him. Nothing else mattered right now.


    Feeling as if there was a weight in his mind, Ricky closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he turned toward Xenia Wang again, opening his eyes once more. He asked, with a stern look, "Xenia, what exactly are you trying to say?"


    Xenia Wang answered, "Two days from now, emissaries from Snow Sect will visit Stone City for recruitment. Take this token. They''ll take you on as a disciple, once you show this token to them." As Xenia spoke to Ricky, she tossed a white token at him. Along the sides of the token, there were exquisite patterns of snowflakes surrounding one word, "SNOW".


    "Becoming a disciple of Snow Sect is the only way out. Once you''re a Snow Sect disciple you won''t have to run and hide anymore. And the Nan Clan can''t afford to offend Snow Sect, so both you and your father will be safe."


    "Snow Sect¡­" Hearing the name of the sect mentioned by Xenia Wang, Ricky''s eyes twinkled with hope and ambition.


    "Such a precious token. Shouldn''t you keep it for yourself or give it to disciples from your own clan?" Ricky asked, confused.


    "They don''t need it. You do. As I said, this is my thanks for saving me," Xenia continued, with a stern face, "I don''t want to owe you anything. We''re even now."


    After that, Xenia turned and left.


    Meanwhile, the servant took out a cloth bag that she had up her sleeve. It dropped into her hand with a gesture. She then walked toward Ricky and hung the cloth bag around his neck.


    "Poor guy! There are three hundred silver coins in it. The last thing you''ll receive from her ladyship," said the servant, coldly.


    Then she continued, with pride, "By the way, our lady has been recognized as a special disciple by one of the innate spirits. And you''re just another ordinary warrior. Don''t misunderstand anything. Don''t try to contact her again. Don''t even dream of it!"


    With a scornful look, the servant turned and left too.


    "Crack! Crack!"


    Ricky gritted his teeth as he watched the servant''s silhouette recede. Great anger rose up and filled his chest. The servant''s words carved into Ricky''s heart and completely ripped into his pride. He couldn''t do anything but clench his fists.


    Eventually, his lips had been bitten too fiercely to bleed. And his fingernails had pierced into his flesh.


    In Ricky''s right fist, the token held there had been bent almost out of shape. If he continued to crush it, adding one more iota of strength, the token would be broken in an instant, along with his hopes!


    Wrath was still welling up in his heart and pulled him away from sanity. Before Ricky was on the verge of derangement, suddenly, his father''s face flashed across Ricky''s mind. He came back to his senses, keeping his father firmly in his thoughts, and finally loosened his fists.


    Still, he couldn''t endure the servant''s humiliation. Ricky ripped open the cloth bag, and then threw it to the ground with great force. Then he stomped angrily on it to vent his rage. After that, he walked away, leaving the bag behind.


    ...


    Two days later, in Stone City, a magnificent celebration was held to greet the arrival of the emissaries from Snow Sect. Statues of heroes and gods were paraded through the city streets¡ªrites were enacted to symbolize their victory over the forces of chaos. People coursed through their home districts, knocking on doors and talking to their neighbors excitedly. Fireworks could be seen and heard too.


    On such a striking occasion, Ricky had been completely forgotten. His arrest was temporarily suspended.


    Led by their own masters, disciples from all martial clans in Stone City had flocked together and gathered in the biggest square in the city.


    Among all the martial clans present, there were three leading martial clans which enjoyed great reputations and authority in Stone City¡ªNan Clan, Wang Clan and Sun Clan.


    "Hahaha, Nick, I heard a young master from your clan, Nate Nan, had been enrolled by one innate spirit from Snow Sect. Congratulations!" beamed Quinn Sun, the master from Sun Clan, as he clapped a hand on Nick''s shoulder.


    "Nick, this is really a blessed event. I couldn''t be happier for you!" echoed Howard Wang, the master from Wang Clan.


    "Huh! You two old foxes. Don''t tell me that the two of you didn''t enjoy the same blessings!" Nick Nan replied disapprovingly, with a frown.


    "Haha!" After the three masters exchanged knowing looks, they burst into wild laughter. They all felt so proud of their own offspring, as the three clans finally had been related to Snow Sect.


    Though they were smiling joyfully like they were old friends, they all kept a wary eye on one another. If one of them got weak, the other two clans would immediately make alliances and turn against the feeble one.


    The rest of martial clans there simply brooded, because they knew there was no hope for any of them to rise in Stone City in this generation. They would continue to stay mediocre and wait patiently for their own time to shine.


    "Boom!"


    This rumbling of thunder even eclipsed the noises of the fireworks. Suddenly, two giant birds slowly descended into the square. The beating of their wings created a small storm with gusts of wind.

 Chapter 6 Disciples Of Snow Sect

    All the warriors now bore witness to the thing that made such a ruckus in the skies.


    They saw two giant Snow Vultures with fierce eyes, sharp steely claws and two pairs of 30-meter outstretched wings. They made raspy, drawn-out hissing sounds.


    "That''s a fierce beast of the Bone Reinforcement¡ªthe Snow Vulture, who lives atop the snowy mountain all year round. They feed on broken bones, and will only serve those innate spirits." Many warriors were amazed to see these two Snow Vultures. They were proud and fierce, with white plumage, particularly thick around the legs.


    Even the eyes of masters from three prestige clans were full of admiration and amazement.


    The strength of these Snow Vultures far outstripped anything a human could muster.


    For hundreds of thousands of miles around, only the powerful Snow Sect was able to force the Snow Vulture of the Bone Reinforcement willingly serve as a mount.


    "Whoof! Whoof!" The beating of their wings stirred up the dust and made it hard to see things around.


    Soon, the two giant Snow Vultures landed in the square, and then the temperature of the entire huge square suddenly fell. Undoubtedly, that was thanks to the Snow Vultures.


    "My God, this is the fierce beast of the Bone Reinforcement¡ªthe Snow Vulture. Unleashed, it can paralyze warriors of Blood Purification in a heartbeat with its icy powers, let alone those of Skin Refinement," said some other warriors, shivering due to the sharp drop in temperature.


    After the two Snow Vultures landed, they settled directly in the square without a glance at the warriors of Stone City.


    The fierce beast of Bone Reinforcement already had relatively-high wisdom, and naturally disdained these weak warriors of Stone City.


    Two women dismounted from the Snow Vultures'' backs.


    However, the two women could not be more different.


    One woman wore a crimson red dress. Her long black hair went straight to her wasp-like waist. She was exceedingly fascinating and charming, commanding a man''s attention in every single gesture. Furthermore, she was white-skinned and quite lovely. She touched the heart of every warrior of Stone City.


    In short, she was a charming creature.


    The other woman was in black, skin-tight clothing, but the woman''s face struck fear into each heart.


    It was her face that was terrible. The right side bore a ferocious black birthmark, which not only covered the woman''s face, but made her hideously, fiercely ugly.


    But there was only arrogance in the eyes of either woman.


    Nevertheless, all the warriors of Stone City, including masters from the three clans, did not dare show any disrespect.


    They all lowered their noble warriors'' heads immediately and shouted respectfully," The warriors of Stone City respectfully welcome the emissaries from Snow Sect!"


    "Cut the crap. The test begins. All the disciples willing to take part in the test come see us. The only requirement is that you be under 17 years of age!" the Lady in Black said coldly. She did not care about the niceties at all.


    "Yes, yes, yes!" Noticing the black clad woman was impatient, the clan masters all nodded hurriedly and cleared a big space in the square for the warriors to come forward.


    "Disciples of Snow Sect are like this. They are the real strong ones, using a single word to command the noble clan masters of Stone City to lower their noble heads," a caped man in the crowd muttered sarcastically after seeing this.


    There was no doubt that this caped man was Ricky.


    "I will become as strong as them someday."


    ...


    The Lady in Black raised her right hand and a half-person-high shimmering ebony test stone appeared.


    "That''s the Storage Ring!" Looking at the black test stone appearing out of nowhere, the eyes of all the warriors were attracted by the woman''s right hand, because she wore a golden ring on her right index finger.


    Warrio


    rs looked at the ring with greedy and envious eyes, but finally their eyes were filled with fear.


    "Storage Ring! Only the legendary casting masters of Spirit Level can make the spiritual space tool. There''s nothing that compares to a ring that can store spiritual energy. Even death brings me no regret after seeing the Storage Ring," some old warriors of Stone City said, tearing up.


    Casting masters of Spirit Level were even rarer and more valuable than the innate spirits. It was almost a miracle to have just 1 casting master of Spirit Level out of 100 innate spirits.


    "All the warriors under age 17, hit the test stone with all your strength. Those who can leave a mark can become the outer disciples of Snow Sect. Let''s start!" the Lady in Black said, taking an indifferent glance at the warriors who had already been ready.


    After she declared this, the warriors who were ready rushed to the front of the black test stone. They spared no effort hitting the black stone hard with their fists. It made a deafening noise. Even the gods'' ears were ringing.


    Concerning the result of the test, naturally some people were happy with their results. They saw the marks they had made in the stone and were satisfied. Others were disappointed with what they saw, because they did not do that well.


    A total of 60 warriors passed, half of whom were disciples of the three major clans.


    At this time, the Lady in Black was ready to announce the test was over.


    "Wait a minute... I want to try!" Ricky shouted. He removed the cloak, revealing his face.


    "That''s the waste of blood! The guy who got his spiritual meridian destroyed!" All the warriors focused on him immediately.


    "Ha-ha, once a genius, now a waste. What a great gap between these two!"


    "Doesn''t this loser know everyone''s looking for him and trying to kill him? How dare he show himself like this?"


    ...


    "Thief! Traitor! You betray the clan. How dare you come here to make trouble today? Pay with your life!" a middle-aged thin man behind Nick shouted fiercely. This slender middle-aged man was none other than the Dominant Top Elder of Nan Clan¡ªGilbert, whose strength had reached the peak of Blood Purification.


    After shouting his epithets, he bowed his body and leaped at Ricky like a predator. His five fingers were surrounded with scarlet spiritual energy, then they turned into real tiger claws, aiming for Ricky''s head.


    Affected by the momentum of the peak of Blood Purification, Ricky was rooted to the spot.


    But he was well-prepared. The white token Xenia gave him was already in the palm of his hand.


    As expected, after the white token was revealed, the charming woman and the black clad woman saw some special meaning in it. A glint of interest flashed in their eyes. Then the woman in black took action.


    With her hands twisting this way and that, a white sword-light formed and instantly shot in front of Gilbert, interrupting his attack. Gilbert fell on the ground, sweat dripping from his face. He was scared because he knew that sword-light could have killed him in one hit.


    "It''s not your turn to kill someone here. Try that again, and die!" The Lady in Black looked at Gilbert coldly. It was also a warning to everyone assembled there.


    Then, she grabbed the white token from Ricky''s hand.


    "Now that you have the recommendation of the Dominant Top Elder of Snow Sect, you can become an outer disciple of Snow Sect," the Lady in Black said, after checking that the token was real or not.


    "Thank you so much!" Hearing this, Ricky was elated.


    The faces of everyone in Nan Clan were purple with anger. They could not believe that such trash could have the approval of the Dominant Top Elder of Snow Sect. At once, Gilbert winked at the disciples of Nan Clan who were equally disgruntled.


    Taking the hint from Gilbert, Avery made an appearance and stepped forward first.

 Chapter 7 Challenge

    "Emissaries, I am Avery. Please listen to what I have to say." Avery respectfully bowed at the two emissaries before him as he glanced at Ricky with a harsh and killing intent.


    "I''d be delighted to hear you." The charming woman said after studying Avery for a short while. She seemed interested at the rift between Ricky and the Nan Clan. With a smile, she waved her hand indicating for Avery to speak. Avery was elated and his face softened at the acknowledgement of the emissary.


    "Bitch!" The woman in black clothes snorted. She glanced at the charming woman and gave her a hard look.


    The charming woman simply shrugged her off and returned her glance dismissively.


    Avery could feel his heart pound against his chest in anticipation. He could feel beads of sweat drip on his forehead. He realized that not only did he fail to capture the interest of the charming woman, but he also fell into the land of illusion and almost lost his mind. Although it was just a few seconds, what could have happened really scared Avery. ''She''s like a spider, spinning her web and waiting for the prey, '' Avery thought.


    Collecting all his courage, he finally said, "Emissaries, Ricky is a traitor to Nan Clan. Such a traitor cannot be recommended by the Elder of Snow Sect. This token must have been obtained through improper means.


    Also, Ricky had no spiritual meridian. He was a waste because he could not cultivate at all. If someone like him becomes a disciple of the Snow Sect, he will only destroy your noble reputation"


    Hearing Avery speaking ill of him, Ricky was absolutely livid.


    "No spiritual meridian?" "That''s a lie!" Ricky interjected. The emissary in black became interested in the scene unfolding before her. She stepped towards Ricky and gently put her palm above his head, milky-white icy spiritual energy surrounding her fair hand.


    "Sure enough, there is no spiritual meridian!" She announced after studying him for a while.


    Whispers and murmurs could be instantly heard from everyone. Everyone despised Ricky and they believed it would be impossible for Snow Sect to recognize a waste without spiritual meridian as their disciple.


    Hearing the woman in black clothes said he had no spiritual meridian, Ricky also started to doubt himself. He had undoubtedly regained his spiritual meridian. Why was the emissary unable to check it out?


    ''Have I regained some magical spiritual meridian that could not even be detected by the warriors of Bone Reinforcement?'' Ricky thought to himself.


    This was definitely bad news for Ricky. If the emissary thought he had no spiritual meridian, there was no way that the Snow Sect would accept him as a disciple. As the Nan clan said, he would never be accepted as a waste without spiritual meridian.


    "Although, I find it a little odd." The woman in black clothes said after some careful thought "I can''t feel his spiritual meridian. But why is he able to reach the third grade of Skin Refinement without a spiritual meridian? And why the other meridians of his whole body are very wide and suitable for cultivation?" She did not immediately dismiss Ricky''s powers as she could felt there was definitely something going on.


    Hearing words of the emissary, all the warriors were shocked except for the people in Nan Clan.


    They found it hard to believe for Ricky to be at the third grade of Skin Refinement. They had never heard that a waste without spiritual meridian could cultivate into this level, even if Ricky was once a genius of the sixth grade of Skin Refinement.


    Hearing all this commotion, the charming woman also examined Ricky''s powers.


    "Maybe this little boy is a man of great will!" The woman in black agreed, "If so, he is worth teaching."


    She made a decision and said, "There is a token of the Elder in his hand, which means that he can become a disciple of Snow Sect. Whether he obtained the token through improper means or not is out of my bounds."


    "Thank you so much, Emissaries of the Snow Sect" Ricky said as he bowed gratefully before them.


    He was unsure why the woman in black clothes approved of him but whatever the reason behind, he was eternally grateful as she really had saved his life.


    The Nan Clan was upset with the verdict of the emissary. Although they did not show it, they were also upset with the woman in black clothes for she was the one responsible for this whole ordeal.


    "Ricky! I, Avery, challenge you!" Avery cried in frustration.


    Everyone around looked at Ricky in anticipation. They all wanted to know how a waste who had cultivated to the third grade of Skin Refinement without a spiritual meridian would respond to this challenge.


    The Snow Sect Emissaries simply observed from their positions and did not stop Avery from challenging Ricky. They were also interested in how Ricky would react.


    "What?" Ricky said mockingly. "You already lost to me once before. Didn''t you eat enough soil the last time? Or maybe you just miss the smell of dust that''s why you''re asking for more?" he continued. Ricky was in disbelief. He found it funny that Avery would challenge him again after his defeat.


    But on the other hand, he would be delighted to defeat Avery once again before becoming a formal disciple of the Snow Sect. This was the perfect opportunity to show his worth. It was only a pity that he couldn''t directly kill him under these circumstances.


    "Really? Avery lost to Ricky?" The surrounding warriors were surprised.


    This only made Avery angrier. These warriors thought so little of him. He felt the anger burn up inside of him and his intent to kill Ricky only became clearer.


    "All your big talk needs to be supported with actual proof of strength, Ricky. You''re a waste. I can knock you down before you can even start. All this talk saying that you had beaten me is a lie!" Avery said arrogantly with a snort.


    He could not let the warriors see that he could be intimidated. The more he let the chink in his armor show, the more warriors would believe that he was actually defeated by Ricky.


    "It doesn''t matter if you won''t admit that I defeated you, because I will beat you again today!"


    "You traitor, I will beat you!"


    "Whiz Fist!" Avery violently screamed. His feet aggressively slammed the ground, and he formed his fist by clasping five fingers while carrying the sound of the tiger''s whistle. He attacked Ricky head on.


    Avery''s Whiz Fist was now stronger than it was before. Its power exceeded its previous strength and it even surpassed the strength of Ricky''s former capacity.


    But Ricky was not going down without a fight. "Whiz Fist!" He cried as he also slammed his feet into the ground and attacked Avery with the same move.


    Boom! Their attacks collided and created an explosion. Debris was everywhere. After a short while, Ricky receded. After retreating back dozens of steps, he shortly stopped. He only felt a surge in his chest yet he was almost burst out of blood.


    "You have broken through the third grade of Skin Refinement! You''re at the fourth!" Ricky spat with cold hatred in his eyes.


    He finally understood why Avery challenged him in public.


    "Fuck! Avery is so shameless! As a warrior in the fourth grade of Skin Refinement, how could he even challenge a warrior in the third grade of Skin Refinement?" Some of the surrounding warriors were in Ricky''s side.


    "Yes. There is a big watershed between the third and the fourth grade of Skin Refinement! After all, it is a great gap between inferior and the intermediate stage."


    Many more shouts and complaints were heard from the warriors saying the fight wasn''t fair considering the level of the strength between the two.


    Hearing these arguments, Avery looked very distraught. But he kept in mind that as long as he won this battle, all rumors would disappear. No one would mess with him after his victory today.


    "You traitor! Die! A waste like you can never become a disciple of Snow Sect!" Focusing all the strength his whole body could muster on his right palm, he screamed with all his power and rushed to attack Ricky.


    "Falcon Claw!"


    The spiritual energy of fourth grade of Skin Refinement surrounded Avery''s right palm, like an invincible eagle claw. He was aiming straight to Ricky''s chest. His intent to kill was very evident.


    "Look! That is an advanced cultivation method of Yellow Level, Falcon Claw. Once used, there will definitely be casualties. Avery is truly evil! He is going to kill Ricky!" The warriors said as they sided with Ricky once more.


    ......


    "It doesn''t matter if you have broken through the third grade of Skin Refinement. I will kill you anyway!" Ricky ejaculated.


    This was not a good time to kill Avery. But if his life was on the line, he was definitely going to counterattack with full force.

 Chapter 8 Murderers Are Meant To Be Killed

    "I lost you once.'' He shouted in his mind to his regained spiritual meridian, ''But now that I found you again, I''m counting on you!'' The mental shout was a commitment to action, a focus, and a way to absorb some spiritual energy with his spiritual meridian.


    Ricky firmly believed that his regained spiritual meridian was not an ordinary one. Indeed, he suspected it might even be a top-grade spiritual meridian that the whole world had never seen before.


    As both of his black eyes turned blood red, Ricky transferred the strength of his body to his right fist. Meanwhile, the reborn spiritual meridian inside him, started to absorb the spiritual energy from the area, as if it understood what Ricky had wished for.


    "Whiz Fist!" Ricky roared out, and attacked with the same old method.


    But this time, Ricky''s Whiz Fist exploded like a bomb. The power he displayed looked no less than that of the Yellow Level at the advanced stage, rather than his true rank of intermediate.


    The spiritual energy encircled Ricky, and formed an indistinct shadow of a tiger against the sky. The apparition growled, terrifying onlookers and driving them mad with pain as they clapped their hands fruitlessly to their ears.


    ''Could he really possess such enormous power?'' They all wondered, as they talked about it amongst themselves as well. After witnessing the dramatic scene, the neighboring warriors were all shocked. They just looked at each other with disbelief and were as disciplined as an unruly mob at this point.


    At the same time, the two emissaries from the Snow Sect also seemed surprised, gaping at the young man in astonishment.


    Although the other warriors were confused, the two messengers knew what was going on. They could tell Ricky had completed the Whiz Fist power.


    Every method was categorized by how skillful a warrior was. Skill, of course, required practice. They were ranked accordingly: minor and major achievement, completeness, perfection, and superbness.


    An ordinary warrior could practice a method until he was moderately proficient. But to achieve greatness required a certain amount of perception.


    Completeness could only be achieved by genius warriors. Perfection? No one but a genius boasting a natural understanding of the method could attain such a level.


    But that kind of genius seemed nowhere to be found in the Snow Sect.


    And the superbness level required pure genius with noble blood and extremely high perception, to climb to the peak realm.


    But now, completeness of a cultivation method could be seen in a trash warrior who didn''t even have a spiritual meridian.


    The Lady in Black and the Red Messenger looked each other in the eyes, and both wondered, ''Who is he, really? This is impossible for someone with no spiritual power.''


    But after some deliberation, the black clad woman made the decision that Ricky deserved a fine cultivation...


    "Ha!"


    With the burst of a deafening shout, Ricky stomped on the floor and left two deep footprints. Then he struck Avery again with a thundering blow.


    Clash! Everyone could hear the crystal clear sound of bones shattering. The rush of force from the clash hit the crowd, sweeping the dust into mini-cyclones and forcing the crowd to shield their eyes from the grit.


    By the time they could see anything, the scene before them made them doubt their vision.


    Avery''s right arm dangled uselessly like a broken branch¡ªobviously, the bones in that arm were pulverized. To make it worse, Ricky''s fist had burst through Avery''s rib-cage, leaving him gasping for breath... He couldn''t even feel the pain of his ruined arm.


    "Uncle... uncle, help me!"


    With a desperate look at Gilbert, Avery rasped out the words and used the last of his strength. After that, he breathed his last and died.


    "No! Avery!"


    See


    ing that, Gilbert was so enraged that he immediately ran to Ricky like a crazy tiger.


    "You little bastard, how could you?!"


    Gilbert roared. He gestured, and his hands were encircled with blood-red spiritual energy. His palm seemed to crack through space itself, and in the blink of an eye, it was about to come crashing down on Ricky''s head.


    But before he knew it, Gilbert flew away like a kite, spitting blood from his mouth and rolling over a dozen times on the square, half dead and unable to stand. The Lady in Black coiled up her spiritual lash, a ghost of a smile on her face.


    Ricky was relieved to see that.


    Previously, the Lady in Black hadn''t rejected him for lacking a spiritual meridian. Ricky guessed that she might see something promising in him.


    And if he could deliver a genius performance, it would draw her attention further.


    Now that the Lady in Black had made her judgement known, made it clear that he won the bet, she proclaimed, "I told you, anyone else who tries to interfere will die!" The woman squinted at Gilbert, who lay on the ground helpless, and snorted. Her hands were in the ready position, ready to strike again if need be.


    At this critical moment, Nick, the leader of Nan Clan, stood up, and the words rapidly tumbled from his lips, "Gilbert was ignorant and foolish. Please do forgive him.


    At least for his son, who is a new nominal disciple of innate spirits in your sect."


    "Oh? Are you threatening me?" Hearing what Nick had said, the woman in black clothing sneered.


    "No! Never!" Gilbert answered quickly, nervously, sweat dripping from his forehead.


    "Humph!" The woman responded with a snort, but didn''t attack. Maybe it was out of disdain or that Nate was their innate spirits'' new disciple.


    "You''re good!" She said casually to Ricky, turning to look at him.


    "Thanks, Lady Messenger." Ricky said that respectfully, rubbing his right arm, which was quite painful at the moment.


    ''Finally!'' He knew the crisis was over and he was safe, at least for now.


    ...


    "So is Ricky making a comeback? He killed Avery, who was a full grade higher than him." The neighboring warriors started to talk about what just happened after recovering from the shock.


    "Maybe. But it looks like we can''t mess with him anymore."


    "Not necessarily. Remember, he lost his spiritual meridian. No matter how hard he trains, he might not ever surpass the fifth grade of Skin Refinement."


    ...


    "Ricky, you''re one of us. How could you kill your family like that?" Nick suddenly asked Ricky in a somber voice. As clan leader, he had to say something, even if it was useless.


    "Well, there is that matter of the bounty on my head. If you''re so big on family, why do that?" Ricky sneered.


    "And remember, murderers are meant to be killed!"


    Waves of murderous intent, the killer instinct, could be felt emanating from Ricky. They shuddered instinctively.


    "Ha, well said! But don''t forget, you have to come back to the Nan Clan after your training," Nick sneered.


    It was obvious that Nick was reminding Ricky that his father was still in their clutches.


    Sure enough, up hearing that, Ricky''s expression turned fierce and dangerous again.


    But Ricky answered him at once, with almost the same tongue. "Remember, Mr. clan leader, life is full of ups and downs. Try not to paint yourself into a corner."


    "Is that so?" Nick said in a cold voice hearing Ricky''s remarks.


    However, at this point, Nick''s interest in fighting had somehow been blunted. For the firm resolute look reflecting from the young boy''s eyes had made him fearful.


    ...


    "We''re done recruiting. We''ve seen enough. You have four hours to rest and pack your belongings, and then you go to the Snow Sect with us," the Lady in Black said to the newly recruited disciples coldly.

 Chapter 9 The Apprenticeship

    ......


    A grave atmosphere hung over the audience hall of Nan Clan.


    Nick, the master of Nan Clan, sat on his high seat, veins in his hands standing out violently, as if he were trying to crush the armrests in his hands. And standing right beside him was Gilbert. The bandages wrapped around his body could not conceal the man''s fiendish face at all.


    The Elders and Deacons of Nan Clan were also all in a gloomy mood, dread in their hearts.


    Today on the city square of the Stone City, their clan was completely disgraced. Not only did the Dominant Top Elder take a pounding, but also a disciple was killed. It was all due to a little shit without spiritual meridian.


    What irritated them more was that this little shit was once a genius disciple of Nan Clan.


    "I beg you to let me have Lawrence, Master Nick." After a while, Gilbert was the first to break the silence. "Show him we still have Lawrence in our hand! Then how could the bastard be still so arrogant?" he asked Nick.


    "The bastard is now a disciple of Snow Sect and gotten accolades from the Lady in Black. You know, if we threaten her with Lawrence and then piss her off, we''d be doomed,"


    Nick said slowly. Ricky''s words and determined look still burned in his heart. But more importantly, he was fearful of the might of the mysterious Lady in Black.


    "Nate''s a disciple of innate spirit now. Why be afraid of her?" Gilbert growled impatiently. A black seed grew within him, which had bloomed with the desire to kill the Lady in Black.


    "That woman is not more than 22 years old, but her power is absolutely at the intermediate or even advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement. She is at least a core disciple of the Snow Sect, Gilbert." "One is a core disciple, and the other is only a nominal disciple of innate spirit. As a Dominant Top Elder, you must know which one is more important to the Snow Sect," Nick said.


    "So are you saying we should just let the bastard go?" Gilbert asked with viciousness.


    "Of course not! I have left word with Wade. My disciples will sneak into the Snow Sect and wait for a chance to kill the waste of blood," Nick said. He was inflamed with a desire to see that bastard pay. "Also, with Nate there, do you think he''ll be able to get away with much?


    What''s more, for a crap student without spiritual meridian, the fifth grade of Skin Refinement should be his upper limit. And why did the woman help the doggyknobber? She likes his perseverance and nothing else.


    But perseverance is neither a spiritual meridian nor a talent, and not power either."


    "Now that that''s settled, I''d like to leave now," Gilbert said coldly. Nick was never willing to give Lawrence to him, and this was such a time. So he left.


    Crack! After Gilbert left, Nick just splintered his armrest in one of his hands.


    Suddenly, all elders and deacons in the hall were frightened out of their wits.


    "Remember to imprison Lawrence secretly, but don''t hurt him. And don''t let Gilbert know where he is." Nick''s tone was thick with menace as he addressed the elders and deacons, with a beam of cold light glittering in his terrible eyes.


    ......


    After a two-day flight on the back of the Snow Vulture, Ricky and the other disciples arrived at the temple of the Snow Sect.


    It was a land of icebound mountains, on which huge palaces and shabby bungalows stood. On the foremost mountain, there was a huge gate carved of ice, with the two words "Snow Sect" carved on it.


    The two Snow Vultures landed on a small square on the mountainside.


    "According to our sect rules, you discip


    les will be registered under us, the core disciples of the Snow Sect, so there will be no elders here accepting you as nominal disciple," The Lady in Black said as she dismounted the Snow Vulture.


    "Hahaha, Hazel! Grace! You came back late this time!" The moment the Lady in Black finished her words, a sonorous sound arose, then five Snow Vultures flew overhead and then landed, and thirteen figures dismounted.


    One could feel the raw power emanating from these thirteen people.


    But everyone had sussed out that the thirteen were core disciples of the Snow Sect.


    "I can''t understand why our sect chief wanted us to accept these guys as disciples," a young man said, looking at Ricky and the other boys with dull expressions.


    "Maybe it meant to be a toughening exercise for us!" A girl laughed and said.


    "Now that you took them here, I''d like first pick." A dark shadowy youth stepped forward and laughed.


    "Alright, then you first, Sean." The charming girl called Hazel smiled and nodded.


    Later, Sean selected four healthy-looking disciples casually, then he focused his attention on Ricky.


    Sean was about to pick him, too, but one of the other disciples talked to him suddenly, "Master, his name is Ricky and he has no spiritual meridian."


    Ricky knew that this disciple, Scott, was also from Nan Clan.


    "Oh!? No spiritual meridian? Sean doubted this after hearing it. So he jumped down beside Ricky and soon verified the words to be true.


    Then Sean asked to the Charming Girl and the Lady in Black, "How could this be? We are the Snow Sect, not those ordinary schools open for everyone. How could he be one of us?"


    After he said that, all the disciples from Nan Clan sneered. And of course, many other disciples sneered too.


    After all, even though Ricky performed so stunningly, he was still a crap disciple without spiritual meridians and a lesser young man in their eyes.


    "Looking down on me again?" Ricky said resentfully, glaring at Sean.


    But he didn''t betray his emotions at all. He knew he would repay the sarcasm and the sneers a thousandfold. They''d all pay.


    "He has a token from the Dominant Top Elder, Sean," the Lady in Black said.


    "Boy, if I were you, I''d turn tail and run. You can''t be a part of the Snow Sect just by waving around that token," Sean said, sneering at Ricky.


    Passing on Ricky, Sean selected another disciple and led them all away. Before he left, he decided to scowl at Ricky one final time. He didn''t say another word to him.


    Then the other core disciples selected their nominal disciples one after the other.


    As for Ricky, they either glowered at him or even ignored him. However, Ricky just mentally made a list of people he''d have to prove wrong.


    In the realm of martial arts, a person without spiritual meridian could only be ordinary. For an ordinary person to go up against one with great spiritual power was courting death.


    After the Charming Girl made her picks and led her disciples away, only Ricky and the Lady in Black were left. The whole square was deserted but for those two.


    "My name is Grace. You are my nominal disciple from now on. But you must leave the Snow Sect if you don''t qualify for the Sects Competition. You have three months to prove that you''re worthy," Grace said to Ricky, with all seriousness.


    "Thank you, Master Grace!" Ricky was delighted at her words, and didn''t even try to hide it.


    "I hope we''re still master and student after the three months is up," she continued.


    "Definitely, Master Grace!" Ricky said firmly.


    "Well then, follow me!"

 Chapter 10 The Fourth Grade Of Skin Refinement

    Following Grace, Ricky came to a small courtyard.


    "This is where I usually live." Grace said to Ricky, "No matter you are a nominal disciple or a formal disciple, you are my disciple. And as long as I accepted you as my disciple, I will try my best to teach you everything I know."


    Pausing for a moment, Grace continued, "So from now on, you can live in this small courtyard. Use this as your own."


    "Thank you, Master Grace!" Ricky happily answered. Because of his master''s generosity, Ricky, without a doubt, would gladly accept whatever Grace would ask of him.


    "Here are two bottles of Body Refining Pills. You could take them first. As for the cultivation methods, I''ll pick out the one that best suits you in the next two days," said Grace. After that, Grace gave Ricky the bottles of Body Refining Pills and reminded him, "Systematical training needs blood vitality. You can just go to Snow Kitchen Hall to buy it."


    After giving him instructions on everything, Grace prepared to go out. Ricky realized that Grace still had some things to do


    "Master..." Ricky embarrassingly called out Grace in an attempt to stop her from leaving.


    "Do you have any other questions?" Grace faced him and asked. Although her tone was light and her intention was good, the way Grace asked came out coldly and serious. Maybe it was because of the birthmark that marred her beautiful face so that she never smiled while talking, not even once.


    "I...I just want to ask how much blood meat I could buy with three copper coins." Taking out the remaining three copper coins from his pocket, Ricky asked in an embarrassed voice.


    Upon hearing Ricky''s innocent question, Grace immediately understood what her student actually meant.


    Her eyes could not help but show a bit of helplessness and pity towards her apprentice. Then she took out a small bag from her Storage Ring and said, "Here, there are fifty silver coins in this. Take it!"


    "Thank you very much, Master." Ricky gratefully received the coins from his master.


    "You do not need to thank me, Ricky. I lent the fifty silver coins to you. You have to return them for me. And you need also return me the two bottles of Body Refining Pills. They are valued at fifty silver coins. You should pay me back one hundred silver coins in total after a month!"


    Grace said with obvious amusement in her eyes and then she left. Ricky was left there standing stunned in disbelief.


    ...


    Inside the small courtyard, Ricky sat cross-legged in the wooden bed. He muttered to himself, "Systematical training is hard. And then if there is no money, there are no resources. No resources, no chance of breaking through the next grade. So, I need to find a way to earn money. Hunting and killing fierce animals is the only thing I''m good at. Maybe that''s the only way I can earn money now!


    But first, I need to break through the third grade of Skin Refinement to reach the fourth. After all, the Snow Mountain is not like the Stone City. It could only be more dangerous.


    With these two bottles of Body Refining Pills that Master Grace gave, I have thirty Body Refining pills in total now. This should be enough for me to break through to the sixth grade of Skin Refinement."


    Then Ricky tried to concentrate his energies and prepared for a breakthrough.


    Now, there was plenty of blood vitality on his body. It was enough for him to break through the third grade. So he intended to go out to buy blood meat in the Snow Kitchen Hall after reaching the fourth grade of Skin Refinement.


    Taking out one Body Refining Pill from the bottle, Ricky swallowed it.


    Although he had taken Body Refining Pills for his past breakthrough, Ricky knew that it would surely make his foundation more solid if he would take the pills now. It was necessary for his systematic training in the future if he had a more solid foundation.


    After swallowing the Body Refining Pill, Ricky then immediately activated the spiritual energy in his body. He tried to digest the Body Refining Pill quickly and made the pill integrate into the mystic meridians residing in his body. Through the spiritual meridian, the pill would incorporate into his whole body, purifying his flesh and bone, until he was pure and there was no impurities discharged.


    After the absorption of the Body Refining Pill, Ricky''s body gradually emitted black, gooey substances.


    One, two, three... Soon, Ricky swallowed ten Body Refining Pills. But the impurities on his body still continued to ooze out.


    "This... What''s going on? Why is this happening? Are ten Body Refining pills still not enough?"


    Ricky could not believe what had happened. He clearly knew that most people just needed five Body Refining Pills or so to break through th


    e third grade of Skin Refinement. Some genius might need seven or eight pills.


    But now even after taking ten pills, it was not enough for him. Moreover, he had already gone through the breakthrough once before his original spiritual meridian was destroyed and had eliminated the impurities. Surely, the pills he needed should be less than what he took.


    "Is it because my new spiritual meridian? Is there something wrong with it?" Ricky guessed.


    However, Ricky decided that he would not be stingy. The more impurities his body discharged, the better his systematic foundation would be.


    After swallowing twenty-five Body Refining Pills, Ricky stopped emitting impurities from his body.


    At the moment, Ricky''s whole body had been enveloped by a mass of black cocoon. The stench of foul odor pervaded the whole yard. Instantly, the smell hit Ricky''s nose. He almost wanted to find a seam to drill down immediately.


    However, right after the elimination of impurities, Ricky knew that it was the best time to break through. So he decided to just endure the upsetting smell, activating the spiritual meridian to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.


    ...


    It took almost half a day when Grace came back.


    As soon as she came back, she immediately smelled the reeking smell emitting from the small yard. She immediately knew that the odor source was coming from Ricky''s room. Grace entered his room within a few quick strides.


    Of course, by the time she entered the room, she was almost dizzy by the pungent smell. Good thing, Grace was strong enough to endure it. Her ability to concentrate was pretty good.


    Immediately, Grace looked toward the black cocoon that had now enclosed Ricky. She could not believe what she was seeing now.


    She definitely could figure out that the black things were the elimination of impurities. But she just did not understand that how could someone at the third grade of Skin Refinement discharge so many impurities.


    Crack!


    The black cocoon suddenly cracked. When the cocoon opened, Ricky''s body was revealed. At this time, Ricky''s aura was completely different from earlier. There could be no denying that he had finally broken through the third grade of Skin Refinement.


    "Master, you are back!" Ricky exclaimed as he opened his eyes and saw Grace. He called her happily.


    "You have reached the fourth grade!" Grace murmured. She felt really strange because she knew that Ricky did not have any spiritual meridian in his body.


    "Master, I just felt that the need to break through. So I wanted to give it a try. But I didn''t expect that I would succeed at my first try." Ricky bashfully scratched his head and felt a little embarrassed to admit that. He also knew that it was an amazing feat to break through the third grade and reach the intermediate stage of Skin Refinement when he had no spiritual meridian at all.


    However, even though that Grace was now his master, he could not admit to her that he had regained his spiritual meridian, a relatively strange but magical one.


    "Give it a try?" Upon hearing her disciple''s words, Grace was quite surprised.


    It was the first time she had heard someone ''had a try'' on breakthrough as breakthrough needed to prepare for a long time. It was not an easy thing.


    "How many Body Refining Pills did you take?" Worried, Grace asked seriously.


    "Master, I took twenty-five pills. But I think it''s not too much, is it?" Ricky felt more embarrassed to admit the truth. But he did not want to lie to Grace about this matter.


    "What?" Hearing that Ricky took twenty-five pills, Grace could not keep calm anymore. She broke from her usual indifferent expression.


    "You didn''t lie to me, did you?" Grace asked Ricky again as she could not believe what he said.


    "Master, although I don''t want to admit that, it is really the truth. I took twenty-five pills to break through!" Ricky nodded with sincerity.


    Still in disbelief, Grace put her hand into Ricky''s pocket. Sure enough, there were only five Body Refining Pills left on the bottles that she gave him earlier.


    With the evidence right in front of her, Grace had to believe what Ricky said. She knew that Ricky could not deceive her.


    But somehow, Grace really could not keep still. She had heard that someone consumed eleven Body Refining Pills to break through the inferior stage of Skin Refinement. But she had never heard someone needing twenty-five Body Refining Pills for the breaking of the third grade. It was just too ridiculous.


    "Master..." Looking at Grace''s expression of disbelief, Ricky hesitantly called her.


    "Go ahead and clean yourself up. Clean your room, too. After that come to my room. We need to talk," Grace said slowly with a deep sigh.

 Chapter 11 Break His Finger

    "To reach the fourth grade of Skin Refinement, you swallowed 25 Body Refining Pills. Don''t you understand what it meant? You shouldn''t have breathed a word of this to anyone. Not even me!"


    Grace uttered, seating herself on the cattail hassock, legs crossed. As she glowered at Ricky, the meaning in her eyes was unmistakable.


    Other women had richly ornamented chambers, but Grace''s was positively spartan. It was as basic as Ricky''s, with only a single bed, one small table, several chairs, and a cattail hassock she sat on.


    "Master, I cannot lie to you. You''re almost as good to me as father." Ricky replied with a smile.


    "Don''t play cute with me," Grace scolded, but her tone softened and a glimmer of a smile flickered across her face.


    "Well, enough of that. By the way, I''ve found a cultivation method that might suit you. Now whether it works or not depends on your willpower." Grace turned deadly serious.


    "So what cultivation method is that?" Ricky asked quickly. He was super-impatient for an answer.


    Then Grace took out a well-worn scroll from her inside pocket and handed it to Ricky.


    "Nine-degree Body Refining Formula!" The title of the method jumped out at Ricky as he opened the parchment.


    "It was created tens of thousands of years ago by a predecessor who also lacked a spiritual meridian. But what''s in here can give you the same power as anyone in Black Level," Grace explained.


    "So a guy like me! No spiritual meridian. Black Level power?" Ricky repeated word by word, eyes widening with amazement.


    "Normally people without spiritual meridians can''t cultivate themselves. But that mysterious master figured it out. To cultivate himself, he used his body as his meridian, and absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his flesh, his very cells." Grace continued, "Finally, his skills reached the pinnacle of the intermediate stage of Bone Reinforcement, and turned all the established knowledge of martial arts on its ear. And using his body as a meridian made his mortal form even tougher than those with spiritual meridians.


    His success touched off a wave of other warriors trying the same thing. But it''s tougher than it looks, and no one succeeded for thousands of years due to a lack of perseverance and tenacity. Over time, the knowledge was lost, and eventually forgotten.


    But, luckily, the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula he created was passed down!"


    "He sounds like a great man, master!" Ricky sighed as Grace finished.


    "That''s why I''m always on your case about willpower, resolve, and the drive to succeed. Foster those traits, and you''ll go far," she exhorted. Then she continued with assurance, "And I believe you can do this since you have achieved the fourth grade of Skin Refinement without a spiritual meridian."


    "Don''t worry! I''m driven. I won''t fail you," Ricky promised sternly.


    Within him, he was sure he would never lack those traits even if he were endowed with a spiritual meridian, because his father was suffering and waiting for his rescue...


    "Great! We''ll start today. Hope you can revive this martial art!" Grace turned to look Ricky in the eye, her eyes gleaming with faith.


    "The practice of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula requires two important conditions. One is a strong body, and the other is strong blood vitality. Tomorrow morning, go to the Outer Kitchen Hall and buy the flesh and blood of some ferocious monsters."


    "Yes, Master Grace!"


    ...


    The Outer Kitchen Hall was designed to offer meat for outer disciples to buy. It was fresh meat, gleaned from the nearby mountains. Perfect for Skin Refinement cultivat


    ion.


    After a sound sleep, the next morning Ricky came to the Outer Kitchen Hall. Because he was only at the fourth grade of Skin Refinement, he was inconspicuous, and nobody paid any attention to him. He plunked down 20 silver coins and came away with 5 kg of fell meat from beasts of intermediate stage of Skin Refinement.


    And, by unhappy accident, he bumped into some old acquaintances.


    "Wow! So glad to see you! Like the turtle, you finally poke your head out of your shell for a change ..." The bully used a higher-than-normal volume, so everyone looked in their direction.


    Ricky looked too. Two boys and one girl strode towards him. It was none other than Scott, Inge, and some other disciple of the Snow Sect in white who he hadn''t met before.


    Inge held on the arm of that young man in white. Ricky immediately realized that must be their new boss.


    "Stay away! You know your bark is worse than your bite," Ricky snorted. At the sight of Scott and Inge, he felt a surge of bitter hatred shooting through him. He really wanted to strangle the life out of them, but he held back.


    "Ah! The new guy! Show some respect to Hurley, newbie." They''d definitely gathered a crowd by now. Everyone formed a ring around him, prevented him from just dashing off.


    Sure enough, the young man in white was Hurley. A sullen gleam passed through his earlier happy eyes. People who knew him better were aware it was a homicidal gleam.


    "Scott, break his finger!" The boy named Hurley commanded.


    With that, his large hand returned to Inge''s plump hip, stroking her, while Inge feigned her embarrassment, as so many people were around.


    "Good old Hurley! That''ll show him," the disciples around them remarked under their breath. When their eyes were on Hurley, they were filled with dread, but as they stared at Ricky, they gloated.


    "Sorry man. Gotta do what he says," Scott said with a sinister smile, clapping his hands, "But I''ll give you a choice. Which finger?"


    With that, Scott frowned, like it was hard for him to do that unsavory deed.


    ...


    One of the stipulations of the Snow Sect was that fellow disciples of the Snow Sect were forbidden to kill each other. Or even attack each other outside of formal competitions.


    But Scott and all the other disciples were well aware those kinds of rules didn''t apply to the elite. Hurley had the full support of other high-ranking masters, and he was effective above the law. He could do whatever he liked.


    No wonder Scott carried out his orders without a second thought.


    "Well, I remember this guy. He''s a traitor to the Nan family. Word has it that someone in our Sect took on someone who has no spiritual meridian, and that''s him." One voice rang out from the crowds.


    Immediately, all eyes were on Ricky, and it was the worst feeling in the world.


    "So he''s that dude? No spiritual meridian, third grade of Skin Refinement, all that jazz?"


    "Third grade, hah! Whatever, without spiritual meridian, he is good for nothing. How can he still dream of being a warrior? Maybe a broken finger will give him something to think about."


    "You can say that again! We don''t need useless people in the Snow Sect."


    "Humph!" With everyone lined up against Ricky, Inge simply pouted her rosebud lips, let out a scornful snort at him and leaned her head on Hurley''s arm.


    ...


    "Time''s up. Made your choice yet?" Scott asked impatiently, lips curled into a malicious smile.


    "Yes, I have." Ricky replied, nonchalantly.


    "Haha, Listen to him, will ya? He''s full of crap," someone shouted with a sneer, and all the other disciples burst into peals of laughter.

 Chapter 12 Coming Forward

    But the next moment, their laughter stopped abruptly.


    Because right that very instant Ricky''s body seemed to disappear from their eyes, and then he appeared in front of Scott like an apparition. But before Scott could do anything, a Whiz Fist hit his chest solidly.


    Scott, with blood spitting out from his mouth, fell heavily on the ground. Having been blindsided by Ricky''s attack, Scott, who could only groan from his position, had lost his willpower to fight.


    Turning his back against Scott, Ricky now leaped towards Hurley. Hurley was now in a state of panic. He could not do anything as Ricky attacked Inge and threw her onto the ground. Ricky then looked at Hurley.


    The unexpected scene occurred in an instant, like a flash of lightning in a thunderstorm.


    "I''ve thought about this carefully. And I get the same answer every time¡ªI''ll break your fingers!" Ricky said coldly, while looking at Hurley''s eyes.


    "Are you out of your freaking mind, you asshole?!" Hurley became furious when he realized what was happening. He ferociously said, "Even those belonging at the top ten outer disciples dare not speak to me like this. And you! You are only a waste with no spiritual meridian. How dare you talk to me like this? You really want to die, don''t you?"


    "There are a lot of things I want to do to make you suffer. Let me see. Aha! I''ve decided. I''ll just break your arm!"


    "Dear Hurley, please help me out!" Inge said helplessly, lying on the ground and crying with tears and running nose as if she had suffered a great injustice.


    "How dare you lay a finger on my woman? I will kill you!" Sure enough, after hearing Inge''s desperate pleas for help, Hurley became angrier towards Ricky.


    "Ha! It''s funny how just a shameless wench is worth your anger. It seems that you are nothing but an animal thinking with the lower part of your body," Ricky said with a faint smile, thus further igniting Hurley''s rage.


    "Yowl! Deadly Claw!" As a response to Ricky''s insults, Hurley rushed angrily towards Ricky targeting Ricky''s throat using his claws surrounded by spiritual energy.


    "Look, a waste like him, without spiritual meridian, dares to speak to Hurley like that. He will definitely die under the Deadly Claw." Even though they were witnessing this battle, some disciples still did not forget to flatter and praise Hurley.


    "That''s right. Hurley has broken through the fourth grade of Skin Refinement for about a month now. His Deadly Claw is right at the advanced stage of Yellow Level. I''m pretty sure this waste has no chance of surviving."


    Their utmost disdain for Ricky never stopped, even though he had just beaten Scott with just one fist.


    "So is Deadly Claw a cultivation method at the advanced stage of Yellow Level?" Ricky could feel the immense power coming from Hurley''s claw. Ricky said coldly in his heart, "Let me show you what the body at the fourth grade of Skin Refinement looks like after consuming twenty-five Body Refining Pills!"


    "Yowl! Whiz Fist!"


    Like a roaring tiger, Ricky''s whole body leaped out. His tiger powered fist collided with Hurley''s claw.


    Crack!


    With the power that both of them had, a collision of greatness could be expected. Those disciples even heard the sound of bones breaking. However, it was not Ricky who screamed and flew out, but surprisingly, it was the aggressive Hurley.


    Falling on the ground, Hurley screamed loudly in pain and agony. You would not believe that this was the arrogant and disdainful Hurley from before.


    In the dull and fearful eyes of the crowd, Ricky came to Hurley''s side slowly, and with indifference said, "That''s right, a waste produced by just a bunch of elixirs is not qualified to touch me, let alone break my arm."


    After that, Ricky stepped on Hurley''s right shoulder and twisted it hard, with the intent of dislocating it. The joint connecting his arm was fractured. The scream once again frightened the onlookers around them.


    As for Inge and Scott, they were stunned with disbelief.


    Ricky left the scene carrying the package filled with flesh


    and blood. The disciples, stunned and now filled with absolute terror, involuntarily cleared the way for him.


    After a few moments, the disciples looked at Ricky and thought, "Is this...is he really a waste without a spiritual meridian?"


    ...


    Inside the Outer Kitchen Hall, two old men in white stood and intently watched the scene without any attempt to move.


    "This boy that Grace brought back is good in all aspects, but too bad, he has no spiritual meridian, otherwise we will have another demi-immortal in the Snow Sect," said by the first old man.


    "Didn''t you give the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula to the boy?" said by the other old man.


    "Do you think there will be a miracle? Do you think it is possible?"


    The old man just shook his head subconsciously and sighed, still doubtful of what they had witnessed.


    ...


    "Master, I''m back," Ricky said, as he entered Grace''s room.


    "Well. Work hard to cultivate the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. After six weeks, I''ll take you to a place that would be good for you. There, I''ll try to make you qualified for the Outer Competition happening in three months." Grace nodded and said that. She was ready to close her eyes again, trying to gain some insight of some kind of cultivation method.


    "Master, I broke the arm of an outer disciple," Ricky said faintly after contemplating for a while whether he should tell his master what happened or not.


    Grace was surprised by his words, but she didn''t let her voice show her emotion. She merely said, "Let it be."


    "Master, it seems as if that he''s got a tough backer!" Ricky was indeed a little worried, which showed in the quiver on his voice.


    ...


    "Grace, get out of your room!" There was not a doubt that you could hear shouting from the courtyard right after Ricky''s words. However, the voice coming from outside the house showed that it was a woman standing out there.


    Grace stared at Ricky with wide opened eyes, which seemed to mean that: you boy got me in trouble just for buying meat outside.


    But she did not blame Ricky. Then she appeared in the courtyard as fast as she could.


    Ricky, filled with worry, immediately followed his master outside. Based from the outer disciples'' reactions, Hurley really had a tough backer.


    After coming out, Ricky saw a woman clad in a red robe, standing in the middle of the courtyard with a young man by her side.


    The young man, as Ricky could recall, was named Wade Nan. He was the nephew of Nick, the clan master of Nan Clan. Among the members of the Nan Clan, he was also in the top five geniuses. If Ricky guessed it right, Wade had now broken through the sixth grade of Skin Refinement.


    Ricky also remembered that Wade was chosen by this robe-clad woman as her nominal disciple.


    As soon as he saw Ricky, Wade naturally looked at him murderously.


    "Connie, what are you doing here? You know you are not welcome in my land." Grace looked at Connie coldly and said that. You could notice that there was even a lot of disdain in her tone.


    "Hand over the boy beside you, and we will not interfere with each other. Otherwise, don''t blame me for ignoring our friendship and being rude," the young woman answered filled with rage.


    "Not interfere with each other? Are you even allowed to say that?" Grace asked coldly.


    ''''And I am standing right here in front of you right now. You can have a try."


    Grace crossed her arms across her chest filled with disdainful look.


    Witnessing this scene, Connie''s anger surged like a volcanic eruption. Her anger was so strong that even Ricky could feel the anger coming off from this woman.


    "Grace, let me ask you again. Will you hand the boy over?" Calming the anger in her heart, Connie roared.


    "No way!" Grace answered with indifference, just enough to bring back anger in Connie.


    "Great! Very well then..." Connie had been furious, but she did not dare make a move, because she knew that she was no match for Grace.


    "Ricky, you waste. Do you only dare to hide behind a woman? How cowardly of you!" Wade taunted Ricky.

 Chapter 13 A Girl In Ice

    Upon hearing that, Grace fell silent. She knew she could not make decisions for Ricky.


    It became obviously apparent to Ricky, who had just realized that. He stepped forward and sneered, "What do you want, Wade?"


    "Your waste, I dare you to fight a battle of death and life with me, just to solve all the grudges between us," Wade replied viciously.


    "You, a warrior at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement, want to challenge me, a warrior at the fourth grade of Skin Refinement? Shame on you! I am not an idiot," Ricky replied with a hint of a smile on his lips.


    "You¡­¡­" Wade trailed off, upon hearing that.


    It was the truth: if Ricky refused to fight him, nobody would look down upon Ricky but Wade himself, because Ricky was wise enough to turn down the challenge from someone far more stronger than him.


    "I will fight a battle to the death with you after a month," Ricky suddenly declared.


    Immediately, Connie and Wade were filled with relief. And yet, doubt still lingered in them. "Ricky, as a warrior, you must stay true to your word."


    "I have never gone back on my word. Now, you two can go and spread the news to everyone in the Snow Sect. Now leave my master''s yard!" Ricky spat, a hard glint in his eyes.


    "You little bastard, you''ve acted recklessly and blindly. I hope you can remember what you have said today. Otherwise, even if your master protects you, you will also perish here!" Connie hissed furiously.


    She turned and stomped away with Wade.


    ¡­¡­


    "The ultimate battle to the death! Only one month to prepare! Are you sure? Wade is actually a warrior at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement." After the heated departure of Connie and Wade, Grace suddenly asked Ricky.


    "What?! ! Is Wade a warrior at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement? I thought he''s at the sixth grade! Why didn''t you tell me that earlier, or just hold me back?" Upon finding out that Wade was at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement, Ricky was startled.


    There was an even greater barrier between the sixth and the seventh grade of Skin Refinement. Ricky was confident that he could beat Wade if he was at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement. But he didn''t know whether he could win if Wade was at the seventh grade.


    Even if he was making progress, so was Wade.


    "You didn''t ask," Grace answered calmly. "You''d better start training intensively. Otherwise, you''re going to die in a month."


    Ricky looked at Grace helplessly for several moments. But he had no time to wallow in regret. Everyone in the Snow Sect would be hearing news from Connie and Wade already.


    "Master, what is the relationship between Connie and the young man whose arm was broken by me?" Now that he couldn''t do anything to cancel the competition with Wade, he decided to ask about some other things.


    "He could very well be Connie''s son!" Grace replied, and then she revealed something else about Connie.


    Connie led a life of decadence, despite the fact that she was one of the core disciples. Through the years, she had affairs with many of the other disciples¡ªand that was how Hurley was conceived.


    So Connie acted recklessly, doing what she wanted, and cared for nobody in the Snow Sect. Under the protection of those men, she and her son led this lifestyle.


    "So that''s why. But she seemed to be afraid of you," Ricky murmured, enlightened.


    Without replying, Grace turned and entered her room.


    "Oh my master..." Ricky shook his head, gently. However, he did feel a little happy. Because compared to


    what had happened to him after his father''s capture, staying here would be considered the best time in his life.


    ¡­¡­


    "This is appalling! Wade is at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement!" Ricky had begun to worry about the fight again, after some time. He thought to himself, "If I only train myself here in this yard for the next month, I know I will never win against Wade.


    But there is no other way. I need to focus on strengthening myself through more rigorous practice."


    After he established his resolve, Ricky asked Grace for a fine steel saber as he was going to train himself in the depths of the snow mountain.


    Grace seemed to have anticipated his request, and she only bade him to be careful.


    ¡­¡­


    Ricky soon came to the foot of a small hill on the mountainside. Without stopping to consider, he chose to the route that would take him to the top of the mountain directly since it would be the shortest way.


    Suddenly, several disciples emerged from the foot of the mountain, all looking disheveled. They appeared to have just returned from the depth of the snowy mountain after training, and did not recognize Ricky.


    However, they were laughed jeeringly upon seeing Ricky walking to the top of the mountain.


    Ricky ignored them, and he soon arrived the summit of the mountain.


    The ground was flat on the top of the mountain. There were strange objects carved in ice and snow in some places. Since it was a wide, open space, it was really an ideal place to train.


    Suddenly, Ricky saw someone.


    A fifteen-or-sixteen-year-old girl sat quietly on the flat surface of ice and snow. It was easy to see that she was cultivating herself with the help of the environment of ice and snow.


    This surprised Ricky.


    The girl''s brow looked like a leaf and she had an oval face with long, jet black hair. She seemed to have been delicately carved by nature.


    However, in next moment, Ricky felt a murderous intent emanating from the girl. It felt like he would be frozen the next second.


    "Sorry, I didn''t know there was anyone here. I will depart at once." Ricky immediately apologized. He turned around quickly, preparing to leave. However, out of the corner of his eye, he was still studying the girl in askance.


    Now Ricky understood why those disciples had acted so strangely.


    "You rascal, go to hell!" she spat. Not saying anything, she hurriedly put on a robe. Then, she formed the ice and snow on the ground into a sharp blade.


    "Damn it! I don''t feel good about this! Looks like this girl is already a warrior of Blood Purification." Ricky said in fear, as he watched the strong blood red energy around the girl''s hand.


    He knew he could never beat a warrior of Blood Purification. He would be killed unceremoniously.


    Ricky hurried to the edge of the mountaintop plateau.


    The girl was preparing to throw the blade at Ricky''s sprinting back, when something unexpected happened. The girl suddenly coughed, blood gushing from her chest left on her lips.


    She fell to her knees on the icy ground. The sharp blade she had made of ice and snow disappeared from her hand.


    Ricky disturbed her cultivation. There was no doubt that the girl had almost lost control because of his sudden intrusion.


    ¡­¡­


    Ricky ran the whole way down. He only stopped when he felt no one chasing him. He did not care about the reason the girl gave up going after him. He only felt lucky to escape her.


    "Hey! There''s someone there!" Someone yelled in surprise all of a sudden.

 Chapter 14 Venom In The Snow

    Three people made their way towards Ricky: a strong young man at the fourth grade of Skin Refinement; a pretty young girl in a light yellow skirt who could match the girl on the mountain peak just now; another young man in white raiment with a nice look but a grim gaze. The power radiating from the one in white was palpable¡ªhe was at least at the fifth grade of Skin Refinement, if not the sixth.


    "Hey, buddy!" The strong one greeted Ricky with a smile.


    "What''s up?" Ricky asked.


    "We''re going hunting. Fierce beasts live deep in the snowy mountains. We could use a little practice and make some money to boot. Wanna come along?"


    "I''m headed for the snowy mountain too," Ricky said with a smile.


    "That''s great! With four of us, we''ll probably beat whatever comes our way," the girl exclaimed after hearing Ricky''s response.


    "So it''s a done deal. I''m Lewis, by the way. This is Vivian. And that''s Luther over there, the most powerful one of our little group. Don''t let the mean look fool you. He''s actually a good guy, ha ha!" Lewis said with a smile. "And I didn''t catch your name?"


    "Ricky!"


    Upon hearing Ricky''s name, Luther finally opened his mouth, as he gave the stink eye to Ricky. "Well, if it isn''t the waste of blood.


    Forget it. We don''t need this guy. He doesn''t have a spiritual meridian. He''d only slow us down.


    Besides, this presumptuous piece of crap even wants to fight Wade!"


    Luther sneered.


    After hearing Luther''s words, Ricky frowned, really wanting to put this guy in his place.


    Lewis and Vivian were quite embarrassed by Luther''s ranting. Word traveled fast, and they knew all about Ricky. He''d beaten Hurley, which was no mean feat. They thought he might be an asset.


    Thinking quickly, Lewis draped an arm around Ricky''s shoulders as a friendly gesture. "And sometimes Luther can be an asshole, too. Don''t let it throw you."


    "Yeah. Just ignore him. We do," Vivian agreed.


    Luther then replied with a cold harrumph.


    Luther chose to take up with Lewis and Vivian because he thought Vivian was hot. As Ricky didn''t seem to be a rival, Luther didn''t say anything more.


    Looking deep into their eyes, Ricky could see they were sincere. He was going to turn them down, but he''d be embarrassed after they were so friendly to him. Giving the situation a mental shrug, he followed the three people deep into the snowy mountain.


    ...


    "Snow Leopard at the fourth grade of Skin Refinement! Let me handle it!"


    Deep in the snow mountain, a fierce snow leopard charged the group of four. Lewis roared as he met it, using his spiritual power to inflict damage to the great cat''s vital areas, and using his spiritual power to deflect the creature''s claws and teeth. Before too long, Lewis smashed the beast''s skull in with his mace.


    ...


    "Hey! Check out the double-tail fox! He has to be a creature at the fourth grade of Skin Refinement!" Vivian exclaimed. She dropped into a fighting stance. "I got this!"


    For the last three days, they had encountered more than ten beats of Skin Refining, all at the fourth grade. Lewis and Vivian usually took care of them, and Ricky was too slow to keep up.


    "Haha, a bumper harvest. A couple more and our packs will be full," Lewis said. Then he saw something, and his shout echoed through the snowy woods.


    And they heard something very different from a human shout.


    It was a loud, raspy hiss, and the sound made them all prepare for a fight.


    On a conifer in front of them, a huge snow boa spir


    aled down, staring at them with terrifying scarlet eyes. The beast had to be at least five feet long. Its tongue darted in and out, and black glutinous venom spilled out, melting the patch of ice and snow it fell on. The boa''s constriction abilities were less useful in finding food than they could have been, so mother nature let it keep its venom sacs.


    "Snow-scaled Boa! As powerful as a warrior at the 5th grade of Skin Refinement, if not more. You don''t want to let it bite you¡ªits venom kills!" Watching the boa, Lewis swallowed his saliva, saying, "Luther, I think this one''s your kill."


    "Hehe, take it easy, Lewis. Don''t we have a helper? It''s his turn to show off his martial prowess,"


    Luther sneered ironically as he glared at Ricky, arms crossed. He spat the last two words mockingly.


    ''Another insult. You finally couldn''t stand to keep quiet, '' Ricky seethed inside.


    "What are you talking about? Ricky came along because he trusts us. If you let him fight that thing, it''s like watching him commit suicide," Lewis complained after hearing Luther''s sardonic words.


    "Enough, Luther." Vivian also scolded him. He''d probably lost any chance he had with her by now.


    "Hey! He should pull his own weight. We''re not gonna carry him. If he dies, we can always find another mediocre warrior," Luther said, doubling down on his original assertion.


    Of course, the boa didn''t care about their personal squabbles. It had been steadily advancing on them as they bickered among themselves. Any closer and it would be attacking at least one of the four.


    "Let me at him!"


    No sooner than he said this, Ricky shot towards the Snow-scaled Boa while drawing a fine steel saber from the scabbard slung along his back, leaving shadows and light footprints on the snow.


    "Ricky¡ªno!" Lewis exclaimed as he wanted to draw Ricky back only to find his warning was barked too late.


    "Ricky!" Vivian also exclaimed out of concern.


    "Humph! What an idiot!" Luther said, apparently unconcerned with Ricky''s fate.


    But Ricky wasn''t one to hold back.


    Ricky and the Snow-scaled Boa changed positions, and time seemed to freeze for an instant, responding to the loud cracking sound.


    With a thump, the head of the Snow-scaled Boa fell onto the snowy land as all around was still again. When everyone stopped holding their breath, they found the boa had been split into halves.


    "What..."


    Lewis and Vivian were both in a daze at the sight. Luther had already dropped his weapon as his eyes went wide due to shock.


    "What are you staring at? Let''s gut this beast before other creatures show up," Ricky said with a smile after sheathing his fine steel saber.


    It took them a bit to snap out of it.


    The two warriors were startled by his words, which was what did the trick.


    Lewis and Vivian unsheathed their knives and set on the carcass to help Ricky out.


    They didn''t need to be told twice.


    "Haha, that was awesome! I never knew. As long as you''re with us, we just might come out of her with our hides intact," Lewis laughed loudly.


    "Humph! It''s just a beast with no wisdom." Luther said, walking up to it.


    At the same time, he stared at Ricky with that grim gaze.


    "Luther, you..."


    After hearing what he said, Vivian was so irritated that she didn''t even know what to say.


    Grrr!


    Right then, they heard an extremely terrible growl, which shook their hearts and chilled their blood. At the same time, their eyes turned solemn as they turned to face a new threat.

 Chapter 15 The Critical Moment

    The group could hear rustling sounds in the snow.


    But the sounds stopped as quickly as they started, as a giant shadow darkened the pine forest. In the twinkling of an eye, it was right in front of them.


    It was a huge white tiger with two sharp half-meter long tusks. Its muscles rippled as it breathed.


    "A Saber-toothed Tiger!" said Lewis and Vivian in unison, their legs shaking violently out of fear. Neither of them bothered to say "jinx!"


    Luther always remained unfazed by anything. But this time, they saw fear flash in his eyes.


    A Saber-toothed Tiger was a savage beast, which could match any warrior at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement. The one they came across was extremely powerful. Even if it wasn''t fully-grown, it was a terrifying creature.


    "What... what should we do?" She sounded on the verge of bursting into tears. It roared ferociously, and its terrible rage could be read in its gaze.


    Luther stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. He spoke confidently, "We can''t beat it. I''ll hold it off. You guys run!"


    Vivian and Lewis looked at each other, and then at Luther with newfound appreciation. "Thanks, brother, I owe you one.


    C''mon Ricky, let''s move it!"


    But Ricky wasn''t buying it. ''Why he being so nice? Maybe he thinks since he''s more powerful than us he should protect the group?''


    But he still said yes and prepared to take off.


    "Come on, you mangy cat! Come get some!" Luther shouted in exasperation as he ran towards it, sword in hand. He used his martial technique to propel himself like an arrow at the beast.


    Almost like it could understand what he said, the tiger roared violently in response. Having gotten its prey close enough, it leapt at Luther, trying to sink its hideous fangs into his neck.


    And that was when Luther showed his true colors.


    Instead of holding off the tiger like he offered, Luther turned tail and ran straight for them.


    "Luther, what the fuck?" Lewis shouted out.


    "He''s too tough for me. I''m going for help!" said Luther.


    He had attained the fifth grade of Skin Refinement, so Luther could run much faster than Vivian and Lewis. He knew he''d have time to escape if the tiger got the other three.


    Lewis and Vivian were no idiots, and they knew what was up. At once, their faces turned white.


    "Yeah, run away, you dogknobber!" Ricky yelled at him. But before the fleeing warrior could pass him, he aimed his iron sword straight at Luther''s neck. If Luther kept going, he''d shear his own head off.


    "Arrgh! You! Bastard!"


    Luther''s pupils shrank in fear. He didn''t think they''d get that drastic tiger clawed at his waist while Luther twisted his body and drew his own blade to knock Ricky''s away.


    And that was when they heard the sound of cloth ripping and Luther''s cry of pain. Luther was knocked to the ground, his blood splattered everywhere. The pure whiteness of the snow was now disturbed by angry scarlet pools melting into the frozen mix. The once fleeing warrior fled no longer, on the ground weakly mewling in pain.


    The next second the Saber-toothed Tiger turned his attention to Ricky. It was obvious that he intended to make Ricky his prey.


    "Sword''s not my best weapon, but I''ll still cut your head off!" said Ricky viciously. The roaring tiger was extremely terrifying, but Ricky betrayed no emotion. He was as unflappable at Luther right now.


    Feeling threatened, the spiritual meridian inside his body flared to life again. It absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth automatically and transferred it to Ricky''s arms and sword.


    "Go to hell, beast!" Ricky shouted with all his force and ran towards it.


    "Ricky! Get back here! You''re no match for that thing!" Lewis cried out. Vivian could only stand in st


    unned silence. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. In desperation, she squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear seeing Ricky torn to shreds.


    The Saber-toothed Tiger growled again, a low-frequency rumble that would rattle and paralyze an ordinary man. Then it sprang at Ricky. Its sharp claws and huge fangs were as deadly as any weapon. Even warriors at the sixth grade of Skin Refining would have fallen to the beast.


    Instead of a head-on fight, Ricky pounded on the ground with his feet and leaped to the other side of the tiger. At the same time, he swung his sword quickly and thrust it at the tiger''s eyes.


    As he landed, he rolled, ending up on the opposite side of the tiger once more.


    Roar! At that moment, there was no sound but the tiger''s growling, echoing hollowly through the forest.


    Ricky did not stop attacking, because he knew he had to kill it as quickly as possible. A moment''s hesitation could mean his death.


    To gather the force, he jumped up into a pine tree first. Then he dropped from the branch he was standing on, using gravity to drive his long sword into the tiger''s skull.


    The whole world went deathly still.


    Ricky pulled his sword free and took a deep breath.


    The Saber-toothed Tiger was powerful, but it used brawn rather than brains. First, Ricky stabbed its eyes. That made it much less deadly. Then he could take his time finishing it off. Ricky would be dead now if he faced an actual warrior at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement.


    "Hey! Why are you standing around like idiots? Let''s skin it. That''s some serious moola." Ricky said, smiling and wiping the sweat from his brow.


    His words brought Lewis and Vivian back to earth. They shook their heads at the same time. It was like waking up from a dream.


    "He... you... you... how?!" They were too shocked, and that was only thing they could say.


    Then they skinned the dead Saber-toothed Tiger quickly and got ready to leave, cleaning and sharpening blades, and securing their packs.


    "Hey guys, um -- I''m... still here!" said Luther weakly. He''d lost a lot of blood, and his pallor was starting to match the snow.


    "Humph!" Vivian and Lewis snorted at him. They were just going to ignore him and let God sort it out. They even thought about killing him for what he just did.


    "Let''s go!" said Vivian.


    "Just remember this! My brother knows I went with you guys," said Luther gravely. This time when he coughed, he spattered his hand with blood.


    Lewis and Vivian stopped in their tracks.


    "What was that about?" Ricky asked.


    "He''s talking about Dustin, the fifth outer disciple. He''s pretty high-ranking, ninth grade. He''s got a lot of promising disciples under him. I think we just made another enemy," said Vivian reluctantly.


    "I know," Ricky nodded his head as he walked over to Luther.


    "Huh! You little shit! Help me up, and give me half your stuff. I might be able to talk my brother into training you," said Luther blatantly.


    Luther tried to sit up. He managed to lean on his elbows. Ricky squatted down and put his hand on Luther''s shoulder, acting as if he were going to help him up. But he stopped when Luther said that, and pushed him back down into the snow.


    An evil smile found its home on Ricky''s face, "God, you got balls, Luther. Half-dead, and you''re still a bully.


    Luther was unapologetic, and simply coughed again, his breath turning to mist in the air. Ricky''s eyes were cold as ice. Luther finally caught the scent of danger.


    "My brother..."


    *KRAKK* Ricky broke his neck before he could finish. Luther never thought he''d die like that.


    The young man looked at the body, now rapidly cooling in the snow. He snorted before he stood up, shrugged, and walked back toward his friends.

 Chapter 16 The Nonuple Flame Strike

    "Ricky...you...you..." Lewis and Vivian stammered in panic at the sight of Ricky killing Luther decisively. After all, Dustin had achieved ninth grade of Skin Refinement, which stood like an insurmountable mountain before them.


    "Relax; if Dustin asks about his brother''s death, you guys can turn me in!" Ricky casually said, a mischievous smile on his face.


    For people like Luther, there was nothing except death that could truly terrify them. That was why Ricky never spared people of his kind, or else it would only lead to endless retaliation.


    Lewis and Vivian were shocked to hear what Ricky had said. They looked at each other and made up their minds," Ricky, we don''t tell on friends. As for Luther''s death, count us in."


    ...


    Deep in the forest of pine trees, Ricky was holding a long knife and fighting against a giant silver wolf, which had a vertical snow-white eye on the center of its forehead. The third eye meant that it was a three-eyed wolf, whose strength could reasonably be compared with a warrior in sixth grade of Skin Refinement.


    "Ricky is really amazing. He can fight a three-eyed silver wolf in sixth grade of Skin Refinement, with only fourth grade power, and he doesn''t seem to be losing at all," Vivian said with admiration, her eyes looking at him differently.


    Beauties were always attracted to heroes.


    "Actually, he is just using the wolf to practice his way of cutting. If he really wants it to die, the wolf won''t make it a second longer." Lewis signed, remarking," It is short-sighted for anyone who claims this guy doesn''t have spiritual meridian."


    Indeed, when Ricky felt he could wield the knife smoothly enough, he ended the poor wolf''s life with one single strike.


    "It looks like knives suit me well. I need to find a cultivation method using knives when I get back to the Snow Sect," Ricky said casually, putting away the knife.


    "But it''s still a little slow in terms of enhancing my breakthrough. Eight days of intense fighting only took me to the peak of the fourth grade of Skin Refinement, which is not good enough for the fight in twenty days," Ricky added, with some dissatisfaction.


    However, if what Ricky said were to be heard by other warriors, he would be torn into pieces instantly. Because, as a matter of fact, it usually takes a warrior at least two months to get from the initial fourth grade of Skin Refinement to the peak of the grade. Even for some masters, one month of practice was necessary.


    But Ricky had done it in only eight days!


    "Lewis, Vivian, how many Body Refining Pills do you have? Can you lend them to me?" Ricky asked.


    "Ricky, do you seriously plan to force a breakthrough from your current grade? Like now?" Lewis'' asked, eyes widening.


    "Alright, could you guys watch my back when I am making the breakthrough?" Ricky smiled at them. Days of getting along well with them had made him trust Lewis and Vivian.


    "Damn!" After cursing a little bit, Lewis handed all of his Body Refining Pills to Ricky.


    "Ricky, don''t you dare give them back to us. True friends don''t do that," Vivian said and handed over her Body Refining Pills to Ricky.


    Why did he need so many Body Refining Pills for one breakthrough? They were curious about it, but since Ricky wouldn''t tell, they felt it would be unnecessary to ask.


    "Ha, I wouldn''t mind if I don''t need to repay them!" Ricky replied jovially.


    After finding themselves a cave, Ricky started the breakthrough without any hesitation. There were twenty Body Refining Pills from Lewis and Vivian, twenty five from Luther, and combined with what Ricky already had, it was enough for this breakthrough.


    Ricky consumed forty Body Refining Pills before he achieved fifth grade of Skin Refinement.


    Now, Ricky''s strength was significantly improved. The three of them then killed many more fierce beasts of sixth grade of Skin Refinement, and returned with fruitful result


    s.


    Upon returning to the Snow Sect, they traded all the materials gathered from the beasts for 1, 000 silver coins. Each of them got their fair share of over 300 coins, which made Ricky think that it was so much easier for warriors to make money compared to ordinary people.


    Of course, that was only true if you didn''t get killed and eaten by the animals.


    They went to the Medicine Pavilion, each spending 100 silver coins for three Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills.


    The Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pill, containing pure spiritual energy between the earth and sky, possessed the power to effectively speed up the practicing of warriors in Skin Refinement level.


    And in front of them, Ricky spent another 100 coins to buy 50 Body Refining Pills, which confused Lewis and Vivian even more.


    "Ha, it''ll do me no harm to refine my body a little bit more," Ricky said jokingly. But even he knew his reason was far-fetched.


    Fortunately, the two didn''t care too much about what he said. With Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills in their pockets, they all hurried back, because they couldn''t wait for their own breakthroughs.


    "There''s only over 100 coins left, not enough to repay my master. But it is enough to buy a set of cultivation method for knives." Deciding on this, Ricky went to the Cultivation Method Hall.


    On his way there, disciples of different sects pointed and talked about him. It was obvious that the duel between him and Wade had made him more famous than before in other sects.


    Four floors of the Cultivation Method Hall displayed cultivation methods of different levels. It was said that only innate spirits and leaders of a clan could have access to the fourth floor.


    Ricky only had over 100 silver coins with him, so he had no choice but to stay on the first floor.


    But in here, one couldn''t expect cultivation methods of a higher level than inferior or intermediate stages of Yellow Level.


    The truth was, a big sect like the Snow Sect was totally capable of providing cultivation methods at inferior or intermediate stage of Yellow Level for free to their disciples. But with the intent of giving the disciples more pressure, they decide to charge for them.


    Cultivation methods of inferior stages of Yellow Level cost around 20 coins, and that of intermediate stage of Yellow Level cost roughly 60 coins.


    Ricky mulled it over for a while and eventually bought a cultivation method of intermediate stage of Yellow Level named Nonuple Flame Strike with 70 coins.


    Now that the newly-traded 300 hundred silver coins had become less than 40, Ricky complained," It might be easier for warriors to earn money, but it is never enough for me!"


    Despite that, Ricky felt pretty comfortable with this book of Nonuple Flame Strike.


    "The next thing to do is to practice the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and Nonuple Flame Strike, and to prepare for the duel 20 days later." Ricky muttered, ready to go and practice.


    "Did you guys see that? That man without a spiritual meridian is trying to practice the Nonuple Flame Strike. Does he have a death wish?" Some disciples said mockingly, seeing the cultivation method that Ricky chose.


    "Nonuple Flame Strike represents a super strong method of knives, and it is said that the method can only be practiced by warriors with spiritual meridian of fire nature!"


    "Indeed! I heard that there was this disciple with spiritual meridian of water nature, who practiced the wrong nature of method. He got his spiritual meridian destroyed and it nearly cost him his life."


    "What do you know! A piece of trash without spiritual meridian doesn''t deserve any nature. He can practice any methods of any nature, but he is just a mimic with only mediocre skills. Ha-ha!" Among the din of the discussion, that laugh was ear-piercing.


    "Look, that''s Garfield, he gets along well with Hurley. Now there must be a good show to watch!"

 Chapter 17 Pressure

    "Rumor has it that Garfield took a break from the limelight to cultivate himself. Now that he finished his closed door cultivation, he might have already reached the sixth grade of Skin Refinement!"


    "Yes, I heard. And now, the first thing he does after the practice is to find Ricky and take revenge for Hurley. I''m afraid, Ricky might at least lose an arm today."


    *


    Just then, Garfield walked up to Ricky, cast him a scornful glance and said with disdain, "You''re such a loser. In order to beat Hurley, you threatened him with a woman. While at it, you flouted the rules of our sect and broke his arm. If you hadn''t been so devious, Hurley wouldn''t have lost to you! "


    "What? What is Garfield talking about? I was there watching their fight. I didn''t see Ricky threaten Hurley with any woman. It seems that Garfield is distorting the truth." So went the conversation in hushed voices among some of the new disciples in the crowd.


    "Be careful what you say, newbies. If you still want to stay here, you''d better agree to what Hurley and his friends say now and in the future. Everyone here knows this is one of the unwritten rules," One of the senior disciples warned.


    The new disciples nodded their heads without saying a word. Since they were new here, they were glad that someone warned them.


    "Hey! Look! I find another lapdog here. If you want to get back at me, go ahead. I don''t have time to waste. But I do want to warn you. You might end up losing your legs, or even worse," Ricky sneered. The impertinent manner of Garfield was not something that Ricky would take lying down.


    But obstinate as ever, Garfield''s face darkened when he heard the word "lapdog."


    To the disciples, who were standing behind him, things seemed to get more and more interesting. They knew that Garfield was already fuming with rage.


    "Huh? What''s wrong? You seem to be very mad. Don''t you like being called a ''lapdog''? Sorry, I can''t think of other words to describe you now. I think that is the right one." Seeing the furious look on Garfield''s face, Ricky was thrilled.


    "Ha ha!" Some of the disciples in the crowd couldn''t help but laugh at Ricky''s response. But they covered their mouths immediately, for fear of getting on Garfield''s wrong side.


    "Oh boy, you''re really mean. I don''t think you know who I am. You''ve picked the wrong guy to tease," warned Garfield in a calm voice. Apparently, he was pretending that what Ricky had said didn''t affect him at all. He put on the calmer face than his usual self.


    "As your senior, I think I''m obliged to teach you how to behave yourself properly here," Garfield continued.


    Even though his face was still expressionless now, everyone could feel the hostility hidden in his eyes.


    The next moment, Garfield was readying up for a fight. Before anyone noticed, he threw a punch at Ricky, intending to hit him smack in the face.


    Even though Garfield wanted to take Ricky by surprise, Ricky had already seen through him. Compared to the speed of the beasts at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement in the woods, Garfield''s was way below par.


    Raising his left hand gently, he blocked Garfield''s fist quite easily. Returning his own, he caught Garfield straight in the face.


    Wincing in pain, Garfield spat out blood. But it was not just blood. To that one blow, he had lost two teeth.


    "I never thought that a lapdog would dare pick up a fight without his owner. What makes you think that you can beat me?" Ricky sneered. As soon as he lowered his arms, he once more charged at Garfield, who had stepped back several steps.


    Just as he was about to strike again with Whiz Fist, Ricky suddenly sensed someone was shooting him a fierce stare.


    "Hey, you loser! Stop!" Someone shouted sharply.


    Before Ricky could reach Garfield, his whiz fist was blocked, but not by Garfield. The unexpected third man in white clothes had appeared suddenly, out of nowhere.


    The blow was so strong that Ricky still felt pain, even though he had skillfully blocked. Ricky had thought that moving back a few steps to minimize the impact would do just fine. A wrong calculation, as the intervening man walloped him so hard, a sharp pain shot through his arm, all the way to the chest. He feared he too might spit blood, like Garfield.


    "Oh! It''s Wade!" shouted someone in the crowd. The onlookers were surprised to see him here.


    "Hey, hey... Another lapdog? Are you going to pick up a fight with me on behalf of the small lapdog? You can''t wait to have a battle of life with me, can you?" Ricky sneered, balancing himself on the ground.


    "Hahaha... You''re such a loser!" But Wade wasn''t angry about what Ricky had said at all.


    "It i


    s not yet time to have a fight with you. We have made a pact and I''m going to follow it. But, do remember, in slightly over two weeks, you''ll have to face me!"


    With that, Wade grabbed Garfield, about to leave.


    "Wade, stop! I can''t let this twit insult me like that and get away with it. I''ll skin him alive, I swear!" shouted Garfield. Noticing that Wade was going to take him away, he protested. For losing a good two teeth, Garfield badly wanted to take revenge. There was no way he was going to let Ricky get away with it. Now, raving mad, he even forgot about the pain shooting through his jaw at the moment.


    "Shut up! Don''t make a fool of yourself again! You couldn''t even defend yourself until I showed up, and now you think I''m that dumb to leave you here?" Wade scolded. Blanching at Wade''s scolding, Garfield stopped saying another word. From the tone alone, he could tell that Wade was really mad at him.


    However, Wade was not as mad at him as he was at Ricky. If it hadn''t been for Grace, he would have killed Ricky when they were still in Stone City. Even as he left, he promised himself to deal with Ricky in three weeks'' time when they faced each other in their scheduled fight. ''I''ll rip him apart, I swear!'' he said to himself.


    After he left with Garfield, Ricky turned around and walked towards Grace''s yard.


    *


    "I don''t believe it! Ricky can beat Garfield just with a punch! He is just a guy without any spiritual meridian while Garfield is already at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement!" Looking at Ricky''s receding figure, some disciples discussed among themselves.


    "It''s a pity that Ricky and Wade are going to have a serious fight in three weeks'' time. Don''t you see it? Ricky hardly can take a punch from Wade."


    The quality of Ricky''s quick improvement left a lot of doubts among some of the disciples.


    "Do you think there is any possibility that Ricky might pull off a surprise?" One of the disciples asked. Although it sounded improbable, almost like some wild fantasy to many, there were still a few who were genuinely impressed by how quickly Ricky had improved.


    *


    A strange sensation came over Ricky when he arrived at the front gate of Grace''s yard. An inexplicable warmth in the mouth, as though he too was bleeding. As he thought about it, he also realized a tinge of pain in the chest.


    "Wade is at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement. His strength is really a whole lot better than me," Ricky muttered, wiping at the corners of his mouth. A sense of gloom took over his face. Up until now, he hadn''t expected that Wade would be so strong. But thinking of the impending fight, he began to feel the pressure. In his mind, fearful thoughts began to whirl around, making him suddenly awake to the immensity of the forthcoming fight. Was he prepared enough?


    Not to let his emotions show, he composed himself as he walked into Grace''s house, only to find that she wasn''t home.


    Then he headed back to his room to cultivate himself at once. Aware that time was not on his side, he tried to use every available opportunity for his self-improvement. Today, the pressure he felt from that chance confrontation with Wade was huge.


    Controlling his breath, he took out three small Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills and swallowed all of them at once. By all means, he was determined to graduate to the next grade of refinement.


    Even though pills would help greatly enhance his cultivation in the shortest time, he would as well cultivate himself through practice.


    That way, he would have a better grounding. Normally, martial art warriors and talents would seldom use pills to enhance their grades or levels.


    However, Ricky had no choice at this moment. He took the Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills and started to cultivate.


    Little did he know that his regained spiritual meridian would quickly absorb all the pills and vastly step up his refinement.


    Until he found out how much he was revived, he hadn''t thought it would be such a big deal. He realized that the spiritual energy he got through his spiritual meridian was much purer than ever.


    The sudden burst of pure energy he was experiencing was simply beyond words.


    Normally, warriors at the Skin Refinement levels could only absorb a certain amount of the spiritual energy released from the Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills, thirty percent tops.


    But the surge that Ricky was experiencing at the moment was well beyond anything he had known before. He was elated at the discovery. His spiritual meridian could help him make good use of the pills!


    "My regained spiritual meridian, how great it is!" Once again, Ricky couldn''t help but wonder loudly.

 Chapter 18 Relief

    ''This is not a time to be thinking twice'', Ricky thought. In a single beat, he activated the spiritual energy transferred from the Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills. He gathered the pills and poured them into his spiritual meridian. As an effect, the spiritual energy traveled into every cell of his body, inch by inch.


    And in an instant, his body recuperated. He felt stronger, with the vigor in his body refueled.


    The pills were very much effective, cleansing and nourishing every aspect of his being. It was not too long after that Ricky achieved the zenith of fifth grade of Skin Refinement.


    "Ah! Three Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills was all I needed. Remarkable!" Ricky said with such joy and excitement. He let out a turbid breath and said, "But afterwards, perhaps the Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills won''t have such a huge influence on me, even if I possess this new magical spiritual meridian!"


    Everything was better taken in just the right amount. And when it came to medicine''s side effects, one should be wary. Too little will garner you with no effect, and an overdose would leave you in a fatal position.


    Nevertheless, Ricky was quite satisfied with these three Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills. With the pills that he took, he saved almost twenty days of cultivation.


    "I just reached the fifth grade of Skin Refinement. If I reach the sixth grade, the realm would most likely be unstable. So if I want to increase my power, I should turn to the Nonuple Flame Strike and the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula."


    The spiritual energy of heaven and earth stimulated and honed the Nonuple Flame Strike. It condensed the flame elements, poured them onto the saber and wielded the blade of the flame.


    The flame blade''s power rested upon the amount of flame elements transferred from the spiritual energy of the heaven and earth--the more flame elements, the stronger and more powerful the blade would become.


    Speed also played an essential role in the power of the flame blade. If you could wield the blade once per second while others could wield it three times, there was no doubt that you would be killed.


    Surely, every disciple thought that a certain kind of spiritual meridian of different natures had their own suitable cultivation method. But unlike what these disciples said, Ricky was like a Jack-of-all-Trades--he could adapt to and make do of any kind of cultivation method, since his spiritual meridian seemed to have no special attribute.


    Ricky''s eyes sparkled, seemingly beaming with flames. He leaped out of the house excitedly and ran into the small yard with a saber in hand.


    Whoosh!


    Flames started to encapsulate his saber. Heat was rushing through his body. Suddenly, a flash of light almost blinded him as he held his arms high, flames wildly spurted around. Eureka! Every time he wielded the saber, flame danced fiercely on the blade.


    Such cultivation was no easy task. It lasted for four hours and finally came to an end.


    Not all cultivation was perfect, just like how Ricky was unsatisfied with his performance. Every flame blade he wielded only contained a portion, twenty percent, of flame elements. Moreover, he was unsatisfied with the fact that he was only able to wield the saber no more than one and a half times per second.


    "Twenty days later, the flame blade I wield must contain fifty percent of flame elements, and I have to wield the saber three times per second, otherwise I''m no match to Wade," Ricky said with a serious tone.


    Such stunt was very difficult to pull off, especially when someone had to do it in the next twenty days.


    The Nine-degree Body Refining Formula normally followed the cultivation of the saber skills.


    The Nine-degree Body Refining Formula was divided into nine degrees. This division was based on the strength of the body and the quantity of spiritual energy that was stored in the flesh and blood. And this made it even more difficult to perform.


    When using this formula, the warrior''s body would reflect nine colors--red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, violet, gold, and violet-gold, from bottom to top. These colors corresponded to the nine levels of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    In his mind, and with such difficult formula to absorb, Ricky told himself not to expect too much within the next twenty days of this cultivation journey. If only he could cultivate to even the first degree of body refinement and pair it with the Nonuple Flame Strike, he would certainly have a chance against Wade.


    The essence of body refinement pertained to the refinement of body''s endurance from blasts of powerful spiritual energy.


    Ricky remembered that the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula strongly recommended the method of amalgamation of ice and flame during the refinement.


    Of course, it would be better to take the supplements originating from nature to strengthen the body, yet there were not so many such supplements.


    The so-called amalgamation of ice and flame was a way to refine and reinforce the body by using the frosty and infernal powe


    r. In this alternation of ice and flame, the warrior''s body would become the toughest.


    But this method was not easy. Its power might lead to destruction of a warrior''s body. If not done properly, he would face the risk of paralysis and muscle atrophy of the whole body.


    Strong with his desire and will to succeed, this warning never stopped Ricky from cultivating the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    The freezing ice land in the Snow Sect, together with the Nonuple Flame Strike, was exactly suitable for his cultivation of the Formula.


    As the time was really pressing, Ricky started with no hesitation.


    Ricky removed most of his clothing and left only his undergarments. He channeled all his strength in one area and punched a pile of snow to make an ice cave out of it. He put some ice crystal debris in it and stepped in. Sitting in the middle of the cave and meditating, he could immediately feel the spiritual meridian of rebirth being stimulated as soon as he started. Ricky was absorbing the frosty power of the cave and the ice crystals surrounding him, reinforcing his body.


    Ricky felt like he was continuously falling down an endless bone-chilling glacial abyss. He could feel the incessant frosty power running through his body, fighting its way to the core of his being. Every inch of his flesh and all of his meridians were absorbing the tremendous power flowing through him.


    The pain, not that obvious though, was excruciating--it felt like a thousand sharp shards of ice piercing through him down to the bone. The transfer of the frosty power to his physique was taking a toll on him and the freezing pain started to get him numb.


    But Ricky must carry on¡­.


    The refinement lasted for about eight hours. Stepping out of the ice cave, Ricky felt like he was almost frozen to an ice sculpture.


    But the training did not end here. After the frosty power, he should refine his body with infernal power next.


    Employing the cultivation method of the Nonuple Flame Strike, Ricky turned the spiritual energy inside his body into a blazing flame, which permeated throughout his body to rejuvenate his flesh that was ruined by his arctic cultivation.


    The trail of frosty power felt like an absolute torment. But this is nothing compared to what he was experiencing now--an outward but greatest burning pain. The agony felt from the icy cave was amplified as he felt his body imbibing the heat all throughout. He could feel all the meridians in his body responding as it convulsed aggressively inside of him.


    Ricky thought he was burning in the flames of hell as he endured the severity of his refinement.


    This rigorous cultivation went on for twenty more days. Grace didn''t come back until the last day of this cultivation. It seemed that she knew Ricky was striving hard refining himself.


    "It seems that you''ve grown a lot this month!" Grace nodded when she saw Ricky''s more deeply-restrained breath.


    "Heh, it''s because you teach me well, Master," Ricky sheepishly grinned as he scratched the back of his head.


    "Don''t flatter me. All this hard work is yours," said Grace softly. "Tomorrow''s battle will be a matter of life and death. Are you sure you can handle it? If not, I can try to postpone the battle to a different time."


    "Master, don''t you trust me?" Ricky questioned


    "I''m just afraid that you would end up dead after the gruesome battle," Grace said nonchalantly


    "By the way, Master, where have you been the whole month?" Ricky asked as he shrugged his Master''s remarks


    Ricky was very much concerned with the whereabouts of his master as she was one of the few people who truly cared about him.


    "I went to relieve you of your worries, lest you be distracted in the decisive battle tomorrow," Grace answered simply.


    "Relieve my worries?" Ricky was a little confused on hearing this.


    ''I''ve already had the battle to worry about. How could I have any other worries besides it?'' Ricky thought.


    "Master? Don''t tell me you..." Ricky said with jubilant anticipation


    "Yes," Grace interjected. "I have saved your father from the Nan Clan, so you don''t have to worry about it being used by Wade against you tomorrow." She added, "Whatever happens between you and Wade tomorrow, I only want one result, and that is your success."


    "Father! My father is all right!" Ricky was elated. He couldn''t wipe off the wide grin on his face as he heard her say that his father was finally safe. He felt like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. All the pain from the rigorous training dissipated.


    What his master said was true. Wade would have a huge edge against him if his father was still captive in their hands. Should he use this to coerce him to losing the battle, all this hard work would be for naught.


    After all, no decent son would put the life of his father at risk. Ricky knew this well.


    "Thank you so much, Master!" Ricky couldn''t find the right words to express his eternal gratitude to his kind master. He wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes as he thanked Grace for saving his father.

 Chapter 19 The Battle Of Life And Death

    "I''m your master. This is what I should do," said Grace.


    "So where''s my father?" Ricky asked a little anxiously, because he had not seen his father for a whole year. It weighed on his mind, and hit him particularly hard when he was alone with these thoughts. His father was always in his heart, and would always find his way into his thoughts.


    "When your father learned that you were accepted by the Snow Sect and became my disciple, he took off. He said he needed to find your mother," Grace replied.


    "Find my mother?" Ricky whispered, eyes filled with a touch of sadness. He''d never met his mother, but an image of what he imagined she looked like filled his mind.


    His mother left shortly after he was born, but he knew she was forced out. He knew in his heart she would always care for him.


    The magical spiritual meridian that his mother left for him was the best proof.


    "By the way, your father wanted me to let you know that other than Gilbert, there was another enemy called the Bloody Gang. The gang was also a part of the whole setup. And he wanted you to avenge him," Grace continued.


    "Gilbert! Bloody Gang!" Ricky said coldly.


    "But don''t worry about it now. I need you to ready yourself for battle tomorrow. This contest is to the death, and I can''t help you once you step into the ring," Grace warned him.


    "Don''t worry, Master. Tomorrow I''ll give you a big surprise," Ricky said confidently.


    ......


    There were many battle rings in the Snow Sect, but there were only a handful where contestants fought to the death. There were three, all on a flat and snowy field.


    Today, almost all the outer disciples gathered around these three rings.


    Also, many inner disciples and strong core disciples were there.


    Today was mainly about the life and death battle between Ricky and Wade who were newcomers to Skin Refinement, but everyone knew it was actually a battle between the core disciples, as well¡ªConnie and Grace.


    Although Connie was not as strong as the other core disciples, she had won the favor of many male disciples with her good figure, pretty face and her prodigious skill at lovemaking.


    While Grace wasn''t a looker because of the hideous birthmark on her face, everyone in the Snow Sect respected her. Her skills were good enough for her to have earned the title of fourth core disciple.


    Many core disciples would love to see those two battle it out.


    With everyone''s eyes on them, Ricky and Wade stepped into the ring.


    At the same time, an Elder came to preside over this life and death battle to prevent some of the more powerful disciples from interfering.


    The Elder waited patiently until they readied themselves, stretching out, going through the forms, meditating, and dropping into a fighting stance. At length, the Elder said, "You may begin."


    ......


    "Loser, I''m gonna take you out." Wade said disdainfully, glowering at Ricky.


    "You''ll see why I got the nerve later." Ricky smiled.


    "Well. I hope this fight won''t be boring."


    After saying that, Wade suddenly summoned the great power of Skin Refinement and only took a few leaps to get close to Ricky, then he punched Ricky, grinning all the while, Wade was confident that it would only take one punch to take Ricky down.


    But his fist never reached its target. It stopped halfway and then he felt excruciating pain. That was because Ricky had already hit him before he could connect.


    "Why can''t you take a punch from me? Thought I was a loser." Ricky gave him a toothy smile and raised another fist.


    Ho! At the moment of raising all the power, a soun


    d of tiger''s roar suddenly growled like the thunder, which set up a great rumbling echoing through the peaks. The rumbling not only shook the mountain, but the crowd could feel the vibrations.


    And Ricky''s spiritual energy coalesced and formed the half-opaque figure of a tiger.


    It was the Whiz Fist!


    However, it was this Whiz Fist that impressed those core disciples¡ªnot to mention the Elder who cared for nothing.


    Because they could see that Ricky''s Whiz Fist was way beyond the state of completeness, and was even a hair''s breadth from perfection.


    Among all the core disciples, maybe some of them had reached their cultivation method to completion. But none of them could get anywhere near perfection.


    "That''s impossible, right? He has no spiritual meridian." At that moment, those core disciples and the Elder were thinking about this. It did seem impossible, yet they saw it with their own eyes.


    "What a pity!" "What a pity!" The Elder said with more regret.


    "Last time we were in Stone City, his Whiz Fist was just starting the completeness phase. It''s only been a month and he''s already reached the pinnacle of completeness. His comprehension is remarkable. Maybe it was the right thing, teaching him the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula," Grace muttered.


    ......


    At this moment, cold sweat ran down Wade''s back, because he felt a truly real ferocious tiger was behind him, which made him quake in fear.


    This was the Whiz Fist when it was near perfection, putting the enemy in the cold grip of terror.


    However, Wade was a warrior of the seventh grade of Skin Refinement. He snorted and immediately shook it off. Then he aimed another punch to resist Ricky''s Whiz Fist.


    Bang! Another collision caused both of them to take a few steps back.


    "He... He broke through again. How did he reach the sixth grade of Skin Refinement?" The sounds of surprise emanated from the crowd.


    Because they found that Ricky''s power was indeed the sixth grade of Skin Refinement.


    "How? When he fought Garfield, he had just barely attained fifth grade." Another one said in surprise, "He made a breakthrough less than a month. With no spiritual meridians?"


    "You''ve reached the sixth grade of Skin Refinement. No wonder you''re so confident. But you can''t beat Wade with that. I hope you won''t disappoint me later," Grace said to herself.


    That was right. After taking three spiritual energy pills to reach the top of the fifth grade of Skin Refinement, Ricky made a breakthrough a few days ago.


    Grace thought it was not enough for him to break through in twenty days, but she knew nothing about the power of his new spiritual meridian. Ricky not only broke through, but refined his technique as well.


    ......


    "The sixth grade of Skin Refinement. That''s why you''re so confident?" By this time, Wade''s eyes were already gloomy.


    "Maybe!" Ricky said.


    "Aww, go to hell!"


    At the next moment, Wade went all out. He unsheathed the Steel Sword at his waist and waved it, sending white sword-light towards Ricky.


    "Nine Swords of the Wind¡ªthe Fourth Sword!"


    All of a sudden, Wade was wielding the sword. Spiritual energy enveloped it, shimmered along its edges. Then the power gathered into a semicircle and exploded in Ricky''s direction.


    There was nowhere to run or hide from it.


    But he was not trying to hide.


    His eyes flashed. Then he pulled out the long sword at his back without bothering to gather any spiritual energy and directly rushed toward that whorl of power.


    "Is... is he trying to get himself killed?" The crowd gasped in shock.

 Chapter 20 The Astonishing Reversal

    "Check it out, Grace. I think we know who the winner is," Connie claimed arrogantly, staring down at the field. Needless to say, the winner she referred to was her disciple, Wade. She then continued teasing, "I thought yours would at least have half a brain. Seems I was wrong. He''s such a newbie."


    Wade had enormous power, being at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement. Not only that, but there was his blade, imbued with the power of the winds. His command of all these energies was so powerful that not even a warrior at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement would dare to fight him. Such a challenger would be risking his life. Wade''s energies were powerful enough to destroy anything¡ªor anyone.


    But Ricky dashed right into that bladestorm. Everyone thought he was suicidal.


    "Shut your mouth and watch," Grace responded calmly. She would never show any worry or weakness around Connie.


    In reality, she was worried, heart threatening to leap right out of her chest. She wondered what on earth Ricky thought he was doing. He was usually cool and calculating, but now he just seemed reckless. Did he want to die? How could he survive this attach? Grace was at the end of her wits.


    "Humph!" Connie replied with a disdainful look and then turned her arrogant eyes to the battlefield, expecting this to be over any minute now. She decided not to gloat before it was over. After that, though, victory would taste sweet, and she would definitely lord it over Grace.


    That would be vengeance for her son.


    She wanted to see Ricky defeated for that.


    "What the hell are you doing?" Wade asked in surprise. Most other warriors would close cautiously, hoping he would expend most of his power before they went toe to toe, or even jump aside. However, Ricky just rushed toward him with nothing but merely a sword in his hand.


    "Swatting a fly," Ricky replied, turning his cold eyes to Wade.


    Meanwhile, an evil smile found its way to his face.


    There was a glint in Ricky''s gaze. Wade noticed it, and it bugged him. However, that feeling fled quickly because Wade was super confident in himself. He did not believe that Ricky would be able to resist his ferocious attack.


    Wade thought it a good idea to pump more and more spiritual energies into his blade just in case. He knew he had to defeat Ricky, and wanted to be prepared. He didn''t know what his foe was doing, but he had to do his part of attacking. The air around them crackled with the awesome energies.


    "Go to hell!" Wade roared with a mask of rage.


    "Nine-degree Body Refining Formula - the First Degree!"


    At the same time, Ricky focused his energies into a spiritual roar which boomed around the battle ring.


    Visibly, the spiritual energies shot out from every pore of Ricky''s body. Then they moved quickly and started to circle him. Finally, they were absorbed back into his body. He was bursting with spiritual power.


    In an instant, both Ricky''s black hair and his fair skin turned to red.


    Light red, though.


    Something happened to Ricky. His flesh became as hard as iron.


    Thump! Thump!


    In the meantime, Wade''s blade slashed towards Ricky''s shoulders, intending to end the fight by dismembering him. However, the young man remained tactic, except that his clothes were slashed away, revealing four slight marks. The sword then fell to the ground. It was now dead, lifeless.


    "No, no! How could this happen? That''s impossible! No!!" screamed Wade. The man was astounded. Seeing what just happened, the warrior panicked.


    Wade was strong, his technique perfect. He was certain that even a warrior at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement would have been taken down. How did Ricky manage that?


    "Anything''s possible. You saw it yourself. Time to end this," Ricky pronounced with a cold voice, staring at Wade with emotionless eyes.


    Then he raised his sword. Countless fire elementals surrounded the blade. In a blink of an eye, he waved his sword and three flames danced through the air.


    It was Nonuple Flame Strike - the Third Strike!


    Wade was ill prepared. He was still in shock from what happened. He was lost in thought, and didn''t notice Ricky''s attacks until the three jets of flame reached him. But by then, it was too late. He was struck full in the chest. He had violated the cardinal rule of fighting and allowed himself to be distracted.


    The warrior screeched, carried along the field from the force of the blow, causing a loud bang. Then he was buried with the dust and blast from the crash.


    There was only silence from the crowd. Everyone was taken aback and their jaws dropped.


    It happened in the blink of an eye. Like Wade, no one thought it possible.


    They were sure that Ricky would be slain by Wade. Instead, he stood victorious.


    "Wh... What is that? I''ve never seen a cultiv


    ation method like that. How could it make his body turn red like that? Weird! And his body¡ªtough as iron? He even survived Wade''s blade!" People began to whisper to each other about Ricky''s cultivation method.


    "That''s incredible!" one of the inner disciples asserted.


    "Yeah, no kidding! Fantastic body refining technique!" other inner disciples also chimed in with him. They exchanged looks with each other with greedy eyes. They wanted to know how to do this too.


    Even for those core disciples, there was unrestrained greed in their covetous eyes. All of them were eager to learn Ricky''s cultivation method.


    This method helped Ricky resist a fierce attack from a warrior at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement by only using his body. That was just unfathomable and fair enough to prove it to be an extremely marvelous cultivation method of body refining.


    "The stage of this cultivation method is definitely no lower than the intermediate stage of Black Level," the Elder murmured to himself with intense suspicion. He blinked, incredible shock springing up in his ancient eyes. That was the first time he had felt like this.


    As an Elder, with his rich experience, he was better able to recognize the extraordinary nature of that cultivation method.


    "Oh, God! How is that... possible?!" Grace, on the other hand, gasped in shock. She managed to remain as calm as she had been, but in her head there was chaos.


    She merely intended to test it out when she gave the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula to Ricky earlier, and had never expected that Ricky might succeed in the cultivation. She knew well the tremendous difficulty on the road to success.


    In the past millennium, no warrior had ever succeeded in cultivating this formula. She had never expected Ricky, a warrior at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement would make it.


    But the fact was that he did it, within just twenty days.


    Rumor had it, the warrior who created Nine-degree Body Refining Formula spent a whole year merely reaching the first grade.


    "Is this how he has planned to surprise me? By mastering that secret Formula?" Grace swooned in her heart.


    "No way! That''s impossible! He must be cheating!" Connie was taken aback and was struck dumb before she screamed hysterically. Then she got to her feet, intending to rush to the battlefield.


    She did this not because she cared about Wade, one of her nominal disciples. She just wanted to go there to check, to see if everything was on the up and up. There was no way she would accept the fact that her side was defeated.


    "Stop it, Connie! What? Are you trying to challenge the rules of our Snow Sect?" the Elder said, humming in a tune of paralyzing cold to stop Connie from walking ahead.


    He was an Elder, but he was not blind or senile. He clearly knew the importance to maintain the authority of the Snow Sect. Leaving Connie to behave badly would stain the reputation of the Snow Sect.


    On the battlefield, gradually the dust blew away, and Wade''s prone form came into view. He was more dead than alive, thanks to Ricky.


    Ricky, on the other end of the field, walked to him at a slow pace, sword in hand. There were still fire elementals surrounding the blade. He raised the sword high, ready to slash at Wade''s neck to end this fight.


    "No, Ricky! Wade is Master Nick''s nephew! He dies, your father dies!" Scott, another man from the Nan Clan, threatened Ricky before it was too late.


    The crowd started to whisper again upon hearing his words. They figured out the Nan Clan had Ricky''s father held hostage. The Elder chose not to get between Ricky and Scott. He just stood aside, watching Ricky with interested eyes. He was curious about how Ricky would deal with Scott''s threat.


    As everyone expected, Ricky stopped mid-swing at Scott''s threat.


    Scott smiled coldly as Ricky paused. He stared at Ricky with a sneer as if he were saying, "You won. But so what? We have your father, and you''ll never be rid of us. You will be always under the Nan Clan''s thumb!"


    When Scott was rejoicing at Ricky''s hesitation, Ricky merely turned around and made a face at him. Then he turned to face Wade and beheaded him without the slightest hesitation.


    ''No, no, no! That''s not how things are supposed to be!'' Scott howled in his heart in great shock.


    All the disciples were shocked. Their jaws dropped again. The men from the Nan Clan, including Scott, were totally stunned.


    "Oh my God! His father will die! What a heartless man he is!" Many disciples sighed in their minds about Ricky''s bold behavior. They despised him because they thought him to be someone who abandoned his family for fame and success. And more, they feared him.


    A man who showed no consideration for his father was definitely a nut. None of them would piss him off now.

 Chapter 21 Refinement Faction

    Not only the disciples, even the Elder himself was also surprised by Ricky.


    ''This little boy is really ruthless. However, only such a warrior could last long in the world of martial arts, '' the Elder thought to himself.


    On the other hand, the Elder''s affection for Ricky had slowly started to disappear.


    The Elder said, he could be cruel to his enemies but he should not be so cruel to his father. If he continued going this way, he would also never be grateful to his master and his fellow disciples.


    However, what they didn''t know was that the Nan Clan was no longer a threat to Ricky.


    "The battle is over and the victory belongs to Ricky!" After declaring the victory, the Elder left.


    As he put away his long sword, Ricky walked slowly off the platform. He looked around, and he found that no one seemed to despise him anymore; all of the other disciples looked at him in awe.


    ''From now on, the name waste has nothing to do with me anymore!'' Ricky thought to himself seriously.


    "You''d better stay in the Snow Sect forever, Boy! Or I would kill you!" Connie said viciously.


    "You could challenge me at any time. I''m waiting for you." Ricky grinned as he answered back.


    Then Connie left with her followers. Defeated by Ricky, they only felt shamed staying here.


    "Ricky, you just wait. Your father will die a horrible and painful death after our leader knows about that." Some disciples from the Nan Clan reacted from what they heard and started to threaten Ricky again.


    "Really? Just tell him." Ricky sneered.


    Upon hearing that, many disciples realized that Ricky was really ruthless.


    Ricky ignored that and returned to the yard with Grace.


    ¡­¡­


    "Which level have you cultivated to with the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula?" Grace could not help asking Ricky although she had seen it with her own eyes.


    "Master, were you surprised?" Ricky answered with a smile. It was evident that there was some pride in his words.


    Grace once said no one could complete cultivating to the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. But it seemed easy for him except for some difficulties during the process.


    The regained spiritual meridian played a big role in the cultivation process. That was the reason why Ricky had made big progress in such a short amount of time.


    What Ricky didn''t know was that he was also transformed when regained the spiritual meridian.


    "It''s too early to regard Nine-degree Body Refining Formula as simple. You will not think of it like that after you reached the third level." Realizing Ricky was a little proud of his performance, Grace reminded him, "Or all the efforts you made would be in vain."


    But Grace must admit that she was still in a state of shock with the news Ricky had just brought.


    And she found out that Ricky broke through faster compared to those who had spiritual meridians during the cultivation process.


    Still doubtful, Grace couldn''t help but put her hand over Ricky''s head again. She tried to find something like spiritual meridian in Ricky''s body, but she found nothing.


    Ricky knew what Grace was confused about. However, he was left with no choice but to keep it as a secret, because he knew how dangerous it would be even across the whole Misty South if everyone would know his magical new spiritual meridian.


    "My master, may I ask you a question?" Ricky wanted to know some other things and he asked.


    "Just say it."


    "Had you, my master, never smiled? Never at all?" Ricky asked with a gentle smile.


    "Just put yourself into the cultivation process and prepare to take part in the Outer Competition." Grace said calmly without answering Ricky''s question, and after that, she went straight out of the room, which Ricky took as a sign that she didn''t want to answer the question at all.


    "Maybe we could come to an agreement. You can just


    smile at me when I succeed in reaching the third grade of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula." Ricky yelled with amusement as Grace left the room.


    Actually, he really wanted to see Grace smile.


    Ricky knew what it was like to live a serious life all day. He also had two years of being treated as a waste and he didn''t want to experience that any more. And he thought so did Grace.


    Ricky guessed the birthmark on her face would be the most important reason why she turned out to be like this. That birthmark on her face really didn''t look good. After all, he didn''t know any girl who did not want to be beautiful.


    If Grace was not a powerful warrior, she should suffer more than Ricky.


    Grace kept her silence again and nobody knew what she was thinking.


    "Master, I will definitely get rid of that birthmark for you once I am able to do that." Ricky promised himself watching Grace walk away until she disappeared from his sight.


    ¡­¡­


    Then Ricky concentrated on his breathing. After the battle, he could not hold his breath longer than what he used to. Ricky knew that even though he had succeeded in reaching the First Grade of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he was also affected by the full blow of Wade, a warrior at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement. He had to admit, a warrior at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement was really very strong.


    In the evening, two young men in black clothes came quietly to Ricky''s yard. Although they were thin, it was clear that they possessed strong power.


    ''They must be at intermediate or even advanced stage of Blood Purification, '' Ricky thought to himself. The regained spiritual meridian made Ricky more sensitive to his environment. Ricky could also vaguely sense a warrior''s strength by merely a glance.


    "Ricky, this is Rod." One of them introduced himself.


    "And this is Greg." Then, Rod also introduced another man to Ricky. The other man looked a little prideful.


    "Hi, is there anything I could help you with?" Ricky acknowledged them and then asked respectfully.


    Rod was very polite, and so was Ricky.


    "Ricky, in fact, we were all shocked and amazed by your performance in the battle today. So we sincerely invite you to join our Refinement Faction," Rod replied and he explained why they sought Ricky directly.


    "Refinement Faction?" Ricky whispered.


    He had known about some basic information of the Snow Sect after he arrived here.


    There were three major factions in the Snow Sect. They were Casting Faction, Refinement Faction and Amber Faction.


    These three factions were headed by the three disciples inside the Snow Sect. And the number of disciples from the three factions accounted for one-sixth of the total number of the people in the Snow Sect.


    It was said that there were many core disciples and even some Elders among the disciples from the three factions.


    So no one dared to challenge those important disciples from the faction. Or they would meet a terrible fate.


    It could be easy to find members from the name, Refinement Faction. Disciples belonging in the Refinement Faction were given priority in cultivating their body strength.


    ''It seemed that they were interested in Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.'' Immediately, Ricky understood why they wanted him to join Refinement Faction.


    If they only want Ricky join Refinement Faction, they could let two lower disciples of Skin Refinement to invite him. But they let two disciples of Blood Purification to invite him, which meant they must have other purposes in mind.


    "I believe that you must have heard about the Refinement Faction. Once you join us, we will try our best to help you with your attack with the Nan Clan," Rod said invitingly.


    "Also, we, the Refinement Faction, could help you in defeating Nate, the nominal disciple of the innate spirit."

 Chapter 22 Amelia

    "You even know Nate. I''m impressed. Seems an awful lot of trouble for little old me," Ricky said, his flippancy covering up his shock. Rod said that the Refinement Faction could help him deal with Nate, a disciple of the innate spirit. That meant that they were fairly powerful.


    When he turned them down, he''d have another powerful enemy. He wasn''t sure of their motives, but it surely didn''t seem like a good idea to join them just like that.


    But he was not the kind of man who could be bullied into making a decision.


    "That''s the way we roll. We Refinement Faction wants to make sure who we''re dealing with," Rod said with a tiny smile. "So, what do you say?"


    At the moment, Rod and Greg were confident that Ricky would not refuse. He wasn''t powerful enough to handle the consequences.


    In this case they underestimated Ricky.


    "I''m sorry to disappoint you two seniors, but I''m not joining any faction for now!" Not surprisingly, while the two seniors were prepared to hear a firm reply, Ricky answered them in a tone neither overbearing nor servile.


    Their confident expressions immediately became sullen, even savage. They weren''t used to hearing no.


    "That''s your final answer?" Rod asked coldly, as the scarlet spiritual energy welled up in both of his hands. His tone had lost its politeness, showing it was only pretense to begin with.


    "I''ve thought about it thoroughly," Ricky said.


    Now that they were on the verge of blows, there was no need for courtesy.


    "Ha! It''s been a long time since someone turned us down. You''ve got guts. It would be only fitting if we slit you open so you could learn your lesson!" Greg said, menacingly. He''d never said a word before now. The strong blood vitality rose from his body and merged with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, sending waves of spiritual force flying directly toward Ricky.


    Ricky retreated a step and staggered as he was hit.


    He was defenseless against this kind of attack. He had no choice but to retreat. His chest felt dull due to pain and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.


    "So, you''re going to attack me inside the Snow Sect?" asked Ricky. He wiped the blood at his mouth, leaving a bloody streak on the back of his hand.


    "We can''t do much here, but we''re not letting you off. Everyone who refuses us dies." Hearing Ricky''s words, Greg sneered.


    They left straightaway, without another word. They didn''t need to say anything else. They''d done enough.


    ''Someday... Someday I''ll destroy the Refinement Faction and drive you out of the Snow Sect!'' Ricky said fiercely in his heart as he watched the two leave.


    ''But I''m pretty sure those aren''t the only two visitors I''ll have today!''


    ...


    He was right. After Rod and Greg left, the Casting Faction also sent two inner disciples of Blood Purification to Ricky. They tried to show off their casting skills to tempt Ricky into joining them.


    They made their intentions known fairly quickly. They wanted the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    And just like Rod and Greg, they left angrily, but not before threatening him. ''I could keep this up all day. If this goes on too much longer I''ll need a scorecard to keep track of all my enemies.''


    Later, another faction¡ªAmber Faction, this time ¡ªsent a lady to him.


    Ricky was a little curious about the Amber Faction, because 90% of their members were female, and the leading ones were several inner disciples, also female.


    As for why Ricky was curious, it was something that came n


    aturally to young men. Ricky was a normal man and it was impossible for him to be immune to the charms of beautiful women.


    The lady wore a pink dress. Her beautiful dark hair fell over her slender waist.


    Her skin, milky white mixed with the loveliest pink, was radiant like a polished pink ruby.


    It was not that she was excruciatingly beautiful, but she wore it well. She emanated a kind of enchanting and untamed feeling, a hint of danger that lingered when she left. She had broken many hearts.


    Compared to Xenia who was superior and cold like a fairy, this lady was far more fascinating.


    So, the moment he saw her, Ricky swallowed hard.


    "You must be Ricky. I''m Amelia from the Amber Faction." The lady introduced herself with a faint smile.


    "Amelia from Amber Faction!" Ricky was surprised to hear the name. He thought it impossible.


    That meant the top leader of the Amber Faction as well as the third inner disciple¡ªAmelia.


    Even if Amber Faction wanted him that badly, why send their leader?


    Out of all the disciples in the Snow Sect, they had too much respect to impersonate Amelia. Not only would they be found out, they would be punished. So was she indeed the Amelia?


    "Are you really Amelia from Amber Faction?" asked Ricky doubtfully.


    "Unless there''s another Amelia I don''t know about." Amelia smiled.


    "No, it''s not that. But why me? You''re the top gun and I''m just me." Ricky smiled, shaking his head.


    "Everyone wants your refining cultivation method, but we Amber Faction sincerely invite you to join us," said Amelia with a faint smile. The slightest movement along with that smile fascinated Ricky.


    "Because of the level you''ve attained without a spiritual meridian, you have the ability to compete above your level. You''re considered a genius, and Amber Faction could use a man like you."


    "I guess I have no choice but to believe you." After calming down, Ricky laughed.


    "You have a choice. But it looks like you don''t believe me. Since the core members of Amber Faction are all female, how are we supposed to take advantage of your knowledge?" Amelia said with a little bitterness.


    "So give me a reason to join." Ricky smiled.


    "You''ll be under our protection. Isn''t that enough? You''ve made a lot of enemies today, such as Connie, a core disciple. She is a big supporter of the Casting Faction," said Amelia.


    "Connie belongs to the Casting Faction!" Hearing this, Ricky was shocked and thinking even more dark thoughts about them.


    "Thanks for telling me, Amelia, but I''m really not interested in any faction."


    "So my offer wasn''t tempting enough?" asked Amelia.


    "Of course not!" Ricky laughed.


    "Really? So tell me. What do you want?"


    "You, for starters," Ricky said, walking around Amelia.


    Amelia''s beautiful eyes suddenly grew gloomy.


    But only for a moment.


    Then, Amelia leaned in close to Ricky and whispered in his ear, "If you can destroy the Refinement Faction and the Casting Faction, I might say yes."


    "Done and done. A promise is a promise!" Ricky said seriously.


    ...


    Afterwards, Amelia also left empty handed. She didn''t threaten Ricky, but she certainly didn''t like him after the conversation and his nasty request.


    "All these factions! And they all hate me. That''s awesome." Back to the house, Ricky thought hard about what was going on.


    The Amber Faction probably wouldn''t try anything, but the other two were out for his blood.


    "More strength! That''s what I need!" Ricky sighed again.

 Chapter 23 Lion King Castle

    Life was as fragile as glass if it were to be handled by the disciples from the three major factions.


    Ricky had knowingly prepared for a life full of danger, yet he knew that if he fell at the mercy of core disciples or Elders, his life would quickly collapse into peril.


    Fortunately, they couldn''t dare act rashly inside the fields of the Snow Sect.


    "The Outer Competition is about to begin," mumbled Ricky, lost in his thoughts. "It''ll be inevitable to go out and train if I were to hope for progress. The only problem is, I''d be facing ambushes by large groups of disciples of Blood Purification," he sighed. There was no use in pondering over the outcomes of his possible demise.


    The only thing he could do now was to dedicate all his time to improving his strength.


    The following day, Grace came back and gave him a token. He appraised its blood-red color and the engraved lion''s head on its surface with curiosity and slight bafflement in his gaze.


    "Master, what''s this?" Ricky asked.


    "The token of Iron Blood Trial in Lion King Castle!" she exclaimed in enthusiasm. "That''s where I''m going to take you."


    He grew more confused and sheepish at his lack of knowledge. "That castle¡­ Master, I''m afraid I haven''t heard of it."


    "Let''s talk as we walk along."


    Grace summoned a Snow Vulture as their ride, and left the Snow Sect together.


    On the way, she briefed Ricky on the origins of the Lion King Castle and the Iron Blood Trial.


    A demi-immortal had built the castle in the far north of the Snow Sect hundreds of years ago.


    It had saved an innate spiritual animal; a holy lion with the blood of the heavens, comparable to the intrinsic spirit of human beings.


    To repay this act of kindness, the lion set up the Sacred Blood Pond in the Lion King Castle.


    He swore an oath; a promise to be fulfilled every fifty years, where the lion grants three drops of blood essence to fuse with the pool and condense it to three pieces of Sacred Blood Crystal. Later on, it was proven that it helped warriors to enter the Innate Spiritual Realm.


    It turned into a hugely coveted item, and so to qualify one''s entry to the Sacred Blood Pond, one must complete the Iron Blood Trial of the Lion King Castle and secure one of the three top spots in the test.


    However, with this year''s trial marking the end of the spiritual lion''s promise, the chances of surpassing the numerous participating applicants may prove to be slim.


    "Lion King Castle¡­ Sacred Blood Crystal!"


    Ricky paid no heed to the downside of Grace''s narrative. He was excited; his focus solely settled on the image of him acquiring the desired crystal.


    The benefits were crucial for his current state, and he would do his absolute best to receive it.


    "You must understand; rare goods attract the greed of many, especially the ones who nurture it. The biggest predators will be there, so we only have ten plausible places to join in for the Iron Blood Trial that will still be within the protection of our Snow Sect," Grace continued gravely. Seeing her expression, Ricky felt the firmness of his resolve and gratefulness for his master swell in his chest.


    "Thank you, Master!"


    He knew he was indebted to her, aware of how much time she must have spent to grant him the opportunity to enter the exam.


    He finally understood why she seemed so busy these days, given the countless interested outer disciples in Snow Sect alone.


    "If you want to thank me, complete the trial first and take one of those Sacred Blood Crystals!" she said, glancing at Ricky''s determined expression.


    "Master, don''t worry. I''ll definitely come back carrying one!" He swore, his eyes reflecting his grit.


    "Don''t be too arrogant, there''ll be warriors who''ve reached the eighth or ninth grade of Skin Refinement. It''ll do you good in keeping that in mind."


    Upon hearing his master''s counter, Ricky deflated.


    He was sensible enough to realize that those were warriors his present self could not yet defeat. Still, he was better off trying.


    "Seems like the Iron Blood Trial will be harder than expected."


    He gritt


    ed his teeth as anxiety began to gnaw at his heart.


    ...


    Despite traveling by way of flight, it took half a day for Ricky and Grace to arrive at their designated area.


    They chose to descend in a dense forest, figuring that their ride would''ve caused a commotion if they were to appear in public. After all, it was common knowledge that only core disciples from Snow Sect had Snow Vultures of Bone Reinforcement as their rides.


    Ricky looked around in wonder, his mind replaying back to the origin story he had been informed of earlier.


    Lion King Castle''s name was derived from its location in front of the Lion King Mountains, and was famous for its roaming beasts and the story of the rescued lion serving as the meaning behind the famous title.


    Regarded as a middle and upper class force in the Snow Sect, the estate was mostly visited by a few warriors who sought to hunt rogue animals within the region.


    But now, one would have never considered thinking the place as tranquil after being greeted with the bustling energy of thousands of men. An unsurprising sight, as the day of the Iron Blood Trial and the opening of the Sacred Blood Pond drew nearer by each passing hour.


    Ricky and Grace paid two silver coins as an entrance fee to the castle.


    "In Stone City, we only pay ten copper coins for entrance and exit. Their income must be around tens of thousands of silver coins here, given the enormous gap in price," he mused in amazement.


    "That''s not a big deal. There are even cities that demand gold coins." Grace cast a sidelong glance at him and playfully smirked, "It''s sad, really, that your current status isn''t even worth half a gold coin." He groaned in sorrow, "I can''t even disagree with you, Master." She said nothing but simply patted him pityingly at the back. Sighing dejectedly, he mumbled, "I guess I have to make it a goal to earn money from now on. Otherwise, I won''t be able to enter cities in the future." The two started looking for a place to stay in, and settled down as soon as they found vacant rooms in a nearby inn.


    All that was left to wait for was the day of the Iron Blood Trial.


    Ricky spent no time in sitting still. He prepared tediously for the day of battle, wasting no breath for breaks as he trained relentlessly.


    But, what made Ricky a little nervous was that he had to pay for the cost of these days, which was almost 1, 000 silver coins.


    As he honed his skills, Grace''s reminder for him replayed in his mind. Connie and the people from Casting Faction were attending the Trial, and if he didn''t watch his back, he might end up in big trouble.


    ¡­


    Three days passed, and the atmosphere within the castle oozed with rising levels of competitiveness and the clashing wills of all competing warriors.


    The awaited tournament had come.


    The people in charge of the Lion King castle stood on an elevated stage, calmly looking over the massive crowd with his piercing gaze. The one in the front was a middle-aged man of rough stature, sporting a beard and thick brown hair akin to a lion''s mane.


    His aura was domineering, his silence exerting intimidation and disquiet to whoever may dare try belittling him. He was without a doubt, a man who had reached the power of Bone Reinforcement--the owner of the Lion King Castle-Benson.


    At the same time, the attention caught by the appearance of his benevolence quickly shifted to the approach of a foreboding presence coming from the sky.


    The horde trembled in fear as they all simultaneously felt the energy of an evil spirit advancing towards them at high speed.


    It stopped abruptly after gaining enough distance from the warriors and manifested in the shape of a cloud bathed in ominous dark red light. The emergence of the subject made even Grace show dread in her eyes.


    Its form shifted; shaping to an image of a lion before it adapted the structure of a man in Blood Robe.


    They were all entranced with the foreign entity''s air of despotism, leaving the whole castle in muted terror.


    Right in front of them, lay the undisguised strength of an overpowered spirit.

 Chapter 24 Iron Blood Trial

    "His power''s too strong!" A palpable tension sailed through whispers of quivering mouths. "A-amazing¡­"


    The mysterious man in Blood Robe spared a spiteful glance to the onlookers. Driven still by the ominous threat that lay behind the being''s scrutiny, they sealed their mouths shut in fear of offending him.


    This male was not normal by any means. After all, he was none other than the incarnation of the Sacred Blood Lion.


    "Welcome to Lion King Castle!"


    Benson and his disciples fell to their knees in one swift movement, displaying their unwavering reverence for the spirit before them. They couldn''t be more delighted to be standing on the dais as they beheld his awaited arrival.


    However, the guest harbored such deep and clear hostility towards the group, that their futile attempt to plow past his indifference with the use of courtesy went ignored.


    It was a fact that Ricky couldn''t completely comprehend. He thought that the relationship between the subjects would be one filled with homage, what with the widespread legend of its ancestry. And yet, a disturbing truth dawned on him as he further observed the situation; humans and beasts, with their glaring differences, were just as incompatible as mixed oil and water.


    If it weren''t for the submissiveness of the contenders, the spirit would have started a massacre if he had felt even the slightest malicious intent drifting from one of them.


    He shifted his predatory gaze to Benson''s form, not bothering to hide his distaste. "Here are the three drops of blood essence from my body. Take them," he said as he regarded them coldly, stretching out his right hand to reveal his bloodstained fingertips. Three dark beads of blood slipped past the thick surface of his skin and floated towards Benson.


    The receiver took out a jade bottle from his loose sleeve hastily as he prepared to catch the flying drops of liquid. He couldn''t help but feel excited at the sight of it, his hands trembling with the obvious effort to stay calm.


    "Thank you, my honorable Sacred Blood Lion!" Benson bowed deeply to the benevolent figure. His disciples followed his actions shortly after.


    "This marks the end of the debt I once owed to your castle. From now on, expect that I will no longer be back. Your kind and mine shall never mingle again, and if ever we do--" his glare bored into them, chipping away at the chunks of metal serving as their armor. To him, it must''ve looked like mere toys. "--we are to meet as enemies."


    He left in a trail of dark red smoke, disappearing without a trace in the open air.


    It appeared that the Sacred Blood Lion was more than unwilling to pay a visit to a human''s territory.


    The warriors all sighed in relief at his departure, finally able to breathe at ease without the all-encompassing presence.


    Then, one by one, heads snapped like magnets entranced to a piece of metal as the king held the white, delicate jade bottle that contained the blood essence. Greed reflected in their eyes, burning rays into the small object that almost seemed to melt under its intensity like wax against a white-hot flame.


    No warriors in this world could''ve had the tenacity to resist the temptation of the rare matter.


    Even so, resorting to using underhanded tactics was a taboo amongst the whole region. One must go through the Iron Blood Trial to earn such a prize; if not, they would face the wrath of the Snow Sect.


    A conceited warrior of Bone Reinforcement had taken it upon him to commit such a foolish, daring act once.


    The news of his idiotic thieving had spread quickly, and as a dire consequence, his name found its own home on the Sect''s death list as a prime wanted man. Soon enough, the burglar and his accomplices'' bodies had served their purposes as decorations to the gates of the Lion King Castle.


    No one ever had the nerve to oppose the authorities since then.


    Ricky''s eyes twinkled with eagerness, luring him into a daze the longer he stared at the bottle. He couldn''t help the thirst he had for the power within his reach, but he also had questions he''d like to clarify. "Master Grace, there''s something about the Trial that feels a bit... uncertain to me. As per tradition, Benson had always followed the tradition of pouring all the blood essence into the Sacred Blood Pond, but if his disciples fail in the test, what would be there for Lion King Castle to gain?" he pondered over the matter as he whispered with a childlike sense of wonder tainting the sound of his voice. "The Lion King Castle would only be doing a huge favor to the other participating sects. In my opinion, it''s a deal that would only cause them no good!"


    "Is it a bad deal if ninety percent of the blood''s energy has been drawn out before it''s dribbled into the Scared Blood Pond?" Grace answered, rolling her eyes at his question.


    He flushed in embarrassment; rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly before flashing her an awkward smile, "Oh¡­ Is that so?" At least now, all doubts inside his mind had been erased.


    "Lion King Castle has to share half of the drawn percentage with our Snow Sect in exchange for our protection," she added. "Otherwise, our sect won''t trouble itself with guarding this place. Having only ten quotas to represent our sect in the trial is way too cheap a price to be the castle''s safeguard anyway."


    "To be powerful and strong really is everything, I''m so proud to be part of the Snow Sect!"


    Ricky exclaimed, having found Grace''s words as a source of hope for him to imbue.


    ...


    "Greetings! As you all might have seen, the blood essence had been transferred to this bottle I hold in my hand. The Iron Blood Trial will proceed three days from now as scheduled; I hope you''d all do well, especially with the knowledge of this event being the last one in history. May you all try your best to win!"


    Benson roused the crowd into shouting with glee and jubilation with his speech of encouragement.


    It was a scene spurred on by the tireless bravery and conviction that lay within each warrior''s fiery soul. Everyone in the area had come with an undeterred will; they were all prepared to see through any setbacks that might hinder them from coming back to their lands as champions.


    ...


    The pack slowly dissipated in numbers as everyone began to leave the venue. Ricky and Grace followed suit but were stopped due to an uninvited figure.


    "Look! The nerve of you little bastard coming here! Don''t tell me you intend to compete in the Iron Blood Trial!" Connie scoffed, speaking to Ricky in a venomous tone, while she was supported behind by the presence of a young man in black along with two young disciples.


    Ricky gauged them in a quiet, appraising manner, and immediately concluded that these disciples were to join the trial.


    On t


    he contrary, the man beside them insinuated the feeling of superior power. He felt like the first breeze of an oncoming storm; dangerous and gloomy, inevitable destruction caused by the unstoppable force of nature. Ricky bristled at the foreboding sense of feeling he got from the male, more so when he saw Grace''s expression shift into one of surprises upon registering his looks into familiarity.


    He looked away, choosing to prioritize dealing with the annoying woman belittling him without any shame.


    "My feet belong to me, and I''ll go anywhere I want using it. You have no right to judge me!"


    He fought back, not showing any signs of the vulnerability Connie must''ve hoped to see after delivering her vicious taunts.


    She seethed, sputtering at his comeback. "Grace, why did you recruit such an arrogant nominal disciple?" The man in black cut in, a faint wicked smile marring his lips. Suddenly, an enormous intent to kill gushed out and painted their atmosphere with straining pressure. It was nothing compared to the terror brought upon by the descent of the sacred being, but it was enough to scare Ricky into putting a hold on saying any words of carelessness.


    "Harald, you have no right to judge my disciple!" Grace argued, unaffected by the rising level of his animosity.


    "Oh, Grace. How could you say such a thing? Both of us are core disciples of the Snow Sect. It''s our collective duty to instruct our outer disciples together,"


    Smirking, he basked in joy upon witnessing her face crumble in lividity. "This guy doesn''t even know how to act in front of his senior. I''d very much like to teach him about manners, but my disciple shall take over in my stead."


    "Jim, will you be willing to do this job for me?"


    Harald turned and asked, knowing full well that his question was just for the sake of theatrics.


    "Sure, Master Harald. An arrogant weakling like him would surely be in good hands during the Iron Blood Trial."


    Grace paid no heed to his jeers and asked him instead, "Is this young disciple of yours at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement? Or higher?" Ricky visibly recoiled as his attention swept to Jim, a shadow of shock permeating his consciousness.


    "Why don''t we see for ourselves? I''ll be looking forward to it," he studied Ricky in contemplation, a sneer appearing on his cruel face as he did so.


    "Fine, let''s leave it at that."


    The conversation came to an abrupt end at his master''s final words. Ricky followed her dutifully, marching out of the place as they headed towards their inn.


    ...


    Watching the two figures recede into the distance, Harald went to Connie and said, "Be at ease, that bastard won''t survive the trial." He whispered what he thought were words of comfort to Connie, his lustful eyes betraying any sincerity he wanted to impose on her.


    Unfortunately for him, her attention already lay somewhere else. Far from him, or them, as she watched Ricky''s form slowly disappear into the bustling city with obvious resentment. She wanted it so bad to kill Ricky right there and then, stopping at the right time when she realized that she was still with her companions. She promptly pulled herself back to her senses the moment she heard Harald''s voice addressing her. "I''m so grateful!" She thanked him profusely with a charming smile, barely preventing herself from cringing after noting the vulgar smile he sported.


    Unbeknownst to him, her beautiful, mesmerizing eyes were all a facade for the brewing anger beneath it.


    She pursed her lips in well-hidden contempt, disgusted by the lasciviousness he exuded in thick, suffocating plumes.


    ...


    "Master Grace, what''s the identity of that Harald?"


    Ricky sat across from Grace behind their wooden table. Their previous encounter had been far from forgotten; a nagging thought that itched on the back of their minds as they continued on their soundless journey to their temporary shelter.


    "He is ranked five among the core disciples; a member of the Casting Faction," she replied, exhausted from her mental battle with Harald earlier.


    "About Jim, you should be careful; he''s ninth place among the outer disciples. As far as I''m concerned, his Skin Refinement had also reached the ninth grade." He was stunned, struck with awe for his future rival.


    "You mean, he ranks ninth among the Ten Outer Disciples?" He knew the odds of success were slim in a battle with Jim, but this didn''t mean that he would back down. He had never lacked confidence in the face of adversity, and he wasn''t planning to lose his morale now.


    ''If I can''t beat up a warrior at Jim''s level, how can I possibly fight against the Refinement and Casting Faction in the future?'' Ricky clenched his fists in anticipation; the stronger his opponent was, the more he would be eager to fight.


    ...


    Three days later, the Iron Blood Trial begun as planned.


    The outskirts of the Lion King Mountains had converted into a field that accommodated the preparing warriors for the event.


    With their tokens of entry in hand, they waited anxiously outside the entrance to the test area.


    A few minutes passed; a gust of freezing wind started to blow, serving as a coincidental signal for the drums to beat in tandem with the entrance of Benson, the master of the Lion King Castle, in the venue.


    "Everyone! I must remind you of the dangers you will undoubtedly face once you go beyond the gates. I too trekked these same trails in the past and survived solely due to my strength. And so, the Lion King Castle will not carry the burden of guilt caused by your deaths! You have come here knowing that it will be ruthless, and only the strongest will have the honor of being the last ones standing."


    Benson let himself scan the crowd with minimal interest and persisted on, "As per to the rules of this trial, I will inform you all of your tasks. You are to survive out in the wild for a month, and the top three warriors to succeed in killing the most ferocious beasts will win!"


    "But of course, if any of you were to come out while the trial is still taking in place, you will be instantly disqualified."


    Murmurs surged from the competitors, growing louder and louder as Benson''s address neared its end.


    "Now, shall we begin?!"


    Roars akin to the beasts, they would soon be hunting emerged from the warriors, a deafening sound that shook the mountains as they were all drowned with the high, frenzy energy their voices carried along.


    Amidst the chaos, disciples of the Lion King Castle attempted to calm the mass of people as they approached them, delivering a small, black piece of wood to each trial taker.


    "That is called ancient ironwood. It''s meant to witness and record your fighting moments!" Benson explained, leaving the troop to inspect the foreign item.

 Chapter 25 The Chaos Manual

    After unanimously agreeing on the rules, the disciples headed into the Lion King Mountains one by one. Ricky was among them and entered the mountains secretly. After all, he was no match for Jim now. It would not be good were they to cross paths.


    Once under the cover of the mountain''s foothills, the disciples dispersed immediately and looked for their own prey. They didn''t trust each other. Moreover, this place was dangerous. It would be better to hunt alone.


    The first fierce beast Ricky encountered was a lowly boa at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement.


    Ricky had made great progress in just a few days. It was now a piece of cake for him to slay beasts of such a low grade.


    After killing the boa, which didn''t stand a chance, Ricky let its blood drip onto his ironwood, but there were no black dots that appeared.


    "It seems that what Benson said is true. Only the blood of beasts of advanced stage of Skin Refinement can leave a mark on the ironwood," Ricky murmured to himself, somewhat disappointed.


    The ironwood was very peculiar. Its trunk was extremely hard, an impenetrable fortress against any powerful attack. Even if it was cut with a high grade tool, there would be no hint of a scratch. But the ironwood was especially fond of the blood of the fierce beasts.


    The ironwood of different ages could absorb the blood of beasts of different grades. Black dots would emerge on the bark when the blood met the trunk.


    Ricky''s particular ironwood was over a century old. It could absorb the blood of beasts at advanced stage of Skin Refinement.


    Therefore, it was useless for these disciples to kill the beasts at a low grade of Skin Refinement. Instead, they had to focus their skills on beasts at a high grade.


    "Well then, my next target should be the beasts at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement, and I need to practice my cultivation methods, especially the Nonuple Flame Strike and Nine-degree Body Refining Formula," decided Ricky.


    He knew he had to get moving. Actions spoke louder than words. Ricky began looked for a beast at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement.


    Within ten days, Ricky had killed in total forty beasts at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement. He had also defeated some of the disciples who tried to steal his fruits. In the end, Ricky had accumulated more than seventy black dots on the ironwood.


    However, for Ricky, the greatest achievement was that he had improved the two cultivation methods and reached the highest peak of the sixth grade of Skin Refinement.


    ''It appears that actual combat is the fastest and the most efficient way to improve my skills, '' Ricky thought, the realization dawning over him.


    Of course, the most important contributor to his progress was his powerful spiritual meridian, although he ignored this.


    As he had now reached the peak of the sixth grade of the Skin Refinement, he decided to break through the sixth grade and reach the seventh.


    If he was successful, two problems would be solved.


    First, he could hunt more fierce beasts of the higher levels and further improve his ranking. Secondly, even if he met a cultivator of the ninth grade of the Skin Refinement, he stood a better chance at protecting himself.


    Now he needed to find out a safe place to finish the breakthrough. He searched for two days and finally found a secret hideaway. It was downstream a stinking river, which was filled with the stench of decomposing beasts'' bodies.


    Other warriors and beasts hardly ever ventured here.


    Ricky found a cave and began to cultivate in seclusion.


    This time, he prepared one hundred and twenty Body Refining Pills just in case.


    Because when he previously broke through the fifth grade and reached the sixth, he consumed seventy-five Body Refining Pills¡ªthirty pills more than the breakthrough before that, when he broke through the fourth grade and reached the fifth.


    Ricky then started the breakthrough, activating his spiritual meridian and swallowing the Body Refining Pills.


    As he had hoped, he finally successfully broke through the sixth grade. Despite the large cost of one hundred and ten pills, Ricky knew it would be worthwhile if he could reach the seventh grade of Skin Refinement.


    However, something peculiar happened to his spiritual meridian when he broke through the sixth grade of Skin Refinement.


    His spiritual meridian was


    once like a blood-red slender serpent floating in his mind. However, the moment he broke through the sixth grade of Skin Refinement, his spiritual meridian wriggled. Suddenly, eight golden lines burst through its surface, dividing the spiritual meridian into nine parts. Now it seemed like a slender serpent whose body was divided into nine segments.


    Without his noticing, his mind integrated into the first segment of the spiritual meridian.


    He saw a tremendous blood-red vastness here, which was as wide as the whole world, and there were red flames floating in every direction he looked.


    These red flames did not seem to be attacking him, and he couldn''t even feel any heat, as if they didn''t exist at all.


    "What is this? Why there is a vast zone hidden here in the spiritual meridian? And what are those red flames?" For a moment, Ricky was perplexed, yet he remained calm. He was not terribly shocked.


    He had been greatly surprised when he regained his spiritual meridian, so now he had become immune to these and was not easily startled anymore.


    Soon, Ricky saw many scarlet runes floating in the vastness. They appeared one after another, like countless stars, beaming brightly in Ricky''s mind.


    Suddenly, something unexpected came into sight. There were three conspicuous words floating among the runes. It read, "The Chaos Manual".


    "The Chaos Manual? What the hell is that?" Ricky pondered, thoroughly confused.


    "Wait! The manual¡­ I must be dreaming! Could it really be the manual?" coming upon this revelation, he couldn''t help but exclaim.


    As a cultivator, of course he knew about the manuals and their importance.


    They were important tools for the casting masters. In order to become a good warrior, one had to continue practicing the methods. And in order to be a good casting master, one had to hone their skills by practicing the manuals.


    Moreover, the warriors and the casting masters had a close relationship. A warrior should not only be equipped with skills and cultivation methods, but also a compatible and sharp weapon. In other words, a weapon was as important as a warrior''s life, and these valuable weapons were forged precisely by those casting masters.


    The casting masters were divided into varying levels, including the Mortal Level, the Spirit Level, and the Sage Level. Further, each level was classified into inferior, intermediate and advanced stages.


    It was the dream of every warrior to be a casting master, but it was a daunting task. To be a casting master, they needed to have a spiritual meridian which would not only enhance their spiritual power but also help them practice the manuals.


    However, very few warriors existed who could possess the kind of spiritual meridian that combined the two functions. They were one in a million.


    That was why very few warriors could become a casting master, but should they succeed, they would have an extremely high status.


    Moreover, all the weapons of the warriors were forged by the casting masters, which further enhanced and strengthened their status.


    To these respectable casting masters, the manuals held the same value as cultivation methods did to the warriors.


    But the number of the manuals was far less than the cultivation methods, and even less than the number of the casting masters. That was why these manuals were so valuable.


    At the sight of the Chaos Manual, Ricky became thrilled, because even the manuals of the lowest class were of high value, maybe tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand.


    "Well, the Chaos Manual¡­ The name is exciting. I''m guessing it must be worth a great deal." Knowing that the manual was an important tool for the casting masters, Ricky immediately began to think about how to sell it and make a killing.


    However, he soon changed his mind. There was something he had forgotten to consider.


    "Wait, the manual is hidden in my spiritual meridian. Does that mean that my spiritual meridian could help practice the manuals, improve my spiritual power and even forge the weapons?


    If that''s true, could it be? Perhaps, it could mean that I am actually qualified and have the potential to be a casting master?


    Goodness! A casting master!? What if I actually, really succeed?"


    Envisioning the future, where he would be known for his superb forging skills and became famous, Ricky was wholly ecstatic.

 Chapter 26 Heather

    It took Ricky quite a long time to calm himself down. He was much too excited.


    Now he set his goal on finding out whether his spiritual meridian was suitable for improving his spiritual power and cultivating himself with the manual. He wanted to know if it could enhance his cultivation and skills.


    However, it would take a long time to attest whether his spiritual meridian could really improve his spiritual power. Because of this, Ricky now turned his attention to the scarlet runes inside the Blood Zone of his spiritual meridian.


    Although Ricky had never heard of a manual that could transform into runes, he speculated that those mysterious runes were exactly the contents of the Chaos Manual.


    With this in mind, Ricky gathered his spiritual energy and activated his newly acquired spiritual meridian, after which he began to examine and decipher the runes.


    But perhaps, Ricky had overestimated his ability to read the runes, or he simply hadn''t reached a sufficient cultivation level, for even though he had spent the whole day studying the runes, he couldn''t make sense of any of them.


    "It''s probable that my spiritual meridian isn''t suitable for making weapons," Ricky thought to himself, a little disappointed.


    But he didn''t dwell too much on that. After all, it wasn''t his primary goal for the time being.


    "I''d better put this aside first. I have to focus on hunting some more beasts now. I need to fortify the seventh grade of Skin Refinement!"


    And with that, Ricky left the pungent place and began to track and hunt the beasts.


    This time, after he hunted and killed several beasts, Ricky didn''t throw away the valuable materials he got from the beasts anymore, as he found out that the Blood Zone was like the Storage Ring and could store a large number of items.


    Of course, Ricky was pleasantly surprised to discover this. However, he regretted throwing away so many valuable beast materials after his previous hunting. It was really a shame. If his spiritual meridian had undergone the changes some time ago, he could have collected plenty of materials worth a fortune.


    ...


    After a few days, Ricky found that the number of the beasts at the periphery of the Lion King Mountains had suddenly diminished, because when the beasts had realized that the mountains were very dangerous now. Many of them escaped and went deeper into the mountains.


    The beasts could go deep into the mountains, but the warriors who were in the Iron Blood Trial didn''t dare follow. They were afraid that a beast of Blood Purification would easily tear them to shreds.


    With so few of the fierce animals around there, Ricky only managed to hunt four beasts at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement in the span of three days.


    "Alas. At this rate, I won''t even be able to hunt one hundred beasts at the end of the Iron Blood Trial," Ricky muttered, frowning as he stood in the forest.


    He had learned that the top three participants at the past two Iron Blood Trials had all hunted at least two hundred beasts.


    "Do I have to hunt the beasts of Blood Purification instead?"


    The century-old ironwood could also absorb the blood of the fierce animals at the inferior stage of Blood Purification. And after that, there would be five hundred black dots forming on the ironwood.


    Five hundred dots! Five hundred times as many dots of a beast at the advanced stage of Skin Refinement.


    However, it was not easy to kill a fierce animal of Blood Purification. Usually, even five warriors at the peak of the ninth grade of Skin Refinement could not succeed in killing a beast at the first grade of Blood Purification. There was a high chance that they all could be killed by it instead.


    This was because of the substantial gap between Skin Refinement and Blood Purification.


    Since Ricky was only at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement, he knew that it was impossible to hunt any beast of Blood Purification on his own.


    "This means that I have to steal other participants'' ironwoods," Ricky decided after mulling it over for a while.


    Ricky was willing to follow the rule that he would not attack others unless he was attacked first, but in the martial arts world where the weak were the prey to the strong, he had to attack others in order to get what he wanted and reach his goal.


    Right then, three figures suddenly appeared before him. Two of them were handsome young men, and one was a resplendent, beautiful la


    dy.


    ''Well, I just decided to start robbing others, and now my prey seems to have come to me, '' Ricky thought with a smile.


    But as the three warriors got closer to him, Ricky began to feel stunned, as he could clearly feel that they were the outstanding cultivators at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement.


    Ricky was confident he could defeat one of them, and he was sure he could successfully escape while fighting against two. However, if he had to battle with three of them, he might not be able to defeat them.


    After all, he had just recently made a breakthrough and reached the seventh grade of Skin Refinement.


    "I''d better run away!"


    Without any hesitation, Ricky spun around about to leave.


    "Hey, buddy. Please wait a second. We want to ask you for help!" the young man in green called out in a friendly voice, as he saw Ricky ready to leave.


    "Hey, buddy! Please trust us. We just really want to ask you a favor," the beautiful young woman said pleadingly.


    "Oh, really? What is it that can I do for you?" Ricky asked, confused and surprised. But he kept walking.


    "We''re going to hunt a fierce beast at the first grade of Blood Purification, and we need one more warrior to join us. Would you like to hunt the beast with us?" the other young man explained.


    "You must be kidding me!" Ricky responded sneeringly, upon hearing those words.


    "If I guess correctly, you three are only at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement. But why would you dare hunt the beast at the first grade of Blood Purification? You seem to be over-confident and reckless."


    "Would you stop and listen to us first?" one of them gently replied. None of them seemed to get angry at Ricky''s mocking words.


    "Well then, you three stop first, please."


    The three warriors came to a halt immediately.


    After he saw them oblige, Ricky went forward a little before stopping to face them, keeping his distance.


    "Alright, I''m listening," Ricky said flatly.


    The three warriors exchanged glances, before the young woman took a few steps forward.


    Dressed in a long, pale yellow dress, she had an oval face with a small, charming mouth and a pair of elegantly curved eyebrows. She looked very pretty and delicate. Surely, others would be infatuated with her immediately, their eyes lighting up at the first sight of her.


    She also exuded an aura of confidence and coolness.


    "Hello. My name is Heather. And let me introduce my two friends, Finn Zhang and Waylon Wang," the woman said.


    "My name is Ricky!" Ricky responded, balling his other hand into a fist to show respect.


    Ricky was willing to stop and listen to the three warriors because he didn''t sense a murderous intent from them.


    He was certain of that, for his regained spiritual meridian made his perception very sensitive, making him able to sense and notice everything more accurately and quickly.


    "Ricky, we happened to find that a beast at the first grade of Blood Purification was injured severely, resting at a place not far away from here. The beast has been weakened greatly and may now only be at the moderate level of the ninth grade of Skin Refinement," Heather explained detailedly.


    "Since it is still at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement, we believe that we can''t defeat it easily even if three of us fight against it together. So, we decided to find a warrior at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement to come with us."


    "If someone at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement joins us, we are confident we can slay that injured beast of Blood Purification."


    "I see." Ricky nodded.


    "So Ricky, what do you say? Would you like to join us?" Heather asked expectantly, seeing as Ricky seemed to be a little interested in it.


    Previously, they had found many warriors at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement and asked them to join their quest, but no one was willing to go with them. That was because those warriors were worried that it would be very dangerous to work with three warriors at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement whom they didn''t know.


    "I want to ask you two questions," Ricky finally replied, after thinking about it.


    "Please do!"


    "The first question: why aren''t you looking for a warrior at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement? After all, you all are at the eighth grade, so you don''t have to fear a warrior at the same grade as you. Besides, such a warrior can be much more effective during the hunting," Ricky said, pointedly.

 Chapter 27 A Giant Anaconda-tailed Tiger

    "The reason is quite simple. We need to get more black dots!" Heather explained calmly, as if she had anticipated Ricky''s puzzle in this respect.


    "If we invite someone at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement to join us to do it, we will have to divide the five hundred black dots into four equal shares. That''s only one hundred and twenty-five for each one of us. If we join forces with someone at the seventh grade, we will get more dots. Does that make sense?"


    "Of course, yes. I understand!" Ricky replied, nodding.


    "So, here is my second question. How many dots do I get if I join you?" he asked pointedly.


    At hearing this question, Heather exchanged looks with the two men, before telling Ricky the maximum share they were willing to give. "Fifty. That''s the highest we can go!"


    "Fifty? That''s all you''re offering?" Ricky asked, scratching his head at this.


    For a warrior at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement, fifty-black dots was a pretty generous offer. After all, the seventh grade warrior would only have to help pin down the beast during the whole process. He didn''t need to attack it up close. Ricky was not a stupid man. He knew that it would be greedy for him to ask for more dots.


    While Ricky was weighing the benefits in his head, one of the men, Finn Zhang stepped forward and tried to persuade him with a smiling face. "Hey, buddy. I think fifty dots are pretty fair for you. Don''t you think so?" He continued, "I''m sure that you know well about your current state. It''s near impossible for you to hunt fifty beasts in thirteen days."


    "Alright. I''m in!" Ricky said, deciding to not hesitate anymore because what Finn Zhang just said was exactly what he had been worried about.


    "Great! You just made a wise decision!" Waylon nodded in excited praise for Ricky''s final decision.


    The four, thus having made the agreement, began on their journey together.


    They made their way to the spot where the injured beast had been tracked to.


    Finally, they were near. It was a large marsh where the carcasses of both warriors and beasts were rotting. Needless to say, a horrible smell permeated the air.


    The three men were fine with it and didn''t express their disgust at this place. They were men, who were brought up used to stinky smells. Heather, however, furrowed her delicate brows the entire trip. Obviously, this kind of place repulsed her more civilized tastes.


    If it were not for the quest to hunt the beast of Blood Purification to earn more black dots, she would never have gone here, not even for one second.


    Finn Zhang and Waylon Wang scrambled to impress Heather all the way by exploring the way for her. It could not be more obvious that both of them had feelings for the beautiful lady.


    Before long, they came upon a pool of black water. In the middle of the pool stood a gargantuan tree. Everything was ominously still. They could not even breathe freely in the strange atmosphere.


    A howl!


    Just as they got closer to the pool, a tiger''s roar resounded through the air. A giant black shadow dived down sharply and then sped wildly on the surface of the water. In the blink of an eye, it had nearly reached them.


    "It''s an Anaconda-tailed Tiger!" Ricky told them with a low, calm voice.


    It was a giant tiger, about thirty feet long; as tall as two adult men. Its whole body was covered in pure black fur with no other colors. It looked like a ghost beast from Hell.


    It had a long black tail, which was a real anaconda. There was a snake''s head at the end of it, looking around savagely with its gigantic, mesmerizing eyes, and its black tongue flickering in and out.


    "Yes, you are right! An Anaconda-tailed Tiger!" Heather confirmed in a low voice, nodding. She was afraid that their voices might catch the attention of the ferocious monster.


    At birth, an Anaconda-tailed Tiger had advanced-stage power of Skin Refinement. An adult Anaconda-tailed Tiger was even more powerful and dangerous. It had the enormous power of Blood Purification.


    Clearly, the size of the Anaconda-tailed Tiger in front of them was that of an adult tiger. They felt the aura which exuded from it. This meant that it had already been a beast of Blood Purification.


    However, it didn''t behave as they had expected. Usually, a beast of Blood Purification was supposed to act more destructively. They noticed that there was a deep cut on its back, the wound not having healed yet.


    They easily deduced that this giant beast was hurt badly. It must have been suffering greatly from the pain.


    "Let''s get cracking! When we start the attack, Ricky, you will get its attention, and the rest of us will focus on attacking it. Hopefully, this diversion tactic will work!" Finn Zhang proposed, delegating the tasks.


    "Understood!" Ricky nodded.


    Just then, the Anaconda-tailed Tiger launched an offensive attack towards them. It roared and jumped high in the air. Meanwhile, it focused its spiritual energy onto its two sharp claws and waved them in the air fiercely. Immediately, the spiritual energy turned into thousands of sharp black blades, hurtling towards them.


    ''Now that I''m o


    nly responsible for catching its attention, I can just pretend to be weak. In that case, I would be extremely eye-catching for the tiger and it will definitely notice me," thought Ricky. He was smart enough to come up with this idea to attract a brute beast with no intelligence.


    And so, when they were fighting against the beast, Ricky only showed his abilities at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement to distract it.


    "Bang!" The four fought back at the same time and barely defended themselves against the tiger''s powers.


    Even though this Anaconda-tailed Tiger had been hurt badly, it was still powerful and they were unable to deal with it easily. They had to use a special tactic.


    As expected, Ricky''s weakness caught the tiger''s attention. For beasts at the low stage of Skin Refinement or Blood Purification, they were not particularly intelligent and would usually pick weak targets to attack.


    "Roar!"


    The tiger locked onto its prey. Then it growled menacingly at Ricky and directly leaped at Ricky to bite him.


    Ricky was agile and ran at once to avoid its ferocious attack. He knew clearly that this was his best move for now. After all, there was no way for him to survive such a ferocious beast''s violent attack.


    "Kill it! Now!" he shouted at the other warriors as he ran, reminding them to grab this excellent chance.


    Ricky was sure they would follow through, as killing this beast was their priority at present. Even if they might have some deceptions in mind when they invited him earlier, Ricky decided not to think about it at this critical time.


    Things went as Ricky expected. The moment the gigantic tiger leaped at Ricky, Heather and her companions clutched their weapons in hands, transferred their strength to their weapons, and ejected their sword energy towards the wound on the monster''s back.


    "Bang!"


    An earsplitting sound resounded through the air again. They successfully hit the ugly wound on its back with force.


    The tiger screamed in agony. The wound at its back had been healing. But it split open again and the blood gushed out, as the tiger fell to the marsh heavily.


    "Now!"


    Heather, Finn, and Waylon exchanged looks with each other again and agreed on their next move. They re-generated their strengths and launched another violent attack at the tiger''s stomach.


    Even though this Anaconda-tailed Tiger had a body of the first grade of Blood Purification, it was unable to resist the two fatal attacks. It was doomed to die when its weakened, wounded body encountered wise human beings.


    After they were finished with the beast, Finn collected its blood and let a drop fall on his ironwood piece. In an instant, five hundred black dots appeared on it. It was just incredible. Everyone thought so.


    "Hey, guys. I have a question. When the beast''s blood is dripped on a piece of ironwood, black dots show up. Why, then when the blood is dripped on another piece, no black dots appear? That doesn''t make sense," Ricky suddenly asked, disrupting the thrilled reverie they had all been in. Both Finn and Waylon were dumbfounded by his words.


    They stared at him in surprise as if they were asking, "Seriously? You don''t even know this? What an idiot!''


    Ricky sensed the unkindness in their eyes. He suddenly began to feel that both Finn and Waylon started to dislike him.


    Heather, on the other hand, chuckled and explained patiently with a smile, "Ironwood is amazing and smart. Even if an ironwood is cut into thousands of pieces, those pieces connect with each other. As long as one of these pieces absorbs the blood of a beast, the rest of the pieces can feel it and will not react to the blood from the same beast."


    She added, "Unless the piece you have is from another ironwood.


    However, there are very few ironwoods around. I''d say, the probability is about one in hundreds of thousands. Even if you can find two ironwoods, they are still different when they have different ages. So it''s almost impossible for us to cheat." Considering that Ricky was virtually a stranger, Heather did not have to explain this to him, and yet in her kindness she did.


    "Oh, I understand! Thank you," Ricky replied with a nod.


    Then he glanced at Fin and Waylon in askance, and could almost confirm his feeling earlier that they were dangerous to him. He became more sensitive after all the things he had gone through in the past few days.


    "Finn, it''s time to fulfill our promise. Transfer fifty black dots to Ricky, please, as what we have agreed upon!" Heather suggested to Finn with a smile.


    "Yes, sure!" Finn replied, but with a malicious smile. He didn''t do as what he said. Instead, he walked to Waylon with his ironwood piece in his hand.


    Waylon, on the other hand, acted as if he had already anticipated Finn''s intention. He took his ironwood out, and then Finn activated the spiritual energy in his body and transferred two hundred and fifty black dots to Waylon''s piece.


    Seeing what they just did, Heather realized that something had just gone very wrong. The look on her face changed suddenly and she asked coldly, "What the hell did you just do?"

 Chapter 28 As Easy As Crushing Dry Weeds and Smashing Rotten Wood

    ''They finally gave the game away, but fortunately, Heather didn''t know about it. That means she''s not in on it, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Otherwise, he could only scramble to his feet and run away, waiting to avenge himself on them someday in the future.


    Meanwhile, he admonished himself silently for being so careless, trusting Finn and Waylon simply because the spiritual meridian didn''t warn him.


    "Everyone is unreliable in this world of fighting, where life and death are governed by the law of the forest!" Ricky exclaimed bitterly.


    Yet this experience wasn''t all bad news for him. It would make him more mature and adaptable to this chaotic and cruel world.


    "Heather, couldn''t you figure out that we wanted the five hundred black dots all to ourselves?" Finn said with a wicked grin, ignoring Ricky as he stared at Heather''s figure with lustful eyes.


    "Hmph! You bastards. You''ve been planning this for a long time!" Heather spat defiantly.


    Despite her courageous voice, her eyes shone with fear.


    She also ignored Ricky, knowing that neither of Finn and Waylon were inferior to her strength.


    "Heather, it''s not our fault! The blame is all on you!" Waylon said with a sneer. "Finn and I have striven so hard to impress you, but you, you bitch, you''ve never done anything in return for us!"


    "So what we want now is for you to do something for us. How about you entertain us this time? Having sex in this wild place must be fun. Am I right, Finn?"


    "Ha-ha! Of course, it''s fun doing it here!" Finn chuckled obscenely.


    Now that the two men had revealed their intentions, they stopped concealing their malicious faces.


    "How dare you! The People of the Lion King Castle will arrive any moment now!" Heather scowled and replied stoically, but the trepidation in her eyes had already betrayed her.


    "Miss Heather, it''s no use to threaten us. Warriors of the Lion King Castle only patrol around the peripheral areas. There is no way that they would come to the mountains, so you''d better comply with our demands."


    Waylon laughed grimly. "Perhaps if you entertain us well enough, we will give you some black dots."


    Saying this, they strode menacingly towards Heather.


    "My father won''t let you get away with it!" Heather threatened again, meeting their obscene eyes.


    "Ha-ha, what''s done is done. How is your father going to change it? Besides, how would anyone know that you, Miss Heather would die in this desolate wilderness? No body, no evidence, no nothing!" Finn sneered.


    "Even so, you will never win," Heather spat coldly. Determination in her beautiful eyes, and sword rattling in her delicate hand, she was ready for a battle to the death


    "Ha-ha, Heather, you''d better stop resisting us, unless you want to suffer a long and painful death," laughed Waylon.


    "Stop talking nonsense, Waylon! I can''t wait any more." ......


    "Hey, come on! Why are you ignoring me?" a voice suddenly piped up. It was Ricky.


    "How about this? If you give me fifty black dots, which are what I deserved, and give me another one hundred as hush money, I''ll just pretend nothing happened and you can go on enjoying yourselves."


    "This fucking bastard! Kill him!" Waylon shouted.


    Whoosh!


    These words had hardly escaped his mouth when four young men leaped from the towering trees nearby. They worked as minions for Finn and Waylon.


    All of these young men had already reached the seventh grade of Skin Refinement.


    "You little bastard, how dare you annoy our master! Today you die!" They shouted as they dashed towards Ricky.


    "I''m going to kick your ass!" Ricky sneered and shrugged his shoulders, preparing for a fight. Suddenly, his feet stomped against the ground and swooped down upo


    n them.


    In a flash, a loud hum produced by the friction between fist and air boomed, the four minions collapsing in succession. Their chests had all been smashed brutally by Ricky''s fists, only their stunned eyes left open.


    Ricky turned around slowly and shook away the flesh and blood on his fists. "Hey, it seems your minions are very weak!" Ricky said with a grin.


    "Impossible! !" Finn and Waylon said with trembling voices, both aghast in shock.


    ''Four warriors at their seventh grade of Skin Refinement could not even resist his attack and were slain all at once. Could we stand a chance of winning against him?'' Finn and Waylon wondered.


    Heather was also stunned.


    "So now, I''m offering you another chance. Give me all the black dots, and I will consider staying out of this and letting you get away with it!" Ricky grinned mockingly as he turned to face them.


    But Finn and Waylon chose to answer him with saber and sword.


    Finn raised his saber and swung it at Ricky from one side. The saber in his hand vibrated as it gathered the power of water elementals. Meanwhile, Waylon had unsheathed his sword, thrusting at Ricky from a tricky angle, which was difficult to dodge. The strike was meant to put Ricky at a fatal position.


    All of a sudden, Ricky sensed a great wave of pressure speeding towards him. He could smell the danger.


    ''Warriors at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement are truly different. Warriors at the seventh grade can''t even compare with them, '' Ricky thought, feeling the pressure surging through his body.


    But he didn''t hesitate a second longer. He drew his saber from the sheath on his back, the spiritual energy transforming into flame elementals.


    Suddenly, he realized that Heather was no longer reeling from the shock. She stood right in front of Waylon, and was preparing to battle him.


    "Ricky, I''ll deal with Waylon. And you can take on Finn!" she shouted. She concentrated all her power on the sword, piercing Waylon with an explosive force.


    "Ha-ha, thank you so much, beautiful! I''ll help you out as soon as I slay this brute!" Ricky laughed, focusing on Finn now.


    Blood rushed onto Heather''s cheeks as she heard Ricky calling her beautiful.


    "Slay me? Listen, you''re in way over your head, chump!" Finn snorted in disdain as he gathered power onto his saber, his face growing bitterly scornful.


    "I''ll teach you how to use a saber!"


    Ricky was annoyed at hearing his words. Wielding his saber encapsulated in flame elements, he slashed directly at Finn''s saber in a furious blow.


    "Clang!"


    In the span of a few minutes, their sabers had crashed with each other dozens of times, sparks flying in flashes.


    Finally, with the power he cultivated from the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, Ricky knocked Finn back as easy as blowing away dust. Finn''s body flew backwards into the swamp, his hands bleeding with wounds.


    "You bastard! Go to hell!" Finn shouted, the extreme anger apparent on his face.


    "Water Strike!"


    Finn jumped up in a flash, growling like a wild beast. He wielded his saber, all the spiritual energy in his body turning into the shape of water mustering a whirling pearly spray, as if he was channeling a boundless ocean.


    Whirling the saber, he raised it high and aimed directly at Ricky with furious power as water whirled back and forth on his blade.


    "Is that all you''ve got?"


    Ricky certainly didn''t want to accept inferiority. He wielded the blade around his head, and immediately the burning flames broke their way right through the blade and rushed towards Finn.


    The first flame fended off Finn''s blow, the next crushed through his defense, and the last strike slashed deep into Finn''s chest with intense power.

 Chapter 29 The Incredible Blood Zone

    "Ah!" screamed Finn.


    His body was consumed by the raging flames in midair before he fell into the pond.


    The water was shallow and it was easy to see that Finn was fatally wounded. Ricky decided to deliver the deciding blow to end his life.


    Walking into the pond, he played his sword under Finn''s head, severing it from his body in one swoop. Then, he took away Finn''s ironwood with him.


    Turning around, he saw Heather and Waylon still fighting.


    Sensing Ricky''s murderous gaze, Waylon felt a pang of fear. He realized that Finn must have lost and the sight of his dead body in the pond sent a chill to his heart immediately.


    Wracked with fear, Waylon turned around and tried to flee.


    "It''s too late to run now!" Ricky sneered, smiling at Waylon''s receding figure.


    Heather, who was unwilling to admit herself outdone, tried to stop Waylon from leaving.


    Striding up to Waylon, Ricky blocked his path. Since Heather was standing right behind Waylon, he knew that it would be hard for him to escape now.


    "Boy, you''d better let me go, and I will consider letting you live. Or you prepare for the wrath of the Wang Clan! They will definitely tear you into pieces!" Waylon threatened indignantly.


    "Hahaha! Don''t you know? The last person who said something like that to me is dead now," Ricky replied ominously.


    Without another word, Ricky slashed at Waylon with his burning sword.


    With Heather''s help, Waylon couldn''t even last three more strokes before he fell dead.


    "Thank you, Ricky!" exclaimed Heather, her face flushed a little.


    "It''s my pleasure. It''s an honor to help a beauty such as you. You''re welcome!" Ricky replied teasingly.


    Heather''s face turned immediately red. She was embarrassed yet happy to be called a beauty.


    "Are you from Lion King Castle?" Ricky asked, changing the subject.


    "Yes, my father is the master of Lion King Castle," Heather replied, nodding. She was really proud of and adored her father. His approval meant everything to her.


    "Oh! That means you didn''t even need to fight for Sacred Blood Crystal through this Iron Blood Trial!" Ricky said, visibly excited.


    "I just wanted to go through this training," Heather replied.


    "So, it means that you don''t need these black dots, do you? Then I''ll take all five hundred black dots. Thank you!" Ricky said with a beaming smile. He then transferred Finn''s and Waylon''s black dots to his ironwood at once, quivering with joy.


    Heather was stunned by his actions.


    Even though she didn''t need the black dots, she thought that Ricky should have at least asked for her permission as a gentleman should. Better yet, he could have offered to give her half of it. However, Ricky took all the black dots without even waiting for her response. She felt a little upset. She wondered if she had lost her charm.


    Just a few minutes ago, he called her a beauty. She thought he would have shown her some more consideration.


    "Ms. Heather, do you have more black dots? Can you give all of them to me in return for saving your life?" Ricky asked cheekily. Heather had been lost in thought, trying to figure him out.


    Now his suggestion made her even angrier.


    "No," she replied distantly.


    "What a pity!" Ricky was a little disappointed, but he didn''t even notice that her tone had changed already.


    However, now that he had nearly seven hundred black dots, he was quite confident that he could win the spot for getting into the Sacred Blood Pond.


    After speaking, Ricky turned to Anaconda-tailed Tiger''s dead body. Since Heather was standing right next to him, he couldn''t put the corpse into his Blood Zone in front of her.


    ''This carcass is going to be wasted. I should have at least taken the valuable parts, '' Ricky said to himself.


    So he chopped down Anaconda-tailed Tiger''s tail, sharp claws, fangs and some flesh, and bounded them with a rope.


    Heather was surprised to see him gathering Anaconda-tailed T


    iger''s body parts, so Ricky explained, "It''s a beast at Blood Purification level. Its body parts are very valuable! We can sell them for a lot of money."


    "Are you hard up?" Heather asked.


    "Why, of course I am. I''m not the child of a castle''s master," Ricky replied earnestly.


    "But you''re such a great warrior! You were even able to defeat someone whose grade is above yours. Are you really not a young master of a noble clan?" Heather asked inquisitively. By now, she had already forgotten that her brief annoyance with him.


    "What do you mean? Because I''m such a great warrior, you''re suggesting I''m definitely a young master? Well, I''m to let you down. I''m not. I''m just an ordinary outer disciple!" Ricky explained.


    Then they walked out of the swamp, chatting the whole while.


    *


    At the edge of the swamp, Ricky suddenly stopped.


    He felt something odd happen in his Blood Zone. He had put four bodies of the beasts in there before, but now they were gone. It seemed that the bodies had been burnt by the mysterious fire in Blood Zone, and they had turned into some blood vitality.


    While some of the blood vitality had been absorbed by the Chaos Manual, the rest was running through his body through the spiritual meridian to strengthen him.


    ''It''s amazing!'' Ricky was in shock at what Blood Zone was capable of.


    ''What the hell is this Blood Zone? It can even digest bodies and turn them into blood vitality to strengthen me!''


    "Hey, what''s wrong?" Heather asked. She found it odd that Ricky had suddenly stopped walking.


    "Heather, wait. Could you please stand guard for me? I need to rest!" Ricky leaped up a big tree nearby, sat in the lotus position and began to refine the blood vitality.


    "Hey! I''m not your bodyguard!" Heather shouted, irritatedly stamping her foot.


    But Heather soon began to feel happy. She thought to herself that Ricky must trust her very much. That was why he had asked her to stand guard for him.


    *


    Ricky concentrated on refining the blood vitality while Heather was lost in various fancies and conjectures.


    With the blood vitality, Ricky began to strengthen his seventh grade of Skin Refinement. After two hours, he had already reached the peak of the seventh grade of Skin Refinement.


    ''The fire in the Blood Zone can burn the bodies of the beasts into blood vitality! How great it is! I can improve my speed of cultivation by slaying beasts and putting them inside it! My speed of cultivation might be even faster than the talents, '' Ricky speculated to himself. Deep in thought, he was very excited at this discovery.


    He put the corpse of the Anaconda-tailed Tiger inside Blood Zone while Heather wasn''t looking. Then he began to ignite the fire to burn the body.


    As expected, the fire briskly turned Anaconda-tailed Tiger''s body parts into blood vitality.


    Some of them were still absorbed by the Chaos Manual, while the rest of them were absorbed by Ricky himself.


    ''That''s incredible! How amazing!'' He was right about what the Blood Zone was capable of. He could barely control himself from shouting out loud.


    Without hesitation, Ricky focused his mind, continuing to absorb the blood vitality.


    Anaconda-tailed Tiger was a beast of Blood Purification. Its blood vitality was much more superior to the beasts'' at the seventh grade of the Skin Refinement.


    ''Maybe it''s the time to take a chance! I might be able to breakthrough to reach the eighth grade of Skin Refinement!'' Ricky thought.


    Four hours later, the energy inside his body seemed to be ready to burst. It was a sign of an impending breakthrough. Ricky''s eyes shot open all of a sudden.


    Heather''s mouth fell open at the energy which was now surrounding Ricky.


    "You...You...How could you... I can''t believe it! You''ve reached the eighth grade of Skin Refinement!" Heather couldn''t help but shout. She could sense that Ricky was in the same grade as her now! It was unheard of!

 Chapter 30 Time To Look For Jim

    Ricky immediately jumped down from the huge tree and swung his arms before sidling up to Heather. He looked into her eyes which were wide open in shock and said smugly, "Hey, cutie, how do you like me now? I must be the man of your dreams."


    "Dream on!" Heather said disdainfully after hearing what Ricky had said.


    Despite her retort, the shock wouldn''t vanish from her heart in a short time. He was right that she was becoming more attracted to him, but she wasn''t about to let him know that.


    She knew that Ricky had been at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement. She wondered about how he broke through the seventh and reached the eighth grade of Skin Refinement in only a few hours. Even the most talented genius couldn''t do that.


    ''Maybe he hid his strength before. Father once told me that some special medicine could hide the true ability of a warrior, '' Heather guessed.


    Then they left the swamp with Ricky still building himself up and Heather responding coldly from time to time.


    Ricky didn''t talk about parting with Heather, and neither did Heather. They sparred, training for the Iron Blood Trial together. And they got closer while doing so.


    Ricky had killed the Anaconda-tailed Tiger and taken the black dots from Finn and Waylon, so he had nearly seven hundred black dots on his ironwood. There was no point in continuing to hunt down fierce animals.


    But once he found out about the secret of his Blood Zone, Ricky started hunting fierce beasts again.


    Before they finally left the mountains, Ricky had killed five more ferocious beasts¡ªall of them at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement.


    Each time, Ricky snuck into the place where he killed the beasts and dragged the corpses into the Blood Zone. He didn''t let Heather know about this.


    Ricky''s strength reached the peak of the eighth grade after he refined three beasts at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement.


    And Ricky figured that he could make breakthroughs by refining a certain number of ferocious beasts using the Blood Zone.


    But Ricky decided to hold off on that for a while. Instead, he focused on honing his technique. Using the Blood Zone, he didn''t need the Body Refining Pill to eliminate the impurities inside his body. But there was a price.


    ''So using the Blood Zone isn''t foolproof. It doesn''t provide a solid foundation for improving my strength. That will become a problem later on, '' thought Ricky.


    ''But if I take some time and spar more, then maybe I can get past that.


    So I can use the Blood Zone to make breakthroughs and then eliminate this defect with fights and time.''


    Eventually, time marched on, and the end of the Iron Blood Trial was less than four days away.


    That was when Ricky decided to look for Jim.


    He was always hiding from Jim because he knew he was no match for the warrior. But things were different now. He was at the peak of the eighth grade of Skin Refinement. He should be able to go toe-to-toe with ninth graders.


    Ricky had guessed correctly. Apparently Jim had summoned several disciples from the Snow Sect, intending to hunt Ricky down. Many warriors who attended the trial knew his name, if nothing else.


    ......


    And that made it easy to find Jim.


    Ricky ambushed some of the contestants in the trial, but he didn''t take their ironwood nor kill them. He just told them to let everyone know where Ricky could be found. He believed he could make Jim come to him.


    "Heather, you probably need to get out of here before long," Ricky told Heather in the forest.


    "Hey, do I look like the kind of girl who would leave a friend in the lurc


    h?" Heather responded discontentedly.


    "You don''t get it. This is a personal beef between the disciples of the Snow Sect. You shouldn''t get involved. What if you being here causes them to go after Lion King Castle?" Ricky explained.


    Hearing that, Heather went silent.


    Ricky was right. She knew that Lion King Castle was nowhere near a match for the Snow Sect. What if they were destroyed in the conflict?


    "No, I won''t let you face this alone!" Heather made up her mind and took a strong stand at last.


    "So you say things like that and still deny you''re in love with me." Ricky made a joke after hearing what Heather said.


    But his heart was softened. Aside from his father and his mentor Grace, no one else had cared about him like that.


    "What are you talking about?! I''m just concerned about you as a friend!" Heather said shyly, her cheeks a bright red.


    "Ha ha!"


    Seeing how bashful Heather was, Ricky chuckled.


    ......


    Heather ended up staying, despite Ricky''s protests. But she also remained hidden, so she could help if needed. She''d only show herself if necessary.


    ......


    The next day, as Ricky had expected, Jim showed up with three companions. One of them was a nominal disciple of Connie and was a contestant in Iron Blood Trial. The other two were either from the Casting Faction or they had a good relationship with Jim.


    "You little bastard! I finally found you!" Jim said maliciously, glaring at Ricky. Anyone could tell that he wanted to kill the young warrior.


    "So what are you waiting for?" Ricky responded with a smile.


    "Nothing. You''re going to pay." Jim sneered.


    "Jim, let me kill him. I want to see if he''s still wearing that stupid grin after I cut off his head." It was Connie''s disciple who said that.


    "All right. Connie is your master. It would be fitting if you killed him," Jim consented with a nod.


    Then Jim and the other two teens moved aside, arms folded across their chests. They wanted to watch Ricky die.


    Subsequently this nominal disciple of Connie walked towards Ricky, his eyes shining with viciousness.


    "I''m Leo. Tell ''em who killed you when you get to Hell!"


    With a sneer, Leo darted forward, strong spiritual energy drawn from nature wreathed his arms. He condensed that energy into an icy fog and balled his fist before throwing the frozen magic right at Ricky''s head.


    "The power of frozen ice! Frozen Ice Fist!"


    "Tell them yourself. Name''s Ricky, by the way!" Ricky narrowed his eyes and responded to Leo in the same tone.


    In a moment, the roar of a tiger filled the air. Ricky smashed his fist of frozen ice with the strength of a tiger.


    Crack!


    The frozen ice on Leo''s arm shattered. His arm had been fractured in the fight, and he fell on the ground with a scream of pain before rolling to a halt.


    This scene was no surprise to Heather, but shocked Jim and his two other companions.


    They thought Ricky was still at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement. How in the world did he beat Leo? Leo was at the eighth grade. This was not the way things should have gone. Ricky should have been the one who fell on the ground, screaming in pain.


    "Hum! You''re too proud of yourself, and too weak to challenge me," Ricky said disdainfully, looking down at Leo who was still groaning in pain.


    Then Ricky looked to Jim and his other two friends and said in a provocative tone, "You three, come here!"


    "I don''t believe it! How did you do it?! You''re at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement?" Jim growled angrily. He knew it now. Those waves of spiritual energy were too strong to be denied.

 Chapter 31 Fighting With The Ninth Grade Warriors

    It happened so quickly for a warrior who had no signs of spiritual meridian in his system. Was it even possible for a warrior to practice from the sixth grade of Skin Refinement to the eighth grade in less than a month? To some, it was magic, but to Ricky, he might be a little different.


    "You''re playing tricks on purpose!" Jim said angrily.


    "If you try it yourself, you''ll know if I''m playing tricks on you." Ricky sneered. Jim felt incredible of Ricky''s improvement from the sixth grade to the eighth grade of Skin Refinement. How could someone possibly do it so quickly? In an instant, Ricky''s power of the eighth grade of Skin Refinement rose and bore down on Jim directly.


    Ricky was fearless although it was his first time to fight the warrior of the ninth grade of Skin Refinement. He was sure to win. The flames of battle were burning in his eyes.


    "Ah, an eighth grade. Even if you are in the ninth grade of Skin Refinement, you will still die here today!" Jim said bravely. Jim was equally as brave and fearless as Ricky. Jim stared at Ricky with a killing intent, and saw him as not a threat.


    The intent of fighting in Ricky''s eyes was getting stronger and stronger, and then Ricky burst out and headed straight for Jim.


    A blazing hand was about to hit Jim. He moved his eyes, turned them to Ricky. With darkness hovering his energy, Jim then said, "You really have no idea of your limitations. And since you are in a hurry to die, I will ''help'' you today."


    Generally speaking, when a warrior at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement saw one at the ninth grade, even if he didn''t want to bow his head, he dared not make a provocation.


    However, Ricky was not one of them, and Jim wasn''t able to stand it.


    Whoosh!


    Ricky was quick as a fox. Jim did not even notice that Ricky was already in front of him. Ricky took in a deep breath, like in the start of every meditation, and drew his spiritual energy. His eyes darkened, absorbing all the energy that he had and let out a strong roar shook everyone to their core.


    Ricky looked at his hands. Flames started to burn elegantly, as if they were extensions of his body. His fists were generating flames!


    Ricky punched a fist heavily on the brink of battle.


    "Little bastard, I can''t believe you can show the power of the ninth grade of Skin Refinement!" Jim said in shock as soon as he felt the power of Ricky''s fist radiate all throughout the area.


    Jim was beyond surprised with this, because what Ricky showed him was the power of a warrior at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement.


    Jim calmed down, gathered all the energy he needed to retaliate. And the intent of murder in his eyes soared.


    "Even though you had th


    surrounding his saber when Ricky felt the change of Jim''s power.


    "Ricky, you should be proud to be able to let me use this tactic for you, an eighth grade of Skin Refinement warrior!" roared Jim.


    "Golden Finger! Go Die!"


    The next moment, the slight golden color of Jim''s spiritual energy became deeper, and all rushed to Jim''s ten fingers. Jim clasped his hands, and the golden spiritual energy condensed into a several feet long huge finger.


    The golden finger, with indescribable power, flashed force towards Ricky.


    "It''s sensible to use it, but you can also try my Nonuple Flame Strike." Ricky said seriously as he felt the dangerous power on Jim''s golden finger.


    Eager to advance into action, Ricky took out his long saber and raised it high with his hand. The power that he had was so strong that the long saber was immediately surrounded by endless flame elements.


    Ricky slashed and attacked Jim relentlessly. One slash after the other, he waved his saber without hesitation, ready for the kill. And with Nonuple Flame Strike-the Fifth Strike, his saber collided with the Jim''s iron finger fiercely.


    After a month of intense training, Ricky''s Nonuple Flame Strike had been practiced to the fifth level, which unlocked more powers and opportunities for the Nonuple Flame Strike.


    HongHong!


    The golden and the red ferocious spiritual energies collided in an instant, and caused the center of the two men to ripple again and spread quickly around them. At the same time, the collision vibrated the two men, forcing the two to regress again.


    But after the retrogression, neither of them stopped.


    The soles twisted hard on the ground, and they were both rushed to each other. At this moment, Jim took out the sword on his waist and collided with the long saber of Ricky.

 Chapter 32 Body Refinement Beats Sword-light

    Clang!


    In the jungle the air was heavy and moist. Sunlight shimmered through the vast canopy of leaves. All around were trees tall enough to dwarf the highest building. Vines and underbrush made footing unsteady. From every direction, one could hear the hums and chirps of insects, the songs of birds and the myriad sounds of mammals. And, of course, the sounds of battle. Ricky and Jim were fighting, one would strike or feint, then move quickly to try and gain or regain the advantage. The impact between knife and sword sent sparks flying as if they were trying to shape iron... or gold.


    Hiss!


    Suddenly, the earth trembled, and a huge crack opened in the ground. Ricky''s saber met Jim''s sword again. And they both were thrown back by the force.


    The onlookers could see that both of their arms were trembling due to their exertions.


    "If that''s all you got, Jim, maybe you should throw in the towel! Give up your status in the Snow Sect, and I might not kill you," Ricky sneered, looking at Jim''s gloomy face.


    As for the two young men standing on the sidelines, they were dumbfounded. Connie''s disciples were no less stunned.


    Among outer disciples in the Snow Sect, only those who were in the top ten would have been able to fight with Jim for so long. And it shouldn''t be possible even for those who attained the ninth grade of Skin Refinement to beat Jim.


    And now, Ricky did it at eighth.


    Hearing Ricky''s taunt, Jim said nothing. His credibility was already in doubt. He boasted that he could take Ricky down with a single blow. Well, they''d traded multiple strikes back and forth.


    Now, the only way he could redeem himself was to kill Ricky.


    Clank!


    Jim flew into a rage. And the sword in his hand began to make a huge thumping sound.


    When the sword was making the sound a white light formed and enveloped the sword.


    That light was definitely not the gathering of spiritual energy. It was another kind of power. The light was emitting strong power and seemed to be drawn to Ricky. That fact made him shiver.


    ''That light¡ªwhat is it?'' Ricky shifted his focus from combat and stared at the light coming from Jim''s sword.


    "Is that the sword-light ?"


    Ricky said suddenly, with a suspicious doubt yet m


    ment, there came the sound of metal shattering. The three blades of the wind sword were broken by Ricky''s bare hand, his arms crossed to force back Jim''s long sword.


    Only some faint cutting marks were left in Ricky red arms and hands.


    "Ricky is fine!" Seeing this, Heather couldn''t help breathing a sigh of relief. She was worried for him the whole time she remained hidden.


    Immediately, she noticed Ricky''s cultivation method that he trained in.


    ......


    "This... is his method of Refinement!" Seeing this, everyone was shocked. Their eyes couldn''t help but fill with greed.


    Once again, Jim''s eyes became gloomy, but soon they were darkened by deep greed.


    According to the analysis of the people from Casting Faction, Ricky''s method of Refinement was at least the cultivation method at the intermediate stage of Black Level. How could they not be lured?


    If there was a cultivation method at the advanced stage of Yellow Level, all the disciples would fight for it; not to mention the cultivation method at the advanced stage of Black Level.


    "Hand over the cultivation method! I''ll give you a quick death," Jim said eagerly.


    "What? Hand over my method? Fine! But that depends on which one is better. Your sword-light or my Body Refining Formula?" Ricky laughed.


    "I''m not done yet. This time I''ll take you out with my bare hands."


    "Since you won''t hand it over, then I''ll take it¡ªfrom your corpse!" Jim said seriously.


    The next moment, they were moving again.

 Chapter 33 Execution

    "Sword-light, three swords in one!"


    Brandishing the long sword surrounded by white energy, Jim instantly made three golden sword blades that began to fuse in mid-air. A sharp and powerful sword-light was formed. Jim came with full force to Ricky.


    He had all the killing intentions in his mind. He summoned all the power he can muster in his final blow. The powerful cultivation methods concentrated in his sword-light.


    Despite the display of strength in front of him, Ricky remained unfazed. A mix of determination and excitement was evidently seen behind his black eyes. His fighting spirit remained unwavering. He channeled his inner strength and summoned the power of First Degree of the Nine-Degree Body Refining Formula in his right arm -- he was ready to retaliate.


    Ricky''s spiritual energy started taking shape. A fierce tiger started to take form behind his back. The resounding roar of the tiger was heard -- a sign of Ricky''s true strength.


    "Whiz Fist!" Ricky shouted as he clasped his fingers together to form a fist. With all the energy he could summon in him, he went for the golden sword-light.


    Crash! The next few moments were hazy. The sound of golden iron reverberated throughout the whole area. The clash between sword-light and the tiger''s roar created a dramatic ripple it could practically tear the whole space apart.


    The fight between Jim and Ricky was neck to neck. Ricky''s red fist and Jim''s sword-light blade were locked into a stalemate.


    This, however, only lasted a short while. A cracking sound was heard after a short moment had passed.


    It started out as something small, a minute chink in the sword of light. But the cracks started growing. More and more started to appear in the blade and it spread until the sharp sword-light dissipated.


    Jim was in disbelief. He was fearful, even. He couldn''t fathom the scene unfolding before him. Ricky was pleased with himself. All his hard work paid off. With a cocky smirk, he revved his power further and concentrated in his red fist.


    BANG!


    An explosive boom resounded in the whole field. The sword-light from the golden sword dimmed and the sword flew right out of Jim''s hand.


    Ricky did not even give Jim a chance to recover. He immediately struck his chest like a bolt of thunder.


    Jim did not even lift a finger to defend himself. Was he strong enough to combat Ricky''s punches? Definitely. But he was dejected after seeing his most powerful sword-light shatter into millions of pieces. His will to continue fighting was depleting.


    Pow! Jim spat out large amounts of blood from his mouth as he was thrown in the ground with a loud thud.


    Ricky was not taking any chances. Without missing a single beat he used Jim''s long sword


    eople who had been hunting fierce beasts in Lion King Mountains range returned from their training.


    Ricky and Heather also planned to return. However, both parties decided it would be best if they went back separately.


    This was Ricky''s request, because he did not want Heather to get into trouble. If Harald and Connie saw that they were together, they would also put a target above Heather''s head.


    Ricky leisurely left the mountain range and upon seeing Grace waiting for him he smiled slightly.


    Seeing that Ricky was still his usual self, Grace breathed a deep sigh of relief.


    Although Ricky was just a normal disciple, Grace considered him as her own special personal disciple.


    Harald and Connie were also present. Their eyes instantly darkened upon seeing Ricky.


    ''Jim and Johnny are trash. They could not even complete this one simple mission!'' Harald screamed in his heart. He then glared at Ricky with hateful eyes as a warning for Ricky to stop being so cocky.


    Regarding the spiteful glare of those two people, Ricky merely gave them a mysterious smile and then walked over to the inspector of Lion King Castle.


    ''I cannot even imagine what kind of expression Harald and Connie will have on their faces when they find out that Jim and Johnny won''t be returning.'' Ricky thought smugly.


    ......


    "Andy, seventy-one dots!"


    "Alan, eighty-three dots!"


    "Jimmy, one hundred and thirty dots!" ......


    The inspector of Lion King Castle had already begun checking amount of dots on the ironwood of those who had finished the trial and returned.


    "Blue Water City, Agnes, three hundred and twenty dots!"


    Upon hearing this, the people around broke into excited murmurs and whispers.


    Three hundred and twenty dots, which definitely would make her a formidable competitor for first prize.

 Chapter 34 Thats Cheating

    At that moment, everyone turned their eyes onto Agnes, who raised her head haughtily. She was a young woman with long flowing hair tied with lime silk. She was wearing a light blue dress.


    She looked beautiful and graceful, with an elegant and noble air about her. Without a doubt, many of the male warriors admired her beauty.


    "It is said that Agnes is not only the genius of the Shui Clan, but also one of the gifted outer disciples of the Snow Sect," one of the warriors muttered.


    "Agnes has three hundred and twenty black dots! This time, Agnes could very well win first place."


    "Of course! In my opinion, Agnes is the best warrior around!"


    ...


    "I never expected Agnes to be an outer disciple of the Snow Sect and manage to obtain three hundred and twenty black dots. I think she might take third place this time," Ricky muttered, under his breath.


    In the minutes that followed, the total numbers of black dots the participants had obtained were revealed to the public one by one. However, no one got more dots than Agnes, and only two warriors had over two hundred black dots.


    Harald and Connie were growing more anxious and upset, as they found out that Jim and Leo hadn''t shown up yet.


    Meanwhile, the attendees of the Zhang Clan and the Wang Clan were also very worried. Their warriors, Finn and Waylon, also had yet to appear.


    ...


    "It''s my turn now!" With a subtly smug smile on her face, Heather walked towards the two scribes of the Lion King Castle and drew her ironwood.


    "Look! The Lady of the Lion King Castle is there now. I wonder how many beasts she has hunted this time," a warrior said curiously.


    Since Heather and Agnes were two outstandingly gifted women who had joined the Iron Blood Trial, they would likely to be compared to each other by everyone present.


    "Humph! The Lady of our Lion King Castle must win first place this time!" the disciples of the Lion King Castle exclaimed, upon seeing Heather.


    "Humph! It''s highly possible that Agnes will get first place!"


    Now many warriors began to bicker because of the two women.


    "Heather! Four hundred and ten dots!" called out the voice of one of the scribes. The crowd fell silent immediately.


    No one had ever gotten four hundred and ten black dots during the three Iron Blood Trials. Not until now.


    "Ahh!" The members and disciples of the Lion King Castle b


    rald told you all that I''m at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement. Do you really think that he is right?"


    Ricky''s words caught the attention of the bickering warriors.


    Then Ricky''s aura suddenly changed and was boosted to the highest limit that the eighth grade of Skin Refinement could reach.


    "The eighth grade of Skin Refinement!" Sensing Ricky''s powerful aura, many warriors marveled, glancing at Harald with disdain, as if blaming him for tricking them.


    "Damn it! He was just at the sixth grade of Skin Refinement some days ago, but how could he reach the peak of the eighth grade of Skin Refinement within a month?!" Harald asked himself furiously.


    "How could such a worthless piece of trash without spiritual meridian cultivate and achieve the eighth grade of Skin Refinement?"


    Connie also glared at Ricky sullenly.


    "He has even made a breakthrough and reached the eighth grade of Skin Refinement!" Grace was also shocked at the revelation that Ricky had cultivated into this level.


    She felt confused. The longer she stayed with Ricky, the less she seemed to know about him.


    "Hey, everybody, don''t let this guy fool you!" Harald yelled. Being the powerful warrior of Bone Reinforcement with wide knowledge and experience, he had quickly calmed himself down.


    "Please think about this. Even a warrior at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement could not have killed so many beasts, let alone Ricky who''s only at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement. So that must be cheating!"


    The warriors fixated their suspicious eyes on Ricky again when they heard this.

 Chapter 35 Master Lambert

    Grace felt justified after seeing these warriors'' eyes filled with hatred and disrespect again.


    To be honest, even Grace didn''t truly believe that Ricky had seven hundred and three dots, but she knew he wouldn''t cheat. After spending so many days with him, she was pretty sure about that.


    Ricky gave Grace a reassuring look after seeing the worry in her eyes.


    Then, Ricky looked at the master of Lion King Castle¡ªBenson.


    "Master Benson, could I ask you something?" Ricky said.


    "Go ahead." Benson nodded his head.


    "If I kill a beast at the first grade of Blood Purification, how many dots would I get?" Ricky asked.


    "Killing a beast at that level, its blood will leave five hundred dots in the ironwood," Benson replied casually.


    But something started to dawn on Benson, and he asked, "You mean you hunted a beast like that?"


    "Yeah, I got five hundred dots by killing an Anaconda-tailed Tiger at the first grade of Blood Purification," Ricky answered calmly.


    "Who does he think he is, anyway, talking big like that?" Heather said under her breath. She was close by, and heard him talking. After all, she knew exactly how that Anaconda-tailed Tiger was killed.


    Like usual, Ricky''s words caused a commotion.


    "How could a guy like him kill a beast of Blood Purification?"


    "Four warriors at the peak of the ninth grade of Skin Refinement couldn''t take on that kind of creature. He is merely at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement. Him? No way."


    No one believed that Ricky could kill a beast at the first grade of Blood Purification.


    "Ha-ha, Master Benson, I think you should punish a liar like that. You should abolish his cultivation base and exile him from lands of Lion King Castle!" Jim laughed loudly.


    "It''s not up to you, Jim," Grace said coldly.


    "Master Benson, I realize I''m no match for a beast at the first grade of Blood Purification. But if the creature is wounded, I might have a chance," Ricky said c


    e Snow Sect, they dared not piss off a demi-immortal.


    Each demi-immortal was the real overlord of the Snow Sect region. Except for those extremely rare innate spirits, who could compete with demi-immortals?


    ''Why did Master Lambert help me?'' At this moment, Ricky was really confused. ''He said he was watching me secretly. Did he help me because I saved Heather?''


    Nevertheless, Ricky said respectfully, "Thank you for sticking up for me, Master Lambert!"


    "Lion King Castle is fair to everyone. There''s no need for you to thank me," Master Lambert answered. He was quite polite to Ricky, which confused the other warriors.


    ''Damn! What the hell? How could this old man of Lion King Castle still be alive and even become a demi-immortal?'' At this time, the ferocity in Harald''s heart was more than what words could describe. He was truly pissed.


    ''And Jim is useless. He couldn''t even do one thing right. I took him in as a disciple, but for nothing.''


    Of course, Harald also knew that Jim and Leo probably wouldn''t show themselves.


    ...


    "Certainly. I also want to let people know that I''m still alive," Master Lambert said, looking at the clan masters of the major clans in the Lion King Castle.


    The masters were disconcerted. And they couldn''t stare down a demi-immortal easily.

 Chapter 36 Creation Of The Sacred Blood Crystal

    Once Master Lambert of Lion King Castle appeared, Harold''s attempts at provoking a fight became futile.


    Even if he was a high-ranking core disciple of the Snow Sect, when faced with this powerful demi-immortal, he had to behave himself. Unless he were a demi-immortal as well, or an innate spirit, he had to show respect.


    It was known that the Lion King Castle was one greatest power of the Snow Sect. All this was thanks to Master Lambert, whose demi-immortal status reinforced the Castle''s strength.


    The young contestants who would enter the Sacred Blood Pond were announced. To no-one''s surprise, they were Ricky, Heather and Agnes.


    The Sacred Blood Pond, situated in the Lion King Castle, was in a secluded spot in Castle Master''s stronghold.


    Ushered in by Benson, the three participants arrived at a small grove inside the palace walls. In the center of this grove was a large pond of bloody water, deep maroon and thick.


    The three participant''s ears began to hear the sound of bubbling water become nearer and nearer, and more and more distinct. As they stood there, taking in the blood pond, they could immediately feel the immense heat emitted by its water. The heat was so intense that they knew being too near the pond could very well melt them.


    ''This must be the Sacred Blood Pond!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    His intuition told him that his cultivation would ascend to another level if he could manage to absorb the great power of the pond. There was even a possibility for him to achieve the second degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    "If you are ready, you may begin! The energy of blood essence of the Sacred Blood Lion has been completely infused into the Sacred Blood Pond. Whether you can obtain the Sacred Blood Crystal from this pond will rest on your shoulders! It all depends on the level of your own ability!" Benson proclaimed.


    After a fleeting glance at each other, Ricky and the other participants sprinted for the pond and plunged right into it.


    Agnes, who had once been so prideful and haughty, hadn''t thought of Ricky as a rival before this.


    Aside from the staggering accomplishment of reaching the eighth grade of Skin Refinement in so short a time, Ricky had even managed to kill a beast at the first grade of Blood Purification. He had fairly won the title of champion of the trial cultivation. Considering he made all of those accomplishments without a spiritual meridian, Agnes began to feel a grudging respect for him.


    The beast, even if it had been severely injured, was still considerably powerful. And Ricky''s trium


    a strong willpower he has! It makes sense to me now that he was able to achieve the eighth grade of the Skin Refinement without a spiritual meridian!" Agnes let out a sigh of admiration.


    "This boy is something else!" A loud and clear voice rang out; it was Benson, who was approaching. "In the eighth hour, he had successfully created the Sacred Blood Crystal. At the moment, he is refining his body using the infernal power of the Sacred Blood Pond."


    "What?! Father, do you really mean he is refining his body?" Heather cried in total disbelief.


    Agnes also widened her eyes, breaking her usual composure. To the best of their knowledge, even the warriors at the level of Blood Purification had no assurance of being able to refine the mortal body by infernal power successfully.


    How could Ricky, a warrior at only the eighth grade of Skin Refinement have courage to try this?


    "Freak!" the two girls said in chorus.


    "The cultivation method he practices must be terribly advanced!" Benson uttered, eyeing Ricky thoughtfully. Admiration shone in his eyes for this underdog warrior.


    Of course, Benson, a master of those accomplishments, had no ill intentions of stealing the book of the cultivation method from the young warrior.


    ''The cultivation method? Is it that Nine-degree Body Refining Formula he mentioned that was fit for warriors without spiritual meridians?'' Heather wondered to herself.


    ''Could it be the cultivation method that all the disciples of the Snow Sect are talking about? The one everyone is dying to get their hands on?'' Agnes''s mind began to race as well.


    She suddenly realized her interest in Ricky, the once-lowly warrior without a spiritual meridian, had been thoroughly ignited.

 Chapter 37 Lewis Crisis

    There were only three people who remained in the forest. There was Ricky, who was using the infernal power to refine his body in the Sacred Blood Pond. The other two were Heather and Grace, patiently waiting beside him.


    The process of body refinement took an entire day and night, sometimes even longer.


    Of course, Agnes Shui had already left.


    Ricky was currently focusing all his attention on battling with the searing, intense burning pain.


    Through his new spiritual meridian, Ricky absorbed that strong infernal power in the Sacred Blood Pond, letting it flow within his meridians and blood circulation. He then channeled it into refining his flesh and bones by making them even more reinforced.


    These minutes seemed like an unbearable eternity. Ricky''s consciousness trembled in the blinding blurriness of the world. The burning pain had penetrated deep into his bones, now dully numbing them.


    The expression on his face was one of pure exertion. The fingernails on his fingers had sunk deep into the flesh of his palms. Blood was oozing out from the wounds as streams of perspiration ran in rivers down his arms, dripping rapidly into the pond water.


    The excruciating pain could make Ricky fail any minute and lose control.


    But he had to persevere. He had to endure this suffering, because this was an opportunity to breakthrough into the Second Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    The infernal power in the Sacred Blood Pond was inherently perfect for the refinement of the Second Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    ....


    Under the ceaseless blaze of the infernal fire, after an entire day and night had passed, Ricky finally regained consciousness. Slowly, he opened his tightly shut eyes.


    He looked down at himself. A layer of black mucous surfaced, coating his skin. They were the impurities expelled from his system during the refinement process. The skin underneath the black mucous had turned clearer, almost glowing.


    "Using the infernal blaze to refine is indeed amazing. This time around, not only have I opened the door towards breaking through the Second Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refinement Formula, I''ve fixed the defects caused from using the Blood Zone to a very large extent!" Upon realizing the changes that had taken place with his body, Ricky exclaimed with satisfaction.


    "Ricky, you rascal, you''ve finally completed the refinement process!" Heather said begrudgingly, yet with shining admiration in her eyes.


    "Ha-ha, sorry to have kept you waiting!" Clutching his Sacred Blood Crystal, Ricky laughe


    very far before a pretty girl stopped him in his tracks. She was the beautiful Vivian who had previously invited him to hunt for beasts in the snowy mountain.


    But she looked very different now. Shaken, she was bathed in tears, her hair a mess.


    "Vivian! What has happened to you?" Ricky asked, alarmed at the sight of her.


    "Oh Ricky, please ask your master to save Lewis! He''s in grave danger! Dustin''s people kidnapped him! They said... they said he''ll be fed to the wolves!" Vivian began sobbing.


    "What?! Where are they now?" Ricky cast aside the beasts'' body parts, grabbing Vivian''s shoulders and asked anxiously.


    Vivian and Lewis were probably the only people in the Snow Sect Ricky could call his friends. They didn''t despise or mock him because he was called "the waste of blood without a spiritual meridian". They treated Ricky sincerely and they surely meant a great deal to him.


    "I don''t know... I don''t know Ricky! I only know they took Lewis into the snowy mountains!" Vivian wept, helpless.


    "There''s no time to waste! We need to hurry! I hope we can track them by following their footprints!" Ricky hastened his steps, rushing to the snowy mountains with Vivian.


    ...


    In a small valley in the snowy mountains, Lewis could hardly breathe. All of his limbs were fractured and he lay in the snow like a corpse.


    He looked at the sky. He had no desire left to fight. He gasped for air, craving death.


    "Oh Ricky, Vivian, I hope my death is enough for Dustin to stop hounding you!" Lewis thought to himself in utter despair.


    "Growl! Howl!"


    At the edges of the trees, several humongous Snow Wolves appeared. They circled around him cautiously, lured by the smell of Lewis'' fresh blood.

 Chapter 38 Dustin, Come Out!

    The Snow Wolves came towards Lewis from directions, low growls rumbling ferociously. Lewis felt a wave of ultimate despair come over him. He was completely immobilized. Knowing that surviving that was impossible, he lay there, making no efforts to resist them. Maybe, he had known all along that he would be doomed to death when Ricky killed Luther.


    Up on the cliff, the three young men at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement stared at this gruesome sight without a trace of sympathy. They even felt that this was not enough to calm their hatred for Lewis.


    "This bastard is lucky that he''s going to be devoured by Snow Wolves! We let him off lightly this time!" one of the young men sneered.


    "We don''t really have a choice! It''s not easy to catch those especially fierce beasts like the serpents in this snow mountain! Otherwise, it would be a hell of a battle! Ha-ha!"


    "Go to hell!" a tremendous roar echoed throughout the valley, as if a ferocious tiger had become consumed with anger.


    As the roaring sound reverberated near them, one of the young men''s chests was suddenly smashed by a powerful fist. All of his organs exploded out of his body. In a split second, he was nothing more than blood and pulp.


    He died before even finding out who had killed him with this tremendous blow, his body falling off the cliff.


    "Who''s there?!" The other two young men said nervously. They were on the alert at once, the power within their bodies ready to fight within an instant.


    But it was too late for them to fight. They spun around, only to see two flames whizzing to their necks. They were decapitated in a fleeting moment, two heads rolling down the cliff, joining the corpse of the first young man.


    After killing them in a flash, Ricky rushed down the valley as quickly as he could. With his sword surrounded by flaming red energy, he threw himself directly at the fearsome Snow Wolves.


    These Snow Wolves were no better than warriors at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement. They were no match for Ricky, especially now when he was filled with blinding rage. After several moments, the valley ran red with their blood.


    "Ri¡­Ricky, why are you here?" Lewis said in astonishment. He lay on the ground, struggling to raise himself up with ebbing strength.


    "Don''t say anything. Let''s go back home first!" Ricky said, his eyes filled with tears at the sight of his friend.


    It had become clear to him that Lewis must have taken all the responsibility of Luther''s death. Other


    ugh the air.


    The disciples gasped, as if they had seen a ghost in real life.


    ''How could this even happen? Who is Watson? A warrior at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement! He was among the top twenty outer disciples in Snow Sect!


    Even if it were the top ten outer disciples that fought against him, Watson couldn''t have been defeated with just a single blow!


    It had only been a month since Ricky fought against Wade. Back then, Ricky was at most a warrior at the seventh grade of Skin Refinement. But now, he conquered Watson with one hit? How is that possible?'' the disciples thought.


    They shook their heads in shock, hoping they would wake up from this strange dream.


    But they never did. It was truly taking place, this series of most unexpected events.


    If only they knew that Ricky had killed Jim¡ªthe ninth ranking outer disciple of the top ten, they would probably question everything they knew about reality and their world.


    Ignoring Watson, who was writhing in pain, Ricky raised his fist again, smashing the door into smithereens. The loud noise broke the shocked silence.


    "Dustin, come face me if you''re not a coward!" Ricky yelled at the top of his lungs. He felt an overwhelming murderous intent taking over his whole being.


    "Who the hell is it? What kind of brat has the nerve to barge in here!?" a handsome young man dressed in white robes strode out into the yard.


    He had two jet black eyes. They were so deeply black, like the venomous stinger of a scorpion¡ªsinister and insidious, intimating those who saw it.


    Finally. This young man in white was the famous Dustin, the fifth ranking outer disciple in the Snow Sect.

 Chapter 39 The Death Arena

    There was no presence that could be felt; no obvious or physical tell-tale signs of something--or maybe, someone--so powerful about to strike. However, the mere existence of Dustin in the area was inescapable. As he was part of the top ten outer disciples, it would have been a foolish move for the other disciples to provoke someone who ranked much higher than they did. Moreover, they needed no further proof that Dustin was a being who was not to be messed with.


    Just then, his eyes caught Watson''s form rising from the battered floor, surprising the witnesses of the sudden battle in front of their eyes. Even Dustin, who acted rather aloof during the ordeal, raised his eyebrows in slight astonishment at the sight of Watson straightening up from his crumpled position on the ground.


    As Watson was one of his subordinates, Dustin was well quite aware of his capabilities.


    Closing his eyes and focusing on the auras of the individuals currently engaged in a clash, Dustin made a move to feel the level of power Ricky was exhibiting. With a hum, he blinked his eyes open and measured that Ricky was still under the ninth grade of Skin Refinement.


    Now that he was fully standing up, Watson spat on the ground and shouted at his opponent. "Be ready to die!" The eyes of a brave and merciless warrior were reflected on Watson''s face. It had seemed like at that moment, he was certain about his victory and was ultimately ready to risk it all for the fight. Running with all his might, Watson then brandished out his long and sleek steel sword from the scabbard hooked on his waist, poised to attack Ricky one more time.


    As the onslaught of slashes was doomed to fail, it may have just been the first time he had brought shame on himself in front of numerous spectators ever since he had reached the ninth grade of Skin Refinement.


    "Watson, it would be better for you to step down," Dustin stated coldly, choosing to step in the middle of the fight before his subordinate would lose any further than he already had. With heavy breathing, Watson wiped the grime and sweat running from his temple to his chin and reluctantly stepped back. Direct orders from his superior were supposed to be followed no matter what the circumstances were. Primarily, it was best to obey even if acting against it tempted him. "Yes, sire." Watson replied dutifully and lowered his gaze.


    Sheathing his sword, Watson turned back to Dustin and walked towards him. It was made obvious to everyone, most especially to him, that Ricky was much too skilled to compete with Watson. ''It was a losing battle, anyway, '' Dustin disgruntledly thought, watching his subordinate limp towards where he stood.


    "Now, stranger," Dustin remarked in a frigid tone and shifted his stance to regard the other man. "I am not interested in who you are, or in who you think you are." At this moment, the other people surrounding the area had gathered rather closely and watched the exchange between the two with keen interest. "You have trespassed into my territory and destroyed my gate." With heavy and calculated steps, Dustin strode to the other''s position and pointed at his face menacingly before speaking again. "Now you have to be destroyed too." The murderous aura surrounding Dustin rose with purpose that it had reached high and far which made the folks observing the scene widen their eyes with the sheer show of power.


    There were many things that Dustin was not aware of during his rigorous training and preparation for the Outer Competition which had lasted for two months. Due to his dedication to succeed and accompanied by his pure concentration, he was not informed that Ricky had been appointed as an outer disciple of the Snow Sect.


    "Are you certain that you do not want to know who I am?" Ricky sneered and crossed his arms across his chest. "I''ll bet you will so desperately want to know my identity after what I am about to tell you."


    Stepping even closer to stare directly into the cold and heartless eyes of the man opposite him, Ricky shrugged his shoulders and smiled ominously before he opened his mouth and spoke.


    "Remember your dear brother, Luther? I was the one who killed him." With a startled grasp from the crowd, Ricky continued to torment the other. "I was the one who forced him to face the Saber-toothed Tiger and when he almost survived that," With a dramatic pause, Ricky faced the shocked and appalled face of Dustin and his eyes twinkled with malicious intent. "I broke his neck and finished the job."


    Finishing his spiel, Ricky did not have to wait for the violent reactions from the crowd formed around them. Even Dustin''s face had taken an ashy and pale hue, clearly astonished by the information just presented to him.


    The disciples held their deepening fear and increasing anxiety in their hearts. Moreover, their spirits could not bear to face the man directly, as they chose to look anywhere but the mad man''s eyes.


    "It was him after all!" They all whisper-shouted surreptitiously. With a sudden realization, the disciples gasped as they connecte


    a nuisance to his duties.


    The Elder stared straight ahead with an indifferent expression, not even a single shred of regret in his body as he felt no concern for both of them.


    "He must die by my hand!"


    A ferocious shout by Ricky suddenly cut through the arena, and the uproar of the crowd fueled his passion and intent to kill.


    "I will mourn for my brother," Dustin then pointed at Ricky with his finger before continuing. "By removing his head."


    The other man replied with just as much ferocity as Ricky.


    With the clear challenge from Dustin, Ricky grins maliciously and steps into place. Then came the Elder Abbott''s pronouncement, "Well you may begin now!" As the rules of the Death Arena were made well-aware for everyone situated in the area, there was no mistake to be made: the winner would live, and the loser would die. There were no exceptions to the rules and no one was above it. Breathing deeply, Elder Abbott practically sensed the intense amount of rage building up inside the two fighters, as well as the oh-so desperate intent to kill and to shed blood upon the ground of the arena. With the rising tension between the two, the Elder made a move to exit the arena for the deadly match to finally begin.


    Another disorienting sound came from the main ground, which signalled that the fight had indeed started.


    Without further ado, the two daring combatants aimed for each other in an instant to decapitate the other.


    "Go!"


    "Go!"


    For a moment, only a flurry of movement could be seen from both men due to their agile and magically fast attacks. The audience below cheered even louder, clearly enjoying the battle between two highly-skilled individuals in their attempt to overpower the other.


    "Fierce tiger power! Whiz Fist!" Ricky yelled, engaged with his power.


    Confidently carrying an effective move, Ricky discharged his strongest punch as he was now expectant of the skills of such a formidable opponent like Dustin. Furthermore, he held nothing back from his attack, the intent to hurt and kill was high on his priority list when it came to the other man. As Ricky was impulsive and often showed recklessness, the idea of reservation was a foreign concept to him.


    Amidst the chaos of his assail, he tried his best to land a punch directly on Dustin''s face, which was just about to make the other groan in pain. An observable aura of tiger shadows from his spiritual energy completely surrounded his body and he felt as if he was invincible.


    On the other hand, Dustin was just as focused on crashing his attacks on Ricky. The spectators could be heard gasping and shouting loudly at the match going on, for the two showcased spectacular skill in combat battle, as well as being able to defend their bodies from the onslaught of offensive magic.


    "Bone Crashing Palm-----three palms in one!" Dustin howled while he deployed his special move.


    In that moment, Dustin wielded three dark hand prints that hovered above the air ominously. With a victorious smirk, the three hand prints merged right in front of their faces, glowing with dark energy.


    With their attacks happening simultaneously towards each other, a heavy bellow was heard which brought the battle to a momentary standstill. The crowd went silent before getting louder than they had ever been. The two fighters resumed to duel, with seemingly no end in sight.

 Chapter 40 The War Of Wrath

    Now, Ricky and Dustin had both become exceedingly wrathful. A gruesome battle became inevitable.


    Instead of making tentative moves that tested the waters, both warriors released their most powerful strength at once, not holding back in the slightest.


    Dustin''s was determined to avenge the murder of his brother. Ricky''s, meanwhile, wanted to exact revenge on the man who had disabled his friend. There was no right and wrong in this world of martial arts - only the fittest and strongest would survive. Such was the law of the land.


    ......


    Dustin''s Bone Crushing Palm was extremely cold and sharp, which came at Ricky in an unexpected, pattern-less movement. Even the most acute warriors could not deduce the diabolical forces lurking in his move.


    Dustin''s strength and reputation far preceded him. He was quite close in achieving something tremendous in this field, because he had mastered the Bone Crushing Palm almost to perfection. As one of the top ten outer disciples of the Snow Sect, he was a one difficult opponent to face.


    Besides that, he was a warrior at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement. Because of this, his Bone Crushing Palm terrified everyone who ever battled against him.


    But Ricky''s Whiz Fist was also near perfection, and the potency of his fist just as strong as any cultivation method of the Yellow Level.


    Everyone present felt their eardrums nearly burst, as the sound of tigers roaring reverberated at Ricky''s move. To the spectators, it seemed as though Ricky had turned into a fierce tiger, whirling about at the arena.


    The strength of his fist put warriors of Skin Refinement to shame.


    "Bang!"


    Two powerful blasts burst out as their hands collided. Both warriors heaved their spiritual energies against each other, the intense energy turning into numerous ripples around them.


    The ripples washed over the whole arena. From afar it looked as though the place would come crashing down.


    Heavy footsteps thudded across the floor.


    Both of the warriors violently staggered back a few steps after that. Then they unsheathed their weapons and began sprinting towards each other.


    Ricky, with his new long saber, looked unstoppable.


    Dustin, meanwhile, h


    er. In the blink of an eye, Ricky turned crimson from head to toe. A slight orange hue was fused with that crimson.


    "Look! He used that powerful cultivation method again!" many disciples cried out upon seeing Ricky''s transformation.


    ''Nine-degree Body Refining Formula! He is so exceptional. In millennia we have not had a warrior like him...'' Elder Abbott, the ninth Elder of the Snow Sect, was overcome with emotion.


    He had become invested with Ricky after seeing the warrior use the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula at his last battle.


    As a demi-immortal warrior, Elder Abbott had years of experience and knowledge. He had quickly determined that Ricky''s move was Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    ''It''s impossible not to notice Ricky. It''s not every day that a warrior masters Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. I''m afraid ''that person'' has also noticed him by now, '' Elder Abbott thought.


    He had changed his mind about this warrior once again.


    ...


    "Screw your body refining cultivation method! You don''t scare me, you little bastard! I will destroy you either way!" Dustin screamed desperately.


    "Dark Diabolic Swords! It''s time to relinquish your life now!"


    Dustin swung his sword three times in a flash, a clever move since it became blurry and imperceptible. But Ricky clearly sensed the frightful force inside it.


    Aided by sword-light, Dustin''s power had now swollen, reaching the peak of Skin Refinement. The battle was not yet over.

 Chapter 41 Despair

    Suddenly!


    The three black shadows of the sword loomed the sky in front of Ricky, dashing to his neck as it tried to give him a fatal blow.


    This swift sword was encapsulated by a powerful sword-light, which further increased the sharpness of its edges.


    All in all, this powerful strike given by Dustin frightened all the warriors in the Skin Refinement.


    As part of the top ten outer disciples of the Snow Sect, Dustin was much stronger than Jim.


    Nevertheless, Ricky had also become much stronger during the past few months. He returned his sword to its sheath on his back, because his lowly weapon at the inferior Mortal Level stood no chance against Dustin. If he so much as tried, it would be broken into two.


    Instead, Ricky crossed his arms around his neck to protect himself from Dustin''s attack.


    "Go to the hell, boy!" Dustin viciously roared when he saw Ricky fend off his strongest hit using the mysterious body refinement cultivation method.


    "Is he crazy? How could he resist physical combat with the cultivation method?" All the disciples around remarked, with disbelief and shock on their faces.


    "Dustin was not like Wade. He was much stronger than him, and with the power of his sword-light he could be the strongest. I didn''t think Ricky''s arms could have survived that hit!" one of them said.


    ......


    "Clang!"


    The sound of metal colliding rang through the air. The three black shadows of the sword struck Ricky''s arms brutally.


    Surprisingly, it didn''t cut off his arms at all, only leaving shallow bloody bruises. Then, the sword suddenly bounced back and changed its direction in mid-air, and hit the battlefield.


    After having survived the three shadows, Ricky charged at Dustin, trying to land a series of punches, but each hit was blocked by Dustin''s sword.


    Both of them were flung back quite a distance on battlefield because of the energy blast from the collision of attacks from both sides.


    The disciples again were stupefied at witnessing this impossibility. Ricky had effectively resisted Dustin''s strongest hit with his body refinement cultivation method.


    "What kind of cultivation method could it be?" Many disciples murmured, their eyes becoming sharp with greed.


    "Is this the power of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula from thousand years ago?" The ninth Elder squin


    warriors around sensed that something was up his sleeve, and something was about to go wrong.


    Suddenly, Dustin took out a pill with the color of blood, swallowing it hastily.


    "Boom!"


    Dustin was suddenly brimming with energy, the renewed power bursting out and rising to the sky. Suddenly, a bloodstain appeared on his body. It was the symbol of a warrior of Blood Purification.


    He had returned to his optimal power, by simply ingesting this small pill.


    "It looks like Energy Boosting Pill!" Some inner disciples said, "Right, it must the Energy Boosting Pill; otherwise, he couldn''t have recovered his full strength in such a short time!"


    "But the Energy Boosting Pill has been coveted by our inner disciples for so long! How could Dustin have one!"


    "Even if the effect of the Energy Boosting Pill last only an hour, it''s more than enough for Dustin to wound Ricky dozens of times! The battle''s outcome has fated now!"


    "Yes! The battle''s fate is set in stone!" many disciples said lowly, overcome with emotion.


    ......


    Ricky now adopted an expression of bitter graveness, as he felt the power of Dustin.


    "The Energy Boosting Pill! It is impossible! How could you have such a thing?" Ricky said, shocked to the core.


    "Ha-ha, are you scared of me now?" Dustin laughed ferociously. "It''s no use being afraid, because you will soon be with my dead brother!"


    Meanwhile, Dustin began to slowly move towards Ricky.


    At this moment, Ricky thought that he truly fell into the utter desperation. Would this be how he was slain?

 Chapter 42 The Powerful Runes

    Ricky knew that the Energy Boosting Pill was quite powerful.


    If the warriors took that kind of pill, it could help them quickly burn the blood vitality inside their body and enhance their strength, making them as powerful as they could be for a whole hour.


    There were no side effects, save for consumption of their blood vitality. And their blood vitality could be replenished by a good meal.


    Not many warriors of Blood Purification had the Energy Boosting Pill. Many Bone Reinforcement warriors craved for it, too. No one expected that Dustin, a warrior of Skin Refinement, would possess that pill.


    "Master Grace, what do we do?" Heather exclaimed anxiously.


    "This time, he really is in danger," Grace uttered with a grave face.


    However, she couldn''t do anything about it, for she didn''t have the right to alter the rules of the ultimate battle between Ricky and Dustin.


    Maybe someone more influential than her could change the rules, but it was too late now.


    "Ricky, I really hope you can find a way to beat him," Grace said under her breath, praying for Ricky. But she didn''t think his chances were good. Being Ricky''s master, she knew his cultivation base and skills very well.


    ...


    "Go to hell!"


    The Energy Boosting Pill only lasted an hour, so Dustin rushed Ricky, trying to take him down quickly. Then he gathered the sword-light energy and swung with all his might.


    This time, Ricky feared for his life the moment he saw Dustin''s blade.


    "You first!"


    Ricky roared, glaring at Dustin in anger and gnashing his teeth. Then he burned his blood vitality and activated the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    But everyone could see that it took a lot of effort for Ricky to do that.


    Arms folded across his chest, Ricky tried to block Dustin''s sword again.


    All of a sudden, Ricky''s blood gushed forth audibly, even though he had managed to block Dustin''s sword. His right arm had suffered a deep wound. Blood rapidly filled the rent and ran down his arm, dripping onto the ground. Even his bone was visible.


    Meanwhile, his body refining buffs disappeared.


    "You''re burning your blood vitality, huh? Let''s see how much you have to burn!" Dustin taunted loudly, and raised his long sword again.


    This time, Ricky didn''t try what


    ''s attack. Effortlessly, Ricky''s fist pierced Dustin''s chest.


    In a few moments the spiritual energy wave dissipated, and the fight was over.


    Indignation in his eyes, Dustin dropped on the Death Arena with a thud. He couldn''t die just like this. He wanted to say something, but he couldn''t utter a single word and then gasped his last and expired.


    Ricky stood on the Death Arena, but after the mysterious runes and the blood vitality provided by the Blood Zone faded away, Ricky was exhausted and dropped to his knees.


    "What just happened? Why did Dustin die instead?" Everyone was deeply shocked when something like that happened. All of this was against all expectations. Everyone bet on Dustin, and didn''t know what to do if they were lost.


    Just now, Ricky was at a huge disadvantage and he might definitely die by Dustin''s attack. But he turned the tables, and Dustin was unable to react. This all seemed like a dream.


    Grace, Heather and Vivian were also stunned by what they saw.


    Elder Abbott stared at the scene in shock.


    Being a demi-immortal and a strong warrior, he even couldn''t figure out how Ricky had done it. It was a single punch that took Dustin out.


    But now that he had the spiritual sense, he could felt that there was something powerful inside Ricky''s body.


    "Weird! But truly interesting!" Elder Abbott said in his mind, narrowing his eyes.


    ''It''s finally over! But what are these runes and the Blood Zone? How do I do any of this?'' Ricky couldn''t help but wonder again.

 Chapter 43 The Rankings

    Everyone present was utterly shocked at the bloody scene that had unfolded on the stage. A stunned stillness settled over the room.


    The disciples were only just beginning to take it in what had happened when Elder Abbott pronounced that Ricky was the winner of the battle.


    Dustin, who was at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement, ranked fifth among the top ten outer disciples. He had a three-star top spiritual meridian, and a skillful talent for swordsmanship. Even though coming into the battle, he had the absolute advantage. However, Ricky eventually beat him. Now Dustin was dead.


    If Ricky had been one of the top ten outer disciples, this deed might have been more acceptable.


    But Ricky had only been training in the Snow Sect for less than three months. However, it was no doubt that he had already become one of the best disciples of them all.


    To top it all off, when he joined the Snow Sect, he was only at the third grade of Skin Refinement without a spiritual meridian. Back then, he had been the bottom of the ranks of all the disciples.


    ''Ricky has become one of our best outer disciples already, '' some of the other disciples thought. Slowly, they began to accept this fact.


    The times when they had called him a loser were long gone, forgotten. Now Ricky was definitely in the top tier, at least among the outer disciples.


    The outer disciples admired Ricky a lot. But unlike them, the inner disciples envied him a great deal.


    Most of them speculated that the reason Ricky had turned the tables during the battle was that he had a special kind of cultivation method.


    ''It seems that he wasn''t showing me all his cards, '' Grace thought to herself as she calmed down. Grace knew some things about the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. Even if Ricky had reached the formula''s second level, he still wouldn''t have been able to block Dustin''s sword-light.


    Elder Abbott departed after he announced the result of the battle.


    But before he left, he stared meaningfully at Ricky. He was shocked at the fact that Ricky had already mastered Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, even just the first degree. And yet, he was also a little amazed at the strength and power that the once-underdog warrior had.


    Leaning on Heather and Vivian, Ricky slowly returned to Grace''s yard, while controlling his breath to alleviate his aches.


    *


    The battle between Ricky and Dustin had been settled once and for all. But for the disciples, the impact of its result still continued.


    Most of these ordinar


    ust won a battle, Ricky wasn''t thinking of these plots against him that were brewing up in the various factions in the land.


    He had been concentrating on cultivating in solitude in order to heal himself.


    He had finally expelled Dustin''s sword-light out of his system upon taking the Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pill Grace had given him.


    Ricky began to realize the true extent of the sword-light''s power.


    Jim''s sword-light was much smaller than Dustin''s.


    ''I should really try to cultivate the Light Apperception!'' Ricky thought decisively.


    Once he had healed his wounds, Ricky was in no haste to end his cultivation. He instead turned his mind on concentrating on the mysterious runes in the Blood Zone.


    When he had been battling Dustin, these mysterious scarlet runes had suddenly and voluntarily connected to his mind. They had asked him to use their power. It meant that he was now even more fit to understand these runes more.


    ''There is definitely a connection between the runes and the Chaos Manual!'' Ricky thought.


    He closed his eyes, trying to connect to those mysterious runes deep in his mind.


    This time, the runes didn''t deflect his connection. They willingly and easily allowed him to connect to them.


    All of a sudden, Ricky felt as though he could control with ease these mysterious runes and even the scarlet flames.


    "Boom!"


    Suddenly, these mysterious runes gathered together, and in a flash of light, integrated themselves into Ricky''s mind.


    Ricky saw what appeared to be a sea of blood, all around, undulated waves of red light.


    ''The Chaos Manual¡ªDevouring Skill!''


    These five words appeared out of nothingness in his mind.

 Chapter 44 Devouring Skill

    When Ricky saw the words in his mind, he once again felt the immense vastness which was felt immortal, as if it were from the infinite remote antiquity.


    "It is the Chaos Manual!" Ricky exclaimed to himself.


    Now, Ricky faintly felt that his new spiritual meridian was more than just that, like it was also a kind of inheritance. Because he had no spiritual meridian, it just acted in place of one.


    "The description on Manuals is supposed to be about the Casting Skill, then the Devouring Skill is..." Ricky said in a low voice, and his spirit again communicated with those runes that had intruded into his Soul Sea.


    Just then, he felt that the mysterious runes turned into a huge block of information that absorbed into his mind.


    Soon, Ricky completely understood what the Chaos Manual and Devouring Skill were.


    From the new-gained information, Ricky learned that the Chaos Manual had been created since the beginning of heaven and earth. It was said to be the first treasure in the world for it was not only as simple as a casting manual, but also included a multitude of cultivation methods of martial arts.


    Those combination of these martial arts cultivation skills and casting skills formed the Nine Supreme Skills, which comprised the Chaos Manual.


    The Devouring Skill was the first skill of the Nine Supreme Skills.


    "The Chaos Manual, the first treasure, has nine supreme skills. But what kind of person would be its original owner? And why would my mother have it?" After understanding how powerful the Chao Manual was, Ricky was taken aback.


    "I can''t tell anyone about the Chaos Manual. Or I''ll be in a lot of trouble!" Ricky warned himself.


    Blood Zone, the first segment of the new spiritual meridian, contained the Devouring Skill which was the first skill of the Chaos Manual. Those mysterious runes turned out to be the cultivation method of the Devouring Skill.


    The other eight supreme skills were in the other eight segments of Ricky''s spiritual meridian. Now he understood why it had split.


    To learn the remaining skills, Ricky would have to enhance within his own realm, inciting the emergence of the other eight segments. This was the same method he had used to obtai


    tice, like Grace had advised him. As long as he was strong and determined, silver coins and gold coins would be easy to get.


    Although Ricky reached the highest level of the eighth grade of Skin Refinement, he wouldn''t breakthrough again right away. He knew that because the breakthrough would be made by the Devouring Power of the Devouring Zone, he needed to lay a solid foundation to ensure that it wouldn''t hamper his future training in martial arts.


    With this, Ricky decided to practice and master the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and Devouring Skill.


    For the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he was confident that he could reach the second degree only by refining his body with the frosty power. By reaching the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he would become virtually unbeatable in the Outer Competition.


    Ricky decided to consult Grace. "Master... What extent of the frosty power should be reached in order to break through and reach the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula?"


    "Centennial Magic Ice!" Grace replied.


    "The Centennial Magic Ice is hidden away in frozen, icy places up on the snow mountains. I know some places where you can start looking for it."


    "Well, I suppose it is time to head for the snow mountains once again!" Ricky said.


    But, before his departure, he needed to select a frosty-natured cultivation method which would enhance his cultivation of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.

 Chapter 45 The Second Top Outer Disciple

    Grace had told Ricky where the Centennial Magic Ice was, so Ricky traded in the body parts he had gathered from the beasts he''d slain during the Iron Blood Trial. He made over two thousand by selling them.


    After this, Ricky went to the Cultivation Method Hall.


    Although he already had two thousand silver coins, Ricky wasn''t planning to exchange the cultivation method of the advanced stage of Yellow Level. Instead, he continued to select from first floor of the Cultivation Method Hall.


    The first floor of the Cultivation Method Hall was one of the main places where the outer disciples would gather and meet. Ricky''s arrival immediately caught the attention of several disciples.


    However, now there was no trace of contempt and disdain of their eyes. Instead, there was awe and respect. When those outer disciples saw Ricky, they were compelled to respectfully call him senior.


    In the world of martial arts, one had to earn respect from his strength.


    Ricky politely replied to them, which took them by surprise. He had struck them with the image of someone who was cruel and fierce when he was fighting at the Death Arena. His friendliness was unexpected.


    Ricky stopped to consider a cultivation method called the Freezing Palm.


    It was a cultivation method of the intermediate stage of Yellow Level. Based on the Spiritual Energy from Heaven and Earth, the warrior could gather the frosty power in his or her palm and channel this power into the body of their opponent.


    If warriors practiced this method and reached minor achievement, they could freeze the skin and meridian of their opponent. When trained to major achievement, they could freeze blood and flesh. At the level of completeness, they would gain the ability to freeze the bones and spinal cord. And if the warrior reached perfection, they would be able to freeze the spiritual energy of their enemy.


    Of course, this was all relative to the strength of their foe.


    "Freezing Palm... Hmm. Alright, I''ll get this." Ricky decided, once he had understood the details about the method.


    After seeing Ricky choose the Freezing Palm, all the disciples began to talk among themselves in hushed tones. They were all


    aive of him to believe that Ricky would sell his method to him. For crying out loud, he was even bargaining with him!


    "Lean, what I mean is two million. Look, if you want to get all the methods, two million would be my price."


    At this, Lean finally confirmed that Ricky was playing him for a fool. His face darkened in an angry scowl.


    Many of the disciples around them laughed.


    Some of the female disciples commented, "Ricky is so cute! Such a naughty boy!"


    .....


    "You!" A roar resounded in the Cultivation Method Hall. It was Lean''s husky voice, shaking with anger.


    "Let me tell you, Ricky, everyone who''s ever dared to mess with me are all six feet under!"


    Lean growled and clenched his fists, channeling a strong whirl of power from within him and punching at Ricky.


    "Lean, what are you doing? As the saying goes, business is business. If you find my offer disagreeable, we can simply stop talking about it!" Ricky stammered, pretending to be afraid when he saw Lean coming at him with his fists.


    Again, all the disciples laughed, but they immediately shut up, because they didn''t want to mess with Lean¡ªthe giant man-bear.


    Now, even if Ricky was retreating, he began channeling the spiritual energy into his right hand with a scarlet rune.


    He was holding the mysterious power of scarlet runes.


    "Devourer Skill, let''s see what you can do for me!" Ricky murmured, before he coiled into himself and threw out a tentative punch.

 Chapter 46 One Punch

    Feeling a boost of arrogance, Ricky decided to move forward rather than assume the position of defense, and shot away at Lean''s manic fist.


    Lean ranked as the second of the top ten outer disciples, which meant that he was almost the most outstanding one. Once he threw a punch, the whole Cultivation Method Hall would tremble, as if resonating with his punch.


    Lean''s punch with spiritual energy surrounding it was full of manic momentum. Unconsciously, a fierce black bear appeared behind Lean, snarling with a deep rumble.


    This manic momentum involuntarily thrilled all the disciples around him.


    "What Lean practices is the physical cultivation method that belongs to Yellow Level, called as Great Strength of Reckless Bear. This cultivation method draws from the blood essence of a fierce bear as the catalyst to drive the boost of the power," some disciples exclaimed.


    "Yes, yes! I''ve heard that Lean''s physical strength has never been inferior to a common warrior at the first grade of Blood Purification!"


    Regardless of Lean''s repute and personality, all the disciples felt admiration for him when they felt this famous punch.


    On the contrary, Ricky''s punch, not only was strange but also plain and empty. It did not make an equivalent impression on the power.


    "Although Ricky can defeat Dustin, I think it''s a bit embarrassing for him to take on Lean right now," some disciples stated.


    "Go to hell!"


    Lean roared fiercely, seeing Ricky unexpectedly begin to attack instead of going into defense, all the while throwing a pathetic punch. He seemed to understand that Ricky would end up with a severely broken arm, and Lean''s punches grew rapidly stronger.


    "Boom!"


    At the next moment, their fists collided, the two opposing momentums making the whole Cultivation Method Hall reverberate with a thunderous sound. All the disciples heard Ricky''s robe whistling under Lean''s punch as if it was going to break into shreds at any time.


    All of a sudden, Ricky''s fist turned blood red with his veins bursting out from under his skin. Undoubtedly, this was because of Lean''s manic strength.


    The manic momentum erupting from Lean enveloped Ricky entirely. It was obvious that Lean had no intentions of giving Ricky a chance.


    This commotion caught the attention of an old guardian at the door of the Cultivation Method Hall...


    ing the Outer Competition.


    "In the Cultivation Method Hall, you should not be displaying this blatant insolence!"


    Suddenly, the old voice of the guardian arose with its husky stateliness. Everyone froze.


    The disciples turned to stare at the old guardian, whose sudden intervention surprised them.


    They soon realized that the old guardian was likely to be a hidden powerful man, otherwise the Snow Sect wouldn''t have entrusted him with such an important place as the Cultivation Method Hall.


    Lean calmed down. He realized that insolence could be very dangerous for him in this place.


    Seeing Lean restrain himself, the elderly man took back the stateliness and restored the whole Cultivation Method Hall as it had been before. Then, he leaned back lazily in his chair again, as if nothing had happened.


    "I challenge you, Ricky. Will you accept it?" Lean growled at Ricky.


    "Hmph, challenge? Coward. If you think you even stand a chance against me, go to the Death Arena with me! Let''s fight a battle to the death!" Ricky spat with disdain at Lean''s challenge.


    "You..." Lean stammered at Ricky''s response.


    Without the previous collision with Ricky, he would have accepted the battle to the death without hesitation, but that one tremendous punch from Ricky had indeed frightened him a lot.


    "Coward! Loser!" Disdain clearly written on his face, Ricky walked out of the Cultivation Method Hall, leaving behind Lean who was fuming with rage and embarrassment.


    Lean watched Ricky to the door, bow deeply to the old guardian, and exit nonchalantly.

 Chapter 47 Encountered Xenia Again

    What happened in the hall spread like wildfire. Soon, everyone in Snow Sect knew what was going on.


    Ricky had gotten a lot of attention since he became a disciple of the sect. Now that he seemed to have beaten Lean, the number two guy among the top ten outer disciples, everyone was keeping an eye on him. Everything he did might be dangerous to the different factions. Especially, the Refinement Faction and the Casting Faction had noticed his capability. They felt menace.


    They noticed that Ricky had quickly grown quite powerful. They had never seen a disciple achieve so much so rapidly.


    Ricky did not pay attention to the gossip about him. Why would he waste time on things that didn''t matter? So he went back to his place, packed up, and headed for the snowy mountains. By midnight, he''d already cleared the gates of the Snow Sect, and kept pressing forward.


    There was a reason he set out in the dead of night. If he tried to do it by day, he would have come into conflict with men from the Refinement or the Casting Factions, and he would likely be quite dead.


    Heather had offered to go with Ricky to find the spot where the Magic Ice was. However, Ricky turned her down, fearing for her safety. He couldn''t guarantee his own safety, let alone hers. He would not forgive himself if she were injured or dead.


    Thanks to Grace''s directions, Ricky arrived at one of the mountain ridges. It was an arduous journey, covered as it was by snow and ice.


    There were lots of small, oddly-shaped peaks on this ridge. Not to mention a small forest.


    The Magic Ice usually formed in icy water.


    That gave him an idea of where to look. He looked for bodies of water that had frozen, either partially or completely.


    Finally, he reached the junction between the outer and inner peaks of the snowy mountains. Beasts could often be found here, with powers like the advanced stage of Skin Refinement or the inferior stage of Blood Purification.


    Being nocturnal animals, they usually hunted at night. So Ricky was extremely careful. He not only had to be stealthy, but he had to keep a sharp eye out. He cautiously climbed a tree and lay in its branches, waiting until dawn. Here, he would have a better view and could avoid being discovered.


    After all, he was still unable to handle the beasts at any grade of Blood Purification. He was well aware that he was weaker, and so would not risk his life fighting them.


    The beasts roaring echoed through the


    ood Purification. That precious Magic Ice was worth it, though.


    The area behind that peak was the central zone of the snowy mountains. Beasts of Blood Purification haunted the area.


    Soon, Jayden Di and Xenia found their way in the coniferous forest. It was an extremely secluded path. They made good time on the path and soon arrived at the central zone.


    There was no coniferous tree or hill. It was a plain basin covered with ice and snow.


    There was a huge frozen pond in the basin.


    "It''s here! No wonder I couldn''t find it. It''s such a secret place," Ricky talked to himself with a low voice, hiding in the forest. "This lake is so huge. It certainly makes sense to have the five hundred years old Magic Ice. The guy, what''s his name? Jayden, yeah! It seems that he wasn''t making things up.


    But how could I take the Ice from them?" Ricky was lost in thought, his brain starting to work on the problem.


    He could sense that Jayden Di and Xenia were definitely warriors at the first grade of Blood Purification. He could almost confirm that Jayden Di was very close to the second grade of Blood Purification.


    He even had difficulty fighting against one warrior of Blood Purification, let alone two.


    "Xenia, here we are. The Magic Ice is right there in the pond. I ordered my men to leave it where it was. It belongs to you now. My gift to you," Jayden Di claimed. "You can use it for cultivation."


    "Thank you, Jayden!" Xenia jumped into the pool before she thanked him. Jayden followed her.


    "What should I do now? Do nothing and let them get the ice?" Ricky gritted his teeth, unwilling to give up the Magic Ice.

 Chapter 48 Xenias Transformation

    While Ricky was still mulling over the matter in his head, Xenia and Jayden had emerged from the frosty pool.


    Now, Xenia''s spiritual energy started to surge and turn blood red. This was the mark of a warrior of Blood Purification.


    The blood-red spiritual energy let out a frosty power, and with it emerged a white ice crystal about one meter long and half a meter wide.


    Even at quite of distance away, Ricky could still feel the strong frostiness and power emanating from the white ice crystal. It was, without a doubt, no other than Magic Ice. Ricky deduced that based on its intense frostiness, this Magic Ice was around five centuries old.


    "What should I do?" Time was running out for Ricky to make up his mind. If he didn''t try to steal the Magic Ice now, he would never have any chance again.


    But he knew that even if he tried to fight for the Magic Ice, he might not be able to defeat Jayden and Xenia. After all, the two were the warriors of Blood Purification.


    "Jayden, guard and protect me now!" Xenia said, after emerging from the pool. She had every intention of refining this Magic Ice of five hundred years right there to absorb its ice energy.


    But Jayden didn''t reply.


    Instead, he let his eyes linger on Xenia''s curvaceous figure.


    "Jayden!" Xenia shouted furiously as she noticed Jayden''s lustful gaze.


    "Xenia, do you want to come with me and become a member of the Di Clan?" Jayden said with a naughty smile, raising his handsome face to meet her eyes.


    "Jayden! Please, have some respect for both of us and watch your mouth!" Xenia uttered in a cold, warning tone.


    But in a moment, she was surprised to find that her body began to feel a bit soft and limp. What was worse, the spiritual energy inside her body seemed to be draining. She then felt very hot and uncomfortable.


    "Something seems to be wrong!" Ricky said, observing from afar.


    "Ha-ha. Xenia, you''re feeling very different right now, aren''t you?" Jayden laughed fiendishly, noticing that the drug had begun to take effect.


    "You drugged


    Fiercely, she fixed her eyes on Ricky.


    The three snow-white tails swaying in the air began to approach him, trying to wrap themselves around him.


    Despite Ricky''s strong will and presence of mind, he had been totally stunned by what he saw, failing to snap back to reality even when the three snow-white tails reached him.


    But Xenia''s power seemed to ebb suddenly, and the three tails quickly withdrew. Xenia rapidly regained her original form.


    But now, the drug''s effect overcame her again, and Xenia convulsed in the snow.


    "Oh my God! It''s so terrible!" Ricky uttered with fear, clutching his chest as soon as he came to his senses.


    Staring at Xenia''s pitiful form with horror in his eyes, he became vigilant.


    When he heard Xenia groan in torment, Ricky slowly approached her.


    Sensing Ricky, Xenia mustered up her strength, desperately scratching his body. Deep inside the drugged state she was in, she was still fighting.


    However, now she had lost her power, so Ricky succeeded in blocking her futile attempts.


    "Oh dear. I''ve heard that the only way to stop the effects of such a drug is to have sexual intercourse. Otherwise, her meridians might crack and she might die, '' Ricky mumbled reluctantly at the sight of Xenia, curled up on the ground so pitifully and helplessly.


    Without thinking about it, his eyes lingered on her.

 Chapter 49 Two Complicated Hearts

    Ricky''s heart began to pound when he saw Xenia flush and breathe rapidly. He smelled her fragrant aroma.


    However, this feeling immediately vanished, as long as he thought of the terrifying change which had happened to Xenia just now. To Ricky, she was now a freak.


    Now, prominent meridians had shown themselves on Xenia''s flushed face because the drug had already taken effect on every part of her body. She would die once her meridians burst, if no measures would be taken.


    At this moment, Ricky felt hesitant.


    Of course, he didn''t want Xenia to die.


    Besides, after that terrifying change, Xenia looked extremely alluring. Like other men, Ricky also had some dirty ideas when he was confronted with the sight of such a beautiful woman.


    "Gulp!" Ricky swallowed when Xenia kept scratching at him. "I have to sacrifice myself if there are no other options."


    He realized he had feelings for the girl.


    ...


    ''Devouring Skill! My Devouring Skill can drain the power of the drug!'' Ricky suddenly thought of that.


    He pulled out his knife, making a small cut on Xenia''s arm. He then activated the power of Devouring Skill and Devourer Zone to absorb the energy of the drug.


    Devouring Skill was one of the Nine Supreme Skills in the Chaos Manual. It was capable of devouring even the most fatal energy from a drug. Soon, the energy was almost completely drained.


    Xenia''s eyes rolled to the back of her head as she fainted.


    "It worked!" Ricky whispered when he saw her grow quiet.


    Ricky immediately sat cross-legged and transferred all the energy of the drug to his Devourer Zone. Upon doing this, he activated the Devouring Fire in order to burn it and eliminate it from his system.


    It took two whole hours for Ricky to burn the energy thoroughly.


    However, the white whip that was Xenia''s weapon of choice was already around his neck when he came to life. He would certainly die if Xenia tightened her whip even just s


    , in Ricky''s mind, he would have liked if Xenia owed him something.


    Xenia might have felt the same way. But it was time to split ways.


    Ricky looked down at the ground, turned around, and walked away.


    "Is this the right thing to do? Let him go?" Xenia murmured as she watched him grow farther away. "Anyway, could I even have the heart to kill him?"


    ...


    Ricky didn''t have any reason to stay at snowy mountains after he obtained the Magic Ice. He had no desire to hunt the beasts, either.


    Ricky briefly told Grace what had happened to him after he came back to the Snow Sect, and also caught up briefly with Heather, before he began to cultivate in seclusion.


    It was time to break through the First Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and reached the Second Degree with Magic Ice and Sacred Blood Crystal.


    In preparation, Ricky spent the whole day calming himself down.


    Xenia''s words echoed in his mind "I don''t want to owe you anything," not only upset him but also hit a nerve with his self-esteem.


    Ricky shut his eyes tightly. Weakness. It all came down to his weakness.


    "Strength, I need to have powerful strength!" Ricky said as he clenched his fists and growled inwardly.


    With this, he rushed to his room and began the cultivation of the power of ice.

 Chapter 50 The Casting Began

    Untouched magic encased in ancient ice of five hundred years lay in front of Ricky; its towering height dwarfed his own figure and basked him in a luminous glow. He rested a hand on its hard surface as the relic''s inborn light seeped through his thick skin and illuminated the redness of his blood and flesh underneath. Short puffs of white clouds came out of his breath as he exhaled, readying himself for the activation of his Devouring Skill.


    Tendrils of wild winds started to circulate the area in dizzying speeds the more he focused on mobilizing his ability. The beginnings of pallid mist engulfed his body, growing thicker and thicker by the minute as he voraciously absorbed the dormant power beneath the hard shell of the iceberg. Prickling cold devoured the warmth of his temperature, robbing him of any solace to counter the freezing atmosphere. It permeated into the deepest depths of his being as it instilled inside his bones and racked him in endless shivers.


    "T - The Quincentennial Magic Ice ¡­ Its power is r-r-really outstanding!" exclaimed Ricky, managing to squeeze out his words of awe through gritted teeth.


    The agony of having the frost stop his blood''s circulation turned his face into an unhealthy shade of white and dyed his lips to a sickening hue of blue. It was torture; one that he had willingly dived into, especially when he knew that the outcome of withstanding such unbearable pain thrilled him more than anything. He was determined to reach the Second Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, and for that to be attained, he needed to form this numbing power into his own.


    He grunted and spasmed as another surge of tremors washed over him. If it were not for his strategy in transferring the acquired energy directly to its new home in the Devourer Zone, he would have been reduced to an iced carcass as soon as he had absorbed a small portion of the magic.


    He tried to move, and with great difficulty, his nearly paralyzed fingers took the Body Refining Pill from his pocket and raised it to his mouth, swallowing it as soon as it dropped. He had saved it specifically for this moment, knowing that the Pill would produce the best possible result when taken during the process of refining.


    It took a staggering six hours for Ricky to conclude the whole process, the ice melting away as soon as he finished. He could not deny that there were occasions where trepidation tempted him to succumb to his impatience and need for a break from the misery. There was no shame in admitting that he had to fight against his weaknesses; he was still human after all, and his perseverance and greed were enough proof of validation for that aspect.


    Sighing in relief and content, Ricky began stretching his limbs in preparation for another gruesome trial. "Good! It''s time to start the refinement now," he muttered, standing upright as he wrapped up his last set of warm-ups.


    He proceeded to take a meager part of the seized mana from the Devourer Zone and poured it into his regained spiritual meridian. It flowed ceaselessly in his bloodstream, filling up every crevice like liquid pulsing to grant him the chance at rebirth until he felt the magic settle inside him.


    It was by no means a comfortable adjustment. It was excruciating, more so compared to the prior experience he went through. Perhaps, it was a given, what with the magic being tremendous to the point where even a warrior at the intermediate stage of Blood Purification might not be able to stand it. As a warrior stuck in the eighth grade of Skin Refinement, Ricky was understandably in a lot more torment that most would not even dare endure in their lifetime.


    He felt as if he had reached the last level of hell. Trapped not in a blazing inferno, but in the unforgiving, frigid air of a vast icy terrain with no salvation in sight. Bare, trembling and barely competent in holding himself together after being torn apart mercilessly again and again. He could not relax for the slightest instant, certain that he would not be able to keep himself upright if he did so.


    Overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of trembles that shook him to the core, Ricky felt he did a wise decision by trans


    "They aren''t useful for you anyway, please? Won''t you give them to me?" He pleaded, attempting to put on an innocent look that failed to hide his mischievousness beneath.


    "Why do you want them?"


    She squinted her eyes suspiciously. Sometimes, she had great difficulty in perceiving Ricky''s odd behavior.


    "I think it''s time for me to practice casting!" Ricky answered with a confident voice. Loud chortles burst out from Heather upon hearing Ricky''s claim, "Seriously? You must be kidding!" she refuted, unable to hold back another set of laughter from bubbling out from her chest. "I''ve heard that a very special spiritual meridian is a must for casting. You don''t even have a--"


    She cut herself off, her gleeful smile falling into a solemn one. She regretted her insensitive remarks immediately, realizing that she must have hurt his feelings after making fun of his lack of a spiritual meridian.


    "I''m sorry, Ricky. I didn''t mean that," she bowed her head, apologizing profusely for her rudeness.


    "Hey, it''s okay. I''m not angry," he soothed her, adding a joking lilt to his voice as reassurance that he didn''t take any offense on any word that was said. Heather was younger than him, so in his eyes, he had grown to view her as a younger sister. Furthermore, she had always helped him in the past, and for that, he would always be grateful.


    She must''ve felt extremely bad though, seeing as she didn''t entertain his flippant tone and only hummed in cognizance.


    Ricky wanted to comfort her but was distracted when Grace continued on, opting to turn into more pressing matters. "Casting is way more challenging. You must be well aware of that, Ricky," Grace stated seriously. "Even if you have a spiritual meridian, there''s still a bigger percentage for failing. Imagine what situation you would be in without one.


    I suggest that you not waste your efforts on it, since it would only be in vain."


    "Thank you, Master, for your kind suggestion. I know that you only want to look after me. But I know myself the most. I swear that I''ll succeed! Trust me, please."


    Ricky burned with the fierce resolve of his will, and met Grace''s gaze head-on to reflect his genuineness, "You''re both right. I don''t have a spiritual meridian, but so what? I still managed to get to where I am now! I won''t disappoint you, I promise."


    A tense moment passed, until the strained atmosphere was broken by an exasperated sigh from Grace, "Fine then, I know I can''t stop you either way." Ricky let out a long exhale, appreciation gushing out of him. Seeing him so ecstatic, Grace felt the need to shatter it a bit, "You can take those scraps. But, you must pay for it. The fee is a thousand silver coins,"


    Grace guffawed, taking pleasure on Ricky''s dumbstruck face while Heather only smirked smugly.

 Chapter 51 The Casting Way

    Ricky was almost reeling from shock after hearing what Grace said.


    What a joke! A pile of scrap metal was not even worth a thousand copper coins, and here she was charging him a thousand silver coins. What kind of master was she?


    But, he agreed anyway.


    Besides, he had never paid off the silver coins he owed her. So he was going to do the same.


    After Ricky left, Grace continued to brief Heather on their cultivation method practice. Neither of them were concerned about Ricky''s casting thing.


    Neither believed in the slightest that Ricky could cast, not even the lowest level of ordinary weapons. They both just chalked it up as another one of Ricky''s fantasies.


    In Grace''s abandoned weapons arsenal, Ricky selected several delicate irons, bronzes and polished stones and put them into the yard.


    These, he planned to exchange for a big tripod he would use for the casting.


    After going to a place where he couldn''t be seen, Ricky took the beasts he had hunted in the snow mountains out of the Devourer Zone and then went to the Snow Kitchen Hall to sell it for silver coins.


    This time, Ricky exchanged ten beasts at the peak grade of Skin Refinement for a hundred golden coins, which was equivalent to ten thousand silver coins. This made him very excited. It was the first time in his life that he saw so much money in front of him.


    In the outer Snow Sect, there stood a Weapons Hall where a variety of weapons were sold. The Snow Sect disciples were free to buy any top grade weapons of the Mortal Level of their choosing - as long as they could afford it.


    Strictly speaking, only the powerful warriors of the Bone Reinforcement were qualified to use them.


    The Weapons Hall and the Cultivation Method Hall were all extremely lively. Outer disciples and inner disciples streamed in and out, chattering, bickering, transacting.


    Ricky''s arrival drew the attention of many disciples, even inner ones.


    There were four floors in the Weapons Hall. The first floor sold the most common weapons, the second floor had inferior weapons of the Mortal Level, the third floor offered middle level weapons of the Mortal Level, and the fourth one showcased superior weapons of the Mortal Level.


    Even if he had ten thousand silver coins'' worth, Ricky could barely afford the weapons of t


    Ricky used now was the Devouring Skill of the Chaos Manual.


    Devouring Skill could devour impurities, which would aid the process greatly.


    Moreover, Ricky fused his spiritual energy and the Devouring Fire together, quenching them in the process. This further helped eliminate impurities, which was not surprising. After all, it was the power of Devouring Fire.


    To a degree, Ricky was practicing for something other than casting too in the process.


    Casters could go into a trance-like state of concentration once they were accustomed to the rhythm of striking the newly formed metal. It would be more conducive to them to understand the three incomparable powers of Light, Intent and Soul Apperception.


    Understanding the Light Apperception was one of the most pressing reasons that made Ricky decide to do casting.


    He hadn''t fully realized the power of Light Apperception, until he fought with Dustin.


    He needed to grow stronger, and the Light Apperception was indispensable for this goal.


    Ricky''s pace, which affected the hit track, slightly moved with every strike. It was a regular hit skill, and also the Devouring Skill.


    "Clang! Clang!"


    Soon, the small courtyard resounded with the rhythm of this sound.


    When casting, warriors could drown out the noise, instead focusing on the rhythm of the atmosphere. Slowly, Ricky started to get into the beat of his work and this atmosphere.


    Grace and Heather quietly emerged from the house, watching Ricky hitting the broadsword he had forged. They were in shock.

 Chapter 52 Success

    "Master, the way he does the beat seems to be natural manual. The rhythm and the invisible artistic conception which can never be achieved by random beating, actually generated an epiphany inside of me," Heather said in a trance, while watching each action of his beating.


    Grace did not give her answer to the question immediately. Instead, she intensely stared at the track Ricky had made, and felt with a sensitive heart the rhythm and artistic feeling by him.


    The more she felt, the stronger the shock was in her eyes. She could not believe that Ricky could produce something as special as that.


    There were quite a number of casting masters in the Snow Sect, even two of the Demi-spirit Level. Although Grace had seen them produce the rhythm and the artistic effects, none of them were as perfect as how Ricky did it.


    "How could it be possible?" said Grace in disbelief in the bottom of her heart after she got the feeling of awe and astonishment.


    Ricky''s rhythm was absolute treasure for every pounding of the weapon was felt in his heart and no one could do it like him.


    But the question remained the same--how could one practice such a perfect Manual even without a spiritual meridian?


    Questions haunted her mind which was in chaos at the moment for she had never felt so many emotions at the same time-- doubt, astonishment, and disbelief.


    They were there as the audience and as much as they were excited they would never do anything to distract and disturb Ricky. That would ruin the moment, the perfection of Ricky''s process. And on the other hand, it inspired them to more thinking.


    ...


    Ricky was in a trance. He let his innermost self do all the work without having to think twice of what he was doing and what he was about to do. He was a natural.


    In such a mysterious state, his perception and understanding of the Devouring Skill sharpened. This laid out the foundation towards the understanding of Light Apperception.


    Light, Intent, and Soul, these three powerful forces, were to be understood in insight and artistic atmosphere...


    Plunged in the deep natural trance, Ricky continued the beat giving all of his strength. He had the capacity to become a master of casting.


    Ricky beat the crimson knife along with the beating of his heart. Black sparks flew out of the knife and iron, stripping it away of all its impurities.


    Ricky was unstoppable. He pounded the weapon again and again and again until it was pure to perfection. This was not the end, however, of his skill of mastery for the Pounding Skill was to be learned after his Devouring Skill.


    Fourteen times had Ricky pounded the wea


    ields he was going to excel. He was on fire.


    "Well, Heather, you are gonna have to be nicer to me in the days to come,"


    he said playfully to Heather with a wink.


    "Humph!" Heather grunted coldly at his teasing.


    "Don''t be too proud! Countless disciples in the casting realm were impeded as being merely moulders of Demi-mortal Level, never succeeding in becoming a real master of the Mortal Level." Looking at his jaunty look, Grace said seriously.


    "I see, Master." Ricky said quietly.


    "Ricky, how did you learn the manual?" Heather could not control her curiosity any longer and asked the warrior.


    "Heather, as there is a cultivation method which could be adopted by those warriors without spiritual meridian, there is a manual for their cultivation in this world. We can still be great warriors even if we are the ordinary ones." Ricky smiled.


    "And I was lucky enough to have gained a profound understanding of both."


    "Master, is that possible?" Heather put her gaze onto Grace as soon as she heard Ricky exclaim, hoping for an honest answer.


    Grace shook her head and said softly, "Maybe."


    They did not press him for further answer, however, for they knew that it was a secret of him.


    "Ricky, you''d better not let anyone else know that you are capable of casting, for you are the one without any spiritual meridian. All eyes will be on you, and threats will arise along with it. You must be very careful as to whoever you wish to share your secret with, " Grace then bade him once again.


    "I know, Master." Ricky nodded with humility.


    "Even for a genius, the learning experience of pounding is a necessity along this journey. Tomorrow I will take you to visit a predecessor of our Snow Sect. You''d better get ready for it. "

 Chapter 53 A Rival Cannot Be Avoided

    Hardly taking any time to rest, Ricky spent the night casting weapons. He was so eager to grasp the Light Apperception quickly, even if he could only learn just a little bit. It would greatly improve his chances of winning the Outer Competition.


    As she promised, the next day Grace took Ricky to an extremely large and broad courtyard.


    Upon arriving, a resounding beating sound was heard. It had a rhythmic beat, undoubtedly that of the law of the treasure book.


    "There are two casting masters at Demi-spirit Level in the Snow Sect, who are the top talents in the whole area. One of them is the second Elder, and the other is the fifth, Elder Samuel, who owns this courtyard," Grace explained.


    "The second Elder, who founded the Casting Faction of Snow Sect, has chosen a number of his disciples from the Faction."


    "So, Master, have I offended the second Elder?" He asked cautiously.


    He was startled to discover that the Casting Faction had been founded by a casting master at Demi-spirit Level, whose status was on par with the innate spirit.


    "Relax, Ricky. The second Elder is so powerful that a warrior like you will not be taken seriously," Grace replied.


    "Oh... I''m glad to hear that!" Ricky said, feeling relieved.


    "The disciples of Elder Samuel are those he considers qualified for his standards. Otherwise, a warrior would never be accepted as his disciple, no matter how gifted he was at casting. Because of this, Elder Samuel has never had more than fifteen disciples," Grace added.


    "Sounds like the fifth Elder has wonderful personality indeed," Ricky murmured.


    "I really do hope that Elder Samuel finds you qualified. Otherwise, you would have to leave here even if I vouched for you. That would be a great loss for you."


    "Haw-haw, Master, a charming disciple like me will surely make the cut!" Ricky was confident.


    Ignoring his little joke, Grace sternly reminded him, "Make sure, after walking into the courtyard, that you


    most made her lost control during the cultivation.


    After she had returned and caught her breath, she had been secretly looking for him with revenge in mind.


    At the sight of him, her usually charming eyes suddenly grew cold.


    But it soon dissipated upon seeing that Ricky was hiding behind Grace. She regained her composure.


    She had heard that Grace recruited a new disciple, and as things turned out, it was Ricky.


    "Bertha, you know I''ve come here for a reason." Grace smiled, "I come here today to ask you for a favor."


    "This is my disciple Ricky whom I have mentioned to you. I would like him to have a chance to watch the casting here before the Outer Competition, so he could comprehend the Light Apperception."


    "Of course. This is your disciple. I''ll instruct him myself hereafter." Bertha readily agreed.


    "Forget it, I changed my mind," Ricky hurriedly whispered to Grace. Bertha''s agreement worried him.


    However, Grace ignored Ricky''s words and continued to talk to Bertha.


    Now and then, as she talked, Bertha looked at Ricky with her beautiful eyes. The meaning in them was obvious, "You will suffer later."


    ''I''m dead meat!'' Ricky thought.


    ¡­


    Then Grace departed, leaving Ricky alone in the room with Bertha.


    "Bertha!" Ricky courteously said, forcing a stiff smile.

 Chapter 54 Bertha

    "Aren''t you that guy everyone''s been talking about in the Snow Sect? The one doesn''t have the spiritual meridian?" Bertha came to the front of Ricky, put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him and said with a sly grin.


    Ricky''s heart raced. Bertha''s sweet fragrance engulfed the atmosphere. The trees and the flowers in the mountaintops, the sweet nothings, and hearts started to pop in Ricky''s mind. He flushed a bit, turning his cheeks pink. This made him feel a little bit embarrassed.


    "Yes, I am," Ricky responded respectfully while taking a step backwards. The embarrassing scene kept on repeating in his head. Was it romantic? He felt more and more embarrassed as he thought about it. This made him the little awkward boy you''d see who''s clearly crushing on an idol. He averted Bertha''s eyes during conversations as much as he could.


    "It seems like that the legend is true. Maybe you really are a genius. And because of that, you might get to the eighth grade of Skin Refinement even without the spiritual meridian." Bertha continued, "Since Grace entrusted you to me... well, before anything else, let''s test your power!"


    Suddenly...


    Ice started to surround Ricky. Icy cold crystals formed around him which made him shiver to the core, including his breath which he puffed out like a cloud.


    In an instant, he felt the powerful cold palm generated by Bertha. This cold palm mixed with strong blood vitality and rushed to his system.


    Time was of the essence. He did not overthink about what he was about to do, as he was running out of time. He crossed his arms and immediately tried to resist the strong attack made by Bertha, but it was not that effective. He was still being frozen literally.


    Ricky''s powers rendered useless to Bertha''s attack. He was trembling, with his insides crunching and twisting in pain. There was a loud thud as he fell on the ground crying in pain.


    The disciples stopped on their tracks upon seeing Ricky on the ground. They were confused as to what it was all about. They all stood there, waiting for an explanation for they had no idea what grudges Bertha could possibly hold against this Ricky.


    All of the disciples knew that Grace and Bertha were very close. They were like sisters, as the disciples thought, but even if there was a chance that Bertha did not like Ricky, this did not give her any right to treat him like this, not for Grace''s sake!


    ''Is there any feud between Ricky and Bertha?'' Many disciples thought. All of the disciples took pity on Ricky who was on the floor in excruciating pain. His face was scrunched like a paper you''d throw out. His arms were holding his stomach where all the pain was concentrated. He was beaten into a pulp. Everyone just felt sorry for him.


    In the area of the Snow Sect, Bertha had a strong reputation for being the ill-tempered that she was. Anyone who would dare cross her path and offend her would suffer the consequences. No one would be spared, and it never ended well.


    Bertha took a step back as soon as she felt the pleasure in seeing Ricky suffer. She drew her hand back, and watched Ricky unfold as he felt the pain lessen.


    oncepts of yesterday''s task. Do you understand?" Bertha said solemnly.


    Casting was a sacred process for any casting master. It developed the values of a true warrior and more importantly hones a warrior''s skills and abilities. Bertha devoted all her time that day that she had to abandon any other task that she had. She was focused on this lesson.


    "Yes, I understand!" Ricky said firmly, and nodded after seeing her serious eyes.


    Meanwhile, all disciples in the yard gathered around. Obviously, like Ricky, they all came here to watch the process of casting.


    Bertha was a special disciple of the Elder Samuel, which was why she was very proficient in casting. She was a casting master in the intermediate Mortal Level. Apparently, all disciples around here would be able to benefit a lot from watching this done especially by her.


    Under the fire, the molten hot casting material in the tripod had melted and boiled as she began to make her own cast implement. All eyes were on her, on her hands and how she doing the procedure. She was very careful with handling the pots and avoiding spills.


    Ding~


    With the rhythm sound of the beat, all disciples beside began to watch her attentively, including Ricky. He was not able to talk the whole time he was watching the casting process. His jaws were a gape, he almost drooled at the beauty of the whole process!


    What he did yesterday was not that far from what Bertha was doing now. It was a fact that all manuals in the world were born for casting--a stepping stone, if one must put into words. Just like different paths led to the same destination. The manual labor that he did yesterday would do him good for casting.


    Over and over again, Bertha continued to use the method of manual, beating the cast implement, just like how Ricky chopped wood in the courtyard. The rhythm, the beat, it was there. The heat, the pounding of the material, everything was magically in sync.


    The process was not manual labor to the eyes of Ricky and the disciples. From what they saw, it was not casting at all. It was art in its purest form.

 Chapter 55 The Outer Competition Kicks Off

    Upon entering the ideal realm of the Bertha''s manual, Ricky felt that he was much, much closer to the comprehension of Light Apperception.


    The manual that Bertha had cultivated was by no means better than Ricky''s Chaos Manual. However, Bertha far surpassed Ricky, who was still a greenhorn in terms of fully understanding manuals. The ideal realm devised by Bertha far outshone that created by Ricky.


    ''It was definitely the right decision to come here as an observer!'' Ricky sighed.


    But the sobering fact remained that Bertha would never let him live a smooth life here.


    In this world, integrity was much more valuable than life to all the women here. Bertha would never forgive Ricky having seen half of her body. This was a great taboo for a virgin.


    It took her all of half a day to cast weapons.


    Ricky and his companions came to sober realizations after assimilating into the ideal realm.


    Ricky had gained a lot from observing the world here. For one, he had a deeper ability to comprehend manuals and the method of forging. And in addition to this, he had a gut feeling that he would soon find a way to harness the power of Light Apperception.


    "Winfred Wang, take this sword with you and tell the leader of the Weapons Hall that the price of this sword cannot be less than 50, 000 silver coins," Bertha said to her disciple, turning over the sword she had cast. Indeed, it was a perfect blade, excellent in every respect.


    "Fifty...fifty thousand silver coins! How precious it is! What is the grade of this sword?" Ricky was astonished upon hearing that this sword was worth fifty thousand silver coins.


    "Ricky, you should know that Bertha is a casting master at the intermediate stage of Mortal Level. And the weapons she casts belong to the Mortal Level," Winfred explained.


    "You may not have known this, but the truth is that Bertha is the youngest casting master at the intermediate stage of Mortal Level across the whole Snow Sect," another disciple added, voice full of admiration.


    In addition to her sophisticated casting skills, Bertha was so incredibly comely and charming that all disciples admired her greatly.


    What these disciples said obviously pleased Bertha quite well. She raised her head slightly, a hint of happy pride flashing in her eyes.


    Then, she said to her disciples, "My work for the day is done. You should start to cult


    is cultivation.


    Now, he had no intentions of cultivating in seclusion or casting weapons. Instead, Ricky shifted his focus on training his mind so as to channel all his strength and get into the best shape possible for the Outer Competition.


    He attached little importance to his place in this competition but placed high value on winning awards.


    These awards had attracted many advanced warriors of Blood Purification.


    The last time around, the competition''s prize for the winner of first place was the freedom to select his desirable weapon of intermediate Mortal Level, in addition to a set of cultivation method of the inferior stage of Black Level as well as ten Blood Purification Pills.


    Any one of these three prizes was sufficient to conquer warriors of Blood Purification, to the extent that their heads would be broken and bleeding while fighting for the prize.


    .....


    Finally, the day of the Outer Competition arrived.


    All of the Snow Sect was bustling with noise and excitement, the atmosphere bursting with anticipation.


    Almost all disciples of the Snow Sect had arrived at the largest square of this sect.


    Nevertheless, not all disciples would participate in Outer Competition. Only those who were deemed fit to enter the top 100 would join, because the awards were prepared only for the top 100.


    There were a great number of disciples attending this competition, each thinking highly of their own skills and competence.


    In the crowed square, the first to arrive were the nine Elders ¡ª the renowned nine demi-immortal warriors of the Snow Sect.

 Chapter 56 Sect Chief—Zenith

    However, not all of the nine elders would attend the Outer Competition.


    From mid-air, four figures came floating down. The first one, who was familiar to Ricky, was Elder Abbott. He had just hosted two of Ricky''s most recent battles to the death.


    From the murmur of the other disciples, Ricky came to know the other three elders.


    One grizzly man was Elder Neil; one old woman was Elder Lucia, and the last one was an ancient-looking man who had been the top elder of the Snow Sect. He had achieved demi-immortality for centuries.


    He was known as a senior demi-immortal.


    Their presences showed the difficulty in making a breakthrough to the level of an innate spirit from that of only a demi-immortal.


    The four elders settled down, smiling at the disciples and standing beside the chairs on the dais. The sect chief of the Snow Sect hadn''t arrived yet; they did not sit down out of courtesy.


    "Are they waiting for the sect chief? I''ve heard that the chief of the Snow Sect is an out-and-out inborn overmatch. What could he be like?" Ricky murmured to himself.


    "Ricky, it is said that the sect chief is honored as the top-ranked overmatch of the whole Snow Land!" Heather whispered into his ear.


    "As the top-ranked overmatch of the Snow Sect, he must really deserve to be the sect chief!" Ricky thought.


    ...


    "Ricky!" An aggressive voice yelled. Two young men walked up to Ricky and Heather.


    One of them was Lean, and Ricky also knew the other one as Jarvis, the fourth-ranked outer disciple. They both belonged to the Refinement Faction.


    "Lean, what''s up? What? Can''t wait to watch my body refinement cultivation method again?" Ricky snickered, looking scornfully at Lean.


    "Watch your cultivation method? Don''t flatter yourself of your nonsense refinement cultivation method! I''m here to warm you to watch your back at Outer Competition!" Lean said ferociously, his lips curling.


    "Don''t you know that offending anyone in the Refinement Faction will always end badly?" Jarvis echoed.


    "Really? Then you should know as well that anyone who crosses me will suffer the same fate!" Ricky said coldly.


    "I wonder if you will s


    r eighty percent of the total number of outer disciples. Seeing this percentage, Zenith and the four Elders were greatly satisfied.


    Zenith then stood, waving his hands and showering the disciples'' hands below with countless of ice crystals.


    "Each ice crystal has a number. Find the people holding the same number as yours. They will become your opponents." Elder Evan added, "The winner will get one score, and this battle will last ten rounds.


    After ten rounds, disciples whose scores rank in the top one hundred will get rewards. Next, the top fifty and the top ten disciples will be selected from them.


    The closer you are to the top of the rank, the greater rewards you will receive. Everyone must be clear on this. Remember well that every battle is of vital importance to you and your rank. I hope to see everyone give their best efforts!"


    "Rahhh!" Encouraged by the mention of rewards again, the disciples cheered aloud.


    "Well, go search for your opponent and fight with them on any one of the arenas!"


    ...


    Very quickly, battles ensued on the hundreds of small arenas around the square.


    After a round ended, Zenith would re-distribute ice crystals to determine a new set of opponents for the participants.


    Ten rounds lasted till the evening, which produced the top one hundred disciples.


    Ricky, as well as many other disciples at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement, won all ten rounds they engaged in.

 Chapter 57 Fight Against Jarvis

    The stadium was filled with unrelenting energy from the rowdy, hollering crowd spectating from the stands. Shrieks of laughter and protest mixed in with the war cries from contenders down in their respective battle rings highlighted the excitement sparking in the air. Countless disciples had fallen down to their knees in the face of a stronger foe since yesterday; a natural order to the way of the martial arts. It was by no means a shock, as many had observed the winners puffing their chests with a pride that only beings at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement could possess. Most of them had been on a roll; winning their bouts continuously up until the tenth streak. After all, it must have been an easy brawl since the masters were not fated to meet early in the game, as per Zenith''s veiled rule of the tournament.


    The superiors had arranged the combats to be battles of the fittest. Ineligible competitors were successfully weeded out on the first day, amassing to a jarring number of one hundred victors to compete next until fifty stood on top of the rankings.


    Regulations stayed consistent all throughout the event. Candidates were expected to fight ten rounds with the goal of accumulating marks in every round, and the one who scored highest would be granted the name of the champion.


    All in all, the challengers that now stood confidently in the middle of the massive arena were the products of the bloody system; the esteemed predators of the whole sect.


    They were an elite group composed of varying individuals at the eighth or ninth grade of Skin Refinement, emitting loud, intimidating auras that muted the deafening noise coming from almost-sore throats of adrenaline-pumped onlookers. The heated atmosphere further pronounced the mass hysteria sweeping over the place. Judging by the overwhelming response of the public, today''s match would certainly be a legendary sight to behold;


    an awaited massacre of rivals until only fifty, rightful kings remained.


    Time passed, and soon, nine rounds of battles were to meet its end.


    The top ten outer disciples breezed through their scuffles, nonchalantly acquiring triumph after triumph, having not encountered any powerful nemesis to wreck their balance. If it were not for the unfortunate exception of Jim and Dustin''s death by hand of Ricky, their title as the ten would have not been reduced to eight.


    On the other hand, a flurry of powerful attacks unleashed by Ricky pranced in time with the cheers of masses. He acted unbothered as he effectively blew his opponents away from him like annoying pests foolishly clinging to his skin. His display of unmitigated prowess led to his predictable success. Much like the venerated disciples, he too, had won his share of skirmishes. He poised with a calmness and elegance only confidence could bring, and the entirety of Snow Sect knew that it was not baseless. They had put enough faith in his proficiency to believe that he could single-handedly defeat any outer disciple that dares to challenge him. Only a few would choose to be blinded by sheer bias and judgment to see his clear potential, and some thirsted for him to be leading a bigger picture for the nearing future.


    Zenith and the Elders fell on the latter category; they had high hopes for Ricky for the explicit reason of their greed needing someone like him in every sect.


    Ultimately, geniuses of his level were notably hard to come by. A few had cut it close, much like the emergence of a sudden dark horse by the name of Edgar Li.


    He was exceedingly good and a talent that would perhaps be viewed as a rarity by most. But, ones with keen eyes would have known right away that Edgar Li was just an average, ordinary outer disciple before.


    Not to demean his undeniable growth; he had surel


    Ricky blocked another ruthless attempt to break his cover. He gritted his teeth, growing exasperated, "Fine, if your faction is so proud of your own cultivation method, I will defeat you using the same method today!" He exclaimed, rushing to meet Jarvis head-on. For a brief moment, Jarvis had been caught off guard. Still, he did not waver and instead let a manic grin mar his face as he welcomed Ricky''s counter.


    Mirroring his cruel smile, Ricky''s fist collided with the other


    with a more powerful pressure compared to their first contact in the battle. It shook the arena, causing vibrations to travel through metal and tremors to encourage the fall of multiple debris onto the unsuspecting audience. Small tornados sprung from where they were in reaction to the oppression of the air. Their fight had the gravity of an incoming cyclone, outshining even the brewing hurricane from above.


    They both stood firmly, their feet were able to keep their balance with the deep trench and their legs dug into the land. With a steady gaze and a deep intake of breath, their skirmish had migrated into the air as they jumped high, their punches and kicks entangled in a violent exchange. Each attack had been packed with a power that reverberated upon contiguity, producing a metallic sound akin to a bass hitting its lowest possible note.


    None of them were unscathed; with the amount of bruises and wounds Jarvis had inflicted on Ricky, he also attained.


    They were incomprehensible to amateur eyes, too nimble to be seen in normal circumstances. However, the disciples incessantly shouted their praises and cries of thrill and elation.


    It was a merciless competition, but it served as material to nostalgia to some like the four Elders and Zenith who were reminded of their youthful days.


    A resounding boom echoed throughout the enclosure once again, as Ricky and Jarvis dealt a final blow to the other''s shoulder and chest before they separated in retreat.


    They landed back on solid terrain, a slight stumble ruining their otherwise seamless landings. Their loathing boiled and seeped through the way they glowered, both swiping an angry hand at the blood gushing out of the corner of their lips.


    Commentaries were traded by the populace at the spectacle, hailing and admiring their unmatched toughness, "Ricky''s truly on par with the top ten outer disciples! This is really exciting!" Zenith beamed, influenced by the intoxicating energy, "This is just the beginning. It''s bound to get better from now on."

 Chapter 58 Earth Armor

    "Boom!"


    As the noise resounded through the crowd, Ricky and Jarvis elevated their powers quickly.


    "Earth Armor!"


    Jarvis shouted, as his power immediately surged to a new height, looming heavily like mountains, making it hard to breathe. A tornado of dust in the arena rapidly surged to his side.


    Ricky could feel that Jarvis was absorbing the power of the earth in the arena.


    It all happened in an instant. Jarvis''s entire body was covered with earthy yellow film. It was just like armor.


    "It is the cultivation method¡ª¡ªEarth Armor!" Many disciples exclaimed upon seeing this. They grew even more excited.


    "Yes, Earth Armor is a cultivation method at the advanced stage of the Yellow Level! It is said that there are nine grades, and whenever the cultivator upgrades, his body becomes entirely covered with a layer of earthy yellow film!"


    "The film has powerful defense properties, but it''s also good for offensive moves! After all, its attack force is more advanced."


    "But, he cultivated only one layer of earthy yellow film! That''s not much if it''s going up against Ricky!"


    "The second layer of earthy yellow film!"


    "The third layer of earthy yellow film!"


    Jarvis shouted again, seemingly all of the dust in the arena and even from several meters outside surged to him. Now, his body was completely covered with two more layers of earthy yellow film.


    "Oh my gosh. There are three layers of earthy yellow film now! Ricky should watch out!"


    "Jarvis is at the peak state for a Skin Refinement cultivator with these three layers of earthy yellow film!"


    ...


    ''''Ricky, very few people can even defend themselves against my three layers of earthy yellow film! So your defeat today will not be so humiliating," Jarvis said coldly, a yellow light harshly glowing from his eyes.


    "So that is your special Earth Armor? A cultivation method at the advanced stage of the Yellow Level? How interesting! Don''t disappoint me!" Ricky sneered, his fighting spirit reflecting in his eyes as it intensified.


    "Ricky, you may draw your sword!" Elder Evan said slowly from the dais.


    "Elder Evan, maybe or maybe not, this young warrior could also be regarded as a master in the body refinement cultivation methods!" Elder Abbott smiled.


    "Oh? Is he a master


    nd the arena was swept with a violent spiritual energy.


    All the disciples stared at the arena intently, afraid to miss anything.


    And on the dais, Zenith and four Elders also kept their eyes peeled. They wanted to assess the true power of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    "Clap!"


    The violent blast bursting out from their punching fists, and Jarvis stumbled backwards a few steps. He was wounded and bleeding.


    While Ricky just took three steps backwards slightly, obviously only a result of the backward momentum.


    Now, it was clear who the winner would be.


    "Could it really be? The Nine-degree Body Refining Formula? Only by using the First Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula could Risky have totally defeated Jarvis!" The four Elders exclaimed. "The Nine-degree Body Refining Formula exponentially increases the body''s strength. No wonder our ancestors were capable of killing innate spiritual kings!"


    "Elders, did you notice that Ricky has only cultivated to the eighth grade of Skin Refinement, but his power exceeds that greatly? Amazing!" Zenith said with satisfaction.


    ...


    "Well, it seems that you don''t deserve your rank! Fifth position in the top ten outer disciples" Ricky said with disdain as he stood over his opponent. Jarvis went blind with rage. All he could think about was killing Ricky.


    Rattle! Jarvis clenched his fists, his bones straining. He was going mad with anger.


    "Ricky, you will die today!"


    Jarvis shouted and channeled the Earth Armor once again...

 Chapter 59 Mightiness

    "Boom!"


    In a resounding, ferocious voice, Jarvis'' strength surged once more. The infinite earth force spun into a whirlpool, and integrated into his body.


    As this was happening, Jarvis used his blood vitality as a guide to integrate into the cultivation method of the Earth Armor.


    Now the third, fourth, and fifth layers of Earth Armor merged onto Jarvis'' body. He quickly put a pair of yellow gloves on his hands, which fused with the earth force immediately.


    "Jarvis is cultivating the Earth Armor to the fifth degree! How could it be, when the highest degree of the Earth Armor is said to be the fourth degree?" The disciples under the arena exclaimed, incredulous.


    "We can''t be sure about what is going to happen. It is hard to ever illustrate the power of the fifth layer Earth Armor! Even if Ricky is protected by his mysterious body refinement cultivation method, there''s still a good chance that he won''t be able to withstand Jarvis'' power!"


    "The top ten disciples are ranked as such for a reason. We have no idea of the full extent of their power!"


    ......


    "With the five-layered Earth Armor, Jarvis is definitely worthy of some serious advice from us too," Zenith muttered in a low voice.


    "He has displayed great skill. With his current ranking, Jarvis has the potential to breakthrough and become a demi-immortal," Elder Evan stated, nodding decidedly.


    "Ha-ha, but judging from the situation, I surmise that Jarvis and Ricky have irreconcilable matters which could possibly be traced back to the entire Refinement Faction!" Elder Neil smiled deeply.


    "At this point, it all depends on their own abilities. The one who emerges the winner can stand at the peak of the Snow Sect," Zenith said.


    "Chief Zenith, don''t you plan to take Ricky under your wing?"


    Elder Lucia asked. She found Zenith''s statement unexpected - after all, Ricky had succeeded in cultivating the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula!


    "I did want to take him under my wing. I even wanted to accept him as a disciple. But I know that now is not the time." Zenith continued, "The cultivation of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula requires a great deal out of a martial warrior. For centuries, no one has succeeded


    ath. The shock remained painted upon their faces. They had thought that Ricky stood a chance at defeating Jarvis, but never in a million years could they have predicted the ease at which he won.


    "Ricky is so powerful!" Many disciples said, still reeling from the shock.


    "I''m afraid that Lean is no opponent for Ricky! Perhaps only Rufus can stand up against him!"


    ......


    Hearing them say that he couldn''t defeat Ricky, Lean felt overcome by anger. He scowled furiously, his face darkening like a thundercloud.


    However, looking at Jarvis who was screaming in pain on the arena, Lean was taken aback. ''Can I possibly defeat Ricky right now?'' he asked himself.


    ......


    "Elders, as a disciple of the Snow Sect, Ricky hit his fellow disciple so hard. His cultivation base should be banned, and he must be cast away according to rules of the Snow Sect!" someone stated bitterly.


    Ricky turned around to find it was Harald, one of the core disciples. Connie and other members from the Casting Faction stood next to him.


    "I agree with Harald! Ricky should be expelled from the Snow Sect!"


    The disciples from the Casting Faction shouted forcefully.


    The disciples from Refinement Faction agreed. Despite hailing from different factions that were rivals, they understood the gravity of Ricky''s actions.


    All eyes stared at Ricky. They wondered how the Elders would decide upon this case.


    After all, Ricky did hurt his fellow disciple severely in the Snow Sect.

 Chapter 60 Weldon Versus Agnes

    But upon hearing those words, Ricky broke into disdainful smile.


    ''Oh, what a shame. They really are so ridiculous and unreasonable!'' Ricky thought, annoyed.


    "Ricky, you must explain it to us!" Elder Evan said to him.


    Ricky responded respectfully, "I didn''t punch Jarvis with all my energy just now. In fact, I showed mercy to him because he is also one of the disciples of the Snow Sect. Otherwise, he would not have only been injured with his bones broken. I made sure not to hit him with full strength. I knew it would be fatal for him if I did.


    Besides, it''s inevitable to sustain injuries during battles. If we weren''t allowed to hurt others in the competition, how would anyone be able to show their strength and skills to prove their improvement of cultivation!?"


    "Ricky, what you say is a baseless argument! You are challenging the authority of the Snow Sect!" Harald said maliciously, trying to shift the blame on Ricky.


    "You, of all people, have no right to judge whether my argument make sense!" Ricky sneered.


    Elder Evan shot a look at Zenith.


    "All right now, stop it. Do not argue about this matter anymore!" Dignified, Zenith gazed around the square, adding flatly, "Today''s competition is over. The competition for the top ten disciples will be held tomorrow."


    No any disciples dared question this. Once Zenith had spoken, it was finished.


    And with that, the day''s competition for entering into top fifty disciples was completed. Again, Ricky became the main topic of conversations all over again. Most of the other disciples speculated about whether Ricky was more powerful than the top ranking outer disciple, Rufus.


    When Ricky exited the ring, many warriors, especially those of Bone Reinforcement, from the Refinement Faction and the Casting Faction lunged at him, threatening him with cruel, malicious remarks.


    Ricky ignored them. He knew it wouldn''t be worth it to respond. Instead, he returned with Grace and Heather to their courtyard. He had to concentrate on regulating his breathing, getting ready for the most important battle. Tomorrow. Finally, it would be the day.


    That day, Heather had also achieved her goal. She, along with Ricky, ranked among the top fifty outer disciples.


    The battle to accumulate more points continued the next day.


    The fifty disciples who won in the competition yesterday would now participate in ten more rounds of battle. And after the contest was over, those who ranked the highest would comprise the ranks of the new top ten o


    -three position. Rufus, Lean and Weldon are the top three outer disciples at present, and the rest of the seven disciples can challenge them. The winners will become the new top three outer disciples!


    But first! Of course, Rufus, Lean, Weldon; you three may very well challenge each other too!


    Now, who will be the first to challenge these three warriors?" Elder Evan looked at the seven disciples.


    Silence. No one seemed willing to challenge the top three, whose skills spoke for themselves.


    "Since no one wants to be the first to battle with them, I will try first!" Agnes suddenly spoke up with confidence, stepping forward.


    "What?"


    All of the outer disciples and many inner disciples exclaimed in surprise. Almost everyone held great admiration for her.


    Her eyes fell on Weldon.


    Weldon was a thin, ordinary-looking young man, but his fierce eyes showed his true capabilities. On his back, he carried a black hook like an eagle''s claw, which made him look more ominous.


    "Agnes, do you really want to challenge me?" Weldon spoke with a smile, staring at Agnes lustfully.


    Like most of men there, he was infatuated with her.


    "That''s right! Come on. You first!" Agnes replied flatly.


    "Ha-ha. Agnes, it''s wishful thinking to even dream you can win against me. But if you leave the Amber Faction and join our Casting Faction, I will very well consider giving up my current ranking position and letting you hold the third place among the outer disciples!" Weldon remarked, laughing rudely.


    "I can fight for it on my own!" Agnes snarled, clearly offended.


    "Bang!"


    Both warriors'' spiritual force burst forth simultaneously. The battle was on!

 Chapter 61 The Power Of Agnes

    "Turns out that Agnes is one of the Amber Faction. I never knew that before," Ricky murmured.


    ......


    "Boom! Boom!"


    The momentum of the two warriors surged out, and with it, the tense atmosphere of the battlefield suddenly rose to the extreme, spreading to the whole square. Heads were turning, and necks were craning.


    All the way from below the battlefield, the outer disciples'' yells could be heard.


    "Agnes, how about this? I''ll let you make first three moves and I won''t fight back at all!" Weldon said condescendingly, looking down at Agnes.


    But his arrogance made sense. Although both Agnes and Weldon were among the top ten outer disciples, there still was a huge gap between them, because Agnes ranked only sixth while Weldon ranked the third.


    Agnes ignored Weldon''s arrogant mockery. On her delicate and slender hands, the strong spiritual energy of water nature had emerged, glowing in a pale blue color that matched the hue of her dress.


    In a snap, Agnes suddenly appeared in front of Weldon with the speed of a fish shooting across the water, and gave him a forceful slap.


    Whoa! The sound of roaring waves erupted from behind Agnes''s palms. The pale blue spiritual energy had turned into actual waves, power surging on Agnes''s palms.


    "Overlapping Wave Palm - Quadruple Waves!"


    With this shout, Agnes''s right palm transformed into four mighty hands, dispersing and blending with each other. They then smashed violently into Weldon''s face.


    "This is Overlapping Wave Palm, one of Agnes'' strongest moves!" Some disciples exclaimed.


    "She used the Quadruple Waves as her first move. It appears that Agnes intends to kill Weldon with a single blow! He must be regretting the condescending offer he made her. After all, this is a fierce attack!"


    ......


    As they had guessed, Weldon''s face grew dark. He had never anticipate that Agnes would exert all her energy on her first attempt.


    In the face of Agnes giving her full force, even though he was marvelously strong at the Skin Refinement, Weldon was clearly aware that he couldn''t take her fierce attack without fighting back.


    But, he had audibly made an public promise, so he could do nothing but try his best to avoid Agnes''s first three moves for the meantime.


    And so, when the Quadruple Waves Palm smashed into him, Weldon spun around as fast as he could to avo


    '' move had been the Septuple Waves Palm, an unexpected twist. All the spectators were stupefied, mouths open in disbelief.


    "Brilliant!" In the audience, Zenith nodded his head slightly, showing great satisfaction in his eyes. The more geniuses he discovered, the more pleased he felt. There was great potential in many of the warriors this year.


    The other four Elders expressed the same delight.


    "Weldon certainly failed when Agnes used the Septuple Waves Palm on him. I wonder how many aces she has left up her sleeve," Ricky thought to himself.


    "Goodness. It appears that the next battles will only be more and more exciting and tense! But I know I have nothing to fear. Everything is unfolding as I expected!"


    ......


    With all the heated discussions on her incredible power, Agnes walked slowly in front of Weldon who was dazedly spitting out blood. She stopped and stared down at him, coldly saying, "I have told you before that I will rely on my own power to take the rank of third highest of outer disciples from you someday. I warned you, and yet you underestimated me. That is why you have failed so miserably today!"


    "Humph! I am Weldon! I will never be defeated by a fragile girl like you!" Weldon roared, mustering his all strength to stand up. He was preparing to engage in a second round of this battle. His pride wouldn''t let him admit defeat.


    "Weldon, please admit your failure. As members of the Casting Faction, we should have the courage and wisdom to face defeat graciously." A sudden detached voice interrupted Weldon''s vengeful fury.

 Chapter 62 The Collision Of Bodies

    Weldon stopped in his tracks after hearing the voice. He reluctantly said to Agnes, "Fine. You''ve won."


    Weldon lost face completely today. He had gone back on his word and attacked Agnes before she could finish her second move. But even so, Agnes had easily defeated him.


    Now, in the outer disciples'' eyes, Weldon, who used to rank third, had become far too weak.


    But they were even more surprised at the revelation that Agnes was so powerful.


    Ricky had his own thoughts about the sudden strength of Agnes. He speculated that Agnes''s success could be attributed to having made great progress with the help of the Sacred Blood Crystal.


    ...


    "You did well," Agnes said lightly, and walked off the arena.


    Meanwhile, Ricky was focusing on Rufus, the first ranking outer disciples, who had just stopped Weldon.


    Rufus and Weldon were members of the Casting Faction, and so both were destined to be Ricky''s foes.


    Rufus was dressed in tight gray clothes. He looked very handsome, seeming to be a little younger than Ricky. His black eyes gleamed with confidence and a hint of arrogance.


    "He is strong enough to challenge warriors at the first grade of Blood Purification," Ricky concluded, once he had observed Rufus carefully for a few moments.


    Rufus seemed to sense Ricky''s gaze. He turned his head to look back at the young warrior observing him from the sidelines.


    But it was only a glance, and then he looked away.


    With Elder Evan''s announcement of Agnes''s victory, the disciples snapped back into reality from their stunned reverie.


    The reality was that Agnes currently ranked third in the outer disciples, while Weldon temporarily held the sixth place in the outer disciples.


    "Next, who would like to challenge the top three?" Elder Evan asked.


    "Me!" Ricky said, stepping forward.


    "Alright then! Which rank would you like to challenge?" Elder Evan seemed to look forward to Ricky''s choice. He leaned forward in his seat.


    "I would like to try the second place of the outer disciples." Ricky smiled.


    "Second place! Come forth!" Lean stepped forward, glaring at Ricky coldly.


    If something was meant to be, it would happen. Although Lean didn''t want to battle Ricky right then and there, it didn''t mean he was afraid of Ricky.


    ...


    n surprising them, the fierce battle strangely seemed quite normal to them at this instant, though physical bodies of such a level usually weren''t displayed by warriors of Skin Refinement.


    Even the faces of some of the inner disciples at the inferior stage of Blood Purification turned morose. They began to doubt whether they could defeat the two warriors simply by the power of their bodies.


    The battle between Ricky and Lean had reached a state of abandon. Both warriors ceased to think of their own lives. The only goal was to defeat the other warrior.


    Just then, after a heavy collision, these two warriors finally separated for the first time since they had begun fighting.


    By now, the clothes on both men were worn to pieces. Dark bruises from the punches were everywhere on their skin. Traces of blood could be seen at their lips.


    "The third level of Pure Masculinity is not enough for you, it seems! I''ll show you the fourth and even the fifth level!" Lean shouted ferociously, gnashing his teeth.


    Once more the power surged forth from his body, increasing from the third level of Pure Masculinity to the fifth level, like the light of five suns blasting in the arena.


    "And I promised you that I would use my way of body refining to defeat your so-called body refining! No need to hold back anymore! Unless that''s your best!"


    Ricky spat loudly. Slowly, the scarlet lights on his body were transforming. The crowd was frozen in their seats, eyes fixated on the bloody scene about to unfold.

 Chapter 63 The Strongest Flesh

    "Boom! Boom!"


    Red energy rose into the air as a huge blast broke out from Ricky. Then orange energy sprang up, swallowing the red aura. Ricky engulfed in this orange energy. Oddly, the scene looked rather glamorous.


    That was the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula!


    At this crucial moment, Ricky decided that he could no longer conceal this secret. He decided to show all his cards.


    He wanted to win. It was imperative that he beat Lean and the Refinement Faction. Defeating Jarvis had only been the beginning; now, he was executing his plan as scheduled. Ricky inhaled deeply. No one could stop him.


    "I''ve already reached the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula successfully... Oh, it was because of the Quincentennial Magic Ice and the Sacred Blood Crystal. Please, don''t fail me now. Show me your full power!" Ricky sighed, confidently feeling his body''s pulsating energy as he initiated the method.


    Ricky was curiously expectant, wondering how mighty the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula truly was.


    The crowd exclaimed loudly, again astonished. The unexpected progress Ricky had made seemed to be endless.


    Their whispers began to echo, bouncing off each other like a swarm of bees.


    "Oh, my God! Lean has reached the fifth level of the Pure Masculinity. But Ricky! Can you believe it? He''s also progressed so well in his cultivation method! I''m so curious about his mysterious method. It''s definitely going to be a rigid competition! Oh, it will be a marvelous sight to behold! I can''t wait anymore!"


    "Yes, I agree. Oh, goodness. Both of them have such immense strength! This is so exciting!"


    Zenith and other four Elders on the high stage were just as shocked as the other disciples. They exchanged stunned looks, mouths slightly open. What happened with Ricky was beyond their belief.


    None of them had expected that Ricky would make it to the Second Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    In their minds, Ricky could have the capacity for it. But reaching the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula now was the last thing they anticipated. As the wise elders, they knew everything. They were well aware of how difficult it was to break through it.


    "Chief Zenith, this boy is stupefying. He reached the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula at such a young age! I think he must really be in possession of an extremely strong will!" Elder Evan said using his internal power. This way, he could only be heard by the elders.


    "Yes. I must agree with Elder Evan. We have to admit it no matter we like it or not, Chief Zenith!" Three other elders also weighed in using their internal powers.


    "Elder Evan, keep in mind that he is one of the key disciples now," Zenith replied, before lapsing into a silent reverie.


    "Yes, I understand!" The four other elders acknowledged Zenith''s order with a nod.


    "But, we must keep it a secret. He cannot know this decision for now. He has the great will, that


    y wanted very much to kill Lean right then and there. But he knew he couldn''t, not with Zenith and the other elders still present. That would be too arrogant and he was sure that those elders would prefer to keep a strong yet modest disciple, so what he had done was enough to prove his point.


    "This fight proves that I have the strongest flesh among the outer disciples!"


    Ricky announced loudly to Lean, and to everyone from the Refinement Faction. He needed not to conceal the extent of capabilities anymore, as everyone had witnessed his full power now.


    "So arrogant!" "How could he be so arrogant?!" Many inner disciples from the Refinement Faction started to curse at him upon his bold announcement.


    "Oh, god! He is so arrogant! How dare he say that in public when there are so many men from the Refinement Faction present?"


    "Perhaps that''s just part of him being a genius!"


    "Well, he''s right! He has proven himself to be stronger than any outer disciple! Don''t you think so? We all saw what he just did!"


    ...


    "Ricky, Ricky!" Lean snarled, squeezing the name out through his gritted teeth. In agony, Lean could do nothing but shoot Ricky with a hateful glare. His movements were restricted thanks to Ricky''s attack. Oh, how he wished he could slaughter him into pieces!


    "You are lucky, don''t you know? This is a Snow Sect Competition and I can''t just kill you here and now. Otherwise, the outcome would have been very different!" Ricky whispered in his ear, threateningly.


    He then turned around and jumped off the arena casually, leaving the weakened Lean dumbfounded on the floor.


    Once again, Lean spat red, blood dripping from his mouth.


    So far, the competition for the strongest body was over. Ricky ranked the second among the outer disciples. Lean, meanwhile, had already dropped to the fifth for now.


    The elders were shocked and yet also pleased to have witnessed Ricky''s ability. As Elder Evan declared the end of this competition, the next battle began soon after.

 Chapter 64 The Battle With Edgar

    The atmosphere of the competition reached a climatic point as the battle between Ricky and Lean came to an end. All of the disciples fixed their eyes on Ricky in anticipation, wondering if he would proceed to the final battle.


    "Next, who else wants to challenge the top three outer disciples?" Elder Evan focused his eyes on Ricky expectantly as well and asked again.


    "Me!"


    A booming voice filled the room while Edgar walked out of the crowd.


    "Edgar...Edgar! It''s him!"


    "Looks like he wants to take up the top three outer disciples'' challenge! Is he really that capable?" The warriors exclaimed as they watched Edgar walk out of the crowd.


    "Yes! Which position do you want to challenge?" Seeing that it was Edgar, Elder Evan nodded imperceptibly and asked him.


    Edgar''s performance in the previous battles was exceptional. Every fight was worth watching as Edgar gave it his all. It was no wonder that he had caught the attention of Zenith and the Elders...


    "Elder Evan, I''m not exactly very capable, but I would like to try... I choose to battle Ricky! " Edgar''s words echoed throughout the battlefield while he stared at Ricky with a killing intent.


    "Edgar has the guts, really! You know what they say: no guts, no glory! I thought he would challenge Agnes at first. I didn''t expect that he would choose Ricky instead!" Hearing Edgar''s declaration and persistence, many disciples resumed their animated discussions as they expected another great battle from Edgar.


    "No matter the outcome, it''s going to be yet another fierce battle! Whoa, I never thought that this year''s Outer Competition would be this fascinating! "


    ...


    ''Edgar does not belong to any faction. Looks like he doesn''t have any other affiliated intentions other than just having a simple fight with me.'' Ricky mumbled to himself as he saw Edgar''s gaze towards him. His eyes locked in to his opponent as if he was sizing him up from head to toe.


    Ricky''s intention to fight had remarkably risen as well. He had to admit that he was getting excited out of this whole ordeal. He also wanted to know the exact limit of this "Edgar" warrior who emerged out of nowhere had the gall to fight a senior like him.


    "Ricky, I will give you two hours to prepare yourself before taking up Edgar''s challenge!" Elder Evan couldn''t help but be extremely pleased with how the events were turning. He quickly acknowledged Edgar''s request. Two dark horses of this year''s Outer Competition would battle out against each other? This was definitely one for the books. He was just as enthusiastic as everyone else as he awaited for this competition to happen. These warriors were just full of surprises.


    "Thank you so much for your kindness, Elder Evan, but I don''t really need it." Ricky said confidently as he took a step forward as if he already knew that he would win the battle.


    ...


    "Ricky doesn''t even need time to rest! Looks like he''d completely looked down upon Lean!"


    "That''s right. After such an int


    icy rays flew in all directions. No one was safe from this spectacular combat!


    "Six-starred Vibrating Icy rays! Freeze everything!"


    And with a thunderous roar, six icy rays again shot in lightning speed from Edgar''s silver spear, as if six snowy spears had emerged from the World of Ice. They aimed directly towards Ricky. Flashing like light, these spears traveled fast, ready for the kill.


    Heaving a deep sigh, Ricky immediately activated the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. This method gave him an orange aura that enveloped his body, just like the infernal power around him.


    All the training that he went through was not in vain for his robust body was enough to boost his fighting power to the next stage.


    Ricky was focused and nothing in this battle would stop him from achieving victory. He wielded his saber and executed the Nonuple Flame Strike--- the Fifth Flames Strike again!


    And in an instant, the icy rays and infernal flames crashed twice as powerful than they usually were. Ricky and Edgar ran towards each other and collided their weapons once more.


    Under that explosion, the fanatic wave of spiritual energy swept across the entire battlefield again that formed clouds of dust in the arena.


    Both warriors exuded great fighting techniques that it was very difficult to decide at this point who would win. They were equally good competitors to the eyes of the audience.


    Thump! Thump!


    After a period that seemed like an eternity, heavy footsteps were heard as two silhouettes emerged from that cloud of spiritual power. The audience leaned forward to see who this warrior was. The winner had emerged from the ashes.


    As the spiritual energies dissipated -- two disheveled bodies were revealed. The audience were shocked as to what happened. Could they both be dead?


    Edgar had a sliver of blood flowing out of his lips. Ricky stood there, a little pale though, his hair unruly and skin bruised. Ricky obviously emerged victorious.

 Chapter 65 Collision Of Dual Powers

    Tensions rose high as the disciples with expectant faces looked forward to another battle. Hands were fidgeting everywhere as the audience were excited to see the fierce battle between two powerful warriors.


    Ricky was relaxed about his fight. Another day, another fight, like he was sliding through the competition. Ricky had the upper hand in this battle for he knew what he was capable of. The clock ticked as the fight kept going, but not one bit was Ricky worried.


    Ricky and Edgar locked eyes. Their faces grew more serious each moment as they both reflected their desire for victory. Their eyes and their body were hungry for a kill, for the win. Both of them might have underestimated each other for they were far more powerful than they thought. Weapons clanged and forces rocked the earth beneath them.


    "I made the right choice. You are indeed so powerful," Edgar said in a stern and forbidding manner with a little smirk, with his fingers wiping the bloodstain from the corner of his mouth. And an overwhelming coldness radiated from him. His enemy was tough as a rock. How could Ricky possibly take him down? Mustering up all the courage and will to fight, he went back to his attack position.


    "You are far greater and stronger than Lean," Ricky replied.


    .....


    "Ricky meant to annoy Lean deliberately."


    "There is no need to include Lean in this situation! Ricky just wanted to trash him!"


    Hearing these comments, the disciples turned their eyes to Lean, who felt very uncomfortable. Lean was shaken, as he did not expect to hear those words from the warriors in the battlefield. He was angry, so angry that he wanted to stone Ricky to death.


    Ricky didn''t flinch at the sight of Lean being the victim in the situation. He just said that to emphasize the strength that he felt from his opponent. He didn''t mean to make Lean feel bad about his skills and strength.


    ...


    "Ricky, please play your trump card. Otherwise, you are going to lose your victory," Edgar warned when his frosty power rose to the climax.


    Deafening sounds of clanging metals were heard, and sparks flew like dragons in the battlefield. Both competitors fought for victory. Metals swung; shields were destroyed one by one. It was pure chaos!


    "Clang!" their weapons collided once more. A thunderous sound was followed by Edgar''s last word. Everyone was at the edge of their seats. They leaned forward to know what went on.


    That thunderous sound was beyond what the audience had in mind. A bolt of purple thunder shaped like thin snakes started to slither around Edgar''s body. Everyone''s jaw dropped for they couldn''t believe at what they saw.


    "This ... this is the devastating power of thunder!" All disciples marveled at the spectacular show of power. Purple snake-like bolts slithered Edgar''s body. He truly was more powerful beyond what they expected!


    "But? How could that even be possible? How could Edgar cultivate two powers of Light Apperception at the same time, and one of them is the destructive and disruptive thunderous power."


    Warriors cultivated on the basis of their spiritual meridian which possessed certain natures. And t


    ct integration without any clash?"


    "What a grand competition! It''s eye-opening... I''m not going to be able to see this for another century!"


    All sorts of voices suddenly popped out from the audience.


    ...


    "It seemed to be that he had no spiritual meridian. Only in this way can Ricky cultivate two contradictory powers." Zenith and his companions discussed secretly on the high dais.


    It was sure that the reason why Ricky could cultivate these two contradictory powers was that he had regained spiritual meridian and Devouring Skill. However, that was a secret that only Ricky knew.


    "How could that be possible? How could these two people possess such spectacular powers?" After seeing the scene on the arena, Rufus became silent no more. He growled with dismay and envy.


    Ricky and Edgar''s powers had been beyond his expectation. Rufus thus had no self-confidence in defeating Ricky and Edgar. It was difficult to see such amazing powers to battle within the future, but this made him insecure of what he could bring into the competition.


    ...


    "Hey, buddy! How do you feel about my trump card now huh?" Ricky said with a triumphant smile after seeing the amazement in Edgar''s eyes.


    "It was awesome! But it still won''t be that easy if you want to defeat me," Edgar replied with a challenging tone as his amazement from his opponent diminished.


    "Come on, buddy!"


    Ricky did not make it any easier for Edgar. With Freezing Palm of the frosty power on his left hand and the flame strike on the right, he launched an attack at Edgar. He released two powers from both hands with the help of the Devouring Skill and flashed a strike at Edgar.


    Edgar put on his game face for he wouldn''t want to lose to Ricky, or to anyone. He gathered his electricity of thunder and gave off the power of frozen ice to wield his silver spear to counter Ricky''s attack.


    Both of the warriors'' attacks had shaken the whole arena. Yet again, their powers collided and resulted to a deafening noise of thunder.


    Two warriors, both with rare abilities of dual powers, battled it out for victory.

 Chapter 66 Fight To Become Number One

    "Ba-boom!"


    A strong rumbling sound erupted with the collision. All of a sudden, the ring was flooded with airwaves. The ripples moved out, the air expanding around it as if to blow out the space.


    The thunderous power, infernal power and frosty power intertwined together ceaselessly, the flashes sparked by saber and silver spear rang loudly in everyone''s ears, indicating just how fierce the collision was.


    "This is by no means a collision between mere Skin Refinement warriors!" the disciples remarked, standing outside the ring and intently watching them fighting.


    "Maybe they are the real heroes of this competition!" whispered some of the disciples, as if Rufus, the top of outer disciples, had now completely been forgotten.


    ......


    Rufus became incredibly angry upon hearing this. They could see the murderous hate brimming in his eyes when Ricky and Edgar showed up.


    ......


    After the sparkling of long saber and silver spear, came the ultimate PK of Ricky and Edgar. Like two meteors crashing across the sky, Ricky and Edgar began to hit at each other forcefully in that instant.


    The winner would be determined very soon.


    Out of nowhere, two strong inverse powers broke out from the point where Ricky and Edgar had collided and then swooped straight towards both warriors.


    Edgar and Ricky fended off the inverse powers instinctively, each gritting his teeth as he used all his strength. But Edgar''s defense was just too weak. He was knocked back after several minutes of an evenly matched fight, and he spat some blood out.


    He then tottered backwards a little, before finding a way to stop on the edge of the ring.


    Ricky, on the other side, had taken out his saber once more and, with arms crossed, shone orange light to fend off the strong power. The might of the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula now showed itself.


    That wild power could not find a way to get anywhere near Ricky. The most it could do was push Ricky back a short distance. He was not at all hurt.


    This clearly displayed the disparity between Ricky and Edgar''s strength.


    "All right, you win!"


    said Edgar. He chose to give up at this moment, knowing it would only turn out worse for him if he continued to fight.


    "Edgar, I wo


    y emerged, Rufus struck Ricky on the neck with a round kick.


    Rufus was the top one of outer disciples with a four-starred intermediate spiritual meridian. He was a casting master at inferior stage of the Mortal Level as well. With the greatest power of Skin Refinement and the strength of manual, that round kick must be deadly.


    Ricky''s face turned grim the moment Rufus gave out the volatile kick.


    Now, Ricky knew he had to use the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula immediately. In a moment, the frosty power and infernal power fused into his fists as he blasted a punch at Rufus.


    "Bang!"


    Ricky''s fist collided against Rufus''s leg with a deafening roar. Only God knew how powerful their impact could be!


    Rufus leaped backward onto his feet and Ricky also took a few steps backwards on the ring, regaining his balance.


    ''This Rufus has proven to be the top ranking outer disciple. He is indeed much, much stronger than Edgar. It''s likely that he''s going to reach Blood Purification anytime soon!'' Ricky thought, shaking his aching fist.


    Rufus''s face looked grim as well. The collision had shown him just how strong Ricky was.


    But Rufus wasn''t worried about that. Because he had watched the previous battles, he had a good idea of what Ricky was able to do. However, Ricky had seen nothing from him. He had no observations to help him counter Rufus.


    So for this fight, Rufus felt confident that...


    Interupting his thoughts, Ricky''s body momentum began to surge.

 Chapter 67 Runes

    "I must admit. Your strength has now reached the peak of the Skin Refinement! But if you want to be the strongest one of the ten outer disciples, you still have a long way to go," Rufus said condescendingly, the atmosphere intensifying with each second.


    "Really? Well then, let''s see if you can maintain your rank at the top of the ten outer disciples... or not," Ricky responded seriously.


    Ricky pulled out his saber from behind, the double forces of fire and ice encapsulating the weapon. At the same time, he had also begun to channel the saber-light in his body.


    "Boom!"


    Rufus'' rising spiritual energy showed blood vitality being released. This sudden development caught the attention of the spectators.


    What was happening? Usually only the warriors of Blood Purification could do this!


    "This is blood vitality! But Rufus hasn''t had a breakthrough to Blood Purification yet! How can it be?" Many disciples said, greatly confused.


    "Here''s a possibility! Maybe he''s in the level between the Skin Refinement and the Blood Purification. It''s considered Half-step to Blood Purification." Some inner disciples speculated.


    "I''m guessing he intends to breakthrough to Blood Purification after reinstating first place!"


    "Well of course, anyone would do that! You know, the reward for winning first place is quite prestigious."


    The volume of chatter increased.


    "Half-step to Blood Purification! Is this your card up your sleeve?" Ricky asked inquisitively.


    "That''s none of your business. All you need to know is that it''s more than enough to defeat you." Rufus responded with confidence.


    He revealed a weapon from the scabbard in his back. Surprisingly, it was a big hammer. This was somewhat uncharacteristic of Rufus. But bearing in mind that Rufus was a casting master, the shape of the weapon was not surprising at all.


    "Three hammers of flushing vitality! One to heaven! Two to earth! Three to the universe!"


    Surrounded by the endless flushing forces, Rufus leaped high into the air, spinning around rapidly. Then he blasted out three conical shadows.


    The first hammer''s shadow showed an unclear picture, the second hammer shadow depicted the collapse of heaven and earth, and the last shadow illustrated the collapse of yin and yang.


    "Assembl


    rection.


    This may have been only a simple, basic punch - but the power embedded in it completely transcended the Skin Refinement, which was on the same level as the first grade of Blood Purification.


    "Is this the power of the manual?" The disciples were unendingly shocked.


    "That''s right! It must be! The evolution of the manual''s power is runes!" Some of the more knowledgeable disciples explained, "Although the manuals can''t fight alone, the cultivation method can become more powerful once merged with the manual!"


    "That''s why the same level of warriors will not be defeated."


    "Rufus will win this battle for sure! Only at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement could Ricky stand a chance to win."


    The disciples intently discussed the battle.


    "The power of the manual! Is this your ace?" Ricky asked, his voice deepening.


    Those in the crowd with sharp eyes noticed that his fingers had also been changing...


    "This was my ace against warriors in Blood Purification. I didn''t expect to use it on you today!" Rufus responded. "But I don''t care anymore. As long as I win this battle, it''s worth it!"


    "Unfortunately for you, I don''t want to lose this battle either!" Ricky replied coldly.


    "You have the power of manual! Well, you''re not the only one!"


    Ricky finally erupted, generating a cloud of blood gas. It was not from Blood Purification, but was instead the power that had evolved from Devouring Skill.


    After the blood gas had dispersed, glowing scarlet runes also appeared on his body.

 Chapter 68 Number One Achieved

    "Could it be... Is that the runic power?! How is it possible!?" Everyone''s jaw had dropped. They were stunned, eyes opening wide, when they saw Ricky''s sudden change. Rufus felt the same. Zenith and the other four elders on the dais were shocked as well. But because they were warriors with the most knowledge and experience, they kept their composure and did not reveal their shock.


    The runic power came from the casting manual. Only a warrior with an extraordinary spiritual meridian would have been capable enough to practice the manual. It would have been much too overwhelming for an ordinary warrior! If an ordinary warrior foolishly tried to force his way to practice a manual, it would end up backfiring on him. It was true that there were many cultivation methods which could be practiced without a spiritual meridian. However, no manual could ever, ever be practiced without a spiritual meridian. It was one of the most basic conditions!


    Yet what was it that they had just witnessed? They saw the power of the manual emerging from Ricky, a warrior without a spiritual meridian! That was too unbelievable. Could they still trust their eyes? Mix feelings surged among the crowd: shock, disbelief, jealousy, admiration.


    But Ricky did not originally want to reveal the runic power he owned. He was supposed to keep it hidden, as a strategy.


    However, the reward for the number one outer disciple was too tempting for him to give up. He had no other way but to reveal his true strength. He wanted to have it no matter what, because if he missed this chance, it was quite likely that he would fall behind in the martial arts world, and be banished from the circle of strong warriors. That was an unacceptable option for him. After everything he had gone through, he understood by now that the world was a jungle and there was a law; the winner took it all, and the devil took the rest. He had big plans, for himself, for his father. Everything he worked for could not go to waste.


    Everyone thought that he did not have a spiritual meridian and could not master this power from the manual. Ricky did not want to reveal to the public that he had regained a spiritual meridian for the time being. Fortunately, he was quick-witted enough and had come up with an excuse. Whether they believed it or not was out of his hands.


    As the scarlet runes came together, the strong power accumulated in the long saber, fusing with saber-light. Ignoring the shocked faces of the crowd, Ricky focused on activating his internal strength, raised the saber high, and hacked at Rufus''s big hammer.


    Rufus had kept his wits about him, despite the shock. He was sober-minded enough and waved his hammer in defense from Ricky''s attack.


    But to Rufus''s surprise, Ricky''s scarlet runes were much too powerful.


    The moment their weapons collided, those scarlet runes spread like a virus over the hammer


    ith was doing.


    He shut his eyes, immediately activating his regained spiritual meridian and exerting his internal strength carefully to make one-third of his regained spiritual meridian visible to Zenith.


    Soon, he felt a snowflake near the meridian center of his brain make a loop before it flew away. ''Whoohh! That was close!'' Ricky sighed to himself.


    As the snowflake flew back to Zenith, everyone turned to him, eagerly awaiting his verdict.


    "Yes, there is an incomplete spiritual meridian in Ricky''s body. Seems that it was destroyed once," Zenith declared, though he still held his suspicions about it.


    "What? It''s real! He didn''t make up a story!?" The spectators broke out into chatter once more.


    "An incomplete spiritual meridian? I''ve never heard about it before! And it can even be used to practice the manual! Unbelievable! Isn''t it too amazing?"


    "Oh, god! Definitely, it''s stupefying! Ricky is going to become an outright legend!"


    "But it''s still incomplete, after all! Could it really be as powerful as a complete spiritual meridian? I doubt it."


    "Same here. I''m dubious that he would go that far with such an incomplete one."


    "Hey, Rufus. You heard what Chief Zenith said. I didn''t cheat. I defeated you with my own power and abilities that I gained from my hard work. Anything else you want to accuse me of?" Ricky said, turning to his opponent.


    Rufus was silent, for once. Totally defeated, he staggered out the arena, wanting to leave behind this heartbreaking place as soon as possible.


    If he continued to deny Ricky''s victory and refused to admit that he lost, it might lead to the end of his cultivation in the martial arts world.


    And now, after all the fights and competitions he had participated in, Ricky finally ranked first among the outer disciples of the Snow Sect. This had been his dream all along. It marked his first great achievement in the martial arts world.

 Chapter 69 Reward

    Ricky stood straight and tall in the middle of the arena, slowly turning around to take in the sight of the disciples who were paying him respect.


    The world of martial arts. The world where strength was everything that mattered. The warrior who possessed this superior power was respected by all. Now, it no longer mattered whether Ricky had the spiritual meridian or not. As long as he was powerful, no one would dare to cross him.


    But for the loser, no matter how strong you once were, you would become virtually erased upon defeat.


    ''My first major goal was to become the top outer disciple in the Snow Sect. Now that I''ve achieved that, I want to keep going. I will strive to rank among the inner disciples!'' Ricky told himself, eyes shining with joy and excitement.


    .....


    "Who wants to challenge the top three in the outer disciples now?" Elder Evan asked again.


    Lean challenged Agnes but was easily beat, further impressing the other disciples with regards to Agnes'' power.


    Then, Edgar also battled against Agnes. He won, but barely. Agnes slumped her shoulders in disappointment.


    Now, the top three outer disciples were Ricky, Rufus and Edgar.


    The ranks of top three outer disciples had been decided, leaving only seven spots left in the prestigious ranking. There was no doubt that Agnes held fourth place, while Lean, who once ranked second, now fell to the fifth place.


    After several more battles, Weldon now ranked sixth, Geoff seventh, Ryan eighth, Desmond ninth, and Darren tenth. The slots were filled.


    As the top ten outer disciples were determined, the Outer Competition finally drew to a close.


    This particular Outer Competition was probably the most intense one the Snow Sect had seen in decades. Agnes was incredibly strong as a woman warrior. Edgar suddenly rose in ranking without anybody anticipating it. Ricky had channeled strong and unbelievable power. Each battle had made the spectating disciples incredibly excited.


    ....


    "Gentlemen, the Outer Competition is now over. It makes me happy to see that many disciples have improved greatly." "I hope that from now on, you will train harder. Strive! Strive for yourself to live a better life in the world of martial arts," said Elder Evan.


    "Now, let''s cut to the chase. I know you''ve all been waiting for this. Top 100 disciples, come to the arena to receive your awards!"


    Oh, oh!


    The top 100 di


    the rewards at stake, they would train even harder to prepare for the competition next year!


    "Elder, I would like to say a few words!" Zenith said as he rose from his seat.


    "Sure, please go ahead!"


    ....


    "Edgar, I''d like to take you as my disciple. I don''t know whether you would want it or not, but I am offering," Zenith got straight to the point. His words had the same effect as a bomb, blowing the crowd away.


    "This... This... Chief Zenith wants to take Edgar under his wing!" Everyone was shocked.


    Even the four Elders were stunned for a moment, before they relaxed and accepted the news.


    Edgar was dumbfounded.


    "What, Edgar, would you like to?" Zenith asked.


    Edgar snapped out of his stunned silence. He hurriedly knelt on the arena and said respectfully to Zenith, "I''d love to, Master Zenith!"


    Everyone knew Zenith. He was the best warrior in the Snow Sect. Millions of aspiring warriors wanted to be his disciple. Of course, Edgar would not turn down the offer.


    Now Edgar became the object of envy.


    Ricky''s rewards were good, yes. But it certainly couldn''t compared with receiving an offer from an overmatch like Zenith.


    Even more importantly, this was the first time that Zenith had taken a disciple. Edgar would be his first and only disciple. When he succeeded in his cultivation, Edgar would surely be one of the candidates for the position of chief in the Snow Sect and would be one of the most illustrious ones.


    "Great. From this day forth, you, Edgar, are my disciple," Zenith said happily. Edgar could only try to breathe slowly in his disbelief.

 Chapter 70 Cousin And Also Enemy

    "It seems that our chief is quite interested in Edgar''s spiritual meridian with dual powers!" some disciples said in a hushed voice.


    "Exactly! The spiritual meridian with dual attributes is supposed to be scarcer than the spiritual meridian that can help practice the manuals. As long as Edgar''s spiritual meridian is not too weak, he stands a good chance of becoming an innate spirit in the future!"


    Apparently, they also had figured out part of the reasons why their sect chief Zenith invited Edgar to be his disciple.


    "It''s just a great pity that Ricky didn''t get the same chance. His spiritual meridian is not only dual-attributed, but also has capabilities for practicing the manuals. Yet, its biggest flaw is that it''s incomplete. Due to this irreparable defect, his future achievements will always be limited. Without such a defect, he would definitely have been offered the rare chance!"


    Most of them envied Edgar''s great luck while also sympathizing with Ricky''s misfortune.


    Meanwhile, disciples from the Refinement and Casting Faction shot Ricky disdainful looks, as if to say, "You were the CHAMPION of the Outer Competition, and so what? Our chief will never show interest in a guy who doesn''t have a complete spiritual meridian."


    Ricky didn''t care about the looks on their faces, and they were not relevant to him at all. Besides, he couldn''t be more aware of his own situation. He of all people knew what he really wanted at present.


    An innate spirit as their master, others might desire, but Ricky had little interest in having such a master.


    His regained spiritual meridian was now so powerful that it was equivalent to the help of any master.


    Right now, the only thing Ricky longed for was to obtain first prize as the champion of the Outer Competition quickly and use it for practice and weapon casting.


    ...


    "Ricky¡­" Just when the disciples had relaxed, thinking the day''s surprises were over, Zenith''s stately voice suddenly broke through the hushed chatter.


    "Is¡­ Is our chief going to take Ricky as his disciple as well?" The disciples immediately speculated, paying rapt attention now. Among them, those from the Refinement Faction and Casting Faction, in particular, looked especially concerned.


    The two factions were far from weak, and even had demi-immortal elders. Nevertheless, in front of the formidable Zenith and his Snow Sect, they felt small, like weak ants in front of a mountain.


    If Ricky became Zenith''s disciple, it meant that the two factions could be terribly doomed in the end.


    "Yes, Chief!" Ricky responded respe


    d her.


    When he laid eyes on Nate, pure rage had come over him. For a moment, he had lost his mind, wanting to kill Nate then and there.


    But after being through all kinds of hardships, Ricky had become more mature and resilient. He was able to calm himself down, and now had a much more composed expression on his face.


    He knew he and Nate were definitely not equal opponents now. Besides, even if he was stronger than Nate, he was not allowed to kill him within the domain of the Snow Sect. If he killed Nate unceremoniously, the cost would be one he couldn''t afford¡ªhe would be hunted down and killed as well. He knew he had to let Nate leave with his life.


    Seeing that Ricky had calmed down, Grace gradually withdrew her strong fighting momentum.


    "Ha-ha, Grace, you are doing the right thing. If we fight against each other, it will ruin our harmonious relationship!" Sean chuckled.


    "Ricky, aren''t you supposed to greet your dear cousin with a smile?" Nate asked, smiling as if he had forgotten what he had done to Ricky and was still Ricky''s dear cousin. But Ricky knew his cousin was just taunting him.


    "Nate, if you have anything to say, just spit it out and then leave immediately!" Ricky said evenly.


    "Ricky, your words really hurt me! As soon as I finished my cultivation, I heard that you won the championship of the Outer Competition. I came here at once to congratulate you!" Nate said, gesturing with his hands. It was clear he was playing a game.


    "Nate, do you really think you need to pretend that you care about me? Save it!" Ricky sneered.


    "Oh? Well, now... It seems you''re right! I''ll cut it straight to the chase and tell you why I''m here!" Nate''s tone changed, growing hostile.

 Chapter 71 No Longer An Underdog

    "Humph! Make it clear, then, exactly why you''re here!" Ricky sneered.


    "Well, now that my dear cousin has won the first place in the Outer Competition, of course I am here to congratulate him. However, I would also like to challenge his strength!" Nate said, smiling wickedly.


    As soon as the words left his lips, Nate produced a sudden burst of momentum characteristic of the first grade of Blood Purification.


    Since Nate owned a four-starred inferior spiritual meridian with fire nature, the momentum of his power burst naturally took on the shape of fire. Fused with the blood vitality of Blood Purification, his entire being transformed into something akin to a furnace, burning hot and sparking.


    "You know this is not the place for this!" Grace said coldly, at the sight of Nate preparing for battle.


    It dawned on Ricky that his cousin had come to humiliate him.


    Having just won the first place in the Outer Competition, Ricky had surmounted on the first high point of his martial arts career. From hereafter, he had been given the opportunity to march forward.


    Knowing Nate''s strength, it would be highly possible that Ricky would be badly injured if he was hit hard.


    Nate had come at the right time.


    Nate had traumatized Ricky by betraying their friendship and stabbing him from behind. If he could drag Ricky down again when he just won the Outer Competition, he knew Ricky might stay down for the rest of his life whenever it came to cultivation.


    For Ricky, his cousin''s betrayal was worse than being killed. As the saying went, "To kill someone truly is to break his heart."


    "Well, my little brother and the so-called genius of the Nan Clan, are you really going to hide behind a woman?" Ignoring Grace''s words, Nate mocked Ricky and stared at him.


    "Please leave!" Grace said it again, moving forward to assert herself.


    But Sean stopped her.


    "I''ll take care of it, Master!" Ricky murmured, giving Grace a reassuring look.


    Ricky very well knew that Nate''s supporters included not only the second core disciples like Sean, but also those of the innate spirits. Ricky wanted Grace to stay out of this. It was his problem.


    And at least, Nate was only at the first grade of Blood Purification. It might be difficult for Ricky to win over his cousin, but he definitely stood a fighting chance.


    "Good. I''m pleased to see that being the firs


    manual!


    "Bam!" With a dull thumb, Ricky backed away heavily and left gouges on the ground. But Nate remained where he stood, unmoving.


    However, it was obvious that Ricky had emerged unscathed, except for the invisible pain in his arm.


    "How is this possible?" Sean said incredulously at the turn of events.


    He hurriedly looked at Nate with anxious eyes, trying to ask what had happened. ''How come Ricky wasn''t hurt after you hit him?''


    Avoiding Sean''s questioning gaze, Nate could only stare angrily at his cousin, wanting to kill him in the next round.


    But he also had realized that he would never have a chance to carry out his wishes. If he even so much as tried to make another move, Grace would summon a large number of disciples and together would stop him.


    "So much for your progress these days!" Ricky said contemptuously, shaking his right hand.


    Ricky was rejoicing on the inside. He was thoroughly impressed by the Devouring Skills. He did not expect the Devouring Skill to be so powerful at his first attempt. At least, not to the extent that it would allow him to stand up to a warrior at the first grade of Blood Purification!


    "Why are you still here? Let''s go!"


    Sean said coolly to Nate, itching to leave. He hopped up onto the Snow Vulture''s back.


    Nate gave Ricky a sharp look full of hatred and followed.


    "Ricky, are you all right?" Grace asked Ricky anxiously.


    "Don''t worry, Master. I am no longer the underdog Ricky that Nate can bully and kick around!" Ricky said coldly as he watched the Snow Vulture become a speck in the distance.

 Chapter 72 Five Beasts Arts

    "What''s the matter with you? You were beaten by a guy at Skin Refinement!" On the Snow Vulture''s back, Sean asked coldly, as he wished to slap Nate to death.


    "I apologize, my senior." Both his eyes were on the ground, and his eyebrows touched for Nate felt immensely terrible about himself. There was nothing, no explanation he could do to change what Sean thought of him.


    "Well, it actually doesn''t matter that you lost. A man without a complete spiritual meridian will not be compared to you in any way!" Sean did not want to have the conversation any longer, so he waved his hand and said, "But his runic power is really weird!" Sean said, squinting his eyes in both disgust and amazement. Sean had witnessed what Ricky''s punch was capable of. And to his astonishment, Ricky was far more powerful than he had ever witnessed in the Outer Competition.


    ¡­


    Sean and Nate had no words to describe how terrible the match went so they turned their backs on the courtyard and left. On the other hand, Ricky let them go with no intention for a conversation and breathed rapidly.


    As much as Ricky won the match, Nate wore him down. Nate was a Blood Purification warrior whose strength did a solid damage to Ricky, who hadn''t fully recovered from the Outer Competition. His punches made Ricky catch his breath.


    Ricky was tired from the battle. His muscles were sore and his eyes could no longer stay open. He opted for a rest and went home after the match. He plopped in his bed and recuperated for a day until he was ready to go out. The next morning, he asked Heather to go with him and collect the prize from the Outer Competition that he had won.


    Ricky''s muscles still felt worn out and he needed more than just rest to continue regaining the peak of his strength. Heather and Ricky decided to go to the Medicine Pavilion first to get some pills they had won. Heather received ten Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills, while Ricky got ten Blood Purification Pills. He wanted to do better than how he performed during the last battle and he did whatever it took him to get to the peak of his power again. Ricky realized that he didn''t need that much Blood Purification Pills. And like a gentleman that he was, he generously gave not one, but five of his Blood Purification Pills to Heather.


    Even without a Blood Purification Pill, Ricky had the confidence to break through and reach the Blood Purification state quickly.


    Any other warrior of course, would not refuse any blessing given to them. Heather accepted the pills gladly with a smile in her face.


    But the trip was not over yet. After Ricky handed out the pills, the two went to the Weapons Hall. On the third floor, good weapons were displayed to marvel at. Price tags showed the value of the weapons ranging from cheap to the rare and expensive ones. Ricky and Heather looked around, and tried out several weapons. But there was one that caught Ricky''s eyes-- a beautiful long saber.


    This saber was quite expensive, but Ricky thought that he earned it fair and square. After all, he won the competition and this was his prize to claim. This long saber was of the intermediate stage of the Mortal Level. It had a name: Iron Destroyer.


    "If I were to buy such this saber myself, it would cost at least thirty tho


    heard footsteps going down the stairs. She showed Ricky the book that she picked with a smile on her face, like a child with a new toy. Ricky smiled back and looked at the book. It was a cultivation method of steps called the Overlapping Steps.


    ¡­


    Their trip went on. They left the Cultivation Method Hall and on they continued their walk to the Treasure Tower of the Snow Sect.


    "Heather, what kind of Treasures from Heaven and Earth do you want? I will pick one out for you!" He asked.


    Ricky was very generous with Heather that he used his opportunity of choosing two kinds of Treasures from Heaven and Earth in the Treasure Tower. He never got stingy around her and so he decided to choose one for Heather.


    "Never mind, Ricky. You will need to get revenge. You could use the two treasures more than I would," Heather shook her head and said.


    "It''s impossible to promote the strength all at once, and one Treasure from Heaven and Earth will not make me strong in a moment. So, little Heather, I sincerely want to give you one!" Ricky smiled.


    "Well, all right then!"


    Upon hearing Ricky''s words, Heather''s cheeks came into a slight blush, and accepted the treasure shyly.


    At this moment, Heather no longer refused to be called little Heather as well, because she had recognized Ricky...


    "Since you are practicing the cultivation method of water attribute, I will try my best to find you a Treasure from Heaven and Earth of this attribute," Ricky said.


    After long walks, they finally arrived at the Treasure Tower of the Snow Sect.


    It was an empty place with a huge Treasure Tower made of iron that stood in the middle. Snow surrounded the tower and gave it a chilling feel.


    Moreover, few disciples came here for the Treasure Tower was an important place for the Snow Sect, and they were not allowed to visit it at will. They needed permission to visit the place.


    "This is the Treasure Tower of great significance. Without permission, disciples of the Sect are forbidden to be here!" Sure enough, as they were less than a hundred meters from the treasure house, a voice echoed through the house. The voice, they thought, might be the voice of an old man.

 Chapter 73 Elder Mateos Gift

    ''The voice might be coming from Elder Mateo, '' Ricky pondered.


    Before he came here, Grace had told him something about the Snow Sect''s Treasure Tower. For the longest time, Elder Mateo, the eighth elder in the sect, had been dutifully guarding it since.


    *


    "Elder, I have won the Outer Competition. I''m here to get my award," Ricky said respectfully.


    "Oh? Are you the one who doesn''t have a spiritual meridian? Come in," the Elder replied after a while. "But you have to come alone," he added, implying that Heather couldn''t come with him inside the tower.


    "Are you going to be okay here outside?" Ricky turned around to ask her. Heather smiled softly and told him she was going to be fine. With that, Ricky stepped inside the tower.


    He looked around the whole place. There were only a few things that could be found around the ground floor¡ªsome tables, chairs, cushions and a big crude wood bed.


    ''This floor must be the place where Elder Mateo used to cultivate himself, '' Ricky thought to himself


    Ricky walked and observed the place for a while, until he saw an old man with white hair who was sitting on a chair, drinking a cup of tea. Ricky guessed that he must be Elder Mateo.


    "Elder," Ricky greeted respectfully.


    After hearing Ricky''s voice, Elder Mateo put his cup of tea down on the table and shifted his gaze to Ricky. He carefully studied him, looking at him up and down. Elder Mateo broke into a small smile and after a while of pondering, he said "Extraordinary. I see that you have a great foundation at the Skin Refinement"


    "Thank you, Elder," Ricky bowed. He felt honored to be acknowledged by the eighth elder in the sect.


    "About the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, can you show it to me?" Elder Mateo asked while he sipped his tea. Ricky was stunned with the odd request.


    He was taken aback with the old man''s request. Stunned, he calmed himself down and replied, "Yes, Elder."


    Ricky summoned his spiritual energy to activate the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula¡ªhis whole body turned orange immediately.


    "Remarkable. Remarkable, indeed. Finally, someone can successfully cultivate this formula again. It''s been a thousand years since the last time." Elder Mateo observed calmly but there was a glint in his eyes that sparked excitement. He stood up and walked up to Ricky.


    "Here, drink this," Elder Mateo handed Ricky a cup of tea.


    "Elder, please help yourself. I''m not thirsty." Ricky appreciated that Elder Mateo would offer him a cup of tea, but he rejected politely anyway.


    "Just drink it," Elder Mateo said nonchalantly. He didn''t expect Ricky would turn him down.


    "Yes, Elder." Ricky acce


    , Ricky left the Treasure Tower with such delight.


    "Heather, here. It''s Pure Blue Shamrock," said Ricky, handing it to Heather excitedly.


    "Ricky, thank you so much!" she replied gladly, taking it from Ricky''s hand. She sensed the powerful energy of the water element as soon as she touched it.


    "Oh? Are you two dating?" they both heard someone shout teasingly.


    Two young men were walking toward them slowly. One of them was Rufus, the former number 1 among the outer disciples. It was evident that Rufus came here to get his award from the Treasure Tower.


    Ricky squinted his eyes to observe from a distance who came with Rufus. Even though he wasn''t very sure at which level the man had cultivated, he could tell that he was an inner disciple at Blood Purification.


    "Rufus, look. It''s the man without a spiritual meridian. The one who beat you in the Outer Competition!" said the young man. He shot a glance at Ricky in disdain as he spat out the words.


    "If you weren''t out yesterday, you would know how I lost accidentally." Rufus defended himself.


    "Huh! I know your capability well. Even though I didn''t watch your battle yesterday, I''m pretty sure that he had used some sneaky methods to beat you. Let me teach him a lesson now!" Jerome said angrily as he made balls of fist.


    Before he could finish speaking, he ran towards Ricky.


    Jerome began to gather his energy. Ricky felt that Jerome was at the first grade of Blood Purification as he was getting closer and closer.


    "Jerome, Stop!" Rufus said hesitantly. "My skills are just not as good as his. It''s my problem," he added.


    The anger behind Rufus'' eyes was evident. There was a faint mischievous smile on his face. Although he told Jerome to stop, he hoped that he would take Ricky down.

 Chapter 74 The Spiritual Energy Gathering Array

    "Hasn''t anyone ever told you that you look like a fool?" Ricky sneered, staring Jerome down.


    To Ricky, it was obvious that Rufus just took advantage of Jerome. But Jerome was blind to this, ready to be at Rufus'' beck and call constantly.


    "What are you talking about?" Jerome shouted indignantly at Ricky''s insult.


    "Can''t you hear me? Are you deaf?" Ricky laughed sourly, turning away. He couldn''t be bothered to talk to Jerome anymore.


    "Don''t be so reckless! You''re asking for trouble!


    You better apologize to me! And return the Treasures from Heaven and Earth to their rightful owner! If you don''t give them to Rufus, I''m going to beat you to a pulp!" Jerome shouted, rushing to attack Ricky.


    His blood vitality and spiritual energy emerged from him in a flash. With his right fist surrounded by his thunderous power, Jerome struck at Ricky.


    ''Jerome''s punch is much less forceful than Nate''s. It appears that it''s only been a few days since he had a breakthrough to Blood Purification!'' Ricky thought, assessing the power of Jerome''s fist. He was calm, knowing there was nothing to fear.


    Gently pushing Heather aside, Ricky stepped forward and casually threw a punch.


    He approached Jerome in the same way he had dealt with Nate. Channeling all his strength and making use of the devouring runes, Ricky''s fist collided against Jerome''s in a powerful punch.


    "Bang!" With a loud thump, Jerome flew backwards and fell to the ground with a heavy thud.


    Rufus was stunned by what he witnessed.


    "How can this be!?" he couldn''t help but exclaim. Although Jerome wasn''t a genius in martial arts, he was nonetheless an excellent warrior at the first grade of Blood Purification. So how could he have been knocked down by Ricky with one blow?


    As for Jerome, he was flabbergasted. He stared up at Ricky, scared out of wits.


    "From now on, you should first figure out whether you stand a chance of defeating your opponent before you go and try to fight others'' battles for them," Ricky said coldly, staring back down at Jerome.


    Ricky turned his head to glare at Rufus. "If you want to take revenge on me, you can fight with me yourself. Or better yet, find a better warrior to do your bidding!" he spat.


    With these words, Ricky left with Heather without a backward glance, leaving Rufus and Jerome behind to watch him walk away.


    Rufus growled indignantly, but Jerome still lay sprawled on the ground, completely stunned.


    ...


    After returning to his courtyard, Ricky ga


    e spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The spiritual energy inside the array zone is over ten times more intense than that of other place.


    But all of the arrays need the support of special Treasures from Heaven and Earth. And the Treasures from Heaven and Earth for this Spiritual Energy Gathering Array can support it in working and performing its function for ten entire days.


    So in the following ten days, you will focus on your cultivation here. What level of the cultivation you achieve by the time ten days are up is entirely up to you."


    "Understood, Master Zenith!" Edgar nodded.


    "Even if we can just cultivate at this amazing place for only ten days, it would be tantamount to practicing outside for one hundred days, maybe even more!" Ricky gasped, reeling from the shock.


    Zenith took out a large container of meat out of his Storage Ring and told them, "This is your food for ten days. You should take every opportunity to cultivate in the next few days!"


    With these words, Zenith disappeared. He had teleported away.


    Exchanging tentative glances, Ricky and Edgar nodded and then sat down with their legs crossed, to begin their cultivation.


    They both knew they had to seize this once in a lifetime opportunity to cultivate. Not a second would be wasted!


    Since the pure spiritual energy here was twenty times denser than any other place outside, it gave Ricky and Edgar different feelings and experiences during the cultivation. They felt that they reached the higher levels at a rapid speed.


    Ricky, with his Devouring Skill and Devourer Zone, reached the peak of the ninth grade of Skin Refinement within only two days. Amazing!

 Chapter 75 Reaching Blood Purification

    Inside the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array, thousands of strands of pure energy poured into Ricky''s and Edgar''s body continuously. Both of their powers and cultivation levels were being improved sharply with every passing second. Smoothly the strands sailed as they not only enhanced their strength, but also healed them from their deficiencies.


    They felt as if their bodies were burning with fire as the pure energy constantly circulated their vessels. Sweat came out of their foreheads as the intense heat engulfed them. The change in Ricky was more obvious, though, for he absorbed the spiritual energy way faster than Edgar.


    On day six, Edgar''s body shook all of a sudden. The aura of blood vitality around his body sprang up with a loud crash. The blood in his body circulated so violently that people could even hear it loud and clear.


    Without a question, this incident was a clear sign indicating that Edgar had already successfully broken through into the Blood Purification. He was now an official warrior of Blood Purification.


    Edgar was at the ninth grade of Skin Refinement, the highest level of the method. It made sense for him to achieve the next state faster than Ricky. After that, Edgar still did not come to his senses. Instead, he continued to absorb the pure spiritual energy in the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array, so as to consolidate his controlling ability over the power at the first grade of Blood Purification. Ricky, on the other hand, kept working on his breaking-through process while perspiring heavily all throughout his body.


    But on the seventh day, he rose from his position and eagerly checked himself. To him, this was his big day.


    The last six days'' cultivation had set the stage for him to the next step.


    He activated the Devouring Skill, and enforced the Devourer Zone. Then he picked out a stand of forceful spiritual energy and transferred it into the Zone. After the energy was strengthened in the zone, he injected it into his spiritual meridian.


    As the name suggested, Blood Purification was the process of absorption of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to refine the warrior''s blood.


    Blood carried the energy the body needed and circulated in the vessels to keep the flesh alive. The more powerful the energy in the blood was, the stronger the body would be, and the more invincible a warrior became. The warrior with this enormous energy would be able to perform at the peak of his power for a long period of time.


    Theoretically, he who reached the stage of Blood Purification would not need to sleep to recover himself as long as he kept his blood vitality powerful. That was the significant difference between the warrior of Skin Refinement and that of Blood Purification.


    Ricky activated his spiritual meridian to break the pure spiritual energy into thousands of strands. Immediately, those strands immersed into every vein. Then the energy started to eliminate the impurities and purify his blood to cleanse him.


    It was by no means a comfortable process. Ricky was in pain as his whole body trembled with burning heat. He was engulfed with agony. Ricky proceeded with his refinement as he gritted his teeth to endure it and kept in mind that if there was no pain, there was no gain.


    Finally, blood vitality was released from his blood, which marked the end of this painful and almost torture of a procedure. Alas, Ricky was born into the world of Blood Purification.


    Every pore on his body slightly opened, and innumerable streams of blood vitality sprang up, and finally met with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array.


    The moment the two energies bumped into each other, the aura from Ricky changed accordingly. Apart from his spiritual energy, blood vitality was mixed with it.


    The fusion of the blood vitality and the spiritual energy would definitely cause a qualitative change to a warrior. That was the reason why the warrior of Blood Purification had an absolute advantage over that of Skin Refinement. Blood was in the innermost portion of the warrior while skin was superficial, hence Blood Purification warriors were surely stronger than Skin Refinement ones.


    There were also exceptions, of course. As a genius, Ricky was an excellent example of those who challenged and defeated a warrior of Blood Refinement with a body of Skin Refinement. A legend i


    This fact of Ricky''s improvement inspired Heather. She practiced even harder than usual. She did not want to lag behind Ricky, as she wanted to be as strong and powerful as him.


    Ricky gave the five Blood Purification Pills to Heather as gifts. Now that he had already been a warrior of Blood Purification and owned the Devouring Skill, the Blood Purification Pills were no more useful for him. So he made a kind offer to Heather, and expected her to make some progress.


    During the next few days of Ricky''s road to improvement, he started to comprehend the Five Beasts Arts. He did whatever it took for him to become an exceptional warrior. Book after book he read, even during afternoons he would practice his craft.


    He planned to leave the Snow Sect to experience the world outside the Sect after he finished the cultivation of the Five Beasts Arts. There might be dangers, but only through that could he become stronger and tougher than he had always been.


    There were many people who kept an eye on his every move; the Refinement Faction, the Casting Faction, and Nate. Ricky was well aware of that. He had to grow stronger as soon as possible before they had him disappear in the jungle.


    He would not make any extravagant wish, for example, to defeat them. But at least, he needed to be strong enough to protect himself from other warriors, bandits, or from any natural disaster that might come his way.


    Another reason would be that he wanted freedom away from rules that could prevent him from even killing a fellow sect member even if they tried to prey on him for his powers. He did not feel safe in the Snow Sect even though there was someone protecting him, like Grace, or something protecting him, like one of the rules which stated that fellow disciples of the Snow Sect were forbidden to kill each other. Those people would definitely have a plan on him when they figured out he was too powerful and he would threaten their positions. They would kill him when the chance came. Ricky was certain about that.


    Hence, leaving the Sect to experience and toughen himself would be the best choice.


    As long as he left this place, he could go anywhere he liked. By that time, the search for him would be like searching for a needle in a haystack for those men.


    ...


    It did not take long before he got an initial comprehension of the Five Beasts Arts. After that, Ricky was mentally and physically ready to bid goodbye to Grace and leave. However, someone dropped in in the dead of night before he even had the chance to do anything. He glanced at the door and to his surprise, it was Agnes.


    Ricky felt rather puzzled at her showing up. He and Agnes barely knew each other and they were not close at all.


    But why did she pay him a midnight visit? Was there anything important to talk about in the middle of the night? Ricky thought of all explanations as to why Agnes would go to him, out of all people.

 Chapter 76 Agness Request

    Under the bright moon, the white snow was glowing, illuminating the Snow Sect even in the night.


    Ricky and Agnes looked at each other under the moonlight. He was a handsome young man and she was a beautiful woman. They looked like a lovely couple, but Ricky''s eyes had a mischievous gleam to them.


    "Agnes, you''ve come to look for me so late. Are you feeling empty?" Ricky smiled suggestively.


    "Shut up!" Agnes didn''t have the patience for Ricky when he was like this.


    "Ha-ha, alright I''m sorry. What can I do for you at this hour?" Ricky asked, dropping the joking tone.


    "I want to ask you to do me a favor!" Agnes said quietly.


    "A favor? Is it for something dangerous?" Ricky asked anxiously.


    "Nothing dangerous."


    "I can do it, if that''s the case." Ricky replied after some consideration. "But, you still have to tell me what''s in it for me... even if you are really pretty." Agnes scowled at this.


    "Money, and cultivation resources!" she replied, half regretting that she had come to him.


    "What about a beautiful woman?" Ricky grinned.


    "I will find someone who suits your request if you insist," Agnes said seriously. "However, to make things clear again, I will never give myself to you."


    "That would be no fun," Ricky curled his lip and said.


    "Well, I am going to find someone else!"


    "Forget it, Agnes. I was only jesting. What is it that you want to talk about?" Ricky said, noticing that Agnes wanted to leave.


    Agnes turned around, saying, "I want you to visit Billow City with me..."


    And then she explained.


    Billow City, a large city west of Snow Land, was controlled by the people of Shui Clan and was one of strongest forces under the Snow Sect. Three demi-immortals and numerous strong warriors were in the Clan.


    The strange thing was that most of the population of the Shui Clan were women, and even their three demi-immortals and strong warriors were almost all women too.


    Three demi-immortals represented three factions respectively among the Shui Clan. They were not harmonious, constantly fighting over control of Sui Clan and even the Billow City.


    But they could not fight outright, because they all belonged to Shui Clan. It would be self-destructive and they would only end up in the hands


    just outside the snowy mountains, a young man blocked their way.


    "Agnes, you pick this guy with no spiritual meridian to accompany you instead of me!" The young man rudely said as he came up to them, staring at Ricky with emotionless eyes.


    Dressed in a white robe, he looked charismatic and handsome indeed, but the unpleasant hatred in his eyes was disgusting.


    He seemed to be a young man of Blood Purification and around sixteen years old at most. He was likely an inner disciple of the Snow Sect.


    Ricky also understood from his words that the young man, probably an admirer of Agnes, knew about Billow city and wanted to participate in the competition with Agnes.


    But Agnes had turned him down.


    "Fred, you followed me!" Agnes said grimly, looking at him. She understood what he was trying to do.


    "Hey, boy. It''s not too late to change your mind about accompanying Agnes now, or I''ll make sure you won''t reach Billow City!" Fred spat at Ricky, ignoring Agnes.


    Suddenly, Fred released his power of the first grade of Blood Purification instantly, flinging it at Ricky.


    Agnes tried to intervene, saying "Fred-" but Ricky stopped her.


    Ricky stepped forward and joked sarcastically, "I wonder why I won''t reach Billow city!"


    "Because I''m after your blood, and so are the Refinement Faction and Casting Faction. If I tell everyone where you are, two factions will definitely hunt you down!" Fred replied harshly.


    "Oh, well. If that''s the case, you have to die!" Ricky shouted.

 Chapter 77 Ricky’s Self-doubt

    "Hahaha¡­"


    Fred couldn''t help but burst into laughter after hearing what Ricky had just said. From his perspective, Ricky would not stand a chance against him. Fred laughed so hard that he almost rolled on the ground.


    "You are just a waste with no spiritual meridian. Even if you are the first among the top ten outer disciples now, your powers are still nothing compared to mine. In my eyes, you are just a little better than a tiny little ant! You are worth nothing." Fred pointed at Ricky''s nose and sneered, and laughed so hard that his eyes watered.


    Agnes'' face turned sour as she stood beside Ricky. She knew the huge difference between the power of Blood Purification and Skin Refinement, and she was certain that Fred wasn''t bluffing at all, not this time. Fred might be right after all.


    "Am I a small ant? Fine! You can think I am as small and as useless as you can, but I don''t give a damn. I''ve got other things to think about. Now you''re saying that you are going to expose my whereabouts to the Refinement Faction and the Casting Faction? They had always wanted to kill me. That''s what I have to care about! That''s bigger than this. Even if we both are fellow disciples from the same sect, I have to kill you today!" Ricky shouted at the top of his lungs, while he gritted his teeth.


    "Wow, you are just a trashy warrior with a bitchy mouth, huh? I wasn''t intending to end your life by myself, but you really make me angry right now. You''re releasing the beast in me. Rest at ease! It won''t take too long before I turn you into a corpse." Fred stopped mocking. As his face turned fierce, his killing intent surged and filled the atmosphere in an instant. His face became red out of anger, and his fist was clasped into a ball ready to punch Ricky in the gut.


    In a flash, his feet aggressively slammed the ground, and he formed his fists by clasping five fingers of each hand. Next moment, his straight punch, containing great strength, almost landed on Ricky''s head. But Ricky was no ordinary warrior for he possessed an insurmountable amount of strength.


    In the face of Fred''s aggressive attack, Ricky stayed calm and confident, with no fear inside his heart. All he showed was a poker face that no one could ever guess what was on his mind. ''To figure out how much more progress I''ve gained in these days, I''ve been upset lately to find someone to fight me. This guy is just coming in time!'' Ricky thought to himself. Just before Fred''s fist reached him, the static blood vitality in Ricky''s body abruptly sped up with great power, causing a stir around his surroundings. With the blood vitality running through his hands like electricity, Ricky could feel both his palms were full of power and strength. Immediately, Ricky closed his right hand into a tight fist, and met Fred''s fist with such an enormous strength.


    ''What? Did he already break through Skin Refinement? How overwhelming his spiritual energy is! Is that Blood Purification?'' Agnes couldn''t even believe her own speculations. Right now, she could feel nothing but shock.


    ''It seems that I have to admit that Ricky''s talent is great, maybe better than mine. I must accept the fact that he has surely reached Blood Purification. But how could he possibly make it? No matter how talented he is, the cultivation up to Blood Purification from Skin Refinement never cost only a couple of days, not this easily. To my knowledge, his achievement on cultivation is unprecedented!''


    Clearly, Ricky seemed to have reached Blood Purification. And to Agnes'' amazement, she found no reason on how could Ricky make it in just a few days. "Did he get the Treasures from Heaven and Earth when he entered Treasure Tower last time? Maybe that''s why he has broken through Skin Refinement! " That reason was as far as what Agnes could think of.


    Not only had Ricky''s spiritual energy overwhelmed Agnes, but Fred also got startled and found it unbelievable. In Fred''s perspective, Ricky was just an outer disciple whose Skin Refinement grade would be no more than the ninth level. Like Agnes, he never thought that Ricky would be able to improve himself and achieve Blood Purification within ten days only.


    But to Fred, Ricky was still not so much of a warrior. His surprise and amusement towards Ricky''s strength didn''t last for far too long.


    He thought with pride, ''Blood Purification? Ha ha. Would that scare me? I have already reached the peak of the first grade of Blood Purification, and he is just finding his way to it. Will it be possible for him to wield the power of Blood Purification even better than I can?''


    Fred narrowed his evil eyes and added more power to his fists. He was enraged about the fact that Ricky might be more powerful than he thought. With this in mind, he made himself ready to try his best to defeat Ricky.


    But, to Ricky, Fred was not strong enough to make him translate his strength and anger into a fight. Ricky didn''t even take it into account whether he should exert the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula for this battle.


    Boom! Next moment, two fists from two warriors collided again and again, and a series of thunderous noise were heard, causing blasts of air mixed with blood vitality. Both of Ricky and Fred were wrapped ins


    y their pact. He did whatever it took to protect Agnes from the beasts.


    In the face of warriors as powerful as Ricky and Agnes, the pack had no chance to fight back. Grieving and shrill cries filled the atmosphere. One by one they targeted the bandits, and head by head they were dead. Not for too long, all of the robbers had been taken down.


    "Oh, guys! God sent His men to save us! Let''s all kneel down to show gratitude for God''s assistance!" Seeing Ricky and Agnes had killed all of the bad guys and saved their lives, the survivors among the villagers all exclaimed with great respect and appreciation. The survivors went down on their knees in gratification of their rescue.


    Given Ricky and Agnes were still in a hurry to continue their journey, they didn''t pay much attention to villagers'' sincere acknowledgements. As all the folks bowed down to them and gave many thanks to them with excitement, they just stood still in silence. Both of them just nodded their heads toward the innocent people, mounted their horses and marched out of the place.


    This event affected Ricky deeply and made him sink into deep thoughts.


    ''The law of this world is just as cruel as the law of the jungle, and so is the martial world. The weak fall prey to the strong, because it is the strong who rule the world and everything in it.


    The destinies that the weak are left with are to be treated like animals.''


    ''Is this the rule of the real world? To hunt or to be hunted?'' A shadow of doubt flashed across Ricky''s mind as it became clearer to him. Ricky found it very hard to shake it out of his mind.


    Before this day, the meaning of his living was for himself and the people he loved. His only purpose to improve himself was to be strong enough to protect himself and his family.


    But after what happened, inside his heart, he found something else for his purpose of improvement-- to uphold justice, to protect the innocent weak from the violence of the strong.


    If it weren''t for the sense of justice deep inside his heart, Ricky wouldn''t have taken the trouble to save all those villagers. He did not have to do that; he just wanted to.


    However, he thought of what his father had told him many years ago, "There is no justice in this world. We are either hunters or survivors. Don''t trust justice. The so-called justice will only get you killed if you are stupid enough to be fooled by it."


    ''Why did my father once teach me that way? Should I listen to his words and abandon the shadow of justice that is just formed inside my heart? Though it will be good for me, for I can save all my precious time to focus on cultivating and then grow strong enough to protect my beloved ones, would it make me have less regard for others and ignore justice?'' Ricky couldn''t be more confused right now as his heart and mind battled for the right answer. It was as if he was searching for an answer to an unsolved riddle.


    Suddenly, Grace flashed into his mind, and Ricky immediately seized the thought, ''Wasn''t Master Grace out of justice to help me? Will Master Grace agree with my father''s opinion?''


    The more he thought about it, the more torn he felt. He could not just disregard his father''s opinion. It bore heavy in his heart.


    At a loss for a solution, Ricky turned to ask Agnes and asked for a solution. He walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder so as not startle her. Then, he asked, "Agnes, why did you offer to help and save those villagers? It was none of your business, right?"

 Chapter 78 Billow City

    "Then why did you do it?" Agnes asked, stunned at Ricky''s question.


    "I''m not sure, but maybe it was because of the fiery rage inside me!" Ricky replied.


    "I know what you mean!" Agnes nodded. She was all too familiar with the feeling.


    "Ricky, why have you been cultivating yourself?" she asked.


    "To protect myself and the people around me," Ricky replied.


    "Then why can''t you extend a hand to the weak you encounter? Would you really have felt good later on if you didn''t save these villagers today?" Agnes probed again.


    "I wouldn''t have," Ricky admitted.


    "Some of my family''s ancestors said that, though the world follows the law of the survival of the fittest, sometimes the strong must find it in their hearts to protect the weak. It is their morality," Agnes said.


    "I''m not so sure of the meaning, but I''m convinced that it is right.


    The competitiveness of the martial arts world tells us not to be kind, to be individualistic, but at times doing justice and rescuing even the most lowly life is easy for us, so why wouldn''t we?"


    "That does make sense!" Ricky said after hearing Agnes'' explanation.


    While he couldn''t fairly understand these sentences from the ancestors of the Shui clan, it seemed that he had begun to scratch the surface of these proverbs.


    Now that he had the power to uphold justice, why did he give it up? It was supposed to be human nature for him to do the right thing. However, he should control the justice and do the right thing at the right time, with wisdom, discernment, and tact.


    Ricky felt suddenly enlightened as he realized these things.


    "Agnes, thank you for explaining that to me!" Ricky said to Agnes.


    "You''re welcome, Ricky. I just passed on the words of my ancestors." Agnes felt a little shy at Ricky''s gratitude.


    ...


    Before they knew it, they had arrived at Billow City. They had been talking all the while about martial arts and cultivation.


    Billow City was lo


    n three years since we have lost the ruling position over Billow City, so the Grandmaster has decided to reward the disciple who can win back the role for our faction," an elder said, after gesturing at Agnes to acknowledge her apology.


    Not only the ten disciples of the Shui clan but also the ten men including Ricky were so excited upon hearing the words. The reward from a demi-immortal must be good, so the male warriors were eager to get their share too.


    The five elders on the dais nodded at the sight of the young warriors stirring with excitement. This vigor was what they wanted to see.


    "All right then. You may have a rest today. Tomorrow we have preliminaries to determine who will represent us and thus compete with the other factions!" The elder went on to say.


    "One more thing, as the Shui''s disciples, you should orient the swordsmen well."


    "Yes, Elder!" The disciples echoed.


    "Well, you are dismissed!"


    ...


    "Humph! You''ll see tomorrow!" Sherry said viciously to Agnes as she walked out of the hall.


    "Enjoy today, boy! You might never get off the bed after tomorrow!" Sherry''s male companion warned Ricky threateningly.


    "Ricky, they''re idiots. Don''t listen to them!" Agnes said, rolling her eyes. She was leading Ricky away with her delicate and slim hands.

 Chapter 79 A Landslide Defeat Of The So-called Genius

    The night had gone by in a flash.


    The next day, the square of the Purity Faction was already full of people. They all seemed to be women.


    Right in the middle of the square, two huge rings had been erected.


    Ricky and his fellow warriors too had come to the ring, waiting to fight any moment now.


    It was no longer Agnes and her fellow Shui disciples who were put up to the challenge this day, but their companions whom they had invited.


    "Gentlemen! You know that faction contests are very important to us, so please understand that there can only be one winner among the ten of you!" said the Elder of yesterday, as she ascended the dais.


    "The battles among you will be fought in two groups today. First, the two groups will decide who the strongest one is among them, and then the two of them will battle it out.


    Please draw first. Proceed to ring one if you draw a number, and ring two if you don''t."


    Soon, Ricky and the others finished the draw and were evenly divided between the two rings.


    "It''s a pity you''re not on the same ring with me." Sherry''s companion said sarcastically, as he glanced at Ricky''s hand.


    "You should thank God for your luck!" Ricky sneered.


    "You''re playing with fire. You know what? I''ll make you suffer even if we''re not in a same ring! I promise you that!"


    "All right, gentlemen, now please battle it out in your respective rings!" The Elder instructed.


    The battle began.


    It was Sherry''s companion with four other warriors in the second ring.


    Agnes had told Ricky about the identity of Sherry''s partner. He was a young master named Alan from the West Vanity Valley, a force equivalent to the Shui Clan.


    Alan growled in his ring, "You''d better fight together against me, or every one of you will eat my dust!"


    "You are so arrogant and conceited!" His four other opponents said fiercely, enraged by his words.


    After a glance of agreement between them, they then all launched an attack to Alan. The peak momentum characteristic of the ninth grade of Skin Refinement was simultaneously condensed into the strongest offensive level and blasted at Alan.


    "There!" Alan sneered at the


    es haughtily and disdainfully, as if to say, "Prepare to carry him back later!"


    ...


    "Well, I said that you should feel lucky you''ve never battled me in a ring before," Ricky said indifferently. "But your luck is running out."


    "I''ll beat the crap out of you!"


    Shouting this, Alan gathered the momentum of his fist and rushed to Ricky, punching him square on the mouth.


    A sneer came over Ricky''s lips, and he punched Alan right back, on his mouth as well.


    "You''re playing with fire!" Alan said angrily, seeing that Ricky unexpectedly dared fight back against him. He curled his lip, imagining what a terrible defeat Ricky would suffer next.


    "Bam!" A muffled voice shrieked. As everyone had anticipated, a figure was flung back right away with a scream and landed heavily on the ground.


    But it was not who they expected to see. Everyone was dumbfounded at the sight of Alan screaming in pain on the ground. Sherry''s pride froze in an instant, the smile draining off her lips.


    The elders on the dais couldn''t believe it either.


    "Sure enough!" Only the elder woman had anticipated the outcome. She nodding slightly, pleased at the turn of events.


    "Humph! None of the geniuses of the Snow Sect can stand up to him, let alone a young master of the West Vanity Valley like your little participant," Agnes said to Sherry, holding her head high. But Sherry didn''t respond. Her eyes were still glazed over in shock.

 Chapter 80 Trio Array

    "Grr! I''ll kill you!"


    Alan''s howl rang through the silence like sudden thunder. Fumbling to get up from the ground, he broke out in full force.


    The power he exuded was characteristic of the first grade of Blood Purification. It burst forth in full swing.


    Immediately, Alan pulled out his weapon from his back and turned his palms forward. The weapon quickly expanded and became a black iron spear.


    "The Earthlight Iron Spear!"


    With a shout, Alan ran and leaped high in the ring, spear in hand. All his strength was concentrated on the spear, which burst into a powerful blaze and hurtled towards Ricky.


    "Haven''t you realized what you''re up against?" Ricky said coldly, calmly watching Alan''s infuriated attack.


    Ricky burst into flames and pulled out his Iron Destroyer, red spiritual energy surrounding it instantly. Ricky then spun around at a high speed and swung the long saber from above.


    "Clang!" The two weapons collided, and Alan''s black spear was flung away. Meanwhile, however, Ricky''s long saber flew straight at Alan.


    The sight of the rapidly approaching blade thrust Alan into a state of panic and despair, and he stood frozen, forgetting how to deflect it.


    If this had happened elsewhere, Ricky would have killed Alan without mercy. But it was inappropriate to do so in the house of Shui Clan. Instantly, he twisted his weapon and gave Alan a tremendous blow to the chest with the back of his long saber.


    With a grunt, Alan fell backwards into the ring again, bleeding this time.


    But unlike before, however, he failed to get up and instead passed out on the spot. Ricky studied him for a few moments, wondering if he was faking it or not.


    A stunned silence fell over the crowd, but only briefly.


    Soon the chatter increased exponentially, like the start of a rain shower. They talked about the man in the ring and Agnes.


    In an instant, all the attention had completely shifted from Alan to Ricky.


    Sherry was startled out of her dazed shock by the loud chatter, her beautiful eyes full of bitterness. She stared at Ricky and Agnes angrily, feeling hatred develop for Alan.


    "It seems you were right, sister. Disciples of the Snow Sect are by no means easy to defeat. It was a truly wise choice to send Agnes ther


    icant improvement, for it had definitely made Ricky as fast as any warrior at the second grade of Blood Purification.


    ''I don''t think the Five Beasts Arts is merely a inferior Black Level cultivation method. I''m suspecting that because it hasn''t been practiced by warriors for so long, its importance was forgotten and its rank consequently dropped, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ¡­


    Agnes arrived early on the day of the faction competition.


    "Ha-ha, did you miss me these past three days, Agnes my beauty?" Ricky teased as he opened the door to greet her.


    "The parameters of the contest have been determined. It is to be the Trio Array!" Agnes said, ignoring Ricky''s teasing.


    "Trio Array? It''s a type of array, is it?" Ricky asked.


    "Yes, but not exactly!"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Well first of all, the Trio Array has the power of an array, which means they attack us. But they are controlled by the method of puppet, just as we manipulate puppets!" Agnes explained.


    "Puppets mean they have no mind of their own... Isn''t that good for us?" Ricky clarified.


    "Yes, but that''s also a downside! For a thing with no cognitive abilities doesn''t feel fear!" Agnes said, shaking her head.


    "That makes sense!" Ricky mused and nodded, "So what exactly is a Trio Array?"


    "Wooden Men Array, Stone Men Array, and Bronze Men Array! And if two factions pass the Trio Array and there''s a tie, the final result will be decided in a battle," Agnes explained. It would be an interesting challenge.

 Chapter 81 Mysterious Man, Jason

    It was another day meant for combat as all of the Shui Clan anticipated with much delight in their bodies. Everyone was excited to see the competition among the three factions of the Shui Clan. Who would be the best one?


    The clan held secrets, lots of secrets. One of them was the location of the Trio Array of the Shui Clan. The location was preserved and only known to some of their warriors.


    Meanwhile, several Elders of Purity Faction led Agnes and Ricky as well as some genius disciples of Purity Faction to an isolated hall. It was secluded, the alleyway dark and narrow. Agnes and Ricky were nervous and excited at the same time as to what the Elders had in store for them.


    Two groups of people could be seen in the hall--the Groom Faction and the Sage Faction.


    Upon entering the hall, Ricky saw the people sitting on the clouds of spiritual energy high in the sky. Ricky was amazed to see how they floated gracefully up there. These three were the demi-immortal grandmasters of Shui Clan, the powerful and respected warriors.


    The demi-immortals could not only make spiritual energy wings for flying, but also form spiritual energy clouds to sit on. The demi-immortals sat on their respective clouds and gave them a nod, a signal which meant that they could enter the hall.


    The Elders of the three factions talked to each other rather quietly, as if they had something planned that was already taking effect. They whispered--only they themselves could hear each other. Based on their body language and their lip read, they were all confident that the control over Billow City would be theirs.


    During this time, Agnes introduced the competitors of the other two factions to Ricky.


    The Sage Faction, which had controlled the Billow City for three years in a row, sent Dora Shui to join the competition this time. She represented the whole of the faction and was expected to win the battle. Of course, everyone in the Sage Faction rooted for her to bag the win for the fourth consecutive year. But there was someone odd in the hall, someone invited by Dora who seemed to be very mysterious. The Purity Faction did some research on him but still, to their dismay, and no matter how deep they tried to dig, they still weren''t able to figure out who he was and what his background was.


    In the battle yesterday, no one could hardly take a punch from this young man, including disciples at the peak of the first grade of Blood Purification. The warrior was strong, and that was as far as they could go in describing him.


    After hearing Agnes'' introduction, Ricky shifted his gaze to the Sage Faction. He looked at them and started to wonder who would be the man Agnes just described. Alas, he found


    lenge the Stone Men Array," Agnes whispered softly. The watery spiritual energy had emerged from her body.


    Right after Agnes''s words, a clicking sound was suddenly heard.


    Wooden limbs started to move as the Wooden Men ran towards them with great speed.


    They soon formed a line just like a long snake. All of them stared at Ricky and Agnes ghastly.


    "It seems that the competition has started. Agnes, we''d better not separate. Otherwise we would possibly be defeated by these wooden men one by one," Ricky suggested.


    Meanwhile, he gathered ideas on how to pass the Wooden Men Array. ''Do we take them one by one or do we just slide our way to the staircase and go up?'' Ricky thought to himself.


    "I know, Ricky, this is the reason why two people are needed to participate in the competition. In this Trio Array, even the warriors at the third grade of Blood Purification could not always watch out for things behind them," Agnes replied.


    The next moment, they stood back to back, and took out their weapons, getting ready to fight. They summoned up all their energies as they were preparing for one woody battle.


    Suddenly, booming sounds filled the hall. They looked everywhere as they searched for the source of the sounds.


    The moment they took out their weapons, the Wooden Men Array moved rapidly, rounded them up and trapped them in the center. Sticks suddenly appeared in the wooden men''s hands as they were programmed to.


    Every stick in the wooden men''s hands corresponded to the power of the array. The wooden men were not that easy to defeat for they all matched the power of a warrior at the peak of eighth grade of Skin Refinement. Ricky and Agnes moved closer together, back to back, as they held their weapons in an attacking stance ready to fight their lifeless opponents.

 Chapter 82 Triumphing In Two Challenges

    Creaks produced by wooden joints of life-sized puppets signified the increasing amount of wooden men opposing Ricky and Agnes'' entrance in the place.


    They barricaded them within a circle of their own numbers, reaching to an overwhelming one hundred warriors that each possessed a strength at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement. Ricky dodged attacks from several of his foes on the front line, gritting his teeth in frustration at the absurd situation. If he were only to battle ten, then he would have cleared the obstacle right away. This many men were too much of a danger, even for him. He had to move out of harm''s way quickly than risk a defeat after attempting to engage in a battle on his own.


    Another rush of wooden arms and legs strived to wound his body. His nimble form allowed him to evade and buy him enough time to cast a sidelong glance at Agnes, sending out a sign to unleash a coordinated attack. She nodded with muted agreement before Ricky unsheathed his long saber and simultaneously activated the Sixth Strike of Nonuple Flame Strike.


    In a blinding flash, six individual flames scattered in all directions and served as the pair''s shield. The scalding heat emanating from the ball of light warded of their adversaries, causing them to be wary of making careless approaches near the two''s protected space.


    A crack of a long, white whip followed shortly after; Agnes conducted her weapon, manifesting the Octuple Waves as a second layer of cover from the almost indestructible army.


    An uncertain atmosphere befell on the troops, hesitance hindering them from mindlessly surging forward. Ricky smirked and took advantage of their momentary weakness. A war cry ripped from his throat, his arms tensing in effort as he wielded his saber with mastery and precision while the flames remorselessly followed up his initial assaults. Agnes fought by his side, mercilessly lashing away as her waves hurtled towards other overlooked enemies.


    The opposite elements synchronized in such rehearsed perfection that greatly reflected the compatibility of its commanders'' fighting styles. Unfortunately, they were in collision with a legion sporting physiques stronger than that of normal humans. None of their mighty prowess had gone through their wooden surfaces as previously wished; it only left slight cracks and gashes as proof of their charges.


    Stepping back, Ricky appraised the subjects with a frustrated glare, "The wood is too thick and hard. My saber is the intermediate Mortal Level weapon, one that can even slash through heavy lumps of iron, yet all it does to them is inflicting a few cuts." He appraised them, his fist slowly tightening its hold on his sword as he prepared to face another reformation of the Wooden Men Array. Agnes'' gaze flickered to him for a brief instant before it focused back on their foes in deep concentration.


    "It''s not that it''s hard; these beings are under the protection of a powerful array. Weapons at the advanced stage of the Mortal Level would even be unable to completely destroy them," she explained in chorus with the onset of sprinting forms thirsting for their utter annihilation. She manipulated her whip like an extension of her arm; ceaselessly hitting her desired targets one by one with unrestrained force.


    "If the array is so powerful, these things are bound to have a weakness, right?" Ricky grunted, kicking back a wooden soldier that had grasped his ankle. It flung away from him, covering the distance of a few feet as it smashed a number of his colleagues along the way. Humming in reply, Agnes hid a smirk as she pondered over his question.


    "Yes, you''re correct. They do have one weakness..." She snapped her arm back in a quick gesture, smacking a combatant right on its head with the tail end of her whip, effectively cutting it off of its life. "Their heads contain their cor


    ponents steadily marched in the direction of their path, reacting in retribution to their blood thirst. Gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, Ricky shouted an order, "Agnes! I''ll distract them, so go and hit their cores."


    Her agreement was not declared by words but by the graceful rhythm they had fallen into. They rallied blows upon blows on their enemies, eradicating them in an outbreak of cooperated motions and manoeuvres.


    A grueling four hours passed, and they were left with heaps of stones and rubble at last. The Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula that Ricky had brandished expertly gave them a great advantage over the pack.


    ''Luckily, I invited Ricky to take part in the competition this time!'' Agnes thought, the traces of lingering fear invading her senses as she took a breather from the strenuous exercise. She was grateful that she had chosen to believe she would not be able to beat the stone men if she had invited any other warrior at the second grade of Blood Purification. She had only managed this far because it was Ricky''s help that she was receiving.


    Not to mention, the disciples of the Purity Faction always failed to break the Stone Men Array.


    "Ricky, the Trio Array appears to be more powerful than before," she said, wiping the sweat from her forehead in her exhaustion.


    "Really? Then, wouldn''t it be more exciting this time?" He smiled, courage and boldness leaping out of him in bounds.


    His behavior earned chortles from the demi-immortal grandmasters who had been religiously tracking the duo''s developments. "Well, the disciple of the Snow Sect looks like he''s enjoying the challenge, but he has no idea of the tenacity the Bronze Men Array harbors." They conversed, remarking on his positive words. The two engaged in heated discussion were


    respectively from the Groom Faction and the Sage Faction, while the other simply regarded Ricky with buoyancy.


    "I think that this disciple of the Snow Sect has great perseverance and patience," the demi-immortal grandmaster of the Purity Faction spoke with a faint smile.


    Their eyes stayed on Ricky''s back as they left the floor, a curious wonder showing in their gaze.


    Ricky and Agnes reached the third floor, already aware that the tournament demanded for them to confront the Bronze Men Array.


    From the all-encompassing ambience it exhibited, it was clear that each bronze man had the equal power of warriors at the first grade of Blood Purification.


    But now, only ten of them were to meet their future demise by the hands of the supreme pair.

 Chapter 83 Breaking The Bronze Men Array

    Whistling a low tune, Ricky regarded his enemies with slightly raised brows. "So, this is the third challenge for us, huh? Luckily, there are only ten bronze men in the array. We''ll surely win against them in no time!" He let out a chuckle filled with uncertainty, trying to ease up his nerves while he examined his opponents tactically changing their positions in lieu of the incoming menace.


    Despite his initial positivity, his eyes narrowed in unbridled focus as he assessed the scene before him with a seriousness only veteran warriors could exhibit during battle. He clenched his teeth, knowing that his prior words were a mere attempt to diffuse the high difficulty of the trial they were to face. The strengths of their adversaries were not to be taken lightly. He knew how much of it could potentially damage his own body the moment he exerted his internal strength as a test to see the extent of their prowess. It was borderline startling how they were more powerful than fifty wooden men. He felt intimidated and alarmed, even with their few numbers. He could see by now that he would be entering a brutal zone.


    He gripped his long saber, a steely gaze gauging the capabilities of both teams. He had to have firm will and determination to win in order to have a chance at defeating the bronze puppets. No pure and unabashed might would be enough to take them down; he needed to enact a clever plan.


    "Hey, Agnes. Do you know any of their weaknesses?" Ricky asked, his mind turning its gears as he struggled to concoct a flawless strategy to take advantage of their frailer sides.


    Agnes shook her head in dismay. "I''m afraid not. The Trio Array was introduced into the competition four years ago. During that time, only the men of the Sage Faction succeeded in reaching this level. Contenders from the Purity Faction and the Groom Faction have not even seen it in the past; let alone attain any knowledge of their weakness." Ricky''s face scrunched up with worry.


    "Well, it appears that we''re going to have to face a really difficult problem."


    She looked back at him and nodded, sensing his apprehension.


    "Yes, I''m ready for that." Metallic screeches scraped against the other and created high-pitched noises that hurt the pair''s ears.


    The horde was starting to move at a fast pace, their tumultuous steps creating a barricade that soon encircled them.


    They had no time to react from the ambush, only able to tense up in defense as brass bars suddenly manifested from their foes'' hands while dashing towards them in an organized manner.


    Strikes and lashes released from the collision of opposing forces signified the beginning of the long exhausting warfare. Agnes did not dare take leisure in blocking their attacks, not with their power carrying the level of Blood Purification. She was able to resist the aggressiveness of one or two tools, but she had to put her life on the line if she were to combat them all.


    Ricky glanced at her in between his own engagements, uneasy with the thought of her getting beaten badly. He acknowledged that Agnes was more than capable of handling herself but he believed he had a responsibility to avoid on any fatal injuries to befall on his companion. They only had each other to depend on after all, and so, he willingly took the majority of their rivals head on.


    Flames licked at the metal of his blade and emitted a heat only he could take. He maximized its power; parrying the flurry of russet arms threatening to incapacitate him. He swung and dodged until he managed to receive a momentary break from the ruthless scuffle. Heaving dee


    his breakthrough.


    He held his breath as his frantic eyes jumped to one body to the next. Suddenly, he was struck with a realization that his saber had successfully left cracks on their chestnut exteriors.


    "Maybe there isn''t any array power in them?" he mumbled, puzzled by his finding.


    If that were the case, it should not have been possible for the array to be stronger than the mobs they had fought previously. He could still vividly recall the shadow marks left as trails of evidence to the cuts his weapon had tried to inflict on them. Those stone and wooden men did not break into pieces as it should have because of the array power embedded in their forms.


    But then, if the bronze array had possessed the same skill as the former legions, he would not have been able to leave deep cuts caused by his inexorable slashes.


    Unless, its aim was to solely break down their dissidents'' real strength.


    He startled upon his new discovery. Their physiques bore no weaknesses and no array powers; all they had was their own pugnacious strengths that equaled to a warrior at the first grade of Blood Purification. The only way to triumph over the mob was to harbor a power stronger than theirs.


    "Finally!"


    Ricky grinned, mustering all his momentum to unleash the devouring runes from within. With those runes'' help, he made it to the second grade of Blood Purification.


    It renewed his being; baptizing him with fresh and unrestrained vigor that permitted him to slash through his nearest enemy.


    "Crack!"


    The metal ripped like a loose thread from a broken hem before it split into halves and fell on the solid ground heavily.


    ''I was right! It all depends on true strength!'' he sighed, mitigation and glee prancing around in his chest.


    He proceeded to take them down one by one; raising his saber and plunging it countless of times into the puppets without any remorse. In a span of a few seconds, he had emerged gloriously undefeated as he stood on top of the fragments scattered along the floor.


    Ricky and Agnes shared a look brimming with the pride of conquering their last mission.


    He breathed in ease, oblivious to the panting of his partner almost on the verge of fainting from the tenacious exercise. At last, they were crowned champions. All their efforts paid off, with Ricky even managing to receive the bonus of reaching the second stage of Blood Purification.

 Chapter 84 Conflicts

    "Runic power! I can''t believe it! Ricky knows how to use runic power!"


    The grandmasters were amazed at the strength Ricky mustered.


    It seemed that not only did he now have a spiritual meridian with two properties, but he was also able to cultivate manuals. They had never heard of someone who had such a rare spiritual meridian, much less met them in person!


    "The Snow Sect is definitely going to extent much effort to train this young man! He has much potential and promise. There''s a high possibility that he could become a spiritual king one day!"


    As they exchanged glances with each other, they seemed to come to a mutual understanding: they had to try and get Ricky to join their faction, or at least get close to him.


    They were quite confident that they would at least manage to get close to him.


    For, from the ancient days to the present, heroes loved beauties. In the Snow Land, their clan, the Shui Clan, had always boasted the most beauties of all the clans. Besides, it could be deduced that Ricky and Agnes were getting closer and closer.


    "It looks like that Jason and Elsa are going to lose," the grandmaster from the Groom Faction said with a sigh.


    "Oh, don''t be so upset. You know that you can still have a third of all the resources this year," the grandmaster from Sage Faction retorted.


    "All the outsiders think that we are competing with each other for the resources. What the young ones don''t know is we''re just pretending that we can''t get along with each other to motivate our disciples!" she added.


    *


    "Agnes, I wouldn''t mind if you lean on my shoulder to get some rest. Don''t worry. I won''t charge you for anything," Ricky said with a cunning smile. He had seen that Agnes could hardly stand anymore, so he went to her to offer his support.


    Feeling Ricky holding her arms with his warm hands, Agnes wanted to refuse his offer. Words rushed to her lips, fighting to come out, but she swallowed them eventually. She was so tired.


    Ricky could see on Agnes'' face that she was a little reluctant to let him help her, so he dropped the teasing tone at once. He had a feeling that if he kept messing around with her, she would definitely give him a kick he wouldn''t soon forget.


    "Agnes, we''ve successfully passed the Bronze Men Array. But how do we get out?" Ricky asked.


    "We have to wait for the results of the other two factions. We''ll know once they pass or fail the array," Agnes replied softly.


    Then she closed her eyes and began to heal her wound through cultivation.


    *


    About half an hour later, the hall shook a little, which


    dging from their attitudes toward each other, it seemed that Agnes and Dora held grudges against each other. Ricky shuddered. Sometimes, the resentment women cultivated could be scarier than that of men''s.


    Gathering her energy, Dora activate Overlapping Wave Palm and struck at Agnes. To Ricky, it looked like Dora used all her strength.


    Agnes refused to show inferiority, choosing to block Dora with Overlapping Wave Palm as well.


    Some of their moves were so graceful that they looked as though they were dancing around the arena. However, everyone present could tell that they were hitting each other with all their might.


    Starting with Triple Waves Palm, they had now escalated to using Octuple Waves Palm. However, they were still tied, each warrior holding up her end of the battle.


    Most of the disciples were amazed that both Agnes and Dora had already mastered Octuple Waves Palm.


    Since they couldn''t beat each other with Overlapping Wave Palm, the women knew that the only way to break the tie was to see whose blood power of innate spirit was more powerful.


    "Hah!" both warriors shouted with all their might. There were glowing mists surrounding their bodies and their power instantly surged to the level of Blood Purification.


    If Ricky had paid more attention, he would have noticed that the mysterious young man had been observing Agnes'' and Dora''s changes while they were activating the blood power of innate spirit.


    He was looking at their moves very carefully. He appeared to be observing the changes of their blood intently, greed written all over his eyes.


    *


    "Agnes! I will beat you!"


    With the blood power of innate spirit, Agnes and Dora began to hurl strikes at each other again.

 Chapter 85 A More Formidable Opponent than Rufus

    At the moment when the two women burst into the blood power of innate spirit, everyone knew that the winner was going to be decided in the next few seconds.


    With strong momentum, their bodies were slowly suspended in the air, and all their power had been gathered into their two palms.


    The combined strength of intense vapor and the blood power of innate spirit made them look like noble queens, making most of the men present desire them.


    "The blood power of innate spirit -- the palm of mist!" With a delicate shout, Dora made a palm with her beautiful hands. A subtle palm of mist came at Agnes through the space between them.


    Agnes gave a loud shout and responded with the same palm of mist.


    "Boom!"


    The roar resounded through the sky. Instantly, the warriors'' figures were shrouded by mist as they remained suspended in the air.


    "Pah!"


    It was the familiar sound of someone spitting blood. Dora quickly withdrew from the mist and knelt on the ground, blood pooling in the corners of her little mouth.


    In the mist, however, Agnes remained standing, unscathed.


    But everyone soon noticed that Agnes''s body was changing at that moment. The strong mist now fused with a trace of blood vitality. It was a sign of the Blood Purification state.


    Nevertheless, Agnes did not actually reach the realm of Blood Purification. Just like Rufus, she was at a critical point. Most referred to it as the Half-step to Blood Purification.


    "So you''ve had one foot in the Blood Purification state!" Dora staggered to her feet and said indignantly as she wiped the blood from her mouth.


    "Yes, it''s the Half-step to Blood Purification now, and I will reach the Blood Purification state any time!" Agnes replied.


    "If that''s the case, I am justified in my defeat!" Dora said through gritted teeth.


    Even if she was not satisfied, she knew her defeat could not be denied.


    ¡­


    "Well, sister, it looks like the Purity Faction are going to get control of the Billow City this time." Up in the dais, the grandmaster of Purity Faction said to the Sage Faction.


    "Not necessarily. Although Ricky is incredibly powerful, I don''t think he will win over the disci


    ursed her lips and darted a malicious look at Agnes. The message was clear, "Even if I lost, my partner will win valiantly."


    Agnes ignored her. She didn''t give a damn.


    Did Ricky lack the Light Apperception that had been comprehended by the mysterious youth?


    Not to be outdone, Ricky then turned his saber''s hilt, where the intense energy was now rising. The sharp momentum confronting far away with that of the mysterious youth.


    It could be determined that Ricky''s saber-light had already exceeded 10 percent.


    Yes, Ricky hadn''t just been practicing the Five Beasts Arts during the three rest days. He was also comprehending the Light Apperception, and with the aid of the Devourer Zone and the Chaos Manual, he could summon saber-light anytime and anywhere.


    A few days ago, Ricky had finally succeeded in comprehending ten percent of the saber-light.


    "Look, Ricky''s got the saber-light too!" Disciples of the Purity Faction shouted, their eyes sparkling with the excitement of it all.


    Dora''s face darkened immediately, and the mysterious young man''s eyes grew fiercer. He frowned angrily.


    "Go to hell!"


    The young man directly launched the cultivation method of steps without hesitation. With a roar, the saber fell out of his hand. The blue spiritual energy turned into saber-light and came at Ricky.


    "Since you have the wooden natured spiritual energy, then I will burn you with infernal power!" he roared with fury.

 Chapter 86 Lyndon From The Family of Greenhill

    As the roaring flames reached the peak, Ricky''s body and his saber instantly transformed into a flame furnace, rushing like a lionhearted deer at his opponent.


    A loud noise ran through the arena! "Clang!"


    With their weapons colliding together again and again, the sounds of combat resounded through the air as sparks flew. The force of roaring flame outshone and scorched the force of flushing tree. But the force of flushing tree which boasted infinite vitality surged with a stronger power in a flash.


    The two warriors'' robes fluttered and whistled as air flew through them.


    In a split second they had vanished, appearing on the other side of the arena instantaneously. The disciples present had no time to even digest what had happened. They could only turn their heads in shock to see the two warriors'' sabers cross together violently, and their fists collide fiercely as well.


    Back and forth, they shuttled from one side to another side, fighting intensely. It was a well-matched battle.


    As the collision grew more and more volatile, the saber-light along with the murderous intent in the young man''s eyes became much, much stronger. He became a merciless warrior and thought only of fierce attack. He forged ahead and moved forward without any thought of defending himself.


    "That warrior has definitely used another cultivation method, a method could help to improve saber-light as well as murderous intent," a disciple in the crowd speculated.


    Under such an aggressive attack, Ricky had to activate his Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and dual powers to counter the mysterious young man. However, it barely broke even. If Ricky wanted to win, he would have to use other maneuvers.


    "Bang!"


    After a round of intense combat, Ricky and that young men parted for the first time with an earsplitting sound.


    They stopped and looked at each other, both stone-faced.


    They both knew that it would be meaningless to continue to tie. Only if they played their ace moves would the winner be determined.


    "We are peers and entered the same realm of martial arts. You have been the first opponent who has ever been able to keep up with me to this degree," the mysterious young man broke the silence "So now, I will tell you my name, because I want you to know who it is that defeated you."


    "Finally!" Ricky replied softly.


    "I am Lyndon from the family of Greenhill - an innate spirit clan in West Desolate Land. You should rememb


    Hyah!"


    Ricky clutched his saber and leaped through the air. It looked and sounded like he had turned into a ferocious tiger in the arena.


    Ricky crouched low ground like an aggressive tiger who was waiting for a golden opportunity to strike his prey. His eyes gleamed red, glowing intensely.


    ''What is Ricky going to do? Is this a cultivation method?'' many disciples from Shui Clan felt confused. They looked at each other, shaking their heads.


    "It could be a cultivation method related to fierce beasts! His roar and posture just now was emulating the actions of a ferocious tiger!"


    Yes! Ricky had used the tiger-imitating cultivation method from the Five Beasts Arts.


    Suddenly, it was clear to everyone that Ricky''s body now revealed a virtual shadow of scarlet tiger with his roar echoing through the whole arena. His fore feet stepped toward to counter Lyndon''s Endless Flushing Strike.


    "Incompetent cultivation method! You will soon fail!" Lyndon growled angrily, his lips curling up in contempt. This young nobody dared to pull this trick!


    Endless Flushing Strike was hurtling towards Ricky now.


    Ricky meanwhile moved quickly, turning into a real tiger with his bent legs giving a sharp kick. In the soil of the arena, the tiger''s footprints had embedded themselves. The disciples gasped and leaned forward to see better.


    Promptly Ricky jumped straight at Endless Flushing Strike, meeting it mid-air.


    His hands were shaped like tiger''s paws and his Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula reached the peak. Instantly, the Endless Flushing Strike of Lyndon seemed to succumb to the control of Ricky''s palm.

 Chapter 87 Reappearing Of Devouring Power

    Suddenly, there was a loud sound, similar to that of cloth ripping.


    The next moment, the Endless Flushing Strike of Lyndon was thoroughly ripped to shreds by Ricky''s sharp claws, turning into the force of flushing tree.


    Ricky bounced back into the arena. His strong intuition told him that obliterating Lyndon''s Endless Flushing Strike wasn''t going to be an easy task.


    As expected, right as Ricky set foot in the arena, two Endless Flushing Strikes appeared suddenly at the same spot where Ricky had torn apart the first one. The power and strength of these two strikes were exactly the same as the first one.


    "Just as I expected! This is why endless strike has its name!" Ricky murmured to himself.


    "Good deflection, but it will be worthless when I''m finished with you!" Lyndon said coldly after Ricky managed to escape the strikes he hurled at him. Lyndon waved his saber, flinging two other Endless Flushing Strikes at Ricky.


    Now that his method had been exposed, Lyndon decided to adopt a frontal attack. His speed would be so incredibly rapid that even warriors at the first grade of Blood Purification wouldn''t have time to respond.


    ''I''ll try using Five Beasts Arts again!''


    Ricky thought to himself. He used both the tiger and deer cultivation methods of Five Beasts Arts to form two sharp claws, and then struck at the two Endless Flushing Strikes with all his might.


    "Boom!"


    The sound of this collision rang loudly. Ricky was able to smash the two Endless Flushing Strikes into piece, but his hands were now wounded and bleeding.


    To make things worse, because of the presence of the force of flushing tree, the two Endless Flushing Strikes regenerated again rapidly.


    Fortunately, the deer-imitating cultivation method of Five Beasts Arts could also be restored rapidly. Ricky retreated quickly, dodging yet another strike.


    But deep inside, Ricky was growing more excited. He was now sure of one thing.


    He had realized how to deal with the Endless Flushing Strike.


    If someone with sharp eyes looked carefully, they would have determined that the force of flushing tree coming from Lyndon''s hands was disintegrating rapidly because of Ricky''s devouring runes.


    ''My devouring runes have been able to devour its force! If I kill Lyndon, I can tel


    casting master at Demi-spirit Level. So we should do our best to make a good impression on him. We should try to make him feel confident about our clan."


    "Agreed."


    ...


    "Kill me? How dare you try to kill me?" Lyndon growled at Ricky as he staggered up awkwardly. His arrogance and pride were totally shattered.


    "Huh? Why shouldn''t I? If it hadn''t been for the wrong time and place, you wouldn''t have been alive now, let alone shouting at me here!" Ricky replied disdainfully.


    ...


    "How handsome Ricky is!" The adoring eyes of the disciples of the Shui Clan now all turned to Ricky, shining with admiration. As for Lyndon, now he was a good for nothing loser to them.


    "Dora, it would seem to me that you''re wrong about him this time," Agnes said with a smile.


    "Humph!" Dora sneered, leaving hurriedly without casting a backward glance at Lyndon. Even though Lyndon was a genius from the innate spirit family, so what? Now that he failed, she was determined to never look at him again.


    ''Ricky! A disciple of the Snow Sect!'' Dora mused to herself. There was neither a trace of hatred nor rage.


    ...


    "Ugh! Go to hell!" Defeat had made Lyndon lose his head. Feeling like he had now nothing to lose, he directly gathered the force of flushing tree in his hands, re-generated his strength and then struck at Ricky.


    But he was also stopped in his tracks by the grandmaster of the Sage Faction.


    "Lyndon, you have lost. Please step down from the arena. It won''t do you any good to continue fighting."

 Chapter 88 To Break Through

    The grandmaster of the Sage Faction, having witnessed the disorderly behavior between the two, decided to interject. "Enough!" she boomed authoritatively. Lyndon dropped Ricky''s collar as he calmed himself from his burst of anger. Ricky was fortunate that the grandmaster was around to subdue the situation. Lyndon was from the family of Greenhill -- known to be one of the best in the field of martial arts. It would be problematic for Ricky should he cross the line with this person without bearing any consequences.


    They both knew that they wouldn''t want to be an embarrassment in front of the demi-immortal. Lyndon gave Ricky a threatening look and said, "You''d better stay in the Shui Clan for as long as you can. Once you left the front door of this house, you''ll suffer the consequences."


    After being shamelessly intimidated, Lyndon thought it best to leave the house of Shui family. He decided to leave with his pride intact. After packing his bags, he walked away without looking back.


    The situation back there was getting uncomfortable and disturbing for his own taste. He also noticed that the menacing remarks and the underhanded commentaries was making everyone uneasy. Walking away from the situation was definitely the wisest thing to do.


    At last, the competition in the house of Shui was finally over. As the winner of the competition, the Purity Faction gained control over the Billow City. This paved the way to Ricky''s fame in the family--everyone knew his name after the victory.


    Through Ricky''s fame, the rumors spread like wildfire. People even believed that Ricky and Agnes were in love with each other.


    Ricky and Agnes were both equally tired after the match so they decided to return to the Purity Faction''s courtyard. As soon as they set foot in the courtyard, the faction''s grandmaster summoned them to her practice palace.


    For the longest time, Ricky only had descriptions of the grandmaster in his head. He never really knew what she truly looked like. But now, he was finally going to meet her in person. Arriving in the palace, he was mildly surprised that she looked slightly different from what he had pictured.


    The grandmaster was a charming mature woman. She was statuesque and had defined facial features that only showed beauty. There was strength and wisdom in her eyes and a proud carriage shown in her jutting jaw line. There were few wrinkles that graced her visage but she was undeniably beautiful for her age -- the kind that would made men swoon over her.


    "Grandmaster!" Both the warriors greeted the grandmaster with respect. Agnes entered the palace and Ricky followed suit.


    "Well, you must be the disciple of the Snow Sect, young fierce warrior Ricky!" The grandmaster said as she fixed her eyes on Ricky.


    "Please, grandmaster, just call me by my name. I''m too embarrassed to be called like that," Ricky said shyly.


    "Good. You are very polite and modest!" She pra


    of the mind became more accurate.


    "Wow! This Water Miraculous Pill at the intermediate level really makes a difference!" Ricky exclaimed in excitement.


    Then, from the Devourer Zone, he took out the Ice Ganoderma Lucidum he got from the Treasure Tower of the Snow Sect. He also got the superior elixir Heather had given him -- the Sacred Essence Pill!


    The Ice Ganoderma Lucidum''s nature was that of ice, while the Sacred Essence Pill''s was fire. These pills were perfect for the conditions of cultivating the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    Before the main breakthrough, he first needed to make a development in the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. Otherwise, the break through would make his combat power grow like that of an ordinary warrior at the state of Blood Purification.


    Performing this kind method would give him a big boost in power.


    As soon as Ricky started the Devouring Skill and the Devourer Zone, he directly absorbed the frosty power in the Ice Ganoderma Lucidum and the infernal power in the Sacred Essence Pill.


    Drenched by such extreme powers, he did not get away from the agony and pain. The process was so painful that it was comparable to being gnawed by ten thousand ants!


    Ricky''s body trembled as the pain ate his insides.


    Right after the first process, he proceeded to perform the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. The pain and agony lingered all throughout his body. Luckily, being the genius warrior that he was, he reached its peak in only four days.


    "This is the moment!" Ricky was determined to break through. He mustered up his courage and fought back the relentless pain that tortured his body.


    After the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining formula, he then unleashed the Devouring Skill and Devourer Zone. It was not long before they reached their peak. Suddenly, the frosty power and infernal power that were absorbed during the process poured into his whole body.

 Chapter 89 Forging Ahead By Accomplishing Two Grades At A Stretch

    Suddenly! A peculiar sound!


    With the infusion of the two supreme energies into his body, Ricky heard sound of crunches and creaks coming from throughout the inside of his body. This meant that his mortal being was undergoing significant changes.


    The originally orange rays were growing yellow. Layers of black, thick liquid oozed out of his skin, giving off a foul stench.


    In spite of the pungent odor, he focused all his attention on the strenuous practice. To tolerate the sharp pain, he clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails began to dig into the flesh of his palms.


    He was gritting his teeth, and blood seeped out from the corners of his lips.


    For now, the only thing he could to do to fight against the pain was mustering all his willpower and energy.


    Fortunately, the moment didn''t last long. He didn''t know whether he could make it to the end, even with his strong willpower.


    A loud rumble reverberated in his ears. With a strong momentum erupting, he saw that all the orange rays had turned yellow. He felt his entire being leap up to a higher level. Anyone could determine his explosive energy with only a glance at his impressive muscles.


    Ricky realized that he had achieved the Third Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula successfully.


    At the Third Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he could be unrivaled in the inferior stage of Blood Purification. It would be no easy task for a warrior even at the third grade of Blood Purification to beat Ricky without shedding some blood.


    "Hooh!"


    With a deep exhalation of air, Ricky cracked his eyes open, grimacing as though the severe pain inflicted on every inch of his skin hadn''t faded one bit.


    Gritting his teeth, he took off his robe and entered the wooden barrel he had prepared beforehand to cleanse himself of the impurities eliminated by his body.


    But now, his entire body was so tender and sensitive that he had to clean himself extremely gingerly. He spent a good three hours bathing. The pain took a half day after the bath to fully recede.


    Once Ricky felt like he had recovered sufficiently, he took another Water Miraculous Pill and prepared to resume the cultivation.


    For him, right now, every single minute and second was extremely precious.


    As he began, he found there was a remainder of the energy of Ice Ganoderma Lucidum and Sacred Essence Pill in his body.


    He was quite excited about this discovery, telling himself, ''They deserve the reputation of Treasures from Heaven and Earth an


    " she asked, turning her eyes away.


    "I don''t plan. I leave when I want to. It is tonight!" Ricky replied, with a determined look flashing through his eyes. ''The people of West Vanity Valley, you''d better prove to me what little humanity you have, or I will show no mercy to you!'' he kept this thought to himself.


    "All right, it would be safe to leave at night!" Agnes commented. She then grew excited and said, "By the way, here is some good news for you!"


    "What is it?"


    "Grandmaster has consented to appoint top level warriors to help you hold back the warriors of West Vanity Valley at intermediate and advanced stage of Blood Purification. That way, you can focus your energy to tackle those at the lower stage!" Agnes replied, smiling earnestly.


    "Is that true, Agnes?"


    Ricky''s grim face was lit up by a smile of delight.


    "Well, do you doubt that a demi-immortal would go back on her word to you, an insignificant Blood Purification warrior?" Agnes retorted in a mocking tone.


    "Oh, Agnes! You know I really appreciate it! Please do send my regards to your grandmaster. I own her one!" Ricky was brimming with gratitude.


    For him, this was an exceptional favor.


    In spite of all of his accomplishments in terms of the skills and ability, he would be no more than an ant when confronted with those warriors at intermediate and advanced stages of Blood Purification.


    He had once thought dejectedly that what he was about to do would be no more than a game of luck, and he was going to risk his neck.


    But now, the conditions had changed drastically. He stood a better chance. The Shui Clan had offered a valuable hand to him, and he would never forget it.

 Chapter 90 Poor Brothers Doomed To Die

    "So, any idea about where you''re heading for?" Agnes inquired about his future plans.


    "Well, to be frank, no. I''m not sure yet. But I know I don''t belong here. Anyway, I should get out of here," Ricky shook his head and replied. He stared out into the distance, while thinking about the endless possibilities of places he could go. He did not have a specific destination yet.


    "Yeah, I know you don''t belong here and won''t stay here. The world is out there, waiting for you. Take care!" Agnes said, knowing how capable this young man was going to be. "You, too," Ricky replied with a smile. They talked for a while, and then Ricky returned to his quarter. He planned to leave after nightfall. Only Agnes and the grandmaster of the Purity Faction knew about his departure. He knew it would be foolish to believe that everyone in the Purify Faction liked him enough to be loyal to him. A small bribe like money could very easily buy them. Exposing his plans would be the stupidest thing.


    At midnight, Ricky left the house of the Shui Clan following the secret path Agnes had instructed him to.


    He walked into the forest, as Agnes had explained that if he walked through it to leave, he would not easily be spotted and would be able to leave in safety.


    However, minutes into the forest, Ricky sensed something unusual. He felt that he was followed.


    He stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath before he shouted boldly, "Who''s there?" He confirmed his suspicions after he activated his internal strength to sense his stalker''s breathing.


    A figure appeared from behind him and walked up to him. Ricky had anticipated that someone could tail after him. But he never expected that it was Dora - the genius from the Sage Faction! That was totally shocking for him.


    "Dora? It''s you! How did you know that I would be here?" Ricky was alarmed immediately at the sight of her. In the important fight, he had defeated Lyndon, shaming Dora by association. He was certain that she was coming after him for revenge.


    "Yes, it''s me! How did I know? Ha-ha. Is it really a question? Don''t you think it''s a ridiculously funny question? You are still standing on the grounds of the Shui Clan." Dora replied arrogantly with a giggle. Ricky didn''t sense any malice from her.


    "Oh, yes. I see what you mean. This is the territory of the Shui Clan, and of course, you know everything that happens here." Ricky understood immediately.


    "But, why are you following me? Do you mean to take your revenge on me?" asked Ricky, preparing himself.


    "Revenge? That''s absurd. I won''t feel ashamed to lose to a warrior who is obviously much stronger. I''m not that narrow-minded," Dora replied. "To be honest, I am j


    ilence, petrified. He had lost the ability to think.


    After lurking quietly in the shadows, the help who had accompanied the three vengeful warriors shouted at Ricky while activating his strength, "How dare you kill the West Vanity Valley''s young masters! I''m going to tear you apart!"


    This helper was no weakling. He was a mature warrior at the second grade of Blood Purification.


    He was powerful, yes. But unfortunately, he was absolutely no match for Ricky, who had already reached the third grade of Blood Purification. Ricky drew his long saber from its sheath and swept it in the air. This unknown warrior''s head was hacked clean off his shoulders, rolling onto the forest floor.


    Everything just happened naturally, as if Ricky was dancing. Even a master warrior at the second grade of Blood Purification would have trouble dealing with Ricky''s attack.


    Dora, who was standing behind him, was in total shock at what she beheld. She breathed in deeply, realizing just how dangerous Ricky was when she saw what he just did. However, she grew even more curious about him at the same time.


    "That''s just amazing! He is so powerful!" she murmured in a low voice, her heart beating like a drum.


    Ricky raised his saber and placed it against Lyndon''s throat, the metal digging into his skin. There was a tiny drop of blood.


    "Good evening, Young Master Lyndon of Greenhill, how are you feeling now?" Ricky smiled at Lyndon''s shocked and frightened face. He could see that the young master''s hands were trembling in fear.


    "Wh- what do you want? You better watch your weapon! If you dare hurt me, even a little, the two grandmasters of the Greenhill will hunt you down!" Lyndon gathered his courage and threatened Ricky with a shivering voice, the cold metal of the saber burning into his skin.

 Chapter 91 In Deaths Clutches

    "It''s such a pity that you''re not an innate spirit!" Ricky remarked nonchalantly.


    With a forceful tug, Ricky''s saber slit open Lyndon''s throat. Eyes wide in shock, Lyndon fell to the ground with his hands clutching his throat. Until his last gasp for air, he couldn''t believe that Ricky had really dared to kill him.


    "You... You even got the guts to kill Lyndon!? Aren''t you scared that the Greenhill family will find you and avenge him?" Dora pointed her finger at Ricky and gasped in a trembling voice. She was utterly shaken.


    "Even if I didn''t kill him, his family would have been after me for defeating him in the contest because he had a personal grudge against me. Why shouldn''t I make the best of things before his family sets out to find me?" Ricky said coolly.


    After saying that, Ricky used his saber to carve a bloody sentence on Lyndon''s arm, "Ricky from the Snow Sect was here!"


    "What are you doing now!?" Dora exclaimed, now utterly aghast.


    "What am I doing? Of course, I''m trying not to get the Shui Clan involved. I''m clearing their name," Ricky said seriously.


    "Now, that''s been enough for you, Dora. It''s time for you to go back. After all, it''s only supposed to be the established masters from the Shui Clan who are responsible for monitoring the assassins from the West Vanity Valley. If the people from the West Vanity Valley realize that you were here, the entire Shui Clan will be involved in something they don''t deserve to!" Ricky continued, glaring at her so she would understand.


    Without another word, Ricky turned and traveled speedily away.


    Dora stood rooted in place, staring wistfully after him. To catch up with the Ricky would be impossible. And after seeing how ruthlessly Ricky had killed four people, Dora was at a loss for words.


    Her curiosity had gotten her into unexpected trouble. She finally turned and decided to leave. As for whether she still had an interest in Ricky, only she knew. Or did she?


    ...


    ''Maybe it''s time to go take a look at the Stone City!'' Ricky thought as he was sprinting in the forest. He still didn''t have a definite destination.


    ''It''s high time to get square with the Nan Clan, Gilbert and the Bloody Gang, '' thought Ricky. Even though he knew that he couldn''t just yet take down the Nan Clan and the so-called Bloody Gang, he was still capable of hurting them unexpectedly or obtaining some information.


    After making his decision, Ricky carried on his journey in the direction of the Stone City.


    But his trip did not go smoothly. After the two masters from the West Vanity Valley were found dead, they sent several troops of people to hunt Ricky


    the fifth grade of Blood Purification! That was making too big a fuss indeed.


    But in considering the losses the West Vanity Valley incurred, it was understandable that they were now exhausting their resources.


    ...


    Just then Ricky was sprinting in a remote area, yet to be informed of the great danger that was looming.


    After a few hours of travel, Ricky finally made it out of the west region of the Snow Land.


    ''Once I get to the east region of the Snow Land, the West Vanity Valley will probably cease their hunt for me. After all, it will no longer be their turf anymore, '' Ricky thought.


    But he had underestimated their resolution to kill him.


    In the eastern region of the Snow Land where Ricky had just passed, a humongous, ferocious vulture swooped down from the sky.


    It was a Black Venomous Vulture. Once it reached peak maturity, it had fighting skills equal to a warrior in the advanced stage of Blood Purification. But that was not what Ricky''s eyes immediately focused on. What was more fearsome was the old man crouching on the back of that Black Venomous Vulture.


    He had a scrawny figure like a wooden stick, looking as if he could be swept away anytime.


    But Ricky could aptly sense the immense spiritual power that circulated inside that old man''s body.


    ''This is a powerful master. He is at least at the peak of Blood Purification, otherwise he wouldn''t have tamed a fierce beast of that level!'' Ricky thought with a gasp.


    And judging from the clothes that the old man was wearing, Ricky now had a good idea of who exactly he was.


    ''If a miracle doesn''t happen today, I will probably die out here, ''


    Ricky thought grimly as he ran in the fastest possible speed he could manage and dove back into the thick forest.

 Chapter 92 High-handed Autelan

    "Screech!"


    To stop Ricky, the Black Venomous Vulture opened its mouth to condense black spiritual energy in the air, spewing at ground in front of Ricky. A powerful blast hit the earth.


    Mixed with a mass of ash, the strong explosive force blasted against Ricky quite forcefully.


    "Pah!" Ricky couldn''t withstand it and sprayed out a mouthful of blood. He rolled around several times, trying to shake out the pain.


    When Ricky stumbled to stand up, the Black Venomous Vulture landed and the old man leaped down.


    "What a big hit! This is an honor. I can''t believe that the West Vanity Valley would send such a overmatch to kill a nobody," Ricky said ferociously, wiping the blood from his lips.


    Ricky was terriby frightened. Every warrior was afraid of death, after all. It meant losing everything. Now that he was going to die, he want to die with dignity, so he stood his ground, trying not to let his fear show.


    "Young man, you are anything but a nobody. Since you have killed so many disciples and guards of the West Vanity Valley, it is reasonable that they sent me to kill you. And since you are a disciple of the Snow Sect, we will never let you go," The skinny old man said lightly.


    Now, spiritual energy gathered in his hands, preparing to kill Ricky directly. A long delay could cause trouble.


    "Young man, I respect you as a warrior. If you have any last wishes, tell me. Maybe I can fulfill some of them for you for mercy''s sake!"


    "I want to exterminate the West Vanity Valley. Can you help me with that?" Ricky sneered.


    "You are asking for death, young man!"


    The old man grew angry. His patience depleted, so he struck Ricky with a strong hit.


    Faced with a hand as heavy as the sky, Ricky was not afraid. He would try his best to fight, even now in the moment of his death.


    "Roar!"


    At this point, however, a dragon came howling out from the forest behind Ricky. A dragon-shaped force rushed out, flying past Ric


    d more uneasy about the situation, because after three collisions, it seemed as though they were evenly matched.


    "Alas, I cannot escape from the old man''s clutches now," Ricky murmured, in despair.


    Ricky now considered taking the opportunity to flee. He was hoping that Autelan would give him a hand again.


    But in a moment, it was apparent that Ricky had underestimated Autelan.


    Because the old man now spat out a mouthful of blood, his chest heaving quickly.


    He turned tail, jumping on the back of the Black Venomous Vulture, and left promptly.


    "Coward! Why didn''t you believe my promise just now?" Autelan laughed aloud at the sight of the old man''s fleeing back. He did not chase after the old man, who was travelling too fast to catch as he had a vulture. Besides, he was still a powerful overmatch of Bone Reinforcement.


    "Autelan defeated an overmatch of Bone Reinforcement with only the power of Blood Purification! He must be among the top ten inner disciples, possibly even the top three," Ricky said to himself, admiring his new acquaintance.


    Autelan chuckled, "Ha-ha, buddy, were you scared that after three fists I wouldn''t..."


    However, before he could finish his sentence, his eyes grew serious.


    Immediately, without another word, Autelan led Ricky in a mad dash.

 Chapter 93 The Battle Between Two Innate Spiritual Kings

    Autelan moved at high speed, even faster than a warrior at the first grade of Bone Reinforcement. However, no matter how quickly he tried to run away, it seemed to be a futile attempt. Thousands of meters behind them, a beam of light of flushing tree quickly shot in their direction and reached them in a flash.


    Upon seeing the light of flushing tree, Autelan stopped with a dry smile.


    Ricky began to realize why Autelan had began running so fast.


    As the light of flushing tree faded away, a middle-aged man, dressed in a long green robe, emerged from the light of flushing tree under his feet. His face was not particularly good-looking, but Ricky and Autelan felt his aura of arrogance, as if he was the center of the whole universe.


    Ricky had only ever sensed such an overpowering aura from Zenith, who was a powerful innate spiritual king. So the middle-aged man was, without a doubt, also an innate spiritual king.


    And now that there was the intense force of flushing tree emanating from the man, Ricky had already guessed his identity.


    "Hello. You must be a senior member of the family of Greenhill. I think it would seem a bit inappropriate for you to chase down and kill the ordinary warriors like us in the Snow Land," Autelan spoke, calmly toning down his power and vigor.


    He knew that no matter how powerful he was, he was just as weak as an ant in the eyes of this man.


    "Have you killed my son, Lyndon?" the man asked in a low voice as he stared at Ricky, completely ignoring Autelan.


    Without anger or murderous intent in his voice, the man seemed as though he was merely asking Ricky a simple question.


    But Ricky knew clearly that if an innate spiritual king spoke in such a tone, it implied that he was actually very furious.


    "Yes, I have," Ricky admitted, realizing that he was going to die very soon. He hoped that by taking responsibility for it, there was a chance Autelan would not be involved.


    ''Alas! I''ve provoked the innate spiritual king of the family of Greenhill. He''s here to avenge his son''s death on me now. What terrible turn of events!'' Ricky thought to himself, mourning his impending death.


    He hadn''t found his mother yet, and he had so much more of his cultivation to experience. Everything had just begun for him, but it all seemed as thought it would be over now.


    However, Ricky wasn''t regretful at all. And if he had another chance, he


    or continue your cultivation outside?"


    "I decided to continue training outside," Ricky explained.


    "Okay. Be careful. If you come across big trouble again, your luck might be different from today. I just happened to be training myself here today and helped summon Chief Zenith, so you could get out of trouble this time!" Autelan said.


    "Autelan, I truly appreciate what you did for me. I will try to be prudent and keep a low profile from now on!" Ricky nodded.


    "Ha-ha. Ricky, you''re really quite an obedient and meek fellow, aren''t you? I like your character!" Autelan said with a laugh at Ricky''s earnest reply.


    "Ha-ha!" Ricky also laughed joyously, relieved at living to see another day.


    "Are you going back to the Snow Sect?" Ricky asked.


    "Not yet. I reached the ninth grade of Blood Purification a long time ago, but I haven''t made a breakthrough to reach the higher level yet. So I won''t return to the Snow Sect until I break through again," Autelan replied. He added confidently, "I happened to discover a good method that stands a chance of helping me make a breakthrough soon."


    "Congratulations!"


    "Aha! Thank you. Now, I must bid you goodbye! See you around back home in the Snow Sect!" With this, Autelan left.


    After Autelan was out of sight, Ricky looked for several moments in the direction of Zenith and Errol''s battle. After that, he pushed on, making his way towards the Stone City.


    Now that he had the ability to challenge a warrior at the fifth grade of Blood Purification, Ricky was confident of taking back some spoils from Gilbert and the Bloody Gang.

 Chapter 94 The Bloody Gang

    In the Stone City, the three main families were still there, presenting a state of tripartite confrontation.


    However, something had changed in recent months. The head of Nan Clan was now someone else.


    Gilbert used to be only a warrior at the second grade of Bone Reinforcement and came under a strong man like Nick, who was at the third grade of Bone Reinforcement. But everything had changed since his son was taken as a disciple of the innate spiritual king.


    With the help of the cultivation resources given by the innate spiritual king, he made great progress in a few months, and was now close to the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    Nick had no choice but to abdicate his position as head and made way for Gilbert.


    Warriors in the Stone City could not complain much, because this was the law of the world of martial arts. The winner shall be the king.


    Nick only blamed himself for not pushing his son to work harder and earn something better.


    ¡­


    At an inn in the Stone City, many of the warriors who had returned from the hunt was taking a rest, during which they naturally talked about what had happened recently.


    "Have you heard that the genius Ricky, the one his spiritual meridian got destroyed and was later driven out of the Nan Clan, has now risen in the Snow Sect and become the top ranking outer disciple of the Snow Sect?" a warrior said, to open the discussion.


    "Sure! Even when his spiritual meridian was taken away, he still proved himself. Genius is what genius is!"


    "Ha-ha, if Nick hadn''t given up on Ricky and his father, he wouldn''t have ended up following Gilbert like a dog."


    "Well, it''s too late. After all, Gilbert has become a powerful warrior at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement."


    "Well, even though Nick has a bad reputation, I still have prefered him to be head of the Nan Clan. At least he wouldn''t work with the Bloody Gang." Other hunting warriors sighed, shaking their heads.


    "That''s right. Since Gilbert became the head of the Nan Clan, he''s done nothing to hide the fact that he''s been working with the Bloody Gang. Not only did they encroach on our hunting mountains, they''re collecting a fifth of our taxes! They''re making us suffer indeed!"


    "Hush, if people from the Nan


    gy of mists and meditation!" they said in shock, immediately realizing that the Water Miraculous Pills were not ordinary ones.


    "These are the two Water Miraculous Pills I accidentally got, and I hereby give them to you, as long as I am given the chance to stay in the gang!" Ricky said hurriedly.


    His heart ached, seeing them handle his remaining Water Miraculous Pills.


    But he had known from the start that he had to make sacrifices to infiltrate the Bloody Gang!


    "Water Miraculous Pills! This is an intermediate pill, brother!" the plump subchief said to his companion excitedly.


    "Well, that''s right!" The thin man nodded and winked again at the three men next to Ricky.


    They searched Ricky again, and found nothing but a few silver coins, so they gave up.


    "Boy, do you really want to join us?" The thin man asked him as he pocketed Ricky''s pills. "Aren''t you afraid of death?"


    "Sure I am, but I think the Bloody Gang is great!" Ricky said, pretending to be earnest.


    "Haw-haw, this is my first time to hear someone say something positive about us!" The two men immediately burst into laughter, so did the warriors in the hall.


    "Well, since you''ve contributed your pills, you are allowed to join the Bloody Gang!" the thin subchief said decidedly.


    "I appreciate that so much!" Ricky replied., bowing.


    Amid the laughter, he rose slowly to his feet, the wry smile vanishing from his lips.


    Now that Ricky was a member of the Bloody Gang, he would get down to business.

 Chapter 95 Becoming Subchief

    "Our subchiefs just gave you permission to become a member of our Bloody Gang, but he didn''t ask you to stand up, fool. Keep on kneeling," a warrior said fiercely after he saw Ricky rising to his feet.


    Ricky''s Water Miraculous Pills had made quite a few gang members jealous of him. This warrior was one of them.


    He aimed a hammer-like kick at Ricky''s knees, intending on making him kneel again.


    "Crack!" It was the audible sound of a bone fracturing. But Ricky didn''t fall to his knees. Instead, it was the warrior who was now screaming painfully as he clutched his legs. Because as his foot struck Ricky''s knees, the impact felt like he had just kicked a solid piece of steel.


    Everyone in the hall was now on high alert.


    "Who are you?" Both subchiefs asked suspiciously, instantly on guard. They knew right away that Ricky wasn''t a run-of-the-mill person.


    The members of Bloody Gang took out their weapons and encircled Ricky, staring with wary eyes.


    "You are really forgetful. You two just accepted me into the Bloody Gang. Don''t you remember?" Ricky smiled.


    "What an fool! How dare you make trouble here! Tear this bastard to pieces now!" The thin subchief commanded fiercely. The Bloody Gang members prepared to attack Ricky from all sides.


    "What are you going to do? Do you intend to disobey the Bloody Gang''s rules?" Ricky shouted loudly in order to stop them in their tracks.


    "I''m now a member of Bloody Gang and I want to challenge these two subchiefs for their positions. According to the gang rules, all the members should stay out of this, otherwise you are disrespectful to Bloody Gang''s two leaders."


    People in the hall, including the screaming warrior, fell into a stunned silence after hearing Ricky''s words. They all stared at Ricky as if he was ridiculous.


    After a moment of utter silence, they all burst into laughter.


    "Ha-ha! What a funny joke! My brother, did you hear what he had said? He wants to challenge us to get the position of subchief. How silly this boy is!" The fat subchief guffawed, slapping his knees.


    "Ha-ha! Oh, goodness me. He- he wants to challenge us!" The thin subchief also shrieked with laughter.


    "Hey guys, I think this boy must have been kicked in the head by a horse! Or maybe he''s just totally i


    rying not to show his relief at retrieving them.


    "I think you should now know who I am!" Ricky said cruelly. He had now returned to the hall, looking around at the frightened warriors as he clutched the bloody Iron Destroyer in his hand.


    All the gang members knelt down in fear, and called Ricky subchief respectfully.


    "Now that you call me subchief, from now on, I have the final say in this inferior branch. If you disobey my word, you will end up like your two newly retired subchiefs. Understand?" Ricky said in a stone cold voice.


    He did not want their loyalty. He wanted to instill as much fear into them so that he could take advantage of them in the next few days.


    "Respectful subchief! Yes! We understand!" All the warriors cried out, looking at the two bloody corpses from the corners of their eyes.


    "Well, then. What are you waiting for? Clean up those two bodies. They''re disgusting. Then come back here for I have something to tell you," Ricky said lightly.


    Then, he sat down on the throne in the hall, observing the warriors who now anxiously sprang to action.


    About a quarter of an hour later, everything was cleared up. All the gang members, who totalled almost forty, came into the hall and waited for their new subchief to speak.


    "Show me the way to the Treasure Tower of this inferior branch," Ricky ordered.


    "Yes, respectful subchief!" Two warriors at the third grade of Blood Purification answered.


    They set off to lead him to a hidden cave not far from their base.

 Chapter 96 Eliminate The Inferior Branches Of The Bloody Gang

    The way to the cave was hidden and winding, and it took them nearly an hour just to get into its depths No wonder, though. After all, this was where all the inferior branch''s prized possessions were kept.


    At the end of the tunnel, they finally came upon a cavern.


    In it gleamed a pile of silver and copper coins, at least a hundred thousand of them.


    In addition to the money, there were exquisite weapons, Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills, and Anti-toxin Pills. On the other side there were some Treasures from Heaven and Earth, but nothing rare or special.


    "Subchief, these are all our treasures, and others have been handed over to our superior branches!" One of the warriors explained cautiously.


    As a group of warriors at the Blood Purification state, it was rather pathetic to boast such a small number of treasures.


    "Looks like you haven''t had the best of times in the Bloody Gang!" Ricky said dryly.


    "Indeed, subchief. But it''s better than being wandering warriors. There is a place to live at least, and we don''t have to worry about being bullied by other forces whom we encounter by chance!" another warrior replied.


    Ricky nodded slightly, looking around at the cavern.


    "Give me a third of those silver coins, and the rest is yours!" Ricky said, his brow arched.


    In disbelief, the warriors looked at each other to see if they had heard him wrong.


    "What? You don''t want them?" Ricky asked again, a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth.


    "Subchief, are you serious about giving them to us?" a warrior mustered the courage to ask, his voice trembling.


    "Just do what I say. You are behaving like women!" Ricky said contemptuously.


    With that, several bold warriors took the lead to stuff their pockets with silver coins and Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills.


    Ricky said nothing, only nodding slightly. The first few warriors who had taken the lead bowed deeply to him as they returned.


    Upon confirming Ricky''s sincerity, the remaining warriors swarmed the pile of loot without hesitation. They divided up the treasures neatly and quickly, leaving Ricky exactly a third of the silver coins.


    "That''s right. I mean what I say, and I don''t go back on my word," Ricky said, pleased at


    ay go to other medium branches and superior branches of the Bloody Gang, but I''m not sure if they''ll accept you, since you came from my branch."


    "We don''t want to part with you, subchief! We want to be with you!" Most warriors were reluctant to hear that Ricky was going to disband the gang, because they had indeed made a lot of money and were enjoying their new lives under their new subchief.


    Ricky had been quite generous to them, after all.


    "Haw-haw, guys, I know what you mean, but you know it won''t be easy if we stay together!" Ricky laughed, "I promise I will be your leader again when I am strong enough!"


    And with this, Ricky left so quickly that his warriors could not catch up with him even if they had wanted to.


    "Guys, the subchief has gone¡­ I suppose, that means it''s time for us to leave. You know we''d better not going back to the Bloody Gang," some of the warriors at the third grade of Blood Purification remarked.


    "He''s right. We''ve made a lot of money. It''s time to settle down somewhere."


    ¡­


    The members of the Bloody Gang''s inferior branches then dispersed, heading their respective directions. Some were going to their hometowns.


    In the distance, Ricky appeared on a peak. He watched the warriors who were leaving and whispered, "Bloody Gang, your strength must have been greatly damaged by the departure of all these members.


    But fear not. A bigger gift will soon be delivered to you. Or my name ''Bill'' will have all been in vain."


    ¡­

 Chapter 97 Unforeseen Event

    On this day, the whole of Stone City was teeming with excitement.


    This was due to the news that all the ten inferior branches of the Bloody Gang had inexplicably disappeared and disbanded.


    The Bloody Gang ranked first among all other gangs that existed thousands of miles around Stone City, and its violent actions had gained notoriety. So the developments that had happened to it were not a secret.


    These ten inferior branches not only comprised a quarter of the strength of the Bloody Gang, but also accounted for a third of the entire Gang''s wealth and training resources.


    Naturally, the high level branches of the Bloody Gang had burst into a rage, and they sent all their elite warriors to track down the one who was behind it all. To help them, the Nan Clan also lent many of their warriors.


    The income of the Nan Clan had was directly dependent on the Bloody Gang, and so, the disbandment of the ten inferior branches also incurred great losses for them.


    Unfortunately for them, they didn''t manage to find the man behind it all.


    And what was even worse was that all the surviving members of the ten inferior branches had already left the Stone City with all their money and treasures, which meant that a third of the Gang''s capital had vanished overnight.


    Ricky also knew all this of course, as he travelled incognito within Stone City. After hearing the news of the Clan and Gang''s tragedy, he said to himself, "Bloody Gang, this is only the start. You will be punished even greater in the future.


    And Gilbert, you will get what you deserve too."


    With this, Ricky left the Stone City and came to a mountain range.


    This mountain range was no ordinary one, but a place where the Nan Clan collected many of their medicinal materials. As the former young master of the Nan Clan, Ricky knew this place well.


    He also knew that every few days the disciples of Gilbert would come here to collect a large number of medicinal materials. It would be the best time for him to carry out his plan.


    After waiting for several days in this mountain range, he saw the disciples appear, bearing baskets and boxes.


    Among these disciples, the highest level warrior was in the third grade of Blood Purification. Ricky smiled. It would be a piece cake for him to defeat them.


    After they had collected the medical materials and were preparing to head back. Ricky put on a cloak, covered his face and rushed out, not giving them time to react. He injured many disciples and destroyed e


    e in the pit of his stomach.


    And sure enough, he was stopped by three disciples halfway to his courtyard.


    He knew them. They were all inner disciples. Mark was at the fourth grade of Blood Purification and came from the Casting Faction. The other two disciples were brothers: Phil and Larry, who were at the third grade of Blood Purification. They were members of the Refinement Faction.


    "Step aside! You''re in my way!" Ricky roared when he saw them blocking his path.


    The disciples all gathered around him. They all looked at him contemptuously. Again, Ricky was reminded of when he came to the Snow Sect for the first time.


    He guessed that Grace might have had an accident.


    "Ha-ha, you have such a bad temper! It does really suit the strongest in the Snow Sect. Now you even don''t respect us as your seniors when you see us." These three disciples jeered at him.


    "Maybe, it''s because he has a core master and also has innate spirit to support him!" Phil sneered.


    "I don''t think so. The back-up of the innate spirit has already disappeared. Now there is only one core disciple. Wait, what was her name again? Oh yeah, Ugly Grace she is," Larry said disdainfully.


    When Ricky heard this insult, the anger in his heart erupted like a volcano, rising instantaneously and spreading heat throughout his body and even into the air. The disciples around him could sense his anger.


    "Slap yourselves for what you just said!" Ricky roared angrily at them.


    "Oh? Ricky, you really freaked me out. Did I say anything that made you angry?" Larry said innocently with a mocking smile.


    "What we''re talking about is just ''Ugly Grace''..." Phil grinned.

 Chapter 98 Disregard the Rules, Kill Him

    "Boom!"


    Phil was hit by something that seemed to have a weight of one thousand kilograms before he could finish his words, then he flew backwards immediately.


    Halfway through his backwards descent, his blood mixed with broken teeth floated and formed a red arch.


    Ricky struck as soon as Phil repeated the words "Ugly Grace." His movements were boosted to ultimate speed because of his anger. He leaped to Phil''s side, hitting his mouth with a tremendous blow.


    With everything happening so quickly, the warriors around them had no time to react.


    By the time they came to their senses, Phil had rolled several times on the ground and had already passed out. His face was sunken with a punch mark the size of half a head.


    Blood was gushing out of Phil''s whole head. Everything was gruesome.


    Looking at this bloody scene and Phil''s sunken face, all the disciples were in total shock. They couldn''t help but feel frightened, because Phil looked like he was close to death.


    "Brother!" Larry howled and rushed over, only to find that Phil was already lifeless.


    It was to be expected. Now, Ricky''s strength was well matched with a warrior of the six grade of Blood Purification. How could Phil, who was only at the third grade of Blood Purification, possibly survive a fierce punch from Ricky?


    "You... you killed my brother!" Larry howled, pure grief on his face.


    "Phil was really dead. Is Ricky out of his mind? How dare he kill someone in the Snow Sect!" It was certain that Phil was really dead. Everyone was talking in hushed tones, staring at Ricky with shock.


    It was the first time that someone had dared to kill another disciple in the Snow Sect. Even the disciples of innate spirits would never do that.


    Now they really didn''t want to have any connection with Ricky! Who knew what kind of crazy things this lunatic would do!?


    But they were also shocked by his strength. He killed Phil with only one strike. It was hard to tell just how strong he truly was now.


    Mark had already retreated i


    me. They were strong. They subdued Zenith easily and hurt Odin, taking him away.


    As for why Odin had provoked such powerful warriors, no one knew.


    Grace must have been so upset because of her father''s capture. She didn''t know whether he was alive.


    And the other innate spirit in the Snow Sect¡ªBoris, who was Nate''s master, was Odin''s rival.


    After Odin was taken away, he secretly supported the Refinement and Casting Faction, and told them to cause Grace some trouble. Fortunately, Zenith was her ally, so the two factions did not dare to go too far. They only insulted her verbally.


    "Refinement Faction, Casting Faction and Boris. If I don''t kill you while I live, I am willing to go to hell to hound you!" Ricky swore to himself, his blood pulsating with anger.


    "Come out, criminal! Ricky, face us!" an angry voice called. It was Rod.


    Outside, in the small courtyard, Elder Abbott was there with a number of disciples. Rod and the others were there too.


    "Ha! That was quick!" Ricky had expected this from the moment he struck Phil.


    ''I must find a chance to escape!'' Ricky thought, because he did not want to sit back and wait to die.


    When Elder Abbott came in, he looked at Ricky with grave disappointment.


    Even if Abbott didn''t want to, he would still have to tell them to arrest Ricky. It was the law of their Sect.

 Chapter 99 Adjudication

    "Ricky, you... you are¡­ oh, God! I really don''t know what to say about you! You''re under arrest, Ricky!" Elder Abbott said gravely.


    Elder Abbott''s attitudes toward Ricky had changed several times. But all in all, he liked the young warrior quite a lot. But he had gone too far this time. In an act unprecented in the Snow Sect, Ricky had killed a fellow disciple.


    Heather was extremely confused, in shock at having no idea what Ricky had done.


    But Ricky reassured her, and she calmed down a little.


    Elder Abbott led Ricky to the Law Enforcement Hall. Seeing such a tense situation, Heather grew quite anxious and knocked Grace''s door, telling her that Ricky had been arrested.


    On the road to the Law Enforcement Hall, Rod shouted insults and threats at Ricky again and again.


    But Elder Abbott shooed Rod away, along with the other people who were chattering at Ricky.


    When they arrived at the Law Enforcement Hall, Ricky was put into a prison cell. Its walls were made of fine iron, making it impossible for Ricky to escape. Outside, numerous guards stood watch.


    "It now appears that I have gotten myself into quite a bit of trouble," Ricky murmured to himself as he looked at the darkness all around him.


    ......


    The story of Ricky killing Phil had spread throughout the whole Sect overnight.


    The truth about why Ricky did it gradually came out as the news spread. Some disciples thought that Ricky was a man with integrity who was forthright in making a distinction between kindness and revenge. Some of the female disciples pitied Ricky. because they felt as though Rick was not guilty.


    But there were some others who hoped that Ricky would bear harsh consequences. They said that Ricky outright broke the primary rule that had never been broken in the Snow Sect. To them, even a thousand deaths would not atone for his crime.


    But the final adjudication was up to the Elders, Chief Zenith, and the Dominant Top Elder, Boris.


    .....


    Elder Abbott came to the prison after half a day had passed since Ricky was locked up.


    "Elder Abbott, will I die?" Ricky asked, for he knew Elder Abbott was soft-hearted.


    "Ricky¡­ Why did you do it? Why can''t you just have held back? Do you


    her were extremely anxious and worried. Elder Abbott felt the same. They all regretted that Ricky had been so impulsive and hotheaded.


    But deep inside, Grace was grateful and even happy once she found out just why Ricky had killed Phil.


    Surely Ricky has seen Grace and Heather, but he walked right past them, not meeting their eyes.


    What Ricky hadn''t seen was that in a corner of the square stood Amelia, the leader of Amber Faction, and the charming girl who had accompanied Grace to the Stone City.


    "If the Snow Sect really wants to kill Ricky, I hope you can help him," Amelia whispered.


    "Is it going to happen because he possessed no spiritual meridian?" the charming girl asked.


    "Yes. I have a strong intuition that he is the person I''ve been looking for," Amelia said, nodding decidedly.


    "I have heard his story. He is not bad. I''ll think it over. If it is really that necessary, I''ll do it for you," the girl whispered in Amelia''s ear.


    "Thank you," Amelia said, nodding her head in gratitude.


    ......


    "Sect chief, Dominant Top Elder and nine Elders!" Ricky said respectfully, as was the custom.


    "Ricky, all people in Snow Sect have gathered on this platform today. Do you know why?" Zenith was the first to speak. "Will you confess your crime?"


    "No, Chief Zenith. I don''t think I committed a crime. How could I confess one?" Ricky said simply and earnestly, his eyes sweeping over the row of Elders who held his fate in their hands.

 Chapter 100 Challenge Accepted

    "Unbelievable! How arrogant he is! How dare he claim that he did not commit a crime? Everyone saw him kill Phil! Innocent, my ass!" the disciples from the Refinement Faction, the Casting Faction, and a few of Boris''s men began to curse in outrage.


    "Oh? Then, please tell me why you claim to be innocent!" Boris, the Dominant Top Elder of the Snow Sect, asked calmly, as he squinted his eyes. In this situation, he had to seem open to Ricky''s defense. Otherwise, people would consider him to be narrow-minded and suspect his biases.


    Just like Zenith, Boris was handsome and had a majestic demeanor, casting a striking impression on all the disciples present. He was more demanding an explanation than merely asking Ricky''s side.


    Moreover, he had now reached a higher level through cultivation. His aura was more overwhelming now.


    "Dominant Top Elder Boris, Phil insulted my master. She is more than a master to me. She teaches me, helps me and cares for me. She is like my family! Phil said really disgusting words to me, in an obvious intent to degrade my master. He deserved to die!" Ricky said frankly.


    "May I ask you this question, Dominant Top Elder Boris? If your dearest ones are insulted, what would you do? Would you stand and do nothing because of the so-called rule?" Ricky asked further.


    "Shut your mouth! How dare you talk to the Dominant Top Elder like this!?" Elder Logan, the founder of the Casting Faction, berated Ricky. Glaring at Ricky, he pointed a finger at him as if he would kill him the next second.


    "Elder Logan, compose yourself. You are not supposed to speak like that when I''m still here!" Zenith scolded Logan coldly. He gathered his power of innate spirit, intending to give Logan a slap on the wrist as a warning.


    However, before his power could reach Logan, Boris stopped him. Then he turned to Zenith and said, "Chief Zenith, don''t get angry, please. We are just discussing how to deal with the boy. Elder Logan was just trying to be fair and just."


    ''Being fair and just? Sure, that''s what he was doing! From what I saw, he was sucking up to you!'' Ricky thought silently, attempting to conceal his look of disdain.


    However, no one would try to question and challenge Boris. He was now an innate spirit with extremely powerful strength. Anyone who tried to cross him would probably end up regretting it.


    Even though he was being unreasonable, people would have to remain silent and accept his decree, unless Zenith directly admonished him.


    "Ricky, right? What you just said did make some sense. I agree with you and I understand your emotion. But rules are rules. You are not allowed to break any rule no matter how valid your reason is. Anyone who violates the rules must bear the consequences of their actions!"


    Boris said. "So, as the Dominant Top Elder, I hereby pronounce you guilty and sentence you to death. I hope you don''t mind!"


    ''Hope I don''t mind? Is he joking? Hell no! I do mind very much and what''s more, I want to kill this pompous prick!'' cursed Ricky in silent rage at Boris''s condescending words. But cursing to himself was natural. In fact, he had already anticipated that Boris wanted him to die, and that he would grasp this perfect chance.


    "Whoop!" The men from the Casting and Refinement loudly cheered, happy with Boris''s decision.


    "Master Grace, what should we do? They will kill him!" Heat


    lders had helped him a lot so far. Ricky was grateful very much. Yet he was also concerned that if Chief Zenith continued to defend him, many disciples would be unhappy and think to themselves that Chief Zenith was biased. That was the last thing he wanted to happen. It would harm Chief Zenith''s reputation.


    That was why he interrupted and abruptly accepted the challenge.


    He was confident that he would be able to handle no matter what they threw at him. He was given another chance, after all!


    "Ricky! What are you doing? Stop talking nonsense!" Immediately, Ricky heard Zenith''s angry voice in his head. The sect chief had sent his message in secret with his internal strength. Ricky did not reply. He just gazed confidently at the chief, hoping to reassure him.


    "Good! That''s perfect! Much stronger than Phil? That''s quite confident of you! Show me how capable you are and what you can do!" Boris said immediately, leaving no chance for Zenith to protest. Ricky''s prompt confidence irritated Boris. He had never seen such an arrogant disciple before! How dared he make those big claims!


    "Elder Logan!" Boris shouted, summoning his ally. He whispered some words to him.


    Afterwards, Elder Logan left and headed for the snowy mountains.


    All the disciples were confused at Boris''s act and wondered just how he meant to test Ricky''s strength.


    ...


    About half an hour later, Elder Logan returned, three ferocious beasts in tow.


    He had brought a Black-scaled Bull, a Demonic Ape, and a Yellow-winged Eagle. The bull mooed loudly as its scales gleamed sharply. The ape showed its sharp, yellow teeth while waving his long arms in the air. The eagle flapped its wings as it screeched in a high pitch. All of them looked quite fierce, and intimidated most of the disciples present.


    "Oh, my god! All of those beasts are as at least powerful as a warrior at the sixth grade of Blood Purification! Goodness! Is Dominant Top Elder Boris going to test Ricky with them?" The throng once again broke out in chaotic chatter, both excited and a little scared.


    "Ricky can''t defeat them! Dominant Top Elder Boris is clearly trying to kill him!"


    "And look! There are three beasts! Three! How could he beat all of them? That''s impossible!"

 Chapter 101 I’m Superior To A Summation Of 100 Phil

    When Elder Logan came back, Boris''s people immediately carried three cages made of cast iron. Elder Logan inspected the cages and then he locked three ferocious beasts into them.


    "Boris, what are you up to?" Zenith asked indifferently.


    Boris turned to Zenith and stated, "Chief Zenith, I remember that this disciple claimed his strength is no less than that of a summation of one hundred Phil. So according to my estimation, the strength of one hundred Phil who is at the third grade of Blood Purification is nearly the same with a beast at the sixth grade of Blood Purification." He paused for a little while as if in deep thought before he added, "So I found these three beasts at the sixth grade of Blood Purification for this disciple to choose one and compete with.


    If he manages to defeat anyone of these beasts at the sixth grade of Blood Purification, it only proves that he deserves your fostering efforts. But if he doesn''t, he will have to repay the debt of his killing with his life. It would be a fair deal, don''t you think so? Just like how the saying goes, "A life for a life". We all know that this is the rule of the martial world.


    So I don''t think any one of you will object. You don''t object either, do you, Chief Zenith?"


    "I cannot agree more!" some disciples exclaimed. As Boris finished his explanation, disciples under the Casting Faction and the Refinement Faction chimed in immediately.


    "That''s nonsense! Boris, is this your attempt to mess around with the disciples of our Snow Sect?" Zenith accused. Everyone knew that Ricky didn''t have the slightest chance to come back alive from a battle with any of the formidable beast.


    Although he was quite talented, no one could imagine in their wildest dreams that he could rival with a beast at the sixth grade of Blood Purification.


    "Chief Zenith, I''m just abiding by the law impartially," Boris defended.


    "Chief Zenith, I really appreciate that you''re worried about my safety. But as far as I''m concerned, Dominant Top Elder Boris is right in all aspects. I would like to accept this challenge," Ricky firmly stated. To everyone''s surprise, Ricky did not have any objection.


    "You..." Zenith and some other Elders were at a loss for words. They were dumbfounded and confused by Ricky''s decision.


    "That''s great! Ricky, your courage is really admirable! In that case, you can choose any one of the beasts you want to fight against," Boris declared as his lips discretely curled into a sinister smile.


    "Dominant Top Elder Boris, I only hope that you will honor your promise. If I can prove my value, please follow the verdict of Chief Zenith!" Ricky replied with hint of a threatening edge in his voice.


    "Do you really think I would go against my words in the presence of so many disciples?" Boris gave him reassurance in the form of a question.


    "No, of course, I don''t. In contrast, I actually want to express my gratitude for offering m


    must survive this, survive this in the most dignified manner, like that of a warrior which would be the most appropriate response for Boris'' insidious intention of wanting his death.


    "What a refined strength of the runes! The boy does have a supreme manual!" Elder Samuel muttered thoughtfully as he narrowed his eyes.


    On the other hand, there was even a covetous look unfolding on Elder Logan''s face.


    Meanwhile, Ricky was concentrating on applying the Five Beasts Arts before he punched at the fists of the Demonic Ape with the mightiest power.


    "Bang!!!"


    The sound reverberated within miles wide. But the only thing that everyone saw was the violent collision of two fists. One giant and black ape''s fist and one small yet fierce human''s! Immense airwaves began to suffuse the site instantly.


    The moment Ricky met the punch of Demonic Ape, he felt as if there was something weighing thousands of kilograms pressuring over him. Fortunately, the Third Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula enabled him to withstand the massive power. Meanwhile, he also had managed to diffuse a large part of the power by applying Devouring Skill.


    Immediately, Ricky pushed at devouring runes and the Devouring Fire and delivered the strength of the two forces together down the arm of Demonic Ape from its fist.


    As the intimidating devouring runes and the Devouring Fire started to invade the body of the Demonic Ape, it let out an ear-splitting screech out of pain.


    Jumping at this chance, Ricky withdrew his fist and lunched another blow but this time he targeted the abdomen of the Demonic Ape.


    With his second punch, the Demonic Ape slumped directly onto the ground as it whined in agony.


    However, before everyone could comprehend what was actually happening, they immediately saw the fiery blade slashing the monster''s neck.


    As the crowd was being dazzled by the flurry of fire and rays of lights, it all ended in a blink of an eye.

 Chapter 102 The Blizzard Cliff

    "Screech!" The Demonic Ape died, its head neatly cut off. The whole square stopped in its tracks, mouths open in shock.


    Was it even possible?


    The Demonic Ape who was at the peak of the sixth grade of Blood Purification could easily stand up to a warrior at the seventh grade of Blood Purification. When Ricky killed Phil, his power at the third grade of Blood Purification had already stupefied most of them.


    But again, the powerful Demonic Ape had been so easily slain by Ricky just now!


    What were the bounds of his power? Did Ricky cultivate so frequently that it was akin to eating and drinking for him? Was Ricky''s spiritual meridian really incomplete like he claimed?


    All these previously impossible speculations crossed their minds.


    The disciples were not alone in their shock. Zenith, Boris and nine Elders were all deeply stunned by this scene. In all their years, they had never encountered someone like Ricky.


    For what seemed like an eternity, the whole square froze in total silence.


    The tremendous silence was not broken until Ricky''s voice rang out.


    "Dominant Top Elder, have I now proven that I am much stronger than Phil ever was?" Ricky said seriously as he stood tall, the Iron Destroyer in his hand. He looked at Boris directly.


    "Huh!" That was all Boris could manage to say.


    Boris, as an innate spirit, didn''t want to break his word in front of many disciples of the Snow Sect. So he announced that Ricky was now free to go.


    In this way, Ricky finally got himself out of trouble to live for another day.


    Now, the warriors of Casting Faction and Refinement Faction, as well as the three Elders who had voted against Ricky all looked sullen. They were furious with the turn of events. They had Boris, the innate spirit, with them! Yet Ricky still managed to live to see another day.


    "Boy, you are so strong! Why don''t you tell Elder Abbott in advance? We worry about you in vain!" rang Zenith''s voice in Ricky''s head.


    Ricky looked down, trying not to start laughing at the chief''s admonishing message.


    ...


    "The gap between Ricky and I has now grown even wider," Edgar said, gazing admiringly at Ricky.


    "You have a parti


    tion who go there, they only narrowly escape with their lives," Zenith chuckled.


    Upon hearing this, Ricky couldn''t help but shiver as he imagined the dangerous conditions of the Blizzard Cliff.


    Ricky knew finally why Boris became so happy while Elder Evan and other Elders had looked immediately worried when Zenith had proposed his idea for Ricky''s punishment.


    "Chief, do you have another intention behind this decision?" Ricky asked carefully.


    "Ha-ha, so smart you are, boy!" Zenith laughed, his eyes twinkling.


    "There are two reasons." Zenith continued, "The first is to make appease Boris and his disciples. Once you go to the Blizzard Cliff, they expect you to die there. It''s supposed to let their guards down. Besides, after saving your life, an easy punishment would have caused many disciples to think that I support you blindly regardless of the rules.


    As for the second reason, you have a chance in the Blizzard Cliff..."


    ...


    "Zenith, come out!" The angry voice interrupted the sect chief.


    It was, of course, Grace, standing angrily in the courtyard with Heather at her side.


    Ricky was surprised. He wondered what had provoked Grace to call Zenith in this manner. Zenith was the sect chief after all! Wasn''t she afraid of offending him?


    "Ha-ha, Grace is here to cause me trouble for sending you to the Blizzard Cliff!" Zenith laughed amicably.


    This only made Ricky feel even more confused. What was going on?

 Chapter 103 Dangerous Blizzard Cliff

    "Grace''s father, Boris, was of the same clan as mine. Grace''s father and I, we were as close as brothers even without the blood relations that has long faded after numerous years," Ricky hummed in acknowledgement, realization dawning upon him and soothing his puzzled expression the more Zenith explained the circumstances.


    "So that''s why Grace is so ''rude'' to me."


    "I understand it now," Ricky lightly nodded in affirmation.


    "Hurry and get out, explain this to Grace at once! I worry that she''ll end up destroying my yard at this rate!" Zenith glared playfully while Ricky stood still.


    "Got it, Chief!"


    ......


    The Blizzard Cliff was situated at the west of the Snow Sect. Much like its name, it was the home to freezing cold temperatures of breezes emitted by the countless icebergs residing in its region; a frozen terrain that went on for thousands of miles.


    It would have been the same monotonous picture of a barren landscape, if it weren''t for the curious difference of a certain solitary cliff that was visible only to eyes observing from a higher summit. Its mass was huge; highlighted by the seemingly fathomless abyss that set it apart from the others.


    Icy winds burst through the gaping hole every now and then. It enclosed the precipice in tendrils of wind that pranced around its sphere, triggering the constant shifting of its shape after every passing moment.


    Blocks of ice slid off its smooth surface while some materialized in varying areas to carve its new form;


    a majestic and magical scene only to be expected from the Blizzard Cliff.


    Despite the enchanting image, the infamous place was known for its ruthless nature. The harsh environment was infested with poisonous insects and wild beasts that chased away even warriors who aimed to hone their cultivation base.


    No one was safe when placed around the perimeters of the zone. The chasms prevented anyone from escaping its frightening grip. Only demi-immortals were able to flee, given their overwhelming strength and power.


    And so, the Blizzard Cliff became a dreaded prison for disciples who had committed the gravest and most unforgivable sins. Their numbers were few; making up only more than ten criminals in all the history of Snow Sect, with no tales of any exiled individual surviving past a little over half a month at most.


    It was no wonder that the people who had heard of Zenith''s tasked excursion for Ricky deemed it as a mere ploy to kill off the disciple. His expected date of return had been set two months from now; a nightmare only the bravest fools would wholeheartedly accept.


    Ricky had not backed down from the challenge. His mind was already set, even as he took in the intimidating


    f collapsing sleet, the noise jolting him in alarm. He had seemingly evaded the first catastrophe by sheer luck, but the fast pace of condensing ice on the other side of the crumbling snow


    made him recognize the peril he would be soon in if he had continued to stand there idly.


    "So this is the Blizzard Cliff¡­ Nevermind two months, with the perpetual pitfalls, I can''t even survive for three or four days!" his eyebrows furrowed in worry.


    Not even an hour had passed since his arrival and he had already faced a great number of drawbacks. He could only imagine what was in store for him in the whole duration of his stay here.


    But what Ricky ignored was Elder Logan shown in the sky at this moment.


    "Seems like Chief Zenith kept his word - he really did send Ricky to the Blizzard Cliff," the judging gaze reflected Elder Logan''s overflowing killing intent for Ricky.


    "You little bastard, you won''t be able to survive the torment,"


    he huffed out a short, mocking laugh.


    As long as he and Boris kept an eye on those Elders and Zenith, no one could help Ricky out of the savage field. He would end up dying alone with no one to depend on.


    Elder Logan''s manic grin had appeared to be permanent the longer he watched Ricky''s doomed fate. With one last glance at the suffering boy, he left the scope in high spirits.


    Ricky persevered through the endless assaults of varying barbaric beasts in the following days, just as what Elder Logan had initially thought and took joy in.


    However, it was the unnatural climate that kept Ricky standing on the tips of his toes. The change was always spontaneous, therefore he could never take a break from the exhausting and suicidal voyage.


    Fortunately for him, after the fourth day of unrest, he had found the Land of Opportunity at last.

 Chapter 104 The Dwelling of Fire and Ice

    A shocking swell of greenery filled the landscape, its overgrown weeds curling around tall and broad shafts of cone-bearing trees that significantly made up most of the topography. It was a stark contrast to the lifeless cold that pervaded the rest of the Blizzard Cliff; snow and ice showed no signs of accumulating and destroying the growing foliage with their heavy debris.


    Ricky almost collapsed in relief upon arriving at the revitalizing view.


    He was understandably ragged. His clothes were torn and barely hanging on as cover to his almost naked self. It failed its purpose as a meager attempt to fill him with warmth against the harshness of the perpetual winter. The force of roaring flame inside his body became the driving source in keeping his temperature within normal levels.


    He had spent three whole days in the Blizzard Cliff, and in that short span of time, all he could do was run for his life.


    Perseverance and stubbornness were the traits that saved him countless of occasions in the face of the never-ending dangers he had to go through.


    The fierce predators lurking the unmanned grounds possessed a potency that were unmatched by most. They would have certainly been Boris'' first suspects if Ricky were to disappear without a trace after his two-month excursion.


    Fortunately for Ricky, he had survived and was now about to enter the Land of Opportunity Zenith had advised him to seek with haste.


    He rushed to cross the threshold, fully aware that he could not stand another minute idling in the Blizzard Cliff any longer.


    "There are so many coniferous trees and weeds! This must be the place where Chief Zenith called the Land of Opportunity!" Ricky muttered as he looked around in awe.


    He twirled in a slow, full circle, quietly observing the scene before him until his eyes caught sight of a stone tablet nearly obscured by its surrounding shrubs. He approached it and bended a knee to read the inscribed text: The Dwelling of Fire and Ice.


    A tiny narrow hole was situated on the right side of the plague, seemingly able to accommodate the size of only one individual.


    "That''s right. I''ve come to the right location!" Ricky beamed, unable to contain his excitement.


    Zenith had told Ricky that the Dwelling of Ice and Fire was the birthplace of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    Legend had told time and time again, that a strong warrior without the spiritual meridian had once wandered in the Dwelling of Fire and Ice and honed his skills to an extent that led him to create the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. Ricky stumbling upon the origins of the famous tale paved a great opportunity for him to grasp. As long as he had great comprehension skills, he would definitely evolve his Nine-degree Body Refining Formula by leaps and bounds inside this Dwelling of Fire and Ice.


    Ricky exhaled as he steadied himself in preparation to walk in the narrow passageway.


    The entrance was restricting, and so Ricky had not expected that the tunnel would eve


    for his own benefit in the future. After all, if he had tried to extort all its power, he would unnecessarily make radical changes to the Blizzard Cliff.


    "I will come back again!"


    Ricky swore, casting one last stare behind him before he proceeded to move out of the cavern.


    ......


    The sky of the Blizzard Cliff became a domain to its busy visitors. This time, not only Zenith had come, but also Boris and the other nine Elders who had been waiting for Ricky''s return.


    "Chief, our minds have searched the Blizzard Cliff for almost ten times. There''s not even a shadow of Ricky in sight; he must''ve died here." Boris dramatically mourned, "Even the real peak warriors in the Blood Purification are not capable of staying here for half a month."


    His eyes betrayed his supposed sincerity upon delivering the news. A little boy like Ricky, who''s maximum skill matched a seven-stage warrior in the Blood Purification, would have absolutely perished after two months in the Blizzard Cliff.


    His barely concealed sneers were shared by the others. Elder Logan, Elder Ronald and Elder Harris all sported a faint smirk; sharing the same mindset as him.


    Only Elder Evan and the rest truly cared for Ricky''s well-being.


    Ricky was the only disciple in the Snow Sect who could cultivate the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula after a thousand years. As of now, a random disciple name Phil caused this plight. Coupled with the knowledge that Ricky could have passed away by now, they were all driven with bitter resentment in their hearts.


    Zenith did not care of this matter and concentrated his mind on the area of the Dwelling of Fire and Ice.


    A trace of a smile appeared on Zenith''s mouth after a brief moment at his findings. His spiritual energy started to surge, much to the group''s surprise, and transformed into a huge hand that darted towards its targeted direction.


    It returned at once and released Ricky''s figure;


    rendering all the elders dumbfounded and in a state of disbelief.

 Chapter 105 Ready To Build A Faction

    "Good to see you all! Chief Zenith, Dominant Top Elder and other Elders!" Ricky said politely as he was suspended in midair by Zenith''s power.


    Ricky felt contented at their shocked faces, especially the dismay on Boris'' and Elder Logan''s face.


    It was certain that these people had completely expected that he would end up dead. But now he had returned, safe and sound. It was easy to see they were so astonished.


    "Ricky, how come you''re not dead!?" Elder Evan and other Elders asked in disbelief, their eyes wide open.


    "Do you all want me dead so badly?" Ricky responded with a faint smile. His eyes swept over Boris, who looked utterly displeased.


    "Ha-ha, well like I''ve observed before. Since you have mastered the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, there was no way you would die at the Blizzard Cliff!" Elder Mateo laughed, reacting first.


    "Ricky, please tell us how did you survive these past two months?" Elder Abbott was very curious.


    "I luckily found a cave, which was too small for the fierce beasts to enter. So I survived there," Ricky answered with a smile.


    "A cave? You were so fortunate!"


    "All right. Since Ricky has returned unharmed, I think we should start leaving the Blizzard Cliff," Zenith said to the Elders at that time.


    Then Zenith, Ricky and several Elders left first. Boris and the three others remained.


    "Dominant Top Elder, it''s impossible! There have never been caves on the Blizzard Cliff!" Elder Logan said indignantly.


    "I know. Zenith must have given Ricky something to help him survive. I should have thought about that!" Boris said angrily.


    "But it''s no big deal. He''s just a Blood Purification warrior, after all! Zenith is not in control of everything. It''s not the end of our plans. As for his real strength, only time will tell.


    What you should do now is to recruit more disciples, especially core disciples and disciples at a high grade of Blood Purification! Focus on this!"


    "Yes, understood." Elder Logan and the two others nodded.


    ......


    The moment Ricky stepped foot in the Snow Sect, everyone who saw him lost their minds.


    They hadn''t expected that Ricky would s


    h appreciated!" Ricky responded quickly, smiling widely.


    "Of course. But you must understand that I will only do it upon condition that you can accomplish your goal. Autelan returned the other day. Now, maybe he is cultivating on the Zenith Mountain. You have to seize the chance, otherwise he will be nowhere to be found for months on end once he finishes," Grace warned Ricky.


    "Master Grace, get yourself ready to help me convince the core disciples. I will go find Autelan now!"


    And so, this was how Ricky came to the Zenith Mountain once again.


    "Ricky, why are you here?" Edgar asked in confusion at the sight of their unexpected visitor.


    "Edgar, where does Autelan commence with his cultivation?" Ricky asked.


    "In the side room in the east. He will probably take a few more days to finish. You can go home, and I will send word to you the moment he''s done," Edgar suggested.


    "Thank you for the offer, Edgar! But if it''s possible¡­ Do you think I could stay here and wait instead? Don''t drive me away, please!" Ricky said.


    "Oh, of course! I would be happy to have you here!" Edgar was very excited, because he was keen to learn from Ricky and compare notes. Even if he lagged far behind Ricky now, there was no envy for Ricky in his heart.


    "Ricky, what have you come to Autelan for?" Edgar asked curiously.


    Ricky sat him down and proceeded to tell Edgar his plans, not hiding anything from his friend.

 Chapter 106 Zeniths Advice

    "What? You want to establish a faction!? Ricky... That''s... that''s a very dangerous and bold idea!" Edgar blurted out, his eyes opening wide. He was shocked at Ricky''s plan.


    Establishing a faction was by no means an easy task. Managing, organizing, and strengthening it was also extremely vital. The Refinement Faction and the Casting Faction were backed by demi-immortals, and the Amber Faction also had the support from a mysterious figure. All of them had powerful backers. That was also why these factions were able to grow so strong and thrive! No one dared bully their disciples. All Ricky had was Grace''s support. But now he was thinking of establishing a faction! He was really something else!


    "Yes, you are right, Edgar... I know I don''t have much support from powerful figures. That''s why I came to see Autelan. He is strong. I need him." Ricky nodded and acknowledged with a determined look.


    "Hey, buddy! Count me in!" Edgar unexpectedly proposed as a determined light flashed through his eyes.


    "I appreciate your support, Edgar. Really, I do. But I suggest you think this over carefully. Once you are in, you will become the enemy of the Casting Faction and the Refinement Faction. They will dislike you just because you joined me and things will get hard." Ricky was surprised when Edgar volunteered to join him. He was a bit touched by his support, but knew he had to make things clear so Edgar would know better about the difficulties he might face if he chose to join him.


    "I know what you mean, and I appreciate that you are considerate enough to make it clear. But I''ve made my decision. I want to help my master, and to become good friends with you," Edgar said straightforwardly without any hesitation. Of course, he knew the dangers of taking Ricky''s side. But he also truly believed that Ricky would be a true, loyal friend.


    "Ha-ha! Okay then, Edgar!! Let''s go and find Autelan. Remember, please help me persuade him! That''s our main priority now. Otherwise, we might not be able to establish our faction. And even if we manage to found one, it would be a weak one without any powerful backup. The other factions would bully us," Ricky said, his heart warming at their conversation. Having one more friend would always be entertaining and inspiring, especially when they were planning to do great things together.


    "Yes, I understand. But probably it''s going to be a little bit difficult to convince Autelan. He has shown to be apathetic about fame and glory. I''ve never seen him compete in any competition," Edgar said in a worried tone.


    "It doesn''t matter. We must try first. We''ll never know his take on things until we get started!" Ricky replied with confidence.


    "Hmm You have a point. Alright then, let''s go and talk to him when he finishes cultivating," agreed Edgar.


    Autelan did not finish his cultivation in seclusion until five whole days later. Ricky and Edgar patiently waited, eager to talk to the renowned warrior.


    When Autelan was told that they would like to come and talk to him, he welcomed them into his room.


    Ricky and Edgar were flattered to be invited into his room. As they entered, Ricky greeted Autelan, asking him whether he had succeeded in the breakthrough. He remembered that Autelan went out for training last time, in order to find a way to break through to Bone Reinforcement


    ng Olivia Bing and Autelan''s feelings for her was the furthest help he could give.


    "It''s indeed a profound one. And I''m still working on it, Chief Zenith," Ricky said compliantly.


    "Boy, don''t try to play me. I''m not interested in your manual," said Zenith crossly at Ricky''s unwillingness to talk about the manual. He was an elder with rich experience who would never feel jealous of what his disciples had.


    "Olivia Bing is a disciple of Elder Samuel. She is practically obsessed with casting. If you are willing to share your manual with her, I''m sure everything will go smoothly.


    Do you understand?" Zenith said.


    "Yes, Chief Zenith," Ricky replied, now understanding why Zenith had asked about his manual.


    "I''m not saying that you should give the manual to her. All you need to do is share some of your experiences or suggestions to her. I think that would be enough. She would gladly talk about it with you," Zenith said to appease Ricky''s hesitation.


    "So, where can we find her, Chief?" Edgar asked.


    "She is in Elder Samuel''s place, of course." That was the last piece of information that Zenith felt like offering them. He immensely liked these two disciples, but in no way would he spoonfeed them.


    "I got it. Thank you, Chief. You''ve helped us a lot. We''re going to find her now," Ricky said, bowing gratefully. Edgar did the same.


    Immediately, the two friends headed for Elder Samuel''s courtyard.


    Elder Samuel''s disciples greeted them enthusiastically the moment they arrived.


    Bertha emerged from her room and teased Ricky, "What are you doing here? Trying to see how we practice casting? You greedy guy."


    "It''s good to see you too, Bertha. But sadly, I''ve got some other business today!" Ricky replied with a smile.


    "Oh? What''s that? Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked curiously.


    "I''m afraid not, unless you quit the Amber Faction."


    "What do you mean? Why?" Bertha asked, alarmed.


    "Hee-hee. Bertha, is Miss Olivia Bing here? There''s something we''d like to discuss with her. You''ll find out why when we meet her," said Ricky, keeping her guessing.


    "Ricky, is that you? You came here and you dare not come inside to greet me first!?" a voice boomed from inside.

 Chapter 107 The Casting Master Of Inferior Mortal Level

    The voice was unmistakable. It was none other than Elder Samuel''s.


    As a powerful demi-immortal, Elder Samuel had definitely sensed Ricky''s arrival.


    "Come with me to greet my master first!" Bertha beckoned, heading inside.


    The three of them went to meet Elder Samuel.


    ...


    "Aside from Olivia and Bertha, Ricky is perhaps the only disciple of the Snow Sect to be treated so well by our master!" Some casting disciples began to talk about Ricky enviously, watching him enter the house.


    "If you are able to achieve to the extent that Ricky did, I think our master might also think highly of you and even be warmer to you day by day."


    ...


    Ricky, Edgar, and Bertha arrived at the small, humble room where Elder Samuel sat on the cattail hassock with his legs crossed.


    "Elder Samuel!" Ricky and Edgar greeted, bowing with great respect.


    "Come over here and have a seat!" Elder Samuel smiled at the presence of the young warriors.


    "I''ve heard that you are here to look for Olivia. What is the matter? Why do you want to meet her?" Elder Samuel asked, shooting a pointed glance at Ricky. It was obvious that he had gotten the wrong idea that Ricky had a personal interest in Olivia.


    "I want to..." Ricky started. He did not hide anything, telling Elder Samuel about his purpose.


    "You two plan to establish a faction? Ricky, are you planning to persuade Olivia to join you by taking advantage of the skills in your manual?" Bertha said in disbelief.


    Of course, she didn''t look down upon Ricky, but she just found it hard to believe that Ricky and Edgar were capable of founding a faction especially in considering how controversial Ricky was in the sect.


    However, Elder Samuel was interested in Ricky''s plan. To be exact, he had a great interest in Ricky''s manual, for he had determined that the manual that Ricky practiced must be quite extraordinary.


    "Ricky, when you meet Olivia to talk about the casting skills, will you let me be present?" Elder Samuel asked earnestly.


    "Master, do you really believe in these two guys?" Bertha asked, with surprise on her face.


    "Since you are so kind in giving us some advice and knowledge, we''re glad to have you with us of course," Ricky said to Elder Samuel, agreeing with his request.


    He also guessed Elder Samuel''s motives.


    He knew that if he could use the manual to attract Elder Samuel, there would be a good chance that Elder Samuel might be willing to support his faction. If so, it was good for their fact


    was at the Mortal Level, overwhelmed with glee. For a moment, it was as if he had forgotten his initial intention of going to Olivia.


    Elder Samuel also scrutinized Ricky''s saber and was even more shocked once he determined that it was indeed a long saber of Mortal Level.


    He was sure that no one taught Ricky to cast weapon before. As he sat there staring, thoughts raced in his head. Since Ricky had only relied on his own comprehension to forge a weapon and become a casting master, the chances that he was really a genius in the aspect of casting were quite high.


    For several moments, Elder Samuel gazed awestruck at Ricky, as if he was looking at a valuable gem.


    Olivia and Bertha were still in a state of shock, stunned beyond belief.


    But poor Edgar seemed not to have an idea just what Ricky''s actions meant, a vacant look on his face.


    "Ricky, would you like to be my disciple? I''ll try my best to pass on all my casting skills to you," Elder Samuel finally spoke, gazing meaningfully at Ricky.


    Obviously, he was tremendously excited. But even greater than this was his eagerness to have Ricky, the casting genius, become his disciple.


    Ricky was stunned by these words, thinking that it was an outcome that had not been the initial purpose of his visit today.


    Bertha and Olivia were also flabbergasted, wondering whether Elder Samuel, the casting master of Demi-spirit Level, truly wanted Ricky to be his disciple.


    But once they recalled Ricky''s impressive performance earlier, they wholly understood why Elder Samuel had been so quick and determined to offer Ricky a spot as his disciple. The choice was up to the genius now...

 Chapter 108 Arrival Of Autelan

    "Elder Samuel, I''m very sorry... you know that my interests lie more with martial arts!" said Ricky after Elder Samuel''s impassioned speech. He was at a loss for what to do.


    "Right! Well! Sorry for my forwardness. Besides, between you and I, it would be such a waste for a genius like you to be my apprentice," said Elder Samuel, waving his hand to conceal the embarrassment he felt.


    "Ricky, what''s wrong with you? How can you refuse my Master?" Bertha approached Ricky and whispered, "You are embarrassing Master in front of us!"


    Ricky suddenly became upset at this, not knowing what to say. He had been careless of the social dynamics.


    "Ricky, do you mind if you come with me to discuss the art of casting in private?" Elder Samuel said, as if the offer of apprenticeship had never happened. His manner of speaking was as though he was inviting a master who was his equal.


    His actions were clearly shocking to Bertha and Olivia, and made them feel that Ricky''s Pounding Skill probably meant a lot more than what they could imagine. What could it be, exactly!?


    Gradually, Edgar came to understand what the implications of Ricky''s casting were. He thought in disbelief, ''It''s amazingly hard to believe that not only is Ricky a genius of martial arts, but also a rare genius of casting.


    Even though Ricky has an incomplete spiritual meridian, I know in my heart that he will likely play an outstanding role in the Snow Land, hell, even beyond it!''


    "How can I refuse Elder Samuel?" said Ricky with a slight smile, getting up to follow Elder Samuel.


    ....


    Later, the several of them returned together to Elder Samuel''s house and began to talk about casting skills.


    Although Ricky didn''t have any experience, he just divulged some of the things he had comprehended from the Devouring Skill, and this in itself was sufficient to keep Elder Samuel, Bertha and Olivia lost in thought for half a day.


    On the other hand, Ricky learned a lot of valuable experiences, too.


    Ricky, knowing that generosity would be rewarded, passed on to them a piece of the Pounding Skill from the Devouring Skill.


    The three casting afficionados were visibly overwhelmed by the excitement.


    "Ricky, what w


    y are you angry?"


    Autelan was actually here! Grace and Heather exchanged looks of shock.


    "Don''t mess with me! How did you fool Olivia into joining your pathetic faction?" shouted Autelan.


    "My brother, Autelan. What unfair blame you put on my shoulders! The only reason she joined me was of her own will." Ricky said, "You know me and my power so well. I would never force it."


    "Is it because Olivia wants to learn casting skills from you?" asked Autelan, coming closer and closer.


    "Well, you''ve proven a genius once again! You have guessed precisely. As long as you join my pathetic faction, I promise to help you win her heart.


    Otherwise, Olivia will always ask me for advice. We''d be spending a lot of time together that I would find it hard to guarantee that nothing would happen between us!" Ricky said in a low tone.


    "How dare you!?" growled Autelan, his usually cool brow now furrowed.


    "Well, it totally depends on you, buddy," said Ricky with sly smile.


    "Oh, Ricky! You are good, too good! Count me in!" Autelan said resentfully. "You''re really making me regret saving your life in the first place! It would have been better if I''d just let that man from the West Vanity Valley kill you!"


    "Ha-ha, Autelan, this is the fate between us. The universe says so!"


    "Get out of my face! There is no fate that binds us!" Autelan shouted, whirling around and leaving.


    Ricky now looked at Grace and Heather, the looks on their faces priceless.

 Chapter 109 The Name of ‘Misty South’

    "How was it? Now it''s time to keep your promise, Master!" Ricky grinned.


    "It seems you''ve revealed your true casting ability!" Grace replied.


    "I had to. You can''t make an omelet without breaking some eggs," said Ricky, chuckling. "Moreover, I didn''t lose anything because of that. It was just a little bit of my method that I taught Olivia."


    "Well, I just hope you won''t be quickly surpassed by your disciple," said Grace, raising an eyebrow.


    .....


    The subsequent days saw Ricky and Edgar continue their recruitment for members among the outer disciples.


    As for the inner disciples, they wouldn''t approach them yet. After all, it would be a difficult task as they didn''t know any of them and their natures and personalities in the least.


    Their rules and principles about recruiting members were that they would have to always primarily consider their nature and personality.


    Vivian, an old friend of Ricky, joined in without hesitation. In addition to Vivian, they also found ten more members, all of whom had been bullied by the Refinement and Casting Faction and also worshiped Ricky.


    While Ricky and Edgar were recruiting members, the news that Ricky was planning to found a faction had now spread to most of the Snow Sect, like a tornado that travelled with the fastest winds.


    The members of the Refinement and Casting Faction laughed their heads off when they heard that.


    As expected, they also remarked unkindly that as long as Ricky pushed for the establishment of his faction, they would definitely cause him some grief.


    ....


    "This continent is called the Misty South, so I''d like to call our faction the ''Misty South Faction.'' I hope one day, everyone will know the name of our faction as THE FACTION of this continent!" Ricky said, his eyes shining with aspiration.


    And so it came to be that the ''Misty South Faction'' was born.


    Edgar, Grace and the others had no objection to this.


    Besides, they didn''t know the true meaning of this ''Misty South'' in Ricky''s mind. If they had, they would think he was out of his mind.


    He wanted his faction to be famous in the whole continent? He should be elatedly satisfied if it could just survive in the Snow Land!


    ......


    Soon enough, Ricky stood in the main square of the Snow Sect and announced that the Misty South Faction was officially established.


    Ricky, Edga


    nst them.


    Ricky, too, was in shock. This was an unexpected pronouncement that he had not been informed of.


    Immediately, Ricky turned to look at Bertha.


    However, Bertha shook her head, her eyes darting to Amelia. Obviously, it had all been Amelia''s idea.


    Ricky understood, his heart beating like a drum.


    "What is Amelia doing? Does she really want to ally with me? Why!?" Ricky was confused and a stream of questions ran through his head, but he could not ask her just yet.


    Although Amelia had personally invited him to join the Amber Faction and also appreciated him from the start. At this point, she was in no way obligated to help him.


    "Amelia, please reconsider carefully before you make up your mind!" Gennadi and Wyn said at the same time. They were putting pressure on her, alarmed at the shift in power dynamics that was now taking place.


    "What makes you think I haven''t thought this through?" Amelia said sweetly, smiling softly.


    This meant that Amelia no longer cared about them. She looked at Ricky with her beautiful eyes and smiled. "Ricky, I''ve shown you where I stand. Don''t you have anything to say to me?"


    "Of course, I''m honored, Amelia. From now on, I''ll do anything to support the Amber Faction! We are allies!" Ricky laughed.


    "That''s exactly what I want to hear, Ricky!" Amelia laughed as well, her shining eyes filled with joy.


    "Don''t you celebrate too soon!" Gennadi and Wyn said again, "Because we don''t agree with the establishment of the Misty South Faction!" They stood tall and looming, trying to intimidate Ricky.

 Chapter 110 Powerful Supporter

    "Oh? Why do you disapprove of my faction?"


    Ricky asked with a gentle smile, looking at these top ranking inner disciples. He of course had already anticipated that they would object.


    "Because you and your faction are too weak," Wyn said harshly, his proud eyes dark with disdain. To him, Ricky and others who stood by him were weaker than ants.


    "Well that reason is quite ridiculous. How are you qualified to judge the weak and the strong?" Ricky asked with a sneer.


    "We don''t care about other factions. But as for your faction, we are really qualified to judge. Because both of you are the weakest, and neither of us will ever allow the weak to exist," Gennadi sneered.


    "Don''t think for a second that you will be immune from us even if you have united with the Amber Faction. You must disband this faction immediately. Otherwise, we will disband it ourselves!"


    "That''s right, little man. Faction disputes aren''t banned under the scope of the laws in the Snow Sect. Even if we destroy your incomplete spiritual meridian by accident, I''m afraid that our chief can''t do a thing to oppose it," Wyn said mockingly.


    "If you want to disband the Misty South Faction, you must consult our Amber Faction first!" Amelia said firmly, stepping to stand by Ricky''s side.


    "Amber Faction, we are not scared of you!" Gennadi said confidently. "Besides, since you''ve allied with the Misty South Faction, it''s time for you to disband as well, Amber Faction!"


    "How dare you say that!" Amelia hissed, anger creeping up into her eyes.


    "You will know after thirty minutes whether I have the gall to back that up!" Wyn retorted.


    "Ha-ha, well then let me see how you two plan to disband the Misty South Faction!" a stout voice called out from the group. Then from the crowd, Autelan leaped to the arena, dressed in a yellow robe. He looked at Gennadi and Wyn with a sly smile.


    "Autelan! It is Autelan!" The inner and outer disciples marveled at the sight of the warrior who was so renowned but so infrequently seen.


    Both Autelan and Ricky had begun their martial arts journeys without foundation and soon conquered many disciples. Although Autelan didn''t hold any titles because he never engaged in co


    be established today,"


    the disciples murmured.


    "Dear Olivia, have you joined the Misty South Faction, too?" Sean said, a hint of disappointment on his face. It could be deduced that he admired her greatly.


    "Sean, we are quite unfamiliar with each other, wouldn''t you say. You''d better drop the ''dear''!" Olivia said nonchalantly.


    Hearing this, Sean''s face grew red in embarassment. He looked away, trying not to further shame himself.


    "Excuse me, who is the head of the Misty South Faction?" Sean asked, trying to recover from the blow Olivia had dealt with his feelings.


    "I am!" Ricky stepped forward and said.


    "Oh! It''s you. Well, that makes things much easier!" Sean laughed ominously.


    "As you all know, factions can only be established if they are legitimately recognized by other factions," Sean said loudly as he looked around to address the crowd. "Since the owner of the Misty South Faction always relies on his powerful supporters. How can we consent to the founding of the Misty South Faction?"


    "Hear, hear! You''re right!" Many disciples echoed, nodding their petulant heads.


    "So, what do you want?" Ricky asked, clenching his jaw.


    "It''s quite simple. As long as you battle with the members of Casting Faction and Refinement Faction and earn their approval, then I and other disciples will recognize the Misty South Faction," Sean replied.


    Hearing this, Gennadi and Wyn approached to the arena, expectant grins on their faces.

 Chapter 111 Go Beyond Ones Depth

    "Ricky, if you want the Snow Sect to recognize your Misty South Faction, you must ask for our permission first. Otherwise, your faction will be unacknowledged and invalid!"


    exclaimed Gennadi and Wyn as they walked into the arena.


    After their discussion, Gennadi and Wyn believed that Ricky would accept their condition.


    "Ricky, let me do it!" said Autelan softly.


    "Thank you for the offer Autelan, but I think that I have to do this myself," said Ricky calmly. He didn''t want Autelan to take the risk for him, knowing it was his own battle to fight.


    In Ricky''s mind, he didn''t need anyone''s authorization over his faction''s approval. He was frustrated at the thought of it. But if he would not do anything, then his faction would become unrecognized. He had the fighting spirit in him, and he would do anything for his faction.


    The most infuriating part was that the Misty South Faction needed to get people''s approval--even the approval of its enemies.


    This was not something as simple as asking for the faction''s formality from people. Given that condition, he must deal with it personally.


    "Oh, finally. You''re here." Gennadi and Wyn sneered after hearing what Ricky had said.


    "According to the rules, we need to have a trial of strength to decide whether I am capable to establish a faction. If I remember it correctly, I would be the one to choose how we fight," said Ricky firmly.


    "Choose whichever way you want. You are just going beyond your depth if you are no match for us," Gennadi snorted contemptuously.


    "Don''t count your chickens before they hatch. Victory hangs in the balance," said Ricky coldly.


    "Gennadi, since you are the leader of the Casting Faction, I have decided to compete with you on casting. The warrior who makes the most powerful weapon shall be the winner," Ricky added.


    Nobody believed on what they had just heard. Did Ricky just ask the leader of the Casting Faction, Gennadi, to a challenge of his niche? All the people present in the square thought that Ricky might have made a terrible decision.


    Gennadi, the leader of Casting Faction, was the strongest person in this field. Anyone who would challenge Gennadi in this craft would just be rooting for his own defeat.


    Ricky prepared himself for the casting. He read and understood the Chaos Manual, but something important was still missing-- he did not have an integral spiritual meridian. This might pose a problem for his match against Gennadi and the destruction of his faction.


    "He must be crazy!" people who were present in the arena whispered.


    "Ha-ha, Ha-ha!"


    All the disciples of both the Casting Faction and the Refinement faction burst into laug


    ed for Gennadi. They weren''t able to hide in their faces the disappointment that this challenge might really cause Gennadi''s faction to dismiss.


    Sweat trickled down from Gennadi''s forehead. He felt such immense pressure after seeing Ricky''s Pounding Skill. He did not expect greatness from an underdog. After all, who would ever be greater than the master of casting like himself?


    Gennadi was distracted.


    "Gennadi, do not worry too much. Remember, he might have an edge with his Pounding Skill, but he has no match for your casting ability!" Sean communicated secretly with Gennadi through his internal power.


    Gennadi gradually calmed down after hearing what Sean had said. It took away some nerves. ''What I need is focus, '' he thought to himself.


    Gennadi channeled every strength of his being into focus. As soon as he reached his peak, he started to dwell into the zone of casting. He was more focused than ever.


    Three hours passed, and they both had finished their work.


    A knife and a sword.


    "Take this. My sword is a weapon close to the intermediate Mortal Level!" said Gennadi confidently as he stared at his weapon.


    After hearing what Gennadi had made, all disciples of the Casting Faction and the Refinement Faction gave out wows and applause.


    "You are not the judge. Let your sword and my knife speak for themselves!" said Ricky.


    "How?" Gennadi asked.


    "It''s very easy. Let us test our weapons. The first warrior to break his weapon loses. He has to abolish his faction. Remember our deal?" said Ricky.


    "Let''s to that!"


    ...


    Gennadi and Ricky searched the crowd for two disciples at the intermediate stage of Blood Purification to test out their weapons. The battle between knife and sword would determine the fate of their respective factions.

 Chapter 112 He Is A Genius

    "Bam!"


    Two disciples at the sixth grade of Blood Purification called forth their spiritual energy and crashed into each other, with one holding Ricky''s knife and the other holding Gennadi''s sword.


    Dozens of crashes later, the winner had been determined


    when Gennadi''s sword broke in half. It was clear that Ricky was the winner.


    "Ricky wins, his weapon wins the challenge!" all disciples exclaimed.


    What this told everyone was that Ricky was much more powerful at casting than Gennadi, an inferior Mortal Level casting master!


    The square suddenly exploded into noise.


    Ricky was a true genius!


    No spiritual meridian, but so what? He was able to defeat such a powerful opponent like Gennadi when it came to casting skills!


    "The Misty South Faction will be known throughout the whole Snow Land because of Ricky!" some disciples exclaimed.


    ''''I want to join the Misty South Faction!" several female disciples said almost hysterically, utterly taken with Ricky.


    ...


    The Casting Faction and the Refinement Faction felt the resentment and disappointment hit them quite hard. As for Gennadi, his anger boiled over.


    He failed. As the top-ranked inner disciple of the Snow Sect, he was gifted in casting. How could he be defeated by a mere outer disciple like Ricky? This guy had an incomplete spiritual meridian and on top of that, had only stayed in the Snow Sect for less than a year!


    He dug his fingernails into the palm of his hand, blood seeping out of the punctures.


    Gennadi could not reconcile himself with his status as a loser.


    He had to disband the Casting Faction once he failed. That was terrible.


    On top of that, he hadn''t been the true leader who dominated the Casting Faction! He was only its figurehead, in reality. How would he tell the real bosses that he was the reason that the faction was disbanded?


    "Gennadi, resign from your position as head of the Casting Faction!" Sean said to him.


    This order only deepened Gennadi''s hatred towards Ricky, who had unexpectedly turned his life upside down.


    "Gennadi, you failed. Now, you must keep your word as a true warrior!" Ricky said coldly as he turned to Gennadi.


    Now everyone else was staring at Gennadi. They clearly knew that it was impossible


    cky''s!


    How humiliating to be beat by a lower ranking warrior in public! Such a great shame!


    The day had started out with the Casting Faction and the Refinement Faction having every intention of humiliating Ricky and disbanding the Misty South Faction.


    But ironically, both of their leaders had suffered shameful defeats from Ricky!


    What was even more amazing was that Ricky had defeated the Casting Faction with casting and the Refinement Faction with bodily power!


    He had beat them at their own game!


    Even though Ricky''s strength had kept surprising people through the months, it was only now that they began to have an inkling of just how fearsome his power was.


    Anyone else who called himself a genius from now on would have to live up to the standards Ricky set.


    "Bang!" Wyn fell to the ground with a grunt, so weak that he could not get up again.


    "It seems that you are not so good, the so-called head of the Refinement Faction. If we were in the same level of power, you would not survive a single punch from his fist!" Ricky said coldly, drawing back his bloody fists.


    "Ricky, don''t be too arrogant!" Wyn hissed hoarsely, still able to muster anger in his spent body.


    "If you didn''t provoke me, I would not have given you a hard time. Fulfill your word now. You must resign from your position," Ricky said coldly. With this, he turned his back on the defeated Wyn who was cowering on the ground, and strode towards the Misty South Faction without a backward glance.

 Chapter 113 The Commitment To Amelia

    "From now on, The Misty South Faction is officially established. If somebody insists that they can defeat me, I will be ready to fight them at any time," Ricky said sternly, his sharp eyes wandering around.


    He was met with total silence in the square.


    Everyone had already seen the extent of his power and agreed that he was a real genius.


    Sean, Harald and Connie clenched their fists, detesting how Ricky behaved in such a haughty way.


    They had already missed the best opportunity. Even if they still wanted to, it would be impossible to stop the establishment of the Misty South Faction. If they did, Ricky and Grace didn''t have to handle it as the disciples of the Snow Sect would blame it on them.


    They tried to console themselves with the thought that it was not a pity for them to miss the golden opportunity this time.


    After all, it would be virtually impossible for such a new faction to compete with long-established Refinement Faction and Casting Faction. In the days to come, it would never be too late for them to teach this so-called ''Misty South Faction'' a lesson they wouldn''t soon forget.


    "I will extend my warm welcome to all the seniors and the juniors who want to join us. I believe that all of you have a rather good idea about what kind of people will be accepted into our faction. Please, don''t waste your and our time if your nature is not befitting us," said Ricky.


    He was proud of himself at this moment. The Misty South Faction was successfully established as a result of his efforts and the help from people who supported him.


    Even if now, the numbers were small and the collective strength of the members was not powerful enough, Ricky believed that he would develop the faction to become a mighty one in the future.


    The name of his faction would be well-known in the whole Misty South because of his conviction. But that was another story for another day.


    ...


    The chaotic din of voices finally subsided as the Misty South Faction was formally established.


    From then on, the strength of the Snow Sect would be more powerful due to the birth of


    a hunch that it would be a large and difficult task that Amelia would ask him to help her with in the future. However, his pride would never let him decline her request.


    "Ricky, I hope you can cultivate to become the most superior warrior in the road of martial arts," Amelia suddenly said, looking deeply at Ricky''s eyes.


    "It sounds like you might die after telling me something important," Ricky joked.


    "Only if you die first," Amelia hissed.


    ... They continued to talk for a while, but then night fell. Ricky got up to leave.


    He came home. Upon approaching the courtyard, he saw Bertha. She informed him that Elder Samuel had invited him to his place for something rather important.


    And so, he immediately followed Bertha to Elder Samuel''s room.


    "Yes, Elder? Why have you summoned me?" Ricky asked.


    "Ricky, I heard that you defeated Gennadi with your casting skills in the square," Elder Samuel said, getting to the point. "It means that you are qualified to become a casting master at the inferior Mortal Level!


    You must know that there will be an appraisal of the Casting Guild after several days. Please, if you will¡ª do join so you can show your skills and gain recognition from the real casting masters! What do you say?" Elder Samuel asked, a hopeful smile on his face.


    "The Casting Guild? Tell me more about it, please!" Ricky said, a puzzled look on his face.

 Chapter 114 The Casting Guild

    "Ricky, you''re a casting master in the inferior Mortal Level! Are you seriously asking me what the Casting Guild is?" Bertha said, surprised.


    Even one who was not a casting master would know that there was a Casting Guild!


    "Bertha, you know that I''ve never been invested in this kind of stuff at all," Ricky explained awkwardly.


    "Well... alright..." Bertha said, not knowing what else she could say.


    "Ricky, do you know of the division between Realm and Land of the Misty South?" Elder Samuel asked Ricky, leaning forward to gaze at him seriously.


    "No, Elder. I must admit that I am not quite familiar with it."


    "The Misty South is incredibly vast, and it is connected by the Realms, part by part. I do not know the exact number of Realms, seeing as how I am just a demi-immortal warrior. It is only those who reach the level of innate spiritual king that are qualified to roam around the Misty South.


    Every Realm is divided into several Lands, so to speak.


    The Realm which we reside in now is called the Realm of Wilderness, and Snow Land is one of its four Lands."


    "I see. Do you mean to say that there are two more Lands except the Snow Land and the West Desolate Land?" Ricky asked.


    "Yes, Ricky. The Heaven Wood Land and Earth Fire Land," Elder Samuel replied.


    "So the Casting Guild is..." Ricky murmured.


    "The Casting Guild is co-founded by the top casting masters in the entirety of the Misty South. It exists in every Realm," Elder Samuel clarified.


    "Casting masters earn an identification tag from the Casting Guild as long as they pass the assessment!"


    "And what is this tag used for, Elder?" Ricky asked, thinking in utilitarian terms. He was unwilling to waste his time on the assessment unless it would become useful.


    "The use? It comes in handy," Bertha interjected.


    "First of all, with the approval of the Casting Guild, you can be considered as a qualified casting master in the Misty South, ¡ª much like how the establishment of your Misty South Faction had to be approved by the other three Factions of the Snow Sect!


    Secondly, the identification tag is equivalent to a travel pass of the Misty South. You will save quite a bit when you get in or out of anywhe


    appens, even the Dominant Top Elder will have to think twice before he takes action to deal with him. None of the powerful warriors dare to be openly opposed to a member of the Casting Guild!"


    "Not even you, Elder Logan? Aren''t you one of the Elders of the Casting Guild in the Realm of Wilderness?" Harald asked.


    "The internal strife is a big taboo in the Casting Guild! Unless I can become a casting master of Spirit Level, I have less mobility when it comes to dealing with annoyances like that Ricky!" Elder Logan answered.


    "So we have to kill him before he takes the assessment, then. His talent really worries me quite a bit!"


    "Elder Logan, is it really that serious? Although he has some talent, he still has an incomplete spiritual meridian after all!" said Harald, still unwilling to recognize the magnitude of Ricky''s skills.


    "Stupid boy! You still think that he only has an incomplete spiritual meridian?" Elder Logan scoffed.


    "Elder Logan, do you mean..."


    "Don''t forget that the sect chief is in with this bastard. It is not impossible that he covered up something for him! We don''t know what Zenith did to help Ricky stay alive in the Blizzard Cliff! We need to nip this in the bud.


    Besides, he humiliated our Casting Faction in front of the whole Snow Sect! That was unforgivable!


    You two, go tell the Refinement Faction! Tell the Endless Shadow so they can immediately prepare!" Elder Logan ordered, his fierce eyes ominous with hate.


    ...

 Chapter 115 Endless Shadow

    Unaware that their lives had already been in danger, Ricky, Bertha and Elder Samuel was heard discussing the secret of casting in their most distinct voices. No one realized the impending peril ahead.


    Elder Samuel and Bertha felt secure for being bold and outspoken for they had been living a peaceful life and had not made any enemies in their existence.


    Ricky was the only one brave enough to face the emulator due to Elder Samuel''s presence. The whole world knew that the gruesome killing mission of assassinating a demi-immortal could only be done by several gallants bearing the same skill as Ricky himself or even by a more valorous innate spirit.


    Shortly, Elder Samuel noticed something peculiar. Without a second thought, he warned Ricky and Bertha to be cautious and guarded as he had already deployed his Snow Vulture to position in the woods.


    "Chirp, chirp!" A sound of birds chirping was heard.


    Shortly after arriving, the sound of fluttering birds was heard in midair. A pair of two large dark birds of prey plummeted from the sky towards them.


    The pair of horrific-feathered creatures as dark and hard as rock, were bearing an eerie spine-chilling coldness.


    "Black Vicious Pengornis. I knew it is you." Ricky breathed, "A feathered creature that was as strong and daunting as the warriors at their intermediate stage of Bone Reinforcement!" Ricky finally said in his strong voice. Ricky was familiar with the beast by heart. It was a monster lurking in the most abominable environment, blood sucking and ruthless.


    "Trouble is approaching! Here comes the Black Vicious Pengornis!" a voice from the crowd was heard. With the beastly flying creature plummeting towards them, Bertha growled, "Who in the name of the devil would try to kill us and do such atrocious thing!"


    Elder Samuel was just in a corner standing still. In his somber mood and not uttering a single word. He knew then that their lives were in impending peril.


    "Bertha, can you tell me what is really happening?" Ricky asked with eagerness to know everything in his tone.


    "In the Realm of Wildness, there''s a group of people called the Endless Shadow, an extremely petrifying organization of murderers." Bertha said, "In Realm of Wildness, as long as you could afford the price for employing them to commit a murder, they would put themselves out of the way to do it for you.


    The troop even showed no fear of murdering casting masters of Spirit Level at the Casting Guild, for they were equipped with successful experience and they were willing to fight again.


    They would pledge their lives to every task given. Their loyalty was incomparable. Once they took a miss


    ou challenge me in the advanced stage of Blood Purification?!" Ricky''s taunting irritated the killer at the advanced stage of Blood Purification.


    In the presence of the Endless Shadow, fear and terror crept into those who were to be murdered. Things had changed however. This was the very first time that Endless Shadow was challenged. They could never remain calm and undisturbed.


    "Kill him!" The killer at the advanced stage of Blood Purification took out his sword from around his waist, not wasting his spiritual energy and sword-light, not losing his target and aiming at Ricky.


    ''I recognized that. It''s a sword-light! It has been used by warriors from the Endless Shadow! It appears all these fellows in Endless Shadow are of no ordinary talent and are not a pushover, '' Ricky thought to himself. He had watched another two killers fight against Elder Samuel and Bertha with the help of Light Apperception.


    To become a real killer, one had to fulfill the greatest epic performance among his troops.


    "It has been a while the last time I was in a battle since I returned from the Blizzard Cliff. Let me show you how strong my Iron Destroyer is now!" Ricky drew out his Iron Destroyer in an instant.


    Thud! A loud sound lingered in the scene.


    Iron Destroyer''s blade slashed, making a loud, fierce and frightening noise. The entanglement of the sword-light and the saber-light produced a violent noise tearing apart everything it hit.


    Clang! Clang! Clang! The two weapons exchanged clanks.


    Both were unstoppable. Energy blasted from the collision of the swords were all over the place. They were soon forced to end their first round of battle. Suddenly, the killer at the advanced stage of Blood Purification stood still and his eyes grew wider and darker.

 Chapter 116 Counter Killing

    "How is it possible? The information we''ve obtained clearly states that you are only at the fifth grade of Blood Purification. How could you be in possession of such powerful strength?" The assassin''s eyes had suddenly grown solemn as he gazed at Ricky, lost in thought. The contempt had disappeared from his eyes.


    "Humph! You are like a frog at the bottom of a well. Haven''t you heard that there is a kind of genius who has the ability to compete above his level? Obviously, that is what I am." Ricky sneered.


    "That means today, you are the one destined to die!"


    "You fool!" the three assassins said coldly, their eyes flaring up at Ricky''s bold words.


    Even Elder Samuel and Bertha were speechless. How could Ricky be this arrogant?


    However, when they recalled Ricky''s track record, they calmed down to an extent. His arrogance was usually substantiated.


    "Die today! I will show you what Endless Shadow is! You arrogant bastard!" The assassin shouted as he waved his sword, ready to wield it on Ricky.


    He was indeed remarkable. He had comprehended a considerable level of sword-light and he was now at the seventh grade of Blood Purification. His speed also ranked high among the warriors at his grade level. Along with his ghost-like attack path, he was virtually untouchable at the seventh grade of Blood Purification.


    However, he had now met Ricky, a warrior who possessed abilities previously unheard of. Even if Ricky was just at the fifth grade of Blood Purification, he was capable of competing with any warrior at the seventh grade of Blood Purification! Outstanding!


    "Ghostly Flurry!"


    The assassin roared loudly, and then his figure and sword disappeared in a ghostly manner from Ricky''s eyes. He was using an advanced speed.


    At once, Ricky directly activated the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula to the Fourth Degree. The green lights floated into space around him, shining brightly.


    "Clang!"


    The sound of a forceful collision rang through the air.


    With the appearance of the assassin''s figure, the tip of the sword had stabbed Ricky''s neck, but because he had used the Fourth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, only a nick was made.


    ''What a tremendously fast speed! I can''t even see him, but only feel him! If it weren''t for the Fourth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, I would have been dead meat now. Oh, it''s true... I still have a long way to go!''


    ont of Ricky. His Iron Destroyer collided with the sword.


    "Boom!" The moment their power collided, the sword in the assassin''s hand was knocked into the air. Ricky''s Iron Destroyer with diffusing flame sank deep into his chest.


    "Bang!" A dull sound was heard as he fell heavily onto the ground.


    With blood spurting out of the deep gouge in his chest, the assassin could do nothing but stare at Ricky as his life drained out of his body.


    "How is it possible? I can''t believe it. How did you know my position?" He growled with his last ounce of life, still unwilling to accept defeat.


    This was the destiny of an assassin. Once his fatal attack failed, his life would be on the line.


    "You''ve comprehended sword-light, and I''ve comprehended saber-light. Both are from the Light Apperception. Once I calm down, it''s not difficult for me to zero in on your direction.


    So, don''t be so overconfident with your pace, and don''t rashly look down upon any opponent.


    But I suppose... you won''t be able to use this advice,"


    Ricky said, the assassin''s life ending together with his sentence.


    "Useless idiot! You can''t even handle a weakling at the fifth grade of Blood Purification. You deserve to die!" The demi-immortal assassin sneered at this scene.


    Their organization of assassins was just like this. Everyone was unmerciful and emotionless. It had to be that way to be able to do their job.


    "Quest failed! Retreat!" the demi-immortal assassin yelled out to his colleague at the peak of Blood Purification. They glared at Ricky, who was still standing over the corpse of their slain fellow.

 Chapter 117 Power Of Elder Samuel

    "Yes!" Following the order of the killer of demi-immortal, the killer at the peak of Blood Purification agreed to leave.


    "Since you have come, how can you go but leaving nothing for us?" Elder Samuel said in a very infuriated voice. He never had the intention to keep the lives of the two Endless Shadow killers.


    "Nonsense! You are also a demi-immortal! You can''t stop me now!" the other killer replied with obvious disdain on his face.


    "Try me!"


    Elder Samuel had enough of the two killers'' shenanigans. His body started to glow with a blinding light and radiated power. He abruptly took the ancient sledgehammer from the Storage Ring and held it with both of his hands. The sledgehammer connected with him and runes started to appear all throughout his body.


    "You are just a half-assed casting master at the Demi-spiritual Level! Now, how can you make me stay with that? You are overrated!" The runes that came out of Elder Samuel''s body were not as impressive as the killer thought for they were only runic powers. This only made the killer go cocky and look down on him.


    But Elder Samuel did not listen to the killer''s banter. Instead, he gathered up all his might and continued to pour his power in to the runes on his body.


    Elder Samuel was a great warrior and no other being could say otherwise. The killers might have judged his cultivation too soon. He continued to show the disrespectful killers that he was not just an ordinary warrior. Moments later, the seemingly weak runic powers in his body had changed dramatically.


    The runes in Elder Samuel''s body changed from water blue to blood red gradually, inch by inch.


    Not only that it was a sight to see, it also triggered other senses in the room. Ricky who stood and observed the cultivation recognized the odor that circulated in the room. It was the familiar sense around the blood red runes that were in Elder Samuel''s body--the sense of devouring runes.


    "Wow, Elder Samuel''s cultivation is something else, huh. Now that is what you call impressive," Ricky sighed in amazement as he watched Elder Samuel''s runes change.


    Ricky instantly knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was his doing. The color-changing of Elder Samuel''s runes was due to how he understood Ricky''s cursory teaching of the Devouring Skill. Ricky found it magnificent that he was able to reach this level in just three days.


    ''Elder Samuel seems to have a real talent on casting, but sadly the manual he''s practicing is probably just a plain one, which ha


    t than ever and wanted to battle the killer yet again.


    "Bertha, want to jump in and help?" Ricky said.


    Keeping the energy in the battlefield at a high, Ricky''s vigor soared. He instantly cultivated the Fourth Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining formula and the devouring runes started to pour into his body.


    "Sure!" Bertha agreed, with cyan runes floating around her voluptuous body.


    "Damn! Goddamn it! My boss didn''t tell me that both of you are casting masters!" the killer cursed as he watched Bertha and Ricky''s powers almost achieve their peaks.


    Apparently, his boss had concealed some important information about Ricky to him.


    "Your boss seems to have given you a Trojan horse. If you tell me his name, I will think about letting you go!" Ricky said.


    "Just two casting masters...you are not even qualified!" The killer at the peak of Blood Purification said coldly.


    "Why do you put yourself into trouble? We can deal with your boss. We can get your revenge!" Ricky persuaded the killer.


    The killer had second thoughts about dropping his boss'' name. The more he stood there without saying anything, the more Bertha and Ricky became aggressive with their statements and interrogation.


    "Ricky, don''t talk nonsense. Even betrayed, the killers of Endless Shadow won''t disclose their boss'' name," Bertha said. "Or their boss will make their lives miserable."


    "Really? It seems that the killer does not have a reasonable career!" Ricky said, giving up with the investigation.


    "Ah!"


    A scream came out of high in the sky. The killer''s whole right arm was shattered into pieces as Elder Samuel struck him with the ancient bronze sledgehammer.

 Chapter 118 The Earth Fire Land

    The demi-immortal assassin cried out in pain as his arm was shattered to pieces by Elder Samuel''s large hammer.


    Although the demi-immortal warrior''s strength and cultivated body nearly separated from his mortal physical body, they managed to remain connected. After his arm was broken, most of his power had drained out of his system.


    As for Elder Samuel, he was also severely injured and in great pain as the demi-immortal assassin''s sword had made a deep stab wound in his left rib. Now that Elder Samuel was injured, the demi-immortal assassin took the opportunity to escape.


    "You better watch out, Samuel! Because of what you have done to me today, I will seize every chance to take revenge on the Snow Sect from this day forth!" he snarled threateningly as he leaped onto the Black Vicious Pengornis. In no time, he was a black spec in the sky.


    He abandoned his colleague, the assassin at the peak of Blood Purification, who was still doing his best to fend off Ricky and Bertha.


    "You''re just a demi-immortal who''s lost most of your strength and power, so you can''t return to the Endless Shadow anymore. Besides, how dare you be so reckless to attack a disciple of the Snow Sect? You were just asking for trouble!" Elder Samuel responded coldly.


    But he didn''t chase after the killer, as it was pointless. He was injured and might not be able to slay the killer even if he could catch up with him.


    After all, Elder Samuel had succeeded in breaking the demi-immortal assassin''s arm, which showed the magnitude of his strength and prestige.


    "Your leader has abandoned you and left. Do you still insist on a futile struggle against us?" Ricky asked his opponent, feeling rather impatient and annoyed.


    "I promise that if you tell us who hired you to attack us, I will let you depart with your life!"


    "Your words are very tempting, but I will never give in! The moment I signed up for this job, I had to accept that everything is not up to me!" It was the first time that the assassin had made a proper reply.


    But after saying this, he took his sword and sliced cleanly across his neck.


    "Oh..." Ricky was quite startled at this.


    "Don''t be so shocked. It''s normal for them to take their own lives if they fail at their missions," Bertha remarked, withdrawing


    "You don''t have to think about it too much now, Ricky. When you become an innate spiritual king with your horizons broadened, your knowledge will expand, and you will learn things for yourself!"


    ...


    "Now that the Earth Fire Land is very hot and dry, it was a suitable place to casting weapons, as forging a weapon is dependent on fire. I am sure you know this well.


    The Earth Fire Land has the largest number of casting geniuses among all of the places in the Realm of Wildness or other large realms. That''s why the Casting Guild was founded in the Earth Fire Land," Elder Samuel explained.


    "Casting geniuses? I really want to meet them and challenge them to a competition!" Ricky said aggressively, with an expression of defiance in his eyes.


    "Perhaps you''re the only casting genius for several realms around who would ever dare make such bold remarks. You really are so reckless!" Bertha sighed, pouting her lips.


    But to herself, she had to admit that Ricky was the most talented warrior she''d ever seen in the aspect of casting.


    "Ha-ha! I was born brainy and fearless!" Ricky laughed at Bertha''s combined complaint and compliment.


    "You''re not modest in the least!" Bertha retorted, shooting him a disapproving glance.


    "Alright, you two. We''re going to head for the Casting City where the Casting Guild is. Mind your manners and words, because even if I''m a casting master of the Demi-spirit Level, I''m not held in as high regard here," Elder Samuel reminded them. This was it! Their destination!

 Chapter 119 An Admirer Of Bertha

    After they entered the territory of the Earth Fire Land, the Snow Vulture flew for two whole days before they finally alighted at the center of the land, which was where the Casting City was to be found.


    Before they entered the city, they got off the Snow Vulture, Elder Samuel included. In accordance with the city''s law, all warriors had to walk into the city. Riding a Snow Vulture was definitely not allowed.


    However, this rule did not apply to an innate spirit and a casting master of Spirit Level.


    This was the privilege of being a powerful warrior. Its fairness was contestable, but it was the law.


    Up until Ricky''s arrival in the Casting City, he had not understood Elder Samuel when he had said that he only had limited privileges. After a few minutes of his walking down the road, he had already encountered over ten demi-immortals. From their casting identity cards, Ricky learned that they were all casting masters of Demi-spirit Level. Among the likes of them, Elder Samuel was considered just an ordinary strong casting master.


    ''The Casting City! What an amazing place! There are so many talent warriors here. And goodness, there are casting masters of Demi-spirit Level everywhere!'' Ricky secretly thought to himself, rather surprised. He had grown more interested in the Casting Guild now.


    Among the crowd full of demi-immortals, they looked rather common even with Elder Samuel, who in the Snow Sect looked much more intimidating as a demi-immortal and a casting master of Demi-spirit Level. Ricky was a totally ordinary warrior compared to them. Bertha, as a beauty, was the only one who attracted some gazes as they went on their way.


    Ricky looked around carefully as Elder Samuel led their way.


    The first impression Ricky had about the Casting City was its immense size. He made a rough comparison and estimated that it was more than ten times the land area of the Snow Sect!


    Finally, they arrived at the gatekeeper''s post, where they were to pay the entrance fee. Ordinary warriors were expected to pay one hundred silver coins in order to enter. This took Ricky by surprise. ''Damn, it''s so expensive!'' Ricky silently cursed, worried about his finances.


    According to the law, a casting master of Demi-spirit Level only needed to pay ten silver coins. Therefore, Elder Samuel could enter at a much lower price. As for Bertha, she only had to pay forty silver coins to be admitted because she owned a casting identity card. Ricky was the only one who had neither a higher position nor a card. One hundred silver coins were paid to grant him the right to enter.


    For the first time, Ricky saw firsthand what a casting identity card could bring about in terms of privileges and benefits.


    Once they had entered the city, Ricky saw nothing but streets crowded with a lively throng and crammed with various things.


    It was a big city with a vast network of streets. Vendors were shouting out loud to sell their goods. Various pieces could be found here, such as the Treasures fr


    n expression of disgust. He could tell that she disliked this man a good deal.


    Andrew Wu was now close to Bertha, with his three guards tailing him.


    His nasty eyes took Bertha in, going up and down as if he was staring at his prey. Possibly, in the next second when he opened his mouth to speak, he would slobber due to his uncontrollable gluttony.


    "Nice to see you, Mr. Wu," Bertha greeted out of politeness, her jaw clenched.


    "I missed you so much, Bertha! I''m quite thrilled to see you here. By the way, I''m free for the whole day today. I can take you to the largest gourmet court in this city. Let''s go! They serve the most perfect wine there. I''m sure you will love it. I promise. Just follow me. I can''t wait to catch up with you," Andrew Wu said in a single breath, seeming as though he had spoken every possible word he could come up with.


    "Thank you for your invitation, Mr. Wu. But I''m afraid I can''t go with you today. I''m supposed to show my junior around. This is one of my responsibilities as his senior. I apologize," Bertha said firmly.


    Immediately, Andrew Wu''s wicked eyes darkened. He turned to Ricky with an evil smile.


    "That''s not a problem. I will send two beautiful girls and they will show him around. And he can buy anything he likes. It''s all on me. What do you say?" Andrew Wu suggested.


    Then he stared at Ricky as a warning, signaling him to behave himself and accept his arrangement as if he was saying, "Be smart, kid. Stay away from us and don''t interrupt us. Otherwise, there will be consequences."


    "Mr. Wu, I''m afraid this cannot be..." Bertha hesitated. She had run out of ideas on how to reject his advances. So she now turned her eyes to Ricky, silently asking him for help.


    Usually, Bertha behaved strongly and independently. However, she could falter when she was faced with malicious men like Andrew. In the society she was in, the help of a trustworthy man could get her out of tricky situations. And now, Ricky was the very man she turned to.

 Chapter 120 The Casting Appraisal Was About To Begin

    Bertha was looking at Ricky, clearly searching for a way to turn Andrew down. Ricky immediately understood and gently held her waist to guide her behind him. Now, he was standing in front of her, staring down at Andrew.


    Andrew''s face darkened at once. He was really upset that Bertha hadn''t objected to Ricky touching her supple waist.


    "It''s getting interesting. Very few people in the Casting Guild would dare to go after the woman Mr. Wu likes. This young man from the Snow Sect is either very brave, or incredibly stupid!" an onlooker couldn''t help but say.


    Ricky''s defiance had already attracted some attention. Several onlookers even began to discuss this development with each other in barely hushed tones.


    *


    Ricky didn''t care about their judging looks at all. He stared at Andrew, who came up only to his waist, and said flatly, "Mr. Wu, it seems that Bertha doesn''t want to go out with you. I think you should just go away. If you refuse to respect her wishes, I''m afraid this may be detrimental to the Casting Guild''s reputation."


    Andrew''s face became livid upon hearing this.


    Because Ricky had invoked the reputation of the Casting Guild, Andrew wasn''t sure how to proceed. He had to take into account the Casting Guild''s reputation and it showed that he cared about it.


    Even if he wanted Bertha so badly, he couldn''t take the risk of being known for marring the Guild''s reputation.


    However, even though Andrew had yet to reply, the guards standing behind him couldn''t stay quiet any longer.


    The two guards in gray robes stepped forward and stood intimidatingly close to Ricky. It was easy to tell that there was murderous intent in their eyes.


    "You damn kid, don''t say that I didn''t warn you. The Casting City isn''t the right place for you twerp to be in!" a guard at the seventh grade of Blood Purification sneered.


    The guard had even rolled up his sleeves and clenched both of his fists.


    "Hahaha! Is it a threat? I have no idea that the people from the Casting Guild would launch threats like that! I was led to believe that the Casting Guild is honorable. It seems that I was wrong!" Ricky retorted. He deliberately spoke aloud, so that the people surrounding them would be able to hear what he had said and bear witness to it.


    "Bastard! Watch your mouth!" the guard shouted. The guards had already noticed that the onlookers were whispering to one another again, so they raised their fists and ran towards Ricky.


    nformation about Andrew from Bertha.


    She told him that Andrew was recognized as a genius in casting. He was only nearly twenty, but had already become a casting master at the intermediate stage of Mortal Level.


    ''Oh? It seems that I was wrong about his age because of his height. A casting master at the intermediate stage of Mortal Level that isn''t even twenty years old! It means that he is indeed quite gifted, '' Ricky thought.


    Bertha also told him about Andrew''s family background. The main reason Andrew was so conceited and arrogant was because his father was one of the five elders in the Casting Guild, and his father was a casting master at Spirit Level.


    Aside from this, his mother was an innate spiritual king as well.


    ''He is really privileged that his father is an outstanding casting master and his mother is an innate spiritual king...'' Ricky thought, pacing his room. He began to get a little worried.


    However, Ricky knew that it was no use worrying. It was a waste of his time.


    So Ricky tried to stop thinking about him and the Casting Appraisal and focused all his energy on cultivating his Devouring Skill further.


    In fact, he still didn''t know much about the Devouring Skill.


    The Casting Appraisal was going to be held in only a few days'' time. He really wanted to further comprehend his Pounding Skill based on the Devouring Skill.


    *


    Four days passed and the day of the Casting Appraisal finally dawned.


    Everyone in the Casting Guild was very excited about this great event, which was the highlight of the year. The appraisal of casting masters at inferior Mortal Level was about to begin.

 Chapter 121 Scrap Metal Materials

    The day had come for casting talents from all over the world to try their hand at joining the Casting Guild. Early in the morning, the square was already flooded with massive throngs, moving around the area in anticipation. This day was a big day for all of them. Everyone was hoping that they would achieve an impressive outcome in the Casting Appraisal.


    In the center of the square stood some newly built casting tables. They were the pieces of outstanding work made by the innate spirits, whose powers and capabilities exceeded far beyond ordinary people''s imagination. They were strong enough to destroy the world, and also strong enough to build everything from scratch. Building those stages to them was nothing, and they just finished them in the blink of an eye. Time was meaningless for them.


    Today was set for the assessment of those who wanted to be recognized as a qualified casting master of inferior Mortal Level. According to the rule, as long as they completed the task set before them, they would be granted with the identity card of a casting master of inferior Mortal Level.


    ''Andrew seems to be a powerful man in the Casting Guild. I''m sure he will find fault with me. What tricks will he play on me? Oh, what a pain in the ass he is!'' Ricky thought to himself as he approached the square with Elder Samuel. Andrew clearly had a fragile ego. What had happened a few days ago must have been a blow to his esteem. Ricky was now quite certain that this casting test was not going to go smoothly.


    While Ricky was still lost in thought, the young man in white who had been part of Andrew''s entourage walked towards him.


    "Hey, you. How dare you show up here!?" the young man said, his dark eyes hostile. Obviously, Andrew''s men were already well prepared to cause Ricky every bit of trouble they could, as apparent from the young man''s expression.


    "Why not? I have the abilities, and I''m qualified to participate in this appraisal. I''m sure the Casting Guild will not disqualify me for no reason," Ricky sneered back.


    "Humph! Let''s wait and see. Who laughs the last laughs loudest. I just hope for your sake that you will still get a chance to at least laugh a little bit!" Andrew''s man said, before turning his back and stomping away. He had specifically approach Ricky just to give him a warning about the consequences of pissing Andrew off.


    He had accomplished his task, and was not willing to waste his time and breath in trading jabs back and forth with Ricky. All he needed to do next was wait for the time when Ricky failed to complete the task during the appraisal.


    "What''s the matter, Ricky? Who is that man? Do you have any conflict with him?" Elder Samuel demanded.


    "Elder Samuel, we met a few days ago. But don''t worry. It was nothing serious," Ricky replied respectfully as he lowered his head.


    "Good. Leave those people alone. Your priority is to pass the appraisal," Elder Samuel advised.


    "Yes, I will. Thank you for your concern, Elder Samuel," replied Ricky.


    After a


    ll of course earn their membership. With this card, you are entitled to all the rights at an equivalent level of the Casting Guild!


    For those who fail this time, you are still welcome to participate in the appraisal the next time it comes around!" Elder Alexander said as the materials were being distributed.


    Finally, everyone had their materials. Now Ricky saw what kind of trick Andrew had played on him.


    He took a glance at the other candidates nearby and found that although their materials were not of particularly high quality, they were at least ordinarily-used casting materials. But his materials were nothing but some scrap metals, covered in rust and obviously brittle.


    It would be difficult even for a casting master of Spirit Level to cast a weapon with such terrible metals!


    ''Pufft! Good job! What a wretched, pathetic man that Andrew is!'' Ricky shook his head and sighed to himself, feeling rather helpless.


    Some other candidates nearby also noticed Ricky''s situation. They exchanged discreet looks with each other, some curious, some suppressing their laughter. But all of them strove to stay silent. They easily deduced that Ricky must have displeased some powerful figure from the Casting Guild.


    They would not dare speak up for him at the risk of becoming the target of whoever it was that Ricky had gotten on the bad side of. Otherwise, their appraisals were going to end up in failure. What was more, they might even cause trouble or bring disaster to their clans or organizations. No one wanted to risk bringing this miserable consequence on themselves.


    The young man in white, on the other hand, glanced at Ricky coldly, slight fear reflected in his eyes.


    ''It seems that this bastard is afraid that Elder Alexander will discover that something fishy is up with my materials, '' thought Ricky when he noticed the man''s nervousness. ''Well, that''s a good opportunity! It''s time for me to repay your dastardly deed with something impressive!'' Ricky thought again determinedly.

 Chapter 122 Rickys Elaborate Plan

    Ricky smiled viciously as he looked at the young man in white.


    Now that the young man was so afraid of Elder Alexander finding out about what he did, Ricky just needed to call Elder Alexander here and see what would happen next. But calling the said Elder was also a problem in itself.


    "Now, the appraisal begins!" Elder Alexander announced after making sure that all the casting materials were delivered to the disciples present.


    After this, all the disciples participating in the appraisal concentrated on the preparation for casting. The sound of flames rising rang instantly in the air.


    Ricky also started his casting preparation. He first put some of the scrap metals into the smelter tripod to make them melt.


    ''What a fool he is!'' the young man in white, who always paid attention to Ricky in fear of him telling Elder Alexander about everything, thought. He was terrified because if the Elder found out about what he did, he would be expelled from the Casting Guild. Andrew may not be punished, but he would definitely become the scapegoat.


    So far, though, Ricky hadn''t said anything and just focused on casting.


    Who else would react like this, except for a fool?


    But there was one thing that the young man did not notice. Instead of putting all of the scrap metals into the smelter tripod, Ricky put only half.


    ''It seems that I don''t need to worry too much. There''s no need to do this much shadowing to deal with this fool, '' the young man in white thought to himself. Then he started his casting preparation and didn''t look at Ricky again, not even a glance.


    After all, he also needed to focus on his appraisal in order to have a good performance.


    ...


    Not much molten iron could be obtained by melting these scrap metals. This was true for other casting masters, but for Ricky, it was not difficult to make some more molten iron from these scrap metals.


    He stimulated the Devouring Skill and transferred the Devouring Fire from the Devourer Zone to his right hand. Soon, scorching hot scarlet flames spread all over it.


    Ricky had found out that with the improvement of his level, the Devouring Fire in the Devourer Zone also became more powerful. Of course, there was a requirement: enough energy was needed to be devoured by the Devouring Fire. This was also the reason why Ricky often went hunting beasts.


    Now, as Ricky''s Devouring Fire melted those sc


    t at any moment.


    As for the disciple who handed out the casting materials to Ricky, he stood rooted to spot with his eyes filled with insurmountable fear.


    Now, with the attention of the casting masters at Demi-spirit Level, other people got to know what had just happened. They couldn''t believe their eyes and they couldn''t help exclaiming in surprise.


    How could this awful thing happen in the competition of the Casting Guild? And how was it possible for Ricky to successfully cast a knife using only those scrap metals?


    And it wasn''t just a simple knife, either; it was the very knife that was strongly complimented by Elder Alexander himself.


    They couldn''t deny it. All of this only meant one thing: Ricky was a genuine casting genius.


    ''I finally understand what Ricky''s elaborate plan is. It really works. Now everybody knows he is a casting genius!'' Elder Samuel looked at Ricky and then at the people gathering around him. He was reminded of how he was told not to interfere regardless of what happened, and he was glad he kept his cool and just waited. It all made sense now.


    This was Ricky''s grand plan; to cast a knife with excellent quality out of scrap metals, attract Elder Alexander''s attention, and take everyone--including him--by storm.


    Ricky''s casting talent was fully exhibited in this knife.


    And to add icing on the cake, Elder Alexander also found out through this way that someone made trouble for Ricky, and he would surely deal with the relevant people. This elaborate plan of his killed two birds in one stone, and he clearly achieved what he wanted.

 Chapter 123 Reaping What They Had Sowed

    "Hmm.. Great! Impressive! "Excellent!"


    A few moments later, Elder Alexander''s aged eyes were filled with glee as he gazed upon the knife made by Ricky. He could not help but express his admiration for it as he was beginning to fall under the impression that Ricky was a genius in the making due to his unique creation.


    Elder Alexander recognized Ricky''s casting abilities and knew that they were far more impressive than those who practice casting with the same age as Ricky. He could easily tell as he was a Spirit Level casting master himself, even surpassing the likes of Elder Samuel.


    ''Who would have thought that Ricky possessed such an aptitude for casting that he was able to impress Elder Alexander!'' the other warriors contemplated. Suddenly, they began to feel more envious of Ricky for his accomplishment.


    They started to wonder where Ricky came from and how exactly he was able to capture the attention of Elder Alexander.


    Even the other schools were astonished by what they were witnessing as they had begun to feel regret for missing the opportunity to take Ricky under their supervision.


    The disciple clothed in white, along with the one who tampered with Ricky''s casting materials, could not believe what just happened. They were so sure of their plot''s success but they did not expect it to fail so badly.


    "Ricky, right? My friend, I am very sorry for what you had to go through. The Casting Guild made a mistake. However, I assure you that I will see your case through and help you get what you rightfully deserve. This is my word," Elder Alexander said unexpectedly.


    Everyone in the square was surprised by the casting master''s sudden remark. Even Elder Samuel was caught off guard.


    It was a known fact that Elder Alexander was no common master among his fellow elders. Furthermore, he was a Spirit Level casting master and an innate spiritual king himself. He was also one of the most well-known and respected Elders in the Casting Guild. Even the head of the Guild held a great deal of regard for Elder Alexander.


    Now, Elder Alexander recognized Ricky''s potential as a casting master and vowed to assist him. This action was shockingly new to every person around them.


    ''Could Ricky''s casting skill rival that of the other seniors and prodigies?'' Many of the warriors and masters thought as they witnessed Elder Alexander''s unexpected gesture.


    However, they could not prove their assumption right away.


    They could only examine the knife that Ricky made and determine whether or not their speculations were true.


    As for Ricky, even he was surprised by the Elder''s fondness of him and his precious knife. Even though he knew that his knife would leave a good impression, he did not expect Elder Alexander to address him as an equal and even vowing to help his case.


    For the first time in his life as a casting master did he only feel respected, much so admired by a master as respected as Elder Alexander.


    ''Am I really as goo


    louder. He knew what would become of him soon.


    "Oh.. Oh my... He''s emasculating his casting abilities in the spiritual meridian. His casting days are over." Many warriors exclaimed as they witnessed this haunting sight.


    The disciples of the Casting Guild had never felt more unnerved in their entire lives. They knew what this meant for a casting master. They were right to fear what was happening before their very eyes.


    The other disciples thought to themselves and swore to never violate or disobey the rules and regulations of the Casting Guild. They knew that if they were to go against Elder Alexander''s command, they would receive a punishment far worse than any other.


    Being stripped away of one''s casting talent from the spiritual meridian was a fate no casting master should ever want to experience.


    ''It seems to me that Elder Alexander sets this punishment as a warning for the other disciples. A warning that no one should dare to act against the law of the Casting Guild, '' Ricky thought to himself, showing no signs of compassion towards the accused.


    After a few moments, Elder Alexander had finished depriving the disciple of his casting talent. He asked someone to escort the powerless disciple out as he walked back towards his seat.


    The disciple was too weak to stand on his own. However, he looked back at Ricky before he went out of sight. His eyes filled with grief and anger towards Ricky. Rage and vengeance had consumed his body. And, with his last few moments in the guild, he vowed to himself that he would make Ricky pay for what had happened to him.


    Ricky did not seem to care because he knew that the disciple was only one in a long list of people who wanted him dead.


    It didn''t matter that much to add one more. With everything that transpired, it was clear that Allen and his accomplice reaped what they had sowed.


    And, if not for the help of Elder Alexander, Ricky would not have been able to pass the test of the Casting Guild.

 Chapter 124 Elder Alexanders Invitation

    "Now this is the end of the appraisal! The disciples of the Casting Guild will distribute the identity cards later to those of you who have passed the test." It was a frenzy all around, so Elder Alexander had to deal with this. He took a good look around the chaos. He needed to get their attention and so he made a loud noise that startled everyone and successfully got everyone''s attention for his announcement.


    "Attention, disciples of the Casting Guild! This is your first and last warning. This is not the kind of behavior I expect to see from you from this day forward," he said in a warning voice to the disciples of the Casting Guild.


    "Yes, Elder Alexander!" they answer in chorus. What Allen just did was more than vile. It would not only bring injustice to the appraisals, but would also harm the reputation of the Casting Guild. And as the first elder of the Guild, Elder Alexander was doomed to urge every member of the Guild to behave well.


    Those disciples from the Casting Guild took a look at Ricky, trying to keep his face in mind. They knew that it would be better for them to remember this face because there was no way they could afford to against him. Elder Alexander called him "friend." This was obvious enough to indicate that Ricky not only was gifted to cast weapons, but also had earned Elder Alexander''s favor.


    As soon as the appraisal came to an end, all the candidates, along with their masters, went back to their rooms. They might have different moods as some failed, while some succeeded. Despite their different feelings, all of them remembered Ricky, a talented casting master!


    "Thank you, Elder Alexander. I would not have been able to make it without your help," Ricky made a bow to Elder Alexander and thanked him with a sincere tone. Then he walked to Elder Samuel before he bade goodbye and intended to go back to take a good rest. However, Elder Alexander stopped him by inviting him to his place. "Ricky, will you stop by at my place?"


    The gesture surprised Ricky very much.


    He was more than glad to receive the invitation of Elder Alexander. How could he refuse him after all? He wanted Elder Alexander to favor him, and taking any opportunity to be able to establish a good relationship with him would be of great help in the future. Especially now that he had just made Andrew his enemy in the last few days. What was more, Andrew had a father who was a casting master of Spirit Level, and a mother who was an innate spirit. If Ricky wanted to keep himself and Bertha safe from Andrew, he''d better have good and powerful connections, such as with someone as esteemed as Elder Alexander.


    "Of course, Elder Alexander. It''s my honor," replied Ricky. Then he walked to Elder Samuel and told him everything before he followed Elder Alexander to his place.


    Elder Samuel was glad to hear it, of course. One of his main reasons as to why he brought Ricky here to take the appraisal was to make him catch the attention of the elders of the Casting Guild. And seeing Elder Alexander like him was more than pleasant for him. He knew he made the right decision.


    On the way to Elder Alexander''s place, people looked at


    r Alexander, hmmm. It sounds too formal," Elder Alexander also replied with a smile.


    "Okay, Elder Alex, if you insist." Ricky did not refuse his suggestion. In fact it made him happy that they were starting to be more comfortable towards each other.


    Then, Elder Alexander took him to his room.


    "Ricky, may I know who is your master? You are a genius in casting. If I''m guessing correctly, your master must be a casting master of Demi-sage Level, or even a casting master of Sage Level!" Elder Alexander inquired with expectant eyes. In his mind, Ricky had such an achievement and it must because he was guided by some real impressive casting master.


    Ricky realized why Elder Alexander was interested in him and took him here at his place all of a sudden. It turned out that Elder Alexander thought him to have a powerful master and wanted to know who he was.


    But, it was understandable if he thought so. If he told him that he had achieved this all by self-cultivation, probably no one would believe it.


    ''Oh, I got it. He thought I have a powerful master, though this is not the case. But it''s an excellent excuse, isn''t it?'' thought Ricky to himself.


    "Well, Elder Alex... I rarely see my master. He is always traveling outside. For the last several years, I''ve only seen him twice. So I''m not quite clear about his casting level," Ricky answered with a seemingly embarrassed look.


    "Oh, I understand, it does makes sense. He has such a powerful casting master, and that must mean that he is a hermit!" Elder Alexander did not notice anything wrong and nodded in agreement.


    They finally stopped talking about Ricky''s fictitious casting master.


    "Here, I noticed that you can do more than a casting master of inferior Mortal Level!" Elder Alexander said. "There will be an appraisal to identify the casting master of intermediate Mortal Level. How would you like it?" invited him.


    Hearing his words, Ricky was stunned and sighed secretly, ''He is indeed a powerful casting master of Spirit Level and an innate spirit! He has seen through me in this respect and knows that I can do better!''

 Chapter 125 The Challenging Casting Appraisal

    Perhaps Elder Alexander was right, and Ricky''s set of casting skills surpassed that of a casting master of inferior Mortal Level. It was the remarkable Chaos Manual and his powerful reclaimed spiritual meridian that allowed him to make outstanding progress.


    Ricky had the ability to gradually improve his casting skill, merely because he continued cultivating and comprehending the Chaos Manual.


    That was also the reason why Ricky believed that his regained spiritual meridian formed part of a kind of inheritance.


    However, even with his incredible casting skill, Ricky hadn''t tried forging any weapon of intermediate Mortal Level.


    That was the reason why Ricky said honestly, "Elder Alex, I admit that you''re right. My casting skill level has already exceeded the inferior Mortal Level. However, I haven''t had a chance to cast a weapon at the intermediate stage of Mortal Level."


    "Well, I think before coming here, you should have considered and prepared yourself for attending the intermediate Mortal Level Casting Appraisal, as the appraisal is not that easy this time around," Elder Alexander explained.


    "Elder Alex, could you please make it more clear to me?" Ricky asked curiously.


    "You are acquainted with Andrew, right? Isn''t he the mastermind who arranged the plot to play tricks on you this time? I also owe you an apology. Even though I''m the first Elder of the Casting Guild, I''m not capable of suppressing his parents whatsoever. Besides, my strength can almost be aligned with theirs."


    "Elder Alex, I understand!" Ricky nodded.


    "Although Andrew looks... well, you know; his casting skills are extraordinary and better than that of any other warrior in the Casting Guild. As for my disciple, Kayla, her skill is far less powerful than his!" Elder Alexander added, "Recently, the Casting Guild''s chief received a Magic Spirit Stone! Our chief has decided to award this Magic Spirit Stone to the number one disciple with superb casting skills, accompanied with the purpose to encourage the disciples of the Casting Guild.


    So, the intermediate Mortal Level Casting Appraisal is actually a competition. The one who shows the most extraordinary casting skill during the appraisal can win the Magic Spirit Stone."


    "Oh, I see. By the way, what''s the function of the Magic Spirit Stone?" Ricky asked.


    "The Magic Spirit Stone is a kind of Treasure from Heaven and Earth. It can enhance the stage of a Blood Purification warrior''s spiritual meridian. At the same time, it can also improve the warrior''s comprehension and the talent for casting," Elder Alexander remarked.


    "It''s so mag


    d that Ricky''s casting skill was unparalleled. She also understood why her master would be impressed with Ricky.


    For some apparent reason, her attitude towards Ricky started to change.


    After all, Ricky was an incredibly gifted and intelligent man, which was exactly what drew Kayla. She was attracted by his ability and high level of intellect.


    ''Will Master Alex make Ricky his disciple?'' Kayla thought about it for a second, feeling a sharp pang of jealousy in her gut.


    Ricky spent a total of three days learning and comprehending the new casting skill.


    The past few days presented the news about the competition to strive for the Magic Spirit Stone, which had spread throughout the entire Casting Guild. The regular Casting Appraisal additionally turned out to be an intense competition.


    The participating disciples in the Casting Appraisal had confidence that shone greatly, which made the Casting Guild present an extremely positive and passionate atmosphere.


    Ricky and Kayla arrived at the destination where the Casting Appraisal was going to take place.


    They immediately excited all of the participants and drew all of the attention away from the other competitors.


    Everybody had their eyes fixed on them because they were surprised to see Ricky and Kayla together.


    "Who''s that guy? Why is he accompanying Kayla?" To their surprise, however, gossip of Ricky and Kayla was drowning among the competition''s intense atmosphere.


    "Don''t you know who he is? It''s Ricky. You know, the man who attended the inferior Mortal Level Casting Appraisal. I''ve heard that he is in the good graces of Elder Alexander, who thinks very highly of him!"


    "What? That''s Ricky?!"


    "Kayla, could you introduce this junior to me?"

 Chapter 126 Four Disciples

    After hearing this, Ricky and Kayla spun around.


    They saw a handsome young man coming towards them, gripping a steel fan with his hand.


    "Theo!" Kayla said happily at the sight of him. Ricky saw love emanating from her eyes as her entire face lit up.


    "It seems that he is the one she loves deeply," Ricky murmured to himself.


    "Look, it is Theo!" The young man''s appearance also attracted the attention of many disciples, more of whom were women.


    "Really, I do think that Kayla and Theo appear to be the perfect couple created by nature!" all sorts of comments came out from the crowd disciples.


    Hearing them, Kayla''s beautiful face became quickly flushed with embarrassment. On the contrary, Theo seemed to be accustomed to such comments, and he noncholantly continued to approach her.


    His apparent lack of enthusiasm made Kayla feel a little disappointed.


    Ricky was also looking at Theo up and down. Based on his appearance, Ricky got the impression that Theo was an upstanding man. But for his real character, Ricky would have to wait and find out.


    Through the murmurs from the crowd of disciples. Ricky also understood that Theo was the elder disciple of the young generation of the Casting Guild.


    Theo nodded to Kayla at first. Then he looked at Ricky and smiled. "You must be Ricky!" he exclaimed warmly.


    "And you must be Theo!" Ricky replied, returning the smile.


    "Theo, don''t interact with him. He''s a hypocritical man!" Kayla said, after seeing Theo approach Ricky in a friendly manner.


    "If he really is what you say, I don''t think you would walk with him!" Theo responded with a smile.


    "Humph, I''m just following the Master''s orders!" Kayla said with a scoff.


    "Kayla!" another voice sounded. And by now, Ricky knew the voice very well. It was Andrew. Still filthy and ugly, he moved towards Kayla in a suggestive manner.


    Kayla still disgusted with him, ignored him completely.


    Andrew also saw Ricky, and diverted his attention to him at once. He was not stupid. He kn


    least, not until now.


    He looked quite average. But he had an extraordinary temperament, one which was better than Theo''s.


    "It''s Ivan!" Immediately, many disciples recognized him!


    "Ivan!" Andrew calmed down at the sight of him.


    "Ivan!" Theo smiled.


    "So this is Ivan?" Ricky looked at the young man and thought to himself. When Elder Alexander had previously imparted his experience, he had introduced four disciples of the Casting Guild to him!


    Theo was the elder disciple; Ivan was the second; the third one was Andrew, and then it was Kayla.


    Among them, Ivan and Andrew had the best casting talents.


    "Theo, I will defeat you again this time!" Ivan looked at Theo and said proudly. He didn''t even look at Ricky.


    At this, Theo just laughed bitterly, choosing not to respond.


    "Remember, there is no possible way that you can leave the Casting City alive!" Andrew said to Ricky coldly. He had now completely calmed down, but was still unwilling to let Ricky go without causing him some anxiety.


    "Well, you should prepare to face me, then!" Ricky sneered.


    Now, several silhouettes had begun to appear on the high dais. They were Elder Alexander and some of the Casting Guild''s masters at Demi-spirit Level.


    Their appearance indicated the beginning of that round of Casting Appraisal. Whatever would happen next!?

 Chapter 127 The Appraisal

    "The appraisal for the intermediate Mortal Level casting masters begins now!" Elder Alexander said, coming to the front of the dais.


    "Let me show you the real power of casting, you bastard!" Andrew growled ferociously, positioning himself directly beside Ricky.


    Ricky didn''t care about him at all. Instead, he looked at Bertha and walked towards her, standing in front of her casting table.


    "Ricky, when you are casting, just do your best. Don''t push your spiritual meridian to the point of no return!" Bertha said, reminding Ricky to be careful. Actually, she really didn''t want Ricky to participate in this appraisal.


    She was well aware of Ricky''s talent. But it was practically impossible for him to become a casting master of the intermediate Mortal Level after only training for a few days with Elder Alexander. If primary casting masters wanted to cast an advanced weapon, they might exert too much of their spiritual power, which could irreversibly damage their spiritual meridian.


    Ricky hadn''t formed a strong spiritual meridian yet. If it got damaged, it would certainly affect Ricky''s future in the world of Martial Arts.


    "Don''t worry, Bertha. I know what I''m doing. I just want to test myself in this assessment. It doesn''t matter whether I succeed or not," Ricky said earnestly.


    But he wanted to slap himself after saying this. The very reason he had wanted to join the appraisal was to get the Magic Spirit Stone!


    "Long time no see, Bertha!" Andrew suddenly came over and stopped beside Ricky, looking all over Bertha with a perverted smile.


    "Mr. Wu. Now you''ve caught up with me!" Ricky said with a sneer.


    "Kid, I told you, I''ll show you the real casting power!" Andrew hissed.


    "I look forward to it. I do hope your casting skills are not as stunted as your height," Ricky retorted.


    "I''ll make you pay for what you just said..."


    ¡­¡­


    "This is different from any previous appraisals, which I believe most, if not all of you already know. This time, we will carry out three rounds of assessments. After three rounds, the disciple who has the most sophisticated casting skills will receive the Magic Spirit Stone," Elder Alexander said, interrupting their squabble.


    "Once again, I hope you c


    ing his materials. He looked at Ricky as soon as he opened his eyes, looking forward to seeing Ricky''s pathetic, awkward face while he struggled with melting!


    But instead, it was Andrew who was surprised.


    "How can it be? How is that possible? How he can melt faster than I can!?" Andrew rubbed his eyes hard, disbelief and hate coursing through his heart.


    It was a big blow to him. Casting was one of the only things he was really confident about.


    However, he was the third disciple of the Casting Guild. He was supposed to handle this pressure! He pulled himself together immediately and began to beat the material.


    ''Even if Ricky can melt materials so quickly, it''s impossible for him to cast a weapon of the intermediate Mortal Level. I should cast my weapon as fast as I can and spend the rest of my time watching him flounder and fail, '' Andrew told himself.


    "Clank! Clank!"


    A moment later, the air was completely filled with the sound of weapons being beat.


    Ricky was now using his Devouring Skill and regained spiritual meridian to do this. As he was exerting himself on pounding his weapon, Ricky repeated to himself the methods that Elder Alexander had taught him, combining them with his Devouring Skill.


    This time, he had to cast it succesfully! He couldn''t fail!


    Ricky''s brow furrowed with determination. When he was casting with Elder Alexander earlier, he had time after time ended in failure. He had set his heart on not having the same result today.

 Chapter 128 The Intermediate Mortal Level

    But the truth was, Ricky chose not to reveal the fact that he had purposely caused his own failures. He believed that Elder Alexander would not teach him more casting techniques and methods if he had done the tasks perfectly.


    Ricky activated the Devouring Skill to its fullest. Using the Devouring Fire as a medium, he began eliminating the impurities in the casting material.


    Before beginning the intricate pounding process, Ricky first mentally practiced the Pounding Skill to perfection.


    Ricky was not too meticulous during the pounding process. After all, the true pre-requisite to succesful casting was not meticulousness but the intricacy of mastering the Pounding Skill and a high degree of the casting master''s assimilation into the ideal realm.


    This assimilation was the perfect gauge of a casting master''s grasp on the Pounding Skill and his attitude during the casting process.


    Ricky would have to do his utmost best in both of these aspects in order to breakthrough and become a real casting master in the intermediate Mortal Level.


    ''That is no doubt an inheritance from a casting master in the Sage Level! His Pounding Skill is extremely intricate! Even I could only comprehend a little bit out of that!'' Elder Alexander thought, marveling at Ricky''s Pounding Skill. His sharp eyes zoomed in, focusing on his movements.


    ''If I could be enlightened by Ricky''s Pounding Skill, I might gain an opportunity to breakthrough, ''


    Elder Alexander thought, paying even closer attention to Ricky''s progress.


    As time flew by, the more Elder Alexander focused on Ricky, the more shocked he felt. He realized that Ricky was completely engrossed in his work, to the point of being able to concentrate hundred percent on his pounding. Even casting masters in the Spirit Level like him could not manage to do such a thing!


    He also noticed that Ricky had applied all the pounding experiences he had learned in the three days of training, including some of the more minute details. To his growing surprise, Ricky had perfectly applied whatever he had taught him with nearly complete comprehension. He had seen nothing like it!


    If Ricky continued like this, he would probably succeed in casting weapons in the intermediate Mortal Level.


    "How... How can it be!?" Elder Alexander gasped in astonishment as he tried to process the idea of Ricky''s miraculously fast improvement.


    In those three days, Elder Alexander had understood perfectly where Ricky was in terms of skill. And from what he could see then, Ricky certainly still had a long way to go before becoming a c


    athetic disciples were! A weapon that wasn''t even in the Mortal Level? Nonsense!


    In no time, with completion of Kayla, Theo and many other talented disciples in the Casting Guild, the competition had come to an end. Elder Alexander and other masters from the Casting Guild had already started to inspect of the weapons that the disciples had cast.


    Even though Bertha was already considered a talented casting master in the Snow Sect, here she was ranked much lower. The time she took to complete her casting process could only be considered as intermediate!


    Similar to the others, Bertha finally looked over at Ricky.


    Her mouth fell open in shock.


    Although she was proud of her friend, deep inside her heart Bertha also did not believe that Ricky''s saber could be a weapon at intermediate Mortal Level.


    Soon, a casting master in the Demi-spirit Level from the Casting Guild approached Ricky.


    Now everyone had turned their eyes to see what the verdict was with this shocking outcome.


    ''This rascal definitely couldn''t have possibly cast a weapon of intermediate Mortal Level!'' Kayla thought, shaking her head. But Kayla was in deniable of an inexplicable yearning for Ricky to succeed, a desire that she pushed down deep inside her heart.


    "This time, Ricky is going to be a complete laughingstock. Imagine! He just finished his test of the inferior Mortal Level! And he still has the guts to go for the intermediate level! What an overestimation of his own capability! Arrogant fool!" many disciples said, sneering at him again.


    However, a strong voice interrupted their jeers. "Ricky, saber, intermediate Mortal Level," the voice said, causing a stunned silence to immediately fall over the square.

 Chapter 129 Fighting Against Andrew

    The tension in the air was so thick that one could cut through it with a knife.


    "The intermediate Mortal Level"¡ªthese words were like a magic spell, causing the disciples'' ears to tingle and the hairs on their forearms to stand up. Only a moment ago, they had sneered at Ricky.


    They came to venerate Andrew as a symbolic figure, someone who shared their jealousy of Ricky and utterly denied his competence. However, rocks emerged when water subsided. The saber that Ricky had cast served to counter their disdain, once and for all.


    "How is it possible? How could he cast a weapon at the intermediate Mortal Level?" disciples murmured, looking at Ricky with suspicious eyes.


    "Could it be that he was previously a casting master at the intermediate stage of the Mortal Level? But if so, why did he join the Casting Appraisal at the inferior stage? And he had to compete with Andrew during this too! And Elder Alexander''s favoring him, perhaps it was only a coincidence!


    Had he really reached the intermediate stage within three days? It''s impossible!"


    ...


    "How could this ever happen? He really made it!" Kayla was certainly the most astonished. In those three days, she had been observing quite closely how Ricky had done.


    Bertha was, of course, surprised as well. But she again had to remind herself not to feel too surprised when it came to Ricky, especially after what he had done in the Snow Sect.


    "What the hell!? Damn it! There can be no one superior to me! How dare he challenge me!" Andrew was outraged. "Die! He must die! Otherwise he will most definitely become an obstacle to my success!"


    ...


    "Great!" The casting master who was examining Ricky''s weapon nodded with satisfaction, rather pleased.


    With a cacophony of heated discussions, the appraisal finally came to an end. About four-fifths of the participants passed, which meant that only about forty people were qualified to proceed to the next round.


    Now, many disciples began to change their attitude towards Ricky! Perhaps it was true that becoming superior to those who were envious of you would turn their ill will into worship and respect!


    "Congratulations! You have passed the Casting Appraisal of the intermediate stage of the Mortal Level. Now you can proceed to the next round, where you will be competing for the Magic Spirit Stone! If you are confident in your casting skills, welcome to the competition!" Elder Alexander said.


    "Of course, if you fail this next round, it won''


    ely.


    Both warriors concentrated hard, stimulating their spiritual energy to the maximum. They both raised the weapon they cast, swinging it at each other with full force. They spared no effort, since they both wanted to smash the other to pieces.


    Of course, they were not allowed to injure the other''s bodies here on the arena. They could only vent their anger through their weapons.


    Clang! The sound of hammer colliding with saber resounded through the air. Sparks flew around their weapons, shooting into to the surroundings like fireworks.


    Because of Andrew''s short stature, many sparks spattered onto his face, impeding his vision.


    But Ricky didn''t need to take advantage of this. He stepped back, waiting for Andrew to recover quickly, and wielded his saber again.


    Because of this, even more disciples changed their mind about Ricky, gaining a deeper respect for him.


    Clang!


    In a flash, the arena was once again filled with sparks from the collission of two well-made weapons.


    Andrew''s weapon was indeed extraordinary. His meteor hammer could be categorized in the secondary place in the weapons of the intermediate Mortal Level. But Ricky''s saber, which had been formed by using Devouring Skill, was also quite impressive.


    Ricky''s saber and Andrew''s meteor hammer were now neck and neck in the battle, the chance to claim victory up in the air. It could go to any of them.


    This made all the disciples even more surprised. They didn''t expect Ricky''s saber to be so powerful, and certainly didn''t ever think that it would hold up to Andrew''s weapon. They leaned forward, anxious not to miss a second of the thrilling battle.

 Chapter 130 Triumphing Over Andrew

    At that very moment, the disciples who laughed at Ricky started shutting their mouths.


    Ricky forged a saber, which could collide with the meteor hammer, which was cast by Andrew. It displayed that Ricky''s saber was rather extraordinary, and measured up to Andrew''s weapon.


    In the current situation, if they continued to tease Ricky and think that he was over-confident, it would mean that they''d just end up mocking themselves, as well as their obsession with faith in the casting skill.


    The disciples had no valid reason to laugh at Ricky. Instead, he began winning the admiration of others.


    Kayla, Bertha, and Theo were all shocked by the scene playing out in front of them.


    Before, Kayla didn''t admire or respect Ricky whatsoever. However, she wanted Ricky to win.


    ''This guy is incredibly gifted and powerful! It''s incredible to think that he has even surpassed Andrew within a few days, '' Kayla thought. Perhaps she finally fully understood why Elder Alexander thought so highly of Ricky.


    ...


    "It''s impossible! I cannot believe what I''m seeing before my eyes! How on earth can your saber match up to my meteor hammer?" Upon seeing Ricky''s saber remain intact after ten powerful collisions, Andrew roared manically.


    He intended to seize the final round in the ring. He wanted to humiliate Ricky and prove that he was far more powerful and excellent than Ricky could ever be.


    If Ricky managed to defeat him, it would mean that he''d end up being a loser.


    He didn''t dare to imagine the possibility of being defeated by Ricky.


    "Andrew, you seem to have gone back on the words you''ve said before the competition. It seems that you are unable to prove yourself or humiliate me," Ricky said with a mischievous grin on his face. He, of course, would seize the chance to sneer at Andrew at the very sight of his disappointed expression.


    "Well, perhaps your casting skill is just exaggerated, and not that remarkable after all. It could be that you might only have been promoted to be one of the top three disciples of the Casting Guild, as a result of taking advantage of your parent''s high status.


    Or, did you merely fail to perform well today and forge your incredible weapon?


    Or..."


    "That''s enough now, Ricky! Shut up!" Andrew interrupted before Ricky had the chance to finish his words.


    "Ricky, you should refrain from making such offensive remarks. It infuriates me! The only thing I''m afraid of now, is that your saber will be crumbled by mine in a flash! It looks so vulnerable!"


    Andrew gathered all his


    "I never expected Ricky to be the final winner!"


    "Is he the real casting genius after all?"


    "We even jeered at him earlier. How could we be so ridiculous!"


    Everyone kept on talking and commenting on Ricky''s incredible skills.


    ...


    Ricky, of course, ignored the discussions and started walking towards Bertha.


    The moment she saw Ricky getting close to her, Bertha gazed at him with praise and admiration in her eyes.


    At the sight of this, Kayla snorted.


    "Ricky, you''re incredible. You are the most competitive warrior to strive for the Magic Spirit Stone yet!" Theo uttered, with the best compliments.


    "Ha! I just won by a fluke this time!" Ricky responded modestly.


    "Ha-ha! I really hope I can be as lucky as you!" Theo laughed.


    He was very satisfied and delighted at this point. Being a senior in the Casting Guild, he was used to being belittled in front other of disciples, as he wasn''t able to win against Ivan and Andrew in the casting competition every time. This time, however, Ricky managed to defeat Andrew, which made Theo feel less embarrassed but more pleased.


    "You should not beat Andrew!"


    Walking up to Ricky, Ivan shot a cold glance at him. "If you do, you''ll surely have to pay a heavy price for your victory!"


    Although Ivan didn''t utter these words in a tough tone, Ricky and Theo could sense his severely murderous intent.


    After speaking, Theo left quickly.


    ''What a horrible man!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    However, Ricky wasn''t afraid of him, for someday he would be far more frightening than Ivan.


    Right then and there, the fifth group''s combat began. Most of the disciples started turning their attention towards the competition.

 Chapter 131 Competition

    The competition among the fifth group was quite interesting to behold, but there was nothing special about it. The first four groups that came before them made the audience more engaged in the battle. There was no standout talent among them.


    But everyone who thought so immediately took their words back.


    Soon enough, an ominous-looking man showed up - the dark horse of the fifth group.


    This dark horse was a young man donned in clean-cut black clothes. His hair was unkempt and unruly, resembling a disheveled hemp rope. His eyes, deep as the shade of the richest earth, resembled two pristine stones of onyx. His face had a commanding bone structure, a square even brow, and a nose that appeared like the end of a plane - this made him look more menacing than he already was.


    On his hand was a silver spear, the weapon cast by him for the battle.


    Every time his silver spear collided with the weapons cast by the other disciples, it cut the weapons in one blow. It was no surprise that this mysterious young man immediately ranked first in their group.


    And this kind of situation was only seen from Ivan.


    It was just a matter of time before he managed to grab the attention of the spectators. Even Ivan, who seemed nonchalant about this whole ordeal, kept his eyes peeled. There was something about the silver spear that attracted people''s eyes.


    Ivan was genuinely impressed with this man''s casting skill - he was threatened, even.


    So was Ricky.


    ''The casting skill of this young man is even better than Andrew''s!'' Ricky thought, as he observed the agile movements of the man.


    Ricky admitted that it was hard to say whose casting skill between the two of them would emerge stronger. This person was truly impressive.


    If Ricky cultivated some other manuals, this young man would easily win against him. It was a good thing that he cultivated the Chaos Manual, therefore, giving him a better edge among the others. He also had this unyielding spirit that couldn''t be seen in other disciples. It was hard to say which among them would be better.


    Ricky hadn''t pushed himself to the furthest end of his casting skill yet. Even he himself didn''t know how much further he could go in extreme cases.


    "He seems to be Zack that came from the Heaven King Palace of the Heaven Wood Land." Some casting disciples who came from the Heaven Wood Land recognized the young man.


    "Really? He''s the well-known casting genius of the Heaven Wood Land!"


    "Yes, he is Zack, who is better than other y


    p, and all the casting materials were prepared. The five disciples came to their casting tables.


    "Let the casting begin!" Elder Alexander boomed to signify the start of the appraisal.


    Five people broke out their strongest blood vitality the moment Elder Alexander finished his words. Their bodies were filled with runes, activating their manuals to the extreme.


    Under the casting areas, all the onlookers were looking at them anxiously without making any noise. They were careful not to disturb anyone as they cast.


    Kayla waved her hands. The Freezing Cyan Beast Fire rose to climax and started to melt the materials. Meanwhile, Theo''s Bony White Beast Fire also broke out. The Beast Fire of Ivan was Deserted Black Beast Fire, which was the flame of the demi-immortal spiritual beast¡ª the Deserted Black Tiger.


    Zack, on the other hand, turned the burning ocher flame into a giant dragon, directly sweeping over the casting materials and the tripod.


    This kind of Beast Fire was called Burning Ocher Beast Fire, which was the flame of the demi-immortal spiritual beast¡ªBurning Ocher Salamander.


    Ricky was definitely unwilling to lag behind. The combination of devouring runes and Devouring Fire made his speed of melting casting materials second to none.


    Flames were burning fiercely in five casting areas.


    The explosion of runes reached the extreme. All of the five disciples made every second count.


    The activation of manuals made them concentrate on the casting.


    ''Which one of them will be the first to complete the melting process?" All of the disciples present had this thought in their heads as they attentively observed the casting process.

 Chapter 132 Only Three People Finished

    Time was running out rapidly. They only had five hours left. They had to finish making weapons on time while also ensure that the weapons were very destructive and powerful.


    The five participants had to channel their experience and exert maximum concentration on making weapons. They were all very careful, wanting to avoid minute mistakes.


    The most pressing part of their situation was that they couldn''t spend more than half an hour in melting materials. If not, they wouldn''t be able to finish making their weapons in time.


    Ricky had three aces up his sleeves: the Devouring Fire, the devouring rune and the Devouring Skill.


    Because of this, it wasn''t a particularly big problem for Ricky in terms of melting his casting materials.


    Ricky was the first to only spend less than half an hour in finishing melting. Then he used frosty power to solidify the liquid materials to shape them into a saber. He soon began to beat it.


    "Ricky is the first to finish melting! It''s quite unbelievable that he could have finished it in such a short time," many disciples exclaimed loudly, having difficulties in calming down.


    "Ricky has an exquisite talent in casting weapons. To me, there is no doubt that he can defeat Andrew!"


    ''Ricky is really good. If he manages to win the Magic Spirit Stone, he will surely maximize it to his use, '' Elder Alexander thought. Kayla possessing the Magic Spirit Stone once seemed to be the best outcome for Elder Alexander. But now, the last shred of doubt Elder Alexander held about Ricky had been settled and he hoped Ricky would win. He trusted Ricky very much, knowing the young warrior''s nature quite well by now.


    Ivan was the second to finish melting. When the Deserted Black Beast Fire burned out, all his materials had been melted. He began to beat his weapon immediately, tuning out the others'' discussions.


    Zack was the third to finish.


    He had spent less than half an hour, like Ivan.


    Next, Kayla and Theo spent just over half an hour in melting. Although it was just a small difference in time, it was still very crucial.


    If they had managed to do it in half an hour, they could finish making the weapons on time. But if not,


    nished casting.


    It meant Kayla and Theo failed to finish the competition.


    When they finished casting, they felt a little disappointed. Nevertheless, they had done their best. It was how the world worked.


    They knew it was the only way to pass the casting course, so they pulled themselves together soon.


    They soon left the ring, leaving Ricky, Ivan and Zack.


    To Ricky''s surprise, Kayla murmured some words of encouragement to him before she left the ring. She wanted him to win the Magic Spirit Stone.


    Ricky jokingly replied, "Thanks, beautiful! Your words have given me a great boost. I will get the Magic Spirit Stone easily."


    "Humph! Do you really think that you can win just because it took you the least time to cast?" Ivan muttered coldly after hearing Ricky''s confidence.


    Zack, who was beside Ivan, remained quiet. But the look on his face was definitely one of scorn.


    "I didn''t say that. I just think I''m much more proficient in casting than you." Ricky shrugged, a hint of a smile on his face.


    "You are so conceited that you regard yourself as the best casting master in the world just because you defeated Andrew. Let''s begin the competition and see once and for all," Ivan said coldly.


    Elder Alexander and five casting masters at Demi-spirit Level from the Casting Guild walked to the three remaining contenders.


    Elder Alexander then took out a dark stone from his Storage Ring, and the three warriors'' eyes widened.

 Chapter 133 Magic Spirit Stone

    Each and every single warrior that was before the presence of the dark stone tensed at the sight of it. It didn''t look particularly special nor gigantic, yet it stood like a tall mirror that caused an intimidation amongst everyone. Beneath the surface of the stone was a mystery that was yet to be discovered.


    "Take a look at this! Is this the stone for the measurement of weapons? It''s quite a sight to behold, is it not?" a warrior blurted out in excitement. "The Casting Guild is astounding! How did it manage to obtain such a stone?" another warrior exclaimed, disbelief and shock evident on his face and as well as everyone else''s. It was a groundbreaking moment for all the warriors present at the scene.


    The weapon-measuring stone was unlike any other gem in the world -- the purest and rarest out of all stones hidden in the depths of the earth. It took an unbelievable amount of time for the stone to be the way it was, millions of years deep underground with airtight surroundings.


    "It is known that this stone can measure the difference between two weapons with all due precision, and I''m talking about a one-to-ten thousand scale here. Its power is miraculous! I still find it hard to fathom that we''re actually graced by the presence of this precious thing!" one of the warriors exclaimed, with a hint of curiosity in his voice.


    ''What? It can test out a difference to such degree? How is that possible?


    I wonder how it''s able to do that, '' Ricky thought to himself, fixated on the dark stone. A great amount of curiosity suddenly consumed his mind.


    "I assume you three, being the casting geniuses that you are, already have an idea of how this dark stone works. I think it''s the perfect time to put this stone to test." Elder Alexander beamed proudly to Zack, Ivan, and Ricky.


    "Please, allow me to be the first one to try the magical abilities of this gem!" Zack pleaded, taking a step ahead to show his eagerness. His eyes were glassy, and his stance expressed how immensely he wanted to do the test first.


    "Excellent!" The elder praised the young warrior for bearing such great courage and confidence.


    Elder Alexander nodded in approval. In just a matter of seconds, his calm expression turned into a serious face, getting ready for what was about to happen. The old man raised his hand, and turned his palm towards Zack''s head. Steams of invisible white energy coming from the stone quietly flowed into Zack''s body. The next moment shocked the boy. Zack figured he had lost all abilities to manage his own powers when he tried to gather some spiritual energy himself. In order to avoid disruptions during the measurement, Elder Alexander had locked up Zack''s magical abilities.


    It didn''t bother Zack at all, as he was genuinely curious about something else. Taking a deep breath, he began to execute his actions. He stood firmly, then crouched and stuck out the long spear that he had in his right hand. With a heavy sound, the weapon hit the surface of the magical stone.


    Right then and there, the stone began to shake. A sharp, cracking sound was heard, and everyone held their breaths as they eagerly waited for the next moments to unfold. A bright line appeared on the surface of the dark stone, and gradually, more lines began to form.


    "According to hearsay, mortal-level weapons could leave hundreds, even thousands of bright lines on the Weapon-measuring Stone! An average intermediate Mortal Level weapon could leave at least four or five hundred lines!" the warriors gossiped as they witnessed the test done on Zack''s weapon.


    "By showing how many lines on its surface is how the Weapon-measuring Stone works? That''s amazing!" Ricky whispered to himself after hearing the others'' words, still in awe of the mystical powers of the gem.


    At that exact moment, four hundred lines were already visible. The warriors jus


    more unsafe your life became.


    ''I better stay in Elder Alexander''s place for a while until people forget about the thing that has happened today. I worry for my safety. When things clear out, everything shall go back to normal at once, '' Ricky pondered as he slowed his pace.


    To Ricky''s surprise, Ivan came up to his side. He was glad that he wasn''t aggressive with his approach. Ivan sounded intimidating, yet his tone was rather friendly. "Ricky, I hope we can come to some kind of an agreement. I believe that I need the Magic Spirit stone more than anyone else here, so I want to buy it from you. Please, just name a price."


    "Really? I am surprised that you have taken an interest in this stone. But I am sorry to say that I have to refuse, no matter how much it is that you''ll pay me. Know that I need this stone just as much as you do," Ricky forced a smile and rejected Ivan''s negotiation. ''How could I possibly agree to sell this stone to you after all the things I had to go through just so I can have it?'' Ricky thought, mocking Ivan in his head. For him, Ivan was being moronic.


    "You''d better think about it hard. If you really are as wise as they say, you should know that you are not strong enough to own such a powerful stone. That stone will be the death of you!" Ivan let out a smirk, as if challenging Ricky, and trying to get a reaction from him.


    Ivan''s words got to Ricky, and he instantly sank in deep thoughts. He was now getting confused about that things that had occurred. But then again, he knew he had to be the better man and not show weakness in the presence of a fiend. "And how is it any of your business, Ivan?" Ricky said harshly.


    Ivan was obviously infuriated upon hearing Ricky''s words. Still, he managed to speak in a controlled manner. "Fine then, Ricky. We''ll see what happens," Ivan said before leaving.


    "Another one to my long list of enemies, then. May God have mercy on me!" Ricky exclaimed in a whisper. He watched until Ivan was completely gone. He knew deep down that he would never let Ivan have a chance. He would rather kill himself than have Ivan killing him.


    "Ricky, whenever you can, please pay a visit to the Heaven Wood Land. I live in the Heaven King Palace. I am looking forward to meeting you again. We could even practice our casting skills side by side," Zack pleasantly said. Unlike Ivan, he was kind, and even admired Ricky and wasn''t at all boastful.


    "You can count on me, Zack!" Ricky responded with a genuine smile.


    The ultimate test of the Magic Spirit Stone had finally come to an end.

 Chapter 134 The Flame Zone

    Casting skills honed by consistent and arduous trainings pulled Ricky to bring about an overwhelming victory against his famed enemies, Andrew and Ivan. They were by no means of weak stature; far from it, in fact, as they were hailed gifted in the field of magic. It was only unfortunate that they had faced an individual gushing with an unforeseeable amount of potential and talent, thus securing them a crushing defeat before Ricky''s mercy. The great achievement earned Ricky the promised reward of the Magic Spirit Stone and the start of his legend spreading all over the Casting City.


    People of young and old marveled with eyes full of wonder upon hearing the tales of his accomplishments. Clearly driven with awe upon the news of his unrivaled strength, storytellers had begun singing odes of his adventures while taverns overflowed with numerous citizens who spoke of nothing but his venerated being.


    His mysterious Pounding Skill became the main topic of the public''s conversation. Furthermore, his acquisition of the Magic Spirit Stone spurred his reputation to quickly gain the title of a genius casting master.


    The rising popularity magnetized curiosity and loathing to trail after Ricky''s form wherever he went. As long as he continued to walk out of the Casting Guild, he was bound to a fate of gazes observing his every move. It would not be a surprise if he were to attract the attention of big organizations at some point, especially the ones who fostered malicious intents for him. He had an item that was deeply coveted, after all. Some men hired by elite families and groups were sure to come for him.


    Privacy was a necessity that he no longer had; before long, Ricky''s identity had been laid out in the open.


    It became known that he was a disciple from the Snow Sect that possessed an incomplete spiritual meridian. A miracle to most, perhaps, given his formidable prowess that would have been deemed as a talk of mere fiction before.


    Masses believed that Ricky must have gained an outwardly experience. Theories of him being instructed by an innate spirit or him receiving a rare magical treasure became their explanation for his burst of progress within such a short period of time. However, they had no basis to prove their musings, so they had only regressed into harboring an unquenchable thirst for more information regarding the fascinating life of Ricky.


    It was an outcome that garnered varying forces to camp outside the house of the Casting Guild. Countless had grown greedy for additional knowledge on the man, and had opted to use their influence to even bribe some disciples of the guild for reliable data on him.


    Soon, the inside network of the Casting Guild consisted of differing groups doing an undercover study of the celebrated figure. It was no exaggeration to say that Ricky was now living under everyone''s prying eyes.


    ...


    A huddled group consisting of Ricky, Kayla and Elder Alexander, resided in the elder''s room as they engaged in a discussion on Ricky''s current predicament.


    "Ricky, a lot of people are watching you closely outside. As you''ve probably noticed, some of them have strong backgrounds to be proud of, but you''re clearly not afraid of them at all!" Elder Alexander said with a slight smile while he looked at Ricky meaningfully. No one would doubt a notable person if they were to grow afraid of their safety, but Ricky still wore an expression of calmness in response to his dilemma.


    "Yes, Elder Alex. I know what they''re doing, but I also can''t burst into tears because of the fear they''re imposing on me," he replied humbly.


    "Why not? It''s not shameful to cry," Kayla interrupted, her soft tone providing Ricky some sense of comfort. He nodded in acknowledgement and offered a grin of his own to her. She had already stopped from talking to him with malice laced in her voice; a sign that she had grown to lessen her dislike for him as opposed to the past.


    "So, what do you plan to do next? You can''t be as relaxed as before, with those malevolent guys hangin


    ody for his intention on refining the Magic Spirit Stone. He had to start on it as soon as possible, given that it was an item that attracted the teeming envy of all. Prolonging the attainment of its power would be detrimental for him; he had to deplete it of its energy until it became an ordinary, useless stone, or else he would have to deal with the increasing trouble.


    "All of you want the Magic Spirit Stone. Fine, you can all just keep waiting! It will all end up in vain in the end anyway," Ricky reproached as he simultaneously initiated the Devouring Skill.


    To his surprise, his spiritual meridian responded strongly the second he commenced the Devouring Skill. Powerful energy emerged from it and engulfed the Magic Spirit Stone in its embrace until it sucked it completely.


    In a staggering epiphany, he felt that the Magic Spirit Stone had successfully been devoured inside him.


    "God, this is incredible! It seems like my new spiritual meridian likes the stone a lot," he praised in awe. He had plotted to refine the stone to transfer its purified power to his spiritual meridian. As per the usual, he had already envisaged the miserable process he would undoubtedly be put through, but his spiritual meridian had remarkably consumed it by itself. The startling operation had saved him from spending his time and energy in enduring the unbearable pain.


    The phenomenon caused his spiritual meridian to change afresh. A huge area appeared at the second segment of it, mimicking the spaciousness of the Devourer Zone.


    His mind integrated into the chasm and was greeted with a scenery of pure, scalding fire.


    It frolicked around the zone. The strong heat emanating from the element danced cruelly as it projected its scorching attacks to anything standing on its path. Luckily for Ricky, as the owner of the zone, these flames would not affect him. In other words, he was immunized to the flames in his body.


    Crimson runes emerged one by one amongst the sea of blaze and floated in the air.


    "Seems like I''m going to gain another Supreme Skill!" Ricky shouted, rejoicing and thrilled at the sight of the runes. He had gained one of the nine Supreme Skills, which was the Devouring Skill, when the Devourer Zone had manifested before. Ever since then, he had believed that the nine Supreme Skills followed the same pattern of presentation.


    "Hum, this fire space¡­ I''ll just call you the Flame Zone for now!" he hummed, flaunting a broad smile while he wandered around the zone in examination of the welcomed landscape.


    At the same time, he practiced with the aim of reaching the sixth grade of Blood Purification.


    Until two days later, Elder Alexander came back.

 Chapter 135 The Earth Fire Place

    Upon his arrival, Elder Alexander said to Ricky, "I''ve sent them back to the Snow Sect safely and assured them that you''d stay here for a while."


    "Thanks for everything. I really appreciate it," Ricky responded.


    "Ricky, if you want me to send you back to the Snow Sect, I can. I''m sure that those people won''t defy me," Elder Alexander said.


    "Elder Alexander, I thoroughly appreciate your kindness. However, you shouldn''t be involved in this issue," Ricky said. "Well, apart from them, Endless Shadow is plotting to kill me too!" he added after a short pause. Elder Alexander replied with a concerning look on his face, "What! Endless Shadow!" Upon hearing this, Elder Alexander''s expression changed immediately.


    "You''re in a lot of trouble, Ricky. Endless Shadow is fearless. They don''t care for the Casting Guild''s power whatsoever, nor that of the spiritual king. Keeping that in mind, it is also said that their leader is an upper spiritual king, which means that he is not someone to be messed with."


    "Their leader is so powerful!" Ricky responded with a low tone in his voice.


    "Therefore, unless you become as powerful as an innate spiritual king, Endless Shadow may never stop chasing you!" Elder Alexander said seriously.


    "Elder Alex, you''re aware that the realm of the innate spiritual king is fairly far from me at this point! There''s absolutely nothing to be afraid of," Ricky replied with a confident smile.


    "Well, if that be the case, I think you must stay here, or at least in the Snow Sect for a while. It is for your own safety!" Elder Alexander immediately shook his head. Although being as a Spiritual Level casting master and innate spiritual king, he didn''t have the slightest idea how to solve the dilemma.


    "Well, never mind then, Elder Alex. Here, this is a gift for you. I hope it can aid in your casting skills!" At that moment, Ricky proceeded to pass the set of pounding skills and runes he''d already drawn on, to Elder Alexander.


    "What on earth is this? Why are you so mysterious?" Looking at Ricky''s note curiously, Elder Alexander took it cautiously.


    Reading the note, Elder Alexander started to tremble, his hands shaking as he read the paper. He was indeed very familiar with the pictur


    Elder Alexander told Ricky.


    "Besides that, it was also affected by the environment. Warriors were born in the Earth Fire Land and were nearly in the fire nature. Many casting geniuses were thus cultivated here."


    "Elder Alex, I once heard about this from the elders!" Ricky said.


    Elder Alexander continued, "Additionally, a tremendous mysterious plain will appear every thirty years in a yellow sand terrain. Countless Treasures from Heaven and Earth in fire nature, Beast Fire and casting appliances left behind from the ancient times can be found on the plain.


    This plain is named as the Earth Fire Place.


    Next month is the time that Earth Fire Place will show up!"


    "With Earth Fire Place, Beast Fire, the knowledge of runes, and Treasures from the Earth and Heaven, the Earth Fire Land is a rather remarkable great place!" Ricky sighed in a low tone. His desire to go to Earth Fire Place was revealed from his longing eyes.


    "Elder Alex, why don''t you innate spirits also travel to such a vital place?" Ricky asked confusedly.


    "That''s a good point! However, we can''t enter the Earth Fire Place, due to its mighty restriction to warriors beyond Blood Purification. Once there was a superior spiritual king attempted to break into it, and it ended in failure!"


    "Even the power beyond the spiritual king resulted in nothing. It''s unbelievable!" Ricky was amazed at the power of the restriction.


    "However, is there any other restrictions, especially for me?" Ricky traced.

 Chapter 136 Elder Alexanders Generous Rewards

    "Yes, there are limits!" Elder Alex nodded.


    "What are those, Elder?"


    "According to the rules of the Earth Fire Land, only the younger generation of disciples in their Land can enter the Earth Fire Place. Warriors from the other lands are not allowed to enter," explained Elder Alexander.


    "Although you are now a member of the Casting Guild, you are not one of the warriors from the Earth Fire Land, so you cannot set foot on their land. Once you do, all the forces in the Earth Fire Land will be after you!"


    "I see!" Ricky nodded.


    "But, Elder Alex...Is there any other way to help me get into it?"


    "Of course. I can announce to the world that you are my disciple, and with the number of places over which I have influence, you will be able to enter the Earth Fire Place. But I don''t know whether you, my little friend, would like to pretend to be my disciple."


    "Elder Alex, what are you talking about? Of course I would, I- I''d be honored!" Ricky continued, "Also, if I pretend to be your disciple, I believe those arrogant fools won''t dare cross me again!"


    "Well then, since you don''t mind, this is settled. After a month, I''ll send you, Kayla and Theo to the Earth Fire Place," said Elder Alexander.


    Then he left, telling Ricky that he was going to the Treasure Tower of the Casting Guild to pick a Treasure from Heaven and Earth for his new pretend disciple.


    .....


    About half a day later, Elder Alexander returned.


    First, he handed Ricky a set of a cultivation methods.


    "I''ve heard that you have an incomplete spiritual meridian with dual properties. Since you''ve been able to succeed until today, I believe you are also a man of great fortune. I see you''ve excelled at your cultivation method of the fire element, so I selected an ice element cultivation method at the inferior stage of the Black Level for you," Elder Alexander explained.


    Next, he handed Ricky a roll of beast hide.


    Because Ricky kenw that it was the cultivation method of the inferior stage of the Black Level, he opened the beast hide immediately.


    Inside, Ricky was met with the sight of three shining words, "Ice Cage Fingers". It was the name of the cultivation method, and there were nine forms of


    eo. After all, the three of you will journey into the Earth Fire Place together,"


    Elder Alex added, getting up to leave.


    Elder Alexander also took Ricky''s Iron Destroyer with him. He would use this month to recast it for Ricky.


    Ricky was ecstatic about this. With a Spirit Level casting master helping him, his weapon was bound to become an extremely powerful one!


    ......


    After Elder Alexander left, Ricky immediately took out one Fire Lotus Seed and placed it into his Flame Zone.


    First, Ricky set up the fire in the Flame Zone and cleared some space for the Fire Lotus Seed.


    Then, he continued increased the flames to see how the Fire Lotus Seed would react with greater heat.


    All in all, Ricky gathered up a third of the flames in the Flame Zone. To his delight, the Fire Lotus Seed began to react, absorbing the flames he fed it.


    "It takes so much fire to even just make the Fire Lotus Seed absorb! If it grows into a Fire Lotus someday, it really would be a grand treasure," Ricky told himself.


    And so, Ricky confidently put the remaining seeds into the Flame Zone.


    No matter how much the flames were absorbed in the Flame Zone, the scarlet runes would keep producing more. Because of this, Ricky didn''t worry that the flames in the Flame Zone would be engulfed and sucked up by the seeds.


    After he was satisfied with the Fire Lotus Seeds'' placement in his Flame Zone, Ricky turned to his training immediately. There was no time to lose!

 Chapter 137 The Opening Of The Earth Fire Place

    The news that Elder Alexander accepted Ricky as his disciple spread across the whole Casting Guild, as well as the Casting City.


    This sparked great concern of many other disciples, particularly those who wanted to gain the Pounding Skill from Ricky.


    However, this matter met the expectations of countless warriors. Since Ricky managed to perform so brilliantly during the Casting Appraisal, it was quite normal for Elder Alexander to think highly of him and allow him to be his disciple.


    It wasn''t too long before many warriors refrained from keeping an eye on Ricky and even gave up scrambling for his Pounding Skill. Regardless of whether Ricky''s Pounding Skill was brilliant, the warriors wouldn''t dare to offend Elder Alexander, as he was a casting master of Spirit Level, as well as an innate spiritual king. It simply wasn''t worth it. Besides, other warriors weren''t backed by any innate spiritual king whatsoever.


    Many disciples speculated the reason why Elder Alexander accepted Ricky as his disciple was that he planned to give Ricky the right to enter the Earth Fire Place.


    However, no matter what the reason was, even Andrew and Ivan''s men hesitated about taking action against Ricky, especially after he became Elder Alexander''s disciple.


    ...


    "What the hell? Damn it! I can''t believe that Alexander dared to make Ricky his disciple. He really pisses me off!" Inside a resplendent room, Andrew, who was short and thin, became infuriated and disrupted the interior of the room.


    "Alexander must''ve been intrigued by Ricky''s manual. Otherwise, he wouldn''t take Ricky on as one of his disciples so easily," Ivan analyzed.


    "I bet that Ricky will enter the Earth Fire Place. It may be the perfect opportunity for us to attack him!"


    "You''re right. I didn''t think of that before! Since he''s become Alexander''s disciple, he is eligible to enter the Earth Fire Place," Andrew remarked in a tone that emphasized his excitement, upon hearing Ivan speak.


    As long as Ricky managed to enter the Earth Fire Place, Andrew would have plenty of ways to kill Ricky.


    Upon hearing this, Andrew got a bit worried and added, "Although most of the warriors are afraid of Alexander, there still remains countless warriors outside that want Ricky''s manual. Who knows what they''ll do to retrieve it. In this case, will Ricky be willing to enter the Earth Fire Place?"


    "Well, for anyone to win the Magic Spirit Stone, Ricky would have to s


    Purification, I''m worried that many other warriors will attack you for using a real spiritual weapon. After all, all innate warriors are eager to get real spiritual weapons," Elder Alexander explained.


    "After all, even if you place the spiritual weapon in the Storage Ring without the innate spiritual energy enveloping it, those innate spiritual kings can sense it easily."


    "Elder Alex, it''s not a problem. I''m satisfied with the demi-spiritual weapon!" Ricky uttered.


    "Well, good. I think it''s very good for you to think this way. I promise that I will forge a real spiritual weapon for you after you become a demi-immortal. However, I reckon that by then, you might not even need my help or protection," Elder Alexander spoke.


    "Ha-ha. Thank you. No disrespect Elder Alexander, but I think I will still need your help. By then, your casting skill might surely reach the highest level," Ricky responded, laughing.


    "All right, now... You can stop flattering me. The Earth Fire Place has opened. It''s time for the three of you to leave," Elder Alexander said with a smile.


    ...


    Then Elder Alexander made his way towards the Earth Fire Place, along with Ricky, Kayla, and Theo.


    Being an innate spiritual king, Elder Alexander moved much faster than any bird of Bone Reinforcement, as well as the demi-immortal warriors. It took them only three hours to get to an endless yellow sand area.


    From the air, they managed to see the middle part of the yellow sand area shrouded in the orange light, which seemed like the protective screen.


    Without any doubt, the entrance of the Earth Fire Place came into view.

 Chapter 138 Entering The Earth Fire Place

    It seemed as though the sky was covered by the yellow sand. Tornadoes were erected from the ground, resulting in the yellow sand whirling into the center of the area. The yellow sand was everywhere and even rose as high as the sky. It was evident that the center of this area was the gate to the Earth Fire Place.


    Ricky was shocked that even the big wild beasts had been sucked into the center.


    Some of them were even torn into pieces.


    "The tornadoes are so powerful!" Ricky couldn''t help but sigh.


    He could tell that even the most powerful warriors at Bone Reinforcement might have lost their lives if they were sucked into the center.


    Everyone was waiting for the tornadoes to stop, just like the others who were standing on the big birds in the sky. There were quite a few demi-immortals that were on their way with their disciples.


    Ricky immediately recognized these innate spirits as they got closer, as Elder Alexander greeted them with a nod.


    "Every single time before the gate to the Earth Fire Place appears, there is a storm that occurs around it. It''ll take several hours for it to stop," said Elder Alexander. "You should all be ready at any given time, preferably because there is only an hour for you to get into the Earth Fire Place through the gate. Hence, you must get inside on time," he added.


    Then he took out three jade tablets from his Storage Ring, and handed them over to Ricky, Kayla and Theo.


    "I''ve placed my innate spiritual energy in these jade tablets, which will help you stay together when you go through the way to the Earth Fire Place. The moment you enter the gate, you''ll be separated by the power of space soon. Before the three of you get separated, you can crush these jade tablets and they will help all of you to stay together," Elder Alexander explained.


    "Understood!" They didn''t say a word and simply replied by nodding.


    *


    "Elder Alexander, you got here first after all?" Suddenly, a clear voice approached them from behind. They turned around and found five people flying towards them.


    Among the five people were Andrew and Ivan, whom Ricky recognized.


    The woman who was leading the way, surprised Ricky a lot.


    She was as tall as Andrew. In fact, the two of them l


    ot try and absorb any spiritual energy in the Earth Fire Place. The energy here is so wild that we might not be able to handle it," Theo warned.


    "Well, if we don''t absorb any of the spiritual energy here, how on earth are we going to survive?" Ricky asked suspiciously.


    "Don''t worry. I''ve already prepared something for us!" Theo replied with a smile. Theo took out two similar small bags from a black bag and handed them over to Ricky and Kayla.


    "That is a storage bag!" Ricky shouted. He was surprised when Theo gave him a storage bag.


    Although the storage bag wasn''t as valuable as the Storage Ring, only the warriors at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement were qualified to have one.


    "Yes, it''s a storage bag. Even the casting masters that have reached the Demi-spirit Level, might not be able to make one. It''s really hard to understand the mystery of space and recreate that fine art," Theo added.


    "I''ve begged my master for several days, and she has finally agreed to cast three storage bags for us. Even though the space inside thereof isn''t very big, it''s enough for us for now," he continued.


    "I''ve even placed five hundred Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills inside. We can rely on the pills for the next three months," he added.


    "Ha-ha! You''re so thoughtful! Thank you, Theo," Ricky said gratefully. Then he put the bag up. He was happy to find that Theo thought of him.


    "Well, alright then. Let''s head further in the Earth Fire Place," Theo suggested.

 Chapter 139 The Fire Meteorite

    It was said that there were various treasures and chances that would appear at the deep side of the Earth Fire Place. Along the periphery, there was nothing useful, only dancing flames which engulfed everything. Along the way, they only felt the sweltering heat. This was by no means a comfortable journey.


    The time limit of three months was not a long time for them. In order to obtain the harvest, they had to make full use of every second to head to the depth of the Earth Fire Place.


    Immediately, all of them took a Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pill before embarking on their journey to the depth of the Earth Fire Place. Various unknown dangers were hiding in the Earth Fire Place. They made sure to keep themselves stay in peak energy at all times. The pill would help them sustain their energy and keep them alert. As attacks here usually took place suddenly, they needed to be in shape to defend themselves at any second.


    As they walked towards the depth, Ricky thought to himself, ''The spiritual energy here is really quite intense. Perhaps, I can absorb it to take advantage of it... But Theo said that it won''t work.''


    Bearing this thought in mind, he tried to absorb a little bit of spiritual energy from the air around him.


    Immediately, he found out that what Theo had said was true.


    Outside this place, when he drew the spiritual energy in, he felt rather at ease. But the moment he absorbed the spiritual energy here, he felt his organs burning strongly. Even if his body was at the Fifth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he almost couldn''t withstand it.


    What was more, the intense spiritual energy shot rapidly around his body, trying to destroy his meridian.


    ''Damn it! Theo was right!'' Ricky sighed secretly, working hard to control the spiritual energy and stop it from running freely inside his body.


    However, something happened at the same time. The Flame Zone in the second segment of his spiritual meridian suddenly reacted to the spiritual energy from the Earth Fire Place. A strand of fire leaped out from the zone and ran quickly into his meridian. In the blink of an eye, it had already reached the spiritual energy from this place and absorbed its heat before retreating back to its source.


    After that, Ricky suddenly could not feel any heat or intensity anymore. The spiritual energy of the Earth Fire Place was now as peaceful and enjoyable as those from the outside!


    ''The Flame Zone can absorb the heat from the spiritual energy in this place!?'' Ricky thought, rather shocked and excited at this discovery.


    Discretely, he tried to absorb more spiritual energies. As


    rd and hacked at them. After she hacked about a dozen stones, she found fire essence in one of them! "Hey, check this out! I found the fire essence!" Kayla shouted excitedly. Ricky and Theo immediately came to her, observing the stone closely. "Wow, amazing! Nice work, Kayla!" Theo praised her. "Yes, it''s so beautiful!" Ricky chimed in.


    He stared at the fire essence. It had a spherical shape and was as big as a man''s fist. From its appearance, Ricky speculated that it might be made of burning magma. Ricky could feel the pure flame energy from the essence.


    His Flame Zone stirred and began to urge him forward.


    Prodded forward by this, he took out his saber and joined Kayla.


    About four hours later, the rain of the Fire Meteorites gradually stopped. They had each successfully harvested more than twenty fire essences.


    "Look at them! I can''t believe my eyes! We were really lucky that we managed to harvest so much just right after arriving!" Theo sighed happily, still feeling the excitement and disbelief.


    "Bang!" The moment Theo finished his words, they heard a thundering sound from the sky. They raised their heads to see a Fire Meteorite of a diameter of a hundred meters was hurtling towards the ground. It was the last piece of the Fire Meteorite.


    It was burning with extremely strong flame power.


    "Look! A huge Fire Meteorite! And its energy! So powerful! It must contain the fire essence! It must be a really powerful one at that! Move, everybody! Let''s get ready for it!" Theo pointed at the giant stone and shouted excitedly.


    Ricky and Kayla sprang into action, adrenaline kicking in.


    "This Fire Meteorite is ours now!" an unfamiliar voice suddenly interrupted them, causing them to stop in their tracks.

 Chapter 140 Three Siblings of the Gus Family

    Three silhouettes appeared from the marsh of the huge Fire Meteorite. When the smoke vanished, two handsome men and a beautiful woman appeared.


    "Casado, I knew it was you!" Kayla exclaimed with a cold voice, startled at their sight.


    "Yes?" Casado replied, confused yet there was still calmness in him. "I am bewildered that Kayla of the Casting Guild recognized me, an average man." Casado in his soft voice replied with a confounded look after hearing Kayla''s cold welcome.


    The woman behind Casado pursed her lips as she stared at Kayla, envy written all over her face. It was without a doubt that every young female disciples wanted to compete with Kayla because male disciples of the Earth Fire Land all considered Kayla as the goddess.


    But, Kayla had no response to her. She stared blankly at them.


    "Casado, you should think very carefully just how weak your family is before you want to take the Fire Meteorite from us," Theo spoken at the same time.


    "Brother, listen. Theo is right. Our family is not strong enough to defy the Casting Guild," Tyler told Casado.


    "Tyler, I am petrified by the words that came out of your mouth."


    But, it was obvious that they were dismissive with assumed tone. Deep within they knew they had to do something.


    "Brothers, it is nonsense talking with them. Hurry! We have to go deep into the Earth Fire Place after getting Fire Meteorite," Ellen shouted with rage directly.


    Kayla and Theo both looked surly.


    "Well, we don''t want to waste our time talking to you anymore. You can leave but have to leave the fire essences." Casado said calmly, "You owe no one but yourself of your talent of casting although you are famous in the Earth Fire Land."


    "But, you are not strong enough in the martial arts, so don''t ask for trouble."


    "By the way, I guess the man behind you is Ricky. Hand over your manual as well, Ricky!" Tyler said greedily, sneering at Ricky.


    Although they could not practice the manual religiously, those people desired to get Ricky''s


    Ricky was waiting the right moment to attack. Because it was enough for him to intensely attack Casado.


    Ricky''s fist had hit his chest swiftly when Casado broke through the ice. Casado spat blood from his mouth and wiped it scornfully, fell on the red ground and rolled around several times.


    Casado was still lying down, blood coming out from his mouth. Ricky''s punch had his whole chest sunken and damaged his organs in point black.


    "You think you can defeat me! Both members of Endless Shadow and killers at the peak of the seven grade of Blood Purification can not defy me, let alone you!" Ricky said seriously, ignoring the fear in Casado''s eyes.


    Ricky was also shocked at the power of Ice Cage Fingers. Ricky would spent much effort definitely to defeat Casado, if it weren''t for the surprisingly powerful Ice Cage Fingers.


    After all, Casado was a warrior at the seventh grade of Blood Purification and Ricky was only a novice at the fifth grade of Blood Purification.


    Ricky came to Casado with a high jump and blew out another powerful blow to Casado.


    "Stop! Or we will be at daggers drawn with you!" Tyler and Ellen screamed anxiously at the sight of the gruesome fighting scene.


    But, Ricky ignored them, because he could never show mercy to those who wanted to kill him.


    Ricky hit Casado''s head with full force.

 Chapter 141 The Huge Fire Essence

    With one blow of his fist, Casado lurched back in pain and his eyes rolled back into his head. He crumbled into a heap on the floor and stopped moving about seconds later. He was no longer breathing. He was dead.


    "You... you killed him! You killed my elder brother!" As Tyler and Ellen watched the scene before them, they felt that sky had collapsed and fallen upon them. They roared in grief and indignation while tears flowed from their eyes. It burned hot against the skin of their faces, but they made no attempt to wipe the tears. Why would they? Acting tough wouldn''t do any good at this point. It wouldn''t bring Casado back to life. It was the most heartbreaking thing they had ever experienced, and no amount of training or expertise could save them from the agony of losing someone they held dear.


    They had feelings, too!


    Ricky stood still, eyeing them with cold, distant eyes. Long ago, he might have been deeply moved by other people showing such intense emotions, but he was not the same person he used to be. He had changed. He felt nothing. Still, something was holding him back. He didn''t know what it was, but he couldn''t bring himself to end their lives.


    "You are going to kill me, but why couldn''t I kill you guys?" asked Ricky. It was a question directed more to himself than his opponents. He turned away, his gaze a little less colder this time.


    "We must kill you!" yelled the two people as they gathered as much strength as they could muster and charged straight into Ricky. They were so overcome with rage that only Ricky''s vicious killing intent remained in their minds and not the fact that Ricky was too strong for them. After all, he had killed their brother within seconds. He couldn''t be defeated, but they didn''t care. They just wanted to avenge their brother no matter what.


    "You leave me no choice," Ricky replied coldly, his voice cutting through the chilly haze that smothered the night.


    All it took for him was one motion. He stepped in front of them and the next thing they knew, he was already severing the threads of life that bound them to their bodies. The sound of two large objects hitting something cold and hard was heard. Tyler and Ellen crashed into the ground, spitting blood like their older brother did.


    These two were much weaker than the killer from the Endless Shadow. Ricky had already made great progress in martial arts. He could even be called a master on his own. So what made them think they could challenge him to a life and death battle and emerge as victors? They were delusional. They were desperate.


    As the two lay on the ground, bleeding to death, they realized this harsh truth. They couldn''t win against him. Not now, not ever. Ricky was in an entirely different league. A look of pure terror crossed their features, replacing the intense hatred burning in their eyes. But it was too late. All too late.


    They now understood that they were doomed since the moment Casado decided to kill Ricky. It was a losing battle from the start--one that would force them to close their eyes forever.


    "I don''t want to kill women, but I can''t set you free." Ricky said in a calm voice, but his words were laced with venom. He walked towards them and pulled out the Iron Destroyer on his back.


    "You shall perish by my saber!"


    With that, Ricky swung his sword down Ellen''s neck.


    The two just lay there, rendered immobile by fear. They had no way out. It was human nature to fear death. In the face of it, some people might greet death like an old friend and calmly accept their fate, while others could only cower in horror. It was the latter for the two.


    "Ricky, keep them alive!" Just as the saber were about to slice off Ellen''s neck, Theo came to stop Ricky. The blade was just a centimeter from her skin and she


    place for those families with great power in the Realm of Wildness. I really want to see it! I wish I''d get the chance to do so," Ricky said, thinking of the place quite fondly even if he hadn''t actually gone there yet.


    They would have talked more about the legendary place, however their attention was diverted by the giant Fire Meteorite in the distance. They followed it with their eyes at first, then approached it in a steady pace.


    "Look, it''s the giant Fire Meteorite! I hope the fire essence won''t let us down," Theo said, placing a hand gingerly on top of the meteorite. He looked at Ricky and Kayla, waiting for them to do the same thing. The two followed suit, touching the surface of the rock. Soon, the three of them broke the Fire Meteorite into uneven pieces.


    And inside it was the very fire essence that they were looking for. It didn''t disappoint.


    The fire essence of the Fire Meteorite before them was about half a hundred meter in size, larger than all the fire essences that the three of them had ever possessed before! It was simply majestic and they couldn''t help staring in awe.


    "With a fire essence this huge, I believe that our cultivation will progress accordingly!" Theo said, practically bouncing in excitement. It was obvious that he was trying to contain himself, but it wasn''t working that well. Everybody could tell just how stoked he was.


    "Are we going to refine the fire essence here?" Kayla asked, unsure if this was an appropriate place.


    "Across the land will be the deep core of the Earth Fire Place. We have to be prepared in case anything unexpected happens. I say we''d better refine the fire essence as soon as possible!" Ricky answered, his mind whirling with possible scenarios. He wanted to go at least five steps ahead.


    "Besides, sharpening the axe will not interfere with the cutting of firewood. As long as we enhance our strength and build our defenses, we will have the chance to compete for more resources."


    "You are right, Ricky!" Theo agreed with a nod. "Kayla, the grade of our realm is quite low, so we''d better follow Rick''s advice to increase our power. It''s the only way we can ensure that we''re on top of the game."


    "Okay, I get it, Theo."


    With that settled, the three of them immediately divided the huge fire essence and sought remote places to train. They made a secret tunnel in the valley and entered a grove to start refining the fire essence. It would take a lot of hard work and patience, but they would endure. It would be all worth it.

 Chapter 142 The Scorching Dragon Valley

    Smoke and flames rose over the looming mountains, engulfing the trees and wild beasts in a dense cloud. The forest was soon aflame, the roar of the wild beasts echoing from the sky.


    In a remote corner of the mountain, hidden were three newly-dug caves. Sitting in the lotus position in their respective caves, Ricky and his two companions were already in the state of refining fire essence.


    Although the fire essence had been divided equally among them, each of them had a substantial amount of it.


    With the help of the Flame Zone, Ricky had been skillfully refining the fire essence. With the added power of the powerful Devouring Skill, Ricky successfully refined all his fire essence in less than six hours.


    Of course, there was also another important factor in Ricky''s success. It was the fire essence, the purest energy on earth, which contained almost no impurities. This greatly lessened the effort he had to make in terms of purifying it.


    Ricky finally fulfilled his goal of reaching the sixth grade of Blood Purification after the successful refining of fire essence.


    During his stay in the Casting Guild for over a month, Ricky had already reached the peak of the fifth grade of Blood Purification. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been able to kill Casado so efficiently, even if he had the aid of the Ice Cage Fingers.


    Now, thanks to the energy of fire essence, Ricky had not only reached the sixth grade of Blood Purification, but also consolidated and strengthened it in a rather short span of time.


    ''This pure energy is extraordinary. The Earth Fire Place, due to its powerful fire essence and secretive nature, is really quite exceptional, '' Ricky thought to himself, feeling a wave of emotions well up inside him.


    Besides, the Flame Zone inside the regained spiritual meridian had once again undergone a change after he reached the sixth grade of Blood Purification. It seemed the originally boundless Flame Zone had expanded once more, the infernal power growing even more intense. The scarlet runes, especially, had become more gleaming.


    "It seems that as long as I keep elevating my cultivation, my regained spiritual meridian will appear naturally! But... I just don''t know when the Supreme Skills inside the Flame Zone will appear," Ricky murmured to himself.


    With th


    nd wait for us?" Theo asked, quite confused.


    "Theo, we discovered the Scorching Dragon Valley!" Aiden said, his eyes lighting up. "We waited up for you in the originally agreed-upon place for some time, but there was not much to do. So we walked out to trace you lest we should waste our time."


    "What! You discovered the Scorching Dragon Valley!?" Kayla remarked in total shock as Theo was stunned into silence.


    "Yes, Kayla, the Scorching Dragon Valley. Otherwise we wouldn''t have walked out of the Earth Fire Place if we didn''t make that discovery!"


    "Tell me about the Scorching Dragon Valley," Ricky said. He did not know enough to understand the expressions of astonishment on their faces.


    "Ricky, have you ever heard of the creature that exists at the top of the food chain?" Pompeo asked.


    "It must be the Great Dragon in a legend!" Ricky asnwered with certainty, associating the Scorching Dragon Valley with the Great Dragon.


    "Yes, it must be the Great Dragon!" Pompeo added.


    "The Fire Dragon, which belongs to the Great Dragon species, once lived here. The Scorching Dragon Valley was soaked with the Great Dragon''s blood! After tens of thousands of years of evolution, the blood of the Fire Dragon has totally seeped into the soil of the Scorching Dragon Valley¡­


    And places like that are now called the Scorching Dragon Valley!


    The blood of the Fire Dragon played a key role in its evolution, and also its conditions now!" Ricky was shocked when he heard this. What a marvelous discovery it was indeed!

 Chapter 143 Unite Together

    The Great Dragon! The Great Dragon was a powerful creature that had roamed the earth since the beginning of time. The people believed it to be the ancestor of every animal in the world. But, as time went by, it disappeared and remained hidden for centuries.


    The legends stated that a single drop of its blood contained unlimited energy making it the mightiest living creature to walk the face of the earth.


    The Great Dragon itself was said to rest deep inside the Scorching Dragon Valley and whoever deciphered the valley''s great profound mystery, shall be worthy of acquiring the Great Dragon''s blood.


    With this knowledge, it was too hard for the Blood Purification warriors to ignore the desire of venturing into the valley.


    "Look! If my knowledge serves me right, that place is the Scorching Dragon Valley, the home to the Great Dragon itself. This could prove to be a valuable window of opportunity for us!" Ricky exclaimed.


    "You are right, Ricky! If we can acquire the Great Dragon''s blood, we can easily finish our adventure around the Earth Fire Place! We should go look for it right now!" Pompeo said excitedly.


    "Hold on, my friends. Let us not forget. We are not the only ones searching for that relic," Aiden reminded.


    "Does anyone know who they are exactly?" Theo asked anxiously.


    "Those people were from the Jin Clan. Three days ago, I promised to guide them here to the Scorching Dragon Valley and help them search for the dragon''s blood. I was against the idea at first, but I did not have any other choice at that time. I did not want other people to find out about this place," Aiden explained.


    "Can they be trusted?" Ricky asked.


    "To be honest, I have no idea. My family was not very close to theirs," replied Theo.


    "We have to take our chances. It would be too reckless if we ventured into the valley by ourselves. We must all go together. But, we have to remain cautious all the time," Ricky answered.


    Everyone agreed.


    After a few moments, they were on their way to the Scorching Dragon Valley. Aiden and Pompeo took the lead. The search for the dragon''s blood was not an easy task. However, our warriors were filled with determination and vigor to accomplish their mission.


    The group finally arrived at the depths of the Earth Fire Place after traveling for almost half a day. They were one step closer to the valley.


    To their knowledge, the Scorching Dragon Valley was a small mountain covered in blazing fires and surrounded by lakes of lava around every corner. This was true for most of the mountains situated around the Earth Fire Place.


    However, the Scorching Dragon Valley''s flames were wilder and more dangerous than the other surrounding mountains. The danger and risk it brought to travelers were what set it apart from any other. Travelers had to be equipped with additional


    gons! We should split up and take out as many as you can! Quickly!" Karl shouted.


    They all knew that they would cover much more ground if they separated.


    Everyone agreed and decided to split up to take care of the dragons.


    Every one took point and looked out for each other as they faced the Earthly Fire Dragons one by one.


    "These dragons have the strength of seventh grade of Blood Purification warriors!" Ricky exclaimed. "We have to be efficient in using our energy! We must protect ourselves from the heat or else we''ll be in a lot of trouble!" he continued.


    "Got it, Ricky!" Theo nodded "We''ll take care of this. In the meantime, you should preserve your strength!" he added.


    Theo, Kayla, Pompeo, and Aiden all knew Ricky was the group''s primary source of strength. Although, they also recognized that Ricky was only a warrior at the sixth grade of Blood Purification and decided to protect him first as they had some doubts about his abilities.


    "Okay, Theo. I believe in all of you!" said Ricky hesitantly. He did not want to resist Theo''s command under those circumstances. They all had to preserve their energies for the rest of the journey.


    Ricky also knew that he had to bide his time and hide his abilities before he could completely trust the four disciples of the Jin Clan.


    A few moments later, the group has already eliminated nearly twenty Earthy Fire Dragons.


    The combined strength of Theo, Pompeo, and Aiden quickly killed half of the dragons. They used some kind of united cultivation method, which helped them fight more effectively together.


    On the other hand, the Jin Clan''s disciples swiftly dispatched the rest of the Earthly Fire Dragons as well.


    The two groups were united once again after defeating all of the dragons.


    Before they continued with their quest, Ricky packed a few dragon corpses into his storage bag for future purposes.

 Chapter 144 The Great Opportunity

    "Ricky, it''s great that you have such useful items like that storage bag. I really admire you for being an outstanding disciple of the Casting Guild!" Karl said with admiration, upon seeing Ricky took out the storage bag.


    Normally, only the wealthy and strong warriors of Bone Reinforcement were even capable of using it!


    "Well, it''s from Theo. I, too, feel very fortunate to have it," Ricky responded with a smile.


    He intended to drop some hints that Theo also had one.


    He wanted to figure out the Jin Clan members'' real intentions by observing their expressions.


    However, Ricky''s plan did not prove fruitful. The four members of the Jin Clan just looked at his storage bag admiringly, without any other expression on their faces. Ricky now had no idea whether they really had no ill intentions or if they were just pretending to act like that.


    "It is great to be a disciple of the Casting Guild. If I get a chance, I really do want to have a spiritual meridian which can cast weapons," Karl said, before turning his attention back to the cave.


    "Well, everyone. It''s likely that we can find some things we want inside the cave. Before we enter it, we''d better reach an agreement on the terms of distribution!" Karl said earnestly.


    "Well, I think it should be finders keepers. But if we discover a treasure together, we can fight for it with our own abilities," Ricky suggested.


    "Ha-ha. Ricky, your idea sounds great! So we can do as you''ve proposed," Karl responded with a smile.


    ...


    Now they all proceeded into the cave one by one.


    It was even more dry and scorching inside the cave, so they had to reinforce the spiritual energy shield again.


    After entering, they were able to determine its configuration. A lot of lava rivers crisscrossed here and there, eroding the ground. The cave looked like the stalactite grotto formed ten thousand years ago or even longer ago.


    But the difference it had from the stalactite grotto was that there was lava inside the cave instead of stalactites.


    Luckily, the lava here only gushed from the earth''s surface, which meant that it had a cooler temperature than the magma deep in the ground. As long as they activated the spiritual energy, they could stay in the cave for a long time.


    "Look! That''s the fire essence!" one of the disciples of the Jin Clan shouted in excitement.


    They noticed som


    Blood had existed for one hundred thousand years or ten million years, and its energy was ten million times less powerful than it was at the beginning, a meager amount of Dragon''s Blood was invaluable for warriors of Blood Purification. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them.


    "Everyone, it really is a great opportunity for us!" Karl said, unable to restrain his excitement. "But before we can get the dragon blood, we have to work together to kill this beast. Otherwise, everything we''ve done up to this point will have been in vain."


    "We understand, but are you confident that we can even subdue this Earthly Fire Dragon?" Ricky asked.


    "As long as all of us are willing to try our best to battle with the dragon, I believe that we can succeed!" Karl said solemnly. His seriousness inspired his companions to believe in his words.


    "Karl, do tell us what the best way to go about this is!" Theo asked, almost impatiently.


    "I need ten drops of the blood essence of a warrior at the eighth grade of Blood Purification!" Karl replied after pondering over it for a little while.


    "What? Ten drops of the blood essence of the warrior at the eighth grade of Blood Purification!?" Pompeo cried aloud, indignant.


    "It''s impossible. If we give you the blood essence now, our lives will be at risk. It will be even more difficult for us to escape danger later on!" Aiden also said passionately, growing rather upset.


    "Please give me a chance to explain. Listen," Karl said, raising his hands. The other warriors heaved a sigh, and leaned forward to hear him out.

 Chapter 145 The Array Deployer

    The battle between the Earthly Fire Dragon and the young warriors had come to a deadlock. They stood in place now, not yet advancing back into the fray. The dragon also did not hurl fire at them anymore. It just paced there and roared fiercely at them, warning them not to come any closer to the lake full of magma behind it. It was protecting the lake.


    At first, they had felt rather thrilled when Karl claimed that he knew of a way to defeat the dragon. But his proposal of drawing ten drops of blood essence was quite ridiculous. They looked at him with disbelief in their eyes.


    After all, blood essence was the most essential and vital part of a creature. It was as important as a creature''s life. Generally speaking, a warrior of Blood Purification had six to eight drops of blood essence. But what did Karl just say? That he needed ten drops of blood essence from warriors at the eighth grade of Blood Purification!? Preposterous!


    For a warrior of Blood Purification, losing one drop of blood essence meant that he would lose nearly a sixth of his strength. He would become quite weak and his life would be endangered!


    No wonder Pompeo and Aiden were feeling shock and trepidation! It was understandable for them to have such mixed feelings.


    "Karl, why do you need them? Feel free to explain, please!" Theo asked after he had been silent for a while.


    "Everyone, I''m sure all of you know what we could find in that lake. This is a grand opportunity for all of us. If we miss it today, we won''t be able to have such a big opportunity anymore,"


    Karl stepped forward and explained. "I''m well aware that the blood essence is of extreme importance to all of you. But the dragon blood is of even greater importance. Once we succeed, I can assure you that we are all going to gain more than enough to pay off the blood essence we contributed."


    He then took a deep breath and continued, "I need ten drops. Five from us and five from you. So, what do you think? Think carefully and make a wise decision, please!"


    Hearing Karl''s speech, Theo, Pompeo and Aiden began to calculate carefully. In Ricky''s team, only the three were at the eighth grade of Blood Purification. They were now expected to donate the blood essence.


    The dragon blood? Or the blood essence? They were struggling with this dilemma. On one hand, they were eager to defeat the dragon. But then again, they did not want to take the risk of losing their blood essence by giving it to a man they had just met.


    "Karl, let me ask a question. Why are you so confident that you will kill the dragon with the blood essence?" Pompeo finally said. It seemed as though he had begun to trust Karl and wanted to know more.


    "Check this out!" Karl said, not answering him directly. Instead, he began to do something.


    He closed his eyes and gathered his internal strength for a few seconds. Then he opened his eyes and stretched out his right palm. Immediately, crimson spiritual energy appeared, creeping on the palm. Soon, a complex array was shown on his palm.


    "Th... This is an array! You are an array deployer!" Theo blurted out in shock. His companions were also surprised.


    Although array dep


    n he placed the blood essence into those lines.


    "Everything is ready! Guys, step backwards, please. Just let me show you how I will slay this monster!" Karl declared confidently.


    Everyone took several steps backwards, in anticipation of his powerful performance.


    They could not defeat this Earthly Fire Dragon even before they lost the blood essence. Now, with weakened bodies, they would by no means be able to fight it.


    Karl strode up to the roaring dragon. When he entered its territory, the dragon launched attacks at once. It opened its mouth and spat fire. Immediately, a ball of burning flames was hurled down at Karl.


    This fire was powerful enough to destroy several warriors at the eighth grade of Blood Purification. Everyone present could feel its massive destructive energy.


    Karl felt it as well. Of course, he would not go and fight against it face to face. So he jumped here and there to evade the attacks from the dragon. He was doing this to annoy it.


    A few minutes later, the dragon had lost its patience. This was exactly what Karl wanted! He led it to the array he had prepared.


    Immediately, the crimson lines appeared in the array, and the ten drops of the blood essence rapidly spread in ten directions.


    "The Bloodsucking Array - the Bloodsucking Claw!"


    Karl roared all of a sudden. The crimson lines were activated. Together with the prepared blood essence, they began to absorb the ferocious blood spiritual energy in the space. Impressively, the lines turned to a blood-red claw, hanging in the air.


    Now, Karl also ejected a drop of blood essence from his body and shot it into the claw. So far, this Bloodsucking Claw contained eleven drops of blood essence from warriors at the eighth grade of Blood Purification.


    The tremendous energy from the claw made Ricky and the other warriors feel quite in awe.


    The next second, the Bloodsucking Claw dashed straight at the Earthly Fire Dragon. The enraged dragon almost lost its mind at Karl''s attack. It spewed out another flame ball, this one even more powerful than the last, and aimed it at the Bloodsucking Claw.

 Chapter 146 Kill With One Strike

    Boom!


    The Bloodsucking Claw and Flame Ball clashed in the skies and began channeling their attacks. An incredible force smothered the entire area with smoke and ashes putting it on the brink of destruction.


    Behind the heavy smoke was the fearsome Bloodsucking Claw whose power did not weaken one bit and mercilessly gashed the Earthly Fire Dragon after demonstrating its unquestionable strength against the flame ball.


    "Hiss!" "Hiss!"


    The Earthly Fire Dragon was torn to pieces. The deafening sound of its crumbling body reached the heavens. It rained flesh and blood.


    ''You don''t see that every day! Is it the power of the array?''


    Ricky began to think ahead, afraid of the possible dire outcomes. If Karl suddenly turned to strike him, would he stand a chance if he tried?


    He was certain he would lose.


    But fortunately, after this blow, Karl''s energy seemed to be dried up. He weakly knelt. All those crimson lines from the Bloodsucking Array were fading.


    He just lost a drop of blood essence. Karl''s energy to continue fighting was quickly running out.


    "It worked!" Theo and the other two exclaimed out of surprise.


    "Thank you, gentlemen, for your blood essence," he whispered, almost out of breath.


    Then he said something that turned their smiles upside down.


    "Now if you would be so kind, put down your fire essence and Dragon Grass, and leave this place. You are not welcome here."


    Upon hearing this, the other three disciples of Karl''s family glared at them with vicious intent and surrounded them immediately.


    ''I knew this was bound to happen!'' Ricky thought to himself as the tension grew.


    He knew it! According to Pompeo, there wasn''t supposed to be any connection with their families. Why would Karl be willing to use the Bloodsucking Array to kill the Earthly Fire Dragon for them, given the price they were all meant to pay?


    "Karl, what do you mean?" In response, Pompeo asked in a cold voice.


    "What do I mean?" "You still haven''t figured it out? We were only


    the golden spiritual energy from his right fist grew stronger.


    Despite just losing two drops of blood essence, taking down Ricky who just reached the sixth grade of the Blood Purification was a piece of cake for him.


    Hiss!


    But as soon as he showed his cruel smile, a loud noise broke that startled everyone. A mark of blood appeared on his neck.


    Gulp! The blood suddenly flowed down from his throat, covering his neck. He shivered and fell on the ground unwillingly.


    "How dare you, a worthless dog, bark here!" Ricky scoffed, looking at the young man''s bloody corpse.


    Now, the blood from the Iron Destroyer had also hit the ground. Nobody made a sound. They could only hear the lava bubbling and itching to burn.


    So did Kent, because he didn''t catch Ricky''s movement.


    Of course, that also had something to do with his lack of focus on Ricky.


    ......


    "How... How could it be?" Pompeo said slowly, with obvious disbelief in his voice. He widened his eyes, looking at Aiden and Theo with shock.


    A warrior of the sixth grade of Blood Purification killed the warrior of the eighth grade with only one strike. It was unlikely that a warrior at this grade would be that vulnerable even if he lost four drops of blood essence, which he didn''t! He couldn''t even see the strike coming at all.


    Did that just really happen?

 Chapter 147 A Fierce Duel

    "He''s finally started!" Catching a glimpse of Ricky, Kayla let out a sigh of relief.


    Unconsciously, she had treated Ricky as someone she could depend on as their journey reached deeper inside this dangerous Earth Fire Place. For others Ricky was just a newcomer at the sixth grade of Blood Purification. However, she and Theo knew his real strength very well.


    "I''ll tell you the same thing you told us before. This is your chance to stay out of my way. Just break your own arms and leave, It would be less painful for you that way!" Ricky said wickedly as he wiped the blood from the saber blade with two fingers.


    "Who the hell are you?" Kent roared, his expression turning fierce.


    "Who am I? Don''t you know me?" Ricky replied tauntingly.


    "Can''t you see that you''re like a siskin and I''m a hunter? Sooner or later, you''ll be caught by me, so if I were you, I''d surrender quickly now!"


    "Go to hell!" Kent shouted, enraged after hearing Ricky''s words.


    Suddenly, his body started to vibrate, and a magnificent golden halberd flew out from behind him.


    The golden halberd gleamed with spiritual energy as it released blinding bursts of light. It seemed as though it could cut Ricky into pieces in the blink of an eye.


    Clang!


    As Kent grasped the golden halberd in his hands, a resounding sound was heard all throughout the cave, signaling the start of the duel.


    ''There''s no way this halberd is just a weapon in the intermediate stage of the Mortal Level. It''s too strong for that, '' Ricky thought to himself upon feeling the immense spiritual energy and strong killing power coming from the halberd.


    "It seems like the rumors are true. You might actually be a casting genius," Kent said coldly, the arrogance evident in his tone. "But this is no ordinary halberd. This belongs to the advanced stage of Mortal Level and has been passed down in my family from generation to generation. The Golden Killing Halberd, they call it. Consider yourself lucky if you get killed by a weapon as glorious as this."


    "You think that scares me? Wish yourself luck. You''re going to need it," Ricky sneered.


    Without missing a beat, Ricky attacked and changed his body quickly. The flames of fire engulfed the Iron Destroyer as Ricky pointed his own weapon towards Kent. At the same time, he raised his left fist to punch Kent''s chest with all his might.


    Even though Kent was not yet in the ninth grade of Blood Purification, Ricky knew that he was still a lot stronger than his brother Karl who was also in the eighth grade of Blood


    and there was blood gushing out from the corner of their lips.


    Both of their bodies were ridden with wounds. However, while Kent was bleeding all over, Ricky barely had any blood on him at all. Maybe this was the power of the Fourth-degree Body Refining Formula! Ricky was very lucky that he had the Fourth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. Otherwise, there was no way he could have been able to survive the intense collision.


    After all, there were too big a gap between him and Kent. He truly wasn''t on his level yet.


    "You''re not dead!" Kent said ferociously upon seeing that Ricky was less injured than he was.


    He then realized that Ricky''s secret was in his cultivation method of body refining.


    "You weren''t listening to me earlier. I told you, you''re a siskin and I''m a hunter. You''re the one who deserves to die," Ricky replied with a devious smile playing on his lips as he wiped the blood off his mouth.


    "I don''t think you can defeat me with your cultivation method of body refining. You think that''s all it''s going to take for you to defeat me? Your cultivation method of body refining? You''ll have to do so much better than that!" Kent sneered. "Just wait, I''ll break up your nonsense refinement cultivation method!"


    ""Well, I''d like to see you try!" Ricky said with confidence.


    In that moment, he directly activated the Devouring Skill and controlled the devouring runes without hesitation.


    "Golden Conqueror!"


    Kent shouted. All the killing spiritual energy turned into spirals as it swept up into the air. In a smooth motion, he threw the Golden Killing Halberd into the spiral spirit.


    In the next moments, magical changes began to take place.

 Chapter 148 A Strong Rival

    The spiral spiritual energy of gold was very intense, so when the halberd was immersed in the spiral, it fused with it and became a true spiral awl.


    Strong power and heavy spiritual energy leapt up in an formidable wave. Ricky was enveloped in it and clearly felt its invincible energy, which he could sense was likely to break everything.


    "Golden Conqueror! Charge!"


    Kent growled again. Then the Golden Conqueror changed its direction immediately and shot towards Ricky''s face.


    The air seemed to billow wherever the Golden Conqueror went. It was like wind rippling the surface of water. The spiritual energy of gold coming from the surroundings turned to be a golden passageway in order to accelerate the Golden Conqueror.


    ''What a powerful move!'' Ricky thought. He felt rather nervous at sensing its force.


    But there was no way he would flinch. If he so much as thought of quitting, he would definitely lose this battle.


    Powerful spiritual energy radiated from Ricky. He operated his Four-degree Body Refining to the maximum, the Iron Destroyer in his hand rattling. In his green spiritual energy, white ice began to form.


    Frozen ice thorns emerged on Ricky''s arms and covered the Iron Destroyer instantly. Meanwhile, his energy turned from burning flames to frozen ice in an instant.


    Ricky condensed his energy into an ice blade with one hand and channeled the Ice Cage Fingers with his other hand.


    A huge Ice Cage Fingers dropped down from above and clashed with Golden Conqueror.


    "Crack!" The sound of ice forming echoed as the Golden Conqueror was frozen almost instantaneously. In that instant, Ricky wielded the Iron Destroyer in his hand.


    As he did this, a rumbling sound came forth.


    A loud thud filled the air the next moment. The white ice and the golden light produced by the blade had become interwoven with one another, presenting a shocking sight. The tremors they made vibrated throughout the whole cave.


    A few minutes after, Ricky and Kent flopped on the ground again, both spitting blood at the same time.


    As a result, the two were injured


    Destroyer tightly and incorporated the speed and cultivation method of Five Beasts Arts into his body. The attack had been wielded to the maximum extent and the scarlet runes could be seen everywhere.


    Ricky acted quickly and smashed his Iron Destroyer against the sharp blood claw.


    He exerted nearly maximum his power on this move.


    There was a loud rumble, like thunder clapping through the sky.


    The sound of a loud clash filled the air again. The air waves were stronger than the ones before, sweeping through the whole cave. Theo and others were forced to stumble back by the sheer force of the waves.


    "Is Ricky really only at the sixth grade of Blood Purification?" Pompeo said to Aiden with astonishment.


    They were stunned by Ricky''s strength.


    "Thud!"


    Ricky and Kent fell on the ground again and spat a mouthful of blood. They were both injured badly.


    "Kent, this is what you get for looking down on me!" Ricky snarled, struggling to his feet and staring at Kent, who was momentarily dazed.


    Kent had been a strong rival from the start. So Ricky cleverly fooled him into thinking he was weak, by pretending to show some defects.


    As Ricky had expected, Kent lost his mind.


    Kent had used his most powerful move and still didn''t kill Ricky. His face became beet red, his teeth gnashing together with rage.


    "Kent, let me help you!"


    Karl suddenly butted in.

 Chapter 149 Victory Over Dual Array

    By now, Karl had gotten his breath back and walked towards Kent.


    Although he was still regulating his breath, he knew exactly what had happened just now. He tried to calm down but the shock and amazement that was implanted deep inside of him could not be easily subdued.


    As a result of blood essence loss Karl was still frail. It was immensely difficult to recover from this considerable loss. Only Treasures from Heaven and Earth or other advanced medicinal pills and elixirs could cure it.


    But this would make no difference in his following battle.


    Seeing that Karl had regained consciousness, Ricky''s eyes darkened. Kent, already a hard nut to crack, now had Karl as his back-up. This meant that he had to fight against another formidable enemy!


    "It will be determined that it was because of my low level of realm!" Ricky sighed to himself.


    If only he himself had already reached the seventh grade of Blood Purification. He would stand a much better chance of matching a strong rival like Karl in that case.


    Pompeo and Aiden came to help, but were held back by two other disciples. Theo and Kayla were also stopped by Ricky.


    It was not because of blind bravery on Ricky''s part, but because of the fact that Theo and Kayla were too weak at the moment to win against the two brothers. Kayla could very well be facing the same situation; after all, she had just reached the seventh grade of Blood Purification.


    As for Theo, an eighth grade of Blood Purification, was in fact ill-matched with the title. His previous loss of a drop of blood essence had greatly weakened him. Now he was practically only as strong as a warrior in the seventh grade of Blood Purification.


    Theo and Kayla felt deep regret. They clearly understood why Ricky had declined their help, and they bitterly lamented not having taken time and efforts in enhancing their skills. They could only stand back and watch.


    Karl walked over and pulled Kent up.


    As Kent at this moment calmed down, it was no longer possible for him to be provoked and driven mad by Ricky again.


    "Well, then you guys come together!" Ricky said, taking a deep breath. A vicious fight was about to break out. Yet Ricky wasn''t afraid at all. He still had two aces up his sleeve that were waiting to be used.


    "Well, Ricky, I have to admit that you are excellent in both casting of weapons and cultivation of marti


    dings. The battle among Pompeo and the other three warriors was interrupted. The whole cave seemed to have fallen into a state where heaven fell down and the earth split in two.


    Everyone focused their eyes on the scene, knowing that the result of this collision would play a decisive role in the determining the final outcome of the battle.


    The intense shockwaves continued for a long time.


    Among the endless blood waves, screams echoed. Then two figures were flung out by the force of the waves. It was Karl and Kent.


    No injuries were seen on their bodies. There were only flames burning briskly, causing their skin to be ripped off. Above the raging fire, a mysterious power was swallowing up their energy.


    The two brothers tried every effort to stamp out the fire, which was now their main concern. They screamed in agony the whole while.


    It took them about a quarter of an hour to extinguish the flames around their bodies and by the time they put out the fire, they were exhausted. Coupled with the terrible burns on their bodies, they were no longer capable of fighting.


    When the waves of blood dissipated, Ricky emerged.


    There was a scar on each of his shoulders. He was out of breath, looking like a drowned dog. There was no more energy or power in him to fight any longer.


    How lucky he was! Thanks to the power of the Fifth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he survived from the two brothers'' unrivaled array and even broke it. Otherwise anyone, Ricky included, would have been torn into pieces by the powerful collision. What a turn of events!

 Chapter 150 The Chance That They Got

    To be more precise, the round ended up in a draw. Both of the sides were hurt badly.


    Kent and Karl had suffered greater injuries, while Ricky''s situation was not very serious in comparison.


    "Theo, now! Kill them!" Half kneeling on the ground with one hand holding his weapon to support himself, Ricky loudly urged Theo into action. It was the best time to kill Karl and Kent once and for all. Otherwise, they would have enough time to restore their strength. By that time, it would be tricky to handle them.


    "Ricky, now? I... " Ricky''s cold-blooded order made Theo hesitate. He had no idea what to do. Somehow, he felt like killing the men at their weakest was ignominious. Besides, he was a bit scared to kill a person.


    "I''ll do it instead!" Kayla stood up and offered. She knew that Theo did not have the heart to butcher them. So, she took her sword and walked toward Karl and Kent.


    She raised her sword high and was ready to pierce them with it.


    She did not want to kill people either. Despite that, she understood that if she did not kill them, they would kill her and her companions. That was just a cruel fact.


    "You want to kill us? In your dreams!" Kent roared.


    In the next moment, he gathered his last breath and his strength. He forced out a drop of blood essence from his forehead and threw it toward the array which had almost faded away.


    People usually had two types of reactions in such a life or death moment like that. One way to react was to be too scared to do anything at all, and the other would cause one to fight until their last breath to try to kill their enemy with everything they had in them. Even if they were going to die, they would not let their enemy kill them so easily. The latter was exactly what Kent tried to do.


    "Kayla! Step back!" Ricky immediately shouted a warning to Kayla in concern.


    Luckily, she was agile enough and withdrew back a few steps before he even warned her.


    Kent, on the other hand, formed a blood claw, ready to attack again. Seeing Kayla step back, he decided not to attack her. The primary reason that he did not attack her was because he was not sure that he could manage to kill her. Kayla was in her prime, after all. What was more, he was losing his strength after he used a drop of blood essence. That loss of strength had made him extremely weak.


    So, he changed his mind. There was another target near him. His new target was Ricky.


    Kent turned to Ricky and intended to throw the claw at him. Although the claw only had the power of the seventh grade of Blood Purification, it was strong enough to kill Ricky, given Ricky''s injured body.


    "Ricky! Watch out!"


    "Ricky!" Theo and Kayla cried out trying to warn Ricky about the claw.


    Their warnings were too late. The blood claw already reached and covered Ricky. With a loud bang, the blood wave had engulfed him.


    "Ha-ha, ha-ha! You want to kill me? Well, you can go to hell!" Seeing Ricky covered in the blood claw


    e curious about Ricky''s behavior. How could he recover so completely with full energy all of a sudden? Despite being so curious about it, none of them asked. Ricky did not explain it to them, so they decided to bury their curiosity deep into back of their minds. It was Ricky''s secret, after all. Revealing it was up to him whether he chose to tell them or not.


    "I will surely come to you when I need your help, so thank you for the future possible help. Anyway, we are a team. I consider keeping all of us alive my responsibility!" Ricky responded with a smile on his face.


    "Let''s regroup ourselves here before we go and check what kind of interesting thing is hidden in the lake! Hurry up, guys!" Ricky suggested.


    "No problem!" echoed everyone else. Ricky, Pompeo, and Aiden then sat on the ground with their legs crossed and began to gather and recover their energies. About one hour later, their breathing became peaceful as they calmed themselves down.


    They opened their eyes and then turned their eyes to the lake of lava that was filled with dragon blood.


    "Oh, let''s go and check this out! It''s so powerful. It''s definitely the Great Dragon''s blood! Unfortunately, it already integrated into the lava in the lake. How can we extract the blood to refine it? This is a big problem!" Pompeo said.


    "Let me give it a try!" Ricky replied with a decisive look in his eyes.


    "How are you going to do it?" Kayla asked with a puzzled look.


    Ricky smiled confidently. He took off his clothes, and then jumped into the lake without any hesitation.


    "No, Ricky! It''s too dangerous!" Seeing what Ricky intended to do, Theo immediately shouted out to try and stop him. However, it was already too late.


    The moment Ricky jumped into the lake full of dragon blood and lava, he felt like his whole body was burning. He initiated his spiritual energy to resist the burning sensation. Luckily, it worked. He felt much better and relieved thanks to his spiritual energy.

 Chapter 151 A Big Gain

    "Well, it appears I can be sure that I can stay here unharmed," Ricky said in a soft husky voice, having a hunch that he would not be in danger at the lava lake.


    "You may come here whenever you can. As long as the spiritual energy is activated, we all can be untouched. This is also another way that we can absorb the dragon blood energy in the lake!"


    "Why does the lava temperature seem low, like it''s not what it used to be?" Theo asked in disbelief, seeing Ricky at peace in the lake.


    "Theo, although we are in this cave, it still belongs to the earth''s surface. That is why lava is not that hot that we all expect. I also think that the dragon blood energy mixed with it makes the lava produce low temperature!" Ricky firmly explained.


    Then the rest of them also surged to the lava lake, stimulating the spiritual energy for their shield to form.


    "Ricky, how did you figure out the temperature of this lava lake would be so low? Don''t tell me that you had no idea of it before and you knew it only after you jumped to the lake earlier," Pompeo said, with eagerness to know what was going on.


    "I have seen it coming. I have learned this from the Earthly Fire Dragon at the ninth grade of Blood Purification," Ricky replied.


    "Even though the scorching environment is more apt for Earthly Fire Dragon, the animal is only of Blood Purification. The reason why it could undergo the dramatic change is because of the dragon blood energy absorbed inside the lake!"


    "Oh, that figures. Ricky, you''re so clever!" Aiden exclaimed.


    Now the rest of them began to take Ricky with respect and they agreed to make him their mainstay.


    "Alright. We should be on our feet. We''d better absorb and refine the dragon blood energy in the lava as fast as we can! Perhaps there might be other great new breaks at other places in store for us," Ricky stated.


    "Everyone! While honing the dragon blood energy, we can take the Dragon Grass and fire essence at the same time. These two Treasures from Heaven and Earth can exist and be so powerful because of the dragon blood, so we can pull off with half the effort if we refine the dragon blood energy by making use of them!" Theo uttered.


    Although he was not equipped with fighting skills, he sure knew a lot of things.


    As soon has Theo had spoken, they all moved and started to refine the dragon blood energy.


    After a short while, Pompeo and Aiden e


    nificantly charge!


    However, when Ricky was about to begin his cultivation, the Flame Zone suddenly changed.


    The Flame Zone emitted a glow of roaring flame light which directly wrapped Ricky in an instant. The forceful flame shoved Ricky into the lava.


    ''What is happening? I don''t want to die!'' Ricky panicked.


    He was able to keep his stance on the lava''s surface, but he could not go deep into the lava. Even the warriors of Bone Reinforcement or innate spiritual kings could melt and disappear while staying at the depth of the lava, let alone him, the warrior of Blood Purification.


    "Come on! Get out of here right now!"


    Ricky bellowed at the top of his lungs. His mind immediately stimulated the Flame Zone. He was eager to leave the lava, but the Flame Zone was out of his control. He was encircled by the flame light and pulled to the depth of the lava.


    Luckily, the flame light coming from the Flame Zone prevented the lava around from getting close to Ricky. Thus he didn''t have to activate the spiritual energy to resist the scorching lava.


    Ricky let out a sigh of relief upon realizing that.


    ''Alright. Now that I''m here, I better stay! My regained spiritual meridian is highly supernormal, and the Flame Zone seems to bring me deep into the lava. Is there any great chance there or something that the Flame Zone needs?'' Ricky mused.


    Two hours had passed by. The flame light moved down even ten thousand meters below the lava surface. Seeing the fizzy molten lava around him, Ricky got startled, trembling with terror.


    Even a drop of lava could make him melt and vanish.

 Chapter 152 Chaotic Fire Zone And Chaotic Fire Skill

    Thanks to the shield covering his body which had been generated by the Flame Zone, Ricky could bear the high temperature and so he could swim his way to go deeper and deeper under the lava pool. However, controlled and guided by the Flame Zone, Ricky couldn''t find any signs that he was going to be allowed to resurface anytime soon. The Flame Zone kept pushing him to go down, as if the bottom of this lava pool would soon be reached. Despite his belief in its mighty power to protect him, this growing depth in the lava pool made it impossible not to worry about his own safety. "How far down does the Flame Zone intend to lead me? It has been quite a while since it pulled me into the molten lava from the surface of the pool," Ricky asked himself as he began to feel panic. The high temperature around him was reaching an extreme.


    Despite the protection from the Flame Zone, Ricky had to admit the truth that no matter how powerful the Flame Zone was, sooner or later, he might not survive from the extremely high heat.


    To his amazement, he finally was allowed to stop after half an hour of diving.


    Looking at his surroundings, Ricky could at first find nothing but the molten lava everywhere. It seemed boundless.


    Then he took a close look towards a particular direction. He found a huge cave was there, several meters in front of him. Around the huge cave, mysterious fire was burning. Even if he was some distance from the cave, Ricky could still feel the high temperature, which he speculated might be even higher than the temperature of the lava he was in.


    He immediately got cold feet and couldn''t help but tremble at this. However, unlike Ricky, the Flame Zone seemed to want to approach the cave fire. In Ricky''s mind, the Flame Zone expressed a sense of excitement, stirring restlessly.


    Feeling this, Ricky finally realized why the Flame Zone guided him so hastily deep down here.


    ''So interesting! It looks like the cave fire attracts the Flame Zone. But what about the inside? Will there be something even more unexpected if I enter the cave?'' Ricky thought, broadening the possibilites. By the time Ricky snapped back to reality from the Flame Zone, he found that he already stood in front of the entrance into the cave.


    At the moment, the fire surrounding the entrance burned fiercely, preventing anyone from entering the cave.


    However, Ricky''s curiosity got the best of him and he decided to move forward regardless of the fire. Before he could have a chance to embark on his exploration of the cave''s interior, the fire at the entrance turned even more intense. Other than that, the fire even started to spread its range toward Ricky''s direction, as if it were alive and would soon morph into a living creature!


    Meanwhile, a supernatural phenomenon took place. Between Ricky and the entrance, a large empty space came into sight, as the large amount of lava moved its way out of the space that it used to occupy.


    "Roar!!!"


    The fire rose higher and higher, and then ten giant fiery dragons flew out from the fire and charged toward Ricky.


    Seeing such an ominous attack, Ricky''s heart began to thump faster as he felt the danger coming his way. ''Damn it!!! I should have been careful about the fire. It seems that the fire is alive and I have just angered it unintentionally. Am I simply going to die here?'' That was the first thought that crossed his mind.


    However, the Flame Zone created by his rega


    or learning new knowledge, and it did not take him too long to know the cultivation method of Chaotic Fire Skill by heart.


    During the process of the memory storage, Ricky found out that if he wanted to put the cultivation method into practice, he had to look for more kinds of peculiar and sacred fire. The core power of Chaotic Fire Skill depended on its cultivator''s manipulation of these fires. There were thousands of patterns that could be learnt as tactics. Once put into battle, they could inflict a great damage on the enemies.


    Undeniably, when it came to weapon casting, Chaotic Fire Skill was much more useful than Devouring Skill!


    "Looks like I still have to look for more peculiar fires and sacred fires in order to finally bring forth the Chaotic Fire Skill," Ricky whispered determinedly, despite his initial unwillingness to go through the trouble of finding them.


    The Flame Zone continued to guide Ricky to move forward and enter the cave''s entrance.


    Despite the barrier, the protective shield assisted Ricky in overcoming any obstacles in his path.


    Inside the cave, Ricky''s first impression was its spaciousness. He felt as if he had arrived in another new world!


    However, apart from the spacious cavern, nothing else remarkable could be found. There were only red-hot, wet surroundings everywhere.


    If it weren''t for the protection shield around his skin formed by the flame from the Flame Zone, Ricky would find it impossible to stay here even for one second!


    The moment Ricky''s feet stepped on the floor, a strong smell of blood assaulted his nose at once. If this had happened before, Ricky would definitely have vomited with disgust. But now, his sense of disgust was overcome by another feeling. Beyond the bloody smell, there was a stench of death in the air. Without the flame light, Ricky anticipated that he would be burnt into ash once he was exposed into such a horrible environment. With such a useful shield, Ricky could not only move forward safely, but also breath normally like he was above on the ground.


    "Such a strong smell of blood and death! What exactly had happened here in this cave before I came in!?" he wondered, bewildered. The more closely he gauged and thought of the cave, the more curious and terrified he grew in his mind.

 Chapter 153 Fire Dragon Egg

    The air was filled with a strong and pungent smell of blood that harnessed great energy!


    Ricky was frightened, forgetting about his curiosity and would rather retreat, but the strong message that the Chaotic Fire Zone sent pushed him deeper into the dwelling.


    Having trouble finding a way out, he entertained the idea of entering the dwelling as the Chaotic Fire Zone indicated.


    Surrounded by the light of the flame shield, Ricky went into the dwelling to the deep.


    It took about half an hour for the pungent smell to reach its limit.


    Not far away from him, Ricky saw a pool made of blood. It was about size of a hundred meters and the blood was boiling, spurting fire to whoever dared to come close.


    The blood exuded great energy. Ricky knew it would only take a single drop to destroy him.


    As he got closer, the pool began to change. The boiling grew more violent and the great energy merged all the blood together, shaping it into a dragon jumping and rolling up in the air.


    Ricky felt familiar with the blood, for its smell resembled the dragon blood they absorbed from the lava lake.


    ''Could this be the real dragon blood?'' Ricky thought with doubt in his head.


    With that great energy and power, it would be the only explanation, Ricky imagined. He was convinced it was the real dragon blood.


    "What a once in a lifetime opportunity!" The words burst out of him as he jumped out of excitement.


    The dragon blood energy they found in the lava lake was way too little, even less than what they imagined, but it enabled him to gain martial arts prowess. He could not help but fantasize about what could this real dragon blood bring to him.


    It took Ricky a moment to pull himself together.


    Ricky knew he was currently unable to refine even a single drop of the dragon blood, let alone a whole pool of it. He hoped that he could take the dragon blood away and refine them someday when he had the strength.


    But how to take them away? It shouldn''t be any trouble with the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    Ricky impulsively pushed the Chaotic Fire Zone to absorb the whole pool of d


    had not met Ricky, his child would have waited longer to be reborn.


    You could say a lot about Ricky, but he always knew how to keep a promise.


    Upon learning the Great Dragon''s story, Ricky made up his mind and committed seriously to his quest. "Great Dragon, you have my word, I would take your child to the its tribe as long as my strength allowed me!"


    Of course Ricky also had his own agenda.


    He hoped he would be good friends with the little fire dragon one day and it would be cool to have a fire dragon buddy. But the idea of letting people see a fire dragon meant that he had to wait for his power to grow stronger.


    "Young one, I also give you my word, the fire dragon tribe would never forget what you did!" The Great Dragon promised as he heard Ricky''s sincerity.


    After that, the Great Dragon disappeared, the voice and the phantom faded into nothing.


    It had been tens of millions of years. Even the strongest had their limits.


    "A real Fire Dragon Egg! Am I dreaming?" Ricky couldn''t believe what just happened.


    He turned and looked at that Fire Dragon Egg.


    It was spinning fast.


    As it spun, it absorbed the dragon blood from the pool. A whole pool of dragon blood was absorbed before Ricky even realized.


    "So...that''s it? A whole pool of dragon blood gone in a matter of seconds? Shouldn''t you keep some for me?" said Ricky who was clearly unhappy about it.

 Chapter 154 Tremendous Changes Of The Earth Fire Place

    ''The Dragon''s Blood!'' That was the Dragon''s Blood! It would have been a win for Ricky if even a single drop was left for him. But this Fire Dragon Egg absorbed all the Dragon''s Blood in one go. How could Ricky not be angry about it?


    Ricky had the urge to crack the Fire Dragon Egg open to let some of the Dragon''s Blood flow out.


    But it was all in his head. He couldn''t bear breaking the Fire Dragon Egg even if he didn''t promise to the Fire Dragon.


    He wondered how this one-meter-tall Fire Dragon Egg managed to absorb the Dragon''s Blood of a whole pool.


    But Ricky didn''t dwell too much on it. He was more occupied on thinking of how he would take the Fire Dragon Egg away.


    "According to the Fire Dragon, it''s better for the egg to hatch in the Heaven Melting Fire. However, I didn''t actually subdue the Heaven Melting Fire and I do not have any control of the fire. Also, it could be dangerous to put the egg into the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    Anyhow, I guess there''s no harm in trying!"


    After debating with himself, Ricky activated the Chaotic Fire Zone and put the Fire Dragon Egg into it.


    Soon, the two fused flames wrapped themselves around the Fire Dragon Egg.


    Ricky realized that he was worrying too much after seeing what was about to happen. The Fire Dragon Egg wasn''t harmed by the flames at all. Instead, their energies were continuously absorbed by it.


    Ricky knew just by looking at the egg that it was very excited.


    "It really is a real Fire Dragon. Fire is where it wants to be!" Ricky exclaimed at the scene in excitement.


    Everything seemed done. Ricky might not have gotten any of the Dragon''s Blood, but he acquired the Fire Dragon Egg and the Heaven Melting Fire. They were probably even stronger than the Dragon''s Blood, given the sufficient amount of time to develop.


    Ricky believed that as long as he cultivated the Chaotic Fire Skill, the Heaven Melting Fire would definitely be a strong asset in combat.


    Soon, Ricky managed to gain control of the light shield of the Chaotic Fire Zone and went back to the surface of the lava.


    Four people including Theo were still at the state of refining.


    Looking at the four people''s condition, it was most likely for Pompeo and Aiden


    rvive these drastic changes.


    Taking two Spiritual Energy Nourishing Pills every few hours should do the trick.


    "What caused this destruction? What happened to the Earth Fire Place? It seems like the doomsday is arriving." People including Ricky and Theo were all astounded by the scene. It took them all by surprise.


    "According to several masters of our clan, no such changes have ever happened before in the Earth Fire Place." There was confusion in Pompeo''s face.


    "Yes, absolutely nothing like this has ever happened before. What''s the matter? It seems the Earth Fire Place is bound to disappear," Kayla asked, her voice deepening.


    They were not clear of what happened, but they all had the same feeling, that the Earth Fire Place was being erased from the surface.


    ''Is it because the final strength of the Fire Dragon disappeared, and the Earth Fire Place shall disappear with it?'' Ricky thought in his mind.


    Because the Fire Dragon had told him that the Earth Fire Place was originally a small fire space opened up by him. Now that his power ceased to exist, it seemed logical for the Earth Fire Place to die with it.


    ''Hope the disappearance of the Earth Fire Place does not affect us in this place right now. Otherwise, we''ll really get in the neck, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Boom! Boom!"


    Right at this time, even greater changes began to arise. High in the west of the Earth Fire Place, tons of red lights fell and shot fiercely towards the west.

 Chapter 155 The Beast Fire

    They saw thousands of crimson lights shining in the sky, lighting up the west.


    "Oh my God! What the hell are those red lights? Did they catalyze the change of the Earth Fire Place?" Theo turned to his companions and exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the marvelous picture.


    All the other warriors who survived there were also amazed at those shining red lights.


    They began to whisper with puzzled and astonished expressions. Naturally, they turned to look at the spot where those lights landed, trying to make sense of what was happening. All of them were thinking that they could probably find great opportunities there.


    Right at this moment, Ricky''s Chaotic Fire Zone in his spiritual meridian delivered him a message, urging him to go to the west where those lights were.


    ''It''s urging us to go now! Are those crimson lights a great opportunity?'' Ricky thought to himself, wondering.


    "Hey, Theo. I think there may be some great opportunities there. I say we go and check it out. What do you think?" Ricky turned to his partners and suggested with excited eyes.


    "Great! I was just thinking the same! Now that the Earth Fire Place is collapsing, we can just go there! Something must be happening there, with that incredible light shower," Theo replied in agreement.


    The five of them started their journey west at once. All of them headed forward at full speed. It took almost two days for them to arrive; after all, the Earth Fire Place was definitely not a small place for warriors like them. For warriors of innate spirit, perhaps it was.


    When they got closer, they saw a vast desert full of sand. Unlike the red land from where they had just come, the soil here was yellow. Still, there were also flames flaring in certain spots. Lave lakes were spread over the land as well.


    Compared to other places where tremors happened often, this desert was quite serene.


    By now, there were already many warriors from the surrounding areas who had gathered there.


    However, none of them seemed to want to interact with each other because everyone was focused on approaching a shabby crimson iron pagoda in the center of the desert.


    The crimson pagoda was very high, almost a thousand meters. If you took a closer look and counted how many floors it had, you had to be careful. Once you did not focus on the counting, you would make a mistake and have to redo the counting. There were fifteen floors in total and it occupied a ten-meter radius.


    With an ancient, grand, and majestic aura, it just stood there. At the mere sight of it, the people gathered around had mixed feelings; curiosity, incredulousness, excitement. Meanwhile, it was sending forth strong energies. All of them could feel its


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    y, almost everyone responded in agreement. Once they had reached the consensus, they grouped themselves into several teams and began to attack the pagoda one after one, trying to overturn it.


    However, it seemed that all their efforts were in vain!


    They had already launched many joint attacks. Yet the most they were able to accomplish was mere shaking the rusty pieces of iron off the building. Pagoda remained intact, stubbornly immune to their attacks.


    "Hey, why don''t we attack it all together?" a warrior suggested as he panted heavily. "Yes, maybe we could give it a try. We''ve launched so many times of attack but nothing happened to it. There are more than a hundred of warriors. I''m sure we can make it if we work together!" a relatively older warrior said in agreement. However, the result remained unchanged even after all of them exerted their internal strengths to attack it. Nothing happened at all.


    ''It seems that this pagoda, though shabby, is extremely strong and solid. No wonder the Fire Dragon Egg shook at its appearance!'' Ricky squinted his eyes, thinking hard about how to get into the pagoda.


    Like those warriors, he wanted the Beast Fires, and if possible, he wanted all of them. He believed entering the pagoda to gather the fire might be the only feasible way.


    The warriors kept attacking the pagoda for about two hours. Finally, they accepted that their efforts were hopeless. So they gathered around and began to brainstorm about other possibilities.


    "Are you Ricky, who is said to have the mysterious manual?" an arrogant and piercing voice suddenly shouted out from behind Ricky.


    Hearing the voice, Ricky and his companions turned around to see who it was. They saw five figures walking towards them.


    Among the five guys, two were quite familiar to them!

 Chapter 156 Pompeo Took Action

    The two of them were Tyler and Ellen, whom Ricky had let off before because of Theo''s benevolence and persuasion.


    ''Indeed, they found some back-ups and came over here to get back at me. I hope that Theo can become more decisive during the fighting after experiencing this turn of events. Otherwise, in this world where the weak are easy prey to the strong, he will be injured or killed easily!'' Ricky thought, glaring at Tyler and Ellen.


    Then Ricky turned to look at the young man who spoke earlier.


    He wasn''t that handsome, but he wore refined clothes which made him look noble and dashing.


    At this moment, Ellen leaned against the young man''s chest, and the young man flirtatiously caressed her, making her coyly blush.


    While this took place, Ellen also cast a haughty glance at Ricky.


    "Marcel, he is Ricky. He not only bullied me, but also humiliated me. Besides, he even killed my brother. So you have to help me punish him!" Ellen whined indignantly, wrapping her arms around the young man''s neck.


    She kept on seductively rubbing her curvaceous body against the young man, which made him visibly aroused. His desire began to grow.


    "Ellen, trust me. I will definitely help you teach this guy a lesson," the young man said seriously, staring at Ricky again as his eyes gleamed with malice.


    "You little bastard, come over here to apologize to Ellen and then take your own life! Otherwise, I will beat you to a pulp!" the young man said, pointing adamantly at Ricky.


    "Tyler, Ellen, Ricky has already been so kind to let you off before. But why are you repaying his mercy with this?" Theo exclaimed furiously, taking a step forward and pointing at Tyler and Ellen before Ricky got a chance to say anything.


    ...


    Their argument attracted a lot of warriors'' attention.


    "He is Ricky, right? He brought his talents into full play in the Casting Guild and Elder Alexander accepted him as his disciple! Aside from this, I heard he possesses the marvelous, magical manual!" a voice said. Hearing this, all of warriors fixed their eyes on Ricky.


    "Yes, he must definitely be Ricky! The two warriors beside him are Theo and Kayla!" Quickly, the curiosity on their face morphed into looks of envy and greed.


    But fearing Elder Alexander, who was powerful and enjoyed a high reputation, those who were itching to get at Ricky''s manual repressed their greed. After all, their clans didn''t dare provoke or offend Elder Alexander''


    ached the ninth grade of Blood Purification and the reinforcement of his cultivation is very solid. It seems that he has gained great opportunity in the Earth Fire Place during this period of time!" several warriors murmured, now beginning to talk about Pompeo!


    "A member of the Yu Clan!" Marcel Cao growled in a low voice upon hearing the discussion. He determined why Pompeo wasn''t afraid of the Cao Clan. The previous collision of their fists also made Marcel Cao realize that Pompeo''s strength was far from inferior to his.


    Noticing what was going on, Ellen and Tyler grew even more indignant. In order to persuade Marcel Cao to help them punish Ricky, Ellen had spent a lot of time pleasing and even sleeping with him during the past few days.


    However, she didn''t expect that a warrior at the ninth grade of Blood Purification would appear to help Ricky.


    At the thought of this, both Ellen and Tyler grew more and more bitter, anger simmering inside them. But still, they remained ignorant to the fact that they would not have to pay a price if they had not displayed such greed before!


    At the moment, Marcel Cao seemed to be in an embarrassing dilemma.


    If he battled with Pompeo, he might not be able to win against him, because his instinct told him that Pompeo was also a strong, formidable warrior. If he refused to accept the challenge, he might disgrace himself and the Cao Clan.


    Feeling sulky and hesitant, Marcel Cao cursed in his mind, "Ellen, you manipulative bitch! Why didn''t you tell me before that Ricky is allied with a warrior at the ninth grade of Blood Purification!?" He clenched his fists.

 Chapter 157 Duel With Ivan

    "Marcel, stop whining and just do it!" When Marcel hesitated, Ricky heard a familiar voice that he knew very well!


    As the four figures approached, the warriors had no choice but to step aside and make way for them.


    It was Ivan, Andrew, and their followers.


    "Here they come!" Ricky murmured after seeing them, "Well, now would be a good time for us to finish something. Otherwise, we might not get another chance!"


    "Well, that''s something I''d love to see!" the warriors said when they saw Andrew and Ivan.


    A lot of warriors expected Ricky to fight with Ivan and others. This way, they would have less enemies to deal with.


    Although Ricky and Ivan were not the strongest duo, they still shouldn''t be taken lightly because of the Casting Guild behind them!


    ......


    "Cousin Andrew! I''m so glad that you''re here!" Marcel said, excited to see his cousin!


    Although Andrew was not good in combat, Marcel knew that his followers were the younger generation of his family and at the ninth grade of Blood Purification and getting closer and closer to the peak.


    Ivan and his follower were also at the ninth grade of Blood Purification.


    Seeing how powerful they were, Ellen felt relieved.


    "Yes, I''m here!" Andrew answered with a nod. Then he and Ivan looked at Ricky at the same time!


    "Little bastard! We''ve been looking all over for you!" Andrew said coldly. The tension between him and Ricky was not a secret anymore. There was no longer a need to be polite to each other.


    "Oh, really? Then I guess I should be thanking you for your concern!" Ricky sneered.


    "Nevertheless, you better not miss me. Because I always feel a little icky when missed by such a short man like you!"


    Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Almost all the warriors could not help but laugh after hearing Ricky''s words. Because height had always been a pain for Andrew, and Ricky''s words struck right through him.


    By this time, Andrew''s eyes were almost misty.


    Then he turned on his ferocious f


    g!


    A loud explosion covered the area. The two fists clashed together, the waves turned into ripples and swept through the entire place. The warriors around felt an intense heat.


    And they were forced to retreat.


    Amidst all the chaos, Ricky and Ivan retreated hastily, leaving deep traces on the yellow sand.


    Ivan''s eyes had become even more intense than it was before.


    Before Ricky entered the Earth Fire Place, he was absolutely at the fifth grade of Blood Purification. It only took him a few days to reach the seventh grade of Blood Purification, and could already fight with the warriors at the ninth grade of Blood Purification. There could only be two reasons.


    First of all, Ricky was a genius who could challenge the upper class. Geniuses like him were extremely rare even in the Heaven Wood Land. As long as they didn''t die, they were guaranteed to become genius masters in the future.


    Second, it was because Ricky had gained many opportunities in the past few days. As for this point, Ivan could see from Kayla and Theo.


    All Ivan could think of was that he wanted to kill Ricky as soon as he got the chance. He was jealous of his talent and luck.


    ''Die! He must die! Everything that he has, his powers, his mysterious manual, they all belong to me!'' Ivan snarled fiercely in his heart.

 Chapter 158 They Both Stay Here

    Ivan would probably not believe that Ricky got an incomplete spiritual meridian; however, such rumor could not be just some gossip that circulated among the common people. If the rumor was true, then that would mean Ricky''s spiritual meridian was definitely damaged before.


    Spiritual meridian could be the strongest part of a warrior, yet it could also be the weakest. It could make or break a warrior. On the other hand, the spiritual meridian itself was so fragile that a strike with just a little applied force could destroy it. Over the years, warriors had come up with ways to protect it from getting harmed, though those protective measures would still fail at times.


    But Ricky could make it today with his spiritual meridian--despite it suffering from a big blow--together with his mysterious manual thanks to the incredible gift he had obtained. Without it, he would have faced deeper problems and his life would be at stake. Nevertheless, this incredible gift could not be possessed by just anyone.


    Knowing how powerful that gift was, Ivan had his eyes on it. He believed that if he took it from Ricky, he would be the best warrior with casting and martial arts skills in the Realm of Wildness. Even the top talents from the Realm of Wildness could not compete with him and should a challenge be issued, he would not break a sweat at all.


    ''Ivan looks pretty powerful. It seems that he spends as much time and energy on martial arts as he does on casting, '' Ricky thought to himself. ''And the warrior that followed him may be even more powerful than Ivan. This battle is going push us to our limits.''


    At this time, the man behind Ivan began to make their move. He walked towards Ricky, Ivan following suit in a steady pace. The two men surrounded Ricky and Ivan made no gesture to stop what was happening.


    He had seen Ricky''s power. He had felt it within the tremor in his muscles and the air that went through his lungs. Ricky emanated power wherever he went even when he was trying to keep it low. Ivan knew that beating Ricky was an extremely difficult task to overcome, let alone killing him. If he was honest with himself, there was a big chance that it was him who might end up dead.


    As cowardly as it might seem to other warriors, Ivan and the other man decided to fight Ricky together. Two against one. It wasn''t the most honorable strategy, but if they won, who would care about how they did it? All the people would remember was the fact that they beat Ricky and nothing else. Ivan could care less about his reputation. What mattered was the gift and how he could take it from Ricky. If he could just get his hands on it...


    "They have both reached the ninth grade of Blood Purification. And they''re not rookies, either. Looks like things are going to get ugly for Ricky," several people commented as they watched the scene unfolding before them.


    "Indeed, it is impossible for Ricky to challenge two warriors of the ninth grade of Blood Purification no matter how strong he is now. A warrior reaching the ninth grade is no ordin


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    g around his dead body if someone managed to kill him, right?


    Ivan knew the odds of him getting Ricky''s gift was against him, so he decided to go for the Beast Fire instead.


    Otherwise, he ran the risk of not getting any Beast Fire since all the warriors here were after the same thing and the Beast Fire would run out by the time his fight with Ricky was finished.


    With a wink at Andrew and the others, he turned around and headed for the tower.


    They understood his signal and tried to get out of the fight at once.


    What they didn''t expect, though, was that Ricky would get in the way. A mocking smile went up to his lips as he stopped them from running towards the pagoda. Seeing what Ricky just did, Pompeo also went in front of them to stop them in their tracks.


    "Ricky, what are you doing? If you keep me here, I''d miss the opportunity to get the Beast Fire, and so will you," Ivan said coldly as he glared at his opponent.


    He could not believe that Ricky would stop them than get his share of the Beast Fire. And even if Ricky didn''t care about it, Ivan doubted those four guys behind him felt the same way. They wanted the Beast Fire, too. He was sure of it.


    "Of course, I want it. But they must stay, or you and I will not get the Beast Fire today," Ricky replied with a sneer as he pointed to Ellen and Tyler.


    Ellen and Tyler shivered whenever they looked at Ricky. Ever since that day they almost died in his hands, they couldn''t shake off the feeling of cruelty that he emitted. Even though they tried hard to hide it, they were still terrified of him.


    Ellen then turned to Marcel and stared at him with puppy eyes.


    Resisting the urge to scoff and roll his eyes, Marcel turned to Andrew and Ivan instead. It was obvious. She was just a cheap chick and he was not the least affected. He didn''t care for her at all. The decision was up to Andrew and Ivan.


    "Ricky, come on! Do you really want to waste time with me here?" Ivan exclaimed in horror, his eyes reflecting a little bit of panic and anger.

 Chapter 159 Devour Beast Fire

    "If you don''t leave them now, you''re going to ruin yourself," Ricky muttered coldly.


    Truth be told, Ivan didn''t really care about Ellen and Tyler. It was his prestige he was worried about. Their living or death would definitely have an effect on him. After all, Ellen and Tyler were members of his team.


    As for Ricky, he didn''t want to waste his time on Ivan either. Beast Fire might not have been the lucky chance he had been hoping for, but for his companions, it was something they once didn''t even dream of having.


    Ricky would never let them give up the precious opportunity they''d been given all because of Ellen and Tyler.


    In hindsight, Ricky was also sure that Ivan and Andrew were growing more and more impatient at him for assuming that Ivan only wanted to associate himself with Ricky in order to save face and not actually because he was concerned of Ellen and Tyler''s well-being.


    Therefore, he knew that he must win soon.


    There wasn''t much Ellen and Tyler could do to threaten Ricky any further now, but Ricky was also well aware that they might still cause trouble that would jeopardize him and his people.


    "Ricky!" Ivan called insidiously. All he could think of now was how he could get Ricky out of his way. In that moment, however, warriors flooded in. No less than two floors of the Ragged Iron Pagoda became full of them at once.


    If they had still been locked in a stalemate, they wouldn''t even have been able to enter Ragged Iron Pagoda, especially with Beast Fire.


    Meanwhile, Ricky grinned at Ivan''s exasperated expression for he knew, at that point, that he was definitely going to win.


    "Here is where you''ll die, Ricky!" Ivan snorted as he took the lead to rush towards Ragged Iron Pagoda with Andrew and Marcel on his heel. They had no choice but to compromise now.


    Catching a glimpse of what was happening around them, Ellen and Tyler turned white as a sheet of paper, both of them filling up with despair.


    "Marcel, you truly are the biggest coward I''ve seen. You''re even a coward in bed!" Going all out in the face of death, Ellen cursed Marcel.


    Marcel just ignored it, of course. Why would he be affect


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    Devouring Fire and the Heaven Melting Fire, in his Chaotic Fire Zone could hardly wait to devour the flame of Beast Fire.


    "I know you can''t wait to devour it. Come out now!" Ricky muttered quietly.


    With no time to waste, Ricky activated Chaotic Fire Skill right away in order to extract the Devouring Fire from the Fusion Fire. Then, the Devouring Fire formed a circle above his arms as it rushed towards the Burning Ocher Beast Fire.


    At first, the Beast Fire threatened to burn Ricky to death. But the moment it was touched by the power of Devouring Fire, the Burning Ocher Beast Fire suddenly lost his nerve and started sending a signal to beg for Ricky''s forgiveness, telling Ricky to spare him and let him be a part of his strength.


    Despite the Beast Fire''s pleas, Ricky just shook his head slightly, and immediately cast a bloody fire fist that turned into an enormous mouth which swallowed the Burning Ocher Beast Fire whole.


    Afterwards, Ricky felt the energy flow from the force of the Burning Ocher Beast Fire blending with the Devouring Fire. He felt the power of the Devouring Fire growing stronger, slowly but surely.


    "I knew it. Devouring Beast Fire is the most efficient way to make my Devouring Fire even stronger," Ricky said to himself, "If I can devour each and every Beast Fire in Ragged Iron Pagoda, then Devouring Fire, Heaven Melting Fire together with Chaotic Fire Skill will be my aces in the hole."

 Chapter 160 God Helps Me!

    Immediately, Ricky retrieved the Devouring Fire.


    Of course he also heard the screams round after round. He felt pity for them in his heart, of course. But what could Ricky do? These warriors knew what they were getting into when they dared to enter the pagoda, so they must have been prepared to be burned to death by the Beast Fire.


    He shook his head slightly and sat down in the space he was in as he waited for the pagoda to change again.


    Ricky guessed that the pagoda didn''t let them in so they could simply refine the Beast Fire. No, he knew the pagoda wanted something more. But he couldn''t leave now, so he decided to wait quietly for the end and see what the next move of the pagoda would be.


    He also did not know why the Fire Dragon Egg kept sending him messages in the Chaotic Fire Zone. Obviously, it was not because of the Beast Fire, so he knew there must be other changes to come.


    ¡­¡­


    An hour later, the tragic cries ended, indicating that the end of this precious opportunity to subdue the Beast Fire.


    The eyes of the warriors who bought noodles to the pagoda were not full of helplessness and unwillingness. All they had was fear, and their white as sheet faces said more than they ever could.


    The look in their eyes told a thousand words. In them, the tragic fate of the warriors burned to death by Beast Fire could be seen, and even those were not enough to fully encompass just how horrible what happened was.


    From the outside, everyone knew that from the 200 people who entered the tower, only about one-tenth of them were able to successfully integrate the Beast Fire. That was to say that there were only about twenty people who survived inside the tower.


    In that moment, the people outside felt so lucky that they did not follow everyone else into the pagoda.


    ¡­¡­


    "Now that the Beast Fire is over, the pagoda should change again any minute now," Ricky said, standing up slowly as the screams died down.


    The moment he stood up, an old vast voice sounded in his ears.


    "Congratulations to you twenty-six human warriors for obtaining a Beast Fire of your own!"


    "This... This pagoda can speak!" Ricky exclaimed upon hearing the sound, his hands shaking in shock.


    He had been on the road of the casting weapon


    cky saw the figure, he laughed out loud, barely able to contain his joy. Because from the figure that was less than one meter high, Ricky knew that it was his old enemy, Andrew, who was going to fight against him.


    ''God is with me indeed!'' Ricky exclaimed happily in his mind.


    "Little bastard, what a coincidence that we are going to be fighting today," Andrew said with excitement the moment he found out that his opponent was Ricky.


    At the same time, Andrew also shouted in his heart, ''God has helped me to meet this bastard. This time, I certainly won''t let him get out of here alive!''


    In the next moment, Ricky and Andrew''s eyes locked with each other. They looked at each other with intensity and hate. Their hatred towards each other had reached the limit, and blood must be shed at this moment!


    "Andrew, I really don''t know where you get your courage from. Did you take this test because you have faith in your being at the first grade of Blood Purification or your less than one meter height?" Ricky said, trying to provoke Andrew.


    "Courage? Just wait, I will let you know where my courage comes from, little bastard!" Andrew snorted.


    "Ah! "You are quite confident. Even with just the flame, you were still defeated by me. It was so back then, and it will still be so now," Ricky said with contempt.


    "Oh! But you have no idea what''s about to happen!"


    Boom!


    In that moment, the Beast Fire on Andrew started to burn, and its burning momentum directly pummeled towards Ricky.

 Chapter 161 Innate Spiritual Energy

    The fire that surrounded Andrew right now was no longer the Lava Fire. Despite having the same color, it looked distinctively different from Andrew''s previous one. It was apparent that Andrew must had cultivated the Beast fire that he had just obtained from the last trial, and now he was able to put it into play in a very clever way.


    "Little bastard, this is called the Heaven Burning Fire. You should feel lucky and grateful to be killed by such an honorable Beast Fire!" Andrew sneered. As he channeled more power into the Beast fire, it promptly spread to cover all of his body and made him look like a fierce, predatory fiery bear. Then he shouted and charged at Ricky without a sign of hesitation. Meanwhile, the predator opened his bloody mouth like a sacrificial bowl, as if one bite would be enough to take Ricky''s life!


    "I have already told you. You will never beat me, no matter how hard you try. Remember that you will always be nothing but a loser in my eyes!" Ricky replied indifferenly, calmly facing Andrew''s fury. Then he threw a quick punch towards Andrew, fully confident that he would defeat Andrew again.


    Ricky didn''t think that the pagoda was able to restrain his power, because his regained spiritual meridian was so strong that it would have the capacity to resist the pagoda''s boundaries.


    Without wasting too much effort, Ricky released the Devouring Fire to combat Andrew''s Beast Fire.


    The Devouring Fire could not only protect Ricky from being hurt by Andrew''s Beast Fire, but also easily swallow Andrew''s Beast Fire with its strong devouring ability. So when Andrew charged at him with his Beast Fire in play, Ricky couldn''t be happier.


    In a flash, the Devouring Fire morphed into a big mouth, even bigger than that of Andrew''s Beast Fire, and began to consume the power of Andrew''s Beast Fire.


    "What the hell is happening? What the fuck are you doing!? What kind of Beast Fire are you manipulating?" Andrew stammered in a trembling voice, alarmed at the sudden loss of the power of his Heaven Burning Fire.


    "You don''t deserve to know!" Ricky replied coldly. Withholding no mercy, he decided to use Chaotic Fire Skill and strengthen the power of the Devouring Fire.


    Andrew could hear his impending demise in Ricky''s tone. He struggled to get rid of Ricky''s Devouring Fire and then seized a chance to fight back. However, Andrew soon realized that this Ragged Iron Pagoda he was in right now had taken away all his spiritual energy as soon as this trial began. So there was no other way to fight against Ricky if he lost his Beast Fire.


    "Very well! Since you''re now forcing me to kill you, how could I refuse your request?" Andrew shouted with gritted teeth. Knowing he couldn''t stop Ricky from devouring his Heaven Burning Fire, Andrew decided to use his secret weapon!


    He suddenly released the Lava Fire again with full power. Once released completely from his body, it seemed even more powerful than the Heaven Burning Fire. Immediately, the Lava Fire transformed itself into a fiery dragon, diving and roaring at Ricky like a rapacious predator.


    "Did you have enough of devouring my Beast Fire? Now let me give you my Beast Fire as much as you want. I will satisfy you to death!" Andrew shouted loudly, with a rather hideous look on h


    . The bright light spread across Ricky''s body so quietly and quickly that Ricky didn''t even notice it himself.


    "What, how could it be possible? Why are you still alive?" Andrew screamed in fear. Seeing Ricky coming out of the fire alive and well, Andrew was scared out of his wits. Gone was the excited look on his face. Instead, panic and desperation were pitifully obvious in his eyes.


    "It''s time for you to go to hell. Let me do you the favor!" Ricky snorted, as he charged at Andrew. He activated the power of the Devouring Fire again inside his body and threw a straight punch to Andrew''s chest. With a thud, Andrew''s heavy body landed on the ground, and then the Devouring Fire started to burn all over his body. Bursts of screams could be heard and echoed sharply in the space surrounding them.


    Before Andrew died, the residual powers of the two kinds of Beast Fire in his body had been absorbed completely by the Devouring Fire.


    Ricky then took a long breath of relief.


    He thought to himself, ''What happened just now was insanely risky. I almost got killed! If it weren''t for the help of the Flame Zone, the ending of this fight between me and Andrew would have been completely different!''


    He sighed, "If something goes wrong, I must be in danger. How could I possibly have predicted that Andrew''s Beast Fire would be fused with the innate spiritual energy? Still, I was being too careless. It must have cost a lot for his mother to go through that fusion process."


    At the thought, Ricky finally became aware of why Andrew had the nerve to take this trial! After all, a warrior at the first grade of Blood Purification like him was not usually equipped at all to go through such an event. Without that secret weapon, Andrew''s decision to compete in this trial would be only regarded as a joke!


    "I can''t afford to be too careless again when it comes to matters like this! Next time when I run into an odd and strange thing like this, I have to beware," Ricky admonished himself and took a long breath again.


    Then, he sat with his legs crossed, closed his eyes and quieted his mind as he prepared for his meditation. He had to take a rest after the tiring battle.

 Chapter 162 The Nine Stairs

    A deep rumble echoed throughout the area once again as the iron pagoda''s announcement bellowed, "This is the end of the test for this round. Next, you are going to enter a passage for the succeeding challenge. The one who survives this will be the champion; however, if you all were to die here, it will merely be considered as your fated end.


    There will no longer be any room left for regret as you go further along, so do your best to pass this test! I wish all of you good luck on your journey."


    At the last word marking the start of another trial, the environment drastically changed around Ricky, his body shaking in time with the tremors of the earth relocating him to another space. Bright light cast on his figure as he arrived. He appraised the space filled with suffocating, scalding flames, and had come to a conclusion that it was the same as the former contest. The only difference spotted within its perimeters was the mentioned huge passage in the middle of the arena.


    Ricky gazed deep into the abyss of the crossing. Even with the great distance between him and its entrance, he felt the aggressiveness of the burning fire originating from its inside. "So, this is the last test?" murmured Ricky, looking around in curiosity.


    A sudden surge of foreign feelings permeated his heart and made him lose his focus on the task ahead of him. Befuddled, he pondered over the strangeness he sensed in his gut. He had felt that the pagoda behaved weirdly, and sent off signals that intentionally guided them to pass the test deliberately.


    He cocked an eyebrow in contemplation; there seemed to be some hidden trick behind its directing.


    ''Did I become paranoid because of what Andrew had done to me?'' The thought sprang up in passing as he analyzed his current circumstances. He had no idea why his instincts rang warning bells in his head, leading him to think that the iron pagoda may be conspiring something with their ploy of letting them clear the obstacle.


    It did not help that what Andrew had done before instilled him with fear and alarm. After all, he was also a mortal who was also afraid of facing death. Nonetheless, he overlooked his speculations, knowing that there was nothing he could even possibly do to verify any elaborate traps the pagoda might have set up. "What should I do now... Is there any way out?" he muttered in a low voice, eyes narrowing in regard to the dangers waiting ahead of him.


    After a minute of harsh deliberation, he shook his head in frustration. "Well, forget it! I''ll just concentrate on passing!" he exclaimed. Gathering his bearings, he closed his eyes to adjust his breathing before taking action. A squinted gaze matched the cautious footsteps he took towards the massive transit. He did not let his worries hinder the bravery and courage he wielded like a weapon, because at the end of the day, he was still a man who refused to remain idle in the face of crisis, no matter what sort of predicament he was forced in. Especially now, when he was left with no choice but to follow through the examination. There was no way he would give up so easily during such a crucial period. He came here to win the Beast Fire, and so he had to have the steel strength of determination to stand victorious at the end, just as what he had only always settled for.


    Ricky did not catch any glimpses of what lay beneath the path until he had reached the entryway. He gaped in awe at the marvelous nine stairs in front of him that reached to unforeseeable heights.


    Flames licked at each step, casting an eerie, orange glow around the space. Somehow, he felt that the energy of these blazes increased the further one trekked upwards. He would undoubtedly endure great pain brought by the scorching flares as he continued his travel to the top.


    "Walk up the step


    this far; I refuse to fail here!" he ranted, his voice hoarse from the dryness of his throat.


    Starting over, Ricky activated the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula as well as the Devouring Skill and the Chaotic Fire Skill. The former assisted him in resisting the conflagration, while the latter two absorbed the inexorable conditions he was in to ease his suffering. The three abilities empowered him and gradually lessened the graveness of his misery.


    Huffing, he could not believe that the ninth stair had almost scorched off all his skin.


    "Is this really all its power? Even with a body at the limit of the Fifth Degree, I was unable to stay there for three seconds!" he jeered, his ferociousness not lost from his first defeat. He would not surrender, never!


    As he finally restored his energy, he began his voyage to vanquish the last step.


    His second try was met with the same result, but he had arguably made some progress compared to his initial bout. He had rolled back down to the eighth stair writhing in agony but he had lasted a few more seconds on this round, at least.


    This laborious operation became his strategy. He pressed and overcame his limits with each endeavor, thus effectively extending his stay on the domain in the long run.


    In three whole days, all he did was a pattern of jumping and rolling down to fan out the overwhelming pain he was swamped with. He had lost track of the number of periods where he fell to the eighth stair to evade longer exposure from the white-hot pressure the final obstacle emitted.


    The only evidence proving his numerous efforts was the thick, dark red bloodstains painted all over his muscles. His image could very well be compared to the insides of half-cooked meat, given the redness marring his hardened body. If his friends saw him as he was now, they would absolutely fail to recognize him if it were not for the familiar blankness of his eyes.


    "Three days! Three whole damn days! This will be the last try; I will have to succeed or I might as well die!" He poured his heart out in yelling the vow he had sworn to himself. As he had promised, he stepped on the ninth stair again.


    This time, he stayed silent. His stood astoundingly still; bearing the wrath of the flames as he concentrated on performing the cultivation method of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    He activated the Devourer Zone and the Chaotic Fire Zone to support him and in this way, he resolutely urged himself to reach the Sixth Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.

 Chapter 163 Confronting Ivan

    This time, the severe pain was not able to shake Ricky any more. Ricky had literally been numb to the severe pain he should have felt. The blazing flame was not burning Ricky. It was instead burning the thick layers of blood that covered him.


    Reinforced by the two Supreme Skills, Ricky''s mortal body was rapidly developing with every second.


    After four hours of that burning intensity, the energy inside Ricky finally rose up again. A dim blue light bloomed instantly. It reached its zenith, and then immediately was replaced by brighter blue light. The brightness was not too overwhelming, but out of the energy of the explosion, the power was completely beyond the Fifth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    At that moment, Ricky had completely broken through to the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    Covered by that blue energy, the bloodstains on Ricky disappeared after burning off. All of it cracked off and a new layer of skin was born. Under the blue light the new skin was so glorious.


    Ricky''s hair was long and thin but much more elegant than before while his angular face had become more inviting and handsome. Ricky was like a newborn in that moment and the explosive power that was like an avalanche was swirling within him and affecting every part of him.


    On the ninth stair, Ricky could no longer feel the burning pain he had felt before.


    Growl! There was a gurgling growling sound, but it wasn''t from any sort of beast, it was from Ricky''s hungry stomach.


    After a few days of hard work, he was really starving.


    However, for him, the ninth stair was a natural barbecue platform. He took out a large piece of flesh from the storage bag, and soon after cooking it, he began to devour it.


    After a satisfying meal, Ricky came out of the platform and put on his robe again.


    In the light of the platform, Ricky entered another space, which was a huge battle platform that was covered on all sides by flames.


    The flames were not ordinary flames. They were instead made up of various kinds of Beast Fires.


    Seeing the Beast Fires, the Chaotic Fire Zone was immediately in eager, and couldn''t wait to swallow all of


    down, the black spiritual energy actually showed the shadow of dozens of legs. For a moment, Ricky could not tell the real leg from the illusions of it!


    "Since I can''t tell, I will just ignore it," Ricky mumbled. "So, I will freeze them all together!


    Ice Cage Fingers-Double Cage Fingers!"


    Immediately, the frosty power around Ricky rose up and rushed into his right hand. Then, Ricky pointed two fingers out at the dozens of shadows of the leg.


    Immediately, the two tracks of energy collided fiercely. Dozens of black shadows directly crushed the energy of Ricky''s Double Cage Fingers. Countless tiny ice blocks burst open, but that was not the end of it. The ice blocks instantly came around and frozen the shadows. Then, they were broken again, dissolving the energy of the smash from the dozens of shadows.


    "Good moves, but not good enough to stop me!" Ivan sniffed. As he said that, his figure came out from behind the broken blocks. His body was rotating at a high speed. A solid kick straightly smashed down toward the center of Ricky''s face.


    "Hmm, my purpose was to destroy the shadows!" Ricky said coldly. As he said that his infernal power was rising. There was a roaring sound and a fist of flame punched out


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    In the next second, the leg and the flame fist collided. All of a sudden, the strong waves from the collision filled the platform and then swept out all the flames that were on the platform.

 Chapter 164 Their Best Cards

    With an enormous blast of energy, the two of them were flung back several feet away from each other by the immense power.


    Without wasting a second, the two immediately rushed back towards each other as fast as they could the moment they regained their footing.


    Bang, Bang!


    Before they could react or say anything, another sound from a violent collision resounded in the ring. Flames from the intense blasts of powers surged and spread around them.


    It was hard to follow their movements. One moment they were in the east, fighting, and in a blink of an eye, they were already in the completely opposite direction.


    In a battle as fierce as this one, neither of them could afford to reduce their energy and power. Instead, they had to increase it and push their Blood Purification to its limit.


    This kind of battle was a true test to their abilities. They had to bring their physical power to the maximum.


    After striking at each other more than a hundred times, both their energies changed tremendously. In that moment, they both activated the power of the manual. Magnificent black runes surrounded Ivan, while rich scarlet runes covered Ricky.


    Ivan stretched out his arm and punched into the air with a black rune spreading black spiritual energy. From his fist emerged an image of a black viper teeming with venom and cruelty racing at enormous speed towards Ricky.


    "The bite of the viper!" Ivan hissed.


    "Blood devouring!" Ricky wasted no time. He channeled his own power to counter his opponent''s attack. The scarlet rune that ran with Ricky''s punch projected a bloody mouth.


    Boom!


    In a flash, the two runic powers collided with intensity. The black viper and bloody mouth started attacking each other, every attack by one being met by the same intensity as the other.


    The black viper, like an invincible thorn, pierced fiercely into the blood mouth. And the bloody mouth poised to swallow the black viper with its strong devouring power and transform it into Ricky''s own power.


    However, Ricky had underestimated the runic power of Ivan. Unb


    ee Body Refining Formula.


    Then Ricky clenched his fists and rushed towards the shadows with his Body Refining Formula.


    "You are so naive! Do you really think you are strong enough to resist my rods?" Ivan said ferociously upon seeing Ricky use his body refining to resist his power. He could hardly wait to see how Ricky was going to be beaten by him.


    "You know, maybe I''ll be scared if you actually had that power. But right now, it seems like you just are not strong enough. I can deal with you with my bare hands!" Ricky replied.


    Boom!


    Ricky collided head first with the shadows of rods spreading flames with Ivan''s fists! The power of the Sixth Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula was definitely strong enough. Even the most powerful flames could not get through it. Not to mention the two kinds of Beast Fire.


    Therefore, every punch from Ricky could crush several shadows with ease.


    "How is that possible? Such a powerful method of body refining!" Ivan hissed, enraged upon seeing what was happening.


    In spite of his disbelief, Ivan didn''t stop striking. He mercilessly smashed the real Golden Iron Rod surrounded with Beast Fire towards Ricky.


    Ivan put all of his might into this blow, making it the strongest one yet. He combined the power of the two kinds of Beast Fire, believing that it was enough to break Ricky''s body refining method.

 Chapter 165 The Broken Armor Of Spirit Level

    The Golden Iron Rod, with its tremendous momentum and power¡ªthe combined strength of two kinds of Beast Fire?¡ªlaunched a roaring fire towards Ricky. Ivan thought that Ricky should have been overwhelmed after being attacked by such a strong force even if he had already reached the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    But to his surprise, there was no hint of fear in Ricky''s eyes. In fact, he wore a smirk and even laughed really loud in a dismissive manner.


    After a few seconds, Ricky retreated almost all of the powers on his body, except for the power of Devouring Fire. Ivan then saw that Ricky''s whole body was filled with bloody flame.


    But Ricky wasn''t done. He threw a flame punch straight toward Ivan''s Golden Iron Rod!


    Ivan finally broke into a series of derisive laughter. Then, he spoke, "Are you scared or what?" Ivan was rather pleased to see Ricky''s counterattacks, which he thought was stupid.


    However, if one looked closely, there was also a trace of vigilance in his gleaming eyes. After so many times of being in battle with Ricky, Ivan pretended to look down on him. But deep inside, he knew all along that Ricky was a genius whose talents surpassed him, whether in martial art skills or weapon casting. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be that eager to kill Ricky.


    Based on how Ivan knew Ricky, his counterattack at the moment should not be that weak. Ivan was then worried that Ricky might have some tricks behind his moves. Therefore, besides being glad, he was likewise vigilant.


    Bang! Ricky''s punch hit the Golden Iron Rod. Immediately, the two kinds of powerful energies were head to head against each other. Of course, at that very moment, Ivan''s force was far greater than Rick''s.


    In this duel, Ricky would almost certainly lose.


    However, everything took a 360 degrees turn the next second. Ricky''s Devouring Fire exploded all of sudden and with its bloody mouth, it began to easily devour the two kinds of Beast Fire on Ivan''s Golden Iron Rod.


    In a split second, more than half of the two kinds of Beast Fire were swallowed, while the power of the Golden Iron Rod was also weakened by more than half!


    Puff! Being caught off guard, Ivan spewed out a lot of blood.


    The two kinds of Beast Fire were connected with his veins. Even if he were to lose just one, he would be seriously injured. At that moment, however, both kinds of Beast Fire were swallowed up by more than half!


    "No way! How could that bloody flame devour my Beast Fire!" Ivan screamed at the top of his lungs. He felt insulted with what had just happened.


    He was already cautious with any of Ricky''s fu


    lm as they usually did.


    "Hmmm, your armor, if I guess right, is a spiritual weapon that is superior to mortal weapons. Yet, it must have been broken or I could never resist its power and light," Ricky told him.


    "I can''t believe you can figure out that this is a broken armor of Spirit Level!" Ivan said with a bit of a panic. Ricky was right. The armor on his body was a broken armor of Spirit Level. In fact, it was also quite incomplete.


    ''However, even so, this incomplete spiritual-level armor, coupled with its force on its array was enough to turn Ricky into ashes! But why was Ricky not hurt at all?'' Ivan contemplated. He was very puzzled about how things turned out.


    Clang! Clang! At that time, Ricky''s Iron Destroyer rattled again, bringing Ivan''s attention back to him.


    As a weapon casting master of intermediate Mortal Level, not to mention his years of experience in the Casting Guild, Ivan immediately detected the grade of Ricky''s Iron Destroyer.


    "You... Your saber is half a step into Spirit Level! It''s a Demi-spirit Level weapon!" Ivan uttered while he continued to tremble a little.


    "Yes, I don''t know why it took you so long to realize that," Ricky said while he smiled a little.


    "No! No!" Ivan yelled, shaking his head violently. "Even though your saber is Demi-spirit Level, you couldn''t have been unhurt at all!"


    "It''s true that weapons of Demi-spirit Level can''t resist the attack of that of Spirit Level, not even when it''s broken," Ricky agreed while he nodded.


    Then, he continued, "But there is always an exception. The power of weapons at Demi-spirit Level depends on who makes them. If he is an innate spirit as well as a real casting master at Spirit Level, everything will be quite different."

 Chapter 166 The Appearance of The Iron Pagoda

    In general, weapons of Demi-spirit Level were really impossible to collide with incomplete spiritual weapons because spiritual weapons were far more superior, given its own psychic intelligence.


    There was, however, an exception to this rule: it would be possible to collide the two if the Demi-spirit weapon were to be cast by a genius casting master of Spirit Level. This was because in that particular situation, this kind of Demi-spirit weapon would contain genuine innate power as well as an innate sight.


    Thus it would be able to compete with the incomplete spiritual weapon.


    Just now, the armor had released its power. At the same time, the innate power of Iron Destroyer had also been activated, thereby protecting Ricky from getting tragically hurt.


    "Is this Iron Destroyer cast by the old guy¡ªAlexander?" Ivan blurted out in astonishment.


    "Humph! Didn''t your parents ever teach you to be polite while talking to others?" Ricky said coldly. The next moment, he raised the Iron Destroyer and slashed at Ivan.


    "Boom!" Once again, the Iron Destroyer collided with the black armor.


    Already expecting brute force from the collision, Ricky immediately retreated several steps after the collision. Ivan also retreated, but he wasn''t as quick. Blood flowed out from his mouth due to the strong vibration from the collision.


    "Ricky, you will never break my defense using your Demi-spirit weapon. Don''t even think about it!" Ivan roared, the fear in his eyes showing.


    "Humph! Don''t fool yourself anymore. You and I both know that by the time you passed the nine stairs, the innate power of your armor had already been almost depleted," Ricky sneered.


    "Complete spiritual weapons can automatically generate innate power. Incomplete spiritual weapons, on the other hand, cannot. Thus, long before the innate power of my Iron Destroyer is exhausted, the power of your armor will have been exhausted first.


    Besides, even if the power of your armor does not get exhausted, you will still die due to constant collisions, whereas I, at most, will only be seriously hurt by them. No matter what happens, I will still be the winner, and all of the opportunities in this Iron Pagoda will still belong to me."


    "Ricky! You!" Ivan roared unwillingly after hearing Ricky''s wo


    of course. Thus he figured out a way to solve his problem¡ªpossession. Once he possessed the body of a warrior, he would be able to walk out of the Earth Fire Place.


    Now that he had decided to possess a warrior''s body, he wanted to choose the strongest one here. Thus he set up opportunities to attract warriors like Ricky to battle for them. The person who passed the test and became the winner would naturally be the warrior he chose to possess. This was the so-called opportunity prepared for the warriors.


    "Now do you understand?" The man laughed haughtily.


    "Yes. I understand," Ricky said faintly as he started to accept his doom.


    "To be honest, you really surprised me. The weird devouring flame, the mysterious power and the indomitable spirit, I''d never seen any of those before!" The man exclaimed.


    "It seems to me that you are a person with a lot of amazing opportunities. You must be very unwilling now.


    But you may rest assured that I''ll inherit everything you have and make them even more powerful. You should be happy knowing that."


    ''Go to hell! There''s no way I''ll be happy because of being possessed by you!'' Ricky cursed in his mind after hearing the man''s words. He couldn''t say his thoughts out loud. He didn''t want to displease the man any further.


    "Close your eyes. This way, you''ll feel better as I am possessing you. Otherwise you will have to die in torture," the man said as he prepared himself for the possession.


    "Wait a minute! I want to talk to you first!" Ricky yelled.

 Chapter 167 Heaven Melting Pagoda

    "Oh? Any last words?" The man in fire robe paused for a moment upon hearing Ricky''s words. "Spit it out. Maybe I''ll do it for you when I go out."


    "No last words. I just wanted to check. You don''t want to be revived in a new guise, do you?" Ricky probed.


    "Why?" Asked the man, with his arms crossed, obviously interested in what Ricky was saying.


    "Some elders told me that the Earth Fire Place has been here for a long time. In recent centuries, it would appear every thirty years, and yet many talented warriors still queued up to get in," said Ricky.


    "If you actually did want to get out of here, then you would have done it earlier before. That being said, you actually have no other choice but to leave this place because you know that the Earth Fire Place is going to be destroyed!"


    "Ha-ha, you are a smart one, I have to say!" the man said, bursting into laughter as he heard Ricky''s explanation.


    "You are right. Reviving in a new guise wasn''t my purpose in the first place. I truly just wanted to stay alive. I''ve seen too many warriors struggling to live in the river of time.


    As a soul of weapon, our strength fades when we''re damaged. But I like being a soul of weapon because we could stay alive forever even if we don''t cultivate ourselves. It''s been boring though, I have to say. But as your saying goes, better a living dog than a dead lion."


    "If you don''t mean to revive in a new guise, why won''t you just let me go? You are the soul of the pagoda. You must know a way to transform it, to make it smaller. Do it, so we could leave together. Isn''t that a much better solution?" Ricky suggested, his tone full of hope.


    "You wish!" said the man.


    "There are two reasons why I will never agree to your proposition. For one, human warriors are far too dishonest. I will never believe a thing you say. You said we will be leaving together, but I know you''re planning to subdue me with the help of your seniors once we get out of here


    "That''s not my plan. I swear!" Ricky said, clearly agitated.


    "A human warrior''s vow is the last thing I would believe!" exclaimed


    into it, the more it made sense. The Earth Fire Place was created by Heaven Melting Dragon. It only made sense that the treasure of Heaven Melting Dragon tribe was here.


    "So, Heaven Melting Pagoda! What is its stage?" Ricky asked curiously as he calmed down.


    "Spiritual weapons are weaker than sacred weapons, and sacred ones are weaker than supreme ones. I used to be on top of the supreme tools, but ever since I got damaged, I became as weak as a middle stage spiritual tool," explained Heaven Melting Pagoda.


    "Oh my! He used to be that strong!" Ricky said, his voice cracking. After his astonishment faded, Ricky''s thoughts wandered as he thought about Heaven Melting Pagoda being badly damaged.


    Even so, Ricky was still rather pleased because now, Heaven Melting Pagoda had the power strong enough to rival any middle stage spiritual weapon.


    Those were so rare that they could not be found even in the Earth Fire Land!


    "Ha-ha, the visit to the Earth Fire Place was actually a really productive trip!" Ricky laughed in his mind as he thought of all the things he had gotten from the Earth Fire Place.


    "I''ve told you everything. Now, can I ask you a question, Master?" The man asked cautiously, feeling Ricky''s excitement.


    "Go ahead!" said Ricky.


    "Master, how come you have Heaven Melting Fire in your body?" the man asked, excited as he anticipated his master''s answer.

 Chapter 168 Gain The Heaven Melting Fire

    "You want to get the Heaven Melting Fire in me!" Ricky mused upon hearing the question from the man.


    "Master, what are you talking about? I would never dare covet your Heaven Melting Fire!" the man replied, his voice quivering with fear.


    "It doesn''t matter. You''d never be able to get it even if you wanted to. I will tell you why I have the fire later. First, let me ask you this. What is the relationship between you and the Heaven Melting Fire? You are the Heaven Melting Pagoda, so why are you so afraid of the fire?" said Ricky.


    Ricky moved the Heaven Melting Pagoda from his Soul Sea without taking down the Heaven Melting Fire which was still surrounding it.


    Ricky knew he could beat this man, but he was still cautious. He didn''t dare believe a single word Alva said.


    From the way he treated Ricky before, this old guy must be crafty!


    "I was cast from the Heaven Melting Fire. In a way, the Heaven Melting Fire is my parents, and even though it can bring me back to life, it can also destroy me," the man said solemnly.


    "Well, how can the Heaven Melting Fire bring you back to life?" asked Ricky.


    "As long as you let me stay in the fire, I can heal myself. One day, I can retrieve the power of the magic weapon!" the man said excitedly.


    "Is that so? Then why should I keep you in my Heaven Melting Fire?" Ricky said, feeling a little bit dissatisfied, "In other words, what would I gain by helping you recover?"


    "Well..." the man said, struggling to find the right answer to Ricky''s question.


    After everything he had been through, he was almost disabled. There wasn''t really anything he could offer that would benefit Ricky. Besides, he understood that there was a price to pay in exchange for everything. And Ricky... well, he was too smart to be fooled by this man.


    Then, the man came up with a compromise. "I''ll take you as my owner. Right now, I might be a mere spiritual weapon of intermediate level, but I still have a lot to offer and I can certainly help you in your battles," he proposed seriously.


    "Ha-ha. Why didn''t you just


    tter how rotten I became inside, I never did forget how much they helped by casting me," he said.


    "Alright, let''s work this out. When the dragon is born, I''ll release you, so that you can take the dragon as your owner," Ricky said after a moment of thinking.


    "Thank you, my owner!" Alva squealed in delight.


    Ricky, of course, did not want to break the relationship with the pagoda. He still had his own principles. Besides, he believed that he could be friends with the Heaven Melting Dragon, and he would never take things away from his friend.


    "It''s okay. I get it. Since you are the treasure of the Heaven Melting Dragon tribe, you should be able to take them as your owner." Ricky then continued, "So, how are you going to heal yourself with the Heaven Melting Fire?"


    "All you have to do is pour a bit of Heaven Melting Fire into your right arm, and it will be enough for me to recover for a long time!" Alva explained.


    "Okay," said Ricky.


    Ricky took some Heaven Melting Fire from the Chaotic Fire Zone and poured it into his right arm. Alva then flew into his arm. At once, an image of a scarlet pagoda appeared in his arm.


    "Alva, how long does it take to make the Earth Fire Place disappear?" asked Ricky.


    "About four days."


    "Four days? Now that I am your owner, do you know of any other way I could get out of this Earth Fire Place?" asked Ricky.

 Chapter 169 Disappearance Of The Earth Fire Place

    "My master, I''m afraid you can''t leave this place right now. But when this Earth Fire Place disappears, I can get you out of here without being noticed by anyone. Even an innate spirit would not discover your departure," said Alva with confidence. He lowered his head and bowed to show respect for his master.


    ''Even an innate spirit would not discover me when I leave! That is just incredible. Can he really pull that off?'' Ricky thought to himself. He was so astonished at the man''s capability of making him leave without being noticed.


    "Yes, my master. I am a real treasure and I can do that. Although I''ve been hurt badly, I can still perform my power. The least I can do is to help you escape without being detected," Alva stated confidently as he reassured Ricky. It was as if he had already read his master''s mind.


    "I am so glad to hear what you can do and that you''re sure of it. If that''s true, please, I need you to get me out of here when the time comes," Ricky said in a helpless tone.


    It was no secret that several other warriors had already died in the Heaven Melting Pagoda. They were killed by no other than the Beast Fire. To them, once you enter the pagoda, there would be no certainty that you would be able to come out alive. All of this was seen and witnessed by all the other warriors who refused to go in. But even if Ricky escaped the pagoda undetected, he would still be mobbed by a group of angry warriors all because of what he might have gained inside of it. Even if Elder Alexander gave him protection, it wouldn''t be enough to control a crazy mob.


    The theory that the pagoda could have the ability to aide his escape meant that he could have more time and energy to fight off the greedy men outside of the pagoda. This thought alone lifted some weight off his shoulders.


    "Oh, Alva, here is another thing. About those Beast Fires inside the pagoda... do you still need them?" Ricky asked nonchalantly.


    "My master, throughout the years I have collected Beast Fires to restore my energy and strength. I do not need them anymore, master. I owe it to the Heaven Melting Fire that I have finally gained and recovered my strength completely. Please, feel free to engulf these fires!" Alva replied enthusiastically.


    "It seems that you have already known that there is another fire existing in my body," Ricky said positively as he had already expected that Alva knew about his special power.


    "You are right, my master. You used such a special fire without any reservation in my body. There''s no way I wouldn''t be able to feel it!" Alva replied.


    "Oh, and by the way, my master...which kind of fire would that be?" he added.


    "It''s the Devouring Fire. Have you, by any chance, heard anything about it?" Ricky had no intention of hiding the fact away from him. This special power did not require secrecy. He went straight to the point and discussed the essentials of the Devouring Fire in his body. Alva''s face was crumpled, as he tried to understand and remember if he had ever encountered such skill before.


    "What?! The Devouring Fire! What a surprise! Oh, stupid me! I should have thought of that!" Alva''s eyes widened as he realized that what Ricky had was indeed the Devouring Fire.


    "Oh? Are you familiar with it?"


    "Yes, my master. As a matter of fact, I was born from the Heaven Melting Fire. I had the privilege of containing any kind of fire in my body. Back in the days, the Heaven Melting Dragon acquired many fires and put them inside my body to increase my strength.


    The dragon also tried to absorb the Devouring Fire. But it failed to take it in.


    An


    d them from the window. He felt relieved when he saw them standing there unscathed through the window of the pagoda. "I''m sorry guys, but I really have to go. I can''t let the others see me. Meet me some other day and I''ll explain everything to you," he muttered in a low voice, apologizing, though they actually couldn''t hear him.


    Soon, the Heaven Melting Pagoda came rushing toward the entrance of the passage.


    All eyes were on to the pagoda, some of them were the many demi-immortals and the several innate spirits. Given this situation, the Heaven Melting Pagoda met Ricky''s order and quickly fled the Earth Fire Place. Then, Ricky took a look at Elder Alexander from far before he maneuvered the pagoda to fly to the Snow Sect as quickly as possible.


    At this point, Ricky should not be seen by anyone, especially those from the Earth Fire Land. With this, he decided to go back to the Snow Sect first to avoid any fuss and think about what he should do next.


    ...


    Soon, news about the Earth Fire Place flew all over the region. Since many people heard the loud noise from the sandstorm as the Heaven Melting Pagoda launched itself from the ground.


    Versions of the story were told from one person to the other. This only brought shock and fear to everyone.


    It was said that a mysterious pagoda materialized out of nowhere and lured talented warriors. It was also said that the pagoda was clever to use the Beast Fire to kill the warriors one by one. The news was all too gruesome and frightening for everyone who heard about it.


    This story only made everyone in the Earth Fire Land curious. They kept on wondering about all sorts of things--what the pagoda was, where it came from, and even what its purpose was.


    Organizations and clans sent their best warriors to the place where the Earth Fire Place allegedly appeared. They tried to find out clues as to what it was doing there. But unfortunately, their efforts were in vain because as soon as they set foot on to the place, the Earth Fire Place had already vanished. Not a single trace of information was left for them. If it were true, they did not even know where it would appear next.


    When everyone in the Earth Fire Land was busying digging out the information of the mysterious pagoda, Ricky had already arrived in the Snow Sect. All of this and his escape would not be possible if it were not for the Heaven Melting Pagoda.

 Chapter 170 Predicament Of The Misty South Faction

    In a few months, the competition became more and more fierce among the Snow Sect, it was the power play between the two major forces-- Zenith and Boris. Neither one nor the other wanted to give in, and they put everything on the line to get their hands on the glory of victory.


    The longer Boris stepped into the realm of middle spiritual king and showed persistence, the more vicious and aggressive the competition turned into. If two men ride on a horse, one must ride behind.


    While the major core disciples and inner disciples got roped by the two camps, unable to do anything else, the rest of them might as well had been roped, too, since they only stayed still, perfectly rooted to the spot. They all quietly watched with bated breaths, not wanting to miss even a second of the battle before them.


    However, Zenith had the upper hand. For one thing, he himself was a middle spiritual king long before Boris even stepped a foot into this realm, and as if that wasn''t enough of an advantage, two-thirds of the elders supported him. He had a solid backing and it wasn''t easy to beat him down.


    The entire Snow Sect seemed calm, but beneath the cool surface of the water was a violent current, surging though the whole of the ocean and sweeping everything that dared to come along its path.


    ......


    Meanwhile, Ricky''s return certainly gained a lot of attention--both welcome and unwelcome.


    It was a good thing that the people had no idea of what happened in the Earth Fire Land, otherwise this curious attention would have turned into an explosive one. People wouldn''t stop talking about it, for sure, and Ricky wanted to avoid that as much as possible. Gaining attention due to people''s curiosity was okay, but it was a different story for the kind of attention that fueled people''s judgment.


    ''First, I will deal with the matters of the Misty South Faction and leave the Snow Sect. Otherwise, Boris would take the opportunity to attack me once what I did in the Earth Fire Land spreads here, '' Ricky thought.


    ''Besides, knowing that I have come back, those forces in the Earth Fire Land will come and hunt me down, too.''


    Soon, Ricky returned to the small courtyard.


    Seeing Grace and Heather brought a soft smile on his lips. He approached them in a steady pace and was received with warm familiarity. He then engaged in a conversation with them, telling them all about what happened in the Casting Guild and trying not to leave any detail behind. He felt comfortable with these two women, and he didn''t feel the need to hide anything. He was sure they would never turn on him. And then, Ricky took out the Beast Fire that he acquired from Heaven Melting Pagoda and handed it to them. He believed the Beast Fire suited Grace and Heather more than him. The Beast Fire might be powerful, but it wasn''t the only thing that Ricky had up his sleeves. And so, he decided to let it go.


    The two women split the Beast Fires and the fire essence between them and thanked Ricky profusely. It wasn''t everyday that they got their hands on the Beast Fire. Knowing how difficult it was to acquire it, they appreciated his gesture even more.


    As for Grace refining the Beast Fire, Ricky wasn''t worried at all. She was skilled and knowledgeable, and with her help, Heather would have no problems refining her share of the Beast Fire. They were a team.


    Once they were finished talking about the Beast Fire and its refinement, they proceeded to discuss the Misty South Faction.


    Grace told Ricky that the Misty South Faction in the Snow Sect was currently in a difficult situation.


    This was m


    ellow apprentices," Ricky said calmly. "We''ll talk about the rest of the plan once they''re here."


    "They might be currently in a separate dwelling," Heather reminded him.


    "When did our Misty South Faction come to have a separate dwelling?" Ricky asked, surprised. He was curious when something major had taken place.


    "A sect without a separate dwelling cannot be called a sect. So after you left, Grace and I, together with Autelan and Edgar, built the separate dwelling," Heather replied, sounding a little proud of what they had accomplished.


    "Usually, we find them cultivating in that courtyard."


    "Well, let''s go and meet them."


    It didn''t take long for Ricky and Heather to reach the desolate hill through the inner door. Above the hill was the very humble separate dwelling. It was the type of dwelling that didn''t attract attention, and if Ricky didn''t know what he was looking for, he wouldn''t have noticed it. It was very discreet--something he approved of.


    The inside was not that big, and there were only several casually decorated rooms. It was obvious it was designed only for cultivating and not for comfort.


    Upon Ricky''s arrival, Edgar and Autelan came out.


    "It has been three months since you acted like a hands-off boss and left us. Now, you''re finally back." Autelan pointed an accusing finger at Ricky, narrowing his eyes scornfully at him.


    "Come on, I knew there''d be no problem even if I left. You''re here, so there''s nothing to worry about. Everything always goes smoothly whenever you''re around," Ricky said, laughing heartily.


    As he laughed, Ricky observed Autelan''s current state. He could sense that Autelan was no longer at the level of Blood Purification, which meant that he must have reached Bone Reinforcement.


    "Don''t give me any of your shitty compliments. Damn, I really regret joining your Misty South Faction," Autelan grunted, his brows furrowed together. He tried to sound tough, but he was more akin to a whining child.


    "Aw, too bad, you can''t back out now. You''re stuck to me and my faction," Ricky said with a playful wink.


    "I can''t believe you just said that," Autelan growled, obviously annoyed at how true Ricky''s words were.


    He was about to complain some more, however, something bright and red caught his eye. His jaw dropped when he realized what it was. There, dancing on Ricky''s right hand, was the Beast Fire.

 Chapter 171 Caleb And Elvis

    "That is Beast Fire!" Autelan looked at the flame, his eyes wide with amusement. He wanted so badly to swallow it in one gulp.


    Beast Fire was so immensely alluring that even geniuses like Autelan could not hide their greed.


    "Autelan, the Beast Fire is for you. Do you feel better now?" Ricky smiled.


    "That''s sounds better!" Autelan said, praising Ricky as he hastily took the Beast Fire into his own hands.


    While others might not be able to hold Beast Fire with their bare hands, Autelan could do it easily as he had already achieved Bone Reinforcement.


    "Edgar, I also prepare one for you, but given your current capacity, you won''t be able to control it yet. So, I will give it to the sect chief when I meet him so that he can refine it for you," Ricky said, his attention turning to Edgar.


    "Thank you so much, Ricky! I appreciate it!" Edgar exclaimed happily.


    "You seem to have reaped abundant fruits during your trip to the Earth Fire Land. Beast Fire isn''t something you can just get anywhere. It is so uncommon that it cannot be met without resort, but you got it regardless," Autelan said.


    "Autelan, it was just a fluke! I was just lucky, you know? If you go to the Earth Fire Land, you''ll surely get even more than I did," Ricky said.


    "Well, never mind. Since you have come here, you must know about the situation in the Misty South Faction," Autelan said. "To speak bluntly, the Misty South Faction now only exists in name. The few commanders that survive now have no one and nothing to lead."


    "Yes, I know all about it, Autelan. I always thought that establishing a faction was easy, but I was wrong," Ricky agreed. "Now that I have come back, I will make the Misty South Faction have tremendous sway in the Snow Sect, far beyond Casting Faction and Refinement Faction!"


    "Good plan, Ricky!" Edgar said in support of Ricky.


    "Ricky, the reason they were gone is because the Misty South Faction didn''t have enough inner overmatches," Autelan said. "If we can recruit two more from the top ten inner disciples, I have the faith that some warriors in the ninth or eighth grade of Blood Purification will join us.


    If more overmatches join us, disc


    hey had already gathered blood vitality above their hands in case Autelan would attack them.


    "Ha-ha, it''s him who wants to talk to you, not me!" Autelan laughed, pointing at Ricky.


    "Nice to meet you, Caleb and Elvis. I am Ricky!" Ricky said, walking towards them and shaking their hands.


    "Ricky, you are the head of the Misty South Faction," Caleb said, frowning.


    "Yes, it''s me. To be honest, I am here to invite you to join the Misty South Faction," Ricky said.


    "Ricky, we are well aware that you are a legendary figure in the Snow Sect, but we have already told you of our decision. We are determined not to join any faction," Caleb said.


    "We have declined as many as ten invitations from both Casting Faction and Refinement Faction, so don''t waste your time on us anymore," Elvis added.


    They didn''t say it explicitly, but their words implied that if strong factions like Casting Faction and Refinement Faction had been declined, then there was truly no chance for the poor weak Misty South Faction.


    "Ha-ha. Hear me out though. You refused them because none of them could offer you what you truly want," Ricky responded with a smile. He knew that he had the thing they wanted.


    "Ricky, what do you mean?" Caleb and Elvis said, clearly feeling offended. They didn''t like Ricky having treated them as people that could be bought with money.


    "Don''t be angry." Ricky smiled, as he took out two magnificent flames of Beast Fire.

 Chapter 172 Who Will Do The Examination

    The power of two balls of Beast Fire rapidly swept over the whole yard. Caleb and Elvis stared at them, shocked. They were even more astounded than Autelan had been.


    "This... This is the Beast Fire!" Caleb and Elvis looked at each other, mouths agape. Soon their eyes filled with greed, which they had to consciously conceal.


    "I''m never mean to people on my side. Don''t say anything superfluous. As long as you claim to the whole disciples of the Snow Sect that you''ve become members of my Misty South Faction, these two balls of Beast Fire will be given to you as gifts," Ricky said.


    After hearing this, Caleb and Elvis fell silent.


    Just as Ricky had guessed, the reason the Casting Faction and the Refinement Faction hadn''t recruited Caleb and Elvis successfully was because they hadn''t offered enough incentives.


    Beast Fire was appealing even to powerful warriors of Bone Reinforcement, let alone these two!


    "There''s no reason to hesitate. It''s normal to take money and then help to handle affairs. Besides, after joining my Misty South Faction, I won''t restrict you. You can still go about your own business." Ricky tried again to persuade them after he saw the flicker of hesitation in their eyes.


    But Caleb and Elvis were still silent.


    For some time, they remained mum.


    "It seems that they have rejected our invitation. Autelan, let''s go then!" Ricky said, intending to leave first.


    "Hold on, Ricky!" Caleb stopped him hurriedly.


    "Ricky, it''s a big deal to join a faction. So we need to consider this carefully. Could you please give us some time to think about it?" Elvis asked.


    "Fair point. How long do you need?" Ricky asked.


    ''The fish finally took the bait!'' he thought to himself.


    "An hour is enough!" Caleb said.


    "Alright then, can we stay here for a while before you make up your mind? Sorry to disturb you!" Ricky said.


    "It doesn''t matter. Never mind!" Caleb smiled.


    on''t hit you hard. Remember that safety goes first in this combat. We don''t want to hurt each other!" Autelan stood up with a warm smile.


    Autelan understood what Ricky meant. Ricky wanted to send a message that although you two were good, we were actually better.


    But Autelan just understood half of what Ricky meant.


    "Autelan, please lay out the terms!" Caleb and Elvis were ready to compete. They were actually eager to compete with this renowned genius.


    "I''m sorry to disrupt this but, I think you all misunderstood what I meant," Ricky said, scratching his head as he walked to them feeling a little embarrassed.


    "What?" The three warriors were all confused at this. Even Edgar and Heather who were standing nearby also exchanged puzzled looks.


    "Ricky, what exactly do you mean?" Caleb said, sounding irritated. He was beginning to think that Ricky was just playing jokes on them. After all, they still thought it was impossible for Ricky to send them two balls of Beast Fire.


    "I meant that the examination would not be done by Autelan. It would be done by me," Ricky said lightly, looking at them earnestly.


    However, his light words had the same effect as a clap of thunder exploding fiercely in the yard. It made all the people present rather stunned.

 Chapter 173 An Unexpected Reversal

    What Ricky said really shocked them. To be exact, it was what he was proposing that really took them by surprise.


    Was Ricky really a genius in their eyes? Yes, he was! That went without saying!


    But they knew Ricky''s strength and the history of his timeline in Blood Purification. So, if Ricky wanted to challenge Caleb and Elvis, it was impossible for it to be an evenly matched battle!


    All of them were at the peak of ninth grade of Blood Purification. Even if Ricky had the ability to challenge his superiors, he would at least have to reach the eighth grade of Blood Purification. After all, the ninth grade was the highest level in this realm!


    And both of them were the strongest in this realm.


    "Ricky, that''s not funny at all!" Caleb sneered. "It''s like you''re telling us that you never looked up to us in the first place!"


    "Ricky, let me do it!" Autelan reminded Ricky in a deep voice. He too thought that this proposal was inappropriate.


    If he were in Caleb and Elvis'' shoes, he would also think Ricky was belittling him.


    Ricky had spent a costly amount to invite Caleb and Elvis. There was no need to provoke them at this point, because it was definitely against Ricky''s goal!


    What was more, in such a situation, Caleb and Elvis would not show mercy in the battle. Even if Autelan was present, he might not be able to stop them in time!


    "It''s just a pure curiosity on my part. I mean no offense at all!" Ricky smiled earnestly.


    At the same time, he also said to Autelan confidently, "Autelan, you can trust me. I don''t think I''ve disappointed you yet!"


    "Alright! Be careful!" Autelan said reluctantly. Although he didn''t think Ricky could succeed, he still held out some hope for this warrior who had surprised everyone again and again.


    "Well! Since you are so ''confident'' about this, we''ll accept your challenge!" Caleb and Elvis agreed, both still a little peeved. They had decided to


    fication while Edgar was at the second grade. How on earth did Ricky manage to be at the seventh grade so quickly!?


    However, what shocked them more was Ricky could stand up to warriors who were at the ninth grade of Blood Purification.


    Even a genius in the Heaven Wood Land wouldn''t challenge someone better than himself!


    ......


    As Elvis still reeled in shock, a powerful wave swept through his fist in an instant. It devoured most of his strength in a flash. It was the power of Devouring Fire!


    Then, Elvis also felt another powerful strength. It was so manic and intense that it blasted into the meridians of his right arm through his own fist.


    "Bang!" Elvis''s body trembled and retreated heavily. Then a powerful force swept to his chest from the right arm. Suddenly, a spurt of blood shot out from his mouth.


    Everyone was in disbelief, their mouths opened in absolute shock.


    Especially for Elvis, who felt rather alarmed because he had been beaten by a warrior whom he thought was weaker than him.


    Ricky didn''t retreat at all and his momentum increased sharply. Then he threw a punch directly towards to Caleb.


    "Caleb, you should fight with me too. Because this is an examination after all!" Ricky grinned as his powerful punch raced towards to Caleb.

 Chapter 174 Another Sacred Fire

    When Caleb saw Ricky''s flaming fist, he immediately gathered all his power and used his Ice Punch to deflect it!


    But with a thunderous noise, Caleb was forced to stumble back and spat out blood too.


    Ricky then stopped striking him.


    At this moment, Ricky was satisfied with the strength of his move.


    This move was what Ricky called the "Devouring Flame Fist", which was created by using his Devouring Fire to absorb nearly a hundred Beast Fires. Ricky had of course comprehended it from the mental cultivation method of Chaotic Fire Skill.


    The so-called Devouring Flame Fist was the combination of Devouring Fire and Heaven Melting Fire. In the collision, the Devouring Fire would strongly suck the opponent''s strength first. Then the Heaven Melting Fire would give the opponent an unexpected strike with great force.


    Under such circumstances, as long as the opponent was not stronger than Ricky, he or she would not be able to easily deflect that strike.


    What happened to Caleb and Elvis right now had just proved this point.


    In reality, when Ricky devoured nearly a hundred Beast Fires, his strength had become equal to the ninth stage of the Blood Purification, because nearly all the power of Beast Fire was consumed by the Devouring Fire. Therefore, it was impossible that Caleb and Elvis would defeat him!


    But now they instead were both defeated, which proved that the Devouring Flame Fist that Ricky had comprehended was so powerful.


    Of course, it was only now that Ricky confirmed the capacity of this move.


    ''You didn''t let me down, Chaotic Fire Skill! Now combined with the Devouring Skill, nobody will able to stop me in the Realm of Wildness, '' Ricky thought to himself, feeling quite confident and elated.


    ¡­¡­


    "I''m impressed. You''re both great! If the Misty South Faction has you two as members, it will definitely improve a lot," Ricky said Caleb and Elvis, smiling.


    However, Heather and Edgar were thinking, ''Such a liar Ricky is.'' Of course, Autelan, Caleb and Elvis felt the same way!


    But right now, Autelan


    also tell others that the Misty South Faction is recruiting members," said Ricky.


    "This time, if anyone joins us, we will recruit them all. Of course, those who cause trouble will be thrown out."


    "Got it!" Edgar nodded.


    "Well, this time, we are going all out. Let''s see how the Casting Faction and Refinement Faction are going to respond," Autelan said vigorously.


    Autelan was rather morose because he hadn''t trained for three months and encountered things like Ricky had.


    They then sat in silence, waiting for news from Caleb and Elvis.


    ¡­¡­


    "I believe you felt something just now, my owner!" Alva suddenly said.


    "Yes, that resonance and feeling revealed to me a hint of another kind of power¡­ it''s quite similar to the Heaven Melting Fire!" Ricky told Alva.


    Now the Heaven Melting Pagoda had taken him as its master, he could talk to it alone in his head.


    "Alva, now that you''ve felt it, can you sense where it is in the courtyard of Caleb and Elvis?" asked Ricky.


    "You overestimate those losers. With their talent, how can there be sacred fire around them?" replied Alva scornfully.


    "Is it not in their courtyard?" Ricky replied, rather confused.


    "My master, if I''m right, there is only one person that has the other sacred fire! And that person was close to you!" said Alva.


    "What?" Ricky was rather shocked when he heard this.

 Chapter 175 The Two Factions Stirred.

    ''Think of the people around me? That is to say, either Heather, Edgar, or Autelan possesses another sacred fire, right?'' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Alva, don''t keep me guessing. Who is it?" Ricky asked eagerly.


    "My master, if I''m not mistaken, my sense of the sacred fire came from Autelan. Also, I have to tell you that I got another familiar sense from Autelan!" Alva went on.


    ''I know, I knew Autelan was out of the ordinary!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Alva, you said you''ve sensed something else. If it''s familiar, what is it?"


    "It is the Heaven Slaughtering Pagoda!" Alva confirmed.


    "Heaven Slaughtering Pagoda?" Ricky was startled by the name. He asked, "Could it be another divine artifact?"


    "Yes, my master. I am the one who watchfully guarded the Heaven Melting Dragon tribe. The Heaven Slaughtering Pagoda is the one that watchfully guarded the Five-clawed Golden Dragon tribe," Alva said. "It''s highly probable that Autelan has found the legacy of the Five-clawed Golden Dragon tribe, or that he has learned something from them by some stroke of luck.


    The Heaven Slaughtering Pagoda and the Heaven Slaughtering Fire... maybe both are in his possession!"


    "In that case, Alva, since you can sense Autelan''s Heaven Slaughtering Pagoda! Maybe Autelan can also feel your existing?" Ricky exclaimed excitedly.


    "I have no idea. Anyway, if the spirit of the Heaven Slaughtering Pagoda still exists, maybe he can feel me; if it does not exist, Autelan himself could only go as far as to guess the fire inside you is something extraordinary," Alva said.


    "My master, would you like me to undercut the stroke of luck that belongs to Autelan?" Alva asked menacingly.


    "Don''t think about this anymore! Maybe I will come up with an idea to steal the lucky chance given to somebody else, but I will never take it away from Autelan! Besides, Autelan is my friend!"


    "My master, I should have been more cautious in my choice of words! I am sorry for suggesting that." At the moment, Alva was fully aware of Ricky''s just and objective stance, so he gave an apology.


    "Alva, let us talk no more of it. Now that Autelan has got it, it''s his lucky chance," Ricky emphasized again.


    "My master, I understand!" Alva replied.


    At that moment, a plan began to form in Ricky''s mind. He was planning to snatch an opportunity to verify Aute


    ever. Somehow they have become mixed up!"


    "That isn''t an obstacle. We can recruit more people and secure our position first, then we must get around to weeding out the bad ones!" Ricky explained.


    "By the way, Edgar, How do you allocate and control their work?"


    "Ricky, I have divided our faction into ten halls first. Autelan has hand-picked ten hall chiefs to lead the halls. Everything is going smoothly for the time being," Edgar explained. "There is something very strange though. You know, we are all in motion, but by contrast, the other two factions remain motionless!"


    "That''s impossible. They may seem to do nothing, but they''ll make a big move soon!" Ricky predicted.


    "A big move? What sort of big move?" Edgar asked.


    "It''s hard to tell at the moment. For us, the immediate priority is to reinforce the management. We cannot afford a mistake!" Ricky gave an instruction. "As for the two factions, Caleb, Elvis, and I will act accordingly!


    After all, our Beast Fire is not something easy to handle!"


    "Good idea, Ricky." Edgar nodded in agreement with Ricky.


    ¡­ Just as Ricky expected, the other two factions were stirred by the Misty South Faction''s big moves. Two days later, sensational news was spreading like wildfire through the Snow Sect.


    The sensational news was that Clyde, who ranked fourth among the inner disciples, challenged Caleb and won a crushing victory. Hector, who was ranked sixth, challenged Elvis and won a sweeping victory as well.


    The news had instantly stolen the limelight away from the Misty South Faction.

 Chapter 176 The Counterstrike

    All the disciples, both the outer and inner ones were shocked by the news.


    Those who had wanted to join the Misty South Faction decided not to proceed with their plans to become a member of it for the time being. Those who had already joined the faction began to feel hesitant about whether they should stay there or quit the faction. But they did not make a move, instead waiting to see what would happen in the next. Although Caleb and Elvis were defeated, they were curious whether Autelan and Bertha would stand up and fight.


    ...


    Ricky, Autelan and other core members of the faction were already gathered in a room. They were discussing about what action they should take to prevent further deterioration and restore the reputation of the Misty South Faction.


    "I''m sure Caleb and Elvis lost their fights on purpose! I watched them very closely when they fought. And my conclusion is that they did not try their best at all!" Edgar said angrily as he hit the table with his fist and stood up.


    "What''s more, we gave them the Beast Fire. They had three days to refine the Beast Fire and they should have succeeded it! But they didn''t use it at all!"


    "I know! I know! How could they have really wanted to help and fight for the Misty South Faction!?" Autelan exclaimed angrily. "They probably offered to join and help us earlier because they wanted to improve the faction''s strength. That way, they could lose the fight deliberately when they went up against others as the disciples of our faction. How cunning they are!"


    "They are quite smart, aren''t they? At least, their trick worked. I have planned to take advantage of them. But unexpectedly, they played tricks on us!" Ricky also echoed with a dark look coming over his face. Deep inside his heart, Caleb and Elvis were now among the list of his enemies. He would hunt them down until the last days of their lives.


    They played nasty tricks on him, and he would make them pay for their behavior. Sooner or later, he would show them just what the consequences were for what they had done to him and the Misty South Faction.


    "Ricky, I feel so sorry for your loss. I mean, the Beast Fires you gave them!" Edgar said in anger again. They had played a bit of a gamble and wasted the precious Beast Fires. It was a big shame to all of them, who dearly loved the Misty South Faction.


    "Yes, you should feel sorry. Giving Caleb and Elvis the Beast Fires was a wrong decision. You should have given those fires to me and Agnes!" The moment Edgar finished his words, another familiar voice spoke out complainingly.


    Everyone turned around and saw Bertha and Agnes walk in.


    "Bertha, Agnes! I''m so glad to see both of you! You finished your cultivation and here you are!" Heather stood up and greeted them with a radiant smile. Apparently, the three women had already gotten to know each other and seemed to get along well while Ricky was away.


    "Yes, here we are! But it seems that somebody has already forgotten us. He shared his precious fire with other people but not us!" Bertha pouted with a fierce expression as she glared at Ricky with her beautiful eyes.


    Immediately, Ricky realized what Bertha was referring to.


    "Hi, Bertha. It''s been a long time!


    and Wyn. So that''s probably why he can''t deal with Hector. And they can''t just send Bertha, a woman, to fight against Hector to protect those men in Misty South Faction, can they? Everyone would laugh at them if they sent her!" another man explained according to his own reasoning.


    "Oh, I understand now. That''s why Ricky has to do it himself!"


    "But, their powers are nowhere near the same level! Hector is much powerful than Ricky! Goodness, I can already tell that Ricky is doomed to lose the fight!"


    "Well, he doesn''t have another choice. Being defeated is better than being a coward, at least!"


    Whispers continued to circulate among the throng.


    "How dare Ricky challenge Hector! He is biting off more than he can chew! But I have to admit that it''s a brave move. He will for sure be defeated by Hector, yet he chose to fight against him!" a disciple from either the Casting Faction or the Refinement Faction laughed sarcastically.


    "He has always been an arrogant man. Everyone knows it! I know there are many people who hate to see that arrogance and pride on his face! This is an excellent chance to teach him a lesson. Hector will punch his stupid idea of establishing his ridiculous Misty South Faction right out of his head!"


    "Let''s just wait and see! I can''t wait to see his miserable failure. How do you think he will get off the arena?"


    "Ha-ha! He will either crawl off it or have to be carried off!"


    The two nameless disciples exchanged looks with each other before they burst into loud guffaws. Obviously, they were eager to see Ricky become a pathetic loser.


    "Ricky, I have to admit that you are very brave to challenge me!" Hector was the first to speak.


    ''It seems that Caleb and Elvis didn''t tell them my real strength. Who do they really work for?'' Ricky thought. He could hear the whispers in the crowd and could tell that his real strength was still unknown to the others judging from their assumptions and Hector''s arrogant tone.


    ...


    "Thank you for your praise! But you can save it for now, because you will soon know how brave I really am later when we fight!" Ricky replied with a confident smile.

 Chapter 177 Strong Arrogant

    "One move! It will take just one move to crush you!" Hector said arrogantly, his figure tall and straight.


    "You should know that everyone who has said that to me are now all dead!" Ricky grinned.


    "Is that so? Then show me!" Hector''s tone abruptly changed from arrogance into coldness, and his powerful aura turned into a sharp claw which came right at Ricky.


    When it came to this level of power, an ordinary warrior at the seventh grade of Blood Purification would be severely injured if he didn''t back off. But not Ricky. He merely waved his hands, and Hector''s attack instantly faded away!


    "Huh!? Seventh grade of Blood Purification!" Hector was taken aback once he realized Ricky''s level.


    When and how the hell did Ricky reach the seventh grade of Blood Purification!?


    "Seventh grade of Blood Purification! Ricky actually reached the level of seventh grade of Blood Purification!" many disciples around the battle platform murmured, also shocked! The powerful inner disciples also traded looks of surprise. This was unheard of!


    "What a tremendous speed of cultivation!"


    From many disciples came a unanimous feeling of shock, but some tried to cover it up with their contempt!


    "Did you guys see that? Ricky, who is only at seventh grade of Blood Purification, deflected the attack from Hector''s ninth grade of Blood Purification. This makes things extremely interesting!"


    "Ricky has always been able to challenge his seniors, which makes me wonder what''s going to happen this time..."


    "No way, ninth grade of Blood Purification? That''s the peak of that realm!"


    ....


    "So that''s why you''re so brave! You''re in the seventh grade now!" Hector remarked arrogantly. He felt that there was nothing to worry about.


    For him, ordinary warriors at ninth grade of Blood Purification were nobody, not to mention those at the seventh grade!


    "You can try!" said Ricky calmly.


    "Watch this claw. A single move it makes will be enough to make you want to flee this arena!" Hector smiled and his aura swept around. Suddenly, his figure popp


    "He is definitely a formidable warrior now!" said Grace with satisfaction, looking at the victorious figure on the battle platform. Heather had already told her about the extent of Ricky''s real power.


    "Good boy!" In the dais, the elders were also excited as they remarked among themselves, "Ricky''s journey to the Earth Fire Land has not been in vain!"


    "Humph!" To all of these, Elder Logan didn''t bother concealing his disdain.


    This battle was not only a fight between factions, but also a parallel to the looming battle between Zenith and Boris, so the elders had hastily come to watch.


    ....


    Apart from Ricky''s secret strength, his victory was largely due to the fact that Hector had underestimated him. If Hector had known Ricky''s power from the beginning, he would have certainly put up a fight!


    However, what was done was done!


    Feeling the gaze of the entire square of people on him, Ricky looked at Gennadi and Wyn, and said loudly, "Gennadi, Wyn, I am now challenging both of you! Care to come fight me?"


    The square gasped in collective surprise.


    "What?... I heard that right, didn''t I? Ricky is now challenging the first and second ranking inner disciples at the same time!?"


    "You didn''t get it wrong..."


    ....


    At Ricky''s bold move, even the disciples who had supported Ricky originally felt as though he was being a bit too arrogant!

 Chapter 178 Keep Challenging

    "How could he..." Elder Evan was at a loss for words as confusion engulfed him. Jaws dropped for everyone in the arena because none of them had expected the result of the combat.


    As a warrior at the seventh grade of Blood Purification, Ricky defeated Hector with a landslide victory. His win validated his strength and power to the eyes of the disciples. And this only proved that The Misty South Faction was a force to be reckoned with and that his goals were achieved.


    Given his current victory, he did not need to complete one more challenge. He was already done.


    But, Ricky, being himself, being one of the legends in the history of martial arts, decided to take on more challenges. Not only did he choose to accept more fights, but he also chose to battle the top one and top two of the inner disciples at the same time. As the battle went on to two against one, Ricky could prove his strength and his worth not only to the audience in the arena, but also to the entire marital arts community.


    Generally speaking, if one, being at the seventh grade of Blood Purification, could defeat someone at the ninth grade of Blood Purification, then surely he would be renowned as a genius in the martial arts. And now, Ricky did not stop at merely defeating Hector. The insatiable thirst for more victories truly made him try to defeat two at once and those new opponents were both senior warriors at the ninth grade of Blood Purification, two grades above him. In those eyes of spectators, he must have been either wildly arrogant or completely insane.


    This was the way Ricky''s brain was wired. He was vengeful. He would take down anyone who oppressed and look down on the Misty South Faction. To him, it was not enough that he got to keep his faction. To him, it was a must to knock all the enemies down.


    But after Ricky made his announcement of who he was about to challenge, the audience gasped and stared at Gennadi and Wyn, the top one and top two respectively. All eyes were on them as the disciples awaited the warriors'' response to the invitation.


    The top two inner disciples were shocked at the challenge. They never knew that Ricky could be so arrogant. They never expected Ricky to have that much greed and anger towards them for once opposing the Misty South Faction. To them, Ricky was crazy for revenge and dominance.


    Both Gennadi and Wyn were irritated by Ricky''s condescending action. It made them envious on Ricky''s journey to power and improvement that he could already match theirs. How could he reach that strength in such a short period of time? It also made them feel that they were underestimated by such an obnoxious warrior. How could a seventh grade of Blood Purification warrior beat two warriors both two grades above him at the same time? He must be dreaming!


    "So? Do you accept the challenge or not? Give me an answer!" Ricky asked once again, impatiently.


    "Ricky, you are too arrogant! We are certainly going to accept your challenge to make you know yourself better. But today, we don''t need to have a fight against you as you have consumed too much energy with your previous fights. At this time tomorrow, it is I, Gennadi, who will fight till you know why I am regarded as the best among others,"


    Gennadi replied coldly wit


    e to take advantage and attack his weak spots," Gennadi said slightly, with a sinister smile emerging on his lips.


    ......


    Meanwhile, Ricky and his allies were in a circle in a small room in the Misty South Faction''s courtyard.


    "Ricky, you didn''t need to make such a brag today. It will be much more dangerous for you to deal with both Gennadi and Wyn at the same time. Think about it. By now, they must have figured out a way to beat you during the one-day break," Autelan said.


    "And another point should be taken into consideration -- Gennadi is most likely to have almost made himself to Bone Reinforcement!"


    Autelan warned Ricky. With their assumption of Gennadi''s power, Edgar and the others became anxious about tomorrow''s battle.


    The almost complete access to Bone Reinforcement meant that Gennadi''s power had been utterly upgraded and even preceded the power of Blood Purification.


    "Autelan, take it easy. I am well aware of his intent of rejecting today''s battle. And, he must fight against me for over one hundred rounds before he''ll know about my ace," Ricky replied with a kind of fearless confidence written on his face.


    "Wyn, he will not stand out to fight against me, because he needs to retain his pride and his title as a genius."


    "As for Gennadi, he is indeed a tricky figure to deal with. I didn''t know that he''s almost about to reach Bone Reinforcement. But, needless to say, I have no fear of any warriors of Blood Purification. He still belongs in this level anyway and hasn''t surpassed it. Why should I be bothered?"


    Ricky said with a fearless tone. His courage blinded and shocked the people who were listening to him. All just hoped that nothing went wrong in the battle tomorrow.


    "You are one incredible guy...always so confident, and even arrogant!" Autelan laughed and said, shaking his head slightly at the sound of Ricky''s firm belief in tomorrow''s victory.


    Autelan felt more relieved when he knew that his warnings were not in vain. Somehow he did believe in Ricky because the other day, some power inside of him was resonating with the red fire inside of Ricky. And that definitely wasn''t anything simple to deal with.

 Chapter 179 War Of Rise

    The next day, the square was crowded again. Almost every disciple and Elder in the Snow Sect were present.


    Zenith and Boris ought to be among them, observing secretly. Nobody knew their exact location.


    At that moment, no sound could be heard. Everyone had their eyes set on the arena. Two opponents'' strength was unfathomable so disciples stopped discussing and just opted to wait for the outcome.


    More moments of silence passed by.


    On the arena, Ricky and Gennadi looked at each other from a distance, and their powers had already clashed in the air.


    "Why? Why is it only you? Where is Wyn? I want to challenge the both of you today!" Ricky said, his voice full of disdain.


    "I can take you down alone!" Gennadi stated confidently.


    "Is that so? I''m giving you the last chance to consider whether you want to fight alone or not. Once the battle starts, nobody will be allowed to join you and you might regret that," Ricky exclaimed with a grin.


    "Is there anything wrong with your ears? I have already told you that I can take you up all by myself!" Gennadi retorted back.


    Bang! Without any kind of warning, Gennadi''s power went up, at the same time, his feet trampling violently on the ground. With the force of his power, dust flew up and Gennadi had already come to Ricky. Then, he jumped really high. The flaming spiritual energy around his legs slashed towards Ricky.


    The wise ones must have noticed that even though Gennadi''s spiritual energy was impenetrable, his real power was concealed in his body.


    ''It is the collision of bodily force. He must have heard about my devouring power from Hector, '' Ricky analyzed, having figured out the true nature of Gennadi''s power source.


    ''In this case, I''d better counter attack with my bodily power, too!'' Ricky decided.


    Soaring at a really fast speed, Ricky punched heavily into Gennadi''s feet. When the airwaves dispersed like a ripple, they turned around, reuniting into aggression once more.


    "Fire Forging Body!" Gennadi shouted furiously. In a second, strong flaming spiritual energy was emitted from him.


    However, it went back to his body very soon. And as a result, it brought great changes to Gennadi.


    d have been Ricky who fell off the arena yesterday.


    But now, he must admit that Ricky was stronger than him. Although, he was still reluctant to do so.


    "Ricky is such a scourge!" Wyn said coldly.


    He knew very well that Gennadi''s bodily power had almost reached its limitation, but Ricky could resist it with ease. Thus, Ricky''s body refining was also superior to his.


    "Elder Logan once said that Ricky''s body refining cultivation method is only fit for the warriors without spiritual meridian. Is that true?" Wyn asked, confusion being apparent in his voice.


    "Wyn, let''s take a closer look so that we can know the truth," Hector whispered to Wyn.


    In the arena, Ricky and Gennadi were talking once more.


    "Ricky, I confess that I have underestimated you, but you know body refining isn''t my strength. If this is your full potential, you''d better dissolve the Misty South Faction as soon as possible!"


    Gennadi said contemptuously as he kept on increasing the power of the flames on his body.


    It was obvious that Gennadi wouldn''t hold back from then on, ready to defeat Ricky with everything he had.


    Ricky just smiled because he knew that if he had given out the Fifth Degree of Nine-Degree of Body Refining Formula just then, Gennadi would have already failed.


    So Ricky said, "I hope from now on, you can go far beyond what you have performed so far because this will be the war of rise for me. It would be dull if you''re too weak."

 Chapter 180 A Sinister Cultivation Method

    "You used me as a mere stepping stone?" Gennadi asked furiously, his jaw clenched tight as his hands balled into fists.


    "If that''s how you see it, then so be it," Ricky answered as a cold smile crawled into his lips. He found Gennadi''s anger quite amusing and made no effort to dissipate it.


    "Damn it! You''ll pay for this!" Gennadi thundered, his body visibly trembling with fury. He gritted his teeth and let out a battle cry, yet it didn''t seem to faze his opponent. Then all of a sudden, he was in front of Ricky and about to unleash his first attack.


    He drew out his sword and immediately activated sword-light power. The spiritual energy of fire burst from within and surrounded his whole body. He aimed his sword at Ricky, eyes full of killing intent.


    Gennadi was fast, but Ricky was faster. In one swift motion, Ricky dodged his attack and pulled out Iron Destroyer from his back, wielding the flame strike. His saber then collided with Gennadi''s sword.


    Although it may look like Ricky was giving it his all, he was actually holding back. He did not use the innate power of his Iron Destroyer, as he wanted to fight Gennadi using only the natural strength of his saber.


    A Demi-spirit Level weapon itself was enough to fight even demi-immortal warriors. There was no need to use more power than necessary.


    The way Ricky was handling the fight didn''t escape Elder Samuel and Elder Logan''s eyes. The moment Ricky pulled out Iron Destroyer, they knew he wasn''t using 100% to fight, yet they could also tell that the saber alone was enough to guarantee his victory.


    "That is no ordinary saber! It''s of Demi-spirit Level and it has powers that only real immortals could comprehend. This only means one thing... The saber was re-casted by Elder Alexander," Elder Samuel muttered under his breath. He still could not believe his eyes.


    "A Demi-spirit Level saber made by an innate spiritual king and casting master of Spirit Level! How marvelous! I wish I could have his saber and everything else that made him so powerful.


    But he''s being so flashy right now. His saber is attracting a dangerous amount of attention. Isn''t he worried that his saber might get stolen by other people?"


    Elder Samuel''s gaze switched to Elder Logan and saw greed in his eyes. He knew what he was thinking and he couldn''t deny that he was tempted, too.


    After all, that was not the kind of saber they could make even if they placed their lives on the line.


    ......


    But Ricky was not concerned about those things. Right now, all he cared about was beating Gennadi.


    "My master, please do not initiate the Devouring Skill. Something''s wrong with Gennadi''s spiritual energy. It seems fairly dangerous!" Alva exclaimed, reminding Ricky of the risk.


    "Oh, really? What kind of danger?" Ricky asked, wondering what Alva was talking about.


    But Ricky was not going to use the power o


    ke a venomous poison.


    Ricky soon found out what the black and red liquid was truly after: his meridian. Once the liquid touched his meridian, it began to deteriorate.


    Seeing that his plan seemed to be working, Gennadi started laughing. "What''s wrong, Ricky? Does it hurt?"


    "It''s nothing I didn''t expect!" Ricky answered, not wanting Gennadi to think he already won. As he watched his meridian dissolving, he thought darkly, ''Gennadi... he''s evil. I will not die, but at this rate, my meridian will be completely destroyed and beyond repair. It will affect my overall strength and I may be branded as a loser.''


    But wait, this was not where it would all end. He had the Heaven Melting Pagoda, after all.


    He gritted his teeth and summoned another surge of flames which burned the red and black liquid. It quickly turned into steam and left Ricky''s body with no visible damage.


    "Alva, were you able to identify those things?" asked Ricky, wiping sweat off his forehead while keeping his eyes on Gennadi.


    "My master, I think Gennadi cultivated a kind of technique that created toxins. The more he cultivated, the stronger the fire toxin gets. It also seems to grow without limits," Alva said, a deep frown on his face. "Imagine what would have happened if you had devoured the whole thing. Devouring even just a little of it already caused this much damage to your meridian. I''m afraid, in my current state, I''m not strong enough to remove all the fire toxin from your system."


    "Are you saying he cultivate a method to create toxic fire? I must admit he''s done a great job, but that doesn''t mean I will just let him do what he wants," Ricky said coldly as he glared at Gennadi with murderous eyes. He was seeing red.


    Now that he realized Gennadi wanted to kill him in such a sinister way, he felt an intense desire to return the favor. What was better than to use his saber and chop Gennadi''s head in two?

 Chapter 181 The Final Aces

    Boom!


    Another deafening sound was let out by another collision of the two powers moving with immense momentum, causing the temperature to rise once again as countless flame spiritual energies ignited all around the whole battle platform. In that moment, the two warriors were forced to retreat.


    However, they were not quick enough to spare themselves from any damages. Both of their top clothes were immediately burned to ashes from being too close to the powerful blaze.


    Now that their tops were both burned to ashes, the lean, masculine bodies of the two warriors became exposed to the public.


    But more than that, even their bodies were not able to escape the wrath of the fierce flame wave. Their bodies were covered with blood, deep gashes and burn wounds covered almost every inch of their bodies.


    The two of them spit out a mouthful of blood.


    They immediately dug their weapons into the ground in order to regain their footing. Yet, the massive force from the collision still managed to throw them to the corner ends of the battle platform.


    "How could their collision be so fierce? Are they really warriors at the Blood Purification?" some disciples exclaimed. They could not take their eyes off the intense competition.


    "Yes, even collisions between warriors at the first grade of Bone Refinement can only be that fierce."


    "Wyn, how come didn''t Ricky use his devouring power?" While the other disciples were astonished and confused, Hector kept to himself and thought about what was happening. After a while, he whispered, "If Ricky doesn''t use that power, Gennadi''s final ace will be useless, unless he chooses to use it in public!"


    "It appears that we have underestimated Ricky. A moment ago, it would have been the perfect time for him to use his devouring power, but he didn''t. It only means that he was able to detect Gennadi''s corrosive fire toxin skill," Wyn explained.


    ''What a terrible opponent! Elder Logan is right. Ricky has to be killed as soon as possible, before his cultivation improves any further. Else, things will get totally out of control, '' Wyn thought, his mind racing.


    Ricky and Gennadi had no time to listen to the people chatting. They had tricky troubles to handle.


    ''Why didn''t he use his mysterious devouring power just now? Was he able to detect my fire toxin skill? Damn it!'' Gennadi cursed in his mind upon seeing that Ricky still looked the same, aside from the injuries on his body.


    ''His fire toxin didn''t work. I''m guessing his next move would probably be the final collision!'' Ricky thought to himself. ''Ha, that''s what I am hoping for as well. It is time for me to take his place as the number one inner disciple.''


    "I have to say, Ricky, I''m impressed. Your fighting power is a lot stronger


    are those who have no rivals of the same level. Second class geniuses are those who are able to challenge warriors one level higher than them. First class geniuses, on the other hand, are those who have the ability to challenge warriors who are as much as two levels higher than they are. Gennadi, as I mentioned, is a third class genius," Alva explained.


    "Based on your current situation, My master, you rank among the first class geniuses," Alva noted.


    A moment later, he continued, "Even more powerful than the first class genius is the so called peerless genius. These geniuses are able to challenge even those three levels higher than them. In the whole Misty South, peerless geniuses can only be seen from the top forces."


    "You said there are five classes, but you''ve only mentioned four. What is the other one?" Ricky couldn''t help but ask to satiate his curiosity.


    "Above the peerless geniuses, there are those called wizard geniuses or genies!" Alva replied. "They can challenge those up to four levels higher than them. Since their existence transcends the truth, they are just too rare to see.


    If such wizard geniuses and genies don''t die, they will become the sole strong warriors on a continent!"


    "The peerless genius, wizard genius, genie¡­ Wow, I hope I one day get to meet some of them," Ricky said in a barely audible voice.


    He had let himself get too caught up in his conversation with Alva. Now, he had to fully concentrate once again on the battle with Gennadi.


    In the explosion of his momentum, Ricky''s whole body turned into dark blue from the light blue color it had been before due to his absorption of nearly a hundred kinds of Beast Fire.


    "Now that I am at the peak of the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, I hope it will be enough to defeat Gennadi!" Ricky muttered to himself.

 Chapter 182 The Strongest One Among The Inner Disciples

    ''He has already cultivated to the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula!'' Zenith thought, looking at Ricky''s blue body. There was a flash of surprise and excitement in his eyes.


    However, as Ricky had already given him a great deal of excitement and surprise before, Zenith now remained pretty calm. Perhaps he would actually be surprised if Ricky didn''t break out the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    People including Elder Evan looked at each other in surprise at the sight of the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    But as to be expected, Boris and Elder Logan were staring at Ricky murderously.


    "Father, just set your heart at rest. He won''t let you down," Grace said, feeling relatively confident.


    ...


    Ricky felt that his body had become even more powerful than ever before once he reached the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. Now he did not feel the least bit threatened by Gennadi''s virulent strikes.


    "Chaotic Fire Skill¡ªHeaven Melting Strike!"


    With his Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, Ricky activated the Chaotic Fire Skill. His burning body was now covered by a sea of roaring flames and runes, which were born of the Heaven Melting Fire and shaped chaotic fire runes.


    Now that Alva had suggested using raging power, the Heaven Melting Fire together with the Chaotic Fire Skill should be the most volatile power.


    ''It''s that kind of fire again. I should make some time to talk with Ricky about that, '' Autelan thought to himself at this moment, because he felt the strong resonance again.


    With his body tilting downwards, Ricky slashed at Gennadi.


    It was just an ordinary slash, but all the Elders keenly felt the strong raging power in it. Ricky''s rage even made them a little scared.


    "Could this be a strong Beast Fire?" many Elders speculated at once.


    "Clang!" The sound of metal clashing rang through the air. Ricky''s saber collided heavily with Gennadi''s sword.


    "Boom!"


    A resounding thunderclap shook the air. The power of two flames collided fiercely like two falling firmaments. The power exploded instantly, as if was going to sweep everything away.


    Thick strands of fir


    It was blatantly obvious who emerged the victor.


    "How come? How is it even possible? Why didn''t you get hurt at all?" Gennadi shouted angrily as he pounded the arena with his fists. He looked at Ricky with his bloodshot eyes, itching to kill Ricky for all eternity.


    "Just because I''m stronger than you!" Ricky said lightly, "As I suggested earlier, you two should have competed with me together. But you were still too overconfident to accept."


    As he spoke, Ricky walked to Gennadi''s side.


    "Please remember that this is the second time I have defeated you. The first time, you lost your position as leader of the Casting Faction. This second time, I became the strongest among all the inner disciples. If there''s a third time, I won''t let you get off so easily!"


    And with this, Ricky delivered a swift and merciless kick, causing Gennadi to fly off the arena. As he hit the ground, he lost consciousness.


    Then, Ricky looked around the arena and loudly announced, "If anyone else from the Casting and Refinement Factions want to cause any trouble, just come to me. I''ll be happy to accommodate you!"


    Even if Ricky had only said this with an even tone, many disciples still felt fear strike in their hearts. It was a warning well understood.


    ...


    "Caleb, I dare say that Ricky''s fire is not just the Beast Fire!"


    "Our chief has already sent us an order that we can choose a suitable day to attack him. We''ll know more about it when that time comes."

 Chapter 183 Mutant - Body Of Water Spirit

    With Ricky''s leadership, the Misty South Faction had turned into the strongest faction among the Snow Sect. No one could equal Ricky in strength since that battle.


    The Misty South Faction owned many outstanding core disciples and Elders, so its core members were not inferior to the people of Casting Faction or the Refinement Faction. As a newly established faction, it wiped out the Casting Faction and the Refinement Faction in less than half a year. It was something that could be truly counted as a miracle.


    That was also a powerful example of Ricky''s ability. To some extent, he himself was a miracle.


    After that war, a lot of disciples among the Snow Sect wanted to joint in the Misty South Faction. So much so that some of the disciples from the Casting Faction and the Body Refinement Faction were trying to withdraw from their own faction to join the Misty South Faction.


    The Misty South Faction was strict in enrolling disciples however. Ricky had already given orders that anyone who was admitted to the Misty South Faction must be a person of decent character.


    Besides that, Ricky made Edgar sweep away the disciples who that did not comply with the rules. He also gave orders to promote the disciples who had strong loyalties toward the Misty South Faction.


    After all, being united as one was crucial for a faction, or else it would collapse in on itself at any minute.


    Ricky then began to cultivate in seclusion after clearly giving those instructions. He chose that time to do his cultivation, not because he wanted to make a breakthrough, but as a method to recover and rest. The battle had consumed much of his strength.


    Before his cultivation, an unexpected person came for a visit--Dora, the girl from the same clan as Agnes.


    Dora stared at Ricky with love and affection. She seemed to be full of desire, which made Ricky feel a little bit shy and even somewhat afraid.


    He could sense that Dora was thirsty for love.


    "Dora, what are you doing here? As far as I can remember, we are not that close," said Ricky in uncertainty.


    "It does not matter. We will get familiar with each other if we hang out with each other more often!" she ogled his body while expressing her affection. She had a slender figure with slightly-bent waist. She strolled gracefully towards Ricky with the most beautiful smile on


    s depending on luckiness and opportunity. Other than that, there are also some mutants who evolved from the blood power of innate spirit!" Dora said.


    "A mutant can evolve from the blood power of innate spirit?" Ricky asked.


    "Some of the blood power of the innate spirit is strong, some are weak. The people with weak blood power of innate spirit may be different from ordinary people, while the people with strong blood power of innate spirit are born to have a special physique. After years of reproduction, their descendants all were also mutants!" Dora explained.


    Then she added, "A person''s constitution is the individual specificity produced and influenced by the congenital endowment and acquired environment. When you break your congenital constitution, the blood power inside your body will become a unique version of it in the world. You will become a mutant too and pass it on to your descendants if you seize the great opportunity to do so."


    "Is that so? It is the first time that I have ever heard that," Ricky said.


    "The one with Body of Water Spirit is also a kind of mutant. Our ancestor gave this kind of physique to us because they found out the true spirit of water!" Dora added.


    "For female warriors, a woman with a Body of Water Spirit is extremely attractive. The one who takes the virginity of one of those women will get a third of their power!"


    "That is very tempting. You are saying that you are one of the people with a Body of Water Spirit, right?" Ricky asked as some hint of desire appeared from deep within his eyes.

 Chapter 184 Good Man Or Bad Man

    Now, Ricky understood that Dora told him that in order to prove to him that she was still a virgin. He also caught on to the reason for Lyndon''s mighty possessiveness of Dora before.


    The Dora''s current power level was the third degree of Blood Purification. If her description of Body of Water Spirit was true, when Ricky got one third of Dora''s power after taking her virginity, he would at least achieve the eighth degree of Blood Purification, if not the ninth degree.


    The lure was very strong. Besides gaining power, he could also have sex with a beautiful woman.


    However, Ricky had great control over any yearning for power or intimacy, so he suppressed the greed deep inside himself quickly.


    "That''s right. I have the Body of Water Spirit. Only three people know it, Lyndon, you, and me. You killed Lyndon, so only you and I know now," Dora said faithfully.


    "Do you still refuse me?"


    "You are so bold. If I remember correctly, once you lose your virginity, your cultivation will be depleted by a third!" Ricky said.


    "Yes, but it will happen sooner or later. I''d rather lose it to my lover who can protect me. If it is someone I trust, I don''t need to be anxious about it," Dora said.


    "What you love is just my status. I know you do not love me!" Ricky shook his head. "By the way, I''m not strong now. Aren''t you afraid that I will discard you after getting your cultivation?"


    "But I really do love you! I don''t believe you will abandon me because I know how you have acted in the past and that you are a good man. That''s why I am here for you!" Dora said.


    "You are right that what your offer is hard to decline, but some things matter more to me than power, so you''d better leave now!" Ricky said.


    "Just by saying that and playing hard to get you become even more desirable to me!" Dora wasn''t angry after hearing Ricky''s refusal. Instead, Dora wanted to st


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    o whatever it takes to be successful and live a longer life. I still try to act like a good man despite that, though!" Ricky explained.


    "Ha-ha, my master, I understand you loud and clear!" Alva laughed. "My master, what make me trust you most is the greatest virtue you have. I think your best trait is you treat the people around you so well!"


    "Is that true?" Ricky smiled.


    ...


    Afterwards, Ricky went to Elder Lucia''s and talked with her. In the end he left a flame of Beast fire with her. Ricky found out that Elder Lucia was the acquaintance of the three grandmasters of the Shui Clan.


    ...


    When he came back, Ricky closed his door to regulate the chaotic breathe after battles and then digest the battle experience. Thus, one day pasted quickly as night fell!


    In the yard of the Misty South Faction, everything was still. All the disciples were sleeping at that moment. They didn''t need to be alert and could relax because the Snow Sect was safe.


    Covered in darkness, a black shadow flashed through the yard and entered Ricky''s room.


    Without saying anything, the black shadow tried to strike directly at Ricky''s head.


    Ricky opened his eyes and warded the punch off because he was never truly defenseless and was always vigilant.

 Chapter 185 Exchange

    "I knew you were there when you were around 100 yards away!" "Who are you?" Ricky asked while holding his attacker''s fist. He slowly stood up and gave a cold look. "How dare you mess around here with the Snow Sect, or are you a member of the Snow Sect?!"


    "You want to know who I am?! There''s a simple solution if you want to know. You have to take me down in battle!" the man in black clothes laughed. Then, the man in black quickly jumped out of the window and sped towards the depths of the mountains.


    After a short hesitation, Ricky ran after him.


    This man in black did make Ricky feel a little threatened, but he did not truly feel like he was in danger. Moreover, he had Heaven Melting Pagoda, which made it possible for him to escape from even an innate spiritual king.


    Ricky chased the man in black, and soon they both came to a stop in the depths of the mountains!


    There were strange roaring and sounds of fierce beasts at the place they stopped within the mountains.


    "You finally stopped!" Ricky said after the man stopped.


    "I had no plan to run from you, but I didn''t want to disturb all the people of the Snow Sect!" The man in black turned around and said, "Let''s begin! If you win, you will learn who I am. If you lose, it will mean death for you!


    I also want to observe what skills you have as the Snow Sect''s new inner disciple!"


    "I just want to know who are you, and what your purpose is!" Ricky responded coldly.


    "My master, be careful! This man is very strong. He very likely is a warrior of Bone Reinforcement!" Alva reminded.


    Meanwhile, Ricky made the first move. He directly brought out his strongest power which was the cultivation method of Ice Cage Fingers. The frosty power of it was condensed around his body.


    Crack!


    The next moment, icy power condensed in Ricky''s right hand. With a wave of the Double Ice Cage Fingers, he smashed it into the man in black.


    "What an unimpressive trick!" the man in black just said with disdain. He was hardly affected by the strong power of the Double Ice Cage Fingers. His soles slammed onto the ground, his ene


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    irectly.


    "So it is Heaven Melting Fire! That is a familiar name!" Autelan said with some emotion creeping into his voice.


    "So, Autelan, is the golden flame on your body really a sacred fire? The Heaven Slaughtering Fire?" Ricky asked.


    "Yes, it''s just as you said!" Autelan was as frank as Ricky.


    "I''m guessing that''s not all you wanted since you went to the trouble of leading me outside here," Ricky whispered.


    "You are still so smart, Ricky. No one can fool you!" Autelan smiled, "Yes, confirming your skills and where your fire is from is not my main goal tonight."


    "The real thing I wanted to do was to exchange my fire for yours! Is that something that you would agree to?"


    "Haha haha! Autelan, you really know me very well!" Ricky laughed excitedly at Autelan''s proposal.


    The offer was exactly what he wanted.


    Originally, he wondered if Autelan would ever agree to the exchange. He did not expect that Autelan was as eager about it as he was.


    "It seems that even if I didn''t come to you today, you would still have come to me!" Autelan smiled at Ricky.


    "Autelan, this is a piece of Heaven Melting Fire!" Meanwhile, Ricky took out a cluster of fire from the Chaotic Fire Zone and handed it to Autelan.


    Autelan did the same and gave Ricky a cluster of his Heaven Slaughtering Fire.


    As for how the two of them got the fire, they were too smart to ask each other.

 Chapter 186 Caleb And Elviss Invitation

    Ricky and Autelan began to cultivate their powers in seclusion when they exchanged the sacred fires. They had to refine the fire as soon as possible so that they could cultivate the sacred fire in their body.


    Alva said that the Heaven Slaughtering Fire was the sacred fire belonged to Five-clawed Golden Dragons. Almost all Five-clawed Golden Dragons had the ability to control that fire. The Heaven Slaughtering Fire was good for offense on the battle but had no defensive capability.


    Therefore, it was a huge risk to use the Heaven Slaughtering Fire. One had to have the courage to burn their own body.


    "What a powerful and dangerous sacred fire! No wonder I always had faith in the amazing abilities of Autelan in battle!" Ricky said.


    "Such person is the worst kind of enemy!" Alva agreed.


    "I will also be that kind of person when I learn how to use the Heaven Slaughtering Fire. I am looking forward to it so much!" Ricky said excitedly, seeing the golden flame in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    He activated the Chaotic Fire Skill immediately and channeled the power of Devouring Fire and Heaven Melting Fire so as to cultivate the Heaven Slaughtering Fire.


    Only half a day later, Ricky had cultivated it completely.


    Alva was astonished.


    "My master, your, your speed is too incredibly fast!" Alva said in disbelief.


    "Really?" Ricky asked.


    "My master, I was born in the sacred fire. It''s a difficult task even for a person who is in his prime! Most people have to spend half a month cultivating the sacred fire corresponding within their realms!" Alva said.


    "Maybe I am a fire cultivating genius!" Ricky suggested with pride.


    Hearing that, Alva was speechless.


    Of course, Ricky clearly knew that it was thanks to the Chaotic Fire Zone and the Chaotic Fire Skill that he was able to cultivate the Heaven Slaughtering Fire so fast. The Chaotic Fire Zone seemed to be made for taming all powerful flames in the world. For Ricky, even if he put a wildfire into it without further cultivation, the fire could be absorbed by his Chaotic Fire Zone within days!


    ''Next


    e, you shall take charge of the Misty South Faction from now on. If you get into any trouble, you should seek help from Autelan. He will stay in the Snow Sect in case you need him!"


    "Don''t worry. I am sure you will see a totally different Misty South Faction when you come back!" Edgar responded.


    "Ha-ha, then thank you very much!"


    When night fell, Ricky secretly left the Snow Sect!


    To his surprise, Caleb and Elvis walked into his room before he left.


    "Caleb, Elvis, what is the matter?" Ricky asked in confusion.


    "Ricky, we found a good method that stands a chance of making a breakthrough. We need your help to do it. All three of us will share it then!" Caleb and Elvis said without any hesitation.


    "Oh? So what is this new method you found?" Ricky asked excitedly.


    "It is in the depth of snow mountains where there is a dangerous place full of lava. The area is a gathering place of beasts whose powers is at the peak level of Blood Purification!" Caleb said.


    "But before we can find it, there is a beast, Half-step to Bone Reinforcement actually. It is a bit tricky for us to fend off, so..." Elvis continued.


    "I know exactly what you mean. I am going to train outside anyway, so we can go there together," Ricky said.


    "But you should tell me what things will be like on the journey first!"


    "Of course, Ricky, have you ever heard of the Volcano Fruit?"

 Chapter 187 Infernal King Bear

    "Volcano Fruit?" Ricky muttered.


    "Leader, it is a kind of high-level Treasure from Heaven and Earth. It contains great power and fire energy. If a warrior gets one, his power and the energy of his fire will be at least doubled. That will last until the death of the warrior or after he breaks through into an innate spirit!" said Caleb.


    His tone was full of expectation.


    "Yes, it''s a Treasure from Heaven and Earth. It is invaluable for warriors who have Beast Fire. There is much more to it than that, though. It is named after the ''Volcano'', which means that the grade of this fruit is actually above a lot of Treasures from Heaven and Earth!" Elvis said with a pointed look.


    "That makes it such a precious thing!" Ricky was surprised again. No doubt he was absolutely tempted by that kind of fruit.


    However, he was also a careful person. He said to Alva, "Check the looks of them. Are they lying to me? Does that kind of fruit really exist?"


    "My master, I actually have heard of that kind of fruit before. It is really invaluable to you for your current stage. I suggest we go and check it out by ourselves just in case!" Alva said.


    "We will go then! We will do it to check out what those two''s intent is!" Ricky nodded.


    "I really appreciate it that you two bring me information that is so precious," Ricky said to show his acceptance to their invitation.


    "Leader, we are like family. You gave us Beast Fire before. More importantly than that, you are our leader now. It''s our duty to bring you information," Caleb said.


    "Otherwise, we would have to count on your power."


    "Ha-ha, if that is the case, I will take it. By the way, when will we go?" Ricky smiled.


    "Better earlier than later. First, a long night is fraught with dreams; second, you are intending to go out to practice and experience, right?" said Elvis.


    "Okay, we''re ready to go now as well."


    ....


    Immediately, the three of them departed the Snow Sect to try and find the so-called Volcano Fruit.


    The three reached their destination befor


    tely much stronger than any warriors in the same grade as it. The three of them actually couldn''t defeat the beast at first.


    Of course, Ricky did not use all his power at first!


    "My master, take your shot! Use the innate power of Iron Destroyer, and give this beast a blow. Make sure to kill it, but at the same time, keep some power for yourself. I think if you hold back a little, these two guys will show their claws!" reminded Alva.


    "Understood!"


    "You two, distract the beast from different sides!" I will give it a killing blow, so even if the blow does not directly kill it, it will lose a lot of power!" Ricky said.


    "Got it!" The other two nodded in agreement.


    In an instant, the two separated from each other. They burst the power of Beast Fire. It was the most effective power against the beast.


    This beast was Half-step to Bone Reinforcement and it had some intelligence, so it seemed it had figured out their trick. The beast didn''t pay much attention to the flanking attacks of the two men because of that. The beast had natural physical strength, so their attacks did nothing to it.


    The beast reared its head back and roared before rushing straight toward Ricky!


    " Half-step to Bone Reinforcement, huh! Smart beast! Whatever, you will die after this strike!" said Ricky with disdain, looking at the beast dashing towards him.

 Chapter 188 People From Endless Shadow

    "Leader, be careful!"


    the two yelled quite anxiously. Witnessing the Infernal King Bear channeled all of his powers to attack Ricky had made them both quite anxious. However, they just stretched their hands but did not move even a single step forward.


    ''It would be acceptable if both of Ricky and the Infernal King Bear lose this fight, '' they even thought of the same thing.


    The events that followed happened pretty quickly.


    "Kaboom!"


    A loud crash shook the entire place. Ricky''s strike directly collided with the Infernal King Bear''s lava burst. Tongues of flames and spiritual energy swept across half of the magma lake in one snap!


    Both Ricky and the Infernal King Bear''s figures were submerged.


    Only Ricky was able to notice the white light that glinted out of the Iron Destroyer which was actually the innate power that had been contained in the demi-spiritual energy.


    "Whoosh!" A lot of blood and scattered flesh gushed out of the flames and spiritual energies, which meant that the impact created by the collision was of tremendous power.


    Seeing the gory scene before them, both Caleb and Elvis let dark smiles paint their faces.


    It was known to the two of them that the power possessed by the Infernal King Bear was unparalleled. Even if Ricky had time to unleash his mysterious and formidable body refining cultivation method, it was of no use. Naturally, it was mostly Ricky''s flesh and blood that was shot out of the collision.


    In just a short amount of time, the flames and spiritual energies had dematerialized, and peace was slowly restored throughout the magma lake.


    The bodies of Ricky and the Infernal King Bear were nowhere to be found. Only the horrendous view of the flesh and bones on the verge of melting were discernible.


    "Leader!" "Leader!" the two called out tentatively in unison. However, there was no response.


    After the search, Ricky, as well as his body, weren''t discovered.


    "Ha! You call that a genius? Well then, we have finally killed one!" laughing boisterously, they assumed that the littered flesh belonged to Ricky.


    "I think we will be rewarded for killing Ricky, Caleb. After all, they once failed in doing so," Elvis stated exultantly, nudging Caleb on the ribs playfully.


    "You''re right! The reward will definitely give us a chance to enter the Bone


    i-immortal hit them squarely.


    Immediately, blood rushed out from both Elvis and Caleb''s mouths. The two of them fell and rolled around the island like crabs, screaming in pain. It was impossible for them to stand back up.


    The demi-immortal really was as powerful as they said. He was able to cripple two warriors at the peak of Blood Purification just by using the strength of his vigor.


    With a hostile look into the magma lake, the leader announced in a piercing voice, "I know you''re hiding in the iron pagoda now, Ricky! As long as you''re willing to come out and give me the pagoda, the conflict between you and the Endless Shadow shall cease! We can even be friends!


    You should know that not many people can be friends with our kind!"


    "Ha! Sure! As far as I know, everyone is your enemy!" Ricky mocked just as soon as the leader finished speaking. Slowly, he appeared on the very spot where the magma exploded.


    The killer leader was right. Ricky hid in the Heaven Melting Pagoda right after the collision against the Infernal King Bear. The Iron Destroyer itself possessed enough power to tear the Infernal King Bear into pieces.


    The only reason he stayed hidden was to find out what Elvis and Caleb were up to. He had his suspicions.


    The involvement of Elvis and Caleb with the Endless Shadow was unknown to Ricky, and little did he expect that the demi-immortal leader would somehow get to that place.


    Ultimately, Ricky knew that this was all because everything that had happened in the Earth Fire Place was no secret anymore.

 Chapter 189 The Pride Of The Heaven Melting Pagoda

    "You, Endless Shadow, are out of bounds. How dare you to put spies in the Snow Sect!? Even more, two of them are even in the top ten disciples," Ricky said again, walking away from the magma to the island.


    He was staring intently at Caleb and Elvis who were out of fighting strength.


    Ricky suspected that the two were actually from the Casting Faction and Refinement Faction, but Endless Shadow was beyond those thoughts. The situation with him was over a hundred times worse.


    "As I thought, the iron pagoda is an extraordinary spiritual space tool. Hand it over, and I will let you die decently!" Seeing Ricky appear out of nowhere, the leader of the assassins was certain about the rumor, so he made his commands proudly.


    The greed in his dark pupils was beyond description.


    "Hey, you just said that as long as I handed over the iron pagoda, you would let me go and that you''d have the Endless Shadow group become my allies. What? Now you want to kill me?" retorted Ricky. He was pissed off, after hearing the death threat.


    "What a stupid cad!" The assassin of Bone Reinforcement sneered in disdain.


    "Ha-ha! Did you not know that, except money and cultivation resources, Endless Shadows never fulfill their promises?!" laughed the leader of the assassin.


    "So, you mean to say that today I will be a dead man," Ricky said coldly, in a low voice.


    "Not necessarily. Although we, the Endless Shadow, aren''t likely to fulfill our promises, there are exceptions. Let''s say that today, I just might fulfill the promises I made." The leader of the assassins smiled hazily.


    "I will not kill you, but I will make you a Black Blood Corpse. So, you can stay alive, and be a friend of the Endless Shadow forever. I think that will be a better deal, right?


    Ha-ha, ha-ha!"


    The leader and the Bone Reinforcement assassin laughed together after they finished mocking Ricky.


    Even Caleb and Elvis were staring at Ricky angrily. They felt like they got hurt by the leader of the assassins because of him. It was very likely that they would not be able to get out of bed for a few months because of how beat up they were by the leader''s energy.


    "Although


    check what''s inside after I kill the others. Hopefully the contents won''t be too disappointing."


    "Alva, hold the warrior of Bone Reinforcement for me first!" Ricky commanded.


    "No problem!"


    Immediately, the power from the Heaven Melting Fire turned into a flame prison. It directly imprisoned the assassin of Bone Reinforcement.


    Then, Ricky looked at Caleb and Elvis before slowly walking toward them.


    "You two are really good at lying about everything. It was really a big surprise to me to learn that you are from the Endless Shadow!" Ricky grinned.


    His grin was twisted and malicious. It looked like the smile on the face of the devil to Caleb and Elvis.


    "Leader, p... please! We were forced to do it by the leader of the assassins. It''s not our business!" Caleb and Elvis cried.


    "Leave us alive, and we will be your servants forever!"


    "If you two were such good assassins, why are you so cowardly? Is it because you have been spies in the Snow Sect for such a long time that you have forgotten how to be assassins?!" Ricky demanded, shaking his head.


    "In that case, you two will be either a burden or just betrayers to me, so...."


    Before Ricky even finished, his Iron Destroyer flashed out and slashed their necks. Both of their heads rolled from their shoulders before they knew what happened.


    Then, Ricky looked at the assassin of Bone Reinforcement and said quietly, "Alva, release him of his imprisonment!"

 Chapter 190 The Stepping Stone To Breakthrough

    After Ricky finished his words, the prison made of Heaven Melting Fire in which the assassin of Bone Reinforcement was imprisoned disappeared.


    Meanwhile, in that moment, this assassin of Bone Reinforcement finally reacted to the death of the demi-immortal assassin. He didn''t become as useless as Caleb and Elvis, but his fierce eyes were also full of fear.


    In spite of everything, he also feared death.


    Nevertheless, he had behaved relatively well even though death was staring at him right in the face.


    "What are you planning to do? Why did you release me from your prison instead of killing me right away?" The assassin asked in a low voice, clearly very confused of Ricky''s behavior.


    "You are indeed an assassin. Only assassins like you can be that calm in the face of death," Ricky said, somehow appreciating the assassin''s nonchalant reaction.


    "Calm, as assassins can be, you say? I just don''t want to die in a pathetic way," the assassin of Bone Reinforcement said. "If I had the chance, I would definitely give you a fatal attack before I die."


    "Very well then, I''ll give you the chance." Ricky smiled.


    "What do you mean? Are you serious?" the assassin of Bone Reinforcement asked doubtfully.


    "If I''m not mistaken, you have just reached the first grade of Bone Reinforcement, right? Meanwhile, I''ve been stuck in the seventh grade of Blood Purification for a long time. Therefore, I want to use you as my stepping stone. Do you understand what I''m saying?" Ricky said, not beating around the bush.


    Consequently, the assassin of Bone Reinforcement became extremely enraged upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    "Don''t be so angry. You said that if you had the chance, you would give me a fatal attack. I just want to give you the chance. Whether you take it or not is up to you," Ricky said with a faint smile, "Perhaps you will thank me for this."


    "How vicious you are!" the assassin said fiercely upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    "I''m not as vicious as you, Endless Shadow. In order to kill me, you went as far as to dispatch a demi-immortal warrior!" Ricky responded.


    "Now, I will give you the chance to choose. If you choose to fight me, you may be able to give a fatal attack and kill me. Or you can just choose to die now and save me a lot of trouble."


    "I choose to fight with you," the assassin said fiercely with madness in his eyes.


    He was well aware that even if Ricky lost the fight, he still wouldn''t be able to kill Ricky. He was just too strong. But as long as there was even the smallest chan


    e black spiritual energy and the power of sword-light gathered, emerging with the assassin holding his sword.


    At the moment, the stab of this assassin was really amazing. Of course there was still a great distance compared with the ultimate performance that worked one''s sword in great harmony. But it could be regarded as a rarely seen stab of Bone Reinforcement.


    Ricky felt himself filling up with dread as he felt the danger he was in. He knew that the assassin''s move could prove to be fatal.


    "My master, it''s time for me to take action," Alva said, interrupting Ricky''s thoughts.


    However, Ricky refused Alva''s help.


    "Alva, this is exactly what I need. Only when I am in danger will I be able to push my power to the limit and finally reach the eighth grade of Blood Purification successfully. This way, I can also increase my fighting ability towards Bone Reinforcement. So thanks, but please don''t do anything to help me now."


    "But my master, you may not be able to withstand this move," Alva said in a worried tone.


    "Set your heart at rest. I''ve activated the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. I will not die here," Ricky said, comforting Alva.


    "You can imprison him after this collision. Just remember not to hurt him yet."


    "Alright, I''ll keep that in mind." Alva decided to put his faith in Ricky. After all, in all the time he had known Ricky, Ricky had always found a way to do exactly as he said.


    Later, when the assassin''s fatal stab emerged from the shadow and the darkness, Ricky regenerated his power instantly and let out his strongest attack.


    "Devouring Skill¡ªWrath Strike!" Ricky roared fiercely as he leaped up into the air.

 Chapter 191 Monkey Nine

    "Devouring" was from the Devouring Skill and Devouring Fire; "Wrath" was from Heaven Melting Fire and Chaotic Fire Skill!


    This strike was the apex of Ricky''s power.


    "Bang!"


    The collision of sword and saber was like the clash of the torrents of flame and an endless black hole. Waves swept the entire island, and their ripples disturbed the lake of magma!


    From the center of the collision, bright sparks and light burst forth, filling the whole place!


    Bang! With a dull sound, a figure flew straight out of the center of the explosion, crossed half of the island, and fell directly into the magma.


    Obviously, it was Ricky!


    Even he brought up his strongest power, there was no chance for him to beat this assassin of Bone Reinforcement!


    Right when Ricky fell into the magma, a cluster of Heaven Melting Fire shot out, wrapping itself like a cage around the assasin of Bone Reinforcement!


    The assasin had expected this coming and so didn''t care about it. Instead, he just stared directly at the magma where Ricky had landed.


    He wanted to know what price Ricky would pay!


    "Ha-ha, ha-ha! What a relief!" After a minute, laughter came out from the magma, together with a figure which leaped onto the island. It was, of course, Ricky.


    "How coult it be!?" the killer of Bone Reinforcement shut his eyes in disbelief. Was he seeing things? His last blow was supposed to have been fatal to Ricky. Having completed his task, he would have been satisfied to die!


    But the fact was that Ricky only acquired a few scrapes!


    Closing his eyes, the killer asked himself how it could be possible that such a powerful warrior at the seventh grade of Blood Purification existed in the Realm of Wildness. The young master of the Imperial Palace of Wildness, when he had been at the seventh grade of Blood Purification, was inferior to Ricky! Ricky would be a big threat to the Endless Shadow if he survived today!


    ....


    At that moment, Ricky was in an embarrassing state. His robe had bee


    k on Ricky''s face, he could see that he was serious about what he said, not joking in the slightest. Who didn''t want to live instead of dying?


    However, if he left, it meant that he betrayed Endless Shadow and would be hunted down forever. Once he was caught, death would be inevitable!


    ....


    "What''s your condition?" Monkey Nine finally got the courage to ask, after a brief moment of hesitation.


    "Ha-ha, what a pleasure to talk to someone who has guts!" Ricky laughed. "Not like the last assasin! Because of his fear of the Endless Shadow, he committed suicide!"


    "Maybe, that''s a better choice," said Monkey Nine quietly.


    "How can it be better? You still have chances as long as you are alive," Ricky said. "Even if you are ready to kill yourself, do it before get caught. It can''t be too late to kill yourself!"


    "You win. Tell me your terms!" said Monkey Nine quietly.


    "Quite simple. Serve me, and I will sapre you," said Ricky.


    "Serve you? Monkey Nine asked in surprise. For a moment he was quiet, before he raised his head, said slowly, "I don''t think you would need an apprentice like me."


    "Why not? I want an apprentice like you very much," smirked Ricky. "What do you think? All I need is an answer and an oath. I never treat my men unjustly. I believe you already know that from Caleb and Elvis."

 Chapter 192 Powerful Endless Shadow

    After hearing what Ricky said, Monkey Nine once again fell silent.


    "Since you are ready for death, you are ready for everything!" Ricky said. "I am really not looking for a servant, just a helper.


    I could really use a helper, specifically because two gangs of the Snow Sect, the Endless Shadow and the forces from the Earth Fire Land can hardly wait to kill me. I am sure you understand."


    "Yes, well, count me in!" Monkey Nine said.


    "Great! I hope we can be sincere fighting partners," Ricky said, smiling as he reached out to shake Monkey Nine''s hand.


    ....


    "Monkey Nine, your code name seems a little strange to me. Would it be okay if I called you ''Nine'' instead?" Ricky asked.


    "You can call me whatever you want. As for me, I will be calling you leader, just like Caleb and Elvis," said Monkey Nine.


    "Nine, do you want Beast Fire?" asked Ricky.


    "Even demi-immortal warriors rarely have the opportunity to have beast fire, so I would be lying if I said that I didn''t want it. Was the power you applied earlier the power of Beast Fire, leader?"


    "Yes!" Ricky confirmed. Then, Ricky went over to the headless bodies of Caleb and Elvis in tow with Monkey Nine.


    Without hesitation, Ricky directly applied Devouring Fire onto the bodies of the two, and in no time, the Beast Fires of the two were sucked out!


    "They are Beast Fires. How is it possible that they both have Beast Fire?" Monkey Nine said, shocked over what he was seeing. More than that, he was even more shocked that Ricky had the ability to suck out Beast Fires from the bodies.


    "I gave them those Beast Fires, but they betrayed me, so now I am taking it back," Ricky said grinning. "Now they are yours, just think of it as a welcome gift."


    "Thank you, leader!" Monkey Nine took the Beast Fires without hesitation.


    He also understood the hidden meaning behind Ricky''s words.


    "Nine, what do you know about the killers of Endless Shadow?" asked Ricky.


    "Just some management and divisions. After all, I am just in the first grade of Bone Reinforcement!" said Monkey Nine.


    "Then tell me something about that," said Ricky.


    "First


    ing made Ricky so excited. Inside the ring was tens of thousands of gold coins, and hundreds of thousands of silver coins. This kind of wealth almost equaled the wealth of an innate spiritual king!


    ''What a rich killer!'' Ricky exclaimed.


    Other than the coins, there were nine weapons of the advanced Mortal Level and dozens of intermediate Mortal Level weapons.


    More than that, there were also two other Treasures from Heaven and Earth apart from the Volcano Fruit.


    One was a black fruit about the size of two fists.


    "My master, this is an Infernal Black Fruit. It grows in dark places, and has a strong dark power. It is valuable for any killer," said Alva.


    "It seems that I don''t need it then, and neither does Autelan!" said Ricky.


    "My master, it would be useful to Monkey Nine," Alva replied.


    "If he wants this fruit, then I''ll give it to him once he proves his loyalty to me. Besides, I already gave him two Beast Fires. There''s no need to rush," said Ricky.


    Another Treasure from Heaven and Earth was the Soul Nourishing Herb just like the one given by Elder Alex. Without hesitation, Ricky refined it with his regained spiritual meridian!


    After all, his regained spiritual meridian didn''t require any Treasures from Heaven and Earth to nourish it. All it needed was absorb more fierce power.


    ''Now it''s time for me to refine this fruit!'' thought Ricky as he looked at the Volcano Fruit.

 Chapter 193 Enemy Of The Realm Of Wildness

    "Volcano Fruit, the fire, the power! I hope you do not disappoint me!" Locking his eyes on the green fruit with crimson shadows, Ricky exclaimed with excitement!


    Then, he went straight to the Devouring Skill and started to channel the power embedded in the Volcano Fruit.


    Thanks to the devouring cultivation method he learned, he didn''t have to take many of the Treasures from Heaven Earth orally anymore. He could just go directly to the Devouring Skill and refine them without any trouble.


    As the refinement began, he felt that the flame and power inside his body strengthening and improving simultaneously.


    The improvement on his flames was less drastic due to the Chaotic Fire Zone. But he knew he was getting stronger just by how his entire body felt.


    For an ordinary warrior at the eighth grade of Blood Purification, his power was approximately five thousand kilograms.


    As Ricky went on with the refinement of the fruit, he felt his power increasing by at least fifty kilograms every passing second.


    ''It seems that the fire from the Volcano Fruit isn''t of much use to me. But maybe its fire can help me fortify my power at the eighth grade of Blood Purification through the Devouring Skill!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    It took Ricky a whole day to complete the refinement of the Volcano Fruit. As a result, he had reinforced his current level of Blood Purification significantly.


    After a hard day''s work, he felt that his power grew by a thousand and five hundred kilograms! And thanks to his stronger power, Ricky''s strength would be no weaker than that of a warrior at the third grade of Bone Reinforcement!


    ''You did not disappoint me, Volcano Fruit!'' Ricky shouted eagerly in his heart as he initiated his internal strength to feel his new gained power rushing through his body.


    Now that he had reinforced his level at the eighth grade of Blood Purification, the power he obtained was no different to the power of a warrior of Bone Reinforcement!


    "My master, your next goal must be to take down an opponent who is three levels higher than you in Bone Reinforcement. You are going to be a genius no one should take easily!" Alva suggested. "Defeating someone at a higher level is a difficult task.


    If you could take down someone who is three levels higher than you in Bone Reinforcement, it could serve as a solid foundation for your breakthrough to the innate spirit! By that time, challenging someone who is three levels higher than you in the innate spirit stage should no longer be a problem!"


    "Take down someone who is three levels higher than me? Now that would be amazing! I''ve never thought about that before!" Ricky responded.


    "My master, be bold, please! You have every quality to achieve that. You own a peculiar fire and two sacred fires. Add to that, the powerful mysterious cultivation method and the incredible spiritual meridian! You are surely strong enough to take such challenge! There is no doubt in my mind that you will succeed in it!" Alva expounded further to his master.


    He was dwelling inside Ricky''s body for seve


    ation the Snow Sect was in for the time being. He was focused on accomplishing his goal at the Stone City!


    "Hey. I''ve heard them talking about you angrily. It seems that you did something really terrible in the Earth Fire Land. It looks like that the entire Realm of Wilderness is now your enemy!" Monkey Nine said to Ricky in a low voice. He had been holding back those words for quite a long time. He was finally able to utter them.


    "You know what? I''m regretting to promise to be your man now. I just came out from a trap and it seems that I''ve fallen into a bigger trap. I''m sure that there''s a whole lot crazier things waiting for me!" Monkey Nine continued in a regretful tone.


    "It''s too late to regret now! Just follow me and be my man!" Ricky said as he rolled his eyes at Monkey Nine. "The Stone City is our top priority!"


    "What about those who are searching for you? Anyone who finds us could probably crush us like ants!" Monkey Nine said as he furrowed his eyebrows, worries written all over his face.


    "You should just keep them at the back of your head. Whether you are worried about being discovered by them or not wouldn''t make any difference. They are hunting for us either way. So just focus on our priority for the time being," Ricky replied in a calm tone. He actually knew how Monkey Nine would feel. However, he was not the same Ricky he used to be. Being treated as a traitor and an enemy by the Nan Clan wasn''t exactly new to him. What he had learned from that lesson was that he had to grow to be a powerful man so that no one would dare go against him or his family and friends.


    "Well, you are right! There isn''t really anything I can do about it!" Hearing Ricky''s rational words, Monkey Nine couldn''t speak and just let out a deep breath. He had accepted the fact that there was no way he could escape working for Ricky.


    They stopped discussing and kept riding towards their destination.


    It wasn''t long until they heard some beasts roaring ahead of them. Soon, they saw a group of people heading towards them!

 Chapter 194 Show Up Firsthand

    These people were dressed in the color of blood, driving iron chariots led by armored bulls. These armored bulls stampeded fiercely, roaring the whole time.


    "The clothes of these people are..." Ricky murmured, looking at these people in red. His eyes turned hard and murderous, Monkey Nine observing this aptly.


    They were the members of the Bloody Gang, because all over the Stone City only them would be dressed in blood red clothing.


    "Leader, do you know them?" Monkey Nine asked.


    "Give way to them and I will tell you later," Ricky muttered.


    They dismounted from their galloping horses and pulled them to the roadside to make way for the chariots.


    When these people saw Monkey Nine and Ricky, they became extremely angry, looking as if they wanted to murder them. What they were doing must be of utmost secrecy.


    However, two of their leaders gestured for them to leave Ricky and Monkey Nine along.


    The warriors of Bloody Gang soon left the path quickly.


    While waiting, Ricky activated his regained spiritual meridian to perceive the power of the two leaders. He sensed that both of them were at the ninth grade of Blood Purification, only halfway to Bone Reinforcement.


    ...


    "They are members of the Bloody Gang," Ricky said.


    "Bloody Gang? Are they with Gilbert to hunt you down?" Monkey Nine asked.


    "Yes. They have revealed their murderous intent but they go through with it, so I guess they must have something more important to do. By the way what are the jars on the iron chariots?" Ricky asked.


    "Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I smelled the stench of blood from them."


    "Leader, I think you are right. As an assassin, I am sure it was blood of human warriors," Monkey Nine said.


    "What the hell are they doing?" Ricky asked.


    "Since they''re your enemies, maybe we''d better follow them to see what they''r


    ded to announce his presence directly.


    Because he was no longer a weakling now, he wasn''t afraid of the Nan Clan.


    At the sight of Ricky, Nash''s face grew dark, glaring at the two leaders of the Bloody Gang. Apparently, Ricky had killed the six men of the Bloody Gang and followed their tracks here.


    But what made Nash even more alarmed was that this mysterious man had said "Long time no see" to him.


    "Who are you!?" Nash asked angrily.


    "What? Elder Nash, can''t you recognize my voice?" Ricky smiled, taking off his cloak to reveal his face.


    Meanwhile, Monkey Nine took off his cloak as well.


    "It''s you!" Nash said in shock.


    Suddenly, Nash laughed excitedly, "Little bastard, why would you rather go to hell than heaven? Though you have achieved something in the Snow Sect, it doesn''t mean you''re invincible!


    Since you have come here, today I will finally end you, traitor of the Nan Clan!"


    "Humph! This time I returned to resolve the resentment between us. Rather, I seek to wipe out the branch of Gilbert. I''ve been planning to start with you!" Ricky responded fiercely to Nash''s threat.


    "Ha-ha! Just you!?" Laughing loudly, Nash was convinced that Ricky would be at his mercy today. But Ricky had other plans¡­

 Chapter 195 The Start Of Avenge

    "Elder Nash, we are wondering if you knew about what happened in the Earth Fire Land..." whispered the two people of ninth grade of Blood Purification from the Bloody Gang.


    Hearing this, Nash immediately woke up and looked at Ricky, his eyes full of killing intent and greed.


    "Bastard, present to me all the things you got in the Earth Fire Place, and I will let you die peacefully. Otherwise, it will be very painful!" Nash said greedily as he stretched his hand out to Ricky.


    "That''s if your skills are enough to kill me," Ricky said coldly.


    "What a stupid boy!" Nash snorted, implying to the people from Nan Clan and Bloody Gang that they should move.


    All of a sudden, nearly 30 people surrounded Ricky and Monkey Nine.


    "Leader, didn''t you want to see my sword skills as a killer? Now is the time. I have not killed in a while, and these many people would surely be enough to satisfy my killing desire!" Monkey nine smiled, poising to kill the warriors around them.


    "I can''t wait!" said Ricky.


    "Ha-ha! Just watch! Only one move, I can finish all of them," Monkey Nine declared. His eyes were as dark as that of a poisonous python preying at night.


    "Chop them down to pieces with your sabers!" Nash ordered upon hearing what Monkey Nine said.


    The 30 warriors, who were already furious from Monkey Nine''s taunts, broke out their strongest powers and attacked Ricky and Monkey Nine.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    The energy inside Monkey Nine erupted with a bang, and the aura of the first grade of Bone Reinforcement instantly filled the whole area.


    A black aura surrounded Monkey Nine, making him look like a ghost in the darkness wearing a magnificent black robe. In a flash, two burning flames emerged from his black aura.


    "He has already integrated two kinds of Beast Fires into his cultivation method," Ricky noted proudly. "Surely, not every one could be an assassin with a code name in the Endless Shadow. He''s really something."


    "How is it possible? It is the power of Bone Reinforcement!" shouted Nash, feeling energy equal to his emanating from Monkey Nine. "Retreat! Retreat!"


    Upon hearing


    Monkey Nine stood by. When he saw the hate in Ricky''s eyes, even he felt fear.


    "You little bastard. How dare you kill people from the Nan Clan with your other useless friends? You should be damned by God for your sins!" Nash yelled at Ricky who was fast approaching him.


    "What a good time to talk about facts and reasons! Aren''t you just the best at distorting the truth?" Ricky sneered.


    Ricky had no time for nonsense. He pulled out Iron Destroyer and went to Nash.


    It was time to get back at Gilbert and Nate, and this was where his journey would begin.


    "What are you two doing by just standing there? Hurry up to the valley and find some help! Do you want to see me die here?" Nash shouted frantically, but the two people from Bloody Gang seemed frozen to their place.


    Nash was still shaken up from Monkey Nine''s strike. Even though it hurt his pride, he knew that he was no match for them, so he had no choice but to ask for help.


    "Okay! Yes! Yes!" The two ran as fast as they could to the valley once they processed what Nash said.


    "You junk! You think you can challenge the Nan Clan just because you now have a strong helper? You are going to regret this!" Nash screamed, his rage towards Ricky burning.


    But they all knew that he was only trying to delay what was about to happen.


    "Don''t waste my time here. Bring it on!"


    said Ricky, as he rushed up and struck Nash with his saber.

 Chapter 196 A Clean Execution

    "Why? That young man has not reacted against me yet!" Nothing seemed to change Nash''s focus as he fixed his eyes on Money Nine. He didn''t mind how powerful Ricky''s skills had become.


    ''Humph! This guy''s got nerve! How dare he underestimate my leader? Most especially now that there is an impending doom! Ha! He''d be cut in half before he could even feel any regret toward his actions. A careless freak. He''d be dead in no time!'' Monkey Nine thought to himself with pity after finding out that Nash was paying more attention to him than Ricky. Little did Nash know that Ricky was the one he should watch out for.


    There was a sudden and unexpected movement from Ricky. He leaped and gathered up his strength. He was up to something.


    Ricky held his weapon up high. The Iron Destroyer slashed the sky. Instantaneously, the Devouring Fire and Heaven Melting Fire poured like rain, much like in the form of flaming sharp sabers. Suddenly, two runes enveloped the surroundings. Through the heavy downpour of the runes, the whole place was filled with tearing sounds. It was not long until the runes finally broke through the block of air and smashed directly onto Nash''s head.


    "You know nothing! Since you are so bold to challenge me, I accept your demand for a death to hell!" Nash roared with anger and annoyance. He thought that Ricky was all too proud, and too full of himself, not to mention extremely obnoxious. Ricky had poked the mad bear. Nash went ballistic about how Ricky threatened his life.


    But Nash didn''t let Ricky get cocky on him. He wanted to let Ricky know that he was to be respected at all cost. Nash lifted his hand, and clenched into a tight fist. His knuckles went straight flying onto Ricky''s face and smashed the face of the egoistic warrior.


    Nash felt all of his anger and loathing toward Ricky amplify as both of their powers collided in the air.


    Nash was very much aware of what he was capable of. He knew he could easily defeat Ricky who was only at the eighth grade of Blood Purification. His anger made him imagine Ricky down on the ground, with his clothes and whole body torn into shreds, blood oozing out of his mouth while he begged for mercy.


    But to his dismay, the reality was far off from the illusion that he cherished.


    Ricky''s flaming saber became surprisingly stronger than ever after their powers collided. The saber not only dispelled Nash''s punch shadow, but also pierced right through his defenses, layer by layer until it made its way to his face. "Smash!" Nash''s face was scrunched up like a sponge. Ricky''s power was indeed to be feared even by a respected elder such as Nash.


    "How... how can it be possible?" As soon as the hit landed on his face, Nash felt fear crawling inside of him.


    But Nash would never let himself go down without a fight. Anxiety might have encapsulated his thoughts but he was a wise elder. He crossed his arms and condensed spiritual energy to form a solid shield as a defense to Ricky''s formidable attack.


    But how was it even possible for Nash to block Ricky''s powerful runes? After all, he had not released all of his strength yet because he still looked down upon Ricky''s energy so much.


    Hiss!


    But it wasn''t effective, not at all. Nash''s defense only brought him to dig his own grave. Ricky''s saber was so powerful that it cut through his o


    epare for a massive and destructive sneak attack to defeat their opponent. What a wonderful plan they had!


    The plan was working. 90% of Mamun''s attention was focused on Monkey Nine''s aura and killing intent and fancy shenanigans. The distraction was taking place and was working incredibly.


    "Today, as the deputy leader of the Blood Gang, I will teach you how to dissolve your own ace killing skill, and utterly understand that the gap between the first and second grade of Bone Reinforcement cannot be narrowed by some naive cultivation method!" Mamun sneered.


    He mustered up his strength at full force and dashed towards Monkey Nine.


    Although it didn''t seem like Mamun noticed Ricky, of course he would not allow Ricky to have a chance to ambush him. With a casual wave, he quickly and instantly threw some wild blasts at Ricky and then shifted his attention back to Monkey Nine.


    Mamun didn''t need his two followers'' help. He was confident enough that his normal blasts were powerful enough to render Ricky paralyzed.


    It was a good thing that the two followers shared the same thought. They knew that they weren''t needed that much in the combat.


    Boom!


    The collision was catastrophic. Mamun and Monkey Nine were both thrown away as soon as their powers met. Monkey Nine was pushed further and suffered more damage than his opponent. Blood spurted out of his mouth due to the intensity of his landing.


    On the other hand, Mamun suffered some bruises to his body and was unable to move for a while. He felt his chest heavy as he breathed so uncomfortably, with the risk of blood ready to burst out of his mouth.


    Without wasting time, Ricky took advantage of the scene and activated his Devouring Skill--Wrath Strike. With a ferocious charge, he threw his attack and hit Mamun.


    "Get out of my way!" Mamun was furious after he found out that Ricky was able to fend off his attack. He felt cheated as he thought that by now, Ricky should have been paralyzed and that it was just going to be just him and Monkey Nine fighting for victory. He swiftly condensed energy again to block his charging opponent. His eyes spelled loathing and this materialized into one single punch that shook Ricky to the core.

 Chapter 197 The Ruthless And Bloody Plot

    In Mamun''s mind, once Ricky tasted the wrath of the great power of his palm, he would certainly be beaten or even outright killed.


    But at the moment of the collision of their forces, Mamum felt an intense devouring power that took ahold of all his powers. Before he could react, a small part of his palm''s power had disappeared and been devoured by Ricky.


    Yet, that was sufficient enough for Ricky to take advantage of it and handle the remaining power.


    The small portion of the power that Ricky absorbed and the violent power of Heaven Melting Fire were quite enough for him to cut Mamun in half.


    Right at the moment when Mamun was about to take back his palms, there came another violent power that poured into his hands and went straight into his arms to destroy all the meridians in his arms.


    "What kind of power is this?" Mamun roared, startled and even a little bit panicked.


    "The kind of power that will kill you!" Ricky responded coldly.


    The next moment, with a loud crack, Iron Destroyer mercilessly cut off Mamun''s arm, and with its momentum unabated, it went straight to Mamun''s face.


    As Mamus''s arm was cut off, sharp pain took over his entire being and he began to screech miserably.


    As a result, he had no time to resist Ricky''s Iron Destroyer and could only watch Ricky''s flaming Iron Destroyer cut cross his forehead and nose.


    After a loud bang, Mamun, a warrior at the second grade of Bone Reinforcement, was cut right in half by Ricky.


    Yet, why was he killed so easily by Ricky? There were two reasons. The first reason¡ªas Alva said that although Mamun had reached the second grade of Bone Reinforcement, his cultivation base was not stable as he was too hasty in strengthening it. In other words, he was only technically at the second grade of Bone Reinforcement while his peak combat power was actually only fit for the first grade.


    After refining two Beast Fires, Monkey Nine had now greatly increased his strength and was able to fight against Mamun. Plus with Ricky''s strength, they would be in no way inferior to Mamun in terms of strength.


    Second, in such a situation where they were comparable to each other in strength, Mamun had underestimated his enemy¡ªthe rare genius Ricky.


    Of course, Mamun couldn''t be blamed for that. After all, Ricky was only a warrior at the eighth grade of Blood Purification.


    Meanwhile, the news that Ricky ha


    iately. These warriors were complicit to the shady doings in the valley, content to take up the position as guards of the cave. Ricky considered them just as cruel as the leaders who had brought this plan about.


    With that thought in mind, Ricky showed no mercy at all.


    Soon, they saw a huge cave with light shining at the entrance, and within hundreds of meters of the cave, they could smell the pungent scent of blood.


    ''Bloody Gang, Nan Clan, I want to see what kind of vile plot you are planning!'' Ricky said coldly in his mind, and then walked into the cave with Monkey Nine.


    The moment they entered the cave, they were almost choked to death by the foul smell.


    Inside the cave, the light they saw earlier was not the light of fire, but the light of blood.


    The air of the cave was filled with thick blood fog, and the two felt that as long as there was a little water, the blood fog could form a river.


    At the same time, a red, big tripod came into their sight. Inside the tripod, there was thick blood running down while under the tripod, there burned a big, hot fire.


    There were many black jars around the cave, and each was full of blood. The blood was not only from human, but also from fierce beasts with fine spiritual meridian.


    "What¡­ What exactly is this place?" Monkey Nine asked in shock.


    Such a bloody, gory place was as terrifying as hell itself!


    "Has the new batch of fresh blood arrived yet? Hurry up! I am in urgent need of it!" a shrill voice from an old man sounded. After a few seconds, they saw an old man in a blood robe appear in front of them.

 Chapter 198 Young Wraith Blood Pill

    The old man with a very harsh voice had a head of messy white hair and a tattered scarlet robe.


    His eyes bore a look of bloodthirstyness and danger.


    "My master, this man is at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement!" said Alva immediately.


    "What? Seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement? How can a warrior this strong be here, in the Stone City?" Ricky asked in shock.


    He knew the Stone City very well. A clan with a warrior of the third grade of Bone Reinforcement would be the most powerful in this area, just like the Nan, Sun and Wang Clan, all of whose masters were at the third grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    Of course, huge changes had taken place.


    Even so, it was impossible to have a warrior at seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement in this place!


    However, the shock only lasted a second. As long as it was not a true strong innate spirit, there would be no need for Ricky to be worried.


    "This old man is the reason for all the problems here!" said Monkey Nine, looking at this old man.


    He whispered to Ricky, "Leader, looks like this old man is very powerful!"


    "It seems you two are the problem that Mamun talked about!" the old man said coldly when he caught wind of what Monkey Nine said. He immediately understood that Ricky and Monkey Nine were not his own people.


    "Boom!"


    In an instant, his energy flared up and came directly rushing towards Ricky and Monkey Nine.


    The energy of warriors at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement was not strong enough to hold them down, but still managed to make them feel heavy in the chest, before spitting out a mouthful of blood.


    "I can feel that both of your blood is very fresh and perfect, much stronger than the blood of those weak warriors!" said the old man greedily, staring at the blood seeping from the corners of their mouths.


    "Since you two spoiled my plan, then you will repay with your blood!"


    His old dry hands condensed spiritual energy. In a flash, they transformed into sharp claws, lurchi


    came from the pills. This stench was even more pungent than the 20 jars of blood. They looked away, being unable to tolerate it.


    "These pills are probably refined from the blood of virgin warriors!" Monkey Nine frowned.


    "They are called the Young Wraith Blood Pills! And these ones are not finished..." said Ricky morosely.


    "Leader, you know of them!?" asked Monkey Nine in surprise. After all, he knew that Ricky was not a pill refiner.


    "I have read some scriptures in the Snow Sect, which mention this pill," nodded Ricky.


    But the truth was that he knew of them because Alva told him.


    "The real Young Wraith Blood pill is a kind of King Level pill. It is also an evil, bloody pill. As you can see now, refining this kind of pill requires the blood of virgin warriors," continued Ricky, taking a deep breath.


    "For one real pill, the blood of one hundred of virgin male warriors and one hundred of virgin female warriors at top grade of Bone Reinforcement are required."


    "So cruel and gruesome!" said Monkey Nine, trembling. Even a cold-hearted ex-assassin couldn''t stomach it.


    As he looked at the pills in his hand, a strong sense of disgust rose within him.


    "Cruel and gruesome it is, but it has an unbelievable effect on people! True incomparable function," said Ricky, his eyes hard and angry.

 Chapter 199 Justice Conscience!

    "Incomparable function? What kind of incomparable function?" Monkey Nine was a little curious after hearing Ricky''s words.


    "One Young Wraith Blood Pill is enough to cultivate a genuine innate spiritual king," Ricky said seriously. He was also feeling rather taken aback by the power of the pill.


    "Wow! How is that possible? How can an innate spiritual king be cultivated by taking only one pill?" Monkey Nine shouted in awe.


    "Actually, I am not quite sure either. But think about how the Young Wraith Blood Pill was refined. Then its amazing function is quite understandable," Ricky responded.


    "The pill was refined with the blood and blood essence of two hundred warriors at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement. Thus the pill is equal to numerous cultivation resources."


    "Well, you are right!" Monkey Nine nodded, still a little in shock.


    Two hundred warriors at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement were no match for an innate spiritual king! But quantity-wise, the addition of their blood essence was worth more than the blood essence of three or more innate spiritual kings.


    Such a kind of pill would definitely have the capacity to make an innate spiritual king.


    However, its refining process was really too cruel and gruesome.


    "Leader, why were these eight pills not completed?" Monkey Nine asked.


    "The old man we killed just now was a pill refiner at Demi-king Level. Young Wraith Blood Pill is a pill of the King Level. That means that he must have been unable to refine it," Ricky explained.


    "I suppose that old man knew the refining method of Young Wraith Blood Pill. Thus he imitated the refining method to refine these pills with the blood of warriors at Blood Purification and Skin Refinement.


    Because it is not the blood of warriors at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement, the pill is just an incomplete Young Wraith Blood Pill instead of the genuine one.


    Although it is incomplete, I guess taking one pill can absolutely guarantee a warrior to reach Bone Reinforcement and perhaps even the demi-immortal level successfully.


    The Bloody Gang and Nan Clan we


    ky said.


    "But I can tell you, now that you have followed me, I will not let you live just for survival. Your future will not be stuck in an endless cycle of survival with me."


    "Leader, is that true?" Monkey Nine asked uncertainly.


    "I cannot give you my promise now. Currently I don''t have the resources or strength to do so. But I have the confidence," Ricky said firmly.


    Monkey Nine could feel the strong sense of confidence emanating from Ricky.


    "Leader, you might know this saying... true gentlemen die for their bosom friends. Now I am doing so, because I can''t seem to find anything to do except following you." Monkey Nine laughed, his spirits lifted a little.


    He immediately activated the power of Beast Fire and destroyed the eight incomplete Young Wraith Blood Pills, turning them into blood mist.


    "True gentlemen die for their bosom friends! That sounds good!" Ricky nodded his head, quite satisfied at Monkey Nine''s choice.


    In his heart, he knew that he could now almost fully trust Monkey Nine.


    "Leader, I would like to know¡­ If I had chosen to take the incomplete Young Wraith Blood Pills just now, how would you feel?" Monkey Nine asked curiously.


    "I have said that I wouldn''t interfere with your choice. However, if you did take the pills, I would probably never trust you. To me, it would affirm that we were not the same kind of people," Ricky said quietly, smiling.

 Chapter 200 Return To The Stone City

    "Ha-ha, I find you more and more cunning, leader." Monkey Nine laughed happily.


    "Nine, I have already told you that I am not a good person!" Ricky grinned.


    "Leader, I like your personality very much. Yes! True gentlemen die for their bosom friends and for that I will follow you without a doubt in my mind," Monkey Nine explained to him sincerely.


    "Ha-ha-!" They laughed and knew that they had just acquired complete trust with each other.


    ...


    They destroyed everything they laid eyes on.


    Ricky was generous enough to give Monkey Nine three Bone-building Pills and two Recovery Pills. However, he didn''t give him the Longevity Pill because he thought Monkey Nine didn''t have any use for it.


    And Ricky also presented Monkey Nine the storage bag Theo gave him.


    It was worth mentioning that apart from those pills, it also contained many gold and silver coins. With these coins, Ricky would now have approximately 4, 000 gold coins.


    What he owned was as good as the treasure of an lower spiritual king.


    Add to that, seventeen Bone-building Pills and thirteen Recovery Pills left.


    ''Pills and money are more than enough to attract some powerful warriors of Bone Reinforcement. With these, I can establish another Misty South Faction outside the Snow Sect, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''And the Misty South Faction would finally begin to take its shape.''


    ...


    Ricky and Monkey Nine then left for the Stone City.


    ''Gilbert and Nate, it is time to completely end what you started, '' Ricky thought.


    Meanwhile Ricky guessed that Nate''s return to the Stone City this time must have had something to do with what happened in the valley.


    Boris and Zenith were fighting with each other over the control of the Snow Sect; demi-immortals or warriors at the peak of Blood Purification, Boris needed as much help as he could get. However, everything would go well with the aid of the incomplete Young Wraith Blood Pill.


    ''If the matter is related to Boris, there may be other places being used to refine the incomplete Young Wraith Blood Pill, not just the Stone City, '' Ricky pondered.


    Ricky told Monkey Nine his idea.


    "Leader, if you are


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    snakes. I am going to see what kind of dragon they truly are, '' Ricky thought quietly.


    Perhaps Xenia didn''t notice Ricky at all, but Ricky had the ineffable sentiment in his heart for her. Ricky''s ambition was clear, that no one should be allowed to get her even if he failed to do so himself.


    Ricky was also very curious about Xenia''s sudden transformation last time they met.


    ...


    The Wang Clan left, leaving only the Nan Clan and the Sun Clan to run the city.


    At the beginning, Johnny of the Sun Clan was chosen by the innate spiritual king Odin, Grace''s father, as his nominal disciple. As Grace''s father was taken by the mysterious forces, the Sun Clan lost the backer, resulting for the Treasures from Heaven and Earth given to them from the Snow Sect to slowly run out.


    Therefore, Gilbert became best warrior of the Stone City and led the Nan Clan to suppress the Sun Clan for nearly half a year.


    However, Johnny came back with a core disciple of the Snow Sect when everyone thought the Nan Clan might dominate the Stone City. This mitigated the Sun Clan''s situation.


    Now, the Nan Clan and the Sun Clan began to go against each other once more.


    ''Because of my special identity, I can''t speak out the thing about the Young Wraith Blood Pill or directly go to the Sun Clan to find the core disciple, Rushton. So I have to take action without anyone knowing, '' Ricky thought to himself as he dwelled on the situation.

 Chapter 201 Gilbert, Long Time No See!

    "If there is a warrior who is already at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement, Alva, can you bring him into the Heaven Melting Pagoda?" asked Ricky, his mind far away.


    "As you wish, my master," replied Alva, slightly bowing her head in respect. She slowly made her way out.


    "My revenge shall begin tonight," Ricky whispered to himself. Closing his eyes while letting out a sigh, he allowed his thoughts to wander some more.


    It was going to be a long night for him and the others involved.


    Nightfall came too soon. The noise that once surrounded the entire Stone City had now been weakened. The air got a little heavier as tension filled the place.


    In the presence of Nate and Gilbert, there was also a sudden shift of atmosphere within the Nan Clan. They all reeked of pride and disdain.


    Inside the back room of the Nan Clan''s headquarters were Gilbert and a few others. They sat around an enormous round table with their chalices.


    Those few others with Gilbert were none other than Nate, and his three Bone Reinforcement warriors. It was expected for those three warriors to give it their best for the upcoming events. They had to break through to become innate spirits. Being in the Bone Reinforcement meant greater responsibilities and expectations.


    "The materials required have been sent to the pill refiner, father. In just e few days, I believe that the first batch of Young Wraith Blood Pills shall already be ready," Nate stated. The others in the room were carefully listening.


    "As long as we''ve successfully refined once, we can refine again," Gilbert nodded in approval.


    "Nate, my son, I strongly suggest that you follow Boris. This is important for the growth of our clan. So that if we want to dominate the entire Realm of Wildness with a spiritual king, no problems shall arise."


    "I understand, father. I''m assuming I''ve gained Master Boris'' full trust, as he lets me deliver all the materials," Nate responded with confidence.


    "I''m glad to hear that. Now, after you take this batch of Young Wraith Blood Pill, it''s time to elucidate that little bastard," Gilbert said, gritting through his teeth.


    "I will make su


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ing? Get out!" Gilbert was shouting at that time, wishing that his alertness could save him.


    "You asked God not to mess with you. Now here he comes!" the mysterious voice, belonging to Ricky, echoed.


    "This can''t be¡­ How is this possible?" Gilbert shook his head in disbelief.


    Fear engulfed him. How could he have ended somewhere else in just a matter of seconds? It was very vivid. He knew he wasn''t dreaming.


    "It makes me laugh when such a cruel, evil man crumbles in fear before me!" Ricky laughed. Seeing Gilbert''s terror-stricken face at that moment was priceless!


    Ricky decided to reveal himself in front of Gilbert. Slowly, he walked towards him.


    "Gilbert, it''s been a while," Ricky let out a cold laugh while crossing his arms.


    "You¡­ You bastard!" Gilbert shouted in anger. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing.


    Before he could even continue ranting, Ricky waved his hand. Immediately, tongues of flames mimicked a big palm, slapping Gilbert''s face.


    Unable to do anything, Gilbert fell back into the ground, his face filled with pain. On his face, the flames left burning marks.


    In that tower, even a demi-immortal warrior had no power. Gilbert, a warrior at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement, was too weak to even put up a fight.


    "You''re an idiot. How dare you call me a bastard? Do that again and I''ll show you who''s stronger," Ricky said while staring nonchalantly at Gilbert on the ground.

 Chapter 202 Whose Head Was There

    Struggling to get back to his feet, Gilbert decided to stop cursing. Staggering, he took a look around the strange space with resentful eyes. Truth be told, Ricky''s heavy punch calmed him down a bit.


    Seeing Gilbert calm down was quite a surprise to Ricky. The "calm" Gilbert posed no threat to him at that certain time because the very moment he entered the Heaven Melting Pagoda, he was doomed to lose.


    "Hey, Ricky!" Gilbert yelled. This time, he didn''t call him a bastard.


    "It''s me, alright. Now, I think it''s time to put an end to this!" Ricky responded in his cold tone. He had no patience left in him and just went straight to the point of it all.


    "You want to put an end to this? Ha! You?" Gilbert snorted through his nose as he mocked the boy. "Correct me if I''m wrong, but aren''t we inside the pagoda you managed to obtain while you were in the Earth Fire Place?"


    "You''re right about that. But this was no reward," Ricky retorted.


    "Thank you for bringing me into this pagoda then! It''s mine now!" Gilbert exclaimed with greed painted all over his face. Hearing Ricky admit that the pagoda was indeed his sparked up all of his senses. Everyone wanted to know the whereabouts of this specific pagoda. Now that he did, there was no letting go.


    Instantly, he activated his strengths that were of the fifth-grade of Bone Reinforcement!


    "I see that you''ve taken the pill. Otherwise, how can you have possessed the fifth-grade power?" Feeling his power, Ricky knew how Gilbert did it. It was brought upon by the magical abilities of the Young Wraith Blood Pill.


    "What did you say? How did you know about the pill?" Gilbert asked, his eyes widened in shock.


    "The day has eyes and the night has ears, Gilbert. I am no fool. Nothing is ever accomplished without being noticed!" Ricky said casually. "Also, how dare you create such a terrible pill? Aren''t you terrified of the creatures that might come after you and the innocent people of your clan because of it?"


    "What a joke! What are you talking about? Terrible pill? Let me tell you something, kid! Only the strong survive! That''s the law of the jungle. Or are you too young to comprehend such? If you''re weak, you die! The world is no place for a wuss like you! You know what it''s like to be weak, don''t you? When you and your father got framed and kicked out of the Nan Clan... I''m pretty sure this memory haunts you every single day! You were bullied, teased, framed, and even hunted down because you were such weaklings! Do you hear me?"


    It was immensely pleasurable for Gilbert to talk to Ricky in such ways. He wasn''t planning on stopping so soon. "After all that you''ve been through, you seem to not have made that much of progress! Being kind and merciful are the traits of a weak warrior! A real warrior chooses growth in strength at all times! A real warrior can kill!" However, in the middle of his hate speech, he suddenly realized that there


    y ordered. Genuinely, Alva''s gesture was appreciated. But he wouldn''t allow it.


    There was nothing more that Alva could''ve done. Ricky had made up his mind. Once a warrior had been traumatized by another, the nightmares never ceased to visit his dreams and haunt him for the rest of his life. Alva understood this all quite well. Ricky had to kill Nate by himself to free himself.


    To persuade him otherwise would have been disrespectful.


    It was surprisingly a peaceful night in the Stone City.


    However, that peace was shattered into pieces by a sharp voice that echoed throughout the place. Immediately, the people heard this and went out to check.


    To everyone''s surprise, it was a human head that hung high at their city gate. All the warriors in the city knew this face very well. It was Gilbert, the current master of the Nan Clan!


    It wasn''t just a dummy. It was his real head.


    Their clan leader had just been killed. Whoever the killer was, they were sick enough to hang the head for everyone to see.


    "God, help us! What has happened?" Banters from everyone at the scene could be heard. All of them began to make their own assumptions and theories regarding the killer.


    "Had he not reached the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement? I''ve even heard rumor that he had reached the fifth grade! His strength was almost immeasurable. How did this happen? Look, it''s really him! It''s really Gilbert!"


    "I bet the killer is someone more powerful! The weak ones wouldn''t get past him! He had always been arrogant. Maybe he offended someone really strong!"


    "It''s the men of the Sun Clan!" Someone noticed as a group approached the scene. "Now that Gilbert''s gone, they will definitely take over the Stone City!"


    Following the rest of the Sun Clan members was a young man. It was Rushton, who was a known core disciple of the Snow Sect.


    "Father!" Another voice that was filled with torment vibrated around the city all of a sudden.

 Chapter 203 Former Cousins

    The man who came there was Nate, followed by the other members of the Nan Clan.


    Today, Gilbert didn''t show up in the Nan Clan, but they did not feel that anything was unusual. Once the Bone Reinforcement warriors cultivated in seclusion, it would take them three or four days at the least, or half a month at most, to come back.


    With all the rumors in the city, they couldn''t just sit back there waiting though.


    When they went to the secret cultivation room, they found that Gilbert was no longer there. Without any hesitation, they raced to the gate of Stone City and finally found Gilbert''s head hanging on the gate.


    "Look! It''s the people from the Nan Clan. Obviously, they didn''t know Gilbert was dead already!" some of the warriors whispered.


    "Yes! I wonder who killed Gilbert. No matter who did it, I''m so relieved."


    "Keep your voice down! Don''t be stupid. Nate can hear you."


    ......


    When Nate arrived, he knelt directly in front of the city gate and kowtowed to Gilbert. His face grew sad and he said, "Father, no matter how far I go in life, I''ll definitely tear the person who killed you into pieces."


    Nate actually also had a heart and valued his family, although he was cruel and willing to kill for the incomplete Young Wraith Blood Pill and a quick breakthrough. He would kill regardless of any consequences.


    And then, the karma had finally come for him...


    At the same time, two Elders who reached the first grade of Bone Reinforcement quickly flew to the gate, trying to take down Gilbert''s head.


    Although Gilbert was dead, they didn''t dare to go against Nate. The person who supported Nate was a real innate spiritual king.


    Suddenly, flames were burning fiercely on the gate!


    When the two Elders climbed up the gate, without anyone noticing, two snakes formed out of the flames and attacked them. The snake''s fangs pierced through their heads.


    Before anyone could realize what had just happened, the two Elders from the Nan Clan who reached the first grade of Bone Reinforcement, fell heavily under the city gate. They were dead before they hit the ground.


    There was no doubt that it was the Heaven Melting Pagoda that did it.


    ne knew that. Ricky would do anything he could in front of all the warriors of Stone City to avenge him.


    He didn''t do it to clear his name, but instead to get revenge and get rid of the demons in his heart on the top of Stone City.


    "Ricky, you killed my father! How dare you to say the word ''cousin'' to me!" Nate viciously replied.


    "Ha-ha, my former cousin. You also set my father up and took away my spiritual meridian. Since you''ve given me such a gift, I had to pay you back as any ''cousin'' would do!" Ricky laughed.


    There was a touch of sadness in his laughter.


    "Moreover, you and your father treated life as if it were nothing and killed others for your own good. I, as your ''cousin'', have to teach you a lesson."


    Nate''s face changed when he heard Ricky because of what he just said. It seemed that Ricky had already heard about the Young Wraith Blood Pill.


    However, Nate just felt like a chill ran down his back.


    "Nonsense! Stop bullshitting me!" Nate growled in a bestial tone.


    "Nate, my former cousin, let''s cut to the chase. Come up here and have the last fight with me on the top of Stone City. This was where you and I began all this. We should end it here as well." What Ricky said was straight to the point.


    Immediately, Ricky pulled out his Iron Destroyer and laid it on Gilbert''s head. He was worried that Nate might be buying himself some time, so he needed to force him to immediately come up to him to fight.

 Chapter 204 The Battle Between The Two

    A spiteful gleam flashed through Nate''s cruel eyes when he saw Ricky hold his saber to Gilbert''s head. Nate leaped up to the gate without any hesitation.


    "Put down my father''s head!" Nate said maliciously, unsheathing the sword on his waist.


    "Well, let''s have a fight! If you defeat me, I will give you everything I have. That of course includes your father''s head. If you lose to me, you will get nothing," Ricky said nonchalantly, moving his Iron Destroyer from Gilbert''s head and then turning to Nate.


    ''The battle has finally come; I''ve been waiting for it a long time. My nightmares can finally dissipate, '' Ricky thought to himself seriously.


    "My master, please end this battle quickly. Those messengers may have some special ways to send messages to the innate spiritual kings. Once they know you''re here, they will be on the way soon," Alva reminded him.


    ...


    Boom!


    Their aura suddenly changed and was boosted to its limit.


    Ricky realized that Nate had some power too. He cultivated to the first grade of Bone Reinforcement. More specifically, his power was at the peak of it.


    ''It seems that he has taken the Young Wraith Blood Pill. Otherwise, how else could he reach the peak of the first grade of Bone Reinforcement in such a short time?!'' Ricky thought to himself coldly. He was even more impatient to finally kill Nate.


    "Die!"


    Both of them roared that out at the same time. They swiftly swung their weapons and struck each other fiercely. The clash of their weapons produced violent sparks. The gate of Stone City seemed to be destroyed.


    They even began to fight with their bodies. Both of them utilized the deadliest and fiercest attacks in their entire arsenal.


    Until then, they had kept attacking with a same goal. That goal was to kill the other person as soon as they could.


    Nate was Ricky''s obstacle in cultivation. As Ricky grew stronger quickly, he also became the only thing that could hurt Nate as well.


    In the battle, the two of them fought for not only the sake of their family feuds; more importantly, they were fighting for themselves. In any case, only the winner could survive.


    Nate reached the peak of the first grade of Bone Reinforcement in a short time and consolidated it c


    h noise of a crashing sword and saber.


    Nate channeled forty percent strength to his sword. Besides, he was also a warrior of Bone Reinforcement. At that time, he burst forth his spiritual energy and merged it with the sword-light. His sword was surrounded with an astonishing momentum of devastation. It was quite horrific.


    The strong sword-light made his hair stand on end.


    In fact, Nate was much more terrifying than a real killer at that moment.


    "What a powerful aura! No wonder Nate is the disciple of an innate spiritual king. I can''t imagine his real strength!" the warriors exclaimed such things as they felt the fierce aura from Nate.


    "But Ricky is also very strong!"


    Ricky also gathered almost forty percent of his saber-light. With an overwhelming murderous intent, he went rolling towards Nate.


    The roar of tigers and apes echoed into the sky. It showed that Ricky had already cultivated the Five Beasts Art to its completeness.


    They stood there without a movement, but their auras had crashed together over dozens of rounds.


    "Maybe this is the battle of real geniuses!" the warriors said.


    "Three Swords Formula! Human Sword Formula! Go!"


    Nate moved first. His expression was blank, but his aura was full of rage and hatred.


    He swung his sword and the sword-light slashed towards Ricky from all directions. Innumerable sword shadows flashed. Among them, countless human shadows were smashed one by one.


    Then, his sword came to point at Ricky''s face.

 Chapter 205 The Fierce Battle Between Ricky And Nate

    The power of the sword formula was unparalleled. Any kind of sword formula could be regarded as a secret method, which was much stronger than any cultivation method.


    The human shadows that gathered together were shattered, while the faint shouting and crying pervaded everything else. The sound greatly highlighted the strong killing spirit of the sword formula being used!


    "What a powerful sword formula!" The warriors around the two fighters exclaimed again, since the invisible power of the sword formula had such an effect on all those around the fight!


    Even Ricky had detected that there was a strong power launched by Nate. Ricky''s eyes turned serious as he prepared to combat Nate''s power.


    Along with his fierce determination, there was also a strong fighting spirit flaring up in his eyes. Only an opponent like Nate, such an old enemy that was so eager to fight and had a personal vendetta, could bring that spirit out of Ricky!


    "Let''s fight! Five Beasts Arts¡ªFive Beasts Power!" Ricky roared out an attack and began to launch his own strikes. After he waved his Iron Destroyer through the air, a strong flame rose from his body. The weapon was covered by the strong saber-light. It was as if a storm had formed around Ricky''s body. It also seemed like to burst at any moment!


    Howl! Howl!


    Fierce roars sounded abruptly around them. Behind Ricky''s flaming body, the indistinct shadows of five beasts showed up. They roared and howled at him and were somehow constantly enhancing Ricky''s momentum. After a split second, his momentum had reached the same level as Nate''s!


    "Five Beasts Strike!" With a sudden and wrathful yell, Ricky jumped high into the air. His Iron Destroyer was surrounded by the roaring flames as he launched strikes towards Nate. While he did that, the indistinct shadows of the five beasts also rushed towards Nate.


    "Bang! Bang! Bang!"


    The next moment, the sword formula and the strike collided, making an endless clanging of resonance. The whole gate of Stone City was filled with raging energy within that moment. Ricky''s saber and Nate''s sword also collided with each other with a blow of unbelievable strength!


    A loud clanging noise rang out through the air!


    The noise of weapons colliding was pervading as it echoed around them. The two warriors both had burst their energy and used the strongest powers they had. At that moment, they were in a true stalemate. Under the strongest collision, their competition was turning into a competition of their momentum. Whoever could hang on to his current state longer would win the competition. Whoever decreased his momentum first would definitely be defeated by that logic.


    Finally, under the tension of the collision, both of them were forced to retreat by the reaction force. They both dropped on the top of the gate violently. Immediately, the solid boulder that formed the gate was crushed to powder!


    Puff! Puff! Both of them spit quite a lot of blood out from their mouths at the same time!


    hite sword-light was pervading!


    Yet, the white sword-light burst instantly and produced super powerful energy that destroyed the heaven and earth indistinct shadows directly. It even pierced the space and rushed toward Ricky''s throat!


    "You have three swords. So what? I have three fires!" Ricky bellowed angrily at Nate. Feeling the strong murderous intent that he had never experienced before, Ricky was still not frightened. Instead, his fighting spirit was even more stimulated by it!


    "I will use the blending of three fires--Devouring Fire, Heaven Melting Fire, and Heaven Slaughtering Fire. Devouring Skill-Wrath Killing Strike!"


    At that very critical moment, Ricky had to use his Heaven Slaughtering Fire. During recent events, Heaven Slaughtering Fire had been mixed with the power of nearly 30 kinds of Beast Fires. With the nourishment of Chaotic Fire Zone, its strength had been greatly improved. It could be totally used as Ricky''s final ace in his fight against Nate!


    The audience then saw that bloody and red runes kept appearing on the surface of Ricky''s body. They flew inside the blade of his Iron Destroyer. Soon, three kinds of flames sprang out from the two runes. Those were the Devouring Fire and two kinds of sacred fire¡ªHeaven Melting Fire and Heaven Slaughtering Fire. In the blink of an eye, the three flames were blazing. They were also perfectly mixed with each other through the Chaotic Fire Skill! It was incredible!


    The three kinds of flames, with three different attributes, released their own power. They even merged with Ricky''s weapon, Iron Destroyer. After a short while, the three flames were turned into three different colors that surrounded the Iron Destroyer, waiting for Ricky to summon them.


    Then, Ricky waved his Iron Destroyer hard and launched his most powerful strike!


    Boom!


    In the next moment, the strongest and final strikes of the two warriors collided with each other and made a huge noise. The winner would be determined very soon.

 Chapter 206 A Natural Break Through

    Boom!


    The collision between sword formula and flame strike resembled the unanticipated encounter between two tremendous forces. Everything happened in the blink of an eye, as if it would be smashed in an instant!


    After the merger of the Three Swords Formula, the momentum of killing was undeniable. As if it would wipe out everything like a sword blade!


    Ricky''s flame strike was the fusion of three strengths, which was more changeable!


    At the moment of collision, the power of Devouring Fire burst out and turned into a ferocious invisible beast, devouring the sharp edge and the strength of Three Swords Formula!


    Devouring Fire was a fire that could devour everything in definite!


    Although it was match to Ricky''s strength and couldn''t show off its real power, it still had a great effect on Nate''s Three Swords Formula!


    But in a moment, the power of Devouring Fire just devoured one third of the power of Three Swords Formula!


    "No, no! This can''t be happening!" Nate shouted, astounded, sensing the power of his sword formula perished right before his eyes.


    However, before he could open his mouth, he felt an extreme manic force rushed toward to him again and squandered his sword formula power quickly!


    Just after the intense manic force, another killing power that parallel his sword formula charged in the air and collided with his sword formula again!


    Those two killing power collided with each other to show which one was stronger! However, Nate''s power of Three Swords Formula had been blown by the power of Devouring Fire and Heaven Melting Fire. So, it couldn''t battle with the power of Heaven Slaughtering Fire!


    At once, Nate''s Three Swords Formula collapsed and his sword also swooped heavily.


    But none of it mattered to Ricky. His strike was still vigorous than ever, swiftly hitting Nate''s feared face.


    With his instinct, Nate channeled his spiritual energy and crossed his arms to resist Ricky''s strike, but it was amiss. His Three Swords Formula cou


    urth grade of Bone Reinforcement broke out straight off. He spun around the warriors and said, "Ricky is my fellow disciple and now he is making a breakthrough. I command you not to try to hurt him. Otherwise, I will kill all of you!"


    After that, Rushton released his endless murderous intent, which made these warriors stood fright away!


    These scenes made the situation reach deadlock.


    In a moment, the master from Sun Clan glanced at Johnny in bewilderment. Obviously, he wanted to know what they should do next!


    "Father, the strength of our Sun Clan is too weak. I don''t think we can defeat Ricky and get his treasures without loss. In my opinion, what we should do next is to work honestly in the Stone City!" Johnny said.


    There was a long silence.


    A few minutes later, a middle-aged warrior couldn''t help but yelled at Rushton, "Rushton, we all know you''re a very strong and powerful man but do you really want to be our enemy by siding with Ricky?"


    "That''s right. We can all work together and share the treasures of Ricky!" Another middle-aged warrior exclaimed and his voice echoed.


    "I don''t think that you two understand the severity of this. I''d better make it clear to you!" Rushton sneered.


    At the moment when he finished, he rushed to these two middle-aged warriors and gave them a forceful slap!

 Chapter 207 The Coffin Was Gone

    The two middle-aged warriors were only at the eighth grade of Blood Purification. There was no way that they would be able to resist Rushton, a strong warrior who was already at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement. Rushton''s ferocious punches brought them down easily and they died at once.


    As soon as he was done with the two warriors, he went back at the gate and looked around with glaring cold eyes and said, "I''m sure you have seen what just happened. I think now you already know the consequences should you dare touch him."


    The warriors who already approached the gate were in shock by what they saw. They took a look at Rushton and then at the two bodies lying on the ground. They were afraid and unsure of their next move. Some of them even took a few steps backwards; they were not that stupid to piss him off any further.


    Killing was often the best way to deter these rapacious warriors!


    If they cooperated together they might be able to resist Rushton, maybe even defeat him! After all, all of them were strong and in unity there was the invincible strength. As a matter of fact, they had thought about this tactic and yet none of them moved. They exchanged looks at one another and you could see that none of them had the courage to stand out and volunteer to lead the fight against Rushton. Everyone was afraid that if they launched the first attack, they would be killed and in that situation, even if their side won, it would have nothing to do with them because by that time, most of them would have already been dead.


    Gradually, they began to retreat from the gate one by one.


    It was not until that time when the warriors began to leave did Rushton feel relieved. He kept a straight face so as to hide his true feelings. Deep down he knew that should they decide to attack him, he would not be able to defeat all of them. Even though he was a warrior at the fifth grade of Bones Reinforcement, he still felt the pressure when faced with about a thousand warriors from the Stone City!


    Before long, there was no warrior left and it was only Rushton who stayed waiting for Ricky. After an hour, Ricky finally opened his eyes and woke up from his cultivation.


    "Bang! Bang!" The moment he was sober, the aura of the warrior at the ninth grade of Blood Purification broke out. What was more, Ricky had completely reinforced the level of ninth grade of Blood Purification. There was no doubt that it was the benefit brought by a natural breakthrough.


    ''The ninth grade of Blood Purification, the highest level of Blood Purification! Finally, I made it! So the next goal is the last stage, the Bone Reinforcement, '' Ricky thought to himself and stood up slowly. He had come this far and finally reached this level.


    He then turned to look at Rushton and said in a sincere tone, "Thank you, Rushton. You have really helped a lot and if it were not for you, I would not have made it! Thank you so much!"


    "I''m glad to see you make such a great improvement! Don''t keep thanking me for you deserve it. It seems that you are quite close to reaching the Bone Reinforcement. I can see now that you have already had th


    s the founder of the faction, Ricky would not do nothing. He had made up his mind that he would try to recruit more trustworthy people after he arrived in the Heaven Wood Land.


    Before he entered the territory of the Heaven Wood Land, Ricky went to an anonymous mountain. He had one more thing to deal with. He needed to deal with the body of Nate, who was once his friend, and then his enemy who had betrayed and traumatized him.


    Exerting his internal strength, Ricky dug a deep hole and cut some century-old trees to make a wooden coffin. Then he took out the body parts from the Heaven Melting Pagoda and put them into the coffin.


    "Nate, we were once close friends before you betrayed me and my father, and destroyed my spiritual meridian. By now, you probably have forgotten everything," Ricky said in a calm tone as he looked at the coffin.


    "You may have forgotten the time when we were so happy together. But I haven''t. You''ve already paid the price and I will give you a decent burial today. Thank you for being a friend to me once.


    You stay in the other world and I stay alive in this world. We are now even starting today."


    After he finished paying his respects, Ricky started to bury the coffin to put an end to the friendship and hatred between him and Nate when he suddenly heard a voice.


    "Now that you are going to bury those body parts, why don''t you just leave them to me?" said the deep and dreadful voice.


    Then, a black swirl appeared in front of Ricky out of nowhere. Surprisingly a terrifying fury black hand sprang up from the black swirl and grasped the coffin in which there was Nate!


    Before Ricky could even do anything to stop the fury black hand, it had already gone, along with the coffin!


    However, the voice still echoed in Ricky''s head, "Probably you and your friend will cross paths again sooner or later! Ha-ha!"


    Ricky did not realize what had happened just now until the voice disappeared. As soon as he realized what happened, he blurted out, "Wh... What the hell? What just happened? Alva, did you see it clearly? Did you hear it?"

 Chapter 208 The Appearance Of Zenith

    "Yes, my master. I saw it, and I heard it!" Alva replied with a frightened voice. He was just as scared as Ricky was.


    Being an ancient supreme weapon, he was stronger than Ricky. Therefore, he was certain how powerful that black hand was. It only appeared for a few seconds, yet it showed its overwhelming force. It was impressive and seemed to be strong enough to destroy everything it touched.


    No one could resist it! Everything and everyone in the right mind would surrender to it!


    ''That black hand, its master is even more terrible than those gods I have met!'' Alva, out of shock, said secretly to himself. "Who is he on earth? Why did he take Nate''s body away? Was he finding fault with Ricky, or maybe with Nate?"


    "Alva, do you have any idea?" Ricky asked again before he forced himself to stop panicking and calm down from the shock.


    "I''m sorry, my master. I''ve searched every corner of my brain but failed to find an answer. The only thing I can confirm is that the owner of the black hand is older than me. I guess he is more terrible and stronger than a Great Dragon!" Alva replied.


    ''Why did he take Nate''s body? What did he mean by saying that I and my friend would cross paths again?'' Ricky pondered. This mysterious hand made him extremely uneasy. Somehow, he felt that something terrible was going to happen.


    And just as the mysterious voice said, it could happen either far in the future, or sooner than we would expect!


    It was his regained spiritual meridian who was showing him this vision, indicating that there was going to be a big trouble!


    Ricky even felt his spiritual meridian shake a little bit, which had never happened before.


    Riddled by shock and ton of questions, he stopped at where he had been for a long time, lost in his thought.


    "My master, you must stop thinking about it! You just freed yourself from the nightmare Nate had once brought to you. I''m afraid you are being hunted by another nightmare! You might lose your mind if you let yourself become obsessed with that mysterious black hand! That''s extremely dangerous!" Seeing Ricky couldn''t stop thinking about the hand, Alva talked to Ricky in a worried tone.


    Meanwhile, he activated the Heaven Melting Fire and poured it into Ricky''s mind, hoping Ricky would come to his senses in no time.


    Thank god, Ricky finally recovered from the panic and fear. He shivered a bit and said to Alva, "Thank you for your reminder, Alva. You''ve brought me back! Otherwise, I would have been stuck in my thought and eternal slumber! If it were not you, I might have already met a miserable end!"


    A warrior gett


    Snow Land, the Earth Fire Land, or the West Desolate Land. Go to the Heaven Wood Land! And from what I''m seeing, you are heading for the Heaven Wood Land, aren''t you?" Zenith said as his face turned serious.


    "Yes, Chief Zenith. That is absolutely correct!" Ricky stopped smiling and replied.


    "You are quite a smart kid!" Zenith nodded.


    "Oh, another thing. The thing about that incomplete Young Wraith Blood Pill, what are you going to do with it? It might be trouble now that Boris is the one who was pulling the strings!" asked Ricky.


    "You didn''t tell anyone about it. That''s great! Otherwise, warriors wouldn''t be able to resist it and would have dark and evil thoughts once they heard about it! When that happens, Boris would not be the only one who would produce that pill!" Zenith appraised. "I''ve warned Boris and sent some core disciples to his place to investigate further.


    Should he play deaf to me and continue his annoying behavior, I will deal with him by myself!"


    "Thank you, Chief Zenith!" Ricky said with grateful eyes.


    "I know what is right from wrong! I was meant to stop Boris!" Zenith replied. Then he took out a mask made of human skin from the storage ring and passed it to Ricky.


    "What''s this?" Ricky asked out of curiosity.


    "A mask! I crafted it especially for you!" Zenith said. "Put on the mask and no one could recognize you! Otherwise, you would die before even getting close to the Heaven Wood Land!


    You know what? Every warrior knows your face as long as he is not a fool!"


    "Seriously? No way!" Ricky said with a scared look.


    "No! Something isn''t right here! Leave now!" At this time, Zenith grew extremely serious. He grabbed Ricky and conjured a spell, ready to leave the place.

 Chapter 209 Three Spiritual Kings

    "Zenith, you can go, but you have to leave the boy!" a voice roared as Zenith tore the space apart and was ready to flee with Ricky. The whole place started to shake violently all of a sudden, the ground visibly trembling and cracking from the pressure.


    One moment, Zenith was wreaking havoc, and then the next, a hand carrying a terrifying amount of spiritual energy appeared out of thin air, successfully blocking Zenith''s way out.


    Zenith had no choice but to stop in his tracks. His face turned grim as he gathered frosty power on one finger and attacked the hand with all his might. If he wanted to escape with Ricky, he had to get past this mysterious force and somehow knock him out. It was the only way, yet it was proving to be very difficult.


    "My master, a middle spiritual king and an lower spiritual king are on the way!" Alva said, turning to Ricky with a grave face.


    "It seems that this mysterious hand attracted not only Chief Zenith, but other people as well." Ricky''s eyes darted to all the possible escape routes, all the while calculating their chances. As he narrowed down their options, he glanced at Alva and asked, "Do you think we can get out of here?"


    "There''s a chance, but a very slim one. You have to get into the Heaven Melting Pagoda before the innate spiritual king does and block him from entering. But in my present state, it won''t be easy to accomplish. Getting rid of him might cost us a hefty price," Alva replied.


    ''A slim chance is better than none!'' Ricky thought, preparing himself for the worst.


    The next moment, two figures appeared in front of Ricky and Zenith. Their eyes were filled with murderous intent and no room for anything else. There was only one thing on their minds, and that was snuffing the life out of Ricky.


    Ricky knew how much they wanted to kill him. After all, these two had so much resentment and hatred towards him.


    One of them was Errol, a man who came from the West Desolate Land. He was Lyndon''s father. Ricky remembered Lyndon quite clearly, as Lyndon was the man who hunted him down before. The other one was Mia, Andrew''s mother. Errol was a middle spiritual king just like Zenith, while Mia was an lower spiritual king.


    But it didn''t matter what kind of spiritual king they were, as they were only ants in Ricky''s eyes. He was more powerful that these two combined.


    "Errol, Mia, it seems you two haven''t left the Snow Land yet and have no plans to do so any time soon. That''s your mistake right there. You should have left when you had the chance," Zenith said coldly, glaring at the two.


    "Ha, if we leave, then we won''t be able to see Ricky," Errol responded equally as cold. "Zenith, this is my last warning. Leave the boy alone and save yourself. That is the only way you can continue being the chief of the Snow Sect. Otherwise, we''d have no choice but to... take care of you, too."


    "Errol, you''re hilarious." Zenith laughed. "Do you honestly think your threats will work on me?" He laughed even harder. "I must say, I have


    . This time, there was blood coming out of the corner of his lips.


    "Zenith, I know your real strength. You can definitely hold your ground against many middle spiritual kings. But as long as you''re trying to protect that boy, you can''t win against me," Errol said, his lips curving into a smile.


    He looked absolutely pleased, and Zenith could tell he was itching to continue the fight.


    "Ultimate Flushing Wrath--Endless Flushing Palm!" Zenith felt it before he saw it. Errol''s attack this time was even stronger than the last two.


    ''You sealed your death the moment you decided to protect Ricky, '' Errol thought as he aimed his blow at Zenith''s chest. He wanted to hit the heart and make it stop beating.


    "Chief Zenith, don''t worry about me. Just give it your all!" Ricky said seriously, a hint of fear in his voice. He knew if Zenith got hit by Errol''s technique yet again, the consequences would be dire.


    "Nonsense, I''ll definitely defeat him and I''ll never leave you alone!" Zenith yelled back.


    "No, Chief Zenith, listen to me! I want you to give it your all! Stall him, waste his time. All I need is a little time. I''ll defeat Mia and escape!" Ricky said confidently.


    "What?" Zenith asked, unable to believe what he just heard. Ricky, defeating Mia on his own? It was like a suicide mission.


    "Trust me, Chief. I got this," Ricky said firmly. His eyes shone with resolve.


    "I see. It seems that you''ve really come across a great opportunity in the Earth Fire Place. You''re stronger now," Zenith replied with an understanding nod.


    With a smile, he took back the protective layer of energy that he cast upon Ricky. It merged with the power within his body, making him feel complete and so much stronger.


    At that moment, Ricky immediately hid inside the Heaven Melting Pagoda. His plan was to activate it and escape. His enemies noticed what he was doing, though.


    "Oh my goodness, it''s the spiritual space tool!" Errol and Mia exclaimed, their eyes filled with disbelief and greed.

 Chapter 210 Escaping The Impasse

    Even Zenith was stunned by what he just witnessed. An expression of admiration appeared on his face. Meanwhile, he felt happy for Ricky to gain such a powerful weapon. That pagoda was a spiritual space tool into which people could hide themselves. It must be a spiritual tool of intermediate stage, at least! Even a spiritual king would be thrilled if they ever got their hands on one!


    ''Possessing a spiritual space tool which can contain people, Ricky, you are so lucky! You are doomed to be the common enemy of the whole Realm of Wildness! Everyone wants to take it from you!'' Zenith sighed in his heart.


    Even though this pagoda could help Ricky escape, Zenith did not dare slack off. Ricky might be able to enter this spiritual space tool at the intermediate stage in front of a spiritual king, but he could not manipulate this pagoda to disappear that easily because the spiritual king would have learned the pagoda''s smell and was able to locate it! Wherever it went, the king was always able to find it, unless he had other matters in his hand!


    Zenith was also well aware of this fact. "Hey, Errol, Mia. I''m still here! Don''t ever underestimate your enemy!" At this time, Zenith stopped thinking about Ricky. All he wanted was to attract Errol and Mia''s attention to create an opportunity for Ricky to escape. He exerted his internal strength and consequently, the power belonging to a middle spiritual king broke out and unleashed an enormous energy! Zenith focused all his power on his finger and pointed at Errol. In an instant, Errol''s Endless Flushing Palm was destroyed!


    Then, the ravaging frozen energy formed a cage and trapped Errol and Mia!


    ''Ricky, I''ll try my best to keep Mia trapped; she wouldn''t be able to chase you! All you need to do is run! The farther, the better! Stay away from them as hard as you can!'' Zenith wished silently as he felt Ricky''s spiritual space tool run away at full speed.


    Above the frozen ice cage, Zenith cast a unique spell belonging to an innate spiritual king to keep the cage intact. He hoped that with this, Errol and Mia would have a hard time breaking it.


    "Damn it! Zenith! How dare you stop me! I swear that the Snow Sect is the number one enemy of the family of Greenhill, and it will stay that way forever!" Seeing Zenith do whatever he could to keep him in the cage, Errol roared in great rage with resentful eyes. He had never been that close to Ricky. If it weren''t for Zenith, hunting Ricky and the pagoda would have been a lot easier. However, he was caught by Zenith and was unable to find his way out.


    Despite his anger, he knew that there was no way he could hunt Ricky down with Zenith always in his way.


    "Ha-ha! The number one enemy? Forever? The Snow Sect and the family of Greenhill are already enemies! How ridiculous you are to threaten me with such a funny excuse?! Use your brain and try to make up another one, please!" Zenith burst into laughter upon hearing Errol''s threat, as if he just told him an unforgettable joke.


    Right after he finished his words, Zenith launched another attack. He concentrated his energy on his finger an


    ightened as he nodded to Alva.


    "I think I need to take a rest and stabilize myself. Then let''s head for the Heaven Wood Land! With this mask Chief Zenith gave me, I''m sure we wouldn''t be in any danger!"


    Then Ricky took out a Recovery Pill and swallowed it, preparing for the adjustment.


    "Bomb!"


    However, before he could hunker down, Ricky felt a strong murderous aura drawing towards him! In an instant, he was trapped into an endless frozen space. It was cold and chilling. It made him shudder.


    "Hurry up, my master! Go inside the pagoda! Now!" Alva urged in an extremely worried tone!


    Luckily, Ricky was not petrified by the killing intent. Before Alva got to finish his words, Ricky was one step ahead of him and had already slipped into the Heaven Melting Pagoda.


    The moment he entered the pagoda, a black shadow devoured the place where he just stood.


    "An innate spiritual king from the Endless Shadow!" Ricky recognized the man''s identity from his appearance. He was covered in black cloth apart from his eyes.


    "I''m sorry, my master. I was being careless. I didn''t detect that an innate spiritual king was on our tail!" Alva apologized, his voice turning extremely serious, which had never happened before.


    "Do we have a chance to escape?" Ricky asked, eyes narrowing and brows furrowing.


    "It seems impossible!" Alva replied, unwilling to admit the fact that he wasn''t capable of helping Ricky escape. "This man is an expert on tracking and hiding. He is even much more powerful than Zenith and Errol. I''m sure that he is an upper spiritual king!"


    "An upper spiritual king, and someone from the Endless Shadow! It can''t be! He must be the Shadow King, the leader of the Endless Shadow!" Ricky was almost certain about his guess. However, this discovery frustrated him very much. "Bad luck! It hasn''t really been my day today! I thought I already escaped from those killers! Great! Here comes another powerful foe!"


    "Boy, I know you are inside the pagoda. Hand over everything you have. I can show you mercy and keep your corpse in one piece!"

 Chapter 211 The Two Spaces Crisis Situation

    Just then, Shadow King stepped forward, his hand curling into a fist. The innate aura of death blocked the space where Heaven Melting Pagoda was located. It was too late for Ricky to escape.


    "My master, this innate spiritual king has had a deep comprehension of space. In my case, it will be a long shot to flee from the space blocked by him!" Alva said reluctantly, shocked by the formidable blockade force.


    "Alva, if so, I will go!" Ricky closed his eyes. He had to accept the reality, no matter how reluctant he was.


    Even Zenith, being only a middle spiritual king, could do nothing with the upper spiritual king if he was there to help Ricky.


    Although he was unwilling to submit to his destiny, resistance would be all in vain. So he gave up.


    "My master, please give me all your Heaven Melting Fire so that I may try to break through the blockade with the explosive force!" Alva said heavily.


    "Alva, I just want to know the extent of the result once you use the Heaven Melting Fire with all your might," Ricky inquired.


    "Don''t worry. The worst result is that Heaven Melting Pagoda will retrograde and break down," Alva responded. "But it can be renewed with Heaven Melting Fire. It won''t be a big problem. It will just need time!"


    "Alva, can you guarantee that the damage of Heaven Melting Pagoda won''t injure your psychic intelligence?" Ricky asked again.


    "My master, you really have seen through everything," Alva said with a wry smile. "After I fight it with all my strength, I will fall asleep!


    However, if you won''t generate Heaven Melting Fire to obliterate my psychic intelligence, I will wake up automatically!"


    "Alva, you appear to have totally trusted me!" Ricky said.


    "My master, do you know why I chose you as my owner without hesitation?" Alva asked. "Usually, we hermit spirits are not willing to yield to any warriors no matt


    o happen.


    "I''m sorry, my master. But rest assured, I will never yield to this man!" Alva promised with lament and resentment.


    He had been desperate to withstand the last attack. Nevertheless, the power of the upper spiritual king was so mighty that even if Alva had the Heaven Melting Fire, he was too weak to resist the force!


    "From now on, I will be in charge of this iron pagoda!" Shadow King yelled. His sword was now above Ricky, ready to chop him up instantly.


    But suddenly, Ricky''s head became gloriously radiant with the fusion of blood-red and crimson lights!


    Two runes pervaded over the lights, generating a shrill blasting.


    It was the power of Devourer Zone and Chaotic Fire Zone.


    The two lights held off the sword with ease.


    "How could this be? What the hell is this? How can it withstand my power?" Shadow King cried out. His face turned gloom as if his world had been falling apart.


    "Is this the mysterious power that was hidden in my master''s body?" Alva was shocked too, watching from Ricky''s arm. "Sure enough, I have made the wise choice. Only the force of supreme enlightenment can defeat my divine energy!" Alva said to himself.


    Now this battle was not close to being over. Ricky still stood a chance!

 Chapter 212

    Countless lights merged into a yellow shadow that shaped itself into an axe.


    The axe shadow had no aura, but it displayed a mighty and indefensible power. Shadow King could feel it immediately.


    "What? How could it be possible? Could this warrior have other treasures apart from the iron pagoda? I haven''t seen this power before. Is that something sacred? Or even a supreme weapon?" Feeling the mighty power, Shadow King roared furiously.


    "I am Shadow King! I will never be defeated by a young warrior of Blood Purification. No matter what treasure he has, he is still no match for me!"


    Boom!


    And then the Shadow King showed his impressive aura. There was no doubt he was a real upper spiritual king!


    "Shadow Slaughtering Sword!"


    With a thunderous roar, his aura surged like turbulent waves into the air. The Shadow King unsheathed his sword and then channeled his strength with the spiritual energy within a thousand miles.


    "Now, you will die!"


    he exclaimed as he swung the blade towards the shadow of axe ferociously.


    As a upper spiritual king, his attack was supposed to bring total destruction. But upon touching the shadow, the strength of his sword disappeared completely along with the light it was producing!


    Then the axe shadow slowly cut through the Shadow King.


    It destroyed all of his defenses in an instant!


    "Ugh! It can''t be possible! It can''t be possible!" The Shadow King growled anxiously when he couldn''t defend himself from the axe shadow.


    Boom! The axe shadow was about to bring out its full strength, and the Shadow King knew he was about to be destroyed!


    Unwilling to accept his failure, the Shadow King''s only way out was to crack the air and teleport away but it was too late!


    The axe shadow burst


    he was. He was in the Chaotic Fire Zone!


    "What happened?" Ricky said as he stood up out of panic.


    Eventually, he noticed the changes in his body.


    He felt his body being destroyed before he went into a coma. But now, he found his body fully energized. He was able to smash a mountain with a single punch.


    "How did this happen? My body..." Ricky exclaimed with utter disbelief. He realized that he had reached the realm of Bone Reinforcement. What was more, it was not the starting weak stage of Bone Reinforcement. His power was consolidated deeply and was going to reach the peak of the first grade of Bone Reinforcement!


    He also found other great changes in his body. It seemed that he was able to release the devouring power and infernal power freely without connecting the two zones in the regained spiritual meridian!


    More specifically, he had successfully merged with the two zones and the regained spiritual meridian!


    "Is this all a dream?" Ricky said with disbelief.


    He pinched his arm to check and immediately felt the pain.


    "It''s not a dream. I really did enter the Chaotic Fire Zone!" Ricky said, utterly stunned with what he discovered.

 Chapter 213 Rescuing The Damsels In Distress

    Once more, Ricky could truly feel the warmth of his body and the extent of his inherent power. The mark of the Heavy Melting Pagoda was still there on his arm. Although Alva had already fallen into a deep sleep, Ricky could still feel his presence.


    "But how is that possible? How could I have entered the space in my own body?" Ricky murmured to himself. Although he knew that this was something had already happened, he still found it hard to believe.


    "The state of my body seems to be renewed," Ricky said, rather excited at this discovery.


    After that, he slowly spread his hands. With the thought of releasing the devouring power and the power of the Chaotic Fire in his mind, those powers were immediately set forth, apparently without the help of his regained spiritual meridian!


    He then checked one more time in his mind and found that his regained spiritual meridian, Devourer Zone and Chaotic Fire Zone were still there.


    And in the Chaotic Fire Zone, he even saw another Ricky, who wore exactly the same expression at the moment.


    "Are¡­ Are all these really true? There are two Chaotic Fire Zones and two mes at the same time?" Ricky pondered, still in disbelief.


    For quite a while, Ricky was dumbfounded.


    Gradually, he calmed down and began to wrack his brain, wondering how he could get out of the current Chaotic Fire Zone.


    ''Based on the current situation, I believe that I am completely integrated with my regained spiritual meridian. If this is so, does that mean I can really manipulate these two zones now?'' Ricky thought.


    To test his suspicions, Ricky released his mind to detect the entire Chaotic Fire Zone.


    In a split second, his mind had directly covered the entirety of the spacious Chaotic Fire Zone.


    ''Wow, I was right. Just like Heaven Melting Pagoda, now the two zones can also be used by me. What''s more, the two supreme cultivation methods are completely integrated into the depths of my being, '' Ricky thought happily.


    The next moment, Ricky easily came out of Chaotic Fire Zone as soon as his mind thought of getting out of it.


    Of course, up to now, he still could not figure out how he had been able to enter the Chaotic Fire Zone and why he saw another Ricky in his Soul Sea.


    ''Perhaps, my strength and insights are not enough!'' thought Ricky.


    He put the Heaven Mel


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    However, it was impossible for Alicia to run, and it would only take another second for her to become food of the Black Marsh Python.


    "Oh, why the little girls nowadays are so naughty? With only a little strength, they even dare to come to this place where fierce beasts at the Bone Reinforcement haunt!" a lazy voice sounded abruptly just then.


    Then, a Whiz Fist, piercing the air, landed a violent blow on the Black Marsh Python''s mouth.


    "Snap!" The sound of something breaking rang out. The two huge fangs of the Black Marsh Python had snapped right in two, and the Python dropped on the ground with a loud hiss.


    The two women then saw the red flaming blade of a saber dropping from a giant tree, along with the black shadow of a man, hacking hard at the body of the Python. The next moment the Python had been cut into two halves, its blood spattering everywhere.


    "Once again, I am the hero that rescues damsels in distress!" Ricky said with great satisfaction. After putting away the Iron Destroyer, he turned his attention on the two women, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.


    "Little girls, are you all right?" Ricky asked gently.


    Ricky was wearing a mask now, which made him look very handsome and radiant. Besides, he just rescued them. The two women were dumbfounded at first, and then their cheeks flushed red as they felt a little embarrassed.


    "Thanks... Thank you so much for saving us!" the two women expressed their deepest appreciation after they realized what just happened, breathing hard and trying to calm down.

 Chapter 214 The Gu Clan From The Heaven Wood Land

    "Ha-ha, my pleasure to help such beautiful ladies like you!" Ricky replied jokingly. But kidding aside, even if they had not been pretty young women, Ricky would have still given them a hand. One of his distinct attributes was being kind, after all.


    Both of the two young women flushed upon hearing Ricky''s words. They were rarely complimented on their appearance so blatantly and felt quite bashful.


    They did not fear Ricky or find him annoying, even if he was making rather flirtatious remarks. They could tell that he had no malice behind his words. Everyone appreciated beautiful things or faces in the world after all, and Ricky was no exception.


    Somehow, they had a gut feeling that the man in front of them was a decent, righteous, and great man.


    "Ha-ha! All right. My name is Russell. May I know yours?" Ricky asked with a kind smile, looking them in their eyes.


    He had to come up with a false identity in order to escape the assassins from the Realm of Wildness. The mask Zenith had given him came in handy, and he needed a new fake name to go with it.


    "My name is Tracy Gu. This is Alicia Gu, my sister. Nice to meet you, Russell!"


    the older girl said.


    But all of a sudden, the moment she finished speaking, her face turned deathly pale. The black toxin had already spread all over her body. She screamed in pain and then blacked out.


    "Tracy!" Alicia paled at once upon seeing her elder sister faint. She hurriedly reached out and pulled Tracy against her body.


    "Damn it! She is in an extremely dangerous state now. The toxin is killing her!" Ricky concluded, his brows furrowed. He knelt down to feel Tracy''s pulse.


    "What should we do? Russell, help her, please! I beg you!" Alicia grew panicked, tears welling up in her eyes. Now, she was all alone without her elder sister to guide her. This man was the only person she could turn to. He had helped them defeat that beast earlier. She could tell he was powerful and wished that he could bring Tracy back.


    "Let me try!" Ricky nodded.


    "Put her on the ground!" he said, already thinking of a way to save Tracy. "Yes!" Alicia sobbed as she carefully did what Ricky had ordered. Then, Ricky squatted down, put his hand above the wound on Tracy''s arm, and activated the Devouring Skill. He was trying to suck the venom out of her body by using its power. Alicia stood aside and stared at Ricky. ''Please, please. Wake up, Tracy!'' she prayed in her heart, crossing her fingers. A worried expression had come over her delicate face. The Devouring Skill was indeed a powerful cultivation method and worked quite well. Before long, Tracy''s face returned to its normal complexion. A rosy flush came onto her cheeks, indicating that blood circulation had returned.


    However, she did not wake up. What was worse was that her breathing was beginning to falter.


    "Why? Russell, I don''t understand! The venom was already sucked out! Why didn''t she wake up? She''s dying!" Alicia choked back sobs.


    "The venom has circulated her body for a while. What''s more, the toxin is from a Black Marsh Python. It''s very powerful and strong. Now it has already seeped into the bones. Even though part of the venom was sucked out, there is still a certa


    feuding all the time. Now, the Gu Clan was at a disadvantage as their population decreased. So far, there were less than thirty people in total in the Gu Clan.


    However, it still remained one of the most powerful families in the city. This good reputation was all thanks to their father, a warrior at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    Now, their father was hurt badly by the Double-tailed Scorpion, a beast at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement. Even if the flower they brought back could cure him, he would not be as powerful as he had been in the past. It was foreseeable that their enemy, the Zhen Clan, would do whatever they could to strike the Gu Clan while it was weak.


    Everyone from the Gu Clan were well aware of their dangerous situation. So Alicia and Tracy offered to go to the jungle in search for the antidote, the Black Poison Flower.


    ''It seems that I''m going to live a rather chaotic life in the Gu Clan!'' Ricky thought to himself after he learned about this.


    However, now that he had already promised to visit the Gu Clan, he could not go back on his word. ''Chaotic life? Hmm, so what? I''ve never lived a peaceful life, anyway!'' Ricky teased himself quietly.


    Once they entered the territory of the Water Fire City, Tracy and Alicia attracted some attention. They were quite famous thanks to their family as well as their beauty.


    People in the city also noticed Ricky. They stared at him with envious eyes.


    Of course, a man accompanied by two pretty and well-known ladies would be enough to make other men envious.


    Soon, Ricky noticed that many warriors whispered as they stared at Tracy and Alicia. Something bad seemed to have happened.


    The sisters were observant and also noticed the murmurs. They exchanged anxious looks, their faces growing taut.


    "Russell, I''m afraid something might have happened to my family. Can we speed up?" Tracy turned to Ricky and asked in a worried tone, worry growing in her heart. She felt extremely uneasy.


    "Yes, sure. I''m going with you! Let''s move!" Ricky replied with a nod. He understood their concern. What could have happened while they were gone?

 Chapter 215 Bastard

    The Gu Clan was located in the west of Water Fire City. They owned a lot of land, and all kinds of inns and trading halls were positioned after another. They too were the Clan''s property.


    Typically, it would be bustling with noise and excitement, with hawkers who set up shop along the street. But today, it was very quiet and the atmosphere was a little tense.


    Almost all of the warriors were gathered in front of the gate of Gu Clan!


    It seemed that something had happened in there.


    "Uncle Charlie, today I''m here to ask you for the hand of your daughter with utmost sincerity. As long as you promise to marry your daughter to me, the two of us will become one family. The Water Fire City will be controlled by you and my father!"


    a brash voice sounded from the crowd. Although it sounded diplomatic, there were untoward implications between the lines. Everyone could hear that!


    The voice came from a young man dressed in splendid robes. He was at the seventh grade of Blood Purification. However, his handsome face didn''t have the intense blood vitality that the warriors of Blood Purification should have. Instead, he lacked vital energy, and everybody knew that it was because of his excessive drinking and other indulgent vices.


    Near the young man stood an old man. His entire being screamed of arrogance and disdain. He thought of himself so highly because he was at the second grade of Bone Reinforcement, which was higher than many of the other warriors in the Water Fire City!


    In front of the young man and the old man, a middle-aged man sat on a chair. He looked very weak and was surrounded by many young warriors!


    But alas, among these young warriors who guarded him, the highest ranking one was only at the seventh grade of Blood Purification!


    "Jalen is humiliating the Gu Clan. He offered to just take a thousand silver coins as the dowry to marry Charlie''s two daughters. That is a threat!" the surrounding crowd muttered to each other.


    "It''s not surprising because this is a competitive world. Now, the master from Gu Clan is poisoned and w


    hing his wounded hand.


    "Elder Keaton, why are you standing there like a post? Help me take off this bitch''s clothes. I''m going to have sex with her here to show her who''s boss!" Jalen spun around and roared at the old man who was at the second grade of Bone Refinement.


    All the warriors present were utterly disgusted with what Jalen had said.


    Even Elder Keaton was also disgusted with Jalen''s words, but he had no choice but to obey his employer!


    "Little girl, you''d better listen to him and take off your clothes by yourself. If you behave, you won''t get hurt!" Elder Keaton said nonchalantly. Then his power at the second grade of Bone Reinforcement sprang out threateningly.


    Immediately, Tracy''s face turned pale. Her eyes filled with fear at what was about to happen to her.


    "Rupert, if you''re a man just come out and meet me face to face. There''s no need to send your son to do your dirty work!" Charlie shouted, looking at the sky.


    "Charlie, you won''t see Master Rupert today unless you submit to our Zhen Clan. Otherwise, I''ll help Jalen do what he wants to your daughter!" Elder Keaton replied harshly.


    "So, if you don''t want your two daughters to get hurt, make up your mind! I''ll give you time to think about that!"


    "Elder Keaton, didn''t you hear my words clearly? Just take off this bitch''s clothes now!" Jalen impatiently roared like a spoiled brat.

 Chapter 216 He Had to Help Them

    "Before I came here, the master of the Zhen Clan said that I was still in charge of everything here!" Elder Keaton was furious after Jalen growled at him. His voice was cold with his murderous intent surging towards Jalen.


    If Jalen weren''t the master''s son, he would have beaten him a million times over!


    When Jalen felt the real murderous intent coming from Elder Keaton, he had to admit that he was really a coward. He stopping yelling at him because he feared his anger. Although Jalen indulged in tasty wine and beautiful ladies, he was not stupid. It was true that Elder Keaton wouldn''t dare to kill him, but he would definitely teach him a lesson and beat the shit out of him if necessary. As for that, well, he bet that his father had no objection.


    "Made your choice yet? Charlie, if you can''t make up your mind, I can only do what Jalen told me to!" Immediately, Elder Keaton started to threaten Charlie again.


    Charlie helplessly looked at Tracy and Alicia and then nodded because he could see there was no other way.


    If Charlie was alone and wasn''t responsible for the entire Gu Clan, he would absolutely not have made such a humiliating choice. With his daughters and all the people of his clan depending on him, he had no choice.


    "Ha-ha, that''s right, Charlie. We can finally work this out after you agree!" Elder Keaton laughed loudly when he saw Charlie nod.


    "Then after today, please transfer all the properties of the Gu Clan to the Zhen Clan and send your daughters to our clan!"


    "Father, don''t! I don''t want to go to Zhen Clan!" Alicia cried and shouted as soon as she heard that. Tracy also burst into tears, but said nothing as her sister protested.


    Charlie could do nothing to stop it. When he looked at his daughters, he felt like he was already torn apart inside.


    "Please, Russell, I''m begging you! Help me and my sister!" Alicia realized that there was nothing that her father could do about it. So, she knelt directly in front of Ricky!


    This scene naturally attracted the attention of all the warriors!


    Only then did they notice that there was another man, a stranger that they had never before seen in the city!


    "Who is this young man?" "I don''t think I''ve ever seen him."


    "That''s not the point. Do you think he is going to be soft-hearted


    rm, so he couldn''t stand the insult and pain of his broken arm.


    "You are nothing but scum. You should die millions of times over, you bastard!" Ricky ruthlessly said when he heard Jalen howl. After he finished his words, he wielded the Iron Destroyer in his left hand and pressed it to Jalen''s neck. The howling stopped abruptly.


    "NO!" Elder Keaton shouted again, but it was too late. Before he could do anything Jalen was dead. Ricky tossed his body on the ground.


    Ricky was not obsessed with killing, but he knew that only death could stop people like Jalen. If he let him go, he would just keep harassing those poor people. As for Ricky, well, he didn''t care about that at all, but Alicia and her sister were innocent people!


    Moreover, he didn''t want to leave any loose ends. It was true that a little bug couldn''t threaten him at all, but once the bug could influence others, it would definitely make a difference!


    "Killed...He was killed. That young man actually killed Jalen. That was so quick!" Looking at the corpse on the ground, warriors around were shocked again!


    "He''s dead! How dare you kill Jalen?!" Elder Keaton stumbled to get up from the ground and spoke in shock. Although he didn''t care whether Jalen was dead or not, he would be the one to blame because Jalen died under his watch.


    With the cruel and fierce nature of the master of Zhen Clan, he would be cruelly punished even if he didn''t need to die.


    After all, there was a huge difference between Jalen''s death and Jalen''s being beaten!

 Chapter 217 The Decision Of The Two Sisters

    "You have to die!"


    Elder Keaton burst out hysterically. All at once, he launched numerous Wave Sharp Claws against Ricky. Since the second young master of his clan was killed by Ricky, he knew he would be severely punished by his clan if he didn''t do something about it. He then chose to take revenge on Ricky with all his might!


    "You old git, I am warning you that you are really biting off more than you can chew!" Ricky sneered coldly. Of course, after Elder Keaton and his young master had done such a nasty thing, he didn''t need to show politeness and mercy to Elder Keaton. In an instant, Ricky bolted. He raised his Iron Destroyer and engaged in a fierce battle with Elder Keaton!


    Splash! The moment when the two people changed their positions, the sound of blood splashing on the ground could be heard. There was also a thump as an arm dropped on the ground. As it lay on the ground, it was obvious the arm belonged to an elderly person. After a moment, everyone realized that the arm was Elder Keaton''s!


    Bang! With his waves wildly spreading, Elder Keaton tumbled to the ground again. Meanwhile, he whined pitifully. After all, the pain of having an arm cut off would be unbearable to anyone.


    "Just now, I could have cut off your head, but I only cut off one of your arms so that you can go back and inform the members of your clan what I have just told you!" Ricky said coldly, totally ignoring the whining.


    After that, Ricky put his Iron Destroyer away!


    "What awesome skill! Elder Keaton of the Zhen Clan is like a vulnerable child while fighting with this strange young man!" At the end of the battle, the warriors around them gradually regained their frayed nerves to chatter confidently.


    "Did you see that the young man is just a warrior at the first grade of Bone Reinforcement? He''s a real genius who can challenge those stronger than him!"


    "What? The first grade of Bone Reinforcement?! He can really challenge those stronger than him?!"


    "Hiss¡­" The sound of inhaling deeply could be heard.


    "All I said was absolutely true. He''s a genius of geniuses."


    Everyone was so engaged in their discussions.


    "If you don''t get out of here now, I''ll make sure you will stay here forever!" Ricky bellowed coldly again as he slowly turned around.


    At that point, Elder Keaton had lost all his momentum and ambition for revenge. He had just experienced a brush with death and was quite aware of how it felt to die.


    Ricky had hardly finished his words before Elder Keaton, despite his great pain, stopped whining. He pressed the gaping wound and hastily picked up Jalen''s corpse. He fled the site as fast as he could with one arm.


    At that moment, the trouble that plagued the Gu Clan was resolved.


    Of course, all the warriors on site had a clear understanding that the end of the issue would


    h!


    Ricky had just walked out of the Chaotic Fire Zone, and he did not want to get in trouble. Nevertheless, he had still offered help to the two sisters. Why was that? Ricky was a little confused about his own actions. All he knew was that he didn''t want innocent girls like Tracy and Alicia to be hurt. Maybe he still had goodness hidden inside him.


    Of course, it was impossible for Ricky to have a crush on them. Although he was affectionate, he wouldn''t fall in love with every pretty woman he met.


    "Russell, are you really not mad at me?" Hearing Ricky''s words, Tracy found it hard to believe her ears.


    "If I was, why would I promise to help you and your clan resolve all your trouble?" Ricky replied with a smile.


    Hearing what Ricky said, Tracy finally believed him and said excitedly, "Russell, I couldn''t be more grateful!"


    "All right, Tracy, I really need to have a rest now, so it''s time for you to leave. Don''t worry! I will keep my promise!" Ricky said at once.


    However, without any warning, Tracy took off her outer robe. Immediately, her luscious shoulders were revealed while her big breasts were about to burst out from her bra.


    As she stood there nearly naked, Ricky could smell an enticing fragrance covering her body.


    Everything just happened too fast, leaving Ricky no time to react. While he was stunned, Tracy didn''t stop there and was about to take off her underwear too.


    "What are you doing?" Ricky shouted loudly and angrily when he finally realized what was happening in front of him.


    After his body was reshaped, he could better endure that kind of temptation. Within a moment, he overcame his desire and immediately picked up the clothes on the ground and put them back on Tracy.


    "Ru¡­Russell, aren''t you happy with me? If you don''t like me, my younger sister is still waiting outside the door!" Tracy said with tears in her eyes.

 Chapter 218 The Fire Cloud Fist

    Ricky found it both funny and annoying after hearing what Tracy said. They both wanted to seduce him with physical attraction. He was so speechless. ''What kind of man do they think I am?''


    The next moment he noticed that Alicia was also standing outside of the door.


    "Tracy, is this your father''s idea?" Ricky asked as he narrowed his eye in suspicion.


    "Of course not. This is nothing to do with our father. We made this decision by ourselves. Besides that fact, our father has been in a semi-conscious condition after taking the Black Poison Flower!" Tracy explained hurriedly after feeling Ricky''s anger.


    "You guys made that decision on your own?" Ricky asked doubtfully. Ricky''s first instinct told him that it was Charlie''s scheme. He suspected that he made Tracy and Alicia seduce him in order to use him against the Zhen Clan.


    "Russell, you know very well about the current condition of our family. Since you know that, pick one of us! Although my father will recover from his poisoning in several days, his power will still be fatally weakened after that. It will be by a god''s blessing if he even still retains the strength of the second grade of Bone Reinforcement," said Tracy seriously.


    "My father is the only Bone Reinforcement warrior of our family. The only person who can protect us is lying in bed. I cannot even imagine what will happen to our family if you leave us now. My sister and I thought that the only thing we could give you would be ourselves, so we made this decision...


    So Russell, please don''t blame us! Believe me when I say we wouldn''t have done that if we had a better option! We have to do this for our family!" Tracy said with sadness in her eyes.


    Alicia stepped into the doorway at that moment. She also wanted to apologize to Ricky for what they had done.


    "Now I understand it," Ricky said. "But all in all, I had said before that I would help you guys solve your problems before my leaving. So, don''t worry about it."


    "Russell! Thank you so much!" Words failed them after hearing what Ricky said and that was the only thing they could utter.


    "If you still feel unsure about that, go find me a book of fire-natured cultivation method," Ricky spoke softly to ease them, sensing their hesitation.


    "Ricky, most of the people of our family own the fire-natured spiritual meridian, so we have many books of


    y want to share a bed with me?" Ricky asked. He teased them lightly with a wink.


    They went out of the room shyly upon hearing that.


    ...


    "So, it''s called the Fire Cloud Fist. I wonder how powerful it is!" Ricky then put his attention on the cultivation method. He unrolled the beast hide the next moment.


    When he unrolled it Ricky was so shocked by its content. He stared at the beast hide for a while and could not take his eyes off of it.


    "This Fire Cloud Fist is a cultivation method of the intermediate stage of the Black Level!" Ricky blinked his eyes and spoke to himself in disbelief after a while. He could not believe it!


    Ricky used to think that the Gu Clan was well-matched in strength with the Nan Clan and the Sun Clan at its peak, so he thought the cultivation method of the Gu Clan would at best be in the inferior stage of Black Level.


    He also thought that they would have just brought him a cultivation method at the advanced stage of the Yellow Level. He did not have a lot of expectation put on it.


    There was a cultivation method of the intermediate stage of Black Level in his hands thanks to the Gu clan, and he was so excited about it. In terms of Ricky''s presented ability, the cultivation method was of great value to him.


    At this point, the best cultivate method Ricky mastered was Five Beasts Arts, a cultivation method only at the inferior stage of Black Level.


    ''It seems that the ancestors of the Gu Clan were quite remarkable!'' Ricky sighed with emotion, and then he started to practice the cultivation method immediately.

 Chapter 219 An Unexpected Visitor

    The Fire Cloud Fist was a fire-natured cultivation method in the intermediate stage of the Black Level. There were four levels of that type of fist.


    For one thing, warriors who wanted to practice this method had to have the capability to control and manipulate their fire spiritual energy with their own will. They had to be powerful enough to transfer their fire spiritual energy into either a cloud or mist easily.


    It was a bit similar for warriors to practice the Chaotic Fire Skill, which required the practitioners to be able to control the fire freely.


    It sounded like an easy job, but it was not as easy as it seemed. Few warriors who focused on practicing the cultivation methods of fire elements were strong enough to do it.


    Another thing was that they had to be able to feel the strong fire elements from the air or space around them. They needed to control those elements from outside skillfully. They also had to change them into either a cloud or mist just like what they could do to their own fire spiritual energy.


    Only those who were strong enough to manipulate both the external fire elements and the internal fire spiritual energy were qualified to practice the Fire Cloud Fist.


    The four levels of the fist were able to be explained in depth. To reach the first level, warriors should be able to use the fire spiritual energy they possessed and the fire elements from the outside to form a shadow fist with the shape of fire cloud. They then had to show their peak energy.


    To reach the second level, warriors should be able to form two fists and show energy that was twice as strong as their own strength.


    To reach the third level, warriors should form three fists and show energy that was thrice as strong as their own strength.


    As for the highest level, the forth level, there was not a uniform standard. How many fists they could form and how strong their power could become all depended on how smart and talented the warrior who used it was.


    ''It is really worthy to be identified as a cultivation method at the intermediate stage of Black Level! I''ve already felt that practicing it is going to be much more difficult that practicing the Five Beasts Arts! I''m sure it''s going to be a really powerful method if I succeed in practicing it! Don''t disappoint me, Fire Cloud Fist!'' Ricky said silently to himself. He was delighted at the prospect of learning the new skill.


    One of the crucial advantages of the Fire Cloud Fist was that one was able to use energy more powerful than their own base strength. That trait deviated itself far from an ordinary cultivation method at the intermediate stage of the Black Level. It made itself more like one of the advanced cultivation methods of the Black Level.


    ''I''ve already succeeded in the Chaotic Fire Skill. This means that I''m able to manipulate the fire easily. With such an advantage, reaching the first level of the Fire Cloud Fist is not going to be difficult for me. For the first night here... I''d like to know how much progress I can make tonight!'' thought Ricky, as he activated the two Supreme Skills he owned and began to practice and comprehend the Fire Cloud Fist. His cultivation started then as he closed his eyes and dedicated himself to practicin


    umph! Stop being a liar! Russell is busy in cultivation now. He won''t come out and see you!" Alicia took a step forward and scolded him coldly.


    "Oh? He is busy in cultivation now?" Patrick Zhen asked in surprise. Alicia had given Patrick some key information that caused his eyes to light up when he heard what she said.


    "Alicia, be quiet!" Charlie ordered in a serious tone.


    Her father''s serious expression made Alicia realize that she had just said something that she was not supposed to say. Pinching her lips together, she stepped back at once.


    "Uncle Charlie, is he really in there practicing now?" Patrick questioned him closely, not willing to let useful information slip by.


    "Master Charlie, if he really wants to talk to me, here I am!" Ricky''s voice rang out before he walked out from behind the Gu Clan members. He knew that it was about time for him to show up. Patrick Zhen would not let Charlie go easily otherwise.


    "Russell! You''re done with your cultivation!" Seeing Ricky appear, both Tracy and Alicia spoke in low and excited voices.


    Charlie also felt very relieved at the sight of Ricky. If the Zhen Clan confirmed that Ricky was practicing in the Gu Clan''s home, there might be some terrible consequences since they might do whatever they could to disturb Ricky and make him lose control during cultivation.


    "Oh! You must be Russell! My name is Patrick Zhen. I''m here to apologize to you for my brother! I''m really glad to meet you." Patrick walked to Ricky and still spoke in a polite manner. However, a resentful and murderous intent was hiding deep in his eyes. It was not something that was detectable by ordinary people.


    "Patrick Zhen, right? So, you are the eldest young master of the Zhen Clan. I killed your younger brother and broke your Elder Keaton''s arm off. Now, you are claiming that you came here to apologize to me? Are you serious?" Ricky responded in a distant tone. He was well aware of what kind of person Patrick Zhen was thanks to his acute insight. His gut feelings told him that the man was a vicious cunning fox who knew well how to dig out the information he wanted from others with his fake smile.

 Chapter 220 Rupert Shows Up

    "I have made it clear just now, Russell. It''s all my brother''s fault. We can''t blame anybody for it, so my father sent me here today to apologize!" Patrick said earnestly.


    "We can''t afford to go against you, Russell. So, I thought we should clear the air face to face!"


    "If that''s what you came here for, then you don''t need to worry about that. I''ll never blame a man''s whole family for what he did. Since the Zhen Clan can get over this, then I will also let it go!" Ricky said slowly.


    Of course, Ricky would be a fool if he really believed what Patrick said!


    "You really are a noble gentleman, Russell. Thank you, I really appreciate it!" Patrick was made more humble when he heard Ricky, bowing politely.


    Just as Patrick bowed, everything had changed.


    Without anyone noticing, a black light had come out of Patrick''s sleeve. It shot into Ricky''s stomach before he could even realize what was happening!


    Clap! Ricky finally came to his senses after tottering backward a little. When he realized what happened there, his face turned gloomy.


    At the same time, all the warriors around also realized that Patrick had made a move to attack!


    "Russell!" Tracy and her sister cried out immediately, rushing to Ricky and holding him up carefully.


    "What are you doing, Patrick?!" Charlie roared, directly striking Patrick with a fierce blow.


    An old man stepped out from the crowd to stop Charlie. The old man forced him backward with a swift punch.


    "It is a top-ranked warrior of the first grade of Bone Reinforcement, Elder Dale from the Zhen Clan!" At once, all the people around realized who the old man really was.


    "It seems that the master of the Gu Clan has gotten treated by the Black Poison Flower, so he has recovered a lot of his strength!"


    "So what? Even though he had recovered, he is now the same level as Elder Dale. Now with Rupert here, the Gu Clan is doomed to be destroyed!"


    "Patrick is so awful and devious! He even play such a trick! No one else would have thought of it!"


    ¡­¡­


    "Ha-ha! What am I doing? Don''t you see that this young man on your side has been seriously poisoned, Uncle Charlie? His injury is ten times more serious than yours, so nobody can save your clan this time!"


    With t


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    d so fast that he could not even say a word.


    Ricky''s right hand had punched out and pierced through his chest. They could even hear the sound of blood dripping to the ground from the giant wound.


    "I''ve warned you that it is not ever certain who will die in the end, but you wouldn''t listen." Ricky had already regained his power and stood straight as he spoke coldly.


    As soon as Patrick had realized what happened to him, he was already dead.


    Then, all the people who were fighting suddenly realized what had just happened. Both the Gu Clan and the Zhen Clan stopped to watch.


    "How... How is it possible that Russell was not poisoned? I definitely saw Patrick''s poisonous sting stab into his stomach!" The warriors all exclaimed in disbelief.


    "That''s great! Russell is fine!" Tracy and Alicia cheered excitedly. The disciples of the Gu Clan also looked at him in delight.


    "Young Master!" The people of the Zhen Clan couldn''t believe what they had just seen. All of them were roaring in rage.


    As everyone was still trying to figure out what happened, a voice of rage called out, "How dare you kill my sons, you bastard?! You''re digging your own grave! You are so dead!"


    A scarlet figure with a strong aura of cruelty came right to the scene, making all the warriors shiver. When Ricky saw him, his brows furrowed in concern.


    There was no doubt that the man was Rupert Zhen, the master of the Zhen Clan. He was a powerful warrior at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement!

 Chapter 221 The Ultimate Battle

    ''Rupert is the master of the Zhen Clan. He is at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement. So next, it''s my time to prove that I''m a genius who can go against someone of a superior level!'' Ricky thought, seeing the middle-aged man dressed in a blood red robe and approached him quickly.


    ......


    Patrick''s needle had indeed contained a highly toxic substance. Even the warriors who were at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement couldn''t survive after being poisoned.


    But Ricky was much stronger than before. He had acquired the Devouring Skill, making him harder to wound. When this poisonous needle entered into his body, he wielded the devouring power to absorb the poison into the Devourer Zone. He then let the devouring runes dissolve it slowly.


    ......


    "Rupert has finally showed up, so now we''re going to see some real fun!" many warriors said in a hushed voice. When Rupert appeared, they had forgotten to wonder about how Ricky didn''t get poisoned. All their attention was focused on Rupert.


    "That''s right. It would be even better if all three of them were injured..."


    They discussed with each other.


    Boom! When Rupert showed up, the endless waves of spiritual energy almost drowned the gate of the Gu Clan''s house. The anger and hatred contained in that spiritual energy seemed to condense into a physical substance.


    Immediately, all the warriors in the area retreated again. Rupert''s murderous intent was very intense, so they didn''t want to get hurt just by standing near the fight!


    "I will kill you!" Rupert roared. Then he gathered an attack with his water palms. He slapped at Ricky ferociously. The pain of losing his sons left only grief and loathing in his heart.


    He didn''t realize that his sons'' deaths were all his own fault. If he hadn''t sent Jalen there, how could Jalen have met Ricky in the first place? If he didn''t try to find out Ricky''s real strength and have Patrick attack him secretly, he would not have lost his older son either!


    "Go to hell!" Ricky roared out, bursting out his Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula to its peak and rushing at Rupert!


    "Five Beasts Arts, Tiger Arts and Tiger Flame Fist!"


    Under the blue light, Ricky jumped high. The endless flame spiri


    feat me!" Ricky grinned. His momentum burst out again, and then he directly used the Devouring Skill to attack.


    Ricky was very excited because such extreme challenge made him feel the desire to become a genius in the world!


    "You are asking for death, young man!" Rupert shouted indignantly upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    In the next moment, Rupert decided he didn''t really care about the real identity of his foe. For him it was a disgrace to be beaten by a warrior at the first grade of Bone Reinforcement. Then, he condensed his power and rushed at Ricky again.


    "Water Miraculous Wave--Wave Sharp Claws!" With a shout, Rupert''s body leaped into the air several times. His arms were surrounded by the water spiritual energy and it burst out directly. Instantly the energy turned into two sharp claws as he rushed toward Ricky.


    "Devouring Skill--Devouring Fire Fist!"


    Ricky started running and released his devouring power. Then, he merged into the flames. He clenched his fist and crashed into Rupert''s attack head on!


    ''Now this body of mine is condensed with my devouring energy. It can therefore also be called the devouring body. Next, I''ll show you how powerful this body is!'' Ricky thought to himself in anticipation.


    ''Can Russell resist Rupert''s attacks again this time?'' All disciples around wondered suspiciously. They stared at the center of the collision, afraid of missing any details!


    Bang! Their two powerful attacks collided again in front of everyone''s eyes!

 Chapter 222 The Miraculous Water Orb

    "Bang!" Once again, both of them exerted their internal strength and launched attacks towards each other. They were both trying hard to defeat the other. Carrying their powerful energy, they collided so hard that they brought forth a tremendous sound. The noise was a bit weaker than the one when they first collided but it was still jarring.


    Only those who were more powerful than Ricky and Rupert could detect the small difference. As for those on-lookers, all of them were unable to tell the slight difference because they were weaker than Ricky and Rupert. All they felt and thought to themselves was ''Wow, incredible! They are so strong! What a wonderful battle!''


    Rupert, however, felt everything. When his claw met Ricky''s fist, he sensed that there seemed to be an invisible mouth behind Ricky''s fist. All the power belonging to his claw was absorbed by that mouth via Ricky''s fist.


    Theoretically, his attack was supposed to be far stronger than Ricky''s fist. Nevertheless, the power of his attack was devoured by another mysterious power hiding within Ricky''s body. As a result, he was unable beat Ricky with his claw.


    ''No! No! No way! How is this possible?!'' Rupert thought to himself desperately feeling as if he was about to lose his mind.


    He exerted more internal strength to make his claw stronger. However, it was too late. Once a punch or claw was sent out to attack the enemy, one could increase the power of the fist or claw before it hit the enemy. When it already reached the enemy and its energy already broke out, trying to increasing the power of the fist or claw would be completely in vain. That was exactly what happened between Rupert and Ricky.


    The energy of Rupert''s claw and Ricky''s fist broke apart as they met. The fire on Ricky''s fist crackled and was burning ferociously, trying to dry the water. The water on Rupert''s claw was roaring as it likewise tried to put down the fire. It was literally a situation where fire and water were incompatible. The war truly broke out between them then!


    The endless power of two different elements caused air blasts and rippled over the atmosphere. The waves were so powerful, that it seemed as if they could tear apart reality. Both Ricky and Rupert were knocked back a few steps again. The crowed could not help squinting their eyes to resist the strong energy. They instinctively wanted to avoid getting injured. The fight was just too much for most of them.


    At that time, neither Ricky nor Rupert held the upper hand.


    They were forced to walk backwards for almost the same amount of steps. After that collision, both of them spat blood. Needless to say, both of them had internal injuries. Ending in a draw that round was just a superficial state for them. Things were different on Ricky''s side.


    ''My body! My body refined in the Devouring Zone! I''m so glad you didn''t disappoint me!'' Ricky thought to himself in excitement. Ending up tying with Rupert was actually a good sign. It indicated that Ricky was able to resist an attack from a warrior at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and that he was capable enough to challenge someone who was three levels higher than him!


    At the very beginning, Ricky had thought that there was going to be a serious fight between him and Rupert before he was


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    deadly strike. He had already reached his goal of generating his peak power. It would only be a waste of him time should he engaged in a protracted war against Rupert. So, it was time to end the battle.


    Rupert, on the other hand, activated all his strength. His peak energy was pumping through his veins. Meanwhile, he produced an array with his hands facing each other. Immediately, ten drops of blood brimmed over each of his ten fingers respectively. Then they gathered in the array, forming a bigger drop of blood. Soon, it rushed to his forehead and seeped into his body!


    "What is he doing? Did he intend to use his blood essence? That was not the right procedure for releasing the blood essence!" muttered Ricky in shock. Seeing Rupert busy performing the strange method, he became confused.


    Though had no idea about what Rupert''s was doing, Ricky was still confident. Meanwhile, he kept himself alert, knowing that Rupert was about to use his last card at that critical time. Deep inside, he was even quite expectant and curious about what kind of method Rupert was going to utilize.


    "Russell, be careful, please! He is going to use the Miraculous Water Orb!" Charlie reminded him. Clearly, he knew about Rupert''s last card, or perhaps he himself had such a card too.


    "The Miraculous Water Orb?" Hearing Charlie''s warning, Ricky grew puzzled. He had never heard of such a weapon or tool before. He took a closer look at Rupert and saw what it was like.


    The moment the ten drop of blood sank into his forehead, a strong water energy poured out from Rupert''s body. Immediately, it engulfed the space just like an abrupt tsunami was pouring over them.


    Then, a round and transparent ball about the size of a fist popped out from Rupert''s forehead.


    Despite its relatively small size, Ricky felt that the transparent sphere contained extremely strong miraculous water power which was almost as powerful as the power of water in the vast sea.


    That analogy was probably a bit exaggerated. It was still indeed quite strong.


    "How can it be? This water orb... How can it be so powerful?" Ricky asked in great shock. Rupert had indeed surprised him with the strange water orb.

 Chapter 223 Prove Myself

    ''This is just wrong. That kind of strength can''t belong to Rupert. If it were really his, he would have shown all of it off from the get-go. In addition, only some array power requires blood sacrifice. This can''t be right.'' This immediately occurred to Ricky right after the shocking event that unfolded right before him.


    Murmurs coming from the other warriors at the scene also validated his suspicions.


    "It''s the Miraculous Water Orb! It is said that every master from the Zhen Clan would use a certain kind of skill that has the ability to gather spiritual energy to produce the Miraculous Water Orb. Then, they pass it on to the next clan master before their death! It''s the clan''s ultimate secret!"


    "I''ve also heard of such an orb! I didn''t know it was inside Rupert''s forehead, however! It''s just a surprise how he needed to sacrifice some of his blood in order to use the Miraculous Water Orb!"


    "That''s not his own strength, is it? Regardless, Russell would still be in danger! After being able to use the orb in his possession, Rupert now probably has the strength of a warrior at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement!"


    "It''s time to decide who wins and who loses."


    Everyone had their own set of theories about the fight.


    ''I see. So this is what they call the Miraculous Water Orb.'' Ricky came up with that realization upon hearing the fuss among the other warriors.


    ''If every master from the Zhen Clan did this, this would mean that Rupert had more than one Miraculous Water Orb. I have to beat this guy in one go. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have the upper hand in this battle in the long run.'' Ricky continued to analyze the situation.


    "Today, you shall die under the power of my Miraculous Water Orb," Rupert said in extreme confidence after releasing the miracles of the orb. The eagerness in his aura had diminished, only to be replaced with malicious intent.


    "Die? Today? What a joke! You think you can kill me with just your weak orb?" Ricky answered mockingly. "Let me tell you this. There is no way you''ll ever defeat me. No matter what you do, the results


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    the two had caused was immeasurable. At that particular moment, people paid closer attention to where the water and fire were spreading out.


    "How is this possible? How can so much power be present all at the same time?" Onlookers were surprised by Rupert''s loud cry.


    The devouring power managed to eat up Rupert''s Double-waved Palm. He never expected such a fierce force to collide with his.


    That wasn''t all there was. A final wave of power came out, completely destroying Rupert''s Double-waved Palm. This caused him to lose his confidence totally.


    The unparalleled strength of the explosion of two kinds of runic power and the merging of three powerful flames was finally shown in Ricky''s recovering body.


    At the center of the explosion where the Double-waved Palm was smashed, Rupert''s body fell heavily to the ground.


    Another wave of flame strike hit where Rupert''s body was located. At that point, he was almost unconscious.


    "Bang!" Another explosion shook the entire place. A small mushroom-like cloud flew over the place, indicating that it was the end of the battle.


    The audience was then enveloped by a thick layer of dust that spread quickly. The emotions that filled the place were mixed. But mostly, they were impressed.


    "Finally, I have proven myself to be a peerless genius!" Slowly, a tall figure carrying a saber on his right hand walked out of the blast.

 Chapter 224 Fortune

    Ricky defeated Rupert. It meant that he had succeeded in challenging someone three levels above him. He was now a peerless genius.


    "Alva, I am a peerless genius now. When will you wake up?" he whispered to himself. Not a long time had passed, but there was an empty, lingering space in his chest. He missed Alva very much.


    Images of his father also floated by in his mind. "Where are you, father? Have you heard any news about mother?" Whispering a silent prayer, Ricky let his thoughts wander to those of the ones he loved.


    ...


    "Is it over?"


    A sweeping hush fell upon the warriors at the sight of Ricky emerging with his saber.


    Were their eyes playing tricks on them? Rupert was among the strongest men they had ever laid eyes on. The very mention of his name was enough to make anyone shudder in fear. In the Water Fire City, his word was law.


    But now, this young warrior who had not yet reached the age of maturity had emerged victorious from the battle. It was impossible not to feel stunned at the outcome of the fight.


    As the curtain of air and dust dissipated, Rupert finally came into view.


    His mangled body lay stretched on a deep pit, his limbs twitching their last spasms. A deep gash ran across his chest and blood pooled from it to the ground like a crimson carpet. There was only the sound of his gasps and sputters as the life drained from him with each second.


    Then, there was nothing but stillness from his lifeless form.


    Ricky''s voice sliced through the awed silence of the people who watched the scene with disbelieving eyes. "Well, your Miraculous Water Orb doesn''t seem to have anything special!" he proclaimed, walking to the deep pit.


    "I am the winner!" His eyes scanned the crowd, then he pointed to Rupert''s body. "And he, Rupert of the Zhen Clan, was just a pathetic loser," Ricky declared.


    With this, his days at the Water Fire City had finally come to an end. If nothing else, the Gu Clan would claim rulership over the city, but this did not interest Ricky in the slightest. He was going to leave here.


    There was nothing this city could offer for him to improve himself further.


    ...


    Rupert''s death meant the impending breaking apart of the Zhen Clan. It would only be a matter of time before other clans would destroy what was left of them.


    The Gu Clan''s courtyard was lively with joy and excitement, and the name of one young and mighty warrior was on everyone''s lips.


    ...


    After the bat


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    n''s words.


    "You must not forget. The mastery of a force is deeply connected to one''s fortune," Charlie continued.


    "You will find more chances in the Heaven Wood Land even with all the three other lands combined. Most of the innate spiritual kings have great ambitions. They fight against one another to get their hands on the resources found in the land. Only by fighting and finding their fortunes are they able to cultivate their skills."


    "I understand now," Ricky replied.


    ''This fortune that Uncle Charlie refers to could be the one thing Alva had always said¡ªthe supreme enlightenment. If not, then it would certainly be close, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "By the way, Uncle Charlie, which force dominates the Water Fire City?" Ricky asked once again.


    "The Sky Manor," Charlie answered wistfully.


    "Sky Manor!" Ricky exclaimed. "Do you know how many geniuses are in it?"


    Anticipation coursed through Ricky''s veins as he thought of all the different kinds of warriors he would encounter and the skills they possessed. The quickest way to develop himself and test his strength would be to use them in an actual battle. He was still weak, and he was determined to be much stronger from where he was at the moment.


    "It is said that there are three innate spiritual kings in the Sky Manor," Charlie replied. He had an inkling of what was going through the young man''s mind, but he spoke no further.


    ...


    That evening, Ricky climbed over the wall and left the Gu Clan without a word.


    As his steps took him further, Charlie and his two daughters emerged from the darkness, looking toward the direction he left.

 Chapter 225 Two Mysterious Strangers

    "Is he really gone, Tracy? He''s gone, right? Will he ever come back? Will we ever see him again?" Alicia sobbed softly and asked, her eyes brimmed with tears. She tried hard to hold her emotions in. The possibility of not being able to see Ricky anymore washed over her like the waves in the ocean.


    "I don''t know, my dear sister. Maybe we''ll see him again. But please don''t hold on to it too much," Tracy replied in the same grief-stricken tone, her eyes wandering to the exact spot where Ricky once appeared. His face flashed in her mind over and over again as she remembered every second that they shared. One day, as life should continue, they might both be married to the people they''d love in the future. However, they would never forget Ricky, who once saved both of them and as well as their family from the python and other troubles. Secretly, Alicia and Tracy had the same feelings for Ricky. They knew they had to get rid of those feelings for the rest of their lives.


    Noticing his daughters'' distress, Charlie turned towards them. "Tracy, Alicia¡­ I know how you feel about him. However, I think it would be best if you forgot about him instead. Russell is Russell. He isn''t someone who can just lead a normal life. He would never stop being a warrior for you. You are both just another faces he''d soon forget. He is unreachable. Moping over him is of no use." Surely, Charlie felt the affliction that his daughters were suffering through at that moment. Ricky just came out of nowhere and rescued them. It was inevitable that such young girls would feel that way for him. But as their father, he knew better.


    "He is indeed beyond our reach. We''ll never see him again," Tracy muttered to herself, letting her thoughts wander.


    Each night was going to be a long night with his absence.


    When daylight came, Ricky had already left the Water Fire City.


    He was headed to a place called the Chaotic Region. It was a piece of land that was within the territory of the Sky Manor.


    Before leaving the Gu Clan, Ricky was able to hear of this place from Charlie.


    As suggested by its name, the Chaotic Region was prone to chaos and mess. It was their normalcy. Demi-immortals in that place fought one another to improve their abilities.


    Rumor had it that a great chance existed within the Chaotic Region. Any demi-immortal who defeated his enemies should be able to obtain this chance. Upon doing so, a warrior could break through his current level and become an actual innate spiritual king!


    But rumors were rumors until they were founded. However, this didn''t stop the demi-immortals from trying to unravel the mysteries that surrounded this certain great chance. Because of that particular reason, the Chaotic Region attracted eight demi-immortals despite its lack of spacious areas.


    To Ricky, it was a perfect place to cultivate his skills.


    Not a single innate spiritual king existed there. He wouldn''t have to worry about being discovered through his breaths. Using his mask,


    now that. I come from a small sect in the West Desolate Land. I am here to cultivate my abilities."


    ''A small sect from the West Desolate Land?'' Kristen thought to herself, suspicions starting to creep into her mind.


    "I''m pretty sure you already know why we''re here," Tyson said playfully. He, on the other hand, didn''t think much about Ricky''s origins. He had already calmed down and even had a smile on his face while talking to Ricky.


    "According to one of our men, someone who was able to defeat a warrior far stronger than him had appeared in the Water Fire City. We asked around and now here we are. I''ve tested your ability and I''m one hundred percent sure that you are more than just a genius who could beat someone stronger than you. Indeed, you are the supreme genius in all the Heaven Wood Land!"


    Tyson''s excitement only grew.


    "I appreciate that, Tyson. But if I were the same man you speak of, how come I wasn''t able to dodge your attack?" Ricky replied, a sly smile playing on his lips.


    Recalling how Tyson mentioned about "one of their men", he reckoned they hailed from a big organization. They definitely had spies all over the Water Fire City. Only a large scale organization could afford such manpower.


    "Oh, Russell. Have you forgotten that you''re just at the first grade of Bone Reinforcement? To tell you the truth, Tyson''s punch is strong enough to defeat most warriors in the fourth grade," Kristen interrupted, giggling to herself.


    "She''s right! To me, you are a super genius! Don''t be so modest, man! Otherwise, I''d have to throw some more punches your way just to prove so," Tyson laughed.


    "Ha! Fine with me!" Ricky joked back. "So, why did you guys want to talk to me? I''m pretty sure finding out who I am wasn''t your ultimate goal." At that very moment, Ricky''s tone was serious. The air shifted.


    Both Tyson and Kristen nodded at each other, as if in agreement. At the same time, they responded, "You''re right. We are from the Royal Sky Guard."

 Chapter 226 Join The Royal Sky Guard

    When speaking about the Royal Sky Guard, the two people clearly had a sense of pride in their tone.


    "The Royal Sky Guard? You mean the legendary Royal Sky Guard? Are you two actually guards of the famous Sky Manor?" After taking in their words, Ricky bombarded them with questions.


    "Ha-ha, Russell, you are so smart. We are guards of the Sky Manor, and we are under the leadership of the Sky Manor''s Chief. There should be 36 guards in our manor, and up until now, there are only 35. Our numbers are Guard 34 and Guard 35 respectively," Tyson replied with a smile.


    ''My god! They are really from Sky Manor. If they invite me to join the Royal Sky Guard, it will be hard for me to make the decision one way or another, '' Ricky thought and was caught in a dilemma.


    He had no objection to joining any sort of force, but he did not want to join a strong force such as the Sky Manor, a force of innate spirit, because the human skin mask on his face was likely to be detected by an innate spiritual king like the Chief of the Sky Manor. Then, his true identity would be exposed.


    Once his identity was found out, the consequences could be disastrous.


    "Guard 34? Guard 35? Tyson, do you mind telling me more details about it?" Ricky asked with curiosity.


    "The Chief of the Sky Manor is a powerful middle spiritual king. In addition to pursuing strength, our chief also respects geniuses and has attracted a lot of them to join the Royal Sky Guard established by our chief," Tyson said slowly.


    "Within our Royal Sky Guard, our chief only wants to recruit 36 people. Those 36 people must be geniuses."


    After a pause, he continued, "The 36 geniuses are then divided into 12 teams. There are three members in each of those teams. They then receive tasks from the Chief. After completing the task, the members will be rewarded accordingly."


    "Currently, the Royal Sky Guards have 35 people and have been divided into eleven teams," Tyson added.


    "If I haven''t guessed it wrong, you''re the remaining two geniuses who haven''t formed a 3-member team!" Ricky said confidently.


    "Russell, you are right. Kristen and I are the remaining two who haven''t formed a team, so I came to you today to invite you to join the Royal Sky Guard and form a team with us," Tyson said sincerely.


    "Moreover, I don''t think it conflicts with your skill training, because accepting the tasks of our chief will have a better training effect on you anyway!"


    "Thank you for your invitation, but I don''t think I am qualified to join the Royal Sky Guard." Ricky refused his offer and shook his head slightly.


    "Russell, if a genius like you is not qualified to join the Royal Sky Guard, then all us other 35 guards really should be fired immediately," Tyson said and laughed.


    r choice.


    "Ha-ha, then our twelfth team welcomes you, Russell!" Tyson said immediately. Hearing Ricky agree to join their team, he was beaming and very excited. Next to Tyson, Kristen also nodded slightly.


    "Thank you. As I am a newcomer, I might need your guidance and help, so please forgive me if I bring you any trouble in the near future," Ricky said.


    Then Tyson took a black bag out of his inner pocket. It was a storage bag.


    "Is that a legendary storage bag?" Ricky asked curiously.


    "Yes, and it''s for you!" Tyson said as he handed the storage bag to Ricky. "Inside the bag, there are a thousand gold coins and a piece of a jade token to use as a symbol of the Royal Sky Guard."


    After receiving the storage bag, Ricky immediately exercised his mind to get into the bag and explore it. He then saw a thousand gold coins and a white jade token, just as Tyson said. The token was made of some unknown material and it had four words etched on it, ''Sky Manor, on the front and ''Guard 36'' on the back.


    "So, this jade token will be my identity token, right?" Ricky asked at once.


    "Yes, your identity will be the 36th Guard. The gold coins and the storage bag are your rewards for joining the Royal Sky Guard. In the future, you will have to take your own staff to Sky Manor to exchange rewards," Tyson explained carefully.


    "Thank you! Wow, Sky Manor is really quite generous. This storage bag alone is worth thousands of gold coins. Sky Manor, as a force of innate spirit, really lives up to its reputation!" Ricky said and laughed as he completely accepted his new identity as a member of the Royal Sky Guard at last.


    "So next, I''m going to tell you the second task that our chief assigned to us. Whether you accept it or not is totally up to you," Kristen stated now that Ricky was an official member of their team.

 Chapter 227 Kristen’s Blood Power

    "Oh? With that mysterious look, you are making me curious. Tell me the details of the mission," Ricky asked, his eyes lighting up.


    "There is an area called the Black Marsh. A gang named the Rats has recently appeared and is growing rapidly. It''s likely, warriors who go to the Black Marsh for toughening and improvement would be their targets. Going by their aggressive activities, they would fancy taking over the area, and they would kill with abandon anyone who ventures into their territory. Besides, the mob also preys upon organizations and ransack their treasures, resources - whatever they have," Kristen started to elaborate the mission.


    "A few groups of warriors have combined force and gone to the Sky Manor, requesting for the destruction of this mob and hoping the Sky Manor would help. Our Chief was glad to accept their request. Now the second phase of the plan has been assigned to Tyson and me. The purpose of the mission is to exterminate the Rats within half a month.


    Now that you are a member of this team, the task ahead lies on our shoulders. Of course, this is a rewarding mission. The bonus is one-tenth of the treasures of the mob, and each of us will receive two thousand gold coins from the Chief!" Her excitement was palpable as she spoke of the reward part.


    "You said that this gang killed lots of warriors and robbed quite a few many organizations of their resources. Oh, there must be tons of treasures in their hands. One-tenth of the treasures, and two thousand gold coins¡­ Hmmm, that''s quite a generous offer! I''m in, guys!" Ricky replied, doing a quick math of the benefits in his head.


    If the Rats was some kind of righteous faction, probably Ricky would think twice about the offer. But after hearing what they had done, he inferred that it was a wicked gang of robbers. In that case, he would show no mercy. Besides, the task was a great deal. He could not only improve his skills by fighting against them, but also harvest a great deal of wealth.


    "You are right, buddy! They have amassed quite a fortune! You know what? Even if the Chief would only give us one-tenth of those treasures without the gold coins, I''d still gladly join this mission!" Tyson was itching to have a go.


    "That''s cool! So do you have any idea about the gang''s strength? Like how many people they have?" asked Ricky with a serious look.


    "Sure. Our men have already dug out some crucial information about the group. The leader is a guy at the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and has two assistants to deputize him. One is at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement, while the other is at the fourth grade. We take down the three guys, we take down the Rats. We have three, and they have three; perfect matches! What''s your thought?" Kristen explained in details.


    "So I''m going to deal with the one at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement, right?" Ricky inquired, delighted at the prospect. "Hope he is strong enough and won''t disappoint me!"


    "I''m glad to hear such confident words, Russell! I know you must be eager for a fighting chance against a strong, established warrior to reinforce your skill! I can assure you that this particular deputy at the fourth grade would not disappoint you. As far as I know, he is stronger than Rupert, the man you defeated in the Water Fire City," said Tyson, beaming a delighted smile.


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ll nowhere to be found," replied Tyson, his heart growing heavier as he recalled his companions.


    "Oh, Jesus Chris! Can I regret it now? Can I quit and leave?" Ricky blurted out in great shock.


    Five professional spies at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement lost their lives for merely trying to sniff out the Rats'' camp. That sounded like a bad-ass gang for a team of three to on. Besides, Ricky had merely the combat power of a warrior at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement at most! Was this a safe bet to take? Ricky was not sure whether he wanted to be a part of this mission at this point.


    "Of course you can!" Kristen nodded.


    Tyson added the next second, "Sorry to say this, but right now as we stand, there''s no turning back. You just have to grow balls, coz there''s no other way about it. If you don''t man up, I''ll either throw you into the restricted circle around one of the trees or force you into the sucking black spots where you''ll meet your slow torturous death. Which one would you prefer?"


    "Uhm. I think I''d better go with you and try to work at my best to take the Rats down!" Ricky made the choice immediately. He knew that they were friendly to him, but he also knew they would be merciless, if he decided to quit and abandon them at this very crucial moment.


    "Ha-ha. That''s what a smart guy would do!" Tyson laughed out again.


    "How will we tell which part of the marsh is safe? How will we avoid those dangerous places where we may be sucked in?" asked Ricky. From his keen assessment, he noticed that both Tyson and Kristen did not appear to be shaken about the dangers, at all.


    "That''s a good question! It all depends on her!" Tyson replied before he turned to Kristen. "Show him!" he said.


    "Oh?" Immediately, Ricky turned his eyes to Kristen, curious.


    Kristen, on the other hand, let out a confident smile. She looked rather different with that proud face. She looked so dignified, radiating spiritual energy around her halo.


    Soon, something began to change around her eyes. The meridians near the canthus gradually stood out, and then her black pupils suddenly turned red!


    Ricky almost dropped his jaw at her change. In an instant, he felt the blood power emitting from Kristen.

 Chapter 228 Defeating The Vicious Black Crocodile

    Kristen''s eyes didn''t change because of external factors like the flow of her spiritual energy or anything else. Instead, it happened because of the internal condition of her organs and blood.


    Those scarlet eyes didn''t appear scary at all. They actually struck Ricky as noble and graceful.


    When Kristen showed the color of her eyes, she also took pride in her capacity. But you couldn''t say that she was being arrogant. After all, not every warrior had the blood power of innate spirit.


    "I bet the color of your eyes is related to your blood power of innate spirit, Kristen. Although I don''t fully know the extent of your power yet, I must tell you that it makes you look more graceful and beautiful," Ricky praised Kristen.


    "Stop it," Kristen glared shyly at Ricky. But it was obvious that she was quite pleased. Any woman in the world would feel happy when their beauty was complimented!


    Tyson, who was standing beside them, gave Ricky a thumbs up. He was impressed.


    "May I know the name and power of your eyes, Kristen?" Ricky asked her politely.


    "I don''t know the name, because I just gained it unconsciously. The Chief has never seen this kind of scarlet eyes before either. As for the power, you''ll found out later," said Kristen.


    She shot Ricky a mysterious smile.


    "You''ll also understand why the Chief sent our team here, Russell," Tyson laughed too.


    "You two, stay right behind me, or you''ll get stuck in the mud of the marsh and die!" Kristen warned, leading the way in the Black Marsh.


    Ricky and Tyson had no objection, only following behind her. They both knew that now it was an impractical time to try and prove their machismo.


    Ricky guessed that Kristen''s scarlet eyes might be able to help her see or sense things hidden in the dark.


    The mud in the Black Marsh, which could devour warriors and ferocious beasts, was usually hidden to the naked eye. Perhaps, Kristen''s eyes could help her see it clearly.


    As they got deeper into the swamp, the first sign of danger appear


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    red loudly and channeled all his power again, which seemed to be beyond the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement. His eyes flashed dark green.


    Suddenly an endless green spiritual energy gathered in Tyson''s fists.


    Instantly, they transformed into fists of real steel.


    Every time he punched with his iron fist, he smashed a Vicious Black Crocodile into pieces. And the poison on their backs didn''t harm Tyson at all!


    "What a strong fist! Kristen, Tyson must be very good at body refining!" exclaimed Ricky, very impressed.


    He had a strong feeling that if they were in the same situation, Tyson would definitely instantly defeat Gennadi and Wyn who ranked first and second among the inner disciples in the Snow Sect. Maybe this was the substantial gap between the talents of the Snow Land and the Heaven Wood Land.


    "Yes, there are quite a few talents among the Sky Royal Guards practicing body refining. But as far as I''ve seen, they can''t compete with Tyson!" Kristen nodded, her eyes focused on Tyson.


    "Growl! Growl!"


    However, something changed again all of a sudden. The Vicious Black Crocodiles who had just been fighting madly a second ago suddenly calmed down and stopped. They rapidly retreated after roaring, as if they had been compelled to back out.


    "What''s going on?" Ricky asked Kristen at once, thoroughly perplexeds.

 Chapter 229 Furious Kristen

    "What''s wrong? I am not done fighting yet." As the Vicious Black Crocodile retreated, Tyson also recovered from the state of madness. But he was still in a bad mood.


    "They have shown up," Kristen said in a low voice. "Faster than I thought."


    On hearing Kristen''s words, Ricky and Tyson reacted immediately. They looked straight ahead.


    However, what they saw was a group of forty people. Absolutely, they were all members of the Rats.


    They didn''t pay much attention to this group of people. Instead, they were focusing on these people''s feet, because each of them was stepping on a Vicious Black Crocodile.


    "How... How is this possible? How can these ferocious crocodiles allow these guys to step on their backs?" Seeing this terrifying scene, Tyson shouted uncontrollably.


    Ricky and Kristen didn''t utter a single word, but from the look on their faces, they were even more bewildered than Tyson.


    "Ha-ha, we all know that when a friend arrives, he must be treated with hospitality. We Rats just dispatched twenty poisonous crocodiles, but I''m afraid it''s still not enough. Now, I, Rattus, personally lead my brothers here to welcome you all to my humble abode." When the three were still in astonishment, a sharp-tongued, shifty-eyed thin man appeared from the crowd and let out a roaring laughter.


    While he was laughing, his tiny eyes constantly swept around Kristen''s plump body, almost drooling.


    "Ha-ha, your name is Rattus. You have a spitting image with a rat." Hearing the laughter, Tyson reacted from the shock. He sneered at Rattus, and then laughed.


    All of a sudden, the face of Rattus turned gloomy, so did the members of the Rats standing behind. Even those Vicious Black Crocodiles started to roar.


    "Leader, please give the order. Let us slay this rubbish and chop him up. Those who insult our leader should all go to hell!" Warriors of the Rats all shouted angrily.


    Their outburst was almost strong enough to submerge Tyson.


    "Humph! You bastards, why don''t you all fight me? That will be my pleasure as I am not through with all of you yet. Come and t


    are frightful!'' Ricky blurted in his mind.


    Needless to say, Rattus must have made Kristen disgusted and nauseated, which aggravated the most furious Kristen.


    Tyson standing behind also shook his head, obviously having the same thought as Ricky.


    However, Ricky soon found out some key points that Kristen seemed to be able to predict the attack pattern of the members of the Rats in advance, and then make the most precise counterattack. It did not take her much effort to defeat these warriors.


    ''Does her eyes always appear scary as that? Is this another ability of her bloody eyes?'' Ricky thought to himself.


    Ricky knew that Kristen''s scarlet eyes were odd. And now, this pair of eyes seemed to also ignite the Chaotic Fire Zone inside his body.


    But Ricky couldn''t analyze and envision what could transpire during the brutal battle.


    The battle was a lot easier owing to Kristen''s rage and the powerful strikes of Tyson. Time passed by, the Vicious Black Crocodiles and the members of the Rats were slowly losing.


    Of course, an important factor was that their leader¡ªRattus, was seriously hurt by Kristen''s sudden kick, making the Rats lose one third of their fighting power.


    Because Rattus was at the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement, his skills and power were equal to a third of the fighting force of the Rats.


    "Step back instantly!" Rattus roared all of a sudden.

 Chapter 230 The Beast Tamer

    After Rattus loudly and furiously gave the order, the Vicious Black Crocodiles and the mobile warriors immediately stepped back. They simply surrounded the 3-member team of Ricky, Tyson, and Kristen from afar.


    At the same time, Rattus, with the support of two warriors, walked towards his three enemies. Due to the sharp pain in his testicles, he was walking slowly in a very funny way.


    "Ha-ha!" Tyson couldn''t help but burst out laughing when he saw the way Rattus was walking. "You poor guy, I believe you are gonna die of that pain without being able to have any descendants! Are you afraid now? If you are, just kowtow to us and apologize. Then, give all your property to us! Also, you need to beg us for our mercy sincerely, then we''ll consider sparing your life."


    In fact, even Ricky found it hard to hold in the urge of laughing out loud. The image of Rattus at that moment was really hilarious. What he found so funny was the idea of him losing his dignity as a man.


    "You are all seeking your deaths! You are all sons of bitches! Especially you bitch, you stinking woman! I, as the head of the Rats, must defeat you and imprison you as my plaything. Then I will give you as a reward to all my subordinates, including the Vicious Black Crocodiles!" Rattus yelled angrily. He was greatly irritated by Tyson''s words.


    However, Ricky felt another strong wave of murderous intent. It was so tremendous that Ricky was frightened. Using his mind to search, Ricky then found out it was exuding from Kristen.


    ''She is unbelievably eager to kill! What kind of powerful force is hidden in Kristen''s scarlet eyes?'' Ricky sighed and thought to himself silently.


    At that point, Tyson came over to Ricky and whispered in his ear, "Russell, I think we may not need to join the fight, because Rattus will definitely be killed by Kristen as she has been greatly offended by him!"


    "Although Kristen is strong, I don''t think she can be that strong. I think you are over-exaggerating. After all, Rattus is a warrior at the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement," Ricky whispered and found it hard to believe Tyson''s words.


    The murderous intent inside of Kristen was strong and the power contained in her eyes was also extremely powerful. Nevertheless, it did not mean that Kristen was able to destroy all of the Rats with her power alone!


    "You''ll learn about the true extent of her power in a minute!" Tyson said mysteriously, keeping Ricky in suspense.


    "Today, you all will die here!" Kristen bellowed slowly and angrily. It was hard for anyone to imagine that a beauty like her could be that furious and that such cruel words could come out of her


    could feel the seriousness in Tyson''s words. They were now driven into a corner and had no way to run away from it.


    "All right! Then let''s fight!" Taking in Tyson''s words, Ricky had no choice but to sigh. He knew he could not abandon his team members and run away alone this time. Judging from the look on Kristen''s face, it was clear that she was greatly determined to kill Rattus today.


    "Russell, thank you!" Tyson expressed his appreciation simply and firmly.


    "You are welcome. I''ll never forget that we''re on the same team," Ricky said sincerely. At once, he took out two Recovery Pills from the storage ring in the Devourer Zone and handed them to Tyson.


    "You and Kristen each take one Recovery Pill. I think that through the help of the pill, we can be protected from the deadly venom of these beasts!"


    "Recovery Pills are so precious though! Russell, it seems we have made quite the right decision by taking you on to our team to finish the task in Black Marsh!" Tyson said excitedly, seeing the two Recovery Pills. The gravity in his eyes slightly receded a little.


    Then Tyson took one and delivered the other one to Kristen!


    Kristen took the pill directly from Tyson and swallowed it down without checking what kind of pill it was. Tyson was right. She had made up her mind to fight.


    ''Alas, I lost another two Recovery Pills. I only hope that one-tenth of the contents of the Rats'' Treasure Tower are things of some real value to reimburse me!'' Although Ricky had offered the two pills voluntarily, he still felt a little sadness in losing them.


    So then, there were only nine Recovery Pills left in his storage ring.


    "You, must be a very talented beast tamer!" Kristen said seriously as she was looking into Rattus''s ferocious eyes.

 Chapter 231 Iron Golem

    "Well, bitch, I can''t believe you know the beast tamer. Interesting! Now I definitely have to have you as my woman!" Rattus said viciously, shocked by Kristen''s words.


    ''Beast tamer?'' Ricky thought to himself. He was equally puzzled.


    But when Rattus summoned lots of poisonous beasts all around, Ricky understood what it was.


    "Beast tamer? I can''t believe this shifty-eyed guy is a beast tamer. It is a total waste to give him such an extraordinary talent!" Tyson said slowly. Obviously, he had also heard of the beast tamer.


    "Tyson, so what is it..." Ricky asked softly.


    "Russell, in this world, there are geniuses, warriors who possess the blood power of innate spirit and some talented masters. The beast tamer is one of them," Tyson said.


    "Beast tamers have two abilities. First, they can read the minds of ferocious beasts or spiritual beasts and communicate with them. Second, they are endowed with a kind of fortune of beasts.


    As for the fortune of beasts, it is hard to make it clear for you. It is the same as the fortune of warriors. Those beast tamers increase their fortune by getting along with spiritual beasts.


    So with these two talents, beast tamers can control any beasts in a lower level than them. These beasts will obey their orders absolutely. Now you understand why Rattus can summon so many ferocious beasts!"


    "Such a terrific talent! If so, these powerful beast tamers will be invincible," Ricky said seriously.


    "That''s right. Those powerful beast tamers will be absolutely invincible. However, they have a shortage; that is, they have no talent in martial arts. In their cultivation, they have to make more efforts and consume more resources than other warriors. In other words, their cultivation is much more difficult than us.


    So, the top-ranked beast tamers are very rare in the Misty S


    re from Ricky.


    "I must hurry up!" said Ricky, fearing that Tyson must have burst out his force so abruptly, and he might not last long. In swift movements, Ricky fought his way out, moving his Iron Destroyer with devastating ferocity.


    Once he turned on the innate power of that saber, none of the beasts charging at him had a defense left.


    "C''mon Russell! You are so cool man. How can you burst out so much force without breaking a sweat?" Tyson exclaimed, oozing with excitement.


    "It''s a pity. The power is limited!" Ricky responded seriously.


    True to his word, the Iron Destroyer stopped bursting out its innate power after cutting a paltry eight times. It seemed to have dried up completely.


    Usually, the demi-spiritual weapons could only work for demi-immortal warriors or stronger warriors. Without nourishment from innate spiritual energy, it would only be a tad sharper weapon, slightly above a regular high grade Mortal Level weapons.


    Since Ricky was not a demi-immortal warrior, the innate force in the Iron Destroyer would dried up pretty soon.


    The only consolation was that about three-quarters of the two hundred beasts were either dead or severely injured by now. It was fairly safe, so far.

 Chapter 232 Blood Eyes In Black Flame

    "Ha-ha, you don''t have to worry. I can handle these beasts. You go ahead and defeat that shifty-looking guy." Tyson laughed.


    The next moment, Ricky felt that Tyson was stronger than before. He was at his peak and could defeat all these remaining beasts.


    "Russell, you help Tyson while I take care of this guy!" Kristen refused his suggestion.


    "Well, you take care of yourself. He may be seriously injured, but he is still at the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement," Ricky reminded her. Then he and Tyson fought bravely to defeat all the remaining beasts.


    "Go to hell! It''s like you want to be killed!" Rattus roared. His face growing more ferocious.


    "Do you think that I would depend everything on my followers? Today, I''m going to tear you to pieces!"


    "Growl!" Rattus roared again.


    "Did...did he summon the poisonous beasts again?" Ricky murmured in disbelief.


    But just as he expected, a large number of beasts around the Black Marsh rushed out all at once. They were definitely more than last time.


    Seeing this, both Tyson and Ricky were stunned because now they were too weak to keep fighting.


    Maybe Ricky could continue to fight, because he was able to maintain his own peak state with the Devourer Zone. But it was still not enough. Even if he could stay at the peak all the time, he still wouldn''t be able to defeat all these beasts. Most of them were at the fifth or even the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement!


    ''Even if I wanted to show them the Heaven Melting Pagoda, I wouldn''t be able to. Because Alva''s sleeping and that means the Heaven Melting Pagoda''s sleeping too, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    As for the Chaotic Fire Zone and the Devourer Zone, Ricky didn''t want to reveal them yet.


    "Ha-ha, you will learn that whoever dares to oppose me shall face their death. Aren''t you supposed to be strong? I''d like to see you kill all the beasts under the seventh grade of Bone Rei


    with a ferocious smile slicing across his face.


    As soon as he said this, all the beasts roared and rushed to Ricky and Tyson.


    Boom!


    At this moment, the Chaotic Fire Zone in Ricky''s body caused an enormous tremble. The Heaven Melting Fire and the Heaven Slaughtering Fire did the same.


    ''How is it possible that the sacred fire or the peculiar fire exist in this area?!'' Ricky thought in shock.


    Then Ricky followed his sense, trying to detect where the strange feeling came from. To his great surprise, he felt that strange fire was coming from where Kristen was smothered by the filthy beasts.


    He also recalled that Kristen also affected his Chaotic Fire Zone, and then he thought with disbelief, ''Dose Kristen have the sacred fire or the peculiar fire, just like Autelan?''


    ''Does that mean Kristen might have survived?''


    Then in an instant¡­


    The beasts on top of Kristen burst into black flames. And in the black flames mixed with red was the taste of blood.


    It attracted the attention of all eyes, including the beasts''.


    Suddenly, a black figure came out of the black flame. It was Kristen.


    However, Kristen had become more grim. Her eyes had turned into blood red and her body was burning. And the blood seeped out from the corners of her eyes.

 Chapter 233 The Black Flames

    The living watched with fearful eyes as the terrible scene unfolded into something akin to death itself. The scent of sulfur assailed their nostrils as fire spread out, burning everything along its path.


    In the midst of the heat, deep, bloody eyes glowed behind the gray curtain of smog. It was as if hell had come to the land of the living, and the mortals who bore witness cowered in its presence.


    Amid the hundred venomous beasts that screamed violently, a ringing silence came across everyone''s ears. All people trembled at this display of power.


    Buzz, buzz! It was at this moment that a strong urge throbbed within Ricky. The erratic change had incited a kind of hunger in the Chaotic Fire Zone. He could feel its desire to absorb the black plague.


    ''Kristen''s blood eyes are powerful, '' he thought to himself. ''It would be enough to summon energy as powerful as the peculiar fire and sacred fire.'' Ricky closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    The outbreak of this black plague was by nature more powerful than the three kinds of fire energy he held in his body as Kristen was of a higher rank than him. Through the Chaotic Fire Zone, Ricky had a strong feeling that the black flames would never disappear unless Kristen controlled it with her blood eyes.


    As this thought came over him, Ricky''s eyes were drawn to the trail of fire. It was mercilessly burning not only animals, but also the earth in the Black Marsh.


    Earth, as they all knew, could not be burnt by any sacred fire. But the scene that Ricky was witnessing with his very eyes defied this very fact. He kept his eyes on the fire, as if to make sure he was not seeing an illusion. And there it was. The Earth burned into a crisp until it disappeared at the touch of the black flames.


    ''What fire is this!?'' Ricky asked in his head. He had never seen anything like it.


    The air crackled and the tongues of black fire spread even further.


    It had not been long, but the flames had already burned nearly a hundred beasts to death. And as if that wasn''t enough, it continued to incinerate bodies until everything had been reduced to ash.


    The black flames gathered around Kristen, changing configuration slowly.


    "Die!" Rattus stood in shock at the scene. Kristen turned to him, her eyes filled with a murderous glint. At this moment, the black flames coiled and curved until it had formed into the outline of an eye.


    Immediately, the eye of fire shot a black flame arrow that flew straight to Rattus'' direction.


    Sensing danger, Rattus recovered from his trance brought about by the pervasiv


    sed their bleeding.


    Reaching for his pocket, he took out a Recovery Pill and let her take it.


    The pill could not only be used to heal poison. It could also restore a warrior''s physical strength.


    Kristen swallowed it down, but even the pill''s potency did little except give her body a little of her strength back. She had taken too much damage from battle. Using the black flames had backfired and taken a toll on Kristen''s body. She was not able to contain the huge amount of energy and she was now feeling the consequences.


    Seeing this, Ricky took out two more Recovery Pills and handed them to her. Fear rose in his heart as he looked at her weak state. He would never be able to forgive himself if he let her die here.


    But instead of taking the pills, Kristen feebly pushed Ricky''s hand away. "Ricky, even a thousand Recovery Pills won''t help me now. This is the price of the blood eye," she said. At her words, Ricky''s fear was slowly being taken over with helplessness.


    Refusing to believe her completely, he insisted that she take them.


    But Kristen just shook her head. Leaning on his arms, she stood up.


    "Kristen, what are you doing? If you won''t take the pills, then just sit down and rest," Ricky said, not understanding why she was standing up despite her weakened state.


    Kristen staggered, but her eyes shone with determination. "I have to be quick and take advantage of this time. I can still use the blood eyes and I have to take care of these flames. The fire will burn down everything unless there is an array deployer to seal them!" Kristen said slowly.


    She took a deep breath. Then, opening her eyes once again, she used what was left of her energy to summon the blood eyes.

 Chapter 234 The After Effects

    "Russell, I know what to do. See those flames? They''re called the Devil Flame. I will have to use my eyes to put them out before things get worse," Kristen said. "That will drain most of your energy, Kristen! Are you sure about this?" Ricky questioned in concern. "Yes, I... I can do it," she answered hesitantly. The Devil Flame began to fade away as soon as Kristen activated her power. The flame disappeared a few moments later and the entire Black Marsh was saved from its supposed destruction.


    Kristen almost passed out from fatigue after using up most of her energy. Luckily, Ricky immediately caught her and helped her back up. "Are you alright?" Ricky worriedly asked. "Yes, I''m fine; I just need to rest. Thank you, Russell," Kristen answered. "I should be the one thanking you, Kristen. If it weren''t for you and the power of your eyes, the Devil Flame would have continued to burn and destroy everything in its path," he said. Ricky started to develop an interest in the Devil Flame after experiencing its power first hand. He had realized its destructive capabilities and began to put a lot of thought into the flame''s true nature.


    He also realized that the Devil Flame could be sealed off by an array deployed by a professional array deployer. Of course, he wouldn''t have known about that if it wasn''t for Kristen.


    "Buzz!" A faint buzzing sound suddenly could be heard as Ricky was lost in deep thought about the Devil Flame. He realized that the noise was coming from Kristen. Her energy was still fully drained from fending off the powerful flame and she then completely passed out.


    "Maybe it would be best if we find you a place to rest, Kristen. You have to recover your strength after all," Ricky said with a tender smile on his face. Then, he took out a robe from his storage ring and gently wiped away the blood from around Kristen''s eyes.


    After that, he picked Kristen up and brought her to a safe and clean place where she could rest. He spread his robe out on the ground and placed her on it carefully, trying to make it more comfortable for her to lie on.


    He sat down near Kristen and waited for Tyson. Tyson had gone to catch the two deputy leaders of the Rats. As they were waiting, he started to think about exchanging something he had for a bit of Kristen''s Devil Flame.


    ''If I want to exchange a bit of my Heaven Slaughtering Fire for a bit of her Devil Flame, will she agree to that?'' Ricky wondered wildly. ''What if my Heaven Slaughter Fire is not worthy enough to exchange for it? Would the Treasures from Heaven and Earth be good enough? It looks like I will have to look for a priceless Treasure from Heaven and Earth before I can make a trade!''


    His mind just kept racing wildly like that because he was so fascinated by the great power of the Devil Flame.


    Half an hour later, Tyson came back. When he returned he was carrying a man who was completely passed out on his shoulders. Ricky guessed that the guy must be the deputy leader of the Rats. His power was known to be at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement!


    "Tyson, where is the other deputy leader of the Rats?" Ricky asked quickly before Tyson could say anything.


    "Russell, don''t worry; he will not wake up anymore. I''m not good at handlin


    y!" Ricky said lightly.


    Ricky and Tyson were confident that the man would definitely take them to the place that stored all the resources. It was obvious he didn''t want to die yet and was very afraid to die, so the threat was likely to work against him.


    Sure enough, after a moment of trembling and thinking about his options, the deputy leader opened his mouth and said, "I will take you gentlemen there, but you two must keep your promise not to kill me!"


    "Your cowardice is just a total load of crap! Killing you won''t benefit us at all, after all! Letting you be to help us is the better idea, so lead the way!" Tyson ordered coldly. He pushed the man in front of him, forcing him to lead the way to the resources of the Rats.


    "Remember this. Don''t play tricks by taking us to the marsh to try and trap us. We guarantee that you will die faster and in a more gruesome way if you do that!"


    "Please, no, I would never do that! I am quite aware of the consequence if I don''t obey you!" the man replied quickly and firmly.


    "Russell, I''ll give you the chance to take care of Kristen from now on. Don''t let her be left alone!" Tyson said and motioned to Ricky to look after Kristen for him.


    "Tyson, you and Kristen are quite familiar with each other, so I think..."


    Ricky stopped talking abruptly as he found that Tyson and the deputy leader had gone more than ten yards from him by then. Tyson didn''t seem to hear what Ricky was saying at all!


    "Oh, Tyson!" Ricky protested in an unhappy tone and felt helpless. He had no way to move Kristen, but to carry her on his back and follow closely behind them! He started walking slowly and carefully out of the Black Marsh. He had to be careful because, if he made a mistake, he and Kristen would be left in the nasty marsh forever.


    Ricky couldn''t deny that he quite liked carrying Kristen around. Her body was soft and warm against his back as he walked. He didn''t mind that he had to hold on to her thighs to support her as he carried her either!


    "Wow, it seems that I don''t have to suffer at all while carrying her on my back!" Ricky murmured to himself with a wicked smile covering his face again.

 Chapter 235 Crazy Rich Harvest

    ...


    Along the way, the deputy leader had no other cunning intention. He was focused on leading them to where the Rats stored the treasures they robbed. He would not dare play any tricks on Ricky and Tyson after he had learned how strong the two were. All he wanted was to finish his task - taking them to their desired destination - and then beg them to let him go.


    As for the beasts, they fled and hid themselves here and there, afraid that Ricky and Tyson would come after them. Though they were not intelligent creatures, they had the instincts to run away from danger. Beasts at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement did not appear along the way either. They were usually found deeper in the marsh.


    As a result, Ricky and his team did not face any threat. All they did was concentrate on reaching their destination at great speed. About six hours later, the terrain changed and they saw small hills.


    It was a dark and frightful place. If people came here alone, they would be frightened.


    "Here we are. There is a small entrance over there. Go inside and you will discover a large cave. That is where we hid the treasures and resources we robbed," the man said as he pointed at the entrance, his voice trembling in fear.


    "Is there any danger in that cave? Did you set up any traps?" Ricky asked.


    "No, no, no! I did not do anything here. But our leader placed ten crocodiles at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement somewhere inside. I''m not sure whether they are still there to protect the cave or¡­"


    "Howl! Howl!" Before the man finished his sentence, they heard roars. Ricky and Tyson took a look around to check where they were coming from. Two crocodiles rushed out of the hill and dashed towards them. They were obviously hostile, their teeth grinding against each other.


    "As far as I could tell, there should be four crocodiles," Tyson said with confidence. "Let me deal with them!"


    "Ha-ha, sure, please. You are the only one who can handle them. I would definitely die if I fought against them," Ricky replied, a smile resting on his face.


    "That''s true, ha-ha. Here I come!" Tyson laughed out loud and then attacked the beasts, intending to slaughter them mercilessly!


    ''I saw his fight against the Rats; it''s clear that Tyson could only fight against beasts at the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement when exerting his full strength. According to what Alva once told me, he is a second-class genius, a lower kind for that matter, '' Ricky reasoned in his heart as he watched Tyson fight the crocodiles.


    ''Yet in the Realm of Wildness, he is still at the top. Generally speaking, he is strong and righteous, so is Kristen. Probably I should find a chance and convince them to join the Misty South Faction!''


    It didn''t take long for Tyson to kill the crocodiles. He walked towards Ricky while whistling. "It''s all done,"


    ief just lent it to me to help us take these resources back! It''s not our possession. I''m supposed to return it when we get back," Tyson explained in response.


    "I don''t think the Chief would ever give it up easily. A storage ring is highly precious. It is as valuable as all these resources, more or less!"


    "Yeah, you are right!" Ricky replied with a low voice.


    They began collecting all the resources into the storage ring without any hesitation and then hurriedly backtracked and left the Black Marsh!


    As they predicted, many people arrived at the Black Marsh within four hours after they had left. They scrambled to come on time, hoping to gain some treasures the Rats had. However, they were all too late. Nothing was left but some beasts which were terrified to death.


    ...


    While they were busy searching the Black Marsh, Tyson, Ricky, and Kristen had already arrived at another remote place far away from the Black Marsh. They found a secret cave where they could stay and wait for Kristen to wake up.


    While they were waiting, Ricky and Tyson investigated the resources in the storage ring, curious about how much they could get.


    They initially thought that one tenth of these resources wouldn''t be much amount when distributed into three people. However, the result surprised both of them. They made a rough estimation and concluded that one tenth of the resources would amount to almost thirty thousand golden coins!


    Plus the two thousand gold coins, each of them would have twelve thousand golden coins!


    That was a lot of money for anyone. Even a demi-immortal warrior, who lived a wealthy life, would find it to be a large fortune.


    "This is huge! The mission brings us twelve thousand golden coins! I did not expect that at all! I''m sure I will soon reach the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement and be on the way to the seventh grade!" Tyson exclaimed with excitement.

 Chapter 236 The Third Task

    "Tyson, I have an idea. What if we give the extra two thousand gold coins to Kristen? If it weren''t for her, we wouldn''t have been able to get out of the Black Marsh!" Ricky suggested after doing some thinking.


    "Yes. She definitely played a huge role in helping us get out of there alive," Tyson agreed with Ricky, nodding.


    "Well, it''s settled then!" Ricky also nodded.


    "But don''t just tell her when she wakes up. I''m sure she wouldn''t agree. We''ll have to do it secretly," added Tyson.


    "Got it!"


    ¡­¡­


    After resting and cultivating for a day and a night, Ricky and Tyson regained their strength. The battle really cost them a lot of energy.


    However, Ricky didn''t use his Devourer Zone and Chaotic Fire Zone in recovering. He knew that when he recovered through cultivating and training, he would learn from the experience he got from combat.


    Both Ricky and Tyson developed a better understanding of the realm, one step closer to reaching the next realm. It was the perfect time to cultivate in isolation. However, since Kristen was still in a coma, all they could do was cultivate and rest while keeping an eye on her.


    And suddenly, Kristen came to her senses, which also roused them from cultivation.


    "Kristen, how are you feeling?" Immediately, both of them asked out of concern.


    "I''m fine. I can move but I don''t think I''ll be able to see anything for the next two months. I might need you guys to help me until that''s over," Kristen said, worrying that she might trouble them.


    "Ha-ha, don''t worry, Kristen! As far as we know, Russell would love to take care of you!" Tyson couldn''t hold his laughter.


    "Shut up!" However, Kristen wasn''t embarrassed one bit. Instead, she turned to Tyson with a cold face. "Tyson, if you dare say that again, I wouldn''t mind giving you a taste of my power."


    "No! I''m sorry, Kristen," Tyson waved his hands with fear.


    "Ha-ha!" Ricky laughed too.


    Ricky went out of the cave to hunt small beasts for food. They were all hungry and finished their barbecues pretty quickly. Tyson and Kristen were impressed by


    to go before I cross paths with the both of you," replied Ricky.


    "So you probably know that whoever gets there may have a chance to be an innate spiritual king," Tyson asked seriously.


    "Yes. I''ve heard that before. That place would not possess the Eight Demi-immortal Forces, if it had no benefits," Ricky said slowly.


    "If you knew that, things would be much easier!" Kristen continued. "The Chief told us that the opportunity to become the innate spiritual king will appear in two years."


    "In two years?" Ricky pondered.


    "Yes, in two years. The third task is to dominate the Chaotic Region in two years and seize the opportunity of becoming the innate spiritual king!" Kristen said firmly.


    "But to dominate the Chaotic Region in two years isn''t an easy task. You know, it''s not so easy to become a demi-immortal," Ricky responded with a low voice.


    "That''s why it is challenging, Russell. And it can also push us to make great progress and not be surpassed by other Royal Sky Guards. We can further improve our skills in combat!" Tyson said with great determination.


    "So, I''m looking forward to going to the Chaotic Region!"


    "Ha-ha, now if you put it that way, there is no way I would say no." Immediately, Ricky laughed ambitiously with no trace of hesitation on his face!


    "Well, then the next goal for the three of us is to dominate the Chaotic Region!"

 Chapter 237 The Admission Rule Of The Chaotic Region!

    "Ha-ha!" The three warriors exchanged looks with one another and then burst out laughing.


    Yet, they didn''t know that at that very moment, in their joyful laughter, they had all been growing closer. They had a strong connection and their friendship was deeply rooted in their hearts. It took them quite a while to realize this.


    After that, the three couldn''t set off straight to the Chaotic Region for their third task.


    Before going there, they had two more urgent things to handle!


    The first, of course, was Kristen''s condition¡ªthat she was temporarily blind and was badly injured in their battle with the Rats. They didn''t have enough time to wait for Kristen to regain her vision, but they had to wait for her to at least regain her strength. Secondly, all three of them were in urgent need of cultivation in seclusion, so that they could have time to digest the combat experience they went through in the Black Marsh, and also strengthen their martial arts skills.


    Especially for Ricky, if he got to cultivate in seclusion, he would soon be able to reach the peak of the first grade of Bone Reinforcement and promote his combat strength to the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    Once they were ready, they all began their cultivation in seclusion!


    Of course, Kristen couldn''t get herself into complete seclusion. She could easily hear everything within 100 meters, which was also the reason why Ricky and Tyson were confident in starting their cultivation in complete seclusion.


    As for Kristen''s food, Ricky had prepared roasted meat enough for the next three days!


    Warriors of Bone Reinforcement usually wouldn''t require food after taking the Fasting Pill. Yet, Kristen was in a different situation. She needed to recover as fast as possible through meat, so she should eat as much meat as possible!


    Ricky guessed that three whole days would probably be enough to finish his cultivation!


    When all their preparation was done, the three warriors began their cultivation simultaneously!


    The purposes of Ricky''s cultivation were simple and clear. With the assistance of his two Supreme Skills, he could digest the combat experience, unravel the mystery of realm of martial arts, and gradually improve the level of his martial art skills!


    The two Supreme Skills lived up to their reputation that they would dramatically help any warrior who grasped them. As soon as Ricky initiated his cultivation, he immediately felt his perception, his realm of martial art skills, and his combat power improving!


    As a result, in less than three days, Ricky woke up from his cultivation. Just as he had expected, he had reached the peak of the first grade of Bone Reinforcement, while his combat power reached the intermediate stage of the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement!


    There was one more thin


    ound inside the Chaotic Region.


    There was a faint sound of killing and screaming wafting from a nearby place.


    Ricky, Tyson and Kristen, the trio, had to finish their task under such circumstances.


    After several days of traveling, the carriage carrying the trio finally arrived at the entrance of the Chaotic Region, and the rolling sound of the wheel had awakened their bloody and terrible surroundings.


    Caw! Caw! Firstly, the black crows on the withered trees were startled and flew away. Next, the insects resting on the skeletons and corpses swarmed together and left.


    They stopped and descended their carriage.


    Suddenly!


    The horse tied to their carriage galloped away, crying out of fear!


    "Well, I believe you are extremely frightened by this murderous and bloody environment," Ricky said in a low voice. Upon inspecting his surroundings, he himself felt uneasy!


    "Is this the entrance to the Chaotic Region?" he asked.


    "Yes, it is. With one glance, you can feel the strong killing atmosphere¡ªthe cruelty!" Tyson exclaimed with his fighting spirit flickering in his eyes.


    "Hmm? There are people around the woods!" Ricky winked at his two companions, reminding them with a voice that could be only heard by them.


    "Russell, leave them alone. They have always been living in the dense forest nearby because they serve as monitors of the Chaotic Region!" Tyson whispered.


    "What do you mean?'''' Ricky asked with confusion.


    "Russell, have you seen the bloody boulder?" asked Tyson.


    "Yes!" Ricky nodded.


    "Warriors entering the Chaotic Region for the first time must follow a rule. They must clean the two words "Chaotic Region" engraved on the boulder with blood!" Tyson explained.


    "Oh, I see now. No wonder that I could smell a pungent odor of fresh blood from the boulder. So, what creature''s blood is needed?" Ricky asked doubtfully.

 Chapter 238 Warriors Of The Panther Gang

    "The blood of either humans or beasts should do!" Tyson said. "For any warrior entering the Chaotic Region for the first time, they must scrub the words ''Chaotic Region'' written on the boulder with the blood of either beasts or warriors.


    There is one condition: the chosen warrior or beast should be of the same level with the warrior who wants to enter the Chaotic Region.


    That means if we want to enter the Chaotic Region, we need to slay three beasts that are at the sixth, the fifth, and the first grade of Bone Reinforcement. Either that or we slay warriors of the same level.


    That''s indeed an interesting rule. It tells those who enter the Chaotic Region that as long as you are here, there''s nothing for you to see but blood and murder." Ricky nodded his head slightly and said, "Now, I am both curious and a little frightened of this Chaotic Region!"


    "Ha-ha, I never knew you could be frightened." Tyson laughed loudly.


    "All right. Regardless, we need to slay some beasts. Otherwise we won''t be able to enter the gates of the Chaotic Region," Ricky said.


    From this moment on, his new journey of murder and blood began on the Chaotic Region.


    "Perhaps we don''t need to slay beasts!" Kristen said, suddenly.


    "Why?" Right after Kristen finished her words, Ricky and Tyson noticed something unusual. They looked behind them.


    "Growl! Howl!"


    Immediately, they heard roars of ferocious beasts. A massive wave of dust rolled in. More than a dozen Black Panthers rushed in. Several people in black clothes were riding these Black Panthers.


    These black-clad men had black panther tattoos embroidered on their chests, showing that they were warriors from the same organization.


    Their leader was a young man riding one of the panthers. Through the merging of the power of the two zones, Ricky could sense that this young man was at the second grade of Bone Reinforcement. Two middle-aged men next to the young man were both at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement. As for the remaining ten warriors, they were all at the peak of Blood Purification.


    The Black Panthers were all at the advanced stage of Blood Purification.


    They all came fo


    e began to fear Tyson.


    His hands and feet were trembling in fear.


    "You... Do you know who I am..." Barry said in his shaking voice, pointing at Ricky and Tyson with his trembling right hand.


    Then they all heard a loud crack!


    Before Barry could finish his words, his neck was sliced by a blade made of flame. He couldn''t even react. He fell to the ground in two, his body separated from his head where his unwilling eyes froze with death.


    "Who you are or which force you belong to are none of my business!" Ricky said indifferently, putting his saber back, "You have no one to blame. You just dug your own grave!"


    "Crack!"


    Kristen also began to attack. She waved her scarlet whip all over the field and killed the guards stunned by her movement.


    Kristen might have been temporarily blind but it was still easy for her to kill these guards who were only at the peak of Blood Purification.


    "Although the warriors we killed don''t include warriors at the fifth and the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement, I think they might just be enough for us to enter the Chaotic Region," Tyson murmured.


    Then Tyson turned around, looked towards the dark forest, and said loudly, "Friends inside, could you tell me whether the blood of these warriors is enough for us three to enter?"


    "Not enough!" said a cold voice.


    "However, since you have killed Barry of the Panther Gang, it might just be enough to enter the Chaotic Region."

 Chapter 239 Intrude Into the Tiger Gang

    As he spoke, the voice snickered, as if enjoying their embarrassment.


    What the voice had said was true. If the man they killed was not the young master of the Panther Gang, they might not have managed to enter the Chaotic Region. For a fact, two warriors at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement and a group of warriors at the peak of Blood Purification were no match for one at sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement and another at fifth grade. That was the truth of the matter.


    After that, the voice went silent.


    With a sudden swoosh, all the figures around the forest magically disappeared. All that Ricky and his companions could sense was a slight rushing sound, but no any trace of the mysterious spies again.


    "Now, we may enter the Chaotic Region," said Tyson, taking a deep breath. "I wonder where does the Panther Gang rank in the Chaotic Region."


    "Tyson, tell us about the force division in the Chaotic Region," asked Ricky.


    "Okay, Russell. Now listen carefully. The Chaotic Region has three divisions: the Upper, the Middle, and the Lower Region. The reason why the region was divided in three is that there has been opportunities of becoming an innate spiritual king in recent years," explained Tyson.


    "The three parts correspond to three levels of power. The Lower Region contains all kinds of gangs, in which the best warriors are from either the sixth or seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    The Middle Region is for the Palace forces, which is superior to the gangs in the Chaotic Region. Among the Palace forces, their finest warriors are drawn from either the eighth or ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    As for the Upper Region, there are only eight forces."


    "Eight forces," whispered Ricky, his face knitting into a frown. "Ah! The Eight Demi-immortal Forces, right?"


    "Exactly. The Eight Demi-immortal Forces. They are the real masters of the Chaotic Region," nodded Tyson. "All the mysterious warriors in the black forest are from the Eight Demi-immortal Forces.


    Reportedly, they have been in full control of the Chaotic Region for quite some time now."


    "If that''s the case, then I guess they must be pretty an impressive demi-immortal force. That would mean they are our biggest challenge ahead. For us to take control of this region in two years, they will be quite a formidable hurdle to overcome," murmured Ricky.


    "Take it easy! Nothing is impossible, right? As for now, we''ll make it one step at a time. The immediate step we should be talking about is to get into the Chaotic Region first!" Tyson expl


    ling.


    The people who had surrounded the place were taken aback, and were left exchanging scared glances.


    They all knew that man. A respected, powerful warrior at the third grade of Bone Reinforcement, just about to break through. Arguably, he was the finest among them.


    How had he died so easily, without even as much as a hint about Ricky''s moves? Obviously, the three strangers were no pushovers as everyone had initially thought.


    At the sign of trouble, the crowd of onlookers fled in disarray. They did want the girl, but they didn''t have the power to win her over.


    "Hey! You! Stop there!" Successfully, they had stunned the people around. Aware of their fete, Ricky smiled and shouted at a comparatively handsome young man who was passing by.


    "Don''t harm me! I''m just passing by!" The young man was so frightened that he lowered his head and broke into tear, wailing at the top of his voice.


    "I know. Don''t be afraid. I just want to ask you a question," Ricky smiled gently. .


    The young man led them to a small castle, on the top of which sat a board with three words inscribed. "The Tiger Gang," read the terse inscription.


    "This the gang that I belong to. What do you want?" asked the young man in a trembling voice.


    "Are you sure that the head of this gang is only at the fourth grade of the Bone Reinforcement?" asked Ricky, staring the young man straight in the eyes.


    "Yes, I''m pretty sure our leader is at fourth grade of the Bone Reinforcement!" confirmed the young man, nodding in affirmation.


    "Very good!"


    With that, Ricky jumped high in the air, gathered his spiritual energy on his foot and kicked the board, shuttering it into pieces in one fell swoop.

 Chapter 240 The Peak Combat Power Of Tiger

    Clatter! The Tiger Gang''s big plaque was broken into pieces and with a din, its fragments scattered around the gate of the castle! Seeing the whole scene, the young man was dumbfounded, finding it hard to believe his eyes.


    Living in the Chaotic Region, he couldn''t be more aware of the current situation and what Ricky and his companions wanted to do¡ªto challenge and defeat the powerful Tiger Gang!


    "Who is there? How dare you to come to our Tiger Gang and mess around!" a roaring came out from inside the castle. Obviously, the noise had startled the warriors inside the castle.


    Meanwhile, it also surprised the warriors passing by. In no time, the perimeter of the Tiger Gang castle was packed with warriors who were curiously thinking they could watch a wonderful play.


    "Is someone challenging the Tiger Gang? Let me see who the hell it is!" some powerful warriors said arrogantly.


    "It''s such a beautiful girl! How I wish I could sleep with her at once!" said many warriors vulgarly when they spotted Kristen.


    "Ha-ha, don''t be so hasty! Let''s watch how this unfolds first. Just wait and see how she and her two sidekicks will provoke Tiger and his Tiger Gang," some other warriors said with smug looks on their faces.


    "After their fight is finished, it will be the perfect time to take action!"


    The surrounding warriors were quite immersed in their discussion.


    "Whoosh! Whoosh!"


    In a split second, a large number of warriors quickly dashed out from the castle of the Tiger Gang, followed by a middle-aged man with only one eye. The warriors of the Tiger Gang immediately surrounded the three outsiders.


    The one-eyed man was, of course, Tiger, the leader of Tiger Gang, who was at the peak of the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    His gang''s plaque had been smashed, and as the head, he definitely needed to check what happened in person. As he rushed out of the gates, Tiger was aggressive, furious and puffing like a turkey cock. But the moment his eyes fell on Kristen, his expression immediately turned lustful.


    "Hey, Kristen, as expected, wherever you go, you immediately attract all the attention!" Tyson whispered in Kristen''s ear. "About a hundred people around us can''t take their eyes off you and want to eat you alive as if you were a plate of delicious food!"


    "Stop it. We should be more careful and pay a little more attention to our enemies. I''ve detected that there are no fewer than five warriors at the peak of the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement!" Kristen reminded in a bit serious tone.


    "Don''t worry, Kristen! If the warriors at the peak of the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement dare to try and meddle with us, they will die first!" Tyson whispered back.


    He and Kristen kept assessing the situation. What were their odds?


    "Hey, one-eyed man, where the hell are you looking? It''s me who kicked your plaque into pieces!" Ricky''s voice burst out at the momen


    icky thought silently as he channeled the vigorous fighting spirit. He smiled with satisfaction, feeling it surging through his body.


    At once, he launched his Chaotic Fire Skill.


    "Prepare to die!" Tiger hissed angrily with bared teeth.


    After several rounds of fighting, he knew for sure that he faced a powerful opponent. To save his face as the leader of his gang and own castle, he had to pull out all his efforts and power.


    "Bring it on, one-eyed freak! The next round will decide whether the castle is yours or mine!" Ricky responded with a laugh.


    "Cracking Tiger Claw!" Tiger summoned loudly and launched his final attack.


    All the spectators gasped. His eye had filled with thick evil spirit while his body exuded the intense momentum of a tiger. What was more, his spiritual energy formed a tremendous giant tiger shadow at his back. He violently hurled a punch and then the intense momentum of the tiger claw flew towards Ricky in an effort to tear him apart.


    ''Fire Cloud Fist, I will depend on you now. I hope as a mysterious cultivation method, you will not disappoint me," Ricky muttered silently to himself, sensing the great momentum hidden in Tiger''s skill¡ªCracking Tiger Claw


    In a flash, Ricky''s entire body was wrapped by a hot flame. Behind him, the flaming spiritual energy instantly condensed and produced a Fire Cloud, which was about half the size of his body.


    However, the momentum the Fire Cloud burst out was extremely strong and now the people around the arena felt as though they had been suddenly plunged into a hot burning oven.


    "Fire Cloud Fist!" Ricky howled mightily.


    The Fire Cloud behind him merged directly with his right fist, turning into a real Fire Cloud Fist and heading rapidly towards the Cracking Tiger Claw.


    "Boom!"


    The two fierce forces collided with each other. Shock waves rumbled through everything around them¡ªthe ground, the people, the buildings. What a collision!

 Chapter 241 Manor Gang

    With intense momentum, the only element visible was the blur of the rapid movements of the fist and the claw. When the two forces finally collided, Ricky and Tiger were locked into a stalemate. The power and spiritual energy kept surging from their arms for support.


    "Is it possible that this may cause havoc on both parties when this smite is over?" The warriors gathered around were speculating while watching the stalemate.


    "Great! They can both go to hell!"


    At once, a warrior at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement hustled into the combat between Ricky and Tiger, striking his most powerful punch towards them.


    Ricky and Tiger were still on brawl against each other. The two, however, realized that if they take a blow from the man, it could cause them serious harm. This could indeed be the perfect timing for that warrior at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement to make a surprise attack.


    But he realized he had spoken too soon. He underestimated how powerful Tyson and Kristen could be.


    As soon as he let out his powerful blow, an iron-like fist hit him in the air which felt like two huge mountains crushing him.


    He was in intense excruciating pain. A sudden gush of power rushing to his arms seemed to rip his arms apart. He couldn''t endure it at all. A spit of blood came out of his mouth and he rolled to the ground in pain.


    He was breathing heavily and his eyes were in terror. He died on the ground. Every inch of his body felt the tremor leaving him completely shattered.


    "I will not spare anyone who tries to interfere with the battle. This is what is going to happen." Tyson was not completely satisfied when he killed the man who was at the fourth grade of Reinforcement with only one shot. He just looked at everyone with apathy and gave a warning.


    The warriors were all threatened to witness Tyson''s power of the fifth grade of the Bone Reinforcement.


    "How is it possible?" "He is a warrior at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement?! I thought that the young man in the battle was the best." The spectating warriors muttered to each other.


    "It seems that today, the Tiger Gang was meant to be destroyed. A warrior of the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement is known as the top fighters in the Lower Region. If they would set up their combat troops, they will surely clash with the rest of the top ten gangs."


    "A conflict will bring us good. Perhaps they will come to


    run. It turned out that the only way to provide such a big gang was to hunt down beasts and search for Treasures from Heaven and Earth.


    When they got all the information that they needed to know, Ricky asked the members to do their own thing. Also, he told them to hang a new board at the gate of the castle. At the gate, crafted a new board that read, "Manor Gang ."


    ...


    "It seems that there is no actual industry in all the gangs of the Lower Region. No wonder there was no expansion or growth whatsoever of those gangs," said Ricky. After making sure that everything was in place, the three of them walked to a room to have a further discussion.


    "You are right. It''s quite difficult for these gangs in the Lower Region to develop. One reason is that they don''t have many powerful warriors. And the other reason is that there isn''t enough cultivation resources," Tyson nodded agreeing for what was said. "More importantly, I think those Palaces of the Middle Region would also smash them down. They certainly didn''t want one more lord in their Palace."


    "But we have to develop this gang. Only by developing can we compete with other strong forces. We can compete for advancement and other resources and strengthen ourselves. Then we will eventually have a chance to dominate this Chaotic Region!" Ricky emphasized.


    "But what kind of industry can we develop?" Tyson eagerly asked.


    "You got me. I don''t know either. Unless we risk our own gold coins to invest something?" Kristen was also bewildered. Her face was full of confusion and uncertainty.


    "Kristen, Tyson, how about the casting?"

 Chapter 242 Tysons Power

    "Casting? Do you mean casting weapons?" Kristen and Tyson hardly believed what they had heard.


    Despite their disbelief, they soon realized what a good idea it was.


    "Yes! We almost forgot that you know how to use the runic power for casting! You''re already at the first grade of Bone Reinforcement, so you should be able to cast a weapon at the intermediate Mortal Level!" Tyson said excitedly, patting his forehead.


    ''Runic power... I remember that Ricky is also a casting master. I''ve heard that his Pounding Skill is superb. Lots of casting masters at the Demi-spirit Level are so jealous of him! Even though his enemies are all around the Realm of Wilderness, he seems to not be afraid of them at all! Could Russell really be...'' Kristen thought to herself as her eyes were shining in interest.


    *


    Giving Tyson a glance, Ricky took out the jade tablet from his storage bag. It could prove to them that he was a casting master at the intermediate Mortal Level.


    "Oh my god! You are indeed a casting master at the intermediate Mortal Level!" Tyson was surprised to see Ricky''s jade identity card. "Our Manor Gang is going to be a very powerful group with your casting skills! Wow! It''s at the intermediate Mortal Level!" he continued.


    "A majority of the warriors in the Lower Region are at the advanced stage of Blood Purification and inferior stages of Bone Reinforcement. Most of the weapons they use belong to the intermediate Mortal Level. In the Chaotic Region, the fighting never stops. Weapons in the intermediate stage of the Mortal Level are the most needed kind!" he added after a short while.


    "Tyson, you''re right. That was what I was thinking too!" Ricky agreed, "First, we start our own gang, and then we can develop a casting business! I can see that we are going to be the biggest gang in the Lower Region."


    "With that, we can try to make our way to the Middle Region. Gradually, we might find a way to have a huge success. Maybe we can even make it to the Upper Region!" Ricky continued.


    "Russell, have you helped someone establish a casting organization before? If not, do you have any experience in handling a clan''s business?" Tyson asked Ricky after hearing him out.


    "Hahaha... I''ve learned how to handle a clan''s business before! That''s what I am doing here now!" Ricky said with a smile.


    "Just as I expected," Tyson replied.


    "Okay then, let''s do this. We should try to get everything in order here in the next two days. Then, we can start our casting business. We can only rely on you for casting the weapons though,"


    trong warrior at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement! The Panther Gang has so many strong warriors!" one of the onlookers sighed. All the onlookers felt the warrior''s momentum at once as he stepped forward. They were so jealous of someone like that who was at such a high grade.


    "You''re killing your follower by sending him after us!" Tyson sneered. He got his iron fists ready while he spoke.


    With all his might, he raised up his fists and attempted to block the attack with his own punch.


    Bang! Bang! After three powerful collisions, the warrior at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement from the Panther Gang fell to the ground with a pale face.


    Tyson had killed someone a grade higher than him with just three punches and he didn''t even break a sweat.


    There was silence as the whole world went deathly still.


    Everyone present was stunned to see the result of the short scuffle, including Thaddeus Shen. Even though his follower wasn''t able to defeat Tyson, Thaddeus never thought that Tyson would kill him so easily.


    The reality of the situation had given him a hard punch to the gut.


    Maybe it was because he had been a deputy leader for such a long time that he almost forgot that a talented warrior like Tyson might be able to challenge people that were his superiors in power.


    "What a chump!" Tyson sneered. He shook his fists cockily.


    Then he turned to Thaddeus Shen and said faintly, "Shouldn''t you battle us yourself? Even if you send more followers, they will all be killed by us. Oh, and I''m sorry; even if you battle us yourself, you will be killed by us as well."


    "You fool! I''m going to kill you!" Thaddeus shouted. Gathering all his strength, he ran towards Tyson.

 Chapter 243 Tysons Great Advance

    "Bang!"


    The power he exuded was characteristic of the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement. It burst forth in full swing as the great noise resounded. In an instant, a ferocious atmosphere had set into all the surroundings. The other warriors could not help but step backwards, wary of becoming involved in their battle. It was bound to be a fierce, relentless one. If they had the misfortune of becoming caught up in the fighting, they were going to die first.


    "So, this is the power at the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement? Good! Come on! Let''s fight!" Glaring at Thaddeus, Tyson roared with a low voice. Thaddeus''s overwhelming aura did not frighten him in the least. Instead, he was more eager to fight this man. After all, brave warriors should not be fearful when faced with a strong opponent. They should jump at the chance, because fighting against stronger warriors would help them enhance their skills.


    Suddenly, Tyson let out a loud roar. His eyes were wide, his face taut, his entire being ready to fight. Immediately, his body turned a color of steel gray, his usually-black hair and eyes included. It seemed that he just walked out of a vat of molten iron. Here he was, an iron man!


    As his body changed, his power increased as well. It became so strong that it overwhelmed Thaddeus''s power in the blink of an eye.


    "Bang!" The onlookers'' jaws dropped at the sight of the iron man, marveling at Tyson''s change. While they were still struggling to manage their surprise, a loud crash burst out and echoed through their surroundings. The fists of the warriors had already collided violently. Everyone squinted their eyes to avoid the dust and shock waves caused by the collision. Secretly, they felt lucky that they had retreated before the battle began. Otherwise, they would have already been hurt badly by now.


    Two tornadoes rose from their fists and grew large quickly. Before long, they developed into giant ripples and spread all over. Some of the crowd stepped back further to keep themselves further away. They were too weak to resist the powerful momentum brought by this fearful battle.


    There was no doubt that both of them were extremely strong warriors, judging from their energy tornadoes. But even so, Tyson was slightly overpowered.


    Their collision had forced him to walk backwards for three steps before he tried hard to steady himself.


    This did not discourage him. On the contrary, it filled him with more strength and courage. He grew more determined to beat his opponent now. Such a powerful match was exactly what Tyson had wanted! If he managed to defeat Thaddeus, he would improve his warrior level and make great progress.


    "Ha-ha! That''s not bad! Come and fight me again!" Tyson roared out loud happily before he launched another attack.


    Tyson was a warrior who mainly concentrated on cultivating and practicing the body refining method. His hands were his most distinct and powerful weapons. Each time when he fought, he never held back from sending his fists towards his enemy. At this point in his life, he had won thousands of fights. His fists had already grown to be extremely powerful because of this.


    Right then, he employed his special cultivation method of Iron Golem. Lapsing into the deadly battle madness, Tyson began hurling his merciless fists continuously towards his enemy. He was too busy launching into this intense attack that he wasted no time or energy to dodge his opponent''s blows. All he could think about was taking him down.


    "So, this is your last card? An iron body? Huh! I''m going to crush you into tiny pieces!" Thaddeus inevitably felt how powerful the Iron Golem cultivation me


    pansion, we''d better find out more about the Panther Gang''s strength," Ricky replied with a nod.


    ...


    As Tyson had predicted, the Manor Gang''s reputation spread like wildfire across the Lower Region after their last battle against the Panther Gang. Many warriors even considered the Manor Gang as the eleventh largest gang in the region. It was swiftly recognized as one of the powerful gangs in the Lower Region now.


    This good repute was all thanks to Tyson, whose combat power was at the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    ...


    In a room in the castle, Ricky, Kristen, and Tyson were discussing business.


    "Russell, Kristen, I''ve determined the Panther Gang''s real strength!" Tyson said, excitement written all over his face.


    "Oh? Do tell us," Ricky replied.


    "In the Lower Region, there are ten strong gangs. Among them, four gangs stand out. People usually call them the Top Four. The remaining six gangs have a large gap between them and the top four," Tyson explained energetically, eager to share this information with his companions.


    "There are more than three warriors at the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement. One of them is even at the peak level of the sixth grade. The Panther Gang is one of the Top Four, of course! It is no exaggeration to say that the Panther Gang is corrupting the Lower Region!"


    Tyson''s voice grew higher as he talked on and on. He then stopped, grabbed the cup on the desk, and chugged some water. Then as if nothing had happened, he continued immediately, "Do you remember the guy we killed before we entered the Chaotic Region? You know what? He is the third son of the Panther Gang''s leader!"


    "So, we''ve gotten into a real big trouble," Ricky replied in a low voice, eyebrows furrowing. "It seems that we''ll have to deal with the Panther Gang before we focus on expanding our gang."


    "Well, actually I don''t think dealing with them first is necessary!" Tyson disagreed.


    "Why?" Ricky was puzzled at his confident claim.


    "Because I''ve also found out that the leader of the Panther Gang actually doesn''t get along with the other three deputy leaders. After all, they''ve always been eyeing his position!" Tyson stated, a mysterious smile on his face.


    "That is also why Thaddeus, the third deputy leader of the Panther Gang, chose to stop fighting against me and fled away so decisively. I''m quite certain that he isn''t so keen on executing all the orders from his boss!"

 Chapter 244 Something Strange

    "Really? The deputy leaders and the leader of the Panther Gang do not get along with each other?" Ricky murmured thoughtfully. "That must mean that the three deputy leaders would not assist the leader with all their forces in an emergency."


    "You get the point. They won''t risk their lives for each other. If they are not sure they can win against us, they won''t fight seriously with us." Tyson agreed with Ricky.


    "I gave Thaddeus a head-on blow last time we fought with him. I believe the other two deputy leaders won''t come after us knowing that. They are almost equal in strength to him, so they won''t risk it.


    As for the leader of the Panther Gang, he won''t fight with us himself. That''s because he isn''t confident of victory either. Besides, though he was anxious in seeking revenge for the murder of his son, he won''t pick a fight now. Once he loses the battle, the position of leader will be taken over by someone else immediately.


    So, we don''t have to worry about it in the near future."


    "You are right. Let''s start casting weapons tomorrow!" Ricky nodded with his eyes filled with excitement.


    "Wait a minute, Tyson. You forgot something very important!" Kristen said in a serious voice.


    "What is it, Kristen?" Tyson and Ricky asked at the same time. Both of them were taken aback a little by her words.


    "Do you know why the top four gangs are superior to the other six gangs in the Lower Region? You could say that the leaders of the top four gangs have members from the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement. That is true, but that''s not all," Kristen explained.


    "Then, what else is there?" Ricky asked anxiously.


    "Before we got into the Chaotic Region, Tyson told us that, in the Lower Region, the best warriors are from the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement, so..." Kristen said, turning her eyes to Tyson, who agreed with a nod.


    "So it is reasonable to suppose that each one of the upper four gangs have warriors of the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement," Ricky understood her concern and finished her sentence for her.


    "Oh Gosh! You are right. How silly of me! I forgot to find out whether there are warriors of the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement in the upper four gangs!" Tyson grumbled, slapping his forehead. He had also realized the problem.


    "Let''s pray that the strongest warriors in the Panther Gang won


    ce, they could see no one else in the room except the old man.


    "What is happening? Who is that?" Ricky asked nervously. Neither Tyson nor Kristen could answer his question. They held their breath and examined their surroundings on high alert.


    To try to find out the source of the voice, Ricky activated his internal strength in the two space on his spiritual meridian to its fullest. To his astonishment, the other voice was also coming from the old man.


    ''How... how is this possible? There are two spirits in his body!'' For a few seconds Ricky stood in shocked silence.


    "Now let''s split up, old friend, or you''ll have this little girl petrified. If that happens, she won''t taste very nice." The old man smirked, his sagging face twisting grotesquely into a grimace of extreme cattiness as he spoke in his normal voice again.


    "Hah-hah, you old goat. You are always so impatient." The shrill and horrific voice arose again. "But you are right. I''ll come out right away. I can''t wait to enjoy that beautiful little girl!"


    As he spoke, a dark shadow rose from the body of the old man. At the same time, streams of pitch-black spiritual energy began to diffuse slowly. Shortly after, the dark shadow and the spiritual energy mixed together and turned into the shape of another scrawny and hideous old man.


    "How can it be possible? How can someone''s shadow turn into a whole other person?!" Seeing that unimaginable scene play out, Tyson opened his mouth in astonishment.


    Ricky was just as shocked by what he saw. He stood there, at a loss for what to do.

 Chapter 245 Elder Barret

    ''Is this a kind of strange cultivation method that not many disciples know?'' Ricky thought to himself with an anxious look on his face. It was as if his mind was searching for some useful information.


    Thinking back about that rare skill, Ricky had to say it was an incredible move. Ricky still didn''t believe that a member of the Panther Gang could know such an amazing skill. How could that old guy turn his shadow into an actual living breathing person? Ricky didn''t think anything of it until he categorized it into a kind of cultivation method.


    "Yes, that is it! The ugly old guy must have cultivated a kind of unusual cultivation method. The skill can render the shadow invisible and let it unexpectedly swoop in by hiding it in another shadow!"


    "What happened, leaders?" The members of the Manor Gang ran towards the room and asked anxiously, as if they had been attracted by the noise.


    "Get out of here! You weak bastards! It''s none of your goddamn business! If you don''t leave right now you''re really going to annoy me. I''m warning you! I won''t hold back and will drain all the blood from your weak bodies for bothering me," the ugly old guy said in a menacing tone after seeing members of the Manor Gang appear in the door.


    Then, the shadow man mustered up his strength and burst out a skill of the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement in a snap. To all the spectators'' surprise, the massive aura directly knocked everything in Kristen''s room over.


    All the members of the Manor Gang had witnessed the serious destruction he created.


    "How could the two... they... they are..." Many members felt shocked and shouted out simultaneously. It seemed like the majority of them had known very well about who the two guys were.


    "How... how can it be possible? Everybody knows that the leaders of the Panther Gang and the Ghost Gang both died one year ago. How could you two bring yourselves back to life and appear here?" One newly appointed hall leader of the Manor Gang stammered as his body trembled and his jaw dropped open in fear.


    "Ha-ha. I haven''t enjoyed all the beauties in the world yet. I am not willing to end my life so early with such a large regret left!" The leader of the Ghost Gang let out a lewd laugh. As he explained his reasons, his eyes were wandering over Kristen''s graceful body.


    "I like this girl''s tender and lovely skin. Her blood must be even more delicious than she looks!"


    "This girl is very brilliant and attractive!That''s why I invited you here. I didn''t disappoint you, right?" The previous leader of the Panther Gang asked as he laughed in satisfaction. He could see that the leader of Ghost Gang had a strong eagerness and could hardly wait to grasp the girl in front of him.


    "Ha-ha. You are literally my best friend and you know me the best! So, in return, I have decided to send you a valuable advanced pill as a gift after we take this beautiful girl and go back home!" The leader of the Ghost Gang laughed with extreme excitement. That showed everyone that Krist


    ncredible that it was capsulizing the sky and the land. That was a classic sign of an innate spiritual king. That was how Ricky figured out the Elder''s identity just by feeling the current air.


    ''Why did the innate spiritual king of Sky Manor appear here and help us?'' Ricky thought to himself in enormous confusions. He seemed almost unhappy even though he had just escaped death.


    Perhaps he was anxious about his fake identity and the skin mask that were likely to be exposed by the powerful innate spiritual king.


    "If I didn''t come in time, my Kristen''s lovely eyes would have been lost. The Chief warned you to take care of Kristen before you left. Tyson, do you think you have done well to honor your promise?" the Elder said to Tyson with a little reproach. He was scolding Tyson because he felt that Kristen was in bad condition.


    "Elder Barret, I did make a huge mistake due to my carelessness. Please punish me!" Tyson begged.


    "The one that will punish you is the Chief. I don''t have the authority to do so. Fortunately, I sensed the danger ahead of time and arrived here. Thankfully, Kristen is completely safe and sound. It is lucky for you that you didn''t have the opportunity to make a bigger mistake!" said the Elder, waving his hand at Tyson dismissively.


    "Elder Barret, please don''t blame Tyson; I got us into this situation!" Kristen explained.


    "Kristen, you also need to be punished. The Chief and I have told you again and again that you aren''t allowed to use the Devil Flame. Why didn''t you listen to our warning? Do you think you have a limitless life expectancy? Hmm?" Elder Barret said with an edge in his voice. He was looking at Kristen, obviously concerned about her condition.


    That being said, he still released an innate power that swarmed into Kristen''s body. Ricky sensed that Kristen recovered a lot of her energy immediately and he could tell that her eyes would heal much faster.


    Then, Ricky realized that Elder Barret had turned around and fixed his eyes on him.

 Chapter 246 The Innate Spiritual Ball

    "Thanks a lot, Elder Barret!" Kristen said excitedly as she felt the changed in her body.


    "No need to thank me, Kristen, I can only slow down the progression of your blindness. As for your life, even the Chief can do nothing to help!" Elder Barret sighed as he heard the gratitude in Kristen''s voice.


    Then he asked, "Is this the last Royal Sky Guard member you were looking for?"


    "Yes, Elder Barret!" Tyson nodded.


    "Since I left the choice up to you, I will not ask more about him." Elder Barret nodded, looking at Ricky. His old yet bright eyes were full of doubts despite his words.


    Did he doubt Ricky''s loyalty and power, or could he somehow be aware of the human skin mask on Ricky''s face?


    At that point, Ricky was naturally feeling awkward, but he still acted very calm. He respectfully said, "Thank you, Elder Barret."


    Elder Barret was an innate spiritual king, but he did not put on airs when he heard Ricky''s simple response. He nodded slightly and replied, "Since you have joined the Royal Sky Guard, please do your best for us. We all depend on each other."


    "Elder Barret, why did you come here?" Kristen suddenly asked.


    "After you left for a few days, our informants received intelligence that the forces in the Black Marsh area were concealing an important message. The leader of the Rats is a beast tamer. But I''m sure you''ve already known it by now," said Elder Barret.


    "Chief sent me to chase you and tell you to be discreet. Unfortunately, you have already arrived here. I am afraid it''s because of the beast tamer of the Rats that Kristen used the Devil Flame!"


    "It is exactly as you say, Elder Barret. The forces in the Black Marsh area deceived us; because of their tricks, Kristen was injured," Tyson said angrily.


    "Do not worry, the Chief has severely punished them," Elder Barret said.


    Seeing that Elder Barret was no longer paying attention to him, Ricky breathed a sigh of relief. It proved that even a lower spiritual king still couldn''t see through the human skin mask on his face.


    ''It seems that this human skin mask given to me by the sect chief is not so simple, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "I came to the Chaotic Region mainly to bring you something to help you gain a


    will be able to dominate the Chaotic Region," Tyson said excitedly after Elder Barret left.


    "Tyson, why are you so excited? If we ever have to use the innate spirit balls, it will be when we are in a tough spot. The more we need to use them, the more likely we are to fail or be in danger," Ricky said abruptly, seeing that Tyson was very excited.


    "Yes, the most important purpose the Chief had in giving us the innate spiritual balls is to let us save ourselves! Therefore, we will only use them if we are in danger of failure!" Kristen said.


    "Oh...I''m sorry for sounding so rash." Hearing what Ricky and Kristen said to him, Tyson responded in slight disappointment.


    "Now, the Panther Gang is no longer a threat to us. We can start casting weapons tomorrow and continue to annex the gangs in the Lower Region!" Ricky spoke seriously with a cold light flashing through his eyes.


    "Okay, we can dominate the Lower Region within two months!" Kristen said solemnly.


    ......


    Later, they summoned the remaining members of the Manor Gang. After that disturbance, even with the three of them, their remaining was less than fifteen people.


    They didn''t worry too much about it because they believed that it would not take too long to get more members. They believed that there would be many warriors seeking to join their Manor Gang in near future.


    Then, Ricky distributed some gold coins to each one of their underlings, so that they could buy the casting materials later.

 Chapter 247 Casting Monopoly On The Lower Region

    To these members, Ricky gave each one hundred gold coins as the rewards for staying.


    Hence, these members promised him their unwavering support. After all, one hundred gold coins were not a small sum of money. Normally, for such an amount, they''d have to hunt beasts at Bone Reinforcement for over half a month or even more.


    ...


    The following day, in the Lower Region, almost everything went on as usual, except for a few things. Some unfamiliar faces whose arrival no one seemed to have a clue about were seen around the Manor Gang. Most likely, they were from the Panther Gang and the Ghost Gang, sent by their leaders to spy on Ricky and his companions and confirm the rumors.


    Once they established that all the three leaders of the Manor Gang were still alive, they quickly left to report back to their leaders.


    The senior members of the Panther Gang and the Ghost Gang sensed a strange aura about their leaders. They all seemed to be very anxious, even as they went about their duties with the unflappable air of battle hardened warriors.


    To raise more suspicion for the day, the leader of the Ghost Gang secretly came to the leader of the Panther Gang. Nobody knew what they had talked about behind closed doors in the chamber. Anyway, after they came out, they looked rather depressed.


    ...


    Ricky, Tyson, and Kristen knew there were spies lurking around, but they were not worried. If the leaders of the two gangs dare come to the Manor Gang, Ricky and his team would just let them come and see what would happen.


    In half a day, the remaining members of the Manor Gang had collected all kinds of casting materials.


    After that, Ricky started his casting directly.


    In his casting, Ricky didn''t use the Pounding Skill of the Devouring Skill and the Chaotic Fire Skill. Instead, he used the alternative pounding methods devised and taught by Elder Alexander and Elder Samuel.


    He concealed his intricate skills so as to stay under the rudder for as long as he possibly could.


    After he left the Earth Fire Land, he hadn''t spent much time in casting. However, as he learnt more of the two Supreme Skills, his casting also improved immensely.


    Even as he went about casting, Ricky could tell his skill had reached the peak of the intermediate Mortal Level. If he could keep on training hard enough, he was sure he''d graduate to advanced Mortal Level in abo


    usand gold coins and distributed them directly. Afterwards, they all shared a sumptuous meal.


    Determined to hit the ground running, Ricky gave five thousand gold coins to Tyson along with two members of the Manor Gang. In the next ten days, he charged them with the task of finding people to build ten shops around the castle.


    While the construction of shops was going on, Ricky led the remaining members of the gang in continuously casting weapons.


    By the time the shops had all been built, an extra cache of three hundred intermediate Mortal Level weapons were also ready to go on sale.


    When the shops opened, all the weapons sold out in less than half a day, and the Manor Gang had another windfall.


    Now, the Manor Gang''s casting was thoroughly spread throughout the Lower Region.


    Most importantly, just from these two auctions, other gangs that sold weapons were counting their losses, as customers were getting cozy with their newfound love. Now customers all chose to buy Ricky''s excellent weapons and meanwhile commented on other weapons as rubbish.


    The aggrieved gangs were not going to take the invasion of their business territory lying down. They would have to put an end to the aggression and expansion of the Manor Gang.


    However, they all knew Tyson was the wrong guy to mess with. As such, they hoped that the Axe Gang of the lower six gangs would react first. The Axe Gang was sure to take actions because a large part of their income was from selling weapons.


    ...


    And as sure as night follows day, five days later, the Axe Gang finally took action.

 Chapter 248 Conquer The Axe Gang

    On that day, the castle of the Manor Gang was surrounded by the warriors. The number of them was ten times that of a previous similar occasion. All the warriors from major gangs known to sell weapons at the Lower Region of the whole Chaotic Region had shown up.


    The Axe Gang came with the most number of warriors.


    The Axe Gang was one of the six gangs less powerful among the top ten gangs. Its leader Trent was a warrior at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and also a casting master at intermediate Mortal Level, while his younger brother, Bastian was at the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    With the two brothers'' powerful strength and in particular, Trent''s authority as a casting master of the intermediate Mortal Level, it was enough for them to keep the Axe Gang among the top ten gangs.


    The Manor Gang was known for its unbeatable reputation. Almost all the members of the gang led by Trent and his brother Bastian had joined forces, hoping to add up to a resounding victory in their battle against the Manor Gang.


    "Ha-ha! We have never expected that the two influential leaders of the Axe Gang would come. We apologize for not being able to usher you into our castle with such short notice," Ricky and Tyson said as soon as they heard the news and walked out of their castle with a polite and welcoming smile on their faces.


    "To our respected guests, welcome to our castle. This way, please follow me," Ricky added politely, inviting the two leaders inside the quaint castle.


    At once, Ricky thought of an idea that he wanted to achieve and that was to win Trent''s trust. In this way, the whole Axe Gang could be conquered and would abide by his orders.


    Trent was just an average skilled warrior at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement. Ricky had no much confidence in challenging him. Meanwhile, Trent was also a casting master. In weapon casting, Ricky, however, had enough confidence to defeat him.


    "No, I prefer to stay here and negotiate," Trent said, rejecting their cordial offer.


    "Well, alright, let''s talk here if you insist!" Tyson said, smiling. "What brings you here? What can I do for you?" Tyson asked. "As far as I can remember, the people of our Manor Gang have never done any of you or your subordinates wrong!"


    "You two leaders, Tyson and Russell, stop playing tricks on us. Let us cut to the chase. The casting industry of your Manor Gang seriously threatens the survival of over a dozen gangs, including our Axe Gang. Today, we would like to hear your explanation!" Trent said firmly.


    "Yes! That''s right! "We are with Trent''s side and we want to hear your explanation!" The moment Trent finished his sentence, the leaders of other small gangs below all roared, agreeing to what they had heard.


    "Ha-ha, Trent, what you said made me confused. I don''t understand why our Manor Gang owes you an explanation about that situation. In the Chaotic Region, its ruthless rules are


    his be alright with you?" Ricky asked with a sense of politeness in his tone.


    "Why is that? What are you plotting?" said Bastian in a frigid tone.


    "Bastian, do not fear. If I don''t dare to enter their castle, then I am not qualified to be hailed the leader of our Axe Gang," Trent said confidently as he patted Bastian''s shoulder to assure him. Trent briskly followed Ricky to step inside the castle of the Manor Gang.


    "Trent..." Bastian grabbed his brother''s arms and would like to say something more.


    But he was lost for words when he detected the sincerity and peace in his brother''s eyes.


    After a while, they just vaguely heard the sound of hammering and beating from the castle of the Manor Gang, which lasted for two hours and then disappeared.


    "So, the competition is done. Based on Trent''s strength in weapon casting, I guess this Manor Gang will soon declare its withdrawal from the weapon industry!" Murmurs were spreading among the warriors of different gangs.


    "Hum, you are just a bunch of frogs scavenging at the bottom of the well, so ignorant that know nothing of the great ocean!" Hearing their discussions, Tyson cast a disdainful look on them and murmured to himself in a low voice. Meanwhile, the members of Manor Gang standing behind Tyson were also disdainful of those warriors in discussion, because they had personally witnessed Ricky''s weapon casting efficiency and force.


    "Ha-ha! Ha-ha!"


    The next moment, the laughter from two people came to their ears. Soon, they saw Ricky and Trent stepped out of the castle, walking side by side, unlike enemies or opponents. With their arms on each other''s shoulders, they looked like two old friends enjoying a stroll.


    "Wh¡­What''s going on?" When the warriors saw the two casting masters walking like friends, they were taken aback.


    Even Tyson and Bastian were dumbfounded and rubbing their eyes as it was just so hard to believe what had happened in front of them.

 Chapter 249 The Lower Region Was Rocked.

    It was completely beyond belief! At the time Ricky and Trent went into the castle, they were implacable rivals. At the moment they walked out of the castle, they had already become bosom buddies. It was incredible how fast things could change!


    Before the warriors could react, Trent walked up and spoke loudly to them, saying, "From now on, the Axe Gang has been incorporated into the Manor Gang. We have become the Axe Hall -- one of its halls!"


    This announcement was like a bombshell! His warriors were in total shock!


    "We must be dreaming! Our gang has turned into one of the Manor Gang''s subordinate halls?!" A number of warriors yelled loudly when they recovered from the shock.


    The world had just underwent tremendous changes for the leaders of the smaller gangs in the region. Everyone involved was dumbfounded.


    "Trent must be spellbound by Russell''s great charm and distinction. Russell is devastatingly handsome!" Even Tyson was surprised.


    When Ricky and Trent went into the castle to compete with each other, Tyson had expected Ricky to win the competition in the end. He had still never expected that Trent had lost in admiration and grew great respect and adulation for Ricky. It was even more incredible that Trent was really willing to work for Ricky.


    "Trent! My brother... you..." Bastian called to Trent. He was angry at the situation and worried for his brother.


    "Bastian, I know you cannot accept my choice yet, but please believe in me!" Trent answered, staring into Bastian''s anxious eyes. "In the future, I''ll give you a satisfactory explanation, but for right now you should just support me!"


    "I will trust you, brother!" Bastian finally nodded in agreement, although he was extremely reluctant.


    In the depths of Bastian''s heart, his brother Trent was more important than the Axe Gang.


    ''Those two must be close!'' Ricky thought to himself enviously as he watched them. He highly appreciated Bastian''s loyalty to his brother. In the cruel world they lived in, strong warriors preyed upon weaker ones and big fish ate little fish. The two brothers were flesh-and-blood human beings and had brotherly love to separate them from the animals. It was something that was rare and highly commendable.


    As for the competition, Ricky''s casting skills had made Trent worship the ground that he trod on.


    During the process of the competition, Ricky had played his ace -- the Pounding Skill of the Chaotic Fire Skill. Although it posed a risk to his top secret as who he really was, he had to use it in order to win Trent''s support. Ricky d


    had sent out warriors to figure out the truth in the news.


    The two leaders of the Panther Gang and the Ghost Gang, in particular, were terrified of the Manor Gang''s hard power. They were fully convinced that their two former leaders must have been killed on the Manor Gang''s turf. That was to say, the Manor Gang already had top level warriors who were strong enough to kill two warriors at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    That alone made them afraid to stir up trouble with the Manor Gang.


    To make matters worse, the Manor Gang even won the Axe Gang over and their comprehensive strength had reach a new level. It was hard to imagine that the Manor Gang would drop their weapons and live in harmony with them.


    Under such circumstances, the two leaders of the Panther Gang and the Ghost Gang met up with each other in secrecy once again.


    ...


    After their drunken revelry, Ricky, Tyson, Trent, and Bastian held a meeting to discuss their next step.


    It was at that moment that an unexpected visitor arrived.


    "Leader Tyson, Leader Russell, a mystery man in black is at the door step. He said he needs your help!" A member of the Manor Gang ran in and reported to Tyson and Ricky.


    "Ah? Someone wants to see us? Has he identified himself?" Tyson asked.


    "He said he wouldn''t identify himself until he met with you two!"


    "Well, let him in and let''s see what kind of man he is." Ricky gave the order.


    After a moment, a warrior in a black suit walked into the room. This warrior immediately took off his hood when he entered.


    "Nicholas, I can''t believe it''s you!" Facing Nicholas in person, Trent and Bastian stood up from their seats immediately. They couldn''t believe their eyes.

 Chapter 250 Nicholas

    "Since big shots like you guys have joined the Manor Gang, I must come for a visit." When Nicholas realized how surprised Trent and Bastian were, he smiled and acted causally as if he came here with good intentions.


    "Nicholas, the second deputy leader of the Panther Gang," said Tyson, standing up, his eyes narrowed in confusion. ''Why did Nicholas come here? I thought our Manor Gang was the Panther Gang''s worst enemy, '' he wondered.


    "You are right. I''m the second deputy leader of the Panther Gang!" Nicholas grinned.


    "Nicholas, we joined the Manor Gang because we are willing to pay for our bet, and we admire Russell''s casting skills. But the Panther Gang is the Manor Gang''s worst enemy. I think it is a little inappropriate for you to visit in the middle of the night," replied Trent.


    "Can we be the exceptional first people to defy the wisdom of seeing a friend of your enemy is your enemy?" Nicholas laughed.


    Then, he looked at Trent and Bastian and continued, "Like you two, before today, the Axe Gang and Manor Gang were enemies. But now..."


    He stopped mid-sentence, because he knew he had already said enough.


    "We understand what you are trying to say," said Ricky rising to his feet. Then he nodded, his lips curving into a smile and added, "Please just tell me what you want from us.


    If we make a deal, everyone will be happy. If we can''t make a deal, the four of us will just act as you never come here."


    "I like your attitude, Russell! So I''ll just cut to the chase," said Nicholas. Impressed, Nicholas confessed, "I want to work with all of you of the Manor Gang to destroy the Panther Gang!"


    Everyone in the room fell silent, dumbfounded by his interest in cooperation.


    The four of them looked at each other with confusion and shock.


    "We don''t understand what you''re saying, Nicholas. Please explain to us," said Ricky, breaking the ice.


    "Guys, what we know as the Panther Gang now was formerly the Shen Clan. After sev


    e old leader?'' Ricky thought to himself when he saw what Nicholas did. It seemed he had desperately wanted to destroy the Panther gang.


    "Please get up, Nicholas. We don''t understand why you''re doing this." Immediately, Ricky helped Nicholas up.


    "Guys, that old bastard killed my father and raped my mother and sister!" Nicholas said furiously.


    In greater details, he went on to narrate what happened. The old leader of the Panther Gang was almost dead ten years ago. But suddenly, he learned a mysterious cultivation method which could help him promote longevity by sucking a female''s energy.


    So the old leader of the Panther Gang began to hunt women, and along the way Nicholas''s family, like many others fell victim.


    The damnable old man first killed Nicholas''s father and then raped his mother and sister.


    At that time, Nicholas was in the mountains, hunting. He didn''t know about it, and the old man thought that what he did would never come to the light.


    But what he didn''t know was that someone from Nicholas''s family witnessed everything that happened that night. In fact, Nicholas got that information first hand from an eyewitness, who saw all that transpired that fateful night.


    Since then, Nicholas had tightly kept his secret, waiting eagerly for revenge once he was strong enough.

 Chapter 251 Taking Concerted Action Towards The Common Enemy

    Nicholas'' heart was full of grief, anger, and rage.


    Whatever his heart felt that day was so strong that it had already affected every single human being present in the area.


    However, Ricky was also there and noticed Nicholas'' downing aura. He came towards him and said, "Nicholas, I''m sorry for your loss. Now that the old leader of the Panther Gang is dead, you have completed your revenge. I really wish that you could hold down your grief today.


    I still have one question, though. You have said that your enemy was the late leader of the Panther Gang. But why does it seem like you still want to destroy the entire organization? Haven''t you had your revenge already?"


    Nicholas calmed himself upon hearing some trigger words from Ricky. After a few seconds of silence, he then spoke, "Russell, all the people that belong, and those who are involved in the Panther Gang are murderers of my father. All of them are considered my enemies. If it weren''t for their help, that old bastard would never get the chance to kill my father, and to rape my mother and sister. My poor father, mother, and sister. I swear that I will do whatever it takes to defeat them. I swear to collect this blood debt at all cost!"


    "One of my cousins suffered from diarrhea and he went to the bathroom that night. It was unsightly, given the state of his bowel, but he happened to see the whole thing in the dark! And I''m telling you, he was scared as hell. Unfortunately, he died of fright three days later after he told me about what he saw."


    Upon hearing Nicholas'' story, Ricky started to believe Nicholas more, and was on board with whatever plan he had to defeat the Panther Gang.


    "So Nicholas...what do you want to do with them?" Ricky kept asking.


    "After the merge between the Axe Gang and the Manor Gang, many members of the Panther Gang felt threatened. This collaboration paved the way for a little lay-low so that they could prepare something bigger to weaken your gang. By the looks of it, they''ll attack you guys soon. I think I have an idea. What if you collaborate with me? In that way we can unite with forces inside and out and wipe out the Panther Gang with one blow. What do you think?" said Nicholas in rage.


    Nicholas'' loathing towards the Panther Gang was never kept hidden from the way he uttered words. Even Ricky could tell the unwavering hatred that Nicholas had just by listening to him speak.


    Nicholas had a valid reason to hate the gang. They murdered his family and surely, his grief and anger was within reason. After all, no one in his right mind


    ill lose control and die from hatred. So I will work with you by all means! I have to!" said Nicholas excitedly.


    "Okay, so on with our plan!" he added.


    Deep sadness and loathing enveloped his eyes. For years, he had been obsessed with revenge and determination to destroy the Panther Gang and avenge his family.


    "I love your determination, Nicholas. I hope we can cooperate happily and win this fight!" said Ricky excitedly as he felt Nicholas'' tenacity.


    "However, aren''t you afraid that we will not appear tomorrow night as we discussed? What if we flaked?" asked Ricky with a smile.


    Ricky and Nicholas talked with each other once again, guessing each other''s purpose. Ricky was also worried about the probability that some others might flake on their plan.


    "Russell, I''d still go on with the plan whether you show up or not. I can''t wait any longer. It''s just too painful for me. I can''t stand another day feeling like this!" said Nicholas.


    "Alright, deal! And I understand it!" said Ricky.


    "Which reminds me... what should we do with the people of the Ghost Gang? I can just get two warriors at the fifth stage of Bone Reinforcement. As you can see, the rest of my men do not have the ability to help us!" said Nicholas after a while.


    "Ah, yes. The members of the Ghost Gang can be pretty alarming. They''re all strong. But we still have a big chance to win this if we have some people from the inside. We need an insider," said Ricky as he frowned.


    "Russell, let us deal with the Ghost Gang. Although we are not as strong as they are, we can still buy you some time!" said the brothers.


    "Ouch, man. That hurts. How could you forget us? Leave them to us. We''ll beat them to a pulp!"

 Chapter 252 The Slaughter Began

    Suddenly, the door was pushed open. A woman in a red dress walked in. It was Kristen.


    This Kristen seemed very different from who she was. She had been sick for quite a while. She had been pale and lifeless because of her utilization of the power of her eyes to defeat her enemies. But now, she looked like totally revitalized, as if she was stronger than before. Her eyes sparkled with energy. Anyone who was caught by her glistening eyes were in for a trip they wouldn''t be able to escape.


    Both Ricky and Tyson were thrilled at the sight of her. They left their seats in a hurry and walked towards her. "Kristen! What a surprise! Seems that you''ve been feeling better!" Tyson blurt out with delight written all over his face. "Oh finally you''re recovered! What a relief!" greeted Ricky with excitement.


    "Yes, here am I! If I left myself glued on the bad and lifeless for eternity, I would have been a great burden to you guys," Kristen replied with a smile resting on her face.


    "So, this is the first leader of the Manor Gang, am I right?" Nicholas also stood up and bowed to Kristen before speaking. At the same time, he sized her up discreetly and sensed that the woman was strong enough to defeat him in the blink of an eye.


    ''So, the first leader of the Manor Gang is a woman?! That''s incredible! Being the first leader means that she is stronger than Russell and Tyson!'' Nicholas exclaimed in his mind.


    "Ha-ha! Yes, you are right. This lady is none other than the first leader of the Manor Gang. She had been injured the past few days. But now, she''s fully recovered as we all could tell from her refreshed look," Ricky turned to Nicolas and explained with proud eyes.


    "With all due respect, may I know how strong you are?" Nicholas turned his eyes to Kristen and asked humbly. This was what he was most curious about. Now that he decided to cooperate with the Manor Gang, he would prefer to make sure this gang was being led by a strong warrior.


    "I would say I won''t disappoint you in this respect, Nicholas. You have my words, and you do not have to worry one bit. Now that I''ve made up my mind to stop the Ghost Gang from bringing tyranny to this place, I''ll surely try my best. I believe my strength grants me the capability to take the Ghost Gang down. Otherwise, I would not make such a promise. Putting myself at risk is never my style," Kristen replied, a confident smile resting on her delicate face.


    "That''s great! I understand everything more clearly now. Thank you for your kind explanation," Nicholas replied back as he nodded to show his acknowledgment.


    "I think I''ve achieved my goal in coming here to visit you guys. I better leave and return immediately. Otherwise, Abner would notice my prolonged absence, and that might lead him to having doubts about me. That is the last thing we would want to happen.


    I''m very glad that we''ve reached a consensus today. Keep our plan in mind and hold on to your words, please. Because I surely will!"


    Nicholas made a bowed slightly to everyone before he bade goodbye. He had told them everything - what happened between his family and Abner, the current leader of the Panther Gang, and why he was determined to take revenge on him - to the core members of the Manor Gang. At the same time, he was lucky enough to see Kristen - the woman who was respected by both Ricky and Tyson - with his own eyes. Staying for a longer time would only increase the risk of arousing Abner''s suspicions. Thus, he left immediately and headed quickly back to the Panther Gang.


    After Nicholas left, Ricky reported his story to Kristen.


    in any future fights against any enemy.


    "That''s exactly true. Even if Nicholas lied to us, it would not make any difference! The Ghost Gang and the Panther Gang are doomed to fall before us," Ricky claimed in a cold tone, and his face remained calm as his eyes lit up.


    Ricky''s original plan was that Kristen and Bastian would lead the Axe Gang to handle the Ghost Gang. He had wanted Kristen to lead the team because Ricky and Tyson already knew that Kristen''s eyes had recovered from battle.


    What he did not anticipate was that Kristen was able to break through and reach a new stage whenever she wanted. She was in complete control. This was no more than a piece of thrilling news.


    "So, our slaughter game begins starting from now! Once we succeed, the Manor Gang will definitely take control over the whole Lower Region!" exclaimed Ricky with hope in his eyes.


    Then he turned to Bastian. "Bastian, ask your men in the Axe Hall to get ready for battle. You and your men will join me in attacking the Panther Gang tomorrow."


    "That''s not a problem! We are at your service throughout the way," Bastian replied firmly with a nod before he left the room. Needless to say, he was heading back to the Axe Gang to mobilize his men.


    "So, Kristen. I think it may be better for you to take a dozen men from the Manor Gang along with you when you confront the Ghost Gang. We just want to make sure you will be intact," Ricky said, still a bit worried about her.


    "Thank you for caring about me. But don''t worry and put your mind at ease, Russell! I can deal with it alone. If there were any emergency which I couldn''t fix, it would be much more convenient for me to run away. Take those guys with you and take down the Panther Gang as early as possible. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can come to assist me. Do we agree on this?" Kristen insisted. She now could not know any better about her strength and was one hundred percent sure to beat the Ghost Gang once they met.


    "All right, if you insist!" Ricky now realized that he could never change Kristen''s mind, so he quit trying to convince her.


    ...


    The next day, the Chaotic Region remained a mess where killing and fighting could be found in any corner of the place.


    One different thing which warriors rarely noticed was that the air smelt more bloody and the atmosphere grew more stressful.


    Before long, the night fell.

 Chapter 253 Confronting The Two Young Masters

    The Panther Gang was one of the top four gangs in the Lower Region. Its castle was so grand and solid that it could block the attacks of any warrior at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement.


    The stronghold was also so large that it was just like a city and contained many people.


    As darkness fell, the markets around the Panther Gang''s castle were extremely busy and crowded. The merchants were shouting for attention, while the visitors were looking around in interest. There were quite a few pretty ladies loitering around outside buildings that anyone could tell were brothels. They were so provocatively dressed that they attracted most of the nearby warriors'' attention.


    If someone listened carefully, they might even hear moaning coming from inside the brothels.


    On that very night, very few of the warriors in the markets noticed that there were some strange people scattered around the markets. If they observed them carefully, they could have seen that most of the strangers were gathering into small teams. The groups of strangers stayed strangely close to the gates of the Panther Gang''s castle.


    Before long, there were fifteen groups of out of place people gathered around the castle. Adding all the people in all the groups together, there were around one hundred and fifty of them.


    Most of the strangers were warriors who were at the advanced stage of Blood Purification. A few of them were also at the inferior stage of Bone Reinforcement. Other than that, there were a few warriors who were at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement, but there were less than ten of them.


    As they got ready for action, several warriors in black finally arrived.


    Without much preparation, one of the warriors in black raised his right hand and suddenly gathered an intense flaming spiritual energy around him. The spiritual energy grew into the shape of a fierce tiger after a minute. Waving his fist, the warrior in black threw a punch and a flame tiger flew into the night air with a loud roar.


    Boom!


    Before anyone nearby realized what had happened, they heard a different kind of roar coming from the gate of the Panther Gang''s castle. The noise attracted everyone''s attention as the gate creaked opened!


    "What is happening?" Most of the warriors present were quite confused at the events that were unfolding.


    Before they could figure out what was happening, there was the sound of some warriors roaring echoing throughout the markets and from the Panther Gang''s castle.


    The strangers in the markets gat


    young men also looked very similar to Barry.


    "Young masters!" The members of the Panther Gang stopped running away and bowed respectfully. A glimmer of hope appeared in their frightened eyes.


    "You''re all deserters! How can you just run away like that?" one of the young men asked coldly. He felt really disappointed in the cowardice of his gang''s members.


    Stopping a few yards away from Ricky, the young men looked straight into his eyes.


    "Are you Russell, one of the leaders of the Manor Gang? Are you the one who killed our brother?" Craig asked furiously.


    "Yep! I''m Russell. Good lord, are you two the young masters of the Panther Gang?" Ricky replied mockingly. He hadn''t figured out the young men''s identities until just then.


    "I was worried that I wouldn''t get a hold of you two. Ha! I can''t believe that you came to me first," Ricky continued.


    "Russell, you''re so arrogant. Who do you think you are? How dare you attack our castle and talk such nonsense in front of us! You are now our mortal enemy! I''m going to tear you up if it''s the last thing I do!" Ashton roared in rage.


    "Hahaha! Okay, show me how you two are going to tear me up then! If you don''t do it quickly, I''ll show you how I''m going to tear you up!" Ricky laughed.


    Without saying anything else, Ricky gathered his flaming spiritual energy and ran towards the wrathful brothers.


    "I''m going to kill you!" the brothers shouted together in rage.


    They were furious that Ricky dared to challenge them with just his bare fists. Leaping from their Black Panthers steeds, they gathered their own energy and ran towards Ricky together.


    Boom! Boom!


    Their powerful attacks suddenly collided.

 Chapter 254 The Fierce And Bitter Fighting

    Bang!


    The three people collided and produced a deafening noise and intense blast. Immediately, the intense air blast was turned into waves of air ripples. The ripples swept hard outward buffeting the area all around them. Meanwhile, the strong momentum of the air blast even forced the three warriors to retreat involuntarily.


    Clack! Clack! The sound of retreating footsteps could be heard. Ricky and the two young masters of the Shen Clan were forced to step back at the same time!


    "Wow, you two are pretty good, much stronger than your younger brother. Clearly, you both have stepped into the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement! That''s something I didn''t expect! Unfortunately, you just reached that grade not long ago and your powers are still unstable, right? You are both doomed to be defeated by me!" Ricky whispered. In his tone, there was a trace of appreciation of his opponents and incredible confidence in himself!


    "How could that happen?! A warrior at the second grade of Bone Reinforcement is actually showing the power of a warrior at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement!" The two brothers were so startled, while Rick was smirking in easy confidence.


    They were so shocked because the power that Ricky had just used seemed to be more powerful than their own.


    If one of them fought against Ricky alone, it was sure that they would suffer a great loss at his hands.


    During the nearly a month of casting Ricky had done recently, he had made a breakthrough and reached the second grade of Bone Reinforcement. With the help of the ideal realm in his weapon casting, he completely strengthened his realm at the second grade of Bone Reinforcement. His combat power was also completely consolidated at the fifth grade of Bone enforcement!


    All the gains he made were due to Ricky''s new insight about weapon casting!


    "My two young masters, it''s said that Russell took a pill that could hide a warrior''s real power and momentum. Please don''t be deceived by the weakness he is displaying on purpose!" a warrior from the Panther Gang shouted trying to remind his young masters not to be fooled.


    "A pill that can hide a warrior''s real power!" the two young brothers repeated. The shocking looks in their eyes were suddenly replaced by the looks of greed. It was said that the pill that could hide a warrior''s real power and momentum was likely to be pills at the rank of King Level. It was something extremely hard to find!


    ''A pill that can hide a warrior''s real power and momentum?'' Ricky muttered to himself silently. ''Although I would like to refute you and tell you the truth, perhaps it is better for me if you don''t know the truth. Otherwise, things might get tricky to handle for me!''


    Ricky was right. Such a situation that a warrior defeated another warrior three levels higher than him was just too shocking.


    Even when Tyson and Kristen mentioned that Ricky could defeat someone three levels higher than him, they had also found it hard to believe¡­


    "It turns out that you took that kind of pill. What a sneaky tactic! We almost suffered a great loss due to our ignorance. Now, we know what you did and you should just prepare to die!" Ashton, the older br


    genius when it came to weapon casting, but he was also powerful when it came to martial arts skills. Under the leadership of such a powerful new leader, they no longer had any doubts or grudge against the Axe Gang''s incorporation into the Manor Gang!


    "Nothing is impossible. The reason you can''t believe it is because you are not so powerful yet. If you two only had this kind of power, it would be so disappointing to me because I have not completely shown you how much power I have!" Ricky said seriously as he flipped his palm and easily summoned the Iron Destroyer back into his hand.


    "What an arrogant man you are! You are simply relying on your damn body refining cultivation method. There is nothing for you to be proud of," the two brothers responded sharply, full of disdain. "Wait and see! We will definitely kill you by our next and final strike."


    "What you said is just cliche to me. You know what, all the warriors who said those words to me before have been killed by my Iron Destroyer!" Ricky said and grinned. The fighting spirit that had been silent in his body for a month was suddenly aroused again.


    "Three Killing Swords¡ªJoint Vertical and Horizontal Attack, one fatal attack!"


    the two brothers bellowed furiously, totally ignoring Ricky''s arrogant and intimidating words. They were gathering all their energy and power on their swords for a truly fatal attack!


    "Vertical Sword Attack¡ªBreak the mountain apart!" Ashton, the older brother, shouted furiously and summered his attack skill. Meanwhile, he jumped high into the air and chopped downward with his sword. Immediately, the audience felt a strong momentum exuding from his sword. The virtual shadow of a huge mountain showed up, setting off the fierce power of his sword attack!


    "Horizontal Sword Attack¡ªSweep away thousands of troops!" Craig, the younger brother, shouted through gritted teeth. At once, he ran quickly toward Ricky''s side, slashing his sword toward Ricky. The audience then felt a momentum like thousands of troops burst out from the younger brother. As his momentum burst out, he was swooping towards Ricky fiercely!

 Chapter 255 Devouring Strike

    The strong and powerful sword-light swept through the air. The whole place was covered by the smite. People who were far away from the battle could also feel the power.


    The strikes seemed to combine, coming toward Ricky with an incredible murderous force. It was scary to even imagine if Ricky could take that blow.


    ''The momentum from this cultivation method is so powerful. Though it looks simple, it''s surprising how the warriors manage to strike from every direction. It leaves the opponent no place to hide nor find an escape. I''ll have to take the bull by the horns, '' Ricky thought to himself as he watched the fierce display of power.


    Eyes lighting up with keen interest, he badly wished he could master this cultivation method.


    Although it was a sword cultivation method and needed two people to practice, Ricky believed that with the power of his two zones, he would be able to transform this set of sword method into his saber method.


    Now, although the power looked intimidating, Ricky was not afraid at all.


    Hiss!


    The waves of spiritual energy swept across the field. Ricky channeled the force of roaring flames combined with the devouring runes.


    Given the dreadful force of every strike, Ricky would have to use a completely different way to fight back. He decided to use the devouring power to resist their strike and eliminate the threat via his Devourer Zone.


    The scarlet runes started spreading and formed into so many bloody mouths sticking with the Iron Destroyer, which seemed to tear the saber apart.


    Then Ricky''s eyes turned the color of blood, flashing with beams as if he had two powerful torches. While at it, he waved his saber with all his might.


    To be precise, he didn''t just simply swing the saber. It was something more. In essence he was using an intense and calculated movement that formed by endless devouring runes.


    This was Ricky''s best Devouring Skill move so far. For the very first time he had maximized all the po


    ay.


    As they hit the ground, they spat blood, their chests burning like they had hot coals for lungs. The clang of their silver swords lingered in the air for what seemed like an eternity.


    "How can it be! The strength of this guy''s body refinement is quite unbelievable. How could he crush our swords so easily as though they were a child''s plaything?" baffled Ashton blurted, his face deathly pale.


    "And those strange scarlet runes made little of our strike in flash. He got a lot of secrets!" As he spoke, Craig badly wished he could acquire Ricky''s powers.


    "Wow. I''m impressed! With that fierce fists, you guys just spat out a little blood. I may have underestimated you," said Ricky disdainfully, towering over them, legs apart, arms akimbo.


    But after a moment''s thought, his expression changed a contemplative one. These two were not easy to deal with. The power of their cultivation method would double when they combine forces. He''d have to be careful about about that.


    "Another hell of a fight, I like it!" Ricky thought to himself.


    "Don''t be too arrogant, Russell! The power you channeled just now actually relies on your level of body refinement, method of cultivation, and the strange runes. Well, now you''ll see how we crush you!" Craig growled when heard Ricky.


    "Wrath Spirit Attack!"

 Chapter 256 The Wrath Spirit Attack

    "Wrath Spirit Attack!"


    the two brothers from the Shen Clan howled again to summon another murderous skill. Gradually, the black spiritual energy on their bodies was transformed into blood-black spiritual energy, while their killing momentum was becoming more intense. Without stopping, the strong killing momentum was turned into a storm that was sweeping toward Ricky!


    "What an overwhelming murderous intent! It could almost be as strong as the murderous intent that was broken out by the Heaven Slaughtering Fire in my body!" Ricky murmured to himself in a hardly audible voice. He had realized the seriousness of the situation, so his eyes grew darker and deeper.


    Meanwhile, Ricky saw that, due to the influence of their strong murderous intent, every hair on his body was standing up. The reaction was completely out of his control.


    What was more surprising was that the three kinds of flame power in Ricky''s body had slowly been automatically triggered. He didn''t even exert any effort to launch them. In other words, the three flames in Ricky''s body seemed to be threatened and were about to burst out of him by themselves.


    At the moment when the brothers'' black spiritual energy was completely transformed into the blood-black spiritual energy, their power also began to soar!


    One could see that the blood-black spiritual energy quickly gathered behind the two brothers and turned into two blood-black human shadows. On each part of the shadows, there was strong murderous intent spreading around them!


    Then, Ricky saw that there was blood dripping from all the fingertips of the two brothers. The blood dripped directly into the blood-black shadows! Immediately, the blood-black shadows were becoming more distinct and gruesome. It was as if they were some bloody corpses that were crawling out of a blood pool!


    Then, it seemed that the blood-black shadows had come alive. Each shadow then opened its arms and wrapped them around each of the two brothers. They were like war robes that were covering their masters!


    In that instant, the two bloody and harrowing shadows were completely infused and combined into the two brothers'' bodies!


    What was more obvious was that the momentum of the two brothers was stronger than ever!


    "Wrath Spirit Robe!" the brothers bellowed furiously again. It was as if the blood shadows had heard them, and they were completely transformed into two spiritual energy robes. Each was wrapping one brother as well as the silver sword in each brother''s hand.


    "The First Wrath Spirit Attack¡ªBloody Sword Attack!"


    In the next moment, the two brothers jumped into the air at the same time. They then spat blood onto their swords, making the blood light of the swords brighter and giving them a more intense murderous spirit. A moment later, the two swords hummed and collided with each other.


    At that exact moment, between the two swords, a fierce blood-black spiritual energy swept through like a violent storm. It was immediately turned into a shadow of a giant bloody sword with inexhaustible murderous spirit. Without an


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ons. He had to kill the two brothers in that instant; otherwise, his identity could be exposed at any minute.


    ''It seems that in future fights, I have to pay serious attention. I will be more likely to reveal my identity if I''m not careful. My next urgent task is to find a new cultivation method as soon as possible!'' Ricky thought quickly to himself as he fought.


    Ashton did not expect that his life could end like that. Due to his conjecture and doubt about Ricky''s identity, he had to be eliminated!


    "This¡­ This is¡­" When the two brothers saw what was happening, they were overwhelmed and at a loss for words. There was only tremendous fear left in their eyes. They were totally running out of power by then, so they were aware of what was waiting for them!


    Even if they started to burn blood essence and regained their power, it would be far too late.


    As for the warriors around them, they were thunderstruck. They stood with their mouths agape as if they could each swallow a baseball.


    "Tiger Flame Punch!" Ricky bellowed and launched his final strike. The two brothers didn''t have enough time to pick their final words. Ricky''s two flaming punches had already hit them as they tried, and immediately, flames covered their bodies!


    As they burned up, all that could be heard was two pitiful screams ringing out!


    "No, I''m not ready to die!" Craig howled angrily. Then, his howl came to an abrupt end and he fell to the ground with a dull thud. He was so weak that he could no longer resist a precise strike from Ricky!


    "Ah! You are¡­" Ashton also howled bitterly from inside the flame and was rather unwilling to be killed like that. It seemed that he had realized who Ricky really was, but before he could finish speaking, he was also dead. His burned up corpse collapsed onto the ground.


    At that point, the fierce battle between the two parties finally came to an end. The audience then found that, within the area of the mighty shock waves, there were two burned corpses on the ground. Ricky stood there as the only survivor.

 Chapter 257 The End Of The Battle

    Warriors on either side didn''t react until a long time after the blast waves completely ceased to exist. They were shocked by what had just happened.


    "Dead? Dead! Two young masters of the Shen Clan have been killed!" Warriors from the Panther Gang were too shaken up to say anything.


    As for warriors of the Axe Hall who followed Ricky here, they were all silent out of shock. Especially when they saw the two burnt corpses, it made them recoil.


    Ricky put his Iron Destroyer away after the blast wave had dispersed. It took him effort to restrain his now raging power and finally clam down.


    Then, overlooking the welkin, Ricky found the killing sprees and the smell of blood were not as strong as what it had been. Slowly he said, "This battle seems to be over. The Panther Gang will be history in the Chaotic Region."


    There was no shadow of doubt in his heart that Tyson, buoyed by the pride of their current success, would defeat Abner¡ªthe leader of the Panther Gang. After all, Tyson was regarded as a genius who could always challenge those stronger than him.


    Likewise, he was sure that Trent and his brother could beat Thaddeus to a pulp. The Axe Gang had seized their moment of glory, which Trent and his brother were both determined to make the best use of.


    Maybe, Nicholas was the only member of this team about whom he wasn''t fully convinced. Especially, since his opponent - Marcus, the first vice-leader of the Panther Gang, was as powerful as him. But Ricky knew Nicholas would try his very best. In addition, it didn''t make any difference whether Marcus would win the battle. After all, what difference would it make if he won a single battle, when his gang was already licking their wounds?


    ''Forget about that for the time being, '' Ricky thought to himself. The task at hand was more important. ''I''ll have to take it one step at a time, '' he decided. Then turning to the warriors of the Panther Gang, he offered, "Now, I will give you another choice. You either leave that damn gang of yours or die! The choice is yours."


    The cold look on his face alone was enough to send a shiver through the warriors of the Panther Gang. Already, he had proved his power and influence. Just in case anyone doubted his intentions, the lifeless bodies of the two young masters from the Shen Clan were still in sight. But he conducted himself with great restraint, showing mercy, on the odd chance that these warriors would surrender.


    After all, he wasn''t that kind of man addicted to killing. For as long as the criminal elements were eliminated, he''d keep it as civil as possible. But that did not mean he''d


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    a-ha, you are really something to me!" Tyson laughed excitedly.


    "Well, next we should go to the Ghost Gang to help Kristen. Trent, I''ll leave everything here under the two of you. Thank you for your efforts!" Ricky said.


    "Rest assured, we will hold the fort for you while you''re away!" Trent and his brother both nodded their heads and promised in unison.


    Without further ado, Ricky and Tyson then prepared to leave.


    But just as they lifted the soles of their feet, a familiar figure came rushing to them. At once, they both knew it was Kristen.


    Kristen instantly arrived. Studying the place, she asked, "Am I too late for a piece of the action? Oh my bad. You guys solved everything so fast!"


    "Kristen, how is everything going for you?" Ricky was a little worried about her, because she came back a little faster than they had thought.


    "Just as Nicholas said, the Ghost Gang planned to take actions, but not on today. They didn''t have the slightest clue we would attack them today. And they didn''t even know I would go there secretly," Kristen said.


    "When I sneaked into their leader''s room, the old man was sloshed. I killed him with no effort at all. As for those three vice-leaders, they were just too weak to be mentioned.


    By the way, I even made a breakthrough just now, and then came here.


    It seems that we think too highly of these two gangs. I think we don''t need to do anything tomorrow. The Ghost Gang will spiral downward into chaos, all by themselves."


    "Hmm.., Kristen, that''s because you are simply too powerful for any of them!" Ricky smiled.


    In admiration of her success, Tyson and the other warriors smiled from ear to ear.


    "You are just flattering me!"


    Right now, joy among them was palpable.

 Chapter 258 Dominating The Lower Region

    The Panther Gang had been destroyed! There was no Panther Gang any more.


    That piece of news spread over the whole Lower Region instantly like a fierce storm.


    It was not strange that the news spread so fast. Every gang had its own informants that could be found everywhere around the Lower Region. The informants had definitely heard about the news of the fierce battle.


    It was normal for gangs to be destroyed in battle in the Chaotic Region. The region was a place where anything could happen. Nobody felt like there was anything strange about it usually.


    Things were different this time. This piece of news shocked them because the gang being destroyed this time was the powerful Panther Gang, which was one of the Top Four Gangs. Counting its predecessor form, the Shen Clan, it had stayed in power for over one hundred years. Due to its long history, and profound foundation, no gangs could defeat it easily. It seemed impossible that someone could destroy it completely. Even the other three biggest gangs didn''t dare to boast that they could defeat the Panther Gang.


    However, such a powerful gang in the Lower Region had now been destroyed overnight by a new gang that had only been set up for less than a month. Such an amazing thing surely astonished every warrior in the Lower Region.


    At that moment, all the warriors in the Lower Region were spreading word of the new and mysterious power called the Manor Gang. The situation was far too astounding!


    Soon, everyone was talking about the strength of the Manor Gang. Surprisingly, there were two casting masters at the intermediate Mortal Level in the Manor Gang. Casting masters at that level would surely win all the people''s respect in the whole Middle Region, not to mention the Lower Region.


    The previous Axe Gang had become a part of the Manor Gang. The one who managed to kill the leader of the Panther Gang was Tyson of the Manor Gang! Both those facts were surprising news to the warriors in the area.


    Of course, they also heard that the top leader of the Manor Gang was a beautiful lady that was also a powerful warrior at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement. If she wasn''t powerful enough, she wouldn''t be able to destroy the Panther Gang overnight like that. There were also rumors that several warriors at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement were in the Panther Gang.


    Surprisingly, the Manor Gang took major action again before everyone in the area managed to recover from the shock.


    At the dawn of the next day, the warriors of the Manor Gang rushed to the castle of the Ghost Gang and easily took control of the Ghost Gang''s daunting fortress.


    After investigating,


    that, Ricky also organized several hunting teams. Hunting was not only one of their important industries, it was also a good way to solve the problem of food resources.


    Of course, more members were needed in order to develop the Manor Gang further. Recruiting new members was very important to their expansion. Kristen took over the job of recruiting. She was sure to be very strict with it.


    Thousands of gold coins were earned by the Manor Gang every day using those methods.


    Less than a month later, everything was on track. The Manor Gang had totally dominated the Lower Region in both the aspect of fighting power and industrial domination. No gang was comparable with it by that time.


    Since then, the gangs of the Lower Region had formed a new hierarchy of one super, two strong, and five hegemonic gangs!


    One day, Ricky, Tyson, and Kristen got together to discuss some things.


    "Kristen, we have achieved our goal of dominating the Lower Region of the Chaotic Region in only two months. Our strength has also been greatly improved with the use of sufficient cultivation resources," Ricky reported.


    "Yes, the result is much better than we ever imagined," Kristen replied.


    "So, for our next step, let''s take over the Middle Region!" Tyson said with intense excitement and ambition in his voice.


    After all, they had no opponents in the Lower Region anymore. Their level wouldn''t be improved by staying here.


    "That''s right. Our next thing to aim for is taking over the Middle Region!" Ricky nodded his head firmly.


    "Roar!"


    They suddenly heard a deafening roar tear through the air. The ground seemed to be shaking from the sound. All of their hearts palpitated in fear at the sound! They were all aware that something dangerous was approaching!

 Chapter 259 Surge Of Beasts

    "What''s happening? Can you hear the roars of the beasts? It sounds like there are endless beasts! They must be getting closer and closer!" Tyson knitted his eyebrows together and gazed into the distance anxiously.


    His heart was beating faster and faster. He had an ominous feeling that something terrible was approaching them.


    Without any hesitation, Ricky, Tyson, and Kristen rushed out of the room. They were soon surrounded by the warriors of the Manor Gang who had also sensed the danger that was approaching.


    "Leaders, what''s happening?" the warriors asked anxiously.


    "We''ll talk about it later. For right now, just close the gates! Be quick about it!" After the gates were closed, Kristen directed several warriors to reinforce their castle''s defenses. "Listen to those fierce roars! It must be a great surge of beasts!" said Kristen with a sullen look on her face.


    "What? A surge of beasts?!" The warriors were taken aback; they were left exchanging scared glances with each other.


    They all knew what a surge of beasts meant for them. It was a catastrophe that was coming for the warriors.


    A surge of beasts, just as its name implied, meant that the beasts living in the mountains entered an almost rabid frenzy for some unknown reason. Due to that frenzy, all they wanted to do was to kill humans, especially any warriors they could find.


    The beasts would then gather together and attack the residence they found recklessly.


    After a terrible fight, both the beasts and the human warriors would surely suffer great losses. It tended to be a lose-lose situation, but it still happened regularly in some areas.


    "That...can''t be possible! There has never been a surge of beasts in the Chaotic Region!""Yes! We''ve never heard of it happening here before!" The members were astonished by her words. They didn''t believe what she told them.


    They did have reason to question her. Surges of beasts only happened in certain specific places and times. Since no one had ever experienced a surge of beasts in that particular area before, it was reasonable to doubt that there ever could be one in the Chaotic Region.


    "Yes! I agree with the warriors. Kristen, I don''t think it is a surge of beasts," Ricky said and shook his head slightly.


    "It''s getting closer. Let''s go to the top of the castle and see if we can make out what that noise is!" "Hurry up!" Kristen commanded. Despite the situation she kept her composure. .


    Soon, all the members gathered at the top of the castle.


    The moment they saw what was happening, they froze in terror. Their eyes were fixed on the sc


    d. Before leaving, each of them seized the corpses of several warriors. .


    After the surge of beasts, many small gangs were entirely destroyed. The stronger ones also suffered great losses from the struggle.


    It was actually a great opportunity for some gangs to improve their status. Most gangs were too busy to think about that though. To them, the first priority was to recover from the effects of the beast''s invasion.


    It was not until half a month later that the gangs regained their vigor.


    Then, it was time for the leaders and warriors to sit down and discuss the plan for their next step. .


    In one of the halls of the Manor Gang, Ricky, Tyson, and Kristen gathered together. They were worried about the future of their gang.


    "The surge of beasts messed up our original plan. If there hadn''t been such a disaster, we would have been making our way to the Middle Region by now. Now we have to put that plan on the back burner," Ricky said in a dejected tone.


    "Who''d have thought that would happen! Maybe it was just the will of the Heavens." Tyson shook his head. "Our gang has suffered a great deal this time. All of our shops were destroyed. We also lost nearly one fourth of our warriors."


    "Let''s not waste our time complaining. We''ll wait patiently for a new opportunity," Kristen said in a low but firm voice. "Though this is a great time for us to step into the Middle Region, we can''t just go and leave this awful mess to Trent and Bastian."


    "Oh, Kristen. I have a question. You said that, during the surge of beasts, the beasts would enter an almost rabid frenzy and all they wanted to do was to kill. Is that always the case?" Suddenly, something strange sprang to Ricky''s mind and he had to ask.

 Chapter 260 An Eerie Surge Of Beasts.

    "True. When a normal surge of beasts occurs, nearly all the beasts are on the prowl, roaming around madly." Kristen nodded.


    A few seconds later, her eyes lit up as if she had sensed something.


    Tyson''s eyes met Kristen''s. He also sensed that something anomalous was brewing.


    "I am sure you have recognized it already. Now think about the surge of beasts that happened about ten days ago. I can discern that there is something unusual going on. Nearly all the beasts were not frenzied then," Ricky explained.


    "You can see it during the course of your previous hunts."


    "It''s true, I have noticed it as well. I have been fighting with these beasts more than I can count. I have seen them in their actual strength and they are not to be overlooked, especially in their state of madness!" Tyson agreed.


    "Then, is it safe to say that this eerie surge of beasts was not a normal surge of beasts?" Kristen speculated.


    "Maybe," Ricky replied.


    "But, these countless beasts attacked the whole Chaotic Region. Isn''t that a normal surge? Even if these beasts were controlled by the tamers from our region, it is still questionable how they can manage such a vast number of them." Kristen furrowed her eyebrows trying to put two and two together.


    "For those beast tamers who are able to control all the wild beasts in this Chaotic Region, it''s worthless to launch a fake surge of beasts, because they think nothing of us and our belongings."


    "Ah, it can''t be the beast tamer. The beast tamer only launches an attack to plunder resources. But you see, this surge went out suddenly and unexpectedly," Ricky explained.


    "There is also something unusual going on with them. When they retreated, they carried two or three bodies of dead warriors with them!"


    "Indeed! I remember it, too. It''s a good thing you mentioned that part, Russell. I nearly forgot that they carried bodies with them!" Tyson exclaimed. He finally figured out the pieces of the puzzle.


    "It''s very strange, indeed. Coupled with the fact that these beasts are not in a state of madness, this surge will really make people wonder if it is a normal one!" Kristen interjected.


    They were all in contemplation as they tried to figu


    premonition that if some kind of treasure was discovered in this Chaotic Region, disastrous bloody clashes would be inevitable. Especially in this situation where all sorts of people were mixed up.


    However, they did not overthink the issue. They just raced into the depths of the mountains, and tried to avoid other warriors.


    When they reached their destination, Ricky and Tyson experienced the scorching heat Bastian mentioned. It was scalding and sweltering, as if the place itself was forged in fire.


    To make matters worse, the stench of death was everywhere. They all felt light-headed and dizzy as soon as they arrived.


    "I have heard of the surge of beasts before. But, it''s so hot here and all the corpses of the beasts and warriors had disappeared without a trace. There must be something odd going on. I must uncover its secrets." Despite this, Tyson determinedly continued to trek through their journey.


    "Let''s move on first!"


    ...


    When they arrived, they saw the place surrounded with beasts everywhere. The vicious beasts were in packs, patrolling clockwise around the valley. It was as if they were safeguarding something very important in there.


    Moreover, it seemed that the source of the dryness and extreme heat can be found in the depths of the valley.


    And, outside the valley, the stench of decomposing corpses pervaded.


    "It seems that the answer to the mystery of the eerie surge of beasts lies in this valley," Ricky murmured.

 Chapter 261 The Arhat Palace And The Dahlia Palace

    At that moment, all warriors there including Ricky and his two partners gathered around the valley and swiftly hid themselves. They were considering how they should successfully enter the valley.


    There were so many beasts wandering around the valley, and there was no lack of powerful beasts at the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement. The beasts guarded the valley warily.


    Some specific beasts at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement were also possibly hiding in the valley. When the surge of beasts had come, quite a few beasts at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement appeared in the Upper Region. It was thanks to the eight demi-immortals who had taken actions; the beasts would have surely taken over the Chaotic Region otherwise.


    Moreover, the level of psychic intelligence the beasts had at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement was almost at the same height of an adult warrior, which made it impractical to distract their attentions the same way they used on lower grade beasts.


    "Numerous warriors are here, but it seems that there are no warriors at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement around. It may be much more difficult for us to enter the valley than we thought," Tyson whispered as they looked around.


    "Calm down. Someone will eventually stand out as the strongest. If they aren''t here yet, then the real strong one must be on the way here," Ricky said. "The Eight Demi-immortal Forces in the Upper Region will not let go of such a good chance."


    "Leader Russell is right. I am sure that they will send warriors at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement to the valley sooner or later. Then, we can go to the troubled water and follow them in secret." Bastian nodded.


    All the warriors there waited quietly and planned for their opportunity to enter the valley.


    ......


    Several hours passed and a mighty troop of soldiers finally appeared after few warriors arrived. Such a high profile troop like that attracted the attention of everyone around.


    A middle-aged man with a thick beard headed the troop. He gave the impression of a fierce and aggressive man. There was also such an evil spirit that emanated from him that explained what a formidable warrior he was!


    "No doubt that he is definitely a warrior at the ninth grade of Bone Reinfor


    y as fast as they could. What really scared them the most was the thing hidden deep in the valley. That was the reason they were still guarding the valley.


    "Ha-ha, but this dirty place is unfitting for a woman as pretty as you are," Zarlyk said with a laugh.


    "There is no harm in me simply visiting a place like this occasionally," Lilian replied with a chuckle.


    Then, she looked at the valley and said, "Zarlyk, I''m guessing the answer to the cause of the surge of beasts is inside the valley, am I right?"


    "You are right. We can get into the valley as long as the rest of the six Forces arrive." Zarlyk nodded in affirmation.


    "I might need your guidance and help in this task then. Please forgive me if I bring you any trouble in the near future." Lilian grinned innocently.


    "Ha-ha, you''re being modest, aren''t you, Lilian? So many beasts at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement have been badly hit or killed by the demi-immortals during the surge of beasts. I don''t think a single beast can defeat you now. Since you have asked me for help, I am willing to lend a hand though." Zarlyk laughed and replied without hesitation.


    "Thank you so much!" Lilian smiled.


    ''So, that''s why Zarlyk and Lilian can swagger to the front of the valley like that without a beast at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement appearing. Turns out almost all the high grade beasts were already killed by them!'' Rickey sank deep in thought after he heard that.


    Right then, Ricky felt a strong wave of murderous intent!

 Chapter 262 The Overbearing Eight Forces

    "But before we head into the valley, we need to deal with something first,"


    Zarlyk said as his voice became cold and his face grew dark. A killing intent was emerging from his eyes. Immediately, the chilling aura belonging to a warrior at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement filled their surroundings.


    Then he glanced with intensity over the direction where the warriors were hiding. It should''ve been obvious that the man''s impeccable strength granted him the ability to sense right from the start that that they were secretly watching him.


    "I can see where you are hiding. Come out you weak and useless cowards!" Zarlyk shouted in a loud and chilling voice.


    The warriors walked out of their hideouts one after the other. Almost all of them were wearing complex expressions: a mix of awkwardness and fear. They were unwilling to admit that they were cowards. Yet they chose to show up in response to Zarlyk because whether they were hiding or not did not make any difference. Zarlyk had already noticed them and was ready to engage when necessary.


    "From now on, only warriors from the Eight Demi-immortal Forces are allowed to appear within one kilometer of this valley. I suggest you leave immediately. Otherwise, I would have to kill you!"


    Arrogantly looking at the large group of people, the man claimed confidently with a disdainful look. For him, those warriors did not even deserve to breathe the same air he did. As a demi-immortal, he deeply disregarded the value of their lives.


    "No! Why would we leave? That''s totally insane! We''re not going to leave on your command! This is not the territory of the Arhat Palace! You don''t have any right to send us away!" The man''s aggressive claim caused a stir among the crowd. They all shouted angrily, simultaneously objecting his unreasonable request. This valley was a public area and anyone had the right to stay here.


    The young lady from the Dahlia Palace, on the other hand, remained silent. She looked at the emotional throng, a smile resting on her face. Needlessly to say, she agreed with Zarlyk. Also she did not mean to say or do anything to calm down the furious crowd or convince them to leave.


    "What did you just say? Could you repeat them for me, please?"


    Those objections did not help them earn their right to stay in the valley. Instead, they irritated the man. His eyes grew darker and his face became tenser. Finally, he discharged his power and targeted it forcefully towards the warriors who screamed to refuse his request to leave the area.


    It was by no means a weak force. The warriors who were relatively closer to the man, or those who were weak, were pushed back quite a few steps and had to exert all their strength to steady themselves. Some of them suffered from a tight chest due to the shockwave and almost coughed blood! Without a question, the man''s power was extremely overwhelming.


    ''So this is the strength at the ninth grade, the peak level of Bone Reinforcement? It deserves to be dimmed as the highest level a mortal could ever achieve! So strong and powerful!'' Ricky sighed silently; he was also in shock. Obviously, he also felt how strong the man was. Even if he was not the target of the man''s attack, he also had to channel his internal strength just to keep himself from being pushed back.


    Thanks to Zarlyk''s excellent performance in releasing his power to intimidate the protesters, everyone stopped complaining. The area was filled with silence in an instant. They did not realize how much stronger he was than them until now. The man did not launch any direct attack and merely released his aura, yet they were already unable to withstand it. Should they insist staying here, he could probably crush them into pieces when he launched a physical strike.


    However, despite the understanding brought by his move, they still felt rather unhappy to leave,


    tards! How could they just assume ownership of that valley! That place was made to be open to everyone! Now, fine! We are kicked out of there and they are going getting their hands on the great chance we wanted for ourselves!" Tyson cursed with a loud voice, not afraid of getting discovered anymore.


    "Easy, Tyson! There''s nothing we can do about it. In the Chaotic Region, the eight forces dominate the area. They are definitely unparalleled. They can claim whatever they want. No one would dare challenge them except themselves," Bastian comforted.


    "Humph! Bastards! When I get to be a demi-immortal, I will definitely kill all of them once and for all!" Tyson blurt out with a merciless voice.


    "I''m sure the eight forces must have known what was inside the valley. Otherwise, they would not have put much effort in keeping the other warriors away from it. If they had no clue at all, they would be more than glad to see other people go inside and search the valley, so that they could take advantage of other warriors as they fish for information without having to fight and risk their bodies," Ricky said before he thought for a while, with furrowed brows.


    "Yes, you are right! That''s exactly what they are doing; taking advantage of others to accomplish their own goals!" Bastian nodded.


    "There must be some precious treasures in the valley! I know it! I am sure of it! Damn it! I would only wish that they go insane and crazy enough to start killing one another in order to obtain the treasures. Wish all of them die miserably and burn in hell! For eternity!" Tyson would not stop cursing resentfully. He had no plans of stopping anytime soon.


    "Ha-ha!" Ricky and Bastian exchanged looks with each other and burst into laughter upon hearing Tyson''s words.


    The two guys were also extremely unhappy that they were forced to leave the valley.


    "What''s so funny, Russell? Are we really going to let the chance go so easily because of the so-called shit of eight forces? Probably a great opportunity - which could enable us to become innate spiritual kings - is waiting for us somewhere in the valley!" Tyson said, breathing deeply to ease his anger.


    Both Ricky and Bastian stopped laughing and went silent.


    "You are right, Tyson. What about this? You guys keep leaving this area, and I''m going back alone to discreetly watch their next moves. I''ll make sure to find whatever secret is hiding in there. Sounds good?" Determined, Ricky announced before he thought carefully for a few moments. Tyson''s words alarmed him. He did not want to miss the opportunity.

 Chapter 263 Following Behind

    Ricky made up his mind and decided to propose his idea to Tyson and Bastian. Moreover, when the Eight Demi-immortal Forces had requested them to leave, Ricky had decided to secretly return into the valley.


    Ricky wouldn''t give up on finding the secret in the valley as Tyson said.


    "Russell, you shouldn''t regard this as a joke. It''s not funny at all!" Tyson was surprised and shook his head after hearing what Ricky just said.


    Bastian also shook his head with Tyson, intensely agreeing with his reaction.


    What a joke! Indeed, Ricky was the best among them. But in the face of the eight Forces, he was nothing more than an insect.


    "Tyson, Bastian, I''m not messing around. I am being serious." They seemed unconvinced. Ricky found it necessary to reiterate his idea and assure them that he wasn''t kidding.


    At that moment, they finally realized that Ricky was determined to do it.


    At the same time, both their faces looked grim.


    Tyson said in response, "Russell, although I personally don''t want to give up as well, I also know it is impossible for us to return into the valley.


    Can''t you see? We clearly don''t have the ability to return into the valley without losing our lives."


    "I completely agree with Tyson. Russell, I know it''s a tempting opportunity. But we are doomed to fail. It is unwise for us to push through it," Bastian added.


    "I''m a hundred percent certain that I can sneak into the valley undetected. Don''t you believe me?" Ricky said earnestly.


    Hearing his words, Tyson and Bastian went silent.


    "Tyson and Bastian, I won''t risk my life if I know I can''t do it. Trust me. I have my ways," Ricky added when he saw they hadn''t responded.


    Ricky was trying to tell them that he was certain he could do it but he couldn''t tell them how, because it had to be a secret.


    They truly understood what Ricky said and exchanged looks with each other with a slight nod


    have indeed injured these two beasts at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement before during the enormous surge of beasts. These beasts have been fighting for a long time and their strengths are slowly depleting, '' Ricky said to himself as he observed in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    ''In other words, they know what was about to happen next. They solved the problem in advance, ''


    Ricky thought.


    Of course, he was curious about the secret hidden in the valley, so he thought a lot.


    The battle came to an end. The eight Forces went into the valley and Ricky followed closely behind.


    Ricky could go into the valley and search by himself. But the eight Forces knew more than Ricky and it would be easier for him to just follow them.


    The reeking smell entered Ricky''s nose and he felt the heat growing even more intense as soon as he went into the valley. The smell was so intense that it was probably the cause of the scorching heat.


    The eight Forces swallowed some pills. Ricky assumed that the pills were to help them hold their breaths.


    Besides the reeking smell and heat, pools of blood were all over the ground.


    ''It seems that the corpses of the warriors and beasts have all been moved inside the valley, '' Ricky thought as he tailed the eight Forces.

 Chapter 264 The Skeleton Dragon

    Splatters and smears of blood on the floor were all too intriguing for the people of eight great powers. Their curiosity led them to follow the blood trail to wherever it might take them.


    The stench intensified the more they followed the blood trail. The smell of death filled every inch of the surrounding area. Meanwhile, Ricky''s senses were tingling as his two powerful zones detected a tremendous power lurking in the depths of where they were.


    ''Are fierce monsters guarding something valuable over here? Like a Treasure from Heaven and Earth?'' Ricky thought to himself.


    Despite the fact that there might be a chance that something valuable was hidden in this valley, Ricky did not suppose that the legendary opportunity that every one in the Chaotic Region was seeking, which would crown a warrior as an innate spiritual king, would be found here in this weird valley. And that was why the Eight Demi-immortal Forces only sent their disciples to the valley instead of coming in person to see what was going on.


    That only meant one thing, and that was they weren''t there for the precious chance to become an innate spiritual king. All the leaders from the Eight Demi-immortal Forces ever wanted was to become innate spirits. They would definitely show up if the opportunity was here in the valley.


    Ricky''s mind was trailing behind. He snapped out of it and retreated his thoughts. With one cautious foot in front of the other, he focused on the mission they were in and followed the people of eight Forces into the depths of the valley that reeked death.


    Finally, after six hours of tedious search, they found the source of the rotten corpse and the end of the blood trail. The monsters they defeated previously were also hiding around.


    The trail ended in an immensely deep hole of several hundred meters. It was so deep that no one could see the bottom of it.


    Stinky blood and rotten corpses filled here and there in this deep hole. It was safe to assume that all the foul smell were coming from this deep hole.


    The defeated monsters that guarded the hole trembled with fear when they met the eyes of the people of eight Forces. But more than this, they were even more scared of what was underneath the layers of corpse and rotten flesh that were inside the hole.


    The unsightly scene made Ricky nauseous. He saw that the mound of rotten flesh and corpse were moving. The limbs and the torn down flesh wriggled in unison as if something underneath was causing the movement. It was as if a creature underneath the stack of corpses was devouring at that time.


    Ricky''s eyes widened. He realized that this was the ferocious power that he had sensed when they got to the valley.


    ''Hmm. What could it be? What could be lurking underneath this deep hole?'' Ricky asked himself.


    While all the people of


    " A low guttural growl followed the howl.


    Suddenly, a ginormous creature emerged from underneath all the rotten and foul smelling corpses. It stood ten meters tall with rotten meat falling off its body. It was velvety scarlet from all the sticky blood that oozed out from its entirety.


    It had a huge head, much like that of a dragon''s. It was fire red, as if it was made of boiling hot iron. It opened its mouth and sharp black teeth were seen, tattered from all the meat that it chewed when it was still underneath the pile of corpses.


    The giant had bones instead of horns that popped out of its head. The pair being about one meter long each and eager to pop out like it was held inside for a long time.


    Its front feet were small, much like that of a T-Rex. The rear legs were very bulky, however, like that of an athlete''s.


    Several sharp bones pricked out of its back to the end of its tail. This made it look more untouchable and deadly that anyone who would dare and fight it would die at the slightest touch of its sharp bones.


    "This monster''s dragon-shaped head and the Fire Dragon Egg''s abnormal reaction indicate there''s Great Dragon Blood in its body. No wonder it can command all beasts in the Chaotic Region." Ricky sighed with mixed feelings of horror and amusement.


    Ricky also came to the conclusion that the monster could be a demi-spiritual beast since it could speak and understand human tongue.


    But when he detected what the creature was, he sensed that the monster might have been seriously injured. This would explain the pile of corpses that it devoured when he was still holed up. Ricky''s assumption might be correct, that the pile of meat that it devoured was for its recuperation.


    "Skeleton Dragon, you are doomed today! You do not deserve our chiefs to come in person!" The man from the Arhat Palace spoke again and warned the dragon.

 Chapter 265 Fierce Battle

    "The Skeleton Dragon! So this is the beast they call Skeleton Dragon?" Ricky murmured after he heard what Zarlyk said.


    From the name of this beast, he was even more certain that the Skeleton Dragon had the blood of the Great Dragon. If his Fire Dragon Egg could devour the blood essence of this demi-immortal beast that had the blood of Great Dragon, it would definitely help to speed up the hatching of the Fire Dragon Egg.


    Although he was not clear about the feud between this Skeleton Dragon and the Eight Forces, Ricky didn''t have a good impression of this Skeleton Dragon. The reason why Ricky didn''t like it was that it initiated the surge of beasts regardless of the other beasts and warriors in the Chaotic Region.


    Worse still, it was more disturbing to watch the Skeleton Dragon suck in the blood and corpses of warriors and beasts alike.


    So Ricky would not have any mercy on the Skeleton Dragon. He would kill it and let the Fire Dragon Egg devour it without hesitation.


    Of course, Ricky wasn''t able to kill it by himself, but now here were eight powerful warriors at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    "Huh! Those eight old men have fought me in this region for ages. But they still can''t kill me. You little guys just said you wanted to kill me? That''s really a big joke!" The Skeleton Dragon laughed disdainfully on hearing what Zarlyk said.


    "Humph! You crafty creature! If you hadn''t hidden away every time, would you be alive now?" The thin old man replied in a cold voice, "Even so, you were still hurt by eight demi-immortals and had to hide for years to heal. Right?


    And this time, I think you must have been seriously hurt. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have launched a surge of beasts with the risk of exposing your hiding place. For healing, you have to use blood and flesh from the warriors and beasts killed by the surge."


    "Yeah, that''s it. And I suppose you haven''t recovered much. Otherwise, how would you listen to our nonsense here?" That middle-aged man also mocked the Skeleton Dragon.


    "Growl! Howl!"


    The Skeleton Dragon roared loudly after hearing what they said. Its bloody eyes seemed even more ferocious.


    There was no doubt that what those people said was true.


    "So, it is impossible for you to run away from us with your badly wounded body. Today, you have no choice but to die here!" Zarlyk said again in a cold voice.


    "Growl!"


    The Skeleton Dragon didn''t say a single word. It j


    The blistering impact left a horrifying gash on the dragon''s head.


    With a thump, it collapsed into a heap on the ground, twisting, turning and groaning in pain.


    Meanwhile, those eight warriors at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement were not in a good state, either. Each of them had a nasty hit from the blast, and they lay on the ground, heavily bleeding and wincing in pain. More frightening for them was the fact that the dragon, even in the badly injured state, was still demi-immortal and could again blast them with innate power.


    But if the beast didn''t react, undoubtedly, they''d recover enough to do the final damages.


    Just then, as Ricky watched with bated breath, the eight warriors began to revive, gathering their strength bit by bit. As soon as they were strong enough to unleash another strike, they hit the dragon, hoping to finish it off with one surprise blow.


    "Howl!"


    Unexpectedly, the roar of the Skeleton Dragon tore up the air again. People could tell from the roar that it still had some fight in it. Instantly, it hauled itself off the ground, in spite of the gashing wound on its head.


    Then the Skeleton Dragon shouted, "If you want to kill me, you are not going to survive either."


    In a flash, the dragon''s power shot up, peaking at the demi-immortal level. With one last roar, it released a devastating wave of fire, smoke and thunder that swept across the whole area, destroying the inferior power of the eight warriors in an instant.


    "The Skeleton Dragon is going to put up a desperate fight! This is one heck of a bad beast they''re messing with!" Ricky couldn''t believe it.

 Chapter 266 The Trump Card On Both Sides

    "Is the Skeleton Dragon starting to burn its blood essence?" Ricky murmured when he felt the massive strength from the Skeleton Dragon increasing to the peak of the demi-immortal level.


    Then Ricky decided to deny that assumption. It didn''t look like the Skeleton Dragon was burning its blood essence from the way it was acting. Both warriors and beasts, after burning their blood essence, became full of strength on the outside and weak in the inside.


    At that moment, the power of the Skeleton Dragon reached its peak and its blood vitality was increasing. There was no way it was really burning its blood essence.


    At that point, the Fire Dragon Egg in Ricky''s Chaotic Fire Zone vibrated more violently, and Ricky felt like his body was shaking from the force it was exuding.


    "I guess the Skeleton Dragon is burning the blood essence of someone else. The only thing that can make my body, which has absorbed dragon blood, and the Fire Dragon Egg to respond to it, is the blood essence of a dragon." Ricky was caught by surprise and narrowed his eyes.


    "Yes! It''s much more likely that it''s the blood essence of a Great Dragon. That is what the eight Forces want. Only with the strength of the blood essence of the Great Dragon can the Skeleton Dragon command all the beasts living in this mountain."


    ...


    "Damn it! Damn it! That creature really dares to burn the blood essence of the Great Dragon?! That blood essence should have been ours!" The eight warriors at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement said coldly, wiping the blood from the corners of their mouths.


    "Ha-ha! Those eight old guys have always wanted to grasp the blood essence of the Great Dragon. They didn''t expect that I already refined the blood essence of the Great Dragon and got all my power back!" The Skeleton Dragon spoke with a laugh as he looked at his eight opponents.


    "So, you will not only fail to get what you want, but you will also die here," the Skeleton Dragon said with a contemplative expression.


    "Skeleton Dragon, stop lying to us. If you had refined the blood essence of a Great Dragon, you wo


    uldn''t have any chance of surviving.


    Subsequently, Ricky noticed that the energy of the innate spiritual ball was less than that of the ball he had. The spiritual energy in the white little ball was not pure either.


    "I see. That is not an innate spiritual ball. I guess it''s just a ball of energy condensed by the master of the Arhat Palace. It''s at most a demi-immortal miraculous level orb," Ricky reasoned to himself in a light voice.


    "But that demi-immortal miraculous orb doesn''t have enough power to defeat the Skeleton Dragon."


    The moment Ricky finished talking, the same ball appeared in the palm of the other seven people.


    "Why did you have to ruin my plan?! You would have been injured badly, but now..." Ricky said angrily when he saw how prepared they were.


    There was really no use in getting upset though.


    At that moment, the eight people activated the power inside the little ball and pushed it towards the Skeleton Dragon. Then the eight demi-immortal miraculous orbs collided with the move from the Skeleton Dragon in the middle of the air.


    Grumble! Violent waves swept through the area again and swallowed everything around them up in a cloud of dust.


    Haunting roars and growls coming from the Skeleton Dragon. It emerged from the cloud with a loud grumble.


    "You want my blood essence? Dream on! I won''t let you get what you want even if I do die for it."

 Chapter 267 What They Were Truly After

    "You dirty beast! Give us your blood essence and we''ll show you mercy by at least giving you a decent death!" The eight men shouted ferociously in response to the skeleton dragon''s ear-splitting roar. Even though they were all at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement, that fight was no easy job for them. They all had to steel their resolve as they called out their battle cries.


    Boom!


    The blasts from the collision of the two sides'' attacks continued. The blows were producing deafening sounds. When the last wave of explosions backfired, both sides were thrown back and onto the ground. The eight warriors vomited mouthfuls of blood as they were struggling to get up onto their knees. For a moment, the wind was knocked out of them and their ears were ringing.


    Their injuries were not really serious though. After a while, they managed to catch their breath and stood back up. Soon, they had adjusted themselves and were confident that they could fight at 90 percent of their potential if the skeleton dragon was still not defeated. The energy they used in the head-on collision just then was from eight demi-immortal orbs instead of themselves after all. The backfire was no big deal for them as long as they made sure to preserved enough strength to fight back.


    Things sadly looked different for the Skeleton Dragon, however.


    Its huge body was flung into the air before being slammed back onto the floor. A crater was formed in the ground where its body struck. Neither the ground nor the crater could stop its suffering. It was forced to roll across the ground by the force of the blast. It broke one thick tree trunks and another as it rolled over them on its way down before its tumbling ceased.


    No one moved for a few seconds. When the dragon finally gathered the strength to moan and tried to move, the eight men noticed that it was already covered all over in wounds. Its two relatively small fore-paws were broken off, and one of its hind legs was broken. Worse still, nearly all of the sword-like bony plates on its back and tail were shattered, leaving horrible scars that went all the way down to its bones.


    Its once powerful maw that had dagger-like teeth was now twisted and unable to snap at its enemies like before.


    Of course, the most fatal wound was an unseen one. After dozens of years, its internal injury had eventually mounted in severity and was killing it. Once re-opened by the strike, the old injury was what finally killed it.


    By then, it might already be too late, even if it was willing to refine the Great Dragon''s blood essence.


    "It seems like it''s all over now. I could only expect that the competition between those eight would be as fierce as possible," Ricky grumbled from inside the Chaotic Fire Zone, clearly a bit unsatisfied with what had happened.


    If things didn''t work out later, he would have to take the risk and exposed his two powerful zones.


    Just then, loud whines came from out in the distance.


    Seeing that the fearsome Skeleton Dragon had been brought down, the other fierce beasts in the area were terrified that they would be next. So one by one, they fled into the depth of the mountains without even looking back.


    The Great Dragon''s blood


    k the way he''d come using the Chaotic Fire Zone. His mind was back on the bronze object. He had to catch up with the eight warriors as soon as possible and watch for his chance to get the bronze thing.


    "Come on, I think that the Great Dragon''s blood essence went and dropped into this huge canyon!" It was no sooner that Ricky had left the canyon that the men from the eight Forces arrived. They rushed into the canyon like a swarm of bees, jostling against one another without the slightest idea that they were actually looking for nothing. .


    Another two hours had passed and Ricky went back to where the body of the Skeleton Dragon lay. With no hesitation, he drew its body into his Devourer Zone as well.


    For him, even though it was dead, the body of a demi-immortal beast contained great dragon blood and was no less precious than whatever treasures it produced.


    Then, wasting no more time, he headed in the direction which the bronze object had previously gone. Meanwhile, he searched for the eight Bone Reinforcement warriors using both of his zones.


    After about two hours, he found them. He had not only found the eight warriors, but had also seen the bronze thing for what it really was. It was a bronze key that was as long as one yard!


    As a casting master, Ricky could feel how intricate and delicate its patterns were when he set eyes on the Bronze Key. He could sense the superb technique that had made it. He even could tell what philosophy had been cast into it. He knew instantly that the thing was much more significant than it looked.


    Vaguely, he somehow perceived the power it released. He could tell that the Bronze Key was in fact a kind of spiritual weapon. Whatever it was, its level was definitely not low.


    It seemed that the price of the high level weapon had been partly paid already. Of the eight advanced Bone Reinforcement warriors, four had been killed by the others, while the remaining four were all covered in blood. They were lying on the ground, barely alive. The Bronze Key was placed quietly in the middle of the four dying men, with no one having the strength to crawl over to it and seize it.

 Chapter 268 The People Behind The Scenes

    Among the four people, one was a young woman from the Dahlia Palace, one was a strong man from the Arhat Palace, one was a thin and old man, and the last was an old woman in a black robe. They were all dying, but lay resting with their eyes closed tightly.


    Looking around them, the whole area was a total mess. There were cracks in the ground, shattered tree trunks, and there was energy waves that hadn''t completely dissipated. All of that indicated that there was a fierce battle that took place there not long ago.


    "It seems that I missed a fierce battle, but the key is mine now. Although I still don''t know what it''s for, it has not fallen into the hands of any of the eight major forces at least." Ricky said gently, standing in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    After witnessing the aftermath, Ricky no longer hesitated. He headed over to the Bronze Key. He was ready to collect it and quickly get out of there.


    As he moved to get the key, he felt another presence approach him.


    "Somebody''s coming!" Ricky said in a low voice with batted breath.


    As soon as he said that, a black figure appeared before him. The figure was a slightly young man in a black robe with golden mesh embroidered on his chest. It was obvious that the man was someone from the Arhat Palace.


    This man naturally attracted the attention of the four ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement cultivators when he appeared. Only the other man from the Arhat Palace showed excitement on his face when he saw the man. The rest were full of despair at the sight.


    "Thomas, it''s you! Kill these three guys for me, and get the Bronze Key. Hurry up!" Immediately, the first man from the Arhat Palace commanded the young man.


    "Yes, Elder Zarlyk, I intend to." Thomas nodded his head and made a promise to him. Then his ferocious eyes found the three people he was tasked with killing.


    "Haha, God bless our Arhat Palace. The Bronze Key still belongs to us and no one else." Seeing that Thomas was heading towards the other three, the first man from the Arhat Palace laughed in joy.


    "Thomas is just at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement, but it''s quite easy for him to kill three people who are already so injured," Ricky murmured to himself.


    "Boy, how dare you! At the Nether Palace, I''m..." Seeing Thomas walking toward him first, the old man from the Nether Palace exclaimed. He was unprepared, but he quickly got ready to fight.


    He really had no chance going up against Thomas. Due to his injuries, his realm of the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement was just useless.


    Before he c


    ead.


    He fell to the ground before he finished his protest at the betrayal. Thomas pulled out his saber and slashed the Elder''s neck without hesitation.


    ''Sure enough, this Thomas is not just an innocent lamb. He wants to monopolize the Bronze Key, but unfortunately, he doesn''t realize that there is always someone stronger waiting in the wings to take what they want, '' Ricky murmured gently in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    ''This guy seems to love cutting his opponent''s throats open when he is killing someone. That reminds me of an organization that I haven''t heard from in a long time...'' At the same time, Ricky was also faintly reminded of something.


    "Sorry, Elder, I never wanted to hand this Bronze Key over to you," Thomas said lightly as he looked at the corpse of the man of the Arhat Palace.


    After he picked up the Bronze Key, he went around and looted the corpses of the eight ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement cultivators. He obtained eight storage bags from their bodies. Judging from his excitement, it seemed that there was quite a lot of money and treasure inside the storage bags.


    "Thomas... interesting. Unfortunately, everything will eventually belong to me," Ricky said gently. He did not move to attack yet. He wanted to stay away from this place for the moment.


    After all, it had been a long time. It would be terrible if there were more cultivators like Thomas and Ricky who had followed in secret.


    Later, Ricky followed closely after Thomas away from the place that was covered in bodies. They soon came to a stop in another remote place.


    After arriving there, Ricky was ready to start the fight. Thomas had also stopped, as if he knew that Ricky was following him.

 Chapter 269 Meet The Killer Again

    "What? Why did that guy stop? Did he sense me?" Seeing that Thomas had stopped, Ricky was very curious as to why.


    While Ricky was watching him closely in curiosity, Thomas took out a white jade tablet from his bag.


    "It''s over now, and the Bronze Key should be presented to the Shadow King," Thomas said, while looking at the white jade tablet. Then, it was apparent that he intended to crush the white jade tablet within his hand.


    However, at that moment, a blade made of flame suddenly sprang up through the air, and suddenly slashed at Thomas''s wrist.


    If Thomas was to react a little slowly to the attack, his hand would inevitably be cut off. Nevertheless, Thomas''s reaction was quite rapid. It could be said that he was always alert and on guard, so he sensed it the moment the blade of flame appeared out of thin air.


    Thomas dropped the white jade tablet before he could manage to crush it.


    In the instant the white jade tablet was dropped, Ricky appeared. He caught the white jade tablet and directly put it into the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    "Hey, it''s not over yet. Isn''t it a bit rash for you to think you''re ready to finish up all your plans?" Ricky said a little lazily as he put his arms up to stretch luxuriously.


    Compared to Ricky''s lackadaisical demeanor, Thomas looked a lot more serious. He was immediately shocked, and could not believe he had been followed by someone.


    Ricky''s appearance was very sudden and unexpected. It was like an innate spiritual king that could tear up the space showing up. Thomas could still feel that Ricky''s realm seemed to be lower than his own.


    "Who are you? Why are you here?" Thomas asked coldly. Although he was shocked, Thomas had not lost his cool completely. He decided he should figure out what was happening first.


    From that point of view, it could be observed that Thomas was able and crafty, so Ricky could not help but treat him seriously. Ricky never dared to underestimate or had contempt for such a strong and wary adversary.


    "It doesn''t matter who I am. It''s important that I also want that Bronze Key and the eight storage bags that you have looted. Will you give them to me?" Ricky smiled gently.


    "Ha-ha!" After hearing Ricky''s words, Thomas couldn''t help but burst into loud and body wracking laughter that echoed over the area they stood in.


    "So, you think my request is funny?" Ricky asked flatly.


    "Don''t you think it''s funny? How can you think that you could ever match up to me in battle? Is it just because you can suddenly ap


    n me?" Seeing that Thomas had unexpectedly drawn a saber, Ricky was a little uncomfortable. He also pulled out his Iron Destroyer from on his back and waved it to block the hit.


    Ricky used most of his strength to block the attack.


    A crisp sound suddenly rang out.


    Then, the collision of two sabers made fierce sparks. It was dazzling enough to hurt their eyes.


    Crack! At the same time, there was the sound of metal fragmenting. Thomas''s long saber was directly fragmented in the strike. When he realized that, he quickly retreated. His weapon was broken, and he had lost an opportunity to attack, after all.


    Nevertheless, Ricky did not want to let Thomas retreat like that, so he suddenly set foot on the ground and lunched an attack with his weapon toward Thomas again. He wanted to force Thomas to use his full power.


    Sure enough, under Ricky''s fierce attack in succession, Thomas''s eyes turned serious. He sped up to retreat again. At the same time, Thomas''s palm turned around at his waist, and then he pulled out a soft-iron sword.


    Whoosh! The delicate soft-iron sword was stretched out, resisting Ricky''s second strike. Then, the two were separated again, both glaring at each other with a solemn look in their eyes.


    "Humph! So, you are finally willing to pull out your soft-iron sword?" Ricky asked him gently with half lidded eyes.


    "It seems that you already know that my real weapon is not a saber, but a sword instead," Thomas replied in a deep and pensive voice.


    "I already know your true identity after all¡ªan assassin from the Endless Shadow. The real weapon the assassins of the Endless Shadow wield are all soft-iron swords!" Ricky accused.

 Chapter 270 A Diamond Cut Diamond

    "It seems that you are quite familiar with the Endless Shadow; is that right?" Thomas asked coldly. His normally stern features were clouded further by anger. Warriors like Ricky were the last kind of opponents that he wanted to encounter.


    He was strong and prudent which was a problem to begin with. What made things worse was that he knew Thomas''s tactics quite well. Thomas had to be really cautious when facing off against him. A small error might lead to fatal consequences in their battle.


    Fortunately, Thomas was also one of the finest killers and had survived countless fierce battles. He didn''t even remember how many top fighters he had defeated or how many dead bodies he had stepped over in his career.


    Ricky was a strong opponent to deal with, so Thomas was nervous but not afraid.


    "You flatter me," Ricky scoffed in response. "I''m not familiar with you. I just know some things about the weapons that the Endless Shadow members use." Ricky concealed a small smirk to himself. He began to summon his spiritual energy to power up his skills. He knew that a hard fighting was waiting for him.


    "Oh do you really? Then, take this!"


    Thomas roared ferociously, gnashing his teeth. His body shot toward Ricky like an arrow off a bow.


    Swish! Suddenly, a strong murderous intent broke out from his body. It soon turned into condensed sword-light and sprang at Ricky at an amazing speed. That was the real strength that Thomas possessed!


    "Tiger Art Attack!" Ricky''s eyes flashed with a bright light. Flaming spiritual energy surrounded and integrated with his body as he spoke. He leaped into the air like a fierce tiger bounding at its prey. Affected by his aura, his Iron Destroyer harnessed the great energy he produced.


    The saber-light shot into the sky, followed by a blade of hot flame. In the blink of an eye, the saber and the sword clashed, making a clanging sound.


    Then, there was a loud cracking noise from the crossed blades. Sparks jumped in all directions and the area was soon filled with the gleam of saber-light and sword-light, which were mingling with each other.


    The tremendous force caused by the collision of the blades pushed the two warriors in different directions. Both of them stumbled back heavily, leaving deep gouges on the ground.


    Without any hesitation, feet digging into the dirt beneath them, they bounded on each other once again, striking like lightening.


    Both of them activated their Light Apperception to its fullest as they approached each other.


    The sword in Thomas''s hand glided through th


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ry well... I still don''t think you can withstand my double attack though. Take this!" Thomas roared in the thrall of his fury.


    He started to move at an amazing speed. He was so fast that Ricky could hardly see where he went.


    ''This looks just like the skill that Monkey Nine used before. I''d better not use my eyes and use my spiritual sense instead, '' Ricky thought to himself as he prepared to change tactics.


    Ricky activated his two Supreme Skills. He recognized Thomas''s figure and the track of his sword. Without any hesitation, Ricky struck with his saber.


    Bang! Their weapons collided again and the sound of metal clashing rang through the air.


    "Hah! Is that all you can do?" Ricky laughed coldly as he fended off Thomas''s sword with his Iron Destroyer.


    "I told you, didn''t I?" Thomas mimicked him in mockery. "It''s a double attack!"


    Thomas had hardly finished his words when he started to move again. He threw down his sword and slapped his chest heavily. Suddenly, streams of black spiritual energy rose out of him like waves from in the ocean. Before Ricky could recognize what the attack was, the black spiritual energy turned into countless fists and rushed ferociously toward Ricky.


    "Dual Shadow Punches!" Thomas shouted the name of the attack after he used the skill.


    The unexpected attack struck in an instant. Ricky was very close to Thomas, so he hardly had any time to react. What was worse, the punches were strengthened by the force of gravity. That made the situation even more dangerous for Ricky.


    If Ricky threw down his weapon, like Thomas had, and resist the attack with his fists, he might have a chance to withstand it.


    That was not what he did, however.

 Chapter 271 Ricky’s Real Identity Was Exposed

    Why didn''t Ricky just drop his saber at that critical moment the same way Thomas gave up his sword? He always wanted to become a real saber wielder as well as a warrior who had his own insights about his saber. He also wanted to develop his own unique and powerful saber skills.


    If those goals were to be truly realized, there was no way he could give up his saber, which meant he had to hold on to it even in the direst situations. His unique link to his personal weapon would be severed otherwise. If he lost his attachment to his saber, his future training and insights about his saber would suffer greatly and he might never reach certain top-level skills.


    Moreover, he just didn''t believe that the so-called Dual Shadow Punches launched by Tomas could really hurt him in that moment.


    The next moment, as Ricky exercised his Devouring Skill to its most extreme point, his body had turned into a body of devouring energy. At the same time, he activated the power of the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula to its full strength as well. Soon, blue light and bloody light were intertwined around him as the energy swelled around him.


    Boom! An earsplitting sound rang out at the same time. Ricky was inundated by Thomas''s countless dark Dual Shadow Punches as they produced a deafening and destructive blast.


    Thomas looked at Ricky with mixed feelings of disdain and a little bit of admiration as he hurriedly retreated to avoid the blast.


    "Unexpectedly, you still haven''t given up your saber, even now. So, you are the kind of man who holds a strong belief¡ªregarding your saber as a valuable object in your life," Thomas said disdainfully.


    Of course, Thomas''s admiration was hidden because he pushed it to the bottom of his heart. He thought to himself, ''People like him, who have such a steadfast belief, are really annoying opponents. If they live through the fight, their insights about their weapons will be deepened. They will also make greater progress with their power, and become even more difficult to beat over time.''


    Yet, despite his admiration, he didn''t feel threatened anymore, and instead felt quite relieved. He had become completely sure that Ricky couldn''t survive his countless dark Dual Shadow Punches.


    The punches might not be his most powerful skill. However, if any warrior wanted to resist them without any precautions, it would be impossible, unless that person was a warrior at the top grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    Thomas had such a firm belief that Ricky should be dead. He was only at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement after all, so he could not survive such an attack with just his body and no other defense.


    However, before Thomas could finish that thought, a cold voice rang out abruptly, saying, "Even an assassin is not supposed to abandon his sword, and if he does, he will no longer be qualified to use his sword again."


    Then, Thomas saw that Ricky slowly walking out of the dust cloud made from


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    obvious greed blazing in his eyes to possess everything Ricky owned.That greed overflowed in him, and he just couldn''t hide his it any more.


    "I have no other option. If it hadn''t been for this human skin mask, I''m afraid I might not have made it to this point. I''d have been dead meat due to the countless types of brutal corporal torture waiting for me at the hands of the Endless Shadow," Ricky said with a grin.


    After that, he put his mask back on.


    "You know what? You know who I am now, so there''s no way you can get out of here alive," Ricky added with a wicked smile.


    "Ha-ha, what makes you so confident? Is it just because you have the Body Refining Formula and you survived from my previous attacks?" Thomas sneered and laughed out loud.


    Ricky was really formidable. Thomas could not deny the fact that Ricky was the most formidable genius across the four continents. Yet, at that moment, Thomas also believed that his power was somehow not inferior to Ricky''s.


    "No, it''s based on the fact that we have different beliefs," said Ricky firmly and clearly. "More importantly, based on the fact that I''m still way more powerful than you."


    "I''ve heard that you are extremely arrogant. Now I can see that what they said is quite right!" Thomas said flatly. "Today, your arrogance, your belief, and every other thing you have will come to an end here."


    Looking right into Ricky''s eyes, Thomas continued, "I, Thomas, will be the one who will put an end to your entire existence in this world."


    As he finished speaking, his momentum was already being exuded violently from his body. His black spiritual energy instantly swept over the area and all around his body. Ricky immediately detected a strange odor wafting up from Thomas.


    "Ricky, you are a genius who defeated someone three levels higher than you! So, I will now show you why I had the courage to give up my sword so quickly, while you wouldn''t dare to give up your saber," Thomas said sharply.

 Chapter 272 The Shadowy Replication

    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Powerful bolts of energy burst out from within Thomas. He resonated an aura of extreme violence and Ricky could sense the daunting and dangerous energy that pervaded through the air. That aura gave Ricky a strange kind of unease, but he tried not to show it on his face.


    ''How many aces has he got up his sleeve? Is this another of his more powerful skills that he intends to use as a trump card?'' Ricky couldn''t help but wonder to himself in surprise.


    Ricky decided not to pull his punches or hide his abilities anymore as the impending strike came toward him. Without delay, he activated the three kinds of fire energy he held in his body and wrapped himself up in the flames. He also boosted his runic power as high as it would go. By doing that, he had directly entered into his peak state and was at full power.


    As he activated his full power, the Iron Destroyer in his hand seemed to be eager to leap into action again. It vibrated in accordance with his energy. The blade made a kind of excited buzz in anticipation. Ricky had heard that kind of buzz before, but this time, it was louder and its pitch became higher. He felt that a sort of strong connection between him and his weapon had started to form. At that moment, it all clicked for him.


    "It seems that this situation has just now helped me build a unique connection between me and my saber. It feels strange, but I have a feeling that this connection will enhance the power of my saber-light," he murmured to himself in amazement.


    He knew that there was no time for celebrating his progress just then. Thomas seemed to have fully prepared himself and was about to launch his attack. Ricky quickly shifted his attention back to his rival.


    "I do admire your courage, Ricky. I know very few who would dare to challenge someone three grades more powerful than them. I respect you, so I will reward a talented warrior like you with a good fight. Enjoy it while you can!" Thomas shouted the last sentence out in a hoarse voice. Then he was submerged in a thick, dark fog of spiritual energy that was swirling faster and faster. It was pushing everything, including the air, out of the area around him as the energy inside the fog exploded all of a sudden.


    Boom! Instantly, the explosion created shock-waves that carried the energy away from him. The ripples lashed out against everything around them. They caused the whole space to shake with their force. Even someone as powerful as Ricky was knocked back by the energy. He took quite a few steps back while raising his hands to fend off the air that buffeted him.


    In his defensive position, Ricky''s heart suddenly stopped in his chest. His eyes widened and his pupil shrank in shock. With his keen senses, he was able to feel the existence of a third person in the area. It had just appeared out of nowhere! He was both confused and astonished because he had been sure that the aura that the third man released was exactly the same as Thomas''s.


    Ricky found it hard to believe. He narrowed his eyes and tried to locate Thomas so he could see more clearly what had happened. His eyes were sharpened by the blue light in them, but he still had a hard time confirming the location of his rival.


    Luckily, the waves of dark air began to gradually fade away. Slowly but surely, two figures stepped out of the fog. Ricky hoped that his eyes were playing tricks on him, but it seemed that they weren''t after all. What he saw was r


    rike!"


    Without hesitation, Ricky attacked with all his strength. At the same time, he activated the Fire Cloud Fist. He was bringing out all of his energy and injecting it into this ultimate strike.


    Once his attack met the shadows, however, Ricky''s face darkened. He got a sinking feeling in his stomach as his strike made contact. Though his attack was already very powerful, it couldn''t match up to Thomas'' Shadowy Fatal Light at all.


    His fear was realized at that moment. In the violent collision between the strike and the shadows, the strike kept retreating until it collapsed after a short standoff. Ricky was totally defeated in the first round.


    Undoubtedly, the Devouring Skill--Wrath killing Strike was very powerful, but the doubled Shadowy Fatal Light was obviously superior.


    "I knew it!" Ricky sighed, biting his lip.


    "See? I told you. Have some humility, you uppity boy! You had the choice of taking your own life, but you didn''t cherish it. That was the greatest mercy I could offer. Now, it seems that you do deserve to be smashed into pieces!" Thomas scoffed, taking pleasure in the discouraged look on Ricky''s face.


    Thomas''s eyes were filled with maliciousness. In addition to that, there was also excitement. He was truly excited to be able to kill Ricky. He could already imagine how Ricky would be reduced to dust under his unmistakably superior power. The approaching victory gave him a feeling of ecstasy.


    "Remember what I said? I will never believe there is an option for me to ever surrender!" Ricky was irritated by Thomas'' mocking tone and the complacency on his face. He roared in fury, and another wave of spiritual energy spewed out from his body.


    The energy of the devouring rune was also released then. As that energy was released, the chaotic fire runes and the power of the three fires were suppressed for the time being. As a result, his whole body was completely covered by the red devouring runes in no time.


    Strangely, when he was only wrapped in the devouring runes, the energy Ricky unleashed had only increased rather than weakened. In fact, that adjustment seemed to have temporarily brought his level up to more than the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    "Devouring Storm!" Ricky shouted again, making the air around him shake from his snarl.

 Chapter 273 The So-called Omnipotent Skill

    "Devouring Storm!"


    As Ricky''s growl echoed over the battle field, the whole area seemed to be shaken out like a mat by an invisible yet strong windstorm. The devouring energy twirled up turbulently and formed a typhonic air current. Everything in the zone, including the zone itself, was about to be devoured and smashed into pieces.


    Buzz!


    Radical changes took place over Ricky''s body all the while. A buzzing sound rippled around him, countless devouring runes encircled him, and suddenly the runes surged violently like sea currents, overturning the sky and the earth.


    As the devouring power pervaded around them, the runes released blood red light and shone with boundless radiance. It seemed to flash with endless vehemence. The bursting power was so intense and piercing that the Shadowy Fatal Lights seemed to freeze for a moment.


    Soon, the devouring runes and Ricky began to merge together. Ricky was submerged within the devouring rune current and became a part of the devouring runes.


    Then the vehemently surging devouring runes twirled and accelerated into a spiral storm around him.


    The blood red spiral storm intensified and solidified gradually. It absorbed spiritual energy, pulling it in from all over the place. The devouring power formed the shape of drills and shot out devouring energy rapidly as it sprung around.


    Pow!


    The next moment the Shadowy Fatal Lights and the Devouring Storm bumped into each other. The immense sound of a collision was so thrilling that it produced a fierce vibration of power. The vibration was so fierce and the power so intense that it seemed as if the whole mountain was the very center of the collision and all storm-like forces crashed right there on the spot.


    Interwoven black and blood red air billows released countless strange ripples out into all directions and spread about in the roaring boom. The ripples were fierce enough to grind the whole place into ashes indistinctly.


    In the center of the collision, two interwoven Shadowy Fatal Lights merged their power together and launched a tumultuous attack against the scarlet spiral windstorm. It seemed as if they had confronted each other in a Roland for an Oliver situation.


    However, a perceptive warrior would have sensed the rapidly weakening trend of the Shadowy Fatal Lights. The power of


    something he would have to work for.


    Ricky looted Thomas''s corpse for his belongings. The Bronze Key was the most important object Thomas possessed.


    Ricky felt even more sure that the Bronze Key was an extraordinary spiritual weapon when he finally held it in his hand. Unfortunately, he was not yet strong enough to mobilize it.


    "Even if the Bronze Key is a spiritual weapon, or even a middle grade one at most, it would not make sense for eight warriors at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement to give up the Great Dragon''s blood essence for it," Ricky murmured as he looked over the key.


    Ricky was right. A spiritual weapon, or even a middle grade one, could not match the value of the Great Dragon''s blood essence, even though the latter''s power had greatly worn off over the centuries.


    "Is it possible that there are some hidden secrets that the Bronze Key holds that make it more valuable than the Great Dragon blood essence? Could this key grant the opportunity to promote a warrior to an innate spiritual king?"


    ...


    Ricky took all Thomas''s eight storage bags and investigated them with his spiritual power. Then, he was filled with great joy.


    Inside the bags, there were gold coins, Treasures from Heaven and Earth, and heaping medicinal pills.


    "I think this makes this trip to the Chaotic Mountains a fruitful harvest!" Ricky remarked in satisfaction.


    He then decided to leave, but he did not intend go back to the Chaotic Region. The Fire Dragon Egg in the Chaotic Fire Zone was too impatient to wait any longer.

 Chapter 274 Third Grade Of Bone Reinforcement

    ...


    In less than a day, the news about the death of the eight warriors at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement from the eight Forces in Chaotic Mountains, as well as the reason for the surge of beasts, spread all over the Chaotic Region.


    All the warriors in the Chaotic Region were shocked.


    People began to question who it could be that attacked and killed the members of the eight Forces. People also wanted to know where the Great Dragon''s blood essence and the Bronze Key had gone.


    Of course, the news was spread by the eight Forces themselves.


    The leaders of the eight Forces were furious about what happened. They had controlled the Chaotic Region for several dozens of years. It was normal for their people to rob other people in the area, but they had never expected that someone would dare to steal things from them.


    The items they had lost were two of the most important things they had ever gone after.


    So they decided not to cover up the news about the Bronze Key and decided to inform all the warriors in the Chaotic Region about it instead. They offered a reward, so anyone who provided a clue as to where the Bronze Key was would get 100, 000 gold coins.


    The moment the news was released, all the warriors in the Chaotic Region were in an uproar. Everyone wondered what exactly the Bronze Key was and why the eight Forces wanted to spend so much money to get it back.


    In addition to offering a large reward, the eight Forces also united and built up a team to carry out an inch-by-inch search of all the sects and many palaces of the Chaotic Region.


    Those circumstances were very annoying for anyone who was going to be searched by them. They dared not confront them openly for it, and every time the people from the eight Forces went on a search of their territory, the warriors could only greet them with false smiles.


    ...


    Kristen, Tyson, Trent, and Bastian were sitting in a secluded room with serious looks on their faces within the Manor Gang''s castle.


    "It has been three days since what happened in the Chaotic Mountains. Why hasn''t Russell come back yet?" Bastian said in worry.


    "He should be


    ugh the blood essence was released many years ago, the power it contains is still so strong!'' Ricky couldn''t help but admire its power.


    Then, he used the devouring runes to extract one-fiftieth of the energy from the Great Dragon''s blood essence and then transferred it into the Devourer Zone.


    He left the remaining blood essence in the Chaotic Fire Zone and moved the suppressing force away from the Fire Dragon Egg.


    ...


    Ricky sat in the Devourer Zone with crossed legs. There was a mass of Great Dragon''s blood essence energy floating in front of him.


    Since he was unable to refine the Great Dragon''s blood essence energy by himself, the energy was still wrapped in the devouring runes.


    After a short moment under the impact of the devouring runes, the dragon blood energy immersed into the area between his brows and then the refinement started.


    Ricky felt like his body was burning.


    His clothes were torn into pieces due to the high temperature and his face twisted due to the unbearable pain.


    ''Although I''m only refining a little bit, the Great Dragon''s blood essence is not easy to refine!'' Ricky thought, gritting his teeth.


    He had to summon the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula to resist the sharp pain he felt.


    While he was in severe pain, Ricky''s powerful refinement continued to improve. Four hours later, he broke through and reached the third grade of Bone Reinforcement.

 Chapter 275 Birth Of The Fire Dragon

    Ricky had been stuck on the second grade of Bone Reinforcement for quite some time now. He had yet to reach the peak of that level even after several days of practice. However, once he was able to acquire less than a fiftieth of the Great Dragon''s rare blood essence, he was able to push himself further into the third grade in just a matter of hours.


    According to various studies, the Great Dragon''s blood essence was so rare and powerful that it could help warriors like Ricky develop themselves and increase their capabilities in a short span of time.


    All that was left to do was for Ricky to strengthen himself and his new-found power in the third grade of Bone Reinforcement. This process was most commonly known as the consolidation process.


    It didn''t take much time for him to complete the process due to the Great Dragon''s blood essence. It only took him four hours to fully consolidate himself in that level.


    "The Great Dragon''s blood essence surely is an extraordinary artifact! I didn''t know I could reach this new level in such a short amount of time!" Ricky exclaimed.


    Nevertheless, Ricky was yet to fully consume the power of the Great Dragon''s blood essence. He knew the side effects that may occur once he did. Based on his studies about the blood essence''s nature, he estimated that at least half of the energy still remained inside his body and that he would reach the fourth grade of Blood Reinforcement once he was able to completely refine and absorb it.


    However, he chose not to pursue this idea because he knew that even though the power of the Great Dragon''s blood essence would significantly speed up his efforts to level up, it would negatively affect his fighting power. Increasing his level without equally increasing his fighting power would do him no good. He knew that this would only lead to his previous efforts of challenging warriors three levels above him be left in vain.


    ''I think it''s time for me to increase the level of my Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. After all, the Great Dragon itself was considered to be one of the most powerful creatures to walk the face of the Earth. I believe it was also said that its body was the strongest and most fortified among all the other creatures ever created. I should consider myself lucky to have even just a portion of its rare blood, '' he thought to himself. "I should not put my good fortune to waste. If I use the remainder of the Great Dragon''s blood essence, I should be able to reach the Seventh Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula!" Ricky murmured to himself.


    Without hesitation, he immediately activated his Nine-degree Body Refining Formula in a matter of seconds. And, with the help of his two Supreme Skills, he brought out the Myriad Magic Ice as well as the Incessant Crimson Magma which were stored in his Devourer Zone and used them together. He combined the two initial pieces with the Great Dragon''s blood essence as he gathered all the materials needed to start his cultivation. As soon as he was ready, the cultivation started.


    This type of cultivation was extremely painful.


    The pain this cultivation caused was worse than being bitten by tens of thousands of ants.


    As the pro


    atter of seconds, the Heaven Melting Fire surged violently into the egg. With every gush, the egg grew bigger and moved more vigorously. Ricky could not help but stay back. He did nothing but watch as he witnessed this extraordinary event.


    ''I can''t believe it. The Fire Dragon Egg is about to break, '' Ricky thought to himself as he was completely astonished.


    At this moment, his mind raced with great expectations as well as fear for the creature waiting to be born into life.


    He murmured, "Could this be it? Could this be the birth of a new Great Dragon?" He felt excited at this idea.


    Ricky watched carefully as the Fire Dragon Egg began to grow larger.


    He readied himself for the inevitable explosion that would soon come from the egg''s hatching.


    However, before he could even prepare, the Fire Dragon Egg hatched and caused an enormous explosion. A gigantic red light flashed across the entire Chaotic Fire Zone. A shock wave so huge emanated from the center of the egg, almost decimating the entire surrounding area.


    Ricky hurriedly used his Devourer Zone to withstand the devastating shock wave.


    The explosion was so powerful that Ricky could barely stand his ground and defend himself.


    Just when he thought he was safe, an ear-splitting sound rang throughout the air again blowing Ricky away with its sheer force.


    Ricky immediately got up as he shrugged off dirt from his clothes. Then, another voice started to emerge. "Ha-ha! Finally, after centuries of deep sleep, I have finally returned!" the voice exclaimed.


    Surprised, Ricky looked up and saw a long crimson snake flying across the burning Heaven Melting Fire.


    Ricky''s eyes grew with disappointment.


    "What?! What the hell is going on!? Are you kidding me? You call this a Great Dragon?" Ricky exclaimed frustratingly.


    The creature he saw had all the features of a snake. Flames covered its entire body as it flew across the air. Clearly, Ricky knew this was not the Great Dragon, much less a regular dragon.


    He looked up at the burning sky with great dismay. Ricky clenched his fists and was ready to confront the creature before him.

 Chapter 276 Great Dragon

    It was no ordinary creature. It possessed a long body without any limb and slithered in its position. It was no doubt that it was indeed, a snake.


    Ricky didn''t have to second guess himself. He was confident enough to believe his own eyes about what was in front of him.


    But there was more to the creature. Ricky, from where he stood, scrunched up his eyes and tried to keep away the blur that might have been blocking his vision. To his amusement, it was no joke that he saw the snake flying in the wind in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    To everyone''s knowledge, snakes did not usually fly unless these beasts had wings of their own or if they were the innate spiritual beasts that verged on the power of space to fly just like the other warriors.


    Ricky looked up in the sky again and glanced at the two-meter long red snake that flew gracefully up in the sky. He immediately saw that there were no signs of any wings attached to the creature which meant only one thing--the snake was an innate spiritual beast.


    ''W..wait. How could it be? Wow, I can''t believe that he is really an innate spiritual beast, '' Ricky thought to himself as he tried to absorb the marvelous scene. He never thought in a million years that he would be able to see such a rare creature with his naked eyes.


    All of a sudden, the red snake halted soaring in the air. It stopped flying due to the amount of Heaven Melting Fire that had engulfed. The red snake averted its eyes to Ricky and gradually lowered its body down to the ground to see Ricky face to face.


    Ricky thought he was in a trance. He saw the red snake morph from a beast into a young boy roughly around eleven or twelve years old.


    "Brother," the little boy shouted in a little childish voice.


    "Wow, you can even shape shift into human form. That''s cool! So...are you really an innate spiritual beast? I can''t believe my eyes! I must be dreaming!" Ricky exclaimed. He was elated at the sight of an innate spiritual beast right in front of him. He almost poked the beast just to check if he was seeing the real deal. "But...Oh my god, you really are! This is one for the books!


    Are you really the Great Dragon everyone has been talking about? Hmmm...wait. I''m having second thoughts about this.


    If you really are the Great Dragon, then why did you look like a snake prior to shape shifting into a little boy?"


    Ricky threw in question after question as if he were a curious cat. It was an unbelievable experience for Ricky to see the alleged Great Dragon in the flesh that he acted childishly as he questioned the creature''s identity.


    Drowning in a series of questions, the young boy felt confused and overwhelmed as he didn''t know which question to answer first. His jaws were agape but no explanation came out of his mouth. It wasn''t until Ricky became silent that the young boy finally had the chance to speak. "Brother, slow down. There''s just too many to answer.


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    sighed as he felt a tad bit jealous of Soar Dragon''s power.


    "Brother, you are much more remarkable than I am. As far as I''m concerned, the Chaotic Fire Zone is the strongest zone around the world. It can even contain two kinds of sacred fire and a kind of peculiar fire at the same time." Soar Dragon smiled as he tried to boost Ricky''s confidence.


    "What''s more is that the method of manual in the zone is extraordinary and even more complicated and profound than our cultivation methods."


    "Soar, this is my secret. Please don''t tell others. Please keep it to yourself." Ricky felt the need to tell Soar Dragon his secret naturally, as if they have known each other already for a very long time.


    "Ha-ha! Brother, of course I will keep this secret. After all, I am set to cultivate in your zone in return." Soar Dragon laughed.


    "Of course you can!" Ricky nodded.


    Ricky was very pleased with his newfound relationship with Soar Dragon. He was ultimately lucky to have Soar Dragon by his side and he was sure that everyone would think the same. He made it his life mission to do his best to help Soar Dragon in any kind of trouble, too. Just like how brothers protect and help each other.


    "By the way, Soar... forgive my series of questions but are you stronger than an innate spiritual king?" Ricky asked again.


    The Great Dragon wasn''t even close to being branded as a mediocre creature.


    "Brother, I can be pitted against the lower spiritual kings of the third class. But I can''t beat the lower spiritual kings of the second class," Soar Dragon replied after thinking long and hard.


    "I have a long distance to walk and If I would want to challenge an innate spiritual king, I must be a talent who can defeat someone three levels higher than me in the level of Bone Reinforcement.


    But brother, look at yourself. You are the true talent!"


    Soar Dragon lifted his finger and pointed at Ricky''s chest with utmost respect.

 Chapter 277 Nathan Luo

    As one of the Great Dragons, Soar was going to be one of the strongest creatures in the entire world in the future.


    Ricky was his savior and he saw Ricky as his brother. That meant that he valued Ricky a lot.


    That wasn''t the only reason he had a soft spot for Ricky.


    To top it all off, the Chaotic Fire Zone inside Ricky had shown Soar that Ricky was even more talented than him.


    In fact, that was the main reason why Soar was willing to address Ricky as his brother.


    That was also why Soar hadn''t left Ricky. He wanted to reward Ricky''s kindness, but also wanted to be with someone as talented as he was.


    *


    "Nice! You''re really capable of things like challenging the spiritual kings," Ricky said excitedly after listening to what Soar had said. Since Soar was already at the Demi-spirit Level, he had figured that Soar was able to challenge the spiritual kings. He was so glad that Soar''s positive answer had confirmed his supposition.


    As for Soar''s compliment, Ricky didn''t give it much mind at all.


    "Soar, what did you mean by first and second class of the lower spiritual kings?" Ricky asked.


    "There are four levels of spiritual kings. From bottom to top, they''re the lower spiritual king, the middle spiritual king, the upper spiritual king, and the completed spiritual king," Soar replied. "There are significant differences between the spiritual kings of different levels. It''s like the difference between Skin Refinement and Blood Purification," Soar continued.


    "Okay." Ricky nodded as he listened.


    "There are big differences between the warriors at different grades as well for the lower spiritual kings. There are first-class, second-class, and third-class rankings for them. The lower spiritual kings at the third class are the weakest while the ones at the first class are the strongest among them," Soar continued.


    "Of course, the middle spiritual king, the upper spiritual king, and the completed spiritual king classifications are more similar to each other," Soar added.


    "However, the different classes'' classifications is based on their combat power, not their levels of cultivation," Soar said after a few seconds.


    "What do you mean?" Ricky asked in confusion.


    "Let''s say that there are two lower spiritual kings. One of them is at the first class, and the other is at the third class. Both of them can have breakthroughs and become middle spiritual kings. Howeve


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    from the Arhat Palace.


    Judging from the look on every Manor Gang members'' face, they were furious, especially Tyson. If Kristen hadn''t stopped him, he would have started a battle with Nathan Luo as soon as he got there. He was ready to activate the power of his innate spiritual ball as soon as he was able.


    *


    "Kristen Tang, what choice are you going to make? Will you be a good girl and come with me, or do you want me to force you to be mine?" Nathan Luo asked teasingly. He enjoyed looking at the outraged expression on the Manor Gang members'' faces.


    He felt very satisfied as if he was a strong man who had the power to dominate weaker people''s lives.


    "I''ve been as clear as I can be. If you go with me, I promise you that I''ll help your Manor Gang become one of the very best forces in the Middle Region. If you don''t, I''ll eliminate your gang in no time," Nathan Luo said with a smirk. He looked as if he was saying something that was of no consequence.


    "Nathan Luo, are you trying to threaten me?" Kristen asked coldly.


    "Hahaha! You seem to have a strong personality. I like that," Nathan Luo said excitedly. He felt even more excited as he looked at Kristen''s cold face. He was eager to take her body for himself already.


    "You were right. I am threatening you. In the Chaotic Region, rules are made by strong warriors. Weak people, especially weak women in this world, are just my personal playthings,"


    Nathan Luo said arrogantly with a snort.


    "Playthings, what a good idea! I''m free today and I''d really love to use you as my plaything." A voice cut through the uneasy chatter.

 Chapter 278 The Fight Against Nathan

    The man''s arrogant words were like stones being thrown into a pool. They rippled out, affecting everyone in the area. Immediately, all the warriors in the courtyard of the Manor Gang directed their attention towards the spot that the sound had come from.


    After a while, a young man in black walked up to the gate of the Manor Gang''s castle. The person who appeared at the gate was Ricky, one of the leaders of the Manor Gang.


    Meanwhile, the warriors also realized that there was a strange red snake that was wrapped around his right arm and shoulder. It was actually a real dragon, who could turn into a human, and its name was Soar.


    "Leader Russell!" the members of the Manor Gang exclaimed respectfully and excitedly. The excitement only lasted for a few seconds though. Even though Ricky was someone that every member of the Manor Gang loved, they were also worried that Ricky was not as powerful as Tyson and Kristen.


    That made them believe that the tricky situation they were facing could not be resolved, even with the help of several more leaders like Russell.


    Then, a warrior at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement stepped out and irritably asked, "Who the hell are you? How dare you yell like that? Humph, I guess you really want to die young!"


    The warrior was obviously from the Arhat Palace. What Ricky had said earlier had seriously insulted Nathan, the third young master of the Arhat Palace. After he finished his speaking, he furiously threw a punch at Ricky.


    When seeing the furious punch that was coming toward him, Ricky didn''t dodge. Instead, he stomped his feet and planted them firmly into the ground. Then, he threw a punch and swooped toward the warrior who had attacked him at his maximum speed. The next second, those watching only saw that Ricky''s punch had hit the warrior''s square in the chest. Everything just happened too fast to see clearly. The warrior didn''t even have time to react.


    Without any warning, an intense thud rang out. It was because the warrior at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement had collapsed to the ground. He obviously had stopped breathing after the hit because his chest had been pierced through by it.


    Everyone was wondering what had happened. Ricky killed a warrior who was at the peak of the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement within just a few seconds.


    How could Ricky do that so easily? One of the reasons was that the warrior at the top of the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement wouldn''t have thought that Ricky could burst out his full power within such a short time and at such a fast speed.


    "It looks like you''re the one who has died young!" Ricky muttered indifferently.


    ''Oh, god! He has made new progress in his skills again!'' both Tyson and Kristen thought that to themselves after they witnessed Ricky killing the warrior.


    Boom! The other warriors and the Elder at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement from the Arhat Palace immediately released their strongest momentum. They were furious and eager to seek revenge for the murder of their fallen companion. Before they could, they were stopped by Nathan, their third young master. He was deeply offended by Ricky''s words and he actually wanted to avenge the fallen warrior by himself.


    Nathan took a step forward with a little bit of a tight smile and said, "It seems that you are the third leader of the Manor Gang, the one who hides your power. You know what? Among all the warriors in the Lower Region, y


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ts. The runes were the devouring and chaotic fire runes.


    ''Fire Cloud Fist¡ªDouble Cloud Fire Fists!''


    Ricky roared violently in his head, and as if being summoned, the flame spiritual energy inside his body gushed out and was transformed into two fierce Fire Clouds that surrounded Ricky''s fists, merging with the two runes.


    At that moment, Ricky''s momentum was twice what it was at the beginning of the fight.


    Then, the two Fire Cloud Fists swooped violently towards Nathan''s Arhat Encircling Palms separately. After a few seconds, the two powers finally collided with each other.


    Boom!


    The sound of the earsplitting collision burst out. The audience found that the two warriors were still competing with each other violently through their powerful skills.


    Everyone soon found out that Ricky''s power was superior to his opponent''s power. His devouring runes were engulfing Nathan''s power while his chaotic fire runes were releasing frenzy power, directly crushing Nathan''s palm attacks at that moment.


    After that, Ricky shifted his position as quickly as he could. He suddenly appeared at Nathan''s side and launched another Fire Cloud Fist attack against him.


    Nathan already felt great panic at the situation and realized he had no more aces up his sleeve. Instinctively, he crossed his arms to resist Ricky''s attack.


    There was a sudden loud sound of something hitting against the ground abruptly. The sound came from Nathan. He had lost his advantage and was no longer an equal adversary to Ricky. After being attacked by Ricky, he soon leaked blood from the corners of his mouth and hit the ground hard.


    "Now, prepare to die!" Ricky roared furiously again, pulling out the Iron Destroyer from behind his back and slashing it down directly toward Nathan who was still on the ground. Ricky wanted to kill him in one shot.


    "Russell, be careful!" Tyson reminded Ricky abruptly as he swung his saber downward.


    Without much thought, Ricky already knew that, to prevent him from killing Nathan, the strongest warrior from the Arhat Palace at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement must have launched an abrupt attack against him. Despite his awareness of that fact, Ricky grinned and was still slashing his saber down towards Nathan, totally ignoring Tyson''s desperate warning.

 Chapter 279 An Eye for An Eye

    "Russell, what are you doing?"


    Kristen and Tyson asked Ricky as they prepared to take out the innate spiritual balls to save Ricky. Sweat formed on their foreheads, and their eyes grew larger for they were very worried when they saw Ricky prepare for massive attacks that were directed towards Nathan.


    They froze; fear encircled their gut for they knew that it might be too late. The enemy had already released a powerful punch that almost landed at the delicate part of Ricky''s head. Everyone knew that a punch from an Elder at ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement could do some serious damage to anyone who''d receive his attacks. Even more so, one punch could definitely crack one''s skull and send him straight to his grave.


    "You bastard! Do you really think you can murder the young master of the Arhat Palace? You must be dreaming! Too ambitious but too naive. Don''t be so full of yourself," the elder said brutally as he looked Ricky straight in the eye. But the Elder had not yet had enough. This time, he raised his fists higher and readied to punch Ricky''s face more forcefully. The punch was so strong that it was enough to pulverize his opponent''s head.


    "Are you sure about that?" Ricky responded arrogantly with blank eyes while his Iron Destroyer was still pointed at Nathan who was pinned to the ground.


    Bang!


    A incandescent furious power leapt up around the area as Ricky spoke. the Manor Gang''s castle was glutted with the boiling power and all warriors felt as if they were in a super hot furnace.


    The Elder at ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement felt especially depressed since the boiling power aimed at him and he would endure the most power of the attack. A strong omen of danger caught him all of a sudden.


    He wasn''t a stranger to this feeling, the near death experience. He had already felt this when the lord of the Arhat Palace gave him a taste of his power. But somehow, deep inside of him, he sensed by instinct that Ricky''s power was much stronger than that.


    Soon after, the warrior at ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement came to his senses. He realized that the amount of energy that flooded the castle could be from a demi-immortal, or from an innate spiritual king that was lurking around the area.


    And in an instant, he stepped back without having to think twice.


    But to his dismay, it was too late for him to turn back.


    A thin scarlet snake that dangled on Ricky''s right arm huffed and suddenly opened its eyes that resembled dancing fire. Soar, the ''snake'', unlatched itself from Ricky''s arm and sprinted out as fast as it could.


    "You! You''re a demi-immortal monster!" The Elder at ninth grade of


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    lf.


    Getting in contact with monsters peacefully was a very difficult task. And it was very hard even for a beast tamer.


    "My name is Soar, and I am not a monster. I have a name. Call me monster again and I will eat you alive," Soar said as he opened his eyes upon hearing what Tyson had just said, then closed his eyes again.


    Tyson was drenched in sweat out of fear. "Of.. Of course! Never again, I promise!" He nodded his head quickly while he trembled in fear. "I will never say that again!"


    "Ha-ha!" Ricky burst out a contagious laugh at the sight of Tyson''s embarrassment.


    So did Kristen and others.


    They all had shared their giggles and stopped when they couldn''t laugh any more. Then, they averted their eyes to Nathan.


    "Russell, why didn''t you kill Nathan when you had the chance? He and the Arhat Palace will never spare us whether we kill him or not. And now we have..." Tyson turned his eyes to Soar as he said so.


    "I did not kill him because I don''t want to give him a quick death. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That is how it should be. How could he deserve to die easily when he dared take advantage of Kristen!" Ricky snickered.


    Kristen''s eyes sparked with gratitude and her cheeks blushed as she heard Ricky''s words.


    "Oh! So, it''s an eye for an eye, huh. What''s your plan now?" Tyson asked. This was the most important question that they all needed some serious answers.


    Manor Gang disciples who were there also pricked up their ears.


    "Didn''t he mention something regarding a plaything? Since he likes to play, I will satisfy his cravings as he wishes and show him what''s the real fun!" Ricky sneered. "Gather around. I''ll give him something he wants. Strip him naked, Bastian. Then tie him to the city gate!"

 Chapter 280 Stan Luo

    ...


    Soon, drastic news spread throughout the whole Chaotic Region¡ªthe entire search team of Arhat Palace was detained by Manor Gang. What was even more tragic was how Nathan, one of the three young masters of the palace, was stripped naked by Manor Gang, tied to the gate wall of the castle like a tortured pet. Behind him was a sign that read, ''plaything.''


    The news was more shocking than even the Bronze Key and blood essence of the Great Dragon.


    All the while, the eyes of all the warriors shifted directly to the periphery of Manor Gang to witness Nathan, the man who was tying on the front gate of the castle.


    At this time, he had already awakened. But in such a torturous situation, all he could do was pretend to be unconscious as he awaited rescue from the Arhat Palace.


    As time went by, the castle of Manor Gang grew more and more crowded. Where there was space, it was occupied by warriors¡ªthose in the Lower Region and Middle Region both focused their eyes on the Manor Gang''s castle.


    The other seven Forces came as well, amused by the state Nathan was in above the castle.


    Because the competition between the eight Forces in Upper Region was fierce, they did not start an attack¡ªif they had the chance to beat the opponents, they''d never have been softhearted.


    Finally, a group of warriors from the Arhat Palace arrived, led by a warrior at the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    Attempting to rescue Nathan and the captured warriors, the people from Arhat Palace rushed to the castle without hesitation.


    But the force of roaring flame bombarded them the instant they went up.


    At that moment, Ricky and his people appeared. Looking at the people from the Arhat Palace who were already lying on the ground, they said, "You can trade them with gold coins."


    "Go back and tell your palace owners that your third younger master is worth thirty thousand gold coins. The other warriors are worth three thousand each. It''s seventy thousand gold coins altogether. I hope you hurry, or else our Manor Gang won''t be responsible when they die of hunger."


    After Ricky finished speaking, all the warriors were stunned frozen.


    ily.


    "Okay!"


    .....


    Soon after, powerful momentum swept the place in an instant. Moments later, a middle-aged man in a black robe and a pair of spiritual energy wings appeared in the air.


    He was furious¡ªa pair of dark orbs had long been filled with strong, murderous energy. The homicidal intent blew wildly in the air, forming a mini-storm, solidified and snake-like.


    Moreover, all the warriors retreated involuntarily as soon as they felt the energy.


    Knowing that there would be a demi-immortal level war, they didn''t want to be involved as innocents.


    The warrior in black was the owner of Arhat Palace¡ªStan.


    Following Stan was several powerful vibes that Ricky picked up on¡ªwhoever that energies belonged to hid in the dark, practically invisible.


    It was clear that the lords of the other seven forces had arrived.


    As Ricky suspected, they had no intention of causing a fight¡ªonly taking advantage of it.


    "You three are the leaders of Manor Gang. Free my son and my people, then your Manor Gang, along with your members, must commit suicide. Otherwise¡­ There will surely be a river of blood for you Manor Gang today." Stan opened his mouth.


    His powerful and irresistible tone couldn''t be ignored, and his homicidal intent was all too evident.


    Stan''s eyes were completely focused on Soar. It was clear that he had already known that the demi-immortal warrior in Manor Gang was actually a snake beast.

 Chapter 281 The Unknown Side Of Ricky

    As soon as he had demanded it, Stan unleashed his demi-immortal energy. That caused a dust storm to instantly kick up around the area. Of course, nearly all the energy surged at Ricky and the others like a deadly serpent once it left Stan''s body.


    Soar could not sit back under those circumstances. A surge of red energy burst out of his long and slim body and charged at Stan''s energy serpent. Once the two forces met, the red one turned into a giant shield that stopped the blast and devoured Stan''s violent attack.


    "Kristen, Tyson, take every one with you and get to safety! We will cover you!" Ricky called out.


    Hearing his words, Kristen did not try to argue. She gathered the other members of the Manor Gang and distanced themselves from the battle ground at once. She knew that there was literally nothing they could do to help in this kind of fight. They could only watch and wish Ricky and Soar the best of luck.


    Surely, many members of the Manor Gang were worried about Soar being up there though. What if Soar ran away in the chaos?.


    "It seems to me that you are unwilling to pay the ransom to get your son and the other Arhat Palace men back," Ricky responded to Stan''s request coldly. Standing on the city wall, he looked at the leader of the Arhat Palace defiantly.


    "Look at yourself. You are nothing more than a third grade of Bone Reinforcement warrior. I wonder what you can really do without that demi-immortal beast. This is the Chaotic Region, so how dare you challenge me like this?" Stan was further enraged by what Ricky said.


    "You bastard!" he continued to curse at Soar, "I could forget everything that has happened today if you went back to your dirty mountain. Or else, I will turn you into an ordinary animal if I don''t kill you by accident for what you''ve done!"


    "Ha ha ha, I beg your pardon? You are merely a human! What harm do you think you can do to me?" Soar answered in disdain. Stan was talking to Soar rudely, but he didn''t take it to heart. He was not afraid of the man at all.


    Now all the people present knew who the legendarily strong warrior from the Manor Gang was. It was not a human being, but a kind of demi-immortal snake creature.


    That fact surprised them all a lot.


    They knew that Ricky was strong and powerful, but they never expected that a demi-immortal beast would ever be willing to answer to his orders. What kind of person could tame a high level beast like that? Wasn''t it evident enough that Ricky was no ordinary person?


    The more they thought it over, the more they admired and envied Ricky. .


    "You are right. I am a human being, so I have to remind you that this is my place and not yours!" Stan replied dryly, hatred filling his eyes.


    "And you," he turned back to Ricky and said, "you are also a human, yet you are fooling around and killing your own kind with the help of a beast! You will be damned to hell for that!"


    Stan was apparently an old fox. He was trying to paint Ricky as an enemy of mankind in just a few words to turn others against him.


    "Ha ha! I''m so disappointed!" Ricky simply laughed out loud at Stan''s desperate words.


    "I had thought that the leader of the Arhat Palace was at worst a villain who called himsel


    ally just called Ricky his ''brother''. He had said it, not in the way people would call their friends brother, but in the way that showed respect and esteem.


    How could it be? He was a warrior at the third grade of Bone Reinforcement that was favored by a creature as powerful and proud as demi-immortal beast, and that was already a blessing. So, what was so special about him and what had made Soar willing to follow him like a younger brother?


    Kristen and her men''s jaws also dropped when they heard that. They had only known Soar for a short while after Ricky returned with him and they had never figured out the relationship between Ricky and Soar, nor did they ever expect that a demi-immortal beast was more of a subordinate to him.


    "My goodness! What has this guy done to that big fellow? A creature like that seldom bends its knee to someone! This is unbelievable..." Tyson exclaimed, totally forgetting that they were still in a fight.


    After being scolded by Soar, Tyson no longer dared to call him a "monster". So, despite his surprise, he still remembered to refer to him as "big fellow" and "creature" instead.


    "It looks like Russell is not to be underestimated after all. Shall we take action now?" At that point, the demi-immortal warriors who had been hiding in the dark could contain themselves no more. Communicating with each other through their minds, one of them suggested that they should finally make a move.


    "There''s no hurry. The two sides are at swords'' points now. Once they fight each other, Stan might be able to greatly weaken the beast if he can''t totally defeat it. That''s when we will come in. If everything goes well, we can expect to bring down two main rivals today. Isn''t that a better idea?"


    "Fantastic. We can simply profit from their fight. At least one of them will end up biting the dust, so we will be the ones who get to laugh the last laugh," the other one echoed. .


    "You will die for all of this!"


    Stan snarled. He was too angry to listen to any other words from Ricky. His mind was occupied by one single thought--He wanted to spill the blood of his enemies and avenge his son''s death.

 Chapter 282 Seven Demi-immortal Warriors

    Boom!


    In the world of Martial Arts, it was a known fact that demi-immortals had the better and more in-depth understanding of how space worked than the mortal warriors. They had already mastered the craft. They knew how to manipulate and take advantage of the spiritual energy with the use of space


    Stan''s body suddenly spurted out dark spiritual energy to anything it could touch in his area. Powerful black rays covered his surroundings. This allowed him to use the forces in his own pace, which made him utilize and master his own strength at its peak.


    Soon after, dark clouds of energetic force gathered behind him. The forces concentrated and formed a humongous dark figure.


    The figure could be perceived as his guard, comparable to the loyalty and reliability of the great Buddha.


    "Arhat Dark Power-Arhat Palm!"


    Stan''s eyes suddenly turned to black and released pitch-dark black rays. It was a materialization of sadness and light combined at the same time like a poetic killing intent. It was like grief that one could see and fear. The dark light then attached itself to the massive dark figure behind him.


    Drowned in his own dark force, Stan raised his hands. He stretched them out and in an instant, the force from his palms went straight to the castle he was aiming at.


    While he did this, liquid formed on his forehead. Unlike the usual water that would form on someone''s body as a sign of stress and fatigue, a drop of blood essence formed on his eyebrows and mixed with the dark giant figure behind him. Stan was so angry and full of resentment towards the whole Manor Gang that he wanted to slap the hell out them and murder them all.


    The dark figure aside from being his guard, was more like an amplified version of his palms. Any action he committed with his palms was done by the figure that was about a hundred meters long. Stan loathed the castle and everyone who was in it and the dark palm behind him resonated that anger. Stan clapped his hands and soon after the dark figure absorbed his blood essence as it mimicked Stan''s action.


    "Oh boy, Stan is putting up a desperate fight. Poor lad,"   said the seven demi-immortals who lurked around the area while they witnessed what Stan was up to.


    "Such a cold-hearted man. He would really like to see tons of blood flowing like stream just for his son."


    "But you know what? He could be right about this. Those demi-immortal beasts are much stronger than our human warriors. He would have a better chance of survival if he could kill his enemies with just one str


    r, they miscalculated.


    "I bet that another fight is brewing. I''m really looking forward to it."


    "Look that those masters'' facial expressions. I don''t think they''ll let the Manor Gang off the hook."


    ...


    "Masters, you have now shown yourselves. What do you want from us?" Ricky asked immediately even before anybody could say anything.


    "You mischievous twat! You know exactly what we want. We vow to revenge Stan by killing you, a human traitor with a beast as a friend. How pathetic!" replied a jacked up warrior as he let out a laugh.


    "Ha-ha! Lay-low on the exaggeration there, boy. You are well aware that there are so many warriors who have made friends with beasts and other spiritual beasts on this continent. Now, why don''t you try to kill them?" said Ricky mockingly as he was amused by such a poor excuse.


    "I have never come to them before. If I happen to know one of those human traitors, I''ll beat them to death no matter the cost!" The warrior added.


    "That''s bullshit!" Ricky didn''t believe a single word the warrior had just said. He just shook his head in disapproval.


    "Okay, cut the crap! Have you really decided with that poor brain of yours to make us, the Manor Gang, your enemy?"


    Ricky''s voice suddenly changed and became serious. If the seven warriors had decided to fight, he would have no other choice but to ask Soar to expose his real strength and capabilities.


    "Are you deaf? You heard what I just said!" The warrior answered with an annoyed tone.


    The warriors had then decided that there was no other choice but to fight and pulverize Ricky and his pet beast. At once, the seven demi-immortal warriors lined up and prepared to strike at any time.

 Chapter 283 Retreat Due To Power and Profit

    Swish, swish!


    With the spiritual energy surging out, seven demi-immortal warriors quickly surrounded Ricky and Soar.


    "Brother, it seems that we have to do something now. If we don''t, they will probably continue to bully us," Soar said using his internal power at the sight of their enemies surrounding them.


    Meanwhile, the force of roaring flame that had just faded from him surged up yet again. The seven demi-immortal warriors were nothing in his eyes.


    Ricky stopped him with a quick glance.


    "Seven honorable chiefs, could you please just listen to me before we start fighting?" Ricky asked in a cold voice as he looked at the seven demi-immortals who were preparing to attack him from up in the sky.


    "Under the circumstances we will listen, so what else do you still have to say?" a beautiful woman in full palace gown asked Ricky with false geniality.


    The demi-immortals didn''t attack immediately because none of them wanted to be the first one to initiate the fight. After all, the powerful attack Soar had just released really impressed and shocked the demi-immortals.


    "Chiefs, there is no denying that you can unite with each other to destroy my Manor Gang, but one thing you have to understand is that, after the collapse of the Manor Gang, at least two of you will die and be taken down with us!" Ricky said instantly when he saw that the seven demi-immortals didn''t take action and had paused to listen to him.


    "I could possibly kill even more than two of you!"


    A hint of fear could been seen in the eyes of the seven demi-immortals after they heard Ricky''s words. They were all afraid of death.


    They had no doubt about what Ricky said. If Ricky fought desperately regardless of his life, there would definitely be more than one of them who would die then and there. None of them wanted to take a chance at being the one who would die.


    "It seems that things are starting to get interesting!" warriors around the battlefield commented at the sight.


    "Maybe. We are in a world where martial arts are important and the strong dominate the weak. For those powerful warriors, the higher their realms are, the more they fear death. They have worked too hard and they will lose too much if they die."


    "Yes, this may be the turning point of this battle. I suppose this battle might be over because of that simple fact."


    ...


    "Are you thr


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ilence after hearing Ricky''s words.


    "Surely, it is undeniable that my main purpose of saying those is to save the lives of the warriors in the Manor Gang. What I said just now is still really true for all of you though.


    If we fight today, we will all suffer some losses. If we put it to a stop now, it will be a win-win situation.


    It''s not something difficult if we want to compete with each other. When the opportunity of becoming an innate spiritual king comes, we will inevitably have to fight each other. I think it would be a wiser choice for you to first concentrate with the opportunity I''m giving you."


    ...


    "Ha-ha. I will never accept being taught a lesson by a young man like you. All right! I will not step in this matter today. Obviously, you are simply more powerful as an ally," one of the chiefs said after a long silence as he began laughing loudly.


    "But you should still remember that I need to see my share of the resources tomorrow."


    "Thank you so much! Of course, I will send it to you tomorrow," Ricky replied with a smile.


    He was not very surprised at the compromise because he had expected it from the very beginning of their appearance.


    He had never believed that the seven Forces would truly unite and help each other in the Chaotic Region that was full of such intrigues. Under the influence of power and profit, their alliance was easily disintegrated.


    "All right. It''s time for me to leave!"


    With the retreat of this chief, the other six chiefs also left successively. A possible fierce battle was resolved by Ricky''s words.

 Chapter 284 The Location Of The Resources

    The effect of that matter was incredible. It was like a storm sweeping over the whole Chaotic Region.


    The name "Russell" resounded throughout the area.


    Ricky did not have the lead role in the battle, but the warriors knew that he was the one who provoked the battle in the first place and the one who won it in the end.


    Faced with the seven demi-immortals, he was not in the least bit afraid. Rather than become frightened, he defeated them with his words. He had a certain type of courage that others didn''t possess.


    "From now on, the Arhat Palace is a thing of the past. The Manor Gang will be the one to replace it." When they talked about Ricky and his gang, the warriors in the Chaotic Region were all full of praise and respect.


    "Do you know that man named Russell? He is the most courageous and persevering man I''ve ever seen. I believe that sooner or later he will become the real master of the Chaotic Region."


    "Maybe he will become the strongest warrior in the Chaotic Region, but as to whether he can dominate the region... that''s harder to say. After all, more than half of the seven Forces have innate spirits to support them. Not just the demi-immortals; I''m talking about the real deal!"


    "Yes, I agree. That is why there haven''t been any warriors that could dominate the Chaotic Region completely for hundreds of years. Not even a demi-immortal or a lower spiritual king has been able to dominate everything."


    "Well... There could be someone who can break that record someday. Who knows what will happen in the future, after all?".


    The huge crowd of the Manor Gang members cheered as the bands played joyful music. It was because the Manor Gang would become one of the major eight Forces the next day. The Manor Gang would also have a new name. It would no longer be called a gang; it would be called a palace instead.


    In one of the halls of the castle, Ricky, Tyson, Kristen, along with Trent and Bastian, gathered together again for a meeting.


    Soar, as usual, was coiled around Ricky''s arm and shoulder.


    Nobody except Ricky could tell that Soar was actually cultivating. He was using the Chaotic Fire Zone in his body. .


    "Hah-hah! Russell, how wonderful! You really impressed me!" Tyson laughed and patted Ricky on his shoulder.


    "Thanks, Tyson, but can''t you see? We made a narrow escape today. We are safe now because the seven Forces didn''t truly trust each other. They all wanted to begin their cultivation in seclusion and prepare for the opportunity of becoming


    Palace. He also told me the location of the resources," Bastian explained in a brisk voice.


    "What? You really did think about it! Hah-hah! I''m so lucky that I have you as my friend rather than foe!" Tyson patted Ricky on the shoulder and laughed out loud. He admired his friend even more.


    "Oh stop that, Tyson. I hope you aren''t just mocking me!" Ricky joked, glancing back at Tyson with a smile.


    "I swear that I mean what I say! Russell, I really do admire your courage and wisdom. If I were to mock you, may I be taken by Satan!" Tyson retorted, his face reddened.


    "All right, all right! I believe you, dude. I was just joking." Ricky patted Tyson on the shoulder and spoke with a laugh.


    The others all laughed in joy for a while.


    "Then, where are the resources? Tell us, Bastian!" Kristen asked curiously.


    "Nathan said that the resources are hidden in a storage ring in an underground chamber at the Arhat Palace. Only his father, eldest sister, second elder brother, and himself know about that place," Bastian said.


    "Stan and Nathan are dead, but we didn''t see his sister or brother. What if they took the storage ring and ran away?" Kristen''s face went gloomy at the idea.


    "No, that''s not possible. I''m guessing that they are still unaware of the fact that the Arhat Palace has been destroyed." Bastian shook his head with certainty.


    "Why?" Tyson asked.


    "The lady and the young master of the Arhat Palace live in the secret chamber. They stay there for months, and even for years without leaving the chamber. Every senior warrior in the Chaotic Region knows that," Bastian explained.


    "Nathan also confirmed that before he was killed."

 Chapter 285 Sneaking Into The Secret Chamber

    "Why?" Ricky could not help but ask with a pensive face. He had rarely engaged in discussions about the whereabouts of the Arhat Palace''s resources. Bastian''s mysterious statement concerning the sister and brother, as well as the secret chamber of the Arhat''s Palace, aroused his curiosity. ''Why would the sister and brother stay in an unearthly chamber for months on end?'' Ricky thought to himself. The question was strange enough to pique everyone''s interest.


    "I''m one hundred percent sure that the sister and brother are practicing some kind of cultivation method that requires them to stay in the darkness. It must be that they are not allowed to be exposed to light before they are able to complete the method! So, my opinion is that they are still inside the secret chamber now. There''s no way what happened outside the chamber could have reached them yet. Everybody from the Arhat Palace is dead, after all. I don''t think the other forces would be so kind-hearted as to inform them of the unfortunate news about their palace." Bastian went on and on with an excited smile on his face the whole time.


    "I was able to recover the detailed location of the secret chamber from Nathan. It is the same as the secret room where the storage ring is placed. Nathan also told me that for the past several years, people rarely saw them. Only Nathan and Stan had seen them a few times in years."


    "What on earth are they doing? It''s just so mysterious! I''m starting to grow interested in their cultivation method! Do you have more information about the method they use?" Tyson asked, eyes opening wide out of curiosity.


    "Unfortunately, I don''t know anything else. Nathan said that he had no idea what kind of method they were using either. According to him, Stan probably knew it. He''s dead, so the sister and brother themselves are the only ones left that are sure to know it. They are the practitioners, after all," Bastian replied in a frustrated tone before he shrugged his shoulders. He regretted not being able to provide the critical missing information.


    "So, do you have any idea how strong the sister and brother are?" Ricky asked again, intending to get as much as information about the sister and brother as he could. Ricky and his men destroyed the sister and brother''s family, so they would definitely take revenge on Ricky and his organization once they learned the tragic story of what happened to the Arhat Palace. Ricky was well aware of that; that was why he wanted to hear more about them.


    "They should be at about the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement by now. They won''t make great progress unless they succeed in their mysterious cultivation method. From what I know, they are still in progress with their cultivation," Bastian explained.


    "I think I know what you are thinking! You all want to sneak into that secret chamber, am I right? What''s so troublesome about doing it that way is that we can''t enter that room!" Bastian continued and shook his head. His eyes were full of despair at the roadblock that was before them.


    "Why can''t we get into the room?" Ricky asked.


    "According to Nathan, there are only two ways to open the chamber''s door. One is for the sister and brother to trigger the switch from inside the room to open the door. Another is to use the power belonging to an innate spirit to smash apart and shatter the door from the outside!


    Think about it! We can''t do that! We can''t make the sister and brother open the door. We are their enemies and they would never listen to us if we asked! None of us is an innate spirit! We do have the power of the so-called innate spiritual ball, but we all know that innate power condensed in the ball is nothing compared to that of a real innate spirit standing in front of us. We can''t use that either," Bastian said as his face grew more frustrated thanks to the depressing fact that neither way would work.


    "Yeah! You''re right! This is indeed a difficult problem! I''m afraid the


    saw a looming palm print in one of the passages.


    "So, this is the place that I''ve been searching for," Ricky muttered calmly in a low voice. He walked closer to the palm symbol and observed it carefully for a few moments.


    Then, he put his palm against it and exerted his internal strength. Consequently, a bang sounded and then two stones in front of his feet began to move apart. In a few seconds, an entrance appeared.


    Ricky took a look inside. It was completely dark without any sound or light. It seemed to be a dangerous place which could drain away any life in it.


    At the same time there was a dank and rotten smell coming from inside the opening. It made Ricky feel like vomiting when he smelled it.


    He could not help but fan the air with his hand to try and disperse the awful smell. "Seriously? You must be kidding me, Bastian! How can this be the secret chamber where the storage ring of the Arhat Palace is placed? There''s no way! This is so disgusting!" Ricky blurted out to himself. This smell was too much for a normal human being to stand. How could the Arhat Palace store their precious storage ring in such a sickening hole?


    Now that he had already gone that far, there was no turning back. It would be a waste of time and energy if he gave up just because of a terrible smell and disturbing aura.


    Taking a deep breath outside the entrance, Ricky hurried into the Chaotic Fire Zone and walked into the room. The adventure was getting interesting!


    Fifteen minutes after Ricky had walked inside, the black entrance closed behind him automatically.


    Staying inside the Chaotic Fire Zone, he was unable to see anything at all. All the lights were isolated outside the entrance that had closed on its own.


    "Jesus Christ! This is really unbearable! There''s no fresh air and no lights! There''s nothing here but darkness!" Ricky sighed as he continued to walk inside. About one hour later, he had advanced about five hundred yards and had reached the deepest part of the passage.


    At the end of the passage, Ricky came upon a relatively vast area about the size of a courtyard.


    The moment they reached it, both Ricky and Soar smelled stronger foul odor. It was much worse than what they had smelled at the entrance.


    Taking a glance around the vast chamber, Ricky saw rotten bodies and dried bones covering the ground. It was not difficult to recognize that they were the bodies of human beings. That explained why the air was so disgusting and stifling inside the passage.


    Ricky and Soar exchanged a look with each other and nodded. Both of them saw that there was one thing in common among the corpses.

 Chapter 286 Anne And Myron

    Anyone who was a warrior would know what the corpses had been through. What these corpses had in common was their blood essence and energy were drained from their bodies; they would die with only skin and bones left. With only looking at the corpses, Ricky and Soar felt pity and sorrow as to how these people died. However, they were suspicious as the secret room was actually a mass grave, unlike what Nathan said to them.


    "Did Nathan lie to us? How come this is a secret room? It doesn''t look like a secret room at all but like a mass grave! Could Nathan had already known about this? Why did he lie then?" Ricky said in confusion. Soar couldn''t answer his questions as he was as confused as Ricky too. What he could only think was one thing.


    "I am not sure if Nathan intentionally lied to us. But I would take this as a mystery to discover. This is an adventure, brother. Since we are already here, we can try to figure this out. Besides, we are safe with the Chaotic Fire Zone covering us," Soar replied as he flashed a smile to give comfort to Ricky. As Ricky was still in the space of confusion, Soar felt something strange.


    "Hold on, brother. I sensed something. I know I''m not mistaken. It seems like the breath of a living warrior!" Soar''s tone became serious right away. What he said caused Ricky to feel awed and shocked.


    "What? Did you say there''s a living warrior other than us?" Ricky asked to confirm, while Soar replied with a nod. "Where is it? Let''s go there!" Immediately, Ricky was getting a little excited when heard him. Who wouldn''t be? It was a blessing in disguise for them to find a living person in the mass of grave aside from the two of them.


    "I know where it is. It''s from the east of this wide land! We should hurry now," Soar answered in agitation. They felt as if they had found a new companion in a hellish world.


    Without hesitance, Ricky moved the Chaotic Fire Zone to the east of the land. It was not a difficult skill for him to do because although it was pretty dark here, as a warrior who had already achieved Bone Reinforcement, Ricky could make them feel like walking in daylight.


    Panting in nervousness and excitement, the two quickly went to the east of the land. As they were close to the wall of the east, Ricky immediately found that there was a small vertical crack in the wall. Through the power of his two special zones, Ricky indeed sensed the breath of the other warriors. It was a relief that what Soar had sensed earlier was correct.


    Vaguely, Ricky heard the collision of forces and energies. It was clear that there were people who were fighting inside. It was dangerous for them to impulsively barge their way inside.


    This is quite nerving. I thought we could have seen a group of people trapped together, waiting to be saved. But it seems that the sister and brother of the Arhat Palace are indeed here, '' Ricky thought to himself. ''Were they fighting or training? They might be practicing their so-called mysterious cultivation method!''


    "Ricky, I''m afraid this tiny crack will be the only way that we can get in. This was quite a sturdy wall. Do you want me to smash it directly? Even though my power is not the real innate spiritual


    ontemplating.


    ......


    "Ricky, we are right. These two are using these dead bodies to practice their method. Otherwise, they won''t look like ghosts. How evil," Soar said coldly, surging his murderous intent to them. The way the siblings cultivate their skills was too inhuman!


    With that kind of cultivation, they might have reached the evil phase of cultivation. No one would wish to enter that phase.


    Anyone who entered the evil phase of cultivation would be despised and hunted by all the warriors. It would be in no time before the other warriors find these siblings.


    At this point, Ricky and Soar also realized why they didn''t dare to go out and meet others before they finished cultivation. It was a fruitful adventure to them.


    ......


    "Anne, it can''t be him because he doesn''t have to sneak the storage ring away. Stan is too weak and careless to steal the storage ring like this," Myron said in a low voice.


    "But how did this... how did this ring disappear? What? The ring walked by itself?" Anne asked, starting to get a little flustered. She couldn''t figure out who could have stolen the ring.


    The one who could slip into this secret room and take away the ring must be so powerful. And he would be so powerful that neither of them noticed him come. Those were the things they know for sure.


    "Anne, do you remember two months ago when the old man came in and gave us an order?" Myron asked. He already had a slight idea about the thief of the ring.


    "Order? Old man? What order from two months ago?" Anne was confused. Apparently, she forgot about it. She couldn''t be blamed as the incident happened quite a long time ago.


    "You really don''t remember anything? The old man told us to finish our cultivation as soon as possible and then go to find a warrior named Ricky," Myron said with a slight irritation.


    "Oh, it seems to ring a bell. Right. I remember that old hag. But what does it have to do with the storage ring?"


    "Anne, when our little brother came here half a month ago, I asked him something about Ricky. Of course, I had to know who he is before going to him," Myron continued.

 Chapter 287 Evil Dual Attack

    "Ricky, it looks like they realized that it was you," Soar said after hearing what they said.


    "Well, it''s so amazing. Seems like it does not even matter what happened. They just all think I should take responsibility for it." Ricky felt a little speechless.


    Ricky and Soar kept listening to what they were saying.


    "Anne, Ricky has got a mysterious tower that seems to be a spiritual weapon in the Earth Fire Place of the Earth Fire Land. It is a spiritual space tool. If there is one person who can get into our secret basement without being detected, it would be Ricky." After contemplating for a long time, the young master finally came to a conclusion.


    "The spiritual space tool!" Anne did not even feel panicked at all. The only thing she could think about in that moment was her greed for the spiritual weapon. She could not wait to get her hands on the weapon.


    "Ricky, would you dare to fight us? Come out! If you aren''t a coward, come out and show your face!" Myron''s voice echoed through the hollow secret basement.


    "You are a great deal smarter than Nathan. It was pretty clever of you to realize that it was me with only a little information," Ricky replied in a loud voice. There was no use in hiding himself anymore, so he chose to come out of the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    As expected, Soar also came out, following Ricky.


    They were in an unfamiliar room, after all, and they had to be alert.


    "I just made a reasonable guess. But you have just proved to me that you really do have the spiritual space tool. Now I know why the old guy had to put out an urgent order to find you," Myron said as he saw Ricky.


    "I''m also curious about your evil cultivation method. You even cultivate with dead bodies.That''s just vicious," Ricky said coldly.


    "Ha, evil cultivation method? That''s a hypocritical judgment from you." Myron laughed, not caring at all about what Ricky had said.


    But Ricky was well aware that Myron''s words were full of lament and resentment towards him.


    "Maybe, we are just different from each other," Ricky sa


    n, they combined with each other as a sense of death surrounded their hands. After a while, their hands turned into sharp claws and they attacked Ricky fiercely as fast as they could.


    "The vibe of death is so strong that it can almost affect my mind. It makes me feel as if I am already dead and already in Pure Land," Ricky said in a low sound after he felt the deathly energy.


    Meanwhile, Ricky used three kinds of flame power in order to get rid of the sense of death around him without hesitation.


    He was right. As the flame surrounded his body, the feeling of death quickly disappeared.


    ''Ricky, be careful. The cultivation method contains venom of death. You''d better not touch them directly to avoid getting poisoned, '' Soar warned again.


    "Venom? I''m very good at defeating warriors who use venom," Ricky said softly.


    ''Ricky, you have so many specialties!'' Soar continued to say using his internal power. ''I will wait for your good news.''


    "The Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula!"


    Then, Ricky used the body refining and attacked them with the Flame Fist.


    Boom!


    All of a sudden, the whole secret basement filled up with flames due to their battle. Ricky seemed to be the inferior one in the presence of the two warriors in the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement. More than that, they even cultivated the same method together.

 Chapter 288 Deathly Enchanting Illusion And Netherworld Deathly Claw

    Ricky was running out of luck for his two opponents were siblings and were both close to the intermediate stage of the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement, just like him. In the battle of two versus one, Ricky was doomed to lose the fight.


    Though he was clad with the protection of the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and the accurate perception through observation, he still suffered one hell of a beating. He was battered and bruised from the fight. His clothes were torn; his body and arms had deep cuts where blood oozed out from.


    Ricky taking a beating was a very rare occasion since he dominated most fights. And then there came the problem that Soar had mentioned to him before. This was the problem that Ricky must be careful about in his succeeding battles.


    His two opponents possessed different toxic deathly energy. Anne had the charm toxin which during the fight, penetrated deep into Ricky''s skin and into his body. This made him paralyzed and unable to move. But there was more to the sting that caught Ricky''s paralysis¡ªit was also an aphrodisiac and made him very horny.


    On the other hand, Myron released a death toxin, which constantly destroyed Ricky''s vitality upon reacting with his body. Upon entering his system, the death toxic savagely ruined his blood vitality and turned it into deathly energy.


    ''Ugh. These two toxins, though chronic, are more deadly than the ones that show instant effect. They destroy a warrior from the inside, damaging the heart, blood vitality and flesh, '' Ricky murmured in pain while he felt the toxins seep deep in his body.


    But to everyone''s dismay, Ricky was a legend, a true warrior who had the odds in his favor. He had the Devourer Zone and the Body of Devouring Power which he used to turn his hellish situation into a good one.


    Generally, the chronic toxins that engulfed Ricky''s system were lethal to other warriors, but were useless to Ricky. Anne and Myron''s fate was to be reversed for Ricky unknowingly had another trick up his sleeve.


    After these two toxins entered his body, Ricky directly activated the Devouring Skill, devouring all the toxins into the Devourer Zone. And then he used devouring runes and Devouring Fire to decompose them thoroughly.


    Ricky was left with no choice but to activate the Fire Cloud Fist. He was wise enough to use up the energy that he had left in him to active his second move which doubled his strength and momentum.


    Fire! Flames started to spread over both of his arms. He stood up, and gained his momentum at an incredible speed. He was up and ready to fight back. The fires in his arms could naturally suppress the deathly energy that his opponents had. Unfortunately for his opponents, he was the top dog this time around.


    B


    om the Netherworld.


    "Go to hell! Netherworld Deathly Claw!"


    Myron cried loudly. Then, the deathly energy released condensed into a black claw and projected a ghost face. Suddenly a stream of deathly energy swept directly toward Ricky as if he had fallen into the real ghastly Netherworld.


    "Deathly Enchanting Illusion!"


    The ghost face suddenly opened its mouth with the essence of Anne''s voice.


    Nobody noticed her body leap onto Myron''s back. As she stood on high on his brother''s back, an evil shadow of a gorgeous naked female devil with oozing sexual appeal appeared behind her.


    Ricky''s attention was plastered onto the eyes of the female devil as if she was the only person in the room.


    In a snap, the devil''s eyes changed its colors to bloody red and stared at Ricky.


    With the devil''s stare, Ricky seemed to be sucked into a portal where he saw countless naked women who were waving at him.


    This was how the siblings cooperated on the Netherworld Deathly Claw and send Ricky to his doom. The Deathly Enchanting Illusion only buffed up the previous skill and it only took a brief moment before Ricky was torn into pieces.


    ''Such horrible motion! Even the strongest warrior at the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement could easily be killed after they combined the two skills!'' Ricky murmured to himself and could not help but sigh in disbelief. The strong momentum made by the siblings even made him feel fortunate that he was still alive and breathing.


    However, this was only seen on the outside and did not do any real damage to Ricky. He had filled his whole body, including his eyes, with three infernal powers and with two Supreme Skills as a defense mechanism. Unfortunately for the siblings, casting the Deathly Enchanting Illusion at such a level was not a very effective cultivation method against Ricky.

 Chapter 289 The Death Of The Siblings

    The Netherworld Deathly Claw was now what Ricky had to deal with next.


    ''It''s time to test the power of the Seventh Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, '' Ricky thought, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He began to summon the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, eyes closed in concentration.


    Soon, the blue glow was replaced by a purple hue and the aura which surrounded Ricky grew even more intense.


    Ricky waved his fist, and a beam of purple light shooting out of it as he stared at the Netherworld Deathly Claw rushing right at him.


    Instead of using any cultivation method or skill derived from one, Ricky punched with his bare fist. He was wholly confident about both the Seventh Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and his strength.


    "You''re looking for death!" Myron growled ferociously as he watched Ricky fight off their most powerful attack with his body refining cultivation method. Just moments ago he had been confident that Ricky would be crushed to pieces by this attack!


    But he failed to consider that his opponent wasn''t any ordinary warrior. It was Ricky.


    Ricky''s fist collided with the Netherworld Deathly Claw. Several strands of intense deathly energy and brute aura rushed towards Ricky''s strike from every direction like a raging tidal wave, but soon they had all been burnt out by the flames in Ricky''s body.


    The Deathly Enchanting Illusion of Anne didn''t seem to work against him!


    After a short while, a loud thud resounded. It was no longer a deadlock.


    The Netherworld Deathly Claw had been completely obliterated by Ricky''s purple light strike!


    The moment the claw shattered, Myron spat out a mouthful of blood.


    Meanwhile, the power and the shadow around him rapidly dissipated.


    The attacking skill he had used was dark and evil, which was one of the moves of the Evil Dual Attack. He had mustered all his strength in this attack, and when Ricky broke it, his arteries and veins were badly injured.


    "Well, you can take your sister away. Just leave the Chaotic Region. You can come back for me at any time in the future if you want to avenge her," Ricky continued.


    Ricky himself was rather surprised to hear these words escape from his mouth. He didn''t know why he would let go of Myron! Apparently, he had been moved more than he thought!


    "You''re going to let me go? Aren''t you afraid that the story I just told is a lie?" Myron asked with surprise.


    "Being cheated one more time will be nothing to me. I can live with the consequences. But if I find out that you were lying, I''ll hunt you down, wherever you may be," Ricky answered.


    "Ha-ha! You''re really something else, aren''t you? But you underestimate me. I love my sister with all my heart. She was my only happiness," Myron said with a bitter laugh.


    He suddenly struck himself forcefully on the head with his right palm.


    He fell onto his sister, the two siblings together in death.


    "Why are you so stubborn?" Ricky sighed. He was not surprised. The siblings had gone through terrible things together. For years they had nothing but each other in this hell. Their bond must have been extraordinary.


    But Ricky had been sincere in being willing to let Myron go.


    "Ricky, those siblings were really pitiful," Soar said with a sigh.

 Chapter 290 Advanced Mortal Level Casting Master

    "Soar, it''s time for us to leave. We''ll close off the entire secret basement forever." Ricky''s gaze was fixed into the two dead bodies on the ground.


    After mentally saying his final goodbyes, Ricky and Soar escaped from the secret basement through the Chaotic Fire Zone. Before they left, they smashed the base of the rocky mountain to bury all the sorrow and pain underneath.


    ...


    The sun was just about to bloom on the horizon, golden petals stretching ever outwards into the rich blue.


    Returning in the Arhat Palace, Kristen had led the men from Manor Palace to clean the place.


    "Is everything going well?" Bastian gently tapped Ricky''s shoulder.


    "We''ve got all the resources of the Arhat Palace." Ricky took out the silver storage ring.


    "The storage ring. Only the innate spiritual king can own it. I can''t believe I''m seeing it with my own eyes." Excitement filled Trent and Bastian when they saw the ring.


    "Trent, Bastian, this storage ring belongs to you now. After that, it will be the Treasure Tower of our Manor Palace," Ricky declared.


    Trent and Bastian were surprised. Their brains formulated no thoughts other than to register the shock of what they just heard.


    What all this meant was that they would manage all resources and treasures of the Manor Palace! Ricky truly trusted them.


    "R...Russell, it..." Trent was having a hard time forming words.


    "You better not decline him, Trent. After all, you are the one responsible in the casting industry. It''s going to be convenient for you to get materials." Tyson grinned.


    Kristen who was standing beside Tyson nodded in agreement.


    "Thank you for your trust," they answered firmly without objection. Grateful looks evidently seen in their faces.


    "By the way, Russell, have you met Anne and Myron?" Tyson curiously quipped, changing the subject of the conversation.


    "Yes, but the both of them died. I destroyed the secret basement before Soar and I left. The rubble would serve as their graves," Ricky sighed forlornly. He bowed his head solemnly as he relived the memories that happened in that place.


    "What happened?" Kristen furrowed her brows. They got concerned and confused when they saw the pained expression etched on Ricky''s face.


    Ricky spared no detail and told them all things about Anne and Myron.


    They all fell i


    tayed in a remote and unnoticeable courtyard. They had prepared the casting materials in advance and began to improve their casting skills.


    Ricky felt worried about the seven Forces, so he made Soar watch the seven demi-immortal leaders secretly.


    "Russell, when you said that I can be the casting master of the advanced Mortal Level within two months, were you serious about that?" Trent asked. He still had doubts because the task seemed too daunting for him.


    "Just wait and see what happens. During the first month, you have to watch my cast process," Ricky ordered. He wanted to reassure Trent as much as possible since he believes in his casting abilities.


    "I will do as you wish. I trust you," Trent replied.


    Although it seemed like an impossible task, to be the casting master of the advanced Mortal Level was Trent''s dream. He couldn''t wait to watch Ricky''s casting process. He knew Ricky was a genius and he could progress even just by watching him.


    Ricky began controlling his breath. He started casting a weapon.


    Casting was not only done to cast a weapon but also to cultivate two Supreme Skills. During the casting, Ricky''s level would improve greatly and quickly.


    Ricky''s objective in mind as he started casting was to become the master of the advanced Mortal Level.


    For the longest time, he was called as a casting master of the intermediate Mortal Level. It was about time for him to make a breakthrough.


    However, the others didn''t think so. To reach the advanced mortal level seemed too intimidating for them.

 Chapter 291 Master Russell

    Afterwards, Ricky started to cast some weapons.


    All the weapons that Ricky cast, in the first three days, were the highest grade of the intermediate Mortal Level. The first three days were a term of adjustment for him. He would adjust his casting conception to the highest state after those three days of casting.


    Three days later, Ricky adjusted his casting conception completely and found a higher casting state. He began to cast weapons at the advanced Mortal Level.


    The weapons at the advanced Mortal Level were tens of times stronger than the weapons of the intermediate Mortal Level, not only in their hardness, but also in their capacity to bear the user''s power.


    The enhancement on the weapons depended on the new level depends of the casting master who made it.


    A great weapon depended on multiple things and those things were the materials, the casting master, and their casting skill.


    Ricky had already learned everything about the level that all the casting masters of the advanced Mortal Level would eventually achieve through his understanding of the two Supreme Skills. What he had to do was to allow himself to reach that level in the future.


    There was only one way to reach that level, and the way to do it was to practice your skills by yourself. Everything was vain if you did not practice, even if you were a genius and had powerful inherited skills.


    Casting was a process that required much attention and consumed a lot of spiritual power because many details and many tiny distinctions were distinguished by spiritual power during the casting process.


    The higher the level of the casting masters was, the more spiritual power they obviously consumed.


    That was why the senior casting masters could not do more.


    After all, the cost of the spiritual power they needed was detrimental to the lifetime of a warrior.


    Ricky started casting after he adjusted his state. He would no longer cast weapons at the intermediate Mortal Level, and would instead cast them at the advanced Mortal Level.


    He put his all into it, but he didn''t succeeded in his efforts during his casting in those three days.


    "Casting is casting, and it is much more difficult than raising your state." Ricky sighed to himself over the issue.


    He still did not give up and continued to cast. On the fourth day, Ricky cast a saber which was between the highest grade of the intermediate Mortal Level and the advanced Mortal Level.


    The saber could barely be called an incomplete w


    he deeds Ricky had performed in the Chaotic Region.


    Kristen was more certain about one thing because of it. She was sure that Russell and Ricky were the same person. Both of them had the mysterious Pounding Skill and an excellent casting skill. Besides, they were both geniuses. It seemed less likely to her that they could be two different people.


    Of course, Tyson and his associates naturally wanted to ask Ricky and Trent to cast a handy weapon at the advanced Mortal Level for them as soon as they could.


    ¡­


    With the existence of two casting masters at the advanced Mortal Level, Manor Palace monopolized the whole Upper Region quickly. They monopolized the whole Chaotic Region in no time for the same reason.


    It wouldn''t be long before the Manor Palace earned back the resources that it gave up to be divided by the other seven major forces.


    In this situation, the force of seven major forces naturally could not stand it, which put casting as their key industry. They directly sent their own casting masters to trouble Ricky.


    Ricky had nothing to say on the matter, so he accepted the challenge put forth by the three casting masters that were sent after him.


    There were two casting masters at the advanced Mortal Level among those casting masters. It was just a pity that they all lost to Ricky almost as soon as they arrived.


    At that point, the name Russell resounded through the whole Chaotic Region. Everyone knew and revered him.


    He gained the title of ''Master Russell'' for all his accomplishments.


    Just as everything was looking up for the members of the Manor Palace, one thing happened that totally rained on their parade.

 Chapter 292 A Visit To The Dahlia Palace

    It was a busy day for the people in the Manor Palace as they progressed with their casting business. Slowly but surely they pushed through with their merchandise and took a high market share in the whole of the Chaotic Region. Meanwhile, the Dahlia Palace was on the move, too. Even though they never had an experience with weapons and casting, they surely did a risky move to open a shop and compete with the Manor Palace.


    Just like any other newbie in the business scene, most people would underestimate one''s products and assume that they were in a much lower quality than that of the prime merchant. To the customers'' eyes, the Dahlia Palace''s weapons were much inferior to what the Manor Palace, Ricky''s organization, made. Only a few people trusted and bought weapons from the Dahlia Palace because in the field of casting in the Chaotic Region, Ricky was lauded to have made remarkable masterpieces that anything that he did not make was marked as rubbish.


    People started to get curious on what the Dahlia Palace had to offer. More and more people came over to check on the new weapons mainly for two reasons. One, some others went to them only because they could not afford the prices set out by the Manor Palace and two, they just wanted to check out how horrible and flimsy their products were. But to their surprise, they might have just hit the jackpot. A weapon of the advanced Mortal Level made by the Dahlia Palace was far cheaper and was in far better quality than the ones offered by the Manor Palace.


    The people experimented to settle the quality check. Some warriors engaged in combat while using a weapon of their choice from each palace. And to their surprise, the weapons from the Dahlia Palace were far stronger and had only sustained minor damages.


    Soon after their discovery, more and more people began switching their patronage from the Manor Palace to the Dahlia Palace when they needed to buy high grade and high quality weapons. After all, the deal was quite a steal-- cheaper and better!


    This was bad news to all the weapon shops controlled by the Manor Palace because less people came to them after finding out that there was a better option.


    This sudden increase in market and the superior quality of Dahlia Palace''s weapons alarmed many large organizations. They sent out their men to find out why and how could the Dahlia Palace develop extraordinary weapons when in fact, they had never done one before. This competition between the Manor Palace and the Dahlia Palace was such a juicy gossip for everyone in the Chaotic Region. It was like a suspense movie that everyone was all ears on any updates regarding the inspection.


    Some people had a generally good theory--a stronger casting master, more skilled than Russell, created the weapons in the Dahlia Palace. They never knew who this master was, and they never had a name for her. Whenever they talked about her, they referred to her as ''Miss Who.''


    But the mystery was difficult for everyone. Even people from the Dahlia Palace never talked about their new casting master. Some of them didn''t even know how they were able to sell such high grade weapons and they didn''t know where they came from and who made them. The investigation became harder since they weren''t able to dig up new information on this certain ''Miss Who.''


    ...


    Meanwhile, Ricky and some core members gathered around in the meeting room of the Manor Palace to sort things out. All of them discussed the issue with such heavy hearts for none of them really expected things to work this way so suddenly. All of them bore the same visage--furrowed brows and frequent fidgeting as stress engulfed their minds.


    "Ugh, damn the Dahlia Palace! They are obviously against us. How could they steal away our business? This is our livelihood. I checked our weapon stores today and guess what? There were only one or two customers during the whole business hour! And what''s even worse is that they compared the weapons in our store with that from the Dahlia Palace and finally left and went to their shop. We can''t just sit around and do nothing!" Tyson exclaimed as he banged the table with his fist out of anger. "I''ve done some research and found out that they had never run the casting


    ace! I thought he was going to be welcomed by being rejected! I just can''t believe my eyes! What is the chief of the Dahlia Palace up to? Hmmm... so strange." The crowd began to whisper to each other in shock.


    "He is a casting master at the advanced Mortal Level, after all. Wow, Miss Who must be really humble for doing this. She still respects him!" a warrior sighed as he shrugged in disbelief.


    ...


    Upon entering the palace, Ricky saw numerous girls practicing their moves with their swords. When Ricky came into view, they all stopped and turned their eyes to him, checking him up and down. As a legend in the Chaotic Region, he always drew attention wherever he went.


    "Oh, it''s Russell. Isn''t he the casting master of advanced Mortal Level? My oh my, I can''t believe he is this young! Oh, how I wish I could talk to him!" Some of the women began to giggle with excitement. Turning into a die-hard fan was not far off because they rarely had the chance to get so close to such a handsome young genius.


    "Humph! So? Our weapons are much better than his and even our very own chief is superior to him! He''s probably here to kiss ass over her, and beg her to give him and the Manor Palace a chance to survive! Ha-ha! Poor boy!" Some other different voices disagreed at the sight of Ricky in the palace.


    Ricky kept all of what he heard in mind. The praise and the hostility seemed to not bother him. He wouldn''t want to waste his time with such nonsense. After all, he wasn''t there for them; he was there for the chief of the Dahlia Palace. She had the final say in all this and it would be more productive to channel all his energy to their meeting.


    Ricky brought his A game to this one-on-one with the chief. Not long after, they have arrived at the hall of the Dahlia Palace.


    The moment he stepped into the hall, he felt a strong vibe that filled the space. Needless to say, it was given off by the chief of the Dahlia Palace.


    "Why hello there! What took you so long? You do know that I''ve been waiting for you for quite a few days. And finally, here you are. I''m very glad to see you, Russell." Ricky looked around to find where the charming voice was coming from.


    At the same time, a storm-like seductive smell began to fill Ricky''s body up. The scent went straight up to his brain, and just like an aphrodisiac, it attracted him so much that he was already about to lose himself from the charm.


    But he would not let this happen, not now. He knew what was good for him so he immediately initiated his two zones to protect himself from the oozing attraction that he felt from the lustrous fragrance.


    Suddenly, a beautiful woman, about twenty-five years old, with a perfect body in a red dress, walked towards to hall from behind. And there she was, right in the flesh-- the chief of the Dahlia Palace.

 Chapter 293 Doris

    Tina Lian, the leader of the Dahlia Palace, was less than thirty years old. She was already a formidable demi-immortal warriors at such a young age. She was also considered the most talented warrior in the Chaotic Region. She managed the whole Dahlia Palace by herself and was in charge of all the people inside it; that meant she was a strong and capable woman.


    It was said that there was an innate spirit warrior that supported Tina Lian.


    Over the past few years, many sons of innate spiritual kings from other regions had fallen in love with her. They even begged their families to exert pressure on Tina Lian to marry them. Despite that, they were all refused by her.


    Someone who exerted pressure on her was ultimately in a difficult position. Their families didn''t dare to threaten her either because they knew how strong she was.


    It wasn''t a wise choice to offend Tina Lian.


    ...


    Tina Lian was provocatively dressed when Ricky met her. Ricky teased her with a slightly wicked smile, "Madam, you have waited for me for a long time? You must be really interested in me then." It seemed that Ricky had decided to be a little cheeky and impolite.


    After hearing what Ricky said, the woman who led Ricky in became very angry and wanted to attack Ricky. Tina Lian stopped her just by looking into her eyes, then told her to go.


    At the same time, she showed her shock to Ricky with just a glance of her beautiful eyes. Although Tina Lian didn''t practice her cultivation method to attract others, she was so beautiful that any warriors at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement would easily become obsessed with her.


    Despite that, Ricky was acting very normal and talked to her as he''d talk to any other person.


    ''It is as Doris said; he is quite remarkable, '' Tina Lian thought to herself.


    "Russell, I''m not interested in little boys," Tina Lian replied to Ricky in a casual voice. She didn''t try and flirt with Ricky any more because she could see that he wasn''t responding to it.


    "Ha, I''m a little boy to you?" Ricky laughed out loud after hearing what Tina Lian said.


    "Of course you are," Tina Lian said.


    "I''m actually more


    der.


    She was using her undisguised power to detect Soar''s blood power.


    Doubts arose from her eyes at that moment because she was unable to figure out his blood power. She still thought that the snake was somehow extraordinary.


    ''It makes sense. He is so remarkable that a spiritual beast is willing to follow him. Maybe he is the one who is destined for Tina, '' Doris thought to herself. ''I still have to learn more about him. It''s better to make friends with him than to be enemies though. It''s also helpful for Tina to be friendly with him.''


    "Doris, I met Soar by chance in the mountains. We got on like a house on fire, then we became partners and stay by each other''s side. As to his blood power, we don''t know it, either," Ricky said.


    "Well, since you don''t know it, we don''t have to talk about it any more. I expect you to let him grow stronger though. He will help you in the future," Doris suggested.


    "Thanks for your advice; I think I understand." Ricky nodded heavily.


    ''Fortunately, she hasn''t yet realized who Soar really is, '' Ricky thought as his chest pounded with a rapid and irregular heart beat.


    "Fine, let''s talk about something more important." Doris smiled in the next moment.


    "Doris, I don''t know what you want me to say... What do you mean? Why do you want to see me?" Ricky asked curiously.


    "Before we get to the important things, can you show me your original face?" Doris smiled gently.

 Chapter 294 The Devil

    Feeling surprised, Ricky palpitated upon hearing what Doris said. The secret that he had been hiding all along was about to unveil. A lucky guess or an accurate presumption from Doris made it happen. Sure enough, his worst fears of getting busted came true.


    However, things could not be reverted on how it used to be. Every secret was meant to be discovered in the long run, so Ricky tried his best to keep calm. After a moment of astonishment, he regained his composure. After all, Ricky himself had already expected this situation - to be recognized by someone powerful as Doris. It was inevitable for him to be revealed as he kept hiding in a facade. What he could only do was to reveal himself now.


    "What are you saying? That''s ridiculous, Doris. How come this is not the true face?" Tina asked and diverted her gaze at Ricky. Doris'' wild statement set off a bomb on her mind, that was about to explode any moment now.


    Slowly and reluctantly, Ricky took off the mask made of human skin on his face to reveal his true face. It was a handsome face that looked innocent and harmless to everyone. He smiled at the stunned, gorgeous face of Tina, showing his gentlemanly side. At the back of his mind, he wished that Tina would not loathe him for hiding his identity. A deep sigh of nervousness escaped from him as he prepared himself to explain.


    "Yes Tina, this is my true face. As for my real name, it is Ricky. I apologize for lying to you up until now," Ricky said with a nervous yet charming smile. His heart was still palpitating hard as he waited for Tina''s response.


    "What a handsome face..." Tina said unconsciously as she was in a daze that made Ricky flustered. A few seconds later, Tina''s eyes widened as she realized what she had said. She coughed a little and put a poker face look and said, "Your name was Ricky? What a familiar name!" It was true to Tina that she was familiar with Ricky''s name. In an instant, she reacted with eyes wide open and her hands covering her wide-opened mouth.


    "You... you are that Ricky with enemies everywhere!" Tina said, pointing at Ricky in disbelief that made her tremble a little.


    "Yes, exactly! That''s me. Ricky, everyone''s enemy. Sounds rhythmic, right?" Ricky said and chuckled as Tina''s reaction made him laugh.


    Although Ricky didn''t want to confess, there was no possibility for him to conceal again in front of Doris. It was quite a relief that the two ladies didn''t think of him as an enemy at the moment.


    Instead, they were surprised and amused upon recognizing him. Then, Tina said again, "What a surprise! You are that famous Ricky! I can''t believe I am facing you right now. All the forces of the Realm of Wildness are looking for you. How could you come up with this? You are hiding in this Chaotic Region and you changed your face. That was unexpected," she said and calmed down a bit.


    "Well, I have no choice. It happened too sudden. I''m forced to do so," Ricky said, reminiscing how he had to come up with a disguise. However, he had a more important thing to do right now, so he shrugged those thoughts away.


    The next moment, Ricky became serious, and asked Tina, "Now that you have known my true identity, will you..."


    Ricky could not continue further, but what he meant was quite clear to Tina. In a moment, Tina''s face changed and glared at Ricky, with her arms crossed. However, she blew h


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    t a tough woman, '' Ricky thought again in admiration to Tina.


    The next moment, Ricky'' eyebrows twitched as he felt a strong vicious or evil spirit inside Tina''s body. The evil spirit would seem to break out of Tina''s body at any time. For just a moment, Ricky''s heart palpitated out of fear.


    For the first time, Ricky felt the real invisible and intangible fear. The evil spirit was definitely a great suffer for whoever having it inside the body. Tina must have been in a lot of pain.


    After a few seconds, Ricky couldn''t help but retreat with a faint groan. Fortunately, this terrible power seemed to be sealed by a certain powerful array. Thus, it couldn''t break out. It was confusing whether it was good news or not.


    "Are you alright? I have seen it. You certainly have the devouring power, because you can feel the evil spirit in Tina''s body through the Sealing Array," Doris said while she was watching the changes in Ricky''s expressions. She was hesitant at first, but she was now firm that Ricky really had devouring powers.


    With anticipation, she looked at Ricky to hear what he had to say after observing Tina.


    "Evil spirit? Really? That terrible evil power inside Tina''s body is called the evil spirit?" Ricky asked in a low voice, still panting in his breath.


    "Yes, it is exactly called the evil spirit. It may seem unbelievable, and we would never wish for it to be true, but it is true. Ricky, do you know what the devil is?" Doris asked, with a hint of fear in her voice.


    "I have heard of the devil. It''s said to be the mutual enemy of human beings, beasts, elves and all the other creatures in the continent. However, it was my first time seeing one," Ricky responded seriously. Then he asked in return, "Doris, does this so-called devil really exist? How?"


    "Of course. As you just said, the devil is the mutual enemy of all the creatures in the continent. If the devil didn''t exist, how could Tina have the evil spirit in her body? The devil is really terrible and frightening, having the ability to destroy all the other creatures," Doris said in a low tone, making the three of them became anxious secretly.


    "Unbelievable. So that''s how it is? Unexpectedly, the legendary devil actually exist!" Ricky exclaimed.

 Chapter 295 Drive Evil Spirit Out

    Feeling astonished, Ricky couldn''t help but exclaim. Devils that Ricky had heard of were something in the legend that could destroy heaven and earth as well as all the creatures. Devils were as wicked as possible. When they came out, there was bound to be chaos on the whole continent, even the whole world. It was too terrifying to witness.


    How could he not be surprised? Devils really existed.


    "Look at your face, you scaredy-cat. Don''t worry. Those powerful devils in the ancient time had already been sealed by legendary gods. They won''t be let out to harm the world," Doris said and chuckled, seeing the fear on the face of Ricky.


    "That''s great! What good grief it is..." Ricky sighed as he calmed down.


    "But if devils were sealed already, then where does the evil spirit inside Tina''s body come from?" Ricky asked the next moment, full of doubts.


    "It''s because of her mother. Her mother went to a place of devils'' dwelling to cultivate herself when pregnant. Unfortunately, a king of devils was sealed in that place. Worst of all, the king broke the seal and got out at that time. It was a terrible in-born fate," Doris answered, and glanced at Tina.


    "Then, the endless evil spirit had already raged out and affected the fetus.


    At first, although we knew Tina was infected with the evil spirit, we didn''t take it seriously. But, as Tina grew up, we found the evil spirit inside Tina''s body didn''t disappear but increased. Even the grandmaster of the clan could do nothing about it. At last, we had to use the Sealing Array to seal the evil spirit in Tina''s body in case it burst out.


    But, it was just a temporary way. Sealing Array could only seal the evil spirit for no more than 50 years. After 50 years, Tina would be invaded by the evil spirit entirely and become the new king of devils. Of course, we can''t let that happen, or else, the entire world would be in danger."


    "That was... too scary. How terrible!" Ricky exclaimed and added heavily, "So may I ask how long has it been since then?"


    "Ten years. That is to say, I will be the king of devils after 40 years unless we find the way of driving the evil spirit out in advance or you kill me," Tina said sadly. Even after knowing this for a while, Tina could not still suppress her sadness. If she was to choose, she would prefer to be killed earlier than become a monster.


    "40 years. That''s not too long to come. Is there no other way?" said Ricky as sadly as Tina. He was sympathetic as he could never imagine what Tina could have been through since she was born up until now.


    "Luckily, there is still a way for her to be recovered. Our clan members looked through many ancient books, and finally found the perfect way, the only one way," Doris emphasized, making Ricky hopeful. Even if it was the only way, he would do what he could to help Tina.


    "What is it? Tell me what I could do to help," Ricky asked. A stare of full aspiration could be seen in Doris'' eyes, while Tina could only lower her head.


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    What a relief... that was too close!" Ease had come to Ricky, but there was still fear in his eyes. It was the first time he unleashed his devouring power to the fullest, so he couldn''t help but get scared and tired. With panting breath, he said, "How terrible the evil spirit was! I was nearly submerged by it.


    But I did it! Doris, Tina, it seems that my Body of Devouring Power can repel the evil spirit perfectly!" Ricky laughed and turned to Doris and Tina. "But now, it''s a pity that I can''t do any help. I think when I reach the innate realm, I could gradually help Tina drive the evil spirit out, and make Sealing Array keep longer in her body.


    When I reach a higher realm, I will certainly drive all the evil spirit out of Tina''s body so that she will not worry about it anymore," Ricky said with assurance, making the ladies smile in gratitude.


    "Oh please, don''t be like that, Ricky. You have done more than enough today. Thank you so much," Tina said softly. "Tina is right. Don''t push yourself too much." Doris was also grateful after hearing the big promise given by Ricky.


    "As devils are the enemies of all the creatures on this continent, driving the evil spirits out of Tina''s body can be seen as the duty of mine. So you don''t have to say that, Tina. In addition, Doris has said she will reward me. And I will always be careful because recklessness will only worsen things," Ricky said with a smile.


    What happened today made Ricky very confident that he would surpass spiritual emperor within 40 years, because of his regained spiritual meridian. His eagerness to help Tina would drive him to success with only a meantime.


    "Exactly. Our clan will reward you a lot, and I will take you back next. We will help you surpass the innate spiritual emperor in the shortest time by use of all the cultivation resources of our clan. Rest assured that you will not feel lacking," Doris couldn''t help saying that as she couldn''t make Ricky become the super powerful one fast enough.

 Chapter 296 A Ten-year Promise

    Doris was firm with what she said. It seemed like that as long as Ricky agreed, she would provide him with all the resources he needed in spite of the objections from her clan.


    Meanwhile, Tina also looked at Ricky expectantly and hoped that he would said yes.


    "Uh...." Ricky was suddenly lost for words. He felt utterly confused.


    Those conditions that Doris was offering were alluring. More than that, Ricky trusted Doris and he knew that she would surely fulfill her promises.


    However, he knew it was not the way he should practice his martial arts. He despised practicing in a safe and comfortable environment with access to a sea of available resources. If he practiced that way, he would not be able to make great accomplishments in martial arts.


    The road he was trudging was sure to be full of difficulties, threats, challenges, and above all, hopes.


    To him, it didn''t matter that he might die in the end. It was his choice, and he knew in his heart that he would never regret choosing the more difficult but promising road to practice his martial arts.


    Besides, he didn''t want to give all of this up in the Realm of Wildness. There was no way he was going to leave before all matters had been properly settled.


    Unlike other warriors, he did not believe that warriors like himself had to face everything all alone and give up everything they had. In all his years practicing martial arts, he had learned the hard way that warriors also needed friends and family. Otherwise, why would the legendary gods even fight against all of those evil monsters for justice?


    He thought about it well. Then he turned to Doris and said to her seriously, "Doris, I am sincerely thankful for your kindness, but every warrior has his own way of practicing martial arts, and for me, I have to face every obstacle that comes my way either by myself or with my friends. So..."


    He trailed off. He knew that he did not have to finish his sentence for Doris to understand what he was trying to say.


    After hearing Ricky''s words, both Doris and Tina fell silent.


    "Ricky, I think you misunderstood me. You will never be able to surpass a spiritual emperor by yourself in only forty years. Besides, I take the safety of my family very seriously. I could never risk Tina''s life." Doris let her words settle in before she continued emotionally, "


    ot involved, and he was even forced to make a promise that he would not be able to fulfill.


    "I know what I''m doing and saying. Just trust me," Ricky reassured her.


    Ricky''s words made Tina admire him even more.


    She knew that her gratitude to Ricky would not weaken a bit even ten years later when he had already become a spiritual emperor. Perhaps there would be something beyond sheer gratitude. Who knew?


    "Ten years is too short a time. Even the most talented warriors do not dare to make such a promise. Go easy on yourself, Ricky. It does not matter how hard you try. You will still have to come with me in the end," Doris said, repeating her warning.


    "Ha-ha. Doris, I will make it. Just wait and see," Ricky replied with a bright smile on his face.


    "By the way, what do you plan on doing next?" Ricky asked.


    "What''s on your mind?" Doris said.


    "If it''s possible, I hope that you would stay here. As you saw a moment ago, I could successfully dispel some of the evil spirits," Ricky answered honestly.


    "The process might be slow and painful, but I''m sure that I can do better with just a little bit more time," Ricky explained.


    "But, you..." Doris''s voice trailed off. After all, she had witnessed what happened to Ricky just a few moments ago.


    "Please set your heart at rest. It will help me feel even more confident." Ricky contemplated for a moment and added, "Besides, if you stay here, I will be able to ask you something."


    "I understand. You are asking me to teach you the methods of refining weapons," Doris replied.

 Chapter 297 Entering A Three-Month-Long Cultivation

    Ricky''s eyes were full of expectations. Instantly, Doris knew what he wanted from her.


    "Yes. You have seen through me, Doris. If you don''t mind, I''d like to learn from your amazing casting skills. Please teach me," Ricky replied with a smile, admitting his purpose quite readily like there was nothing embarrassing about it.


    "No problem, no problem at all... It would be my pleasure if you''re eager to learn more about it," Doris chuckled. Her words were not just polite formalities, but came sincerely from the bottom of her heart. The more passionate Ricky was about casting and the more he asked questions, the more he would learn and the faster he would improve.


    "But there is a problem," she suddenly said. "Several parts of the manual you''ve been studying are very profound and obtuse. Even I myself can''t comprehend them all, at least not with my limited knowledge. This manual is quite extraordinary. I''m afraid that I won''t be able to help you much with it. All that I can pass on to you is what I already know about casting from my experience."


    She smiled kindly and continued, "Of course, I''d be glad to do my best if you still want to pursue the manual."


    "Thank you so much, Doris! I won''t trouble you with that any longer. If you could just teach me the casting skills, I''d be delighted," Ricky answered with a big smile.


    "It seems that you have the confidence to learn the manual by yourself! Good, let''s focus on your casting skills then," Doris said, nodding appreciatively. "Well then, you can stay here before you find the chance to transit into an innate spiritual king. Just keep your mind on learning the skills," she reminded him.


    "That''s very kind of you, Doris," Ricky said, his eyes lighting up with excitement. He couldn''t wait to start his cultivation immediately!


    From what Ricky could tell, Doris was likely a strong warrior whose cultivation level was now beyond that of an innate spiritual emperor. It was definitely a blessing that he had the opportunity to learn from such a master! He believed she would give him unimaginable and priceless knowledge.


    After a few minutes of conversation, Ricky thanked Doris again and returned to the Manor Palace.


    "Could you detect how high Doris'' level is, Soar?" Ricky whispered to his demi-immortal friend as he walked back.


    "Not at all, brother." Soar shook his head. "But since I''m a Great Dragon, I can vaguely detect a certain suppression from her in my blood power just now. So I''m guessing that she''s surely beyond an innate spiritual emperor," Soar replied. He grew silent, lost in thought.


    "Ah, great minds think alike." Ricky nodded satisfactorily. He was ecstatic. It looked like that he had just found himself a great teacher! "Do you think she has discovered that you are a Great Dragon then?" Ricky asked after a while.


    "Well...she might have perceived that my blood power of innate spirit wasn''t run of the mill. But since I didn''t activate it, she might not have seen that it''s the Great Dragon kind," Soar said with a frown. "But I''m just speculating, of course. It was really hard to read the mind of someone so powerful," he then added.


    "Well, we can only hope that she is still unaware of your identity," Ricky sighed thoughtfully. .


    "Do we really have to do this to Ricky and make him stay here with us?" Tina asked as soon as Ricky had left, sounding a tad guilty. She clearly didn''t have the heart to treat the young man like this.


    "To tell you the truth, forcing him like this is the last thi


    r pay him back.


    ''I have no choice now. I know that I must give my best efforts to help Tina refine and dispel the evil spirit in her body, '' Ricky decided determinedly, furrowing his brow. ''Otherwise, I won''t be able to repay Doris'' kindness of teaching.''


    Several days into their teaching and practicing, Ricky found that Doris really lived up to her reputation as a great master. She was rich in experience, and had quite an insightful and profound view of all aspects concerning casting and martial arts. Every time Ricky listened to her teaching, he felt extremely enlightened. He experienced multiple epiphanic moments when it was like he had a sudden burst of clarity.


    Of all the knowledge Doris had passed on to him, the information about casting skills was a priceless thing for Ricky that would help him throughout his life. Some of them were Doris'' unique skills and secret weapons that she had planned to bring to the grave. But now, she did not hold back in telling Ricky about them.


    In terms of martial arts, she too had given all she had to the young man, including fighting skills and tips about how to make big breakthroughs. She had literally shown all of her accomplishments to him.


    On top of it all, she had even spent a great amount of her spiritual energy most of the time to help boost Ricky''s refinement process. By intensifying his refining, Ricky had made big progress in cultivating the Seventh Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    Because of Doris'' teaching, Ricky''s progress increased rapidly. It was as though he kept improving almost every second! Importantly, Doris had offered to give Ricky many Treasures from Heaven and Earth of King Level several times, but he had refused to use them.


    Who knew how much Ricky could have progressed had he accepted those gifts!


    He declined them not because he was bashful, but because he had the wisdom to discern that he didn''t want to boost his cultivation speed by sacrificing the solid foundation of his cultivation.


    Three months flew by, and with the help of Doris'' spectacular teaching, Ricky had leveled up from the third grade of Bone Reinforcement to the peak of the fourth grade. As for his casting skills, he had become a casting master of Demi-spirit Level! For the amount of time he''d spent with her, it was truly amazing and fruitful progress!

 Chapter 298 A Once-in-a-million Opportunity Showed Up

    It was safe to make the conclusion that, after three months'' cultivation, Ricky had made great progress in his martial arts skills.


    He was no longer simply at the peak of the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement. By that point, Ricky''s combat power had reached the peak of the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement. Also, he was able to make a breakthrough at some point very soon and become a strong warrior at the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    Meanwhile, he also had refined his body to the peak of the Seventh Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. Relying on the skill at such a level, he was confident that he could escape unscathed in battles with most ordinary warriors at the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    As for weapon casting, Ricky''s casting skills could be compared to those of a casting master at the Demi-spirit Level. Since he was not a demi-immortal yet, he could not launch any innate power or cast weapons at the Demi-spirit Level.


    Weapons could only be called weapons at the Demi-spirit Level when they contained more than ten innate powers launched by a demi-immortal. Without that, they could only be called weapons at the advanced Mortal Level.


    In order to allow the innate powers to be immersed into a weapon completely, a casting master at the Demi-spirit Level had to make use of their innate power and their own Pounding Skill during the casting process.


    Ricky''s Iron Destroyer was a good example because it was a strong weapon cast by a casting master at the Spirit Level. The innate powers it contained were real innate powers; they were much stronger than the powers contained in other weapons at the Demi-spirit Level.


    Ricky had used up all the innate powers hidden in his Iron Destroyer, so it had been reduced to a much less powerful weapon. It was only a little sharper than a weapon at the advanced Mortal Level.


    Of course, it would be very simple to eventually recover its full power. His Iron Destroyer had to be nourished by innate powers. Nevertheless, Ricky couldn''t do that until he made a breakthrough and become a demi-immortal.


    Fortunately, he met Doris--a super-strong warrior. Ricky naturally took out his Iron Destroyer, and asked her to help nourish it back to its former power by using her innate powers.


    Doris helped him without any hesitation. She told Ricky, that after a day of nourishing his weapon through her innate power, the powers hidden in his Iron Destroyer would be enough to help him become an innate spirit warrior.


    Therefore, it was reasonable to believe that Ricky had a rich harvest during his three months'' cultivation in the small bamboo forest.


    At the same time, a sort of change began to take place in the spiritual energy of the Chaotic Region. All the warriors of the Chaotic Region could obviously detect that such spiritual energy was b


    . If it showed up after I made some more breakthroughs, this opportunity would be really easy for me to seize. It would be as easy as winking," Tyson replied.


    Then, Ricky detected that Tyson and the other members had also made significant progress in their martial arts skills during the last three months.


    Kristen''s realm had already reached the intermediate stage of the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement; Tyson''s realm was at the peak of at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement; Trent had put his full concentration on weapon casting and was only at the peak of the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and Bastian''s realm now reached the peak of the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    Of course, one of the reasons for the members of the Manor Palace''s huge progress was that they had recently gotten a large number of training resources.


    "Bastian, have you found out which place the opportunity is going to show up at?" Ricky asked doubtfully.


    "According to the scouts from a lot of forces, it should appear in a grand canyon in the Chaotic Mountains. There is the thickest amount of spiritual energy down there; six times the usual amount of energy," Bastian replied shortly.


    After a pause, he added, "I estimate that, in another three or four days, the secret area that has the opportunity of becoming an innate spiritual king will reveal itself."


    "Three or four days?! Then we should set off tomorrow," Ricky said at once. "Please tell our other members that they should be well-prepared for this event. They should not have to risk their lives though."


    "Leader Russell, I''ve already told them about it, but in the face of this rare opportunity, no any warrior in the Chaotic Region is willing to let it go easily," Bastian said honestly.


    "Yes, you are right. Give them all some life-saving pills just in case. This is the best we can do for them," Ricky said.

 Chapter 299 Ancient Battlefield

    The Chaotic Mountains had been desolate since the last surge of beasts, which seemed a very, very long time ago. But this time, the rare opportunity of becoming an innate spiritual king could be found in the Chaotic Mountains. So naturally, many warriors were drawn and attracted to it.


    These days, warriors and forces from all over the Chaotic Region entered the Chaotic Mountains non-stop day in and day out. They all went there for one thing: to find the legendary opportunity of becoming an innate spiritual king.


    Ricky and the warriors of the Manor Palace also turned up around the valley.


    Ricky was quite familiar with the valley because the last time he was there, he gained a drop of blood essence right over this valley.


    ''I did not expect it to be this valley after all, '' Ricky sighed.


    Due to the strong spiritual energy in the area, mist and fog shrouded the whole place. Even if the warriors of Bone Reinforcement stayed there, they still would not be able to see anything beyond a hundred meters away, just like everyone else.


    So it was a good choice for every force to take up an area while waiting for the opportunity to become an innate spiritual king.


    What''s more, the valley had six times more spiritual energy than anywhere else. The warriors did not want to waste the spiritual energy, so as they waited, they practiced their cultivation methods as much as they could.


    All of the warriors of Manor Place, including Tyson and Kristen, all did so as well.


    But Ricky was not like the others. During his time there, he had to try to limit his power. If he absorbed the spiritual energy, he was sure to make a breakthrough.


    But he did not want to do it because he wanted his combat power to reach the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement after making a breakthrough, and he wasn''t confident enough to do it yet.


    ...


    While the warriors and beasts waited, something started changing gradually. The spiritual energy of the valley


    it. We must be careful," Ricky added.


    "Don''t worry, Russell. Though I am greedy for the opportunity, I know it is far beyond my abilities. I won''t compete for it. I just want to find something useful there," Bastian said.


    "I''ll leave first."


    Bastian jumped in immediately.


    Trent, Tyson, and Kristen jumped in one by one. Ricky let Soar go into the Chaotic Fire Zone and then jumped, too.


    As Ricky entered the white swirl, he felt the movement of the space forces. Suddenly, his body started to vibrate. After a few moments, he appeared in a dark forest full of dark spiritual energy.


    As he looked around, Ricky found that the ground, trees, grass, and flowers were all dark. He could even feel the evil spirit right then and there.


    Ricky was sensitive to the evil spirit because he had helped Tina dispel the evil spirit sealed inside her body for quite a while. He was pretty confident in it.


    "How... how could it be? It is different from what we saw in the white swirl from outside. There is so much evil spirit here, albeit less than that of Tina," Ricky said seriously.


    At the same time, Soar came out of the Chaotic Fire Zone. He was immensely surprised at what he saw.


    "Ricky, my memory did not lie to me. This is an ancient battlefield indeed," Soar said with certainty.

 Chapter 300 Devil Beast

    Ricky almost believed it when he heard Soar mentioned something about the ancient battlefield once more. It was described to be abandoned, with traces of history etched in every inch of land it covered. Such triggered the power of Ricky''s two big zones, and also, he could feel the residual flavor of the past wars which happened in the location.


    "But Soar, how can the ancient battlefield suddenly appear in the Realm of Wildness? After all, it is such a desolated and small place," Ricky asked in doubt.


    "It''s simple. Thousands of warriors had once fought in this large battlefield and among them were the extremely powerful ones, too. It was far too easy for them to break the edge zone of this ancient battlefield using their powers," Soar explained.


    "As for those broken edge zones of the ancient battlefield, they were most likely to flow into space and drift with its power. So if I''m not wrong, this specific area is most likely to be one of the broken parts of the ancient battlefield."


    "Well, perhaps that could be true. Otherwise, how could the evil spirit possibly appear in this place?" Ricky said in a low tone. "But, how about the pure spiritual energy? The one that''s surging out of the white whirlpool and the Chaotic Region. I want to know more. Could it be used just to mislead the public?"


    "Sorry, man. But that''s all I know about the ancient battlefields. As for the pure energy, it doesn''t trigger anything from my inherited memories," Soar said in a humble tone.


    Ricky''s visage then turned glum when Soar told him that he apparently had reached the end of his knowledge about the ancient battlefields. But Ricky had a gut feel that the so-called secret place for seeking innate opportunity was not that simple to understand.


    "Ricky, can you feel it? I feel that some evil spirits in this zone had been constantly deteriorating our bodies since we got here," Soar suddenly asked Ricky seriously.


    Soar then stretched up and fired the Heaven Melting Fire to banish the evil spirit that had been lurking inside his body.


    This intrigued Ricky for he had not really seen the evil spirit that Soar had been mentioning. But as Soar executed his Heaven Melting Fire to drive out the evil spirit, Ricky also tried to observe if anything happened to his body, too. Sure enough, he also found some pesky invisible evil spirit that was in his skin, constantly gnawing his body.


    Ricky also launched fire to eliminate the evil spirits that surrounded his skin.


    "This is bad, Soar. But thank you so much for staying on top of your game. If it hadn''t been for your warning, I bet that the evil spirit would have already devoured our bodies," Ricky said seriously. "Then that means that Tyson, Kristen and the others..."


    Worry had encapsulated Ricky''s mind when he thought about his other friends.


    "Ricky, try to ease up a bit. As soon as they a


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    it sent both Ricky and the Devil Leopard a few steps back, leaving traces of burnt soil on the ground.


    "Tick!" There was silence, and then suddenly, all they heard was the sound of blood trickling down on the ground. Ricky held his fist close to his face and saw bloodstains. He never expected to be injured by the Devil Leopard.


    In shock, Ricky again looked at the blood stain on his hand. In his mind, it should have never happened.


    He could hardly believe what he saw, because from what he understood, the power of the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement shouldn''t be able to break the defense of the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    However, this Devil Leopard, with merely the power at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement, broke his defense of the Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula with such a random attack. How was this even possible?


    The Devil Leopard held its head high in pride for it didn''t actually know that it could do that damage to Ricky. The leopard already possessed psychic intelligence which gave it a sense of disbelief as to how it did not see this coming. It did not understand how a warrior at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement was able to surpass the power at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    And in an instant, the Devil Leopard came to a realization that the fighting power of the warrior right in front of it couldn''t be judged simply through his realm and his theoretical ability.


    This made the Devil Leopard even more furious and even more barbaric. It charged up so much and seemed like it was using all of its strength.


    "Oh, Ricky, there''s one thing I forgot to tell you. The body of devil beast is much stronger than that of a regular beast of the same realm. Mainly because its body had virtually become the devil''s body after so many years in such a place full of evil spirit," Soar said to Ricky in point of fact.

 Chapter 301 Fierce Fighting with Devil Leopard

    "Devil''s body. Hmm, how should I explain this? It is actually a strong cultivation method of body refining. As devil beasts got stronger and stronger, this method will also advance continuously, so as the devil''s body.


    So, Ricky. It is not strange that your Sixth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula would be broken by the devil beast at the seventh stage of Bone Reinforcement. That''s how powerful devils are."


    "With that power, devils truly deserve to be the enemy of all lives in the whole continents. Their most ordinary ones are as strong as the body refining warriors of us. No wonder why some warriors die when a devil spirit possessed them." Hearing Soar''s explanation, Ricky softly sighed with emotion. However, instead of being downgraded, he took it as a challenge for himself.


    In the next moment, purple light shone in Ricky''s eyes, and his whole body was also covered by purple light. It was nothing but the Seventh Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. He was eager to do his best to conquer the devil''s body.


    "Let me use my Seventh Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula to fight with this so-called devil''s body! It''s now or never," Ricky said slowly, preparing himself to release his tremendous power.


    Meanwhile, the force of roaring flame mixed with the purple light evolved together and was now all gathered in his fists. It was accumulating gradually.


    Growl! Seeing Ricky also burst strength and wanted to fight back again, the Devil Leopard roared more loudly to retaliate. Its eyes shot at him very sharply and full of an evil spirit. If the expression in its eyes could kill people, Ricky would have been killed for thousands of times already. The tension between them worsened as their bodies got closer to each other.


    Sizzle. It could be seen that every single hair on Devil Leopard''s body was gushing out the strongest evil spirit. The evil spirit made the body hair became thorns, and any object would be scarred and battered once contaminated it. On the other hand, Soar could only watch the fight as he was afraid to interrupt Ricky''s strategy if he joined him.


    In the next moment, the Devil Leopard ran wildly and the speed raised to its acme. When people only saw the black dust scatter, its huge body had already shown up in front of Ricky''s face, and the sharp claw which had become a killing machine for a long time stroked towards Ricky fiercely with an evil spirit. It was a sudden yet fatal attack.


    It seemed that Ricky might become broken bits under the sharp claw for just one second. Soar gasped in fear and hoping Ricky would not meet his end already. Ricky knew that the Devil Leopard was not an easy target, that anyone could die by its fury.


    However, after the three-month''s cultivation under the instruction of Doris, Ricky had promoted a lot not only on levels and hierarchy of casting


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ared in Ricky''s mind. Without any doubt, it was the Devil Leopard''s voice. How cunning...


    The beasts at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement couldn''t speak directly, but they could understand human language and communicate with human warriors using their internal power. It was enough for the devil to penetrate Ricky''s mind.


    "How determined. You want to hunt me as your dinner. I''m afraid you cannot achieve it by your strength now," Ricky replied. "Just in time, I haven''t tasted the beast which cultivated the evil spirit. Today will be your last day! "


    Then, Ricky took the Iron Destroyer out of the storage bag. This was the last resort he could do to stop the fight.


    Since Ricky could not beat the Devil Leopard by bare hands, he wouldn''t waste his power and used this Iron Destroyer which had recently been nourished again with innate power.


    Meanwhile, Ricky believed that the sharp claw of this Devil Leopard could not withstand the power of the Iron Destroyer. Gathering his strength, he pulled out the Iron Destroyer and shot a deadly gaze at the Devil Leopard.


    Buzz! The Iron Destroyer rattled loudly since it came out. It was clear that it had sensed the fight and couldn''t wait to fight.


    As the Iron Destroyer showed up, the eyes of the Devil Leopard became more serious, because it could sense the danger; to be exact, it was a coercion from the strong to the weak.


    It was unquestionable, because super powerful Doris had nourished the Iron Destroyer by her innate power.


    Roar!


    The Devil Leopard roared again.


    Then, the body of the Devil Leopard changed again.


    Its loose hair became much more looser. And the spreading black evil spirit seemed like it was boiling endlessly and even boiled the air around.


    Bang! After that, every vein on the Devil Leopard''s body all bulged. At the same time, Ricky sensed the devil leopard''s momentum was increasing rapidly.

 Chapter 302 Flame Torrent

    Boom! Boom! As a devil beast, the Devil Leopard''s body became bigger and bigger as the momentum around it kept getting stronger and stronger insanely. It seemed that it was now evolving into something more powerful.


    Its arms and legs enlarged in a minute and it doubled its whole body just in an instant. Now, the Devil Leopard had become gigantic. Seeing this made Ricky too much intimidated and surprised.


    Hah Letting out a loud roar, Devil Leopard''s momentum reached the peak. More and more evil spirit surrounded its huge body, and the evil spirit began to form a shadow of a tremendous beast. Even though Ricky didn''t know what kind of the beast it was, he could tell that it was a beast with strong blood power of the innate spirit. What he didn''t know was why the Devil Leopard could do this in the first place which he didn''t anticipate. Earlier, he was struggling already with the level of Devil Leopard, but now, how could he defeat the stronger version?


    "Am I seeing this right? Darn it! I can''t believe that this Devil Leopard can really reach the berserk state when it activates its blood power of innate spirit," Soar sighed using his internal power, making Ricky curious.


    "What do you mean berserk?" Ricky asked, confused. This was the first time he heard of it. Knowing what just had happened could give him an idea on how to defeat the Devil Leopard''s stronger version.


    "Berserk. The evil spirit that is one kind of Light Apperception. It''s a crazed one. The devil creatures are able to gain manic power when its blood power reached the peak," Soar started explaining.


    "If they activate the manic power during the fights, they''ll become berserk. If they become berserk, it means that they''ll be in a crazed state and be indulged in fighting and killing. Their power and momentum will be greatly enhanced," he added further with a deep sigh for the second time. He was starting to get terrified for Ricky.


    "Of course, there is a time limit and side effects. They can''t stay berserk forever. That would be your advantage," Soar stated, making Ricky felt quite relieved.


    "Berserk... I didn''t expect that I would run into such a powerful beast in my first battle here. I might die at this rate," Ricky muttered after hearing Soar out. Even with the death waiting for him ahead, his intent to fight was evidently seen in his eyes.


    To Ricky, the more powerful the enemy was, the stronger his intent became. Nothing could stop him, not even his inner fears.


    Without hesitation, Ricky activated the second level of Fire Cloud Fist to double his power. Two runes flowed all over his body. This time, he was engaging in something more powerful yet more dangerous.


    Since the Devil Leopard became berserk already, he knew that he couldn''t spare his strength, or he might come off on a bad start in the battle. Pushing himself to the limits was way better than giving up and letting the devil succumbed him. He would choose to die proudly than live embarrassingly.


    "Human warrior! Go to hell!" roared the Devil Leopard intensely with blazing eyes. Right after the roaring, it launched an attack towards Ricky in just the blink of an eye. This time, it would seem that Ricky co


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    that the Devil Leopard was about to face its end this time around, after a long play of tug-of-war with a human warrior.


    Groaning in pain, the Devil Leopard turned into a burnt-out corpse a few moments later. The shadow of the Holy Panther flying in the air disappeared in a twinkle as well, which meant that the battle was finally over. Victory, not extinction, came to the human race.


    "Hooh! At long last! It''s over! Flame Torrent! It''s amazing! I could never defeat that devil of it wasn''t for that skill," Ricky sighed with exhaustion as he reverted back to a human being.


    This skill was one of his new skills he learned during his three-month cultivation with Doris. It was indeed a life-saving skill.


    Both of the Devouring Storm and the Flame Torrent were Omnipotent Skills. He had mastered Devouring Storm based on the Devouring Skill within the Devourer Zone and the Flame Torrent based on the Chaotic Fire Skill within the Chaotic Fire Zone. With these two main divisions, he was able to burn the Devil Leopard in an instant, even though it inherited the blood power of a holy creature.


    Flame Torrent could merge with the chaotic fire runes and the force of roaring flame. All of them could merge together into his body and became a torrent of flame. The torrent of flame could over the enemies'' body while the chaotic fire runes could eliminate their skills. No wonder why the Devil Leopard''s power was eaten with it.


    Since Flame Torrent was an Omnipotent Skill, even though Ricky was still raw to how to use it, he still could beat the Devil Leopard with it. Compared with the Devil Leopard''s inherited skill, it was much more powerful. The Devil Leopard was doomed to be defeated. However, Ricky was still not confident with it. The incident earlier was just a lucky instance for him.


    ''Without these two, I would have died earlier already. The Flame Torrent and the Devouring Storm are my powerful skills! I should try to connect their power with my saber skills as well!'' Ricky sighed to himself in relief.


    "Ricky, we have some companies here. Two guys!" Soar warned, making Ricky''s senses activate again.

 Chapter 303 Felt The Power Of Doris Again

    "I sensed that. I think the two sneaky guys will show up soon," Ricky said seriously.


    He was right. The moment he finished speaking, a round of applause rang out. Then, two middle-aged men wearing black walked out from the distant forest.


    "Master Russell, no wonder you''re the chief of the palace. It didn''t even matter that the Devil Leopard reached his most powerful status when it went berserk. You were still able to kill it with one move!" one of the men said. His eyes were completely filled with greed as he looked at Ricky and the Devil Leopard''s corpse.


    "By looking at your clothes, I can tell that you are from the Nether Palace. Am I right?" Ricky said, toning down the power around him. By then, he had already figured out that they were planning to rob the cultivation resources from him.


    The warriors had been in the ancient battlefield for hours, and many of them had found that they were unable to dispel or refine the evil spirit they had absorbed.


    So if they wanted to stay here longer, they must have a large number of cultivation resources. And the only thing they could do that was rob the resources from the other warriors there.


    Ricky saw that the robes of the two men were embroidered with the word ''Nether'', and so he knew that they must be members of the Nether Palace.


    "Master Russell, our chief has told us a lot about you. He said you were the most talented person to ever exist in the Chaotic Region. We''re honored to see you. Would you like to compete with us so that we can learn from each other?" They approached Ricky further and sandwiched him in the middle. From the vital energy fluctuation around them, Ricky could tell that they had reached the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    ''These two guys are really shameless!'' Ricky thought.


    "Ricky, let me deal with these two guys. Both of them are warriors at the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement, so you are no match for them right now," Soar said.


    But Ricky shook his head slightly.


    "Looks like those guys will be crushed into pieces," Soar said with a sympathetic tone. He had figured out what Ricky was about to do next, and he kne


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    Tina," Soar said.


    "You''re right, Soar. Doris has really given me a lot. I will forever remember her kindness and do all I can to save Tina as the best gesture of thanks. That''s the reason why I made a promise to her," Ricky said with a nod.


    "Ricky, I have a hunch that you will be the leader of this region, as no man is more righteous and generous than you!" Upon hearing what Ricky said, Soar''s respect for him increased even more.


    "Ha-ha! Soar, I wish what you said will come true." Ricky laughed.


    Ricky had never even thought that he would become the leader of the region in the future. It just seemed so farfetched that he did not even dare to think about it. What he was going to do was to constantly make himself even stronger as much as he could and guard what he had already possessed.


    Most importantly, he was a person who always acted based on his own sense of justice.


    For example, he knew that Doris was so kind to him all because of Tina, but Ricky did not see it that way. For him, since Doris had helped him, he had to promise himself that he would repay her.


    "Ricky, the longer I stay with you, the more I feel that I made the right choice to follow you," Soar remarked.


    "Really? Then I''ll try my best not to let you down," Ricky said with a smile.


    Then he shifted his gaze to the broken corpses of the men from the Nether Palace, and looked at the storage bags in their inner pockets.

 Chapter 304 The Value Of The Devil Leopard’s Body

    Picking up the storage bags around them, Ricky discovered that there were a considerable amount of resources contained within. This was also a great bounty for him.


    "It looks like these two guys had found something wrong here earlier so they started hunting some warriors and taking their belongings," Ricky said as he transferred the cultivation resources to his own storage ring.


    Then Ricky turned his eyes to the Devil Leopard''s body.


    "Soar, why did you ask me to keep its body?" Ricky inquired.


    After all, it had been Soar who made Ricky keep the corpse of the Devil Leopard. Otherwise, he was merely greed for its taste.


    "Ricky, although this Devil Leopard was only at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement, it had the blood power of a Holy Panther. Together with its own physical body, this combination would benefit us to some degree," Soar explained.


    Ricky released him from the Chaotic Fire Zone upon hearing this.


    As he grew larger, he spit out the purest Heaven Melting Fire, and began to quickly burn the Devil Leopard''s body.


    Ricky witnessed the Devil Leopard surrounded by the Heaven Melting Fire. What was unusual was that he didn''t notice a burning smell or even any damage on its appearance. He could only sense the blood boiling inside its body.


    Immediately, Ricky understood that Soar did this on purpose.


    "Soar, what are you doing?" He asked curiously.


    "Ricky, in our inherited memory from ancient Heaven Melting Dragons, there is a set of cultivation methods that can extract blood essence from the corpses of ferocious beasts and spiritual beasts. It is what I am using to extract Holy Panther''s blood essence!" Soar replied.


    "Such a cultivation method exists!?" Ricky was rather surprised at this information. His eyes grew full of expectation. It was the blood essence of Holy Panther, the holy beast! How couldn''t he be ecstatic about it?


    An hour later, two drops of bright red blood slowly rose from the body of Devil Leopard.


    "Howl! How


    tial, like the calm before an incoming storm. This kind of energy was exactly what Ricky desired for his cultivation.


    With the droplets oozing out, the body of the Devil Leopard began to dry up, and soon it turned to skin and bones. As it did this, a swarm of evil spirits hidden inside floated out.


    "Soar, this''s..." Ricky''s mouth fell open, a vague guess in his mind.


    "Ricky, this is the fully extracted devil essence of the Devil Leopard refined by the Heaven Melting Fire. It may be greatly useful to your cultivation," Soar replied smugly, evidently very pleased with himself.


    Controlling the Heaven Melting Fire, Soar gathered all the black droplets together to form a palm-sized puddle of black liquid. Once he accomplished this, he burned the body of the Devil Leopard into ashes.


    "The devil essence!" Ricky exclaimed approvingly.


    He looked at Soar with gratitude shining in his eyes.


    "Ricky, put the devil essence away right now! It will likely be of great help when you break through the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula." Soar smiled again. He could feel the young man''s genuine gratitude.


    "Awesome!" Ricky exclaimed as he did as Soar instructed him.


    "Soar, since you can extract the devil essence from a devil beast''s body, shall we..." Ricky inquired, anticipation in his eyes.

 Chapter 305 The Celestial Flower

    "I know what you''re driving at, but I''m afraid this is not going to work, Ricky! I can''t extract the devil essence from every devil beast." Soar shook his head solemnly. He completely understood what Ricky was trying to say. But his absurd proposal left him no choice but to decline. Not every devil beast contained the devil essence in theory.


    Feeling that Ricky must feel extremely disappointed with his answer, he tried explaining further. "I managed to extract the devil essence from this panther because it had the blood of the holy beat running in its body. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have succeeded in doing so. I''m sorry," he muttered, hoping his statement would ease Ricky''s frustration.


    "I see. You don''t have to apologize," Ricky reassured. "You''ve done more than enough. The devil essence you gathered for me is such a precious gift. I am extremely grateful for all your work," Ricky assured. He was a reasonable being. He knew when to appreciate those who were there for him when he needed them.


    "Don''t keep thanking me. That''s so distant. You have helped me a lot too. Remember the droplet containing the blood essence of the Great Dragon? You gave the ninety percent of its energy to me!" Soar guffawed.


    "Ha-ha! Yes! I help you, you help me!" Ricky quipped. The two burst into laughter.


    ''I won''t be alone on the way to become stronger.'' Ricky smiled to himself. Having Soar beside him made the burdens in his life a whole lot easier to carry. Before Soar came to this world, he felt like he was always alone. He made a few friends here and there, but the loneliness never left him. But now, thanks to Soar, he had a friend who came as freely as birdsong and brought out the dance in his soul. They would help and support each other to the end.


    They started with their primary goal: searching for the great chance of becoming an innate spiritual king. This was not an easy task. They had to be iron-willed to find an answer. Many warriors had been searching for this chance too. Most of them gave up when they could not see any hope.


    But Ricky was different. He was not one to falter in the face adversity. Perseverance was one of his distinctive characters. They were now outside the mysterious area. Beneath where they were situated was a piece of ground of an ancient battlefield. Ricky was starting to doubt the authenticity of the so-called chance. For the past few days, they spent their time searching in many places. However, no matter where they went, the Bronze Key made no response at all, which made him more suspicious. Ricky was starting to get frustrated. No matter how patient he was, there was still a limit to his temper.


    Yet, he suppressed his exasperation. ''We did not find any trace of the chance. Perhaps the chance doesn''t exist at all. But the rumor about this chance has been spreading over the land for more than ten years. It doesn''t make sense if it''s not real. Maybe I shall keep looking for it!'' Ricky argued with himself with furrowed brows. They already spent a lot time looking for the chance. It''d be waste to give up now.


    Why was the origin of the Bronze Key had something to do with the blood essence of the Great Dragon? And where did the Skeleton Dragon come from? Questions surged into Ricky''s mind. Soon, his brain was filled with unsolved problems.


    He rubbed his forehead as he felt his frustrations welling up once more. But he shook his head to keep himself focused. ''Maybe I sh


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    Earth of intermediate King Level! It''s called the Celestial Flower," Soar murmured in a low yet excited voice.


    This petal must be extremely precious and valuable. He, as a Great Dragon, even grew excited.


    "Exactly! You are absolutely right! It is the Celestial Flower! A treasure of intermediate King Level!" Tyson nodded with overjoyed eyes. He was fortunate to harvest this petal upon searching this land. Unfortunately, before he had the time to refine it, someone from the Aeolus Palace noticed this and shared this information with his companions. The guy knew he wouldn''t be able to take down Tyson on his own, so he called for his friends to take it away from him. They almost came close but thanks to Ricky and Soar''s appearance, they were not able to snatch it away from him.


    Only a few people could resist a Treasure from Heaven and Earth of intermediate King Level. For warriors at their level, it was extremely precious. That was exactly why those men were hunting him. They knew once they had it, a foreseeable breakthrough would be waiting for them. All they needed was employ this white petal during their cultivation.


    "What? A treasure of intermediate King Level?" Ricky muttered in surprise as he reached out to touch the petal softly.


    "Soar, can you tell me what the flower is for?" he quipped, eager to know more.


    "Yes. The Celestial Flower grows up by absorbing the purest fire power and frosty power. Therefore, it owns the purest innate power. That''s why the evil spirit retreated when they were greeted by the light of the petal," Soar explained.


    "The flower is embedded with enormous frosty power and fire power. But these two powers don''t show up. It can only be felt once a warrior refines it.


    Since the Celestial Flower is too pure, it can''t survive and can''t grow up where there is light. It only appears in dark, gloomy environment. This place is a piece of land of an ancient battlefield where moist and darkness filled up. It is a perfect place to breed a Celestial Flower.


    As for what it''s for, it can improve the warrior''s level, of course. What''s more, it helps the warrior to strengthen the ability to feel and absorb the pure power in the space around them. But it only applies to warriors who practice the body refining cultivation method."

 Chapter 306 The Mysterious Aeolus Palace

    "What? Only body refining warriors can make full use of this Celestial Flower?" Ricky asked him in a hurry after he heard what Soar said. His eyes shone bright with excitement because that was not what he expected from the white petal.


    Tyson was in the same mood, because he was also a body refiner. He was even more of a professional in body refinement than Ricky was.


    "In addition to a small amount of the purest energy of heaven and earth, the flower mainly contains the energy of pure ice and flame. In the process of its refinement by warriors, those two extreme forces will collide with each other. When that happens, they can refine cultivators'' bodies to the greatest states that they can reach.


    I think you know how amazing that is. If you can obtain this flower, you can use it to cultivate the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and it will reach the Eighth Degree, or even the Ninth Degree, in a very short time," Soar said.


    Hearing that, Ricky could not suppress the excitement in his heart any more. The Celestial Flower was exactly what he needed for his cultivation.


    "Russell, it seems that you can''t wait to get the flower; I can see it on your face." Tyson laughed as he looked at the excitement on Ricky''s face. His own excitement could not be concealed from his face either.


    "Of course, no one could resist such a good treasure," Ricky said with a heavy sigh.


    "Ha-ha, that''s right. Do you know where I got this petal from?" Tyson asked with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "Please tell me!"


    ¡­ Then, Tyson told Ricky his whole story.


    After entering the ruins of an ancient battlefield, Tyson was soon confronted by devil beasts. Through the battle with devil beasts, he found out the problem of being eroded by evil spirits around there.


    Later, he met the robbers. After a reverse-robbery, Tyson also joined their team to rob others. He did it because, in such an situation, only resources could support their lives. The ones who had more cultivating resources would have more chances to stay alive in such a place.


    At the same time, Tyson had also been looking for Ricky and the others.


    Inadvertently, Tyson then entered a forest full of black mist. In that forest, he found many disciples of the Aeolus Palace. It had naturally attracted his attention that so many disciples of the Aeolus Palace gathered there.


    "Tyson, you mean the disciples of the Aeolus Palace were all gathered in that forest for some reason?" Ricky asked


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ontinued telling his story.


    ¡­ After Tyson entered the Dark Fog Woods where the disciples of the Aeolus Palace gathered, he secretly went deeper into the woods. Then, he saw the Celestial Flower and realized it was at the intermediate King Level.


    At that point, the chief of the Aeolus Palace was fighting against the devil beast who guarded the Celestial Flower. All the warriors of the Aeolus Palace were also concentrated on fighting the beast. Tyson was naturally reluctant to let go of the great opportunity and wanted to steal the Celestial Flower from them.


    Unfortunately, the chief of the Aeolus Palace and the devil beast''s attention was concentrated on the Celestial Flower completely despite the fact that they were fighting. So, before Tyson could get close to the flower, two fierce attacks were coming toward him.


    Tyson had to use the power of the innate spiritual ball to resist the fierce attacks.


    After he used the innate spiritual ball, Tyson was lucky enough to take off a petal from the flower. After he stole a single petal, he was able to escape.


    After that, he was hunted down by the warriors of the Aeolus Palace as he ran away.


    "Tyson, how powerful were the devil beasts guarding the Celestial Flower?" Ricky asked curiously after listening to Tyson''s story.


    "Very strong. It was only after the chief of the Aeolus Palace and the warriors at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement cooperated together, that they had enough strength to push back against it. I guess I would have still had to use up all the power of the innate spiritual ball before I could escape," Tyson said with a bit of fear in his voice.

 Chapter 307 An Effective Way To Decoy Them Away.

    "The devil beast is being the devil beast, guarding the Celestial Flower as always. It is now clear that the chief of the Aeolus Palace has not yet gotten the Celestial Flower. Plus, thanks to this devil beast, we have a better chance than ever," Ricky remarked.


    "What should we do next?" Tyson asked.


    "Let''s step into the Dark Fog Woods that you talked about, Tyson, and then let''s pool our ideas to size up the situation," Ricky ordered.


    If Ricky decided to order Soar to fire on all of the cylinders at this moment, they would be able to seize the Celestial Flower without much difficulty. But that was not an option just yet. Soar was Ricky''s trump card, and he did not want to turn it up right now.


    Since unexpected things were always coming up all of a sudden, the more trump cards you had, the better.


    Soar was able to read Ricky''s mind, so he did not volunteer to take on everything.


    A while later, they marched into the Dark Fog Woods¡­


    The Dark Fog Woods was a remote area in the huge battlefield they were in. It was shrouded in thick black mist that never dissipated.


    The evil spirits in the black mist far outnumbered those in other places. More than that, slightly toxic fumes also existed there. In spite of how dangerous it was, it was not alarming for the warriors of Bone Reinforcement.


    In that moment, a number of carcasses of the devil beasts as well as a couple of dead warriors were scattered across the Dark Fog Woods. Ricky identified some of the dead warriors to be from the Aeolus Palace, and the others were from various places.


    Obviously, for any warriors, stepping into the Dark Fog Woods meant being killed by the warriors of Aeolus Place.


    Not far from the Dark Fog Woods, Ricky, Tyson and Soar moved quietly. With the help of Ricky''s two powerful zones, it was unlikely for them to be found out so long as they proceeded with care.


    "It''s heavily defended here. I cannot see them, but I can sense that there are many warriors waiting to ambush anyone who passes this place. If only the three of us show up, they will attack us in groups at once," Soar said.


    "It seems like they have become a lot more cautious after what happened to them," Tyson speculated.


    "They are already aware of our plan. Had I known that they were going to be so ungrateful, I would never have released them. Some of them once hunted you," Ricky said regretfully.


    "Yeah, well you''re the only one to blame for that! You became too compassionate that time," Tyson curled h


    even stronger and louder. A moment later, the violent roars gradually vanished. It was quite clear that Soar had already lured them away.


    "Tyson, Soar was able to do his task successfully. Now, your task is to lure the warriors of the Aeolus Place away," Ricky said with a laugh.


    "I knew you had a plan for me. But I am telling you now, right from the onset, that you must give me another petal of the Celestial Flower once you have taken it," Tyson advised.


    "Ha-ha, don''t worry about it. I''ll make sure that you get a slice of pie," Ricky promised with a laugh.


    With this, Tyson ran into the Dark Fog Woods without fear immediately.


    "Tyson, are you crazy? You''re playing with fire! How dare you come here?" As soon as Tyson appeared, many of the warriors of the Aeolus Palace jumped out and said menacingly.


    "Ha-ha, why wouldn''t I come here? The treasures of the world belong to those who have the ability to take them. Since the Aeolus Palace has suffered with impotence, it is only natural for me to come here," Tyson said, laughing.


    "You are dead meat!" Upon hearing Tyson''s insulting words, the warriors of the Aeolus Palace all roared with rage.


    "Brothers, our chief has offered a bounty on Tyson, and just now, he insulted our beloved Aeolus Palace. It is an immensely grave crime! Kill him! Kill him!" With deafening battle cry, the warriors of the Aeolus Palace began to encircle Tyson.


    Tyson did not run away instantly. He deflected several attacks then retreated.


    Once Tyson had lured away the warriors of the Aeolus Palace, Ricky immediately launched his action plan. At once, he quickly moved into the depths of the Dark Fog Woods.

 Chapter 308 Meeting Jerry

    Most of the disciples from the Aeolus Palace had gone to hunt down Tyson. This meant that only a few of them remained in the Dark Fog Woods. By now, it was apparent that all the warriors at the eighth and ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement had already met their defeat at the hands of Soar. By the time Ricky arrived, the enemies in the forest were almost completely obliterated. So hiding in his two zones, he reached the heart of the Dark Fog Woods without so much as delivering a blow.


    At this point, Ricky discovered that Soar, the leader of the Aeolus Palace, and the guarding devil beast of the Celestial Flower were all nowhere to be found. He could only distinguish their voices and sounds of their combat somewhere in the distance.


    Seeing no one else around, Ricky turned to investigate his surroundings. Deep in this woods, he saw a huge black lake. Instead of reflecting any light, the lake seemed to be absorbing it like a black hole. What it released from its bottom was the eerie dark fog that filled the whole forest. Ricky''s eyes were soon drawn to the huge white flower right in its center.


    It was as white as snow and nearly two meters wide. Once Ricky came nearer to see it more clearly, he discovered that it was actually floating above the water like a small boat. The contrast between the white flower and the black lake was quite stark.


    Ricky could feel the power unleashed by the flower even though he was a great distance away from the lake. Like its fragrance, its power was pure yet strong. Deep within it, he could even sense a combined power of pure frozen ice and burning fire, two opposing forces which had somehow been made to be compatible.


    At the same time, Ricky sensed that all the power of pure frozen ice and burning fire in the air around was rushing to the flower like crazy. Like a swarm of bees drawn to flowers, the two separate kinds of energy rapidly streamed into the white petals of the flower, traversing all the way down into its heart.


    "Is this a sign that the flower will bloom soon?" Ricky murmured excitedly at this wonderful sight.


    He speculated that he had arrived at the right timing, compared with others who had coveted this precious flower.


    Looking around in his excitement, he had noticed that there were several dead bodies floating on the black water as well. It was obvious that they were the warriors of the eighth and ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement who had met their doom from Soar.


    "Looks like that the legendary flower is now mine for the taking!" he said in his excitement. No more strong warriors would present competition for this treasure!


    But he still had to wait until the flower had bloomed thoroughly before attempting to pick it.


    While he was waiting, he took time to inspect the magic flower. As the pure and high quality energy flooded into it, its nine petals were glowing and blooming, like a moon that gave out bright and clear light. Of course, Ricky should have seen ten beautiful petals, had Tyson not torn down one of them.


    As he examined it more intently, he found that a bloody red and a snowy white lights were alternately changing on the petals, and the speed of their changing accelerated. Within less than a minute, however, the colors of the lights had deepened, until both of them were shining steadily on each of the nine petals, split into the two co


    s of wind that were sharp enough to shred the whole place to pieces. The fist was striking at him. If Ricky didn''t act quickly, the fist would certainly obliterate his face!


    But Ricky was not one to go down without a fight. Murderous intent shone in his eyes. Right before the fist reached his nose, he crossed his arms in front of his face, and met the powerful fist. The two forces clashed, the collision sending out mighty blasts.


    The deafening sound of explosion was suddenly muffled by the water.


    When Ricky opened his eyes, he found that both he and the fire surrounding him were drowned in the black water. He didn''t know when, but he was sure that Jerry had somehow dragged him into the lake and slammed him down to the bottom of it. The explosion from their collision continued down there, making black surges shoot out to the water''s surface.


    Before Ricky could readjust himself, Jerry''s silhouette appeared against the dim light right in front of him.


    He swam at a fast speed to Ricky, and when he got nearer and nearer, Ricky saw that his mouth had curled into a sneer. It was an ugly sneer full of contempt.


    "Boom!" The scornful smile on Jerry''s face froze when Ricky suddenly disappeared. The next thing he knew, Ricky had shot out of the water, covered in a purple light strong enough to shine through the black lake.


    Jerry followed him up. The moment he emerged, he discovered that the whole place was shaking. He turned his head just in time to see a fist shining with a blinding purple light coming right at him.


    "It''s impolite not to return your kindness. An eye for an eye and a fist for a fist!" Ricky roared with glee.


    In his astonishment, Jerry too had raised his arm to fend off the angry fist. Immediately he was forced into a defensive fetal position.


    "Bang!" The attack produced a loud thud this time, and Jerry was knocked back by the strong energy. Managing to maintain his balance, he didn''t fall into the lake, instead he had skidded over the surface for a long distance.


    "This is impossible!" Jerry exclaimed. For the first time, the confident light had disappeared completely from his eyes. He felt Ricky''s forceful strength through his arms and his face grew somber like never before.

 Chapter 309 Saw Shadowy Replication Again

    As far as people concerned, Ricky was indeed a talent. But even so, he shouldn''t have been so strong and formidable! Since when had he been able to wield such terrifying strength?


    At that moment, Jerry understood why Ricky had been calm and unflappable since the very beginning. Nobody with such strength and power would feel panicked in this situation!


    "Jerry, leave the Celestial Flower here and tell me all that you know. I promise that I will spare your life if you do so," Ricky said calmly, standing tall.


    "Ha-ha!" Jerry gave a loud and sarcastic laugh in response to this demand.


    "Russell, I have to admit that your strength is really impressive. But you''d be a fool to think that you can take the Celestial Flower by force. So naive you are!"


    "Huh? Do you really think that? Your strength and fighting skills are inferior to mine. Now you''re telling me that I''m naive?" Ricky answered incredulously.


    "That''s because I just used 70% of my strength," said Jerry, his face growing serious.


    "You''re really arrogant. Now try again and don''t let me down this time," Ricky retorted immediately.


    "Nobody''s half as humble as I am. But I''m still confident about my strength and powers!" Having said this, Jerry launched another attack.


    Driven by the power of wind, Jerry''s speed was nearly that of a warrior at the eighth grade of Bone Refinement. Countless sharp and tiny wind blades appeared and wrapped themselves around him, as if he wore a robe made of wind.


    "Fist of Wind Blade!"


    Jerry''s strength erupted. With the speed of light, Jerry punched a dozen times, all of his strikes carrying volatile wind blades. Ricky could feel the attacks from all directions.


    However, he didn''t seem to be awed or frightened. He didn''t even assume a defensive stance! Instead, he applied all his power and strength on his physical body, used the Seventh Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula to the full, and rushed right at Jerry.


    "Go to hell!" Jerry yelled at the sight of Ricky rushing towards him.


    He knew Ricky was a body-refining warrior. Even so, how could a physic


    irit fused together. One could imagine that his next attack would be the most formidable and deadliest.


    "It doesn''t feel right! It''s totally wrong!" A suspicious voice chimed inside Ricky''s head. He stared at Jerry and asked pointedly, "It doesn''t make sense that you''re the son of the Aeolus Palace''s owner but he doesn''t know you''re an assassin from the Endless Shadow.


    I was once told that members of the Endless Shadow had no family. So, this must mean that your father''s also an assassin. Even more, the Aeolus Palace''s actually controlled by the Endless Shadow," Ricky added.


    After Ricky finished his reasoning, Jerry clapped his hand and shouted, "Bravo, impressive.


    Ricky, you''re really smart. Unfortunately, I hate guys who are smarter than me. I once swore to God that If I met someone like that, I''d have to kill them. God knows that I always make good my promises.


    I must admit that you are a threat to me and my family. I can''t let you live another day," said Jerry in anger and out of jealousy.


    He then briskly launched another attack.


    He rushed towards Ricky, carrying the dark spiritual energy. Suddenly, it looked like he had a clone running beside him.


    "Shadow Replication!" Seeing this, Ricky couldn''t help but shout hoarsely. He had recognized what skill Jerry was applying.


    In a flash, Ricky''s purple body had been wrapped completely by devouring runes.

 Chapter 310 Snatching

    "Shadowy Fatal Light! Attack!"


    As a roar arose, the replications of Jerry suddenly jumped high into the air. He turned his pitch-black spiritual energy into two beams of bright light and rushed at Ricky.


    He even used the wind blade. Two beams of Shadowy Fatal Light were more destructive with the intense wind blade as part of the attack.


    Jerry spared no efforts in his attack on Ricky. That was one of Jerry''s most powerful moves. He faced the danger of death when he used it. However. Jerry exerted strength that was almost at the same level as that of warriors at the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    Unfortunately, Ricky had seen that powerful move before when he fought against Thomas. When he had fought Thomas, Ricky had realized that the Devouring Storm was the way to defeat the Shadowy Fatal Light. He was able to resist it without any effort.


    It was the first time he had seen the wind blade though. But it was nothing to Ricky who had the Seventh Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    "Devouring Storm,"


    Ricky shouted as he activated a cone-shape hurricane of devouring runes at that moment. Then, he rushed at Jerry with the endless devouring power he possessed.


    Boom! The rumble of wind rolled across the dark sky when the two fierce forces collided with each other. It didn''t produce the explosion of air that Jerry had expected though.


    Jerry felt confused because the Shadowy Fatal Light disappeared when it collided with the Devouring Storm. Only Ricky knew that the Shadowy Fatal Light was absorbed by the Devouring Storm and eliminated by the Devourer Zone.


    Ricky also realized that the two beams of Shadowy Fatal Light were produced by the replications of Jerry and that Jerry hadn''t attacked Ricky himself. That was because the Shadowy Fatal Light that Jerry used couldn''t go into the Devourer Zone through the Devouring Storm.


    Ricky wanted to find where Jerry hid, so he once again activated more the devouring runes.


    Ricky knew that Jerry hid by using his spiritual weapon. It was hard for Ricky to see him because of that. He was an assassin, so he was going to try to kill Ricky secretly with a critical move.


    At that point, Ricky unleashed the forces of two zones and it was not long before they reached their peaks. Ri


    scream of pain and frustration!


    Slowly, with the disappearance of the strong vibrations and the waves of air, two figures came back down from the sky. One of the figures was Ricky. Ricky looked like a drowned rat as he descended, but he wasn''t badly injured.


    Jerry, however, was dead. His corpse was what came down from the sky with Ricky.


    If Ricky hadn''t stopped the attack in time, Jerry would have turned into the dust. His corpse could have been completely destroyed if Ricky wasn''t careful.


    Ricky took out Jerry''s storage bag and made sure that the Celestial Flower was in the storage bag. Then, he put it into his Chaotic Fire Zone for safe-keeping.


    In the storage bag, Ricky also found a black glass ball with a crack on it. He thought that maybe it was a spiritual weapon that had something to do with the innate force Jerry had used.


    ''I think this black glass ball will help me in the future. I had better find out how to use it, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    He didn''t have time to think too much; he had to leave the area as soon as he could.


    Then, Ricky threw Jerry''s corpse into the black lake because it was useless to Ricky and he had no respect for Jerry.


    "I truly didn''t know before we fought that the Aeolus Palace wanted to ambush and kill me and snatch my spiritual weapons. You still underestimated me in that fight. As a consequence, you have only yourself to blame for your death,"


    Ricky said calmly as he threw Jerry''s corpse into the water.


    Next, Ricky left in a hurry.

 Chapter 311 The Guess About the Endless Shadow

    Jerry shouted in anger as he fought Ricky in a neck to neck combat. And his loud shriek and vengeful tone caught the attention of the warriors of the Aeolus Palace. Numerous warriors hurriedly located the source of the sound, but when they arrived in the battlefield, it was too late as Ricky was just about to leave. But of course, the warriors put up a fight to capture Ricky to take revenge on what he did to Jerry. Ricky stood his ground unthreatened. After all, none of the warriors were at the eighth or ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    It was a piece of cake for Ricky. He took all of them down in just an hour. After shutting down the warriors who came after him, he calmly went to his next location where Tyson and Soar should be waiting for him.


    They had chosen a remote and small secret valley on the map as their meeting place so that no one could track them easily. It was their checkpoint--they must finish their current task and meet there so that they could check if everyone was okay. And after that could they only move on to their next mission.


    After dashing at full speed for almost half a day, Ricky had finally reached his destination where Tyson had been patiently waiting for him.


    Tyson, on the other hand, was already at the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement so it was a breeze for him to get away from the warriors of the Aeolus Palace.


    His eyes were groggy as he awaited the arrival of his other teammates. Then, he heard footsteps approaching him. His eyes sparkled at the sight of Ricky. "Hey Russell! Thank god you''re finally here. I''ve been waiting for so long! I was about to panic because I haven''t heard anything from you guys yet and I was worried. We can wait for a couple more minutes. Soar is not here yet. We can wait." Tyson was such a worry wart when it came to his two other friends. He always assumed that something bad happened to them along the way. Ricky''s presence took some stress off his shoulders for he was now safe and sound.


    "Sure thing, buddy! So, look. I''ve already got the flower, though the progress was not that easy," Ricky replied with a little curve on his lip.


    "That''s great! How I wish Soar is telling the truth. I hope this flower won''t disappoint us," Tyson sighed in relief. "Soar must be on his way, too. He''ll be here any minute. Give it maybe a few more minutes."


    "Yeah, sure we can. We still have time." Ricky nodded as a sign of approval. The thing was, he knew that Soar could handle any obstacle on his own. That being said, he did not worry too much about his beast.


    Ricky opened his storage bag and took out a black ball that had the texture of grass. He held it in his hand and showed it to Tyson and asked, "Hey, do you have any idea what this is? Have you ever seen something like this in your entire life?"


    Tyson held out his hand and took the ball from Ricky. He looked at it and observed if he had seen it before. His eyebrows almost met as he racked his brain for any information regarding the black ball. After a few more looks, his brain lit up. "I got it. I think this must be a Special Fusion Orb at the Demi-spirit Level. If my memory serves me right, this one is rare, and the Sky Manor seems to have two of this kind of orb."


    "Say what? Special Fusion Orb at the Demi-spirit Level? Tell me more; I bet this is going to be interesting!" Ricky whispered in delight.


    "As far as I know, despite that this sphere is only at the Demi-spirit Level, only a casting master of Demi-spirit Level and innate spiritual king has the capacity to forge a Special Fusion Orb," Tyson explained, with his brain at a high speed as he was forced to recall everything that he knew about the orb.


    "This orb has a special function though, as the name suggests. It can contain the special power of the innate spiritual king. Therefore, it must be cast by the innate power. Only the innate power can integrate the special power of the innate spiritual king into the orb.


    Take this for example, if an innate spiritual king is concentrated on practicing and cu


    from the Shadow King the first time around.


    "God, yes! Now I remember! How could I forget the fact that you killed Jerry from the Aeolus Palace! I was so naive to suggest that we stay away from the Endless Shadow! Well, there''s nothing left to do but face this head on!" Tyson was everything but a coward. Everyone knew that when the time came for war, he would definitely take the front row.


    "Don''t you worry too much. I can assure you that the Aeolus Palace is no match for us in this world. I didn''t do anything to the Aeolus Palace just because I prefer to keep Soar and his power a secret. Well, for now, at least. Otherwise, their chief would have already been gone by now," Ricky appeased Tyson to ease his mind even for just a bit.


    "Your words have magic, huh. I feel better now. Thanks, Russell. Don''t go breaking my trust, okay? You''ll keep me alive, won''t you? Ha-ha," Tyson said and laughed out loud as he approached Ricky and put his arm over his shoulder.


    "Oh man! Seriously? For your information, I don''t like boys! Take your hands off me!" Ricky curled his lips and said in a seemingly annoyed tone.


    "Ha-ha!" They shared the laugh happily.


    ...


    "So, one more question, Russell. Now that the chief of the Aeolus Palace knows everything, why don''t we just send Soar to capture him? I mean we could just ask him face to face. What do you think?" Tyson asked again hoping that Ricky would somehow agree with his suggestion.


    "Ha ha ha! You know me well. Just trust me. I''ve already told Soar to do that. Don''t worry; we will have answers soon. But for now, I''m kind of worried that we''ll have a hard time extracting information from him. His lips are kinds shut tight right now," Ricky replied as he thought of the uncertainty of the plan.


    "I guess that won''t be too much of a problem. I''ve got a thousand methods to make him beg for death should he refuse to talk, even though he is a demi-immortal warrior," Tyson exclaimed with the abundance of confidence and excitement in his eyes.


    "Well, well, well. Okay then, I''ll hand this task over to you. Surprise me, man!" Ricky laughed. "You bet! Don''t you know that I am an expert at digging out secrets? I won''t make a fool out of you." Tyson shared his delight.


    They shared the rest of the day. They laughed, talked, and planned out how the mission was supposed to go while they waited for Soar to arrive. They could fill him in easily with the details of the next mission. What was important was that Soar arrived as soon as possible. But after a while, they noticed something really strange--there was still no trace of Soar. The two men were starting to worry for this was very anomalous behavior for Soar.

 Chapter 312 Cultivation

    "What''s wrong with Soar? He has been away for a long time. Why hasn''t he come back yet?" Tyson said, sounding a little worried.


    "Is it possible that he encountered something unexpected?" Ricky also asked anxiously.


    No matter how powerful the chief of the Aeolus Palace and the guardian devil beast was, they were still no match for Soar. He had no reason to be gone for such a long time.


    "Russell, what do you know about the level of strength Soar has?" Tyson asked in doubt.


    "His power is definitely at the lower spiritual king level. That is what makes me anxious though. I''m afraid that he encountered the devil king beast in this world that is at the spiritual king level. He wouldn''t be gone for such a long time otherwise," Ricky said.


    "I don''t think so. This world is full of the evil spirits, but they''re only dangerous for newcomers like us. For devil beasts who have always been living here, the evil spirits are actually too weak for them to cultivate to the realm of an innate devil spiritual beast," Tyson said.


    "Both ferocious beasts and the devil beasts can cultivate via devouring blood and flesh. Even if the evil spirits here are not strong enough for devil beasts to break through and become devil spiritual beasts, they can still achieve their goal through devouring other creatures," Ricky said in a low tone.


    "Then, what should we do? Should we go out and look for Soar?" Tyson asked. "If it really is a devil spiritual beast that Soar has run into, I think the innate spiritual balls we have should still be effective against it."


    "Let''s wait another day before we do anything. If Soar doesn''t show up by tomorrow, we will go out and look for him," Ricky said.


    At this point, Ricky could do nothing but try to believe in Soar. As a Great Dragon, his strength was unfathomable after all. What''s more, it would not be easy for Ricky and Tyson to find Soar. As soon as Ricky left the Dark Fog Woods, he could no longer feel any trace of Soar at all. Even his Chaotic Fire Zone could not feel the Heaven Melting Fire that Soar usually released.


    That meant that Soar had to be far away from the Dark Fog Woods.


    "All right. That''s all that we can do currently," Tyson said.


    Then they sat down in the valley in silence and waited for the next day to come. They were obviously not as calm as they pretended to be on the outside and were very worried about Soar.


    ...


    The day passed quickly as they sat quietly in a state of anxiety.


    Soar still ha


    Melting Fire for himself. He had used up most of his Heaven Melting Fire during the fight with the innate spiritual king.


    Sure enough, even if Soar didn''t do anything, his body would still recover automatically. That would take a long time and Soar couldn''t wait that long though.


    ...


    Inside the cave, Ricky took out everything he had prepared for his breakthrough, including the drop of blood essence of the Holy Panther, half of the devil essence, and two petals of the Celestial Flower.


    "I am really looking forward to reaching the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement and the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula!" Ricky murmured to himself.


    After the battles with the Devil Leopard and Jerry, Ricky was sure that his fighting power had reached the peak of the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement. The improvement of his fighting power had reached a stage of bottleneck, so he had to improve his realm in order to overcome the bottleneck effect.


    He had had everything well prepared before then.


    Then, Ricky spent some time resting and adjusting things. He didn''t fully devote himself to cultivation until he had adjusted himself to be in the best state for it.


    Next, Ricky planned to cultivate and break through his realm first. If his realm could be broken through to a higher level, it would help him with the breakthrough of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    The next thing Ricky did was to swallow a drop of the blood essence of the Holy Panther without hesitation.


    Then, he activated his two Supreme Skills to refine the blood essence.


    Ricky did somewhat undervalue the power of the holy beast''s blood essence.

 Chapter 313 Massacring Zone

    Hoo!


    Once Ricky used the two Supreme Skills in reinforcing the blood essence, a fierce roar resounded through his entire body. What seemed to be a holy panther rushed out from the blood essence.


    The holy panther was about to tear everything apart. It seemed as if it was even going to tear Ricky''s body into pieces from the inside out.


    "The blood essence of holy beasts is truly powerful!" Surprised by the power he acquired from the blood essence, Ricky said out of the corner of his mouth.


    Without any hesitation, Ricky used the Seventh Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula at once. He did not want to be torn into pieces by just a drop of blood essence.


    At the same time, Ricky began to use two kinds of runic power to try and repress the power of the blood essence of the holy beast. After that, he was able to control the blood essence of the holy beast. Ricky was then able to start refining this power.


    Ricky was extremely cautious in the process of refining the violent blood essence. He used the chaotic fire runes to repress the blood essence as hard as he could, and then absorbed the energy from the blood essence little by little using the devouring runes. After that, he directed the energy to flow through his muscles and bones.


    At this moment, Ricky constrained himself from breaking into a higher realm. He intended to keep the energy at first. When the energy flowing through his body increased to a certain amount, he could release the energy and make a breakthrough to a higher realm with a single blow.


    So, he kept constraining himself. After a whole day, the energy in Ricky''s body reached its peak. At this point, Ricky no longer constrained himself at all.


    Boom!


    Immediately, all the energy channeled like numerous arrows that were rushing to the hindrance of the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement Realm. Everything went as planned. With the sound of ruptures in his body, Ricky broke into the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement Realm in an instant.


    There was a possibility that Ricky was the first one to ever make a breakthrough through such a way.


    Because when Ricky was still at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement Realm, he was the only one who got the body that the warriors at the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement Realm would have. Since he had such strong body, he was able to bear the severe energy impact even if only for a while.


    If other warriors at the fourth grade of Bone Reinfo


    o wonder the physical power of the Ninth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula can compare to that of the innate spiritual King," Ricky said out of surprise, feeling the great power flowing through his body.


    He was confident that he could have a good shot at escaping once he met the warrior in the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    "So next, I need to find out what the Aeolus Palace and the Endless Shadow are planning to do," Ricky said coldly, his eyes glaring with confidence. Then he stood up and walked out.


    Woo! At this point, the regained spiritual meridian started to resonate in Ricky''s brain. He felt that something was changing in the third segment of the regained spiritual meridian.


    The third segment that was originally dim began to shine with golden light, and the light grew stronger and stronger as time passed by.


    ''Is this the third zone and the third Supreme Skill?'' With this feeling, Ricky thought in his heart with excitement.


    Next moment, the golden light smothered all of his senses.


    When he got his senses back, he was already in the golden zone. Like the Devourer Zone and the Chaotic Fire Zone, this zone was extremely spacious.


    In the golden zone, the pungent scent of massacre was everywhere.


    Ricky felt the sense of killing in the golden zone. But the kind of killing that was for justice and protection. It was bright, not like the dark senseless killing.


    At the same time, the golden fire rose in the golden zone; there you would be able to find some golden runes.


    After that, a strong sense came to Ricky.


    The words emerged in front of him---- Massacring Zone.

 Chapter 314 The Changing of Situation

    "The Massacring Zone! Is the third zone called the Massacring Zone?" Ricky muttered. "It seems that this zone represents massacre, no wonder I sense a strong smell of killing in this zone."


    Then, the message of the golden flame entered Ricky''s mind.


    The golden flame is the peculiar fire surrounding the Massacring Zone. It was called the Massacring Fire which was the most original force of killing in the world and had evolved over endless time. It was said to be the purest fusion of killing and massacre.


    "This Massacring Fire seems very similar to the Heaven Slaughtering Fire." Knowing everything about the Massacring Fire, Ricky murmured to himself.


    Afterwards, Ricky felt that the golden runes in the Massacring Zone went into his body and fused with his body just like the devouring rune and the chaotic fire rune did.


    Meanwhile, Ricky acquired another set of Supreme Skills--the cultivation method of Massacring Skill from these golden runes namely the massacring rune.


    The Massacring Skill, like the Devouring Skill and the Chaotic Fire Skill, contained all kinds of casting skills and methods of martial arts cultivation, but the quintessence was the way of massacring.


    There were many possible reasons for killing and massacre.


    However, what was the real reason behind killing and massacre? And what was the real supreme enlightenment one got from killing and massacre? The Massacring Skill showed the most correct answer, massacre for protection and justice was the supreme enlightenment of massacre anywhere in the world.


    Whether it was killing for guarding a family or guarding a country, they were all the supreme enlightenment of massacre.


    "Justice! Protection! Is this the most appropriate reason for killing and massacre?" Ricky deeply thought about it.


    According to the Massacring Skill, the final justice belonged to this world and the final protection was to protect this world. But what Ricky want was the justice and protection for the people around him. How could he ensure everyone''s safety and justice knowing that there were countless people in the world?


    In other words, the world seemed so big that many things seemed disconnected to him.


    "Why should I care? I just need to cultivate the Massacring Skill to further enhance my strength." Ricky considered the next moment.


    Then Rick


    But I heard that those innate spiritual kings are pressuring the owner of the Dahlia Palace to hand her over to them."


    "Is that so? They seem very anxious for being unable to find us," Ricky said.


    "After all, it is the Treasures from Heaven and Earth at intermediate King Level. Both the middle spiritual king and the upper spiritual king wouldn''t be able to resist its temptation." Soar agreed.


    "What should we do now? Although this cultivation makes us significantly stronger, there is no doubt that we are throwing straws against the wind if we decide to fight against the two lower spiritual kings recklessly," Tyson questioned.


    "No matter what, our priority should be picking Kristen up from the Dahlia Palace," Ricky replied firmly.


    Ricky had made a decision. He was ready to expose some of his secrets to Tyson and Kristen, because he had no plans on losing his two true friends.


    Kristen was safe in the Dahlia Palace, but he did not want Tina to be put under too much pressure for his sake.


    "Alright, we should pick up Kristen then the three of us can get together. Even if we die, we would die together," Tyson said firmly. Tyson couldn''t place much trust in the Dahlia Palace.


    Tyson assumed that the Dahlia Palace would protect Kristen and others, just because they knew Ricky. Once the innate spiritual king put too much pressure on the Dahlia Palace, they might give in and stop protecting them anymore.


    "Stop saying that, Tyson. We don''t get Kristen out just then we could die together, okay?" Ricky answered.


    "Ha-ha~"

 Chapter 315 Meeting Tina

    After making up his mind, Ricky started off to find Tina according to the location that Tyson had told him. He decided to go on his own, while Tyson and Soar stayed in the valley to wait.


    Though he was aware of his friend''s strength, Tyson was still a bit worried about Ricky''s safety. But Ricky was determined to carry on the plan and he was not a man who would easily change his mind. Convinced by Ricky''s confidence, Tyson nodded his head and agreed to his decision. Even if Tyson himself hadn''t noticed it, it was obvious that he would always trust Ricky unconditionally. If Ricky said he could do something, Tyson would believe in him no matter what. Whatever Ricky did, he always had Tyson''s full support.


    And Ricky had never let him down. .


    The members of the Dahlia Palace settled down on a deserted plain where the evil spirit was relatively less powerful. They built cottages with thatch, bamboo poles and stones. They decided to stay here until the opportunity to become an innate spiritual king showed itself.


    However, they were not as unperturbed as before, because they had been informed that an innate spiritual king had appeared in the strange world, who had assembled the other forces to his feet in only a few days.


    Though they heard that the innate spiritual king had warned his subordinates not to touch the Dahlia Palace, they still couldn''t make sure how much of it was true.


    What was worse, in such dangerous conditions, their leaders had lent her hand to the man who the innate spiritual king was hunting and this made them even more anxious.


    The members of the Dahlia Palace were too busy worrying about the future. They didn''t notice that someone had landed on the plain without a sound. It was none other than Ricky, who had come out of the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    Ricky didn''t want to disturb the girls, so he hid himself immediately. He didn''t conceal all his traces. Instead, using the forces of the three spaces, he easily controlled his power so that only demi-immortals would be able to feel his presence.


    Ricky found a quiet place to sit down and have a breather. Shortly after, Tina appeared in front of his eyes.


    "Hey, Tina! I haven''t seen you in a while. You''re now even prettier since I last saw you." Ricky stood up and greeted her with a smile.


    "Ricky? What are you doing here? Aren''t you aware that you are in grave danger? You are wanted by so many warriors! How dare you come here all by yourself?" Tina ignored his


    changed them instead. So we thought it was someone else we didn''t know who took the Bronze Key," Tina said.


    "Actually, you were right, Tina. I wasn''t the only one hiding in the shadows. There was someone else who wanted the Bronze Key and tried to take it. But he didn''t expect me to be right there waiting for him," Ricky explained in a serious tone.


    "Are you serious? I didn''t know that. It isn''t something I expected." Tina furrowed her eyebrows.


    Then, Ricky began to tell Tina everything he knew. .


    "Ricky, are you telling me that it was the Endless Shadow, the organization of murderers, who was plotting behind the scenes?" Tina said incredulously as her eyes widened in disbelief.


    "Yes. And the Aeolus Palace is a secret force being controlled by the Endless Shadow.


    I''m certain about that," Ricky said with a nod. "That''s why I''m asking you to tell me the origin and function of the Bronze Key, so we can speculate about the true intentions of the Endless Shadow."


    "I''m sorry, Ricky. I really want to help you but I''m afraid I can''t. All I know is that the Bronze Key is an essential factor in achieving the opportunity to become an innate spiritual king and it was hidden in the body of the Skeleton Dragon in the Chaotic Mountains," Tina said, lowering her eyes.


    "You know me. I was never interested in that opportunity. I joined them only because I was bored and wanted to have some fun. I just wanted to do something with my time. I didn''t think about it that much."


    "Yes, I know that. It''s okay; don''t worry about it. But do you know who was it that spread the rumors in the first place?" Ricky asked eagerly.

 Chapter 316 Rickys Secret Zone

    "I''m sorry, Ricky, but I''m afraid I''ll disappoint you in this respect. The truth is that I didn''t know much about the origin of the rumor. I came to the Chaotic Region with Doris ten years ago and she helped me to establish the Dahlia Palace in order to cover my true identity. Ever since, I''ve heard about the rare opportunity of becoming an innate spiritual king.


    Also, I''ve heard the rumor that a Bronze Key is hidden inside the body of the Skeleton Dragon, and that it has something to do with the chance. But I didn''t know about the blood essence of the dragon until we hunted it down," Tina admitted.


    "So, I have no idea who started the rumor either." She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.


    "Don''t feel the need to apologize Tina. I''m not like that. So, it seems that the Endless Shadow has all the crucial information," Ricky commented as he blinked his eyes.


    "Oh, they are dangerous. Always keep that in mind, Tina. Although you have Doris, you ought to be more careful. We have no clue what they''re about to do next at all," he warned in a serious tone.


    "Yes, Ricky! I''ll keep myself safe, I promise. I''m quite confident about my capacity to do this," Tina giggled, a smile resting on her lips.


    "Oh, there''s another thing I''d like to warn you about. The Endless Shadow, their existence is not contained in the Realm of Wildness, but they are spread all over the Misty South. They show up and disappear quietly, watching each one of their targets secretly. I would say they are actually the most powerful and dangerous force in this continent."


    "What? They are spread all over the Misty South!?" Ricky exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes wide as saucers. Tina''s information surprised him to the core.


    This shocked news haunted him for quite a few moments.


    "Don''t you worry too much, my friend. With Doris beside us, those shadows can''t hurt you so easily," Tina comforted with a giggle. His shocked expression kind of amused her.


    She knew Ricky had been identified as a key target by the Endless Shadow.


    "Well, I''m not being frightened. I just didn''t know that they were so powerful and had so many connections," Ricky replied, his tone still revealing his stunned state. He was trying hard to digest this news.


    Despite his claim of not being frightened, he cursed secretly in his mind. ''What the hell?! I even told Tyson that we were going to take the Endless Shadow down! Oh, goodness! Maybe in our dreams! The most powerful organization here! I have to admit that I''m not that fearless now.'' He hid these thoughts from Tina.


    "All right! We can''t just talk here endlessly. That''s enough for today. Stay here and I''ll bring Kristen soon," Tina suggested.


    She wished she could spend more time talking to him. She hated to just let him go so soon. However, she knew she couldn''t do that. The longer he stayed here, the more easily he might be discovered.


    "Yes, sure. Thank you," Ricky replied and watched her leave the room.


    A few moments later, Tina brought Kristen in. Ricky''s eyes lit up at the sight of Kristen. Tina noticed this and felt a twinge of sadness in her heart. She tried hard to suppress her frustration and offered to walk them out. It could be said that she was being nice in offering to do this, but truth be told, it was so that she could spend more time with Ricky. Tina took the lead and escorted Ricky and Kristen out. A few minutes later, Tina stopped and said, "I''ll turn back


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    his surprised eyes. She just shook her head, indicating that she was at a loss and had no idea what happened and where they were either.


    ...


    Outside the Chaotic Fire Zone, a stir rose among the warriors. "They are gone! They disappeared! Are they ghosts? I can''t believe my eyes!" someone exclaimed. It was just too shocking to digest what just happened. The beast and the man riding it just disappeared into nowhere!? How incredible! Where could they go? How did they do that? Questions flooded their minds, but they could not find an answer. They turned their eyes to the innate spiritual king, desperate for answers.


    As a matter of fact, he had no clue either!


    But as an innate spiritual king, he had a lifetime of vast experience and knew more than those ordinary men. Immediately, he thought of the spiritual space tool. There was no way a person could disappear like that without a spiritual space tool. Thinking about this, he grew angrier as his eyes darkened. ''Damn it! No other innate spiritual king is here except me! Who could have such ability to do that? Ricky?'' he cursed resentfully in his mind.


    "Ricky, Russell, Ricky...is he?!" As he muttered the names, he seemed to come to an epiphany!


    Immediately, he exerted all his strength and sent it to the surroundings, trying to detect Ricky''s breath or smell. However, even an innate spiritual king was not powerful enough to feel the existence of the Chaotic Fire Zone. He was doomed to fail.


    "Damn it! Damn it!" Feeling nothing but empty air, the innate spiritual king cursed in rage. He bellowed in pure anger and blasted his powerful innate strength. It was so overwhelming that even the six chiefs were unable to resist it. They all stepped back quickly to keep themselves safe from his raging aura.


    "Ha-ha! Don''t be in such a rush to find me! We will meet someday sooner or later. You will meet your miserable fate, you old pathetic man!" Ricky''s voice echoed in the air as he laughed.


    "Bang!" The innate spiritual king immediately flung his most powerful attack at the direction of the voice. The other warriors covered their ears and eyes, protecting themselves against the strong airflow stirred by the attack. However, nothing happened at all. The only thing they heard was the rustling of trees in the wind.

 Chapter 317 Open Hearts to Each Other

    Luckily, when the innate spiritual king launched the attack, Ricky had already urged the Chaotic Fire Zone and escaped that valley. The innate spiritual king was left furious as he didn''t catch Ricky.


    At this moment, Kristen and Tyson both came back from the shock and turned their eyes to Ricky, knowing that Ricky would explain to them. They were gasping their breaths but were eager to hear Ricky''s explanations. Heaving a deep sigh, Ricky met their gaze with confusion in their eyes.


    "Kristen, Tyson, I know how confused you are right now. But first, let me introduce myself again before I explain this zone and everything that happened." Gazing at the two, Ricky smiled and immediately took the mask away, revealing his real face. The moment Kristen and Tyson saw his face, a flustered and shocked look unveiled from their faces.


    This was the decision Ricky made, exposing the Chaotic Fire Zone and facing Kristen and Tyson in his true identity. It might seem a rushed thing to do, but he had to reveal himself for another significant purpose.


    In addition, Kristen and Tyson had proven their worth to Ricky, so he didn''t find any reason to not trust them. In his heart, he had known what kind of persons Kristen and Tyson were.


    If neither of them was sincere, it could only be that either they were really good at pretending, or Ricky was a super idiot. It would have been foreseen by Ricky a long time ago already if they were frauds.


    "You... You are..." Tyson jabbered and could not believe the instant change from a familiar face to a strange one. Now, his mind became even more chaotic than earlier because of what he was witnessing.


    "Tyson, he is Ricky. Ricky from the Snow Sect who goes against the Realm of Wildness," Kristen said, which was supposed to come from Ricky himself. To Ricky''s and Soar''s surprise, Kristen was not shocked but calmly told the truth to Tyson, who was currently lost in bafflement.


    "Ricky? How is this possible? It''s too surreal! Are you really him?" Tyson said with a serious tone.


    "Kristen, you seem to have known my identity for a long while. How and since when did you know about it?" Slightly shocked, Ricky smiled and asked Kristen.


    "Well, it wasn''t obvious at first. But when you said you could cast, I began to suspect it, considering that your ability can challenge above your level. So after you cast two weapons, I saw your excellent Pounding Skill, I could 50% confirm your identity," Kristen started explaining calmly.


    "Until there was a time where I had the opportunity to confirm my suspicions. When you used your weapon casting skills to conquer Trent, I''ve had completely identify you," Kristen finished.


    "It seems that I''m not careful enough. What a pity," Ricky said to Kristen flatly, feeling quite disappointed.


    However, he was relieved at the same time because it was Kristen who found out. Since this moment, Ricky had more trust in Kristen, because she did not say anything to anyone after she confirmed his identity, which was the strong evidence that Kristen really treated him as a friend. It was lucky for him to find this kind of person who understood that what he had back then was necessary to be hidden.


    "Yes, you are. You''ve let your guard down," Kristen nodded in a poker face.


    "Fortunately, it''s you who found out about it. Or was it re


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ith that perception? You are wrong. This zone is inside me. I call it the Chaotic Fire Zone," Ricky said, with excitement in his voice because now, he could finally tell them what his real skills were.


    "What? It is inside you? How did that happen?" the two exclaimed again with synchronized minds. They were surprised again, but not that much because they were starting to adjust with Ricky''s constant revelation.


    With more puzzle emanating from their eyes, they indeed could not understand how it had happened. They were so lost that they didn''t know what to respond.


    "You can put it this way. Basically, I got the zone in one of my adventures and it went into my body, just like the spiritual space tool where I can get in and off as I want. But the only difference is that this zone is way stronger than the spiritual space tool," Ricky tried explaining in the most basic way, but how were the judges? Have they understood it already?


    "Although I still don''t understand it, we shouldn''t think about it. We just need to know that you have such a safe zone in your body. That''s it," Kristine responded as she cooled down. To her, there was no point of dwelling on others'' life.


    "Ha-ha. Exactly. We will turn to you when we are in danger!" Tyson joked. "But you can''t turn us down at that time," he added seriously.


    "Aha, no problem. You have my word. Whenever it may be. You can stay as long as you want," Ricky replied jovially, making the other two smile in relief.


    ......


    Afterward, they gradually calmed down and thought about what to do later. The innate spiritual king was still out there, waiting for them. The fight had yet to end.


    "Ricky, aren''t we going to stay in your zone like this later? It''s a good defense if we hid like this," Tyson wondered, "But in that case, when the opportunity to become an innate spiritual king appears, I am afraid there will be nothing we can do."


    "Of course not. We must fight the innate spiritual king. It is for our own selves. If we defeat that, we will be stronger. We must improve our power so that we can compete with others." Ricky continued and this time, he became more serious, "So we are going to Devil Beast Valley to cultivate ourselves."

 Chapter 318 The Devil Beast Valley

    "The Devil Beast Valley? Are you sure?" Kristen asked doubtfully after hearing Ricky''s suggestion.


    Kristen was not alone in her doubt. Tyson was likewise a bit skeptical and wanted to ask the same question. Both of them had no idea why Ricky chose to go to the Devil Beast Valley, because they couldn''t be more aware that after entering the extremely dangerous Valley, even a warrior at the realm of demi-immortal would have a slim chance of surviving.


    "Kristen, we haven''t been to the Devil Beast Valley yet. It''s a dangerous place marked on the map from the Aeolus Palace and might also the most dangerous place in this battlefield world. That leads me to think that it will have the most precious treasures waiting for us," Ricky explained slowly.


    Then he took out the map and showed its location to Kristen and Tyson. Meanwhile, he told them his speculation that the Endless Shadow and the Aeolus Palace would have no interest in hunting them in such a dangerous valley.


    "The Endless Shadow and Aeolus Palace are horrible, indeed!" Kristen exclaimed, agreeing wholeheartedly with Ricky''s opinion on their foes. ''''In that case, this Devil Beast Valley is actually now the safest place for us."


    "Yes, the Devil Beast Valley is a gathering place of devil beasts on this battlefield, and quite a number of them have reached the realm of demi-immortal, and even devil spiritual beasts could be hidden in the depths of the Valley," Ricky said excitedly.


    "As warriors from the outside world, we have a very slim chance of survival after we walk into a dangerous place like this. Fortunately, we have a safe shelter place¡ªthe Chaotic Fire Zone. We can hide in there at any time we are in danger."


    "Wow, that''s right! I can''t believe I forgot about it," Tyson said abruptly, pumping his fist with excitement. "With your special Zone, we can stay in the Devil Beast Valley as long as we want!


    We can also hone our martial arts skills by constantly fighting with the devil beasts!"


    "Tyson, fighting against the devil beasts is indeed a means of improving our realm and our fighting power, but it''s not the most efficient method we have at our disposal," Ricky said and laughed mysteriously.


    "Oh? Are you trying to tell us that you have clues about other opportunities hidden in this Devil Beast Valley?" Tyson asked, puzzled. Kristen too stared at Ricky, her brow furrowed.


    "Ha-ha, I''d rather tell you later. After we hunt a few devil beasts, you''ll find out then," Ricky said, still smiling mysteriously.


    "Oh, my God! Why you have to keep us in such suspense?" Kristen said, pouting her lips.


    "Ha-ha, Tyson, Kristen, don''t worry! What he''s talking about definitely will not let you down," Soar reassured them mysteriously, before he couldn''t contain himself any longer and burst out laughing.


    Then Ricky activated the Chaotic Fire Zone. Along with his two companions and the dragon, Ri


    r, what do you mean by that only one devil beast would be helpful to us?" Tyson asked doubtfully, puzzled by Soar''s words.


    "Tyson, this is the main means of improving our realm and our ability to fight I have mentioned before. Now just watch Soar carefully and you''ll know what I am talking about," Ricky reminded and laughed.


    Of course, Ricky''s mysterious method consisted of hunting many devil beasts and then having Soar extract blood essence of holy beasts and devil essence from their bodies.


    In this Devil Beast Valley, almost all devil beasts were at the high grade of Bone Reinforcement. Among them, there would likely be a large population of beast who had the blood power of the holy beasts. They had just hunted seven devil beasts and were lucky enough to have one among them!


    With this, Soar began to extract the essence from the beast.


    Looking at the extraction process carried out by Soar paired with Ricky''s explanation, Tyson finally understood everything and realized that Soar should not be regarded as a simple ferocious beast as he looked.


    With the temptation of blood essence and devil essence of the devil beasts, Tyson was greatly inspired and worked much harder to hunt the devil beasts. Kristen finally joined in their hunting activities after making a breakthrough in her realm.


    Together, they hunted with increasing speed and efficiency. Only a month later, they had accumulated twenty drops of blood essence of the holy beasts as well as sixteen blocks of devil essence.


    And, unwittingly, as their hunting activities went on, Ricky had reached the peak of the fifth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and Tyson could make a breakthrough and reach the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement at any time. Meanwhile, Kristen completely strengthened her realm at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement. She could vaguely feel that she had reached the intermediate stage of the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement.

 Chapter 319 Enlightening Cliff

    In this state, with both the blood essence of the holy beast and the devil essence, they chose to cultivate again. It might have been a hasty process, but the whole month of hunting practice laid a solid foundation for them.


    The minor imperfections they had after the breakthrough would hardly affect their journey towards innate spiritual realm as long as they tempered themselves more before they broke through into that realm.


    There were twenty drops of holy beast blood essence. Ricky and Tyson both got seven drops, and Kristen got one. Kristen had already reached the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement and so she gave the two men more blood essence to cultivate themselves.


    This time, Soar did not take the holy beast''s blood essence. This was because he had already reached the maximum limit of Great Dragon at the present stage. He could only be more powerful when he reached a new realm.


    Taking more blood essence wouldn''t benefit him at all.


    Meanwhile, of the sixteen balls of devil essence, Ricky got six balls while Tyson and Kristen each got five.


    They continued to cultivate after distributing the balls amongst themselves. Five days later, they woke up one by one. Ricky had successfully had a breakthrough to the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement, Tyson the ninth, and Kristen nearly reached the peak of the ninth grade!


    Upon finishing their cultivation, they fought with devil beasts again, this time mainly fighting to consolidate their current cultivation so that it would be unnecessary to take any more blood and devil essence they''d acquire later on.


    If they were to have a breakthrough again, it would most certainly block their way to becoming innate spirits of martial arts.


    They successfully consolidated their realms after several days of hunting and battling the beasts.


    If not for that innate spiritual king of the Endless Shadow, the power of the three warriors and Soar would have been the strongest in the land!


    Ricky activated the Chaotic Fire Zone in order to leave the Devil Beast Valley. He wanted to get word of what was taking place in the outside world.


    He heard that the members of the Dahlia Palace and other alliance fo


    me," Soar replied. "I am worried about something else. Would you control the Chaotic Fire Zone to the peak of this cliff? Then you''ll understand what I meant."


    Heard Soar''s words, Ricky controlled the Chaotic Fire Zone to the peak without hesitation. Then they saw two dark figures on the cliff.


    One was a thin middle-aged man, and the other was a hefty man. They each occupied half of the cliff''s peak and comprehended the enlightening power quietly. The companions could sense that these two men were emitting special enlightening power of their own spontaneously.


    Their power was fusing with the world rapidly. They were definitely in the realm of innate spirit!


    As they were in the Valley, it was obvious that they were devil king beasts!


    "Oh my! Two devil king beasts!" Tyson said in a low, stunned voice at the sight of the two figures.


    Ricky''s face also grew serious, his blithe confidence melting away.


    If they had been devil beasts at the demi-immortal stage, he would not feel any trepidation. But these were two real devil king beasts. Even with Soar, it was highly unlikely that Ricky and his companions would win.


    "Ricky, although these two lower devil king beasts'' power hasn''t reached the second-class, they are all at the top of third-class. I would possibly be defeated if I fight with them alone," Soar said dejectedly.


    "It seems that we have no choice but to give up," Ricky sighed. He was greatly disappointed.

 Chapter 320 Fighting Against Devil King Beast

    Ricky thought it was a good opportunity. However, he was logically planning his strategy and he thought it best that he gave up at this point.


    "Ricky, I can give it a try," Soar muttered after contemplating some time.


    "The blood power of two devil king beasts are extraordinary, Soar. They can even challenge others that are above their strength. From my Chaotic Fire Zone, I can still sense that they are indeed strong. Don''t do it unless you''re certain. You are doomed to fail," Ricky warned.


    He wasn''t going to let Soar take the risk.


    "I still want to have a try, Ricky. I want to make a bet because the thin middle-aged man won''t fight against us," Soar stated determinedly. There was a firm resolve etched in his eyes.


    "What do you mean?" Ricky muttered. He couldn''t help but be filled with doubt throughout this whole ordeal.


    "Ricky, you will understand after I win the bet. I want to go with you. If I fail, I need your help to put me into the Chaotic Fire Zone," Soar assured.


    "Tell me honestly. Are you sure you can handle it?" Ricky gazed straight into Soar''s eyes. He wanted to make sure Soar was certain of the risks.


    "I am not sure, but half the odds indicate my win," Soar sighed. There was no point beating around the bush with Ricky. It was best for him to answer sincerely because he knew that he cared about him.


    "I will go with you. If anything bad happens, I will take you back without any hesitation. Is that okay?" Ricky said. This was no laughing matter. Soar could be put in serious danger.


    "Don''t worry, Ricky. Everything will go well," Soar vowed. He smiled softly. He was very grateful for Ricky''s concern.


    With that, Ricky activated the Chaotic Fire Zone. They appeared in a place somewhere secret and remote. They prepared to walk out of the Chaotic Fire Zone. Ricky sat on Soar''s back and they flew into the horizon.


    Howl! Howl!


    The devil beasts roared loud as soon as they spotted Soar and Ricky. They were ready to fight against them.


    However, being a dragon himself, Soar was able to fly. The devil beasts of Bone Re


    rcement remained quiet.


    All of them were afraid of Soar.


    "I want to know now whether I deserve to stand on the cliff or not," Soar announced as he looked over those devil beasts.


    Soar, however, was not addressing the beasts beneath him. He was aiming to communicate to the two devil king beasts on the cliff.


    "A little snake that only rely on his blood power dares to barge in our Devil Beast Valley," a huge devil king beast remarked in a strong tone after Soar''s declaration.


    Soar remained unfazed.


    Ricky and Soar felt a gust of evil spirit wind. The devil king beast suddenly appeared in front of them and hit them hard with his fist of evil spirit.


    Unable to block the punch, they both felt like they were hit by mountains.


    ''The Gravitation Enlightenment Power!'' Ricky thought.


    But Soar possessed the same power as the lower spiritual king. He used the Heaven Melting Fire to resist the enlightening power. Then Ricky felt relieved.


    Soar rolled his body, effectively heating himself as scorching as the sun, and collided with the punch.


    Boom!


    The collision between two tremendous forces, fire and evil spirit, filled the whole cliff. Soar and the devil king beast both retreated. Waves of air was felt throughout.


    Soar had protected Ricky in advance. If he didn''t, he would have to go into the Chaotic Fire Zone to avoid the strong collision of air.

 Chapter 321 The Devil King Rhino

    Soar and Ricky skidded backwards for hundreds of miles as a result of the immense air billow. Meanwhile, the devil king beast who transformed into a stout man, got his back crashed mightily against the cliff.


    The devil beasts gazed with terror at the combat. The dozen demi-immortal devil beasts especially came to realize that Soar was simply sparing their lives in the previous fight, reserving more of it to fight against the devil king beast.


    They knew they could not withstand a single attack from Soar now that they witnessed his true power.


    "How could this happen?" The stout man hissed as he jumped into the sky. His giant, pitch-black eyes filled with misdoubt.


    "Pow! Pow!" A loud rattling sound came from the man''s bones. It sounded as though he was about to explode with rage.


    At the sight of the collision, the thin middle-aged man wore a complex expression on his face. Obviously, he was surprised at the scene and baffled at Ricky''s and Soar''s strength. But it was also clear that he was excited about what would happen next.


    "Dear master, what we want to do here on the cliff is to meditate for enlightening. We promise that we will respect the place and do no harm. Would you do us a favor and leave us in peace, please?" Soar said calmly as he stood still.


    Soar glanced at the thin middle-aged man as he spoke.


    "Do you intruders really want to stay peacefully in Devil Beast Valley? That will be impossible! Go to hell!" replied the stout man aggressively, his eyes now bloodshot.


    All of a sudden, the intense evil spirit he had gathered encircled his body like a tornado.


    "Moo!" A bellow echoed in the air. A pitch-black rhino sprinted out from the intense evil spirit. Its fifteen-meter tall body had a thick shell of armored scales. He was as big as a mountain in comparison to Ricky and Soar.


    "Thump! Thump!" An Ultimate Domain suddenly formed around the black rhino as the evil spirit faded away. Those present could sense that everything in the rhino''s peculiar domain increased dozens of times in weight, including the gravity itself.


    "Is that his real body?" Ricky asked himself, wide-eyed.


    "The Devil King Rhino!" Soar shouted in explanation. "Devil King beasts of this kind are renowned for their strength. Their blo


    Ricky and Soar had underestimated the blood power of the emperor beast. Their joint attack was smashed to pieces after only a brief moment of resistance.


    Ricky and Soar spat out a large amount of blood as they toppled onto the ground, flung by the force of the beast''s power.


    To everyone''s surprise, they smiled at each other tacitly as they raised their heads.


    "It seems that I have failed you, Ricky," Soar beamed. "Looks like I am not strong enough to challenge the Devil King Rhino, the descendant of an emperor beast."


    "But we have tried our best. Maybe it is just not our opportunity to seize." Ricky smiled back.


    "Devil Flashlight!"


    High above in the sky, the Devil King Rhino was preparing for another fierce attack to end Ricky and Soar''s lives.


    Intense evil spirit gathered between the two sharp horns on the Devil King Rhino''s head and produced a streak of black light. The light shot at Ricky and Soar at lightning speed!


    Ricky and Soar did not intend to challenge the vigorous attack. Instead, they braced themselves and intended to return to the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    But at this very moment, the middle-aged thin man on the cliff took action. He dashed to stand in front of the Devil Flashlight, gathered his evil spirit and raised his arm. His fingers transformed into claws and blocked the Devil King Rhino with casual ease.


    Everyone looked in surprise at the thin man, awed at his ability. But for some reason, Soar was not so surprised. He had anticipated this somewhat.

 Chapter 322 Devil King Python

    "Hey, big guy! Stop that. Let them go," the thin middle-aged man ordered as he crushed the attack from the rhino with his black spiritual claw.


    Although he spoke in a low voice, people could sense the command from his tone. It seemed he was even more strong-willed than the Devil King Rhino.


    He was obviously more powerful. If he wasn''t, he wouldn''t have easily blocked the Devil Flashlight.


    Triggered by what he heard, the Devil King Rhino roared ferociously. He spat, "Don''t forget where we are, fool! Humans and those lowly beasts are forbidden to enter the Devil Beast Valley!"


    "You''re wasting my time, big guy!" the man taunted, seemingly undisturbed with the angry roars. "I''m not negotiating. I''m ordering you," he continued.


    "You''re so arrogant!" This made the Devil King Rhino even angrier. He summoned his evil spirit again and rushed towards the man.


    "You''re so stubborn!" The middle-aged man shrugged. He was undaunted by the Devil King Rhino''s attacks.


    The Devil King Rhino roared in full force as he was surrounded by the evil spirit. However, Ricky heard another roar, quite similar to that of a dragon, but he could tell its differences from a real dragon.


    As the roar bellowed, a black python of more than thirty meters long rushed out from the evil spirit and reached out its sharp claws toward the rhino.


    After several strikes, the Devil King Rhino was beaten down. Innumerable wounds were all over his huge body.


    The python, on the other hand, remained uninjured. It was obvious between the two devil king beasts who had the upper hand.


    ...


    "The middle-aged man transformed to a python! Is that what he really is? I see!" From his observation, Ricky finally understood what Soar meant.


    He also inferred that the python''s competence might have reached the level of a second class lower spiritual king. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been able to defeat the Devil King Rhino who possessed the emperor beasts'' bloodline so easily.


    From the very beginning, Soar knew that the thin middle-aged man was a devil king beast, a python. All pythons and snakes regarded the Great Dragon as their king.


    This was because they were lo


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    lower spiritual king at the third class who had the lowest competence when he was at the demi-immortal realm.


    Even Ricky would eventually encounter the same problem. No matter how powerful his spiritual meridians would be, he couldn''t bypass the three levels to challenge a lower spiritual king at the third class while he was at the demi-immortal realm. The best he could do was to improve his power close to a second class lower spiritual king.


    Reaching the innate realm was a must if he wanted to challenge the creatures whose abilities were three levels higher than him. With that, the difference between the enlightening power wouldn''t be that significant.


    With the help of the three zones, Ricky understood something about realm breakthrough from the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement to the demi-immortal realm, and then from the demi-immortal realm to the real innate realm.


    Ricky could feel that he was gradually understanding the realms above his. He felt like if he was given enough power, he would be able to reach the demi-immortal realm easily.


    That was true. This was the great benefit for a warrior at Bone Reinforcement realm to understand the enlightening power.


    However, the warriors should step on the ground in martial arts cultivation.


    It would be better for a warrior to naturally break through to a higher level after he naturally reached the highest level of a realm and understood the enlightening power.

 Chapter 323 The Completed Devil Kings Grave

    How time had flown! One month later, Ricky and Soar woke up naturally and were both more levelheaded and wiser. They had become like real immortal creatures.


    They changed so much because they had begun to understand the enlightening power.


    Soar had already had the power of a demi-immortal. They had thought that he would have a much easier time in making a breakthrough to become an innate creature.


    In the Chaotic Fire Zone, Tyson and Kristen had gained a lot, though they hadn''t understood everything about the enlightening power. If they tried harder, it would be an easy thing for them to make a breakthrough and reach the demi-immortal level.


    "Fine, one month has passed. You have to leave here because you won''t make any more progress even if you still stay here. This is your limit," Royce said when he came to them after enough time had passed.


    "Thanks for your help. I am grateful for what you have done for us. I will remember your kindness forever." They both appreciated his help.


    "You''re welcome." Royce nodded his head and accepted their thanks.


    "Royce, I want to ask you a question. Are you not going to come out of the Devil Beast Valley? It won''t be a long time before the entrance of the battlefield will open again. It''s time for you to leave," Ricky asked him after realizing something.


    "Coming out is a nice option, but we have become accustomed to the ancient battlefield. It''s a better place for us." Royce also wanted to leave, but he only smiled calmly at them and accepted his fate.


    Ricky and Soar both had doubts in his words.


    As if Royce knew what they were thinking, he explained, "Creatures of the continents and creatures of this place are enemies to each other. They always fight against each other when they meet each other.


    We had to cultivate the evil spirit to survive in the ancient battlefield and become accustomed to the environment. We have the blood power of continent creatures but we also cultivate the evil spirit. Because of that, we are freaks in everyone else''s eyes.


    If we go into the world o


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    egan to shake. The roar made all the creatures on ancient battlefield feel scared and hide. It was something very abnormal.


    Next, all the creatures watched as many drains of evil spirits rose at the center of the ancient battlefield and it seemed that there was something huge under the ground. It seemed like it would emerge from the ground at any time.


    One hour later, the evil spirit stopped rising and the surface of the ground stopped shaking.


    "What happened just now?" Ricky and Soar were both in a state of shock. What they first thought about was the opportunity to become an innate spiritual king.


    At once, Ricky and Soar were excited. It was their real goal in going to the ancient battlefield in the first place.


    "The completed devil king''s grave has emerged from the ground," Royce told them soon after in a soft voice.


    "Royce, what is it?" Ricky and Soar asked what Royce was talking about.


    "Every broken scrap of the ancient battlefield has a completed devil king''s grave under it. It is said that the graves have the secret of a powerful cultivation method within them. It was sealed by some kinds of strong array. Maybe, but the array can''t seal the grave now. It is the time for the grave to emerge from the ground now,"


    Royce explained.


    "It is the devil king''s grave!" Ricky and Soar were both excited after hearing Royce''s explanation.

 Chapter 324 Yates

    In the massive graveyard lay the spirit of the completed devil king who was of the same strength and power as a completed innate spiritual king. And this graveyard also brought an opportunity to those who wanted to become an innate spiritual king.


    But this opportunity, however, was a waste to them. This was because they cultivated spiritual energy but not an evil spirit, which was the kind that the devil king cultivated. Even if they got the devil king''s inheritance and fortune, it would still turn out to be useless and invaluable.


    The opportunity was very tricky because even if they started from scratch and begin to cultivate the evil spirit and throw away all of their current spiritual energy, chances are, it would still be very difficult for them because of the risk of losing control and being possessed by the devil. Furthermore, They could only obtain the evil spirit to sustain their cultivation only if they stayed in this battlefield.


    "So, Ricky, what do you think? Should we go for it?" Soar asked Ricky in a whisper. He and Ricky exchanged looks affirming that they both firmly believed in Royce''s warnings.


    "Uhm...You know what? I''m not sure about it, either." Both Ricky and Soar had second thoughts about the idea. Ricky had longed so much for this opportunity that when it came to him, he didn''t expect to be so disappointed at the risks involved. He almost thought that this chance would be impossible for him from then on. They were all baffled as they comprehended the situation.


    They were torn, and they wanted another person''s advice. Both of their eyes turned to Royce and asked for his opinion about the matter.


    "I don''t think that you should go for it. And even if you do make it, you should still give it up, because it doesn''t match with your method of cultivation." Royce said in a point of fact.


    "Meanwhile, even if you are successful at cultivating the evil spirit, your highest achievements will probably reach their completeness because you ought to follow the path that the others have already taken. We all know that it is already difficult to exceed one''s path, let alone someone else''s.


    However, there''s still another choice. You can still go to the graveyard if you want to. I bet there''s something in there that can help you with your cultivation."


    "We got it. Thank you so much, Royce!" Both of Soar and Ricky nodded as a sign of their understanding.


    "So...with all points considered, are you still going to the graveyard?" Ricky wondered.


    "No way. I''m a king now. Why should I even bother to pursue some other king''s path?" Royce


    ems to me that this could be the remaining power of the array that is used to lock up the graveyard, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    But as he started to put his foot into the entrance, the innate spiritual king of the Endless Shadow revealed himself with his battalion.


    "Well, well, well, if it isn''t the bastard and the beast! You two are finally here! Now, face me and my squad. Give us all you got and I might consider leaving your shitty corpses intact!" the spiritual king of the Endless Shadow growled in anger when he saw Ricky and Soar.


    Then, he lifted his arms and waved them around as he gathered his strength in preparation for a violent attack against the two.


    Rushed footsteps were heard as Tina swooped right in front of Ricky and Soar to block the impending attack and said, "Yates! Try me if you want a miserable death,"


    Yates, the spiritual king of the Endless Shadow, stopped and glared at Tina with utmost ferocity.


    "You must be kidding me, Tina. You''d better pray that you still have much power of the completed spiritual king or you would die in a much uglier way than these two knuckleheads," Yates exclaimed as he exploded in anger.


    But deep inside, Yates knew better not to mess with Tina because he had learned his lesson before.


    "That''s something you don''t need to worry about," Tina commanded.


    Angry as Yates was, his priority was the graveyard instead of Ricky and the others. He then ordered all the warriors and the six demi-immortals to enter the graveyard.


    The warriors followed with blind eyes for they were very eager to do it even without Yates'' influence on them.


    Seeing all of their greedy eyes hungry for power, Yates smiled with wicked excitement and satisfaction.

 Chapter 325 Entering The Tomb

    ''I believe that everything will become clear after we enter the tomb, '' Ricky thought as they prepared to enter.


    That was the main reason why he wanted to enter the tomb. He wanted to know what the Endless Shadow was planning to do and what the function of the Bronze Key was.


    Ricky dared to enter the tomb because he had the power that he could use as a trump card--it was his three powerful zones.


    "Ricky, when should we enter it?" Kristen asked softly.


    "After they all go into it. We might lose our advantage, but it is much safer this way," Ricky replied in a soft voice.


    "Tina, I want to know about the power remnants that Doris left inside your body, how many do you still have?" Ricky walked closer to Tina and whispered to her.


    He asked that because they needed Tina''s power to deal with Yates, the strong spiritual king of the Endless Shadow.


    "Ricky, I have one completed innate spiritual king power stored up," Tina answered in a worried voice.


    "I cannot bear too much strong power because I have a Sealing Array inside my body. It was already very difficult for Doris to leave two strands of complete innate spiritual king power in me."


    "It seems that we are bluffing. If Yates finds out about this, then we will all be in danger," Ricky answered softly.


    "So, we must keep the old man from realizing that," Tina said.


    "We only need to be careful. After entering the tomb, we''d better stay together," Ricky replied.


    "Got it!" Tina nodded.


    At that moment, almost all the warriors had entered the tomb.


    Yates''s eyes landed on Tina and Ricky again. He sneered at them, saying, "Now it''s your turn."


    "There''s no rush. We will go inside after you do," Ricky replied calmly.


    "Ha-ha. I do want to go inside the tomb, but the residual array at the entry point keeps me from entering it."


    "What do you mean?" Tina asked after hearing that. Ricky and others were also very confused.


    With an evil smile, Yates gathered his innate spiritual power and launched an attack towards the entry of the tomb. The attack rebounded heavily because of the force of the resid


    ntering the tomb was to go into Chaotic Fire Zone with Tyson and Kristen in case there were unexpected dangers around.


    All they saw after entering was just a dark expanse.


    The warriors coming in were scattering around the endless dark plain.


    "It seems that the space in this tomb is extremely large." Inside the Chaotic Fire Zone, Ricky marveled at the tomb.


    "There seems to be no danger, so let''s get out," Tyson suggested.


    "Tyson, do you think that the six demi-immortal chiefs will leave us alone?" Ricky replied.


    "Right, I almost forget that they are here as well." Tyson grinned.


    Then Ricky activated the Chaotic Fire Zone to move forward slowly. It was not until he could no longer sense the six demi-immortal chiefs even using the power of the three zones that he came out of the Chaotic Fire Zone with Tyson and Kristen.


    "I think Royce lied to us. It seems that there is nothing else but intense evil spirit energy in this tomb," Tyson said, looking into the endless dark plain.


    "Maybe it''s because we are only at the periphery of this tomb," Ricky suggested.


    "Even if it''s the tomb of a completed devil king, it''s still much too large." Kristen was also confused.


    "It''s true, but there are always too many weird things. The only thing we can do now is to be careful," Ricky said.


    Boom! At that point in time, the quiet and dark plain suddenly started to change.

 Chapter 326 Essence Of The Innate Spiritual Energy

    As a deafening roar rang through the air, many shock waves also shot out from under the black ground. The three of them could feel the power of an innate spiritual king from the shock waves.


    "What a large amount of innate power! What on earth is that?" Tyson said in a low voice. Then, the three of them stood back to back as they prepared themselves for the oncoming battle.


    "Crack!" In the next moment, a large crack suddenly appeared on the surface of the black ground. As the crack got bigger and bigger, numerous black skeletons climbed out from under the ground one after the other.


    Among the skeletons, some were complete while others were broken. Some were relatively big while others were quite small.


    The three of them could tell from the shape and form of the skeletons that some of them were once human warriors, some were originally beats, and the others were giant humanoid skeletons most likely to be the skeletons of some devils.


    They now knew that the immense innate power they felt was unleashed by these skeletons.


    Soon, the endless black plain became occupied by the skeletons. They looked like an army of mounted and foot soldiers.


    "What''s going on here? How could these skeletons move so freely? How could they each contain their own innate power?" Tyson asked in wonder.


    But they were not too concerned. Even though the skeletons contained innate power, they could sense that the skeletons were, at most, in the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and they did not bring any threat to Ricky, Tyson, and Kristen.


    "It seems to me like an array exists in this grave land, and the innate power of the skeletons is likely to be provided by the invisible array. Maybe the Skeleton Army is the first obstacle that will prevent us from entering the center of the grave," Ricky said after he analyzed their current situation.


    While Ricky was talking to Tyson and Kristen, quite a lot of the warriors not far away from them had already started fighting with the Skeleton Army.


    But they had more problems than that. Ricky saw the figures of several devil beasts, and they were sure to follow them to this place. After all, the devil beasts were the creatures that were most likely to get the heritage of the completed devil king.


    "Kill!"


    A while later, Ricky, Tyson, and Kristen also joined the fight against the Skeleton Army. As the fight progressed, they also moved closer and closer towards the depths of the plain.


    In the midst of all the fighting, one thing caught their attention. Every time they killed a skeleton, the innate power contained by the skeleton woul


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    the others."


    "I see!" Tyson nodded.


    Later on, the three continued to march deep into the plain. The other warriors and devil beasts moved at an even faster speed. Given how tempting this opportunity was, all of them could hardly wait to see the depth of the grave.


    Some warriors, especially the members of the Dahlia Palace and the Manor Palace scolded Ricky in their minds. Had they listened to what Ricky said, they would not have been there to grab the opportunity of getting the essence of the innate spiritual energy.


    Ricky was unaware of the thoughts of these warriors. Of course, even if he had been aware, he wouldn''t have cared about it at all anyway.


    Meanwhile, all of the warriors were completely unaware that after they had refined the essence of the innate spiritual energy, the array hidden in the void, which was previously high above the sky over the black plain, had vanished quietly.


    There was no doubt that the essence of the innate spiritual energy was the source of strength of the invisible array.


    However, even if these warriors had known that in advance, they would have still chosen to refine the essence they obtained regardless of the consequences. Greed truly was a powerful force that could turn people blind.


    After marching without stopping for several hours, they were finally able to walk out of the black plain. Stood in front of them was a huge mountain ranging across the plain.


    However, what attracted their attention were the caves in the huge mountain. They could already feel possible opportunities oozing from it.


    "Is this huge mountain really the grave of the legendary completed devil king?" Tyson exclaimed again.


    Meanwhile, several warriors entered the caves at once.

 Chapter 327 The Evil Bats

    "I don''t feel so good about this place. It''s so eerie even in the day!" Kristen said in a worried voice, with a concerned look on her face.


    "Well, I''ve got used to it already. What did you think was in this place? None other than battlefields and graveyards! There are spooky places everywhere. I''ve seen more than enough of them ever since we set foot on this land," Tyson replied with a smile upon hearing Kristen''s words. He tried to say it in a humorous tone, hoping to lighten up the atmosphere a little bit.


    But Kristen still pressed her lips together out of concern. "This place is different," she said in a serious tone. "The places we''ve been to felt eerie because they were swarming with evil spirit. But this place is not the same. If you hold your breath and focus on your senses, you will see that the evil spirit is not the cause of the strange atmosphere. It feels like numerous ghosts have escaped from hell and swarmed in this place, smothering the land with their resentment and hatred," Kristen murmured in a low and deep voice, shuddering at what she just imagined.


    "I agree with Kristen," Ricky chimed in. "She''s right about this place. The eerie atmosphere here exists and it truly is strange. It''s not the kind of weak illusion that the evil spirit has created in the other places we''ve been to. We need to be wary of things other than evil spirit from now on," Ricky warned, biting his lip.


    He was now feeling a strong sense of danger, which went high as it could the time he entered this tomb. He didn''t feel anything close to this before. Like what Kristen had pointed out, he knew for sure that the creepy aura in this place had a different and much more terrifying source. Unlike Kristen though, he knew exactly where it was coming from--the countless caves scattered throughout the whole mountain range.


    "Now that you guys mentioned it, I''m starting to feel the same way, too!" Tyson exclaimed. Hearing Kristen and Ricky''s words, the smile on Tyson''s face disappeared. He stopped and focused on his surroundings. It didn''t take him much time to sense the difference. The tension and danger around this area felt more real.


    But it seemed that they had no choice but to meet the potential dangers, for getting into those caves was the only way they could move forward. They all had no other choice but to bite the bullet.


    In fact, the whole mountain range looked like a giant trap. They couldn''t see what was beyond it, nor could they figure out how high the mountains were. So it was impossible for them to climb over it, or go around it. Those caves seemed to be the only passages they could take to get through. Ricky guessed that this might be the result of some kind of array.


    To avoid hitting the array, they could only step back and walk inside the dark strange caves.


    "Now we should decide which cave we want to enter," Ricky ordered, wearing a grave expression.


    The other two nodded and followed. Then the three of them stepped inside the cave on the far end, which had not been chosen by the other warriors.


    The moment they were inside the cave, the creepy feeling they had on their skin intensified. The strange sense worked together with the evil spirit, and weighed heavily on their bodies. To resist the invisible two-fold oppression, they had to double their efforts to channel their spiritual energy and form shields for more protection.


    As they marched on, getting deeper and deeper into the cave, the air felt colder. Gradually, the strange feeling of resentment and hatred grew stronger that it was impossible for them to ignore. Now they could feel that the resentment and hatred were being released by dead beings.


    The resentment in the air was powerful, and it almost threatened to attack and erode their minds. Protected by his power of the three zones, Ricky did not fear the evil r


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ery fist he swung, hundreds of evil bats were burned into ashes. Tyson, at the same time, hardened his body with his spiritual energy. Once the process completed, forceful waves of power constantly burst out from within him like ripples, making the whole space tremble with his immense force. The power waves lashed out against the evil bats, and the latter were reduced to evil spirit and resentment before they completely disappeared.


    Surprisingly, when the evil bats died and their bodies were shattered, innumerable dots of black lights escaped from them. The lights were rather weak, but shining together, they still attracted the three warriors'' attention. Like dandelions, they flew towards the depth of the cave until they were out of their sight.


    "If I''m not mistaken, those black lights must be the essence of the innate evil spirit. We can expect the amount of if to be very large from the number of the evil bats that we just destroyed in here. What a pity that they couldn''t be of any use to us," Kristen said, as she stared at the black lights flying away.


    "Damn it!" Tyson cursed as he fought the annoying evil bats. "If only they were the Skeleton Army! That way, we can get a huge amount of essence of the innate spiritual energy, instead of this black rubbish!" Tyson was really bummed by the thought of not getting any trophies from this fight.


    "What a terrible deal! Now, I''m certain that this was a waste of time!" he went on to grumble.


    "Stop complaining, Tyson. Just focus on killing these flies! We have to finish them off as quickly as possible. It would take us a lifetime to wipe them out if we don''t hurry up!" Ricky called out.


    "That wouldn''t be a problem!" Tyson could only nod and continue to fight the bats.


    With his mind back on the battle, Tyson gathered up all his energy and pushed his body refining process to its fullest potential. In an instant, every part of his body became as hard as steel, like silver liquid steel was being poured into his body and making him invincible.


    "Wall-crushing Arm!" Tyson bellowed. His fists were then wrapped up in silver energy and light. He then flung them with extreme might on the walls on their sides.


    The next thing they knew, the whole cave trembled violently. The stony walls thundered as the massive energy waves from Tyson''s fists traveled through the walls. The energy had further increased as the cave and even the whole mountain resonated with Tyson''s attack. Carried by the stony walls, the energy waves rushed towards the depth of the cave at an extremely fast pace.

 Chapter 328 Heaven Illuminating Fire

    Something was humming away.


    With the strong and violent impact, Tyson''s body emitted silvery white light, which was then combined with waves of fluctuation, carried infinite weight, and shot towards the depths of the cave.


    Loud cracking sounds could be heard. Wherever the silver white light passed through, a cluster of evil bats were reduced to resentment and evil spirits.


    "Tyson, what a great move!" Ricky shouted when he saw clusters of evil bats die in an instant!


    "It''s a good move, although it takes a lot of spiritual energy to pull off. I can''t sustain it for a long period of time without using all my power." Tyson answered humbly in a deep voice when he heard Ricky''s praise.


    Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.


    "Ha-ha, I can''t believe that you will ever do anything in such difficulty." Ricky gave out a hearty laugh when he heard what Tyson said.


    "Ricky, why don''t you cut the crap and come help me?" Tyson asked impatiently.


    "Alright, alright, I''m coming."


    Then, without any hesitation, Ricky moved quickly and rushed beside Tyson.


    Within seconds, he used the Heaven Melting Fire to its full extend and turned himself into a burning warrior.


    "Flame Torrent!"


    While he shouted in a loud voice, chaotic fire runes filled the air. Tyson''s silvery white light was engulfed in Ricky''s torrential flames which were reinforced by the Heaven Melting Fire.


    The next moment, the Flame Torrent erupted. More and more flames blazed into the depths of the cave, following Tyson''s continuously fluctuating waves.


    Then, shrill cries were heard breaking from the cave. Huge clouds of smoke were rising. Undoubtedly, the combination of the Heaven Melting Fire and the Flame Torrent was the bane of those evil bats.


    For a long period of time, the Heaven Melting Fire and the Flame Torrent prevailed the insides of the whole cave. They were there until no cry could be heard any more. Then, the whole cave went silent.


    The what seemed to be infinite clusters of evil bats were all reduced into evil spirits and resentment. Only some balls of essence of the innate evil spirit were left and flowed towards the depths of the cave.


    The three of them no longer cared about those essence of the innate evil spirit. They didn''t even bother watching those essence come into the invisible space inside the cave.


    At that moment, both Tyson and Kristen


    out the intervention from the power of Kristen''s eyes. However, Ricky didn''t have her eyes nor powerful restriction arrays. Given that, how would he be able to fully control the Heaven Illuminating Fire?


    "Kristen, I''m trying to collect all kinds of sacred fires and peculiar fires I lay my eyes on." Ricky added, "The Chaotic Fire Zone inside my body can accommodate endless seas of those sacred fires and peculiar fires. By using this zone, I can mix the sacred fire, the peculiar fire, and my own power together. Then, I''ll be able to use them as I wish."


    Ricky told them the reason because they had already known the existence of the Chaotic Fire Zone inside his body. There was no need for him to hide his plan from his friends anymore.


    Then, Ricky stretched out his two palms where four balls of kindling began to blaze violently. They were the red Devouring Fire, the scarlet Heaven Melting Fire, the golden Heaven Slaughtering Fire, and the yellow Massacring Fire.


    "Are those all sacred fires?" Tyson asked in excitement. Although he had attempted to get used to all the surprises and mysteries Ricky always had in store for them, he couldn''t help but feel excited again.


    Even Kristen was shocked by the four kinds of fire resting on Ricky''s very hands. She understood that the other three fires, besides the Heaven Melting Fire, were no less powerful than hers.


    "Two peculiar fires, two sacred fires. And if I can have some of your Heaven Illuminating Fire, I will have the five most powerful fires in the world," Ricky said proudly, while flashing them a big smile.

 Chapter 329 Dangerous Situation

    Tyson and Kristen had been stuck in a state of shock for quite a long time.


    They were very surprised with what they just learned that they didn''t know what to say. They were silent for a few moments.


    "Next time, I will leave you some of the Devil Flame," Kristen finally responded to Ricky''s request.


    "That''s great! Thank you, Kristen," Ricky said excitedly with a big smile on his face.


    "You really are one crazy man." Tyson couldn''t stop commending Ricky''s strength.


    "Ha-ha, Ha-ha!" Ricky laughed without saying anything after hearing Tyson''s kind words.


    But he suddenly stopped laughing. Something seemed very wrong at that time. They felt as if something or someone was watching them. It felt very dangerous, similar to how they felt before the fight. Ricky opened his mouth to warn them that something was coming but the words never left his throat.


    Howl! Howl! At the same time, a loud roar echoed through the cave and attracted their attention.


    Three huge evil bats, about three or four meters high, rushed towards them in lightning speed. No doubt that these evil bats were all at the peak of the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    They all knew why they felt grave danger as they saw the evil bats flying towards them.


    At the same time, they heard that many warriors and evil beasts were screaming from other caves and it terrified them even more.


    "Maybe they have also encountered the evil bats at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement," Ricky said calmly because he somehow knew what was going to happen.


    "Ricky, you are absolutely correct. It is very fortunate of the others to have chosen to stay outside," Tyson muttered with a low voice under his breath.


    "No matter what happens, we should begin the fight. It is truly a big challenge for us to fight against these three evil bats at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement," Kristen said.


    Boom! Another drastic change afflicted the cave.


    The evil spirits of the evil bats began to move quickly and formed b


    "Kristen, you are being too..." Tyson initially didn''t agree with Kristen, but then he paused a moment out of shock.


    The injured evil bats opened their mouths and absorbed streams of evil spirits from the array. In a short period of time, they have grown more powerful than before.


    It was very hard to believe.


    "How could this be possible? They shouldn''t have been able to recover from that," Tyson said with the tension growing on his body.


    "It''s obvious. Their secret is the array in the cave," Kristen said. "I can''t tell whether the cave is real or not, but these evil bats are definitely combined with the array in the cave.


    And the evil bats will just keep on recovering again and again, which meant their power would just continue to improve."


    Hearing what Kristen said, Tyson and Ricky couldn''t say anything back.


    At that time, they were slowly falling into a very dangerous situation.


    "So what we must do is destroy the array first," Tyson said firmly.


    Next, he used his strongest power without any hesitation to attack the black patterns on the walls.


    "Tyson, stop that!" Kristen tried to tell him, but it was too late.


    Tyson had attacked the black patterns on the wall but there wasn''t any cracks on it at all. The power had rebounded back to Tyson and he was about to be hit by his own force.

 Chapter 330 Massacring Golden Palm

    "Boom!"


    The power that Tyson dispatched came back at him fiercely because of the enormous blast of the black pattern''s power. As he was totally unprepared, Tyson was thrown backwards for dozens of meters.


    "Tyson!"


    "Tyson! Are you all right?" both Ricky and Kristen shouted anxiously. They rushed to his side at once.


    "Damn it! I didn''t expect that attack to rebound at me!" Tyson cursed, standing up instantly. He wasn''t seriously hurt, aside from feeling a little miffed.


    The main reason he was not hurt was that he knew his strength very well. Even though his power rebounded unexpectedly, he knew how to receive it in a way that it would do minimum damage. However, another warrior at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement wouldn''t have been so lucky.


    After confirming that Tyson wasn''t seriously hurt, Ricky and Kristen breathed a sigh of relief. The three then stood guard for each other again.


    This time, when the three evil bats attacked them again, they used only defensive tactics.


    "Tyson, don''t be impulsive again. Even with the power of my eyes, I can only tell a little about the array. I can''t discern any of its key points," Kristen told Tyson.


    "If you attack aimlessly again and trigger other booby traps, all three of us will die!"


    "I know what you mean. But Kristen, if we continue to stay here like this, it won''t solve any problem. We can''t attack those three evil bats, and can only fend them off. We''re bound to get exhausted sooner or later," Tyson said, feeling rather frustrated.


    The power unleashed by the three evil bats was far weaker than theirs. Supposedly, they could easily destroy them in a pinch. However, the problem was every time they destroyed the bats, they would return with more strength.


    If things went on like this, there would be a moment when these evil bats returned stronger than them.


    "We have to kill these three evil bats, otherwise they won''t give up attacking us. As we are now inside the array instead of the cave, the evil bats can catch up with us wherever we go," Kristen said.


    "I know. Kristen, can you find their weakness with the power of your eyes?" Ricky asked anxiously.


    "Ricky, you can try using your previous attack which destroyed the evil bats," Kristen said, after thinking for a while.


    "Understood!"


    Ricky nodded and then turned to directly unleash the


    f these three evil bats regenerate again, they''ll definitely destroy us!" Tyson said. "We''ll have to hide in the Chaotic Fire Zone again and be too reliant on it!"


    "Tyson, I''m not kidding!" Ricky said seriously.


    "Ricky, I think I''d better use the Heaven Illuminating Fire!" Kristen said, also a little incredulous.


    "Kristen, you know that under these circumstances, if your eyes become blind, we will definitely be in ever deeper trouble!" Ricky said adamantly. "Besides, I''ve yet to disappoint you, isn''t that right?"


    Tyson and Kristen''s doubt began to drain away once they saw the confidence in Ricky''s eyes. They nodded at each other and retreated, leaving everything to Ricky.


    "Buzz, buzz!"


    The next moment, Ricky''s entire form was engulfed by a strong golden light. After a few seconds, golden runes spread over his whole body. A strong sanguinary and rigid power broke out from him, astonishing Tyson and Kristen. The two let out an audible gasp.


    "How is this possible? Ricky''s exuding such a strong sanguinary and rigid power! How many kinds of Light Apperception has he cultivated?" Tyson blurted out in astonishment.


    "This is probably one of the unique flames he has!" Kristen said.


    She was right. The golden runes were in fact the massacring runes, and the power Ricky exuded was from the Massacring Fire.


    Now that a kind of sanguinary and rigid power was needed, this fire''s power was substantial enough to meet the requirement.


    "Massacring Golden Palm!"


    Ricky roared fiercely as he leaped up into the air, shining in glorious gold.

 Chapter 331 The Well-planned Plot Gradually Emerged Itself

    After the two Omnipotent Skills¡ªDevouring Storm and the Flame Torrent, the Massacring Golden Palm that Ricky used was the third Omnipotent Skill he had comprehended from the Massacring Zone.


    Earlier in the Devil Beast Valley, Ricky hadn''t only focused on hunting the devil beasts and comprehending the enlightening power. He also spent time concentrating on the training and comprehension of the cultivation method inside the Massacring Zone.


    Due to his experience in comprehending the first two Omnipotent Skills, understanding the third was made much easier.


    As Ricky launched the skill of Massacring Golden Palm, rays of golden light shone abruptly as the golden massacring peculiar fire burned fearsomely. Ricky''s momentum was brimming with murderous intent. In a flash, his sturdy spirit was increased extremely, and his whole body was covered with the massacring golden runes.


    It was as though Ricky himself had turned into the massacring golden runes!


    The runes and flames intertwined, soaring up to the air. After quickly fusing, they transformed into a golden palm which blasted Ricky''s murderous intent and sturdy spirit.


    "Goodness! What strong murderous intent and sturdy spirit!" Tyson gasped from below, grinning with excitement.


    "No! The power he has dispatched isn''t enough to sustain the attack and break the array!"


    But right when Tyson made his comment, he and Kristen felt the abrupt resurgence of real innate power, and they soon realized that it came from Ricky!


    Up in the air, Ricky had also realized that his power was not enough and so he summoned the innate power inside his Iron Destroyer.


    Although he didn''t want to rely on the innate power of his Iron Destroyer, he had no other choice at the moment. Relying on the power of his weapon was better than entering the Chaotic Fire Zone. After all, the power of his murderous intent and rigid spirit was from his own Omnipotent Skill¡ªthe Massacring Golden Palm.


    "Bang!"


    The Massacring Golden Palm, integrated with the innate power, flew directly at the three evil bats and blasted them with a very powerful strike, which had made the loud noise.


    The three evil bats naturally launched a counterattack, but it was pathetically weak.


    Tyson and Kristen saw that Ricky''s Massacring Golden Palm fully deflected and destroyed the bats'' counterattacks. Meanwhile, their bodies were mercilessly pierced, and then three masses of black essence of the innate spiritual energy came forth.


    Immediately, they spotted that the black pattern on the essence was shining and connecting with the array in the cave, in an effort to create another three evil bats.


    But before the essence could succeed at this, the Massacring Golden Palm changed its attack and was now directly attacking


    the immortal level as soon as possible. Once they accomplished this, it would be much more meaningful to challenge opponents of higher levels.


    With this, Tyson and Kristen began their cultivation separately while Ricky focused on the gradually disappearing array deployed at the entrance of the cave.


    ''Hmm, this array is very magical. As long as it is deployed successfully, it can mobilize the power of heaven and earth, and also can make the invisible space emerge itself. Its power is even more extraordinary than I thought. Should I also learn to deploy some arrays?'' Ricky was lost in his thought.


    But on further thought, he waved the idea away. For one thing, even if he had the regained spiritual meridian, his power was still limited and he couldn''t be free and strong enough to learn all these different kinds of power. After all, there were countless kinds of power on earth.


    Besides, he believed that as long as he could figure out all the nine Supreme Skills in the Chaos Manual, his martial arts and weapon casting skills would be the best among all the warriors of the world.


    Accomplishing those two things would be more than enough for him. Moreover, if he was still unsatisfied by then, he could always decide to continue his cultivation.


    However, just as Ricky''s mind was racing wildly, the array changed again. The evil spirit and resentment gathered together again and headed right at the black pattern!


    The light on the black pattern was shining again. Everything took place instantaneously! The continuously disappearing array was once again deployed. Ricky could even sense that it was more powerful than the last one!


    Ricky had failed to detect the abrupt change before it could happen.


    Now, he could do nothing but watch. He had a strong gut feeling that someone was plotting something very, very nasty.

 Chapter 332 Yates Showed Up

    "What''s going on here?" Ricky muttered in confusion when he saw what happened.


    He also observed how the space under the array was changing in a slow manner. Even though he could not actually see the changes with his eyes, he was confident that something did happen down there because he sensed that by the power of the three zones.


    A rare sense of danger that he never felt before then rose inside his heart.


    Without any hesitation, Ricky was ready to send Tyson and Kristen into the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    However, when he tried to send them over, Ricky was shocked that it did not work.


    He further realized that he could take anything from the three zones but never put anything into it. His attempts would never work even against a small amount of power.


    It was also the same with the storage bag and the storage ring as well.


    "The space under this array is locked. It has the strongest lock indeed!" Ricky immediately thought. He also realized then that such lock came from the re-pictured array.


    Ricky remembered what Kristen had said before--the array was pervaded by strong space waves.


    At that moment, Ricky''s eyes became more serious.


    "Is this array placed here to specifically target me?" Ricky suspected.


    However, all his suspicions were in vain as of the moment. He could only observe and not able to do anything about the change that was happening inside the array even if he clearly wanted to destroy it using only one punch. Moreover, he didn''t have enough power to do so.


    ''Is there nothing I can do? I could not possibly just sit still and wait for the worst to happen, '' Ricky thought to himself in frustration.


    Ricky hunkered down and began to refine the Treasures from Heaven and Earth to recover his spiritual energy. He accepted his fate and decided to wait for whatever to come.


    Since he did not know about the danger that awaits, it was better for him to enhance his power to the peak first. It was luckily that he could take things out of three zones and if in a worst case scenario that he really couldn''t withstand the danger he could take the Iron Destroyer out and use all the innate power that Doris nourished.


    He did not interrupt Tyson and Kristen''s breakthrough. What was done was done, and there was no need to


    if he was worried that someone might overhear.


    Clap!


    They heard an applause emerged as Ricky just finished his words.


    Then a familiar voice echoed, "I am surprised. You are such a smart little rascal. You can even guess that it''s an intrigue."


    "Yates! It''s you!" Ricky said in total shock as he heard his voice. He couldn''t believe that all that had happened were real. There were the same look of shock on both Tyson and Kristen''s faces.


    Because he could never mishear a voice he had heard before, he was confident that it was definitely the voice of Yates, the innate spiritual king of the Endless Shadow. But how was this possible? The innate spiritual king could not come in just like them, could he?


    How could Yates show up here this very moment?


    Ricky inferred that all these were done by someone particularly of the six demi-immortal chiefs. He never thought that Yates would be the one.


    That was why he was in such disbelief.


    "Ha-ha. Listen to yourself. I guess you didn''t know it was me, right?" Yates laughed arrogantly again as if aimed to confuse Ricky even more.


    Then, there was a dark pattern warped in front of them, also warping the space. Then a dark figure emerged out of it. It was really no other than Yates.


    And they were sure he wasn''t just some agglomerate of the spiritual energy but the real Yates standing before them.


    "What the hell? Why the hell can you be in this place?" Tyson shouted seeking for answers and he felt that he deserved some explanations.

 Chapter 333 The Truth

    "Are you all shocked?" Yates asked with a smile while he took a few steps through the air. No matter how offensive Ricky and others were in questioning him, he was not angry at all.


    He had everything under control and had the ability to kill those three as easily as smashing ants. One wouldn''t be easily provoked when he knew he was far more superior to his opponents.


    "Every array here was deployed by you!" Ricky accused him.


    "You''ve got it. How could a person with innate spirit power like me enter this graveyard otherwise?" Yates gushed. "By the way, I''m in a very generous mood as of now, so you have the chance to ask me whatever you want to know. If you don''t ask me anything now, you''ll just have to take your questions to your graves."


    "The so-called opportunity to become an innate spiritual king was a conspiracy set up by the Endless Shadow decades ago, right?" Ricky asked directly.


    "Almost there!" Yates clapped his hands in appreciation for Ricky''s question before saying, "You deserve to survive the wrath of the whole Realm of Wildness.


    However, you missed one thing. This plan was merely designed by me and it has nothing to do with the Endless Shadow."


    Proud of his conspiracy, Yates conceitedly revealed everything before Ricky could ask more questions.


    "When this broken ancient battlefield was bordered by the Chaotic Region three hundred years ago, I broke a part of the sealing array in this graveyard with my supreme power and made my way into the Chaotic Region.


    I discarded all of my evil spirit and restarted my cultivating with the spiritual energy in the Chaotic Region. I eventually succeeded in becoming an innate spiritual king once again about two hundred years ago.


    At that time when I joined the Endless Shadow, I was in an urgent need of a force to help me. With the aid of the Endless Shadow, I established my own force in the Chaotic Region. That force is called the Aeolus Palace today."


    "You are the devil--


    unately I put the Iron Destroyer in the Chaotic Fire Zone or I would have not been able to enter this graveyard, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Ricky was able to calm himself down a little bit because he realized that he still had the Iron Destroyer with him.


    "The Skeleton Army was the center of the array and the essence of the innate spiritual energy was the power source of the first array. Once you got in, you human killed that army and refined its energy; that was how you broke the array for me.


    Afterward, I could easily get in," Yates said with a laugh.


    "You are so insidious!" Tyson growled.


    "Ha-ha, speaking of insidiousness, I can only say that you humans are the most insidious creature in the world." Yates shot back.


    "Since you were able to get in here, Soar and Tina could probably manage to get here too!" Ricky guessed.


    "Yes, they could have, but it''s a pity that they didn''t realize the array had changed in the first place. I was able to put the array under my control after I got in. It was too late by the time they noticed they could have come in. I didn''t spend three hundred years learning about arrays for nothing!" Yates boasted.


    "You snake!" Kristen couldn''t help but curse him, too.


    "So, what is the second array?" Ricky wondered quietly, trying to figure it out.

 Chapter 334 Fight Against Six Demi-immortals

    "The second array is naturally where we are now," Yates cleared their doubts with a hint of a smile. "Those evil bats are filled with the essence of the innate evil spirit, the essence of demi-spiritual emperor evil spirit actually. In fact, the essence belongs to me. It is my plan to save myself.


    Time passed by without me even knowing. At that time, I was defeated by a formidable warrior and he sealed this place, dethroning me. He had me in control, even divided my strength into many pieces and combined them with the evil spirit of ancient battlefield. Now the bats carry them.


    So I can''t recover my strength or take control of this second array unless these evil bats are wiped out.


    You contributed so much to help me out. Thank you for your greed for power. It did help me a lot! You killed those evil bats, now I recover my strength again." Yates'' astounding laughter echoed in the whole cave.


    "Yates, you dirty bastard!" Tyson asserted his wrath by his deep hollering exclamation.


    However, Yates, having had achieved his own goal of recovering his strength whatever it might took, ignored Tyson completely.


    "There are a lot of warriors and devil beasts here in this place. What do you plan to do to them?" Ricky asked in extreme caution, displaying his calm even if they were in danger.


    "You have already got the answer, haven''t you? I will kill them - all of them. They are all petty creatures at the level of Bone Reinforcement. Even though the blood essence of one doesn''t contain a lot of energy, hundreds and thousands of creatures should have enough blood essence for me to recover forty percent of my strength," Yates stated with pride as the smile on his face lightened up because he didn''t regret killing so many creatures.


    "But you really surprised me. You are so strong that I have to take your life on my own," Yates added.


    "Damn it! How dare you? You wanted to kill so many creatures to recover your own strength? How wicked!" Ricky yelled with sullen expression.


    "Ha-ha! I am unable to recover my full strength and my three-hundred plan will fail if I don''t kill them. It''s their destiny." Yates laughter resonated in the room.


    "I will kill you so others would be spared!" All of a sudden, Ricky jumped in the air as he shouted at the top of his lungs. He then clasped the Iron Destroyer in his hand.


    Ricky depleted the Iron Destroyer''s innate power and lifted it high over his head to fly a blow on Yates. Hundreds of pieces of the innate power belonged to the middle spiritual king were stored in the saber and the whole cave was suddenly lit up.


    The force of the innate power was uncontainable that it sent out the strongest force, shaking the whole space.


    The force was undeniably powerful that even an upper spiritual king would feel difficult to assail its auspicious blow.


    Yates had the power to take control of this array, so he was able to handle the innate power. At that moment, Ricky was able to use the Iron Destroyer conveniently, as if he had already had the chance to master its use through time.


    For the longest time, Ricky wa


    re were formed to ambush six demi-immortal leaders.


    Boom!


    They called on an evil spirit to resist the Heaven Illuminating Fire without any hesitation and yielded a mighty sound when the two polar energies met. They didn''t know a lot about the Heaven Illuminating Fire but still put up a fight because it was their only hope. The evil spirit was then fired by Heaven Illuminating Fire and the flame engulfed their bodies housing lost souls.


    Kristen was at the level of demi-immortal. Her power of the Heaven Illuminating Fire was at the zenith of demi-immortal, so all the six leaders screamed and cried out loudly with the unceasing Heaven Illuminating Fire.


    They used all their evil spirit to resist the Heaven Illuminating Fire, but no one could win over its robust power. The more they used the evil spirit, the more the Heaven Illuminating Fire countered it. They were bound to die if they didn''t have another energy to use as a shield or even just for resistance.


    After the tenacious attack, the arms of three demi-immortal warriors were barely surviving because of the burns and force they received.


    "Ricky, Tyson, Come on! My eyes can''t be of use for a long encounters. You better be fast and end them now!" Kristen''s frustrated tone echoed in the cave. It translated all her worries and definitely sent a message across of how anxious she already was. No one could blame her because after all, it was their last winning chance.


    ''The Heaven Illuminating Fire is mighty enough to be considered as the undefeated fire. No doubt. Kristen, possessing this meticulous fire, would comparably have an edge in defeating others in the same level, or even in higher levels than her, '' Ricky mumbled to himself as he saw the power of the Heaven Illuminating Fire again.


    He was also sure that he would not stand a chance in the fire, fighting against Kristen, if he didn''t possess the three zones.


    Behind his deep sigh was willingness to cooperate so he united with Tyson in attacking one of the most injured demi-immortal leaders without any hesitation.

 Chapter 335 The Blood Vitality Devouring Skill

    "Wall-crushing Arm!"


    As Kristen finished her words, Tyson immediately burst out his full strength and disregarded all his limitations. The momentum which belonged to the demi-immortal rose up rapidly, and two silver silhouette fists rushed towards the black waves on both sides in a split second. The chief reacted immediately.


    The moment they collided, Tyson controlled the power of the two fists, because he knew the power belonged to him. So after the black patterns reflected his attack, he immediately gained control of it without any trouble.


    He pushed harder until a sliver energy surrounded the fists. The immense power hit the chief with an intense trembling force.


    By the time the silver waves appeared, Ricky used his Flame Torrent again and went into the center of the waves to also attack the chief with Tyson.


    In the next second, under the triple attack of the Heaven Illuminating Fire, the Wall-crushing Arm and the Flame Torrent, the demi-immortal chief turned into blood mist and was completely incinerated.


    Even after a demi-immortal chief was killed, the other five still didn''t cared about him at all. They all only wanted to put out the Heaven Illuminating Fire that was burning them. That was what people would do when they were compelled. Without anyone ordering them, they would only fight for themselves.


    And they didn''t even realize that if they ended up putting more evil spirits on the Heaven Illuminating Fire, it would burn more furiously.


    Seeing this scene, they were all glad that things went much better than they initially imagined.


    If the six weren''t manipulated and were in their right senses, they definitely would have used the evil spirits to create a shield to get out of it and save themselves from the burning of the Heaven Illuminating Fire. Then they would attack the three of them altogether and probably kill them with a single hit.


    But now they were nothing more than puppets.


    Thus, Ricky and Tyson cooperated with each other to kill the two demi-immortal chiefs as quickly as possible.


    As they were about to kill the fourth one, the black waves in the array moved with pervading power and sealed Kristen''s Heaven Illuminating Fire immediately.


    It was obvious that Yates had sensed the situation here and he was the one who activated the array to suppress Kristen''s power.


    However, it seemed that Yates was too far away from where they were, and he h


    econd for him to reach the higher levels.


    The only thing Ricky was worried about was whether it would have some consequences on the way of his cultivation in the future, since he made a breakthrough when the foundation was clearly not stable.


    After he burst out, Ricky reached the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement in no time.


    "Ha-ha. You rascal. So what? What do you expect to accomplish after your breakthrough? You will always be just a lousy insect. Your struggle would only keep you alive for a little longer." Yates did not take Ricky''s breakthrough seriously and merely laughed out loud through the array.


    "So what if I am just a lousy insect? Even the smallest ant could shake the world if it wanted to!" Ricky roared in anger.


    He activated the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula to its limit. His violet and golden hair flying fiercely as if they were about to thrust the array zone.


    The Devourer Zone provided him with the power of the devouring rune and the blood vitality. In only a second, Ricky was covered in blood from head to toe.


    Then, Ricky''s body fused with the endless devouring runes and then he emitted a strong force of blood vitality. This had never appeared before whenever Ricky burst out the Devouring Storm.


    Soon, the blood vitality submerged the devouring runes and turned Ricky into a sea of blood.


    Then, this sea of blood split into millions of bloody mouths. The mouths looked extremely terrifying and grisly. The smell of them alone could almost devour the world.


    "Blood Vitality Devouring Skill!" Under this state, Ricky roared once again.

 Chapter 336 Struggling Ants

    Blood Vitality Devouring Skill!


    This was another Omnipotent Skill from the Devourer Zone¡ªsomething superior to the Devouring Storm. It was based on the Devouring Storm, but had a deeper understanding of the Devouring Skill which was practiced in the devouring rune.


    What''s more, the skill was usually activated by a warrior in a desperate situation because only in such situations could they use its full strength.


    In that moment, Ricky was in absolute despair. With his great understanding of the enlightening power, Ricky could naturally burst into a stronger power when he was enraged.


    He could not help but think of the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill and activate the power to devour everything that got in his way and wanted to hurt his relatives and friends.


    After a while, the bloody mouths made by the devouring runes wrapped around Ricky and rushed towards the demi-immortal chief as they roared and moved like a powerful tide.


    The demi-immortal chief ordered his strongest offensives, the most powerful evil spirits, to collide with Ricky, but Ricky never gave him a chance to defend himself. At once, the numerous bloody mouths scattered and consumed the demi-immortal chief''s body as well as all of his evil spirits. Afterwards, he was digested inside the bloody mouths, and the sound of him being devoured could be heard all throughout the battlefield.


    A little while later, the bloody mouths dissipated in the air. Once they were gone, all that was left in the air were the evil spirits.


    The demi-immortal chief turned into dust, or to be more exact, he was torn apart into numerous fragments, devoured by the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill, and turned into a member of the bloody mouths.


    After devouring the demi-immortal chief, the strength of the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill split into two parts and quickly surged towards Tyson and Kristen''s direction to help them. Each of them was occupied with fighting a demi-immortal chief.


    Just like before, as long as the two demi-immortal chiefs could not activate the power which could suppress the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill, they were doomed to be consumed by the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill.


    Subsequently, silence engulfed the whole array. Tyson and Kristen were completely shocked by what they had seen.


    An amazing movement with such a strong power had really broadened their horizons.


    Then, countless bloody mouths turned into devouring runes the moment they gathered together. Without missing a beat, t


    cowardly as you! There are still a few yours left, and you are going to give up now? Are you truly still the same Tyson that I have known for a long time?" Ricky asked firmly.


    "Have you ever seen a real ant? The only thing the world knows about it is that the ant is weak and incompetent, and it cannot resist any attack," Ricky continued.


    "But what the world does not know is that ants are resilient¡ªthey never give up when they encounter impossible obstacles. And even after they have died, their tiny bodies still struggle to come back to life.


    Are you not as good as an ant? If so, are you really deserving of being my friend?"


    After he finished his rant, Ricky slowly calmed down. He believed that Tyson understood every word that came out of his mouth. If not, then it only meant that Tyson was not the person Ricky thought he was.


    "Ha-ha, Ricky, you...what should I say?" After a moment of silence, Tyson burst into laughter.


    Then he immediately sat down in order to regain his strength.


    "If even the ants are trying their hardest to live, then I will also struggle in despair, even if my struggles turn out to be futile. Because only in this way can I still be your friend even after death, Ricky," Tyson said firmly after a while.


    Then they looked at each other face to face, and a firm determination ignited in their eyes.


    Of course, it went without saying that Kristen also felt the same way as them.


    They had decided that even if they were ants, they would be the kind of ants who struggled till the end because they would not be deserving of being called ants if they gave up. After all, ants never, ever gave up no matter what.

 Chapter 337 The Mysterious Axe Came To The Rescue Again

    About six hours later, the three of them had almost recovered. Of course, they had only regained some of their strength and were now able to fight again. As for their internal injuries, they needed a little more time to heal.


    At this point, however, the lines from the array in front of them began to fade away quickly. Within only a few seconds, the whole space created by the array had already disappeared and they found themselves in the middle of another strange place--a rather dark palace.


    Before they could figure out what had happened and where they were, their attention was soon attracted by something on the palace''s walls. There were many black holes on the walls of this dark palace, and from inside the holes, blood was slowly streaming out and dripping down to the floor. The red blood seemed fresh and warm, like it was directly flowing out from someone alive.


    Without having to confirm with each other, they all knew for sure that the blood belonged to all the warriors who had entered the graveyard just now. And the black holes they just saw were used to be the entrances to the caves hours ago.


    The rivers of blood kept flowing and converging with each other, until they all streamed as one into an altar at the center of the palace.


    It was obvious that the altar was in fact the center of this sealing array, but the strong smell of blood had already turned it into an altar for blood sacrifice.


    By then, the altar was no longer operational even though there was still blood pouring into it, because the blood sacrifice had already been completed. As the three of them stared at the altar, a black figure rose from it and shot out into the air. It was none other than Yates himself.


    But he was hardly the same person that he used to be. His aura had totally changed. Although strong and endless evil spirit could still be felt from him, they were all restrained or rather condensed deeper into his body. It could be imagined that once he unleashed his power, it would be very devastating. Ricky knew that they were now facing a powerful enemy whose strength had multiplied a lot.


    Now they were beginning to feel that Yates had not only become the center of this palace, but also of the whole broken world of this ancient battlefield. All the energy that surrounded them was being attracted to him.


    Ricky had met the Shadow King before, who was a powerful upper spiritual king. But based on what Ricky could feel right now, he was certain this Yates was far greater than that. If the Shadow King stood in front of Yates, he would probably be reduced to a helpless insect--he feared it would also be their fate.


    "It seems that this is the real body of Yates. Since his real body has shown up, he must have combined it with his replicate. Considering the energy he just unleashed, there''s a chance he''s a demi-spiritual emperor already!" Ricky said to himself as he detected Yates'' energy levels.


    But surprisingly, instead of feeling nervous or scared, Ricky found himself pretty calm facing this powerful enemy. Not only him, when he looked at Tyson and Kristen, he didn''t see a single sign of panic on their faces. Ricky knew that they weren''t just faking their calmness.


    But he also understood that none of them was feeling very confident about the impending fight either. The truth was, they were either fully prepared for the coming death just like an ant seeing an elephant and coming for it, or they had simply been through too much that they couldn''t care less about facing death anymore. Anyway, it didn''t matter what they were thinking at the present, what mattered was that they were going to face the situation head on together and try their best to survive a


    you''re not messing around! Do you really think you guys would stand a chance against me?" Yates questioned with a sneer knowing that the three of them were coming up with a plan to escape.


    Without any knowledge about the mysterious axe, Yates had every reason to be confident. He didn''t think that there was any way that they could defend themselves from his attacks. Even if he undid the seal in this space now and they dared to escape by using some spiritual space tool, surely he would be able to catch the spiritual weapon in no time and crush it with the three of them all together.


    Ricky had simply ignored Yates'' sarcastic words this time. Instead, he went all out to rush towards the three blades of evil spirit unleashed by Yates.


    The next instant, he clashed with the blades head on!


    As he and the blades met, dazzling lights shot out from between his eyebrows. The lights were of all the colors of the rainbow, and in the middle of it, the mysterious axe appeared. Now it was clear that it was the axe that had collided with the blades, producing a sharp ringing sound.


    But the sound seemed the only terrible result of the violent collision, as the air became still and all the energy was gone the moment the axe touched the blades. Things had ended quite more peacefully than they expected. Slowly, the colorful lights started to flow onto the blades. The blades began to fade and eventually disappeared into thin air. They were all gone, together with all the evil spirit and the resentment in the palace. In just a snap, all the evil entities were cleared by the blessings of the axe.


    "That is impossible!" Yates cried out in disbelief, changing color at the sight. The confidence and arrogance on his face disappeared and were replaced by shock.


    He didn''t even care that his attack had no effect but the horrible fact was that the varicolored lights from the axe gave him a sense of danger that he did not anticipate. He had a feeling that the axe could finish him off in the blink of an eye. What was more, the axe and its lights had strangely brought back memories, some very ancient memories to him.


    However, he knew that it was not the right time to recall the past, because he needed to run now--The farther away he was from the axe, the greater chances of surviving.


    He had reacted quickly. Before the three of them could do anything, he got hold of the array from the graveyard, tore the space apart, and quickly fled the palace.

 Chapter 338 The Blood Essence Under The Altar

    After just a moment, Yates quickly tore up the space and was about to escape. The mysterious axe was faster than him and flew across the space to hit him.


    The nine-colored light formed a prison and slowly condensed.


    "Ah!"


    Yates screamed in pain in the next moment. As the prison condensed gradually, his evil spirit and power were rapidly weakened and his body was likely to explode.


    There was no doubt that Yates would have his body smashed into pieces and his soul would vanish completely.


    "How come that attack is so powerful?!" Shocked at the scene, Ricky found himself simply wishing that there would be a slight chance to repel Yates with the mysterious axe. But to smash Yates''s body into submission without a fight? That was utterly unbelievable!


    Tyson and Kristen were also shocked and impressed yet again with Ricky''s potential. ''How many secret weapons are there in his body? This axe even makes the demi-spiritual emperor look weak.''


    Naturally the mysterious axe caught their eyes.


    "I will surrender and I will hand in my soul over so you can be my master!" Yates cried and begged for Ricky''s mercy, before his body, power, and soul disappeared.


    "Aha, now you are begging for mercy from a warrior of Bone Reinforcement? Are other devils as pathetic as you are?" Ricky smiled and said. "It sounds interesting to have a demi-spiritual emperor as my guard."


    "Yes! As long as you let me go, I will release my soul and make a master and servant pact with you." Yates urged Ricky to spare him regardless of his pain.


    "You really want to make a pact with me? You''re the type to risk everything to survive, but do you think I''m an idiot?" Ricky mocked. "I guess I would be the one who is destroyed if I put away this light."


    "So, Nine-colored Light, get rid of this asshole and smash him to bits!"


    Ricky yelled out of hatred. He hated Yates so much that he would have liked to drink up Yates''s blood and eat Yates''s flesh.


    He came to tha


    ong rays of light shot out toward the sky and lit the dark hall as it went. Fortunately, Ricky, Tyson, and Kristen were unharmed as it flashed by extremely fast.


    The three could still sense its remaining power after it had gone.


    As they walked to the altar, they saw a pile of large skeletons placed vertically inside the altar. The skeletons were surprisingly tall. Some of the skeletons were even hundreds of yards long.


    There were about twenty drops of blood essence floating in the air with some remaining power emanating in them.


    Ricky''s blood echoed with the presence of the blood essence.


    "Is that the blood essence of a Great Dragon?" Ricky asked, noticing the response from the refined blood essence of the Great Dragon inside his body.


    Those drops of blood essence merely contained some remaining power. Even if they were from the Great Dragon, they could not help with their cultivation at all.


    "With a closer look at the decayed skeletons, I think they belonged to a Great Dragon. Is it possible that a Great Dragon sealed Yates off here? It would have taken the sacrifice of his blood and flesh as the power source. He must have strengthened the array with its own flesh and blood and tried to lock Yates up forever," Ricky said to himself with great admiration for this said dragon.

 Chapter 339 Ending

    ''It seems that Yates took a drop of blood essence of the Great Dragon and put it into the Skeleton Dragon''s body, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    All of a sudden, they saw a figure soaring over the palace. She landed and they recognized her as Tina. Perching on her shoulder, Soar excitedly flew to Ricky once he saw him. He and Tina had both been terribly worried about Ricky, Tyson and Kristen.


    "It''s fortunate for you to came back safe and sound," Tina said. Until she saw them safe with her own eyes, she was uneasy.


    "I knew that my brother is quite remarkable. I was confident they would come back safely after they solved the problems," Soar said with a smile on his face.


    "It was a dangerous experience, but finally, we survived together," Ricky sighed as he remembered everything they''d been through.


    "What is that?" The skeleton and blood essence in the altar had attracted Soar''s full attention. As soon as he saw the skeleton and blood essence, he was shocked immediately.


    He recognized it immediately as he himself was a Great Dragon, too.


    But Soar didn''t want Tina, Tyson and Kristen to know his true identity as a Great Dragon. He pretended not to know anything, watching their reactions.


    "If my guess is right, this is the Great Dragon that sealed Yates in the grave back then!" Ricky noticed that everyone was confused and began to explain. And then Ricky relayed almost everything that they had met in the grave to Tina and Soar.


    "Oh, my god. It sounds so terribly perilous,"


    Their story terrified Tina. But all that mattered now was that everyone had returned safely. Of course, she was curious about what Ricky had pulled out of his sleeve in order to kill a demi-spiritual emperor. But she also knew Ricky. If he didn''t want to tell her right away, it wasn''t the time to talk about it.


    "Brother, only a few warriors have survived in the Chaotic Region, including Trent. I''m sorry. All the other warriors all died there," Soar said morosely.


    They became silent, remembering the warriors they had interacted with. Even though they''d never gotten to know them much and even considered some of them as adversaries, they also felt sorrowful for their tragic fates. They d


    he first place," Kristen said. "Tina, are you okay? It is said that the evil spirit can make even the best warrior turn demonic. Please tell me if something''s off."


    "Don''t worry, Kristen. I''m happy to tell you that there is only a little of the evil spirit left. Otherwise, Ricky couldn''t help me because his power would be too weak," Tina replied, watching Ricky''s reaction with a hint of a smile.


    "Hey! Hey! You! You must be kidding! My power isn''t weak!" Ricky exclaimed, grinning at Tina''s good humor.


    "Ha-ha!" They all burst out laughing together.


    ...


    Tina returned the Dahlia Palace with Doris first. Instead of travelling with Ricky, they decided to follow Ricky and the other warriors in secret because they didn''t want any trouble.


    Ricky and his friends went to the Sky Manor together.


    "By the way, Ricky, I have reserved the fire of the Devil Flame that you wanted," Kristen said on the way to Sky Manor.


    On the edge of her blind right eye, a small flame of Heaven Illuminating Fire bloomed.


    "Thank you very much, Kristen," Ricky replied gratefully. He could feel the intense strength of Heaven Illuminating Fire.


    Later on, he used his chaotic fire runes to relocate the Heaven Illuminating Fire into his Chaotic Fire Zone. Because of the chaotic fire runes, his newly acquired flame would grow rapidly!


    "Well, Kristen, how long will it be before your sight is recovered?" Ricky asked kindly. He was quite worried about her vision.

 Chapter 340 Kristens Identity

    "It will take me about a month to recover my lost eyesight. To tell you the truth, I unleashed the power of the Heaven Illuminating Fire knowing that becoming totally blind was a risk. We were so close to death at that time and I had to make a quick decision. It''s just fortunate that I was stopped by the appearance of the array," Kristen explained.


    Even now that they were safe, there was still a hint of fear in Kristen''s heart when she remembered what had happened. If Yates hadn''t activated the array to seal the Heaven Illuminating Fire, she was very likely to unleash the fire continuously regardless of the risks. She could have become totally blind.


    "That''s too dangerous. Kristen, don''t be so impulsive next time!" Ricky said anxiously. "After you reach the immortal realm and have a better understanding of the power of your eyes, the effect of the sequela will be much less."


    "There''s still a long way to go for me to become an innate spirit," Kristen sighed at this. She shook her head.


    "Kristen, you once thought that becoming a demi-immortal was far too difficult, but look where you are now. And if I''m not wrong, it didn''t take you so long to reach the demi-immortal realm," Ricky said.


    "Russell, I believe it won''t take you much time to break through from a demi-immortal to an innate spirit. But Kristen and I are not as powerful as you. We''ll likely be stuck at the demi-immortal realm for decades," Tyson chimed in.


    As Trent and Bastian didn''t yet know Ricky''s real identity, Tyson and Kristen still referred to him as Russell.


    "I don''t want to admit it, but I have to agree with Tyson. If we don''t get any great opportunities in the future, we will indeed have to stay at the demi-immortal realm for a long, long time," Kristen nodded. She added, "After all, the breakthrough from demi-immortal realm to the immortal realm requires not only a long time spent on cultivation, but also the complex process of comprehension.


    Fortunately, we already comprehended a little bit of enlightening power in the Devil Beast Valley. Otherwise, things would have been much more difficult for us."


    "Are you kidding? Is it really that hard for a demi-immortal to become an innate spirit?"


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    d this. It seemed that he had anticipated what Kristen wanted to say.


    "Well!" Kristen breathed deeply. "The Chief of the Sky Manor is a lady with the same family name as me: Tang."


    "What did you say? The Chief is a woman!?" Ricky and Trent were surprised at Kristen''s words. They foolishly thought that it would be difficult for a woman to support such a big Sky Manor.


    However, they were even more astonished at the second part of Kristen''s words.


    She said she shared the same family name with the Chief of the Sky Manor!


    "Well, the Chief of the Sky Manor is my elder sister!" Kristen said, finally coming clean.


    "That explains something that''s confused me a lot," Ricky said, suddenly enlightened. "When the Elder of the Sky Manor came last time, he was very polite to you. And he even blamed Tyson for you!"


    "I couldn''t do anything about it. Kristen is the apple in those Elders'' eyes," Tyson said, feeling rather indignant.


    "Ha-ha. Does that mean we can get more cultivation resources after we get to the Sky Manor?" Ricky now started to look forward to their arrival at the Manor. "After all, love me, love my dog. The chief will surely be very friendly to us."


    "Russell, I''m sorry to tell you that you''re wrong if you''re expecting that," Tyson said as he curled his lip distastefully.


    "What do you mean?" Ricky asked, raising his brow.


    "Well, it would be better to let Kristen tell you about that herself," Tyson replied, waving his hand.

 Chapter 341 Maxine

    "My sister is very strict with me. She wanted me to be independent. So I had to get the resources for cultivation all by myself," Kristen told them. "What''s more, except for Tyson and some Elders in Sky Manor, no one else knows I am the sister of the Chief of Sky Manor.


    So thinking that my sister will take care of things for us is a pipe dream."


    "Well..." Hearing this, Ricky and others traded glances, not knowing what to say.


    "Ha-ha, Russell! Tell you what! Maybe the Chief will even embarrass you just because you are Kristen''s friend." Tyson laughed.


    "Well. Forget about it," Ricky said, frowning a little.


    "I can''t do anything about it. My sister has high hopes for me, so she made me cultivate harder and in difficult environments," Kristen explained.


    Her tone told them that she felt grateful for her sister''s guidance.


    If not for her sister''s strictness, Kristen would not have gotten so far so quickly. She might have become unruly and spoiled, like other daughters of powerful families.


    "So please remember not to mention my real identity once we enter the Sky Manor."


    "Don''t worry. Kristen. We know better than to do that." Ricky and others nodded.


    "Trent, Bastian. I''m afraid that at the beginning, you will have to start as the ordinary disciples once you enter the Sky Manor. You can only achieve the Sky Manor''s real cultivation after you get enough contributing scores. I''m sorry," Kristen said to Trent and Bastian.


    "Chief, we are already grateful that you have taken us with you into the Sky Manor. What else could we want? Besides, we don''t want to attain achievements only through connections," Trent and Bastian replied sensibly.


    "Thank you for understanding. But don''t call me chief anymore. After all, the Chaotic Region is long behind us. Just call me Kristen. We are friends now, aren''t we?" Kristen smiled.


    "We f


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    this insult, but Ricky, Trent and Bastian held him back. They looked at Tyson and signaled him to stay out of this.


    Tyson finally calmed down, because he couldn''t pick a fight with Maxine just for calling him a "black bear." It would be foolish to fight a girl just because of that, especially with so many witnesses around.


    "Look! The two pearls of the Sky Manor come into conflict once again!" More and more warriors surrounded them, their chattering becoming loud.


    "This again? I wonder who will leave embarrassed this time."


    ......


    "Maxine, don''t you have anything better to do?" Kristen said in a cold voice.


    "It''s my right, Kristen. If Chief finds out you won''t tell me on purpose, she''ll scold you!" Maxine laughed.


    "You just won''t leave me alone, will you?" Kristen said coldly.


    The two strong women braced for combat.


    "It''s me! I''m their new partner." Ricky stood out.


    He knew that it would be a bad idea to let Maxine find out about Kristen''s blindness. She could use it against her!


    "You?" Maxine said dismissively after a quick glance at Ricky.


    She did that on purpose. Even if it was an extraordinary handsome warrior standing in front of her, she would dismiss him because of his connection to Kristen!

 Chapter 342 The Ringer

    Maxine didn''t sense any strong power from Ricky. She looked down on him, mistaking him for merely an average guy.


    "Well, I disagree. As far as I know, you can only ask but you can''t interfere. If you''re not convinced, what about picking a partner to fight with me?" Ricky replied.


    "Kristen, your little friend doesn''t look very strong, but his mouth is pretty big for his body!" Maxine said spitefully, paying no attention to Ricky''s challenge.


    To her he was nothing, not even worth replying to.


    "His strength is not measured by your words," Kristen replied coldly.


    "Kristen, you really are just as overconfident as before! I didn''t expect to hear myself say this, but I hate it more than your arrogance!" Maxine snorted. "Well then, I have the right to test his strength."


    She hated Kristen''s confidence and decided that defeating Ricky would be a good way to embarrass her. She''d had an inkling of this idea right at the start, and latched onto it now.


    "Up to you!" Kristen responded nonchalantly, sounding as though she didn''t care--or perhaps, was just very confident.


    Kristen''s response drove Maxine even crazier!


    "Alright! If you say so!" Maxine scoffed, immediately flashing her cold eyes at Ricky.


    Kristen could sense Maxine''s anger and found it ridiculous to see how her temper was so easily stirred. Maxine did not know about the real Ricky, who had challenged many warriors three grades higher than him. And as a demi-immortal, Kristen couldn''t even defeat Ricky, even if she hurt her eyes!


    And to think that Maxine was only at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement at most!


    "I suggest you choose another partner to compete with me. Even though I don''t like you, a gentleman wouldn''t punch a girl," Ricky said condescendingly.


    ......


    "This lad isn''t from the S


    d why Kristen always dismissed her and considered her as a clown.


    Of course, she did not know that Kristen was already blind. Otherwise, she would have picked a fight with Kristen right when she saw her!


    And judging from what just happened, she could tell that Ricky''s power was equal to hers. She frowned. No. It was probably greater.


    All of these filled her with more hatred and jealousy. ''Why? Why can Kristen always easy surpass me?


    Why do all these geniuses with real strong power always stand by her side?''


    ......


    "Do you notice that he is only at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement?" some warriors murmured after they recovered from the shock.


    "How is it possible? He must have used a method to hide his real power! That way he can pretend to be weak and defeat others who''ve let their guard down!"


    "It must be!"


    "Kristen seems to have the upper land in this competition again!"


    "It''s remarkable! Just in his early twenties, this lad has the power of a warrior at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement!"


    ......


    "Well, I thought we could fight for a few rounds if there was a man. But who knew that the competition would end so disappointingly?" Ricky sighed.

 Chapter 343 The Chief Of The Sky Manor

    He glanced at Maxine and the people behind her as a smile appeared on his face. His voice was calm, as it always was, and yet everyone could feel an overwhelming aura being emanated by him.


    Maxine was infuriated by the scorn in his voice.


    Maxine clenched her teeth in fury as a strong spiritual energy burst out from her body, and an indigo sword appeared in her hand. She sped up towards Ricky, aiming her sword at his throat.


    ''What an unreasonable woman!'' Ricky grumbled in his mind. He could feel her strong killing intent all the way from where he was standing.


    Maxine was fast indeed -- much faster than most of the warriors who had already reached the peak of the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement. But it didn''t matter to Ricky at all. In his eyes, her movements were still slow. He leaned sideways and managed to escape the strike effortlessly. Then, he activated the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, and his palm hacked Maxine''s wrist heavily like a blade.


    Crack! Suddenly, there was a slight cracking sound. Maxine was forced to drop her sword immediately and step back, her left hand gripping her right wrist in pain.


    Her wrist was fractured by Ricky''s attack in spite of his effort to hold back. If he had used his full strength, then Maxine might have been a dead body by now.


    As a sharp pain shot out from her wrist, Maxine''s wrath towards Ricky exponentially increased. She stared at him in fury. As much as she hated the idea of submitting to others, she quickly realized that the young man standing in front of her was not to be trifled with.


    She was arrogant, but she was not stupid. She would not have been chosen to be a member of the Royal Sky Guard otherwise.


    "This young man is amazing! He was able to defeat Maxine so easily!'' The crowd began to whisper among themselves.


    "Maybe he is already a demi-immortal. But that just does not seem possible. Both his vibe and appearance suggest that he is no more than 20 years old!"


    "It looks like the Sky Manor has gained another genius,"


    some people murmured in admiration. Meanwhile, some of the others cursed in anger, "What''s that kid''s problem? How dare he treat Miss Maxine like that! How rude of him!"


    "That''s right! He''s not a gentleman! If only I were strong enough, I would kick his ass!"


    "Me too! How could he be so cruel to a girl!? He deserves a good punch!"


    Hearing the crowds'' gossips, Ricky smiled indifferently.


    He shook his head slightly and gave Maxine a piece of advice. "


    fore their eyes.


    Ricky immediately recognized the similarities between Kristen and the woman''s appearance and temperament.


    But of course, Ricky was able to see the similarities between the two at once because he had known that they were related beforehand. Meanwhile, if others were to look at the two, they would not find a trace of similarity between them because there was a great difference between an innate spiritual king and a demi-immortal spiritual king.


    "Chief!" Both Ricky and Kristen raised their hand to salute to her respectfully.


    When other people were around, Kristen was also supposed to call her sister "Chief".


    "Good. It looks like you have become a demi-immortal. Always remember, though, that you should not use the Devil Flame easily before you become an innate spirit," the Chief of the Sky Manor said.


    "Yes, I''ll keep it that mind. Thank you, Chief." Kristen nodded.


    Then, the Chief of the Sky Manor focused her eyes on Ricky, and Soar, who was perched on Ricky''s shoulder. She was an innate spiritual king after all, so she could feel how strong Soar was.


    "So, you are Russell, the last Royal Sky Guard that Kristen and Tyson have found, right?" the Chief of the Sky Manor asked.


    "Yes, Chief." Ricky replied with a nod.


    "Since your strength has been approved by Kristen and Tyson, I believe that you are a good warrior. I will allow you to become a member of the Royal Sky Guard," the Chief of the Sky Manor said.


    Before Ricky could sigh in relief, the Chief stared at him sharply as her voice suddenly changed. "However, there is one thing that you should know -- we do not like people who hide their faces with masks."

 Chapter 344 Changing Danger Into Safety

    No one uttered even a single word at this moment.


    The Chief of the Sky Manor''s words resounded, instantly causing a hush to fall over the Palace.


    Although everything was quiet, both Ricky and Kristen were startled. What they feared the most had just happened! They underestimated the observation competence of the Chief of the Sky Manor, a middle spiritual king who shared the same blood and power of blood eyes with Kristen!


    Ricky steadied himself quickly because he had prepared to be discovered right before he entered the Sky Manor.


    Ricky still entered at the risk of getting caught because of his trust in Kristen. She told him that she was one hundred percent sure that she could keep him safe and sound even if he got caught.


    This promise had reassured Ricky, and so he agreed to come.


    Ricky took off the mask on his face and revealed his long-lost face.


    "Normally, such a mask would have been crafted by a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level, or a superb casting master at the inferior stage of Spirit Level, which shows your special identity-- or, the great opportunity you had," The Chief analyzed, at the sight of Ricky''s mask.


    She was more impressed than angry.


    But soon, she became rather shocked, staring closely at Ricky''s face.


    She was familiar with this face, as well as all the innate spirits in the Realm of Wildness, because this face had impressed them so much.


    After all, its owner possessed treasures they did not have. Of course they admired him!


    "You are Ricky!" exclaimed the Chief, a hint of excitement showing on her face.


    And then she activated her power and got ready to attack him because she could not resist the temptation of Ricky''s spiritual weapons, especially his spiritual space tool.


    Having noticed the power around the Chief and realizing what she was about to do, Kristen dashed in front of Ricky and released her demi-immortal power to protect him from her sister.


    Kristen was admirably determined to protect


    her faith in the martial arts world.


    "Understood, Chief!" Ricky nodded and did what the Chief suggested. He placed his mask back on his face. Now, he was Russell again.


    "Sister, I truly appreciate everything you have done for me," Kristen thanked her again, smiling a little deviously.


    But her sister stared back at her and said gravely, "I told you that you should call me Chief except for some private occasions. I forgive you this time but don''t do it again."


    "Copy that! Chief!" Kristen replied, with her mouth curled and a sparkle in her eye.


    "I guess we have turned danger into safety already!" Ricky said to himself. Otherwise, he would have had to conceal himself in the Chaotic Fire Zone again, which was not what he wanted to do at all.


    "Ricky, you have already attained the approval of Kristen and Tyson, and mine as well. But you will be required to prove something later down the road," the Chief declared.


    "Prove something? For what?" Ricky was surprised at what she said. He thought he was completely off the hook!


    Who else did he have to prove himself to? What was going on? He didn''t typically care what others thought of him and found the idea of proving himself to others rather superficial.


    Besides, his previous altercation with Maxine at the gate of the city proved his strength, didn''t it?

 Chapter 345 Sky Manors Small World

    "I know all about the little fight you had with Maxine outside the gate. You defeated her nearly immediately, which indicates your true strength. Very good!" said the Chief of the Sky Manor approvingly, looking at Ricky''s confused expression.


    "However, you also need to accept a challenge and prove yourself if you want to join the Royal Sky Guard. Every warrior who wants to join the Royal Sky Guard has to undergo it. What''s more, the challenge may be more difficult because of the conflict between you and Maxine," she added.


    "To be a Royal Sky Guard is more complicated than I think," Ricky muttered under his breath at this.


    "In addition, you will earn some rewards if you win in the challenge. The more successful you are, the more rewards will be yours for the taking!" the Chief explained to him.


    "Chief, I''m looking forward to it. I''m ready for the challenge," Ricky replied, nodding as a smile bloomed on his face. After all, he never passed up an opportunity for a reward!


    He was quite confident that he''d be able to win all of them in one sitting!


    "I must say that based on what I''ve gauged of your power, the challenge will be easy for you. But Maxine may have something in store for you. Be careful!" Kristen warned.


    "Kristen, we''ve known each other for a long time. You know my power very well, don''t you? Do you think there is anyone who can stop me from the Royal Sky Guard?" Ricky said calmly and confidently, trying to reassure her.


    "You are wildly arrogant, but I of course hope that your strength is great enough to win the challenge," the Chief said as her brow furrowed in slight annoyance at Ricky''s words to Kristen.


    "I won''t let you down!" Ricky muttered determinedly.


    Kristen felt a little helpless about Ricky. She had known him and his character for a long time. To most people, he looked mild and gentle, but in reality he was very proud and even a little arrogant. But he wasn''t aggressively arrogant. After all, he had the power to back this up!


    She bit her tongue. As Ricky had guessed, she didn''t believe that there was anyone of the Royal Sky Guard who could stop him from winning the challenge, even the warrior whom Maxine had asked for help.


    "In that case, you will begin your challenge in t


    l over it, even a lower spiritual king would be killed by it, much less you."


    "I understand," Ricky said as he frowned.


    He finally understood why it wasn''t a big deal for the Royal Sky Guards to know this much about this Small World. It was because they didn''t know the exact location of this Small World at all!


    "Come on! Let''s begin. Let me know what your real power is," the Chief said as she waved her right hand. The old iron door swung open gradually, before Ricky and Tyson were shoved into it.


    As their bodies shook, Ricky found that he and Tyson were now in another world.


    There were many trees, flowers, and grassy fields in this world. It looked so peculiar. The sky was round and the ground was square, covered by dense plants. The center was shaped like a big basin.


    However, what attracted Ricky was two other things.


    First of all, the spiritual energy of the Small World was about three times as dense compared to the normal world. Cultivating here would consequently speed up the process by three times as well!


    "The Small World is really amazing!" Ricky sighed.


    The second thing that caught his eyes was the huge golden staircase in the center of the Small World, which rose several hundred meters high. Ricky counted and found that there were thirty-six steps, and he saw that there was a huge golden plaque at the top of the staircase.


    Then Ricky looked closer and saw that there were thirty-five names on the golden plaque, including Tyson''s and Kristen''s!

 Chapter 346 Daydreaming

    "There are thirty-five names here. It would seem that it''s time for me to inscribe mine here, too. I''ll be the one," Ricky whispered.


    "Yes. To be a Royal Sky Guard, you need to successfully go through the thirty-six stairs and inscribe your name on the golden plaque. If you fail, you won''t be admitted, and you''ll have to leave. Of course, you have the option to leave now," Tyson said.


    "In the past, I might have already quit. But now, I won''t step back. Since you and Kristen made it, you guys set a good example for me. I want to do my best and join you," Ricky said with a genuine smile.


    Hearing this, Tyson scornfully shook his head. "Hey, you can''t fool me with your flattery. I know you''re after the handsome rewards."


    "Tyson, don''t say that... that''s too discouraging," Ricky put on a sad face.


    "Come on! I know you very well. I''ve seen through all your tricks. You can''t try anything on me. Let''s stop here. You''d better put all your effort into the test and figure out how to get past the stairs," Tyson said, ignoring Ricky''s poor acting.


    "Well then, I guess it won''t be an easy task, right?" Ricky asked calmly.


    "Yes. The other Royal Sky Guards will spare no effort in obstructing you as you go all-out," Tyson said.


    "How many guards are there?"


    "Three in total. We Royal Sky Guards could volunteer to stand guard. If there are no volunteers, our Chief will choose three representatives herself. Of course, Kristen and I are excluded because of our relationship with you."


    "I understand. I''m afraid that Maxine will take advantage of that and give me a hard time."


    "You''re right. For all I know, Maxine had asked her partner, Lucas, to be one of the three guards. Lucas ranked second among us Royal Sky Guards. He''s not easy to deal with.


    If everything goes well, I would guess he had already broken through the demi-immortal," Tyson guessed.


    "Well then, I hope he won''t disappoint me," Ricky said in return. "Come on, you conceited guy," Tyson couldn''t help but shake his head at the response and complain.


    He then continued, "I have good news for you. One of Kristen''s followers is among the three. He won''t let you suffer, at least.


    Besides the two, another guy wo


    ehaving rather cruelly, either.


    "How dare you be so distracted during a fight! You must truly be courting death!" Miles proclaimed coldly. "Admit it. You''re no match for me. You want to fight shoulder to shoulder with Kristen? Ha! Stop daydreaming."


    With these words, it suddenly became clear why Miles was being particularly harsh and aggressive.


    His words were full of jealousy¡ªMiles had fallen for Kristen. It was no wonder that he ignored Tyson''s words and went all-out on Ricky.


    The thought that Kristen would be offended didn''t even occur to Miles. All he thought was, ''If I defeat this guy, she''ll definitely fall in love with me. Women love strong men, after all.''


    "It''s you who should quit daydreaming! Kristen won''t be with someone who breaks his promises so easily!" So in his mind, Ricky decided to teach him a lesson.


    Without wasting time talking nonsense, Ricky gathered all his power into his right fist and charged toward Miles with the Fire Cloud Fist.


    "The second level of Fire Cloud Fist!" Ricky shouted.


    Seeing that Ricky was ignoring him and continued to launch a stronger attack, Miles turned infuriated and began roaring. "I''ll defeat you!"


    Motivating the earthy yellow spiritual energy hidden inside his body, he gathered all the energy in his right arm, forming some sort of thick armor. With that, he balled his hand into a fist and threw Ricky a hard punch.


    "Full Arm Boxing! I''m going to beat you to death!" Miles roared again.

 Chapter 347 Fighting With Lucas

    Boom!


    A strong and powerful force swept the area, wiping away all of the contents from the twelfth staircase going down. The deafening sound crackled all throughout that everyone watched closely as the fight happened. The powerful fire and the power of defending earth resonated and filled the whole area in a snap.


    The clash was extremely loud, that it could have been heard by an elderly with poor hearing ability. And this massive racket was made by no other than Ricky and Miles as their raging fists collided with superior power.


    "Crrrrack!" The snapping of numerous bones could be heard from a distance as the force was too much for Miles. Then, unexpectedly, he was overthrown by a strong invisible force which sent him rolling down from where they stood to the ground.


    Tyson saw it coming, unlike the others who watched the painful fate that Miles had in store for him. Even the Chief of the Sky Manor stood up from her seat as she was appalled by the electrifying spectacle. Not a single soul present in the fight ever anticipated the sudden reverse of strength. This was because only moments ago, Ricky was at the weaker end of the spectrum and now, in just a blink of an eye, he defeated Miles and sent him to his doom.


    ''Damn! He is still hiding his strength! He definitely could do more than that!'' the Royal Sky Guards said inwardly. The Royal Sky Guards were left thinking for a possible reason on why Ricky kept on hiding his true powers. Then, there was a light bulb moment. It suddenly hit their minds about what Ricky could''ve had all along. This realization brought their hearts closer to him and they couldn''t help but root for him even more. They wondered why Ricky was stronger even than a warrior at the peak of ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement, which was the top strength anyone could have. And for proof, they saw with their own naked eyes how Ricky pulverized a warrior at that same level, which could only mean one thing.


    "Is it possible? Could he really have the strength of a demi-immortal?" Some Royal Sky Guards spoke to one another as they speculated about his real strength.


    "Damn it! This guy is really hiding his real strength!" Maxine said with loathing in her eyes.


    "It''s going to be alright, Maxine. Clam down." Lucas said. Lucas rubbed his hands at Maxine''s back to show empathy towards what she was feeling.


    Maxine''s shoulders went down as a sign of relief after feeling her comrade''s support. And to alleviate her own fear, she thought of how weak Ricky was when he encountered Lucas in a fight.


    "Hmm...I wonder if Lucas can force Ricky to use his real strength," wondered by the Chief of the Sky Manor as she witnessed the impeccable surge of power from Ricky.


    "Ha! Miles really bit more than he could chew. He definitely sought trouble when he decided to fight Ricky," Tyson said coldheartedly as he looked at Miles who retreated awkwardly after stumbling down the staircase.


    "Chief, it clearly looks like I have passed this obstacle. I believe that I am now ready to step on the twenty-fourth stair!" Ricky cupped his hands


    ing Fist!"


    And with a loud and ferocious shout, Ricky activated the Chaotic Fire Skill to extract the raving power from the Heaven Melting Fire and filled his right fist with it. He then materialized a red fist figure and punched Lucas in the face.


    "Small trick! Is that all you got?" Although the punch shook Lucas'' head, he was still afraid to admit that it really sent him some pain and as a result, Lucas taunted Ricky more and more.


    Boom!


    All of a sudden, Lucas wanted to attack once again and in a split second, their fists collided once again.


    Then, the whole place violently shook down to the ground because of the collision. The bloody evil spirit''s force and roaring flame instantly impacted together and rose strong and powerful waves in the air. Then, air waves strongly resonated from their collided fists.


    Violent vibration sent the whole space buzzing with the powerful collision.


    Ricky and Lucas were surprised as to how strong the effect of their crashed fists were. Both of them bore the violent impact of their own attacks. Their robes waved fiercely as the wind sped to their clothing because of the strong gust of power that reverberated the whole area. They had no choice but to hold on to their robes as they resisted the impact.


    But the force was so strong that they weren''t able to withstand the huge impact. Suddenly, both of them were pushed back from the stairs at the same time. Their shoes left deep scratches on the ground as they tried to stay where they stood.


    The crowd''s jaws were left agape as they have seen the marvelous battle between Ricky and Lucas to be a hard tie.


    Then, there was a deafening silence--all of the people who watched them were bewildered for they never have expected that this would even happen. They expected differently from the fight. All of them assumed that it was Lucas who would reign supreme. They envisioned that by the time the fight ended, Lucas would be the one on top with a calm and triumphant face while Ricky would be on the ground just like what Miles suffered.

 Chapter 348 Comparing Your Devouring Power With Mine

    "Demi-immortal! He has the power of a demi-immortal!" After a long silence, voices of wonder and incredulity began to echo.


    "How is it possible? How could this damn guy possibly have the power of a demi-immortal!" Maxine grimaced, unwilling to accept the truth.


    Miles was with her too.


    "But how is that possible? Did you see his last move? There was a complete innate power on his infernal power! Although he concealed his true realm, it should still have been impossible for him to hide the complete innate power!" someone exclaimed doubtfully.


    "That''s true. But do you really think that Russell is only at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement?"


    "That''s impossible! Even if he was strong, a warrior at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement could never compete with a demi-immortal warrior, let alone one that was fighting fiercely!"


    Lucas''s move just now had been absolutely all-out, and his offensive attack was certainly at the level of the demi-immortal. In no way did he simply underestimate Ricky.


    "But why does Russell have such strong power?" someone asked.


    "There is only one possible reason I can think of. Russell must be a genius who can challenge warriors far above his level. Moreover, he can conceal his true realm, so all we can see is that a warrior at the seventh grade of the Bone Reinforcement can challenge a demi-immortal warrior," an older Royal Sky Guard answered.


    "That seems to be the only plausible explanation!"


    ''These guys...their imaginations are really colorful!'' Ricky could not help laughing at these wild speculations.


    But such gossip was also good for him. Otherwise, the real truth would probably shock everyone. Because in a small Realm like the Realm of Wildness, a warrior who could challenge others three levels higher than him was more amazing than the destruction of the entire world!


    ''But I have a feeling the Chief isn''t thinking the same crazy thoughts as them!'' Ricky thought.


    ...


    ''Unexpectedly, a genius who can challenge someone three levels higher than him has appeared in our Realm of Wildness. And to top it off, he was standing right in front of me the whole time!'' the Chief


    has the devouring power! The Royal Sky Guards were even more surprised at this turn of events.


    "Russell has certainly concealed a lot!" At the top of the staircase, the Chief of the Sky Manor remarked, "It seems that Lucas can''t stop him."


    With her experience and wisdom, she saw right away that the devouring power of the two warriors were not at the same level at all. Ricky''s power was much more formidable. It was slated to win.


    "Devouring Storm!"


    The next moment, Ricky turned into a bloody tornado storm which rushed toward the bloody mouth.


    "Boom!" The earth shook as their strongest moves collided with each other. But there was not much of a deadlock.


    Ricky''s Devouring Storm was so powerful that it devoured Lucas''s Devouring Mouth, resulting in Lucas''s body now being directly exposed as he hovered in the air.


    Lucas could only stare wide-eyed as the Devouring Storm directly hit his body.


    "Puff!" Without any strength to shield himself, Lucas spat out some blood and fell down the stairs.


    Ricky''s Devouring Storm could have shattered Lucas''s chest, and this was exactly what he wanted to do. But he held back, because he knew that the Chief would not allow him to kill this pathetic warrior.


    So Ricky intentionally recalled his attack, and the bloody storm disappeared. He landed intact on the twenty-fourth stair.


    "You want to compare your devouring power with mine? You still have a long way to go!"

 Chapter 349 Challenging The First Guard

    Ricky said as he stared disdainfully at Lucas.


    He was teaching Lucas an important lesson: being arrogant might cost him his life especially since there was always someone stronger than him. He also wanted Lucas to know that he could have easily died had Ricky not held back.


    Ricky expressed that he would show no mercy and would not hesitate to kill him if he ever tried to pick a fight again in the future.


    Lucas, on the other hand, struggled to steady himself on the ground. With one hand, he clutched his chest, panting breathlessly. He heard and understood Ricky, and caught all the implied meanings behind his words. Resentfully, he could not anything but keep silent, in order to not provoke Ricky anymore. This fight had made him painfully aware that he was weaker. Wordless, he staggered to his feet and staggered down the stairs. Before long, he had already disappeared into the crowd and was nowhere to be seen.


    All the onlookers--the other Royal Sky Guards--were dumbfounded by what they witnessed. Their jaws were agape as they stared with wide eyes at Ricky. They were completely stunned for a few moments before some of them finally came to and began to whisper secretly with their internal strength. "What? Is this the end of the fight? Lucas lost the battle?! Russell''s victory was absolute!"


    "Yeah, that''s incredible! If Lucas had used some other methods or skills, there would have still been a chance for him to beat Russell. But he chose the devouring power without knowing that Russell has it too! What''s more, Russell''s is far stronger than his! He was by no means a match for Russell in this respect!"


    "I have to admit that Russell has really strong power. I don''t think any of us would be able to defeat him. It''s probably only that guy who can compete with him!"


    The whispers spread over the surroundings. When they mentioned "that guy", all the Royal Sky Guards turned to look at another man in the crowd. He was young, wore simple clothes, and had been silent from the beginning.


    The throng began to stir again. "No way! I don''t think Chief would send him to fight! He is too strong and might kill Russell! I think the Chief values Russell''s genius and doesn''t want him die!"


    "Well, we have no idea what''s on Chief''s mind. She has her own plan."


    "As you have already witnessed, Chief, I won again this round. May I know the reward?"


    Ricky turned around to face the Chief and asked in a politely manner as he made a small bow. Forgetting about the reward was the last thing he would do. Tyson was right; the mysterious reward was one of the main reasons why he had come here to fight today. Defeating others was not reason enough.


    "You have a good memory to remember those things. You may come with me and pick out a Treasure from Heaven and Earth of King Level as you wish after we are done here," the Chief replied with a proud glint in her eyes.


    "Thank you, Chief! I''m honored," Ricky exclaimed with excitement. A huge grin had spread on his face and his eyes lit up upon hearing her mention the King Level.


    At his current level, only Treasures from Heaven and Earth of King Level or something even more superior could whet his appetite.


    Other guards could not help but feel jealous of the generous offer from their chief. How they wished they could get such a precious treasure from her too! But they could only dream. N


    win and take the title from you!" Ricky replied in a light yet domineering tone, his face blank and emotionless.


    "We''ll know if you can beat me soon! Our fists will prove which one is stronger!" Owen retorted coldly.


    In the blink of an eye, he stamped his feet powerfully. Two deep footprints appeared on the golden staircase at once. Before the prints became solid, Owen had already waved his purple fists, flinging destructive power right towards Ricky''s face.


    Ricky, on the other hand, threw out his punch at the same time and collided with Owen''s fist.


    "Bang! Bang! Bang!"


    The moment their fists met, thunderclaps echoed through the sky. Lightning sparked all over Owen''s whole arm. He exerted his internal strength and channeled it into his arm, then hurled it fiercely towards Ricky. This was a destructive lightning attack!


    "Boom! Boom!" Ricky fought back. He let out his raging flame and it turned into hundreds of small fire clouds. They zoomed furiously ahead to deflect the attack from Owen''s lightning.


    The next moment, an air pocket flooded the thirty-sixth step and blocked everyone''s eyesight. Flames and lightening mixed and intercepted, causing numerous sparks which engulfed the staircase.


    However, the two figures were not engulfed in the blast.


    Neither of them stayed where they were. Right after their collision, they jumped and flew into the air as the explosions continued under their feet. They forcefully collided with each other in the air. Again and again, they collided with their physical bodies instead of their auras. The crowd underneath watched spellbound. Never before had they witnessed such a tremendous battle!


    The spectators covered their ears from the loud sounds. Within just a few moments, Ricky and Owen had launched dozens of attacks towards each other. The blasts continued as they fought.


    Some small cracks began to form in the space as they focused intently on their battle. The force from their blasts were what created the cracks!


    "This is just the beginning of a fabulous battle!" someone gasped in shock. All of the Royal Sky Guards were deeply impressed by Ricky and Owen''s fight. Right away it was already a sight to behold. They couldn''t wait to see how it would unfold!

 Chapter 350 Destroy The Thunder Chop

    One power was destructive while the other was raging, so you could imagine how violently robust the impact could get when the two powers found their way to collision. Moreover, both powers belonged to the coveted and demi-immortal realm.


    Ricky, who never expected anything at all, seemed to be on the lower hand in the collision.


    First, the realm Ricky had reached was a clear disadvantage for him. Although warriors at the demi-immortal realm could only release incomplete innate power, the power was still far away stronger than that of the Bone Reinforcement realm.


    Therefore, in the recent collision, Ricky had to summon the devouring power to destroy or even just diminish the promising strength of the thunder first, and then collided with the ranging power.


    ''It''s unbelievable that a man who embodies such ultimately calm demeanor would have cultivated such a destructive thunderous power!'' Ricky thought, sighing in curiosity.


    He then realized that he shouldn''t fight against Owen again without using the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. The built of a warrior who had cultivated the thunderous power could be the strongest among the warriors who were at the same cultivation stage and could even be stronger and more dangerous than them.


    Ricky was aware of Owen''s strength and capabilities. If he didn''t use the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula soon, he would surely be defeated.


    Owen was in total disbelief as Ricky was. Although he was not a body refining warrior, his physique was far more vigorous than most body refining warriors after he had cultivated the thunder destructive power.


    But he wasn''t much ahead of Ricky in the devastating collision.


    ''Did Russell actually cultivate some body refining cultivation method?'' he wondered and pondered about it. He realized if that was the case, he shouldn''t compete with Russell in body collision.


    Now, both of them were finding ways as to buying more time by introducing one more move.


    "Devouring Raging Fist!" Ricky stepped bravely on the flame and proudly waved his fists. The devouring power and the raging power he released merged, spewing and consuming each other until they integrated and rushed out towards Owen.


    This punch was undeniably the mightiest blow after he had used the devouring power and raging power.


    At the same time, Owen daringly waved his hands as he tried to surpass what his rival was trying to achieve. Endless purple thunder light flashed


    t Apperception.


    Although the difference was minute at only ten percent, the power difference between the two could reach up to five folds or more.


    ...


    With constant and unceasing cracks, a number of lights were emitted out. That meant that the collision between the two streaks of saber-light had already reached their designated limit.


    "Boom! Boom!" Ricky and Owen had used all their available strength and their eyes shot overwhelmingly like lighting. The moment their saber-light reached the highest level would be the moment they started to attack.


    At the same time, they waved the sabers they were forcefully gripping.


    Owen was surrounded by the brilliant destructive thunder light. The light was brighter than the sun that people around him almost couldn''t open their eyes. The thunder light contained not only a powerful destructive power, but also eighty percent saber-light.


    In the blink of an eye, the crack sounds caused by the collision between the thunder light and the space converged onto the blade and found its way to the Purple Thunder Saber.


    At once, Owen initiated an attack.


    Surrounded by immense thunder light, the huge blade carried destructive power, mighty at eighty percent saber-light.


    "Destructive Thunder Strike!"


    Owen bellowed in the raging energy wave about to engulf his opponent.


    "Devouring Skill-Wrath Killing Strike!" Ricky shrieked in return.


    With the merging of all three: devouring, raging, and killing power, the Iron Destroyer unleashed a champion strike, an impact with irrefutable power.


    "Clang!"


    In the sound of the metal collision, two steaks of the grandest force assembled.

 Chapter 351 Dual Attributes Of Thunder And Wind

    "Boom! Boom!"


    The collision of the two warriors'' most powerful strikes instantly resulted in endless sounds of explosion. Numerous waves rippled throughout the air, breaking the space where the collision took place.


    But the waves only broke the space momentarily. After all, it was not a collision of genuine innate power.


    It was quite sufficient to show how powerful the two warriors were, and how well-matched they were.


    The Chief of the Sky Manor had to do something to protect the golden staircase from so many powerful collisions. Due to the vibration of blast waves, many cracks had rapidly appeared on the staircase!


    The Chief of the Sky Manor unleashed some innate spiritual energy to mend the cracks, thus rendering the whole staircase stable again.


    "This Russell has concealed his strength to a really great extent! It seems that he won Lucas not just because of his devouring power," several Royal Sky Guards exclaimed again as they sensed Ricky''s strong power.


    "Yes, if Russell had attacked Lucas with this strike, Lucas would surely lose more than the battle!"


    "It seems that the Royal Sky Guard as we know it today will soon undergo some changes!"


    ...


    ''Damn it! Go to hell, Russell! I, Lucas, will definitely kill you sooner or later!'' Lucas thought ferociously, shouting in his mind.


    ...


    After the huge staircase was stable, Ricky and Owen channeled all of their strength into the blade strikes they now unleashed. The sounds of explosion were growing more deafening by the minute!


    The point where the blade strikes collided was the central locus of all the powers. Suddenly, an explosion came from inside the central point! Two powerful inverse powers broke out, causing the whole space to once again ripple and break for several seconds.


    Both Ricky and Owen hadn''t anticipated the inverse powers. As a result, they fell heavily on the staircase, leaving two deep tracts on the golden staircase.


    As they fell, they dared not relax for even a single second. Ignoring the blood flowing out of their mouths and the pain in their bodies, both of them activated their powers to stop themselves from falling any lower. Once they fell off the thirty-sixth step, they would be technically considered los


    But this time, he didn''t need to fuse his body with the runes. What he needed to do was explode the Omnipotent Skill with his saber skills as well as fuse the powers of the four kinds of fire.


    With the influx of the chaotic fire rune, the four clouds of flames now turned into a torrent!


    "Though you haven''t given your attack, I have already sensed the danger of your strike. I had never met this kind of power before! I will also fight you with my strongest power," Owen said lowly, his eyes fixed on Ricky''s Iron Destroyer.


    "I''m looking forward to seeing your mightiest move!" Ricky replied, slashing his Iron Destroyer through the air at lightning speed.


    "Bang!"


    The thunderous power Owen had accumulated now reached its ultimate state. Purple thunderbolts surrounded his hair, highlighting their capacity for destruction.


    ''The ultimate state of thunder destruction?'' Ricky thought to himself, feeling a little disappointed. If this was the most Owen could do, it was unlikely that he could withstand his strike.


    However, just as Ricky finished his thought, another kind of power broke out from Owen''s body. It was the power of the wind, the most frantic kind that howled like a typhoon.


    Between Owen''s purple thunderbolts, numerous blade-like windstorms swept over and mingled with the thunderstorms of destruction.


    Finally, Ricky could assess Owen''s true strength. There was no doubt that Owen was a cultivator with dual attributes, just like he and Edgar had been!

 Chapter 352 The Best Royal Sky Guard.

    It was not easy to cultivate the dual powers. To be able to do this, a warrior must not only have a dual-natured spiritual meridian, but also an unyielding and tough character.


    Once a warrior has successfully cultivated the dual powers, his combat capacity would definitely become invincible among the warriors of the same level. This was evidenced by Edgar and Ricky''s previous battles.


    The only reason why Ricky gave up on cultivating frosty power was because the pace of the cultivation of the frosty power was absolutely nothing compared to that of the space forces. The frosty power became his weak spot, and so he decided to drop it.


    ''The dual power of thunder and wind is such a perfect match! Under the power of the wind, just as if it were still a manic gale, the destruction of the thunder will be even more intense!'' Ricky thought to himself as the emotions inside him welled up.


    From this, it seemed that Owen''s level had already reached the middle level of a demi-immortal. Now that he was facing the toughest opponent. Ricky was in a somber mood. He knew he was in danger -- a life threatening one.


    However, Ricky quickly overcame his fear. He had to have confidence in himself, so he toughened up and urged himself to believe in his own abilities.


    Ricky had a unique skill -- the Flame Torrent -- which combined four kinds of flame. Ricky now felt positive about his battle with Owen.


    ¡­


    "I can''t believe it. The dual powers! Is this Owen''s trump card?" The Royal Sky Guards standing at the foot of the stairs exclaimed. It was obvious that they were completely ignorant of Owen''s dual powers in spite of the fact that they had worked together for a long time.


    Of course, this was mainly because they were a class apart from Owen. The same was also true for Lucas. Among the Royal Sky Guards, no one could stand up to Owen''s dual power.


    "Damn it! Owen evidently kept his true strength a secret from us. We have completely underestimated him," Tyson said as his lips curled. "I knew he was good, but I never expect he would be this strong."


    "Owen!" In that moment, even Lu


    e you have won!" Owen said with a smile.


    "You know as well as I that I only won due to a technicality, or by a stroke of luck. If we had switched positions before our collision, I would have ended up in your position on the 35th step of the stairs," Ricky explained with a laugh.


    "Ha-ha, sometimes all you need is a stroke of luck. You know, I hate losing, but I am a pretty good loser. I am genuinely convinced of your strength now, and I think you certainly deserve the title of the best Royal Sky Guard!" Owen smiled.


    "Remember that it''s only temporary though."


    "Ha-ha, I got it. Let''s do it again another time," Ricky answered with a smile.


    Then, they both turned to look at the Chief of the Sky Manor as they waited for her final say.


    "Congratulations, Russell. As soon as you engrave your name on the golden plaque up there with your fingers, you will be a real Royal Sky Guard," the Chief of the Sky Manor very slowly told Ricky.


    "But I am totally exhausted right now," Ricky replied with a smile.


    Upon seeing that Ricky was indeed totally exhausted, the Chief of the Sky Manor smiled and snapped her fingers. Within a fraction of a second, the name Russell was engraved on it.


    "Ricky, please don''t forget that this test isn''t really over, because the name on the plaque is not your real name," the Chief of the Sky Manor told Ricky stealthily using her internal power.

 Chapter 353 Some Satisfactory Rewards

    "I promise to use my real name when I make a breakthrough to the level of an innate spirit," Ricky hastened to explain through his mind after hearing what the Chief of the Sky Manor had just said.


    The Chief had simply rolled her eyes at Ricky when she heard his insensible answer. From her point of view, Ricky was just talking nonsense because everyone already knew that when the time came that he reached the level of an innate spirit, there was no need for such. After all, when he turned into an innate spiritual king, he would be a member of the Royal Sky Guard no more, but merely a friend of the Sky Manor at most.


    "Well, I was wondering what would my reward be if I win this battle, Chief." Ricky inquisitively wondered.


    "I haven''t made up my mind about it yet, but don''t worry, I will tell you when you proceed to our Treasury Vault with me to claim the Treasures from Heaven and Earth. I assure you that you will be granted what you rightfully deserve," the chief casually replied to lighten up the mood.


    "Thank you so much, Chief!" Ricky bowed while cupping his hands to express his gratitude. He couldn''t contain his excitement about the victory and the trophies waiting for him at the end of the line. The fight was meant to prove their fighting capacities beyond their built and gut as warriors, but Ricky''s interest was focused on the grand prizes presented. What he could expect were not only plenty of a cultivation method of the intermediate Black Level and innumerable Treasures from Heaven and Earth of the King Level, but also a number of mysterious rewards from the third round of competition. This was more than worth it!


    Soon enough, the competition had concluded.


    After two days of full rest and recovery, Ricky excitedly headed to the Sky Manor''s Cultivation Method Hall to pick the cultivation method he had deservingly earned.


    Now, every member of the Sky Manor was talking about this young man. After knowing about his extraordinary performance in the competition, they celebrated and looked up to him. After all, not many warriors they knew of could defeat someone as powerful as Lucas and ended in a draw with Owen. So bringing both of them down was really something worth the credit.


    The fact that Ricky''s level was in fact lower than Lucas and Owen had almost made him legendary.


    What was more impressive was Ricky''s humility. He didn''t seem to be an arrogant man despite all his achievements. When the disciples greeted him out of recognition, he would readily greet them back with friendliness. This had made the disciples from the Sky Manor favor and appreciate him more.


    There were six floors in the Cultivation Method Hall of the Sky Manor, and all the cultivation methods of the intermediate stage of the Black Level were placed at the fourth floor. So Rick rushed to that floor without any hesitation.


    From his past experience, the devouring power could be used most extensively. With this he assumed that all the cultivation methods, whatever their natures were, could be mastered through deploying the devouring power. However, the fire-natured cultivation methods could only match the power of the Chaotic Fire, and the gold-natured cultivation methods the power of massacring.


    After much consideration and though, Ricky decided that he would pick two most promising cultivation methods, the fire-natured and the gold-natured ones. Of course, he had to shell out, might it be with his own money or some other precious items with an equal value, for the other one of the cultivating methods he aspired to have, because he only had won one


    are looking for and I will pick one for you. You can be sure that the one I grant will meet all your stated requirements. There''s no need for me to be a fraud on this matter since I have already brought you in here, right?" the chief said, trying to put Ricky''s mind at ease.


    "I do believe you, Chief. Let me see¡­ I think I would like something that could hold both the fire and ice natures at the same time. Something as strong as that. Is that possible?" Ricky innocently asked after trying to make sense of his thoughts.


    He made the decision after some self-assessment. By now, his priority was to enhance his Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. The treasure he had in mind was apparently for assisting in the cultivation of this skill.


    It was almost impossible for him to defeat the innate spiritual king when he had only reached the demi-immortal level. Besides, unlike Soar, Ricky wasn''t born with any extraordinary blood power so he had to work harder and improve himself if he wanted to challenge the innate spiritual king.


    To this end, practicing the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and making sure that he could reach its highest level was no doubt a key aspect. Therefore, if he wanted to beat the innate spiritual king, cultivating the formula was the most important thing at the time being.


    "Having both the fire and ice natures in one? That is quite unusual. Who told you that we would have this kind of treasure in our Treasury Vault? Was it Kristen?" the chief asked out of surprise.


    "No, you can be sure that she has never mentioned anything like this to me, Chief. I came up with a treasure like this simply because I really need one. Forgive me if that''s too much to ask," Ricky gratefully said.


    But secretly, he was quite happy about the chief''s reaction. It seemed that they really had something like that in their Treasury Vault, or else the chief would not ask if Kristen had told him about such a thing. What was most interesting was the surprise on the chief''s face, which told that the treasure might be a very precious one. Now Ricky could hardly hold back his excitement.


    "I have to say that you are, indeed, a lucky man, Ricky," the chief said, shaking her head a bit helplessly.


    Then, with a wave of her hand, she selected one of the storage rings. The ring vibrated a little and a colorful object in the shape of a fruit showed up out of the blue.

 Chapter 354 One More Request

    Floating in the air in front of Ricky was a colorful fruit with the size of about two fists.


    It shone brightly as colorful lights radiated from it. Small thin streams of strength and pure energy circled around it slowly. It was, by all means, extremely beautiful and charming.


    Ricky''s eyes widened at the sight of it. As he stared at it, he suddenly found himself unable to move or utter a word. He could feel the pure energy coming from the small fruit, and there was no doubt that it was extremely invaluable and powerful. He secretly glanced at the Chief from the corner of his eye and noticed how much she seemed to cherish the fruit. ''It must be very difficult for her to give this to someone else, '' Ricky thought.


    "Chief, what is this?" Ricky asked in an expectant and exited tone after being completely mesmerized by the fruit for a few minutes.


    "It''s called the Glazed Fruit," the Chief of the Sky Manor replied. Her face was as expressionless as a cold piece of stone.


    "The Glazed Fruit?" Ricky repeated. "I''ve never heard about it before. Chief, could you please tell me more about it?" Ricky asked as his brows furrowed and a puzzled expression appeared on his face.


    "The Glazed Fruit stems out when it absorbs the original energy from the world. Generally speaking, only one Glazed Fruit can appear in one Realm because original energy is extremely rare," the Chief explained. Her eyes were fixed on the shiny object.


    "The original energy? What''s that?" It was the first time Ricky had ever heard of the original energy, so he raised a question once again.


    "All you need to know for the time being is that the original energy is the kind of energy that could be converted into any other kind of power," the Chief said. "As a matter of fact, I actually do not have much information about it either, and even an innate spiritual emperor would also be hardly able to comprehend the original energy. Given that, you still have a long, long way to go before you can digest it."


    "Yes, Chief. I understand," Ricky replied with a nod.


    The Chief''s explanation was quite clear. The original energy was some kind of profound energy that could be rarely found in the world. But if an innate spiritual emperor could not completely comprehend it, then let alone Ricky who was not even an innate spirit yet.


    "The Glazed Fruit is a precious fruit which absorbs the original energy from the world. Therefore, it surely carries the original energy. You can convert it into whichever energy you want, and more than that, you wouldn''t need to use much power of fire or ice to convert it. Only a little power of fire or ice would be enough to trigger the convention," the Chief continued her explanation to the best of her knowledge.


    "Yes, thank you for your kind explanation. I understand it better now. But since the fruit is immensely precious, I think I''d better not..." There was absolutely no doubt that Ricky wanted to have it -- anyone would die to have something that precious. But he also felt that the Chief valued it greatly so he rejected the present instead.


    But before he could even finish his words, the Chief of the Sky Manor interrupted him, "You are right. The Glazed Fruit is indeed precious. However, it is useless to me."


    "Why?" Ricky asked as he grew even


    ng!"


    Ricky understood why the Chief didn''t want to do him this favor. It was indeed trouble to some extent. However, this was his only chance of surviving. He had to convince her to help him. He was in dire need of some assistance from an innate spiritual king.


    After all, there were too many enemies chasing after him. A little help from an innate spiritual king could mean the difference between life and death for him.


    The Chief of the Sky Manor saw everything Ricky was feeling through his eyes. She stayed silent for a while, then she finally nodded and said, "All right. I will help you. But just to be clear, if an upper spiritual king or someone in a higher level than that chases after you, then there will be nothing I could do to help. They are much stronger than I am, as you know.


    But if a middle spiritual king or someone in a lower level than that hunts you, then I will definitely keep you safe. You have my word." That was the only concession she could make.


    "I appreciate your help very much, Chief!" Ricky exclaimed out loud excitedly, his eyes gleaming with joy. Her final decision encouraged him.


    It was much better for him to have a middle spiritual king promise to help him when he found himself in danger in the future.


    The Chief of the Sky Manor, on the other hand, decided to agree to help Ricky at last because of two reasons. The first one was the relationship between Ricky and Kristen. Kristen was her younger sister and she cared deeply for her. Kristen had told her everything that happened in the Chaotic Region, and she understood that how valuable Ricky and Kristen''s friendship was. They had supported each other and faced many life-threatening situations together.


    Another reason was that she truly treasured him as a talented genius. She did not want him to be killed by those spiritual kings. It would be a waste of talent.


    As the Chief of the Sky Manor waved her hand again, a white jade tablet appeared in her hand at once. She passed it to Ricky and said, "This is the Nimbus Jade Tablet. Take it. If you ever find yourself in danger, just crumble it and I will come to you within half an hour as long as you are in the Realm of Wildness."

 Chapter 355 Chased by Lucas

    Right on the edge of the Small World of the Sky Manor, there was a spinney where Ricky sat quietly with his legs crossed. He inhaled deeply and began to cultivate by himself. He was busy cultivating in seclusion at that moment. Soar was beside him and lied down on the ground comfortably. Of course, he was lying down only because he looked like a snake.


    Ricky went into the Small World to cultivate after he had collected all his rewards.


    But being the Royal Sky Guard, Ricky had the privilege to freely cultivate for another fifteen days in the Small World of the Sky Manor. After that, he would be charged for gold coins, one hundred gold coins a day.


    After all, the speed of cultivation in the Small World was three times faster than the outside world, and so was the cost of cultivation resources.


    Fortunately, fifteen days was more than enough for Ricky to complete his cultivation.


    During that time period, he only had three goals. First of all, he wanted to reinforce his seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement and reduce the after-effects of the overuse of his devouring power to a minimum.


    Secondly, he wanted to make the flame of the Heaven Illuminating Fire that Kristen gave him to strengthen and be the fifth flame of his Chaotic Fire Zone. Ricky believed that the flame of the Heaven Illuminating Fire would improve quickly in the help of other forces in the Chaotic Fire Zone and the resources from the Chaotic Region.


    At the same time, Ricky also needed to learn how to take full control of the Heaven Illuminating Fire through the Chaotic Fire Zone, which was different from other peculiar fires and sacred fires because it could never burn out.


    Thirdly, he needed to learn two more cultivation methods that he had received recently.


    Ricky planned to learn the first level of the Smashing Blade Attack, the earth-breaking level, which was officially called the Smashing Land Strike, during these time period. As for the Scorching Golden Fist, Ricky had made a plan that would allow him to bring out bright lights and throw three Scorching Golden Fists at a time.


    After Ricky had made up his mind to achieve these three goals, he proceeded to cultivate them naturally in order.


    For warriors of any levels, cultivation has always been dull for most of its duration. But if you focused deeply on your cultivation, time would pass more quickly. Therefore, the fifteen days he had passed faster than you would expect.


    After going out of the Small World, Ricky visited the Chief of the Sky


    cas''s men, '' Soar said with his internal power as he observed their behaviors.


    ''You are right! Maybe this is my chance to defeat them," Ricky replied with his internal power.


    Next, Ricky said with a smile, "You have underestimated me. Before you even fight me, you''re already discussing how you would distribute my possessions. How dare you disrespect me?"


    "Humph! You are about to die. How dare you say such arrogant words? Let''s go! Help me defeat this bastard," Lucas said in a disdainful tone.


    As soon as he stopped speaking, he began to channel his energy. He was about to launch the fiercest attacks towards Ricky.


    Behind Lucas, the two warriors nodded and also channeled their energy to attack Ricky.


    ''Ricky, please allow me to fight them. I haven''t been in battle for a long time, '' Soar begged Ricky.


    ''Don''t worry. When we get to the Snow Land, a huge battle is waiting for us. That would be the perfect time for you to fight. Now, you should rest and leave this to me, '' Ricky replied with his internal power.


    All of a sudden, Ricky launched the Flaming Fist to attack his opponents.


    It seemed that they were all about to collide with one another simultaneously.


    However, something strange happened. The two old warriors changed the direction of their attacks and began to attack Lucas. As for Lucas, he didn''t expect the attack and couldn''t understand the situation until the two warriors'' fists had already punched him in the back. But it was all too late.


    Ricky just smiled viciously on what he had witnessed. He had already anticipated it.


    At the same time, Ricky channeled his energy to punch Lucas on the chest before he recovered.

 Chapter 356 The Evil Geezers

    "Puff!" This abrupt sound came from Lucas. He was seriously injured, spitting out a big mouthful of blood after he had been attacked by his three opponents. Their three fists had pierced through his chest! His life force was ebbing away quickly.


    "You¡­ You three..." Lucas snarled angrily with his last breath. Before he could utter another word, he had collapsed on the ground; his eyes were still wide open with a great unwillingness to die. Apparently, he had never once thought that the three would unite together to kill him.


    Seeing that Lucas was already dead on the ground, Ricky and the two old men, who were known as "the Evil Geezers", looked at each other, smiled, and burst out the power of their fists tacitly, which all flashed at Lucas'' corpse. His body turned into ashes, accompanied by a resounding boom.


    Meanwhile, Lucas''s storage bag full of treasures was strewn on the ground, but none of them went to pick it up and check what treasures were inside. They had more important matters to deal with.


    "Thank you for your cooperation with me."   Ricky broke the silence with a slight smile on his face.


    "You little rascal, you are so clever! We didn''t expect you to figure out what we were planning to do," one of the old men said, chuckling heartily.


    "Actually, it wasn''t just a random guess. I could read it in your eyes," Ricky replied. "In your eyes, I saw obvious greed I''ve never seen before, so I''m sure you two would never share anything with others."


    "Ha-ha, little friend, you are so straightforward. No one dares to speak to us in that way,"  the two old men said and burst out laughing as Ricky was right about their obvious greed. Yet before long, their laughter petered out and they regained their strong murderous intent.


    They now asked Ricky coldly, "Little friend, tell us now, would you choose to die in a decent way or an ugly way?"


    "Ha-ha, I''ve never thought about which way, so I''ll leave the question to both of you!"  Ricky said with a naughty grin.


    "But please do tell me your names before you die, because I never kill a man without first knowing his name," Ricky added arrogantly.


    "You little brat, just you remember. The two men who will kill you for the treasures are called the Evil Geezers," the two old men replied fiercely after hearing Ricky''s arrogant words.


    Ricky rummaged through in his mind and found out that he did hear such a name from Tyson. Earlier, Tyson had told him about some demi-immortals within the Sky Manor area, among whom were the Evil Geezers.


    According to Tyson, the Evil Geezers did not belong to any force and had no regular place to live. They were just two independent warriors wandering within the entire Sky Manor area and


    poison! That''s just hilarious!" Ricky said with a light smile.


    How could he smile at the moment? Well, it helped that Ricky did not fear poison of any kind!


    "Hey, you brat, I hope you can still laugh out loud when we beat the living daylights out of you," the Evil Geezers snarled ferociously. Now they were even more annoyed by his carefree smile.


    After a little while, they finally gathered their entire ghost aura and prepared to launch a strong attack.


    What about Ricky? He quickly gave up capturing their fast moving figures and retreated from their fighting area. He planned to just burst out his power the moment he saw their attack dashing towards him.


    "Bang!"  Under the strong ghost aura, the attack burst out again. It was just the two separate black giant palm attacks coated with black poison.


    Piercing through the air, two giant palms hurtled rapidly towards Ricky.


    "Hyah!" Ricky roared and began to launch his own attack. Without hesitation, he directly pulled out his saber. Instantly it became united with the power of four kinds of flame, which were transformed into the Flame Torrent abruptly. His swift saber surged furiously toward two black giant palms.


    Deep inside, during that dangerous fighting, Ricky actually wanted to burst out the power of the Heaven Illuminating Fire, because, after half a month, he knew it should also have grown considerably more powerful extent in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    But after a second thought, he let this idea go. He was not sure about his control on the Heaven Illuminating Fire. If such a powerful fire got out of control at that place, things would easily become messier than he cared to deal with. He would be stuck in a lot of trouble.


    So, he made up his mind that he would only use it once he was able to control it completely.

 Chapter 357 Blood Vitality Disassembly

    Bang!


    In the next moment, the two intense moves crashed together. One could still see that the two moves were in a stalemate from within the blast. The duplex venomous palms mixed together and burst out with a strong power. It looked like it was going to destroy the Flame Torrent and make it disperse.


    Meanwhile, they caused poison gas to surround the Flame Torrent, trying to erode it.


    The Flame Torrent was burning fiercely and emitting scorching heat that could burn anything in its path. From within the Flame Torrent, the power of the Devouring Fire emitted solely as it devoured the intense poison gas.


    At the same time, the devouring runes joined in with the Devouring Fire, causing the power of the poison gas to defuse rapidly.


    The power of the Double Evil Poisonous Palms was a bit stronger than Ricky''s Flame Torrent and it suppressed the Flame Torrent constantly however.


    After a long moment of stalemate, the Flame Torrent was thoroughly depleted and the duplex venomous strikes slammed into Ricky. The duplex palms were almost exhausted by Flame Torrent though.


    Under the protection of the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, Ricky was hit hard again by the attack but did not get hurt at all.


    "Damn it! It''s the fucking cultivation method of body refining!" Seeing that Ricky did not get hurt, the Evil Geezers roared resentfully.


    Ricky''s power couldn''t hold a candle to their power, but the gap was not that big. With the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, Ricky couldn''t be defeated by them. Ricky couldn''t defeated them either since they were indeed too strong for him.


    What they had just seen then made them finally understand that Ricky did not fear their poison gas at all. Ricky''s fearlessness infuriated them to no end. It had been a really long time since they had suffered such a setback from an inferior fighter.


    "Ricky, your current power should be kept in check by the limitation of the inferior stage of demi-immortal. After you level up through the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement a little, you will get the power of the intermediate stage of demi-immortal," Soar told him.


    "If you choose to continue to suppress it, with your intelligence, you can definitely level up and challenge those far stronger than you. That''s not necessary though because you have already reached that certain stage where challenges like this won''t benefit you anymore."


    "I understand what you are saying, Soar. Don''t worry about me; I will not level up my power to challenge the stron


    as a cultivation method at the advanced stage of Black Level. It was recorded on some parchment made of beast hide.


    "Wonderful! Ricky has not got a cultivation method at the advanced stage of Black Level." Knowing the stage of the Blood Vitality Disassembly, Soar was excited.


    Soar was always excited to get useful things for Ricky because of their close relationship.


    About a quarter of an hour passed, Ricky had restored his energy to its peak. He was also attracted by the Blood Vitality Disassembly at the advanced stage of Black Level.


    After a speed-reading, Ricky had a rough idea of the function of the Blood Vitality Disassembly.


    The Blood Vitality Disassembly was a kind of secret method. It was a secret method which allowed a warrior to burn his own blood vitality and strengthen his power several times in a short period of time.


    The Blood Vitality Disassembly was usually used in hopeless situation where the warrior wanted to perish along with his enemy. The power and blood vitality of the warrior would be completely exhausted after using it.


    "The bursting principle of this Blood Vitality Disassembly is the same as my Omnipotent Skill--the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill." Ricky said.


    "Hey, Ricky, you know what? If you use the Blood Vitality Disassembly combined with your Blood Vitality Devouring Skill, what would it be like?" Soar asked with a smile.


    "Right! That''s a good suggestion; why didn''t I think of that?" After he heard what Soar said, Ricky was suddenly enlightened.


    "Soar, do you want to cultivate this Blood Vitality Disassembly?" Ricky asked after a moment. After all, it would be a triumph card for Soar if he ever trapped in a dire situation.

 Chapter 358 Soar Broke Through The Thunderstroke Doom

    "Brother, the cultivation methods created by humans are more suitable for your kind to practice, not for us beasts," Soar said as he shrunk his body. He shook his head and added, "Besides, since birth, we beasts can mostly gain better insights into the inherited cultivation methods in our bodies. On the other hand, we are less perceptive about other cultivation methods."


    "I see!" Ricky nodded. "Nevertheless, this puts you at a disadvantage."


    "Brother, there are advantages and disadvantages of this innate ability of insight. It''s indeed difficult for us to learn other cultivation methods. But conversely, the inherited ones are tailor-made for us. We can cultivate any of those methods to their completeness without exerting great effort and first gaining deep insights."


    "Well, I can surmise that you beasts have some admiration of us humans. Soar, you know, only the most excellent and gifted human beings are able to practice cultivation methods to completeness," Ricky murmured.


    "Brother, we need to pause our conversation here. I think I need to break through the Thunderstroke Doom very soon," Soar interrupted him in a serious tone.


    "Are you sure you''ll make it?" Ricky asked, instantly somber.


    "Brother, you should know that after a long period of constant concentration and consolidation of cultivation, before I entered the scattering land of the ancient battlefield, I could have chosen to break through the Thunderstroke Doom. After entering that place, I even spent a month comprehending the enlightening power derived from the Enlightening Cliff," Soar responded with confidence.


    "However if with all these efforts, I will remain unable to break through the Thunderstroke Doom and reach the innate realm, then I don''t think that I still deserve my title of the Great Dragon as Heaven Melting Dragon."


    "All right Soar. Now that you''re confident enough, please proceed," replied Ricky with a nod.


    He no longer felt any more worries. All he needed to do was to have faith in Soar and stand behind him.


    They exchanged serious glances, expressing their unspoken agreement. Soar made up his mind to break through the Thunderstroke Doom of supreme enlightenment, his spirit shining with determination and courage.


    Generally speaking, many of the warriors who enjoyed their status as demi-immortals for decades or hundreds of years didn''t dare attem


    lts from a distance.


    He also sensed that if he had stayed in the area, he would be killed by a thunderbolt at any moment!


    "Rumble!"


    While Ricky was lost in thought, the sky was already covered with dense, dark clouds. Suddenly, many purple-black thunderbolts lit up the sky and swallowed up Soar''s body!


    "Roar!"


    Dragon noise resounded in the air. Roaring red flames burning in the purple-black thunderbolts turned into an endless sea of fire, wrapping around Soar. He had insisted on enduring the mixed torture of both the sea of fire and numerous destructive thunderbolts that came down from the air.


    "How fiercely the fire blazes! How pure the blood of the Great Dragon is! Ricky, he is so extraordinary! If he can gain more blood of the Great Dragon, he is likely to turn into the legendary Great Dragon himself," Doris exclaimed in astonishment after watching Soar going all out.


    Soar was in possession of the most powerful blood of the Great Dragon that Doris had had ever laid eyes on!


    The Great Dragon was a species of supreme power. Even strong warriors like Doris would surely be amazed at witnessing their full power!


    "Doris, gaining the blood of the Great Dragon is no easy task, let alone turning into the Great Dragon itself," Ricky said with a grin.


    He felt rather relieved, because her words meant that even she couldn''t tell Soar''s true identity as the Great Dragon!


    "Rumble!" At this moment, the fiercest thunderbolts had amassed high in the sky. It was a pivotal moment. Finally, it was time for Soar to break through the Thunderstroke Doom!

 Chapter 359 Innate Spiritual Beast-Soar

    "Rumble!"


    It thundered ceaselessly up in the sky. Bolts of thick purple black lightning wriggled around like ferocious, crazed pythons, roaring and rushing towards Soar who was emitting the Heaven Melting Fire. Python-like lightning rushed at him, wanting to completely destroy his body and soul.


    This was the supreme enlightenment Thunderstroke Doom. It only stood for two things: destruction and death.


    But, after destruction and death came a new life.


    Facing such a fierce Thunderstroke Doom, Soar was not afraid of it and he uncoiled his huge body on which the Heaven Melting Fire blazed. Then, his hard dragon scales emitted golden-red light, the mark of his strength.


    "Crack!"


    The strong lightning struck Soar''s body, it was as hard as the steel. All that happened were sparks that ricocheted off his scales.


    However, this was just the beginning. As time passed, Soar''s flesh could no longer withstand the immense pressure. His scales began to break, and his skin underneath had grown bruised everywhere. This was no ordinary thunder. It was created for destruction.


    However, at this moment, Soar began to take action and he condensed his strength, which had almost become the real innate power. It fused with the Heaven Melting Fire and attacked the Thunderstroke Doom.


    Soar was now in a deadlock, roaring with the pain he was going through.


    "Your companion has the intense Great Dragon blood inside his body! His strength is incredible. It''s rare that anyone can resist the Thunderstroke Doom. And his flame! It''s extraordinary!" Doris said in admiration.


    "I heard that every Great Dragon owns a sacred fire. Does your companion get the sacred fire from a Great Dragon? I couldn''t help but notice that this flame is quite similar with one of yours."


    Doris smiled and looked to Ricky with her icy gray eyes. It seemed that she was looking into his soul.


    "Doris, you are worthy overmatch with a keen eye for everything." That was all Ricky could think of saying.


    "You really have the gift of the gab!" Noticing Ricky wan


    Soar finally became a creature at the real innate spirit realm.


    Ricky could not feel Soar''s power at the moment. Instead, he sensed a force which was mixed with the space. It was the invisible power of a creature at the innate spirit realm!


    "Ricky, I finally reached the realm of the innate spirit. Now I can follow you to the Snow Land and prove myself!" Soar was too excited to restrain his power. He sprang up in front of Ricky, excitedly spinning around.


    "Yes!" Ricky nodded vigorously. He seemed to be more excited at seeing Soar''s transformation than his own breakthrough!


    "Doris, Tina, thank you!" Soar bowed humbly. He was ecstatically grateful for their kindness.


    "I just hid this area, Soar. I didn''t help you much. It was all you! You''re strong, and so was your willpower," Doris replied with a beaming smile.


    "You have a great bloodline and the opportunity. Practice more and you will surely have a place on this continent in the days to come."


    "I will carry your wisdom with me," Soar nodded gratefully.


    "Okay, please do what you have to do now. Tina and I will go back to the airship. Call us once you need any help!" Doris waved, before vanishing into thin air with Tina.


    "Soar, that was amazing!" Ricky said, grinning from ear to ear. It was a tremendous thing to watch. He could only imagine what it must have been like for Soar!

 Chapter 360 Going Back To The Snow Sect.

    "Ricky, with your talent, I believe you can become an innate spiritual king very quickly," Soar said.


    "I really look forward to it," Ricky said with a nod.


    Subsequently, the two continued to move forward, heading for the Snow Sect.


    At that point, the two brothers no longer needed to go on foot. Soar had the blood of the Great Dragon, so he could move forward with the help of the force of space. Though Soar had not yet consolidated his current strength, at that moment, after breaking through to the realm of innate spirit, there were not any problems in taking another person along.


    "Soar, you have broken through to the realm of innate spirit. I think you will be more helpful to the restoration of the Heaven Melting Pagoda now. I think I will terminate the contract with the Heaven Melting Pagoda and give it back to you," On their journey, Ricky used his internal power to communicate telepathically with Soar.


    Immediately, Ricky dispatched the master and servant contract with the Heaven Melting Pagoda from his Soul Sea; then he gave the Heaven Melting Pagoda to Soar.


    When the Heaven Melting Pagoda was given by Ricky to Soar, there was no need for any contract. The Heaven Melting Pagoda automatically integrated into Soar''s body naturally without any trouble.


    "Ricky, thank you very much," Soar said excitedly.


    "Soar, you are the person I am closest to in this world, so there is no need to say ''thank you'' to me," Ricky said warmly. "Can you tell when Alva is going to wake up?"


    "Ricky, I have reached the innate spirit realm. The power of the Heaven Melting Fire in my body also has reached the innate power level, which is very helpful to the recovery of the Heaven Melting Pagoda. It should not be more than two months before the hermit spirit of the Heaven Melting Pagoda will wake up," Soar said.


    "However, if the Heaven Melting Pagoda wants to be completely restored, it will not be able to rely solely on the warm nourishment of the Heaven Melting Fire. After all, it is so badly damaged that it will still depend on your help in the future. When you become the strongest casting master on the continent, it will only take a minute for you to restore the Heaven Melting Pagoda," Soar said.


    "You have great confidence and have learned to flatter me," Ricky said with a smile.


    ¡­¡­


    Naturally, the speed of an innate spiritual king was remarkable. In just one and a half days, Soar had returned to the Snow Sect with Ricky.


    That was mainly because Soar had just broken through to the realm of innate spirit and had not consolidated his power, ot


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    aw Enforcement Hall of the Snow Sect. Other than the elders and those higher in position, Sean can do whatever he wants to the rest disciples of the Snow Sect," said some of the disciples as they grinned arrogantly.


    "Hey, why do you guys talk so casually like that? You make it seem like, as the hall leader, I randomly enforce the power of the Law Enforcement Hall," Sean said, a little miffed.


    Immediately, the disciples realized that they had made a mistake and shut up.


    "Since when has the Snow Sect had a Law Enforcement Hall? You are a hypocritical fellow, yet you serve as the hall leader of the Law Enforcement Hall," Ricky said coldly.


    At that point in time, Ricky became more and more aware that something was amiss.


    "Little bastard, one of the great crimes you committed is that you didn''t hand in your treasure to the Snow Sect. Now, you insult the hall leader, which is a second crime. You are really looking for someone to end you. I''ll catch you right away," a young core disciple shouted at Ricky. He could no longer bear it. He had reached the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement and was standing beside Sean.


    "You bastard, how thick is your skull? You are brave to speak so much nonsense to me. Why don''t you go back and look in the mirror and see what a fool should look like?" After hearing the young man''s insulting words, Ricky showed no sign of weakness in response.


    "You are a real devil!" Hearing the insulting words from Ricky, the young man was so angry that he roared. How could a little bastard like Ricky dare to shout at him like that!


    Immediately, the young man directly burst out the strength he had at the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement and attacked Ricky with a punch.

 Chapter 361 Deter With Only One Punch

    Whoosh!


    The young core disciple tried to hit Ricky but was prevented by a whoosh and a figure moving as fast as lightning. He barely noticed it out of the corner of eye before he realized the powerful strength from the figure had already destroyed his spine.


    Bang! In the next moment, a loud thump rang out through the clear air. The core disciple rolled around on the ground. Dust clung to him all over his convulsing body as he groaned in pain.


    The unexpected scene made all disciples quiver, even Sean was not an exception. He could not believe what was actually happening. Even Sean did not expect that Ricky would suddenly attack so promptly like that in retaliation.


    ''Is Ricky more powerful than me now?'' Sean could not help wondering.


    He dismissed that thought immediately, though. It was not even possible. When Ricky disappeared, he had just achieved the peak of Blood Purification. There was no way that Ricky was able to surpass him in less than one year.


    Besides, he was near a break through. With a little more innate power, even if it was incomplete, he would become a demi-immortal.


    He did not believe Ricky possessed more strength than him because of that.


    ''How dare that idiot underestimate Ricky in such a way?'' Ricky couldn''t have surpassed me, '''' Sean thought to himself with contempt. Sean naturally assumed that the core disciple was defeated because of his ignorance.


    ''''The Law Enforcement Hall, huh? So, show me how you execute the law!'''' Ricky shouted ferociously with his right hand misted with flame. He aggressively glared at Sean as a challenge.


    After seeing all that, Ricky already knew that the whole Snow Sect must have gone through tremendous changes for the worst. Sean had become the hall leader, which meant most of the reigning power of the Snow Sect must now belong to Boris.


    In that case, Ricky decided he should just directly start killing with no mercy.


    Besides, Ricky did not plan to fix the situation with negotiation from the very beginning. All those things could only be fixed with strength. The fighting was just a little ahead of schedule.


    Clack!


    After Ricky finished his serious declaration, all the disciples were deterred by his tone and retreated back step by step.


    Ricky''s ov


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    cky with palm attacks many times more than he could count. Each one turned into several more fierce wind blades. The sky was full of wind blades made by Sean in the blink of an eye.


    The wind blades lacerated through space, targeting Ricky''s Scorching Golden Fist like a rains of arrows falling from the sky.


    Boom! In the next moment, the two strikes collided with each other.


    However, the collision was not as fierce as the spectators had imagined. All of a sudden, Sean was completely defeated.


    The furious wind blades were all ruthlessly destroyed by Ricky''s Scorching Golden Fist. Sean''s struggles were all in vain, and there was no way he could defend himself.


    The air was filled with the echoes of a loud cracking sound.


    Sean could only hear the sound of the punch before the shiny Scorching Golden Fist had already hit his face.


    Bang!


    Then, before his terrified eyes could find the attack, the Scorching Golden Fist directly struck Sean''s face. The explosive golden light swallowed everything with a heavy sound like an explosion.


    In the golden light, Sean could barely manage to scream before he was killed. The sound of spraying bloods could still be heard as he died.


    A cloud of dust was launched into the air from where Sean fell.


    Meanwhile, Ricky came down from the sky and landed in the ground.


    ''''I have been preparing for so long to finally get to take you down. That is the last fight you''ll ever get to see, Sean!'''' said Ricky in a calm yet slightly smug voice.

 Chapter 362 Kinsey

    After Ricky had just finished speaking, there was only silence from those standing in front of the Snow Sect. The quiet was as terrible as death.


    Looking at the golden figure that slowly receded, their eyes were filled with fear and dullness. At that moment, they realized that the young man in front of them would be unbeatable wherever he went and should not be provoked by those who were not ready to die.


    At that moment, the records and miracles that Ricky once set in the Snow Sect came to their mind.


    ''He''s truly undefeated!'' ''He has to be the strongest person there!'' Those were the only things that they could think of at that moment, and of course, there were also fears that filled their hearts.


    At that point in time, the air billowed and dust dissipated. The spectators'' eyes that were full of fear and dullness looked at the newly-emerged pit in the ground. In the deep pit, Sean was lying on his side. Blood dyed the bottom of the pit and also covered Sean''s lifeless body.


    Accurately speaking, Sean was already a corpse at that moment. He was no longer breathing and his entire upper body was a bloody mess. No one knew whether his upper body had been smashed or crushed within the deep pit, for it was too hard to see.


    Seeing such a bloody scene, the disciples of the Snow Sect felt a sinking feeling in their hearts again. They could not help but be afraid of Ricky and the things he could do.


    "Has he already become a demi-immortal?" all the disciples asked with disbelief in their voices.


    The truth was already in front of them and they had to believe it. If he were not a demi-immortal, how could he kill Sean with only one punch? Sean was indeed a powerful man who had already reached the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement, so how could he be beaten otherwise?


    ''He is now so strong and miraculous!'' A disembodied voice could then be heard in the hearts of the disciples.


    At that moment, they did not dare to move or escape. They were afraid that they would become Ricky''s next target. Undoubtedly, they had no more courage to resist Ricky.


    "Who can tell me what the Law Enforcement Hall is?" Ricky did not even look at Sean''s ragged and bloody corpse that was laying in the pit. He turned and spoke to the disciples in a cold voice instead.


    In the past, Sean was really an insurmountable opponent that had overshadowed Ricky, but now he was just a body at Ricky''s feet. To Ricky, he could not possibly take a second look at the piece of garbage he had once hated.


    That was because his character was also arrogant, disdainful, and murderous. He never showed the dark sides of h


    ne core disciple of the Snow Sect who is referred to as the smiling tiger," Ricky responded calmly.


    After Kinsey heard Ricky''s words, his face darkened. He even looked a little ferocious because he disliked the nickname very much.


    However, a moment later, Kinsey regained his gentle smile.


    Then, he finally stated his purpose. "Well, Ricky, let''s cut the crap now. As long as you hand over the spiritual space tool that you carry, I can make the decision that all the crimes you committed today are not to be counted. You can take Sean''s place and become the hall leader of the Law Enforcement Hall because I am feeling so generous."


    "You can really make that decision?" Ricky''s tone became gloomy again when he heard that. He spoke coldly, saying, "Now, who is currently in charge of the Snow Sect?"


    "Ha-ha, of course it is Chief Zenith who makes all the major decisions, but he will not ask about such trivial matters," Kinsey said with a smile.


    "What happened to Chief Zenith then? Where is he?" Ricky asked in a low voice.


    "Ricky, of course Chief Zenith is staying here within the sect. Nothing bad has happened to him or anything like that," Kinsey said with a smile. "So, if you hand over the spiritual space tool, I will take you to see Chief Zenith later."


    "No need. I can go by myself." After responding to Kinsey, Ricky was ready to rush off to the Snow Sect.


    "Ricky, I advise that you don''t choose the hard way," Kinsey said with a sneer when he saw Ricky rushing toward the Snow Sect main area. It seemed like Kinsey''s tone revealed his real intention of killing Ricky for the first time.


    All of a sudden, Kinsey was forced to stop being so falsely kind to Ricky and show him he had no choice in the matter.

 Chapter 363 The Situation In The Snow Sect

    If Kinsey initiated an attack, Soar would definitely fight back to protect Ricky. They were only a hair away from an intense fight.


    At this point, a figure quickly appeared in the sky however. It was a figure that Ricky was quite familiar with because she was someone he had missed so much. The figure stretched out her hand and blocked Kinsey''s attack.


    "Master Grace!" Seeing that figure, Ricky excitedly called out her name. He nearly shed tears of happiness.


    This figure was Grace.


    "Yes!" Looking at Ricky, Grace nodded warmly.


    No matter what happened, she was always so calm and collected; that was her character. Others in the area could see that she was as excited to see Ricky as Ricky was to see her.


    "I was wondering who that was, and it turns out that it is you, Grace." Seeing Grace, Kinsey did not attack either of them again. His cold smile turned back into a gentle one.


    "Brother, your master is not a simple person. She has already reached the limit of a demi-immortal," Soar said secretly to Ricky. "It seems that I don''t need to participate in the battle anymore."


    ''It may not be as bad as I thought, '' Ricky thought to himself since Grace was there.


    "Kinsey, just drop it. Now, I need to take Ricky away with me. Do you still want to try and stop me?" Grace said lightly as she looked at Kinsey.


    "Grace, there is no need to regard me as an outsider. After all, we are all disciples of the Snow Sect," Kinsey said with a smile.


    "I am sorry, but I can''t regard myself as the same level of disciple in the Snow Sect as you," Grace said in a cold voice. Then, she paid no more attention to what Kinsey was thinking. She went to Ricky while ignoring everyone else and moved to take him with her.


    "Grace, if you take him away, you are going against the rules of the Snow Sect. Ricky has killed the hall leader of the Law Enforcement Hall. He has committed a big crime against us. We must abolish his cultivation and expel him from the Snow Sect," Kinsey said coldly, seeing that Grace wanted to take Ricky away. A strong momentum gushed from his body again.


    "If the Snow Sect still acted like it did before, I would definitely still follow the rules. Now, it depends on my mood whether I will follow the rules or not," Grace answered coldly. Then she said, "If you want to stop me, you can try."


    After saying that, Grace and Ricky went straight to the main area of the Snow Sect and did not return, leaving only


    disciples in the Snow Sect were in a panic. They all moved to Boris''s side out of fear.


    "Master, is what Kinsey said true? Will Chief Zenith and Elder Evan turn into a pool of thick water if they stay in the array for two months? " Ricky asked eagerly.


    "Yes, what he said is true. At the beginning, when they were trapped in the array, the sect chief still had power. He secretly carried on that message to me," Grace said.


    "There is only half a month left before it happens. If we don''t figure out how to save the sect chief or help them escape from there, we can only wait to be killed."


    "Damn it!" Hearing Grace''s words, Ricky was very angry.


    "Master, has the sect chief told you how we can crack the array?" Ricky asked after he got over his anger.


    "If we want to break it directly, I''m afraid that we may need the power of an upper spiritual king because the array deployer is at the intermediate King Level," Grace said. "The second method is to find out where the center of the array is. Then, a lower spiritual king would be enough to break it."


    "But we cannot do either of the two methods right now," Grace said with a sigh.


    As they were talking, they had entered the area that Zenith resided in.


    At that point in time, there was only Grace, Heather, Edgar, Monkey Nine, Agnes, Dora, and several loyal disciples left in the yard.


    All the other disciples had turned to Kinsey''s side.


    They were naturally excited to see that Ricky had returned. After the excitement died down, they all became solemn and dignified. They thought that Ricky was incredibly unlucky to have come back at a time like that.

 Chapter 364 The King-slaughtering Array

    "Indeed, you should never come back!" Grace was extremely worried. "Even though you gained great power, you still have a long way to go if you want to compete with Kinsey."


    "If I don''t come back, won''t you all be too lonely here?" Ricky burst in laughter over his own remark.


    Heather and others were touched by Ricky''s statement, their eyes starting to well up with tears they were trying to hide.


    "Why are you sad? I came back to get you out of here instead of throwing myself into unavoidable danger," Ricky teased, at the sight of their mixed emotions they couldn''t suppress.


    "Ricky, it''s not a good time to make fun of us!" Agnes replied softly as if slightly offended from jests.


    "I believe Ricky will help us out," Dora giggled with great admiration, which seemed funny to others, especially to Agnes.


    "Well, let''s get down to business. Where is Autelan?" Having heard Dora''s word, Ricky was a bit embarrassed and kind of pressured so he quickly diverted the conversation to a new topic relevant to them.


    "Right after you left, Autelan went out with Olivia to cultivate his skills. I think they have already left the Realm of Wildness," Edgar suggested.


    "Autelan is traveling around the world with such beauty by his side," Ricky snorted.


    "Ricky, if you want to travel around the world, I would like to go with you," Dora proposed, turning her charming and eager eyes to Ricky jokingly.


    "Idiot! You are hopeless!" Agnes and Heather glared at Dora.


    "Huh?" Ricky was puzzled.


    But what just had happened eased the tension and sadness in the room.


    "Ahem! Dora, now''s not the time to make jokes. Let''s talk about how to break the array and save the Chief Zenith and others later." Ricky coughed and modulating his voice to sound serious.


    "To break the array? Ricky. That''s impossible!" Edgar contradicted.


    "Edgar, nothing is impossible in front of me!" Ricky grinned as if fear was not an option.


    The next thing they knew, Soar flew from Ricky''s shoulder as everyone''s attention transitioned to him.


    Turning in circles, Soar transformed into a human. H


    he would be able to discover Doris.


    "As for this King-slaughtering Array, it is not well deployed yet with two key points in it. You can break it with the power of lower spiritual king. Let me tell you more."


    Doris enumerated to Ricky all the characteristics of the array and the location of its two centers.


    "Thank you, Doris!" Ricky thanked her with great sincerity for she helped him plot a plan in his mind.


    "I can help you if you might need more help later," Doris offered out of the blue.


    "Doris, you already helped me a lot. If I fail to solve this problem after the clues you have told me, how can I be an innate spiritual emperor within ten years as I promised? So just watch the show later," Ricky replied confidently, not letting Doris feel a slight of worry.


    "Ha-ha! Alright. Then I''ll stay here and watch how you use your power to break the array. Meanwhile, you''d better release your brother only after you find the centers of the array, or he can''t even get into the array at all."


    Knowing that she was not needed anymore, Doris disappeared.


    ......


    "Ricky, what are you looking at? Shall we go and break the array?" Soar consistently asked.


    "Master Grace and Soar, please follow me to the canyon," Ricky stated with his firm eyes ready to figure out the best thing to do.


    "As you wish!" Grace just agreed and placed her full trust in Ricky''s decision.

 Chapter 365 Ellison

    "Ricky, then what about us?" Edgar asked.


    "Edgar, you''d better stay in the courtyard for now. If I am not wrong, there should be a secret basement inside the room where the Chief stays. Before we come out, you can stay in the secret basement and wait for us," Ricky said.


    "I see!" Edgar nodded when he heard what Ricky said.


    Although they wanted to join in the action instead of just staying there and waiting for the results, they understood that if they went with them, they would just be a burden on them.


    Ricky and Grace then headed for the valley.


    As for Soar, he was taken back to the Chaotic Fire Zone by Ricky before they left. According to what Doris said, an innate spiritual king was not allowed to enter the array. If Soar wanted to enter the array, the only way was to hide inside the Chaotic Fire Zone and be taken in when Ricky went inside.


    Everyone believed that he had a spiritual space tool with him anyway. In that case, he could use his Chaotic Fire Zone as a spiritual space tool.


    Ricky and Grace went to the King-slaughtering Array straightforward in a nonchalant manner. They wanted to attract Kinsey''s attention as much as they possibly could. Their distraction would guarantee that warriors, including Edgar, would be much safer.


    "Master Grace, after we arrive at the outside of the array, you need to stall Kinsey for us. I will deal with anything else that happens!" Ricky communicated telepathically with Kristen using his internal power.


    "Okay, take care of yourself. Don''t push yourself too much if something gets out of control. You need to pay special attention to the disciple of that array deployer to see whether he will take action," Grace said, reminding Ricky to be careful.


    With the leadership of Grace, a genius at the demi-immortal level, it took them only one hour to arrive at the canyon.


    There was originally snow and ice everywhere in the Snow Mountains. At that moment, they could only feel a strong and deadly aura around the canyon. The deadly aura was strong enough to penetrate their hearts and make them frightened.


    ''What a strong deadly aura! It really deserves the name of the King-slaughtering Array, '' Ricky exclaimed to himself after he felt the strong aura spreading over the outside of the whole canyon in front of him.


    "Soar, please remember that you have only one chance. You can''t take action until we find where the center of the array lies. Once you attack and unleash the innate power in the array, the three innate spirits who are responsible for preserving the array will instantly wake up from their state of maintenance. Then, they will activate the power of the array. If that happens, you


    . I won''t leave you alone," Soar rejected the idea.


    "Soar, you must remember that you only have one chance to attack. Don''t waste it on this guy. Why are you so worried; don''t you believe that I can defeat this guy on my own?" Ricky asked in a low voice.


    "I didn''t mean to doubt you. You know that we are inside the enemy''s array. It''s too dangerous for you to face the enemy alone," Soar said.


    "Don''t worry. I don''t want to die early, so if you don''t want me to die early either, just follow the plan that we made. Find the centers of the array and break them as soon as possible," Ricky said firmly. "Remember what we came here for and focus on it, okay?"


    "We shouldn''t risk your life; we should ask Doris for help instead!" Soar said.


    "If I ask others for help, I would not be Ricky. In that case, you, as a Great Dragon, would have no need to follow me anymore," Ricky replied stubbornly.


    "Okay, I see what you mean. Hang in there! I will be back as soon as I can," Soar added, getting up to sneak away. His aim was to look for the centers of the array, so he had to keep that in mind.


    "Who are you?" Ricky asked in a low tone while looking at the young man warily.


    "I am Ellison, an array deployer at the Demi-king Level. I am fond of collecting the corpses of geniuses who fight me; especially geniuses like you who can challenge those stronger than you. Seeing you smug people reduced to dead bodies is the most beautiful form of art in my opinion." The young man gave Ricky an eerie smile.


    Ricky could feel strong murderous intent and a strong aura of maleficence from the man''s smile, which irked him a lot.


    "If you want to get my corpse, just let me see how powerful you are, great array deployer at the Demi-king Level!" Ricky said in a mocking tone.

 Chapter 366 Puppet Array Deployer

    "I know that you are a one-in-a-million talent who can defeat others of the higher grade than you, but you couldn''t help yourself to be so arrogant and conceited," Ellison said with a disdainful smile after hearing what Ricky had said. "It is a pity that talents like you exhibiting such unwarranted attitude will finally become part of my corpse collection.


    With that being said, you won''t be an exception."


    Ellison was gathering his depleting energy. Obviously, he had reached the inferior stage of Demi-immortal. However, it wasn''t that terrible. The most terrible thing was the noticeable lines on his forehead.


    The lines were even blacker than onyx. The dark purple lines meant that Ellison was an array deployer at the Demi-king Level.


    The level of the array deployers consisted of inferior, intermediate, and advanced. These three levels respectively corresponded to three innate levels of martial arts world. The lines on the foreheads of array deployers at these three levels were as black as midnight.


    And the lines on the foreheads of array deployers of King Level were cyan like the vast body of water. Lastly, the array deployers of Emperor Level who were much higher than the others which were mentioned have golden lines on their foreheads as markings.


    Like the others, Ricky didn''t know if higher array deployers than Emperor Level was existent, but he surely felt that it was possible.


    "The array deployers at the Demi-king Level? Sure, but you have to let me know your arrays'' power," Ricky said with firm resolution. However, Ricky mumbled a prayer to himself. He hoped that Ellison''s arrays'' power wouldn''t be too much more than the intermediate level of demi-immortal.


    Otherwise, he was doomed to die instead just being bruised losing the battle.


    "Okay, let''s begin with the Puppet Trio Array!" Ellison said coldly as if he was really disinterested.


    As the dark purple lines on his forehead produced great power, the space around Ellison was full of many complicated and sequential line arrays.


    At once, Ricky felt that Ellison was taking his time quickly gathering the energy in the space and putting it directly in his arrays.


    ''Lucky for me, he didn''t use the power of King-slaughtering Array, '' Ricky thought to himself convincing his nerves to relax. After all, the power of King-slaughtering Array was almost as strong as the real innate power.


    Then, Ricky saw Ellison''s storage ring on his firm finger when he proudly raised his right hand.


    Next, Ellison sh


    destroyed by cyan fists while the remaining fists gave him vigorous punches he couldn''t physically shield himself from.


    Gladly, he was at the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and was immune to the remaining fists.


    Otherwise, he could have endured more injury under this attack. Thanks to the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he was still at the peak of combat power.


    Boom! Boom! Ricky stood up at once after rolling over a few times. He immediately retreated and kept his distance from the three puppets without even wiping the blood from his mouth.


    He was surely going to resist three puppets face to face this time. Otherwise, they would surround him so they could give him deliberate hits he won''t be able to resist.


    Though he was at the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he would definitely get badly injured as he couldn''t withstand two attacks that powerful.


    "What a strong puppet I can make with your body! I am looking forward to it. It''s so interesting!" Ellison was truly amused when he saw that Ricky was still able to bounce back and exert his power despite the tremendous damage brought by his puppets'' attacks.


    With a will to destroy, Ellison took full control of three puppets, made them line together in a snap without any hesitation. Then, their power gathered, merged in a sphere, and retained a grand energy so promising of destruction.


    In the next moment, there were signs of dark purple lines on the surface of the sphere.


    It was obvious that Ellison didn''t want to play games with Ricky anymore. All that he wanted was Ricky''s corpse and he would do whatever it took to get it.

 Chapter 367 An All-out Fight

    As the black lines spread rapidly, the energy ball grew even more powerful.


    The three puppets struck the energy ball forcefully with their palms, and immediately it turned to a huge black palm!


    It kept on absorbing energy that came from the magic array. Terrifyingly, the black lines expanded constantly in Ricky''s direction, as if it was going to lock the space around Ricky so that he couldn''t evade the attack.


    Seeing the huge black palm and the black lines, Ricky sensed strong danger. He knew that he shouldn''t retreat. Otherwise, he would be killed soon if he assumed a passive position!


    Besides, according to the situation at hand, he couldn''t escape even he retreated, because the speed of these puppets'' attacks would make sure he would die if he so much as tried.


    "Since I can''t escape, I have to fight. I don''t believe that you can kill me with one move!" Ricky shouted hoarsely, a sharp determination flashing in his eyes.


    He was surrounded by countless devouring runes, strongly resembling a bloody God of War.


    "Devouring Storm!" he shouted, prompting a huge blood hurricane to appear in the air. The devouring runes spread much like the black lines had done. It looked like they had split the sky and left a huge trench there!


    Of course, Blood Vitality Devouring Skill was more powerful than Devouring Storm, but it was the last move Ricky could use. Once he dispatched this skill, Ricky would have no strength to fight again.


    Ricky didn''t think that he could resist the attack of the huge black claw with his Blood Vitality Devouring Skill. Even if he could, this attack might only be one of Ellison''s more common ones.


    In order to buy more time for Soar, Ricky had to reserve some energy after he used this skill so that he could attack again. In other words, before Soar could come to help him, he had to continuously fight!


    In a few seconds, the black lin


    ng in a deafening noise. The energy wave blanketed everything and the whole area exploded!


    Ricky spit out another mouthful of blood and then was injected out from the energy wave. He was slammed to the ground, digging a furrow with the momentum of his body.


    "You''re so stupid! How could an ant shake a tree?" Ellison screamed maniacally as he watched Ricky fly away under the impact of the energy wave.


    He flew to Ricky''s body, wanting to make sure he was dead. Oh, how he desperately wanted to crush this ant into pieces! But it would be a waste of such a strong flesh body.


    "Blood Vitality Devouring Skill!" Suddenly, a voice rang out under the dusty tunnel and countless little blood-red mouths rushed toward Ellison, opening wide to bite him.


    "You''re still alive?!" Ellison shouted with disbelief, startled by the sudden attack.


    He summoned his storage ring again and a battalion of puppets appeared. They stood in front of Ellison to block the attack of these little mouths.


    With eerie sounds, these little blood-red mouths began to


    bite and devour the puppets.


    Gruesomely, the three of the puppets began to bleed profusely!


    "Heaven Illuminating Fire, burn him!" Ricky''s angry voice rang out again. Ellison''s eyes widened in shock!

 Chapter 368 Breaking The Array

    "Crack!"


    Millions of black, snake-like flames appeared out of nowhere with the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill. They permeated among the several puppets'' bodies along the crack of the skill, burning rapidly.


    Under Ricky''s intense exertion, fierce Heaven Illuminating Fire burned towards Ellison.


    "Damn it!" Ellison shouted angrily at the sight of Ricky bursting out the black fire. It was no ordinary flame. It felt ominous! Right now, he was feeling immense regret that he did not kill Ricky with his full power right at the beginning!


    Though he would lose a strong puppet, he would be free from any other sources of stress. He did not like dealing with unnecessary stress at all. If not for Kinsey who told him that a warrior with a splendid history of challenging higher-level opponents had shown up, he would never have come here!


    Ellison clasped his hands rapidly and released black waves. In one second, Ellison made a defense array. He was now able to use the power in this space to create a shield against Ricky''s Heaven Illuminating Fire.


    However, it was impossible for him to find out what the Heaven Illuminating Fire''s specialty was.


    The shield that the array constructed would only become the fuel for the Heaven Illuminating Fire! And with this added energy, it would burn even more vigorously! So the power of the resistance which Ellison condensed using the array only worked against him!


    His array took up a great amount of space, which the Fire soon spread over. He was covered and burned at once.


    "How is this possible! What is this fire? How could it burn the spiritual energy and the array?" Ellison exclaimed in surprise.


    But even if his mind refused to accept it, his body could feel the Heaven Illuminating Fire beginning to strongly burn him.


    It was obvious that Ellison was experienced in deadly combats, so he sobered up instantly. He increased the incomplete innate power of his body and continued to emit black waves. They fused with the innate power and became a shield again.


    This new shield enlarged and drove the Heave


    o pieces!" Ellison shouted with a devilish look again on his greedy face.


    He was more interested in obtaining this strange fire than acquiring Ricky''s body!


    "You wish!" Ricky replied indifferently.


    "Then I will get it myself," Ellison fumed.


    He slowly walked towards Ricky, and the seal array deployed around his body. He was extra careful now, because he was afraid that Ricky would launch another surprise attack and cause him to suffer losses again.


    As Ellison walked up to Ricky, he divided a part of the seal array to seal the Heaven Illuminating Fire around Ricky''s body.


    "I''d like to see what moves you have!" Ellison said in a cold voice, staring deep into Ricky''s eyes. He also rose up the incomplete innate power to defense.


    With the double defenses of the array and the incomplete innate power, Ellison did not believe that this dying warrior could make any more trouble for him.


    "Go to hell!"


    Ellison''s right hand emitted the incomplete innate power and the power of the array, and he aimed at the top of Ricky''s head.


    At the same time, Ricky was ready to burst out the blood vitality in the Devourer Zone to launch his last attack.


    "Rumble!"


    But all of a sudden, the entire King-slaughtering Array vibrated violently and caused a chain reaction in the whole valley.


    The center of the King-slaughtering Array had obviously been broken!

 Chapter 369 The Confrontation To The Enemy

    "Boom!"


    There were intermittent bursts of green light as the King-slaughtering Array was broken. Everything was as it was, the array was no longer around to limit Ricky.


    Ricky felt a strong pull in his heart. He could feel it pounding against his chest. There was a strong murderous energy permeating in the air.


    "Ha-ha, the King-slaughtering Array is finally broken!" Ricky cheered.


    All their desperate resistance and efforts were not in vain.


    "How come you know this King-slaughtering Array?!" Ellison bellowed. His face contorted into anger after hearing Ricky laugh. He was aghast that Ricky broke through the center of the King-slaughtering Array.


    "Did you really think I came all the way here just to get myself killed?" Ricky announced proudly, knowing that he already had the upper hand between them.


    "You''ve been stalling time. You must have someone with you to break the center in the King-slaughtering Array," Ellison accused. He was racking his mind for plausible reasons how Ricky broke through it.


    To say that he was angry would be an understatement. He thought he had Ricky wrapped around his finger. But the tables have turned and now he was faced with trouble. Ellison admitted that he became a little careless by playing with Ricky.


    It dawned on him that he was the one being played by Ricky.


    He became a victim of his own cleverness. He was too lax and now he is faced with disaster. This whole ordeal was too much for his conceited personality.


    "Go to hell!" Ellison finally snapped. All of his anger converged into one powerful slap. Even if he smashed Ricky''s head into pieces and sent him into the eighteenth layer of hell, his hatred could never be eased.


    "Ha-ha!" Seeing how angry Ellison was, Ricky laughed happily and loudly.


    He then activated his energy and entered the Chaotic Fire Zone with his Iron Destroyer.


    Now that the King-slaughtering Array was broken, the sealed zone was open again. He could get into the Chaotic Fi


    me, either. It only belongs to the Snow Clan and they simply entrusted it to me, for now."


    "Ha-ha, you are in the right and proper position. So you can justify whatever you want and make it legit." Boris cursed, "Let''s make it quick. Since array didn''t kill you, let me be the one to do it for you."


    "Being trapped in the array for a month and half, you definitely lost most of your power. Today is your last day."


    "Yes, I may have lost most of my power due to the array, but so were you. You combined all your powers with the array, but it was broken at the prime time. You also suffered great loss," Zenith responded, unwilling to show any chink in his armor.


    Judging from the power flowing around the two teams, it was clear that neither of the them was in their best form to fight.


    "You may be right, Zenith. But don''t forget that we have three innate spiritual kings, and one of them is an array deployer at the intermediate King Level. Your power is much less than it used to be so it''s easier to kill you at this state," Boris snorted.


    "Though the King-slaughtering Array was broken, its power could still be tremendous when controlled by an array deployer at the intermediate King Level. You must die today!"


    Boris roared ferociously. Zenith fell silent and turned gloomy. He knew Boris was right.

 Chapter 370 Hah-hah! Do You Remember Me

    The energy of an array deployer of the intermediate King Level was way too incredible, especially in this King-slaughtering Array. Though the array was broken, its power was still too huge to ignore.


    The situation was even grimmer for Zenith and his subordinates because their once promising strength was now running short.


    "Zenith, we are of the same sect. You know I don''t want to kill you with my hands. If you hand over the golden token of the sect chief and surrender yourself, I''ll show you mercy by at least giving you a decent death." Seeing the gloomy faces of Zenith and Elder Evan, Boris grinned hideously, as if he was being sarcastic.


    If he could get everything without any effort, he wouldn''t bother to begin a fight with Zenith.


    "I hope you are not being afraid of having a battle between us, Boris," Zenith sneered. Though he was at a disadvantage, he didn''t want to give up that easy or just even show weakness to his opponent.


    "Maybe I''ll die today. But one or two of you will go to hell with me. I promise you!" Zenith clenched his fist and shouted with all his might. His face turned crimson red, ferocious with fury.


    Even a strong and peaceful innate spiritual king would be driven crazy when pushed over the edge.


    Hearing Zenith''s words, Boris and the other two innate spiritual kings all clenched their teeth, as their faces darkened because they knew he was telling the truth. If Zenith would put up a desperate fight, he would definitely end the life of at least one of them. After all, Zenith was a middle spiritual king.


    Both Boris and Errol turned their eyes to that array deployer.


    The array deployer hesitated for a while and nodded his head stone-faced. He was pretty confident of his own strength which he was the only one who knew about.


    The array deployer''s confidence encouraged his companions. They turned and fixed their cold and sharp eyes on Zenith.


    "Since you are so confident about yourself, Zenith, let''s not waste our time arguing. Make your move and we''ll fight! You have been trapped in the King-slaughtering Array for one month and a half already. I wonder how much strength you were able to scavenge now," Boris let out an annoying smirk, as if challenging Zenith.


    Boom! Hardly had he finished his words, the aura that typically belonged to a middle spiritual king burst out like a violent storm. The earth trembled and the mountains swayed


    air and leapt up at the warriors like green pythons ready to lynch them.


    At the same time, the array deployer also activated his power. Intricate green runes appeared on his forehead and soon spread across his whole body. The moment he gestured with his hands, the green runes floated out from his body and settled on Errol''s sturdy vines.


    All of a sudden, the innate power filling the air all flowed into the vines which multiplied their already strong power.


    The attacks of the enemies were so fierce that Elder Evan and the other warriors were unable to counter them.


    "Do you think two lower spiritual kings can kill my men before my eyes?" Zenith''s eyes darted over to his enemies in a gasp. He stepped forward and blocked their attack with a frozen ice palm.


    However, his attack was also blocked by another palm. It was Boris, who was grinning sarcastically. The battle was in a deadlock, about to be a draw.


    Zenith''s face suddenly displayed worry.


    He could destroy Boris''s attack before with great ease. Even if Boris would be replicated thrice, Zenith could surely win against him before. Sadly, Zenith was reaping the consequences of being trapped in the King-slaughtering array for a long time.


    "Hah-hah! Zenith! Why is it so difficult to for you to accept the fact that I''m now stronger than you? It''s too late for all the regrets. Just keep your eyes wide open and watch how I end the lives of your subordinates!" Boris said with a tremendous laugh.


    "Hah-hah! Do you forget about me? It seemed that you guys have forgotten who it was that broke the King-slaughtering Array!"

 Chapter 371 Balance

    Boom!


    Along with this deafening sound, a fire ball rose from the valley. It was the Heaven Melting Fire! It came shrouding the vines like a cage.


    And then all vines were scorched, ashes scattered, and turned into the force of flushing tree under the work of this Heaven Melting Fire. It then destroyed the indigo-lined array with all its might.


    Roar!


    This sound screeched as if it was really from a dragon. A giant, crimson serpent, glowing brightly as the sun, swept towards Errol and the array deployer from below with an indestructible power.


    Tumbling! They were both forcibly pushed back by such irresistible rampage.


    As a second class middle spiritual king, there was no way for Errol to withstand Soar even at his highest peak. Unlucky for them, the array deployer, despite his power of middle spiritual king, was only capable of controlling arrays below intermediate King Level.


    Even at his peak, it would take a long time and a mild environment for him to create an intermediate King Level array. Now that he had just been taken aback, he was not able to deploy even an inferior King Level array.


    So, facing the reality of how powerful Soar was, he had to back down.


    "Have you all forgotten about me? Just so you know, I am the one who shattered this King-slaughtering Array," Soar proudly announced, projecting his gigantic mouth.


    "Innate spiritual king beast!" Zenith and Boris uttered in shock.


    "My name is Soar," said Soar as he turned to Zenith with a smile on his face. "It was my brother who sent me to save you from this King-slaughtering Array bullshit."


    "We are grateful of your kindness and help," Zenith and Elder Evan, along with others, expressed their outpouring gratitude. Judging from what just happened, Soar was indeed helping them.


    "Spiritual king beast, if I may know who your brother is¡­" Zenith grew cur


    array deployer, he knew exactly what happened.


    "Ha-ha, intermediate King Level array deployer, you can''t possibly think that I only destroyed two centers out in the open while missing your other two hidden centers, can you?" Soar snorted as he was boastfully laughing.


    "I will be honest. I see right through your King-slaughtering Array. Your centers visible out in the open were just disguise. You cannot fool me with those fake array centers.


    So not only did I destroy two fake centers, I was also able to infiltrate the other two hidden ones. Sorry but your intermediate King-slaughtering Array is useless now."


    Soar made a face to annoy the array deployer.


    However, this array deployer was still powerful and experienced so he would surely recover over one defeat.


    "It appears that you have learned quite a lot. I lost this time, but I have your face and scent etched to my memory," said the array deployer in an impossibly calm manner.


    He also looked at Boris and expressed his regret. It was clear that the King-slaughtering Array had failed them so they would rely on their own power from now on.


    "Ha-ha, Boris! Looks like the odds are in my favor after all!" Table had just turned, and Zenith laughed once again.

 Chapter 372 Separation From The Snow Sect

    Having heard what Zenith had said, the crowd suddenly calmed down. Boris and his allies stared at Zenith with hideous expressions on their faces, in stark contrast to Zenith and the others looked rather relaxed.


    Soar stretched himself at ease, knowing he needn''t worry about a thing.


    ¡­¡­


    After a while, Boris broke the silence and raged, "Zenith, you are lucky this time but your luck will soon run out. Let''s go!"


    Boris left with his allies and headed to the Snow Sect.


    "I hope only one of us will be alive when we see each other next time," Zenith scornfully called out to him.


    "I agree," Boris turned around and replied. They disappeared from the canyon with Kinsey and Ellison following them.


    "Ha-ha, better hide the center of the array deeper next time when you deploy one. Keep that in mind, array deployer at the intermediate King Level!" Soar teased again as he watched them leave.


    Even if Zenith and Soar wanted to kill Boris right then and there, they held back. This was because the forces of both sides were evenly matched.


    Perhaps Errol and the array deployer could not outmatch Soar. But it was highly unlikely that Soar could defeat both of them, not to mention killing them on the spot.


    Since they could not kill their enemies, there was no point starting a fight. They could keep fighting until one party was all dead, but it would be useless to do it now.


    "Ho!" Having made sure that Boris was completely gone, Zenith and Elder Evan were finally able to relax. Trapped in the King-slaughtering Array, all they had expected was impending death.


    It had been a long time since they had to face and survive their own death.


    They sincerely thanked Soar again, utterly grateful that he had helped them leave with their lives.


    "Soar, please tell us who your brother is," Zenith p


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    e murmured their agreement.


    They would not allow two Snow Sects at the same time.


    "Chief, but I''m afraid you''ll have to return to the Snow Sect again after all. Edgar and others are still trapped in the closet in the Zenith Mountain!" Ricky told him.


    "I know," Zenith nodded.


    "Chief, please take Soar with you. You are still very weak now," Ricky continued.


    "Fair enough." Zenith accepted the offer. "Elder Evan, please take them to the place we agreed on."


    "Copy that, Chief Zenith." Elder Evan smiled and nodded.


    Zenith and Soar now departed for the Snow Sect.


    "I hope Boris will let them go without causing too much trouble," Ricky anxiously said.


    "Don''t worry. Since Boris chose to retreat his allies, he will not fight with Chief Zenith again for Edgar and the rest. They can''t recover fast within such a short time, unless they have some rare Treasures from Heaven and Earth," Elder Evan reminded him.


    "Yes!" "That''s true!" the others agreed.


    "By the way, Elder Evan, where are we going?" Ricky wondered curiously.


    "Aha, you will see. Come with me!" Elder Evan said, gesturing.


    He lead the group out of the canyon and headed deep into the heart of the snowy mountains.

 Chapter 374 Setting Up the Misty South Palace

    "The Fortune Land is the most mysterious place in the whole continent. It not only exists in the invisible, but also can disappear in the invisible," Zenith explained as he saw their confused faces.


    "However, the Fortune Land appears only once every hundred years in a small realm like our Realm of Wildness. In bigger realms and lands, the Fortune Land can take millenia to appear.


    In the Fortune Land, the so-called invisible fortune gathers together to show its shape in the way of something that we are able to perceive," he added.


    "What? The fortune can show its shape in the Fortune Land!" some disciples, including Ricky, exclaimed in an excited and surprised tone upon hearing Zenith''s explanation.


    "That''s right! The fortune appears in the shape of dragon meridian in the Fortune Land. In other words, the fortune competition is also a competition of dragon meridian in the Fortune Land," Zenith explained calmly.


    "In the Fortune Land, the more dragon meridians you gain, the more rewards from the Fortune Land await you. The process of making a breakthrough to reach the innate level will be much easier for you. Your forces will have a good fortune too.


    Most importantly, your own fortune will progress. It will help you more times in your future if you run into trouble or danger," he added.


    "I can''t believe that a competition of fortune has so many advantages," the disciples sighed.


    "That''s right!" Elder Evan chimed in. "Chief Zenith and Boris have had a breakthrough to the level of innate spiritual king after they came out of the Fortune Land.


    Once it appears, more and more warriors of the demi-immortal level in the whole Realm of Wildness will fight for fortune and choose to undergo the Thunderstroke Doom after that. But who knows how many of them will make a successful breakthrough to reach an innate spiritual king, and how many will die from the Thunderstroke Doom of supreme enlightenment."


    "For us older warriors, we don''t want to break through the innate spiritual king anymore. We just want to get more dragon meridians to extend our lifespan. That''s enough for us


    we said," Zenith chuckled. "Next, how about developing your Misty South Faction? We also want to join you, you know!"


    Ricky clearly knew what Zenith implied. But because of Boris, the Misty South Faction only existed in recent memories now.


    "Chief, Elders, you want to join my Misty South Faction which doesn''t physically exist anymore? You must be kidding me!" Ricky asked with a smile.


    "Of course not. Do you think we''re kidding?" Zenith replied with a twinkle in his eye. "But we should change the name. If a force has the innate spirits, it can''t be called a mere faction, after all!


    When you set up the Misty South Faction, you also hoped that it would flourish one day. I will not give up on the true Snow Sect. I plan to re-establish it in the future and I will need the Misty South Faction at that time."


    "Ricky, it''s a great opportunity that you can''t miss. The Fortune Land only appears once every one hundred years. You need to seize the opportunity to gain some fortune for your Misty South Faction. We will all work together," the Elders said sincerely.


    Ricky was silent when he saw their genuine expressions. At last, he made a decision. Of course he had founded the Misty South Faction with great dreams and ambitions for its future!


    "Well, the Misty South Faction will change into the Misty South Palace from today onwards," Ricky announced, determination flashing in his eyes.

 Chapter 375 Zeniths Confident Claim

    Ricky''s loud announcement echoed in the cave. At once, everyone held their breath as they were overcome with shock. They all turned to stare at Ricky with wide eyes, not knowing how to react or what to say. As what he said settled in, their feelings of shock were replaced with buzzing excitement.


    The cave was completely engulfed in silence until Zenith burst out and said, "Good boy! That''s exactly what I''ve been expecting from you! You''ve made a fabulous decision!" He stretched out his arm and pat Ricky heavily on his shoulder. Then he added, "Only ambitious men are qualified to be strong warriors!


    You are an amazing genius, so don''t ever waste your clever brain. You must be ambitious enough to go ahead in the martial arts world. I''m more than pleased to hear this announcement! It proves that you have greatly laudable ambition! I''m so proud of you, boy!" Zenith could not help but smile as he praised Ricky.


    "Thank you for your support, Chief Zenith!" Ricky said. Then, he turned to the others. "Today, the Misty South Faction ceases to exist as the Misty South Palace comes into this world!" he said, his tone full of confidence and determination.


    "That is music to my ears, Ricky! Don''t worry about the follow-ups. The other elders and I will take care of them. We will run the Misty South Palace well! You can just concentrate on your cultivation and practice. Don''t bother yourself about handling the affairs of the palace," Elder Evan said with a bright smile on his face. "Yes, Elder Evan is right. Even though we are old and stiff, we still have the ability to manage a palace well. Ha-ha!" another elder echoed in agreement.


    "Thank you very much. I''m deeply grateful for your support, elders," Ricky replied gratefully as he slightly bowed his head towards everyone. He let out a sigh. Their supportive attitude was very much a relief to him.


    Ricky had always been an ambitious man, and he wanted to do more than just establish the Misty South Palace. he had always planned on turning his own organization into one of the top forces in the world. That was why he tried to establish the Misty South Faction with such intense determination right from the very beginning. Now, being able to turn his faction into a palace was an extremely important marker of progress.


    But there was one thing that concerned him the most; he was afraid that he would have to spend too much time and energy maintaining and managing his organization. In that case, he would have a hard time concentrating on his cultivation. Zenith was just one negative example. He became so engaged managing the Snow Sect that he also became entangled in the power struggles. Ricky was afraid that the same might happen to him.


    So originally, his plan was to establish the larger force once he became much stronger.


    But now that Elder Evan and all the other elders supported him and promised that they would be the ones to take care of the Misty South Palace, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Finally, there was nothing for him to worry about anymore. He was now certain that his palace would stand firm and have a place in the Snow Land with the help of six powerful demi-immortals.


    What was more, Zenith, an innate spirit, stood behind him too. He was sure that Zenith would be really helpful to him in handling many difficult situations.


    In spite of all this, Ricky knew that it was still not time for him to rest easy. There was still much weight on his shoulders. For one, he was afraid that the innate spirits from other places would come to the Snow Land in order to take his spiritual space tool from him once they found out that he had returned. But now was not the time for him to share this concern with the other


    ere trained in the Snow Sect once. I, of course, know you better than others," Zenith said before he burst into laughter.


    Everything Zenith had said was true. However, there was one thing he did not know. Ricky once fought against the Shadow King who was trying to steal his spiritual space tool from him.


    That meant that if Ricky showed up, there was a high possibility that the Shadow King would come after him once again. Ricky knew that he must be paying close attention to the Shadow King all the time.


    ''Well, obviously Chief Zenith has no idea what happened between the Shadow King and I. Hopefully the mysterious axe in my body would frighten the old freak, so that he will not come to me. Otherwise, I will have to seek help from Doris, '' Ricky murmured in his mind. The Shadow King was already a real upper spiritual king, after all. There was no way he would be scared of an upper spiritual king-to-be.


    What was more, the Shadow King was a cruel, merciless killer. Ricky didn''t think that Chief Zenith was a match for such a vicious assassin for the time being.


    However, he chose not to share this information with Zenith. If he did, Zenith would have been affected by it. He would be thinking about the Shadow King all the time and it would bruise his confidence. Ricky knew that this would have a negative impact and would harm his next breakthrough.


    Breaking through into a higher level was extremely difficult, so the warriors must not be affected by anything subconsciously. If Ricky had told this information to Zenith, then Zenith would have had a burden in his mind.


    Even the smallest impact from that information could make him lose control during the process of breaking through and increase the possibility that he would fail even more. It was the last thing Ricky wanted to happen.


    ''Yes, Doris! I will turn to Doris and ask her to stop the Shadow King and the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness if necessary! Chief Zenith could concentrate on his breakthrough!'' Ricky was determined not to disturb Zenith. The quicker Zenith managed to become an upper spiritual king, the better the situation would be.


    ...


    "Chief Zenith! After you break through and become an upper spiritual king, will you consider rebuilding the Snow Sect?" Elder Evan asked calmly. Upon hearing this, the other elders also stared at Zenith with expectant eyes. They had now calmed down after gradually digesting the information that Zenith would soon become an upper spiritual king.

 Chapter 376 Proclaim

    "I cannot rebuild the Snow Sect even I can break into upper spiritual king in a short time. As I said, we must at least wait until I reach the completed spiritual king and get close to the demi-spiritual emperor!" Zenith understood what Elder Evan and the others meant, but he still said so in a low voice.


    "Why, Chief? Don''t you have the confidence that you can kill Boris when you are an upper spiritual king?" Ricky asked.


    "That''s not the reason. I''m more worried about the background of the array deployer who''s following Boris. I suspect the force he belongs to is very powerful. It is probably a force supported by a demi-spiritual emperor," Zenith answered slowly.


    "So before we figure out the identity of the array deployer, we cannot take action blindly."


    "We did not know that he has such a powerful background!" the other Elders exclaimed in surprise.


    A force supported by a demi-spiritual emperor was like a legend in their consciousness. Even the words "demi-spiritual emperor" were strong enough to strike fear into their hearts.


    "How did you know, Chief?" Elder Evan asked.


    "From his uncommon insight and knowledge," Zenith explained. "Also, he is an array deployer at the intermediate King Level.


    They usually only appear at the intermediate realms and lands. And only those powerful forces of the completed spiritual king and the demi-spiritual emperor can sustain the array deployer at the intermediate King Level for a long time."


    "Uncommon knowledge?" Ricky suddenly thought of Ellison after hearing what Zenith said.


    In the battle with Ellison, he had been calm and even dismissive when it came to him that Ricky could challenge someone much stronger than him, which would usually shocked most of the people who first heard such a news.


    Ellison was, however, completely indifferent, and he only saw almost every warrior as just material for making his puppets.


    There was only one reason which could explain why Ellison would do so. That was he had seen too many talents that specialized in challenging the strong, and he had also killed a lot of them. If that was the case, it was likely that he came from a powerful force.


    ''It seems that Ellison and his master are nowhere near the level of ordin


    ose the truth that Ricky had returned because he wanted to kill Ricky and kept his treasures himself. Ricky and Zenith not only exposed this themselves, but revealed it in such a public way!


    "Chief! That Zenith must have an ace up his sleeve that he dared to do this. It must be something that can solve all spiritual kings in the whole Realm of Wildness," the array deployer analyzed.


    He added, "I''m afraid that the spiritual energy of the zone will fall in Ricky''s hands in the end, so I think we should focus on the fortune competition. As long as the spiritual space tool is still in his possession, we can make a move in the Fortune Land later."


    "I believe that as long as your disciples and mine join forces, they will own the Fortune Land," the array deployer declared confidently.


    "But what on earth is Zenith''s ace?" Boris muttered in a low voice.


    "We will find out soon. No matter what it is, I will ensure your safety!" the array deployer pledged.


    Boris did not doubt what the array deployer said. He knew his identity and the scope of his capabilities.


    ......


    Upon the uproar, many spiritual kings began to take action. They all came to the Snow Land from the Earth Fire Land, the Heaven Wood Land and other places of the Realm of Wildness, greatly interested in Ricky''s spiritual space tool of Ricky.


    It was not long before nearly ten spiritual kings showed up above where the Misty South Palace located.


    Though it was just an empty shabby valley right now.

 Chapter 377 A Shocking War Of Ultimate Domains

    Several figures roared past in the sky.


    In the next instant, more than ten innate spiritual kings appeared above the Misty South Palace. From the energy they released, it was apparent that half of them were middle spiritual kings. This was truly a formidable army.


    The army was formed by three forces, with the most powerful ones leading them. The first lot contained Boris, that famous array deployer who were leading the army with Errol by his side.There was another middle spiritual king with them, whose appearance indicated that he might come from the West Desolate Land. He might be the lord of the West Desolate Palace then.


    The second lot was formed by two middle spiritual kings and two lower spiritual kings, all of whom had come from the Earth Fire Land. Ricky saw a familiar face among them. It was Mia, from the Casting Guild!


    The remaining four middle spiritual kings and four lower spiritual kings were apparently the forces from the Heaven Wood Land. Ricky recognized the Chief of the Sky Manor in them at once.


    "Come out and let''s have a good old chat, Zenith. Don''t hide behind your mountain. After all, you invited us here in such a high-profile way. Is it really polite to treat your guests like this?" one of the middle spiritual kings from the Heaven Wood Land called out as soon as the whole army had come to a halt in the air. He didn''t say those words with his mouth, but instead transmitted them with his energy which formed powerful sound waves that carried his voice across the valley and bombarded the whole place.


    "Get lost!" Zenith answered in a cold, dry voice which showed his contempt and defiance. His words swept over the army forcefully, like a series of strong waves. All the innate spiritual kings up there had to gather up their energy and protect themselves from the sound attack.


    Nonetheless, it was still too powerful. All the lower spiritual kings were knocked back by the energy, and several less competent middle spiritual kings felt a punch in their chest, unable to fend off all the energy from Zenith.


    All the innate spiritual kings'' faces darkened immediately when the sound attack stopped. The confidence in their eyes drained away.


    They were all very powerful warriors, and were able to detect others'' levels fairly easily. Judging from Zenith''s sound attack alone, they realized that their rival was far more powerful than they were. He had uttered merely two words, and they all just lost their balance.


    It was a hard pill to swallow, but they had to face the truth. There was an undeniably great disparity in their strength. At this point, it suddenly dawned upon them what Zenith''s greatest card was--his powerful strength! At this level, he could be strong enough to send them all to their fate.


    This was the last thing that Boris and his men wanted to see. They might have tried to maintain a calm exterior, but the envy and fury in their eyes betrayed them. More then anyone else, they just couldn''t accept this fact.


    It wasn''t hard to understand. Seeing their sworn enemy grow stronger had dealt them a big blow. Anyone in this world could become more powerful except for Zenith. The burning hatred in their chests blazed hot and furious.


    ....


    "Invited you? I don''t recall ever doing that. I only told the world that the Misty South Palace was founded. Isn''t it


    .


    "Who do you think you are, Zenith?" the spiritual kings yelled in unison, enraged by Zenith''s order to leave. Blue veins popped out on their temples. Their own energy exploded too, in response to the impending fight. How dare Zenith stand between them and the treasure? They had to teach him a lesson, now!


    As the energy they unleashed increased, each of them began to create their own Ultimate Domain, which kept expanding and twisting the space around them. Within seconds, the entire space around the valley had been taken up by their oppressive domains of different kinds. From their point of view, Zenith might be stronger than any of them individually, but there was strength in numbers.


    Then there was a dull, deep crack that rang out from all directions, and the sound became louder and sharper.


    Ricky and Zenith realized that it was the sound of space fracturing slowly but surely. The whole space had nearly been shattered by the many Ultimate Domains.


    "Come on, everyone. Let''s fight together and get that spiritual space tool first. We have plenty of time to decide how we can share it after that!" one of the spiritual kings called on the others, preparing to launch his attack. The others followed without hesitation. All of a sudden, nearly twenty powerful Ultimate Domains were moving towards Zenith, Ricky, and Soar, like dark, ominous clouds.


    "Ultimate Blizzard Domain!" Zenith bellowed just in time. At his words, the sky above the Misty South Palace grew dark, and a great blizzard swept across the entire valley as the Ultimate Blizzard Domain was formed. All the enemies'' Ultimate Domains were then forced to retreat from this big stormy entity, like balloons being blown away.


    "Boom!" rang out a sound loud enough to wake the dead.


    Before all the spiritual kings could blink, their Ultimate Domains had been obliterated by Zenith''s Ultimate Blizzard Domain upon contact. The Ultimate Blizzard Domain didn''t just stop there, either! It kept expanding and headed for the spiritual kings after swallowing their domains.


    "How could this be?" they exclaimed in disbelief as they stood aghast, watching the Ultimate Blizzard Domain barreling towards them. Zenith''s power was truly stupefying!

 Chapter 378 The Foes Retreated

    Crackle! Crackle! There was a strange sound of something cracking around them.


    Zenith''s Ultimate Domain, which was named the Ultimate Blizzard Domain, was continuously expanding and causing all the Ultimate Domains of the innate spiritual kings to become severely crowded. Their Ultimate Domains also seemed to be under the maximum pressure they could withstand, which were about to explode at any second from the pressure. Even the Ultimate Domains of a few lower spiritual kings were splitting from the inside and obvious cracks were showing up.


    ''No way! How can his Ultimate Domain be close to that of an upper spiritual king?'' all the spiritual kings thought wildly to themselves as they were thunderstruck by what was happening right in front of them.


    Their astonishment was well justified, though. Becoming a real spiritual king involved the improvement of martial arts skills in two major aspects. One aspect was the Ultimate Domain, while the other was combat power. Between the two aspects, the more important and decisive aspect was, of course, the Ultimate Domain. That was because the promotion of a warrior''s Ultimate Domain was often accompanied by the improvement of his or her combat power.


    The Ultimate Domain that was burst out by Zenith was almost as powerful as that of an upper spiritual king. It was a clear fact to prove that Zenith would soon become a real upper spiritual king. With that thought, they became frustrated and their courage to fight against Zenith was almost drained away completely. They should not be looked down on for that. After all, no one wanted to risk fighting against a potential upper spiritual king.


    Zenith became stronger than them at that moment. Killing him before he could become an upper spiritual king turned out to be a silly daydream for them.


    ''So, that''s Zenith''s ace in the hole¡ªhe''s about to become an upper spiritual king, '' the chief of the Sky Manor thought to herself. She was quite startled as well. Finally, she had realized the real reason why Ricky and Zenith were not intimidated at all when being attacked by the joint forces.


    Besides those innate spiritual kings, even the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness was reluctant to be Zenith''s foe. Only a strong upper spiritual king might have the power to kill Zenith, after all. He, or his subordinates, were definitely not powerful enough to finish the job.


    If their attacks failed to kill Zenith, it would be hard for them to imagine how terrible a potential upper spiritual king''s revenge would be.


    ''It seems that, in the future, the Realm of Wildness will be divided and ruled by three different forces.'' The chief of the Sky Manor had a further analysis of the situation at hand. She no longer had any more concern for Ricky''s safety.


    As long as the spiritual kings did not want to be killed, or have their forces suffer great losses, they would definitely retreat before too long.


    Boris''s face, compared to the shocked expressions of the spiritual kings, couldn''t be more depressed and gloomy.


    If Zenith used other aces up his sleeve, Bor


    spiritual kings truly be intimidated by you and show you real respect.


    The other most important thing is that after you manage to be an innate spiritual king, you will have a bigger vision and a deeper understanding of martial arts. Only an innate spiritual king has the real qualification to travel all around this continent anyway," Zenith added in a serious tone.


    "I see what you mean, Chief! Thank you!" Ricky said sincerely and nodded.


    At one point, becoming an innate spiritual king would have been a dream that Ricky did not dare to think of. Now, he was finally qualified to pursue such a dream. Somehow, he was also pretty confident that he could soon make it.


    "Good! Then, you and Grace should make any necessary preparations for your trip to the legendary Fortune Land," Zenith said. "In such a Land, the geniuses of the younger generation, and the demi-immortals who have lived for hundreds of years, will both want to compete with you.


    Those demi-immortals will be your most powerful and terrible opponents. Since they have lived much longer than you, their fighting experience, hidden trump cards, and psychological qualities are superior to you and others in your generation. When you meet any of them there, you must be careful.


    The only guarantee of your whole trip will be your own power and strength. Therefore, the further improvements you two make in your secret cultivation, the better benefits it will bring to you over time."


    "Now I''ve learned a lot from you, Chief! Thank you for your advice!" Ricky said respectfully.


    ...


    After the crisis was finally over, the whole area of the Realm of Wildness regained its peace. It was only a temporary peace before a greater storm came, however. Within the peaceful atmosphere, people could still feel that the warriors were actually holding in their urge to fight. Even the sound of their hard training could be vaguely heard around the area.


    Under such circumstances, Ricky adjusted his physical conditions to its peak, and began his cultivation in seclusion again.

 Chapter 379 Strength Improvement

    Ricky had three main goals for his cultivation in seclusion.


    First, he intended to completely consolidate his power of the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement and reach the peak of the seventh grade to avoid any after-effects after his new breakthrough. Compared with these geniuses and hundreds of years old demi-immortals, the level of his cultivation was always his weakness.


    Second, he planned to break through to the Ninth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. When challenging the innate warriors when he was a demi-immortal warrior, the Ninth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula would be a guarantee of his success, making it possible for him to challenge an innate warrior and win over him.


    At the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, his body had already reached the maximum beneath the innate spirit level, or even no less than the warriors who had just gained innate power.


    Once he had a breakthrough to the Ninth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, his body would reach the physical strength of that of an innate warrior. Even more excitingly, if he broke through to be a demi-immortal warrior, he could even challenge a real innate warrior with his magnificent physical strength. He could do this because of his possession of the cultivation method of the three Supreme Skills and the three runic power!


    Lastly, he needed to further understand the Omnipotent Skill and all the cultivation methods he possessed to the best of his abilities. He had already figured out the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill on the basis of Devouring Storm.


    So what other stronger skills would he achieve founded on Massacring Golden Palm and Flame Torrent?


    Once he entered the Land of Fortune, these skills would come at a great advantage to him.


    While he was in seclusion, Ricky activated the three Supreme Skills and their cultivation methods, searching for the impurities left by his last breakthrough and eliminating them with Devouring Skill and Chaotic Fire Skill.


    Having purified successfully, he used the three runic powers, refined some Treasures from Heaven and Earth and prepared for yet another breakthrough!


    It had taken him one and a half months to cultivate to the seventh grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    If he continued, he would easily reach the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement. But he still wanted to consolidat


    . His clothes were torn to pieces as his strong, golden, purified body burst out.


    At this moment, Ricky could feel that something was about to explode inside his body. It was something he had never felt before, not even when he would become an innate spiritual king someday. He felt that he could smash a mountain with one punch!


    "Then the next step is to make a breakthrough to be a demi-immortal, combining the Ninth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and the three Supreme Skills, and to finally challenge the innate spiritual kings," Ricky declared confidently with golden rays emanating from his eyes.


    He felt a wave of narcissism wash over him and he eagerly inspected his new body.


    There was a slight defect, however. He still emitted an odor, which came from the excreted impurities.


    And so Ricky jumped into the water trough that he had prepared in advance, and began to scrub himself clean.


    ¡­¡­


    Right after the bath, Ricky began to comprehend and cultivate the Omnipotent Skill.


    He needed to further cultivate the Fire Cloud Fist, Blade-smashing Attack and Scorching Golden Fist. With the understanding of the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill, he believed he could obtain the other two Omnipotent Skills more easily.


    Three months flew by as he went through the process of comprehension and cultivation.


    Suddenly, a strong and thick sense of fortune permeated through the Realm of Wildness, a formidable atmosphere sweeping over the land.


    All the warriors looked up from what they were doing, and grew quiet. The Land of Fortune had appeared.

 Chapter 380 The Land Of Fortune

    All the warriors and forces in the whole Realm of Wildness became restless with the strange aura of the area.


    At that point in time, Ricky and Grace also woke up from their states of cultivation. As soon as they woke up, they were called by Zenith to his cave.


    "It has been a hundred years and the Land of Fortune is coming back soon. Are you both prepared for that after training for the past three months?" Zenith asked carefully.


    "We are ready and have full confidence in our power!" Ricky and Grace answered firmly.


    "I can set my mind at rest after hearing that you are ready," Zenith said and nodded as he looked at their confident eyes. He didn''t look worried because he also had a lot of faith in them.


    Since Zenith had separated himself from the Snow Sect ruled by Boris now, he stopped talking to his disciples like a rigid sect chief.


    "Remember not to force yourselves too much. If you feel too strained, just make sure that your own lives are you top priority. After all, life is everything!" Zenith said.


    "Chief Zenith, we understand!" Ricky and Grace nodded.


    "Next, I will tell you something that you need to pay special attention to," Zenith said.


    "Your main aim in the Land of Fortune is to kill the fortune beasts and get the dragon meridian of the fortune beasts. Of course, you can also choose to seize the dragon meridian of other warriors instead. In a way, the most important thing for you to do is to fight for the dragon meridian any way you can.


    Apart from fighting for the dragon meridian, you also need to pay attention to the Lands of Opportunity.


    The Land of Fortune appears every one hundred years. Every time it has appeared, the fortunes inside would almost be captured by numerous warriors; then it would be gone for another hundred years in order to regenerate its fortune energy.


    It''s a very small land that we live in, so the fortunes of the Land of Fortune usually come from places such as the graves of dead completed spiritual kings and demi-spiritual emperors," Zenith continued explaining.


    "For every completed spiritual king and demi-spiritual emperor, the achievements originally had contained a lot of fortunes. After they died, the fortunes they once had were eventually scattered in their graves or the places where they died.


    The Land of Fortune is invisible. Every time, after it disappeared, it would absorb the fortunes of the dead completed spiritual kings and demi-spiritual emperors and then regenerate. Then, it would just be a matter of waiting for the next appearance. Sure enough, this is merely the way the fortunes


    hey were willing, they dared not to crumble it to pass into the other land.


    Even though the beasts at the levels of Skin Refinement and Blood Purification didn''t clearly know what had happened, the demi-immortal beasts could send messages and warn them about the danger. Consequently, they chose to ignore the Fortune Jade altogether.


    Soon, some warriors with enough strength crumbled the Fortune Jade. There were some other warriors who couldn''t stop themselves from crumbling the Fortune Jade out of curiosity. As soon as the Fortune Jade was crumbled, the figures disappeared from the Realm of Wildness.


    ...


    In the canyon where the Misty South Palace lay, Ricky, Grace, Elder Evan, and the other Elders had already acquired Fortune Jades and were ready to use them whenever they decided it was time.


    "Esteemed Elders, Ricky, and Grace, let me emphasize this again-- your lives are more important than anything else!" Zenith said again in concern.


    "Don''t worry, Chief. We don''t want to stay in the Land of Fortune longer than we need to," Ricky said with a smile.


    "You guys can set out on your journey now. After you leave the Land of Fortune, I will almost have finished adjusting the Misty South Palace," Zenith said lightly.


    All the warriors, including Ricky, nodded their heads. They then crumbled the Fortune Jade successively. As soon as they crumbled the Fortune Jade, they could feel themselves being dragged into the other zone by a powerful force. Their bodies shook violently until they suddenly appeared in another world.


    ...


    "I hope you can all obtain the opportunities that you deserve in the Land of Fortune!" Zenith said warmly as he watched his comrades disappear from right in front of him.

 Chapter 381 Fortune Beast

    Once Ricky was able to perceive again, he realized that he was exposed in a white and endless world.


    This world was as genuine as the world where he lived. There were groves of trees and an endless mountain range enveloped in dense mist. He felt like he was thrown into a place out of a fantasy world. A feeling of walking in the clouds gently approached him.


    Certainly, the strongest feeling that Ricky had was with intangible and strong fortune.


    "Is this the Fortune Land?" Ricky spread his arms and said slowly. He was curious about this world that he had never been to before.


    At the same time, to be able to perceive the intangible fortune everyone had been talking about, Ricky grabbed the dense fog floating in the air. However, his attempt was all in vain. He wasn''t able to grab anything.


    Even when Ricky applied his Light Apperception, he still couldn''t grab any fortune.


    "In the Fortune Land, it seems that fortune can only be seen but cannot be grabbed. Therefore, the only thing that I can hold in my hands is the dragon meridian," Ricky said slowly.


    The next moment, Ricky rotated to the open view once again and looked to the distance. He was lost in his thought and his brain started to think of solutions to his problem. Now that the only thing he could acquire was the dragon meridian, it had become his new target. According to Zenith''s words, the main source of the dragon meridian was the fortune beast.


    Considering that he was new to this land, his priority was acquiring the dragon meridian, so he left the Land of Legacy left by completed spiritual kings and demi-spiritual emperors behind.


    Ricky quickened his pace towards the distant place in search for a fortune beast.


    After about 15 minutes, Ricky ran into his first fortune beast, who was a white Howling Wolf with demi-immortal power.


    Enveloped by the dense fog, this white Howling Wolf looked like it was being condensed by strong fortune. Ricky sensed that the white Howling Wolf didn''t have a physical body.


    Howl!


    The white Howling Wolf stared at Ricky with hatred and shouted at him the moment he showed up. It angrily said, "It is you, the evil creature from the continent who breaks into the Fortune Land every century. You destroy our homeland and ruin our peaceful lives! Damn you!"


    Boom! The dense fog from the nearest space where they were standing wildly enraged and surged towards him. It then transformed into a big mouth of a howling wolf, biting directly towards him.


    "It was incredibly


    attack, it whined and shouted. Its ferocious eyes turned even more serious.


    The white Howling Wolf realized that it underestimated Ricky''s strength. He was indeed incredibly strong and wasn''t someone that it could easily deal with.


    ''The power exceeds levels of the demi-immortal. It seems that my fortune has become weaker after coming to the Fortune Land, '' Ricky thought to himself. He had a better grasp of the white Howling Wolf''s strength after their fearsome exchange.


    What Ricky was really concerned about was that his Fire Cloud Fist hit nothing but the air as if the white Howling Wolf disappeared into thin air.


    He didn''t realize it at first and thought that the Fire Cloud Fist had crashed into the white Howling Wolf''s paw and head. In fact, the white Howling Wolf was able to protect itself from being hurt.


    He also protected himself from being hurt thanks to his quick reflexes. Otherwise, the paw would have seriously injured him.


    ''Chief Zenith didn''t inform us about how powerful the fortune beasts were. Maybe he wanted us to practice ourselves by fighting the fortune beast under such circumstances, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Ricky began to try and figure out how the white Howling Wolf disappeared in the air and why his attack didn''t hurt it at all.


    Howl! Howl!


    Suddenly, The white Howling Wolf started to howl towards the sky. It was quite different from the sound that it previously made. Ricky realized that something terrible was about to happen.


    "Damn! Is it calling for its pack?" Getting along with Soar, Ricky became able to understand the animal''s language. Hearing the dangerous howling signal, Ricky narrowed his eyes.

 Chapter 382 One Against Three

    Howl!


    There were howls responding the roar of the white Howling Wolf that was sounding out in the distance. Ricky could immediately sense that two strong sources of momentum were coming rapidly toward him.


    "It really is calling its companions for help!" Ricky said in a low voice.


    At that moment, Ricky wanted to escape, but the two were rushing toward him and the white Howling Wolf in front of him was blocking his path. He couldn''t run away unless he went back to the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    Ricky tried to link with those three zones with his mind, but he found that it was like the last time when he was in the seal array. He could take things out of the zone, but not put things into it.


    "Is it because we are in the Land of Fortune and its space has the sealing power to stop me from returning to the Chaotic Fire Zone?" Ricky murmured as his face turned gloomy.


    At the same time, Ricky prayed that the wolf''s two companions were not so strong.


    Ricky''s momentum rose the next moment. Now that he couldn''t run away, he would have to fight against them. No matter how powerful his enemies were, Ricky never feared for himself in a fight.


    He took out his Iron Destroyer and it rang with a vibrant sound and fierce fire. After one second, he had launched several tiger like slashes directly toward the white Howling Wolf.


    Ricky wanted to injure the white Howling Wolf, or even kill it before the other two Howling Wolves could arrive. In that way, his stress would be reduced by a lot.


    Seeing that Ricky had broken out his power, the white Howling Wolf knew Ricky''s intention, so it also broke out its total power. Its two companions would arrive there very soon. The victory belonged to them as long as it could block Ricky''s fierce attacks.


    Roar! When the wolf''s howl rang out, a strong fortune energy surrounded the white Howling Wolf. The fortune energy turned into a huge white ball before it condensed and melded with the wolf''s bloody mouth.


    Then the white Howling Wolf spurted the incomplete innate power out of its mouth. The power, mixed with the fortune energy and condensed to its strongest point, was launched toward Ricky''s violent slash attacks.


    Bang!


    The two powerful attacks crashed together and the blast became millions of waves that turned into a roundish ball. It exploded instantly and made the space around it very unstable. It


    ere smashed and deep holes appeared. In a flash, Ricky had launched into the air and resisted dozens of attacks that were launched by the three white Howling Wolves.


    Howl!


    After the fierce collision, the three white Howling Wolves surrounded Ricky in three directions. They condensed giant fortune balls that they fused with their own spiritual energy and attacked Ricky.


    Ricky couldn''t dodge the attack because they were coming from all three directions at a high speed.


    Ricky was not going to try to escape however. The three white Howling Wolves'' power was above the intermediate stage of the demi-immortal level, but they didn''t have any combat experience. They didn''t have real bodies either, so their power was not as strong as Ricky had imagined.


    "Chaotic Fire Omnipotent Skill--Flame Torrent!"


    Four kinds of fire instantly flared out. They fused with the chaotic fire rune and pervaded the Iron Destroyer. Then, Ricky wielded the Iron Destroyer and the Flame Torrent burst out around him.


    After his three-month cultivation, Ricky could use the Flame Torrent more optionally.


    Crack! Under the power of the four kinds of fire and the chaotic fire rune, the three fortune balls were defeated and dispersed. The Flame Torrent still burned fiercely and rushed out toward the three white Howling Wolves.


    The Flame Torrent burned the three white Howling Wolves immediately, causing their screams to all rise up at once.


    The three white Howling Wolves reacted quickly. They dispersed into fortune energy and escaped from the burning range of the Flame Torrent.

 Chapter 383 The Space Splitting Cage

    "Did you three turn into mist again? You are giving me exactly what I want," Ricky said, smiling as his runic power turned into the devouring runic power.


    In the next moment, the devouring rune followed the Flame Torrent and devoured the fortune dispersed by the three white Howling Wolves.


    Upon noticing the devouring power of the devouring runes, the dispersed fortune moved even more rapidly in order to get rid of the Flame Torrent and change into a white Howling Wolf later when they were safe.


    The strength of the three white Howling Wolves had obviously declined, the previous one even more so. When the white dragon meridian appeared on its head, the fortune around the last two wolves'' bodies also declined.


    "You do not have real bodies, and your powers are now rapidly declining. Soon, you will no longer be my opponent, so just give me the dragon meridian now and accept your fate!" Ricky said fiercely as his eyes glowed with golden flames.


    Although Ricky had sympathy for the fortune beasts, there was no way he was going to pass up on his own opportunity. The jungle rule clearly stated that the weak would stand as an easy prey to the strong. If Ricky went soft and let the three white Howling Wolves go, they would probably gather up more fortune beasts to fight against him.


    "Howl! Howl!"


    The three white Howling Wolves howled in anger upon hearing Ricky''s words and noticing their deteriorating power and strength.


    "Continental creature, you are making up stories to make us hand over our dragon meridians," the three Howling Wolves replied in a serious tone.


    "You might say I''m only making up stuff, but I cannot think of any way for you to defend yourselves. Even though you can mobilize the fortune in the Land of Fortune, you cannot turn that fortune into your own power and strength. It would take time to cultivate yourself step by step," Ricky said scornfully.


    "You can choose to show me what else you''ve got while you still have the chance, or you can give up now and I will kill you mercifully."


    Ricky changed the rune again and changed it into the chaotic fire rune. His intention was obvious and


    Howling Wolves wanted was to run away.


    They exchanged looks and seemed to arrive at a decision. Then, they turned themselves into light balls and ran away towards three different directions.


    "Don''t you think it''s too late to run away now?" Ricky smiled without a trace of worry on his face.


    "Close the cage!"


    In the next moment, streaks of the ripple-shaped internal power appeared and turned into a cage as Ricky shouted. Then, it enveloped the whole area, including the three white Howling Wolves.


    "Bang!!!"


    With the flame still raging on, each streak of the ripple-shaped internal power condensed itself and slowly decreased in size.


    Within seconds, the three white Howling Wolves would be burned to death.


    But Ricky had to be sure. He was not about to give them the chance to consume any more of the dragon meridian, so he used the Iron Destroyer and urged the Flame Torrent to finish their battle.


    Then, right after the Flame Torrent came the devouring power.


    Having seen the two kinds of powers Ricky released, the three white Howling Wolves tried to separate and escape from the Space Splitting Cage. But they could not.


    How did the cage work? Where did it get its name?


    The space split up into separate fragments, making each piece an isolated cage full of infernal power and guarded by the chaotic fire rune.


    Anyone except Ricky would burn endlessly if put inside the Space Splitting Cage.

 Chapter 384 The Gravitational Wind Valley

    The mists that had come from the three white Howling Wolves were hit by waves of burning flames, so there was no escape from there for them.


    Engulfed by the burning flames, the three Howling Wolves had no chance of survival. Finally, they were reduced to three dragon meridians that were three inches long.


    It was not until Ricky saw the appearance of the dragon meridians that he believed the Howling Wolves had died for good.


    With his spiritual energy transformed into two huge hands, Ricky took the three dragon meridians by force in a bid to see them more clearly.


    They were pure white and had the same forms as the dragons in the legends. They could sense Ricky''s curiosity and desperately attempted to struggle their way out of Ricky''s hands.


    "Dragon meridians are filled with the spirits and fortune energy of marital arts. I really hope that I will be offered more luck here since I have you three now," Ricky said excitedly while looking at the three tiny dragon meridians.


    The next moment, without any hesitation, Ricky swallowed the three small dragon meridians. Within seconds, there was a white dragon meridian that appeared and spread over the back of his neck.


    His new dragon meridian was extremely small and was only two inches long to start.


    "This sucks. I ate three five-inch dragon meridians, but only got a two inch long one on my neck. This doesn''t feel fair at all!" Ricky felt his neck to check the length of his dragon meridian and muttered to himself in disappointment.


    Zenith had once told him that he wouldn''t be in a position to fight for the fortune of dragon meridians until his own dragon meridian was as long as at least ninety feet. He only had a two-inch one on his neck after absorbing the wolves'' dragon meridians, and it wasn''t good enough for him.


    Besides, he finally understood that swallowing the dragon meridians he won would not be much help with the growth of the one on his body. As time passed, more stimuli would be needed to help his dragon meridian grow to a more desirable size.


    In other words, the growth of his dragon meridian would slow down until he found other efficient and effective ways to stimulate it.


    "My dragon meridian is still too weak and small. It is such a hassle for me," Ricky said lightly with a thin smile.


    They had only one year before they had to leave the Land of Fortune. They were required to work hard to kill more and more fortune beasts. Even so, not many warriors would be lucky enough to see their dragon merid


    void trouble.


    He currently aimed to kill as many fortune beasts as possible and to obtain the fortune of dragon meridians whilst avoiding intense and dangerous confrontations with the talented and experienced old warriors in the area.


    ''I hope my master and Elder Evan are safe. They know the whereabouts of the Gravitational Wind Valley, so my goal is to eventually meet them there.'' Ricky thought to himself, praying for their safety while he searched for them.


    As its name implied, the Gravitational Wind Valley was a narrow valley surrounded by tornadoes which were formed naturally. If one entered the Gravitational Wind Valley, they might find themselves walking into the Gravitation Enlightenment space where the gravity was three times heavier than that in a normal place.


    Luckily, the threefold gravity there was nothing to strong warriors, especially Ricky.


    Inside the Gravitational Wind Valley, he saw some ferocious demi-immortal beasts and some demi-immortal warriors who led other warriors at high grades of the Bone Reinforcement with them.


    They tried to keep some distance from others to avoid any possible confrontation though.


    Any dangerous confrontation would reduce their strength and carry the risk of injury. Such fighting would be the major interference to the achievement of their goals.


    Ricky''s arrival drew some suspicious and greedy glances, since his five-inch dragon meridian was longer than most of theirs.


    Those greedy warriors didn''t try to attack him though. That was because they knew that anybody who could make his dragon meridian grow to five inches in such a short period of time was powerful and shouldn''t be provoked.

 Chapter 385 Wind Hole

    "Oh? Have you seen the dragon meridian on my back?" Having sensed their greedy glances, Ricky asked them lightly. However, he didn''t care much about the possible threats from the greedy warriors. They could challenge him if they were brave enough.


    Moreover, they coveted Ricky''s dragon meridian while Ricky also wanted to take the dragon meridians from their bodies. However, Ricky didn''t want to be the first to strike.


    At last, those warriors and beasts refrained themselves from acting recklessly. They needed to wait and see until they were certain about Ricky''s true strength. None of the warriors who dared to enter the Fortune Land were ever weak.


    Besides, there were other opportunities waiting for them in the Gravitational Wind Valley.


    "Have they decided to retreat without even striking? What a pity! Otherwise, my dragon meridian would have grown to six inches," Ricky muttered to himself, disappointed to see that the warriors and beasts had sort of lost interest in him.


    Within a heartbeat, he also glanced up towards the insides of the Gravitational Wind Valley.


    The valley was marked by Zenith on his map. However, it didn''t feel like the Land of Legacy, to Ricky''s best judgement. The fortune here wasn''t very different to those in other places.


    If the Land of Legacy could be found here, then the fortune should be overwhelming. Besides, Ricky should have already sensed the enlightening power by now.


    However, Ricky wondered why these warriors were gathered here if this place wasn''t the Land of Legacy.


    Soon, he discovered that the warriors and beasts were drawn to the tornadoes.


    "Could there be something hidden inside the tornadoes?" Ricky wondered. Within a few heartbeats, Ricky saw a middle-aged demi-immortal warrior leading several younger disciples nearby.


    They seemed friendly and less aggressive to him.


    Ricky walked over to them and asked humbly, "Good morning, sir. Could you please tell me why people are all staring at those tornadoes?" The politeness was abundant in his words.


    "So you know it''s the Gravitational Wind Valley, but you do not know of what''s inside the tornadoes?" The middle-aged man replied politely, obviously quite surprised to hear Ricky''s question.


    "That is right, sir!" Ricky said, with a little grin on his face.


    "Let me tell you why," a beautiful woman interrupted w


    pears, we can refine the Wind Hole, transform it, and absorb its energy with one part of our body."


    "We know that," Felicia nodded in agreement.


    Then, the three of them entered the small-sized gravitational windstorms, fought against their pressure and tried to adapt themselves into the internal environments of the gravitational windstorms.


    Meanwhile, the surrounding warriors and beasts began breaking into some of the gravitational windstorms which they had chosen for themselves. However, not a single warrior was bold enough to pick a large-sized gravitational windstorm.


    "Hey, Brent, I have never told you that I''m content with a small-sized windstorm!" Ricky said, smiling lightly.


    "But, you..." Hearing what Ricky said, Brent was astonished.


    Then, Ricky rushed across the road and jumped into one of the medium-sized gravitational windstorms.


    Seeing what Ricky had just done, Brent looked concerned about his safety. However, within several heartbeats, when he saw Ricky was doing alright inside the windstorm, he felt a bit more relieved.


    "It just didn''t come to me that Randal is actually a medium-grade demi-immortal warrior. He must be a genius!" Brent muttered in a low voice.


    The other warriors saw Ricky enter the medium-sized windstorm and sighed with relief that they were right to not make a vain attempt to rob him of his dragon meridian.


    After all, a medium-grade demi-immortal warrior shouldn''t be provoked at all costs. It would have been suicidal for those low-grade beasts and warriors to try and challenge him in any way.

 Chapter 386 Acquiring The Wind Hole Easily

    The warriors and beasts were now all concentrating on adapting to the gravitational windstorm they had been sucked into.


    ...


    "The gravitational windstorm is worthy of its name! It has the incredible attribute of gravity while also harnessing the strong power of wind!" Ricky gasped in admiration once he entered it.


    The gravity in the periphery of the Gravitational Wind Valley was only three times as strong as usual, but the gravity in this medium gravitational windstorm was at least twelve times more concentrated! Under such a powerful gravity with the intense rotation of the windstorm, Ricky could not stand still at the beginning.


    Ricky thought that if a warrior at the inferior stage of the demi-immortal level entered this medium gravitational windstorm, he would definitely be wounded badly and tossed about like a leaf. Even worse, he might even die there.


    Fortunately, Ricky''s strength was already equal to that of an overmatch at the intermediate stage of the demi-immortal, so he had adapted nearly all of the gravity after spending a quarter of an hour there. And he resisted the rotating windstorm cuttings with his spiritual energy.


    "Ah!" "Eee!"


    Suddenly, some screams rang out. Some warriors at the demi-immortal level who were not powerful enough were tossed out of the gravitational windstorm directly, regardless of their position inside.


    It had grown painfully clear that the power of the warriors and beasts who had been tossed out was not enough to withstand the double power in the gravitational windstorm. Ricky did not care about them too much. They had obviously overestimated themselves and entered the gravitational windstorm when they were not strong enough.


    At this point, the Wind Hole had not showed up.


    ''When it finally shows up, the power of the windstorm may become more intense. When that happens, I must try to figure out how this gravitational windstorm works. That will help me obtain the Wind Hole!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    If the other warriors and beasts knew about what Ricky was thinking, they would swear at him for his outlandish ideas. They were already immensely grateful tha


    little effort, because he had already figured out the pattern of this windstorm. He would have been an idiot if he could not refine it by now.


    "Randal, you can take down the Wind Hole in other windstorms while there''s time!" Brent called out to him using his internal power.


    "Brent, it''s enough for me. I believe that I won''t need the Wind Hole after a few days. It will only be useless for me to get more!" Ricky replied with a cheeky smile.


    "You really are quite confident. I admire you. Ha-ha!" Brent also smiled.


    "Brent, the reason I got the Wind Hole so soon is that I mastered some rules about the power of the windstorm. I won''t be stingy if you need some help," Ricky said to him using his internal power.


    ''As I expected!'' Brent was a little amazed at what Ricky revealed to him.


    But he refused his offer, saying, "Randal, I would prefer to accomplish it by myself, but thank you for your generosity!"


    "I understand that!" Ricky smiled at Brent''s refusal. He liked this man with integrity and ambition!


    "But, Randal, could you please tell Lady Felicia and the two disciples of my family about the rules? I would be very grateful if you do so," Brent asked him pleadingly.


    "Brent, no need to worry about that. I have yet to pay you back for what you did for me before," Ricky replied graciously.


    He did not hesitate to tell Felicia and the others about what he had learned from his comprehension.

 Chapter 387 The Large Wind Hole

    After explaining some of the rules about the windstorm to the trio, Ricky focused his attention on the depths of the valley, where the large gravitational windstorm originated. Apparently, he had developed a great interest in it.


    He already managed to acquire a medium Wind Hole, which he believed was quite enough. By that time, his realm had already reached the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement while his combat power was at the medium demi-immortal level. As long as he continued to make some improvements in his current realm, his combat power would definitely reach the peak of the medium demand-immortal level.


    As for the time he needed for such improvements, Ricky believed it would not be too long. By then, the medium Wind Hole would no longer be so useful to him.


    Therefore, he was more interested in the large Wind Hole, which was meant to be far more powerful than the medium ones. If he got his hands on a large one, adding that to the power of his Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he could definitely guarantee his safety in the upcoming battle in this Fortune Land.


    If he hadn''t learned about the rules in the gravitational windstorm, he definitely would not have developed an interest in the large gravitational windstorm. However, after learning everything about those rules, everything was different.


    ''If I fail to get a large Wind Hole from the gravitational windstorm, the worst result could be getting tossed out of it, which wouldn''t be much of a big deal. I won''t be significantly injured as long as I have the peak power of the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, '' Ricky thought about his chances carefully.


    The only possible downside of launching the power of the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula was that the unique cultivation method might reveal his true identity. Yet, he believed that it was still a risk worth taking.


    Ricky was fully aware of the possible risks and disadvantages. However, the world of martial arts had always been like this¡ªboth risk and opportunity naturally coexisting. If he gave up such a good opportunity just to avoid the potential risks, how could he continue his cultivation journey as a warrior?


    Thus, despite the thoughts he was having, Ricky walked out of the medium windstorm without any hesitation.


    The warriors who had been tossed out from the medium windstorm all stared at Ricky with greedy eyes, but they had no courage to go against him. The Wind Hole that Ricky had in his palm was enough to deter them, not to mention the other more powerful skills he already had.


    Therefore, they could only keep their greedy desires to themselves.


    Then all of a sudden, they were all startled with their mouths wide open as they saw Ricky walking towards a large gravitational windstorm.


    Immediately, as the witnesses of such an unbelievable scene, they began to talk to one another excitedly. "What is he going to do?"


    "Is... is he planning on entering that large gravitational windstorm?" With a lot of doubts in their hearts, the warriors and fierce beasts just stared at Ricky and exchanged looks with one another from time to time.


    "No, he won''t do it, absolutely not. The storm inside the large gravitational windstor


    ption. How could they have expected that the young warrior, who asked them for information earlier, was this outstanding and talented?


    Apart from the astonishment, they also felt very fortunate to have a connection with Ricky, a rare genius.


    Felicia''s eyes were filled with excitement and gratitude.


    If it hadn''t been for Ricky''s help, she wouldn''t have been able to get her hands on a Wind Hole any time soon.


    After two hours of struggling inside the gravitational windstorm, Ricky was finally able to move in a much better pace. The big improvement was due to his quick adaptation with the rules of the large gravitational windstorm with the help of his three Zones. Now he could use his own power to follow the windstorm.


    But he also paid a price to get to such improvement. He constantly bled that almost all of his body parts were covered with blood.


    Fortunately, the price was not too heavy to pay. All was due to his quick learning ability that he got from his three Zones. Otherwise, he would have suffered a greater loss, unless he could burst out the power of the Ninth Degree of his Body Refining Formula.


    With his newly acquired ability to move inside the gravitational windstorm, and his understanding of its rules, it would now be way easier for Ricky to get his hands on a large Wind Hole.


    Through the power of his three Zones, he refined a large Wind Hole as quickly as he could, and leapt out of the large gravitational windstorm.


    By that time, he was very exhausted. He considered walking into another large gravitational windstorm and trying to get more. But under his current physical condition, he knew he had to give up.


    It was estimated that about half an hour later, those Wind Holes would have already disappeared. Half an hour was definitely not enough time for him to recover from what he just went through.


    Seeing that Ricky got out of the windstorm successfully, all the other warriors stared at him in great disbelief. Eventually, some of them showed hints of greed in their eyes.


    Moreover, many powerful warriors at the medium demi-immortal level began walking towards Ricky, starting to surround him.

 Chapter 388 Decisive

    At once, many warriors and beasts at the intermediate stage of demi-immortal level rushed to besiege Ricky as they wanted to take the large Wind Hole on Ricky''s palm.


    "What do you want to do?" Brent jumped and landed in front of Ricky, asking coldly as he observed the other party''s movement.


    "What we want to do is obvious." An old guy smirked. "I think that this little boy will just put the large Wind Hole to waste, so we want to take it from him."


    "Ha-ha, just tell me the truth. What you really want is my large Wind Hole. I will give it to you!" Ricky staggered to his feet while laughing loudly.


    "Randal!" Brent was a little worried when he heard Ricky''s brave words.


    Brent considered Ricky as a friend after what had happened. He knew how Ricky worked and did whatever it took to get to the large Wind Hole, so he could not just allow anyone to threaten his friend and take what he had worked hard for.


    Ricky gave Brent a reassuring look after hearing his words. He continued walking and found himself coming near those cheeky men.


    It seemed that Brent had understood what Ricky meant. He didn''t say anything more as he saw his friend''s confident expression.


    "Everyone, the large Wind Hole is on my palm now. If you want it, come to get it." Ricky was boosted with confidence.


    Boom!


    However, he activated the large Wind Hole on his left hand the next moment. From it a wild roaring sound arose and engulfed the area.


    They could see a black cave embedded in Ricky''s palm. It was the large Wind Hole where a mass of black spiral storm broke out.


    When the spiral storm rose up the sky, it turned into the huge wind of gravity. As those warriors were all absorbed in it, they screamed out in fear as they already felt their doom.


    The huge wind of gravity then knocked on the mountain behind them and the mountain was surprisingly pulverized into dust at once.


    As for those warriors and beasts at the intermediate stage of demi-immortal, they turned into dust, as pulverized as the impossibly destructible mountain. Ricky then gained all their dragon meridians, increasing his dragon meridian''s length to seven inches from the previous five inches.


    No one had thought of this outcome, especially those warriors at in


    Then, Ricky began to cultivate to recover his depleted strength.


    As for Brent, Ricky couldn''t trust him completely for now. He asked him for help also in order to test whether he was a friend or a foe. Even if Brent turned out to be a wicked man who would attack Ricky when he was weak, Ricky would be able to sense the danger and wake up at any time because he had three zones. He could also use the Wind Hole to attack enemies back.


    Four hours later, Ricky had recovered all his strength. After Felicia had left the place to give him some privacy, Ricky took off the old ragged robes and put on the new black ones.


    "Randal, what are you going to do next?" Brent innocently asked his new friend.


    "I am going to kill fortune beasts and compete for dragon meridians so I could increase it to ninety feet long before the last moment comes. I plan to compete for the ultimate dragon meridian as well as the ultimate fortune," Ricky answered calmly, laying out his plans.


    "I knew it!" Ricky''s words confirmed Brent''s thoughts.


    "However, my strength is not yet enough to compete for the ultimate dragon meridian. I want to look for chances in the Land of Legacy," Ricky said sincerely.


    Only warriors and beasts at the peak of demi-immortal level were able to compete for the ultimate dragon meridian. His strength was clearly not enough for that.


    "Randal, I know a place is of great possibility to be a Land of Legacy. Do you want to go with us?" Brent offered without any hesitation.

 Chapter 389 The Sublimation Lake

    "A Land of Legacy! Really?" Ricky responded to Brent excitedly while his eyes were flashing in excitement.


    Ricky knew that there was nothing free in the world though, so he immediately calmed down and spoke again with a smile on his face. He asked, "Brent, please tell me what I need to do."


    "Randal, first of all, let''s make it clear that the place we have found out about is only very likely to be a Land of Legacy. We are not certain however. So, if we go there and find out that it is not the place we expect it to be, I hope you don''t think I am deceiving you," Brent announced.


    "Brent, do you think of me as such an unreasonable person?" Ricky grinned.


    "Ha-ha!" Brent laughed and continued, saying, "The reason that we invited you is simply because we are not strong enough to do it on our own."


    "Are there any other competitors looking for it?" Ricky inquired.


    "Yes, the Wang Clan are our rivals and are going after it as well!" Brent replied, "This time, for the sake of the Land of Legacy, they are probably also making secret deals with some people to try and get an advantage."


    "Brent, you gave me plenty of information and opportunities. It''s reasonable to ask me to help you in return. I accept your invitation, and I have no reason to refuse it," Ricky said with a smile.


    "Randal, thank you very much," Brent thanked Ricky.


    "Brent, please tell me more details so we can make a plan!" Ricky nodded.


    "Well, we can talk while we are heading there. I believe that the Wang Clan is also rushing there now!" Brent added.


    Brent and the other three left the Gravitational Wind Valley with Ricky.


    The place Brent mentioned was called the Sublimation Lake, and it was a secret place that could be found in the Fortune Land.


    The reason it was called the Sublimation Lake was due to the strong force of sublimation the lake gave off.


    This so-called force of sublimation was another manifested form of fortune. It was more advanced than the dragon meridian, so the force of sublimation could be spontaneously condensed into a Sublimation Pill.


    In the Fortune Land, the Sublimation Pill could only reach the inferior grade of King Level. It was still possible that


    t this stream?" Ricky asked incredulously.


    "Yes, although I find it strange, it''s true. This winding body of water is the entrance to the Wonderland," Brent explained. "I will enter first and then you can follow me."


    Afterward, Brent jumped directly into the stream. The stream appeared to be hardly knee height at first glance, but when Brent jumped in he disappeared with a small splash.


    "This is incredible; this is really the entrance to the Wonderland! As the saying goes, you are in the most danger when you feel most safe! Does it work the same here?" Ricky asked approvingly.


    "Perhaps. At the beginning, the ancestors of the Liu Clan and the Wang Clan discovered this place by accident," Felicia stated.


    After a brief discussion, Ricky jumped into the stream with the others.


    When they got out of the water, they saw white land with thicker fortune and greater humidity. It was as if it was pouring with fortune.


    As for Ricky''s first impression, he could feel the strong enlightening power there. There was no doubt that the Land of Legacy had appeared once again in this Wonderland.


    "It seems it is worthwhile to come to this Wonderland for the Sublimation Pill and the Land of Legacy." Having wrought no harvest yet, Ricky was excited to get started.


    "Brent and Felicia, you are finally here!" At that point, a cheerful voice rang out attracting their attention. A group of people was coming towards them from a short distance away.

 Chapter 390 Seth

    It was blatantly clear that the warriors were from the Wang Clan. There were six of them--four men and two women. The young man walking in front of the group must be the Clan''s leader.


    However, Ricky''s eyes were zeroed in on the woman behind the young man. It was his master, Grace!


    ''I never expected to see Master Grace here! And we''re on different sides!'' Ricky thought curiously.


    Grace was also looking at him. Though Ricky was wearing a human skin mask on his face, she could recognize his distinctly familiar aura and scent.


    "Ricky!"


    "Master Grace!" the two explained at the same time using their internal power.


    "You first," hearing Ricky''s voice, Grace said placidly.


    "Master Grace, why are you with the Wang Clan?" Ricky asked her immediately.


    "I ran into them while hunting a fortune beast. They thought I was good so they asked me to join their team. I was also interested in the Land of Legacy they were talking about, so I agreed. I''m guessing you have also come for this?" Grace asked.


    "Yes, you''ve guessed correctly," Ricky affirmed. He noticed that the dragon meridian behind Grace''s back was already sixty feet long.


    Meanwhile, the leader of the Wang Clan''s dragon meridian was almost ten feet long.


    "Since you are with the Liu Clan, I''ll come with you. I don''t like the Wang Clan''s way of doing things anyway," said Grace. "But I''d better stay with them for a while and wait for a good opportunity to leave," she decided.


    "Hah-hah, you''re an undercover agent now, Master!" Ricky joked.


    "Oh! I thought you wanted me to go with you. But since it seems I was wrong, I''ll just stay with the Wang Clan and assist them then," Grace replied, raising her eyebrow.


    "Oh come on! You know I do want you to accompany me, Master. You''re a demi-immortal. If you help the Wang Clan, I''d better quit while I''m ahead! Otherwise, I might not be able to walk out of here in one piece!" Ricky laughed. "Oh, by the way, Master, how strong are the Wang Clan''s members?"


    "There are five of them. The leader is named Seth. He has reached the peak of the demi-immortal level. As for the other four warriors, two of them are intermediate demi-immortals and the others are lower demi-immortals," Grace told him.


    "He has reached the peak of


    anguish. What a terrible encounter!.


    "I don''t understand, young master. Why didn''t you kill Brent just now? You have reached the peak of the demi-immortal level. It would take you no effort to defeat him," a young warrior of the Wang Clan asked hurriedly.


    "Of course I could take his life easily. But he is still useful to me. The Sublimation Lake is extremely big and it will take us quite a while to kill the sublime beasts and take the Sublimation Pill. We need them to help us to do that. That will save us a lot of trouble!" Seth smiled insidiously.


    "How clever you are, young master!" His subordinates flattered him.


    Grace kept silent. It seemed as if she hadn''t heard his words.


    Seth noticed her abnormal reaction. His eyes flashed with a strange light but he didn''t say anything. His face took on a suspicious scowl for a moment, before he hid it away. .


    "Sorry, Brent. We have let you down," said Felicia in a low voice after a long silence.


    "No, Felicia. Don''t say such things. You don''t have to apologize. I asked you to come with me to the Wonderland because I have expectations on you. If you don''t want to be humiliated again, you should try your best in the Sublimation Lake and enhance your strength," Brent encouraged her.


    "Don''t worry, Brent. This time we won''t disappoint you." Felicia and the others all nodded heavily, eyes filled with determination and confidence.


    With that, they walked towards the innermost depth of the Wonderland. It was time to meet their fate.

 Chapter 391 Fifty Feet

    The Sublimation Lake was located at the center of the Wonderland, covering about half of the area. Therefore, Ricky could see the vast lake without the edge only within several steps away from him.


    Although it looked like a lake, Ricky couldn''t see any body of water but only a dense cloud of fog.


    "Is this really a lake?" Ricky wondered. "It''s as if everything here is made up of fortune energy. No wonder there is so much fortune in the composition of the Sublimation Pill."


    "No wonder there is a Land of Legacy every century, which may have also been caused by fortune."


    "I failed to realize that this so-called Sublimation Lake is actually a lake of fortune," Brent doubted along with Ricky.


    "This Wonderland is a place where tons of fortune are concentrated, so I think there could be another place like this in the Fortune Land," Ricky speculated.


    "It should be. Like the Imperial Palace of Wildness and the Endless Shadow, these two forces have also found their own secret land. We''ll eventually find a land of our own," Brent said. "Meanwhile, the secret lands we would someday discover must be vaster than this one."


    "In that case, I should really give you my thanks, Brent. If it wasn''t for your invitation, I don''t know how long it would have taken me to have a ninety-feet long dragon meridian on my back," Ricky told him.


    "Ha-ha, what are we still waiting for then? We should go into the Sublimation Lake and hunt for the sublime beasts now," Brent laughed.


    "The sublime beasts are also formed through the agglomeration of fortune, but by the agglomeration of a much more advanced level of fortune. And later on, these sublime beasts will transform into the Sublimation Pill instead of the dragon meridian," Brent explained further.


    Subsequently, a group of five people entered the Sublimation Lake and began their search for sublime beasts.


    As for Grace, Ricky was not worried about her at all. Even if Seth was at the peak of the demi-immortal level, Grace wasn''t in any way inferior to him.


    "Brent, where dose the entrance to a Land of Legacy usually show up?" After entering the Sublimation Lake, Ricky was so eager to find more Lands of Legacy which would tremendously increase his strength.


    "


    .


    "Fortune is fortune!" Brent sighed, "Whether you are a gifted warrior or a rare genius in the world, fortune truly is everything. You are no different to a walking skeleton if you have no fortune. Only when you get fortune will you qualify to reach the summit!"


    "Brent is correct. Fortune is such a wonderful thing. We just might be able to reach the demi-immortal level. To a large extent, it is also because of our own fortune!" Ricky expounded.


    "You got a fifty-four long dragon meridian. Randal, I am guessing you are not disappointed at this trip, huh?" Brent told Ricky with a smile.


    What he feared the most was that Ricky would end up disappointed at this exploration, because he was counting on Ricky in the fight with the Wang Clan.


    "Aha, Brent. Don''t say such things. I''m not disappointed at all, not even the slightest bit," Ricky answered with a smile.


    "In that case, we must be ready to fight the Wang Clan for real in the Land of Legacy," Brent reminded them with a serious tone.


    Previously, Seth teased him and disdained the younger generation of the Liu Clan. Brent definitely kept his words in mind.


    Having heard what Brent said, Ricky hesitated if he should tell Brent about Seth''s true strength. But Ricky decided to hold back at the sight of Brent''s confident look.


    ''It seems that Master Grace would have to take care of Seth for us first, '' Ricky thought.


    Boom! Boom!


    Suddenly, the entire Sublimation Lake began to undergo tremendous changes.

 Chapter 392 The Land Of Legacy

    The rich fortune housed in the Sublimation Lake began to ebb as there was a mild explosion. They were actually absorbed by a strong attraction force from the very center of the Lake.


    ''''It seems the Land of Legacy emerges from a place where a completed spiritual king and even demi-spiritual emperor once died. What a great opportunity for me if I can obtain the treasure!'''' Brent exclaimed, thrilled to the bone.


    Brent looked at Ricky with apprehension, and so did Lorus and Robin. They were a bit worried that Ricky might turn into their adversary once they found the legacy.


    But unlike them, Felicia did not seem to show any concern.


    Ricky understood their apprehensions at the sight of their faces. He smiled and said kindly, ''''Brent, you Invited me in because you trust me. I don''t covet the legacy.''''


    ''''Be it the inheritance of completed spiritual king or even demi-spiritual emperor, I''m not into it at all.''''


    ''''Randal, I must apologize for distrusting you, '''' Brent replied guiltily. Ricky''s assertive and sincere tone made him feel a bit awkward.


    But he still couldn''t trust Ricky. After all, the inheritance was so invaluable that it was impossible that he wouldn''t have competition for it!


    Ricky did not blame Brent for distrusting him. He understood how much the inheritance meant to them. And they had not known each other for long, either.


    ''''It''s alright, Brent. After all, this place might hide the inheritance of a completed spiritual king or even a demi-spiritual emperor.'''' Ricky smiled. ''''I swear I''m just here to help you get the inheritance. I won''t fight you for the legacy.''''


    Ricky made a warrior''s oath to appease Brent''s concerns.


    ''''Thank you!'''' Brent nodded deeply, finally convinced. A warrior''s oath was no small matter.


    ''''I''m already content with the Sublimation Pill, Brent. So I''m willing to give up the legacy.'''' Ricky smiled, ''''I want something more though, if you don''t mind. If we find a treasure that can strengthen my


    l their attention focusing on the inheritance and storage ring, they didn''t notice Ricky''s movement.


    But what they didn''t know was that Seth and his team were also heading straight to that place.


    The Liu Clan warriors were fixated on the treasure now that they didn''t realize this at all.


    Only when they arrived did they notice that their enemies were also present!


    They had to put the inheritance aside for now. They would get nothing if they didn''t manage to defeat their enemies. If they succeeded, all of the king''s treasure would all belong to them!


    ''''Aha, Felicia! You arrived here just at the right time, '''' said Seth with an evil expression. ''''You must have pined for the king''s inheritance for so long!''''


    ''''Humph! Shut up, Seth! We both know what you''re up to, '''' Felicia sneered. ''''Oh, and by the way, stop calling me like that. How gross! We''re not friends!''''


    ''''Ha-ha! You must be kidding, Felicia. Like I once told you, I''ll hand over the inheritance as long as you marry me and become my eleventh concubine. My offer still stands, sweetie. Please let me know if you''ve changed your mind, '''' Seth laughed brashly, his mouth agape.


    However, an insidious ferocity could be seen from his eyes.


    Ricky could tell that Seth was definitely about to attack Felicia and her team at any moment.

 Chapter 393 He Is Ricky!

    "Seth, you really talk too much. Just get with it and fight already!" Brent stepped forward and challenged him, noticing that he was still talking rudely to Felicia.


    In a flash, Brent burst out the power of intermediate demi-immortal, coming straight for Seth.


    Seth immediately activated his own power, which briskly collided with Brent''s. At this very moment, Seth held nothing back and his supreme demi-immortal power permeated the whole place.


    Brent''s power was crushed and dispersed quickly.


    "You have no idea what real power is! Do you really think that your people stand any chance against me? Pathetic!" Looking ferocious, Seth made his move. It was so fast that the instant he dashed in front of Brent, his fist was already flying quickly out!


    Brent saw this and felt it coming, but there was no time for him to respond. This strike was so swift as if it had flown out of nowhere. Brent''s eyes filled with shock and fear.


    "Thud!


    It was the dull sound of Brent falling hard on the floor and tumbling, blood gushing from his mouth.


    "Brent!" Felicia and two others grew pale at this scene. They rushed to Brent, making sure he was alright.


    Ricky walked towards Brent, also concerned.


    But he soon felt relieved. Brent was not hurt too bad.


    He knew well what Seth was capable of and that Brent would certainly lose against him. It was obvious that Seth had only hurt Brent a little in order to taunt him. He could have very easily killed him otherwise.


    ''Now Brent and his people must have found out about Seth''s true power, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "You have reached the peak of demi-immortal!" Brent shouted hoarsely, struggling to stand as despair gleamed in his eyes. Felicia and the two others stood by his side, their eyes matching his.


    "Of course! If it weren''t for this, how could our family accept your money and agree to your request of bringing in a backup?" said Seth, sneering as he d


    , Ricky used the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. He crossed his arm and took the hit.


    A dull sound rang out again. Of course, Ricky was struck back by Seth''s blow, but he was better than Brent. He was merely pushed back a few meters, and his arms were slightly bruised.


    Seth was surprised by what he saw at first. He would have never anticipated that his blow would barely hurt Ricky!


    Then he focused closer on the cultivation method that Ricky applied. Everyone did. Seth''s four disciples from the Wang Clan, Brent, and the rest of the Liu Clan all fixed their eyes on the Eighth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    "A cultivation method that makes your body glow purple and gold. According to our intel, you are from that Snow Sect¡­No, you are the lord of Misty South Palace-- Ricky!" Seth muttered, squinting.


    His eyes grew wide in surprise.


    ''He is Ricky!'' Brent and his family murmured, startled at the realization that he had been their companion all this time. They found it hard to believe his true identity.


    ''These people almost know everything about me now, ''  thought Ricky. ''There is no more need for me to conceal my identity any longer.''


    Slowly, he peeled off his mask. He stood there as Ricky, lord of the Misty South Palace!

 Chapter 394 Power Of The Nine-Degree Body Refining Formula

    Those warriors had already intensely investigated Ricky because Ricky had the spiritual space tool. Ricky had also established the Misty South Palace and had become its lord, so those forces naturally worked harder to investigate him.


    The Nine-degree Body Refining Formula also became Ricky special identification mark to them. It was his signature move!


    ......


    "Ricky, it''s you! What a coincident! You could have stayed out of all this, but still, you made your choice and got yourself involved. In that case, don''t blame me for being ruthless. It''s you who brought all this to yourself!" Seth said excitedly after he saw Ricky take off the mask and reveal his true identity.


    The Land of Fortune was really a land full of opportunity. He could not only get the valuable inheritance, but he could also get the spiritual space tool. If that was not great luck, then he didn''t know what was.


    "Ricky? That is really Ricky, the powerful lord of the new innate force, the Misty South Palace!" Felicia immensely admired him and her eyes were full of reverence. She knew a lot of stories about Ricky''s accomplishments after all.


    "If he is Ricky, then he is at the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement. It''s said that he can challenge warriors two levels higher than him just like the young master of the Imperial Palace of Wildness and the top assassin of the Endless Shadow as well." Brent marveled at him in appreciation of his many feats again.


    "He is even much more talented than the other two..."


    ......


    "So what? I, Ricky, make my own choice. I just want to stick to studying martial arts. There is opportunity in this Wonderland, so I came here. Do you think you can really control everything just because you are strong?" Ricky replied quietly as he put the skin-mask away.


    "Oh? It seems that you have something else that you can use to fight against me." After he heard what Ricky said, Seth said, "It does remind me that you can get a new start every time you face new adversities.


    In that case, I should be careful, or I might make a fool of myself.


    So, to show my respect, I have decide to give you a critical strike and to kill you in one second without any pain. Don''t worry; after you die, I will make good use of your possessions; including the spiritual space tool."


    "Your name is Seth, right? Do you know that people who talk to me like


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    locked.


    Bang! During the continuous outbursts of their momentum, Ricky''s flame fist was exhausted. Ricky was also knocked to the ground again.


    It was inevitable that that would happen, because power at the intermediate stage of demi-immortal could not overcome the power of the peak of demi-immortal.


    Seeing that Ricky was knocked down, Seth drew back his fists and restrained his momentum. He was confident that Ricky could not withstand any more of his attacks after being hit with his punch.


    Even if Ricky was not dead, Seth still believed he would be able to kill Ricky eventually.


    "You pathetic, overconfident thing. This is the payback you get for offending me!" Seth said in a cold voice as he swung his fist down at Ricky.


    Ricky responded in a disdainful voice, saying, "Is that your power at the peak of demi-immortal? It seems that it will be difficult for you to even be able to leave here alive today!"


    Immediately, Ricky walked out of the fierce flaming blast with golden light emitting from him.


    Seeing that Ricky was alive and uninjured, Seth and others were all stunned. Grace wasn''t as shocked; she was only mildly surprised.


    Seth was especially shocked. He was so angry that his mind was becoming distorted. Now he was really starting to get mad.


    "The Nine-degree Body Refining Formula has not disappointed me." At that point in time, Ricky also sighed due to a great wave of emotion.


    Though his power was not as strong as Seth''s, with the shield of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, Seth couldn''t do anything to really hurt him.

 Chapter 395 Im With Him

    Puffs of air blew from Ricky''s lips. He couldn''t believe that he had belittled the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula before. Even though Seth wasn''t the strongest warrior among the demi-immortals, he was talented for his level. The strengths Seth had activated were definitely stronger than Ricky''s.


    But with the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, Ricky only felt a bit of pain when he blocked Seth''s attack. He didn''t even get injured. He started to think that he almost became invincible when he faced someone like Seth.


    The fact that he didn''t sustain any damage boosted his confidence, and he even looked at Seth with disdain.


    He knew that he couldn''t defeat Seth, but he knew that Seth couldn''t hurt him, either.


    Ricky''s gut feeling told him that most of the demi-immortals couldn''t inflict any serious injuries on him, except if they were at the peak of demi-immortal level.


    "How could he... I can''t believe it! He could withstand my attacks because of that stupid body refining method. Why is it so powerful?" Seth snarled. He was shocked when he saw Ricky had no injuries at all¡ªbut soon enough, rage got the better of him.


    While he didn''t use his ace, he had gathered all his strength to throw Ricky a hard punch. He had even threatened to kill Ricky with that punch, so now he was embarrassed when Ricky didn''t get hurt at all.


    ''I''ve been told that the body refining cultivation method he''s cultivating is the Snow Sects''s best and most precious cultivation method. It seems that it''s true. It''s so powerful!'' Brent thought in amazement. His eyes drifted to Ricky, whose body had turned into gold.


    There was no hint of despair in his eyes now.


    Brent had also realized that although Ricky was no match against Seth, Seth couldn''t defeat Ricky either because of the latter''s powerful body refining cultivation method. Not to mention, Ricky had a large Wind Hole as well.


    ''Ricky, you''re just like a miracle, '' Felicia thought. She gazed at him as well, her eyes gleaming with admiration.


    ''Finally, the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula''s true power has recurred again!'' Grace thought excitedly with a grin. ''By the time he becomes a demi-immortal, I''m sure that his talent and Nine-degree Body Refining Fo


    said. Grace looked calm as a still lake. She clearly looked like she was looking down at Seth.


    Then again, Grace was never scared of Seth to begin with.


    When everyone saw Grace step forward, they were all surprised, except for Ricky. They all couldn''t figure out what was happening in such a short amount of time.


    A few seconds later, Seth realized what was going on. "It seems that you''re with him," he turned to Grace and said in an icy tone.


    With Seth''s comment, everyone else had finally figured it all out.


    The anger of the Wang Clan was indescribable. They couldn''t believe that they had invited an enemy to come with them. On the other hand, the Liu Clan felt relief. There was a bigger possibility of them winning the battle now.


    "Of course I''m with him," Grace said coldly. "Why don''t we fight?!"


    Seth looked aggravated. "I can''t believe I invited an enemy to come with me! It looks like I''ve brought trouble upon myself," he said coldly.


    "If I''m right, you wanted me to come with you not only because you wanted me to help you in the fight. I don''t think you''re even scared of Lius, or their helper," Grace said. "Wow, you''re clever.


    Truth is, I invited you because I intended to let you go first when we''ve reached some dangerous places," Seth sneered. "Everything here can only belong to the Wang Clan!


    If you were beautiful, I might''ve considered marrying you and make you my twelfth wife¡ªbut you''re so ugly, so shockingly ugly," Seth hissed.

 Chapter 396 Ricky’s Fury

    Snap! Snap! The sound of knuckles cracking resounded in the area.


    The moment Seth finished speaking, the crisp sound came abruptly, growing even more ferocious when he humiliated Grace with the word, ''ugly.'' Needless to say, the sound was from Ricky''s clenching hands¡ªhe was clearly in great fury, now.


    Who was Grace? What was she to Ricky? For him, she was to be most respected person, apart from being one of the most important people in his heart¡ªhe loved and cherished her life and reputation above his own.


    Seth''s deliberate, harsh words had offended Ricky, almost to the point of stepping in. At that point, he would never forgive Seth''s behavior.


    However, Grace seemed to show no reaction whatsoever to the word, ''ugly.''


    After all, she had already heard too much of the same. To stop herself from lashing out, she could only pretend to be indifferent to such insults. As time passed, she turned immune to it on the surface. But no woman in the world didn''t care about their appearance. Even Grace couldn''t deny that the words were hurtful deep down, and too harsh for any woman.


    At that moment, she and all those on-site noticed Ricky''s obvious change.


    Well aware of why Ricky was enraged, she was touched¡ªshe knew he wanted to protect her.


    But she wasn''t yet fully aware that Ricky''s reaction was not only due to his respect for her as a master of martial arts.


    "Haha! You''ve fallen in love with this ugly woman, haven''t you?" As Seth teased him, he burst out laughing in delight and the four warriors from the Wang Clan followed suit.


    Felicia, however, was feeling a little uncomfortable. With her instinct as a woman, she could tell that Seth had hit the nail on the head¡ªeven if Grace wasn''t an attractive woman, Ricky seemed to have had some special feelings for her.


    The truth was hard to believe. It wasn''t that Ricky wasn''t allowed to fall in love with Grace¡ªit just came as a surprise to find that he would fall in love with someone who wasn''t considered ''beautiful, '' especially in the world of warriors where the strong preyed on the weak.


    Although Grace had attractive features, the red birthmark on her face made people regard her as hideous.


    While Felicia always thought she was pretty, along the way of their trip, she figured that Ricky merely regarded her as one of his friends¡ªhe didn''t look at her with the affect


    uldn''t last a second inside the wind of gravity, even as a unit.


    Boom! Boom!


    With the perfusion of the four''s spiritual energy into Seth''s body, the power of the furious flame increased in an instant and exploded a few seconds later, surpassing his original power dramatically.


    When Ricky suddenly launched the strong power of the windstorm, Grace couldn''t be more surprised, finding it difficult to imagine how Ricky managed to conquer the large Wind Hole.


    "The Scorching Flame-Twisting Fire Rope!" Seth bellowed furiously to summon his fiercest attack. As if hearing the summon instantly, the scorching flame rose to its peak power. This was the most powerful and final cultivation method that Seth could hope to use.


    The scorching flame moved like a python, intertwining, twisting, and transforming into a huge, rope-like flame.


    It then surrounded Seth''s body. He kept his hands crossed to strengthen the defending power of the rope.


    But at that moment, Seth excluded the four sidekicks in his Twisting Fire Rope, simply allowing them to be engulfed by the wind of gravity.


    "Young master, help us!" they shouted desperately. Seth''s cruelty was disappointing and hurtful, but all they could do was to desperately shout for help.


    "Hey, you four, it''s an honor to have the chance to risk your lives for me. Don''t worry about your death. I''ll avenge you four once I resist the wind of gravity," Seth responded coldly to the cry for help.


    With that, he no longer paid any attention to the four, devoting all his energy instead to the Twisting Fire Rope.

 Chapter 397 Graces Attack

    "Seth, you will die a horrible and painful death!" four disciples from the Wang Clan shouted with anger. The fear in their eyes turned into pure hatred.


    "He is a bastard! How absolutely heartless!" Felicia grew livid at the sight of this.


    Next, she turned to Ricky and hoped that he could let these four disciples go. But she bit her tongue at the sight of him fuming in pure rage.


    ''Felicia, you are too kind, '' Brent said using his internal power as he saw Felicia''s expression. ''If you were in their shoes, they would do nothing but laugh at you.


    Ricky is very angry right now. He won''t let them go. His master is one of the most important people to him in the world.


    Ricky is righteous, but he isn''t softhearted. He''s a very decisive man with set principles. He won''t forgive the enemies who hurt him and his master.''


    ''I understand, '' Felicia replied sadly.


    ''Ricky is an extremely rare talent who can challenge warriors several levels above him. He will soon be the strongest warrior in martial arts world. Now I understand why he said that he didn''t need this kind of inheritance, '' Brent sighed to himself.


    ...


    The four disciples from the Wang Clan screamed in pain as they were crushed in the Wind Hole.


    Seth and his Twisting Fire Rope were surrounded by the wind of gravity simultaneously.


    "Boom!" "Bang!"


    The wind of gravity blew away Seth and burst heavily in the distance. A huge mushroom cloud rose at once, rippling with shockwaves that everyone felt.


    Ricky finally began to calm down.


    "Ricky, you are so impulsive. You didn''t need to waste a chance to use the Wind Hole to kill him," Grace said to him at once.


    "Master Grace, that foul little bastard dared to insult you. He deserved to die!" Ricky replied.


    Grace didn''t reply. She was asking herself whether she should keep her distance from Ricky for a while. But she quickly reali


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    gth has multiplied, '' Grace said using her internal power as she sensed Ricky''s train of thought.


    ''Well, master, I forgot that you are a warrior at the peak of the demi-immortal level, '' Ricky replied sheepishly.


    ''From my point of view, you''ve been too angry to think clearly, '' Grace said.


    Then, Grace turned around and faced Seth as her strength broke out.


    "Twisting Fire Rope!"


    Seth shouted, surrounding himself with it. As he roared loudly, his strength broke out at once. He gathered his strongest infernal power and rushed to Ricky''s group like a fire dragon. How he wanted to slay every one of them with his fire strength!


    "Ha-ha! You are going to die!" Seth guffawed maniacally.


    "You are truly a poor fellow," Ricky muttered, shaking his head with a grim smile.


    "Boom!" Grace no longer concealed her strength now. Her frosty power at the peak of the demi-immortal level exploded, completely immobilizing Seth''s attack.


    "Snowflake Frosty Palm!" With a magnificent shout, Grace let forth a forceful slap. A huge palm with frosty power formed in the sky, making snow begin to descend on everyone.


    "Ka-boom!" Grace''s Snowflake Frosty Palm collided with Seth''s Twisting Fire Rope. Someone was going down, and it wasn''t Grace.

 Chapter 398 Felicia Got The Inheritance

    "Bang!!!"


    The moment the forces of the two demi-immortals collided, the whole area burst in an instant and split the space into pieces, while the two demi-immortals were preparing their power for the next round.


    The Twisting Fire Rope went around the Snowflake Frosty Palm, trying to tie it up and burn it into ashes. Meanwhile, the Snowflake Frosty Palm unleashed the force of snowflake and tied up the Twisting Fire Rope with pieces of huge snowflakes permeating the whole area.


    The two forces were in a stalemate for a little while but the Snowflake Frosty Palm, with its promising prowess, was able to snitch the overwhelming victory.


    It was obvious that the snowflakes froze the Twisting Fire Rope inch by inch whilst in the air and then smashed the force of fire into pieces in a snap. So far, all the attacks which Seth threw had been counteracted.


    "How could it be? No...No it''s impossible!" Seth screamed in frustration. His arrogant look turned into a rather hideous and frightened one, at the sight of how his force was frozen and smashed.


    "The peak of the demi-immortal level! How can such ugly woman like you be at the peak of the demi-immortal level?" Seth roared at Grace.


    "What a annoying fellow!" Ricky snorted as he heard Seth call Grace ugly again. He murmur, "You are from the Wang Clan of the Heaven Wood Land, right? You are in trouble now!"


    Little did Seth know that Ricky already labelled the entire Wang Clan as unforgivable because he had insulted Grace time and again. His clan would later pay a high price for his stupidity. But it would be another story.


    "This is unexpected! Ricky''s master is a warrior at the peak of demi-immortal level!" Brent and others were all shocked, having witnessed Seth take the Rage Fire Pill but it was easily suppressed by Grace.


    "Nothing is impossible in this world. The problem is you are too arrogant to think about all the possibilities," Grace responded coldly with the same intention to kill Seth as Ricky.


    Immediately, Grace launched another Snowflake Frosty Palm on Seth and turned the latter into an ice sculpture. The moment was surreal as a sound of ice getting frozen was further heard in al


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    you two. So we would like to give you the storage ring left by this spiritual king together with the Treasures from Heaven and Earth embedded in it." Brent handed over the storage ring to Ricky.


    "Brent, before we came in here, we arrived to the agreement that we would divide everything we would accumulate here equally," Ricky humbly smiled.


    "If you really consider our Liu Clan as your friend, you should accept this gift. If you will have apprehension on this, our clan will be really feel upset as we will not even survive without the help from you two," Brent convincingly said.


    Lorus and Robin nodded their heads in agreement. Right at this moment, they extremely admired Ricky instead of taking precautions from him.


    Seeing Brent''s persistence, Ricky gave in and received the storage ring in humility. He could see how Brent and the others were really sincere in offering such precious gift that it would bring forth frustration on the clan''s end if he would not take it.


    "Bang!!!" Suddenly, the whole Land of Legacy began to change. The enlightening power permeating in this area was replaced by the original burning flame.


    "Huh? What''s going on?" Ricky and others wondered.


    The next moment, the space around the green light of the inheritance contorted with a streak of swirling flame.


    All the heat and burning enlightening power in the Land of Legacy was from the swirling flame that brought everyone in a state of confusion.

 Chapter 399 Another Land of Legacy

    "What...what the hell is going on here?" Upon seeing the whirlpool of flames that suddenly appeared, everyone became confused.


    Amidst their doubtful thoughts, they found out that the force of the roaring flame had actually been intensified all throughout the Land of Legacy, and the enlightening power of the flame had also been growing stronger and stronger.


    "How could it be possible? If the enlightening power of fire is that strong, then is this place another Land of Legacy? More than that, the enlightening power of this flame is so much stronger than that of the flushing tree we just met," Brent said in disbelief.


    "So if this is really another Land of Legacy, then it must belong to a demi-spiritual emperor!"


    Upon arriving at this conclusion, Brent''s feelings of confusion became replaced by excitement.


    "It seems like our trip to this Wonderland will not be in vain since there are actually two Lands of Legacy," Ricky also said in astonishment.


    "Anyway, let''s go now and see!" Grace said.


    "I won''t be going in this time because I need to be here to protect Felicia. Ricky, could you protect Lorus and Robin for me? I hope they will be able to get some insights of their own in the Land of Legacy." Even though Brent really wanted to go into the Land of Legacy very much, he needed to stay there so he could take good care of Felicia.


    "I understand, Brent," Ricky answered.


    "Let me go first, then," Lorus said excitedly. As soon as his spiritual energy gushed out, he immediately jumped into the whirlpool of flames.


    However, as soon as he jumped into the flames, he was deflected and thrown out by the whirlpool of flames.


    "What''s going on? Why can''t Lorus get into it?" Upon seeing what just happened, everyone became even more puzzled. "Isn''t this the entrance to the Land of Legacy?" They asked in confusion.


    "How could it be possible? If it is not the entrance to the Land of Legacy, then how come it is emitting such a strong enlightening power of flames?" Ricky said as he shook his head.


    "Let me give it a try!" Robin said. Without waiting for anyone''s response, Robin jumped into the whirlpool of flames at once, but the result was the same. He, too, was ejected by the flames.


    Afterwards, Grace and Ricky also followed suit, but like the other two before them, they were also unable to enter.


    Crack! Crack!


    Then, they heard a voice from the ice fracture, and they saw that the ice that Seth had been frozen in had already burst open.


    In that moment, Seth was utterly furious. His whole body was surrounded by


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    re not surprised when Ricky broke out his runic power.


    But as their initial excitement faded, they began to worry about Ricky.


    It seemed unlikely that Ricky could win against Seth. Even if Ricky still had the wind of gravity, the situation was still very much dangerous for him.


    "Grace, wouldn''t it be a little bit too dangerous for Ricky to enter the flames alone?" Brent immediately said to Grace as he worried about Ricky''s safety.


    "He entered the flames without any hesitations at all, so he must have confidence in himself and his abilities. We should all believe in him as well," Grace said calmly. On the inside, Grace was also immensely worried about Ricky''s safety, but now was not the time for her to panic.


    On top of that, she really did not have the chance to stop Ricky, because he made the decision in a blink of an eye.


    "Ricky has the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and the wind of gravity. He should be able to handle the situation," Grace whispered to herself.


    ...


    After passing through the whirlpool of flames, Ricky arrived at a reddish-yellow desolate land. It had an extremely hot temperature, and every inch of the land was filled with the strong enlightening power of fire.


    ''This is indeed a Land of Legacy. The Land of Flame Legacy, in particular. This place really suits me!'' Ricky whispered to himself in mind, barely able to contain his excitement.


    Hum! At the same time, Ricky felt the Chaotic Fire Zone vibrate. Ricky''s excitement grew even more because he knew vibrations like that only took place when the sacred fire or peculiar fire was nearby.


    ''Does this place have some kind of sacred fire or peculiar fire?'' Ricky whispered to himself excitedly.

 Chapter 400 Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor

    Whatever he was feeling couldn''t be wrong. It was the same feeling the sacred fire or the peculiar fire would cause to the Chaotic Fire Zone. This time, the five kinds of flames inside his body resonated strongly with that feeling.


    "The fortune! The sacred fire! This Wonderland certainly surprised me a lot." Though Ricky had yet to see the fire in here, he was so excited that he couldn''t stop marveling at this place with his whole heart.


    "So it is true that you are also able to enter this place just as I expected!" By that time, as Seth''s voice rose from the distance, a powerful momentum crashed upon Ricky.


    As of the moment, the efficacy of the Rage Fire Pill Seth took beforehand had not worn out yet, so Ricky had difficulty withstanding his momentum.


    Therefore, without any hesitation, Ricky directly burst out the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and turned gold. With the three runic powers, Ricky barely resisted Seth''s momentum.


    "I am a casting master. Of course I''m able to enter this place," Ricky said in a cold voice.


    Meanwhile, Ricky began to think of different ways he could deal with Seth. Right now he knew he was not capable of defeating him, so he decided to hold on until the efficacy of the Rage Fire Pill completely wore off. By then, he should have a greater chance of defeating Seth with the power of his three zones.


    "I know that you are a talented casting master, but I just don''t understand how you gathered the confidence to come here and fight me," Seth said arrogantly.


    In fact, he was really hoping that Ricky would come because he wanted to kill him. Now he thought that the heavens must have helped him and brought Ricky right within his grasp.


    "Do you draw your confidence from your large Wind Hole? Or your cultivation method of the body refining?"


    Seth turned over his palm as he spoke to Ricky. The fire turned into a fire rope that he swung towards Ricky. He would surely be delighted to kill Ricky now that he was still unable to kill Grace.


    He planned on killing her after he got his hands on the legacy of the demi-spiritual emperor.


    "Confidence? You will see where my confidence comes very soon," Ricky responded coldly. He activated the three runes which all expanded immediately. Fusing with the three powers of devour


    cky just shook his head slightly, smiled, and said nothing.


    If the remaining spirit of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor would give his legacy to Seth just by hearing his words, then he must be unworthy to be a powerful demi-spiritual emperor.


    "Indeed, your power is stronger than him. But my intuition is telling me that I should give the legacy to him," the figure of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor responded to Seth and looked at Ricky. He seemed to be leaning towards giving the legacy to him instead.


    In other words, Ricky gave him a good first impression by doing nothing.


    "But sir!" Seth shouted. He was getting more impatient but he did not want to offend him. He could only redirect all his hate towards Ricky.


    "Thank you for your appreciation." Ricky was surprised by what the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor said so he expressed his thanks at once.


    At the same time, Ricky stared at Seth scornfully.


    "However, since you both were able to get here, I shouldn''t just choose a person and give him my legacy by merely trusting my instincts. Let''s do it by the rules of the martial arts world," the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor proposed.


    Heard that, Seth finally came down got even more excited. According to the rules of the martial arts world, similarly to the law of the jungle, the strongest always got all.


    He would not mind even if he had to face Ricky five times.


    Compared to Seth''s excitement, Ricky''s face turned gloomy. Because in all honesty, he knew he didn''t stand much chance against Seth.

 Chapter 401 Competition Of Casting Skill

    "Well, I guess that''s pretty fair to me. After all, you are indeed a powerful warrior from tens of millions of years ago!" Seth spoke beautifully crafted words to glorify the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor again. As flattering as Seth''s words could be, there was still a portion of it that was rather a bit fishy, that he could still not be telling what he really thought of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor.


    "Even though I am the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor, I am still very proud of my casting skill. Thus for the next competition, I want to see how well versed you are with your casting skills. It is the skill I want to see and I don''t give a pig''s ass about your personal fighting power at all," the murky shadow of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor said obnoxiously.


    Ricky, upon hearing these words, had his interest piqued while Seth, on the other hand, felt stupefied.


    But Seth''s distraction was replaced by a good thought--he suddenly came to a realization that he, indeed, could do a lot better than Ricky in this task. After all, Ricky had not yet reached the demi-immortal level and could by no means be close to being a master of the Demi-spirit Level at all.


    This also meant that Ricky, even though he was a casting master at the advanced stage of the Mortal Level, was no match for Seth''s casting skill.


    "Well, in that case, please set a task for us to complete. We are ready," Seth daringly asked the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor. Whenever it came to martial arts skills or casting, Seth was known to reach and take advantage of the chance to be a living legend. He was known to be a warrior of confidence and would not let any chance slip his way.


    "All right, then!" The indistinct shadow of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor nodded after he saw both Ricky and Seth had been well-prepared and eager to start the test.


    The emperor then waved the sleeve of his robe. And in an instant, two large pieces of ocher copper appeared respectively and fell in front of Ricky and Seth.


    "As you can see, there are two pieces of innate copper essence in front of you. Note that both of them are of the exact same size. For this task, you will need to melt the copper essence and get pure water of the copper essence. The warrior who manages to perform the task in shorter time and the copper water with higher quality wins this round," the vague and powerful shadow spoke.


    "Once you are ready, you may begin!"


    Flames burned fiercely as the two warriors focused on the task ahead of them. Right after the cunning shadow finished his last words of instruction, Ricky and Seth did not hesitate to activate their spiritual energy to their full potential. They both used their spiritual energies to cover each of their copper essences. After covering, they immediately activated their own manual skills to fuse with their energies and start melting the metal.


    ... And in half an hour after they had started the test, the copper essence started to melt a little.


    ''Wow. This innate copper essence must be a very special casting material, huh. What''s taking this thing so long to melt?'' Ricky exclaimed inwardly. ''I bet it will take up so much time to melt


    s he realized how powerful Ricky''s casting skills were.


    ''I can''t believe that a single warrior merely at the Bone Reinforcement level owns three kinds of sacred fire. He is really amazing! What a warrior of exemplary skill! With this show of cleverness, he could even be dubbed as a powerful genius of the ancient history. It seems that waiting for him is clearly worth the wait.''


    At the sight of this remarkable use of fire energies, the shadow had finally accepted that an amazing warrior such as Ricky really did exist on earth.


    After an hour of tedious melting and using all kinds of techniques, Ricky and Seth opened their eyes and woke up from the trance of the state of melting.


    "How is this even possible?" Seth questioned himself after he saw that Ricky had also finished melting the innate copper essence as the same time as him. This, however, only brought him fear and insecurity.


    Seth felt remorse that he had clearly underestimated Ricky''s casting skill in this test. And now, he felt several horses running on his chest as he was really nervous about how he did during the casting test, now that he knew that Ricky was not as weak as he thought.


    "Nothing is impossible. Now that you had the Rage Fire Pill, I developed clever and unique ways of melting. Do you think you''re so special? That only you could be great in this world? If you did, then you are dreaming. Let me remind you that you are not the only one!" Ricky looked at Seth with a threatening smile


    "Humph! I wouldn''t be overconfident if I were you. Haven''t you forgotten that the water''s purity is most important?" Seth said sternly as he rolled his eyes.


    Then, he averted his gaze at the shadow of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor and asked impatiently, "Please tell us who won this round, sir."


    "You, lad, win the competition this time. You are the chosen one to receive my heritage!" the shadow of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor said to Ricky as he looked at him with utmost satisfaction and pride.


    This announcement left Seth feeling ignored and out of the picture as the shadow celebrated Ricky''s victory.

 Chapter 402 Winning The Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperors Inheritance

    "What did you say?"  Seth roared in a voice trembling with uncontainable rage. Murderous intent filled his eyes the moment he heard the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor''s words. Had Seth been more powerful than him, he would have torn his remaining soul into pieces already. The disparity in their strength was the only reason Seth was able to contain himself at the moment.


    This was way beyond Seth''s expectations. Without a doubt, the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor''s decision had shattered his dream once and for all. Even worse, it could mean an untimely end for him.


    If Ricky obtained the inheritance from the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor, he would definitely become much more powerful. Even more importantly, he would become the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor''s disciple. If that happened, there would be no way that Seth could match him. They fought, and Seth would die. There was no the other way around.


    The Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor said nothing in return to Seth''s emotional outburst. Instead, with a wave of his hand, he brought out the liquid of innate copper essence Ricky had made and presented it to him. Seth''s face changed color when he saw the liquid. As a Demi-spirit Level casting master, he certainly could tell whose work was better and whose liquid turned out to be purer.


    "No. It isn''t true! This is not possible!" Seth shouted, losing all control of his temper. "You are merely a Mortal Level casting master, one at the advanced stage at the most! You must be cheating!" Now that Seth could see the quality of Ricky''s work with his own eyes, he began to throw a raging tantrum. As he snarled, envy, hatred and all the other uncontrollable negative emotions erupted from his eyes, nearly consuming him entirely.


    But the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor simply ignored him. He turned to Ricky and said, "Now, follow me, and I will impart to you everything I know about martial arts and casting!"


    "Thank you so much, sir!" Ricky bowed respectfully.


    He had gotten what he wanted. Unlike Seth, who desired the inheritance itself, he only wanted the inheritance to gain more knowledge about the martial arts world. And after that, he would surely help the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor find a suitable inheritor. That had been his plan from the very beginning.


    But he refused to admit it now, not before he obtained the inheritance and learned more about the martial arts world. What if the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor felt cheated and changed his mind? All Ricky''s efforts might be in vain if the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor knew about the truth too early. He might be doomed because of lying to him.


    "This is unfair, sir!" Just when they were about to leave, Seth suddenly said loudly, like a petulant child. He just would not give up.


    "Oh? What makes you think so?" the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor turned around and asked in a calm voice.


    "Casting involves a lot of procedures, and everyone knows the melting process is only one of them! I don''t think it fair to make the conclusion that he''s superior to me in casting just because he produced better liquid of innate copper essence. I want to challenge him in the actual weapon forging. The one who can produce better weapons would win!" Seth argued, looking very ferociously at Ricky.


    "I have already made it clear that your talent in casting is what I value the most!" The Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor replied flatly at Seth''s obstinance.


    He believed that he was right about Ricky''s talent. Of course, he knew that Ricky was now still inferior to Seth in general, but Ricky had shown greater potential in casting than


    ll of them. I bet that only few warriors can manage them all at the same time!" the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor couldn''t help but exclaim, fascinated at the sight of Ricky''s hand.


    "I mastered them with a stroke of luck. I wonder if you can guess exactly what they are, sir?" Ricky asked a bit jokingly, raising his eyebrows cheekily.


    "Ha ha! You can''t baffle me with that! The demi-spiritual emperors of your time might not be able to recognize them. But I''m from the ancient times, boy. I have seen them countless times in the many battles I have experienced!" the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor answered proudly.


    "Look at this one. It''s bloody red, and keeps releasing the devouring power. It''s no doubt the weakest yet the strongest sacred fire in this world. We called it Devouring Fire," the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor chuckled. Then he turned to the second flame. "This crimson one is rather wild and aggressive, and I can sense that it is enough to melt almost anything. This must be the most raging fire in this world--the Heaven Melting Fire!" The last one seemed easy for him to identify, too. "As for this black one, it seems to be able to burn forever like the sun, yet it smells of death and darkness. No other fire than the Heaven Illuminating Fire of the Heaven Illuminating Eye can make these opposing forces compatible!" he drew his conclusion with confidence.


    "What do you say? Am I right about them?" he then asked Ricky, gesturing in a way that expressed his confidence.


    "You are absolutely right about them, sir! You are truly a strong warrior from the ancient times, who has really seen this amazing, wide world!" Ricky expressed his admiration. His eyes blazed with a renewed sense of purpose, inspired by this ancient being who had lived through the birth and death of many great things.


    "It was a piece of cake!" the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor chuckled kindly.


    Even though he was just a piece of remaining soul from the ancient times, he had his own thoughts, and had memories of millions of years. Locked in this Ruin Small World since the ancient times, he had suffered unspeakably from loneliness and isolation. Talking with Ricky, another human being, gratified him immensely.


    "Since you have mentioned the Heaven Illuminating Eye just now, could you please tell me a bit more about it?" Ricky asked respectfully, his sharp eyes gleaming with eagerness.

 Chapter 403 Ruin Fire

    "Ha-ha, even if you don''t ask, I am afraid I''m still curious. Where exactly did you get the Heaven Illuminating Fire?" Hearing Ricky, the Ruin Demi-Spiritual Emperor smiled. "As far as I know, the Heaven Illuminating Fire can only be controlled by and preserved in the Heaven Illuminating Eye.


    And now, not only are you in possession of the Heaven Illuminating Fire, you are also taking control of it without the Heaven Illuminating Eye. If that is indeed true, then something must have happened to you that is way beyond my imagination. The two other fires may also have something to do with it."


    "You truly are the wise one." Ricky nodded in agreement.


    "Mark my words, lad. You must be more careful. You should refrain from using such power when you are up against strong and experienced warriors. If they find out that you have the Heaven Illuminating Fire and you don''t have the Heaven Illuminating Eye, they may speculate on you your extraordinary experiences and would even attempt to exploit it," said the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor, warning him to tread carefully.


    "Thank you, sir. I shall forever keep your teachings in my memory." Ricky nodded.


    Ricky had never really given it any thought. Now that he was asked to think about it, he couldn''t help but feel quite afraid.


    ''Looks like I will have to be more cautious when using the Heaven Illuminating Fire, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Sir, I acquired the Heaven Illuminating Fire from one of my friends who had the Heaven Illuminating Eye," Ricky continued, "so may I confirm something with you about the Heaven Illuminating Eye? Such as a side effect of it?"


    "That''s exactly what I thought. I just can''t believe there''s another owner of Heaven Illuminating Eye again." The Ruin Demi-Spiritual Emperor signed with intense emotion, "The magical eye can only be owned by one or two in every era. Their bloodline goes all the way back to a known ancient power ¨C the Sky Dome."


    "The Sky Dome?" Hearing this, Ricky felt a bit unsure. "But sir, this friend of mine, she is just with an innate force in our realm.


    She calls her force the Sky Manor."


    "Tens of millions of years has gone by, and it is not unusual to see the once powerful force decline and fall. The Sky Manor that you have mentioned, they may be direct descend


    Ricky took the Ruin Fire from the emperor''s hands.


    With the power from the Chaotic Fire Zone, Ricky was able to control the fire in a short time. However, he couldn''t put the Ruin Fire into the Zone just yet because of the segregation of the Fortune Land.


    "You really are an extraordinary warrior. You mastered the Ruin Fire in only a short span of time. Even the most gifted warrior could die from touching the flame if I did nothing to help." Seeing that Ricky took control of the Ruin Fire quickly, the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor was really impressed and was really happy for him.


    He started to believe that with the Ruin Fire, maybe Ricky could someday restore the glory of the sacred fire.


    "Maybe I''m just very fortunate." Ricky smiled.


    "Ha-ha, being lucky is part of your strength. Otherwise, you wouldn''t be able to wander into this Fortune Land," said the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor.


    "All is well now. I have given you the Ruin Fire. I think it''s time for me to disappear for good. It is difficult for me to leave it all behind, but I don''t have much regret now," said the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor. He was obviously full of affection for this world.


    "Please take care!" It was all Ricky could say after all that has happened.


    He wished he could bring the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor back to life, but that was out of the question as the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor had already fallen.


    "Before I am go, please have this last energy of mine as a parting gift," said the Ruin Demi-Spiritual Emperor.

 Chapter 404 Blood Power

    Boom! All of a sudden, a deafening sound resounded everywhere. As soon as the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor stopped talking, all of his spiritual energy broke out and surrounded Ricky. At once, Ricky felt that he was filled with endless pure spiritual energy that came from nature.


    "Sir, what are you doing?" Ricky asked in a worried tone. "If you continue doing that, you will disappear after a while."


    "Ha-ha, I will disappear sooner or later anyway. It doesn''t matter. I just don''t want the remaining spiritual energy of mine to go to waste. It would be best for me to give you the spiritual energy now while I still can," the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor replied calmly. "I will use the spiritual energy to help you break through into the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement without any after effects.


    I am giving you this as my final gift," he added.


    He formed a piece of yellow jade using his spiritual energy and gave it to Ricky. Then, he said, "You shall crush this jade into pieces later on, right before the Ruin Small World disappears."


    "Thank you very much, master!" Ricky could not find the words to express how thankful he was, so he settled with a simple show of gratitude. Even though he was not going to inherit anything from the Demi-spiritual Emperor, he truly considered him as his master.


    "Ha-ha, I won''t ever regret having a disciple like you!" The laughter of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor echoed loudly throughout the Ruin Small World.


    ...


    "How could it be? I don''t believe it. I, Seth, was supposed to be the man who can achieve anything," Seth roared as he was surrounded by the Ruin Fire. His eyes were blazing with fury as he gazed pointedly at Ricky and the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor. He looked as if he wanted to kill them a thousand times over.


    Later on, with the disappearance of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor, he was able to sense that the strength of the Ruin Fire around him receded rapidly until it became as strong as his infernal power.


    In that moment, even Seth was able to remove the Ruin Fire easily using his spiritual energy.


    "I don''t understand. How could it be? I have to kill Ricky! He is a bastard." In truth, Seth was immensely bitter and resentful towards Ricky because he had already received the inheritance of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor.


    This time, there were two sites of the Land of Legacy in this


    he inferior stage of the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement, he had the strength of an warrior of intermediate demi-immortal level. Then when he made a breakthrough and reached the peak of the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement, he then possessed the strongest power that someone in the peak of the demi-immortal level could possess.


    Now that he had reached the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement with the help of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor''s pure and strong spiritual energy, the common warriors at the peak of demi-immortal level were just not as capable as him anymore.


    Therefore, without the Rage Fire Pill, Seth had absolutely no chance of defeating Ricky.


    "Seth, you bastard. Go to hell where you belong!" Seth did not even have time to react. In a blink of an eye, Ricky was already rushing towards where he lay. Ricky wanted to finish him off with one move.


    "I will not let you kill me. You can''t defeat me even if you have received the inheritance. I will take it away. I will show you my noble blood power today," Seth roared after hearing Ricky''s words.


    Then Seth stood up, and suddenly, something started changing. His power became more and more intensified. Ten drops of blood gushed out of his ten fingers.


    As soon as the blood reached the spot between his eyebrows, the flame signet appeared on his forehead.


    Then, Seth entered a rabid frenzy as he became surrounded by fire.


    Meanwhile, Ricky sensed that Seth''s fire power was much stronger than a normal Beast Fire.


    ''Is his signet the mark of someone with blood power as a mutant?'' Ricky thought.

 Chapter 405 Explosive Scorching Holy Fire

    Aside from Dora, Ricky finally saw another mutant.


    Tina was very likely to be a mutant. But even if she was, Ricky still hadn''t seen it. After all, Tina''s blood power of innate spirit was even stronger.


    Kristen was also a mutant, the one with Heaven Illuminating Eye. However, the bloody eyes couldn''t yet be opened permanently. Therefore she couldn''t be regarded as a genuine mutant.


    ''I never would have thought Seth is also a mutant. His body now exudes a power stronger than the Beast Fire but less than the sacred fire, '' Ricky pondered.


    ''Maybe Seth''s mutant has a holy fire inside?''


    Ricky may be surprised, but he didn''t flinch one bit. He was ready to fight Seth head on. Despite the fact that Seth owned a mutant, Ricky remained unfazed. He was confident of his skill, recognizing the difference between his and opponent''s strength.


    As for the mutant, Ricky already owned three: the Devouring Mutant, the Chaotic Fire Mutant and the Massacring Mutant. On top of that, once the other zones of his spiritual meridian opened, he would definitely get more powers.


    "You will still perish in my hands even if you own a mutant. This is your consequence for insulting my master," Ricky spat.


    "Humph, you are nothing but a waste. How would someone like you know the power of the mutants?" Seth hissed back, breaking out his wrathful power. As he gathered his strength, he used it to slash Ricky.


    Ricky did not back down. He also came in full force. The two warriors were interlocked in each other.


    As Ricky used his golden arms against Seth''s saber, continuous sounds of metal clashing reverberated throughout the whole place. Shades of golden and scarlet filled the whole place as their battle continued like a choreographed dance.


    Ricky''s body strength reached the level of the innate spirit through the help of the highest degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. With this alone, he was strong enough to withstand any weapons at the Demi-spirit Level.


    By now, he had increased his realm and improved his fighting power. There was no need for him to worry if his spiritual energy would be sufficient to activate the Ninth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula for a long time. Ricky was confident he could take down Seth before using up all his spiritual energy.


    However, combining the blood power of the mutant


    ordered. "Go the hell, Ricky! Those who are against me must die!" Seth continuously shouted like a crazed man. Excitement filling his body as he watched the plethora of explosions all around him.


    He was very pleased -- ecstatic, even. He was thinking that Ricky would definitely die after the explosion and that heritage of the demi-spiritual emperor would still belong to him.


    However, just before Seth could finish his thoughts, golden lights surged up from the haze of smokes, golden runes surrounding the lights.


    "How is that possible? Hasn''t he died?" Seth was incredulous.


    He then exploded his strongest power again without hesitation. The Explosive Scorching Holy Fire was unleashed to the extreme, flooding into the mass of flames.


    However, everything he did was all for naught.


    Ricky was now protected by his Ninth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. Apart from that, he was also at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement. At this level, only warriors with genuine innate powers could do some serious damage.


    Under the massacring runes, the explosion waves instantly vanished. Then Ricky''s golden figure showed up. He had his arms crossed in his chest, obviously sparing no effort to resist the series of explosions Seth threw in his way.


    "It seems that the Explosive Scorching Holy Fire is nothing special. Or maybe it''s just because you are too weak!" Ricky ridiculed him further. "You have disappointed me greatly. You had your turn. This time, I''m going to show you my power!


    I will put an end to all this after this strike!"

 Chapter 406 The Curtain Fell

    "Buzz!"


    Golden rays started to erupt from Ricky''s chest as he yelled in anger. A strong buzz reverberated all throughout the entire area as a result of this commotion. This, however, did not stop the deadly massacring runes that went around the atmosphere.


    "Go! Massacring Golden Palm!"


    Ricky moved and slapped his hand into the air. Alas, the golden light of the massacring rune turned into a massive palm in a snap. Out of nowhere, it descended slowly from the heavens and landed on to Seth with a powerful force.


    Ricky knew that Seth had the mutant power so he would never underestimated his opponent even though he was obviously slightly stronger than Seth. And as the saying described, the lion should use its full strength to catch a rabbit. This meant that there was no little and no big problem--anyone should use his best to solve even a minor problem. Ricky innately lived what the saying meant and used all of his strength in defeating such a minuscule opponent. He then combined his ultimate powers into one palm and infused it with the Massacring Golden Palm. But he did not finish his overpowered attack. He added more to what he had. He then combined his powers with two aggressively deadly forces-- the Massacring Fire and the Heaven Slaughtering Fire.


    Seth, on the other hand, released the Explosive Scorching Holy Fire. This attack, however, got frightened at the sight of the combined forces of the Massacring Fire and the Heaven Slaughtering Fire. Seth''s attack had its tail between its legs and it wanted to go back inside his body.


    But the fact was that the power of the Explosive Scorching Holy Fire was comparably equal to that of the combined forces of the Massacring Fire and the Heaven Slaughtering Fire. But, it could also be taken into consideration that the rank of the sacred fire was always higher than that of the holy fire, just like how the dynamic was embedded in the blood of all living creatures. There could only be one power higher than the other.


    ''How is this possible? You also possess a fierce flame and it scares my Explosive Scorching Holy Fire! I can''t believe this!'' Seth wondered inwardly as he saw with his naked eyes what had happened.


    But he could only think about it so much now that Ricky''s Massacring Golden Palm was crushing his very core. Seth noticed from the power of the Massacring Golden Palm a sense of grave danger not only because of its intense damage to him, but also about the wreck it could cause to the golden rune.


    "Explosive Scorching Shield!" Seth used up all his energy to perform his strongest power. Along with this, he released an intense runic power and combined it with the Explosive Scorching Holy Fire to create a powerful shield that transcended all over his body.


    "Bang!!!" And in an instant, Ricky''s Massacring Golden Palm crashed


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    Small World lay the grave of Ricky''s other master, the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor. Ricky had the utmost disgust for the existence of a bastard like Seth. And he would not let anything, most especially such a filthy soul defile the sacred name of his master in this world.


    Ricky then devoured Seth''s dragon meridian, making his own dragon meridian grew to sixty feet long. And in this addition of length showed the power of the Great Dragon.


    Ricky was lucky because with the help of his dragon meridian, he saw an abundance of fortune waving at his face.


    "It''s already sixty feet long, only thirty more feet from the ninety-feet-long dragon meridian," Ricky said to himself. "And it''s a known fact that only the warrior with at least a ninety-feet-long dragon meridian will be qualified to fight for the ultimate dragon meridian.


    It is said that those who successfully get the ultimate dragon meridian will get the strongest fortune in the Realm of Wildness!"


    Ricky expected as his heart almost burst with excitement.


    All of a sudden, Ricky knocked his head on the ground thrice to show his respect and gratitude to the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor before this world came to an end.


    "It seems that the journey to the Wonderland is finally done. It''s really breathtaking," Ricky sighed, looking back at the fact that he was almost killed by Seth.


    "That only means I''m luckier than him!" Ricky explained to himself.


    And then Ricky smashed the yellow spiritual energy jade that the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor had given him before. And in an instant, he appeared in the original Land of Legacy in the Sublimation Lake.


    "Ricky! Finally, you are out!" Brent exclaimed as he and others were excited to see Ricky again. They were so relieved at the sight that their anxiety slowly disappeared.


    Grace did not say any word, but her eager eyes expressed everything.

 Chapter 407 Time For Revenge

    "Relax. I am fine!" Ricky said with a smile to assure Grace and the others as he saw their look of concern.


    Felicia was still in the process of taking in legacy, so she would be out for a while.


    Everyone''s eyes then turned to the dragon meridian which was astoundingly sixty feet long.


    "Ricky, did you kill Seth?" Brent asked incredulously while looking at this dragon meridian. The others, including Grace, could not hide their shock too.


    Even with large Wind Hole and body refining cultivation method, it was really unlikely for Ricky to be able to kill Seth.


    "Of course I killed him. Otherwise, I could not walk out of there." Ricky smirked. He stopped concealing his power and the flair of the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement showed from his body immediately.


    "How could it be? It was just a couple of hours, and you managed to make a breakthrough?" Noting that Ricky had achieved the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement, Brent and others were looking more surprised or rather stunned.


    Grace was less shocked as she had seen many times how Ricky achieved breakthrough as if it was nothing.


    With a lot of questions, these people were still curious about what happened to Ricky in there.


    "It was a Small World created by a demi-spiritual emperor and his casting legacy was in there," Ricky stated.


    "I knew it! But I still can''t believe that it is a casting legacy from a demi-spiritual emperor!" Although they might had guessed it right, Brent and others were still in shock. "And what about the level of his casting legacy?"


    They all stared at Ricky with jealousy.


    Felicia had achieved the legacy from a completed spiritual king, but it was nothing compared that of a demi-spiritual emperor. It went without saying that they weren''t really jealous of Ricky. They wouldn''t be alive without Ricky, let alone taking the legacy.


    On the other hand, only casting masters were able to enter this little world of the demi-spiritual emperor so this was Ricky''s very own opportunity.


    "As a casting master, his level was close to Demi-sage Level," stated Ricky.


    However, he didn''t mention the part wherein


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    But we seem to have forgotten something." Ricky grew serious, his eyes filled with intent to kill.


    "You mean Kinsey, Ellison, and Elder Logan?" Feeling Ricky''s lethal intent, Grace expressed the same look on her face.


    "That''s right. It''s them! I remembered how he kicked my ass in my time at the King-slaughtering Array. Now that I have the power of the demi-immortal, it''s time for my revenge." Ricky was brimming with mixed emotions.


    "I never have thought of you as someone who would hold on to his grudge." Hearing how Ricky reacted, Grace laughed.


    "Ha-ha, you, of all people, should know that I always hold on to my grudge." Ricky smirked. "But it''s difficult to find these two people."


    "Indeed. Fortune Land is vast. Even with the power of the demi-immortal power, it is not easy to find a specific person in a short span of time." Grace agreed.


    They both started thinking about finding Kinsey and Ellison.


    "Master, how about this? I will try to draw some attention," Ricky suggested. "Now every warrior and beast in the Fortune Land is taking an interest in me. If I continue keeping a high-profile, my location will be exposed.


    Also, Kinsey and Ellison are definitely looking for me. Once they know my whereabouts, they will walk right into it, saving me the time to find them."


    "If we do it the way you want, I think you will be the one walking right into their trap," Grace replied coldly.

 Chapter 408 Appearance Of The Final Fortune Land

    "Remember that almost all of the warriors in the Fortune Land can''t wait to get their hands on your spiritual space tool! You must be careful. If you expose yourself in any manner, I''m afraid that all eyes would be on you and you''ll be a definite target. We both know that they would not give up on the chance of getting it from you," Grace continued to persuade Ricky not to do what he was thinking.


    "I can''t promise you that we can fight alongside each other. It''s because I think that even if we do fight together, we might not be able to handle the kind of situation thrown at us even with Elder Evan and the others coming to the rescue.


    I know well enough that you can challenge people stronger than you, but the thing is, your powers are not strong enough to compete with demi-immortal warriors. But also know that I won''t stop you if ever you break into the stage of demi-immortal. But you haven''t reached the stage of demi-immortal, so just forget about it,"


    Grace said in a serious tone.


    Upon hearing what Grace had to say, Ricky fell silent. He knew deep inside of him that Grace was right about it.


    "Master, I do apologize for the cockiness that I have been showing. It''s just that my powers are rapidly increasing and I can''t help but become a bit irritable and braggy about my strength. Please do know that I am deeply sorry for how I act. I hope you forgive me," Ricky apologized with all sincerity after realizing and admitting his mistakes.


    "Ricky, you should be proud of what you have achieved. It''s not a laughing matter of how quickly you have progressed on this journey. I know it has not been easy on you. But remember not to be arrogant about it. Kinsey''s power is a force to be reckoned with and is not weaker than mine. And besides, Ellison would not be an easy competitor since he came from one of the Eight Forces," Grace said as he lectured Ricky.


    "You might have escaped the last time, but to be honest, it was because he never saw you as an opponent. Just after that would you have the chance to wait for Soar to break the array.


    Last, but not the least, pride is very different from arrogance, Ricky."


    "Yes, master, I understand." Ricky nodded and lowered his head a bit as he acknowledged his master''s words.


    "We share the same sentiments. I would also want to stab Kinsey and Ellison into a million pieces and kill them right now if you ask me. But I also know that this is not the right time for that. Why, you ask? It''s because I firmly believe that you are not ready for this yet. You are not powerful enough for this mess," Grace said. "So for the meantime, I would want you to hide and continue to cultivate first."


    She added, "Don''t worry. It won''t be too late to take revenge after the final place shows up."


    "You''re right. And right now, all we can do is to hunt fortune beasts and search for the Lands of Legacy," Ricky nodded as he understood what his master was trying to say.


    ......


    And for the next several days, Ricky and Grace made a pact to share the same goals. One was to hunt fortune beasts and cultivate their dragon meridians, and the other one was to follow the map embedded in their memories and search for a place where the Land of Legacy might pop up.


    During this time of self-improvement, they have both cultivated and enhanced their powers. Day and night, they cultivated their powers and hunted fortune beasts and nothing stopped them from achieving the peak of what their powers could give


    espective cultivation refinements.


    Then they got some information about Kinsey and Ellison from Elder Evan. From what they know, Kinsey and Ellison had gotten the chance in one of the Lands of Legacy and had had powered up their peak of the stage of demi-immortal.


    Ricky was not surprised with the news that he heard, because after all, he knew that they were also talented warriors in their field. With the use of the legacy acquired from the Land of Legacy, it was deemed for the aforementioned warriors to have made such progress in their respective cultivation.


    But there was one thing Ricky was quite worried about. He remembered the connection that Kinsey and Ellison had with the killers of the Endless Shadow. And this was rendered as a complication for the whole team.


    "I''m afraid that they have already made deal with the killers of the Endless Shadow to fight against us. This could pose as a big problem for us, if you''d ask me," Ricky said to the group in a worried voice.


    "Hmm. Your theory could be plausible. After all, the Endless Shadow had always wanted to capture you," Grace said. "Most especially your spiritual space tool, Ricky. We all know that it''s the most powerful weapon that any killer could get his hands on."


    "I know and understand that we would have some trouble in dealing with them, but I would like all of you to know that I have changed. I''m not the Ricky that you once knew. Now, I could definitely withstand any attack that they could throw at my face," Ricky said in a chilly voice with a murderous look. "Let''s just fix all of this mess in the final Fortune Land."


    ......


    Days went by and half a month had passed when the fortune in Fortune Land increased at such a rapid speed. It was a clear sign that the final Fortune Land was about to emerge soon. But apart from this, it was also a sign that the last dragon meridian, also known as the ultimate dragon meridian would finally emerge.


    "Attention. As far as we all are concerned, the final Fortune Land is about to show up anytime soon. Both of you should be prepared by now!" Elder Evan warned them seriously after having felt the changes in the land.


    "Yes, we will, Elder Evan."


    And in no time, all of them faced the center of the Fortune Land where the fortune gathered and multiplied relentlessly.

 Chapter 409 Sham

    "Let''s go, master. I''m very curious on how this ultimate Fortune Land looks like. Would you like to come and see it with me? I heard that a lot of people settle their feuds in that area," Ricky asked the other Elders as curiosity enveloped his mind.


    Upon hearing Ricky''s engaging invitation, his master and the elders agreed and walked faster than they had to. All of them walked briskly toward the central zone of the famous Fortune Land.


    Meanwhile, Ricky and Grace''s dragon meridians had already reached more than ninety-one feet long in length. They were really excited to know that they could finally go on to the final step. This also meant that they were already qualified to compete and fight for their most awaited last dragon meridian. It was a good thing that their ninety-one feet long dragon meridians were not acquired by only killing fortune beasts. If not, then they could be disqualified from fighting for the last dragon meridian.


    But their journey wasn''t as smooth as they thought. During the time when they hunted for fortune beasts, there was a time that they had encountered a swarm of warriors and beasts that attempted to rob them of their belongings. But as Grace and Ricky were trained and skilled warriors, they all had the last laugh. They ended up robbing the intruders in the end for they were no match for their strength.


    On the other hand, Elder Evan''s and the rest of the Elders'' dragon meridians had not achieved the ninety-foot mark. But they had other plans in mind and they did not give a rat''s ass about it. They never cared about the length of their dragon meridians for they were never that enthusiastic to put themselves into the endgame.


    They came here for a simpler goal, which was getting some fortune and lengthening their longevity spams. Then, having gained both of them, their journey was complete.


    All they needed to do now was to accompany Ricky and Grace on their journey so that when they needed the Elders'' help, they were ready to fight alongside them.


    As the days went by, they stumbled upon an increasing number of warriors and beasts who had the same destination as them--the final Fortune Land.


    Most of the warriors that they met along the way knew Ricky. But since Ricky and the Elders were far too powerful for them to fight, they just ignored them and went their way. After all they found the final Fortune Land way more valuable than Ricky''s famous spiritual space tool.


    And there were also some rude and arrogant ones who went straight for Ricky and attempted to rob him of the spiritual space tool.


    Ricky had no time to spare and fool around with the idiots who wanted to take his precious tool. And so without thinking twice, he mercilessly killed anyone who stopped them in their tracks.


    No one was mentally and physically able to confront Ricky, not even the leading geniuses and the old dogs of the martial arts.


    With all the neck slashing that Ricky did to whoever bothered them along the way, people and warriors got scared. These killings posed a great threat and sin


    time around?" Kinsey responded with a proud smirk on his face, moving his eyes toward Sham.


    Hearing so, all warriors collected themselves from that strong wave of power that was brought about the exchange of dialogue between the two warriors. Suddenly, all their focus now was on Ricky and Sham. Nobody moved a muscle. They instantly thought that another fight could brew between the two geniuses.


    As expected, Sham''s bulky body rushed toward Ricky, instigating his alpha character. "So...you must be Ricky, the genius? I have two options for you. One, you hand over the spiritual space tool so that nobody gets hurt or two, you and your friends will go to an all-expense paid trip to hell," Sham demanded in a cold voice.


    His words were imposing and very alarming.


    ''Ha-ha! It''s Ricky''s last day on earth. Too bad that the efforts of the old rats would just be in vain!'' Kinsey sneered secretly as he tried to contain his evil laughter. Ellison and Kinsey both wanted to keep Ricky to themselves and tear him to pieces, but of course, they could not just ignore the fact that the ''old rats'', as Kinsey referred to them, were still of utmost strength.


    And this complication made him form an alliance with Sham.


    He thought highly of the spiritual space tool, even worshiped it, but deep in his heart, he wanted to see a pale and lifeless Ricky more than anything.


    "The celebrated Sham of the Endless Shadow? I have heard that you were irresistible in the whole Realm of Wildness. But I think I owe you an apology, because in my dictionary, the word ''conform'' cannot be found," Ricky responded indifferently.


    "Oh, and you said that you have always admired and wanted my spiritual space tool, huh? Come and get it if you can, you bastard."


    "How fucking dare you!" Sham responded coldly.


    Soon, the atmosphere was stuffed with a murderous air. Suddenly, a black kind of spiritual energy hurriedly surged on Sham''s right palm. And in a snap, a saber blade appeared and slashed toward Ricky''s neck like a lightning bolt.

 Chapter 410 Hoffman

    When the attack came, it felt like there was nothing striking about it. But when the energy burst out of Sham''s body, the expanse was swaddled by murderous intent. The air became malodorous -- putrid and reminiscent of death.


    ''He must have killed countless people, '' Ricky thought. ''Otherwise, he couldn''t have possessed such a strong murderous intent.''


    Considering that Ricky had the massacring power, he was still caught off guard with the killing intent Sham was exuding.


    ''There were rumors that Sham was the best killer among the Endless Shadow. It seems fitting. As a demi-immortal, he possesses such strong murderous intent. He even overshadowed my massacring power, '' Ricky mused.


    However, coward was the last word on Ricky''s vocabulary. He was not going to be sitting around waiting on his doom. The infernal flames roared behind Ricky as he clenched his fists, ready to resist Sham''s attack.


    "Hah-hah! Sham! You Endless Shadows are still so arrogant!" Suddenly, a loud laughter boomed out of nowhere. Then, a fast-moving figure flashed before Sham.


    His leg swept like a whip. The figure warded off Sham''s attack for Ricky.


    Then, a man, clad in red and yellow robes, appeared in front of them.


    The young man had an aura that typically belonged to powerful warriors. Just like Sham, he had an energy that demanded to be the center of attention whenever he appeared.


    Although they carried similarities in their aura in terms of its broadness and potency, there was a striking difference between Sham and the young man: the man''s aura seemed to be more kind and amiable.


    The two warriors were in sharp contrast with each other. Sham was a person to be cowered from because of his strong murderous intent. On the other hand, the young man was greatly admired by others because of his natural charisma.


    This was how Ricky felt about the warriors.


    ''His strength is also at Sham''s level. He also bears the same strong aura as Sham. He must be Hoffman, the genius of the Imperial Palace of Wildness, '' Ricky contemplated. He figured out the identity of the young man.


    Hoffman of the Imperial Palace of Wildness was the most powerful genius among his peers. As a


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ention this to you before. Hoffman has been courting Kristen for six years now! You have to beware!" Tyson warned Ricky through his internal power.


    "Oh, really? But what does this have anything to do with me?" Ricky queried, puzzled by this information. "I''m glad that someone cares for Kristen. Hoffman is an admirable warrior. Why should I beware of him?"


    "Stop pretending, dude. I know you!" Tyson muttered, frustrated with Ricky''s answer. "I can tell that Kristen likes you more than Hoffman. She just considers him as a friend.


    You have to grasp the opportunity. If you give Kristen to Hoffman, I will never forgive you."


    "Tyson, why are you pushing this so hard? You are a warrior, not a matchmaker," Ricky said, shaking his head in amusement. Tyson was really pushing him hard.


    "Of course I''m not a matchmaker! I''m just concerned about you!" Tyson flushed.


    "Fine, I get it. Let''s just drop it for now. Tell me, what kind of person is Hoffman?" Ricky probed.


    "Well, he is a definitely a good person and a decent friend. Despite being a powerful warrior and having a strong background, he never used his capabilities to oppress others.


    Kristen won''t take notice of him if he''s not a worthy individual."


    "If that''s the case, I''d like to be friends with him," Ricky stated.


    With that, he approached Hoffman and said, "Thanks for your help. I''ve heard a lot about you. It''s nice to finally have the chance to meet you in person."

 Chapter 411 The Clash With Sham

    "Ha-ha, this is too flattering. I see that you are the one I''ve heard about from all over the Realm of Wildness. I''ve been waiting to meet you for a long time now." Hoffman smiled when he saw Ricky.


    There was appreciation in his eyes. He was a genius at the same level, so he could feel the extraordinary aura oozing from Ricky. As for the quality, Ricky was able to make friends with Tyson and Kristen, so there should be no problem in that regards.


    "I hope I haven''t disappointed you!" Ricky said.


    "You haven''t yet," Hoffman said.


    "You really think that I''m too afraid to make a move now?" Sham shouted after seeing that Ricky and the others weren''t even worried about what he could do.


    Boom! In that moment, Sham''s power field had just peaked. It was spreading and turning into many invisible swords as if it could cut time and space into pieces, killing everything it touched.


    "Ha-ha, now that you''ve asked me, let''s fight and see who the greatest genius in the Realm of Wildness really is." Hearing what Sham said, Hoffman began to utilize his power. The power surged through his body as he was prepared to use it.


    Then, the power turned into invisible fists before they confronted Sham''s sword attacks. A collision between the two of them was imminent.


    Although Hoffman had contempt for Sham, he had to admit that Sham was the only one who was neck and neck with him in a real fight among the younger generation in the Realm of Wildness.


    If it weren''t for the difference in their beliefs and personal qualities, he might even befriend with Sham.


    That whole idea was just hypothetical though. They were destined to be the sworn enemy of each other, and there was no way to change it.


    "Hoffman, I am the one who started this, so let me be the one to fight this battle," Ricky cut in.


    Grace and Elder Evan remained calm while the rest of them were stunned by what Ricky said.


    ''Does he know who Sham is?'' Kinsey and Ellison exchanged a look as the same question went through their minds. Sham was a genius that they had to be cautious of, but Ricky was casually looking for a fight with him. The challenge sounded like a death wish to them.


    "Yo


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    s as they surrounded Sham''s strange shadow.


    "BOOM!" The two forces clashed and everything was swallowed up by the air current.


    ''What a strong clash! That Flame Torrent seems to have combined different kinds of fire power. Ricky sure is something special. He is not just strong when it comes to his momentum after all, '' Hoffman thought to himself after seeing them clash.


    Boom! Two figures glided passing each other and fell hard onto the ground through the shattered space.


    The two figures were Sham and Ricky, but their places had been switched when they went past each other.


    They both seemed a little beat up after that, but both of their momentums had peaked. A golden glow came from Ricky''s body and clashed against the fire around him. He used his Nine-degree Body Refining when he clashed with Sham.


    Ricky knew that he couldn''t afford to be overconfident against an opponent like Sham.


    Sham was also covered in spiritual energy that had transformed from the aura of death. He had quickly realized that Ricky was a tough one to fight against when they clashed.


    "How can it be? It''s a tie!" All the warriors murmured among themselves. They could see it, yet they were still having difficulty believing it.


    Kinsey and Ellison were having the hardest time believing it. They looked incredulous and ferocious at the development.


    How could Ricky gain such power in such a short time? His power was almost on par with theirs.

 Chapter 412 The Great Fortune Dragon Meridian.

    At that moment, they couldn''t believe their eyes!


    "How could this bastard have tied with Sham?" Kinsey and Ellison howled in disbelief.


    "We must kill this bastard as quickly as possible!" Their eyes met, and they made a resolution to kill Ricky before he had the chance to escape. They wondered if a battle in the Fortune Land would be their last chance to kill Ricky. If Ricky managed to get out of the Fortune Land after cultivating at such a great rate, they would probably become defenseless lambs at Ricky''s mercy by the time they met him again.


    ¡­


    Sham was totally astonished. He was fully aware of the power of his sword because, whenever Sham drew his sword and thrust it at his rivals, no one among the younger generation except Hoffman had the ability to counter-attack against him.


    Ricky shocked him by somehow being able to match his blow. How could Sham keep his composure under such pressure?


    Hoffman had not really figured out why Ricky had decided to fight head-to-head with him until that moment. The obvious answer was that Ricky had confidence in his own strength. The whole situation didn''t seem to make sense. Ricky was only at the highest level of the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement, so how could he be so strong?


    They had already learned that Ricky could challenge rivals that were two levels higher than him without it being too much of a risk. When Ricky under-took those challenges, he had been at the eighth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and not the ninth grade. After reaching the ninth grade, it became very difficult for warriors to challenge rivals that were two levels higher than them.


    There was a major qualitative difference between the level of a demi-immortal and the levels of Bone Reinforcement.


    At the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement, Ricky really could still challenge his rivals that were two levels higher than him. That was something that was really breathtaking and horrifying to others!


    ''Ricky, you have not let me down. Although I am unwilling to accept it, I still have to admit that you are unquestionably a genius!'' Hoffman thought to himself in that moment. He felt a wave of emotions well up within him just then.


    ¡­


    "Sham, you people from the Endless Shadow have been hunting me for a long time, but now it''s time for me to get my pay-back for that," Ricky said admonishingly as he turned around to face Sham.


    "As the highest ranking assassin of the Endless Shadow, if you are killed here,


    ry up and take it for ourselves. We can''t see what the original fortune inside our bodies look like until we are inside the fortune dragon meridian," the warriors exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the great dragon meridian. They all forgot about the battle between Ricky and Sham in their excitement.


    A moment later, they all rushed towards the entrance of the great dragon meridian, like a swarm of bees.


    Ricky and Sham suddenly became calm and composed. They both knew that if they continued to fight, they would miss that once-in-a-century opportunity, and it was not worth that sacrifice.


    "I will kill you inside of the great dragon meridian!" Sham shouted before he retreated towards the great dragon meridian with the other members of the Endless Shadow.


    "Go ahead and try it!" Ricky replied coldly.


    At the same moment, Ricky looked at Kinsey and Ellison before saying, "Remember, I will be the one to kill you inside the great dragon meridian." Ricky''s demeanor was so cold.


    "Humph!" Kinsey and Ellison replied coldly, "You''ve got it wrong on who will kill who! We''re going to kill you inside the great dragon meridian, so you don''t have a chance!"


    Kinsey and Ellison also stepped into the great dragon meridian. They had no fear of Ricky, after all.


    "It''s our turn to enter the dragon meridian," Ricky said.


    "Ricky, when you step into the great dragon meridian, everything will be all up to you!" Elder Evan reminded.


    "You are so powerful now, so we won''t really need to worry about you anymore."


    "Elder Evan, you can rest assured; the ultimate dragon meridian will be mine in the end," Ricky said confidently.

 Chapter 413 Greatest Battle

    "Ricky, you are so confident and are also Kristen''s friend, but I refuse to just hand over the final dragon meridian to you," Hoffman replied with a strong fighting spirit.


    Ricky was so powerful that Hoffman saw him as an equal opponent.


    "Ha-ha, see you in the great dragon meridian!" Ricky grinned. He also let out some power in response to Hoffman''s.


    "Ha-ha!"


    Seeing Ricky reciprocate his competitive gesture, Hoffman laughed and proceeded inside the great dragon meridian accompanied by some warriors of the Imperial Palace of Wildness.


    Ricky and his companions did not hesitate to follow them in right away.


    After Elder Evan and his comrades, who were warriors with dragon meridians under ninety feet long, entered the great dragon meridian, they arrived in a huge Fortune Pond.


    "Looks like we''ve stumbled upon the Fortune Pond! Our dragon meridians can entirely be transformed into our own fortunes only after we bathe in the Fortune Rain, which falls only here in this pond," many warriors said excitedly, eager to have the opportunity.


    This had been their ultimate goal for their quest in the Fortune Land. Now, they had achieved it! Though many of them were not satisfied with the length of their dragon meridians, it was better than failing and dying, like other unfortunate warriors.


    Pitter-patter!


    The misty rain began to fall in the whole Fortune Pond. The misty rain fell on their dragon meridians, transforming them slowly from intangible to tangible.


    At this moment, they felt not only the fortune which the dragon meridian was changing into, but also the existence of their own inherent fortune in their bodies. Using the power of their minds, they found that the mist that surrounded the inside of their flesh was their original fortune!


    "Everybody, take your time. The Fortune Rain can help us not just with transforming the dragon meridians into our own fortune, but also benefitting our comprehension of the innate realm," a few warriors reminded their comrades excitedly.


    "The Fortune Rain only


    t one who is so arrogant," Ellison said coldly. He accepted Ricky''s challenge readily, his eyes growing narrow in annoyance.


    "Arrogant? Humph! That''s what you think. I have never offended you all along. It was your choice to join Boris and his league of fools," Ricky retorted coldly.


    Then Ricky jumped to Ellison''s competition platform through the light curtain.


    "Who is he? He dares to accept Ricky''s challenge!" other talents and powerful beasts murmured, rather confused at what was happening.


    They had no idea who Ellison was.


    "I have no idea. I just heard that he is an array deployer who was with Kinsey. Apparently, he is quite powerful."


    "Last time I failed to make you into a puppet. This time you won''t be as lucky!" Ellison snarled ferociously, his momentum bursting out.


    In a flash, black waves permeated over his whole body. And the power of his array erupted around him.


    "An array deployer at the Demi-king Level!" the warriors all exclaimed.


    They were surprised to see him. At his level, he was equivalent to a casting master at the Demi-spirit Level!


    ......


    "Ha-ha, last time you didn''t succeed, and this time I''m sure you will fail again. Because no one has ever survived twice, not from me,"


    Ricky laughed loudly as he propelled fire all over the whole competition platform and crashed the power of the array.

 Chapter 414 Ninefold Puppet Array

    Boom! Boom!


    One side was the extremely lethal power of the array while the other was the rage in the burning fire. The two sides collided with all their might as if two onrushes counterattacking each other which therefore caused quavering ripples to the immediate surroundings.


    Neither of them had made an attack yet. However, they auras had yielded such a mighty collision, which demonstrated that both of them must respectfully be a phenomena in martial arts.


    "Kinsey, let''s end this, too. Let''s find out who on earth is the mightier one in the Snow Sect," Grace invited Kinsey after seeing the collision between Ricky and Ellison.


    Then, a shimmering curtain moved towards Kinsey''s competition platform.


    "Grace, among all those core disciples, you are the only one whom I cannot see through. Just as you mentioned, let''s see who will win this showdown." With his whole body surrounded by rays of light, Kinsey accepted Grace''s challenge.


    At the next moment, Kinsey and Grace found themselves colliding with each other.


    "Can this be called a civil war inside the Snow Sect of the Snow Land?" Other warriors seemed to forget that they were each other''s opponents after seeing their superiors fight like this. They discussed in a probing manner, "I guess so. Doesn''t Autelan belong to the Snow Sect? I remember that he used to be a prestigious genius in the Realm of Wildness. But now, he just disappears out of thin air."


    "Who do you think will win this war?"


    ......


    "It''s time for you to show me your array and take out your puppets. Otherwise, in the rules of martial arts, you are not my opponent even though you have already reached the peak of the demi-immortal level." Ricky moved forward slowly and imposed.


    As his feet slowly managed to move forward, the golden aura beneath him became brighter and brighter.


    He would never look down on Ellison''s capabilities. So as soon as Ellison started his attack, he would also exert all of his strength.


    At the same time, Ellison felt the same way. What Ricky had said was indeed true though he would never admit it. In terms of martial arts skills, he could only be regarded as ordinary but it was the array and the puppets that gave him enough advantage.


    At the next minute, Ellison''s arms of stronghold were jolted and his sleeves were broken into pieces.


    It could be observed that Ellison''s arms were fully cove


    rthrown? I would even turn them into ruins!" Ricky commented boastfully.


    As Ellison declared that he would turn him into his puppet again and again, Ricky''s patience was running thin. He couldn''t help but burst out his annoyance in disgust in response to Ellison''s remark.


    "You just don''t have the ability!" Ellison was adding fuel to the fire and gave Ricky a sneer.


    Then, Ellison instructed his puppets to attack once more.


    Suddenly, the livid line beyond the water attribute puppet exploded. Boundless rage of water was lifted and then rushed towards the competition platform, submerging it in mighty current.


    "Palm of Water!"


    The next moment, the water attribute puppet soared into the sky and casted out a big palm. The huge palm of water poured down from the sky and then fell directly to Ricky.


    At the same time, the livid line spread all over the space again and then wrapped the palm of water, continuously inducing power into it.


    Nevertheless, the other eight puppets were keeping still. Ellison was just trying to test Ricky''s strength.


    ''Test me? Alright, I will show you how I crush this puppet into pieces!'' Ricky thought to himself while plotting his revenge.


    Ricky summoned all his strength to exert his promising Fire Cloud Fist. The moment his energy reached its peak, the Fire Cloud Fist which gathered the power of four bursts of fire dashed out and collided with the palm of water.


    Boom!


    The collision between water and fire was certainly incompatible. In an earthshaking roar, the whole competition platform was submerged both in water and fire.

 Chapter 415 Ninefold Dragons Breath Versus Impenetrable Killing Finger

    "Boom! Boom!"


    The strong wave generated from the clash was quickly absorbed by Ricky''s devouring power. He had secretly erupted his power of devouring rune!


    The peculiar Devouring Fire began to embrace Ricky''s body, layer by layer, and combined with the devouring runes.


    Next, a Devouring Storm formed by the devouring power struck at the puppets from eight directions. Meanwhile, Ricky himself aimed at the water-attributed puppet which had attacked him first. In a veil of golden light, Ricky gathered his power and once again launched Scorching Golden Fist.


    Ellison had meant to first test his opponent''s strength, which gave Ricky the chance to destroy one puppet into pieces unexpectedly. Now that Ricky had found a chink in Ellison''s armor, he planned to annihilate the puppets one by one.


    But Ellison was also an experienced warrior of genius. He easily saw through Ricky''s tactics.


    ''''Don''t even try that, Ricky! This time I''ll show you no mercy!'''' Ellison threatened.


    He manipulated his puppets to gather energy from the runic lines and then sent them to collide with Ricky''s devouring energy.


    Ellison had already added the sealing array to his puppets ahead of time. So, when the puppets attacked Ricky, their strength was reinforced by the sealing power.


    Ricky''s devouring energy could only barely fend off Ellison''s moves. Once Ellison used the sealing power, his devouring energy was completely overwhelmed and fell apart at the first blow.


    The puppets then charged towards Ricky, striking him.


    Ricky was besieged immediately. Now it would be totally impossible for him to destroy the puppets one by one. After realizing this, Ricky abandoned his first strategy and directly stood in the middle of the puppets.


    ''I have to admit that It''s painstaking for me to fight with nine puppets simultaneously. So is this his plan? Wait until my energy has become exhausted with the puppets? They are not able to kill me but are strong enough to wear me out, '' Ricky quickly mused.


    ling energy continuously intruding into his body.


    ''Fine, whatever. I''m also tired of all this sparring. We''ll see to whom the victory belongs once I make my next move.''


    Massacring runes began to encircle Ricky. He planned to fight against the sealing power with his impenetrable killing power!


    ''''Power Awakening-Ninefold Dragon''s Breath!''''


    Ellison roared. Strengthened by the intense energy from the space, the puppets integrated with the array and launched their attack instantly.


    The puppets opened their mouths, releasing nine dragons who struck at Ricky from all directions with their runic power.


    Ricky could imagine that if they managed to land a blow, he would temporarily lose all his power and be strangled to death.


    ''''Try this!'''' Ricky said coolly.


    His intense killing power flew to Ellison''s sealing power, attempting to overpower it.


    ''''Omnipotent Skill-Impregnable Killing Finger!'''' Ricky roared. His eyes turned completely golden, shooting out bright beams.


    All the golden power and massacring runes gathered onto Ricky''s fingers, causing an intense vibrating sound.


    Then they rippled onto the whole competition platform, soon colliding with the sealing power.


    Ricky reached out his fingers, releasing ten golden beams into the air. The other warriors'' mouths dropped at this magnificent sight!

 Chapter 416 Ninefold King-slaughtering Array

    The ten golden lights emitted and completely surrounded Ricky.


    Buzz!


    At this moment, the buzzing resounded loudly and covered the entire area. The ten golden lights then fused with the strong emitting power of massacre.


    The ten golden lights turned into ten huge golden fingers that were at least forty feet long.


    The strongest massacring power anyone had ever seen emitted from the ten huge fingers.


    These ten golden fingers were none other than the new Omnipotent Skill--the Impregnable Killing Finger which Ricky comprehended and combined with the Massacring Golden Palm in the Massacring Zone.


    The Impregnable Killing Finger was based on the strong massacring power and was fused with the greatest power of killing to create its overwhelmingly explosive power. The Impregnable Killing Finger had the most explosive strength when cracked with the sealing power.


    The power''s source of the Ninefold Dragon''s Breath Ellison burst out from the strong seal array and Ricky knew it was the best way for him to launch the strong power of massacring against it.


    At the same time, he burst out his Heaven Slaughtering Fire and the Massacring Fire to amplify the killing and strengthen the power of the Impregnable Killing Fingers.


    Rumble!


    The next moment, nine golden fingers crashed into the Ninefold Dragon''s Breath and the blasts spread all over the place.


    And the last golden finger rushed towards Ellison''s chest. The power of the Ninefold Dragon''s Breath was based on the sealing array while the sealing array was based on Ellison.


    Ricky knew that his ultimate target had to be Ellison.


    If there were any warriors with strong sensations, they would certainly know that the golden finger that attacked Ellison contained much more force than the other nine golden fingers.


    "You want to destroy my sealing array? You can only wish!" Looking at the gold finger rushing towards him, Ellison said in a cold voice.


    The black runic lines on his forehead burst out once again and fused with his spiritual energy. They created layers of defense arrays to withstand the attack from the Impregnable Killing Finger.


    But it was not until he resisted the finger that he discovered that it truly was the strongest power of massacring.


    His defense arrays was completely destroyed by the burning of the Massacring Fire and the Hea


    oticing at all.


    At that moment, Ricky realized that the array must have been deployed by Ellison when he burst out the Ninefold Dragon''s Breath. He could tell because the nine starting points of the array were the places where the nine puppets stood.


    ......


    "How dreadful this Ellison is! He can deploy such strong arrays filled with immense killing power without anyone noticing." The warriors around them all exclaimed with surprised looks on their faces.


    "There is no doubt that this array is at the advanced stage of the Demi-king Level! The power of killing that the array is emitting is truly terrifying."


    ......


    "Ricky, this array is called the Ninefold King-slaughtering Array. It has evolved from the king-level array--the King-slaughtering Array, and it''s also a great gift that I myself prepared for your tragic death," Ellison threatened him with a rough voice as he turned into a man pervaded with black runic patterns.


    "It should be a real bother for you that you have to kill me. Did you really think you could defeat me with a single array?" Ricky responded with a cold voice.


    Even if Ricky had a little scruple about the Ninefold King-slaughtering Array, he was still full of confidence and fighting spirit.


    "Your body shall be the first corpse displayed in my Ninefold King-slaughtering Array!" Ellison shouted in confidence, completely ignoring Ricky''s arrogance.


    And the next moment, the dragons coiling on the Ninefold King-slaughtering Array slithered.


    An endless power of killing then rushed towards these dragons.

 Chapter 417 Crazy Ellison

    Howl! Howl!


    Five dragons with runic lines moved and their loud roars echoed throughout the atmosphere. It would have most definitely smelled like death in the area.


    "The Killing Weapon-Fivefold Dragon''s Breath!"


    Ellison yelled once more with his palms facing up. And in a snap, five dragons with threatening runic lines wrapped around their bodies appeared. The dragons lifted their heads and roared with anger after absorbing endless power of nature and array. After the display of power, they all finally turned into ballistic balls of power that glowed with energy.


    These five livid balls of power rushed to Ricky from five different directions. They wanted to kill him. In a blink of an eye, all of the balls swooped toward Ricky in all directions leaving trails of powerful energy in their tails. The balls did not withhold anything since they all eyed for one goal--to destroy Ricky and send him to his death.


    Ricky, on the other hand, had already sensed that these balls of power were surprisingly stronger than the Ninefold Dragon''s Breath. He also realized that the powerful balls of energy were as strong as his attack.


    "Ellison, you only send five of your patterned dragons to attack me. Aren''t you being a little too proud?" Ricky said as he locked eyes with Ellison. Contempt ran through his tone''s vibrations.


    "It seems like you''ve grown fond of making my body a puppet. But today, you''ll know how strong my body is! Prepare for resistance!" Ricky replied obnoxiously.


    Boom! Boom! And in a split second, Ricky''s gold-laid body shone again with blinding light as if it wanted to reach the far end of space.


    "What you are now seeing is his cultivation method of body refining. But does he want to resist the Ninefold King-slaughtering Array with this specific method?" the spectators whispered and discussed with one another after seeing Ricky activate his cultivation method to its peak.


    "I don''t know. My lucky guess is that maybe he''ll resist it with his cultivation method of body refining. I heard that his cultivation method of body refining was the strongest and the most brilliantly-done in the Snow Sect. He''s a living legend, a true one of a kind warrior. Ask the people of the Snow Sect. They know him well."


    "But this time, I think Ellison''s array is much stronger than the previous Puppets Array."


    ...


    "How dare you belittle me!" Ellison shouted at the top of his lungs and with a sinister look on his face when he saw that Ricky only activated the cultivation of body refining. He was deeply offended by Ricky''s action.


    "Try me. I''ll think about gathering up all my energy after you use all of your dragons," Ricky replied in a calm tone.


    As he replied, Ricky had


    the most shocked man of all. He could still not believe on what had just happened.


    His eyes were full of resentment and madness.


    And without saying a word, Ellison suddenly activated the Ninefold King-slaughtering Array and his dragons with livid runic lines flew again.


    Meanwhile, two drops of blood essence rose from the gap between Ellison''s eyebrows and began to fly towards the dragons. Then, the drops of blood landed on the dragons that he had summoned.


    "You can only activate up to five dragons. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have risked your life to use two drops of blood essence," Ricky muttered under his breath as he saw what Ellison had done.


    He had already known why Ellison had activated five dragons at his first attack. That was because he was only able to activate five dragons in fact. He was not an arrogant man.


    "Seven Dragons Attack! Killing Sword!"


    Ellison roared once more and ignored what Ricky had said. He was so adamant on killing Ricky that no other thing mattered to him anymore. He then channeled up all of his energy and aimed at Ricky.


    Next, seven dragons roared and turned into balls of power all at the same time.


    After that, balls of energy fused in the center of seven dragons. Then, these balls of energy suddenly morphed into a big sword full of livid lines. It seemed that this sword was formed with endless slaughters.


    "Go! Go shred that son of a bitch into pieces. I will kill you this time, Ricky!"


    Ellison shouted angrily. He then gazed at Ricky and changed the motion of his hands to control the Great Killing Sword. He did charged up so that he could finish Ricky with one strike.


    Crack! Crack!


    Cracks were heard everywhere as it destroyed everything it met and in a split second, it appeared over Ricky''s head, ready to drop and kill him.

 Chapter 418 Metallic Mutant

    "Smashing Blade Attack! Break mountains and rivers!"


    The moment Ricky caught the sight of the Great Killing Sword, he immediately set ablaze his massacring runes. All of a sudden, ultimate killing intent erupted. Massacring Fire and Heaven Slaughtering Fire rose like two guardians, amassing the killing power right behind Ricky.


    By now, the Iron Destroyer had already appeared in Ricky''s hands.


    It gathered all the forces of killing, which flew to it as if magnetized.


    Ricky leaped, thrusting his saber upward.


    Right then, a golden blade lashed out. Simultaneously, the Heaven Slaughtering Fire and Massacring Fire which had been blazing right behind Ricky changed instantly.


    They became multiple shadows of mountains and rivers, creating a detailed illustration.


    But after only a moment, these shadows broke into pieces, which transformed into killing power. Finally, they were absorbed by the golden blade.


    The golden blade expanded, until it finally became as large as Ellison''s Great Killing Sword.


    This move was just the first level of Smashing Blade Attack, which was an intermediate cultivation method of Black Level that Ricky had mastered in the Sky Manor.


    In fact, as the intermediate cultivation method of Black Level, Smashing Blade Attack could typically not be used to fight against Ninefold King-slaughtering Array. However, Ricky had combined the power of Heaven Slaughtering Fire and Massacring Fire.


    These two kinds of fire transformed it with the forces of killing. Together with this powerful blade, Ricky had a very powerful move at his disposal. Strong saber-light glowed around the blade.


    It was very powerful at around ninety percent.


    When Ricky reached nine grade of Bone Reinforcement, it was now easy for him to attain this level of saber-light.


    "Bang!"


    The next moment, a most thrilling symphony reverberated through the sky. Countless sparks and gusts of wind emanated from the golden blade and cyan-black Great Killing Sword as they collided together.


    "Boom!


    extremes.


    "Metallic Mutant!"


    he shouted. His eyes turned golden!


    Golden lights around him were absorbed into his body-- from his skin to his muscles, blood, bones, and even his spiritual meridian.


    Starting from his head, everything turned golden! His hair, skin, and his eyes-- just like when Ricky exerted Nine-degree Body!


    This was not a change catalyzed by cultivation, but instead by blood power.


    The blood power of Kinsey made his body strong and exceptional. With an indestructible body, it was like he had cultivated a powerful body refining cultivation method.


    "Metallic Mutant! This is unexpected! What a surprise. I''ve heard a mutant can be extremely destructive and super defensive at the same time!" Ricky murmured in a low voice.


    He instantly grew more worried about Grace.


    "A mutant! Kinsey is indeed a genius with the blood power of innate spirit!" The crowd began to murmur again, seeing Kinsey was like a golden god of carnage. "Under such conditions, Grace has a slim chance of winning!"


    "Not necessarily! Grace is a member of the most noble family in the Snow Land. Perhaps she could also be a mutant."


    "That''s impossible! Her family has already declined several generations ago. There couldn''t be another genius mutant. Otherwise, Zenith, Boris, and her father, the mysterious Odin, would have been!"

 Chapter 419 The Death Of Grace

    "I don''t feel right, Ricky. Something smells fishy. Look, Kinsey and Grace have equivalent strength. But now, Kinsey is employing his Metallic Mutant. His power is bound to increase greatly. In this case, Grace..." Tyson used his internal strength to converse with Ricky. "I feel the same discomfort, too. He is going to have greater power, I would say, way stronger than Grace''s," Kristen echoed in the same way, worried.


    "I''ve notice it, too. You are right about this," Ricky admitted with furrowed brows, though he was unwilling to accept this fact because he still hoped for the best.


    "But there''s nothing I can do. I have to trust her, hoping she can make it through."


    After partially suppressing his realizations to keep his focus, Ricky locked his eyes on the battle platform, cheering for Grace silently. ''Come on, Master Grace. Be careful and beat him.'' At the same time, he activated his mind to race quickly, trying to connect with the mysterious axe dwelling in the deepest side of his Soul Sea. He had searched about this in his mind to identify as to which tool he currently owned could help to break the glow teen on the battle platform. The conclusion was that the mysterious axe might be the only one which would be of any help. His mind travelled across his Soul Sea, searching for the trace of the axe but he grew more and more anxious as he failed to locate even the most minute trace. Despondency and anxiety began to creep over his heart. ''Come on, come on! Where are you? Show yourself!'' he fervently prayed silently.


    ...


    Grace, on the other hand, grew more serious and focused as her eyes concentrated on Kinsey. She had been absolutely confident about herself after all she had been through and certain that she would definitely defeat him. However, her confidence was shattered painfully, thanks to Kinsey''s unexpected performance.


    "What? You look so scared," Kinsey claimed in a distant tone. He would notice even a hint of change on Grace''s face.


    "Of course not! I was just surprised!" Grace replied in the same tone as she was asked. Without hesitation, she immediately adjusted and regained her confidence. Yes, she might be surprised but there was no way to claim that she was being scared because everyone knew that she was never a coward. Though her enemy might be stronger than her, never would she surrender without a fight. "Hopefully, your Metallic Mutant would not disappoint you," she exclaimed, voice turning slightly arrogant.


    "Holy Snow Attack - come and embrace me, my snowflakes!"


    Grace employed her cultivation method once again as she screeched. All the frosty power, which had been circling around her, materialized and turned into thousands of snowflakes. They joined and condensed in an instant, then fell gracefully on Grace''s body like a glamorous robe.


    "Click!". "Click!"


    There were crackling sounds heard in all directions and Grace was soon covered by the snowflakes. An icy sword materialized in her hands, flickering in promising spark. The crowd beneath the battle platform felt that magic was happening in front of them and covered their eyes to protect them from the dazzling sword shining the brightest.


    Grace never hesitated and made her move. She flew into the air at a breathtaking pace and appeared above Kinsey in the blink of an eye. Next thing they knew, she jabbed him downwards with her icy sword to hack him into pieces. Her icy blade rushed towards Kinsey''s forehead in a snap. She wanted to end him.


    "Well, I''m quite confident about my Metallic Mutant and I''m pretty sure It will not disappoint me, but it will surely disappoint


    sey!" Hoffman persuaded in a cold tone.


    "Don''t what? Ha-ha. Just come and smash the light curtain on the platform if anyone of you would even dare," Kinsey snorted coldly.


    Then, he stopped communicating with them and turned his sharp eyes to Grace.


    "Stop struggling anymore, Grace. Even though you are able to employ the Holy Snow Attack, you are weaker than me now. You are not, by any means, a match for me anymore. Just face that fact," he claimed with a distant voice. "Today is going to be the last day you breathe in this world. Let''s continue with this fight and put an end of all of it."


    "Bomb! Bomb!"


    Before his words faded, he channeled all his strength to employ the golden killing spiritual energy to the extremes of his capabilities. Then he spun fast and turned into a golden storm.


    "Golden killing spiritual energy - Metallic Mutant Storm!" Kinsey was proudly giving off an arrogant laughter as he performed his cultivation method.


    Then the golden storm carrying an overwhelming power swept towards Grace.


    Faced with the impending strike of death, Grace remained calm.


    She wiped the blood on the corners of her mouth and stood up. She then channeled her internal strength to activate the Holy Snow Attack to the limit. All the frosty power circled around her now fragile physique.


    "The power of holy snow - Icy Shield!"


    As she roared, endless frosty power scrambled to move ahead, forming an icy shield in front of her to shield her from the incoming attack. There were snowflakes floating around the shield.


    Grace''s body almost turned transparent because she exerted all her strength to employ the Holy Snow Attack. The power left in her body continued to get depleted.


    Kinsey''s Metallic Mutant Storm hit Grace''s Icy Shield.


    The difference between their powers were prominent. Probably one could improve their power by practicing hard or in great persistence. However, it would not make much difference in the end.


    Grace''s Icy Shield did not last long. It held the Golden Storm back for only a few seconds. As everyone else predicted, the shied was smashed, broken into pieces, and its parts disappeared in the air at last.


    The storm dashed towards her again and thrust through her body which seemed to be an icy sculpture because of its transparency.


    After it was done, the storm shaped back into Kinsey and landed behind Grace. The whole space fell silent.

 Chapter 420 Fire Burning In the Ice

    The silence that followed was as though the whole world had been completely destroyed in an instant.


    Everyone couldn''t help turning their heads to look at Ricky and see how he would react.


    Tyson and Kristen grew silent, their sorrow for Grace remaining in their eyes. Hoffman also felt sorry for her, as she had a link with Kristen whom he had been pursuing for years.


    Ricky was silent.


    But everyone could feel an infinite frostiness in him, which extremely terrified them. Ricky''s eyes grew bloodshot, quivering so intensely that nobody knew exactly where he was looking at, which terrified them even more.


    If they looked closely at Ricky, they would see blood running from Ricky''s clenched fists as he dug his fingernails deep into his palms.


    Even though Ricky remained silent, there seemed to be an extremely crazy beast clawing its way out of him.


    "Plop!" Tears fell from Ricky''s eyes onto the competition platform. He fell to his knees, still silent.


    Out of everyone here, he had been the closest to her.


    Grace, his dearest master, had died in front of him in this way. There was nothing he could do but watch this happen, which made him racked with guilt.


    He hated himself for his inability to activate the mysterious axe in the Soul Sea within his body, for his inaction on deterring Grace from fighting and for his countless other shortcomings.


    "Master..." he uttered hoarsely. All the grief and guilt he felt turned into this single word.


    Right now, all that occupied his mind was that what he could do to make Grace come back to life. He had forgotten about everything except this in his current mind, or he would be distracted by the fact of Kinsey killing Grace. He would take revenge on him, but not just yet. It wouldn''t bring Grace back, and she was all that mattered at that moment.


    Ricky''s willpower grew weak. He felt lost; directionless.


    In tackling difficulties in martial arts, he had always had strong willpower and great perseverance. But when it came to the select few that he loved, he had a sensitive heart and could become very emotionally affe


    possible?" warriors said, puzzled at this.


    The reason why Grace''s dragon meridian remained attached could only be that she was still alive!


    They quickly noticed that the frosty power around Grace''s body still existed.


    "This can''t be possible! She is still alive? The Metallic Mutant Storm had clearly pierced through her body!" gasped Kinsey, shaking his head hard in shocked disbelief.


    The moment his voice trailed away, changes took place in Grace''s frozen body.


    First, the temperature around Grace''s frozen body began to rise suddenly as though there was a big stove; but her strong frosty power still remained at the same time.


    "Crackle!" came the sound of fiercely blazing fire.


    Red flames began to burn within the icy layer around Grace''s frozen body.


    "Crack!" "Crack!"


    With the red fire burning, the icy layer wrapping around Grace''s body began to break into pieces. Soon, her original body emerged, surrounded by flickering flames.


    All the other warriors became numb with shock after witnessing this extraordinary change!


    If they took a closer look, they would notice that all the flames around Grace''s body came from the red birthmark on her face.


    Then another transformation took place! The widespread frosty power around her gathered to Grace''s body again.


    It was a magnificent sight to see. Grace''s body was surrounded by flames and ice at the same time!

 Chapter 421 The Sword Of Justice

    The fire and ice enveloped Grace and gathered around her body. But they remained separate elements and did not mix together.


    One side of her body where her birthmark was became engulfed in flames, while the other half was covered by ice. She looked like she was split in two!


    "Whoosh! Whoosh!"


    Her eyes flew open all of a sudden! In one eye blazed the light of fire, in the other shone the light of ice. She turned her fierce eyes to Kinsey and blinked her eyes forcefully. Then two lights emitting from her eyes shot towards Kinsey, bearing enormous energies. Kinsey was hit and had to step backwards because of the strong impact.


    Everyone was completely shocked. Their jaws dropped and eyes widened as they covered their mouths on impulse. This was just too amazing to believe their eyes. Grace was reborn! And she had become stronger than ever! What was more, apart from her original frosty power, she now seemed to control another incompatible power - the flame power! How could living things come back to life once they were killed? It was truly gobsmacking.


    "Master Grace!" Ricky murmured in shock. It was several moments before he fully processed what had just happened.


    "Stand up and wipe away your tears. No disciple of mine should be weeping like that on the ground," Grace said calmy to Ricky using her internal strength.


    "Yes, master. I just didn''t expect you to come back. And your power..." Ricky stood up at once. He stared at her, mesmerized by her new aura.


    "It''s rather complicated; I''ll explain after I kill Kinsey," Grace replied, her face remaining expressionless. "Be careful, master. He is still very strong," Ricky said in a concerned tone. Though he could sense that she was now more powerful, he could not help feeling worried. Her body must be still weak after what had happened.


    ...


    "Thank you so much, Kinsey. Thank you for making me desperate. If it were not for you, I would have never awakened the flame power inside my body. I was so close to death, but still, here I am... all because of you!" Grace said indifferently to Kinsey, who was still frozen in shock.


    "No! That''s impossible! You''re from the Snow Sect! You are supposed to possess only the frosty power. How could someone from the Snow Sect gain the flame power? Awakening the flame power inside your body? You must be talking nonsense! I won''t believe a single word from you!" Kinsey shook his head, yammering in denial.


    "Even someone from the Snow Sect can have their spiritual meridian mutated. And my frosty spiritual meridian is mutated thanks to your push," Grace sneered.


    "The spiritual meridian can mutate in extreme predicaments? I''ve never heard of such a thing. Have you?" the warriors and beasts whispered in incredulity amongst themselves. Grace''s claim was previously unheard of! "No, I must say I haven''t. But it doesn''t mean that it''s impossible," some said.


    Despite the fact that eve


    rack!" Kinsey''s Metallic Destructive Palm began to crack, shocking everyone but Grace. Within a few seconds, more and more cracks had spread on his palm. "Kaboom!" It was smashed into pieces! The Sword of Justice, on the other hand, remained as powerful as it had been and rushed to the golden storm to collide with him.


    The Metallic Destructive Palm was now totally destroyed. And there was no way Kinsey''s golden storm would withstand Grace''s mighty sword. It halted, and then collapsed. Kinsey let out several shrill cries as he fell to the ground heavily, rolling for many meters until he finally stopped.


    There was a stunned silence. They had been well-matched opponents in the first fight, but now, the tables had totally turned.


    Many still had trouble processing the reality that Grace had come back to her life with her mutated spiritual meridian and dual powers.


    This was incredibly dramatic. None of them had anticipated this. Now all of them were seized by shock and they even began to doubt whether they were only dreaming up this amazing fight.


    "Go, my sword!" Grace did not relax her vigilance though Kinsey was defeated, lying on the ground. No second chances for him. It was time to do what she had always wanted to.


    "No, no, no! It''s impossible! How could it be!" Kinsey coughed out blood, screaming maniacally.


    Still, he did not give up. Dying here without fighting back was the last thing he would do. So he once again called forth his strength to form his Metallic Mutant. He crossed his arms and put them in front of his chest to resist the attack from the giant sword, hoping he would at least survive it.


    "Boom!" The Sword of Justice hit Kinsey heavily on his crossed arms, where his golden killing spiritual energy was just beginning to form. Then there was a strong wave created by the collision which engulfed Kinsey and the sword before it spread all over the surroundings, pushing back many warriors.

 Chapter 422 Grace Becoming An Innate Spirit

    "Crack!" "Crack!"


    The crackling sounds burst out from the wave of air after the intense collision. Then the golden lights exploded and split into the wave. If someone took a closer look, he would see that there were human fleshes and blood mixing with all the lights.


    Without a doubt, it was Kinsey who was blown into tiny little pieces.


    Being attacked by the overwhelming power of ice and flame, he was unable to withstand the attack even though he employed his Metallic Mutant. All his efforts were in vain.


    Yes, it was true that Grace had had her spiritual meridian changed. She now possessed another power, and it greatly improved her combat power. However, there was something more important that no one knew. This critical change was known only by herself.


    After the air bellow faded, all that was left where Kinsey used to stand were some broken pieces of clothes and pools of blood.


    "He... He''s dead! Kinsey is dead! Even with his strong Metallic Mutant, he was still killed in an instant!" some of the warriors screamed in surprise. All of them were taken aback by what they just saw. "And he was crushed into pieces! Without anything left! Jesus Christ! How amazing is that!" another voice echoed.


    Kinsey, who was so confident and arrogant and claimed that he would destroy his enemy one more time, had been shattered for good! His body was completely crushed, leaving nothing but blood on the battle platform.


    "That''s not everything. The power that Grace displayed just now seems to be more than the limit of a demi-immortal," some older warriors murmured in a low voice as they squinted their eyes. They couldn''t help but stare at Grace.


    Ricky also noticed it. "God! Could her power be stronger than a demi-immortal''s?" he whispered under his breath.


    Kinsey had the Metallic Mutant and was at the peak of being a demi-immortal. Add to that, he was also very talented. It wouldn''t be exaggeration to say that anyone wouldn''t stand a chance against him in the demi-immortal phase.


    No matter how strong Grace was as a demi-immortal, there was no way she could''ve killed and destroyed him in a short span of time unless she gave everything she had. However, she just achieved victory without any trouble. Kinsey did not have a chance to fight back at all.


    What was more was that Ricky felt a stronger power linger on Grace''s Sword of Justice when she was controlling it to attack Kinsey. It was very familiar. He had also felt it before when Soar broke through and became an innate spiritual beast.


    Thinking about all this, Ricky could not help but grow worried about Grace. They were in the Fortune Land now. Innate warriors were not usually allowed to stay here. He had no clue what would happen to her if she progressed further into breaking through and reaching the innate spirit.


    "Master Grace, can you restrain your power?" Immediately, Ricky asked Grace with his internal strength.


    "No, I''m afraid I cannot. The blood of the flame power has already been awakened. I''m afraid I wouldn''t be able to prevent breaking through soon!" Grace replied in a concerned tone as her eyebrows furrowed.


    "What would happen if you stay here once you become an innate spirit? Do you have any clues?" He threw out another question at once.


    "No, I have no idea," replied Grace.


    "Hey, Ricky! She is about to break through very soon, isn''t she?" Hoffman interrupted their conversation, exerting his inte


    rriors began to hold their nerves tightly. Four strong and dazzling lights collided at the same time.


    The lights were from Ricky''s eyes and Sham''s.


    "They are about to fight," the warriors began to whisper among themselves as they felt the ferocious murderous intents in their eyes.


    "That''s great! If they fight, one of them will surely kill the other and win. By that time, the winner would be completely exhausted. We will be able to defeat him a lot easier and get what we want!" another warrior chimed in with excitement.


    "Yes! You are absolutely right! Let''s just wait and see! I can''t wait until it''s all over!"


    ...


    As they glared at each other, the light curtain on Sham''s competition platform dashed towards Ricky''s and stopped beside him.


    "A talented slayer, am I right? Now that you are wishing for death, I am here to make your dreams come true!" Ricky scolded coldly as his eyes locked on Sham. Immediately, he reached out and resisted the light curtain with his bare hands.


    "I''m sure your master will feel really sad as she waits endlessly for you," Sham replied back in the same cold way. "Kinsey said that he hated to take people away from their friends and family. You see, I am not like him. I enjoy it very much when I bring people apart!


    So, you are going to stay here forever, and you will never return to your master until the end of time!"


    Before his voice faded, Sham jumped through the glow tent and landed on Ricky''s competition platform.


    "Oh? How talkative you are! Stop talking and just show me how capable you are! The first slayer of the Endless Shadow, right? Humph! Hopefully, you really live up to your title and don''t behave like Ellison who couldn''t do anything but draw the long bow," Ricky replied as he sneered.


    "If I defeat you without exerting much effort, then that would be just so damn boring!"


    "Bang! Bang!" Ricky channeled his strength and threw it out forcefully towards Sham. Immediately, their auras collided with each other and caused a loud bang that echoed through the skies. It was too overwhelming for ordinary warriors to resist. Some warrior were pushed backwards uncontrollably to stretch themselves away from them. The wave that broke out from their collision was too much for any of them to withstand.

 Chapter 423 Black Killing Power VS. Three Kinds Of Runic Powers

    Now a fierce fight was on the verge of breaking out like a dormant volcano now about to erupt. On one side, the killing intent was already hinted by the scent of blood. On the other side, a forceful murderous power kept on gaining competence. Both of the energies were truly powerful, almost half a step to the innate spiritual level, so it could be expected that the upcoming clash between them was likely to be incredibly violent. It would be a lot different than the usual battles ever recorded in history.


    Even before the collision took place, everyone around could tell the two sides'' mighty powers from the aura they unleashed to their immediate surroundings. Once they collided like two waves, drastic waves of energy lashed out around the area from where the two surge of energies met, shaking the whole space and crashing the light curtain on the competition platform like unstoppable tides.


    "This is, no doubt, another fierce struggle between well-matched opponents," one of the warriors who seemed to have seen every fight exclaimed. "I do hope they could fight like Kilkenny cats. If both of them are to be crippled because of each other, things would get much easier for us later." That warrior who was looking forward to both sides'' defeat, was not the only one who was taken aback by how intensive this fight was. All the warriors around were holding their breath, seeing how the interesting battle unfold while praying secretly that those two strong rivals could finish each other off so that no one would have to deal with any of them afterwards.


    "Even if the fight won''t kill both of them, we can at least expect that one of them will be greatly weakened like a vegetable left unwatered. Or we can hope that they would end up like Grace and Kinsey, one resting in peace, and the other sent out after the fight. That would be good enough for us already!" another one shared his sentiments which were kind of dark yet interesting to many.


    "Dream on, guys!" a third one taunted them as they started imagining possible outcomes. "These are all strong warriors and only the strong can laugh the last laugh. Just stop thinking about making a breakthrough to the level of an innate spirit by luck because it is barely achieved!".


    "Well, well! Those were my lines, dude! If you are some puny insect that would be finished by one single strike of any weapon, this fight is bound to be too boring for me!" Sham scoffed with disdain hearing what Ricky said. "I''m expecting a worthy opponent, you know!"


    "Oh? It seems that we at least have one thing in common. Come on, show me what a murderer''s boastful killing power could do!" Ricky replied most defiantly, looking forward to what was yet to come.


    In an instant, they both disappeared like bubbles that popped out of sight, and what was only visible to the others were two figures that flashed past the competition platform.


    The moment they were done speaking, they dashed to each other like arrows unafraid to land anywhere they were targeted to. Their speed was too fast, just like lightning stroke, that no one could recognize who was who. Before everyone figured out what was happening in front of them as they made sense of the blur and swift movements, great blasts of fortune exploded. For a split second, warriors present were finally able to realize that this was the result of the meeting of the two sides'' fists. It was, indeed, a good sight, "the battle of the battles" according to others, because of how promising attacks they were.


    For a moment, everything seemed frozen by the powerful energy. As Sham''s and Ricky''s eyes mirrored each other, black killing power were swirling like a tornado around Sham, while Ricky was surrounded and protected by his three runic powers. After being combined with his spiritual energy, Ricky''s runic powers gradually increased as if it was meant to destroy.


    Then a cracking sound broke the deafening silence. "Snap!" The explosive energy their clash had produced shook the whole space as if an earthquake just happened and threatened to smash the space like shattering pieces of glass. But the space cracks had healed themselves in a blink of an eye as if it had an oasis of regenerative power, even before the fractures could ever worsen. After all, both of them were only at the demi-immortal level, and their power, though already promising enough, were not yet qualified to break the space that served as their bat


    in and became his bloody red shield. With that, he now had a protective armor just like Ricky.


    Everything was ready for Sham. He pierced through the space with his blood-black soft-iron sword, and rushed over to Ricky without any hesitation and pointed the sword directly to his head.


    "Nine-degree Body Refining Formula! Runic power attack!"


    Ricky immediately yelled as though his voice was summoning the heavens to launch his counterattack. He, too, had brought out all of his energy when sensing the outbreak of Sham''s power and the strong killing power his soft-iron sword carried. He must fight back in full force if he wanted to survive Sham''s attack this time, when they were at equal footing.


    With his words, his eyes began to gleam like gold as he activated the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. Instantly, the devouring rune, the chaotic fire rune, and the massacring rune circled amongst each other and turned into a tornado of flames to cover Ricky for protection.


    Part of the flames had even shot out and poured into his saber-light. Together, the runic powers and saber-light directed themselves into Ricky''s Iron Destroyer, making it sturdier than ever.


    Ricky swung the Iron Destroyer at the space, and a big gash, as pitch black as an abyss appeared on it. Through that gash, he made a lunge toward Sham. The screaming from the space was unstoppable when it was being cut by the weapons and everyone heard the metallic sound of anger and strength every time the two blades met.


    Huge amount of sword-light and saber-light exploded on the platform. Everyone was blinded by the harsh glare produced by the explosion, and their ears were ringing as they heard the horrible keening of swords. All of a sudden, all the warriors felt that they had just witnessed a volcanic eruption.


    In this one-on-one contest, Sham had shown how exceptional he was as a killer. He was incredibly fast, and most of the time, he had reacted more quickly and was better at perfecting the timing than Ricky.


    Those techniques were quite enough for him to gain the upper hand. For more than once, his sword had hit Ricky successfully, making him seem vulnerable to others'' eyes.


    Ricky had made it this far, all thanks to his indefectible Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, which was further strengthened by three kinds of runic powers. With the formula protecting him as the strongest steel helmet and armor, Sham''s soft-iron sword could only lay some scratches on his body.


    This was truly a wonderful battle for all the warriors, and they had somehow started to enjoy this duel between these two master-hands. It looked like that they had totally forgotten that they were actually here for the dragon meridian and not that big event.


    Clang! After their swords met once again, they bounced backwards, keeping a distance between each other, their eyes burning with killing intent--the sun wouldn''t shine for one of them anymore after the battle.

 Chapter 424 The Eight Killing Replication

    They pressed their lips together as a few miles separated them. They stood face to face with their eyes glued to each other. Both of them were on guard and wore their serious looks.


    The collision made the both of them realize just how strong their opponent was. Neither of them could defeat the other easily. With this in mind, they grew more and more cautious.


    Although Sham had the capabilities to hit Ricky in an instant, he was moving too fast. As a result, he failed to gather enough power and wasn''t able to harm Ricky who utilized the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. It was no exaggeration to say that his attack was nothing more than a breeze sweeping over Ricky''s face.


    Ricky did not perform well either. Despite the fact that he could resist Sham''s attack, it was the only thing he could do. He was unable to act fast enough and could not launch his own aggressive attack towards Sham. Merely defending the self wasn''t supposed to be the ultimate purpose of this fight. Speed mattered a lot in the martial arts world. A little bit of lag would bring disaster to any warrior.


    ''So, this is what I lack, huh? Speed! After I''m done with you and once I get out of this place, I''ll have to find myself some kind of method to learn how to move much faster. Otherwise, speed will remain to be my only weakness. That is not good for future cultivations, '' Ricky thought to himself discreetly.


    ''How could I possibly hit? Hmmm, this is definitely a big problem, ''


    he wondered as he squinted his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. ''It seems that I have no choice but to use my other powerful methods. He must be thinking the same thing. He probably has already made up his mind to approach me and then concentrate on attacking me in order to overcome my Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.''


    He was right. Sham was thinking the exact same thing. He figured that the only way to put a quick end to this fight was to dash towards his opponent and strike him closely. Otherwise, both of them would eventually get completely exhausted and even if he won in the end, he would become too weak to fight those who were keeping a close eye and ready to tear him apart once given the chance.


    Sham was looking forward to beating up his opponent and claiming the victory. And so was Ricky. Both of them firmly believed that they would be the winner, so it was naturally that they wanted to get everything over with as soon as possible.


    "It''s time to slog it out!" the warriors who surrounded them began to whisper among themselves. Seized by excitement, they tried their best not to breathe heavily. They watched the battle very closely, eyes not moving at all. Missing any magnificent scene was the last thing they would like.


    "I''m going to wave my soft-iron sword towards you. You better prepare for it. It will punch thousands of holes on your body. The Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, right? It shall disappear along with your body very soon!" Sham growled in a deep and malicious tone as his red eyes shone with ferocious light.


    At the same time, he placed his soft-iron sword against his chest and was ready to fight.


    "Oh, is that right? Why don''t you try me!" Rick


    Skill.


    Right in front of everyone''s eyes, the Flame Torrent he had changed into, separated and formed hundreds of burning circles. They spread out in all directions and surrounded his virtual space. Sham and his replications fanned the air.


    "Wh... What is going on? What did I just see? How could he turn his body into flames and disappear in the air?" This scene just made all the warriors'' jaws drop. Their hearts were seized by great disbelief. "Is there even any known method that could do this? Have you heard of any?" another one asked.


    Before their whispers and puzzles even had the chance to be discussed or answered, the burning flames once again appeared in the air out of nowhere and formed a giant cage. It approached and trapped Sham along with his spinning replications.


    Torrents made of flames lingered above the burning cage. What was more, crimson runes danced on the torrents as well.


    The Flame Torrents, which were strong and looked like large waves, ran towards the nine figures stuck in the cage''s center.


    Sham and his replications did not just stand there to accept their doom. Instead, they began to spin in the air quickly once again and formed nine storms. They then dashed towards different directions in an attempt to break Ricky''s Flaming Cage.


    "Bang! Bang!" They collided with the cage as they carried their swords towards nine directions with great force and created earsplitting crackling sounds. They were engulfed by the Flame Torrents.


    "Boom! Boom!"


    The powerful collision created more than just sounds. The space around the Flaming Cage was warped because of the strong explosion. And if one would take a closer look, they would see that the space cracked like glass.


    Hundreds of huge Flame Torrents then swallowed Sham''s dark spiritual energy, just like the volcano erupted and engulfed the tornado. The torrents then ran wild and dashed around madly. They all collided with the glow tent as the flames splattered around.


    The collision shook the giant dragon meridian heavily. It shivered so violently that the competition platform beneath them collapsed.

 Chapter 425 Vitality Plundering Palm

    Rumble!


    At this moment, the air above the whole competition platform was filled with the burning flame and killing power while the space was contorting continuously.


    The warriors can neither see Ricky and Sham nor sense them at all because it was full of intense blast and they can only sense the wild aura of what was going on.


    However, they still stared at the platform even more intensely as they waited for the scattering of the fierce blast.


    The fierce blast almost vanished after a long moment, finally exposing the figures of tiresome Ricky and Sham.


    The two of them both looked a mess in tatters as they half knelt on the collapsed competition platform.


    Though Ricky had activated the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he was bleeding profusely. Scars would probably emerge sooner or later. It looked like Sham''s Eight Killing Replication really damaged him badly.


    Things were not much better for Sham. With burning scars all over his hands and arms, he was also damaged badly by the Flame Torrent and the Flaming Cage.


    But right now they were both still at their peaks, after all they were at the advanced stage of the demi-immortal and would not be exhausted only by one heavy crash.


    "Looks like the power of the two were both of the same level. I think it will be difficult to have a winner today." The warriors around the platforms chatted discreetly using their internal power.


    "There must be a winner. We all know the rule of the competition on the platform -- when two warriors fight, only one person should survive in the end."


    "Isn''t that the result we all want? If they keep on colliding like that, they would both suffer great losses. It couldn''t be better that they can perish together."


    "Exactly. Otherwise by virtue of their power, we just enter here to take a look at the final dragon meridian and watch one of them to get it."


    ......


    "How hateful you are! How can you still be alive?" Looking at Ricky, Sham shouted hoarsely. He staggered up and condensed his power, ready to attack again.


    "I told you that I won''t die as long as your


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    as real among these shadowy swords that was supposed to deceive him.


    "Vitality Plundering Palm!"


    As Ricky roared, his eyes turned fire-yellow and his momentum was full of the sense of desolation and ancientness. At this time, Ricky seemed to come from remote antiquity.


    Then after the chaotic fire rune spread all over Ricky''s body, the Ruin Fire burned on him.


    The chaotic fire rune fused with the Ruin Fire and their power flew to Ricky''s right palm, then he slammed the yellow palm heavily towards the real sword he successfully verified.


    Bang! The next moment, two attacks which seemed basic but the strongest power as they crashed together. At the central point of the crashing, endless blasts burst out instantly and twisted the space once more.


    The other shadowy swords around all vanished aside from the one which crashed with the Vitality Plundering Palm.


    Then the Vitality Plundering Palm started to change substantially and the Ruin Fire fused with chaotic fire rune melted the shadowy sword in one second.


    The power on the shadowy sword weakened in an instant.


    It dissipated soon and it turned back into the soft-iron sword without any power. It truly terrified Sham despite his will power.


    "How is that possible? How? Why did my power vanish so quickly?" Sham could not believe all that was happening around him. It made him scream hoarsely in frustration.

 Chapter 426 The Final Blow

    After being knocked out by Ricky''s palm attack, Sham fell on the shabby competition platform. He shook his head hard and yelled in rage. His usual calmness as an assassin faded away as his eyes filled up with fear.


    The most powerful ultimate skill in his art of slaughtering was the Shadowy Fatal Attack¡ªa fusion of the Shadowy Replication and his strongest slaughtering cultivation methods. He had to exert his full power just to activate this skill.


    More than that, once this lethal attack had been made, there was no turning back. Theoretically, even if Sham didn''t managed to kill Ricky, both of them were still likely to get injured by Sham''s attack.


    Surprisingly, however, Ricky remained unharmed after the attack. On the other hand, Sham was seriously wounded, and his power was completely plundered by the mysterious power of Ricky''s palm attack.


    Such mysterious power was so terrifyingly mighty that the moment it began to take effect, Sham was forced to exert all his power in vain. In that moment, he was helpless¡ªjust like a lamb to the slaughter.


    What frightened Sham even more was how, right from the beginning, Ricky paid no attention to the shadowy replications of Sham''s sword at all. It was obvious that Ricky could distinguish the original sword from the shadowy duplicate ones created in Sham''s Shadowy Fatal Attack.


    What formidable power!


    Sham saw himself as a genius and star in the Realm of Wildness with years of slaughter experiences. If he fought against someone mighty like Hoffman, the fight would just end in a draw.


    But his genius was rendered useless by Ricky¡ªa warrior a grade lower than him. He was so easily defeated by Ricky that his conceitedness and invincible arrogance were devastated


    Now, he felt frightened and perplexed about what to do.


    "You must be wondering why you were defeated. Well, let me tell you the reason. This martial skill is called Vitality Plundering Palm. If an opponent, less powerful than me, goes all out with no defense in a fight, his power will be entirely plundered once this skill is practiced," Ricky explained in a slightly condescending tone as he glared at his frightened opponent.


    The Vitality Plundering Palm was a pivotal destructive marital skill developed from Ricky''s comprehension of the Chaotic Fire Skill and the legacies of the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor, including the Ruin Fire and the martial arts inheritance.


    The Ruin Fire was already originally at the demi-spiritual emperor level sinc


    to even imagine what would happen next. They were completely helpless¡ªthere was nothing they could do to help Ricky. They couldn''t enter other competition platforms of the Fortune Pond like the one where Ricky and Sham fought.


    ...


    "Ricky, you are indeed extremely powerful. It''s astonishing that you were able to identify the original sword of my Shadowy Fatal Attack and its attack direction," said Sham, as he stabbed deeper into Ricky''s body with the soft-iron sword.


    "But you will never know my actual ability to exert the Shadowy Replication. I can not only create eight shadowy replications but also swiftly transpose myself and one of them, in order to trick you into mistaking one of my duplicate counterfeits for the real me.


    Well, that''s why I deserve to be the invincible genius assassin of the Endless Shadow.


    You may rest in peace now, Ricky."


    "Indeed, I didn''t spot your final trick, but you seem to be overlooking the most important reason why I, a warrior at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement, can challenge you, a demi-immortal assassin," Ricky responded coldly after hearing what Sham said. A murderous expression flashed in Ricky''s eyes.


    Then, golden light started shining brightly on Ricky''s body, and his momentum started building up. In an instant, his top was torn to shreds, and his strong, flawless golden body was exposed.


    It immediately became apparent that the soft-iron sword stabbed Ricky''s abdomen in vain. Instead, it merely became a lump under the power of Ricky''s Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    "No! It can''t be! It''s impossible!" Sham exclaimed in sheer panic as he witnessed the unexpected scene.

 Chapter 427 Ultimate Dragon Meridian

    "Nothing is impossible. Did you really think that you could kill me only with your soft-iron sword? Did you really think that I wouldn''t recognize your Shadowy Replication?" Ricky said in a calm tone, staring down at terrified Sham.


    "How... how could it be? These two persons are proving more and more powerful than each other!" Many warriors around them were shocked at seeing their fight.


    "He figured out that Sham used the Shadowy Replication to fake his death!" Hoffman said happily. But his expression also turned serious.


    He was happy because Ricky didn''t die. Though he wasn''t close to Ricky, he would like to see Ricky, rather than Sham, survive. He also looked grim, because Ricky was more formidable than Sham.


    Hoffman also wanted to win the ultimate dragon meridian, and Ricky was standing in his way.


    "This guy always makes us worry about him!" Kristen and Tyson finally relaxed when they saw that Ricky was safe and sound.


    ...


    "It''s impossible! Your body refinement is incredibly strong! How could it be? I used the Shadowy Replication very carefully, even more discreetly than using the Shadowy Fatal Attack. You couldn''t have known it," Sham shouted with anger, his eyes wide and crazed.


    "You can''t understand my body refining. To be honest, nothing can hurt my body except a real spiritual weapon. Besides, I have seen this Shadowy Replication many times before," Ricky replied.


    "If I couldn''t detect it, I wouldn''t deserve being called a talent.


    My Vitality Plundering Palm is used to plunder vitality. When I collided with you just now, I didn''t sense any vibe of vitality. Therefore, I could tell that it was only a shadow of you."


    ''What an impressive man! His speculation is right.'' Every warrior nearby felt shivers run up their spine. They were growing more and more afraid of Ricky.


    Sham was filled up with despair after hearing what Ricky had


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    him to shreds.


    Afterwards, the competition began. But in the beginning, everyone was restless and impatient.


    Of course, someone intelligent was still waiting for the opportune time.


    Six hours later, the final winner was an old man. No one knew his name, because he was a hermit warrior at the peak of the demi-immortal.


    He was as strong as Sham.


    "Hey, everyone, do you want to challenge me? If not, the ultimate dragon meridian will belong to me," the old guy said calmly, looking around at the crowd.


    Finally, his eyes landed on Hoffman and Ricky, Others also looked at them, because they were the most possible warriors of all to compete for the ultimate dragon meridian.


    ''Ricky, if you win over him, I will give up this opportunity. I fear that I can''t defeat him, '' Hoffman said to Ricky using his internal power after thinking a lot.


    ''Besides, I have a strong intuition that you still have more aces up your sleeve, '' he added.


    ''I''m glad to hear that, Hoffman. I wanted to get to know you more after this day. Thank you.'' Ricky accepted Hoffman''s kindness and was ready to jump onto the competition platform.


    It would be hypocritical of him to refuse.


    However, someone else had jumped on the competition platform before Ricky!

 Chapter 428 The Powerful Four

    "Who is it?" This figure caught everyone''s attention.


    "Endless Shadow! He''s... Sham''s guard?" Ricky and Hoffman shot each other looks of confusion.


    There were five people of the Endless Shadow that had come to the Fortune Land. Sham was the leader, followed by his four other guards, who had been trained from a very young age by the Endless Shadow. It was set up specifically for Sham''s protection.


    Although these four guards were not as powerful and intelligent as Sham, they were still tier-one geniuses in the Realm of Wildness who were able to challenge the opponent of higher levels.


    Being as faceless and emotionless guards, they were simply named One, Two, Three and Four.


    The one clad in black jumped on stage. He was the fourth guard of Sham, Four.


    "What''s he doing here? Can''t he see that this old man''s strength isn''t below his master!? Does he want to get himself killed?" Realizing who he was, the remaining warriors and beasts started talking.


    "Who knows> He could be trying to avenge his master and kill Ricky."


    ¡­¡­


    "Four, what are you doing?" the other three guards asked him. They were confused too.


    "Brothers, our poor master has just died. Naturally, I intend to take the last dragon meridian. If I succeed, I will become the first genius killer of the new generation in the Endless Shadow," Four answered with greed in his voice.


    "Arrogant prick," the other guards muttered scornfully.


    If Four was looking to get killed, they couldn''t stop him. Besides, although they served the same man and called each other brother, they were still killers and didn''t see eye to eye with each other.


    Other warriors and beasts also disapproved of Four''s action. They believed that greed had made Four lose his mind.


    Ricky thought otherwise. His instinct told him


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    u have power like this? You are just a guard!" The old man was equally shocked.


    "That''s what I have been telling you, old man. You''ve just been living in this world, blind to everything around you!" Four smiled coldly.


    "Now I am going to show you what Shadowy Fatal Attack and Shadowy Replication really look like." Four then turned his eyes to Ricky.


    Clearly it had been meant for Ricky.


    "The real Shadowy Fatal Attack?" Ricky mumbled to himself, beginning to process what was happening.


    "Rustle!"


    Dense black spiritual energy on Four burst out, creating ten shadows of Four. Himself included, there were eleven now in total!


    "How could it be! Ten replicas? It is said that even the Shadow King can only do ten!" Everyone was extremely shocked at this scene.


    Their eyes grew so wide that it looked as though they were about to pop out of their sockets.


    But the ones that were most shocked were the three other guards. They looked at each other and murmured, "He might not be the Four that we came with."


    "Ten replication! That''s better than Sham!" Ricky grew solemn, fixing his eyes on Four. For some peculiar reason, this man looked familiar. Where had he seen him before?

 Chapter 429 Come Up To The Competition Platform!

    "Shadowy Fatal Attack!"


    the eleven copies of Four roared, ignoring the noise around. They condensed spiritual energy into swords, which melded with themselves. They turned into shadowy swords and rapidly rushed towards the old warrior from all directions.


    As this happened, the eleven shadowy swords changed again and turned into millions of shadowy swords.


    "If he''s able to activate Shadowy Replication again on his Shadowy Replication, then he''s definitely more powerful than Sham!" Ricky said to himself. Through the three zones, Ricky could sense that the eleven attacks were real in these millions of Shadowy Fatal Attacks.


    But when Sham had launched this attack, only one was real.


    It was clear that there was a big disparity between the two warriors'' power.


    Maybe Sham had thought about this kind of breakout, but he was unable to manage it. He could not manage to use the Shadowy Replication on the Shadowy Fatal Attack which condensed by the Shadowy Replication.


    Or perhaps, Sham couldn''t even burst out the Shadowy Fatal Attack by the Shadowy Replication!


    "This Four must be a more terrifying talent than Sham and Hoffman. Is he a talent who was purposely concealed by the Endless Shadow?" Ricky wondered.


    But as Ricky thought deeply, he felt that was impossible. Because if so, Sham should have known that, but nothing about Sham''s previous behavior indicated that he knew anything about this.


    "Who on earth is this Four?" Ricky wondered.


    He asked Hoffman with his internal power. After all, Hoffman had been more familiar with Sham. But he too knew nothing.


    ......


    "Young man, what stupid Shadowy Fatal Attack? Watch my Wind Arrow!" The old warrior was shocked by the power that the Four burst out, but his pride could not let it show. So he did not dodge the attack and condensed his power to collide with Four again.


    He did that because he was at the peak of the demi-immortal.


    This man was a warrior of wind na


    would not change their minds even if they were facing immense dangers and difficulties. Otherwise, they did not deserve to be called talents.


    "Thank you, Hoffman," Ricky nodded determinedly.


    Then Ricky shifted his eyes to look at Four.


    "Looks like we cannot stop you," Tyson and Kristen said, seeing the way he looked at Four.


    "There are things that I have to risk my life to fight for," Ricky said.


    "We understand that this is your principle. Since you have clearly made up your mind, we don''t have anything to say except... defeat him," Kristen told him.


    "Don''t worry, I don''t want to leave you so soon. Ha-ha!" Ricky smiled mischievously.


    "Nonsense!" Kristen replied to him coolly. But her cheeks flushed red.


    At this time, Four rolled his strange eyes and looked at Ricky. He licked the blood again and beckoned to Ricky, saying, "It looks like right now only you have the guts to fight with me, so come up to the competition platform. I challenge you."


    "As you wish!" Ricky replied to him calmly and jumped on the competition platform of the final dragon meridian. They sized each other up as their momentums rose around them.


    "This might be the final battle in the Fortune Land!" the warriors and beasts murmured, preparing themselves for an epic and terrifying battle.

 Chapter 430 The Devils Reappearance

    Boom! Boom! Ricky and Four both raised their momentum to their peaks in their best attempts to kill each other. Their power had reached the highest point of demi-immortal that all the spectators could feel the overwhelming power surging from Ricky and Four.


    ''''It is very hard to tell who would win this fight. Four seems to be more powerful than Sham while Ricky refuses to reveal his true strength. It''s pretty obvious he held back in the last fight.


    Maybe I should just be satisfied with my ninety feet dragon meridian. The fierce battles also enlightened me by a lot either way. It''s been worth the trip to the Fortune Land, ''''


    sighed a warrior. The warriors and beasts were beginning to covet the final dragon meridian less eagerly than they did before. There were subtle changes happening to their heads. They began to show true reverence towards Ricky and Four due to their overwhelming power.


    In a world where the strong ruled over the weak, the powerful people were always well respected. That was the natural law.


    The reverence made all spectators classify Ricky and Four into these powerful people they should never offend, which justified their newly formed ideas that the final dragon meridian should belong to either one of them.


    ...


    ''''Your spiritual energy seems highly familiar to me. I have this feeling that I have met you somewhere before, '''' said Ricky, clasping with Four with all his energy.


    ''''Well, I don''t think so. I cannot recall meeting someone like you, '''' Four replied nonchalantly.


    However, Ricky did not notice the subtle changes in Four''s eyes as he was smiling.


    Staring at Four''s face in an attempt to feel his energy, Ricky still couldn''t place him. But Ricky had a hunch that he has surely met him before.


    ''It shouldn''t be a big deal anyway. I''m gonna end his life right now, no matter who he might be, '' Ricky thought to himself smugly.


    ''''Maybe you''re right and it shouldn''t really matter. Now, go and try to impress me with your Shadowy Fatal Attack!'''' said Ricky with confidence.


    Buzz, buzz! Ricky immediately went to his Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. From his body sprang out the golden lights. The whole competition platform was again surrounded with rows of dazzling golden lights.


    With t


    ering the powerful momentum created by the devil, his blood power is truly very strong, '' Ricky thought to himself indignantly. Now, all he wanted to do was kill Four as soon as possible.


    Ricky didn''t feel the tiniest compassion towards the devil. He was willing to kill the last of their kind.


    ''''Die!'''' Four roared once again. His berserk body integrated with the devil that then launched a dark bloody punch. The punch, full of both the killing and berserk power, destroyed everything in its way and was aimed directly at Ricky.


    Ricky noticed that when four launched his attack, a few drops of blood were absorbed by the punch, making it more powerful. The devil punch smashed everything it passed through into bits and pieces. The damage was so great that it took more than a while for the atmosphere around them to settle.


    Only the true innate power could tear the space apart in such strength.


    Ricky couldn''t be more serious when he tried to defend himself from the punch.


    From the punch, Ricky felt Four''s immense hatred towards him. He realized that Four was doing all of this for vengeance.


    ''I must know him, and I don''t think we were friends at all, '' Ricky thought to himself secretly.


    Ricky had no time to think further because he had to resist the powerful devil punch released by Four.


    Taking a deep breath, Ricky ignited the chaotic fire runes that surrounded him. A bright flame with five colors blazed in front of his chest.


    "Nonuple Flame Strike¡ª¡ªthe Fifth Strike!"

 Chapter 431 The Devils True Features Were Exposed.

    "Crackle!" With the five flames raging across this space, the mad and bloody killing momentum was finally restrained.


    "Kaboom! Kaboom!" A showdown between two ultimate powers turned up the tension.


    The five flames in Ricky''s chest rose in a flash, releasing five kinds of infernal powers.


    Immediately, Ricky thrust the Iron Destroyer into the five flames and smashed it downwards. The five flames instantly gained strength and covered the Iron Destroyer completely.


    The Iron Destroyer, now covered with five flames and chaotic fire runes, smashed towards the Blood Devil Fist.


    This powerful strike was an integration of Chaotic Fire Zone and five kinds of flames.


    Each kind of peculiar fire or sacred fire counted as one of Ricky''s trump cards. Ricky''s strike at the moment was founded on the five flames and was the most powerful. It was of course an Omnipotent Skill.


    "The five flames are so powerful!" the warriors around exclaimed, all feeling the big impact of Ricky''s strike.


    "Is it the five most powerful Beast Fire? Or is it a holy fire at a higher level?"


    ...


    "Boom!" Ricky''s strike and the Blood Devil Fist collided, interrupting the warriors. Their two most powerful moves had crashed!


    In the center of the collision, intense light flashed. Shock waves engulfed everything in a flash, including Ricky and Four.


    The entire fortune competition platform completely collapsed. Fortunately the ultimate dragon meridian survived in one piece, as the Fortune Land protected it.


    The collision was so powerful that the curtains of light that surrounded each fortune competition platform nearly collapsed, with multiple cracks forming on them.


    "Boom! Boom!" It was a long time before the effects of the collision dissipated.


    A battle cry suddenly burst forth!


    It was Four who roared loudly. Suddenly, black forces swept throug


    ters in the Chaotic Region, but didn''t have any idea about what was going on there.


    "Kristen, I didn''t expect to see him here. That old devil is still alive!" Tyson said to Kristen anxiously, stealthily using his internal power.


    "Certainly! I never expected his life force to be so strong!" Kristen sighed. "But it doesn''t matter! Since Ricky was able to kill him before, he can kill him again!"


    "I think so too. I refuse to believe that Ricky will be defeated by this devil loser!" Tyson replied.


    ...


    "It seems that half of your soul has indeed survived. But it''s no bother to me to destroy it too. Don''t tell me you can splinter your soul again," Ricky growled menacingly.


    "You seem to be a rather audacious devil! Once you knew I was here, you came to send yourself to your own death!"


    "You say I''m sending myself to my own death? Let me tell you this; not only will I drink your blood, but I will also take over your flesh body!" Yates shouted in rage. "Once I seize your ultimate dragon meridian, I will make sure that in the next hundred years, not a single innate spirit will survive in this Realm of Wildness!"


    "A pipe dream for a devil! Zip your lips and show me your broken fist and claw!" Ricky laughed coldly.

 Chapter 432 Heated Battle

    "Do you really think that you can stop me for the second time? If I guess correctly, that mysterious energy inside of you is something beyond your control. Otherwise you wouldn''t have just stood by while your master was about to die," said Yates the Demi-spiritual Devil Emperor.


    "Speculate all you want. But the only thing you need to know is that you are about to become a corpse," replied Ricky.


    He then went berserk, trying to strike Yates the Demi-spiritual Devil Emperor with his Iron Destroyer.


    Although he had been a demi-spiritual emperor, he was still in the Fortune Land, which meant his power was only within the demi-immortal level.


    "Devil''s Punch!" Yates the Demi-spiritual Devil Emperor shouted at the sight of Ricky charging at him. Quickly, he turned his body and fist into an indestructible weapon, smashing towards Ricky.


    Yates based his power on his devil''s body while Ricky on the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. Both were the strongest bodies under the demi-immortal level. It was like a clash between steel. Sparks burst out of each collision, sending out strong airwaves.


    "Die! Take this¡ªAll-in Devil''s Punch!" Finally, Yates the Demi-spiritual Devil Emperor used his trump card.


    Infinite black evil spirits gathered behind him, and then once again turned into a shadow of devil, hurling a punch at Ricky. Its punch carried unlimited killing power and felt like Yates the Demi-spiritual Devil Emperor had thrown his entire being into it.


    This was the kind of dedication that disregarded any potential damage to himself in favor of the goal.


    "Devouring Storm!"


    Without further hesitation, Ricky activated his Omnipotent Skill and fused the devouring rune and the Devouring Fire.


    His Devouring Fire was much more powerful than any other fire after devouring Explosive Scorching Holy Fire. With such a force, the power of the Omnipotent Skill significantly increased.


    "Boom!" A crimson storm swept upwards and clashed again with the devil''s punch.


    Instan


    ted, Yates glowered at him.


    Then he said no more. He instead just increased his power to the maximum and gave his best shot¡ªGreater All-in Devil''s Punch.


    Evil spirits once again swarmed, forming a shadow of devil before fusing with Yates''s body. Quickly, it turned into a giant black fist coming straight for Ricky from the sky.


    "All in? It''s time for me to take some risks now," Ricky murmured to himself, his eyes sharp with determination.


    He then activated his Devouring Skill, filling the Devouring Zone with his blood vitality.


    "Omnipotent Devouring¡ªBlood Vitality Devouring Skill!"


    Ricky shouted as his body began to fuse with devouring rune. Quickly, he turned into a storm made up with hundreds of devouring mouths, sweeping towards the giant fist.


    There was a scattering of small black fires in the storm here and there. They were the Heaven Illuminating Fire!


    Ricky was holding nothing back now.


    And he was confident that he could kill Yates the Demi-spiritual Devil Emperor with Blood Vitality Devouring Skill along with the Heaven Illuminating Fire.


    "Bang!" The sound of collision rang again as the storm developed by Blood Vitality Devouring Skill impacted the most powerful devil''s punch.


    Endless airwaves and aftershocks rippled through the place, causing several warriors to take a step back.

 Chapter 433 Admiration

    BOOM! BOOM!


    Deafening sounds rang out at the moment that the endless blasts burst out. The sound came from the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill being used. The attack turned into a sea of blood and wrapped the huge devil punch up before devouring it fiercely.


    The devouring runes burned like raging flames and combined with the power burst forth from the Devourer Zone to break out the strongest type of devouring power. The devil punch could not free itself from the other skill, no matter how much energy it used up.


    There was really no way it could escape.


    Ricky had put all his strongest blood vitality into the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill, so it could not be thwarted. Ricky also refined the dead bodies of some beasts at the peak level of the Bone Reinforcement stored in the Devourer Zone into the blood vitality in advance to help boost the power of his attacks.


    He absorbed the blood vitality through the Devourer Zone and turned it into the energy for the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill.


    Doing it that way would put him at risk of dealing with a lot of side effects later on, but he did not have any other choices under those conditions. It was better to get sick than to die.


    "Ah!"


    A scream rose up under the fiercely devouring of the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill. Yates was starting to become distressed and couldn''t hold a scream back.


    The power Yates burst out was at the peak of the demi-immortal level, but he didn''t know that Ricky owned the most mysterious ability--the regained spiritual meridian, and the three zones on that mysterious meridian.


    As he screamed, the area that the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill had wrapped up constricted and grew smaller. There was no question that Yates''s devil punch could not withstand the power of the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill.


    The Blood Vitality Devouring Skill was the most powerful method to use to kill someone that Ricky had; it was a skill that Ricky could use to hurt the enemy badly, but he would also damage himself if he used it. He exhausted all his blood vitality, so if Ricky could not kill his enemy by his next move, then he could only wait for his own death.


    "Impossible! This is impossible! How could my devil punch be devoured?" Yates roared from within the blood sea created from the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill.


    Bang! There was a loud sound as an explosion rang out. A transpar


    ke for the group.


    "He is right. We won''t go up to the competition platform, because we sincerely admire Ricky," another warrior added in a warm tone.


    Then, all the other warriors and beasts declared that they wouldn''t go up to the competition platform either.


    The three of them were all relieved after hearing that.


    These warriors and beasts gave up the final dragon meridian for two reasons. One reason was that they really admired Ricky. That sincere admiration was the main reason.


    The second reason was because what Hoffman had said had shocked them.


    "Thank you, Hoffman." Kristen showed her gratitude to him as she spoke to him through a telepathic link.


    "You''re welcome. I did that because I believe I will be friends with Ricky after we leave the Fortune Land!" Hoffman said.


    The next moment, everyone looked at Ricky, and they were all shocked again.


    At that moment, Ricky was quickly regaining his lost momentum until it suddenly reached its peak in mere seconds.


    At the same time, Ricky stood up. He turned over his palm and a blade of green grass appeared in his palm, though it had withered a lot.


    "That...that is one of the Treasure from Heaven and Earth at the intermediate stage of the King Level--it''s called the Regenerating Grass!" an elder said in amazement when he saw the grass in Ricky''s hand.


    When they heard what the elder said, all warriors and beasts thought that if they had not been stopped when they wanted to challenge Ricky before, they would have been severely punished by him. They also envied him for having such a precious herb.

 Chapter 434 The Fortune Elder

    The Regenerating Grass, as they had heard, was one of the Treasures from Heaven and Earth that could revitalize any dying warrior below the innate realm. Consuming the Regenerating Grass could not only help Ricky recover his strength, but also cure all the wounds that he had garnered from his previous battles.


    Moreover, after refining the Regenerating Grass, Ricky himself felt that he suffered less side effects from devouring too much blood vitality of beasts in a short span of time.


    ''The Regenerating Grass is really good stuff. What a pity that I have to take it now!'' Ricky sighed silently.


    Aside from other trivial cultivation resources and Treasures from Heaven and Earth, he was able to get four Regenerating Pills and five pieces of Regenerating Grass in total from the Wonderland. He gave two of the Regenerating Pills and two of the Regenerating Grass to Grace. After the fight with Yates, he now only had one of the pill and two of the grass for himself.


    Upon seeing that Ricky had really recovered, all of the other warriors beamed in delight. They felt extremely fortunate that they could now abandon the greedy idea of fishing in troubled waters out of their respect for Ricky. Otherwise, they would have suffered a great deal once Ricky fought back, even without the help from Hoffman.


    "How could he waste the Regenerating Grass just like that? No one is even planning on stepping onto the competition platform to challenge him anymore!" Tyson groaned.


    "He did the right thing. He needs more strength to protect himself. Besides, who knows whether they are really well-meaning or not," Kristen said. "More than that, he also needs the strength to refine the ultimate dragon meridian."


    "So, maybe I worried too much. Now that you have consumed the Regenerating Grass, your buddy should have nothing to fear in the Fortune Land," Hoffman told Ricky somewhat admiringly through his internal power.


    "Anyway, Hoffman, thank you very much! If possible, let''s go for a drink together after we get out of here, ha-ha!" Ricky responded as he smiled at Hoffman.


    "Ha-ha, deal!" Hoffman laughed. "But for now, you''d better refine the ultimate dragon meridian quickly; otherwise, there will be no Fortune Rain in t


    g being who co-exists with the Fortune Land. Seeing as your consciousness was able to come here, then you must have gotten the ultimate dragon meridian this time," the elder said as he smiled.


    "The Fortune Elder!" Ricky muttered. "A living being who co-exists with the Fortune Land?"


    Soon, Ricky understood what was happening.


    "Respected Fortune Elder," Ricky said solemnly.


    "Yes?" the elder answered as he looked over at Ricky with his ancient eyes.


    "Did you lead my consciousness here? Do you lead the consciousness of every person who has obtained the ultimate dragon meridian here?" Ricky continued.


    "Ha-ha, I have no time for that." The Fortune Elder laughed as he tore his gaze away from Ricky.


    "No?" Ricky exclaimed, shocked.


    "Then, how did I¡­"


    "Your consciousness entered my space by itself. I didn''t lead your consciousness to this place," the Fortune Elder said. His eyes were also riddled with confusion. Wise as he was, he also had no idea why Ricky was able to enter his place.


    "My consciousness came here by itself? But wasn''t I just bathing in the Fortune Rain? I wasn''t trying to enter any other place. I don''t even know this place at all. How could I..." Ricky murmured.


    "Sir, what on earth is going on? Has this happened before?"


    "To be honest, I actually don''t know either," the Fortune Elder said seriously. "I don''t think it has ever happened before. No genius'' consciousness can enter this place without the power as strong as mine."

 Chapter 435 Another Big Opportunity

    "At this time, you are the only one who has ever been able to enter this mental area without having the same power that I have!"


    the Fortune Elder said in disbelief. After that, he narrowed his deep and aged eyes, as if he were trying to see something through Ricky''s body.


    Upon hearing the Fortune Elder''s words, Ricky''s curiosity was also aroused. The Fortune Elder would never lie to him, and Ricky was puzzled as to how his mind could enter such an exclusive area that only a few people have ever entered.


    ''Could it because of my regained spiritual meridian and three Zones?'' Ricky thought. He could not think of any possible explanation.


    "Even though you are only at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement, you can already defeat strong warriors that are at the peak of the demi-immortal level. How extraordinary you are! Even among the peerless geniuses, you still rank among the top," the Fortune Elder said in amazement.


    "Still, over the last million years, there have been geniuses who were more talented than you are, and their minds were not able to enter this area automatically. Therefore, I do not think that talent is the key that helped you enter this area.


    I believe you have something that is associated with the Fortune Land hidden inside your body that enables you to come in automatically."


    Then, the Fortune Elder moved closer to Ricky and released his Fortune Power. The Fortune Power pervaded Ricky''s whole body as the Elder tried to find something related to the Fortune Land inside Ricky.


    After a few minutes of searching, he found nothing special inside Ricky. However, in spite of the Fortune Elder being extremely skillful in martial arts, it was still impossible for him to find Ricky''s spiritual meridian and three Zones.


    "What''s going on? How come I didn''t find any clue from you?" the Fortune Elder asked doubtfully.


    "Fortune Elder, in addition to the good fortune that I got from the dragon meridian, I can''t think of other things I have that can be associated with the Fortune Land," Ricky said as he saw the confusion in the Fortune Elder''s eyes.


    "Well, is that so? It''s just too weird," the Fortune Elder muttered.


    "Fortune Elder, would it be alright from you to tell me what benefits I can get from you since I was able to enter your area?" He did not want to linger any longer on the issue about how his mind was able to enter the secret mental area that the Fortune Elder was guarding.


    He didn''t believe that his regained spiritual meridian would bring his mind there for no reason, so he was determined to find the reason sooner or later.


    "All right. I''d better stop guessing. God wanted you to come in, so there must be a well-justified reason for you getting this opportunity," the Fortune Elder said in a relieved tone.


    "Opportunity!" Ricky exclaimed when he


    attle in the Fortune Pond. Your victory that time was completely dependent on your powerful Omnipotent Skills and your control over some extraordinary flames," the Fortune Elder analyzed objectively.


    "However, according to my past observations, all your victories are mainly based on your body refining cultivation method."


    "Yes, Fortune Elder, you are right! I have mainly relied on my body refining cultivation method for the last few battles," Ricky seconded.


    "That is enough for now, but once you become an innate spirit, a cultivation method like that will be much less effective!" the Fortune Elder added.


    "I''m afraid you are right," Ricky said in a pitiful tone as he nodded helplessly. He had grown fond of that cultivation method, and he was quite unwilling to give it up.


    The Nine-degree Body Refining Formula was formidable, indeed, but it was mainly for warriors under the level of the innate spirit. For warriors who were lower spiritual king and middle spiritual king, its power would probably still prove to be effective and outstanding.


    But past those two levels, Ricky knew that it would become quite useless. Then it would be like a hot potato¡ªtasteless, but still wasteful to discard. More than that, Ricky was going to be an innate spirit soon.


    He had used the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula for such a long time, and it had also saved his life many times and helped him defeat many other warriors. It was just too hard for him to give it up in that moment. But no matter how hard it was for him, he knew that he had to give it up. It had always been like that in the world of martial arts¡ªany useless cultivation method had to be discarded at once. Otherwise, he would not survive the future competitions that he would face.


    The only way Ricky could keep it was if he could reshape it. However, he did not think he was talented enough to do that.

 Chapter 436 Ultimate Golden Body

    "Could you show me your cultivation method please?" said the Fortune Elder.


    "As you wish." Ricky nodded and showed the Fortune Elder his cultivation method of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    Ricky believed that the Fortune Elder wouldn''t covet his Nine-degree Body Refining Formula as the Fortune Elder''s level was way above it.


    On the contrary, he believed that the Fortune Elder might deduce a way to create a new cultivation method out of this one.


    After the Fortune Elder comprehended all of his Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he seemed a bit surprised. "Only a being without a spiritual meridian or with a broken meridian can study this body refining method, but you were able to successfully master it. It seems that you have an unusual spiritual meridian."


    "Yes, there is something truly extraordinary with my spiritual meridian," replied Ricky.


    "It really must be. Otherwise you shouldn''t be able to control these fires if you were a mere warrior at the Bone Reinforcement level," explained the Fortune Elder. Although he was a bit curious about Ricky, he didn''t ask anything more about him.


    At that moment, the Fortune Elder began to understand how Ricky''s consciousness was able to enter this place spontaneously. There must be something extraordinary with this young lad.


    "Next, I am going to give you an opportunity. It is a cultivation method that is quite similar to that of yours, only slightly more advanced. Consider it a token from meeting me in this place," said the Fortune Elder.


    "Thank you." Hearing this, Ricky solemnly gave him his gratitude.


    Although the Fortune Elder had said that it was only slightly more advanced, Ricky was certain nothing should really be "slightly" more advanced to the Fortune Elder.


    "The body refining cultivation method I am about to teach you is called the Ultimate Golden Body!" said the Fortune Elder.


    He then twitched his finger as an information in the form of white smoke shot into Ricky''s head. It showed him the cultivation method and how to practice it.


    A cultivation method of no grade--the Ultimate Golden Body.


    These words appeared inside Ricky''s mind.


    all," replied the Fortune Elder with much appreciation.


    He saw genuine confidence in Ricky''s eyes.


    "But I seem to have difficulty understanding the Source of Golden Body." Ricky expressed his confusion.


    "This is where you activate your golden body. You need to materialize a source somewhere inside you and channel your power into this source in order to successfully summon the golden body," said the Fortune Elder, "The so-called source is also like a vessel that contains the powers you acquire as you continue to practice the Ultimate Golden Body. This power can always be harnessed the moment you need them to create the golden body."


    "I understand." Ricky nodded.


    "You can use any Treasures from Heaven and Earth, spiritual weapons or any other precious items as the source, but the most suitable ingredient would be the Massacring Soil!" said the Fortune Elder.


    "The Massacring Soil!" Ricky murmured to himself.


    "It''s the most solid soil that ever existed, fused with prime forces between heaven and earth. Only by using the Massacring Soil as the source will you ever achieve the perfect Ultimate Golden Body and eventually evolve into the Chaotic Golden Body," said the Fortune Elder.


    "Do you have any ideas where to find this Massacring Soil?" asked Ricky.


    "I am afraid not, but I can give you a clue. The Massacring Soil can normally be seen in the land of wildness and ruin," said the Fortune Elder.

 Chapter 437 Demi-immortal

    "A land of wildness and ruin," Ricky muttered to himself.


    "Sir, is the Massacring Soil easy to find in such an area?" Ricky asked.


    "Well, I can only tell you that you may find the Massacring Soil, but it will not be easy. As the hardest soil in the world, the Massacring Soil''s value is self-evident. So only someone with great fortune can attain it," the Fortune Elder said to him.


    Ricky was unhappy to hear that.


    "It looks like I cannot cultivate the Ultimate Golden Body," Ricky said in a low voice.


    "Ha-ha, don''t worry. You can use some Treasures from Heaven and Earth and spiritual weapons which contain the golden power to be the Source of Golden Body for the time being. You can replace it when you find the Massacring Soil and a better Source of Golden Body." Fortune Elder laughed after hearing what Ricky said.


    "Sir, will the replacement cause any side-effects?" Ricky asked.


    "Don''t worry, it won''t. But after you replace the old Source of Golden Body with the new one, you need to master and consolidate it well and adapt the new Source of Golden Body to your Golden Body. After this, you must fuse them together," the Fortune Elder replied.


    "I understand." Ricky nodded.


    "Well, is there anything else you want to know?" the Fortune Elder asked him.


    "No, sir. Now it will all depend on me whether I can cultivate the Ultimate Golden Body," Ricky said.


    "Ha-ha, I am looking forward to seeing how powerful you will become the day when you achieve it," the Fortune Elder said. "Maybe that day will be the day that we meet again. Perhaps we are fated to reunite."


    "Sir, I will definitely make it happen. I will succeed in the cultivating of the Ultimate Golden Body," Ricky replied confidently.


    "Ha-ha, I''m looking forward to that then!" The Fortune Elder laughed, seeing Ricky''s confidence and willpower.


    ......


    Ricky talked with the Fortune Elder for a while before his mind had to leave the deep space of the Fortune Land.


    He had made a promise, and was eager to fulfill it.


    After Ricky''s mind returned to his body, he continued to bathe in the Fortune Rain and comprehend the stage of the demi-immortal.


    Ricky cultivated while he was bathing. To break into the stage of the demi-immortal, he needed to boost his stage to the peak of the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement.


    After so many battles to the dea


    And only when he did this could he be satisfied in knowing he had reached the peak of the martial arts world.


    This had been his goal from the start.


    Ricky had cultivated these great ambitions because he had a regained spiritual meridian and its zones. He knew from the beginning that he was different and he would do something really big.


    After he transformed a third of his incomplete innate power, Ricky ceased the transformation and focused on consolidating his stage with the Fortune Rain.


    Ricky obtained a lot of treasures during his journeys in the Fortune Land. Among all the warriors of the Realm of Wildness who had entered this Fortune Land in millions of years, he was the biggest champion of them all.


    Once he won the final dragon meridian, not only his body was baptized by the Fortune Rain, his mind also attained much enlightenment from the Fortune Elder. No creature had ever gotten such great opportunities.


    He also received the Ruin Fire and the cultivation method without grade, Ultimate Golden Body, after which he had a breakthrough to the demi-immortal stage. If he was not the biggest winner, who was?


    Ricky sighed emotionally to himself, "This trip to the Fortune Land has been another great turning point in my journey!"


    He thought back to another pivotal moment-- when his spiritual meridian was taken from him and he obtained the regained spiritual meridian.


    ......


    "After the Fortune Rain ceases, this competition will end too," Ricky murmured to himself.


    He thought about Grace and wondered how she was doing right now.

 Chapter 438 Getting The Source Of Golden Body Before The Fortune Land Closed

    During his last days in the Fortune Land, the only thing on Ricky''s mind was getting the Source of Golden Body. From his point of view, he was meant to practice the Ultimate Golden Body since he already owned the Massacring Zone. He believed that, with the help of the Massacring Zone, it would only be a matter of time before he could learn this cultivation method.


    But in order to master it, he must first make sure to find a suitable Source of Golden Body for himself. The Source of Golden Body was to serve as the foundation for his cultivation, and was the key to his mastery of that particular method.


    "Now let''s see¡­ Which one of my treasures is qualified for this job?" Ricky thought hard as he went over in his mind all of the things he now owned.


    The first thing he ruled out was the Massacring Soil. There was no doubt that he thought of himself as a lucky man, but he was also well aware that when it came to practicing skills, he could not count on luck at all. He still needed to work extremely hard if he wished to achieve more.


    "How about some Treasures from Heaven and Earth or spiritual weapons that have the golden power? Oh, wait, I don''t have those kinds of things!" Ricky said to himself in disappointment.


    "As of right now, the only thing I have that contains the golden power is the Massacring Zone. Would it be possible for me to turn it into my Source of Golden Body?" Ricky now turned his attention to the Massacring Zone.


    In all actuality, the Massacring Zone could work as a kind of spiritual weapon. The reason Ricky was hesitant was because he could not hold it in his hand the way he would hold other weapons.


    But for some reason, he had a feeling that the Massacring Zone was a better option than the Massacring Soil for being the Source of Golden Body.


    Come to think of it, the reason why the Fortune Elder said that the Massacring Soil could make the best Source of Golden Body was because it was the hardest kind of soil in this world. More than that, it also contained the most powerful massacring power.


    Now as Ricky pondered more over the matter, he realized that the Massacring Zone was the actual source of the massacring power. If so, then wouldn''t it be a much better choice for making a good Source of Golden Body?


    Ricky became really excited at the thought. "If I succeed in turning the Massacring Zone into my Source of Golden Body, then no one will be more qualified than me to cultivate the Ultimate Golden Body," he murmured in delight. "Thank you so much, Fortune Elder. You truly have given me a wonderful opportunity in becoming stronger!" Ricky could barely contain his excitement.


    But of course, he was well aware that he should not count his chicken before they were actually hatched. First and foremost, he had to make sure that the Massacring Zone was the right material for making the Source of Golden Body.


    He paused for a moment, then, without hesitation, he took a deep breath and instantly got down to transforming his Massacring Zone.


    The Massacring Zone was literally endless, so it was impossible for Ricky to turn the entirety of it into the Source of Golden Body. It was unnecessary, either. He only needed to take a small part of it for his work.


    As he integrated his mind into the Massacring Zone, Ricky activated his Massacring Skill. Then, a portion of the zone was divided by his massacring runes. He then adjusted the separated zone and channeled as much massacring power as the little space could take. In no time, the separated zone was filled with thick energy.


    Once the purest massacring power had blended in with the massacring runes, Ricky tried to use the indicated skill for creating the Source Golden Body in the Ultimate Golden Body method. In that moment, he was completely immersed in the cultivation.


    d gone, too.


    All of the living creatures there witnessed the great change in the Fortune Land. Now that all of the fortune, together with the white fog it created, had dissipated, the whole Fortune Land looked almost the same as the outside world. It was as if it had never even existed in the first place.


    "It appears that the Fortune Rain was actually consuming the fortune in this Fortune Land. It''s been three months, so I guess that the fortune here has run out by now," Hoffman said as he continued investigating their constantly changing surroundings.


    "The Fortune Land only opens every hundred years, and this time, the centennial scramble for this fortune is coming to an end," Ricky replied with a touch of sadness.


    "Well, time to say goodbye, dude!" Hoffman changed the topic in an effort to lighten up the atmosphere. "Let''s get together sometime and have a drink after we get out of here, alright?" he said with a big smile.


    "You have my word, friend. I hope we can meet each other soon." Ricky nodded as he smiled back at Hoffman.


    To a great extent, Ricky''s words were nothing more than a polite thing to say. He did want to meet with Hoffman again, but the problem was that he was going to leave the Realm of Wildness soon after getting out of the Fortune Land. Thus, that moment might actually be their last farewell. He cherished their friendship greatly even though they had only met each other. Still, he had an ambition to see the bigger world.


    At this thought, Ricky turned to look at Kristen and Tyson. Suddenly, he felt reluctant to part with the two of them.


    He knew that they would also feel terribly sad if they knew that he was going to leave soon, so he decided not to tell them. He thought it would be easier for them if he just went without saying goodbye when the time came.


    "Ricky, is everything okay?" In that moment, Elder Evan and the others also approached Ricky. The excitement etched on their faces suggested that they were also able to make big progress in the past three months.


    "By the way, where is Grace? Have you seen her?" Elder Evan and his men asked after greeting each other. They realized that Grace was nowhere to be found.


    "Err...she has been sent out already," Ricky said, lowering his voice a bit. He then told them the whole story word for word.


    "Really? That little girl is always so quick! I knew that she would be a step ahead of us, but this is still a pretty hard pill to swallow!" Elder Evan and the others exclaimed jokingly upon hearing Ricky''s words.

 Chapter 439 Graces Impressive Change

    Looking back on how Ricky had obtained the ultimate dragon meridian, as well as his performances in several life-or-death fights, Elder Evan praised Ricky with mixed emotions.


    "So far, not only has Grace surpassed us elders in her cultivation level, but you have made a breakthrough too!" he said.


    ...


    Later, a great many pieces of Fortune Jades, which were gadgets used to exit the Fortune Land, descended into the area they were in. Kristen, Tyson, and Hoffman each grabbed a piece of Fortune Jade immediately. After they talked for a short while, they crushed their Fortune Jades with their hands and returned to the bases of their forces.


    Then, Ricky, Elder Evan, and the others returned to the Misty South Palace in the same way. Knowing they had finally returned, Zenith and Grace, along with several others, promptly came outside to meet them.


    They were utterly thrilled to learn about how Ricky had obtained the ultimate dragon meridian.


    Meanwhile, Grace had caught the attention of Ricky, Elder Evan, and the others.


    Grace''s aura was completely different than before. She exuded an aura of oneness with nature. She clearly had already become an innate spiritual king, because only warriors at that level were able to get into a state of oneness with nature.


    But the way Grace''s countenance had changed was what they first noticed about her, not the aura change itself.


    Noticeably, the hideous blood-red birthmark on Grace''s face had entirely disappeared. Grace''s aura was no longer filled with sheer iciness. It had changed so that her iciness and fieriness had mixed together.


    Her unsightliness had transformed into elegance; her reddish eyes were emanating uniqueness, and her black hair was mixed with a shade of faint icy red, slightly oozing charm.


    The valor and lustiness of her visage differentiated her from both the coquettish and the exceedingly gorgeous type of women. Her haughtiness and intractability in her beauty could inspire a man to want to win her heart.


    "Grace, how did you..." Elder Evan started to ask in astonishment.


    "Elder Evan, after I became an innate spirit, the birthmark on my face magically disappeared," Grace said with a genuinely warm smile, instead of a cold smile like before. It was clear that the disappearance of her birthmark had boosted her confidence by a lot.


    Women, in general, put a high value on their personal appearance and felt that their worth was judged on it to some extent.


    "It seems that my birthmark contained th


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    od power would be activated or not for a long time. It did happen eventually," Zenith said in a deep voice while he nodded.


    "Chief, what''s the matter with Master Grace? Is there anything wrong with her activated blood power?" Ricky inquired anxiously, sensing Zenith''s misgivings.


    "There is nothing wrong with her special blood power, but it will cause trouble for her once warriors with the same blood power as hers learn about what she can do now," Zenith explained in a somber tone.


    "Odin, Grace''s father and my best brother, was taken away by some mysterious and strong warriors. Do you know anything about that?"


    "Yes, Chief Zenith. Master Grace even sank into despair for a long time because of her father being captured," Ricky replied with a nod.


    "The mysterious and strong warriors are members of the tribe force that Grace''s mother belongs to," Zenith revealed. He then added, "Grace''s activated special blood power is derived from her mother''s tribe."


    "The tribe''s blood power is very powerful. However, their tribe members are not allowed to procreate with outlanders that are unrelated to them. Disobedience of that tribe rule will cause serious consequences for individuals in violation once found out. That''s what I worry about!"


    "Chief, I think I understand what you mean," Ricky murmured. He felt deeply somber and worried after hearing what Zenith said.


    "Chief, what tribe is this? How powerful are they?" Ricky asked after a moment.


    "They are the Phoenix tribe¡ªthe closest descendants of the Vermilion Bird, which is a kind of sacred beast. Have you heard of it?" Zenith said with a rather hopeless sigh, looking up to the sky.

 Chapter 440 Leaving Of Doris

    "It''s the Phoenix tribe!" Ricky exclaimed in amazement. His face changed into something serious upon hearing what Zenith had just said.


    Being with Soar, one of the Great Dragons, for a long time, made him very much aware on how powerful the Phoenix tribe was.


    Long ago, the world was created along with the millions of immortals, devils, and the legendary overmatches. The overmatches housed the four most powerful mythical creatures--the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, and the Black Tortoise.


    And up until this very day, all kinds of Great Dragons that could be seen on earth were direct descendants of the Azure Dragon.


    On the other hand, the Phoenix originated from the Vermilion Bird. It was no question that the Phoenix''s power was the strongest and most ferocious among the forces in the whole of the Misty South, and that was why they were to be feared by all the people in the area.


    "Chief, I have heard about the Phoenix tribe," Ricky said.


    "And since you have already heard a thing or two about them, I think you already know that they are one of the most dominant clans in the Misty South," Zenith said. "Now you would understand why I am worrying this much, right?"


    "Chief, I understand," Ricky said in a low voice.


    "Ahh. It seems like it was just yesterday when I was training. I remember this time when I was training outside with Grace''s father. He couldn''t keep his eyes away from this beautiful woman who we met there. And as the three of us trained hard and hoped to become superior warriors, the two of them fell deeply in love. It was not long after that the woman gave birth to Grace... and the rest was history," Zenith dug in his brain as he recalled how Grace''s parents met.


    "But when after Grace was born, her mother reached out to us and told us about her real identity. She said that she was a descendant of the Phoenix tribe. She just had to tell us the truth before she surrendered herself to her family alone. As bitter as it might seem, she did this to protect Grace and her husband from the Phoenix tribe.


    Of course we all thought that everything would be fine after that incident. But only a year ago, the people of the Phoenix tribe resurfaced and abducted Grace''s father."


    "What for? They are already out of the question and the situation. Why even bother?" Ricky asked with confusion running through his face.


    "I don''t know and I have never really thought about why. But it doesn''t stop there. The tribe also attempted to kidnap Grace but they left her after they found out that she did not possess any trace of the tribe''s unique blood power in her," Zenith answered.


    "But as far as I know, Grace has already a


    nsed a great energy fluctuation from the white ball Tina gave her.


    "Tina, what in the world is this?" Ricky asked.


    "This is the energy that Doris left you to help you break away from the Shadow King of the Endless Shadow," Tina said. "According to Doris, the Shadow King of the Endless Shadow is a powerful existence even among the upper spiritual kings. The Chief of your Snow Sect, Zenith, might not even be able to defeat him even if he has become an upper spiritual king."


    "Wow, Doris is so thoughtful," Ricky said as he took the white ball with much appreciation.


    "Ricky, Doris also said that this energy ball is not powerful enough to help you kill the Shadow King. But you could use this to make him suffer and weaken his power," Tina added.


    "Tina, I understand what Doris meant. Thank you. Don''t worry, I''ll take care of the Shadow King by myself, after all he is my own enemy," Ricky nodded and said.


    "I''m glad you understood everything," Tina replied.


    After talking for a little while, Tina went back inside the airship to hide until Ricky and the others were ready to leave with her.


    "Let me take a rest, and it''s time to leave the Realm of Wildness," Ricky said to himself.


    After all the planning that Ricky had done, Ricky still worried about one thing in the Realm of Wildness-- he could not find his father and there was no news about him. Zenith, on the other hand, had already helped him search for his father. But unfortunately, he still got nothing.


    ''Father, have you already left the Realm of Wildness? I haven''t seen you in ages! The thing is, I don''t even know when I''ll be back to meet you after I leave this place. I hope you''re okay. I hope we meet soon, '' Ricky said to himself as he had his heart on his chest and wished his father''s safety.

 Chapter 441 Zeniths Successful Breakthrough

    After a while, Ricky stopped wondering about his father''s whereabouts. He clearly understood that, no matter how hard he tried at that point in time, it wouldn''t make any difference. His father had been missing for such a long time that it seemed hopeless. He had no informers to keep him updated either. The most important thing for him right then was still his cultivation strength. Once he was strong enough, he would be able to find and protect his father. Thinking about that, he calmed down. He sat quietly and began to adjust his breathing. Now, he needed some more time to let himself recover. It was not a wise idea to keep breaking through and making great progress all the time without any rest. Ricky''s nerves had been on edge when he was in the Fortune Land. After everything he had gone through there, he needed some time to take a good rest.


    What was more important, was that it would be the best way for him to enhance his current abilities instead of rushing to make new progress.


    Although he had recovered a lot after he consumed the Regenerating Grass, he still felt like his body was a bit weak. That was an after effect which he couldn''t avoid. Ricky had made up his mind that, after he reached the demi-immortal level, he would be able to kill any person or creature at the demi-immortal level.


    That way, he would be strong enough and would be qualified to challenge the innate spiritual king when he was at the peak of demi-immortal. Once he gathered his thoughts, Ricky took a deep breath before he closed his eyes.


    Boom! Boom! Before he could rest for even one day, several powerful momentums appeared above the Misty South Palace. Among them, there was one which was especially powerful. It was much more powerful than Zenith.


    ''Finally, there you are, Shadow King, '' Ricky thought to himself the moment he felt it. It was quite familiar to him considering the fact that he once had fought with him. He stood up at once and exerted his internal strength. A pair of spiritual energy wings appeared on his back. Then, he flew out of the palace in a rush.


    By the time Ricky got out, Zenith, Soar, Grace, Elder Evan, and the other elders had already gathered there.


    Standing in front of them was Boris, an array deployer, and two middle-aged warriors in black. One could see from their breathing techniques that the two warriors were from the Endless Shadow.


    At that point in time, all the people present fixed their eyes on the center of the space. They were staring at the middle-aged warrior in black in the center, who was floating in the air.


    Needless to say, he was none other than the Shadow King.


    The invisible, but strong aura emitting from the Shadow King filled the space up. Strands of murderous intent were floating through the air that surrounded him. Suddenly, all of them descended from the sky and dashed towards the Misty South Palace.


    Luckily, they had Zenith. Zenith''s strong aura formed a protective screen, so they did not fear the enemies that were running at them.


    ''It seems that Boris and his men are cooperating with the Endless Shadow, '' Ricky thought to himself when seeing those men. ''That''s a good thing


    en''t had a real fight in a long time! Is this the reason that you have already forgotten who is dominating the Realm of Wildness right now?"


    "Maybe you dominated this realm in the past, but now I''d like to tell you that I am the chief of the Misty South Palace, and I am dominating the Snow Land," Zenith replied in a distant tone.


    "My king, you can concentrate on dealing with Zenith. We''ll handle the rest of them." At that point time, Boris came closer to the Shadow King and suggested that he deal with his minions.


    He knew he did not have the capability to defeat Zenith at that point, but he could still kill Ricky and some other people.


    "Boris, if you dare to touch them, I will hunt you for the rest of your life. You know I will always keep my promises," Zenith said coldly after hearing Boris'' cunning suggestion, and shot a fierce glare at Boris with enormous murderous intent in his eyes


    "You want to kill me, Zenith? Ha-ha, before you do, you have to beat the Shadow King!" Boris sneered as he replied.


    "You are going to die here today!" Zenith snorted in amusement before he started to launch an attack towards Boris without any hesitation. The Ultimate Blizzard Domain shot quickly towards Boris as if it would engulf him the next second.


    Meanwhile, the Shadow King also fought back. His Ultimate Killing Domain stopped Zenith''s attack.


    The Shadow King turned around and said to Boris, "You stay there, and don''t move without my permission! I have control over all of this. I''ll end your lives if you decide to act rashly."


    Boris dared not to make any objections towards the Shadow King''s order. He had no option but to step backwards unhappily with a dark look on his face.


    The Shadow King did not want Boris and the others to interfere in the fight, but it was not because he wanted to let Ricky and others go. It was just that he preferred to do it by himself. He wanted to prove that, even though Zenith became an upper spiritual king, he still had the ability to control everything! No one should question his power as the most powerful warrior in the Realm of Wilderness.

 Chapter 442 The Powerful Shadow King

    Boom! Boom!


    Before his voice faded, the Shadow King gathered his aura in the blink of an eye. His murderous intent poured out of his body before it swarmed up to become a part of his Ultimate Killing Domain.


    Immediately, his Ultimate Domain, which was originally transparent, turned as red as blood as it was expanding outwards with great speed.


    "Zenith, no one in the Realm of Wildness has ever challenged me right to my face. Even the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness has never said such words of challenge to me. You are the very first one to do that," the Shadow King exclaimed in a cold voice as he narrowed his eyes at the other man.


    "So, next, I''m going to teach you a lesson and make you understand one thing. You will know who the master of the Realm of Wildness is. You will also learn that I have the ability to take away anyone that I want. You know what? You are being blinded by this small achievement you just made. Arrogance will kill you someday, sooner or later."


    Immediately after the Shadow King finished saying that, he approached Zenith imposingly. He moved slowly, yet after one step, he was much closer to Zenith. The power embedded in his Ultimate Killing Domain grew stronger. It pushed Zenith''s Ultimate Blizzard Domain backwards continuously.


    "Well, that was a nice speech, but I''m not giving up! I''m really looking forward to your performance in battle," Zenith replied in a cold tone as he furrowed his brow.


    The next second, his freezing power also had ferociously broken out. As a result, giant snowflakes began falling from the sky out of nowhere. Zenith was employing the skill called the Holy Snow Attack. Immediately, his Ultimate Blizzard Domain was no longer shrinking and had begun expanding quickly.


    Bang! Bang!


    The next second, the two powerful Ultimate Domains met each other with tremendous power. Zenith and the Shadow King also flew towards each other because they were determined to fight. Their figures entangled and no one could differentiate between them.


    Crack! Crack!


    Apart from that, the loud noise caused by the collision echoed throughout the sky and there were crackling sounds that deafened everyone watching. It turned out that the space near them was being torn apart by their fight. Their energy flashed in the air and moved around here and there in the blink of an eye.


    All Ricky could see was destroyed bits of the ground and trees around them. He could barely see the figures through all of them. He was unable to identify how they fought or what kind of the attacks they used at all. They moved too fast, so fast that his eyes could not catch up with them. In the blink of an eye, they had already clashed together in several dozens of bouts.


    ''So, this is what a fight between upper spiritual kings is like!'' Ricky could not help but sigh in his heart when he saw such a ferocious and wonderful fight. ''When can I become an upper spiritual king? I''m really looking forward to it!''


    Ricky was incredibly eager to reach the level of an upper spiritual king. Meanwhile, he understoo


    ased in an instant.


    A moment later, his frosty power burst out. It was more than powerful than it had ever been before. It melted within Zenith''s right palm and formed a giant gauntlet. Zenith threw his fist out forcefully and it met with the three swords that were sent from the Shadow King.


    "How dare you continue to try and fight against me when I''ve shown you that I''m much stronger than you! You are really an over-confident man! I admire your courage, but you will die here anyway!" the Shadow King teased in a disdainful voice upon seeing Zenith still trying to fight against him face to face.


    The Shadow King admitted that, if Zenith tried to run away, he would have no way to deal with him. If Zenith wanted to battle with him, he was one hundred percent sure that he would beat him to death rather easily.


    "Oh, I got it! You are fighting to protect those losers that are hiding at your back, right?" Zenith chose to stay there to fight even though he had known all along that he would not be a match for the Shadow King. The king also understood his reason for fighting at that point.


    "Humph! So, you are another guy who is driven by emotions and relationships! You are the kind that I hate the most! You are doomed to have your life end here," the Shadow King said out loud. He was growing angrier as he poured more power into his three swords.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Amidst the strong and loud bursts that were echoing throughout the sky, the three Great Killing Swords and Zenith''s palm finally forcefully and ferociously met. At that moment, the air in their surroundings was filled up with murderous intent brought out by their attacks.


    "This is exactly the right time! One will only relax the moment after his strike has reached his enemy! This is my opportunity to cut in!" Ricky murmured to himself with excitement at that point in time. His eyes lit up with an eager fire.


    He began to take action at that moment. He twisted his wrist and an energy ball rushed out and towards the direction that the Shadow King was in.

 Chapter 443 A Mysterious Woman Helped Him

    "Zenith, it''s been a long time since we have seen each other!"


    At that point in time, a clear female voice called out of nowhere. Her voice was soft, but it reached everyone despite its softness. The voice was surrounded by the strong innate power released by Zenith and the Shadow King as they kept fighting violently. Normally, one''s voice could hardly be heard by others during such a fierce fight, unless the owner of the voice was carrying a great power.


    Before the voice faded, a woman in black appeared.


    There was a clear, clean, distant, yet elegant momentum surrounding her. She had long hair that rippled in the breeze. She looked so pure; she was just like a lotus that was born in the dirty mud, yet kept itself clean and pure.


    She wore nothing but black clothes, and her face was rather pretty. Any grown man would feel his heart beat faster when he looked at her.


    The lady was somehow reminiscent of Helen of Troy because she was someone whom men would be willing to go to war for.


    After she showed up, she floated in the air near the battle and threw out her attack that turned out to be a flushing palm. It shot forward quickly. Wherever it passed, both Zenith''s and the Shadow King''s Ultimate Domains retreated backwards accordingly.


    Her big palm attack quickly disappeared too. When it was nowhere to be seen, Zenith, who was a bloody mess, appeared beside the woman. As for the Shadow King, he was beaten back by the woman''s palm and launched backwards from them.


    This sudden change shocked everyone who was watching. None of them had ever expected that someone would interfere in the fight.


    "Cheryl! What brings you here?" Zenith asked, his voice breaking the short silence.


    Watching the woman in front of him, he felt nothing but surprise. The woman was the last person he would ever imagine to see there. It was shocking that she had come and saved him! It brought tremendous shock to Zenith, because the place that she lived was too far away from him for her to get there.


    There was more to the situation, however. The relationship between the two of them was somewhat awkward-- they were lovers and enemies at the same time. Of course, that complicated relationship was only known to them.


    There was a sense of affection in Zenith''s eyes which could hardly be identified. Likewise, the woman also stared at him with seemingly affectionate eyes.


    "I said once that no one would be allowed to kill you except me. Don''t you remember that?" the woman replied in an indifferent tone


    upon hearing Zenith''s question.


    "Do any of you know who this woman is? Master Grace? Elder Evan?" Ricky asked with curiosity in his eyes. Disbelief was written all over his face. Meanwhile, he still felt very relieved that Zenith was saved by her. Ricky was certain, from the attack the woman just performed, that she was in no way weaker than


    ch a powerful female warrior, but he won''t want to explain it to us," Elder Samuel said.


    "Don''t worry, elders. I''m not a gossip," Ricky said with a smile.


    He really meant that he was not that curious about Zenith and Cheryl. They couldn''t tell if he really cared about the situation by his expression.


    "I sent you a message to come here because I have something to share with you."


    "What is it?" the five elders asked, their faces turning serious upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    "Ha-ha! Easy, elders. I''d like to give you something precious. This is my gift, as a junior, to you, my seniors." Ricky laughed casually upon seeing their serious expressions. Then, he took out many Treasures from Heaven and Earth from his storage ring.


    The Treasures from Heaven and Earth were gained when he was in the Land of Legacy in the Wonderland. It was probably because the upper spiritual king there was cultivating by using the flushing method, so all the treasures he collected had something in common. The thing they had in common was that all of them were embedded with the power of life, which could make warriors live longer.


    "Oh my God! All of these...They can increase longevity!" all of the five elders exclaimed in great shock upon seeing what Ricky had just presented to them.


    To those elders, the most precious thing was longevity. Now, they saw so many Treasures from Heaven and Earth that could increase their longevity. How could they not be excited?


    "Yes, you are right, my elders! All of these are Treasures from Heaven and Earth that can make people live longer," Ricky said, a smile creeping onto his lips.


    He was happy from the bottom of his heart when he could do something to help the five elders. He was aware that all of them were trustworthy people judging from the fact that they followed and supported Zenith all the time, and had not abandoned him when he had lost everything.

 Chapter 444 The Tough Choice That They Were Faced With

    The five elders accepted Ricky''s generous presents. The Treasures from Heaven and Earth were things that they needed the most, after all.


    "Thank you, Ricky! We are grateful for what you have done to help us. Maybe we are old, but we can still do something for you. You must tell us whenever you need a hand and we will do whatever we can for you¡ªyou have our word." They made their promises to Ricky right after he gave them their gifts. They clearly understood that Ricky did not have to help them with all his might, but still, he had searched for such powerful treasures for them. That was thoughtful enough of him, so in return, they would spare no effort to pay him back as long as they could.


    "Thank you, elders, for making this promise to me. You are my seniors, so I am just doing what a good junior should do for you," Ricky replied in a soft voice as he gave them a sincere look.


    "So, the next choice is going to be really tough. I''m afraid I have to leave the choice of what to do next up to you guys," Ricky said again in a slightly serious tone after he paused for a moment.


    The next second, he took out the cultivation method inheritance and casting skill inheritance that he had gained from the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor.


    "What are those, Ricky?" the elders asked. They had great looks of shock on their faces when they saw the two luminous blobs.


    "These are the cultivation method inheritance and casting skill inheritance from a demi-spiritual emperor. He was also a casting master at the advanced stage of Spirit Level," Ricky replied. "I''d like to give them to you, but there is a problem. I only have two inheritances, while there are five of you. As for who will get them, I''m afraid you have to decide on your own."


    Ricky had his own things to consider. If he were to make the choice, it would be unfair to those who didn''t get them. If the choice was left to them, then no one would blame him for being unfair. There was nothing he could do to solve that problem. He only had two inheritances, after all. If possible, he wished that he had five so that each elder could get one.


    "The inheritances from a demi-spiritual emperor?" they exclaimed in shock again upon hearing what Ricky had just said.


    After the shock was gone, they fell into silence. Everyone wanted the inheritances from a demi-spiritual emperor, especially people like them who were old and were not able to break through and become innate spirits. It was no shame to admit such a thing.


    The six people fell in silence for a few minutes.


    Finally, a decision was made. Elder Samuel and another three elders exchanged looks before they turned to Ricky and said at the same time, "Ricky, please give the inheri


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    elf. Finally, the tough distribution problem he had faced was solved peacefully.


    The trouble could be solved so easily mainly because the five elders valued their friendship much more than their own achievements. The result might have been totally different otherwise.


    If that were the case, Ricky would not have told them about the inheritances he had.


    ''Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor, I''ve fulfilled your last wish to some degree by giving your inheritances to people deserve them. Although Elder Evan and Elder Samuel are not some kind of geniuses, I''m sure that they will make the most use of them. Your inheritances will live on through them, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''I promise that I will help them as long as I can.''


    After that matter was solved, the elders left and went back to their rooms. As for Ricky, it was time for him to consider which place outside the Realm of Wildness he should go to enhance his ability at that point.


    Right at that point in time, he heard a message from Zenith.


    When he arrived at Zenith''s room, he saw that Grace and Soar had already gathered there.


    They locked their eyes on Cheryl. From her expression, they concluded that she just had a nice talk with Zenith before they arrived.


    "Are these the outstanding juniors you talked about?" Cheryl asked when she saw them, and stood up from her chair. She sized them up from head to toe.


    "Yes, they are. I''m sure they will live to be the most talented members after they are admitted by the Oriental College," Zenith replied as he nodded.


    His voice was gentle, quite unlike his usual serious tone when he spoke to Cheryl.


    "The Oriental College?" Ricky and Soar both murmured in confusion upon hearing the strange name.


    Grace, however, reacted differently and her eyes lit up when she heard it.

 Chapter 445 The Oriental College

    Cheryl walked towards them and stopped, looking at Grace and Soar. "Well, this woman and this man are not too bad. They''ve already reached the innate spirit level," Cheryl said gently. She was powerful enough to identity their levels by only looking at them.


    "As for this one," she said as she turned to Ricky, "he is only at the demi-immortal level. I''m afraid he is not yet qualified for the selection process of the Oriental College.


    Zenith, you were once a disciple of the Oriental College. I''m sure you know its recruitment policy. One must be an excellent warrior at the peak of the demi-immortal level, at the least." Cheryl paused for a few moments before she continued speaking again.


    "In this day and age, there are countless talents in the world. I''m afraid that the recruitment standard will have been raised by a lot."


    "Thanks for the kind reminder, Cheryl. I, of course, know about the recruitment policy of the college. That''s exactly why I am asking you to do me this favor," Zenith said. "I can assure you that he is going to be the biggest shining star after he enters the college. He will not shame your records, and he will bring you honor for introducing him to the college."


    "Are you sure?" Cheryl could not help growing curious when she heard what Zenith said. He was being very confident about the young man.


    She could not figure out why Zenith was so certain that Ricky would be the biggest shining star among the geniuses at the Oriental College. All the geniuses in the Eastern Land gathered in that place, after all. Where did his confidence come from?


    "I''m a hundred percent sure about it!" Zenith replied with great confidence as he stared back at her.


    Upon hearing Zenith''s reassurance, Cheryl turned her beautiful eyes toward Ricky again, trying to identify what extent of talent he really had.


    "What kind of mutant do you have?" Cheryl asked Ricky.


    "I don''t have any mutant," Ricky replied reverently.


    "Oh? You don''t have any? You''re making me even more curious now. Why is Zenith so confident that you will become the most attractive talent in the Oriental College, then?" Cheryl asked seriously, her eyes locking onto his.


    "I''m confident in myself too," Ricky replied with a smirk.


    "Ha-ha, young man, I think you''re being a bit over confident," Cheryl replied with a laugh upon hearing what Ricky said.


    She then turned her eyes back to Zenith and said, "I can help you, but if I do it, there will be a condition."


    "What is it, Cheryl? I will do whatever I can," Zenith swore.


    "I want those five hundred years to be a lifetime instead," Cheryl said with determination in her eyes. When she made that request, she was full of fear deep down in her heart. She was not sure whether Zenith would accept or refuse her request.


    "Yes, I agree to that. T


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    al College is my next destination, then! The most talented warriors gather there, right? I just can''t wait to join in now that I know about it!'' Ricky thought to himself as he blinked his eyes.


    His blood was burning like he was on a warpath again.


    He was not alone. Both Grace and Soar were releasing their combat power in excitement. They were more than pleased to be able to fight against other talented warriors. Only through that method would they enhance and improve their abilities quickly and greatly. Being faced with strong opponents was the most exciting thing to them.


    "What about the jade tablet, Chief Zenith? What is it used for?" Ricky asked as he gripped the tablet in his hand excitedly.


    "The Oriental College is extremely strict in the way they recruit new disciples. In the past, the admittance criteria was that you be at least at the peak of the demi-immortal level, but now we are in a different age when numerous geniuses have appeared. I''m afraid the lowest criteria has been improved so that you must be an innate spirit," Zenith explained.


    "The coming selection will be held in three months. I know you can make great progress in a short time, but I don''t think you can reach the innate spirit level in just three months. It''s not that I''m not confident in you; it''s just too difficult for anyone. You know what I mean, Ricky.


    That''s why I asked Cheryl to give me a jade tablet. With this tablet, the selection criteria of an innate spirit will be not applied to you. As for whether you can make it and be admitted by the college or not, it all depends on you. So, showcase your ability as best as you can.


    I''m sure you can manage it because I trust you."


    "Yes, Chief Zenith, I understand things now. I will enter the Oriental College, and I will not let you down. I will surely bring honor to you!" Ricky exclaimed in a determined voice.

 Chapter 446 Heading Out On A New Journey

    "You have to rely on yourselves from now on. I can''t help you once you start this journey. I''m really looking forward to the day when you make your mark in the Oriental College. Whether you make great achievement there or not is up to you," Zenith said in a serious tone when he looked at his disciples.


    "Yes, Chief Zenith. We will keep your wise words in mind!" They nodded with a decisive look.


    After that, Zenith took out a map and passed it to them. "This is a route map which records several ways to the Oriental College. Take it with you in case you get lost and even are not able to find the right place three months from now. It''s quite far away and is located in a relatively secluded place," Zenith said.


    They nodded before they accepted the map.


    "Well, I''ve already told you everything I know. You can go back to your rooms and pack your things before you leave. Don''t you worry about the Misty South Palace; I will arrange everything for you well before I leave," Zenith suggested.


    "Chief Zenith, what''s the relationship between you and that beautiful lady?" Soar finally asked. He could not hold his curiosity in anymore. It was just too difficult for him to suppress his curiosity.


    The second Soar finished his question, Ricky and Grace cast a fierce glare at him. They were secretly pleased to hear Soar ask that too though. They were also curious about it.


    As he looked at them, Zenith did not become angry at Soar''s slightly rude question. He, of course, was aware that they were curious about Cheryl and their relationship. He did not mean to hide anything from them, so he decided to tell them everything. "Well, it''s a long story. After I came back from the Fortune Land, the Oriental College was staging a competition to pick up new disciples.


    At that time, I came to attend the competition with many talented warriors and was luckily enough to be selected as one of the disciples. After I entered the college, I met Cheryl and we became fast friends.


    We practiced together, made achievements together, and reached the innate spirit level together. As time went by, we started to have feelings for each other."


    "I never expected that there was once such a romantic story that has happened to you, Chief Zenith," Soar sighed in shock when he heard what Zenith said.


    "Cheryl''s family is at the demi-spiritual emperor level though. Her family surely looked down upon me, so they sent out someone to warn me to leave her alone and never talk to her again." Zenith continued his story.


    "The powerful family tried to force you to leave her?" Ricky snorted disdainfully. Soar and Grace nodded in agreement.


    Ricky knew the story of Grace''s parents, but he had not expected that a similar thing happened to Zenith too. How could he refrain from getting angry and remain calm and peaceful


    , Master Grace," Ricky replied before he also laughed.


    "Well, we will come back here when we grow more powerful, sooner or later. This is your home, Ricky," Grace said.


    "This is something you have to experience in the martial world. You have to sacrifice something if you want to become stronger. Only when you become powerful can you protect those you love and care about. Or you can choose to leave everything behind," Tina said.


    "Well, I''m afraid I have to leave everything for the time being," Ricky sighed heavily. "Hopefully, the Oriental College won''t let me down! I''m really looking forward to being a member of it."


    Then, they headed in the direction that the Oriental College was located.


    Thanks to Tina, they used the airship to get a ride there.


    Tina told them that the airship was a high grade spiritual weapon. What was more, there was a powerful array deployed on it so that it could resist an attack from any upper spiritual king.


    Ricky sighed again with emotion when he learned that information. If the warriors in the Eastern Land knew that the ship was a high grade spiritual weapon, they would surely come to try and snatch it, so another bloody fight would be inevitable.


    Even a completed spiritual king would become greedy for a high grade spiritual weapon.


    The airship headed forward quickly in the air. In the blink of an eye, they were already a thousand miles away. They talked happily and exchanged their experiences leisurely aboard the airship.


    To be more specific, Ricky, Soar, and Grace were listening to Tina telling stories most of the time. Although Tina was only a demi-immortal, she was born into a prominent family and she knew many things that they did not know.


    What they did not notice, was that two shadows appeared in the front of the airship as they were concentrating on the wonderful stories Tina was telling.

 Chapter 447 She Decided To Leave Them

    The people following them were a woman and a man.


    The woman looked a bit older and she was a matured woman with a beautiful face. Her thick, red hair was braided and put up. Her every move and facial expression indicated that she was a woman of poise and grace. What was more, she had a curvy body that only added more to her beauty. Any man would be attracted to her after even one look.


    The man was relatively young, and he looked to be a junior to the woman.


    He had an extraordinary momentum and a handsome face. He was also regal and seemed to be born to rule. That was the first impression one would get upon their first sight of him.


    He was holding a compass in his hand, and there was a drop of blood on the compass. Inside the blood there was a red phoenix. It seemed that it was somehow moving more violently as time went by.


    "What conclusion have you come to? Is she inside the airship?" the woman asked the young man.


    "Yes, you are right. The blood of our grandmaster is resonating more and more obviously. I''m sure that she''s inside the airship now," The young man replied. "There is one thing I can''t figure out, though. We are from the Phoenix tribe, and according to the rule of our tribe, we are not allowed to marry people from other tribes. Anyone who breaks that rule will be considered a sinner that is guilty of bringing impurity to our tribe.


    So, why does our grandmaster value this woman so much? Why did he send you to take her back?"


    "It''s all due to the fact that she has a very precious bloodline! Her bloodline is no weaker than your Pure Phoenix Masculine Bloodline," the woman replied.


    "What? How can that be?" the man exclaimed in great surprise upon learning that information. "Is she carrying the Pure Phoenix Feminine Bloodline?"


    "Nope. She has an even more powerful bloodline than the Pure Phoenix Feminine Bloodline. It''s highly possible that she has the Phoenix Bloodline of Fire and Ice," the woman replied after she took a deep breath. Apparently, she was also shocked at that possibility.


    "What?! The...the Phoenix Bloodline of Fire and Ice?" The young man could not help stammering after hearing that.


    He was well aware of what the Phoenix Bloodline of Fire and Ice meant to a warrior.


    It was definitely much more powerful than his Pure Phoenix Masculine Bloodline. It was no exaggeration to say that it was the strongest bloodline out of all the bloodlines he knew of.


    "Is that information reliable?" the young man asked again after he fell into a pensive silence for a moment. His eyes became greedy after he had digested that information. He suddenly came up with his own plan.


    "The grandmaster never makes any mistakes. Now that his blood is resonating so violently, I''m sure that she is the one we are looking for," the woman responded.


    "I''m one hundred percent sure that, once she goes back to our tribe, she will win recognition and


    with you!" Grace blurted out without thinking twice. Her parents were suffering in the Phoenix tribe, so there was no way she would refuse as long as she had a chance to save her parents.


    "No, Master Grace! You can''t just go back with them! What if they decide to snatch your bloodline?" Ricky immediately tried to stop her upon hearing Grace agree to go with them.


    "Humph! You are just a human being, so how dare you try to butt into our dealings!" the young man scolded coldly upon hearing what Ricky said. He was once again ready to beat Ricky up.


    Jasmine Feng stopped him again.


    "Ricky, they have my parents! I don''t have any other options. I have to go with them!" Grace said.


    Ricky decided not to waste his time trying to persuade her. He knew that Grace would not listen to him, so he immediately activated his Chaotic Fire Zone and was ready to pull her into it, but Grace resisted him.


    The Chaotic Fire Zone could contain anything, so Ricky could put anything into the zone as long as it was an object or living thing that was weaker than him.


    As for those that were stronger than him, he would have a hard time pushing them into the zone if they refused to go inside voluntarily.


    "Master Grace! Please!" Ricky begged in a desperate tone as Grace resisted him.


    "Ricky, I''m sorry. I will see you someday sooner or later! I have to save my parents for the time being," Grace said.


    Meanwhile, she sent a message to him telepathically so that no one could hear it. "Ricky, there is always a place for you in my heart, but this is not the right time for us to talk about it. If I am fortunate enough, I will see you someday in the future. When that time comes, I will try to be more courageous. Someday, I will admit my true feelings for you!''


    "Let''s leave now," Grace said in determination as she turned to Jasmine Feng.


    "What a smart girl! You just made the right decision!" Jasmine Feng said with a smile.

 Chapter 448 Lanny Feng

    At that moment, Ricky was even more reluctant to let Grace leave. She had confirmed that she actually had feelings for him. She had really just told him!


    He understood that it might be a great opportunity for Grace to make impressive progress when she went back to the Phoenix tribe despite the risk. Still, she might be faced with greater danger there at the same time. He was very worried about her safety.


    He also had a selfish thought. He did not want the woman he loved to leave him; he wanted to stay with her. It was probably not right for him to think too much about that kind of thing. Ricky was only a demi-immortal and he had human desires, after all.


    "Master Grace! I don''t want you to leave me!" Ricky said sadly. There were tears welling up in his eyes. He reached out and intended to pull Grace back.


    Jasmine waved her hand and immediately, the space around them was frozen. Ricky, Soar, and Tina were unable to move at all due to her powerful ability.


    "Ricky, Soar, Tina, take care of yourselves! I will see you again someday in the future!" Grace turned around and bade goodbye to them.


    She did not want to leave either. She truly wished that she could experience and search the world with Ricky! She had been looking forward to going to the Oriental College with him, but now, she was left no other choice but to go back to the Phoenix tribe. Her parents were there, and she could not just leave them to suffer alone.


    Grace gazed sadly at Ricky for a long time as she left.


    "All right. It''s time for us to set off. Let''s go," Jasmine said in an indifferent tone. It was a touching scene, but she really didn''t care.


    She knew that Grace had a good relationship with them for the time being. She was certain that, after Grace went back to the Phoenix tribe, established herself there, and became more powerful, she would gradually forget her humble human friends.


    Then, Jasmine, Grace, and the young man left. There were tears in Ricky''s eyes and Grace''s receding figure blurred as he watched her through those tears.


    The space did not return to normal until Jasmine disappeared completely into the distance. Then, Ricky and the others finally could move again.


    At that point in time, all Ricky''s strength seemed to be drained away. He knelt down on the ground heavily, feeling helpless and sad.


    Anger engulfed him as he clenched his fists firmly. He held his fists so tightly that his body could not help shaking uncontrollably. He did not blame Jasmine for taking Grace away. He blamed himself because he thought that he was still too weak to protect the woman he loved.


    If he was a powerful warrior, would that still have happened? Would that strange woman still have been able to take Grace away? The answer was, appa


    u are from a humble race while she is from a noble tribe. She will not be with you no matter what. Be careful! There will be consequences if you try to break the rules," he said arrogantly to Ricky.


    "I will never change my mind. I will break into the gates of the Phoenix tribe and take her away!" Ricky replied in the same serious tone. He would never give in when it had something to do with Grace.


    "Oh, really? Well, I''m quite looking forward to that day! For now, I''m afraid I have to teach you a lesson! A human being is not allowed to challenge the Phoenix tribe! Even such offensive words will not be accepted against us!" Lanny Feng said.


    The next moment, a burning red flame rose from his right hand. It was then transformed into a large flame ball and rushed towards the place where Ricky was standing.


    Ricky, Soar, and Tina were engulfed by the fire ball before they could make any attempt to dodge.


    Boom! Boom! In the next second, a deep pit appeared in the ground with fire burning inside of it where the impact had landed.


    "Humph! I wanted to kill you with my first attack! If I were not stopped, you''d have already been a dead man now! Thank you for your offensive words, though. You just provided me with an excellent excuse to kill you! Grace has the Phoenix Bloodline of Fire and Ice, so she is mine, and no one can take her from me!" Lanny Feng said disdainfully as he stared at the burning pit.


    After he finished speaking, he turned around and left again.


    The fire in the pit kept burning and was not extinguished completely until one hour later.


    Ricky, Soar, and Tina came out from the Chaotic Fire Zone at that time.


    "Your name is Lanny Feng, right? Someday, I will pay you back for what you just did!" Ricky said murderously as he glared in the direction that Lanny Feng had just disappeared in.

 Chapter 449 Reaching The Destination

    "Humph! He is so arrogant! Does he really think he can do whatever he wants to just because he''s a member of the Phoenix tribe? I will beat the shit out of him sooner or later," Soar also exclaimed angrily.


    If it were not for the Chaotic Fire Zone, all of them would probably have been burnt into ashes by Lanny''s attack.


    Later, they went back inside the airship and continued with their journey towards the Oriental College.


    They did not run into any trouble for the rest of the trip. Thanks to the airship, they successfully reached the realm where the Oriental College was located within a month and a half. It was called the Oriental Realm.


    The Oriental Realm was one of the largest realms in the Eastern Land. It was also located in the central area of the Eastern Land.


    Once they entered the territory of the Oriental Realm, they felt thicker spiritual energy of heaven and earth around them.


    In this world, the more distant a place was, the less spiritual energy it contained. Because of that situation, it was less likely to find a strong warrior in such remote places. Powerful warriors usually appeared in the large and central places where there was thicker spiritual energy.


    "It feels so good! I can tell that the spiritual energy here is at least five times more powerful than that in the Realm of Wildness. It really lives up to its fame and is a place where demi-spiritual emperors and spiritual emperors gather." After sighing in shock, Soar took a deep breath so he could feel the thick spiritual energy.


    "When you grow more powerful, you can go to the Middle Land for improvement. You will feel thicker spiritual energy there. I can assure you that you will be showered by the spiritual energy every second," Tina said.


    "Tina, how large is the Middle Land?" Ricky asked. He could not help growing more curious about it upon hearing Tina''s assurances.


    "Well, that is a good question. Unfortunately, I have no idea either. Anyway, it is larger than the total area of the other four parts," Tina replied as she shrugged her shoulders.


    "So, is it highly possible that the Phoenix tribe is located in the Middle Land, then?" Ricky asked.


    "That''s not the case. Ancient tribes, such as the Phoenix tribe, usually create their own world that is separate from everything else," Tina replied. "What''s more, the entrance to their realm is extremely secret. Even a strong warrior would be unlikely to be able to find the entrance.


    Besides, the Phoenix tribe has super powerful arrays guarding their realm. They are so powerful that no one alone can challenge them in the whole Misty South.


    As a matter of fact, no other tribe would even dare to challenge them either."


    Both Ricky and Soar fell into silence upon hearing Tina''s explanation. They did not


    the city and had no idea how far the whole city stretched across the land. The city also had an ancient and marvelous aura. The Oriental City was already there when the Oriental College had been established a long time ago, so the city was as old as the college.


    There were numerous warriors, beasts, and spiritual king beasts coming and going from the huge gate.


    That was because there was an explicit provision that one must walk in the city no matter whether they were an innate spiritual king or a powerful spiritual king beast. One would be deemed to be challenging the authority of the Oriental College if one attempted to fly in.


    That rule did not apply to a demi-spiritual emperor, however.


    Ricky, Tina, and Soar paid thirty gold coins at the gate for permission to enter.


    After they entered the city, their mouths could not help gaping open slightly in surprise. Everything was so marvelous, and numerous people were wandering around on the streets.


    "Hurry up! We have to make a hotel reservation as early as possible. More warriors are heading here now. We may even be unable to find a place to stay if we don''t hurry." Ricky heard passersby say in worry as they rushed through the street.


    "It seems that we''d better find a place to stay now," Ricky suggested.


    Soar and Tina nodded in agreement. Then, they went to the busiest street to look for a hotel that had rooms available.


    "Hey, do you know the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce? I''ve heard that it is going to hold an important auction in the city five days from now. I''ve heard that there will be various precious treasures being sold at that time!" Ricky and his friends heard someone whisper.


    "An auction?" Ricky and Soar blurted out at the same time before they exchanged looks with each other. Both of them became excited at that news. Their eyes lit up immediately.

 Chapter 450 The Young Master

    "Let''s go to the auction after we settle down! I think I have enough gold coins that we can afford some good Treasures from Heaven and Earth," Ricky suggested, turning to look at Soar and Tina.


    "Yes!" They both nodded in agreement.


    Then, they went to the main street and booked a hotel. After they entered their rooms, they began to cultivating in solitude.


    Ricky and Soar needed time to conform themselves to the environment because there was thicker spiritual energy in that area. Even an innate spiritual king would have to adjust himself to his optimum state in order to cultivate more smoothly and comfortably there.


    The auction of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce would be held five days later. That left them enough time to adjust themselves to their new surroundings.


    The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce was another strong force owning spiritual emperors. Its bidding blocks spread all over the Eastern Land, so it was quite famous there.


    Therefore, although there was still one month and a half left before the selection competition of the Oriental College, numerous people flocked to the Oriental City thanks to the auction the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce was going to hold there.


    Normally, there would always be some surprising treasures in its auction each time it was held.


    Five days passed quickly, and countless people gathered in the central area of the Oriental City. They hovered around the large palace there. Needless to say, the giant palace was the place where the auction would soon be held.


    The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce made an explicit stipulation for that particular auction. All the organizations or forces must be led by an innate spiritual king to enter the palace and be able to attend the auction. Otherwise, the door would be closed to anyone who did not have an innate spiritual king as part of their party.


    They made that new rule because there were too many warriors coming to the auction. They hoped that the rule would help to weed out the riff-raff from the more legitimate customers.


    This rule did not cause any trouble for Ricky, Soar, or Tina because Soar was already an innate spirit at that point. They would not even have a chance to enter the palace otherwise.


    After they entered the gate, they saw that there were three floors.


    On the first floor, there were only ordinary chairs. Still, there was an unbelievable number of chairs¡ªprobably even ten thousand chairs! One had to pay one hundred gold coins to book a seat on the first floor. On the second floor there were some cubicles separated by screens. One had to pay one thousand gold coins to book a cubicle there.


    As for the third floor, there were private rooms, and each room would cost ten thousand gold coins.


    Ricky, Soar, and Tina booked a private room on the third floor.


    Before they entered their room, there was a small obstacle that came up in their path.


    A young man stopp


    serably after the auction is over," the young master turned to Ricky and threatened him in a ferocious tone.


    "Hey, old man! Why don''t you just take your little dog and leave now? You know he is a mad dog, so why did you bring him out in public? Be careful! He may disturb the auction! When that happens, both of you will end up suffering terrible consequences," Ricky said turning to the old man. He decided to ignore the young man altogether.


    "Boy! Watch your language! You are being too arrogant as well. There are always some people you can''t afford to offend," the old man responded in a serious tone upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    "Thank you for your kind reminder, but I''m afraid you also need to keep that in your mind," Ricky said in the same lecturing tone.


    Then, Ricky, Tina, and Soar turned around and headed for their room.


    Ricky wished he could beat some sense into that young master! He knew that would bring nothing to them but trouble. He also could not afford the consequences of offending that organization.


    Watching them walk away, the old man became confused. He was not sure whether Ricky was being serious or was just talking big. If it was true that Ricky had some powerful force stronger than the Golden Leopard Valley supporting him, they might get into trouble considering the fact that his young master had just said something very offensive to Ricky and his friends.


    If it was not true, they would be all right though.


    "Bring that woman to me. Also, kill those two men!'' the young master said to the old man secretly using a telepathic link with him.


    The old man grew angrier upon hearing his message!


    He really had great difficulty understanding why his master, the leader of the Golden Leopard Valley, had such a stupid son! It seemed that his young master had never thought about the consequences if Ricky had stronger warriors supporting him. It might bring disaster to the Golden Leopard Valley.

 Chapter 451 The Devil-suppressing Jade

    "Ha-ha, hello everybody, we meet again!" Right at that moment, a sonorous voice arose, ringing through the whole palace. All the warriors could imagine from that chipper voice was that a handsome man must have shown up.


    In order to make his voice resound through such a large palace, that person must have merged his spiritual energy into his voice.


    The next moment, a chubby cloud rolled out from the inner hall of the palace. If one observed it carefully, it was not a cloud, but a person. He was too fat to be easily recognized as a person even.


    "Oh my God, how can this guy be so fat? How can his two feet withstand the weight of his whole body?" Soar, who was inside the compartment, said out of surprise after he saw the man.


    Ricky was also a little surprised at that sight, as that guy was the fattest man he had ever seen. He was so fat that his eyes could hardly be seen from where they were set in his face. Ricky believed that he would never meet another man as fat as him for his obesity had already reached what must be a limit.


    Walking after the fat man, there were a group of maids. The maids were all charming and good-looking.


    "Ha-ha, Vito, I haven''t seen you in a long time!" Quite a lot of warriors gave the fat man warm greetings after they saw him.


    It was obvious that quite a few auctions of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce were hosted by him.


    Subsequently, the fat man who was called Vito, walked to the auction block with all the maids.


    "Okay, welcome to the auction, everybody! I won''t talk much, but I have to emphasize one of the rules once again, which is, use gold coins in exchange for things you want!" Vito said.


    "If any devious means are found out to be used, that person will be regarded by the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce as our enemy."


    A strong murderous intent was released by Vito after he finished speaking. Everybody in the palace could feel the threat that he exuded.


    "Although Vito is fat, his strength cannot be underestimated!" Soar said after he felt the murderous intent.


    All the warriors around, and even the spiritual king beasts, were also suppressed a bit by the murderous intent.


    "Can you tell what level Vito is at?" Ricky asked out of curiosity.


    "He''s at least an upper spiritual king!" Soar answered.


    "The host of such an auction already has to be an upper spiritual king. The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce deserves to be a big force at the spiritual emperor level. If it


    whether the one who obtains it will earn or lose totally depends on their luck," Vito said.


    "The auction price starts at 10, 000 gold coins for this item!"


    "No wonder it came up so early!" All the warriors were suddenly enlightened after hearing Vito''s explanation.


    Nobody offered a bid for the jade at that point. They were not sure whether the jade still worked well enough, after all.


    "Tina, what''s the Devil-suppressing Jade?" Ricky asked.


    "It''s a valuable jade that can suppress the evil spirit. As it is of the intermediate King Level, it''s indeed very valuable. I never thought that I''d be able to see one!" Tina said.


    "Suppress the evil spirit? Would it work concerning the evil spirit in your body?" Ricky asked lightly.


    "If it was a complete intermediate King Level Devil-suppressing Jade, it would have great effect, but now it is broken..." Tina shook her head in doubt.


    "Regardless of its effect, let''s try to obtain it through the auction!" Ricky suggested.


    Tina seemed to be very embarrassed at that moment after hearing that offer.


    "Tina, do you have no gold coins with you now?" Ricky asked Tina, guessing what the root of her embarrassment might be by the look on her face.


    "Yes...You''re right! When Doris left, she didn''t leave any gold coins for me," Tina said in a low voice.


    Possibly, for disciples like Tina who were from big clans, they never kept the matter of gold coins in mind.


    "Ha-ha, Tina, it''s a good thing that you don''t have any gold coins with you. In this case, my brother has got a chance to do you this favor." Soar laughed loudly.


    "Shut your foul mouth!" Ricky said.

 Chapter 452 The Fight Over The Devil-suppressing Jade

    Tina blushed when she heard Soar''s words. She did not dare to say anything else.


    Ricky, on the other hand, called out his bid without hesitation, "Twenty thousand!"


    Right after he finished yelling out his bid, everyone turned their heads to look at his room. All the people became curious about who it was that dared to bid. The owner of that voice must be bold and rich! He directly increased the price by ten thousand gold coins!


    "Are those the same three people who just had a fight with the young master of the Golden Leopard Valley?" a warrior asked. He had seen the chaos that had happened earlier.


    "Really?"


    "Yes, I''m sure of that. They are rich enough to book a room on the third floor!


    I''m starting to become curious as to whether the young master of the Golden Leopard Valley will compete with them!"


    "Is that the bastard I had trouble with?" the young master asked in a cold voice from another private room. At first, he was busy molesting the maid, but when he heard the familiar voice, he immediately recognized it.


    "Yes, young master," the old man replied.


    "I know it''s him! Call out our price!" the young master ordered.


    "My young master, we are here in order to win the two specific treasures. The more we spend on other treasures, the less likely we are going to get what we want. Once we have one thousand gold coins less, maybe we will be unable to finish our task,"


    the old man explained patiently. He did not think it was a wise idea to bid for something they did not want.


    "I know what you mean, but I''m not that foolish," the young master replied. "The reason I want you to call out the bid is because I want that bastard to pay more for it. I never wanted to waste my gold coins on that broken Devil-suppressing Jade."


    "I''m glad that you know what I mean and don''t want to waste money," the old man said as a smile crept onto his lips.


    He was more than pleased to hear those words from his young master. That proved that the young master was not completely blind at least. As a member of the Golden Leopard Valley, he was happy to have a smart and reasonable young master.


    "Thirty thousand!" the young master called out.


    "Hey, did you hear that? I was right! I knew that the young master of the Golden Leopard Valley would not let his enemies go that easily!" someone said. The throng began to whisper again upon hearing the young master''s bid increase.


    "Well, who will win this treasure? I''m quite looking forward to the final result,"


    some warriors said in an expectant tone as they stared toward the two privates rooms. They were demi-immortals, so they were not fools. They believed that Ricky knew the young master


    eir value fairly," the maid replied in a respectful manner.


    "I got it. Thank you for letting me know." Ricky nodded.


    "What are you going to do, Ricky?" Soar asked with curiosity after the maid exited the room.


    "I want to bid for the last three treasures," Ricky replied with a smile.


    "You sound so confident! You must have gained a lot of valuable things in the Fortune Land!" Soar laughed in response.


    Then, Ricky took out the jade from the storage bag.


    The moment the Devil-suppressing Jade came out, all of them felt a mild and gentle aura emitting from it. It was so soft that it could drive all the evil spiritual energy in the area away.


    "So, this is the Devil-suppressing Jade, a treasure at the intermediate King Level," Ricky said as he stared at the jade. He could see that there were many small cracks on the jade. Meanwhile, there was also a different power that could be sensed in it. Clearly, the alien power was the one that had damaged the jade.


    "Tina, try it! Check if this works on you," Ricky suggested excitedly.


    "Hopefully it will work on me! Otherwise, the sixty thousand gold coins you paid will be a waste," Tina said with a smile.


    Then, she reached out and took the jade. She put it against her chest to see if it would work.


    In an instant, Ricky and Soar felt that some tiny evil spirit was released from Tina and absorbed by the jade.


    "Hey, check this out! It really does work! Although it only absorbs a little bit of evil spirit, I can take it with me all the time. That way, it will dispel a lot of evil spirit from my body as time goes by," Tina exclaimed in excitement upon feeling the evil spirit escaping from her.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    Before her voice even faded, several crackling sounds were heard from the jade.

 Chapter 453 An Egg From A Holy Beast

    The Devil-suppressing Jade started slowly cracking apart. Finally, the broken pieces were scattered and fell onto the floor.


    They all exchanged helpless looks with each other and had no idea why that had happened.


    It seemed that the Devil-suppressing Jade was damaged so badly that it easily turned into pieces once it absorbed a little bit evil spirit from Tina.


    "That is totally unacceptable! The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is so stingy! How could they sell such a shabby, useless treasure?! Is this the way a powerful organization conducts itself?" Soar blurted out unhappily as his brows furrowed in annoyance.


    "I don''t think they did it on purpose; maybe there was something wrong with it and they did not notice it. The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is unlikely to sell an inferior item during the auction in order to earn some gold coins. They know it could hurt their reputation to do that sort of thing," Ricky commented. He did not blame the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce because of that unexpected situation. He thought he was just unlucky enough to buy a useless item.


    ''I''ve collected so many fortunes in the Fortune Land. When will I become more fortunate? I''ve been encountering bad luck ever since I left the Realm of Wildness. At first, Master Grace was taken away by the Phoenix tribe, and now I just bought a useless treasure! What bad luck I have!'' Ricky thought to himself in frustration. He did not share any of his unhappiness with Soar and Tina, though.


    "Huh? No! This can''t be!" Tina cried in a doubtful tone as she stared at the jade pieces. Her reaction attracted their attention immediately.


    They looked to the jade and found that it had not broken completely into pieces. It was now only a few inches long after so much broke off.


    This tiny Devil-suppressing Jade had become smoother and more radiant. It was releasing milder energy that could still remove any evil spirit. Right at that point in time, even more evil spirit was being drawn out of Tina by it than it had earlier before it broke apart.


    "What the hell?" Soar shouted in disbelief.


    "Oh my God! This is real! Although it is smaller, I''m sure it''s a Devil-suppressing Jade at the advanced King Level! It''s much more precious than a jade at the intermediate King Level," Tina explained with excitement in her voice. She was so worked up that her voice trembled.


    "A jade at the advanced King Level?! Marvelous! I''m really lucky to have won a treasure at the advanced King Level at the price of just sixty thousand gold coins!" Ricky also said in disbelief upo


    th during the selection competition.


    "I''m sure many people want to have the egg too! The egg has the enormous blood essence of the holy beast! One will have their power improved greatly once they have the egg, no matter whether they are a demi-immortal or an innate spiritual king!


    What''s more, a warrior with gold attribute will gain bigger benefits from the egg. They would be able to comprehend the Golden Enlightening more at that point!" Tina said.


    "I think that the young master of the Golden Leopard Valley is practicing the cultivation methods with golden attribute. That egg is likely to be their real target!" Soar said.


    "You are absolutely right!" Ricky said as he nodded his head. "It seems that we are going to have to compete with him again!"


    "All right! That''s as much as I can tell you right now! I''m sure all of you have a rough idea of this egg''s value, so let''s just cut the crap! Everyone, it''s time to start the bidding!" Vito announced excitedly at that point in time. There was excitement on his face, and he could imagine how fierce the competition was going to be!


    "Fifty thousand gold coins!" a warrior on the second floor called out. He actually knew that he would be unable to win the egg, but he decided to start the bidding anyway.


    "I''ll offer a bid of one hundred thousand gold coins!"


    "One hundred and fifty thousand!"


    "Six hundred and fifty thousand!" Before long, the price of the egg had already reached six hundred and fifty thousand gold coins! That was the point when the warriors on the third floor began to bid.


    "Seven hundred thousand!" Ricky called out without any expression on his face. It was his first bid in that specific auction for the egg.

 Chapter 454 The Generous Bidding Price

    "Is that the bastard calling out again?" the young master immediately asked after recognizing Ricky''s voice. He stood up from where he was sitting and gestured for the maid to leave him alone. He walked towards the window and contemplated. He stood there, silently watching.


    He cared about this egg very much because it was exactly the treasure his father wanted to have.


    His father was a completed spiritual king. Once he successfully refined the egg, his power would significantly be enhanced. On top of it, he would be much closer to an demi-spiritual emperor.


    His father valued the egg immensely, so he was sent to take part in this auction. The young master had his full attention as he heard Ricky engage in the bidding. His father would be extremely disappointed if he lost this prized item. The consequences would be dire¡ªit would be his own demise.


    "Increase the price to one million!" the young master dramatically boomed. He would go at whatever lengths just to take this one home. "That bastard will know that we are a force to be reckoned with! We have enough gold coins to take this one home!"


    "Yes, young master!" The old man nodded and did as he was ordered.


    "One million gold coins!" Immediately, a voice thundered amid the crowd participating in the auction.


    "One million? Unbelievable! These big organizations are so affluent!" a man sighed in mixed disappointment and incredulity.


    "Indeed! They never run out of money!"


    "One million? Well, that''s perfect! I''m starting to look forward to the final price now. The increased money next will be the net profit!" Vito murmured to himself when he heard someone call out one million gold coins. He felt very excited about the next event to unfold.


    Usually, the value of an egg with a fifty-percent chance of hatching would only be around one million gold coins. The possibility of it being a waste hindered it from being escalated to a higher price.


    "Is this a display of strength?" Ricky sneered coldly when he heard the old man''s bid.


    "How many gold coins do you have, Ricky? It has escalated to a million now. I''m afraid that by the end of the sale, the egg is going to cost roughly around two million," Soar said as he furrowed his brows.


    "When I was in the Land of Legacy of the Fortune Land, I got one point two million gold coins. Plus, I have collected approximately six hundred thousand gold coins through all these years in the past," Ricky said.


    "Those insignificant Treasures from Heaven and Earth I have acquired and the mortal weapons would be around four hundred thousand. I have almost two point two million gold coins in total!"


    "Are you determined to win the egg no matter what? I''m sorry I can''t help you. I have no m


    claration. He was not happy about this at all.


    He initially thought they would bring home the egg at roughly around one point six or seven million gold coins. But now, they had to expend more than their budget.


    "Young master, we have to forfeit. We don''t have many gold coins left. Your father only allotted two million for our budget! We cannot exceed. I''m afraid we have to give up on the egg! Let''s just bid over the next item!" the old man also reminded, obviously alarmed with the situation''s development.


    "Let''s try for the last time!" the young master demanded. "Two point one million!" he burst out, all his vexation bubbling in the surface.


    "Two point two million!" Ricky challenged, no hint of uncertainty in his voice.


    Despite his tranquil facade, he was hoping that the young master would give up. Two point two million gold coins was all he had.


    "Ricky, I have two spiritual fruits at the King Level. I think their value runs at around four hundred thousand gold coins. Take them," Tina offered.


    "Thank you, Tina," Ricky gratefully replied. He decided to accept her offer; he was in dire need of money, after all.


    "You don''t have to thank me. You just gave me a jade at the advanced King Level. It is worth millions of gold coins!" Tina smiled softly.


    "I''ll have that bastard drawn and quartered myself after everything is over!" the young master roared in rage upon hearing Ricky rise the price again.


    "Don''t worry, young master! We''re going to find a way to retrieve that egg! We will figure out a way to steal it from him!" the old man echoed the frustrations of his young master.


    "We, the Golden Leopard Valley, quit!" the old man declared resentfully.


    "Yes! We made it, despite the obstacle!" Ricky finally sighed in relief. He couldn''t contain the happiness in his heart.

 Chapter 455 The Cut-throat Bidding Competition

    "Two point two million! Those three guys won the egg! I didn''t expect that at all!" The warriors in their surroundings sighed with surprised emotion after the bidding war was over.


    "There is a storm coming towards them for that! If they don''t have any powerful warrior or force to support them, I''m afraid it will be difficult for them to leave the Oriental City safely!"


    "I couldn''t agree more! Each time the auction was held, there was always a bloody slaughter afterward! Not only the Golden Leopard Valley and the Golden Rhino tribe want to have the egg, but many other forces are also keeping an eye on it! No one wants to give it up!"


    "Ha-ha!


    Two point two million gold coins! Deal! The egg is yours now, my friends. Come here and accept the egg as your prize after the auction is over!" Vito exclaimed in joy at that point in time. He was extremely happy to sell the egg at such a high price.


    The price of two point two million gold coins was totally above what his expectation had been.


    As for the upcoming bloody slaughter after the auction was over, that was not his business. The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce was only responsible for the auction. Once they were out of the palace, the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce would not care about their safety at all.


    "Well, that''s the end of the bidding for this item. Next, I''m going to show you the second item!" Vito said in a mysterious voice as he became excited about the next item.


    "Just show us! Don''t hide it anymore! All of us are so desperate to know what it is!" the warriors demanded loudly upon hearing that Vito was being mysterious again.


    "Ha-ha! All right! Just because you are so curious about it, I''m not going to keep it a secret anymore! The next item to be auctioned off is a spiritual weapon at the intermediate stage!" Vito declared as a smile crept onto his lips.


    "Wow! A spiritual weapon at the intermediate stage?!" The crowd grew excited once again upon learning that information.


    Even those warriors in the private rooms on the third floor also became excited at the prospect.


    A spiritual weapon at the intermediate stage, no matter what it was, was extremely precious to an upper spiritual king or a completed spiritual king! Once they had a spiritual weapon at this level, their combat power would be increased to a large extent.


    Before everyone could recover from their shock and digest this information, Vito threw out a combustible comment again. "What''s more, this spiritual weapon is a spiritual space tool!"


    "What? A spiritual space tool?!" a warrior in the surrounding area exclaimed in shock once again.


    A spiritual space tool would probably be unable to increase a warrior''s combat power,


    rriors exchanged looks with each other as they gossiped and whispered.


    "Yes!"


    "Three million! Probably that''s all they have!" Ricky also made a comment. "I''m afraid he is going to pay much more than three million to win the spiritual space tool even!"


    The most thrilled person in the hall during the auction was Vito, of course.


    "Ha-ha! Three million! It seems that the Golden Leopard Valley is determined to win this item! Fine, we will quit at that price!" Many forces decided to give up upon challenging such a high bid.


    Now, there was only the Golden Leopard Valley, the Golden Rhino tribe, and one other force left.


    From those warriors whispering about the current situation, Ricky learned that that force was called the Heaven Palace. It was also a powerful organization, and had a completed spiritual king among its members.


    "Three point one million!" a warrior from the Heaven Palace called out.


    "Three point two million!" the innate spiritual beast from the Golden Rhino tribe called out his offer.


    "My friends, we, the Golden Leopard Valley, are determined to win the spiritual space tool!" the old man from the Golden Leopard Valley exclaimed loudly at that time. "We will offer three point five million gold coins!"


    He raised the price by three hundred thousand gold coins at that point.


    "What a generous offer! It seems that the Golden Leopard Valley is not afraid of breaking the bank! Fine, we, the Heaven Palace, quit!" the man from the Heaven Palace announced resentfully.


    "We, the Golden Rhino tribe, would like to try one last time! Three point seven million!" the spiritual king beast said decisively at that time. He did not want to give up on the spiritual space tool yet.


    That was probably the highest price the Golden Rhino tribe could afford though.

 Chapter 456 The Skeleton Of An Innate Spiritual Emperor

    "Three point eight million gold coins!" The young master of the Golden Leopard Valley gave a higher price again without any hesitation.


    He had already given up on the egg. He could not afford to lose the spiritual space tool too. He would continue to compete over it as long as the price did not reach four million gold coins. His father would definitely be very disappointed in him otherwise.


    A big smile spread over Vito''s face when the young master called out his price. Everyone fell into silence after that. No one dared to quote a higher price. The price of three point eight million was just too much for them to oppose.


    "Hey, Ricky. What if we give a higher bid? Do you think he would give up?" Soar suggested. He looked at Ricky as an evil smile crept across his face.


    "I''m not sure about that. If some other guy calls out a higher bid, he will probably continue to go higher. I''m not sure what would happen if he hear my voice. Maybe he would give up! We just paid two million gold coins to win the egg. He would probably think we are really that rich. If he gives up, we will have to pay for it though. The truth is that we''ve already run out of money, so we can''t," Ricky replied seriously.


    "So, we''d better not take the risk."


    "Ahh, I know what you mean. It''s kind of boring to just sit here though. I just wanted to make the Golden Leopard Valley pay more money," Soar said unhappily.


    No one made any more bids. Vito also understood that the price of three point eight million might be the highest price anyone could afford to offer for it. Still, he had never anticipated that the price would reach such a high bid.


    He then announced in an excited voice, "So, we have a bid of three point eight million gold coins! Now the spiritual space tool goes to the Golden Leopard Valley! Please come to take the tool after the auction is over."


    The silence among the crowd brought on by shock lasted for a long time before everyone began to collect themselves. It was an extremely high price to most of the warriors and forces, after all.


    "So, the final item we are going to offer is going on auction next!" Vito said in an even more mysterious tone at that point in time. "Those on the third floor may had known what the first and second items were in advance, but I''m sure that none of you have heard anything about what the last item is!"


    All the warriors began to whisper with excitement. They were puzzled again upon hearing the news about the last item.


    "So, please tell us what on earth it is," someone in another private room on the third floor asked. "How powerful is it compared to the other two items you just sold?"


    "My friend, it goes without saying that the last item is super precious," Vito said to the crowd in a confident tone.


    Everyone grew more excited then. The last item was more precious than a spiritual space tool at the int


    is indeed from a spiritual emperor, but it was eroded by a stronger power. So, there is only about thirty percent ruling power left in this skeleton,"


    Vito explained. He then paused for a moment before he continued, "But I''m sure you know well how strong it is even though there is only thirty percent left! It is definitely much more useful than a spiritual space tool at the intermediate stage to any completed spiritual king."


    "Oh, I get it!" All the warrior understood the reason they were selling it now. The skeleton of a spiritual emperor that only contained thirty percent ruling power was indeed less valuable than gold coins to a strong organization such as the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce.


    The warriors on the third floor did not feel disappointed in the item at all.


    Vito was right in his presumptions. Even though there was only thirty percent ruling power left, it was more valuable than a spiritual space tool to a completed spiritual king.


    "Damn it! It is really the skeleton of a spiritual emperor!" the old man cursed at that point. He could not contain his anger anymore when he learned that fact.


    "So, I''m sure I''ve already delivered all the information about this skeleton. Feel free to call out your bids now, my friends! Like always, the one who offers the highest price will win the item!" Vito announced loudly the next moment.


    "One more thing. This skeleton is sealed by our array now, so you can''t feel the ruling power," he then added.


    "It''s the skeleton of a spiritual emperor and it contains thirty percent ruling power! Ricky, this is our chance! We should give it a try!" Soar suggested excitedly.


    "Yes, I know that. I really don''t have any money anymore though! I spent all my money on the jade; you know that," Ricky responded helplessly.


    As soon as he finished speaking, both Ricky and Soar suddenly noticed that there was something strange happening to Tina.

 Chapter 457 The Impulse For Beauty

    Tina''s aura was very unstable at that time, as if it was about to break out at any moment. Fortunately, she finally managed to control it.


    "What''s going on, Tina? Does the spiritual emperor''s skeleton make you uncomfortable for some reason?" Ricky asked in concern.


    "Not exactly!" Tina said. "Although the power of the ruling rule within the skeleton has been sealed by the array, the strong resonance connected with my blood can''t be blocked by the array."


    Tina''s eyes filled with tears at that moment.


    "That person must have been one of my clansmen when he was alive. I''m also sure that his bloodline was very close to mine. He must be an elder from my family!"


    "What? He was an elder from your family?!" Ricky and Soar asked loudly in shock upon hearing what Tina said.


    "Yes! It''s true!" Tina nodded her head with tears welling up in her eyes.


    The skeleton of her clan elder was being sold in the auction. It really made her uncomfortable and sad. Nobody would be happy under those circumstances.


    "Ricky, it seems that we must try to obtain this skeleton," Soar said. "According to the current situation, we can only snatch the skeleton after the auction is completed because we have no money."


    "It''s a good idea to snatch it, but it is not enough to rely on the energy orb that was left behind by Doris. The forces of these completed spiritual kings must be much more than the power that we can see apparently," Ricky said.


    "Consequently, the safest way to do things is still to buy it through the auction."


    "We don''t have enough gold coins anymore though. How can we buy it through the auction? Do you plan to give up Tina''s Devil-suppressing Jade in exchange for it?" Soar asked.


    "I don''t want to give up the Devil-suppressing Jade in exchange for the skeleton," Tina said in a hurry upon hearing Soar''s words. Her delicate hands clutched that small Devil-suppressing Jade.


    "It''s Ricky who gave it to me, so I don''t want to give it up!" Tina explained the reason she wanted to keep it in a very faint voice.


    The skeleton of her clan elder was surely important to her. However, Tina was experiencing the first awakenings of being in love at that time, so Ricky was even more im


    ople, it would be a great disrespect to her elder.


    She wouldn''t do anything if she didn''t know about that. Now that she knew, she had to get it back in any way possible.


    "Ha-ha, Tina, then you will have to keep it in mind that you owe me a few cultivation methods at the Earth Level!" Ricky smiled.


    "Ricky, thank you so much!" Tina said again in a serious tone.


    "Tina, I don''t think that we need to say thanks to each other!" Ricky grinned.


    "Ricky, I really want to know what item you are going to use to buy the skeleton," Soar asked again out of curiosity. Tina was also curious about what it was.


    "You will get to learn about it when I exchange it for the skeleton." Ricky smiled mysteriously, keeping Tina and Soar in suspense.


    "Humph! You are just being mysterious on purpose!" Soar sneered upon hearing what Ricky said.


    Then, they turned their attention to the situation outside.


    "Three million gold coins!" The auction price for the skeleton had been increased to three million gold coins by that time!


    Among all the compartments on the third floor, only warriors in five or six compartments were still competing for it.


    "Ricky, when shall we offer a bid?" Soar asked.


    "Let''s just start right now. We have to be determined to get this skeleton in any case," Ricky said.


    The next moment, Ricky spoke in a calm, yet loud voice that carried outside of the compartment, saying, "I will take this skeleton! I bid four million gold coins!"

 Chapter 458 The White-hot Bidding Competition

    "Four million gold coins!"


    When the bid was called out, everyone in the hall turned silent again. It shocked everyone. All the warriors dropped their jaws and found that they could not make a sound. They were totally seized by surprise. Even Vito, who had remained calm the whole time, was stunned by such a price.


    They turned their eyes to the owner of the voice, trying to identify the courageous and rich guy who had just increased the price from three million to four million in just one bid. It was a very courageous decision.


    "Ricky! Are you out of your mind? Are you sure that the thing you have is really worth four million gold coins? I''m worried about this!" Soar and Tina asked Ricky in surprise. Both of them were shocked by Ricky''s bid too. It would take a long time for them to digest the news.


    Immediately, Soar sent him a message through telepathy and said, "Ricky, I know you have the Chaotic Fire Zone and that you are not afraid of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. They have a spiritual emperor though! The emperor must be extremely powerful too! I''m afraid that, if you can''t pay this price, they will hunt you no matter where you go next."


    "Take it easy, guys. I would have never called out that bid if I was not sure about what I was doing," Ricky replied with confident eyes. "I''m one hundred percent sure that the final price of this skeleton will exceed four million, and that it may even reach five million. So, why can''t I just increase the price to four million directly? I don''t want to waste time."


    "I admire you so much, Ricky! You are so courageous and decisive. Maybe that''s the reason why I chose you to be my closest friend!" Soar responded with admiration in his eyes.


    Tina, on the other hand, liked Ricky even more. There was affection in her eyes. She had encountered many geniuses in the past, but Ricky was the very first one whom she found so courageous and charming.


    There might be many people who were willing to spend four million gold coins for Tina, but they were definitely not as sweet as Ricky. Tina was sure of that.


    Tina had feelings for Ricky. After hearing him call out the bid of four million gold coins in order to win the skeleton she needed, Tina loved him even more. There was no way she could resist his charm.


    "Oh, it''s them! It''s the three guys who won the egg!" The throng began to whisper to each other in excitement.


    "Are they out of their minds? They''ve already spent so much money on the egg. How can they still have four million gold coins?"


    "They probably don''t know the rules of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce very well. They never let anyone use credit," another warrior commented. "If they can''t pay four million gold coins after the auction is over, they are going to face a miserable result."


    At that point in time, Vito also grew serious as he squinted his eyes. He did not think Ricky could


    s as strong as the Heaven Palace. You don''t need to be worried that we will play any trick on you. We are not that reckless as to cheat you," the spiritual king from the Heaven Palace said.


    "Both of us can pay three million gold coins and we will take half of the skeleton respectively. That is a perfect deal, isn''t it? Maybe we don''t need even need to pay three million and we can still get the skeleton. It is a perfect plan."


    "Well, in that case, we''d like to give it a try. If you break your word, you are going to face some miserable consequences," the spiritual beast king said. He finally decided to work with the Heaven Palace.


    "Good! I''m sure this is going to be an excellent deal," the spiritual king responded as a smile spread across his face.


    After all that, the spiritual king of the Heaven Palace bade, saying, "Four point five million gold coins!"


    "What? The Heaven Palace just called out a bid of four point five million? Oh my God. They are going to spend everything they have!" All the warriors were stunned by this new bid.


    "They are probably cooperating with some other force!" some people guessed in a low voice.


    ''It seems that they have begun to team up! That''s perfect! That''s exactly what I want!'' Vito thought to himself secretly. ''Those three guys who called out four million gold coins helped me a lot! Whether they really have so much money or not, they have helped to raise the price anyway.''


    "Four point six million!" someone from another private room exclaimed at that time. Apparently, he had aligned with another force too.


    "Well, don''t you think it''s kind of boring to increase the price by only a hundred thousand? If I guess right, the highest price you can pay is six million gold coins even though you are cooperating with each other. Am I right?" Ricky stated loudly at that point in time.


    "Well, I have another bid¡ªseven million gold coins! That''s my new offer!"

 Chapter 459 A Mysterious Young Woman

    "Seven million gold coins!"


    An audible gasp went around the hall as soon as Ricky declared such an exorbitant amount. The room fell silent after. The audience scoured for the source of such a bold declaration.


    Their eyes fell on Ricky, Soar, and Tina. The people stood wide-eyed and silent, trying to decipher what was going to happen next. Seven million gold coins were too good to be true; they must have misheard the absurd amount¡ªbut they didn''t. All of them wondered where these people came from. How could they be so affluent?


    They were confident that they did hear seven million gold coins, not five nor six.


    Vito was left speechless. He had been worried that the item''s price might fall around four million gold coins. Five million gold coins was his target. But seven million gold coins? He was beyond elated to Ricky''s unexpected move. He couldn''t stop his face from grinning ear to ear.


    Everybody was familiar with his affinity for money. Rubbing elbows with rich people was one of his favorite things to do.


    Inside the private room, on the other hand, both Soar and Tina were just as surprised as everyone by Ricky''s quoted price. As soon as they saw the serious look and the confidence Ricky was donning, they did not dare ask any further.


    Soar was now more curious than ever about the mysterious thing Ricky had. What could it be that could make Ricky bid such a high price?


    Tina was brimming with tenderness. There was this longing and yearning for Ricky that was finally being returned. Her heart was beating faster as she softly thought to herself, ''Maybe his heart is not fully set on Grace just yet. Maybe I still have a chance to win him over. He wouldn''t have quoted seven million gold coins if he weren''t enamored with me.''


    Tina had such a deep affection for Ricky that she would not mind if he chose both her and Grace. She would be satisfied as long as he loved her.


    This was the martial world. Geniuses, strong warriors, and especially those with unique skills and charm could make more than one woman fall for them.


    Tina was born in a substantial family with strong men.


    She knew well about that.


    "Seven million gold coins! Seven million! Young master, I''m afraid we messed up powerful people!" the old man from the Golden Leopard Valley announced to his young master, his voice quaking.


    "So what if they can shell out seven million gold coins? That doesn''t daunt me in the least. Are they really from a powerful organization? Maybe he was just fortunate enough to find some expensive valuable things by chance!" the young master shot back through gritted t


    me the chance to see you," Pearl greeted them in a relatively arrogant tone.


    Ricky frowned when he detected the hint of arrogance in her voice. He had this gut feeling that Pearl probably was not a kind woman.


    "My name is Ricky Nan!"


    "My name is Soar Long!"


    "My name is Tina Lian!" They introduced themselves one by one.


    Hearing their names, Pearl lowered her head and thought for a while, trying to remember whether she had heard any of their last names.


    "Tina Lian, a beautiful name," Pearl said softly with a smile.


    Tina smiled back and nodded.


    "Pearl, may I have a look at the items we just won?" Ricky had no intentions of having any of his time wasted. He wanted to take his trophies and leave this place as soon as possible.


    "Sure. They are on the way now," Pear said with a smile. She then clapped her hands slightly.


    A maid came in clutching an average-sized box in her hands.


    "This is the egg you won. Please show us your money. If my memory serves me right, you are going to pay two point two million gold coins," Pearl said, the smile still resting on her face.


    "Yes!" Ricky nodded and then took out two storage bags.


    "In this storage bag there are one point eight million gold coins. And in another storage bag, there are weapons and Treasures from Heaven and Earth worth four hundred thousand gold coins!"


    Pearl sent a signal to Vito.


    Vito approached Ricky and took the storage bags from him to inspect its contents. He released his mind into the bags to calculate the total gold coins.


    About fifteen minutes later, Vito nodded to Pearl.


    Pearl then beckoned the maid. The maid then opened the box. Immediately, the aura containing Golden Enlightening pervaded the surroundings.

 Chapter 460 His Mysterious Skill Shocked Everyone

    The power of the Golden Enlightening was so pure that it was comparable to the massacring power embedded in his Massacring Zone.


    The three of them noticed the golden egg inside the box. The egg, as big as two fists, was shining brightly. It was definitely the egg of a holy beast.


    Ricky activated the power of his three zones to test how powerful the egg was.


    As expected, he felt the Golden Enlightening in the egg. However, the breath of life from the egg was not strong.


    ''It''s true. It is indeed the egg of a holy beast!'' Ricky thought. ''But probably there is less than ten percent of chance for the egg being hatched successfully.


    It is barely alive and its breath of life could be hardly felt. Even if I put it into the Massacring Zone, there''s still a chance that it won''t survive. The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce sold a useless item! They may not be a trustworthy organization after all."


    Despite this, Ricky understood. He simply banished these thoughts off. He knew that in this jungle-like world, only the fittest survive. The benefits mattered the most, and integrity was the least important.


    Besides, all Ricky ever wanted was the power the egg contained. It did not matter if the egg could be hatched successfully or not.


    "Thank you, Pearl," Ricky said as soon as he was done inspecting the egg. He put it into his Chaotic Fire Zone for its safety.


    Pearl nodded in response and summoned her maids once more. She clapped her hands, and four of them appeared carrying a glass tank. Inside it was the skeleton of a spiritual emperor.


    "This is the skeleton of a spiritual emperor. Please show us your money to exchange for it," Pearl said, the smile on her face never leaving.


    "Of course! But before I show it to you, can I request something?" Ricky asked.


    "Oh? What would that be? I''m all ears," she responded.


    "Thank you, Pearl, for giving me the chance to express myself. I''m sure as a powerful organization, the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce must have a casting master of Spirit Level. I''m afraid only a casting master of Spirit Level is able to estimate the real value of the thing I''m going to show you. And a casting master at the advanced stage of Spirit Level would be more ideal. So..." Ricky lamented as he broke into a small smile.


    "Is that so?" Pearl was surprised by Ricky''s revelation.


    He was requesting the presence of a casting master at the advanced stage of Spiritual Level to value the treasure he owned. He was either exaggerating or he really owned a priceless treasure.


    "Casting masters at the advanced stage of Spirit Level are very rare. And on top of it, I seldom have chances to contact them. But we do have a


    shed comprehending, he blurted out in surprise, "They are absolutely abstruse and wonderful! I have lived for hundreds of years and this is my first time to see such deep Pounding Skills."


    Then, he turned to face Pearl and exclaimed, "Pearl, these two Pounding Skills are extremely precious and priceless to any casting master of Spirit Level or even a casting master of Demi-sage Level!"


    Elder Ong wished he could have them for himself. If he did, improving his casting skills would be a breeze. He could reach a higher level in a short period of time.


    "What? Are they really that valuable?" Pearl was flabbergasted. She knew that the Pounding Skills could be valuable but she hadn''t realized that it was this much. If what Elder Ong said was accurate, then the two Pounding Skills would be worth more than seven million gold coins.


    She thought the Pounding Skills that could appeal to a casting master of Demi-sage Level could not be estimated in gold coins. It would be priceless.


    Vito, like the rest of them, was stunned as well.


    Tina was just as astonished as everyone. It finally dawned on her the lengths what Ricky would go through for her. The Pounding Skills were of incalculable worth. Despite knowing so, Ricky decided to give them to Pearl in exchange for the skeleton.


    "Pearl, I''m sure by now you know how valuable these Pounding Skills are. I believe it''s time for us to examine the skeleton," Ricky suggested, breaking the astonished silence of everyone present. Before Pearl could respond, he waved his hand and his spiritual energy turned into a big hand. It then took the glass tank from the maids and returned to Ricky.


    Putting the tank beside Tina, Ricky found that she started to breathe quickly. Then he put the skeleton into his Chaotic Fire Zone.

 Chapter 461 Pearls Secret Plan

    Without even letting them absorb the shock further, Ricky immediately directed to Soar and Tina to leave. He already had the skeleton in his zone, so it was pointless for them to stay any longer.


    "Pearl, I believe that this was an eventful exchange and we already have what we want. It''s now time for us to leave. Thank you very much."


    Ricky immediately turned around, prepared to leave the premise already. If Pearl had any intentions of keeping them for sinister reasons, Ricky might have to use the power of his Chaotic Fire Zone to escape.


    He had a hunch that Pearl was hiding something wicked despite her sweet and elegant facade. He sensed it through his three zones.


    Pearl, on the other hand, was not a foolish woman. She might be surprised from the previous events, but she managed to immediately compose herself. "Ricky, am I that repulsive to you? Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" she asked as she alluringly reached out her hand to stop Ricky from leaving.


    "Oh, of course not, Pearl. What made you think like that? We are in danger now more than ever since we now hold the treasures we won from the auction. The longer we stay here, the more we risk ourselves in getting into danger. There are numerous warriors outside waiting for me. None of them harbor any good intention. I''m sure you know well about that," Ricky explained.


    "Yes, I know that. I''m aware that they have a target on your head," Pearl said, smiling. She alluringly pulled herself closer to Ricky, intending to attract him with her perfect figure and beauty.


    "So, I''m going to offer you something. If it doesn''t bother you, you can stay here as long as you wish. You can even live here until the selection competition of the Oriental College starts. I''m sure that no one in the Oriental Realm dares to break into this place."


    "I am grateful for your kindness, Pearl. We really appreciate it. But we have to rely on ourselves in this world, don''t we? So, I''m afraid it''s better for us if we leave now," Ricky humbly responded and declined her offer.


    "You don''t believe me?" Pearl asked, a hint of sadness in her voice.


    "Oh, no, that''s not what I meant. It''s just we are not that familiar," Ricky replied. "So, please excuse us. We have to go now. If we will see each other someday in the future, it would be nice if we get to share a good meal together."


    Ricky paused for a moment and then continued, "I''m sure you will not force us to stay."


    "Ha-ha, Of course, I wo


    ne genius in the Oriental Realm.


    Ricky, Soar, and Tina, on the other hand, were about to walk out of the palace.


    "Please stay for a while, Master Ricky," Vito called out behind Ricky. He was running toward Ricky, panting heavily.


    "Vito, you don''t have to call me Master Ricky. That is too much for me. I''m merely a demi-immortal," Ricky humbly suggested as he waited for Vito to catch up.


    Ricky neither liked nor disliked Vito. He was okay with him.


    "Ha-ha, strength does not define a person''s status, Master Ricky! When I make friends with others, those things are just trivial for me." Vito smiled genuinely. "Personally, what matters for me is wealth and personality."


    Vito was straightforward and candid. Principles were what mattered for him when he chose his friends.


    He added, "But of course, character is the most important part. I don''t want my friends to be corrupt. I don''t like the feeling of being betrayed."


    "Ha-ha, you are so frank, Vito. If you want to be a friend of mine, we can talk about it later. At least after I walk out of the Oriental City alive." A small smile broke into Ricky''s face.


    "Ha-ha. You sound so optimistic. I''m sure you will make it." Vito smiled back.


    Meanwhile, he patted Ricky on his shoulders heavily.


    The moment Vito touched his body, Ricky felt that Vito just put something on his neck.


    He was perplexed. But he did not show it. "Well, Vito, I''ll see you later. I hope I get to see you again," Ricky said.


    "Of course. See you then," Vito said as he burst into laughter.


    After that small exchange, Ricky, Soar, and Tina walked out of the palace as soon as they could.

 Chapter 462 Everyone Was Confused

    As soon as they left, Ricky channeled his Chaotic Fire Zone and engulfed Soar and Tina with him.


    Numerous warriors from influential organizations were lurking outside, waiting to pounce on Ricky once they grabbed the chance. Ricky was acquainted with the situation, and he was not a fool who would walk right into the trap. He knew that dealing with them through combat would be a waste of time.


    "Ha-ha! I''m dying to know what they would do once they realize that we''ve already left," Soar happily burst out in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    "It would have been nice to live here for a while so I could know this city better. It would give me an idea about the forces around here. But judging by the situation around, I think we should stay in the Chaotic Fire Zone until the selection competition is held," Ricky explained.


    "This zone is filled with fire but it''s tolerable," Tina observed as she nodded her head in agreement.


    Ricky suddenly thought of Vito when they left the palace. He took out the thing Vito left on his collar when he tapped his shoulders. It was a small crumpled piece of paper. It wrote, "Beware of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and the two items you got from them." The handwriting was crooked and messy, giving the impression that the message was written in haste.


    "What''s that, Ricky? Who gave it to you? What does it say?" Soar bombarded Ricky with a series of questions before Ricky could answer any of them. He was obviously intrigued by the piece of paper. Tina was just as curious as Soar was. None of them expected a letter after the odd exchange they experienced from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce.


    "Vito handed it to me before we left," Ricky answered as he eyed the paper with both suspicion and interest.


    Now more wary with his surroundings, he circled the flaming spiritual energy and burnt the paper into ashes.


    "Vito gave it to you? Something''s definitely amiss," Soar exclaimed. Both Soar and Tina thought it odd for Vito to leave a warning for them.


    Ricky took out the spear with fire attribute, the egg, and the skeleton.


    He instantly activated his Devouring Skill. The devouring rune spread over the three items. As a result, Ricky felt something was off on the three objects that they brought from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce.


    He detected the concealed powerful marks all over them.


    Needless to say, those marks must be left by them. Through those marks, they could easily know their whereabouts.


    Ricky''s face grew dim, and the expression in his eyes became darker. It was ruthless and selfish of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce to mark the items they already auctioned off. They were not allowing anyone to have full own


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    s long as we show up, he will come to us on his own accord," Ricky scoffed.


    When Ricky, Soar, and Tina were discussing their next plan inside the Chaotic Fire Zone, everyone outside was puzzled. No matter how hard they searched for them, no one could find them. It felt they simply vanished from this world.


    Those warriors had suspected that they were still inside the palace of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. But they immediately dismissed this idea.


    Some people bribed some maids who worked for the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and they were told that Ricky and his friends had already left.


    Even Pearl and Elder Ong didn''t have any idea where they went in the next few days. They were perplexed, and this made them even angrier. They thought they had everything in control thanks to the marks they left secretly on those items. But still, no matter how hard they tried, they were unable to sense the marks.


    "Is there really a spiritual emperor helping you secretly, Ricky?" Pearl fumed inside the palace of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. There was a glint of killing intent flashed through her eyes. It was more murderous and fiercer than that of a male warrior.


    While everyone was busying search for them, Ricky, Soar, and Tina had already arrived at the place where the young master and the old man of the Golden Leopard Valley lived.


    Ricky secretly wrote down a message on a piece of paper and left it in their room. It read, "We will see you in the east of the Oriental City."


    Then, Ricky manipulated the Chaotic Fire Zone and proceeded to go to where he should be next.


    ''You are going to lose a young master and a lower spiritual king, the Golden Leopard Valley!'' Ricky vowed, his heart set on defeating them after the arrogant display he received from the auction.

 Chapter 463 The Young Master Came

    The Oriental Mountains were very large and extended for thousands of miles. But as the spectacular scenery blossomed with a multifold of majestic trees, numerous dangers were also prevalent in the area.


    Meanwhile, deep in the mountains, Ricky and Soar had finally arrived safe and sound. Despite the fact that Soar had already become an innate spiritual king, they decided not to go further into the mountains. This was due to the countless powerful spiritual beasts that inhabited the area. Among them were the spiritual king beasts and emperor beasts.


    "Ricky, are you sure he''ll come to meet us?" Soar asked.


    "Yes, I''m certain. In fact, I''m one hundred percent sure that he''ll show up. And you know what? I''m sure he will not tell any people about it. After all, he''s greedy and arrogant," Ricky replied and grinned.


    "Oh, wait. Here he comes!"


    Before his voice could fade away, Soar and Ricky saw two shadows rushing towards them. And in an instant, the shadows swooped over their heads and landed in front of them. Upon taking a closer look at the figures, they finally had a full recognition of who they were¡ªthe young master and the old man of the Golden Leopard Valley.


    "Hello, bastards! So brave of you to leave that message after you have escaped our clutches. How dare you demand me to come here and meet you? Are you asking for a painful death?" the young master roared hatefully at the sight of Ricky and Soar.


    But apart from his threatening words, he also projected excitement out of his voice. In his mind, he was positive that he would be able to defeat Ricky and Soar and take back what they took away from him¡ªthe egg, the skeleton, and everything else. If he would succeed in doing so, then he would have so much fortune!


    The old man, on the other hand, had his brows furrowed and wore a serious expression. This was because as the young man and the two warriors were bickering, he secretly released his power to check if Ricky and Soar had planned anything suspicious. And after a few moments of examining, he then finally took a sigh of relief as he confirmed that Soar and Ricky came alone.


    "So, I see that you want to take something from me, right? While we know your intentions, I''m also very interested in the object you have! Isn''t this a perfect idea for us to meet here?" Ricky replied as a smirk formed on his face.


    "Ha-ha! You are just a bunch of reckless children! The audacity! What gave you the courage to think about snatching something from me?" the young master replied coldly upon hearing Ricky''s arrogant claim. Disdain formed on his face as his blood boiled with anger.


    Boom! Boom!


    It was not long after the young master''s golden vigor broke out. His power was at the peak of demi-immortal. Ricky could confirm from his momentum that this young master was d


    reat! That''s exactly what I''m thinking about! Let''s just finish all of this once and for all! I''m starting to feel bored fighting with you, you know?" Ricky said in a leisurely tone as he saw the young master had already shown the peak of his powerful skill.


    During their entire fight, never had Ricky thought that he would ever need to exert all of his strength in battling against the young master.


    Ricky had originally planned to test his own limits first before fighting with the young master. But now that it had turned into such a long fight, he had planned differently. He decided to change his mind and finish the fight as soon as possible.


    "The Omnipotent Skill¡ªthe Massacring Golden Palm!" As Ricky Summoned the skill, the Massacring Skill was activated in an instant. Immediately, massacring runes spread all over his body. This then turned his body into a big palm which dashed towards the young man mercilessly.


    Clang! Clang!


    Ricky''s Massacring Golden Palm and the young master''s Golden Spear collided, which sent rippled sounds of clanging metals to echo from where they stood.


    But to the young master''s dismay, his spear did not stand a chance against Ricky''s powerful golden palm. And inch by inch, cracks started to form and weaken the whole spear.


    And with the spear''s every crack, the young master''s energy slowly disappeared. It was not long after that the entire spear was reduced to rubble which was blown up like dust into the air.


    The young master had never expected such an unbelievable loss from a fight. With despair crippling his soul, he dropped his knees to the ground.


    Ricky, on the other hand, did not care about whether the young master was desperate or not. He knew mercy would not give him a win. He then commanded his final blow. And in seconds, his palm ran quickly to the young man, intending to smash him into pieces.

 Chapter 464 The Spiritual King With A Scar On His Face

    "Robert! Elder Robert! Where are you? Get out here now! Are you really going to watch me die here?" the young master screamed out loud desperately, begging the man he was calling out for to show up and save him. He did not have the energy to care about his decency anymore.


    "Ah, you are so useless!" someone sighed in disappointment the moment the young master finished crying out.


    Then, an old man appeared in the air out of nowhere. He cast a disappointed glance at the young master before he turned to attack Ricky.


    His enlightening power mixed with the spiritual energy and transformed into a golden hand. It then made a dive toward the Massacring Golden Palm. It seemed that it was determined to tear Ricky and his strike into pieces.


    "Great! I''ve been waiting for you, old man!"


    Ricky exclaimed when he saw the old man who was called Robert.


    Ricky was sure that the young master and the old man following him were not the only men that the Golden Leopard Valley had sent out. What was more important was that Pearl also had reminded him to be careful. He trusted Pearl in that situation.


    Ricky had already anticipated dealing with more enemies. He knew that someone else would eventually show up.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Right at that moment, a dewy orb shot out from the Massacring Golden Palm. It was none other than the energy orb Doris had given to him.


    Boom! Boom! The moment the energy orb flew out, it immediately exploded. The energy released by the orb engulfed Elder Robert completely before it engulfed everything else in his surroundings.


    "Ouch!" Then, a dreadful ululation echoed throughout the sky.


    Ricky, on the other hand, did not let himself be bothered by the miserable howl. He had enough confidence in the power of the orb. He was certain that the old man would either be killed, or be badly injured after he was attacked by the energy orb. The orb was powerful enough to hurt any upper spiritual king, after all.


    "It seems that no one will come and save you after all, young master," Ricky claimed in a cold voice in the aftermath of the orb''s destructive force.


    "No! No! You can''t kill me! My father is a powerful completed emperor and he..."


    Boom! Boom! Before the young master could finish what he was saying, the Massacring Golden Palm had already reached him and slammed forcefully into the ground, leaving a deep pit where the young master had been.


    Then, the golden light faded gradually. Ricky summoned a pair of wings transformed by spiritual energy and appeared in the air, floating above the scene. Looking at the pit in the ground, he could vaguely see that the young master had already been smashed into the pit.


    "No! Young master! Elder Robert!" the old man, who was fighting against Soar nearby, cried out in grief when he noticed what had just happened to his companions.


    Despite his dramatic reaction, he did not actually care about whether the young master was died or not very much


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    of Commerce.


    "Ricky, he is a completed spiritual king! The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is so powerful that they have sent a completed spiritual king!" Soar sent a message to Ricky via telepathy.


    "Maybe they believe that a completed spiritual king is the only one that would be able to finish this task," Ricky responded cockily.


    At the same time, Elder Robert, the man from the Golden Leopard Valley who had been seriously hurt, was grasped by the neck by the strange man.


    "You...you are the Scar King!" Elder Robert stammered out the man''s identity in a trembling voice. He had already lost all his combat power by that point.


    "Humph! Elder Robert, you are the third ranking elder of the Golden Leopard Valley, right? You were beaten so terribly by two young men. It seems that you''ve already become a useless old man now. Well, a useless old man is not worthy of being left alive. I''ll just do your leader a favor and kill you, since you''re such a loser," the Scar King sneered.


    Crack! In the next moment, he had wrung Elder Robert''s neck without any hesitation. Elder Robert was killed in an instant, and his body fell to the ground.


    "You...you killed him!" the old man exclaimed in fear upon seeing what had just happened.


    Then, he immediately tore a portal in the space, trying to escape.


    A lower spiritual king, who would soon enter the deterioration stage, was definitely not a match for a completed spiritual king, however.


    Before the old man could successfully make a move to go through the portal, he was grabbed by a big hand.


    Ricky and Soar did not feel any shock at all about what had just happened in front of them. They knew that the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce would not leave anyone alive if they decided to send out a completed spiritual king to come after them.


    The Scar King turned around after he was done dealing with the old man and spoke to Soar and Ricky with a murderous smile. He said, "It''s your turn now."

 Chapter 465 A Completed Spiritual King Became A Servant

    "Don''t worry so much about it, though. You can still breathe for a few more moments before I smash you into the ground like the bug. Someone really wants to see you guys, so just come with me and there won''t be any trouble. If you''re good for me, I''ll do you a favor and kill you in one strike so that you won''t have to suffer,"


    the Scar King said with a sneer.


    "Someone wants to see us? Is that person from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce?" Ricky asked as he grinned widely back at him.


    "You don''t need to know who it is. You will know him when you see him. The more you know, the sooner I''ll have to kill you, after all," the Scar King said grimly before he laughed darkly at Ricky.


    "The thing is we''re not going to be going anywhere with you," Soar cut in contemptuously at that point in time.


    "Ha-ha, you are just a couple of kids. How dare you refuse an order from me? You''ll do what I say if you know what''s good for you. You have no idea who I am or how well known I am around the Oriental Realm, do you?" The man was not really irritated by Soar''s words. Instead, he felt like their rude behavior was quite funny to hear from a couple of much weaker men. He could not help bursting into laughter at them.


    "We don''t give it a shit about how powerful you are. Your power is none of our business anyway. Now that we''ve said that we''re not going to leave with you, it''s safe to say that you can''t force us to do anything," Ricky responded.


    "You don''t have the final say in anything that I do! I''m determined to take you with me whether you like it or not," the Scar King said calmly with an arrogant note in his voice.


    He decided not to keep trying to argue with them anymore. Judging from their attitudes, the Scar King realized that they would not be well behaved, and they would not go with him easily. Immediately, his bloody spiritual energy gathered together and formed a large hand. The hand shot towards Ricky and Soar as soon as it formed.


    Right then, Ricky let Tina out of his Chaotic Fire Zone. Tina stood between the two parties as the attack loomed toward Ricky and Soar.


    "Oh? A woman? Are you going to get her to fight against me too? Or are you sending such a beautiful woman towards me as some sort of offering or distraction?" The Scar King''s eyes lit up at once when he looked at Tina. A look of greed covered his face as he considered her.


    He stretched his arm out, trying to touch Tina. Something unexpected happened right before the man''s hand reached her. An incredible strength gushed out of Tina. Afterwards, a large airship jetted out from inside her body. It was the same airship that they had ridden in to get to the city.


    The ship released a powerful force brought on by the array that was deployed on it. It immediately defeated the Scar King''s bloody attack.


    "How can this even be possible?!" he blurted out in shock as he watched the scene unfold before him.


    Soon, his demeanor changed and he became even more excited.


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ! Please, don''t kill me!" He immediately began to beg her again.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t kill you! I just want to you to do me a favor and protect my friends while they are here," Doris said gently.


    Immediately, the spiritual energy exuded by the cage and entered the Scar King''s mind. The king immediately howled in anguish at the sensation.


    Before long, Doris'' power began to pour out of the man. A small orb of black light flew out of him, representing her power.


    She manipulated her power and sent the black light into Ricky''s Soul Sea.


    Ricky felt a telepathic link with the Scar King in an instant. He seemed to know everything the man was thinking.


    The scarred man''s brows furrowed immediately on the other hand. His pupils became narrowed into slits. Apparently, he felt the telepathic link too. He became very desperate after that moment.


    "This...this is a contract! The type of contract signed between a master and a servant! A bonding contract!" he howled in anguish, unwilling to accept his fate.


    What was done was done, however. There was no way that he could pull himself out of the contract after it had been sealed. "I''m kind of surprised that you were able to recognize it. I never expected that you, as a spiritual king, would know anything about such a contract. That''s good though! Now I don''t need to waste my time explaining it all to you. I''m sure you''ve figured out the special relationship between you and Ricky by now," Doris said in pleasant surprise upon hearing what the man had said.


    "Yes, I know what it is!" the Scar King replied in a hateful voice.


    "From now on, he is my master and I am his servant! I will have to do everything he orders me to do even if it may cost my life! He will not even be affected negatively if I die."


    Crack! Crack! Crack! While he was speaking, he clenched his fists so firmly that the bones in his hands grounded together painfully. Obviously, he was very unhappy about the contract being put into effect.

 Chapter 466 Rickys Secret Thought

    You could never truly blame the Scar King for feeling depressed. Anyone who was being controlled by another person would feel uneasy and annoyed. And besides, no one wanted to be treated like that in the first place.


    He was a powerful completed spiritual king, in fact. Or at least, he used to be. But now, he had another identity¡ªa demi-immortal''s servant! How could he be happy in dealing with this fact?


    However, it was already too late to change anything for the die was already cast. There was nothing he could do now, but to accept his fate. Once the bonding contract was successfully made into an agreement, it could not be terminated. However, the contract could only be terminated if the master voluntarily terminated the contract, or if the servant gained the supreme enlightenment. But now, those options were far-fetched because he knew that those situations would never happen to him.


    At that moment, the Scar King wished and thought of killing Ricky, Doris, and everyone he would touch to vent out his anger. But unfortunately, he knew well enough that he was no match for Doris. Meanwhile, at the back of his mind, he prayed that Ricky would treat him nicely in the future.


    He had also vowed to protect Ricky so that he could keep his master safe. After all, any servant was obliged to do that. His only goal was to keep Ricky alive and safe from harm and protect him with his life. There would be consequences if he failed to do so.


    Upon hearing the Scar King''s words, Ricky, Soar, and Tina became excited. Initially, they had only wished to protect themselves by releasing Doris'' spiritual hologram from the airship. At that moment, they only wanted to jeopardize and startle the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and the other forces. But they had never anticipated that Doris would be of so much help to them that they had a completed spiritual king as their servant.


    "Thank you so much for all your help, Doris," Ricky said to the spiritual hologram the moment he had the chance to.


    "Tina is with you now. Protecting you means protecting her. It''s my pleasure," Doris said as a smile rested on her face.


    "All right! That should be it for now! This spiritual hologram is going to rest and sleep again. Pay close attention as you only have your last chance to wake it up again. Summon it only when it''s necessary. I''m not so worried about your safety now that you have a complete spiritual king by your side to protect you. And more than that, I am relieved that you are now in good hands. You cannot be easily hurt in this place from now on,"


    Doris said as she gave her last piece of advice to the group. After Doris'' spiritual hologram finished her final words, it then entered the airship and became dormant. Then, the airship swooped and entered Tina''s body.


    After that, they all took a glance at the Scar King.


    But as they looked at the Scar King, all they saw was his furrowed eyebrows, along with his unhappy and upsetting face.


    "Ha-ha! What happened to you? Just a few moments ago you were so arrogant and obnoxious! What about now?


    utation in the Oriental Realm with a lot of money to snatch the items that they auction off. That''s their tradition," Scar replied.


    "Oh, I got it! So if I got this correctly, they hire many completed spiritual kings. So does that mean that you are not their only killer?" Ricky asked again to confirm his understanding.


    "Yes. As far as I know, there are about five completed spiritual kings and ten upper spiritual kings that they often hire as killers. But if they auction off something very precious, it might be their demi-spiritual emperor who would do it himself," Scar replied.


    "Humph! Most people think that the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is so righteous, and that they are so innocent! What people don''t know is that no matter what items the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce sold, they would eventually go back to that wretched company sooner or later!"


    Scar exclaimed.


    "But what if it doesn''t go as planned? How would the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce deal with you if you fail to complete your task?" Ricky asked as curiosity streamed his eyes.


    "If I failed to do as I was told, then they would ask me about the reason why I failed. Then, they would demand me to return their money back," Scar replied. "They usually would not do terrible things. If that were the case, then no one would cooperate with them.


    What''s more, they''ve already made a good fortune through the auction. That made them so generous when it came to our compensation,"


    Scar explained while Ricky nodded his head as he understood his servant''s words. Now, Ricky had nothing to worry about Scar anymore. If the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce would do something to punish Scar, then Scar would definitely be in trouble if he wanted to go back to them.


    "Ricky, how could they be so crooked? Argh! You should have only given them one Pounding Skill!" Soar exclaimed as he burst out in anger.


    "Do you really think that I gave my Pounding Skills to Pearl without making any change?" Ricky said as his mouth curled upward to give them a grimaced smile.

 Chapter 467 Practicing Harder To Grow Strong

    Ricky was happy that Soar complained for him. He decided to share what he had done to the Pounding Skills he gave to Pearl. Judging by the grin on his face, it was easy to tell that he had done something really tricky.


    "What exactly do you mean, Ricky? We don''t get it," Soar asked in surprise as he exchanged looks with Tina. It was obvious that she was also quite confused.


    "They are my skills and of course I know them very well. When I wrote them down on the pieces of paper, I changed some of the contents deliberately," Ricky explained.


    "The changes I did could be hardly detected. Even a casting master at the advanced stage of the Spirit Level would have trouble recognizing them."


    "Wow! That is very surprising!" Soar and Tina both exclaimed in shock as they learned about what he did. Surprise seized them for a long time before they were able to calm down.


    "Ricky, let me just ask you this one thing. Did you anticipate that the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce was not trustworthy to begin with?" Soar asked in curiosity.


    "No, my dear friend, of course not. It just that my gut feeling told me to make some random changes to prevent terrible things from happening," Ricky replied. "If they decide to keep their word and behave virtuously, I would tell them about what I did later when I get the chance.


    But you''ve seen what they did. They sent killers to hunt and reacquire the treasures they auctioned off, which indicates that I should never really tell them anything. All they have are two incorrect Pounding Skills."


    A glint of cruelty appeared in his eyes as he stated. He was no longer the same innocent young man after all the terrible things that had happened to him. Betrayal had taught him to stay on guard at all times.


    In this jungle of a world, you had to be crueler than your enemies to overcome them. Showing mercy to them meant committing suicide. Ricky had learned this lesson after everything he went through.


    "You know what? I''m starting to admire you more and more," Soar sighed.


    Ricky was courageous and smart. He was also a genius in his cultivation. Apart from that, he was strong-willed and was always determined to achieve his goals. Soar liked his character and was beginning to admire him a lot more.


    "How much are the revised Pounding Skills worth then?" Curiosity drove Soar to ask once again.


    "Since they could only be used by a casting master at the intermediate stage of the Spirit Level, their value should be very little compared to their original versions," Ricky replied as he laughed.


    "According to my past experiences, they could be worth about four million gold coins at the most. I''m very curious about how the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce would react once they realize it." Soar couldn''t help but laugh as well.


    Tina stared at Ricky with her eyes unmoved. There was an


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    objectives. The first one was that he wanted to improve himself to the highest level of the demi-immortal. The other one was that he was determined to refine the egg and successfully extend his golden body to the first level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    He did all of this in order to prepare himself in becoming an innate spirit.


    He had hesitated to improve his combat power to the Innate Spirit Level in the past. But recently, he finally made up his mind to do this once and for all! Considering the fact that he had already reached the peak of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, he was confident that he could make it this time.


    What was more, he owned three types of runic power! If he could not do this with so many advantages, it would only be a waste for him to own a regained spiritual meridian.


    ''I will soon gain the combat power at the Innate Spirit Level!'' He hunkered down and grew excited at the thought of getting stronger before he started his cultivation.


    He had turned into a very weak warrior when his spiritual meridian was destroyed. But now, he was a demi-immortal. Countless surprising and lucky accidents happened to him. He had suffered from so much that he also underwent multiple changes to get to where he was now.


    When the excitement faded, Ricky was able to calm down. He then took a deep breath and was ready to start the cultivation.


    Before he proceeded with his next step, there was one more thing that he had to do. He must deal with the after-effects he gained while he was in the Fortune Land.


    Without any hesitation, he took out the last Regenerating Grass he had.


    He was going to use the grass to cure himself completely. It was a little bit wasteful to consume a Regenerating Grass to help him recover. But it was necessary in order to prepare himself well and to make sure that he would improve his combat power to the Innate Spirit Level.

 Chapter 468 The Selection Competition Was Coming

    Right after he swallowed the Regenerating Grass, Ricky then immediately activated his devouring rune to break down and digest the vital energy that was lodged in the grass. Afterwards, he channeled the energy into every part of his body to eradicate the after-effects.


    The Regenerating Grass, however, was a King-level Treasure from Heaven and Earth which contained thick vital energy. It was said to be the best cure to manage and treat those kinds of after-effects. The last time that Ricky had taken a Regenerating Grass, he had utilized all the vital energy to restore his fatigue, which left him with zero energy to deal with the after-effects. If he had not done this, then he would have not completely recovered from the supposed after-effects.


    Living up to its fame, the Regenerating Grass did an outstanding job of helping Ricky recover in just three days.


    Aside from the great quality and treatment from the grass, Ricky''s recovery, however, would not be possible if it weren''t for his strong body.


    After his recuperation, he then started to refine his incomplete innate power.


    His body hosted about thirty percent of incomplete innate power. With this, his next goal was to transfer all the power in his body into incomplete innate power.


    Normally, it was extremely difficult for any ordinary warrior to successfully pull that off. But Ricky was different for he was, in fact, an extraordinary warrior. And to him, this process would be a piece of cake.


    There were two reasons for saying that Ricky could do it easily. The first reason would be that he had already owned three zones for quite a long time, making him proficient with it. This meant that he had already comprehended the innate power similar to the level of comprehension of an innate warrior. With his confidence, he even thought that he could challenge and survive the Thunderstroke Doom.


    The second reason would be that he was already accustomed and had already known and understood the enlightening power. This would then make it easier for him to transfer his power into incomplete innate power.


    That was why Ricky might be capable of gathering one hundred percent of incomplete power directly and quickly.


    With determination and focus, Ricky then took a deep breath and started his cultivation at once.


    Immediately, he was given a hint by the Source of Golden Body. It reminded him that there would always be an energy source for a living creature and that his energy source was obviously from his regained spiritual meridian.


    As a matter of fact, all of his power originated from his special spiritual meridian.


    After learning this important piece of information, Ricky then decided to start cultivating with the radical energy that was embedded in his spiritual meridian.


    In total, it took him ten days to transform all the radical energy into the incomplete innate power.


    This, however, was already perceived as a short time to do such a task.


    After he had successfully transformed his power in the regained spiritual meridian into the incomplete innate power, he had spent another whole day to allocate all the incomplete innate power into every part of his body. He did this in order to acclimatize his body to the


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    s, it was also the talk of the town that the spiritual space tool that they had won during the action had gone missing.


    It was such a great loss for the Golden Leopard Valley. Not only did they lose their men, but they also lost a huge amount of money.


    The leader of the Golden Leopard Valley, Hugo Jin, initiated a search team to look for the murderer. However, no matter where they went, they failed to get any clue about who the murderer was. Hugo Jin was so angry that he vented his anger out on those weak and small organizations and forces by finding fault with them from time to time. Everyone was anxious for Hugo Jin breathed down on their necks. The situation was such a mess that none of them would like to keep in contact with the Golden Leopard Valley at all.


    The more shocking fact was that the three men, Ricky, Soar, and Tina, just disappeared out of thin air and were nowhere to be seen. Those strong organizations had also searched for them day in and night out at every corner of the Oriental City and near the Oriental Mountains. But to their dismay, not a single trace of them was found.


    Meanwhile, time passed by so fast that it was almost time for the recruitment competition of the Oriental College.


    It was during that day when all the warriors shifted their attention to the center of the Oriental City. All of them were more concerned about the incoming competition. After all, that was the reason why they came here.


    Two high daises stood in the center. Everything was almost back to normal as they were still as untouchable as ever. The central area of the city was the territory of the Oriental College, and only a few people had the opportunity to visit it.


    But things were different that day. Numerous people gathered around the two daises. Everyone heard that warriors from the Oriental College would be soon arriving. All of the people present in the area were just so desperate to have a look at the powerful fighters from that college. All of them were excited, as they were expecting to participate in or witness the selection competition through which the new geniuses would be identified by the college.

 Chapter 469 Warriors From The Oriental College

    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Finally, the warriors from the Oriental College arrived. As everyone was staring up in the sky, two lights flashed quickly towards the dais. They were two average-sized airships that were both golden in color. In the blink of an eye, they had already arrived and stopped at the two daises.


    "Did they come from the Oriental College?" some of the warriors murmured as their eyes were locked on the two airships that just landed right in front of them.


    Some relatively younger warriors and beasts were especially excited. All of them were expecting that they could be admitted to the Oriental College. The most talented geniuses in the Eastern Land gathered in the college after all. Apart from that, the college owned some extremely powerful and advanced cultivation methods.


    It was always highly possible for fighters or beasts who graduated from that college to become demi-spiritual emperors in the future. That was why the Oriental College was so attractive to the most talented warriors and beasts in the Eastern Land. Without a doubt, every time the college was about to begin its recruiting process, numerous people would come and give it a shot.


    The next moment, a group of young warriors walked out of the two airships. They were all innate spiritual kings. Judging by the aura they all emitted, they must be at least middle spiritual kings.


    The moment those young warriors stepped out and showed themselves, everyone turned their eyes to them. Their strong auras stood out so much that no one could move their eyes away from them.


    Among those young warriors, some were obviously arrogant, some seemed nice, while some seemed to be very distant. They were different in terms of their personalities.


    Two middle-aged warriors walked out shortly after.


    It seemed that the two fighters did not give out any auras or momentums at all; they both seemed like two ordinary people. But the truth was that they had perfectly mixed their strength and aura into the air to the point that they could no longer be detected. Only the completed spiritual kings were capable of executing such techniques. Every warrior in the area knew well about it too.


    If you concentrated hard enough to feel their momentums carefully, you would definitely sense the invisible pressure emitting from their bodies. The rule of "less was more" was applicable for them when it came to their strength.


    "They are the Array-shattering Spiritual King and the Skyward Sword Spiritual King! Oh my goodness. I never expected that they would come here! Do you know how powerful they are? They are completed spiritual kings of the peak level!" someone exclaimed in surprise.


    "Yes, you are absolutely right! None of us anticipated this! It seems that the Oriental College is treating this recruitment process with great importance by sending such powerful warriors," another one echoed. The crowd began to whisper among themselves.


    Upon seeing the two spiritual kings, the completed spiritual kings from the


    eputy dean of the Oriental College?" some relatively old innate spiritual king shouted in surprise when he realized who the old man was. There was apparent disbelief in his eyes.


    "Wait, what?"


    "What?"


    The crowd was stirred by the shocking news when they learned who the old man was.


    "That man is the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor!? What is he doing here?" some spiritual king beast also exclaimed in excitement. Their juniors also became extremely thrilled.


    The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor was a spiritual beast. No wonder the beasts grew excited because they were of the same kind.


    Among the crowd, two people wearing cloaks stood there calmly. One of them said in a low voice to the other, "The deputy dean of the college came here for the recruitment! It seems that the Oriental College really wants to make sure that the selection competition goes really well this time! Is it only because of the rumor that there would be a lot of geniuses?"


    "Well, we won''t be able to tell for now," another man replied. "Here is one problem, Ricky! It is highly possible that they only plan on recruiting those innate spirits. You have not reached that yet. I''m afraid you would have to use the jade tablet Chief Zenith gave to you."


    They were none other than Ricky and Soar.


    As for Tina, they left her in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    "I don''t want to use it that much. Now that this is a selection competition, I want to prove my potential through my real strength. I''m sure the Oriental College would not refuse a real genius just because that genius is not an innate spirit. If that''s how they think, I would be extremely disappointed," Ricky responded.


    "Ha-ha. It all seems to me that you have already prepared well for it!" Soar said before he burst into laughter when he heard Ricky''s confident claim. "I''m definitely looking forward to your performance."


    "I can''t wait to it either!" Ricky said in a low voice. The powerful self-confidence on his face could not be denied.

 Chapter 470 The Poor Spiritual King

    "Eh-hem!"


    Vexed by the incessant gossiping, the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor deliberately coughed to get everyone''s attention. The whispering instantly stopped. They all went still and shifted their gaze towards the old man.


    "I will be presiding this recruitment competition of the Oriental College this time," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor announced unhurriedly in a loud voice. "The rule of the selection will be quite different from the past."


    He paused for everyone to take in this new information and then continued, "We will have two battlefields. One for the demi-immortals and the other for the innate spiritual kings. That means that everyone can choose their battlefield accordingly."


    As he concluded, he squinted his eyes and skimmed through the crowd, secretly imagining how the event would turn out.


    "What?""Excuse me?" Aghast by what they recently just learned, the warriors exchanged surprised reactions. Everyone seemed bewildered. Warriors and beasts of demi-immortal, however, were thrilled.


    Initially, they never thought that the Oriental College would choose anyone of demi-immortals because, as of late, numerous geniuses had sprung up. They thought that only those who were innate spiritual kings would be qualified to attend the recruitment competition.


    The recent announcement of the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor was beyond anything that they could ever hope for. Not only did the Oriental College allow them to participate, but they were also considerate enough to set a separate battlefield for them! In this manner, it would be highly possible for them to be admitted by the college without having to defeat a spiritual king.


    It was a struggle for the demi-immortals to gain advantage back then. In the past, all the candidates only fought in one battlefield whether they were demi-immortals or spiritual kings. As a result, almost all the fighters or beasts of demi-immortal were defeated by spiritual kings except those who were extremely extraordinary. The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor just brought them a piece of very pleasing news.


    "Ha-ha! Finally! I have a chance now! There is still hope for me to be admitted by the Oriental College!" a demi-immortal loudly exclaimed out of excitement. Other demi-immortals cheered with same sentiments.


    "Ricky! This is a great chance! I''m certain that you''re going to stand out and defeat everyone in the demi-immortal battlefield!" Soar animatedly whispered to Ricky.


    "That is indeed great news, Soar! But I don''t think you''re getting the point," Ricky replied softly.


    "Really? What is it then? Don''t tell me you''re still going to push through the spiritual king battlefield?" Soar asked, incredulous.


    When there was no exclusive battlefield for the demi-immortals to contend, Soar knew Ricky would have no choice but to fight against those kings in the spiritual king battlefield. But now, it was a


    in the two battlefields, respectively. Should they choose to fight in the demi-immortal battlefield or the spiritual king battlefield, I can guarantee you that they''re going to be safe," Madeline Leng assured.


    "Ten? No, that''s not enough! Twenty for each!" Scar demanded upon hearing Madeline Leng''s arrangement.


    "Yes, understood. Twenty it is." Seeing how grave this was for her leader, Madeline Leng simply nodded her head in agreement. Secretly in her mind, she grew even more curious.


    She, of course, heard about Ricky and Soar. From what she knew, they were the ones everyone wanted to take down. Her hall leader, on the other hand, seemed to be hell-bent on protecting these two young men, even though their organization might become an enemy to other warriors. She knew how Scar worked. He wouldn''t do something that would not favor him one way or another. Which brought her to the thought: Why was he protecting them? This ordeal might cause their organization more harm than good.


    ''Is it because they are from an extremely powerful organization and the leader of it ordered him to protect them?'' Madeline Leng ransacked her mind for possible reasons.


    She was wise enough never to ask for reasons behind Scar''s orders. As a subordinate, she knew what kind of behavior her hall leader disliked the most¡ªasking him something he did not want to share.


    Scar, on the other hand, was left with no other choice. Since there was a bonding contract between Ricky and him, he had no choice but to protect him no matter what. He understood that this move would gain him some enemies from other forces, but safeguarding Ricky also meant keeping himself from harm. If Ricky died, he would go down with him.


    ''Ahh! This is God punishing me for killing so many people from the past. I now have a bonding contact with this man to atone for all the cruel things I''ve done, '' Scar sighed in distress. He had never been so powerless like this before.

 Chapter 471 Rickys Behavior Puzzled Everyone

    "I appreciate that you''re just looking out for me, Soar. But I believe that you know me very well. Once I have made up my mind to do something, it is already fixed, and I will never change my mind. If those people really want to kill me, then just let them. I will deal with them and act accordingly," Ricky said to Soar in a cold voice as he stared at the dais where spiritual kings were supposed to gather. No one could deny the determination in his eyes.


    "I trust you, Ricky. Now that you''ve already made up your mind, I know I''ll never be able to convince you otherwise. Just remember that I have full confidence in you," Soar responded. He had to stop convincing Ricky for he knew that nothing would ever change his friend''s mind. "I think that''s it, then. I''m going, now," Soar said.


    "Okay then," Ricky responded.


    After he said his goodbye, Soar jumped onto the dais on the right. Everyone stared at him with murderous eyes.


    Ricky was on the move, too. He walked towards the dais on the right as well. The eyes of the audience fell on him just like how they looked at Soar¡ªwith greedy eyes that could kill right away.


    "What in the world is he doing?" someone from the audience exclaimed with confusion. "Is he being too afraid to choose between the demi-immortal dais and the spiritual king dais?"


    When Ricky chose the spiritual king battlefield, all of the people''s faces in the crowd became puzzled. "Maybe you are right about him being too scared. He is just a demi-immortal, after all. It is reasonable for a demi-immortal to be short sighted when faced with this kind of situation," another warrior echoed.


    While the people were busy gossiping, Ricky had already landed on the dais on the right.


    ''Hmmm...That''s kind of interesting!'' the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor thought to himself as he assessed the situation in front of him. He squinted his eyes a bit as he locked his eyes on Ricky. As a strong warrior, he saw that Ricky was not at all scared to distinguish the two battlefields. With this, he had the impression that Ricky was fearless beyond measure.


    "Oy! Do you know me? I am Baron Wang. Why are you standing here in the spiritual king battlefield? In case you haven''t noticed, I am a spiritual king and I am here to tell you that you are not supposed to be here! Just go to the other battlefield where you belong!" a strong young man with a muscular figure yelled at Ricky in a disdainful tone the moment he set his foot on the right dais.


    "If you are too scared to distinguish the two battlefields, I could understand it. But if you insist on fighting here, I will beat the shit out of you."


    "Ha-ha!""Ha-ha!" Many people burst into laughter upon hearing what the young man had just said. They all laughed and teased at how Ricky''s arrogance had struck again.


    "What on earth is he doing?" Pearl, on the other side of the dais, whispered as she furrowed her beautiful eyebrows. She was surrounded by a large number of geniuses and couldn''t help but be puzzled at Ricky''s behavior. At the back of her mind, she did not think that Ricky had lost his mind when he chose the right dais. After all, he already had outsmarted her once. And that alone was enough to prove that Ricky was not an idiot. There was no way that he would be able to make such a bold move just to pick the wrong choice.


    Moreover, if Ricky were really scared, he would have never probably shown up here at all.


    "Thank you, but clearly, I know where I am st


    , Soar was already ready to step ahead to fight at that point of time. But Ricky stopped him by sending him a signal through his eyes.


    "Baron Wang, right? Let''s settle this once and for all. Just to be clear. First of all, I''m not here to amuse everyone. Secondly, I mean it when I said I wanted to play in the spiritual king battlefield. And last but not the least, it seems that it''s none of your business whether I''m here or not," Ricky said with a blank face as he looked straight into Baron Wang''s eyes.


    "So, here is my question for you. Haven''t you heard of the saying which goes like a dog trying to catch mice is extremely funny?"


    "What did you just say to me?!" Baron Wang asked Ricky in an angry voice. Obviously, Ricky was successful on getting on his nerves. With his anger, his momentum grew mad along with his strong and inflated body.


    "In case you haven''t heard it properly, I''m saying that you are the dog. Can''t you understand that? You are the dog! Do you need me to repeat it one more time?" Ricky responded.


    Baron Wang roared out loud upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    Then, a strong black aura broke out from his body and turned into a slight Ultimate Domain which was filled with power strength.


    And in the blink of an eye, a giant figure of a black bear appeared inside the Ultimate Domain.


    "You obnoxious clown! You will die here today!"


    Baron Wang yelled out loud before he threw out his fist. Accordingly, the black bear seemed to understand its master''s gesture and began to run wildly as it carried a strong power. Then, Baron Wang''s fist and the black bear''s met and then dashed towards Ricky quickly.


    Generally, it was assumed that the fist was already powerful enough to defeat any demi-immortal of the peak level.


    However, what everyone did not know was that the demi-immortal standing there was a unique one.


    "Young man, show me what you are capable of. Don''t you dare disappoint me," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor on the airship murmured with interest.


    Meanwhile, the two spiritual kings also held their breath as they were at the edge of their seats expecting what would happen next. This would be their truth for they really did not believe that Ricky had a spiritual king''s combat power as what the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor had told them.

 Chapter 472 He Was A Peerless Genius

    Boom! Boom! Ricky was taken by the power that hit him with the strong and hefty fist. In that moment, his body felt so unbearably heavy that he was unable to make the slightest move.


    "Don''t bite off more than you can chew, young man. How dare you challenge a spiritual king! Do you really think you are so uniquely strong? Don''t be so stupid!" commented a disciple on the airship from the Oriental College. Everyone was watching Ricky being shredded to pieces. Other disciples nodded in agreement.


    As for the warriors surrounding them, they were cringing and staring at Ricky with pity in their eyes, as if they were watching a dead body. According to them, his fate was sealed, and they could picture it even before it happened. He would either be smashed into mud or lose some parts of his body.


    What they couldn''t foresee was that Ricky''s eyes were turning red and golden with rage. It was a sign. He was desperate to fight back. Ricky had never been so eager to fight like this. The force in him was weak, but his determination to fight was stronger than ever.


    He had been waiting for this moment for way too long. He had only dreamt of it night after night. All his urges were building up to this. This was literally his first time being hit by the innate power, exactly the moment he was longing for.


    "Is this the innate power? I''ve been waiting for you for so long! Great! Baron, you are going to be the very first spiritual king that I''m going to defeat," Ricky promised himself with determination as a glint of murderous light flashed through his eyes.


    Buzz! Buzz! Before his voice faded, Ricky was surrounded by a golden glow. He was employing his Nine-degree Body Refining Formula to the maximum extent. There was a buzzing sound as the massacring runes spread all over his body, enhancing Ricky with greater power.


    He did not possess any enlightening power or blood power of innate spirit. Instead, he circulated his own power to resist the innate enlightening power. Only through this way, he was able to challenge a spiritual king.


    "The Massacring Golden Fist!" The next moment, Ricky burst out his power. All those massacring runes moved swiftly and formed a golden corridor. Standing at one end of the golden corridor, Ricky threw out a punch.


    "How ignorant are you? How dare you fight back right in front of my face?" Baron roared in rage when he saw Ricky''s reaction.


    Boom! Boom!


    The entire space was filled with a blast. Baron''s black wave and Ricky''s golden wave met with a loud thunder and caused a black hole. Their powerful waves continued to strike at the entrance of this hole, ensuring it stayed open.


    Soon after, the black hole engulfed the two fighters like a tornado swallowed


    ht, though. She would never know the real reason behind Scar''s behavior because there was no way Scar would tell her the truth.


    Those disciples of the Oriental College on the airship zipped their mouths.


    Of course, they knew the strength of the first inner disciple of the Oriental College. They were well aware of how terribly powerful and cogent a peerless genius was. If Ricky was admitted by the Oriental College, he would surely become the new first inner disciple in a very short period as long as he was trained properly.


    They would dare not show any disdain or disrespect to him.


    "You are right! He is absolutely a peerless genius! The Oriental College is going to have another peerless genius soon!" both the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King exclaimed to the old man through telepathy instantly.


    "You know, I did anticipate that, and yet here I am, shocked as the confirmation comes our way. His capabilities are unparalleled," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor also sighed in shock. "Such a great time we are in right now. There are so many geniuses in this world and we will have two peerless geniuses!"


    The two spiritual kings stared at Ricky as if they were looking at some kind of precious treasure.


    "You should pay attention to those men during the whole process. They are harboring malicious intentions. Although, I have no idea what this young man did to them that made them so angry, I can feel that they will play some dirty tricks during the competition," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor demanded in a serious tone the next second. He had sensed it from the very beginning that Ricky was being hated by many warriors.


    "Yes, we understand it and we will keep him safe!" the two spiritual kings replied as they nodded their heads.

 Chapter 473 Ricky Did The Old Man A Favor

    Baron''s eyes had shone with confidence before the start of the fight. But his emotions went downhill¡ªfrom confidence to desperation, to fear, to disbelief. He could not believe what he got himself into this time. With all the mixed emotions that he was feeling, he roared his heart out. "What is happening? No way. This is not supposed to happen! I must be dreaming!


    You are a peerless genius! How could it even be possible!?"


    Baron was also a genius. However, he was trained by a relatively weak organization. So there was no way he could be a match for a peerless genius like Ricky. This was because a peerless genius always had a strong force to back him up at any time. Even if Ricky did not have any support for the time being, numerous powerful forces would still offer to support him. And from that point on, Baron realized that his organization and family would never be able to compete with Ricky or his support.


    This situation was too much for Baron to bear that he was already going out of his mind.


    The next moment, he lifted his head high up and roared into the air out of grief. Then suddenly, his body grew bigger and bigger as it became inflated. And right before everyone''s eyes, he was already changing his shape!


    "You are...you are a spiritual king beast!" Ricky exclaimed with wide eyes as he looked at Baron.


    The next moment, he also activated his strength to limit his resistance with his opponent. This was done because when a spiritual king beast showed its real beast body, its strength would be stronger than its strength in human form. Clearly, Baron was transforming into the beast body. Moreover, he was wild now, which indicated that he would grow much more powerful.


    "Humph! Still trying to fight against me, huh? Now that you''ve already gone crazy, I will make you sober by beating the shit out of you!" Ricky stated in a cold voice when he saw Baron intend to launch another attack against him.


    But Baron was not to be defeated easily as he responded with a loud roar. Then, in just a few seconds, he had already transformed into a big black bear. A white moon hung above his head while it released a very strong and powerful aura.


    "Oh, he''s a member of the Moon Bear tribe!" Ricky murmured to himself as he recognized this species. The shape of a black bear and the moon were obvious enough for everyone to recognize which tribe Baron belonged to.


    As a matter of fact, the Moon Bear tribe did not have a very strong bloodline. After all, a grown bear would only become an upper spiritual king at the most. With this, they were kind of the weakest force among all those organizations who had innate spiritual kings.


    No wonder Baron went crazy when he learned Ricky was a peerless genius! Fear and desperation engulfed his every being when he realized that he wouldn''t stand a chance against Ricky. And maybe that was also the reason why he also lost his mind.


    Seeing Baron caught by madness, all his seniors became very worried about his state. To them, this was a sign of death. If Baron could not get himself together, then he would be trapped, lose all his intelligence, and become a stupid animal who could not think very smartly! In other words, if he would not recover from his state of madness, then he would be unable to p


    cky would have hunted them down as soon as he became a completed spiritual king. And when that time came, there would be no place for them to hide in the whole Eastern Land.


    "Yes, I understand it," Baron immediately responded when he heard what the old man had just said.


    Then, he turned to Ricky and said, "Thank you, Ricky, for keeping me alive!"


    "Yeah, but it''s no big deal! This could probably be the chance for us to know each other!" Ricky said with a smile on his face.


    He did not care whether Baron was really being nice to him or just pretending to be nice. Still, Ricky responded to his opponent politely because of the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor.


    "Wow, you are such an open-minded man!" some of Baron''s seniors exclaimed as they thanked Ricky.


    "All right, then! This is the end of this chaos! Are there any qualified warriors who have not yet arrived at their respective daises? Hurry up! And those demi-immortals who want to fight on the spiritual king battlefield, you can change your dais, too! Do it quickly. The recruitment competition is about to start soon," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor reminded the warriors.


    Those demi-immortals, on the other hand, shook their heads upon hearing his words. Unlike Ricky, they were not that confident to challenge a spiritual king.


    "This is the last time that I am going to warn you. You may be killed during the fight and no one will take the responsibility. Anyone who is afraid to be killed, please feel free to leave now," the old man added.


    All those who were standing on the daises shook their heads with determined eyes.


    They had been waiting for this chance for such a long time that death did not scare them.


    "All of you are very courageous! I''m very pleased to see this kind of attitude from all of you. Well, without further ado, it''s time to set off! Let''s leave!" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor announced.


    The next moment, the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and Array-shattering Spiritual King started deploying arrays. The two airships, floating in the air, grew larger in an instant. At this point, both of them looked like two giant mountain peaks in mid-air.

 Chapter 474 The Two Peerless Geniuses Finally Crossed Paths

    "Madeline, please listen to me carefully. Now that Ricky has chosen the spiritual king battlefield, you have to go there as well. You must personally protect him. We have sent out our men but I can only trust you. You''re the only one that can do this task," Scar immediately said to Madeline when he saw that the two airships were about to take off.


    "Yes, I will do it!" Madeline nodded her head confidently without any hesitation.


    If her boss had asked her to protect this young man in the past, she would definitely be reluctant to do it. But she had a different opinion about Ricky. She knew that he was a peerless genius. That was why she immediately agreed when she heard her Scar''s request. She was very happy to have this chance to be able to protect a peerless genius.


    "But remember this, you have to call him young master!" Scar gave her one last reminder. In fact, he did not despise Ricky anymore after he was made aware of Ricky''s true strength and potential.


    "Yes, I got it!" Madeline nodded her head once again.


    The next moment, she jumped onto the dais where Ricky was standing on.


    Ricky, on the other hand, quickly noticed the woman who came at the last second before the airship would leave the ground. He then looked at her from head to toe.


    From his perspective, she looked a little bit like Grace. She had exquisite and defined facial features that made her look quite a heroine. She didn''t have any expression on her face except tranquility. ''She must have a strong will, '' Ricky commended secretly.


    "Do you work for Scar?" Ricky asked her through telepathy. Meanwhile, he activated his power originating from his zones to test this woman''s strength. It turned out that she was at least a first-class lower spiritual king.


    "Yes, young master," Madeline promptly responded to his question.


    "Young master?" Ricky couldn''t believe what he just heard. He laughed a little before he continued, "Well, that is very considerate of Scar to think of such an address." He thought for a while and with a smile, said, "Since you work for Scar, you don''t need to be so formal and distant by calling me young master. Just call me Ricky."


    "Okay, Ricky it is!" Seeing how politely and friendly he looked at her, Madeline immediately changed her demeanor towards him.


    "How many people do you have here? Are you by yourself?" Ricky asked again.


    "The hall leader sent out almost every man available right now. There are twenty-one people here, including me," she replied at once.


    "There are also twenty people on the other airship. They were supposed to protect you. But it seems like they wouldn''t have much to do."


    Ricky laughed inside as he thought, ''Scar is really worried about me so much!'' However, he understood why Scar did this. Scar was a servant to him now and his priority was to keep him safe. No wonder he sent out all of his men.


    ''Doris was really being wise when she left the bonding contract between me and him. Honestly, this is such a huge help to me, '' Ricky thought.


    "So, Ricky, should I contact the other twenty men


    ''m sure that this place will not disappoint me!'' Ricky wondered with a little excitement in his heart.


    While Ricky continued to process the knowledge that he had just heard, Jasper Zhang looked at him directly. In Jasper Zhang''s mind, he felt that the young man in front of him was very special among all those candidates. Jasper Zhang''s felt that he was also a very talented genius like himself.


    Or it could be said that a peerless genius would always attract another peerless genius because of their similar momentums.


    In the blink of an eye, Jasper Zhang dashed in front of Ricky. With a smile on his face, he said, "If my guess serves me right, you must be the peerless genius everyone is talking about!"


    Uncontrollably, Jasper Zhang released his battle intention. As if by instinct, he wanted to battle against Ricky. However, he tried really hard to suppress such intention. He was actually afraid that he might kill Ricky. In Jasper''s mind, Ricky was still too weak to battle against him despite the fact that both of them were peerless geniuses.


    At that point in time, everyone locked their eyes on the two young men. They could already imagine what it would be like if they fought against each other. It must be a really wonderful and ferocious battle.


    ''It seems that this college will become very lively soon. I like that! Hopefully, they will not only become enemies, but become friends as well!'' the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor thought to himself while he stared at the two young men in front of him. He actually liked Ricky and hoped that Ricky and Jasper would become good friends. That way, both of them could make progress and enhance themselves together, without being shaded by dark thoughts.


    "Nice to meet you. My name is Ricky Nan," Ricky introduced himself in a decent manner. He recognized that Jasper Zhang wanted to have a fight with him. But Ricky couldn''t find it in himself to find faults with the man in front of him. Ricky thought that it would be the best for him to behave politely at that moment.

 Chapter 475 The Recruitment Competition Officially Began

    "Nice to meet you, too. My name is Jasper Zhang. I know you are a peerless genius and I am very desperate to test my strength against you. It seems that this is not the right time, though. I will wait for you until we can spar. When you become an inner disciple, we will definitely meet again. Would you really dare to fight against me?" Jasper asked in a straightforward manner with a smile on his face.


    "Your challenge is accepted! I''m more ambitious than you can imagine. Now that you''ve said that you will wait for me, I will surely be able to spar with you in the future! When that happens, I will defeat you, so be prepared," Ricky told him in a distant tone.


    "Ha-ha! I never thought you would be so ambitious and arrogant! I like your personality anyway. So, I can''t wait until we get to meet again!" Jasper exclaimed in excitement. He was not infuriated by Ricky''s attitude. Instead, he felt truly elated to have such a powerful opponent waiting for him in the future.


    It had been a very long time since someone had acted so arrogant in front of Jasper in the Oriental Realm. Jasper had felt very lonely. But now that another peerless genius had appeared, how could he stop himself from being thrilled by it? He was longing for a fight against someone worthy.


    He did not think that Ricky was just talking big. As a peerless genius, he could tell that Ricky could make horribly progress in a short time.


    "Hopefully you won''t make me wait for too long," Jasper said to Ricky again.


    "I won''t. You have my word," Ricky responded with a determined look on his face. His combat power was being released from his body because he was also eager for a fight.


    Jasper wanted to fight against him, and Ricky happened to also want the same thing! He was looking forward to a battle against a genius that was just as powerful as he was!


    "I''m very pleased to hear that! A promise is a promise!" Jasper said as he nodded his head.


    Then, he walked over to his seniors and bade goodbye to them. He came there only in order to see Ricky with his own eyes. He would not have shown up there otherwise. A recruitment competition was not worth his attention.


    Afterwards, Jasper gathered up his men and left.


    The Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King exchanged looks and nodded as if they were determined to say something. "I totally agree that it is a good thing for the Oriental College to have two peerless geniuses. There are also some drawbacks to it though!" the Skyward Sword Spiritual King said to the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor. "Yes, I agree with you. Things would probably get worse," the Array-shattering Spiritual King chimed in.


    "Are you afraid that they will become enemies?" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor asked.


    "That''s exactly what we are concerned about. We all know that one nation can''t h


    ft entrance leads to the demi-immortal battlefield and the right one leads to the spiritual king battlefield."


    Swish! Swish!


    The moment he finished speaking, quite a few warriors and beasts dashed toward the entrances. Those who moved as soon as they were allowed were very confident in themselves.


    Ricky, Soar, and Madeline nodded to each other before they jumped toward the right entrance one after another.


    All the candidates would be dropped at a random place on the battlefields, so there was no need for them to enter the portal at the same time.


    A shocking feeling ran through him as Ricky entered another world.


    In that world, he seemed to feel like he was being suppressed by the natural rule.


    ''It seems that this is a Small World created by the demi-spiritual emperor of the Oriental College. The highest level here would probably be equivalent to an ordinary middle spiritual king, '' Ricky guessed as he thought to himself.


    At the same time, he also sensed that the space he was in was locked from the outside.


    Boom! Boom! Something had changed around Ricky though. Numerous intangible increments of enlightening power were released out of nowhere. Then the power gathered and formed into the shape of a new moon. Ricky reached out his hand and the new moon began floating above his palm.


    "Is this the enlightening mark I was told about?" Ricky murmured as he grasped the mark.


    He closed his eyes to try to feel its power. He was able to detect some comprehension experience and information about the enlightening power within it.


    "This is really good!" he then exclaimed excitedly.


    He immediately stopped trying to figure its power out. If he digested all the information contained in the mark, he would probably be thrown out of the contest!


    The only way to get more enlightening power was to collect¡ªno, not collect¡ªsnatch more marks from other warriors or beasts.

 Chapter 476 The First Battle

    "Yes, I must collect more enlightening marks from others!" Ricky murmured as he put the mark on his left shoulder and the mark was immediately sucked into his body. An evil smile crept onto his lips because he obviously had a plan on how to get more marks.


    He was really enjoying the game in a strange way, though it was cruel. A strong warrior was born to fight, after all. Ricky felt that his every nerve was delivering a message to him that said he must do something impressive in the Small World he was in. Despite the fact that he liked the hunting game, Ricky still had his own principles. He would never hurt the people or beasts badly, or try to kill them. He only needed to take away their enlightening marks to win.


    He would not feel guilty for stealing or robbing from others to get the marks. The rules were set by the Oriental College, after all. He could not object to it or even break any of the rules. As a matter of fact, he was quite merciful for the fact that he had decided not to kill his opponents.


    Some other warriors or beasts would do worse. They would not only take away other people''s enlightening marks, but they would also snatch everything they had before butchering them.


    Ricky was not a blindly kind-hearted man, though. If those warriors or beasts refused to give him their marks, he would make them hand their marks over by defeating them.


    Taking a deep breath, Ricky walked in the direction that he had felt there might be other warriors or beasts without any hesitation. There was determination in his eyes as he went.


    At the same time, he kept himself on high alert because he was well aware that he might be killed at any time, if he was distracted for even just one second. He was probably the only demi-immortal in that place. Being surrounded by all those spiritual kings was very dangerous, especially when they were harboring evil intentions.


    When the war began on the battlefields, many disciples of the Oriental College stood at the entrances of the battlefields, on the other hand. They, of course, did not care about the recruitment competition. All they cared about was Ricky because he was a peerless genius.


    People could see the events happening inside the battlefields from the entrances. All the disciples out there were staring at Ricky.


    "What they said is right! A demi-immortal is on a spiritual king battlefield!" a disciple said in surprise. "Is he really a peerless genius?"


    There was an obvious hint of suspicion in his voice. Everyone, then, turned their eyes to look at the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor and the other two completed spiritual kings. They wanted to know the answer too.


    "Just be patient and watch. You will see whether he is a peerless genius or not soon," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor suggested with a smile. He did no


    "The Ferocious Fire Attack!" he shouted at his enemy. His counterattack immediately overcame York He''s strike.


    The ferocious power from the mixture of the chaotic fire rune and the Heaven Melting Fire was the best choice he had to resist the pressure caused by the Ultimate Earth Domain.


    "The Triple Rune Fist!" Ricky launched his attack before he shouted out his next striking method.


    He clearly understood that he had to get the upper hand as early as possible in the fight. He was still a demi-immortal, after all. He would only be able to defeat his opponent more easily the earlier he gained control of the fight.


    Three types of runes rose from his body and mixed in the air. They then mixed together and turned into the shape of a dragon. The dragon circled around Ricky''s fists and arms as his body became stronger.


    Buzz! Buzz!


    A corridor was formed in front of Ricky. The corridor led to the location that York He was standing in. Right at that second, Ricky threw out a punch.


    Accordingly, a giant fist embedded with devouring, ferocious, and massacring power was shot towards York He. Wherever the fist passed, the scenery around it was torn apart.


    "The Earth Shield¡ªthe Three-layered Shield!"


    York He''s soles slammed onto the ground. At that point in time, he seemed to be more powerful and grounded with the land beneath his feet. Meanwhile, his power of defending earth reached its peak level.


    Afterwards, he bent over and hit the ground violently with his fists.


    One could see that the ground in front of York He heaved upwards and formed three thick walls in front of him. There was thick and overpowering earth enlightening power sent forth by those walls.


    Visibly, endless earth power continued pouring out from the ground and attached itself onto the three walls.


    Boom!


    The next second, Ricky''s fist met York He''s three earth walls.

 Chapter 477 A Ferocious Fight

    Buzz! Buzz! The moment they collided, the corridor created by Ricky''s runes faded and turned into a strong power, which in turn sank into his fist, making Ricky even more powerful.


    The violent collision created an endless blast that rippled through the air, splitting things into pieces.


    Those cracks in the air lingered for quite some time. That was just a Small World created by the spiritual emperor, after all. So the forces of nature were not strong enough to have the air restored in a short time.


    Ricky''s fist had grazed York''s shield. The first layer collapsed the first and then the second layer. Fortunately, the blow could not penetrate the third layer.


    Boom!


    Immediately, the strong auras of the two became turbulent like a flood. Both Ricky and York were charging at each other like in mad rage, raising swirls of dust in the air.


    In the blink of an eye, they met, so did their fists.


    Bang! Bang! They stopped as their fists collided. The swirls of dust rose high into the sky like a spout from the ground.


    "You have lived up to your reputation as a peerless genius. The fact that you can challenge a spiritual king as a demi-immortal is impressive, to be honest. If you were also an innate spirit, then I don''t think I''d stand a chance against you for even one bout," York claimed as he was surrounded by his earth power.


    "But you know what? You are being over-confident though you are a peerless genius. You can challenge a spiritual king. But that doesn''t mean that you can defeat him!"


    "I''m being over-confident? I don''t think so. I will prove it to you that a peerless genius can defeat a spiritual king even though he is just a demi-immortal! You will soon know!" Ricky grinned in response.


    Roar! Roar! After they finished their conversation, both of them roared out loud. They gathered all their strength on their hands, preparing for the incoming collision using their bodies.


    Outside the battlefield, the disciples of the Oriental College were surprised by what was going on inside the Small World. "Indeed, he has confirmed his reputation as a peerless genius! Are we going to have another peerless genius just like Jasper soon?" one of them exclaimed lo


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    air, between the trees, and so on. People would hardly see their collision. All they could see were two vague shadows swooshing past, here and there.


    That was what those ordinary warriors could see and hear, of course.


    For those who were stronger than Ricky and York, they could see their every collision. After one particularly sharp clang, they separated again. Now both of them panting heavily, clothes torn, they looked like a mess.


    York was worse off. His eyes deep red, he reckoned just how powerful a peerless genius was. He finally had real respect for Ricky.


    When York was still a demi-immortal at the limit, he felt frail when faced with the weakest spiritual king.


    But his opponent resisted him and even fought back beautifully. They just ended in a draw! It was obvious that Ricky was very strong.


    York did not understand why a peerless genius was so highly spoken of until now.


    "You are indeed very extraordinary!" York acknowledged.


    "I will only be extraordinary after I defeat you!" Ricky responded calmly after he adjusted his breath and retracted his devouring rune and chaotic fire rune.


    The only thing left was the massacring rune. Ricky was ready to show the real power of his refined body.


    "Let''s have the last one last do or die bout! One game will settle it all!" Ricky shouted and challenged. "The Massacring Refined Body!" Then, Ricky dropped into a fighting stance as a hint of golden light flashed through his eyes.

 Chapter 478 The First Enlightening Mark That He Got

    Hum! Hum!


    The golden light around him buzzed even louder as Ricky called out the name of his skill. In the blink of an eye, he was engulfed by the endless golden light. It made his body shimmer dazzlingly. He totally looked like a shining star at that point.


    What was more astonishing was that the massacring runes spread over Ricky''s body. They made him seem like he was wearing golden armor. With that armor and his handsome face, he was extremely eye-catching to anyone around.


    Afterwards, the massacring runes began changing into visible golden power. The power moved slowly before it gathered on the right side of Ricky''s back. Meanwhile, his refined body also ejected the golden power and gathered on the left side of his back.


    Thanks to the golden power, Ricky''s body became stronger. He was shimmering even more glaringly as the energy settled.


    Ricky had just combined the power from his refined body and his Massacring Zone. He had already reached the top tier of his body refining cultivation method. It was no exaggeration to say that his body was imperishable. The truth was that, one who practiced any body refining cultivation method, would have an imperishable body when they reached the highest level of that cultivation method.


    The power from his Massacring Zone was murderous and strong. When the two types of energies were mixed on the surface of Ricky''s body, his power was almost improved to double what it had been.


    As a matter of fact, Ricky did not know the details of it until he reached the limit of his Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.


    "Yes! Let''s leave it all up to skill and fate! Let''s do this!" York said in agreement. He was also a straightforward man.


    The next moment, his endless earth enlightening power swarmed up and gathered from within the surroundings before moving towards his body. The power then focused on his chest, gradually turning into a yellowish-brown ball.


    At the same time, York took out his spiritual weapon from his storage ring. His spiritual weapon was a long, yellowish brown staff.


    Hum! Hum! The moment his long staff was drawn, it buzzed loudly as if it could feel that its master was in need of it. From the aura it gave out, one could tell that the staff was an advanced-stage Demi-spiritual weapon.


    "Mixing up! The power of defending earth¡ªthe Double Staffs!"


    York shouted the name of the skill he was using. The earth enlightening power, which had been originally resting on his body, seemed to be squeezed out. Then, it morphed into the shape of a long staff before it melted to fuse with York''s weapon.


    The earth enlightening power and the staff did not mix with each other completely, though. To be more precise, York''s staff was surrounded by the power that had


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    hat he will.''


    The most ideal disciple in the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor''s mind was someone who had the determination to fight and, when necessary, the compassion to spare someone.


    The disciples of the Oriental College were pleased to see that Ricky was a kind-hearted man. All of them were sure that Ricky would be another leading figure in the Oriental College as long as everything went smoothly with his cultivation. They were happy about the possibility of being led by a merciful leader.


    If Ricky were a cruel and cold-hearted man, they were probably going to live a miserable life when he gained power over them.


    "Why didn''t you just kill me?" York asked in surprise after he dragged himself off the ground with shaky legs.


    In York''s mind, the strongest warriors would always have disregard for human life. Such warriors would kill any weaker creature they met if they felt like it.


    "I didn''t kill you because you did not intend to kill me either. I never kill people that I don''t need to," Ricky said in a serene tone as his breathing slowed back to its normal pace.


    "What''s more, all I want is your enlightening mark. Killing you would not do me any good. Why would I go through with the hassle of that?"


    "I think I understand now. Thank you," York said.


    Then, he took out his mark and threw it towards Ricky.


    "If there is any chance that we meet again someday, let''s be friends, as long as you want that as well," Ricky said with a smile after he reached out and caught the mark.


    "Ha-ha! Although it''s a little bit awkward that I was just defeated by you right after I entered the battlefield, I still feel very lucky to have fought with such a peerless genius! This journey was not completely fruitless at least!" York said and burst into laughter when he heard such kind words from Ricky.

 Chapter 479 The Possibility Of Refining The Marks

    "Okay," Ricky briefly replied while he nodded his head a few times.


    He knew that no matter what the consequence was, he would never give the enlightening mark back to York just because the later claimed to be his friend. Ricky was not that foolish to trust someone whom he barely knew. As a matter of fact, he had been having a difficult time trusting anyone easily after everything that he had gone through. Besides, there was no denying that Ricky was not a very merciful man. And most importantly, he was in dire need of that mark.


    After the conversation between them had ended, a mysterious power circled around York and soon enough, he vanished out of that space.


    "The very first enlightening mark! Yes! I finally got it!" Ricky exclaimed in excitement while he stared at the enlightening mark which was lying silently on his palm. The longer he looked at it, the brighter his eyes became. Somehow, Ricky felt that each time he successfully refined one enlightening mark, his power would improve to a larger extent with the help of his three miracle zones.


    "It''s time to search for the next mark!" he said to himself while he squinted his eyes in the distance. Determined, he chose a direction that he thought would be the easiest way out. Then, he set off and before long, he was nowhere to be seen.


    Outside of the battlefield where Ricky and the others were, a lot of spectators bared witness to what happened.


    "My intuition is telling me that this young man is going to make tremendous progress within half a year from now." The Skyward Sword Spiritual King shared his point of view through telepathy. He then added, "His capabilities are still quite limited despite the fact that he is a peerless genius.


    So, he still has to improve his powers with each fight so that he can grow stronger if he wants to pass the test and be admitted into our college."


    Hearing his thoughts, the Array-shattering Spiritual King commented, "That''s probably the real reason why he came to attend our recruitment competition. From what I could see, it would be easy to guess that his purpose is not limited to being a member of the college. No, he wants more than that. It''s also his way of enhancing his strength."


    "I still remember that Jasper successfully defeated a third-class lower spiritual king who was at his peak condition at that time. I''m actually very curious as to how far this young man could go," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said with utmost interest.


    The Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King both giggled a little in amusement before responding, "They are both peerless geniuses. I''m sure he will also surprise us with his potential."


    "But we never know what could happen. Differences also exist between peerless geniuses. And those differences could be much further apart with those between the first-class geniuses. Above the peerless geniuses, there are ace geniuses. They are the highest level a genius could reach," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor expounded on his point.


    He then added, "However, it has been hundreds of years since an ace genius appeared in the Middle Land. That''s why we rarely heard of such titles."


    "Geniuses even stronger than the peerless geniuses? That''s almost unbelievable," the two spiritual kings both exclaimed with astonishment upon hearing what their senior had just said. They thought that for a powerful genius like that to exist, one would have to be terribly skilled and capable.


    Once a peerless genius grew strong, he would become the most powerful warrior on that continent.


    "So, what you''re saying is that there are different levels of peerless geniuses. May we know just how many are there exactly?" the


    hey became spiritual emperors. However, they had much deeper comprehension with regard to the enlightening power. So they would be much more experienced than the completed spiritual kings and the demi-spiritual emperors.


    Outside of that Small World, there were still a few disciples who were eagerly watching what was happening inside.


    "What is he up to?" someone asked or a better term would be "screamed." All of the spectators were confused upon seeing Ricky''s behavior.


    "Is he trying to refine those enlightening marks?" a voice exclaimed in disbelief.


    "No way! That''s impossible! Although he is a peerless genius, he''s still just a demi-immortal. It is impossible for someone in his status to refine the enlightening power. Only an innate warrior can do that!" another one from the crowd expounded.


    Meanwhile, their seniors were closely watching Ricky''s movements as well.


    "Is he really going to..." the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King asked their senior through telepathy. Both of them were astonished as well.


    "To be honest, I''m just the same with all of you. I too, am surprised to see what he''s about to do," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor responded. Then, he looked at Ricky one more time and continued, "But we could clearly see that he does intend to refine those enlightening marks."


    "Doesn''t he know that only an innate spiritual king can refine the enlightening mark containing the enlightening power?" the Skyward Sword Spiritual King asked again. Doubt and confusion were evident in his voice.


    While everyone outside of that Small World was confused, Ricky started his refinement progress. He had no idea about everyone''s reaction with what he was doing.


    As a matter of fact, Ricky had heard the rumor that only a real innate spiritual king could refine the enlightening power from those marks. However, he did not take it seriously. He was confident that with his regained spiritual meridian and the three powerful zones, he would be able to successfully do it!


    To be more precise, it was his regained spiritual meridian and his three zones that could refine the enlightening marks. They were more powerful and they could take control of everything.


    The problem was that they had already become a part of Ricky. So the moment that they successfully refined the marks, it would mean that Ricky successfully refined them. That was the secret that Ricky would never share with another soul that easily.

 Chapter 480 Alva Woke Up

    The whole process began with the first enlightening mark. Three types of runes gushed out from Ricky''s body. The main one was the devouring rune. He took that as a sign and activated his Devouring Skill to start the refinement.


    He had already understood the enlightening power a long time back, at the Enlightening Cliff in the scattering land of the ancient battlefield. Wasting no more time and energy on it again, he swiftly moved on to the next aspect. He needed to refine the mark.


    Ricky could see that the mark containing the enlightening power gradually became smaller and smaller while being pushed by the three types of runic power. Mingling and melting inside those runes, it spread across his regained spiritual meridian before it entered his three zones.


    Only the real spiritual kings could use the enlightening power. So, Ricky, as a demi-immortal, couldn''t just transfer it into his own body. His three zones were the best places the enlightening power could be stored. Having done that, one could say he possessed the enlightening power to some degree too.


    Even though his flesh and blood were unable to contain the enlightening power, there was still something Ricky could benefit from. It was the spiritual emperor''s comprehension left inside the enlightening mark, that he could still digest.


    The spiritual emperor lived up to his fame as a real strong warrior. There might be only a very small part of his comprehension and experience left in the mark, but it was more than sufficient for Ricky. He would still gain a lot of useful information from it.


    Sensing the power of a spiritual emperor, Ricky thought to himself, ''Is this what a spiritual emperor is capable of? When will I become a spiritual emperor? I can''t imagine what it would feel like to possess that kind of power. I want that. I really do.'' Suddenly, Grace''s face flashed through his mind. ''Master Grace! I will push all my boundaries. I will grow stronger so fast that it wouldn''t be believable. Just wait for me! I will get you out of that place very soon!'' His eyes glistened with determination and promise.


    "What just happened? How could this be? He successfully refined the enlightening power as a demi-immortal. I''ve never seen or heard of such a thing before. This is impossible!" All disciples just stood there rooted to the ground, awestruck, as they witnessed the scene.


    "Even Jasper could not make it when he was a demi-immortal! But now, this guy has done it! I must admit that I am extremely impressed," said someone at the back. Muttering sounds came from everywhere, as the crowd could no longer hold on to their thoughts.


    It was just too good to be true. In that moment, those disciples of the Oriental College genuinely thought they were in a dream where impossible and magical things happened frequently. They were absolute geniuses judging by the fact that they were admitted by the Oriental College. They were also very well aware of that. B


    sensed something strange. At first, he was confused. But, soon the confusion was replaced by thrill.


    Thump! Right at that time, he saw a flame shooting towards him. It was none other than the Heaven Melting Fire.


    "Soar! Finally, here you are!" Ricky jumped with excitement as he looked at the fire.


    The flame landed and transformed into the form of a human being. It was Soar. "You know, it''s not easy to find you! This is not a small place at all. I''ve been searching for you the past one month using the Heaven Melting Fire," Soar said, panting and trying to catch his breath.


    "It must be very troublesome for you to search for me. I''m honored. Thank you," Ricky said in a grateful voice.


    He wanted to search for Soar. But, his strength had not been strong enough before the refinement. So, the only choice was Soar searching for him.


    "You know what? I''m bringing you another guy here!" Soar said with a mysterious look before he nodded his head.


    Immediately after, a familiar voice was heard in Ricky''s mind. "It''s me, my master!"


    "Oh my God! It''s you! Alva! You woke up!" Ricky exclaimed in great excitement as soon as he heard the familiar voice.


    Ever since Alva helped him to fight back the Shadow King, he had been asleep to recover. It had been almost one and half a year until now. Ricky missed him so very much.


    "Yes, this is me, my master. I''m so glad to see you again," Alva said in a smiling voice.


    "Yes, same here! I''m just so happy! I''m glad to see you are in good condition now," Ricky said. "You can just call me Ricky! Master would not be necessary. You have Soar to be your master now. He is the Heaven Melting Dragon and he is the real master of you."


    "Ha-ha! You''re too kind! You save me and Alva. He considered you to be his master. So you can continue being his master," Soar said with a genuine smile.


    "Alas, Alva, you are going to have two masters! Ha-ha!"


    They shared the joy and burst into laughter happily.

 Chapter 481 Enlightening Vortex

    "Ricky, I can tell from your aura that you have made a significant improvement with your cultivation!" Soar looked at Ricky with great excitement.


    "You are not wrong. I have taken and refined five enlightening marks in this month alone, which is indeed a great booster for my cultivation. Otherwise you would have to protect me in the coming days," said Ricky.


    "Ricky, to my knowledge, one could not refine the enlightening mark with the level of demi-immortal. So you must have used the Chaotic Fire Zone," Soar said, contemplating and concerned. "If this is the case, someone may be able to figure out that you have something extraordinary on you!"


    "I do not have a choice. I need my strength at its best," Ricky replied.


    He naturally knew what Soar meant. This was the turf of the Oriental College so it was very likely they could find out his secret.


    Hearing Ricky, Soar dropped the subject, since he understood Ricky would crave for power because he wanted to go to the Phoenix tribe as soon as possible.


    "Master Soar, I think it is bad for Master Ricky to be pursuing power like this. Gifted as he is, he could still lose his way and cave in to the devil inside." Alva spoke after he learnt of Ricky''s condition from Soar.


    "Trust me, I know this too. He gives the impression of having gotten over Grace, but from a closer look, he wouldn''t easily let it go. I will have to help him get out of it gradually," Soar replied solemnly.


    "Soar, have you met Madeline and the men sent by Scar before?" Ricky inquired moments later.


    "I have met a few of them. However, no one seemed to care about looking for you except Madeline, so I did not join them," said Soar.


    "I see. I was wondering if the men could help me with something. But it looks they are not as loyal as advertised," Ricky said with a little contempt in his voice.


    "In the world of the warriors, loyalty is nothing compared to personal benefits. You know that," Soar consoled Ricky.


    "By the way, what do you need them for?" Soar had been mulling


    rtexes. With some of these, he would make it to the first-class lower spiritual king sooner.


    Without further ado, the two of them set off for that enlightening passage.


    Enlightening passages were loopholes in the Small World and they were usually located in the outer limits.


    It took them about ten days before they found the passage. But along the way, they had run into quite a number of warriors and beasts.


    Some of the encounters ended peacefully. But others did not. Fortunately, those that escalated into conflicts only added more enlightening marks to Ricky and Soar.


    There were giant rifts around the fringe of the Small World with tremendous gravity. Even a middle spiritual king could not withstand such force and could get sucked in, pretty easily.


    Some of these space rifts formed the enlightening passages that the two were looking for.


    Generally, the passages were those rifts with the strongest enlightening power.


    As they passed by, they kept watching for such power to signal them to the right spot.


    They stopped at one that they thought was just right for their mission. But its gravitation was still very strong, and was already being watched by other spiritual kings, eagerly waiting a decline in the power oozing from the passage so that they too could dip in.


    Otherwise they would get sucked into endless chaos.

 Chapter 482 The Young Master Of Heaven Palace

    Everyone in the enlightening passage was attracted by Ricky and Soar.


    After all, Ricky was a peerless genius.


    "He is Ricky, the peerless genius," many warriors and spiritual king beasts murmured. Mostly, they were kind to Ricky, but a few felt envious and even wanted to attack him.


    "Ricky, will they attack us here?" Soar asked Ricky through telepathy when he felt those envious eyes.


    "Relax! They just know I possess the skeleton of a spiritual emperor," Ricky replied. "But if they are foolish enough to think they can get it from me, let them try."


    Ricky was so confident because his strength had improved a lot.


    Moreover, Soar too was no pushover. The two of them would make mincemeat of anyone here, unless they had a first-class lower spiritual king. But there wasn''t one.


    In readiness for anything, Soar released the full momentum of his dragon aura.


    ''Is the young man beside Ricky a spiritual king beast with some strong bloodline? Why do I feel an overwhelming and strong sense of bloodline stress from him?'' the spiritual king beasts thought as soon as they felt the momentum of Soar.


    The human warriors frowned at the immensity of Soar''s force. Although they couldn''t feel his strong bloodline, they could tell from his aura that he was almost an first-class lower spiritual king.


    At that moment, another young man stood in the crowd, smiling faintly. But he couldn''t hide his greed for the skeleton Ricky possessed.


    He looked very handsome in white clothes and held a white folding fan in his hand. The fresh aura of a celestial being oozed from his body.


    Two young girls stood behind him. Their faces didn''t launch a thousand ships, but they were pretty and had their own unique aura. From the eyes, you could tell they were sisters.


    "Ricky, you''re so famous that I have heard of you before." At that moment, the young man was walking towar


    d spiritual king beasts thought.


    ''Come on! Let them fight right away. They had better hurt each other badly.''


    Whiz!


    The young master began to prepare for the fight. As soon as he stopped talking, he disappeared in the air. All of a sudden, He used the Wind Enlightenment to kick Ricky in the face.


    "Go to hell where you belong!" Soar shouted out as he appeared in front of Ricky. Swiftly, he waved his flame fist to resist the young master''s attack.


    They were fighting against each other fiercely.


    But the young master was also a first-class lower spiritual king. The fight was nearly a draw.


    "You two kill him at once," the young master commanded.


    "Yes, young master!" Immediately, the two maids sprang into action.


    The two maids were the first to react, switching to their full strength. Both of them had the peak combat power of a third-class upper spiritual king. Then they both charged forward to attack Ricky.


    "Relax Ricky. They still ain''t a match for you," Soar said using his internal power.


    "Don''t worry. If I can''t handle these two little girls, I won''t need to take part in the selection," Ricky replied. Then straight away, he broke out his Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and attacked with his golden light.

 Chapter 483 Enter the Enlightening Passage

    This pair of sisters had obviously practiced the same cultivation method. When they rapidly crossed the space, their spiritual energy surged, turning into white mist. The Cloud Enlightenment also diffused into the space around them at the same time.


    Immediately, Ricky was surrounded by the power of Cloud Enlightenment that came from them.


    It seemed that their power, not only successfully restricted the actions of Ricky, but also restricted the space and spiritual energy around him. In addition, it indirectly slowed down any actions that Ricky wanted to take.


    Surprisingly, it turned out that the sisters had practiced the fettering power contained in the Cloud Enlightenment to make it so successful.


    They could also clearly see that under the direct and indirect restraint, Ricky''s movements had gradually slowed down.


    There was no doubt that Ricky had expected that incident to take place, but he just smiled lightly and did not take any further defensive action against the sisters'' attack. He somehow remained incredibly calm. He rushed towards the sisters, as if he was just launching a normal attack as he ordinarily would.


    Accompanied by the diffusing golden light, Ricky bombarded them with a golden fist, which directly rushed towards those sisters.


    "Cloud Enlightenment¡ªFettering Whip Attack!" Under the Ultimate Fettering Domain, the sisters cried out at the same time to launch an attack against that golden fist, and all of a sudden, the amazing power of Cloud Enlightenment around them surged forward like the tide.


    In the next moment, the endless Cloud Enlightenment suddenly turned into a huge whip. Like a python circling around him, the whip was tearing at Ricky from all directions with stunning speed.


    Boom! The next moment, Ricky''s golden body was heavily bombarded by the fierce attack coming from the whip, and his strength was immediately subdued.


    What was worse, the golden fist that he attacked with was also subdued.


    "You still dare to claim that you are a peerless genius? From my perspective, you are just an over-confident guy who even dared to offend our young master! Your miserable fate is to be defeated by us now!" Floating in mid-air, the two sisters spoke in a cold voice. They were completely satisfied while they watched Ricky become subdued by their own enlightening power, and they couldn''t help but gloat over his fate.


    They were quite confident that, under the attack of their Cloud Enlightenment that was characterized by fettering power, Ricky would only be bound for death and there would be no other choice left for him. So, what if he was a peerless genius? He would eventually be killed by them.


    "This guy is known as a peerless genius, isn''t he? If the news that he ended up dead because of two women gets out, it will be a big joke to everyone!" Seeing what was happening, the warriors around spoke contemptuously about Ricky. There was a bit of awful glee revealed in their tone.


    "He is the one that they refer to as a peerless genius? It real


    s and fear.


    After that, neither Ricky nor Soar responded with actual words anymore. They began to condense their power in order to launch a joint attack against him.


    Boom!


    At that very moment, a strong roar shook the area, and the strong attraction that pervaded all around the space rift quickly receded.


    "It is said that the attraction recedes for only half an hour. The next time it would disappear is three days after that. At that point in time, we have to come out of this space; otherwise we will be pulled into chaos and crushed by it."


    In the next moment, all the warriors and spiritual king beasts around stopped paying attention to Ricky, Soar, and the young master of the Heaven Palace. They quickly jumped into the enlightening passage instead. The enlightening passage was the most important thing for the warriors and spiritual king beasts at that point.


    If they could get to the enlightening vortex in the enlightening passage and refine it afterwards, their whole trip would actually be worthwhile, even if they had failed in that selection.


    "Ricky, it seems that we must first let go of this guy," Soar said to Ricky, unwilling to miss the excellent opportunity before them.


    At the moment, he joined hands with Ricky. If they could show everyone their real strength, there would be a great possibility that they could kill the young master of the Heaven Palace. But it wouldn''t be worthwhile to kill the young master rather than miss the enlightening vortex.


    "It''s okay. We will just let him live for a little while longer. When we come out of that enlightening passage, we will definitely catch him again, no matter where he flees," Ricky replied to Soar as he tried to put aside his own feelings for the moment.


    "Okay, I know that you''re right," Soar said in a calm and understanding tone.


    The next moment, like the other warriors and spiritual king beasts, Ricky and Soar turned away from the young master of the Heaven Palace and jumped into the enlightening passage.

 Chapter 484 Enemies Are Bound To Meet On A Narrow Road

    Ricky and Soar were inundated with gray mist after entering the enlightening passage. It felt like they had turned into time travelers, moving through the veil of time back to the time immemorial. Looking round, they felt the enlightening power sweeping through the air.


    They didn''t dare to refine the enlightening power at this time and in this place, though.


    They all knew that once the power was refined, a large number of invisible space rifts would pop up.


    Among different space rifts, the enlightening passage itself was visible and relatively safe. But the invisible space rifts were very dangerous. Even if you were a spiritual emperor, once you fell in, nothing could bring you back.


    They had to find out the enlightening vortex for them to acquire the enlightening power. While at it, they also had to stay away from places where the power was very intense.


    When Ricky, Soar, the young master of the Heaven Palace and his two maids walked inside the passage, all the other warriors and spiritual king beasts followed closely behind.


    For their own safety, they fanned out across the ground while keeping a distance from each other.


    "Ricky, let''s go deep into the enlightening passage. But we have to be careful. The enlightening vortex must be much deeper," Soar told Ricky, communicating with him through their telepathic link.


    "I got it. We had better keep a distance from the young master for the moment. You know, we don''t have the chance to finish him off here," Ricky answered.


    A few seconds later, Ricky and Soar dove deep into the passage. They didn''t give the morose-looking young master the attention he wanted.


    Ricky activated the power of three zones to scan the surroundings, lest he and Soar should fall into the invisible space rifts. Before he was done, an ear-splitting scream rent the air. The enlightening power had snatched one of the warriors and thrown him into the most volatile part of the enlightening passage.


    The power in this space was so terrifying.


    Especially, after the incident of the warrior who was sucked into the rift, almost everyone was shaken to the core. Now, some regretted entering the passage. But since there was no easy way out, most of them de


    Ricky murmured.


    "If I can refine this vortex, my strength and combat ability will be greatly boosted.


    Damn! The vortex is right here!" At that very moment, Ricky suddenly heard a familiar voice. He did a double-take when he saw the young master and his two maids walking toward him from another small passage.


    The young master, too, did a double-take on seeing Ricky.


    But he instantly felt animated at the thought of finding Ricky alone. Without Soar to back him up, Ricky was no match for the young master.


    By sheer luck, the young master finally got the chance he had been desperately hoping for¡ªto refine the enlightening vortex and kill Ricky at the same time.


    "Ha-ha! My genius Ricky, you know, enemies are bound to meet on a narrow road!" The young master of the Heaven Palace gloated and gave a horse laugh.


    Ricky''s face suddenly darkened. "Yes, the road is really narrow for us!" he snapped.


    ''Damn! I am unlucky today!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    At this time, the young master was the last person he wanted to see in the world.


    But fate had arranged a meeting for them. ''Could this be the work of the good-luck charm which I got in the Fortune Land?''


    he thought, a grumpy mood clouding his face.


    ''Anyway, the best thing to do now is run for dear life. I''m no match for him at present.''


    "Ha-ha, Ricky, are you terrified of me?" The young master laughed wildly as he glared at Ricky. "Would you like to kill yourself or to die at my hands?"

 Chapter 485 An Impasse

    ''''I will not kill myself. If you want me to die, you''ll have to take my life all by yourself!'''' Ricky said evenly, gathering up his nerve to fight.


    The unlucky situation kind of depressed him, but Ricky was never the kind of person to compromise easily, even if the enemy was much more powerful than him. He would never yield to the young master of Heaven Palace because there was still some possibility of defeating him left.


    ''''Ha-ha, you make me laugh. Considering the fact that your spiritual king beast is not here, you have a lot of nerve trying to fight with me. After all, the title of peerless genius cannot help you now.'''' The young master of the Heaven Palace opened his fan and began to rush toward Ricky.


    Soar was not there, so he could safely act arrogant again.


    Boom! With those words, he launched his attack by using the Cloud Enlightenment. The white cloud of spiritual energy enveloped his fan and it transformed into a cloud blade that struck Ricky fiercely.


    That move was just his most tentative attack though.


    His apex power was equal to a second-class lower spiritual king, while Ricky was a third-class lower spiritual king. The disparity of their power did exist. The young master intended to humiliate and torture Ricky before killing him.


    Seeing that the young master did not use his full power, Ricky immediately figured out his intentions.


    It was understandable that many arrogant geniuses like the young master were morbid bigots who liked to humiliate and torture the warriors inferior to them, especially the ones that they detested.


    In that case, he would let his guard down, which would give Ricky the chance to escape.


    Buzz! Ricky did not underestimate his enemy though. As he activated the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula and massacring runes, he merged the two powers and instilled all the power into his crossed arms.


    Just after Ricky made that defensive move, the young master''s attack arrived and clashed with the defensive energy in Ricky''s arms.


    Clang! A clear sound echoed across the sky as the cloud blade beat Ricky''s body back.


    Under his ripped clothes, Ricky''s arms were only slightly injured. Two shallow slashes were


    master had grown more cautious, and decided to take Ricky down once for all.


    Ricky''s unpredictable power had surprised him.


    For example, Ricky was able to merge with the Flame Torrent, which was a power beyond his comprehension.


    As a young master, he had gone through many crucial battles. Behind his ignorant exterior, he was cautious and careful on the inside. To avoid any accidents, he decided to immediately kill Ricky.


    In that case, he would not be able to enjoy the process of playing with him and watching Ricky beg for his life. He could still get a lot of pleasure from strangling a peerless genius in his cradle.


    ''''Cloud Enlightenment¡ªCloud Fettering Claw!''''


    In the next moment, the young master manipulate the immense Cloud Enlightenment and transformed it into a giant white claw. He tried to tear Ricky apart with its fierce fettering power.


    ''''Blood Vitality Devouring Skill!'''' Ricky had already prepared to put up a desperate fight.


    Boom! Boom!


    With the pumping of his enlightening power, the enlightening vortex in the sky suddenly created a space rift above the area.


    The magnetic force of the space rift was extremely powerful.


    Ricky, the young master and the two maids were all absorbed into the space rift then.


    ''''What the hell?'''' Ricky blurted out in astonishment. He thought that the enlightening vortex and space rift could not coexist.


    ''''Young master, please help us!'''' The two maids screamed in unison.

 Chapter 486 The Exceptional Opportunity Hidden Behind A Near-Death Occurrence

    "You two, quickly grab my hands!" the young master of the Heaven Palace immediately exclaimed when he heard the cry for help from his two maids. His words sounded hasty but he actually had a calm exterior demeanor. Earlier, a space rift suddenly appeared at the Small World that they were in. Without any warning, the two maids, their young master, and Ricky were quickly being dragged into the rift. The two maids feared that they might be sealed in the rift forever, so they cried for help right away.


    ''Am I seeing what I''m seeing? I didn''t expect that this guy has a tender side and that he would be nice to women, '' Ricky thought to himself quietly. Yet somehow, he could feel that the young master must have some hidden and filthy personal agenda for trying to save his two maids.


    When the two maids finally got a hold of their young master''s hands, Ricky noticed that the calm eyes of their young master suddenly grew sharp and dark. Apparently, Ricky was right about the young master. He was not helping his two maids out of the goodness of his heart but was actually planning to take advantage of them.


    Then, the moment he grabbed his two maids'' hands, the young master pulled the two women forward. Before long, the Cloud Enlightenment emerged abruptly from his hands. Without a second''s delay, he beat on the shoulders of the two women with the power of his Cloud Enlightenment.


    Bang! A muffled thud rang out. The two maids were beaten very harshly. As a result of the strike, the two women instantly spewed blood as they flew backwards to the rift. Before Ricky could take another breath, the two maids had been completely sucked into the space rift.


    Meanwhile, the young master was thrown out of the space rift because of what he did to his two maids. All along, that had been his vicious plan on how to get rid of the space rift''s sucking power.


    After that, the young master grabbed the enlightening vortex and quickly left the open area.


    "There''s no denying that he is a monster! How can he be so brutal and cold-hearted?!" Ricky cursed. After bearing witness to everything that happened, he felt really sad for the two maids.


    Yet, at that moment, it suddenly dawned on Ricky that there might not be endless chaos inside the space rift. Because if that was the case, then it would have been impossible for the young master to escape by such an approach.


    ''Are there other things inside the space rift?'' Ricky carefully thought to himself.


    Then, he stopped struggling because he knew that no matter how hard he struggled, he could never get rid of the strong absorption power of the rift.


    Meanwhile, a commotion was happening outside of that Small World as well.


    "Sir, can you explain to us what is going on? When the enlightening vortex exists, the space rift is not supposed to appear! But why did it emerge just now?" the Array-shattering Spiritual King and the Skyward Sword Spiritual King asked the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor by using their internal power for telepathy. As they had been doing for the past few months, they had been carefully watching the events unfold within the Small World.


    The two spiritual kings were in fact, extremely worried for Ricky. Although the Small World was created by the Oriental College, eve


    us if that was indeed the case.


    Buzz! Buzz!


    At that moment, Ricky experienced a sudden and sharp pain in his palms. He then saw that two Wind Holes were emerging from his hands. They were buzzing abruptly as if they wanted to lead him to the depths of that space.


    The two Wind Holes in his palms were obtained at the Fortune Land in the Realm of Wildness. Since he got out of the Fortune Land, the Wind Holes had become useless. Of course, there was no gravitational windstorm inside them right now.


    ''What happened? Why did the two Wind Holes appear out of the blue when I didn''t activate them? And moreover, it seems like they want to take me to the depths of this space, '' Ricky thought silently with great confusion.


    ''It''s clear that this space is filled with enlightening windstorms. Is there some sort of Enlightening Wind Hole similar to the Wind Hole that I encountered before?'' Ricky kept on wondering to himself.


    "The two of you, stay right here. I need to explore this space even further!" Ricky told the two women. Then, by himself, he walked into the depths of the space.


    "Yes, young master!" the two women responded excitedly.


    They naturally thought that since Ricky had just given them an order, it meant that he had agreed to accept them as his maids.


    In reality, however, Ricky didn''t think about it too much. He quickly moved to the depths of the space with one single goal in mind.


    The further he walked into the depths of the space, the stronger the power of the enlightening storm became. In turn, he had to break out a stronger resisting power.


    After a while, Ricky found out that the forming principles of the enlightening windstorms that were sweeping around him were exactly the same as those of the gravitational windstorms in the Fortune Land.


    With such knowledge, Ricky quickly adapted to these enlightening windstorms. The resisting power he had to break out was naturally diminished.


    Then, a few moments later, Ricky finally saw what was in the depths of the space.


    "This is such a big opportunity indeed!" Ricky jubilantly exclaimed. He just couldn''t believe his eyes. Never had he thought that he would be this lucky.

 Chapter 487 An Opportunity From The Emperor

    Boom!


    In the depths of that space, dozens of enlightening vortexes in the middle of the air stirred up strong enlightening windstorms that permeated the whole area.


    Meanwhile in the vicinity of those enlightening vortexes, funnel-like enlightening windstorms were sweeping upwards. These storms were equally oozing the enlightening power.


    At that moment, Ricky felt the two Wind Holes in his palms began to pop up as if they were about to take in all the enlightening windstorms around him.


    Ricky was completely focused on the enlightening vortexes at that point.


    If he could refine all the enlightening power from the enlightening vortexes and store that power in his zones, his force would be strengthened exponentially.


    "Young master, it looks like these enlightening vortexes have nothing to do with you now." Ricky gave a cold smile.


    If he had not used the sisters for his own escape and gotten sucked in, the enlightening vortexes would have belonged to him eventually.


    Ricky had missed the fact that the young master would not be able to get into this place despite having been sucked into the space rift.


    The force of the enlightening windstorms was well beyond what a second-class lower spiritual king could take.


    ''I hope that Soar doesn''t think that I''ve been killed already!'' Ricky thought to himself before he set out to refine the enlightening vortexes.


    "I thought you were a peerless genius beyond comparison, yet you only paid attention to these enlightening windstorms. Maybe I was wrong about you." At that moment, a voice sounded in his head. It sounded as if it came from an old man.


    As old as it sounded, it struck Ricky''s mind like a bomb. There was a great power instilled in each of the words.


    "Who is this?" Ricky asked, feeling incredulous and surprised.


    He had an educated guess as to who the owner of this voice was after thinking for a moment. It could only be the creator of the Small World he was in. It had to be a supreme emperor.


    "I am the Oriental Emperor, and I am the creator of this Small World that you are currently in." The voice spoke again.


    "Master Oriental Emperor!" Ricky immediately deferred to him as his guess had just been validated. The man was indeed a supreme emperor.


    Anyone who made it to the rank of an emper


    your advancement for the moment. You can get to that later."


    "Thank you so much, master!" Ricky solemnly thanked the Oriental Emperor.


    "You can only stay here for one month, then the rest is up to you."


    "Master, I was wondering if you could kindly help me with something. A brother of mine is still out there. So, would you kindly let him know that I am still alive, please?" Ricky carefully made a request.


    He was worried that Soar would do something irrational because he didn''t know that Ricky had survived everything. It was really for the best to let him know.


    "I will see what I can do," the Oriental Emperor replied kindly.


    "Let me remind you that it is imperative that you learn how to control your emotion. Focus on what you should do instead of fantasizing about something beyond your reach. That is for later when you become more confident and capable."


    Ricky was at a little bit of a loss. He had no clue as to why the Oriental Emperor said all that out of the blue.


    Ricky still nodded despite his confusion though.


    He understood that the Oriental Emperor must have meant something important. He would have to sleep on it and think about things before taking any action.


    Then, Ricky could sense that the Oriental Emperor had left.


    "The enlightening windstorm...I wonder how I can achieve it with the Wind Holes in my palms. Hopefully I will not be let down in this," Ricky murmured to himself after the Oriental Emperor left while looking at the sweeping enlightening windstorms around him.

 Chapter 488 The Heart

    Ricky jumped into the enlightening windstorm as his eyes shone with joy and excitement.


    He had the same feeling when was in the gravitational windstorm. A kind of mysterious strength felt like it was trying to tear his whole body into pieces. In the enlightening windstorm, there was enlightening power gathered by a spiritual emperor, which was something much stronger.


    Fortunately, the enlightening windstorm was controlled by the Oriental Emperor. He knew the exact amount of pain that Ricky could bear.


    Ricky also knew the rules of the strength that governed the enlightening windstorm.


    A short amount of time later, Ricky became accustomed to that rule of strength. He was able to walk into the enlightening windstorm without spending much effort.


    Ricky sat cross-legged and tried to find an opportunity to increase his power through concentration.


    ''The Wind Hole includes a gravitational windstorm. The windstorm combines gravity with the storm to attack enemies, and it could cause great destruction, '' Ricky thought silently to himself.


    ''Now, the enlightening windstorm combines enlightenment with storm. Maybe I can gain the opportunity to form a storm as strong as the gravitational windstorm in the Wind Hole.


    The enlightening windstorm is different from the gravitational windstorm though. I can only have and use a little bit of the gravitational windstorm in the Wind Hole. The power of gravity won''t increase as my strength increases, because I don''t know a lot about gravity.


    When I become a spiritual king, my enlightening power will increase continuously. The power of the enlightening windstorm in the Wind Hole will increase as well because of that. I can gain endless power for my enlightening windstorm because I know a lot about enlightening.


    These two Wind Holes in my palms should be called Enlightening Wind Holes instead of just Wind Holes.''


    Ricky was clear that it was the best opportunity he could find there.


    Next, he would study the enlightening windstorm and find out how to gather enlightening windstorm power for his W


    t, Ricky kept silent.


    He wasn''t mad at the Oriental Emperor. Instead, he was considering what he had said.


    Suddenly, he realized that he hadn''t calmed down at all since Grace was taken away by the Phoenix tribe. It seemed like he had changed into another man and became irritable and merciless.


    Though he could usually be kind to warriors who didn''t want to kill him, he was merciless toward his enemies lately and couldn''t wait to kill them at once.


    He wouldn''t have attacked the young master of the Golden Leopard Valley first in the past. In that moment, he couldn''t wait to kill him as soon as possible.


    Ricky had to admit that, if he came out of the Small World, he would spare no effort to find the young master of the Heaven Palace and kill him.


    He didn''t have his inner peace anymore.


    "I have an invisible inner demon again," Ricky murmured with a confused look coming over his face.


    His first inner demon was Nate. By now, Nate and Gilbert had been dead for a long time. He thought that he wouldn''t have such an invisible inner demon again, but he was absolutely wrong.


    "Sir, what can I do? I can''t forget Grace. I swore that I would go to the Phoenix tribe someday and bring her back. No one can take her away from me again after I get her back."


    Ricky asked the Oriental Emperor for advice in the next moment. His eyes were filled with confusion.

 Chapter 489 The Gale Zone

    ''''So, what''s your plan, Ricky? Didn''t you mention that you were heading for the Phoenix tribe?'''' the Oriental Emperor replied.


    ''''But what can I do about it? My powers are just too weak right now.'''' Ricky shook his head in frustration.


    ''''Don''t forget that you are a peerless genius. Just because you can''t do it now doesn''t mean you can''t do it in the future. If you really want to bring your master back, you must not miss her all the time. Don''t let your feelings and affection for her hinder your cultivation. Instead, you must convert your undying desire for her into your motivation to become stronger.


    The way I see it, only in this way would you able to flourish with your craft in the martial arts.


    But all that I can hear now is your complaining. I think I know what''s happening. You are both blaming yourself and the Phoenix tribe for taking your master away, ''''


    the Oriental Emperor added. ''''But you have to understand that true justice never exists in this world, Ricky. Only you, yourself, can earn both justice and respect.''''


    Ricky again sank into deep thoughts upon hearing what the Oriental Emperor had just said.


    ''''You''d better think about it carefully. Would you rather complain about your situation than do something about it? Just think about your master. What kind of person would she want you to become?


    Otherwise, that demi-spiritual emperor will be your ultimate verge despite the fact that you are a peerless genius. And your master might marry someone else, just like the one you''ve seen in your hallucination.''''


    Upon saying his last piece, the Oriental Emperor stopped with his persuasion. To him, he had already done everything that he could to help Ricky.


    If Ricky were a true peerless genius, then he would surely be able to come around his decision. Otherwise, the Oriental Emperor could not do anything else but take a deep sigh for the loss of a peerless genius like Ricky.


    Meanwhile, Ricky fell into complete silence for the next two days.


    A day had passed and he opened his eyes once again. He looked different. Even his momentum was different this time as his eyes were clear and confident, much like a flower that had just blossomed.


    With this astonishing bloom, he had finally found his true self. He had a very calm and peaceful exterior this time around, along with the abundance of energy ins


    tly grew stronger after absorbing the power of the devouring rune.


    Ricky then thought from his observation that the power of this devouring enlightening windstorm might actually equal that of a second-class lower spiritual king.


    Without further ado, Ricky then exerted the gale rune from the Gale Zone to merge with the devouring enlightening windstorm.


    Strengthened by the gale rune, the devouring enlightening windstorm became so powerful that it could echo with the giant enlightening windstorm.


    The windstorm was so powerful that the space inside it was almost torn up.


    This could only mean one thing, and this experiment just confirmed his hypothesis.


    This meant that he did not have the full understanding of the gale rune after all. He would need to gain a better understanding of it. Only in this way would the power of the windstorm be greatly strengthened.


    He now understood that the Gale Zone could strengthen the power of wind. On the other hand, the enlightening power greatly helped him with his cultivation. By now, the Enlightening Wind Hole could be deemed as one of Ricky''s most powerful aces.


    At this moment, Ricky was beyond thrilled as he stared at the Enlightening Wind Holes in his palms.


    ''''Congratulations to you, Ricky. You have not only conquered your inner demons, but also achieved a satisfying opportunity.'''' The Oriental Emperor''s words rang up in his ears.


    On the other hand, the Oriental Emperor was very curious about Ricky''s runes. But as an esteemed warrior, he chose to just respect what Ricky kept as a secret.

 Chapter 490 The Sisters

    "Sir, all my improvement in cultivation is due to your kind guidance. Thank you for your mercy and help!" Ricky expressed his sincere appreciation to the Oriental Emperor. He hadn''t expected that the space rift that he was dragged in would actually turn out to be a gift from the Oriental Emperor, the dean of the Oriental College.


    "I did offer some guidance to you, but you have to understand that your improvement is actually due to your own efforts!" the Oriental Emperor said kindly. "Since you have gained the opportunity in this place, you should begin to refine an enlightening vortex next."


    After a pause, he continued, "Although your strength has improved by a lot, it is still far inferior to those second-class lower spiritual kings.


    If such a peerless genius as you were eliminated from this competition, it would be a huge loss for our Oriental College.


    Judging from the time it took you to gain that the opportunity here, you seem to be more talented than Jasper. Therefore, I have to offer you some guidance since I don''t want our Oriental College to lose a peerless genius like you."


    "Sir, I am so flattered!" Hearing the Oriental Emperor praise him, Ricky was kind of embarrassed even though he was thick-skinned. He was very happy that he was so appreciated by the dean.


    "Sir, excuse me, but may I ask how long it took Jasper to get the same opportunity here?" Ricky asked him in curiosity. Jasper, a well-known peerless genius, had stirred up curiosity and competitive desire in Ricky.


    "I gave you both a month. Jasper only took seven days to get the opportunity, while you only took four days. You got it three days ahead of him, and you even managed to destroy the inner demon that haunted you," the Oriental Emperor said.


    ''So, I was really three days faster than him?!'' Ricky thought to himself, becoming a little excited about his progress.


    Ricky couldn''t be more aware of the reason for it. He was faster than Jasper, which was mostly because he had the regained spiritual meridian and all the zones. Although he was excited, he would not become too cocky about that.


    Both he and Jasper were peerless geniuses. The gap between them was definitely not too huge. The one who became too confident in himself would eventually lag behind the other by a great distance in the long run.


    Immediately, Ricky jumped out of the enlightening windstorm. As soon as he jumped out, he felt that the power in the enlightening windstorm had increased rapidly. Obviously, the Oriental Emperor had been helping him suppress part of the power in the enlightening windstorm when he was inside.


    "With your current cultivation base, you can refine an enlightening vortex. After you decide to leave this space, you can also win others'' enlightening marks. Those two things should be enough for y


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    e must keep our virginity before we can fully master the cultivation method," Yedda replied.


    "After we succeed in the cultivation of such a method, whichever man wins our virginity will be rewarded with one-third of our strength without having any bad side-effects.


    That is also the reason that the young master of the Heaven Palace didn''t touch us. He was just waiting until we had grasped the method."


    "I see! So, it was all due to the Double-virgin Fusion Cultivation Method!" Ricky finally got to learn the truth.


    "Young master, from today on, we will work very hard to grasp the Double-virgin Fusion Cultivation Method, and strive to give up our strength to you as soon as possible," the two women told him at once as they both appeared excited and shy.


    "Well..." Ricky started to say, but he was too embarrassed to continue.


    He never wanted to have the power of the two sisters. He especially didn''t want to be the one to make them lose their virginity. He found it hard to accept such an odd thing.


    Ricky did not explain anything he was thinking though. Instead, he shifted the topic, saying quickly, "Well, we were stuck in the space rift for almost half a month. We definitely need to learn what the situation on the battlefield is like right now."


    In the next second, the three were about to go to the center of the battlefield.


    Boom! Boom! At that very moment, they heard a cloud of flames burst out again near them. A huge grin suddenly spread across Ricky''s face. Without a second''s thought, Ricky knew it was Soar that was shooting out those flames.


    The smile soon slipped off his face and he grew serious again though.


    Ricky''s spiritual sense could scan a larger and wider area around him because of the gains he had made in the Gale Zone. When he detected that Soar was nearby, he also detected that someone he hated was also nearby.

 Chapter 491 Keith Jin

    ''It seems that Soar has been followed by some people that are harboring malicious intent. How could he be so careless?'' Ricky thought to himself, but he was not worried about it at all. Now that they had been followed, the only choice left for them was to wait for their stalkers to show up and fight against them.


    "Ricky, it seems that the mysterious voice has made a good point. You are indeed safe and sound!" After seeing Ricky land on the ground, Soar excitedly spoke to him through their telepathic link.


    At the same time, Soar had noticed the existence of Yedda and Yolanda. He knew that they were the pair of sisters who had served the young master of the Heaven Palace.


    "Later, I''ll explain the reason as to why these sisters are with me now. Actually, I noticed that you are being followed. Our priority right now should be to deal with the people that are following you," Ricky replied.


    "What? How can that be possible? I had no idea that I was being followed!" Upon hearing what Ricky said, Soar suddenly cried out in disbelief.


    "Alva, why didn''t you sense what was going on around me?" Soar asked Alva.


    "Master Soar, this is the Small World that the spiritual emperor made, so it must be the spiritual emperor who sent messages to you through the telepathic link before. If I meddled in the situation around you, the spiritual emperor would definitely be able to sense my existence, making things tricky for us," Alva immediately answered.


    "Well, that sounds somewhat reasonable. I will forgive your negligence this time," Soar said to Alva in a calm and reassuring tone.


    "If you didn''t sense the existence of people following us, then I''m afraid that they are using some secret method to hide their energy from us." Ricky gave his best guess as to what could be happening to Soar.


    In the next moment, Ricky and Soar looked around. Soon, two figures landed in front of them from up in the air.


    One of them was the young master of the Heaven Palace, and the other was a burly young man in a golden robe. He was of a stocky and imposing build; even though he was just standing there without saying a word, he somehow was greatly intimidating to Ricky and Soar.


    There were even two short golden horns on the young man''s forehead. Obviously, the young man was a spiritual king beast. Perhaps he purposely left those two golden horns on when he morphed into a human form. He must have intended to leave others with an unforgettable impression of him by having an awe-inspiring appearance.


    "Hey, you bitches, I''m surprised that you aren''t dead yet! Why don''t you hurry up and get over here? Do you want me to drag you over here myself? You two are really shameless women!" Seeing that Yedda and Yolanda were beside Ricky, the young master of the Heaven Palace spoke to them in a harsh voice.


    "I am utterly surprised that you, a useless waste, is still alive!" the young master said to Ricky in surprise, after he saw that Ricky was completely unscathed after he had come back from the enlightening passage.


    "Bah!" After hearing their young master''s contemptuous words, the two sisters showed a strong and murderous intent in t


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    olden fist collided with the palm strike, and two bursts of energy instantly shot out. The strong anti-shock force swept over Ricky and the young master at the same time; then both of them quickly stepped back.


    At that point, the young master moved three steps back and Ricky moved ten steps back.


    Although Ricky was at a slight disadvantage, the skirmish still proved that Ricky had enough power to fight against the young master, and that he would not be completely crushed by him.


    "How can this be possible?" Feeling that the power coming from Ricky''s fist was no less than his own power, the young master spoke with great astonishment in his voice. It was not long ago that they had last met each other. How could Ricky get so much more powerful in such a short time?


    Besides, in the past couple of days, he had also refined an enlightening vortex. That was something that had greatly increased his strength.


    ''Is it really possible that he has got some secret on how to improve his strength quickly in the space rift?'' the young master thought to himself, with great jealousy shining in his eyes.


    Soar was also shocked by the scene. He didn''t even expect that Ricky would be able to improve so fast.


    Yedda and Yolanda were also startled. They were even more curious about what Ricky had learned when he was in the far recesses of the space rift.


    Keith Jin was also a little dumbfounded; even a peerless genius should not have the strength of a second-class lower spiritual king when he still was just a demi-immortal warrior. Even Jasper had not managed to promote his strength at such an amazing speed when he had tried.


    "I have refined the enlightening vortex condensed within the enlightening source. I have also coupled it with the spiritual emperor''s personal guidance, so the effect is really more than I ever expected! It''s only been a short span of more than ten days. I can hardly believe that my combat power has actually risen to this point." Even Ricky was incredulous of his power at that point. He was shocked by his awesome power and the flying speed of his promotion.

 Chapter 492 The Misty Mutant

    "How can this be possible? What happened to Ricky inside the space rift? How could he have the power of a second-class lower spiritual king while he is only a demi-immortal? This is something that even Jasper was not able to achieve at that age." The disciples who were outside the Small World found it extremely hard to believe.


    "Master, it seems that you are right. There must be something of great value in there." Both the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King were excited as they exchanged opinions telepathically.


    "However, I would never have thought that he is a peerless genius at the second level!" The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor weighed in as he was filled with admiration.


    He was as equally excited as the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King.


    The more talent Ricky displayed, the more promising the future of the Oriental College would be. The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor dedicated his entire life to the development of the Oriental College. How could he not be excited with the opportunity of having a peerless genius like Ricky enrolled in his college?


    "Soar, you can now stop worrying about me and fight with your full strength," Ricky said to Soar telepathically, clenching his fists tightly, as his eyes beamed with confidence. A strong will to fight that was burning inside of him now filled the entire area around him.


    "Ha-ha! I am very glad to see that you have gained such great strength now! It means I have nothing to worry about. Sit tight and see me subdue this stupid cow. After everything, we shall have our barbecue with it!" Soar laughed as he heard Ricky''s words.


    He then shot a look of contempt at Keith to antagonize him even further.


    Roar! Keith was so furious hearing Soar''s word that the aura coming out of him just reached a critical point. His incarnation of Golden Rhino was much more vivid now as it roared out of the empathy of Keith''s fury.


    "You asked for it." As the growl from the Golden Rhino came again, Keith launched his attack.


    Vast golden spiritual energy fused with the enlightening power covered the vicinity around Keith. In an instant, the space in the entire area shattered as they resonated with


    confidently at his opponent.


    The way the young master saw it, it was nothing but pure contempt and arrogance.


    So without saying a single word, he unleashed his most powerful move and aimed it towards Ricky.


    "Misty Mutant¡ªFan of Nothingness!" he shouted as mist started to gather in an instant and morphed into blades that slowly formed into the shape of a fan.


    Zap! Fan-shaped blades poured down like rainstorms on top of Ricky.


    Ricky was not unsettled, not even one bit. He smiled lightly as he fetched the Iron Destroyer from his Chaotic Fire Zone. His eyes began to shine as white fog began to form and the gale runes began to appear all over his entire body.


    "How could you have the gale power?" The young master of the Heaven Palace was surprised by what he saw.


    He knew that Ricky had already possessed the golden power and the fire power. He also had the gale power that he just demonstrated, so it meant that Ricky was now in possession of three elemental powers.


    The young master could not help but feel extremely jealous of Ricky.


    ''Die! You must die!'' he shouted in his mind.


    Strong Cloud Enlightenment once again burst out of him as it filled into the fan-shaped blades around him to amplify the power of his attack.


    Ricky jumped high into the air. Covered with the gale runes, he also launched his attack.


    He did not have the chance to learn some Omnipotent Skills from the Gale Zone which meant that he could only use the force of the Gale Zone directly.

 Chapter 493 The Awe-inspiring Enlightening Windstorm

    "Smashing Blade Attack¡ªSmashing Land Strike!"


    As Ricky roared aloud and stroke his palms violently, the gale runes spread across the sky.


    The space around Ricky rent into fragments!


    In the twinkling of an eye, the boundless gale runes inundated the young master''s fan-shaped mist blades and made them defenseless.


    Everywhere the Smashing Land Strike went, all the fan-shaped mist blades were crushed.


    However, the young master was a lower spiritual king at the ultimate second-class level. Combining his powerful combat capacity and extraordinary talents, he launched a ground offensive against Ricky''s strike.


    Though, the young master looked weary and disheveled, finding himself in an embarrassing situation.


    This time, the young master found himself on the defensive and overpowered.


    Not because the young master''s strength was weaker than that of Ricky, but because his Cloud Mutant was no match for by Ricky''s Gale Zone. It was like a mouse challenging a cat to fight. No matter how hard the young master tried, he could not pose any threat at all.


    "I can''t believe it! How can this bastard have become so powerful?" the young master snarled as he beat a hasty retreat, his eyes popping wide with alarm.


    It had been just about ten days since they had met. How could Ricky make such rapid progress in such a short time?


    You know, just about ten days ago, he could beat Ricky with just a snap of a finger. Now, the tables had turned.


    Of course, the young master had no idea about the gale runes.


    Ignorantly, he had deluded himself into thinking his Cloud Mutant would make short work of Ricky''s gale runes.


    "Master, we know that Ricky has gained great power, but in reality, he is not quite the young master''s equal. As such, it''s odd how Ricky got the upper hand here. It beats logic how the tables have turned," the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King asked, communicating through their telepathic link. They were totally confused.


    "Why


    Cloud Enlightenment¡ªCloud Storm!" the young master snarled, launching his most powerful strike.


    The boundless cloud enlightenment swept over them, quickly escalating into a violent storm, fused with the innate spiritual energy.


    In the storm, the space around Ricky broke into fragments.


    "It''s just your storm. Now please savor the taste of my storm!" Ricky said menacingly.


    He put out his right hand and activated his Enlightening Wind Holes. Instantly the Enlightening Wind Holes appeared in mid-air.


    The holes got bigger and bigger, sucking in the wind power in the process. Slowly, the enlightening windstorm formed.


    "Forward! Enlightening windstorm. Destroy his Cloud Storm!" Ricky roared aloud and stroke his palms.


    Quickly, he released a massive storm.


    The two windstorms collided with each other. The space around Ricky and the young master broke into fragments.


    The boundless shock-waves exploded violently.


    Ricky saw the devouring runes, the chaotic fire runes and the massacring runes spread into the air, making the windstorms even more terrifying.


    With the aid of the three runic powers, the enlightening windstorm got the upper hand.


    After seconds of stand-off, it finally crushed the cloud storm with a deafening blast. Seconds later, all that remained of the cloud storm were tiny fragments.

 Chapter 494 The Fall Of The Young Master

    Boom!


    The young master''s attack became futile into thin air as his Cloud Storm was shattered, completely destroyed by the enlightening windstorm reinforced by the three runic powers.


    "The Cloud Mutant that you''re so proud of having is nothing but a joke to me!" Ricky exclaimed with much contempt in his voice. He swooped down towards the young master with a pair of wings behind him which were formed by his spiritual energy.


    "That can''t be right! That is beyond impossible! How can my Cloud Storm lose to yours?" The young master panicked once again.


    "You surely are an arrogant and stupid prick. Even up to now, you still don''t have a single clue how I beat you, am I right? It looks like you''re not living up to your name!" Ricky sneered.


    He then began to assemble his power yet again so that he could finish off the young master once and for all.


    When he heard what Ricky had just said, the young master immediately grew ferocious. He then cried out, "I''ll acknowledge that you''re strong, but if there''s someone who''s going to beat you, that would be no one but me!"


    "You have no idea what you''re talking about!" Ricky responded as soon as the young master had finished speaking.


    Without any further exchanges of words, Ricky''s pupils transformed into white mist as the gale runes appeared above the enlightening windstorm.


    Like a snake, the gale runes then encircled the mist that came from the young master. When it had fully enclosed the mist, it began to shrink, pushing back the mist of the young master.


    Before long, under the power of the gale runes, the young master transformed back into his original form.


    "What is going on? What the hell is going on?" For the first time in his life, the young master was in grave despair as he shouted in frustration and fear. All he could do then was look at the back of his palms as he continued to circle around himself. He had almost lost his mind.


    The power of his Cloud Mutant was no longer under his control which could explain why he was transforming back to his original body of flesh.


    Meanwhile, outside of the Small World, discussions were happening among the seniors.


    "This is just what I had thought. The white runes that Ricky unleashed are the bane to the Cloud Mutant. This would ultimately enable Ricky to defeat his opponent despite his lack of strength!" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said to both the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King by using his internal power for telepathy. Before everything had taken place, the emperor had already perceived what was most likely to come out of the match.


    "He demonstrated four runes. Is he also a genius at casting?" The two spiritual k


    h enlightening power slashed through his neck. As blood quickly started to spill from his throat, the young master was gone for good within just a few minutes.


    The two girls let out a breath of relief the moment that they were sure of the young master''s death. They could finally move forward from this situation and start a new life and journey.


    Ricky then took the storage ring and the enlightening mark from the young master after which he used his spiritual energy to refill the crater. It was also to bury the young master.


    Ricky then glared at Keith who was still in a heated battle with Soar.


    Keith instantly felt the daggers of look that Ricky was giving him. He could not help but feel startled. Then, he turned to look at the view below and instantly grew solemn.


    Keith naturally knew the strength and limits of the young master. He could not understand how he transformed back to his normal body in such a short time. He could no longer deny the fact that Ricky was way beyond his level.


    Keith was someone who would know when it was time to withdraw. The current situation looked nothing but a loss to him. He decided to retreat without further hesitation.


    "Do you really think that you can come and go as you wish? You have to ask my friend first," Ricky said in a loud voice. If anyone heard what he had just said, there was no denying that it was full of murderous intent.


    "Now that you''re here already, you have to leave something behind," Soar earnestly said as his power surged once again, permeating the entire area.


    When Keith heard what Ricky and Soar had just said, with so much of confidence in his voice, he slowly exclaimed, "I have to give it to the two of you. Indeed, you''re both very powerful, but even the two of you combined are not powerful enough to stop me!"

 Chapter 495 Flee By The Spiritual Weapon

    "Well, that would depend on your real skill," Ricky replied calmly upon hearing Keith''s confident response. Obviously, Keith only said that because at that moment, he was sure that he could dodge and escape Ricky and Soar''s combined attacks. Meanwhile, Ricky exchanged glances with Soar. He reminded him to be extra careful in dealing with their opponent. Since he was so confident in his strength and power, it could be true that he might actually have some secret skills hiding up his sleeve.


    After all, Keith was the young master of the Golden Rhino tribe. He should have a reserved and untouched trump card. Apart from his power and his seemingly alarming confidence, he was also a rare genius. And that was why Ricky and Soar knew that they should never underestimate him in any way.


    Earlier, Ricky had already killed the young master of the Heaven Palace like a piece of cake. But this was only because the latter''s Cloud Mutant was too held back by the former''s Gale Zone. But Ricky knew very well knew that this would not be the case when it came to Keith.


    The next moment, Ricky and Soar surrounded Keith and drove him to a corner.


    "Listen, I know what we should do. Soar, let''s go all out on him and kill him. Never should we give him any chance to even plot an escape. I have this strong hunch that he could be a lot harder to deal with than the young master of the Heaven Palace. If we let him escape now, we would surely be chased by a lot of trouble in the future!" Ricky whispered to Soar by using telepathy.


    "Okay then! I will hold nothing back as I burst out my real dragon power to thoroughly crush him!" Soar responded in the same way.


    "All right! Just try your best and don''t worry about the consequences. After all, we''re favored by the spiritual emperor of this Small World, and he might be able to back us up anytime!" Ricky replied.


    He dared to let Soar break out of his real dragon power all because he knew that the Oriental Emperor thought highly of him and appreciated his talent. Moreover, if the Oriental Emperor saw that Soar was a Great Dragon, he would only pay more attention to him.


    Of course, Ricky already had suspected that the Oriental Emperor was not able to see through Soar''s real identity. His real identity as a Great Dragon was very intensely concealed that even a strong warrior like Doris couldn''t find out such a fact. Moreover, this was also another reason why Ricky made Soar burst out his real dragon power.


    "Ricky, it feels like the one who sent me a telepathic message before is the emperor you just mentioned," Soar responded.


    Soon after, Soar suddenly broke out and showed his fierce dragon power. And in an instant, the atmosphere was filled with the momentum of a Great Dragon.


    "What did just happen? How is this even possible? What kind of creature are you? My bloodline! Why is my bloodline being suppressed? What''s happening? How could this be?!" Keith hissed as he felt the strong oppressive momentum coming from Soar. Confused and shocked, he was not able to explain what was happening to his body. But at the back of his mind, he just knew that Soar had something to do with it.


    During his previous battle, Keith was at a slight disadvantage due to the suppression of this kind of special bloodline from


    in Soar''s hand buzzed twice to protest as if it had heard what Ricky just said. Actually, Soar''s spear was also a spiritual weapon with its own psychic intelligence. But right after Soar had it refined and controlled, its psychic intelligence became even stronger. This in turn made it able to understand Ricky''s words to a certain extent. Thus, when Ricky said it was unable to deal with Keith'' specialized spiritual weapon, it became terribly unhappy.


    "Ha-ha!" Ricky and Soar laughed as both of them were beyond amused by the scene right in front of them.


    "Hum?" Soar, with a strange look in his eyes, got confused as he and Ricky descended from the air.


    "Wait, what happened?" Ricky asked.


    "Madeline is coming!" Soar replied with a smile.


    "Well! In that case, maybe she just wanted to come here to tell us something important?" Ricky wondered with curiosity. Earlier, they both had asked Madeline to hide in the dark to avoid the risk of being exposed. And with this reason, they''d better not meet with her.


    Whoosh!


    Just as when Ricky had already finished speaking, a black figure appeared out of the blue which then rushed quickly to their side. The figure turned out to be that of a very slender woman clad in a tight-fitting dress which outlined her figure that was near perfection. She looked wild and charming both at the same time as her face sparkled with brightness and valiance.


    And this attractive lady was no other than Madeline.


    "Ricky, Soar!" Madeline said in a respectful tone.


    "Hey, Madeline, you look very anxious. What happened?" Ricky asked.


    At that moment, Madeline panted heavily. Apparently she was in a great hurry to find her way to them.


    "Yes, something happened, a big one, in fact. And this is very likely to threaten both of your lives. So, this was of great urgency and I did not bother to use telepathy. You both need to hear this straight from me. That''s why I rushed here without a stop," Madeline said seriously, which ended with a nod.


    It could be clearly seen that great concern flooded her eyes.


    "What big event?" Ricky and Soar asked urgently at the same time upon hearing the immense seriousness in Madeline''s tone.

 Chapter 496 Seeking Shelter From Danger

    "Do you remember Pearl, daughter of the president of Luxurious Chamber of Commerce? She and the geniuses from the three large forces supported by demi-spiritual emperors are hunting for you throughout the Small World!" Madeline warned Ricky in a deep husky voice. Adding further, she said, "The warriors from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and some forces affiliated with those three large ones are also searching for you.


    To make things worse, we have reason to believe that all the warriors and spiritual king beasts within the Small World are hunting for you. This is because Pearl has promised that the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce would offer protection to any force that is able to report your trace to her."


    Ricky''s and Soar''s faces turned red as they gathered the news.


    Pearl''s revenge was the one thing they feared the most in the Small World. It was not Pearl herself that made them afraid. It was the power of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and her reputation as the prettiest female warrior in the Oriental Realm that truly terrified them.


    They were blown away when they found out how warriors from all the forces rushed to help her as soon as she offered that reward. She had that effect on everyone.


    "Which are the three large forces that you just mentioned?" Ricky asked after a moment of silent thoughts.


    He only needed to be cautious about the warriors and spiritual king beasts from the three larger forces, not the other lesser powers.


    "Among these three large forces, the most powerful one is the Ruin Leopard tribe," Madeline began explaining.


    "Oh, it''s a tribe of spiritual king beasts," Ricky murmured.


    "This tribe ranks as the third strongest force in the whole Oriental Realm, with the Oriental College and the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce being the other two forces. The bloodline of the Ruin Leopard tribe is derived from the Ruin Emperor Leopard, the emperor beast," Madeline told Ricky.


    "Such an extraordinary bloodline!" Ricky was shocked. "But, why are they still at the demi-spiritual emperor level?" he again murmured, scratching his head with confusion.


    "It is because the bloodline of the Ruin Emperor Leopard residing in their bodies is too weak to help them become spiritual emperors. Their bloodline can only be strengthened when one of them makes a breakthrough and becomes a spiritual emperor," Madeline responded.


    "Alright, then. Who''s the strongest genius from the Ruin Leopard tribe that participates in the selection of the Oriental College?" Ricky wanted to gather as much information as possible.


    "He''s called Bernard! In terms of his cultivation level, he is a second-class lower spiritual king level. But in terms of his combat stre


    nd capabilities, and she also realized what that meant for Pearl.


    "It''s not a big deal. I just tricked her into giving me several million gold coins!" Ricky responded with his palms spreading out.


    "What? Several million gold coins! Not a big deal?" Madeline was shocked upon hearing him. "Several million gold coins account for half the property of a force that supported by a completed spiritual king. This amount also means a considerable sum of money for a force supported by a spiritual emperor.


    If I were Pearl, I would not let you get away with it either," she added.


    Seeing Madeline''s agitated reaction, Ricky sneered faintly.


    He didn''t really care so much about the gold coins, and he didn''t think it would be a big deal for Pearl to lose that sum of money.


    "Can we please stop talking about them? Now, let us figure out how we are going to counter their aggressive acts!" Soar interrupted.


    "I have no idea about that. Just tell me whatever the two of you plan. At first, I came here to protect you two under the hall leader''s command, but now I can''t even protect myself in the current situation, let alone protecting you two. So, now I can only follow your advice," Madeline responded.


    She was adept at countering other common warriors, but she felt helpless in the face of Pearl''s layered strategies.


    ''Ricky is such an awful nuisance, '' Madeline complained in her mind.


    She could have remained a safe outsider in this picture. In order to protect them, she had to get involved inevitably.


    "What else can we do? Well, let''s just seek shelter from this danger for a while. You and Soar can take this opportunity to make breakthroughs in cultivation. Once both of you have made it to the next level, we will figure out a better action plan," Ricky said with a faint smile.

 Chapter 497 The Calm Before The Storm

    Having decided that they should recover and improve before the enemies came, the four of them as well as Soar started to look for the most concealed corner in that Small World to hide themselves. By then, it seemed like the more time they could buy for themselves, the more likely that they would have a chance of winning. All of them knew that it would all come down to expediency. No matter how much they wanted to get more enlightening marks, they were well aware that Pearl and her men would find them almost instantly once they showed themselves.


    So they thought that they might as well recharge their energies before they encountered the pursuing troops. On their way, Ricky introduced Yedda and Yolanda to Soar and Madeline. In fact, Soar had already heard about the two sisters before. He knew a little bit about their background so he got a little curious and confused as to how they ended up traveling with Ricky.


    Right away, he asked Ricky about it. Ricky didn''t think much about the question and promptly answered it.


    However, the moment Soar found out about the whole story, he candidly began to tease Ricky about making the two beautiful girls as his women. Of course, Soar knew what he was doing. He could tell that Ricky had already gotten over Grace, and a topic like this wouldn''t grate on his nerves.


    After all, he and Ricky were like brothers after everything they had been through, so even if Ricky wouldn''t ever bring up the topic, Soar could somehow sense how Ricky was feeling by mere intuition.


    As expected, Ricky had taken the joke quite well. He simply denied it while he was torn between laughing and crying.


    It was another good thing that the two sisters and Madeline were getting along quite well. For a while, everyone felt truly relaxed in their journey.


    Soon enough, they found a safe and secluded place to settle down. Both Soar and Madeline found a quiet cave where they could both retreat into cultivation. Every single second mattered right then, and they could not lose any time that they had. For the faster they could acquire the equivalent power of a first-class lower spiritual king, the more secure they would be when the enemies came.


    When he saw that Soar and Madeline had proceeded to cultivating in seclusion, Ricky began to prepare himself as well.


    But he knew that before anything, safety ought to come as their first priority. So the first thing Ricky did was ask Yedda and Yolanda to secure the perimeters of their location. Before they could leave, however, he equipped them with runic power. He did this so that he would be able to sense if there was danger, even if they couldn''t wake him up in time.


    Having accomplished all the necessary tasks to secure the place, Ricky found himself a cave and prepared for the practice as well.


    Overall, he had three goals in this round of cultivation.


    First, he should improve and obtain the equivalent power of a second-class lower spiritual king. He truly believed that he could make it. It was already a given that he was a confident and ambitious young man. Moreover, he had vowed to become an ace genius of this time.


    Ricky thought that if he couldn''t have the equivalent power of a second-class lower spiritual king as a demi-immortal, growing into an ace genius was out of the question.


    Second, he would like to completely integrate the Gale Zone into his body. He also wanted to make sure that this zone woul


    days to find where Ricky and his companions were hiding and cultivating. Without a second of delay, she launched an attack.


    At the desolated corner of the Small World, a swarm of warriors and spiritual king beasts were quickly enclosing the hide-out of Ricky and his companions. By seconds, they had managed to encircle the place with ease, leaving not a single space for Ricky and his companions to escape.


    A moment later, the main force arrived as well. The four warriors who were leading the army were none other than Pearl, Bernard from the Ruin Leopard tribe, Louie from the Bing Clan, and Hardy from the Jiang Clan.


    "I''ve been looking for you for nearly two months, Ricky. Don''t you think you should come out and have a nice chat with us? We all want to see what a peerless genius is capable of," Pearl called out with a smile of triumph on her face. Wearing a blue battle suit, Pearl showed a heroic spirit that was rarely seen in a woman. She looked intimidating and confident, which could also be felt from her clear and loud voice. With that formidable army behind her, she had every reason to believe that the odds were for her and against Ricky.


    "Wow, if it isn''t our future top bird of the Oriental Realm! What an honor!" It was Soar who answered Pearl. "Seems like you''re in hot pursuit of Ricky. Couldn''t wait to bring him back to your place and produce some handsome little babies with him, huh?" Soar gave a big laugh, apparently having a little fun as he faced Ricky''s enemies.


    "Well, I understand that a beauty like you really wants to make full use of your genetic gifts, yet I''m so sorry that you might not be my buddy''s type. But the good thing is, I like you very much. How about taking me back instead and letting me help you produce some heirs for the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce?"


    Soar continued to tease Pearl while he along with Madeline, Yedda and Yolanda walked out of their caves altogether.


    All of them were wearing a smile, but in reality, they came out with a heavy heart. They knew what was waiting for them¡ªPearl and all of the most powerful warriors and spiritual king beasts in this Small World. This was clearly bound be to a fierce battle.


    "How dare you offend Pearl like this! Watch your tongue or you will have to pay for it!"

 Chapter 498 Soar VS Louie

    Snap! Snap! Several cracking noises came from all around the area.


    After the man finished his angry tirade, he also activated his own skills. After that, the crowd saw that the area around the man was covered in jagged ice. The ice was soon transformed into ice thorns. The thorns pierced through the space, producing the loud cracking sounds. In the next second, the sharp thorns flew towards Soar and his companions.


    "Ha-ha, Pearl, it seems that you have a lot of boyfriends. Ricky will be very jealous of that. After all, he only likes you," Soar said teasingly.


    As for the ice thorn attack, Soar was able to easily resist it. He flipped his hand, and small fire balls appeared on each of his five fingers. After a slight flip of his wrist, the five small fire balls instantly spurted out.


    While the five fire balls were fizzling out, they also absorbed the power of space and burst out, turning into roaring flames. At once, they destroyed the cold ice thorns.


    When Pear heard the way that Soar teased her, she looked quite irritated. If she could, she would have liked to tear Soar''s mouth apart in that moment.


    The escorts, being represented by Bernard, were also a bit puzzled.


    As for why Pearl wanted to launch such a big campaign and search for Ricky, she had not told them. They only knew that it was not because of the skeleton of a spiritual emperor that Ricky owned. As the young master of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, she didn''t have to be so blatant in her search for the skeleton of a spiritual emperor. That was because the skeleton was auctioned off by the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce in the first place.


    It was not because Ricky was a peerless genius either though.


    They didn''t have a clue as to what the answer was, until they were enlightened by what Soar''s had said.


    If a woman hated a man that much, the odds were that it was due to love. ''Is there something between Pearl and Ricky?'' they wondered at the same time.


    The more they thought about it, the more they felt it was only due to the relationship issues between Pearl and Ricky.


    As a result, deep down, they became more annoyed with Ricky. They were all admirers of Pearl, so they hated Ricky, and any other person involved with Pearl.


    They didn''t care if Pearl liked Ricky or not. All they wanted to do at that point was kill Ricky. In that case, the problem would be solved forever, and they would have their own chance to chase after Pearl.


    Soar didn''t know that Pearl''s escorts were so greatly irritated by his random and teasing words. He couldn''t tell that they had such murderous intent against Ricky either. If Ricky knew about it, he would be just as annoyed and might have a bone to pick with Soar for giving them that impression.


    Pearl was very intelligent, so she instantly detected the subtle mental change in her admirers. Although annoyed, she soon put on a slight smil


    earl would look down upon him and think that everything about him was just a joke otherwise.


    He loved Pearl and had devoted his life to her. Of course, he didn''t know that he and the other followers were simply being used as pawns by Pearl. She was so arrogant that she would only let herself fall in love with a peerless genius.


    Pearl showed a slight interest in Ricky, because he was publicly regarded as a peerless genius. That was also why she had a great desire to make Ricky fall in love with her.


    As the young master of an extremely rich organization, she was born to be superior and would only get married to the most powerful man that she could find.


    ''Indestructible Fighting Spirit!'' Soar bellowed again in his mind. He then fused the rich fighting spirit that was exuding from inside his body with the attack. As a result, his momentum became stronger and more furious.


    "What is that cultivation method? How come it is able to fuse with a warrior''s fighting spirit?" When they saw that scene, the surrounding warriors and the spiritual king beasts were taken aback, because they had never heard of any cultivation method like that before.


    They were not alone. The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor and the two spiritual kings outside the Small World were also extremely shocked.


    They had heard about the Indestructible Fighting Spirit before. They also knew that it was a special cultivation method that could only be used by a few tribes.


    The special tribes referred to the Great Dragon tribe, a species that had not been around for a long time, and some other tribes that contained the bloodline of the Great Dragon.


    "So, the bloodline in Soar''s body is nowhere near being weak!" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor exclaimed. "With the bloodline of the Great Dragon in his body, he is easy to become the most talented genius among any first-class geniuses, even if he is not a peerless genius."

 Chapter 499 Soars Invincible Power

    Boom! Boom!


    Right at this moment, the roaring flames and the intensely cold ice fiercely collided again, enveloping the entire battle area in a sea of fire and ice. The space disintegrated and collapsed and a huge explosion thundered through the whole space as if to destroy the battle space.


    In a just short period of time, Soar and Louie had already fought for dozens of rounds.


    Soar was completely enveloped in roaring flames, while Louie was wrapped in the cold ice. The two men seemed to be dressed in distinct armor of fire and ice. They turned into different war gods, having the most intense physical collision at the moment.


    There was no doubt that in this battle and clash of powers, Soar had completely gained the upper hand.


    The reasons why he could gain the leverage and dominate the fight were quite obvious. Firstly, Soar had the body of a Great Dragon. Therefore, in the same realm, in addition to the warriors cultivating the body refining skills like Ricky and creatures owning strong bloodlines, there would be no creature who had enough power to compete with him.


    Second, in terms of origin, the cold ice and roaring flames were two extreme forces that could mutually neutralize each other. As a result, under the current condition when the two sides had little difference in strength, there would not be much disparity in their power when they collided with each other. However, the roaring flames of Soar was the Heaven Melting Fire. If Louie''s power of cold ice could not reach the same level as Soar''s roaring flames, there was little hope left for Louie to gain dominance in this fight with Soar.


    Boom! Boom! Soar fused the energy of the Heaven Melting Fire and his fighting spirit as one invincible force. This incomparable strength forced Louie out of the battlefield. The spectators suddenly saw Louie''s shape diminish rapidly in mid-air, which made the battlefield draw a broad gap between the two opponents.


    Moreover, Louie''s crossed arms couldn''t help trembling as he tried his best to resist the great impact of Soar''s powerful blow.


    "How is that possible? I can''t believe that in this confrontation, Louie has already fallen completely to the disadvantage," exclaimed all the warriors and spiritual king beasts around in disbelief as they saw the battle unfold. They were quite shocked by Soar''s invincible power that seemed undefeatable.


    "It has never occurred to me that Ricky has such a powerful helper beside him!"


    At this moment, Pearl, Bernard, and several other people showed a graver look.


    ...


    "Sir, it seems that this time, while we are already extremely fortunate to own the peerless genius, Ricky, we seemed to have also been blessed with none other than Soar, gifted spiritual king beast. He has the bloodline of the Great Dragon." Outside the battle space, the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King were thrilled.


    ith cracks burst into pieces. Then shrieks rumbled and thundered while the spear together with a figure were blown out of the battle space.


    Everybody noticed that the figure that they had just seen shot out had been none other than Louie.


    "The genius of the Bing Clan, Louie, is defeated!" Although everyone present had almost guessed the result of the battle, they still could not believe their suspicion turn into reality when they saw it with their own eyes.


    The true reason was, that for a long period of time, Louie had impressed them as a person who was too powerful to compete with.


    Looking at the flame-filled figure, they couldn''t help but be in awe of Soar. Soar''s invincible power had gradually made a place in their hearts.


    From this moment on, Soar would replace Louie and occupy that special and unattainable position of reverence and admiration in their eyes.


    "That was impossible! Impossible!" Louie, who crashed heavily on the ground, shook his head and shouted in great anger. With his eyes blazing with ferocity and mouth set in a grimace, he immediately wanted to get up from the ground and hit Soar again.


    "Louie, you have lost the battle. Can''t you accept the result? You shall step back right now, and I, Bernard, will teach him a good lesson!" A disdainful voice stopped Louie from taking any further action.


    The next moment, a yellow figure flew overhead and came into the battlefield. He stared at Soar, who was standing in front of him and was still wrapped in roaring flames.


    As soon as they looked into each other''s eyes, the momentum of the two of them also fiercely collided together. The battle space which had barely calmed down was virtually roaring again.


    "Are you Bernard from the Ruin Leopard tribe? Maybe you are a little stronger than Louie, but you can''t beat me either." Soar grinned, turning the Heaven-splitting Spear with his palms.


    There was a hint of disdain in his smile.

 Chapter 500 The Ruin Holy Fire

    "Did anyone tell you that you have bad breath, filthy beast? Why don''t you just keep your mouth shut?" Bernard said in a calm voice with hints of sarcasm. He didn''t seem very emotional at Soar''s provocative words, but he showed his anger by releasing more power of ruin into the air. The energy surrounded him at an ever faster speed as it all waited to burst out.


    "Oh, really? I didn''t know about that at all. What? You want to help me keep my mouth shut?" Soar replied as he grinned cheekily. "Welcome! But still, we''ve got to see if you can really make it or not." Soar teased Bernard even more by pretending to doubt him.


    "You know, that so-called genius of yours from the Bing Clan was really a disappointment. How sad, he had made more of an impression with his mouth than his feet. If you''re another one of this kind of genius, then you''d better prepare yourself for imminent death. Because this time, I''m going to kill you," Soar said as his voice became low and sharp.


    "You mean Louie? No, no, no. Don''t you dare put me on the same level as him. I can kill him with a single strike if I want to," Bernard answered with disdain in his eyes. Now it was clearer that he was an arrogant man who thought too highly of himself. He despised Soar, which was why he wasn''t enraged by his joke. But apart from that, he couldn''t see the value of Louie, who could presently be called his ally in public.


    Hearing Bernard''s words, the warriors and the spiritual king beasts surrounding them suddenly remembered the defeated warrior from Bing Clan as they all looked towards his direction. Louie was struggling to get to his feet after the eyes fell on him to see how embarrassed the famous genius was now.


    As expected, Louie''s face couldn''t be sourer now that not only his enemy but also his allies were looking down upon him. There was burning hatred in his eyes, and the ridicule he received from those two had, without a doubt, added fuel to his fire. If looks could kill, Bernard and Soar would have already died a thousand times!


    But Louie knew that there was not much he could do now. So he tried to calm himself down a bit as he held back his anger and the harsh words he wanted to spit out.


    To be honest, he already knew that Bernard was superior to him in terms of strength. As for Soar, he couldn''t deny that he was stronger since he had won just now. So Louie knew very well that he would only make another joke out of himself if he tried to attack again.


    Or worse, he could end up losing his enlightening mark and become disqualified from the selection.


    ''Revenge is a dish that is best served cold. We should wait and see, Soar and Bernard. Soon, you both will have to come to me with your knees bent as you lick my toes, '' Louie roared with rage inwardly.


    He felt utterly humiliated, but his only option was to bear with it at the moment.


    On the other hand, Pearl remained composed as she saw what was happening. She was shocked by how powerful Soar was, but she wasn''t worried by it. She waited. It was Ricky who she wanted to bring down. If her puppets couldn''t make it as she wished, she would have to do it herself.


    "Ha-ha! That is very well said, dude. Now let''s see in what way exactly could a genius from the Ruin Leopard tribe be better than the one from the Bing Clan," Soar said


    ank God this guy has yet to fully master the skill. Otherwise, my Heaven Melting Fire would be no match for it," Soar said to himself after breathing a sigh of relief. The information other warriors provided when they were talking about the skill had really helped him analyze the situation more carefully.


    Soar had tried Ricky''s Ruin Fire himself, so he knew very well how desperate it could be when your life was being sucked out and you were being thrown into a hopeless pit of despair. In this respect, the Ruin Holy Fire was left in the dust.


    Swish! Just then, Bernard turned his palm up after concentrating his mind. In a flash, a yellow long rod appeared in his hand. The rod was also covered in a cloud of Ruin Enlightenment.


    "This rod was forged with my blood essence. I call it the Ruin Spiritual Rod. Together, it will work with my Ruin Holy Fire and open the gate of ruin and death," Bernard declared as he stared at Soar. His fighting spirit rose rapidly as he prepared for a fight.


    "The gate of ruin and death? You really are an ambitious man, aren''t you? But please don''t boast or you might end up embarrassing yourself," Soar said with an arrogant smile. As he spoke, he commanded the Heaven Melting Fire to wrap around his Heaven-splitting Spear and pointed it at Bernard''s nose.


    "This is my Heaven-splitting Spear, with which I have built a strong connection. If I wish, it can help me tear the heavens into bits and pieces!" Soar announced. Now it seemed that he would like to see who was the more ambitious one, himself or Bernard.


    After shouting out their determinations, both of them experienced a huge momentum boost until their bodies could no longer hold back their overwhelming energies.


    All of a sudden, both of their fires shot high into the air! In an instant, the Ruin Holy Fire and the Heaven Melting Fire rushed out at the same time like two furious dragons going against each other. As the two kinds of fires met, sparks flew out like arrows and shock waves lashed out, causing warriors around them to fall on their knees.


    Amidst the dazzling light and heat waves, two figures charged. It was Soar and Bernard, whose weapons met violently to begin the battle.

 Chapter 501 Fire Snake Versus Ruin Leopard

    Bang! The next moment, there was a crushing sound. The Ruin Spiritual Rod and the Heaven-splitting Spear collided hard with each other. Sparks flew in all directions like stars at a moonless night. At the speed of lightening, the turbulent waves gushed forward and engulfed the space.


    As the fiery sparks were flying around, the two fighters started to tighten their fists and exchange blows. The Ruin Spiritual Rod was waved skillfully. The rod emanated some energy and cast shadows which emitted the strongest and sharpest vitality, all wrapped by the Ruin Holy Fire. Anything or anybody hit by the rod would be defeated immediately.


    Meanwhile, the Heaven-splitting Spear was burning brightly as if it had borrowed power from the sun itself. Whenever the spear was in action, it surrounded everything as if it was supported by some violent strength. It intended to break everything on its path, relentless!


    Each engagement occurred in a flash. The two fighters had wielded their power to the full. In the midair, numerous shadows were exchanging blows while trying to defend themselves.


    Behind those shadows, the space had been smashed to pieces. More than that, those shattered space pieces were tainted with ocher color. These pieces seemed to have been burnt.


    Due to this, those broken pieces of space wouldn''t return to their normal condition until a long time later.


    "This is an incredibly fierce collision; I don''t believe that we could survive their attacks if we had entered into combat with any of them!" commented those warriors and the spiritual king beasts, shocked.


    "The gap between us and those geniuses is huge; we are inferior to them in terms of cultivation speed and fighting skills."


    "You have made the point!"


    Indeed, they had great admiration and respect for those two fighters, sincerely, without revealing a trace of envy. Anyway, being jealous of those geniuses would only send them to hell with both a broken heart and mind.


    However, Louie was extremely jealous.


    Undoubtedly, Soar and Bernard were much better than himself in terms of strength and fighting skills.


    He clenched his fist tight. So much so that his fingernails dug deep into his palms, and blood was oozing out of his cuts.


    "Soar and Bernard, don''t be proud; one


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    e air, and all the spiritual king beasts felt uncomfortable, especially the beasts of weaker blood power started to feel sick.


    ''So overwhelming is this blood power. Does the dragon aura mean that he has the blood power of the Great Dragon in his body?'' all the spiritual kings thought to themselves while staring at Soar''s real body, dumbfounded.


    "This snake may be related to the Great Dragon race by blood. However, since I have never seen such a unique sake, I can''t tell which tribe the fire snake belongs to," uttered the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor outside the Small World.


    "Sir, after all this is done, you can ask him. He surely will answer your question," the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King replied.


    ...


    At this moment, the attention once again diverted to Soar.


    With his eyes wide open, Bernard had never looked so dignified before. Deep in his heart and soul, he was actually shuddering with terror.


    "How could it even be possible? Does he already have thirty percent of the Great Dragon''s blood power running through his veins?" Bernard said to himself, incredulously.


    Being suppressed by such overwhelming blood power, his strength would be weakened.


    However, in spite of the suppression by the blood power, he couldn''t admit defeat.


    Thus, at the very next moment, the two fighters looked at each other, eye to eye, before the two beasts bit at each other. A deadly combat between the fire snake and the Ruin Leopard had just started.

 Chapter 502 The Dark Power

    Roar!


    The entire area was filled with ferocious roars made by the two giant beasts. Their battle was one without the use of rules or skills. They fought with each other in the most barbaric way, tearing and biting with their enlightening powers.


    Boom! Boom! As the two beasts struggled and writhed around on the ground, many mountains were pulverized into dusts by the powerful impact of their bodies. While fighting with Bernard, Soar intentionally avoided approaching the place where Ricky was cultivating his power in seclusion.


    Bernard''s most powerful weapons were his sharp claws and the huge fangs that lined his mouth. Soar had the impregnable body of a Great Dragon, so no beast of the same level was able to do harm to his body.


    Bernard was no exception. His attacks were only able to leave some shallow scratches on Soar''s scales.


    Soar was defended by the Heaven Melting Fire, so Bernard tried in vain to attack Soar with his Ruin Holy Fire.


    ''''Soar has such a powerful body! Bernard can''t even break through his defense.'''' The surrounding warriors and spiritual king beasts commented about the scene.


    ''''Who the hell is Soar anyway? I have never seen any creature from the snake tribe that looked quite like that.''''


    ''''There are so many creatures possessing the blood power of the Great Dragon in the world. It''s no wonder that we cannot recognize him.''''


    ...


    Bernard couldn''t really do any serious damage to Soar. Soar was able to constantly tear Bernard''s body apart with his bloody mouth and robust tail though.


    What was worse was that considering the Ruin Holy Fire was no match for the Heaven Melting Fire, Bernard was at his wits'' end and was bound to lose the fight.


    After realizing what his odds were, Bernard immediately decided to transform into human form and run away from the battlefield.


    Seeing that Bernard was trying to retreat, Soar gave up on hunting him down. He knew that he could not kill Bernard even if he was able to overwhelm him.


    Meanwhile, he also had a feeling that he was being stared by someone else who had a murderous intent.


    ''''It turns out you were just boasting about teaching me a lesson. You cannot even break through my defenses, '''' Soar taunted, hovering in the sky as smug as a ruling king.


    In that moment, he had also detected wh


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ed as the strong gale blew through it. The world around her was pitch dark. Her eyes also became pure black and there seemed to be a dark and terrible fire burning in them.


    Pearl suddenly transformed from just a cruel lady to a powerful demon before their eyes.


    All the warriors around were frightened and trembled at the scene.


    ''''She has the dark power!'''' Seeing the unique power that was released by Pearl, Soar immediately recognized it and said what it was in a low voice.


    Such dark power was extreme rare over all the continents in their world. Even in the domain of devils, the dark power was something seldom seen. Creatures that cultivated such dark power could challenge opponents of higher levels, even if they did not have powerful talent or blood power.


    It was because the dark power ranked among the top when it came to all kinds of powers in the heaven and earth.


    Heaven and earth were first formed by some sort of primitive power, which then split into the powers of dark and light.


    In other words, the dark power was secondary to the primitive power and only the light power was able to compete with its strength.


    Pearl had higher cultivation level than Soar, and also possessed the blood power of a spiritual emperor on top of that. Soar knew that he was no match for her.


    Solely judging by the momentum released by Pearl, he felt threatened by her. Soar''s expression turned grim. He realized that Pearl was even more powerful than he expected.


    ''''Go to hell!'''' Pearl immediately launched her attack.

 Chapter 503 Powerful Dark Power

    No sooner had Soar finished talking than the whole area darkened, a hellish storm sweeping over and threatening to suck all life from the place. In that foreboding moment, Pearl appeared in front of Soar with her black hair dancing in the wind.


    In a flash, she struck at Soar. Her tender yet surprisingly powerful hand emitting an extreme amount of enlightening power.


    "Dragon Battle Technique¡ªDragon''s Punch!" To withstand her attack, Soar had to use his best move. In this do-or-die moment, it called for the strongest response.


    "Icy Sword!" Side by side, with Soar, Madeline also made her move. In defense, she struck out with her sword strike formed by Ice Enlightenment.


    She could sense that Pearl was way too strong for her, maybe even for Soar.


    The next moment, a massive blast rent the air as they connected with their moves. But even in their concerted effort, Soar and Madeline were only able to withstand Pearl''s power for a brief moment.


    Debris and dust filled the air, throwing both Soar and Madeline several meters back. But Pearl was set back only a few steps¡ªa clear sign she was much more superior than both of them.


    Also, Soar''s and Madeline''s enlightening powers had faded a great deal in the process due to Pearl''s Dark Enlightenment.


    By comparison, Soar was still okay. Thanks to his Heaven Melting Fire, to a reasonable extent, he had neutralized the attack. But Madeline was worse off, as she had used up most of her power in fighting back.


    Both Soar and Madeline exchanged a look, solemnity and frustration written in their eyes.


    The warriors around them were all shocked, especially Bernard and a couple of other geniuses.


    They knew that Pearl was powerful, but not this much formidable. Now, it dawned on them that they had underrated her.


    Their reactions gradually changed from shock to strong admiration. For some men, the admiration morphed into lust.


    A woman like this was worth fighting for, and most men here would do anything they possibly could to win her love.


    "Master, I have long heard of the dark power used by the young master of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. But I didn''t know how extraordinary the power was, until now. What


    Soar''s power had shot up.


    "Madeline, stay back. At your level, you''re no match for the dark power," Soar cautioned Madeline.


    Madeline had no objection. With the force of a spiritual weapon, the surge in Soar''s power was more than enough to handle the situation. As for her, it was doubtful if, at all, she could hold a candle to Pearl.


    So it would be for the best to stand down for now.


    "Let''s fight! Dragon''s Spear!"


    The Heaven-splitting Spear appeared from Soar''s Heaven Melting Pagoda¡ªan absolute thunderbolt of a strike.


    However, none of it seemed to shake Pear in the least.


    Instead, she flipped one hand, calling forth a black whip, accompanied by intense dark power that formed a wave that tumbled towards Soar.


    In the next moment, their attacks connected, sparking off roaring thunder, rampage, and dark clouds of dust. Once again, they were at an impasse.


    This time, Soar lasted longer. But his Heaven Melting Fire was no match for Pearl''s Dark Enlightenment.


    Once again, Soar backed down.


    ''I can''t. The dark power is proving too strong. I might end up losing, even with the help of the Heaven Melting Pagoda and Heaven Melting Fire, '' Soar thought to himself.


    To add to his worries, Alva seemed not to be putting in as much effort in support.


    "Since there is still a no-show of Ricky, then I am putting you down for good!" Pearl said coldly. At this moment, she already lost her patience.


    "I assume it is my turn now!"

 Chapter 504 An Ace Genius

    As her laughter trailed off, Pearl launched her attack and swept towards Soar.


    At that moment, the Flame Torrent, drenched with the power of the devouring rune, came swooping in from the rear. It flew past Soar, which then directly collided with Pearl and hit her hard.


    And in a flash, Pearl''s attack was neutralized. Upon colliding with Pearl, the Flame Torrent then morphed into a human figure.


    And that human figure was none other than Ricky. Finally, after two straight months of specialized training, he had already made his breakthrough and achieved his goal.


    "Woohoo! Thank God, finally!" Warriors and spiritual king beasts alike who had seen him had the same sentiments as they all cheered for the appearance of Ricky. After all, the reason for Pearl''s tremendous efforts, sweat, and blood, was to hunt Ricky down. And Ricky had just shown up. The game was on.


    During that time, all the warriors and spiritual king beasts were so busy focusing their eyes on Pearl that they missed the fact that Ricky had very easily neutralized Pearl''s attack of the Dark Enlightenment.


    But this, however, did not simply go unseen by the eyes of two spiritual kings and the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor who watched them very closely.


    "Sir, did you just say that only an ace genius could defeat a first-class lower spiritual king at mere Demi-immortal Level? I guess this would be our lucky day, then. Maybe the ace genius we are looking for is right in front of us now as we speak." The two spiritual kings exchanged looks as they said their piece to the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor through telepathy.


    "Then, you have recalled that correctly. In fact, that was exactly what I had just said." The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor nodded slowly as he was also at loss for words on how to comprehend the overwhelming situation.


    "But how could it be? That is impossible!" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said as his voice sounded skeptical. However, despite his disbelief, his excitement had tipped the scales.


    "I guess I finally understand now why the dean refused to stop this selection."


    "Sir, are you implying that it was the dean''s idea to go on with this selection?" the two spiritual kings asked with disbelief upon hearing what the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor had just said.


    "Then I guess that the dean must have had listened to his gut feeling and wanted to test if he was right about Ricky," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said, almost unable to restrain his excitement.


    "The dean is a very perceptive warrior who practiced the Soul Rule. And this took place in his Small World. He must have sensed Ricky''s ambition of becoming an ace genius. And maybe that was why he wanted to give him a chance or maybe at l


    ch then rang as the collision happened. On the other hand, the Dark Enlightenment was not able to push through due to the resistance of both the devouring runes and the Devouring Fire.


    And just like that, Ricky had neutralized Pearl''s attack head on this time around.


    But the amount of damage that the black whip was able to do to the Iron Destroyer was too much for it to handle. And as a result, a chink then formed on its metal. After all, that black whip was a real spiritual weapon. Meaning to say, it was stronger that the Iron Destroyer, which was, apparently, only a demi-immortal spiritual weapon.


    Left with no choice, Ricky had to sheath the Iron Destroyer to protect it from further damage.


    Right after he put away his weapon, the entire battlefield was filled with deafening silence.


    "Wow, he truly is an ace genius!" both the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King exclaimed with excitement as they could not contain their happiness and awe.


    "It was the devouring power, the most formidable power of all!" The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor weighed in. "Furthermore, his understanding of the devouring power must be at a higher level now. Otherwise, he could not have used it against the erosion of the dark power."


    "How many powers did he practice and master exactly?"


    At this moment, the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor found that the longer he spent watching Ricky, the more questions popped into his head. He was in awe at how this demi-immortal warrior was able to keep on surprising him.


    ...


    "How...how could it be? How could he withstand my attack? He is merely a demi-immortal!" No one answered. After moments of dead silence, random sounds of disbelief erupted from the crowd.


    "There could be another reason for this. Maybe he is no longer a mere demi-immortal."

 Chapter 505 The Bloodline Of An Innate Spiritual Emperor

    "How is that possible? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?" Pearl kept crying out involuntarily after the dead silence. With her eyes wide open, she just couldn''t believe what was happening. Never had she been so shocked like at that moment in her whole life. She couldn''t be more aware that even though the offensive attack that she launched against Ricky was not her most powerful skill, it was definitely stronger than the one she had launched against Soar. With so much confidence, she had thought that since he was only a demi-immortal, her power at such an extent was enough to defeat him.


    Yet, to her utmost surprise, Ricky blocked her attack with great ease, as if he didn''t even have to exert any effort at all. To say that it got to her nerves pretty quickly was an understatement.


    As a matter of fact, the reason why Pearl could beat Soar so easily was mainly because of her dark power.


    On the other hand, one of the reasons why Ricky was able to easily withstand Pearl''s offensive attack was due to the fact that the enlightening power of his four zones was not inferior to that of a first-class lower spiritual king. In addition to the power of his four zones, it only meant that he was fused with four mutants.


    Of course, the most important reason was the fusion of his devouring runes and Devouring Fire, which were enough against Pearl''s dark power.


    After two months of secret cultivation, Ricky had undergone radical changes. As a result, he had become an actual ace genius at that moment. Ricky was completely sure and aware of such a fact.


    ''As a demi-immortal, I finally completed all of the extreme cultivation and boosted my cultivation base to the top of its stage. For my next step, I need to make a breakthrough and become an innate spiritual king. I am finally going to walk on the road of real martial arts, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    However, before he could reach his ultimate goal, he must first overcome the challenge in front of him¡ªbeat Pearl.


    "There is nothing impossible. You can have the powerful dark power in your body. But, you''re not the only one who could have special power," Ricky responded lightly.


    After that, he activated more massacring runes to fuse with his Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. Meanwhile, his other three runic powers were wrapping themselves around his arms. Since his Iron Destroyer was not a match for Pearl''s black long whip, he had no other choice but to use his own arms as a spiritual weapon against her whip.


    Needless to say, Ricky''s main offensive power for this battle was still his devouring power, because such power could resist Pearl''s dark power.


    After the initial shock, Pearl managed to calm herself down. She then grimly said to Ricky, "Today, it doesn''t matter whether you''re a peerless genius or a stronger ace genius, there are only two choices for you¡ªsurrender to me right now or face your imminent death." Despite what she had seen, she was still able to raise her head with so much confidence and pride. After all, she had to defend her dignity with everything that she


    owerful force. He deserves to be buddy and I respect him so much, '' Soar said with so much enthusiasm in his mind.


    The other onlookers looked even more startled, their eyes wide open and their jaws dropping to the ground.


    At that point, they were rather reluctant to believe that Ricky was still a demi-immortal. Yet, that was the truth.


    ''How could that happen? How could that happen? Even though he is a peerless genius, he is just a demi-immortal. How can a demi-immortal be able to fight a first-class lower spiritual king?'' At that moment, all the creatures were in utter disbelief.


    Concurrently, Pearl''s power and brilliance had all been covered up by Ricky''s.


    The onlookers found it hard to tear their eyes off the collision center. Naturally, they were eager to know if Ricky had been able to completely withstand Pearl''s attacks.


    Thud! Thud!


    With a more intense roar, Pearl''s Ultimate Domain of Dark Enlightenment and Gloomy Enlightenment suddenly exploded. The next second, endless waves of air burst out instantly. What surprised everyone was that the strong airwaves were also attacking the surrounding warriors and spiritual king beasts. They had to activate their strong power to resist the impact of the waves.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Two figures quickly landed on the ground after the airwaves had settled down into oblivion. Their quick landing stirred up a blast of dust. In the center of the arena were two warriors who were none other than Ricky and Pearl, still in the middle of fighting with each other intensely.


    Their breath sounded short and heavy, but they didn''t seem to suffer any severe harm on their bodies.


    Although both of them were unhurt, they had totally different reactions. Ricky''s eyes grinned, while Pearl''s eyes remained cold, like the cold spring in hell, making everyone who saw her frigid and frightened.


    ''So, Ricky has successfully resisted Pearl''s attacks!'' All the warriors and spiritual king beasts had the same thought in their minds as they bore witness to the whole scene.

 Chapter 506 Feminine Mutant—The True Might Of The Dark Power

    ''As a demi-immortal who ever challenged a first-class lower spiritual king, Ricky will definitely be a miracle of the Oriental Realm!'' all the spectators exclaimed inwardly while they continued to watch the figure encircled with runes.


    At that moment, even Bernard and Louie could not help but question themselves and their abilities.


    After they heard that Ricky was a peerless genius, they were surprised at first. But before long, they became disdainful. In their perspectives, it should have taken him much more time to improve and make progress even for a peerless genius. But they were wrong. Within such a short period of time, Ricky had reached such a level that it would be nearly impossible for them to catch up to him.


    "Ricky, you''re really getting on my nerves right now!" Pearl cried out so loudly that everyone in the whole arena could hear her without difficulty. Her black pupils were retracted and her voice sounded like a demon rising from the darkness.


    Out of rage, Pearl managed to mix the Gloomy Enlightenment with her Dark Enlightenment.


    Subsequently, Pearl''s terrifying but simultaneously beautiful and regal face changed once again.


    First, a black mark appeared in between her eyebrows. Then, two black marks appeared on both sides of her eyes. At last, her red lips turned into black.


    At that moment, Pearl looked exactly like the queen of all devils.


    Meanwhile, the Dark Enlightenment and the Gloomy Enlightenment permeating all over her whole body became even stronger. The color of the sky seemed to change with it, casing a dark haze all over the area, making it even more unbearable and intimidating.


    "What''s that?" All the warriors and spiritual king beasts were shocked once again after they saw Pearl''s new appearance.


    "Is this the Feminine Mutant?" asked the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and Array-shattering Spiritual King with astonishment as they were watching outside the Small World.


    "You''re absolutely right! The Feminine Mutant is a powerful mutant that is comparable with those mighty blood powers in the Middle Land. If this woman can survive this match, she will likely play an outstanding role in the Middle Land," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said.


    "Although she is no match for a peerless genius, she would be able to compete with any first-class genius with her Feminine Mutant."


    "It seems like the Luxurious Emperor really has a great junior!" the two spiritual kings exclaimed. "However, we are more interested to know how our ace genius would handle this situation."


    So far, the warriors and spiritual king beasts in the Small World had also figured out the change that Pearl had just gone through. "This must be the so-called Feminine Mutant!" they exclaimed. They weren''t completely unaware of it tho


    f he has, he can at most be of the same power as Pearl who has broken out her Feminine Mutant, '' the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Louie started to laugh discreetly. He then quietly growled in his heart, ''This is exactly what I''ve expected to happen. A peerless genius? Go to hell!'' He was actually the only one who was thinking this way among everyone in the arena.


    Boom!


    After beating Soar and the others away from where Ricky was, Pearl felt that it still wasn''t enough for her to pacify the rage inside of her heart. She continued to strike at Ricky who was still lying inside the deep hole.


    She had told Ricky to be her servant so many times. However, Ricky did nothing but resist her. For Pearl, he was such an arrogant and stubborn person that she couldn''t stand him. The whole thing made her extremely furious.


    From the moment she was born until that moment, she had never become this enraged. Nobody dared to refuse her, except Ricky. So even tearing Ricky into pieces could not take away the fury in her heart.


    After lashing for a dozen more times, Pearl finally felt a little tired. Thus, she decided to stop beating Ricky. As for the deep hole, it was in a total mess with dust flying out everywhere and a smoke cloud was obstructing the spectator''s view.


    ''What a pity! Such a peerless genius who had just risen not long ago was killed this way. He really died miserably!'' exclaimed quite a few warriors internally at the mere sight of what happened.


    "What a vicious woman! How could you lash at me for so long? You sadistic person! Are you insane?" Just at that moment, a roaring furious voice rang through the area.


    Clank! Golden lights spread out of the deep hole, sweeping all the million dust bits floating away. Then a giant golden figure slowly rose from the hole.

 Chapter 507 The Power Of The Golden Body

    The glowing golden body was ten feet in height and wreathed in golden lights. It came down from the sky to land lightly on the ground like a golden god of war, perfectly demonstrating the presence of its power, strength, and invincibility.


    The golden body made the other warriors finally understand that such true power was actually intangible.


    What made them even more astounded, was that Ricky was inside the golden body. It was the first level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    They also noticed that Ricky had emerged unscathed, except a few rips on his robes.


    ''''How could this happen? He should have been killed.'''' As the scene unfolded before their eyes, their voices trembled and they were in a state of disbelief. ''''What''s that? Is the golden body some kind of cultivation method?''''


    ''''Ricky!'''' Soar shouted excitedly. Madeline, Yedda, and Yolanda were also thrilled by Ricky''s appearance.


    Even the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor was shocked by it.


    ''The golden body is such an amazing technique! Could it be that it is the evolution of his body refining method?'' he wondered silently to himself.


    ''''It seems that the true ace up his sleeve is this golden body, sir!'''' the two spiritual kings said in unison.


    Upon seeing that Ricky was intact and under the protection of golden body, Pearl eyes grew even more furious. Her eyes were like burning coals of malice.


    ''''Why won''t you just die quietly?'''' Pearl cursed at Ricky in a hoarse and cold voice.


    ''''I didn''t mean to pick a fight with you, but your ruthless behavior really offended me. You deserve to be beaten by me, ''''


    Ricky said in a cold voice as he crawled out of the crater.


    Meanwhile, he looked over his golden body and released the massacring runes. When he activated the devouring runes, an icy covering was formed on the golden body to defend the Gloomy Enlightenment and Dark Enlightenment.


    After successfully refining the egg of the holy beast, Ricky had finally cultivated the first level of the Ultimate Golden Body to its initial state.


    There were nine levels of the Ultimate Golden Body. With each advancement to a higher level, its power also increased exponentially. Each level had four forms¡ªinitial state, minor achievement


    ontinually surprised them with his talent, and then he finally defeated Pearl.


    Pearl was also a genius, but her power lagged far behind Ricky''s power. Not to mention that she was a member of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, and possessed countless cultivating resources.


    In the Oriental Realm, the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce seemed to be at peace with the Oriental College. They often cooperated with each other on many matters. However, they all knew that if two men ride on a horse, one must ride behind.


    Bang!


    Ricky launched another punch and was able to completely defeat Pearl. She fell heavily onto the ground, blood gushing from her mouth.


    Then, he withdrew his golden body, and seized Pearl by the collar of her shirt. He lifted her up after that. Meanwhile, he pinned Pearl''s arms behind her back to make sure she could not resist.


    Ricky grinned as he enjoyed Pearl being at his mercy.


    Pearl was still not afraid of Ricky at all, because she knew that he dared not do any real harm to her. Her eyes were filled with hatred and repulsion as she looked at him. She tried in vain to escape from the hold that Ricky had her in.


    Upon seeing that she couldn''t escape, all the spectators were shocked. They had never expected that Pearl, who had the blood power of a spiritual emperor and was renowned as the top warrior in their generation, could end up being beaten in such a humiliating way by anyone.


    ''''Woman, I''m going to teach you how to be humble.''''

 Chapter 508 Pearl Was Eliminated

    When Ricky stared at Pearl, his fierce eyes clouded with ominous hatred.


    Out of dignity, Ricky would never harm a woman. But Pearl was an exception. Her callous heart, conceit and preference for violence were not something a sensible man would put up with. Now looking at her, he wished her dead with any scruples.


    ''If it were not for my survival skills, Soar, the three women and I would have died here.'' thought Ricky.


    He was seething with anger.


    But Pearl knew he would let her off the hook, once his temper cooled down. Right now, she was feigning an indifferent attitude.


    Besides, she knew that the spiritual emperors at the Oriental College would intervene and restrain Ricky if he lost his temper.


    ''Is he really gonna kill her?'' all warriors and spiritual king beasts around wondered, sensing the intense hatred and anger from Ricky.


    There was no doubt he could defeat Pearl. But he could not kill her since she was the daughter of a spiritual emperor.


    In fact, both of them were related to spiritual emperors. But these emperors had similar strengths. If Ricky killed Pearl, he would face the wrath of her father.


    His friends would also get involved in. So he couldn''t just kill her without considering anything.


    "Sir, will Ricky really kill Pearl?" In particular, the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King were uneasy.


    If Pearl died, the spiritual emperor of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce would not take it lying down. In retaliation, he would cause trouble to not only Ricky but also the entire Oriental College.


    "I guess he knows what he''s doing," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor observed.


    He was ready to end the selection, if Ricky was really going to kill Pearl.


    ...


    "Ricky, you have to forgive Pearl, despite her gross misconduct. At least, for the moment. Please don''t be


    n!" Several minutes later, many warriors and spiritual king beats gave Ricky a thumbs-up.


    They truly admired him now, not only for his strength, but also for his courage.


    He beat the arrogant Pearl; the spiritual emperor of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce might not get angry because of this. But knocking her out of the selection was another story.


    As a precaution, Ricky needed to keep an eye of the demi-spiritual emperor of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. Or else the demi-spiritual emperor might attack him stealthily.


    "Did he really think that Pearl had no access to the Oriental College after her failure in the selection?" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor sighed.


    "To be honest, sir, I like this boy pretty much." The Skyward Sword Spiritual King smiled.


    "I''m afraid that you should protect him secretly. His actions disgraced the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. I guess the demi-spiritual emperor will take actions," the Array-shattering Spiritual King said.


    "Well, as you see, his talent makes me have no other choice!"


    ...


    "Well! Ricky, enduring should have been the better choice for you. Your actions may cost you a great deal." The Oriental Emperor sighed because of Ricky''s unexpected actions.

 Chapter 509 Becoming An Enlisted Member Of The Oriental College

    "Sir, to be completely honest with you, I just couldn''t help it. I knew I should not, and in fact I dared not kill her. But at least I have to take all of the enlightening marks from her and force her to quit the selection. Trust me, I did all I could to pull my punches," Ricky shrugged and replied indifferently.


    "You might have managed to send her out for now, but I bet the spiritual emperors from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce will come knocking at my door soon. By then, I don''t think I can refuse their request of enrolling Pearl into the Oriental College, you know. As they say, the one who is strong is also the one who is privileged," the Oriental Emperor said.


    "So, in the end, Pearl will still have a place in the college, while you might have to deal with the retaliation of the demi-spiritual emperors of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. You can be sure that they will be planning their revenge as you have not only enraged them, but also made a fool of them."


    "Actually, I knew the consequences the moment I defeated her, but I couldn''t allow myself to let her go without teaching her a lesson. I simply had to send her out or else it would have been a very hard pill to swallow for me. On the contrary, I feel so refreshed and relieved even though I know that I have caused big trouble for myself by taking this step. But trust me, I will make the same decision if allowed to do it all over," Ricky declared with a smirk playing on his face.


    "You are as stubborn as a donkey, aren''t you, bloke?" the Oriental Emperor couldn''t help his smile as he heard Ricky''s smug words.


    To be completely honest, he quite appreciated this young man''s frankness and resolve even though it almost bordered on arrogance.


    While it was true that Ricky had offended Pearl and the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, he had also shown his acumen to accurately analyse and judge the current situation. Even though he had been a little smug and proud of his actions, he had also exhibited his self control as true to his words, he didn''t actually kill Pearl in the end. At the same time, he chose to deprive Pearl of her capability to participate in the selection, and this clearly showed that he wasn''t afraid of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce at all. He spared her life only because he felt it was the right thing to do. It was clear that he was both unyielding and clearheaded, which combined with bravery were necessary qualities to have if one wished to rise above the masses.


    ...


    After all that had happened and all the upheaval it had caused, the Oriental College''s selection drew to an end.


    Ricky''s actions during the selection spread like fire. His name could be heard almost everywhere on the land and all the warriors were talking about him. While the entire Oriental Realm was already furious at his actions, all this attention that he was getting was really making their blood boil. Now in people''s eyes, Ricky was more than a peerless genius. He was also an ace genius who had the courage to challenge the strong and the authorities.


    What shocked everyone the most was that Ricky dared to kick Pearl¡ªthe spiritual emperor of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce¡ªout of the selection. This was truly incredible.


    "I think it''s too presumptuous of him to do so. He might be talented and a brave one, a so-called ace genius, but he has gone too far this time!" commented some of the warriors.


    "That''s right. He might be a genius, but before he


    l be built between you and your tablet. This is the first step of your becoming an enlisted disciple of the Oriental College," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor instructed.


    All the warriors and creatures did exactly as he said. As soon as their blood touched the jade tablet, all of them felt a strange and strong connection as if their soul had dived into it. It almost felt like they could control their tablet however they wished. They felt a thread tied between the tablet and their body. If they tried to push their mind, the tablet would get into any corner of their body.


    "Remember this, if unfortunately, you die, your jade tablets will instantly turn into dust. Their pair in our Jade Tablet Palace will be gone as well. At that time, you will no longer be a member of this college. It will be almost like you never existed in this world.


    Remember, to survive and to get to the finest level of martial arts, you need to work hard! And, good luck to you all!"


    "Yes, sir!" all the new members answered in unison after listening to what the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor had said. With their jade tablets in their hands or mouths, all of them believed that studying in this college, they had a promising future ahead.


    However, how many out of the thousands of new members could actually become the top warriors that they wished to become, remained a mystery.


    "There are some rules and regulations recorded in your jade tablets," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor went on. "I''ll give you three days to find yourself a cave, and learn these rules and regulations by heart. This is extremely important, as it may get you out of trouble in the future.


    After that, as a reward for your success at the first stage, a unique opportunity will be offered to you to enjoy the water in the Enlightening Pond of our college for once!"


    "What? Did he just say the water in the Enlightening Pond? So soon? This is indeed the best college in the Eastern Land. How incredible is this place!" The crowd got excited at once and the whole square was filled with whispers. However, some of them were unable to share their excitement yet.


    "Wait...what is the water in the Enlightening Pond?" Ricky secretly asked Madeline via telepathy as he had no clue as to what they were talking about.

 Chapter 510 The Enlightening Baptism

    "Ricky, I really want to know where you come from. How do you not know about the Enlightening Pond?" Madeline became very curious when she heard what Ricky had asked.


    That was because every warrior and every creature knew about the Enlightening Pond.


    Ricky instantly knew what her words meant. Embarrassed to the core, he muttered, "Well...Madeline, honestly, I am from a force from a very small land where the strongest warrior is just an upper spiritual king." Ricky sent this message using his internal power immediately.


    "What? Aren''t there any spiritual emperors in your force?" Madeline couldn''t believe Ricky''s words. She always assumed that Ricky was from a spiritual-emperor force at the very least.


    Ricky was a peerless genius. His power forced Pearl to drop out of the selection. She thought to herself, ''If he didn''t come from a spiritual-emperor force, how could he do it?''


    But now, Madeline felt that she was wrong. Ricky had come a long way from his roots.


    "Ha-ha, but now, I am a member of the Oriental College, which is a spiritual-emperor force." Ricky sent a message with a smile when he saw Madeline''s shocked expression.


    "Ricky, I am starting to admire you." Madeline felt speechless when she heard Ricky''s words.


    But, Ricky was right. He was a disciple of the Oriental College now. The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce couldn''t attack Ricky in public. In addition, the Oriental College would also protect him from any attack from outsiders. After all, Ricky was an ace genius.


    "The Enlightening Pond is formed naturally. The water in the Enlightening Pond is also created there itself and only appears in a spiritual-emperor force. The Enlightening Pond contains the purest enlightening power in the world, which can improve any creature''s body.


    In other words, if you enter the Enlightening Pond, your body will start changing instantly. You may think it is just another exaggerated tale, but it is the truth."


    "The water in the Enlightening Pond can help us enhance ourselves? That''s probably why these disciples are so excited now." Ricky was thrilled as he heard Madeline''s words.


    He wanted to make a breakthrough to be an innate spiritual king after leaving the battlefield of the Small World. Now, the water in the Enlightening Pond could help him do it. He was exhilarated.


    "We will


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    eakthrough to be an innate spiritual king in order to cast spiritual weapons.


    Time flew by. New disciples gathered together. The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor and two spiritual kings led them to their next destination.


    No one knew that the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor went with them because he only wanted to check on Ricky. He wanted to know how long Ricky, an ace genius, could stay in the Enlightening Pond.


    Shortly after, the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor led them to a secret place of the Oriental College.


    The secret place wasn''t huge. But, they felt the dense enlightening power as soon as they entered. The enlightening power was blowing all over.


    They looked carefully and found a massive pond right in the center of the secret place.


    The pond was grey and the water was thick, like oil. It contained the dense enlightening power.


    They also felt the supreme enlightenment of the world here, held by this space.


    "Is that the Enlightening Pond?" many disciples asked excitedly, looking at this gigantic pond.


    Ricky couldn''t wait to enter the pond. He knew he would be able to improve his strength here.


    "This is the Enlightening Pond! You only get one free chance to enter it, so you can stay in it as long as you can. After that, you will have to spend ten thousand gold coins a day the next time," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said calmly with a smile.


    "Wow! Ten thousand gold coins a day!" All disciples were shocked with his words. Ricky wanted to make the best out of this opportunity.

 Chapter 511 The Journey To Breaking A Historical Record

    At that moment, all the disciples paid closer attention to the instructions given by the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor. They were surprised by the fact that the amount of money to be paid for a baptism per day was ten thousand gold coins. With that information, they realized that they must not waste this opportunity that came for free. They shall take advantage of it to refine their physical body.


    "Actually, it''s quite reasonable for something as important as this to have a high cost. Besides, we can''t do anything to change it. Although the water in the Enlightening Pond is naturally formed, it must take a lot of Treasures from Heaven and Earth to reach its present state. Otherwise, how can it help in efficiently refining your body?" said the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor as he looked earnestly at each of the disciples.


    "In my humble opinion, the amount of ten thousand gold coins a day is still not enough."


    When they heard what the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor had said, all the disciples present were a little dumbfounded, for they were quite confused why such a big amount of money was still not enough.


    The Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King who were behind the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor both smiled in secret.


    "Well, I won''t say anything further about it. Next, you will begin to enter the water in the Enlightening Pond for baptism, but please bear in mind that the refining process is extremely difficult and painful. If you could not endure the said process, I suggest you come out of the pond as soon as possible, or worse things will come to you," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor compassionately reminded all the disciples at the next moment.


    "Deputy Dean, we completely understand your instructions!" answered all the disciples in high spirits.


    Then, all of them jumped into the water of the Enlightening Pond one after another, guiding the water into their own bodies and starting the process.


    Ricky felt as if he were being bathed in the infinite enlightening power as the water in the Enlightening Pond slowly enveloped his body. Involuntary, the four zones in his body helped him refine this pure enlightening power.


    At the same time, Ricky felt another pure force, which could only be the so-called energy that came from nature.


    After that energy sank into his body, it spontaneously began to refine every part of him. His bones, flesh, and skin were constantly being refined, and soon enough, he felt impurities gushing out of his body.


    ''It is said that the energy of the nature is the best and most suitable power to refine one''s body. It seems that this statement really makes sense, '' Ricky thought to himself in great excitement for he was amazed by the fact that even his body could still discharge impurities.


    Of course, the process was not without its challenges. While in the process of refining, the huge amount of enlightening power made his whole body ache, and the pain became more and more intense as every minute and second passed by.


    Although Ricky had such a strong body, he could still feel a strong amount of pain. It actually felt like the pain was seeping into each an


    rteen days had already passed, and it looked like Ricky and Soar still had no intentions of coming out of the Enlightening Pond.


    At that moment, Louie''s expression looked like he was at his highest level of being furious. He also felt disdain coming from the other disciplines who kept glancing at him from time to time.


    Thirteen days had passed. Needless to say, it was only two days away from the record of fifteen days.


    "Humph! The longer they stay in the water in the Enlightening Pond, the harder it should be for them to hold on. Although thirteen days is only two days away from fifteen days, there is a world of difference between them," Louie grunted a little loudly. Although the look on his face was rather gloomy, as if he was becoming more and more hopeless, Louie was still reluctant to concede.


    When they heard Louie''s words, all the disciples around him became derisive of his apparent jealousy towards Ricky. However, to some extent, Louie did make some points. The matter of the fact was that the more time Ricky and Soar spent in the water in the Enlightening Pond, the more pain they would suffer. All the disciples knew this very well because just days ago, they had their own experience in the dreadful Enlightening Pond.


    Therefore, at that moment, many disciples prayed in their hearts that Ricky and Soar could have enough perseverance to survive for at least two days more.


    "I''m afraid that this little guy from the Bing Clan is getting a little too jealous of others who are superior to him," the Skyward Sword Spiritual King said when he noticed Louie''s contempt.


    "If a person is too jealous of other people and cannot help himself to get rid of this vicious cycle, he will certainly go mad one day. If a cultivator harbors malicious intent in his heart, he would either give up his cultivation of martial arts or truly become corrupted," the Array-shattering Spiritual King sighed.


    "There is no way to change that, though. It''s quite natural that everyone would be jealous. What matters is whether we can restrain it or not."


    During their earnest discussion, fifteen days had already passed.

 Chapter 512 Breaking The Record

    ''Oh, my God! I can''t believe fifteen days have gone by!'' All of the disciples shared this thought when they discovered that both Ricky and Soar didn''t come out of the Enlightening Pond after fifteen days had passed.


    They threw secret glances at Louie, eager to see the expression flickering on his face at that moment. Fifteen days ago, he was so certain and made a bold statement that Ricky and Soar wouldn''t be able to stay in the Enlightening Pond for fifteen days, but he was proven wrong as both guys had evidently exceeded his expectations.


    Sensing the attention directed to him, Louie cast his head low, feeling the hot rush of shame creep into him. Flustered and embarrassed, he avoided everyone''s gazes and wished for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. He knew he was wrong and shouldn''t have said those arrogant words.


    The disciples around him let out a small smile. They found his reaction so amusing that they had to bite their lips to stifle the laughter building in their chest.


    Once their laughter subsided, they turned their focus on Ricky and Soar and wondered about their outcome. Everyone wanted to know the same thing: Now that they had broken the fifteen-day record, what level could the two have reached in the end?


    It was easy to think that Ricky definitely broke the record initially established by Jasper. He was strong and capable, and they had no doubts that he could keep staying in the Pond for at least twenty-one days or more.


    They had no misgivings about Ricky. What they were more curious to find out was how long could Soar stay in the pond.


    "I''m telling you that Soar can definitely stay in there for seventeen days," a warrior declared, his voice teeming with confidence.


    "Just seventeen days? Soar is powerful and strong. I bet he can stay there for eighteen days!" a second voice added in a more confident tone.


    "You are too confident about him! But I think he can only stay there for sixteen days," another voice rebutted. The water in the Enlightening Pond was good for improving a warrior''s cultivation base, but there was a terrible risk. The longer a warrior would stay in the pond, the more and higher pain he would feel. In other words, if you wanted to acquire immense benefits in the pond, you must bear the corresponding increasing pain. Most of the warriors who tried had been forced to get out and escape as the pain increased to the point that they could no longer bear it. In fact, a warrior almost lost his life due to the tremendous pain. He would have died if he hadn''t been saved in time.


    As he listened to their debates, Louie clenched his fists and kept his mouth shut, finally learning from his mistake. He couldn''t afford to lose face again by having another wrong prediction. He seemed deep in thought, thinking of possible ways he could use to kill Ricky and Soar so that he wouldn''t have to be humiliated in public again.


    "Sir, how long do you think Soar can stay in the Enlightening Pond?" the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King asked slowly. Having heard the heated discussion of the warriors, they found themselves becoming a little curious about the answer.


    "Soar is talented. Not only is he among the first-class geniuses, but he also ranks at the top. I believe he could stay there for eighteen days," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor responded in a smooth and calm voice.


    "Sir, as for Ricky, can you take a guess?" the two spiritual kings asked again, their faces brimming with curiosity.


    "One speculation is


    their telepathic connection receded, he began his cultivation in seclusion.


    At that moment, Ricky reached the maximum limit as a demi-immortal. Every aspect of his strength that was related to martial arts, like his enlightening power and his physical strength, increased in power hundredfold. No demi-immortal before him had reached this kind of level in the past. With this kind of newly-gained strength, he really should make a breakthrough now.


    Meanwhile, outside the pond, everyone''s attention was on Ricky as they, with great expectations, hoped for him to break Jasper''s record. The air was thick with pressure as their anticipation rose with every hour that passed.


    Soon, twenty-one days passed by in a blur.


    ''Oh, my God! As expected! Ricky has broken Jasper''s record!'' all of the disciples waiting for him said inwardly as they saw no signs of Ricky coming out from the Enlightening Pond. They sucked in a deep breath, equal parts shocked and excited for such an achievement.


    The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor and the two spiritual kings were likewise thrilled. A wide stretch of a smile occupied their faces as they looked on, joy and pride dancing beneath their eyes.


    Ricky did break Jasper''s record! This was exactly what they had expected, and he did not disappoint every single one of them!


    Now more than ever, they were eager to know Ricky''s new record.


    After being repeatedly thrown off-guard by Ricky''s insurmountable achievements, they gradually became quiet. Yet, the moment they realized that Ricky didn''t get out of the pond even after twenty-five days had gone by, they found it difficult to remain indifferent to such a high achievement.


    One by one, incredulity and disbelief took over their minds as they began to question how it was possible for him to continuously endure the searing and numbing pain brought by the water in the pond. "Unbelievable! How is this possible? I can''t believe he has stayed there for twenty-five days!" When they saw that Ricky remained unfazed and was likely to keep staying in the pond, more outbursts filled their minds.


    Someone blurted out, arms flailing wildly, "Just how long is he going to stay in there?"


    Bang! Bang! Just as all the warriors were swimming in shock and doubts, rolls of ear-splitting thunder tore throughout the secret land, hushing everyone into awed silence.

 Chapter 513 Battle Against The Thunderstroke Doom

    Boom!


    On the 25th day, the whole secret land fell into a depression. The distant boom was heard by everyone. The destructive energy waves prevailed and surrounded all the disciples.


    "What is going on?" someone exclaimed. All the disciples were at a loss after seeing the strange series of events unfold right in front of them. They scanned around as they tried to figure out what was happening.


    "The smell and the destructive energy wave remind me of the Thunderstroke Doom," a disciple replied. He was innate spiritual king and had survived the Thunderstroke Doom before. Therefore, he was quite familiar with the omens of the Thunderstroke Doom before it even arrived.


    "Innate Thunderstroke Doom!" In an instant, everyone''s attention was shifted to Ricky once again.


    "It seems that he is about to make a breakthrough into the innate level."


    At this moment, the momentum on Ricky''s body had already reached its limit. The runic power was raging with energy. Ricky could feel all the destructive energy waves coming to him and giving him strength.


    "It would be a great surprise if he is able to make a breakthrough at this moment," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said briskly seeing what was happening.


    The next moment, without any hesitation, the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor morphed the spiritual energy into a big hand and tried to grab Ricky. The space Ricky was in was then ripped apart as he was taken out of the secret land.


    He couldn''t take the risk of letting Ricky go through the Thunderstroke Doom there because he knew that it could lead the whole secret land to being bombarded until it was nothing but a wasteland. It also meant that the Enlightening Pond would be wasted despite the fact that the water served as some kind of foundation for the Oriental College.


    The fact that there were numerous talents from the Oriental College was closely related to the Enlightening Pond.


    "I''ll take him to a spacious land where he can complete his breakthrough with the Thunderstroke Doom. You guys deal with whatever is happening here," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said before leaving.


    "Consider it done, sir. You need not worry!"


    "When he has made the breakthrough and reached the innate level, I''m sure that his cultivation speed will be much quicker than ever before. The competition between the two peerless geniuses from the Oriental College is about to start," said the disciples with a deep sigh as they saw the disappearing figure of the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor.


    "If he weren''t about to make a breakthrough and reach the innate level, do you think that he could still be capable of staying in the water of the Enlightening Pond for a period longer than 25 days?" Some doubtful words


    ng way ahead of them. Otherwise, certain death was all that would come to them.


    With the upcoming Thunderstroke Doom, you had to be brave or at least pretend to be fearless. Drowning in fear and hesitation would only bring you inevitable death.


    Therefore, the situation left Ricky with no other options. He must go through the Thunderstroke Doom with everything that he had and without a hint of fear.


    He employed the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. The runic power rotated around him as he dashed towards the flock of ferocious beasts. He wielded his golden fists as his weapon.


    Under the attack of the beasts were constant violent thunderclaps. Four different kinds of runes were rotating and protecting him from harm. The flames were burning furiously. His golden fists clenched into sharp claws.


    The onlookers who were standing far away witnessed how he tore apart the beasts until they turned into dust. Ricky looked like a god of war as he advanced bravely and killed anybody who stood in his way until all his opponents were gone.


    "It doesn''t seem like he is suffering from the Thunderstroke Doom at all. It looks to me that he''s fighting against it without much trouble," a long-faced male disciple said incredulously.


    "Perhaps this is how a peerless genius deals with the Thunderstroke Doom. Jasper''s experience was pretty much like this."


    "But you shouldn''t forget that fighting against the Thunderstroke Doom would only bring more of its wrath upon himself."


    "This is way beyond our imagination and comprehension. Let us wait patiently and see how our peerless genius plans to go through this unprecedented Thunderstroke Doom."


    Boom! Boooooom!


    As those surprising voices were fading away, the destructive aura became even more intense. Without a doubt, the Thunderstroke Doom was growing much stronger.

 Chapter 514 The Most Powerful Thunderstroke Doom

    Meanwhile, right in mid-air, the destructive aura instantly ballooned. This threat then caused all the surviving ferocious beasts to retreat on their own accord and run for their lives.


    Seeing the scene right in front of him, Ricky was out of words to describe how astonished he was at what he saw. By the second, his face went grimmer as he recognized that what he was seeing was the first sign of an impending Thunderstroke Doom, which had become more powerful than ever.


    "Ricky, this may be the real Thunderstroke Doom that you''ve been waiting for. If you can bite the bullet and just tide over it, the doors to the world of martial arts will open up for you. On the contrary, if you can''t ride through it, you''ll be swallowed by the Thunderstroke Doom. If this happens, then eventually, all of your strength, wealth, and even your body will be destroyed," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor told Ricky through telepathy.


    "I understand, sir. But right now, you have to trust me that I have the solution and the determination to take up the challenge!" Ricky replied decisively and hastily as his blazing and piercing eyes looked directly at what was happening in mid-air.


    Buzz! Buzz! At the moment, the massacring runes surged up and hundreds of rays of golden light suddenly shone upon Ricky. The next moment he knew, he was already enveloped with the first level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    After 25 days of cultivation and refinement in the Enlightening Pond, Ricky''s first level of Ultimate Golden Body became more stronger and more powerful than before.


    "Isn''t Ricky''s cultivation method of golden body the one that he used to defeat Pearl? It must be his trump card," a lot of disciples asked one after the other the moment they saw Ricky''s first level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    Meanwhile, quite a few body refining disciples weren''t able to help themselves as they began to look at his technique with such desire. Ricky''s first level of Ultimate Golden Body was so unique and eye-catching that no one would be able to look away and not want it for themselves.


    Hundreds of rays of colorful light shone upon all of them like blinding light as they saw Ricky wrapped around with the first level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    "Wow! It really had such colorful light! How could this Thunderstroke Doom become so powerful and horrifying?" all the disciples roared in disbelief as they couldn''t believe what they were seeing with their own eyes.


    As it was known to all, the first sign of the most powerful Thunderstroke Doom was the blinding shine of hundreds of rays of very colorful light.


    Meanwhile, the Thunderstroke Doom that was wrapped around Ricky''s body had already radiated around five hundred rays of colorful light. From then on, it had already proved that Ricky''s talent and power had become more powerful than before. Moreover, with the amount of power that he was carrying, he was deemed to be incomparable with the other living creatures on the planet. As a result, the supreme enlightenment of the world had cast the Thunderstroke Doom on Ricky.


    "Wow, he really is an ace genius! Otherwise, the Thunderstroke Doom would not ap


    y. Ten huge golden fingers appeared in mid-air. These golden fingers rapidly expanded and became exponentially bigger with each passing second.


    Everywhere the golden fingers swept, lightning warriors were beaten to a pulp and died in an instant.


    Seconds later, Ricky launched the devouring runes and the gale runes both at the same moment. Afterwards, he stroke out with his Massacring Golden Palm towards the lightning warriors. And as the Massacring Golden Palm hit the warriors, several had dropped dead on the ground.


    Ricky was on a roll. And in just a few moments, nearly a thousand lightning warriors had already been killed by him.


    All the disciples who patiently watched the battle were immensely astonished by what they saw and had their mouths agape in awe as they couldn''t believe what they were seeing right in front of their eyes. Overwhelmed with a lot of emotions, the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor even had to rub his eyes with fists just to see the epic scene clearly. He even thought that he was dreaming!


    But then, he suddenly realized with a relief that all his worries were unnecessary.


    "Fuck! Is he still even human? What kind of a warrior is he? If there''s any training that I could go through to get that powerful, then sign me up!" A few of the disciples weren''t able to help themselves but involuntarily used the four-letter word.


    "I guess that we have to redefine Ricky. He is not a human being anymore, but an abnormal demon!"


    Running on empty after launching three consecutive runic powers, he was soon out of breath from all the exhaustion.


    Suddenly, an idea rushed into his mind. Ricky fished out a pill from his pocket and swallowed it without any hesitation. And in a blink of an eye, Ricky recuperated all of his strength and was ready to battle it out once again.


    The pill Ricky had swallowed was the Regenerating Pill. Now he had swallowed one pill, and there was only one left in his pocket.


    "I wish I could tide over this most powerful Thunderstroke Doom before I swallow the last Regenerating Pill," Ricky said to himself in a low voice.

 Chapter 515 Finally Reaching The Innate Level

    "That''s the Regenerating Pill!" the warriors from the Jiang Clan exclaimed when they saw Ricky swallow a pill that looked like the Regenerating Pill. They were the first to recognize the pill, and their eyes widened in disbelief. "How can it be possible? That is an exceptional pill! It''s exceptionally ancient and its formula is believed to have already been lost in time!" Some of the warriors rubbed their eyes, again and again, trying to see the pill more clearly as if it would help them believe what had just happened right in front of their eyes.


    Once the initial commotion wore thin, greed was written all over their faces. This was a golden opportunity. If they could just snatch even one of those pills from Ricky, they might be able to figure out its formula and produce as many as they wanted. They thought that it would definitely bring enormous profits to the Jiang Clan.


    But the warriors from the Jiang Clan were not the only ones who coveted the pill; those disciples who thought highly of Ricky had also begun to hatch their own plans of acquiring the pill from him. They just couldn''t resist the temptation after they saw the legendary pill.


    "Anyone who would take a Regenerating Pill would have the ability for instant recovery. How could this young man be in possession of such kind of a magic pill? It seems like he might have been lucky enough to have access to some secret place," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said with astonishment.


    At the same time, he also breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Ricky returned to his peak form. With the help of the Regenerating Pill, Ricky could perform his best for at least the next two days. Given that situation, it looked like defeating those lightning warriors would be a piece of cake for him.


    After taking the pill, Ricky immediately felt refreshed, like his batteries had just been recharged and he now had boundless power. With so much astonishment, he examined his body and found out that his first level of Ultimate Golden Body was giving off a green glow, a sign of bursting vitality. Without a doubt, the Regenerating Pill''s healing ability was out of this world.


    "What powerful energy it has!" Ricky couldn''t help but murmur to himself. ''Now, I shall take this advantage and bring those lightning warriors down as quickly as possible. After I accomplish that, I will undoubtedly become an innate spirit. Come with your most powerful Thunderstroke Doom. Even with that, you wouldn''t be able to stop me now!'' Ricky thought with excitement, the desire to win running vigorously through his veins.


    Now that it seemed like becoming an innate spirit was within his reach, he couldn''t wait to win this fight and make the breakthrough.


    "Power of Four Runes¡ªHeaven Illuminating Fire!" After taking a deep breath, Ricky exclaimed from the depths of his heart. Then, his most powerful and sweeping attack thus far was launched.


    An endless storm was created from within Ricky. Simultaneously, the power of his four kinds of runes erupted, threatening to cover the whole sky. Then, a surge of black flame suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was none other than the Heaven Illuminating Fire.


    "Your Thunderstroke Doom is meant to destroy me, huh? In that case, try my Heaven Illuminating Fire¡ªthe eternal flame that is born to burn everything in this world to ashes, including you!"


    As soon as Ricky had done speaking, a furious roar resounded throughout the area.


    In a heartbeat, all the remaining lightning warriors launched their thunder attacks. The thunderbolts that


    son, the flame intrigued them a lot.


    To be honest, they began to doubt whether the Heaven Illuminating Fire that Ricky used was merely an ordinary kind of holy fire at all. After all, no holy fire that existed could be this fierce and intense to the extent that it could even burn the most destructive thunderbolts.


    "So this is the most powerful Thunderstroke Doom that you can generate? Sorry, it''s only a stepping-stone for me on my road of martial arts!" Ricky suddenly exclaimed in a voice full of pride and unscrupulousness that resounded throughout the space.


    After he had finished speaking, a golden flash sprang out of him. It then intertwined with the dragon of Heaven Illuminating Fire. Within a second, it looked like it was aiming for the remaining thunderbolts high in the air.


    Right then, it was time for Ricky''s killing spree. He was the predator instead of the prey right now. And those destructive thunderbolts who were mighty a few moments ago turned into the deserters under his attacks.


    When the whole thing was finally coming to an end, and everyone else had finally come to their senses, they marveled at Ricky''s ability. But on the inside, they were starting to fear him as well. This was no doubt the most overbearing and decisive way to survive a Thunderstroke Doom.


    It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was unprecedented. Moreover, they were quite sure that no one could replicate what Ricky had done in the future.


    At that moment, all of them were reconsidering their previous plans of taking any treasures from that young man. If a deadly strike like the most powerful Thunderstroke Doom would run from him like a dog with a tail tucked between its legs, could any of them inflict to him the slightest harm? Now, that sounded like the real joke.


    It might not be the most accurate way to describe what happened, but there was no doubt that Ricky left quite an impression on them with that fight.


    Soon, the Thunderstroke Doom had totally vanished, leaving Ricky, who had beaten it off. He had finally set his foot on the road to the top of an inner spirit and he could actually taste the sweetness of success in his mouth. It was a triumphant moment for this ace genius.


    Floating in the middle of the air, Ricky folded his wings of spiritual energy. He then stood firmly with the power of his zones circling around him.

 Chapter 516 A Fight Against Ray

    Ricky gathered his wings made of spiritual energy, the dense enlightening power and the four kinds of runes floating around him. Meanwhile, the four kinds of runes also worked to make the enlightening power stronger.


    It was Ricky''s own enlightening power though. From then on, he didn''t need to refine enlightening power using his zones. He would be able to refine all enlightening power by himself.


    Crack! Crack! Everyone could hear the sound of Ricky''s bones moving inside his body as he gathered his wings.


    Ricky had not been a mortal since he had made a breakthrough to be an innate spirit. His body changed a lot, and he could feel that his body was a few times stronger than it had been before.


    Ricky felt that he had such strong power that he would be able to crush a mountain range with only one finger.


    After the Thunderstroke Doom attack, all other creatures around him were hurt badly or nearly dead. Ricky was still at the top of his game, though. It was the difference between fighting against the Thunderstroke Doom attack and being forced to resist the Thunderstroke Doom attack.


    ''Father, master, I have already become an innate spirit, '' Ricky said to himself in his mind. ''I will go even further in the world of martial arts.''


    With the endless power he had, Ricky had gained a lot of confidence.


    He had thought that it would be very difficult for him to become an innate spirit before. It was like a very huge mountain that he couldn''t climb up, but he had done it.


    It took two years to make it possible for him. After all, he was a loser without power when he first started on the road of martial arts.


    ''Thank you, regained spiritual meridian! I didn''t just regain my spiritual meridian reborn, but I also have been completely reborn.'' Ricky fully appreciated the regained spiritual meridian that his Soul Sea had developed.


    That was all because of him. It was due to his tireless effort, ambition, and so on, that he was able to develop the regained spiritual meridian to such extreme power.


    If he hadn''t regained his spiritual meridian, he wouldn''t have succeeded. Maybe he would have stayed a loser for all time until he turned into dust, even if he worked hard.


    His regained sp


    ed people in the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. Do they have three eyes? I don''t totally understand."


    Ricky also blinked his eyes twice as he observed Ray carefully.


    At once, Ray turned grim and really wanted to kill Ricky.


    "What a glib guy!"


    "Ha-ha, thank you!" Ricky replied with a smile after hearing what he said.


    Disciples around them began to speak. "Ricky really is an eloquent speaker."


    "Huh, what an arrogant bastard! If you decide to argue with Ricky, you will definitely lose," Soar said with pride in his voice.


    "Is young master really an eloquent speaker?" Yedda and Yolanda asked curiously when they heard what Soar had said.


    "Of course! You will see that it''s true when you get to know him after a long time," Soar said with a smile.


    "Later, you will see that Ricky is worth respecting, and that he is a strong and amazing lover," Soar added with a snicker.


    The two girls'' faces turned red at once when they heard what Soar said. They were so shy that they wanted to find a place to hide from him.


    "Humph! You make jokes way too often!" Madeline said in a cold voice as she glared at Soar.


    "Madeline, would you like to be my girlfriend? I think you''re beautiful and I would treat you well!"


    Ray''s murderous intent became much stronger at Ricky''s reply. "You are an ace genius, aren''t you? Next, I want to challenge you! You had better not refuse me!


    Otherwise, your title as an ace genius will just become a big joke!" Ray said.

 Chapter 517 A Three-Month Appointment

    "This guy does harbor a grudge against Ricky!" The disciples whispered among themselves when they heard Ray spell out the challenge.


    In particular, they were curious about how Ricky, the ace genius, would react to the challenge. For all they knew, Ricky was not the kind of person to play by anyone''s rules.


    No one who knew Ricky well would be foolish enough to challenge him to a duel. The challenge from Ray rendered Ricky speechless. In this game, wisdom was priceless, and Ricky knew this was not the right time for picking unnecessary battles unless it were unavoidable. He''d have to control his anger. After all, the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce was a spiritual-emperor force.


    So ignoring the challenge, he vowed to himself instead to work on improving his power and skills. One of these good days, he would have to stir up the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce.


    "You want to challenge me to a fight? I just became an innate spirit, which everyone here witnessed. Don''t you find it ridiculous that you''re spoiling for a fight with someone of much lower ranking? What point are you trying to prove?


    For goodness'' sake, you are a middle spiritual king, with so much power! If I were you, I''d be ashamed of making a fool of myself by stooping so low for a serious challenge. I''d be mortified, to be honest, for lowering the expectations of the entire Luxurious Chamber of Commerce with such spineless, shameful flubbing," Ricky scoffed.


    Many of the disciples watching were deeply impressed by the wisdom of Ricky''s words.


    And they knew it would help him much not to think too highly of himself, if he wanted to go further.


    "It was very wise of you to answer neither in anger nor to be swayed by his unnecessary provocations. Although you have broken through your limit to become an innate spirit, you still have to learn the ropes of your new rank. It will take you time to you achieve any significant improvement in skills," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor advised Ricky.


    "Should you give it your best, put in the effort and patiently take the time needed to nurture your gifts, then you''ll have no problem competing against them."


    "Sir, I understand your instructions," Ricky replied.


    Meanwhile, Ray''s face turned sour. Not only had Ricky cleverly declined his challenge, but he also humiliated the entire Luxurious Chamber of Commerce.


    "What? Is that how you want to casually sidestep my challenge?" Ray nudg


    didn''t say I''d fight against you now, did I?" In response to Ray''s angry outburst, Ricky just grinned.


    "Or, do you think I am a fool who wants to take your challenge now? Three months from now, we can fight, but that''s based on a premise that you are willing to wait. But in case you are in a hurry, that''s none of my business."


    "Damn it! You''ll pay for this!" When Ray heard the retort, his anger reached its peak, and he was ready to attack Ricky right now.


    However, Tonino, who was watching from a distance, stopped him.


    It was allowed for them to have a verbal confrontation with the disciples from the Oriental College, but they could not fight them. That would turn the two camps against each other, which would be disastrous.


    "Well, in three months, you will fight with Ray. No matter who wins or loses, the feud between us will be over," said Tonino.


    "OK, then. Three months it is." Ricky agreed to Tonino''s proposal, looking him straight in the eye.


    After, Tonino left with Pearl and Ray. The other disciples also began to disperse, looking forward to the clash in three months.


    Ricky also left shortly after.


    But instead of returning to his own residence, the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor invited him to his palace.


    As the vice dean of the Oriental College, the emperor had his own place for cultivation.


    Only that the palace here was not lavishly furnished as the other palaces, since the emperor was more concerned with excellence in martial arts.


    "Three months later, you will fight with Ray. What are your chances of winning?" he asked Ricky as soon as they entered the palace.

 Chapter 518 Scud Movement Skill

    "Master, what do you think about Ray''s strength?" Ricky asked with a lot of curiosity in his tone.


    "Ray is ranked second among the outer disciples. Based on my observation, he should be close to the level of a middle spiritual king. I believe he will make a breakthrough and become a real middle spiritual king in a span of three months," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said with a look of concern in his eyes.


    "The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce will not tolerate his defeat. This means that he will definitely try beyond his limit to become a middle spiritual king in the next three months. Or he could attain that in a shorter period of time with the help of some extreme methods by the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, which is what concerns me the most."


    "If he becomes a middle spiritual king, it will truly be tough for me. However, for me, three months is already more than enough," Ricky said with determination.


    "Although I don''t share the same confidence as you do, I still believe in you. Ray is a very confident person just like you when facing the adversary, and he has already made great achievements in his life," The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor added after hearing Ricky''s comment.


    "Now, listen to me. I am giving you a direct order. You must, with no other choice, win that battle three months later! I will not allow any failure!"


    "Yes, master! Your wish is my command!" Ricky said as he took the order solemnly and placed his hand on his right chest.


    The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor then reached for the storage bag next to him which he then passed to Ricky. "This contains three million gold coins to cover the expense of the next three months. I have heard something about your incident with the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. With that, I assume that you are broke now?"


    "You''re right about what you''ve heard. As a matter of fact, yes, I am broke. Thank you for this, master!" Ricky thanked the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor gravely as he almost knelt to the ground.


    "I would not have lent you this money if it weren''t for your battle with Ray in three months. Pay close attention though. The key word here is ''lend, '' which means you will have to pay me back, got it?" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor joked to make the situation lighter.


    "Of course, master!" Ricky responded lightly.


    Even if the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor had not brought this up, he still thought of paying the emperor back. After all, he was not some riff raff who was comfortable of taking advantage of other people''s kindness.


    "Ha-ha! However, let me make you a deal. If you actually beat Ray and hurt the face of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, I will be willing to give you yet another three million gold coins as a gift." The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor laughed.


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ant that it would only take a warrior a second to take a leap. Needless to say, this cultivation method could bring about tremendous speed when used in combat.


    Nine levels comprised the Scud Movement Skill. It was said that the warrior''s level was directly proportional to the step that the warrior could make¡ªthe higher one''s level was, the farther his steps would be. Apart from this, it was also said that the ninth level of the Scud Movement Skill was tantamount to the Omnipotent Movement Skill.


    Furthermore, the Scud Movement Skill was also an offensive one. As a warrior used it, the encircling Wind Enlightenment would form the blades of wind. The faster one''s pace was, the more powerful the blades of wind became.


    With that being said, the Scud Movement Skill was not just a cultivation method about movement skill, but also provided means to attack.


    ''With my Gale Zone, this Scud Movement Skill is perfect for me in every way, '' Ricky thought to himself after learning much about it.


    He knew that this skill would bring him great advantage in his upcoming battle with Ray in three months.


    Without hesitation, Ricky bought it immediately. He then decided to head for the Gravity Palace that he had been so curious about for a long time.


    "Are you the ace genius everyone''s been talking about? I heard that you mainly practiced the devouring power, the golden power and the fire powers. This Scud Movement Skill is a cultivation method for warriors cultivating wind power. I don''t quite think it is a good idea for you to practice it." A sound full of contempt and sneer came to Ricky''s ears.


    "If you can''t fully grasp it, you will still embarrass yourself in the upcoming battle. More importantly, you will bring shame to the name of an ace genius and to our Oriental College!"


    a stalwart man exclaimed as he blocked Ricky''s exit outside the Cultivation Method Hall.

 Chapter 519 The Woman Saves Him In Time!

    As soon as the man appeared in front of Ricky, Ricky was amazed by the strong aura that he possessed. He almost felt as if an enormous mountain was pressing against him. At the same time, his enlightening power swept through space and made its way towards Ricky. Just as Ricky was wondering who this man was, he heard the murmurs of the disciples around him.


    "Oh, it''s him! Bowie, Bernard''s cousin!" the disciples of the Oriental College who had gathered around Ricky shouted instantly.


    "At the competition among outer disciples last year, he was ranked ninth and his strength was graded medium among the first-class lower spiritual kings. It''s been a year since then, and he should''ve have reached the peak level of a first-class lower spiritual king."


    "Wow, it''s going to be a good show. Bowie has always been loyal to Bernard. In the previous selection, Bernard suffered a great loss because of Soar, Ricky''s buddy. Now as fate presents him to face Ricky, he is not going to miss the chance to trouble him."


    While they were engaged in a hot discussion, all the disciples also began to turn their attention on the two warriors who were just about to clash.


    In Bowie Bu''s strong momentum, apart from the ruin aura from the Ruin Leopard tribe, Ricky also felt a powerful force that was pressing him hard. Ricky immediately deduced that along with the ruin power, Bowie Bu had also applied the Gravitation Enlightenment. He was actually practicing these two different powers at the same time.


    However, Ricky was not afraid of him at all. Having recently reinforced his current level, Ricky actually wanted to have a good fight to test his real strength. ''Bowie is ranked ninth among the outer disciples. Then definitely, his strength is bound to be extraordinary. He is the perfect man for me to test my new power.'' Ricky''s mind was racing.


    Meanwhile, his body trembled and he launched his scorching flame. The next second, Bowie Bu''s invisible attack was easily blocked by his power.


    "Whether I can successfully cultivate the Scud Movement Skill or not, it seems to have nothing to do with you. So, just get out of my way!" Ricky said coldly. Since he wanted to have a duel with Bowie Bu, he could not launch the attack first. He had to somehow provoke Bowie Bu to start the fight.


    "Humph! You are quite confident about yourself!" Bowie Bu sneered disdainfully. He was getting slightly irritated at Ricky''s arrogance, and Ricky''s plan seemed to start working. As a result, his enlightening power became stronger, which made even the space around him crack.


    He then added, "Are you aware that you are a disciple who has just entered the Oriental College? Didn''t your previous master teach you how to respect senior disciples?


    Or, are your master as arrogant and conceited like you? You need to be taught a good lesson!"


    "Hey, you seem to talk too much! You know what people say, right? A barking dog seldom bites! So, step aside now!" Ricky replied coldly as he sneered.


    An ear-splitting growl suddenly burst in the area around Ricky.


    Ricky''s provocative word


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    arted launching his attack again.


    This time, Bowie Bu directly activated the dual enlightening powers¡ªRuin Enlightenment and Gravitation Enlightenment. Under the pressure of the two powers, Ricky''s whole body seemed to be crushed and he was about to collapse. Once again, he felt as if an enormous mountain was pressing against him.


    In a second, Bowie Bu leaped high to the air and resembled a Ruin Leopard. His hands were transformed into two sharp claws which pounced directly towards Ricky.


    "So, you really want to have a fight here!" Ricky murmured coldly. When he saw Bowie Bu launch an attack again, he knew that he was driven into a corner and as a result, he was filled with rage. Without any delay, he also burst out his strongest power to resist Bowie Bu''s attack.


    "Bowie, this is not the place where you can fight," a cold voice suddenly interrupted the fight.


    Bowie''s eyes widened at the cold voice, and there was a slight hint of fear in his eyes. Immediately, he retreated all his offences and landed on the ground from midair.


    "Oh, no! She is here! It seems that our chance of watching a wonderful show is ruined," the onlookers around the two warriors murmured, their voices tinged with disappointment.


    The next moment, all of them turned back and saw a woman in a blue dress slowly walking towards them with her hands folded in front of her. She seemed like elegance and decency personified, and everyone was lost in the admiration of her gentle beauty.


    With an oval face and slightly pointed chin, the woman was dazzling.


    The aura exuding from the woman''s body was very cold. But besides the coldness, there was also a sense of vitality in it.


    ''Is this woman the disciple who is ranked first among the outer disciples?'' Ricky wondered to himself. He was a little stunned. He had heard about the woman before and knew how strong she was. ''What is she doing here? And why is she trying to help me?'' Ricky asked himself inwardly.


    At that very moment, the woman was examining Ricky and looking at him up and down.

 Chapter 520 Daisy Zhang

    As that pretty woman came forward, all the disciples greeted her respectfully, including Bowie.


    Their eyes were filled with reverence for her which made Ricky realize that this woman should be endowed with great power. Otherwise, she could not receive such respect.


    She slightly nodded her head and then cast her eyes on Bowie. She uttered, "This place is not like that of the Ruin Leopard tribe. Here, if you do not follow our rules, you will be punished!''''


    "I shall ensure that I do not fail to obey you, '''' Bowie replied reluctantly.


    ''''Ricky Nan, you got lucky this time. If I get my hands on you, I shall make you suffer! You''d better keep this in mind!'''' Bowie threatened, his eyes glaring at Ricky.


    There was nothing left for him to do but leave. He knew that he could not deal with Ricky in front of that woman.


    Ricky displayed a reckless disregard for Bowie''s provocative words. He also shifted his eyes to this woman.


    Seeing that Bowie left without starting a fight, many other disciples decided to leave too, in utter disappointment. Standing next to this woman, they had felt an invisible yet unbearable pressure overwhelming them.


    ''''Thank you for getting me out of trouble, '''' Ricky said sincerely. This woman had, in actual fact, helped him. If she had not appeared, then he would have had to fight with Bowie.


    ''''Is your name Ricky Nan?'''' asked the woman.


    ''''Yes, '''' Ricky replied. His curiosity was aroused. Why would this woman want to know his name? He was not that famous after all.


    ''''My name is Daisy Zhang. Jasper is my brother and Cheryl is my aunt.'''' The woman introduced herself in a subdued voice.


    ''''Master Cheryl!'''' Ricky blurted out in astonishment.


    ''''Judging by your expression, you must be Ricky, for sure. A few days earlier, my aunt sent me a message, asking us to take care of a disciple called Ricky in the Oriental College," Daisy Zhang explained.


    ''''My aunt must have not known that you are an ace genius, or she wouldn''t have asked us to take care of you. You can handle everything on your own.''''


    ''''I did not expect Jasper to be Master Cheryl''s niece.'''' Ricky was shocked when he he


    ace of Gravity of the Oriental College.


    He would be nurturing the best methods and practice in that place for a very long time.


    The Palace of Gravity was located in an open space on the eastern wing of the Oriental College. It had ten floors in total. The force of gravity on the first floor was ten times than the outside world. The second floor had twenty times more gravity than the outside world, and so on.


    Many disciples had come in and gone out of the Palace of Gravity. It was a very meaningful place for cultivation and practice, almost as important as the water in the Enlightening Pond in the Oriental College.


    The Palace of Gravity was a giant red building which was one thousand meters in height and covered an area of hundreds of square meters.


    After Ricky entered the first floor, he immediately felt the difference. As he was surrounded by the Gravity Enlightenment, everything seemed to become much heavier for him.


    Ricky reckoned that even the surrounding areas of this palace had the force of gravity five times more powerful than the normal condition, which meant it was also a good choice to cultivate near the palace.


    ''To stay on the first floor for one day, I have to pay ten thousand gold coins. So be it. After all, I do not have many gold coins to waste, '' Ricky carefully planned.


    Actually he preferred to cultivate his techniques on the second floor, but he did not have enough money.

 Chapter 521 The Gale Strike

    When Ricky reached the famous Palace of Gravity, he had yet again caught the attention of many other disciples, as always. Of course, he could feel the glare of all of them on him. He could feel that some of them were looking at him with admiration and friendliness, yet he could perceive that others stared at him with contempt.


    However, he simply dismissed these perceptions of his, ignored all of these stares and went into the palace straight away.


    The watchman of the Palace of Gravity was a grey-haired old man, who seemed to be highly respected as all the disciples who went in and out of the palace were extremely deferential to him, having their heads bowed while facing him. Whether they truly respected him or not, at least all of them called him "sir" most reverently.


    While contemplating and interrogating with his powers of the four zones, Ricky got to know that the old man was a strong completed spiritual king, and a veteran among all his peers here. It was no wonder that he enjoyed a high prestige.


    "Hello, sir! My name is Ricky Nan, and I would like to learn more techniques, cultivate myself fully and practice in this amazing Palace of Gravity for a month. I have heard so many good things about this place," Ricky stated with the same reverence that other disciples showed the old man, and presented his well-earned jade tablet proudly to him at once.


    There were restrictions to the Palace of Gravity. Since only the disciples of the Oriental College were allowed to step into the Palace of Gravity, it was required that the jade tablet should be the only passport for registration. Ricky had learned the rules of the college by heart, so he was ready beforehand and proudly showed his identity even before the old man asked him to.


    "Ricky Nan? So you must be the ace genius they''ve been talking about these days, aren''t you?" asked the old man, looking up and scrutinizing Ricky, focusing on his reaction once he heard his name. There was sparkling sharpness in his pair of old eyes. Ricky couldn''t help but sense the disdain in his tone quite clearly.


    Ricky was in utter confusion. ''If I''m not mistaken, this old guy is a spiritual king beast. If I should ever offend a spiritual king beast, he should either come from the Ruin Leopard tribe or the Golden Rhino tribe. Have I missed anyone who isn''t from these two tribes?'' Ricky thought quickly.


    "This is really interesting. I heard that the Bing Clan has been very kind to Earle. Let''s see how he will seize the opportunity and avenge his benefactor." Ricky heard some of the disciples present whisper with amusement, and this answered the many questions he had been toying with in his mind.


    ''Ah, so, all of this is for the Bing Clan, and this old guy''s name is Earle, '' Ricky thought and smiled, especially since he knew what he would be dealing with.


    "Pity. Now only the rooms on the ground floor are available. Will that be okay with you?" asked Earle with a sneer, clearly with no good intentions. He was no longer looking at Ricky, as if he wouldn''t care about this so-called ace genius.


    "But I''ve just left the second floor and there are still many empty rooms up there! How strange!" blurted one of the disciples who were near them when he heard Earle''s words. Whether he meant to nail Earle''s lie to the counter, or he was simply puzzled, he looked really confused and asked the question without thinking. However, one thing was for sure, that he had embarrassed Earle.


    Therefore, as so


    ly and got down to practicing and mastering the Cloud Enlightenment and the Wind Enlightenment first.


    He concentrated, dived into the Gale Zone and immersed himself with his power in the gale rune completely. With the rich experience in mastering Omnipotent Skills in his other zones, he started to study and comprehend the Omnipotent Skill in the Gale Zone to his utmost ability.


    In this process, he received an expected prize from the gale rune¡ªthe Gale Fire, the peculiar fire of the Gale Zone. So again, he had added one more powerful fire to his Chaotic Fire Zone. However, this windfall didn''t stop him there.


    For the twenty days that followed, Ricky had been cultivating in complete immersion as if the Gale Zone was the whole world. He was oblivious of anything outside this room.


    What happened after the goals were set left everything in a daze. One day, Ricky slowly opened his eyes, as if waking up from a long dream. It was hard to tell whether he had really awakened at the beginning, for his dark pupils had turned as white as snow, as if there was a curtain of fog lingering in them. His expression was illusory, even his whole outline turned hazy. His silhouette was not distinct, which added an air of mystery to him. The power vibes that emanated from him were beyond comprehension. It was a mixture of mightiness and unreality, appearing to be overwhelming for one second, and was hard to perceive for the next second. What had happened?


    For a moment, it seemed as if Ricky had become the embodiment of both the Cloud Enlightenment and the Wind Enlightenment. He had made it. The results were astonishing!


    The next moment, all seemed even more unreal. He stood up, rose, and started to fly up steadily to poise in the middle of the air. At that point, he sought and drew the Iron Destroyer. As soon as the saber touched the air, a cloud of Cloud Enlightenment and Wind Enlightenment surged out and wrapped it up. Ricky brandished it in the air without hesitation. His art was the proof of his cultivation!


    There was a reason why Ricky suddenly picked his saber to test his new skill¡ªthe new Omnipotent Skill he had just mastered was a kind of saber skill.


    "Omnipotent Gale Skill¡ªGale Strike!" Ricky bellowed proudly and convincingly as he wielded the saber with the bursting energy behind it.

 Chapter 522 The Tower Of Training

    Enveloped by the Cloud Enlightenment and Wind Enlightenment, the Iron Destroyer burst out through the fog like an ethereal force. It transformed into ferocious beasts for one moment, and became intangible energy in the next.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! When Ricky released the Iron Destroyer, the whole room was vibrating. It let out a loud thump as he did. The shock waves rippled around the whole room, striking on the walls that surrounded him.


    Luckily, the walls of the room were not made of just any common materials. The enlightening power and ruling power left by spiritual emperors made the walls almost impregnable. Even a demi-spiritual emperor could do no damage to them with the use of his full force.


    Then, the Iron Destroyer split into four white blades, striking the walls with intangible energy.


    Ricky''s attack was not able to leave even a single gouge in the wall, however.


    His attack did create four lingering space rifts in the half sky though. When the space rifts finally waned, the traces made by the intangible energy still existed.


    It was some kind of special energy that could directly affect one''s mind and heart.


    Even Ricky felt heartbroken under those circumstance as all his excruciating past experiences settled on his mind and weighed him down. Gradually, he was immersed in a state of regret and heart-sickness.


    Buzz! Buzz! With a burst of the energy from the Gale Zone, Ricky reluctantly let go of all those heartrending thoughts.


    He sucked in a deep breath of relief when his mind finally cleared. ''''That was close. The Omnipotent Skill of the Gale Strike is so powerful and dangerous. Its intangible energy can even deeply affect someone like me, '''' Ricky sighed.


    The Omnipotent Skill of the Gale Strike, combined the Cloud Enlightenment and the Wind Enlightenment, became a kind of unique energy which could exist in two different forms. The forms were called the tangible from and the intangible form. By combing the Cloud Enlightenment and the Wind Enlightenment, a mirage could be created.


    The Gale Strike could not only create an eruption of strengt


    ask the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor for help.


    In order to defeat Ray in the upcoming battle, Ricky had to focus on honing his fighting skills. He pushed away the thought of training outside for two reasons: he did not have enough time and his enemies were hunting him.


    Ricky summoned two enlightening mimics in the first day of his cultivation and went through a fierce battle with them.


    After all, the enlightening mimics had duplicated his power. Compared with the lightning warriors he had faced, the enlightening mimics were obvious more powerful.


    The enlightening power contained supreme enlightenment in it while lightning was only a kind of destructive power.


    Five days later, Ricky''s progress was striking. Now, he could simultaneously fight with five enlightening mimics. During the process of his cultivation, he also figured out many ways to make up for his weaknesses.


    Without taking a rest, Ricky immediately entered the second floor.


    On the first day, Ricky summoned only one enlightening mimic that was at double his power.


    In the gloomy cultivation room, Ricky was staring at a gray enlightening mimic. After careful observation, he was sure that it had twice his amount of power.


    In the next moment, the gray enlightening mimic suddenly appeared in front of Ricky. In a flash it launched an attack with its fiery fist, aiming straight at Ricky''s face.

 Chapter 523 The Improvement Of The Runic Power

    The attacks of the enlightening mimic were so fast that Ricky barely saw them coming. They struck him, sharp and electrocuting, before he could even block to defend himself. The pain was immediate, almost numbing his senses at once.


    Taking heavy breaths to regain his composure, Ricky raised his fists in a fighting stance. The immense urge to strike back rose in his chest like white hot fire, but the rapid and continuous fire of the attacks was relentless and overwhelming, rendering him unable to stand his ground and fight back. He gritted his teeth as adrenaline rushed into his body.


    Boom!


    With the sound of the explosion, a massive force hit his chest and sent him flying into the air as if he had been struck by a cannon. To break the impact, he summoned fire around his hands and held on the space around him so he could regain his balance.


    ''It is too fast. It seems like it did not just double its strength but also its speed, '' Ricky realized, still reeling from the immediate effects of the blow.


    Zap! Before he could even finish his train of thoughts, the space in front of him split open, revealing the enlightening mimic. In a flash, it morphed into the Flame Torrent and swept toward Ricky in full force.


    ''This Tower of Training is indeed daunting and extraordinary. I can''t believe it can replicate even my Omnipotent Skill¡ªthe Flame Torrent!'' Ricky thought to himself as a wide excited grin took over his face.


    As the battle ensued, it did not take long before Ricky noticed a certain limit to the enlightening mimic''s power. The replication of the Flame Torrent could only mimic Ricky''s power, but it could not add different kinds of sacred fires like Ricky did.


    Ricky''s eyes flashed with the light of fire just as the will to fight blazed hotly in his chest. Without any hesitation, he used his Omnipotent Skill of the Flame Torrent and engaged the enlightening mimic head-on. The enemy was definitely strong, but Ricky refused to give up. This training was important for him as this was his ultimate chance in finding the flaw in his moves and improve himself. No matter what, he would never back down.


    Boom! The two Flame Torrents clashed, and the entire room was suddenly engulfed by the endless fire. It seemed like an eternity had passed before the inferno died down and the two figures jumped out of the burning fire.


    As the smoke cleared, the differences in their level became more evident. While Ricky shot out of the fire in a rather awkward and ungraceful position, the enlightening mimic remained unfazed and handled its balance well.


    Ricky wiped the sweat on his face and grinned. "Awesome! This is exactly what I need! Only a strong opponent like this can help me with my progress!" Although Ricky knew he was currently on the losing fence, his will to fight had never been stronger.


    "Smashing Blade Atta


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ne were brought up to the Spirit Level first.


    Very soon, Ricky was deeply immersed in endless hours of study and training.


    Fortunately, the regained spiritual meridian and four zones made it quite easy and comfortable for him to deepen his understanding of the runic powers.


    His constant studying yielded an astounding result. In just half a month, Ricky brought up the four runic powers to the Spirit Level.


    ''It is a pity that I do not have enough time. If I had been given two more months, my casting ability could definitely graze the surface of the real Spirit Level. My runic powers would be even more powerful then, '' Ricky thought, a look of mild regret passing over his face.


    But even though he was not a casting master at the Spirit Level yet, he was very sure of himself, and he was confident that he could defeat Ray no matter the tricks he might have up in his sleeves. Ricky was prepared for every scenario and every stunt Ray might pull on him. He trained so hard to make it so.


    ''After the battle with Ray, I should seek out and go to various places where I can get more experiences. After all, I cannot practice here at the Oriental College forever, '' Ricky decided firmly.


    Another important reason why he wanted to leave was that he had a need for more money.


    Tina had been in his Chaotic Fire Zone for a while now. Although she could communicate with Ricky constantly through their telepathic connection, it was high time for her to leave the zone and go somewhere else.


    "Tina, hang in there. Ten more days, and I will take you out of here. I promise," Ricky said to Tina through their telepathic connection.


    "No problem. I have no doubts that you can definitely beat Ray!" Tina replied with confidence.


    Soon, three months had flown by, and the day of their much-awaited battle, which was known to all the disciples of the Oriental College, had finally arrived.

 Chapter 524 Many Demi-spiritual Emperors

    The Oriental College brimmed with lively people. Chatters and murmurs that overlapped could be heard everywhere. The audience was obviously thrilled to witness such an iconic event: the competition between Ray, a talent of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, and Ricky, an ace genius.


    Based on what they had seen, all the forces involved knew that the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and the Oriental College seemed to have a tacit disagreement with each other. On some level, the combat between Ricky and Ray felt like the competition between the two spiritual-emperor forces.


    Due to this, the crowd that gathered to watch the iconic battle was tremendous. Disciples from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and the Oriental College weren''t the only ones present for disciples from other forces in the Oriental Realm also came.


    The crowd around the ring of the Oriental College was massive. Chattering disciples were abundant. Some were even airborne just to have a good view of the match.


    Meanwhile, an intense discussion about the match was heard from the audience.


    "Who do you think will win the competition?"


    "Of course it''s Ray. Although Ricky is an ace genius, he just recently made a breakthrough as an innate spiritual king. He is no match against the second strongest outer disciple of the Oriental College. Most lower spiritual kings can''t even defeat Ray. I''m sure Ricky would just suffer the same fate," some of the disciples argued heatedly.


    "It''s true. Ricky hasn''t grown strong enough to defeat his opponent. Moreover, Ray spent three months cultivating in a secret place of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. If he didn''t do it, then he would''ve never made a breakthrough to be a middle spiritual king.


    The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is a powerful force. Ray may have a lot of aces up his sleeve."


    The majority of the disciples felt that Ray would have the upper hand in the competition. Only a few people believed that Ricky was capable of defeating Ray.


    "No, that''s wrong! That ace genius has excellent potential. Three months might be just a short time for most of us, but Ricky can grow a whole lot in that period."


    "Indeed. Jasper went from a demi-immortal to a middle spiritual king in just a year and a half. At his current level, not even completed spiritual kings could take him down.


    Ricky could take part in the co


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor, Skyward Sword Spiritual King, and Array-shattering Spiritual King led the team. Ricky, Soar, and other disciples followed suit.


    "Ricky is finally here!" At once, all the warriors focused their gaze on Ricky. They wanted to find out Ricky''s strength.


    Unfortunately, Ricky''s level wasn''t his real strength. They were having a hard time figuring it out.


    "Ricky looks calm and collected. He could either be genuinely confident that he would win the match, or he is just feigning it. Either way, we''ll find out soon enough,"


    some warriors who bet against Ricky smugly whispered.


    And without further ado, Ricky jumped onto the ring and stood in front of Ray.


    As soon as he felt Ricky''s presence, Ray opened his eyes. He spat steely, "Humph! I can''t believe that you have the guts to accept my challenge. I will defeat you. Let others know an ace genius means nothing to me."


    "I have to come to fight against you. After all, every creature of the Oriental Realm is anticipating this battle," Ricky calmly answered, shrugging his shoulders.


    "Stop acting like you''ve already won. Nobody knows who would win this battle," he added nonchalantly.


    "It is impossible!" Ray glowered.


    "My old friends, this is merely a competition between young disciples. Yet the three of you graced us with your presence. Is this battle that serious?" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor greeted.


    "It is not serious, but we find this battle interesting," Tonino warmly replied as he smiled at the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor.

 Chapter 525 Accepting The Life-And-Death Challenge

    Hearing what Tonino, a demi-spiritual emperor of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, just said, all the onlookers got curious and immediately focused their attention on him. What he had just suggested was completely beyond their wildest imagination.


    "Oh? Then, I''d like to hear how your Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is going to make this battle interesting," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor, deputy dean of the Oriental College, questioned as he was slightly taken aback by Tonino''s words.


    Judging from the manner of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce today, he foresaw that there must be a menacing plan waiting for him! But he felt trapped and saw no way to sabotage the plan they had devised.


    Tonino''s eyes fell on Ray.


    "Ricky, why don''t you and I have a life-and-death battle? Do you dare to step up and accept my challenge?" Ray immediately asked Ricky, loudly and casually, when he sensed Tonino''s gaze. The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor was right. They did have a very dangerous plan in store.


    When he finished his question, the entire audience was deeply shocked and they burst out in a loud uproar. All kinds of heated discussions were booming everywhere. The life-and-death battle was such a huge deal. No matter who died in the battle, it would definitely generate a lot of hatred and revenge.


    "Well...this Luxurious Chamber of Commerce actually wanted to turn the combat into a life-and-death battle. I could have never expected this! But why did they do this?"


    "Precisely! After all, they are two spiritual-emperor forces, and they are still united on the surface. Is it just because Ricky had beaten Pearl earlier and made the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce lose face?"


    "It is obvious that the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is announcing a challenge against the Oriental College. The two forces are not as united as they appear to be."


    "This would have been inevitable. You all think about this carefully. The Oriental College has Jasper now. In the future, it will undoubtedly dominate the Oriental Realm. Now, it has an even more talented disciple, Ricky. It is not hard to imagine that in the future, the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce will have no foothold over the Oriental Realm at all."


    "Yes, that''s it. The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce has to find a way to kill Ricky when he is still honing his power. After all, Jasper has grown up to be such a powerful warrior that it''s not possible to kill him easily."


    "Oh, that explains everything. It''s just how the old saying goes, ''One nation can''t have two queens.'' It seems that these two forces are about to start a real collision. I just hope that such a clash does not affect our small forces." The onlookers had so many concerns in their minds. Meanwhile, they found it hard to peel their eyes off the people involved in the battle. The next few minutes would determine how the future situation would be.


    "Have a life-and-death battle?" Ricky repeated out of shock. He was stunned at the proposal.


    "


    ," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor promised Ricky earnestly.


    Ricky was, of course, very grateful for that. Immediately, he expressed his sincere appreciation and gratitude.


    However, Ricky understood that when the time came, even if the Oriental Emperor tried, he might still fail to save him. After all, the Luxurious Emperor and the other spiritual emperor would not sit still and let the Oriental Emperor save him.


    One more point was that even if Ray was defeated by Ricky in this deadly battle, he would still not die because the Luxurious Emperor and his joint spiritual emperor would save him. When that happened, the Oriental Emperor alone wouldn''t be able to stop them from doing that. But if Ricky was defeated, he would only face the end of death. Of course, he wouldn''t allow himself to be killed because he could save himself by his four zones and Doris'' spiritual hologram.


    It was easy to imagine what would happen to him if Ricky did not have the four zones and Doris'' spiritual hologram.


    ''This may be how the weak who are trampled and killed by the strong at their whims may feel. So helpless and utterly lost!'' Ricky thought with a sigh.


    However, he didn''t blame anyone. Nobody but himself should be responsible for the improvement of his strength when it hadn''t grown extremely powerful.


    What Ricky had to do now was beat Ray with all his efforts. Only by defeating Ray could he continue his cultivation at the Oriental College.


    Otherwise, his only way would be to escape by his four zones. But, he hated to run away like that. He had a strong desire to win and stay at the Oriental College.


    "What about now? Do you agree to the battle or not?" Tonino questioned impatiently after waiting for a few moments. "Or is your ace genius afraid of such a deadly challenge?"


    "In my dictionary, the word ''afraid'' does not exist. This life-and-death challenge that you have proposed, I accept it!" Ricky responded indifferently and looked straight into Tonino''s eyes.

 Chapter 526 Who Will Win

    All of the attention flickered to Ricky, shock visible on their faces at what he had said. But the surprise and shock wore off as fast as they came.


    Considering the reason behind all of this, they knew that Ricky had to say yes.


    They believed that Ricky was a mere nobody from a small and insignificant realm and therefore had no great power behind him.


    ''Being an ace genius is desirable and admirable. But even he would feel helpless and anxious in the face of powerful enemies if he''s got no support from a strong force, '' Some warriors thought to themselves and collectively sighed for Ricky''s bad luck.


    They had also realized that since this decisive battle was proposed by the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, it must have prepared some advantages for Ray, which would put Ricky in a really far more disadvantageous position.


    "I don''t think Ricky can survive this fight!" a warrior said to other people standing near him.


    "Good. Make sure that you cherish every minute from now on," Ray replied in contempt after hearing Ricky''s reply, his eyes flashing dangerously.


    "Since you have agreed to such a proposal, we will put an end to the enmity between us once all of this ends, for the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is fair in its decisions and will never throw its weight around," Tonino said in a clear and booming voice.


    Ricky bowed his head. "I should thank you for your kindness," he replied in a respectful tone, although he didn''t believe any word that came out of Tonino''s mouth.


    Nobody believed that Ricky could ever survive this battle, so they recognized Tonino''s words for what it was¡ªa thinly-veiled lie uttered in an attempt to look fair and considerate.


    "Ricky, please accept my apology." The remorseful and sad voice of the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor sounded from afar. Although he wanted to help, it was futile because his power couldn''t hold a candle to Tonino''s.


    "Sir, don''t blame yourself for anything. It was my decision to accept the challenge in the first place," Ricky reassured him, trying to cheer him up.


    His light expression soon shifted into a lethal glare when he flicked his eyes to Ray, and he muttered quietly, "You belittle me and think that I''m weak. But you are terribly wrong and I will prove that to you all. Even a weakling can kill a tiger if he gives his all and sets his mind to it."


    Boom! In an instant, as if the heavens had collapsed and exploded, powerful forces erupted from both Ricky and Ray, and the impact spread toward every direction.


    "Remember, you only have a few seconds left to live. Cher


    m Domain materialized gradually and steadily in the air.


    Standing in the Ultimate Gloom Domain, Ricky sensed the intense tension and the corrosion, and felt his power struggling to keep up.


    As a countermeasure, Ricky also showed his own Ultimate Domain, which was more solid.


    His Ultimate Domain was produced by the power of the four runes; thus, Ricky called it the Ultimate Domain of Four Runes. When he activated his next zone, he would master the fifth runic power.


    Boom! The two solid Ultimate Domains collided with a sickening and crushing sound, as though two planets had crashed and exploded against each other.


    "You can be an ace genius in hell. Now go to hell and burn," Ray roared with his momentum filling up to the brim.


    "Cut the bullshit!" Ricky fired back just as ferociously.


    "Gloomy Enlightenment¡ªEver-changing Skill!" Hearing Ricky''s words, Ray turned his rage and killing intention into the most formidable and effective killing skill he had ever mastered.


    All at once, the endless gloomy spiritual energy and the Gloomy Enlightenment fused into one. Like a tidal water, it flowed through the whole Ultimate Gloom Domain just as a giant dark shadow materialized behind Ray.


    Obviously, Ray had decided to use the spiritual emperor''s blood power, which Ricky couldn''t resist.


    "It''s time to decide who''s the victor and who''s the loser. Let''s see who''s going to live and who''s going to die!" Seeing the fighting in the air, the warriors in the audience communicated with each other through their telepathic links. Their undivided attention was solely on the fighters, not wanting to miss anything that could possibly decide the outcome of the battle between the two talented opponents.

 Chapter 527 Power Of Scud Movement Skill

    With a loud blast, Ray summed all his power. At this moment, Ray''s spiritual emperor''s blood power made him look like a devil ascending to this world.


    He fused with the darkness and ran towards Ricky. The Ultimate Gloom Domain was becoming smaller and smaller. At last, it changed into a ball and disappeared between his eyes.


    "What a strange cultivation method it is! He can make his own Ultimate Domain to vanish in that manner between his eyes?" Many warriors were excited at seeing what he had done.


    "That is the Ever-changing Skill, a cultivation method of Earth Level belonging to the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce," some old innate warrior said.


    "It is a fantastic method. A warrior can use his own Ultimate Domain to launch various attacks in rapid succession, which makes it very hard to dodge."


    Ray charged at Ricky, his body turning into a huge black sword. Intense Gloomy Enlightenment surrounded the sword.


    In the blink of an eye, the sword aimed between Ricky''s eyes.


    From a distance, Ricky could tell how dangerous it would be if he tried to fight back head-on. So as a tactic, he chose to dodge first.


    With swift, skillful movements, he dodged, doing back-flips, jumping, and skipping.


    In the process, his left shoulder was grazed, a few trickles of blood staining the collar of his robe.


    Fast as he could, he ran around in circles, but the black sword was right on his heels.


    Fortunately, it was just a small cut. Ricky used the runic power to dispel the power of Gloomy Enlightenment in his wound.


    Ricky didn''t know Ray''s real strength until now. At that moment, his face became gloomy.


    However, there was no time to waste on worrying instead of fending off the attack. The big black sword had mysteriously changed into a big black saber, charging to attack once more, swift as lightening.


    Again, it slightly hit Ricky, grazing his fo


    e genius. From the look of things, this was an interesting battle that could end either way.


    The clear advantage that Ray had briefly enjoyed at the beginning was now doubtful. As the battle unfolded, everyone watching started to realize Ricky was almost turning the tables around.


    "Do you think that you can escape from my attacks by the Scud Movement Skill?" Ray gloated.


    Next he tried to change tactics in quick succession.


    The next moment, endless gloomy spiritual energy and the power of Gloomy Enlightenment surged out. The black halberd exploded and turned into eighteen attacks that were aimed at Ricky from different directions.


    The eighteen attacks were from eighteen different weapons.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! With every attempt, he hoped to paralyze Ricky as quickly as possible.


    But with help of the gale runes, Ricky was proving to be a different kind of opponent¡ªa formidable, slippery fighter that would slip out your hands like an eel, catch you off-guard, pull a sucker punch, and knock the hell out of you, if this were a fistfight.


    Unscathed after all the attacks, he now turned on his Enlightening Wind Holes, raising eighteen enlightening windstorms that collided with Ray''s eighteen weapons. Ray was in for a rough time!

 Chapter 528 Summoning His Real Strength

    Boom! Boom!


    In next moment, the whole sky echoed with loud sounds. The air waves struck the area. The area was suddenly crushed into pieces by the energy.


    After a long while, two disheveled figures were revealed as the air waves faded away. The figures were Ricky and Ray. At that point in time, although their bodies were disheveled, they were still full of great power and murderous intent.


    Ray was even more ferocious and angrier than Ricky was.


    That was because he put too much effort into that battle, but he didn''t expect that Ricky would be so strong. From his point of view, when he used the ace up his sleeve, the Ever-changing Skill, he thought he would be able to defeat and kill Ricky easily.


    To his surprise, he couldn''t defeat Ricky. Instead, Ricky was on a par with Ray who had summoned his full power already. Ray couldn''t believe that things were going downhill so quickly.


    "As expected, we don''t know who the last winner is yet. Ricky really is an ace genius! It''s possible that Ricky can even work miracles!" The warriors who had high hopes riding on Ricky sighed as they saw their disheveled figures.


    "That''s right! He is another amazingly talented warrior, just like Jasper. He can work wonders, so it''s possible he will still survive," another warrior said.


    "It''s too early to guess who the last winner will be. Let''s just continue watching the battle."


    "Your Ever-changing Skill doesn''t seem to be anything special! Before the battle, you were so conceited that I overrated your real strength," Ricky said with a calm expression, looking at the ferocious expression on Ray''s face.


    Ricky had already been an innate spiritual king and had improved his runic power a lot. After three months, he had reached the peak of a lower spiritual king. He was not afraid of a lower spiritual king.


    An ace genius could really be a terrifying person!


    Ray''s expression turned much gloomier after he heard what Ricky said.


    "Indeed, I did underestimate your strength. I will summon my real strength to end the battle and kill you," Ray said in a cold tone.


    As Ray stopped ta


    ust, runes of four colors turned into two big hands that tore the spear into pieces.


    "How can it be? This is impossible... How can he summon the same level of power as a middle spiritual king?" Ray shouted out loud with a rather hideous look on his already unsightly face.


    Everyone was surprised and shocked at that point in time. That was because they had thought that Ricky could resist Ray''s attack, but they didn''t believe that Ricky would be able to tear Ray''s spear apart.


    The demi-spiritual emperors still managed to keep calm though.


    "He is really an ace genius! In three months, he can summon the same level of power as a middle spiritual king!" All the warriors gossiped with each other.


    The demi-spiritual emperors who considered Ricky their enemies wanted to kill Ricky as soon as possible.


    They were surprised at Ricky''s rapid growth though. They could see that Ricky would catch up with them and even surpass them in just a few years.


    "Ricky, you are the strongest warrior! You can definitely defeat Ray," Soar said again with confidence in his voice.


    "Ricky, well done!" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor exclaimed excitedly.


    "You could make a breakthrough to become a middle spiritual king, but I can summon the same level of power as well," Ricky said with a calm expression on his face as he walked out of the dust. His golden body was still shining brightly.

 Chapter 529 Deadly Doors

    Covered by the first level of Ultimate Golden Body, Ricky emerged, his footsteps loud and thunderous. Although he was not as big as the gigantic figure behind Ray, his aura and morale were no less than that of Ray''s.


    With four runic powers of the Spirit Level, the first level of Ultimate Golden Body and four zones at his beck and call, Ricky''s power was already tantamount to that of a middle spiritual king.


    Actually, Ricky knew all along that he could reach this level of power in just three months, and it was exactly the reason why he dared to accept Ray''s challenge back then. It was a good motivation to improve himself. If, at that time, he had any hint of self-doubts and thought he could not advance with his practice at this speed, he would not have agreed to it at all. But Ricky knew himself and how far he could go, and he was happy to prove that he was right about himself.


    "Damn! Damn you to hell!" Ray screamed, fury blazing like magma in his eyes. He was tremendously close to losing his mind. He glared at Ricky with viciousness similar to a devil hungry for flesh, which made onlookers shudder violently with fear.


    "Ray, if this is the best that you can do, I am afraid you will not be able to take my life after all," Ricky said with a light smirk as four runic powers poured out from the space.


    "Or is the so-called genius of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce just so-so, nothing but a good name and a pretty face?


    If you keep this up, I will be able to kill you in a snap, like a mere child''s play,"


    Ricky said, trying to infuriate Ray so that he might lose his cool judgment and mental balance.


    Ray was not like this earlier as he hadn''t been taunted and mocked yet. He was cool and level-headed, and Ricky, at the time, thought that Ray could never come close to the state of losing his control.


    However, Ray was now on the brink of completely losing his mind, and further antagonizing him could send him into a hysterical fit, which would give Ricky more chances to come out as victorious from this battle.


    "Just die!" Ricky''s strategy worked as Ray suddenly burst into fits of anger, which further disrupted his aura and circulation of energy. Ricky grinned in satisfaction when Ray''s power output became even more unstable.


    Like a savage beast, Ray finally lost control and sank into madness.


    Seeing his mental collapse, many warriors and demi-spiritual emperors shook their heads in disapproval. If Ray was not able to keep his head straight and continue to descend further into insanity, he would no doubt lose this battle.


    As


    wake, crashing down like an avalanche on Ricky.


    "Massacring Omnipotent Skill¡ªMassacring Golden Palm!" Seeing the incoming giant door, without hesitation, Ricky instantly struck out his palm, which harbored the power of the golden body fused with massacring runes.


    Boom! The giant black door collided against Ricky''s palm, sending endless airwaves in all directions and shattering the space.


    Two figures were thrown out in opposite directions by the shock wave, leaving trails in the air.


    However, neither of them stopped to rest; instead, they dashed toward each other, determination and conviction etched on their faces, each eager to best the other.


    "Death Door¡ªDual Deadly Doors." Endless Death Enlightenment once again covered the entire area as Ray released all of his powers.


    "Massacring Omnipotent Skill¡ªImpregnable Killing Finger!" Ricky also shouted and jumped into the air to take on Ray''s attack.


    Instantly, two black giant doors clashed with ten giant golden fingers, sending more endless powerful waves rippling through the air. It was still a tie.


    "Take this!" Ray shouted and made his move regardless of the wounds he had sustained during the previous two clashes. "Death Door¡ªTriple Deadly Doors!"


    "Then it is your turn to take this!" Ricky, too, had no care for his sustained wounds. His strong desire to fight took over his entire body, burning and coiling wildly, and the power of the gale runes instantly went alive and surged like a raging river.


    "Gale Enlightenment¡ªGale Strike!"


    Ricky folded his arms, and the power of the gale runes materialized in the form of four daggers, darting straight toward his opponent.


    Within seconds, two forces clashed for the third time.

 Chapter 530 Rays Trump Card

    With a crashing noise, Ray''s Triple Deadly Doors and Ricky''s Gale Strike collided mid-air.


    On impact, the Triple Deadly Doors fused to ear-splitting screams of evil spirits, which released the most erosive and deadly power of Death Enlightenment.


    At the same time, Ricky''s Gale Strike was changing when an endless stream of gale runes popped up everywhere in the air. The four fang-like blades formed by the Gale Strike became more illusory but also materialized.


    In other words, Ricky''s Gale Strike had been turned into two kinds of contradictory force. One was nothingness, while the other was solidity. The force of solidity collided with the Triple Deadly Doors, while the force of nothingness turned into transparent power, passed through the Triple Deadly Doors, carried the mirage and smashed into Ray''s body the moment Ray burst out huge momentum.


    Only strong demi-spiritual emperors could detect Ricky''s double-pronged attack, and they became amazed.


    ''That''s one hell of a skill! It is so profound. It actually produces two kinds of opposite force¡ªnothingness and solidity, '' they wondered, seeing how profound Ricky''s skill was. The double-pronged attack was so powerful and mysterious that they realized they had underestimated him all along.


    "No, no! After being attacked by the two kinds of force, Ray is very likely to lose!" The three demi-spiritual emperors of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce got seriously concerned. They had expected this to be a real baptism of fire for Ricky. But instead, things were quickly going south for Ray.


    "From the look of it, Ray may have to pull his trump card right now," one of the demi-spiritual emperors said, unable to help. The only consolation was that they had made a fall-back plan for Ray as they couldn''t underestimate Ricky.


    While they discussed, they eagerly watched the fight, hoping for a result in favor of their camp.


    Except for the few demi-spiritual emperors, who were watching from high in the air, no one else could see Ricky''s twofold powers. So, everyone apart from the demi-spiritual emperors only saw the collision of the Triple Deadly Doors and the Gale Strike.


    Meanwhile, Ray had felt the impact of Ricky''s invisible force¡ªthe nothingness.


    In response, Ray instinctively tried to fight back, but even his best effort was ineffective. The invisible power of nothingness left him virtually defenseless. Panic quickly set in.


    Images of the most heartbreaking experiences from the past began to flash in his mind, like a creepy movie scene. Those disturbing recollections made him change his mind.


    The images didn''t last, but he had a light bulb moment, right after.


    From that transient recollection, he knew that if he conce


    ew burst of energy that had raised him up.


    Once again, everyone watched with bated breath. Even some of the completed spiritual kings sensed a new wave of danger.


    The fierce face that Ray made was enough to send shivers down the spine of anyone watching from the sidelines.


    "Ha-ha, you want to kill me? You still have a long way to go. A very long way!" Ray gloated. The way he glared at Ricky, you''d be forgiven for thinking his murderous, piercing eyes were those of the devil from hell.


    Mocking, he broke into an ecstatic fit of laughter. Real, hard chuckle, you''d think someone had cracked a hella knee-slapping joke. Suddenly, the momentum and power that surrounded him erupted, turning into air ripples and directly sweeping around.


    The first target of his attack was Ricky, and indeed the ripples of the blast hit him. There was hardly any time for Ricky to dodge or block. Under the force of the assault, he stumbled back several meters before he fell, his chest feeling heavy. His mouth tasted of blood and sand. That single blast of Ray''s trump card appeared to be winning.


    The disciples who were up-close also took a hit. The few lucky ones were set back a few meters, but some sustained injuries.


    "How...how can Ray break out of such a powerful force!" someone uttered. There was no explaining how Ray had recovered, to the point of pulling off such a powerful counterattack.


    Even several of the demi-spiritual emperors in the sky were left guessing what kind of power Ray was using.


    "Tonino, your camp has gone too far! How on earth did you allow Ray to use a demi-spiritual emperor''s mutant? That''s so unfair. Oriental College will not accept such blatant cheating. Never!" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor snarled. Easily, he uncovered the fraudulent trump card Ray had used.

 Chapter 531 The Spiritual Emperors Make Bold Moves

    All the warriors who heard the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor''s speech finally figured out what had happened.


    Ray had exuded such tremendous and intimidating aura that even the completed spiritual kings felt uneasy as they felt it reach their bones. But as it turned out, the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce had fused the force of a demi-spiritual emperor mutant with Ray.


    The force possessed by a demi-spiritual emperor''s mutant had the force of demi-ruling power. It was no surprise that the completed spiritual kings would be troubled by this.


    On the other hand, the warriors found everything quite unbelievable. Their minds reeled, unable to comprehend the revelation in front of them. They lamented over the ruthlessness of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. A warrior who wanted to fuse with the force of a demi-spiritual emperor''s mutant had to be a completed spiritual king. Otherwise, the force could seriously damage the warrior.


    In that span of time, Ray made a thunderous blow with his fusion of the force of the demi-spiritual''s mutant. However, strong as he was, he was not immune from the counterattack force.


    The force contained in his body was too much for Ray. He could not withstand the force for long periods of time. Once his fight with Ricky ended, his meridians would be broken, or worse¡ªhe might be paralyzed.


    In that case, if Ray could not get enough Treasures from Heaven and Earth or a valuable encounter in a short time, his journey to the world of martial arts would definitely end.


    So even if he had the chance to kill Ricky in this competition, Ray''s future had no bright future.


    "The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is callous and heartless!" most of the warriors cried out as they felt the brutality and savagery of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce.


    "The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is ruthlessly cruel. It doesn''t matter to them if they traded ten lives of Ray for Ricky''s life because Ricky has substantial untapped potential while Ray has very little," the leaders from other forces expressed through their telepathic link.


    "True. This was probably what the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce initially intended!"


    "You really went so far as to fuse the force of a demi-spiritual emperor''s mutant. Seems like the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is very determined to wipe me out," Ricky hissed in a hushed tone.


    "Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor, you are familiar with the rules of the world of martial arts, yes? Since Ray has fused the force of a demi-spiritual emperor''s mutant, then the force belongs to him. Once a life-and-death battle has been fixed, no one has the right to move in to help the weaker side. How could you consider it an unfair battle


    seeing him. There was no doubt that the man was none other than the Luxurious Emperor, leader of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce.


    It was possible that the middle-aged man in a golden robe was a helper invited by the Luxurious Emperor.


    "That person could be the Bright Emperor¨C¨Cthe emperor of the Desolate Empire in the Eastern Realm of Wildness!" The completed spiritual kings were left dumbfounded as they cried in disbelief and surprise.


    "Indeed! He is the Bright Emperor from the Desolate Empire!"


    "It''s surprising that a battle between two juniors could make three spiritual emperors appear!" The audience dramatically exclaimed. All the warriors couldn''t contain their astonishment from the unexpected turn of events.


    The spiritual emperors'' identities had been shrouded in mystery for the longest time possible. They hadn''t seen the emperors for decades, and now, three spiritual emperors graced them with their presence all the same time. To say that they were thrilled and excited would be an understatement.


    "The real spiritual emperors re-emerged today! Is my talent really this considerable?" Ricky said to himself in confusion.


    "It''s no surprise that the spiritual emperors decided to do something to have your control. Your talent has been heard of and feared in this land and made it all the way to the Middle Land," Tina explained to Ricky.


    "In that case, then I should lie low and keep a low profile, so trouble will not find me in the future. I sort of expected that showcasing my talent would attract great importance to myself. Unfortunately, it has only invited trouble and courting disaster thus far," Ricky sighed.


    "Luxurious Emperor, it isn''t a fair fight as your disciple have used some force that does not belong to him," the Oriental Emperor strongly argued.

 Chapter 532 The Pressing Situation

    ''''What? Unfair?'''' The Luxurious Emperor sneered. ''''Are you kidding me? There is no such thing as justice in this world. We all live by the law of the jungle! How can a spiritual emperor be so naive?"


    ''''I''ll tell you what¡ªjustice does exist in the eyes of the Oriental College, whether you want to admit it or not, '''' the Oriental Emperor replied coldly.


    ''''Really? Their battle of life and death has already begun. If you disobey the rules and interfere in this battle, the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce will not just sit idly by twiddling our thumbs, '''' the Luxurious Emperor snorted, ready to fight with the Oriental Emperor at any moment.


    ''''Will the three spiritual emperors get into a fight?'''' The surrounding creatures looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.


    ''''It''s probable, I think. If you were the Luxurious Emperor, and the Oriental College had a peerless genius and an ace genius under their control, what would you do?''''


    ''''I can see what you mean. Maybe that is also the reason why the Bright Emperor and the Luxurious Emperor ganged up on Ricky.''''


    ''''I believe you already have the answer as to why we have teamed up. So, make your choice now. Only one of those two geniuses can survive.'''' The Bright Emperor easily confessed what his intentions were.


    ''I am at their mercy just because they are spiritual emperors and have so much power, '' Ricky thought to himself in indignation, clenching his fists tightly.


    ''''I believe in you, Ricky. You will be able to surpass them in less than ten years, and they will pay for their insolence when that day comes, '''' Tina said, trying to cheer Ricky up.


    Tina was born to a substantial family with strong men in it, so she understood the powerful potential of an ace genius. After spending time with Ricky for a long time, she had developed confidence in Ricky.


    ''''I''d never abandon any of my disciples from the Oriental College. If you want to take their lives, you have to defeat me first, '''' the Oriental Emperor said, gathering up his ruling power.


    ''''Maybe I will lose the fight today and the Oriental College will be dismissed. If I am able to escape, then I


    sion.'''' Some of the warriors around them gossiped with each other.


    ''''Three spiritual emperors! How can the Oriental Emperor fight all of them together? He''s really in danger now.''''


    When the Star Emperor showed up, the Oriental Emperor became even more serious.


    The Bright Emperor was also surprised by the appearance of the Star Emperor. He grew confident in taking down the Oriental Emperor after the Star Emperor appeared.


    Under those circumstances, he believed the Oriental Emperor would make the right choice.


    ''Three spiritual emperors all want to take my life. That''s ironic, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, he knew that he had to leave, or the whole Oriental College would be doomed. He had never expect that his talent was something that people would be so envious that it would make three spiritual emperors gang up on him.


    "Prepare to enter the Chaotic Fire Zone, Soar. It''s our only choice," Ricky secretly informed Soar, using their telepathic link.


    "Roger that," Soar immediately replied.


    As for Madeline, Yedda, and Yolanda, Ricky did not plan to take them with him because they would be more safe staying there.


    ''''I''m here, Oriental Emperor. I hope you will not be upset at me for it. It''s actually a very simple thing. Sacrifice one life, then we will still be able to live in peace with each other," the Star Emperor said evenly.


    His words were still very threatening, however.

 Chapter 533 Two Spiritual Emperors That Came Back

    When the Star Emperor had finished talking, everyone remained silent. The three spiritual emperors were waiting to hear the Oriental Emperor''s reply.


    That was because they didn''t want to fight against the Oriental Emperor, even if they were all spiritual emperors. If the Oriental Emperor tried his best in the fight, one of them might be hurt badly or even end up dead.


    They still believed that the Oriental Emperor would agree with them though.


    Though Ricky was an ace genius, he still had a long way to go. And there was a peerless genius, Jasper, in the Oriental College, and he was going to grow strong enough soon. So they believed that the Oriental Emperor would not choose to protect Ricky at the cost of the Oriental College.


    "Sir, give me to them. Don''t worry. I have a plan to escape," Ricky said to the Oriental Emperor using the telepathic link. He knew that the Oriental Emperor was being faced with a dilemma.


    "It is not the time to make a joke. How will you escape? Do you think that I can''t protect you?" the Oriental Emperor replied in a cold tone as he heard what Ricky said.


    "Sir, I just don''t want to see..."


    "Step back! I will deal with it." The Oriental Emperor sent a message to Ricky when Ricky didn''t finish speaking. Then, he turned away from Ricky and turned to face the three spiritual emperors with a cold and stern expression on his face.


    "Maybe, you are right. But if I, the Oriental Emperor, give my disciple to you, the Oriental College will be only an empty title and not a real sanctuary of learning. So, I won''t be making any deals with you."


    When the three spiritual emperors heard what the Oriental Emperor said, they were all shocked. That was because they didn''t expect that the Oriental Emperor would refuse them. In the next moment, they looked at each other. It looked like they were discussing things using their internal telepathic powers.


    At that time, all the onlookers were surprised and shocked by what was happening, because they didn''t think that the Oriental Emperor would refuse the three spiritual emperors either.


    All the disciples felt a warm feeling in their chest, because they were proud of their college.


    If they got into trouble, their college wouldn''t give up on them either.


    "It seems that these three spiritual emperors are embarrassed. They didn''t believe that the Oriental Emperor would turn them


    ss. I have seen many strong spiritual emperors, but it''s obvious that he is a very strong spiritual emperor. Maybe you don''t need to run away now," Tina suggested hopefully as she turned to Ricky.


    "I agree with you. The old man is very strong, so I am very lucky," Ricky said with an excited expression on his face. After all, he didn''t want to leave the Oriental College.


    He would be able to become stronger quickly there.


    "Very good! I''m glad that so many people still remember me!" the Old Oriental Emperor said with a smile as he looked out on the disciples.


    As he smiled, he also watched the Luxurious Emperor''s and other two spiritual emperors'' faces. He said in a lazy tone, "What are you doing here? Do you want to hurt my disciples?"


    "Sir, we wouldn''t dare to do that," the Bright Emperor replied in a respectful voice. He didn''t want to fight against the Old Oriental Emperor.


    "I just got here, and I am in a mood to celebrate. Now that you won''t hurt my disciples, you may either leave now, or stay to celebrate with us," the Old Oriental Emperor said with a smile.


    "Sir, I respect you very much, but we are here to kill Ricky today." The Luxurious Emperor was not willing to give up on killing Ricky.


    "Ha-ha! If you are really unwilling to go back, let''s have a fight now!" the Old Oriental Emperor said. Next, he flew towards the Luxurious Emperor at a leisurely pace.


    "Ha-ha, old guy, let me go and fight against them. I have been focused on with our journey for too long, so I need to get some exercise." A lazy voice called out abruptly at that point.

 Chapter 534 The End

    The man who had followed the Old Oriental Emperor appeared in front of the Luxurious Emperor. The man was once the Evil Demi-spiritual Emperor, and currently he was facing the Luxurious Emperor directly.


    "Don''t act impulsively!" the Oriental Emperor said.


    "Ha-ha. I haven''t seen you in years, and it doesn''t surprise me at all that you''re still so cautious. You haven''t changed one bit. Just calm down. I am no longer the Evil Demi-spiritual Emperor. I am now, the Evil Emperor," the Evil Emperor said with a wicked grin on his face.


    "The Evil Emperor!" The awestruck warriors stood there, rooted to the ground, gazing at the Evil Emperor in disbelief.


    "He has finally become a spiritual emperor! Once upon a time, he had the greatest potential to reach the Emperor Level among all the demi-spiritual emperors of the Oriental Realm. Now, we know that he didn''t just disappeared over the past few decades. He left to seek something more...the way to become a spiritual emperor!" one of the demi-spiritual emperors exclaimed while the others stared.


    In terms of age, the Evil Emperor was junior to them. But, his achievements were much greater than theirs.


    "You..." The Oriental Emperor was also taken aback. He had mixed feelings about the Evil Emperor. He was unsure of so many things and right when he was going to speak, something shocking happened.


    Boom! Boom! The power of the Evil Emperor had spread around the whole area. A tremendously robust ruling power exploded instantly, indicating the evil rule along with killing power.


    "That''s the ruling power! He really is an innate spiritual emperor!" Even the Luxurious Emperor couldn''t contain his disbelief. But it had to be true; he too, had felt the genuine ruling power.


    "I remember you, Luxurious Emperor! It seems that you''ve been unkind to our Oriental College from the very beginning. Now, you have finally revealed your intentions to kill the disciple of the Oriental College. How dare you!" the Evil Emperor sneered. His eyes sparkled with hostility and satanic pleasure.


    "There was nothing I could do to you then. But now, I am better than you, in every aspect. Do you dare to fight with me? Come on!" The Evil Emperor jumped into the air as an invitation to the battlefield and promptly disappeared.


    "You are merely an immature and arrogant junior. You don''t scare me," the Luxurious Emperor said coldly, growing angrier by the Evil Emperor''s words. Murderous desire grew in him to the point when he cou


    h life-or-death situations. One needs to feel grave danger in order to learn how to survive it," Ricky said.


    "But if you leave, anyone will be able to attack you!" Soar said worriedly.


    "I know that. But how can I improve myself without practicing outside? It is a crucial step for further growth," Ricky said. "I will not choose to stay in the college because of the possible dangers outside. I can''t keep hiding in a safe place. I need to overcome them and live free."


    "Okay! Now that you have made up your mind, I will go with you!" Soar said.


    "We will go with you, too!" Yedda and Yolanda said, looking at Ricky. He could tell they were slightly scared.


    "Yedda and Yolanda, you''d better stay here with Madeline. It is really too dangerous for you to stay with me under these circumstances. I don''t want to put you in that position," Ricky said.


    The two sisters were naturally unhappy on hearing Ricky''s words. However, they didn''t object, knowing very well that they could be a burden on Ricky if they insisted on going with him. They weren''t prepared to be on their own as yet.


    "How about you, Madeline?" Ricky asked.


    "I''m going back to the Saber Hall, Ricky," Madeline answered.


    "Okay! Please take good care of Yedda and Yolanda!" Ricky said.


    "Don''t worry about them. No harm will ever come to your two little ladies," Madeline reassured him.


    The two sisters felt shy on hearing that. Meanwhile, the feeling of helplessness grew in Ricky.


    "Ricky, it''s Jasper. Can I come in?" As they pondered further, a majestic voice came from outside the cave. Before Ricky could formulate a response, a figure appeared in the cave.

 Chapter 535 An Invitation From Jasper

    The young man who found his own way into the cave looked both dashing and handsome. He had a slim yet masculine body with a demeanor that reeked of confidence and majesty. He was none other than the first inner disciple of the Oriental College¡ªJasper.


    "I don''t think it was polite to just break into other people''s cave like this. Wouldn''t you agree, Jasper?" Ricky asked slowly. He was clearly a bit annoyed when he saw that Jasper just came in without his permission.


    "Ha-ha, you need to relax, dude. I''ve long gotten used to entering places of people whose levels are lower than mine like this. I think a simple greeting should be more than enough. It''s like what they always say, old habits die hard," Jasper answered. He had of course noticed that he had annoyed Ricky with what he did, but he just pretended that he hadn''t and talked back with a cheeky grin on his face.


    "Oh, I see. But what if, in return, someone who is stronger than you breaks into your place? What will your old habit say to that?" Ricky asked again, this time with a tone that dripped with more sarcasm.


    "You can be sure that I will be pissed off as well. But that would not change anything because I will continue to work hard, level myself up, and soon leave him in the dust. Whoever''s stronger than me that comes to shove it on my face will be beaten up sooner or later, I promise you that," Jasper replied with a big bright smile on his face as if what he had just said was a bunch of kind words.


    "Wow, that''s a great idea. I never really thought of that. Thank you for bringing up," Ricky said as he nodded after hearing his words. He might still have a relatively bad impression about Jasper, but he relented a bit.


    When the tension was released from the atmosphere, Soar and the others took the chance to size Jasper up. They too had heard about Jasper''s name quite often, and it had made them quite curious what this peerless genius was actually like.


    "So tell me, what brings you here today? If you''re looking for some target practice, I''m afraid that I''m not qualified to sustain even a single round of your attacks right now," Ricky told him without hesitation.


    He and Jasper had met only for a limited number of times, so he didn''t think that they were familiar enough for him to drop by and just say hello. Something was definitely waiting for him after these formalities, and he would prefer if they just went straight to the point.


    "No. No. No. You don''t have to worry about that. I didn''t come here to fight. I just wanted to ask if you would like to join my group in our daily training." Jasper gave a straightforward answer as he smiled.


    "Your group? In your daily training?" Ricky repeated with a bit of confusion in his voice. Why would Jasper suddenly make such an offer?


    If he wasn''t mistaken, Jasper was one of the best among all the upper spiritual kings, while he himself was barely a middle spiritual king, which meant that there was still a huge gap between them. What role would an ant play in a game full of elephants? Ricky just couldn''t figure out why Jasper would choose him.


    "In fact, I was only planning on making a team of two for this training. But as soon as I came back, I heard news about an ace genius who had defeated Ray. It i


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    most.


    Specifically, each Glazed Fruit had its own level, from the first to the ninth with its power growing with the levels. The fourth-level Glazed Fruit was the kind of Treasure from Heaven and Earth that suited a spiritual king.


    "It looks to me that those two kinds of fruits have really intrigued you," Jasper said with a knowing smile after seeing Ricky''s brightened face.


    "You''ve seen right through me. Honestly, even if I''m not a greedy man in nature, I won''t be able to resist the temptation of these valuable Treasures from Heaven and Earth," Ricky came back to earth and said. "Besides, I don''t think you can, can you? You won''t mention them with sparkling eyes otherwise."


    "Ha-ha! You got me. Of course I do, and I might even be more desperate to find them than you," Jasper admitted without hesitation. "In any case, if the Enlightening Fruit could really help a spiritual king get a large amount of enlightening power in a short time, how could anyone ever resist the temptation? It''s just plain impossible.


    Similarly, if a fourth-level Glazed Fruit could boost a spiritual king''s cultivation and help him make breakthroughs without taking any risks, how could anyone ever refuse the opportunity?"


    "Thank you for giving me this chance, Jasper. We would be happy to join your training group," Ricky then said as he bowed slightly.


    "Not at all. In fact, you will know about them soon enough even if I didn''t come and tell you today. News like this travels fast and eventually, all the creatures in the Eastern Realm of Wildness will begin to talk about them," Jasper said as he shook his head.


    "So, my real purpose of asking you to join me is that I want to dig out another thing in the Lands of Legacy there, and I want to do it with you," Jasper said as he lowered his voice once again.


    "Oh? What would that be?" Ricky inquired immediately.


    Amazement and anticipation were written on his and Soar''s faces as the second secret was about to be revealed. From the wickedness in Jasper''s eyes, they could tell that the thing he was about to introduce was something more precious than the Enlightening Fruit or the fourth-level Glazed Fruit.

 Chapter 536 A Chance To Find The Massacring Soil

    "Ricky, Soar, there is a lot of yellow sand in the Eastern Realm of Wildness. As long as the huge Land of Legacy appears, it will bring a lot of Massacring Sand with it," Jasper told them.


    "Massacring Sand!" Ricky and Soar were surprised and shocked at the revelation.


    The Massacring Sand was the hardest type of sand in the world. The spiritual kings, the spiritual emperors, and even the strong warriors above the Emperor Level were looking for it.


    It was very difficult for them to look for it, because the Massacring Sand was very rare.


    "The Massacring Sand is really the hardest sand in the world. It can be used to cultivate items or make the hardest weapons. It is even more useful for warriors who are cultivating the golden power," Jasper explained.


    "Ricky, you are cultivating the golden power, so I think that you must know the value of the Massacring sand."


    "That is right! The Massacring Sand is a priceless treasure to creatures who are cultivating the golden power like me." Ricky nodded. "It also still a priceless treasure for creatures that are not cultivating the golden power.


    That is because the Massacring Sand contains enlightening power, ruling power, and a kind of mysterious power that is much stronger than ruling power."


    "So, all the warriors who know about it want to find the Massacring Sand in the Land of Legacy. That is why all the different forces want to go to the Land of Legacy," Jasper explained patiently.


    At that point in time, Ricky couldn''t wait to begin looking for the Massacring Sand.


    The Massacring Sand was not as hard as the Massacring Soil, but it was still the hardest sand in the world. It contained the Massacring Origin. If Ricky was able to combine his Source of the Golden Body power with the Massacring Sand, his Source of the Golden Body would become much stronger.


    ''I must find the Massacring Sand; my Ultimate Golden Body will be improved a lot once I do, '' Ricky thought to himself with great confidence.


    "I also have a secret, though. If you can figure it out, you will be very happy," Jasper added with a smile. Ricky could tell that Jasper was very excited.


    "What is the secret?" Ricky couldn''t wait to hear the answer from Jasper.


    "Some Massacring Sand could help us make the Massacring Soil," Ja


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    l you about it so early on because you must improve your strength before we go. After all, you are a middle spiritual king level just now, but that is not enough to go to the Land of Legacy," Jasper said with a serious look in his eye.


    "If you want to gain the Enlightening Fruit, the Glazed Fruit, and the Massacring Sand, you must be stronger than the other middle spiritual kings there. As far as I can tell, half a year should be enough for you to improve your strength."


    "Jasper, thank you for your suggestion. I will try my best!" Ricky nodded.


    "In next half a year, you had better stay in the college to cultivate. There are many enemies who want to kill you outside the college," Jasper advised. "You may end up feeling bored, but your safety is more important.


    After half a year, there will be a lot of battles for you to partake in, so don''t worry! I''m sure that you will become an even greater warrior in time." Jasper smiled. He was very kind to Ricky.


    "It looks like I have to stay at the college for half a year." Ricky was a little upset after he learned he couldn''t leave the college.


    He would be very bored if he stayed in the college to cultivate for half a year. After all, he liked fighting whenever he could.


    "Ha-ha, if you feel bored, I can introduce you to a warrior who is also crazy about fighting. You can have a nice spar against him." As Jasper had expected, Ricky was resistant to staying at the college. Jasper knew it was time to introduce the mysterious warrior he knew to Ricky.

 Chapter 537 An Aggressive Fighter

    "Oh? Who is that anyway? I''m very curious to know," Ricky asked curiously upon hearing Jasper''s words.


    Jasper was a peerless genius who had very high standards for appreciating other warriors. Thus, he only appreciated and looked up to only a few of them. But hearing that Japer was going to introduce another warrior to him, Ricky was sure that this certain person must be powerful enough to even be introduced by Jasper. This was because he knew that Jasper would never introduce anyone weak to him, not now, not ever.


    "Chill out. You''ll know when you see him in person. And aside from that, I can assure you one thing: this one would never refuse you if you throw down a challenge at him," Jasper replied in a tone of fact.


    "Hmm...I''m getting curious by the minute and I''m starting to look forward to meeting him as soon as possible," Ricky said with eagerness wrapped on his smiling face.


    Not long after, Ricky, Soar, and Jasper headed to their destination.


    But as they talked and laughed happily along the way, numerous disciples of the Oriental College who saw them gossiped about them secretly.


    "No way! How could Jasper, a peerless genius, and Ricky, an ace genius, get along pretty well? I can''t believe this! They don''t even look like they are rivals at all!"


    "You are right! Maybe this probably happens between them only. They must have put a great value at the chance to meet each other. Otherwise, they would not have become friends at all."


    "Although Jasper is a little bit arrogant and aggressive, he has always been nice to us. He is always so kind and pleasant to us when we see him."


    "Yes. And now that they are friends, I think that Ricky must be as kind as Jasper! If possible, I even believe that we can try to get closer to him. After all, he is an ace genius. Oh, this is so exciting, and I just can''t wait!"


    But some other disciples did not share the same excitement with them as some disciples showed resentful looks when they saw Ricky and Jasper were getting along pretty well. This was no surprise. After all, these were the warriors from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce.


    Never had they ever imagined that Ricky and Jasper would become friends. After all, a nation couldn''t have two queens. But based on what they just saw, it seemed that they were just getting on well.


    ''Damn it! How is it possible for them to become friends? They were supposed to be rivals! How could they get along so peacefully?'' those disciples cursed inwardly as they hated the fact that the two had become friends.


    Meanwhile, Ricky, Soar, and Jasper had already arrived at a small canyon located in the territory of the Oriental College. Many trees with sword-shaped leaves inside the small canyon made the whole area very unpleasing to their eyes.


    The moment they entered the canyon, Ricky had already sensed a strong cold and murderous intent emitting from those sword-shaped leaves that


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    iddle spiritual king! There is no more perfect time than this to have a fight with you," Terrence Feng said directly. His cockiness only proved Ricky''s assumption. Terrence Feng then continued, "I have two reasons for doing this. One, is that I want to fight with you.


    While the other one is that I think it is necessary for me to test how strong you are in person. I''m not sure if you are strong enough to go with me six months from now unless we fight this out. Don''t worry, I only care about your strength. You being an ace genius or not is not what I care about."


    "Hey, Terrence, don''t you think this is not a good time to test Ricky''s ability? He had Ray on the ropes once. And I think that his victory is enough to prove that he is very strong," Jasper said as he tried to mediate the impending fight.


    "Humph! Although Ray ranked higher than me, do you really think I consider him to be a match for me?" Terrence Feng asked upon hearing what Jasper had to say.


    ''Oh my, Terrence is a little bit aggressive! But I think he will be a good friend of mine. Nothing I can''t handle, '' Ricky thought upon hearing Terrence Feng''s arrogant claim. But he did not clam back to his shell. Immediately, Ricky also released his combat power. Now that Terrence Feng did not consider Ray as a powerful rival, it meant that he must be really strong. This only made Ricky more than pleased to fight against such a powerful fighter.


    "I, of course, know how strong you are! But don''t you think it''s a little bit awkward for you to fight now? I mean, come on, this is your first time to meet," Jasper said in a helpless tone as he wanted to stop the fight.


    This moment was way beyond his imagination. Never had Jasper anticipated that Terrence Feng would demand a fight with Ricky before they could even talk for a few more moments and get to know each other. It seemed that Terrence Feng was more passionate about fighting than Jasper had remembered.

 Chapter 538 Unrivaled Sword Versus Six-flame Fist

    Ricky''s combat power was visibly emitting from his body. It was evident how eager he was to fight.


    "Jasper, you know, we are all warriors and we make friends through swapping our skills. I am willing to take up the gauntlet thrown down by Terrence," Ricky said as the Golden Enlightenment was gushing out of his body. "Besides, even if Terrence hasn''t thrown down the gauntlet, I will take it in any case!"


    "Ricky, this task is right up my alley! You have already earned half my respect. Now, I want to see your real combat power. Don''t pull any punches and lame tricks. Go ahead, impress me." Terrence sounded utterly cold and brutal.


    Terrence was always impersonal, reserved and clinical in approach. His face never gave away his fears or pleasures. As a living creature who practiced the sword skill, that was one of the greatest traits one could acquire. When the Endless Shadow was in its heyday, most of its assassins were very much alike, mastering the art of a dead face.


    "You can be sure of it! I won''t let you down," Ricky replied enthusiastically.


    "Ricky, you look like a war maniac." Jasper was surprised with Ricky''s booming confidence. "I can''t wait any longer!"


    With those final words, Jasper and Soar took ten steps back, giving way to an open fighting space for Ricky and Terrence.


    "Terrence, remember, this is a swap of martial arts, not a battle of life and death. You two must pull your punches before causing each other any serious injury," Jasper reminded.


    Jasper knew Terrence fairly well. Terrence never pulled his punches when he was fighting with a warrior, no matter who it was.


    "There is no sense in fighting if we pull our punches. Besides, you two are our guardian angels here." Jasper did not have any words for Terrance''s comeback.


    "Okay!" Jasper shook his head and sighed. He prepared himself to swiftly slide in at any moment to stop them. Protecting them was his first and foremost agenda.


    ...


    Boom! Boom!


    Another moment later, Ricky and Terrence simultaneously exuded an aura of powerful authority and radiated confidence. They were so happy to finally fight that it was evident in their cheerfulness.


    It seemed like Terrence''s aura was much more powerful than that of Ricky. Moreover, wit


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    mboozled so easily! Soar is just messing with him, '' Ricky thought to himself, listening to their conversation.


    Of course, his focus was on Terrence.


    The first level of Ultimate Golden Body was the best defense for Ricky. For now, he had decided to attack with his fists.


    "Terrence, you have the Unrivaled Sword and I have the Six-flame Fist. Now, let''s battle and see which weapon is more powerful."


    Crackle! With that, Ricky''s golden body began spewing six types of fire¨C¨Cthe Devouring Fire, the Massacring Fire, the Gale Fire, the Heaven Slaughtering Fire, the Heaven Melting Fire and the Ruin Fire.


    A second later, the devouring runes filled the air once again and turned into six fire flowers. Their petals expanded in the devouring runes and mixed with different types of fire.


    Boom! Boom!


    In that moment, they all saw a huge black sword in mid-air, colliding with Ricky''s Six-flame Fist. It could burn and destroy everything on earth.


    In the blink of an eye, an intense light flashed in the center of the collision and shock waves engulfed everything.


    All the trees and grass in this small valley broke into a million burning pieces and soon turned to ashes.


    What a fierce collision! It lasted for several minutes.


    Five minutes later, when the shock waves dissipated, two figures appeared.


    "Ricky, as your friend, I believe you are worth communicating with! The experience has been truly exceptional," Terrence uttered in a cold but clear voice. He really meant it.

 Chapter 539 The Weapon Casting Department

    "Ha-ha, I am glad to hear that my last skill didn''t disappoint you," Ricky said with a laugh as he heard Terrence''s approval. "However, I believe you didn''t show me your best skill while we were battling. Since you are a spiritual king beast, your real strength and fighting capacity could only show themselves once you unveil your beast body!"


    "Well, in terms of real strength, it seems to me that you also haven''t shown me your true potential!" Terrence argued back calmly.


    "Ha-ha!" Ricky just smiled and said nothing.


    "Well then, the people who will go to the Eastern Realm of Wildness in about half a year from now have been determined. We will see you again when the time comes. Of course, you two crazy fighters can challenge each other at any time you wished," Jasper said with a smile.


    He was glad that the two crazy fighters recognized each other and were able to establish a healthy kind of friendship. Otherwise, as their mutual friend, he would''ve been caught in a dilemma.


    After talking to Terrence for a while, Ricky and Soar gave their goodbyes and left Terrence''s training place to return to their own cave.


    Madeline had taken the two sisters Yedda and Yolanda to the Saber Hall, the ruling area of Scar. It was a good chance for them to conduct training outdoors. Under Scar''s protection, Ricky believed that the two sisters would not be caught in any danger.


    As for their upcoming adventure at the Land of Legacy in the Eastern Realm of Wildness in about half a year, the three women did not intend to take any part of it because within that time period, their strengths wouldn''t achieve the needed improvements to be able to qualify and join the competition.


    Not having the right qualifications to enter the Land of Legacy was a great pity for them. However, they were quite excited for Ricky and Soar to have such a great opportunity. When the two men had promised them that if it was possible, they would bring them the Enlightening Fruit and the Glazed Fruit at the fourth level, and they grew even more excited.


    "Ricky, since you decided not to go out for training, what do you plan on doing next?" Soar asked the moment they got back in their cave.


    "Well, I plan to focus on weapon casting. With the time we have left before the quest, I am determined to not only become a casting master at the Spirit Level, but also to be able to recast my Iron Destroyer," Ricky said firmly.


    After reaching a casting master at the Spirit Level, Ricky believed that he could further improve his saber light to saber intent. And only by that, he would be able to achieve a better fusion with the various runic powers in his body and burst forth much more intimidating force.


    Of course, there was another reason behind this plan and it was to earn more money. Practicing at the three cultivation places in the Oriental College could consume a lot of gold coins. He was currently running out of money, so he thought maybe he could earn quite a lot of money by casting more weapons and selli


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    loudly once they entered the Department.


    The ideal realm in weapon casting was conducive to a warrior''s insights. Thus, apart from the disciples of the Weapon Casting Department, many warriors of other departments also come here to feel the ideal realm in hopes of improving their insights into the martial arts. It was the reason why so many disciples were standing outside the Weapon Casting Department when Ricky arrived.


    At that moment, the disciples from the inner square of the Weapon Casting Department were all casting masters at the advanced Mortal Level or the Demi-spirit Level, and none of them was at the Spirit Level.


    The arrival of Ricky and his two companions naturally attracted their full attention. After all, Ricky''s reputation was no inferior to that of Jasper within the Oriental College.


    Thus, they also began talking to one another the moment they saw him. Some of them were talking about Ricky while some of them were more interested in Tina.


    Although Tina was merely a demi-immortal, her temperament was so superior that other female disciples of the Oriental College could only dream to exceed her. It could also be said that she was the woman with the best temperament they have ever seen.


    "Who is that woman right next to Ricky?"


    "Who knows? Her temperament is so superior so I''m guessing she''s not just Ricky''s maid!" said a discerning disciple.


    "Ricky, may I ask you why you have come to our Weapon Casting Department?" a beautiful female disciple asked after she gathered her courage to ask. Her voice gradually faded before she finished her words. After that, she immediately hid among the crowd.


    Apparently, Ricky''s impressive battle with Ray also helped him win the admiration of many young female disciples.


    When Ricky heard of the inquiry, a smirk raised at the corner of his mouth. He then looked around, smiled slightly, and said, "Since I have come to the Weapon Casting Department, I would naturally want to learn more about weapon casting skills."

 Chapter 540 Lets Venture Five Million Gold Coins On It

    Ricky''s answer left the disciples stunned in silence. With their mouths agape, they stood still as they couldn''t peel their eyes off him. For a moment, time was on a pause, and everybody couldn''t find the words to say anything out of pure astonishment. But as all of them tried to compose themselves, Ricky stood with pride as he relished the stupefied reactions of the disciples.


    As a matter of fact, some of the disciples understood the reason behind Ricky''s actions. After all, he was not the kind of person who would spend his time meandering on useless stuff, and the Weapon Casting Department was no place for such entertainment or leisure. However, when they personally heard that Ricky had the ability to cast weapons, most of them refused to believe it.


    "You''ve got to be kidding me. On top of being an ace genius, he is also capable of casting weapons? What kind of a monster is he? At this rate, nobody can beat him in the future anymore," one of the disciples blurted in hushed tones.


    The female disciples, however, stared at Ricky with admiration and desire. The fact that he was a casting master, was added on the list of the things he could definitely do. And with this, his charm had just been added a few points in the ladies'' eyes. They believed that many warriors could be noted as geniuses, but only a few of them could be as versatile as Ricky.


    "Ha-ha, it seems that our ace genius is not only talented in terms of martial arts, but he''s also well-versed in making jokes!" A familiar voice barged in the Weapon Casting Department and broke the dumbfounded stillness.


    The disciples then brought their attention to the direction of the speaker''s voice, including Ricky. Walking out of the department was Hardy, with a group of people trailing behind him. A smug look was plastered on his face. On top of this, he was obviously pleased with the insult that he just gave Ricky.


    ''Ah, Hardy. No wonder the voice sounds familiar.'' Ricky narrowed his eyes and studied Hardy. He started to have a hunch that his visit to the Weapon Casting Department would not sail as smoothly as he intended.


    As soon as the people recognized Hardy and his men, the crowd parted into two to make way for them. They all knew that Hardy was here for Ricky. Being aware of their capabilities, the other disciples distanced themselves from them. They knew better than to offend these warriors.


    "Jokes? Do you really think I''m kidding about my weapon casting skills? Why don''t we have at it at a fair competition then, so you can witness my expertise firsthand? Only then will you realize that I''m not joking," Ricky provoked with a sneer, his ferocious gaze never left Hardy.


    "Good. How about a competition of pill refining?" Taken aback by Ricky''s confidence, Hardy sounded unsure and apprehensive.


    "Pill refining? Now you are the one joking with me, aren''t you? I think we were talking about weapon casting, dude," Ricky protested, his eyes filled with scorn.


    Hardy bit his lip as he was bombarded with Ricky''s sharp questions. For a while, he was dumbstruck as his mouth failed to utter any words.


    As the two of them were having a heated discussion and were both ready to pounce at each other at any moment, a young man stealthily appeared behind Hardy. His facial features were wicked, and had this sly look in his eyes that could never be trusted. He sneaked behind Tina and ogled at her lasciviously. The moment he laid eyes on this beautiful woman, he had completely forgotten the tense situation they were in. He plucked at Tina''s dress and lustfully mentioned, "Nice to meet you, bird. May I have your name?"


    "Don''t you dare touch her!" Before this lewd person could even make a move on Tina, a loud voice boomed with rage. A flaming punch brok


    dly.


    "Did you actually mean a competition of weapon casting?" Ricky asked again, stressing every syllable before Victor Jiang answered him.


    "Did you hear him? He can''t be serious! Victor''s brother is Jaxon, the famous casting master of Demi-spirit Level. He is the best in his field, and only a fool would dare try to challenge them. Few people could match him when it comes to weapon casting! He may be talented but this Ricky is way over his head!" Whispers from the disciples could be heard once again.


    "Well, is it possible that Ricky''s also a casting master of Demi-spirit Level? If so, that would make it a fair battle," another one of the disciples reasoned out.


    "Whatever it is, we will know soon enough." After a round of discussion, all the disciples held their breath and watched how things were going to unfold.


    "You heard me right. Are you deaf or what? Don''t tell me you don''t have the guts," Victor Jiang goaded on Ricky, his voice heavy.


    He had to admit that he was no match for Ricky in terms of martial arts, but if it were casting skills they were talking about, he thought that he could easily overpower Ricky without even breaking a sweat. He could put Ricky to rot with his casting skills and humiliate this so-called ace genius in public, especially in front of that beauty in red, who Ricky kept off of him.


    "Alas!" Ricky exclaimed as he shook his head at Victor Jiang''s words.


    "What? Do you have any plans on retreating?" Victor Jiang was much too complacent in this upcoming match. He stood tall when he heard Ricky sigh.


    "No, you misunderstood me. I actually feel sorry for you. I hate to say it, but you will lose most badly if you accept my challenge. You''re just going to make a fool of yourself, dude," Ricky nonchalantly mentioned, pretending like he really cared about Victor Jiang''s reputation.


    "You arrogant bastard!" Hardy was filled with disdain but he did his best to contain his anger, as he carefully tried not to start another unnecessary fight.


    "You will eventually know whether I''m talking wildly or simply telling the truth. But it''s a bit boring to compete for nothing, don''t you think? How about we add some spice to the game?" Ricky suggested coolly.


    "What are you playing at?" Hardy seethed.


    "Let''s see. How about we bet on the game? It won''t be much. We are mates from the same college, after all. Let''s do it just for fun. How about we wager five million gold coins? But it would still depend on you guys," Ricky urged casually.

 Chapter 541 Jaxon Jiang

    "Damn!" All the disciples around took a deep breath in awe while giving Ricky an incredulous look.


    "Five million gold coins? That''s no small amount of money!" Whispered conversations of interest could be heard from among the disciples.


    "Five million gold coins is about the full amount of monetary resources that a spiritual-king force has. I wonder if Ricky actually has the money, or if he was just bluffing."


    "It doesn''t really matter. The fact that he dared to wage five million gold coins clearly indicates that he has the guts to deal with the consequences. Maybe that''s the difference between an ace genius and all the ordinary people!"


    At that moment, both Soar and Tina were staring at Hardy and Victor with a cold smile on their faces. They knew Ricky''s personality better than anyone. No one would be able to take advantage of him. They knew that if Ricky decided to bet against anyone, he would not stop until his opponent was broke.


    Both Hardy and Victor looked sullen, as the situation was looking bleak for them.


    First of all, they did not have five million gold coins on them. Secondly, even if they had had such money on them, they did not have the courage to put it all up in a wager against Ricky. Last but not least, they were genuinely worried that Ricky might actually know a lot about weapon casting.


    "What now? I thought you were the one who started all this. Are you trying to play dead now?" Soar asked with contempt in his voice, stepping up to confront them.


    Click-clack! Click-clack!


    Hardy and Victor tightened their fists so hard that their fingernails cut into their palms. Their eyes flashed with murderous intent at Soar''s taunts. If they could kill with nothing but the power of their will, Ricky would have already dropped dead.


    ...


    "I would never have thought that Hardy could be put in such an awkward position. After all, it was him and his people who started all this." The disciples around discussed their opinions telepathically with each other.


    "You don''t say. In the entire Oriental College, Ricky might be the only genius who could make Hardy, a genius from an influential family, look like such a fool."


    "If you''re chickening out, then stop wasting our time. Be a good boy and just step aside," Ricky said softly with a devilish smile on his face.


    "It is only five million gold coins. Call them on that! People will begin to think that the Jiang Clan can''t even come up with such small amount of money otherwise. Don''t sit there and bring shame to our clan!" a man called out in a flat tone and commanded everyone''s attention.


    Everyone turned in the direction o


    nds on that middle stage spiritual space tool! If I can deliver that to my clan, given my current status, I will definitely become the next leader of the Jiang Clan!'' Jaxon Jiang thought to himself.


    The way he saw it, that spiritual space tool was already his. He did not care at all about who Ricky was, or what he wanted.


    "This is my low stage Heaven-splitting Spear, plus the middle stage spiritual space tool from my brother, they are worth more than five million coins altogether." At that moment, Soar also chipped in for Ricky with his Heaven-splitting Spear.


    "Ha-ha, only an ace genius would have the audacity to wage a middle stage spiritual space tool. I still feel the need to warn you that such audacity could cost you everything, though," Jaxon Jiang said as her burst into a fit of laughter.


    The way he saw it, Ricky had brought him a precious gift instead of making a wager. Jaxon Jiang was overjoyed by that.


    "Haven''t you heard the saying that if you have no money, you get no honey? The reason I threw in the middle stage spiritual space tool is because I want your ancient black iron," Ricky replied with a confident smile on his face.


    "Now that both parties have shown that they have sufficient money or items for this wager, let''s get started with this competition, shall we?" Jaxon Jiang also smiled lightly with matching confidence.


    "I can''t wait to begin!" Ricky replied.


    ...


    Instantly the casting square was vacated by everyone for Ricky and Victor, as the same casting material was prepared for the both of them.


    At that moment, everyone present felt like someone was watching from the sky. Clearly, the disciples from the Weapon Casting Department were not the only ones who were watching the game closely.

 Chapter 542 The Casting Genius

    Ricky had become as popular as Jasper. Everyone was curious to know more about him.


    Ricky''s every little move was under the scrutiny of powerful warriors.


    Everyone in the Oriental College already heard the news of Ricky and Victor''s casting competition. It spread like wildfire everywhere.


    ''''Humph! Ace genius? You mean nothing to me!'''' Victor sneered at Ricky with contempt.


    ''''Save your shit!'''' Ricky replied coldly, his voice filled with impatience. Victor''s words didn''t seem to penetrate through Ricky''s confident aura.


    He immediately began selecting the casting materials he wanted to use. With the activation of the Heaven Melting Fire and the Devouring Skill, he started the melting process. Victor was just another nameless pawn for him. Ricky accepted his challenge only because he needed the three million gold coins and the ancient black iron.


    Keeping that in mind, Ricky ignored his words. Victor too, realized. Quietly, he also started his melting process.


    This competition was his only chance to defeat Ricky, an ace genius. He had already planned how he would humiliate Ricky in front of all the disciples of the Oriental College. He played every moment of it in his head several times.


    However, he found it quite surprising that Ricky''s melting skills were even more proficient than him. The casting materials quickly melted under the scorching crimson fire released by Ricky.


    ...


    ''''He really does know how to cast weapons. This technique is unheard of!'''' All the disciples were in disbelief. Even the powerful warriors hidden in the sky was startled. They too, discussed the scene with each other by using their telepathic link.


    Jaxon''s face darkened. He had a hunch that Ricky had set up a trap for him. To be more accurate, he almost volunteered to be the bait.


    ''Damn it! How can this bastard cast weapons? Judging by his technique and proficiency, he''s incomparable even among the casting masters of Demi-spirit Level, '' Jaxon thought to himself viciously.


    However, his anxiety began t


    cclaimed as his hands trembled with excitement.


    ''''I have decided to make him my disciple and guide him to comprehend the supreme enlightenment of casting.


    How perfect his casting realm is! His gifts for casting is incomparable!" the man went on.


    ...


    ''''Damn it! Holy shit!'''' Jaxon was furious with Ricky. He murmured curses in a deep voice with resentful eyes.


    He tried to disgrace Ricky, but his efforts were in vain. Even before the competition was over, everyone already knew it would be Ricky''s victory.


    ''Go to hell! He must die!'' Jaxon clutched his fists tightly. His bosom filled with boundless wrath.


    He was so jealous of Ricky''s talent for casting weapons. He knew he could not surpass Ricky even if he became a true casting master of Spirit Level in the future. It could be said that Ricky''s casting realm was even more perfect than a casting master casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level.


    ''''No!'''' Victor suddenly let out a scream.


    Distracted by Ricky''s attainments in casting, he lost control of his enlightening power and accidentally, knocked down his own casting table.


    Nobody could remain calm after witnessing Ricky''s casting realm and Victor was no exception. It was a unique method to reach perfection. As a result, Victor lost control of the casting rhythm he had created and failed miserably.

 Chapter 543 Cameron And Kylie

    "No, no, no! How is that even possible?" Victor yelled as his eyes widened with rage. There was a hint of madness in his eyes. This was just unbelievable and he was stunned. One could see that he was completely going crazy.


    "Ricky! Ricky! I''m going to kill you!" Victor howled before he engaged his cultivation method. He launched an attack on Ricky as he turned his eyes and cast him a murderous gaze.


    Ricky''s perfect casting performance had frustrated Victor so much that he had become under-confident about his own casting ability. Looking at it this way, it could even be said that Ricky had a hand in destroying his career as a casting master to a certain degree. The loss of his powers was much worse than even taking his life.


    But Ricky had not even imagined that this might happen. He never intended to destroy Victor''s confidence as in his mind, it wasn''t necessary. He had never considered Victor strong enough to be even his stepping stone.


    "You are asking for death!" Soar shouted when he noticed Victor was struggling to launch a strike. He immediately appeared in front of Victor and fought to thwart his attack.


    As a Great Dragon, Soar had already made great progress during the last three months. He might not have owned the combat power of a middle spiritual king as Ricky did, but he was competent to defeat any lower spiritual king.


    Boom! A loud explosion echoed throughout the sky as Soar and Victor who were overwhelmed with rage, collided with each other forcefully. Both of them stepped backward. Soar could not dominate the fight as Victor was a lower spiritual king at his peak condition. This made his power extremely ferocious and strong in the fight.


    The next moment, both of them were thrown back. They tried to steady themselves as they slid backwards on the ground from the impact.


    "Ricky is still busy casting! You are not allowed to interrupt him," Soar warned coldly as he fixed his eyes on the crazy man.


    At the same time, the flame igniting from his body burst out again. Soar was ready for another fight! If Victor was being stubborn and refused to leave, Soar would show no mercy to him.


    "Victor, stop it!" Jaxon intervened at that point and called out to stop Victor from acting recklessly.


    Although Jaxon was eager to kill Ricky right away, he was also aware that this was not the proper place. Finding fault with Ricky was the worst choice, which was acknowledged by Jaxon. Otherwise, the Jiang Clan would end up with miserable consequences.


    Victor didn''t dare to not listen


    ey looked at her.


    Kylie Ye was the last disciple of Cameron Feng. She was not very good at martial arts but she was extremely talented in casting. In the Oriental College, her reputation for casting was like Jasper''s reputation in the martial arts.


    In addition to her skills, Kylie Ye was easy-going and beautiful. No wonder everyone in the Oriental College liked her.


    At that point in time, Kylie Ye was looking at Ricky carefully as if she wanted to read his mind.


    Meanwhile, she noticed Tina along with Ricky. Kylie studied Tina carefully and concluded that Tina was extremely graceful and unique. To be honest, Tina might be even better than her.


    In spite of her easy-going nature, Kylie Ye felt jealous and a feeling of competitiveness rose in her as she admired Tina''s beauty.


    Kylie Ye thought to herself, ''She is such a special woman! Is she Ricky''s girlfriend?''


    "Sir," Ricky greeted Cameron Feng respectfully as he made a slight bow.


    He surely recognized who the old man in front of him was. Cameron Feng''s reputation preceded him and he enjoyed the same status and honor as the three deputy deans in the Oriental College.


    Right then, Ricky took his saber out and handed it over to Cameron Feng.


    The moment Cameron Feng took the saber, he immediately began to study it. His old eyes lit up and it looked like he could almost see through Ricky''s saber.


    "Good! What a perfect work!" Cameron Feng exclaimed as he examined the saber. "This saber is exceptional. It could be considered to be the best weapon among all those weapons of Demi-spirit Level!"


    Having heard Cameron Feng''s assessment, all the disciples started looking at the saber more carefully.

 Chapter 544 Camerons Decision

    At that moment, Ricky and his saber caught everyone''s attention.


    Cameron, a casting master of Demi-sage Level, unexpectedly asked Ricky if he could take a look at his saber and ended up extensively praising it. How did it happen? Why did this happen? But all that just proved Ricky''s talent in casting.


    ''How did Ricky become this talented in casting?'' Once again, all the warriors were surprised by what they just witnessed.


    "Are we lucky or unlucky to be in the presence of such genius?"


    "Maybe we are lucky enough to witness the unprecedented rising of a genius. However, we are definitely being ignored whenever we are with him because all the fortune and praise only go to him."


    "I can''t believe what I''m seeing. I have never seen Master Cameron this excited. Is the saber that Ricky made really that fantastic?" Kylie said in disbelief the moment she saw Cameron''s reaction.


    She then took the saber from Cameron to examine it more carefully.


    Both confusion and surprise radiated in Kylie''s beautiful eyes. She examined only to find that she, a casting master of Spirit Level would end up puzzled by a saber made by a casting master of Demi-spirit Level. What could be the meaning of this?


    Moreover, she was unexpectedly enlightened through the mysterious Pounding Skills.


    "He truly is a casting genius, no wonder Master Cameron praised him a lot," Kylie sighed and paid more attention to Ricky.


    "Sir, you seem to have overpraised me. A mere saber of Demi-spirit Level isn''t worth of such admiration," Ricky smiled.


    "I do not doubt my judgment at all," Cameron said.


    "So what exactly is your purpose in paying the Weapon Casting Department a little visit today?" Cameron asked Ricky as he intended to guide him in his quest to learn casting.


    "Sir, I was only here to learn how to be a casting master Spirit Level rather than making any trouble and I can assure you that I didn''t expect this kind of situation at all," Ricky explained.


    "So you want to be a casting master


    y to discuss and explore the different casting skills."


    "Master Cameron, I have already met Kylie before. I hope it does not bother her," Ricky smiled.


    "Not at all," Kylie said as she smiled smile. She was also a very straightforward woman.


    "Ha-ha, Ricky, I guess Cameron''s introduction is not very superficial. Maybe he wanted Kylie to be your girlfriend or wife? Ha-ha!" Soar told Ricky with their telepathic link and smiled.


    Ricky felt helpless as he heard him.


    Actually, not only Soar, but also the other disciples had the same thing in their minds. Kylie was their goddess! They were jealous to hear that she would be in contact with and that they had to communicate regularly.


    However, there was nothing they could do but feel jealous.


    Of course, Tina was one of them.


    "Ha-ha, we should talk more in my palace," Cameron smiled and took Ricky and his friends with him.


    Soon afterwards, the news spread all over the whole Oriental College, even reaching the Oriental Realm. The news naturally strengthened the murderous intent of those who already wanted to kill Ricky.


    Ricky, an ace genie of martial arts and casting, ignited their murderous intent to grow stronger than ever before.


    Right now, more forces took actions secretly as a lot of other forces began to cooperate with one another in private.

 Chapter 545 The Way to Become Wealthy

    Ricky stayed at Cameron''s palace for several days.


    Cameron and Kylie were very generous to Ricky. During those days, they told Ricky a lot of things about how to break through from a casting master of Demi-spirit Level to a casting master of Spirit Level, which benefited Ricky a lot.


    Ricky was kind to them in return as well. He told them about his own opinions on the four Supreme Skills.


    Cameron truly valued Ricky after hearing what he had to say. As a casting master of Demi-spirit Level, Ricky''s explanations really benefited him a lot despite the fact that Cameron was a casting master of Demi-sage Level. Wasn''t that enough to show Ricky''s talent when it came to casting?


    As for Kylie, she had been subtly curious about Ricky.


    Soar also left during that period. He had the three million gold coins earned from Jaxon, so he was able to go out and practice in the three large cultivation spots in the Oriental College.


    In addition, the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor had once come there during those days with the intention of taking Ricky away. According to the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor, Ricky was a rare genius in the world of martial arts. He would definitely be an innate spiritual emperor in the future. There was no need for him to waste his time studying casting. As long as he was strong enough in the future, there would be many casting masters of Demi-sage Level that would want to serve him.


    Cameron was definitely in disagreement with the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor''s opinion, though. In his opinion, Ricky was very likely to be able to become a genuine casting master of Demi-sage Level one day. By then, even innate spiritual emperors would be willing to serve him.


    Cameron and the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor both insisted on their own opinions. They were so adamant that they almost fought with each other.


    Fortunately, Ricky promised that he would not give up his martial arts or his studies in casting. They finally reached an agreement after Ricky talked them into it.


    Certainly, they disagreed with Ricky at first when they heard that Ricky would not give up either martial arts or casting though. However, considering Ricky''s extraordinary talent, they had to eventually agree with Ricky.


    After that, Ricky devoted himself to casting under Cameron''s close guidance. He was on his way to becoming a casting master of Spirit Level.


    With the guidance of Cameron, a casting master of the Demi-sage Level, Ricky had made great progress. Ricky had confidence that he would get the opportunity to become a casting master of Spirit Level within one month.


    After the disciples of the Oriental College saw that Cameron was attentively teaching Ricky, the


    door to the Weapon Casting Department every time that he started casting. If anyone wanted to come in and have a look, they needed to pay the gold coins according to his new rules.


    Meanwhile, Ricky also asked Cameron to help him guard the sky and asked the upper spiritual kings and completed spiritual kings watching from up in the sky to pay gold coins as well.


    Ricky originally thought that the amount of disciples watching him cast would decrease a lot because of that, and that many disciples would have complaints. However, things did not go as he had expected. The amount of disciples coming for him did not decrease, and there were no complaints about his new rules.


    It was Ricky who overthought it too much. The lower spiritual kings and the middle spiritual kings didn''t mind spending 1, 000 gold coins or 3, 000 gold coins to watch him cast. They believed that it was really worth it.


    As for the upper spiritual kings and completed spiritual kings, 5, 000 gold coins or 10, 000 gold coins were even less than nothing to them.


    In the world of martial arts, where the strong survived and the weak died, people understood that leverage had to be used when one had it. When trouble occurred, the so-called fellow disciples would only care about themselves. It was normal for people to put their own needs first.


    As a result, it was reasonable for Ricky to ask for gold coins if they wanted to watch him cast.


    Sure enough, after a few sessions, there were comments saying that Ricky was ignoring the brotherhood of the fellow disciples. They said that as an ace genius, he was too demanding. They were mad at Ricky for charging them gold coins just for watching him practice casting.


    Ricky clearly knew that the comments were from the disciples of the Bu Clan, the Bing Clan, and the Jiang Clan.

 Chapter 546 Came To Assist You

    "Bro, these guys are ugly and they stir up trouble whenever they can. Should we teach them a lesson?" Soar was enraged at the rumors that were being spread, so he urgently wanted Ricky''s permission to do something about it.


    "Clam down. I doubt those rumors can really stand up to further scrutiny," Ricky replied with a cold smile.


    As he had expected, the rumors died out three days later.


    The disciples of the Oriental College were smart people. Although they were weaker than the disciples of the three demi-spiritual emperor forces, they knew that the rumors were lies.


    They turned a deaf ear to them, and continued to spend their gold coins for the chance to watch Ricky forging weaponry. They wanted to learn from Ricky''s casting realm and try to cultivate some techniques in their own ways.


    ...


    "Haha, bro, you were right about staying out of things and letting the rumors die out on their own," Soar roared with laughter after hearing the good news about the rumors.


    "The disciples here are neither blind nor stupid. Even if they didn''t come to see me casting weapons, they would never align themselves with the three demi-spiritual emperor forces. They know that I''m too powerful and too important to piss off," Ricky replied.


    "But I''ll remember the people who spread the rumors and teach them a lesson in the future," he added.


    "Bro, tell me when you do that, and I''ll join you," Soar offered enthusiastically.


    ...


    With that being the case, Ricky spent the next few days forging weapons. Finally, he reached a casting master of Demi-spirit Level, which was the highest level he would ever reach based on his current strength.


    He also gained roughly six million gold coins in the month he spent working, which was a great bonus.


    That, plus the three million gold coins he got from Jaxon, meant that Ricky and Soar had a total of nine million gold coins. That was enough to pay for their cultivation and learning in the Oriental College.


    Ricky wanted to repay the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor with three million gold coins, but his offer was refused.


    ...


    After he became a casting master of Demi-spirit Level, ascending the Spirit Level was his next immediate target.


    During the next five days, Ricky made some adjustments and tried to get everything ready for making weapons of Spiri


    the runic power, and then they will start surprise attack," Ricky answered with confidence in his voice.


    "If they were to succeed, I would lose my casting spirit," Ricky added, a look of anger crossing his face.


    "Bro, if your guess is right, then shouldn''t you..." Soar started to say.


    "Soar, don''t worry. You should have known me better by now. Although I''m just a casting master of Demi-spirit Level, I''m not afraid of any casting masters of Spirit Level when it comes to the casting realm," Ricky interrupted Soar before he could finish speaking.


    Ricky''s confidence convinced Soar that he had everything under control. Soar''s faith in Ricky was absolute and could never be shaken. Besides, he knew that Ricky had achieved some amazing inheritance regarding his weapon casting.


    "Soar, wait around here and watch carefully. I''m going to teach those two geniuses a good lesson," Ricky said again, trying to comfort Soar. He didn''t want Soar to worry about him.


    Meanwhile, two figures pushed their way through the crowd and slowly stepped into the middle of the square. It was Jaxon and Jaden. Everyone could tell it was them by the ruin aura emitting from their bodies.


    "Bro, they have arrived. Be careful. If you have any problems, please call Cameron for help," Soar warned Ricky before things got too heated.


    "Set your heart at rest. Everything will be fine!"


    ...


    "Good morning, Ricky. I was told that you would try to become a casting master of Spirit Level today. Congratulations. We have come here to offer our assistance!"

 Chapter 547 The Trump Card

    Jaxon finally opened his mouth to say something to Ricky.


    Silence befell the Weapon Casting Department. All eyes were glued to the scene at the square. Everyone knew what the two men were going to do next.


    A proposal was made.


    Now, they were curious to know whether Ricky would take up this challenge.


    "I bet Ricky pre-empted the two men''s motivations. Yet, he chose to make the breakthrough in public. He must be very confident." Some disciples were communicating using telepathy.


    "You''re right. It''s possible that this ace genius was just waiting for the two fools to challenge him."


    "Now, there''s going to be a very fierce competition in weapon casting."


    "It makes sense now. Let''s see how Jaden and Jaxon are going to stop or even sabotage Ricky''s weapon casting career."


    ...


    "Jaden, Jaxon, would you be kind enough to help me?" Jaxon''s words surprised Ricky. He rolled his eyes and said incredulously, "Just a month ago, you lost five million gold coins to me. Have you already forgotten that? Or do I need to help you jog your memory?"


    "Of course, I remember that. I have never tried to deny the fact. Five million gold coins means nothing to me. You can consider that money as a generous gift from me. You are like a brother to me and I feel obliged to help you with the weapon casting," Jaxon said curtly with a thin cunning smile on his face.


    "Believe it or not, but when you gradually learn more and more from our casting realms, you will surely become a casting master of Spirit Level," Jaxon added.


    Ricky could see through his lies and deception. He had just heard Jaden talking to him pompously through the telepathic link, "Ricky, cut the crap. We''re here today only to beat you down. How dare you try to cast weapons in public? You little prick! No one can be so bold and fearless!"


    "Haha. Jaden, you''re so straightforward." Ricky laughed.


    Ricky didn''t intend on wasting any more of his time. He turned to Jaxon and responded politely, "Your kindness is much appreciated, but I''m afraid you need to prepare the casting materials by yourself."


    "We already have that well taken care of," Jaxon replied with a cunning smile across his face.


    He then flexed his hands and revealed a storage ring. Two piles of casting materials flew


    Level perfectly and quickly. Besides, he does have some extraordinary flames with him. He should be doing this much faster!" Floating in the midair, Cameron asked the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor in a confused tone.


    "He knows what he''s doing. You will never be able to guess the card in his hand," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor answered calmly.


    "We better wait for the cat to jump out. If anything goes wrong, we''ll rescue him as quickly as possible!"


    "Yeah! You''re damn right." Cameron nodded.


    ...


    "Humph! I have never seen any casting master melting materials at such an unsatisfactory speed," Jaden said to Ricky contemptuously.


    "Haha, Jaden. I''m afraid you''re terribly wrong about this. The speed has nothing to do with casting a good weapon," Ricky chuckled and responded. "Besides, if I don''t go so slow, how will you guide me into your casting realms?"


    Ricky''s answer alerted Jaden. He squinted. He understood that Ricky was on to something.


    Jaxon also felt that something was not right, but he didn''t know what it was. He knew Jaden and Ricky were talking through the telepathic link.


    Jaxon and Jaden exchanged a glance and nodded. They seemed to have reached an agreeable stage in the blink of an eye.


    Suddenly, they turned over their palms simultaneously and a light gray pill appeared on each of their palms. The two pills gave out a faint fragrance and reached the nostrils of all warriors in the Weapon Casting Department. Everyone felt refreshed by their aroma.

 Chapter 548 The Heavenly Aroma Pill

    Everybody turned their eyes to look at the two pills. It was not about the shape or something else that caught their attention. It was the smell. The moment the two pills were presented, a fragrant smell filled the space at once. It was a pleasant, delicate smell that everybody liked immediately.


    ''Those pills must be extraordinary!'' all the warrior sighed in their hearts unconsciously. Even though they did not know what those pills were, they knew they were certainly special and extremely valuable.


    ''What are those pills of King Level?'' everyone pondered curiously as they exchanged puzzled looks with each other. All of them were desperate to know more about the pills.


    At that time, Ricky closed his eyes as he calmed himself down. Certainly, the two pills would be used by Jaden and Jaxon to deal with him. Ricky was sure about this. The pills were emanating a kind of faint yet distinct and potent scent which was putting him under a lot of pressure.


    "Ricky, those pills are called the Heavenly Aroma Pills. They are at the intermediate King Level," Jaxon explained to Ricky when the latter was secretly studying the pills. "They were made by a senior of our Jiang Clan."


    "The Heavenly Aroma Pills! I had never expected that I would be lucky enough to see how they looked like!" Jaxon''s words stirred the entire crowd. All the disciples were shocked as their faces lit up and their eyes started gleaming with greed and admiration.


    Even some of the completed spiritual kings high above in the air were filled with awe and longing.


    All of them were well aware of the Heavenly Aroma Pill. It was made from the Heavenly Aroma Grass, a Treasure from Heaven and Earth at intermediate King Level, and some other Treasures from Heaven and Earth.


    It was pure magic. It could help the creatures to strengthen their soul, comprehensive ability, and apperception. It was not that precious to everyone, though. For demi-spiritual emperors or above, it was not very useful.


    Additionally, the creatures who took the pill would remain very sober for a long time. It might last several months or even several years. How long that period would last depended upon how talented they were.


    For those who were not that strong, their comprehension ability, apperception, and talent were restrained. It also had to do with whether they could get to a sober state where they could comprehend things more easily. The Heavenly Aroma Pill was such a pill that could help creatures reach that state.


    Therefore, although the Heavenly Aroma Pill was just a pill at the intermediate King Level, it was very useful. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that it was as valuable as a pill at the advanced King Level. This was why everyone was filled with greed as they stared at those two Heavenly Aroma Pills.


    ''The Heavenly Aroma Pills! Ah, how precious they are!


    ey could possess a Heavenly Aroma Pill as well! But soon, they calmed down. They all knew that there was something suspicious with that Heavenly Aroma Pill in Ricky''s hand.


    "Humph! Stupid human beings! Do you really think that you can defeat Ricky with a problematic Heavenly Aroma Pill? That''s so naive!" Soar sneered disdainfully as he watched the wicked faces of Jaden and Jaxon.


    "Ricky will surely find out that you did something to that pill! And then it will eventually be restored by him!"


    ...


    As soon as Ricky grasped the Heavenly Aroma Pill, he swallowed it without any hesitation.


    The moment when the Heavenly Aroma Pill reached his throat, Ricky activated his devouring rune. The devouring rune was then transformed into a small-sized storm. It engulfed the Heavenly Aroma Pill before it came back to the Devourer Zone.


    Inside the Devourer Zone, Ricky manipulated his four runic powers and began refining the Heavenly Aroma Pill. He immediately absorbed the faint scent that was being given out by the Heavenly Aroma Pill.


    During this process of refinement, Ricky noticed that there were some black dots on the Heavenly Aroma Pill. If an ordinary warrior had refined it, he might not have noticed them. But Ricky was different. Only Ricky, who possessed the four powerful zones, or other strong warriors could discover them.


    ''I knew it! There is something wrong with this Heavenly Aroma Pill!'' Ricky smirked coldly in his heart.


    Immediately, his runes began to decompose those black dots. As expected, strings of Poisonous Enlightenment gushed out continuously.


    Undoubtedly, the Jiang Clan had mixed some kind of toxin with the enlightening power and embedded it into the Heavenly Aroma Pill. As Ricky would refine the pill, he would be gradually poisoned by the toxin. This was the plan that the Jiang Clan had devised. Though, it was another story when it came to Ricky.

 Chapter 549 Attacked By The Casting Realm

    In a stroke of bad luck, Jaden and Jaxon had miscalculated the poisonous effect of the Heavenly Aroma Pill on Ricky. Even with the help of their wild imagination, they couldn''t figure out that Ricky had four zones. These were the key to helping him eliminate any kind of hidden poisons. This made Ricky take the pill without any hesitation because he was sure that he wouldn''t be harmed.


    Even with the pill already in Ricky''s system, he wouldn''t be harmed by the poison. His body being a fusion of the four zones gave him immunity from any effects the poison might have brought. On the other hand, he was certain that Jaden and Jaxon didn''t give him the pill with an extremely potent poison. If he were killed by the pill on the spot, Jaden and Jaxon would''ve faced more serious trouble.


    ''Ricky, you are really playing with fire! After taking this Heavenly Aroma Pill, your career in weapon casting and martial arts will come to an end!'' Jaden and Jaxon snorted coldly and spontaneously in their mind as they saw Ricky did not hesitate to take the pill. They now believed that once Ricky started to refine weapons, he would suffer from chronic intoxication. By then, they would find a way to defeat him completely.


    Confusion and disbelief filled the air as all the other warriors were stunned at what they saw. The atmosphere was immediately filled with tension when heated debates started to happen. Comment after comment, stand against stand. Every warrior just joined in on the intense discussions about what was happening in front of their naked eyes.


    "What?! How could Ricky take the pill so easily? Did he not think of the possibility of it being toxic? Or did he believe that in broad daylight Jaxon and Jaden would not dare to add any poison into the pill?"


    "Or was he so greedy for the Heavenly Aroma Pill that he forgot to think of the repercussions?"


    As soon as the commotion subsided, almost all the disciples realized that they seemed to have placed Ricky on a pedestal. They began to think that even an ace genius like Ricky could make a mistake as well.


    Of course, there were still those who held on to the idea of Ricky possessing the trump card to solve the crisis.


    Meanwhile, the other senior leaders of the Oriental College were also watching the scene up high in the air.


    Cameron, head of the Weapon Casting Department, was also a little taken aback by Ricky''s behavior. Yet, he soon regained his composure and asked the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor lightly, "Hey, old friend, what kind of trump card do you think this little guy has in hand? What compelled him to have great courage to swallow this suspicious Heavenly Aroma Pill?"


    "Unfortunately, I also do not have the answer to either of your questions. Let''s just wait and see how things will unfold. I bet you will find that the longer you deal with this little brat, the more unfathomable you will feel he is," said the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor mysteriously.


    "Yeah, I get what you mean by that. At least now


    .


    Clank! Clank!


    The next moment, Ricky began his own casting. Then, the perfect casting realm permeated the area. All the creatures around him couldn''t help but immerse themselves in it. Even the few demi-spiritual emperors, including the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor, found themselves captured in it.


    ''Oh my God! The casting realm''s so perfect!'' everyone in the audience exclaimed in their mind, as if uncontrollably.


    "Let''s attack him now!" Jaden and Jaxon communicated with each other through their telepathic link. Instantly, they reached a consensus.


    Immediately, their casting movements became more intense. This made their casting realms more violent and more aggressive.


    Slowly, the warriors in the area could feel their casting realms turning into strong attacks against Ricky. They wanted to defeat Ricky by occupying his realm and even making it under their control.


    ''Their confrontation has begun, '' the warriors thought silently in awe of what was happening before their very eyes. Soon, all the creatures kept their eyes closed and used their senses to feel the invisible clash of the three casting masters at the casting table.


    Ricky no longer showed any sign of weakness. He activated his own realm power to collide directly with the realm attacks of his two opponents. He was putting up a good fight.


    Peace and quiet filled the entire Weapon Casting Department, as usual. However, behind that shroud of calmness, a fierce fight was invisibly ensuing and murderous intent was surging violently.


    After a brief moment, Ricky no longer suppressed his real power. Instead, he directly activated the gale runes, condensed the power of the Gale Omnipotent Skill¡ªthe Gale Strike and fused it into his casting realm. After that, he used his upgraded realm to attack the weaknesses of Jaden''s and Jaxon''s casting realms.


    Bang! Bang! Furious booming sounds broke out after every attack launched by Ricky. Immediately, the faces of his opponents grew dark and heavy with rage.

 Chapter 550 Demolishing

    At this moment, both Jaden''s and Jaxon''s mouth were agape as they were struck with awe.


    They might have underestimated Ricky''s capability this time. All along, they felt that they had an edge over Ricky''s power. But luck was not on their side that day, for in a blink of an eye, all of their hopes of defeating Ricky were turned into rubbish as his casting realm flooded them like huge waves, overpowering them.


    And this realm was different from theirs¡ªsadness engulfed every fiber of their being. Sadness triumphed over any other emotion that they could feel as it expelled away their rationality. They felt helpless as they could not find a way on how to break out of the awful feeling.


    "What happened? I thought that he had already refined the Heavenly Aroma Pill. But how could he attain such an intense casting realm? Plus, this realm contains such a great power of sadness," Jaxon said to Jaden in disbelief.


    "The poison in the Heavenly Aroma Pill was intended to destroy his spiritual meridian gradually. On top of the long-term effect, it can destroy his casting realm in a short period of time as well," explained Jaden.


    "Then how do you explain this? Why is the power in his realm still that great?"


    "How should I know? I didn''t prepare that pill! As far as I know, it was from your clan!" Jaden said coldly and accusingly using internal power. "We trusted Jiang Clan''s pill refining skills.


    If anything goes wrong, your clan has to bear full responsibility!"


    The sudden overturn of the power was clearly felt by the other disciples and creatures.


    Even though Ricky''s attack wasn''t aimed at them, they could still sense that the power of Ricky''s realm had such a definite increase. To top that off, the sense of sadness was very prevalent around the area as they felt like the feeling was scattered all over the place.


    And just like that, all of a sudden, Jaden''s and Jaxon''s realms were demolished.


    But this was all due to the fact that both of them were equally affected by Ricky''s power of sadness. Only those who were deemed to be more powerful than Ricky could easily shake the foreign element off their system. But in this case, they were both not comparable to Ricky''s strength. This meant that they would more or less get indulged in their past miseries and traumas even before they could recover.


    "How is that possible? Could it be that the Heavenly Aroma Pill that Jaxon gave Ricky


    enhanced the power of the Gale Strike. Then, the two attacks collided into each other.


    Bang!


    Suddenly, a series of thundering sounds echoed though out the whole area. As a result, all the warriors'' minds were shaken as the impact was clearly felt.


    And in an instant, Ricky''s power of realm totally demolished Jaxon and Jaden''s combined realm attacks. After destructing their realms, Ricky''s realm quickly found its way into their bodies.


    "Aww!" "Aww!"


    Jaden and Jaxon both growled and howled in pain as their opponent''s realm crushed their bodies.


    Everything happened so quickly. But to their dismay, even both of their realms were too fragile under Ricky''s attack.


    Puff! Puff!


    Half-kneeling on the ground, the two lads then coughed out a mouthful of blood as Ricky''s attack tormented their bodies. They could not handle it anymore.


    Ricky''s realm attack had not only demolished their realms, but also their beliefs. They had once been so resolved in pursing the power of casting. But now, they winced and became unsure if it was still what they really wanted. It was as though the road of casting was covered with mist now. If they were unable to see it through, they might stay at the current level for the rest of their lives, which was, every warrior''s nightmare.


    "Ricky!" Jaden and Jaxon roared. Their enlightening power started to surge again as they tried to attack Ricky once more.


    However, Ricky seemed to be oblivious to them as he was currently immersed in his own casting realm. His victory against Jaden and Jaxon only made him aspire to become a casting master of Spirit Level.

 Chapter 551 The Casting Master Of Spirit Level

    Fury had blinded both Jaxon''s and Jaden''s minds.


    In an instant, the air was filled with their murderous intent. They finally made their moves! Ricky was currently riveted with casting and they saw it as the perfect opportunity to kill him or at least destroy his casting spirit.


    Jaxon and Jaden were completely dominated by their anger that they became impervious to their surroundings. There was nothing else on their minds other than their desire to kill Ricky.


    Boom! Just as they were about to attack, two lights shone in the middle of the air and covered the two of them completely. A mysterious figure then appeared out of nowhere, it was none other than Ade, a demi-spiritual emperor from the Bu Clan.


    "Stand down, both of you. From this moment on, your aid will no longer be needed!" Ade Bu said indifferently as the two lights carried both Jaden and Jaxon into the air.


    Ade Bu then stepped in and used his ruling power to stabilize Jaden and Jaxon.


    Although Ade Bu could not help in repairing their casting spirits, he was still able to help them to a certain degree.


    It was no surprise that Ade Bu stepped in to stop the two of them. If he had decided to sit this one out and let them attack instead, both Jaden and Jaxon would have already been dead by before he could do anything. It was easy to say that Ade Bu just saved their lives. Furthermore, both the Bu Clan and the Jiang Clan wouldn''t have let them strike Ricky like this.


    Had they defeated Ricky in a competition fair and square, the Oriental College would not be able to say anything about it even if they were not happy with the outcome. After all, they always made sure to uphold honor and justice at all times.


    However, they had just played it dirty but were still defeated by Ricky. If they had killed Ricky that time, the Oriental Emperor could simply kill both of them and no one would dare say anything about it.


    "The Bu Clan and the Jiang Clan are smart. They finally decided to stop these two punks," Cameron said to the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor telepathically in a subtle but mocking tone. He had anticipated that some members of these two clans would eventually step in to stop them.


    "However, they are now completely on the side of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce," said the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor.


    "Not just them. You know it well that other spiritual-emperor forces have be


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    t''s a spiritual weapon! I actually felt the power of a true spiritual weapon from the saber!" many disciples shouted in astonishment as they stared at the saber.


    "He actually did it! He is now a casting master of Spirit Level! He is more than just an ace genius now!"


    At that moment, everyone was staring at the figure at the casting table with much jealousy and admiration. A lot of the female disciples wanted to throw themselves at Ricky.


    Ricky was like a white knight in their hearts. No one else had ever made an achievement like he did.


    Needless to say, there would always be someone looking at him with murderous intent.


    Without a doubt, Ricky''s success at casting only added fuel to this. However, he was well beyond that threat. He knew it would be a common occurrence as he became stronger and more powerful. He would just have to take care of whoever had the balls to make a move on him. He wasn''t worried because he knew it would be a piece of cake.


    "I cannot believe he actually made it. He was definitely cutting it quite close this time!" Cameron said to the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor telepathically while stroking his beard.


    "''Cutting it close'' is definitely an understatement. I think he almost died!" The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor smiled. "However, I also believe that he had anticipated all the possible outcomes.


    For example, how did he solve the problem with that questionable Heavenly Aroma Pill?"


    ...


    "A casting master of the Spirit Level! I finally made it!" Ricky opened his eyes and looked at the floating saber with much satisfaction.

 Chapter 552 The Upset Bu Clan And Jiang Clan

    Whoosh!


    The next moment, Ricky collected all his internal strength and slashed the saber that he had made in the air. Consequently, the strong enlightening power gathered on the sharp saber. It flashed through the air which made a crack appear in the space.


    ''It is a weapon of Spirit Level! It is much more powerful than weapons of Demi-spirit Level!'' Ricky sighed in his heart. He himself was very impressed by the saber''s performance.


    In fact, he had not employed his power when he waved it in the air. The intense power of the saber itself was strong enough to create such severe damage to the surroundings. If Ricky had used his Iron Destroyer, he would have had to pour his own power into it to split the space and create a crack.


    However, this saber was strong enough to do that using its own power. That was exactly the difference of strength between a spiritual weapon and a demi-spiritual weapon.


    ''Brilliant! I think my next target should be to re-build my Iron Destroyer using this saber, '' Ricky told himself determinedly. Once he possessed a weapon of Spirit Level, his combat power would be intensified to a large degree.


    What was more important was that he had cast this weapon himself! That was just marvelous. He couldn''t contain his excitement.


    The next moment, Ricky took his saber back and turned to look where the members of the Bu Clan and the Jiang Clan were floating in the air.


    He smiled slyly as he said to Ade from the Bu Clan, "Thanks to Jaden and Jaxon, I have successfully broken through and have become a casting master of Spirit Level. If it were not for them and their generosity, I''m afraid I would have never been able to do that."


    Ricky''s words confused all the disciples in the audience. They were puzzled for a second, but then they realized that Ricky was taunting the Bu Clan and the Jiang Clan. ''He is very daring to "thank" Jaden and Jaxon that way! I''m sure that the people belonging to the two clans must be very embarrassed! How could they endure such a humiliation! Maybe they are furious right now, '' everyone thought.


    As expected, the faces of the members of the Bu Clan and the Jiang Clan grew darker when they heard Ricky''s remarks. Especially, Jaden and Jaxon, who had managed to calm down a bit, became extremely angry.


    "Did you hear what he just said? I think he is really hostile sometimes," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said to Cameron through telepathy at Ricky''s teasing comments.


    "Yes, and we must keep him safe. The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce wants to kill him. Naturally, he will grow hostile and vengeful. I just hope that he reacts more maturely," Cameron responded.


    "You don''t need to thank anyone! But, I do have a suggestion for you. Hopefully, you will keep it in mind," Ade answered as darkness clouded his face.


    "Please. I''m all ears," Ricky said, a smirk playing on his


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    venly Aroma Pill that Jaxon had offered to him.


    In this situation, the reputations of the Bu Clan and the Jiang Clan were completely ruined! None of the disciples who had witnessed this event would trust them anymore. They would think twice before they decided to buy any pills from the Jiang Clan.


    "He is doing an excellent job!" Cameron smiled as he saw the events unfold.


    "Yes! While he did not gain many advantages, he has successfully made the Bu Clan and the Jiang Clan suffer a huge blow. Now, their reputations are damaged to a large degree," the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor said.


    At that time, it could be seen that many warriors from the Bu Clan were fixing their eyes on the warriors from the Jiang Clan.


    The members of the Bu Clan had trusted the Jiang Clan. This was why they had agreed to allow Jaden to participate in their scheme. If the result had been a positive one, the Bu Clan would have never shown any unhappiness.


    However, the result turned out to be a negative one. And for that matter, an extremely bad one. No wonder that the people from the Bu Clan were shooting angry glances at those from the Jiang Clan.


    Warriors from the Jiang Clan, on the other hand, had nothing to do but suffer the stern glares of the Bu Clan. They chose to remain silent in response to those scowls. Deep inside, they blamed Ricky for everything that had gone wrong.


    Concerning the accusation from Ricky, which stated that there were impurities in the pill, the Jiang Clan could never admit it. Therefore, several completed spiritual kings from the Jiang Clan defended, "This is nonsense! There is no impurity in the pill produced by our Jiang Clan! Don''t you dare talk nonsense anymore!"


    "Haha! Now that you refuse to admit this, it doesn''t matter. You can think that I was just talking nonsense. I''m sorry," Ricky responded while smiling. He decided not to respond to their statements.

 Chapter 553 Receiving A Message From Scar

    Finally, the big crisis Ricky had to go through finally came to an end. He not only defeated Jaden and Jaxon in terms of weapon casting, but also made the public convinced that they had tried to poison him. While all of this was happening, he also made a big breakthrough and became a casting master of Spirit Level. The high profile of the Bu Clan and the Jiang Clan couldn''t bring them any good reputation or achievements. But instead, it made them fall into a pathetic situation¡ªthe casting spirits of their two casting masters were destroyed, and they also lost a rare Heavenly Aroma Pill. More importantly, their nasty plot made Ricky become much more famous in the entire Oriental College and other surrounding big realms.


    An ace genius like Ricky obviously had great talents in weapon casting. With his two outstanding capabilities, it wasn''t too much trouble for him to be well-known. It was like the old saying, "Gold will always shine brightly wherever it goes."


    Of course, there was another saying, "Every coin has two sides." Under his great reputation, he also had an increasing number of enemies which meant that there were endless murderous intents plotting in the dark to take him down. One day in the near future, he wouldn''t be able to avoid getting caught in the middle of those deadly plots.


    Ricky couldn''t be any more aware of that, but he just didn''t give a single care in the world. He knew that was the cost he had to pay for his rapid improvement and growth. All he had to do now was get his strength developed even faster. By ensuring his further improvement, he would have no reason to feel dreadful about any of their nasty plots at all.


    After he became a casting master of Spirit Level, the first thing he did was, of course, to consolidate his strength to prepare himself to cast a new weapon once again. This time, he wanted to cast a new Iron Destroyer of Spirit Level.


    He had already cast a saber before, and during the casting process, he had fused his will into the saber''s own psychic intelligence because he knew he would want to recast the Iron Destroyer using that saber.


    From the Ruin Demi-spiritual Emperor, he was able to acquire a piece of the innate copper essence which he reserved for this moment. Now, he also acquired a piece of the ancient black iron from Jaxon. With the two materials, the Iron Destroyer he was about to cast would be much harder than the previous one.


    After a few days off, Ricky got refreshed and was both mentally and physically prepared to recast the Iron Destroyer in the Enlightening Pond at the Oriental College.


    Through the special traits of the water in the pond, it would be much easier for him to integrate the enlightening power into the Iron Destroyer. Since he was about to make a new saber of his own, he had to try and give it everything he had to finish the casting.


    However, staying in the Enlightening Pond for an entire day would cost anyone a hundred thousand gold coins. Due to this shockingly expensive cost, Rocky only gave himself five whole days to cast his saber in the water of the pond. That was the most coins he could offer at that moment. Somehow, the news that Ricky would stay in the pond for weapon casting for five days soon spread around the Oriental College like wild fire. From time to time, it could be heard that some disciples were discussi


    adeline." Scar''s respectful voice sounded in Ricky''s mind.


    Although Scar still called his master by his name, his tone was actually quite respectful.


    Whether it was Ricky''s talent in martial arts or in weapon casting, either aspect was enough for Scar to admire his master by a lot. And now, Scar felt even much luckier that he had signed a binding contract with Ricky.


    Of course, he was also worried that his master would be killed before he could become the most powerful warrior because there were just too many people who wanted to kill him desperately.


    "Scar, why do you need my help? What is happening?" Ricky asked urgently at once. "Also, what happened to Madeline? Is she safe?"


    Madeline had been one of his good friends. Moreover, Soar had a huge crush on Madeline and he wanted to make sure that she was safe and sound.


    "Up till now, she is doing all right. However, she has gotten herself in a very sticky situation. Only a genius like you can help her get out of it," Scar said. "Also, this time if you come, there will be a great opportunity waiting for you."


    "I''m glad to hear that she is all right at the moment. I will set off to the Three-hall City immediately, but I''ll have to get there discreetly," Ricky said.


    "I understand! We will be waiting for your arrival. Thank you very much," Scar said.


    "Scar, we share weal and woe. You don''t need to be so courteous to me," Ricky said lightly. "After all, I may meet a lot of trouble and I will also need your assistance in the future."


    "All right. I''ll keep that in mind," Scar said simply.


    Later, Ricky no longer hesitated and went straight out of the Enlightening Pond to find Soar in the Tower of Training and told him about the whole situation.


    "What? Someone dared to trouble my woman? We should go there now!" Soar said with resentment and found it hard to remain calm after he heard that Madeline, the woman he had a crush on, was in great trouble. He could not wait to appear in the Three-hall City as soon as they could.


    "When exactly did she become your woman?" Ricky asked and laughed at Soar.


    "If I believe that she is my woman, then she already is my woman!" Soar said eagerly without the slightest sign of embarrassment.

 Chapter 554 Heading For The Three-hall City

    Knowing that Soar had already made up his mind to leave, Ricky just gave him a smile even though he knew that Soar took the matter seriously.


    "Then what are you waiting for, bro? Get yourself ready. We should waste no time. We need to get to the Three-hall City to save your princess," Ricky urged in a cheerful voice.


    However, Soar''s determination quickly vanished. He became hesitant now that Ricky had offered his help to go with him. "Well, I can go there alone. I think it would be best if you stay in the Oriental College. Don''t worry, I can manage," he said in a mild and confident tone.


    "I guess you''re quite afraid that I might be caught by the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, right?" Ricky asked with all honesty after thinking about the situation for a while.


    "Yes, you''re right about that. I mean, you really don''t have to take the risk for me," Soar nodded with a frown on his face. At that point, he was really worried about Ricky''s safety.


    "We are sworn brothers, and this is no secret already. Everyone knows that. So it''s just fair to say that if they discover you, it would also mean that they have already discovered me, too. Even if we don''t act together, they would still find the clues that link us together. After all, do you think I would stand by and do nothing if you got into some trouble? Come on, I know you would do the same thing for me. So why not take this one together, starting from the beginning? It will eventually save a lot of troubles I''m sure," Ricky said as he tried to persuade Soar into letting him go with him.


    "I see. You make a fair point. I guess, you should get ready then. Let''s go," Soar replied as he saw the sincerity in Ricky''s eyes. With that, he didn''t insist on leaving him behind anymore.


    He knew that Ricky was telling the truth about their situation. Deep in his heart, Soar also knew that Ricky would do anything to help and save him if ever he was caught by the hostile forces. If that were the case, but hopefully not, then it was justifiable that they went together, so that each of them had back up. After all, if they were that unfortunate as being caught and discovered, they still had a trick up their sleeve¡ªthe Chaotic Fire Zone. They could easily hide inside the zone which would then reduce the risk of getting caught in the first place.


    "But I think we should still prepare for some other things before we can go," Ricky said with a smile on his excited face.


    Afterwards, Soar went with Ricky to the Weapon Casting Department to meet Cameron. Soar was out of words as he heard what Ricky asked from Cameron¡ªthree masks made of human skin. But then Soar realized what Ricky wanted to do with them. Out of all the casting masters, Ricky was sure that he had put his trust on the right hands as he knew that Cameron could make them. This genius idea was for their disguise. Any warrior below a demi-spiritual emperor wouldn''t be able to detect the real faces behind them if they wore those masks.


    Upon hearing his request, Cameron already knew that Ricky wanted to go out and practice. Although he did not want to let Ricky leave the college gates and act alone, he still did what he was asked to do. Cameron, realizing Ricky''s need for a disguise, knew that it was impossible for the young man to make fast progress if he were only confined inside the walls of the college yard.


    With this, Cameron didn''t refuse the request, nor did he ask more about what it was for. In fact, he had even asked the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor to come and help him with the casting with the use of his ruling power.


    And in no time, three human-skinned masks were successfully made by the casting master, which would not be possible without the help from the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor. These masks were real enough to d


    ion as it housed three famous forces with completed spiritual kings, after all.


    With no time to spare, Ricky controlled the Chaotic Fire Zone and changed his direction, moved into the city, and got straight into the Saber Hall.


    They went directly to the secret chamber Scar had arranged in advance, and got out from the Chaotic Fire Zone. Having their masks on, the people who came out of the zone looked like normal warriors. Their cover was successful and only careful and wise men would see right through them.


    Meanwhile, Inside the secret chamber, Scar, Madeline, Yedda and Yolanda were already waiting for their arrival.


    It was no surprise to them when they saw three strangers turn up. For one, they had already known that putting up disguises was a must if they wanted their plan to work. Moreover, they knew that Ricky had used a powerful spiritual space tool to help them travel this far. So it was nothing surprising that the three of them would show up this way.


    "What the hell happened, Madeline? So tell me which bastard''s been giving you trouble and I''m going to give him what he deserves!" Soar went up and asked Madeline straight up the moment he saw her. He got so irritated that he just couldn''t keep his voice down even for just a bit.


    Ricky, Scar, and Tina all exchanged embarrassed looks when Soar had ignored all of them and made a fuss, like he was going to beat up anyone that had offended the girl he liked.


    Ricky had mixed emotions upon witnessing Soar''s burst of anger. ''Oh boy, couldn''t you just restrain yourself a bit? Everyone''s watching, you know!'' he thought with a faint smile on his face. Nevertheless, Ricky didn''t say anything to stop Soar. He knew him very well and that was enough reason to let him be. Honestly, he quite liked his simple, yet open and warm personality, along with the fact that his words and deeds always matched what was inside his head.


    By how things looked, it was obvious that Madeline shared Ricky''s opinion, as someone more than just a friend to Soar. Her face lit up and flushed in bright pink. Her grave expression was even gone at Soar''s determined, yet overly protective words. But if there was anything, she was quite happy about how Soar cared about her so much. It even made her stomach flutter and her heart beat faster in her chest. She clearly knew why Soar would act like this, as for more than one time, this guy had already confessed his love and desire for her face to face.


    "So, tell us about it, Scar. What on earth has happened to Saber Hall?"

 Chapter 555 The Trouble With Madeline

    "In the Three-hall City, there are the Saber Hall, the Spear Hall, and the Sword Hall. Those three halls have joint control of the city," Scar said before he turned and nodded in agreement toward Ricky.


    "There is a secret place in the city. We called it the Land of Quintessence. The Quintessence of Heaven and Earth appears there every five years."


    "The Quintessence of Heaven and Earth? What is that?" Ricky echoed curiously when he heard Scar use that strange term.


    "It''s a kind of essential energy from the heaven and earth. Most of the essential energy from heaven and earth appears in the form of Treasures from Heaven and Earth, but a part of that energy presents itself in a liquid form instead," Scar explained. "The Quintessence of Heaven and Earth in the Three-hall City can not only be refined by creatures, but it can also be absorbed by spiritual weapons.


    A spiritual weapon will become more powerful after absorbing it, though its level won''t be upgraded. When it is used by its owner, it can cause greater destructive energy. What''s even more amazing is that, if a spiritual weapon and its owner uses the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth at the same time, they will become more closely connected.


    Needless to say, if a creature refines the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth, their cultivation level will also be greatly improved."


    "What? Is it really that powerful?" Ricky exclaimed in shock after he learned the details of what the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth was from Scar.


    The Quintessence of Heaven and Earth seemed to be born for him and his Iron Destroyer! He had successfully re-produced the Iron Destroyer not long ago. If he and his weapon were to refine the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth successfully, his combat power would be enhanced greatly!


    "So, I think the trouble must have something to do with the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth. Am I right about that?" Ricky asked again.


    "Exactly! In the past hundred years, the three halls would send out three young warriors to have a competition. Whoever won the competition would win the right to refine the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth," Scar continued to explain.


    "However, in the last sixty years, the warrior from the Spear Hall had never won, so they failed to gain the right to refine it. As a result, their youngest generation was becoming weaker than that of the Saber Hall and the Sword Hall as time went by.


    We have made an agreement that no one is allowed to seek help from others during the competition. However, according to my informer, the Spear Hall has contacted an organization at the Demi-spiritual Emperor Level called the Garuda tribe, and promised to pay them a large amount of money fo


    "Yes, I do, but I''m not sure whether it will work or not." Ricky nodded his head a few times before he stretched his hand out. A white jade tablet was sitting in the palm of his hand.


    On the front of it, there was the word "Oriental," and on the back side there was the word "Zhang." That was not the identity jade tablet of the disciples from the Oriental College though. It was the jade tablet that Zenith had asked for from Cheryl Zhang. Ricky had not used it before.


    "That...that is the jade tablet of the Zhang Clan! The peerless genius called Jasper is also from the clan," Scar exclaimed in surprise. He recognized it as soon as he saw it.


    "Do you know about it?" Ricky was surprised that Scar knew something about the jade tablet.


    "Yes, of course. All the forces at the Demi-spiritual Level have their own unique jade tablets with their symbols," Scar replied. "I knew that it was from the Zhang Clan at first sight. Any creature, as long as they have the jade tablet of the Zhang Clan, doesn''t have to fear anything. Owning the jade tablet indicates that you have the support of some core member of the Zhang Clan.


    Besides, once the jade tablet is crushed, the demi-spiritual emperor of the Zhang Clan should be able to feel it."


    "That''s so impressive. I didn''t know that the jade tablet was so useful," Ricky said in surprise when he heard Scar''s explanation.


    His original plan was to show the jade tablet to Keyon Jin in order to threaten him and stop him from taking Madeline away temporarily. Ricky only wished that the prestige of the Zhang Clan would stop the young man from trying to take her away. He was really surprised at its usefulness after he learned how useful the jade tablet he possessed was. Deep inside, he was very grateful for what Zenith had done for him.

 Chapter 556 Keyon

    "Do you know what the jade tablet of a demi-spiritual-emperor force is used for?" Scar asked in surprise after hearing what Ricky had said.


    "Back when I got the jade tablet, it was to help me enter the Oriental College, because I was only a demi-immortal and it was highly likely that I would be denied access to such a renowned college," Ricky answered honestly.


    "That makes sense!" Scar replied lightly.


    "Then, this jade tablet could solve the bad situation coming up in the next three days," Ricky added.


    "You''re right. The Zhang Clan is well respected because of Jasper. Even some spiritual-emperor forces need to show respect to the clan, let alone demi-spiritual-emperor forces," Scar said.


    "If Keyon doesn''t want to anger the Zhang Clan, he will give up. If he still insists on taking Madeline away, then we''ll have to prepare for a fight!"


    "Let''s give it our best shot!" Ricky said. "Soar, you need to make sure to get your temper under control when we face him in three days. I promise you that Keyon will be all yours in ten days. You just need to wait a bit longer."


    "I understand, Ricky," Soar replied with a quick nod. He had realized that they were on the weaker side in that situation.


    Then, Ricky and his companions rested up at the Saber Hall, waiting patiently for whatever was coming their way in three days. Ricky was more concerned about getting the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth though.


    Madeline had always been curious about the relationship between Scar and Ricky, because she was able to tell that Scar treated Ricky with great respect. What made her even more curious about it was that neither Ricky nor Soar had influential power standing behind them.


    Madeline asked Ricky about it. "Scar works for me, so he has to treat his superiors seriously," was the only answer she got from Ricky.


    Since she wasn''t satisfied with Ricky''s reply, she decided to try and ask Soar. To her surprise, Soar gave her the same answer. Soar wouldn''t tell her that Scar was actually Ricky''s servant though.


    Soar''s cryptic reply angered Madeline. She decided to push him further and furiously demanded, "Soar, if


    he power of flushing tree, except Jasper, who was a peerless genius.


    "How I got it is none of your business. If you bother us again, I will be forced to break it," Madeline threatened.


    Keyon harrumphed in frustration. "Don''t be so naive. I won''t just give you up because you threaten to break it," Keyon replied relentlessly. A murderous glare was being shot from his greedy eyes.


    However, deep down in his heart, he did fear for the possible destruction of the jade tablet.


    There were some spiritual-emperor force behind the Garuda tribe. The Zhang Clan also had such force supporting them. Besides, even the spiritual-emperor forces would have to show some respect to the Zhang Clan just for Jasper''s existence.


    "If you keep bullshitting me, I''m gonna break the jade tablet," Madeline said again, as her grip on the jade tablet became tighter.


    "Don''t do that! Please accept our sincere apologies. It''s our fault for offending you," Jim apologized at that critical moment. He had to prevent Madeline from breaking the jade tablet.


    Meanwhile, he gave Keyon a hard glare and told him to stop babbling such nonsense.


    Keyon reluctantly agreed to a compromise and left with his people. He couldn''t just ignore Jim''s signal, after all.


    Josiah was greatly disappointed. He had expected the total destruction of the Saber Hall within a day. The sudden appearance of the jade tablet ruined his daydream completely.

 Chapter 557 Start Of The Competition

    After seeing Keyon and others leave, Madeline, Ricky, and their companions were eventually relieved. They knew that if they fought with them now, they would be the ones defeated. Jim, who was a completed spiritual king, definitely had formidable power, because they could perceive that from his invisible pressure.


    "It seems that this jade tablet is quite useful," Ricky said soon after they left.


    "That is for sure. After all, the Zhang Clan is well-respected¡ªall because Jasper has already been identified as a genius who will definitely become an innate spiritual emperor in the future," Scar responded.


    "That''s not fair. I am an ace genius. Why can''t I have as great a deterrent power as Jasper''s?" Ricky complained sullenly.


    "This is because you haven''t really mastered your real power yet. Jasper''s power is so formidable that even some of the completed spiritual kings are no match for him. When you have the same cultivation level as Jasper, they will fear you too," Scar said.


    "After all, it is still a matter of strength!" Ricky sighed.


    "Master Jim, why didn''t you launch an attack against them just now? Was it because of the Zhang Clan''s jade tablet?" On their way back, Keyon asked Jim the questions in a slightly angry tone, because he really couldn''t wait to take Madeline as his own.


    He respected Jim and waited to listen to what Jim had to say. Otherwise, he could have directly ordered Jim and Josiah to launch an attack just now, regardless of any obstruction or dissent.


    "Prince Keyon, the Zhang Clan is not a pushover, not only because the Oriental College is behind them, but also because their family has given birth to a peerless genius who has huge potential to become an spiritual emperor," Jim answered to Keyon.


    "You mean Jasper? If it is possible, I really want to cut him into pieces!" Keyon said ferociously with a harsh expression.


    "Prince Keyon, you don''t have to hurry to get that woman. At present, what''s rather crucial for us is to get the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth. After getting it, you can make a breakthrough and become a second-class middle spiritual king," Jim reasoned.


    "The woman is currently in the Saber Hall, so she can''t be out of our sight. We''ll take a long-term view on how to capture her when this matter is over. After all, in the end, that woman will be yours."


    "Yes, you are right. Right now, I must get the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth. That is urgent and I shouldn''t let that woman occupy too much of my mind. If that bitch crushes the jade tablet and really


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    y their capabilities in this fierce battle," Josiah initiated the fight as he stood up from his chair at this moment.


    Had it been in the past, Josiah would have never taken the lead in addressing this speech or might not have even wanted to take part in the competition, because in the end, their Spear Hall would lost the competition.


    But now, with Keyon as their companion, everything was different. This time, he was sure that the right to use the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth would only be in their possession. Therefore, he couldn''t wait the competition to start.


    "Our Spear Hall will send a disciple onto the training square first. Next, it''s the turn for you to choose the appropriate disciple that represents your hall."


    After Josiah finished speaking, Banka of the Spear Hall took the lead in jumping onto the training square, looking defiantly at the high platforms of the Sword Hall and Saber Hall.


    "Since the Spear Hall has sent their disciple, let me fight against him," Soar said coldly. Paying no heed to the discussion between Scar and the leader of the Sword Hall, he jumped directly onto the training square.


    Scar could do nothing but shoot an apologetic look at Nora.


    However, Nora was not angry at all about Soar''s reckless behavior. Actually, she was satisfied with this result. As the Saber Hall had sent their representative before her, she could have a rough idea of the strength of the other two halls before sending a disciple from the Sword Hall.


    "Who are you? Tell me your name. I don''t beat the unknown with my spear," Banka said in disdain while looking at Soar.


    He could feel that Soar had not reached the realm of a middle spiritual king yet.

 Chapter 558 Lets Have A Fight

    "Spear? You don''t deserve to use a spear! You are unworthy of even knowing my name," Soar replied coldly. After he heard Banka''s disdainful words, a furious look came over his face.


    "Scar, I''m afraid I have to say that your friend is only a mediocre warrior at best, though his self-confidence and self-respect are those of a higher level warrior. That sassy little creature is too vain and he has crossed the line!" Josiah responded quickly when he heard Soar''s provocative words.


    "He has the power and right to behave like that," Scar answered in a distant voice.


    Scar had confidence in Soar''s strength and power. He did not know that Soar was also a peerless genius, but from the depths of his heart, he believed that Soar was ranked second in skill to a peerless genius. He had always thought that even Keyon would not necessarily be able to defeat Soar.


    At that moment, Soar launched the Flame Enlightenment. The Flame Enlightenment began sweeping through the air as the Heaven-splitting Fire Spear suddenly appeared in his hands.


    "Your weapon is also a spear. It''s really no surprise that you dare to say such provocative words," Banka said roughly. "It doesn''t matter though. Now, I''ll tell you how to wield a spear and show you my spear skill. You better open your eyes and watch."


    "I''ll defeat you in only one strike!" Soar growled as he tried to restrain himself.


    "You are insufferably arrogant and ambitious!" Banka sighed as a strange wave of emotion welled up from deep within him.


    Boom! Boom! When Banka finished speaking, he immediately launched the Gale Enlightenment attack. It swept through the square in a second. At the same moment, the Ultimate Wind Domain also formed and began spreading across the sky.


    "Now, please show me how you''re going to beat me in one strike!" Banka growled menacingly as he exuded an aura of powerful authority.


    "With the wind power and the enlightening power, my spear can overwhelm everyone and everything!"


    Banka roared loudly as he launched his most powerful spear strike. Banka''s soul was seared by Soar''s disdainful words, so he made up his mind and decided to attack Soar with all his might and teach Soar a bloody lesson.


    After it fused with the Wind Enlightenment attack, Banka waved his spear wildly. The spear threw countless shadows, and the


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    erful authority. What force does he come from?'' Luna thought to herself as she stared fixedly at Soar, who was standing at the center of the square.


    ''Anyway, he looks as though he is far inferior in destructive power to that young man.'' With that thought, Luna noticed Ricky out of the corner of her eye.


    She was very surprised by Ricky''s destructive aura, though he was at a comparatively lower cultivation level.


    "Ricky, I didn''t expect that Soar would be so powerful!" Scar said to Ricky, communicating with him through their telepathic link. He was totally stunned by the unexpected events unfolding before them.


    "Scar, he can do more than you think. Just watch him," Ricky said with a grin.


    "It seems that I have played my cards right. It was good fortune that I turned to you for help," Scar answered. He felt overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude.


    When Soar quieted down, he turned to gaze at Keyon.


    "You have come here to help the Spear Hall, isn''t that right? In that case, please come down here and show me what you are capable of," Soar said provocatively as his eyes flashed with an aggressive and murderous light.


    "Keyon, come down here and let''s have a fight."


    "What an audacious little creature! His attitude is more than I can tolerate!" Keyon bellowed at Soar. He was obviously enraged by Soar''s provocative words.


    In the blink of an eye, Keyon made an emergency landing in the square. At that moment, he activated his enlightening power and swept it through the air. Its crushing power flew towards Soar.

 Chapter 559 Dragon Soaring Strike Versus Golden Wing Slash

    "Hey, there you are, little birdie!" Seeing Keyon coming down, Soar, without any hesitation, utilized his most powerful Heaven Melting Fire. It began pouring out of his body and turning into an intensive aura of fire that clashed with the energy that Keyon exuded.


    In the next moment, the power of Fire Enlightenment from Soar peaked, turning into a column of fire, leading all the way to Keyon. Soar''s feet were also covered in the Heaven Melting Fire at that point. Then, he stomped and activated his omnipotent movement skill, which enabled him to transport himself right in front of Keyon through the fire column.


    The Heaven-splitting Spear was equally ferocious and oozed murderous intent from every inch of it. It was a spiritual weapon, so it could sense Soar''s rage and strong desire to kill his opponent. The Heaven-splitting Spear also unleashed its own aura of killing in empathy for Soar at that point.


    Boom!


    Keyon was indeed a much tougher opponent than Banka. He instantly reacted to the attack the second Soar struck out at him. The enlightening power within Keyon permeated the area, and then turned into an impermeable energy force, blocking Soar''s advance from inside the fire corridor.


    Within that split second, Soar was hindered, and Keyon took out his weapon in order to go on the attack. His weapon was a golden saber, with a golden Garuda engraved on it. Although it was just an emblem, it was very elegant and impressive. The most striking part was its golden eyes. They were so vivid and lifelike that it looked as if they were looking down on every living soul in the world.


    Just as the fire on the spearhead came close, Keyon waved his saber and struck out.


    Boom! At the moment that the saber clashed with the spear, the two Ultimate Domains crashed into each other head on. The ground beneath the battle was then almost split in two by the tremendous force as they fell from the sky.


    The clash of two forces sent sparks jumping through the air. It looked just like the big bang that created the universe, and anything they touched shattered in their path.


    Both Keyon and Soar felt like they had just hit a wall and were thrown back by the tremendous counter force from each other''s at


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    golden saber that was in his hand.


    He then struck at Soar with his saber, and an aura in the shape of blade emerged. It was in the shape of a wing with the shadow of the golden Garuda on both sides. It carried the full power of Keyon as it flew straight toward Soar.


    "Since you do not want to tell me your identity, then I''ll force you to with my attack!" Keyon roared from within the golden light.


    "Do you really think that you get to see my real body after such a lousy attack? Now I''m just curious about the real body of your Garuda tribe!" Soar said with a cold smile.


    The Heaven Melting Fire instantly covered the area around him, turning it into a small zone of fire storm, and the image of a fire dragon loomed over the fire.


    Soar did not utilize his dragon power for that battle because people could easily guess that he was Soar from the Oriental College if he did.


    In the next moment, the flying fire dragon fused with Soar''s Heaven-splitting Spear.


    "Dragon Soaring Strike! Take this!"


    Soar shouted and morphed his attack into a spearhead of fire along with his Heaven-splitting Spear. There was also the shadow of soaring dragon looming around where the spearhead was launched.


    There was no doubt that that attack was another legacy of the Great Dragon cultivation method that Soar had mastered in the past five months.


    Boom!


    Their energies clashed with each other as their moves of the Dragon Soaring Strike and the Golden Wing Slash connected.

 Chapter 560 The Power Of The Heaven Melting Pagoda

    Boom! Boom!


    The whole square trembled violently. It quickly became flooded with enlightening power as the two fierce strikes collided with each other. And in a twinkling of an eye, the air billow engulfed everything that was in its way.


    ''''How could their collision be so fierce? In that case, then they must be real and authentic geniuses!'''' many warriors exclaimed again as they saw the explosive scene right before their naked eyes.


    Jim stood on the platform along with the other members of the Spear Hall. He couldn''t help but turn gloomy as soon as he realized that he underestimated Soar''s strength this time around. Now, he began to worry that Keyon might lose to Soar.


    As the endless air surges finally subsided after the collision, both Soar''s and Keyon''s silhouettes emerged from the thick clouds of dust.


    Soar might have looked a bit rough and bruised, but his momentum was still as powerful as ever. His eyes blazed with intense determination and fighting intent. He even resembled the God of War as he stood there enveloped by scorching and powerful flames.


    But Keyon''s condition was not at all close to Soar''s. In fact, he was down on the ground half-kneeling, gasping for breath. His once shiny and golden eyes that lit with determination were replaced by ferocity and viciousness.


    ''''Look! I can''t believe that Keyon has been overpowered this time! Who the hell is that young man?'''' some warrior exclaimed. The onlookers were shocked by the outcome of the bout. After all, nobody was able to calm down after witnessing such an intense scene.


    ''''He did not even mention his name. Who is this lad? Where on earth did the leader of the Saber Hall find such a young genius like this dude?''''


    ''''I thought that the prince of the Garuda tribe would have special skills, but as it turns out, I was wrong about that. I get it now. You are no better than Banka. You are just like him, aren''t you? Also good at bragging," jeered Soar mercilessly as he looked at Keyon''s vicious face.


    ''''Just show me your real beast body. Otherwise, you would be trampled underfoot by me.''''


    Roar! Roar! Soar''s cocky words had driven Keyon to wits'' end. Unable to bear the anger in his chest anymore, he yelled out ferociously as he released his ferocious wrath.


    Boom! Boom!


    And in a split second, Keyon''s power also began to surge in his system.


    ''''Whoa, Keyon is about to show us his real body!'''' Many warriors exchanged their thoughts with each other as they sa


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    le powers.


    ''''I guess that this could be his true power after all.''''


    ''''The Golden Enlightenment is for the offense while the Stone Enlightenment is for defense. Combing the two enlightening powers would mean that Keyon''s move must have very strong enlightening power.''''


    ''''At this rate that both of them have some serious ace moves, it''s still hard to tell who will emerge victoriously!''''


    Boom! And in a bat of an eye, the huge claw enveloped in Golden Enlightenment and Stone Enlightenment collided heavily with the pagoda.


    Upon witnessing the collision, all the warriors could not help but stare eagerly as the result completely bombarded their imagination.


    To their surprise, the claw was instantly swallowed and burnt into ashes by the pagoda, as well as the Golden Enlightenment and the Stone Enlightenment that encircled it.


    With this, all of Keyon''s attacks were neutralized by the pagoda as it struck him heavily. Keyon was not able to help himself but let out a painful scream as he fell heavily on the ground, his golden blood spraying everywhere.


    The fight was now over as Keyon was defeated so promptly. What a bloody fiasco it was!


    All the warriors in the area stared at the scene in disbelief. They didn''t expect Keyon to be vanquished that quickly. If there was anything, they even thought that he would put up a strong fight against Soar. But among the other warriors'' attempt to guess the result, it was only Ricky who had foreseen the outcome from the beginning.


    ''Hmmm...it seems that the Heaven Melting Pagoda has already restored much of its energy, '' Ricky thought to himself as he assessed Soar''s victory.

 Chapter 561 The Legendary Garrett Jin

    Actually, Keyon''s power was not much weaker than Soar''s. However, after Soar broke out the power of the Heaven Melting Pagoda, his overall power was increased by several times. As a result, it was inevitable for him to defeat Keyon easily.


    The surrounding warriors, apart from Ricky, did not know this. Thus, Keyon''s crushing defeat was completely unbelievable to them. For them, the two warriors apparently had no big gap in their martial arts.


    However, the reality had presented itself in front of their eyes. Even if they found it hard to believe, they had no choice but to accept it numbly. Deep down, they were stunned by Soar''s formidable power and became very curious as to which tribe he was from and how he could beat Keyon in such a way that did not show his original beast body.


    On the high platform of the Spear Hall, Josiah, the leader of the Spear Hall, and Jim, a spiritual king from the Garuda tribe, once again became very irritated with their faces darkening with anger and chagrin. They found it hard to accept the fact that Keyon had such a crushing defeat. Instead, they had been expecting that Keyon would easily beat Soar.


    Jim was visibly fidgeting in his seat. He was controlling his urge to burst out fierce attacks against Soar personally.


    However, he somehow managed to hold back his passionate impulse. If he burst out attacks now, their Garuda tribe would be humiliated in public even more than it already had been. He was not allowed to attack those contestants since he was not participating in the competition. More importantly, they had come here to challenge the Saber Hall this time with full preparation, and they still had an ace up their sleeve which they hadn''t used yet.


    "As I have said, even after the manifestation of your beast body, the result would be the same. There is no point in denying the fact that no matter how hard you try, you just can''t defeat me!" Soar snarled coldly as he steered his attention to Keyon, who was completely stunned and was glowering with rage.


    Since he was not allowed to kill Keyon, he tried his best to give him a great mental blow. His hatred for him had no limits as the latter had tried to get Madeline, the woman he had really strong feelings for.


    Keyon let out a muffled and angry roar in the air, which exhausted his last energy. Along with the roar, he turned himself into his human figure and landed on the ground. Once again, he half knelt but this time, he was too feeble to stand up. Losing all his momentum, he just couldn''t fight anymore.


    Once regarded as the strongest warrior among all the contestants of this competition, he had attracted a lot of attention. So, at that moment, Keyon was just not able to accept his status as a loser.


    But now, he had not only lost but had also been defeated so seemingly effortlessly by his opponent. Though he ha


    seat and think carefully about how you lost the fight."


    "All right, brother!" Keyon responded at once after hearing his brother''s firm order. Meanwhile, a light flickered in Keyon''s eyes, as if he was suddenly shaken awake from his deep frustration by his brother''s wise words. He then said nothing and returned to the high platform without any hesitation.


    Keyon understood that if he immersed himself in this failure, he would always be possessed by his inner demon in the future. Thus, at that moment, what he had to do was calm himself down and have a deep reflection about his defeat. As to take revenge on Soar, he could find more opportunities later.


    "It seems that Keyon is not as vulnerable as I thought," Ricky whispered when he witnessed that Keyon got back to his seat, and sat in a meditative stance to balance his mindset.


    "After all, as a young master from a demi-spiritual-emperor force, it is quite impossible for him to lose mind because of a failure," Scar added.


    "Your name?" Garrett Jin asked Soar simply and coldly. Meanwhile, his eyes burned with seriousness and rage. His younger brother had been defeated by this guy in front of him. Hence, he was quite determined to crush him to safeguard the dignity of his tribe.


    "Ridge Long!" Soar made up a random name.


    At that very moment, Soar''s eyes were also grave, because from their collision a moment ago, he could clearly feel that Garrett Jin was far more powerful than Keyon. This time, he had to fire his most powerful skill.


    "Ridge Long? I haven''t heard of such a name or the surname Long before," Garrett Jin said indifferently. "Anyway, it doesn''t matter, because I never show the slightest interest in any warrior who will be defeated by me."


    Bang! Bang! Without giving Soar any time to respond, Garrett Jin instantly burst out his momentum and Golden Enlightenment, which hurtled swiftly towards Soar.

 Chapter 562 Golden Light Strike Versus Scorching Golden Fist

    Snap!


    As soon as the power of Garrett''s Golden Enlightenment rushed out, a shattering sound rang out all around them. The ground he was standing on had cracked between his feet when he stomped.


    At the same moment, Garrett appeared in front of Soar abruptly. Almost the same second as that, he threw out a fast, fierce punch that glowed with golden light. Everything happened so fast. Within a split second, the punch could hit him and kill him. If Soar couldn''t avoid it in a timely manner, his head would be smashed into pieces. The onlookers were holding their breath and waiting anxiously to see how the situation would unfold itself.


    At that particular moment, another fist surrounded by golden light emerged. Along with a deafening sound as if two weapons were colliding with each other ferociously, Garrett''s fist attack was blocked by the newly emerged fist.


    Then, the two bodies that were filled with golden light both stepped slightly back and away from each other.


    "This is your second fight in a row. This battle is becoming difficult for you, so let me try," a low voice said to Soar in that moment. The low voice came from Ricky. He and Soar represented the Saber Hall at that day''s competition. Ricky wanted to protect the Saber Hall, so he had been watching Soar''s competition closely.


    The moment he felt that Soar was in danger, he had already launched an attack to protect him. Meanwhile, he was worried that if Soar wanted to defeat Garrett or maybe ended the battle in a tie, he would have no choice but to burst out the blood power of a Great Dragon and the power of the Heaven Melting Pagoda. If that happened, the cost would be too high. Soar''s identity as a Great Dragon was supposed to be kept top secret. Exposing such a secret would only get him into much more serious trouble. Previously, he even lied and said that his name was Ridge in order to keep his identity a secret.


    Seeing Ricky stand up for him, Soar decided not to refuse his help. Without any hesitation, he returned to his seat on the high platform. He couldn''t be more aware of the reason that Ricky had needed to interrupt the battle between him and Garrett. Keyon had also been completely defeated by him and his purpose had been realized. He had great confidence that Ricky could take care of the remaining business at hand.


    "Who is this young man?" Seeing how Ricky had resisted Garrett''s attack, the warriors around were shocked by the events in front of them once more.


    "Judging from the momentum that this young man has, his power does not seem to be inferior to Garrett''s. How did the Saber Hall manage to find two young geniuses with such impressive power?"


    "It''s so strange. I feel like this young man''s realm is inferior to Ridge''s, so how come his power has turned out to be more powerful than Ridge''s?"


    "I don''t think you''re right about that. Do you think that he is also a peerless genius like Jasper or an ace genius like Ricky? Do you think that he could really challenge those who have higher levels of strength than him? I am telling you, it''s just impossible. He must have used a way to hide his real strength. There are many ways to hide a warrior''s real strength, after all. Anyway, there can''t be that


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    attacking power. I''m really curious as to who will win in the end!"


    "I bet that Garrett will win. I heard that not a single warrior whose cultivation base was at the same level with him could defeat him before because of his power of Golden Enlightenment."


    "Exactly! Although Garrett doesn''t cultivate dual powers like Keyon, his Ultimate Domain of golden power is far superior to most other young warriors in his generation."


    "I think that it''s still hard to say. Russell and Ridge are mysterious, and we know nothing about their backgrounds yet. We didn''t think highly of Ridge at all before, but we all saw what happened when he fought, right? Keyon was completely defeated by Ridge. I guess that Russell''s strength must be extremely formidable too."


    "I think that you''re right! My instincts tell me that Russell is quite an unfathomable warrior!"


    "I guess you can say that this match¡ªsince it''s between those two warriors who both cultivate the Golden Enlightenment¡ªis going to be very fierce." The discussion soon subsided, and the crowd turned back around to watch the match.


    "Let me test your strength!" Garrett bellowed sternly the moment the Ultimate Domains of their Golden Enlightenment collided with each other. Then, the endless golden light emerged from behind his back.


    "Golden Light Slash!" Garrett roared furiously.


    In the next second, the golden light blended with Golden Enlightenment and instantly condensed into a golden saber in his hand. He then flung it violently toward Ricky.


    "I''m going to warn you¡ª you will never manage to beat me with such simple tricks," Ricky sneered coldly.


    Buzz! Buzz! Instantly, Ricky''s Massacring Runes burst out from his body. They blended with his Massacring Enlightenment while five sun-like light balls were glittering brightly behind his back.


    "Massacring Power¡ªScorching Golden Fist!" Ricky roared furiously as he attacked.


    At the same time, his right fist instantly merged with the five light balls. Then, his attack slammed towards Garrett''s attack.


    Bang! The next moment, the Golden Light Strike and Scorching Golden Fist clashed against each other violently.

 Chapter 563 The Ultimate Battle

    There was a cracking sound that cut through the air, like a thousand cannons firing all at once. Two flashes of lightning appeared and collided with each other momentarily, illuminating the heavens.


    When the flashes of lightning collided, they produced even more deafening sounds. It sounded like the crackle of electricity mixed with the roar of a herd of elephants, causing instant chaos. The two flashes of lightning coiled and struck each other repeatedly, as if they were living things. They behaved like two cobras entwined in a dance of death. Neither could claim an advantage over the other.


    There was a puff of smoke, and the bolts of lightning transformed into two distinct human forms. Ricky and Garrett now stood in front of each other, their clothes tattered, and their bodies bruised from their celestial combat. Each man could see that their battle was leading nowhere. It was a frustrating stalemate for both of the magical warriors.


    Both warriors realized that the magical combat would lead them nowhere. They were too evenly matched on the spiritual and magical planes. Perhaps the physical combat would prove their abilities more efficiently and produce a clear victor. Each man fell into their familiar martial arts stances, and began to pummel the other. Each thrust was effectively dodged. Each attempted punch or kick was deftly parried, and both men began to resemble dancers locked in a dance of death.


    Occasionally, a punch or kick would connect with tremendous force. Ricky landed a vicious uppercut to Garrett which sent the man flying. There was an explosion that seemed to split the air when the punch connected. Garrett dusted himself up, and flew right at Ricky with a flying kick. For a moment, both men seemed to vanish, as the kick connected. In the blink of an eye, both men appeared in another area, transported by their own magical energies.


    "This battle is amazing! I''ve never seen so much power and magical energy released like this. It''s almost like we''re watching two true second-class middle spiritual kings in action!" one warrior said. The crowd hushed and chatted among themselves with delight and excitement. They all knew that they were witnessing an amazing battle taking place.


    "You''re right. Who is this mysterious young man, Russell? He fights unlike any warrior that I have ever seen," a second warrior said.


    "Yes. I''m sure that his comprehension of the Golden Enlightenment defies explanation. It''s almost as if he were the very personification of the Golden Enlightenment. Garrett is a skilled warrior, but I''m not sure he can take on Russell," a third warrior said.


    "Damn it! Where did those two come from?" Keyon watched the battle intently. He had thought that Ricky would be no match for his elder brother. It was a reasonable assumption, but Ricky was throwing any kind of reason out the window. The young warrior was a prod


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ce, aren''t you? It courses with your own emotions in battle. I can sense your anger and eagerness to fight being channeled through it," Garrett said in a chilling tone as he looked at Ricky''s Iron Destroyer. "If I strike and crash the saber, you will be attacked as well. Your will shall be broken."


    "We don''t know if any of that is true! Just show me how strong your Golden Scale Halberd is," Ricky said with rising anger and blistering confidence. He would not allow Garrett''s words to affect him. There was just too much at stake now.


    "You''re angry? Good!" Garrett said.


    The sounds of battle rang through the air again.


    Garrett''s voice had faded now, and the sounds of furious battle had replaced banter.


    Garrett dashed forward faster than anyone had ever seen. His Golden Scale Halberd danced in the air for a moment, before falling precariously close to Ricky''s throat.


    Ricky blinked, and for one terrible moment, he thought that Garrett''s halberd would fall on him, and split his throat in two. The moment did not come. His Iron Destroyer blocked the Golden Scale Halberd''s downward spiral of death.


    Sparks flew as Garrett''s halberd collided with Ricky''s saber.


    The sound of their weapons echoed in the air.


    There was a flash of blinding light, as both weapons struck each other, and everyone could not make out what had just happened.


    Suddenly, a voice called out angrily in the air blast. "Golden scale power! Golden Scale Slash!"


    The sky above was filled with endless golden scales. They swarmed around like thousands of flies choking the very heavens above, before gathering, and forming an even bigger golden halberd.


    The scales clanged as the Golden Scale Halberd hacked at Ricky.


    At the same time, however, another voice called out too. "Massacring power! Smashing Blade Attack! Three-in-one Strike!"


    Immediately, three golden lights were ejected from the force of the collision.

 Chapter 564 Garrett Also Failed

    Bang! Bang!


    The three golden lights that contained infinite killing power emitted simultaneously as they instantly turned into three sharp blades.


    A series of events could be seen after the transformation of the three blades. With the first blade, a vision of broken mountains and rivers could be seen. It seemed that they were slashed and destroyed by a giant blade.


    With the second blade, a vision of broken heaven and earth emerged. And with the third blade, a vision of a broken universe emerged. Without a doubt, the three blades were the three strikes of Smashing Blade Attack released by Ricky.


    It broke mountains and rivers. It broke the heaven and earth. It broke the universe.


    After reaching the innate spirit level, Ricky was able to comprehend and acquire the three Slaughtering Blades in a short span of time. He was about to fuse the three sharp blades together in order to explode more powerful attacks.


    Thump! Thump! Numerous massacring runes encircled the three blades. Under the influence of the massacring runes'' powers, the three blades merged together in an instant.


    A greater blade was formed as the visions appearing behind the three blades also merged into one. Surrounded by the massacring runes, the giant blade slashed at the giant Golden Scale Halberd.


    Clang! The collision of the giant blade and the giant Golden Scale Halberd caused bright sparks. The sound of the collision was so deafening that it felt as if their surroundings were about to explode. The fierce enlightening power instantly swept over the area from the center of the collision. The enlightening power soon turned into strong airwaves that endlessly and violently exploded.


    As those shockwaves swept over the area, the Golden Scale Halberd and the massacring blade began to slowly crack apart.


    The intense collision and explosion caused the inverse powers to grow even more intense and powerful.


    Due to the strong inverse powers, Ricky and Garrett were both pushed a few steps back. If it weren''t for the enlightening power they released to protect themselves, they would have been seriously hurt by the powerful strikes that exploded around them.


    They both couldn''t help but kneel in the air as their looks turned more severe and furious. The intent to fight in their eyes was greater than ever before.


    Thump! The next moment, they stepped heavily in the air and burst out endless enlightening powers without any hesitat


    ened me to my bones!"


    "Just as they said, the result will soon be decided."


    Boom! Boom! No matter how much they talked, all they could see and hear were immense airwaves and deafening sounds.


    Those in the crowd with sharper eyes could tell that when the domain formed by the four fang blades collided with the radiant golden lights, the gale runes resembling the tides turned into a form of clouds and mist which then flowed into the golden lights.


    Everything happened all at once. Garrett didn''t realize what had happened until the power of sadness had already spread all over his body.


    ''How could this be possible? How can he break out such a strong power of sadness with a single strike? I was nearly destroyed by it!'' Garrett was mesmerized by what he just saw.


    In the blink of an eye, he used his great will and mind to fight back.


    However, under the attack of Ricky''s double power, Garrett could only resist for a limited amount of time. After that, his failure would inevitably be more predictable and visible.


    First, the killing golden lights began to fade gradually. The lights then vanished due to the attack of the gale power on the four fang blades. As Garrett''s attack vanished, the power of the wounds sweeping his mind made him think of sad visions.


    ''Damn it! How did he attack me like that? How come I wasn''t able to counter him?'' Garrett knew that he was bound to lose at that moment. There was nothing left for him to do but roar unwillingly inside his heart.


    But he was also brave enough to face his failure. The next moment he said loudly, "I see it now. I have failed in this battle!"

 Chapter 565 Luna From The Apsara Palace

    A sudden echoing of someone''s admittance of defeat filled the battlefield with deafening silence. Immediately, an exchange of confused looks and blank faces scattered all over the area. ''What on earth happened?'' they all wondered. In the blink of an eye, the duel had already concluded before anyone could absorb how much strength the two rivals possessed. None of them was quite able to grasp how intense the clash was.


    But anyway, they wouldn''t get surprised no matter who had won in the end. In everyone''s eyes, both Ricky and Garrett were skilled and powerful warriors.


    "What the hell is going on?" "Seriously? The battle had just begun, and now it''s over?" The warriors finally shook off their stunned reactions and were able to speak. Then, everyone in the area, both humans and beasts, began to whisper in disbelief.


    "If we''re not mistaken, it was indeed Garrett''s voice just now. So Russell should be the winner," some of the warriors then claimed with confidence.


    When it was clear who the victor was, distraught filled the faces of those up on the platform of the Spear Hall, including Josiah, Jim, and Keyon. The truth was, all of them already had an inkling of Garrett''s defeat. After seeing how overwhelmingly powerful Ricky could be, they knew the chances of Garrett''s winning the fight were slim. When this finally turned into reality, however, they found it hard to accept that Ricky arose victorious.


    "Ha-ha! That''s my brother. Is Garrett truly the strongest one you have to offer? I hate to break it to you, but my brother would win no matter how many strong warriors you have." Soar, on the other hand, gloated over Garrett''s defeat.


    Not even Scar could contain how amazed he was with the battle that just concluded. ''No wonder he is deemed an ace genius. This young man is truly beyond ordinary and could indeed live up to his name! Maybe signing a bonding contract with him and serving him would turn out to be beneficial to me, '' he couldn''t help but think.


    Scar wasn''t the only one trying to absorb what just happened. ''I knew he would win, and my intuition didn''t fail me this time. But who on earth is this guy? And what are those fancy skills these two guys have been using to fight for the Saber Hall? I have read none of them in the archive of the Apsara Palace. How strange!'' Luna thought with a frown as she stood on the platform of the Sword Hall.


    As she watched Ricky reappear slowly, curiosity and a fighting spirit revealed themselves in her clear and beautiful eyes. Totally ignoring Garrett, Luna poured all her attention on Ricky.


    Despite their difference, Luna had one thing in common with other geniuses¡ªonly the winner would intrigue them and catch their attention.


    "Shall I take some actions, Garrett?" Jim asked Garrett using his telepathy at this point.


    "Thanks, Master Jim, but there is no need. I have lost and we have to accept that. Besides, we shouldn''t make a fuss here. It will only hurt the reputation of our Garuda tribe," Garrett replied calmly, like he didn''t care about the result of this battle at all.


    "Got it," Jim answ


    it? Honestly, I''ve got interest in you, pretty boy. I wonder which organization in this world is so lucky to have two amazing talents like you and your friend," Luna asked in a soft and alluring voice.


    It was apparent that Luna was setting some honey trap for Ricky to lure him into telling more about his background.


    "Like I said, I''m merely a nobody from a faraway corner of this world. It''s not worth mentioning at all," Ricky responded, as humble as he could.


    Luna had misjudged him, for he was never the kind of man who would be captivated by any beauty. Ricky was immune to honeyed words from a woman.


    Seeing that Ricky refused to talk more about himself, Luna didn''t persist. She was clever. She knew it would be hard to fish out any secrets from someone as strong as Ricky. Simple sweet talk would definitely not do the trick. After all, the man in front of her had brought Garrett down. One should not expect to get to the bottom of who he was before beating him in a fight.


    "Well then. Do pull your punches next, please." Luna then nodded to Ricky with a smile. "Oh, sorry, I forgot. Do you need some more time to rest? Or shall we begin now?"


    "Thank you, but we can just begin right away. Let''s say we all bring out our best and finish this game with a single strike, shall we? We''re about the same level, so I think it''s fair enough," Ricky suggested. "Time is precious, don''t you think?" He looked at Luna with a meaningful smile.


    "Sure!" Luna agreed without hesitation. Her voice was still mild and soft, but there was confidence in it now.


    "But I''ve got another suggestion, and I wonder if it''s okay with you," Luna suddenly proposed.


    "Oh? What is it then?" Ricky asked with a positive smile.


    "Strictly speaking, I''m an array deployer. So setting and controlling all kinds of arrays are what I''m good at," Luna explained.


    "Ah, an array deployer. That''s interesting," Ricky said, the smile slowly disappearing from his face.


    A frown replaced where his smile used to be. He knew how powerful an array deployer could be.

 Chapter 566 Star Moon Sword Array

    "What do you mean by that, Luna?" Ricky asked. In fact, he had almost guessed how Luna really wanted to compete with him.


    "It''s very simple, actually. I will deploy an array, and you will need to break it. If you succeed in doing this task, then the Saber Hall wins. Otherwise, the Sword Hall wins," Luna said with a smile on her face.


    ...


    "I''ve heard that Luna is good when it comes to arrays. And it seems that she plans to use an array to compete with this mysterious Russell. Isn''t that very strategic?" A few disciples talked with each other upon hearing what Luna and Ricky were talking about.


    "Exactly! That''s also what I heard. I also heard that no genius of the same level has ever been able to break Luna''s array!"


    "You''re right about that! So let''s see how daring this mysterious Russell is. Would he really be that brave to accept Luna''s proposal?"


    The disciples gossiped with each other as they were so eager to find out what Ricky''s response was.


    "Unexpectedly, you are an array deployer! And I must say that your offer really surprised me!" Ricky said faintly. "To be honest, it is not that much of a wise choice to wait for an array deployer to finish creating an array and then break it."


    "Exactly!" Luna didn''t deny Ricky''s words, but agreed with him instead.


    "If that''s the case, Russell, then that would mean¡­"


    "I really want to refuse your offer. But now that it is just a competition, and may I add that you are such a beautiful lady, I''ve changed my mind. Instead, I have decided to accept your proposal," Ricky said with a slightly wicked grin on his lips. It came as a surprise to everyone that he agreed with Luna''s proposal.


    "Oh, really? He accepted Luna''s proposal! This is so exciting! Could he be the first genius to ever break Luna''s array?" The onlookers were a little astonished upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    "I guess that he is very likely to break Luna''s array. I bet he''s strong enough for this task. He is the one who defeated Garrett, after all!"


    On the other hand, Keyon was not very delighted to hear how the other warriors talked about Garrett. His brows were closely knit together in anger, and it looked as if he wanted to murder all those warriors who displeased him.


    But Garrett''s face remained calm, as if he had never heard a word they said.


    "Then that would mean that you''ve finally accepted my proposal, Russell! Oh I can''t wait to start! " Luna expected a different answer from Ricky. Hence, the surprised look appeared on her face when she knew that they were going to push through with it. Because in her opinion, she felt that it was very likely for Ricky to reject her proposal.


    After all, deep in Luna''s heart, she had judg


    '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Buzz! Buzz!


    Meanwhile, with the spreading of the power of the stars and the moon in the array, several green swords emerged quickly, which then encircled the whole air of the inner part of the array. And after careful counting, a total of ninety-nine green swords filled the air.


    Each sword emitted strong and vibrant light which contained the power of killing and obscure icy rays.


    "Luna, your Star Moon Sword Array is true to its name. My confidence is shattered just by simply feeling the icy rays. I do not think I can simply destroy it," Ricky said with humility in his voice, smiling.


    But behind his humble eyes, it could be seen that Ricky had become more serious at that moment as he tried to find a way on how to break it.


    "Russell, I know you are just kidding. And besides, I can see that you are really confident about this," said Luna with a smile. "But if you think that this is unfair to you, we can end the competition with one move."


    "Ha-ha, now that I have accepted your proposal, how can I go back and break my word? Especially when faced with such a beautiful lady?" Ricky said as he let out a loud laugh. But the competition still went on as Ricky walked right into the Star Moon Sword Array without any hesitation.


    "Luna, please activate your Star Moon Sword Array and let this competition begin," Ricky said impatiently as he could not wait for the competition to end and thus he could claim his victory.


    "In that case, Russell, please be careful. I will not show mercy on you in this competition as I am requested by others. Otherwise, it would be deemed unfair to them," Luna said.


    Without further ado, the green lines on Luna''s forehead suddenly burst forth, and the Star Moon Sword Array started to roll over the entire space.

 Chapter 567 The Gale Torrent Strike

    Like an intricate dance, the ninety-nine green swords started to spin around inside the Star Moon Sword Array. Luna watched as the swords devoured the brimming energy in the air like a beast starved.


    With every second that passed, they absorbed more and more force from the surroundings. There was no end to their hunger. The green swords grew sharper and bigger, as if to make room for the power collected.


    Standing inside the mouth of the Star Moon Sword Array, Ricky felt a strong wave of murderous intent. He felt his skin prick with boundless icy rays.


    ''I regret agreeing with Luna''s plan. This Star Moon Sword Array makes me feel threatened, '' Ricky thought to himself. His fingers clenched as he realized both his desperate situation and his resolve.


    The die was cast. It was his own rotten luck that he managed to roll snake eyes. ''My immediate priority is to break through the Star Moon Sword Array, even if I have to fight my way out.''


    With that thought in mind, Ricky activated the four zones. They swept forward and then upwards, blazing a path across the ninety-nine green swords that now covered the sky. However, Ricky only had a second to glimpse at the clouds around them. The swords continued their dance. They moved to avoid his attack before slotting back in place. In other words, they had him surrounded to the point where he couldn''t even find the center of the array. All he knew was that the Star Moon Sword Array was still active for the ninety-nine green swords to work.


    To break through the Star Moon Sword Array, Ricky needed to crush the ninety-nine green swords first.


    "Russell, you agreed to let me deploy my Star Moon Sword Array. And now, I want to repay you for that," Luna said in a soft tone. She looked down on him, hovering as she did above him and the Star Moon Sword Array like the God of War.


    Her eyes narrowed, as sharp and cold as the blades she controlled. "Now, I''ll activate the most powerful sword array attack. If you can survive it, you will win."


    "Ha-ha! Luna, thank you in advance. But I have the ability to break through this sword array," Ricky said. Apparently, he was very confident of himself.


    "You seem quite sure of yourself. Let''s both save some breath and start our contest!" Luna growled. The rumbling in her throat echoed through the array as they glowed in time with her anger.


    Like a foreboding heartbeat, Luna''s body was enveloped by the same light. She controlled the enlightening power of the stars and moon. It surged up and spread across the air quickly in reaction to her call. The action was as easy as holding out one''s own hand.


    In more ways than one, it was an extension of Luna at this point. She had cultivated the enlightening force as religiously as she trained her body. Deploying the Star Moon Sword Array had the same sensation as releasing a long-held breath.


    The enlightening for


    nt Strike could not only launch a powerful and violent strike, but it could also make use of the opponent''s force and make it attack the opponent.


    It was only a small change in the route of the force. But, in a fight between master cultivators, even the smallest advantage could greatly affect the outcome and the victor.


    Boom! Boom!


    So, it came as no surprise when the giant sword, mighty as it pierced clouds, shattered into pieces upon collision with the Gale Torrent Strike.


    If it was only a question of sheer force and power, then Luna''s Star Moon Sword Array was on par with the Gale Torrent Strike. Unfortunately for her, when the force changed course, the tables turned in Ricky''s favor.


    Everyone was stunned into silence by the sudden and unexpected scene.


    "I can''t believe it. How could this enigmatic young man defeat Luna by making her force attack her?" All the warriors around were in stunned disbelief.


    "Russell, you have won another contest with surprise tactics! Russell! Who on earth are you? Are there so many geniuses in the world?" Garrett murmured to himself. His face turned sour.


    He was devastated by Ricky''s mind-blowing performance.


    At the same time, Garrett paled further when he realized that Ricky had pulled his punches. He pulled on his sleeve, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in his own clothes, his own flesh, and way out of his depth.


    The windstorm continued on its path of destruction above them. The second the giant sword shattered, the ninety-nine small swords appeared in their places among the glittering sea of shards.


    Ricky waved his Iron Destroyer as the gale runes spread across the sky. The power of the windstorm crushed the ninety-nine small swords in one fell swoop.


    The Star Moon Sword Array that once loomed over the whole square followed in its wake. Within a second, maybe two, any trace of the monstrous display of force vanished into thin air.

 Chapter 568 Win The Qualification

    Boom!


    The moment that Luna''s Star Moon Sword Array collapsed and dispersed, Ricky''s Gale Torrent Strike also abruptly blew up. It turned into airwaves that had great impacting power, completely crushing the entire Star Moon Sword Array in an instant.


    Poof! At the same time, Luna coughed and blood began to flow out of her mouth, staining her cyan veil.


    After the Star Moon Sword Array collapsed, Luna was naturally affected by the counterattack force because she was the master of the array. Luckily, she only vomited a mouthful of blood, and had no other injuries. She knew that Ricky had cut her some slack. He did not launch any other attacks that would destroy the hidden patterns in her array.


    Those hidden patterns were the real framework of her array. They were also a means of hiding the center of her array. Most importantly, they were the power source of her array.


    Ricky could only truly destroy her array by destroying the hidden patterns within it. Luna, as the master of the array, would suffer more severe injuries if he did that, however.


    Since Ricky held no grudge against her, and their battle was only a competition for the use right of the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth, Ricky didn''t want to be too rough on her and was afraid of killing her.


    Seeing that the power on the surface of the array had collapsed, Ricky withdrew all his attack power and then looked at Luna calmly without saying anything. He had shown a nice gesture by cutting her some slack. Now, it was her turn to decide whether to continue the competition or to admit her failure in front of the crowd.


    "You have won the competition, and I also want to thank you for your mercy. I would suffer many more injuries if you truly wanted to hurt me," Luna said sincerely to Ricky as she tried to stabilize herself. Apparently, she had accepted Ricky''s kind gesture.


    Meanwhile, one could also see that there was a look of shock in her beautiful eyes. Until then, she still hadn''t figured out how exactly Ricky could use a skill that was able to use the power of her own array to attack itself.


    After hearing Luna admitting her failure, the warriors in the crowd broke into an intense discussion. They all had complicated feelings about the events that had just transpired. "Luna admitted her failure, so the victory goes to that mysterious stranger that calls himself Russell!" the warriors cried out.


    In fact, in the depths of their hearts, they had hoped that Luna would win. She was regarded as a goddess in the hearts of many people there, after all. Over the years, her reputation had been growing. Somehow, they had thought deep down that she would be invincible and always win.


    "Now, I am becoming more and more curious about which force Russell and Ridge are from."


    "Don''t worry! We don''t need to try and find that out by ourselves. Garrett, his men, and Luna will be more curious than we are. Soon, we''ll be able to learn the answer from them."


    "Saber Hall has taken the win this time around! That means that the Spear Hall has not won this com


    wo halls, "Guys, the winners and losers have been determined now. Please hand over the rewards of the competition according to our previous agreements."


    "All right!" Nora, the leader of the Sword Hall, replied readily at once. After a flip of her finger, a cyan stone rushed toward Scar.


    Ricky knew that the cyan stone that she sent toward him was one of the keys to enter the place that the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth was located. There were three keys in total, and each leader of the three halls had one of them.


    The three cyan stones were not ordinary stones¡ªthey were the treasures from Heaven and Earth that were called the Blood Essence Stones. Once the blood of a certain family was dripped into the stone, the blood power of the family would be preserved in the Blood Essence Stone forever.


    Only by combining the three blood powers of the three halls could anyone enter the secret place where the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth was hidden.


    The winner of the competition was qualified to get the other two Blood Essence Stones from the other halls.


    Of course, after the winner got the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth, it was also necessary for them to return the stones to their rightful owners.


    The surrounding warriors were quite puzzled as to what was going on. After each competition, they all knew that the two halls who failed would have to hand over a cyan stone. Yet, they didn''t know what the stones were used for.


    They had tried to pry into the whole matter, but none of them could find out the real answer.


    As time went by, they all gave up on trying to figure out the secret behind the stones.


    After getting the cyan stone from the Sword Hall, Scar then looked at the leader of the Spear Hall expectantly.


    The Sword Hall leader had handed over the Blood Essence Stone so readily, but the Spear Hall would not be so ready to give up its stone. Josiah didn''t show any signs that he was going to hand over the stone at all. Scar was quite aware that it would not be easy to get it from him.

 Chapter 569 The Stalactite Cave

    "Josiah, are you really going to break the pact that our three halls built?" Scar asked in near threat after seeing that Josiah was very hesitant to give him the Blood Essence Stone of the Spear Hall.


    Upon hearing that, Josiah then looked at Garrett through his peripheral view as if he was trying to get Garrett''s opinion on this.


    But Garrett only shook his head slightly as he sensed that Josiah was eyeing him. Then, he said something to him telepathically.


    Josiah just smiled coldly at Scar and said, "Scar, the Spear Hall doesn''t have the audacity to break the pact agreed upon by our three halls."


    Josiah then threw the Blood Essence Stone to Scar with a gloomy look.


    "About damn time! Thank you Josiah!" Scar caught the stone and thanked Josiah. He then said, "Rest assured that I will return your stones intact as soon as possible."


    "It''s all right, Scar!" Nora said softly. "Congratulations, Scar. Now that the competition is over, we are leaving now."


    "In that case, farewell, Nora!" replied Scar.


    Then, Nora led the disciples of the Sword Hall to the exit and took off without another word.


    Meanwhile, Luna had reminded Ricky repeatedly to come to the Apsara Palace once he refined the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth.


    With such an assertive reminder from the beautiful Luna, many warriors grew jealous of Ricky.


    All except for Tina, who stared at him with melancholy. On the other hand, Ricky was still confused as he could still not make up his mind about how he truly felt for Tina.


    However, there was one thing that Ricky was sure about¡ªhe cared a lot about Tina''s feelings and that he would never allow any other men to get any idea about courting her.


    "Relax, Tina. I am not going to the Apsara Palace. It was just wise that I said yes to Luna''s invitation. After all, I was in such a difficult position to refuse such offer. Don''t worry, we will leave this place right after we refine the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth," Ricky said as he sent a message to Tina through telepathy.


    "Hmmp...I couldn''t care less whether you go or not!" Tina replied instantly, with shyness in her voice.


    "Well, if you don''t care, then I guess I am going." Hearing Tina''s voice, Ricky still pretended that he did not notice the shyness in her voice. Instead, he kept messing with her.


    "Hey! Don''t go!" Upon hearing that Ricky was still going to go to the Apsara Palace, Tina had finally let go of her shyness and instead, she mustered up the courage to beg him not to


    wn force would provide the extra security and assistance that he needed. And with this approach, he could save a lot of time and money.


    ...


    After they had decided, Scar led their way from the Three-hall City as quietly as possible so that they would not attract any attention, and headed for a ravine near the city. This area, however, was the area where the ancestors of their three halls discovered the stalactite cave.


    Scar then decided carefully and hand-picked three loyal and gifted innate disciples for their excursion.


    Located at a desolated gully, the stalactite cave was covered by dense foliage. It was in a well hidden area that no one would have noticed it if they had not known that it was there.


    He then tore through space directly and led the whole team through the dense foliage to the place where the sunlight could not even reach. It was a good thing that this low visibility would not affect any of the innate warriors.


    When they reached the area, a giant stone door made of stalactite welcomed them, waiting to be opened.


    Scar then lifted his hand and felt the magic power on that door. Upon examining it, he could say that it was clearly rigged with some sort of array.


    Stopping at the door, he then took out the three stones and placed them against the door, using his enlightening power. Afterwards, a drop of blood essence appeared on each of these stones. These blood droplets then entered the array on the door, which then afterwards, came back into their respective stones.


    Tumble!


    By the power of the blood essence, the powerful array on the door was immediately disarmed, and then door slowly opened all by itself.

 Chapter 570 The Unexpected Enemy

    As the hefty stalactite door gradually opened, all the warriors were greeted by a faint yet, evidently pure scent. It was beautifully refreshing and comforting. They felt as though a garden of strong energy was awaiting them behind the door.


    They were all innate spiritual kings. They could sense truly powerful energy. Only something so untouched could energize them in this manner. It was obvious that the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth in this cave was of the purest and highest quality.


    Everything outside the stone door was enveloped in darkness, but deep inside, there was a world of light. The cave was filled with stalactites, behind each of which was a different kind of holy and bright light. Hung from the cave''s ceiling, they were continuously dripping magic water.


    They walked around this damp and cold place for hours before they discovered an enormously thick column of stalactite. It had grown to touch the ground and serve as the backbone of this cave. It was a sight of raw beauty.


    "Let''s go inside now. The Quintessence of Heaven and Earth should be in the center of this cave," Scar suggested eagerly.


    Wasting no more time, the group carefully and strategically found their way into the depths of this mysterious cavern.


    "Remember what I said about seeing you again, very soon, Russell? Well, here we are, meeting each other in just six hours." Just then, they all heard a familiar voice. Ricky instantly recognized it¡ªit was Garrett.


    Following the greetings, several figures showed up out of the blue.


    They were none other than Garrett, Keyon, Jim and Josiah.


    "We''ve been waiting for you here for a long time, you know," Garrett continued with a strange smile, looking directly at Ricky. He didn''t lose eye contact.


    Ricky''s and his companions'' faces darkened the moment they saw these four people. He didn''t respond for quite a while, clearly trying to contain his anger.


    ''I knew it. I knew there was some scheme behind Garrett''s cunning smile. I was right about these bastards. They just wouldn''t give up the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth so easily. I never expected that they would go so far as to wait here ahead of time, though. Such shameless thieves!'' Ricky thought to himself full of disdain and frustration.


    "Well, you''re probably wondering why we''re here so early, right? It''s quite easy to figure, especially for you. After all, anyone would come for such a valuable treasure like the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth as soon as possible. The longer you leave it out there, the more troubles you might encounter on your way. Isn''t that what happened with you as well?" Looking at Ricky''s sour face, Garrett enjoyably went on teasing him. There was a triumphant smile on his face, as though he had won the treasure himself.


    "Oh, I almost forgot. I want to sincerely thank you for opening the door for us with the Blood Essence Stone. Without your assistance, we wouldn''t have been able to break the strong array on the stalactite door. I doubt if even a demi-spiritual emperor could deal with IT. You really are a big help, Russell!" he said.


    "Josiah, you cheate


    intessence of Heaven and Earth for their lives, for life was always the most precious thing. However, it turned out that not all of them were sensible enough to understand this.


    "Brother, cut the bullshit. Why are we talking to them? Let''s just kill them and leave with our treasure. I will deal with that Ridge myself this time!" Keyon shouted in a cold voice as a disturbing fatal intent rose from within him.


    "I have many defeated foes, but none of them were as shameless as you! You really want to die here today, huh?" Soar talked back flatly hearing Keyon''s provocative words.


    "After you!" Keyon snapped and made a leap for Soar instantly.


    The next instant, both of them were attacking each other with countless powerful tricks that shook the ground, produced flying sparks and eventually, resulted in a storm.


    Jim didn''t stop Keyon from acting impulsively. He was not very concerned as he was planning to keep a close watch on how things would unfold. If, by chance, Keyon won the battle, it would save many troubles that followed. If he lost, then Jim would take command and kill the beast himself. He had it all planned.


    "Let me get this straight for you, Garrett. I know you have two completed spiritual kings on your side, but one of them will surely die if you mean to start a fight with me," Scar threatened when he saw that his enemies were serious about the fight. He wanted them to back off.


    But both Jim and Josiah only smiled at his warning, with no panic or fear on their faces.


    Scar and Ricky put on grave murderous expressions, too. Something didn''t feel quite right here. Both of them could sense it.


    "Wake up, Scar, for your own sake!" Josiah said with complacence. "Honestly, you were right about one thing¡ªif you''re going to fight with me and Jim, I might have to die with you.


    But what do you think will happen if we have another completed spiritual king join the game? Do you still think I would go to hell with you, Scar?"


    Whoosh!


    As soon as Josiah finished talking, a golden figure magically appeared in the stalactite cave.

 Chapter 571 His True Identity Revealed

    An old man dressed in a golden robe suddenly appeared out of nowhere. However, what was striking about him was not his lustrous and expensive-looking attire. Rather, it was his uncanny resemblance to Jim that made jaws drop. He shared the exact physical build, appearance and facial expression as Jim''s. The only detail that set the two apart was how he seemed to be more powerful than Jim!


    ''''Brother!'''' Jim muttered under his breath. Hearing Jim call out softly to the old man was enough for the group to recognize the latter.


    "Master Billy!" greeted Garrett. Despite his excitement, he made sure he still regarded the man with respect.


    Meanwhile, Josiah gloated silently at Scar. His thoughts seething with malice, he wondered if Scar would feel desperate after bearing witness to another completed spiritual king.


    ''''You are Billy!'''' he cried. Scar''s face was instantly contorted with depression and gloom.


    Billy was Jim''s elder brother. He also happened to be among the most powerful completed spiritual kings. Back at the Oriental College, it appeared as though none of the other completed spiritual kings could overpower and defeat the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King. But when paired against Billy, their powers would still seem mediocre in comparison. After all, Billy had been a renowned completed spiritual king for ages.


    Even the Garuda tribe''s very own leader¡ªa demi-spiritual emperor¡ªwould regard Billy with a deep level of respect.


    ''''Why are you here? Is the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth so valuable to your tribe?'''' asked Scar. He was still in the middle of recovering from the mixture of shock and desperation he felt as he laid eyes on Billy. He simply could not believe that Billy was there¡ªin flesh and blood.


    Scar''s deduction was right. It was truly unusual for two completed spiritual kings of the Garuda tribe to be in the same territory at the same time. What was even bizarre was the way both completed spiritual kings seemed to be immensely determined for the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth. It was simply not worth all the commotion.


    It didn''t take long before Ricky''s face, too, mimicked Scar''s somber expression.


    ''Could it be...that there is something else the Garuda tribe wants?'' Ricky thought to himself as he tried to dig deeper into the entire situation.


    ''''Ha-ha! You''re right. Of course, we have not come here just for the mere Quintessence of Heaven and Earth.'''' Garrett''s smile was filled with smugness.


    a quick and painless death, '''' Billy threatened and readied his stance to make an attack.


    ''''I refuse," Ricky shrugged. "I''ll lose my life either way, '''' he stated matter-of-factly.


    ''''There''s a painful death, and then there''s also a quick death," Jim added. "You can take a pick between the two, you know?'''' Jim was trying to outsmart Ricky. His plan was to acquire Ricky''s secrets first, before he could kill the so-called ace genius.


    ''''Ricky, surrender now. I guarantee you a decent death. If you don''t cooperate, I''m going to have to smash your bones into pieces, '''' Garrett threatened Ricky yet again.


    ''''Spare me your foolishness!'''' Ricky retorted. He was not about to give up without a fight.


    ''''You asked for it!'''' Billy yelled. His voice was filled with coldness yet his white hot rage was reflected in his actions.


    Boom! Boom! Before they even realized it, Billy had completely broke out of his composure and momentum as a completed spiritual king. He transformed his spiritual energy into a giant palm before going off to attack Ricky with overflowing ferocity.


    ''''Maybe I''ll die today. But I''ll make sure one or more of you will be going to hell with me. Just wait and see!'''' Seeing Billy''s attempt to strike Ricky, Scar let out a furious roar and summoned his full strength as a completed spiritual king.


    At this point, Ricky had already encased the warriors with his barrier in secret. A simple signal from his psyche would enable him to transport all these warriors into the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    ''''Whew! Sorry, I don''t mean to interfere, but why are you all so greedy?'''' Just then, a lazy voice interrupted their ongoing confrontation.

 Chapter 572 Refining The Quintessence Of Heaven And Earth

    The whole stalactite cave''s formation suddenly began to change as the lazy voice echoed in the area, freezing everything as if time had stopped. And Billy''s attack wasn''t at all safe from this as his moves were also forced into a halt.


    Bang! Bang!


    Suddenly, Billy, Jim, Garrett, and everyone in their team fell to the ground with blood gushing from their mouths as they were struck by an unknown and invisible energy.


    Their pupils shrank in fear as they could not believe how they could be overpowered by such a mysterious attack that just struck them out of nowhere.


    ''''Ruling power! I can''t believe this! It''s the true ruling power!'''' Billy said with terror in his shaky voice.


    But there could only be one explanation for their current situation¡ªthey might have been attacked by an innate spiritual emperor who stood at the peak of the Eastern Land. This could be the only justifiable explanation since only a true spiritual emperor was able to use the ruling power.


    ''''Who did that?'''' Ricky said in a confused yet thankful tone as he and his fellows looked around for anyone who might be responsible for the attack.


    ''''Sorry for the interruption, sir, but may I know your name?'''' Still terrified from what had happened to them, Billy immediately stood up.


    ''''You are not qualified to know my name. Leave this place right now, or I will use my ruling power again to make you suffer. Beware that I will show you no mercy next time around, '''' the lazy voice threatened.


    But the voice seemed all too familiar to Ricky as he listened to it the second time around. It was not that long before he recognized that this voice belonged to no other than the Evil Emperor of the Oriental College.


    ''It turns out that the Evil Emperor has always been following me wherever I go. Everything makes sense now. Now I understand why the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor told me not to worry about my safety when I left the Oriental College, '' Ricky thought to himself as he instantly figured out everything.


    But it shouldn''t come as a surprise to him. After all, The Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor did tell Ricky about it.


    Buzz! Buzz! As the ruling power reappeared from the void, Billy and his fellows felt a crushing pressure in their chest yet again and spat out mouthfuls of blood.


    Terrorized by the owner of the voice, they had no choice but to flee for their lives. They spared no time and hurriedly tore the space


    my own, '''' Scar explained.


    "I see. It takes comprehension to become a demi-spiritual emperor, and the cultivation becomes less important," Ricky said as he tried to understand what Scar was saying.


    ''''Yes, indeed. One''s comprehension is of the most importance. The creatures with blood power and innate talents will be far ahead other common creatures, '''' Scar explained further.


    ''''But since you are an ace genius, you might be able to progress ten times as fast as me, or even faster.''''


    ''''I wish you nothing but success in your comprehension of the demi-ruling power and in your journey in becoming a demi-spiritual emperor, '''' Ricky said as he tried to encourage Scar.


    ''''Ha-ha, what can I say? Thank you, your words mean a lot to me, '''' Scar said, smiling.


    Then, Ricky, Soar, Madeline, and three geniuses of the Saber Hall plunged into the lake and began to refine the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth.


    And without thinking twice, Ricky then immediately activated his four zones and madly absorbed the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth. Meanwhile, Ricky put the Iron Destroyer into the Devourer Zone to let it absorb the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth too.


    At this point, they completely immersed themselves into the refining process.


    But as the refinement happened, Scar just squatted beside them and guarded for them instead.


    However, Scar''s protection was deemed to be redundant and unnecessary since the Evil Emperor was already there with them.


    For eight days straight, Ricky and his fellows refined all the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth which had an accumulative base of five years.

 Chapter 573 The Galaxy Saber Skill

    In the period of eight days, Ricky had made substantial progress.


    First, he had become a second-class lower spiritual king, and had stabilized at that level thanks to the effect of the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth. As for his true combating power, he was sure that it must be comparable to that of a second-class middle spiritual king. That was just a rough gauge and had yet to be tested out in a real battle.


    Moreover, after assimilating the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth, his Iron Destroyer had also been enhanced. He believed that the Iron Destroyer had reached the upper limit of an inferior-stage spiritual weapon. Besides that, its hermit spirit was also strengthened by the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth.


    Soar also had a breakthrough, and he became a middle spiritual king.


    Soar had cultivated his power for five months at the Oriental College, which had prepared him for leveling up his power. With the help of Quintessence of Heaven and Earth, it wasn''t surprising that he was able to reach a breakthrough. He had the blood power of a Great Dragon, after all.


    Madeline and the three disciples of the Saber Hall had also improved a lot.


    Unfortunately, Madeline still had a long way to go before she could become a middle spiritual king. After all, she wasn''t as talented as Ricky, nor was she blessed with any blood power like Soar was.


    When everything was said and done, Scar led them back to the Three-hall City.


    Garrett was gone and the Spear Hall had received a command from the Josiah, saying that they shouldn''t try to provoke the members of Saber Hall anymore.


    Scar happily accepted the result. He knew that, as long as Oriental College still existed, the Garuda tribe and the Spear Hall would think twice before they carried out any action against the Saber Hall.


    When they went back to the Saber Hall, they gathered in the hall once again to bid a proper farewell.


    "Ricky, you''re lucky that the Evil Emperor of Oriental College was following you.


    r, the Saber Hall and the saber skill were the things that he had sworn to guard.


    His mind was in conflict when he was making the decision to put his trust in Ricky.


    After all, he was trusting him the things that he had sworn to sacrifice his life to guard. The Saber Hall and the saber skill were what he had dedicated his life to. Passing the saber skill to Ricky was the equivalent of passing Ricky his life''s work and his dearest held beliefs.


    When he felt the trust and resolve in Scar''s words, Ricky made a promise to Scar.


    He could sense that the saber skill wasn''t just a skill to Scar¡ªit was something way beyond that.


    "Scar, you''re favoring Ricky too much. If you give him a saber skill, you should give me a spear skill as well," Soar said with a mischievous smile.


    "I have no spear skills to give you." Scar knew that Soar was just trying to make the conversation more casual. Smiling back, he said, "After all, I only use a blade."


    "All right, but I still think that you''re playing favorites with Ricky!" Soar said helplessly with a shrug.


    "Ha-ha!" In the next moment, everyone broke into laughter.


    "Ricky, this saber skill is the Saber Hall''s most important heritage. It is called the Galaxy Saber Skill," Scar said.


    Then, he flipped his palm and passed Ricky a scroll made of beast hide.

 Chapter 574 Master The Galaxy Saber Skill

    ''Wow, the Galaxy Saber Skill! I''m already having chills down my spine just by hearing its name, '' Ricky exclaimed excitedly in his mind. As soon as he heard the name from Scar, he already knew that such skill would be extraordinary.


    Ricky immediately took over the scroll made of beast hide that Scar handed to him. The scroll described the Galaxy Saber Skill in detail.


    "Scar, about this Galaxy Saber Skill, I promise that I will master it and make the most out of it," Ricky said seriously to assure him. He was very delighted and honored to receive the valuable gift from Scar. This only showed that Scar trusted him very much.


    "Your talent and character are good enough for me to hold onto your promise," Scar said as he nodded his head to assure him that he was listening.


    Ricky, as his master, had already earned his complete trust. He wanted to give him the gift to improve his cultivation to its full potential. When the time came that his master''s cultivation reached the topmost level, only then could he and his Saber Hall grow stronger as well.


    Since Ricky has already got a saber method, he was not in a hurry to set off to the Eastern Realm of Wildness. With the Evil Emperor around him, he was no longer worried about security issues. Thus, he decided to cultivate in the Saber Hall for a little while before going to the Eastern Realm of Wildness.


    Of course, his current main objective was to cultivate the Galaxy Saber Skill.


    Once Scar was done arranging a secret cultivation chamber for Ricky, the latter began his cultivation in seclusion at once.


    Naturally, Ricky first needed to have a complete understanding of all the aspects of the Galaxy Saber Skill.


    The Galaxy Saber Skill had a total of thirty-six sub-skills which were described in eight chapters. Every chapter had a key word. For the first four chapters, every chapter covered four sub-skills; for the remaining four chapters, every chapter covered five sub-skills.


    Therefore, it was also called the Thirty-six Galaxy Saber Skill.


    This Galaxy Saber Skill must be used with a powerful and stiff galaxy power in order to maximize the outbreak of the saber method.


    The so-called galaxy power was a fierce, manic, and rigid force. This kind of force could also be an independent power which could be comprehended and obtained from the fire power and the massacring power.


    Ricky had the Chaotic Fire Zone and the Massacring Zone, as well as the Supreme Skills in these two zones. He was quite confident that he could cultivate the galaxy power with the help of his two zones.


    He then knew that the first goal of his cultivation was to successfully cultivate the galaxy power; otherwise he wouldn''t be able to master the Galaxy Saber Skill at all.


    His second goal was to master its first four sub-skills that were


    offensive means of the beasts.


    ''Perhaps, the cultivation methods of the entire world were all created due to the warriors'' comprehension of supreme enlightenment about the various evolutions between heaven and earth, '' Ricky thought. ''And also, I found a lot of similar skills in the four Supreme Skills.


    However, I am afraid that the supreme enlightenment is not the kind of stuff I can completely understand right away. So, I''d better keep practicing the cultivation method as much as I could. As for the so-called supreme enlightenment, I''ll worry about it more after I become a demi-spiritual emperor.''


    After that, he stopped thinking and focused on his cultivation method. With the help of the power in his four zones and the four Supreme Skills he had grasped, Ricky quickly fell into a comprehension state.


    The process of his comprehension lasted for about half a month.


    This was a long time for Ricky but he should not be blamed for that. The Galaxy Saber Skill was a cultivation method at the Earth Level which was not easy to be completely comprehended in a short amount of time.


    If it was comprehended by another genius, they would probably have to use more than several months.


    Then, another half a month later, Scar sent a message to Ricky through their telepathic link to wake him up from his secluded cultivation because he had to. The Land of Legacy at the Eastern Realm of Wildness was about to open soon. That was a place that every talented warrior wanted to step their feet on as numerous high-level treasures were known to be hidden there. Yet, only a small number of them had the qualifications to do so. Fortunately, Ricky was qualified.


    Hearing Scar''s message, Ricky no longer hesitated and quickly came out from his secret chamber. After all, all the preparations he did were for the upcoming adventure at the Eastern Realm of Wildness.

 Chapter 575 The Taste Of The Massacring Soil

    The Evil Emperor finally showed up in the Saber Hall. His body reeked of lethargy. He slouched past Ricky with his hands in his pockets and surprised everyone with his slug and sleazy attitude. Who could believe that this lazy man was an innate spiritual emperor?


    "Great. After more than a month of closed-door cultivation, you look like you have improved a lot in cultivation. I hope that you can regain your fame of an ace genius in the two Lands of Legacy in the Eastern Realm of Wildness," the Evil Emperor said languidly as he looked at Ricky.


    "Master, this time if I can gain fame again, I figure I might become an enemy of the powerful forces in the whole Eastern Land," Ricky replied in a low tone.


    "Ha-ha, you have already turned against them. In the coming days, no matter how low-key you are, they will still defame and haunt you," the Evil Emperor said with a laugh.


    "Well, rather be high-profile than low-profile! You know, the strong do what they want and the weak suffer what they must. All you must do is warn them that you shall retaliate in kind!


    If you are strong-minded and mentally tough, I am willing to team up with you and counter the evil powers together!"


    "If so, there is no need for those worries and tensions. On my tour of the two Lands of Legacy in the coming days, I won''t hold back!" Ricky replied with equal nerve after listening to the Evil Emperor''s bold speech.


    In fact, Ricky had secretly made inquiries about the Evil Emperor in recent months.


    He had been informed that before the arrival of Jasper, the Evil Emperor was arguably the most powerful genius in the whole Eastern Land. In just a few decades, the Evil Emperor had made such rapid progress in cultivation that he had successfully become a demi-spiritual emperor. What was more, he had also won the title of the number one demi-spiritual emperor in the Eastern Land.


    A few decades ago, the Evil Emperor had suddenly disappeared, never to be heard from again. All the warriors had assumed that he would never make a comeback. It was a surprise that the Evil Emperor now was re-emerging as a spiritual emperor.


    The Evil Emperor was very forthright and never minced his words.


    Ricky,


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    is coarse manner. After all, as a spiritual emperor, he really shouldn''t talk like that!


    ''The Evil Emperor is really an unceremonious spiritual emperor. He is always crossing the lines of the decorum, '' Ricky thought to himself as he felt a sense of impotence.


    "Master, I own the spiritual space tool, so you know," Ricky said as he shook his head gently.


    At that time, Ricky was completely aware that Tina was certainly unwilling to go back with the Evil Emperor.


    "Ha-ha, I got it. I got it," the Evil Emperor smirked.


    Upon seeing the Evil Emperor''s shit-eating grin, Ricky naturally knew that he certainly had an evil idea again.


    "Ha-ha!" Soar also grinned broadly when he heard the Evil Emperor''s evil laugh.


    To some extent, Soar''s personality was somewhat similar to that of the Evil Emperor.


    "All right! Let''s save some breath and step over there. The entrance to the two Lands of Legacy has come into view," the Evil Emperor told them gently as he wiped the smile off his face.


    "It is no use wearing human skin masks here. Tear them off, all of you."


    "Master, we got it."


    Ricky and their two other companions tore the human skin masks off their faces.


    "The two Lands of Legacy are not ordinary places for they only opens once every two years. So, once you have entered it, you can remain there for two years while seeking your own chance encounters," the Evil Emperor advised them seriously.


    "Remember, safety is paramount!"

 Chapter 576 An Assemble Of Geniuses

    There was a vast, yet desolated desert in the Eastern Realm of Wildness. It was called the Eastern Plain of Wildness.


    There was no sign of life there; instead, there was only desolation and dead silence. Naturally, not a living soul would step into that place, but that was about to change.


    The two Lands of Legacy in the Eastern Realm of Wildness had just showed up in that spot. The two Lands of Legacy were two overlapping plains of their realm and another realm.


    At the center of those two lands, there was nothing but an endless sand storm that devoured everything. The power of such a sandstorm was beyond comparison. Any being below the demi-immortal would be torn to pieces in it.


    In that vast and boundless desert, there were two gigantic space rifts looming among the sand. As time went by, those two space rifts grew larger and their storage capacity expanded exponentially.


    It would still take some time before those two space rifts finally became stable.


    If anyone entered those two rifts at the unstable stage, that person would be sucked into the chaotic zone of another dimension.


    Figures appeared one by one in the middle of the desert out of nowhere.


    The surface of the two Lands of Legacy presented a great opportunity for all spiritual kings of the younger generation. Any completed spiritual kings and warriors above that from the entire Eastern Land had gathered to take advantage of such an opportunity.


    The people that caught most of the attention were naturally the geniuses from the spiritual-emperor forces.


    "Those two must be Pearl and Nestor, the son of the Luxurious Emperor of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce!" Some warriors discussed things among themselves while looking in the direction of the two people from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce.


    The woman wearing a veil was no other than Pearl. Although she had lost to Ricky during their spar, her name was not tarnished even one bit.


    She was always the center of the attention, not just because of her gift, but also because of her powerful Feminine Mutant.


    Nestor stood there in a silk robe and he was oozing a strong aura. His eyes, which were flashing with light of focus and intensity, shadowed the power of any other


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    the two of them, Jasper will win, because he''s won every single time before!"


    After hearing the warriors around him talk about his losses, the young leader instantly grew sullen and shot a look of malicious intent at those warriors. That look sent a chill down their spines.


    "Ha-ha, Jefferson, I heard something like that from you too many times. But you haven''t even won once against me." Jasper smiled slightly at his comment.


    A touch of a sneer pulled at the edge of his mouth and twisted his smile.


    Jefferson Bai was the only person from the younger generation that stood a chance against Jasper. Jasper would still never take him seriously because he did not like his personality.


    "We shall see who wins this time then. I would very much like to see how much longer a peerless genius like you can keep it up!" Jefferson Bai glared at Jasper in fury.


    "Ha-ha! Fine by me! Have at me all you want!" Jasper gave a cold smile.


    "Ha-ha! Jasper, hope that I''m not too late!" At that moment, a hearty laugh disrupted the tension that had built up. Three figures approached quickly until they finally stopped in the middle of the air where the geniuses from the entire Eastern Realm of Wildness were gathered.


    The figures were Ricky, Soar, and Madeline. As for Tina, she was already in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    Ricky''s arrival caused a disturbance among all of the warriors and other beings who were present. Some stared at him with curiosity while others glared with greed.

 Chapter 577 Entering The Land Of Legacy

    Although all the creatures were eager to rob Ricky, they tried their best to control their desires. The spiritual emperors of the major forces had not shown themselves yet, but there was a large possibility that they were simply hiding in the dark. And the Oriental College must have sent a spiritual emperor or two. Otherwise Ricky would not have dared to reveal himself in front of all his enemies.


    ''Ricky! The ace genius!''


    ''Ricky, you bastard!'' Having no courage to assault Ricky at the moment, his enemies couldn''t do anything but curse him resentfully in their hearts.


    ''''Ha-ha. You arrived at the perfect time. It would still take some time before the space rifts stabilize, '''' Jasper said with a smile.


    ''''Are you Ricky Nan?'''' Jefferson asked him coldly upon seeing Ricky.


    ''''Yes, that would be me. What''s it to you?'''' Ricky also replied coldly. Since Jefferson was obviously holding a grudge against him, Ricky did not plan to swallow his insults.


    ''''I thought the so-called ace genius was supposed to have superhuman powers, but I guess I was wrong. Maybe the rumors have exaggerated your ability. I don''t see anything special about you at all.'''' Rupert sneered.


    He had awakened the wisp of the White Tiger''s blood power which made him believe that he would become the most powerful genius of the whole Eastern Land and finally rule all the creatures in it.


    He was supposed to rise in the chaotic era as he planned to make all the creatures kneel down before him. However, Jasper''s appearance completely overshadowed his pride and talents. He was so jealous of Jasper that he was willing to kill Jasper the moment he got the chance.


    Before he could take down Jasper, another ace genius showed up. Someone whose talents were even better than Jasper''s.


    What irritated him the most was that Ricky and Jasper were both members of the Oriental College and they seemed to have a good relationship. Jefferson was afraid that if they ganged up on him, there wouldn''t be anything he could do.


    ''''The rumors are none of your business. Why don''t you take a good look at yourself before you sneer at others?" Ricky sneered back.


    Upon hearing Jefferson''s tone, Ricky im


    ed to the Land of Legacy which could only contain completed spiritual kings while the right one was able to contain middle spiritual kings.


    ''''The two space rifts have stabilized. We should head in, '''' many warriors said expectantly. Without any hesitation, they immediately rushed into the space rifts that corresponded to their cultivation levels. Their auras completely disappeared after they entered the Lands of Legacy.


    ''''Time is limited, so I''ll keep this short and clear. Be careful with your enemies. They must have prepared a lot to kill you.'''' Jasper reminded Ricky that he must be very careful.


    ''''Try your best to stay out of trouble. Our foremost task is to find opportunities. Our top priority is finding the Massacring Sand and the Massacring Soil.''''


    ''''Got it, Jasper, '''' Ricky immediately replied.


    But he would not escape from fights. If his enemies wanted to kill him, so be it. He might even pick up fights with them if he saw an opening.


    Ricky was never the kind of person who would just sit around waiting to be killed. Presently, he might not be able to kill the leaders of the antagonized forces, but he could easily kill their disciples.


    ''''Okay, we should go now.'''' Jasper slightly nodded his head as he entered the left space rift first.


    Ricky and his fellows then plunged into the right space rift.


    Ricky was determined to give everyone at the Lands of Legacy of the Eastern Realm of Wildness a great surprise.

 Chapter 578 The Virulent Sand Flow

    After entering the space rift, the four found themselves in a yellow, boundless space with countless channels. It was difficult to tell whether each channel had an end or not.


    "These passages indicate that we will go to different places after entering the Land of Legacy. In some places, we may get great chances to promote our cultivation skills; in some places, we may encounter life-threatening dangers; in others, we may find nothing and eventually return empty-handed. What we will encounter entirely depends on our luck," Terrence informed Ricky, Soar, and Madeline through their telepathic link.


    "I see. It seems that from the moment we set foot on the space rift, crises have been everywhere, awaiting us. I hope our luck will not be so bad as to enter a dangerous place," said Ricky.


    Without any hesitation, the four intuitively chose a channel and jumped into it.


    Hum! Hum! They felt their bodies slightly shake and then found themselves in a desolate area. There was nothing but endless yellow sand that was constantly surging like it had a life of its own.


    A gripping feeling of gloom hung over the place like dark clouds before a big storm, and the air smelled toxic.


    Looking at the sandy, yellow hell in front of them, the four slowly came to the realization that they were trapped.


    The yellow sand beneath their feet started moving urgently, swallowing them little by little.


    Boom! Boom! Without any hesitation, the four hurriedly called on their Ultimate Domains and made every effort to stop the sand from sucking them in. They managed to use all of their power to float high in the air but only for a moment.


    To their great surprise and horror, the sand started sucking them in even more forcefully. Their Ultimate Domains did not seem to affect it at all, and their spiritual energy seemed to have no effect on its sinking power.


    "What''s going on? What kind of sand is this? How can it stop us from standing mid-air?" Soar said incredulously.


    "Before entering the Land of Legacy, I asked around for some information about this mysterious place. If I am not wrong, we are now in the Virulent Sand Flow," replied Terrence solemnly.


    Terrence''s grim expression could only mean that this so-called Virulent Sand Flow was extremely dangerous for anyone who dared enter it.


    "The Virulent Sand Flow!" exclaimed Ricky with a grave expression.


    "This place is called the Virulent Sand Flow because the sand here naturally contains massive amounts of toxins, massive enough to seep into the air and cover every corner o


    lowed that they almost looked white for a moment. With the power of his Killing Enlightenment, his wings started to feel lighter and stronger. The toxins were being expelled.


    "Terrence''s Killing Enlightenment is actually stronger than before," Ricky said solemnly. He was sure that it was the reason why Terrence could remain in mid-air under this harsh environment.


    The next moment, Terrence snarled fiercely.


    The huge claw under his abdomen glowed with spiritual energy and then turned into a big hand. He took Ricky, Soar, and Madeline out of the sand and threw them on his back.


    "Terrence, can you still fly?" asked Ricky anxiously.


    "I don''t think I still have enough power to fly," Terrence said with difficulty.


    "Even if I can still fly, the Virulent Sand Flow is vast and boundless, and there are poisonous fogs in many places. If we fly into the fogs, we will all die."


    "So, how long can you remain in mid-air?" asked Ricky in a somber voice.


    "I can only fly for another half hour at most. After that, we have to find another way to save ourselves, or we will perish," said Terrence with his voice growing heavy and worried.


    "Terrence, you said you asked around about the Virulent Sand Flow. Did you not get survival tips from those you asked?" asked Soar.


    "When I researched about the Virulent Sand Flow, I was not thinking about us getting ultimately stuck in it, and so, I did not ask for survival tips," said Terrence.


    "There is another way, but considering our situation, we would die before we find one," Terrence added.


    "Find what?" retorted Soar.


    "To survive here, we must have an airship to carry us because the sand cannot sink it," said Terrence.

 Chapter 579 Ruin Beasts

    "The least we would need is an airship at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level. Otherwise, it would be destroyed purely by the gravity here," Terrence explained with desperation.


    It was foolish to expect an airship to just appear out of nowhere. It was impossible.


    "Are you talking about an airship? Do you mean that an airship at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level is capable of moving freely in the Virulent Sand Flow?" Ricky asked with excitement, his eyes glued to Terrence''s expressions. He was glowing with curiosity and enthusiasm.


    "You''re right. An airship at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level can do that," Terrence nodded.


    "Haha. Terrence, you should have told us earlier. We have been worrying for nothing." Terrence''s confirmation made Soar laugh wildly. He had overcome all his hurdles.


    "What do you mean? Are you telling me that you have access to such an airship?" Terrence failed miserably to mask the confusion on his face.


    He couldn''t believe it.


    Before Terrence could say another word, Ricky raised his right hand and Tina''s airship suddenly appeared floating in midair. It landed slowly on the sand delicately as opposed to sinking in it.


    "Ricky, I told you that you would need me. You would''ve been in big trouble without me, right now," Tina said to Ricky through the telepathic link.


    "Haha, Tina, you''re right. You are my savior," Ricky replied affectionately. "Perhaps, God above will keep us together."


    Tina couldn''t help but blush listening to Ricky.


    "Haha." Ricky felt flattered watching Tina blush.


    ...


    "It''s amazing that you guys can carry such an airship," Terrence said incredulously. He couldn''t believe what he had just seen.


    An airship at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level was marginally inferior to an intermediate-stage spiritual space tool.


    Everyone knew that Ricky had owned a spiritual space tool. However, to their great surprise, he showed them an airship at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level. Who knew how many desirable treasures he possessed? Even so, one would think they shouldn''t belong to a warrior as weak as Ricky appeared to be.


    Terrence found Ricky unfathomable.


    Hence, that will be a disaster. By opportunity, I mean their Virulent Sandy Cores.


    If we could somehow get some cores and refine them, we would be blessed with a certain level of resistance to the toxins here. At least, we wouldn''t have to be afraid of the toxins at the King Level," Terrence explained patiently and earnestly.


    "It''s quite good to hear you say that," Soar said excitedly, finally hearing a way out of that damned place.


    "No matter where you''re standing, dangers and opportunities co-exist," Ricky said, with a thin smile on his face.


    However, he wasn''t interested in finding any opportunities, since he wasn''t scared of any toxins mostly thanks to his four zones.


    Of course, he still had to help Soar, Terrence and Madeline obtain the Virulent Sandy Cores.


    "Terrence. I just realized that you''re very talkative and smart," Soar said sincerely.


    Suddenly, they heard terrible roars echoing. Before Soar could finish his words, the sand waves which carried countless yellow giant figures were howling at them. They were coming towards their airship from all directions.


    "Although I''m tempted to get some Virulent Sandy Cores as soon as possible, the appearance of so many ruin beasts is really terrifying," Soar smirked. "I''m guessing there must be hundreds of those beasts coming at us.


    What makes it so much worse is that each and every one of them is at least as strong as an immortal warrior," Soar added.

 Chapter 580 Try This!

    Ricky and his companions sensed the presence of hundreds of ruin beasts coming right at them. The beasts were numerous, and they blotted out the sky with their dark presence.


    Ricky and his companions steeled themselves for the coming battle.


    ''''Sorry, I forgot to tell you that ruin beasts come at you in large groups like this," Terrence said seriously. He brushed off some sweat from his forehead.


    Dealing with only a dozen of ruin beasts would already be a handful, but now, they would be dealing with hundreds of the creatures. Such a feat was daunting, if not downright impossible.


    The ruin beasts were soon upon them, and right in front of Ricky.


    Ricky immediately recognized them as the Virulent Sandy Crocodiles. They were almost twenty meters in length and three meters in width. Their bodies were dotted with poisonous scales that secreted virulent poisons.


    The Virulent Sandy Crocodiles opened their giant mouths and roared at Ricky and his partners ferociously. Ricky and the others thought that they would go deaf at the noise of the monstrous creatures. The sight of the monsters would have terrified anyone else, but Ricky and his companions did not frighten easily. Soar took particular notice of the creatures'' behavior.


    ''''It looks as if they are also afraid of us.'''' Soar tried to speak in a hushed tone, so as not to agitate the beasts in front of them.


    "I''m not afraid of them! We can take them on! There''s no turning back anyway, so let''s just face them, head-on!" Ricky said, with great determination.


    ''''Don''t underestimate their power, Ricky. We have to stay in the airship, which means we''ll be forced on the defensive," Terrence said. He quickly analyzed the situation, and he made a judgment call. He was always the most tactical in the group, and he was not wrong here, as usual.


    ''''Don''t be overconfident, Ricky. We''re fighting in the territory of the Virulent Sandy Crocodiles. They are one of the most vicious and aggressive types of ruin beasts.


    You can''t underestimate these things because they can secrete their virulent fluids anytime!" Terrence said, seriously.


    ''''Let me have a try. The ruin beasts are no different from common beasts. I will make them bow to my blood power, '''' Soar said with confidence and intensity.


    There was a booming roar that echoed in the skies. Soar transformed, revealing his beast body¡ªa Great Dragon. But instead of looking like a dragon, he looked like a fire snake.


    Soar was intimidating, but even this was not his most powerful form, yet. He would only be able to emerge as a Great


    ound it near-impossible to concentrate with the battle raging around her.


    ''''Ricky, we have to rely on you now," Soar said, gasping for breath.


    The venoms from several bites and claws had steadily eroded Soar''s armor now. He needed to heal himself at the soonest time, or risk dying on the spot.


    Terrence noticed that the venoms of the Virulent Sandy Crocodiles seemed to have little to no effect on Ricky. It was a testament to Ricky''s prowess as an unusual warrior.


    ''''I can''t keep fighting, Ricky. I''m sorry, '''' Terrence said in a deep voice. His eyes were full of shame and guilt that he could not fight much longer. Terrence and Soar did not like the idea of bowing out of the fight like this. To warriors like them, this was shameful, but they could see no other recourse.


    Both warriors realized that Ricky was their only hope for survival now.


    Roar! Roar! The Virulent Sandy Crocodiles noticed the two other warriors bowing out, and they realized this was their chance. The creatures raised up their heads and roared in unison. A wave of endless, black, and corrosive venoms spewed from their gaping jaws.


    Ricky and his friends were almost overwhelmed by the sudden deluge of corrosive venoms coming their way.


    Ricky and the others realized that the coming flood of venoms would be instantly fatal for them. Something had to be done, and it had to be done now.


    ''''You two step back. Let me try this. I have not used this move for a very long time, but it just might work, '''' Ricky said. There was no argument from Terrence or Sore. The two warriors were too beat up to argue with the young warrior. Ricky stepped forward, towards the coming flood of venoms with full confidence in his eyes.

 Chapter 581 The Vitality Land

    Boom! Boom!


    As the words fell from Ricky''s lips, the whole majestic demeanor that he carried with him suddenly became unbearably thick. Then, the crimson devouring runes started permeating their surroundings. They spread out around his body, and gradually turned into a dark and swirling storm.


    After a while, Ricky opened both of his palms and the Enlightening Wind Holes emerged. Two huge enlightening windstorms swept across the ground, before they merged into one more powerful windstorm that fused with the devouring runes.


    After a second, the violent windstorm expanded at lightning speed. With the airship as the center, it rapidly dispersed and rushed towards the black toxins floating all around.


    ''Is this the move he''s been holding back? The strength of the windstorm is surely going to be much stronger after it absorbs that runic power, but I''m afraid that it won''t be able to stop the toxins that are drifting into it, '' Terrence wondered to himself as he watched Ricky''s impressive attack.


    Since Ricky still had such an air of confidence, Terrence waited for his attack to end in the hopes of seeing whether they would be able to weather that moment of danger or not.


    Then, raging flames became to swirl and pop. Whoosh! Swoosh! The flames climbed higher, becoming an uncontrollable inferno, right after Terrence was wondering how things would go.


    Above the fulminate windstorm, tufts of the dark and roaring flames were spreading all over the landscape. Those flames were the Heaven Illuminating Fire.


    "What are those black flames?" Terrence couldn''t help but say that out loud when he was given such a shock. The moment the Heaven Illuminating Fire appeared and flared up, an invisible wave of stun and awe spread through Terrence''s heart, and a sense of destruction was growing in his mind.


    "What spectacular fire! That''s more like it¡ªthat''s what Ricky''s moves should really look like."


    Boom! A minute later, the explosive storm made a clean sweep and sped off, intertwining with the diffused toxins. It seemed like two blasts of strong air were billowing into each other.


    Hiss! Hiss! After that, the flames which, at first, had burned above the windstorm were shifting their direction. The flames were still climbing and burning above the toxins.


    "How...how is that even possible?" Terrence said, his mouth open. He stared slack-jawed as he watched all that happening. He found it hard to believe that the Heaven Illuminating Fire was actually able to burn the toxins. He was totally dumb-struck from the inside out.


    At that point, even Madeline was a bit stunned. That strange fire was like nothing that she had ever seen before.


    "Oh my! That fire is terrifying! What else can it burn through, if it could burn through the toxins s


    Virulent Sandy Crocodile to lead the way for us, or it would have been even more dangerous to try and find our way. If we ran into those areas of toxic smog, I''m afraid that we would have all lost our way," Ricky said in relief.


    "Right, if we ever went inside those toxic areas, we would not be able to come out alive," Madeline agreed with him.


    At that moment, in the area of shifting sand ahead, a vast oasis unexpectedly appeared. What was more unexpected, was that the oasis was verdant and covered with sense of life. The contrast with the desolate Virulent Sand Flow was incredible.


    "I feel like that oasis can''t be real. How could such a lively oasis like that even appear in the desolate area like the Virulent Sand Flow?" Ricky was skeptical when he saw the lush area of land rise up before him.


    Soar and Terrence also woke up from the pranayama state they were in. Seeing the unbelievable oasis ahead, they were both amazed.


    "Maybe, it''s an opportunity for us," Terrence suggested out of the blue.


    "An opportunity!? What kind of opportunity?" Ricky instantly asked Terrence when he heard what he said.


    "It probably has some precious Treasure from Heaven and Earth. An oasis is very likely to have a fourth-level Glazed Fruit," Terrence said. "It is written on a record of the Virulent Sand Flow that, if the Vitality Land appears, then it''s highly possible that a fourth-level Glazed Fruit will appear."


    "That''s also the reason why the whole area was turned into this desolate Virulent Sand Flow¡ªit''s because the fourth-level Glazed Fruit has taken in all of this area''s essence."


    "The fourth-level Glazed Fruit!?" Ricky, Soar, and Madeline all asked in excitement after hearing what Terrence said.


    The fourth-level Glazed Fruit! Wasn''t that one of the reasons that they had wanted to come to the Land of Legacy?

 Chapter 582 A Small World

    The fourth-level Glazed Fruit was an invaluable treasure for the innate spiritual kings. It was extremely difficult for them to get even just a single piece of the fruit because it required countless essence from the heaven and earth for it to mature.


    Terrence''s deduction was right. It was probable that the fourth-level Glazed Fruit had devoured all the vitality in this area, thus transforming it into the Virulent Sand Flow.


    ''''I hope the fourth-level Glazed Fruit does exist in this desolated land. If it does, then I''ll consider myself lucky to have been transported to the Virulent Sand Flow, '''' Ricky said expectantly. He cast his eyes onto the Vitality Land before them.


    ''''Let''s go and find out!'''' Soar, too, felt very excited at the possibility.


    Thus, Ricky and his companions wasted no more time and hurriedly marched towards their target destination.


    Ricky placed the Virulent Sandy Crocodile into the Chaotic Fire Zone. He still needed the creature to lead the way out of the Virulent Sand Flow after they explored the Vitality Land.


    ''''Ricky, I have sensed auras of life that do not belong to the ruin beasts," Soar whispered the moment they arrived at the Vitality Land.


    ''''I have sensed them too. There must be someone else here, '''' Ricky agreed. He and Soar shared the same instincts and so they decided to be extra cautious.


    Even Terrence and Madeline couldn''t help but feel the said auras as well. The two nodded their heads slightly in agreement.


    ''''I guess that there were also other creatures who were transported into the Virulent Sand Flow with us through the gateway. But they were lucky enough to have landed on the Vitality Land, to begin with, '''' Ricky deduced.


    They gave each other a quick glance before they headed for the direction where the other living creatures were present.


    Figuring out that it was already too late to do it, they opted not to conceal their auras. Anyway, the other creatures might have also already sensed their existences.


    Upon their arrival, Ricky and his companions instantly sensed how the mysterious attractive force had mysteriously disappeared. This meant two possibilities: One was that they were probably able to fly in the air, and the other was that they might have cut open a portal in space.


    ''''I know the world is enormous, and that''s why we shouldn''t be surprised at all. The attractive force was omnipresent outside the Vitality Land, but it was completely gone the moment we entered this area, '''' Ricky sighed softly.


    ''''Given our current state, the power of heaven and earth are too mysterious for us to be able to comprehend. Pe


    red to him. So hand over all your items, and I promise you a decent death, ''''


    Justin Bing growled with eyes that gleamed with the strong intent to kill.


    ''''Have you lost your mind? You are the ones who are about to be killed!'''' Ricky grinned. His confidence never wavered.


    ''''Let''s kill them with a direct shot, Justin. I''ll take care of Soar, '''' Louie snarled in a gruff voice. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to hold back the anger that burned wildly in his chest. If his vicious eyes could kill people, then Soar would have been eradicated thousands of times just by being the sole subject of Louie''s death glares.


    Without further hesitation, Louie concentrated his energy and launched his Ice Punch at Soar.


    ''''You already lost to me once before. You cannot defeat me this time, either." Soar shrugged off Louie''s attack with much disdain.


    While he wreathed himself in the scorching flames, Soar stomped his feet mightily on the ground. In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Louie. When he saw that he successfully caught his enemy off-guard, Soar launched his Flame Punch. His Flame Punch collided with Louie''s Ice Punch.


    Boom! The fierce collision between the two opposing forces left multiple bursts of dust in the air


    The intense battle did not last that long, however, for Louie''s ice was easily crumbled under the wrath of Soar''s ferocious flame.


    Bang! A figure was thrown flying into the air before it abruptly fell on the ground with a loud thud. Blood gushed out of the poor fellow''s weakened body.


    The figure turned out to be Louie.


    It all happened in a matter of seconds! Louie was hastily defeated after just receiving what was supposed to be minimal damages from Soar''s flames.

 Chapter 583 Terrences Showtime

    "I just said that you overestimated your strength, didn''t I? It is absolutely impossible for anyone whom I have already defeated before to eventually surpass me and defeat me in the future. The ability gap between those losers and I will continue to widen infinitely and you will always be one of those losers. Got it?" Soar shook his right fist to relax a little as he sneered. While speaking, he stared at Louie, who was slumped on the ground. He had a look of embarrassment and disappointment.


    The other three members of the Bing Clan just stood there, paralyzed by what just happened.


    Maybe they had predicted Louie''s defeat but they certainly never expected him to be defeated so soon and so completely.


    This was far from a serious battle between two warriors. It was merely an utter joke showing how an ant tried to topple a giant tree¡ªLouie was bound for defeat the moment he overestimated his own strength and underestimated Soar''s.


    After getting himself together, Justin began looking at Louie with scorn when he realized Louie''s crushing defeat severely tarnished the reputation of the Bing Clan.


    If a warrior was defeated by a new opponent for the first time, it was reasonable and forgivable because failure wasn''t very surprising if they knew little about the their opponent''s strength.


    However, if a warrior was defeated by the same opponent for the second time and in such an ignominious way, what else could it possibly say about him? It only proved how much of a loser he really was.


    "By the way, don''t expect to live any further once I defeat you for the second time," Soar threatened. The aura of the Flame Enlightenment began exuding from his body once again which showed that he was about to kill Louie without any hesitation.


    Soar didn''t want to let go of this opportunity to kill Louie, because he knew so well that the Bing Clan deliberately caused trouble for Ricky and himself all the time.


    Just when Soar was about to kill Louie, Justin stepped forward and launched the Ice Punch towards Soar. Clearly, he had no plans of letting Soar kill Louie.


    Under Justin''s attack, Soar was forced to move a few heavy steps back. Obviously, Soar''s strength wasn''t powerful enough to defeat Justin just yet.


    "Soar, let me fight this time. Now that we have them within our grasp, it''s time to give the Bing Clan what they rightfully deserve. They have been secretly trying to assassinate us for a long time and there''s no way I would let them get away with their evil deeds," Ricky he told Soar resolutely as he held out his right hand to help Soar steady himself.


    Hearing what Ricky said, Soar nodded and agreed to let Ricky fight. He knew Justin was much more powerful than himself. He didn''t have to pretend to be bold and strong in front of Ricky and Madeline. It would only be a waste of time because they were his close friends and they knew him very


    he intended to use as a counterattack against the fierce ice thorns.


    Boom! A loud crash resounded through the entire area.


    Justin and Terrence were both thrown a few steps back due to the strong reactive thrusts caused by the percussion of their weapons.


    At that moment, Justin''s terrifying and murderous eyes began to turn gloomy.


    Terrence''s strength was way beyond his expectations.


    In the Oriental College, he was an inner disciple while Terrence was merely an outer disciple ranked sixth.


    ''Has he been hiding his real strength in the Oriental College this entire time?'' Justin thought to himself in great surprise.


    ''It is more likely that Terrence has made great progress these past few days. Or maybe he has been more than a third-class middle spiritual king all this time!'' Ricky thought as he tried to understand what was happening right in front of him.


    His intuition told him that Terrence hadn''t exerted his full strength. In addition, he could also feel that the Killing Swordsmanship that Terrence practiced was the most original swordsmanship of any kind. He had never seen anything like it before.


    ''Terrence, I hope I get to see your full exertion of your Killing Swordsmanship before all of this ends, ''


    Ricky thought expectantly.


    "You may be able to exert such potent power, but you are still merely an outer disciple ranked sixth! What a great surprise! I guess I was wrong to underestimate your strength," Justin said loudly as he spun his mace slowly.


    "Do you really think that I care about the ranking? Maybe only vain people like you would care about that," Terrence responded in a flat tone.


    "For me, the so-called ranking has nothing to do with anyone''s real strength. Now I think I may have overestimated you, the so-called genius of the Bing Clan."


    "How dare you speak to me like that! You''re saying this to court death, aren''t you?" Justin snarled in a deep voice.

 Chapter 584 Terrence Versus Justin

    "So, are you getting irritated? This is the true nature of geniuses who are extremely vain like you," Terrence responded indifferently as he heard Justin''s murderous words. He was actually strong in every aspect, even in using the power of words to toy with his enemies. He knew very well how to manipulate their mood and by playing games with their minds.


    "In your hearts, you only think that you are the strongest and the best. But in fact, you can''t accept any form of failure or the fact that you may be weaker than others. You may pretend to be strong on the surface, but you are coward deep inside," Terrence added slowly.


    "Terrence has a sharp tongue indeed. And he is really good at forming these arguments. What he said just now is a really good attempt to beat Justin up with his words!" Ricky talked to Soar through their telepathic link when he heard what Terrence had said to Justin. As their audience, Ricky and Soar now felt very lucky that Terrence was on their side.


    "Precisely! He usually looks cold and indifferent. I didn''t expect him to be capable of being sharp-tongued. I have to be careful if I ever need to deal with him in the future; otherwise, I will be drowned in a river of emotions if I let his sharp words get through me," Soar responded. He even began to feel sympathy towards their enemy Justin.


    "However, Justin, as a young master of the Bing Clan, is also very talented. I guess he wouldn''t be that vulnerable and would not be easily defeated by a few sharp words!" Ricky analyzed as his eyes narrowed. After having a lot of fights with many different warriors, he gradually gained more understanding of the characters of all kinds of warriors. He learned to understand their minds better.


    His analysis was correct. As soon as Terrence finished speaking, Justin burst out in laughter. He didn''t seem irritated at all. He then questioned flatly, "Terrence, did you actually think that my anger and heart would be dominated by your empty words?"


    "Well, they obviously cannot!" Terrence responded indifferently again. He didn''t seem to care enough whether his words had irritated his opponent or not.


    "It''s hella annoying to look at your cold face all the time!" Justin snarled as he saw Terrence''s nonchalant look once again.


    The next moment, Justin no longer spoke but instead launched his attacks without any further delay. Everything that annoyed him was about to be destroyed by him.


    Snap! Snap! The cracking sound rang out abruptly. Meanwhile, countless pieces of huge ice showed up and surrounded Justin. Their shape was the same as the Ice Mace in his hand.


    "Ice Frozen Skill¡ªFrozen by Mace!" Justin roared to summon his skill.


    At the same time, he waved the Ice Mace to move along with his entire body. The moment he rose to the sky, he threw out his weapon violently.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The next second, the frozen ice shards that condensed behind him instantly shot towards Terrence.


    During the shooting process, the piece


    ey looked like a mess with bruises all over their bodies.


    Clang! They collided with each other once again. This time, they were forced to retreat back after the impact. After their endless times of collision, they finally got a little tired.


    Justin, looking at the indifferent Terrence who was still filled with infinite killing intent, snarled ferociously, "Damn it! I didn''t expect you to be strong enough to break my Ultimate Ice Domain!"


    Justin''s attacks just now were the best he could do in an attempt to kill Terrence. Yet, even after all his best effort, they still ended up having a pretty even fight.


    But the fact was that before the battle began, he didn''t regard him as his match at all. In his mind, Terrence was nobody and he only heard of him because he was from the same tribe as the famous Cameron, the head of the Weapon Casting Department at the Oriental College.


    "You can''t break my attacks only because you think too highly of yourself," Terrence said coldly and calmly. "If you have such a low level of strength, what makes you think you are qualified to fight Ricky?"


    ''What? Could my previous feelings about Terrence be wrong? Earlier, he made me feel that he was already trapped in his bloody killing intent. But judging from his tone now, it seems that he was not blinded by his bloody killing intent at all!'' Ricky thought with great puzzlement after hearing Terrence''s words. Obviously, Terrence had a very clear mind.


    "Tina, what do you currently think about Terrence?" Ricky asked Tina at once. Since Tina had more insights into all kinds of martial arts, he wanted to hear a second opinion.


    "It seems that the kind of bloody killing arts he cultivated is different from others''," Tina said slowly with hints of uncertainty. Her puzzlement was no less than Ricky''s.


    Keeping their doubts in mind, they decided to watch the two warriors'' fight more closely.


    "Is that so? Then let me show you how qualified I truly am," Justin hissed angrily.

 Chapter 585 Implacable Heavens Killing

    The ice barely took notice of Justin''s heft.


    Standing in mid-air with two trails of Ultimate Ice Domains beneath his feet, Justin stared ahead with a blank but dangerous look in his eyes.


    The Ice Enlightenment was swirling all around him like dense white smoke with a mind of its own. It slowly gathered behind him, forming a cold, giant shadow. Then, thunder clapped.


    Boom! Boom! Menacing cold started enveloping the room, but Justin did not seem to notice. The shadow towered over him now, crouching behind him as if awaiting orders. The trails of Ultimate Ice Domains he was standing on started growing and expanding as if preparing an entire cold, white floor in mid-air for their master to walk upon.


    Ricky could only stare at how powerful Justin had become. "The ruinous thunderbolt. I can''t believe it," he said quietly. Justin''s Ice Enlightenment had always been powerful, and it felt familiar to Ricky now, but something was off.


    "You''re right, bro. It is the ruinous thunderbolt," Soar agreed.


    Thunder clapped once again, but this time, it felt like it shook the earth to its core.


    Its crippling sound echoed in the space as Soar''s voice trailed off. Behind Justin''s ice shadow, dozens of purple thunderbolts were flashing.


    Then, they started descending upon Justin, filling him with every ounce of their devastating power.


    From a blank but dangerous stare, Justin''s eyes shifted and turned opaque white and then opaque black. His ice shadow and purple thunderbolts were now mingling carelessly in and around him, complete natural opposites engaged in a perilous dance. Everyone in the room watched as Justin surpassed the power of a third-class middle spiritual king.


    Now, he was commanding the power of a second-class middle spiritual king.


    "Justin has truly lived up to his glorious reputation. Combining the power of ice and thunder is dangerous, but he did it. He has become a master of two natures," Ricky said.


    "He is now wielding double enlightening powers. This must be his trump card," Soar replied. "With the two enlightening powers, Justin''s strength is equal to that of a second-class middle spiritual king."


    "Terrence hasn''t realized the seriousness of the situation he''s in. He seems to be confident about himself," Ricky sighed, casting a glance at Terrence. "I wonder which kind of killing sword he will use to deal with Justin."


    ...


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    hugging the earth.


    Boom!


    The earsplitting sound of the crash reverberated through the space. Ice and thunder exploded into a dense cloud of death and floated to every corner.


    The space was covered in cold, electric dust.


    When the smoke cleared, Terrence''s sword emerged from the frozen ruin, and there, in all the icy rubble, lay the defeated Justin.


    There was nothing left for him. Blood was gushing out of his mouth and nose.


    He was defeated completely and beaten hard. The desperation was profound in his eyes. However, he was stubborn and experienced in countless battles. He once again condensed the double enlightening powers and produced a shield out of ice and thunder before his vulnerable body.


    He had done everything but still failed.


    His most effective attacks had failed against Terrence''s power. An improvised shield would not protect him now.


    Even if it would, it would only be for a brief moment.


    Terrence was really good at killing. He was one of the best killers of his generation. He could not allow Justin to survive this battle, and so, he raised his sword over Justin''s heart.


    "Terrence is about to win, and the Glazed Fruit will be ours," Ricky said with a big smile on his face.


    In truth, Ricky had not expected Terrence to win with what Justin showed at the beginning, but he was happy all the same for his companion.


    "We underestimated Terrence. What big fools we were. It''s no wonder Jasper admired him," Soar sighed.


    ...


    "I won''t die! You can''t kill me!" Justin roared at Terrence, his body trembling with anger and desperation.

 Chapter 586 A Warrior With The Sandy Mutant

    Boom! Boom! Boom! Justin roared and erupted in a blinding flash of light. His eyes glowed white as he slowly rose from the shattered remnants of his Ultimate Ice Domains. He wiped the blood from his nose and mouth with the back of his hand, leaving a little crimson trail on the side of his face. Justin looked even more terrifying now than when he was wielding the power of ice and thunder. He looked like he was ready to exact horrible vengeance.


    Ricky and Soar stood frozen and stared in mixed awe and horror. How could Justin possibly summon a new power after Terrence sent him crashing?


    It was at that moment that they noticed Justin''s lips. They were moving like he was chewing something. Whatever was in his mouth must be the source of his new power.


    ''He has taken some pill to enhance his strength, '' Ricky and Soar thought at the same time. Ricky and Soar exchanged looks. They were thinking the same thing.


    ...


    Terrence charged at Justin with his bloody red sword. Then, a loud, crashing sound shook the room. Once again, Justin had summoned his double enlightening powers and turned it into a big shield. Terrence''s bloody red sword crashed against it, but this time, Justin was able to stop his blow.


    The impact was so strong that Terrence was knocked right back to his human form.


    The clash had an equally terrible effect on Justin, too. And like a candle in the wind, Justin''s new power got snuffed out. His light went as fast as it came. In a heartbeat, Justin was back to being the defeated. He sank to his knees. The power from the pill he took was only designed to fend off one last strike from Terrence, not to win the battle.


    "It''s over for Justin now," Ricky told Soar through their telepathic link. They both breathed a sigh of relief.


    The moment Justin went down on his knees, warriors from the Bing Clan, including Louie, Casado, and Kevin all came rushing to his aid. They drew their weapons and surrounded Justin protectively. They would die before allowing Terrence to touch him again.


    They were all young masters of the Bing Clan, but Justin was of a much higher position and was more important to the clan than they were. They were at Justin''s service and if that meant dying to protect him, they would be more than happy to oblige.


    "Would you like to take your own life? Or would you like me to do it for you, Justin?" Terrence asked coldly as he slowly descended. He had already recovered from the final strike and could launch another attack soon. It was true that Terrence looked down upon someone like Justin, but today Justin had proved that he was indeed a genius with his powers. Terrence was willing to leave him with the option to finish himself as he was able to earn his respect.


    "Seriously? You really think you can kill me?" Justin asked condescendingly, mustering all that was left of his strength. He tried hard to rise to his feet as he continued to challenge Terrence.


    Ricky, Soar, and Madeline were rather surprised by Justin''s words. They looked at one another with confusion before turning back to observe Justin, wa


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    out him. It was like there was an impenetrable curtain between them, but Ricky was not to be fooled.


    The less you know about your enemy, the more dangerous he might be. ''Henry is definitely a strong opponent, '' he reminded himself. ''Besides, the Sandy Mutant must be hard to deal with.'' Ricky assessed the situation as fast as he could.


    Henry Chen met Ricky''s gaze. His smile widened as he stared Ricky in the eye. "So, you are the ace genius they''ve been talking about? I''ve heard a lot about you. Honestly, I don''t want to fight against you and become your enemy," he admitted.


    "However, I''ve been ordered to join the battle, and I need to keep my promise. Sadly, I must kill you today." No murderous intent could be felt from him when he said those words, but he was certainly a foe.


    "With all due respect, it''s fairly easy to claim the ability to beat and even kill a rival, but it takes true strength and skill to accomplish it," Ricky mocked, unafraid. He did not avoid Henry Chen''s gaze at all.


    "I totally agree. It takes a truly powerful warrior to kill a strong opponent, especially when we''re talking about taking the life of some ace genius like you," Henry said in a low but confident tone. "The thing is, I believe that I''m capable of killing you."


    "Oh, really? Let''s wait and see. I want to see how amazing your Sandy Mutant can be," Ricky replied, his intense energy emanating from him slowly as they spoke.


    Terrence and Soar took an aggressive stance at Ricky''s flank, preparing themselves for the impending fight, but Ricky told them to step back with his eyes.


    Ricky had to face this Henry Chen himself, for he had a feeling that neither Terrence nor Soar could match this mysterious enemy. This battle was bound to be fierce, but Ricky still thought that he could win against Henry Chen with the powers of his four zones.


    "So, you already know that I have the Sandy Mutant? What a surprise. But you can be sure that it won''t be a disappointment," Henry said, amused, mildly smiling and staring meaningfully at Ricky.

 Chapter 587 Toxin Has No Effect On Me

    The end of Henry''s sentence was punctuated by a slow, rolling heat. Particles of sand swept up with the air, obscuring his body from view until the hazy image created a mirage. Henry looked as though he had turned into a pool of reddish-brown sand. His figure exuded an aura of lifelessness, ruin, and authority.


    "Everybody says that you are an ace genius with a strong body. Today, please impress me with it!" Henry''s eyes narrowed menacingly as he spoke to Ricky. A dark scarlet cascaded over the black of his pupils.


    The crack of thunder punctured the air as though a sudden chill collided with the heat.


    Upon hearing Henry''s provocative words, Ricky moved instantaneously. He launched the first level of Ultimate Golden Body. As if disturbed by the massacring power of the movement, the wind around him whined in protest.


    Honed as he was by endless battles, Ricky''s intuition told him Henry was different. He was out of the ordinary, and Ricky could sense danger lurking beneath the calm front. His jaw clenched from anticipation. The excitement in his bones pushed him to rush the fight, striking first with the massacring power and holding nothing back. They traded blows, but he couldn''t keep pace with Henry. Eventually, he found himself with his arms up to shield his face and torso, forced into a defensive position.


    "Is this the first level of Ultimate Golden Body?" Henry was pensive as he stroked his chin with a hand. His eyes took careful note of Ricky''s form and stance. There was a note of disinterest in his voice as though he''d known of the Ultimate Golden Body and had seen the cultivation method before.


    Without hesitation, Henry began spewing intense energy of ruin from his body, which rapidly turned into a layer of reddish-brown sand and enveloped him completely. By the second, Henry looked like a warrior clad in reddish-brown robe.


    Ricky tensed, appraising the new development in his opponent. With the aid of the four zones inside his body, he could sense that the reddish-brown sand had greatly fortified Henry''s body.


    They stared each other down, each painfully aware of the other''s smallest movements. Both of them eager to fight as the tension built between them. In sync, they both leaped up into the air and struck each other with a decisive blow.


    In a moment, hundreds of rays of golden light filled the sky along with a clanging. Their fists, radiating golden and reddish-brown power respectively, collided with each other. When their energies met, the earth bent to their will, wracked with shock waves and an intense brightness, blinding whoever saw it from below. Vulnerable to the disaster they created, they both recoiled from the impact. Each warrior took a dozen steps back on the shaking ground before they managed to plant their feet in the grass.


    The sound of someone clicking their tongue in distaste pervaded the atmosphere before it was drowned out by the continuing fight. Ricky and Henry ran wildly at each other. They bounded toward each


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ring runes. The two rune types fused instantly and formed a powerful strike.


    "Massacring Magic Fist!"


    Golden light swept through the air, forming into a huge fist as it powered through. It clashed with Henry''s Virulent Dragon Fist, creating a light show in the sky.


    "How foolishly bold you are! My Virulent Dragon Fist is highly venomous. A single collision would mean certain death." A bark of laughter escaped Henry''s lips as he watched the sparks come from their attacks. He made no move to strengthen his attack, confident in its potency.


    "I''m telling you, although my toxin looks the same as the nerve in the Virulent Sand Flow, there''s a fundamental difference between their toxic effects."


    "Are you sure about that? If so, I would like to try a taste," Ricky joked back with the same assertiveness.


    "Does Ricky not fear my toxin?" Henry muttered to himself. To be met with aplomb felt like having the rug tugged from underfoot. Doubt set in as to whether the other man had more tricks up his sleeves.


    After all, Henry had earlier been firmly convinced that Ricky wasn''t a trickster of any sort.


    ...


    The explosive nature of their battle interrupted Henry''s thoughts.


    There was little else Henry could do, now that he was in the thick of things. Try as he could to concentrate on their continuing fistfight, he felt the desperation in the pit of his stomach. With an unbidden frenzy, he dispatched the toxin into Ricky''s body. He wanted to be rid of it immediately.


    To his surprise, at the most crucial moment, Ricky''s devouring runes rocketed up and began absorbing the toxin with the same frenzied speed.


    "Who would have thought this could happen? It turns out that your scarlet runes have unexpectedly finished my toxin off," Henry exclaimed incredulously. His eyes widened as he watched the menacing toxin seep into Ricky''s body with the obedience of a pet coming home.


    "Any type of toxin doesn''t affect me," Ricky growled and bared his teeth, threateningly.

 Chapter 588 The Sandy Mutant

    Boom! Right after Ricky finished speaking, he enhanced the energy of the devouring power to its maximum capability. The devouring runes turned into countless swirling windstorms at once. They began to rip through Henry''s Virulent Dragon Fist and absorbed its toxin.


    Noticing that Ricky''s devouring runes had started absorbing the toxin from his attack, Henry withdrew his fist at once. He didn''t even have time to think about what had happened before he stopped his attacks and drew back.


    The toxin of the Virulent Dragon Fist was where its power came from. Without the toxin, it was just a regular punch. Henry knew that he would hardly be able to hurt Ricky with such a punch. As the toxin was absorbed by Ricky''s devouring runes, Henry realized that Ricky had successfully dissolved his move.


    Boom! Boom! As Henry was backing away, Ricky easily fended off his attacks.


    However, since Ricky didn''t know his opponent very well, he didn''t go on the offensive right away. One could never be too careful. Ricky had never met someone with the Sandy Mutant, so before he found out more about Henry''s mutant, he decided that he couldn''t afford to launch another attack.


    "You''re very cautious of my Sandy Mutant, aren''t you? If you had launched an attack just then, who knows, I might have gotten injured. That would have been a perfect moment for you to come at me," Henry said in a serious tone as he steadied himself.


    He was very surprised that Ricky wasn''t afraid of his toxin at all.


    "Yes. I don''t know anything about your Sandy Mutant, and it''s my first time to hearing about that kind of mutant," Ricky admitted. He had nothing to hide.


    He knew that not knowing his opponent was the only weak point of him in such a battle.


    "You''re really cautious," Henry commented with a faint smile on his face. "In fact, even if you had attacked me just then, you wouldn''t have hurt me."


    "I knew it," Ricky said upon hearing what Henry said.


    He thought that there was no need for Henry to lie to him, and his intuition was also telling him that it wouldn''t be easy to injure him because of his Sandy Mutant.


    ''The Sandy Mutant. What is its specialty?'' Ricky wondered, frowning.


    "It seems that you''re dying to get to learn more about my Sandy Mutant. Hahaha! Let me show you i


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    t Skill¡ªFlame Torrent!" Without any hesitation, Ricky shouted and activated his own skills.


    The next moment, Ricky''s whole body turned completely gold and the chaotic fire runes circled around hi£í. Fusing with the chaotic fire runes, he turned into a torrent of flame and flew towards Henry''s Fiery Sandy Punch.


    The color of the torrent of flame was yellow, just like the color of the Ruin Fire.


    Boom! Boom!


    In the next moment, the two strikes collided with each other. It created such a powerful thud that reverberated throughout the space around them.


    The sandy punch covered with the Ruin Holy Fire formed into the shape of giant mouth. It flew towards the torrent of flame and tried to bite Ricky''s body. All of a sudden, the power of the Ruin Fire surged up to its peak and the Ruin Holy Fire seemed to be suppressed at once. It seemed that the Ruin Holy Fire had suddenly lost its power.


    "What''s wrong?" Henry couldn''t help but shout. He couldn''t believe his eyes.


    Since the Ruin Holy Fire had been touching his body as they fought, he could feel the sudden change at once.


    "What? The ruin power of that fire is much more powerful than that of the Ruin Holy Fire. I can''t believe it. It seems that the Ruin Holy Fire is nothing compared to it," Henry mumbled in distress and disbelief. He couldn''t help but keep staring at the Ruin Fire as he tried to figure out what had happened.


    Suddenly, Henry''s eyes popped open in astonishment. It seemed that he had figured out the reason after some thought.

 Chapter 589 The Sandy Mutant And Its Power

    The Ruin Holy Fire contained massive ruin power. Its power had the potential to deprive creatures of their vitality. It was precisely this ability that made the Ruin Holy Fire rank higher than all the other types of holy fires. There was almost no holy fire that could suppress its tenacious power.


    However, his Ruin Holy Fire was currently being suppressed by another fire of the same attribute. Henry could only think of one other possibility.


    There was no mistaking it¡ªit must be the Ruin Fire!


    ''The Ruin Fire! How did he possess it?'' Henry somberly thought to himself.


    He suddenly came to realize that it was silly of him to reckon Ricky''s power by comparing his abilities to that of an ordinary warrior''s. How could he forget that Ricky was a prominent ace genius!


    "Now, that makes you worthy of being my opponent," Henry murmured to himself.


    Ricky''s Ruin Fire had left such a strong impact on him that he finally began to recognize Ricky as a formidable rival.


    While he was in a daze, his Fiery Sandy Punch was no match against the attack of Ricky''s Flame Torrent. The latter''s Flame Torrent broke through his Fiery Sandy Punch effortlessly, which then crashed heavily on his chest.


    Henry was not even able to put up a defense. Still, he managed to flash a smile at his foe, as though he had everything under control.


    But, before he could even prepare a counterattack, a torrent of flame directly pierced through his body and left an awfully large wound on his chest.


    Strangely, however, there was no blood that flowed out from the wound. Henry used his sand power to quickly patch up his wound and recover in a matter of seconds.


    Everyone was left speechless and dumbfounded after witnessing how Henry effortlessly healed himself with sand.


    Gasping at his sudden discernment, Terrence exclaimed, ''''The Sandy Mutant! Now I am finally starting to understand its true power and potential.'''' He was finally able to overcome the shock of his discovery and return to his senses.


    Henry had the ability to transform all of the tissues in his body into the quicksand. Thus, with the power of the Sandy Mutant at his side, it explained why he would not be afraid of any physical attack.


    ''''What incredible power the Sandy Mutant possesses! How on earth did it end up in Henry''s hands and not in mine? I don''t understand this absurdity!'''' Justin was unable to hide the envy and indignation that resided deep within his heart.


    ''''If only I had the might of the Sandy Mutant,


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    peared to be a flower. The Five-element Quicksand Flower wasted no more second and attacked Ricky ferociously with its ruin power.


    ''''Five-element Quicksand, attack!"


    As Henry''s Five-element Quicksand Flower neared him, Ricky sensed a strong aura similar to that of his Chaotic Fire Zone''s Chaotic Fire Skill. It possessed a tinge of primitive power.


    It was not surprising how the five elements easily merged into a combined force of primitive power while encased within the supreme enlightenment. It simply justified why Henry''s attack also contained such primitive power.


    ''''Let''s get started, then! I am also eager to see whether your Five-element Quicksand can defeat my Golden Body or not.'''' Ricky''s firm resolution echoed in every word he uttered.


    Next, he manipulated the massacring runes so that they merged with the first level of Ultimate Golden Body and boosted its power. After all the days of harnessing and cultivating, Ricky had cultivated his first level of Ultimate Golden Body from the initial state to the minor achievement.


    Now, his Ultimate Golden Body was capable of completely defending against the mighty attack that was launched by Henry, a second-class middle spiritual king.


    Not to mention, Ricky also had three other kinds of runes that amplified the protection he had for his body.


    ''''''Golden Body¡ªMassacring Shield!'''' Ricky roared, his arms crossed and his feet rooted in the air as though it were an ancient tree. The four runic power circled around him then transformed into a giant shield.


    Boom! Henry''s Five-element Quicksand Flower collided heavily with Ricky''s shield that was formed using his massacring energy.

 Chapter 590 You Cant Hurt Me

    Clang!


    The moment Henry''s Five-element Quicksand Flower clashed with Ricky''s Massacring Shield, the whole Vitality Land was filled with an ear-splitting sound. From where they stood, strong air waves could be seen reverberating simultaneously.


    Due to the strong impact caused by the air ripples, Soar, Justin and all the other warriors who bore witness to the ongoing fight between Henry and Ricky had to retreat quickly. The impact was not powerful enough to harm them, but its force was definitely making them feel uncomfortable.


    Meanwhile, the area where Ricky and Henry were fighting had completely been covered by the seemingly endless ripples of air. Thus, none of the audience could see who had won. They had to wait until the strong waves of air dispersed completely.


    Despite that, all of the witnesses to the intense battle that took place found it difficult to tear their eyes off the fighting area.


    As the incessant ripples slowly subsided, the two warriors could finally be seen. It was only then that they discovered Henry did not sustain any damage at all. It turned out that Ricky hadn''t attacked him at all. The former knew that Henry had the Sandy Mutant at his disposal, which could help him recover from any form of injuries.


    No matter how hard Ricky tried, he couldn''t hurt Henry. Not even a scratch could be made. Thus, he thought it would be better for him to concentrate on his defense.


    Looking at how Ricky was left unscathed by Henry''s immense attack, he proved that he had made the right decision. His strong defense was what enabled him to stand in his position safely, firmly and still brimming with energy. His Massacring Shield, which was in front of him, bore a few traces of light and smoke. Other than that, it exhibited zero signs of any crack or scratch.


    A golden light gleamed in Ricky''s eyes and the Massacring Shield faded bit by bit.


    "You didn''t suffer the slightest injury!" Henry snarled. For what seemed like the first time for Henry, he exhibited a bit of fury in his countenance.


    However, Henry was experienced and smart enough not to allow his emotions to take control. He naturally remained composed, even after the disappointing result of their earth-shaking collision.


    "I''ve told you, haven''t I? I can''t beat you." Ricky''s eyes shone with a little glint of victory. "But you can''t hurt me, either." Ricky made sure that his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.


    If only he could, Ricky really wanted to make Henry taste a humiliating defeat. But since they had very little difference in strength, Ricky and his four zones would still be no match against Henry''s Sandy Mutant. It would be futile for him to exhaust all of his offensive strategies.


    The only possible solution he could think of was to activate a zone dedicated to restraining quicksand within his regained spiritual meridian. It seemed like an all-too perfect plan. Yet, to be able to achieve that was akin to a child''s daydream for Ricky.


    "Do you really think that my Sandy Mutant can''t hurt you?" Reluctantly, Henry grumbled in an effort to suppress his annoyance. There was a sudden change in his mood after Henry was at the receiving end of Ricky''s arrog


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    s entire body and meanwhile, he also communicated with his Devourer Zone using his mind.


    Before the massive waves of quicksand swept over him, Ricky transformed himself into the Devouring Storm quickly.


    Unlike before, the Devouring Storm was not used for attacks. Instead, he activated it to avoid being touched or harmed by the quicksand. This was the reason why Ricky had mysteriously communicated with his Devourer Zone.


    With a loud, crushing sound, Henry''s endless quicksand that bore a wicked burying force, poured down and drowned the Devouring Storm.


    Everybody in the audience thought it was already the end for Ricky.


    They were wrong. Ricky''s Devouring Storm appeared, floating above them.


    Everyone was baffled. What really happened was that before the quicksand touched and drowned the Devouring Storm, Ricky went directly into the Devourer Zone and came out from another rip in space.


    The move was so advanced, and it was another incredible manifestation of Ricky''s four zones.


    Ricky had earned the Omnipotent Skill¡ªone that had been obtained from the four zones. The Omnipotent Skill let the user enter his zones directly and be released in another space.


    Of course, Ricky could choose to hide in his zones and not come out until the end of the fight.


    But, today was not the perfect time for that. In order for him to deceive the public and convince everyone that he had uncovered another new stunning skill, he left his zone immediately.


    "How is that possible?" That was the unified and bewildered thought that Justin, Terrence, Madeline and the rest of the Bing Clan had. It was a challenge to keep their jaws from dangling wide open after what they had just witnessed.


    Only Soar, who regarded Ricky as his elder brother, understood a little bit of Ricky''s skill. He was the only one who was not surprised.


    The shock left the rest of the audience more eager to guess what was about to transpire next.


    Henry did not launch another wave of attack after Ricky exhibited his so-called newfound skill. The audience began to notice that the massive waves of quicksand were gradually receding.

 Chapter 591 Henrys Compromise

    Transforming into a human, Henry stared blankly on the ground with a gloomy look on his face.


    Henry still couldn''t believe what happened in front him. He thought that he was undeterred by failures and was good at keeping his cool in times of crisis. He thought that he was able to appear composed despite the immense pressure he was under. But after the battle, he started to wonder whether he had been misjudging himself, he was beginning to think that perhaps he was not as potent as he thought he was.


    During the fierce battle, Henry was totally dumbfounded by Ricky''s overwhelming strength. A feeling of sheer panic took over him as his confidence was badly shaken.


    After being lost in thought for a few seconds, he soon regained his composure. Although he had an outward appearance of calmness, he still couldn''t fully recover from the shock.


    "What kind of skill was that? I''m not sure if my eyes were fooling me but I think I saw you turn into an invisible storm and then teleport away. Even the burying force wouldn''t have been enough to stop you," Terrence asked curiously with a serious look on his face.


    He was very impressed by the powerful strength and martial skill shown by Ricky. After the battle, he came to a realization that Ricky was indeed a rare genius in the world of martial arts. He had to admit that Ricky still had a few tricks of unexpected strength up his sleeve.


    One thing Terrence was certain of was that Henry would not stand against Ricky if the former didn''t possess the Sandy Mutant.


    "Shit! How did he even do it? It seems to me that he didn''t use the spiritual space tool at all. His teleportation skill probably evolved from some secret martial skill. How was he able to learn such potent skill?" Justin gave out a roar as he clenched his fists.


    "Since you had treated me similarly before, I decided to give you a taste of your own medicine. Do you have any problem with that?" Ricky coldly asked.


    "No." Henry''s voice burst out with a dominant aura exuding from within him. He didn''t try to deny what he had done to Ricky. Seeing Ricky''s smug face, Henry had a strong urge to hit him in the face but circumstances wouldn''t allow it.


    It suddenly hit Henry that losing the battle to Ricky might be the least of his worries. Because he clearly knew that Ricky didn''t consume any of his energy when he used the last powerful skill. So it probably meant there was no limit in Ricky''s strength whenever he summoned his skills. He was almost unbeatable in combat.


    In that case, even if Henry used his Sandy Mutant, it still wouldn''t do anything. No matter how potent his skill was, it was virtually impossible to defeat Ricky. If he continued to fight, he would be confronted by a very serious dilemma and might even face risks of serious danger.


    "Do you want to continue the battle?" asked Ricky with a faint smile on his face.


    "Of course not," Henry unwillingly replied. "I will leave with them and I hope that you will not stop us. If we were to keep on fighting like that, both of us would only suffer great losses."


    "Henry, I can''t belie


    xpression.


    He then cast a cold stare at the four people who were standing beside him and said, "Let''s go. But if you wish to die in this place, you are free to stay."


    Henry left immediately after saying those words.


    Staring at Henry''s back, the four men stood in silence. They reluctantly looked at the Glazed Fruits before leaving in a hurry. Although they were desperate to get the Glazed Fruits, they would prefer not to risk their lives.


    "Ricky, why did we just let them leave?" Soar asked in confusion after Henry and his men left. "After all, it was probably our first and last chance to kill the four people from the Bing Clan."


    "The opportunity has not arrived yet. If I aggravated Henry, both sides would''ve suffered great losses from the battle." Ricky patiently explained the reasons behind his decision. "Moreover, he has given up the Glazed Fruits. There''s no point in taking unnecessary risks."


    He paused for a moment and continued, "To be completely honest, with our current strength, defeating the four people from the Bing Clan wouldn''t have been much of a trouble. Completed spiritual kings and cultivators of higher ranks are major threats to the stability of our region."


    "Ricky is right. It was the best outcome that we could''ve had under the circumstances," Terrence echoed as he nodded his head in agreement.


    "Well, I see. I hope that we could give the four people from the Bing Clan a good kick next time we meet them in the Land of Legacy. And I hope that Henry will not be with them to protect their asses," Soar replied as he clenched his fists.


    "Terrence, do you know Henry?" Ricky asked and gave him a confused look. "Since he has the Sandy Mutant, I think there is a good chance that he is a household figure in the world of martial arts."


    "No, I''ve never heard of him. And I''ve never heard that someone had the Sandy Mutant in the Eastern Land," Terrence replied in a deep voice.


    "Really? Could he be a hidden genius from a powerful force?" Ricky stroked his chin as he wondered about Henry''s real origins.

 Chapter 592 Progressed Respectively

    "Maybe that''s the only possibility," Terrence nodded. "Every force reveals some geniuses in public but also purposely conceals some for their advantage. And usually, those are the strongest."


    "It seems that Henry''s real identity is hidden by himself and the Bing Clan," Madeline said.


    "But Ricky, I don''t think Henry is purposely concealed by the Bing Clan. As what I heard from the conversion between Henry and Justin, they might have reached some sort of consensus," Soar said with disagreement.


    "He said that maybe we would meet again and have a do-or-die fight at the Land of Legacy," Ricky said in a low voice.


    The powerful Sandy Mutant of Henry still impressed Ricky, though it had already been a while since Henry left. Ricky knew very clearly that Henry would be the biggest threat to him whether in or out of the Land of Legacy.


    "Well, let it go. We''ll take defensive measures according to the actual situation. Now let''s wait for these fourth-level Glazed Fruits to mature. I can''t believe there are actually four for us. Ha-ha!" Ricky couldn''t help but smile. He put aside all his worries as he looked at the maturing Glazed Fruits.


    "Ha-ha!" Everyone couldn''t help but laugh after hearing what he said.


    Laughing was a good way to relax after a fierce and stressful battle.


    The only thing left for them to do was to wait for the Glazed Fruits to fully mature. All of them wished for time to go faster or for their growth to require less time.


    After all, the longer they waited here, the bigger the chance that they were missing valuable opportunities.


    Fortunately, it just took them ten days to get the four fourth-level Glazed Fruits.


    The moment the Glazed Fruits matured, the entire Vitality Land was filled with a smell of purest energy from heaven and earth. It seems that any creature who inhaled just a little bit of it could add a hundred years to their life.


    The smell also attracted many ruin beasts.


    But Ricky and his companions never feared any ruin beasts. Those beasts were nothing but a source of Virulent Sandy Cores to them.


    Apart from its stunning glazing color, a ripe Glazed Fruit contained four glazed lines which were markings of it being a


    ore evil spirit than before. Although it was a drop of bucket, Tina''s situation eventually got better and better.


    The days slipped away.


    Two months later, Soar and the other two accomplished their cultivation and their powers were strengthened significantly.


    Soar was now a second-class middle spiritual king and so was Terrence. But Terrence was stronger than Soar.


    Madeline even made a breakthrough and become a middle spiritual king from a lower spiritual king.


    It was the fourth-level Glazed Fruit that enabled those creatures at the innate spirit level to breakthrough in a short period of time without any side effects.


    Apart from a stronger power, some changes also happened in their bodies¡ªthey were now immune to any kind of toxins. No toxin could harm them unless it was at the King Level.


    ...


    "We are so lucky! We spent two months in the deathly Virulent Sand Flow and reached higher levels of our cultivations," Terrence sighed when he felt the powerful energy surging through his body.


    "Yeah," Soar agreed.


    When they fell into the Virulent Sand Flow, nothing but only death and the desire to escape were in their minds.


    No one had expected such an amazing experience.


    "The Virulent Sand Flow is no longer a place of opportunity for any of us. Let''s leave here as soon as we could to find other opportunities. We still need to find the Massacring Sand and the Massacring Soil,"


    Ricky said with even greater expectations.

 Chapter 593 Rickys Involvement

    The outskirts of the Virulent Sand Flow were a naturally desolate land.


    The only place where it was possible to produce the Massacring Sand and the Massacring Soil was at an extremely desolate and deserted Land of Legacy such as the Virulent Sand Flow.


    Suddenly, two figures hurriedly passed through the desolate land. One of the figures was a good-looking man, while the other was a beautiful woman. In contrast to their charming faces, their robes were worn out and their bodies showed that they were in awful conditions. With every stride, they struggled to catch their breaths.


    Judging by the scratches and marks all over their bodies, it was clear that they were both seriously injured.


    "Brother, it''s fine if you leave me alone now. With me dragging you down, it will be impossible for you to escape!" said the woman sadly yet firmly as she saw how her brother tried very hard to flee as far as he could while making sure she didn''t get left behind.


    "What nonsense are you talking about!? If I leave you here alone, how am I supposed to look our father in the eye once I reach him? I won''t run away alone. Whatever happens, we must leave together!" The man scolded his sister upon hearing the absurdity of her words.


    His face, ragged and somber with exhaustion though, was filled with his strong determination to make sure he and his sister would both make it out alive.


    "Samson, Carley, I advise that you do not waste any more of your time and energy. As long as you hand that thing over to me, I promise not to kill you," a person said rather callously from behind.


    "Ha-ha! And I, the future tribe leader, will bring you great joy, Carley!" another man said. Unlike the first one, his voice sounded livelier but cruder.


    Soon, six figures altogether rushed towards the direction of the man and his sister. All the six figures were men in golden robes.


    Ricky definitely knew one of the six men. It was Keith of the Golden Rhino tribe. During the selection, he was originally with the young master of the Heaven Palace.


    However, after the young master''s death, Keith used a spiritual space tool and ran away.


    Since Keith was with them, there must be other members of the Golden Rhino tribe among the six young men. And that turned out to be true. Together with Keith, there were three young men with two golden horns on either sides of their heads. The horns symbolized the Golden Rhino tribe.


    There were two men who, judging from their stance and temperament, seemed to be the leaders of the group. One of the men at the forefront of their group bore a younger appearance and a muscular figure. He appeared to be even stronger than Keith.


    The other man had a thinner build. Nevertheless, his lean figure did not diminish the dominating and oppressive aura that surrounded him.


    Sure enough, the two men were both second-class middle spiritual kings, w


    cky comes," Martin Jin said while resisting the strong urge to kill.


    His murderous intent was aimed at Ricky. He didn''t really care much about Samson and his sister.


    "Martin, I think as long as you capture Samson, Ricky will surely come for him. That said...can you leave his sister¡ªCarley¡ªto me?" the young man of the Golden Rhino tribe whispered to the seething man beside him. His golden eyes glanced at Samson.


    "Duncan, I''m sorry but not now," Martin Jin answered, shaking his head.


    "What are you talking about? Why are you so reluctant to grant me this simple wish? Why can''t you just let me have this woman?" Duncan Jin protested. He was extremely disappointed that Martin Jin refused to grant his request.


    "It''s not that I''m reluctant to let you have what you want," Martin Jin clarified. "Now''s just not the right time for that. Besides, it has been agreed that no one is allowed to harm both siblings before Ricky appears.


    If our parties end up in a dispute because you insist what you want, then there is nothing else I can do about it."


    At first, Duncan Jin gave Martin Jin a sullen look. But after realizing that Martin Jin did have a solid point, his gloominess was instantly replaced by a calm and collected feeling. His glum expression upturned into a smile.


    Duncan Jin had to tolerate his disappointment and avoid engaging into an argument with Martin Jin. Martin Jin still had in his possession an item that he gravely needed.


    "You said it, Martin! So let''s make a deal. The moment Ricky shows up, you should hand over that woman to me!" Duncan Jin couldn''t control the hint of lust in his grin.


    Martin Jin noticed the change in Duncan Jin''s expression, but he decided to ignore it. He opted to reciprocate Duncan Jin''s ecstatic mood with a light smile. "Thank you for understanding me, Duncan. This time, our cooperation will surely not lead to any losses. You can count on that."

 Chapter 594 The Attack

    "Did you really think that my sister and I would wave a white flag and let ourselves be captured without even putting up a fight?" Samson asked shortly when he heard the conversation between Martin and Duncan.


    Boom! As his voice trailed off, energy waves started to build up, enclosing their bodies. The next moment, the siblings moved quickly to start their attack.


    Martin didn''t think that their attack posed any serious threat to him. With a wave of his hand, the intense Golden Enlightenment spread out and neutralized the energy waves coming toward him from the attack.


    Martin''s counter attack didn''t stop there, though. The Golden Enlightenment hit Samson and his sister hard; they fell onto the ground and were temporarily stunned.


    "Samson, I suggest you giving up on this fight, because trying to win against me is futile. You two have already been severely wounded and can''t even claim to be competent opponents any more. Your only hope lies in Ricky coming to your aid¡ªthat''s the only way that you''ll live another day,"


    Martin said coldly.


    Then, Martin turned over his palm, and with the snap of his fingers, two golden lights were inserted into their shoulders. The golden lights locked their shoulder blades into place. Neither of them could use their spiritual energy in that moment.


    As their shoulders were paralyzed, both of them looked desperate and horrified.


    "Ricky, in spite of your reputation as an ace genius, you''ll die here too. I''m finally gonna avenge my brother''s death." Martin seemed to be fantasizing about the end of Ricky''s life, and his heart was swelled with excitement.


    "Of course, I''ll take whatever you have collected and gained after I kill you," he added as a big smile spread across his face.


    At that moment, Martin failed to see the grim expression on Duncan''s face.


    ...


    There was a strange roar in the distance.


    Several seconds later, a howling gale of red flames was flying directly towards Martin and his group.


    Martin and Duncan were caught off guard by the sudden attack, and were frightened by its extreme power.


    Without wasting any time to think or hesitate, they organized their defense, trying to resist the burst of flames.


    An enormous fire snake that writhed and hissed came from inside the flames. It bared its sharp teeth and had its blood power readied for another attack. That forced Martin and his men to step backward in shock.


    Needless to say, the fire snake was actually Soar.


    The moment Ricky and his companions left the Virulent Sand Flow, they saw Martin and his group.


    An airship was coming from t


    Golden Enlightenment into his right leg.


    Ricky responded speedily. Without any hesitation or reservation, he used his massacring power to its fullest extent. He stretched out his palm, and hit Martin''s leg as it came at him.


    An earsplitting sound was produced from the collision between the leg and the palm. Both of them felt shock and numbness racing through their bodies after hitting each other. They retreated back several steps, gasping as they were quickly regaining their strength for further attacks.


    The shock and surprise in their eyes mirrored each other. Although it was their first time fighting against each other, they could already feel the formidable strength their opponents had.


    "How could Ricky grow stronger so quickly? Since when has he mastered the power of a second-class middle spiritual king?" Martin just couldn''t believe what he was perceiving as they fought.


    Not long ago, he was told that Ricky''s cultivation was inferior to a middle spiritual king.


    "Did he really make such amazing progress in the past several months?" Martin was shocked by his own speculation. "It can''t be true! It''s just impossible! Even an ace genius wouldn''t be able to do something like that."


    At that very moment, as he thought about Ricky''s horrible growth rate, Martin couldn''t hide his murderous intention any longer. To prevent Ricky from becoming any stronger, he had to act recklessly and kill him there.


    "This is another perilous battle, right?" Ricky forced a smile despite the grim situation.


    He was also taken aback by Martin''s and Duncan''s power. In spite of being two geniuses from two spiritual-king forces, they could fight extremely well.


    "Damn it! I shouldn''t underestimate any geniuses!"

 Chapter 595 Reaching A Compromise

    "You are so much more powerful than your younger brother," Ricky told Martin as he steadied himself.


    "But, there''s one thing you need to know. Listen¡ªI, Ricky, truly detest how you used innocent people to force me to appear before you." Ricky gave off an increasingly menacing aura.


    He didn''t know all the details of the conflict among the Golden Leopard Valley, the Golden Rhino tribe and the Nanchao Clan. He only heard about part of the story from Madeline''s previous narration. From what he knew, he conjectured everything that Martin and his allies did to those innocent people was all because of him.


    Ricky felt truly sorry for causing trouble to the Nanchao Clan. They shouldn''t have been hurt because of unwarranted guilt. They were not acquainted with him and they certainly never conspired with him against the people of the Golden Leopard Valley. They were all innocent! He was enraged by the bullies, especially Martin.


    To be honest, had Martin avenged his younger brother''s death by attacking him directly, he would not have been so furious. The matter concerned him and Martin. The latter should not have involved innocent people''s lives. He would never ever allow himself to let those people die for nothing.


    Perhaps, that was what Ricky''s righteousness was all about.


    "Oh? Is that so? You detest me for doing that? Tell me, do you like it when other people rob your treasures? Tell me, do you like it when any member of your family get killed?" Martin scoffed at Ricky.


    The former then raised his outstretched palm to caution Ricky from moving his lips. "Let me answer for you. You wouldn''t like it and neither would I. If anyone dared to do those things, I would let him pay the price using any method possible!"


    Martin''s eyes gleamed with overwhelming fury.


    "Well, I think you should also pay the price for hurting innocent people. Killing you is enough to them!" Ricky clapped back.


    "Do you really think you can kill me? Others may see you as an ace genius, but I don''t think your strength is enough. You are just a stepping stone to my advancement in the world of martial arts. You are not worthy enough to defeat me," Martin sneered.


    "Just wait and see. Perhaps I can use you as my stepping stone!" Ricky said resolutely. Martin was just a common foe to him in the past. But right now, he was beginning to see him as a fierce competitor.


    ''It''s exactly the right choice to become a member of the Oriental College. Indeed, there are countless dangers and enemies all the way through, but there are also geniuses that I can meet and compete against. The faster I make progress and become formidable, the sooner I can reach the base of the Phoenix tribe and rescue Grace, '' Ricky thought.


    He was confident about facing all the difficulties that lay ahead.


    Just as Ricky was about to exert his full powe


    ie down.


    After assuring Madeline, Ricky wasted no more time and opened up about the question that, as he was told by Martin, could be answered by the siblings.


    "Could you tell me what Martin really meant by that?" Ricky asked hastily.


    "I will tell you at the right time!" Samson said. "I''ve chosen to give you the information you need because I want to see you and Martin engage in a brutal, cutthroat battle.


    Or, more specifically, I want to see both of you get wounded severely and taste humiliating defeat! I want you both to fight so hard that you both end up lying, writhing helplessly on the dirt while you gasp and beg for the last moments of your pathetic lives!"


    "Samson, don''t you dare talk like this! Have you forgotten how to judge fairly between what is moral and what is not?" Soar was clearly enraged by Samson''s words.


    If it were only up to him, Soar would have punched Samson hard and square right this second. But thankfully he had good self-control, as he still remembered that Samson was Madeline''s cousin.


    Meanwhile, however, Samson cared nothing about what Soar had said.


    Soar opted to remain silent and restrain his urge to hit Samson. He knew how verbal or physical violence wouldn''t help Samson and his sister settle the conflict.


    "I get what you mean, but I want you to know who I really am," Ricky replied in a low and calm voice. He wasn''t irritated or offended at all by Samson''s words.


    He had expected that Samson would be furious, and that he would utter harsh words the moment they get the chance to talk face to face. As it turned out, what Samson expressed earlier was much tamer and milder than what Ricky had in mind.


    Ricky cared little about Samson''s attitude towards him. Since Madeline was his friend and the siblings were her cousins, he had to be serious and tough enough to help solve the conflict they were facing at the moment.

 Chapter 596 The Land Of Ghosts

    In most cases, Ricky couldn''t care less about what other people thought of him. He liked to do everything in his own way and turn a deaf ear to others'' gossip. But now because this Samson was Madeline''s relative, he had to make some redemption and change his mind about him. It was not for himself, but for his sworn brother Soar. Since Soar liked Madeline so much, Ricky couldn''t just turn Samson into his enemy.


    Of course, Ricky knew that he was the one to blame for the deaths of the many geniuses from the Nanchao Clan. So on all accounts, he shouldn''t turn his back on this matter.


    "Alright then, tell me what Martin wants. What makes him so sure that I will definitely go there?" Ricky asked, having decided not to go against Samson.


    "Our clan and warriors from the Golden Leopard Valley call that place the Land of Ghosts. It was discovered a long time ago by the ancestors of our clan and the Golden Leopard Valley together," Samson started answering, sounding much calmer now.


    "The Land of Ghosts?" Ricky and the others repeated with a little surprise on hearing the name. They were startled by the strange name. It was the first time that they had heard about this place, whose name alone was reeking of danger.


    "Then? What''s so special about that area?" Ricky asked on, clearly intrigued.


    "It is a hidden area on this Land of Legacy and the story says that it is haunted by ghosts. From the moment that it was found, the ghosts have acquired all of its space. Hence, the area is named after them." Samson went on telling about it.


    "I bet you have heard about the ghost. It is a rather special kind of creature that is either formed naturally in heaven and earth or evolve from a soul filled with resentment. Usually, it is without any flesh or bones. Some of them still have psychic intelligence if they were some intelligent creatures before they died. Some of them are fortunate enough to possess intelligence through long ages. But the rest of them are just simple forms of life."


    "I can see that it obviously deserves the name, and it is also obvious that this is by no means a safe place. Is there any prize for those who are brave enough to explore the land inspite of the risks? And most importantly, why was Martin so certain that I would be willing to go to this strange land?" Ricky inquired, showing more interest.


    "You said it. There exists some kind of truly valuable treasures that none of the innate spiritual kings can resist. It''s said that the Enlightening Trees may be found there, and with a bit of luck, one can even expect to find the Enlightening Fruits on the land," Samson answered.


    "The Enlightening Fruits!" Ricky and the others exclaimed excitedly, their faces lighting up at once.


    As a matter of fact, luck was something that they surely had these days, for they had just gained the fourth-level Glazed Fruits that they had craved for. It seemed that their luck hadn''t run out, as now even the Enlightening Fruits had come knocking at their door.


    "Well, looks like my reaction has met Martin''s expectation," Ricky declared with a s


    you could remove your prejudices against me is that you''re someone important to Madeline. I don''t want to create any conflicts between you and her, which is why I need to prove to you that I meant no harm.


    Of course, even if it''s not for Madeline, I will still go and fight Martin and his men. But in that case, I will do it merely for the justice I uphold rather than for changing your mind."


    Samson didn''t say anything for a while on hearing Ricky''s words, but he was pondering over them.


    He then exchanged knowing looks with his sister Carley, but it was hard to figure out what they were trying to say to each other.


    Finally, after a few moments of silence, Samson said, "Fine, I want to believe you. I hope you can keep your promise and change our opinions about you after this trip to the Land of Ghosts.


    Honestly, since you appear to be Madeline''s friend, we don''t want any misunderstanding between us, either."


    "You will see, I''m sure of that," Ricky answered with a genuine smile.


    "So now let''s get back to the point. When can we possibly get into the Land of Ghosts? Do we need to get the timing right?" Ricky asked as his face filled with excitement.


    "From the earlier trials and experience, I would say that we might get the chance about half a month later," Samson informed them.


    "That''s good to know. Alright then, make sure that you two have enough rest on this airship in the following days. It takes time for your wounds to heal," Ricky suggested.


    In the following ten days, the group of people rested and recovered on the airship. After that, they wasted no time and headed in the direction of the Land of Ghosts.


    Soon, they arrived in a mountain area, where the dark energy was lurking around. The moment they came near that place, a kind of sinking feeling began reverberating in their bones. The entrance to the Land of Ghosts was hidden somewhere in this eerie and wicked space.


    It was waiting for whoever that dared to come, right in the crevice between the two highest mountains in the middle of the space.

 Chapter 597 The Ghosts

    They were two solitary mountains that rose high into the sky. The mountains were so high that it was impossible to see the tops of them. Everything on the mountains was dark and mysterious as it was cast in shadow. The mountains were surrounded by the dark power. One could feel that it covered the whole range of the mountains, and right between the two solitary mountains was the place with the strongest dark power.


    A hellish storm blew constantly through the mountains, sweeping over the dark power. In addition to the energy of ruin, which originally existed there, the atmosphere was like that of a dark hell.


    Those two isolated mountains seemed to be connected with each other, but that was not really the case. There was actually a small valley between them.


    "Did you see that small cavern entrance in the valley? That is the entrance to the Land of Ghosts," Samson said after they arrived there. "Every two or three months, there is a hellish storm that blows through this small cavern. The hellish storm is a part of the entrance. When the hellish storm appears, we should walk into the storm. This is how we can enter the Land of Ghosts."


    "I see." Ricky nodded his head gently.


    "After we enter it, we will have to face danger from all kinds of ghosts. The ghosts within that land have many different forms. These ghosts are eager for flesh and blood. Once they devour bodies of flesh and blood, they can obtain psychic intelligence," Samson explained.


    "So that means, once we enter the Land of Ghost, we will be attacked by all of the ghosts as soon as they sense that we are there."


    "We naturally need to face the ghosts after we enter the Land of Ghosts. To be honest, I''m really looking forward to seeing those ghosts. I wonder what they look like, and I want to figure out which one is stronger¡ªthe ghosts or my raging fire attack," Soar said with a little disdain in his voice after hearing what Samson had said.


    He was contemptuous toward the ghosts, but not of Samson, of course.


    Samson smiled lightly when he heard what Soar said. He knew that no matter what he said at that moment about the powerful and terrible aspect the ghosts had, Soar wouldn''t believe him. Everything would be made clear after they entered the Land of Ghosts though.


    "They are here, too!" Ricky added at that point.


    As soon as he finished speaking, six figures landed on the ground nearby. The newcomers were Martin, Duncan, and their partners.


    "I had expected to see some more


    mirage, we are very likely to get stuck here forever," Samson reminded them of that at that point.


    Samson still had faith in Ricky as Ricky was strong, so he didn''t expect Ricky to die before he fought with Martin and his companions. As for how things would go after that, he was really uncertain about it. He didn''t know whether he would change his views on Ricky or not over time.


    "Mirage? I have never seen a mirage. If there is a chance, I would really like to see what it looks like." Ricky smiled after he heard what Samson said.


    One could tell from Ricky''s eyes that he wasn''t the type to lie. He was really looking forward to seeing a legendary mirage.


    ''Ricky is such a strange man! I don''t even know if he is confident, or just wildly arrogant, '' Samson thought to himself at the sight of Ricky''s smile.


    "Aawwoo!"


    Right at that point, they were suddenly able to hear earsplitting howls, but they couldn''t see where the noises were coming from. The sounds seemed to be roars of beasts.


    Then, they saw many seemingly solid but somehow illusory shadows coming toward them and encircling them.


    Those shadows were changing between solid forms and illusory forms. Some of them looked like human figures, some like virtual shadows of beasts, and others looked like various types of plants. Those shadows were surrounded by an aura of death and gloomy power. There was even the smell of rotting coming from their mouths when they howled.


    They could feel a force of strong resentment from those shadows.


    "If I''m right, then these must be the ghosts that populate this Land of Ghosts!" Ricky said as his eyes shone with joy and excitement.

 Chapter 598 The Ghost Tracking Device

    "Yes, these creatures are the ghosts formed by the souls of the dead, the power of Dark Enlightenment and the resentment of the creatures before they were killed," Samson explained, providing them more detail.


    "The strength of these ghosts is, in essence, not really weak. Each of them is actually a spiritual king," Soar sighed as he felt the energy being exuded in their surroundings.


    "You''re right. This Land of Legacy can be considered an old battlefield for those innate spiritual kings. After they died, their souls turned into ghosts. As a result, the ghosts now possess the power of a spiritual king," Samson added. The Land of Legacy was discovered by the ancestors of both his clan and the Golden Leopard Valley. Thus, he was familiar with everything in this land.


    "These ghosts are not the strongest ones. Yet, they are perfect for us to test the power of the ghosts along with their attack styles." Upon hearing this, Ricky instantly said, "Soar, we leave the most powerful ghost to you. Terrence and I will handle the rest."


    "I see! No problem!" Soar gamely responded as he expressed zero hesitation. Without wasting any more second, he activated his body movement skill and landed right in front of the strongest ghost.


    Judging by its breath, Soar felt that the strength of the ghost was probably equivalent to a second-class middle spiritual king. Yet, because it had no entity, the power that it could potentially release was almost equal to the peak power of a third-class middle spiritual king. On the other hand, this would also provide the perfect opportunity for Soar to hone his skill. It was for this reason that he complied with Ricky''s suggestion with no contentions.


    As a Great Dragon, Soar''s speed of progress in terms of his cultivation base took place at a fast pace. His talent was at least close to the second level of a peerless genius. However, since he always stayed with Ricky, his progress was sort of overshadowed by the faster progress that Ricky manifested.


    "After observing you for days, I''ve discovered that you are not the only one in this group who deserves to be called a fighting madman. Even your brother Soar is also a fighting madman," Terrence said to Ricky in a low voice when he witnessed how Soar had fought with the ghost.


    "Actually, you can go head-to-head against Soar. I believe that the battle between you two will be advantageous for both of you," Ricky suggested.


    "I will. Like you, Soar has already triggered my fighting spirit. If I am able to seize such a great opportunity, I will definitely fight Soar," Terrence revealed. He was also a crazy fighter and he would often engage in a fight with strong warriors whenever he was presented with the opportunity. He had challenged Ricky in the past at the Oriental College. It was during their friendly battle that Ricky and Terrence became friends.


    "Ha-ha, then, let''s deal with these ghosts first!" Ricky said and chuckled.


    He then took out his Iron Destroyer and Terrence took out his Dark Evil Sword. Within a few moments, they had killed off all th


    ger fought with us when we were still outside the Land of Ghosts earlier," Samson replied introspectively as he rubbed his thumb with his chin. "His strategy is clear. First, he will leave us alone and make us do all the hard work in searching for the Enlightening Fruits by using this Ghost Tracking Device. Once we find the fruits and they find the perfect opening, that''s when they''ll strike and seize the fruits from our possession."


    "They really had an elaborate plan. It''s a pity they miscalculated the situation. The moment they crossed paths with me, that was when their plan was doomed to fail," Ricky responded softly but surely upon discovering his opponents'' plan. Samson and Carley couldn''t help but be startled by the confidence that Ricky exuded.


    "Soar''s battle should be over in a second!" Ricky blurted with excitement. His attention shifted back to Soar, who was busy fighting against the ghost.


    Bang! Bang! By this time, the ghost had now been suppressed completely by Soar.


    How was that possible? Firstly, since the ghost no longer had flesh and body, its combat power was immensely reduced. Secondly, Soar''s skill, the Heaven Melting Fire, had the power to restrain the power of ghosts especially when it was used at full capacity.


    "Soar, hurry up and end the battle. Next, we need to hunt more ghosts," Ricky urged.


    "Ricky, I get it!" Soar replied at once. Obviously, defeating the ghost was not his ultimate purpose at the moment. He knew that they had a more pressing task to finish. Thus, he understood Ricky right away and so he had no other choice but to hasten his fight.


    Soar yelled with much force from his inner core, "Dragon Battle Technique, Heaven-melting Flame Skill!" He summoned and invoked one of his powerful skills. Shortly after calling out his mighty technique, Soar released a fierce attack. His Heaven Melting Fire was transformed into the virtual shadow of a fire dragon. The virtual shadow then wrapped itself around Soar''s right fist, before it whirled quickly and violently toward the ghost.

 Chapter 599 The Enlightening Tree

    The punch with the Dragon Battle Technique wasn''t an ordinary one. It contained the blood power of the Great Dragon and the enlightening power. The punch was so powerful that the entire Land of Ghosts was lit up by its flashes. The atmosphere was filled with the momentum of a Great Dragon.


    "I know how powerful Soar is judging by the momentum of his punch. I believe that he is unbelievable strong like you," Terrence exclaimed. He was surprised to see how powerful Soar was.


    "You should have a fight with him in the future. Maybe then you''ll understand better," Ricky said with a smile.


    Most of the ghosts were killed by the overwhelming strength of Soar''s punch as their Souls of Ghost were gathered by Samson one by one.


    In order to gather more and more Souls of Ghosts, they deliberately explored the place where they thought other ghosts were more likely to show up.


    Just like what Samson had said, the ghosts there weren''t very strong. The strongest ghosts they had met were just as strong as a second-class middle spiritual king.


    There also wasn''t anything special with the area where the ghosts appeared apart from the intense dark power.


    So even though they had killed a lot of ghosts, they still had no luck finding the Enlightening Tree. Thus, they began to realize that they had to first find out where the stronger ghosts were residing in order to find the Enlightening Tree.


    They had put all their energy into killing ghosts for ten days just so they could obtain more Souls of Ghosts to provide more enlightening energy to the Ghost Tracking Device.


    Finally, after the Ghost Tracking Device was infused with hundreds of Souls of Ghosts, it began to shine.


    Buzz! Buzz! Its shining light was black. The black iron needle of the compass began to spin. Luckily they still could tell which direction it was trying to point at even though the needle spun so rapidly.


    "It''s finally working!" Samson remarked.


    He was excited and worried at the same time. On one hand, he was excited that Ricky''s fight with Martin was closely approaching and if Ricky won the battle, he would finally be able to take revenge on Martin for his family.


    On the other hand, Samson was worried and also afraid that if Ricky lost in his battle with Mar


    could never change who I really am. I''ll always have mercy in mind," Terrence replied in a serious tone. He understood Ricky''s worries so he decided to make a promise in order to assure him.


    ''Always have mercy in mind...'' Ricky thought to himself. He seemed to have understood Terrence more but at the same time, he also felt more confused about what Terrence had just said.


    However, Ricky didn''t let himself get too caught up in his conversation with Terrence so just decided to trust him. He believed in Terrence¡ªthe killing wouldn''t change who Terrence really was. Ricky always thought that constant reminding was something a friend ought to do.


    Besides, deep down, Ricky still could feel Terrence''s intent whenever Terrence practiced his sword skill. His intent had always been very pure.


    "Hey, look! Is that a tree at the center of the lake?" Soar asked excitedly. "I bet it''s the Enlightening Tree. It must be it!"


    Everyone looked at the center of the lake after hearing Soar''s words.


    There was indeed a tree at the center of the lake. It was black and it was in the middle of a thick cloud of dark fog. The fog seemed to be the Dark Enlightenment and the tree was absorbing it.


    "It''s said that the Enlightening Tree can absorb any kind of enlightening power. It can turn the power it absorbs into pure enlightening and grow Enlightening Fruits. I believe that''s the Enlightening Tree," Terrence said excitedly.


    "I can''t help but picture its Enlightening Fruits in my mind already."

 Chapter 600 Mighty Ghosts

    Hearing what Terrence and Soar said, Ricky and the others just couldn''t wait to get a closer look at the tree.


    "However, before we get to the Enlightening Tree, we have some troubles to deal with," Ricky said as a flash of fighting spirit appeared in his eyes.


    Something let out a strong howl in the distance. As Ricky''s voice trailed off, a horrible howl was heard clearly by Ricky and his friends.


    Those skeletons which had been floating on the surface of the lake were now moving violently as they flowed along the dark water. Tens of thousands of giant dark shadows that looked like ghosts then appeared out of nowhere.


    Apart from that, the dark ghosts were constantly absorbing the energy of the Dark Enlightenment from the dark water.


    Amidst the howling and roaring of the ghosts, they casted murderous glances as sharp as arrows at Ricky and his friends. If those glances could kill, they all would''ve died in an instant.


    However, in spite of what they were capable of doing, the ghosts failed to draw the attention of Ricky and his friends who were still busy straining their eyes to figure out what was at the center of the lake.


    Standing at the center were two shadows. One of them looked like a human that emitted a terribly powerful aura. The other shadow seemed more like in the form of a tiger or wolf.


    "Without a doubt, they must be the leaders of this swarm of ghosts," Ricky said with certainty.


    "I can deal with the ghost in the form of a tiger. But that human-shaped ghost is way more powerful than me. I''m afraid that its power may be at the peak of a second-class middle spiritual king," Terrence replied apprehensively.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of it," Ricky answered. It was clear that his morale had been boosted.


    "Of course it''s yours. Who else can be a match for that prick?" Terrence laughed.


    "Soar, I''m sure you can handle fighting those hundreds of minor ghosts and not be defeated, right? Actually I think you might even enjoy fighting them," Terrence turned around and said to Soar with a grin on his face.


    "That sucks. Who are you ordering me to deal with those bastards again? You are robbing me of the fun and I''m starting to get bored," Soar replied unpleasantly after hearing what Terrence just said to him.


    "But you''re right. I can''t win against either of those ghost leaders and you have to leave those minor ghosts to me. It''s totally my fault that I''m much weaker than you and Ricky."


    "Ha-ha!" Ricky and Terrence exchanged glances as they laughed hysterically.


    "We''re also here to help!" Samson and his sister said. After having a proper rest, they had finally


    rst of its dark power kind of overpowered his own strength.


    More than that, Ricky had also found out that the human-shaped ghost leader was using the same fighting skills as that of the tiger-shaped ghost leader.


    ''My best guess is that, those ugly ghosts are cultivating martial arts solely based on the different types of wandering ghosts they were born from, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''This could really take a while!''


    Ricky diverted all his energy into his infernal power. In an instant, the chaotic fire runes and the devouring runes burst out wildly. They were his best weapons to deal with the dark power.


    It worked.


    The human-shaped ghost was severely wounded. It howled in great pain as the waves of the lake water ran higher. It carried more intense dark power as well as the strong smell of blood.


    It then punched several times as the dark water became even more violent. The water gathered and turned into an enormous whale. It howled and not far from its body, the Dark Enlightenment and the Killing Enlightenment were transformed quickly into a bloody and dark sword that rapidly flew towards Ricky.


    "Whoever this ghost leader was in its past life must have been a really excellent warrior before he died," Ricky said in a serious tone as he was impressed by what the ghost leader could do.


    Without any hesitation and without wasting any time in thinking, Ricky brought out his Iron Destroyer. He concentrated the fire power and threw his devouring runes towards the direction of the incoming dark sword.


    The collision produced earsplitting sounds and huge explosions.


    The heat waves spread far and seemed to have engulfed everybody and everything around the collision, including Ricky and the human-shaped ghost leader.

 Chapter 601 The Killing Swordsmanship

    Boom!


    The collision sent a sea of energy waves on all directions. The whole dark water lake boiled and exploded as it sent dozens of water columns up into the sky. Two figures then came out of the water, jumped into the air, and continued to fight.


    Despite the fact that Ricky had already used his devouring power and his Chaotic Fire Skill, he still couldn''t outrun his opponent, a damned ghost with barely any intelligence in its head.


    Floating in the air, Ricky looked solemn. He surely had made a mistake by underestimating the power of this ghost. During the last collision and the first several rounds of blows, he had clearly understood how powerful the ghost leader truly was. He now felt as if he had only a slim chance in winning against his opponent.


    The human-shaped ghost leader was completely furious because it was beginning to find the intruder quite hard to kill. Feeling the intruder''s stubbornness and great strength, it roared again and again. The terrible sounds echoed between heaven and earth. Its two round eyes were bloody and completely dark. Its whole body produced an odor of disgusting blood and corruption. Behind its body, the Dark Enlightenment was being concentrated as it flowed towards Ricky.


    "Fight until the very last moment!" Ricky stared at the human-shaped ghost solemnly and considered him as a good opponent even without much psychic intelligence. He saw it as a worthy opponent to fight with, and he knew it could help him cultivate his martial arts.


    The next moment, Ricky released the first level of Ultimate Golden Body and stormed towards the ghost leader.


    Seeing the human warrior wielding a blade and coming to attack itself, the human-shaped ghost turned its two hands into sharp claws and grabbed the Dark Enlightenment to make a dark saber out of it.


    The ghost slashed at the coming opponent as brilliant lights shot out from its saber that turned into sharp blades flying directly towards Ricky at lightning speed.


    Bang! The next second, the crashing sound echoed far. Ricky and the ghost rapidly exchanged blows with great intensity.


    Dozens of blows were made by the two fighters within a short period of time. With each and every defensive maneuver and attack, Ricky did his best to stay out of trouble.


    Boooooom! Once again, Ricky and the ghost both tumbled and fell due to the strong impact.


    "A good opponent and some good fighting! It seems that I would have to use some Omnipotent Skill to finish this


    together and transformed into the Massacring Sword of Heaven and Earth. It once again fused with the sword in Terrence''s hand. It hacked the tiger-shaped ghost leader''s body through the path which had already been pervaded by blood.


    "He just fused Heaven''s Killing and Earth''s Killing into one. He seemed to have made great progress by successfully pulling that off!" Ricky muttered to himself in surprise after personally witnessing the formidable power of Terrence''s sword.


    The ghost roared. Terrence''s terrifying expression sent chills to the ghost''s mind even if its intelligence could barely comprehend anything. Apart from that, Ricky killing the human-shaped ghost also made it terrified. Its roaring sound climbed a notch as the endless Dark Enlightenment seemed to have been swelling quickly.


    The skeletons floating on the surface of the dark water lake were then swept by the dark power of the tiger-shaped ghost.


    At the speed of light, the rotten skeletons wrapped themselves around the tiger-shaped ghost''s sharp claws as if they were serving as its armor.


    Its fingers then clawed at Terrence''s Massacring Sword of Heaven and Earth.


    Bang! Bang!


    After the strong collision, the rotten skeletons cracked.


    By the time the heat waves were dispersed, the ghost''s claws had been reduced to bits of dust floating on the surface of the dark water lake.


    The ghost howled in great pain. The sword pieced through its body before the sword lights ultimately exploded inside its belly.


    Within about half an hour, the two strongest ghosts had been finished off by Ricky and Terrence. After that, Terrence returned to his human shape.

 Chapter 602 Martins Messenger

    Then, both Ricky and Terrence joined Soar, helping him and his allies slaughter the remaining ghosts.


    The death of the two ghost leaders had already filled the remaining ghosts with a sense of dread. The terrible fear they felt did help disrupt their formation and depress their morale. Within an hour, they had been slaughtered and were reduced to nothing but Souls of Ghost.


    In spite of the fact that the ghosts had once been living creatures, Ricky didn''t regret slaughtering them at all. He didn''t show any mercy to them either. Showing mercy to an enemy would do nothing but possibly hurt him, or even send him to hell sooner than he expected to die.


    Although those ghosts also had their rights to live, they were obstacles to Ricky. Thus, they had to be removed. Ricky knew the difference between what was right and wrong. He also understood what was good for him and what he had to do to keep his friends safe.


    Since he was weak, he had to put his interest and safety before true justice and the greater good.


    When he was strong enough that he didn''t have to fear anything, he would help others and do justice in the world.


    "Ghosts, you did nothing wrong, but you were obstacles to my further cultivation. I must do what will further my own goals. You can take your revenge when I join you in hell someday," Ricky muttered to himself after the slaughter was over.


    ...


    "Samson, I''ll leave those Souls of Ghosts at your disposal." Then, Ricky handed all of them to Samson.


    "Half of those Souls of Ghosts can be used to help us locate the whereabouts of other strong ghosts. The rest of them should be absorbed by the Enlightening Tree to facilitate its growth," Samson proposed carefully.


    Then, they went to the Enlightening Tree and looked up for the Enlightening Fruits. To their great disappointment, they only found three fruits, which were fewer than they had expected.


    "This is all we have to show for such an intense fight? That''s almost nothing good," Soar cursed, having lost his temper.


    "Haha. Don''t be mad. We all know that the Enlightening Fruit is a rarely-seen and precious Treasure from Heaven and Earth. We have enough luck to get these three Enlightening Fruits to begin with," Terrence said, putting on a thin smile and trying weakly to comfort Soar.


    "We can divide


    ward Jin. With every step he took, the enlightening power built up a bit.


    Edward Jin''s body started to tremble. When he tried to resist Ricky''s overwhelming enlightening power, he found himself to be as powerless and weak as an ant trying to defend itself against an elephant.


    "Are you so sure that I won''t kill you here and now?"


    Before his sentence trailed off, Ricky moved and appeared right in front of Edward Jin before he could even figure out what was happening. Ricky''s right hand grabbed his neck tightly, and Edward Jin found it hard to breath anymore.


    Something cracked under Ricky''s hand. Bones splintered.


    "Ricky, what are you doing? If you dare to hurt me, my young master won''t spare your life," Edward Jin threatened. At that very moment, his confidence dissipated quickly and completely. He could, at such a close range, see the murderous intent deep in Ricky''s eyes.


    "I will tell you something before you die. I''m not just some good warrior. Whoever provokes me is bound to come to a bad end." Ricky smirked, and the expression sent chills down Edward Jin''s spine.


    "But today is your lucky day. I''m gonna give you a second chance. Tell me the truth, and I may spare your life," Ricky said with a smirk.


    "I...I..." Edward stammered. Ricky''s threats worked like a charm on him.


    Ricky pressed harder on Edward''s throat as he stammered. More bones cracked.


    "Don''t! Please show mercy. I will tell you everything," Edward Jin begged desperately after he heard the cracking sound coming from his own throat.

 Chapter 603 Is It An Invitation To Goodwill

    "Speak, Edward. Don''t try my patience! I''m telling you, any falsehood you utter will mean your death. This is my final warning," Ricky said with a snarl. His face contorted with distaste as he pushed Edward aside. Gingerly, he patted his hands together as if to shake off the other man''s filth. The sight of his displeasure filled Edward with alarm and fear.


    His mouth opened and then promptly closed, his mind cast about for the words that would save him from further admonishment. Edward cleared his throat to start over, a play for time as he struggled to catch his breath.


    "Hey, what are you waiting for? Just tell us straight. How did you know our exact location?" Soar barked the question at Edward through gritted teeth.


    "We knew your location through Samson and Carley!" Edward confessed, his mouth tripped over his words in his haste. His words ended in a high-pitched squeak as fear got the better of him.


    "What? What are you talking about? You mean we signaled our location to you?" Samson''s and Carley''s eyes widened at the accusation, heads snapped towards Edward''s location as they ran his words over and over in their heads. Incredulous, they instinctively launched their enlightening power to detect any suspicious energy or activity inside their bodies, but they found none.


    "Express yourself clearly!" Ricky bellowed at Edward.


    "We produced a special tracking powder using the blood of the Golden Leopard Valley members to form the guiding constituent. When it was finished, we stealthily planted the tracking powder on their bodies. With the aid of this tracking powder, all the disciples from the Golden Leopard Valley can sense Samson and Carley from far away." Even as he cowered under Ricky''s gaze, Edward managed to murmur a minute explanation.


    "How dare you guys!" Samson bellowed. He stood rigid as he stared down hard at Edward. Seething, he clenched his trembling fist at his side. He willed himself to stand still lest he made another mistake.


    All warriors hated to be watched and tracked, and Samson was no exception.


    Samson wasn''t the only one feeling sick at that hour though. Edward cursed himself for having taken the initiation to come here. He shouldn''t have come to see Ricky and his companions.


    His foolishness led him here, short of a secret trump card and with his life at risk. He swallowed thickly, pushing down words that might make the whole situation even worse.


    "I''m going to kill you!" Samson roared with anger as he lunged toward Edward. Instantly, he held a knife against the other''s neck. A drop of blood trickled from the sharp point to the smooth, shining edge of the blade.


    Just as quickly, Madeline stood beside him, close enough to grab him by the collar and pull him back. She chopped at his wrist, loosening his hold on the handle. The knife dropped to her waiting hand.


    Samson let her. He stood limp at her side, calming himself with quick, quivering breaths


    that Ricky would believe his elaborate lie and accept Martin''s invitation. Seconds passed, but time didn''t make it easier for him to accept or even understand Ricky''s decision. Edward fumbled, grasped for straws, as he came to grips with the fact that he revealed their highly guarded secret for this plan too.


    "It seems that telling them the truth is the only option I have left," Edward muttered to himself. With his mind made up, he heaved a heavy sigh.


    "Edward, I told you. I have no interest in that golden opportunity. In other words, I have no more time to waste on this." Ricky flashed him a toothy smile, resembling a predator''s flash of fangs. "You better leave immediately before I initiate my killing desire.


    By the way, tell Martin I will look for him even if he''s unwilling to see me."


    Edward nodded solemnly. His eyes trained on the ground as he listened to Ricky.


    "I''ll let you off this time. Next time, you''ll be belly-up as soon we see you," Ricky warned, his lips curling in condescension.


    "Before I leave, may I have a word?" Edward asked in a small voice. He clenched his fist as he gathered enough courage to look up.


    "Enough talk! Do you want me to cut off your tongue?" Soar bellowed. The pathetic sight made him angrier. He rolled up his sleeves and started kicking at Edward''s shins.


    Ricky grabbed him by his shirt before he could cause more damage. A single glance between them was enough to persuade Soar to keep his cool.


    "Speak! I''ll give you another ten seconds," Ricky said, directing a withering glare at the man.


    "The Land of Opportunity discovered by our young master is called the Birthplace of Ghosts by the Golden Leopard Valley and the Nanchao Clan." Edward bulldozed through his story. "You might want to think twice about accepting Martin''s invitation."


    With that, Edward gathered himself to his full height and fled.


    Ricky and the others were all too stunned to even notice his escape.

 Chapter 604 A Change In Opinion

    Ricky and his companions didn''t stop Edward from leaving. However, Edward''s words continued to cloud their thoughts. They couldn''t help but think about the Birthplace of Ghosts over and over again.


    Perhaps the greatest opportunity in the Land of Ghosts could be found in the Birthplace of Ghosts.


    Soar queried, "Did he tell us the truth?" The shock in his eyes had just begun to fade. "Could it be that Martin has already figured out the whereabouts of the Birthplace of Ghosts?" By now, Soar was already over his initial confusion and had now shifted his focus to trying to decipher Martin''s game plan.


    "Only the brave one can discover whether he told the truth or not," Terrence replied solemnly.


    "Some of the elders from the Nanchao Clan once told us that there were certain restrictions in the Birthplace of Ghosts. On the other hand, I have never seen or heard of any restriction which can''t be broken by a middle spiritual king," Samson imparted to his companions dubiously.


    "You don''t have to stress yourself out with that little prick''s words. I have to go to the Birthplace of Ghosts, and I''ll accept Martin''s invitation," Ricky retorted with urgency and impatience in his tone of voice. "Even if we refuse his invitation, I''m sure Martin will get there one way or another. Once he obtains something from the Birthplace of Ghosts, our safety will be compromised."


    "I guess Martin already knew that we would rise to the challenge and give in to his bait," Terrence pointed out. "That being the case, we might as well showcase our bravery."


    "I''m really looking forward to kicking their asses!"


    Their conversation was interrupted when they all noticed something above them. They looked up at a piece of beast hide floating in midair. It was left there by Edward before he departed.


    The map of the Birthplace of Ghosts was clearly shown on the beast hide.


    Having made up his mind, Ricky stretched out his hand and grasped the beast hide in his hands.


    "They told us about the restrictions in the Birthplace of Ghosts. Thus, there is no need for us to hurry. What we should do instead is wait for the Enlightening Fruits to ripen. Then, we will refine the energy we can harness from them. From there, we will explore any other items lying around the area that can be highly advantageous to us," Ricky specified calmly. He had already calculated what their next possible move could be in preparation for Martin''s plan.


    The decisive battle between Ricky''s and Martin''s teams finally came.


    Martin and Duncan weren''t capable of imposing any serious threat to Ricky and his friends. Nonetheless, their lack of intimidation did not stop Ricky from wondering about the kind of surprises or traps Martin and his henchmen had prepared for them.


    ''I just hope you two suckers won''t disappoint me. The moment I get out of the Land of Legacy, I will hunt you down. I''ll make sure that you, along with the entire Golden Leopard Valley and the Golden Rhino tribe won''t go unpunished, '' Ricky thought to himself with gritted teeth.


    Terrence agreed with Ricky''s arrangement. Although they desperately wanted to find out wheth


    Do you think you can remove it?" Madeline furrowed her eyebrows and clenched her chest.


    Samson''s and Carley''s bodies were no average constitutions. They had also been trained like warriors, which meant that their bodies had also toughened up over time. Still, that did not make up for how vulnerable their hearts were.


    "It''s more complicated than what I thought. The tracking powder is poisonous and their hearts have already been poisoned. I''m not sure if I can successfully remove those toxins from their hearts without seriously injuring them as a consequence or threatening their safety," Ricky painfully replied. He never imagined Martin would be this tricky and brutal.


    "What the fuck! That twisted bastard! That is simply unforgivable!" Madeline, Soar and Terrence all cursed after hearing the bad news that Ricky just relayed to them. If only the killing intent they all had for Martin could merge together and stab him right now, on the spot, then they could at least finally bring justice to what Samson and Carley had to suffer.


    Gradually, Samson''s and Carley''s appearance took on a frailer and paler complexion. Samson was tougher and the toxins in his heart could barely scare him. However, Carley had a weak heart. The prospect of a young death filled her beautiful eyes with glassy, melancholic tears.


    "Ricky, have you really run out of ideas? Can''t you do something to save them?" Madeline asked fretfully. She was already so close to panicking and throwing a fit.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll do my best. Even if I fail to remove all the toxins from their hearts, I will find a way to prevent the toxins from spreading and taking a more serious effect. Once we get out of this place, I will figure out a cure for these damned toxins," Ricky answered calmly. He was thankful that his voice didn''t shake one bit, for he was trying so hard not to be consumed by the fear that he might fail the siblings, Madeline, and the rest of his companions. It would be an eternal nightmare for him if he were to calculate things wrongly and end up taking the siblings'' lives in the process.

 Chapter 605 Removing The Toxins

    "But there''s one thing that both of you need to know. I will use the infernal power to burn the toxins inside your bodies. I''m afraid the burning process will cause you intense pain," Ricky said in a deep voice.


    "Oh, so you''re going to use the flames of the infernal power." Hearing Ricky''s words, Samson could almost imagine the exact method Ricky was about to use to remove the toxins inside their bodies. While Samson spoke, he turned to look at his sister, as if trying to ask whether she could endure the pain. He was confident he was strong enough to endure it but he was afraid that his sister might not be.


    At that moment, everybody else turned to look at Carley as well.


    "Please, you do not have to worry. I will try my best to moderate the pain as I remove the toxins. If I fail to remove them, I will do my best to suppress them and make them less active. There may be some kind of antidote in the Oriental College. I can find the medicine for you once we leave this place," Ricky said.


    "I will keep holding on," Carley replied to Ricky with a heavy nod as she bit her lip hard.


    "Samson, you should go first," Ricky said immediately.


    His tone was rather serious this time as he was about to remove the toxins from their hearts, the most delicate and sensitive part of any creature''s body. Nevertheless, he knew he was not an expert of any kind in removing toxins. All he could do was try his best to cure them so as to protect them from the accumulative harm caused by the toxins.


    ''If I fail to remove the toxins from their hearts, all that would be left for me to do is to temporarily suppress the toxins for them, '' Ricky thought.


    "I will restrain all my power within my body so that you won''t be hurt by my natural reflexes to your external power," Samson reminded.


    "All right," Ricky responded with a nod.


    Samson then temporarily deactivated all the enlightening power and spiritual energy within his body. Next, he sat in the air above the lake of the dark water with his legs crossed as he meditated for a while. He was getting ready to endure all the upcoming pain.


    At that moment, Ricky began to focus all his attention on all the steps he planned in order to remove the toxins. He wanted to make sure that nothing would go wrong in the process.


    In no time at all, Ricky exerted the Devouring Fire and the Heaven Melting Fire without hesitation. These kinds of fire would greatly help him in removing the toxins within Samson''s body.


    As he had planned, he used the Heaven Melting Fire to burn and decompose the toxins while he used the Devouring Fire to absorb the decomposed toxins and completely destroy them.


    Now, his plan was beginning to take effect. First, the Heaven Melting Fire and the Devouring Fire, the two sheets of fire, turned into countless small balls of flame that slowly found their way into Samson''s heart. The flames began to burn, decompose, absorb, and eliminate


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    "Ha-ha. You brought us to the Land of Ghosts, bro. We will agree with everything you say and will follow your lead until the end. Our only wish is to grasp some precious opportunities that will help us make progress," Duncan answered with a grin on his face.


    "Duncan, you are as forthright as always," Martin praised with excitement. When he heard Duncan''s promise of loyalty to him, he couldn''t help but burst into joyful laughter.


    Right after that moment of joy, Martin''s eyes darkened before he was done laughing joyfully. Edward and another young man from the Golden Leopard Valley also looked perturbed at the moment.


    "Martin, what''s going on?" Duncan asked in wonder as he looked at the worried expression on Martin''s face.


    "Damn it! The tracking powder inside the hearts of Samson and Carley have been removed. How could this be possible?" Martin hissed in anger.


    Above the lake of the dark water, Samson, who was sitting still in midair, almost recovered from the harm he got from the toxins. After nearly a day, Ricky had finally removed all the tracking powder and toxins from Samson''s heart. Samson was tough enough to endure all the intense pain in the process.


    As for Carley, Samson''s sister, Ricky chose to eliminate all the tracking powder from her heart and suppress the toxins for her instead of completely removing them. After all, she was a fragile girl who failed to endure such intense pain in the removing process, no matter how hard she had tried. Thus, suppression of the toxins was a much suitable alternative for her.


    "Ricky, thank you very much for doing what you can," Samson said gratefully. "Now that all the toxins have been removed, I feel much more refreshed and vigorous. I didn''t expected the toxins to be so detrimental to my body and strength. No wonder I felt like I couldn''t exert my full power before."


    "Don''t mention it. Your fortitude definitely was a great help to you," Ricky said with a grin.

 Chapter 606 Breaking The Restriction Together

    Now that the toxins in Carley''s heart had been suppressed by Ricky''s zone power and runic power, Martin and his sidekicks could no longer locate the exact position of Ricky and his companions. Carley and Samson couldn''t be more grateful for Ricky''s help.


    Now, Ricky and his companions could go wherever they wanted without having to worry about their whereabouts being exposed to their enemies.


    Meanwhile, somewhere inside the Land of Ghosts, a young man of the Golden Leopard Valley heard the reproaching tone of Martin, his young master. On impulse, he prepared for the worst scenario and his thoughts raced to think of a good alibi that would defend himself against the wrath of his master. "Young master, that is impossible! There is no other way to get rid of the tracking powder other than to wait until its effect gradually disappears within the 3-month time frame."


    The young man shook in fear. Martin and his subordinates knew that the young man was telling the truth. However, since they could no longer sense the existence of the tracking powder, they had a strong inkling that the tracking powder inside Carley''s and Samson''s hearts had already disappeared. They also realized that somehow, their enemies had found a way to get rid of the tracking powder.


    Martin was undoubtedly frustrated and beyond disappointed. "Edward, do you realize the weight of what you''ve done? Can you just imagine how this has impacted our plans?" he questioned. His eyes pierced with fierce dictatorial fury. He was so enraged that he really wanted to kill the man named Edward right on the spot, whom he had sent to deliver his message to Ricky. He knew that Edward must have told them about the tracking powder; otherwise, they could not have figured out.


    "Young master, I am sorry! I am completely wrong. I shouldn''t have told them about the tracking powder." Edward apologized to Martin as he knelt at once. He was intimidated when he sensed Martin''s fury.


    "I know how timid you are. I am also well aware of how back then, you were petrified of being killed by them, and so you went ahead and spilled the beans about the tracking powder," Martin professed not in a sympathetic manner, but rather, in a condescending tone. "From now on, Edward, you''d better pray that Ricky and his cronies will surely arrive at the Birthplace of Ghosts as they have been instructed; otherwise, I will kill you first as a human sacrifice."


    "I see, young master!" Edward said with a shudder as Martin''s murderous tone lingered strongly even after he spoke.


    The fear that enveloped him, combined with the crippling animosity that his young master aimed towards him made Edward regret what he had done. Mentally, he scolded himself, ''Why am I so stupid? Why did I have to volunteer to be the messenger at that time? If I hadn''t in the first place, I would not be suffering like this now.''


    ''Ricky, I hope you will be driven by the immense opportunity inside the Birthplace of Ghosts. I also hope that you will arrive at that area soon. Otherwise, I really don''t know where I can find you right now, '' Martin thought to himself with a sigh.


    He knew that if Ricky would not have any interest in the Birthplace of Ghosts, it wouldn''t help at all even if he killed Edward.


    While Martin and his sidekicks were anxiously guessing whether Ricky and his group would go to the Birthplace of Ghosts or n


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ore them.


    He was not surprised by Ricky''s sudden appearance as he was 90% sure that the latter would accept his suggestion since the opportunities inside the Birthplace of Ghosts were just too rare to let it slip through one''s fingers.


    "Very funny, but also true! Ace geniuses are living creatures that also need to improve their cultivation bases. And that''s why you are right. We have to seize every opportunity that will help us improve. Now that the Birthplace of Ghosts is home to great opportunities, how can I miss this?" Ricky responded loudly as he slowly flew down from where he floated earlier in mid-air.


    "Moreover, both of you were truly looking forward to my arrival, right?"


    Martin chuckled. "Then Ricky, what do you think about my suggestion?" He wouldn''t admit that they were thrilled by Ricky''s appearance. Thus, he replied to Ricky''s query with a question of his own.


    Martin knew that answering his questions would be useless. He also knew that the only time he and Ricky could finally battle it out to their deathbeds was after they combined their forces and broke the dark barrier successfully.


    "Since I am here now, I''ve shown my attitude," Ricky responded. He knew Martin''s suggestion was right. They had to cooperate for the time being.


    "Then, please!" Martin said seriously upon hearing Ricky''s affirmation.


    Terrence then stepped out and paused before the dark barrier.


    Martin and Duncan expressed their doubts. "Hmm?" They felt strange. Why did they send out Terrence? Ricky was their only ideal candidate among their enemies. They were well aware that Ricky was the strongest one in his group.


    "Terrence is the strongest among our team. Naturally, he should be the best choice," Ricky revealed and laughed.


    Martin and Duncan said no more after hearing Ricky''s revelation. They too, followed suit and landed before the dark barrier. Meanwhile, the doubts in their minds would not disappear. They refused to believe that Ricky was not as good as Terrence.


    Bang! Bang!


    Martin, Duncan and Terrence all emitted their strongest momentum. Altogether, they released their power close to a first-class middle spiritual king. Moving in unison, the trio launched their offensives towards the dark barrier.

 Chapter 607 The Primitive Corridor

    Boom!


    Martin, Duncan, and Terrence''s unified attack cracked the restriction immediately. It was evident how another first-class middle spiritual king''s participation made all the difference.


    ''Surely, we would need the combined strength of all the three first-class middle spiritual kings'' to break the restriction, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    This time, he had come here with a lot more confidence. Of course, he had teamed up with Terrence against the restriction before, but they couldn''t defeat it, even with Soar''s assistance. Even after they had refined the Enlightening Fruits, they still couldn''t manage to go all the way.


    Crack! Crack!


    The unstoppable expansion of the crevice finally turned into a hole.


    However, the Land of Ghosts was full of the Dark Enlightenment, and that would make the rupture heal very quickly. It wouldn''t even take long to heal completely. Under the given circumstances, Ricky and Martin knew what to do. They just took a leap into the Birthplace of Ghosts with no hesitation whatsoever.


    When they were going through the hole, their initial impression was as if wrapped by death in arms of hell. The dark, evil and murderous enlightening power came upon them and it relentlessly tore apart their flesh and blood.


    Skeptical of this unfamiliar ground, they instantly released the spiritual energy. Transforming into a shield, it protected them from the strong force of erosion and destruction.


    Looking from the outside, the Birthplace of Ghosts seemed to be endless with no boundaries. However, once they entered, it turned out to be a small hellish space full of darkness, a square earth with a round sky above.


    Of course, the Birthplace of Ghosts was only relatively small compared with the Land of Ghosts. But, judging from the size of the space, the Birthplace of Ghosts should be as much as a city.


    The dark power inside was naturally way stronger than the outside.


    Another difference was that the smell of blood in the Birthplace of Ghosts was so much more intense, as if it had just been soaked in a pool of blood.


    "This smell of blood is so pungent!" Ricky said in a heavy tone. He couldn''t breathe so well. A slight breath of air made him feel sick and nauseous. But, it certainly made the two ladies, Madeline and Carley, even more uncomfortable.


    Grrr! The entrance was followed by screams and h


    de up seventy percent of the reason for their presence here at the Birthplace of Ghosts, while the rest thirty percent was the Enlightening Corridor.


    So, what exactly was the Martial Corridor?


    Those spiritual kings who had died and scattered around in the Land of Legacy, had their own understanding of martial arts and cultivation methods.


    This heritage could be called the experience of martial arts, or the inheritance of martial arts.


    The experience of martial arts, or the inheritance of it, could also be absorbed and evolved by the primitive power inside the Primitive Corridor to form a new one.


    The ghosts who had absorbed the mixed powers from the Resentment Corridor, the Ghost Corridor, and the Enlightening Corridor, had strong forces.


    However, if the ghosts came out through the Martial Corridor, they would have gained some practical experience, plus knowledge of cultivation methods. In this regard, they would be much stronger in comparison to any of them.


    Samson had told Ricky and his friends about it, and now, they could understand the reason behind the ghosts'' knowledge of martial arts and cultivation methods.


    The squad''s primary target at the moment was the Martial Corridor.


    Inside the Martial Corridor, they would be able to sense the practical experience of predecessors and the spiritual kings. The value of the corridor was immeasurable.


    They realized that the four huge corridors merge together every once in a while. It didn''t take long to complete the merge and every time they separated, dozens of new ghosts were born.

 Chapter 608 Samsons Fight

    Although the newborn ghosts also had no psychic intelligence, they were still able to sense the powerful energy possessed by Ricky and his fellows. Meanwhile, they couldn''t help but notice that their seniors were also frightened of Ricky. It made them think twice before launching their attacks.


    ''The Enlightening Corridor and the Martial Corridor, which one should I go to first? I really hope that I will not be let down this time, '' Ricky thought to himself expectantly as he fixed his eyes onto the two corridors.


    He actually had more expectations in the Martial Corridor. If he could comprehend some of the cultivation methods and experience left by the ancient spiritual kings, his future cultivation would be a lot easier and his power would be greatly improved.


    More accurately, he would be able to cultivate more smoothly, at least for the whole realm of the innate spiritual king.


    But there was no way of knowing until then. At that moment, Ricky felt a strong wave of murderous intent from Martin. He had to defeat him first before he could even think about entering the corridors.


    They then stared hard at each other as they prepared themselves for the imminent fight.


    ''''Ricky, it''s time to end our feud in front the Primitive Corridors. After I kill you, your soul might be able to enter one of the corridors and reincarnate into a ghost. Maybe that way, your death would not be so pathetic, '''' Martin said in a cold tone as he chose not to hide his killing intent any more.


    ''''Ha-ha! Are you expecting me to be grateful for having a chance to be reincarnated into a ghost?'''' Hearing Martin''s menacing words, Ricky smiled mockingly.


    ''''It''s a pity that this way is no good for me. So I''ll leave it all to you. You can thank me later once you have been reincarnated into a ghost.''''


    ''''You might have misunderstood something, Ricky. This isn''t merely a suggestion. My words are final and there isn''t anything you could do about it because I am more powerful than you, '''' Martin said as his face exuded confidence.


    ''''You really make laugh, Martin. You know that? You brother once said the s


    here, right now," Terrence said to Ricky through their telepathic link.


    ''''That is highly possible!'''' Ricky replied.


    ''''Samson has a mean side, Ricky. If he had been honest about his true power before, we would not have teamed up with Martin to destroy the restriction, '''' Soar said to Ricky indignantly using his internal power.


    ''''It wouldn''t be a bad idea if we first find our opportunities in this place and fight Martin later.''''


    "Maybe it is Samson''s plan to kill Martin after he gets the opportunities in the Land of Ghosts that is making him suffer from loss and desperation. Martin mercilessly killed the geniuses of his clan; his anger would never fade away until he makes Martin pay for everything that he did, '''' Ricky said after thinking about it for a while.


    ''''If we were in his place, we would''ve made the exact same choice.''''


    ''''I have to say that Samson''s personality is highly similar to yours and you know that I admire you very much, '''' said Terrence.


    ''''Ha-ha, that''s very comforting, '''' Ricky replied with a subtle smile.


    ...


    ''''I already destroyed you once. You are in no position to challenge me, Samson, '''' Martin responded disdainfully seeing that Samson volunteered to fight him.


    ''''I shall take care of you by myself, Martin. You do not stand a chance against me without your dirty means, '''' Samson said calmly as he completely ignored Martin''s humiliating words.

 Chapter 609 Water Enlightenment

    "What a joke! Let me tell you. You''ve already lost to me and you''ll never beat me no matter how much progress you''ve made!" Martin taunted Samson with a contemptuous smile.


    "I was planning to send Ricky''s soul to the Primitive Corridor first, but since you seem to be in a hurry, maybe I should just start with you."


    A beam of golden light flashed, and a golden sword appeared in Martin''s hand. It buzzed with fighting spirit.


    "My vengeance," Samson stated solemnly, "will start with me crushing your sword and then your body!" The moment Samson said those words, his eyes glowed. His aura surged all around him and turned into a tsunami that was going to engulf anything that crossed its path.


    Then, a silver sword appeared in front of him, floating in the air.


    When Samson''s hand grasped the sword, his aura soared even higher, condensed into a single wave, and then rushed toward Martin like an angry tide of death.


    "Amateur," Martin spat. He stood his ground and kept himself from flinching at the terrifying display of Samson''s power. He might be threatened by Samson''s tidal wave, but Samson did not need to know that.


    Even from a significant distance, Martin could clearly feel the destructive power embedded within Samson''s attack. He braced himself.


    ''Damn it! Fuck!'' Martin cursed inwardly. Why is he so powerful now? He should''ve been poisoned! Why aren''t the toxins working?''


    Wielding his silver sword, Samson charged at Martin.


    "Ricky, perhaps Samson is more powerful than we think. He seems to be just as powerful as I am if not more," Terrence told Ricky through their telepathic link.


    "I didn''t expect this kind of power from him, which is great. He may be able to defeat Martin," Ricky replied.


    "Now we just need to protect Samson from Duncan''s attack. I believe he still wants us to help him."


    "Sure, but it seems that Duncan has no inten


    artin''s body. Then, a colossal golden shadow surfaced behind him.


    Martin had just summoned the power of his blood.


    Martin''s ancestors, the founders of the Golden Leopard Valley, were a formidable group of people who harnessed the Golden Enlightenment like no other.


    Clearly, Martin inherited that ability.


    Ricky started to worry. ''At the power level of a first-class middle spiritual king, Martin''s enlightening power will be greatly enhanced. I hope Samson is prepared for this, '' he pondered.


    "Don''t worry. Samson isn''t going to lose to him," Carley said firmly. "We''re from the Nanchao Clan.


    We also have our own blood power."


    "Prepare to meet your end, Samson," Martin jeered, feeling the surge of his power.


    His confidence had been restored.


    "Martin, you''re forgetting something. I''m from the Nanchao Clan. We were and are stronger than the people of the Golden Leopard Valley," Samson answered.


    Boom!


    Samson''s Water Enlightenment rose once again, but this time, it formed an enormous, liquid figure behind him. Samson''s taunting smile could only mean that he had also just summoned his clan''s blood power.


    In no time, Samson''s Water Enlightenment also attained the power level of a first-class middle spiritual king.

 Chapter 610 Furious Massacring Sword Versus Eternal Hacking

    Samson''s blood power erupted, condensed into silver rivulets of water, and then floated all around him like a protective, misty shield. The liquid shadow behind him was bigger now and even more menacing than Martin''s. Samson''s power was indeed a match for his opponent.


    Samson set his gaze on Martin. He was ready to kill him.


    "Madeline, I admit that I misjudged your cousin. At first, I thought he could do nothing but complain, but now I realize that he is courageous in a very unique way," Ricky told Madeline through their telepathic link.


    "Thank you, Ricky. Samson used to be sincere, honest, and audacious in the best of ways. The deaths of our people affected and changed him greatly," Madeline replied.


    "Well, I assume that after this battle, Samson will change back to his sincere, honest, and audacious self," Ricky said with a smile.


    "Not if he loses," Madeline said with a grim look on her face.


    "Don''t worry. The victory and glory will surely be his. Just trust me and trust him. He rarely makes mistakes on the battlefield," Ricky said reassuringly.


    Martin watched as Samson built his blood power in front of him.


    He had never expected Samson to match him in battle. Even Terrence was not good enough for him. As far as he was concerned, only Ricky stood a chance against him.


    All the same, Samson would never defeat him in battle.


    He returned Samson''s furious gaze with a contemptuous smile.


    "You really surprised me today, I''ll give you that. I never thought a loser like you could conjure up the blood power of innate spirit to its fullest. It''s very impressive," Martin scoffed.


    "Like I said, my people are stronger than yours," Samson replied. "It''s only fitting that I drain your blood with the power of my ancestors as an act of vengeance. You slaughtered my companions,


    ground.


    At that moment, no one could tell whose blood it was.


    After the smoke cleared, Martin and Samson were visible once again.


    Nobody would fail to tell the victor from the loser.


    Martin was kneeling in front of Samson. Their auras were still glowing as if they were still fighting.


    Blood could be spotted on the corners of their mouths.


    Martin roared in agony.


    He made such an ugly sound that it made the air cringe.


    "Samson, I''m going to cut you down!" he bellowed in rage.


    Although he used a seemingly unbeatable fighting skill, Martin still failed to defeat his opponent. He could not take kneeling before a man he had already beaten once.


    During the collision, Martin nearly died because of the impact. Otherwise, he would not be kneeling in such a humiliating way.


    "I don''t think so, Martin. You shouldn''t have underestimated me. Now I have proven myself and taken revenge," Samson replied coldly.


    "Don''t be so naive. Who told you you''ve had your revenge?" Martin laughed mockingly. "You''re indeed stronger than you were before, but to get your revenge, you would have to train for another ten years."


    "Ten years is too long. I can do that right now," Samson answered.

 Chapter 611 The Ancestor Of The Nanchao Clan

    "I have made it clear that you cannot stand against me with the limited power that you have right now. Don''t you understand what I''m telling you yet?" Martin snorted when he heard Samson still try to speak to him in a firm and commanding tone.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! The moment that Martin fell from the air, a strong roar sounded out. The sound came directly from his golden sword.


    It turned out that the golden sword was filled with the intense power of the Golden Enlightenment.


    That pervading power of the Golden Enlightenment was much stronger than the power that Martin himself had. It was also stronger than the power that Samson and Ricky had.


    Faced with that formidable power, Ricky felt that he would candidly admit defeat in an instant, or even die from his place in the air. That was because the strength of the Golden Enlightenment had reached the peak of a middle spiritual king¡ªit was even closer to the power of a upper spiritual king at that point.


    "This power does not belong to me, but it is the trump card that I have. I intended to use it in the fight against Ricky, but unexpectedly, I used it on you," said Martin. Now that he had the righteous power of the Golden Enlightenment, Martin''s tone had become more stern and fierce. The power of it made him more confident.


    ''What a powerful force! That must be the power left by the completed spiritual king of the Golden Leopard Valley on Martin''s golden sword. I didn''t expect him to have such an ace up his sleeve, '' Ricky thought to himself after he heard what Martin said.


    It was impossible for him to resist such a force at that point. If he resisted it without planning, he would only be immediately ripped into pieces.


    Of course, the first person they worried about was Samson. Since Ricky''s power wouldn''t be enough to resist that force, there would be no exception for Samson either.


    "I''m so surprised that the powerful cultivators from the Golden Leopard Valley could compress their own strength in a spiritual weapon. It is beyond a doubt that they really took great pains to do so," Terrence also sighed.


    The next moment, without any hesitation, Ricky and the others pooled their strength together and began to jointly resist Martin''s power.


    Samson told them to stop through the telepathic link. "Ricky, Terrence, and Soar, this is my own personal struggle. If you still think of me as your friend, please don''t try to help me," he told them.


    "Samson, although I don''t like you, this is not the right time to make such a grand stand. As lo


    disappeared into the void.


    Boom! Boom! The next moment, his shout rang out through the air. Strong and miraculous water power was surging, and then, the virtual shadow of a malevolent spirit suddenly appeared in the air.


    The virtual shadow looked extremely ferocious and horrible. Although it was filled with the miraculous water power, it was sending out spikes of deadly power.


    After the virtual shadow of the malevolent spirit was condensed and formed, it went straight towards Samson with its large, fierce-looking mouth open. In an instant, Samson went pale while the virtual shadow approached him. Worse still, his face went almost bloodless and he looked extremely shaken. Suddenly, he curled in on himself while in the air.


    At that moment, only Ricky, who was using the power of his three zones, realized what was happening. He could see that, when the virtual shadow of the malevolent spirit roared, almost all the blood vitality and blood essence from Samson was being cruelly absorbed by it.


    There was no denying the fact that, after the malevolent spirit absorbed the blood vitality and blood essence that was within Samson''s body, the outbreak of its momentum was even stronger. Its power was no less than the present power that Martin had.


    ''In order to make good use of this trump card, Samson has almost sacrificed half his life, '' Ricky thought to himself, as an expression of bitter graveness crossed his face.


    It could be said that Samson had made a sort of deal with the devil in order to get the power he needed. Samson, with all his blood vitality and almost all his blood essence as bait, successfully summoned the so-called Ancestor of the Nanchao Clan.

 Chapter 612 Duncans Plot

    "What does Samson think he is doing? Even if he kills Martin, he may end up perishing with him because of the blood sacrifice. There is a big price to pay for borrowing power from the ancestor of the Nanchao Clan," Terrence said in a low, anxious voice. "He will lose at least half his life, that stupid fellow!" Terrence wished he could stop Samson, but it was already too late.


    "Maybe this is exactly what he wants¡ªsacrificing himself. I mean, he''s been blaming himself for the death of members of his clan, and he wants to atone for it. So perhaps sacrificing his own life is his way of apologizing and freeing himself from the guilt," Ricky explained to comfort Terrence.


    "But don''t worry. I won''t let him die, I promise."


    "That''s good to hear. I do have faith in you, Ricky. Honestly, I have no idea how you''re going to make it, but you haven''t disappointed me so far," Terrence replied. Terrence expressed his gratitude to Ricky and breathed a sigh of relief. He truly thought that it was a blessing that Ricky was here to help at the moment.


    The truth was, Samson''s death was the last thing Terrence wanted to see. It was true that he and Samson had not known each other for long, but he somehow had the feeling they would become really good friends one day. Watching a friend die was difficult for anyone, so Terrence could not be more worried now.


    ...


    "You''ve got to be kidding. What do you think you''re playing at? You can''t have mastered the blood sacrifice. Well, show me then. Let me see what the ancestor of your Nanchao Clan could do," Martin challenged mockingly. Although a bit shocked by the powerful energy released by the virtual shadow of the malevolent spirit, he did not flinch.


    But he didn''t look as confident as moments ago. Perhaps he could sense that the power form the virtual shadow was even stronger than that from his golden sword.


    Samson ignored Martin''s taunts. He could not afford to waste time humoring him now, for he knew that his peak form would not last very long. There was no more time for trash talk.


    The virtual shadow''s pale, cold eyes glimmered as it conjured a huge, miraculous water trident out of thin air and swung it straight at Martin.


    It all happened in a split second. There was nothing fancy about the attack. It was simple but most merciless¡ªa strike driven by sheer, immense power.


    "You can keep dreaming about killing me, Samson!" Martin yelled as Samson launched his attack. "But don''t blink as you might miss me tearing your ancestor''s ghost apart, you bastard!"


    Martin braced himself as he waited for Samson''s strike to land. He was scared, all right, but he was not going to let his opponent see that on his face. He kept his arrogant bravado plastered all over his face. Defeat meant death here, which was a price no one wanted to pay. But if he was going to pay the price for defeat today, then he would do so with pride.


    Martin roared as his golden sword started to glow brightly and expand. Mustering all his strength, Martin turned his weapon into a human figure large enough to block Samson''s attack. Then, the trident wielded by the virtual shadow o


    l space tool. He will be safe there," Ricky told Carley reassuringly after examining Samson.


    He then placed the unconscious Samson into his Devourer Zone that he activated to refine some precious Treasures from Heaven and Earth to help with Samson''s recovery.


    "Thank you so much, Ricky," uttered Carley and Madeline in unison, their eyes gleaming with gratitude.


    "You''re welcome. That''s what friends are for," Ricky answered with a gentle smile.


    While Ricky attended to Samson, Soar and Terrence pinned Martin''s two men down.


    The two men were certainly no match for the two warriors. After a few strikes, they were finished.


    It ended easily and quickly.


    But this was not yet the end. Several of their enemies were still alive, and another fight might break out any moment.


    "Well, well. Looks like you still hold that spiritual space tool, Ricky," Duncan told Ricky with a meaningful smile. His eyes twinkled with so much depravity that anyone could see it from a mile away.


    Everyone present certainly felt that he was up to no good. Surprisingly, they could sense his composure and confidence in his voice.


    "Now I really don''t understand you, Duncan. How can you be this calm and wear that nasty smile? Do you seriously think you stand a chance in this game?" Ricky asked coldly, turning to face Duncan.


    He wanted to kill Duncan now more than Martin ever did.


    Ricky despised treacherous men the most, and he would not hesitate to end anyone who betrayed an ally or a friend.


    "Honestly, I''ve got a lot to thank you for, Ricky. Martin wouldn''t have brought out the best of his sword if it weren''t for you. You know, I wouldn''t have dared turn against him otherwise, for I myself don''t hold that sort of power. It''s stupid to betray him before he''s weak from exhausting all his energy and skills, don''t you think?" Duncan said casually, like he had done nothing wrong.


    "Ah, now I see. You think you''re clever to benefit from the fight and win the game without breaking a sweat. I''m afraid you''re forgetting something really important," Ricky answered sharply.

 Chapter 613 Tobias Jin

    "With your current strength, you are completely wrong if you think you can gain any benefit from the fight between Samson and Martin. Or maybe you have a hidden ace or trick up your sleeve! Just take it out and let me see!" Ricky said to Duncan confidently.


    It was because of complete and utter confidence in their hidden ace that Duncan allowed Martin and his men to die at the hands of Ricky''s companions. However, they hadn''t expected Ricky to meet them with the same overwhelming confidence in his strength.


    "Ha-ha, I''ve heard people say that you''re undaunted and reckless. Now I see that they are right about you. You already know that we have a hidden ace, but you''ve still got the nerve to stay so calm. I guess you are just seeking a quick death!" Duncan''s body shook with harsh laughter. He had Ricky''s form pinned under a sharp glare and, as though the sight of him caused bile to rise in his throat, he spat his displeasure out at the ground.


    "Ricky, you''re going to die next!" said Keith, standing beside Duncan, as the chill seeped through his voice.


    Once before, Ricky almost killed Keith. Thus, the anger of the latter was such a cold and sharp thing. He felt like an icicle that always loomed overhead, just waiting for his victim to come back around within his reach.


    "Keith, watch your mouth. What you said might just happen to you," Ricky said with a lightness in his voice and a slight smile on his face. He had heard too many similar words from other self-conceited warriors. Unfortunately, most of them had been killed by him.


    "Then, let''s try and see what will happen!" Duncan said at once. They had a final trump card. He thought that even Ricky would cower and yield once faced with its splendor.


    Then, he flipped his hand and a palace model, no larger than the size of his fist, soon emerged on his palm. Strong spiritual energy was surging over the palace model like gathering storm clouds.


    "That...that''s a spiritual space tool. I can''t believe you also have a spiritual space tool!" Ricky''s eyes widened, his attention wholly focused on the glittering facade of the palace model. There was a slight stutter in his speech as his breath caught in his throat. As a casting master of Spirit Level, he immediately recognized the object on Duncan''s palm.


    It was a genuine spiritual space tool.


    At that point, Terrence, Soar and their other companions were also shocked.


    "Although our Golden Rhino tribe might be small in number, we can still get an inferior-stage spiritual space tool whenever we want," Duncan said. The surprise etched in their features made it harder to bite back the contemptuous sneer that twisted his face.


    "So, now you should understand our hidden power!"


    The air whipped around him as soon as he finished speaking.


    Within the palace model on his palm, a burst of light erupted from the


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    antly, the chaotic fire runes and massacring runes around Ricky''s fist evolved into a glove of steel. With violent and killing power, the glove directly collided with Tobias Jin'' fist.


    "My gravity power has reached its peak, yet you dare to meet my fist directly. I guess you are just stupid and in search of a quick death," Tobias Jin snarled. Ricky''s choice not to dodge provoked him further and made his hackles rise.


    Murderous thoughts clouded his mind. The image of Ricky crashing into the mud from the sheer power of his fist was a sweet one.


    He found himself licking his lips as though victory lay just at the tip of his tongue. His eyes sparkled with renewed ferocity and excitement.


    Killing an ace genius with his bare hands might even feel like a greater accomplishment than entering the Martial Corridor.


    Clang!


    The sound of metal colliding with metal interrupted his daydreams. He looked down and saw a few stray sparks before an electrifying shock reverberated through his arm.


    Then, there was no time at all to attempt resistance. He was forced back by the impact. The soles of his feet dug deep and left two lines in the dirt, marking the embarrassing distance he traveled before he managed to right himself.


    He had hardly caught his breath when a dull, uncomfortable ache rattled in the cage of his chest.


    Likewise, Ricky wasn''t spared from the resonating pain either. He could almost hear the constant vibrations that ran through his arms. He also noticed the deep traces he made on the ground.


    Silence followed. No one knew how to react to such a scene. Even the distant ghosts seemed to cease their violent hissing, as enthralled with the fight as the living men. They all felt thunder-struck when they saw that Ricky managed to resist a mighty opponent''s attack.


    Only Soar knew how Ricky pulled it off because he never doubted Ricky''s abilities from the start.

 Chapter 614 The Golden Flame Mutant And The Golden Holy Fire

    When Tobias lunged his fist towards Ricky, the fight ended in a tie. Tobias realized that Ricky could actually match his strength. Even though Tobias didn''t get the upper hand in the fierce fight, he didn''t get hurt either.


    Tobias and his men never imagined this to be result of the battle.


    Tobias only fought with his right arm, but it didn''t prevent him from summoning all his strength. For that last punch, he remembered using ninety percent of his energy, but it didn''t cause any visible damage to Ricky.


    He didn''t consider Ricky to be potent enough as an opponent, and so, Tobias was very confident and at ease with the idea of defeating Ricky. However, the result of the battle surprised him, and he couldn''t help but wonder about Ricky''s power.


    Ricky''s strength was undoubtedly comparable to any first-class middle spiritual king''s, just as Tobias''.


    "Gosh! It''s hard to believe that Ricky has such immense power!" Terrence muttered, gaping at Ricky.


    Although he appeared to be shocked, he very well knew that Ricky had been keeping his real strength from others. So, when he revealed his best moves, Terrance couldn''t contain his excitement.


    ''But, how did he do it? Just because he refined that half of Enlightening Fruit?'' Terrence thought to himself. Even after due consideration, there was still one little nagging doubt at the back of his mind. ''It seems impossible that only half of the Enlightening Fruit was able to make such a drastic progress in one''s power, '' Terrence pondered in confusion.


    "Well, the more time I spend with Ricky, the more unfathomable he seems to be." Terrence shrugged with a heavy sigh.


    ...


    As per Terrence, that half of the Enlightening Fruit was the leading cause of Ricky''s powerful strength. It enabled Ricky to elevate his power to the level of a first-class middle spiritual king''s. But, one thing Terrence didn''t know was that there was a huge gap between Ricky''s efficiency of refining the Enlightening Fruit and others''. Ricky was way ahead of his rivals in the refining process, and this couldn''t be attributed to the fruit.


    Here, Terrence was able to absorb at most twenty percent of the enlightening power from the Enlightening Fruit. But, since Ricky possessed the four zones, he could easily absorb every bit of its enlightening power.


    Under those circumstances, even if Ricky only refined one Enlightening Fruit, the energy he absorbed was five times more than others.


    It was no wonder that only with one half of the Enlightening Fruit, Ricky was able to achieve such significant progress in improving strength.


    Moreover, once Ricky had refined the Glazed Fruit, he had already reached the top level of a second-class lower spiritual king. So, the Enlightening Fruit enabled him to become a first-class lower spiritual king.


    ...


    "How do you have such intense power? How is it that your strength is equal to a first-class middle spiritual king''s?" Tobias roared as he firmly landed on the ground. Seething with anger, he looked at Ricky with an icy cold stare. There was burning hatred in his ey


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    bias became. In the blink of an eye, the killing vibe enveloped in the flame reached its limit and seemed to explode any moment. A dark horrific atmosphere fiercely took over, scaring everyone in the vicinity.


    Before Ricky could react, the golden and white flames fused with Golden Enlightenment and melted into Tobias'' body.


    It turned his body into a huge ball of fire. Packing the flames within him, he was shining brightly in the sky.


    "Is it another form of mutant? The golden and white flames probably are a kind of holy fire," Ricky murmured to himself. Sensing Tobias'' intense power, Ricky began drifting away and wondering about his potent skills. Soon, he regained his composure and started to analyze the current situation.


    "To be honest, when I first met you, I looked down on you and thought that you were just a loser. But now, I have changed my mind. Since you are, by your own account, an ace genius, I think I should bring out my best moves to this battle. Losing here, fighting you would be the most humiliating thing in my whole life," Tobias said calmly with a smirk, while a look of disdain flashed through his eyes.


    "Ha-ha. Really? I consider it a great honor to be treated that way." Ricky smiled faintly.


    It was time for Ricky to reveal his real strength. He began to summon his skills without any reservations. In the blink of an eye, numerous rays of golden light radiated from within him. The Source of Golden Body grew bigger and bigger inside the Massacring Zone, turning into the first level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    "So, could you tell me what kind of mutant and holy fire you possess?"


    Ricky asked Tobias with greedy eyes. The Devouring Fire inside him was ready to make a move and he couldn''t resist the strong urge to test Tobias'' golden and white holy fire.


    "This is the Golden Flame Mutant," Tobias said arrogantly.


    "Golden Flame Mutant? That''s a good name. So, this means that the golden and white holy fire is the Golden Holy Fire," Ricky calmly replied with a mysterious smile on his face.

 Chapter 615 Golden Trial Flame

    "That is correct. That is indeed a kind of holy fire. In fact, it''s called the Golden Holy Fire. That''s where my power comes from," Tobias said coldly. "Humph! I don''t care if you''re the so-called ace genius! Your talent is going to be burnt into ashes along with your body! Ha-ha!"


    "The Golden Holy Fire? I''ve seen so many mutants and different kinds of holy fire before, but all of them were merely stepping stones in my cultivation. I don''t think this Golden Holy Fire of yours will be an exception," Ricky sneered.


    He didn''t think that he was going to lose at all. He could feel the Devouring Fire looking at the Golden Holy Fire as if it was food. Under these circumstances, how in the world could he ever lose? He was pretty sure that there was no way for it to happen.


    "What makes you think that you can just talk to me in that manner? Do you really think that I can''t beat you? Our battle before ended with a tie, but I''ll make you understand that you''re nothing but an insignificant warrior," Tobias replied coldly.


    Boom! Boom! As he narrowed his eyes, Tobias activated the Golden Holy Fire. The flames transformed into two striking snakes that immediately flew towards Ricky to bite him.


    "Humph! You''re not the only one who can play with fire!" Ricky snickered as he calmly looked at Tobias''s attack.


    Ricky''s eyes sparkled. The next instant, two pillars of golden flames came out of his golden body and were also transformed into his own two striking snakes. The golden snakes fiercely rushed towards Tobias.


    ''Heaven Slaughtering Fire! Massacring Fire! Don''t let me down. Show him what the infernal power is really about!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    Boom! Boom! Within seconds, the forces clashed. Four torrents of flames collided in the sky. It seemed that the power of from the collision was endless and was about to tear the space apart!


    However, a few seconds later, the Golden Holy Fire seemed to have been struggling against the Heaven Slaughtering Fire and the Massacring Fire. It was like a mouse confronting a cat.


    Ricky wasn''t surprised by what was happening. With the assistance of the first level of the Ultimate Golden Body, he knew that Tobias could just be a little stronger than him.


    No matter how powerful the holy fire w


    ant.


    Boom! As he opened his mouth, Tobias spat out the purest form of the Golden Holy Fire. The ball of burning flames kept absorbing the spiritual energy and the Golden Enlightenment as it grew bigger and bigger within seconds.


    The next moment, the fire ball merged with Tobias'' body and turned him into a fire giant.


    Buzz! Buzz! The fire giant placed his hands together as a giant golden sword formed between them. The flames of the Golden Holy Fire turned into dragons that encircled it with the power of trial.


    The power of trial made Ricky felt really uncomfortable.


    He felt as if he was guilty of something and that he had committed some kind of serious crime.


    "So this is the trial power," Ricky exclaimed to himself.


    Without any hesitation, he activated the gale runes in an attempt to defuse the trial power''s impact on him. It seemed that the gale power was the trial power''s antidote.


    A few moments later, Ricky''s sense of guilt disappeared.


    "How dare you try to make me feel guilty?! That''s unforgivable! Let me show you the power of the Omnipotent Skill!" Ricky shouted at the top of his lungs.


    All of a sudden, the power of the massacring runes and the first level of the Ultimate Golden Body gathered and merged together. A cloud of light burst out from Ricky''s golden body. It then fused with Ricky''s palms and converged into one powerful slap.


    ''''Massacring Omnipotent Skill¡ªMassacring Golden Palm!"


    Boom! The next moment, the palm and the sword collided violently!

 Chapter 616 The Last Fight

    Bang!


    It felt as if the sky was collapsing and the world was coming to an end. An ear-splitting, loud noise rang out and endless airwaves began spreading around instantly after the collision. Meanwhile, the area around the two warriors, Ricky and Tobias, heavily impacted by the powerful airwaves, started collapsing.


    All the bloody and killing aura in the Birthplace of Ghosts resonated with the impact of the airwaves. Also, under the impact of such strong airwaves, Soar and other people on the spot retreated, as this kind of momentum was beyond their resistance.


    "Ricky, Tobias can''t beat you and stop you from moving forward, right?" Terrence murmured with uncertainty as he watched the overwhelming airwaves engulfing everything around the two warriors.


    "Ricky will not lose at any cost!" Soar responded with confidence flickering in his eyes.


    Looking at Soar''s confidence, Terrence sensed the kind of brotherhood Ricky and Soar shared. It was a special and thick brotherhood, connected not by blood, but by mutual trust and loyalty.


    "Ricky, just go to hell! That Golden Trial Flame can be considered the original energy of Tobias'' Golden Flame Mutant. Anyone whose power is not stronger than his will definitely be severely injured by his power!" Keith said wickedly, maintaining a safe distance from the battleground.


    He could already picture Ricky dying. Tobias was the future leader of his tribe and all his prayers involved him defeating Ricky.


    Boom! Boom! The collision between the two warriors was still going on, and the endless airwaves didn''t fade for a long time. After what seemed to be ages, the two warriors emerged out visibly.


    Both of them didn''t look too good.


    Standing far from each other, the two warriors were almost kneeling on the ground, panting heavily. Their robes were torn apart and their bodies had turned black and blue. Their momentum was far worse than their peak state.


    "How is that possible! How could this happen?" Duncan and the other men of his tribe, all bellowed incredulously looking at the scene in front of them. They couldn''t fathom anything as they had always believed Tobias to be invincible.


    ''Ricky, how can you break out such formidable power?


    You are really an enigmatic warrior with endless aces up your sleeve, '' Terrence thought to himself. He was well aware that if he had to go against Tobias, he would most likely be killed, irrespective of how much more knowledgeable he had about the Killing Swordsmanship.


    ''Unconsciously, your power s


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    Just then, a loud scream was let out by Tobias'' beast body. In order to activate his most powerful strength, he also transformed himself into his beast body. Almost instantly, his momentum became even stronger than his peak as a human.


    Undoubtedly, it was because he had burnt his mutant''s original energy. He could sense that the power of his Golden Holy Fire was greatly improved, too.


    "Ricky!" Terrence cried out with great concern the moment he saw Tobias transforming.


    He didn''t expect Tobias to hide such a trick under his sleeve.


    "Don''t worry about me! He can''t kill me," Ricky replied grimly.


    His entire body was drowned by the devouring runes, and it burst out endless blood vitality, which was hidden in the Devourer Zone.


    Ricky now felt cornered. He had no other way but to use his final trump card.


    Bang! Bang! Instantly, Ricky also burst out his peak momentum. Or to be more exact, his momentum at that moment was even stronger than his usual peak momentum.


    "If that''s the case, let me use my last resort to end this fight!" Ricky roared while his momentum was surging violently. Meanwhile, his invisible power was dashing towards Tobias.


    "Ricky, you never disappoint me!" Terrence no longer felt worried for his companion when he saw the sudden explosion of his momentum. He devoted himself to the battle with Duncan.


    "Tobias, let me see how powerful the original energy of your mutant is!"


    "Once you are attacked by my final stroke, I believe there will be no ace genius in the world," Tobias hissed violently. He was not taken aback by Ricky''s sudden explosion.


    Instantly, the momentum of the two warriors reached their extreme states.

 Chapter 617 Kill Them All

    "Go to hell!" Tobias yelled, determined to take Ricky down.


    The burning of his mutant''s origin seemed to have evacuated his mind of reason. In his madness, there was but one thing in his mind¡ªkill Ricky at all costs.


    "Show me what you got. You''re not going to let me down, are you?" Ricky yelled back as he turned his palm up and summoned the Iron Destroyer. His fighting spirit was at its peak, too.


    Surges of golden and purple energy emanated from Ricky''s body and enveloped his sword. It was the galaxy power. Within seconds, Ricky''s sword glowed with a magnificent but terrifying hue of golden and purple.


    The galaxy power was the perfect combination of the purest power from the massacring rune and the chaotic fire rune. Its power could be compared to the energy produced by Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body. It was the strongest power Ricky could muster at the moment.


    Ricky fused the galaxy power with the power of his Ultimate Golden Body, and he went beyond his power''s limit.


    "Golden Dragon Strike!" Tobias bellowed and charged at Ricky.


    He moved so fast that he kicked up clouds upon clouds of dust behind him, and the golden horns on his head started to glow and emanate a spectacular aura of Golden Holy Fire and Golden Enlightenment that radiated all over his body.


    Soon, the energy shot out of Tobias'' horns in different directions like rays of sunlight and slowly turned into a massive golden dragon flying above Tobias'' head.


    With a deafening roar, Tobias'' dragon summoned countless fire balls that looked like tiny brilliant suns floating just underneath its mighty wings.


    Even from a significant distance, Ricky could feel that the energy from each of those fire balls was at least as strong as the power of a first-class middle spiritual king.


    Tobias'' fire dragon was indeed formidable. In this battle, it was definitely the hardest thing to deal with.


    ''So this is what burning the origin of your mutant gets you, '' Ricky thought with a grave expression. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as he watched Tobias'' fiery strike come at him at full speed. He braced himself.


    ''Thank god I''ve got the powers of the four zones to protect me. Otherwise, I''m good as ash in the next few seconds, '' Ricky thought, fear gripping him for the first time in a very long time.


    Confident as he might be, he felt quite small at the moment. He could admit that indeed without his four zones to protect him, he would die a thousand ugly deaths in Tobias'' hands.


    "It''s true that being strong is the key to success in the world of martial arts," Ricky murmured and then stopped himself, feeling his opponent''s overwhelming power.


    It was not the right time for philosophy. The most important and pressing thing at the moment was to win and survi


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    out another flash of golden purple light and cut the dragon in several places at lightning speed. The dragon did not last very long with the countless deep gashes Ricky''s sword inflicted on its burning skin. It struggled to keep itself in the air as it bled itself dry.


    Then, Ricky''s blade of galaxy power pushed forward and split the golden beast in half. Its blood sprayed in the air and then fell to the ground like hot, crimson rain. With a long, final wail, Tobias'' dismembered fire dragon kissed the earth, never to raise its head again. Following the fall of the dragon, the blade of the galaxy power went on and cut a huge golden figure into two. The smell of hot blood came again, and drops after drops of red rain fell from the sky.


    Ricky left the battlefield a winner but fell before he could reach his friends. The fight had drained so much of his energy that he was barely able to stand.


    ...


    "Ricky!"


    "Ricky!"


    Soar and the others cried, rushing to Ricky''s aid.


    "Soar, Terrence, Tobias is dead. Don''t worry, I''m in one piece. Now, kill the rest of them," Ricky said coldly as Carley held him.


    He decided not to show mercy to the remaining enemies, for he knew very well that if it was him who had lost the battle, Tobias and his men would never spare their lives.


    "Got it, Ricky!"


    Soar replied at once, his morale skyrocketed. His body expanded and unleashed sweeping dragon power like a hot and fierce snake. His Heaven Melting Fire turned into a fire dragon, surging with powerful energy that was ready to finish the battle.


    Now Keith was merely an insect in Soar''s eyes.


    "Heaven''s Killing and Earth''s Killing!" Terrence bellowed. He, too, had activated his most powerful killing strikes.


    Madeline was also going to attack in full force. She struck their enemies with her sword empowered by the Ice Enlightenment.

 Chapter 618 Entering The Corridors

    Finally, the fierce battle came to an end. Tobias, Duncan, and other Golden Rhino warriors were all killed.


    Duncan was not able to beat Terrence when the latter had used all his strength. The reasons for this were obvious. Firstly, Terrence had way better blood power than Duncan. And secondly, Terrence had learned far more from Killing Swordsmanship than Duncan had from the Golden Enlightenment.


    Besides, Duncan didn''t have a mutant like Tobias did.


    Soar''s power had greatly improved after he absorbed the Enlightening Fruit. When he used his complete strength, sparing nothing, Keith could only resist his attack for a short while.


    Thus, all the schemes of the Golden Rhino tribe were destroyed by Ricky and his fellows with their exceptional skills and strengths.


    It was not until they finished the battle and checked the huge dead bodies lying on the ground that they finally sighed with relief.


    "Soar, put away the four dead Golden Rhinos. We can enjoy the roasted whole rhinos after we get out of here," Ricky said with a faint smile on his face as he sat on the ground in a cross-legged position.


    "Haha...I understand, Ricky. We must make full use of the meat of these spiritual king beasts," Soar responded to Ricky with a grin. Then he picked up and put away all the dead Golden Rhinos right away as Ricky had requested.


    "Ricky, are you okay?" Terrence asked. His worry was apparent in his voice as he waited for Ricky''s answer with bated breath.


    His tension was understandable because he could sense that Ricky''s breath was weaker and less stable. He wondered if the foundation of Ricky''s martial arts had been affected during the intense battle. Terrence was right. After-effects would be left to Ricky after he absorbed the blood vitality in the Devourer Zone in that way.


    If the same thing had happened to any other warrior, the after-effects might not leave their bodies in their lifetime. However, for Ricky, a man who possessed four zones, the after-effects would be removed completely just after a certain time.


    "I''m fine, nothing to worry about. It''s just that the battle was too fierce. I think, maybe I had underestimated the Golden Flame Mutant," Ricky answered impassively.


    As soon as he spoke about the Golden Flame Mutant, Ricky remembered the Golden Holy Fire. Immediately, he communicated to Soar, "Soar, please give Tobias'' corpse to me when we enter the corridors in a while. I have to absorb the Golden Holy Fire in his body."


    "Just set your mind at r


    and recovered together in the Enlightening Corridor. It was obvious that their strength was increasing constantly, which proved how strong the value of the Enlightening Corridor was.


    Half a month later, the two of them not only recovered but also enhanced their strength. However, neither of them chose to make a breakthrough. That was because both of them thought that they had broken through too quickly recently and thus they''d better practice for some more time at the current level.


    It was worth mentioning that all the after-effects had been eliminated from Ricky''s body.


    It was great news for him.


    During the period of time when Ricky and Samson had been recovering, the four corridors had merged together for quite a few times and many new ghosts were born.


    When the four spaces were merging, they got to know something about the Ghost Corridor and the Resentment Corridor. They had only one feeling and that was the two corridors were extremely dangerous.


    As a result, they dared not get close to the Ghost Corridor or the Resentment Corridor after the four corridors merged.


    They were sure that Martin had become a ghost in the Ghost Corridor. Maybe Martin''s ghost would become a new ghost in the Land of Ghosts before long.


    After both of them recovered completely, Ricky and Samson shifted to the Martial Corridor.


    In the Martial Corridor, there were spiral spaces as well. When they entered the corridor, Ricky felt a strong aura of martial arts infused in the whole space. Numerous voices talking about experience of martial arts filtered through his ears, which would enter his body even if he didn''t try to absorb them at his own accord.

 Chapter 619 The Daunting Martin

    The realm of the martial arts had always been intriguing Ricky, so he could not resist indulging himself in it.


    He didn''t reject it; rather, he sat cross-legged in a safe area and began studying the cultivation methods and experience in the Martial Corridor.


    There was a lot of energy contained in the Martial Corridor that manifested. When Ricky closed his eyes, the energy turned into diminutive and hazy figures and danced in his mind.


    Those figures demonstrated a myriad of cultivation methods, from the inferior stage of the Yellow Level to the Earth Level. They displayed various cultivation methods in Ricky''s mind. Nearly all cultivation methods of different enlightenments had made their way through his mind.


    All cultivation methods in the world, regardless of their origins, led to the cultivation method of immortality. Thus, all cultivation methods shared similarities. Soon, among the manifestation of those figures, Ricky found the cultivation methods that he had cultivated.


    Besides, all those cultivation methods had been lucid and comprehensible except for to the least intelligent people. Whoever entered the Martial Corridor would have a chance for a profound insight.


    "The power of birth is known to be the most primitive power or the power closest to it. No wonder the Primitive Corridor could give birth to the Martial Corridor. It''s simply incredible! It''s a chance that every living being craves, yet their longing is in vain," Ricky exclaimed to himself.


    "I believe there will be an extraordinary enhancement in my cultivation methods after I finish cultivating in here, especially in my Galaxy Saber Skill. Subsequently, I will gain an insight into the next formula¡ªthe Sealing Formula."


    The Sealing Formula was a skill that put emphasis on the ability to seal.


    The galaxy power was the most aggressive power. It was invincible in combat; yet, it could also be the strongest sealing power. The Sealing Formula would convert the galaxy power to the sealing power, ultimately morphing into the saber skills of sealing.


    The Sealing Formula had four saber movements: the level-one sealing skill, the level-two sealing skill, the level-three sealing skill and the three-in-one se


    he turbid figure with a blazing palm attack.


    "Soar, get back!" Ricky howled furiously and tried to stop Soar.


    He failed to restrain Soar because he was way too fast. His burning fist had landed right on the dingy figure.


    The appalling figure didn''t even flinch at the flaming fist attack. It responded with a palm strike and resisted the flaming fist with almost no effort.


    In transience, the blazing fist was outwitted by the deadly palm. That fast-moving palm had landed right on Soar''s chest before he had time to respond.


    Thud! Blood gushed out of the new wound and Soar fell heavily onto the ground.


    At that scene, the crowd all gasped in shock. Soar was as powerful as a middle spiritual king at their peak performance. Still he floundered under the figure''s palm.


    "Soar!" In the next moment, Madeline helped Soar up hastily. Ricky, Samson, and Terrence rushed to his side, standing between him and the figure to ensure his safety.


    At that very moment, they felt an extreme sense of danger. It was much worse than what was brought about by Tobias. Their eyes filled with solemn fear at the realization.


    "Aha! What do you think? How do you feel about my power? How does it feel in contrast to your cultivation in those two great corridors?" The shadowy figure didn''t attack again. He stood before them with his arms crossed, smirking with disdain.


    "If I am correct, you are Martin," Ricky uttered begrudgingly. His eyes were hard and full of anger.

 Chapter 620 Trapped In A Desperate Situation

    As soon as Ricky had just finished speaking, Ricky''s other companions, including Terrence and Soar, all stared at Martin incredulously. They just couldn''t believe that Martin was still alive.


    None of them could believe that the terrible figure in front of them was Martin. It just didn''t make sense.


    Martin had once looked quite youthful and good-looking. Now, the figure in front of them looked barely human and seemed like the perfect personification of what he was: a ferocious ghost. There was now little to connect Martin with his old self. No longer was he the handsome young master of the Golden Leopard Valley.


    No one expected Martin to survive, after he chose to enter the Ghost Corridor. No one ever came out alive after entering the Ghost Corridor. Everyone that entered was usually torn apart by the ghosts that resided in the corridor.


    The only trace left of the old Martin was the voice. It still distinctly sounded like Martin''s voice, and Ricky and the others could only recognize this.


    "Martin, it''s you! So, you are not dead yet!" Samson said coldly.


    "Ha-ha, it''s me, all right! I never expected that Ricky would be the first one to recognize me. For this, I''ll show mercy and keep your corpse whole. As for the remaining people, they will all become ghosts and fuel of my resentment power, even more!" Martin said cruelly with a crazy laugh.


    Ricky had been right. The terrible figure in front of them was Martin.


    When Martin was defeated by Samson, he was despondent. He had lost all hope, and chose suicide as the only recourse left. Thus, he entered the Ghost Corridor, fully aware that he would be killed inside the dreadful place.


    However, after entering Ghost Corridor, he was not killed.


    The moment Martin entered the corridor, he had been transformed. He was overwhelmed by the sheer number of ghosts inside, and there was no way he could resist their power. Martin thought that it would only be a matter of time before he was completely destroyed or turned into a ghost himself. Neither happened.


    Instead of destruction, Martin got some kind of dark salvation. In the depths of the Ghost Corridor, two streams of golden light struck him directly in his eyes. Before he could find out what happened, he lost consciousness.


    An eternity seemed to pass before Martin finally woke up. When he did come to, Martin found himself changed. He took on his new, hideous appearance. His eyes struggled to maintain vision, and for all intents and purposes, he was now blind.


    Martin could not accept his new changes, not at first. It took some time before Martin came to the realization that such changes could be useful for him. At least, he was not dead.


    Although Martin looked terrible, the power contained in his new body was formidable and unmatched. It was the combined power of the ghosts, the resentment, and the strong Dar


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    . Ricky''s scorching flame fist and Martin''s giant palm met each other head-on.


    Shock waves rippled through the air around them. The impact was so powerful that its effects could be felt for miles around. Ricky coughed blood from his mouth, and he felt his legs buckle.


    Ricky was injured, but Martin was none the worse for wear. Only the latter''s body trembled slightly.


    "Your strength is strong now! You are just as powerful as a middle spiritual king at their peak level!" Ricky hissed with disbelief.


    "That''s right, Ricky! And I owe all this power from the Ghost Corridor," Martin said coldly.


    He launched another powerful attack. He held nothing back, as he released his full strength. Even a middle spiritual king would be hard-pressed to generate such power.


    "Since you''re all so eager to die together, I will gladly oblige! You will all join the raging ghosts inside of me, and give me even more power!" Martin snarled as he leaped high into the air.


    His words were full of rage and resentment. He blamed all of them for what he had become, so he used the power that his rage and hate generated.


    Soon, the endless ghost and resentment power in Martin turned into a powerful dragon. The dragon then formed a circle floating next to Martin with negative and positive energies. Within a second, the circle merged into Martin''s eyebrows.


    "Ghost Resentment Compass!" Martin yelled as he began to activate his powerful skill.


    Then, after Martin strode one step, a compass blending endless power instantly showed up and slammed violently towards Ricky and his companions.


    Ricky and the others were overwhelmed by the suppression power of the Ghost Resentment Compass. There was no way that Ricky and the others could resist its power.


    Now, they realized they were trapped in a desperate situation. If they could not find a means to counteract the power of the compass, they were done.

 Chapter 621 Win Or Die

    "Die!"


    Now that Martin had used the Ghost Resentment Compass, he wouldn''t allow Ricky and his companions any more chances. He gestured both of his hands for an incantation, summoning power from both the Ghost Corridor and the Resentment Corridor into the compass.


    ''That strike is too powerful for Terrence and Soar to block. I am at the end of my wits to stop Martin in the corridor, '' Ricky thought to himself after he felt the intensity and power of Martin''s attack.


    In an instant, Ricky enveloped Terrence and Soar with his spiritual power. He then transported the two into the Mind Palace Model.


    Ricky had also entered the Mind Palace Model. He felt it was alright to expose the spiritual space tool because others were already aware that he had it.


    Upon seeing the Mind Palace Model, Martin restrained himself. Since he had expected it, he didn''t jeer at the space tool.


    "That spiritual space tool is really worthy of its reputation!" Martin said greedily. "That''s why I must have it, Ricky!"


    Boom!


    A strong pressure flooded out of Martin as soon as he declared his desire. The ghost power of and the resentment power encircled him. Two marks emerged on his dark forehead.


    The marks that emerged were the symbols of mutants.


    Martin had evidently had the Ghost Mutant and Resentment Mutant.


    "Ghost and resentment, show yourselves!"


    As Martin yelled, the unyielding ghost power of and the resentment power filled the Enlightening Corridor and turned the place into hell.


    Martin was dominating the place.


    Worse, he had used the power of the Ghost Corridor and the Resentment Corridor to lock up the space within the Enlightening Corridor.


    "Ricky, I''ve already locked up the space around this place. You don''t want to spend your entire life hiding in the spiritual space tool, do you?" Martin jabbed after he sealed the Enlightening Corridor.


    But he heard no response from his enemy.


    The silence of his enemy did not faze him at all. While he floated in mid-air, Martin folded his legs and sat.


    He patiently waited in silence. He believed Ricky would emerge from his spiritual space tool any second soon.


    "Is that true?" Soar asked worriedly. From inside the Mind Palace Model, they could hear what Martin had


    ed assertively.


    "Soar, you know me. I don''t take that much risk. Also, I don''t engage in fights that I know I''m doomed to lose." Ricky confidently gave Soar a friendly reminder.


    "The moment I came in here, I''ve made up my mind that I would use this fight as a stepping stone for me to become a middle spiritual king."


    Ricky''s confidence was overflowing that Soar and Terrence were instantly moved.


    They were surprised to witness just how determined Ricky was.


    "Are you sure you want to do that?" Soar reluctantly queried. Though Ricky''s willpower was so moving, he still couldn''t help but be bothered by the danger and threat posed by Martin''s newfound power.


    "Soar, I need you to trust me," Ricky collectedly uttered before he leaped out of the Mind Palace Model.


    "Such a hurry, this guy," Soar sighed at Ricky.


    "Maybe that''s just the boldness of an ace genius," Terrence muttered as he watched Ricky get out of the Mind Palace Model. Ricky''s unwavering confidence made Terrence admire him even more.


    He knew Ricky was not trying to show off.


    Meanwhile, Samson felt the same way.


    He now harbored as much admiration as Terrence had for Ricky.


    "There you are! Did you stay there to get rid of your burdens?" Martin nudged as he stood. He didn''t seem surprised at the sight of Ricky emerging from his spiritual space tool. The expression on his face reflected excitement instead.


    "They''re not burdens, they''re my friends," Ricky laughed, correcting his enemy''s words.

 Chapter 622 A Test Of Guts

    "Ha-ha! Friends? You cannot be serious right now! Let me tell you something. Only the weak need friends. Solitude is a necessity for the strong like me. There''s nothing left in my mind but to kill and conquer. The most powerful man does not need a heart!" Martin sneered, as if he had heard something extremely absurd.


    "You don''t believe in friendship. That is the reason why you lost last time. And because you refuse to change, today will not be so different. How can you achieve the supreme enlightenment and be invincible if you have no heart?" Ricky smiled back as he shook his head slightly.


    "Indeed, the strong are the ones who are alone. But that doesn''t mean that they have no friends. They may act alone but their souls are always connected with their companions. This is my understanding of being strong. But obviously people like you will never understand this."


    "Oh, is that so?" Martin grinned. "True, I don''t understand and I don''t see the need to even try. Because you, along with your preaching, would no longer be in this world in a minute. I''ll cut you to pieces and take away everything that you have!" announced Martin in a cold voice.


    In fact, there was some level of truth on both sides. They were just taking the different paths in cultivating. In order to decide who was right and who was wrong, they would have to find out through a battle. The winner shall be proclaimed as the right one.


    As the saying goes, the winner takes all.


    "You know what? Never count your chickens until they have hatched. I think it''s a little too early for you to be laughing. I''m quite confident about my strength. I don''t know what you have got in the Ghost Corridor but whatever it is, I will destroy it and defeat you once and for all," Ricky said in a cold voice. Without any hesitation, he activated the first level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    "Ha-ha! Then impress me! I wonder how long you will be able to resist my attacks!" Martin said with a sneer. "Don''t tell me it is the Ultimate Golden Body that is giving you confidence. Because I can easily crush it into pieces if I want to."


    Martin channeled his energy as he folded his hands. The Ghost Resentment Compass fell from the sky, carrying the enlightening power of the ghost and resentment. It came flying in straight towards Ricky.


    "If I manage to resist your a


    ly he had already known that Ricky would be able to resist his attack.


    "I wouldn''t have accepted your challenge if I wasn''t confident about it," Ricky replied as he struggled to get on his feet.


    "You asked me where my confidence was coming from. I''ll tell you now. I''m confident about myself because I have the courage to be. Without the guts to achieve success in the world of martial arts, I would''ve never dared to fight you."


    "Hah! Courage? Guts? You are kidding me. Are you certain that you have these things?" Martin laughed grimly. "Yes, you might have managed to withstand this move but what''s next? You don''t seem to be very well. How are you supposed to resist any of my next moves?"


    "You will never understand. Because you have already surrendered your soul to the ghost and resentment," Ricky replied in a calm voice. He was not irritated at all. "That means the power you are using now does not belong to you.


    You know that very well, don''t you? You are only fooling yourself."


    "Shut up! You pathetic liar!" Martin cut him off furiously as his face turned red with rage.


    "Ha-ha! Just admit it. I''m only telling you the truth. Why should the truth make you angry?" Seeing Martin''s angry face, Ricky continued to mock him in a brisk voice.


    "It''s like you are asking for your own death!" Ricky''s words infuriated Martin even more. He clenched his fists.


    The ghost power and resentment power that surrounded him were restless once again. He was boiling in anger because of Ricky''s words and he could no longer hold in his rage.

 Chapter 623 The Formidable Force Of The Four Zones

    The enlightening power of ghost and resentment condensed into a dark long saber in the hands of Martin, whose anger made itself into an invisible channel linking his space with the location of Ricky.


    In the world of martial arts, power had always been superior to everything else, but Martin himself knew exactly that this power did not belong to him. What was worse was that he had a hunch that the power would eventually break through his body.


    Moreover, he now looked neither a human nor a ghost. Was he really willing to transform into something like this? Of course he wasn''t.


    Therefore, how could Ricky''s words not cause immense anger inside his heart?


    "You are really tired of living in this world, aren''t you?" With the help of the invisible space formed by his anger, Martin suddenly appeared in front of Ricky. He flung up his dark long saber that disintegrated the space around him in an instant. At the moment of disintegration, Martin wielded his saber in an attempt to slash Ricky.


    There was absolutely no way for Ricky to escape his doom. The massacring runes surged around him in an instant as his golden eyes were filled with firm resolution. Although he was not as powerful as Martin, his courage and fighting spirit were greater than they ever were. If they weren''t, then he wouldn''t stand a chance against Martin at all.


    With the massacring runes surging around him, the cracks on the first level of Ultimate Golden Body healed rapidly. At the next moment, Ricky jumped up and fiercely wielded his saber to initiate his own attack against Martin.


    "Omnipotent Gale Skill¡ªGale Strike!"


    Ricky burst out a loud roar as the four fang-like blades expanded rapidly and pierced the space directly. It collided with the black long saber that rushed towards him with powerful momentum.


    However, the outcome was still the same. The powerful Omnipotent Skill of Ricky was just too vulnerable when faced by Martin''s invincible strength. His saber was directly broken into pieces after a quick standoff with Martin''s weapon. The next moment, Martin''s dark long saber collided with Ricky''s golden body. In response, Ricky instantly crossed his arms to resist the strong impact of the force.


    Clang!


    The next moment, the sound produced by the collision between the gold and the iron rang out to their surroundings. Air ripples covered everything around them as a golden figure fell heavily out of the air with blood spraying everywhere.


    Without a doubt, the golden figure was none other than Ricky himself.


    Moreover, it could also be seen that cracks were once again crawling on the surface of his golden


    gh to slay one. How could the thought of this not excite him?


    However, the next moment, things did not go exactly the way he had hoped.


    Four rays of light came out of Ricky and gradually enveloped him. The four rays were blood red, crimson, golden, and a cloud-like white.


    Martin''s long black saber which looked like the Milky Way slashed at the four rays of light, but it did nothing. It only caused the light to shake slightly without leaving any trace.


    "The four zones did not disappoint me!" At that moment, Ricky opened his eyes as an excited smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.


    The four rays of light were indeed the power released by the four zones to protect him. Just now, he was not giving up like they thought he was. He was instead mysteriously communicating with the real recesses of the four zones.


    When he got Soar from the Earth Fire Place of the Earth Fire Land, the reason why he was able to freely enter and exit the Incessant Crimson Magma was that the Chaotic Fire Zone had released the power of light to protect him.


    Therefore, he had a hunch that the four zones all had that kind of light power to provide protection for their master.


    This was Ricky''s real trump card all along and he was right to make the assumption that under a very dangerous situation, the light of the four zones would release themselves to protect him.


    "It is now my turn to resist and I can assure you that this battle will be over very soon," Ricky said with great determination in his eyes.


    "How could this be possible? I do not believe this! What power is this? How could you still resist my attack? I should be invincible here!" Seeing this incredible scene, Martin almost lost his mind and growled with great resentment.

 Chapter 624 What Can You Do With My Breakthrough

    "How...how can it be?" Martin mumbled. Soar, Terrence, and the others in the Mind Palace Model couldn''t believe their eyes either. They all thought what was happening was simply impossible.


    "I wonder when Ricky came to possess such great power," Soar said in a somewhat uncomfortable tone. "He didn''t even let me know about this new power."


    "Maybe he didn''t even know he could tap into such great power either. I have a feeling that Ricky has been gambling and taking risks recently. Perhaps he bet on the advancement of his radiance power," Terrence said.


    "If that''s the case, then he has succeeded. Perhaps he will be able to take control of this battle now," Samson said.


    At the same time, Ricky fixed his eyes on Martin, who was starting to look slightly angry.


    "I told you that once I got out, it would mean that I had new confidence in myself. I am confident that I can beat you," he answered Martin in a cold voice.


    "You think that you''re a master here and that you''re invincible. The real facts are that you are nothing but delusional. Your current power doesn''t really belong to you at all. Maybe you can kill us this time, but eventually you will become a part of the Ghost Corridor and the Resentment Corridor.


    So, you''re destined to lose in the end!"


    While speaking, Ricky looked increasingly domineering, which was an indication of a breakthrough.


    "You''re just trying to enrage me and drive me crazy!" Martin said in a cold voice as he realized that was what Ricky''s tactic in taunting him must have been.


    "You may think so, but I don''t think you can deny that there is some truth in my words. Don''t you agree that your current power doesn''t really belong to you?" Ricky asked.


    Martin was right in thinking Ricky was trying to irritate him by trying to insult and scare him. Maybe Ricky looked somewhat cruel by doing that, but he had never viewed himself as a very kindhearted man in the first place. He would not require himself to act like an upright individual in front of such a powerful enemy as Martin. He was afraid that he would die very soon if he didn''t make use of some strategy like that.


    "Hahaha! You keep saying that it isn''t really my power. All right. Let me show you how I will beat you, even with power that doesn''t belong to me," Martin said, laughing grimly.


    "Ocean of Ghosts!"


    Martin exclaimed. Suddenly, his terrible body burst and merged with the endless Ghost Enlightenment around him. It was as if he had changed into


    re in vain.


    Meanwhile, Ricky had completely entered the state of focus needed to make his breakthrough.


    He regained his peak state while the devouring runes absorbed the enlightening power ceaselessly. He had only targeted the pure enlightening power.


    He had accumulated more than enough power, so the only thing that he lacked was the enlightening power. That lack ended up being supplemented when he entered the Enlightening Corridor.


    Ricky had restrained the after-effects in his body with the power from the four zones. He would not deal with them until he made his breakthrough and killed Martin.


    A loud crack sounded out. All the while, it was clear Ricky''s power and momentum were rising, and his enlightening power was growing.


    It would not take a long time for him to make a breakthrough at that point.


    Martin, who had been attacking Ricky furiously, became even more frenzied when he saw that. All of a sudden, he regained his former demeanor and calmed down however.


    "Am I really still letting anger and madness control what I do?" Martin suddenly laughed at himself in disdain.


    "Maybe Ricky is right in saying that my soul has been sold to ghost and resentment. Such being the case, why don''t I sell something more? From now on, I don''t want my soul. I only want power and I only want to kill others relentlessly."


    After saying that, the horrifying power of ghost and resentment in Martin''s body began growing even stronger.


    By then, Martin had become a real devil.


    With such thoughts in his mind, Martin closed his eyes and they moved relentlessly behind his eyelids. He was unaware of the state he was slipping into.

 Chapter 625 Made A Breakthrough and Countered Back

    Even in such a critical situation, Martin appeared more composed and calmer than he had before.


    He was not irritated by Ricky''s comments anymore, and he couldn''t even recall what Ricky had said before. He was preoccupied with thoughts of revenge and hatred at that moment. As the killing aura exuded from within him, an atmosphere of horror dominated the entire area. He was becoming nothing but an emotionless killing machine. All he could think about was how he wanted to smash Ricky into pieces.


    "Since I can''t break your light power now, I will take my revenge after you make a breakthrough," Martin said with an unfathomable smile.


    "What happened to him? Why did he still appear composed despite the fact that he couldn''t break Ricky''s light power?" Seeing Martin''s sudden change in demeanor, Soar and the others could hardly believe their eyes as they stood waiting inside the Mind Palace Model.


    "It seems that he has become more strange and powerful than before," Terrence mused as a feeling of anxiety overwhelmed him.


    "How could that happen? I have a nagging feeling that Martin is not blind at all. I think that he put up a front and tried to fool us with such a dirty trick. I can vaguely sense that there is a potent power within his eyes, but I can''t figure out what it is," Samson stated as his face grew serious. Stroking his chin, he lost in thought over the possibilities.


    "Really? Are you sure about that?" Soar and Terrence questioned him in confusion upon hearing what Samson said.


    "No, it''s just a gut feeling. The blood power inside my body that I inherited from my ancestors is able to influence my thoughts, so there is a good chance that I am wrong about that," Samson calmly explained, as he scratched his head. He was greatly puzzled as to what was happening with Martin.


    "Since we haven''t figured out what is going on with Martin, the only thing we can do right now is wait for Ricky to make a breakthrough in his cultivation. When he succeeds in elevating his strength, no matter how powerful Martin is, I''m pretty sure that defeating him won''t be much of a trouble for Ricky," Soar said with a smirk and a look of disdain flashed in his eyes.


    Martin ceased to blow his energy towards Ricky''s four zones. He kept himself afloat in the air with his legs crossed. He sat quietly, waiting for Ricky to make a breakthrough from his current stage.


    At that moment, the process was of critical importance to Ricky. Both his accumulation of strength and his understanding of enlightening power had surpassed a lower spiritual king. Ricky had a mixed feeling of excitement and fear as he realized that he was just one step away from victory. Although the future of the fight was promising for him, Ricky still thought that it was best to err on the side of caution.


    Clenching his teeth, he prepared himself for the last stage. He needed to concentrate all his power to help him overcome the last obstacle before becoming a middle spiritual king.


    Transferring the power of his four zones, Ricky summoned all sorts of enlightening powers inside his body and fused them with the innate strength of his elixir field. Three kinds of potent powers turned into a sharp cone and shot towards the sky. In the blink of an eye, an invisible barrier came from out of nowhere and kept on falling onto Ricky''s cone. They landed heavily on its surface, ruthlessly suppressing his power which emitted from the cone. The barrier was so intense that it seemed impossible for anyone to endure such pressure.


    "Break it!" Ricky suddenly roared as his hands closed


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    e to attack me with the mighty rays of light. I''m willing to guess that you can''t use that skill right now. I would not be able to stand in here and talk to you otherwise, isn''t that right?"


    "Yes, you are right," Ricky frankly replied with a faint smile on his face. "But, even with my naked fists and my saber, destroying you would be a walk in the park."


    "Is that so? I''m afraid that you will change your mind when I show you my full strength!" Martin called out as a killing aura exuded from within him.


    Boom! Boom! As his voice faded away, the power of ghost and resentment started to build up and surged through every bit of his body.


    After that surge of power rose to a climax, two kinds of powers fused together into a brand-new form of power. It was the dark power and the Dark Enlightenment.


    Astounded by what had just happened, Ricky stared at Martin with furrowed brows. It seemed to Ricky that Martin was no longer a human being. It was like he had become a ball of Dark Enlightenment.


    It struck an awful terror into Ricky''s heart as he came to the realization that Martin was way more dangerous than the Feminine Mutant that Pearl had.


    ''So, this is the change he underwent while I was concentrating my efforts on elevating my strength. It seems that Martin is no longer the same person he used to be. Now he is nothing but a ball of Dark Enlightenment. I sense that he still has his own memories though, '' Ricky quietly thought to himself. Though Martin''s strength and aura overwhelmed him, he still showed no fear that Martin could see.


    "Since you have made a breakthrough, you should show me some of your best attacks to prove yourself. Mere word will not help you win this battle, after all. Let''s get stared; I''m dying to see how powerful you are now," Martin called out with a look of complete disdain on his face.


    "I will deliver on my promise. I can assure you of that," Ricky coldly replied, not showing even an ounce of fear.


    Ricky prepared himself and blew an enormous surge of strength towards Martin. Due to the massive improvement in his strength brought about by recent cultivation, Ricky''s power was nothing less potent than Martin''s, despite the fact that his strength was unstable on occasion.


    "That''s great! You''ve always played a defensive game before. Be a man and fight me!" Martin roared at Ricky with a vicious look on his face.

 Chapter 626 Ricky Battled It Out With Martin

    A deafening noise resounded in a split second.


    The momentums that Ricky and Martin radiated swept from every direction and clashed with a mighty roar. With their forces instantly colliding in the atmosphere, neither of them could stand still. Their movements were restricted. In the midst of the collision, Ricky felt his fists hit something solid.


    An ear-piercing strike was created as gold met iron. Ricky and Martin began using their own fists to combat each other.


    Their fights took on countless rounds, with each round momentarily pausing due to the intense vibration resulting from the power they exuded. In some instances, both had to back up a little for a few moments before striking each other once again fiercely.


    It was the kind of fight that weighed heavily on their physical strength and stamina.


    During the collision, Ricky condensed the first level of Ultimate Golden Body once again and extracted the Iron Destroyer in an attempt to condense the galaxy power.


    Meanwhile, Martin condensed the black long saber once more. However, the power of ghost and resentment that once enveloped it was now replaced by more sinister dark power.


    The two carried on battling against each other, with their blows and attacks now fortified by the weapon they each had in their hands. Martin''s every move contained and exhibited profound knowledge of martial arts. Obviously, he had absorbed the experience of martial arts of the ghosts prior to their death.


    Fortunately, Ricky''s Galaxy Saber Skill was by no means a common skill. This skill was effective in both attack and defense in all directions. Combined with both the galaxy power and the golden body power, it was evident that Ricky''s power could not be considered inferior than Martin''s dark power.


    Besides, Ricky also possessed devouring runes. Devouring runes wouldn''t cower before Dark Enlightenment at all. They had quite a gigantic force and could devour all kinds of powers.


    After what seemed like years of exchanging earth-shaking blows and air-splitting strikes, Ricky and Martin finally parted fully for the first time. However, while Ricky was forced to back off for several hundred meters, Martin only retreated for a few steps.


    Ricky was lucky to possess the first level of Ultimate Golden Body. Otherwise, he would have already been beaten up badly and close to his death by the end of the first half of their fight.


    Nevertheless, he felt his heart twinge in pain for a few moments.


    ''It seems that he has also changed during my breakthrough. He is more determined and his power has remarkably increased in strength, '' Ricky thought to himself. ''Thanks to the four zones, I didn''t need too much time to strengthen my breakthrough. Otherwise, I would not be sure whether I can win this battle or not.''


    "Great! Good job! That fight surely was no snooze fest!" Martin clapped impres


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ood out and compressed strong massacring Golden Enlightenment and golden light in front of its chest. The golden body''s palm then merged both forces to form a massacring light. In one swift motion, the golden massacring light was slapped towards the dark black flag.


    The golden palm grew bigger and bigger in the air. It collided violently against the dark black flag.


    A heavy blast emerged from the collision.


    The loud blast was followed by simultaneous roars. A strong tide overwhelmed everything and everyone that was at a close proximity to it.


    However, as rigid as the second level of Ultimate Golden Body, the heavy wave did not intimidate it at all. It ran about madly and split the space with its huge golden hands. The impact left by the wave opened up a passage. The golden body then went straight to Martin.


    At the same time, the golden light it emitted was overwhelming. A golden saber was waved and aimed at Martin''s face.


    Martin shook at such a sudden sight. Obviously he hadn''t expected that Ricky would be so powerful with the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. His ghosts had already proven to stand no match against his opponent''s enhanced power.


    Despite his astonishment, Martin was able to respond quickly. Immediately, he condensed the Dark Enlightenment to form a shield to protect him from the power-packed blow emitted by Ricky''s golden light strike.


    Due to the impact, the two enemies were forced to part once again and keep distance to recuperate.


    "It appears that your so-called ghost spirit is just so-so," Ricky said flatly while he was surrounded by an overwhelming golden light.


    "You''re playing with fire!" Martin howled furiously.


    He felt the ominous threat that emanated from Ricky''s second level of Ultimate Golden Body. Every fiber of his being was urgently telling him that Ricky was far more dangerous, now that he possessed the violet-golden saber.

 Chapter 627 Martin’s Golden Eyes

    "Damn! Damn! It''s your damn golden body again!" Martin hissed and swore ferociously as he felt the strength of the second level of Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body. Martin was so enraged that his tightly closed eyes almost snapped open.


    Moreover, greed boiled like a pit of lava in the depths of Martin''s heart. After all, anybody would feel excited and greedy for such a powerful cultivation method.


    Hiding inside the Mind Palace Model, Ricky''s companions found themselves marveling at the power Ricky had displayed.


    "Soar, what kind of cultivation method did Ricky use just now? It is extraordinary!" Terrence said, unable to keep either his excitement or his voice down.


    None of them could have predicted this. When Ricky chose to fight to the death with Martin, they thought his life would be at great risk. Yet, with incredible aces up his sleeve, Ricky made a breakthrough and now seemed more powerful than the formidable Martin.


    "It''s called the Ultimate Golden Body with a total of nine levels of strength. The golden body grows by ten feet with an increase of one level of its strength. That''s all I know about it. As for the cultivation method''s grade, I have not asked Ricky yet," Soar said and shook his head.


    Of course, he held more secrets about the cultivation method, including its origin, but he thought he''d better not tell them. It was supposed to be Ricky''s own secret.


    "When Ricky cultivates the last level of the Ultimate Golden Body, will his golden body grow to the height of ninety feet?" Terrence, Samson, and the rest of those hidden in the Mind Palace Model all had the same doubt. Considering what Soar told them, they felt it not hard to imagine how formidable Ricky would become.


    Then, they stopped the discussion. Silence took over as, collectively, their eyes snapped towards the ongoing fight. With laser focus that left no room for banter or daydreaming, their eyes flitted between the two warriors. Breaths hitched, they found themselves silently rooting for Ricky''s survival.


    "It seems that you are scared." Inside the golden body at the height of twenty feet, Ricky''s voice boomed down like rain from the clouds. "However, your fear is understandable. The moment I made up my mind to fight you and got out of my spiritual space tool, the result of our fight was determined."


    "You''re bragging about your power without feeling the slightest shame! Do you think I''m scared of your golden body?" Martin spat out the question with a scowl.


    "Of course I do. Right now, I can feel your rage and real fear from your tone," Ricky said. "The power you activated is not your own.


    Although you can mobilize the power inside the Ghost Corridor and the Resentment Corridor, your control over them is weak and limited. Otherwise, I should already be dead by now.


    And this


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    different forces."


    "Perhaps, it''s the principle of thing developing in the opposite direction when they become extreme. Only in the environment of endless ghosts and resentment can such golden eyes be created," Madeline said seriously as her forehead creased in worry.


    "Ricky..." Soar murmured. His eyes wandered back to Ricky as worry gnawed at him.


    All of Ricky''s companions could feel the terrible strength contained within those golden eyes.


    Strong as they were, Terrence and Samson also held a deep concern for Ricky''s safety.


    But they also knew their concern was useless. The only thing they could do now was believe in Ricky and believe that he had the power to defeat Martin and his mysterious eyes.


    "The golden killing eyes and the scorching flame at the level of the sacred fire! I never would have figured out that he hid such trump cards in those tightly closed eyes," Ricky hissed as the shock in his mind gave way to annoyance.


    Although Ricky knew he had to take things seriously, given how difficult the golden eyes were to deal with, he started to think of ways to grab that power for himself.


    He felt intense and calculating greed for both the scorching flame and the golden eyes.


    Golden eyes with the power of sacred fire would be a rare and extraordinary ability to have, even if they were not comparable with Kristen''s Heaven Illuminating Eyes.


    With that kind of power in his possession, Ricky could find more important and lucrative uses for it.


    If any other neutral party owned those eyes, Ricky wouldn''t have cared. But since it was his long-term enemy, Martin, who held them, that was a different story. He cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck. A smirk appeared on his face as he stared his rival down. If the only way to steal those eyes was to completely defeat Martin, then he''d be happy to take up that challenge.

 Chapter 628 Collision Of Omnipotent Skills

    Martin presented himself as Ricky''s enemy, and on top of it, he possessed the secret golden eyes. This was a golden opportunity destined for Ricky.


    If he just let this opportunity pass him by, it would definitely be a reckless waste of grain.


    Of course, this opportunity granted to him was also a gamble for he could have this precious thing he wanted at the cost of his life. But Ricky knew that powerful warriors only achieved greater heights when they grabbed the chance of progress even if it meant that they would risk their lives for it.


    "Are you astonished with my golden eyes?" Martin noticed Ricky''s interest with the golden eyes as his voice echoed arrogant and commanding. And, as if on cue, the eyes brightly shone, which enticed Ricky more.


    "Yes, indeed. I''m too dazed to say anything!" Ricky admitted excitedly. "I have to admit that this is making me more thrilled."


    "Thrilled? You sound like you have already claimed my golden eyes as yours. Have you heard yourself? You sound so ridiculous right now!" Martin spat, feeling irritated at how confident and eager Ricky was.


    "Why does it seem like you are always after my things? Why can''t I want yours?" Ricky nonchalantly explained.


    "Because in case you haven''t noticed, you are weak! And you are not strong enough to take what''s mine!" Martin growled with anger.


    "You don''t get to say who''s strong or not! You have already labeled me as a nobody and someone weak from the very beginning. But now I, a nobody, stand before you, and I have shaken and even suppressed you," Ricky proudly shot back.


    As he was talking, Ricky willed all the burning desire in his heart to fight, which took the place of his greed for Martin''s golden eyes. He could be greedy with Martin''s golden eyes. But before he could talk the talk, he should at least be powerful enough to have the things he was after, and Ricky knew that all too well.


    "You are provoking me! You are obviously weak, but here you are, talking big and acting like you can always have things your way. I despise people like you. You are choosing death before disgrace, and I absolutely abhor this so-called spirit of yours!" Martin snapped furiously, annoyed with Ricky''s conviction.


    Because deep down, he knew that all the things Ricky said were right. He had always regarded Ricky as a nobody that he could easily crush with his own hands. But he had dramatically underestimated him this time around because this "nobody" had forced him to summon his most potent power¡ªhis golden eyes.


    Buzz!


    Martin''s golden eyes lit up with an angry fire. Then, the two broad rays of light shot out from his eyes which merged midair. And in a blink of an eye, it tr


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    y a tenth of the Enlightening Corridor. And in comparison, Ricky''s second level of Ultimate Golden Body was as small as an ant in front of that giant orb.


    Afterwards, the giant Golden Light Explosion fell on Ricky aggressively which, at first glance, seemed that it would be the end for him.


    Bang!


    Just when the Golden Light Explosion was about to hit Ricky, it exploded. Just for a moment, the whole Enlightening Corridor was flooded by never ending explosions.


    It could be clearly seen that being surrounded by the light of the golden eyes, Martin was free from the shock-waves of the huge explosion.


    "Devouring Skill, Gale Windstorm¡ªGale Torrent Strike!"


    In the midst of the innumerable exploding sounds, Ricky''s voice roared strongly as he released his Gale Torrent Strike to withstand Martin''s attack.


    While Martin released the power of the explosions, Ricky used the same explosion power to counter the attack.


    Sure enough, with the power of the devouring runes, Ricky''s Gale Torrent Strike only became even more powerful.


    ''''Die!''''


    Ricky''s ear-deafening roar rang through the air, his killing intent evident.


    Boom!


    Then in the endless golden light, a white mist filled with bloody spiral blade of windstorm, burst forth from the light. Everywhere it passed by, all the golden light of the explosion was mercilessly smashed and pushed to oblivion.


    The spiral blade of windstorm which was surrounded by two kinds of runes quickly expanded and then devoured the golden light of the explosion conversely.


    In an instant, the spiral blade of windstorm turned directly into a giant blade of fangs which resembled something falling from the sky. Without mercy, it quickly smashed the space completely and slashed Martin, who was encircled by the golden light.

 Chapter 629 The Brutal Kill

    The moment Ricky''s giant blade of fangs cut through, the space was destroyed.


    The power of ghost and resentment around was forced to retreat. The power produced by the so-called golden light explosion was enforced on the blade of fangs, but it left no trace.


    After several battle rounds, Ricky had almost consolidated his power as a middle spiritual king.


    Not only did he possess the four zones, but also the regained mysterious spiritual meridian. Now, he really lived up to the title of an ace genius.


    He had made a breakthrough and become a middle spiritual king. Once he consolidated his power, he would be invincible among all the middle spiritual kings.


    If not for the oppression from the supreme enlightenment within the Land of Legacy, Ricky could have possessed powers equal to a third-class upper spiritual king after consolidating his power as a middle spiritual king.


    This was the reason why Ricky held his real power until that very last moment.


    Certainly, nobody could consolidate power so fast in a battle, except him.


    "Martin, you''re doomed! It doesn''t matter what cards you''re hiding. The result of this battle was set in stone the moment I made the breakthrough," Ricky said in a cold voice. After launching the Gale Torrent Strike, his second level of Ultimate Golden Body appeared with the Iron Destroyer in his hand.


    The Gale Torrent Strike struck Martin as he spoke.


    Attacked by the huge Gale Torrent Strike, the golden eyes gave out golden power in return. All retaliation in vain, they cracked inch by inch. Obviously, Martin was not able to resist the Gale Torrent Strike.


    "How could it be? It''s impossible! Why can''t I beat a new middle spiritual king with the power of the golden eyes?" Martin roared. Once again, he went crazy when he realized that his attack was failing.


    "Since you can''t figure out yourself, let me tell you why," Ricky said calmly, indifferent to Martin''s madness.


    "First of all, I understand you possess the golden eyes, but you lack the knowledge to utilize their full pote


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    Soar would burst into tears


    if he knew what Madeline was thinking about.


    However, a sound of roaring flame burst out as soon as Ricky took a step. The spot where Martin died was now burning with a golden red flame.


    Golden light was spreading along with the golden red flame.


    "Wait...what''s going on here?" Ricky mumbled in confusion. He stood there, dumbfounded.


    Of course, Soar and others were also astonished at the scene.


    "The golden eyes can release power by themselves?" Ricky contemplated.


    "Hahaha! I am the Golden Spirit Eyes and I finally get to be free. Great! After staying dormant in the Ghost Corridor for innumerable years, I finally see the light of the day," a tender yet aged voice came through with a burst of laughter as soon as Ricky began considering that possibility.


    A figure gradually emerged from the roaring flame and the spreading golden light.


    Ricky couldn''t differentiate between that figure and Martin. Just like him, the figure looked terrible and ferocious, surrounded by the power of ghost and resentment.


    However, the figure had a totally different momentum and aura. Its voice was also different from Martin''s. Ricky was certain that the figure was not Martin, irrespective of the physical similarities.


    "Golden Spirit Eyes!" Ricky called the figure. Everyone else was just staring the bizarre scene.

 Chapter 630 The Golden Spirit Eyes

    ''Are the golden eyes the Golden Spirit Eyes?'' Ricky was still in shock as he thought that to himself. ''Did the eyes give birth to their own psychic intelligence?''


    Ricky was able to guess some of the truth from the previous information he had received. The reason that Martin had not died was because the Golden Spirit Eyes had saved his life. The eyes had given birth to a new psychic intelligence. From that, it was easy to see why the eyes had tried to save Martin. It was because they wanted to take Martin''s body.


    At that moment, Ricky had thoroughly killed Martin. After Martin''s death, the Golden Spirit Eyes got a chance to take over his body.


    So, if one analyzed that matter from Ricky''s point of view, Ricky had helped the Golden Spirit Eyes in getting a human body to some degree.


    ...


    "Master Soar, the Golden Spirit Eyes are a kind of treasure between heaven and earth. If Master Ricky gets them, he will become much more powerful," Alva said to Soar.


    "Eyes that exist between heaven and earth! Alva, what do you know about the Golden Spirit Eyes? Just tell me everything you know!" Soar said excitedly after hearing what Alva had said. Soar was in shock and could hardly believe it.


    Just the fact that the eyes existed between heaven and earth was enough to reflect how extraordinary the Golden Spirit Eyes were.


    ...


    "Ricky, Alva told me something about the Golden Spirit Eyes." Soar told what he knew to Ricky immediately after learning about Golden Spirit Eyes from Alva through their telepathic link. "Ricky, if you get the Golden Spirit Eyes, you will become much stronger and more powerful!"


    "Soar, what are the Golden Spirit Eyes?" Ricky asked expectantly after hearing what Soar had told him.


    "The Golden Spirit Eyes are eyes of gold and flame, which were created at the very beginning of time," Soar said. "They can summon the strongest golden power and the most violent infernal power.


    I believe that you already know how useful that would be."


    "That is right. If Martin had been more skillful with the Golden Spirit Eyes, it would have been impossible for me to kill him so easily," Ricky said.


    "It possessed the strongest golden power and the fiercest infernal power, so I''m really looking forward to us obtaining it."


    "Ricky, in addition to that, the Golden Spirit Eyes also have the power to see through any illusion," Soar said. "Any illusion will lose its power and disappear under the sight of the Golden Spirit Eyes.


    Apart from t


    enlightenment of heaven and earth, becoming one of the rulers of this dimension and everything in it.


    So, brat, it is you who should take the initiative to erase your psychic intelligence and spiritual thoughts, and offer your perfect body to me willingly. My future glory will be your body''s glory. You should be glad to give your body to me now. If you cooperate well with me, I will use your name as I walk through this world."


    "Humph! I don''t understand why you have such ambitions when you are just some sort of eyes. I think you must have spent too much time in the Ghost Corridor. Your mind must have gotten addled by all that time alone," Ricky said with disdain after he heard what his opponent said.


    "It seems that I have to wipe out your pitiful psychic intelligence; otherwise your psychic intelligence will only cause an adverse impact on our overall situation."


    After he finished saying what he wanted to say, Ricky picked up his saber and jumped into the air. The light of the saber shot straight down in a beam from the air.


    At that moment, Ricky''s power was raised to its extreme. The sealing power around the saber was several times stronger than ever before because of the recent explosion of his power.


    "Ignorant man, do you really think that a light of sealing saber can control or overcome me?" After seeing Ricky''s attack, the Golden Spirit Eyes'' psychic intelligence spoke coldly. "Next, I''ll show you what I can do."


    Buzz! Buzz!


    In the next moment, tens of thousands of golden flashes broke out from the Golden Spirit Eyes, each of which seemed to tear the space apart. They zoomed towards Ricky at a break neck speed.

 Chapter 631 Defeating the Golden Spirit Eyes

    Crack!


    Immediately following the loud, rumbling noise in the distance, a magnificent wave of golden light violently collided with Ricky''s strike, scattering ripples of massive energy everywhere, almost inundating the whole world.


    Ricky and the Golden Spirit Eyes smashed into each other. The Golden Spirit Eyes'' impact on Ricky''s unassailable second level of Ultimate Golden Body created endless ripples of blasts in all directions. Within the realm of the middle spiritual king, Ricky feared nothing, having mastered the strategies of attack and defense.


    The Golden Spirit Eyes also exhibited an indomitable nature. After possessing Martin''s body, it had gained better control over the ghost and resentment.


    By simply waving his hands, it summoned the Ghost Enlightenment and Resentment Enlightenment, and morphed them into two dark sabers.


    Those two sabers were powerful enough to tear a rift through space with a single stroke.


    The Golden Spirit Eyes were inconceivable. His strength and experience had outwitted Martin.


    Were it not for the protection of his golden body, Ricky would have been covered in wounds.


    "Damn it! If I weren''t suppressed by the supreme enlightenment in the Land of Legacy, I would smash you to ashes!" the Golden Spirit Eyes'' psychic intelligence uttered, a little anxious about Ricky''s overwhelming strength.


    At the beginning, the Golden Spirit Eyes disparaged Ricky. Later during the combat, he was astonished by how Ricky was performing way better than he had thought.


    Crack! Ricky and the Golden Spirit Eyes collided once again. The blast sent them shooting in different directions. They landed far away from each other.


    The Golden Spirit Eyes forced a smile on its hideous face, trying to hide the fact that it was slowly losing control.


    "Hum! Look. Within the Land of Legacy, your Golden Spirit Eyes are not that impressive at all. No matter how powerful they are, they are now suppressed by the supreme enlightenment," Ricky said apathetically, staring at the unpleasant Golden Spirit Eyes.


    "And


    olden Spirit Eyes, you are a true master of flames!"


    A worried frown slowly replaced the mocking smile on the Golden Spirit Eyes'' face. It did not expect that reaction from Ricky.


    That move was supposed to scare this master of six flames, but it did nothing.


    Then, a horrifying thought crossed its mind. Could this man possibly control any type of flame? If he could, that would certainly explain why he reacted the way he did.


    Perhaps, this was his plan all along.


    "You knew I would do that, didn''t you?" the Golden Spirit Eyes'' psychic intelligence asked.


    "Yes, I did, but I meant my praises. Too bad this battle is about to end soon." Ricky grinned and raised his hands slowly.


    They glowed with the chaotic fire runes.


    "Now, I shall tell you the truth. No one can control my flames, and you are no exception. But I can control your flame."


    A solemn look took over Ricky''s face, displacing the mocking smile.


    "Chaotic Fire, reverse!"


    Instantly, the Golden Spirit Eyes'' sacred fire changed its course. Controlled by the chaotic fire runes, it now surged toward the Golden Spirit Eyes.


    At Ricky''s bidding, the Golden Spirit Eyes'' sacred fire combined with Ricky''s Flame Torrent right inside the eyes.


    Then, the seven magnificent flames conflated, rearranged themselves into an invisible flaming saber, and pierced the Golden Spirit Eyes.

 Chapter 632 Gaining The Golden Spirit Eyes

    "Ouch!"


    The Golden Spirit Eyes'' psychic intelligence screamed desperately as the power of the seven flames sank between its eyebrows.


    "How could it be? This is impossible! Why? Why can''t I control the flames?" The Golden Spirit Eyes'' psychic intelligence roared in panic as it felt the sharp pain.


    As soon as the seven flames sank between its eyebrows, the Golden Spirit Eyes felt them burning its psychic intelligence. It was afraid that its psychic intelligence would disappear completely. With that, the Golden Spirit Eyes would fall into Ricky''s hand.


    However, that was not what it was most afraid of. Its greatest fear was that it had no idea what kind of power Ricky was using. Ricky could prevent the Golden Spirit Eyes from controlling the flames as well as control the flames himself. He could even control the Golden Spirit Fire, the Golden Spirit Eyes'' accompanying fire, and use it to burn the Golden Spirit Eyes'' psychic intelligence.


    Since the universe first came into being, the Golden Spirit Eyes had possessed the power to control all kinds of flames. It was a widely known fact, and there was no doubt about it.


    The Golden Spirit Eyes also knew that. However, such a fact was denied at the moment because there was someone else that was more capable of controlling flames than the Golden Spirit Eyes.


    It was not until now that the Golden Spirit Eyes finally understood why there were six kinds of fires in Ricky, who was merely a middle spiritual king.


    "It seems that the Chaotic Fire Zone in Ricky''s body is more powerful than the Golden Spirit Eyes," Soar observed. "I wonder where the Chaotic Fire Zone came from."


    "Master Soar, I''m afraid the answer to that involves Master Ricky''s deepest secret. I have a feeling that the Chaotic Fire Zone came from the earliest chaos. In other words, it may have appeared before the universe came into being," Alva explained.


    "That early?" Soar asked in confusion.


    Terrence and the others could not believe what they were seeing. The Golden Spirit Eyes and Ricky''s ace in the hole had gone beyond their imagination.


    "Master Ricky, please let go of me. I''m willing to take you as my master and obey all your orders. I will sign a permanent agreement with you,


    lways somebody stronger than us and that we should not be overconfident."


    "Exactly! We also learned what an ace genius is like," Samson added.


    "Haha!" Ricky burst into laughter at Terrence''s and Samson''s words.


    "Congratulations for gaining the Golden Spirit Eyes, Ricky," Terrence said sincerely.


    "It''s just my luck," Ricky answered humbly.


    "No, it''s not. You got them with your own strength. Nobody but an ace genius such as yourself deserves a pair of magic eyes like those," Samson interjected.


    Soon, they stopped talking about the Golden Spirit Eyes. All of them understood that the Golden Spirit Eyes should be kept secret. They were Ricky''s secret.


    Therefore, they would keep this matter to themselves. They would not mention the Golden Spirit Eyes until everyone else found out about them one day.


    They were not eager to get out then. Instead, they stayed in the Enlightening Corridor and the Martial Corridor for another month. That was mainly because Ricky had to make use of the pure enlightening power in the Enlightening Corridor to completely recover by removing the after-effects from his body.


    During that month, he further consolidated his power as a third-class middle spiritual king. One month later, he emitted a deep aura. Nobody else could figure out that he had just broken through and become a middle spiritual king for only one month.


    By then, their travel to the Birthplace of Ghosts had come to an end. They returned to the Land of Ghosts.

 Chapter 633 The Nether Manor And The Nether Army

    Their goal of their trip to the Land of Ghosts was to get the Enlightening Fruits, of course. Although they might not be able to make a breakthrough by refining the Enlightening Fruits now because their cultivation levels were suppressed in the Land of Legacy, they could refine the Enlightening Fruits after leaving and then make a breakthrough.


    Due to that, they stayed in the Land of Ghosts for nearly a month and obtained more than a dozen Enlightening Fruits before they left.


    After leaving the Land of Ghosts, they could not help feeling that their trip to that place was worthy of the great effort they put into it. Their achievements were really fruitful that time around, and even if they were asked to leave the Land of Legacy then, they would not feel any regret.


    Ricky had gained the most valuable treasure¡ªthe Golden Spirit Eyes, a pair of eyes filled with the essence the heaven and earth. Such an amazing item might be second only to his regained spiritual meridian.


    "Warriors can only take one of the Glazed Fruit of each level, and if we take more than that, there would be no greater effect. We also get a lot of Enlightening Fruits, so it is meaningless to look for them again. After all, there is a limit to the affect one can get from any kind of Treasures from Heaven and Earth," Ricky said as they marched through the gray mountains.


    "He''s right. So next, we shouldn''t need to make much effort to find the Glazed Fruits and the Enlightening Fruits. If we happen to find them by accident, then we will make sure to make use of them. We won''t waste our time deliberately looking for them though," Terrence said with a nod.


    "Our next goal is to obtain the Massacring Sand and the Massacring Soil, then," Soar suggested with bright eyes.


    "The Massacring Soil is, after all, too rare for us to ever find it. However, the Massacring Sand will appear every time the Land of Legacy is opened. We should try our best to find it. If we manage to find it, our trip to the Land of Legacy will be truly complete," Ricky said with a smile.


    During their conversation, Ricky and his companions continued to move forward through the mountains. They just walked leisurely over the ground instead of flying in the air.


    In martial arts training, there were times when one must push to the limit, and other times where one must rest and reflect on things. In the Land of Ghosts, they had been under a lot of stress and had been pushed very far. They had made great progress as a result. It was quite necessary for them to take a period of rest so that they could focus on their inner peace. Moreover, the period of rest was also conducive to their martial arts training in the future.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    On the second day of their pleasant journey, a figure flew in the air above them at a breaknec


    rom the Dark Fallen Realm, but also one of the top spiritual-emperor forces in the whole Eastern Land. Moreover, it was no exaggeration to say that it could be referred to as the leader of the evil forces across the whole Eastern Land.


    As the leader of the righteous forces in the Eastern Land, the Oriental College had been fighting against this Nether Manor for a long time.


    Before Ricky entered the Land of Legacy, the Evil Emperor had told him that he had to pay special attention to the Nether Army of the Nether Manor in the land.


    Although disciples of evil forces were not allowed to enter the two Lands of Legacy, no one would even know if they entered secretly because of the mixed nature of the people there. Unless the spiritual emperors carefully inquired about the identity of each of the warriors, there was no way to keep them out.


    However, those spiritual emperors would not do so. Firstly, they would have to lower their status to do so. Secondly, after the disciples of these evil forces entered, the disciples of the righteous forces would be provided with a great chance to hone themselves.


    The Nether Army was an army built by the leader of the Nether Manor by gathering a large number of geniuses. The Nether Army had only one purpose¡ªthat was to kill all the geniuses who opposed the Nether Manor.


    Ian Liu was the genius that ranked third among the outer disciples of the Oriental College, so he was naturally one of their targets.


    The reason why the three people laughed when they saw Ricky, Soar, and Terrence was that they were all targets that they had also been hunting.


    After hearing that Ricky and Soar had guessed their true identities, they fell into silence for a short moment.


    "You are right. We are the Nether Army, but unfortunately, the reward for you guessing correctly is your death." The three young men smiled coldly.

 Chapter 634 Ian

    As soon as the three members of the Nether Army finished speaking, energy burst from their bodies.


    They each looked like a second-class middle spiritual king. It was then that Ricky realized why Ian, who had been ranked third among the outer disciples at the Oriental College, would look so uncollected in front of them.


    "How ridiculous! You can only kill us in your dreams!" Soar said disdainfully with a mocking smile on his face.


    By then, Ian had also given off his energy. Although he did not think Ricky and his fellows would be able to beat the three members of the Nether Army, he did not attempt to escape. He was going to fight with all his strength.


    "Terrence, Ricky, can you pin down two of them for me while I kill the other one?" Ian asked seriously.


    "Ian, I said they were no match for us!" Soar sneered again. Then, he suddenly jumped forward in front of one member of the Nether Army. He launched a flame fist toward him.


    "Damn, you''re courting death," the member of the Nether Army said coldly. His black hand caught Soar''s flame fist before it could land on his face.


    Following a dull, colliding sound, both Soar and the member of the Nether Army stepped back.


    The member of the Nether Army took more steps back than Soar.


    What had happened stunned not only the three members of the Nether Army but also Ian.


    During this round of battle, Ricky sensed the evil spirit from the power given off by the member of the Nether Army, which he found confusing. He asked Tina telepathically, "Tina, do you sense the evil spirit?"


    "Ricky, all those members of the Nether Army practice both the dark energy and the evil spirit. They just practice the evil spirit less." Tina confirmed Ricky''s findings.


    "That''s really the evil spirit? But how could creatures from the continent practice that?" Ricky asked again. He was surprised to hear Tina''s confirmation. Ricky had attempted to practice the evil spirit when he was in the fragment of ancient battlefield in the Realm of Wildness a long time ago. But he had failed and given up very soon because the evil spirit repelled creatur


    es," Ian said, somewhat pissed off by Ricky''s words.


    "I understand. Please take this Enlightening Fruit. Then you can kill that member of the Nether Army," Ricky said, still smiling.


    He did not say anything more to persuade Ian. He believed that Ian would accept the Enlightening Fruit.


    Ricky did not know Ian very well. The reason he gave him the Enlightening Fruit was that Ian and Terrence seemed to get along well with each other.


    He believed that Terrence''s friends had good character, and he wanted to befriend them, too.


    Besides, Ian might not be able to defeat the last member of the Nether Army in his current condition. An Enlightening Fruit would be quite helpful. Otherwise, even if they interfered and rescued Ian from the Nether Army, a loss would negatively affect Ian''s martial career.


    Ian did not say any more either. After nodding at Ricky, he merged the Enlightening Fruit into his body. Slowly, he walked to the last member of the Nether Army.


    Ian no longer looked uncollected at all. His body emanated a strong killing intent. He looked determined.


    "You''re next. Time to pay," Ian told the last member of the Nether Army. His killing intent flashed across his eyes.


    "You''re overestimating your power. You couldn''t beat me when you were sound and healthy. How do you expect to defeat me with a broken body now?" the last member of the Nether Army said mockingly.

 Chapter 635 Great Drunken Sword

    Boom! The voice of the last member of the Nether Army trailed off. He used his dark energy and evil spirit and blended the two, turning them into the enlightening power. And in a fraction of a second, he started to demonize.


    Although he never thought of Ian so much as an opponent, he knew that he was a force to be reckoned with. Otherwise, he and his companions wouldn''t have pursued him for several days. But on the downside, even though they had put their efforts into chasing him, they still failed for Ian always escaped from their clutches.


    "Humph! You see, if only you haven''t outnumbered me, I wouldn''t have to escape like a beaten dog. And now that even though I''m severely injured by bastards like you, you must know that a disciple from the Oriental College couldn''t be bullied so easily," Ian spat in fury.


    "Soar and Samson, hold your fire. Because if you don''t, you''ll just scare this last member of Nether Army off. In this way, Ian wouldn''t get the glory," Ricky ordered the two through telepathy.


    Ricky only knew a few things about Ian. And one of them was that he was a second-class middle spiritual king. And with the Enlightening Fruit that he had, he knew that he would surely make a breakthrough after this battle.


    "Roger that," Samson replied.


    Without hesitation, both Samson and Soar slowly lowered their attacks and backed off a bit to give them some space.


    All of a sudden, a white sword appeared in Ian''s hand which emitted some sort of unfathomable enlightening power. But all Ricky could do was tilt his head sideways and try to figure out what kind of power Ian''s sword had as he was a little bit drunk.


    Ricky was in a daze as his nose tried to follow the smell along with his eyes closed shut as if he was enjoying what he was smelling. At this point, it seemed that he had smelled the fragrance of the spirits and the invigorating scent of the wine.


    "Ricky, are you drunk?" Terrence asked out of curiosity as he scratched his head in confusion.


    "Hmmm...yes, you''re right. Ian''s swordsmanship is surely different from others that I have seen in the past," Ricky replied as he observed Ian''s swordsmanship.


    "Actually, it''s uniquely called the Great Drunken Sword, which could also be known as a kind of swordsmanship you cultivate when you''re drunk," Terrence said. "Ian''s enlightening power, on the other hand, is the power of Drunken Enlightenment, from which you can smell the fragrance of wine.


    When the Great Drunken Sword is used, any warrior inferior to the user will be immersed in a drunken stupor. One famous side effect is that that warrior won''t even know that he has already been killed," Terrence explained.


    "The Great Drunken Sword is a swordsmanship you employ when you''re drunk. How interesting! I never knew such thing even exi


    h left the member scratched and injured several times.


    "How is it even possible? I have already injured you badly, and yet you could still harm me. How could you even attack while defending yourself?" the member roared at Ian at the sight of his unbelievable skill.


    "I''ve already told you. If I hadn''t been outnumbered by you guys, none of you would be a match for me," Ian replied contemptuously." He flew steadily in midair and stared at his enemy with cold and murderous eyes.


    His enemies might think that Ian was just drunk and confused all throughout their fight, but one thing was for certain¡ªhe was very sober the entire time.


    "Now, you''ll pay your debt. You have killed so many disciples from the Oriental College, and I won''t stop until I kill you and avenge them all," Ian shouted in a fury.


    In the past years, many geniuses had been killed by the Nether Army, and their deaths had been clouded by many mysteries.


    And now was the time to solve those mysteries and time for the murderers to pay the bloody debt in their filthy hands.


    Before his voice trailed off, his power had already started to quickly build up. All of a sudden, his Drunken Enlightenment materialized and crashed into the member of Nether Army.


    Meanwhile, an old man with drizzled hair suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stood behind Ian.


    Quietly standing behind him with grace and elegance, the old man also seemed to be drunk as he rocked his body back and forth in a playful manner. His looks and behavior might be deceiving but his right hand held a white sword that was sharp and imposing, ready to strike for any battle.


    "Great Drunken Sword!" said Ian in a bit of a tipsy voice.


    At the same time, Ian and the old man raised their swords and thrust at the enemy. At the same time, the air was filled with alcohol as if wine was pouring down from the sky.

 Chapter 636 Ian Fulfilled The Breakthrough

    The attack made by Ian was a triple attack.


    The first attack was Ian''s sword itself, and the second one was the sword strike of the old man, which was also the attack of enlightening power.


    The third and last attack was an invisible one, which was hidden in the smell of alcohol filled the air as if wine was pouring down from the sky.


    Although it was invisible, it was the most fatal one in this three-fold attack. The invisible attack was directed at the faith of a warrior. Once a warrior''s faith was destroyed, then they would lose.


    Ricky quickly saw through Ian''s triple attack and thought, ''What an ingenious cultivation method! One move can produce the effect of three kinds of attacks.


    If it weren''t for the four zones, I wouldn''t have noticed that soon. The key of that move lies in the invisible attack.''


    "Devil''s Body! Devil''s Iron Claws!"


    Seeing Ian''s attack hastily approaching, the member of the Nether Army screeched a deep, sinister sound. The sound compelled the dark energy and evil spirit to intertwine themselves around his body.


    There were also a few strands of black hair poking out of his body in disarray. The somewhat sloppy yet grim appearance magnified his devilish appearance.


    The clenched black iron claws instantaneously doubled in size and blended with his hands.


    After the claws and his hands were successfully combined, the man now had both the clenched black iron claws as his hands.


    But that was not the end of his transformation. The black iron claws continued to blend into his body. Then, a huge black iron claw appeared in midair.


    A devil''s body was condensed behind the huge black iron claw.


    "Well... a full demonstration of your power? Come on!" Ian snorted and released his enlightening power once again. He was not intimidated at all.


    It was very evident that the Enlightening Fruit was taking effect. Quite frankly, the peak that his enlightening power had reached exceeded his limit at his initial state.


    Amid the roar, Ian integrated the power of his sword into his body completely at the state of being a little drunk.


    "This attack will bring this fight to an end," Terrence assumed as he analyzed the ongoing battle.


    Having drunk a jar of strong alcohol earlier, Terrence was a little tipsy. Ricky was the same. That even Ricky felt the pang of alcoholic effect ta


    breakthrough now. Just leave the remaining two warriors of the Nether Army to us," Terrence assured Ian.


    "Okay. Be careful." Ian nodded his head.


    As much as he wanted to kill the other two warriors of the Nether Army himself, the breakthrough was currently of the highest importance.


    "Soar, Samson, you''re both on." Ricky nudged at Soar and Samson. It was time to end the fight.


    "I can''t wait any longer!" Soar laughed with much anticipation.


    He returned to his beast body before he ignited the Indestructible Fighting Spirit. It allowed him to emit his overwhelming strength. The Heaven-splitting Spear shot out with unstoppable power.


    Samson likewise unleashed his power and quickly defeated the warrior of the Nether Army that he engaged in combat with.


    The strength of Soar and Samson overpowered that of the two warriors of the Nether Army. It didn''t help that the two warriors had already succumbed to their emotional breakdown and loss of faith. Adding up to their despair was the presence of Ricky and Terrence, who further diminished any hope of winning or escaping.


    A couple of rounds later, the two warriors were dead and their bodies also turned into evil spirit.


    "I wonder how the Nether Army cultivate the evil spirit. It''s so weird that their lifeless bodies would turn into that." Soar and Samson voiced their confusion.


    "Let''s ask Evil Emperor when we get out," Ricky replied.


    Just then, a loud sound broke out. Ian''s spirit kept spiraling upward. It was a tell-tale sign that he had finally completed the breakthrough.

 Chapter 637 Daisys Crisis

    The moment the momentum swept all over their surroundings, Ian made a breakthrough and became a first-class middle spiritual king.


    Then came Ian''s stage of consolidation. It took him a couple of hours to catch his breath and calm down. Unlike Ricky, he couldn''t really consolidate his cultivation in a short period of time.


    "Thank you everyone for this time. If it wasn''t for your help, I would''ve probably lost my life, let alone make a breakthrough." Ian thanked Ricky and the others after his cultivation stabilized.


    "If you guys need any help in the future, don''t hesitate to let me know. No matter how difficult the matter is, I will give you my helping hand."


    After saying this, Ian made a deep bow to Ricky and the others present in the area, but he was immediately held up by Ricky.


    "Ian, we''re disciples of the same college, and we''re going to be great friends from now on, so there''s really no need for you to say that," Ricky smiled.


    "Alright, I understand!" Ian responded after hearing what Ricky said, as he nodded his head.


    Friends were made through action and heart, not by beautiful words from the mouth.


    "Oh, by the way, there''s one more thing I''d like to ask for your help," Ian suddenly said in a serious tone.


    "Ian, what is it? Did the Nether Army attack any other student from the Oriental College?" Terrence asked seriously as he saw the seriousness on Ian''s face.


    "I don''t know about the other disciples from the Oriental College. I came here with Daisy. Ten days ago, we met the Nether Army and in order to avoid losing both of our lives, we parted ways and ran on different paths," Ian said with a worried look on his face.


    "Now, I have no idea where Daisy headed and I was hoping we could find her."


    "Daisy? Ian, are you talking about Daisy Zhang?" Ricky asked after hearing Ian''s answer.


    "Yes, that would be her," Ian nodded his head and said.


    Immediately, Ricky''s and Terrence''s faces turned more serious. Before entering here, Jasper had instructed the both of them to keep Daisy safe no matter what.


    "Ian, could you tell me which way Daisy ran to?" Ricky asked eagerly.


    "The direction she took was opposite to mine. But if that''s the only information we have, we still would have a hard time finding her!" Ian answered worriedly.


    "The jade tablet would finally come in handy again," Ricky said wit


    etty sure they could do it.


    "Ok, I will remove my array now," Thiago Li said as he nodded his head. Rows of green lines began to appear on his forehead.


    "It seems that you guys have already figured it out and are ready to accept your fate," one of the members of the Nether Army sneered when he found out that Thiago Li was ready to remove the power of the array.


    "Maybe they want to fight us to the death with their remaining strength. Thinking of giving us trouble before they die!" another Nether Army said dismissively.


    "Ha-ha! They want to beat us the way they are now. That is wishful thinking if I''ve ever seen one."


    The six members of the Nether Army then stopped their attacks. They were all standing in midair with their arms crossed, waiting for the upcoming fight with Daisy and the other two.


    The reason why they waited and gave time to the three of them was because they were looking down upon them. They didn''t consider the three of them as any form of threat.


    "Damn it! These bastards are looking down on us," Warren Wu growled when he heard what the Nether Army said.


    "Wait!" Just at that moment, Daisy suddenly yelled to Thiagon Li, who was about to withdraw the array.


    "Daisy, what''s the matter?" Thiago Li asked with a puzzled look on his face when Daisy stopped him.


    Daisy said nothing but instead took out her jade tablet from the storage ring. At that point in time, the jade tablet was shining with a degree of light that was constantly increasing.


    "Daisy, is that the unique jade tablet of the Zhang Clan?" Thiago Li asked.

 Chapter 638 Be Rescued On Time

    "Yes, this is my jade tablet. There could only be one reason why it is shining now¡ªsomeone who has another jade tablet from our Zhang Clan is somewhere nearby," Daisy explained.


    "And the light on my jade tablet is getting brighter and brighter, indicating that the person holding the jade tablet from our clan is fast approaching."


    "So, it means that we may be rescued by whoever is coming towards us," Warren said excitedly when he heard Daisy''s explanation.


    "Daisy, does that mean this guy is from the same clan you belong to?" Thiago said excitedly as well. If the guy who was coming to rescue them was also from the Zhang Clan, there was no doubt that he would be powerful as well. If that was the case, they now had a chance to get out of their sticky situation. That was why the two disciples were so excited.


    "No. If my guess is right, it must be Ricky!" Daisy said slowly. "Apart from me, no other disciple in the Zhang Clan had entered the Land of Legacy."


    "Ricky? How could that be possible?" Warren and Thiago both felt that it was unlikely to be him.


    On one hand, they didn''t understand how Ricky was able to get his hands on the jade tablet of the Zhang Clan; on the other hand, they didn''t think Ricky was strong enough to help them get out of their current problem. As a result, the excitement in their eyes went down drastically.


    What made them even more worried was that after Ricky showed up, he would probably become another valuable target for the Nether Army.


    This time, the Nether Manor had sent so many Nether Army members to the Land of Legacy. Somehow, both Warren and Thiago felt that the main objective of them was to kill Ricky for being the legendary ace genius.


    "It''s him! I am completely sure about it!" Daisy reiterated with confidence.


    "Daisy, can the jade tablet of your clan deliver a message to Ricky that he should not come here?" Warren asked immediately in a serious tone.


    "Daisy, I agree with what Warren said. Since there''s no way to get out of here anymore, we should at least make sure that the Nether Army doesn''t get their hands on Ricky," Thiago said in a serious tone to support Warren.


    "And please do tell him that after he makes more progress and becomes a formidable warrior, he can avenge us by killing more warriors from the Nether Army."


    "I understand what you mean, but my jade tablet can only sense the presence of other similar tablets and can''t send him any information," Daisy said at once.


    Hearing what Daisy said, both Warren and Thiago looked even gloomier. They heaved a deep sigh and said, "Why is God so unfair to our Oriental College? Why would he arrange the discipl


    s voice was not loud, the trio also sensed an immense surge of confidence and killing intent from his voice.


    Boom! Instantly, Landon burst out Gloomy Enlightenment and Evil Spirit Enlightenment, which soon wrapped around his right fist. The same fist was then slammed hard on the array.


    Clang! The next moment, a sound similar to the fierce collision of gold and iron reverberated abruptly as fierce air blasts were scattered from the array.


    Snap! Snap! Snap! Without any warning, cracks began to crawl on the surface of the array.


    Seeing this scene, the other five warriors from the Nether Army sneered coldly while a hint of despair flickered in the trio''s eyes. If things were to keep on going like this, their array wouldn''t be able to withstand his powerful punches for a long time. Maybe before Ricky could even get to them, they would already be killed by Landon.


    After the first punch, Landon didn''t hesitate and instantly launched a second and third punch. They were getting stronger by the second.


    Bang! Bang! After Landon''s third punch hit, Thiago''s defensive array finally collapsed for having too many cracks.


    Puff! Puff!


    The trio then spat out a lot of blood as they dropped on the ground hard. Without the protection of the array, they were now as weak as ants.


    At that very moment, the three of them felt desperate. It turned out that Landon was even more powerful than they had initially expected. Perhaps in the previous confrontation, Landon had just been playing games with them and didn''t really show his true strength.


    "Kill them all!" Landon ordered his other five men coldly as he withdrew his fist.


    "No! You are not allowed to touch them." At that particular moment, another angry and murderous voice echoed around the area.

 Chapter 639 Landon

    The stranger''s voice was as cold as ice that it filled the entire area with terror. An ominous feeling suddenly washed over them as an atmosphere of horror smothered their surroundings. As they looked up in the sky, a ball of yellow lightning launched towards them at full speed. Before they could even blink their eyes, mighty rays of lightning radiated and flooded towards the direction of the Nether Army. Overwhelmed by its potent attack, they had no other choice but to stop attacking the three warriors on the ground.


    The Nether Army lost their composure under the pressure of the situation that their jaws dropped out of surprise. It had never occurred to them that someone would come to save the disciples of the Oriental College. Fixing their eyes on the ball of lightning, they were surprised to see that it landed on the ground and revealed itself to be none other than Ricky himself.


    "Daisy, Warren and Thiago, are you all right? I''m so sorry that I couldn''t get to you earlier. I traveled as fast as I could," Ricky worriedly asked as he walked towards them to check if they were injured.


    Since Ricky was afraid that he would be late in rescuing his friends, he decided to get into the Chaotic Fire Zone and come to where they were by himself. Fortunately, he arrived just in time and prevented them from getting killed. They all breathed sighs of relief the moment they realized Ricky finally arrived to help them out.


    "No, you are not late at all. We are really happy to see that you are here!" Daisy felt giddy with excitement as her eyes landed on Ricky. Struggling to stand on her injured feet, she grinned widely at Ricky with her eyes sparkling with joy. A glimmer of hope aroused from her heart that gradually drove away her despair.


    Warren and Thiago nodded in agreement as they looked at Ricky expectantly. They hoped that they would be plucked to safety after being stuck in this battle for such a long time.


    Although there was still one nagging doubt at the back of their mind, they had no other choice but to believe that Ricky could handle this critical situation. Because with their current strength, neither of them were strong enough to confront the Nether Army. Their only option was to depend on Ricky under the given circumstances. They also believed that Ricky would never cease to surprise them, just like Daisy told them.


    ''Ricky, our lives are now in your hands. I have to admit that you are indeed an ace genius. I hope you can continue to create more wonders for a long time, '' Thiago quietly thought to himself as he silently prayed for no harm to befall them.


    "You guys can enter my spiritual space tool and take your rest. Until you fully recover from your injuries, I will deal with them by myself," Ricky told them, communicating through their telepathic link as he sensed that they were out of danger.


    Before the six members of the Nether Army could notice, Ricky immediately brought them into the Mind Palace Model. Ricky thought that if they were there to help him, there was a good chance that the Nether Army would kidnap them and use them to threaten him, so he thought it would be best for him to keep them away under the given circumstances. Knowing that his friends were completely safe, Ricky felt more relaxed than he used to be. He could now concentrate his efforts on the battle since there were no distractions anymore.


    "You have a spiritual space tool? I guess that''s mor


    d Upon hearing Landon.


    "Of course. If you don''t want to ask your friends for some help, that''s fine. But one thing you should be aware of is that I will not decrease the number of my men in battle." Landon''s voice was as cold as ice. "As for me, victory is of great importance and success is always our final destination. We will do whatever it takes to achieve what we want."


    "That''s great. If you insist that I should bring more people out, I''m okay with that. But I should remind you not to do anything you might regret in the end," Ricky slightly replied as a wicked smile appeared on his face


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    As Ricky''s voice faded away, Terrence and the others turned into several shadows that flew towards Ricky at full speed. They firmly landed behind Ricky, staring dead ahead at the Nether Army.


    "It seems that we now have more people than you do," Ricky said with a faint but arrogant smile on his face.


    "Ricky, where did Daisy and the others go?" Ian asked worriedly with furrowed brows.


    "Don''t worry. They are completely safe. They are currently recovering from their injuries in my spiritual space tool," Ricky calmly replied.


    Upon hearing the good news, Ian immediately felt a great surge of relief. Seething with anger, they glared at the Nether Army with their fists clenched tightly. They had prepared themselves for the upcoming battle and couldn''t wait any longer to take their revenge.


    "It seems that Daisy has relayed the news to you. Otherwise, there is no way you can gather together in such short amount of time," Landon coldly said. His face grew serious when he saw Terrence and the others appear out of nowhere.


    "But that should be fine. Since you guys are all here, I can destroy all of you with one blow of my power. You just made everything easier for me. If you all die in here today, the core of the Oriental College would be greatly damaged."


    Boom! Boom!


    As Landon''s voice faded away, an intense aura emitted from his body. The other five members of the Nether Army also began to release their power as they prepared themselves for a fight.


    Sensing the overwhelming power, Ricky and his companions were ready to spring into action. An intense killing aura exuded from them as a thick atmosphere of horror dominated the ground.

 Chapter 640 Fierce Battle

    Boom! Boom! Ricky''s aura of a first-class middle spiritual king reached its peak and collided with the aura of Landon. The bodily collision between them was so fierce that it was similar to the skies crashing down onto the ground with a massive force. As a result, endless ripples swept across the entire area.


    Gradually, the space in the area was filled with a kind of strong suppression coming from heaven and earth. There was no doubt that the power of Ricky and Landon had both reached the limit of the Land of Legacy. Their explosive power could almost trigger the suppression of the supreme enlightenment in the Land of Legacy.


    Under the sweeping force of their attack, Terrence and his companions along with the five warriors from the Nether Army all felt the strong suppression.


    "It turns out that his strength is not inferior to Landon''s. It seems that only a peerless genius can truly understand another a peerless genius or an ace genius," Warren, inside the Mind Palace Model, remarked with great disbelief, feeling the aura produced by Ricky.


    Surprised by the scene, Thiago was also a bit dumbfounded.


    Daisy couldn''t help but take a deep breath. "He deserves to be an ace genius. He might even be more gifted than my elder brother."


    At that moment, they finally started to believe that Ricky was able to save them from the Nether Army.


    "Since Ian came here with Terrence and the others, it seems that he had also been rescued by Ricky," Warren said as he noticed Terrence.


    "He has become the leader of our current session. I''m afraid he is the only one who can compete against Adrian and Brian," Thiago said.


    "No wonder you are so arrogant. I honestly didn''t expect you to possess such strength," Landon said in great surprise, for he was utterly shocked by Ricky''s strong momentum which was not even inferior to his.


    "At that moment, you should have already known where my strength is coming from," Ricky said as he burst out a laughter. There was a hidden rise of fighting spirit in his tone.


    "Confidence? You really surprised me, but you will still lose when all of this is over, because I am the leader of the Nether Army. I have been made to hunt talents like you. At the end of the day, you will be nothing but my prey," Landon snorted arrogantly.


    "The truth shall tell us which one of us is the true hunter and the true prey," Ricky said disdainfully.


    Boom! Boom! The next moment, the fierce collision resounded through the whole space once again, and it was their Ultimate Domains that collided against each other.


    They moved so quickly that the moment their feet were on the ground, their fists had already collided with each other as


    loud roar, the dark energy and evil spirit split into two sides as they turned into pythons that circled around Landon. After that, a devil''s virtual shadow loomed behind him.


    The virtual shadow of the devil fiercely tore up the space and spewed endless Evil Spirit Enlightenment in the broken space.


    The Evil Spirit Enlightenment was absorbed by the right fist of Landon as he punched back at Ricky in the blink of an eye. Amidst the shadow of his fist, the devil''s virtual shadow emerged.


    There was no doubt that Landon had reached the limit of his strength with an intention to end the battle as soon as possible.


    "The Triple Rune Fist!" Without the slightest delay, Ricky also brought out everything he had as the three runes that pervaded him turned into a three-colored flower right in front of him. He then punched through the three-colored flower and let it merge into a three-colored fist which violently collided with the Nether Fist that rushed towards him.


    Boom! Boom! In the area where the collision occurred, two huge mushroom clouds formed in an instant and flooded everything in their surroundings. The strong reaction force rapidly swept across the whole area while Ricky and Landon were both pushed a few steps back.


    Although both of them were thrown back, they tried their best to steady themselves as they slid backwards in mid-air due to the strong impact.


    "The power of Landon has definitely reached the peak of a first-class middle spiritual king, but Ricky is not weaker than him at all. The outcome of this battle is truly unpredictable. It''s really unexpected that the Nether Manor resorted to sending talents like the head of the Nether Army to kill Ricky," Ian said in a somber voice as he watched the fierce confrontation between the two geniuses.

 Chapter 641 The Ultimate Golden Body Versus The Nether Body

    "It is such a fierce battle between two evenly matched parties, but victory will only belong to Ricky in the end. I''m confident in him, and he should be confident in himself as the ace genius that he is," Soar said in a confident tone when he sensed that Ian was worried about Ricky.


    "This battle will only serve as a stepping stone for Ricky to further improve his strength."


    "Ian, I agree with Soar. Just let your mind be at rest. We don''t need to worry about Ricky at all. Even if he doesn''t outright win the battle, there''s no way he can lose," Terrence echoed in agreement with Soar.


    Despite the fact that he was an arrogant genius, Terrence had already viewed Ricky as their leader deep down in his heart.


    "I''m looking forward to witnessing his victory. I also expect him to become the leader of the disciples in Oriental College. I''m afraid that nobody other than him will be able to beat the commanders of the Nether Army," Ian said with a nod after hearing what Terrence and Soar said.


    In fact, he had admired Ricky already by that point. That was because he realized that Ricky was much stronger than him. Ricky could at least match Landon in strength for the time being, so that made it obvious.


    All of them fixed their eyes on the battle between Ricky and Landon again.


    "Your attacks look quite powerful, but they are not enough to fend me off forever. Didn''t you say that you would be able to easily kill me? Hurry up and do it then! Show me how you can kill me!" Ricky said in a sarcastic tone after landing on the ground and regaining his balance.


    He didn''t just stand there idly as he spoke, though. He also activated the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. As the golden body burst, Ricky''s body expanded in an instant.


    At that moment, he was ready to fight again.


    "So, this is your body refining cultivation method. I heard that many geniuses have been defeated by your golden body. Today, let me end your record of being unbeaten. I will destroy your golden body," Landon said in a stern tone when he saw Ricky burst the power of the second level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    He felt an intangible oppression fill the air as soon as the second level of Ultimate Golden Body appeared, though he was unwilling to admit it.


    "I''m calling for the Nether Body with my blood!" Landon shouted, knitting his hands together. Blood came out of his fingertips, spreading until it formed a devil''s shadow behind h


    er it.


    The next moment, both Ricky and Landon were enveloped by the energy created by the attack.


    However, they didn''t wait for the strong energy to impact them that time. Instead, they both began preparing for the next round of fighting in hope that they would beat each other into oblivion and fade right away into the fierce air bursts.


    By then, everybody else around them had fixed their eyes on the two involved in the battle. They knew that the result of the battle would be made obvious after the next collision. Everybody''s fate would be determined by the last round of fighting between Ricky and Landon.


    "Ricky, you are indeed powerful, and you are strong enough to challenge me, but you seem to misunderstand one thing¡ªyou don''t know what my devil power is," Landon roared. At the same time, his energy was increased to its most extreme extent. It felt as if he was about to explode.


    His energy seemed to induce the power of the supreme enlightenment from the Land of Legacy at its peak.


    "You must be kidding. When I first learned about the devil power, you were still a nobody. How dare you say I don''t understand the devil power?!" Ricky asked in a stern voice in response to Landon.


    "In fact, you only dabble in it, or your knowledge of it might be even more scant. Next, you may want to wait and see how I crush your devil power."


    Immediately after that, something happened. The second level of Ultimate Golden Body was surrounded by four kinds of runes. The massacring runes echoed with the power of the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. At the same time, Ricky''s eyes slowly became golden.

 Chapter 642 Landon’s Deadly Skill

    "Nether Body¡ªNether Disintegration!" Landon roared as he activated a new skill.


    His roar was so furious and painful as his tremendous body was disintegrated. Meanwhile, in the fighting area, Landon''s roar magnified by his evil energy reverberated harder, making everyone who was watching their fight feel extremely uncomfortable.


    At that time, the Gloomy Enlightenment and the Evil Spirit Enlightenment around Landon''s huge body had finally reached their limits. It could be felt that the power of the supreme enlightenment from heaven and earth had permeated the surrounding area of Landon''s Nether Body. If his power was increased by a little more, then the supreme enlightenment from Heaven and Earth would begin to attack him relentlessly.


    The Gloomy Enlightenment and the Evil Spirit Enlightenment twisted, merged, and began to change gradually.


    Originally, Landon''s evil spirit power only occupied 20% of his overall strength. With the explosion and fusion of the two kinds of enlightening powers, the percentage was increased to 25%.


    You should never underestimate the 5% increase because the seemingly small increase had made Landon''s strength improve from the peak of a middle spiritual king to his own maximum limit.


    ''So the strength of his evil spirit has been enhanced. He obviously deserves to be appointed as a commander of the Nether Army. He has a deep understanding of the evil spirit. It is really incredible that a creature from the continent managed to do that, '' Ricky thought to himself as he saw the scene.


    Back then, Ricky had also tried to cultivate evil spirit but his body rejected the evil spirit so much that he had to stop the cultivation for his own good.


    "Ricky, since this Nether Manor can build an army that cultivates the evil spirit, its strength should not be underestimated. If people say that the Nether Manor has no relationship with the devils, I wouldn''t believe them in a million years," Tina said to Ricky telepathically after she witnessed Landon''s changes.


    "If you really want to know if they are related to the devils, you would have to wait until I don''t fear the Nether Manor anymore," Ricky responded to Tina.


    "If Doris was here, she would definitely find a better way to know the answer," Tina said in a low voice.


    Clatter!


    After Landon''s evil spirit was increased to 25%, his Nether Body took a big breath and then the endless Gloomy Enlightenment and the Evil Spirit Enlightenment were inhaled into his body. As a result, his Nether Body grew even bigger.


    Bang!


    As the Nether Body kept swelling and expanding, it suddenly burst apart. Consequently, numerous strong airwaves rippled and streaks of dark light emerged. The count


    Army''s commanders before, but today is the first time I''ve witnessed one with my own eyes."


    After a pause, Samson continued, "If we didn''t have an ace genius, would we stand a chance against him if we worked together?"


    After their initial shock and solemnness, Terrence and the other warriors who knew Ricky''s strength very well weren''t concerned anymore. They all believed that Ricky was capable of solving everything. Even without any logical reason, they completely trusted Ricky and believed he would defeat Landon even if he had to give his all.


    Seeing that Ricky''s companions were so calm, Ian, Daisy, and the other people in the Mind Palace Model began to have the same thought in mind, ''They have so much faith in Ricky. Maybe we should just trust him and see how this ace genius is going to defeat Landon and become our leader.''


    Roar! In the endless roars full of killing intent, the Nether Body which was thirty feet tall spun abruptly and transformed rapidly into a pitch-black evil wolf that was surrounded by the Evil Spirit Enlightenment.


    The demonic wolf bolted wildly as its dark claws seemed to be strong enough to tear the sky apart. At that very moment, its bloody pupils shot out two beams of light abruptly, while its claws swooped down towards Ricky''s golden body filled with the golden light.


    Buzz! Buzz! The next moment, Ricky''s massacring runes began to surge as his golden body rang furiously. His body was telling him that it was ready to fight. All of a sudden, tens of thousands of intense golden lights shone brightly that they almost blinded the entire fighting area within a second.


    These intense golden lights did not have any destructive power, but they forced everyone to close their eyes for a few moments. This was the exact result Ricky was hoping for.

 Chapter 643 The Power Of The Golden Spirit Eyes

    The countless rays of golden light blurred the eyes of Terrence, Soar and the remaining five members of the Nether Army. Even Landon, who had turned into a demonic wolf with bloody pupils, was not safe from the impact of the golden light.


    "Hmm! There is no sense in doing that. You can only delay your death for a little while. You still won''t have any chance of surviving my attack. Also, you don''t have enough time to condense your energy and gain resistance," Landon roared sternly. As his bloody eyes gave out thick, bloody light, evil spirit began to spread out.


    "Huh! So, you really think I don''t have much time? I hate to break it to you, but you''re wrong. You see, I have already condensed my energy to launch a counterattack," Ricky scornfully spat back at Landon''s arrogance.


    As soon as he finished speaking, the powerful massacring runes formed two runic passages before Ricky. The Golden Spirit Eyes had already erupted.


    The moment the golden light shone again, flames began to set ablaze in Ricky''s golden eyes. The flames exhibited the perfect mixture of seven kinds of flames.


    "Golden Spirit Eyes! Seven-flame Lotus!" Ricky exclaimed, with a full force that he drew from the depths of his heart.


    One by one, the flames were shot from Ricky''s golden eyes. In an instant, the flames formed a torrent, and rolled into the passages created by the massacring runes.


    Then the chaotic fire runes began spreading to the torrent of the seven flames. Immediately, the seven flames'' torrent formed into a lotus of seven flames. The Seven-flame Lotus grew bigger instantly and moved straight towards the demonic wolf that was embodied by Landon.


    That same moment, golden light was starting to become more visible.


    Everybody else around here had fixed their eyes on the ongoing battle. They had witnessed every development that took place. They also saw the lotus-shaped flames attempting to oppress Landon, but they had no idea how Ricky had condensed his energy to launch this attack.


    Nevertheless, Terrence, Soar and the rest of their companions knew that this attack came from the Golden Spirit Eyes.


    The lotus of seven flames crashed fiercely against the sharp-clawed demonic wolf. It created an ear-shattering noise.


    Then the evil spirit swept over, prepared to engulf everything in its path. But not a second later, a torrent of the seven flames swept to counterattack the demonic wolf.


    The torrent seemed to spread everywhere at an alarming speed. It was so mighty that it could potentially burn down the entire world, if Ricky allowed it. Despite the incredible and fierce way it burned, the Seven-flame Lotus blazed quietly in pure, deathly and eerie silence.


    Soon, however, its ominous quietness was cut short by a dreadful and agonizing roar.


    Undoubtedly, it was Landon who let out the ear-shattering cry. Facin


    been hovering over his head. As he grasped the Iron Destroyer tightly, golden light spread from it, which indicated a strong urge to murder someone.


    "What now? You have lost, and you have to accept it. Anyhow, I will not let go of you. No, to be more precise, I dare not let go of you," Ricky declared firmly.


    "You will not let go of me? Do you think you can kill me right this second!?" Landon harshly asked, stubbornly raising his eyes to meet Ricky''s gaze. Landon''s ferocious willpower was evident in his eyes.


    "What are you still going on about? Are you still seriously thinking you''re able to continue to fight against me? I''m afraid you''re too optimistic. Even if you still have some cards left in your hands, I will beat your trump cards all the same," Ricky deliberately pointed out.


    "Yeah, I don''t have the power to continue to fight now," Landon momentarily sighed, before switching his face to a mischievous snicker. "But they do." Landon''s voice was already hoarse. Weakly, he raised his hand and motioned his thumb at the other five members of the Nether Army standing behind him.


    "Ha-ha! Are you counting on those five ants behind you?" Ricky retorted in a cocky tone, glancing at the other members of the Nether Army. "Even if hundreds more of them were here, nothing would change. They are nobodies against me."


    Albeit convincing, Ricky''s confidence was simply a front. He knew himself that he could never be too sure. He had beaten several other geniuses in the past, simply because they were careless or there was a misstep in their counterattacks. This time, he would not allow himself to depend on circumstance in order to secure his win.


    "Didn''t you say that you wanted to see how the Nether Army really looks like? Let me satisfy your curiosity and show you what the Nether Army is really like," Landon asserted, this time with stronger and more solid certainty.

 Chapter 644 The Indestructible Fighting Spirit And Evil Spirit Absorption

    "Ricky, I will show you and everyone else what the true power of the Nether Army is!"


    After Landon finished speaking, a fierce fighting spirit erupted out from his dying body. He seemed to regain his peak strength in an instant under the influence of that fighting spirit.


    At that moment, Ricky had a bad feeling.


    "Maybe you want to tell us what the true power of the Nether Army is, but I''m not going to give you that chance," Ricky said with murderous intent immediately creeping into his voice. He went straight towards Landon and attacked him with the Iron Destroyer. The blade was flashing with a light of coldness in his hand.


    Maybe Landon really had some seriously powerful cards left to play. Although Ricky wanted to see what he had in store, a bad feeling deep in his heart told him that he had to kill Landon before that point.


    If Ricky had had a better command of the Golden Spirit Eyes at that moment, maybe he wouldn''t have been in such a hurry to kill Landon.


    Boom! At that same moment, Ricky''s attack was blocked by the five Nether Army members behind Landon in rapid succession. They were able to fend off Ricky''s attacks and quickly showed that they were clearly prepared. After that, the five quickly pulled back a little with Landon.


    At that point in time, the eyes of every member of the five members were full of strong reluctance and despair. Apart from that, there was also a look of extreme madness in their eyes.


    "Indestructible Fighting Spirit!" the five Nether Army members roared.


    Boom! Boom!


    Then, the fighting spirit of the five Nether Army members suddenly broke out and turned into a black tide. The tide rushed forward and directly infused itself into Landon''s body. When Landon''s dying body absorbed that fighting power, a real fighting spirit took hold of his body. He was possessed by a fighting spirit with an authentic momentum.


    "How can this be possible? Their fighting spirit is actually the same and they can absorb each other''s power!" After seeing that, Ricky, Terrence, and Soar all froze for a moment.


    Every creature was supposed to have their own unique fighting spirit. With the outbreak of fighting spirit, the strength and momentum of the creatures would increase correspondingly. Some powerful creatures with strong blood power were able to integrate their own fighting spirit into their power, just like So


    s hearts.


    For a warrior whose first priority was strength, survival of the fittest was a common practice. In the minds of the warriors who chose power first, everyone was just a stepping-stones for them.


    "Their deaths made me who I am right now, and that is the law of the Nether Army and the law of the jungle," Landon said lightly after hearing what Ian had said.


    "Moreover, they died because of you, so it is you guys who are really cruel, not me. I will kill you all and tear you into pieces next as a revenge. That way, they can rest in peace."


    "What a logical reason!" Ricky said sarcastically with disdain in his voice after hearing Landon''s convoluted excuses.


    "I don''t care what you think, all I know is that you''re all going to die." Landon didn''t care if Ricky felt disdain for him¡ªall he cared about was his victory in the coming battle.


    "Are you really so confident that you can kill all of us right now? At this moment, we have more people than you," Ricky said coldly.


    "Ha-ha! It''s just like you told me before, no matter how many losers there are, they are still just losers. A loser can''t do anything to change the situation." Landon laughed loudly after hearing what Ricky said.


    Boom! Boom!


    The moment Landon finished speaking, he began to attack. His right hand was like the arm of a real devil. It grasped the powerful evil spirit and the dark energy as it turned into a black claw that came towards Ricky.


    "Galaxy Saber Skill! Sealing Formula!" Seeing the black claw coming towards him, Ricky raised his saber to strike directly against it.

 Chapter 645 The Spiritual Energy Gathering Array

    Ricky roared and the second level of Ultimate Golden Body quickly condensed. Above his head, the galaxy power fell down in the shape of the word "seal." Shortly after, the galaxy power merged with the golden body.


    The Iron Destroyer slashed down. The saber light of galaxy power exploded and pounded the sharp claw of the Nether Body with sealing power.


    Boom! A fierce explosion resulted from the simultaneous attacks.


    There was not much air waves released during the explosion. Ricky''s saber light of galaxy power lasted for a short while before it cracked and completely fell apart.


    Unfortunately, the black sharp claw surrounded by the evil spirit was unstoppable. It aimed its attack at the chest of the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. In the middle of the booming sound of weapons colliding with each other, Ricky, along with his golden body fell heavily to the ground.


    Instantly, the black sharp claw left deep marks in the chest of the golden body. Ricky, covered by the golden body, felt it was difficult to breathe. Blood seeped out from the corners of his mouth.


    ''He''s too strong!'' Ricky thought. There was pure shock in his eyes.


    Terrence and Soar were no different, having seen the magnitude of force that hit their companion.


    Indeed, Landon had undergone quite a drastic transformation.


    "Ricky, the power of Landon must have reached the limit of the Land of Legacy. He used to be average. But, he has reached the strongest and most extreme form of his abilities." Tina shook her head. "We hate to admit it but he has become even stronger than you." The tone in Tina''s voice was grave and severe.


    "He has the Indestructible Fighting Spirit and he has also absorbed his people''s fighting spirits. No wonder he has such power. Ricky, you have to hide in the Chaotic Fire Zone!"


    "Tina, if I get into the Chaotic Fire Zone whenever my enemy is strong, how am I supposed to overcome all obstacles and gain the experience I need to become stronger? Besides, I have made promises to you, Doris, and to all my other companions." Ricky shook his head, disappointed at what Tina had said.


    "Besides, Landon can''t defeat me easily now."


    "Then you have to be careful. As you''ve said, you have made a lot of promises, so don''t let us down." Upon hearing Ricky''s words, Tina could tell he had already made up his mind. Instead of trying to talk him


    l help you match the strength of your enemy." Ricky was startled. It was Thiago. He was communicating with him in his head.


    "Thiago, please, explain it to me!" Ricky was eager to know more about Thiago''s proposed solution.


    "Ricky, I am an array deployer of intermediate King Level. That means I can formulate a Spiritual Energy Gathering Array, which can gather the spiritual energy in the space," Thiago elaborated smoothly and carefully.


    "The Spiritual Energy Gathering Array!" Upon hearing Thiago''s words, Ricky immediately muttered the phrase to himself. It was as if he saw a silver lining right in front of him.


    "However, I need at least an hour to draw the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array. I need you to hold another hour for me and continue striking at Landon to keep him preoccupied," Thiago explained, his voice a low murmur.


    "An hour? That''s easy. I can do that." Ricky gave Thiago a solid assurance.


    If he didn''t want to retreat to the spiritual space tool now, this was the only way. Ricky was confident that he could hold another hour for Thiago and keep Landon busy with his counterattacks.


    "We''re depending on you. If this doesn''t work, remember, we''ll still have a way out," Thiago encouraged his friend. "Also, I need you to release me from the spiritual space tool from time to time."


    "I understand. Do you know what this means, Thiago? We''re about to fight alongside each other this time! Ha-ha!" Ricky laughed out loud. What an interesting turn of events!


    Wasting no more second, Ricky hid Terrence and Soar into the spiritual space tool.

 Chapter 646 The Heaven Illuminating Fire Appeared Again

    "What are you doing, Ricky?" asked Terrence.


    "Ricky, I, too, am puzzled!" Soar said. After Terrence and Soar were sent into the spiritual space tool by Ricky, both of the men had no idea what Ricky''s intentions were. They really wanted to get out and help Ricky. None of them wanted to stay inside the spiritual space tool.


    "Easy, guys. Just be patient and stay here. I will work with Thiago to kill Landon very soon. Don''t worry about me. I am confident because I''m sure I can do it. You know, I will never be reckless or put myself into danger," Ricky explained to them calmly as he asked them to relax.


    On hearing Ricky''s explanation, everyone in the Mind Palace Model turned their eyes to Thiago. They soon realized what Ricky meant. Everybody knew that Thiago was an array deployer.


    ...


    "What? Are you not going to enter your spiritual space tool?" Landon asked indifferently. Actually, he did not consider Ricky to be a big threat. Anyway, Landon already knew that Ricky owned a spiritual space tool.


    But to his surprise, Ricky did not hide in the spiritual space tool. This was something Landon had not anticipated.


    "Because there is something I must do here. I have to kill you," Ricky replied impassively, his face devoid of any expression.


    "Ha-ha. Wow, that''s a very bold claim." Landon laughed as he heard Ricky''s reply. He was amused at his answer. Rolling in the aisles, Landon continued to tease him and said, "You are being so bold. Well, honestly, I think you are just being arrogant."


    Boom! Right when Landon completed his sentence, he waved the giant mace in his hand and charged towards Ricky. It moved so fast that Ricky did not have any time to dodge. So, he decided to resist it at once.


    Without a second''s hesitation, Ricky also employed his four types of runic powers which turned into a light shield as it covered Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body. Meanwhile, he also launched his galaxy power and the seven types of fires.


    That was the moment when Ricky released all his strength.


    ''I have to keep him engaged in fighting against me for the next hour. If these powers are unable to compete with him, I will have to employ the Heaven Illuminating Fire and the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill, '' Ricky pondered gravely on his strategy.


    Now that he could not dodge from Landon''s strike, Ricky decided that he would not just stay there and do nothing. As the giant mace stormed towards him, he concentrated all his strength to his fist and punched the mace forcefully.


    When his fist met the mace, Ricky was thrown up into the air. This wasn''t surprising because Landon truly was extremely powerful and his strength was exceptional. Soon there was blood around the corners of Ricky''s mouth because of the impact.


    ''Damn it! I need to enjoy a sumptuous feast and eat a lot of delicious food! I''ve lost too much blood!'' Ricky swore in his heart. He


    range!" Landon exclaimed in surprise. Immediately, his brain raced quickly to search for a solution that would allow him to pull himself out of the Heaven Illuminating Fire. He was well aware that if he continued fighting against the fire, he would die there.


    "The fire is so dreadfully terrible that even the evil spirit is unable to extinguish it. Instead, it is taking advantage of the evil spirit, almost as if it is using it as a fuel to burn more intensely!" Thiago and others were also shocked at how the fight was playing out.


    "Thiago, this is not the right time to be dazed. Although the fire I am employing is very powerful, it can only resist for a short time," Ricky said to Thiago through telepathy.


    "Yes, I got it! I will quickly finish my part of the job!" As soon as Thiago finished speaking, he recovered from the shock and began to continue deploying the array.


    At the same time, Ricky activated the other seven types of fires to burn Landon.


    Landon, too, was extremely strong and smart. He gathered his evil spirit at once and formed a shield before he created a gap in the space and jumped out of the Heaven Illuminating Fire.


    After he got rid of the Heaven Illuminating Fire, all that was left of him was a complete mess. The black fur on his wolf body was burned. His flesh was scorched and his state was terrible.


    "I''m going to tear you into pieces! Demonic Wolf Roar¡ªDemonic Wolf Fang!" Landon grew genuinely furious now. He roared madly and attacked his enemy with his most powerful strike.


    "You seem to be determined to completely finish me now. But don''t you think it''s already too late?" Ricky said coldly as he laid his eyes on Landon who had almost gone crazy. Then he stretched his golden arms and as a result, a giant white array appeared behind him.


    Beyond any doubt, his partner had already finished the array. It was none other than the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array.

 Chapter 647 A Mighty Blow

    Boom! Boom!


    That was a white triangular array. While Thiago was deploying it, he told Ricky the center of the array. Therefore, Ricky was able to successfully activate it now.


    Green lines then appeared on the surface of the array, like slithering snakes. In a flash, the array was activated right to the extreme.


    In midair, intangible spiritual energy turned into snakes creeping under the power of the array. This energy was constantly being absorbed by the array.


    On and on, the pure spiritual energy was assembled in the array.


    That array was the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array. Although it did not bring any defense or attack, it could gather pure spiritual energy. Thus, any warrior that controlled the array would become much stronger.


    ''That is the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array?! With such little time, I feel much spiritual energy inside the array, and this has greatly enhanced my power, '' Ricky thought to himself with excitement, sensing the strong power inside the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array.


    Ricky''s eyes began to gleam with an intense and furious fighting spirit. If he still couldn''t defeat Landon with the help of the array, then he didn''t deserve to be called an ace genius.


    "Ricky, that''s the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array. It gathers the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Only the controller of the array can use the power," Thiago informed Ricky via telepathy.


    "But one thing you need to know is that the power the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array can offer you depends solely on how well you control the array. Since you are not an array deployer, it''s impossible for you to fully master the array.


    If you want to gain the same power as yours, you need to master at least fifty percent of the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array. Those who are new to the array can normally master forty percent of it.


    But I am confident that you, being an ace genius, can easily master fifty percent."


    ''Fifty percent will only to get me the power equal to my own. That''s not invincible and definitely not forceful enough to defeat Landon, '' Ricky thought to himself after listening to what Thiago told him.


    ''Well then, let me try mastering one hundred percent.''


    Ricky''s lit up like roaring flames. The four zones started to revolve while the four kinds of runes were getting immersed in the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array.


    The ace genius, Rick


    storm was also carrying blazing flames of different colors.


    Boom! Boom!


    Booming sounds echoed throughout the sky and before it ended, the whole area, with the collision point as the center, was engulfed by the fierce power. Then the area collapsed and was shattered into a million pieces.


    The pervasion took forever.


    Boom! Boom! Under the silent gaze from the warriors in the Mind Palace Model, and in the smoke from the enormous blast, two figures fell to the ground heavily. In the midst of all the debris and dust, two huge pits appeared.


    When the dust settled down, figures of Ricky and Landon emerged from the wreckage.


    At this time, the second level of Ultimate Golden Body surrounding Ricky was no longer shining. In fact, its golden light was fading, leaving it with deep cracks. Crack! The golden body was shattered into pieces. In the turmoil and rubble, Ricky was half kneeling in the big hole, his mouth bleeding.


    While on the other side, Landon''s Nether Body was disintegrating, transforming into six balls of the evil spirit.


    "No! How could it be?! Am I really going to die in a prey''s hands?!" Landon cried with his last unwilling hiss; the six balls of evil spirit were completely gone.


    "I have said this before, the roles of the prey and the hunter are changing all the time," Ricky replied calmly after seeing the six balls of evil spirit disappearing. He then toned down his power and vigor and staggered to his feet.


    Terrence, Soar and the rest were released from the spiritual space tool.


    And that moment indicated that the battle was finally over.

 Chapter 648 Information About The Sand Region

    The mountain region eventually regained its peace after the end of the fierce battle. In the col, Ricky and the others stayed as quiet as possible as they tried to recover their own strengths. They were the top geniuses of the Oriental College.


    The disciples who were healing themselves were Ricky, Daisy and the others who had gotten injured when fighting against the Nether Army.


    After a few hours of getting back into shape, the group then gathered to discuss what their next move would be.


    For a very long time, the Oriental College and the Nether Manor had always been known to be mortal enemies. And now that the Nether Army had resurfaced, it was time for them to be very vigilant of their every move.


    "Daisy, are you aware if there are any other mighty warriors being sent here by the Nether Army aside from Landon?" Ricky asked.


    "As far as I know, the fourth and the fifth commanders of the Nether Army are no less talented and capable than Landon. From here on, I guess that these two are going to be our next toughest enemies," Daisy replied in a matter-of-fact tone.


    "From what I''ve heard, there are only six commanders in the Nether Army, and they have sent three at once this time. It seems that they are taking this action very seriously now," Ricky said lightly.


    "However, the Nether Army is not only an army used by Nether Manor to hunt and kill the gifted disciples of the Oriental College, but is also an army that has gathered the talents and elite warriors of the Nether Manor. It is also said that the each commander is cultivated by Nether Manor with all its support and dedication," Thiago said in a serious tone.


    "Jasper was once hunted by three commanders of Nether Army before. I didn''t expect you to be in the same situation. However, if they had known how strong and powerful you were, they would have sent the commander ranked third or even the second to hunt you down!"


    "So that''s how it went, huh? But now that they''ve lost a commander, I''ll let them lose two more this time around. Then, I will be a reminder to the Nether Army to select new commanders," Ricky smiled and his eyes glistened with such murderous intent that was bound to kill the Nether Army.


    "Ha-ha! Remind the Nether Army to select new commanders. I''ve never heard someone say something as bold as your words," Warren smiled as he heard Ricky''s very confident words.


    Overflowing with conviction, they were all convinced that Ricky would somehow be successful in his plans.


    "Oh, and one more thing. It''s about Pear


    get back to business. Getting the Massacring Sand is the ultimate goal of our trip to the Land of Legacy. But does anyone know where the Massacring Sand appears every time?" Ricky asked seriously, just after everyone''s laughter had already died out.


    "Well, in this Land of Legacy, there is this desolate region known as the Sand Region," Daisy said. "Each time the Sand Region would appear just before the Land of Legacy is going to shut down. And as we can infer from previous data, the Massacring Sand is most likely to be found somewhere in the Sand Region."


    "The Sand Region?" Ricky and the others murmured and looked at each other with confused looks on their faces at Daisy''s word.


    "And if my calculations are correct, the Sand Region could appear any time now."


    "Yes, it will. So it''s time for you, an ace genius, to battle with Pearl and the geniuses with her," Daisy said.


    "That is to say, it seems like the real final battle is coming. What we can do is fight it out to the end. No matter what will happen in the battle, please remember both winners and losers will emerge in this battle in the Sand Region. We must take this seriously, because if we are not careful, we may become the losers," Ricky said heavily.


    And at this moment, it was not only Ricky who had the heavy burden, but also Terrence, Soar, and everyone else who were there. They clearly understood that if they lose this battle, it would probably mean that they were already completely annihilated.


    ...


    "Oh, there is one more thing. This Sand Region is most likely to be the Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ants, a kind of ancient holy beast," Thiago suddenly added as if to warn them.

 Chapter 649 The Gathering

    "Massacring Holy Ants! The holy beast!" Ricky, Terrence, and Soar exclaimed at the same time.


    The force of holy beasts was equal to a spiritual-emperor force. So their Land of Legacy could be considered at the Emperor Level. The precious inheritances would definitely make the warriors go crazy with greed.


    Every warrior was eager to enhance their cultivation using the inheritances they could find to obtain the immortal supreme enlightenment. That way, they would be able to live forever.


    In order to obtain the immortal supreme enlightenment, one had to at least become an innate spiritual emperor.


    However, it wasn''t that easy to become an innate spiritual emperor. There were hundreds of millions of creatures living between the heaven and earth, but only one in a billion would be able to become one. In fact, only the most talented warriors might even be able to reach the Emperor Level.


    For those who were not so talented, the only way for them to become spiritual emperors was to find great opportunities. Obtaining inheritances in the Land of Legacy of Emperor Level was one of the rare opportunities they could get.


    The Land of Legacy of Emperor Level would definitely make all the warriors jealous and greedy.


    "Hey! I only said that it might be! Don''t get all excited about it!" Thiago said, noticing the excitement on their faces.


    "No matter what is going to happen, I believe that it is going to be another unknown opportunity to gain power for us," Ricky said.


    "Thiago, I think there is a great possibility that what you said is true. I read about it in some old books belonging to my family before as well. There is a high possibility that the Massacring Holy Ants'' Land of Legacy will appear in the Sand Region," Daisy said after thinking about it for a few seconds.


    "But during all these years, no one has been able to find the Massacring Holy Ants'' Land of Legacy in the Sand Region, though. Or it could be said that no one has even been able to find the gate to it.


    The reason why there is Massacring Sand here is because of the Massacring Holy Ants. It''s said that the Massacring Holy Ants are cultivating the Massacring Enlightenment, which contains the Massacring Sand. The purer a Massacring Holy Ant''s blood, the more powerful the Massacring Enlightenment, which may even contain the Massacring Soil.


    Of c


    warriors.


    "Oh right. Today is the day that the Sand Region is supposed to appear. Let''s just stop hunting for a while," Brian turned around and told the Nether Army.


    "Understood!"


    Just then, a group of people arrived. The leaders of the group were two men and a woman.


    The woman was wearing a blue veil and a blue dress that accentuated her perfect figure. That woman was Pearl. She was so pretty that every man fixed their eyes on her as soon as she arrived. She shone like the brightest star in the sky.


    Brian looked Pearl up and down with a lascivious smile. He was almost drooling. After licking his lips, he said, "Pearl, you''re such a beautiful woman. Are you still a virgin? You haven''t had a taste of sex yet, have you? How about making me your first partner?"


    Pearl didn''t show any reaction to his words and it seemed like she didn''t care it at all.


    The handsome man in a golden silk robe couldn''t help but seriously rebuke him, saying, "Brian, if you keep talking that way, I will be sure to destroy the Nether Army."


    The handsome young man was Ronson Dong, one of the princes of the Eastern Empire.


    Just then, a strong young man in a white robe stared at Brian with serious look as well. His left sleeve was embroidered with a fierce tiger, so there was no doubt that he was Jackson Bai from the White King Tiger tribe.


    "Ronson, Jackson, stay calm. You two always have a tendency to show off!" Brian replied with a smile. "The reason you two stay so close to Pearl is because both of you want her Feminine Mutant. Isn''t that right?"

 Chapter 650 A Conflict In Advance

    "Go to hell!" Jackson said murderously. He heard what Brian said and was going to kill him right away.


    "Keep talking rubbish and I swear I''ll crush you," warned Pearl, who stopped Jackson with her stare.


    "Whatever, Pearl." Brian laughed. Then, he stopped provoking.


    He knew clearly that it would take too much from him to fight Pearl.


    Nevertheless, they had already agreed to kill Ricky together.


    "Pearl, please eliminate the Nether Army and keep them away from the Land of Legacy. They are not allowed to enter this place," a bold warrior told Pearl.


    "Meh!" Brian sneered upon hearing what the warrior said.


    He laughed because he knew Pearl could not care less about their so-called justice.


    "I am no longer a disciple of the Oriental College. I''m here only on behalf of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, which has no shared interests or hatred with the Nether Manor. I am in no position to accept your proposal," Pearl replied calmly.


    "Maybe you should turn to other disciples of the Oriental College like the ace genius Ricky."


    Pearl then stopped talking and stood by in silence.


    The warriors were astonished to hear Pearl''s cold refusal.


    They soon understood her because even the disciples of the Oriental College, including Ricky, had no obligation to stand up for them.


    There was no justice to be served in this dog-eat-dog world.


    They hated it so much when they realized the importance of power, which meant almost everything in this place.


    ...


    Then, Ricky and Soar arrived.


    Their presence caught everyone''s eyes.


    "Long time no see, everybody! Or should I say nice


    feminine power was darker and more aggressive.


    "You''ve made much progress these days, but that won''t guarantee your victory," Ricky jeered, wrapping the devouring power and flame power around his wrist. Then, he punched forth.


    His fist was inches away from colliding against Pearl''s palm.


    Right in that moment, a streak of sand shot up and prevented the two from clashing. The sand then transformed into a human figure. It reached out its hands and built two sand shields, blocking Ricky''s and Pearl''s attacks.


    "The Sand Region will appear soon. I don''t think this is the proper time for your duel," the human figure laughed.


    Everyone was astonished at how it defused the confrontation.


    Although it was just a sand figure, Ricky recognized it and so did Soar and Terrence. That was Henry who had been long disappeared.


    As Henry intervened, the Bing Clan, the Jiang Clan, and the Bu Clan arrived.


    "Who are you?" Pearl asked, gloom taking over the aggression in her voice.


    She felt even more overwhelmed seeing the three clans arriving together with Henry.

 Chapter 651 The Fight Was Stopped

    "My name is Henry Chen." Henry answered Pearl''s question with a smile.


    Then, he turned around and looked at Ricky. "Here we meet again, Ricky, the ace genius people talk about. I have this gut feeling that you must have made great progress," he said, still smiling.


    "Henry, I never anticipated that you would appear here and stop the fight. Why did you do that?" Ricky asked with a serious look. Although Henry had a kind smile, Ricky still felt that Henry might have some evil intention, so he kept alert.


    At the same time, Ricky also noticed the members of the Bu Clan, the Jiang Clan, and the Bing Clan.


    At first, only those from the Bing Clan were with Henry, but now, everyone from the three clans was with Henry. They all behaved weirdly, which Ricky found strange.


    Normally, they would become angry at the sight of Ricky, but they did not. Instead, they were vacant-eyed as if they did not know who Ricky was at all. They seemed to be under someone''s control.


    They were supposed to follow Pearl, not Henry.


    And the strangest thing was that it seemed that they did not know who Pearl was either.


    "Oh, Ricky, don''t be so serious. I''ve just come at the right time, haven''t I? If I''m guessing correctly, you don''t want to fight against them, do you? I can see that you cannot defeat them within a short period of time because your strengths are comparable," Henry said.


    "So, I just did you a favor by stopping the battle."


    Hearing Henry''s speech, Ricky fell silent. A few seconds later, he said, "You are right. I think I should thank you, Henry."


    Henry was right. Ricky did not want to continue the fight.


    Although Daisy, Warren, Thiago, and Terrence had reached the peak level as middle spiritual kings, they were still not as strong as Ricky. They still had to practice more before genuinely reaching Ricky''s level.


    As for Pearl, her two suitors, and the two commanders from the Nether Manor, all of them were at the same level with Ricky. So Ricky and his friends were not as strong as them in general.


    Ricky and his friends came here because they had a secret weapon¡ªa relatively smaller Spiritual Energy Gathering Array created by Thiago temporarily. They could carry it with them easily. Although it was not as strong a


    Ronson and Jackson were surprised when they saw Yori. They knew Yori well because they had fought against Yori many times.


    "You are with Henry. That is surprising."


    "Henry is my good friend. Of course I''m with him," Yori answered plainly.


    "Ricky, judging from his friendship with Yori, I can tell that Henry is a powerful warrior with many connections in the world. Yori wields a very powerful sword. He is arrogant and rarely makes friends even inside the Star Sect''s territory. He doesn''t care about others," Terrence told Ricky via their telepathic link.


    "It''s just so surprising that Yori is actually Henry''s friend."


    "Oh, is that so?" Ricky responded, still feeling more concerned about Henry than Yori. The more mysterious Henry was to him, the more Ricky felt threatened. His gut told him that Henry was definitely an enemy, but Henry did not show any hostility toward Ricky, so Ricky had no idea what Henry intended to do. Ricky chose to be nice to Henry for the time being. Playing by ear was his tactic.


    The faces of Pearl, Brian, and their friends grew darker on the other hand.


    Now that Yori showed up and joined Henry, Henry was surely powerful enough to stop the fight. They all were well aware of that.


    Pearl stared for a long time. Finally, she asked, "Henry, can you tell me why you want to stop this battle? Do you want to help Ricky? As far as I know, you only met him once. You are not even his acquaintance. I don''t think you can benefit from stopping the fight."

 Chapter 652 Golden Enlightening Statues

    "The reason why I want to stop the battle is that the Sand Region is about to appear. It will be exciting to continue the battle while you are in the Sand Region. The battle will be more interesting when you guys fight for the Massacring Sand," Henry replied with an unfathomable smile on his face.


    Pearl''s eyes narrowed into slits at Henry''s answer and facial expression.


    "What an arrogant, sadistic prick!" Soar told Ricky telepathically.


    "The Sandy Mutant is an unsolved mystery in the world of martial arts. It is perfectly reasonable that Henry is proud of it. But it seems to me that his arrogance stems from something deep and strange, and it is very scary," Ricky said, calmly analyzing the situation.


    "Are you satisfied with my explanation, Pearl?" Henry asked, eyeing Pearl''s gloomy face.


    "Your idea sounds interesting indeed. Since you''re the one who brought it up, I don''t object to it. I just want you to be aware that you have offended me by intervening," Pearl replied, her demeanor ice cold as she stared back at Henry.


    "Pearl, please don''t look at it that way. There is a fuzzy line between friends and enemies. It is pretty normal for friends to turn against friends to safeguard their interests. The law of the world of martial arts is just as cruel as the law of the jungle. The weak fall prey to the strong because the strong rule the world and everything in it." Henry could not help bursting into laughter.


    "Maybe we would become friends when we enter the Sand Region."


    "I''m not interested in befriending my enemies," Pearl nonchalantly answered.


    "Well, that''s a pity," Henry replied sincerely.


    A killing aura exuded from his eyes, pervading the ground without anyone noticing. Even though Ricky possessed the four zones, he was not able to sense that there was something wrong with Henry because his aura was really subtle, almost concealed from everyone.


    "Brian, Pearl has agreed on the plan. What about you?" Henry asked, turning to Brian.


    "Since Pearl doesn''t want to join forces with me anymore, my chances of defeating Ricky are very slim," Brian calmly replied with a faint smile on his face. "But you''re right. Enemies can be friends."


    He paused for a moment and continued, "So, I hope we can be friends when we enter the Sand Region."


    "Tha


    ition. It makes me believe this is the Land of Legacy of Massacring Holy Ants," Ricky replied with furrowed brows.


    "We should take action in different directions now. If we''re lucky, we would meet each other in the real Sand Region," Daisy suggested as her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    All the warriors in the vicinity could not resist their strong urges any longer and dashed toward the Golden Enlightening Statues. They all leaped into the mouths of the statues and disappeared without a trace.


    "See you in the Sand Region, Ricky. We still have unfinished business." Henry smirked at Ricky.


    "I look forward to finishing it," Ricked answered.


    Henry and Yori brought the disciples of the Bing Clan to the Golden Enlightening Statues, too.


    Pearl and her companions also followed suit and entered the statues. Before proceeding, she silently threw Ricky a murderous glance, suggesting that he was doomed to die in the Sand Region.


    Ricky nonchalantly returned Pearl''s stare without uttering a word.


    "We should move now. Otherwise, there would be few options available to us," Ricky urged and swiftly entered the Golden Enlightening Statues with his friends.


    ...


    Intense power struck Ricky''s body before he entered a small golden space that emitted rays of golden light and exuded the Golden Enlightenment.


    He was surprised to find himself in a closed, eerily quiet space.


    ''I can enter the real Sand Region once I pass the test here, '' Ricky thought to himself. ''But what is the test?''

 Chapter 653 Gain Massacring Sand

    Buzz! The golden zone was buzzing and shaking violently. Then, the golden light condensed into golden phantoms. In the blink of an eye, dozens of giant elephants appeared around Ricky.


    They were only apparitions, but they looked so real.


    Ricky remembered that the Golden Enlightening Statue he had entered was shaped like a giant elephant.


    Immediately, Ricky tried to feel the power of the giant elephants, but what surprised him was that the phantoms had no power in them.


    "Isn''t it a battle of power?" Ricky wondered.


    The trunks of the giant elephants reached toward the sky, spraying Golden Enlightenment in the air. Immediately, the Golden Enlightenment condensed into a small-sized golden zone that shrouded Ricky.


    Suddenly, Ricky was immersed in an intent realm, and in his Soul Sea, there appeared a small phantom of an elephant and a ball of energy.


    In an instantaneous burst, the elephant presented a set of elephant skills in Ricky''s mind and then disappeared. The ball of energy turned into a stream of information, which also went into Ricky''s mind and then vanished.


    At this moment, Ricky understood what it meant. It was a test of his perception and talent.


    He must display a segment of the cultivation method presented by the elephant and interpret the information transformed from the ball of energy before the small-sized golden zone disappeared.


    The small-sized golden zone was just beginning to fade away.


    Realizing this, Ricky closed his eyes at once. He urged the four zones to grasp the elephant skills and comprehend the information.


    To be honest, such a test was a little too simple for Ricky, the ace genius.


    With the four zones and the four Supreme Skills, Ricky was able to grasp everything in no time. The four Supreme Skills were all inclusive and contained all martial arts and all kinds of enlightenments. It was a piece of cake for Ricky to grasp these insights.


    As soon as Ricky opened his eyes, he demonstrated two short segments of the cultivation method. The first segment was the cultivation method presented by the elephant. The second s


    is," Tina said quietly but with excitement in her voice.


    Part of Ricky''s efforts to cultivate was to help her dispel the evil spirit, which showed that Ricky had her in mind.


    ...


    "I didn''t expect you to gain the Massacring Sand in this area first. Hand it over, or you''ll be dead meat." A menacing voice interrupted the conversation between Ricky and Tina.


    Then, a white figure came down from the sky.


    It was none other than Jackson from the White King Tiger tribe. Seeing Jackson, Ricky said coldly, "I didn''t expect you to be the first living creature I meet in the Sand Region.


    Perhaps God no longer wants to see you alive, so he sent you to me."


    "What an arrogant man!" Jackson retorted, bursting into mocking laughter.


    "I have no grudges against you, and I have no reason to kill you. However, just because of Pearl, you have decided to kill me. So I, Ricky, can only treat you as an enemy in life and in death. When I get the chance, I will kill you without hesitation," Ricky said sternly, looking Jackson dead in the eye.


    "Soon you will know whether or not I am worthy of my arrogance."


    "Well, I imagine it would be quite a spectacle if I leave the Land of Legacy with the ace genius''s head in my hands," Jackson sneered, curling his lip.


    Silence fell after the exchange between Ricky and Jackson. Since they met here, only one of them was destined to leave alive.

 Chapter 654 Massacring Power Versus White Golden Power

    While intensely staring at each other, Ricky and Jackson called upon their energy and power.


    Golden light emanated from both of them. The two looked just like two golden Gods of War.


    However, there was an apparent difference between each of their golden powers. Jackson''s golden power contained some sort of white light while Ricky''s had a deep golden hue and looked a lot like flame.


    Undoubtedly, Ricky''s golden power was the real and pure massacring power.


    "His power seems to fall into another category of golden power," Ricky told Tina, sensing that Jackson''s golden power was different from his massacring power.


    "As a species of mythical beast, the White Tiger wields a kind of golden power called the white golden power, which is no inferior to the massacring power. Those creatures who have the blood of White Tiger also wield the white golden power," Tina explained.


    "Does Jackson wield the white golden power then?" Ricky asked flatly.


    "Yeah. Your massacring power is relatively rigid. White golden power specializes more in killing. Other than that, there is no difference between the white golden power and the massacring power. The result of the collision between the massacring power and the white golden power depends on their users," Tina explained further.


    "In any case, my massacring power would never lose to his white golden power," Ricky said confidently.


    "Go!" Jackson roared ferociously with his energy rising to the extreme limit.


    In an instant, the entire area turned into a golden killing domain.


    ''It seems that Tina is right. The white golden power is indeed designed to kill. I didn''t expect that it could create such a large killing domain. It looks almost as powerful as Terrence''s Killing Swordsmanship, '' Ricky thought. He watched and braced himself as Jackson charged at him.


    As golden light spread around, Ricky condensed the Ultimate Domain to collide against Jackson''s Ultimate Domain.


    When the two Ultimate Domains collided, a loud, crashing sound shook the earth.


    At that moment, both Ricky and Jackson mov


    critical moment.


    "Really? But it''s too late for me to evade his attack," Ricky answered. After hearing Tina''s words, he realized the power of Jackson''s White Golden Tiger Fists.


    Now that it was too late for him to dodge Jackson''s fist, he had no choice but to collide against it with all his strength.


    Holding the Iron Destroyer with both hands, Ricky condensed the galaxy power, activated the four-side thrusts, and dashed toward Jackson.


    With a loud, thunderous sound, the white golden fist with the shadow of a White Tiger collided against the galaxy strike.


    This time, they were well matched in strength. Jackson''s strong momentum seemed to have been oppressed as if his power reserve was not sufficient.


    His eyes began blazing with undiluted ferocity.


    His potential energy had been destroyed, so he could no longer activate his third fist. Even if he could, it would not be strong enough.


    "You have attacked me with two fists. It''s your turn to defend yourself now," Ricky roared, brandishing the Iron Destroyer over his head.


    As soon as his words faded away, the massacring runes began spreading. Then, the second level of Ultimate Golden Body burst in an instant. Its huge body ran quickly toward Jackson and reached him in no time. Before Jackson realized what was going on, a huge golden fist connected with his face, creating an ugly, cracking sound.

 Chapter 655 The Blood Power Of The White Tiger

    Ricky had to burst out all of his physical strength in order to pack the powerful punch. The punch was filled with such pure and formidable strength that it was enough to smash several huge mountains to smithereens.


    Jackson was caught off-guard. Ricky''s sudden punch that fell from the sky was certainly unexpected. He frowned and involuntarily narrowed his eyes due to the shock. He never thought that Ricky was capable of launching such a forceful and fast attack.


    He had planned to burst forth a series of attacks against Ricky before. Yet, he did not expect that Ricky could resist his second punch strongly, and even broke the kind of momentum he needed to continue the explosion of power. The most unexpected part was that besides resisting his punch, Ricky even instantly launched such a powerful punch.


    Of course, the reason why Ricky was able to launch such a power-packed attack at such lightning speed was because of the strength of his second level of Ultimate Golden Body. Driven by an immense amount of power, Ricky was fearless enough to have gained the momentum and energy to fight against any mighty warrior.


    Despite his initial surprise, he was not entirely demotivated by Ricky''s punch. Jackson crossed his arms as he prepared to resist Ricky''s punch by using the combined resistance of his white gold gloves and the power residing within his body.


    Bang! Ricky''s golden giant punch left a low yet loud roar after it hit Jackson squarely and fiercely.


    In a split second, Jackson was falling at a monster speed, as though he were a meteorite. He went straight to the ground with a deafening thud. The desolate valleys and hills were crushed by his small body.


    Even after Jackson''s fall, things were still yet to settle down. Jackson smashed a deep crater in the yellow sandy ground. Soon, the crater where Jackson lay was filled with an abundance of yellow sand.


    Ricky was unfazed. He carried on with more attacks. Ten clouds of fierce golden light instantly surged from his golden body''s chest. As the golden light gradually rose, its shape was shifted into ten huge golden fingers. Boosted by Ricky''s endless killing power, the ten enormous golden fingers dashed their way towards the deep crater in the sandy ground.


    The old saying goes, "Strike while the iron is hot." Thus, Ricky had to take advantage of the current situation and ensure he left a fatal blow on his enemy. Ricky always kept in mind the said adage each time he was up against a formidable enemy.


    Thus, at that very moment, he released his invincible skill, the Impregnable Killing Finger and aimed it directly at Jackson. He wanted his enemy to receive a sure and serious blow, so as to win the battle as soon as possible.


    A rumbling sound echoed throughout the place.


    As the ten gold fingers smashed downward, the entire sandy ground appeared to have entered such a horrible state that the ground shook violently, as if the world was going to be destroyed at any minute.


    Ricky had calculated things beforehand. He was sure that, with the level of his attack, Jackson would not be able to resist it, no matter how strong Jackson''s physical strength was.


    "Would Jackson, the young master of the White King Tiger tribe, really die so easily?"


    collapse.


    "Is this still a battle between the middle spiritual kings? I wouldn''t be surprised if someone were to mistake this for a battle between the upper spiritual kings!" the warriors who watched from a distance exclaimed. The fierceness of the ongoing fight left them with their mouths ajar and their eyes big and hollow.


    "Huh, it is exciting to see which of the two will prevail in the end. But, if it so happens that both are badly hurt and it turns out that there is no winner, then we shall take this as a chance to join forces to kill them both. Only then can we seize all the treasures in their hands." While some of the warriors watched the fight in awe, there were also those who harbored malicious intents. In order to conceal their nasty plan, the ill-willing warriors had to convey their strategy through telepathy.


    That was a cruel reality in the world of warriors. As long as a warrior showed any sign of weakness, it was inevitable that he might be hunted by other warriors with vicious intentions.


    Clang!


    After several rounds of exchanging punches and counterattacks, Ricky and Jackson finally kept their distance and paused.


    Even after they took a breather, the expression in their eyes still couldn''t be heavier and more serious.


    "White Tiger''s Blood Power¡ªWhite Golden Claw!"


    Jackson released the strongest offensive attack of the White Tiger''s blood power. He was fully aware now of how difficult it was to engage the ace genius in a serious and all-out battle.


    "Ricky, once you get hit by the claw, you will be completely obliterated. Your reputation and your talent will be etched in history, while I, Jackson, will step on your corpse and triumphantly add your body count into my long list of wins and honors in the world of martial arts," Jackson declared with full assurance. He was calm and collected after launching his most powerful attack.


    "Is this pure coincidence? Those words are the exact same words that I have been planning to use as my parting words for you." Ricky grinned with the kind of confidence that irked his foe to the core.


    Then, without any warning, Ricky''s momentum reached its full limit.

 Chapter 656 Cultivation In Seclusion

    With Ricky''s momentum growing, the golden light could be seen everywhere. Ricky''s eyes had become completely golden and were filled with the aura which was ancient and mysterious. Right now, his final trick solely depended on the Golden Spirit Eyes.


    After all, in terms of cultivation, he still had a significant gap from Jackson. He now had to rely on the divine energy of the Golden Spirit Eyes to go against the White Tiger''s blood power of Jackson.


    With a loud roar, Jackson rushed towards Ricky. The momentum of his furious rush formed a unique channel in space. With the power of his blood, his huge body turned into the claw of a White Tiger.


    The huge claw was about to fall from the skies with great power.


    "Golden Spirit Eyes¡ªSeven-flame Lotus!" When the huge claw was on the way to Ricky, thousands of lights suddenly burst out of the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. The purpose of the burst of lights was naturally the same¡ªit was to protect the power of the Golden Spirit Eyes.


    The massacring runes around his second level of Ultimate Golden Body were then replaced by chaotic fire runes.


    After that, seven torrents of flame rolled out and condensed into a fiery lotus in midair. It then rushed toward the claw in an attempt to destroy it.


    Boom! At the next moment, the two attacks clashed and created strong air waves that overwhelmed everything including their own enormous bodies.


    Seeing such a fierce collision, the creatures around them couldn''t believe their eyes as it was not an attack that a middle spiritual king could normally do.


    However, after being surprised, the warriors who had been secretly conspiring began to slowly move towards the center of the battle as they could see that it was the right time to interfere. Any weapon or cultivation method that Ricky and Jackson possessed could be considered a chance for them to improve themselves.


    Soon, these ill-disposed creatures had surrounded the area where the air waves were emitting. But they couldn''t dare to act rashly because Ricky and Jackson could end up killing them with a single move.


    So they had to be cautious and make sure that they were fully aware of the situation between Ricky and Jackson first.


    All of a sudden, they heard a loud scream come out from the air waves.


    After Ricky used the Seven-flame Lotus, he once again broke out the attack of the Heaven Illuminating Fire. One could see that he didn''t want to give Jackson a minute to collect himself and defend his next attacks. Also, Ricky was determined to win the blood of the White Tiger from Jackson.


    Only with the blood of the White Tiger and the Massacring Sand would he have the real confidenc


    knew that if Ricky survived their attack, he would probably kill all of them.


    After thinking about their possible gains and losses, they decided to just give up on their plans instead.


    One of them said, "Ricky, we just came to watch you fight. Why do you think we came to kill you and take the treasures?"


    "Ha-ha! You know for yourselves whether you guys wanted to kill me and take the treasures or not. But since you said you only came to see the battle, it is probably time for you to leave because the fight is over," Ricky smiled.


    "Otherwise, I will treat you as my enemy, kill all of you, and take everything you have."


    The faces of the warriors turned gloomy at Ricky''s words. They couldn''t doubt a single word that he said after seeing him kill Jackson without hesitation and mercy.


    But what else could they do against the powerful Ricky? Their only option was to leave as fast as they could.


    If they worked together, they would probably have the slightest chance of winning against Ricky. However, none of them wanted to be the first to attack.


    "These guys wanted to get their hands on another person''s harvest. There is no such thing in the world!" Ricky smiled coldly as he saw the warriors run for their lives.


    "It''s not surprising because we live in a competitive world," Tina said. "We''re luck they don''t know one another that much. Otherwise they wouldn''t leave so easily."


    "The reason they act like this is because I''m not strong enough to frighten them and use that fear to earn their respect," Ricky said softly.


    "So next, I may need to cultivate in seclusion so that I can improve my cultivation to the limits of what this area can hold. Maybe then I can fight Henry and defeat him once and for all.


    Henry is really a hard nut to crack."

 Chapter 657 Drastic Changes

    The Sand Region was divided into multiple sub-regions which distinctly separated the warriors from the each other.


    Rumors spread that the Massacring Sand could be found in every region. But on the downside, it was not evenly distributed. And in order to obtain the Massacring Sand, one should be ultimately powerful and, most importantly, blessed with luck.


    But as of now, Ricky had only collected a small amount of Massacring Sand which, as it turned out, was not even enough to cultivate the Source of Golden Body. However, it wasn''t that much of a big deal yet, since the most important task ahead of him was to make a breakthrough.


    As for the Massacring Sand, he had his own brilliant plans for it. ''It seems like Pearl and Brian are also looking for the Massacring Sand. And I would be fighting against them sooner or later. I guess I''ll just beat them to a pulp and take the sand that they have. That''s going to save me a lot of time and effort in searching for more, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, the entire Sand Region was in a fanatic state as the Massacring Sand fever was on everyone''s mind.


    However, Ricky had already quit the heated race in search for more sand. And to make his time more worthwhile, he entered the Chaotic Fire Zone and started his cultivation.


    But before he could start his cultivation, he must do something of utmost importance¡ªextract the White Tiger blood from Jackson. While this was something that other middle spiritual kings could not do, Ricky could do it with ease with the help of his four zones.


    Meanwhile, inside the Chaotic Fire Zone, Ricky saw the cadaver of the White King Tiger which had been burnt into a crisp. ''How much power can I possibly refine?'' Ricky questioned himself inwardly.


    "Ricky, don''t be all too positive about this. You don''t want to be disappointed. After all, you might only be able to get a tiny trace of blood power from his body, since that''s all he had," Tina warned him.


    "I guess that will do. In fact, all I need is a trace of White Tiger blood power and that would be enough for me to have a breakthrough...I hope. After all, I''m not hoping to integrate the While Tiger blood power into my own blood," replied Ricky.


    Then, Ricky summoned both the sacred fires and the peculiar fires in his body simultaneously. He combined the power of the fires using the chaotic fire runes and started to heat up the White King Tiger''s body.


    Getting rid of any unnecessary and unwanted waste, Ricky employed the devouring runes to wash them off. After doing this, he would be left with only the blood power of the White Tiger.


    For three whole days, Ricky cleaned the corpse relentlessly until it w


    st a one-sided battle¡ªhe just slaughtered all of his opponents Brian and Adrian single-handedly.


    This news, however, made everyone who witnessed the gruesome battle become intimidated by Henry''s power and strength.


    Right after he killed every single one of his enemies mercilessly, he stood up and made a public announcement on why he did not spare a single soul of the Nether Army. And his reason shook the audience.


    "This, right before you is a pile of lifeless flesh from the warriors of the Nether Army. I did not spare their dirty souls because the Sand Region is a divine place. I would never allow these bodiless creatures who cultivate filthy evil spirit to stain the divinity of our land!"


    With his explanation, people had doubts and raised their eyebrows.


    ''It is true that the Nether Army are bodiless creatures who cultivate the evil spirit, but what does it have to do with the Sand Region?'' the people wondered.


    With those doubts running in their minds, all of the warriors became tensed and fearful that Henry would start another round of slaughtering for some strange and not so logical reasons.


    While Henry drew most of the crowd''s attention, Ricky and Pearl seemed to be forgotten and blurred into the background of everything that had happened in the Sand Region.


    "Indeed, there is no doubt that Henry is powerful.


    I can''t believe that he defeated Brian, Adrian and the entire Nether Army," a young man clad in blue clothing murmured to himself in the void.


    And this young man was none other than Ricky, who had just finished cultivation.


    Coming out of the Chaotic Fire Zone, he heard the news that everyone had been talking about. And just like the rest, he was surprised to hear at how Henry displayed his strength and power against his enemies.

 Chapter 658 Shocking News

    "Tina, if Brian and Adrian worked together, their strength would absolutely reach the limits of the Land of Legacy. However, many warriors said that the battle between Henry and the Nether Army was a devastating one." Ricky couldn''t help but tell Tina his thoughts.


    "Also, there weren''t any rumors about Henry''s Sandy Mutant which meant that he might not have even used it when he fought Brian and Adrian.


    Ricky, I have a feeling that Henry is very familiar with this place. Or, we could at least be certain that this place has something to do with him. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have said that after killing Brian and Adrian," Tina said.


    "You mean the reason for the attack? There was something to what he had said," Ricky said in a low voice. "However, I can''t think of anything in particular. Maybe only when Henry himself tell us everything would we have the answers we''re looking for.


    But there will always be a better way to deal with the problem. I no longer have any reason to fear Henry. I am only filled with confidence and I am looking forward to our fight."


    "I''m afraid that only you have the guts to say something like that in the Sand Region," Tina smiled as she heard his words.


    "Next, we should search for Soar and join them," Ricky said.


    Ricky began to use the Heaven Melting Fire in an attempt to contact Soar. They could sense each other within a limited range with the help of the Heaven Melting Fire.


    After several days, Ricky, Soar, Daisy and the others finally joined up.


    Fortunately, there weren''t any casualties. However, Terrence and Thiago got the Massacring Sand while Daisy and Soar didn''t.


    Ricky didn''t hide the fact that he got the Massacring Sand and told them that he had already refined the sand.


    After hearing that, they were amazed because it usually took a middle spiritual king a long time to completely refine the Massacring Sand, a known treasure of Heaven and Earth.


    However,


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    gan to search for Pearl in the Sand Region.


    But before they could even start, they heard some rumors released by Henry.


    They had to pay attention to the news. Each and every warrior in the Sand Region had to.


    Henry said that he knew how to enter the Massacring Holy Ants'' Land of Legacy and that he would wait for all the warriors at the sandy lake which appeared out of thin air.


    By that time, Henry would announce the way to enter the Land of Legacy to the public.


    The news left all warriors in shock, confusion, and fear.


    Maybe, they might not entirely believe what Henry said, but they still had to go and see for themselves knowing that the Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ants was something no one should miss.


    Hearing the news, Ricky and others didn''t know how to react.


    "Ricky, nine times out of ten, this would end up as a conspiracy. No one would be willing to share the news of the Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ants with irrelevant people," Soar said to cut the silence.


    "There is one possibility. Henry is unable to enter the Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ants alone, and he needs others'' help," Terrence said.


    "Whether true or not, we must go to the sandy lake. There is no way we can give up on this," Ricky said in a deep voice.

 Chapter 659 Temporary Truce With Pearl

    "Right, but whether it is true or not, we have to go," Terrence said gravely, hearing Ricky''s words. "He asked us to go to the sandy lake that came out of nowhere. Is there a connection between the Land of Legacy of Massacring Holy Ants and the sandy lake?" Terrence then asked.


    "Maybe. This gathering might be our last one. We will come out of this either winners or losers," Ricky answered almost to himself.


    They fell silent after that and marched toward the sandy lake.


    ¡­ All the creatures in the Sand Region were heading toward the sandy lake. No creature here could resist it even if it meant having to face the mysterious Henry.


    The sandy lake had already expanded, and now it was as large as several cities combined. If the expansion continued, the whole Sand Region would eventually be covered by the sandy lake.


    Within several days, all the creatures gathered around the lake.


    Of course Ricky and his friends came as well.


    And so did Pearl and the others.


    However, at this moment, Ricky and Pearl did not want to pick a fight against each other because they were both under immense pressure from Henry.


    Pearl even told Ricky using her internal power, "Ricky, the feud between us is about life and death, but I think we should let it go for now because neither of us would like to be killed by Henry."


    Ricky was surprised at Pearl''s words. He smiled. "It''s quite surprising. I didn''t imagine that the arrogant Pearl would say such words.


    If I''m not mistaken, before you entered the Sand Region, you said that you would never make friends with your enemies."


    ''It seems that Henry did put Pearl under pressure. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have said those things to me consider


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ted all of us here, so you have to make things clear. Otherwise, I would think you are fooling all of us warriors," Ricky warned.


    "I wouldn''t dare. Ricky, please don''t talk nonsense," Henry smiled. "Remember, I killed two strong enemies from the Nether Army for you."


    "And I appreciate that, but this is a different story," Ricky answered.


    At the moment, everyone looked at Henry eagerly.


    Henry did not seem to be bothered. He was still completely calm and relaxed. Maybe he still would not care if all the warriors joined together against him.


    "It seems that all of you can''t wait for the Land of Legacy of Massacring Holy Ants. I won''t keep you in suspense anymore," Henry smiled, glancing around.


    "The Land of Legacy of Massacring Holy Ants is in this Sand Region, and its entrance lies within this sandy lake."


    "What? The sandy lake is the entrance? How is that possible?" all the warriors said in disbelief. They all stared at the sandy lake.


    So did Ricky and Pearl.


    "Everyone, I''m not quite finished. If you want to enter the Land of Legacy of Massacring Holy Ants, just fuse the floating sand together."

 Chapter 660 Mysterious Henry

    Henry''s words caused a stir among the crowd. Everyone was shocked and anxiously looked to the sand floating in the sandy lake.


    Their eyes lit up the moment they saw the sand. Every creature was eager to fuse the sand by using their enlightening power, but they held back because of fear. They were afraid that Henry said that in order to take advantage of them. If Henry lied to them, they would end up losing their lives should they act boldly.


    "Don''t worry and stay calm. We can just wait for a few more moments," Ricky told Terrence and the others telepathically. He did not want any of them to get hurt.


    "Are you afraid that this is a trap?" Henry laughed, seeing everyone freeze. "Well, let me reveal the Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ants."


    Henry turned his gaze to the floating sand.


    Then, he stretched out his arms as if summoning an unknown power. The yellow sand enlightening power started circling around his hands and then swirled in the air in chaotic patterns. Then, it slowly fell in order, forming a giant cage around the sand.


    The sand responded by rising to the cage and then billowed to fill the space inside. Soon, the giant cage and the sand started moving as one, forming a large sand orb that eventually floated in the air and then slowly descended on the sandy lake.


    The orb glowed light yellow and looked like a round door leading to a new space.


    Ricky and the others immediately detected that there seemed to be a space inside the yellow orb.


    ''The space inside is probably the Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ants, but how did Henry know all of this? Is he closely related to the Massacring Holy Ants?'' Ricky thought. He was indeed excited at what he had just seen. At the same time, he grew more serious and alert.


    Henry was so mysterious that Ricky was unable to read his mind at all.


    Ricky had not realized how his opponents had felt about him until now. They felt helpless and puzzled when faced with him, and that was exactly how he felt when faced with Henry.


    Pearl and the other warriors were wearing serious faces as well. Henry knew many things they did not know. He was totally a riddle.


    They also sensed the space hiding inside the yellow orb. Was it really the Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ants? None of them could confirm it.


    While everyone stared curiously


    .


    "Guys, Yori and I are going inside now. The space on the other side is the Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ants. Think carefully about whether or not you would follow us. I would say this is an excellent opportunity," Henry said before entering the door with Yori.


    They disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    The warriors could only stare after Henry and Yori, their eyes wide and jaws ajar. How they wished they could follow suit, but none of them had the courage to do so.


    Thiago approached the door and said with a decisive look, "Well, someone has to be courageous enough to follow Henry and Yori into the space. I''m going."


    "Thiago, what do you think you''re doing?" Ricky and Terrence attempted to stop Thiago.


    "I can deploy arrays to protect myself. Don''t worry about me. I''m not afraid even if Henry plays tricks. I will enter first to see what the other side is like," Thiago replied with a reassuring smile.


    Before anyone else could stop him, Thiago had jumped into the luminous loop.


    Without any hesitation, Ricky threw himself into the loop as well. He would not leave Thiago alone out there to face the uncertain. Should there be any danger, he could help and save Thiago by dragging him into his Chaotic Fire Zone.


    Before long, Ricky and Thiago had disappeared into the space.


    Soar and Terrence exchanged looks before jumping into the space too.


    Then, the other warriors followed them one after another.


    The next moment, they found themselves in a desert area¡ªa space that looked exactly the same as the Sand Region.

 Chapter 661 The Holy Ant Platform

    The region they were in as of the moment was how the Sand Region exactly looked like in the outside.


    "So you mean to say that this is the Land of Legacy of Massacring Holy Ant tribe?" Witnessing such a confusing scene, all the warriors gave baffled looks at each other as they could not completely understand what was happening. In this place, they felt that neither danger nor opportunity.


    As bewildered as they were, they only had the same question in their heads: how could such a desolate place be the Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe?


    Apart from that, it looked exactly like the Sand Region, which made them think if they had entered a mirage of some sort, or that maybe they had set foot in a parallel universe.


    Even Ricky had doubted about the place. So in order for him to get some peace, he subtly used the power of the Golden Spirit Eyes. And as a result, he found out that the place was real and not a phantasmagoria. It just so happened that the space had the exact same pattern as the Sand Region.


    ''Or maybe, the Sand Region outside is just a cover, and this is the real Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe. However, it is just that the so-called inheritance has not appeared in front of us yet, '' Ricky thought.


    Meanwhile, all eyes were on Henry for everyone believed that he was the only one who knew about the real situation.


    "You guys, you didn''t make a mistake. You''re right. This is the real Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe," Henry said. "And of course, the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe would only appear after it chooses the strongest, the most talented, and the most powerful person among us."


    "Henry, of course we know that every inheritance would choose the most talented and strongest person, but I don''t see anything right now. It is really empty here. Where''s the inheritance? And how does it pick the chosen one?" Pearl questioned after hearing Henry''s words.


    "And one more thing, Henry. We believe that you are such a talent, but we have never heard of you. And what''s even more surprising is that you even know this place like the back of your hand. All of this seems to overwhelm us and make us doubt and even be afraid of you. So, if possible, could you please explain what''s happening?"


    Pearl spoke out the doubts in all warriors'' hearts as she, too, could not contain the mystery.


    "Ha-ha, Pearl, I completely understand what you mean, but unfortunately for you, I don''t like questions. Not even from a pretty girl like you," Henry smiled after hearing what Pearl''s inquiry.


    "But of course, Pearl, I can answer all your questions for free if you are willing to be mine."


    Henry flirt


    hey''re able to get the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe, please come up and occupy the remaining three Holy Ant Platforms. Of course, you guys can also challenge Yori and me. If you win, you can get our Holy Ant Platforms and even the inheritance."


    Right after he finished, Henry and Yori jumped upon two Holy Ant Platforms head on.


    "I guess I''ll also get one of those," Ricky said.


    "Just go. You are the only one in this group who can compete for the inheritance. Don''t mind us. We''ll take this time to practice on the golden platforms," Daisy encouraged Ricky.


    After nodding his head slightly in agreement, Ricky then jumped directly to another Holy Ant Platform.


    And without hesitation, Pearl and Ronson joined them in the remaining Holy Ant Platforms, making every Holy Ant Platform occupied.


    "Gentlemen, six hours from now, these five Holy Ant Platforms will enter the place of inheritance. So if anyone wants to fight me for these Holy Ant Platforms, go ahead. I assured that I''m not obsessed with killing," Henry said after seeing that all the Holy Ant Platforms were occupied and were ready to go.


    Hearing Henry''s words, some of the warriors had second thoughts of challenging him, but in the end they refrained from doing so and held back.


    Although Henry did elaborately say that anyone could challenge him and take his spot, there was no assurance if he would really go for the kill. In the end, the people''s reason triumphed over their greed.


    "So...it seems that no one wants to challenge the five of us," Henry said as a faint smile formed on his face.


    "How could there be no one? Let''s get on with this. I want to challenge you guys. I want to occupy a Holy Ant Platform!" An eager, loud, and clear voice suddenly broke the entire crowd''s silence.

 Chapter 662 The Unexpected

    Everyone turned to their backs as the voice spoke to them. They wanted to see who it was that would dare challenge the five well-acknowledged warriors.


    Not letting the suspense linger any longer, Thiago jumped up and landed in front of the five Holy Ant Platforms.


    "It''s Thiago. How can it be Thiago?" Most of the warriors were in shock at the revelation of the person behind the voice.


    They were well-aware that Thiago was an outer disciple of the Oriental College. It was possible that Thiago might be more talented and powerful compared to them.


    Still, despite his advanced powers and abilities, it was not enough to match the strength of Ricky and the other four.


    Daisy and Terrence were even more confused because they knew about Thiago''s power.


    "Daisy, what is Thiago planning to do?" Terrence asked through telepathy.


    "Maybe he just wanted to try and test his power. We all know that, although Thiago doesn''t talk much, he still has strong opinions about his capabilities and the strength of those around him," Daisy explained. "Perhaps, he succeeded in drawing another powerful array recently, and he has improved his strength."


    "Is that so? But still, Thiago should''ve told us first!" Soar butted in. "Who is Thiago challenging, then?"


    "I don''t know!"


    a confused Ricky answered in exasperation. In the midst of his confusion, Ricky used his internal power to warn Thiago, "Thiago, be careful. Also, you''re not planning on challenge me, are you?"


    "Ricky, I''m prepared to lose the challenge. You see, I''ve recently learned a new array and it can only be solved by geniuses who possess the level of skill and strength that you have. That''s why I want to take this opportunity to test the power of the array. This is the best and only way I can have a deeper understanding of it," Thiago explicated, trying his best to pacify Ricky''s bewilderment.


    "I see." Ricky came to his senses upon hearing Thiago''s explanation. On the other hand, there lingered an uneasy feeling deep inside Ricky. He couldn''t pinpoint what it was, but there seemed to be something off with Thiago''s words.


    Pearl was surprised as well. But Henry and Yori were the only ones who remained calm as always. They acted as though no one had challenged them.


    "Thiago, I never imagined that you would have the g


    Even if the spiritual emperor of your Oriental College were here, he wouldn''t be able to stop me," Ronson yelled with a hideous look on his face. Seeing Thiago actually jump on his Holy Ant Platform had really set him off.


    Quite frankly, the only real reason why Thiago chose him as his opponent was because he was regarded as the weakest among the five people.


    It enraged him deeply.


    "I will prove you wrong with my own performance," Thiago replied calmly, unaffected by Ronson''s relentless words.


    Boom! A huge burst of energy emerged, and a green line appeared. The green line was an obvious mark that Thiago was an array deployer of intermediate King Level.


    "You damned array deployer, I will rip your array apart!" Ronson called out with a thunderous roar.


    The next moment, Ronson''s energy was also about to break its limits, and the supreme enlightenment started to suppress it.


    The Ruin Enlightenment immediately resonated with the Massacring Enlightenment on the Holy Ant Platform.


    Ronson then jumped over Thiago, swiftly swerving his leg and aiming a mighty kick right at Thiago''s neck. Ronson''s kick was fortified and surrounded by Ruin Enlightenment.


    Even though the kick appeared to be a simple combat move, it was still extremely powerful. Even a middle spiritual king might not be able to hold up against its strength.


    Obviously, Ronson wasn''t planning on wasting any more time. He wanted to defeat Thiago quickly and completely that the latter would no longer have any chance to formulate his array.

 Chapter 663 The Unexpected Array Mutant

    When Thiago saw the sudden and deadly attack from his opponent Ranson, a curved and subtle smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile, his enlightening power burst out abruptly as the cyan patterns on his forehead quickly diffused and merged with his enlightening power to form a shield that would protect his neck.


    Clang! The next moment, Ronson just kicked heavily on the shield but couldn''t move forward at all.


    "You are the third prince of the Eastern Empire but your strength is surely underwhelming," Thiago said in a disdainful tone after defending himself successfully from Ronson''s strike.


    The momentum inside Thiago''s body was then amplified to the limit level of a middle spiritual king.


    "What? How could this be possible? Thiago turned out to be more powerful than I thought!" the surrounding warriors around the fighting area exclaimed out of surprise. Feeling that Thiago''s momentum was being raised to a much higher level, they were hushed by his amazing strength and their jaws dropped.


    This scene also surprised Ricky, Daisy, and their other companions a great deal.


    In fact, compared to their surprise, they felt even more skeptical about Thiago because such a scene showed that Thiago was hiding a big secret from them on purpose. If it weren''t for Ronson, they would have never known that Thiago had such hidden strength.


    "Daisy, I don''t think we can keep up with Thiago''s power right now!" Terrence spoke to Daisy after witnessing Thiago''s strength.


    "Yes, there is no way we can still keep up with him now," Daisy said in a deep voice. "At this moment, he has become a stranger to us."


    "Did we place our trust in the wrong person?" Terrence said unwillingly.


    The two then stopped talking and continued to watch the fight between Ronson and Thiago.


    "The power of array patterns will throw you away now!" Thiago roared coldly and sternly the next moment. The tone was completely different from his indifferent tone earlier. After that, the patterns on the array that he created released a powerful force that directly drove Ronson away.


    Clack! Clack! In no time, Ronson was thrown back violently in the air.


    At the same time, his face grew gloomy and ferocious as he realized that Thiago''s strength was far beyond his expectations.


    "The Array Armor!" Thiago roared once again. The moment Ronson was thrown away, he immediately burst out another array skill. Without any delay, the cyan patterns on his forehead were rapidly diffused like snakes slithering all over his body.


    At that very moment, it seemed as if Thiago was


    It is the most sacred weapon from the Eastern Empire. How could it be given to Ronson?"


    "The momentum it is exuding is proof that it is not the real Eastern Brilliant Sword. It is said that the Eastern Empire had created some fake Eastern Brilliant Swords. Some of these fake Eastern Brilliant Swords are demi-sacred weapons, while some are spiritual weapons at the advanced stage or the at the intermediate stage," some warriors who knew more about the sword said.


    "That sword Ronson is using right now must be a fake Eastern Brilliant Sword, a spiritual weapon at the intermediate stage."


    "That should explain it!"


    "Now that he even resorted to using the fake Eastern Brilliant Sword, it seems that he is trying to end the battle with one strike."


    "It''s not a wise choice to prolong a battle against the owner of the Array Mutant. What Ronson is doing sounds like the best plan," said a warrior.


    "Next, let''s wait and see whether the fake Eastern Brilliant Sword could outmatch the strength of the Array Mutant."


    The discussion then subsided as they gazed upon the battle with great interest.


    ''Thiago, show me the maximum limit of your strength and how powerful your Array Mutant truly is, '' Ricky thought to himself as he watched the fight.


    "As the owner of the Array Mutant, you won''t feel much shame after I kill you with my Eastern Brilliant Sword," Ronson said ferociously after he burst out his momentum to its limit.


    "If the sword you are holding is the real Eastern Brilliant Sword, I would not even try to resist and just surrender at once. Unfortunately, what you have is merely a fake one," Thiago replied in the same ferocious tone, completely ignoring Ronson''s threatening words.

 Chapter 664 The Five-element Array

    Ronson and Thiago eyed each other murderously. They were gathering their power and momentum at the same time, attempting to intimidate each other.


    In the midst of the golden light emitted by the Eastern Brilliant Sword, Ronson looked as domineering as a real emperor. He grasped the sword in an overbearing manner as if he was to cut the zenith in half.


    On the other hand, Thiago looked like a killing ghost from hell. Green lines that contained dense killing energy emerged all over his body. His menacing stance and smile could only mean he was going to activate a killing array in the next few minutes.


    "Emperor Strike! My sword is coming!" Ronson bellowed, charging at Thiago in midair.


    His eyes glowed and with every step he made forward, his body as well as his sword grew bigger.


    He merged with the golden shadow condensed behind him.


    His change looked like a change in image. Ronson grew bigger and bigger just like beasts grew bigger after they turned into their real bodies.


    ''Is this some kind of blood power?'' Ricky thought to himself, watching Ronson change.


    The warriors watching the battle talked among themselves. "That''s the blood power of the Eastern Empire¡ªGiant blood power, isn''t it?"


    "Yeah, exactly. That''s the Giant blood power. But there are various kinds of Giant blood power. The Giant blood power of the Eastern Empire falls into the category of Golden Giant." Some of the warriors with relevant knowledge exchanged opinions.


    "Once the Giant blood power is activated, the wielder''s body will become bigger and his power, enlightenment, momentum, speed, and sensitivity will improve significantly."


    ''The blood power of the Eastern Empire¡ªthe Giant blood power?'' Ricky thought to himself upon hearing the conversations around him. ''Now Ronson''s strength is much more powerful than Jackson''s when I fought against him. Thiago, please show me how strong your Array Mutant is.''


    Within seconds and with a deafening sound, Ronson towered over Thiago. He stood twenty meters tall now with the golden sword in his hands giving out chilly enlightening light.


    Thiago braced himself as Ronson dashed toward him at break-neck speed.


    Ronson and his sword was now emanating tremendous energy of ruin that the earth collapsed below him as he charged at Thiago in midair. All the warriors watched as Ronson carved a path on the g


    ained from his body. He found himself on the Holy Ant Platform, too.


    "What terrible power! It defeated Ronson as easily as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood!" one of the onlookers exclaimed. "Is this the power of the array? Ronson is a strong genius, but even he was defeated by the array."


    "I think the Array Mutant is more powerful than the power of the array."


    "An array genius could never summon five killing arrays and three Spiritual Energy Gathering Arrays that quickly no matter how strong he is. Only the owner of the Array Mutant can do that." The space erupted in speculation with everyone present expressing their opinions at the same time.


    "I dare say nobody here stands a chance against Thiago at the moment. He is the greatest dark horse in the Land of Legacy at this time. I don''t think Ricky or Henry is a match for him."


    ''Is this all the power of the Array Mutant? You hid your power so carefully, Thiago. I wonder if you have more power than the eight arrays, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Obtaining the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe seemed much more difficult now than he had imagined.


    He thought Henry was the only mystical opponent to deal with. Now he also had Thiago to worry about, a complete stranger to him and his fellows. Suddenly they found they knew even less about him than about Henry.


    "I didn''t expect the third prince of the Eastern Empire to be a mediocre fighter," Thiago said flatly, expressing zero excitement for his victory. He withdrew all his arrays and floated down on the Holy Ant Platform.

 Chapter 665 Thiagos Answer

    The way Thiago uttered his words indicated that he never saw Ronson as a formidable opponent.


    At the same time, this judgment seemed reasonable because Ronson was in an utterly disheveled state. His clothes were tattered, revealing wounds from all over his body. His face looked pale, showing that he was gravely injured inside by the enlightening power.


    Blank and lifeless, his eyes gave out an extremely gloomy aura.


    He was not used to failing his battles, but he lost this one badly. A great opportunity was presented to him and he lost in front of so many people. This would reflect badly on him, the third prince of the Eastern Empire


    Despite being against the idea of giving up, he could no longer fight against Thiago. After all, he clearly knew that he was not on the same level with him. At best, all he could do at this point was give up and accept his fate solemnly. With this, he might even improve whatever was left of his strength. Then, someday, he could take the heritage here from the body who inherited the Massacring Holy Ant tribe.


    As one of the top geniuses, he would never let one failure define him as a warrior.


    "So what? You want to kill me?" Ronson raised his head and asked Thiago in a hoarse voice after he figured out everything in his mind.


    "Kill you?" Thiago repeated after hearing Ronson''s question. "I''m not interested in killing lives. All I wanted was the Holy Ant Platform. Now that I have achieved it, I don''t have to waste my strength to do anything else.


    Besides, obtaining the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe is much more important than killing you."


    "Really? Since you opted to spare my life, you''d better keep in mind what happened today. I will never forget this," Ronson spat coldly.


    "Do you think I will be threatened by someone I have already defeated?" Thiago responded flatly.


    "Just wait and see," Ronson determinedly mentioned as the sinister look on his face never left. He then picked up his sword and jumped off the Holy Ant Platform.


    As Thiago suggested, Ronson jumped off the Holy Ant Platform without any fuss. However, anybody who paid attention to what happened caught the deep killing intent that emanated from Thiago''s eyes.


    ''He is eager to kill Ronson right then and there, and he obviously has the capacity to do so. And yet,


    the battle started.


    "I didn''t expect that even an ace genius as you could be deceived and fooled," Pearl playfully joked with Ricky through telepathy.


    It pleased her to witness Ricky frustrated even though they made peace with each other temporarily.


    "Of course, that can happen sometimes. It just so happened that I can''t see people''s hearts through my eyes," Ricky answered, annoyed.


    He was unmistakably dejected when he realized that Thiago had lied to them. But at the same time, he learned a valuable lesson¡ªhe could not believe anybody too easily in the world of martial arts, where the law of the jungle prevailed.


    Hearing Soar''s words, Ricky, Daisy and others all shifted their eyes towards Thiago as they all waited for his response.


    Despite the heated gaze of many, Thiago remained calm for he had already expected this to happen one way or another.


    "Soar, you accuse me of fooling all of you. But can you tell me how? Did I commit murder? Or did I harm any of you?" Thiago asked, his voice calm and collected.


    "On the contrary, I have been helping you in my own way, haven''t I? I helped you fight against Landon and I helped you deploy a small Spiritual Energy Gathering Array.


    So I don''t think I owe you any apology for that matter. Maybe you think I deceived you because I didn''t reveal my strength to you. But come to think of it, that just sounds ridiculous."


    Hearing that, Soar, Daisy and the rest all fell silent as they thought Thiago''s words sounded reasonable. They could not find any word to refute him.

 Chapter 666 Heavenly Passage And Golden Passage

    "Thiago, if it is possible, I hope we still remain as friends. If we can''t be friends anymore, I hope at least we are not enemies," Ricky said.


    Meanwhile, he hinted at Soar with his eyes, giving him the tip to retreat. As far as everything had gone, there was no point in asking about those things. Nothing mattered anymore as long as the friendship between Soar and him didn''t change.


    Soar naturally knew what Ricky meant. He then landed on a golden platform.


    No one was right or wrong concerning Thiago or them. Their disagreement was perhaps due to the differences of their moral values.


    In Thiago''s view, there was no such thing as trust or brotherhood in a world where the strong dominated the weak. So he would never display his full strength unless he was faced with life-and-death situations.


    Ricky and Soar, on the other hand, believed there was a genuine life-and-death brotherhood forged between them despite being in such a cruel world of martial arts.


    "Ricky, we won''t be enemies. Anyway, I don''t have the guts to make an enemy of you, an ace genius," Thiago said upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    Ricky nodded slightly in response.


    As they had different perceptions towards martial arts, there was no chance for them to become good friends.


    Afterwards, everyone in the area calmed down. Ricky and the other four seated themselves on the Holy Ant Platforms with their legs crossed. They waited quietly for the platforms to take them to the land of inheritance. The other warriors also occupied golden platforms for themselves to cultivate.


    Sure enough, they had to wait for the five to enter the land of inheritance if they wanted to fully devote themselves to the cultivation.


    "Pearl, I sincerely want to form an alliance with you after we enter the land of inheritance," Ricky said to Pearl through their telepathic connection after he seated himself down.


    "Really? Form an alliance with me? I have to admit, I''m really surprised." Pearl felt a little uncertain upon what Ricky just said. "I want to know the reason why you want me as your ally. After all, we have always been each other''s enemies. There is no trust between us at all."


    "My reason is plain and simple. My inst


    said lightly upon hearing Henry''s words. "Then what do you plan to choose for the next step? Shall we have a life-and-death duel right here in the square?"


    "Ha-ha, it is too early to have one right now. It''s not the right time," Henry said lightly with a faint smile.


    "Yori, Thiago and I will choose the Golden Passage and try to get the antenna inside it. Ricky and Pearl can choose the Heavenly Passage and try to obtain the antenna there. I think this is fair for all of us. Ricky, you have no reason to reject it, right?"


    "I see." Ricky just nodded in response.


    Ricky knew that Henry wanted to have the battle after they succeeded in collecting the two antennae. And that was also what he had in mind. After all, it would be easier to collect the two antennae while there were more people.


    "But before we act, another doubt still lingers in my head," Ricky then said.


    "As long as your question is not about my origin or how I got to know everything about this place, I can answer you frankly," Henry said with a smile.


    "Ok. What I want to know is, how has Thiago become your ally?" Ricky asked.


    "I see. Perhaps for you, this is indeed something of importance." Henry gave a faint smile upon hearing Ricky''s question. He looked at Thiago. It was clear he was suggesting that Thiago answer the question himself.


    Just now Henry said he would go to the Golden Passage with Thiago and Yori, and it was exactly an admission that Thiago was on his side.

 Chapter 667 The Golden Light Array

    Ricky fixed his gaze at Thiago.


    "Ricky, everyone has friends who share the same personality. Henry and I are that kind of friends. If my secrecy is letting you down, I can do nothing but sincerely apologize," Thiago said lightly.


    "Don''t worry, Thiago. I hold no resentments, just mere curiosity of how you and Henry become friends," Ricky said. "I understand what you mean. Let''s move on and go our own separate ways.


    I hope we can all run the race smoothly and reap the Massacring Antennae. Otherwise, none of us will obtain the inheritance."


    "Ha-ha! Ricky, you''re an ace genius. I surely believe that you can do it," Henry smiled, after hearing what Ricky said. "But I''m a little worried that you two will start fighting in the passage. I know both of you are known to have a cat-and-mouse relationship."


    "Henry, please be assured that I won''t do any harm to Ricky before the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe appears," Pearl said.


    "Ricky, I am afraid those three would rather have you get the Massacring Antenna," Tina said to Ricky telepathically. "I suspect they chose the Golden Passage because they knew something about it."


    "It''s logical that they know a lot about this place since they seem to know everything about these two passages," Ricky said. "Don''t worry. They will not do anything to us until Pearl and I have collected the Massacring Antenna."


    Before long, Ricky and Pearl entered the Heavenly Passage while Henry and his companions entered the Golden Passage.


    ...


    "Henry, do you really think that Ricky and Pearl have what it takes to pass the tests of the Heavenly Passage and obtain another Massacring Antenna successfully?" Yori said through their telepathic link soon after entering the Golden Passage.


    "I think I can follow them both secretly."


    "Don''t look down on an ace genius. Although we do not know what tests the Heavenly Passage holds for them, the luck of an ace genius is undeniable," Henry said.


    "Our plan is to take advantage of his luck and obtain the Massacring Antenna in the Heavenly Passage for ourselves. I''m sure you two are just dying to get your hands on it. We have been kept hidden for countless years. It is time to unleash our power. The inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe will be ours and only ours. B


    Pearl suggested as she moved and ducked the rays quickly.


    "That''s worth a shot. Let''s gather all our power and attack one of the golden pillars together," Ricky agreed.


    "Ok! Let''s do this!" Pearl nodded.


    The next moment, their momentum and power were ready to be unleashed. Ricky used his Massacring Golden Palm, attacking the golden pillar directly.


    Pearl''s Dark Enlightenment surged out with forceful violence. It transformed into a black whip, and lashed furiously at the golden pillar.


    However, the golden pillar seemed to have a life of its own. It instantly recalled the golden beams and then fused them all together into a strong and sharp golden arrow. The formidable structure before their eyes resisted every attack they hurled at it.


    Boom! Boom!


    Loud noises erupted around the collision. Unfortunately, Ricky''s and Pearl''s attacks only lasted for a while before they collapsed. Then, the golden arrow continued to quickly fly towards the two of them.


    "What a powerful force of this golden light!" Ricky said with shock on his face after seeing this.


    Although his and Pearl''s attacks were not with all their strength in this attack, they were still as good as ninety percent of all their might. What they could not imagined was that their attacks were defeated by the golden pillar.


    However, the two did not accept defeat. They mustered their power immediately and made much stronger attacks to resist the golden arrow. They knew very well that even the slightest pause could cost them their lives.

 Chapter 668 Should I Save Her Or Not

    Whoosh!


    However, before the two of them could launch another attack, there were blares that were accompanied by a diffusing golden light. The three other golden pillars were all surrounded by golden lights, all of which contained power equal to the limit level of a middle spiritual king.


    Everything that was taking place at that moment could be reflected through the light curtain.


    All of a sudden, the attack encountered by Ricky and Pearl quadrupled in number.


    The golden lights seemed to have doubled in speed, and Ricky and Pearl didn''t have enough time to dodge or defend themselves.


    "The second level of Ultimate Golden Body!" Without any hesitation, Ricky used the second level of Ultimate Golden Body to shield them inside.


    Cling! Clang! The golden lights ended up landing a direct hit on the second level of Ultimate Golden Body and bounced back in the Golden Light Array.


    The golden arrow had left deep marks on the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. The impact it left was a clear demonstration of how powerful it was.


    "How formidable the array is!" Pearl said while still being able to remain calm. The recent attack was, indeed, packed with power, but it would take more than that to make her shiver or twitch her eyebrow.


    Also, it seemed as though she had her own way of dodging the golden light even without the protection of Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body.


    Ricky second level of Ultimate Golden Body had reached the major achievement after he had successfully refined the Massacring Sand. Massacring Sand was, after all, deemed to be a true treasure.


    "You really have a magnificent golden body." Pearl also noticed the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. Her face shifted into a more serious expression.


    If the golden arrow alone could already speak for the extreme power possessed by the Land of Legacy, and yet the only serious impact it could leave on the second level of Ultimate Golden Body was a few scratches and marks, then there was no way that Pearl could destroy it.


    As such, she would only be at a disadvantageous position in the life-and-death battle she was going to have with Ricky.


    "Well, if it wasn''t magnificent, we''d probably be dead by now," Ricky smiled. "Let''s fig


    ad visible specks of fear glistening around them.


    Maybe it was the first time she had ever felt real fear.


    She had thought about it, but she didn''t imagine her strongest move would be crushed so effortlessly and that the golden pillars would be able to recover with quite a powerful counter-attack.


    The attack was definitely powerful and unexpected. Pearl didn''t have any time to react or protect herself. Had she slowed down for just a millisecond, she would have probably been shredded into pieces by the four golden blades.


    "Should I save her or not?"


    For some reason, Ricky hesitated.


    Ricky knew of two ways that he could save Pearl from the powerful golden blades. The first one was to utilize the Chaotic Fire Zone, and the second was to use the Golden Spirit Eyes.


    But part of him strongly wanted to prevent exposing any of the two moves to Pearl, as much as possible.


    Yet, he could also see right before him that Pearl was in real danger. He knew and felt that she was definitely hiding something from him. Looking more closely, Pearl was immobilized and unable to use any of her moves. This meant that she was really in a hopeless situation.


    "Should I save her or not?" Ricky asked himself again, feeling the pressure add up as the clock continued to tick.


    "Ricky, you should save her." There was another voice in his head. It was Tina''s. "At least, you have to...right now. Or else, it means that you don''t have the confident to beat her fair and square."

 Chapter 669 Too Much Massacring Sand

    "Tina, are you trying to goad me into saving Pearl?" Ricky asked telepathically with a smile after hearing what Tina said.


    Meanwhile, his Golden Spirit Eyes activated and gave out thousands of rays of golden light. Immediately, the golden light emitted and resonated to slow down the four golden blades that were about to strike Pearl.


    "Golden Spirit Eyes! Receive my fatal attack with the golden light!"


    Ricky exclaimed. Amongst the thousands of rays of golden light, four thick streams of golden light shot out from his eyes as fast as sharp arrows. The four streams of golden light passed through the air and reached the four golden pillars in an instant.


    The power of the Golden Spirit Eyes was able to defeat everything with ease as if it was merely crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood. The golden light that emitted from the golden pillars could not resist the light from the Golden Spirit Eyes at all.


    An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The moment the four thick arrows of light collided against the golden pillars, the golden pillars collapsed and the golden light dispersed. At the same time, the four golden blades that edged over Pearl''s head disappeared completely.


    It was as if time was put to a stop. In the blink of an eye, rage was replaced by silence.


    The sudden change took Pearl, who was in a state of panic, by surprise. Not knowing what to do, she shifted her eyes towards Ricky. To be more precise, she shifted her eyes towards Ricky''s Golden Spirit Eyes.


    However, Ricky went back to his normal eyes before Pearl could see them.


    At that moment, Pearl had very complicated feelings in her heart. For the first time in her life, she had been rescued by someone who was a male and an enemy.


    Despite the temporary alliance between her and Ricky out of necessity, the hatred between the two of them remained and could not be denied.


    ''Am I supposed to feel excited or disappointed? Should I feel excited to have been rescued or disappointed to have been rescued by the last person in the world I would seek help from?'' Pearl couldn''t help but think to herself.


    Unconsciously, she gradually withdrew the Feminine Mutant she had activated to return to her usual state.


    Ricky didn''t think about it as much as she did. While the four golden pillars disappeared, he merged with the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. The golden fingers formed a fist that immediately hit the light curtai


    emely astonished even if she herself was a genius that came from a large force.


    That was because the Massacring Sand was too much that it created an unbelievable scene.


    Fortunately, it didn''t take a long time for Ricky to calm down from astonishment after going through so much in life. He said to Pearl, "As we agreed, Pearl, let''s equally divide the Massacring Sand between the two of us. Each of us may take half of it."


    "Ricky, I told you that I don''t want to owe anybody anything. Since you already rescued me earlier, I will take only a fifth of the Massacring Sand," Pearl said as a response to Ricky''s proposal.


    "I did rescue you. But I hesitated before doing that. Besides, we are allies for the time being. By rescuing you, I also rescued myself. If I didn''t do it, I would not beat Henry and the other two by myself," Ricky explained to Pearl.


    "And you also said that you will pay your debt of gratitude by letting go of me when we are in a fatal duel one day. To tell you the truth, I really don''t want to die. So please don''t pay me back until that day when I lose a fatal duel against you."


    Ricky then took half of the Massacring Sand and left the other half for Pearl.


    "Ricky, do you have a sense of compassion towards Pearl?" Tina asked in a somewhat jealous tone in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    "Tina, I know you know that I don''t like rivalling against a woman, but that doesn''t mean I won''t rival against her," Ricky answered in a soft voice. Of course he could sense Tina''s jealousy in her voice.


    "The fact is that I would really prefer if she let me live than giving me more of the sand."

 Chapter 670 Dark Nether Island

    "I won''t be able to kill Pearl because the spiritual emperor of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce must have given her some life-saving treasure, just like Doris had left her spiritual hologram in the airship," Ricky revealed.


    "You think a lot, but you are absolutely right," Tina nodded, grasping what Ricky had just said.


    "If that''s what you think, then I will accept the Massacring Sand," Pearl answered. She no longer insisted on refusing to accept Ricky''s plan, and took away the other half of the Massacring Sand.


    "That''s wonderful!" Ricky nodded with a satisfied smile.


    Back then, Ricky had already separated a part of the Massacring Sand that was stored in the Massacring Zone and went on to refine it.


    Of course, his refining process was very slow. After all, he was not yet specialized in that particular skill.


    That very moment, the Golden Light Array receded slowly. Ricky and Pearl returned to the Heavenly Passage again.


    "Henry has already said that there are three tests, and we just passed the first one. In other words, there are still two more waiting for us. The so-called Massacring Antenna should be in the final test," Ricky said.


    "We don''t know how difficult this second test will be, especially in comparison with the Golden Light Array," Pearl murmured.


    "It will definitely be more difficult," Ricky stated. He had already been expecting tougher and more difficult tests lying ahead of them.


    The two of them walked side by side once more towards the depths of the Heavenly Passage.


    About half an hour or so had passed, and the passage morphed into a portal. They soon found themselves being surrounded by the force of some array. What followed was the two were transported into a gloomy island made up of mostly rocks.


    The color of the island was gloomy and gray. It was almost the size of a small city.


    The area surrounding the island was completely dark. It was extremely notable how the full-bodied dark power gathered from all corners of the land and spread towards the island.


    Moreover, the periphery of the island seemed to be shrinking. That was to say, the island was getting smaller by the second. Judging by the rate at which it continuously diminished in size, it might only take about ten hours before the gray island disappeared completely.


    Once the island disappeared, he and Pearl would sink into the endless depths of the dark power around them.


    From Ricky''s perspective, the endless dark power only gave him the impression of death and danger.


    "What is the test this time?" Ricky muttered.


    Similar to what took place in the Golden Light Array, two messages appeared in the void and entered the minds of Ricky and Pearl.


    "This place is called the Dar


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    heads and looked extremely ferocious. It also had four dark and thick arms.


    The roar it emitted was so extremely deep and loud that it seemed to shake both heaven and earth. It made the whole Dark Nether Island shudder with fear.


    Almost involuntarily, Pearl''s and Ricky''s faces darkened with tension. They were expecting the worst, but this was far beyond what they had anticipated. They sensed an indomitable power that was more serious than the Golden Light Array.


    "This Dark Nether Beast is very powerful. Maybe our combined forces will not be enough to defeat it," Ricky murmured solemnly.


    Boom! Boom! Not having anything else to say, Ricky then let the flames soar and turn into armor to wrap his whole body. The seven magnificent flames also surrounded him.


    Pearl also activated the Feminine Mutant, transforming herself into the form of a dark queen.


    "We will strike at this Dark Nether Beast from the front and the back!" Pearl exclaimed, having carefully assessed their chances against the beast. "Then, I will use the Feminine Mutant to feel and find the weakness of this huge beast."


    "Oh?" Ricky grinned. He thought that he really must give it to Pearl for being so brave, unfazed and sharp even in the face of impending danger. "I haven''t expected that your Feminine Mutant would have such an intellectual effect on you. If you''ve made up your mind, then I have no choice but to support you."


    "Ricky, it seems that Pearl wants to earn your awe and respect once again," Tina smiled slightly.


    "This isn''t news, though, Tina. I mean, how can a proud person like Pearl allow herself to be rescued by others?" Ricky said with a shrug. Pearl really was just being herself. There was nothing outstanding or weird about her proposal and her willingness to take charge of the situation they were in.

 Chapter 671 Fusing The Massacring Sand With The Ultimate Golden Body

    ''It seems that Pearl wishes to prove herself this time, '' Ricky thought, shifting his attention back to the fight. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and braced himself.


    A thundering roar shook the whole area!


    The Dark Nether Beast went straight for its prey like an angry giant ape. Every step it took to lunge towards Ricky rocked the ground like a deadly earthquake. While it charged, its four fists enveloped by dark forces crashed into the ground in turn like meteorites falling to the earth, as if to vent its anger. The quakes quickly spread out and threatened to tear the ground apart.


    "Since your Feminine Mutant could detect the beast''s weakest spots, I will try to distract it as long as I can, while you seize the chance to find its weaknesses," Ricky told Pearl.


    The beast didn''t wait for a decision to be made. Every second only made them closer to death. Wasting no time, Ricky activated the second level of Ultimate Golden Body amidst his fires. Explosive energy unleashed from within him, making him look less vulnerable in the face of the violent Dark Nether Beast.


    "Mm hmm! This place is filled with dark nether energy. I''m afraid we don''t stand any chance of bringing the beast down if we can''t finish it with a single strike. The more we infuriate it, the more dark nether energy it could absorb from the air. Attacking its weaknesses is the only way out," Pearl nodded.


    "One hour. Give me one hour and I will find out the beast''s weak spots."


    "Really? That''s a lot quicker than I imagined," Ricky answered with a small smile, not missing the chance to tease her.


    Having agreed on the strategy, Ricky commanded the Ultimate Golden Body and rushed to the beast. His defense was quickly formed in the process¡ªthe chaotic fire runes fused with the massacring runes, and went on to merge with the strength of the massacring power and the seven kinds of fires. In a flash, an enormous shield of roaring flames and massacring power appeared above Ricky''s head. Simultaneously, the second level of Ultimate Golden Body raised its two arms and crossed them before Ricky to protect him.


    Bang!


    In a heartbeat, the Dark Nether Beast attacked Ricky''s protective barrier with the four of its unstoppable huge fists, causing waves of roaring flames and massacring power to fly in random directions. Following the harsh metallic sound, surges of destructive energy lashed out from the collision and dismembered everything in their paths that couldn''t take the damage.


    ''I''m afraid this Dark Nether Beast has now become the strongest creature in this Land of Legacy. All the energies on this land are now flowing in its body and enhancing its attacks. Let''s see how long you can hold out, Ricky, '' Pearl thought, with a mix of worry and wonder inside of her. From the impact of the clash between the two forces, she could tell it was going to be a rather tough battle.


    Besides winning the battle, she also wished that the beast could push Ricky''s limits and force him to activate the power of his eyes once more.


    Crack!


    Just when Pearl was thinking of the battle''s aftermath, she heard a loud cracking sound. It was like a big tree snapped in a storm.


    It was the shield. A huge crack appeared on the barrier above Ricky''s head. Before he could do anything to repair it, the gash


    t of his Massacring Sand. Now the question was what role it was to play in his "good idea."


    As the Massacring Sand flowed and merged with the massacring runes, Ricky had gained better control of it. Although he was still unable to fuse the sand with the Ultimate Golden Body completely, he was sure to let these two blend into each other for a limited time.


    It was all thanks to the Massacring Zone and massacring runes, and it was how amazing the things they could achieve together.


    The sand assembled all of a sudden and wrapped itself tightly all over the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. The light it gave off burst, becoming much brighter than it was seconds ago. The golden light that encircled the Ultimate Golden Body was so blinding that it looked as if the body had grown bigger.


    "Even though the combination of my Ultimate Golden Body and the Massacring Sand is only temporary, I bet it''s more than enough to resist this beast for an hour," Ricky declared, grinning like a triumphant child.


    ''For god''s sake, is he serious? I never knew that the Massacring Sand could be fused this way. So a warrior could indeed control the Massacring Sand as he wishes through runic power?'' Pearl couldn''t help but exclaim in her heart at the sight of what Ricky had done, though she felt a bit disappointed.


    ''Even if you could hold out for an hour with this trick, I do hope that things won''t go along with your plan. In fact, as long as you are forced to use the power of your eyes in the end, I don''t mind how bad our situation is going to be!'' Pearl cursed venomously.


    "Your opponent is here, Dark Nether Beast!" Ricky shouted. "Now have a taste of the strength and fury of the Massacring Sand." Ricky yelled and drew the monster''s attention back to him. His voice was low and cold yet with a ton of confidence. The Dark Nether Beast was enraged. It changed its direction and went straight for Ricky again.


    At his command, the chaotic fire runes and massacring runes sped up and shot upwards. They converged and spun directly to the Dark Nether Beast, like they were opening a way for Ricky''s upcoming attack. Without delay, the Ultimate Golden Body swung its golden fist following the runes.

 Chapter 672 The Feminine Devouring Skill

    When Ricky threw his fist, the Dark Nether Beast also formed another enlightening passage and threw its four fists in an attempt to counter Ricky''s fist. They collided with each other once again.


    Boom! Boom!


    A loud explosion echoed through the skies. Amidst the turbulence, Ricky was no longer blown up into the air like he did earlier. Instead, both Ricky and the Dark Nether Beast were pushed a few steps back.


    It seemed that the fight was about to end in a draw. None of them were able to dominate their opponent this time.


    "What? Ricky just successfully defended himself from that beast!" Pearl murmured to herself in surprise after seeing the situation. "The runic power, is it really capable of manipulating the Massacring Sand? If yes, then it is truly mesmerizing.


    It seems that he doesn''t even need the power hidden from his eyes this time."


    Now that she was unable to see what she had wanted, Pearl decided to do something useful. Without any hesitation, she waved her whip and whipped it towards the Dark Nether Beast. The whip hit the beast on its chest.


    Pearl wanted to see which part of the beast was the most fragile so she took advantage of it being distracted by Ricky''s attacks.


    ''It seems that I was right! Before I refine the Massacring Sand, I can use it as a weapon to fight as long as I utilize both the Massacring Zone and the massacring runes in manipulating it!'' Ricky exclaimed in his heart. He was also surprised by the result of the battle.


    "Attention! It seems like the chest is not its weakest part," Pearl notified Ricky as soon as she could.


    "We have to keep trying until we find its weakest part! I may not be able to defeat it now but it cannot defeat me as well. I''ll keep attacking it," Ricky said with confidence.


    The next moment, he launched another attack and entangled himself with the Dark Nether Beast. Another ferocious exchange was about to begin.


    Pearl, on the other hand, continued to attack different parts of the beast.


    As a matter of fact, Pearl had already sensed which part of the beast was the most fragile thanks to her Feminine Mutant. She somehow felt it since the very beginning when the Dark Nether Beast first appeared.


    The Feminine Mutant was very powerful. The feminine power from it was the purest form of dark power in the world. Taking that into consideration, the power owned by the beast was much weaker than Pearl''s feminine power.


    That was the reason why the owner of the Feminine Mutant was able to feel the weakest part of other creatures that also owned any form of dark power.


    Pearl had not told R


    ld by the Oriental College.


    "Well, I hate to admit it but I would prefer it if you defeat the beast. Truth to be told, I couldn''t find any other way to deal with it. So please show me how capable your devouring power is,"


    Ricky said in a flat tone.


    The giant mouth created by the Dark Nether Beast had already approached Pearl within a few seconds.


    When the mouth reached her, the devouring power that had been waiting in her black eyes finally burst out. It then melted with the feminine enlightening power before turning into two swirls that dashed out ferociously.


    That was the time when Pearl had broken out the power that belonged to her Feminine Mutant.


    It could be seen that wherever Pearl laid her eyes on, the dark power in that area would be manipulated by her. Even the dark nether energy that belonged to the Dark Nether Beast was easily controlled by her as well.


    ''That is the real power of the Feminine Mutant! I''ll have to admit that my devouring power is definitely weaker than hers, '' Ricky sighed in surprise as he saw what was happening in front of him.


    Now, he was certain that Pearl would be able to defeat the beast altogether.


    "You are merely not as strong as her when faced with the Dark Nether Beast, Ricky. Don''t feel frustrated. You can be considered to have the Devouring Mutant. Scratch that, your mutant is more powerful than the Devouring Mutant!" Tine comforted Ricky in a soft voice.


    Ricky had helped her in removing the terrible evil spirit from her body. That fact was solid enough to prove his power and ability. Even the powerful warriors from her own clan were unable to do that when they tried.


    "Ha-ha! You know me very well, Tina," Ricky said to her before laughing.

 Chapter 673 Dark Water

    As her momentum rose, Pearl''s two devouring awls went straight to the big horrifying mouth.


    It was supposed to be a fierce collision but it ended up with one force dominating the other. As the two devouring awls approached their target, the big horrifying mouth broke down and dispersed.


    The dark nether energy left by the big horrifying mouth was then immediately devoured by the two devouring awls.


    Then at lightning speed, the two devouring awls entered the belly of the Dark Nether Beast. It was simply impossible for the Dark Nether Beast to overcome the devouring awls at that moment.


    Every attack the Dark Nether Beast launched were immediately devoured by the devouring awls.


    "How could this be possible? I didn''t expect Pearl to be able to comprehend such great devouring power," Ricky sighed with emotions as he saw what was happening.


    At that moment, he had no choice but to admit that his comprehension of the devouring power would have been far behind Pearl''s if he didn''t have help from the Devourer Zone.


    "Maybe this indicates how powerful the owner of the Feminine Mutant could be, Ricky," Tina said. "Pearl will be regarded as a top genius even if she goes to the Middle Land. Her Feminine Mutant is more than enough to ensure that she would have that level of reputation."


    "The mutant power is really mesmerizing," Ricky sighed in awe.


    He didn''t expect Pearl''s mutant to be this powerful.


    The next moment, the Dark Nether Beast screamed in great pain. After the two devouring awls entered its belly, its entire body began to fall apart. Undoubtedly, the two devouring awls were rapidly devouring the power of the Dark Nether Beast.


    That was because the Feminine Mutant had the ability to restrain all kinds of feminine power.


    Soon enough, the Dark Nether Beast disappeared completely. Only the two infernal devouring awls were left in its place as they hovered in the air. The two devouring awls then returned to the shadow behind Pearl.


    By then, the Dark Nether Island stopped shrinking, which indicated that they had already passed the Dark Nether Array.


    As soon as the dark nether energy disappeared, two huge gusts of


    voice. "Are you saying that you want to drop your benefactor the moment you no longer need my help?"


    "No. If that was the case, then I would not have told you to keep away from the center for a hundred feet," Pearl said.


    "It seems that this opportunity can satisfy you very much. With that in mind, I''m going to back off like you said. It''s not because I don''t believe that I can''t take the opportunity away," Ricky said.


    He then jumped backwards about a hundred feet like she said.


    Although he was away from the center, he felt increasingly cold as time passed by. The coldness was overwhelming to both his mind and body.


    As a result, he had no other choice but to activate the chaotic fire runes, in order to resist the coldness with the infernal power. It was not until he burst the Heaven Melting Fire that he was finally able to block the coldness.


    "The flames on your body are marvelous! They are able to resist the coldness," Pearl commented as she saw Ricky utilize the roaring flames.


    By then, the dark nether energy had already finished condensing at the center of the island. It seemed to have formed a puddle of black spring water.


    At the same time, Ricky could still feel some of the coldness despite having the protection of his Heaven Melting Fire.


    "Now you can tell me what the next opportunity is," Ricky said.


    "It''s dark water, dark water with a purity of one hundred percent," Pearl said solemnly.

 Chapter 674 Pearl Made A Mistake

    Hearing Pearl''s words, both Ricky and Tina were stunned. It was way beyond their imagination to see the real dark water with their own eyes.


    If the Massacring Sand was a kind of treasure with the lightest attribute, then the dark water was the one with the darkest and coldest attribute.


    The dark water was also a Treasure from Heaven and Earth.


    The dark water was perfect for Pearl, who had the Feminine Mutant, just like the Massacring Sand and Massacring Soil were good for Ricky''s Source of Golden Body.


    At that moment, Ricky finally understood why Pearl was very excited.


    He also understood why Pearl asked him to move a hundred feet back. She wanted to protect him.


    The dark water had the darkest form of power that everything within a certain radius would be frozen, even it was a middle spiritual king.


    Pearl had the Feminine Mutant which meant she was the only one strong enough to bear the immense dark power of the dark water.


    "Ricky, I didn''t know it would be the dark water. It may not be as strong as the Massacring Sand, but it is still one of a kind. We are at the Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe. Things are sure to develop towards the opposite direction once things become extreme. Maybe this is why there is dark water here!" said Tina in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    "Yes, maybe that is the reason." Ricky nodded after hearing Tina''s claims.


    "Though I don''t own the Feminine Mutant myself, and not a practitioner of any feminine spiritual energy, I can also absorb great energy from the dark water and turn it into my own using the four zones. This is also another opportunity for me." Ricky was excited as well.


    "However, how will you collect the dark water? Even if you have the sacred fire, it won''t be easy for you to get close to it. After all, the fire released by you should match your own level," said Tina in a worried voice.


    "I still have to give it a shot!" said Ricky.


    At that moment, a puddle of dark water appeared at the center of the


    lf so close to the dark water?" said Pearl in disbelief after seeing what was happening.


    Right then, Pearl knew that she had miscalculated.


    However, she was still confident, "Humph! There is no way you can get over the final thirty feet area."


    Crack! Crack!


    Right at that moment, she heard the cracking of the ice. Within the thirty feet area, the dark ice began to appear on Ricky''s body that was covered in his flames.


    The dark ice began to spread all over his body starting from his feet.


    "Humph!" Seeing this, Pearl felt a lot better.


    But she was also ready to help if she needed to. She didn''t want Ricky to die as long as Henry and the other two were still alive.


    "Ricky, you can ask for my help if you''re having trouble dealing with it yourself," Pearl said arrogantly.


    "I am not used to asking a woman for help!" Ricky replied.


    "Is that so? Then please feel free to turn into a frozen dark sculpture!" Pearl said unhappily after hearing Ricky''s words.


    She hated anyone that wouldn''t ask for help when put in a difficult situation, even though she was one of them as well.


    "The dark power may be able to freeze other middle spiritual kings, but I won''t let it do anything to me," said Ricky in a cold voice as his red eyes turned dark.


    Crack!


    His entire body was then engulfed in dark flames.

 Chapter 675 Exchange

    That black flame was none other than the Heaven Illuminating Fire.


    Wasn''t it said that the dark water could freeze weak creatures and everything else? Ricky wanted to check whether it could freeze his Heaven Illuminating Fire.


    As Ricky had expected, the Heaven Illuminating Fire burned the dark ice.


    Additionally, not just the ice on Ricky''s body, but also the ice in the whole area was covered by Heaven Illuminating Fire in an instant.


    Under Ricky''s control, the attack of the Heaven Illuminating Fire didn''t burn or hurt Pearl at all.


    And just in a little while, under the scorching heat of the Heaven Illuminating Fire, all the ice in the whole area turned into cold gas and flowed back into the dark water.


    After seeing this unfold in front of her, Pearl was struck dumb and stood frozen.


    How could it be possible? How was this black flame able to burn the cold ice condensed by dark water? Pearl thought incredulously as she was completely stunned.


    She had really miscalculated this time. What Ricky had done was far beyond her imagination.


    To make matters worse, the black flame broken out by Ricky could even burn the incredibly cold ice. Undoubtedly, this flame could burn anything and everything.


    This time, Ricky had shocked her with his trump card once again.


    Maybe Ricky possessed other powerful trump cards as well which were even stronger than the power of his golden eyes, or maybe he didn''t. At this moment, Ricky''s real strength was the mystery, like being covered with a supremely fine veil that didn''t allow Pearl to see through him.


    "Pearl, it seems that you don''t have to help right now," Ricky smiled smugly, looking at Pearl.


    "Humph!" Pearl snorted at Ricky''s self-satisfied grin.


    Right then, Ricky no longer had any hesitation. He manipulated the Heaven Illuminating Fire to change into a cage, using it to envelop the remaining half of the dark water. Then he put that half of the dark water into the Devourer Zone.


    When she saw Ricky collect the remaining half of the black water, Pearl''s eyes turned slightly reluctant. That was because the dark water really made an extremely strong effect on her Feminine Mutant.


    At this point, had they not committed already to fight together, Pearl would have rushed to R


    ugh they both said so on the face, in their hearts, each was confident that their progress would be greater than the other person''s.


    After the exchange, the two moved on and were ready to face the third test of the Heavenly Passage. They both looked forward to it. That was because only by obtaining the Massacring Antenna from the third test could they be entitled to take part in the battle for the inheritance of Massacring Holy Ant tribe.


    ...


    After half an hour, the Heavenly Passage changed again in a jiffy. They were transported to another place and could feel the power everywhere. Apparently, they had entered another array.


    This time, the array was a rock zone.


    All around them was rock, and even in the middle of the air, huge chunks of rock were floating.


    This rock zone was divided into two parts. Half of the zone was permeated with the massacring power, and the other half was permeated with the dark power.


    It seemed that this rock array was a combination of the previous Golden Light Array and Dark Nether Array.


    "It feels like this is an array with dual attributes. Next, about how to go about breaking the array, I think that it''s quite obvious to both you and me. You deal with the dark part of the array and I will deal with the massacring part," Ricky said to Pearl after he took a look at the array.


    "That''s for sure. I wonder whether the so-called Massacring Antenna is really in this rock array and what exactly the test of this array is," Pearl speculated out loud.

 Chapter 676 A New Mysterious Space

    Then, Ricky and Pearl began to look around the area to check if there was anything. They initially thought that the space would notify them in some way about the array, but it didn''t happen.


    They patiently waited for a long time yet nothing happened. They were unable to detect any useful information in their minds. Ricky and Pearl both closed their eyes and concentrated on searching for any clues but it all ended in vain.


    All they had was further confusion.


    "What exactly is going on here? I couldn''t feel anything in this area. I can''t detect anything unusual, not even a single sign of danger," Ricky asked in a calm voice as he looked at Pearl with puzzled eyes.


    They would be unable to successfully break through the array and pass the test until a single challenge appeared. If nothing changed, they would not have any chance to obtain the Massacring Antenna and escape the area. That was the last thing they wanted to happen.


    Looking at Ricky, Pearl also shook her head. She was also puzzled by the situation they were in. Deep inside, she was having the same heavy heart that Ricky had. The array in that area didn''t seem to be an easy one. The clue would probably be more subtle, unlike the one they had gone through in the former arrays.


    "Maybe we can find something interesting inside those floating rocks," Ricky said with uncertainty.


    Determined, Ricky jumped into the air and threw a punch onto one of the rocks. It cracked and broke down into pieces that fell on the ground.


    At the same time, Ricky also noticed there was a skeleton mixed among the rocks.


    Ricky was a middle spiritual king, so it wasn''t a surprise he was able to notice the skeleton were from a human being. Apart from that, signs of enlightening power still lingered within them. It was not easy to deter that before the warrior turned into a dead skeleton, he must have been at least as strong as a middle spiritual king of peak level.


    "This is surprising. There is a skeleton embedded within the rock. God! I''m afraid there is a bunch of skeletons in each of these rocks," Ricky said to Pearl.


    Without any hesitation, he decided to confirm his guess. Ricky began channeling his strength and smashed more of the other rocks. As expected, more skeletons came out. Some were from human beings while some seemed to be from spiritual beasts.


    "I''m afraid you are right. All of these rocks contain skeletons," Pearl said as she saw what was happening. She then felt something dangerous approaching them.


    "What''s more, there is a high possibility that when they accidentally broke into this space, they were controlled by the ar


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    is heart.


    "So, sir, where exactly are we right now?" Ricky asked.


    "You are supposed to collect the Massacring Antenna so that you can enter the Land of Legacy of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe. This is the place where the Massacring Antenna is more likely to appear. And it is also my Land of Legacy to some degree," Jacob said.


    What Ricky and Pearl did not notice at first was that there was a hint of evil in Jacob''s smile and eyes.


    "Your Land of Legacy?" Ricky repeated in surprise. Pearl also glued her eyes on Jacob with a surprised look.


    "I was a servant of a powerful warrior. After I was gone, he cursed me and successfully kept a part of my soul here to protect the Massacring Antenna," Jacob explained.


    "Only those who pass the test could break through the Dark and Light Rock Array. When that happens, my soul will finally be free.


    And the test is to successfully master a cultivation method of mine."


    Jacob''s words did not scare Ricky and Pearl. Instead, their eyes lit up at the same time. Apparently, they were more than pleased to hear that they could learn another cultivation method.


    Jacob, on the other hand, was also looking forward to their performance. Judging from Ricky''s and Pearl''s reactions, he believed there was a high possibility for them to make it. As a matter of fact, he had confidence in them since the very beginning. He would not have explained everything so carefully to them if he hadn''t.


    "Oh, sir. This is not a challenge for us. I see it more of a precious opportunity for both of us," Ricky said.


    In Ricky''s mind, mastering one more cultivation method was not a difficult or tricky challenge at all. In fact, he would be extremely grateful if Jacob taught them another cultivation method.

 Chapter 677 A Big Problem

    Upon saying these words in excitement, Ricky looked at Pearl with glee. However, their joy might have been short lived when they suddenly realized that it was all too good to be true and that it wasn''t as simple as they thought it would be.


    If the test was to master Jacob''s cultivation method, then why did so many creatures die here?


    "Hey, what''s up? Is there any problem?" Jacob said lightly after noticing the sudden silence form Ricky and Pearl.


    "As a matter of fact, sir, yes there are. We noticed that all the rocks floating around have skeletons in them, and these skeletons are from the creatures who failed in this Dark and Light Rock Array," Ricky reported.


    "You''re right about that. When they all failed, they had their bodies trapped in this array. After they died, their bodies were wrapped in rocks which would float in this space forever," Jacob confirmed.


    "Maybe one day, this Dark and Light Rock Array will disintegrate all by itself, and their skeletons will be exposed again!


    By the way, I have already collected the storage rings. And if you are able to pass the test, I will give them to you. This can be regarded as a contribution to the creatures on the continent. But I shall ask you one thing in return¡ªyou should kill more devils in the future."


    "Sir, now that we know that so many creatures have failed, I think that we, too, might suffer the same fate and will probably have less chances to survive. In other words, it is not enough to pass the test by practicing a single cultivation method. It seems that this is not as simple as you said it was," Ricky said.


    "At this point, it is not necessary for me to give you two juniors false hopes. It is true that a single cultivation method is enough and there is no time limit in doing so. It is simple as that. What''s more, I have faith in the both of you and I''m sure that you will succeed. And that is why I have talked you into this," Jacob said upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    But his words struck Ricky and Pearl with curiosity.


    "Sir, if I may ask, why are you so sure that the both of us can succeed?" Pearl asked.


    "As I have already told you from the beginning, you own the Feminine Mutant. On the other hand, even though he doesn''t own the Massacring Mutant, what he owns is superior to it," Jacob said with a smile on his face.


    "Does it mean that his cultivation method needs tw


    really your cultivation method? If so, can you practice it alone?" Ricky asked Jacob after a moment of tranquility.


    "Ha-ha, I am the Dark and Light Mutant, with the dark and light power in my body. That means that any woman would be suitable for me," Jacob said with a smile upon hearing Ricky''s inquiry.


    "Why do you two still feel shy? In the moment of life and death, you two should make a combination to cultivate even if you are enemies. Otherwise, you will stay here together with the skeletons in the rocks. Would you like that to happen? I don''t think so.


    And besides, one of you owns the Feminine Mutant, and what the other owns is superior to the Massacring Mutant. You are an ideal couple created by nature. This cultivation method is almost perfect for you in every way."


    Cold pea-like sweat started to form on Ricky''s body after he heard Jacob''s words.


    Standing beside them, Pearl, too, looked so helpless like there was no other option.


    "Sir, to tell you the truth, Ricky and I are really mortal enemies, and the forces behind us are also the same. But I believe that there is no other option now. We have no choice but to make a temporary combination to face the situation," Pearl said in a slight sigh.


    "So in that case, it is impossible for us to cultivate together. Is there any other way out of here?"


    Having heard Ricky''s helpless words, Jacob felt more interested on how this situation was going to go.


    And then he laughed. "Ha-ha! How interesting! I didn''t expect you to be mortal enemies. What can I say? This makes things more interesting now."

 Chapter 678 High-handed Ricky

    Jacob was pretty excited after hearing what Ricky had just said. For countless years, as a part of his soul that lacked the freedom he used to have, he had been staying in this Dark and Light Rock Array and only had himself to talk to. It was a very lonely experience that he had almost forgotten how it was to talk to someone else. To his great surprise, he had finally met the young man who would make him want to talk again.


    What surprised him even more was what happened next. It made him more interested and even put him in a happy mood.


    Under the circumstances, Jacob was really wondering in his heart what could happen with Ricky and Pearl. He was curious about what their choices would be. In addition, he thought that it would still be so much fun for him no matter what their decisions would be in the end.


    Deep in his heart, he thought that it was a good thing to get a chance and see something interesting before finally disappearing as a soul. With all that in mind, he could not help but put a smile on his face, something he hadn''t done in a long time.


    "Sir, first of all, this shouldn''t be funny, so can you please stop laughing at it? In addition, please do consider to set up another challenge for us. I won''t complain at all even if the new challenge ends up being ten times more difficult than the one that you just said," Ricky said in a serious tone as he stared at Jacob. Although he looked calm at that moment, he was feeling helpless with Jacob''s test. However, he did not want to reveal his true emotions at all in front of the others. He tried his best to convince Jacob to change his mind.


    "Well, do you not understand that I''m just a soul? I can''t believe that you think that I''m still capable of controlling the Dark and Light Rock Array," Jacob replied after hearing Ricky''s words. "As you can see, I''m nothing more than a lost soul. If it wasn''t for the protection of the power from the array right here, any creature would have already killed me in one breath without much effort.


    In addition, if I had that kind of power, I would have already tried getting out of this hellhole a long time ago. I would never ever spend another second in this place if I had a choice!


    Believe me or not, all I want at this moment is a creature to come and pass the test for me to finally get my freedom. Life in here as a soul isn''t that great. You guys have no idea how awful things could be after living in this world for a long time. Believe me, staying in the world too long will only make you feel disgusted towards everything you encounter.


    Therefore, I would like to suggest that you two work together for this test.


    You two have the perfect physical conditions for dual cultivation given that she has the Feminine Mutant while what you have is superior to the Massacring Mutant. You have no idea how blessed the two of you are to have such strong physical attributes for cultivation. So why cling on to hatred or other worldly ideas that will only hold you back? The law of this martial world is just as cruel as the law of the jungle. The weak shall always fall to the strong.


    I know it is not easy to find your so-called soul mate in a world like this. However, if you two are willing to do the dual cultivation, I''m sure that your genuine feelings towards each other would arise in no time. Now you only have one and only choice here, which is to abandon the hatred you have in your hearts and practice together. Otherwise, the only thing that awaits you is to become rotten skeletons.


    Look down at the skeletons in those rocks. It''ll be too late to say any


    "It looks like you have already made up your mind, am I right?" Jacob asked immediately as he felt that something had changed in Ricky''s tone. He could tell that Ricky had already made his decision in his mind.


    Ricky did not answer Jacob''s question directly but instead turned to look at Pearl.


    "Pearl, I don''t care what you''re thinking of at this moment. I just want you to know that dying in this place is the last thing that I want for the both of us," Ricky calmly stated in a firm voice.


    "So, for the rest of our remaining time, while you and I are stuck in here, I will need you to finish the cultivation method with me. I don''t care whether you''re willing to do this or not, you have to follow my lead so that we can finally get out of here. That''s the only thing I need from you right now."


    Boom! To prepare for everything, Ricky released the full momentum from his body as he spoke, fully aware that Pearl would not agree with him right away.


    As for Ricky, he was not willing to do what he had to do in order to awaken Pearl''s source of feminine energy, which meant that he had to make love to her. However, he was not willing to die there as well. This must be the only way out. They had to do the dual cultivation as Jacob had said earlier. If he was lying, there should not be as many dead creatures in this place. After all, those who were able to enter this place were geniuses with high cultivation levels. Given that glimmer of hope, he would not allow her refusal to impede his survival.


    "Ha-ha! That''s nice! This is exactly how a man should be! I like your overbearing character right now. Keep it up." After Ricky''s words, Jacob could not help but laugh out loud.


    "We should always keep justice in our hearts. And this is our responsibility as creatures from the continent. However, we have to accomplish more using some arbitrary measures. And now, this is exactly one of those moments. Ha-ha!"


    "Sir, you''d better stop talking or laughing right now. Or I will be the one to blow you away!" Ricky stated as he gave Jacob a serious look after hearing him laugh.


    For a moment after Ricky''s words, silence filled the area once again.


    "Ricky, how dare you say this?! Don''t you have any idea that you''re asking for trouble by saying all of that?!" Pearl responded out of fury after Ricky''s statement. Her murderous intent immediately grew more intense as she spoke.

 Chapter 679 Pearls Powerful Skills

    Boom! Boom!


    An intense aura emitted from Ricky and Pearl. Then, the fierce fight between them started in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, their Ultimate Domains crashed towards each other like waves, as they collided head-on with a deafening bang.


    "Pearl, you''d better accept my offer. Otherwise, you are doomed to fail in this battle," Ricky said in a low voice. His eyes narrowed as he looked down upon her from his position in the air. Mighty rays of golden lightning crackled from within him, punctuating his cold stare.


    Forcing a woman was not the kind of thing he would do, but he was left with no other choice.


    "In your dreams! You are nothing but a loser in my eyes. Let me teach you a lesson!" Pearl''s voice was tempered steel, her seething rage just as cold and sharp. The chill in her voice seemed to creep towards other parts of her body. Her eyes suffered the most dramatic change. An unnatural sheen fell over them as if a dark lake flooded and froze over her irises.


    Her body changed too. The innate energy continued to accumulate inside her. Icy veins pulsed with the exertion, emphasizing the strain as her body reached its limit, and then it calmed. She activated her Feminine Mutant. Pearl transformed into a dark queen with a murderous aura. She took the form of a crystalline sculpture, colored only by the shadows trapped within her ice, her body brimmed with mighty power.


    Amid the turmoil of the Dark Gloomy Enlightenment, great surges of dark water flowed freely from Pearl''s body, flooding the surrounding area. The chilling air of the gloomy ice pervaded through the field.


    "That''s impressive. I can''t believe she possesses the dark water. To the best of my knowledge, one can resist the attack of the dark ice only when possessing the Feminine Mutant," Jacob murmured to himself. His jaw dropped. It never occurred to him that Pearl might have had a few tricks up her sleeve.


    "If my memory serves me right, the dark water is the prize when one passes the second test in the Heavenly Passage. There is a high chance the young man''s life will be on the line this time.


    I''m afraid that this battle would be long and fraught with danger since Ricky is not a spiritual emperor." he analyzed as his brows furrowed in worry.


    "The Feminine Mutant is so powerful! I can''t believe that you can activate the dark water in such a short amount of time," Ricky told Pearl as he sensed the strength that radiated from her.


    "But one thing you should be aware of is that the dark water can''t hurt me."


    ''What did he say? He doesn''t fear the dark water at all?'' Staring at Ricky, Jacob was completely dumbfounded by what he said. He wondered how a middle spiritual king would be able to withstand the dark water.


    Suddenly, the raging sound of blazing flames erupted from Ricky''s body.


    Before they could blink, Ricky''s body glowed brighter, as the Heaven Illuminating Fire erupted. The gloomy ice that was expanding retreated in great yards, faster than it had spread. It seemed to flee from the lick of fire that covered Ricky''s body. It stayed still far away, and an eerie silence fell upon the scene as the world stilled, in an impasse.


    It took a long time before Jacob, who was once a spiritual emperor, could recove


    nd Pearl were pushed back in great strides by the intense waves of power. It was also their first time to experience the power of the Dark and Light Rock Array.


    They all felt the array''s unbeatable strength. Time seemed to rewind as they watched the array mend itself back together to create an almost pristine space. It was a display of extremely potent power, making it clear that it was way stronger than them all.


    Almost simultaneously, it occurred to them that if they wanted to get out of here, they would have no choice but to learn the Dark and Light Dual Cultivation Method.


    "Pearl, I believe that you saw it too. It is beyond our capacity to break the power of the Dark and Light Rock Array. So I think..." Ricky trailed, trying to persuade her to accept his offer again. His face grew severer as he analyzed the critical situation.


    Ricky felt shy, too, of asking the same thing from a woman who had already made her refusal clear.


    However, there was no other choice. He didn''t want to die here and turn into one of the floating rocks in this scary place for the rest of his life. That was the last thing he wanted.


    "Stop dreaming about that! I will beat the hell out of you!" The edge in Pearl''s voice brokered no arguments and she was rigid in her refusal. A look of complete disdain appeared on her face as she stared straight at Ricky.


    "Feminine Devouring Skill!" Pearl roared as she summoned her skill.


    As her voice faded away, a domineering aura exuded from within Pearl. The fierce eyes of the dark shadow behind her suddenly opened again, forming into two dark awls. To Ricky''s surprise, they didn''t fly towards him. Instead, they dashed towards the dark area of the Dark and Light Rock Array at full speed.


    Wherever the dark awls went, they frantically absorbed the remnants of Dark Gloomy Enlightenment in the air. All the power that had been assimilated then transferred into Pearl''s body, enriching her strength.


    "I can''t believe that her Feminine Devouring Skill can work like that!" Ricky murmured to himself in surprise as his face grew serious. A feeling of anxiety washed over him as he started to worry about his future.

 Chapter 680 Who Will Win

    Boom!


    At the moment, Pearl''s power had really reached its limit after she devoured the power of the Feminine Enlightenment within the array. Technically, her strength was still limited within the realm of a middle spiritual king. However, Ricky could feel Pearl overpower him at that moment.


    ''I don''t expect that after devouring the power in the array, Pearl has possessed such a powerful force that even leaves me feel crushed from deep within, '' Ricky thought with a heavy heart.


    "Young man, even if you have in your hands the Heaven Illuminating Fire, you don''t seem to have any advantages at all," Jacob communicated with Ricky telepathically.


    Jacob naturally wanted both Ricky and Pearl to practice his cultivation method. Right now, he was on Ricky''s side.


    "You see, the girl has gained the mysterious power of the Feminine Enlightenment from within the Dark and Light Rock Array. Thus, you are, most probably no longer her opponent."


    "But, sir, that''s the ability of the Feminine Mutant. Do you really have no strength or ability to control the power of the Dark and Light Rock Array?" Ricky asked doubtfully upon hearing what Jacob had told him.


    "I have already said that the power here is not within my grasp nor is it under my control. Otherwise, I would have definitely used the power in this array to seize some warrior''s body and leave this place. After all, as long as there is a chance to live, no living creature will miss it," Jacob said honestly.


    "However, I have a feeling that you have other unknown and advanced skills. If my instincts are right, please show them to me. And I still don''t believe that the girl will really kill you. If she kills you, she will lose her last hope."


    Jacob instantly went silent the moment he finished his words. He didn''t believe that Pearl, who was ambitious and highly skilled in martial arts, would give up the only chance to free herself. As a spiritual emperor during the ancient times, Jacob had already experienced a lot. As such, he was able to see through others.


    This was also a form of ruling power that the spiritual emperor possessed. However, it only worked on creatures weaker than the emperors themselves.


    "It seems that if I truly desire to withstand Pearl''s offensive attack, or defeat her at the very least, then I can only use the power of the Golden Spirit Eyes and the power of the four zones," Ricky murmured, feeling the threat creeping deep within his core.


    At this ti


    y Pearl?" Ricky wondered with fear in his heart.


    Boom! The flaming lotus of the Golden Spirit Eyes had already been completely smashed by the whip, which pierced the zone and surrounded Ricky. Ricky, on the other hand, was expected to be entangled to death like what happened to the flaming lotus.


    Without any hesitation, Ricky planned to directly enter the Massacring Zone.


    Unfortunately, it was too late when Ricky discovered that the zone had already been blocked, preventing him from getting in.


    "Humph!" Pearl snorted. "You want to enter the spiritual space tool in your body? You can only wish you could! Let me just tell you, after I absorbed the feminine power in this array, I naturally gained the sealing power. Thus, the entire area is currently being blocked by my feminine power." The tone of Pearl''s voice was cold and harsh.


    "Ricky, I told you, didn''t I? This time, I will win. I will kill you and conquer my inner demon."


    Ricky knew very well that this time he really failed. He knew by the way Pearl spoke to him, that she was dead-set on winning, even if it meant it would be at the cost of Ricky''s life.


    "Well, am I asking for trouble? I want to defeat Pearl. But, it seems I am the one who will be defeated in this battle," Ricky mocked himself.


    To be more precise, he was, in fact, not yet defeated by Pearl. Rather, he was being crushed by the Dark and Light Rock Array. The power of the Dark and Light Rock Array was way above his level, after all.


    At the same time, justice was not a common theme in the martial world, for only the fittest and strongest would survive. This was the law of the jungle.

 Chapter 681 Dignity Gone

    Ricky would never cave in easily under any sort of circumstance, no matter how dire and desperate it was.


    Thus, he was about to give his Blood Vitality Devouring Skill a try.


    However, Ricky found himself to be proven wrong. At the current moment, Pearl was much stronger than she appeared to be. Before he employed his Blood Vitality Devouring Skill, her whip encircled his body.


    The two powers poured into his body. One was the dark power and the other was the sealing power of the array.


    Influenced by these two powers, Ricky''s movements slowed down a bit, which was enough for Pearl to suppress him.


    ''God damn it! It might as well be over, '' Ricky roared inwardly as he realized what was happening.


    He was merely a middle spiritual king and it was natural for him to feel afraid and regretful. He had been suppressing the feelings for a long time and they finally burst out of him explosively today.


    Bang! Pearl lashed him again on the head, which immediately knocked him out of consciousness.


    Instead of killing him, she had just knocked him out.


    "Huh! I knew you wouldn''t dare kill him! You''ll also die if he''s dead!" Jacob laughed out loud when he saw what Pearl was doing.


    "I should respect you because you''re a senior, but I desperately want to kill you right now," Pearl warned him murderously. She vehemently hated being teased by Jacob.


    "To tell you the truth, I want so badly for you to kill me because I am just a soul. But, I''ll keep presenting until someone could break the Dark and Light Rock Array; or if you have the power equaling an spiritual emperor, that will also do," Jacob said wickedly with an evil grin. He didn''t seem even slightly concerned at all about Pearl''s threat.


    "Also, my little girl, you might have gained energy from the array using your Feminine Mutant, but that doesn''t mean you can break the array.


    I believe you''ve tried, or I know you would''ve killed the young man without a second''s hesitation.


    Now that you decided not to kill him, that means you''re considering, or maybe you''ve even made up your mind to cultivate the Dark and Light Dual


    This second phase was really tricky to reach.


    Unless Pearl and Ricky made at least the minor achievement in the first phase, they wouldn''t be able to break the center of the Dark and Light Rock Array no matter how hard they tried.


    It seemed to have taken Pearl forever to take off Ricky''s and her own clothes.


    Soon, Ricky woke up.


    He found himself sitting on his legs on a dainty flowery bed, with clothes on.


    ''Is this hell? Am I dead?'' That was the first thought came to Ricky''s mind in his state of shock, but soon he realized the strange situation that he was in. And, that was Pearl sitting on her legs in mid-air, just like he was.


    As a casting master of Spirit Level, he immediately realized that he was in the inside of some spiritual space tool.


    ''I''m not dead. This is the inside of the spiritual space tool of Pearl, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''Hold on! Why am I here inside her spiritual space tool? Didn''t she just kill me?''


    Ricky thought in confusion.


    Later his eyes were caught by Pearl. He felt something strangely different about her, and also something quite different about himself.


    And, then it suddenly dawned on him.


    ''What the heck? Did the woman just carry out the dual cultivation with me when I was in a coma? She just killed all my dignity as a man!'' Ricky thought to himself. He was equally ashamed and embarrassed as he felt resentful towards Pearl.

 Chapter 682 Acquire The Source Of Feminine

    Right now, Ricky felt bitter.


    He was sure that woman did something to him.


    It was enough for him to lose his pride as a man.


    "Pearl!" he shouted at her. The name bubbled up to his lips in his outrage, like lava rising. Whatever words he had for Pearl died in his throat with nothing but a sputter.


    Though he had lost his pride being a man, it felt that he was taking advantage of her. He felt nothing in particular though.


    "I didn''t know that an ace genius like you would also behave awkwardly under such circumstances. I guess I have overestimated you," Pearl said without opening her eyes.


    "If you have excessive energy, you ought to cultivate. Or do you want to stay here?"


    Pearl''s tone hit notes of complexity, rage, and panic. Rather than asking a question, it was more like she spat the words at his feet.


    "Ha-ha, an ace genius is also a human being!" Ricky smiled and stood up. Pearl''s words dumped water over his head. He shook them off along with his earlier bitterness as he returned to his normal state.


    A teasing complexity could be heard in the lilt of Ricky''s voice too.


    In his heart, though he tried to ignore it, there was the understanding that Pearl was his woman. He buried that understanding deep within his psyche. To have such a relationship with his enemy was unthinkable.


    Their relationship was just a stepping stone on his way to the climax of martial world, something to be used and quickly forgotten about. Or so he thought. With everything between them now, he didn''t know what to do.


    If Ricky let his mind wander to possibilities, he''d stumble upon his desire to take Pearl as his own. Any normal man would think like that, after all.


    Then, he stopped and pursed his lips together tightly. With his thoughts running wildly, it would be better if he didn''t say a word to Pearl.


    Apart from the massacring power that currently ran through his veins, a new feeling emanated from his body that seemed just as strong as the galaxy power, but distinctive in some way.


    ''Is this light power? With this power, maybe I can start cultivating the Dark and Light Dual Cultivation Method!'' Ricky thought to himse


    on cultivating the Dark and Light Dual Cultivation Method, at least until I reach the minor achievement of the first phase.


    Maybe it is a good place for other men, but I don''t want to stay here anymore.''


    ...


    "Ricky, the source of feminine inside you belongs to me. And I will take it back in no time," Pearl told him.


    "It doesn''t seem like you have the power to control it. So, you better wait until you can!" Ricky replied as a smirk spread across his face.


    There was a worry niggling in his mind though. ''After we break the center of the array, Pearl will probably attack me immediately!''


    "The time will come." Pearl was cool and serene as she spoke.


    ...


    After a month, Ricky and Pearl managed to cultivate the Dark and Light Dual Cultivation Method to the minor achievement of the first phase. The powers inside them finally matched their level.


    It was now time for them to break the center of the array together.


    They left the spiritual space tool together as well.


    An invisible and unspoken bond formed between them, twining their fates together with a material that sheer power couldn''t cut through.


    There was no doubt it was because of the Dark and Light Dual Cultivation Method.


    And as the cultivation proceeded, the invisible bond between them would deepen.


    However, judging from the state of their relationship right now, the world outside would make it impossible for them to stay together.

 Chapter 683 An Attempt To Kill Ricky

    A month passed slowly by, and everything was merely the same in the Dark and Light Rock Array. When Ricky and Pearl appeared, Jacob also showed up in front of them.


    "Great! You took only a month to reach the minor achievement of the first phase. As I expected, you have proven yourselves to be the most suitable to practice my cultivation method," Jacob said, with an evil smile that made the corners of his mouth curve sharply upward. Knowing full well that Ricky and Pearl could not have come out unless they had successfully completed learning how to use the cultivation method.


    Nevertheless, his tone also sounded somewhat desolate. Ricky and Pearl''s successful practice of the cultivation method indicated that he would have to make a complete disappearance sometime in the near future.


    He had been prepared to face everything with an open heart and an open mind. When the day finally came, he suddenly felt a great reluctance to leave forever.


    "Sir, I don''t think practicing this cultivation method is something worth showing off," Ricky said to Jacob as his lips pressed into a thin line. He was upset. In fact, he felt really depressed.


    "Ha-ha!" Jacob burst into laughter because he could guess why Ricky''s face looked so gloomy.


    "Boy, you''re not only well natured, but also highly gifted. I don''t want you to die too early, so I need to remind you of something," Jacob said to Ricky telepathically.


    "Though I only have a superficial understanding of this girl''s nature, I am concerned that she will try to kill you after you break the center of the array together with her. For the sake of your safety, I suggest that you request her to swear that she won''t kill you with her dedication to martial arts.


    I suggest that because the Dark and Light Rock Array will continue to work for a certain period of time after it is broken. There will be ample opportunity and time for that girl to murder you."


    "Don''t worry about me, sir. I don''t think she will kill me after the array is broken. There are three powerful warriors in the Golden Passage after all. She will have to rely on my power to fight against them. In fact, she and I are mortal enemies, but we have no choice but to work with each other," Ricky explained to Jacob.


    "I see. All right. In that case, just disregard what I said," Jacob said in a low and calm voice.


    "By the way, I have something else I''d like to discuss with you. To be more specific, I am going to ask you to do something for me¡ªa favor if you would."


    "Please, tell me what you need, sir," Ricky said, nodding his head.


    No matter


    he feminine power of the Dark and Light Rock Array, which was dispersing across all angles like a kaleidoscope all around them.


    Just as Jacob had expected, Pearl really wanted to kill Ricky by making use of the power of the array.


    ''Jacob is an excellent prophet, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Pearl, don''t you think that it would be unwise to kill me at this moment?" Ricky said in a cold voice, while releasing his aura.


    "I can''t make sure that what happened here will be kept secret unless you''re dead. If you''re dead, the source of feminine in your body, which belongs to me, will return to my body," Pearl said coldly.


    She was determined to kill Ricky because she would by no means want to become Ricky''s woman. In her opinion, a man could only be her slave.


    She felt humiliated by the fact that she had been intimate with Ricky. She had no choice but to erase the memory of her humiliation by any means necessary.


    She didn''t think that she would have another chance to kill Ricky, so she took advantage of that moment and went straight for the kill.


    "Even if you kill me now, you won''t be able to get out of here. Do you think that you can beat Henry and his two companions?" Ricky asked patiently.


    "That''s none of your business. The only thing I''m sure of is that I have to kill you right now," Pearl said angrily.


    A loud sound could be heard in a good distance away from them. While she was speaking, Pearl condensed her long whip again. The long whip seemed to then be even more powerful.


    "Shit! You won''t listen to reason at all!" Ricky said in a frustrated and angry voice when he found that Pearl was really going to launch an attack towards him. "Do you really think that you can beat me?"

 Chapter 684 Burst Of The Massacring Mutant

    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    With a ceremonious killing sound, the power of four runes surged up rapidly while coming out of Ricky''s body. His second level of Ultimate Golden Body appeared in the blink of an eye, and simultaneously, his Golden Spirit Eyes burst out a million rays of golden light. One could see that his momentum had reached its peak.


    "Golden Spirit Eyes'' Power. Golden Runic Arrow!"


    This time, Ricky used another Omnipotent Skill of the Golden Spirit Eyes.


    Of course, this technique could only work when he had the Golden Spirit Eyes.


    Two thick laser beams of golden light came out of his golden pupils. The four runes, in the form of dragons, surrounded the two beams of light delicately. Instantly, the two beams fused into a huge shimmering golden arrow.


    At the same time, Ricky began burning the Heaven Illuminating Fire to counter the icy sealing power of the dark water.


    Boom!


    Pearl''s whip and the golden light arrow were moving towards each other rapidly, colliding any moment. The whip hovered over the golden light arrow like a boa, intending to break it with its twisting power.


    However, Ricky''s strength had enhanced, once again. With the added assistance of the four runes and the Massacring Sand, the golden light arrow burst out with the exceptional massacring power. It struggled to get rid of the whip at every turn.


    Even though, the Dark and Light Rock Array had been broken, Ricky was unable to overcome the remaining feminine power.


    After a period of stalemate with the whip, the arrow finally broke.


    The whip moved again, twining around his second level of Ultimate Golden Body this time.


    ''Surely, I am no match for Pearl. This Dark and Light Rock Array is too strong for me to handle, '' Ricky thought coldly when he saw the whip doing its job once again.


    But, he didn''t hesitate. He controlled the countless Massacring Sand to surge out and cover up his second level of Ultimate Golden Body immediately. He also recalled the Heaven Illuminating Fire, for more concrete defense.


    The whip wrapped itself around Ricky and threw him like a meteorite, spinning him wildly in mid-air and eventually, smashing him to the ground.


    Boom! The next moment was just endless dust. The whole area below had collapsed. Huge rocks shattered and poured down from above.


    A


    w? You possess the mutant!" Pearl couldn''t believe her eyes.


    Ricky possessed a mutant, a real mutant of his own¡ªthe Massacring Mutant.


    In addition, as long as Ricky was willing to do it, he could also activate the Devouring Mutant, the Chaotic Fire Mutant and the Gale Mutant.


    Previously, Ricky could only be said to have the characteristics of these four mutants, and was able to get close to these four powerful mutants under the assistant power of the four zones. However, it was completely different game now.


    At this moment, he made it. He was able to truly possess the four mutants at the same time instead of just having similar features.


    This happened only after he obtained the source of feminine from Pearl.


    With the four zones and four Supreme Skills, Ricky had had a feeling before that he could become the owner of these four mutants. However, in the invisible place, he had always felt that there was something missing, something that prevented him from becoming the true owner of the four mutants.


    After obtaining the source of feminine, he knew this was exactly what he was missing¡ªthe original energy.


    Under the power of the mysterious axe, the source of feminine was differentiated into four strands of pure original energy. They were integrated with the four zones smoothly, enabling Ricky to become a mutant owner.


    This was why Ricky thanked Pearl for this qualification.


    "Is this...the authentic Massacring Mutant?" Ricky said excitedly as he was feeling his body which was full of power right now.

 Chapter 685 The Two Teams Get Together Again

    ''Becoming a mutant owner makes me feel really good as if I''m naturally fused with the supreme enlightenment of heaven and earth, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    At that moment, he felt endless power coursing through him. His body was weightless, uplifted by the supreme enlightenment as it was. He felt like wings sprouted from his back. There was a perfection to his new form. The world itself seemed to supply him with the energy to recover himself.


    More importantly, he felt his insight and sensibility of martial arts improved to a whole new level.


    "It is the Massacring Mutant! I''m sure of it! How could you have the Massacring Mutant?" Pearl growled, as her accusation made her look feral, with ferocious eyes and her teeth bared.


    "I''ve told you that this is the gift you offered to me. There''s no harm in telling you. I had the characteristics of the Massacring Mutant before. I always felt that there was something missing, something that prevented me from becoming the true owner of the mutant. That is the original energy," Ricky explained, his voice steady and measured.


    "And your source of feminine provided me with exactly the thing I wanted."


    Snap! Snap!


    Hearing this, Pearl clapped her two beautiful jade-like hands tight and cracked her knuckles. The sound of her bones rang out like trees falling in the night as a monster devastated the forest. The sheer rage contorted her features.


    She hated the man in front of her. He was a petty thief who stole her virginity and half of her original energy. More unexpectedly, he had transformed himself into a true Massacring Mutant owner with the energy he took from her.


    It was a detestable situation for her. Her wounded ego couldn''t accept it.


    "Pearl, your Feminine Mutant can mobilize the feminine power in this place, while my Massacring Mutant can also mobilize the massacring power here. So, do you still think it''s a good idea to launch an attack against me now?" Ricky asked at once.


    He closed his eyes and breathed in. The intensity of Pearl''s murderous aura made it feel palpable. He could almost imagine the faint smell of the blood she wanted to spill.


    Under such circumstances, he wasn''t sure if Pearl would choose to fight against him or not.


    According to his limited understanding of women, their fury would forth an unexpected hell. Thus, he had to indirectly remind her to make a wise decision.


    Fortunately for him, Pearl was not overwhelmed by her rage. Gradually, she pulled back her momentum. It receded along with her killing intent. The long-suffering sigh she let out seemed to signal her reluctant cooperation for the time being.


    Ricky watched her carefully. He breathed out a relieved sigh of his own as he understood that the issue between them would be temporarily put aside. With a nod, he accepted the momentary truce and withdrew his power and Massacring Mutant.


    "Ricky, I hope you remember that I''ll be


    there. For a moment, he felt a real fear that maybe Ricky and Pearl would die in the Golden Passage.


    "We were delayed by the last level. It was very time-consuming!" Ricky said simply, shrugging off any concern for his well-being.


    At the same time, he gave a slight nod to Thiago, who was on the same team with Henry. It was a polite gesture. After all, there was no history of backstabbing between them and no reason for them to be enemies.


    "So, did you get the Massacring Antenna?" Their safety assured, Henry no longer tried to hide the expectation in his voice.


    "Of course we got it. How about you three?" Ricky asked with a smile.


    He could feel the giddy excitement that radiated from Henry. It was obvious from the first moment he laid eyes on the other man. Of course, then and there, Ricky''s heart beat wildly in his chest too. After all, in front of a tribe''s heritage, no spiritual king would be able to keep calm as usual!


    "We also got it," Henry said simply.


    With such a brief reply, the atmosphere around them became grim and suppressed. The tension was foreboding and familiar. It was the same kind of tension that preceded murderous intents and fierce fights.


    Now that they found the two Massacring Antennae, they would soon need to determine the rightful heirs of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe.


    Neither team would accept any compromise like sharing the inheritance between them.


    To be precise, three teams were battling for the same prize. Ricky and Pearl were only temporarily united as a team. At any given time, they could decide to split up and further complicate the issue.


    "Then, as for the inheritance of the tribe, who should have them?" Ricky asked directly. They all needed to face the question sooner or later.


    That simple question opened up a can of worms among them. It silenced all the warriors and rooted them to the spot. A silence pervaded the room, the deadly calm before the storm.

 Chapter 686 The Predatory Holy Ant

    No one spoke for a long time. The atmosphere in the space was too heavy and oppressive for words. Finally, Henry decided to say something. "Ricky, I don''t think this is a tricky problem. Only the lucky ones could get a chance. And they need to be strong enough.


    That''s why I think you should give the Massacring Antenna to us."


    Ricky chuckled at his words, before giving a stern refusal. "I don''t think this is a good idea. We fought hard to get the Massacring Antenna. We almost died because of it. If we give it to you so easily, all the hard work we''ve done until now would be in vain. Don''t you think that''s a little unfair to us?"


    Through their telepathic connection, Ricky cast a simultaneous plea to his companion. "Pearl, I think we should prepare for a battle. It''s going to be the ultimate fight. There''s only two of us, while they have three warriors. There''s a high chance we''d be defeated.


    Of course, the choice is yours to make. I won''t blame you if you choose to stand by their side."


    Pearl didn''t flinch upon hearing Ricky''s words. The steady calm she expressed made it seem like she didn''t hear anything at all. Only the new tension that appeared on her shoulders, as she began channeling her strength, showed that she was getting ready for a fight.


    "Ricky, Pearl, I can feel you''ve enhanced your strength by a large margin. If it wasn''t for the supreme enlightenment suppressing you, you probably would have broken through and reached a higher level already. You must have been granted a great opportunity while you were in the Heavenly Passage and took full advantage of it. Am I right?" Henry asked, leveling them both with a firm look.


    "Now that you''ve obtained such a great opportunity, it would be better for you to give the Massacring Antenna to us. You can''t be too greedy and have everything, can you? If you do as we demand, we promise you''ll get out of here safely.


    But should you choose to refuse us, I''m afraid..."


    He let the unspoken threat linger between them. They all knew what he had meant. If Ricky didn''t corporate, Henry and his friends would make it their business not to let him go.


    "You sound very confident, Henry," Ricky replied, a smile on his face as he let the threat slide off him like raindrops. "But I think you know me well. I''m the kind who doesn''t give up. So, I guess we''re fighting for the Massacring Antenna. Whoever comes out as stronger can have it."


    Boom! Starburst glowed from Yori''s hands as he locked his glare stubbornly upon Ricky''s face, standing behind Henry. The shining Star Enlightenment dazzled everyone, blinding them with the sight. When they opened their eyes again, they saw Yori in a fighting stance, preparing to launch an attack at Ricky in a moment''s notice.


    A hand shot out to stop him in his tracks.


    Henry kept his eyes trained on Ricky, even as his fingers curled around his companion''s shoulder to keep him in place. "Ricky, I think you know me well too. Fi


    s invaded the Middle Land. As one of the most powerful forces, the Predatory Holy Ant tribe stood their ground and protected their territory. They tried hard and fought against the devils. It was a ferocious war. Numerous members of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe died then. Gradually, they disappeared from the world. The devils destroyed the land and the Predatory Holy Ant tribe.


    Other forces were pulled into the crisis. They, too, decided to fight back.


    The war continued for many years. There was a time when the devils sent out five devil spiritual emperors, claiming that they would extinguish the Predatory Holy Ant tribe. At that time, the Predatory Holy Ant tribe had four powerful spiritual emperors protecting them. Although there were only four of them, they were not afraid of the devils'' attack because they had powerful arrays deployed around their territory. That was why the Predatory Holy Ant tribe did not seek help from other forces.


    Every other territory had their hands full of the devils too.


    However, the five devil spiritual emperors were well aware of the most vulnerable part of the arrays¡ªthe center of the arrays. They attacked three spiritual emperors from the Predatory Holy Ant tribe and succeeded.


    After that, there was a slaughter. The Predatory Holy Ant tribe was wiped from existence."


    Like the end of a funeral, when the sound of bells had started fading, Henry paused for a few seconds as if he was seized by sadness. Soon, he continued, "It seems a spy informed the devils of the arrays'' vulnerabilities." Henry gritted his teeth and ground them in his fury. Ricky and Pearl heard the click inside his jaw.


    "At the time, only two parties knew where the center of the arrays was located. One was the management team of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe. The other was the management team of the Massacring King Ant tribe, a close subordinate of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe. The Predatory Holy Ant tribe trusted them very much."

 Chapter 687 The History And The Choice

    "The Massacring King Ant tribe? What is its relationship with the Massacring Holy Ant tribe?" Ricky and Pearl asked out of curiosity at the same time, after hearing that.


    "What you are thinking is true. The Massacring Holy Ant tribe was the Massacring King Ant tribe. However, it was also exterminated during the battle with the devils," Henry said with a little excitement in his voice at that point. The excitement he felt was for the extinction of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe.


    "At that point, all the Predatory Holy Ants were killed, and the tribe was wiped out. There was only one explanation¡ªthe Massacring King Ant tribe must have betrayed the Predatory Holy Ant tribe," Henry continued.


    "Everything that happened afterward also proved that point. The creatures of Massacring King Ant tribe found the ancestral land of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe. Then, they obtained the blood power of Sage Level inside the ancestral land of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe and evolved into Massacring Holy Ants.


    That is how the glorious time of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe was ended, and the era of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe came to begin. The time that the Massacring Holy Ant tribe lasted was not long, however. Perhaps it was a divine punishment for their treachery. In the battle with the devils, they were also destroyed."


    "I see. Is that the real historical origin between the Massacring Holy Ant tribe and Predatory Holy Ant tribe?" Ricky asked lightly as Henry finished speaking.


    Ricky didn''t really know how much he could believe in what Henry had just said.


    First of all, Ricky didn''t think that Henry told him about that period of history in order to cheat him. However, from what Jacob had told him before, the Massacring Holy Ant tribe was a righteous tribe. How could they have betrayed the Predatory Holy Ant tribe that had fought against the devils?


    All that seemed to be contradictory.


    Ricky couldn''t figure it out immediately, so he decided to stop thinking about it for a time.


    Then, Ricky said to Henry and the other two, "If I haven''t guessed it wrong, you three should have something to do with the Predatory Holy Ant tribe. The three of you have probably come here to avenge the Predatory Holy Ant tribe on the Massacring Holy Ant tribe. That is to say, the ultimate goal you three have is to destroy everything left of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe here."


    "Ha-ha! Ricky, you are really smart after all. You are worthy of being called an ace genius." Henry laughed after he was stunned for a moment,


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    silently to himself.


    "As for the devils, Ricky, I believe that you know and understand the hate that we feel. Are you doomed to be our enemy anyway?" Thiago said to Ricky at that moment.


    "Tinago, I never wanted to be the enemy of you three. However, as Pearl said, we learned something in the Heavenly Passage about the Massacring Holy Ant tribe''s history. That history told us that the Massacring Holy Ant tribe paid the price of tribe extinction for the bloody struggle between them and the devils," Ricky said.


    "If, as you have said, what the devils would have done was to keep the Massacring Holy Ant tribe in our land instead of killing them all, how would they eliminate the tribe? There must be some misunderstanding.


    Besides, I do have a heart that years for justice, but with the strength I possess right now, I don''t have enough power to spread the justice I want. I won''t miss any opportunity to become as strong as I can."


    "All right, I understand! Although we are disciples from the same college, we obviously have different values in our hearts right now. I understand that it''s normal that we have different opinions. After all, we''re not exactly friends with each other," Thiago nodded, after hearing what Ricky had said.


    "But, in respect for how long we''ve known each other before this, after this battle, I''m going to leave you with a whole corpse which will not be desecrated. That''s the only thing that I can do for you now. We must destroy the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe, so that I can take revenge for the ghosts of our Predatory Holy Ant tribe and let them rest in peace."


    "Thank you in advance, Tinago. It does mean something to me."

 Chapter 688 A Confrontation Of Mutants

    Boom!


    In an instant, the two teams collided with their overwhelming strengths. They had made up their minds to kill each other. Each was determined to win the fight and it had become a win-or-die battle.


    "Leave Henry to me, Pearl. I can feel that he could be more powerful than both Yori and Thiago combined," Ricky said seriously to Pearl.


    "Humph! I don''t need your help! How will I be able to kill you if I couldn''t even manage to kill him?" Pearl responded coldly when she received Ricky''s telepathic message.


    "Whatever. Just look out for his Sandy Mutant." As embarrassed as Ricky felt by Pearl''s blunt refusal, he still cared deeply about her.


    Although Pearl desperately wanted to kill him, Ricky didn''t feel any animosity towards her. In fact, he didn''t want her to get hurt in any way, especially not for him. Pearl was his woman and she held a place in his heart that nobody got to offend.


    ''Alas! I wonder when she will forgive me, '' Ricky thought to himself helplessly.


    Then he stopped pondering over Pearl and turned to the task at hand, fighting Yori and Thiago.


    "Feminine Mutant? Pearl, you''re going to pay a great price for your arrogance," Henry said coldly to Pearl.


    He was quite irritated by Pearl''s words and his face twisted in an ugly grimace.


    "I am telling you the truth. What you mentioned happened long back, in ancient times, which means it has nothing to do with me gaining the inheritance. I swear I will kill all those blocking my way of cultivation," Pearl replied evenly with a serious face.


    Soon, she and Henry collided with each other.


    ''Pearl has the dark water which can restrain the dark power, which means that even if she is beaten by Henry, the fight will last long enough for me to get rid of Yori and Thiago, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    He didn''t want to kill those three because they were not completely evil. They were individuals serving their own mission. It was just that their missi


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    n in Yori''s eyes completely vanished.


    He finally realized why Ricky was called the ace genius.


    "I take back the derision I had shown towards him, but does he really have two mutants? And the two mutants simultaneously occupying a half of him?" Yori murmured in wonder.


    "I''m so shocked. No one in Oriental College had told me that Ricky was a mutant owner," Thiago exclaimed.


    ...


    ''What''s going on? The fusion of two mutants? Really?'' Pearl thought to herself. ''He showed a complete Massacring Mutant in the Heavenly Passage, but now...


    He once told me that it was the source of feminine inside me that had granted him a mutant. Now he has been cultivating the powers of devouring, massacring, fire, and gale, is it possible that he now has four mutants inside?''


    The more she speculated, the more shocked she was becoming at the unfolding of Ricky''s powers.


    "Judging by your shocked face, I gather, that you''ve been unaware of his mutants as well. Then this wasn''t just some luck he encountered in the Heavenly Passage. It looks like he had been hiding this for quite a while," Henry said as he saw Pearl''s dumbstruck expression.


    "Double mutants? I should get rid of you as fast as I can so that I can help my friends."


    "Humph! Not if I killed you first!" Pearl replied coldly.

 Chapter 689 Inheritable Holy Skill—Eternal Body Skill

    Knowing that Henry looked down on her, Pearl could no longer hide her anger. A look of complete disdain was apparent on her face as she stared at him furiously. The flames of hatred kept burning in her heart as her insidious ferocity appeared in her eyes.


    She was very annoyed by what had happened in the Heavenly Passage but she couldn''t do anything to Ricky. Henry''s remarks only added fuel to the fire so she planned to direct her anger towards him instead.


    "Dark power! Have a taste of my whip!" Pearl roared as she summoned her skill.


    In the next moment, the dark water suddenly exploded out of Pearl. It flew up in the sky and fused with her Feminine Enlightenment. In a split second, it turned into a long black whip which seemed like a fierce boa constrictor that flooded towards Henry at a very high speed.


    Crack! Crack!


    Under the extreme power of the dark water, everything that the whip passed through was turned into ice. Suddenly, the cold wind blew dust and dirt up from the ground as her dark power occupied the entire space. It formed into a potent power that shot towards Henry in all directions.


    Henry could sense that Pearl had reached a higher level of proficiency in using the dark water than before. A feeling of anxiety washed over him as he was starting to get worried about his future.


    "This kind of gloomy power must have come from the dark water!" Henry shouted in surprise as his mouth was agape in horror. His face grew serious as he sensed Pearl''s potent power. It had never occurred to him that Pearl could have more tricks up her sleeve.


    "That''s right! This is the powerful dark water. Anyone who dares to stand in my way shall be turned into an ice sculpture." Pearl''s voice was as cold as ice. A vicious look was painted on her face.


    "Ha-ha! That is indeed very rude and shameless of you! Do you really think that you can defeat me with your dark water? That could only happen in your dreams! You are obviously over-confident about your little trick!" Henry retorted as he stared back at her. His anxiousness gradually turned into disdain after he heard her arrogance.


    "How could he be so confident about the current situation? Is he really not afraid of the dark water? That''s strange," Ricky quietly murmured to himself as he stood opposite to Yori and Thiago.


    He knew very clearly that the reason why he was able to withstand Pearl''s dark water in the last battle was that he possessed the Heaven Illuminating Fire. This skill prevented him from being turned into an ice sculpture. He owed his life to it.


    The other sacred fires and the peculiar fires inside his body were not strong enough to shelter him from the dark water given that his current cultivation level was lower than Pearl''s. The power of a Treasure from Heaven and Earth depended on the cultivation level of the master who refined it.


    As Henry''s voice faded away, he flew in the sky and stretched out his hands. In a split second, the Gloomy Enlightenment fused with the Massacring Enlightenment and flowed through his body. As the two kinds of skills united to perfection and generated an enormous amount of power, an atmosphere of horror dominated the entire space. Maybe it was a peculiarity of the Predatory Holy Ant.


    Before Pearl could even react, Henry immediately used his Sandy Mutant. A flow of sand shot out from his body and fused with the two kinds of enlightening powers. The powers continued to accumulate inside his body


    s nothing compared to his strength.


    But it would take a long time before Henry could totally destroy Pearl''s Feminine Mutant since it was powerful enough to sustain his attack for a while.


    "It seems that you desire to save Pearl. Unfortunately, we are not going to let that happen. An ace genius like you will be killed by us today. We don''t care if you possess two mutants," Yori stated coldly as he sensed a murderous aura emitting from Ricky''s body.


    "But your behavior is in direct contradiction to your words. You said that you were not afraid of me, but why do I sense fear in your eyes?" Ricky wore a faint smile on his face upon hearing Yori. He was not affected by Yori''s words at all. Instead, he just stared at him without displaying an ounce of fear.


    "Ha-ha! Are you about to mess me up with your little tricks? It is truly a shame that none of them worked on me," Yori retorted as his voice turned cold as ice.


    "Have a taste of my Devouring Fist!"


    As Yori''s voice faded away, Ricky immediately threw his fist towards him. Since Ricky possessed the Devouring Mutant, his Devouring Fist was more powerful than it used to be.


    As the shadow of his fist passed through, the devouring runes flooded across the entire area, about to assimilate everything in its way and turn them into nothing.


    Although it was a seemingly normal punch that headed towards him, Yori''s pupils dilated in shock as he sensed the overwhelming power contained inside the fist. Under Ricky''s enormous pressure, he immediately sprang into action. He used his Eternal Body Skill and changed his starry body into a similar color with Henry''s.


    In a split second, enormous power which came from the Star Mutant exploded. Mighty rays of starry lightning flashed within his body and were gathered around his hands. Before Ricky could react, it all turned into a huge starry sword that collided with Ricky''s Devouring Fist.


    "Star Mutant! Starry sword!" Yori roared as he summoned his skill.


    "Ricky, I hope that you do not consider this to be an unfair game since we have more people than you have. You are too powerful to deal with alone so we have no other choice but to gang up on you and make sure you do not get away that easily," Thiago said as he rushed towards Ricky to launch his most powerful attack.

 Chapter 690 Strength

    Whoosh!


    Thiago finished talking, and with a flick of his finger, three cyan lights shot into the sky and turned into three Spiritual Energy Gathering Arrays. At just that moment, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged into his body. The strength within Thiago immediately reached the maximum possible in the Land of Legacy.


    "Five-element Array! Five-element Spear!"


    Thiago clapped his hands, and yelled again. Then, the cyan runic lines on his forehead grew deeper. Five huge sub-arrays shot forward and formed in the sky. Then, the five huge sub-arrays merged and turned into a more powerful array¡ªthe Five-element Array.


    Within the array, the five enlightening powers¡ªmetal, wood, water, fire, and earth¡ªall quickly merged together into a five-element giant. The five-element giant roared, and as if he was shooting an arrow, he shot the Five-element Spear right at Ricky''s back.


    "Second level of Ultimate Golden Body!" Seeing Thiago launching a powerful attack at him, Ricky didn''t hesitate, and activated the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. Then, the Massacring Sand turned into a golden shield, protecting the back of his golden body.


    Boom!


    A moment later, the devouring fist attack Ricky used collided with the attack Yori had sent out. Thiago''s Five-element Spear hit hard on the back of the second level of Ultimate Golden Body that Ricky was using.


    As those thunderous sounds were tearing through the space around them, an enormous air cloud burst out, hitting everything around. The three of them were all overwhelmed by the sound.


    Just when they were overwhelmed by it, they took a step backward, and left a space rift opened behind them.


    "The Star Mutant and the Array Mutant are indeed quite powerful!" Ricky said gently as he held still. The fighting spirit in him was already condensed. It was also integrated with his dual enlightening powers.


    Compared with Ricky''s resolute fighting spirit, Yori and Thiago looked even more serious.


    Just when Yori collided with Ricky, he understood what the Devouring Mutant was. The real attack that Ricky was using lay after that distracting attack. He devoured the power of s


    giant windstorm.


    Then, within the windstorm, Ricky activated the Gale Fire.


    The Gale Fire burned like Heaven Illuminating Fire under the influence of the gale power.


    Then, Ricky integrated with the windstorm completely into his attack.


    At just that moment, the windstorm showed two colors of devouring and massacring powers, as if it turned into the Massacring Mutant and the Devouring Mutant.


    Boom!


    The windstorm dashed toward the star swords.


    Under the thunderous windstorm, all the star swords were destroyed. All of a sudden, the windstorm attacked and tried to rip apart the giant Spiritual Energy Gathering Array.


    The second level of Ultimate Golden Body condensed into a definite shape and was surrounded by the Massacring Sand. It closed its two palms into a giant fist and struck. A moment later, the giant Spiritual Energy Gathering Array was broken.


    That was an example of pure strength.


    As the giant Spiritual Energy Gathering Array was broken, the power Yori absorbed decreased immediately.


    "How is this possible? How can he be so strong?!" Thiago asked in disbelief upon seeing his giant Spiritual Energy Gathering Array get broken. There was fear in his eyes for the first time.


    Yori felt the same. Fear spread within the both of them. Ricky was much more powerful than they had imagined.


    "Nothing is impossible. You have your reasons to believe that you can win, and I have mine," Ricky said.

 Chapter 691 Another Fight With Henry

    With the invincible powers of the Massacring Sand and his four mutants, Ricky made it to the top and became one of the strongest in the land of legacy. It was no exaggeration to say that there was no one who could defeat this ace genius now.


    Now, Ricky could defeat the joint forces of Yori and Thiago if his two mutants continued to work at their peak.


    It seemed like no one stood a chance to take Ricky down but Henry.


    ...


    "I am the strongest!" As Ricky shouted these words of determination, he launched another attack. A huge amount of strong Massacring Enlightenment shot out from his second level of Ultimate Golden Body and rushed to fuse with the Massacring Sand. In a flash, the combined power emitted ten beams of blinding light.


    "Omnipotent Massacring Skill¡ªImpregnable Killing Finger!"


    Ricky bellowed in a voice full of murderous contempt. It showed that he was truly determined to end this fight. As he commanded, the ten thick and deadly beams of golden light that had been overshadowing the battleground suddenly moved. They loomed over Yori and Thiago and hacked on them straight away. A quick spray of blood fell like rain in the midst of the dazzling light. The two warriors were fatally wounded by the Impregnable Killing Finger before they could reduce to their human forms. They hit the ground and lay lifelessly. Nothing but deafening silence could be heard on the battlefield.


    Ricky examined his two rivals and found that there was a deep wound on their chests respectively, which was left by the Impregnable Killing Finger.


    Boom! Suddenly, a deafening sound was heard. The ten beams of light dropped and cut into the ground near the two opponents like columns, forming a tight ring on all sides, pinning them to the ground.


    The four kinds of runes on the shone a brighter light and started to surge around the light pillars. Soon after, the eight kinds of fires followed to reinforce the cage formed by the light beams.


    "Omnipotent Chaotic Fire Skill¡ªSpace Splitting Cage!" Ricky yelled and the cage of light narrowed and trapped Yori and Thiago completely. The cage shrunk to no bigger than a fist. Ricky put it into the Devourer Zone which would serve as their prison for some time.


    However, the two prisoners would never know where they were kept in. The environment created by the Space Splitting Cage would deceive them into believing that they were in some kind of spiritual space tool.


    ...


    With Yori and Thiago defeated, Ricky turned to Henry slowly.


    Pearl was driven into a corner by Henry now. Her lips showed a horrible dark red, clearly due to the crimson blood she spat out. On the other hand, Henry still seemed full of energy, with confidence bright in his eyes. It seemed that in just a matter of time, he could take Pearl down.


    Wasting no time, Ricky immediately transformed into a beam of golden light and came to Pearl''s rescue. Within a millisecond, he appeared between them with endless energy surrounding him. He looked at Henry straight in the eye.


    "Back down, miss. I will deal with this man. Just find yourself a safe place and watch," Ricky commanded, leaving no room for argument.


    Pearl was shocked. Not many people dared to talk to her in such way. Normally, she would be enraged for she was not the kind of lady following orders from men. She was strong and independent. But now, somehow, warmth welled up


    reckage. The complex would have been crushed into dust had it not been for the protective arrays set by the Massacring Holy Ant tribe.


    Clang!


    A thundering metallic sound resounded throughout the area. Ricky''s Iron Destroyer hit the surface of Henry''s spiritual weapon, making the air thick with tension.


    Henry''s weapon was a huge black tripod. It was plain-looking, without any complicated patterns carved on it, but Ricky could feel that it was very heavy.


    Once the tip of his sword touched the tripod, he began to truly feel the heaviness of Henry''s weapon. The heaviness reached Ricky''s arm through the Iron Destroyer and he had to double his strength to continue holding his weapon up. It felt like he was holding a hill up.


    ''I bet this big tripod is forged with some gravitational material. Only that will explain its strangely heavy weight, '' Ricky guessed. But this could not help him get rid of the uneasiness he felt from the danger brought by the seemingly ordinary tripod. And the tripod''s owner looked much more deadly now.


    Studying the tripod carefully while trying his best to fend off the relentless attacks from Henry, Ricky discovered that the heaviness of the tripod was not created by the energy explosions it caused, but by something deep inside it. Whatever it might be, the thing seemed to be the source of the danger Ricky had been feeling, too.


    ''What on earth is hidden in the depth of that tripod? What is it that is making me feel this uneasy?'' Ricky thought hard and fast.


    His alertness never faded while fighting with Henry, yet he had become even more vigilant if that was possible. Without a doubt, Henry was out of the ordinary, someone of the few who could give him this kind of strong sense of worry and uneasiness. Ricky could never see through him.


    "Alright then. Let''s have a good look at what you put at the bottom of your heavy weapon," Ricky said to himself. The harder the fight, the higher Ricky''s fighting spirit was. Clearing his mind, he tightened his grip on the Iron Destroyer, which had already been enveloped by the galaxy power. He was determined to defeat Henry. He should defeat him.


    Henry had also recharged his attacks.


    It was finally time for the two warriors to settle the score.

 Chapter 692 An Extreme Battle

    "Smashing Blade Attack¡ªSmashing Land Strike, Space Breaking, and Smashing the Universe! Three-in-one Strike!"


    Ricky shouted while rotating his body and condensing the galaxy power. As the powers of the Massacring Mutant and Devouring Mutant were activated, he raised the saber. After he launched the three strikes with the saber, the shadows of land, space and universe were all broken, and the power of the three strikes merged together.


    The blade then, with the combined momentum that overwhelmed the area, began to dash towards Henry.


    Everything that the blade passed through, including the space, was ruined by its momentum.


    "Tripod Gravity, smash him!"


    Henry shouted as he saw that Ricky''s blade was about to attack him. He rotated his body at a high speed. The moment he held the tripod with his hands and activated the quicksand power, the tripod instantly grew bigger and was almost the size of a hill. Surrounded by sand, the huge tripod also fiercely dashed towards Ricky''s blade.


    When the blade collided against the tripod, endless sparkles came out and splashed around them.


    The endless sparkles were an indication of the great power being displayed by both Ricky and Henry.


    The next moment, they were pushed a few steps back as a result of the strong impact.


    It was obvious that their arms were trembling violently at the same time. All of a sudden, thunder bolts came from the skies and rained over the palace. The sound of them came from the supreme enlightenment of heaven and earth. Obviously, the power of Ricky and Henry had strongly aroused the supreme enlightenment in the Land of Legacy.


    It seemed that the supreme enlightenment was releasing power to try to suppress the both of them.


    Both Ricky and Henry felt the attempted suppression but neither of them paid any attention to it. They had been concentrating on this fight. They only had one intention in mind¡ªto beat each other relentlessly.


    ''The power of the both of them seems to have gone beyond the limitations of the Land of Legacy. I hope they both suffer destruction in the end, '' Pearl thought to herself as she also felt the strong suppression from the supreme enlightenment. She began cultivating in order to feel better.


    "Even if I was being suppressed by the supreme enlightenment, I still have to kill you and destroy this place. That''s what all the dead creatures of our Predatory Holy Ant tribe are hoping for," Henry said in a sinister voice as he burst out his ferocious momentum.


    What he said involved immense conviction, for the sake of wh


    ill take it back," Pearl mumbled in the spiritual space tool as she saw what was going on outside. She would never forget to take back the source of feminine from Ricky.


    Meanwhile, the Massacring Mutant was activated. Ricky condensed the purest Massacring Enlightenment power from his head down to his toe as he merged it with the second level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    While the Iron Destroyer hovered over his head, Ricky''s eyes gave out sharp light. In an instant, the massacring light was condensed on the chest of the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. Two rays of massacring light were shining brightly.


    "Massacring Mutant! Omnipotent Massacring Skill! Massacring Golden Palms!"


    Ricky exclaimed. The second level of Ultimate Golden Body which had turned into the Massacring Mutant launched a fist amongst the two rays of shining light. The two Massacring Golden Palms were then launched in the blink of an eye.


    Without hesitating, Ricky launched two Massacring Golden Palms at the same time.


    His comprehension of the massacring power had further deepened since he possessed the Massacring Mutant. It was almost an instinct. It meant he would comprehend and change the previous Massacring Golden Palm as he wished.


    The move of Massacring Golden Palms was the result of his further comprehension of the Massacring Golden Palm.


    It was more powerful than the less developed Massacring Golden Palm.


    The next moment, the space was about to fall apart as the Sand Fall Burying clashed with the Massacring Golden Palms. The impact created by the two powerful strikes was overwhelming.


    "Can I resist this impact?" Pearl mumbled to herself, astonished to watch such a fierce collision.

 Chapter 693 Predatory Quicksand

    Pearl knew clearly that if she were under any of their attacks, even with the power of her own dark water, any counterattack she would attempt to make would fail.


    ''Once the collision of their powerful attack subsides, they should be restrained and hurt each other badly!''


    Pearl thought calculatingly.


    In her heart, she was ready to go all out because she had almost completely recovered and reverted back to her best condition.


    Boom! At that moment, the sound of thunder that roared midair increased yet again. There was also the addition of small but destructive thunderbolts coming down from the sky, and falling into the violent collision between Ricky and Henry.


    "It would be awesome if the rules of heavens here can really strike," Pearl said with a look of expectation in her eyes as she saw the destructive thunderbolts falling from the sky.


    Within the ripples of air, the varying power of enlightenment on the quicksand pyramid constantly morphed into the sealing power to support the quicksand pyramid. Meanwhile, Henry also poured himself into the pyramid, thereby forming an endless stream of quicksand.


    Fortified with all the different kinds of powers supported by Henry, the quicksand pyramid became more and more powerful and continued to press down towards Ricky.


    The Massacring Golden Palms of Ricky, which included two kinds of golden flames, the Heaven Slaughtering Fire and the Massacring Fire, was filled with golden light. It could be seen that it was constantly absorbing the runic power of Ricky''s Massacring Mutant.


    Seeing how Henry merged with his attack, Ricky did not hesitate any more. He jumped up into the air and merged himself with his attack: the Massacring Golden Palms.


    Once again, two of the strongest attacks resulted in another fierce collision. This time, however, the collision was even accompanied with the destructive thunderbolt coming down from mid-air.


    Boom! Boom! In the midst of the roaring strength from the two opposing forces, a pathway was formed. It was being surrounded by the air ripples. It appeared that the pathway was created after the powerful blast that filled the air seconds ago.


    Time seemed to stop, and the space appeared to have been torn apart.


    Just then, another power emerged. It was the power of the array in this palace that suppressed the destructive power of the attack from Henry and Ricky.


    Two figures suddenly sprang out from the ripples of air. They emerged rapidly from opposite sides. They were Ricky and Henry. This wasn''t the first time they bounced out as a result of the violent collision they caused. Wherever the two passed, the space, which had just been healing, was shattered yet again.


    They did not sto


    ? Is this the responsibility entrusted to me by the ancestors to kill traitors and the devils? Is it my destiny to use the Predatory Quicksand?"


    "Oh, I see," Ricky replied and nodded slightly, showing his understanding of Henry''s grief and anger.


    "But what I truly didn''t expect was that the first person I would need to kill with this Predatory Quicksand would be you," Henry said and his eyebrows curled at the sudden twist of fate that he and Ricky were experiencing.


    "I admire your predecessors and I understand the pain in your heart. However, I also know well that what I want to get in my heart. Therefore, I apologize but I can''t let you destroy this inheritance," Ricky reluctantly muttered.


    "Do you really get how I feel? No, you don''t! If you really understand how I feel, you should''ve destroyed this inheritance with me. You should''ve opted to destroy everything related to the Massacring Holy Ant tribe, a tribe that sold their souls to the devils!" Henry yelled, unable to contain the anger and pain violently emanating inside him.


    After expressing all the emotions he had been hiding inside, Henry wasted no more second and used his mind to control the Predatory Quicksand. He divided the sand into several strands, each of which contained twice as much enlightening power. He then aimed the Predatory Quicksand to instantly shoot at Ricky like a downpour of arrows.


    "The Predatory Quicksand was made by the predecessors of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe. If I engage in combat with this sand, it would be like fighting with them. So, just show me your power and let me get to the bottom of where the so-called danger is really coming from," Ricky resumed his fighting spirit and anticipated the impact of Henry''s approaching attack.


    Ricky also surrounded his body with four runes.

 Chapter 694 Four Mutants Versus Predatory Quicksand

    Boom!


    Ricky was then surrounded by the four runic powers, which increased his strength a lot. Crack. But the destructive thunder surrounding Ricky only grew more powerful as if it really wanted to destroy and finish him.


    "Destructive thunder, isn''t it? I guess I can''t keep increasing my power anymore, or else, it will kill me," Ricky said to himself after he sensed the strong lethal intent of the destructive thunder that was about to get him.


    But on the other hand, Henry was suffering the same, if not, worse than Ricky, as the powerful destructive thunder surrounded him almost breaking the space.


    This meant that if either of them decided to increase their power even just a little, they''d surely be attacked and be pulverized by the destructive thunder.


    Immediately, the four runic powers integrated into Ricky''s body, transforming himself into different kinds of mutants¡ªDevouring Mutant, Chaotic Fire Mutant, Massacring Mutant, and Gale Mutant.


    His transformation of the four mutants, however, had produced such strong power that it backed the thunder off.


    Henry''s eyes narrowed as soon as he laid his eyes on what was happening. Being puzzled, his mind went blank and the only thing he could think of was how this was all possible.


    Ricky owning two mutants was already a subject that Henry couldn''t really fully grasp. Shocked and out of words, he was confused and amazed at the same time on how Ricky was able to possess four mutants.


    "It is true that after taking my source of feminine, he possess different mutants corresponding to the powers he has," said Pearl. Although she had still predicted that this would happen, she was still shocked by this scene.


    There was nothing odd about her reaction, because Ricky owning four mutants was just too overwhelming for anyone who would see it.


    "He has obtained my source of feminine and thus has become a mutant owner. I have cultivated the devouring power as well, but why can''t I possess the Devouring Mutant? Is it because I possess the Feminine Mutant, or is it something he has but I don''t?" Despite the shock that took over her whole system, confusion also ran in her mind.


    "Henry, you have the Predatory Quicksand, and I have the four mutants. Our final b


    elf. I''m not holding anything back either," said Ricky firmly and confidently with his eyes covered by the four powerful runes.


    Boom! With a loud bang, the Golden Spirit Eyes then exploded and everything was overwhelmed by millions of blinding golden lights.


    Meanwhile, inside the Golden Spirit Eyes, eight flames diffused and then turned into a flame lotus.


    "The Power of Golden Spirit Eyes¡ªEight-flame Lotus!"


    While Ricky''s four mutants kept on constantly changing, his second level of Ultimate Golden Body exploded. Then, his four runic powers suddenly merged together which transformed into a giant lotus.


    "Power of Mutants¡ªLotus of Four Runes!


    Two lotuses in one!" Suddenly, the two lotuses merged together, fell from the sky, and hit Henry''s attack directly.


    Boom!


    A loud crashing sound then echoed all throughout the entire area, and everything was covered in an endless sea of air cloud.


    Henry and Ricky were hidden by the vast clouds of dust; Pearl wasn''t even able to see where they were.


    "Oh my, both of them must be badly hurt!" Although taken aback by witnessing such an intense fight, Pearl also expected that something like this would happen to them.


    If Ricky and Henry were both all badly injured, then that would mean that the legacy of Massacring Holy Ant tribe would belong to her.


    Finally, the diffusing air cloud thinned. Ricky and Henry were visible again and the scene before Pearl was just as she expected¡ªboth of them were severely injured.

 Chapter 695 Entering The Mysterious Land

    Both Ricky and Henry were a mess. They were both lying in two deep pits that they had fallen into and they were close to dying.


    Ricky panted heavily and tried hard to collect his strength. A few moments later, he struggled and knelt on the ground with one of his hands supporting him. "I never expected that none of us would be able to destroy the other. I have to admit that you are a really strong fighter, Henry," Ricky said.


    "No, no, no! It only means that I lost the fight and that is a great humiliation! It is such a shame that I could not defeat you using the power and strength inherited from my tribe!" Henry replied in a weak voice. He was still lying on the ground, too weak to stand up.


    "This is great to me though! I''m more than pleased to see that both of you were hurt so badly!" Pearl''s voice called out at that point in time. Afterward, she got out of the spiritual space tool.


    Henry did not care about Pearl at all, nor did he feel threatened by her. He was well aware of what Pearl intended to do¡ªshe intended to kill him.


    He was not afraid, though. To be more precise, he was hopeless at that point because he had failed to complete his goal. It did not matter who would end his life. The only thing he felt bad about was that he had not ruined the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe.


    "Ha-ha, Ricky, you are a loser now, just like me," Henry teased Ricky, his voice still weak and helpless.


    "Pearl! Don''t act so recklessly. I suggest you stay calm and not jump the gun on this. Otherwise, you will get killed!" Ricky shouted at Pearl. He had expected that Pearl had intended to do that after everything that had happened between them.


    "I shouldn''t jump the gun, hmm? Ha-ha! That''s so kind of you to offer me such a suggestion, You don''t realize that you aren''t qualified to talk to me like that anymore, do you?" Pearl sneered in a cold voice. She obviously didn''t take Ricky''s words that serious.


    Then, she turned to look at Henry and demanded arrogantly, "Henry, just hand over the Massacring Antenna to me, and I will do you a favor and not smash your body into pieces."


    "It''s inside my storage ring. You can take it from me after you kill me," Henry replied in a flat tone. He did not want to live in the world anymore, so he would answer every question Pearl asked him. It would not make any difference whether he kept the Massacring Antenna or not.


    Pearl nodded in satisfaction; then she looked at Ricky and said in an angry voice, "As for you, Ricky, I will show no mercy and tear you into pieces!"


    "You are a very heartless woman in light of everything that has happened between us, Pearl," Ricky sighed helplessly upon hearing Pearl''s decisive words. Deep inside, he grew angry with her.


    She was such an unreasonable woman!


    "You k


    ed.


    "You own the Massacring Mutant!"


    The shadow paused for a second and continued, "I never anticipated that the owner of the Massacring Mutant would come here. God bless our tribe! I''m so grateful."


    The golden figure was thrilled as he spoke with obvious excitement in his voice.


    ''He noticed that I own the Massacring Mutant at first sight! What a strong warrior! He must be a knowledgeable senior from the Massacring Holy Ant tribe, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    He immediately made a slight bow and greeted him politely, saying, "It''s my honor to have you here, sir."


    "Young man, now that you have entered this place, it means that you are not only powerful, but also extremely lucky. You own the Massacring Mutant and that is very surprising to me. Although you don''t have the blood power of our tribe, you are still the most appropriate candidate to accept the inheritance of our tribe," the golden shadow said before he nodded his head a few times in consideration.


    "Thank you, sir. Actually, that''s my goal in coming here. The inheritance, that is," Ricky said in a calm voice as he nodded back at the shadow. He was looking forward to what was going to happen next.


    "You are being very honest to admit that," the golden shadow commented when he heard Ricky''s frank words. "There are two aspects when it comes to the inheritance of our tribe. One is the blood inheritance, and the other is the inheritance of the cultivation method of our tribe.


    Now that you own the Massacring Mutant, I think we can just skip the blood inheritance part. I don''t think that you are willing to be a member of our tribe anyway."


    Ricky could not help but break into a cold sweat when he heard the golden shadow mentioned the blood inheritance.


    Once he accepted the blood inheritance, he would genuinely become a member of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe.

 Chapter 696 The Truth Behind The Betrayal

    Ricky''s heart raced rapidly as his eyebrows knitted together. If he ever accepted to inherit the blood power of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe, he would become one of them. The thought made him bite his lip.


    ''It seems that my Massacring Mutant saved me from the problem, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    If it weren''t for his Massacring Mutant, the golden shadow would not hesitate to give him the lineage of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe. He didn''t have enough time to wait for the next heir, which was why he wanted to bestow it on Ricky as soon as possible.


    "Sure enough, you don''t want to be a part of our tribe." The golden shadow noticed the hesitant look on Ricky''s face.


    As the golden shadow said that, Ricky found it hard to maintain eye contact. "Sir, I am certainly delighted with the offer, but I can''t approve of it. I am still a mortal, and it will keep up that way. I apologize." An awkward smile emerged on his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck.


    "You are right. The bloodline is a very bizarre matter." The golden shadow stayed calm. He paused for a second, then continued, "You should really be grateful because you have your Massacring Mutant, Ricky. Otherwise, I will not think twice to force you to be one of us."


    "Sir, thank you for your understanding and patience." Ricky gave him a warm smile.


    The golden shadow nodded and then cleared his throat. "Well, let''s cut this conversation and get down to business. You will remain in this pond to receive the legacy of my tribe. There are two aspects to the inheritance of our tribe. One is the cultivation method itself. This requires you to comprehend it yourself. Since you are the possessor of the Massacring Mutant, I assume it will be more eligible for you to practice the massacring cultivation method compared to the people in my tribe." The golden shadow looked away.


    "The other aspect is the cultivation experience of massacring martial arts. I can feel that this would be a terrific chance for you, Ricky."


    "Thank you so much for believing in me, sir!" Ricky gave him a toothy grin and became very excited.


    It was no joke that the exclusive cultivation method and the cultivation experience of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe were truly a tremendous opportunity for anyone.


    Although he was very excited to get the big opportunity, he also had a doubt in mind at that moment.


    Just by thinking about telling the golden shadow his doubt, he couldn''t help but wince. Sure, he might hurt his feelings and lose the opportunity, but on the other hand, he was positive that he could get more than that in the upcoming future.


    Shaking his head, he turned to the golden shadow and asked, "Sir, before everythi


    Massacring Holy Ant tribe. If the latter tried to betray them, they could show the evidence and tell the continent creatures the betrayal, and then there would be no room for the Massacring Holy Ant tribe.'' Ricky''s mind was racing fast.


    "After the destruction of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe, we made our way to their ancestral land, and then eventually, we migrated there. The pond of their land had the water with original energy, so we formed our very own pond full of water with original energy," the golden shadow added.


    "As we relied on the power in the pond, we became a holy tribe.


    In such a way, the Predatory Ant tribe indirectly gave us the opportunity to become a holy tribe. After that, we tried to kill as many of the devils to get revenge for the Predatory Holy Ant tribe.


    Although we really tried our best, the power of the devils increased rapidly during that time, and soon after, we were wiped out by them before we could even kill them all.


    We really tried, Ricky. We had tried with our own blood, sweat, and tears but we failed. Our only regret was that we didn''t kill the traitor."


    "Sir, I truly admire the efforts and braveness of your tribe in fighting the devils. In the future, I will also contribute to fighting against the devils," Ricky said and gave the golden shadow a determined look.


    Fighting against the devils was the shared responsibility of all the creatures in all the continents. Deep down, he knew that it was really hard, but he couldn''t let both the sacrifices of the tribes go into waste.


    The golden shadow chuckled and said with great delight, "With your promise, I am sure that you will be the best candidate to receive the heritage of our tribe." He couldn''t be more relieved that Ricky was willing to carry on their unfinished task.

 Chapter 697 The Birthplace

    "I need you to help me with another thing. I am sure you will be able to fulfill my wishes for me," the golden figure continued.


    "Please tell me, what can I do for you?" Ricky was a little perplexed.


    Before he heard the answer, he had already decided to recount everything about Henry, Thiago and Yori. Moreover, he wanted to ask if they could receive the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe, as they were members of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe and were suitable to utilize that inheritance.


    Besides, he wanted to create an opportunity for them to settle grievances against the Massacring Holy Ant tribe. He intended to show respect to the two ancient tribes.


    He was not doing any of it just to show how his nobility. He would not easily give away the inheritance he would acquire. His act of generosity was planned to be performed for his own benefit.


    Henry and his companions had powerful mutant abilities. As one could say from their grief over the extermination of their own tribe, they were loyal to the ones they cared about. Ricky believed that they would eventually be grateful for him if he could help them settle grievances and receive the inheritance.


    He wanted to motivate them to be his allies and remain loyal to him. To pave way for greater achievements in martial arts, he needed more exceptional warriors to help him. He was certain they were the ones he was looking for.


    Nevertheless, it was a gamble for Ricky to perform an act of generosity. He might not receive any help from them at all once they received the inheritance. If that happened, he would feel so helpless that even killing them all would not bring him any sign of hope.


    ''I''m risking so much in this play. My main objective is to obtain the Massacring Soil anyway, '' Ricky thought.


    "Sir, please tell me what I can do to help you," said Ricky, who stopped thinking about his plan.


    "I have said before that this place is also the birthplace of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe. Therefore, their inheritance and water of the pond of origin also exist somewhere in this place," the golden figure explained.


    "What? The inheritance and the pond of origin of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe can also be found in here?" Ricky was a little surprised to hear what the golden figure just said.


    "Yes, indeed. It is the birthplace of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe. Naturally, their inheritance can also be found in here," the golden figure elaborated.


    "Listen, young man. I need to tell you that I cannot give you the inheritance and


    mission is completed, I will try my best to find someone else reliable to complete it for me."


    "I just want to offer you my gratitude on behalf of all the other late members of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe," the golden figure said.


    "No, I am the one who should say thank you, because I am going to receive the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe that you are willing to give me," Ricky said with a grin.


    Ricky was convinced that he would be the only one to receive all of the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe. He believed that Henry and his companions would not vie with him for that, because they would not give away the legacy of their own tribe and receive that of another tribe!


    "So what was it that you wanted to show me?" the golden figure asked immediately.


    "Sir, there it is!" Ricky said with a mysterious laugh. As he spoke, he waved his arm and sent Henry and his companions out from the Devourer Zone. Their full strength was still suppressed by Ricky''s runic power.


    "They are¡­" Taking a first look at those who suddenly appeared, the golden figure wondered why Ricky brought him a bunch of strangers.


    But then after a while, he began to tremble with excitement. As a member of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe, a tribe closely related to the Predatory Holy Ant tribe, he could immediately tell who they were by sensing the power within their bodies.


    "How...how could this be possible?" the golden figure said in a thrilled voice. His calmness was gone in an instant. Their presence totally caught him by surprise.


    As for Henry and his companions, they were also caught off guard when they saw birthplace of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe.

 Chapter 698 The Inheritance

    "This place...this is the homeland where the Predatory Holy Ant tribe first began to breed!" Henry could not help but state that excitedly at that moment. The other two were just as excited as he was. Their eyes were widening as they looked at the scene in front of them. Shock was evident on all three of their faces.


    "Henry, we''re now arriving at the homeland! We''re standing right in our homeland now!"


    Each of them cheered up after hearing that. They found it really exciting to know such a thing as they arrived at their homeland. On the other hand, Ricky had to calm them down via his runic power. They might have exploded long ago out of excitement otherwise. Deep in Ricky''s mind, he knew it would be a really bad thing to do setting them free to run around on their own at that moment. He had to wait for the misunderstanding to be settled before he could let them go. Things would only get out of control otherwise. With that in mind, he kept a careful eye on the three of them.


    However, in the next second, those three people had noticed the last thing that Ricky wanted them to pay attention to. They had noticed the golden figure!


    When they sensed the golden figure''s blood power, the expressions on their faces changed immediately to hideously wrathful looks. Their eyes became bloody from the intensity of their glares. Their murderous intent towards the golden figure was too powerful to hide when they fixed their eyes on him. Apparently, the three of them were ready to kill the golden figure at any moment.


    However, they might not have been aware of the fact that the golden figure was only a consciousness and not the real thing. Under those circumstances, there was no way for the three of them to kill him at all.


    "You bloody betrayer! I can''t believe that you still dare to show your face here in our homeland! You can go to hell!" the three of them shouted ferociously at almost the same time. They looked like they were going to destroy the golden figure in the next second. However, they were immediately held back by Ricky.


    When he noticed that the three of them were angry with him, the golden figure was puzzled and his face crumbled into a look of confusion.


    "Sir, I''m sorry to bring this trouble to you. Here''s how it happened..." Ricky started to explain the whole thing to the golden figure as he recognized the puzzled look on the golden figure''s face.


    After Ricky''s speech, the golden figure was aware of the cause of the three people''s anger.


    "I see," the golden figure replied as he felt a little helpless after Ricky''s patient explanation.


    "Sir, I need your help to gain their trust back now. They belong to the Predatory Holy Ant tribe, and this is their homeland. I have to make them believe that what you told me is true," Ricky added.


    "Thank god! These three young men of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe are still alive even though they had been sealed up for a whole era. In some manner, that make me feel less guilty for the actions of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe," the golden figure exclaimed to himself after a slight sigh.


    "It would be hard to prove if we were anywhere else at this moment. Luckily, we are in the homeland right now, I''m sure they''ll know the truth soon. We can find a way to make them understand."


    "Sir, then how can we prove it to them?" Ricky asked politely. Meanwhile, he sensed deep down that there would be a way to make the three of them believe his words. He could not help but let out a sigh of relief to himself at that thought.


    ''As long as there is a way t


    ts. He would use it to help himself to reach a higher level.


    While Ricky was in the process of accepting the inheritance, he had only one thought in his mind. He felt like he was in an endless sea which was made of information about the martial arts methods of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe.


    Under the circumstances, Ricky had a strong feeling that his Massacring Mutant would definitely become the most powerful one among the four big mutants after accepting the inheritance in the pond.


    In the midst of his concentration, there were pictures flitting through his mind. The pictures were the martial arts training methods of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe, different kinds of training experiences, insights and understandings.


    All of them were the deepest insights of the tribe that had been gathered over its complete history.


    The members of Massacring Holy Ant tribe were born to practice the massacring power. What they had gained while they were practicing it, such as their experiences and insights, would definitely be incomparable to the skills of any other tribes.


    By accepting those experiences and insights, all of a sudden, Ricky felt like he had been practicing the massacring power for the last ten years.


    His insights of the Massacring Skill, Omnipotent Skill, and the cultivation methods were rapidly increasing.


    In addition, with the help of the four zones within his body, Ricky could certainly put those insights and experiences to use and learn from them. There would definitely be a great improvement in his understanding and practice of other powers as well.


    What was more, while he was in the pond, there were also changes taking place within his Massacring Mutant at the same time. His Massacring Mutant was now getting much closer to its peak.


    It took Ricky half a month to wake up from the process of accepting the inheritance.


    When he came back to himself, although Ricky felt nearly nothing of his improvements in his cultivation and strength, he could feel that his inner strength had become more profound. At that point, the ancient aura around him could be easily felt by anyone around him.


    There was no doubt that Ricky had come to understand a lot when accepting the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe.


    Buzz! Buzz! With a loud buzz, there were significant changes taking place in the pond once again.

 Chapter 699 Golden Pattern Skill

    "It seems that you''ve absorbed a lot of experience from our martial arts. Although this experience might seem useless to you right now, I''m sure it will be of great benefit to you in the future. It will play an important role in the improvement of your cultivation," the golden shadow stated calmly as he appeared before Ricky.


    "So we''re moving onto the next cultivation method¡ªthe Golden Pattern Skill."


    His voice faded away. Without leaving a moment for silence, he immediately clapped his hands and an energetic force erupted from them. The source of massacre started to augment within a second. Mighty rays of golden lightning flashed in the sky before flying into Ricky''s mind.


    Information entered his mind.


    "The Golden Pattern Skill is the cultivation method inherited by those in the Massacring Holy Ant tribe. It is also a cultivation method at the inferior stage of Heaven Level,"


    Ricky murmured. A vision of text seemed to appear before him and he read them aloud as they came. "What? It''s a cultivation method of the Heaven Level!" He couldn''t help the gasp that escaped him as he understood the meaning of those words.


    The Heaven Level was the highest level a cultivation method could reach in the Misty South. Except for the Chaos Manual, the Galaxy Saber Skill, a cultivation method at the inferior stage of Earth Level, was the strongest skill in his roster.


    Thus, he was dumbfounded upon learning that he was about to acquire a cultivation method at the inferior stage of Heaven Level.


    "Since we are a holy tribe, it''s natural that our inheritable cultivation method has achieved the Heaven Level." There was another pause. The golden shadow spoke in stilted words, slow and steady as if conversation took effort. "In the following process, you''ll need all your concentration to learn methods to refine the Golden Pattern Skill."


    "Yes, sir." Ricky nodded in comprehension as he tried to contain his excitement.


    "The massacring power will turn into golden pattern when you concentrate on the refining process..." Ricky murmured to himself as the cultivation method flashed in his head.


    The Golden Pattern Skill evolved from massacring power. The latter accumulated inside the user''s body until it could generate a powerful golden pattern. The resulting pattern could then take on different forms and structures to attack enemy.


    The greater the variety of golden patterns one could make, the more powerful one''s skill would be. So, the utmost refinement of the golden patterns was crucial.


    There was a tale once that said the man who could complete the Golden Pattern Skill, would then possess a thousand patterns. But when the patriarch of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe practiced this skill, he only gathered a total of seven hundred patterns in his time. Considering this, it was beyond imagination for one to possess one thousand golden patterns.


    It took Ricky three days to fully learn about the Golden Pattern Skill.


    "When the tribe was buried in the dust and dirt, their only hope was their unique cultivation method. When their cultivation method gets


    h of his blood as it flowed through his body in a steady stream. It then oozed from his fingertips, hitting the ground in droplets.


    As the dirt absorbed his blood, a tighter bond formed and connected his body with the land.


    Suddenly, he felt the ancestral land emit a strange aura. Its power caused tremors to reverberate in his body, affecting even his Source of Golden Body as it throbbed in sync with his pulsations. The more intense the aura was, the more violent his Source of Golden Body became.


    ''Did the strange power come from the Massacring Soil?'' Ricky quietly thought to himself as he withstood the enormous pressure that bore down on his being.


    Without hesitation, he immediately transferred the original energy of the ancestral land. He set it aside to summon the strange power that activated his Source of Golden Body. Before he could blink, a ball of golden soil emerged in the sky.


    Buzz! Buzz! The ball of golden soil spun above Ricky, emitting a noise like lightning in the sky. In the next instant, the Source of Golden Body escaped his control and shot upwards to meet the ball.


    "Is that the Massacring Soil? It surprising to find that it has such a strong attraction to my Source of Golden Body," Ricky shouted with excitement.


    He could also sense that the attraction was mutual.


    The Source of Golden Body and the Massacring Soil swirled around each other. The innate energy of the Massacring Soil poured continuously into his Source of Golden Body and strengthened his power.


    "It seems that my Source of Golden Body and the Massacring Soil are complementary forces. They were made for each other!" Ricky felt giddy with excitement as he witnessed such an amazing scene.


    When he was in land of fortune of the Realm of Wildness, the Fortune Elder told him that he could achieve the real Ultimate Golden Body only when he acquired the Massacring Soil.


    When he possessed the Massacring Soil, his Ultimate Golden Body could be evolved into the Chaotic Golden Body, an unbeatable and eternal skill in the world of martial arts.

 Chapter 700 Win The Hearts Of The Three Warriors

    After getting the Massacring Soil, Ricky no longer hesitated. He immediately took it and the Source of Golden Body back into his Massacring Zone, and began to fuse them.


    Even without his effort, the fusion of the two forces was inevitable. However, his desire to make the Ultimate Golden Body truly formidable pushed him to add massacring runes to the fusion process.


    Soon, he immersed himself fully in the fusion state!


    Buzz! Buzz! A few days later, a buzzing sound suddenly rang throughout the ancestral land of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe. Ricky, who was sitting with his legs crossed and floating in midair, began emitting a golden light as he burst out the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. He shined like a beacon in the dark, illuminating the entirety of the ancestral land with a golden light.


    At that moment, Ricky could feel that his second level of Ultimate Golden Body had improved from the minor achievement to the major achievement. It seemed to even reach the completeness. In that case, then the next cultivation phase of the Ultimate Golden Body would be the third level.


    "The Massacring Soil is indeed the most suitable source for the Ultimate Golden Body. With a single fusion, I''ve reached a massive breakthrough in my Ultimate Golden Body," Ricky said to himself, his voice somber and contemplative.


    More than that, his Ultimate Golden Body had undergone some significant changes. A feeling of invincibility rose from the bottom of his heart. The energy that now coursed through his veins made him feel like a new man, evolved and greater. At this point, perhaps his Ultimate Golden Body could be considered as genuine and real.


    ''This breakthrough will greatly change me, '' Ricky thought as an amused smile graced his face.


    "What an awesome golden body! Anybody who sees that light will get a sense of indestructible, unmatched strength." A familiar voice sounded then, alerting him of new arrivals. It showered him with praise in an amicable manner.


    Three figures landed in front of him. As they stood, he had a better view of their faces. The three warriors, Henry, Yori, and Thiago, stepped forward to greet him.


    The smug looks on their faces were unmistakable.


    Similarly, Ricky could feel that their inner strength increased too, despite maintaining their cultivation base. Their stay in the ancestral land of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe provided them with great benefits as well.


    Ricky estimated that because they we


    decision.


    "You heard me right! We want to follow you from the bottom of our hearts," Henry repeated.


    Hearing Henry''s affirmation, Ricky calmed down. Slowly, he said, "Henry, to be honest, I did have the idea of taking you three under my wing. However, I am quite surprised when you mentioned it yourself just now. So, I want to know the reason."


    "Ricky, you''re honest. If it were anyone else, he would never admit that he thought of accepting us as his subordinates. Due to your honesty, we can''t be wrong in our decision to follow you." Henry smiled as he spoke.


    "There are two reasons for our decision.


    The first is that you let us know the truth. And you even gave us the ancestral land of the Predatory Holy Ant tribe. This is a great grace for us. You won our hearts through such a simple action," Henry explained further.


    "We may be a little extreme when it comes to certain things, but we still know we should repay your grace."


    "Ha-ha, it seems that winning your trust is my best reward from this trip to the Land of Legacy," Ricky said. A slight smile appeared on his face as he regarded the three men.


    However, he waited for them to continue. Something in his gut told him that it was because of the following reason that the three decided to follow him.


    "The second reason obligates us to follow you," Henry continued. With those words, he confirmed Ricky''s suspicions.


    "Oh? "The reason that obligates you to follow me? I''d like to hear it." Curiosity tinged Ricky''s reply. Unconsciously, he leaned closer to better hear their explanation.


    "It is because of the ancestral land of our tribe," Henry added.

 Chapter 701 Three New Followers

    "Your ancestral land?" Ricky asked out of curiosity after hearing what Henry said.


    "As you have already seen before, the pond of original energy in the ancestral land has the ability to reveal the history of our Predatory Holy Ant tribe with a single drop of our blood," Henry said.


    "However, if we use our blood essence, the pond of original energy can show something that will happen in the future.


    The matter of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe is over and it is now our responsibility to carry our ancestral land with us. The fight against the devils is likely to happen in at least thousands of years from now."


    "All of the things we needed to do now were suddenly accomplished. The three of us didn''t know where to go. So we decided to use our blood essence as guidance and let our ancestral land point us towards a certain direction with regards to the future.


    A figure appeared in the direction of our ancestral land," Thiago said.


    "A figure?" Ricky asked with confusion on his face.


    "Yes. Our ancestors were trying to tell us who we should follow. It is clear that only by following that figure and the path he is leading us to would we, the Predatory Holy Ant tribe, regain our position and finally restore the glory of our holy tribe," Yori said reverently.


    "Oh, I see. However, did you guys think that this figure was me?" Ricky said with a smile on his face as he tried to tell a joke.


    "The three of us agreed that it could''ve been you because the figure made us feel that way," Henry said with certainty.


    "The figure was surrounded by the golden light as he stood on a ninety-feet-tall golden body. Its eyes were blazing with fire. All of this resembled you in a lot of ways.


    And I''m sure the three of us can''t be wrong about the ancestral prophecy. Besides, you are an ace genius; we have to admit that such a genius didn''t come along very often in ancient times."


    "So that''s it," Ricky muttered in a low voice.


    He thought about what they had said very carefully. According to Henry''s description, the figure with a ninety-feet-tall golden body had a pair of Golden Spirit Eyes and sacred fires, which made it seem really to be him.


    ''Is the ancestral land of the holy tribe really so amazing that they can see into the future?'' Ricky felt some confusion in his heart. ''Anyway, if a thing as good as that is ever sent to my door, I don''t think I would ever have a reason to refuse.''


    "Since all of you agreed on it, I won''t refuse anymore. In the future, I will consider you three to be my followers," Ricky said concisely without saying any more excuses


    y, if you don''t come out, I''m afraid you''ll have to stay in the Land of Legacy forever. It''s been almost a year now, the entrance is open once again, and most of the warriors had left." The moment Ricky came out, he received a telepathic message from Soar. "And what about inside of the Land of Legacy? Ricky, were you able to retrieve the inheritance?"


    "Has the entrance been opened? Let''s leave here first. We can talk about all of it as we get out there," Ricky said.


    "In addition, Henry, Thiago and Yori have become good friends of mine. I hope that you guys can get along with each other."


    After hearing what Ricky had said, Soar and the others were surprised. They were caught off guard by what he just said.


    They put their curiosity aside and prepared to leave the area. They knew they needed to prepare to leave first knowing that Ricky would explain all of it to them later.


    "Ricky, what happened to Pearl? What did you do to her?" At that time, Ronson and some of the disciples of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce stopped Ricky. They asked him about Pearl in a cold voice.


    When they saw what was happening, the hearts of all the warriors around them were filled with curiosity. They were curious to know what had happened to Pearl, the owner of Feminine Mutant.


    "Oh? By the way, if you didn''t stop me, I would''ve forgotten to tell you that Pearl has been defeated by me and has become my woman. She is currently waiting for me in my spiritual space tool," Ricky said with an evil smile on his face.


    "Go back and tell the people of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce that if you want to get Pearl back, you can give me ten million gold coins and enough cultivation resources in exchange for her freedom."

 Chapter 702 Two Legends

    The deafening silence was dominating all over the place.


    All of them became shocked when they heard Ricky''s words. Surprise was written all over their faces. Everyone in the place heard nothing but each other''s breath.


    Even Soar was surprised when he understood Ricky. He hadn''t expected to hear such words. In fact, embarrassment was visible on Henry as well on his two companions. They knew clearly what had happened to Pearl. They were astonished by Ricky''s fearless way of description.


    After everyone had overcome their shock, all the warriors looked at each other and talked telepathically.


    "Do you hear yourself, Ricky? Shut up," Ronson said in an angry tone. Sadness was visible in his eyes.


    "It''s true! I''m not lying!" Ricky said as he laughed at Ronson''s words.


    "Ricky, let go of Pearl. We don''t think you can bear the fury of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce," the disciples of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce said in a serious voice.


    As a matter of fact, they were sighing with relief when they learned that Pearl was not dead.


    They believed that Ricky dared not kill Pearl because he was afraid of possible revenge from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. That was why they reminded Ricky of the existence of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. They thought that it would be an effective way to make him surrender.


    "So all of you think I fear the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and I will release her? Listen carefully. You''re wrong! I said that you could only take her back by giving me gold coins and cultivation resources. If not, just kill me now," Ricky said. He looked at them in an insulting manner. He obviously gave off a disrespectful remark to everyone around him.


    "But I''m sure you will turn into corpses before long."


    Ricky had seen Pearl as his woman, but he knew clearly that he had to return her to them since he didn''t have the absolute power to beat the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce yet.


    Now that he was left with no choice but to let her go in the end, he thought it was a good opportunity to extract something valuable from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce.


    When he was done talking, a strong killing intent began to spread from his body. Then it rushed straight to Ronson and others.


    As a result, Ronson and the disciples of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce were all forced to step back. They left deep footsteps in the sand ground.


    "He has become much stronger than before. He''s very powerful now!" the warriors shouted when they witnessed the scenario.


    At the


    s. But they didn''t talk about or respond badly to the news. That was because they knew that some immoral warriors would cast greedy eyes on their blood power and attempt to kill them in order to get their blood power once they knew that the three brothers were Predatory Holy Ants.


    Fortunately, when Henry and his two companions were sealed in the first place, a sealing array had been applied to their bodies. The sealing array could hide their true identity. Thus even ordinary emperors would not recognize them as Predatory Holy Ants.


    It was the reason why the three could have hidden themselves among different forces for such a long time.


    After leaving the Land of Legacy, Yori went back to the camp of the Star Sect. He would stay at the Star Sect as a spy, because the Star Sect would also take part in the operation of killing Ricky, the ace genius.


    He would find some useful information in the Star Sect.


    "Like what I''ve expected, you were the only star on the stage of the second land of legacy. Excellent! I''m so proud of you," Jasper told Ricky in an excited manner as soon as he came with several disciples of Oriental College.


    "Ha-ha. Jasper, what you did was great too. I know you could easily beat everybody else," Ricky said in a happy tone.


    "Hmm! Come on! Can you two stop pretending to be modest in this way? We can just try to find something that could hide us," Daisy strongly suggested when she heard the conversation between Ricky and Jasper. The two men were praising each other and criticizing themselves.


    "Haha!" Everybody burst into laughter.


    The disciples of Oriental College came back from the two lands of legacy with fruitful results.

 Chapter 703 Jaspers Unpredictable Strength

    "I feel the crawling danger in this place. Let''s leave now! We should head back to the Oriental College," Jasper warned Ricky and the rest through telepathy.


    During that time, it was widely spread that they were successful in obtaining the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Tiger tribe and the Massacring Holy Ant tribe respectively. And at that point, many forces must have heard about the news. In that case, it won''t be long until a large unit of enemies rushed to them with evil intentions.


    Cautious and feeling wary, Jasper sent a message to the Oriental College, asking for stronger warriors to back them up and help them.


    "You are a hundred percent right about that. Come on, we''d better set off this instant,"


    Ricky responded. Afterwards, they packed their belongings and prepared for their journey back to the Oriental College.


    But before they could even leave the place, they heard a strange and serious voice. "Ricky, where is my sister? I''m sure she is with you!" Then suddenly, several people appeared and stopped them from leaving.


    The group of people who wanted to stop them had Nestor from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and Jefferson from the White King Tiger tribe as their leaders.


    Back when they were still in the land of legacy, Jasper had defeated both of them, thus obtaining the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Tiger tribe.


    Both of them were fuming at what they had experienced with Jasper. If it weren''t for him defeating Jefferson, then Jefferson would have gotten the Massacring Holy Tiger tribe''s inheritance and improved his strength to become a real Massacring Holy Tiger. But his ultimate dream was crushed into smithereens as Jasper had beaten him almost to death.


    He wanted to take revenge. However, he knew he was not strong enough to challenge Jasper. That was why he had decided to team up with Nestor in order to take Jasper down.


    In that exact moment, another two young masters of the Eastern Empire arrived. Ronson must have informed them of what was happening here.


    Before Ricky said anything, Jasper said to them in an arrogant tone, "Well, Nestor, your sister is Ricky''s woman now. I''m afraid this is no longer news for everyone. Haven''t you heard of it? If you want to take her back, it would only be possible in exchange of ten million gold coins and the cultivation resources that could fill two spiritual space tools. I just thought you should know."He shrugged dismissively and chuckled before he continued, "Otherwise, you have to defeat us. Are you sure you want to go down that road? It''s pretty embarrassing to be seen by everyone getting mercilessly beaten. I suggest you think twice before deciding what to do."


    On the other hand, Jefferson gave Ricky a stern look and asked, "Ricky, you killed Jackson, a talented warrior of my tribe, didn''t you?"


    The two young masters of the Eastern Empire questioned Ricky as well, "Ricky, is it true that you set up a trap for my brother, Ronson? You tricked him and made him suffer!"


    "Well, this show is going to be a marvel.


    a pattern of the Eight Diagrams. It then circled around his body, while blindingly dazzled everything in the area.


    Boom! Boom! Creating a loud impact, the four incoming attacks hit the pattern of the Eight Diagrams with tremendous force. The pattern, however, remained intact. It was obvious that their attacks did not hurt Jasper one bit.


    "No way! This could not be! It''s just too good to be true. Jasper deflected four strong attacks without even breaking a sweat. It seems like a piece of cake for him," someone murmured in disbelief. All the other warriors who witnessed the incredible feat had their jaw dropped in astonishment.


    They all had expected this to be a ferocious fight between four strong warriors and Jasper, the peerless genius. And even if it weren''t an aggressive fight, they at least had expected the fight to last longer than this. But the evidence of his strength was bared right in front of them and Jasper defeated them easily.


    ''It looks like Jasper''s strength is way more powerful than an upper spiritual king, '' Ricky contemplated, also being surprised by Jasper''s performance.


    Meanwhile, Nestor and the other three warriors were reluctant to accepted the result.


    Complex feelings dominated their hearts as they felt rancorous and furious. At the same time, they also felt fear mixed with hatred.


    More than anything, this fight simply became a display of Jasper''s power than a fight between the two parties.


    Jasper probably thought of them as weak ants. Or worse, maybe they were nothing in Jasper''s eyes.


    "I''ve told you before that I did not kill you because the supreme enlightenment restrained my power when we were in the land of legacy. Otherwise, you would have died then and would never had the chance to challenge me today," Jasper sneered coldly.


    Everyone felt dumbfounded as they witnessed their exchange of sentiments.


    "It could be possible that Jasper had already been a legend long ago," the warriors nearby sighed in astonishment as they fixed their eyes on Jasper.

 Chapter 704 Back To The Oriental College

    During the discussion, several warriors turned their heads to Ricky. They thought in their hearts, ''Jasper, once hailed as a miracle of genius, is now fully grown. It is now time for Ricky''s miracle. I wonder what he would do to bring about his own miracle.''


    ...


    "Well, you''ve already attacked me, and now it''s time to return your attack back to you. It''s only fair." The next moment, a faint smile appeared on Jasper''s lips. Then, he said lightly, "However, I need to add some of my own power to the power that will be returned to you."


    Next, loud cracking noises could suddenly be heard!


    And, as soon as Jasper had finished speaking, many purple thundering lights burst out from him, which made the area full of dazzling purple light, and shattered the space into multiple pieces.


    "Is Jasper even adept at thunderous power? Is it possible?" Ricky felt a little shocked as he saw the scene before him.


    After all, in Ricky''s opinion, what the members of the Zhang Clan cultivated was the force of flushing tree, nothing else.


    "He cultivates two powers. One of them is the force of flushing tree, which contains life, and the other one is this thunder of destruction," Terrence said. "Only people like you two who are so talented can practice two opposite powers at the same time."


    ''The destructive thunder and the pattern of Eight Diagrams, maybe both of them prevented me from using the power of my zone to feel his strength, '' Ricky thought to himself while nodding his head, as if agreeing with his own thoughts.


    Ricky had a strong intuition. Perhaps Jasper''s biggest secret was the pattern of Eight Diagrams when he solidified his own power. At least that was what Ricky''s intuition was telling him.


    All the other warriors probably thought that the pattern of Eight Diagrams was just a state of concentrated strength. They did not care much about it, so they did not delve deeply into it.


    ...


    The destructive thunder burst forth. It fell on the pattern of Eight Diagrams which was flowing out from Jasper''s body. Then the thunder wrapped around the four attacks and boomeranged back through that pattern of Eight Diagrams. One could see that the four attacks that carried the destructive thunder rapidly attacked Nestor and the other three. It was purple everywhere.


    As they saw this, the pupils of Nestor and the other three suddenly recoiled, because at that very instant, they all felt that danger was approaching.


    The threat didn''t come from Jasper''s attacks, but rather from the purple thunder which filled the space.


    "I don''t believe you can defeat me with just one destructive thunder! You have to do better than that!" Jefferson said coldly with the surge of his enlighte


    heard a very strong sound. Suddenly, a middle-aged man in a golden silk robe appeared. It was the Bright Emperor of the Eastern Empire.


    Since the Eastern Empire was the closest to this place, he had come first.


    However, he did not make a move, because currently, only he could feel the presence of another spiritual emperor. And that was the Evil Emperor of the Oriental College. He could clearly feel that the Evil Emperor had not left the place for an entire year.


    "Father, kill him. The inheritance of the Massacring Holy Tiger tribe and Massacring Holy Ant tribe are in their two bodies," Ronson said in an angry tone as soon as he saw the Bright Emperor.


    At the same time, both Jasper''s and Ricky''s eyes were full of worry. It was a troubling situation.


    If the spiritual emperor attacked them, they would have absolutely no chance to fight back. The spiritual emperor was extremely powerful.


    However, the Bright Emperor said nothing more but leave with his disciples of Eastern Empire in tow.


    Upon seeing this, all the warriors gathered around felt incredibly puzzled.


    However, at the very next moment, they understood why the Bright Emperor did not attack both Jasper and Ricky.


    That was because the Evil Emperor who was hiding in the void clearly appeared in front of everyone''s eyes.


    Standing in the air, the Evil Emperor said lightly, "You two did a good job. Next, let''s head back to the Oriental College. It''s about time now."


    And with that said, he took Jasper, Ricky and the other disciples with him and immediately left.


    ...


    "No wonder the Bright Emperor didn''t attack either of them. It''s primarily because he had noticed that the unfathomable Evil Emperor has been hiding here all this time," the warriors all-around said lightly, as they finally understood.

 Chapter 705 The Sense of Realm

    The battle between the Evil Emperor and the Luxurious Emperor was well-known to all. The Luxurious Emperor had been famous for many years, but his popularity and glory were tarnished after his defeat at the hands of the Evil Emperor. The battle''s aftermath was an indication of the Evil Emperor''s immense power.


    The Bright Emperor was just as powerful as the Luxurious Emperor, so he would by no means have the capacity to beat the Evil Emperor. As such, the Bright Emperor was forced to leave upon recognizing the Evil Emperor''s presence.


    None among Ricky, Jasper and the rest of the disciples had ever imagined that the Evil Emperor would wait over a year for them in that particular place. It made them question what his real intentions were.


    The Evil Emperor''s answer to their question was simple: Ricky and Jasper had become among the most hated people of all the other forces. Thus, once they made a mistake, disciples from opposing forces would try to hunt them both down and use all of their strength to kill them.


    This was not a very difficult problem for Jasper, because at present, he was already able to beat a few completed spiritual kings.


    On the other hand, Ricky found himself in quite a pinch. He had not yet been able to defeat any powerful upper spiritual king.


    The commotion in the land of legacy finally came to an end after Ricky and Jasper left the area. Unfortunately, a storm was taking place as a result of the earlier commotion.


    Ricky had obtained the heritage of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe, while Jasper had obtained the heritage of the Massacring Holy Tiger tribe. As such, they naturally drew the attention of all the forces within the entire Eastern Land.


    Of course, all the forces after them would cast greedy eyes on the heritages of two holy tribes that they possessed. The heritages appealed especially to the demi-spiritual-emperor forces. Once they obtained the heritage of a holy tribe, they were very likely to transform into a spiritual-emperor force.


    This only meant that, although Jasper had the upper hand over Ricky, he was still at risk. The demi-spiritual-emperor forces and spiritual-emperor forces would be even more tempted to dispatch the powerful demi-spiritual emperors in their attempt to kill Ricky and Jasper.


    Meanwhile, the strong momentum of the two talented disciples had already spread to all the places as quickly as a tornado.


    Despite the fact that they were all at the same level of strength, Jasper had beaten four people from the alliance¡ªNestor, Jefferson and two princes from the Eastern Empire. It wasn''t until then that the warriors got word of why some completed spiritual kings could not beat Jasper.


    They also knew that Jasper was sure to make a breakthrough and become a completed spiritual king after he returned to Oriental College at this particular timing.


    Ricky behaved in an even more overbearing manner. He even brought the princess of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce under his control and made her his woman. Such scandalous news was communicated to every place quickly.


    It was not difficult to imagine how badly the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce was humiliated


    the explanations from the Oriental Emperor and the Evil Emperor.


    He had thought that he would become a supreme strong warrior once he got hold of both opportunity and comprehension of all the abilities he needed and possessed.


    "That''s true. It''s very important. Since you are currently residing within the realm, you have to be accepted by the realm before you reach the peak of martial arts," the Evil Emperor added.


    "Do you know why I left for a few dozen years? That was all because I missed the fight for the Sense of Realm in the Eastern Land. I had no choice but to go to some realms in the Middle Land to take part in the fight for the Sense of Realm. Only when I finally obtained the Sense of Realm that I successfully became a spiritual emperor."


    "I see!" Ricky expressed, nodding his head enthusiastically.


    "Within the territories of our Eastern Land, upper spiritual kings and completed spiritual kings are qualified to participate in the fight for the Sense of Realm. You both are lucky enough. And so, from here forth, the battle for the Sense of Realm will be the most important step that you must consider in your path if you truly desire to become spiritual emperors," the Evil Emperor concluded.


    Ricky asked, "If that is the case, when will the fight for the Sense of Realm take place?"


    "The time for the battle is not yet finalized. Maybe, three years later, or maybe even five. That''s because it involves the nature''s mystery. On the brighter side, the battle is a sure plan. It will take place, sooner or later. The battle for the Sense of Realm will commence as soon as the Sense of Realm of all the spiritual-emperor forces in the whole Eastern Land comes into being," the Oriental Emperor answered and clarified for Ricky.


    A high level of anticipation shone brightly in the eyes of both the Oriental Emperor and the Evil Emperor. Both of them had more than enough confidence in Ricky''s and Jasper''s abilities and true capacities. The Oriental Emperor and the Evil Emperor both trusted that Ricky and Jasper were competent enough to successfully obtain the Sense of Realm.

 Chapter 706 He Might Get Into Big Trouble

    "The Sense of Realm of all the spiritual-emperor forces in the whole Eastern Land comes into being?" Ricky asked in confusion.


    "The Sense of Realm can only emerge in some lands of fortune where spiritual-emperor forces are located," said Jasper. "Therefore, every fight for the Sense of Realm will start once it has emerged in all the spiritual-emperor forces."


    "Oh, that makes sense. But if it could exist in every place with spiritual-emperor force, why the need to fight for it?" Ricky asked.


    "It is because this kind of Sense of Realm does not have the supreme enlightenment which makes it quite useless," said Jasper. "The Sense of Realm will only become useless once it has been going through the baptism of the Heavenly Void.


    And we need at least a few dozens of spiritual emperors to open the Heavenly Void. Therefore, throughout these years, the fight over the Sense of Realm in every region has formed its own rules among the spiritual-emperor forces.


    The spiritual emperors will unite together to open the Heavenly Void and randomly put the Sense of Realm inside it. Their disciples will fight for it to see whether they are fortunate enough to get their hands on it."


    "That is it?" Ricky nodded as he seemed to have understood what the fight over the Sense of Realm was all about.


    ''It seems that whether I can be a spiritual emperor in the following years or not depends on the fight over the Sense of Realm.'' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Hmm? The Luxurious Emperor is here," said the Oriental Emperor. In the meantime, the Evil Emperor smiled mischievously.


    "What is going on? The Luxurious Emperor talked to me with his internal power, asking me to bring Ricky to him," the Oriental Emperor said after seeing the Evil Emperor''s mischievous smile.


    "Ha-ha! You''ll have to ask him yourself." The Evil Emperor smiled as he looked at Ricky.


    "Ricky, what is going on?" the Oriental Emperor asked him.


    "Master, before I took the inheritance of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe, I had to pass a test with Pearl..." Ric


    at Ricky has taken half of the source of feminine from Pearl which he shouldn''t have, it means that he was deprived of the opportunity to be the Feminine Mutant himself. I think the chances of the Luxurious Emperor sparing Ricky are very minimal.


    And you all know what the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce has done these years, you should know what kind of person Luxurious Emperor is by now.


    Let''s wait and see. The Luxurious Emperor will definitely give Ricky the ten million gold coins and cultivation resources he asked for in exchange for Pearl."


    The Oriental Emperor and the other two looked at Ricky. They wanted to know what he was thinking about after hearing all that they have discussed.


    "Master, I want to know, what will happen to Pearl if the Luxurious Emperor finds out about this?" Ricky asked in a low voice.


    "Maybe in case of any other accidents, the Luxurious Emperor will immediately take the other half of the source of feminine inside her," said the Oriental Emperor. "Either that or he would have Pearl be put under surveillance."


    "Is that so?" Ricky said gently.


    "What exactly are you planning to do?" asked the Oriental Emperor.


    "Master, no matter what happens, I already see Pearl as my woman. Therefore, I will not just hand her to him without putting up a fight," Ricky said firmly with burning resolution in his eyes.

 Chapter 707 A Heart-to-heart Talk With Pearl

    "Ha-ha! That''s my boy! I know Pearl has always wanted to kill you, but if you chose to hand her out as revenge, I surely will despise you for it," said the Evil Emperor, who laughed out loud upon hearing Ricky''s answer.


    The Oriental Emperor also nodded his appreciation for Ricky. He believed that he would decide like a real man, and he was rather happy that Ricky fulfilled his expectation. After all, Pearl was from his college, and he didn''t want to entrust his college to some greedy coward.


    "That''s settled then. Don''t worry, as long as you mean to protect her, I will help you as much as I can." A kind smile bloomed on the Oriental Emperor''s face. "But there is still one problem left¡ªyou need to persuade Pearl into approving your plan first."


    "Got it. I will try my best," Ricky replied. He bowed slightly to the Oriental Emperor to show his gratitude before heading directly into the Devourer Zone.


    His destination was unbeknownst to anyone else, of course. The Oriental Emperor and his warriors only saw him vanish. For all they knew, Ricky could have simply entered his spiritual space tool rather than the Devourer Zone.


    "Just wait here for Ricky''s return. I will go out and buy some time for him. Someone has to talk with the Luxurious Emperor as quickly as possible. I''m afraid he''s getting impatient. Who knows what he will do once he''s run out of patience," the Oriental Emperor said to the Evil Emperor before leaving.


    "How long are you going to keep me in this dirty place, Ricky? Or do I have to spend all of eternity in here?" The chill in Pearl''s accusatory questions greeted Ricky as soon as he arrived.


    She didn''t conceal her anger at all, safe in the knowledge that Ricky wouldn''t kill her no matter how annoying or harsh she was. If he had meant to take her life, he already had the chance. Imprisoning her seemed futile for that goal. What was more, she knew very well what Ricky wanted from her. She''d seen the look in his eyes on numerous other men before. He wanted her and hoped to make her his woman. That was why he was willing to spare her life.


    Despite his clean-cut image, Pearl believed Ricky still craved for women like other men. To a certain degree, every man was possessive of the woman he had sex with. Since they already had intercourse, it was just natural that Ricky would want to make her his own.


    "I think you already know the answer, Pearl. That''s right. I want you to become mine, like so many other men would. You have seen right through me, haven''t you?" Ricky answered in a mild tone. It was hard for him to be angered by her difficult demeanor when Pearl was only speaking the truth.


    "Dream on, you brat!" Pearl snorted, stressing every syllable until they hurt him.


    "Well, if you refuse, then I''m afraid you will have to spend the rest of your life in this place." There was a teasing lilt in Ricky''s voice and he shrugged his shoulders. He was the very picture of nonchalance.


    "Good! Then what are you even doing here? Did you drop by just to laugh at me, huh?" The coldness was written on her features, her mouth in a thin line as she talked back to him.


    "Of course not,"


    ld give: the source of feminine.


    She was used and mutilated. Compared to ten million gold coins and valuable cultivation resources, she was nothing. In this situation, other men would have handed her over without a second thought. Her thoughts and her life would be the last thing they cared about.


    It was true that she was honored as the top beauty of the younger generation. But she knew well that her pretty face contributed little to her value. People flattered her mostly because of the powerful organization behind her and her strength.


    This cruel martial world was filled with beauties. Someone as famous and excellent as Ricky could win the hearts of as many women as he wished. The reason why he would choose Pearl against the tempting treasures could only be that he cared about her as a woman. Pearl was bright, and she was astonished the moment she realized this fact.


    ''How is it possible? No, it can''t be. I''m worthless unless he exchanges me with the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce for the treasures. Someone like him would never have a crush on me!'' With a shake of her head, Pearl tried hard to convince herself.


    At the same time, she did her best to suppress her feelings of gratitude for Ricky, even as they threatened to overwhelm her.


    Ironically, the more she tried to hold them back, the deeper the feelings became until she finally surrendered to them.


    "It looks to me that it''s hard for you to speak out. I will take that as a ''no'' then. Rest assured, I won''t let you fall into the clutches of the Luxurious Emperor. So next time, I hope you can understand and cooperate with me," Ricky concluded. He got the answer he needed from the lines of worry that marked her face, even if Pearl didn''t say anything.


    Then, Ricky broke the runic power that he used to suppress Pearl. He met her eyes as he said, "This is, in fact, one of my zones. It''s called the Devourer Zone. You can learn to master the devouring power in here."


    When he finished, he turned and left the Devourer Zone without looking back. He left the blank-faced Pearl to take in the turn of events.

 Chapter 708 The Trade

    "It seems like you have convinced Pearl already." A smirk made its way on the Evil Emperor''s lips just when he saw Ricky coming out from the Devourer Zone. "You really are a fortunate one. Pearl lost her purity to the likes of you. You even got half of her source of feminine.


    You know, not only the spiritual emperors but also the strong warriors who are superior to them are dying to obtain the original energy.


    Yet Pearl offered to give it to you, ha-ha!"


    While the Evil Emperor continued to make fun of him, Ricky stared at him with a deadpan expression. "Sir, at this very moment, stop making fun of me. I want to know the current situation between our dean and the Luxurious Emperor." The Evil Emperor then stopped chuckling, looked at him and said seriously, "Well, just as our dean expected, the Luxurious Emperor hesitated at first but agreed to your conditions soon. As expected, he brought ten million gold coins and enough cultivation resources." The Evil Emperor scoffed as he thought about the poor mindset of the Luxurious Emperor. After a pause, he continued, "The old man seems too eager to get Pearl''s source of feminine! I just can''t imagine how he would react when he knows that you have already gotten it beforehand.


    All right, I think we should go now. You should face the Luxurious Emperor and tell him about your final decision."


    After saying that, he turned to Jasper. "As for you, you don''t need to be involved in this matter. We don''t want the Luxurious Emperor to hate you as well."


    Jasper nodded in response. Afterwards, the Evil Emperor and Ricky flew into the place where the Luxurious Emperor and the Oriental Emperor were.


    In the air, the two spiritual emperors continued to confront each other until they had noticed that two figures were approaching them. They both turned their attention to them.


    The Luxurious Emperor stared at Ricky with great resentment. But then, when he saw the Evil Emperor, his eyes were full of deep fear.


    "Ricky is here. You can talk to him if you have anything to say, since Pearl is in his hands now," the Oriental Emperor said to the Luxurious Emperor.


    The Luxurious Emperor didn''t answer him. Instead, he turned to Ricky and said, "Young man, here''s the storage ring that contains ten million gold coins and cultivation resources. Just take the ring and hand Pearl to me now."


    Then, he handed Ricky a storage ring. It was obvious that he was full of pain when he slammed his eyes shut. He was reluctant to offer so many treasures but he knew he had to in exchange for Pearl because she was actually more valuable.


    However, with a gentle flick of his finger, Ricky returned the storage ring back to the Luxurious Emperor.


    With that, the Luxurious Emperor clenched his jaw a


    ithin it had greatly activated the power of her Feminine Mutant.


    "What did you say? You had the nerve to betray our Luxurious Chamber of Commerce?" the Luxurious Emperor threatened coldly. Pearl''s blatant response had made his blood boil.


    Of course, he understood why Pearl would have made such a decision, but he did not expect that Pearl would betray and resist him in public, and even dare to use Ricky''s power to resist his order. As the top leader of his own organization, never had he felt so humiliated and irritated before.


    As soon as the Luxurious Emperor finished speaking, Ricky immediately took Pearl back to his Devourer Zone. Also, after Pearl was back to his Devourer Zone, Ricky withdrew his suppression of her power.


    "Sir, Pearl has made her choice. Everything is very clear now. Please leave our Oriental College," Ricky said in a light voice immediately.


    "Is your Oriental College really going to fight against our Luxurious Chamber of Commerce until either party is wiped out?" the Luxurious Emperor said angrily to the Oriental Emperor, ignoring Ricky''s polite request.


    "Haven''t you realized that our fight at daggers drawn has already started?" the Oriental Emperor sneered.


    During the last few days, he knew very well whom the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce had secretly been contacting and what things they had done.


    "Sir, I suggest you leave now. I know that you know that we are stronger than you. As the weak one here, stop acting like a child and don''t attack Ricky just because of your anger," the Evil Emperor said directly and overbearingly.


    Hearing the Evil Emperor''s words, Ricky stared at him in amazement and was inspired at his braveness and confidence. He thought to himself that, someday he would become like him. When that day came, he wouldn''t be afraid of any spiritual emperors.

 Chapter 709 Tinas Feelings

    Crack! Crack!


    The sound of cracking interrupted the Evil Emperor''s speech. With an erratic rhythm, the Luxurious Emperor''s bones cracked from the heavy impact. Grunting turned into yelling, the sounds punctuated the hatred and resentment that engulfed the Luxurious Emperor. He was furious.


    His eyes blazed ferociously. The killing intent behind them was obvious to everyone present.


    Given the chance, the Luxurious Emperor would destroy the Oriental College. But, in his anger, even that didn''t seem enough. He burned with the desire to see the whole Oriental Realm crumble into dust before his eyes. Blood would flow freely in the land, with a slaughter brought about by his own hands.


    However, it would be nothing more than a pipe dream. He was a supreme emperor, but he was no match against the Oriental Emperor and the Evil Emperor.


    The weak could do nothing but eat humble pie.


    "I''m warning you¡ªyou will pay for what you did to me. I swear to God that I will come back for you, sooner or later," the Luxurious Emperor roared, his anger suppressed and tempered by the chill in his tone.


    "Thanks for the kind reminder. I think I can at least pay the price," was the Oriental Emperor''s flat response. He stared back, unimpressed by the threats made on his enemy.


    "Sir, I''m afraid the Luxurious Emperor will be irritated by your words and will thus fight back with all his might," Ricky said to caution the Oriental Emperor through their telepathic link.


    "Don''t worry too much, Ricky. Even without your interference, the Luxurious Emperor and our Oriental College are doomed to have a ferocious fight. We have been enemies for a long time. The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce has already teamed up with the Nether Manor from the Dark Fallen Realm and the Endless Shadow," the Oriental Emperor said, soothing Ricky calmly.


    "So, don''t feel guilty. You did not bring us any trouble. We would have fought against him sooner or later.


    What''s more, we are your seniors in the Oriental College. So when you are trapped and faced with tricky problems, we are supposed to help you. If you were hunted by those extremely powerful emperors who are stronger than us, it might be more difficult for us to deal with them. But if it were just those spiritual emperors who are at the same level as us, we are confident and not afraid of them."


    "Thank you so much, sir." He bowed as he spoke. Respect and gratitude seeped into Ricky''s every action.


    "But, sir, I''d like to ask one more thing. How are you going to resist the attack from the Nether Manor, the Endless Shadow, and the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce? They must be very strong when the three organizations cooperate." His brows furrowed as he spoke, lingering doubt tinged his voice.


    "I think they will act after the competition for the Sense of Realm is over,


    Tina huffed, clearly unhappy. She crossed her arms and glanced at her surroundings. She was not at all surprised to find herself in Ricky''s place.


    There was a bit of resentment in her, born out of the fact that she had been locked inside the Chaotic Fire Zone for such a long time.


    When Ricky had locked her inside, she had known that when he released her they would be back at the Oriental College.


    "I''m sorry, Tina. I had to do it in that situation," Ricky said. He rubbed the back of his neck as he awkwardly glanced at Tina.


    "You already got out of that place. You practiced that cultivation method with Pearl. Am I right?" Tina asked.


    There was a hint of jealousy in her voice and the clipped way she spoke emphasized the emotion. Pearl knew Ricky intimately¡ªshe knew him in a way that Tina envied.


    "Tina, if you think I''m a playboy or something like that, then I don''t know how to explain it. You can leave if you want and I won''t stop you." Ricky''s eyes flitted between her and the door. His face was serious.


    "Am I such a narrow-minded woman in your eyes?" Tina caught his gaze in a soft stare.


    "You know what I''m thinking. You know I have feelings for you, don''t you? I might be jealous when you have other girlfriends, but it won''t affect my feelings for you. I love you, Ricky. I only hope that there is still a place for me in your heart even if you fall in love with other girls."


    Tina grasped her arms tightly, insecure and threatened by Pearl and Ricky''s relationship. She was afraid that Ricky would leave her. While she was in the Chaotic Fire Zone, she decided to tell him about her feelings again and she did it immediately after she saw him. It was a desperate move by a desperate woman.


    Her words surprised Ricky, though. He was dumbfounded, struck silent and fumbling for a proper response.


    This was something he had not anticipated at all.

 Chapter 710 Unforeseen Event In The Realm Of Wildness

    Ricky thought that even if Tina didn''t scorn him, she would ignore him for quite a while. However, she confessed her feelings towards him, which threw him into a state of panic.


    He didn''t want to hide his feeling towards Tina, and their feelings towards each other were mutual. But it seemed that there were many girls around him, which confused him about how to get along with Tina. He had never been in this position before.


    And in the future too, he didn''t even know how to face Grace as well.


    "Tina, I..." Ricky hesitated. He didn''t know what to say or how to explain himself.


    "Ricky, you don''t have to say anything at all. I know how you feel about me. I just wanted to tell you how I felt about you; that''s all," Tina said in a direct manner after seeing Ricky''s hesitation.


    "I just want to know something¡ªhow is Pearl?"


    "Tina, thank you. I promise you, no matter what happens in the future, I won''t let you down." Tina had made it absolutely clear; therefore Ricky, as a man, had to make a few promises. It was what a proper gentleman would do.


    Tina was extremely excited after hearing Ricky''s promise. She beamed.


    "Tina, I just want to tell you, the situation between Pearl and I is a little complicated," said Ricky as he looked at Tina straight in the eyes. Then he told her about what had happened between him and Pearl in great detail.


    "Oh, how I envy Pearl now," said Tina after hearing Ricky''s side of the story. Ricky was even willing to challenge a spiritual emperor just for Pearl.


    Tina''s words made Ricky feel a bit helpless. He felt he was caught in the middle of something he could not control.


    ''This is probably envy between women, '' Ricky thought to himself after a while.


    "Ricky, do you think I can meet Pearl?" Tina asked all of a sudden.


    When Ricky was recounting his story, he also told Tina that he had an additional zone called the Devourer Zone. But Tina was not shocked at all, or perhaps she was too shocked to show any reaction.


    "Okay Tina, but we have to wait until I suppress her with the devouring runes. After all, she is still trying to kill me up till now. If you go in and something happens..." Ricky gently said.


    "Ricky, you don''t need to suppress her. It will only have an opposite effect, you don''t understand," Tina interrupted Ricky before


    red all the forces, and no one was hurt. They only asked for absolute obedience from everyone.


    However, they didn''t ask for too much or make too many commands that were too difficult to execute."


    "Is that so? I see." Ricky was relieved after hearing all of this. The Misty South Palace and the people he cared about were then not in any danger. This was what mattered most to him.


    "Do you know what they are planning to do? Do you have any idea?" Ricky asked Scar.


    "No, I don''t." Scar shook his head to indicate he didn''t know.


    "It seems I must get back to the Realm of Wildness. And now is a very good time for my return," said Ricky, while squinting his eyes.


    "Scar, it looks like you will have to go back to the Realm of Wildness with me. We must return together."


    If the completed spiritual king was indeed in the Realm of Wildness, then Scar must definitely go with Ricky.


    "It''s okay. After a year, I''m getting a little bored there in the Three-hall City. Let''s go together to the Realm of Wildness and meet this completed spiritual king to see what he wants." Scar nodded in agreement, upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    Right now, Scar had no resentment at all towards Ricky''s requirement, because deep in his heart, he actually admired Ricky, especially after what had happened in the land of legacy.


    There was also eagerness in Scar''s eyes. He was indeed looking forward to the fight with the completed spiritual king. Scar was ready.


    "Okay, then you can wait in the Three-hall City and I''ll come later, in secret."

 Chapter 711 The Return Trip

    After talking to Scar, Ricky woke straight out of his status of cultivation. Next, he went on to unseal the Devourer Zone to lead Tina out.


    Ricky had already discovered the drastic change that Pearl had undergone. She even smiled at Tina and seemed to have shared a number of good conversations with her, as if they had become a pair of good friends.


    However, after detecting that Ricky unsealed the Devourer Zone, Pearl suddenly reverted to her cold and uncaring demeanor.


    "Tina, some changes have taken place within the Realm of Wildness. Here''s what I have to do next: I must go back there for once, and so I''ll need your airship to help me get there fast," Ricky requested directly, knowing fair and well that hesitating even for just a little bit would be a waste of time.


    Although Scar, a completed spiritual king, was present and available to help Ricky out, Tina''s airship was definitely much faster.


    "There have definitely been changes taking place in the Realm of Wildness. What are these changes exactly?" Tina asked worriedly after she heard Ricky''s words. She knew that the people in the Realm of Wildness were of high importance to Ricky. He cared about them a great deal.


    "Let''s talk as we go. I need to talk to the dean before I leave. I''ll also be needing some help," Ricky explained.


    "Pearl, do you prefer to stay in the Devourer Zone? Or would you rather step out?" Ricky asked Pearl shortly after elaborating on his concerns.


    "I have already told you before, haven''t I? Every time I see you, I have the strong urge to kill you," Pearl replied coldly to Ricky.


    "Alright, I got it," Ricky said helplessly, not really wanting to put up a fight with Pearl.


    Ricky could clearly feel that although Pearl answered his question in a grouchy manner, she was not as detached and cold as she was to him in the past. There was no doubt that the long chat Pearl had with Tina had made a positive difference to her.


    ''Wait! Is Pearl just pretending to be nice to Tina?'' Ricky wondered to himself.


    Although he had been expecting a change in Pearl''s attitude, Ricky didn''t really dare to believe that the change would happen so soon.


    ''Maybe Pearl is just pretending to be nice to us and in the midst of her pretensions, she is simply looking for a chance to leave.''


    But Ricky didn''t think twice anymore. Right now, his priority was to return to the Realm of Wildness.


    Soon, Ricky found both the Oriental Emperor and the Evil Emperor. He approached them and divulged the current dilemma that the Realm of Wildness was currently facing.


    "The Realm of Wildness is your hometown. Now that something bad has happened there, whet


    e they really are just looking for something here," Scar nodded thoughtfully.


    "Let''s wait until Henry comes back. Let''s hope that he has gathered more than enough useful information during his trip. By the time he comes back, we can probably start figuring everything out," Ricky said.


    "Scar, can the completed spiritual kings here feel your presence?" Ricky asked.


    "As soon as I got here, I hid my aura very carefully. Only spiritual emperors can notice my existence," Scar reassured his friend.


    "That would be great. We''d better not give away our whereabouts until we have any viable news and information about the situation," Ricky nodded. It would take them time, but it was a much safer and practical move. Had they opted to move about without any accurate idea of what was going on, then that could jeopardize their safety and their objective.


    And so they sat around and waited for Henry to come back.


    It took Henry four days before he finally returned.


    "How did it go, Henry? What''s going on? Did you figure anything out? Have you got any useful information?" Ricky and the others asked eagerly as soon as Henry came back.


    Henry heaved a deep breath. "I did find out something." Henry''s voice was solid and serious.


    "What did you find out? Where did the strong entities come from and why did they come here? What is their purpose?" Ricky asked relentlessly, not wanting to waste a single second. Four days was more than enough time to wait.


    "I don''t know where exactly they came from, but the powerful warriors who appeared here out of nowhere call themselves the Celestial Army," Henry revealed.


    "Celestial Army!" Ricky and his companions gasped in unison. They were surely expecting news, but Henry''s revelation caught them off guard.

 Chapter 712 The Celestial Army

    "Scar, do you happen to know about the Celestial Army?" Ricky asked as he believed that Scar had more experience and knowledge than him.


    "I''m sorry, Ricky. I have no idea what this so-called Celestial Army is," Scar said, shaking his head. "But, as far as I know, there isn''t any Celestial Army among the powerful forces."


    "Tina, have you ever heard of it?" Ricky then turned to ask Tina.


    "I haven''t either," Tina answered in negative, shaking her head as well.


    But another fact was that both Henry and Scar were quite curious about Tina. That was because even though Tina was only a demi-immortal, Ricky seemed to treat her very politely. The regard that he showed towards her was as if he didn''t view her as his lover but as another warrior at the same level.


    Besides, Ricky always turned to Tina in the end when all his options fell apart and he had a question. He truly believed that Tina was always able to give him the best answer.


    However, Ricky didn''t introduce Tina to them properly at his own accord, so neither Henry nor Scar felt comfortable to inquire about her information.


    ''It seems that there is no such force in the Middle Land, '' Ricky wondered to himself. ''Or maybe it is a newly-established force, which is why Tina has never heard of it.''


    "Ricky, we don''t need to care about the Celestial Army. The Realm of Wildness is our territory. Now that they have come here, they are invading our territory. We have no option but to fight and beat them," Soar declared resolutely in a firm voice.


    "You''re still so reckless, Soar. We know nothing about the Celestial Army, and with such ignorance, it seems that we can''t beat them without losses of our own. That being the case, how can we begin fighting against them right now?" Ricky reasoned with him.


    Realizing that his proposal was denied by Ricky relentlessly, Soar pursed his lips in a grimace.


    "Henry, tell us something else about them," Ricky then said to Henry.


    "Actually, there are not many members in the Celestial Army. According to Scar''s attendants, the whole army included just one completed spiritual king, two upper spiritual kings, five middle spiritual kings and about ten lower spiritual kings," Henry answered.


    "Not many? Henry, there are eighteen spiritual kings! How can you say there are not many?" Soar exclaimed in surprise as soon as Henry finished speaking.


    Not only Soar but Ricky and Scar also fixed their eyes on Henry speechless


    well, saying that Alva knew something about the Celestial Army and wanted to tell him.


    In the Chaotic Fire Zone, Alva emerged out of Soar''s body.


    "Alva, do you know the Celestial Army?" Ricky asked, looking forward to hearing some good news.


    "Yes, I do. But I''m not sure if the Celestial Army I know has anything to do with the Celestial Army here because it seems that there is a big gap between the two. The weakest members of the Celestial Army I know are spiritual emperors, while the stronger members could dominate a whole continent. I believe. They are totally different from the Celestial Army here," Alva answered.


    "What? The weakest members of the Celestial Army are spiritual emperors?" Ricky asked in disbelief. Soar was also greatly surprised to hear what Alva had said.


    It took some time for Soar and Ricky to calm themselves down.


    "Alva, please tell us what the Celestial Army you know is like," Ricky prodded, curious to know more.


    "Master Ricky, there are four continents in the world¡ªPure East, Bleak West, Misty South and Vast North. And we''re in the continent of Misty South," Alva explained.


    "I learned this from the archives in Oriental College," Ricky said, nodding his head, gesturing to Alva to go on.


    "In fact, in addition to the four continents, there is another region in the universe that we live in. That place is called the Celestial Land, where the holy beings live," Alva continued.


    "What? The Celestial Land? Holy beings?!" Ricky and Soar repeated the key words in Alva''s explanation in unison. They were dumbstruck. They simply could not believe what they had just heard.

 Chapter 713 Head Of The Celestial Army

    "The level above the innate spiritual sage is the innate spiritual potentate," Alva said, despite Ricky''s and Soar''s shocked faces. "And, above the innate spiritual potentate is the holy being.


    The holy beings live on the Celestial Land. Their lives are as long as heaven and earth, if you can imagine that."


    "Their lives are as long as heaven and earth? Their powers are beyond our imagination!" Ricky and Soar sighed as the mystery deepened.


    "But a few eras before that, the Celestial Land was gone, as was the holy beings. They''ve never ever been heard of since then. Most continent creatures nowadays have forgotten what the Celestial Land and the holy beings are.


    Soon after the holy beings were gone, the spiritual potentates on the four continents gradually disappeared as well. The spiritual energy on the four continents dropped so severely that no spiritual potentate appeared ever since then. And it has been that way ever since.


    The spiritual energy dropped at the end of each era, and if my guess is not wrong, a few eras later, there won''t be any spiritual sage on the continents anymore."


    "How come?" "Nobody knows for sure, but several powerful people stressed that it might have something to do with the Celestial Land which has disappeared. But it is still a guess, not an absolute fact."


    "An era usually lasts for more than 200 million years, which is way too long for us to care. It almost means forever. One cannot even imagine how long that is," Ricky said in a firm tone.


    "As for the cause of the missing Celestial Land and the dropping spiritual energy, we''re still unaware of the cause, and there''s really no need for us to guess now. But just get to the point, what''s the relationship between the Celestial Army and the Celestial Land?"


    Now that Alva brought up the subject of the Celestial Land, then it must have something to do with the Celestial Army. Otherwise why would he talk about them together?


    "In the previous era, when the war between the continent creatures and the devils was at a stalemate, they almost had the same number of powerhouses," Alva then continued. "Just at that time, a group of powerful warriors showed up amongst the devils. They called themselves ''the Celestial Army''. Their intervention then broke the stalemate, and the continent creatures were soon about to lose the war.


    On the other hand, just


    was also here.


    Even Elder Alex was here, who had helped Ricky before.


    Ricky was rather familiar with the Shadow King of the Endless Shadow in the Realm of Wildness who was his biggest enemy.


    The three followers of Scar were Larson, Saul, and Scott. They all used sabers as their weapons.


    Scott was the head of the three, and he was also an upper spiritual king, while Saul and Larson were two middle spiritual kings.


    Meanwhile, all the spiritual kings gathered in the palace, floating silently, waiting anxiously for the Celestial Army to finally come.


    Soon, black figures appeared up in the air. There were eighteen people up there in total. It was getting tense.


    They were all were dressed in black from head to toe, except for the one in the middle whose face was uncovered. The scene was chilling.


    Indeed, they looked like the assassinators of the Endless Shadow.


    The presence of the Celestial Army caught the eyes of all the people. The spiritual kings were rather tentative.


    They were actually obviously awe-stricken and fearful, or they wouldn''t have yielded the Realm of Wildness to the Celestial Army and attended to their call.


    The man in black who was surrounded by the others became the center of people''s attention. It was clear that he was the head of the Celestial Army, Connor.


    Clearly, he couldn''t wait to sit on the cloud seat prepared for him.


    The others then stood in orderly rows on both sides.


    "Thank you all for coming to the competition this time. It will be a competition to remember," noted Connor with great confidence.

 Chapter 714 Participation

    "The law of the martial world is just as cruel as the law of the jungle. We, the Celestial Army, have an eye on the Realm of Wildness, and we will rule this place. So everyone, please accept it and don''t be bitter about it," said Connor.


    "You don''t need to worry about it. The world is cruel and this is how it should be. Besides, you haven''t taken anything from us and have given us a fair and valuable chance to join the Celestial Army. We really appreciate it," the spiritual kings in the Realm of Wildness answered, on hearing the words of Connor.


    Of course, this was just a farce and came nowhere close to what they actually thought. What they strongly wished was that the Celestial Army would leave as soon as possible. Who would like to be suppressed by someone else all the time?


    They were really confused. This Celestial Army did not take any cultivation resources, nor did they force them into following commands. So, what the hell were they doing in this barren Realm of Wildness?


    They were curious about a lot of things but did not dare to ask. The only reason why they came to participate in the competition was that the Celestial Army was far stronger than they were.


    However, it was true that some of them actually wanted to be a part of the Celestial Army. Only in this way, they could have a chance to know what the Celestial Army was really up to.


    "Ha-ha, if all of you are willing to participate, then let the competition begin now." Connor looked delighted as he announced the competition open.


    "The chief of the Imperial Palace of Wildness, Shadow King, and Scott, the three of you are all upper spiritual kings. Hence, you can straight away become members of our Celestial Army," said Connor.


    "There are only two positions vacant that the rest of you shall compete for."


    The spiritual kings had no disagreements over what Connor said. Everybody knew that the three of them were the strongest among them.


    "Of course we all agree." Those spiritual kings nodded.


    "The spiritual king that I am familiar w


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    when I saw that people were gathered here, I hid my momentum to come here. If I''m not welcomed, I will leave right now."


    "Another spiritual king. Where is he from?" Many questions and discussions about Ricky ran through the warriors.


    Ricky was about to leave as he finished speaking.


    "Please wait a moment." However, Connor stopped Ricky. "My friend, where are you from?"


    "I am a wandering spiritual king. I''ve got no place to live, so I''m just wander around here in the realms, hoping to find some opportunities," Ricky answered.


    "Is that so?" Connor said politely. "If that''s the case, would you like to participate in this competition of spiritual kings in this Realm of Wildness? Currently, we still have two positions vacant in the Celestial Army which will be filled by the winners of the competition."


    "I am a lazy one, so I''ll pass." Ricky shook his head in refusal.


    "This competition is also an opportunity. It won''t cost you anything if you participate," Connor said and then he gave a meaningful smile. Immediately, the momentum of a completed spiritual king came crushingly on Ricky.


    Ricky felt the immense pressure crumbling him.


    Obviously, Connor had resorted to threaten Ricky.


    Sensing the pressure, Ricky pretended to be afraid and he said, "You are right. This competition is also an opportunity, so I''ll try my luck."

 Chapter 715 Killing In One Move To End Resentment

    "Haha, buddy! You''re wise to make that decision," Connor said smilingly. Simultaneously, he withdrew his oppressive force from Ricky.


    None of the other spiritual kings was surprised to see what was happening. They believed that Ricky would not be able to leave.


    ''So, that''s his strategy. It seems that Master Ricky also wants to join the Celestial Army. I wonder if he has the strength to beat so many spiritual kings in order to earn one of the remaining two positions, '' Scott thought to himself. He was somewhat worried about Ricky.


    He telepathically told his two companions to respect Ricky. He made sure that if they confronted Ricky in the following battles and found that Ricky had similar strength as them, they would accept defeat gracefully.


    Of course, his companions agreed with him.


    "Everybody, now you have one more competitor coming up. I hope you will fight for the last two positions with all your real strength. I wish you all the very best. You will never feel disappointed in the Celestial Army," Connor exclaimed with a smile on his face.


    Soon after, he divided the spiritual kings that took part in the contest into groups. Every two of them made a group, and they would have to fight against each other.


    Immediately, the battles between spiritual kings started. Ten spiritual kings would beat their competitors and win the first round of competition.


    Certainly, the warriors enjoyed the battles between spiritual kings very much, especially the demi-immortal warriors. They could learn tremendously from these battles in order to make a breakthrough and become spiritual kings.


    Ricky was in the fourth group to fight. His competitor was no stranger. That was Mia, one of his old enemies.


    ''It seems true that one cannot avoid his enemy!'' Ricky thought to himself. At the same time, a killing intent arose in his heart. He decided that he would kill Mia, right here.


    The consequence of this would be in the hands of the Celestial Army.


    Now that the Celestial Army was going to select the top five competitors, everyone knew that they wanted to


    ed. They could not believe their eyes. Nobody uttered a word.


    Meanwhile, the surrounding warriors were all dumbfounded. They just stared with a dull look in their eyes.


    ''Wow! He really used only one move!'' Scott sighed silently with affirming emotions.


    As an upper spiritual king, he was able to see clearly how Ricky launched the attack, acting as fast as he could.


    ''Who the hell is he?'' the Shadow King thought to himself.


    By then, Connor had overcome his astonishment. He had clearly failed to keep his composure at the result of this battle.


    "How could a spiritual king be killed in one move? Isn''t a spiritual king supposed to be very strong?" the surrounding warriors talked vehemently with panic in their eyes.


    Maybe, they had never seen the death of a spiritual king. Mia was killed so abruptly that they became scared.


    "I told you that I would kill you in one move, but you didn''t give up. So, you deserve this," Ricky said indifferently, looking at Mia''s dead body.


    He never had compassion for Mia. He knew she would have killed him in the past, if he hadn''t been rescued by Elder Alex and Zenith.


    In that moment, Ricky felt somewhat relieved to have one less enemy.


    "You acted too relentlessly, buddy. It''s just a contest. You didn''t need to kill your competitor. You better have an explanation for this," a cold and stern voice suddenly came through.

 Chapter 716 Meeting Errol Again

    It was an old man wearing white clothes. Fury could be seen from the serious look on his face. It seemed that he had tried hard but restrained himself from launching an attack to kill Ricky.


    Now behind the old man stood two spiritual kings. One was Alexander, who had helped Ricky when he had been in the Casting Guild, and the other was another old man in black clothes. The old man in black clothes looked even more furious than the old man in white clothes.


    It was more than obvious to ascertain that the old man in white was the chief of the Casting Guild located in the Earth Fire Land. The way he held himself said it all.


    It was highly likely that the chief of the Casting Guild did not care about Mia that much. But Mia was a member of the Casting Guild¡ªhis organization after all. Mia''s death at Ricky''s hands brought nothing but shame to the Casting Guild. The chief could hardly bear it.


    "You are challenging the Casting Guild young man," the old man in black said coldly with a serious look on his face.


    "Sir, I told her clearly that I would kill her with just one strike. But she did not believe me and started the fight. There was nothing I could do but join the fight. It was self-defense," Ricky said, in explanation.


    "It was obvious that she was determined to kill me. I couldn''t just wait for her to strike me. I''m not a fool."


    "You are now asking for trouble, young man! In the history of the Casting Guild, no one has ever been bullied like this," the old man in black roared with rage. Ricky''s explanation irritated him even more.


    Then, he channeled his power and launched his energy, ready to hurl a strike against Ricky at any moment.


    "My friend from the Casting Guild, please, I urge you to stop it. May I have a word with you? We are now in a competition so please don''t interrupt the competition. No matter what happened between you, you can talk about it or fight personally amongst yourselves after the competition is over instead of doing it here right now," Connor, the leader of the Celestial Army, said to interrupt both of them at that point in time.


    His voice was flat yet quite definitive.


    The face of the old man in black grew darker when he heard those words. He continued, "Is it righteous to kill somebody here?"


    "Killing someone without a righteous reason is not right. That is true. You are right. But this is a competition and I don''t remember any rule existing that says that killing is not permitted," Connor replied, trying to calm the old man in black.


    ''I was right! The Celestial Army values strength and ability the most. Probably most people did not notice how powerful I was just now. However, he is the leader of the Celestial Army! He must have noticed it! I am sure of it!'' Ricky reflected when he heard Connor seemingly support him.


    The old man in black realized that he was unable


    l told Ricky telepathically.


    "Oh? Is that so? Why? Now I''m confused," Ricky asked as he was puzzled upon hearing Errol''s message.


    "It is because I think it is worthwhile to kill you if I can get two inferior-stage spiritual weapons. You see it''s nothing personal," Errol replied during the fight.


    "Oh, I see, now I get it," Ricky responded. It all made sense now.


    Naturally, Ricky quickly figured out that the old man in black from the Casting Guild must have made some kind of nasty deal with Errol. As he expected, Ricky noticed from the corner of his eye that the old man in black was staring at him with a serious look on his face as if he was plotting something.


    However, it did not bother Ricky in anyway. Errol''s claim that he would kill Ricky was something that Ricky wanted as well. Furthermore, he was also expecting a fight against Errol and was determined to end Errol''s life.


    "Well, well, if my guess is right, you have been bribed by two inferior-stage spiritual weapons. But I must say that I hold you in contempt because you are so easily manipulated by other people with just two inferior-stage spiritual weapons. Come on now, you are a middle spiritual king, so act like a man! Please have a little bit more respect for yourself. I now understand why you will never be able to accomplish greater achievements. You are too narrow-minded that you will never be able to see the greater opportunities outside the Realm of Wildness," Ricky commented in a derisive tone of voice.


    "You are being too talkative young man. I''m now even more determined to kill you for good. You are going to die very soon at my hands," Errol replied with an angry look on his face upon hearing Ricky''s derision.


    He immediately employed his internal strength, and in the blink of an eye, he had already appeared in front of Ricky. Meanwhile, he extended a palm in order to forcefully strike Ricky.

 Chapter 717 Settle One More Enemy

    The regenerating palm embodied an enormous strength. It was indeed a power that could kill anyone in just the blink of an eye. It let the space around Ricky directly be torn apart. Ricky could feel that killing sense clearly. He stood in the sky, releasing his massacring power.


    He fixed his eyes at Errol in amazement. It made him surprised that Errol had improved a lot. While he was thinking about that, Errol''s eyes burned with hatred as he glared at Ricky.


    At the next moment, Ricky dodged that powerful attack; then he threw a fiery punch in the direction of Errol''s attack. He gave all of his massacring power to his fist, making Errol''s regenerating palm to fall apart in an instant.


    The golden fist was so quick and fierce that it punched Errol''s chest after the regenerating palm fell apart. Errol''s eyes widened at this sudden attack.


    It was as if it all became a slow-motion for a moment. As Errol felt his body falling down, he saw Ricky standing there with so much composure. His back finally made contact with the ground; then he gawked above. He was certain enough that he would win the battle, but he was wrong. A red-colored liquid gushed out of his mouth.


    The warriors around them became silent once again, making the whole area fall into stillness. All of them were gap-mouthed.


    What was going on here? The warriors present here could feel that Ricky and Errol surged with exactly the same momentum. But what they could not understand was why the strength gap between them suddenly became so big.


    ''Does Yori still have hidden strength? Where is his limit on earth?'' other spiritual kings thought inwardly.


    They had thought that Ricky was just a simple character, but they were all shocked when he had joined the battle. Only until then did they realize that they were totally wrong.


    Ricky stared at his hand, clenching it. ''I shall control my power well. I have almost killed him with my enormous power just now, '' Ricky thought in surprise. That was because even Ricky himself did not expect that this scene would happen.


    Truth to be told, he was really going to take it slow for a moment before releasing his real power to Errol. That was the real plan of Ricky, but things didn''t work according to his plans. He didn''t even expect the power that he had showcased a while ago.


    That would be bad if Errol threw in the towel directly right away.


    "Connor, he have shown great power in front of us. He is truly a powe


    vitality palm.


    So, this palm now was consist of half withered power and half vitality power. That was why this attack was called the Withered Vitality Palm. After suffering this attack, Ricky just felt himself hovering between life and death. It was a terrible torture.


    If a creature was hovering between life and death again and again, neither his body nor his spirit could bear this feeling at all.


    "It was indeed an enormous attack. If I were in the same level with him, I would have to use all my might. However, I am not," Ricky sighed again when he felt the power of Errol''s attack.


    Unfortunately, his attack was too far from being enough for Ricky right now.


    "I am truly afraid, I need to send you to hell with my attack," Ricky said in a monotone while giving him a sympathetic look.


    Then, in the midst of Massacring Enlightenment, a Massacring Golden Palm smacked hard against the Withered Vitality Palm.


    Boom! Boom! The next moment, there was only a loud roar. Everyone thought that the two palms would cause a fierce confrontation, but everything was so destructive and so unexpected.


    Under the power of Massacring Golden Palm, the Withered Vitality Palm could not even hold on for a second and then it just collapsed. Then the power of the Massacring Golden Palm flooded Errol immediately.


    Then, Errol didn''t even have time to scream. He and the space were bathed in golden light. In the void, one could only see a few drops of blood and a storage ring.


    Before anyone realized what was going on here, Errol had already been in tatters.


    Then the whole space fell into silence again, dead silence.

 Chapter 718 Joining The Celestial Army

    What had happened just now unnervingly seemed to be more shocking than Mia''s death.


    Mia was only a lower spiritual king. As such, her cruel fate was already sealed especially in the hands of a middle spiritual king as powerful as Ricky. This was true despite the fact that the latter only used a single move in the entire duration of their battle. Errol, on the other hand, was a second-class middle spiritual king. His strength overpowered that of Mia''s. Sadly, his power was not enough to contend against Ricky. He, too, was killed abruptly by Ricky. The difference in their power was made more evident when Errol''s physical body broke down into pieces as he perished.


    All the warriors who bore witness to the battle felt astonished and dumbfounded.


    With their eyes now fixed on Ricky, they now felt very scared at the sight of him. Though they would not admit it, even the spiritual kings had begun to feel the fear creep into their hearts and minds.


    They all wondered just how powerful Ricky could be, that he effortlessly killed off a second-class middle spiritual king.


    Several of the warriors present during the recent battles thought to themselves, ''Where is this Yori from?'' They were extremely curious about Ricky''s abilities and true power.


    "Chief, he seems to have come here to take revenge on his enemies," the upper spiritual king in the Celestial Army divulged telepathically.


    "It doesn''t matter where he comes from or if he has come here for revenge. I have been analyzing his strength and based on my deductions, he is an upper spiritual king. This means we don''t have to worry about him stirring up too much trouble. If he comes to take revenge on his enemies, just let him kill them. If his presence and his actions are truly making you unhappy, then you may slay him once the contest comes to an end," Connor, the chief of the Celestial Army, replied to the upper spiritual king telepathically too.


    "The Ultimate Flushing Wrath seems to be so-so," Ricky openly expressed in a disdainful tone after catching Errol''s storage ring that fell from the midair.


    Ricky felt more relaxed. He understood that his current mood was the result of having been able to put an end to the resentment he had been carrying. By ending Errol''s life, he was able to free himself more from the chains of vengeance and hatred.


    ''Now, all what''s left for me to do is to deal with the Shadow King, '' Ricky thought to himself. ''I must try and kill the Shadow King as soon as possible. Otherwise, the Shadow King may recognize me if I start exhibiting some of my signature moves.''


    "Yori, you killed my elder brother. The family of Greenhill will never forgive you. Eliminating you has now become the ultimate and unified mission of each of our family members," a stern voice called out to Ricky and warned him. The grim voice came from Evan, Errol''s younger brother. He was also a spiritual king from the family of Greenhill.


    "My death is your lifelong mission?" Ricky raised an eyebrow. "All right. Do whatever you like. Since your elder brother attempted to kill me because somebody else paid him for doing that, then he must have done his own research and deduced or anticipated that the possibility of him dying in my hands was huge."


    As he spoke, Ricky took a glance at the ol


    elepathically after the first deputy Shadow King of the Endless Shadow admitted defeat.


    The reason why he asked the question was not because he wanted to call Ricky to account for his killing intent. Instead, he wanted to dig for more information in between Ricky''s words. All along, he had sensed a strong familiarity with Ricky.


    "As you''ve said, there is no conflict between us. The only thing standing between us is the fact that I don''t like murderers. I think they are a group of immoral people who do nothing but use shady tactics in an effort to outsmart their opponent, get the upper hand and knock their enemies dead when they least expect it. What do you think? Is this motive reasonable enough?" Ricky answered.


    "Ha-ha! Yes, that kind of reason will do!" the Shadow King exclaimed in a satisfied and cheery voice. His intent of eliminating Ricky was perfectly concealed under his sunny disposition, even though it was inappropriate for the situation they were in.


    "Well then, please be careful. If you end up being killed by dirty murderers like me or any more of our kind, then you would become a joke. You don''t want to make a fool out of yourself, now, do you?"


    "Please," Ricky chuckled. "Don''t worry about me. I will be very careful." Ricky was determined to win.


    ''What a pity! If only the first deputy Shadow King of the Endless Shadow wasn''t so alert and aware, then I would have already killed him by now. After all, he is quite a capable assistant to the Shadow King, '' Ricky thought to himself, regretfully.


    "Ha-ha! It appears that the last two positions will be given to the chief of the Casting Guild and Yori," Connor exclaimed happily as he stood up.


    "Together with the chief of the Realm of Wildness, the Shadow King and Scott, five friends will join the Celestial Army. Congratulations to all of you!"


    Connor declared. He looked at the five new members of his army with gleeful eyes.


    All the other warriors couldn''t help but stare at the five new members of the Celestial Army enviously. After all, the Celestial Army''s status was currently God-like in the Realm of Wildness. To become a member of the Celestial Army was equal to becoming part-God.

 Chapter 719 Tackling The Problem Of Endless Shadow

    Connor led the warriors, including Ricky, to the base of Imperial Palace of Wildness as a way of making them feel welcome. As they walked to their destination, he told them of the rules they must obey after they joined the Celestial Army.


    Everyone in the Realm of Wildness were discussing the past competition of spiritual kings. In almost all the conversations that involved the said competition, Ricky stood out as the main topic. There, he was already widely known to the public as the spiritual king who appeared out of nowhere and killed two powerful spiritual kings to get a place in the competition.


    Despite initially being regarded as an outsider, Ricky instantly became more famous than all the local spiritual kings of the Realm of Wildness.


    "As you have now become new members of the Celestial Army, we are all brothers from here forth!" Connor said with a small yet benevolent smile. "Concerning your positions, I''ve already made some arrangements, though I am not quite sure if you will all be satisfied with the said arrangements."


    "Please, go ahead!" The Celestial Army''s new members, including Ricky, all nodded in unison.


    "Lord of Imperial Palace of Wildness, Shadow King, Chief of Casting Guild, and Scott, the four of you can still stay in your own respective forces," Connor clarified. "You can set your hearts at rest. The Celestial Army will not intervene with your forces'' own, personal matters. Neither will we force you to do anything that will go against your forces'' codes.


    I believe it is plain for everybody to see."


    "Thank you so much, Master Connor!" The four were very excited upon hearing the leader''s words. After joining the Celestial Army, they were extremely worried that the Celestial Army would take control of their existing forces.


    But upon hearing Connor''s assurance, they felt like a thorn had been pulled out of their chest. Besides, after the Celestial Army''s arrival, they never laid a hand on any of the forces residing within the area, except for the Sky Manor.


    "Sure enough, if something urgent comes up and we need your help, I hope that you will not refuse or let us down," Connor added.


    "We will definitely help you out when necessary." They all swore sincerely.


    "As for Yori, since you don''t have your own force in the Realm of Wildness, please stay right here for the moment." Connor motioned for Ricky to stand closer to him.


    "I had originally intended to appoint you to the position of vice leader; however, I''m afraid that the old members of the Celestial Army will not be in full support of my decision. For now, I hope you can be contented with simply being one of my regular members. I truly hope you won''t feel wronged.


    On the other hand, you can also expect things to change in your favor once you showcase your strength and abilities in the future. By then, I''m pretty sure


    I''m done setting my goals straight and finally get the time to deal with the Celestial Army.''


    After careful consideration, Ricky had finally made up his mind to first focus on tackling the problem of Endless Shadow.


    In order to destroy the Endless Shadow, Ricky definitely would be needing the help of some allies. Unfortunately, warriors like Scar, who were outside the Realm of Wildness, couldn''t help him at the moment.


    ''It seems that I can only turn to that woman for help!'' Ricky sighed with an uneasy feeling in his heart.


    With a defeated and heavy sigh, he closed his eyes, and began trying to initiate a connection to the Devourer Zone residing deep within his mind.


    At that moment, Pearl was concentrating on comprehending the Devouring Enlightenment inside the Devourer Zone. To his surprise, Ricky found that Pearl had already made a breakthrough and had become an upper spiritual king.


    He was able to overcome his initial surprise and calmed himself down. In all fairness, it was not very strange for Pearl''s abilities to have gone that far in such a short span of time. She had already reached the limit of the middle spiritual king back when she was in the land of legacy. After leaving the land of legacy, she had also obtained several opportunities to continue harnessing her power and strength. As such, it had already seemed natural for Pearl to break through successfully.


    "Pearl, congratulations! You have already become an upper spiritual king!" Ricky telepathically communicated with Pearl in his mind.


    Pearl woke up from her comprehension and opened her eyes upon receiving Ricky''s message. Her originally happy face soon turned into a sullen and cold expression.


    "What are you here for? Get gabbing or get going!" Pearl said to Ricky callously.


    Pearl''s words left Ricky speechless. The Devourer Zone was his, yet Pearl was trying to get rid of him in his zone.

 Chapter 720 A Cheeky Coercion

    "Come on, this is my place and you are my guest, Pearl. Couldn''t we use some polite words?" Ricky asked helplessly, torn between laughing and crying.


    Although it sounded like Ricky was complaining, he was actually just cozying up to Pearl. After all, he badly needed her help. It was vital for him to get along well with her during this visit.


    "Now that you have left the Oriental Realm, could you please let me go? Anyway, I don''t think you have to worry about me seeking revenge. No one can defeat an ace genius like you, right?" Pearl answered with more than the usual coldness in her voice. Her face also seemed to take on a sourer expression at Ricky''s teasing attempts.


    "Well, well. You know I will never let you go, and you know the reason perfectly well, too," Ricky replied with a wicked smile. Currently, bickering had seemed to have drastically shifted into something akin to flirting between the two of them. At least, that was what Ricky thought. He had to admit that he enjoyed the recent development between them very much. "Anyway, let''s get back to the point. There''s a favor I wanna ask from you." Ricky''s tone shifted to a more serious one.


    "Ha-ha!" Pearl, however, burst into laughter at his words. This was something she truly didn''t expect.


    "You can''t be serious, genius. Are you foolish enough to think that I will help you?" she sneered.


    "Of course, I have already expected that you wouldn''t readily agree. I''ve come with a bargaining chip," Ricky explained with a confident smile.


    "Oh, how very interesting," Pearl said dismissively as she stretched her fingers and looked at her nails. She was deliberately showing Ricky that she didn''t really care much about whatever it was that he needed from her. In her mind, she was having a mental debate. She really didn''t want anything to do with Ricky. Still, there was a nagging voice inside her that wanted to hear out more about Ricky''s favor. In the end, despite her irritation, she relented, "Tell me about it then. Let''s see what you can offer." Little by little, Pearl''s lips began curling up into a smirk.


    Seeing that Pearl was intrigued, Ricky paused for a bit longer to build up her excitement more before he finally said, "I bet you already know that there is another powerful zone within me through the chat with Tina, don''t you?"


    Ricky began. Then, he paused for a minute to gather his thoughts, before he continued, "One more thing, I think you know very well how powerful my zone can be, along with the benefits that you can get from cultivating in it. And so, I assume that my offer has a hundred merits and not a single demerit. Technically, I only need your help for a small task...and that task is to pin down two top-level middle spiritual kings, plus some lower spiritual kings. This is a piece of cake for you, isn''t it?" Ricky studied Pearl''s reaction as he revealed his favor.


    Pearl pondered for a while with a frown, before a smile lit up her face once again. "To tell you the truth, this really sounds like a good bargain for me. I might agree at once had it been someone else who presented this deal to me. Sadly, I can only tell you to keep dreaming, Ricky. Besides, the other zone you were talking about happens to be of the fire nature, and that has nothing to do with my power." Pearl didn''t make eye contact with Ricky as she voiced out her decision. Ricky didn''t expect Pearl to be the type of woman who would readily refuse him and be so persistent at it.


    "Are you playing tricks on me, you foolish woman?" Ricky began exhibiting annoyance in his manner of speaking and facial expression. Narrowing his eyes, he


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    tment.


    "But on second thought, I think it is also necessary that you take the Martial Arts Oath on this matter. I fear that my plan would be thwarted if you suddenly decide to take back your words...especially during critical moments."


    Pearl fixed a stern and angry look on Ricky in response. She inched closer to him, and now it was as if he had taken a few steps back to extend the distance between them that had only begun to diminish. His actions only continued to fuel Pearl''s fire. Nonetheless, she did as he had asked her to, and took the Martial Arts Oath. The oath made her promise to keep her words, no matter what.


    "Good!" Ricky nodded in satisfaction. "All is settled now. You see, if you had just nodded your head at the very beginning, we could have saved ourselves from all the trouble and squabble. Our relationship might have even been strengthened." Ricky smiled cheekily and winked at Pearl.


    "I will kill you one day, you can be sure of that, you shameless asshole!" Pearl swore as she turned her back towards him, her hair whipping in the air with much sass.


    "Ha-ha! I suggest that you don''t keep using the word ''shameless'' on me, Pearl. Who knows, one day you might fall in love with me. When that day comes, you might make a fool of yourself!" Ricky continued to tease Pearl, completely ignoring her fury. Now that she was willing to help, she could be as angry as she wished, and Ricky would not get irritated anymore.


    After his meeting with Pearl, Ricky also dropped by to say goodbye to Connor before he left. His next stop was none other than the base of the Endless Shadow.


    "He''s gone, sir. Shall we keep watch on his movements?" the deputy leader of the Celestial Army asked while within the premises of their grand palace. He was an upper spiritual king, and he sounded very confident and authoritative.


    "There is no need for that. He has reached the level of an upper spiritual king, too. He might blow our cover even if you, yourself carry out the surveillance. Don''t worry, I think he''s heading for the Endless Shadow to find the Shadow King. Just let him go," Connor answered with assurance.


    "What? He can''t be serious. Is he too foolish or too confident in himself? There are two top-level middle spiritual kings in that organization. That type of mission can already be likened to a suicide!" the deputy leader scoffed, deliberately expressing his disdain for Ricky.

 Chapter 721 Shadow Mountains

    "He''s confident. Maybe it''s because he can kill the Shadow King. Or he''ll court death because of his arrogance. Either way, it''s good news for us," Connor said. "When their conflict results in the death of one of them or both of them, it will be easier for us to get what we want."


    "You''re right, chief. The struggle between the two of them will greatly save us trouble," Luke said, nodding his head.


    "By the way, have you collected the things Mia and Errol left?" asked Connor.


    "Please just set your mind at ease, chief. Everything has been collected."


    "Great! In three days, go to the base of the Endless Shadow discreetly. They must have finished fighting by then," Connor commanded.


    "Yes, chief!"


    The location of the Endless Shadow was shrouded in mystery. It was said that nobody in the Realm of Wilderness ever saw it, much less knew where it was located. However, that rumor only applied to warriors below the innate level.


    After all, the Endless Shadow was located in a dangerous place. Filled with secret arrays, it was far beyond the reach of their capabilities. Thus, even some lower spiritual kings couldn''t find the Endless Shadow.


    For Ricky''s current level though, petty danger and secret arrays were simple little tricks. They were overrated booby traps that amounted to nothing. With his power, he had no difficulty finding and reaching the base of the Endless Shadow.


    Black mountains surrounded the clearing. They loomed over it and overwhelmed the place with dense, dark air. There was no clean ground to walk on. Instead, black muddy swamps littered the area. Where one couldn''t find mud, their boots found the rotting corpses of beasts. The smell would assault one''s nose even as they tiptoed to avoid stepping on obstacles.


    In such an environment, only powerful spiritual kings could perceive the strong killing intent lurking in the place.


    It was the kind of killing intent built upon numerous deaths.


    With a bird''s eye view, the mountains looked as grim as cemeteries.


    The spiritual kings in the Realm of Wildness and some other older demi-immortals had a name for this mountain range. They called it the Shadow Mountains. The Endless Shadow was based in the center.


    When Ricky arrived, he looked down at the Shadow Mountains that stretched beneath him. He murmured to himself, "This environment seems to match those killers in the Endless Shadow quite well.


    Indeed, it looks like a gathering place for killer


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    he air and tore everything in its path. It dashed towards Ricky with an all-conquering power.


    "Only one move? That''s ridiculous. Do you think I came here to court death?" Ricky scoffed when he sensed the huge sword coming to stab him in the back.


    He didn''t even turn around. Instead, he released the first level of Ultimate Golden Body to receive the sword. The light of the sword dimmed as it slipped between his ribs. Then it disappeared, leaving no trace on his golden body.


    The Shadow King used no more than eighty percent of his power in that move. That was why his move could be resisted by the first level of Ultimate Golden Body merged with the Massacring Soil.


    Without flinching, Ricky continued to go deeper into the mountains. He left the Shadow King and the six other spiritual kings to stare at his receding form in astonishment.


    Although the Shadow King activated only eighty percent of his power, not even a first-class upper spiritual king should have been able to resist his attack. However, Ricky resisted it with ease.


    "I finally understand why Connor appointed Yori as a leader. He''s so powerful. I''m sure he has the power of a second-class upper spiritual king," the Shadow King said in a deep voice after a moment of thought. He realized now that Ricky was not as weak as he expected.


    "Perhaps this battle will not be as simple as we think."


    "Sir, that being the case, are we going to follow him?" a deputy leader of the Endless Shadow asked.


    "Of course we should follow him. Anybody who gets in my way must die!" the Shadow King declared, his voice like ice as he made to follow Ricky''s silhouette.

 Chapter 722 The Anger Shifted

    The depths of the Shadow Mountains acted as periphery for the Realm of Wildness. It connected to another realm, the land between them like a neutral zone in war. If the battle happened here, even Connor, as a completed spiritual king, wouldn''t be able to detect it.


    However, Ricky didn''t know that Connor didn''t care about the details of their battle at all. He truly only cared about whether anyone died in the end.


    Boom!


    Up in the air, powerful momentum and murderous intent battled with each other. The zones broke and healed in the span of a single breath. The intensity of their fight caused electricity to buzz in the air.


    Ricky and the Shadow King stood glaring at each other. The dark auras they emitted were tightly wound strings, prone to snapping at any moment.


    The more he learned about Ricky''s capabilities, the more serious Shadow King grew.


    "I have to admit that I''ve underestimated you. Though it might be more appropriate to say that, besides Connor, no one recognized your true power. You are a second-class upper spiritual king," the Shadow King said gravely.


    When he was in the land of legacy, Ricky had already made a breakthrough and become a middle spiritual king. At any moment, he could have become an upper spiritual king. But then, the supreme enlightenment wrapped around him like shackles, and he didn''t dare demonstrate such a strong power.


    Now, he was released from his bindings. No longer suppressed by the supreme enlightenment, he could challenge someone three levels higher than him. He had already made breakthrough and become a second-class middle spiritual king so he could easily defeat anyone of the same level.


    "So, I certainly can''t let this be a simple one-on-one fight."


    "Ha-ha, you didn''t plan on following the rules in the first place," Ricky smiled. "Or you wouldn''t have brought them with you."


    At that moment, power erupted from every direction, with Ricky at the center. The two deputy Shadow Kings and the four lower spiritual kings came and surrounded him.


    "However,


    mpact, the whip split into tendrils of dark water that wrapped around the sword, encasing it in dark ice the next moment.


    The ice spread, climbing up from the sword to the deputy leader''s grip. It spread further until he was turned into an dark ice sculpture.


    It all happened so fast.


    Even a genius of Pearl''s level wouldn''t be able to hold against the power of the dark water without any preparation. A deputy Shadow King never stood a chance.


    It deeply shocked the Shadow King and the other five spiritual kings. Fear crept into their hearts. They feared the dark power and they feared Pearl as well.


    Being the more experienced fighter, the Shadow King cautioned his subordinates. "Do not clash with her. Retreat immediately."


    At the same time, the Shadow King lunged to attack Pearl. His gut told him that if he didn''t move now, he would lose his other five subordinates to the ice as well.


    However, just as he made his move, Ricky did as well. Ricky used his full power, forcing the Shadow King into a disadvantageous situation.


    How could he have known that merely speaking to Pearl would strengthen Ricky''s desire to kill him?


    Pearl didn''t stop either. The dark water absorbed the dark enlightenment. Her weapon split into five dark whips. Ghostly shadows surrounded the whips.


    And the whips lashed towards the five spiritual kings.

 Chapter 723 The Bloody Steam

    The four pupils of the deputy leader and the other spiritual kings of Endless Shadow widened in fear when they saw the black whips sweeping towards them. The whips were too fast for them to dodge.


    They were so afraid to the extent that they pushed themselves to their limits in order to resist the attacks at the same time.


    However, the fight they had put up eventually turned out to be in vain. Under the pressure of the dark water, the five spiritual kings were frozen into ice sculptures in their attack postures.


    Now there were six ice sculptures.


    And, as the whips swiped again, the sculptures were scattered all over the place, dropping six storage rings which were later meticulously collected by Pearl.


    Now Pearl had finished attacking and collecting in a flash. She was currently powerful enough to kill two middle spiritual kings and four lower spiritual kings in mere seconds. It was obvious she had really developed.


    Pearl''s secret was the fact that she had the dark water as her trump card, and that was what made her so powerful.


    Meanwhile, Ricky was fighting intensely with the Shadow King. He couldn''t help thinking to himself that the woman was increasingly flourishing at using the dark water, perhaps even more deftly than how he used the Massacring Sand. Indeed, the Feminine Mutant was worthy of its reputation.


    Ricky felt extremely lucky to have been protected by the flames and have been aware of her dark water, or else it was highly likely that he would have suffered a great deal when he was fighting with her.


    "I''ll kill you all! I won''t leave anyone alive!" roared the Shadow King as he saw his fellows killed in a mere second. His face was twisted out of rage and anger.


    However, instead of grieving their deaths, the Shadow King cared much more about the resources he had spent on cultivating the six fellows, especially the two middle spiritual kings.


    And each of them had taken much more than just a massive amount of cultivating resources; talent and luck were also substantially required.


    The Shadow King''s heart was aching intensely, although he exerted every effort not to show it.


    After the six


    o figures, the golden body and the scarlet body, crashed violently into each other.


    The two giant bodies were like giant fierce beasts, piercing each other and fighting with each other.


    The strong and sharp air waves kept cutting into the two figures, leaving no trace of scars on the golden body. As for the scarlet body, it had been cut wide open, but it healed itself immediately.


    "Bloody Steam Beast! Now!"


    The Shadow King summoned the beast during the collision. Next, a giant red beast appeared from behind the Shadow King. Its sharp claws flapped and its scary mouth made a movement as if it was about to bite Ricky.


    The beast was a combination of the most bloodthirsty intent and the most murderous instruction, rendering itself the most powerful move by the Shadow King.


    Countless bloody swords sprang out from that beast''s scary mouth.


    "Omnipotent Skill! Massacring Golden Palms!"


    The explosive golden ray penetrated the spreading bloody mist. Suddenly, two palms rose up out of nowhere like the glaring sun, radiating, crushing the void, and then slammed down separately.


    Without a moment of hesitation, Ricky instantly used his most powerful Omnipotent Skill.


    Ricky spared no effort this time around because he knew that the Shadow King was exerting all his energy into fight. Every collision and every moment could be extremely decisive. It was not just a physical combat, but a fight of nerves too.

 Chapter 724 The Massacring Pattern Strike

    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Two surges of thunderous energy clashed against each other again. For a moment, it looked as if the blasts had caused the world to collapse. The whole area trembled violently as if the ground would split apart. Energy lashed out from the center of the attacks and engulfed everything in blinding brightness.


    Two figures cut through the broken sky¡ªone glowed bloody red while the other shone a blinding gold. Two deep dents were made in the sky as they traveled at a great speed, and two crimson stains trailed behind them like bloody rain.


    Suddenly, the two huge figures shot out from the heated energy billow. They were knocked back by the impact so heavily that it took them great strength to stop. They were hundreds of miles away from each other when they finally regained their balance.


    It appeared that the figures had again reached an impasse.


    However, a closer look on the Shadow King revealed that his body was cracked and disfigured. The cracks on it seemed impossible to be repaired, not even with the king''s bloody energy. It might have worked to repair and enhance but the injuries seemed too severe this time.


    It was because the damage was caused by Ricky''s Massacring Enlightenment. It was meant to be serious and permanent, one that was beyond the Shadow King''s power to resist.


    On the contrary, there was not a single scratch on Ricky''s second level of Ultimate Golden Body. It was the version enhanced by the Massacring Soil. If the Shadow King''s attack couldn''t even pin Ricky down, there was no hope that it could leave any scars on the golden body.


    ''Good job. I knew the Massacring Soil wouldn''t be a disappointment, '' Ricky thought with satisfaction after he came to a stop. Now his fighting spirit rose up again when he tasted the sweetness of this round''s victory.


    His golden body could control the Massacring Sand as its weapon now, which meant that Ricky''s defense system was able to fight at the same time. This had added to Ricky''s outstanding fighting capacity. It would be difficult for any warrior, let alone from the same level as him, to hurt him.


    It was true that the Shadow King''s strike was powerful and merciless, but he could not break through the defense of the golden body.


    Apparently, the Shadow King was well aware of this fact, too. His anger and surprise were all written on his grim face.


    The Shadow King''s eyes burned with hatred as he wiped a trace of blood from his mouth. He had been confident that he could win, for in terms of strength, Ricky was weaker than him. But the power and toughness of Ricky''s golden body were beyond his imagination. The last several rounds of their battle proved that. With the aid of the golden body, Ricky''s fighting ability had slightly surpassed his, and this was enough to tip the balance between them. Anxiety and fury crawled under his skin as the Shadow King examined his body. He raged when he realized that it was nearly reduced back to the bloody red steam.


    It was then that he truly realized his mistake. He underestimated this spiritual king from the outside world. Now, he realized that he was much stronger than he had expected.


    The Shadow King''s face darkened. He decided to bring


    assacring Soil, and was further surrounded and protected by the Massacring Sand. Despite all these enhancements, the damages caused by the Shadow King were evident.


    However, Ricky could hardly care less about the damages on the golden body at present, for he realized that the Shadow King was no where to be found. He activated all of his powers to search for him, but still he didn''t feel any sign of the king. His face darkened as a sense of danger welled up inside him.


    ''Since he was still able to damage my golden body severely, he''s probably not dead yet. Worse still, he has enough power to cover his tracks after the fierce collision. My intuition tells me that he is not only alive, but has also become stronger, '' Ricky thought with a heavy heart.


    His fear was proven right a few seconds later. He suddenly sensed surges of overwhelming killing intent as they came towards him from three different directions.


    "Ah, now this is interesting. I never knew that you are a warrior with a mutant, and of a massacring nature, too. No wonder you were able to withstand my killing strike just now." A cold voice suddenly spoke to Ricky. He heard it right, the voice came from three different directions.


    Ricky quickly whipped his head around to look for the enemy. He witnessed the appearance of three Shadow Kings from three different places. They looked exactly the same in terms of appearance, manners and even the level of power they released.


    Ricky was not surprised at all, for he had guessed it when he felt that the murderous intent from the enemy had been tripled. He had fought many battles with the Endless Shadow, enough to know much about one of their most powerful skills¡ªthe Shadowy Replication.


    This was also the Shadow King''s biggest ace. He had activated it during the blast, and it had instantly doubled his power.


    "I knew you''ve got this up in your sleeve. The Shadowy Replication is my old friend. Let''s see how well you can use this skill," Ricky declared in a calm and stony voice.


    Without hesitation, he pushed himself, and the color of his eyes changed. His Golden Spirit Eyes were activated at once.

 Chapter 725 The Genuine Shadowy Replication

    The Shadowy Replication was such an inconsistent cultivation method that Ricky had to take advantage of his Golden Spirit Eyes which could see through all illusions. And that was the only way in which he would be able to see the true body of the Shadow King.


    Killing an enemy who used Shadowy Replication was quite tricky¡ªone could only kill his enemy by killing his real body when dealing with such an ability. If only the replication was killed, then everything would have been for nothing because the real body would still be able to create new replications of himself.


    "You are already familiar with the Shadowy Replication, and it seems that you have probably once fought with someone of the Endless Shadow in other realms in the past. Your experience only gives me an idea on why you hate me so much," the Shadow King said coldly after he heard Ricky drop the name of the Shadowy Replication.


    "Say what you want. Ever since I arrived in the Realm of Wildness, the Endless Shadow here has been doomed to be destroyed," Ricky said apathetically.


    Buzz! Buzz! While he talked with the Shadow King, he secretly fully activated his Golden Spirit Eyes. Then, tens of thousands of golden lights suddenly broke out from his eyes.


    "Brag all you want about your power but I pity you for having no shame! How dare you! Now you''re just depending on the golden body to envelop your own body and protect yourself. And for as long as I continue my replication, I will smash your golden body and turn every inch of your blood and flesh into my bloody steam. In this way, I can avenge my men''s deaths," the Shadow King said in murderous tone upon hearing Ricky''s response.


    Noticing the change in Ricky''s eyes, the Shadow King then stared at him intently. "How powerful your eyes have become! I sense that a lot of danger is about to head this way!


    But with my replication, no second-class upper spiritual king can let me feel threatened!"


    Just right after Ricky activated the Golden Spirit Eyes, he saw Shadow Kings right before him. However, something really unexpected happened.


    Shocked to his core, he could not believe that he saw not one, but three genuine Shadow Kings with the use of his Golden Spirit Eyes! Dumbfounded, Ricky looked again to check if he was dreaming. And what he saw was hauntingly right. There were indeed three Shadow Kings in mid-air, with all genuine bodies, with real blood and f


    as able to do it because of his gutsy nature and his confidence with his second level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    Boom!


    The next moment, three ear-splitting sounds echoed throughout the whole atmosphere. Ricky, along with his second level of Ultimate Golden Body were severely hit all of a sudden which sent them down to the ground with a violent thud. And with a crash, the golden body even smashed several mountains.


    And due to the strong collision, a very deep hole appeared in the ground.


    "You''re too obnoxious, but too weak to challenge me! How can you possibly withstand my attacks with two simple strikes?" the three Shadow Kings sneered at the same time as they looked at the dust that had spread all over the deep hole.


    And without taking a rest, the three Shadow Kings then directly broke out their powers and, without thinking twice, struck at the deep hole.


    Denying Ricky any chance to recover from his unsightly fall, they hurriedly aimed their next attack at him.


    Buzz! Buzz! Then, the three Shadow Kings'' attacks swept downward as fast as lightning, echoing loud resonance. And in a split second, the power would soon engulf the deep hole where Ricky was in.


    But Ricky wasn''t the type of warrior who would give up so easily as he gave out a loud roar from deep in the hole.


    "Massacring Omnipotent Skill¡ªImpregnable Killing Finger!


    Chaotic Fire Omnipotent Skill¡ªSpace Splitting Cage!


    Gale Omnipotent Skill¡ªGale Strike!"


    And as soon as Ricky''s voice had faded into the void, three powerful strikes broke out of the deep hole, ready to pulverize the three Shadow Kings.

 Chapter 726 The Feud Has Been Settled

    Boom! The three Omnipotent Skills charged. Their combined force crushed the space and restrained the attacks coming from the three Shadow Kings. Dust scattered all over the place and the golden lights began diffusing. In the midst of the ensuing chaos, Ricky made his move.


    Amid the surging air waves, Ricky rose to the middle of the sky and generated his momentum. He then proceeded to engage the three Shadow Kings in combat.


    It could be seen that there was another crack behind Ricky''s second level of Ultimate Golden Body. The crack was caused by his failure to defend himself against the Shadow King''s earlier attack.


    Only those with sharp eyes could see that the injury left by this attack was not as serious as the one caused by the Shadow King before he summoned the Shadowy Replication.


    In other words, after the replication, the strength of each replica would be weaker compared to the original one.


    As the Shadow King''s enemy, Ricky should have been able to deduce this during their confrontation. And he was. This was the exact reason why Ricky opted not to defend himself. He wanted to prove the theory on his own, using his own methods.


    "How can you defend my attack and launch three of your most powerful strikes all at the same time? How is that even possible?" the three Shadow Kings said hoarsely, witnessing how Ricky did not even suffer any serious injuries. Even more surprising was how he was able to fly immediately to the middle of the sky and launch a counterattack.


    At the first, the three Shadow Kings attacked Ricky in unison. However, Ricky defended himself using two of the strongest strikes. The way he casually refracted their attacks shocked all three Shadow Kings.


    But, it didn''t matter. As long as one of them could keep attacking Ricky, his second level of Ultimate Golden Body would surely break.


    However, what was happening now was something that was completely out of the Shadow King''s imagination. Ricky could not only initiate two most powerful strikes at the same time, but three!


    The Shadow King could only release three attacks at the same time by replication, but Ricky couldn''t replicate himself. Yet, Ricky still managed to release three attacks together. It was this fact that reminded the Shadow King of the horrendous capabilities that genius people possessed.


    ''How can this be possible!? How could he be that kind of genius? If he is that kind


    the Golden Spirit Eyes. The impact impaled the Shadow King, who was screaming at the top of his lungs. His excruciating pain could be heard amid the storm. Then the replica was eliminated.


    It all happened too fast. Before the other two Shadow Kings could even react, the dead corpse of the Shadow King fell from the sky.


    Before it landed and crumbled on the ground, the corpse was taken by Ricky. He kept the corpse inside the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    Though he had already known about the weakness of the Shadow King''s Shadowy Replication, Ricky was yet to learn about the process behind the Shadowy Replication technique. If the dead replica could still revive itself, then Ricky''s efforts would all be in vain.


    At the moment, the best option for Ricky was to put the dead corpse of the replica aside.


    The two other Shadow Kings looked desperate as they watched Ricky take away the corpse of the replica.


    They didn''t hesitate and made a run for themselves in opposite directions.


    Unfortunately, escaping was no longer an option for them. The Golden Spirit Eyes created yet another powerful explosion. The Seven-flame Lotus fell from the sky and crushed one of the Shadow Kings. Next, Ricky made his move towards the remaining Shadow King. After trying to endure three powerful strikes from the ace genius, the last of the Shadow Kings soon succumbed to his death as well.


    All this happened while the Seven-flame Lotus burned the other Shadow King to a crisp.


    ''The feud between the Realm of Wildness and me is finally put to an end, '' Ricky thought to himself, and he heaved deeply in relief.

 Chapter 727 A Drop Of The Blood Essence

    Back then, Ricky had already spent a lot of time in the Snow Land of the Realm of Wildness. At that moment, he recalled the past where he overcame numerous difficulties to grow up and achieve everything that he had now.


    The things he had been through were numerous and complex with a lot of near-death situations. Fortunately, he had also met a lot of important people who had been willing to help him achieve his goals. With the help of Grace, Zenith, Doris, and other friends he met on the way, Ricky had become the talented and hardworking cultivator that he was today.


    While Ricky was in the Realm of Wildness, the three spiritual kings, Mia, Errol and Shadow King were just like three mountains standing on his shoulder, which were a great intimidation for him internally. Under such mental pressure, his life was not easy at all.


    Although Ricky had confidence in himself, he was also worried at that time. What worried him most was that he would fail if he was not careful enough and all his dreams would come to a bitter end.


    Luckily, Ricky finally survived as he adhered to his own way of martial arts. He even overcame all the obstacles he faced on his way to success and left all of them in the Realm of Wildness. At that point, there were more possibilities for him to reach higher levels of martial arts.


    Floating in the air, Ricky felt a great relief in his heart at that very moment. It was the kind of relaxation one would get if they were flying at a gallop between heaven and earth. He felt that he was like an eagle finally set free from its cage.


    At that moment, although nothing was changing in his strength and cultivation level, Ricky could clearly feel the change in his mood. It was a state of mind that was as clear as water and contained no negative emotions.


    It would not be an exaggeration to say that there was nothing negative in Ricky''s mind at all. He indeed had the most appropriate mindset for cultivation after everything he had been through.


    On the other hand, Pearl could feel this as well since she was watching him from the Massacring Zone. Out of annoyance, she murmured, "His state of mind has been elevated. What a great opportunity! I never expected such good fortune to be happening to a shameless guy like him.


    Well, it looks like the Realm of Wildness is one of the barriers in his mind."


    After immersing himself in his relaxed state for a while, Ricky reacted as if something had suddenly occurred to him. Instead of the calm look he had a moment ago, a serious expression began to show on his face. After all, he would never voluntarily spend a long time staying in such a situation knowing he had a lot of other important things to do.


    "What will happen if I put these three dead bodies of the Shadow Kings together? Will there be some changes?" As he thought about it, Ricky then put the three dead bodies together.


    After that, he then took away the storage ring from one of the Shadow Kings. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him¡ªthe Shadow King who had owned the storage ring should


    surprised once again! I have never heard anything like that before," Ricky exclaimed out of shock after hearing her explanation.


    "There is nothing to be surprised about. Well, maybe it is all due to your own ignorance. After all, you came out of a small place, didn''t you?" Pearl said contemptuously at the sight of Ricky''s face filled with surprise.


    Truth to be told, Pearl disliked Ricky with all her heart. Therefore, she wanted to oppose him every opportunity she got, whether it would be in battle or in words.


    "Well, you can say whatever you like because I don''t really care what you say about me," Ricky replied lightly in a flat tone.


    At the sense of that Ricky was not going to defend himself on this topic, Pearl could only cut the conversation in order not to bring contempt upon herself. Then, she began to cultivate in the Massacring Zone. Although her cultivation was not aiming at the massacring power, which would be increasing in this zone, she could definitely sense something special during her cultivation here.


    On the other hand, with the smile on Ricky''s face still showing, another serious thought had occurred to him at that moment. According to what Pearl had just said, he might have offended a saints or a demi-saint by killing the Shadow King.


    ''Things behind the Endless Shadow might not be as simple as I thought they would be. It looks much more complicated now. The Endless Shadows of different realms must be closely related. Or, in other words, every Shadow King from different Endless Shadows comes from the conscious blood essence. Could this be true? Anyway, this is something that is beyond my control, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''Thus, it''s better for me to just focus on how to deal with the Celestial Army when the time comes.''


    With that in mind, he then put the blood essence into the Chaotic Fire Zone. And he was about to leave at this moment.


    However, to his great surprise, changes began to take place as soon as the blood essence was put into the Chaotic Fire Zone.

 Chapter 728 Acquiring The Shadowy Replication

    The mountains in this place extended endlessly and towered high up into heaven. On the mountains, all the lush grass and big trees looked murky and quite gloomy.


    The ground was rather black and swampy, covered by an intense bloody smell.


    The situation here looked very similar to the Ghost Mountains in the Realm of Wildness.


    The only difference was that the killing aura taking over the place was a few times stronger than that in the Ghost Mountains.


    There were no hidden arrays in this place. A black tower stood high and right in the middle of the mountains, looking ancient and shifty.


    The place was as silent as death, as if the killing aura had taken it over a long time ago, and nothing here had changed ever since then.


    However, at a certain moment, the black tower shook a little. A little white later, two rays of light came out of it.


    Deep inside the tower, a figure¡ªwhich had remained still for a long time¡ªslowly opened its eyes, as if it were a piece of fossil coming back life. His eyes weren''t really glaring, but they looked sharp enough to see though time.


    "This is the very first time that my clone has been so completely killed. I wonder who had the power to have done that." The black figure spoke calmly to himself.


    "But, it is my estimation that our paths will cross soon enough."


    And then he stopped moving, and the entire black tower receded back into peace. The earthquake he had caused was over.


    The blood essence that the Shadow King had turned into was wrapped by chaotic fire runes after Ricky put it into the Chaotic Fire Zone. Quickly, the drop of blood essence then turned into many mini-sized black human figures.


    Then, those figures kept transforming in his zone. And, every time they transformed, new message would be conveyed into Ricky''s mind.


    ''That...that''s the cultivation method called the Shadowy Emperor Replication!'' Ricky almost couldn''t believe what he had read in there. His pupils contracted out of extreme shock. He tried to compose himself.


    ''The Shadowy Emperor Replication! The cultivation method belongs to the Endl


    dy, but perhaps slightly inferior in power. That was the real replication referred to in the method.


    The replicas of flesh and blood granted the real body the strength and ability to face multiple enemies alone, and that was why the method was formidable.


    Perhaps the only weak point of the method might be the slim power gap. It would turn into a significant weak point when the real body would fight with talented enemies, such as Ricky for example.


    The replica of blood and flesh would not die even if the real body was dead. Few people could tell the difference between a replica and the real body, not even Ricky who had the Golden Spirit Eyes.


    The replication of blood and flesh was the peak of the cultivation of the Shadowy Emperor Replication.


    The fourth phase was the soul replication.


    The replicas in this stage were created by fusing the soul power and the flesh and blood of the heart of the real body.


    In that manner, the replicas were more than mere replicas. They could all be considered real bodies.


    The replicas would then resemble the real body in every possible way, physically, mentally, spiritually...


    The formidable part was that even if the first real body was dead, the replicas could still live and cultivate.


    When a warrior had reached the fourth phase of the cultivation method, the number of their replicas indicated how many lives they owned.

 Chapter 729 The Celestial Armys Mission

    "Soul replication! Impressive!" Ricky exclaimed to himself. His expression went blank, unable to register the shock.


    He was already surprised to find that replication of blood and flesh was possible. Going farther beyond that to accomplish even soul replication was a formidable feat. He was astonished. It was like an addiction. One successful soul replica would be exceptional enough for the real body to disregard their life.


    Giddy with anticipation, Ricky looked at the new information with the same sparkling eyes of a child. He was beyond excited to know all about the fourth phase.


    However, as he finished absorbing the information for the first three phases, he found the fourth phase empty.


    "The fourth part regarding soul replication is missing," said Ricky, his brows quirked up in confusion.


    It was understandable that such a formidable cultivation method wouldn''t be leaked to the world that easily.


    ''Maybe the Endless Shadow has hidden the fourth phase in its base, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Hastily, he left the Shadow Mountains and headed straight for the Celestial Army''s camp.


    The Shadow King kept all the cultivation resources of the Endless Shadow in his storage ring. He also left behind treasures that Ricky wasn''t particularly interested in.


    With the Shadow King and the other innate spiritual kings dead, the Endless Shadow existed only in name. It wouldn''t take long before the organization completely disappeared from the Realm of Wildness.


    The organization had just lost the protection of their most powerful leaders. Other forces would seize upon this vulnerability to destroy it once and for all.


    ... As soon as Ricky returned to the Celestial Army''s camp, he greeted Connor with a small nod, but he didn''t stop his march. He swept past towards his cultivation place. The only clear thought in his mind was the desire to dive into the Shadowy Emperor Replication.


    "Sir, he must have solved the problem if he''s back. That''s incredible! He killed Shadow King and his cronies all by himself!" Luke, a deputy leader of the Celestial Army, gasped as his eyes followed Ricky''s hurried form.


    "Wi


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ief of the Casting Guild, the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness, and Scott came soon after him.


    Fear etched into the faces of the chief of the Casting Guild and the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness. Both of them vividly remembered the Shadow King''s death.


    They were afraid the Celestial Army would end their lives in the same way.


    "I need your help for what''s to come. If we succeed, I''ll even share the interest with you," Connor laughed.


    Excitement showed clearly on their faces at Connor''s words. They dampened a moment later when both the chief of the Casting Guild and the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness remembered they could end up as cannon fodder if they weren''t careful.


    "What is it, sir?" The lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness cleared his throat as he met Connor''s eyes. It had taken him a lot of courage to ask.


    "Huh, I can''t tell you right now. I don''t want to spoil the fun." Connor barked another harsh peal of laughter. A wicked amusement danced in his eyes.


    In contrast, the faces of the chief of the Casting Guild and the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness turned grim. Their shoulders dropped, resigned. They were convinced that they would be punching bags in the coming fight, absorbing every attack that came their way.


    "I know your concerns," Connor said as he noticed their dreadful expressions.


    "I''m sure what''s coming next will dispel your anxiety."

 Chapter 730 Destination

    When they heard what Connor said, the chief of the Casting Guild and the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness all became curious. Their ears perked up as they listened more attentively.


    ''He probably wants to talk about the death of the Shadow King. Maybe he will expose the truth that I killed the Shadow King, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "What is it?" asked the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness.


    "Are you worried that I''m the one who killed the Shadow King?" Connor said. His boisterous laughter filled the room. "I do have the power to kill the Shadow King, but I didn''t do it.


    Yori, am I right?" Connor turned to Ricky.


    "Alright everyone, you don''t have to guess anymore. I am the one who killed the Shadow King. We had an unsettled feud with each other, so we decided to have a duel to the death. He lost and I killed him," Ricky admitted after he heard what Connor said.


    A profound silence enveloped the palace. The sound of breathing and rustling of cloth could be heard, as everyone looked at each other but had no idea what to say next.


    Disbelief and confusion crept into the eyes of the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness and the chief of the Casting Guild.


    None of them believed that Ricky had the capability to kill the Shadow King. However, they now kind of understood why Connor made Ricky a deputy leader of the Celestial Army in the first place.


    Some of them were confused because they thought Connor and Ricky could be working together to deceive them.


    However, Scott was shocked as he knew who Ricky truly was.


    ''This is impossible. How could he have acquired the power of a second-class upper spiritual king in such a short time?'' Scott thought to himself in disbelief.


    Suddenly, he understood why Scar would follow Ricky''s order, but he could never imagine the main reason behind this was the bonding contract.


    "Ricky, was it really you that killed the Shadow King?"


    Scott asked through telepathy. Ricky didn''t know that the subordinate of Scar had started to admire him because of his performance.


    "Yori, did you really kill the Shadow King?" the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness asked after a


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    "Sky Manor is where the opportunity is. No wonder we never found out about it," the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness and the chief of the Casting Guild said in surprise when they heard what Connor had said earlier.


    Their surprise quickly gave way to excitement as they looked forward to their prize.


    They all marched towards the Sky Manor as Luke followed.


    Ricky felt, with the power of his four zones, that Luke was even more powerful than the Shadow King.


    ''It seems that there will be an intense battle. Tyler, the other deputy leader of the Celestial Army, won''t be weak as well and he''s probably in the Sky Manor, '' Ricky thought to himself. His shoulders were tense but he forced himself to relax so he would have enough strength for later.


    In the meantime, he contacted the others in the Chaotic Fire Zone using his internal power. He asked them to be ready for the intense battle that awaited them.


    Soon, they were able to see the looming figure of the palace of the Sky Manor.


    The moment they stepped in, they could feel that the Sky Manor was surrounded by the Celestial Army. Ricky and the other three were not surprised at all. Of course, the land of opportunity should be heavily guarded.


    ''Everything looks the same, only the men have changed!" Rocky remarked in his heart. It had been a long time ago that he was last here. As he laid eyes on all the familiar sights, a sentimental feeling came over him.

 Chapter 731 A Hidden Mystery

    Ricky still remembered how the Sky Manor had bustled the last time he visited. Despite the provocations he received, he had formed a bond of friendship with Kristen and Tyson.


    However, things were different now. Great changes had taken place in the Sky Manor. The Celestial Army imprisoned the chief of the Sky Manor who once helped him. Kristen and Tyson were nowhere to be found. The once-influential Sky Manor looked more like a cage these days.


    "Master Connor!" an apathetic voice called out suddenly. A black figure appeared in the palace. It emanated threatening energy.


    Similar to the other members of the Celestial Army, the figure was cloaked in darkness. His black eyes were the only distinct features about him.


    There was no doubt that the coming man was Tyler, the other deputy leader of the Celestial Army.


    "How goes the preparations?" Connor asked. His serious gaze zeroed in on the figure.


    "Please set your heart at ease. Everything is ready. I have found the land of opportunity and prepared everything we need to cross the threshold. You can give your order at any time," Tyler responded.


    "Great! Tell our men to bar any other spiritual king from this place before our return from the land of opportunity." With a hum, Connor stroked his chin as he thought over the details of the plan. His commanding tone was as rough and heavy as gravel.


    "I''ve already given the command. Not a single fly will enter this place before we come out," Tyler answered.


    "That sounds good. Where is the entrance?" Connor nodded. His eyes flitted about the palace as he tried to look for the entrance.


    Hearing this, Tyler narrowed his eyes. He condensed an attack in his right hand. Then, he launched the attack upward, towards the big plaque of the Sky Manor in the center of the palace.


    With a deafening bang, the plaque broke into pieces. Debris flew in every direction. A metal plaque was nothing against an attack from an upper spiritual king.


    Every eye in the palace shifted their attention to the area beyond the plaque. There, they found a black vortex as big as a human head.


    But the vortex seemed ordinary. Nobody could sense power from it.


    Despite this, they all


    It''s not time for me to stand out yet. Once I oppose the Celestial Army, I''m sure the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness will swiftly stand by them. I''m an obstacle between him and his opportunity.


    Besides, if I''m being honest, I also want to enter the vortex and see what''s inside.''


    "Has she been baptized with our power?" Connor asked Tyler telepathically.


    "Please don''t worry about that, Master Connor! She was baptized for a year. I believe that her blood essence can open the door," Tyler assured in a quite confident tone.


    "That would be great!" Connor responded excitedly.


    "Don''t forget to kill all these people as soon as we enter the vortex hole. In particular, we must kill the chief of the Sky Manor and obtain her fortune. Her fortune is the most important."


    "I understand, sir."


    The next moment, Connor flipped his finger. His power took the shape of a chord that pierced through the Sky Manor chief''s heart. He did this to pick up a drop of her blood essence. Then, he filled the drop of blood essence with his power, strengthening it.


    When he put the blood essence into the vortex, it changed. It got bigger and bigger as it began rotating.


    As it rotated, strong gravity spread from its center.


    At the same time, Ricky and the others perceived the existence of another zone behind the vortex.


    Once again, the mysterious axe stirred. This time, it rattled violently inside Ricky''s body. A gut feeling overwhelmed him.

 Chapter 732 True Colors

    ''What on earth is in there, to have caused the strange feeling from the mysterious axe in my Soul Sea?'' Ricky thought, mind taken over by confusion.


    "You must have felt another space in there. That''s where our opportunity is." Connor pointed forward, with his face more excited than ever.


    He grabbed the chief of the Sky Manor and then excitedly leaped into the vortex. Luke and Tyler scrambled after him immediately.


    Without any hesitation, Ricky joined them and jumped into the vortex.


    Moments later, they came into an ancient space, a primordial world filled with dust.


    There was nothing but a colossus that stood in the center. The material of the statue was hard to tell. It was possible that it was made by refining some special force.


    The colossus was about 100 feet tall. Everyone marveled at how magnificent and ancient it looked.


    The mysterious axe in Ricky''s Soul Sea started to vibrate more violently. He thought that it was going to break out of his skull. It felt as if his eyes were being forced by the axe to look at the colossus.


    Ricky''s eyes widened as he saw a huge iron core at the heart of the colossus. It seemed to be calling to the axe. An idea came up in Ricky''s mind.


    ''Is the core part of the axe in my Soul Sea? But nothing was missing on it the last time I checked, '' he wondered.


    Connor and his two deputies were eagerly staring up at the core which was apparently their goal of this trip.


    The core itself might be useless to them, but it was part of their mission. They couldn''t rise to fame and high positions unless they completed this mission, so they would do whatever they could to achieve their goal.


    "Master Connor, there is nothing but this colossus in this place. Where''s our opportunity?" the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness and the chief of the Casting Guild asked in confusion.


    "Opportunity? You still want that? There was no


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ," Ricky explained telepathically after he saw the disbelief on their faces.


    The explanation only worsened the confusion of the two.


    They were distracted from their confusion when Connor started cackling like a mad man. "Your death and your fortune will bring great changes to the whole continent. It is an honorable and worthy cause, except that no one will remember your names!"


    Boom! Pressure from Connor as a completed spiritual king erupted. He knitted his hands together and condensed his power into a huge palm and slapped it towards the four enemies.


    It was just a normal strike for Connor, but it was already too powerful for the four people to resist. There was a huge gap in power between a completed spiritual king and an upper spiritual king.


    That was because a completed spiritual king had comprehended the completed enlightenment; their enlightening power had experienced a qualitative change.


    That was the first time Ricky had seen a man from the Celestial Army fight, but he had somehow detected a trace of evil spirit. The aura Conner erupted seemed to be more advanced than evil spirit, which was totally new to Ricky. He had never seen that before, not even in a history book.


    ''Who could the Celestial Army truly be?'' he wondered.

 Chapter 733 Revealing His Identity

    Ricky wondered who the Celestial Army could be.


    When he used the power of four zones, he could feel the unknown power released by Connor was similar to the evil spirit, but stronger.


    ''Does the Celestial Army come from the Celestial Land?'' Ricky thought in disbelief, reminded of what Alva had said.


    But Ricky didn''t think too much of it, nor did he try to contact Alva. He channeled his internal strength, and Scar came out of the Chaotic Fire Zone. Scar broke the attack of Connor in one palm.


    Under the two strikes, Scar''s momentum that belonged to a completed spiritual king and the Ultimate Domain exploded as well, and clashed with the attack of Connor.


    The scene had drawn everyone''s attention.


    However, everyone present was a spiritual king, so they immediately understood what was happening. Ricky hid this completed spiritual king inside his spiritual space tool, and purposely waited for this moment.


    After the shock had worn off, the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness and the chief of the Casting Guild felt excited.


    They never imagined that Ricky had hidden such a strong help. With a completed spiritual king on their side, they would not lose even if they had no assurance of winning.


    They felt lucky. It was obvious that they made the right choice when they listened to Ricky and made a Martial Arts Oath.


    Connor, Luke, and Tyler were all desperate. The situation had not gone according to their plan and they scrambled to get their control back.


    "Yori, it seems that you have been preparing since the beginning," Connor said gravely.


    In this round of fight, he could feel that Scar was as powerful as him. He might be able to suppress Scar, but he definitely would not be able to kill him.


    Unfortunately, a draw equaled to a loss for them.


    "Who are you really? I can see you''ve been planning for this for a long time."


    Connor still talked confidently, but inside he was worried that Ricky had known about them right from the start. ''That''s not possible, '' he told himself. They had prepared fo


    hting with a completed spiritual king.


    Boom! The world erupted into loud noises and bright beams of light as Scar fought with Connor.


    "You two, kill them for me." Connor maliciously gestured for Luke and Tyler. He needed to concentrate on Scar but he had to make sure that he would not be caught blindsided by the others.


    As Luke turned to do Connor''s bidding, he met Ricky''s eyes from across the field.


    ''He is a second-class upper spiritual king that is stronger than the Shadow King. How exciting!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Ricky, let Henry and me out. The three of us can defeat Luke easily," Soar convinced Rocky.


    "Soar, Henry, you have one more thing to do," Ricky addressed them.


    "There are many spiritual kings of the Celestial Army outside. I am worried that they will attack other creatures in the Realm of Wildness right now, because they want to collect their fortune. I need you to deal with them."


    "Ha-ha, Ricky, compared with fighting with Luke, I am more interested in fighting with warriors weaker." Soar smiled when he heard Ricky''s words.


    Then Ricky let Soar and Henry go, and they rushed out in haste.


    Connor, Luke, and Tyler saw them as they went and moved to stop them. However, they were stopped by Scar and Ricky.


    "Luke, I am your enemy. Now show me how powerful the mysterious power of the Celestial Army is."

 Chapter 734 Cultivation Method Revealed

    The scene was getting increasingly tense. In the blink of an eye, Ricky metamorphosed his force into Ultimate Domain which roughly crashed into Luke. Without the slightest bout of hesitation, he clenched his fist, reinforced it with the massacring power and punched Luke.


    Ricky''s strike was an amalgamation of his Ultimate Domain and martial art. He clearly knew that although neither of the two deputy leaders was an upper spiritual king, they both surely were much more powerful than the Shadow King.


    Therefore, Ricky had to make sure his every single punch was his very best strike, and that because once the fight fell in Luke''s domain, it would be more than difficult for him to win the fight.


    "Those who dare challenge or offend the Celestial Army shall immediately die a horrible death." Luke''s tone was derisive and he stressed upon every single word. Then, he struck out too, very strongly.


    The power of his fist felt similar to that of Connor. It resembled both the evil spirit and dark power simultaneously. To his surprise, Ricky even felt that he saw Pearl''s feminine power in Luke''s punch. However, none of the three forces were a match to this one at all.


    Ricky somehow felt that his own power was being restrained by this one single punch from Luke.


    That had barely ever happened to him before, ever since Ricky activated his four zones.


    ''I''ll collect some of his power and disassemble it in the Devourer Zone. Maybe then I''ll get all the answers I need, '' Ricky thought to himself after much reflection. Cautiously, he drew in a streak of the power and immediately dispatched it into the Devourer Zone so that the devouring runes could disassemble it.


    Boom! The fists of Ricky and Luke could be heard colliding into each other.


    At the other side of the space, Scott, the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness, and the chief of the Casting Guild were fighting with Tyler, the other deputy. Tyler was a force to be reckoned with, and he was a master fighter. Meanwhile, Scott and the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness were two upper class spiritual kings. It was obvious they would not be able to beat Tyler fast; however, they would not lose fast, either.


    As long as Ricky could defeat Luke, then their victory would be assured.


    Ricky was fully aware of this.


    As th


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    reaction.


    It had never occurred to Ricky for a second that Luke could recognize the Ultimate Golden Body after only one glance, and he appeared to be more than frantic.


    ''Is possible that someone else could be cultivating the Ultimate Golden Body?'' Ricky asked himself inwardly.


    It wasn''t just Luke who was astonished by Ricky, Tyler had also been captivated by Ricky, with his eyes beset by bewilderment.


    "Luke, he''s dangerous. Kill him, now! Maybe he does not know the history of the Ultimate Golden Body! I can''t believe there''s still someone on this continent cultivating it!" Connor commanded telepathically.


    "If I can only get the cultivation method of the Ultimate Golden Body from him, we''ll be greatly rewarded after we come back."


    "Understood!" replied Luke seriously.


    After Luke understood the gravity of the situation from Connor, he forced himself to the limit.


    Suddenly the earth started to shake, and the air blew so violently as if there was a tornado coming, and in a flash, two more giant shadows then appeared out of nowhere behind Luke. They were incredibly intimidating.


    All of a sudden, the three shadows then exploded and started spilling over an unknown power and then fused it with Luke''s fist.


    In a flash, the first one dashed towards Ricky with countless consecutive images behind it.


    "What a powerful punch! It looks like there''s no purpose for me to hide anymore," Ricky said in a low voice, dropping all his confusion about why the Celestial Army recognized the Ultimate Golden Body.

 Chapter 735 Shadowy Replication

    When Ricky''s uttered words had faded away, the four runes had already spread around his second level of Ultimate Golden Body. And, at the exact moment the four runes merged together, he activated the four mutants to flare up his power to the largest extent.


    Once again, the simultaneous burst of the four mutants shocked everyone present. Collectively, they fixed their astonished eyes upon Ricky.


    They had never heard of anybody possessing two mutants, let alone four mutants.


    It wasn''t Ricky''s original intent to reveal his ace in the hole in front of all these warriors. However, he had no other choice at the moment. Fortunately, he believed that he would successfully kill all the members of the Celestial Army, and that both the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness and the chief of the Casting Guild had made the Martial Arts Oaths in advance. Therefore, his real power would still remain secret.


    "Mutant power, runic power, Chaotic Fire Lotus, knock him down!"


    Ricky''s eyes started to emanate bright golden light and his mouth started to tighten in an all-too-familiar response. Undoubtedly, Ricky was using the Golden Spirit Eyes in order to further perfect the combination of the sacred fires and the peculiar fires.


    Now that he had activated the four mutants, he would not rashly misuse the actual power of the Golden Spirit Eyes. After all, neither the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness nor the chief of the Casting Guild was his friends, so he would not reveal all his strengths to them. However, the most important reason was that Ricky believed that he was able to kill Luke with the power of the four mutants.


    The power of the four runes, together with the power of the mutants, strongly burst forth out of Ricky''s body. They took the shape of a four-petal lotus, as they fell from the sky. The deep furrows in Ricky''s brows gradually receded as the lotus dashed towards Luke as well as the three merged devil fists.


    It was obvious that during the process, the perfectly merged seven flames spread to the four-petal lotus, which, as a result, looked like a lotus of endless fire.


    The flames were burning now. It looked like boiling glow of volcanic lava flowing across rocks or the flaming clash of fire and ice. Ricky and Luke launched their attacks at the same time.


    As a mixture of three kinds of power, the four-petal lotus destroyed everything in its path. The countless devil shadows created by the devil fist disappeared too.


    With a loud noise, the four-petal lotus collided with the devil fists.


    The collision lasted for a while.


    lood could be seen everywhere in the blast of the air ripples.


    "It''s about time to show you how I will smash you now!"


    Ricky shouted. The battle was taking another turn now, and the crowd was getting even more excited as their eyes were riveted on the two fighters. Instantly, the second level of Ultimate Golden Body packed all of the galaxy power inside Ricky''s body and formed a huge golden purple fist, which then viciously dashed into Luke.


    Luke had received two attacks before falling all the way roughly onto the harsh ground. The sound of his fall was a loud thump as he hit the ground chest first, and, consequently, he spat more mouthfuls of blood.


    Luke did not move or speak or even moan in pain. However, that did not stop Ricky from continuing his attack against him for he was determined to win and end this battle once and for all. In an instant, the Iron Destroyer appeared in Ricky''s hand and immediately dashed towards the deep pit created by Luke''s body.


    Hovering in midair, Ricky stated in a deep, intense voice, "Whether you''re still alive or not, Luke, you must be deactivated right now!"


    The silence was almost deafening. Ricky glanced around and to his surprise, he quickly noticed that neither Tyler nor Connor seemed to care much about what was happening at the moment.


    ''Could he still be alive? How could that be?'' Ricky thought to himself, with brows deeply furrowed. At the thought, his face turned dismal immediately.


    "Ricky. Listen, now. Your attack was indeed powerful, but it was not powerful enough to kill me, and that is because you don''t understand us at all." Luke''s cold voice resounded through the deep pit. It was exactly as Ricky had feared, Luke was still alive.

 Chapter 736 The Double-masculinity Fusion Cultivation Method

    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Without any warning, from the billowing energy and dust, a figure shot out at lightning speed. It was none other than Luke, who still looked as if he was at his peak when he stirred waves of explosions traveling in the air.


    Although he appeared to have suffered from a deep wound in his hollow chest as his blood continued to gush out, he was still in good condition. Judging from the energy he unleashed, one could tell that he could still gather enough strength to continue his fight against Ricky.


    "You''ve got to be kidding me!" Ricky couldn''t help but exclaim seeing that Luke had not been finished at all.


    He was not the only one who was stunned by the sudden turn of events. All the other warriors, including Scar and the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness also couldn''t take their eyes off Luke as he escaped from the strong impact.


    After all, Ricky''s last strike was utterly violent and had no hints of mercy. They just couldn''t believe that a second-class upper spiritual king was able to survive it without having to exert much effort on his defense. But there he stood, coming at them with a few scratches and still full of energy.


    ''Could it be true? Is he an immortal?'' Ricky thought hard as he tried to think out of the box for an explanation. ''He just said we knew little about them and it seems like he wasn''t joking. Don''t tell me they really came from that long lost Celestial Land.''


    Ricky had confidence in his own strength, and he was certain that the strike he just did should have taken Luke down for good. There must be a reason why things didn''t go as he had expected.


    Desperate to find out the truth, Ricky applied his Golden Spirit Eyes to know more about Luke''s abilities. This time, he was able to find some clues.


    Even from a distance, he was able to observe that clouds of steam were coming out of Luke''s wounds as they were recovering at a speed fast enough to be noticed. As Ricky watched, all of Luke''s wounds were eventually cured by some kind of magical repairing energy coming out of his very bones and flesh. Soon, the wounds caused by Ricky''s attack were almost unnoticeable.


    ''So is it possible that he''s equipped with some kind of self-repairing mutant?'' Ricky mused.


    But the next moment, Ricky denied the possibility himself, for he was sure that he couldn''t sense any kind of mutant in Luke. It was a conclusion made by the powers of his four zones, and Ricky had faith in his detecting abilities.


    ''Perhaps it is something about his blood and flesh, some kind of self-repairing energy coursing through his veins, '' Ricky thought to himself. Even though the puzzle hadn''t been solved yet, the confused expression on his face quickly turned into determination. ''If I can''t kill you with three strikes, I wouldn''t mind launching thirty or even sixty attacks until I get to see your corpse with my own eyes!''


    Without hesitation, he took his mind off all the doubts and misgivings as he let his immense fighting spirit fill his heart once again.


    "I have never seen a self-repairing ability like this!" After Ricky, the lord of the Imperial Pala


    never heard about this kind of fusion cultivation method, let alone seen one with his own eyes.


    ''If I''m not mistaken, they called it the Double-masculinity Fusion Cultivation Method just now. It truly is a strange skill that could create such a freak, '' Ricky thought with a heavy heart.


    But it wasn''t really the look of the creature that made him uncomfortable.


    The problem was, the energy Luke and Tyler had was greatly increased after they fused into one. Ricky hated to admit it, but their power had apparently become stronger than his.


    ''I hope that this boost of their power is still within my ability to fight against, '' Ricky prayed in his heart, which he seldom did during a fight.


    But soon enough, it was proven to him that God would not be enough to save him.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Luke and Tyler showed their teeth like a bloodthirsty beast the moment their combination had fully taken shape. The moment they opened their jaws, the power they unleashed rose rapidly with a loud explosion.


    Within only a few seconds, their power leveled up from a second-class upper spiritual king''s to a first-class upper spiritual king''s as their immense energy seemed endless.


    When the overwhelming energy from the creature whipped their faces, the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness and the Casting Guild''s chief both put on a grave expression.


    ''I can''t believe that they are able to reach the level of a first-class upper spiritual king just by fusing together. This cultivation method is certainly hard to deal with!'' Ricky thought as he bit his lip.


    "Ha-ha!"


    The two heads laughed in unison. Their bright red tongues hung out and twitched as if they were searching for their targets. "Our killing spree is about to begin, you ignorant insects. We will be the predators, while you become our preys. It will be a wonderful game, I promise," they declared.


    Bang! As soon as their threatening words left their mouths, their energy and killing intent also reached their peaks. Without a doubt, Ricky was now faced against a first-class upper spiritual king.

 Chapter 737 We Can Merge As Well

    Boom! And in that moment, Luke and Tyler''s attack broke the fear and silence. Meanwhile, right in the middle of the sky, a devil''s punch appeared.


    Despite the devil''s punch not being that big in terms of size, the power it generated made Ricky feel a strong irresistible power which was like that of a first-class upper spiritual king.


    But Ricky wasn''t one of those kinds of people who would never fight back. As defense, he activated his power of the four mutants, along with the power of the eight flames.


    However, it didn''t help him. Now, he had already reached the peak of his power¡ªthat of a second-class upper spiritual king. Although he had cultivated the Massacring Holy Attack and the Shadowy Emperor Replication, he had not yet developed deep understanding on these two cultivation methods. Thus, he was not yet able to challenge anyone that was beyond his level.


    Luke and Tyler had already learned that the black flame was known to be the Heaven Illuminating Fire. And with that, they directly separated the Heaven Illuminating Fire using the enlightening power as they were launching their attack.


    Just after the clash, Ricky was surprised that his power could not hold off the devil''s punch at all. Hit hard by the attack, the second level of Ultimate Golden Body shattered into pieces as it was not able to contain the force that it had received. With this, he fell on the ground along with the clanging of the metals that were destroyed.


    At that time, his fall was so heavy that it had even caused to form a deep ditch in the ground along with the cloud of dust that filled the air.


    "Ricky!" Scar yelled nervously as he witnessed what had happened. With boiling blood, he activated all of his power in the hopes of saving Ricky from death. However, just as he was charging up, Connor put his hand on his shoulder as he tried to stop him.


    Having the heart to stop Scar, Connor seemed to have activated his true power. Although Scar had already summoned all of his power, he was still at a disadvantage.


    "Have you felt the desperation and helplessness yet?" Luke and Tyler mocked with hideous faces, as they laughed above the ditch where Ricky lay.


    "If so, please tell us, and we will send you to hell to spare you from this kind of desperation. Otherwise, tell me as well so that I will show you the feeling of true desperation!


    But we think you will choose the latter because all creatures in the world would like to prolong your last gasp, especially the pathetic ones li


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    rossed his mind yet again.


    "Ricky, since I''ve decided to follow you, I will help you this time," Henry said to Ricky through his internal power.


    "Okay, that''s helpful. But do you have any ideas in mind? If you do, tell me now!" Ricky said expectantly after hearing Henry''s assurance of aid.


    "Yes, I do. Since they have already merged, I think that we could all do the same. If we do this, then it will be easy for us to kill them," said Henry in a matter of fact.


    However, Ricky''s enthusiasm cooled down when he heard what Henry had planned for them.


    Merging? It seemed far-fetched. How the hell could they possibly merge together?


    In Luke and Tyler''s case, they had cultivated the Double-masculinity Fusion Cultivation Method so that they could merge.


    However, Ricky immediately realized that Henry never joked. So he asked, "Henry, do you know how we could merge like them?"


    "Oh come on. Why would I even tell you if I didn''t know how to do it?" said Henry irritated.


    "In that case, then I will show you the last card of the Sandy Mutant!"


    Upon finishing his words, Henry immediately activated the Sandy Mutant and turned into sand which then shape shifted into a battle suit and covered Ricky. It might not seem like it, but it was more like a merge more than just a covering.


    Then, Ricky started to possess some of the characteristics of the Sandy Mutant. Afterwards, he felt that his power and momentum were surging fast like lightning which then immediately reached the level of a first-class upper spiritual king.


    The jaws of the other warriors in the battlefield were agape as they witness something that shook them to their core.

 Chapter 738 Defeated But Not Killed

    The merge of Luke and Tyler was because of a high level cultivation method. Although it was overwhelming, it could still be considered relatively normal. In contrast, they did not understand how Ricky and Henry could merge; even Ricky himself could not understand how it happened.


    Once again, the whole zone went silent. With the absence of any sound, Luke''s and Tyler''s eyes became even more horrific.


    "Henry, the Sandy Mutant of yours is truly powerful," Ricky said to Henry with his internal power.


    "The Sandy Mutant has the ability to go into anywhere it pleases. After l mastered how to use it, only then did I truly understand the ultimate power of the Sandy Mutant," Henry said.


    "I used to think that I would never use it in my entire life because I have never, nor will I ever, encounter anyone that I approve.


    I realize now that I was wrong. I didn''t want to admit it, but Ricky, you already have my approval. Maybe this is the time my Sandy Mutant can make a real difference."


    "Henry, you are flattering me. It seems that I have to win this fight to make your effort count," Ricky said seriously. He was honored when he heard Henry''s words. He would definitely do his best so that all their efforts would not be wasted.


    Ricky put all these things at the back of his mind. Strong fighting spirit spread through his body as he focused once again on the situation at hand. Ricky had never feared anyone when they had same level of power as he did. No matter what situation he was in, he had never lost and he would make sure he never would.


    "You can merge, and we can as well. It seems that I don''t have the opportunity to experience the desperation you meant for me," Ricky said to Luke and Tyler as they squared each other up.


    "You should have used your whole power to kill me without any delay in the moment of merge, because you never know what your enemies are capable of.


    Unfortunately, you have lost your best chance to kill me. And now, you are doomed to fail!"


    "Sandy Mutant. I didn''t imagine there was such a mutant in a barren realm like this. But, it doesn''t matter, because we


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    to come back to life.


    "Ricky, it seems that the Celestial Army did come from the long lost Celestial Land. Otherwise, there is no way they could have survived your attack," Alva said to Ricky telepathically in disbelief.


    "Would the Celestial Army conquer our realm again?" Alva muttered in apprehension.


    "Alva, what is happening?" Ricky asked gravely.


    "Ricky, those creatures coming from the Celestial Land have one similar characteristic¡ªthey have a kind of divine energy. This kind of energy is not capable of increasing their strength, but it will benefit them greatly in one aspect," Alva explained to Ricky patiently despite the dread that had begun to plague him.


    "Creatures with divine energy cannot be killed by creatures without it.


    I guess even with the ruling power of the spiritual emperor, you can''t kill Luke and Tyler. The reason why Soar and Henry could kill those Celestial Army outside is that they did not possess divine energy unlike these two.


    I don''t know if a saint can kill a creature with divine energy."


    "Divine energy! They can''t be killed!"


    Ricky exclaimed hoarsely. His throat had gone dry as he heard more of what Alva was saying.


    Ricky''s mind filled with more questions than answers as he thought of their situation. What should he do if they couldn''t be killed? If Luke and Tyler had the divine energy, then Connor was definitely protected by it as well.

 Chapter 739 In Desperation Again

    Ricky believed that there were two kinds of enemies that were most difficult to defeat. The first one was those that were strong-willed and determined. And the other one was those that could not be killed.


    Right now, Ricky was facing the enemies that could not be killed. Would it even make a difference that he was stronger than them? Every effort would be in vain if they could not be killed. And Henry had told him that the merge between the Sandy Mutant and him could not last long. After all, this was not some kind of cultivation method that they could cultivate.


    "Alva, is there any other way?" Ricky asked bitterly.


    "No, there is none. Maybe the best way is to suppress them with strong power. However, it is still difficult for us to do so," Alva replied gravely.


    "Suppress? Guess it is our only way now!" Ricky inhaled sharply when he heard what Alva said.


    He turned to Luke and Tyler and sneered at them, "You are just some guys protected by the divine energy. What is there to be proud of? You are nothing without the divine energy."


    "What are you talking about? How do you know that we have the divine energy?" Luke and Tyler said in disbelief. Their eyes darkened with suspicion and malice against Ricky.


    Even the spiritual emperor in this land could not possibly know that it was divine energy. How could a genius from a barren land know about it?


    Then, Luke and Tyler were reminded that Ricky was hiding something from them. This also made them realize that Ricky was not an easy target.


    "Ricky, tell me, where do you really come from? Maybe if you tell me, we can spare your life," Luke and Tyler asked in a low voice.


    "I am from this Realm of Wildness!" Ricky did not owe them any explanation. This kind of mystery was exactly what he wanted Luke, Tyler and Connor to feel.


    After Ricky finished talking, he activated his strongest attacks¡ªthe Golden Spirit Eyes, the four mutants, the four runes, all kinds of flames. They merged with the power of zones, and kept


    to say, you have surpassed my expectations," Connor said coldly as he stared at Scar and Ricky.


    "How dare you suppress Luke and Tyler!


    Anyway, it doesn''t matter now. You will all be dead soon."


    Boom! Connor launched a powerful punch, a punch that was integrated with divine energy. Though it seemed ordinary, Scar could not defend himself against it at all.


    Without any warning, Scar fell heavily on the ground again as blood gushed out of his mouth profusely.


    Scar''s power was comparable to Connor''s, but with the divine energy, he could not stand even one blow. It showed how powerful the divine energy was.


    And it made Ricky realize that right now, Connor was unstoppable. Even if Ricky had the power of a completed spiritual king, he would not be able to defeat Connor.


    Connor had the divine blood power, when Luke and Tyler only had a slight bit of divine energy.


    Once again, they were in a desperate situation where they had no way of winning.


    ''Damn, I thought we were going to win and have everything in control. I didn''t expect that we have to hide inside the Chaotic Fire Zone again, '' Ricky cursed in his heart.


    With a sharp intake of breath, he enveloped everyone with his spiritual power and readied to enter the Chaotic Fire Zone. If they were a second later, they would all be killed by Connor.

 Chapter 740 Gentry Jiang

    "Ha-ha, finally! It was not easy to find this place, one of the rallying points of the Sky Dome. I can''t believe it!" A clear and cheerful voice cut through the area. Heads tuned towards the person who spoke, curious and amused by the upbeat energy.


    A figure stood confidently with a folding fan in his hand.


    His face had a harmless look on it, as if he was there for an innocent purpose. However, similar to that time with Connor from the Celestial Army, Ricky felt that there was also something mysterious in the young man in front of him. In addition, Ricky had a strong feeling that the cultivation achievement that this young man had could be far beyond his imagination.


    Nevertheless, there were still differences between the young man and Connor. Ricky could sense that the aura of the young man was mysterious but somehow pure. In contrast, the aura from Connor, the leader of the Celestial Army, was somehow evil.


    ''Why did this young man appear suddenly? Is he one of the Celestial Army as well?'' Ricky wondered discretely. So far, he was really confused about what had happened. He was still trying to process what happened earlier, but now this young man came and threw him off even worse.


    However, he was sure about one thing¡ªConnor and the young man who had just showed up were both aiming for the huge iron core at the heart of the colossus.


    ''If I''m right¡ªthat the huge iron core at the heart of the colossus is really part of the mysterious axe deep in the Soul Sea¡ªthey might have something to do with me, '' Ricky mused.


    "Ha-ha, Connor, here you are! And you''ve stated that you''re the leader of the Celestial Army. I can''t believe you really did that!" As the young man spoke, he fixed his eyes on Connor with a sardonic look on his face.


    Connor could hardly contain his anger when he noticed that he was being made fun of. Fury burned in his eyes and he fixed the young man with a death glare.


    "Gentry, how and why have you come here?" Connor asked in a cold tone. He looked unimpressed by the newcomer''s relaxed appearance.


    "Well, didn''t you know the answer already? I came here using the same way you did. Wait, did you think your actions can be concealed from us? How naive of you!" Gentry Jiang, the young man in white, sneered condescendingly at Connor.


    "Fortunately, I was not late. Otherwise, things would have become really troublesome once you have gotten what you wanted,"


    Then, he turned and looked at Ricky with a smile on his face. "Hey, thank you for stopping this devil man. You have no idea how big of a help you were to me."


    "You don''t have to say that. As a matter of fact, it is you that have saved our lives. Thanks for showing up in time. Otherwise, we would have died. Besides, I was helping my friends as well. My friends are still under his control right now."


    As Ricky spoke, concern filled his heart. When he threw Luke and Ty


    at tone, distaste apparent on his face.


    Ricky and the others were surprised at the series of events. They wanted to know the reason why Connor left suddenly. However, they did not know what to ask first, as things had happened so quickly.


    Before the others could state their queries, Gentry Jiang said, "Please make a Martial Arts Oath here right now. You are not allowed to say a word about what had just happened here. And you should all pretend as if you have seen nothing here today. Otherwise, I could simply kill you, to keep all these as a secret."


    After Gentry Jiang''s speech, Ricky and others could only make a Martial Arts Oath obediently. Somehow, they strongly believed that he would do as he had said. He was definitely capable of killing them all if he wanted to.


    "Thanks for doing what I told you, guys. Now that things here are all settled, it''s time for me to leave," Gentry Jiang said in a calm tone as he nodded his approval for what Ricky and others had done.


    "Wait, are you not going to take the iron core at the heart of the colossus?" Ricky asked at this moment.


    "Ha-ha, good question. Well, I do want to have it but sadly, it does not belong to me. Besides, it will be safer for it to stay there rather than with me. I suggest that you to stay away from iron core. Otherwise, I''m afraid that you would end up dead, courtesy of me," Gentry Jiang replied with a disarming smile on his face.


    "By the way, can you tell me your name please?"


    "Sir, my name is Ricky Nan!"


    "Ricky, I have no idea how this occurred to me. But I have a strong feeling that we will meet each other again in the future. Please remember my name, Gentry Jiang," he said with a serious look on his face.


    After he said all this, he lowered his cultivation level and became a second-class completed spiritual king. He left just as how Connor did moments ago¡ªhe crushed something in his hand and then disappeared.

 Chapter 741 Keeping The Oath

    Only Ricky and his fellows remained at the spot. They all wore confused expressions on their faces, unable to understand what had just happened.


    Gentry had warned them they could not move the iron core at the heart of the colossus. Ricky didn''t take his warning as a trick intended to frighten them. Otherwise, Gentry wouldn''t have left so easily.


    Rick had figured out how much Gentry craved the iron core. This was clear by the look in his eyes.


    However, the mysterious axe deep in Ricky''s Soul Sea was still shaking. The mere fact told him that he had to get the iron core himself.


    ''Perhaps nobody but the chief of the Sky Manor knows something about this, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Thank you for helping us, Ricky. In case you need our help in the future, please don''t hesitate to let us know," the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness and the chief of the Casting Guild told him.


    "Now excuse us for leaving. And please set your heart at ease. We assure you nobody will ever know about anything that had happened here."


    Both men had lingered on the verge of death for several times recently. Everything they had witnessed seemed too incredible to ingest all at once. As for now, their major desire was to walk out of that place as soon as they could.


    It was quite possible they wouldn''t tell a living soul about what had happened even if they hadn''t made the Martial Arts Oath. They wouldn''t dare to provoke Connor or Gentry, and certainly not Ricky either.


    "That would be great! I really appreciate it from both of you." Ricky nodded before being left to watch the two men''s departure.


    "The Celestial Army, Connor, Gentry...Where do they come from? And what is this iron core? Do you believe that we really can''t move it?" Soar asked in confusion after the lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness and the chief of the Casting Guild left.


    Still babbling with his inquiries, Soar stretched his hand in an attempt to pick up the iron core at the heart of the colossus.


    "Don''t touch it, Soar. According to Gentry, there may be a powerful taboo on it that we can''t get rid of. Besides, this should belong to the Sky Manor." Ricky raised his voice and Soar froze.


    "Let''s just forget everything that happened here until we get strong enough."


    "Okay, then." Soar lifted both his hands frightened.


    As they agreed not to do anything about the iron for the time being, they also left the space.


    Afterwards, Ricky told Scar, Soa


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    oon as she came back to her senses. "If you are not the destined one, you will be shocked by the taboo on the black iron to death."


    "I wouldn''t have suggested it if I wasn''t sure of it," Ricky argued with an unshakable determination in his voice.


    The chief of the Sky Manor fell silent by his conviction. However, her face remained blank as she considered his plea.


    A few moments later, she replied, "Fine. Since you''re so determined, I won''t try to stop you. I can only hope you''re right in being so confident in yourself."


    "Thank you!" Ricky said earnestly.


    The chief of the Sky Manor nodded and requested Ricky to follow her up to the space. When they got there, they both stood still in front of the colossus.


    "Chief, Connor said that the fortune of spiritual kings in the Realm of Wildness is needed. What can be done about that?" Ricky inquired. "That was the reason he wanted to kill us."


    "Yes, the fortune is needed. But it is unnecessary to kill spiritual kings because of that," the chief of the Sky Manor clarified.


    "What do you mean? What can I do?"


    "Only a drop of your blood essence is needed, because it already contains your fortune. Then, when your fortune merges with my blood essence, the fortune can show up," the chief of the Sky Manor told him.


    "I see. But what about other spiritual kings?"


    "You''re a genius in the Realm of Wildness. Your fortune is enough," she firmly stated.


    Without any further question in the way, Ricky and the chief of the Sky Manor positioned themselves and respectively collected a drop of their blood essence from between their eyebrows as they got started.

 Chapter 742 The Fragment Of Axe

    The innate spiritual kings were born with extraordinary vitality. The loss of one or two drops of blood essence meant nothing to them. It didn''t affect them even a bit and caused them no inconvenience.


    Buzz!


    Something buzzed as the blood essence from Ricky and the chief of the Sky Manor merged. Two clouds of pale fog rose, one significantly larger than the other.


    Ricky was shrouded by the larger cloud while the smaller one rose around the chief.


    Ricky was already aware of the pale fog, which appeared whenever the fortune coalesced.


    "Chief, I can''t believe your blood essence is so spectacular," Ricky exclaimed at the marvelous sight of the coagulation of fortune from their blood essence.


    "But we can only manage it within this space. Outside this space, I am afraid my blood essence is no better than an ordinary one. But for you, the fortune from your drop of blood essence is comparable to that from half of all my blood essence,"


    said the chief, her eyes wide open with astonishment.


    "It seems that last time you almost gained all the fortune in the Realm of Wildness from the land of fortune."


    "Come on, Chief. You''re now exaggerating," Ricky smiled humbly.


    Then, they both stared at the colossus. Their merged blood essence and fortune were gradually being absorbed into the colossus.


    "Chief, is there any chance that you know about the colossus?" Ricky asked.


    For some inexplicable reason, HE had a faint intuition that he shared a weak blood relation with the colossus. Perhaps, there was even something between the colossus and the mysterious axe in his Soul Sea.


    "I have no clue," the chief answered.


    Boom! At that very moment, an overwhelming stream of energy surged out. After absorbing their blood essence, the colossus unleashed an invisible power¡ªthe restrictive power!


    The restrictive power was no longer restricted. Ricky now sensed even stronger chaos from the mysterious axe in the Soul Sea.


    "The restrictive power is unleashed. Now come


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    This dark iron is a piece from a rather potent weapon. Perhaps its power could surpass all the sacred weapons in the universe."


    "How could it surpass even the sacred weapons?" the chief replied suspiciously. It was apparent that she was completely shocked.


    But soon she calmed down. It wouldn''t be that surprising some weapon that the chief of the Sky Dome paid highly attention to could surpass the sacred weapons.


    "It''s only a fragment and won''t make any difference until all the remaining fragments are collected," Ricky said. "I think the other seven forces have respectively guarded one fragment each."


    "I couldn''t agree with you more," the chief nodded in agreement.


    "But you won''t find out their whereabouts from me. I don''t know it either. After breaking up from the original Sky Dome, we have moved away and settled on where we believed it would be safe. Since then, we had no contact with each other."


    "Ah, I see. Chief, do you happen to know their names?" Ricky asked hopefully.


    "I''ve no idea. But I figure their names should derive from the Sky Dome in a way, like ours," the chief responded.


    "I have got to be cautious from now on," Ricky nodded, deep in thought.


    After some more conversations, they exited the realm and returned to the Sky Manor.


    "Chief, have you got any plan?" Ricky asked.

 Chapter 743 Scars Determination

    "Any plan?" the chief of the Sky Manor repeated. That was not what she expected Ricky to ask.


    She was the only one left of the Sky Manor. She was an innate spiritual king. With Ricky''s help, she would be able to rebuild the Sky Manor in the Realm of Wildness.


    However, power did not attract her at all and the object she had been guarding was now in its rightful place. She didn''t quite care whether the Sky Manor could be rebuilt.


    "Ricky, you have the Misty South Palace, right? I want to join the Misty South Palace. And then, we''ll decide what to do later," she answered after some thought. She really should have thought more about this since it concerned her future, but she couldn''t think right at that moment.


    "Chief, you are joining the Misty South Palace? You are absolutely welcomed there. But what about the Sky Manor?" Ricky asked in surprise when he heard what she said.


    "That thing we were guarding is now in its rightful place. I don''t think there is still a meaning for the existence of the Sky Manor. And you know I am not interested in power. If there is anyone in our generation besides Kristen and me, I would not take the position as the chief of the Sky Manor."


    Ricky marveled at her words. "If so, the Misty South Palace will welcome you. But I assure you, if you want to rebuild the Sky Manor, I will help you with all I have."


    "I''ll thank you in advance." The chief of the Sky Manor smiled warmly at Ricky.


    "And you don''t have to call me chief anymore. My name is Karen Tang, and you can call me Karen."


    "Okay, Karen." Ricky smiled.


    After their conversation, Karen Tang went ahead and packed all the important things she would need and headed towards the Misty South Palace with Ricky.


    She did not bring much¡ªbesides those memorial tablets of her ancestors, there was nothing important left.


    ¡­ The lord of the Imperial Palace of Wildness and the chief of the Casting Guild kept what happened inside the Sky Manor a secret. Therefore, everyone else inside the Realm of Wildness was confused when the Celestial Army suddenly disappeared.


    Confusion easily gave way to excitement and relief. After all, when the Celestial Army was still in the picture, they all felt tense like a huge beast was breathing down their necks. But now th


    not a master. Please call me Ricky, all of you are like brothers to me." Ricky smiled.


    "Okay, I will just call you Ricky," Scar agreed without hesitation. He knew Ricky wouldn''t pretend to be modest.


    "So, I need you to take them back to the Saber Hall. I have already made my appearance here. Those forces including Luxurious Chamber of Commerce will find out in no time," Ricky said.


    "So what are you planning to do?" Scar asked.


    "The fight over the Sense of Realm is about to come. Before that, I have to reach the level of an upper spiritual king. Therefore, I will need to find my opportunity." Ricky wondered what he would do to hasten his training. He had no doubt that he would succeed but he needed to plan so his efforts would not be wasted.


    "Scar, after you are done with the preparations for Misty South Palace, you should start cultivation as soon as possible. The Sense of Realm is also an opportunity for you."


    "I know. Take care of yourself. As long as you are not attacked by a spiritual emperor, I believe you can always escape," Scar warned Ricky. He knew Ricky had a zone and could take care of himself, but he was still concerned.


    "I''ll be careful. Well then, let us go our own ways now. See you at the fight over the Sense of Realm. Please take care of those in the Misty South Palace," Ricky reminded Scar, though he had no doubts that Scar would keep his word.


    "You don''t have to worry. None of them will get hurt as long as I''m still alive," Scar reassured him confidently.

 Chapter 744 The Casting Center

    "Scar, do you have any idea where I can go to improve my strength?" Ricky asked Scar hopefully. He strongly believed that Scar would know something favorable for him.


    "Well, I''m not quite sure actually. Before the battle for the Sense of Realm, the Casting Center will hold a casting competition in the Eastern Land. I think that would probably be a good opportunity for you," Scar replied thoughtfully.


    "The Casting Center? What is it?" Ricky asked curiously because he had never heard about the place before now.


    "The Casting Center is an alignment of all the Casting Guilds in the whole Eastern Land. It is no exaggeration to say that the Casting Center is one of the most powerful forces in the Eastern Land. All the five chiefs of the Casting Center are casting masters of Demi-sage Level," Scar explained patiently.


    "Cameron from the Oriental College is the fourth chief of it."


    "Oh? I didn''t know that he had another identity!" Ricky exclaimed. He should have known there was something more to that guy.


    "The main reason why the Casting Center stands out among all the forces is that the first and second chiefs of the Casting Center are also spiritual emperors," Scar added.


    "That makes sense. Only when one combines his power and casting skills can he be strong enough to bring honor to his organization," Ricky commented. "But truth be told, although I want to enhance my casting ability, I prefer to improve my strength for the time being."


    "I have to tell you Ricky, you''ve got it all completely wrong," Scar interrupted, alarmed when he heard that Ricky was not interested in casting now.


    "Those who will participate in the casting competition are all talented casting masters of their respective organizations. They are more powerful than any talent you have ever met. Why is that? That is because they practice utilizing runes and improve their strengths at the same time. You would make great progress if you have the chance to fight against them. Do you understand what I mean?" Scar scrutinized Ricky for a second before he continued, "What''s more, I heard that the reward of the casting competition is exceptional. If you can get it, it will not be difficult for you to break through and become an upper spiritual king."


    "Oh? Really? What is the reward? I''m starting to grow interested in it," Ricky asked.


    "The rewards change each time. However, there is one thing that never changes. It''s the Heaven Soul Stone!" Scar said as his eyes glinted involuntarily. There was a hint of desire in his eyes as he announced the prize.


    "The Heaven Soul Stone? What is that? What is its effect?" Ricky asked, still clueless although he noticed that Scar seemed to value the prize highly.


    "The Heaven Soul Stone is a Treasure fr


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    he intermediate stage," Scar said as he laughed delightedly.


    "Ha-ha. I''ll just consider that a praise. Otherwise, you would not have treated me with sincerity." Ricky smiled when he saw how pleased Soar was.


    Later, Scar told the members of the Misty South Palace to enter the Mind Palace Model before he carried it and headed for the Saber Hall.


    As for Ricky, he set off for the Casting Center.


    This time, he did not ask Soar or Henry to accompany with him. It would only be a waste of time for them anyway. So Ricky thought it would be better for them to search for opportunities elsewhere.


    He was not alone, though. Tina and Pearl went with him.


    They also agreed that they would meet when the battle for the Sense of Realm was about to start.


    As he started his journey, Ricky put on a mask so he could avoid unwanted attention before he reached the Casting Center. That would save him a lot of time because he knew he would waste precious time dealing with unexpected troubles brought on by his face and reputation.


    He released Tina and Pearl from the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    During the trip, Ricky did not waste his time and practiced the Shadowy Emperor Replication and Massacring Holy Attack along the way.


    He wanted to improve his strength and become a first-class middle spiritual king.


    Along the way, a bold idea sprang into his mind as he practiced the Shadowy Emperor Replication. Now that the shadow could create a duplication, could he also make duplications of his peculiar fire and sacred fire?


    It would be amazing if that was possible. The peculiar fire and sacred fire were extremely powerful fires after all.


    Presumably, other creatures would not be able to do that, but Ricky was different. He owned four zones and he was confident that he could make it.


    Determined, Ricky began to try anyway.

 Chapter 745 Casting Path

    Along the way, Ricky, Tina and Pearl cultivated their energy as well.


    After a long journey, they finally arrived at the realm where the Casting Center was.


    When they were about to reach this realm, Tina and Pearl promptly returned to the Massacring Zone. Tina was extremely beautiful and graceful. They could get into unnecessary trouble if she was seen by others.


    Pearl could not appear in public either, because every innate spiritual king in the Eastern Land knew her and she would be instantly recognized as soon as she was spotted.


    This realm was well known for weapon casting. The warriors here loved weapon casting far more than martial arts.


    Almost all the dealings in every city here were about weapon casting. They dealt with casting materials, casting technologies and casting products.


    In some of the cities, Ricky also checked out the casting materials he would need. That was because he had found that the Iron Destroyer seemed to fit him poorly, now that his strength had reached an upper spiritual king''s.


    ''It seems that I really have been left behind in terms of weapon casting. Now that I''m going to take part in the casting competition, I must become a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level first. Otherwise, I would not be able to enhance my Iron Destroyer that matches my level, '' Ricky thought to himself. He was disappointed in himself that he let his casting be this weak compared to his strength.


    While collecting casting materials, Ricky began inquiring about the top casting geniuses in this realm.


    After his investigation, he obtained information on three outstanding disciples of the Casting Center.


    These were Meade Han, the disciple of Sellers, the third chief of the Casting Center, Finley Zhuo, the disciple of Harrison, the fifth chief of the Casting Center, and finally Kylie, the disciple of Cameron, the fourth chief of the Casting Center.


    The first chief, Todd, and the second chief, Gorden, of the Casting Center did not have any disciple. Perhaps, their standards were so high so they didn''t have the desire to teach any of the geniuses in the whole Eastern Land.


    After all, the two of them were not only casting masters of Demi-sage Level, but also warriors of Emperor Level. They were very likely to become casting masters of Sage Level. Maybe this could explain why they disdained ordinary geniuses.


    The three people Ricky noted were the best young casting masters in the Eastern Land. They were all casting masters at the inferior stage of Spirit Level.


    Many days had passed, so


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    gain, he realized that cultivating casting would not impact his martial arts. On the contrary, cultivating casting helped with his martial arts.


    That was how amazing the Supreme Skills in the Chaos Manual were.


    ''In future, I must cultivate martial arts and casting at the same time. Only in this way can I further discover the Supreme Skills inside the Chaos Manual, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    He only went out of the guesthouse when the primary election of the contest of the Casting Center started.


    He knew this because he had requested a staff member from the guesthouse to inform him of any important news about the casting contest.


    The primary election took place at the Casting Path.


    The primary election applied to casting geniuses from forces under the level of a spiritual-emperor force. Disciples from spiritual-emperor forces didn''t need to take part in the primary election. Instead, they could directly attend the formal contest.


    It sounded unfair at first glance but that was a benefit awarded only to the strong. This was how the world of martial arts worked, where the law of the jungle prevailed.


    If somebody wanted to complain about that, he had better cultivate his energy first. Only when he had considerable strength would the people listen to him, and only then could he make his own rules.


    The Casting Path was located at the west side of the Casting Center. There was a black stone path with a length of about one thousand meters. This was called the Casting Path.


    The Casting Path was divided into ten sections. Each section was one hundred meters long.


    The warriors in the primary election would pass once they surpassed the first five sections of this path.

 Chapter 746 The Initial Selection Began

    Word was widely spread about the runic power that belonged to Gorden. Years ago he left it on the Casting Path. And the pressure brought by the runic power would increase as one walked ahead along the path.


    Rumor had it Gorden would grant an opportunity if the candidates could successfully pass the last stage.


    Unfortunately, no one was able to reach that far yet and prove the tale to be true.


    Not even the three geniuses from the Casting Center were lucky. They all had tried to walk through the whole Casting Path and failed. Kylie and Finley had managed to reach the eighth stage while Meade had gone further and got himself into the ninth. That was the utmost point anybody had proceeded. To this day, no living soul achieved the tenth and last stage.


    People were starting to doubt that it was even impossible to walk through the Casting Path, since the three geniuses couldn''t make it. Except for Gorden himself and Todd, what the opportunity was about still remained a whole mystery to everyone else.


    Gorden designed the trial to be divided in two parts. The first five stages were supposed to test the candidates by their casting skills while the remaining five filtered the warriors by their casting talent and their comprehension to the runic power.


    It wasn''t worthwhile to go through the Casting Path anytime soon when a warrior didn''t succeed in all stages. He wouldn''t make it unless his comprehension to the runic power increased considerably. If it wasn''t the case, the result would come unaltered.


    In the past few years, the three geniuses of the Casting Center and those from the spiritual-emperor forces had tried to cross the Casting Path several times. Yet the results of their attempts saw no progress. As soon as they had reached a certain stage, they got stuck on it, according to Gorden.


    This had been noted as a clear indicator that it wasn''t an easy task for a creature to improve his talent.


    ''What is this opportunity on the Casting Path? Would it be worth it for me to attend the trial?'' Ricky pondered.


    It was no secret he was an arrogant warrior. He wasn''t worried whether he would make it or not on the Casting Path. Instead, his thoughts were gravitating towards how much the opportunity was preceding and powerful enough to tempt him. Was he being too confident? Or was he just talking nonsense? No one was sure.


    Meanwhile, lots of people had gathered along the two sides of the Casting Path. Some of them were disciples of the Casting Center, although they weren''t present to compete. Their job was to keep the order in case of anything unexpected.


    "Hey, guys. Do you think there will be anyone reaching the seventh stage?" somebody in the crowd chattered.


    "I''d bet on Linda Yue from the Moon Pavilion Sect and Tony Wei from the Wei Clan to make it. They are probably the most talented geniuses from force


    e identity sooner or later. I believe the opportunity left by a warrior who is a spiritual emperor and a casting master of Demi-sage Level is going to be a powerful one."


    He laughed out loud. "Now you''ve convinced me. I will take the suggestion," Ricky said before giving away a smirk.


    "Humph! Are you really that confident about yourself? It''s still unknown whether you would reach the last stage or not, but you''ve already started to weigh the value of the opportunity. Do you really deem yourself to be a casting genius?" Pearl, on the other hand, cut off in a disdainful tone.


    "I''m not sure if you just said those words to goad me or tease me, Pearl. But anyway, I don''t care. Just wide open your eyes and watch carefully. I will prove that I''m a talented casting master as well very soon," Ricky responded without a care about Pearl''s attitude.


    Done talking, Ricky sped up and launched himself on the fourth stage of the Casting Path.


    By that time, Linda Yue and Tony Wei had already reached the last few meters on the sixth stage and were still leading.


    Only a few casting masters of Spirit Level with extreme talent could reach the last few meters of the sixth stage. Passing this point in the competition, Linda Yue and Tony Wei revealed their potential in weapon casting.


    However, they knew the struggle it was for them to reach that far. Both of them worked very hard to keep themselves on track and from falling behind.


    "It seems quite difficult for them to reach the seventh stage. Hopefully they will be persistent enough to make it," a relatively older and wiser spiritual king said as he watched them.


    "You are right. Perseverance might ignite their talents to the limit," another spiritual king echoed in agreement.


    While everyone fixed their eyes on Linda Yue and Tony Wei, a black shadow flashed in front of them and unexpectedly reached the seventh stage at once.

 Chapter 747 On The Way

    The figure was Ricky. He had drawn all attentions from those who were present. Even Linda and Tony forgot they were fighting against the runic power as they shifted their attention to the black shadow.


    "Who is he?" the warriors muttered to each other. They were all aghast.


    High up in the sky, Harrison and two elders were both taken aback as well.


    The comparison and huge difference was hard to deny and ignore for them. How could they forget that the three disciples of the Casting Center took longer time to pass the sixth and seventh stages than Ricky did?


    ''How is that even possible?'' Harrison thought in disbelief.


    "How is that possible? How could he have passed the seventh stage and reached the eighth in no time?" It was difficult for the witnesses to overcome their huge disbelief.


    It didn''t help that Ricky directly jumped through the hundred-meter distance of the seventh stage and reached the eighth.


    The intense shock was immediately followed by a profound silence. Everyone stared at the black shadow, as if they were dreaming.


    The deadly silence didn''t last long as Ricky opened his mouth and lazily said, "It seems that the Casting Path isn''t much of a difficult or challenging place to get on. I simply took one step and now I''m at the eighth stage."


    Ricky''s comment snapped everybody out of their reverie.


    "What was that? He made the eighth stage sound extremely easy!" All the other warriors were not really happy about Ricky''s words. They were infuriated.


    "Where did this guy come from?"


    Several of them were still struggling to reach the fifth stage. The sixth and seventh stages were as unreachable as the sky and they could only dare to think about it.


    And yet, here comes Ricky, a guy fairly unknown to them, who reached the eighth stage so effortlessly. It was a stage that only casting geniuses would be able to reach. They had witnessed it with their naked eyes.


    Even the three geniuses of the Casting Center made tremendous efforts to get to the eighth stage. Though Meade had already reached the ninth stage, he also found it extremely difficult to be where he was, back when he was still at the eighth stage.


    It was all too different for Ricky. He had not even broken a single sweat as he accelerated to the eighth stage.


    The warriors present envied him. Linda and Tony were completely forgotten. The two


    imself here."


    Harrison then shot a glance at Ricky expectantly and curiously.


    As he was at the last few steps of the ninth stage, Ricky activated the gale runes. Now surrounded by the four runes, Ricky made it to the tenth stage unscathed.


    When Ricky stepped onto the tenth stage and revealed his four runes, the warriors around him were neither surprised nor caught off guard.


    For one thing, they were already getting used to it. At the same time, they had also guessed his true identity. Over time, the four runes had already become a signature of Ricky.


    However, Ricky didn''t care about it at all. The only thing he had in mind was to get past the last hundred meters and seize the very opportunity he had been setting his eyes on since the moment he stepped foot at that place.


    He had to admit though that he had underestimated the tenth stage. As he set foot on the final stage, he instantly felt pressure that was so intense, he got down on one knee.


    All the other warriors wouldn''t believe it at first, but there were clearly beads of sweat that had formed on Ricky''s forehead.


    "Harrison, it seems that though he has the power of four runes, he has now started to feel pressure," Gorden remarked calmly as he eagerly observed and anticipated how Ricky would traverse through the final stage of the test.


    "If it had been that easy to pass the tenth stage, then it will not be deemed as an opportunity for the spiritual emperors and the casting masters of Demi-sage Level in the first place," Harrison noted. "Let''s see whether he can pass it or not."

 Chapter 748 Advance By Leaps And Bounds

    Ricky knelt down to keep his balance as a strong pressure overcame him. He grit his teeth as he struggled to stay upright. "It finally gets intriguing. This is exactly what I expected from the Casting Path."


    The force at that moment certainly indicated the level of challenge Ricky was about to face.


    If the tenth stage was as easy as the other nine stages, Ricky would have scorned the opportunity. He grinned as he looked forward to something more demanding. After all, the bigger the opportunity, the larger the difficulty to obtain it.


    "Ricky! You must be careful! This is the suppressing power from the tenth stage. For each further step you take, the runic power will keep intensifying," Tina reminded Ricky, her voice worried and alarmed.


    "Tina, don''t worry. I assure you that this level of challenge will not overcome me," Ricky responded. He then stood upright in a proper stalling position. Instantly, the four kinds of runic powers surged and turned into a battle costume for him.


    "The suppressing power of the tenth stage, show me what you are capable of!"


    Ricky roared at the sky and took the first step. However, this little movement had immediately caused a solid attack from the runes to his soul Without hesitation, Ricky condensed the four kinds of runic powers and confronted this attack.


    A loud noise thundered and clashed as the forces met.


    Ricky was only at the entry level of the tenth stage, but the condensation of the four kinds of runic powers hung in balance with one single attack. He could now see for himself the marvelous suppressing power from runes at the tenth stage.


    ''The test designed by a warrior who is a spiritual emperor and a casting master of Demi-sage Level is indeed not easy to pass!'' Ricky sighed inwardly. ''It seems like even if I use the power of my four zones, I can''t pass through a hundred meters of this.


    If that is the case, the only solution is to understand and dismantle those attacks from the runes.''


    Thoughts passed rapidly in his brain as he took another step. This time, two runic attacks ravaged his body.


    ''Perhaps for each of the further steps I take, the number of attacks will increase once each time, '' Ricky thought to himself. Those two attacks felt much stronger than the previous one.


    It became obvious to him that in the following steps, the strength of the attacks grew while the number of attacks increased at the same time.


    The incremental force alone was not a huge challenge for Ricky. Nevertheless, he could never withstand this power in a cumulative amount.


    Ricky activated the power of his four zones to stop these two attacks urgently. However, he didn''t stop them completely. Inste


    p with that idea.


    The two did not know what was on the opportunity.


    "Ricky might have taken a very slow pace, but it does not necessarily mean that he will keep this speed. Let''s make a bet. I bet Ricky will pass the last fifty meters in no time," Harrison challenged the two elders confidently.


    The two elders were surprised by Harrison''s prediction. Even though they did not believe in his speculation, they did not want to accept his bet either.


    Harrison laughed after the two elders rejected his bet on Ricky''s chances of winning. They obviously knew that they were wrong.


    Ricky used almost an entire day to pass through the first fifty meters. All the warriors were concerned if he could reach the destination with his slow pace. They thought that Ricky would fall at any point in time.


    As if in challenge to all these speculations, Ricky suddenly accelerated. He only took two steps and passed through the last fifty meters. He finished the entire journey!


    In the previous fifty meters, Ricky had painstakingly disassembled and gradually understood the attacks from the runes. Therefore, with all the knowledge he gathered, he was able to breeze through the last fifty meters.


    At this moment, Ricky was thrilled by his achievement. Only he knew what a huge progress he had made. On this tenth stage, he was fortunate to receive this great opportunity. His casting skills truly advanced by leaps and bounds in this short period of time.


    A stunned silence enveloped the field when the warriors saw Ricky''s suddenly hastened progress and success. Logically speaking, the last fifty meters should be the hardest to pass through. How could Ricky move in such a quick pace? They all wanted to understand his rapid movement. What happened that he suddenly progressed so fast?

 Chapter 749 Finley

    "What''s going on?" some of the stunned warriors asked.


    Ricky passing through the Casting Path in just half a day had left everybody numb and speechless with intense shock. It seemed that he made sure his audience wouldn''t fall short of things to be astonished about when it came to his abilities.


    "Is it possible that the last 50 meters had no restraining power at all?" "Is it just a test for the warrior''s tenacity?" A few of the old spiritual kings questioned among themselves.


    "Well done! Young man, you''re the first one that has gotten through the entire Casting Path. I hate to admit it, but your casting talent and understanding on runes are even better than mine," Harrison praised.


    He couldn''t help but express how surprised he was because of Ricky''s recent straight-A performance as an ace genius.


    He knew clearly that when Gorden was designing the Casting Path, he set the bar of the tenth phase according to Todd''s talent when he was young.


    In that way, Ricky''s casting talent had actually surpassed, or at the very least, evenly matched with Todd''s. He was very likely to grow into another Todd if he continued to focus on being well-cultivated.


    Harrison himself was unaware that he had already recognized Ricky as one of them.


    "Master Harrison just praised him!" the warriors around the area exclaimed in disbelief. Before long, they had all finally agreed that the ace genius was worth the praise.


    "Nah-uh, don''t get confused, everybody! There is, indeed, restraining power in the last 50 meters. The reason why he could pass easily is because he has perfectly comprehended the runic power residing within it," Harrison explained to the other warriors who were still baffled by Ricky''s quick and effortless advancement in the tenth stage.


    "Well, that explains a lot." The rest of the warriors nodded after hearing the explanation. No longer astonished, their once envious eyes were now filled with overflowing respect for Ricky. They knew the great deal of talent it had to take to comprehend the runic power left by Gorden.


    "What''s your name, young man? You have to use your real name to sign up for the cha


    om a noble family. He seemed to have a sense of refinery within him, though he did not appear to be as domineering as the other typically spoiled and entitled rich kids.


    ''Perhaps some of the other warriors might be able to recognize him, '' thought Ricky. And he was right. The guy, was indeed, of noble descent. He happened to be one of the three known geniuses in casting. He was Finley Zhuo, a disciple of Harrison.


    "Is this where Ricky is staying?" Finley asked in a friendly voice.


    "Why do you even have to ask? All the participants of the competition should be here." Kylie rolled her eyes impatiently at Finley.


    "Uh-huh!" Finley grinned his teeth with an awkward and sheepish smile.


    "Sorry I didn''t have the time to see you! I should''ve visited you first," Ricky greeted as he waved. He was just informed of Kylie''s visit by Tina.


    "You didn''t tell me you''re here for the competition. I assume you didn''t want to visit me, so I had to drop in and check on you just now." Kylie sounded like she was complaining.


    "You must be the ace genius, Ricky. Am I right?" Finley''s laughter echoed as they entered the room. "I''m Finley Zhuo, Harrison''s disciple."


    "Finley? That''s you? I''ve heard a lot about you," Ricky replied politely.


    "I heard what you did days ago on the Casting Path. I am really impressed. I think we should be friends, if you don''t mind," Finley proposed, offering Ricky a manly handshake.

 Chapter 750 Pearl Offered A Deal

    "I''m flattered, Finley. You know I won''t refuse your offer. Actually, even if you didn''t say it, I would have said it. You are Kylie''s friend and that makes you a friend of mine too," Ricky said as he laughed cheerfully.


    He had no idea what kind of person Finley was, but he could tell from Kylie''s attitude towards him that Finley was a good man. So Ricky would be glad to be his friend. However, whether they would become good friends remained to be seen after they had grown closer over time.


    Moreover, Finley was the personal disciple of Harrison, so he enjoyed a good reputation in the Casting Center. Ricky believed that he would avoid a lot of troubles if everyone knew that he was a friend of Finley.


    "Ha-ha, that''s great," Finley said as he laughed heartily, pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to befriend Ricky.


    With a last warm hug, the three of them began to talk about the casting skills.


    The longer they talked, the more that Finley began to admire Ricky. His knowledge about the art of casting was more advanced and profound than what his master had told him.


    They talked happily for about half a day before Kylie and Finley left. After all, the competition was on the horizon, and all of them had to prepare for it. They didn''t want to miss the Heaven Soul Stone.


    Before they left, they also invited Ricky to live in the Casting Center until the competition ended.


    Ricky politely refused their offer. He thought it was better for him to stay here before he became a member of the Casting Center. There was no one powerful here so he would not be distracted or sensed prematurely. It would also be more convenient for him to cultivate in the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    Ricky spent the next entire month concentrating as he enhanced his casting skills.


    The competition finally started a month later. The site for the competition was in the Soul Tower of the Casting Center.


    The so-called Soul Tower was a high grade spiritual weapon. It would test the ability of their souls.


    A strong spiritual power was needed for a casting master apart from talent because the details of the casting were all controlled by the soul. There were five floors in total in the Soul Tower.


    There was already a sea of people around the Soul Tower. Some gathered around the competition site to watch the battle and some came here to attend the competition.


    Among these people, the most eye-catching were naturally the eight guys¡ªMeade, Finley, Kylie, Ricky, Jake from the Star Sect, Howell from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce


    g Level was almost equal to half a piece of Heaven Soul Stone for a casting master.


    ''The Casting Center is absolutely remarkable and generous, '' Ricky sighed, pleased that he decided to participate. ''But not everyone can make it to the fifth floor, I''m afraid. Even I myself can''t guarantee that I can pass easily.''


    Ricky looked up and focused his eyes on the fifth floor. His goal had always been the highest valued one.


    "Ricky, if you can gain the soul-restoring pill, I''d like to make a deal with you. I''m willing to exchange for it with one-tenth of my dark water," Pearl suddenly proposed to Ricky through telepathy at that point in time.


    "Oh? You want to have this soul-restoring pill?" Ricky asked, surprised to hear her proposal. After all, Pearl was not a casting master, so why would she be willing to exchange one-tenth of her dark water for the soul-restoring pill? It would not improve her ability anyway.


    If she lost one-tenth of her dark water, she would surely become weaker than before. That was something a warrior wanted the least.


    But since she requested that, she probably had a good reason. It was only natural that Ricky felt curious about her reason and wanted to probe deeper.


    "You don''t need to know the reason. Just tell me, do you accept the deal or not?" Pearl interrupted as if she read his thoughts, her voice cold.


    "It seems that this soul-restoring pill is more important to you than one-tenth of the dark water," Ricky said with a smile. "Let me think. The dark water seems to be useless to me.


    So, I''d like to get something else from you."


    "What do you want?" Pearl asked suspiciously. She narrowed her eyes and looked at him doubtfully.

 Chapter 751 Towards The Fifth Floor

    "It''s very simple, Pearl. I don''t need one-tenth of your dark water. I just need you to promise me that you won''t leave me for half a step in the next twenty years," Ricky said with a wicked smile.


    "Ha-ha!" Tina burst into laughter upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    "You asshole! Quit daydreaming!" Pearl refused coldly.


    "Ha-ha, I won''t give you the soul-restoring pill. I''ll keep it for myself." Ricky laughed.


    He knew that the pill was very important to her since she was willing to surrender one-tenth of her dark water.


    Therefore, Ricky believed that Pearl would compromise. Maybe twenty years was too long?


    Ricky would accept it if she refused in the end. He only made the request because he didn''t want her to leave him, and he couldn''t put her in his zone all the time.


    Ricky looked at the fifth floor of the Soul Tower as he waited for Pearl to say something.


    Just as Ricky expected, after a while, Pearl said telepathically, "Twenty years? That''s impossible!"


    "That sounds like a compromise. Just tell me what you want, as long as it''s reasonable, I will agree. I don''t bargain with women," Ricky responded using telepathy, an evil smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.


    "Three years at most!" Pearl said coldly.


    "That''s way shorter than my offer!" Ricky replied indignantly. However, he changed his mind and accepted with a smile.


    "It''s a deal then. Keep that promise and I''ll give you the soul-restoring pill."


    Three years was enough for Ricky. If he couldn''t win a woman''s heart in three years, he would be ashamed.


    Pearl immediately realized that she had been tricked by Ricky; he wasn''t going for twenty years from the beginning. He just added more years so that Pearl would reveal her real thought.


    "Ricky, you are such a jerk!" Pearl angrily shouted at Ricky.


    "You brought it out o


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    .


    He didn''t care about the set of pounding skills. With the Chaos Manual, Ricky was confident that there was no pounding skills that could stop him. What he needed to prioritize was his resistance to the soul attack.


    "I need to pass the first floor in only two hours?"


    Boom! At this moment, Ricky felt the power suddenly surge in the space. It was, undoubtedly, the attack from the spiritual power, but he couldn''t see it.


    Ricky sat down immediately, prepared to use his soul to resist the soul attack.


    Sitting cross-legged, Ricky employed the power of the four zones to resist the soul attack. He did not have time to waste here. After all, he only had two hours and there was nothing worth learning in this place. He could deal with it simply and quickly.


    This time, the soul attack was a grey and dark rope, like a python. It crazily swept across Ricky''s soul as it tried to unwind his soul and destroy it.


    ''A rope attack? It''s better for me to fight back with the gale runes!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    He immediately summoned the gale runes in his Soul Sea and transformed them into a storm. Then he channeled his strongest power and withstood the attack. With this, he easily blocked the attack.

 Chapter 752 Celia

    How could he reach the fifth floor if he was unable to resist this spiritual attack easily on the first floor?


    "It''s time that I cultivate the set of pounding skills," Ricky said to himself.


    Bang! However, before Ricky could do anything, he felt a powerful attack head towards him.


    ''This is an independent space. They can''t find me if they don''t search carefully. This must be the trouble that Finley has mentioned, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Bang! Without any hesitation, Ricky released the massacring power. He condensed his energy into three Scorching Golden Fists and stormed towards the attack. With an earsplitting explosion, Ricky and the three people were all forced back a few steps.


    Ricky exerted less than seventy percent of his power.


    He recognized their identity from their clothes. The three middle-aged men were wearing white robes, which were the uniforms of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce.


    Ricky sensed that they were all middle spiritual kings. They were surrounded by runic power, from which he could tell that they were casting masters of Spirit Level. He defensively gathered and readied his spiritual power.


    "Ha-ha! It seems that the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce is determined to kill me. Three casting masters of Spirit Level! And all of you are middle spiritual kings! I''m flattered!" Ricky taunted them as he was observing them warily.


    "You are a genius with extraordinary talent. We can''t be too careful," one of them said.


    "I admit that you three are strong opponents. But unfortunately, you have underestimated me," Ricky said with a laugh. "Just you three are not strong enough to kill me."


    "Maybe you are right. As you said, our power is not as strong as yours. However, we are not planning to kill you right now. We will just trap you here for two hours."


    "Two hours? Don''t be too confident about yourself." Ricky laughed out loud with disdain in his voice.


    The eyes of the three men darkened when they heard Ricky''s words. It seemed to them that Ricky was underestimating them.


    After all, they were middle spiritual kings. They had als


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    he couldn''t resist the two attacks at the same time so he activated the second level of Ultimate Golden Body to help him.


    Bang! Bang! Immediately, the sound of metals clanking echoed in the space. The strength of the attack was close to a second-class upper spiritual king''s. It wouldn''t be able to break the defense of the second level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    "How is this possible?" the attacker said in shock as she realized that her attack had no effect at all.


    It was a pretty girl in a beautiful dress. It seemed that she was a little bit naughty.


    If anyone else were here, they would have recognized that the girl was Celia, the famous casting genius of the Eastern Empire. It appeared that she had taken it upon herself to stop Ricky when the others failed miserably.


    ''I''ve heard that the Ultimate Golden Body of Ricky is very powerful. I believe it now. My strongest attack couldn''t hurt the golden body at all. It seems that Ricky''s power is far stronger than mine.


    I''d better get out of here before he finds me out.'' Thinking of this, Celia immediately tried to run away before Ricky could spot her.


    But it was already too late. Ricky had managed to repel the soul attack and had time to fight back against her now.


    "Hey, it is not fair to leave after a sneak attack. At least you should leave something behind!" Ricky said coldly.


    Then, his golden body moved as well.

 Chapter 753 The Vibration Ruin Manual

    Buzz! After Ricky said that, thick massacring runes began to gush out of his body. And in an instant, they turned into a golden passage. Within only a few seconds, his second level of Ultimate Golden Body suddenly rushed out and was accompanied by the diffusing golden light. Surrounded by the shield of golden light, he rushed towards Celia.


    "No way!" Celia exclaimed coldly as she saw Ricky''s abrupt attack. She then condensed the crimson yellow runes on her body which looked like a yellow dragon. The next moment, the crimson yellow runes turned into the shape of a flower that tried to resist his powerful attack.


    However, as the shield of the golden light gave everything it could offer, Celia''s resistance grew weaker and weaker. She was completely suppressed by his shield of the golden light, she was at the end of her wits. As he noticed what was happening, Ricky then gradually called the second level of Ultimate Golden Body back to him.


    "I didn''t expect you to make a move yourself, Celia. And I''m surprised that you''ve already reached the third floor in such a short time. You must know very well about the soul attacks and pounding skills," Ricky said with a surprised look as he saw that it was Celia standing in front of him at that moment.


    "Maybe you would have reached the fifth floor if you didn''t come here. Unfortunately, you weren''t supposed to come to this place, and it''s a pity that you have underestimated me."


    "Humph!" Celia snorted out of fury after hearing Ricky''s words. Even she was under his control at this moment, she was not afraid at all. Deep in her heart, she knew well that he didn''t dare to kill her here anyway.


    "I have this feeling that you were not going to pass the entrance test of the Soul Tower from the very beginning. You just came here to stop me, didn''t you?" Ricky asked. Based on what Celia had done and her attitude towards him at that moment, he knew things might not be as simple as they seemed.


    "I care nothing about how you feel. Now that I''m beaten by you, you can do whatever you want. I have nothing to say anymore," Celia said coldly.


    "I really can''t do anything to you in here, but I have already told you that you must leave something," Ricky responded coldly as well.


    "Here you go!" Hearing what Ricky said, Celia immediately took off the storage ring from her delicate finger and handed it to Ricky.


    "Humph! I think you have misunderstood what I said. What I want from you is not only your storage ring


    f ruin because he had the Ruin Holy Fire in his body. Either way, the runic power of vibration from this cultivation method was pretty strong as well.


    Vibration power could be used to filter the impurities in materials in casting and make the weapons more refined. It would be surprising if the power could be integrated into battle.


    The cultivation of the runic power of vibration was divided into three grades.


    The first grade was the Physical Vibration. In battle, the runic power of vibration could only be used if the enemy had physical contact with your body. With its great power, it could break the bones of the enemy and even destroy their vitality entirely.


    The second grade was the Space Vibration which meant that the runic power of vibration could be used as well as long as the enemy was within a certain distance from you. It could be transferred through space.


    As for how far it could be transferred through the space, this depended on what grade the cultivator had reached together with their own talents.


    The third grade was the Soul Vibration. Once the cultivator had practiced the runic power of vibration to a certain extent, he could directly attack the enemy''s soul without any problem.


    ''Regardless of whether I could reach the grade of Soul Vibration or not, if I could integrate the runic power of vibration into my four runes after mastering the Space Vibration, my fighting power will certainly be significantly increased. Well, it seems that Celia really gave me a good opportunity to reach the higher levels in combat, '' Ricky thought excitedly after a complete understanding of the cultivation method in his mind.

 Chapter 754 An Unknown Man Appeared

    The only reason Celia managed to reach the third floor was because she had used her runic power of vibration. Yet she was still not strong enough to beat Ricky. Before she could even break out the runic power, Ricky had already surpassed her.


    He casually waved his hand, making the golden shield over Celia''s body vanish. "Well, you can leave now. I won''t tell anyone about what happened here as long as you don''t mess with me again."


    "Humph!" Celia snorted as she turned on her heels to leave. She couldn''t bear the thought to waste another second around him.


    If only she had known how strong Ricky was¡ªso strong that he could beat her¡ªshe wouldn''t have offered to fight against him when Howell and Zach discussed on how to deal with him. Celia was a proud woman with a reputation to uphold. She wouldn''t dare to cause trouble for Ricky again. She feared he would get back at her the only way he knew of and she wasn''t looking any forward to facing the damage of others finding out she leaked the Vibration Ruin Manual to him. Even as the princess of the Eastern Empire, the senior leaders wouldn''t spare her so easily.


    "Celia''s so naive. I bet she only tried to face me because Howell incited her," Ricky sighed as he shook his head and watched the receding figure of Celia.


    "You still threatened her even though you knew very well she''s innocent," Tina gently stated.


    Ricky let out a chuckle. "Sure I did. Or I wouldn''t have obtained the Vibration Ruin Manual," he responded with a smug grin on his face.


    Regaining his seriousness back, Ricky began to focus when a black light started to form. It was time to pass through the third floor of the Soul Tower.


    An hour later, he successfully reached the fourth floor.


    The soul attack on the fourth floor was ten times more powerful than the former. The set of pounding skills was also way more challenging than the one Ricky had faced on the third floor. Fortunately, the time limit now was longer¡ªfourteen hours.


    In the end, despite the hard work, Ricky spent eight hours to get through that floor. A little over half of the time he still had left.


    ''If it weren''t for the power of my four zones, I''m afraid it would be harder for me to make it through the fourth floor. I believe it''s almost impossible for Kylie to pass it though. But Meade? If he has really made a breakthrough and become a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level, he would have a high chance to pass the fourth floor judging from his talent, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''Anyway, Meade remains to be a powerful opponent in this competition.


    floor. The first one was Meade, who was largely expected to get there. But what really caught Harrison''s attention was the second warrior. He wasn''t somebody he had ever laid his eyes on before.


    The young man wore all black and an emotionless expression on his face as he carried himself through the fifth floor. Despite his handsome and intriguing look, he had a quite strange aura surrounding him.


    "I''ve never seen this guy before and he has also made it to the fifth floor. Where on earth did he come from?" Harrison shook his head in confusion.


    In the meantime, he was also excited to see another candidate. The more geniuses to show up, the better, and the happier he would be.


    ''It''s pleasant to have another warrior reaching the fifth floor. But whether you will be worth my attention or not remains unknown. Show me what you''re capable of and fight on the fifth floor!'' Harrison said inwardly.


    Curious, he fixed his eyes on the young man in black. He was looking forward to seeing if the new guy would be able to successfully resist the soul attack on the fifth floor.


    Throughout most of the trial, the mysterious man struggled hard with the soul attack. When Harrison was about to give up on him, he bounced back and finally made it victoriously.


    "It''s just unbelievable that this young man is a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level just as Meade," Harrison exclaimed. He was a little surprised and over the moon by the realization of the man''s strength.


    "I''ve never anticipated that the Casting Center would have two casting geniuses through this current competition. That is what I''d call a fruitful result."


    Four hours later, the competition in the Soul Tower was officially over.

 Chapter 755 Lynch Qin

    All the disciples in the Soul Tower gathered the moment Harrison waved his hand to end the competition. The majority of them were beaten down as they failed to reach the fourth floor.


    "The competition is over!" Harrison announced to the warriors standing around him. "Thirteen of you got into the fourth floor of the Soul Tower. As the competition ends, you''ll be able to get a casting manual of the Casting Center."


    Despite the overall dreadful atmosphere, the thirteen fit disciples were rejoiced by Harrison''s words.


    Among them were Kylie, Finley, Celia and Howell. Celia and Howell got their eyes viciously fixed on Ricky. They had never expected him to come out victorious against three middle spiritual kings and Celia.


    Ricky shrugged and sneered in response. He''d never taken those people seriously or regarded them as worthwhile enemies. Even Meade was also just a minor obstacle for him to contend for the Heaven Soul Stone.


    "As for the warriors who had reached the third floor, our Casting Center decided that you can become disciples of the guild, but not formal ones. Think about this as a chance. The choice is yours," Harrison announced again.


    The announce got all the warriors down below gaping and amazed for a while. Not in a million years could they have thought to be granted such a chance. Even though they couldn''t become formal disciples, it was still fortunate to join the Casting Center.


    It was expendable getting free access to the advanced manuals, but being a member of the Casting Center could take the advantages of those manuals still available. The Casting Center''s reputation went so far, even just some "unimportant" manuals were considered superior to those from the warriors'' own clans and organizations.


    After the first wave of shock, the news started to kick in. The warriors that got into the third floor grew even more excited by the second.


    However, the setting wasn''t all cheerful. Those who didn''t reach beyond the second floor were left full of sorrow and regret, wondering why they hadn''t put more effort to get into the third floor. Their thoughts walked bitterly through all the wasted opportunities they could''ve taken to reach the goal.


    "As for the fifth floor, everyone, there are three people who made it." A curved and subtle smile popped at the corner of Harrison''s mouth as h


    l Stone. Moreover, I have a good relationship with Master Cameron too. Naturally I won''t let Meade and Lynch get it either," Ricky firmly answered. He had already figured out what Harrison was concerned about through his words.


    "Well, I appreciate your understanding," Harrison told him.


    As soon as they were done, Ricky was about to leave as well. Time now was too precious as he was racing against it. He had three days ahead of him to enhance his abilities and get ready for what was next.


    "Remember, you don''t stand a chance on getting the Heaven Soul Stone this time, even if you are an ace genius," Meade said to Ricky before he could take off.


    "You know, this is my territory. The dragon itself has to crawl here."


    "Really? Well, let''s see who will win casting competition, shall we? I am not going to give up on the Heaven Soul Stone, not to mention I will allow it to end up in your hands," Ricky responded coldly.


    He hadn''t bored to wait for a comeback. He left the second he was done talking. Nothing good would come out of discussing with Meade.


    Inside the room, Ricky grabbed the soul-restoring pill and took it out. All of the sudden, a strong spiritual power spread out the room. It felt absolutely no less than the same spiritual power he previously witnessed on the fifth floor of the Soul Tower.


    "This is indeed a soul-restoring pill. The spiritual power is so strong, Pearl. I suddenly start to feel a little sorry now," Ricky said.


    "The pill is in your hand. Regret it or not, it''s up to you," Pearl replied coolly.

 Chapter 756 A Generous Reward

    "Why are you always so mean to me?" Ricky sighed with resignation. Although he pretended not to mind it, he actually hated how she treated him.


    He was unwilling to hand over the soul-restoring pill but he already gave his word to her. His reluctance showed on his face as he gave her the pill. No matter what he felt about it, he would always honor his promises.


    Pearl stopped glaring at Ricky when she received the soul-restoring pill. It seemed to her that Ricky truly was an honorable man who would do as he said. Her face brightened immediately.


    "Pearl, why do you want the soul-restoring pill so much?" he asked her curiously.


    "I''m sorry but I can''t tell you!" she answered as she shifted with discomfort.


    "Pearl, do you truly believe that I know nothing about you when you have already cultivated in my Massacring Zone?" Ricky retorted. He had been curious about her for a long time. He had some speculations about her motivation but a straight answer from her would be great.


    "Then go ahead." As soon as she said that, she shut herself up in the Massacring Zone. It was obvious that she was about to refine the soul-restoring pill.


    "You have become so confident in yourself. It feels like you don''t care about me at all." Ricky sighed once again but decided to let her go. He respected the fact that it was her secret to keep.


    "Tina, I have to stay in the Chaotic Fire Zone to practice weapon casting. Call me after three days, okay?" he asked Tina. He tended to get lost in the task so it was better to have Tina''s support.


    "I hope you can cast a weapon at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level within three days," Tina said softly, a hopeful look reflected in her eyes.


    "It''s not as simple as you might think. Even though I''m confident about it, it''s not that easy to get the Heaven Soul Stone," he answered truthfully.


    He nodded at her in farewell and went to the Chaotic Fire Zone. Once there, he poured all his attention and energy into casting.


    Three days went by in the blink of an eye. The final competition started.


    It was held at the casting square of the Casting Center. Overall, twenty candidates participated in the competition. They were casting masters who had managed to enter the fourth and fifth floors of the Soul Tower.


    All of them were casting masters of Spirit Level and represented the highest casting level among the younger generation in the whole Eastern Land.


    At this time, twenty casting tables had been placed in advance in the middle of the casting square. They were about to cast weapons with the same casting tripods and materials. This competition was to see who had true mastery over the art of casting weapons.


    S


    d the prizes to be great, but they were thrown off with how remarkable and priceless the prizes were.


    Being able to cultivate in the Soul Tower freely was even more astonishing compared to the other prizes. In fact, it was better than the Heaven Soul Stone alone.


    Even though the Heaven Soul Stone contained an abundant supply of the refined and condensed spiritual power, there was only one stone to make use of. Nothing would be left when all the energy contained was exhausted.


    In contrast, cultivating in the Soul Tower allowed warriors to undergo a significant enhancement in their cultivation.


    This was helpful especially if they had not yet become a casting master at the advanced stage of Spirit Level.


    "Sir, even if one win the first place, there would be no need to give such a reward, right?" Ricky asked with plain disbelief.


    "Sellers has maintained a good relationship with Gorden, and it was a part of Sellers'' requirements. He pushed for it simply because he firmly believes that either Meade or Lynch will win the competition with ease. This is also why I need you to win the first place. Once you win, you will be permanently qualified to cultivate in the Soul Tower indefinitely."


    Ricky grinned when he heard that explanation. Sellers would not be pleased. His efforts would be wasted because neither of his bets would win.


    "I see. If I win the first place, Sellers would be furious. Will Gorden possibly look for a chance to take vengeance against me? I''m not sure how to feel about that, given that Gorden is not only a spiritual emperor but also a casting master of Demi-sage Level!" Ricky muttered in alarm. He had proven it time and time again. Somehow, he was capable of making enemies without his conscious effort. Some people just loved to hate him.

 Chapter 757 Alliance

    "Oh, I didn''t expect you to be afraid," Cameron taunted Ricky after he heard his question.


    "Sir, I''m not afraid. But you know that I have already offended many spiritual-emperor forces. It would be unwise for me to be hated by one more spiritual emperor who is also a casting master of Demi-sage Level," Ricky uttered with a small shrug.


    "Don''t worry. Gorden has a good relationship with Sellers, but this doesn''t mean he is allied with Sellers. He knows that you have passed his Casting Path. I think the reason he wants to hand over the Heaven Soul Stone to the first place in person is that he wants to see you," Cameron informed Ricky with a smile.


    "In that case, I am relieved. I really can''t afford to offend such a powerful man," Ricky said with a sigh of relief.


    He knew when he should push back and when he should go with the flow. Even though he was backed by the Oriental College, they would still feel the pressure dealing with the Casting Center.


    Moreover, Ricky knew that he had to be strong and he had to improve his own strength to be a truly fearless person.


    "There is no time limit on the competition, but you only have one chance, so use it wisely. That''s all I needed to say. You guys can start your casting now!" Sellers announced in an authoritative voice.


    With this said, the three chiefs of the Casting Center sat back in midair with their legs crossed. They looked expectantly at the twenty people who started casting at the signal.


    They started as one, all eager to win.


    "Ricky, do you think you could do this?" Tina asked at this moment.


    "Tina, this is my moment. After this, there will only be two outcomes: victory or failure! I can do this," Ricky said seriously.


    It was true that Ricky had not yet become a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level, but he was very close to that. In the past three days, he had made more than a dozen castings in the Chaotic Fire Zone. He might not have succeeded but he learned a lot.


    "Okay, I believe you! But please be careful. I can see evil intentions in Howell''s and others'' eyes. They may make trouble for you during the casting process," Tina warned him with concern in her eyes.


    "Attacking is not allowed in this competition!" Ricky protested in surprise.


    "Ricky, you need to be careful. During the competition, they may work together to launch spiritual attacks on y


    ed with the runic power at the same time. There was no doubt that these ten attacks were from Howell and his fellows.


    Among the ten attacks, Ricky felt three strong spiritual attacks. He guessed that they were from Howell, Zach, and Celia. And as Celia said, she did not truly attack Ricky.


    ''It''s really generous of you to attack me together with the power of nine casting masters at the inferior stage of Spirit Level at the same time. But it''s too naive of you to believe that you can defeat me with this, '' Ricky sneered inwardly. The lot of them were cowards, bound together by the knowledge that they could not defeat him by themselves.


    Ricky gathered the power of the four zones and his runic power, and turned them into a shield to defend his Soul Sea.


    He busied himself in defense but refused to attack.


    "Ricky, you must be careful. If your soul got hurt before the competition comes to an end, you would never be able to cast a weapon at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level in the following casting process," Tina reminded him.


    "Tina, even if I didn''t want to fight back, there''s nothing else I can do now. They are the ones who attacked me first. I''ll just let them do what they want for a while," Ricky said.


    With a secret smile, Ricky reduced the resistance of his runic power. He pretended to have difficulty as he resisted their attacks. A cold sweat came out on his forehead.


    "It seems that his spiritual power is not as strong as we thought, Howell," Zach noted to Howell telepathically. He was grinning widely. He fully believed that they were winning.

 Chapter 758 Rickys Beautiful Counterattack

    "That''s impossible. Although I really want to kill him, I have to admit that he is talented. Moreover, he successfully passed the Casting Path and reached the fifth floor of the Soul Tower. It indicates that his spiritual power and runic power are definitely not weak," Howell protested.


    "Although the ten of us attacked him together, the attacks were not that ferocious. He wouldn''t have been at a disadvantage from the attacks. I wonder if he is pretending to be weak," Howell uttered but mostly to himself as he analyzed their situation.


    "Howell, as you said, there are ten of us. All of us are casting masters of Spirit Level. It is just reasonable if he is unable to resist our attacks. After all, he is yet to become a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level despite being an ace genius." Zach tried to persuade Howell with his logic.


    "I''m not sure. Maybe you are right," Howell said slowly, still hesitant.


    "Howell, don''t worry too much. Next time, we will do our best to attack his soul," Zach comforted him with a chuckle. It amused him that Howell was acting so paranoid.


    "You are right. We will do our best to attack his soul. We can defeat him even if we can''t hurt his soul badly," Howell said coldly. He was looking forward to Ricky''s crushing defeat.


    The ten of them activated their strength and launched their strongest soul attacks. The attacks combined and then turned into a sharp and intangible blade before it dashed toward the deeper space in Ricky''s Soul Sea.


    When he felt that the attacks were growing stronger, Ricky automatically responded with just enough power to repel them. He thought to himself, ''It seems that they launched their most powerful attacks. They don''t want to waste time.


    Unfortunately for you, it will only get all of you killed faster.''


    With this in mind, Ricky mobilized his Heaven Illuminating Fire and infused it into his attack. The Heaven Illuminating Fire was able to burn everything; that meant that it could burn spiritual power as well.


    As he did this, Ricky tried to communicate with the mysterious axe in the depth of his Soul Sea.


    Ricky had enough confidence but not enough power or strength to win against his enemies. The only secret weapon he relied on was that mysterious axe.


    "Mysterious axe, you''re the only one who can help me this time," Ricky whispered to the mysterious axe in his Soul Sea. He tried to connect with the energy emitted by the axe.


    In the past, no matter how hard he had tried, the mysterious axe would not respond. It on


    ts. Cameron and Harrison, on the other hand, were thrilled.


    ''How could this be?'' Celia gasped inwardly and couldn''t believe her eyes either. She was not stupid, so she immediately bit her lower lip to pretend that she spat blood and knelt down. Otherwise, her nine companions would suspect her.


    "Oh? It seems that Celia can be cunning after all," Ricky murmured in a low voice when he saw Celia''s reaction.


    He turned away from them and focused on his next step. It was time for him to devote himself to the process of casting.


    ''With the help of the chromatic energy, I will definitely be able to cast a weapon at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level and become a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level, '' Ricky said to himself inwardly with confidence.


    "Ricky, why did you hurt them? Do you know how shameful you are to hurt the soul of a casting master? I don''t think you would bring honor to the Casting Center. We don''t need a violent disciple like you," Sellers blamed Ricky with a gloomy look.


    "I will destroy your casting skills because you are a shame to the world of casting. You brought nothing but disgrace to all the casting masters."


    After he said that, Sellers stood up and was about to launch an attack against Ricky.


    "Sellers, Ricky did not break any rules of the Casting Center, did he? If there is anyone who would bring shame to the casting masters, it''s probably not him. Don''t you think so?" Harrison said and stopped Sellers. There was no way Cameron and Harrison would leave Sellers to do whatever he wanted against Ricky.


    Both Cameron and Harrison laughed after Harrison finished his words. In Sellers'' eyes, they were laughing at him.

 Chapter 759 Meade Began To Do Something

    Harrison said those words deliberately to anger Sellers. Sellers had stopped them from helping Ricky earlier when he said that ten warriors against one enemy was not against the rules. Now, Harrison and Cameron used the same excuse that it was not against the rules when Ricky hurt the ten warriors'' souls. Being chiefs, they were aware that they shouldn''t make fun of Sellers, but really, he deserved it.


    Sellers was worried about Howell and the others. He needed their organizations'' support, after all. However, that was not reason enough for Sellers to attack Ricky in front of the others. The real reason why he wanted to attack Ricky was that as a casting master of Demi-sage Level, he felt the strong spiritual power that Ricky channeled just now.


    That powerful spiritual power made Sellers, a casting master of Demi-sage Level, feel scared. Although he was unwilling to believe it, Sellers could feel it clearly, so he was almost certain that Meade and Lynch were no match for Ricky.


    Considering this, Sellers thought he had to do something. Otherwise, Ricky would win the Heaven Soul Stone, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.


    Sellers was looking forward to getting the Heaven Soul Stone because it would enable him to make further progress in his casting. It would also be extremely useful if he wanted to take control of the Casting Center.


    This was why he took action decisively; he truly intended to hurt or even destroy Ricky. Of course, Sellers was not planning to kill Ricky. He would only stop him because he couldn''t afford to provoke the Oriental College¡ªthe organization which Ricky belonged to.


    But unfortunately, Cameron and Harrison were both demi-spiritual emperors, so it was a piece of cake for them to stop Sellers.


    Sellers stopped when he realized he had no choice. He asked them coldly, "What do you think you are doing? Do you really want the Casting Center to accept such an evil disciple?"


    "An evil disciple? Sellers, are you blind? I saw everything clearly. The ten guys launched attacks against Ricky first. Is that what righteous warriors do? Attacking and bullying a single warrior when there are ten of them?" Cameron asked in a cold voice.


    The warriors gathered around them were surprised to hear the three chiefs as they squabbled. But then, they had heard about the discord that existed within the three. The sight only confirmed what they had been hearing about for a long time.


    On the other hand, Ricky had not noticed their quarrel at all because Cameron had told him to concentrate on casting through their telepathic link. He also informed Ricky that he and Harrison would deal with Sellers to


    t Ricky in shock when nothing happened.


    "It seems that everything is under Ricky''s control. We don''t need to worry about what will happen next!" Cameron and Harrison whispered to each other, once again impressed by Ricky''s talent.


    "Meade, did you attack with your full power?" Lynch asked coldly.


    "Humph! I''m not a fool and I know what I needed to do. Of course, I tried my best. If you don''t believe it, you can try to attack him yourself," Meade replied, his voice unpleasant.


    Lynch''s face darkened. He didn''t actually believe that Meade would show any mercy to Ricky. As a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level, Lynch also vaguely felt the powerful defense force in Ricky''s Soul Sea.


    "It seems that I can only stop him in terms of the casting realm," Lynch muttered.


    "Meade, you will do this. You know what my real purpose is. I hope you won''t go against your master''s words at this time. Besides, you and I have different jobs and you are supposed to deal with Ricky, aren''t you?"


    "Humph! I''m well aware of that. You don''t have to tell me what to do," Meade answered snidely.


    Clang! Clang! Clang! The next moment, Meade also began to cast a weapon. The runic power was released and Meade''s casting realm began to appear.


    Meade''s casting realm swept toward the direction in which Ricky was in.


    "Hey, look. Meade is doing something. It seems that he wants to compete with Ricky in terms of the casting realm," a warrior gossiped loudly when the crowd saw Meade''s move.


    Some warriors were excited for the match-up. Both were undeniably powerful, and the winner of this match would no doubt be celebrated wildly. Although the others had not voiced it, all of them were excited to see the talent of both powerful casting masters.

 Chapter 760 Meades Defeat

    "The competition in the casting realm means their levels of casting realm would be evaluated. Ricky''s spiritual power may be stronger than Meade''s, and his casting realm is also very wonderful. But I''m afraid Meade will win this time." Once again, the gathered warriors had their own speculations about what would happen.


    "What''s more, there is another mysterious casting master¡ªLynch. He hasn''t done anything yet. We have no idea about his strength. Maybe he is stronger than Ricky as well."


    "I don''t think so. Ricky is also a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level. He is an ace genius with incomparable talent. It won''t be a problem for him to deal with Meade and Lynch at the same time!" Each warrior asserted their opinion and tried to explain the logic behind these thoughts.


    "As you said, a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level can deal with them at the same time. But Ricky is not a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level. He is just a casting master at the inferior stage of Spirit Level for the time being."


    "What? He is just a casting master at the inferior stage of Spirit Level? How is that possible? How could a casting master at the inferior stage of Spirit Level successfully pass all the tests in the Soul Tower and reach the fifth floor?" Apparently, only few of them were aware that Ricky was not yet at the intermediate level of Spirit Level and were spectacularly shocked.


    "Perhaps, this is the difference between him and us. He is an ace genius while we are just ordinary warriors. I guess Ricky intends to be a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level in this competition," one of the crowd said.


    "How could it be possible? Even if Ricky is an ace genius, it is impossible for him to break through and become a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level on the spot! It''s extremely difficult for a casting master of Spirit Level to break through and reach the next level, after all." Their voices got louder and louder as every man wanted his opinion and explanation heard. They had differing opinions, so it wasn''t avoidable that they would eventually be divided.


    "Besides, Meade has taken action. He would not let Ricky succeed that easily."


    "Yes, I agree. I think Meade and Lynch will win this time. Ricky is being overconfident about himself. How arrogant of him to desire a breakthrough and become a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level right here during the competition!"


    "Yeah, it''s way more difficult for a casting master at the inferior stage of Spirit Level to reach the next level than for a lower spiritual king to break through and become a middle spiritual


    ''s runes.


    When a casting master concentrated on the casting, his whole body and mind were closely connected with his casting realm and the runic power. That was Meade''s situation. It hurt Meade terribly when Ricky''s attacks hit him.


    Bang! At that moment, the hammer in Meade''s hand nearly hit his left hand. Meade then spat blood due to the impact.


    He had totally failed in casting this time. There was even a high possibility that this memory would haunt him for the rest of his life whenever he tried to cast weapons in the future.


    It was obvious how shocked Meade was. Disbelief and fear swirled in his widened eyes. He wondered if he was currently in a nightmare. This was just too cruel to be true.


    The whole space fell into silence.


    Lynch, on the other hand, was also a little scared. It was true that his runic power was stronger than Meade''s, but it was not that strong. In fact, if it were him in Ricky''s place, he would not be able to defeat Meade so thoroughly. But Ricky had done it so easily. It only implied that Ricky''s runic power was much more powerful than Lynch''s.


    Crack! Crack! In the silence, Sellers clenched his fists so tightly that he cracked his bones.


    "Marvelous! How did he do that?" Harrison said to Cameron through telepathy as he stared at Ricky. He almost couldn''t believe what he had seen.


    "To be frank, I have no idea either. Even a spiritual emperor would be unable to know his secret weapon," Cameron replied. He was as surprised as everyone by Ricky''s performance.


    "Maybe that''s why he is so talented and has become an ace genius. We can never understand him or know his true strength." The warriors'' muttered comments grew louder again after the turn of events. Once again, Ricky had caught the attention of the crowd with his remarkable prowess.

 Chapter 761 Making A Breakthrough And Fight Back

    Ricky hadn''t been much aware of what was going on around him¡ªhe also couldn''t care less if he was going to be honest about it. After beating Meade, he knew he had to clear his head and to get his focus back on casting.


    Along with Meade''s defeat, Ricky was positive that Lynch would no longer attempt against him.


    Clang! Clang! Clang! All Ricky''s attention was on casting. His casting realm was nearly getting to a state of perfection. It was evident how much it was increasing by the second as well as his casting skill.


    "It seems he''s improving his strength now. I wonder what he''s going to pull off next. This is really extraordinary. He''s probably the only one who can make a breakthrough under such a circumstance!" Warriors around couldn''t help but notice as they felt Ricky''s continuous growing.


    "Damn it! What''s this brat doing here? He''s ruining everything!" Sellers hissed full of resentment as he watched the turn of events.


    He had informed the Luxurious Emperor and his men that Ricky was in the Casting Center. Since there was no way they could make a move against Ricky in the open, not in the Casting Center at least, the Luxurious Emperor just decided not to show up at all.


    Nevertheless, Sellers was still uneasy and eager to stop Ricky from messing with things further. Still, there was no way out. He had to control himself in order to avoid doing something stupid. Cameron and Harrison were definitely watching him, which undermined any chance of action. It was painful but Sellers could only bite his lip and swallow his annoyance.


    "What should we do now, Sellers? I''m afraid your disciple has almost been crippled by this brat. I don''t want to take the risk and throw any realm attacks against him," Lynch said to Sellers in secret.


    "Of course we can''t expect to take him down with realm attacks anymore. I hate to admit it but there is something in both his spiritual power and his casting realm that feels dangerous," Sellers replied coldly.


    "Are you sure?" Lynch was shocked with the honesty he felt from Sellers''s response. "It is said that the casting manual he holds is very extraordinary. Perhaps these aren''t just rumors.


    But I have to say that you really are a ruthless man, Sellers. You know Ricky is dangerous but you still allow your disciple to face him with the realm attacks. Don''t you think this is sending your man to a suicide mission?"


    By then, Lynch came to finally realize how merciless the man on his side could be.


    "Meade is my disciples, and he will be my tool when I need him to be. A powerful man must be cold and ruthless. Don''t you agree, Lynch?" Sellers sneered.


    Lyn


    l the stingy taste of humiliation. He wasn''t a doormat who would take a beat and not fight back when given the chance.


    His counterattack was naturally aimed at Lynch, the strongest one.


    Ricky knew he had to throw a strike instead of casting a weapon if he wanted to stand a chance. He had just made a breakthrough and wasn''t as proficient as Lynch. Any weapon he casted would likely be inferior to his rival''s.


    He was determined to win this game once and for all. Now that the realm attack was allowed in the competition, he wouldn''t pull his punches.


    There was no time for hesitation. Ricky promptly gathered the energy of his casting realm along with the four runic powers and integrated them with the chromatic energy. As Lynch was still concentrated on his casting, Ricky''s combined powers quickly turned into a forceful strike and went straight to the enemy.


    "Ricky is attacking!" some warrior blurted after seeing Ricky in action.


    "It looks like he''s been holding a grudge. He''s been attacked so many times that now he wants his opponents to have a taste of his fury."


    "It seems this bright guy is well familiarized with his own weakness and has found a way to get around the issue," Cameron said with a grin. He was hyped up, too. The way he saw it, if Ricky was smart enough to admit his own shortcoming in this game, he had already won the battle.


    ''Damn it! How dare this brat attack me!'' Lynch thought resentfully when met by Ricky''s strike.


    He, like all the others on his side, had always perceived themselves as the predators and the only ones strong enough to attack in a battle. Not for a moment did they consider getting hit first.


    Sellers fidgeted. He could no longer sit back and watch how nasty things looked for them.

 Chapter 762 Gorden

    The part where Ricky unleashed his counterattack really went beyond the expectations of Sellers and Lynch.


    "Humph!" Ricky huffed. "It seems they did not expect that I would fight back after I broke through. Or rather, they did not really believe or think that I would break through this time." Ricky talked with Tina, as he witnessed the frightened reaction on Lynch''s face.


    "That''s the kind of mistake usually made by those in high positions," Tina replied frankly.


    "Unfortunately for them, they don''t really know me," Ricky sneered.


    The entire scene that had just taken place woke Pearl up. At that time, she was still in seclusion. Waking up, she was met with her mixed feelings towards Ricky as different aspects of him had really penetrated through her.


    Pearl couldn''t help but ask herself in her heart, ''If I really had the chance to kill Ricky at this moment, would I really be able to make up my mind and kill him?''


    After his speech, Ricky''s attack had already made its way to the Soul Sea of Lynch. Of course, he would not kill Lynch immediately right then and there. Rather, he would definitely make it so that Lynch would be unable to exert his casting level to its full capacity. Even if Lynch could still cast a weapon at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level, it would be too weak and incapable that it would simply become the worst weapon he would ever cast.


    ''Damn it! This time, this guy''s attack is even more powerful. There is no possibility that I can withstand it. Once I fail to withstand it, my spiritual power will be greatly damaged!'' Lynch thought to himself with gritted teeth.


    He was not a subordinate of Sellers. If he had to help Sellers get the Heaven Soul Stone by ruining his casting career, then he would definitely reject the opportunity. If he chose to run away, then he would receive a certain amount of torture in the future. Yet, if he considered the fate that met Meade in the end, then that would make running away his best choice at the moment.


    "Retreat!" He yelled with full force. Without saying anything else after his order, Lynch tore up the space and left the casting square.


    Leaving the premises of the casting square meant that he had completely quit the competition. It also meant that Ricky couldn''t attack him again.


    All the people in the casting square were naturally surprised and confused at the sight of Lynch''s sudden retreat. No one ever expected that Lynch would have the guts to quit or leave in the midst of the casting competition.


    Ricky had no choice but to deactivate his attack.


    "Ricky, it seems that Lynch just made an agreement with Sellers. He is not Sellers'' subordinate," Tina exposed after witnessing what had just occurred.


    "He is smart. If he didn''t choose to retreat, I wou


    ut to his name respectfully.


    Immediately, all the other warriors followed and greeted him politely as well.


    After all, the old man who stood in front of them now was not only a casting master of Demi-sage Level. He was also a spiritual emperor who was qualified to become a casting master of Sage Level.


    "Hmm!" Gorden rubbed his chin and nodded slightly, before turning his head to Ricky.


    "Your name is Ricky Nan, isn''t it? You have done a really good job. I have to admit that you have a good grasp of runes and casting weapons. I have a high opinion of you now. What''s more, you have passed the Casting Path. I am the only one who knows the real difficulty that comes with passing the Casting Path." Gorden praised Ricky for his outstanding performance.


    "You are quite delightful, sir. I appreciate your recognition, but I still have a lot to learn!" Ricky beamed and replied with deep appreciation and regard.


    "Now that you''ve won first place, you deserve the corresponding reward. From now on, you can enter the Soul Tower to cultivate at any time that suits you best." Gorden couldn''t help but appreciate Ricky even more after he couldn''t find or see any trace of arrogance in him.


    "Thank you so much!" Ricky nodded and expressed his heartfelt thanks.


    "Of course, the Heaven Soul Stone now belongs to you. That''s something even I myself have been wanting so much!" Gorden said a little reluctantly.


    Based on Gorden''s words and expression, it was clear that the Heaven Soul Stone was too precious a treasure.


    As such, it was explainable that all eyes were now fixed on Gorden''s hands. They all wanted to see what the Heaven Soul Stone looked like.


    Even Ricky couldn''t hide his excitement.


    With the help of the Heaven Soul Stone, he could break through his current level and become an upper spiritual king more quickly.

 Chapter 763 Gorden Made An Offer

    Gorden stopped being mysterious. As he flipped his palm, a dark gray stone with the size of a human head appeared on his palm.


    "Is this the Heaven Soul Stone?" All the warriors gasped with their eyes wide open as they stared at the stone.


    ''It''s the Heaven Soul Stone!'' Ricky exclaimed inwardly, feeling the immense excitement in his heart. He was more excited than all the other warriors as he glued his eyes on the Heaven Soul Stone. He was so ecstatic that his eyes almost transformed into Golden Spirit Eyes.


    The moment the Heaven Soul Stone appeared, all of them could feel a strong breath of life. But the breath of life was different from the ordinary ones that they had normally encountered in the past. It was more profound and special. Its extraordinary nature indicated that the Heaven Soul Stone had obtained a thick and intricate layer of spiritual power.


    All of a sudden, all the warriors within the area felt as though they had entered the Soul Tower. A massive soul sphere formed around them. The spiritual power inside was even stronger than the one that was on the fifth floor of the Soul Tower.


    They could feel their spiritual power increasing at a constant rate.


    "Here you go. This is the Heaven Soul Stone. I believe, with this Heaven Soul Stone, your casting realm and casting level will greatly be improved," Gorden told Ricky confidently as he passed the Heaven Soul Stone over to Ricky. A trace of reluctance flashed in his old eyes. He wouldn''t admit it himself, but a small part of him was unwilling to pass it on to Ricky.


    The Casting Center did not have many treasures that were as valuable as the Heaven Soul Stone. Thus, it was pretty understandable that Gorden would show some hesitation to entrust such a prized possession to someone else. However, he thought it would be worth it if it meant that he could hand such a powerful item over to an ace genius who was talented at both casting and martial arts. That alone was already a promising exchange and opportunity in itself.


    Ricky did not refuse Gorden''s wonderful offer. He directly accepted the Heaven Soul Stone and immediately put it into his zone.


    Although he wanted to have a closer look at the Heaven Soul Stone, he was well aware that this was not a good place for him to do it, especially with everyone else''s eyes watching intently.


    "Thank you so much, sir!" Ricky couldn''t help but express his gratitude a second time.


    With the Heaven Soul Stone now in his possession, along with all the other powerful secret weapons he kept in his arsenal, Ricky no longer felt intimidated by the impending battle for the Sense of Realm.


    "You don''t need to thank me. You earned it with your own strength and that''s why you deserve it," Gorden stated, matter-of-factly.


    "Now, I''d like to ask you something. Would you like to join the Casting Center as a new and official member?" Gorden queried.


    "What?" The rest of the warriors couldn''t believe their ears. "Gorden is inviting Ricky to join the Casting Center?" They all tried to collect themselves immedia


    m a spiritual emperor and casting master of Demi-saint Level. That way, no one will dare bully or find fault in you in the Eastern Land."


    "Tina, you know what? It''s not an easy job for me to be the sixth chief of the Casting Center with my current strength. I''m not that strong yet," Ricky said in a slightly helpless tone.


    "I admit that it would not be an easy job. But, hey, think about it. It will scare off those spiritual emperors who want you dead, won''t it? It would at least provide you with a bit of security," Tina reassured Ricky. "So, if you accept his offer and become the sixth chief of the Casting Center, you will gain more advantages than disadvantages."


    "Tina, maybe you are right!" Ricky murmured, feeling a surge of encouragement fill him up, thanks to Tina''s words.


    Tina was right. If he became the sixth chief of the Casting Center, the spiritual emperors would be even more afraid of him. Despite the trouble he was bound to face, it would still be a win-win situation for him in the end.


    As he thought about Gorden, Ricky really couldn''t figure out what was going on in his mind. Gorden was well aware that his strength was not strong enough to be the sixth chief of the Casting Center. But why did he make such an offer?


    Ricky raised his head to meet Gorden''s gaze, "Sir, please don''t take me for a fool. I may have some talent, but I am not blindly confident and I don''t think I''m strong enough to be a chief of the Casting Center. At the moment, I can say that I am satisfied with just being welcomed as a new member. To tell you the truth, and I hope this doesn''t offend you, I have never thought of becoming a chief or being placed in any other high position while I am in the Casting Center."


    "Oh?" Gorden raised his eyebrows. He was surely not expecting Ricky''s reply. "Do you really think that I''m playing some sort of a prank with you? For your information, I am a spiritual emperor," Gorden responded in a way that reminded Ricky just how powerful and sensible he was as a spiritual emperor.

 Chapter 764 No One Knew The Reason

    "How could it be possible?" It seems that Gorden is being serious! How could it be real?" all the warriors surrounding the area exclaimed in disbelief. They could not believe Gorden''s words. Although Ricky''s instant promotion to becoming the sixth chief of the Casting Center had essentially nothing to do with them, they couldn''t help but still feel jealous of him.


    Ricky himself didn''t know what he should do. He really had not expected Gorden to be serious about offering him the position of the Casting Center''s sixth chief.


    "Ricky, it doesn''t matter if you are strong enough or not. Just tell me, are you willing to be the sixth chief of the Casting Center? Do give me a straight and clear answer," Gorden queried once again, but this time, with more fervor and force in his voice.


    Truth be told, Gorden raised such a question to test and gauge whether Ricky was a brave warrior or not.


    Ricky fell silent and began to think more carefully about Gorden''s question. A few moments later, he raised his head and revealed his answer to Gorden''s question through telepathy. "Sir, please forgive me for being blunt. I am really not suitable to be the sixth chief considering my current ability and strength. And I''m sure you know well about it." He paused to lick his lips that had gone slightly dry and then asked, "Let me ask you, sir, why did you present me with such an offer?"


    At the back of his mind, Ricky thought that perhaps his question would irritate Gorden. Still, he went on to ask his question anyway. He had to. He didn''t want to deal with any confusion when it came to himself.


    "You have great talent and a meticulous mind. With these two characters combined, you are really qualified to become a strong warrior." Gorden wasn''t angered or irked by Ricky''s question. Instead, he replied and acknowledged it by giving him praises.


    "To be honest, I don''t know the reason either, because It wasn''t my sole decision to offer you the position as the sixth chief of the Casting Center."


    "What?" Ricky''s eyes were wide as saucers. "Are you saying it wasn''t you who made the decision?" Ricky asked in shock and confusion at Gorden''s revelation.


    "No, I didn''t. I am just the second chief of the Casting Center," Gorden stated so nonchalantly, as if to remind Ricky that while he might hold power and authority in the Casting Center, that didn''t give him enough capacity to implement decisions and plans as drastic as offering Ricky the sixth seat of the Casting Center''s chiefs.


    "Sir, do you mean to say...that it was Master Todd who made the offer?" Ricky asked slowly and with disbelief. Simply thinking about the possibility made him extremely surprised.


    "Good job! You are correct!" Gorden exclaimed.


    "But how is that possible? I even don''t know him. And even if he does know me, it simply doesn''t add up. It is just weird for him to even think about making me the s


    ken aback by his intervention.


    His voice was soft, yet there was a hint of anger in it.


    These casting masters, of course, felt the slight anger emanated by Gorden. At that moment, they suddenly became a little scared. They then hesitated and said, "Gorden, we are simply following the rules of the Casting Center."


    "The rules?" Gorden crossed his arms. He was starting to feel impatient. "Let me ask you this. Who do you think will have the final say in the Casting Center?" Gorden asked in a chilly and condescending tone.


    "Of course, it would be Todd and you!" they all answered at once without hesitation.


    "I''m glad you are keeping that in mind. Todd and I have the final say and we make the rules. Now that Todd is not around, I will be the one who decides everything. If you are here to question me, I implore you to come and challenge me the moment you grow stronger than me." Gorden was not going to waste any more time with Sellers and his band of naysayers.


    Gorden''s fearless reply left the casting masters shocked and shivering. It dawned upon them that the man in front of them was not only a casting master of Demi-sage Level, but also a supreme spiritual emperor.


    They began to feel regretful. Why did they come with Sellers to stop a decision which had been made by Gorden in the first place? Where did their courage to threaten a spiritual emperor and casting master of Demi-saint Level come from? They all realized that they were asking for death by doing so.


    Sellers''s eyes could clearly be seen being clouded with gloom.


    He really couldn''t understand why Gorden would have made such a decision. What Sellers didn''t know was that even Gorden himself didn''t fully grasp the motivation behind Todd''s big decision.


    "Sellers, if this is your reason for trying to oppose and stop what has already been decided, then feel free to question and challenge me once you surpass my power and strength!"

 Chapter 765 Soul-binding Technique

    Sellers told Gorden in a cold voice, "I wouldn''t dare!" At that moment, Sellers felt the anger in Gorden''s heart. Despite his unwillingness, Sellers had to treat him with respect. However, it was the kind of respect that wouldn''t go much further.


    At that time, Sellers hadn''t gotten the support from the spiritual emperors. Even if he had the support, he wouldn''t dare to confront Gorden that easily because he knew they wouldn''t help him that much if they wouldn''t gain something very valuable for themselves.


    "If you don''t dare, then you should retreat!" Gorden responded coldly.


    Sellers wanted to stop Ricky, but how could Gorden not know the reason? He then immediately used his strength to try and stop Sellers''s actions.


    ''This is real strength! Even Sellers, a demi-spiritual emperor and a casting master of Demi-sage Level, has to yield in front of Gorden.


    When will I ever become a spiritual emperor myself?'' Ricky thought to himself after seeing the scene.


    ...


    "I''ll say it again. Come to me if any of the members of the Casting Center has any objections against Ricky becoming the sixth chief," Gorden told the crowd once again.


    This time, no one said anything. A spiritual emperor was already furious. Nobody wanted to step up and challenge such strength.


    "Ricky, I''m sure you know that your position of the sixth chief exists in name only. You won''t be able to enjoy its privileges. There will also be trouble headed your way once your nomination is final. You must always stay alert," Gorden told Ricky with his internal power.


    "Don''t worry. I will warn Sellers and the other casting masters at the advanced stage of Spirit Level secretly."


    "Of course, I already know about that. But since I''ve decided to be the sixth chief, I would have to overcome these obstacles," Ricky responded.


    "Ha-ha! I''m looking forward to the day that you finally become the real sixth chief. Right now, you better go to the Soul Tower and cultivate some more while you still have time so that you can consolidate your casting skills at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level," Gorden reminded.


    "After all, you can cultivate in the Soul Tower any time you want to. Don''t waste this opportunity."


    "I understand," Ricky replied.


    "Sir, if you don''t mind, can I ask you another favor?" There was a hint of embarrassment in his voice.


    "What would that be?"


    "Sir, I just remembered that I can stil


    nd.


    That was to say that once the opponent was attacked, they would become a puppet of the attacker.


    Of course, it also depended on the difference in strength between two warriors. It was impossible for a spiritual emperor to control a saint using this Soul-binding Hidden Chain.


    ...


    "Wow!" "The Soul-binding Technique is very powerful and formidable. If one is able to master it, they will be invincible," Ricky said in a serious tone with a further understanding of the Soul-binding Technique.


    "Your main priority is to master the first two moves. Although you are an ace genius with peerless talent, I have to remind you that no genius has ever been able to cultivate the third move," Gorden explained carefully. He didn''t want Ricky to have very high expectations so he decided to elaborate further.


    "That''s because it requires the creature''s comprehension of the supreme enlightenment to reach such their limits. Perhaps even the most powerful saints would have trouble reaching this limit themselves."


    "No way!" Ricky responded with disbelief hearing Gorden''s explanation.


    "How mysterious the supreme enlightenment is! It''s just too difficult for us living creatures to fuse and hide inside it. It''s simply too difficult..." Gorden sighed deeply.


    ...


    After their secret conversation, Gorden looked around and announced loudly, "This competition is over. Disciples who would get rewards, you can take your time to get these rewards from the Manual Palace at the Casting Center.


    Of course, as the disciples of the Casting Center, you have to abide by the rules and watch your step."

 Chapter 766 Looking For Trouble

    The casting competition which had attracted a lot of attention had ended in unexpected ways. The biggest winner was Ricky, who not only won the Heaven Soul Stone but also earned the qualification to enter the Soul Tower permanently and became the sixth chief of the Casting Center.


    Even though he was not worthy of the name, people still had to treat him with some respect.


    "I really don''t know. Did Gorden like Ricky''s talent that much that he had to make him the sixth chief? The more you think about it, the more you feel that it should''ve been impossible." There were continuous discussions among the crowd.


    "Perhaps there are other reasons, but in the end, it isn''t something we can decide on. It would be better for us to focus on our own cultivation instead. Perhaps we will have our chance to participate in the competition for the Sense of Realm."


    Ricky, regardless of these discussions, had arrived at the fifth floor of the Soul Tower together with Kylie and Finley. Both Kylie and Finley needed to digest what they had learned during the competition.


    What Ricky needed to do was consolidate and comprehend the Soul-binding Technique.


    At the same time, he also started to practice the Vibration Ruin Manual which he got from Celia. As for refining the Heaven Soul Stone and breaking through to become an upper spiritual king, he would have to save it for later. After all, he must first increase his level to the peak of a middle spiritual king.


    All of these were in preparation for the competition for the Sense of Realm. Thus, he would have a greater chance to become a spiritual emperor.


    He stayed inside the Soul Tower for a month and a half. During this time, he had already spent half a month to consolidate his casting base as a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level. To his surprise, as the casting base was consolidated, his cultivation base was also improved significantly.


    ''It seems that the cultivation of the soul is the most important aspect for both a spiritual king and a spiritual emperor. As long as the soul is improved, the cultivation would come along a lot easier, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    In fact, he also had some insights about the Soul-bi


    shall see. I have a feeling that Ricky is not as simple as we think."


    "The sixth chief? Why haven''t I heard of it at all?" Sherman Yan said disdainfully upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    With his momentum suddenly surging, he was ready to attack Ricky.


    "Sherman, what do you want to do?" At that moment, a voice came out and Kylie stood right in front of Ricky.


    "Kylie, what brings you here?" Ricky was a little surprised to see that it was Kylie. After all, he didn''t know when she had left the Soul Tower.


    "If I didn''t come, he would''ve definitely attacked you already," said Kylie using her internal power.


    "Kylie, this is none of your business," Sherman Yan said casually though his eyes were full of hesitation.


    "Or does someone want to hide behind a woman?"


    Sherman Yan looked at Ricky.


    Ricky didn''t care even after feeling his eyes on him. But now that his mouth was starting to annoy him, Ricky knew he had to do something. Besides, he wanted to prove himself to them.


    Therefore, Ricky pulled Kylie back and asked her not to make any rash moves using his internal power.


    "Well, I would like to see how you, a disciple of the Casting Center, plan to deal with me, the sixth chief," Ricky said coldly.


    The moment Ricky mentioned the sixth chief, Sherman Yan couldn''t help but feel a hint of fear in his heart, but he was still more afraid of Lynch and Sellers.


    "I''ve heard that your spiritual power is very strong. Show me what you got."

 Chapter 767 Sherman Was Defeated

    Bang! As soon as Sherman was done speaking, he immediately launched an attack. In an instant, the spiritual power of a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level burst out. He transformed into a ferocious beast that carried the devouring power and dashed towards the depths of Ricky''s Soul Sea.


    ''His spiritual power is quite strong given that he is a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level, '' Ricky thought to himself after sensing Sherman''s immense spiritual power. ''But unfortunately, I''m also a casting master at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level too.


    What surprises me is that there is another layer of devouring power embedded in his strength. However, no matter how powerful his devouring power is, it still wouldn''t hurt me.''


    After that, Ricky also gathered his soul and turned it into a blade to try and confront the spiritual power formed by Sherman.


    He had not successfully mastered the Soul-binding Technique just yet, which meant he would only be able to transform his soul into a simple and relatively weaker attack.


    Boom! The next moment, a loud yet invisible rumble echoed through the skies. Two soul attacks collided with each other as the two beams appeared out of nowhere. It was obviously caused by their powerful collision. None of them could defeat the other and the round ended with a draw.


    Ricky had spent about one and half months in the Soul Tower practicing and improving his strength, and it made him believe that he had made great progress.


    "The fight just ended in a draw! This is something I did not expect at all. Although Ricky defeated Meade and Lynch, it might be reasonable because both of them have just broken through to be casting masters at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level. Sherman is much stronger than Meade and Lynch, yet he is unable to defeat Ricky!" The disciples around were all surprised as they communicated amongst one another using their internal power when they saw what just happened.


    "That actually makes a lot of sense. Think about it; Ricky just defeated Meade and Lynch not long ago when he was still a casting master at the inferior stage of Spirit Level. But now, he has already broken through successfully and reached a higher level!" another one said.


    "How exactly could it be possible? How were you able to block my soul attack?" asked Sherman in a cold voice. He became more afraid of Ricky after seeing what Ricky could do.


    Cameron and Harrison would learn about everything if he stayed there and continued to fight Ricky for a longer time.


    He came here today to fight Ricky because Sellers ordered him to do so. The purpose was to humiliate Ricky until he anno


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ght.


    "Ricky, are you really going to let Sherman live?" Tina asked.


    "Yes and no. I would never underestimate the power of hatred," Ricky said.


    "What if he learns to just hate you even more?" Tina asked again.


    "Then I would have to kill him when we meet again. I didn''t kill him because I''m confident that he is no match for me," Ricky said.


    "Your confidence is what a strong man should have, but I don''t want you to be too proud and regret it when it''s too late," Tina said in a worried voice after hearing Ricky''s words.


    "Ha-ha! Too proud? Don''t worry about that. I am never a conceited man. Besides, I have you by my side. I believe you will remind me not to be too proud all the time," Ricky replied with a smile.


    "Oh, those sweet words!" Tina snorted through her nose in a seemingly cold tone but she was happy in her heart.


    "By the way, Kylie, why did you come to me? Is there anything wrong?" Ricky turned to Kylie and asked at once.


    "Ricky, my master wants to speak with you," Kylie replied.


    "Oh? What for? Do you have any idea why?" Ricky asked.


    "It''s probably about the battle for the Sense of Realm, I guess. After all, the battle is coming soon," said Kylie.


    "The battle for the Sense of Realm?" Ricky murmured.


    They soon arrived at Cameron''s palace in the Casting Center.


    "Wow, you surely have made great progress in your cultivation and weapon casting ability in only a month and a half." Cameron couldn''t help but praise Ricky the moment he saw him.


    "I do have made some good progress, sir," Ricky said and smiled. "Did you want to talk about the battle for the Sense of Realm? What exactly should we be worried about?"


    "Yes, you are right. It''s about the selection of the disciples from the Oriental College," Cameron replied.

 Chapter 768 The Identity Of Lynch

    "The selection of the disciples from the Oriental College? What''s going on? Isn''t any disciple of the Oriental College allowed to take part in the competition for the Sense of Realm? Why is there a selection?" Ricky asked, confused.


    "The disciples from the Oriental College can participate in the competition, but it''s impossible for all of them. There is an agreement among the spiritual-emperor forces that no more than twenty disciples from each force will participate," Cameron answered him patiently, as a father would.


    "In this way, we can make room for those who are not spiritual-emperor forces and let their disciples participate in the competition too."


    "Oh, I see. So we will have a selection among us, the disciples of the Oriental College, in a few days," Ricky said as he nodded. It did make sense because most students would probably want to participate but the participants would be too numerous if they were all accepted.


    "That''s right. Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor sent me a message, saying that the selection will take place in ten days. He wants me to ask you whether you will attend the event as a disciple of the Oriental College or as a disciple of the Casting Center," Cameron told Ricky.


    "What is the difference between those two?" Ricky asked.


    "Essentially, there''s no difference. After all, it all depends on whether you can seize the Sense of Realm by yourself. Perhaps the only difference is when you choose one of these two identities, other disciples in the same force you choose will lose a chance because everybody knows that you''re sure to be one of those twenty competitors that will fight for the Sense of Realm in the end," Cameron answered him honestly.


    "Are you telling me, sir, that it would be best if I don''t participate as a disciple of either of the two forces?" Ricky asked Cameron as he read between the lines.


    "For those disciples, yes. But what do you want?" Cameron chuckled at Ricky''s intelligence. He knew that the boy would get his point.


    "I think I prefer the Oriental College. After all, I''m more familiar with the Oriental College than the Casting Center. It is also more competitive to fight for the qualification in the Oriental College than in the Casting Center," Ricky admitted. He did not want to just join and win easily; he wanted to be challenged.


    "I knew you would say that. I''ll contact Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor right away and tell him about your choice. The Evil Emperor may come to pick you up." Cameron could see Ricky open his mouth to protest so he quickly added, "That''s because I''m afraid there are already emperors waiting for you outside the city of the Cast


    black who were together with Lynch.


    That was because he felt a familiar kind of killing intent from them.


    "Tina, are you familiar with the vague killing intent?" Ricky asked.


    "You mean the Endless Shadow?" Tina asked. She had an idea but she knew Ricky would explain it better to her.


    "Yes. Isn''t it said that the Endless Shadow is spreading throughout the whole continent? Their forces have varying strengths. Sometimes these forces seem to be related, but sometimes they don''t seem to be related," Ricky said.


    "Anyway, I still remember the special killing intent of the Endless Shadow. I think that Lynch may be a member of the Endless Shadow from the Dark Fallen Realm."


    "I think so as well. Does this mean that Sellers seeks the Endless Shadow as his backer?" Tina asked.


    "I''m afraid not only that. The Dark Fallen Realm is dominated by two forces¡ªthe Nether Manor and the Endless Shadow. There should be a connection between the two forces. Both the Oriental Emperor and the Evil Emperor thought so." And Ricky agreed with them, of course.


    "So, I''m not sure if Sellers has something to do with the Nether Manor. If he does, I won''t feel surprised."


    "Really?" Tina asked gently.


    "The Endless Shadow and the Nether Manor in the Dark Fallen Realm are in alliance with each other." Both of them were surprised when Pearl cut in. She sounded so sure of herself that they were truly inclined to believe her.


    "Really? How do you know that?" Ricky and Tina asked almost at the same time.


    "Because there have been many deals between the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and them. Some of these deals were done by the geniuses of both forces and me," Pearl informed them. The two looked on in surprise, although Ricky seemed more thoughtful than surprised.

 Chapter 769 Meades Plan

    "Just as I expected, the Endless Shadow from the Dark Fallen Realm is an alliance of the Nether Manor," Ricky murmured when he heard Pearl''s words.


    "But it is understandable. After all, they share one enemy¡ªall the righteous forces of the Eastern Land."


    "Humph! Righteous? I don''t think there is any righteous force or evil force. They are enemies just because they have different interests and practices different martial arts!" Pearl disagreed with an unladylike snort.


    "I grew up in the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. The Luxurious Emperor trusts and grants me the power all because of my Feminine Mutant; he wants to take the source of feminine from me."


    "You may be right, but you are wrong about love. It does exist in this world. For example, I like you not because of your source of feminine but because of who you are," Ricky told her with a smile.


    Although he sounded teasing, he said those words to comfort Pearl. He did like her and wanted her to stop hating others. Hatred would bring her no good.


    "Humph!" Pearl just snorted coldly when she heard Ricky''s words.


    Tina, on the other hand, giggled again. It was entertaining to see a warrior like Ricky be bullied by Pearl.


    ...


    "Well, let''s drop the topic. What is the relationship between the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and these two forces?" Ricky asked.


    "Well, the three forces are not that close. They are friends with benefits at most. Now that the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce has already fallen out with the Oriental College, the Luxurious Emperor is probably considering to cooperate with the Endless Shadow and the Nether Manor," Pearl said.


    "It seems that after the battle for the Sense of Realm, there is going to be a war in the Eastern Land. But we can just think about that later. Is Meade really going to do something terrible to Lynch?


    And is Meade really able to carry out his vicious plan without being noticed by Lynch? I am very curious about it!"


    Ricky commented as they looked towards Lynch and Meade again.


    ...


    As expected, Lynch was heading for the Dark Fallen Realm. When he and his men arrived at a deserted mountain, Meade and his men revealed themselves and surrounded Lynch and the other two warriors.


    "Did you know that I was following behind you secretly or not?" Meade asked Lynch in a flat tone. "As a casting master and assa


    re still very powerful. What was more, Meade was waiting aside. He could attack at any time.


    "I can see the fear in your eyes. It seems that my men are stronger than yours," Meade sneered as he looked at Lynch''s grave face.


    "These people are the dare-to-die warriors that Sellers has been training all these years. I''m very curious how you managed to mobilize them," Lynch probed. It was indeed a remarkable feat to have access to these men that Sellers had been grooming for years.


    "Wow, you know so much. I did not know that that old guy told you about this secret. It seems that he really wants to cooperate with you by telling his most precious secret. I''m starting to wonder, maybe he is the spy you put in the Casting Center," Meade taunted Lynch.


    "I wouldn''t mind to tell you how I did this. He always looks down upon me and thinks that I wouldn''t dare betray him, so he asked me to set up this secret army. I just took advantage of this opportunity and made these men my own army."


    "You are truly a remarkable man. If you join the Endless Shadow, I am certain you will become a powerful killer." Lynch was truly impressed. Honestly, he wanted to recruit Meade rather than fight with him.


    "I''m not interested in becoming a killer for the time being. What I''m interested in is what the Endless Shadow will do to that old man if I kill you¡ªthe young master of the Endless Shadow. I''m wondering if the Endless Shadow would attack the Casting Center directly. That would be more interesting, I think,"


    Meade said, a sinister smile painted on his face.

 Chapter 770 Meade Versus Lynch

    "Lynch is the young master of the Endless Shadow in the Dark Fallen Realm!" Ricky exclaimed in realization.


    "Meade''s plan is indeed very good. If he really succeeds in killing Lynch, Sellers will definitely fall out with the Endless Shadow. After all, Lynch was invited by Sellers," Tina muttered.


    "But I have a feeling that Lynch is more than what he shows us.


    Let''s wait and see. I''m wondering if I should get involved in this matter," Ricky said with a slightly scheming smile.


    Tina immediately started questioning him, "What? Which of them do you want to help?"


    ...


    Swish!


    As soon as Meade finished his order, his thirteen dare-to-die warriors gathered their powers and attacked Lynch and the two young men in black behind him. Dust and debris flew as the attack tore the space apart.


    "Move!" Lynch gave the two men behind him a command. At that point, Lynch naturally understood that he couldn''t stop Meade simply by his words. Instead, he immediately got ready to defend himself.


    Boom!


    Upon hearing Lynch''s order, the two killers in black released their strength immediately. The powers and domains of two second-class upper spiritual kings who were at their peak level broke out in an instant. The domains were condensed by strong killing intent.


    ''The two killers are second-class upper spiritual kings at the peak level!'' Meade exclaimed in his mind. When he felt the power of the two killers, Meade''s face grew dark. It looked like the victory he was looking forward to was about to get harder to achieve.


    The two killers were definitely not inferior to his thirteen warriors. Even though he had an advantage in terms of numbers of warriors, the strongest one was a mere second-class upper spiritual king.


    "It seems that you''re well prepared. It may not be that easy to kill you. Very well, I will just have to kill you myself!" Meade claimed confidently. Although his men seemed weaker, he himself was still stronger than Lynch.


    "If you think I''m not prepared, why do you think I''m waiting for you to attack now?" Lynch asked arrogantly.


    "Then let me see if you are talented in being a killer!" Meade said coldly. The moment he finished his words, the soles of his feet suddenly struck the ground, and a crack appeared in the air. The moment the crack reached Lynch, Meade moved to the front of him at the same time.


    The white spiritual energy swept around and mixed with the enlightening power. It twisted


    or other shadowy replications could defeat Meade with a single move.


    However, at the sight of that attack, Meade didn''t feel nervous at all. He just looked on, calm as ever, with disdain in his eyes.


    "Lynch, the strength of the two killers on your side is really beyond my expectation. But you are much weaker than me. Although we are both first-class upper spiritual kings, you are so much weaker."


    "Mutant-producing Arms! Mutant-producing Palm!"


    Boom! As soon as he clapped his transparent arms, the area where Meade''s body stood suddenly trembled. It seemed that the world was about to change.


    A giant windstorm instantly swept and merged with the enlightening power released from Meade''s arms. A giant transparent Wind Palm gathered in the mid-air.


    The palm was so big that it covered up the whole sky. In the face of that palm, Lynch''s attack only covered the area as small as the center of the palm.


    Two attacks collided with each other. For a quarter of an hour, the two forces seemed to reach a deadlock. But as soon as the huge transparent palm grew strong enough, it slammed down and crushed everything completely.


    All of Lynch''s attack, both real and illusory were instantly disintegrated.


    Bang! Bang!


    The figures produced by Lynch were all thrown out. The moment they fell onto the ground, the shadowy replications of Lynch also disintegrated.


    At that moment, Lynch was defeated.


    "Damn it. I underestimated him!" Lynch said resentfully. He felt sharp pain inside his battered body.


    But at the moment, Meade''s Mutant-producing Palm continued to strike at him, and he had nowhere to escape.

 Chapter 771 Meet The Nether Army Once Again

    "It seems that Lynch will lose in the end. Have you decided how to launch an attack and whom to attack?" Tina asked Ricky.


    "No, I haven''t made a decision yet. I need to think about it more, but maybe their arrival will help me make a decision," Ricky answered as he glanced at the distance as if he was looking for something.


    "They? Is someone else coming here?" Tina asked, surprised. Only Meade, Lynch, and their company could be seen so she had not expected anyone else to arrive.


    "Yes, they are coming. My old acquaintances¡ªthe Nether Army. I just have no idea which commander of theirs is coming," Ricky answered. It would be safer to make his decision when all the players were revealed instead of that moment, where too many variables were left unanswered.


    "The Nether Army? They are the real trump card in Lynch''s hand, right?" Tina asked curiously.


    Their attention was pulled from their conversation when a loud noise was heard in the distance.


    Both their heads whipped towards the noise. Their eyes widened in amazement. Just as Ricky had said, more than a dozen black figures appeared in the sky. They were still some distance away but they were running at a high speed. More than a dozen members of the Nether Army arrived quickly and attacked together. They bought enough time for Lynch to dodge Meade''s attack.


    "The Nether Army!" When more than a dozen people appeared suddenly, ready to rescue Lynch, Meade''s face tightened and his shoulders tensed. With narrowed eyes, he looked at Lynch, who was wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Is this your real trump card?" Meade asked.


    "Of course. I already told you, I don''t look down on you. I knew that in order to defeat you, I had to be well-prepared or I would be killed. And I needed to make sure that you would not ruin our plans," Lynch answered. It was obvious that he was still recovering from his injuries but he sounded more confident now that his rescue had come.


    The arrival of the Nether Army relieved him. His eyes no longer looked overcast. He had foreseen that he would be defeated by Meade if they would not arrive on time.


    ''It seems that I have spent too much time on casting for the past years. I have to spend all my time to improve my martial arts before the battle for the Sense of Realm, '' Lynch thought to himself as he realized his weakness.


    "It seems that the old man has reached an agreement with the Nether Army," Meade said.


    "You guessed it right. But unfortunately, you will die very soon. Whatever you know wil


    as if he was showing that the attack had no effect at all. He stretched out his hands, and a huge shield was formed immediately.


    The next moment, a loud cacophony echoed loudly across the land.


    The two palms fell directly on the shield, which made a huge crack. The whole space exploded while Sam''s evil spirit was destroyed as well.


    Everyone thought that the fight would be a well-matched one, but it seemed that they were wrong. A sharp thorn condensed by the Sam''s enlightening power shot out from the explosion.


    Two holes appeared on Meade''s two palms as they were stabbed by the sharp thorn. Before he could resist the sharp thorn and dodge the blow, Sam stepped out from the dispersing palms. His leg was surrounded by the evil spirit, and it swept like a whip towards Meade''s shoulder.


    Puff! Meade spat out a mouthful of blood. His body was slammed toward the mountain, just like a meteorite.


    As a result, the mountain broke into pieces. Dust billowed and spread throughout the whole place.


    "That kick was for the sake of Lynch, so I didn''t exert too much strength. The next attack I will give you will be for my own. You should be prepared to go to hell," Sam threatened Meade. The latter coughed as he tried to stand up.


    Sam focused intensely at Meade as he readied himself to launch an attack, one that would end this battle.


    "I think it''s your turn," Tina said to Ricky. She was puzzled when he had not moved from his place despite his earlier words.


    "Don''t worry. Let''s wait and see. If Meade can''t even withstand a real attack from Sam, I don''t need to give him a hand. After all, a man with that poor strength doesn''t deserve my help," Ricky murmured.

 Chapter 772 Ricky Joined The Fight

    "I''m not sure if Meade could take such a violent strike from Sam!" Tina said honestly.


    "Now that he''s recognized as the top genius among the Casting Center''s younger generation, he should be able to resist it. Otherwise, I don''t believe he would make things difficult for Sellers," Ricky speculated.


    Boom! Sam clasped his hands together, forming dark power and strong evil spirit around his body. Shortly, he turned it into double enlightening powers with a forceful killing intention.


    "I will send you to hell with this strike. I''ll be taking to the Nether Manor the head of the most talented warrior of the Casting Center as my trophy."


    As soon as Sam delivered his cruel warning, the formidable attack sparkled ready from his hands.


    "The Nether Power! Have a taste of my Destructive Nether Fist!"


    Alongside these words, Sam''s double enlightening powers turned into a giant devil phantom, taking form from behind his frame. Immediately, the frightening creature raised its head and roared to the sky while stretching out its eight huge arms and its large palms, each shadowing the battleground. With closed fists, several dark blood punches rushed out to Meade''s way as if they were massive birds carrying their wide and deadly wings.


    Each fist drove itself closer together until they all merged in the air, creating one enormous clasp big enough to cover half of the sky. From the exact moment it was fully conceived, the united fist got rapidly wrapped up by Gravitation Enlightenment.


    The dark blood fist''s shadow swung overhead. The evil spirit it released left a trail in the air that resembled a deep wound in the sky. The dust was swept up and blended into a tornado stirred up by the impact. It just seemed as the whole sky had been replaced by Sam''s evil fist.


    "Everything that meets this punch will be crushed into dust!" Sam shouted, proud of how invincible his strike was.


    "Humph! You can''t kill me with this trick, I''ll show you that!" Meade roared from the dust when the gigantic fist was about to hit him.


    Just then, a fierce enlightening windstorm rose from below the fist. Even more dust was lifted in order to clash with the overwhelming energy casted by Sam.


    By the time the storm diminished, a giant, apparently made of gale, soared into the sky.


    "Mutant-producing Body¡ªWind Mutant!"


    Meade bellowed. His whole body, including his pupils and hair strands, turned translucent within the wind giant. Then,


    death. Yet, who''s to blame for this now? From where I''m seeing it, you''re the only one to be blamed for not being strong enough," Sam said lightly. He could sympathize with the despair he saw through Meade''s eyes.


    A loud laughter suddenly burst out. "You are right. Everyone is afraid of death. In this martial world, where the weak are the preys to the strong, one can only blame himself for failing to survive." A intense and clear voice, which no one knew where it came from, attracted all the attention to itself.


    "So next, I hope you can find solace within these words of truth when you''ll be about to meet your own death, Sam," the voice continued.


    "How could it be possible? Is there anyone else here?" Unsettled by the mysterious voice, Sam''s and Lynch''s faces turned gloomy while Sam abruptly quit releasing the powerful energy.


    "Is there any spiritual space tool around? No, I can''t sense any spiritual space tool!" Lynch coolly answered as he spread out his runic power to detect the hidden enemy.


    "How come there is someone else here that we didn''t notice? By the way, that voice sounds a little bit familiar," Meade murmured. The desperation in his eyes had fairly decreased.


    The voice broke out another laughter. "I''m here, big guy. Next, I''ll be your opponent, and then we''ll see who''s the strongest, Sam," the voice said in delight. Soon, a figure began to sway towards Meade. When he finally had it before his eyes, he realized it was no one other than Ricky.


    Acknowledging Meade''s defeat, Ricky was ready to take action.


    "How could it be you? What are you doing here?" Lynch hissed in disbelief.

 Chapter 773 Ongoing Hatred

    It was when Ricky disappeared from the Casting Center out of the blue that Lynch decided to leave the place too. After all, he and Sellers could not carry out their scheme until the fight for the Sense of Realm took place.


    Ricky had managed to disappear even while they had been keeping an eye on him. They knew that Ricky must have used some powerful means to get past their surveillance. Even though they hated it, they had to admit that they couldn''t do anything else but give up.


    Just as he suddenly disappeared previously, he suddenly appeared from nowhere now. They were able to sense the existence of an advanced stage spiritual space tool. However, when Ricky appeared, they could only feel the existence of anything other than him.


    They thought of the possibility that Ricky had a spiritual space tool of higher stage with him, but quickly dismissed the thought as an impossibility.


    "Ricky? Are you Ricky?" Sam asked in recognition of the familiar name. He loomed menacingly at Ricky and his killing intent shifted completely from Meade to Ricky.


    The deaths of the other three commanders were closely linked to Ricky. Only they themselves knew how intimate a relationship the six commanders of the Nether Army truly shared. It was a gift to have the opportunity for revenge right in front of him.


    "It is me, the one and only!" Ricky announced arrogantly on purpose. He could sense the hatred from Sam, and the feeling was definitely mutual.


    "It''s him. Why did he come to my rescue?" Meade mumbled to himself, lost in thought. He could not get how Ricky could risk his life for him. Maybe he had other reasons.


    There was a huge possibility that Ricky rescued him because he hated Sellers and he wanted Meade''s plan to succeed.


    ''It seems that I still have a glimmer of hope to survive today. However, I don''t know how powerful Ricky is. Sam would not be easy to defeat, '' Meade thought to himself.


    He did not waste time to think or watch the battle. He knew he could only depend on himself, especially since the relationship between him and Ricky was somewhat bad. Even if Ricky defeated Sam, he had no assurance that Ricky would not try and kill him too. And if Ricky failed and lost to Sam...


    He shuddered at the thought of what could happen to him. He took the time to rest and recover, as he readied himself for a fight later on. Maybe he could even defeat whoever won, provided that whoever got injured enough.


    "Ricky, I have been looking for you for a long time. I didn''t expect to see you here. You''re courting death," Sam exclaimed in a sinister tone. He intentionally let his aura overwhelm Ricky but from the lack of reaction, he seemed to have failed.


    "You were look


    re is anything good about Ricky. I''ll kill him right away. Then I will make you mine, Pearl," Sam added.


    They could not tell if Pearl heard this or not as her facial expression did not change at all. Instead, she drew out her long black whip and targeted the other members of the Nether Army.


    "You''re playing with fire!" Sam shouted angrily at Pearl. When she still did not acknowledge Sam, he was overwhelmed with anger. He felt humiliated as she continued to ignore him. He roared angrily and rushed to attack her.


    "Hey! Your opponent is me. And your words just now made me angry!" Ricky''s angry voice stopped Sam. Above his head, the Massacring Golden Palm surrounded by massacring runes suddenly materialized.


    Now that Pearl was his woman, what Sam had said stirred a rage within him that threatened to erupt at any moment.


    Sam narrowed his eyes at the Massacring Golden Palm. The threat he sensed from it alerted his instincts to be careful. He was willing to believe his intuition; he had reason to believe that Ricky was at least as powerful as him.


    Despite the sudden wariness he felt, he pretended to be confident. He glared at Ricky as he proclaimed, "Since you''re so eager to go to hell, I''ll send you there first. And soon there will be more disciples from the Oriental College to accompany you!"


    Howl!


    Sam began roaring like a beast. At the same time, he condensed his devil''s body and a sharp black claw burst out and collided violently with the Massacring Golden Palm from Ricky.


    Bang! The sound of collision between metal and gold rang out. The two domains they had condensed collided and exploded too.


    As airwaves rippled around them, the two figures turned into two giant meteors. They collided against each other and a resounding boom deafened those around them.

 Chapter 774 Ricky Dominated The Fight

    The two flashing lights were Ricky and Sam.


    When their attacks and domains collided, their momentums and strengths had been pushed to the peak. That was when the true fight began.


    "The second level of Ultimate Golden Body!" Faced with a powerful enemy, Ricky activated his second level of Ultimate Golden Body. He burned with rage every time he looked at Sam. He decided he would give his all to kill Sam and pushed his power to the max. He intended not to waste precious time fighting. Instead, he would defeat Sam as fast as possible.


    Buzz! Buzz! At this time, Ricky''s second level of Ultimate Golden Body had reached the state of completeness. Together with the power of his massacring power and massacring runes, an invisible massacring passage was created in the air. His body buzzed with power that was building inside him.


    Sam knew that he should not underestimate Ricky. If Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body gave anything away, it was that Ricky was truly powerful. Sam formed an array between his hands; the evil spirit and dark energy surged and floated. A huge devil''s body formed and covered his body.


    "Nether power¡ªNether Body!"


    The moment Sam''s Nether Body formed, he threw a fist in the air and a passage was created. This passage stretched forward and met Ricky''s massacring runes passage which was created by Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body.


    Boom! The moment the two invisible passages collided with each other, Ricky''s second level of Ultimate Golden Body collided with Sam''s Nether Body forcefully. A deafening sound exploded and debris filled the air.


    It happened in the blink of an eye. Both Ricky and Sam were thrown back because of the powerful impact. However, even before the debris in the air had settled, they were already rushing at each other as they threw out attacks and defended themselves simultaneously.


    "Massacring Omnipotent Skill¡ªImpregnable Killing Finger!" At that moment, Ricky decided to activate his Massacring Omnipotent Skill. He was determined to knock Sam down for good.


    On the huge chest of Ricky''s second level of Ultimate Golden Body, ten golden lights appeared. They were manipulated by Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body''s arms and turned into ten strong golden fingers.


    At the same time, the Massacring Sand floated around Ricky gracefully as if carried by an enchanted wind. It twisted and gathered around the ten golden fingers.


    "Mingle!" With a roar, the ten giant golden fingers merged and turned into a huge golden finger. It was like a pillar of the sky which could tear everything down at any time.


    Ricky had improved his understanding of the massacring power once again. He could integrate the t


    n hurt me at all," Ricky snorted as if he found the idea hilarious and completely laughable.


    Boom! Boom! Ricky suddenly stopped laughing as if he had gotten bored from the lack of challenge. He let his powers emerge again, and the golden light began shining more brightly. Ricky broke out his Massacring Mutant and its power surged and electrified the air around him.


    "How could this be possible? It''s a mutant power. How did you get a mutant power?" Sam whispered as his eyes widened in disbelief. He had felt Ricky''s mutant power, but he had dismissed it earlier as a mistake.


    Sam had known all of Ricky''s weapons, or at least he thought so. And yet, not once had he heard that Ricky owned any mutant power. He would not believe it if Ricky claimed that he had one, but now that it was happening right in front of him, he could not grasp it fully.


    "I''ll tell you again, nothing is impossible. It''s about time for us to finish this fight. I am getting bored. Prepare to die!" Ricky proclaimed as he prepared to finally finish his opponent.


    Buzz! Buzz! The massacring runes moved as Ricky activated his Massacring Mutant. The runes then moved quickly towards the Impregnable Killing Finger and enveloped it. In the blink of an eye, the four slight cracks on the finger healed quickly.


    At the same time, the massacring power on the Impregnable Killing Finger strengthened even more. The golden purple galaxy power also danced gracefully around as the Massacring Sand circled the finger.


    "Go and kill him!" Ricky roared before he manipulated his giant Impregnable Killing Finger toward Sam.


    Crack! Crack! Sam''s demonic claw cracked suddenly. He looked on in horror as his prized weapon, which had been enhanced by his own blood, broke down like a simple toy.

 Chapter 775 Veritable Nether Body

    ''The mutant! Ricky is breaking out the real power of a mutant!'' Seeing his demonic claw be destroyed in an instant, Sam felt a shudder in his heart. He felt drearier and more stressed.


    "Is this the real mutant power?" Meade said in shock.


    Mixed feelings surged in his heart. He was admiring Ricky''s strength while at the same time feeling overwhelmed by its intensity.


    Although Sam was shocked, he did not allow it to stop him in his tracks. Sam dared not to slack off. And so, his eyes turned black all of a sudden. Then, his evil spirit flared once more, empowering his Nether Body tenfold.


    What added to the challenge and danger that Ricky faced in Sam, was the six more demonic arms that stretched out from Sam''s Nether Body.


    "Nether Shield!"


    With a thunderous shout, the eight arms on Sam''s Nether Body gathered in an instant and merged. The evil spirit spread all over the said arms before it quickly turned into an enormous black shield.


    Bang! The next moment, Ricky''s Impregnable Killing Finger and Sam''s Nether Shield clashed against each other.


    They remained in a stalemate for a second before the sound of crackling was heard. Consequently, cracks immediately spread all over Sam''s Nether Shield. Before long, the shield was covered in cracks.


    The appearance of the cracks meant that the power on the Nether Shield had begun to retreat. It didn''t take long before all of its power dissipated. Ricky''s Impregnable Killing Finger, on the other hand, hit Sam''s Nether Body forcefully.


    In the blink of an eye, the space shattered, following the impact. Sam and his Nether Body fell down and hit three mountains nearby. The bodies bounced off the ground and created several deep craters in its wake.


    "I''m going to end your life here today!" Ricky would not miss such a good opportunity. He roared deafeningly before he drew his Iron Destroyer.


    The golden purple galaxy power permeated in the air and encircled Ricky''s Iron Destroyer. "Omnipotent Gale Skill¡ªGale Torrent Strike!" Ricky yelled with all his might.


    As the gale runes circled around him, Ricky waved his weapon and slashed it down. A storm swept in the surroundings and the gale runes transformed into a swirling blade before it swept toward those points and craters Sam created. Sam was in one of the craters.


    As the swirling storm engulfed the craters and points on the ground, those points and craters enlarged and connected with each other, forming a great, deep hole.


    Ricky''s strike was extremely powerful. Even an upper spiritual king at his peak level would barely be able to resist it. The Impregnable Killing Finger and the Gale Torrent Strike continuou


    inal blow, he wanted to make sure it would be met with the conclusion of Sam''s life once and for all.


    "Oh." Ricky cocked his head to the side, with a slight yet mocking smile forming on his lips. "I made a mistake. You are a member of the Nether Army and you would not be my stepping stone. You will simply turn into a useless evil spirit after you die.


    Mutant powers¡ªRunic Spear!"


    As Ricky called out his attack, the four types of mutant powers also turned into four strands. The strands were four dragon-liked strands that roared out loud as each bounced out. Next, eight powers combined abruptly before they all finally transformed into one gigantic spear.


    As Ricky was showered by the golden light, two more strong arms appeared on his body. All four arms threw out the giant spear toward Sam''s Demonic Spear with much force and might.


    Boom!


    Countless sparks flew in all directions. Each strong spark caused ripples that spread in the air. The space that surrounded the area also crackled like a fragile piece of glass.


    Followed by the endless sparks were a series of waves that were as strong as the tides. The waves also raised high above in the sky and engulfed Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body as well as Sam''s Veritable Nether Body.


    All the other warriors stopped in their tracks. The collision was too powerful and halted them in their battles. They all knew that continuing their strife would depend greatly on how the said collision would end up.


    The strong wave of energy didn''t fade away before it ruined everything in the area. It seemed to have been going on for quite a while. Still, it seemed like it all happened in the blink of an eye. As the smoke cleared, the crowd was able to see the collision between Ricky and Sam with more clarity.

 Chapter 776 Only Killing

    The Demonic Spear and the golden spear collided against each other within the energy waves. As a result, the land within a thousand meters around them trembled and cracked.


    "They are well-matched?" everyone asked themselves as they watched the intense battle.


    Crack! However, as soon as those words had been uttered, loud cracks resounded through the air. All of a sudden, cracks appeared in the Demonic Spear until it finally turned into dust with a loud crash.


    Puff! At the same time, a stream of blood gushed out of the huge Veritable Nether Body. As the blood spurted out, the size of the Veritable Nether Body shrank rapidly until it turned into Sam in midair.


    At this time, Sam knelt in the air as if he had lost the strength to support his own weight. His originally sinister face had turned deathly pale and his scarlet black pupils slowly changed into white ones.


    Everybody could perceive that the power of Sam''s evil spirit was fading away fast.


    "I see that Sam has been defeated!" Meade said coldly at the sight of the scene. He acted as if he had expected that to happen all along.


    On the other hand, Lynch was filled with despair again.


    ''The Nether Army makes all the geniuses in the whole Eastern Land tremble with fear. And yet, four commanders of the Nether Army have died. Two of the four commanders were killed by Ricky, and the deaths of the other two also had something to do with him. Ricky has truly grown up, '' Pearl thought to herself, as she remembered all the events that had transpired.


    Although she was unwilling to admit, she knew that she was beginning to like Ricky more and more each day. He might have annoyed her at the start, but as she got to know him every day, her eyes were opened to who he truly was.


    ...


    Although Sam seemed to have lost, Ricky didn''t stop. The second level of Ultimate Golden Body stepped forward a few steps and landed directly beside Sam. Eight kinds of flames burnt and enveloped the golden body. These eight flames integrated and evolved into two sharp flame claws that tore Sam into two.


    Sam might have been already numb by then, or maybe he was unable to move. He just laid there as Ricky tore him apart. The Veritable Nether Body refined with the blood essence seemed to have sucked out all his strength and rendered him helpless.


    In the blink of an eye, it was done.


    His body was torn into two halves and faded into two clouds of evil spirit. However,


    arl''s current strength was on par with Meade''s.


    ''It seems that the soul-restoring pill has a great effect on her. I wonder whether the Feminine Mutant can cultivate any power that has something to do with spirit, '' Ricky wondered as he stared at Pearl.


    "Goodbye!" Meade said to Ricky when he had taken care of everything.


    "What? Why are you so anxious to leave? Are you afraid that I will attack you?" Ricky said lightly.


    "Yes, I''m afraid of that. After all, you''re so powerful now that you can kill me and my men with only one hand," Meade answered frankly. Ricky laughed, disarmed and pleased with Meade''s honesty.


    "If that''s the case, please go ahead. I hope in the future we would not be enemies even if we can''t be friends," Ricky said in a smiling tone.


    "After this battle, I won''t regard you as an enemy, nor do I have any intention to. But nobody knows what will happen in the future. After all, there are numerous conflicts of interests in the martial world," Meade said.


    "That is true. Then, goodbye!" Ricky laughed loudly, entertained by Meade''s impudence even when he had just admitted that Ricky could defeat him and all his men.


    Meade smiled wryly and left with his men.


    "Dare-to-die warriors...Maybe such a group of creatures is also needed in my Misty South Palace," Ricky murmured as he stared at the retreating men behind Meade.


    "Indeed, every force has its own secret force, which is usually made up by a group of dare-to-die warriors. That''s because regardless if it is righteous or evil, some things can only be done in the dark," Tina whispered. Rocky nodded silently beside her.

 Chapter 777 An Old Acquaintance

    "But every dare-to-die warrior will have to spend more than ten times the cultivation resources of a warriors of the same level," Tina said. "So if you really want to train some dare-to-die warriors, it is not going to be a problem to find the human beings. After all, the most difficult thing is about the cultivation resources."


    "You know that it can be such a real headache," Ricky said upon hearing Tina''s thoughts about it. "Only this time, when I returned to the Realm of Wildness, I obtained a lot of resources from Errol and the others."


    "And if I''m not mistaken, the resources that you have acquired are only enough to train the dare-to-die warriors to demi-immortals. In addition, there will be a limited number of dare-to-die warriors that can be trained," Tina said as a matter of fact.


    "In that case, if you really want to have dare-to-die warriors, you must first have a lot of resources to sustain them!"


    "All right, but first things first, we should let Scar look for people with great potential and talent," Ricky said.


    Meanwhile, Ricky and Pearl went into the Massacring Zone and headed for the Oriental Realm. In this way, they would be safe in their journey to the Oriental College.


    Upon their arrival, Ricky went to the first one on his list¡ªthe Three-hall City. In there, he instructed Scar about his plans for the recruitment of dare-to-die warriors and gave him the cultivation resources he had obtained from the Realm of Wildness.


    After accomplishing the task, Ricky returned to the Oriental College.


    Just right after he made arrangements for both Pearl and Tina, Ricky paid a visit to the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor, the Evil Emperor, and the Oriental Emperor.


    Meanwhile, Soar, Henry, and others had also come back from outside.


    Finally, after he was done with his itinerary, Ricky wanted to have a quick rest in preparation for the upcoming competition among the disciples of the Oriental College, which was going to happen in four days.


    However, even before Ricky could get his well-deserved rest, he got an invitation from Jasper. And this invitation was also stretched to Soar, Terrence, and Henry.


    Of course, it was Jasper and they could not possibly refuse his invitation. Soon, Ricky, Henry, Soar, and Terrence were in their way to Jasper''s residence.


    Inside the Oriental College, Jasper''s house was located on an isolated peak surrounded by gullies, as if it was separated from the other peaks in the college.


    But according to Terrence, Jasper chose this location on purpose so that he would have more uniqueness and


    nd of familiarity can''t be untrue. Have I really met Amanda before?'' Ricky thought to himself as confusion enveloped his mind.


    And no matter how hard he tried to recall his memory, he still failed to remember her.


    However, he still didn''t give up. And as a man with the memory of the four zones, he was sure that he had already seen Amanda somewhere, and he was determined to uncover it.


    Feeling that there was some kind of connection between them, Amanda finally took her eyes off Ricky.


    ''Never mind. I''ll just ask her in private after we finish the little get together. Judging from the way she looked at me just now, she must have also recognized me, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ...


    "Haha, you deserve all kinds of compliments. Word also goes around that now in the whole Eastern Land, only you, Ricky, dares to challenge Jasper. Is that true?" Hugh said as he laughed at the idea.


    Truth be told, he and Jasper had really gotten along pretty well with each other.


    Upon hearing this, Ricky just shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands helplessly.


    "Haha, come on, I took out these four jars of spirits only today, as a witness to your first meeting," said Jasper with a smile.


    "Jasper, we could already feel the aura of fire, even if the jars are still closed. It even seems that there is this invisible energy from the alcohol that can enter our bodies. With this, then I guess that the alcohol is something special," Ricky said.


    "Of course it''s not ordinary. In this alcohol are several kinds of Treasures from Heaven and Earth of King Level. What''s more, it has the essence of a spiritual beast of King Level¡ªthe Fire Python," Hugh explained.


    "So, how can this alcohol be any ordinary?"

 Chapter 778 Who Was Amanda

    "The Fire Python!" Terrence blurt dazedly upon hearing Hugh''s words. "I heard that the Fire Python tribe is a force to be reckoned with in the Stormy Sea. Its strength is even mightier than the White King Tiger tribe from the Eastern Land.


    Jasper, you are the only one who had dared to kill them. I still can''t believe you''ve even used their flesh and blood to make spirits. I''ve got to take my hat off to you."


    "Oh, I''m really flattered to hear that. But you should know what went on next. After I killed them in the Stormy Sea, I was haunted by two completed spiritual kings for quite a while. I was a total mess at the time," Jasper said with a smile.


    "It seems you weren''t exactly afraid of those completed spiritual kings," Ricky said with a smirk. "And I don''t think you are genuinely afraid of them now!"


    Hugh let out a chuckle and agreed. "That''s for sure. Jasper has successfully broken through and consolidated his level." Everyone paid their tributes to Jasper and his deeds in awe.


    A completed spiritual king''s title was the pinnacle of a spiritual king. When one reached the peak of a completed spiritual king, the next step was to comprehend the rules. Just then, he would be on the way to become a spiritual emperor.


    Jasper laughed. "I''m sure you''ll all reach the level of a completed spiritual king soon. I have faith on you. However, let''s not forget that this isn''t really our goal. We crave something more than simply that, don''t we?" Jasper said humorously.


    Meanwhile, Ricky''s mind wandered as he recalled seeing the so-called Stormy Sea''s name in a book from the Oriental College.


    The entire Misty South was divided into five major lands. Among those, the Middle Land was the one that stood out. It held the thickest spiritual energy along with a remarkably extensive area. The general consensus was that not even the four other lands combined could measure up to its size.


    Endless mountains also separated the Middle Land from the other lands. If one wished to get in, they would have to go through the mountains.


    Spiritual emperors or stronger warriors weren''t bind to this rule though. They simply knew how to tear their ways into the air in order to go through the Middle Land without a problem.


    It was possible that a spiritual king and a demi-spiritual emperor could tear sp


    ry, but could you refresh my memory?" Ricky requested.


    "Of course you can''t remember me. I was wearing a mask, and I deliberately changed my behavior back then," she responded.


    "Actually, I came here today in order to ask you something. Ricky, do you still remember that you''ve made a promise to a woman?"


    "You were wearing a mask? A promise?" Ricky said, confused. "A promise to a woman?"


    Tina murderously glared at Ricky. Pearl, on the other hand, rolled her eyes at him.


    They thought that if Ricky had really made a promise to a woman, she now came to demand its fulfillment.


    "Ricky, it seems you have a lot of unresolved love stories around," Tina bitterly said to Ricky through her inner power. She barely could contain her jealousy.


    "Tina, I really have no idea what she''s talking about. Don''t jump to conclusions before I can figure out who Amanda is," Ricky immediately replied to Tina''s complaint.


    "Am I jumping to conclusions? Then, please tell me. Who did you make a promise to? What on earth is this promise even about?" Tina demanded, slightly angry at him.


    Ricky chuckled. "Tina, don''t be mad. Just hang on a little more, ok? I''ll figure everything out very soon," he told her.


    Ricky tried to go over his memories when suddenly he thought of something. Promptly, he turned to meet Amanda''s gaze.


    "It looks like your memory isn''t as good as I thought. In this case, I''ll refresh your memory a bit," Amanda said.


    "Stone City, Nan Clan, Realm of Wildness, and Snow Sect. Does any of them ring a bell?"

 Chapter 779 Ten Positions

    "Stone City! Nan Clan!" Ricky murmured after hearing Amanda''s words.


    His pupils suddenly contracted as his search in his memory had already made him realize who Amanda, the woman in front of him, was.


    "Amanda, are you the one who went to the Stone City to recruit new disciples with Master Grace?"


    Ricky asked immediately. Amanda flashed a charming smile on hearing Ricky''s words.


    With this, Ricky''s doubt was confirmed.


    He remembered a promise that he had made to Amelia, the leader of Amber Faction, another faction of the Snow Sect.


    He had promised that in the future if ever Amelia needed his help, he would go all out.


    At that time, after his conversation with Amelia, she had left the Snow Sect without any news, and then immediately after, Amanda had disappeared as well. Now thinking about it, Ricky realized that Amanda and Amelia must be related as they shared the same family name.


    "Amanda, I now remember the promise you talked about. Is there a connection between you and Amelia?" Ricky asked.


    "I''m from the same clan as her. Also, I''m her best friend as well as her sister," said Amanda. "Our family is very influential in the Western Land.


    At that time, Amelia came with me to receive training in the Eastern Land. She was only a warrior of Blood Purification. Of course, the Oriental College was not suitable for her. so, I had asked Jasper''s aunt to help me get Amelia admitted to the Snow Sect and I changed my face to secretly protect Amelia.


    But she had to take responsibility for some family issues. At last, she had to go back."


    "Oh, I see. It seems that Amelia enjoyed a high position in the family and went back home. How is she now?" Ricky further went on asking her.


    "She has already make a breakthrough and become an innate spiritual king, but she is not as strong as you," Amanda replied.


    "And, she might need your help when something happens to our family. That''s the promise I was talking about."


    "Do you need my help? Tell me, w


    he Small World created by the Evil Emperor.


    There were three challenges in total. On completion of these three challenges, if more than ten disciples passed the test, then the winners would fight with each other to pick out the strongest ten.


    However, if less than ten disciples passed the competition, then the rest would be chosen by Evil Emperor according to the situation.


    No disciple had any objection to this rule, because whether or not they were selected depended solely on their strength and talent.


    "Everyone, are you all clear about the rules?" Evil Emperor asked loudly as he stood on the podium. He stretched and looked at all the disciples gathered.


    "Yes, we are clear," the disciples answered in unison.


    After giving a slight nod, Evil Emperor waved his hand. Immediately, in the hands of all the disciples present, two jade tablets condensed by the ruling power appeared.


    "One of these two jade tablets is for you to enter my newly built Small World, and the other one will allow you to exit. However, there are different ways to get out of the Small World. One can choose to pass the challenges or, one can bypass them and leave when their life is in danger," Evil Emperor announced with a grin.


    "But no matter how you get out, your competition can only be successful if you pass the test."

 Chapter 780 Lightning Minks

    ''It seems these three tests aren''t so simple, '' Ricky thought after listening to the Evil Emperor.


    "By the way, if you are lucky, you might gain some opportunity in my Small World," the Evil Emperor continued. "Perhaps it won''t be an opportunity that lives up to your expectations. But I safely assure it won''t be a letdown either."


    The disciples got all ecstatic by the Evil Emperor''s speech.


    "Well, let''s cut to the chase, shall we? Anyone who wants to be eligible to take part in the main drawn match must crush the jade tablet and get into my Small World...now!" the Evil Emperor announced.


    Immediately, half of the inner and outer disciples rushed to crush the jade tablets. Then, the powerful energy overtook and enabled them to walk into the Evil Emperor''s Small World.


    Ricky came to meet a dark space once he crushed the jade tablet. He carefully inspected his surrounds and soon realized it was a narrow path.


    ''This pathway must be where the first test will take place, '' Ricky speculated. With his eyes, he gathered the spiritual energy necessary to study the narrow path and what could come out of it.


    However, to Ricky''s surprise, he couldn''t see anything clearly. There was nothing but complete darkness ahead of him.


    Even the Bone Reinforcement warriors could see through the murk, let alone an innate spiritual king.


    There was no doubt it was the ruling power of the Evil Emperor which was hindering his vision.


    ''I don''t know if the Golden Spirit Eyes could help me see in here, but I don''t think it''s proper or even necessary to use it now. After all, I still can sense everything through my mind, '' Ricky pondered.


    ''So, what is the test here?''


    Ricky looked around with his mind''s guidance, and soon became alert. He guessed that despite every disciple having to go through the same test, the degrees of hardship would vary according to the strength of each. Therefore, there was no room for carelessness.


    "Listen, all of you. The narrow path is just as a maze. You''ll only be able to see if you use your minds." Evil Emperor''s voice suddenly broke through.


    "There''s only one way to c


    re was, he wouldn''t be able to contend and would have to surrender.


    ''I knew it wouldn''t be a piece of cake, but I really didn''t expect that passing the test would be such a difficult task. I have to try my best, '' Ricky thought. ''The so-called cultivation method must have something to do with the three Lightning Minks. But do I have to completely defeat them?''


    Either way, no matter what the answer to his late question was, a fight was inevitable.


    All the three Lightning Minks gathered and struck at Ricky simultaneously.


    Roaring, the creatures revolved their bodies around their three tails. In the following second, a transparent lightning spread each from the minks'' centers and, with a cracking sound, they were all fired at Ricky.


    On their way to Ricky, the three flashes of lightning shifted into sharp claws.


    Each claw seemed to be ordinary as far as they were concerned. But Ricky could sense the power emanating from them. He was aware that to be able to resist this attack, he would have to do his best.


    Ricky didn''t hesitate for a second. His hands got instantly taken by the devouring runes when a storm burst out from his Enlightening Wind Holes. Just then, both the massacring runes and the Massacring Golden Palm clashed against one of the sharp claws.


    About the same time, Ricky used his Iron Destroyer, now surrounded by golden purple galaxy power, and charged it towards the sky.

 Chapter 781 The Space-shrinking Pace

    Boom! Boom!


    The three Omnipotent Skills shooting from Ricky collided directly with the three lightning claws. Ripples of powerful energy lashed out so violently that it seemed as if time itself was stopped by them.


    All of a sudden, at this moment, the three Lightning Minks appeared suddenly around Ricky. Their strong and sharp claws were only inches away from his chest, his back and his head.


    The minks were so fast that they seemed to have glided past the three impact points safely and had hurriedly found access to Ricky''s face. They didn''t even have to tear the space apart, or at least Ricky hadn''t felt any space fluctuation at all.


    It was as if they were traveling through spaces like Ricky would go in and out of his zones effortlessly.


    But even if Ricky could use his zones to transfer himself at this speed, it would still take him some time to cover the same distance.


    On the other hand, the three Lightning Minks had simply appeared out of nowhere. It was almost as if they had jumped through spaces.


    Space leaping was one of the top and most coveted skills in the world. For all Ricky knew, it was something even an innate spiritual emperor couldn''t achieve, only the saints could do it.


    But he had no time to figure out the explanation for what had happened as another powerful round of attacks from the minks was charging at him now.


    In the blink of an eye, the Source of Golden Body in the Massacring Zone glowed as a blinding light, and the second level of Ultimate Golden Body was formed in an instant. With a deafening metallic sound loud enough to make everybody''s ears ring, the three Lightning Minks'' strikes collided fiercely with this second level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    It was solely this strong defense system that allowed Ricky to escape this fatal attack.


    As the massacring runes filled the air, the strong energy from the collision backfired and forced all the three Lightning Minks to retreat. This round of fight was so violent that even with the second level of Ultimate Golden Body protecting him, Ricky felt like the air was blown out of his chest.


    There was no doubt that the strength of the three Lightning Minks was on par with his. It was fortunate that the second level of Ultimate Golden Body could withstand such an attack without being broken into pieces, which could also be attributed to the strength of the Massacring Soil that had been enhancing the Ultimate Golden Body.


    "Their speed and strength are in no way weaker than mine and there are three of them. Even if I apply my Golden Spirit Eyes and the four mutants, it is still a long shot to defeat them," Ricky murmured seriously to himself after regaining his balance.


    ''Is the first test as difficult for the other disciples as well?'' h


    , after all, a battle when those spiritual-emperor force would try everything they could to finish¡¤ Ricky. The Evil Emperor appreciated Ricky very much and didn''t want him to die. This was the reason why he was willing to teach Ricky this secret skill of his.


    This competition was a good opportunity for Ricky to be taught something useful and special.


    Of course, even though the cultivation method that other disciples needed to comprehend in this fight was nothing like this Space-shrinking Pace, those were also some high-level movement skills unique to the Oriental College. So, for other warriors, the successful comprehension of those skills was not a small achievement.


    ...


    The more Ricky learned about the Space-shrinking Pace, the more he realized how complicated and intricate the skill was. But this further strengthened his desire to learn all of it. He had been so focused on it that he didn''t notice that the other two Lightning Minks had escaped from the cage.


    However, when he found out, Ricky didn''t form another cage to confine them anymore.


    Moreover, he didn''t activate the second level of Ultimate Golden Body to resist them either. He already knew the secret of those creatures'' pace and he had the confidence that he could defeat them without using his other skills.


    Also, he knew that only when he was under great pressure could he have a better and more efficient understanding of the skill he was learning. He was extremely determined to master the new skill that he had gained.


    Although, under such intense pressure, his body was suffering a lot. Every time he fought with the three Lightning Minks, he would get at least two to three wounds on his body before the last ones could be healed.


    Some of the wounds were so deep and severe that his bones could be seen clearly through the flesh and blood.

 Chapter 782 Success

    Puff!


    Ricky was drenched in blood after another round against the three Lightning Minks. His once black clothes were now tattered and soaked in red as the whole pathway got filled with a lingering smell of blood.


    Ricky burst into laughter despite his injury.


    He laughed because this time, when the three Lightning Minks struck at him, they only managed to cause a single bruise.


    In each previous confrontation, if Ricky reacted slightly slower, at least three more bruises would result from the confrontation. Even when he was in full speed, the creatures would leave him a couple of marks.


    This had been the pattern until now.


    At last he made some progress and, as a result, got only a single bruise out of it. He had overcome his limitations and had increased his speed. The hard work he had put on all this time he was in that pathway had finally paid off.


    By that moment, it had been two whole days since Ricky had started fighting the three Lightning Minks. During this period, Ricky had been activating his four zones constantly to understand the pace needed to go forward.


    Now, he had finally realized what it was.


    Ricky gathered his four runes and merged them with the strongest enlightenment. Then, he filled every inch of flesh and blood of his right leg with its power, causing it to rapidly stir.


    Under this effect, he swiftly moved forward as he followed the Lightning Minks'' trail.


    With the four zones, Ricky managed to keep his pace the same as the Lightning Minks, without wavering for a second.


    He suddenly came to stop and then realized he had reached the same place where he first fell. Only in that instant, he felt the ground was shrinking beneath his feet.


    Meanwhile, a sharp pain had taken over his right leg. It was the kind of aching he hadn''t endured in a long time. It felt like being torn apart from the inside out as if a thousand ants were simultaneously getting their fangs into his skin.


    Ricky''s body had been refined long ago. He had cultivated the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula along with the Ultimate Golden Body he had at the present. Those enabled his physique to reach a limit, and because of that, he thought feeling such a severe kind of pain wasn''t in the cards anymore.


    Th


    the pace you have." Evil Emperor''s voice broke through along with a laughter all of a sudden.


    "Well done, boy! You''ve passed the first test. I must confess I was a little worried you wouldn''t be able to make it."


    The shadow of the Evil Emperor rose up by Ricky''s side as he spoke.


    "Sir, it was your trick, as I presumed." Ricky turned his gaze to the Evil Emperor, unable to hide his annoyance.


    The qualification to fight for the Sense of Realm was held in the highest standard. Most disciples would only be granted one chance. Still, Ricky thought the Evil Emperor had been messing with him.


    At the meantime, he also knew the Evil Emperor didn''t really mean to prevent him from obtaining the qualification.


    After all, it had been said that Ricky had to grasp different cultivation methods from those the other disciples had to go through in their own tests. This could only mean the Evil Emperor had wanted him to understand the pace.


    "Oh, little fellow, are you mad now? Just think about it for a minute. Are the pain you''ve endured and the cultivation resources you''ve spent really more important than the pace you''ve come to understand?" Evil Emperor chuckled at Ricky''s complaint.


    "Indeed, the pace is much more important. I would dare say it''s more important than all my cultivation resources together," Ricky stated seriously.


    "So why are you complaining? You have to know that the Space-shrinking Pace is my Inheritable Omnipotent Skill," the Evil Emperor concluded.

 Chapter 783 The Strength

    "Space-shrinking Pace! An Inheritable Omnipotent Skill!"


    Ricky gasped in shock when he heard the words of the Evil Emperor. As a close friend of Soar, he knew how invaluable an Inheritable Omnipotent Skill was.


    The Evil Emperor was willing to teach him the Space-shrinking Pace, and Ricky owed him immensely for that.


    At this moment, Ricky finally understood why it was so difficult for him to understand the skill and why he needed to spend a lot of cultivation resources.


    Above all this, Ricky was even more shocked by the identity of the Evil Emperor. The creatures with Inheritable Omnipotent Skills were at least holy beasts, and even some of holy beasts didn''t have any Inheritable Omnipotent Skills. Only the creatures with the blood of emperor beasts could have Inheritable Omnipotent Skills for sure.


    In other words, the real body of the Evil Emperor was at least a holy beast.


    "Evil Emperor, it is your Inheritable Omnipotent Skill. Why are you doing this?" Ricky asked. He was still reeling from the things he had learned just then.


    "It''s all because of the Oriental Emperor. He asked me to teach you this skill so that you can have a bigger chance of survival when you fight for the Sense of Realm. I don''t want a genius like you to die either, so I agreed." The Evil Emperor paused as if he wanted Ricky to absorb all that he was saying. Ricky stared at his eyes. He could tell he had more to say so Ricky kept quiet.


    "During the battle for the Sense of Realm, those forces will regard this opportunity as their last chance to attack you. We expect that they would all burst out in full force and spare no effort to kill you."


    Ricky''s face darkened when he heard the words of the Evil Emperor. The Evil Emperor was correct. He also expected to be in great danger during the battle for the Sense of Realm. That was one of the reasons why he had to break through and become an upper spiritual king before that decisive battle. If he did not, he would not have enough power to protect himself.


    Ricky had made full preparation exactly because he knew how dangerous it was going to be. He expected that the way of martial arts would never be smooth. He could not do anything about that, except to train hard and make sure he would be stronger than anything that would come his way. If they were coming for him, let them come.


    "I am honored, Evil Emperor. Thank you for allowing me to learn from you


    Ricky appeared like a child in front of it.


    Ricky observed the Lightning Mink curiously. He felt its lightning speed which was expected. After all, its name came from its lightning speed.


    But besides that, he could see from the strong built and aura it exuded that it was strong too. He could practically taste its strength that pervaded the air around them. ''Can a Lightning Mink also have powerful strength?''


    Ricky wondered. The Lightning Mink seemed to have taken that as a challenge as it suddenly roared fiercely in his direction.


    Howl! With the roar, a huge claw came right at Ricky. It seemed that despite its strength, the Lightning Mink had no spiritual energy. It just had pure physical strength.


    "Well, I am not afraid of physical strength!" Ricky exclaimed confidently and met the giant claw that was coming straight at him. He gathered all his strength on his right fist and punched at it.


    Bang! The fight seemed to be well-matched in strength. Ricky held on against the claw even as he felt his feet slip further.


    Suddenly, dust swept up and a deep pit appeared beneath him.


    Ricky felt the strength of the Lightning Mink as he continued to defend against it, even as he sank lower and lower into the pit.


    "Ricky, you will see now that among the beasts of King Level, the strength of the Lightning Mink is also at the top!" Once again, like an evil announcer, the Evil Emperor''s voice echoed across the valley.


    As if it agreed with the Evil Emperor, the Lightning Mink roared fiercely. It aggressively waved its giant claw against him again. Ricky gritted his teeth and held on.

 Chapter 784 The Importance Of Strength

    Whoosh!


    When the Lightning Mink lifted its huge claw to strike, Ricky took advantage and quickly rushed out of the deep pit. He fell awkwardly from his rushed exit. A small trail of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. Thankfully, he was not injured badly but the strength of the Lighting Mink had put him through the wringer.


    "Damn it! This Lightning Mink is so powerful. I wonder if it is truly a Lightning Mink," Ricky blurted out in a hoarse voice as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. The confident look he had earlier had been replaced by a more serious one.


    ''Does the Lightning Mink possess this powerful strength naturally or is this because of the ruling power of the Evil Emperor?''


    As he thought this, Ricky used his mind to look around. Since there had been three Lightning Minks in the first round, he wanted to see if there were any other Lightning Mink around. It would be troublesome if he focused on this one and be caught off-guard later.


    "Don''t worry. There is only one Lightning Mink in this second round. As long as you defeat it with your physical strength, you can pass the second round." Ricky was relieved when he heard this assurance from the Evil Emperor. It looked like he could focus on just one opponent.


    His eyes widened when the Evil Emperor''s words sunk fully.


    "I have to defeat it with my physical strength? It seems that I will have to stay here in the second round for a long time," Ricky grumbled in a low voice. He was used to overcoming challenges but strength could not be increased that fast. He would overcome this, of course, but it would take time.


    He wasted no time in planning. He sprinted fast and struck the Lightning Mink with all his strength. Each time, he was beaten back heavily but he tried again and again. If he wanted to make progress, he had to do so.


    After several collisions, Ricky felt severe pain all over his body. The Lightning Mink not only had more strength than him but also had a stronger body. Each hit burdened his more vulnerable body.


    He groaned as he recovered from his last attack. At this rate, he was afraid that his corporeal body would give out before his strength increased. He needed an alternative if he wanted to defeat this Lightning Mink.


    ''I could use the Space-shrinking Pace to burst out powerful force at an extremely fast speed. That attack would generate more power and thus create a powerful enough attack to be fatal to this Lightning Mink, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    With this in mind, he infused his enlighten


    g about.


    "Watch this!" the Evil Emperor exclaimed and took off one of the two black bracelets on his wrist. He bent down and placed it carefully on the ground.


    Ricky was surprised when the small black bracelet met the ground. The valley and even farther areas suddenly collapsed under its weight.


    He met the Evil Emperor''s eyes as he smirked at him in amusement.


    "This...this...Sir, how heavy is this black bracelet?" Ricky asked with amazement.


    "These two bracelets are made of Gravity Black Iron. Each of them is about the same weight as a medium-sized mountain range!" Ricky gaped at the Evil Emperor in disbelief.


    The Evil Emperor chuckled as he took the bracelet back.


    "What?! As heavy as a medium-sized mountain range?!" Ricky was shocked. He thought it was probably heavier than normal but the possibility that it was as heavy as a medium-sized mountain range did not even cross his mind.


    "This is how I cultivate my strength. It''s a way to be efficient and convenient. I cultivate this in order to cultivate the Space-shrinking Pace."


    "You''re a monster!" Ricky did not usually say this to anyone since it was generally offensive, but he could not think of any other word that could accurately describe the Evil Emperor.


    It was not until then that he understood why the Evil Emperor could become an innate spiritual emperor at an age of less than half a hundred years.


    "I like that word, especially coming from you. What do you think? Would you like to cultivate in this way?" The Evil Emperor laughed good-naturedly at Ricky''s reaction.


    He flicked his finger and took out two more black bracelets. He put these in front of Ricky and met his eyes meaningfully.

 Chapter 785 The Third Round

    Boom! The two black bracelets fell. Both were so heavy they opened two deep craters.


    "These are the same bracelets I worn when I was at your stage. Each of them weighs as much as two medium-sized mountains. I believe it''s suitable for you to use them before you become a completed spiritual king," the Evil Emperor laughed.


    "So just one of these bracelets weighs about the same as two medium-sized mountains?" Ricky repeated in shock. He wondered how long it would take for him to walk with those.


    Evil Emperor laughed out loud. "Don''t worry. You won''t be doing the training with these until you are done with the test," he told Ricky.


    "So, sir, do you mean that I can pass the round this time?" Ricky asked.


    "In this round, I just want you to know the importance of cultivating the necessary strength to work with the Space-shrinking Pace," the Evil Emperor said.


    ...


    The Evil Emperor took Ricky to a translucent space, where he would face his third round.


    Ricky gazed around and managed to detect the solid floors all over the place. Up close, they resembled a really thin sheet of paper.


    However, when he gathered his spiritual energy and tried to touch one of them, he just wasn''t able to.


    Right away, he attempted to step forward to the next floor, but also failed. It had become clear that there was an invisible force blocking his way and leaving him stuck.


    Ricky soon realized that each floor was actually way far from one another, even though they didn''t seem more than three feet away apart.


    "This is the space I created with the ruling power. Each floor looks very close but they''re actually at least tens of thousands of meters away," the Evil Emperor explained.


    "Moreover, within the said length, there''s also a force of resistance located at this space. That''s the reason you feel you can''t move from one floor to another."


    "So how can I get to another floor?" Ricky asked.


    "Innate spiritual kings'' understanding of space are divided into five stages," the Evil Emperor responded.


    "Of course, things are different when one becomes a spiritual emperor."


    "I''ve never heard about it, sir. Not even from the other warriors," Ricky said confusedly.


    "That''


    r zones, please, I''m counting on you now.'' Ricky''s heart raced upon activating his power of the four zones. Then, along with the four zones, he merged the power with the four kinds of runes. As a result, his body kept turning from one of the four mutants to another.


    "What the hell!" Seeing it all from a hidden spot in the dark, the Evil Emperor couldn''t help but gap in shock. So much he even drooled.


    He was an innate spiritual emperor, so it wasn''t a huge surprise that he had been right about the potential he saw in the middle spiritual king. Yet, it was impressive to watch four kinds of mutant powers surrounding Ricky''s body at once.


    The Evil Emperor had seen many talents around, but he had never heard of anyone with four kinds of mutant powers within themselves. If he must confess, he hadn''t heard about anyone even with two inside.


    Except for a warrior who cultivated several kinds of mutant powers simultaneously.


    But Ricky hadn''t gained these four mutants by cultivation. He was their original owner.


    "You are lying, aren''t you?" The Evil Emperor was still having a hard time to believe in what he witnessed. "You''ve already owned these four different mutants. So, wouldn''t I be gilding the lily if I teach you the cultivation method?"


    ....


    Bang! At that precise moment, Ricky shuttled successfully through the space. Gathering the space power within his hands, he tore off the resistance that was blocking him and then simply strode over.

 Chapter 786 Twelve People

    Bang!


    After Ricky successfully traveled through two floors, great power suddenly surged in his body. He now had a deeper comprehension of space power, which had reached the minor achievement.


    With a deep breath, he retreated the power from his body and relaxed fully. He finally passed the third round within half a month.


    At that moment, Ricky felt that he was closer to the space. He could better integrate into the void where he could find a more subtle shelter.


    As he looked into the void between two floors again, he no longer felt any resistance. The two floors seemed to be closer too.


    "So this is how it feels for my comprehension of space to reach the minor achievement," Ricky murmured.


    "Well, you passed the third round five days earlier than I expected. It seems that I''ve underestimated you. Only a genius like you could deepen the comprehension of space from the preliminary stage to the minor achievement within ten days." The Evil Emperor smiled as he recognized Ricky''s accomplishment. He looked at him fondly and with no small amount of astonishment.


    "Sir, as you have requested, I have learned to travel through space in half a month. You can''t go back on your word. Please teach me the mind method for Space-shrinking Pace. I will make good use of it." Ricky smiled, ecstatic. It was not easy but he was able to surpass all the obstacles and succeed in his mission.


    He was even more excited since he was only one step away from the Omnipotent Skill.


    "Of course, I will keep my word." Despite the assuring words, the Evil Emperor seemed to be reluctant. After all, Space-shrinking Pace was his inheritable cultivation method. Even if he admired Ricky, he was naturally reluctant to pass it on.


    "But before that, I want to ask you. Did you just burst out four kinds of mutant powers? Do you own four different mutants?" the Evil Emperor could not help but ask in curiosity.


    "Yes, sir. I am the owner of four mutants!" Ricky nodded his head in admission.


    "Wow. Sometimes I doubt whether you are truly a creature of this continent. You have four mutants at the same time, something that I have never seen or heard of despite my experience. No wonder you are the ace genius." The Evil Emperor stared at Ricky in wonder.


    "If it were not for the Space-shrinking Pace, you would


    ved his hand and the twelve of them were transported to the square of the Oriental College. It was full of people who had failed the tests.


    When the twelve disciples and those who had failed the tests heard the Evil Emperor''s opinion, they were all speechless.


    Nearly six hundred people took part in the tests, but only twelve people remained after three rounds. How could he say that the tests were simple.


    Those disciples that failed did not say anything because they could only blame themselves for not being strong enough. After all, they had undergone the same tests.


    And they had no idea that Ricky''s tests were specifically created by the Evil Emperor suited to his level of power.


    "We only have ten positions vacant. Thus, the twelve people left will have to fight to accumulate points. I''ll give you three days to rest. You may come back here after three days."


    "Yes, sir!"


    ...


    Thus the competition had ended. All eyes were on the upcoming battles. All of them knew that they were not just competing for the ten positions vacant, but the winners would also be known as the best disciples of the Oriental College.


    "Who will be knocked out among the twelve?" Soon, people began to gossip.


    "The twelve people are top fighters. Whoever gets knocked out can only be regarded as the unlucky one!"


    ...


    Three days passed quickly. The square of the Oriental College was packed with people once again. The battle was hosted by the Evil Emperor, but the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor also showed up this time.

 Chapter 787 The Rule Of The Battles

    When the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor appeared, he communicated with Ricky in secret as well.


    "Each of you will fight against the other eleven warriors, which means that each of you will fight eleven battles. When you win one battle, you will earn one score. If you lose the fight, you will not get the score. In the end, the two people with the lowest scores will have to quit the battle for the Sense of Realm."


    The instructions were announced clearly by the Evil Emperor as all of the warriors listened attentively.


    Although they were looking at the Evil Emperor, there was no doubt that they were subtly observing each other''s reactions as well.


    They were all aware that all of them were extraordinary warriors. It would be a fierce fight, no matter the opponent. Despite their confidences, they were all wise enough to know that they had no assurance that they would win against their equally powerful opponents.


    ''Weldon and Hugh must be extremely powerful. I cannot guarantee that I can defeat them, '' Ricky thought to himself after he used his four zones to test Weldon''s and Hugh''s strengths.


    "Ricky, I did not expect to fight against you for the Sense of Realm. But it is a pleasant surprise. I will not reserve my power and I will do everything I can to fight against you. Let me see how powerful an ace genius is," Hugh said and chuckled in amusement. It would be fun to fight against a strong opponent like Ricky.


    "I am also looking forward to fighting against you, Hugh. I will use all my strength when we meet," Ricky replied with a smile when he heard Hugh''s message.


    He could tell that Hugh received his message when he heard his laughter once again. Ricky could not help but smile as well.


    "Ricky, although it''s the first time we have met, your reputation precedes you. I have heard a lot about you and I am really looking forward to a battle with you. It''s kind of surprising to know that I will have the chance to fight against you very soon." To Ricky''s surprise, Weldon talked to him telepathically as well. It was surprising to receive a mental message from him.


    "I''m flattered. I''m also looking forward to your performance," Ricky could not help but reply politely. He knew that Weldon was powerful and he would enjoy their fight but he also hoped that he was the kind of warrior that he could be friends with as well.


    Ricky had heard some things about Weldon. He heard that Weldon was also an inner disciple like Jasper. However, Weldon was less famous because most people only cared about Jasper and ignored Weldon to some degree.


    "There is something I would like to talk to you about, apart from the


    ." Amanda appeared calm as she talked. She didn''t think there was anything wrong with her loss. Ricky was just too strong.


    "Hugh and Weldon?" Ricky murmured to himself.


    The first round of the battle soon came to an end. The Evil Emperor once again randomly assigned their opponents for the second round.


    Ricky''s opponent in the second round was Simon. Simon was a little bit weaker than Amanda in terms of strength so it was an easy victory for Ricky as well. In the third round, he met Thiago. Once again, Ricky witnessed the strong power of the Array Mutant. He defeated Thiago and won after a fierce fight.


    "An array deployer is truly powerful especially when everything is prepared in advance," Ricky sighed in appreciation. He loved it when he faced a strong enemy.


    In the fourth round, Ricky met Hugh.


    "Ricky, I didn''t expect that we would meet in the fourth round. I am ready and every part of my body is straining for a fight with you¡ªan ace genius," Hugh told him as he laughed.


    Boom! He burst out his energy which rushed toward Ricky.


    On his end, Ricky readied himself. Hugh''s dominating power beckoned him to release his own. It seemed that this fourth match would be interesting.


    "I feel the same way. I could feel the overbearing power of saber from you, Hugh. You must be a skillful saber wielder," Ricky praised Hugh highly.


    "I heard that you are also good at using the blade. How about we fight with one then?" Hugh asked with a laugh. Ricky smiled as well as he readied himself for a fight. If Hugh was looking for a challenge, then he would give him one.


    Buzz! Despite the laughter, both of them were serious in this fight. They respected each other greatly. Because of this, they knew that they would each give their best.

 Chapter 788 Saber Fight

    The energy around Hugh''s body instantaneously turned into multiple small blades, which quickly dashed towards Ricky. At that precise moment, an aggressive and mighty saber revealed itself. Its power was so great that Ricky couldn''t help but feel like submitting to it.


    "Whoa! What a powerful saber!" Ricky sighed seriously as he felt the magnitude it held.


    He knew how powerful Hugh was. So, there was no doubt that Hugh must have mastered the saber intent. Therefore, the chances of winning didn''t seem favorable at all¡ªnot against such an opponent as Hugh.


    Yet, Ricky wouldn''t go back on the promise he made to fight Hugh using the saber.


    "Who will win the fight? I''m dying with curiosity here," a disciple in the surroundings murmured. Everyone had their eyes fixed on Ricky and Hugh as they watched from the outside of the void.


    "Among all the inner disciples, Hugh and Weldon are the strongest apart from Jasper. Although Hugh hadn''t returned to the Oriental College for a long time, I''m sure his strength is still to be reckoned with," another disciple said.


    "We all know what happened to Ricky in the Casting Center. Even though his title as the sixth chief doesn''t hold him any ruling power, it still proves his talent. After all, casting is generally connected with the martial arts," a third disciple stated.


    "Moreover, he''s an ace genius. He must have made great progress during this period."


    "It''s going to be a wonderful fight!"


    "Haven''t you heard? Their fight with the sabers will be even more intense."


    "Hugh practices with a very aggressive saber. It''s extremely overbearing and incomparably powerful. On the other hand, the rumor about Ricky is that his achievement with the saber is also extraordinary. Now that he dared to promise that he will also use it, it should mean he''s confident enough about his saber. Without a doubt, this battle will be a highly fierce one."


    When Hugh''s Ultimate Saber Domain formed, Ricky also gathered his. Multiple blades popped up in his hands, flickering with golden lights. Then, Ricky''s saber rushed towards Hugh''s as they both clashed.


    Ricky promptly released his golden purple galaxy power.


    In order to resist Hugh''s aggressive saber, Ricky knew he had to use his strongest galaxy


    blurring the void.


    The disciples watching gathered spiritual energy to be able to see clearly again. No one wanted to miss a second of that battle.


    As a result of the clash, the sabers shook violently. The impact had also left its marks on Ricky and Hugh. Both of them spat out blood and retreated, not stopping until they had reached the boundary of the Evil Emperor''s void.


    "I''m afraid everyone here would die if attempted to take any of them down. We would probably fail even if we were ten against one," a disciple murmured upon seeing what had just happened.


    "Evil Emperor, who do you think will win?" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor asked.


    "Sir, to be honest, I have no idea. If Ricky bursts out another power, he will probably win. But if he only uses the saber, I''m not so sure," the Evil Emperor used his telepathy to answer while shaking his head.


    In the past, the Evil Emperor was a junior to the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor, so he had a lot of respect for him. Even though he was a spiritual emperor now as well, he would still address formally to the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor.


    "Ricky, this strike just now was so amazing! It''s been a while since I''ve fought with all the strength I have. It''s so damn good to contend against you." Hugh laughed heartily as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was being completely sincere. To have the chance to fight against someone equal in strength was something Hugh had been wishing for a long time.

 Chapter 789 Three Strikes Versus Three Strikes

    "Haha, it is true. This is exactly the kind of collision that we expected and perhaps hoped for." Through that one single collision, Ricky could feel Hugh''s vast blood power as well. The overbearing saber skills he had cultivated were nothing short of extraordinary. It was without a hint of doubt a powerful heritage.


    But it wasn''t really a surprise. To be honest, there was never any room for doubt.


    If he could get Jasper''s approval, he must be nothing short of outstanding.


    "Haha! Why do I have a feeling you still haven''t shown me your true saber skills, Ricky? Let''s have another collision this way!" Hugh said. He was now completely engaged into this battle and he was curious to see Ricky''s real strength.


    "So I hope you''ll start entertaining me with your true skills," Ricky said also with mounting interest in the ensuing battle.


    Boom! The air cracked as their sabers collided. The very next second, their momentum rose again dramatically, and it was time for them to launch their next volley of attacks at each other.


    "This will indeed be the last collision. Then, we''ll know who the real winner is!" the disciples around remarked, as they tried to gauge the unwavering and resolute expressions on their faces.


    "But they are too equally matched, so this might turn out to be a dead heat. At this rate unless they fight each other to the death, it will be very hard to determine who the real winner and loser are!"


    The disciples kept discussing amongst themselves in anticipation.


    ''It almost seems like he hasn''t activated his saber intent?'' Ricky thought to himself, doubt filtering through his heart, as he couldn''t feel a trace of any saber intent from Hugh. He was confused because as a master cultivator who only cultivated saber skills, Hugh would definitely have worked out saber intent in this realm.


    The saber intent was perhaps the best trump card in a saber cultivator''s hand.


    "Ricky, I won''t use my saber intent in this collision, because it''ll be unfair to you since you have not cultivated your own saber intent yet," Hugh responded telepathically as he noticed the confusion in Ricky''s eyes.


    "Oh, really? Hugh, you are going to look down on me?!" Ricky responded in disdain and annoyance.


    In his opinion, if they didn''t battle with their true power, the competition between them would be just meaningless.


    "Haha, Ricky, I think you may have misunderstood me. I won''t use the saber intent, only because you can''t use your other power," Hugh explained in response to Ricky''s accusation.


    "If you don''t use all your power, then neither would


    all of their previous expectations.


    "I''m afraid that''s the reason why he dared to agree to fight against Hugh with his saber!"


    ...


    "Clearly it''s not easy for Ricky to let go of his resentment towards the Bu Clan. I''m afraid even an entire zone of cultivation resources would not nearly be enough to make him give up revenge!" Weldon said seeing what was unfolding with a grave expression on his stern face. "But I have to pay my dues to the Bu Clan. I''ll try my best."


    "It''s unbelievable how strong Ricky really is! We still have a long way to go before we defeat him ourselves!" Soar said with disappointment.


    Boom! Another crash split the air around the arena.


    The next moment, the Three Hell Strikes collided against the Three Galaxy Strikes with a loud crash. The space around the battle was once again submerged in endless waves of sound and pure energy.


    The Ultimate Domains Ricky and Huge cultivated also collided against each other ferociously.


    The violent surge of the waves made it almost impossible for the warriors to see clearly even when they merged with their spiritual energy.


    "Who will win? Who will lose?" They began murmuring amongst themselves, responding to the intensity of the destructive power on display. They became restless, anxious like they were a part of the battle as well.


    The ferocious air waves continued to spread. It was not until about an hour later that they gradually began to disperse.


    Ricky''s and Hugh''s figures slowly appeared in the clearing dust. They were half kneeling in the air, bleeding at the corners of their mouths. It was a very embarrassing state.


    "What''s the result of the battle?" The disciples around were confused, asking amongst themselves.

 Chapter 790 Devouring Storm Versus Ink Rain

    Gasping for breath, Ricky and Hugh looked at each other and smiled, making the other disciples unable to figure out which of them was the winner.


    Neither Ricky nor Hugh cared much about the result of the battle. Both of the gentlemen had a really great time during the battle. This was a battle between friends, which satisfied both of them very much.


    "For this fight, I will call it a draw. Do you agree with me?" the Evil Emperor said. He thought that there was no need for the two to continue fighting, so he stepped forward to stop them.


    If they were to continue fighting, all of their trump cards would otherwise be revealed. There were many disciples in the Oriental College present to witness the battle. The possibility of spies camouflaging among the disciples was high, and therefore it would be risky to exhibit their best-kept moves and the full capacity of their power.


    Should their trump cards be carelessly exposed, it would be greatly disadvantageous for them by the time they engaged in the battle for the Sense of Realm.


    "A draw? Again!?" The Evil Emperor''s declaration left some of the disciples dissatisfied and a little unhappy. After all, they were looking forward to the outcome of the battle between the two. They were eager to determine which of the two warriors was stronger.


    On second thought, the disciples were able to figure out why the Evil Emperor had intervened and called a draw.


    "We agree with you, sir," Ricky and Hugh unitedly replied and acknowledged the Evil Emperor''s decision. Of course, they both understood what the Evil Emperor meant.


    "But you won''t have any point accumulated from this battle. Although your fight technically ended in a draw, both of you can only take it as a defeat," the Evil Emperor said with a smile.


    "Of course!"


    Just like that, the fierce battle between Ricky and Hugh concluded and the competition continued on to the next round.


    In the fifth round, Ricky fought against the woman named Violet. Ricky confronted Henry during the sixth round and it was another fierce fight. During the seventh round, Ricky was paired against Daisy and in the eighth round, Ricky fought another powerful disciple. As he reached the ninth round, it was Soar who exchanged blows with Ricky at the other side of the arena.


    At this time, Soar''s strength had become very close to that of an upper spiritual king at peak state. In fact he had just broken through and become a second-class upper spiritual king.


    Unfortunately, his newfound strength still couldn''t compare with Ricky. Defeated by


    nt. Drops of ink appeared and floated within the zone that surrounded the ink and the brush.


    Swish!


    Merging with the Ink Enlightenment, the Ink Rain drops dashed towards Ricky at lightning speed. Thick cracks appeared in the space where the Ink Rain drops passed.


    As they kept on fighting, the Ink Rain drops shape-shifted into warriors and war horses.


    They looked like the thousands of troops galloping on the open space.


    "It''s a very powerful move! It''s almost as powerful as Hugh''s Three Hell Strikes," Ricky mumbled to himself. "But this time, I have to beat him."


    He narrowed his eyes at his targets. "Because I want to seize this opportunity to tear the Bu Clan apart."


    As his brutal thoughts clouded his mind, an evil smile formed at the corners of his mouth.


    Ricky concealed his entire body with the devouring runes, and two enlightening windstorms appeared in the palms of his hands.


    "Devouring Omnipotent Skill! Devouring Storm!"


    Ricky exclaimed. The runes merged with his body. Even with the storm that swept violently throughout the entire battlefield, he relentlessly and fiercely collided with the thousands of troops that were formed from the Ink Rain.


    The attack launched by Weldon spread across the breadth of the arena. Yet, Ricky casually and fearlessly went head-to-head against it with the Devouring Storm.


    Boom!


    The Devouring Storm crashed against the Ink Rain. As the two powerful strikes collided against each other, it looked like the sky was about to collapse at any minute.


    Following the exchange of immense blows, everything else around them submerged.


    But just as the waves engulfed everything, Ricky geared himself for another counterattack.

 Chapter 791 The Final Candidates Were Resolute

    ''Now that I''m resolute to defeat him, I need to be quick. So, let''s see how powerful the Space-shrinking Pace is, '' Ricky pondered just as he got out of the Devouring Storm.


    With a determined look on his face, he activated the massacring power around his body and then unleashed a slim portion embedded in his Golden Spirit Eyes. The dazzling golden light spread around and blocked all the warriors'' sights.


    Of course, the trick didn''t manage to block the eyes of the Evil Emperor or the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor.


    "What is he doing? Are his eyes sending this strong energy?" the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor asked in shock.


    A living creature''s eyes were probably the most vulnerable parts of their bodies. Mostly, the eyes couldn''t carry such a strong power unless they were special somehow. When Ricky conveyed that kind of energy, the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor and the Evil Emperor couldn''t deny their confusion.


    Ricky had anticipated they might have been surprised once they noticed his special performance. So, he just used a tiny portion of energy embedded in his Golden Spirit Eyes to conceal his real strength. It didn''t really matter, though, if the Evil Emperor and the Heavenly Ape Demi-spiritual Emperor felt curious about his eyes.


    "It seems we are still missing something about his eyes." The Evil Emperor frowned his eyebrows in confusion.


    ...


    Ricky''s golden eyes weren''t enough to cause any kind of damage to Weldon. But as the violent air waves stroke, Weldon''s vision got blurred and he was unable to see anything clearly from that point on.


    Ricky, however, was able to see everything thanks to his Golden Spirit Eyes.


    That was the moment to take action. Ricky infused all his power into his legs in preparation to release his Space-shrinking Pace.


    Ricky had already shifted ten meters forward in one step, previously.


    Thus, now, within a few seconds he took six steps towards Weldon, which meant he had moved about sixty meters. The moment Weldon was finally able to see again, what he saw was Ricky''s Iron Destroyer against his neck.


    Weldon couldn''t bring himself to feel anything but a mix of shock and disbelief.


    His vision betrayed him only for a few seconds. But how did Ricky get to him? Didn''t


    fficult for the Bu Clan in the future. But as for the cultivation resources, I want them to be at the King Level. Besides, I need some casting tools and materials to forge spiritual weapon at the intermediate stage," Ricky promptly told him.


    "Is the Bu Clan okay with it?"


    "I think your requirements are fair enough. The Bu Clan can afford them. I believe they''ll agree with your terms. I will personally hand them over to you at this time tomorrow. How do you like it?" Weldon responded.


    "That''s great. Thank you so much, Weldon," concluded Ricky.


    ...


    As soon as all the battles were over, the results came out. Among the twelve eliminated were Daisy and Jules, which meant they weren''t fit to fight for the Sense of Realm.


    Ricky was sorry about it. After all, he really cared about Daisy.


    But on the other hand, he also felt it turned out to be good that she wasn''t qualified. Unfortunately, she wasn''t strong enough to compete for the Sense of Realm. The competition was hard and could easily get her killed.


    ...


    ''It''s time for me to cultivate in seclusion, '' Ricky thought to himself after everything was done.


    Before the battle for the Sense of Realm came, Ricky was resolute to break through and become an upper spiritual king. Every warrior knew this was the only way to have a chance to win against the completed spiritual kings who would cross their ways.


    But before Ricky could go into seclusion, he would wait for Weldon to bring him the cultivation resources he was promised.

 Chapter 792 Refining The Heaven Soul Stone

    The following day, Weldon arrived at the appointed time. He did not eat his words.


    Weldon was right. After he transferred Ricky''s requirement to the Bu Clan, the Bu Clan did not decline despite their unwillingness to give those precious resources to Ricky. Still, they agreed because they were afraid that Ricky would become more powerful in the future. If they refused his requirement, then the Bu Clan would remain an enemy of his and it would bring them no good.


    "Here you go, Ricky. All the resources you have demanded are placed in this storage ring," Weldon said as he passed over a storage ring to Ricky.


    "They are not stupid. That''s great. I just wish that they would not hit me when I am down," Ricky said with a smile as he reached out to take the storage ring.


    "Don''t worry, Ricky. I''ll be the first one to fight against the Bu Clan if they ever break their promise. After all, I''m the one who offered my endorsement for them," Weldon promised and assured Ricky.


    They talked for a few more moments before Weldon bade goodbye to Ricky. The two of them still had to concentrate on their individual cultivation as the fight over the Sense of Realm was getting closer.


    After Weldon left, Ricky left Tina in the cave before he entered the Massacring Zone to cultivate. As for Pearl, Ricky also made her practice in the Massacring Zone. Pearl would also be participating in the battle for the Sense of Realm.


    Although Pearl was not offered a place by any force, she would still be able to participate in the battle since Ricky could bring her.


    "My Iron Destroyer needs to be cast again, but I think I can do it later. After I finish the cultivation this time, I will be more powerful and I will have a better understanding of runes," Ricky murmured to himself in the Massacring Zone.


    He took out the two powerful bracelets that the Evil Emperor had given him. With blood dripping down, he became the master of the two bracelets, which merged into his wrists.


    Bang! Ricky instantly felt that his body was being pressed down by four medium-sized mountains. He was caught off guard as he lay down helplessly in the Massacring Zone.


    "What? Are you really practicing?" Pearl, who was practicing not far away, teased in a cold voice. She found it delightful to see Ricky struggle.


    On the other hand, she also noticed something different and guessed that Ricky must be undergoing some sort of weight training.


    "Pearl, can''t you just be nice to me for a bit?" Ricky muttered as he mustered his spiritual energy and struggled to stand up.


    "Do you think it''s possible?" Pearl asked instead, ignoring the ace genius''s plea.


    Ricky


    ss to say, Ricky was able to become an upper spiritual king so easily. He now could see that there was a clearer road in front of him. That was the exact path through which he could continue his cultivation. All the previous barriers he encountered no longer posed a problem for he knew he now could handle each impediment with much ease.


    After he broke through, Ricky felt that the oppressive force from the two bracelets had reduced a little.


    Bang! Ricky no longer suppressed his own momentum. His momentum exploded, and the entire area was enshrouded by his realm.


    "Finally, I made it! I''ve become an upper spiritual king!" Ricky could almost feel his heart leap out of his chest. There was a hint of confidence in his eyes.


    "The Heaven Soul Stone is such a convenient tool!" Ricky sighed. If he wanted to become an upper spiritual king without the Heaven Soul Stone, it would be very difficult, unless he had other precious and useful treasures or enormous chances in his hands.


    There was still a half of the power left in the Heaven Soul Stone. Ricky continued his cultivation. By the time that only a third of the stone''s power was left, he had already successfully enhanced his current level and advanced as an upper spiritual king.


    "Well, the next thing is casting," Ricky whispered to himself.


    "But before I start the casting, there is something I should do. I need to see Pearl."


    As he uttered those words, Ricky moved quickly and transported himself to the place where Pearl was cultivating. That time, she was fully concentrating on her cultivation. Two types of powers were flowing within her body. One was the devouring power and the other was the feminine power.


    Ricky also felt the thick haze of spiritual power lingering in the air.

 Chapter 793 Fulfilled A Little Promise

    ''This spiritual power may have evolved from Pearl''s feminine power and devouring power. She must be cultivating both her soul and a soul-related cultivation method using that soul-restoring pill, '' Ricky guessed as he felt the spiritual power coming from Pearl.


    "What are you doing here?" As soon as she felt the arrival of Ricky, she immediately paused from her training.


    "Pearl, I can feel that you are cultivating a special kind of spiritual power. Care to tell me what it is? Who knows, maybe I have a surprise waiting for you." Ricky winked. He smiled though her face was contorted in annoyance.


    "I can''t afford to waste precious time on your surprises." Pearl waved her hand at him dismissively.


    "All right, since you don''t want it, then it only proves that I am misjudging the situation. I was simply thinking about giving you the remaining one-third of the Heaven Soul Stone, but alas..." Ricky then prepared to leave as he trailed off.


    "Heaven Soul Stone." Pearl slowly rose to her feet. "You still have a third of it?" Before Ricky could leave, he was stopped by Pearl. Her tone and voice had an undeniably ecstatic ring to it.


    It was the Heaven Soul Stone, for crying out loud! Why wouldn''t she want to get even just a piece of it from Ricky? Still, at the back of her mind, she knew that Ricky needed it more than she did.


    If she asked for it, Ricky might give it to her because of their relationship. Perhaps, he might even share it as a way of being a gentleman. Pearl knew that in her own way, she had to do what it took to take advantage of the current situation.


    If it were in the past, she would have taken it without any hesitation.


    However, her feelings for Ricky had grown and developed into something deeper, something different. Pearl knew that, given how far they had come now, she could no longer do such a thing. That was why she had offered to exchange the dark water for the soul-restoring pill.


    Since Ricky now had one third of the Heaven Soul Stone left, she surely didn''t want to miss it.


    "Of course!" Ricky replied with a smile as he saw the excited look on Pearl''s face. Then, he turned over his palm, and the remaining Heaven Soul Stone appeared. Unfortunately for Pearl, it was only for a brief moment. She was shocked when he suddenly took the stone back.


    At this, Pearl''s face turned rigid. She knew that she was a little too excite


    e an upper spiritual king and have the Devouring Mutant at your disposal, expelling the evil spirit will also cause you some harm. And I don''t want that." In the end, Tina politely refused Ricky''s offer.


    "Tina, it doesn''t matter. I can only drive out a small amount of the evil spirit for you at the moment, and it will not harm me. I''m confident about this." Ricky tried his best to ease Tina''s worries.


    "Another thing, I don''t know when the battle for the Sense of Realm will end. In the past, my strength was not yet enough for me to drive out even just a small fraction of the evil spirit for you. But now that I have the ability, I have to fulfill my promise.


    This is also a man''s promise.


    So you don''t have to say anything this time. I have already made up my mind."


    Upon his declaration, Ricky brought Tina into the Devourer Zone. This time, she didn''t refuse.


    Although she didn''t want Ricky to dispel the evil spirit for her just yet, it was Ricky''s decision and the sincerity he showed her that finally made her agree and accept his kind offer. If were to refuse him once more, she would only end up hurting him.


    Besides, she believed in Ricky, because she had a crush on the man.


    "Tina, from now on, you just need to calm down and concentrate. I will handle everything. Perhaps I can''t expel that much evil spirit right now, but I am sure I will reduce your pain," Ricky said reassuringly.


    "I understand. But Ricky, you must remember, don''t push yourself too hard. Do you hear me?" Tina responded decidedly, although she still couldn''t help but worry about him.

 Chapter 794 Strong Evil Spirit

    "Don''t worry. I know what I''m doing." Ricky nodded.


    He conditioned his mind to ensure he was in the best state, before he concentrated all of his thoughts and strength. He then pushed the Devouring Mutant to the limit. His whole body almost turned into the devouring runes.


    Once everything he needed was finally ready, he released the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill.


    The Blood Vitality Devouring Skill was a kind of Omnipotent Skill that required a warrior to burn his own blood vitality.


    Ricky infused all of his devouring power into two wisps of blood. Since his mind was attached to the wisps of blood, it enabled him to direct his wisps of blood using telepathy. His wisps of blood penetrated Tina''s body through her shoulder.


    All the evil spirit in Tina''s body was sealed in the elixir field. That was why she couldn''t make a breakthrough and become an innate spiritual king.


    Two wisps of blood, together with Ricky''s intense concentration soon reached Tina''s elixir field. In the elixir field, he could sense a huge array.


    He only had one feeling about this array: it was so deep and vast. The profound feeling it generated was an indication that even though Ricky was an upper spiritual king, he still had very little understanding of this array.


    Deep inside the array, he sensed a kind of ancient power that made his heart palpitate. It was undoubtedly the strong evil spirit in Tina''s body.


    ''Doris once said that even the almighty saint couldn''t drive the evil spirit out. As such, it is very likely that the evil spirit residing within Tina belonged to a devil emperor, who is more powerful than a saint, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    At the same time, his mind also saw the evil spirit flowing and hovering over the array. In the past, he had dispelled the evil spirit outside of the array. Most of the energy emanated by the evil spirit had already been absorbed by the array and thus they could be dispelled.


    At the same time, because the power of the array was constantly consumed, it was inevitable that the array would be consumed by evil spirit one day. That fateful day would be when Tina succumbed to her death.


    Without hesitation, the two wisps of blood devoured the evil spirit outside the array. He eliminated the evil spirit in the Devourer zone.


    It was all done in a matter of minutes.


    "Tina, use the power of the array to release one percent of the evil spirit from the array''s depths. My strength is just enough to eliminate one percent of the evil spirit," Ricky requested Tina. He


    evil spirit!" Ricky said excitedly.


    "Ricky, what kind of power is it? How can it resist the evil spirit? Is it stronger than your devouring power?" Tina couldn''t believe her eyes.


    "I don''t know yet exactly what kind of power defines this chromatic energy, but it definitely has a suppressing effect on the evil spirit. All I know about this impressive energy is that it is another power residing within my body," Ricky admitted.


    "Ricky, how many kinds of the most powerful forces in the world do you have!?" Tina exclaimed. How many more surprises could this fellow hide in that one body of his?


    "Ha-ha! I don''t know. The chromatic energy awakened when I was in the Casting Center." Ricky smiled and shrugged. Even he himself couldn''t help but feel surprised by all the new powers he kept on discovering within himself.


    Thanks to his chromatic energy, both Tina and Ricky started to feel more confident that they were about to succeed.


    However, what they didn''t expect was the sudden turn of events that took place the very next moment. After a seeming calm in the storm brought by the chromatic energy, the ferocious force that was nestled deep inside the evil spirit''s core seemed to have been triggered. Strangely, it began to triple in its strength and viciousness.


    Ka-boom!


    A single sweep of force from the evil spirit was all it took to crush the chromatic energy and the devouring power. It didn''t take long before it took over Ricky''s flesh and blood and continued ravishing it bit by bit.


    "How is it possible that the evil spirit has become stronger?" Tina said in disbelief. "Ricky, please, don''t hesitate anymore. Transfer the excessive evil spirit to me."

 Chapter 795 The Evil Devouring Mouth

    At this moment, Ricky also found it unbelievable. His relaxed eyes suddenly turned to slits and once again, he sensed the extreme danger around him.


    "That''s what I want!" Ricky exclaimed in a hoarse voice. "But now, my devouring power and chromatic energy are no longer enough to pass on the evil spirit to you."


    Ricky ignored an important point that while it was absolutely true that the chromatic energy could restrain the evil spirit, the power of Ricky was way lower than the evil spirit in Tina''s body.


    Ricky''s chromatic energy was just like a cub lion, whose strength could by no means compare with that of an adult antelope.


    ''This time, it''s all my fault. I completely underestimated the power of the evil spirit that can''t even be eliminated by the saints. I was way too overconfident. I believed that the chromatic energy was invincible. I was just arrogant and conceited.


    And the price I have to pay for my excessive self-confidence this time would be the mine and Tina''s lives, '' Ricky thought regretfully to himself.


    He was feeling horribly guilty. He didn''t care if he lost his life because of his arrogance, but he couldn''t forgive himself for inflicting any sort of discomfort on Tina.


    But he knew that this was not the time for introspection or dwelling over guilt. He had to focus and he couldn''t give up until the last moment.


    "Then what should we do?" Tina asked, her panic evident in her voice. "The power of the array inside my body can''t come out of my body at all."


    "Tina, I''m so sorry for causing this trouble to you this time. I was arrogant and presumptuous, but I won''t give up," Ricky told Tina earnestly.


    On hearing Ricky''s words, Tina fell silent. The panic in her eyes was suddenly replaced by firm determination.


    "Ricky, I''m ready for everything. I won''t regret it even if it turns out to be bad," Tina said passionately.


    "Tina, thank you for believing in me and being together with me," Ricky said. "However, I will not give up my own life, and I will definitely not give up yours either."


    After that, Ricky covered the Devourer Zone with all his mind and unleashed all the blood vitality in his body with his full strength. He then integrated this with the chromatic energy.


    "Blood Vitality Devouring


    herefore, the Devourer Zone was resisting the evil spirit together with Ricky.


    Seeing the black dot, Ricky no longer felt any hesitation. His entire mind was focused on the black dot. The Devouring Mutant activated all the devouring runes, and all the enlightenment power entered the black dot.


    Meanwhile, chromatic energy also worked on it.


    As a result, the black dot began to absorb all the wisps of blood vitality that filled the air all over the place. At the same time, the black dot grew bigger swiftly, and it stopped enlarging when it reached about three meters in diameter.


    After that, the black ball started to change its form. It transformed directly into a giant black mouth in which the scarlet devouring runes were transformed into teeth.


    The next moment, the huge black mouth started to bite Ricky.


    "Evil Devouring Mouth, devour it!" Ricky couldn''t help but scream.


    The Evil Devouring Mouth was provided to him by the Devourer Zone. Following the Devouring Storm and the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill, it was another Omnipotent Skill that had been evolved in the Devourer Zone.


    Boom!


    The next moment, as the Evil Devouring Mouth closed, Ricky''s body was completely wiped out. Then, the Evil Devouring Mouth began to shrink. At last, Ricky''s body emerged while the Evil Devouring Mouth completely fused into his body.


    Meanwhile, the evil spirit in Ricky''s body had completely disappeared.


    Tina, who was by his side, didn''t feel any evil spirit in Ricky''s body either.

 Chapter 796 A Blessing In Disguise

    "It''s okay," Tina said absentmindedly. She couldn''t feel any evil spirit. Though, she was so dazed that she didn''t know what expression she had on her face. At that moment, she couldn''t point out exactly how she felt. Relieved? Excited? Perhaps both.


    All she knew was the strong sense of release she had inside. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.


    For the first time, she could sense the existence of the elixir field in her body.


    Before, it was just full of evil spirit. But as one percent had been removed, now she could finally sense her spiritual energy.


    "I can feel now the innate spiritual energy," Tina said excitedly once she came back to her senses.


    "Ricky, thank you!" Tina was honest.


    When Ricky was finally able to relax, he focused on clearing the remaining evil spirit in his body. Tina didn''t disturb Ricky. As she was able to feel the innate spiritual energy, it had made her unconsciously start cultivating.


    ...


    ''The Evil Devouring Mouth is a kind of stronger devouring Omnipotent Skill developed from the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill. It can devour all sorts of power!'' Ricky was immersed in the Omnipotent Skill he had newly comprehended.


    The said skill was more powerful and advantageous than the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill.


    In order to make the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill break out, Ricky needed to make use of his own blood vitality. As a skill, it caused great loss to both sides. The Evil Devouring Mouth, on the other hand, didn''t demand the same energy. Moreover, it could also provide Rick with some power in return.


    Nevertheless, making use of both the Devouring Storm and the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill could highly enhance Ricky''s comprehension of the devouring Omnipotent Skill.


    ''Perhaps only when I have a great grasp of the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill will I be able to understand such a great Omnipotent Skill as the Evil Devouring Mouth. In other words, this skill needs to break and then set. Only by experiencing destruction will I be able to perfectly understand the devouring skill!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    Then, Ricky''s mind dived right into his elixir field.


    The evil spirit hadn''t v


    ple purple lights descended as rapidly as pythons.


    With her innate power released, Tina went on full force against the Thunderstroke Doom.


    Such an extraordinary event naturally turned heads. Many other disciples in the Oriental College stopped their cultivation so they could watch Tina.


    "It seems that Ricky''s friend is undergoing the Thunderstroke Doom," one disciple whispered.


    "Ricky is so lucky to have such a beautiful woman with him apart from the pretty Pearl," another disciple commented.


    "To be honest, this woman''s temper seems to be a little easier than Pearl''s. There is no doubt that Ricky is really lucky to have her on his side.


    It seems that we need to work hard on our cultivation as well. Once we have enough strength, there could be all kinds of women waiting for us."


    ...


    Ricky couldn''t help but want to roll his eyes at what the disciples around were discussing.


    However, he managed to be friendly and greet everyone while he waited for Tina to go through the Thunderstroke Doom. Ricky didn''t worry that she wasn''t going to make it. After suppressing her power on the demi-immortal level for such a long time, the Thunderstroke Doom wouldn''t be able to shake her.


    After she successfully went through the Thunderstroke Doom, Ricky and Tina made their way back to the cave.


    Admiring her up close, Ricky saw Tina as natural and lovable as a lotus floating on water. That picture had just ignited his desire to win her.

 Chapter 797 The Appearance Of The Senses Of Realm

    With such a desire filling his body, Rick devilishly smirked. He didn''t attempt to hide his feelings. He didn''t really have to, not from the woman in front of him.


    "Ricky, what are you thinking about?" Tina asked coyly. Her pale cheeks blushed in deep red once she noticed his not-so-innocent smile.


    "Tina, you''re turning more and more beautiful every passing day," Ricky replied in a flirtatious tone. His smile widened as he stepped towards her. As he got nearer, Tina could feel his breath on her skin. Such closeness made her feel so nervous that part of her just wanted to go away and find a place to hide.


    Once close enough, Ricky stretched his arms and pulled Tina into his embrace. Then, he told her seriously, "Tina, for a moment, I really thought I was going to lose you."


    Nestling in his arms, Tina responded softly, "Ricky, nothing bad happened. All is fine. We can safely say we were both blessed in misfortune. I think God has been helping us."


    Ricky didn''t reply, nor did Tina say anything else. There was no need for words then. They knew they had just fallen in love again.


    In silence, they just kept holding each other dearly.


    "Tina, am I a bit fickle in love? Grace, Pearl, and you..." Ricky suddenly asked in a soft tone.


    "Yeah, I guess you can be quite a playboy!" Tina giggled.


    Ricky gapped, choosing to shift the topic of their conversation next.


    "Tina, you burst out some mutant power while breaking through the Thunderstroke Doom. You did it in secret, but I could feel it. Was your mutant suppressed by the evil spirit?" Ricky asked.


    "That''s right. But now that one percent of the evil spirit has been removed, I guess my mutant power could finally show." Tina nodded.


    "Don''t worry. I no longer fear the evil spirit inside of you. But I''m afraid, because of the restrictions of my cultivation level, I''ll only be able to help you get rid of it gradually. Once I become a demi-spiritual emperor, I''ll remove it for you all at once," Ricky promised.


    "I believe you," Tina said.


    "My family''s blood power is called the Refining Blood, so my mutant should be the Refining Blood Mutant. At least, all the geniuses from my clan have Refining Blood Mutants. But I don''t know for sure if that''s my case. I guess I''ll only find out once it shows it


    ter. All of the disciples promptly stopped their activities to turn their attentions to them.


    "Is there an enemy coming?" a disciple asked. All of them were confused by the two spiritual emperors'' unannounced presence. But as they looked closely, there was no trace of threat on their faces.


    "Is it possible that the Sense of Realm has appeared?" some elder disciple said.


    ...


    Both the Evil Emperor and the Oriental Emperor exchanged glances. Nodding at each other, they clasped their hands and released their ruling power. All of a sudden, a stream of energy was lifted from the whole college as it disappeared into thin air.


    There was no doubt they had just removed the array power, which protected the Oriental College.


    Buzz!


    The removal of the array power enabled the power of fortune and the power of supreme enlightenment to emerge right above the Oriental College. These two kinds of powers were both tangible and intangible.


    Everyone had their eyes fixed on them when the two kinds of power quickly merged together. They soon formed three transparent red light masses, each about three feet high.


    "The Senses of Realm! It''s true. The Senses of Realm!" The Oriental College disciples couldn''t believe their eyes.


    "Unexpectedly, this time there are three Senses of Realm in our Oriental College. In the past, there was only one...maybe two!"


    "It''s probably because this time there is a peerless genius and an ace genius in our college."


    At that moment, the Sense of Realm finally could be seen.

 Chapter 798 The Heavenly Void

    "It''s really such a privilege to meet three Senses of Realm," the Oriental Emperor said as he could not hide the excitement in his voice. "What''s more, each of the Senses of Realm represents the unique destiny of our dear Oriental College!"


    "And it would be such a great loss for us and our college if ever the three Senses of Realm would not be able to come back to us," the Evil Emperor said with a faint frown on his face.


    "I don''t think you have to worry about that. With the existence of those two young and powerful men, there would definitely be more than three Senses of Realm returning to our college," the Oriental Emperor said with utmost confidence.


    Swish!


    Meanwhile, the three Senses of Realm instantly penetrated into the void and disappeared right after a complete and heavy condensation. And in a snap, all three of them had finally entered the Heavenly Void. It was said that the Senses of Realm could contain the supreme enlightenment of heaven and earth only after being baptized by the Heavenly Void.


    "And now, it is time for those warriors to appear!" the Oriental Emperor said as the three Senses of Realm disappeared out of the thin air.


    "Yes, I think so, too. Otherwise, the Senses of Realm will not show up anywhere near our place," the Evil Emperor said as he looked far away into the distance with his bright eyes.


    During that time, almost all of the spiritual emperors in the Eastern Land had shown up as soon as they saw one or two Senses of Realm appear from the void.


    In fact, there were only two places where three Senses of Realm showed up¡ªthe Oriental College and the Nether Manor.


    At that moment, the whole Eastern Land had a strong gut feeling that each and every Sense of Realm had a great potential to make a future spiritual emperor.


    With that, all of the creatures who understood the meaning of Sense of Realm sighed, "In the next few decades, the Eastern Land''s spiritual-emperor forces will definitely be recomposed!"


    "Exactly! And apart from that, we can be sure that every battle for the Senses of Realm will be the prelude to the reshuffling of the spiritual-emperor forces," some of the warriors said as they exchanged their thoughts. "However, the small forces would be the ones who would suffer the most. And on top of that, I''m sure that we will only be the cannon fodders of those spiritual-emperor forces."


    "With all things considered, I hope that the geniuses of our force will get one Sense of Realm. After all, this would be the only way that our force would be able to avoid being the cannon fodder of the situation."


    "Seeing from multiple perspectives, we can clearly see both the advantages and the disadvantages of this scenario. If that were the case, it would be possible that we would also be su


    dering power in the area.


    During that time, many figures appeared in space along with several other airships. Among them were the spiritual emperors of the Eastern Land, as well as the disciples and warriors who came to participate in the battle.


    Once they arrived safely, they all came and settled at the side of the Oriental Emperor.


    Ricky observed the spiritual emperors who arrived and one of them was the Luxurious Emperor of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. Ricky was not able to resist giving out a sneer upon seeing him for there was a great feud and history between Ricky and him.


    And at the same time, the Luxurious Emperor also saw him as his eyes glanced quickly at the airship.


    "Where is Pearl? This is almost as rare as the only time to fight for the Senses of Realm. And if Pearl misses it, she will lose her chance to become a spiritual emperor," the Luxurious Emperor said to Ricky telepathically as soon as he didn''t see Pearl anywhere near him.


    "Now, if you don''t have a place for Pearl in the Oriental College, you can just send her back to me."


    "Well, you don''t need to worry about this matter. Now that she has already left the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, you have got nothing to do with her!" Ricky replied with a crooked smile on his face upon hearing the Luxurious Emperor''s words.


    "I will surely let Pearl participate in the competition for the Senses of Realm. As for how we will make it, it''s still my decision to make because I am her man and you don''t need to worry anymore about it."


    "Go to fucking hell!" the Luxurious Emperor shouted sternly upon hearing Ricky claim that he was Pearl''s man. And in a fraction of a second, an invisible ruling power swept toward Ricky.


    But to his dismay, his attack was blocked, because the Evil Emperor''s ruling power was already spreading outside the airship.

 Chapter 799 Seeing Zenith Again

    "Luxurious Emperor, this isn''t the time to pick a fight. If you proceed, I''ll have to stop you myself," the Evil Emperor warned him through telepathy. He had sensed the Luxurious Emperor''s ruling power emerging.


    Although his murderous gaze couldn''t hide his desire to give in to his urge and kill Ricky, the Luxurious Emperor had no other choice but to withdraw.


    In the presence of both the Evil Emperor and the Oriental Emperor, there was nothing he could do against Ricky, unless he allied with some other spiritual emperors. However, no spiritual emperor would make such a move before the battle for the Senses of Realm came to an end.


    This was due to the obstacle weakening the Heavenly Void. It demanded all the spiritual emperors from the Eastern Land to work together in order to remove it.


    Ricky, meanwhile, deliberately ignored the Luxurious Emperor. When he looked around, he saw a group of people from the Casting Center led by Gorden. Then, he greeted Kylie and Finley and used his telepathy to talk to Meade.


    "How are you? Did the Endless Shadow or the Nether Manor cause any trouble for your master?"


    "Of course they did. But, fortunately, Gorden stood out and prevented them from taking action for the time being," Meade responded.


    "Relax. Now that those forces have attempted to take action, it means that our plan has succeeded," Ricky guaranteed.


    After, Ricky glanced at the Endless Shadow from the Dark Fallen Realm. That was the most powerful Endless Shadow force in the whole Eastern Land.


    Near, there were two spiritual emperors in black. They were the second and the third leaders of the Endless Shadow. The former was called Winston while the latter was called Hubert. Word was that the two spiritual emperors'' strength didn''t pale to the Luxurious Emperor''s.


    ''Will this Endless Shadow''s top leader''s body also turn into a drop of blood essence after he dies?'' Ricky couldn''t help but wonder.


    Next, Ricky shifted his gaze skyward, where three figures stood. They were the Nether Manor''s deputy chiefs¡ªIsaac, Dane and Keen.


    ''I heard the chief of the Nether Manor and the Old Oriental Emperor are creatures from the same generation. I wonder how strong they are now, '' Ricky thought.


    Once again,


    quickly looked around and saw Zenith on the airship. Next to him, there was a woman. That was Cheryl.


    Now Ricky understood why Jasper also got the same sense of Deja Vu.


    Soon, Zenith and Cheryl approached Ricky.


    "Chief, I can''t believe I''m seeing you here," Ricky stated excitedly.


    Ricky had Zenith as a patron to him on his path to martial arts. So, he just couldn''t contain his excitement to get to see Zenith one more time.


    "Me, too. I knew you would grow fast, but I''m also stunned to see you here in person," Zenith confessed.


    "Chief, have you joined the Array Sect?" Ricky asked.


    "Yes. During the cultivation, Cheryl and I obtained the heritage of a spiritual emperor from the Array Sect. Then, Leslie saw us and invited us to join the Northern Array Sect," Zenith responded.


    "Since we also need the Sense of Realm, we''ve accepted his invitation."


    "So you are an array deployer now," Ricky said, impressed. He was very pleased to hear Zenith had such a great opportunity.


    "I''ve only gotten a rough understanding of array deployment so far. But if you''re interested in it, I can teach you when we have the time," Zenith offered playfully.


    "I''m afraid array deployment isn''t among my talents, Chief," Ricky replied with a chuckle.


    "By the way, how is Grace doing?" Zenith asked.


    Ricky couldn''t disguise the gloomy look on his face once he heard Grace''s name.


    As soon as Zenith noticed the sudden change in Ricky''s mood, he knew something wasn''t right.

 Chapter 800 Breaking The Void And Entering

    "Ricky, please tell me the truth!" Zenith whispered to Ricky.


    "Chief Zenith, I''m sorry. The people from the Phoenix tribe came and they were too strong. I could do nothing but watch as Master Grace was taken away!" Ricky answered as he breathed harshly. He was trying hard to control his emotions. He clenched his fists tightly by his side and gritted his teeth.


    "It is indeed done by the members of the Phoenix tribe. I have often feared for this day, and now my fears have finally come to pass. It''s not your fault, Ricky. Please don''t blame yourself.


    Can you tell me how it happened?"


    Zenith comforted Ricky even though he felt upset as well. Ricky told Zenith what had happened but skipped the part where Lanny came back and tried to kill him.


    "Ricky, as you said, it is very likely that Grace possesses strong blood power of the Phoenix tribe. This may be the reason why the Phoenix tribe was so gracious towards her. I do not think that she is in any immediate danger now," Zenith told Ricky after a few minutes of silence. He was fairly sure that Grace was in no danger so Ricky had enough time to strengthen himself.


    "Please don''t blame yourself. Instead, focus on your future; I know that you would go to the Phoenix tribe one day and take her back."


    Ricky was greatly comforted and moved. "Chief Zenith, I understand. I won''t blame myself anymore. I will certainly go to the Phoenix tribe when I am powerful enough and bring her back."


    "I believe you. If I am strong enough at that time, I will surely go with you."


    As they talked, they could see that Jasper was talking with Cheryl through their telepathic link.


    "Ricky, there are two of our acquaintances in the Southern Array Sect," Zenith said to Ricky by telepathy again.


    "Really? Two acquaintances?" Ricky said doubtfully as he looked at the Southern Array Sect.


    As expected, he saw two acquaintances. One was Boris and the other was an array deployer who had been invited initially by Boris.


    "That array deployer''s name is Vernon Li. He is a talented disciple of the Southern Array Sect. Cheryl and I decided to join the Northern Array Sect because of them. If we do not join the Northern Array Sect, we will have no support. It will be difficult for us to fight these two men in that case,"


    Zenith explained to Ricky as they subtly glanced at the direction of the two men.


    At that time, Boris and Vernon had also noticed Ricky. They spoke to him by telepathy, their tone


    r all the disciples had entered, the spiritual emperors removed their powers. Not too long after, the entrance disappeared thoroughly as if it had never existed.


    "Everyone, we don''t know what''s going on inside, nor do we know when all the Senses of Realm will be refined. Therefore, we can only wait here for a period of time," Isaac reminded the others. When they heard this, the other spiritual emperors nodded politely although some of them were already well-aware of this fact.


    They all separated and seated themselves in the void as they waited for their disciples.


    Years passed quickly just like an instant for the spiritual emperors.


    Inside the passage, it was just the endless void. After they entered, the disciples were swept by a windstorm and scattered everywhere. When the situation was stabilized, Ricky appeared in a grey space by himself.


    "Is this the Heavenly Void?" Ricky murmured as he looked around.


    In the Heavenly Void, he felt the existence of some power. The power seemed to be everywhere in the space, but he couldn''t touch it.


    It was obvious that the power was stronger than the enlightening power. That could be the only explanation why Ricky could feel it but could not touch it.


    ''It seems that this is the heavenly power. Only the spiritual emperors can touch it and use it. A demi-spiritual emperor can touch it but cannot use it, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Well, then let me see what I need to pay attention to in the Heavenly Void," Ricky murmured. Then, he took out the jade slip given by Evil Emperor and crushed it quickly. A piece of information was immediately integrated into his mind.

 Chapter 801 The Void Beast

    Ricky learned a lot after the information entered his Soul Sea.


    A Heavenly Void could be viewed as a small universe. Heavenly law and all kinds of power came from the Heavenly Void. The power that all creatures cultivated came from there as well.


    As for the power of the Heavenly Void, none of the creatures knew where it came from. Perhaps only the gods knew the answer.


    Ricky also found out that there were Heavenly Voids in different regions and they varied in size and level.


    On the other side of the Heavenly Void, there was endless chaos. It was left unexplored and was virtually unknown because it was impossible for even a master who was above the Saint Level to walk in the chaos.


    The power in the Heavenly Void was suitable for spiritual emperors and saints to cultivate. However, it was a pity that no spiritual emperor or saint was allowed to enter any Heavenly Void.


    As for these disciples, it did not matter whether they were upper spiritual kings or completed spiritual kings. They could not feel the heavenly law power in the Heavenly Void unless they found the Sense of Realm.


    Once the Senses of Realm entered the Heavenly Void, some of them were left wandering in the Heavenly Void, while others entered the floating lands in the Heavenly Void.


    There were various lands that floated in the Heavenly Void.


    Beside the chaos, the Heavenly Void was connected to an intangible space. In ancient times, stronger warriors had fought against each other and broken the continents into pieces, many of which had entered the Heavenly Void. Gradually, these pieces of continents evolved into real continents in the Heavenly Void.


    Countless years had passed since then, and a lot of geniuses had entered the Heavenly Void. Some of them had stayed on the continents in the Heavenly Void where their descendants had been born. As time passed by, creatures that lived on the continents prospered and multiplied.


    ''According to the information, the creatures in the Heavenly Void are unfriendly to foreign creatures like us. It also mentioned that there are stronger creatures that inhabit the continents with the same goal as us. They also want to seize the Senses of Realm, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''In that case, while fighting for the Senses of Realm, I have to confront not only the foreign geniuses but also those from this place as well.


    What''s more, most Senses of Realm would come to the continents. That would make it more difficult


    aintly exuded a domineering aura. Dressed in beast hide, the young man held a long golden stick tightly in his hand. The figure of a yellow ape emerged from behind him.


    The blood power vaguely exposed that the young man could be a creature of a spiritual king beast.


    On the other hand, the young woman was elegant. She wore a leather skirt which showed her perfect figure. Her beautiful eyes showed her somber attitude. She held a long sword and her whole body was filled with the red long sword domain.


    At this time, the young man and the young woman looked quite disheveled. They were in a difficult position because the two of them were much weaker than the Void Beast even when they cooperated and put their strengths together.


    They could not beat the Void Beast, nor could they escape. The Void Beast got its name because it had a far better understanding of space than other creatures. It was difficult for other creatures to excel against the Void Beast in terms of speed unless they were higher in level than the Void Beast.


    "What should we do, Ares?" The young woman seemed to be losing hope already. She was sobbing harshly as she looked at the young man.


    "Selene, I will reveal my real body and become berserk. I think that could hold this Void Beast for a while more. During that time, you have to leave as soon as possible. We can''t die here together." The young man''s voice was low as if he was afraid to freak her out.


    "No, I can''t leave you alone!" The young woman violently rejected the idea. She shook her head wildly as she clutched at his hand tightly.


    "Listen to me, Selene. You should know that I am a man."

 Chapter 802 Ares And Selene

    "Yes, you are a man. But more importantly, you are my man. I will not allow you to die. Now, as a princess of the Great Star Dynasty, I order you to live...If not for you, then for me."


    Selene was hesitant to be so upfront with how she felt for Ares, but she knew that if she would not assert herself now, there would be no second chance. She put all her authority and determination in her tone as she ordered him to continue fighting with her.


    "It''s not the time for you to act on your own, Selene. I have to do this both as a man and as a member of the Scarlet King Ape tribe. As a man, I should protect my woman. And as a member of the Scarlet King Ape tribe, I must make sure that you will return home safely. If you die, the spears of the whole Great Star Dynasty will surely aim at the Scarlet King Ape tribe. In that case, the Ling Clan will have better chances.


    So please, Selene. Please understand."


    Ares was naturally moved by Selene''s words but he needed to make her understand that her safety was more important than anything. Even if she would hate him, he needed to make sure that she would get home safely.


    Howl!


    With those words, Ares raised his head and roared fiercely. His body grew bigger and turned into a reddish-yellow ape with four arms. The long golden stick in his hand also became bigger in an instant.


    Howl! The Void Beast also roared savagely when it saw his beast body. It went wild as if infuriated that there was another beast in its territory. When the two huge beasts collided with each other, they tussled fiercely.


    "Hurry up!" Ares roared to Selene as he tussled bravely with the Void Beast.


    "If possible, I hope you can protect my tribe."


    When she heard this, she knew she had lost. She turned away and ran as her tears overflowed.


    "The Great Star Dynasty? It seems that these two are from the Heavenly Void," Ricky muttered faintly as he watched the scene.


    "Do you think she''ll come back, Pearl? If it were you, would you run away or go back for the one you love?" Ricky asked Pearl, who only scowled at him.


    "I''m not that woman. How should I know? I won''t dwell in the past. But now, I have no idea what I would do. I didn''t have any feelings for you before, but now I do. I


    not even a little.


    As everything calmed down, Selene and Ares sat in the deep pit. They still looked dazed as they stared helplessly at Ricky and the Void Beast.


    "What? It seems that you don''t want to be saved!" Ricky teased them with a smile.


    "No!" "No!" They came rushing to Ricky''s side as soon as they heard his words.


    "Thank you very much for saving our lives!"


    "Never mind. I told you that your love touched me a lot. Because of your berserk, you are in a very bad situation now. Let''s put it aside until after you recover," Ricky told them as he moved in front of them and faced the Void Beast.


    "Thank you very much. Please wait for a moment," Ares said to Ricky as he scanned the damage that he received both from the Void Beast and his berserk.


    Just as Ricky had said, the condition of his body at the moment was not good. He had to recover as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would start to affect his blood power.


    "It doesn''t matter!" Ricky flapped his hand at them in a dismissive gesture.


    Ares sat down with his legs crossed and took some pills to regulate his breathing. Meanwhile, Selene infused her enlightening power into his body that helped him heal his wounds.


    At this time, Pearl came out.


    "Do you believe me now, Pearl?" Ricky asked through telepathy.


    Pearl sent a baleful glare at Ricky but ignored his teasing. She looked at the body of the Void Beast instead and asked, "I wonder how much power this Void Beast can help us to increase."

 Chapter 803 The Great Star Dynasty

    Ricky noticed that Pearl did not answer his question but shifted his attention instead. He smiled and decided not to aggravate her further. He turned his attention to the corpse of the dead Void Beast.


    Although Pearl did not answer him directly, her silence had revealed much more than her words could have.


    "The Void Beast was an upper spiritual king, and is of no use to me, but it will help you enhance your strength. Just try and you''ll know it," Ricky told Pearl.


    He collected the body of the Void Beast, put it into the Devourer Zone and refined it with the Evil Devouring Mouth. Two hours later, he had successfully refined three drops of blood essence.


    Ricky felt the power of the blood essence and he could tell that even if he was a third-class upper spiritual king, the blood essence was useless to him.


    ''It looks like only a Void Beast possessing the power of a completed spiritual king or the peak combat power of an upper spiritual king will have an effect on me, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Tina, here is a drop of blood essence for you," Ricky told Tina, who was in the Massacring Zone.


    "You should give it all to Pearl. Becoming a spiritual king is my limit. No matter what Treasures from Heaven and Earth I refine, I still can''t break through again. I may even be devoured by the evil spirit," Tina told him honestly.


    "Anyway, by the next time you drive the evil spirit out of me, I will have accumulated enough energy in the Massacring Zone to make a breakthrough."


    "In that case, I will just give it all to Pearl," Ricky conceded generously.


    He went and passed all the three drops of blood essence to Pearl.


    "It seems that the Void Beast of this level doesn''t work on you," Pearl said as she accepted the blood essence from him gratefully.


    Ricky just smiled and stopped himself from teasing her more.


    Unexpectedly, Pearl gave a drop of blood essence to Selene. She passed the blood essence with very brief eye contact and acted like it was no big deal.


    "This drop of blood essence of the Void Beast might be helpful to heal the wounds on his body." "Oh, thank you. Thank you very much!" Selene exclaimed gratefully. It was a bit embarrassing to accept pity from others but she could not refuse because Ares was heavily injured. Her pride as a princess took a seat back when it was Ares'' safety that was in danger.


    use she could already strengthen herself with the Void Beasts in their current location.


    However, when she heard Ricky''s words, Pearl no longer responded. Once again, her silence offered a resounding acceptance that she was too stubborn to admit.


    Ares and Selene looked at each other knowingly and smiled as they listened to Ricky and Pearl bicker.


    "Ares, how can we get to the other empires?" Ricky asked. "I can give you a rough map of the Heavenly Void,"


    Ares offered immediately. It was a small thing that they could do compared to what Ricky had done for them.


    "Thank you very much," Ricky said excitedly.


    And so, Ares handed the map to Ricky. Although it was rough, it marked clearly the conditions of every empire''s regions.


    "Thanks to you and your map, we will not get lost," Ricky thanked them as he smiled happily.


    When they were done talking, Ricky and Pearl also prepared to leave.


    However, as they looked at each other, Ares and Selene seemed to be in deep thought.


    "It is our destiny that we met. I hope you don''t mind but can you tell me if you need my help? I would be more than willing to assist you." Ares and Selene were surprised when Ricky said this. It seemed that he had read their minds.


    "What a surprise! You knew it just from our eye contact. Then I''ll cut to the chase."


    "Ha-ha, it doesn''t matter!" Ricky smiled at them when he saw how embarrassed they looked. It seemed that it was not easy for them to reveal whatever they would be telling him now.


    "Ricky, do you know the Void Tree and the Void Cell?" Ares asked.

 Chapter 804 An Invitation

    "The Void Tree? The Void Cell?" Ricky and Pearl uttered in confusion. Even though Ricky was completely aware of the information mentioned in the jade slip given by Evil Emperor, he had never been introduced to those things before.


    "Do they have something to do with the Void Beasts?" Ricky guessed.


    "All the Void Beasts in the Heavenly Void are born in the Void Tree''s Void Cell." Ares said.


    "Really?!" It came as a shock to Ricky and Pearl.


    The Void Beasts were also flesh and blood, which made people assume that they reproduced naturally. However, that was not the case.


    "That''s right! That''s how the Void Beasts are born. But, it is almost impossible to find the secluded and hidden tree," Ares continued.


    "Then, what functions do the Void Tree and the Void Cell have?" Ricky asked. This must be the point since Ares specially mentioned the Void Tree and the Void Cell.


    "A creature can absorb the heavenly power by cultivating on the Void Tree. It''s extremely slow in absorbing speed, but actually it''s much better than one who isn''t able to absorb the heavenly power," Ares explained.


    "Absorb the heavenly power!" Ricky and Pearl were stunned at this piece of information.


    It was believed that only spiritual emperors could absorb the heavenly power, while the lives beneath that level could only get the heavenly power from the Senses of Realm and the Void Beasts.


    The heavenly power in the Senses of Realm could be absorbed only after refining. The heavenly power in the blood essence of the Void Beasts contained too little and the Void Beasts needed to be hunted. Once one left the Heavenly Void, there were no Senses of Realm or Void Beasts.


    Neither of the two solutions would last very long.


    If they could obtain the Void Tree, even after leaving the Heavenly Void, they would be able to absorb the heavenly power. It was a great opportunity for them irrespective of whether they were spiritual emperors or not.


    "The function of the Void Cell is similar to that of


    ll because they will never use it to save Father. Instead, they will only strengthen their own clan." Selene expressed her concern.


    "As for the second young master of the Ling Clan, we are not a match for him. Otherwise, perhaps falling into the hands of you may be better."


    "So that''s how it is," Ricky murmured.


    "Ricky, we don''t have the right to ask for more. After finding the Void Tree and the Void Cell, could you give us half of the Void Cell? We''re asking because only the Void Cell that save the king," Ares asked sincerely.


    "Ares, I''m the one who should be asking you. You''ve found this place. After it''s done, you can give me half of the Void Cell," Ricky smiled.


    "Ricky, please listen to me¡ª"


    "Ares, you needn''t say anything more. Though, I too desire the Void Tree, I have my principles. Maybe, we are not friends, but we are absolutely not enemies," Ricky interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.


    Ricky and Pearl decided to go to the place where the Void Tree was located, because half of the Void Cell were enough to make the two of them move.


    ...


    Without any hesitation, the four of them headed towards the location of the Void Tree.


    This time, they moved forward smoothly with the help of Ricky and Pearl, as they helped them in getting rid of Void Beasts and other hindrances.

 Chapter 805 Vincent And Sela

    Located at the border of the Heavenly Void, the Great Star Dynasty was regarded as the weakest force among all the dynasties in the Heavenly Void. This was all due to the fact that the heavenly power exuded in the area was relatively less than that in other areas, making the spiritual energy evolved less as well.


    And if Ricky''s assumptions were right, the three completed spiritual kings in the Great Star Dynasty were all just third-class completed spiritual kings.


    After walking and travelling for about seven days, Ricky and the other three warriors arrived at a remote place in the Heavenly Void. Should have they walked a little bit more, then they would have arrived at the junction between the Heavenly Void and the chaos, which they could not enter.


    During this time, they had already beaten and killed more than a dozen Void Beasts possessing the power of an upper spiritual king. Pearl and the other two warriors refined their blood essence, which helped them improve their strength.


    But in this region of void, there was a tiny speck of a gray area. If one did not take a closer look at it, they would not find the difference between it and the other voids.


    "It seems that there is an independent space in this region, and this is where the Void Tree is located," Selene said.


    "I feel the strong power over this area, and I think that it would be highly unlikely that we could go in," Ricky said flatly upon getting a feel of the area carefully.


    "You''re right about that, Ricky. This area is indeed sealed by the Great Star Chart, which is a high grade spiritual weapon and also regarded as the top treasure in our Great Star Dynasty. And the only way it could be unsealed is with the strength of a third-class completed spiritual king or above," Selene explained.


    "When this area was found for the first time, my father immediately sent someone to seal it with the Great Star Chart to prevent others from discovering it."


    "Oh, so that explains it," Ricky said while nodding his head.


    "If the Ling Clan didn''t take part in the matter in the first place, then we would not have had this much trouble. And in that case, there''s only one thing left to do. We need to take away the Void Cell and remove the poison from my father''s body," Selene continued. "But the Ling Clan also has a completed spiritual king. In order to prevent the Ling Clan from taking over the throne during that time, my father had no choice but to put forward a condition.


    He ordered the second young master of the Ling Clan and Ares, both being in the younger generation, to fight against each other for the Void Cell."


    "I see. But you don''t have to worry from now on.


    also growing gradually.


    "What are we waiting for, Ares? Come on and let''s find out who has the chance to get the Void Cell! Let''s fight with our own strength!" Vincent said to Ares in a disdainful voice. Afterwards, he then took Sela and the others to go into the grey white area.


    And without hesitation, Ricky and the other three followed them immediately.


    ...


    Being a high grade spiritual weapon with a complete hermit spirit, the Great Star Chart could burst power by itself within a certain period of time, and its power could be more than that of any third-class completed spiritual king.


    Unfortunately, for the current sealing, the Great Star Chart had already consumed a lot of power that what had remained of it could at most be the power of an upper spiritual king at peak state.


    All spiritual weapons had this same kind of weakness¡ªthey could only burst power for a long time while being held by their owners. Otherwise, they could only burst a huge amount of power for a short time and would need time to recover even if there was a hermit spirit involved.


    Meanwhile, a figure emerged just as the Great Star Chart skipped over the place. Surging with a lot of spiritual energy, the figure suddenly turned into a golden halberd which directly slashed at the Great Star Chart.


    Overwhelmed by the surprise offensive sweep, the Great Star Chart then tried to fend it off in a hurry. However, it was too weak to withstand any attack that would get in its way.


    "It''s you! I can''t believe it''s you!" the hermit spirit of the Great Star Chart said in astonishment as it had a complete vision of who the figure was.


    And all of a sudden, the hermit spirit''s voice came into a halt, because there was a golden hand submerging the Great Star Chart in an instant.

 Chapter 806 Pearl Makes Her Move

    "Now that I have the Great Star Chart, it will soon be time for me to acquire the Great Star Dynasty," the figure murmured with beaming confidence and an apparent killing intent after obtaining the Great Star Chart.


    The figure then flew towards the destination of the Void Tree.


    ...


    As they entered the area, Ricky felt as if he had entered a primitive zone. In this zone, he could feel the breath of the original energy.


    Soon, all their eyes were diverted to a huge grey tree located at the center of the zone.


    The giant grey tree stood right in the middle of the void and had millions of python-like roots. The giant tree occupied the entire space in the middle. Each branch was as broad as a square.


    "Could this be the Void Tree?" they all exclaimed in shock as they saw the enormous tree. It was so huge that it seemed like it shaded the whole world.


    Howl! Howl!


    Their bewilderment was cut short as angry roars snappily rang through the air. Seven Void Beasts from the Void Tree instantly appeared and rushed to their direction. The beasts surrounded Ricky and his companions. Judging from their senses, they seemed to be first-class upper spiritual kings.


    "Ha-ha! I''m finally able to see you in the flesh, Void Tree!" At this time, Vincent did not look at the seven Void Beasts. He was too enthralled by the beastly might and grandeur of the Void Tree that he couldn''t hold back himself. He marveled at the massive beauty before him and laughed excitedly.


    "Then the Void Cell belongs to us, the Ling Clan,"


    "What did you say, Vincent?" Selene spat at Vincent. She couldn''t believe his words.


    "Oh? Didn''t you hear it clearly?" Vincent turned to look Selene in the eye. "I meant every word. The Void Cell now belongs to the Ling Clan." His eyes carried a steely gaze. He was not about to entertain any objections. Slowly, a determined smile formed on his lips. "Well, to be more exact, the Great Star Dynasty will soon be our the Ling Clan''s. And you, Selene, and the woman behind you can both be my concubines."


    Vincent''s once steely gaze was soon glazed with strong lust. His obscene eyes wantonly scanned the bodies of Selene and Pearl.


    "Vincent, what the hell did you say? Didn''t you p


    ond to think of his next move. In the nick of time, his pupils suddenly shrank and he condensed an enlightenment shield to defend against the whip.


    Bang! The sound of metal colliding rang through the air. The long, dark whip directly hit the shield that Vincent created at the last minute. The strong force poured down, and Vincent was forced to take a few hundred meters back into the void.


    "How could it be?" Vincent asked hoarsely as he stood back on his feet. There was disbelief in his eyes.


    The four disciples from the Ling Clan, along with Selene and Ares, all felt their jaws drop.


    It was only a single blow from Pearl, and yet she was able to push Vincent several paces away.


    Vincent''s ferocity grew tenfold. It was then that he realized Pearl was not simple woman.


    Pearl should only be able to make a breakthrough as a first-class upper spiritual king. Her strength was no weaker than that of an upper spiritual king at peak state. It only meant that she was among those first-class geniuses.


    "Woman, who are you and which empire are you from?" he queried sternly. Little by little, his once arrogant and mocking demeanor shifted to a darker and more serious one.


    "You''re not deserving enough to know!" Pearl replied coldly.


    "Ha-ha!" Vincent burst into a loud, hearty laughter. "Very good! Very good! I like cold-hearted women like you."


    No longer holding back, Vincent released the momentum that belonged to an upper spiritual king at peak state.

 Chapter 807 An Odd Killing

    "Vincent''s an upper spiritual king at peak state! Unfortunately for him, though, he''s going to face a Feminine Mutant owner who possesses the dark water," Ricky mumbled to himself, after seeing Vincent burst out his power.


    Pearl, on the other hand, wasn''t impressed by any of it. For all she could tell, Vincent was already a dead man.


    As the Feminine Enlightenment surged, Pearl straightly turned into the Feminine Mutant. She didn''t hesitate revealing her true power at the earliest opportunity. She actually couldn''t afford not to since Vincent belonged to a higher rank than her.


    "Mutant power? No wonder she is so confident," Vincent murmured, a little taken aback, despite his disdainful tone.


    Vincent wasn''t keen to waste his time either as he put forward a golden flag. He quickly merged it with the Golden Enlightenment on his body.


    "Golden Flag Strike!" he exclaimed.


    As soon as his momentum had raised to its extreme, Vincent promptly set his strike. Sparking from between his hands, the golden flag rapidly wrapped and integrated his body. Then, it turned into a sharp golden light blade, which came slashing at Pearl.


    "Feminine power, dark whip!" Pearl uttered. She wasn''t afraid of Vincent at all. The long black whip in her hand fluttered everywhere. Under the control of the Feminine Mutant, the Feminine Enlightenment around it felt coldly mortal.


    "She''s not using the dark water," Ricky muttered. "And it doesn''t seem she intends to. Even though her Feminine Mutant grants a slight advantage to her favor, she must use the dark water if she wants to kill Vincent."


    "Maybe she wants to improve her combat power. After all, lately, she has only cultivated in the Devourer Zone and the Massacring Zone," Tina speculated, her voice flat.


    ...


    The long whip lunged like a python at the sharp blade from the golden flag. Both tangled around each other spreading waves of air through the void, until they finally bounced back.


    They didn''t change tactics after that first strike. Instead, they kept dancing around as they pushed and pulled.


    "I think you''re right. Pearl seems to want to


    ly, it wasn''t precisely a body. It was a corpse.


    Instantly, Vincent had resurfaced lifeless altogether. Only Pearl then managed to pay attention to a thin bloody mark spreading from Vincent''s neck up to his throat.


    Bang! It wasn''t until Vincent''s dead body along with the golden flag fell off the branches of the Void Tree that everyone noticed this abrupt turn of events.


    ''How could it be possible? What happened?'' Everyone present was thinking the same, including Ricky. Even Ares and others had stopped fighting all of a sudden to address what had just happened.


    "What?" Right at that moment, Ricky sensed there was an invisible force making its way back to Pearl''s body.


    Once Ricky activated the power of the four zones to have a clear feeling, there was no longer a trace of anything left.


    "What happened?" Ricky mumbled in confusion and then turned to Tina. "Did you see anything? How did Pearl kill Vincent so quickly?


    Vincent''s strike didn''t even get to her."


    "I have no idea," Tina responded. She was as confused as he was.


    When Ricky glanced at Pearl again, he saw a fine line of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. She also looked pale.


    ''Pearl is injured too, '' Ricky realized in silence.


    Without giving a second thought to it, Ricky rushed to Pearl as fast as he could. Then, he used his spiritual energy to help her recover as he asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

 Chapter 808 Appearance Of Colin

    "I''m fine!" Pearl said as she nodded her head. " Don''t worry about me. I will surely be alright soon after I adjust myself a bit."


    Afterwards, Pearl handed the seven bodies of the Void Beasts to Ricky for she knew that he would be able to refine their blood essence more quickly than her.


    "Take rest, Pearl. You need it. What kind of Treasures from Heaven and Earth do you need? Feel free to tell me so I can help you recover," Ricky asked with sincere concern in his tone.


    But Pearl told him that she did not need any Treasure from Heaven and Earth. However, Ricky still believed that Pearl must have been hurt badly and that she needed them. Otherwise, she would not have chosen to take a rest and adjust herself as soon as she had the time to spare.


    ''By the looks of it, she needed the soul-restoring pill and the Heaven Soul Stone earlier in order to cultivate the skill she killed Vincent with, '' Ricky thought in his heart.


    But being the curious warrior that he was, he wanted to ask Pearl what skill she was employing at the moment, but he didn''t voice it out. After all, he wanted to know how powerful her skill was because it was her trump card.


    "I know that you''re a powerful warrior, Pearl. But if this skill would only do more harms to your body, then I think you''d better not use it that often," Ricky said telepathically. "After all, you are not in a desperate situation right now."


    "I know, Ricky, and thank you for the reminder!" Pearl replied as soon as she felt Ricky''s dire kindness and concern about her health.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Ricky averted his gaze at the four disciples from the Ling Clan, who were still in a daze.


    Feeling that Ricky was watching them, the four men snapped back to reality as they realized what had happened just a few moments ago. Seeing the aftermath, their dumbfounded expressions were suddenly replaced by fear. Looking at each other with horrific faces, they all started running away as if to retreat. After all, Vincent was already dead, and they did not have the courage to go all out to fight this war.


    "Hold up, don''t you think it''s already too late to run away?" Ricky sneered when he saw them fleeing the battlefield.


    Before Ricky''s voice faded, he began to launch his attack. Gathering his golden fist, he threw a power-packed punch towards one of the men.


    "Stop!" A loud roar was heard as it tried to stop what was happening at that moment. And as the voice echoed, shinning and blinding lights shot toward Ricky, as if trying to block him from attacking further. Afterwards, a big star diagram then formed, carrying immense star power which pressed down on Ricky.


    "I can''t believe my eyes. It''s the Great Star Chart!" Ricky, Ares, and Selene exclaimed in disbelief upon seeing where the loud noise came from.


    Despite being shocked to their cores, they still had to keep their minds in the game for they had to resist t


    spat blood and fell down on the ground, with their chests pierced right through.


    "I saved you because I want to kill you with my own hands, and also because you failed to protect my younger brother. Even though you are the core disciples of the Ling Clan, you should take the responsibility for your failure," Colin said coldly as he shook the blood off his right fist.


    With his cruel words, everything around them grew cold, even the giant Void Tree shivered from the chilling atmosphere that he created.


    And while he did and said all of his thoughts, he had his eyes locked onto Ricky the entire time.


    "The way I see it, I think that you are more heartless than your younger brother. Though I wanted to kill them, I still felt sorry for them the moment you ended their lives. After all, they are the members of your clan and they tried their best to be loyal to you and Vincent," Ricky replied as he looked back at him.


    "If you claim that they were loyal to me, then they would have died without uttering a single complaint," Colin Ling said lightly as he stared at Ricky''s eyes with grave killing intent.


    "So, it''s your turn now. I don''t care who you are, where you''re from, or why you possess the power of a completed spiritual king''s despite the fact that you are just an upper spiritual king. The only thing I care about is that you killed my brother and I must kill you for revenge," Colin Ling said harshly as he walked slowly towards Ricky.


    "Well, in that case, try me," Ricky responded in a determined voice.


    Boom! And in a flash, their eyes met. Ready for destruction, powers and domains collided which resulted in such a great magnitude that shook the entire space around them.


    Under such a forceful impact, Pearl and the other two warriors couldn''t help but retreat and pull themselves far away, all because they knew that they couldn''t resist the impact created by two completed spiritual kings.

 Chapter 809 A Fierce Battle Broke Out

    "Now that you are the helper of the Great Star Dynasty, I would have to use this Great Star Chart to defeat you. I think being killed by a high grade spiritual weapon would be an honor to you. Wouldn''t you agree?" Colin said arrogantly in a cold voice.


    The Great Star Chart then began to bloom and spread all over his body. The shining light glimmered and formed a world filled with starlight. Colin''s Golden Enlightenment was then infinitely magnified inside the world.


    "Great Star Chart, create a new world and smash this insect!" With his shout, the Great Star Chart turned into a larger world in an instant due to his unstoppable energy. The stars formed, hanging in the sky. Colin''s Golden Enlightenment was condensed into a golden halberd and dashed toward Ricky.


    Without a doubt, Colin unleashed all his power at that moment.


    The entire region was overwhelmed with Colin''s completed enlightening power.


    At that moment, Colin''s real strength was finally revealed. He was a third-class completed spiritual king and it seemed that he had already been at that level longer than Ricky had imagined.


    Ricky did feel the immense pressure from Colin.


    "Let''s fight! I would also like to see how powerful I am right now!" Ricky said aggressively in a serious tone.


    Ricky''s momentum reached its peak in a flash and the massacring runes spread all over his body. It was obvious that his momentum was no weaker than that of Colin.


    As he felt the ferocious momentum coming out of Ricky''s body, Colin grew confused. Despite his confidence about himself and his anger at that moment, he still could not help but wonder where Ricky got all his strength.


    "Pearl, are you sure that Ricky is just an upper spiritual king?" Ares asked in disbelief when he felt Ricky''s overwhelming power.


    "I know exactly what''s on your mind right now. I don''t want to admit it either, but he is indeed only a third-class upper spiritual king," replied Pearl.


    "That is impressive! How could that be possible? In the Heavenly Void, we do have heard that a genius can challenge someone who has a higher level. But what Ricky is doing is just too unbelievable," Ares murmured. Both Ares and Selene had no idea what they could say upon hearing Pearl''s serious reply. They were too shocked.


    "From where I came from, a genius like him is called the ace genius," Pearl added.


    It was strange. Pearl somehow found herself very w


    like he did before. Colin launched attacks one after the other. He did not care about Ricky''s Iron Destroyer at all. He merely concentrated on hacking at him endlessly.


    Bang! Ricky''s saber hit Colin''s robe. The Iron Destroyer was able to leave a deep crack on the robe but wasn''t able to cause any harm to Colin himself. Ricky, on the other hand, spat out a mouthful of blood and retreated after Colin''s weapon hit him forcefully.


    Colin could never allow this perfect chance to attack Ricky to slip from his fingers. With his hands turning over, Colin waved his golden halberd and hacked toward Ricky''s chest at lightning speed.


    "It seems that the golden flag is much more useful when you utilize it as your weapon than your brother did," Ricky said as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.


    "You will die soon!" Colin merely responded in a cold voice. He did not intend to exchange more words with Ricky.


    "You are not as powerful as you think! You might have the golden flag but I have my golden body as well!" Ricky responded confidently.


    "Second level of Ultimate Golden Body, show yourself now!"


    Without any hesitation, Ricky shouted from the top of his lungs. As his eyes glowed with golden light, Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body appeared in an instant. The massacring runes circled around his body at the same time.


    Bang! Afterwards, Colin''s golden halberd fiercely tried to stab Ricky''s chest.


    Perhaps it was because Colin had exerted all his strength that the golden halberd bent upon impact. This immense impact knocked Colin and his weapon back and left a mark in the air.

 Chapter 810 The Battle Among The Duplicates

    "Golden body!" Colin said coldly as he fixed his eyes on Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body which appeared all so suddenly. Instead of confidence, his eyes glimmered with ferocity as he was ready to take down his opponent.


    Right at that moment, Colin seemed to have forgotten his confident claim that he could kill Ricky in a heartbeat. He even went mad because he didn''t know that Ricky was able to pull off such powerful cultivation methods and skills. In his hand, his golden halberd grew furious and hummed, expressing its deep rage in the same way that its master was furious.


    "At this point, I''m starting to believe that you do not have what it takes to kill me," Ricky said indifferently, as he wiped off the blood from the corner of his bruised mouth while he was wrapped in his Ultimate Golden Body.


    "I would slow down if I were you. You''re playing with fire!" Colin said with a stern look. Stuck with deep anger, his golden halberd vibrated yet again as it launched itself towards Ricky once more.


    "You may have the golden body now, but so what? I am going to poke a hole on your body and refine you to avenge my brother''s death!"


    Just as soon as he finished his words, the golden halberd threw itself out of Colin''s hands. It then spun at high speed up in the air, and constantly absorbed the Golden Enlightenment from Colin.


    "Transformation Skill¡ªtransform into a golden tower and put him down!" Colin shouted as loud as he could as he summoned his halberd and flipped his hands upside and down. And in the blink of an eye, the halberd had magically turned into a golden tower.


    And in an instant, the golden tower grew larger exponentially and the Golden Enlightenment gradually transformed into such oppressing energy before it darted towards Ricky again.


    "Nice play! I hope your golden tower won''t be so much of a disappointment," Ricky said fiercely as he stared at the tower which was coming down from the air. Instead of defending himself or staying away from it, he didn''t stop it and only allowed the tower to do whatever it wanted to do to him.


    At that moment, Colin jumped into the golden tower.


    Boom! The next moment he knew, the grand tower was already suppressing him.


    Swish! Suddenly, streaks of golden light started to emerge in the tower which then immediately twined around Ricky''s golden body, stunning him. ...


    "Humph! Did you really think that you could defeat me with these streaks of golden light? Ha! You wish!" Ricky sneered as he mocked his opponent.


    Boom! And without hesitation, Ricky then released his massacring runes. Simultaneously, his Ultimate Golden Body stretched out as it tried to break away from the streaks of golden light that shone upon him.


    However, Ricky underestimated the power of those streaks of golden light. Although he struggled with all his might, the streaks of golden light remained motionless and did not budge once


    regret using your most powerful skill before I send you to hell."


    "Ha-ha, that''s funny. I can''t deny that you are very powerful. But take note that you are just like me, as you have only reached a higher level. And right now, I outnumber you, and you cannot escape the fate of being killed by me!" Colin spat. And after being cloned three times, he had finally regained his confidence. Now, there was no reason for Colin to feel afraid of anyone for he now had the help of three other fighters who were as strong as he was.


    "Being killed by your duplicates? Ha-ha, stop throwing jokes at me, Colin. This skill might seem powerful to other warriors, but to me, it''s nothing but bullshit! You have your duplicates and I will show you mine!" Ricky said in a cold and murderous voice.


    And without holding anything back, Ricky burst out his momentum which reached its peak. Employing the Shadowy Emperor Replication, his body then created three duplicates, ready to crush his opponent to bits.


    After four tedious months of cultivation, Ricky was finally able to successfully produce five duplicates. He went overboard with this one for he clearly knew that three duplicates were enough to get into Colin''s head.


    "How could this be possible? How could you possibly utilize my Transformation Skill?" Colin asked in disbelief upon witnessing what Ricky was capable of.


    However, after giving it some thought and putting the pieces together, he then realized that it was impossible and said sternly, "No, no, you are not using my method, because their power is different from yours. You are clearly using a different kind of method."


    "What kind of cultivation method are you using right now?" Ares and Selene also exclaimed as they opened their eyes wide, shocked at what was in front of them. The two found it extremely hard to believe that Ricky was able to pull it off using a different kind of cultivation method than Colin''s.

 Chapter 811 Making A Show Of Himself

    "Ricky''s shadowy replicas are merged with the enlightening power," Pearl said. "Although they look similar to Colin''s replications, they are essentially extremely different. Actually, Colin''s replications are way stronger than Ricky''s shadowy replicas."


    "Aren''t they transformed from Colin''s shadow?" asked Ares, trying to get more clarity.


    "You can think so," Pearl replied.


    "But why are Colin''s replications stronger than Ricky''s shadowy replicas? I don''t get it. All of them are transformed from one''s power, aren''t they? Anyway, all of them are not real," Selene asked in confusion.


    "If I''m not wrong, Colin''s embodiments have the same strength as Colin himself. But Ricky''s shadowy replicas have merely eighty percent of Ricky''s strength," Pearl explained patiently.


    "If that''s the case, Ricky will not be a match for Colin in this battle," Selene said seriously with worry plastered all over her face.


    "If it were someone else, they definitely wouldn''t be a match for Colin. But Ricky...I''m not sure," Pearl commented in a rather optimistic tone. In fact, Pearl wanted to tell them that Ricky''s shadowy replicas would surely defeat Colin''s replications. Somehow, she was confident that Ricky could make it.


    ...


    "You produced the replicas with the enlightening power!" Colin said coldly. At the same time, he also noticed something wrong with Ricky''s duplicates. "However, they are only eighty percent of the strength of your real body. Am I right? They are far weaker than my replications."


    "It''s not like what you think. There is something more to it which you can never imagine," Ricky sneered disdainfully.


    The moment he finished his words, Ricky''s eyes turned into the pure golden color. He was utilizing his Golden Spirit Eyes. Immediately, Ricky recognized the real Colin among all his replications.


    ''Is he exercising the power of his mysterious eyes again?'' Pearl wondered in her mind on seeing Ricky''s Golden Spirit Eyes. ''What kind of power do his eyes have? Can they read my skill?''


    Pearl was a bit worried now.


    "There is something more? Ha-ha. Great. You can show all that to the devils after I send you to hell," Colin said coldly on hearing Ricky''s words and power from the four Colins burst out at the same time.


    "Transformation Skill!"


    With a thunderous roar, power of all the four Colins instantly exploded and reached the highest level. Then they turned into the saber shadow, the spear shadow, the staff shadow, and the sword shadow respectively before they dashed towards Ricky, determined to attack and h


    this calling. The royal family of the Great Star Dynasty and the Scarlet King Ape tribe were going to face a very dangerous threat.


    Ricky also noticed the worry in their eyes. He thought for a few seconds and then said, "I think we should go to the Great Star Dynasty as soon as possible."


    "Ricky, would you like to come to the Great Star Dynasty with us?" both Ares and Selene asked with surprise when they heard Ricky''s words. They grew very excited.


    "That''s for sure. If I have once committed, I carry out that undertaking from start to end. And now that I have promised you, I will live up to my word. Colin has just escaped so, this is not over yet and I will go back with you. Otherwise, I will be too ashamed to take half of the Void Cell," Ricky assured them with a smiling face.


    "Thank you, Ricky. Thank you very much," they said in unison. Ares and Selene were filled with gratitude.


    Then Ricky went ahead and collected Colin''s golden halberd and Vincent''s golden flag and their storage rings. Of course, Ricky wiped out the hermit spirits of the golden halberd and the golden flag.


    And with no hesitation, the Great Star Chart was returned to its original owner¡ªSelene.


    As for Sela, Selene''s elder sister, she just sat still in the void, unmoving. Selene had no other choice but to put Sela into her spiritual space tool for the time being.


    After the discussion, the four of them quickly came to the top of the Void Tree and saw an oval light ball shining brightly with a diameter of almost ten meters.


    Lights shone brightly into the sky and the rich power of Heavenly Passage filled the surroundings. Of course, it was none other than the Void Cell which bred the Void Beasts.

 Chapter 812 Gaining The Void Tree

    "So, is this the Void Cell?" Pearl asked calmly as she stared at the oval-shaped ball. Despite her composed expression, there was a hint of excitement gleaming in her eyes.


    "Yes, you''re absolutely correct. This is the Void Cell indeed," Ares and Selene responded with excitement. Their thrill was plastered all over their faces. After all, the Void Cell was an extremely important tool which would play a huge role in helping them to save the king.


    "Here, we can feel the power of the heavenly power that passes from it. Moreover, we can even absorb it slightly. Of course, it''s the wonderful Void Cell!" Ricky exclaimed with excitement while his eyes were completely fixated on it.


    "Hey, guys. Each party would get half of it as we has agreed," Ricky cleared the air and reminded everybody of the agreement. He then divided the Void Cell into two equal parts and gave a half of one part to both Ares and Selene.


    "Are you going to refine it now, Pearl?" Ricky asked Pearl through their telepathic link.


    "I think, for the time being, I prefer to put it into your zone. I''m not ready yet and I still need more time to adjust myself," Pearl replied.


    "It seems that you have suffered a lot from the previous fight," Ricky said with concern.


    "Well, it''s just that I haven''t finished my cultivation yet. It''s okay. You don''t need to worry about me," Pearl said calmly.


    "Okay!" Ricky didn''t know what else to say on hearing Pearl''s response. It was clear that the skill Pearl had used earlier was her most powerful method. He also understood that Pearl would not tell him everything before she completely trusted him.


    "If I wasn''t so worried about the Great Star Dynasty, I would have really liked to cultivate on this Void Tree for some time. However, I need to go back as soon as possible," Ares said longingly at that time, clearly unwilling to leave this place.


    "Don''t worry. We have plenty of time and we can always come back here," Selene said optimistically. She could sense Ares'' eagerness but tried to pacify him. In turn, Ares and Selene turned to their companions.


    "Ricky and Pearl, thank you so much for the help!" Ares and Selene expressed their gratitude.


    "It''s no problem. Don''t worry about it. Without further ado, let''s hurry to the Great Star Dynasty now," Ricky suggested with urgency.


    Another reason why Ricky agreed to go to the Great Star Dynasty


    ntire dynasty.


    The Ling Clan and the Scarlet King Ape tribe were also quite powerful. All the other living creatures lived under the rule of these three clans.


    At that moment, great changes had happened to the Great Star Dynasty.


    The eldest young master of the Ling Clan, Colin, had come back as a completed spiritual king.


    Now, the Ling Clan no longer hid themselves and directly attacked the Great Star Dynasty and the Scarlet King Ape tribe.


    Originally, the two clans were as powerful as the Ling Clan, and even though Colin came back as a completed spiritual king, they could still compete with the Ling Clan. Unfortunately, the king of the Great Star Dynasty was severely poisoned. Since then, he could not fight back.


    As a result, the master of the Scarlet King Ape tribe was the only one remaining powerful enough to fight. But he was alone and he couldn''t resist the master of the Ling Clan and Colin at the same time.


    Only half a day later, the people of the Great Star Dynasty and the Scarlet King Ape tribe were forced to hide in the protection array of the Great Star Dynasty.


    A giant array covered the palace of the Great Star Dynast. The city was completely surrounded by countless living creatures who had been living on the Star Continent.


    ... ''Well! The Great Star Dynasty, from this moment on, will belong to the Ling Clan, '' all the creatures gathered around sighed in their hearts upon seeing this picture.


    "My King, this is the last time I call you My King." At this time, a cold and heavy voice boomed and immediately attracted everyone''s attention.

 Chapter 813 Breaking The Array

    Then, two figures appeared. Behind them, a group of people followed closely. Without a doubt, they were the people of the Ling Clan.


    One of the two figures was a middle-aged man, a completed spiritual king. Needless to say, he was none other than the master of the Ling Clan. The other figure that stood beside him was Colin.


    There were no visible injuries on Colin''s body. It was as if Ricky''s punch did not cause him any damage or harm at all.


    "Retreat your array and surrender, and I can guarantee that all of your people inferior to a spiritual king can continue to thrive and live on happily in this place, the Star Continent," the master of the Ling Clan proposed, albeit in a tone that was arrogant and lacked empathy.


    "Oh, wait, I think I just made a mistake. It should be called the Ling Continent. That''s a more befitting name," he added with a sneer.


    "Andrea, don''t you think you''re wasting precious time, trying to convince me to surrender?" one of the strong warriors inside the array spat back coldly, directly addressing the Ling Clan''s master, Andrea Ling.


    The said warrior was also a completed spiritual king. The only difference was that he was a little weaker than Andrea Ling. The warrior''s enlightening power indicated his identity. He was William Yuan, Ares'' father. He was also the master of the Scarlet King Ape tribe.


    "Ha-ha! William, I really don''t understand. You are a completed spiritual king, yet why are you fighting so hard to protect a dynasty that is doomed to collapse soon?" Andrea Ling asked with a smile.


    "Worry not, though, for I am a generous master. I am giving you the last chance to retreat from this array. By surrendering, your Scarlet King Ape tribe will remain as one of the most powerful forces on this land. Your failure to do as I request will leave me no choice but to destroy all of you."


    "What makes you think I have trust in your words? That is absolutely not going to happen. Not on my watch!" William Yuan insisted stubbornly and decisively.


    "Well, in that case, the very day when the array is broken will be the time that all of your men will die," Andrea Ling responded with the same level of obstinacy and assertiveness.


    "We don''t know and we can''t surely tell yet what the result will be. Let us wait until you finally break the array," William Yuan retorted, unperturbed.


    "Humph!" Andrea Ling snorted. William Yuan''s unwavering conviction was starting to get on his nerves. "Do you really think I have no idea what you are waiting for? It has something to do with the agreement among the three clans, doesn''t it? Are you really that confident about Ares'' and Selene''s chances of survival? How sure are you that they will make it back alive?"


    "Damn you, Andrea! Did you send someone else to kill them?" William Yuan demanded for Andrea Ling''s answer with


    "Ha-ha! You have good eyesight, even though you''ve grown frail and weak. This is exactly the Energy Boosting Pill that can generate power at the intermediate King Level. With this pill, the Ling Clan will soon defeat in no time and take over the continent," Andrea Ling exclaimed with excitement as if he had already seen a glimpse of their victory with his own eyes.


    All the people of the Ling Clan swallowed the pills. After a few moments, the momentum and strength of all the members of the Ling Clan had doubled.


    "How could it be possible?" Dylan and William Yuan gasped. "Any kind of pill at the intermediate King Level is very precious. I bet you''re wondering how every member of the Ling Clan could have possibly owned one. Well, here''s a rough estimate. That should be twenty pills in total." Andrea''s casual revelation shocked all the creatures and witnesses surrounding them.


    As for the clansmen of Dylan and William Yuan, it didn''t take them longer than a second to cower in fear.


    The Energy Boosting Pill at the intermediate King Level could double the power in any living creature in just two hours. The best part about its accelerating power was that it didn''t leave any kind of serious or subtle side effect.


    Two hours was long enough for the Ling Clan to break the array and kill all of their targeted prisoners. With power and time seemingly going in the Ling Clan''s favor, how could their enemies stay calm and be fearless?


    "Dylan, William, I have seen fear in your eyes. Unfortunately, you just missed the best opportunity I could offer you. Anyway, enough talk about your incompetence and terrible decision making!" Andrea Ling mocked. "Have I told you how delightful it is to watch your petrified countenance?" Andrea Ling laughed with twice the force and the sarcastic emotion. His laughter grew stronger as his momentum steadily increased in its ferocity.

 Chapter 814 Arrive

    "Break the array!"


    On Andrea''s command, all the warriors of the Ling Clan gathered their strongest momentum and threw a cohesive punch at the array. Except William, all the warriors of the Great Star Dynasty and the Scarlet King Ape tribe trembled with fear, and their chests felt heavy and stuffed.


    "Attack again!" Andrea roared.


    Another violent attack was made. This time, people from the Great Star Dynasty and the Scarlet King Ape tribe spat out blood, and their auras weakened even more.


    "Break!" Andrea was unstoppable and launched another brutal attack. After three attacks, the array was completely destroyed. People from the Great Star Dynasty and the Scarlet King Ape tribe were left exposed.


    "Ha-ha, we have rewritten the history!" With a proud laugh, Andrea launched a final wild attack on Dylan and William.


    At the same time, he said with a confident smile, "Now, none of you should make a move. I will clean up the mess. This is a historical moment. I will change it myself."


    "Kill!"


    Dylan and William also knew that there was no way back. They knew their end was close. They exchanged a knowing look and rushed towards Andrea with all their determination.


    "Don''t overestimate yourself!" Andrea told Dylan disdainfully.


    He summoned all his strength to attack William. Under his great power, William retreated heavily. His strength was much lesser than that of Andrea. To make matters worse, Andrea took the Energy Boosting Pill, which made him more difficult to defeat.


    After dealing with William, Andrea instantly approached Dylan. Without any resistance, Dylan''s chest exploded by the blow of Andrea''s palm and he crashed into a huge palace, shattering it to pieces. Dust was all over the place and blood was gushing out, some red, some black.


    That was the power of the poison.


    Dylan was considered to be the strongest master of the Star Continent, yet he was so weak in front of the opposition.


    "History is going to change." The crowd sighed again. As for what would happen to the Great Star Dynasty and the Scarlet King Ape tribe, they would not


    e Space-shrinking Pace.


    He had no choice. He took the Void Tree secretly, so he had to pay something as well. Therefore, he used the cultivation resources he had got from Vincent and his companions to cultivate the Space-shrinking Pace.


    "Of course it''s me. I didn''t expect you to remember me. Lucky me, I guess." Retrieving his momentum, Ricky smiled cunningly.


    ''Colin is invincible, safe and sound. It seems that he has also taken some kind of pill. Is the Ling Clan a clan of pill refiners?'' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''Does Colin know this young man?'' the warriors wondered.


    ''Judging from his reaction, it seems that Colin has suffered some losses because of this young man, '' some people guessed.


    ...


    Of course, Andrea knew Ricky was the one who killed his son.


    Crack! Crack!


    At once, all the bones in Andrea''s body collided with rage.


    Without a word, Andrea marched forward and suddenly appeared in front of Ricky. He folded his hands, burst out his golden light blade again and slashed it towards Ricky.


    "Do you want to kill me that much?" Ricky murmured.


    However, Ricky didn''t retaliate. Instead, he activated his second level of Ultimate Golden Body, infused with the runic power and the galaxy power, and turned them into a shield to defend himself.


    Since Ricky couldn''t beat him, the best option was to defend himself and wait for the pill to wear off.

 Chapter 815 A Defensive Fight

    "Do you know what kind of pill the master of the Ling Clan took?" Ricky asked Dylan and William through telepathy.


    Both replied promptly, "He took the Energy Boosting Pill of the intermediate King Level. It can double the strength of any spiritual king. But it''s only supposed to last for two hours.


    By now it''s been an hour already since he took it."


    "Oh, I see. You two can rest first. I''ll take care of the following things. If any questions come up, we can talk about them later," Ricky said.


    ''An hour! It should be an hour to go down from the peak. Only then I should be able to withstand it, '' Ricky thought seriously.


    Bang! Yet again, Andrea''s mighty attack struck hard at Ricky. However, despite the heavy blow, the powerful defense of his second level of Ultimate Golden Body along with the four kinds of runes protected him from being severely hurt.


    ''With this second level of Ultimate Golden Body on its completed level, as well as the fusion of the Massacring Soil, I''m powerful enough now. At least as long as I don''t compete against a second-class completed spiritual king, I won''t have to face life and death situations, '' Ricky confidently told himself.


    "How could it be possible? He made it again. This young man''s strength really measures up to that of the master of the Ling Clan. It seems things will turn out different from what we''ve expected today," warriors around him commented in awe.


    "Father, let''s fight him together. We''ll definitely break his golden body in this way!" Colin yelled hoarsely.


    ''That stung for sure, '' Ricky thought bitterly on hearing Colin''s words.


    Right then, he had really wanted to take down Colin and his father. But he knew he wouldn''t be a match for them as long as they were under the effect of the pills. Ricky was certain that if he took any action now, Colin and his father would likely defeat him.


    Swish! Regaining his focus back, Ricky immediately activated the Massacring Sand before he burst out the Massacring Mutant. His main purpose at the moment was to increase his defenses by any means he had.


    "The power of the mutant? The Golden Mutant!?" Warriors around were shocked as they felt the power emanating from Ricky.


    "


    , he hadn''t forgotten to gather all his strength into his chest.


    "Massacring Holy Attack¡ªMassacring Five Patterns!"


    Ricky roared as he burst out the Massacring Holy Attack, which had reached five patterns at that time.


    The Massacring Holy Attack wasn''t just a powerful strike. It was also a great defense method.


    Buzz!


    As the four runes emerged, Ricky gathered all the power focused on his chest and turned it into the Golden Enlightenment. The Massacring Holy Ant grew out behind his body. Then, the power got mixed and aligned into five strong line patterns.


    They were all connected to each other forming the shape of a giant golden bell, which covered Ricky''s whole body.


    Ricky had become the legit image of a turtle retracting its head back into its shell.


    "Ricky, you look like a turtle hiding inside its shell." Tina, who was inside the Massacring Zone, laughed out.


    "Tina, could you please say something nice?" Ricky asked in a gentle and indulgent tone.


    Tina couldn''t help but smile at the sight of such a helpless look taking over Ricky''s face.


    Clang! Clang! Clang! While Tina laughed, multiple blades of golden light filled the sky storming its way out to Ricky''s Massacring Five Patterns.


    The moment they collided, enormous waves of air burst out and swallowed the whole area.


    It took a few quarters of an hour for the waves to recede and clear the way for what everyone was expecting to see¡ªif rather Ricky had survived or not.

 Chapter 816 The Ling Clan Retreated

    Boom! Boom!


    Once the loud roar had faded, everyone glanced at the place where Ricky was standing. However, they only saw a ball of golden light gradually disappearing. Ricky was not there at all. They could not feel any trace of him anymore.


    "Was he crushed into pieces? Could he actually be dead?" The warriors in the area were all stunned as they turned to communicate with one another out of curiosity.


    The hopes in the eyes of the people from the Great Star Dynasty and the Scarlet King Ape tribe were replaced by despair once again. They were made to believe that the young hero who appeared out of nowhere was sent by God to rescue them from their doom. But three bouts later, he was killed by the Ling Clan.


    At that moment, the grief in the eyes of Andrea and Colin had begun to fade. They thought they had avenged Vincent by killing Ricky.


    But in the next moment, Colin''s eyes suddenly narrowed as if something entered his mind. He then said anxiously to Andrea, "Father, you must be careful!"


    However, it was already too late. At that same moment, a beam of golden light flashed and directly chopped Andrea''s neck. It was none other than Ricky''s Iron Destroyer. It wasn''t long before Ricky also appeared out of nowhere.


    Ricky didn''t use his Space-shrinking Pace this time. Instead, he entered the Chaotic Fire Zone the moment he was attacked by the Ling Clan and teleported behind Andrea without anyone noticing.


    Faced with the Ling Clan''s ferocious attacks earlier, Ricky had to admit that even if he broke out his strongest abilities to protect himself, he would still be unable to withstand them. It was particularly difficult for him to use the Space-shrinking Pace in that situation.


    Ricky had no other choice but to enter the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    ''Oh, I was forced to enter the Chaotic Fire Zone. That''s not what I wanted at all! I''d rather fight them face to face than find ways to retreat, '' Ricky said in his heart after what happened.


    ...


    At that moment, Andrea felt like all the hair on his body stood up. He sensed a strong killing intent surrounding his entire body. He could feel that his head was about to drop on the ground if he did nothing to defend himself.


    Fortunately for him, Andrea seemed to have been well prepared. A drop of blood essence flew out from between his eyebrows. At the exact moment before Ricky''s Iron Destroyer reached his neck, Andrea had already transformed into a beam of golden light and was able to teleport to another place in the blink of an eye.


    "Oh, I think he just used his Golden Light Flash t


    three days, Dylan had successfully refined the Void Cell but his strength had not improved much because he used all the power contained in the Void Cell to remove the poison instead.


    Dylan found out that he had underestimated the terrible effect of the poison in his body.


    During that period of time, Ricky and Pearl concentrated on refining the Void Cell to get the most out of it.


    The heavenly power indeed lived up to its reputation. Ricky had become a third-class upper spiritual king. Pearl also had become an upper spiritual king.


    What was more, both of them had completely consolidated the power at their respective levels.


    "This is great! Now that I''ve increased my level significantly, I''m sure I would be able to defeat Andrea and kill him the next time we fight!" Ricky said with a confident look.


    By that time, the most valuable thing he had gained so far was the Void Tree. With the Void Tree in his zone, he could absorb and refine the heavenly power any time he wanted. With his four zones, Ricky had absorbed a great amount of heavenly power.


    "I''m getting closer and closer to becoming a spiritual emperor!" Ricky sighed with emotion after realizing his progress.


    ...


    Once they were done with the refinement, Ricky and Pearl came out of the cultivation place. Ares was waiting for them outside.


    "Ares, how is it going? Did the king successfully remove the poison in his body after he refined the Void Cell?" Ricky asked out of concern.


    "A lot of the poison has been eliminated and the king has already regained his former strength," Ares said. "But..."


    Ares let out a sigh and did not finish what he was saying.


    "But what?" both Ricky and Pearl asked out of curiosity.

 Chapter 817 Removing Poison For Resources

    "I''m afraid the king won''t be able to make any progress in his strength in the future, and his life expectancy will be greatly diminished," Ares said with a hopeless sigh.


    "Why? Hasn''t he already refined half of the Void Cell? Isn''t that heavenly power in itself not enough?" Ricky asked out of surprise.


    "No, that''s not entirely true at all. The poison is far too powerful and has already infused into his internal organs. Irrespective of how strong that power is, it is still just an unstable mess of heavenly power. How could that in any way drive out the poison infused in his internal organs?" Ares responded.


    "Oh, so the poison he is afflicted with is no ordinary!" Ricky said. "But how did he get poisoned? Is the Ling Clan responsible?"


    "No, it was the work of a stranger. It happened when the king was on his way to the Void Tree. He met this old man on the way and got attacked. That''s how all of this came to pass," Ares replied solemnly.


    "That old man must be like you, a creature on the continent."


    "He must be a master at crafting toxins," Ricky said.


    "Ares, take me to the king now. I may have a way to completely extract the poison from his body," Ricky voiced.


    "Can you remove poison?" Ares replied in shock.


    "Ha-ha, I know quite a bit about poison, so I want to give it a try. Can''t hurt to try right?" Ricky responded with a smile.


    "Alright then. Follow me please," replied Ares. Although he had known Ricky a few days, it was inexplicable how easy it felt to trust him. Maybe it was because of his strength and confidence.


    Very soon with his guidance, they arrived at the palace where Dylan cultivated. At this time, Selene and William were also there at the palace.


    It seemed like Dylan had indeed returned to his peak, and the undoubted momentum of a completed spiritual king was on full display. But those with keen eyes would be able to see the darkness shrouded between his eyebrows.


    It was unmistakable that he was poisoned.


    "Thank you very much for all your help. If you have any questi


    t.


    "Ricky, we, the Scarlet King Ape tribe, are also willing to offer you the cultivation resources of two spiritual space tools. But please remove the poison from the king''s body," William added in response.


    With that Ares also left.


    "The cultivation resources of two spiritual space tools would be more than enough," Ricky responded.


    "You''re welcome, Ricky. We''ll gladly offer you cultivation resources of another two spiritual space tools. After all, you have just saved our lives," William said feeling rejected.


    ''Apparently the forces in the Heavenly Void have a lot of cultivation resources. In the continent, a demi-spiritual emperor force will find it difficult to afford the cultivation resources of two spiritual space tools, '' Ricky thought to himself silently.


    ''And here, just two complete spiritual kings can offer cultivation resources of two spiritual space tools without a second thought.''


    He didn''t refuse and said almost in a joyful whisper, "Then I think it''s better to accept your offerings."


    Moreover, He also thought that Dylan and William might have guessed that he lacked cultivation resources. Otherwise, William would not make the offer of cultivation resources of two spiritual space tools. If he refused again, it would just be hypocritical.


    "Ha-ha, that''s it!" William laughed.


    Selene and Ares also returned.

 Chapter 818 The Person Behind The Ling Clan

    Once he had accepted the four spiritual space tools of cultivation resources, Ricky began to help Dylan expel the toxin. He had mastered the Evil Devouring Mouth and had already reached an advanced level in terms of the devouring power.


    This posed as an advantage for him and helped him to easily get rid of the toxin from Dylan''s body.


    With the help of his devouring runes and the heavenly power, Ricky successfully removed all the poison from Dylan''s body.


    The poison was quickly devoured by Ricky''s Devourer Zone and transformed into the power that he could use.


    After two days, Dylan had finally recuperated and regained enough energy. Now, he was emitting the momentum of a completed spiritual king.


    It was not until then that Ricky had felt Dylan''s true strength. It was rumored that Dylan was very powerful among all the third-class completed spiritual kings and that he was more powerful than Andrea. Now that he could feel his true strength, Ricky was inclined to agree with them.


    Once again, Dylan, William, and the others expressed their thanks to Ricky heartily.


    "King, I think it is prudent that we keep your recovery a secret. Let us not let the others know that you are completely healed until we find out more about the current situation of the Ling Clan," Ricky suggested wisely. It would be sensible to keep their heads down until they were certain with where they stood.


    "Of course, we will not," Dylan said and agreed as he nodded his head a few times, his eyes filled with fierce killing intent. Now that he had recovered, it was time for him to settle the feud with the Ling Clan.


    "King, I think we should be more careful when dealing with the Ling Clan," Ricky warned him again.


    "Ha-ha, Ricky, thanks for the reminder. Don''t worry too much. Now that the king has already recovered and you are here, I don''t think we need to be afraid of the Ling Clan." William enthusiastically patted his back in excitement. He stood there, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as he eagerly waited for their next plans.


    "What you said does make sense. Indeed, our strength has already surpassed the Ling Clan''s by now. However, do you have any idea how the Ling Clan gained so many Energy Boosting Pills?" Ricky asked in a low voice. He met their eyes seriously as the mood plummeted around him.


    Ricky had remembered when Colin used the Golden Light Flash to run away. Colin had been seriously injured at that time so it was impossible that he only used one drop of blood essence. However, when Ricky saw him again, Colin was alive and well. He was able to recover in such a short amount of time. Ricky reasoned that Colin would ha


    . I have added some poison in this batch which will increase the strength of the people who take it more than twice. Through this, your family will dominate the Great Star Continent. Your dream will come true very soon," the old man said confidently.


    "Thank you, Master Jiang. May I ask if the poison you added into the pills will hurt my men? Although I understand that everything great comes with a price, I do not wish to hurt them. They are members of the Ling Clan after all," Andrea asked in a concerned tone.


    "Don''t worry, it won''t endanger their lives. The only set-back is that once they take the Energy Boosting Pills, their cultivation will not improve ever since then," the old man answered confidently.


    "That''s good," Andrea muttered to himself as he nodded his head.


    "Master Jiang? Jiang?" Ricky was surprised when he heard the familiar last name. He asked Tina, "Tina, is this old man from the Jiang Clan?"


    "It''s highly possible. After all, the Jiang Clan is a clan of pill refiners!" Tina replied thoughtfully.


    ''I see. He must really be from the Jiang Clan then. I did not expect to meet someone from the Jiang Clan here. It seems that I have no other choice but to get involved in this matter.


    I''m very curious about what this Jiang Clan is plotting, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Andrea, I have kept my promise. I hope that you will keep your promise as well." The old man from the Jiang Clan, actually named Clark Jiang, looked expectantly at Andrea.


    "Don''t worry. We only care about this Star Continent and we are not interested in unnecessary things from the outside. I will make sure you will get what you want," Andrea said before he burst out into laughter loudly. It was as if he found the concerns of the old man silly.

 Chapter 819 The Explosion Core

    "Ha-ha. Thank you so much, Andrea," Clark said excitedly.


    "By the way, Andrea, there is one more thing." His eyes beamed with slyness and lust.


    Andrea laughed in response. "I know what you mean. Don''t worry, you can trust me with the gift," he promised with a wink and a wicked smile. He then clapped his hands, and three figures emerged from behind the palace.


    All three of them were young women, each of which was extremely beautiful, scantily clad and enchanting.


    "Ha-ha! You know me well, Andrea. Just come to my palace after ten days to take the pills." Clark''s eyes turned red and watery as he carefully examined each of the women''s sultry curves. He already felt like the luckiest man on earth.


    He took the three girls very eagerly out of the palace and hurried back to his own place.


    "I can''t believe that this old man is such an old goat. I wonder if the trade between him and Andrea has anything to do with the Sense of Realm," Ricky murmured. "Is it true that this Star Continent really has the Sense of Realm?"


    "I don''t think there are any other types of interests that can convince Clark and Andrea and make both of them willing enough to make a deal with each other. That said, it''s very likely that all this conspiracy is about the Sense of Realm," Tina said. "If it was merely for women, Clark definitely would not have agreed to create so many pills for the Ling Clan."


    "Father, ¡¤when shall we kill this old guy? Is it after we finally rule the Star Continent?" Colin asked in a low and frigid voice as he came out from behind the palace.


    "We do it after we get what we want. Remember Colin, we have to let him have his way as much as we could. We should wait at least before we completely destroy the Great Star Dynasty and the Scarlet King Ape tribe. Only then can we finally kill that bastard," Andrea replied and stared indifferently at the horizon.


    "Well, this old dog''s strength is not a disappointment. We need his strength so we can deal with that brat."


    "I understand, Father. However, recently, several of the women in our clan have fallen into the clutches of that old man. Some of the members have even¡¤ started raising their concerns about it. I''m afraid the whole clan might fall apart if this continues," Colin disclosed with a worried look on his face.


    "Well then, tell the women in our clan that from now on, if they¡¤ have nothing important to do, then they shouldn''t step out of their rooms. There are tons of other women in other clans," Andrea¡¤ instructed. His tone left a spiky chill in the atmosphere.


    "Yes, F


    "In that case, we have to go to the Explosion Core and take a look at the area ourselves." Ricky was starting to feel all revved up.


    "That''s right!" Dylan nodded. "It''s not a big deal if we have to wait. The real problem is that we don''t know when the Sense of Realm will come out. Also, we can''t do anything about it except waiting until it finally shows up."


    "Is that so?" Ricky seemed baffled. "Do you think Clark knows about the timing?" Ricky''s expression was immediately replaced with confusion.


    "Whether he is already aware of it or not, we will have to keep a closer eye on him from now on. We can''t let him get out of our sight and allow him to continue with whatever plot he has in mind," Pearl muttered with strong conviction.


    Among all those who wanted their hands on the Sense of Realm, Pearl was definitely the one who cared about it the most. This prompted her to be more cautious of anyone who posed a threat on the attainment of her goal.


    "Alright, then. I''ll go to the Ling Clan once more. I hope that I can leave some runic marks on Clark to help make the monitoring a lot easier," Ricky declared and began taking quick paces away from the group.


    He prepared himself and he was about to set out to return to the Ling Clan.


    At this moment, a bravo of the Great Star Dynasty came in and said that someone from the Ling Clan had sent a letter.


    This news aroused the curiosity of all those who were present. Dylan took over and read the letter aloud for everyone to hear.


    "What does ¡¤Andrea¡¤ want ¡¤this time, sir?" Ricky asked, stopping in his tracks.


    "Andrea has asked for a fight to the death in the Explosion Core...in ten days!" Dylan announced after taking a deep breath.

 Chapter 820 Enemies Gathering

    "Really? They asked for a fight in the region of ¡¤Explosion Core. I believe they propose to fight with us there because they have no idea when it will open," Ricky surmised logically.


    "This is exactly what we want. Otherwise, we have to pay attention to both the Explosion Core and our enemies. They are probably thinking the same thing as us now. In ten days, our success or failure will be decided by this," William told them seriously.


    After the talk, Dylan and William made preparations and prepared for the worst.


    Ricky and Pearl once again entered the cultivation place of the Great Star Dynasty and prepared for their battle in ten days.


    "Pearl, I''ll hand over the disciples from the Ling Clan to you this time. Be careful since they have enhanced themselves with the pills. You can have the Sense of Realm we find this time," Ricky told her.


    "It''s too early to decide that. Let''s get the Sense of Realm first. But I do have one question."


    Pearl looked at Ricky coyly as he looked back at her curiously. "What is it?"


    "Why are you so interested in the matters of the Great Star Dynasty? Even if we consider your friendship with them, I don''t think your relationship is that deep.


    If you want to get the Sense of Realm, you have zones so you can always hide in the dark. So, why are you getting involved in this?" Pearl asked with her internal power.


    "Because I feel guilty. You will understand once things have ended." Pearl frowned at his vague answer. She decided to change her approach when she realized he would not elaborate.


    "What''s your chance of winning against Clark?"


    "Those completed Spiritual Kings must be extraordinary. He is not only a master in pill refining but also a master in using poison. I am not afraid of his poison but I am worried about how many pills he has. After all, a good pill can completely reverse a situation, from life to death or vice versa.


    Considering this, I think my confidence is less than 50%. However, in every battle, it is about how much effort we put in and our strength, and it is also a competition of confidence."


    Pea


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    nsed it."


    Pearl ignored Clark''s astonishment. She remained calm and did not even spare him a glance.


    Ricky replied for her, "Hey, old man, don''t be so fussy. Pearl is my girl¡ª"


    He turned and met Pearl''s cold gaze. Her deadly glare caused him to trail off before he quieted down fully.


    "Shut up or I''ll freeze your mouth!" Pearl''s cold voice sounded in his mind.


    He inadvertently stood up straighter than before and immediately did as she had asked.


    "Pearl, you are from the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. The Jiang Clan also works for the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. I think we should join our hands together now and defeat Ricky. You would have better opportunities with me than with him," Clark persuaded Pearl patiently. His tone was so sickly-sweet, it was disgusting.


    "You are so annoying! I don''t understand how an old man like you can even enter the Heavenly Void?" This time, Pearl replied by herself before Ricky could spout more nonsense.


    "What did you say?" Clark was furious. His face was red and his hands were clenched tightly by his side.


    He invited Pearl out of kindness but was disrespected and insulted. She needed to be taught a lesson.


    "I will not show you mercy later. Apologize before it is too late." Although he was burning with anger, he was also burning with lust.


    Pearl''s beauty was driving him wild and her attitude only spurned him on more.

 Chapter 821 The Magmatic Exhalation

    "Apologize to you? Old man, do you think you stand a chance of winning against us?" Ricky sneered at Clark''s words. At once, he burst out his power and dashed toward Clark.


    The Explosion Core was right before their eyes. Ricky wasn''t keen to waste any more time chatting. He had got his mind set on fighting immediately.


    As Ricky activated both his massacring runes and flame runes, the dual power broke out ferociously and unexpectedly.


    Although Clark''s vital energy had decreased sharply, it was undeniable he was still a third-class completed spiritual king at peak state. Even though Ricky had successfully refined one fourth of the Void Cell and thus improved his strength to a great degree, he would still have to do his best and throw his most powerful attack to be able to succeed.


    Ricky threw a punch at Clark''s jaw.


    "Brat, mark my words, I''ll end you today. It doesn''t matter how powerful of an ace genius you are!" Clark roared before leaping upward and hitting the air with an open hand as pure venom started to leak out from his palm.


    "Ricky, watch out. Any attack from that man is filled with a strong toxin. He is a master in poisoning," Dylan warned.


    "Understood," Ricky replied.


    Boom!


    Even though he had been warned, Ricky still clashed his fist against Clark''s hand.


    "Kill!" Dylan howled before dashing towards Andrea, with the full intent on killing him. From the other side, William also rushed to go up against Colin as a fierce battle had officially begun.


    "Pearl, deal with the warriors from the Ling Clan," Ricky requested her through telepathy.


    With Pearl''s aid, Ricky believed the warriors from the Ling Clan wouldn''t be a threat any longer, even if they still had the Energy Boosting Pills on their side.


    ...


    "Die!" Clark bellowed as his palm was about to hit his opponent''s fist. The moment they touched, Ricky''s entire arm got instantly covered in black. His palm''s center looked even darker. Ricky started to have a clear sense of the poison as a suffocating feeling washed over him.


    ''How terrible the poison is!'' Ricky groaned inwardly.


    Without any hesitation, Ricky gathered one of


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    exclaimed.


    Boom! Boom! All at once, his body had got completely revolved by the black toxin.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    However, everything got interrupted by an abrupt and deafening thunder piercing through the sky. The temperature rose quickly as everywhere started to quiver violently.


    Boom! Boom! The high temperature caused flames to arise in some parts.


    "What happened?" All the battles had come to a sudden stop in front of the scene.


    The volcano had attracted everyone''s eyes.


    Dylan, Andrea, and William frowned upon the situation. Immediately, they all cried in unison, "Retreat!"


    Rapidly, Dylan, Andrea, and William guided their respective family members to their cultivation zones.


    "Pearl, get back into the Massacring Zone now! Hurry up!" Ricky also shouted as he dragged Pearl into his Massacring Zone before they got killed by the lava, which was about to rush towards them.


    Splash! Splash! Splash!


    The lava erupted its way out of the volcano, running wild and rapidly taking everything over. The space and the void soon turned into a burning sea of lava.


    Before the chaos, both Dylan and Ricky used their spiritual energy to create a shield, so they could protect themselves. Still, the scorching heat felt troublesome, threatening to burn them to ashes at any second.


    "No one can resist such a high temperature unless he is a completed spiritual king!" Ricky muttered, his face deadly serious.

 Chapter 822 The Explosion Core Showed Up

    "According to the records of our Great Star Dynasty, every time the Explosion Core showed up, its surroundings would turn into hell like this. I''m afraid that only a completed spiritual king can bear the temperature here," Dylan muttered with a frown.


    "The baptism of the Sense of Realm is likely to be completed with the appearance of the Explosion Core," Clark said, excited.


    Without hesitation, the old man went straight into the crater for the treasure. Andrea and his son, Colin, immediately followed.


    "Let''s go!" Ricky exclaimed. He quickly entered the hot pit with Dylan and William.


    It turned out that Dylan was right about the place. There was a world inside the volcanic vent, a world created by the heat and isolated by the lava.


    The world inside was occupied by the magma. In the center of the space, there was a huge passage that seemed without end. As if a bottomless pit was not frightening enough, it was also shooting out roaring flames.


    As soon as they stepped inside, they noticed that the temperature had risen even further.


    "This is the world of the Explosion Core and the core is deep inside. Strangely, the temperature has gotten so high inside. Even I feel that I might not be able to stand it for long," Dylan explained to them.


    "I can only hope that the temperature won''t increase more once we go down deeper into this world," Ricky murmured.


    At this point, the two sides seemed to have reached a truce. Nobody moved to start a fight. Instead, they kept a distance from each other as they walked deeper into the volcano carefully.


    However, when they were less than a quarter of the way into the depth of the passage, Colin and William could not bear the high temperature anymore. Their spiritual energy shields had been burned so badly that if they went any deeper, they would be seared to ashes.


    "It seems that the deeper we go, the higher the temperature is. I''m afraid I may only be able to keep this up for another hundred meters. After that, I may no longer be able to continue," Dylan admitted even as he continued to walk forward.


    "If you can''t go further, just stay here and wait for your death!" Andrea said harshly in response to Dylan''s words.


    "Don''t act so mighty, Andrea! I know you cannot continue further as well," Dylan¡¤ responded coldly at Andrea''s provocation.


    "It''s up to you now, dude." Andrea turned to Clark expectantly.


    The old man nodded at him. Three pills appeared on his hand and he dis


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ire-resisting Pills, I bet he is also a cunning man. I''m sure that he won''t trust Andrea and Colin. In return, the father and son of the Ling Clan will not let him have the Sense of Realm so easily!" Pearl analyzed thoughtfully.


    "Yes, you are right. ¡¤The possible conflict between them might give us a chance," Ricky agreed. He too was deep in thought as he visualized in his mind what could transpire later.


    ....


    Two hours later, they finally reached the deepest part of the area. It was a world filled with magma that only a first-class completed spiritual king could bear its temperature.


    Of course, with the help of external tools and mutants with a fire nature, one could also survive in this place.


    As soon as they arrived, all of their attention was caught by the giant lava ball that was floating in the center of the cavern. This lava ball seemed to be more than a hundred meters in diameter.


    They could feel very strong heavenly power from this lava ball. It felt so pure that they suspected it to be even purer than the power contained in the Void Cell.


    Moreover, they could feel that the ball of lava was continuously absorbing the heavenly power from the surrounding area.


    "This is the Explosion Core. It is the beginning form of a continent in the Heavenly Void. It can be said that this is the heart and soul of a continent, the hot and lively core of the land," Tina whispered to Ricky as they stared at the Explosion Core.


    "So this is where the Sense of Realm has been resting. It somehow fits. Only in this kind of place can the treasure get the most perfect baptism by heaven," Ricky muttered in silent awe.

 Chapter 823 Ling Clans Trump Card

    "The Explosion Core!" the three members of the Ling Clan shouted in excitement. They eyed the Explosion Core with greedy eyes.


    "Hey, buddy. Is the Sense of Realm inside the Explosion Core? If so, how can we obtain it? After all, there is no way we can break through the heavenly power that is surrounding the Explosion Core!" Andrea asked Clark.


    "And we can''t explode it either! Once the Explosion Core is exploded, this continent will be destroyed as a result. Would you care to enlighten us?"


    "When the Sense of Realm matures, it will come out on its own. But I don''t want to wait that long. If someone stronger arrives and takes it, all my efforts will be rendered useless," Clark said.


    Andrea and Colin gaped at Clark in shock. That was the first time that they heard of that plan.


    "What do you mean? Do you want to destroy the Explosion Core?" Their shock started to be replaced with rage when they understood the implications of what Clark had said. Clark obviously did not care whether the continent would survive his plans or not. The father and son had already considered this continent as their territory. There was no way that they would just accept this plan so easily.


    Moreover, once this continent was destroyed, the Ling Clan would become homeless.


    It would be difficult to occupy another continent so they could not afford to destroy this one.


    "You two, listen to me. If you help me get the Sense of Realm, I will take you out of this Heavenly Void and to a bigger continent. You know that you can only become a demi-spiritual emperor at most in this continent but on the other continents, you can achieve more than you can imagine." Clark tried to persuade them when he noticed that they seemed to be against his plan.


    "Hey, buddy. This is not part of our plan. You didn''t tell me that you want to destroy it. Come on, man. We can just wait for a few more days. The Sense of Realm will be yours very soon. You don''t need to destroy it. Just be patient.


    Besides, I never wanted to bring our clan to another continent. This place is good enough for us!"


    Despite his calm words, there was a brewing tension between them that grew tighter as time passed.


    "It seems that Andrea and Colin have no intention to hand over the Sense of Realm. I''m afraid that they don''t care about whether the Star Continent would be destroyed or not but only want to take advantage of this chance to turn against the old man!" Pearl whispered to Ricky delightedly.


    "


    is would very likely enable the Void Beast to make a breakthrough and become a second-class completed spiritual king.


    My father and I will also make great progress after we refine the Sense of Realm!" Colin detailed with a smug expression on his face.


    "It seems that you have planned everything well." Clark frowned at Colin.


    "Yes, you are right. By the way, the reason why I chose to corporate with you is that I was afraid that you might team up with Dylan and William. If that happened, it would be difficult for us to defeat them.


    The only thing that was not in our plan is the appearance of Ricky who killed my son, Vincent. But that doesn''t matter anymore. We have to pay a price if we want to achieve our goal.


    And I will make sure to avenge my son and destroy Ricky, the whole Great Star Dynasty, and the Scarlet King Ape tribe sooner or later," Andrea vowed passionately.


    "Ha-ha! Andrea, you are so smart. Your plan is perfect. It seems that I can''t destroy the Explosion Core now. Well, let''s just sit here and wait patiently then," Clark said with a smile. It was strange how quickly he changed his attitude after he heard their plan fully.


    "As we have planned, you will give the Sense of Realm to me. In exchange, I will help you to dominate the Star Continent and refine the pills."


    ...


    "Andrea and Colin are so shrewd!" Ricky could not help but sigh as he listened to their conversation.


    "It turns out that the old man from the Jiang Clan has been set up by the Ling Clan. I did not see that coming! The Ling Clan has a Void Beast. I''m afraid we''ll be no match for them," Pearl whispered dejectedly as she frowned.

 Chapter 824 Five-Poison Mutant

    "I''m still not sure. I don''t think Clark will be easily defeated. He hasn''t delivered his ace card yet," Ricky said. "It''s still hard to say who will be the ultimate winner. It will be the best for us, though, if both sides are hurt."


    ...


    "Clark, I believe you didn''t get it right. Do you really think I''ll still give the Sense of Realm to you under such circumstances?" Andrea taunted with a smirk on his face.


    "Let me get it straight for you. I intend to kill you. After all, we both know the best way to stay safe is to kill all your enemies, especially one such as you, a warrior with an outstanding talent in both pill and poison refining."


    "Andrea, you''d better not drive me up the wall," Clark said. "I can leave the Sense of Realm to you and also help you refine pills. I can be very helpful to you.


    If you have a pill refiner like me on your side, it will be really easy for you to dominate the Star Continent. Even ten continents if you wish so!"


    Andrea laughed out loud. "I do only care about the Star Continent. Besides, Clark, it''s really risky for me to have someone like you by my side."


    Once he was done, Andrea nodded at Colin.


    Howl! All of a sudden, the Void Beast roared. Rather fast, it started to gather the heavenly power with its sharp claws. As it collected the scorching magma, it struck at Clark intending to tear him into pieces.


    This double attack was a great combo to be used against Clark.


    Fortunately for him, though, Clark had quite many Fire-resisting Pills. Even so, he wasn''t keen on taking any more risks and quickly took two more pills before he could be swatted. Thanks to the pills, he would be able to resist the heat.


    Since the first issue had been contained, Clark focused on gathering his strength now in order to block the attack from the Void Beast.


    Boom! However, the moment he was struck he retreated a few steps. His strength hadn''t been powerful enough to shield himself from the Void Beast''s attack. Now, Clark heaved heavily trying to fill his lungs with fresh air.


    That was expected, though. The heavenly power released by the Void Beast was too strong. Creatures at the same ran


    Jiang Clan gave Clark the qualification to get into the Heavenly Void because he has a mutant all along!" Pearl inferred a bit in awe as well.


    "His mutant must be of the poisonous kind. I just didn''t figure out which one exactly," Ricky whispered, staring at Clark.


    "Those five marks represent five kinds of poison. It seems that the mutant Clark owns is a Five-Poison Mutant. No wonder his poisons are so strong and powerful," Tina explained.


    "Five-Poison Mutant! This is also one of the top mutants!" Ricky consulted.


    "That''s right. The Five-Poison Mutant is definitely among the top, which is not inferior to the Sandy Mutant," Tina replied.


    "In this case, Clark has a great talent then. But he still didn''t become a completed spiritual king until his blood vitality started to decrease. I guess he''s really wasted most of his time on women," Ricky said lightly.


    ...


    "Mutant? Humph! You have a mutant!" Colin muttered coldly when he saw the change in Clark. Andrea had also narrowed his eyes toward the scene, not slightly pleased with it.


    "Andrea, what do you think of my mutant? I hope my Five-Poison Mutant didn''t disappoint you. Or does my trump card scare you?" Clark sneered as his body released the ferocious toxin.


    "The Five-Poison Mutant is indeed a powerful mutant." Andrea nodded. "But since it''s owned by you, an old guy who wastes too much of his time playing with women, it''s just a great loss."

 Chapter 825 The Power Of Five-Poison Mutant

    "What did you say?" Andrea''s mocking sneer had made Clark''s blood boil. Furious, his whole body turned into a poisonous mist as he rushed forward, attempting to dodge the Void Beast.


    He knew that as long as Andrea and Colin were infected with just a little bit of the toxin released by his Five-Poison Mutant, he could win the battle.


    Howl! However, the powerful beast controlled by Colin wouldn''t grant Clark the chance to get anywhere near Colin and his father.


    As the beast kept roaring, the heavenly power along with the magma quickly melted into a giant wall, blocking Clark''s attack.


    Then it was the Void Beast''s round to strike. With its huge mouth open, it blasted a colossal light canon towards the black mist. Once the attack loudly hit its target, Clark''s figure suddenly appeared through his black poisonous mist.


    This was one of the heavenly power''s characteristics. Under its influence, some evolved mutants would end up exposing their real bodies.


    "The heavenly power is indeed unfathomable. It can restrain the mutant power to a certain extent," Ricky exclaimed from the Massacring Zone as he watched the battle.


    "Damn it!" Clark swore.


    "Five-Poison Palm¡ªSnake Poisonous Palm!" Clark decided he wouldn''t withstand the attack without a fight. He rapidly gathered his power, so it could clash against the light cannon.


    Clapping his dark palm, the poisonous mist gradually evolved into the Poisonous Enlightenment, briefly turning into a monstrous black snake. The viper hissed as it converted into the shape of a giant black palm.


    Boom! The two fierce strikes collided, spreading a shock-wave around the space. Clark ended up being hit back heavily. His body retracted leaving its mark in the air, as it was thrown violently through it.


    The Void Beast''s strength was slightly more powerful than Clark''s, not to mention its vigorous blood vitality. It didn''t surprise anyone when the poisonous gas was suppressed by both the heavenly power as well as the flame.


    "Kill!" Colin wasn''t going to give Clark room to breathe. Before his opponent could recover, he got back his control over the Void Beast and struck fiercely agai


    an to kill you, but you''ve decided to kill me first," Clark sarcastically told Andrea and Colin.


    "Humph, the winner is the king and the loser is the aggressor. Stop with the nonsense already." Andrea was too much of a tough guy to beg for mercy. He also wouldn''t give Clark the pleasure of taking his life. So, he took out his own weapon and slithered it along his neck.


    He knew Clark wouldn''t let them go so easily.


    "Father!" Colin roared in fury.


    He still attempted to take over the Void Beast in order to blow at Clark one last time.


    However, Clark didn''t give him the chance. He activated the power of the Five-Poison Mutant inside Colin''s body at once, which instantly killed him.


    Immediately, the souls of Andrea and Colin had been completely erased.


    Being a completed spiritual king granted his soul could revive in certain conditions even if it didn''t have its own consciousness yet. So Clark didn''t forget to erase the souls of Andrea and Colin.


    As soon as Colin died, the Void Beast had also perished. Their relationship was of a symbiotic nature, the latter couldn''t exist without the former. No matter how powerful the Void Beast was, Colin was the one who had control over it.


    Clark was thrilled as he started packing up all of Andrea and Colin''s belongings. Then, he stated seriously, "I''ve finally got the Sense of Realm. Next, I''ll go out and kill that young man, and then I''ll get Pearl as my woman."

 Chapter 826 Clark Was No Match For Him

    "You don''t have to go outside. If you are capable of killing me now, I suggest you do it while you can," Ricky walked out of his Chaotic Fire Zone and said coldly as soon as Clark was done with his words.


    Ricky would kill anyone who dared to take Pearl away from him!


    He was then in the state of the Chaotic Fire Mutant. Being showered by the Chaotic Fire Enlightenment, he found the flames within the Explosion Core area to be quite lovely. The flames then gathered around him in an instant.


    ''Perhaps only now will I fully understand how powerful my Chaotic Fire Mutant truly is. It seems that the flames like the Chaotic Fire Mutant very much, '' Ricky sighed in his heart as he sensed the situation.


    Being surrounding by the flames, he could feel his strength reaching higher levels.


    "It''s you! How can it be?" Clark said out of surprise when he saw Ricky appear out of nowhere. He wasn''t expecting to see Ricky there at all.


    "The mutant! The mutant power! You possess the mutant power." Clark also immediately found the power of Ricky''s mutant quite extraordinary. His eyes darkened at once. He also understood why Ricky was able to stay in the depths of the Explosion Core. It was all because of his powerful mutant.


    Of course, he was also wondering how Ricky suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    However, it was not his main concern at that time. From the previous battles, Clark concluded that Ricky was absolutely qualified to be a big threat to him. He was well aware that unlike Andrea or Colin, Ricky did not have the Five-Poison Mutant inside his body.


    "I can''t believe you have a powerful mutant as well!" Clark said coldly after he calmed himself down a bit. At the same time, the poison enlightenment that had been disappearing resurged once again and surrounded him ferociously. Obviously, he was ready for a fight.


    However, that time, the mutant power of Clark declined a bit compared to the previous times. It was mostly because the snake mark on his face had disappeared and he had already spent one-fifth of his mutant power trying to kill Andrea and Colin earlier.


    For anyone who owned the Five-Poison Mutant, he could indeed kill anyone without being noticed. But at the same time, it had a weakness, which was that the user of the Five-Poison Mutant would also gradually grow weaker after a certain period of time once the skill was employed to kill his or her enemies.


    "Ha-ha! Apparently, an old man like you could also have a mutant. It shouldn''t be strange that I have a mutant as well," Ricky said with a subtle smile. "Old man, the power of your Five-Poison Mutant has been reduced by a fifth of its original strength. I don''t think you would stand a chance against me at all


    e reason that the fires can resist the poison, I think Ricky''s Chaotic Fire Mutant also contributed a lot to his success. Am I making sense?" Pearl asked Tina as they watched the fight from inside the Massacring Zone.


    "Ricky has four kinds of mutants. Each of them is very powerful. I would say that none of his mutants is weaker than your Feminine Mutant," Tina replied as she nodded her head a few times.


    ...


    "That can''t be true! There should be no flame-attribute mutant that can completely resist my Five-Poison Mutant!" Clark cried desperately as he heard Ricky''s words. He didn''t want to accept that fact that he was defeated by Ricky without much trouble. "My five poisons are the most poisonous things in the entire world!"


    "Ha-ha! The most poisonous things in the world? How dare you say that? Even with my Chaotic Fire Mutant, I would never dare to proclaim it as the most powerful flame-attribute mutant. I''m very curious where your arrogance is coming from. Aren''t you afraid others will laugh at you?" Ricky said with a disdainful smile after hearing Clark''s crazy words.


    Howl! Howl!


    The next moment, the five marks on Clark''s face became more and more ferocious as imperceptible sounds of roaring echoed through the skies. The shadows behind him became more apparent.


    "Is he ready to risk his life for one final exchange?" Ricky said lightly. "Unfortunately, no matter what, he would never be able to defeat me. His Five-Poison Mutant might have granted him the power but it will also cause him his death."


    "Show yourself, my five poisonous shadows!"


    Clark shouted once again. At the same time, five drops of blood essence were spilled from his fingertips and were mixed into the shadows behind him. As a result, each of the shadows emitted power that was as powerful as his own.

 Chapter 827 Pills Wouldnt Work Anyway

    Mixed with the blood essence, the five shadows seemed to have transformed into solid bodies that quickly darted to five different directions. Within a few seconds, they tore Ricky''s domain and rushed toward Ricky ferociously.


    "Flame Torrent!" Ricky shouted as he activated his Omnipotent Chaotic Fire Skill. His eyes were terrifying in their intensity.


    Ricky''s chaotic fire runes instantly evolved into five crimson passages as Ricky''s body turned into a torrent of flame and divided into five streams. Each of them merged with a certain type of fire and rushed toward Clark''s five shadows.


    Boom! Boom!


    The next moment, Ricky''s five torrents of flame collided with Clark''s five shadows. The sacred fire and peculiar fire chased away Clark''s shadows until they all disappeared. The strong toxins they had emitted could not identify Ricky''s position. They swirled about uselessly in the air.


    Boom! Boom! After a while, all the toxins were overcome by Ricky''s torrents of flame. The five torrents of flame combined and rushed toward Clark forcefully.


    Clark stood there with widened eyes and fear began to creep in his mind as his attacks were neutralized.


    He did not have much time to fear though, because he had to resist with all his might. Therefore, Clark formed his last strength to withstand the Flame Torrents from Ricky but all his efforts were in vain. As they crashed against him, Clark was thrown into the lake of fire.


    The chaotic fire runes flared and Ricky turned into his original human shape again.


    "Is he dead?" Tina asked Ricky from the Massacring Zone.


    "I doubt it. He is a completed spiritual king, after all. Don''t worry. Even if he doesn''t die, I am sure that he has no power to fight again," Ricky replied and assured Tina.


    Swish! As soon as Ricky finished his words, a figure burst out from the magma-filled lake. Ricky was right. It was Clark. He was alive but he appeared like he was on his last legs. His clothes were tattered and his body was wounded gravely.


    To top that off, it seemed that the effect of the Fire-resisting Pill was wavering and about to disappear.


    "Old man, how are you feeling now? Maybe you should make this easier for yourself and just die!" Ricky said in a menacing tone.


    He let his momentum surge again. He was ready to end this battle.


    "No!" Clark roared angrily like a


    ills, you have reached the limit of a third-class upper spiritual king, am I right?"


    Tina reminded Ricky.


    "That''s right. My next step is to become a second-class upper spiritual king," Ricky said seriously with a determined look. "When that time comes, I will not be the weakest one among the spiritual kings inside this Heavenly Void."


    "What are you going to do with the warriors of the Ling Clan?" Tina asked curiously.


    "That is a difficult problem. Should I kill them or not?" Ricky hesitated as he thought about what he could do with them.


    Ricky could easily kill them. He could just throw all of them into the burning lava but that seemed like a waste.


    "Maybe you can make them work for you," Pearl suddenly suggested. "Aren''t you able to drive out toxins? As long as you explain the reason to them and help them drive out toxins, I''m sure they will trust you and work for you."


    "You are right, Pearl. That''s a good idea. But I think I''d better let them stay in the spiritual space tool for a while. It would be better for me to cure them after they realize that the pills that they took were poisonous.


    For now, all we need to do is wait for the Sense of Realm. Finally! I''m going to get the first Sense of Realm very soon!"


    Ricky turned to the Explosion Core in his excitement. He wondered, ''How long will it take for the Sense of Realm to reveal itself from the Explosion Core? I''m looking forward to it!''


    Ricky settled down nearby and started cultivating to pass the time. He waited patiently for the Sense of Realm to reveal itself.

 Chapter 828 Mastering Another Omnipotent Skill

    "Pearl, can''t you feel it? The heavenly power above the Explosion Core is very pure and rich. You can also come out and practice. Don''t worry. I will wrap you with the power of my Chaotic Fire Mutant so that you won''t be burned by the lava," Ricky said to Pearl.


    "Although the speed at which we absorb the heavenly power is as slow as a snail crawling, it''s still better than nothing. Come on out."


    "Ricky, you''re being too optimistic about our situation. The heavenly power is unlike that one embedded in the Void Beast and the Void Cell. Just give it up. We can''t absorb the power here," Pearl sighed. She wondered if Ricky had forgotten that basic fact.


    "Maybe we couldn''t before. But now, it''s another story!" Ricky persuaded her further. She could tell from his tone that he was smiling widely.


    The next moment, Ricky''s Devourer Zone appeared behind him. Gradually, the Void Tree also revealed itself as well.


    "How could this be possible? The Void Tree! When did you put the Void Tree in your Devourer Zone?" Pearl exclaimed in surprise. She almost couldn''t believe what she saw. Inside, her thoughts were frantically speeding through her mind.


    ''What kind of zone does Ricky have inside his body? It could even devour something like the Void Tree!''


    "I will never let go of something precious like the Void Tree, so I just stored it in my Devourer Zone." Ricky shrugged as if it was no big deal.


    With the help of the Void Tree, Ricky was able to absorb heavenly power which was circling above the Explosion Core.


    "Although I can only absorb a little bit, it is still helpful. The Void Tree really lives up to its fame. It is true how valuable and useful it is. Too bad it only grows here in the Heavenly Void!" Ricky absorbed the power even as he talked, his attention focused on what he was doing.


    ''It is a pity that in my Devourer Zone, the Void Tree cannot breed a Void Beast. Otherwise, I would own a Void Beast who cultivates the heavenly power. That would be truly awesome. It would be as strong as any creature with the most powerful bloodline, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "It seems that the reason that you tried your best to help the Great Star Dynasty is the Void Tree." Pearl suddenly narrowed her eyes as she realized something.


    "Well, you can say that," Ricky said and chuckled.


    "So, what do you think about my suggestion? You won''t refuse to cultivate on the V


    asked Ricky curiously from the Massacring Zone.


    "Because of the Explosion Core, I was able to learn this Omnipotent Skill. It is also a combination of my chaotic fire runes and gale runes. Let''s just call it the Gale Flaming Strike!" Ricky exclaimed. He was smiling widely, obviously pleased with his progress.


    "Gale Flaming Strike! Ha-ha. Got it! It''s a very aggressive name," Tina replied with a smile. She chuckled when she saw his childishly pleased expression.


    "It''s simple and straightforward. It fits me well. Don''t you think so?" Ricky said with a smile.


    "I''ve been staying with you for a long time. You have truly evolved. I have to admit that you do have the talent to be an ace genius," Pearl interrupted. Despite the praise, her tone was flat and sour as if she just forced herself to say it.


    "Ha-ha! Are you implying that I''m qualified to be your man officially now?" Ricky laughed loudly when her frown grew more pronounced.


    "Don''t even think about it. Maybe, in your dreams!" Pearl said. Ricky grinned at Pearl''s sour expression.


    He shrugged and raised his hands in defeat when she seemed like she was getting too pissed off.


    Buzz! Buzz!


    The giant Explosion Core vibrated all of a sudden. The heavenly power rushed into the Explosion Core quickly while the Explosion Core absorbed the power like crazy. It started pounding like the beating of a heart.


    "Look! It seems that the Sense of Realm is coming out soon!" Ricky said eagerly when he noticed what was happening.


    Immediately, he and Pearl floated into the void. They waited silently for the right moment.

 Chapter 829 The Heavenly Meridian

    Buzz!


    The heavenly power gathered at the Explosion Core. After reaching a certain extreme state, the Explosion Core seemed ready to explode. With a powerful buzz, a heart-shaped ball of light appeared.


    The light ball contained the purest and densest heavenly power. Ricky also felt another invisible force.


    There was no doubt that the ball of light was exactly a Sense of Realm.


    Without hesitation, Ricky absorbed the Sense of Realm into the Massacring Zone with the help of his spiritual energy as soon as the Sense of Realm appeared.


    "I''ve obtained the first Sense of Realm!" Ricky exclaimed. He had never felt such raw joy and excitement.


    Boom! As Ricky took the Sense of Realm away, the whole area of the Explosion Core began shaking, and roaring magma gushed down. It was obvious that the Explosion Core area was going to be closed because the Sense of Realm was taken away.


    Ricky didn''t dare stay any longer. He entered the Massacring Zone together with Pearl. They left immediately.


    "Pearl, if you refine the Sense of Realm, can you break through and become a completed spiritual king?" Ricky asked, standing in the Massacring Zone.


    "I won''t need that much. I think one third of the Sense of Realm will be enough," Pearl answered flatly.


    "Well, if that''s the case, we can refine the heavenly power in the Sense of Realm together. You can get the Heavenly Meridian in the Sense of Realm by yourself. I will look for another Sense of Realm, or I can get the Heavenly Meridian from somebody else," Ricky said.


    "After your spiritual meridian and the Heavenly Meridian merge together, you will cultivate faster on the Void Tree. That way, it will be very easy for you and me to get the Heavenly Meridian from somewhere else by working together."


    Pearl was genuinely shocked by the sincerity in Ricky''s voice.


    The most precious part of a Sense of Realm that had been baptized was not the pure heavenly power in it but the Heavenly Meridian in it.


    The so-called Heavenly Meridian was like the spiritual meridian of a creature. It was formed by the heavens. So far, there had only been one way for any creature to obtain it, and that was by obtaining the Sense of Realm.


    Only when a creature got the Heavenly Meridian and merged it with his own spiritual meridian could he really be recognized by the heaven and earth, qualified to make a breakthrough and become an innate spiritual emperor, and also be able to use the heavenly power.


    The Heavenly Meridian was the only key for cre


    extraordinary spiritual meridian! Eight-star! That means you''re qualified to be my¡ª"


    Before he could finish his sentence, he felt Pearl''s cold, sharp gaze slashing at his face like phantom blades of ice, so he dared not say anything more.


    "Tina, what about yours?" Ricky asked, turning his gaze upon Tina.


    "Nine-star, low grade," Tina responded flatly as if it was nothing.


    "Oh, my God, Tina! You have a nine-star spiritual meridian?" Pearl exclaimed. She was shocked to hear such information. Although she knew that Tina''s talent had been overshadowed by the evil spirit, she had never imagined that Tina would possess the nine-star spiritual meridian.


    "Awesome," Ricky mused. "You can be my woman in that case." He didn''t dare say anything like that to Pearl, but with Tina, he didn''t hesitate. Pearl didn''t particularly appreciate his brand or timing of humor, and Tina was less likely to bite his head off over a bad joke.


    Tina blushed at Ricky''s comment while Pearl looked at Ricky with her cold stare once again.


    "What about your spiritual meridian?" Pearl asked Ricky. Beside her, Tina also waited for Ricky''s answer.


    "You won''t believe me," Ricky said seriously.


    "Really?" Pearl snapped back with more mockery than she had intended. "Is it the legendary holy meridian or the sacred meridian that hasn''t appeared in ages?" Pearl and Tina grew more curious every second Ricky delayed his answer. Pearl crossed her arms while Tina just stared. It made Ricky a tad uncomfortable.


    "To tell you the truth, I don''t know what level my spiritual meridian is," Ricky said with a faint smile, watching the two women''s shoulders slump in disappointment.

 Chapter 830 The Great Wisteria Dynasty

    "Ricky, don''t make fun of me. Just tell us the truth. Is your spiritual meridian the holy meridian or not?" Tina demanded helplessly. Both her and Pearl were a bit astonished upon what Ricky had told them.


    "Tina, I''m not kidding now. I really don''t know which level is my spiritual meridian at for the time being. I mean it, girls." Ricky had a stern look on his face once he had realized Tina and Pearl thought he had been joking around.


    Both women glanced each other knowingly. They could tell Ricky was being honest. After all, he didn''t have any reason to hide anything from them.


    "You really have no idea, do you?" Pearl asked again.


    "We''ve been together for a while now. I think both of you are well familiarized with my situation. At the very beginning, my spiritual meridian was taken out by the Nan Clan, and then, somehow, I gained a new one. I''ve never measured its level before, so..." he calmly explained.


    Ricky was being truthful. He genuinely had no idea what was the level of his regained spiritual meridian. He had never tested it or had a concept about its past level altogether.


    "I find it''s hard to believe that the spiritual meridian can grow again," Pearl said. "No wonder you hadn''t reached anything major until your original spiritual meridian was taken out."


    Maybe it was because Pearl had already seen and been shocked by Ricky so many times before she got used to his exploits. Now all she could feel was a tiny bit of surprise upon listening about his regained meridian''s tale.


    "I guess your new spiritual meridian is very likely to be the holy meridian," Pearl added.


    "If it really is, I would then welcome it," Ricky said softly.


    "I should say I''ve never heard of such a thing before. So I have no idea what to say about it." Tina shook her head. For her that was all new, so she couldn''t hide her amazement.


    Soon, they had decided to let go of this puzzle for the time being. Once the heat outside had become bearable, Ricky left the Massacring Zone.


    Immediately he came across the others waiting for him. At the sight of the ace genius, a wave of relief had flashed all over their faces.


    "Ricky, how is everything going there?" Dylan promptly asked with concern.


    "Everything is fine. Clark, Andrea, and Colin are dead. I''ve already got the Sense of Realm," Ricky responded honestly. He didn''t intend to hide anything from them.


    "That is just brilliant! I knew


    the time they had left, Ricky and Pearl were also ready to takeoff in order to carry on with their searching for other shares of Sense of Realm.


    "Why did the two men come here, if I may ask?" Ricky asked out of curiosity.


    "They are from the Great Wisteria Dynasty. They were looking for creatures like you who are from other continents," Dylan responded honestly.


    "The Great Wisteria Dynasty?" Ricky repeated, looking confused. "Is it also a spiritual-emperor force?"


    "Of course not! There isn''t even a demi-spiritual emperor in this Heavenly Void, let alone any spiritual-emperor force," Dylan replied along with a laughter. "The so-called dynasty is just a symbol of one of the mightiest forces in the Heavenly Void. It really doesn''t have any specific meaning.


    In the Heavenly Void, there are countless forces. The five most powerful ones are known as the dynasties, and the Great Wisteria Dynasty is one of them."


    "Oh, I got it. So the strongest warriors from the five forces should be completed spiritual kings at the peak level then," Ricky stated with a nod.


    "Yes, you could say that. But to be more precise, they are even more powerful. That is because their enlightening power has surpassed that of a completed spiritual king at peak state and has reached a demi-spiritual emperor''s," Dylan explained to Ricky.


    "It''s likely that they could break through and become a demi-spiritual emperor at any time once they got out of the Heavenly Void."


    "Is that so? That''s very impressive," Ricky murmured and nodded.


    "Oh, just one more thing. Could you tell me who they were looking for?"

 Chapter 831 Soar In Danger

    "Of course!" Dylan answered. He gathered his spiritual energy to imitate the shadow of someone they knew. It appeared right before Ricky and Pearl.


    Ricky''s eyes darkened the moment he laid eyes on the shadow that took form in front of him. Next to him, Pearl was also immensely taken aback, because the shadow was undeniably Soar''s.


    "Ricky, do you know this man?" Dylan asked. He was quick to notice the sudden change in Ricky''s mood and expression.


    "I don''t think I need to hide this from you. He is one of my friends," Ricky informed. "Why are the people from the Great Wisteria Dynasty trying to kill him?"


    "Oh!" Dylan''s lips turned upside down. "I didn''t expect him to be your friend." He hadn''t expected that there would be such a coincidence. He was truly a little surprised. "People from the Great Wisteria Dynasty never told us why. All they did was to seek our assistance in locating his whereabouts. We were asked to inform them right away the moment we locate where he is."


    "Is Soar fighting against them for the Sense of Realm?" Ricky guessed.


    "I think so too. Aside from those two fellows, there were other groups that were dispatched by the Great Wisteria Dynasty. You can say that they are really intent on finding him and taking his head. Judging from the current situation, it''s very likely that they are, indeed, fighting for the Sense of Realm," Dylan calculated.


    "Have they finally tracked my friend''s whereabouts?" Ricky queried, his eyebrows creasing with anxiety.


    "As far as I know, your friend seems to have been injured too. As for his location, he is nearby¡ªjust a few continents away from where we are standing," Dylan answered. "That''s why they asked us to keep an eye on him."


    "It seems that I have no choice but to follow them," Ricky muttered under his breath.


    "Ricky, I will inform you as soon as I get any news," Dylan said. "So, please provide us a method we can use to reach you."


    "Thank you. But please be careful. It wouldn''t be worth it if it means creating a rift between the Great Star Dynasty and the Great Wisteria Dynasty. I absolutely do not wish for that to happen just because you agreed to do me a favor," Ricky said with a bothered hint in his demeanor. At the same time, his tone was also transparent at expressing his gratitude.


    "I will be very careful," Dylan assured him.


    Feeling Dylan''s sincerity, Ricky left a replication in the Great Star Dynasty. He then took off with Pearl to catch up with the two strong warriors from the Great Wisteria Dynasty.


    Although it had already been a while since the two strong men from the Great Wisteria Dynasty left, they didn''t really travel at lightning speed. They still carried the task of looking for Soar. As a result, it didn''t take a long time before Ricky and Pearl were finally able to catch up to them.


    othered by Soar''s threat. If he were to truly jump into the Black Wind Abyss, then it would all be for naught. Also, they were not ready to face the possible consequences of failing their mission.


    "What?" Soar smirked. "Are you scared?" Soar stared at the four men intently as they stepped back and hesitated to make any sudden movement. "What are you waiting for? Why don''t you folks just hurry and shuffle off? I''m quite impulsive, you see. If you don''t leave right this second, I will fly midair, just above the abyss."


    "Boy, let me give you an advice. Don''t speak too resolutely," a clear and mighty voice came from behind. It belonged to one of the two strong warriors from the Great Wisteria Dynasty. They had just arrived at the area.


    One of the two strong warriors was old while the other one was young.


    "Prince Neal! Elder Carlos!" the four men greeted the two respectfully.


    "I can''t believe that you, a prince, would even go out of your way just to kill me," Soar said to the young warrior, who was addressed by the four men as "Prince Neal." He was sneering. Quite frankly, Soar was flattered. Also, he apparently knew the seventh prince.


    But his taunting expression was soon replaced with the one full of rage. He realized that, even if he could fly, there was still very little chance for him to win against three second-class completed spiritual kings at the same time.


    Of course, right from the start, he truly had no intentions of diving into the Black Wind Abyss and risking his life.


    "Buddy, I have no choice but to come because of that precious item you are carrying with you," said Prince Neal flatly.


    "I can see from your eyes that you don''t want to die. It''s true. All living creatures don''t want to die. So how should we go about this negotiation?"


    "Are you kidding me!?" Soar laughed scornfully. "Are you that convinced I will believe you?"

 Chapter 832 Rumors Of The Divine Manor

    "Buddy, your life is worth much more than that thing to you. But for us on the other hand, killing you or not makes no difference because all what we want is just that thing," said Prince Neal in a smiling tone, without a hint of rage in response to Soar''s words.


    "Ha-ha, but if I had to guess, the moment that thing leaves me, I will have to die," Soar replied, laughing.


    "So since I am going to die sooner or later, I''ve decided to take something away from you. Let you feel what losing feels like."


    As soon as he finished his sentence, he transfigured into a human form. He suddenly tore apart space and jumped into the Black Wind Abyss. Before Prince Neal and his companions could react, Soar leapt into the abyss.


    Prince Neal''s face fell as he realized what had just happened, while the other five were simply taken off-guard and left dumbstruck, not knowing how to react. How could they have been so careless enough to think that it would be that easy, that Soar would not give them any chance?


    "Damn it all to hell!" said Prince Neal, cursing Soar in a hoarse scream, looking into the distance as he slipped from his grasp. He was so close.


    "What should we do now, Prince Neal?" Elder Carlos asked, standing beside him.


    "What else can we possibly do? We obviously can''t enter the Black Wind Abyss. Let''s just go back and inform my father of what transpired here," said Prince Neal coldly.


    "Fortunately, there is a copy of that thing in our hand. Otherwise, I would not be able to answer to my father without him giving me a hard time about it."


    "Prince Neal, it''s all our fault, not yours. Please punish us!" said the four men in unison, fully comprehending the consequences the prince would have to face.


    "This has nothing to do with you. Who would have thought that bastard would jump into the Black Wind Abyss, even without giving us the chance to talk to him?" said Prince Neal, waving his hand dismissively.


    Prince Neal was a generous man with a broad view on the world. He was wise enough to comprehend the situation without prejudice. Since he couldn''t take back anything from Soar, he couldn''t blame his fellows either. He knew it was better to keep his rage contained to his own heart, such that he might win over the hearts of these four men.


    As he expected, the four men no longer looked scared. Instead, they obviously began to pay obeisance to Prince Neal.


    "By the way, the bastard goes by the


    dless chaos, and chaos is the place where most holy beings fell. For some reason, the lands of legacy and the lands of cultivation of some holy beings are very likely to enter the Heavenly Void," Alva explained.


    Pearl was startled to see Alva appear out of thin air. But, Ricky explained to her the reason why he suddenly appeared.


    "Since the Divine Manor is the land of legacy of holy beings, you''re very likely to attain the heritage of legendary holy beings," Ricky sighed. "Well, that explains why the Great Wisteria Dynasty dispatched six completed spiritual kings to hunt you down. Honestly, now I would not be really surprised, if they had dispatched sixteen completed spiritual kings after you!


    But how did you come to know that?"


    "When I came from the continents, I entered the territory of the Great Wisteria Dynasty. First of all, I practiced for a period of time. Then I found a newly formed Explosion Core in a void. There was a Sense of Realm in that Explosion Core," Soar replied calmly.


    "Nevertheless, people from the Array Sect and the Great Wisteria Dynasty also found the newly formed Explosion Core. With Alva''s help, I procured the Sense of Realm for myself. But the fact is that they were just not powerful enough to beat me.


    But what we didn''t expect is that there would be three white flags in the Explosion Core.


    So each of the three white flags were obtained by each of the three parties. The moment we got them, the white flags immediately sent a message to us, telling us about the Divine Manor.


    And that''s why the people from the Great Wisteria Dynasty began hunting me down!"

 Chapter 833 A Mysterious Town

    "Oh, I see. Then I guess the white flags are the keys to the so-called Divine Manor, right?" Ricky asked in a flat tone after he heard Soar''s statement.


    "That''s right. The white flags are the keys to the Divine Manor. Each white flag can open a different passage to the Divine Manor. I found this out from the information I got from a white flag."


    As he said that, Soar took out a white flag.


    It was not a simple white flag. Its white color looked so clean and pure that they could not figure out what it was made of. It felt as if it was in its own space.


    "Wow, I feel a familiar power," Ricky said. As soon as Soar pulled out the white flag, he could sense the familiar power that it was saturated with.


    "Ricky, the power you can feel coming off the white flag is the divine power. Do you feel it too? It proves the true existence of the Divine Manor. Each flag can be used to open up a passage to the Divine Manor, so people from the Great Wisteria Dynasty and the Array Sect will also be able to enter the Divine Manor."


    Ricky nodded at this piece of information. He studied the flag closer, amazed.


    "Which Array Sect is it? The Southern Array Sect or the Northern Array Sect?" Ricky asked.


    "I don''t know." Soar shook his head and shrugged. He wished he knew more but the information he received was very limited.


    "Then do you know when and where the Divine Manor will appear?" Ricky asked curiously.


    "Ricky, the Divine Manor will appear in the center of the Black Wind Abyss. That''s how I discovered the existence of the Black Wind Abyss. It was also how my long-standing feud with the warriors from the Great Wisteria Dynasty started. As for the time when the Divine Manor will appear, the white flag can sense it. At present, it senses that the Divine Manor will appear in about a month,"


    Soar explained patiently. His eyes looked unfocused as he seemed to be remembering previous events.


    "I see. Well, we cannot do anything but wait. After one month, we will see whether the words about the so-called Divine Manor is true or false," Ricky murmured. Although his tone was still stained with disbelief, his eyes told a different story. There was a growing excitement that peeked from within.


    "Whether it''s true or false, it will be a greater opportunity than the Sense of Realm." Pearl sounded doubtful but still hopeful for the good opportunity that had presented itself upon them.


    "By the way, Ricky, have you won the Sense of Realm?" Soar asked innocently, too innocently in Ricky''s opinion. He onl


    at he thought were humans.


    They looked like human beings and as Ricky got closer, he realized that they were truly human beings. They seemed to be walking in a hurry towards the depths of the street. Ricky followed them with his eyes as his brows scrunched up in confusion.


    "Is it because the divine power is everywhere in this space? Is that why I could not feel anything when I was far away?" Ricky wondered to himself. This did not bode well especially if he was not able to detect danger around him.


    "Ricky, how strong are these people?" Soar asked. He, Tina and Pearl also saw the scene from the Massacring Zone.


    Ricky had not felt the human beings'' power until he heard Soar''s question. He was taken aback when he found that all the people, including some children who were only a few years of age, were innate spiritual kings.


    "How could this be possible? They are all innate spiritual kings. It is the same with the children!" Ricky said in shock. He repeatedly checked but the results were the same. Either they were ridiculously strong or there was something wrong with his senses now.


    "What?!" When they heard Ricky''s words, the three people inside the Massacring Zone were all shocked.


    "Are you sure, Ricky?" Soar asked in disbelief.


    "Why would I lie to you?" Ricky answered. "But I am curious about something."


    "What?"


    "Although they are all spiritual kings, they are all lower spiritual kings. I have looked carefully but there are no middle spiritual king. And their auras are very weak,"


    Ricky murmured. Somehow they could not make sense of what they were seeing. They seemed to have landed in a strange town that got stranger as more time passed.

 Chapter 834 The Venomous Blood Worms

    Ricky approached a middle-aged man and asked respectfully, "Sir, where are you going?"


    "Young man, did you come from somewhere else?" Ricky nodded politely.


    "Yes, sir. I like traveling so I came here and saw you all..." Ricky trailed off and motioned to where all the people were walking to.


    "You see, you are in Justice Town right now. The members of the Zheng Clan in our town give us pills for cultivation every few days. The pills are very good quality. After taking them, we feel refreshed and energetic for several days. We feel that our lifespan has been extended too.


    Sorry but I have to go and get some pills, buddy!" After that, the middle-aged man left with hasty steps.


    "Justice Town, Zheng Clan, pills..." Ricky murmured as he thought about what the man had said.


    "Why do I feel that they don''t know the martial world, nor do they know that they are all innate spiritual kings?" Ricky asked himself, confused.


    "Ricky, use the power of your zones to hide your realm and follow them to check it out," Soar suggested.


    Ricky hid his breath with the devouring runes. He now appeared as a lower spiritual king. With cautious steps, he followed the people to where they were going.


    Amidst a throng of people, he saw a middle-aged man in cyan. He was with a group of people who were distributing pills to the civilians.


    Ricky entered the crowd since he also wanted to get the pills. He was wondering if these pills really had the effect that the man had said earlier.


    Ricky found that although these people looked strong, there were physically weak. They were innate spiritual kings but they were not even as strong as the warriors of Bone Reinforcement.


    When it was Ricky''s turn to get the pills, he was able to come closer. He found that the middle-aged man in cyan was a second-class completed spiritual king. The warriors who were with him were all completed spiritual kings and four of them were about to break through and become second-class completed spiritual kings.


    Ricky could also feel that they were real warriors not like the people who took the pill


    d his Golden Spirit Eyes. He also used his devouring runes and extracted something from the pills.


    He gasped in disgust as he saw black worms as thick as hair.


    A disgusting and bloody smell came from these black worms.


    They could also see that these tiny worms were spitting out thick and black blood.


    "They''re disgusting. Ricky, it''s lucky that you didn''t eat it. Ugh, it makes me sick just by looking at them."


    Ricky rolled his eyes at Soar''s dramatic flair. "Cut the crap. We need to know what they are."


    They observed the worms carefully but soon gave up when they could not recognize them.


    Soar and Pearl shook their heads in dismay.


    "Tina, do you have any idea?" Ricky asked.


    Among all of them, Tina was the most knowledgeable one.


    "In the records of our clan, I have seen worms that look very similar to these ones. They are the Venomous Blood Worms."


    "The Venomous Blood Worms?" Ricky and the others were confused with what Tina had said. They had never heard of Venomous Blood Worms.


    "It''s said that the Venomous Blood Worms were very rare. They were last recorded many years ago according to our clan''s records. I didn''t expect to see them here," Tina explained hesitantly.


    "What are Venomous Blood Worms? What can they do?" Ricky asked urgently. If they were as dangerous as they sounded, then the people who had taken the pills were in grave danger!

 Chapter 835 Fighting Zombies

    "People with Venomous Blood Worms in their bodies will be controlled by the owner of the worms," Tina explained.


    "Really? I see. It seems that all of the people in the Justice Town are under the control of the people from the Zheng Clan," Ricky murmured.


    "I''m afraid the people from the so-called Zheng Clan are not human beings at all," Tina said. Ricky and others all turned to her in surprise.


    "They are not human beings?!" Ricky and the others were all astonished. "If they are not human beings, what are they?"


    "To be exact, the other people in this town are not human either. They are all called zombies. This is because Venomous Blood Worms can only be produced by zombies using their bodies."


    "Zombies?" Ricky, Pearl, and Soar were further astonished by Tina''s words. They certainly had heard about zombies, but they didn''t think the people in the town looked like zombies. They didn''t see any trace of zombies in the people in the town.


    "Tina, are you sure they are all zombies?" Ricky asked in disbelief.


    "If I am right and these worms are Venomous Blood Worms, then the people from the Zheng Clan must be real zombies while the others in the town are fake zombies. Once the Venomous Blood Worms are removed from their bodies, the fake zombies will turn back into normal humans," Tina explained.


    "We have to kill those real zombies because all their power comes from human beings.


    They seem to be feeding on the other people here. Zombies can also completely hide their zombie auras and disguise themselves as human warriors."


    None of them breathed a word. They were listening intently even though what Tina was saying was unbelievable.


    "Zombies also can cultivate. However, they can''t absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth by themselves since they are already dead. The only way for them to absorb spiritual energy is through living humans."


    "So they use Venomous Blood Worms to absorb spiritual energy from living humans?" Ricky asked.


    "Yes. Zombies use their blood as food to nourish Venomous Blood Worms. If human beings eat these Venomous Blood Worms, they will be under the control of the zombies. Once human beings are controlled, the Venomous Blood Worms will absorb the


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    k out his Iron Destroyer and condensed the galaxy power of the flames. Then, he wielded his saber at the zombies.


    Bang! The sound of metal as it collided against gold rang out. The Iron Destroyer surrounded by the galaxy flames crashed with the right hand of the leading zombie.


    The shock force forced Ricky and the leading zombie to retreat. Ricky was forced to retreat around hundreds of meters while the leading zombie retreated only about ten meters.


    Buzz! Ricky''s Iron Destroyer vibrated violently due to the impact.


    "What a body! What powerful strength!" Ricky uttered in disbelief.


    His strike was resisted by the leading zombie with his bare hands. However, the only damage he inflicted to the zombie was a cut on the leading zombie''s hand.


    Nevertheless, the Chaotic Fire Mutant was very powerful. The strong flame power still made the leading zombie very uncomfortable.


    "The body of a zombie can be condensed by the darkest flesh and blood. It will be very difficult to damage it," Tina explained.


    "Wow! His body was born strong!" Ricky murmured.


    The last kind of opponent he wanted to fight against was an opponent with a strong physical body. If he couldn''t break through the defense, how could he win?


    Roar! As the leading zombie roared, the other four zombies surrounded Ricky. Apparently, they realized that Ricky''s Chaotic Fire Mutant was not easy to deal with.


    "Soar, I think it''s time for you to come out now," Ricky murmured discreetly.

 Chapter 836 Sacred Fire Versus Zombie Energy

    Ricky pulled Soar out of the Massacring Zone quickly.


    "Soar, I''ll leave the other four zombies to you. I hope you didn''t waste your time refining the Sense of Realm." Although Ricky had already made a breakthrough, the zombies somehow scared him. It could be because of their freaky nature or maybe he just found them disgusting.


    "Ricky, you are playing favorites. Why didn''t you let Pearl and Tina out as well so they can help fight against the zombies?" Soar teased Ricky as soon as he came out.


    "Don''t underestimate them. The four zombies are all third-class completed spiritual kings at peak state," Ricky said seriously.


    Soar sobered up when he heard Ricky''s words. Now that he was focusing, he could also feel the considerable power of these four zombies.


    "Ricky, to be honest, I can''t beat the four zombies if they attack me together, but with the help of the Heaven Melting Fire and the Heaven Melting Pagoda, I won''t be defeated either," Soar said telepathically.


    "Don''t worry. You''ll just be restraining them and making sure they don''t help their leader." After Ricky said this, he turned his attention away from Soar and focused on the enemies in front.


    Howl!


    As soon as Ricky turned away, Soar roared and ran towards their enemies. Immediately, the Heaven Melting Fire covered his body and the whole town was turned into a sea of flames. It was an indication of the great power of the Heaven Melting Fire used by a Heaven Melting Dragon.


    ''No wonder the sacred fire is owned by Soar. It is so powerful. I''m afraid the power of my Heaven Melting Fire is no more than a fourth of the power of Soar''s, '' Ricky sighed in admiration. He let himself observe Soar''s impressive display of power.


    "Ricky, look! What''s this?" Soar said suddenly.


    In an instant, the Heaven Melting Pagoda came out from between Soar''s eyebrows. It got longer and thinner and eventually turned into a spear surrounded by flames.


    It was a spear with seven blades on which the Heaven Melting Fire was burning. The indistinct shadow of a fire dragon appeared on the spear.


    Ricky could not answer as he stared at the impressive scene.


    "Ricky, the Heaven Melting Pagoda can change into the Heaven Melting Spear!" Soar exclaimed happily. With the Heaven Melting Spear in his hand, Soar looked more energetic. He looked like a real god of war as if the Heaven Melting Spear was created just for him.


    "Really? Why didn''t Alva tell me about this?" Ricky asked to no one in particular.


    "Master Ricky, I have lost many of my memories. I didn''t remember the Heaven Melting Pagoda can turn


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    credulous. He wondered where the leading zombie had gotten his information.


    "We zombies are omnipotent. You, human beings, and your territory will eventually become our possession sooner or later. I can even tell you that your sacred fire and peculiar fire are respectively called the Heaven Melting Fire and the Devouring Fire..."


    Ricky was taken aback when the leading zombie started to enumerate the seven flames that he had used.


    His familiarity with the flames was astounding. It seemed that he was not just a mindless zombie but a thinking, strategic being.


    Soar and the two women were also dumbfounded.


    Pearl was shocked about two things. First, she was shocked to find out that Ricky possessed most of the strongest flames in the world. On the other hand, she wondered where this zombie came from that made him so knowledgeable.


    "Tina, is it normal for a zombie that is a completed spiritual king to know so much?" Ricky asked Tina telepathically.


    "No, absolutely not," Tina answered vehemently. "Maybe, it''s because they are in the Divine Manor!"


    "In the Divine Manor? But we are not yet sure if we are really in the so-called Divine Manor or not," Ricky sighed, puzzled. Their situation was getting out of hand.


    "Well, what on earth are we going to do?


    Maybe, we shouldn''t have entered this place," Pearl whimpered.


    They all fell silent then.


    Shock, doubt, confusion, disbelief¡ªall kinds of emotions started to creep into Ricky''s mind.


    But Ricky didn''t have time to think about that. What he needed to focus on was the zombies in front of him. He needed to defeat them, or he and Soar would be killed. They had no other choice because they could no longer go back to the four zones.

 Chapter 837 The Black Blood Zombie

    At the same time, Ricky began to launch his next attack.


    Since the leading zombie had already recognized that it was the Heaven Illuminating Fire, it was impossible for the move to defeat him.


    "Ocean of Zombie Blood!"


    As the leading zombie shouted, his ferocious eyes turned red. Black blood spurted from his ten fingers which was transformed into thick black blood under the zombie energy.


    After the black and red blood were mixed together, they were able to resist the Heaven Illuminating Fire that exploded in an instant. The Space Splitting Cage exploded as well. The leading zombie rushed out in an instant. It formed a claw of the blood ocean and immediately went for Ricky.


    "Ricky, now I understand what these zombies are," Tina said with her internal power.


    "Tina, are zombies categorized?" Ricky asked.


    "Of course, just like how human beings are of different bloodlines," Tina responded.


    "If I''m not mistaken, these zombies are the zombies of highest level. They are also known as the Black Blood Zombies."


    "The Black Blood Zombies?"


    "There are a blood ocean inside a Black Blood Zombie''s body. They can refine all kinds of human blood in any moment and merge the power of the blood with themselves to evolve," Tina explained further.


    "No wonder these guys are so difficult to deal with," Ricky said in a cold voice.


    "But let''s see what I''m about to do next!"


    As soon as he finished his words, Ricky immediately burst out his energy. In the Chaotic Fire Mutant, there had already been a Gale Mutant being formed. When the two mutants merged, the chaotic fire runes and the gale runes also became one.


    The raging power and the gale power swept around as they condensed into small light balls in Ricky''s palms.


    "Gale Flaming Strike!"


    He made two palms and two small light balls burst out in an instant. At the same time, Ricky retreated as fast as he could.


    Boom!


    The next moment, the two small light balls collided with the bloody claws from the leading zombie. The endless rumbling echoed through the skies as the whole area was submerged by the explosion as if it was about to burst into chaos.


    Roar! Within the fog, the leading zombie let out a deafening cry.


    "What great power indeed! The Gale Flaming Strike is truly remarkable!" Hearing the mise


    bie were submerged by the fog as well.


    After a long while, the fog receded and the disgusting Venomous Blood Worms could be seen scattered on the ground. They were all suppressed and burned by the flaming lotus. The body of the leading zombie had been pierced by the Golden Light Arrows one after the other.


    At that moment, Ricky was finally able to hurt the leading zombie heavily.


    "How could this be possible? How is all of this possible? How could your eyes explode with such intensity?" At that time, the leading zombie began to fear Ricky.


    It saw that Ricky''s attacks were capable of hurting it and could cost it its life.


    Not only did the flaming lotus burn up all the Venomous Blood Worms the leading zombie had, it also burned the wounds that it got from the Golden Light Arrows.


    "Nothing is impossible. I have used all of my strength and now, you must die!" Ricky said coldly.


    "Space-shrinking Pace!"


    After channeling his galaxy power with his Iron Destroyer in hand. He used the flames to surround the devouring power in his hand, Ricky unleashed his power once again with the Space-shrinking Pace. After a while, he appeared behind the leading zombie and hacked at him ferociously.


    The leading zombie didn''t have time to react to his sudden attack. Although it was able to see Ricky coming, it was already too late for it to defend in any way.


    Howl! However, at that time, a sharp and piercing sound echoed through the skies. The sound even caused the Iron Destroyer that was in Ricky''s hand to vibrate.

 Chapter 838 Escape

    The power of the shock hindered Ricky''s Iron Destroyer to fall.


    "How could it be possible? What an incredible power!" Ricky was amazed at how strong the power felt. His Golden Spirit Eyes burst out promptly as he glanced its way; then his eyes landed on the ground.


    Boom!


    All of a sudden, the whole street''s soil gave in upon the arising of a thick bloody black tail filled with the cold power. It rapidly came slamming towards Ricky.


    "Retreat!" Ricky didn''t hesitate to step back quickly at the sight of the tail. The force he felt emanating from it was too great to be contended with.


    As soon as Ricky had retreated, the stout tail didn''t advance with its attack. Instead, it helped the leading zombie to dispel the Golden Light Arrow that had hit his body before, as well as the infernal power.


    Boom! Once the rest of that stout tail''s body came out, the entire street got smashed into pieces.


    Right in front of Ricky''s eyes came up a blood black python, several hundred meters long. Or so he thought.


    The creature was actually a Venomous Blood Worm.


    "How could there be a python here? And it is even more powerful than an ordinary second-class completed spiritual king!" Ricky stated grimly and with a stern look in his eyes.


    "Ricky, in fact, I don''t think that''s a python, but a huge Venomous Blood Worm. Despite its size, it''s exactly what it looks like," Soar said incredulously, as he withdrew from the battle.


    He was astonished at how such an enormous Venomous Blood Worm could exist in the world.


    "What? Is this a Venomous Blood Worm?" Ricky didn''t believe it at first.


    "Yes, it is. I bet that must be a Black Blood Zombie Queen in the Justice Town," Tina responded seriously.


    "A Black Blood Zombie Queen?" Ricky questioned confused.


    "The strongest ones of zombies are the zombie queens. The strongest one of the Black Blood Zombies, on the other hand, is the Black Blood Zombie Queen," Tina explained.


    "Other zombies are said to be men, while the zombie queens are women. They are all a type of dark and cold creature. The female kind is more su


    still quiet. There hadn''t been any move from the zombies yet.


    "What happened? Those zombies should have found us already. It''s been three days and nothing happened. That''s weird." That situation didn''t feel right to Ricky.


    "I don''t know," Tina murmured as she and the others shook their heads.


    "The Black Blood Zombie Queen didn''t show up that day. I wonder if the Venomous Blood Worm was only meant to repel us, but not to actually hunt us down. There must be a reason for that," Ricky analyzed.


    "Ricky, what do you mean? Do you think the Black Blood Zombie Queen is caught up on something?" Soar asked.


    "That might give us a chance," Ricky said with a nod.


    "As long as they don''t show up, we can keep cultivating. We need to do it as much as we can though."


    "I guess that''s the only way. If we go there now, we''ll be walking right into our death sentences," Soar said helplessly.


    There was nothing else they could do but to wait and cultivate for as long as they could.


    Carrying on with his cultivation, Soar knew that as soon as he refined a complete Sense of Realm, he would greatly improve his cultivation speed for a long period of time.


    Thus, Soar had also already enhanced his strength recently.


    Meanwhile, Ricky seized the opportunity and secretly put his mind into the spiritual space tool, where a dozen spiritual kings from the Ling Clan were staying.

 Chapter 839 The Black Blood Zombie Queen

    "Hello, everyone!" Ricky greeted more than a dozen people of the Ling Clan as soon as his mind entered the spiritual space tool.


    "What? Who are you?" some of them asked upon hearing Ricky''s voice. And since there had been no news about Andrea for a very long time, it was all fitting that everyone assumed that he must have already died.


    With everyone feeling uncomfortable with the current situation, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in their bodies was not able to circulate smoothly. Even some of their power became suppressed, not being able to give into play due to some unknown reason.


    "Hello, everyone. My name''s Ricky Nan!" Ricky said monotonously. "Now that I have your attention, I think that you already have an idea why I have graced you with my presence."


    Right after they heard what Ricky had just said, all of them looked down and depressed, like all of the happiness had been sucked right out of them. Just like what Ricky had already mentioned, they were more convinced that their lives were in his hands from now on.


    "What do you want?" asked a middle-aged man.


    "What''s your name?" Ricky replied.


    "My name is Wick Ling!" replied the middle-aged man.


    "Wick Ling, eh? Then let me put it straight. Andrea and Colin, the father and son, are both dead, and your lives are in my hands now. If you want to survive, then you must hand over the cultivation method and insights of the Golden Light Flash," Ricky said frankly with a poker face.


    Hearing this, all the members of the Ling Clan fell into deep silence.


    Of course, under any circumstance, all of them wanted to keep their lives intact as they all wanted to live.


    "I still believe that you have already sensed something before my arrival. You can''t use the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in your bodies at all. Aside from that, you can''t cultivate martial arts anymore and you give play to your power to eighty percent in the best case scenario," Ricky said.


    "Of course that''s all because of the pills you have taken. The toxins present in the pills will make you burst with power twice stronger than what you currently have.


    And from that, I''m sure you know the reason behind it, and I know you''d guess it right the first time."


    "Toxins! Yes!" everyone in the Ling Clan replied coldly, having heard him.


    "Will you really let go of us?" Wick Ling asked with his pitiful eyes.


    "As you know, a warrior can never break his Martial Arts Oath made by him, and with that, I can make such an oath to you right now. I hope that this would give you something to hold on to," Ricky said sincerely.


    And then, without hesitation, he began to create his Martial Arts Oath to the people of the Ling Clan.


    "Now, I''m just waiting for your cultivation method and i


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ily while looking at both Ricky and Soar.


    "But my intuition tells me that absorbing your blood essence and spiritual energy will help me advance further."


    "Damn it! Zombie, you said that too early. Or maybe, it will be us who would survive all of this," Soar said coldly and with deep murderous intent.


    "Soar, the situation is only getting worse. I''m afraid that the power of the Black Blood Zombie Queen is a second-class completed spiritual king at peak state. I guess she must have been in seclusion for all these days," Ricky communicated telepathically.


    "Perhaps we should do something now! We shouldn''t just sit still and wait for death!"


    "Ricky, as long as she hasn''t been a first-class completed spiritual king, we will still have a chance. You know, you are unquestionably an ace genius and I am a Great Dragon on heaven and earth. How can we die at the hands of a bunch of meager zombies?" Soar replied with hope in his voice.


    "Ha-ha, couldn''t agree more!" Ricky smiled as his desire to win the fight started to fill his aura.


    Perhaps it was not until they were in the impasse that Ricky would finally summon all his courage to fight back the zombies around him.


    "How dare you speak so rudely to the queen? You must die for your insolence!" the leading zombie roared at him with anger. When he waved his bloody hand, the Black Blood Zombies behind him rushed to Ricky and Soar.


    "Soar, fight against them without reservation and hesitation! Let''s see how strong you really are!" Ricky yelled out loud as his Iron Destroyer rattled in anger. Then, he strode out and rushed into the crowd of the Black Blood Zombies.


    "Ha-ha, okay then!" Soar said, smiling with pride and vigor. As soon as the Heaven Melting Spear flashed, he took the chance and dashed to the Black Blood Zombies with the hope of killing them all.

 Chapter 840 Soars Power Burst

    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Every time Ricky made a slashing motion, a Black Blood Zombie would be chopped to pieces. The flames would then spread, instantly burning the body of the Black Blood Zombie to a crisp until it turned into ashes. As for Soar, every shot he released would cause a sea of fire, and the Black Blood Zombies would be burnt as well.


    The ferocity of both Ricky and Soar could be likened to the strength and tenacity of fierce tigers rushing into the crowd.


    It only took Ricky and Soar an hour to eliminate half of the Black Blood Zombies.


    "You''re all useless idiots! I have harnessed your powers for so many days, and yet you have proven that all my effort has been a waste all this time! You all deserve to die!" The Black Blood Zombie Queen screeched with fury after witnessing her Black Blood Zombies get killed off so easily one by one.


    "Don''t be angry, my queen. I will kill them all!" The leading zombie stepped forward, upset that the Black Blood Zombie Queen was furious and disappointed at how the tables had turned against them.


    "Well, you have devoured a lot of power this month. I hope you don''t disappoint me. If, in the middle of your battle, you end up needing a hand from me, then your participation would be useless," the Black Blood Zombie Queen spat coldly and crossed her arms.


    "Queen, you can be rest assured that I will not fail you!"


    The leading zombie rushed towards Ricky. Meanwhile, the other four Black Blood Zombies who were third-class completed spiritual kings at peak state rushed towards Soar.


    It could be sensed that their power had increased at least tenfold.


    "So, the other four of you are still here. I''m not just stopping you this time," Soar yelled, watching as the other four Black Blood Zombies made their way to his direction once again.


    While the Heaven Melting Fire surged, the number of red scales on Soar''s body increased, and the scales became solidified even more.


    The four Black Blood Zombie were divided into four sides at the same time. The zombie aura mixed together and turned into cold blood. The blood transformed into black blood claws with Venomous Blood Worms inside them. The claws were ravaging with killing intent and they tried to tear Soar apart.


    "Dragon power!" With an ear-shattering roar, the Heaven Melting Fire exploded around Soar''s body. As it burned, the figures of the eight Heaven Melting Dragons appeared.


    The emergence of the eight Heaven Melting Dragons was joined by a series of loud howls. The area seemed to be submerged in an endless amount of dragon power.


    The way the zombies trembled before the dragons was clear and visible as daylight. They were so


    , all beaten up and yet it seems that you can still fight!" Ricky laughed and placed a hand on his hip.


    The fight between Ricky and the head of the leading zombie had also dissipated and came to a halt. Both of them had been injured.


    This month really showcased a dramatic spike in the strength of the two warriors.


    "Of course, bro. I can fight ten more. I''m only getting warmed up," Soar chuckled confidently.


    "Well, I''ll be facing the leading zombie head-on now. I''ll make sure to pummel it to pieces. Once I''m done, then let''s kill the Black Blood Zombie Queen together," Ricky said with fierce determination.


    "Ha-ha! Sure. I can hardly wait," Soar replied with a hearty laughter and renewed strength after he was able to slightly recover from his injuries.


    "Human! How dare you say that!?" The leading zombie said in a hoarse voice after he heard the shameless and brazen conversation that his enemies just had.


    Clatter!


    As soon after he called them out, the disgusting black blood on the leading zombie''s body oozed like crazy, before a faint sea of blood formed.


    "Go to hell!"


    As he screamed, the leading zombie''s body was also submerged within the blood sea. The stream of blood condensed, transforming into Black Blood Zombies. Altogether, the Black Blood Zombies roared. There were about five large Black Blood Zombies that were congealed like poisonous insects. All of the ghastly creatures surrounded the Black Blood Zombies.


    The enemy then revealed the blood black claws, and they attempted to get a tight hold of Ricky.


    "Go to hell!"


    The five Black Blood Zombies continued to roar collectively.


    "Humph! Let''s wait and see about that!" Ricky responded cockily, with his momentum steadily rose, it reached the extremes of its limits.

 Chapter 841 The Fight Against The Black Blood Zombie Queen

    Boom! Once Ricky had delivered his words, the devouring runes broke out and dominated the four mutants.


    "Omnipotent Devouring Skill¡ªEvil Devouring Mouth!"


    Drawing a seal with his hands, the space behind Ricky had turned into the sea of devouring. Soon, it evolved into endless devouring runes before it was condensed into a giant devil''s mouth. When Ricky lowered both his palms, the giant devil''s mouth mirrored the movement, swallowing five corpses in one gulp.


    "You think too highly of yourself! How dare you to devour my Venomous Blood Worms!" The leading zombie had just been gobbled by the Evil Devouring Mouth. Yet his tone has been disdainful and confident.


    "Really?" Ricky responded coldly as his voice became heavier.


    Ricky''s body completely turned into a Devouring Mutant¡ªnow merged with the Devourer Zone.


    Then, he burst out his extreme devouring power and shifted into the devouring runes before integrating with the Devourer Zone behind him. At last, he absorbed the five blood corpses in the Evil Devouring Mouth.


    In the air, the ball of blood began to shrink little by little.


    In the blood sea, the leading zombie''s confident voice gave room to a shriek of horror soon to completely disappear.


    Once the blood sea had vanished, it turned into the Devouring Mutant. As for the leading zombie, there was no trace left. He had been completely devoured by the Evil Devouring Mouth and refined by the Devourer Zone.


    Faintly, Ricky''s momentum had improved.


    Ricky and Soar glanced at one another and then turned to the Black Blood Zombie Queen with gloomy eyes.


    "Ricky, let me and Pearl out. This is a life and death battle. Even with our lives at stake, we just don''t want to die in here," Tina pleaded.


    "I have a feeling that as long as there is the divine power present, I won''t be able to let Doris'' spiritual hologram out of my flying boat."


    "Tina, I haven''t given up yet, and I''m not about to think of death right now. If I come to face it, then I may fear it and release you from the Massacring Zone before I go to the netherworld!" Ricky responded.


    Then, Ricky and Soar started to approach


    st, a golden light was suddenly shot out. Ricky was again wrapped up by his second level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    "He''s still alive!" At the sight of Ricky, the Black Blood Zombie Queen''s face went dark. She couldn''t believe Ricky had survived her attack. Actually, she was furious he did.


    "In this battle, you''ll be the only one dying!" Ricky responded coldly.


    Swish!


    Ricky had barely shut his mouth before a blood red whip turned up in the Black Blood Zombie Queen''s possession. As fast as she could, she lashed it towards him.


    "Space-shrinking Pace!" The whip wasn''t quick enough to do him any harm. Before the Black Blood Zombie Queen could have foreseen, Ricky was already on top of her.


    "Devouring Omnipotent Skill¡ªEvil Devouring Mouth!"


    His body evolved into the Devourer Zone and then became an even bigger Evil Devouring Mouth, which gulped the Black Blood Zombie Queen at once.


    Instantly, Ricky suppressed her with the power of the four zones as the Heaven Illuminating Fire burned fiercely.


    However, the power gap was great. Some Omnipotent Skills wouldn''t be able make up for it.


    As soon as the huge Evil Devouring Mouth shrank, it also began to rise involuntarily until it suddenly blew up. Then, it turned into countless devouring runes that hovered in the air.


    While Ricky, under the rising power, was ruthlessly dropped, he didn''t stabilized as he rolled on the ground for a while.

 Chapter 842 The Death Threat

    "How dare you threaten me! You''re inviting death!"


    the Black Blood Zombie Queen said in a cold tone, while her entire body was covered with a terrible flame of lightning. Ricky''s Heaven Illuminating Fire also danced along her curves. She looked a bit afraid. The faint fear reflected in her eyes gave her away.


    Fortunately for her, Ricky''s strength was not strong enough. Otherwise, he could have killed her just by burning her with the Heaven Illuminating Fire.


    She took a step to elevate herself and flew towards Ricky with a goal in her mind. She had decided to kill Ricky first, considering he had survived her strike. He even tried to devour her. In her world, the only appropriate punishment for him was death.


    "Ricky! Stand up! You can''t be defeated like this," Soar roared aloud.


    Soar was also a mess. He was struggling with the Venomous Blood Worm originating from the Black Blood Corpse.


    Each time he attacked it with his sharp teeth and the Heaven Melting Spear, he was blocked by the disgusting and thick blood of the Venomous Blood Worm. Although, he had his dragon scales for protection, the Venomous Blood Worm could still bite him. It ended up leaving some ghastly wounds on Soar''s body.


    His attack with the Heaven Melting Fire also turned out to be useless. After all, the power of his Heaven Melting Fire was in conformity to his own strength.


    Swish! Swish! Suddenly, the Venomous Blood Worm began to speed up. It circled around Soar and threw him away with an overpowering force.


    Soar crashed the ground with a loud bang.


    "Humph! Come out, my zombie energy enlightenment and form the blood net for me!"


    The giant Venomous Blood Worm broke out its attack. Embraced by the zombie energy enlightenment, its cold blood surged and condensed into a huge net, shrouding towards Soar.


    Soar didn''t have time to dodge it when the net fell to the ground.


    "Heaven Melting Pagoda!" Soar had no other choice but to shout Alva''s name aloud to summon the Heaven Melting Pagoda.


    Boom! Boom! The Heaven Melting Fire on the Heaven Melting Spear burned again. It then turned into the Heaven Melting Pagoda which directly covered Soar. As a result, the blood net just covered the Heaven Melting Pagoda and Soar took refuge there.


    The blood net tended to shrink after cap


    "Space-shrinking Pace!" With his Golden Light Flash and his Space-shrinking Pace, Ricky''s speed was almost at par with that of a first-class completed spiritual king at his best.


    He reached for Soar at once, grabbed his arm and stepped back.


    Boom! Boom!


    Everything collapsed and everything was destroyed, right before their eyes. The Black Blood Zombie Queen attacked.


    "How is he so fast!" the Black Blood Zombie Queen could not help but sigh upon seeing the scene, Perhaps, it was not until now that she became really serious, because what Ricky and Soar had done was really beyond her expectation. She also understood that Ricky''s power was far greater than that of Soar.


    "Your speed is indeed fast, but it doesn''t matter. After my next attack, you two will merely become my strength nutrients!"


    Swish! Swish!


    The next moment, a lot of blood black whips appeared in the hands of the Black Blood Zombie Queen. The whips were lashed into the air with zombie energy surrounding them.


    Once those whips began floating in the air, they connected and finally formed a huge black blood net.


    Ricky could feel that every bit in the black blood net was filled with the power of the Black Blood Zombie Queen at peak state.


    "You will turn into the blood essence in this black blood net!"


    As the net quickly became smaller, Ricky''s and Soar''s defenses were crushed in an instant. Soon, the two warriors were unable to move under the black blood net.


    The feeling of death permeated in the hearts of the two warriors.

 Chapter 843 March Forward Courageously

    Ricky and Soar could not move a muscle after being wounded by the Black Blood Zombie Queen''s whip.


    The fear of death gradually spread on the hearts of the two men. Their faces were gaunt and shadowed as they trembled at the fate before them. In the face of death, even the most powerful of creatures would be frightened because their ultimate goal in cultivation was to avoid death.


    "Ricky, I didn''t expect that we would die like this in the hands of the Black Blood Zombie Queen," Soar said using his internal power as he closed his eyes in resignation. At this moment, he had no strength to resist.


    "Faced with death, I didn''t expect that I too will feel fear." Ricky gasped in pain and fear. He was beginning to lose hope. The wound of the blood black whip sapped his strength and will to fight.


    Ricky''s mind integrated into the Devourer Zone. He looked at Tina and Pearl with guilt weighing him down. "Tina, Pearl, I''m sorry. I should not have taken you with me."


    "It doesn''t matter," Tina said with a comforting smile. It might not be so horrible to die in Ricky''s company.


    Pearl nodded. Although she didn''t say anything, she didn''t blame Ricky either.


    The blood black whip pierced into his flesh once again. Ricky cried in pain and felt himself draw nearer to the brink of death.


    "There must be something I can do. I can''t die like this." With great pain, he closed his eyes. He envisioned the comforting eyes of Tina and Pearl. He knew that they did not blame him but they too wanted to live. Whether he wanted it or not, their life was now in his hands.


    Near him, he could feel that Soar was also unwilling to die. How could the noble Great Dragon be killed by a dirty zombie?


    Even though she was the Black Blood Zombie Queen, to a Great Dragon who was a legendary beast, they were still dirty.


    Ricky had promised Soar''s father that he would make sure Soar become a Great Dragon that would shake heaven and earth. He had also promised Doris that he would help Tina dispel the evil spir


    r powers had vanished. In this space, they were tortured by the devils.


    Even the strongest man was like a mere ant in this land of death.


    He also saw other powerful ghosts. The devils dared not approach them. They were still cultivating and they swore that one day they would leave here.


    This was because when they died, they fought back and died in resistance.


    "They did not resist and yet they are afraid of the result of death. It''s really sad. I don''t want to be like them.


    Death is just a line between life and death. Why would you not resist? If you don''t fight back, you''re just like an ant in hell. If you resist and die, you will still get your strength so those devils would not dare to come near you."


    Suddenly, the space became quiet and all the ghosts disappeared. A huge, gray river appeared before him. The water of the river was condensed by the power of death. Ricky felt that the river started from hell and was flowing out of hell.


    "Is this the River of Death?" Ricky murmured.


    His consciousness walked along the River of Death. He observed as the gray gradually turned green. In this green river, he could feel the aura of life as the aura of death slowly disappeared.


    He looked forward and saw that the river ahead was green and alive.


    "Does it lead to life from death?" Ricky murmured to himself.

 Chapter 844 The Great Dragon Was Awakened

    "So, this is the River of Life?" Ricky murmured to himself unconsciously.


    In the next moment, his mind was hovering in the sky. As he looked below, he saw both the River of Death and the River of Life. The water of the River of Death came from the River of Life and the water of the River of Life came from the River of Death.


    In this space, half was filled with the dead power and the other half was filled with the breath of life.


    In the center of the river, there were runes generating. The runes were dark and green. They emitted the power of death and life.


    "These runes must be the life and death runes. This means that this is the Life and Death Zone.


    I think my fifth zone has already been initiated!" Ricky looked serious as he contemplated what this vision meant.


    Splash! Splash! Splash!


    Suddenly, the River of Death that had been originally calm and peaceful overflowed. The water in the river flowed from the ends of both sides to the center. The river seemed to have been divided into two halves.


    While the river was surging, the life and death runes were also quickly flowing. At this moment, the life and death runes only erupted the power of death and merged into the River of Death.


    The River of Death, which was divided into two halves, turned into a pair of wings.


    This pair of wings was formed by the Death Enlightenment and the life and death runes.


    Swish!


    The pair of wings burst out and rushed toward the sky. At this time, Ricky''s attention was captured as he realized something.


    ...


    On Soar''s end, he was already waiting for death when he felt power and courage burst forth from Ricky. As he was encouraged, his unwillingness to die also surged all of a sudden. His strength surged as he felt Ricky''s strength as well.


    ''Ricky hasn''t given up yet!'' Soar thought to himself with renewed vigor.


    ''If Ricky has not given up yet, how could I give up so easily? If I did, how could I fight with him side by side? I can''t be a coward!''


    Immediately, Soar realized that he should not just lie there and wait for death. His willingness to fight filled his body and mind. As a result, every drop of his blood and every part of his flesh emitted power and burned with the Heaven Melting Fire.


    Under the Heaven Melting Fire, Soar''s fighting spirit rose to the maximum as his eagerness to fight was restored.


    "Ricky is an ace genius and I am a Great Dragon! I have the Dragon''s Blood! How could we be used by that dirty zombie and give up so easil


    ven Melting Pagoda, he was more than pleased to witness his real master.


    "Ha-ha!" Ricky opened his eyes and laughed loudly.


    As if he had not been close to dying at all, he stood, energetic and prepared to fight.


    There was a new kind of rune that circled with his other four runes. It was the life and death rune.


    At this moment, Ricky was protected by the five kinds of runes.


    "Soar, you just did an excellent job! You deserve to be my best friend!" Ricky shouted at Soar as he admired him with his Golden Spirit Eyes. Soar had already turned into a real Great Dragon which pleased Ricky very much.


    "If I didn''t succeed, how could I fight with you side by side?"


    Soar roared back. They smiled at each other as their power surged together.


    "Are you guys trying to break away from my net? In your dreams!" the Black Blood Zombie Queen screamed ferociously. Although she had no idea what had happened to Ricky, she could feel that his power had increased largely.


    A stream of black blood gushed out of her body and mixed with the countless blood black whips in her hands. She was about to launch another attack toward Ricky and Soar.


    "Suppress him!"


    Crack! Crack!


    However, before the Black Blood Zombie Queen could even finish her words, the blood black whips that had trapped Ricky and Soar began to shatter inch by inch.


    The cracks spread rapidly as the Black Blood Zombie Queen stared in horror.


    Ricky''s and Soar''s power surged violently at that very critical moment. In the blink of an eye, they broke away from the net. Afterward, they flew towards the Black Blood Zombie Queen with destructive power that surged in their veins.

 Chapter 845 Fighting Together Like Brothers

    Boom!


    All the blood black maces blew up. The attacks from the two men devastated their opponents. As a result of their momentum, the Black Blood Zombie Queen started to retreat ashamedly.


    "How could this happen?" the Black Blood Zombie Queen lamented. She was reeling from how quickly the situation had changed. She had been winning earlier but now she was losing badly.


    She could not grasp how powerful Ricky and Soar were. Their strength had improved so rapidly that it was shocking.


    "Ricky, let''s kill the Black Blood Zombie Queen together!" Soar called cheerfully as he flew in the air.


    "Soar, you have finally turned into the body of the Great Dragon!" Ricky said excitedly.


    "Ricky, we are like brothers. We don''t have to say sentimental things to each other to know that we care but I still want to thank you from the bottom of my heart." Ricky was flustered when he heard this. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.


    Their eyes met and they laughed boisterously together.


    "Ha-ha! Show me how powerful you are now, Great Dragon!" Ricky laughed.


    Inadvertently, Ricky and Soar were ignoring the Black Blood Zombie Queen.


    When they turned back to her, the Black Blood Zombie Queen took an uncertain step back unconsciously. She stared back at them darkly as they turned her way. Her body darkened and surged with blood as her aura reached its peak.


    Her eyes stayed on the men as they posed grave threats to her.


    "Go!" The Black Blood Zombie Queen''s voice echoed through the whole area.


    Howl! Howl! As soon as they heard her voice, the remaining Black Blood Zombies forgot their fear and panic. They all roared and rushed towards Ricky and Soar.


    "Ricky, look at the power of a Great Dragon!" Soar said with a smile as he beheld the group of Black Blood Zombies that were rushing towards them.


    Swish! Soar rushed into the crowd of the Black Blood Zombies. He activated the dragon power that spread quickly. Under the impact of his real power as a Great Dragon, the Black Blood Zombies would easily fall.


    Soar activated his Indestructible Fighting Spirit once again. He burst out eight moves of dragon at the same time that transformed into eight spears. Surrounded by the Heaven Melting Fire, the eight spears rushed to the crowd of the Black Blood Zombies.


    Puff! Puff! A thin layer of black blood crawled on the ground. After a series of screeches, all the Black Blood Zombies fell to the ground.


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    rce attacks, neither the Black Blood Zombie Queen nor the Venomous Blood Worm noticed Soar''s attack.


    "Indestructible Fighting Spirit! Dragon''s Soul! Dragon''s Spear!"


    Under the overwhelming fighting spirit, the Heaven Melting Spear merged with Soar''s matchless power. Soar pushed the Heaven Melting Spear towards the Black Blood Zombie Queen and the Venomous Blood Worm. Wherever it passed, a huge fire dragon passage was formed.


    Crack! The blood black shield successfully withstood two attacks from Ricky but had become very fragile in its wake. It was pierced through by the Heaven Melting Spear easily, which traveled straight to the Black Blood Zombie Queen.


    Howl!


    At this time, the Venomous Blood Worm roared. Its huge body spiraled up and spat endless zombie energy to defend against Soar''s attack.


    However, the Venomous Blood Worm was no longer a match for Soar. Even if it wanted to defend the Black Blood Zombie Queen, it could not overpower Soar.


    The Heaven Melting Spear, surrounded by the fierce flame, crashed all the defenses of the Venomous Blood Worm and pierced through its huge body.


    "Galaxy Saber Skill! Transferring Formula!"


    As soon as Soar''s attack ended, Ricky''s Iron Destroyer slashed against the enemies. Immediately, four rotating golden purple blades crossed the passageway in midair and fell from four sides of the Venomous Blood Worm.


    Puff! Puff!


    Under the joint attack of Ricky and Soar, the Venomous Blood Worm was cut into five pieces and fell heavily on the ground.


    Now that the Venomous Blood Worm was dead, the Black Blood Zombie Queen had lost a capable assistant.

 Chapter 846 Dragon Soul Punishment

    After they slaughtered the Venomous Blood Worm, Ricky landed on the ground gracefully. He tried to burn the body of the Venomous Blood Worm with his Heaven Illuminating Fire, but it seemed that he had underestimated the Black Blood Zombie Queen. She had turned the corpse of the Venomous Blood Worm into blood essence before Ricky could do anything. The Black Blood Zombie Queen absorbed the blood essence immediately.


    Boom! Boom! The Black Blood Zombie Queen absorbed the essence which increased her power. Now, its power was close to that of a second-class completed spiritual king.


    "The Venomous Blood Worm was originally a part of my body. It cannot be burned by your Heaven Illuminating Fire. Don''t even think about it, guys." The Black Blood Zombie Queen stared in challenge at Ricky and Soar as her power increased greatly.


    The death of the Venomous Blood Worm did not upset the Black Blood Zombie Queen. Instead, she even showed excitement because her strength was improved thanks to the worm.


    "Oh, I see. No wonder a Venomous Blood Worm could be so powerful. It could be considered your avatar to some degree. Unfortunately, you have never broken through and reached the second-class completed spiritual king at the peak level. You are still doomed to die in the end."


    After he said that, Ricky took out his second level of Ultimate Golden Body. He waved his Iron Destroyer and slashed at the Black Blood Zombie Queen forcefully.


    With the second level of Ultimate Golden Body at its completeness state, his five types of runes, and his current strength, Ricky was strong enough to end his enemy''s life once and for all. He was invincible.


    Furthermore, Soar, the Heaven Melting Dragon, had become a real Great Dragon. As a result, his power was also enhanced greatly. Their side was at a great advantage.


    So, even though the Black Blood Zombie Queen had absorbed the power from the Venomous Blood Worm, she could do nothing to the two warriors. She was no match for them.


    As the ferocious flame power from Ricky and Soar burnt like crazy, the Black Blood Zombie Queen''s zombie energy gradually weakened.


    Swish! Swish! Dozens of confrontations had passed. The Black Blood Zombie Queen''s whip left many traces on Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body and Soar''s red scales.


    Despite these superficial changes, it did not make any difference. Ricky and Soar obtained no significant damage because of it. The Black Blood Zombie Queen had scars as well. Attacks from Ricky and Soar damaged her greatly but as soon as she pulled herself out of the battlefield, blood would spill


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    grew on Ricky''s back.


    It emitted an endless smell of the Death Enlightenment. It seemed that any creature would die if they touched it.


    Then, Ricky rose and flew to the bloody hand with the wings on his back.


    Boom! Boom!


    Three strikes collided with each other forcefully.


    The bloody hand was repelled successfully by Ricky and Soar. It was torn by Soar''s claw while Ricky''s indestructible wings cut it off.


    When she saw this, the Black Blood Zombie Queen was terrified. The confidence in her eyes was replaced by fear.


    Bang! Bang!


    The moment she was distracted by her fear, she was hit by Soar''s dragon claw and Ricky''s wings.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    A huge hole appeared on the ground. It was so deep that it looked bottomless. The dust around them was swept up and turned into a tornado.


    Swish! Swish!


    Ricky and Soar soared up into the air amid the waves of dust.


    "Ricky, the Black Blood Zombie Queen will surely die no matter how strong she is!" Soar said to Ricky confidently.


    "We must be more careful!" Ricky warned with a serious look.


    Immediately, Ricky activated his Golden Spirit Eyes to look at the hole on the ground. He searched for the Black Blood Zombie Queen carefully. He would not be at ease until he confirmed the death of the Black Blood Zombie Queen.


    However, he was alarmed by what he saw.


    Buzz! Buzz! Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body buzzed. He moved quickly and covered himself and Soar with his Massacring Holy Pattern.


    Bang! Just as Ricky was done with their defense, a bloody hand rushed at them. It grasped the Massacring Holy Pattern, squeezed it, and threw it on the ground forcefully. A deep pit was formed and in the middle was the Massacring Holy Pattern.

 Chapter 847 The Queens Wicked Ploy

    "Damn it!" Damn you! Both of you are doomed to die!" A sharp and ear-piercing sound resounded through the air.


    After a long time, the dust and the aftermath of the explosion finally dispersed, and the entire area was left entangled in a mess.


    The figure of the Black Blood Zombie Queen revealed herself once the smoke faded. By then, she had almost lost half of her life, and the blood that was once wrapped snugly all over her body had already lost its grip. Instead, the blood continuously dripped down like an open faucet.


    Her menacing aura dramatically decreased, and her originally black body also turned pale.


    When the body of a Black Blood Zombie, especially that of the Black Blood Zombie Queen turned pale, it usually indicated that it had sustained serious injuries.


    There was a quick wave of silence that left her unprepared for what came next. Mustering the strength she had recovered, she pulled the strength deep within her core to unleash her wrath. The Black Blood Zombie Queen rumbled angrily. If her voice could materialize, it would have transformed into thousands of pointy daggers.


    Boom! Boom!


    Two beams of golden light made their way towards her. The bright, shimmering orbs were none other than Ricky and Soar. Both of them were also hurt by the impact of the Black Blood Zombie Queen''s relentless attacks. The Black Blood Zombie Queen had launched the strongest attack, after all. Thankfully, they could still power through their pain and give a good fight.


    Fortunately, they each had the strongest defense, and that explained how they only sustained minor injuries.


    "Black Blood Zombie Queen, it seems that your end is near!" Ricky called out daringly to his badly bruised enemy.


    Upon witnessing the Black Blood Zombie Queen''s current situation, Ricky could feel that the war was finally coming to an end, and they were close to claiming their victory.


    "My end is near?" The Black Blood Zombie Queen turned her head slowly, although it was clear from her body language that her anger was deep-seated and almost impossible to contain. She feared losing, above anything else. But Ricky''s words just touched a nerve and it almost made her lose her composure.


    Apart from fear, there was also a mixture of her unwillingness to yield and intensified murderous intent.


    "You two humble creatures! You left me no choice!" the enraged Black Blood Zombie Queen roared as she struggled.


    "Humph! How dare you, call us humble creatures, you hopeless woman!? I''m afraid you are the most disgusting creature in the world!" Soar retorted. "Ricky, don''t waste time talking to her. Let''s just go for it and put an end to her now!"


    "Got it!" Ricky replied as he nodded his head.


    Soon after, the two warriors gathered their power once again. They unleashed their final attacks and aimed them at the Black Blood Zombie Queen.


    Howl!


    In response, the Black Blood Zombie Queen continued to roar even sharply. Her body expanded and grew larger like a Venomous Blood Worm. She slipped into the ground, attempting to


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    it Ricky and Soar. Both of them fell on the ground with a loud thud.


    When they rose back to their feet, there were deep marks of blood left on their bodies.


    The gash was so powerful and deep that parts of their flesh had been torn and their bones peeked through the cuts.


    Ricky and Soar could not help but scream out because of the sharp pain.


    "Good blood! The power embedded in your bodies are so majestic. I''m so excited! I want to drink your blood right this second!" The Black Blood Zombie Queen stretched out her stinky tongue and licked the blood on the whip. It was Ricky''s and Soar''s.


    After finally getting a taste of the blood that she craved, the Black Blood Zombie Queen waved her whip and smashed it on Ricky and Soar again. Another deep vermilion stain was left on their bodies.


    It only took a few lashes before Ricky and Soar bathed in their own blood.


    "Ricky, if we don''t do anything, we''ll be killed by her," Soar grumbled. "As a human being, you can''t kill these people. But I''m not a human being. Let me do this, Ricky! I shall take all the sins for killing them!


    Even if I don''t kill them, these people will also become the nutrients for the Black Blood Zombie Queen the moment we die! Their fates had already been sealed!"


    Soar didn''t wait for Ricky to respond. There was no other way.


    Soar knew that he wouldn''t allow himself to die like that. At the same time, he simply could not just watch and let Ricky die. Therefore, he decided to bear the sin of killing these people. He struggled to stand as his whole body writhed in pain.


    "No, Soar. Let me do this!" Ricky objected as he too, tried to get back on his feet. Surprisingly, it seemed the ace genius had already decided to bear the burden himself. Ricky then activated his Golden Spirit Eyes. Thousands of beams of golden light turned into numerous Golden Light Arrows. Ricky paused and took a deep breath before he commanded the Golden Light Arrows to shoot and rain down.


    But, the target was not the Black Blood Zombie Queen.

 Chapter 848 Life Wings

    The targets of the Golden Light Arrows were the humans under the Black Blood Zombie Queen''s control.


    Soar, Tina, Pearl and the Black Blood Zombie Queen witnessed thousands of Golden Light Arrows pierce through the humans'' chests in an instant.


    Blood spurted as the people fell to the ground and succumbed to their deaths. Perhaps Ricky did them all a favor by freeing them from the chain-like grips of the Venomous Blood Worms.


    ''Ricky, are you going to bear all these sins alone?'' Soar pondered to himself. ''As a human being, you should have a clear conscience. Now that you''ve killed all these innocent people, then the so-called sin will definitely affect your path of martial arts.'' Soar looked at Ricky with disbelief. He knew Ricky''s intentions were not evil. Still, that would not stop the serious repercussions on his reputation and on his peace of mind.


    Soar had transformed once more into a Great Dragon. Through the body of a legendary beast situated in both heaven and earth, he could faintly feel a hint of the will of both dimensions. Otherwise, he would not use the Dragon Soul Punishment.


    Ricky remained expressionless in the aftermath.


    Swish!


    After penetrating through the humans, the Golden Light Arrows quickly gathered together and turned into a huge golden arrow.


    "You...you killed these people?" The Black Blood Zombie Queen trembled. Fear began to envelope her as she realized what just happened.


    Right now, she was no match for Ricky and Soar. Those people were her last trump cards to kill the two of them. However, they were destroyed by Ricky. How could she not be afraid?


    And, faintly, she felt that Ricky''s heart was now even colder than hers.


    "How can I kill you if I don''t kill them?" Ricky continued, still with the unfazed expression on his face. "And I don''t want my friend to be beaten to death by you."


    Ricky took hold of the huge golden arrow, and viciously slashed his way towards the Black Blood Zombie Queen. He charged at her with lightning speed.


    "How dare you! Black Blood Shield!" the Black Blood Zombie Queen roared.


    In the eyes of the Black Blood Zombie Queen, the size of the golden arrow grew bigger and bigger, and the choke-hold of fear around her neck grew tighter and tighter. She screeched as she condensed her strongest defense.


    How the tables had turned. She no longer had the courage to fight R


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    n the Massacring Zone were also shocked, their hearts beating rapidly. In an instant, Ricky''s body was close to transforming into a zone where death power was being concentrated.


    "Don''t worry." Ricky motioned for them to calm down. "Right now, the death power is the most suitable power for me to use," Ricky smiled comfortingly.


    Ricky instantaneously activated the Life and Death Skill in the Life and Death Zone and the death power which was absorbed by him was directly transferred to a form that he could use more conveniently. Soon after, his body returned to normal.


    Boom! The Life and Death Fire on the targeted people changed as well. It gradually took on a green shade. Waves of vitality and an aura of life emerged.


    Then, the dead bodies gradually became warm to the touch.


    The shocked expressions on Soar, Tina and Pearl''s faces were quite amusing to look at, "What''s going on?"


    Four drops of blood essence came out from between Ricky''s eyebrows.


    Ricky immediately decreased immensely as the four drops of blood essence oozed out. His face dramatically turned pale.


    Four drops of blood essence was already a huge loss for him.


    "Ricky, what are you doing?!" Soar exclaimed upon seeing Ricky bleed out four drops of the blood essence.


    "Soar, I''m going to save them. It was me who killed them. Therefore, I must save them," Ricky answered decisively. He put up his hand to stop Soar in his tracks.


    "Life and Death Omnipotent Skill¡ªLife Wings!"


    Between his two hands, the life and death runes surged, forming a pair of green wings on Ricky''s back.

 Chapter 849 Bronze Gate

    A pair of green wings radiated the purest and densest life energy. Along with the infusion of four drops of Ricky''s blood essence, the life energy of those wings reached its greatest extent.


    They were called the Life Wings, as opposed to the Death Wings.


    That was the Omnipotent Skill Ricky had comprehended with the guidance of the life and death runes, while he was still in the Life and Death Zone.


    Swish! The Life Wings flew out. As they glided over all the deceased people killed by Ricky, the wings'' energy descended upon the corpses.


    Once the Life Wings faded completely, every dead body had been filled with its life energy.


    Everyone had gradually gained their vitality back underneath the burning flames from the green Life and Death Fire.


    "I can''t believe it! They all have come back to life!" Soar cried out. He barely believed his own eyes.


    Inside the Massacring Zone, Pearl and Tina covered their mouths, completely dazed. Although no one had woken up yet, they had rightfully been brought back to life.


    Bang! Ricky''s knees met the ground due to the amount of blood essence he had used. Even weakened, he still smiled at what was accomplished.


    Everything had finally gone as he expected.


    He had only killed these people because he believed they could be brought back by his Life Wings along with the Life and Death Fire and his blood essence.


    He wasn''t a hundred percent positive it would work.


    But fortunately, with the help of God, luck was on his side. His Life and Death Zone was also an incredible zone.


    "Are you okay?" Pearl, Tina and Soar all asked with great concern.


    "I''ll be fine. It''s natural to feel like crap after losing four drops of blood essence. Don''t worry about it!" Ricky comforted them.


    "That was incredible! You''ve saved all those dead people!" Soar exclaimed excitedly.


    "It''s not as effective as you think. There are a lot of strict requirements for this to be successful," Ricky told him.


    "First, I must kill the creature myself using the life and death runes. Second, the deceased can''t stay dead for too long. Third, a large amount of my blood essence is needed to revive the deceased. And fourth, the creature should be far weaker than I


    nd Soar arrived at the Justice Town''s altar.


    The old man told them that the altar was a place they went to worship the heavens.


    There, they came across a huge ancient bronze stone.


    According to the old man, he had no clue about when the Justice Town was founded, but the bronze stone had been there ever since. The altar had also been built at that exact location because it was where the bronze stone stood.


    The bronze gate was another name for the bronze stone. Only those with strong bodies and great power could get through the gate. The town hadn''t seen such a person in a long time though.


    Over a year ago, a group of people managed to come through the bronze gate. Those were the Black Blood Zombies. They told the people that by taking pills they could increase their strength and be able to go through the gate.


    Since then, they had been taking pills. At least, until Ricky and Soar came.


    ...


    "Soar, I clearly sense there is some space behind this bronze gate. If I''m correct, as long as one is an upper spiritual king, they can go through it," Ricky told him.


    "I agree!" Soar nodded.


    Soon, the two bid farewell to everyone before gathering their strength and walking straightly into the bronze gate.


    However, they hadn''t landed at another town or small world as they had thought they would. Instead, they stood at a small space under a great force.


    That space was as small as a few houses. At the center of the space, they saw an altar.

 Chapter 850 The Justice Saber

    On the altar, they saw a saber.


    It was seven feet long and very wide, covered with rust spots, somewhat similar to his Iron Destroyer.


    There was only divine power in that space.


    "A saber!" Ricky exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. Soar and he exchanged a look.


    The two of them carefully walked towards the saber on the altar. There was nothing unusual about it. They could not feel any strange power on the saber, as if it was just ordinary iron.


    "Ricky, you''ve used a saber. Is there anything unusual about this rusty one?" Soar asked. "Since the bronze gate brought us here, there must be a reason behind this."


    "I can''t feel it, nor can I guess what exactly is going on here," Ricky said, confusion reflecting on his face. "There is no power on this saber, even inferior to the most common mortal weapon."


    With these words, he picked it up to examine it further.


    The saber seemed to have instantly regained its spiritual energy. The rusty spots on it faded rapidly, and it emitted a strong white light. This light was so powerful that it appeared to pierce through the space around it.


    The sudden change attracted attention their attention.


    They still couldn''t feel any power from the saber.


    However, the bright light gave them a sense of justice and judgment.


    "Ricky, look!" Soar pointed out.


    It turned out that there was a small hole below the saber, which was exactly the saber''s size and shape. The saber seemed to be something like a key to open the altar.


    Without any delay, Ricky inserted the saber into the thin hole.


    Buzz! Immediately, the whole altar transformed, with divine power spreading all over. A shadow appeared from nowhere.


    A strapping figure came into view. It gave Ricky and Soar a feeling that the figure could look down at the heaven, earth and everything else. It seemed powerful and all-knowing. They couldn''t see the figure''s face clearly, but they could see his forehead.


    There were three saber m


    the spiritual energy and the evil spirit.


    "Ricky, the evil spirit is quite strong here. It seems that there are many devils here. Our mission should be to deal with these devils, so that we can get the Justice Saber Soul," Soar said.


    "I just don''t know what the Justice Saber Soul is like," Ricky murmured.


    Moving further, they left the plains and headed for the depth of the area enveloped by spiritual energy.


    As they went deeper into the area, they encountered many cities and towns.


    Here, almost all creatures were armed to the teeth, preparing for battle.


    Similar to the Justice Town, there was no exception to living beings here. They were all innate spiritual kings, but only about 90% of them were lower spiritual kings.


    In order to hide their identities, the two of them dressed up awkwardly and sneaked into these cities to inquire things from the locals.


    Finally, they found out something.


    This continent was called the Justice Continent where various kinds of creatures lived. The three races dominating it were humans, beasts and elves.


    Among these three great races, humans were the real rulers, as they were the strongest of all. The Human Royal Palace established by humans was also the highest power on the Justice Continent, and all living beings had to obey their rules.

 Chapter 851 Three Palaces

    There were all kinds of devils on the other continent called the Devil Continent.


    Dating back to the ancient times, there had only been one formal agreement between the Justice Continent and the Devil Continent¡ªthey would not stop fighting against each other until the last creature from either continent died.


    Over countless years, both continents had each gained victories and suffered losses for almost equal times. When all their previous and recent fights were combined and tallied together, it could clearly be seen that the fight had been in a draw.


    However, things had changed since over twenty years ago. It was during the time when the Devil King¡ªthe most powerful warrior ranked number one in the entire Devil Continent¡ªmade a breakthrough and became a first-class completed spiritual king at peak state, incredibly surpassing the human emperor.


    Following the Devil King''s breakthrough as a first-class completed spiritual king was the devils'' invasion of the Justice Continent. For the past over twenty years, the devils had barged into Justice Continent territory until such time that they now occupied about two-thirds of their enemy''s land.


    One could only imagine the sheer number of powerful warriors from the Human Royal Palace who were slain and killed. All those years, the human warriors had to endure losing more and more of their brothers-in-arms. It didn''t take long before they became powerless against the Tiger Royal Palace and the Elf Royal Palace. Fortunately, neither of the two palaces had bullied the Human Royal Palace. This was because the three forces shared a common enemy in the form of the devils.


    Sadly, the last remaining prince of the Human Royal Palace perished during the latest battle against the devils. To make things worse, the human emperor was also nearing his deterioration. Therefore, the other two palaces would have to fight over who would enjoy authority in the Justice Continent.


    Obviously, the human emperor also knew that this was bound to happen. As such, after a quick discussion among the three forces, he decided to hold a martial arts contest in search for the most suitable and deserving son-in-law.


    Meanwhile, the Human Royal Palace also had a princess. She was called Princess Lori.


    All the male creatures who were less than three hundred years old in the Justice Continent were qualified to participate in the contest. The final winner would be granted permission to marry Princess Lori. He would also be granted the title of Justice King and gain authority over the entire Justice Continent.


    The so-called Justice King could directly order all the creatures from the three palaces. Naturally, he could also call upon all the creatures residing within the Justice Continent.


    The contest was set to be held in ten days.


    That was because they knew that the devils would attack them again very soon.


    They didn''t have the luxury of time to sit around and wait for things to happen. If they wanted to win against those devils once and for all, then they needed a powerful and capable leader to le


    as at the peak level. He was obviously full of blood and vigor. There was still a long way for him to go before he entered the deterioration stage.


    Ricky''s and Soar''s eyes were fixed on the two young men behind the old man.


    One man had thick black hair and was tall as a tower. The other guy opposite him donned red hair and had a slimmer physique. They both had a calm expression on their faces.


    "Ricky, is that young man with black hair the young master of the Tiger Royal Palace¡ªPollard?" Soar asked telepathically. "He seems to be a little difficult to deal with."


    "Soar, we haven''t heard about the young man with red hair. Yet somehow, I feel that he is more dangerous than the brute beside him." Ricky tilted his head to the side. Could his intuition be right?


    "Really?" Soar raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that, Ricky?!" He stared confusedly at Ricky, before he turned his back at the direction of Pollard and the redhead opposite him.


    He wanted to take a better look and see if he could affirm Ricky''s assessment.


    The leader of the Elf Royal Palace was a middle-aged woman.


    The elves were all short in stature, and their bodies looked like porcelain dolls.


    The females were naturally all incomparably beautiful and lovable, but the males looked a little frailer and meeker than their female counterparts.


    There were two geniuses among the elves. One was Princess Sheila, who was not in attendance at that time. After all, as a female, she was not qualified to compete in the martial arts contest. The other genius was Egan, and he graced the event with his presence.


    What was striking about Egan was the lack of masculinity in his features. It made him appear as more like a delicate woman.


    Of course, there were also other geniuses from the three palaces. But compared to the aforementioned geniuses, they were not as prominent and recognizable.


    After the leaders of the three palaces greeted one another, the human emperor stood up, glanced around and announced the beginning of the martial arts contest

 Chapter 852 The Top Eight Contestants

    "Now, I will choose my son-in-law, a suitable husband for Princess Lori. Meanwhile, I''m going to determine the strongest one among this young generation and entrust the heavy burden of this Justice Continent on him," the human emperor stated with all seriousness and sincerity.


    "Keeping this in mind, I hope that you will voluntarily quit if you are not well prepared, before anything begins. Under-performing will be considered equivalent to betraying all living creatures here on the Justice Continent, and you will be left at their mercy!"


    Everyone stood there rooted to the ground, dumbfounded. It was indeed true.


    In this contest, the strongest participant would be able to win the heart of his beauty and even, reach the peak of power. However, the responsibilities he had to take and the dangers he had to face were multi-fold and also, extreme.


    The excitement in the eyes of some of the living creatures present was withdrawing. This was because the so-called Justice King was supposed to be an enemy of the powerful Devil Continent.


    Deep down in their hearts, they knew that they weren''t strong enough.


    However, when they saw Princess Lori''s perfect body shape and the mysterious face under the veil, their fear was drowned by greed.


    "I have studied rough statistics. Less than eight hundred contestants will attend the competition this time. Therefore, for the first stage of the contest, which will last eight days, the most powerful one will be selected each day," the human emperor stated.


    "Eight days later, there will be eight warriors shortlisted. My son-in-law will be picked from this top eight.


    Alright. Who will be the first one hundred to come up at the square today?"


    ...


    A few minutes later, a hundred creatures had already taken their seats.


    "Now, please pick your opponents and fight against them in the void. The winner will be one of the top eight contestants. Remember, if you break any rule, you will definitely be punished," the human emperor warned.


    Soon, the battle began.


    "Ricky, you should join the competition as well. I don''t think the young man with red hair whom you mentioned, is easy to deal with. I''m afraid, I can''t defeat him." Soar expressed his concern through a telepathic link.


    "I was just thinking the same thing! I will enroll myself as soon as possible!" Ricky replied.


    "But, Ricky, let''s make a deal. In the end, you ha


    The Dark Bear King exploded with momentum. The black Gravitation Enlightenment was constantly surging on his tightly clenched right fist. In the blink of an eye, there was a black vortex emerging around his right fist.


    With the evolution of the black vortex, everything around the space seemed to feel heavier.


    It was also representative of one of the creatures'' comprehension of the Gravitation Enlightenment.


    "Wow, he really deserves the name, Dark Bear King, for he has cultivated the Gravitation Enlightenment to such an extent! Possibly, he can even challenge people who are above him in the spiritual King level."


    "That''s right. No one can really harm him due to his high level of the enlightening power."


    "The young man called Soar Long, will have to suffer a lot in that case."


    ...


    Crack! With these arguments among the people watching and waiting, cracks seemed to appear in the space where the Dark Bear King and Soar stood. It was because of the powerful Gravitation Enlightenment.


    After gathering the strength of his fist to the peak, the Dark Bear King then took a step forward and instantly stood right in front of Soar. Before anyone noticed, he threw a punch at Soar, intending to hit him smack in the face.


    Soar just kept grinning, with red scales surrounding his right arm. He also responded with a punch, which collided with the black swirl of the Dark Bear King.


    Bang! The momentum at the spot was overwhelming.


    With a loud scream, a black figure was knocked away from the waves of the air wave. Wherever he passed, the space shredded itself into fragments.

 Chapter 853 The Battle Between Egan And Anthony

    The figure was Dark Bear King.


    Puff! After the arena was ruptured, Dark Bear King spat out a mouthful of blood and didn''t stop. He kept rolling in circles.


    Everyone, including the three emperors, Pollard, Egan and Anthony, was stunned by what they witnessed. They could not help but gawk at Soar.


    The people from the Human Royal Palace seemed to have found a glimmer of hope.


    "I didn''t expect this to happen!" The shocking silence was followed by an intense and emotionally fueled discussion.


    "It was just a fist. But, the result is completely different from what we have imagined!"


    "Who is this Soar?" "Have you ever heard of him?"


    Gasps and debates began to fill the area around the arena.


    "Big bear, the result seems to be the same as I have expected. Sadly, you expected something different," Soar said softly as he tried to collect himself and withdraw the power of his dragon scales.


    Dark Bear King spat, "So what?" Soar sighed, "If you are still not convinced, then let''s fight again."


    Unwilling to admit defeat, Dark Bear King staggered to his feet, until he was close enough to bridge the distance between him and his foe. In the midst of catching his breath, he hesitated a little before he half-heartedly bowed before Soar.


    He knew and it was clear that he could never beat Soar. Just from the punch that he received moments ago, he had already lost his dignity and reputation.


    He did not want to lose it a second time.


    The second battle was between Ricky and the One-Eye Dragon.


    The One-Eye Dragon was very extraordinary. He was a second-class completed spiritual king and he had also been in the realm for quite some time.


    Ricky and the One-Eye Dragon confronted each other. Ricky, in an arrogant and cynical tone, said, "Hey, old man, the contest is exclusively for the younger generation. What are you doing here?"


    Ricky had to put up a front and cover up his true feelings. It was better for him not to expose himself without discovering Anthony''s strength.


    By using such an arrogant tone, it gave the others an illusion that he was conceited.


    However, Ricky''s words also erupted a loud laughter among the audience. As it turns out, they didn''t have a good first impression about the One-Eye Dragon either.


    What was more, the One-Eye Dragon really looked like a thief. His overall appearance and the way he dressed was just wretched, and it made him even more detestable.


    He would have been torn into pi


    e, there''s no doubt about it. But it all depends on how much strength Anthony will be exerting," Ricky murmured. He wondered how the battle would end.


    What would Anthony do?


    "This young man is too arrogant to say that," the beast emperor hushed to the elf emperor.


    "It''s not bad to be a little arrogant. But please be assured that once the battle is over, I will have Egan undergo rehabilitation to teach him how to handle disputes using a more appropriate and acceptable manner." the elf emperor answered with a chuckle.


    "Thank you in advance," the beast emperor replied in a very thankful tone.


    But only he himself knew what he was thinking.


    ...


    "Sadly I don''t think I will be defeated, especially by an androgynous guy like you!" Anthony spat back with obvious annoyance in his voice.


    All the elves of the Elf Royal Palace were taken aback by Anthony''s declaration. They all had constrained expressions painted on their faces.


    All the creatures around wanted to laugh, but they were afraid of the elf emperor. They were left with no choice but to stifle their laughter and endure the painful sensation of trying suppress their joyous emotions.


    As for the people of the Tiger Royal Palace, they all looked innocent.


    Although they bore the might and majestic power of the tiger in their banner and flag, the members of the Tiger Royal Palace all looked very innocent. It was as if they couldn''t even break a single plate.


    "Burn in hell and perish!" The more ferocious one was Egan, with his momentum flaring with rage.


    With his anger evolving and roaring, Egan stomped on the ground and launched an attack.

 Chapter 854 Powerful Anthony

    Perhaps due to his small frame, Egan could move really fast. The moment the space started to shake, his hands had already drawn a seal. Then, the elf energy surged and shifted into an ingenious flower before evolving into an offensive force, making its way against Anthony.


    Bang!


    Meanwhile, the power from Anthony''s body rose as an ocean''s tide¡ªoverbearing and unparalleled.


    "Burning Sun Barrier!"


    His dark pupils turned red as the scorching Burning Sun Enlightenment condensed and grew as a red barrier around him. He had no reason to fear the flower any longer.


    Boom! Upon the collision, the Burning Sun Barrier didn''t have a scratch. It only trembled slightly when it was suppressed by the flower. Moreover, the Burning Sun Barrier were still in flames while most of the flower had burnt down instantly.


    "How womanish you are! Is that all you''ve got?" Anthony muttered in a disdainful tone, lightly shaking. The red mark between Anthony''s eyebrows was visibly glinting.


    ''This Anthony must have a mutant, but I''m not sure of what kind, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "He actually forced Egan to retreat!" someone around exclaimed in disbelief.


    Everyone was suddenly starting to realize that the power of this genius from the Tiger Royal Palace seemed to go far beyond their expectations.


    Surprise filled most of the reactions from those gathered, but there was one person who was extremely unpleasant¡ªthe elf emperor. Pretentiously, she had given her word to the beast emperor that Egan wouldn''t harm Anthony that much.


    Now she realized how stupid she had been.


    The beast emperor beamed full of satisfaction, which embarrassed her even more.


    The human emperor wasn''t thrilled about any of it either. Just one Pollard was a great concern already. And now there was another powerful warrior around¡ªAnthony.


    ...


    Crack! Crack! As his body slightly retreated, Egan clenched his fists tightly, reflecting the anger in his heart.


    He didn''t know what else to say. Only after he had successfully defeated Anthony could he have the qualification to say something.


    He didn''t spare any effort and unl


    through the shield. Otherwise, a bit of blood coming out of his mouth would be the least of Egan''s problems.


    "Unfortunately, I''m not strong enough right now. Or else, you would be already dead," Anthony muttered, shifting into his human self.


    He made no attempt to strike again. Frankly, he didn''t take Egan seriously enough to waste any more time with him. All he wanted was the name of the Justice King.


    "I want you to die!" Egan wasn''t ready to let Anthony go. He roared insanely as he reunited his strength to attack.


    Anthony paid no attention to it.


    He believed the elf emperor wouldn''t allow Egan to go very far with it.


    And he had been proved right once the angry voice of the elf emperor ordered Egan to retreat.


    Reluctantly, Egan still did what the elf emperor told him to. He didn''t have the nerve to disobey her.


    That way, the battle was officially over.


    Egan had been crushed by Anthony''s power.


    Promptly, everyone started to gossip. They were eager to know how Anthony had become this great warrior in the Tiger Royal Palace. But there wasn''t a single soul who had heard of him before.


    Furthermore, no one was even sure about the extent of his abilities as he hadn''t burst out his mutant power yet.


    ...


    With the end of this battle, the next was the competition between Pollard and Cecil. There was nothing to be expected from this battle. Its result was already doomed.

 Chapter 855 Soar Fighting Pollard

    The fight between Pollard and Cecil ended soon.


    No surprises came out of that battle. Cecil had been defeated by no more than a dozen moves from his opponent.


    People from the Human Royal Palace were devastated by Cecil''s loss. It''d been expected that their warrior might lose, but what they had witnessed was so humiliating.


    Even Princess Lori seemed shocked.


    In this contest to elect who would have her hand in marriage, she was definitely the most innocent playing part. Even if the human emperor was fond of her, unfortunately, first and foremost she was still just a piece in a chessboard.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at Soar. At that moment, perhaps only he, who was yet to show his strength, could be a real match to Anthony and Pollard. And honestly, if she had to choose, she''d prefer marrying the mysterious stranger.


    After the end of the battle, there were four strong warriors left: Ricky, Soar, Pollard and Anthony.


    Many of the creatures around were found gapping as they''d never thought two strangers would be among the top four.


    "I''ve never seen them before. Who are they?" someone asked.


    "Do you think they have a chance against Pollard and Anthony?" A buzz went through the crowd.


    ...


    As the discussions carried on, the battles began.


    Soar, evidently, chose to contend against Pollard.


    In the void, Soar and Pollard came face to face. The latter instantly sensed a great pressure coming from Soar, which was actually his strength.


    ''How come this strange creature makes me feel this way? Is Soar really that powerful?'' Pollard thought to himself.


    "Well, your name is Pollard, right? I''m Soar." He politely introduced himself. "I''m here to make it clear I''m determined to marry Princess Lori."


    As soon as he dropped his words, all people around knitted their eyebrows while staring at him.


    They were all thinking the same to themselves. ''How dare this stranger say something like that out loud?''


    "Soar is still so arrogant!" Ricky laughed a


    said.


    "You are so arrogant!" Pollard let out in a cool voice.


    Soar intended to affect Pollard with his words, but Pollard would not be affected.


    The banter had been short, though. Both of them knew that in battle, strength was the only thing that really mattered.


    When their eyes met, lightning flashed and split the air in two. Both sides had completely fallen back into the fighting state of mind.


    The indistinct shadows of the fire dragons surrounded the Heaven Melting Spear, corresponding the fierce fighting intent inside Soar. Likewise, the tiger shadow of Pollard began to run madly around the fire sea along with the red mace.


    "Fight!" They both roared as they struck at the same moment.


    "Burning Sun Enlightenment, I''ll take you down with one blow!" Pollard thundered, his aura like a ferocious tiger. His power achieved the strength of a thousand mountains collapsing at once.


    The strike happened like a sudden flood.


    The creatures around who were weaker than Pollard couldn''t help but tremble with fear.


    They all could feel an overwhelming pressure, inherent in Pollard''s blood.


    "It''s very likely that Pollard is a holy beast since he shows such blood power," Ricky said, also sensing the pressure.


    "You''re probably right. Only the holy beast can burst out like this!" Tina nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 856 The Burning Sun Holy Tiger

    "Soar might find some trouble winning this battle!" Ricky exclaimed.


    "Soar a real Great Dragon, but it won''t be appropriate to reveal his beast form here. Therefore, it would be a big hit to Soar''s overall strength," Tina said.


    "But he is not a coward," Ricky murmured.


    ...


    The torrent-like attacks poured out. Soar''s eyes burst out his immense fighting spirit. Behind him was an entire world of fighting spirit full of dragon power.


    The flame tiger burst out an angry roar! The real dragon roar echoed through the void. The dragon power pervaded and occupied everything around it.


    Buzz! With the dragon power and the dragon roar combined, the blood inside everyone''s body trembled violently. Whether they were holy beasts or creatures with strong blood, they all succumbed to the dragon''s might.


    Even Pollard''s veins were trembling.


    "How could this be?" With his eyes wide open, Pollard roared in disbelief.


    He was a holy beast and his blood power was the strongest in the entire Justice Continent. What could ever make him tremble? Even the blood power of a holy beast couldn''t make move him an inch.


    But this moment would never happen again.


    Everything felt heavy as the dragon power spread out. Disbelief filled Pollard''s eyes. As for the other creatures, they all grew numb.


    At that moment, they all started to believe that Soar was a genius much stronger than Pollard.


    Now that Soar''s small victory was over, there was nothing to be surprised about anymore.


    At that time, the three emperors could no longer sit still. They also felt the pure blood power of the dragon.


    "The blood of the Great Dragon? How could this be possible? How could it be this pure?" The three emperors sighed in their minds and it left the human emperor excited, the beast emperor gloomy, and the elf emperor shocked.


    "Has his blood power finally surpassed Pollard''s? Could he be my Mr. Right?" Feeling the power of Soar, especially the Great Dragon blood, Lori couldn''t suppress her excitement any longer.


    "It seems that Soar will no longer hide in the shadows since he already showed everyone the real dr


    ng Sun Claw!"


    With a thunderous roar, the huge mace hovering over Pollard''s head merged directly with the right claw before transforming into the Burning Sun Claw that occupied the entire sky. Countless tiger shadows raised their heads to roar to the heavens.


    Boom! The claw fell on the ground.


    "Dragon Soul Punishment!" Soar shouted as he burst out his strongest attack as well.


    The combination of the Heaven Melting Spear and Soar''s body then turned into the Punishment Dragon Claw as the enlightening power surged and collided with the Burning Sun Claw.


    However, the Punishment Dragon Claw was beaten down after being locked in a stalemate for a while. Soar was then immediately submerged by Pollard''s claw.


    This was the difference between his beast form and his human form.


    Maybe it only increased a little bit of Soar''s strength, but this was already able to decide the result of the battle.


    "You''re playing with fire right now!" Pollard said coldly at this scene. This was the consequence of looking down on him.


    As soon as he finished his words, the Burning Sun Claw charged toward Soar as Pollard tried to smash Soar to pieces and finally put an end to their battle.


    "It seems that Soar still refuses to reveal his beast form, but he doesn''t have much choice now," Ricky murmured.


    Howl! As expected, a pure dragon roar echoed through the skies just after Ricky finished his words.

 Chapter 857 The Great Dragon

    While the dragon roar resounded throughout the vast sky, the momentum under the Burning Sun Claw intensified with a loud crash. Violent flames gushed out from Soar''s body and rose high up in the air. It was the Heaven Melting Fire.


    Following the Heaven Melting Fire, a dragon claw covered with red scales also appeared. It was a real dragon claw. Soar had transformed into his beast form.


    The dragon claw was able to tear through everything. Meanwhile, the so-called Burning Sun Claw could not resist it at all. As thin as a piece of paper, the Burning Sun Claw began to shatter inch by inch. Then, the dragon''s tail, which was also covered with red scales, stabbed Pollard sharply like a long spear.


    "Burning Sun Shield!" Pollard was taken off guard and stunned by the sudden development.


    As his body vibrated, he condensed waves of Burning Sun Enlightenment in an instant and turned them into a wall of steel. The wall of steel was erected in front of him and it acted like a shield. The steel wall looked like a pile of flames and lava.


    A loud "bang" emerged and shook the heavens. With a relentless roar, the dragon tail collided against the Burning Sun Shield. The air waves intensified and blew harshly from all directions. Both Soar and Pollard were forced to retreat once more.


    A deep blood stain could be seen on Pollard''s shoulder as the dragon tail stabbed into the Burning Sun Shield and left a big hole in the armor.


    Everybody caught sight of the dragon, and a real fire dragon at that. Its body felt and appeared very much like it was yielded by the Heaven Melting Fire. It was as if the dragon was a real mutant produced by the Heaven Melting Fire.


    All of a sudden, silence filled the entire arena. Everyone stared at the fire dragon, as if it were in a dream. They were awestruck.


    "That''s a Great Dragon!" It didn''t take long before the deafening silence was broken by the murmur of somebody among the crowd.


    Words were not enough to describe how they felt.


    "A Great Dragon! That''s a real Great Dragon. But how could its existence be possible?" Pollard mumbled. As he re-engaged himself to continue with the battle, he had difficulty concentrating. he was already in a trance. The apparent fear for the power of dragons, which was due to his blood, wouldn''t lie to him.


    "Oh a Great Dragon! This breathtaking creature that has only appeared in legends! My, he looks so splendid and dashing...like a true Prince Charming," Lori mumbled to herself. She was clearly in the middle of daydreaming about the dragon before her.


    If one were to observe Soar''s effect on his spectators, it would seem as though time had stopped for them. That was how compelling Soar''s dragon form was to them.


    "Since if you are dying to see my beast form, then allow me to satisfy your curiosity!" Soar''s cold voice echoed in the air. As soon as he


    is strongest attack defeated in one swift blow, Pollard was also badly injured by the strong impact.


    Soar absolutely didn''t miss the chance to fully secure his win. With Pollard''s current state, he did not want his enemy to grab the opportunity to recover for even just a second. The four dragon claws pierced through Pollard''s body and then threw it down haphazardly onto the ground. A deep pit instantly took shape on the square.


    Then, the Heaven Melting Spear transformed into the Heaven Melting Pagoda and merged with Soar. The combined power went on to add more pressure, pressing down more heavily on the deep pit.


    A piercing scream resounded through the air as Pollard was completely defeated.


    Pollard, who was in his human form, had no more power left to fight. Thankfully, he was supported by his fellow creatures as he retreated. Before he and his companions left the area, Pollard used the remaining of his strength to shoot a ferocious gaze at Soar.


    "Great! We won this battle," Ricky murmured flatly.


    Soar was left in the arena. Everyone fixed their eyes on the victor. The respect in their gazes was very evident. They now viewed him as a powerful warrior, especially after he revealed himself as a Great Dragon.


    "He will become my Prince Charming. I''ll make sure he will be." Princess Lori seemed to be the one who was the most excited by Soar''s victory. She was greatly impressed by his great power, and even more so by his handsome appearance.


    In fact, for Princess Lori, it was not that she fell in love with Soar. As a matter of fact, she simply did not wish to become a pawn for the Tiger Royal Palace. She did not want the control over the Justice Continent to be passed over to them.


    Seeing how powerful of a warrior Soar was and how even more impressive he became as a Great Dragon, she immediately began pining for him. In short, Soar was Princess Lori''s dream guy.

 Chapter 858 Confronting Anthony

    "Ha-ha! It seems that Soar has finally won over the heart of Princess Lori." With the help of the Golden Spirit Eyes, Ricky was able to easily observe the changes in Princess Lori''s facial expressions.


    "He is the Great Dragon, after all," Tina said with a subtle smile on her face. "Nevertheless, I don''t think the beasts are willing to let it go. Moreover, Soar''s Great Dragon body itself is attracting a lot of their attention."


    "Don''t worry. If the beasts decide to make a move, the humans will react accordingly. There''s no way they''ll let go of the opportunity without putting up a fight," Ricky said.


    Sure enough, once the other beasts helped Pollard leave, the beast emperor snorted, "Kid, it''s just a match. Don''t you think you''re going a bit too far?"


    "If he wasn''t beaten so hard that he could hardly move, he wouldn''t have admitted defeat. This is not what I want. Moreover, with the cultivation resources of the Tiger Royal Palace, it would take him about a month or two to fully recover. How can you say that I am going too far?" Soar said as he withdrew his power and vigor.


    "Beast Emperor, if you need our help, we are more than willing to supply the cultivation resources Pollard needs to recover," said the human emperor as he stepped forward as expected.


    "Anyway, it''s almost unavoidable to get injured in a battle. Or is it because the genius of the Tiger Royal Palace cannot withstand even this little predicament?"


    "Humph!" the beast emperor snorted. "That will not be necessary. We have more than enough cultivation resources to help him recover."


    He didn''t say anything more. It was not enough of a reason for him to start a fight. Moreover, they had a stronger Anthony on their side. Even if Soar was a Great Dragon, it was impossible for him to defeat Anthony since Soar''s full strength had already been revealed to everyone.


    "Great Dragon! The legendary Great Dragon! Does this mean our Justice Continent is going to be saved this time?" At that moment, all the creatures around them was encouraged. Many creatures on the Justice Continent had been slaughtered by the devils. They needed a hero, a Justice King to lead them to salvation.


    They once placed their


    gon himself, he must be a rare genius." The crowd discussed among themselves.


    The three emperors were also shocked by what they just saw.


    "Where could they have come from?"


    "The vast ocean surrounds not only two continents. Although we don''t have clear evidence, we all believe that they might have come from some continent far away across the sea."


    At that moment, shock and gloom could be seen on the face of Anthony.


    "Who are you? What kind of creature are you?" asked Anthony as his fist clenched.


    "Fight me. I might tell you if you win!" Ricky said coldly with a heavy look in his eyes. Through the previous confrontation, he was also able to gauge the power of Anthony. That kind of power was absolutely no less than his.


    "Your arrogance disgusts me. I will crush you down until you reveal yourself," said Anthony sinisterly.


    Tsing! With the slight flash of the red mark in the middle of the Anthony''s brows, the Burning Sun Enlightenment in his body surged out and the Ultimate Burning Sun Domain rushed directly towards Ricky.


    "Burning Sun Claw!" This time, Anthony immediately launched his Omnipotent Skill. A huge scarlet tiger claw poured down from the sky as if the sharp claw was scratching the chaotic void.


    It could be clearly felt that Pollard''s claw was not as powerful as the one of Anthony. They were definitely not at the same level!


    Pollard''s strength and blood power were both significantly weaker than Anthony''s either.

 Chapter 859 Lava Mutant

    "Massacring Golden Palms!"


    Ricky didn''t dare to underestimate any of Anthony''s attacks, so he immediately broke out his Omnipotent Skill and activated his Ultimate Golden Body to spread out all of his galaxy power.


    He had to go all out in his fight against Anthony, knowing that his enemy was at least a second-class completed spiritual king at peak state.


    The Massacring Enlightenment surged and transformed into three golden palms. They crashed down immediately and collided with the Burning Sun Claw. One side was the violent force of the burning sun while the other side was the hardest massacring power. The collision was naturally as intense as anyone would have expected.


    When the waves erupted, the ripples were torn and shaken by the power of their Omnipotent Skills. Every time they broke out their power, their momentum also rose more and more. When their power had reached their peak, the amount of power they burst out overwhelmed their surroundings.


    Even the three emperors were extremely surprised because they were merely first-class completed spiritual kings and they were not as strong as people would expect them to be. If Ricky and Anthony completed their breakthroughs, they wouldn''t be able to do anything about them.


    At that moment, people from the Human Royal Palace grew more excited while those from the Tiger Royal Palace were starting to feel their doom.


    Everything was completely beyond their expectations.


    The surrounding creatures were all rendered numb by the strength of Anthony and Ricky that had obviously surpassed Soar''s.


    Boom! As their momentum reached their peak, they collided fiercely with each other before getting separated. Cracks appeared on Ricky''s golden body as blood flowed out of Anthony''s wounded exterior.


    "Well! Very well! How dare you cause me this pain?!" Anthony shouted as his eyes were filled with malice.


    "Cut the crap. Show me your mutant and let me see how powerful it really is. Otherwise, you won''t stand a chance against me!" Ricky said with a smile. His tone was full of disdain. He was obviously trying to provoke Anthony.


    "Whether you would be able to witness my mutant or not depends on your power!" Anthony replied arrogantly.


    He would not be infuriated by Ricky''s strength and words. How could there be no real opponents on the road of martial arts! Anthony thought about that for sure. The only thing he needed to do was defeat Ricky once and for all.


    "Burning Sun Lava¡ªBurning Light Attack!" The mark betw


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ion exploded. The burning destructive power turned into a long spear that was held by Anthony. It then shot towards Ricky in an instant.


    Ricky''s pupils shrank at the sight of the long spear made of lava. An invisible sense of danger rose in his heart. It was the Destruction Enlightenment power generated by the power of the Lava Enlightenment.


    ''This Anthony is indeed quite extraordinary. He can manifest the Destruction Enlightenment through the power of the Lava Enlightenment, '' Ricky sighed in his heart.


    The other four runes sprang out of Ricky''s body and poured themselves into the massacring runes to further elevate the power of the Massacring Mutant.


    This time, Ricky did not use his Iron Destroyer. He went for the Justice Saber on his back instead.


    There wasn''t any power at all on the Justice Saber, but Ricky could clearly feel that it was the better choice between the two.


    "Justice Saber! Show me how powerful you really are!" Ricky shouted with the saber in his hand.


    He waved his saber as the Massacring Enlightenment was fused with the golden purple galaxy power surging from the second level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    "Transferring Formula!"


    He slashed his saber as four of the blades fused within the void and whirled like a tornado. The tornado then grew bigger and bigger as it was being grasped tightly by his golden body. It simultaneously slashed at the Lava Spear.


    Bang! The next moment, Ricky''s saber collided with the Lava Spear, and the collision caused an explosion that crushed everything. Under that impact, Ricky and Anthony were pushed back a few steps. This time, they had an awkward expression on their faces.

 Chapter 860 Anthony’s Trump Card

    At that point in the fight, both sides were nearly exhausted. They were panting harshly as they stared each other down.


    It was like time had paused. The furious battle had come to a standstill as both opponents stood motionless. The creatures that were gathering around murmured to themselves. They wondered if they were both gravely injured and unable to fight.


    Howl!


    Suddenly, a tiger roar resounded through the sky. While the enlightenment surged, Anthony transformed into his beast form. It was that of a huge beast, the Burning Sun Holy Tiger.


    However, this Burning Sun Holy Tiger was different from the one that Pollard had transformed into. The Burning Sun Holy Tiger Pollard had transformed into was red and black. The two colors were alternating and equally distributed on the body.


    Meanwhile, the Burning Sun Holy Tiger that Anthony transformed into was purely red, without any trace of black.


    The most noticeable difference between the two Burning Sun Holy Tigers was the pair of wings on Anthony''s back.


    "I can''t believe he has a pair of wings!" The scene caused chaos with all the creatures observing. They were awed and surprised by what they were seeing. They were all familiar with Burning Sun Holy Tigers, but they had never seen a Burning Sun Holy Tiger with a pair of wings.


    The human emperor and elf emperor both seemed to be lost in thought.


    "Since he is a Burning Sun Holy Tiger with a pair of wings, I''m afraid Anthony''s blood power is higher than others in the Burning Sun Holy Tiger tribe," Ricky said to Tina and Pearl.


    What he said made sense. With the help of the five zones, he could clearly feel the pure strength of Anthony''s blood power was stronger than Pollard''s.


    "It is said that the White Tiger, a legendary beast, also has a pair of wings. The Burning Sun Holy Tiger is a holy beast. Since he is a Burning Sun Holy Tiger with a pair of wings, it''s very likely that he has the blood power of the White Tiger too," Tina surmised logically.


    "If that''s the case, then it''s not surprising that the blood power of Anthony is stronger than that of the other Burning Sun Holy Tigers," Tina continued.


    "He has the blood power of the White Tiger? Maybe he has some other trump cards. But now, he has almost used up all his strength, just like me. How can he attack me?" Ricky asked.


    Boom! As if in answer to Ri


    same time, a huge tiger claw fell from the sky.


    The tiger claw was surrounded by the power of the Lava Mutant, but it was not the dominant power of Anthony.


    "Let me see what kind of power you have!" Ricky taunted him once again as the Justice Saber in his hand began to buzz.


    The five kinds of runes encircled him. He activated the Massacring Mutant and burst out the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. He hurriedly condensed all his power on it.


    At the same time, Ricky slightly activated the Devouring Mutant. He did this only because he wanted to figure out what kind of power Anthony was using.


    "Massacring Enlightenment! Massacring Holy Pattern! Five-Pattern Strike!"


    All the power was wrapped by the Massacring Enlightenment. Ricky''s body exploded with five strong patterns that shrank and surrounded the Justice Saber.


    The Massacring Holy Pattern could involve not only the strongest defense but also the most powerful attack.


    Clatter!


    As the saber collided with the tiger claw, bright lights ignited like a thousand fireworks. They paused and held their positions in a tense stalemate.


    Ricky used the power of his Devouring Mutant to absorb some of Anthony''s power. He began to digest and refine the power he absorbed. He wanted to see what kind of power it was and whether it was evil spirit.


    However, Ricky felt something strange from the Justice Saber.


    After it made contact with Anthony''s current power, the Justice Saber suddenly gave Ricky inexplicable feedback. It was as if the Justice Saber needed something from Anthony''s body.

 Chapter 861 Soar The Justice King

    ''Why is the Justice Saber vibrating?'' Ricky thought to himself seriously.


    Immediately, he thought of the Justice Saber Soul. ''Is the force of Anthony related to the Justice Saber Soul? But why do I feel the power of evil spirit?''


    Ricky cocked his head in confusion. He ran his mind through several explanations but he could not accurately say which one was correct.


    Ricky also noticed Anthony''s reaction. His eyes were staring firmly at the Justice Saber. He was probably feeling a reaction to the Justice Saber as well, or he was feeling the trembling of the Justice Saber.


    "Your saber is unique. I shall have it!" Anthony declared with a manic gleam in his eyes.


    "As I said, that is beyond your capability!" Ricky replied lightly.


    The will to fight on both sides seemed to have increased because both of them wanted something from the other party. They both had something unknown to their opponent, and it was a curiosity to them.


    The object in itself was not important, but because they had little knowledge of the object, it seemed more alluring. It was a common response that when you found something you did not know much about, you would want to know more about it. And to know more, they had to obtain it first.


    Ricky grinned when he felt that the devouring power had finished its work. It had disintegrated and refined Anthony''s unknown power. It was truly evil spirit.


    ''It is indeed evil spirit!'' Ricky thought to himself seriously.


    However, in addition to the evil spirit, there was also another kind of power that made the Justice Saber tremble mysteriously.


    ''The force causing the Justice Saber to vibrate is wrapped around the evil spirit. In other words, the evil spirit is covered by a power so that no one would realize that it is the evil spirit.


    I''m sure that Anthony belongs to the Burning Sun Holy Tiger tribe. That is without a doubt. But how can he use the evil spirit? Furthermore, Pollard has no evil spirit.''


    Different speculations and information swirled around in Ricky''s mind.


    ''The truth must be extremely complicated, but it must have something to do with the Justice Saber and the Justice Saber Soul. But first, I have to defeat Anthony.''


    As he focused, the color of the devouring rune


    . As a Great Dragon, you must have come to save our land. The title of the Justice King rightfully belongs to you." The human emperor looked at them with respect and motioned to his warriors to thank them.


    At the emperor''s hint, the warriors of the Human Royal Palace all bowed deeply to Soar and Ricky as a display of status.


    The human emperor and the Human Royal Palace were not willing to elevate them so much, but if they wanted to fight against the devils, they had to rely on Soar and Ricky. The powers of Soar and Ricky were weaker than the emperor''s, but it would not take long for them to surpass him.


    The blood of the Great Dragon was not just for show, after all.


    "Ha-ha, you are welcome. From now on, I, Soar, am the Justice King of the Justice Continent," Soar said happily. After all, the title must have something to do with the Justice Saber Soul.


    "Lori, this is Soar. From now on, I''ll leave you to serve him." The human emperor introduced Lori to Soar. Soar smiled in delight and took her hand.


    Of course, the human emperor would not dare to ignore Ricky. He secretly sent a message to him, an invitation for him to choose any human beauty for him.


    Ricky immediately refused him.


    ...


    Lori had taken off her veil. She was stunning and her temperament was gracious and sophisticated.


    "Mister Soar and Mister Ricky." Lori slightly bowed her head in a curtsy.


    Her face turned a crimson when she looked up at Soar and met his eyes. She hastily turned away.

 Chapter 862 Saber Tomb And Half Of Justice Saber Soul

    At the sight of Princess Lori, Soar forgot everything.


    He planned to go on a tour with her and handed over everything to Ricky.


    "Sir, how much do you know about Anthony?" Ricky felt a little helpless. Soar''s attention was fully taken by Princess Lori and he was no help at all. He began to ask around for more accurate and useful information about this world.


    "The Burning Sun Holy Tiger tribe has two branches. One is the Holy Tiger branch and the other is the Burning Sun branch. These two branches have the same blood power but their surnames have changed over time.


    In the recent hundreds of years, the creatures of the Burning Sun branch have been inferior to those of the Holy Tiger Branch. We have always paid attention to them. We know all the talents from this branch. However, this Anthony has appeared from nowhere and nobody else has ever noticed him.


    Moreover, his blood has evolved. I believe you also sensed that," the human emperor explained graciously.


    "It looks like Anthony was a hidden genius of the Burning Sun Holy Tiger tribe. His purpose was just to compete for the Justice King."


    Ricky asked for information about Anthony because he wanted to know more about him. He was still wondering why he sensed the Justice Saber Soul from Anthony.


    "I think so." The warriors of the Human Royal Palace nodded in agreement.


    "By the way, Ricky, we have another question." The human emperor was flustered as he got Ricky''s full attention.


    "Please go ahead, sir."


    "Where are you and Soar from? This is a matter of great importance because we have handed over the lives of millions of creatures on the Justice Continent to you two.


    Please don''t be offended and tell us the truth."


    "We are from another continent. We arrived here by chance after we shuttled in the boundless sea for nearly ten years," Ricky answered vaguely.


    He didn''t want to lie to these people but he could not tell them the truth either, that they were in the Divine Manor.


    "I knew it! There are other continents in this endless sea." The human emperor believed Ricky''s words. In his opinion, it was a logical answer.


    After all, they had no o


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    er condensed into the form of a saber. Only the upper half of the saber was exposed in the air. He now understood why the lord of the Human Royal Palace called it the Saber Spirit.


    Buzz! Perhaps the Saber Spirit felt the Justice Saber because the Saber Spirit suddenly burst out a white light that lit up the darkness in the Saber Tomb fully.


    Of course, this was noticed by the human emperor and the others who were with them. Their eyes flashed with surprise since they had come plenty of times to that place, but every time they came, the Saber Spirit remained quiet.


    But now...


    They fixed their attention to the Justice Saber behind Ricky.


    Swish!


    In the next moment, the half Saber Spirit flew from the huge tombstone towards Ricky. Behind him, the Justice Saber moved more violently.


    "It''s, undoubtedly, the Justice Saber Soul!" Ricky gasped excitedly.


    He quickly took out the Justice Saber and waved it around. It merged with the Saber Spirit as soon as it made contact and a white light burst out from it.


    This power was much stronger than Ricky''s.


    He observed it carefully and found that the power of the Justice Saber was equal to a completed spiritual king at peak state.


    "I can''t believe I found half of the Justice Saber Soul here," Ricky murmured to himself happily as he caressed the powerful Justice Saber lovingly.


    "What''s going on, Ricky? What happened to the Saber Spirit and your weapon?"

 Chapter 863 The Life And Death Mutant

    "Sir, my saber is named Justice Saber. Its saber soul disappeared for a long time. The reason why Soar and I came here was that we wanted to get the Justice Saber Soul," Ricky explained.


    "Justice Saber! Justice Saber Soul!" When they heard Ricky''s words, the human emperor and others gasped in surprise. They seemed to have realized something.


    ...


    "No wonder no one in the Human Royal Palace was able to use the Saber Spirit. Since ancient times many have tried and some even got hurt because of it." The human emperor nodded slightly. They were probably not strong enough, so the power had overwhelmed them.


    "Although this place is called Justice Continent and the Justice Saber Soul is here, it doesn''t belong here.


    Now that you have come, Ricky, I will return the Justice Saber Soul to you."


    Nobody from the Human Royal Palace wanted Ricky to take away the Justice Saber Soul, but they could not do anything else.


    The human emperor seemed pale and worried.


    "In that case, thank you very much. I''m taking this half of the Justice Saber Soul away."


    "You''re welcome!" Ricky also noticed their mood and he knew that they were worried that they would be left defenseless.


    "Don''t worry, sir. I swear by my Martial Arts Oath that I will not leave here until I successfully help the Justice Continent destroy the devils." Ricky looked right into the eyes of the human emperor as he swore. He could see how relieved he was.


    There were two reasons why he gave them that promise. First, Ricky was not the kind of person who would give up halfway when he helped others. Second, he needed to destroy the devils to get the remaining half of the Justice Saber Soul.


    "Thank you, Ricky!" Ricky grinned at them, pleased that he could kill two birds with one stone. Now, he would be able to help them and he would accomplish his goal at the same time.


    "Before that, I need to cultivate in the Saber Tomb for a while. If the devils come, you can just get me," Ricky told the human emperor.


    He could feel that the Saber Tomb would greatly help his cultivation.


    The Saber Enlightenment in the Saber Tomb echoed with the saber light in his body. His body was trembling with excitement. He believed that he would be able to produce the saber intent if he cultivated here.


    Moreover, he also needed a place to cultivate the Life and Death Mutant.


    In the contest of martial arts to find a husband for Princess Lori, he had revealed all of his


    power of life and the power of death."


    Soon, Ricky was immersed in the Life and Death Skill. The Life and Death River in the Life and Death Zone flowed faster invisibly and appeared in Ricky''s body.


    The Life and Death River was the core of the entire Life and Death Zone. As long as he merged the Life and Death River, he was also able to merge the Life and Death Zone. Then, his body would become the Life and Death Mutant.


    Of course, there was also an indispensable condition. This was the source of feminine energy he had obtained from Pearl.


    As the life and death runes entered his body repeatedly, Ricky''s body changed into a mutant body gradually.


    ...


    At the same time, the atmosphere in the Tiger Royal Palace was very depressing.


    Pollard and Anthony had recovered from their injuries. They had taken very advanced pills and Treasures from Heaven and Earth. The beast emperor looked very angry. He sat tensely on his black and gold chair, his hands tightly clenched on its armrest. Everyone around him straightened when he spoke roughly.


    "Damn it! Where the hell are those bastards come from?


    They destroyed our plans! One of them even turned out to be a Great Dragon. Many creatures on the Justice Continent are bound to trust the Great Dragon. Even with a common enemy like the devils, the Tiger Royal Palace will never have a chance to seize the supreme power again. I''m afraid we will never have another chance."


    "Father, in the current situation, the devils are our common enemy. How about fighting against the devils first? Otherwise..." Pollard said though he felt humiliated being defeated by Soar.

 Chapter 864 Pressure From The Tiger Royal Palace

    "The devils are our enemies, but the Human Royal Palace and the Elf Royal Palace are also our enemies. If the living beings on the Justice Continent win under the leadership of the Human Royal Palace, then there will be no place for us to stay in this wretched place!" the beast emperor said coldly after hearing Pollard''s words.


    "But Father, if we succeed in taking the place of the Human Royal Palace, how will we deal with the devils?" Pollard asked again.


    "That''s none of your business," his father answered coldly. "Next, you shall cultivate together with Anthony and try to achieve your breakthrough to the completed spiritual king as soon as possible. All the cultivation resources in our palace shall be made available to you."


    "I see, Father!"


    Afterwards, Pollard and Anthony left the hall at the same time.


    Obviously, when they left, Pollard paid most of his attention to Anthony. He even gave him a flattering smile as they walked out.


    As for the beast emperor, he was still discussing something important with his subordinates.


    ...


    The time spent on cultivation in the Saber Tomb went by quickly. Three months passed by unnoticeably. On the tombstone, Ricky''s body had become the body of mutant. At that moment, he became the life and death runes himself.


    Moreover, the Life and Death River faintly emerged on the life and death runes.


    ''I have finally succeeded in cultivating the Life and Death Mutant!'' Ricky exclaimed in his heart out of excitement.


    The next moment, the five mutants were revealed all at the same time and the Justice Saber surrounded his entire body. The saber intent in the entire Saber Tomb then instantly surged and transformed into the shape of dragons that also pervaded Ricky''s body.


    Afterwards, Ricky''s saber light spread around and turned into a domain that collided with the saber intent inside the tomb.


    By that time, Ricky''s saber light had already reached the completeness.


    He could have comprehended the saber intent with certain opportunities. However, he hadn''t put his mind into it for a long time and had missed many opportunities. He now finally found the right opportunity inside the Saber Tomb and it was a great one.


    The Saber Tomb was a graveyard for sabers and powerful warriors who wielded them. It was where saber intent could be manifested in its purest form.


    ''Perhaps I didn''t seize those opportunities in the past because I was destined to comprehend the saber intent in this v


    e Human Royal Palace immediately darkened. They all had vaguely guessed what the beast emperor was about to say next.


    "The white light is a Saber Spirit!" At that time, the creatures present all sighed with emotion. It was obvious that they also knew about the battle the beast emperor was talking about.


    "You are right. A powerful Saber Spirit did come to save us from doom," the elf emperor nodded and said.


    "As far as I know, this Saber Spirit belongs to the Human Royal Palace''s Saber Tomb. It means we can also say that it belongs to the Human Royal Palace," the beast emperor said with a cold smile as he looked at the human emperor.


    "That is absurd! That Saber Spirit belongs to the Human Royal Palace!" all of the living beings around exclaimed in disbelief after hearing those words. They gazed at the human emperor.


    The elf emperor couldn''t help but stare at him as well.


    A hint of reproach could be seen in their eyes. What they wanted to say was, "Wasn''t the Human Royal Palace the leader of the Justice Continent? Since you had this powerful Saber Spirit, why didn''t you use it to kill the devils when you clearly had the chance? Why did you let the whole Justice Continent suffer the devils'' massacre?"


    Apart from that, they also saw the sullen faces of the people from the Human Royal Palace which confirmed that the beast emperor was telling the truth.


    At the sight of this, the sneer in the eyes of the beast emperor became more apparent.


    "Human Emperor, now that the Saber Spirit belongs to the Human Royal Palace, why don''t you use it to kill the devils?" A voice full of resentment arose from the shadows.

 Chapter 865 The Powerful Beast Emperor

    The one who spoke was an ordinary creature. Some other creatures immediately followed suit and echoed the concern with him to gather more attention.


    "Yes, that''s right! Human Emperor, you and your palace is the hope of the whole Justice Continent. Now, the Justice King has finally appeared. With that being said, it is just so fitting and justifiable that more of the responsibilities should be shouldered by the Human Royal Palace!" One by one, the warriors voiced out their opinions as they all wanted to be heard.


    "Justice King, we hope that you can take the Saber Spirit and kill the devils with us!"


    Each of the warriors continued to express their hopes and voice out their suggestions one after the other, in an organized fashion.


    "Human Emperor, was any of what Beast Emperor said true?" the elf emperor asked loudly so that everyone in the area heard her query.


    "Yes, it was. Justice Saber Soul is the Saber Spirit''s name. It is a treasure in the Saber Tomb of the Human Royal Palace, so we are responsible for protecting it with our lives," the human emperor replied in a tone of admission.


    "Well, in that case, please further explain the matter to us. Otherwise, I will be forced to take the side of the Tiger Royal Palace," the elf emperor threatened.


    It was undeniable that the elf emperor had such admirable ambitions. But when it came to the context of the devils'' invasion, it was more of a death sentence. With the devils'' invasion, if the Human Royal Palace was destroyed first, then the creatures on the entirety of the Justice Continent would become extinct in a flash, including her very own Elf Royal Palace.


    "Everyone, there is no doubt that the Justice Saber Soul is indeed powerful. If it were not, then, it would have not defeated the Blood Devil King in the first place," the human emperor said with conviction. "As of the moment, no one in the Human Royal Palace can control the Justice Saber Soul.


    In conclusion, the Justice Saber Soul fought against the Blood Devil King on its own accord, without anyone controlling it.


    Everyone, think this through. How many lives did our Human Royal Palace sacrifice in order to save us all from the wretched devils? How much blood did we spill on the land of the Justice Continent?


    All of my three sons died from fighting against the devils. This would not have even happened if anyone from the Human Royal Palace was able to control the Justice Saber Soul. In such a case, there would be no need to wait until now!"


    All the other creatures, including the elf emperor, fell silent for they knew that what he said was nothing but the truth.


    On the other hand, all the other creatures'' resentment were extinguished except for the beast emperor, who instead had his eyes darkened by his words.


    "It seems that only the members of


    aring difference between the power of the two emperors?


    Boom! As he retreated rapidly at full speed, the human emperor avoided his opponent''s powerful blow. But as he did this, embarrassment filled his heart and mind.


    "You''re not listening. I have already told you that you cannot stop me!" the beast emperor said coldly. Standing in the midair in a domineering manner, he looked around with his red eyes, as if a king was coming.


    All the other creatures who witnessed this great display of power became shocked as they had not expected that the beast emperor could be so powerful as to defeat the human emperor so easily.


    "How could this be possible? I can''t believe that you have made a breakthrough!" the human emperor roared aloud after keeping her fast receding figure steady.


    All the three emperors had been first-class completed spiritual kings. This time, however, the beast emperor was a first-class completed spiritual king at peak state.


    "You''re right! But it seems that I''ve broken through by luck!" the beast emperor said monotonously.


    ''So that explains the shocking power dynamic. It''s just because the beast emperor actually made a breakthrough. No wonder he dares challenge the human emperor, '' the elf emperor thought to herself.


    At this very moment, she had a very difficult time deciding where to stand especially now that the balance among the three forces had already been broken.


    ''If I help the beast emperor destroy the other, I''m afraid that the beast emperor would not spare our Elf Royal Palace!'' the elf emperor thought to herself once again.


    Right at that moment, she made a quick decision.


    "Elf Emperor, would you like to go to the Saber Tomb of the Human Royal Palace with me?" the beast emperor asked in a cold and threatening voice. Apparently, he was requiring the elf emperor to declare where she stood in the situation.

 Chapter 866 Ricky Came Out

    The beast emperor tried to force the elf emperor to declare where she stood. Although his voice was calm, his tone was firm. It was obvious that he would not take no for an answer.


    Meanwhile, the human emperor also looked towards the elf emperor. The look he gave her was meaningful and persuasive as well. He was imploring her through his eyes to choose his side.


    If the elf emperor stood on the side of the beast emperor, then the Human Royal Palace would be destroyed. Perhaps they could count on their only hope for survival: Ricky. After all, Ricky was the master of the Justice Saber Soul. He was powerful enough to turn the tide for the Human Royal Palace under such circumstances.


    "Since the human emperor has said that the Justice Saber Soul has its own master, there is no need for us to force any more changes. Whoever gets the Justice Saber Soul will be helpful to the Justice Continent anyway, don''t you think so? Or do you disagree with this because you want to keep it for yourself?"


    The elf emperor looked at the beast emperor daringly as if she was waiting for him to protest or react violently.


    After all, she had just thrown shade and stained the name of the beast emperor. She was insinuating that the beast emperor was pushing for the change for selfish reasons.


    When he heard what the elf emperor had said, the beast emperor was filled with rage. His face contorted and his eyes burned with anger.


    The beast emperor found it hard to digest the fact that the elf emperor had rejected his offer. He was the greatest and most powerful among them. And yet, the elf emperor sided with the human emperor whom he thought was weak and foolish. He was furious because he felt like the elf emperor had placed him in a shameful position.


    "Well, as you all know, I am the strongest here. So, I am the most qualified one to take that Justice Saber Soul. From the ancient days to the present, the strong have always ruled over the weak. The powerful people are always well respected. That is the law of nature. I''m sure you guys understand this well."


    The domineering speech from the beast emperor frightened most of the creatures that had gathered around. They trembled in the face of his powerful momentum and daring claim.


    Some creatures agreed that the beast emperor should be in charge of the Justice Saber Soul when they saw his raw power. Meanwhile, others thought that he was too overbearing and impudent.


    "If any of you dare to stop me from getting what I dese


    r force in his body. It was almost the same strength as that of Anthony''s. It was the evil spirit that was covered by another force just like Anthony''s as well.


    Meanwhile, there was a claw-like saber that dashed against the Burning Sun Holy Tiger in its fury.


    A keen observer would see that there was a white light at the top of the Burning Sun Claw. It was an incomplete Saber Spirit, with only a quarter of it.


    The Saber Spirit hummed and released power. Although the power was supposed to be poured into the huge saber which fell from the sky, in the end, it was swallowed by the evil spirit that covered it.


    In this way, the power of the beast emperor was almost as strong as a completed spiritual king at peak state.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    These two fierce forces collided, and huge airwaves swept up instantly.


    The intense stalemate lasted until finally, the Burning Sun Claw was smashed into pieces. The huge saber hit the beast emperor head-on.


    Bang! Another muffled collision sounded. The beast emperor spat out a mouthful of blood and his momentum instantly fell. It was obvious that he was badly hurt by the huge saber.


    He roared in pain as he fell back. With a final pained groan, he lifted himself from where he collapsed. In an effort to escape, he quickly swallowed all the creatures from the Tiger Royal Palace and left swiftly.


    The huge saber retreated as well and turned into the Justice Saber. As the people stared at in reverence, it slowly returned to the depths of the Human Royal Palace.


    As everything settled down, Ricky''s figure appeared.


    He stared at the retreating figure of the beast emperor with serious eyes.

 Chapter 867 The Attack From The Devils

    Although the others were not able to feel the power of the beast emperor, Ricky could feel it clearly. He not only felt the power of the evil spirit but also the power of the Justice Saber Soul.


    He was surprised that a quarter of the Justice Saber Soul was with the beast emperor.


    ''I didn''t expect for the beast emperor to have a quarter of the Justice Saber Soul. Without the Justice Saber, how could he use the power of the Justice Saber Soul?'' Ricky wondered privately.


    Nevertheless, he finally knew the whereabouts of a quarter of the Justice Saber Soul. If he obtained it from the beast emperor, there would only be a quarter left for him to find.


    "Ricky, you have made a breakthrough and you can control the Justice Saber Soul. You can easily defeat him, so why aren''t you chasing after the beast emperor?" Soar came over and asked inquisitively.


    "I can defeat him, but I can''t kill him. It''s useless to chase him. Furthermore, the Justice Saber Soul is not my power. I can''t use it for an extended period." Ricky shook his head as he glanced to where the beast emperor had run off.


    At this time, everyone in the Human Royal Palace was excited. They finally had a powerful warrior to defend them.


    "Soar, from now on, you have to take care of the surrounding creatures." As he observed the others, Ricky sent a message to Soar through telepathy.


    "Everyone, I believe that you all know what the beast emperor wants to do." Soar''s voice echoed around them. He projected authority as he spoke to his people as the Justice King.


    "As for the sincerity of the Human Royal Palace in dealing with the devils, I hope it is now clear. I, Soar, as a Great Dragon and the Justice King, promise that my brother Ricky, the human emperor, the elf emperor and I will lead all of you to defeat the devils and rebuild the Justice Continent."


    When they heard Soar''s proclamation, the creatures of the Justice Continent rejoiced. Once again, they chose to believe the Human Royal Palace and Soar.


    ...


    "Ricky, you must have greatly improved in the secluded cultivation!" the human emperor said excitedly.


    "I should thank you for giving me the Justice Saber Soul," Ricky said reverently.


    "There is no need for you to thank me. You have the Justice Saber, and the Justice Saber Soul naturally belongs to you. Perhaps we have been guarding the Justice Saber Soul for a long time just for this moment." The human emperor had a grin on his face which


    eyes.


    "Don''t worry. My strength is not enough but I will have the strength of a completed spiritual king at peak state with the Justice Saber Soul. It would be for a limited time, but I believe that I can stop the attack of the Blood Devil King within that period."


    "Thank you, Ricky." The human emperor and Soar led all the mighty warriors of the Human Royal Palace to the direction where the devils invaded.


    Along the way, the human emperor and Soar also called for powerful warriors from other forces and tribes to join them.


    The army who would fight against the devils grew larger as they traveled farther.


    It was true that most of the creatures on the Justice Continent were afraid of the devils. However, resistance and fighting spirit filled their hearts when their lives were put in danger. This was the reason why many had gathered to help and fight.


    Ricky followed them slowly. The victory of this battle depended on the result of his battle with the Blood Devil King and the other two leaders of the Blood Devil Palace.


    Before he left, Ricky secretly left two shadowy replicas in the Human Royal Palace. This was additional insurance in case the warriors from the Tiger Royal Palace attacked while they were away.


    He had recently defeated the beast emperor so he wasn''t likely to attack personally. Two shadowy replicas with the power of the Justice Saber Soul were enough to stop the other warriors for a long time.


    ...


    The information of the devils'' invasion was also discovered by the Tiger Royal Palace. Soon, a group of powerful warriors gathered in the hall to discuss the actions they would take.

 Chapter 868 Trevor Xue

    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Inside the void, the collision of the innate spiritual energy and the evil spirit sounded as thunders'' rumbling. The rising waves announced the destructive upcoming battle.


    Howl! Howl! Several black figures stood under the evil spirit. All of them were devils.


    Some had turned into humans, hiding their murderous nature deep within their cores. While others chose to reveal their real black and red bodies, with muscles and the sharpest claws.


    A handful of powerful creatures remained ahead of the large group of devils. The three on the front line were certainly the most eye-catching.


    They were respectively the Scarlet Devil King¡ªthe second king of the Devil Royal Palace, the Dark Devil King¡ªthe third king of the Devil Royal Palace, and Trevor Xue, the son of the Blood Devil King.


    Facing them, walked in the creatures from the Justice Continent. Alike the devils, they all wore straight faces due to the fury and the endless hatred they held against their opponents.


    In the past, the devils had invaded their land, slaughtered their people and used them as nutrients for cultivation. Such an offense was too deeply rooted to be forgotten. Now was time for payback.


    Leading all the creatures from the Justice Continent, stood Soar, the human emperor and the elf emperor.


    "I, Trevor Xue, have heard that a Justice King had risen on your so-called Justice Continent recently, and that he''s a Great Dragon as well," Trevor Xue said, looking disdainfully at Soar.


    Trevor Xue and all of the other devils were salivating and anxious to taste the Great Dragon''s flesh and blood.


    A Great Dragon''s body was beyond nutritious for a devil.


    "You must be the Justice King, Soar, right?"


    Soar nodded. "And I suppose you''re son of Blood Devil King," he stated coldly. "Without your father, there''s no way you can invade our Justice Continent on your own."


    "Your pretentious bastard. You are too weak to challenge my father! He doesn''t need to be here." Trevor Xue laughed wildly at Soar''s words.


    "Perhaps the title of Justice King has gone to your head."


    Boom!


    As


    brated through the void as Trevor Xue launched his body forward. The huge devil saber in his hand chopped down, instantly breaking the sacred fire passage. Then, it hit on the Heaven Melting Spear.


    Hiss! The breaking sound rang loud before intense sparks lighted again between the saber and the spear.


    As the devil saber resisted, Trevor Xue didn''t stop his attack. Yet he wasn''t afraid of using any other tactic available to him as well. So, he strode his huge devil foot, surrounded by the storm of blood evil spirit, straight to Soar''s dragon tail.


    Soar, however, was quicker. His tail moved and encircled Trevor Xue''s devil foot, freezing his move.


    "Come on!"


    "Go to hell!"


    Among shouts and roars, the mass of blood red evil spirit intertwined with the scarlet flame. As Soar''s and Trevor Xue''s bodies clashed against each other in the void, blood kept being spilled all over from time to time.


    Therefore, creatures from both sides screamed apprehensive.


    That was a battle of body and strength, but it was also a bloody one.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Suddenly, the power of the blood red evil spirit and the scarlet flame reached their peaks and exploded. The impulse their energy had created knocked both warriors out.


    As a result, Soar and Trevor got badly injured.


    Even if they were a tough devil and a strong dragon, they still bled. And the scars remained deep into their bones.

 Chapter 869 The Hope Of Victory

    The tough muscles on Trevor''s body were torn apart and pierced as black blood dripped out of them, and his breathing weakened.


    Soar was also hurt. Many parts of his body were wounded, and pools of blood were everywhere.


    But compared to Trevor, Soar''s injuries were less drastic. After all, the durability of his dragon scales was known to be the best among all creatures.


    At that moment, Trevor''s eyes turned gloomy. He never thought that his invincible power could be easily overwhelmed.


    "It seems that your teeth aren''t as sharp as you thought!" Soar said with disdain, shaking his head.


    "Humph! Die!" Trevor could only roar as a response to Soar''s arrogance.


    As he roared, his Evil Spirit Enlightenment rose once again. Realizing the fact that his body was weaker than that of the Great Dragon, he was planning on using his enlightening power to try and kill the dragon.


    "Power of the Blood Devil! All-in Devil Saber!"


    The blood red evil spirit surged forward in the form of waves. Trevor looked extremely ferocious as if his eyes were turning into two oceans of blood from which an immense air of killing was released.


    At that moment, it seemed as if he had completely forgotten about fear and death and was completely ready to sacrifice himself. Yet he was merely preoccupied by the thoughts of blood and slaughter.


    Blood sprayed on the ground. Trevor waved his saber as he charged forward. The void immediately transformed into a void of devils. Huge devils appeared one after the other, gathering the power of blood and slaughter as they prepared to attack.


    Soar felt a strong threat before the dagger stabbed his body and caused him to fear for his life.


    Therefore, Soar activated every drop of Dragon''s Blood he still had in his body to burst out the power of the Great Dragon.


    "Dragon Soul Punishment!"


    While he growled, the power of the Great Dragon in his body turned into the Dragon Soul, which then began to roar in the invisible void as if it was communicating with the heavenly punishment power of the Great Dragon to channel its strongest powers.


    "Punishment Dragon Seal!"


    Under the Dragon Soul, the power of punishment from heaven was then condensed and turned into the Punishment Dragon Claw. Within the claw, the power of punishment and the Great Dragon''s enlightening power were merged into one square seal.


    The seal was c


    tures on the Justice Continent.


    "Yes, Justice King!" Hearing Soar''s words, the creatures from the Justice Continent all exclaimed from the top of their lungs.


    Seeing this, the human emperor and the elf emperor looked at each other and smiled with relief. They saw a silver lining right in front of them, something they had never seen before.


    The human emperor couldn''t be more relieved and was glad that he trusted Ricky and Soar to save them.


    He believed that Soar, the Great Dragon and Ricky, the master of the Justice Saber Soul, were sent from the heavens for their salvation.


    ...


    "Ricky, I would leave the two devil kings to you," Soar firmly said to Ricky.


    Afterwards, Soar led the creatures of the Justice Continent in killing the remaining devils.


    It was again an overwhelming slaughter but the situation was quite different this time. It was the creatures of the Justice Continent that had full control over the situation as they slaughtered the devils from the Devil Continent one after the other.


    ...


    The Dark Devil King and the Scarlet Devil King worked together and tried to resist Ricky''s saber light. However, they were already gravely hurt and they had to retreat in the process of exploding their bodies.


    Of course, Ricky already anticipated what they were about to do. He said coldly, "Since you''re already here, you have to leave something behind. Trevor''s blood is far from enough."


    Flying through the air, Ricky appeared above the two devil kings and with his Justice Saber releasing power, he slashed down at them with all his might.

 Chapter 870 The Truth Of The Lava Mutant

    Swish!


    Two white blade lights came out of the Justice Saber. The speed of the blade lights left no room for the two devil kings to dodge. At this moment, Ricky directly activated all the power of his Justice Saber Soul, which was the power of a completed spiritual king at peak state.


    Boom! Just right after Ricky''s attack, the two devil kings demonized instantly and condensed both their strongest defenses in order to resist the Justice Saber Soul''s power.


    However, even the Blood Devil King, who was a completed spiritual king at peak state, couldn''t withstand the immense destructive power of the half Justice Saber Soul, let alone these two.


    Their defense was not enough as the two devil kings'' arms were cut down directly by the Justice Saber Soul''s power. Both of them dodged the attack. Otherwise the white blade lights would have already cut them into half.


    "The arms of the two devil kings, combined with the blood of Trevor, seems to gain some interest from the creatures on the Justice Continent!" Ricky murmured to himself.


    Meanwhile, with all the screams echoing in the air, the two devil kings were force to run away in fright.


    But Ricky didn''t chase after them anymore for he was already drowned in heavy sweat. When he burst out the power of the Justice Saber Soul consecutively, he almost reached his limit.


    Despite the fact that he could control the Justice Saber Soul, its power was more than his. Every time he would use it, he would suffer a lot before he could even reach the realm.


    ''It''s a good thing that the Blood Devil King didn''t come today. Otherwise no one knows what would''ve happened today, '' Ricky thought to himself. ''It feels that being a first-class upper spiritual king is far from enough. I guess I still need to become an upper spiritual king at peak state.


    Only in this way will I be in complete control of this Ultimate Justice Saber.''


    With the fearsome retreat of the two devil kings, the battle began to fall into a one-side game.


    .....


    Meanwhile, after ordering other living creatures in the Tiger Royal Palace, the beast emperor and Anthony were alone in the palace.


    "So how is your Lava Mutant?" the beast emperor asked lightly as


    ! This is the power of the mutant. From now on, I will have the Lava Mutant, the Justice Continent, and the Devil Continent all under my control," the beast emperor shouted with excitement as soon as he felt the different energy from his newly acquired mutant.


    Overwhelmed by excitement, he could not wait to enter the cultivation state and directly merge Anthony''s mutant, and evolve his mutant with the power of the Justice Saber Soul.


    Only in this way would his mutant get any more perfect that it already was.


    And with this cultivation, he also felt that the Burning Sun Enlightenment changed its temperature, making it hotter and a stronger version of the Lava Enlightenment.


    On top of the changes, he also felt that his body was also constantly changing.


    It wouldn''t probably take him a few days to cultivate his Lava Mutant in this way. Although his Lava Mutant might not be the authentic one, it couldn''t be much inferior because of his Justice Saber Soul.


    Because of the Justice Saber Soul, Ricky had failed to realize that his Lava Mutant was a fake one.


    "Father," a voice called out from outside of the palace. It was Pollard, who slowly stepped in.


    Puff! Upon hearing the voice of Pollard, the beast emperor spat out a mouthful of blood. The mutant power of his body stopped instantly, and his momentum floated away.


    Without a shadow of a doubt, the beast emperor spiraled into madness as he suffered a heavy blow from Pollard''s call.

 Chapter 871 Pollards Surrender

    A loud howl echoed throughout the room.


    The beast emperor was now badly wounded and in a state of madness. All of his preparations and plans were in vain.


    An inherent fury boiled deep within his body and evolved into his power in no time. He was about to kill Pollard with his own hands, when suddenly, his power weakened and completely faded. He instead ended up vomiting another mouthful of blood, worsening the serious injuries on his body.


    In return, Pollard smiled faintly. The expression on his face remained unchanged, harmless and innocuous.


    "Father, you have been seriously injured. Don''t move. Otherwise, if you die, don''t blame me!" He grinned at his father as he walked slowly.


    "I never expected you to be such a disrespectful son! Tell me! What are you planning to do?" The beast emperor berated Pollard furiously, his face turning pale.


    "Father, if I hadn''t arrived, I wouldn''t have seen this," Pollard calmly said while still maintaining the weak smile on his face. "As for being called a disrespectful son, I''m sorry but I won''t accept that. After all, I have never thought about killing you, not even once.


    I just want to get your power. That''s what I need. I have no need for your head or your life.


    Father, you are old now. I will take over your ambition of unifying the Justice Continent and the Devil Continent.


    You just need to give your power to me and you can move on and enjoy your life. You can have all kinds of beauties and privileges that you desire. The only thing you need to do is leave your power to me and you will finally have peace."


    As Pollard spoke, he condensed his enlightenment power and formed a sharp thorn. Then, he used the said thorn to smash the shoulder blades of his father. His move was swift yet it was so destructive that it effortlessly shattered the power of the beast emperor.


    In an instant, the Justice Saber Soul was transferred to Pollard.


    ...


    This time, the invasion of the devils ended with the devils'' disastrous defeat. The big news spread throughout the entire Justice Continent like a storm.


    During the said battle, Soar killed Trevor and Ricky defeated the two lords of the Blood Devil Palace. All the creatures of the Justice Continent were excited and jumped for joy.


    After returning to the Human Royal Palace and reporting things to the human emperor and the elf emperor, Ricky and Soar began their preparations. They were about to set off and head toward the Tiger Royal Palace. Even if they couldn''t take back the one fourth of the Justic


    th them. As for the beast emperor, I agree with you. I don''t think he will give up the position, either.


    I hope you can send more people to monitor the Tiger Royal Palace for the following days." Ricky placed a hand over the human emperor''s shoulder.


    "Of course. I will," the human emperor replied reassuringly.


    "Ricky, are we still going to the Tiger Royal Palace?" Soar asked.


    "Of course not." Ricky shook his head. "We can''t ask the beast emperor for the one fourth of the Justice Saber Soul right now. After all, he has the ability to control the power residing within it."


    "This fellow must be afraid we might enter his palace unannounced. That''s why he sent Pollard here to surrender," Soar said, looking deep in thought. "Also, he pretended to give his position as the beast emperor to Pollard and intentionally chose to cultivate at this time."


    "What the Justice King says is possibly true." The elf emperor nodded as well.


    "Perhaps, your assumptions and instincts are all true. But I think that you are unaware of this single yet very crucial detail," Ricky said.


    Soar gave him a puzzled look and asked, "What do you mean, Ricky?"


    "I can feel the power of the Justice Saber Soul from Pollard!" His voice was deep, yet a tremendous amount of anxiety echoed from it. "Pollard may be concealing his power. However, he has no idea that I can feel any power of the Justice Saber Soul as I now possess the Justice Saber.


    I never sensed any hint of the Justice Saber Soul''s power from him...until the time he appeared before us just now.


    If I didn''t guess wrong, then it is very likely that Pollard has already obtained the Justice Saber Soul from his father."

 Chapter 872 Fruitless Cultivation In Seclusion

    "What? Pollard has the Justice Saber Soul?" Soar asked in shock. He stared at Ricky but he seemed certain with what he said.


    "I don''t think I''m wrong about the Justice Saber Soul," Ricky said. "Today, Pollard came here and exposed his secret. I felt its power."


    "But it is impossible for the beast emperor to give the Justice Saber Soul to Pollard, even if he is his son." The elf emperor shook her head in disbelief.


    "Forget about him for now. In the face of absolute strength, all plots stand as strong as paper. We will crush them when the time is right. For now, we have other priorities.


    The devils have suffered a great blow. The Blood Devil King lost his son. They will surely come back for revenge after they have strengthened themselves.


    During this time, we only have one goal. That is to strengthen ourselves as much as possible," Ricky stated with determination. Those who were listening felt their morale increase as they were reminded of their proper priorities.


    "You are right, Ricky. As long as our strength improves, everything will be under our control." The human emperor and the elf emperor nodded seriously.


    "Since they have said so, the Tiger Royal Palace will take some time before they attack us again. For now, we need to be careful and everything will be fine. All our preparations should be focused on the final battle.


    Elf Emperor, if possible, I hope that there will be a Transmission Array between the Human Royal Palace and the Elf Royal Palace. This way, if one of us is attacked, the other can immediately assist," the human emperor suggested. After all, it was commonly said that proper planning prevented poor performance.


    "That''s a good idea. I will gather array deployers as soon as I get back," said the elf emperor.


    "Please keep this a secret," Ricky said.


    "That''s for sure. Please rest assured, Ricky." The elf emperor nodded sincerely.


    Then, the Human Royal Palace and the Elf Royal Palace began to enter a state of tension.


    As for the warriors of the Tiger Royal Palace, they were confused as to why the beast emperor had suddenly announced his retirement. Even so, they began the preparations for war with the dev


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    trump cards, the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill and the Evil Devouring Mouth, the saber lights could reach up to seven times.


    Unfortunately, even if he had the Evil Devouring Mouth, he could not use his Blood Vitality Devouring Skill several times simultaneously.


    ''It seems that it''s still difficult for me to achieve a breakthrough in such a short time without a fierce and life-threatening battle, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''My chances of defeating the Blood Devil King depends on the seven saber lights from the Justice Saber Soul. If the Blood Devil King is still alive after that, then there is no hope. I, Soar, and the creatures on the whole Justice Continent will become fodder for the devils.


    But I will never let that happen. I must obtain a complete Ultimate Justice Saber and exit the Divine Manor. I still need to get the Sense of Realm and the Heavenly Meridian, after all.


    Justice Saber and Justice Saber Soul, I hope you can help me with the war against the Blood Devil King. It''s not only for me and Soar but also for the thousands of creatures on the Justice Continent. They deserve to live peacefully.''


    Buzz! Perhaps it was because Ricky showed the sincere and righteous justice of his heart that the Justice Saber began to vibrate violently.


    Afterward, Ricky came out of the Saber Tomb with the Justice Saber.


    As he came out, his shoulders straightened and tensed. He could smell blood and hear the sounds of battle.

 Chapter 873 Blood Devil King

    The smell of blood came from the battle with the devils.


    After his cultivation in seclusion, the Blood Devil King led all the devil soldiers to fight without hesitation.


    All the warriors on the Justice Continent were ready. Soar, the human emperor and the elf emperor were also in place as they waited for Ricky to finish his cultivation.


    When Ricky came out, he found that Soar''s strength had improved again.


    The Great Dragon''s power and potential made Ricky feel a bit jealous. As the legendary beast, he could even improve his strength while he slept.


    Princess Sheila, the number one genius of the elves also showed up. Her body and hair were white as snow. Her skin was as smooth as jade which made her look like a snow fairy.


    "Ricky, Sheila is so beautiful," Soar said to Ricky using his internal power.


    "You already have Madeline and Princess Lori. Do you still want Princess Sheila?" Ricky replied helplessly.


    "Ricky, how could you say that? You have a few women too!"


    ...


    Just then, the creatures from the Tiger Royal Palace showed up, headed by Pollard.


    "Justice King and Ricky." Pollard inclined his head at Ricky and Soar in greeting. "I have come just as I have promised. I have brought all my warriors with me. I''m sure you can see that."


    "I am glad to see you. We will fight side by side this time." Ricky smiled warmly. If Pollard wanted to fight with the devils, Ricky would treat him as a friend. He would honor his bravery and fight with him.


    However, if he pulled any tricks, Ricky would not hesitate to slaughter him together with the devils.


    "Ha-ha, sure!" Pollard laughed heartily.


    When they were ready, they set out together in the direction of the devils.


    As they arrive, they saw the alarming quantity of the devils'' army. Their numbers were so large and enveloped with a terrifying evil spirit that it seemed that they were unbeatable.


    The presence of the Blood Devil King motivated the devil warriors. Their fear of death in battle was wiped out by the Blood Devil King.


    At the mixing part of evil spirit and spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the two sides confronted each other again.


    In the middle of the devils'' horde, a human figure stood clothed in crimson. On closer inspection, not only the clothes were red.


    The figure''s hair and e


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    The creatures from the Tiger Royal Palace also joined the battle with the devils.


    Pollard approached Ricky and Soar and asked, "You two, let me go with you to deal with the Blood Devil King."


    "Okay," Ricky nodded.


    On his second level of Ultimate Golden Body, five runes emerged at the same time. Simultaneously, five mutants appeared as well.


    Soar transformed into the Great Dragon as soon as the Heaven Melting Spear came out.


    Meanwhile, Pollard turned into his beast form. Since his blood had evolved, he had turned into a Burning Sun Holy Tiger with wings. Together with this, the Lava Mutant also appeared on his body.


    Ricky and Soar glanced at him, surprised.


    "Don''t worry guys. I don''t think I will hold you back." Pollard grinned at the astonished expressions of Ricky and Soar. There was no fear or worry in his expression even when their opponent was the Blood Devil King.


    The two of them only saw excitement on Pollard''s expression. No doubt, he was eager to obtain more power.


    "I can''t believe that you have this much strength and we did not notice," Ricky whispered in quiet admiration.


    ...


    "Ricky, how can Pollard be so strong? How did he become the Burning Sun Holy Tiger with wings? And how does he have a Lava Mutant? Where is Anthony?" At this moment, Soar had numerous doubts.


    "I''m also confused. I''m afraid that something unexpected has happened in the Tiger Royal Palace. But do not get distracted. Our main goal is to defeat the Blood Devil King," Ricky reminded him with a somber look.

 Chapter 874 Get Into A Dead End Again

    After they enhanced their strength as much as they could, Ricky, Soar, and Pollard surrounded the Blood Devil King.


    The other devils and the creatures of the Justice Continent were still in a fierce battle. The human emperor and the elf emperor were fighting against the Dark Devil King and the Scarlet Devil King respectively.


    At this time, the two kings could still suppress the two emperors, but it would not be easy to defeat them.


    To recover the arm and the injuries left by Ricky at that time, they had to consume a lot of blood essence. However, this blood essence could not be restored quickly unless they absorbed the blood essence of the same creatures and high-grade Treasures from Heaven and Earth.


    ...


    "Golden Spirit Eyes! Eight-flame Lotus! Five Runes!"


    Ricky activated his second level of Ultimate Golden Body without any hesitation. His Golden Spirit Eyes were bursting with power. The golden lotus fell from the sky with eight flames integrated with it and encircled by five kinds of runes.


    This was Ricky''s strongest attack.


    The Heaven Melting Spear transformed into the Heaven Melting Pagoda and merged with Soar. The resulting Heaven Melting Fire burned more fiercely.


    At this moment, Soar had integrated the power of Heaven Melting Pagoda for the strongest attack.


    "Punishment Dragon Claw! Punishment Dragon Seal!"


    With a roar, the Great Dragon''s body swept through with the Heaven Melting Fire. It emptied the whole field into a sea of Ferocious Fire Attack. In the sea of flames, two huge dragon claws shot out.


    One dragon claw released a strong aura of murder. The sharp claws flashed with cold light. The center of the other claw condensed a square seal that was surrounded by the force of punishment.


    "Lava Mutant¡ªBurning Sun Claw!" At this moment, Pollard did not hold anything back. He summoned all his strength onto his right claw and condensed the blood essence on his left one.


    He merged the two and released the strongest Burning Sun Claw.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    The three attacks came from three directions. Powerful momentum swept over and crushed the Blood Devil King.


    Howl!


    Under the full


    ut winner of the show of force, they were forced to step back. Their powers of saber soul were almost the same.


    ''This is my first attack. I still have six chances to kill the Blood Devil King, '' Ricky thought to himself seriously.


    After that collision, Ricky realized that he could not suppress the Blood Devil King with the power of the Justice Saber Soul.


    Although the Blood Devil King only had a fourth of the saber soul, he was still stronger than Ricky.


    The Blood Devil King was frustrated as well when he saw how close their strength was to each other.


    "Even just half of the Saber Spirit''s power is really powerful!" the Blood Devil King remarked greedily. He was almost salivating after the Justice Saber Soul on Ricky''s hand.


    "Blood Devil King, the Saber Spirit doesn''t belong to you. Hand it over and return to your Devil Continent. Otherwise, my saber will kill you for justice," Ricky threatened him with a dark look on his face.


    "Ha-ha, seriously?" The Blood Devil King laughed at Ricky disdainfully.


    "If you hold three-quarters of the Saber Spirit''s power, maybe you could overpower me.


    I know as much as you do about the Saber Spirit and you only possess half of it. With your current strength, you can only burst out four saber lights. After that, all the creatures on the Justice Continent will be at my mercy."


    Bang!


    The Blood Devil King''s laugh echoed across the field as his power rose again.

 Chapter 875 The Ultimate Justice Saber

    Ricky didn''t want to fight against the Blood Devil King head-on, but he had to ward off his attack again and again.


    After a third collision, Ricky and the Blood Devil King separated again.


    This time was the fourth time that he had used his Justice Saber Soul. He was exhausted and had finally reached his limit.


    "Pollard, I guess the one fourth of your father''s saber soul is in your body." Ricky had no choice but to turn to Pollard and talked to him secretly through telepathy.


    "Ricky, you''re right! My father gave me the one fourth of the saber soul that belonged to him." Pollard was surprised to hear the voice of Ricky in the middle of the battle. Regardless, he promptly responded.


    "Okay, let me be direct with you. I need the power of your one fourth of the saber soul. If I have three-quarters of the saber soul, I have a chance to defeat the Blood Devil King."


    "You are right, Ricky. We can only defeat the Blood Devil King with the help of the three-quarters of the saber soul. But to be honest, I don''t trust you. I don''t want to give you the one fourth of the saber soul," Pollard replied immediately.


    "I understand. I can swear to you with my Martial Arts Oath that I will return your saber soul after I have killed the Blood Devil King," Ricky said.


    "A Martial Arts Oath? I have a better idea. How about you giving me your saber and your saber soul so that I can defeat this Blood Devil King?


    I, Pollard, can also swear to you with my Martial Arts Oath that I will return the saber and saber soul to you after I kill the Blood Devil King."


    Ricky fell into silence when he heard Pollard''s statement.


    He felt helpless as they reached an impasse.


    He reminded himself that the Blood Devil King was threatening all the creatures of the Justice Continent and that there was no time for him to hesitate.


    "Pollard, swear with the Martial Arts Oath! I will hand over my saber and half of the saber soul to you. I hope you can kill the Blood Devil King." Ricky breathed deeply. He knew it was a risk but it was one that he needed to take.


    "Ricky, I am honored by your trust. I will never break my oath!" Pollard said seriously.


    He quickly made a Martial Arts Oath.


    ''I didn''t e


    also seized the opportunity and rushed to Ricky.


    "Ricky, this guy is unreliable. I''ll fight against Pollard first. You can deal with the Blood Devil King," Soar roared as his body shook. Endless dragon scales rolled up as his momentum surged.


    The dragon scales condensed and transformed into a long dragon-scale spear. It flew towards Pollard like a bullet.


    "Kill!" Ricky also waved his saber again and rushed to the Blood Devil King.


    He knew that at this moment, Pollard would not believe him no matter what he said. The only thing he could do was fight.


    However, Ricky could not understand it either. He wondered at the back of his mind why his saber soul refused to be fused with Pollard''s.


    When he burst out the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill and the Evil Devouring Mouth, Ricky recovered to his peak state instantly. With renewed vigor, he collided with the Blood Devil King again.


    This time, their power was not equal. Ricky easily beat back the Blood Devil King. Although he didn''t cause any damage to the Blood Devil King, it proved that Ricky''s control of the Justice Saber Soul had reached a new level.


    ''Is it because I gave up my power for the creatures of the Justice Continent? Did it make the justice in my heart stronger and allow me to activate the power of the Justice Saber Soul better?'' Ricky murmured to himself in wonder.


    ''So, the justice in my heart at this moment is real justice. This is what the Ultimate Justice Saber truly is!''

 Chapter 876 The Blood Devil Kings Backup

    ''I did give up the Ultimate Justice Saber just now, but I still chose justice. Only by doing this would I finally be able to unleash the true power of the Ultimate Justice Saber more perfectly.


    The reason why Pollard failed to merge the Justice Saber successfully was because he had no sense of justice at all as a cultivator of martial arts.


    Maybe in this martial world where the law of the jungle always prevails, it doesn''t matter whether one has a sense of justice or not. But the Ultimate Justice Saber would not allow its user to run around freely with its power if they has no good sense of justice within them, ''


    Ricky thought to himself.


    "How could this be possible? How did your power grow so quickly?" the Blood Devil King asked in disbelief when he saw himself pushed back during their last exchange.


    "And why were you able to get back to your peak state that fast?"


    Since Ricky had regained his power, he would not hesitate to launch another strong attack against the Blood Devil King once he saw an opening.


    "Blood Devil King, you ask too many questions. Why don''t you just go to hell and ask the ghosts yourself?" Ricky exclaimed. The power burst out from his body as he activated the Ultimate Justice Saber completely. He then wielded the Ultimate Justice Saber and aimed it towards the Blood Devil King.


    As light fell down along with the saber once again, it was noticeable that the power that was spreading all over the saber this time was totally different from the one it had before.


    Eventually, the Blood Devil King was highly threatened by the approaching white light from the saber.


    In other words, all the power Ricky was using at the moment was from the power of the creatures on the entire Justice Continent. It involved their power of resentment and resistance against the devils.


    "Howl!"


    The blood essence of the Blood Devil King began to surge all over his body. He channeled all his strength and poured it to his blood black saber soul.


    Buzz! The saber soul grew larger in an instant as a huge devil''s shadow was formed behind the huge body of the Blood Devil King.


    "Chop!"


    With the roar of the Blood Devil King, the two blades collided with each other violently as if an endless abyss was instantly closed. With the buzzing of the air waves, the light from the two blades intertwined with each other in spectacular fashion.


    At that moment, both Ricky and the Blood Devil King evolved their domains as their strong saber intents both burst out.


    Although the Blood Devil King was not very good at using sabers, he had already comprehended thirty percent of the power of the saber intent


    cut into halves.


    In addition, the Blood Devil King used the power of the Justice Saber Soul to refine Pollard''s dead body and turn it into blood essence. He then swallowed it to turn it into his own power.


    Both Ricky and Soar were surprised by what they just witnessed.


    Before seeing what had happened, they had never imagined that Pollard''s Justice Saber Soul would eventually end up under the Blood Devil King''s command.


    And according to the Blood Devil King, it was all part of his plan.


    "Ricky, didn''t you say that the Justice Saber Soul in Pollard''s body contained the power of the evil spirit? It seems that everything had something to do with the Blood Devil King right from the very start. It''s frightening," Soar said telepathically.


    "That''s right. Otherwise, the Blood Devil King would not be able to control the Justice Saber Soul at all. Either that or half of the Justice Saber Soul has been in the hands of the devils all along," Ricky said in a low voice.


    Earlier, he had thought that their battle was over but the situation changed drastically in an instant.


    At that time, the Blood Devil King had begun merging the two quarters of the saber soul to form half of the Justice Saber Soul as fast as he could. Of course, the Justice Saber Soul was still eroding with blood black evil spirit.


    "Half of the saber soul''s power is definitely more powerful than just a quarter of it!" the Blood Devil King sighed with emotions after the successful merging. An immense wave of momentum surged inside his body.


    "Two incompetent ants, what exactly is your plan now? Are you going to kill yourself or will you let me do the work for you?" the Blood Devil King asked Ricky and Soar in a cold voice as he looked at them with freezing eyes.

 Chapter 877 The Arrangement Of The Blood Devil King

    "Kill ourselves?" Hearing the Blood Devil King''s words, Ricky and Soar looked at each other. "We aren''t very fond of killing ourselves."


    "Is that so? Maybe I can help you with that," the Blood Devil King said coldly. He did not seem surprised by their answers at all.


    He was confident because he had half of the Justice Saber Soul. He was not afraid of Ricky at all.


    "Maybe you can give it a try. But before that, I have some questions for you. Would you mind answering them?" Ricky asked.


    Although he didn''t want to ask the Blood Devil King, he had no other choice but to do so.


    "You two! You have no idea how much I want to drink your blood and eat your flesh! Without you, there would be no one to stop me from controlling the entire world! Without you, my son would still be alive," the Blood Devil King answered coldly.


    "But I have to say that I really admire your strength and everything that you have done so far. Given a year or two, you could probably end up as masters of the two continents."


    "Thank you. It''s a pity that different people cannot work together and you won''t give us enough time anyway," Ricky said.


    "In order to convince you that I really admire your strength and to show how confident I am, I''ll answer your questions as clear as I can," the Blood Devil King said.


    "The Human Royal Palace has half of the Saber Spirit which is the Justice Saber Soul you have been calling. I have known about this for a long time but we devils also half the Saber Spirit.


    Maybe what you call the Justice Saber Soul is true to its name because only those who have a sense of justice can approach it. Once those with evil spirit get close, they will immediately be attacked.


    We devils only live to kill. How can we ever know what justice looks like?


    The power of the Saber Spirit also makes us greedy and fuels our desire to conquer even more.


    So over the years, after many of our ancestors died, we were forced to pour the blood essence of devils into this half of the Justice Saber Soul.


    In my generation, the power of the Justice Saber Soul has been finally suppressed by the power of the evil spirit. And I, with the help of the power from the Justice Saber Soul, have become a completed spiritual king at peak state.


    Finally, I can fulfill my ancestors'' final


    ted with the Heaven Melting Fire that Soar formed.


    By doing this, the powers of them combined into one.


    Although the combination was far from perfect, it wasn''t too bad as well.


    "You still want to fight back? You must be dreaming!" Seeing the merging the two brothers'' powers, the Blood Devil King smiled disdainfully. "You and I, we both have halves of the Justice Saber Soul. The outcome solely depends on who is stronger."


    "How would know if we don''t give it a try?" Ricky asked arrogantly.


    Seeing the falling of the Blood Devil Mouth, Ricky gathered all his strength and Soar''s Dragon Soul Punishment, injected them into the Justice Saber before wielding it with the Galaxy Saber Skill.


    Bang!


    The blade collided with the Blood Devil Mouth. They were deadlocked at first, but then the blade was completely swallowed by the giant mouth. The blade, which had been swallowed up, attempted to cut open the Bloody Devil Mouth from the inside.


    Unfortunately, after its struggle to escape, it was still defeated by the Bloody Devil Mouth.


    However, the blade still consumed a large part of its power before falling.


    With the protection of the second level of Ultimate Golden Body and the Heaven Melting Pagoda, the Blood Devil Mouth failed to control Ricky even after swallowing him. It was instead torn apart by him.


    However, the impact of the Blood Devil Mouth also made his chest feel heavy.


    Obviously, even if the powers of Soar and Ricky merged, they still didn''t stand a chance against the Blood Devil King.

 Chapter 878 We Need More Power

    At that point, Ricky and Soar both came to terms that their strength just wasn''t enough against the Blood Devil King.


    "Ricky, even if we join our forces, we are still no match for this Blood Devil King. What should we do now?" As Ricky retreated, Soar''s voice echoed inside his head.


    "What else is there to do but our best?" Ricky responded heavily.


    "To be honest, I believe that a stronger power lies within the Justice Saber Soul and the Justice Saber. I always get this feeling when I''m just an inch away from grabbing them."


    ....


    "I admit you guys are strong. You''ve mastered the control over the Justice Saber Soul to perfection. But I''m afraid I''ve suppressed the justice power from it in my cultivation when I''ve integrated all the devil blood essence from my ancestors. Now the only thing left is the devil power,"


    the Blood Devil King said full of pride, looking down at them.


    "Blood Devil King, should I remind you of a saying¡ªthe bigger you are, the harder you fall?" Ricky was annoyed at the arrogant tone filling the Blood Devil King''s every word.


    He was a proud man, with a very high self-esteem. Being looked down upon by others wasn''t exactly his cup of tea.


    "Yes, but I doubt any of you could shake me." He laughed, mocking at Ricky.


    "Charge!" Leaving the nonsense aside, the Blood Devil King gathered his Blood Devil Mouth, going straight to Ricky.


    With no hesitation and unafraid, Ricky wielded his saber to resist being devoured once again. He knew that even if he ended up failing, he would at least consume a large part of the Blood Devil Mouth''s energy.


    Yet the Blood Devil King would never give him the chance to do so.


    Tearing the space with his claws, the Blood Devil King revealed himself right in front of the Blood Devil Mouth. Quickly, it slashed at Ricky and blocked his saber just before it merged with the mouth, swallowing the young warrior at once.


    Ricky was dragged down by a bloody sea of mud, and the blood washed over him like a python coiling around his body.


    Ricky kept moving the best he could to escape this situation, but unfortunately he wound up failing.


    The brothers might''ve been just a bit weaker than the Blood Devil


    pieces, the Blood Devil King couldn''t hide his desire for payback.


    "Now, I will send you both to hell and imprison your souls for good."


    Using his demonized Justice Saber Soul, the Blood Devil King slashed his blade at Ricky and Soar.


    Puff! Puff!


    The blade pierced through their bodies, cutting deep enough to shed blood. They knew it could have been worse and they could have been split in halves in face of such an attack. Worse, the power of the saber boiled within their bodies.


    At that moment, both brothers were holding on to their last breaths.


    "Brother, do you think we still have the strength to fight?" Soar roared.


    "Maybe not, but we really need gather the power to fight back!" Ricky uttered.


    They had to fight again. This time not only for themselves, but also for all the creatures from the Justice Continent.


    "You can recover all the strength you get, but you still haven''t got a chance against me," the Blood Devil King sneered upon the brother''s shared conversation.


    "Don''t worry, leave that to me. I''ll create a chance. As long as I''m still conscious, I''ll keep fighting!" Ricky grinned with terrible courage.


    Buzz!


    Ricky''s body got covered by the life and death runes and burned with the Life and Death Fire.


    With the power of death, all his exhaustion had been absorbed as the power of life had brought his strength back in a second.


    Instantly, the Life and Death River''s shadow manifested behind Ricky''s body.

 Chapter 879 Obtaining The Real Justice Power

    In the Life and Death Zone, Ricky''s power recovered quickly. He knew that a big part of that was because of the life and death runes and the Life and Death Fire.


    Most people would think that the power of the Life and Death Zone was mainly in the offense. They were far from the truth. It was actually its capability in recovery that mattered.


    Several skills of his were no match against the Life and Death Zone''s recovering capability. Perfect examples would be his Blood Vitality Devouring Skill and his Evil Devouring Mouth. Both skills could not be used too often.


    In contrast, the recovering power of the Life and Death Zone could help him recover constantly as long as the zone was activated.


    The only drawback was the recovery speed. As opposed to the instant recovery brought by the Devourer Zone, the recovery speed of the Life and Death Zone was more time-consuming.


    "Ricky, I didn''t expect your new zone to be so powerful," said Soar excitedly as he watched Ricky recover his power.


    "I haven''t comprehended it until recently, Soar. Unfortunately, I haven''t mastered it yet so I can only use it on myself and not others."


    "Well, then I will leave everything to you!" Soar said seriously this time. His earlier smile had been wiped from his face as he worriedly watched Ricky.


    Their alliance was no match for the Blood Devil King and to top that off, Ricky needed to defeat the Blood Devil King alone. Although Ricky had recovered, there was still a big chance that he would be defeated by the Blood Devil King.


    Was there any chance for a miracle to happen under such circumstances?


    "Soar, I think the connection between me and the Justice Saber Soul has been strengthened by the life-threatening situation we are in. I think it is time for me to understand how to use the Ultimate Justice Saber!" Ricky told Soar through telepathy.


    ...


    "How could that be possible? What kind of power is that? The power of life or the power of death?" The Blood Devil King stood in shock as he saw Ricky regain his power. ''How many trump cards does this young man have up his sleeves?'' he wondered in awe.


    His greedy eyes gleamed with desire as he thought of what he could take from Ricky.


    Ricky''s eyes, all kinds of sacred fire, peculiar fire, and extremely powerful recovery abilities...All were what he wanted.


    "If you te


    the Justice Saber Soul and the power of the Justice Continent.


    Bang!


    The saber collided with the fist and a strong blast wave was generated. The blast created a strong counterforce that threw Ricky and the Blood Devil King back.


    Ricky flew tens of meters away while the Blood Devil King flew hundreds of meters away.


    It was evident then, that Ricky finally overtook the Blood Devil King. With the Iron Justice Saber in his hand, he was invincible.


    "Blood Devil King, how do you like the real power of the Justice Saber Soul?" Ricky asked condescendingly.


    "How could this be possible? We are both using the Justice Saber Soul and your strength is much weaker than mine. How can you burst out stronger power? Haven''t I spent enough time cultivating in seclusion?" the Blood Devil King ranted in shock. His eyes stared at Ricky''s Iron Justice Saber in disbelief.


    "That''s because you are a devil. How can a devil truly understand what justice is?" Ricky said, his face lightened by a victorious grin.


    "If I were you, I wouldn''t have talked about nonsense when I was more powerful than my enemy. I would have killed my enemy immediately.


    Your arrogance made you miss the best opportunity to kill Soar and me. And now, you will die because of it.


    With this last attack, this battle will end. The devils will have no place in the Justice Continent anymore."


    Boom!


    As he spoke, Ricky''s momentum surged powerfully. He broke out his attack with the help of the Justice Saber Soul and the praying power of the creatures on the Justice Continent.

 Chapter 880 The Human Blood Soul And The Elf Blood Soul

    The slash made the Blood Devil King''s pupils shrink, which betrayed the fear that coursed through him at that moment.


    "Howl!"


    the Blood Devil King roared and entered the demonization mode even if it meant that he would have to consume a significant amount of his blood vitality.


    In the previous closed-door cultivation, the Blood Devil King had refined a large amount of demonic blood essence of the prior generations of the devils. This way, it would not cause him any harm if he consumed a large amount of the blood essence for demonization. This was one of his trump cards, the hypothetical ace in his sleeves.


    Boom! When he demonized himself, the Blood Devil King''s huge body expanded further and his strength increased exponentially.


    "I don''t know what justice is but I promise you that I will completely demonize this half of the Justice Saber Soul," the Blood Devil King roared and thumped his chest like a huge ape.


    Another four drops of demonic blood essence spilled out from between his eyebrows and entered the half of the Justice Saber Soul in his hand. Immediately, the Justice Saber Soul turned darker and bloodier.


    Perhaps at that moment, the half of the saber soul he had tainted could no longer be called the Justice Saber Soul. Instead, it could be called the Blood Devil Saber Soul.


    "Chop!" The Blood Devil King let out an earsplitting roar and slashed at his enemy with his saber.


    Bang!


    The next moment, the two blades collided with each other. It created endless sparks that twisted and writhed like snakes made of fire.


    Their powerful bodies danced together like lovers. They intertwined and moved faster than the naked eye. A hundred attacks had already taken place but an average person would not have seen that.


    The demonized Blood Devil King''s power was the same as that of Ricky, who was completely controlling the Justice Saber Soul. It looked like the situation of the battle had changed once again, except that this time, both sides were equally strong.


    "Damn it! In such a fierce battle, my power is not strong enough. If I had two more months, I''m sure I can help Ricky defeat the Blood Devil King!" Soar sighed in frustration. His body was thrumming with adrenaline and the need to help but all he could do was to watch uselessly.


    "Soar, I can help you get more power!" Lori''s voice came through at that moment. Soa


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    itual power. Together with the supreme weapon of the Heaven Melting Pagoda, Soar was able to refine speedily.


    "Thank you, Lori and Princess Sheila,"


    Soar told them sincerely. He focused as the Heaven Melting Pagoda turned into the Heaven Melting Spear. Soar broke out the Dragon''s Spear, which was among the Dragon Battle Technique. He condensed it into a strong attack and rushed towards the Blood Devil King.


    The sudden attack caught the Blood Devil King off guard. A deep gash was inflicted on his chest by the Heaven Melting Spear.


    At the same time, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth as he struggled to remain standing. The Blood Devil King was greatly beaten back.


    "Soar!" Ricky said excitedly as he felt that Soar''s power had grown.


    "Ricky, let''s talk about this later. Let''s beat the Blood Devil King together first," Soar told Ricky as the Heaven Melting Fire burned around him fiercely.


    "Well, let''s work together to destroy him!" Ricky laughed.


    The next moment, the two buddies'' momentums broke to the extreme and surrounded the Blood Devil King.


    "Humph! Damn it!" the Blood Devil King roared in anger after he recovered from Soar''s attack. His dark glare was focused on Soar and Ricky as if he was killing them in his mind.


    "Blood Devil King, show us your strongest power," Soar challenged him confidently. He wielded the Heaven Melting Spear deftly in his hands.


    As one, Ricky and Soar took strong and sure steps towards the Blood Devil King. When their power reached its extreme, they sprang like snakes and simultaneously attacked.

 Chapter 881 Killing The Devils

    "Galaxy Strike¡ªthrusting, sealing, transferring¡ªthree formulae in one!"


    The moment his momentum reached the extreme, Ricky struck hard. The intents of the three formulae appeared one after another behind him. All of Ricky''s power was poured into the three intents where three galaxy blades burst out simultaneously.


    The three blades combined into one and turned into the purest golden purple blade. The gleaming blade dashed towards the Blood Devil King.


    As a Great Dragon, Soar burst out Indestructible Fighting Spirit and Dragon Soul Punishment. All his power was poured into the Heaven Melting Spear. As a result, it evolved into the shadow of the Heaven Melting Dragon. He stabbed the spear towards the Blood Devil King.


    At this time, Soar and Ricky''s attack was targeted towards the Blood Devil King alone. With nowhere to dodge, the Blood Devil King had no choice but to face the attack.


    Of course, he didn''t plan to dodge at all.


    That was because neither side had any route of retreat in this battle. It was a battle that had only two outcomes, success and death.


    Bang! The blood devil energy surged and every inch of the Blood Devil King''s body seemed to become fiercer.


    He separated the half of the Justice Saber Soul again and merged one fourth of the Justice Saber Soul with each of his demonic arms. As a result, the Blood Devil King''s two arms turned into razor-sharp blades.


    "Blood Devil Power, Blood Devil Strike!"


    Thick and strong black meridians rose from the body of the Blood Devil King. Inside them, the demonic blood flowed freakishly into his arms.


    He waved his two strong arms and wielded them like blades toward Ricky and Soar.


    Boom!


    Their moves collided with full-force and exploded in an instant.


    However, they didn''t stop attacking. They abandoned defense and poured all their focus and power into their offensive attacks. The void where they fought broke into chaotic pieces.


    At this moment, all the fighting creatures were drawn towards their vicious battle. Everybody knew that the result of this battle would be determined by the fight between Ricky, Soar, and the Blood Devil King.


    The endless waves of air didn''t recede until a long while later. By that time, the three of them had emerged from the airwaves.


    They were weak and half-kneeling as they gasped desperately for air. Their bodies were all covered with small cuts and deep wounds.


    In parti


    on, "Well done! We did it!"


    They burst into relieved laughter. Once again, they survived a desperate situation.


    And this time, it was not just the two of them. They survived the jaws of death together with countless creatures on the Justice Continent.


    ...


    After a brief period of silence where they absorbed what had happened, almost all the creatures on the Justice Continent wept with joy. Their fighting spirit and their strength increased.


    At this moment, the demonic creatures'' bloody eyes were finally filled with fear for their lives.


    Some of the devils even tried to run as they realized their situation.


    The Dark Devil King and the Scarlet Devil King rushed to flee as well.


    However, Ricky and Soar had no intention of letting the devils go. They quickly killed the Dark Devil King and the Scarlet Devil King before they joined the other battles.


    The resulting battle was a one-sided confrontation. The devils were slaughtered by the people who finally had the chance to fight for themselves.


    If their battle ended with the Blood Devil King''s victory, would they have shown mercy to the creatures on the Justice Continent?


    They knew the answer well, and it was also the answer that they gave that day to the devils they encountered.


    There was no mercy to be spared.


    ...


    This slaughter lasted for a whole month. Creatures on the Justice Continent, led by Ricky and Soar, fought from the Justice Continent to the Devil Royal Palace on the Devil Continent.


    In the end, all the devil soldiers were slaughtered. Only those who were old, sick, or disabled were left alive.

 Chapter 882 Accompanying Weapons

    ''If anyone deserves to be slaughtered, it is the devil, '' Ricky thought. However, this thought sounded cruel and needless even in the privacy of his mind. His throat tightened as he felt like he was drowning in guilt.


    Ricky and the human emperor had been merciful to the weak, sickly, and disabled devils. Unfortunately, they could not show the same mercy to the other devils who were of sound mind and body.


    ''The justice in my heart may not agree with this slaughter, but I cannot let this justice make me soft. The devils would only bring harm if they are left to their own devices. Justice can only be given to those on the same side as me, '' Ricky thought to himself. He sighed; rationality and pity warred in his restless mind.


    ''Killing is our only option for our enemies. If they were given the same choice, they would choose to kill me as well.


    With my current strength, I cannot show mercy to the devils who were born to be our nemesis.''


    After the slaughter, Ricky swiftly left. He didn''t bother about the weak, sickly, and disabled devils. Instead, he left the human emperor and elf emperor in charge.


    With their minds occupied by what they left behind, he and Soar traveled back to the cultivation place of the Human Royal Palace.


    Urgency lifted his footsteps as he thought about what he needed to take care of. His priority was to purify the Justice Saber Soul that the Blood Devil King possessed. At the same time, Soar needed to digest the power of the Human Blood Soul and Elf Blood Soul to further cultivate his power. This way, Soar would finally become a completed spiritual king at peak state.


    "Ricky, do you think you can do this?" Tina asked, worried and hesitant.


    "It has a lot of evil spirit in it, but it is minimal compared to the level in your body. I am sure that I can remove it completely in just a few days," Ricky assured her.


    "Moreover, I can still feel the justice power. This means that Blood Devil King didn''t fully demonize this half of the Justice Saber Soul."


    "It is still the evil spirit, so you must be careful, okay?" Tina reminded him carefully.


    "I know. You worry too much, Tina."


    A wry grin and a small chuckle escaped Ricky''s mouth at Tina''s words. Like a homing missile that found its target, he focused all his attention as he began to work. The Devourer Zone evolved into a bloody sea a


    to comprehend the Soul Apperception is that you must have an accompanying weapon.


    The Soul Apperception is too abstract so almost all creatures cannot understand it. Normally, they will not consider possessing accompanying weapons," Tina said honestly.


    "Tina, what if I want to have an accompanying weapon before I comprehend the Soul Apperception?" Ricky asked.


    "As I mentioned earlier, an accompanying weapon is meant to fully integrate with a creature''s body, mind, and soul. A weapon that is integrated with one''s body, mind and soul is much stronger than a weapon that is only integrated with one''s blood essence.


    Your accompanying weapon is a part of you. If you die, the weapon will be destroyed; if your weapon is damaged, you will also be injured. You can even die depending on the gravity of damage to your weapon."


    "I see!" Rocky exclaimed. He nodded to himself as the puzzles in his mind were solved.


    His expression turned grave as he realized the implication of what the Holy Three-Saber said to him earlier.


    Ricky needed to cultivate his Iron Justice Saber into his accompanying weapon so that he could leave this place.


    However, it was a really difficult task that only an ace genius could successfully accomplish.


    On top of that, it was also incredibly risky. After all, any damage to the Iron Justice Saber would directly affect him as well.


    ''Do I have what it takes to cultivate the Soul Apperception?'' Ricky thought to himself with a frown.


    ''I''m already an ace genius.


    And I must begin to cultivate the Soul Apperception.''

 Chapter 883 Improved Strength Due To Merging

    "There is another severe requirement on accompanying weapons," Tina continued.


    "What requirement?" Pearl asked curiously.


    "The accompanying weapons must be cast by magical materials from heaven and earth. In other words, only weapons made by magical materials from heaven and earth are qualified to be accompanying weapons. Because of such severe requirements, the use of accompanying weapons gradually decreased,"


    Tina answered. Once again, her knowledge proved to be an asset to their group.


    "If a weapon is cast by magical materials from heaven and earth, it is qualified to become a supreme weapon. As you say, it is indeed a severe requirement," Ricky said seriously as he frowned in thought.


    "Ricky, why did you ask about that? Do you want to turn the Iron Justice Saber into your accompanying weapon?" Tina asked curiously.


    "It is not that I want to do that. It is more like, I have no choice but to do that. It is because you said it was difficult to master the Soul Apperception. It made me want to challenge it."


    "Why do you mean by you have to do it?" Tina and Pearl looked at Ricky curiously.


    "It is because the Holy Three-Saber communicated with me again. He told me that I won''t be able to leave here or obtain the opportunity of the Divine Manor unless I make the Ultimate Justice Saber my accompanying weapon," Ricky clarified for them promptly.


    "Oh, in that case, the Ultimate Justice Saber must be cast by magical materials from heaven and earth." Tina nodded as she understood what Ricky would need to do.


    "This is the Divine Manor. From the name of the Holy Three-Saber, we know that he must be a holy being and his saber must be a holy saber. Maybe they were really cast by some magical materials from heaven and earth. Furthermore, it was very easy to merge the Ultimate Justice Saber with the Iron Destroyer. I think that is because it has something to do with heaven and earth,"


    Ricky explained patiently as Pearl and Tina listened.


    "But it is too risky to have an accompanying weapon! You are destined to have more one-on-one battles with other warriors on the path of martial arts. The Iron Justice Saber is too prone to damage." Tina was worried. She did not like it when Ricky was exposed to needless danger.


    "But how can we leave here if I don''t make the Iron Justice Saber my accompanying weapon? It''s no big de


    course that''s the result of my closed-door cultivation. You are far from beating me, boy!" Ricky said with a smile. He laughed heartily at Soar''s expression. He looked like somebody kicked his puppy.


    Soar was a little bit shocked and disappointed by Ricky''s words. He had thought that he would be able to surpass and defeat Ricky after he refined the Human Blood Soul and the Elf Blood Soul, but he was wrong. He sighed helplessly.


    "Ricky, you are a freak!" Soar sighed. The human emperor and others were surprised as well.


    They knew that Ricky defeated the Blood Devil King with the help of the power of the Justice Saber Soul. In the last battle, Ricky''s strength was still far from a completed spiritual king at peak state.


    However, Ricky''s strength had reached that of a completed spiritual king at peak state after he cultivated in seclusion. Amazingly, he accomplished this in less than a month.


    They looked at Ricky in awe. Although Soar was a Great Dragon, it seemed that Ricky was more powerful than him. After all, he could improve so drastically in such a short time.


    "Ricky, it''s time for you to leave now, right?" The human emperor seemed reluctant to part with Ricky and Soar.


    After all that had happened, they had begun to admire and respect Ricky and Soar.


    "Sir, it''s indeed time for us to leave. Soar and I have something more important to do. Don''t worry. I believe the devils no longer pose a threat to the Justice Continent."


    Ricky smiled at them as he said this. He was glad that he would be able to leave the Justice Continent in peace.

 Chapter 884 Three-Saber Divine Palace

    As for Ricky and Soar, they did not want to leave this place, either. Although they were only there for a short time, they developed a deep friendship with the creatures from the Justice Continent after going through thick and thin together.


    "Although we would like it if you stayed, we also understand that you are from a much bigger world," the human emperor said. "But before you both leave, the elf emperor has one final request."


    "Please tell us. We would be more than happy to fulfill it." Ricky smiled as he looked at the elf emperor.


    "Ricky, if it isn''t too much, I hope the both of you can take Sheila with you when you leave," the elf emperor immediately said after hearing Ricky''s words.


    "Ha-ha! That wouldn''t be a problem. We would be honored to have Princess Sheila with us!" Soar promised before Ricky could open his mouth.


    Ricky looked at Soar, not knowing what to say after him.


    The human emperor and the elf emperor looked at each other and smiled. It was as if they knew what Soar was thinking.


    Of course, the one who was a bit unhappy was Princess Lori. She felt a little jealous after hearing what they were talking about.


    ...


    After saying goodbye, Ricky and Soar left the Justice Continent. They brought Lori and Sheila with them.


    After arriving at the sea, Ricky said to Lori and Sheila, "Dear sisters-in-law, where we are about to go next is a very dangerous place, so I think it would be better if the both of you stayed inside my zone for a while."


    Hearing Ricky''s words, Lori was a little embarrassed. As for Sheila, her face turned red immediately.


    Soar was also a bit embarrassed.


    "When did you start to make fun of me, Ricky?" Soar said with his internal power. "You know I''m not very familiar with Sheila yet."


    "Ha-ha! You used to tease me a lot and I finally have the chance to make fun of you. What are you afraid of exactly? You may not be familiar with each other yet but she will soon be yours. You don''t want to take Sheila out and just leave her to be with someone else, right?" Ricky asked.


    After that, Ricky continued to talk to Lori and Sheila, "There are two more ladies currently in my zone. I hope you can get along with each other."


    He then placed them inside his Massacri


    Soar said lightly.


    "Alright then! Very well!" Prince Neal said coldly after hearing Soar''s words. "Since the abyss was unable to take away your life, let me do it!


    Moreover, there should only be one owner of the opportunities inside the Divine Manor."


    Boom!


    After he finished his words, Prince Neal exuded a strong aura that belonged to the power of a completed spiritual king at peak state. The power evolved into a strong domain of killing that directly rushed towards Soar.


    As for Ricky, both Prince Neal and the old man looked down upon him.


    The saber shadows spread over in the domain as they released a saber intent that was constantly domineering and overwhelming.


    Apparently, Prince Neal had the Domineering Saber in his possession.


    "Soar, let me deal with him!" Ricky said in a serious tone after he felt the overbearing power. He then appeared in front of Soar in an instant. His strength condensed as his palms turned into a saber that directly slashed at Prince Neal''s saber intent.


    Boom! The saber blade collided with the saber intent as the two strong inverse powers pervaded and forced both Ricky and Prince Neal to retreat.


    Prince Neal''s face immediately darkened. From their first confrontation, he already knew that Ricky''s power didn''t belong to him. He also concluded that Ricky was also in possession of a powerful saber like him.


    But the power of his saber was quite different.


    "Who exactly are you?" Prince Neal asked coldly as he looked at Ricky.

 Chapter 885 Golden Three-headed Lion

    "Ricky Nan!" he said through his teeth.


    "What''s the name of the saber you hold?" Prince Neal eagerly asked, his eyes twinkling with greed. Since he possessed the Domineering Saber, he naturally knew how powerful those kinds of weapons were.


    "It''s the Ultimate Justice Saber. And this one you''ve got is called the Domineering Saber, isn''t it?" Ricky responded.


    "The Ultimate Justice Saber? Hand it over and you''ll have an entire corpse once I''m done with you!" Prince Neal demanded sternly. His domineering and haughty aura was already on its peak, ready to compel any weaker living being to instantly surrender to its control.


    ''There is no doubt that Prince Neal has also merged his Domineering Saber and turned it into his accompanying saber.'' Ricky clenched his jaw, looking even more serious as he felt the Domineering Enlightenment on its purest.


    Despite the fact he hadn''t fought Prince Neal yet, Ricky could already feel the life threatening pressure that accompanied his presence.


    However, Ricky wasn''t afraid of it.


    "You won''t kill me. There''s no need to think about how you''ll be leaving my corpse," Ricky let out coldly.


    On the moment Ricky and Prince Neal stepped on the void, their supreme power collided. Under such a momentum, Ricky pulled out his Iron Justice Saber.


    Quickly, Prince Neal also brought out his Domineering Saber¡ªa large golden-colored weapon. While its blade wasn''t as long as the Iron Justice Saber, it was definitely greater in width.


    With the surging power, the golden Domineering Enlightenment was fully revealed.


    As the two sabers met, they held strong resonance¡ªboth in intimacy and fighting.


    Bang! Quietly, the two sabers attracted each other compelling Ricky and Prince Neal to collide. The domineering power along with the justice power had turned into two polar opposite energies¡ªdark and light¡ªinside the void.


    The warriors forcefully retracted due to the strength created by the collision. However, once they stepped back on the void, they clashed violently against each other once again.


    The Divine Manor''s opportunity could only be granted to one of them. Both had already come too far after experiencing two of the most difficult trials. So, there wasn''t a chance in the world that either of them would willingly give up this battle.


    Therefore, even though they weren''t sworn enemies, t


    lion suddenly surfaced before Ricky''s eyes. Every hair on its body was colored with gold.


    "This is the Golden Three-headed Lion!" Ricky exclaimed astonished.


    Above any other holy beast, the Golden Three-headed Lion was absolutely on top of all the bloodlines.


    It was possible for a Golden Three-headed Lion to evolve into a Golden Six-headed Lion and so become an emperor beast.


    "Unexpectedly, the creature from the Great Wisteria Dynasty is a Golden Three-headed Lion."


    Heavily pouncing towards Ricky, the Domineering Saber Soul of the Domineering Saber instantly split into four pieces as it merged with the lion''s claws.


    "Golden Lion King Claw!"


    Blood essence dripped from the gap between his eyebrows and fused with his four claws. Dashing towards the void, the four sharp claws revealed themselves and instantly merged again.


    Ricky felt the threat upon those fused claws.


    With no hesitation, he broke out the power of his second level of Ultimate Golden Body. As he radiated the power of the five mutants, he expanded them into six Massacring Holy Patterns¡ªforming the densest shield he could create to resist Prince Neal''s blow.


    Bang!


    Unfortunately, his shield wasn''t strong enough. The Lion King Claw easily and rapidly tore it off.


    With great force, now it was Ricky''s turn to hit hard against the palace''s wall.


    Crack! His six Massacring Holy Patterns and the second level of Ultimate Golden Body loudly cracked.


    Falling down, Ricky spat out a mouthful of blood.


    At that moment, Prince Neal had already proved his mighty power.

 Chapter 886 Enter The Palace With The Third Level Of Ultimate Golden Body

    "Damn it!" Ricky cried out when he felt a stabbing pain course through him.


    He growled in frustration. He had already broken out his strongest defense of the second level of Ultimate Golden Body but he was still beaten and hurt. Now he knew that Prince Neal''s strength should not be underestimated. Prince Neal had become one of the strongest and most powerful cultivators among all the completed spiritual king at peak state.


    Needless to say, the reason for the growth of Prince Neal was that he had passed the test of the Divine Manor.


    "It looks like you''ve blocked an attack from me. I wonder what would happen if I launched another one? Would you survive it again? Let''s see what it happens!" Prince Neal smiled sadistically at Ricky and opened his three mouths simultaneously. He was clearly unhappy that Ricky survived against his attack.


    Furiously, Prince Neal condensed his energy again into a Golden Lion King Claw and scratched toward Ricky fiercely.


    "You are going to die here today!" With a roar, the Golden Lion King Claw scratched and the air whipped apart like paper.


    "You have practiced for such a long time. Let me see how much you have improved!" Ricky said as he straightened up. The golden light in his Golden Spirit Eyes glowed stronger at that moment.


    Then, he condensed the second level of Ultimate Golden Body again.


    He didn''t stop even when the second level of Ultimate Golden Body reached its completed state. Instead, he continued until the golden light shone brightly, almost thirty feet in height.


    Ricky had finally activated the third level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    It had been a long time since he had reached the completed state of the second level of Ultimate Golden Body. Naturally, he had to continue his cultivation. After he fused the Iron Justice Saber into his accompanying saber, he also successfully cultivated and reached the third level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    Although the third level of Ultimate Golden Body was not as big as the real body of Prince Neal, it was not weaker in any way.


    The Massacring Sand turned into the shape of a dragon and circled the third level of Ultimate Golden Body and the Iron Justice Saber.


    "Galaxy Saber Strike!"


    Ricky shouted as he gathered all his strength and slashed fiercely at Prince Neal.


    Boom! Suddenly, sharp claws collided with the blade of the saber. They paused as they seemed to reach an impasse. Both were panting harshly as they exerted all their efforts. Soon, fatal cracks began to spread on the claws.


    It looked like a stalemate at first, but the collision showed that there was a dif


    er, the power of the Domineering Saber, and the power of the Evil Saber. I think that the Holy Three-Saber must have cultivated these three kinds of supreme enlightenment of sabers."


    "You are right, Soar." Ricky nodded."As per the hint given by the Holy Three-Saber, I think that he wants to choose an heir from those who have cultivated one of these saber enlightenments."


    "But wouldn''t it be better to have all of his three unique skills inherited from him?" Soar cocked his head to the side as he puzzled over it.


    "I don''t know. Maybe he wants to pick the most powerful one among the three enlightenments as well. After all, the strongest one has the least shortcomings!" Ricky shook his head and shrugged.


    "I don''t think the most powerful saber enlightenment exists. Take the fight between you and Prince Neal as an example, if you took the Domineering Saber, while he used the Ultimate Justice Saber, I think you would still have won in the end," Soar said so sincerely that it caught Ricky off-guard. He could only smile at his brother''s intelligence and honesty.


    ...


    The two arrived at the center of the palace, where there was an altar. On the altar, there was a three-colored coffin.


    Ricky tried to see what was in the coffin and even utilized his Golden Spirit Eyes, but it was still too blurry for him to see.


    On the altar, three huge sabers stood as well. They were arranged in a triangle and emitted power that protected the coffin.


    It felt so powerful that it seemed only a god could break through it.


    "Ricky, what do you think is inside that coffin? Is the inheritance of the Holy Three-Saber in this coffin?" Soar wondered loudly. He was also trying to peek with his senses but had failed like Ricky.

 Chapter 887 Rickys Blood Power

    "I don''t know. I can''t see anything even with my Golden Spirit Eyes," Ricky said quietly.


    They did not find any passageway for other palaces. It was obvious that they were meant to come to this palace.


    "I will try to have a look with the power of the Justice Saber Soul."


    After this proclamation, Ricky burst out the Justice Saber Soul. Its power surged through the power barrier on the altar.


    Buzz! After a few buzzes, the power barrier stopped reacting.


    Ricky had a feeling that if he had not summoned the Justice Saber Soul''s power, the power on the altar would have turned him into ashes.


    "Congratulations, the owner of the Ultimate Justice Saber! You have won the ownership of the Ultimate Justice Saber in the competition!" Soar and Ricky tensed when the Holy Three-Saber''s voice rang out suddenly.


    The power on the altar surged and condensed into the shadow of a figure. Its head was marked with three sabers. Ricky and Soar looked at each other excitedly as they realized they were looking at the Holy Three-Saber.


    "I''m Ricky! Nice to meet you, sir!"


    "I''m Soar!


    Nice to meet you, sir!" Ricky and Soar greeted him respectfully. No matter how talented Ricky and Soar were, they could only humble themselves in front of such a powerful master. Although they did not know which level of a holy being the Holy Three-Saber fell into, they knew that any holy being was above all the creatures from the continent.


    As the deity approached, they could sense the presence of a mutant.


    "You''re a Great Dragon and an ace genius. I''m quite impressed by you two!" The Holy Three-Saber looked at Ricky and Soar with fondness in his eyes.


    Although the heir of a strong warrior was generally decided by the god''s will, every strong warrior hoped his heritage could be received by a top genius. Moreover, Ricky''s and Soar''s characters were superior to the others as they had shown in the trial of justice.


    "What?" The Holy Three-Saber let out a shocked gasp when he saw Ricky.


    He released a force that crawled around Ricky''s body. His eyes that sparkled with condensed divine energy were wi


    r an heir to your heritage, but why did you separate the three sabers?"


    "As a mutant, I don''t know whether my real body is still alive or not. It is most likely dead. After all, my real body has not returned for countless years. As for the reason why the three sabers are to be inherited separately, allow me to explain from the beginning.


    I''m a genius in saber skills and I have the Three-Saber Mutant. You know what the three sabers are. They are the justice saber skills, evil saber skills, and domineering saber skills.


    Through my incomparable mutant and talent, I rose in the Celestial Land and became a holy being."


    As he spoke, the Holy Three-Saber wore an arrogant and haughty expression.


    He seemed to be reminiscing his glory days.


    "I couldn''t reach a higher level when I became a holy being at peak state because the creatures above the holy beings could cultivate only one divine supreme enlightenment. That is the will of heaven and earth which cannot be changed.


    But I was born with the Three-Saber Mutant. I can''t give up two sabers unless I''m revived in a new guise." The Holy Three-Saber''s voice suddenly lowered. His eyes flashed in sorrow as he seemed to remember something he regretted.


    "But I don''t want to be revived in a new guise even if I have to die.


    Therefore, it is my destiny that I can only be a holy being at peak state."


    "Really?" Ricky and Soar said.

 Chapter 888 Inheriting The Divine Manor

    "The heaven and earth are supreme. How could they possibly allow any creature in between to challenge their authority?" the Holy Three-Saber questioned. "You still can''t grasp any of this now. Perhaps when you get to my level, you''ll see it.


    Therefore, I hope my heir can surpass me in the future. One of the requirements is that he cultivates only one supreme enlightenment."


    "No wonder you''ve split the saber skills into three kinds," Ricky and Soar acknowledged.


    "I call them justice, evil and domineering. I''ve cultivated each of them with the purpose they can one day reach their peak state. I couldn''t choose among them, so I set up three trials and let the rest up to God," said the Holy Three-Saber.


    "Since I''ve been cultivating the three kinds of saber skills, I''ve also developed a three-sided personality. Hence, I''m called the Holy Three-Saber.


    It''s fortunate that the final winner has been you two with the justice saber skills. If it had been the other one with the evil saber skills, all power in here would have turned into evil power. Even my mutant would have become evil.


    If I had been revived in a new guise only to cultivate the evil saber skills, there would be no peace in the heaven and earth you live."


    "Phew!" Ricky and Soar heaved a sigh of relief.


    The consequences from that scenario¡ªthey had gladly avoided¡ªwere unbearable to imagine.


    The Holy Three-Saber might not be as strong as a spiritual emperor, not when he had just revived in a new guise. However, he was still a holy being. If he had ever reached the level of spiritual emperor, no spiritual emperor in the Eastern Land would be a match for him.


    If the evil saber skills had prevailed, no one knew what terrible things the Holy Three-Saber could have done.


    "Sir, previously you''ve used the justice saber skills to suppress the evil ones, haven''t you?" Ricky had been lost in thought for a while before he asked the question.


    "Yes. The strength amid the three kinds of saber skills feels equal to me. My intelligence can''t be controlled by the evil saber skills." The Holy Three-Saber nodded.


    "In fact, among the thre


    compares to a whole continent from where you''re from."


    "How come? Then, it''s huge!" Ricky and Soar gapped in shock at first. However, they had soon realized this shouldn''t be so surprising. After all, the Divine Manor did belong to a holy being.


    Also, they had seen the Justice Continent and the Devil Continent as well as the boundless sea area, which had all been a major hint of how enormous the Divine Manor was.


    "What I want to say is that I hope you won''t interfere too much with the creatures in the Divine Manor. Because once you become their master, their lives will be utterly under your control,"


    the Holy Three-Saber said to Ricky. "If one day you can reach the Celestial Land, please take them with you."


    "Don''t worry about them, sir. I won''t interfere with their lives," Ricky promised.


    "That''s good." The Holy Three-Saber gave a single nod.


    "As for your acquaintances on the Justice Continent, such as the two girls you''ve taken from there, you can do what you think it''s appropriate if they want to ever get out."


    "We understand, sir!" Ricky nodded.


    "Well, now let''s talk about what I need you to do for me. It''s just something I can''t let go of," the Holy Three-Saber muttered.


    His spiritual eyes were suddenly filled with affection.


    "What''s the matter, sir?"


    "Do you see this three-colored glaze coffin? It''s my daughter inside," the Holy Three-Saber told them sternly.

 Chapter 889 Hannah Mu

    "What? Your daughter?" both Ricky and Soar exclaimed in shock as they were dumbfounded by the Holy Three-Saber''s words.


    As the Holy Three-Saber waved his right hand, the power on the altar completely disappeared, and the three-colored coffin opened. Shifting their gaze to that direction, Ricky and Soar saw a teenage girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, lying inside the said coffin.


    The girl was in a beautiful pink dress. She had long dark hair, with a face that seemed to be carved jade. With her pink pouty lips, it seemed that everybody wanted to kiss her.


    "Everyone, this is my daughter¡ªHannah Mu!" The Holy Three-Saber introduced her in a soft voice, as if he never wanted to part with his daughter.


    "Hannah Mu? Why is she there? What happened to your daughter, sir?" Ricky asked politely.


    "During that time when I got head to head with some of my enemies in chaos, she was hit and got seriously injured. She was dying at that point, so I used my divine power to protect her. I wanted her to live and not lose her last gasp," the Holy Three-Saber narrated.


    "For the past numerous years in the Divine Manor, my mutant has been refining Treasures from Heaven and Earth, obtaining energy and merging divine power, in order to nourish her.


    It was not long ago when her condition became a bit stable. She is out of the woods now and out of harm''s way. God is kind to me!"


    A mutant could not weep. But if it did, then the Holy Three-Saber would have filled his eyes with tears by now as he spoke about his daughter.


    "Sir, if she''s all right now, then why don''t you just wake her up from her sleep?" concerned, Ricky asked.


    "The way she got her wounds were just too cruel. If she knows that I am already dead and that I no longer exist, she would want to take revenge for me. And that is something that I do not want her to do," the Holy Three-Saber said. "I just want her to live a long and happy life, and have a future without hatred.


    And that''s why I''ve taken out all her past memories from her brain and put them in the palace on the right."


    "Okay, I see. Now that I already know what happened to you, from now on, we will look after Hannah and treat her like she''s our younger biological sister. And by that, we swear that no other creature, nor human being could ever hurt her unles


    gon. Even if you sleep all day long, you can still cultivate and become a holy being. With that, you won''t need the power of faith at all," the Holy Three-Saber said with a smile on his face.


    "However, since you are already here, I will give you some benefit too. Otherwise, I would not be qualified to be a holy being."


    "Ha-ha, thank you so much, sir!" Soar said with excitement in his voice.


    "The Heaven Melting Pagoda in your body is in fact a supreme weapon that emphasizes attack. Now I''ll give you a set of armor, which is one of the two sets of armor that I have used before. The other one was already taken away by my real body, while the one for you happens to be in the Three-Saber Divine Palace," uttered the Holy Three-Saber.


    "This armor, which would eventually be yours, is called Three-Saber War God Armor."


    "War God Armor! That sounds cool! In fact, this name suits me very well," Soar said eagerly.


    "This armor has been sealed since my real body left, so the hermit spirit in it won''t wake up and it can''t have the original power," said the Holy Three-Saber.


    "But even so, no creature on the continent will be able to break through the defense of the Three-Saber War God Armor."


    "If that''s the case, then will I be invincible?" Soar asked.


    "Theoretically speaking, yes, but if an enemy takes off the armor from your body, then I don''t know what would happen," the Holy Three-Saber said monotonously.


    "So, how can I wake up the hermit spirit in it?" Soar asked with a little bit of dismay on his face.

 Chapter 890 Getting Out Of The Divine Manor

    "There are exactly two ways!" said the Holy Three-Saber.


    "What do you mean by this, sir?" Soar asked.


    "What I could do is to break the seal right now, but I don''t recommend that method. I don''t think the hermit spirit of the Three-Saber War God Armor would be in favor of you. Even though you are a Great Dragon, the strength that you have is insufficient. You will be in great trouble if the hermit spirit doesn''t accept you," the Holy Three-Saber explained.


    "The other thing you could do is to wake up the hermit spirit of the Three-Saber War God Armor by yourself with your own set of achievements."


    "It seems that the second method is the smarter way to go," Soar responded.


    "I also hope that you choose the second option because it is the only way you can really make the Three-Saber War God Armor yours," said the Holy Three-Saber.


    "I understand. I''m sure I will be able to accomplish this quest," Soar said confidently.


    Immediately, the Holy Three-Saber waved his right hand as a set of white armor with saber-shaped patterns appeared.


    "Put your blood essence into the armor," said the Holy Three-Saber.


    Soar didn''t hesitate to let a drop of his blood essence drip onto the armor. As a result, the armor was put under his command for the time being. Of course, he was merely connected to the armor with a single drop of blood essence. Any other creature could take the armor away from him without exerting much effort


    unless he found a way to form a real connection with the hermit spirit of the armor.


    "I should be leaving now. If my real body is still alive, we''ll see each other in the future," the Holy Three-Saber said seriously after he made arrangements for everybody.


    He was very reluctant to leave and it was apparent in his voice. He didn''t want to leave the heaven and earth but he was more reluctant to leave his daughter.


    However, as a holy being, he was proud of the fact that he did not need to have him revived in a new guise.


    "Sir, I hope we meet again one day," Ricky and Soar said sincerely.


    The Holy Three-Saber nodded slightly and took one last look at his daughter. His mutant then turned into some strange power that flowed directly towards the middle of Hannah''s eyebrows. The girl immediately woke up after being asle


    It was obvious that they had chosen to jump into the Black Wind Abyss. They had no other choice.


    "Ha-ha! Zenith, jump! Let me see how desperate you really are!" Boris laughed out loud.


    "Ladies, if you are willing to be my concubines, I will let you live and enjoy a higher position in the Heavenly Void," the evil young man in black said with an evil smile.


    However, nobody from the Northern Array Sect responded to him.


    "What a group of arrogant and stubborn people!" the evil young man shouted angrily when he realized that he had been totally ignored.


    "Well, you leave me with no choice but to send all of you in hell!"


    There was no doubt that the evil young man was a conceited and self-centered individual.


    Boom!


    As the young man clapped his hands, an endless flow of evil energy began to surge. A huge hand of evil spirit formed in the void on which the power of first-class completed spiritual king was spreading. It then immediately dashed towards the members of the Northern Array Sect.


    "Ha-ha!" A girl''s happy laughter came through at the moment.


    The void where the huge evil hand appeared began to crack inch by inch as the huge evil hand appeared inside the broken space.


    But the next moment, the broken space was immediately healed. After the strange healing, the huge evil hand disappeared without a trace.


    A teenage girl in pink appeared out of nowhere. It was none other than Hannah.


    The power that was applied to the void was the magical power of her Wonder Spatial Mutant.

 Chapter 891 Wonder Spatial Mutant

    The scene shocked everyone.


    Who would have thought that a little girl would appear out of nowhere and use her magical means to stop a strong attack from the evil young man with ease?


    Everyone was in shock and could not speak.


    ...


    It was the wicked young man who finally broke the silence.


    He looked at Hannah with lust in his eyes as he said with a wicked smile, "What a pretty girl! I''m Cosmo, the younger brother of the emperor of the Great Evil Dynasty. Would you like to go to the Great Evil Dynasty with me?"


    After saying that, Cosmo gathered his Evil Enlightenment once again and turned it into a big hand and used it to grab Hannah.


    However, Hannah just stood there and let the evil hand grab her.


    "Run as fast as you can, little girl!" Zenith shouted as he saw that Hannah had no intentions of dodging.


    "Hey, stop calling me that. I have a name and it''s Hannah!" Upon hearing Zenith''s words, Hannah ignored Cosmo''s attack and turned to Zenith to explain.


    Zenith''s heart jumped to his throat when he saw this, and so did the other disciples from the Northern Array Sect.


    They wanted to help but it was already too late. Cosmo''s hand had already reached her.


    Everyone was shocked and didn''t know how to react.


    Surprisingly, the evil hand couldn''t get a hold of Hannah''s arm at all and went straight through her body as if she wasn''t there at all.


    "How is that possible?" Cosmo was surprised.


    Perhaps he didn''t really care about how Hannah managed to avoid his first attack until that moment.


    ...


    "Ricky, is that the so-called Wonder Spatial Mutant?" Soar asked after seeing her amazing ability. Both Ricky and he were inside the Massacring Zone.


    "I think it might be it. It''s the Wonder Spatial Mutant which can transfer the body into space and manipulate it," Ricky said. He was also surprised by what he saw.


    "This Wonder Spatial Mutant can be regarded as one of the top mutants. Although it is not powerful enough in the offensive aspect, it is almost impossible to catch its user and inflict damage," Tina also sighed with emotion.


    "It seems that there is no


    nt, Cosmo no longer had any power to resist Hannah''s moves at all. I feel that Hannah now owns the most powerful force in the entire Heavenly Void," Soar said after he recovered from the shock.


    "I have been well aware of that. It''s maybe due to Hannah being the daughter of a holy being. The force she was born with is the divine power. In other words, even the strongest saint in the continent wouldn''t be able to kill her," Ricky said.


    ...


    "Thank you very much, Hannah," Zenith and other people told Hannah after recovering from shock. It took them a while to understand what was happening.


    "Don''t worry about it. My brother asked me to save you," Hannah said as she waved her hands.


    "Your brother?" Zenith said with a puzzled look on his face.


    "Ha-ha! Of course it was me," A voice rang in the air. It was none other than Ricky.


    Ricky, Soar, Pearl, Sheila, and Lori all came out of the Massacring Zone as soon as they heard Zenith''s words.


    "Ricky!" Zenith exclaimed in shock as he grew more excited after seeing Ricky.


    Cheryl looked at Ricky with mixed feelings and a hint of excitement.


    She used to see Ricky as a nobody. Frankly speaking, if it was not for Zenith, she would have never considered Ricky to be a genius.


    However, after only a few years, Ricky was already unattainable in her eyes. He had become someone beyond her reach, someone completely out of her league.

 Chapter 892 A Grudge Match Between Them

    "Long time no see, Chief Zenith! This lady must be your beautiful wife!" Ricky said in a humorous tone as he glanced quickly at Cheryl.


    Upon hearing his words, Zenith shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Cheryl, on the other hand, blushed out of embarrassment.


    "I am no longer the chief of the Snow Sect. Don''t try to make fun of me, Ricky!" Zenith responded. "But I didn''t expect you to be here to aid us. It seems that I was not destined to die in here."


    "No matter what happens, you will always be the chief of the Snow Sect in my heart," Ricky said sincerely.


    Ricky was definitely grateful for what other people had done for him. If it wasn''t for Zenith who had accepted him as a disciple of the Snow Sect and helped him thousands of times, he wouldn''t have made it this far. That was something he would never forget.


    "Well, whatever you say," Zenith said as he waved his hand.


    At that moment, Zenith finally relaxed a bit. Although Ricky was a junior to him, Zenith was confident that Ricky''s power and strength would allow him to relax. He just had to put his faith in him and frankly, Ricky had already become a very important person in Zenith''s mind.


    Zenith then introduced the people from the Northern Array Sect to Ricky while he also introduced the people from his side to Zenith.


    "Zenith, the Evil Enlightenment inside Matilda''s body has increased once again," a disciple told Zenith anxiously while he was lost in his thoughts.


    The woman who was planning to fight with Zenith and Cheryl earlier blacked out. Her pretty face darkened instantly as dark marks began to spread on it quickly. It looked horrifying.


    The woman named Matilda also had a painful expression on her face.


    "Matilda!" Zenith and other people called out anxiously as soon as they realized what was happening.


    At the same time, they also poured their spiritual energy into Matilda''s body in an attempt to help her remove the Evil Enlightenment.


    However, the Evil Enlightenment seemed to have already seeped through the deep parts of her body. No matter how hard they tried, they failed to make any difference. They could not relieve Matilda of her pain at all.


    "Ha-ha! The Evil Enlightenment has rooted itself deeply on her bones and I can assure you that the evil force we cultivate is the evilest. No one is capable of removing it but us," said Cosmo, who was restrained, before laughing hysterically.


    "So, you better let go of me as soon as possible and present this woman to me. If you do that, I might be kind enough to help you expel the Evil Enlightenment out of her body. Otherwise..."


    "Hannah,


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    icked smile.


    He then threw Cosmo into the Black Wind Abyss without even bothering to wait for Cosmo''s response.


    "Ugh! Please don''t!" With a loud roar, Cosmo was thrown down to the Black Wind Abyss and disappeared within just a few seconds.


    Seeing that Cosmo was thrown directly into the Black Wind Abyss by Ricky, Boris and Vernon became more afraid in a heartbeat.


    "Hannah, how long should your zone last?"


    "Ricky, it can last for about four hours at the very least," replied Hannah.


    "It seems that the probability of him coming out of the Black Wind Abyss is close to none," Ricky said with a smile. He would never be merciful to people like that.


    "Ricky, release Boris. There is a grudge match bound to happen between us and I can''t just escape it. I will have to kill him with my own hands," Zenith said coldly as he looked at Boris with his murderous eyes.


    "Right away, Chief Zenith. I completely understand," Ricky replied as he nodded his head.


    He then asked Hannah to release Boris.


    At the same time, Zenith also gave an order to Ricky and his fellows that they should not interfere in this battle no matter what happened. For him, their battle was inevitable. Only by winning this fight would he finally break free from being haunted by the betrayal of Boris.


    Floating in the void, Zenith and Boris looked at each other face to face.


    Boris was fully aware that whether he won or lost this battle, he would still have to face death. But now that Zenith had given him a chance, he wasn''t going to let it go. Even if he ended up dying, he wouldn''t go down without putting up a fight.


    "Zenith, you are being too merciful and I will make you pay for that!" Boris said coldly as he stared at Zenith''s eyes.

 Chapter 893 The Collision Of Arrays

    "If we were to switch places right now, I would have killed you already. That is because that would leave me secured and contented. In that case, there would never be a fair battle between us," Boris said.


    "Well, that''s obviously because we are different types of men. Besides, I''m confident that I can kill you, Boris. I have always been confident about that," Zenith replied with much sass.


    Their momentums continuously amplified as they spoke.


    Although the two of them were from the same clan, trust was not something both shared mutually. In the martial world where the weak would constantly become prey to the strong, sometimes, suspecting even people who were once part of the same clan or family was commonplace. Betrayal often occurred among creatures of the same clan and the same bloodline.


    In truth, Zenith would not bother making a fuss with Boris had the latter only had intentions of becoming the Snow Sect''s chief. Unfortunately, Boris desired something far more sinister than that. He wanted to kill Zenith and his companions.


    To make it worse, he even attempted to kill Zenith and his companions by working hand-in-hand with individuals from opposing forces.


    Thus, Zenith would not let Boris get away with it so easily. A swift death was simply not enough for his betrayal.


    "You are oozing with confidence. Is it because you have cultivated in the Northern Array Sect for a period of time?" Boris said disdainfully, rebutting Zenith''s confident words.


    "You will only know the answer to that once you give it a try," Zenith said fiercely.


    Boris had allied with the Great Evil Dynasty to hunt down and kill the disciples from the Northern Array Sect. The news made Zenith turn even redder with anger.


    Boom! Both of them had raised their momentums to the extreme. As a result, they each possessed the strength of a first-class completed spiritual king.


    Not uttering another word to each other, Boris and Zenith unleashed all of their strength and smashed against each other. All of the grudge that they had been suppressing for years were finally let out in the open. The animosity between them was too great that holding back was no longer an option.


    Their domains involved ice and snow. As ice and snow scattered from the opposing forces of Boris and Zenith, the entire void transformed into a frigid field with subzero temperature. Even a completed spiritual king would be unable to withstand their power unless they were to resist it with enlightenment power.


    The moment their feet touched the ground and the ice and snow were broken, they collided against each other once agai


    in an instant and spread out his hands. A thick ice barrier was immediately created in front of him.


    Crack! In the end, the ice and snow barrier resisted the cyan light emitted by Boris''s array.


    On the other hand, the ice and snow barrier was also shattered completely.


    "Cyan Killing Array! Ice Pillar!"


    Boris''s strongest killing move swept over. The cyan lines on his body released extremely dazzling light, as if a huge net was formed in the void. The net instantly gathered all the icy power into the array held by Boris.


    The cyan lines wrapped itself around the infinite frosty power, before it condensed into a thick, cyan ice pillar in the void.


    The ice and snow giant behind Boris was covered by the cyan array lines as well. Its huge arm gathered the cyan ice pillar and smashed it hard against Zenith.


    Boris exerted all that he had in this move.


    "Zenith, your mercy, and your fucking obsession with a fair and diplomatic battle is the very thing that will lead you to your death!" Boris screamed indignantly, his power surging and his entire body doubling in size.


    "I don''t mind dying, especially if it means seizing the opportunity to drag you down to hell with me! Ha-Ha!"


    "Boris, you are still so arrogant and conceited. In all the years that we''ve been training, you surely have transformed yourself into a warrior who is good at making arrays. Sadly, for you, it is still not enough." Zenith looked composed and contained, yet his words had such an emphasis to it that everybody could feel his wrath just by how he spoke. "I am far better at it than you." Zenith''s eyes and voice were fierce as the violent and spiky midnight chill. He couldn''t help but unleash his wrath upon hearing Boris''s conceited words.

 Chapter 894 Obtaining The Heavenly Meridian

    Buzz!


    Several cyan lines started to spread all over Zenith''s body. They were actually deeper than those on Boris'', which clearly meant that Zenith''s accomplishments in the array deploying were no less impactful than his.


    "Next, I''ll show you what a real powerful array looks like!" Zenith said in a cold tone, as the power continued to rise in his body. His eyes were filled with killing intent.


    There was no way he would show Boris any mercy from now on.


    Soaring like a huge and wide dragon, the cyan lines reached every extension from Zenith''s body.


    "Great Array¡ªFive-Dragon Array!"


    He let out a thunderous roar as five cyan dragons took over his body. They soon evolved into an array. Whist the dragons kept roaring, they also absorbed the frosty power through the space.


    Surely, the fusion between the frosty and the array powers enhanced the five cyan dragons'' fighting potential.


    Filled with overbearing power, the five fierce creatures merged into one as they started to move towards the enormous cyan pillar.


    Boom! The two opposing forces collided furiously, lifting air dust all around, which almost covered up the surroundings.


    The, now, single dragon swiftly craved its claw into the huge cyan column. Under the great force, the huge pillar started to shatter. There was obviously a huge gap between their strengths then.


    Howl!


    Satisfied, the dragon instantly slowed down, not before letting out a loud roar. Boris hadn''t even had the chance to react, he had been thoroughly pierced through by the cyan dragon''s sharp claw. He then fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.


    His strength soon abandoned him as well as his face turned deathly pale.


    "But how? How is that possible? Your array can''t be more powerful than mine. Why is it so powerful?" Boris growled, angry and frustrated as he was utterly unable to accept his defeat.


    "Nothing is impossible! You can deploy arrays. Why can''t I do the same?" Zenith responded indifferently.


    "Haven''t you said I was merciful? Well, I did fight fair with you. And I tell you what, it was because I was sure I would win."


    Puff! Boris spat out more blood.


    Zenith didn''t hesitate any longer. He


    hank you. But it''ll take me several days to merge with the Heavenly Meridian. Can you wait for me until then?" Ricky asked, somewhat impatient.


    "Of course. We also need some time to rest after being chased by Vernon and the people from the Great Evil Dynasty." Zenith nodded.


    Without hesitation, Ricky then created the Devourer Zone and released the Void Tree, so everyone could cultivate in there.


    Soon he was ready to absorb the Heavenly Meridian.


    ...


    ''If I absorb the Heavenly Meridian, I should be able to find out the grade of my regained spiritual meridian, '' Ricky thought.


    He was really anxious to know more about his regained spiritual meridian. He had a feeling it wasn''t just a holy meridian, but maybe a sacred one. Nobody had ever seen a sacred meridian, though. As far as it was concerned, it only existed in legends.


    "If only it is the legendary sacred meridian!"


    Ricky was really excited about the hypothesis.


    Then, Ricky pulled himself together and led the Heavenly Meridian into his Soul Sea. He was completely focused on integrating it with his regained spiritual meridian.


    But the next moment, something unexpected happened. As the two meridians approached each other, Ricky''s regained one unleashed its power in order to stop the merging altogether.


    "What happened? Pearl said when she merged her meridian with the Heavenly Meridian, they behaved friendly. So why is mine resisting it?" Ricky asked extremely puzzled.

 Chapter 895 Unable To Merge

    "Is the regained spiritual meridian a low-grade one?" Ricky rubbed his chin with his thumb. He was visibly confused.


    "But there is something strange. If the regained spiritual meridian is of low grade, how could I have made so many achievements? Also, if it is a low-grade spiritual meridian, the Heavenly Meridian should repel the regained spiritual meridian.


    And yet, something surprising is taking place. The regained spiritual meridian repels the Heavenly Meridian. On the contrary, the Heavenly Meridian seems eager to merge with the regained spiritual meridian.


    What the hell is going on?"


    Ricky was already at his wit''s end. He could no longer figure out what was truly taking place.


    "Regained spiritual meridian, maybe you''re right in repelling the Heavenly Meridian. However, I will never reach the realm of spiritual emperor if I don''t have the Heavenly Meridian. I''m afraid, this time, you don''t have any other choice but to let the Heavenly Meridian merge with you."


    No matter how confused Ricky was at the moment, he still had to merge the Heavenly Meridian with his own spiritual meridian. After all, he wanted to further improve himself after becoming a demi-spiritual emperor.


    Ricky then activated his full strength. He used it to guide the Heavenly Meridian and merge it with the regained spiritual meridian once again.


    This time, however, the regained spiritual meridian still ignored his words. It emitted strong power that countered the merging from taking place.


    Ricky didn''t care about this at all. He activated all his power and aimed it towards the Heavenly Meridian.


    Buzz!


    While Ricky was busy activating his power, the chromatic energy on the regained spiritual meridian also exploded. It destroyed the Heavenly Meridian. In an instant, the Heavenly Meridian disappeared completely. Not even a residue of the Heavenly Meridian was left.


    Only then did the regained spiritual meridian in his Soul Sea calm down.


    Ricky was overwhelmed by what had just transpired.


    "Damn it! What the hell just happened!?" Ricky blurted out, his confusion morphing into extreme frustration and annoyance.


    The Heavenly Meridian which he had acquired with great efforts was effortlessly destroyed by the regained spiritual meridian.


    Ricky really didn''t know what to do. Should he start from the beginning and seize another Heavenly Meridian from another warrior?


    "Ricky, what''s the matter?" Tina asked as she had sensed Ricky''s unusual aura from the Massacring Zone.


    "Tina, if I tell you, you might not believe me!" Ricky said calmly, albeit the confusion and chaos in his mind.


    "Just now, when I tried to merge the Heavenly Meridian, the Heavenly Meridian wanted to merge with my spiritual meridian. Unfortunately, my spiritual meridian repelled the Heavenly Meridian. Worse, it emitted strong power that ultimately destroyed the Heavenly Meridian."


    "W


    enly Meridian. Even if we depart from the trip this early, I can say that we have already gained so many new opportunities in this trip." Soar excitedly bumped a fist with Ricky.


    As Ricky''s friend, he was naturally elated that Ricky had finally gained the Heavenly Meridian.


    "That''s great! With your talent, you will have no difficulty in becoming a spiritual emperor. It is only a matter of time, and I''m sure it will happen very soon. Once the Snow Sect is reestablished, you have to be a Dominant Top Elder," Zenith said with a warm smile.


    "But, just to be clear, I don''t have anything valuable for you. You won''t get anything by serving as the Dominant Top Elder. Instead of earning a favor, it will be the other way around. It will become your duty to protect us instead."


    "Chief, that doesn''t sound like a fair deal," Ricky said jokingly.


    Instantly, however, his face took on a more serious expression, "But I have no choice but to accept that. After all, it will be my honor to be the Dominant Top Elder of the Snow Sect."


    "Ha-ha!" Everybody exploded into a loud and hearty laughter.


    Their lighthearted moment was abruptly cut short when a loud "boom" caught them by surprise.


    The cackles and howls of wild animals could be heard from the distance.


    Following the loud explosion, the entire Heavenly Void seemed to start collapsing. All the areas surrounding it began shaking violently as if there was some kind of power beneath it ready to topple the mountains and overturn the seas. The force was beginning to overwhelm the entire Heavenly Void.


    It could be seen that even the Black Wind Abyss beside them was surging. Black windstorms swept out from the depths of the pitch black darkness.


    "Let''s get out of here quickly. By no means can we withstand the windstorms sweeping out of the Black Wind Abyss," Zenith called out to his people as he motioned for them to move out as fast as they could.

 Chapter 896 The Fake Chaotic Space

    At that moment, the power of the black windstorm that swept out of the Black Wind Abyss was not something they could resist, so their only option was to hide from it.


    Soon, they were able to go far away from the area where the Black Wind Abyss was located. ...


    "Chief, what''s going on? How is this happening?" Ricky asked as soon as they were far away from the abyss.


    As the strong rumbles continued, they still could not tell where they were coming from. They were coming from all directions.


    "I have heard some rumors recently, saying that a Fake Chaotic Region was beginning to emerge. This intense rumbling is probably a sign that the region is finally coming to life!" Zenith said.


    "A Fake Chaotic Region? What exactly does that mean?"


    "The Heavenly Void that covers every area is connected to chaos which is known to be the original form of space. It consists of everything at its original state so it naturally possesses all its initial power," Cheryl explained.


    "The power in the chaos is the most violent power since the very beginning. Even holy beings used to die there.


    Chaos, by definition, could affect any normal space it is in. If a normal space gets infected, it could be eroded by the chaos and the internal space will also be invaded by chaos.


    But the power produced inside is significantly less than the real one.


    This kind of space is the Fake Chaotic Space. Ordinary creatures like us can also enter it as long as we''re willing to face all the danger inside."


    "So that''s what the Fake Chaotic Space is. I haven''t heard of it before." Ricky and the others nodded after hearing her words.


    "One more thing is required before a space is tainted by chaos," Cheryl continued.


    "What would that be?"


    "The chaos can devour anything it wants but what it desires the most is pure heavenly power. If there are some Treasures from Heaven and Earth that contain pure power in some small or medium space, it will definitely be eroded by chaos the moment it gets close to it," Cheryl explained further.


    "So it could be said with utmost certainty that as long as a Fake Chaotic Space is formed, it also goes without saying that some Treasures from Heaven and Earth that contain pure heavenly power wo


    the light.


    "Once a Fake Chaotic Space arrives, it will soon merge with the Heavenly Void to give birth to a Fake Chaotic Region," Cheryl explained. "A Fake Chaotic Region would be very small compared to the entire Heavenly Void.


    Therefore, the primitive power inside would not be enough. It will gradually be assimilated by the Heavenly Void to form an original space. Judging from the nine-colored light and the sense of chaos, this Fake Chaotic Region would not be a small one. It can probably last at least half a year."


    "Ricky, it''s not too late. You can leave right now. We should continue to search for the Senses of Realm. By the time we start, the top warriors of this void will probably enter the Fake Chaotic Region. It will be much easier for us to find Senses of Realm once they do," Zenith said.


    By that time, they had to say goodbye to each other.


    "Chief, take good care of yourself," Ricky said sincerely.


    "I should say the same to you!"


    After bidding each other goodbye, Zenith and the others left. Ricky and his followers also headed for the direction of the Fake Chaotic Region.


    They had been together in their journey for several days already. During their quest, they saw many different creatures come one after the other. It goes without saying that they all rushed towards the Fake Chaotic Space.


    Only when they got closer did they realize that the region where the Fake Chaotic Space appeared was also within the realm of the Great Evil Dynasty.

 Chapter 897 Chaotic Power

    The Great Evil Dynasty was one of the five great dynasties in the Heavenly Void. Its people cultivate the evil force¡ªan innate restraining power to the other kinds of Light Apperception.


    Therefore, the Great Evil Dynasty definitely ranked the first among the five great dynasties. If it ranked the second, no other great dynasties would claim to be the first.


    Not surprisingly, the Great Evil Dynasty was known as the strongest force in the entire Heavenly Void.


    The whole area where it was located was filled with evil force. For those living creatures who didn''t cultivate the evil force, they would feel naturally suppressed, only being able to reach up to eighty percent of their capacity at the place.


    "We need to watch our backs, and avoid at all costs the Great Evil Dynasty members here. Those people from the Southern Array Sect and the Great Evil Dynasty that I had asked Hannah to set free before, should be back now," Ricky said.


    All around, more and more creatures gathered in the area. Although they were afraid of the Fake Chaotic Region, they were also eager to put their eyes on the Treasures from Heaven and Earth that were likely to be found inside.


    After a brief moment of hesitation, they all entered the Fake Chaotic Region which was an area entirely surrounded by nine-colored lights and chaotic power.


    Ricky''s group had immediately attracted most of the attention of those present. However, the majority only had eyes for Hannah, Pearl, Lori and Sheila.


    The four ladies were all very unique within their own talents. Yet their beauty had grasped the evil people''s interest. Unwilling to tolerate that sort of disrespect, Ricky encouraged Soar to beat those evil people and snatch their storage rings along with their spiritual space tools.


    At the face of Soar''s mighty power, everyone looked at them in awe.


    Confidently, Ricky and his companions stepped into the Fake Chaotic Region. If they met anyone from the Nether Manor, they would be in trouble again. It wasn''t as if Ricky feared those people. But for them, whatever could be found in the Fake Chaotic Region was the most important. They had no time to deal with other matters.


    Inside, it was like t


    urthermore, the chaotic power in the space around got constantly drawn towards Ricky''s body as it kept merging with his five kinds of the runic power.


    "No wonder Ricky decided to cultivate from here. All the chaotic power around seems attracted to him!" Soar said in shock.


    His three companions and Tina were all equally astonished.


    "He has five kinds of mutants, which means he mainly cultivates five kinds of power. The so-called chaotic power is nothing more than the fusion of them all." Tina''s voice echoed.


    "If I''m not mistaken, he''s trying to merge the five powers right now. If he succeeds, he''ll possess the chaotic power.


    In fact he might already be qualified to it. After all, he surely owns five kinds of mutants."


    "Cultivating chaotic power!" the other four exclaimed. They couldn''t believe Tina''s words.


    This was indeed utterly shocking to them. From the very beginning of heaven until now, the number of ace geniuses who had successfully cultivated the chaotic power could hardly surpass the amount of fingers they had on a single hand.


    If one managed to cultivate the chaotic power, they would then be fit to cultivate the primitive power as well.


    However, no one had been able to do it so far.


    "I''m way too shocked right now. I thought Ricky was already a powerful man. But what if he cultivates the chaotic power successfully? Chaotic power, in other words, is equivalent to a weaker primitive power!" Soar stated seriously.

 Chapter 898 Fake Chaotic Creatures

    "The chaotic power! I''m afraid only an ace genius could attain such a power," Pearl said. "If Ricky succeeds in cultivating it, then he''ll become a real one."


    She had already learned not to underestimate the man in front of her.


    Before coming to know Ricky and his achievements, Pearl had used to think all the men in the world were below her. She had treated men like her slaves. However, now she held a very different opinion on the matter. She had to admit that Ricky''s talent as well as his concealed charm and mysterious power were deeply rooted in her heart. There was no doubt she was quite taken by all of it.


    ''Maybe, I was born to follow him, '' Pearl sighed as she thought to herself.


    Meanwhile, Ricky had a feeling that the chaotic power spreading through the void belonged to him, as if he had already cultivated it before, just like Tina had implied.


    As he was very experienced in merging, he quickly integrated the five kinds of powers to one another.


    During the process, Ricky realized that the five mutants and the five kinds of runes played a very important role.


    ''I think I got it now. If I can transform the five mutants in an instant and activate the five mutants at the same time, it''s because they already belong to my body. They''ve already been merged together.


    And so have been the five kinds of power. I would not have thought of merging them if I had realized it before. It''s the chaotic power here that has caused the resonance among my five mutants.


    This is the only way I could have cultivated the chaotic power so fast.


    Otherwise, how could I have comprehended so easily the chaotic power, considering how close it is to chaos?''


    Bearing these thoughts, Ricky would by no means miss such a given opportunity. He then wholeheartedly focused on merging. With every passing second, the five kinds of power merged deeper within his body.


    The five kinds of power with different colors merged together, turning into one kind of grey-white power.


    This was exactly the chaotic power.


    "Oh my God! Ricky really made it! He conde


    e chaotic power and eliminated the Heaven Melting Fire''s power, leaving no wound or any sign of getting stabbed behind.


    "Wow! This is incredible. Their bodies and the chaotic power are so strong. It just immediately erased my Heaven Melting Fire," Soar said in awe. Once again he was overwhelmed by the chaotic power.


    Generally, when he fought against warriors who measured up to him, as the pythons, he would effortlessly overcome his opponent with his Heaven Melting Fire along with the dragon power. However, this time, he was the one surpassed by the chaotic power.


    "This is how strong the chaotic power is. Equal strength isn''t enough to beat it. The only way to surpass it is with the real primitive power or the evil spirit," Tina said.


    "By the way, you should be careful. These pythons all have a triangular-shaped tumor on their heads. They''re very likely to be extremely poisonous."


    "Extremely poisonous? They are really a handful, aren''t they?" Soar said lightly as the Heaven Melting Fire on his body burned brighter.


    At the same time, Pearl straightly burst out the Feminine Mutant power, which to a certain extent could at least restrain the poison.


    Roar! Roar!


    The pythons quickly rushed to the attack. Through their ferocious roars, they opened their large ruthless mouths. As they stretched their tongues, they unleashed streams of poisonous gas.

 Chapter 899 Meeting A Beast Tamer

    Sizz!


    As soon as the poisonous gas was released, it immediately corroded the space. To be more precise, the chaotic power that came along with the poisonous gas smashed the momentum domains of Soar and Pearl as instantly transitioned to a domain of chaos and poisonous gas.


    "How could the combination of poison and chaos be this powerful?!" At that moment, they were both running out of hope.


    "Lori, Sheila, step back immediately!" Soar shouted. "This poisonous gas shouldn''t be taken lightly. It''s obviously a top grade toxin. You will be in big trouble if you get infected by it."


    Hannah was simply playing inside Ricky''s Massacring Zone and chose to stay there.


    "Okay!" Lori and Sheila nodded their heads after hearing Soar''s words. They understood that their strengths were nothing compared to the pythons.


    They couldn''t do anything about the toxin at all.


    Given that they were relatively weaker, they would not stand a chance against the pythons even if they tried.


    "Pearl, I need you to combine your feminine power with my Heaven Melting Fire. Maybe we can quickly get rid of these pythons if we work together," Soar said in a low voice.


    "Let''s give it a shot!" Pearl said as she nodded her head.


    Without hesitating, Pearl burst out the Feminine Mutant and immediately let the dark water flow towards Soar''s Heaven Melting Fire.


    Although the Heaven Melting Fire''s and the dark water''s energies were polarizing each other, they were still able to synergize perfectly due to the level of control their users had.


    "Is this the dark water? Even if I have the Heaven Melting Fire to protect me, I can still feel the freezing coldness piercing through!" Soar sighed with emotions as he saw the dark water in action.


    "I can sense that your Heaven Melting Fire is much more powerful than Ricky''s," said Pearl.


    "Ha-ha! It''s really not easy to impress you, my sister-in-law!" Soar said as he laughed.


    And at that moment, Pearl no longer said anything about Soar calling her his sister-in-law.


    Even though she was still a little hesitant towards it and hadn''t been fully comfortable about it, the inexplicable emotion in her heart always prevented her from saying anything to deflect it.


    "Dragon Soul Punishment! Punishment Seal!" With a loud roar, Soar immediately burst out his strongest move. As the Heaven Melting Spear shot out, the shadow of the fire dragon pervaded and transformed into a h


    e capable of doing something like that," Pearl said as she was reminded by Ricky''s words.


    ...


    Clap! Clap!


    As soon as Pearl was done talking, they immediately heard someone clapping their hands.


    "Great. Now that you were able to figure that out, we have no other choice but to show up," a calm voice said as the slow clapping continued.


    Soon after that, another seven pythons appeared right in front of them. However, the difference was that there was a figure on the head of each python that they hadn''t seen before. They had five males and two females.


    "I didn''t know that you guys were controlling these pythons that attacked us," Soar said coldly as he saw the seven people appear.


    "Of course. After everything that had happened, there was no way we would let creatures from the continent like you to get involved in the Fake Chaotic Region," a young man among the seven people said in a flat tone. "This Heavenly Void belongs to our five great dynasties, so this region rightfully belongs to our five great dynasties as well."


    "You are emitting a strong form of evil energy. I am guessing you are from the Great Evil Dynasty," Ricky said in a low voice. "You didn''t need to use any sort of pill or drug to control these pythons.


    If I were to guess, I would say that at least one of you is a beast tamer. Only beast tamers can smoothly control these creatures without psychic intelligence like you did."


    "Ha-ha! I have to admit that you clearly know what you are talking about. You are absolutely right but unfortunately, there isn''t any reward for you!" the young man said as he laughed.

 Chapter 900 The Might Of The Chaotic Power

    "I see! You have one or more beast tamers with you." Soar and the others also understood when they heard Ricky.


    In particular, Soar''s eyes flared up unconsciously. He was a Great Dragon after all, a kind of beast. Of course, he was bound to hate the beast tamer a lot.


    "I will say this for the last time. Leave your belongings and take your own lives, and then I will leave your corpses complete," the young man said in a condescending tone.


    "You are not allowed to resist under the union of the five great dynasties.


    If you resist, I will kill you and make sure that you will not be reincarnated."


    "The union of the five great dynasties?" Ricky repeated.


    "You are here to kill us because we are outsiders. And you also kill those creatures coming from other dynasties. Are you henchmen sent by the five great dynasties?"


    "What did you just say?" The young man was infuriated by Ricky''s words. His nostrils flared as he glared furiously at Ricky.


    "Cut the crap. Just kill them and find our next target!" another young man said sternly.


    Seven warriors immediately surrounded Ricky and his companions. Their power surged from their bodies as they readied themselves for battle. They were first-class completed spiritual kings while the two young men who had been speaking earlier were completed spiritual kings at peak state.


    It seemed that the five great dynasties sent their powerful warriors in full force. Obviously, they wanted to take for themselves the treasures inside the Fake Chaotic Region.


    "Which one of you is the beast tamer?" Soar asked coldly as he looked at the seven warriors.


    "I can smell the beast on you. Well, you can become my pet and I will let you live. I can even take you with me to this Fake Chaotic Region," a young man answered.


    "So, you are the beast tamer!" Soar shouted at the young man.


    He wanted to turn him, a Great Dragon, into a pet. The young man''s arrogance enraged Soar even more.


    Thump! In his anger, Soar headed towards the young man. He was so incensed that every step he took crushed the space under his feet and the Heaven Melting Fire on his body burned ferociously.


    "A


    conceited since they were from the Great Evil Dynasty. Their confidence came from the large number of people they had. They also had a beast tamer who was able to control the creatures using the chaotic power.


    These conditions made them forget the fact that they were not powerful at all.


    Ricky crushed the young man in the blink of an eye. The other five people were still staring in disbelief when Ricky''s attack swept against them.


    "Let me show you my chaotic power as well!" Ricky exclaimed.


    The next moment, five mutants burst out. The Devourer Zone evolved and the huge Evil Devouring Mouth swallowed the five people and the pythons beneath them.


    As the Evil Devouring Mouth shrank, Ricky punched again.


    His fist was filled with five kinds of runes. The five kinds of powers quickly merged and turned into chaotic power.


    Although Ricky had a basic understanding of the chaotic power, he could only gather the chaotic power when the five mutants were activated at the same time.


    "Chaotic Punch!"


    With a fierce roar, the fist went straight into the Evil Devouring Mouth.


    The five warriors'' attacks were as fragile as thin paper in the face of the Chaotic Punch. Their attacks were instantly smashed and the Chaotic Punch struck them forcefully.


    Then, everything turned to dust.


    This was the terror of the chaotic power. For those people who were not as strong as Ricky, they had no power to resist.

 Chapter 901 The Beast-Taming Power

    The young man who was a completed spiritual king at peak state didn''t die under Ricky''s punch.


    However, Ricky''s second punch burnt him to ashes.


    Soar and even Ricky were surprised by what happened. They were aware of the chaotic power, but they did not expect it to be so powerful.


    It was true that anyone weaker would be completely defeated.


    The chaotic power he cultivated was only at the preliminary stage and it had turned out to be so powerful. Ricky wondered how incredible its power would become if he cultivated it more.


    Ricky could not imagine the terror that the true primitive power held.


    ''Since ancient times, no living creature has been able to cultivate the primitive power. Can I achieve it?'' Ricky thought to himself. ''But before that, I have to cultivate the chaotic power to its extreme state!''


    Ricky turned his attention to Alvin, who was fighting Soar.


    When Alvin realized that Ricky was watching him, his trepidation doubled. He had seen Ricky wield the five kinds of mutants and chaotic power.


    He knew that Ricky was unquestionably stronger than him.


    At this point, there was only one word that echoed in his mind¡ªescape.


    However, even he had no confidence that he could escape.


    "Let me go and you will walk free in the end. But if you hurt me, the five dynasties will pursue you unto your deaths!" Alvin warned them. He tried to sound cold, but inwardly, he was desperately looking for a way out.


    "That''s what you think," Soar replied in an aloof manner. He moved towards Alvin with a terrifying force in his steps.


    "Tell me, do you know Cosmo?" Ricky asked with an eyebrow raised. He had a small smirk painted on his face.


    "How do you know Cosmo? Have you ever seen him?" Alvin asked seriously when he heard the familiar name.


    The last thing that Alvin had heard was that after Cosmo left, he failed to return and had disappeared completely. He suspected that he had been killed.


    When Ricky saw Alvin''s expression, Ricky realized that the people he asked Hannah to release ha


    going to help Soar?" Tina asked.


    "He can deal with it. The Beast-taming Spiritual Meridian is really powerful, but I believe Soar''s Great Dragon power is even stronger," Ricky said. "I don''t think Soar will be defeated by any creature, even if it is a beast tamer."


    ....


    "The Beast-taming Chain!" Ricky watched as Soar was held back by the Beast-taming Light. Although his friend seemed to be doing badly at that moment, Ricky had no intention of helping. He watched silently as Alvin activated another Omnipotent Skill of the Beast-taming Spiritual Meridian.


    The Beast-taming Light gathered and formed white chains that hovered around Soar.


    These white chains were then sucked into his body through his dragon scales.


    It appeared that these white chains were the fusion power of will. It aimed to lock Soar''s mind and will instead of his physical body.


    This way, the beast tamer could control the beast perfectly.


    It was one of the most powerful traits a beast tamer had.


    When Ricky saw this, his eyes narrowed slightly as his fists clenched tightly.


    The Great Dragon was the most powerful in the world. And yet, even the most powerful beast had its natural enemy. This beast tamer could be considered the Great Dragon''s natural enemy.


    Soar also told Ricky that there was another type of enemy they had. It was the Chaotic Roc.

 Chapter 902 Gathering Together

    ''Compared to Colin, Alvin''s skills in beast taming is much more powerful. However, I still don''t think he will be able to defeat Soar, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ...


    "You have the Beast-taming Omnipotent Skill in your Beast-taming Spiritual Meridian. It is applying some pressure on me and it makes me really uncomfortable," Soar told Alvin in a low voice as his blazing pupils rolled.


    "I have to admit that a beast tamer like you is my natural enemy.


    But I''m still a Great Dragon. No one should be allowed to tread on me!"


    Boom! The Heaven Melting Fire blazed furiously. At its peak, it seemed that it was making Soar''s strength increase rapidly.


    The Beast-taming Chains that went inside Soar''s body were gradually squeezed out. On them were the flames from the Heaven Melting Fire.


    "You cannot restrain my mind or my will. You cannot bend my knees. The soul of the Great Dragon cannot be put under a beast tamer''s control!" Soar said loudly.


    Boom! As the immense swept around, the white chains had been completely destroyed by the Heaven Melting Fire.


    The Great Dragon howled and stared at the beast tamer.


    At that moment, Soar''s momentum was immediately crashing down towards Alvin. His body had completely turned into the Heaven Melting Fire.


    "Fighting Spirit¡ªDragon Soul Flame!" As he shouted, Soar shot at his opponent.


    "Beast-taming Chain! Evil Spirit Blade Attack!" Alvin then ferociously burned his blood essence to activate all of his remaining power. His beast taming power and the evil power burst out at the same time.


    The Beast-taming Chains burst out from around them and turned into a large net that attempted to capture Soar. Along with the large net were blades that also burst out.


    But now, Soar''s strength was much more powerful than his. Under the blazing flames, everything turned into nothingness. Soar pierced through the body of Alvin and with one terrible cry, the battle had ended.


    "A beast tamer was really hard to deal with!" Ricky sighed once again as he walked towards Soar.


    "Ricky, being able to defeat the beast tamer made me less scared," Soar said.


    "That''s great. Fear is one of our greatest enemies. If you become too confident just because you are a Great Dragon, you won''t be able to achieve anything. Even if you become a holy being by taking advantage of your bloodline, you will only reach that level but you w


    h a sign from the sky. She was also a mutant owner.


    "I have no other choice. You''re a genius from the Eastern Land. I have to hurry up or all the good girls will fall in love with you. If that happens, I''ll probably have to go to other lands to find a partner. I might even end up going to the Middle Land," Jasper replied with a smile.


    "Pearl is an arrogant girl and yet she is yours now. I shouldn''t wait any longer."


    "Ha-ha!" Ricky responded with a laugh.


    After that, they all went down to business.


    "It''s hard to believe that the people from the five grand dynasties have decided to work together. There are probably more than three warriors who are close to being demi-spiritual emperors in each of them," Jasper said.


    "Yes, it would be very hard to deal with them when the time comes. Their alliance must be very strong when going against us creatures from the continent." The Skyward Sword Spiritual King nodded.


    "This time, it will be very difficult for us to get the opportunity from the Fake Chaotic Region.


    I also know that some masters from the Nether Manor, the Endless Shadow, the Desolate Empire, and the Southern Array Sect have also formed an alliance. They must have a certain connection with the five grand dynasties."


    "Yes. If they all decide to work together as one, we would have no other choice but to leave." The Array-shattering Spiritual King agreed.


    "What could it be that''s making the five grand dynasties pay so much attention to it?" Ricky asked.


    "I was once able to explore it by myself. It''s a Holy Herbal Garden," Jasper answered.

 Chapter 903 People From The Five Great Dynasties

    "Holy Herbal Garden?!" The people present were shocked when they heard Jasper.


    "What is the Holy Herbal Garden?" Soar asked curiously.


    "Only a powerful warrior like a demi-spiritual potentate or a spiritual potentate is qualified to have a Holy Herbal Garden. However, it has been a long time since the last spiritual potentate appeared," said Jasper.


    "A demi-spiritual potentate! A spiritual potentate!" Ricky and his friends were taken aback again when they heard this.


    "In ancient times, strong warriors would plant herbs in their palaces or caves," Jasper explained.


    "These herbs were low-grade and ordinary at the beginning, but the demi-spiritual potentates began to master the original energy while the spiritual potentates began to master the real original energy.


    With the influence of the original energy, these herbs absorbed the essence of the original energy and grew rapidly. They became herbs at the Sage Level."


    "Herbs at the Sage Level!" Ricky, Soar, and Henry exclaimed at the same time in astonishment. Their eyes flashed with desire involuntarily.


    Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Demi-sage Level were enough to make them do crazy things. These herbs at the Sage Level were to die for.


    "No wonder the five great dynasties have united," said Skyward Sword Spiritual King. "The herbs at the Sage Level cannot be described by words."


    "Holy Herbal Garden! There must be countless Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level," Soar said.


    "I don''t know. If the space was not eroded or tainted by the chaos, there must be a lot of the Treasures from Heaven and Earth inside. However, the space has been eroded and tainted by the chaos. I am afraid that something terrible may happen," said Jasper.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You''ve met the fake chaotic creatures, right? Those creatures were eroded and tainted by the chaos and then transformed. Many other creatures were directly destroyed," explained Jasper.


    "So, the Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level are the same. If we are lucky, they got pure power after being eroded by the chaos. This would have


    or them.


    "If that is what you want, show us your power!" Jasper replied coldly. He would not let anyone insult them so brazenly.


    Suddenly, Jasper stepped out and stopped before the old men. His golden killing spiritual energy was surrounded by destructive thunders.


    Under the destruction and killing intent, the domain Jasper had condensed had one aim¡ªto kill.


    "It seems that Jasper has cultivated two kinds of Light Apperception, and one of them is the destructive thunder," Ricky murmured.


    "Strong warriors close to demi-spiritual emperors are really troublesome. Otherwise, Jasper wouldn''t have broken out his thunder power in the first place. It''s obvious that he wants to give these two old men a direct blow at the first encounter," Hugh said softly.


    ...


    The two old men turned serious when they sensed Jasper''s domain of golden killing spiritual energy and destructive thunders. His momentum was on par with them, and he even cultivated the destructive thunder which was remarkably powerful.


    "How arrogant of you!" one of the old men spat. His face was marred by a deep frown and a hateful glare. The power in his body exploded in an instant. With a roar, his power evolved into his domain.


    It was the Ultimate Sword Light Domain. Its strong killing power was equal to Jasper''s golden killing spiritual energy.


    Boom! In the next moment, the two domains collided against each other.

 Chapter 904 Uneasiness

    Boom!


    When the two powerful domains collided, sword light exploded and destroyed the endless void. The battle showed the true power of a warrior close to a demi-spiritual emperor, a power so abundant that it could cause a resonance within the Heavenly Void.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! White power throughout the void gathered and transformed into sword intent. It burst out sword light that swiftly broke through the void as it headed straight towards Jasper.


    The old man channeled forty-percent sword intent.


    The golden killing spiritual power merged with the destructive thunder. It quickly formed the shape of huge hammers that dashed to the streaks of sword intent. It looked like rain as it descended from the sky.


    At the same time, Jasper''s Intent Apperception from the devastating intent of the thunder flared up to forty percent as well.


    "Did they both gather forty-percent Intent Apperception? I comprehended the saber intent in the Saber Tomb of the Justice Continent. My thirty-percent saber intent is quivering now. It seems that the Light Apperception cannot be compared to the Intent Apperception," Ricky murmured.


    "Even though the Intent Apperception is of the percentage, there seems to be a great difference between them."


    "Yes, Ricky. The Intent Apperception of the percentage has three different stages. Namely, the early stage, the late stage, and the peak stage," Tina said through telepathy. "Your current thirty-percent saber intent is only at the early stage."


    "I see!" Ricky nodded. "I''ve never known that Intent Apperception can be graded in this way."


    "Yes. It''s very hard for a warrior to improve their Intent Apperception. The reason why Jasper has forty-percent sword intent is that he is very talented.


    On the other hand, there are two explanations why the old man also has it. First, it''s because the Heavenly Void is close to the heavenly law. It has an intangible impact on him.


    The other reason is his age. A completed innate spiritual king can live for two thousand years. He may be one thousand years old now but he is still at his peak state," explained Tina.


    "I feel that there is still a


    They realized that the old man attacked them earlier to test their strength. If they were not qualified, he would have killed them right here.


    "The five great dynasties have decided that you can go to the Holy Herbal Garden."


    Ricky and his friends startled in surprise. They could not understand what the old men were talking about.


    "Sirs, what do you mean?" Jasper asked in confusion.


    "I think even if the five great dynasties stop you, you will still try to go to the Holy Herbal Garden. Your power made us feel uneasy. Thus, we''ve decided that before we meet the real Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level, we''d better make peace with each other.


    When we find the Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level, we will decide ownership through our strength."


    When they heard this, Ricky and Jasper understood their meaning.


    "It seems that the five great dynasties didn''t unite with the people of the Nether Manor; otherwise they wouldn''t have said that," said Jasper through his internal power.


    "On the contrary, they are afraid that we will unite with the creatures of the Nether Manor."


    "Exactly!" Ricky agreed. "What they don''t know is that it is impossible for us to cooperate with the Nether Manor.


    The three sides are truly wary of each other."


    "This saves us time and energy. Otherwise, we might have to battle in order to get close to the Holy Herbal Garden," said Jasper.

 Chapter 905 Great Ease

    "Now that the both of you have said it, we will accept your proposal. After all, we are not willing to give up the Holy Herbal Garden," Jasper told Shawn.


    "With our current agreement, our five great dynasties shall wait for you at the Holy Herbal Garden. By the time you arrive there, maybe we have to meet in battle and fight against each other," Shawn said. "And that battle between us shall no longer be tentative like the one we had today."


    At that moment, Shawn''s tone was beginning to sound a bit threatening. It was obvious that they still did not want the others to interfere in anything that concerned the Holy Herbal Garden. However, they were also afraid of the possibility that Jasper, Ricky, and other forces such as the Nether Manor were working together.


    "Ha-ha! You don''t need to worry about us at all. Since we have already decided to enter the Holy Herbal Garden, it is only right that we prepare for battle," Jasper said as he laughed. His tone reeked of confidence and fearlessness.


    His attitude was based on Shawn''s tone. When Shawn talked to him politely, Jasper also responded politely. But when Shawn threatened him, he also responded in a hostile manner.


    "Well then, I guess I''ll be seeing you at the Holy Herbal Garden," Shawn said in a cold voice. After saying that, he and his brother left at the same time.


    "It seems that the other forces such as the Nether Manor didn''t really want to join forces with the five great dynasties. I think this is really good news for us," said the Skyward Sword Spiritual King once the two brothers were gone.


    "I think you might be right. They may have connections but they can''t really cooperate as much as they would want to because their positions are so different," Ricky said. "In the following, we should not waste our time either. Let''s break the restriction right now and enter the Holy Herbal Garden!


    The people from the five great dynasties have already been launching attacks on it for about half a month."


    The others just echoed whatever he was saying.


    After that, they immediately entered the depths of the Fake Chaotic Region. Not long after, they saw a gust of restricting power and beyond it was an entirely different world.


    It turned out to be a fresh green world. All the areas, including the mountains, plains, and basins, were all covered in thick plants and flowers. There was no doubt that the garden belonged to a demi-spiritual potentate or a spiritual potentate.


    They could al


    er said as he curled his lips. "Since you have comprehended the chaotic power, you should take care of this restriction for us."


    "That''s right. We will not take part in trying to destroy it," the Skyward Sword Spiritual King said to echo Jasper''s thoughts.


    "Okay then!" Ricky said with almost no resignation.


    It was time for him to show what he was capable of.


    The next moment, Ricky no longer hesitated and went on to fully condense his chaotic power to bombard the restriction. While bursting out all of his chaotic power, he also activated his devouring power.


    The power on the restriction was really strong. Ricky could not destroy it by himself. But since he was able to comprehend the chaotic power, he could also devour the chaotic power with the devouring power.


    Under that situation, it was easier for him to destroy the restriction.


    A crack appeared on the restriction once he gave it a good punch.


    "A cultivator of chaotic power is really out of this world. The five great dynasties have been trying for at least half a month to destroy this restriction, but they all failed. Meanwhile, you were able to crack it with a single punch," Jasper sighed with emotions after seeing what Ricky was capable of.


    "With the chaotic power under your command, you shouldn''t fear any warrior in the entire Heavenly Void."


    "Don''t overestimate me, Jasper. My chaotic power is not powerful enough yet. The only reason why I was able to destroy the restriction easily is because the chaotic power that came with it didn''t fight me," Ricky explained.


    "The current level of my chaotic power wouldn''t be enough to fight a genius like you."

 Chapter 906 Ronson And His Two Elder Brothers

    Boom! Following Ricky''s several punches, a hole opened on the restriction. But it was closing quickly. Even though Ricky had cultivated the chaotic power, he clearly wasn''t able to break the restriction permanently.


    "Let''s get inside now!" Ricky said hastily.


    Without hesitation, Jasper and the others jumped right into the hole that took them all to the Holy Herbal Garden.


    Inside it was like stepping on an entire new world.


    "Wow! The spiritual energy of the heaven and earth is so pure here! How powerful its essence is!" Upon coming into the Holy Herbal Garden, they couldn''t help but sigh in awe.


    Meanwhile, the pores on their skin dilated in order to absorb the essence power of heaven and earth present.


    And as if they were being refined by it, traces of impurities began to flow out of their bodies.


    "Wow, the Holy Herbal Garden is truly amazing. The power of essence here can refine our bodies so easily," Jasper said with admiration.


    As far as they were concerned, not even Treasures from Heaven and Earth or pills at the King Level could refine them so promptly. The essence and spiritual energy of heaven and earth here, however, managed to accomplish it.


    In face of this, one could begin to imagine how pure and dense the essence and spiritual energy of heaven and earth were in the Holy Herbal Garden.


    "No wonder this is where Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level are produced," Ricky sighed, also moved by it all.


    "We shouldn''t waste time here. Before the others come in, we should sack as many treasures as we can, preferably leaving nothing to be found," Soar suggested.


    "Good idea! Let''s split up and take everything we can," the Skyward Sword Spiritual King said, laughing.


    As Soar recommended, everyone split into four groups to gather the most they could separately.


    The first group was formed by Ricky, Soar and Pearl. The second held Jasper, Hugh and their fellows, while Henry, his two brothers as well as Terrence and his fellows composed the third one. Finally, the last group reunited the Skyward Sword Spiritual King, the Array-shattering Spiritual King and other spiritual kings from Oriental College.


    The four groups separated and started to explor


    o the Heavenly Void, so having crossing paths with him with such ease had been rejoicing.


    "Monkey Fruits at the Sage Level!" With their eager eyes, the three brothers had also noticed the Monkey Fruits.


    "Ricky, it''s time for you to pay me back for that insult in the land of legacy," Ronson demanded ferociously. "By the way, Pearl, do you really enjoy being with this bastard?"


    "And can you even take it?" Ricky sneered.


    Pearl, on the other hand, just ignored Ronson and decided not to respond.


    "Since you''re so arrogant, we shall settle the old and the recent grudges at once," Roe spat coldly.


    "Hannah, time to stop playing around. Come out and protect Lori and Sheila," Ricky ordered, letting her out of the Massacring Zone.


    The battle divided itself among three groups.


    Ricky went up against Roe as Soar confronted Ron. Pearl found herself at a stalemate against Ronson.


    "Pearl, I have one last question for you. Don''t you want to be my woman and join the Desolate Empire? My father can plead with the Luxurious Emperor on your behalf. Then you''ll be able to come back to the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce," Ronson proposed again.


    His obscene eyes dropped and raked over Pearl''s body. She looked even more outstanding after improving her strength.


    Swish!


    However, as a response, he was struck by the black arrows that surged from the dark water.


    "You''re playing with fire!" Enraged by Pearl''s attack, Ronson burst out his momentum violently.

 Chapter 907 The Feminine Hell

    "Pearl, I''ll give you one more chance. Surrender to me!" Ronson roared again, jealousy apparent on his features.


    How could he not be jealous! Ricky and Pearl had been acting like they were deadly enemies.


    But now, Pearl followed Ricky closely like they were a couple. Besides, Ronson also wanted the source of feminine energy in her body.


    "Ronson, I hate people like you the most. I won''t spend time on you in this life or even in the next life. The only thing I want from you is your death," Pearl said condescendingly with an eyebrow raised aloofly.


    When he heard this, Ronson''s anger burned inside him. His spiritual energy mixed with his enlightening power and began to attack Pearl''s dark water.


    As he watched the attack, Ricky could tell that Ronson''s strength was far from a completed spiritual king at peak state.


    ''Ronson hasn''t even become a completed spiritual king at peak state while Pearl''s dark water has matured through her cultivation. She is far stronger than him. If they fight, he will definitely lose.'' Ricky thought to himself, relieved.


    He glanced at Soar for reassurance, and then powerfully collided with his opponent.


    The other three from the Eastern Empire rushed to Lori and Sheila.


    "Lori, Sheila! Run!" Hannah was terrified for Lori and Sheila when she saw the enemies approach them. With a shouted warning, she turned as the two hastily ran away.


    Ricky chuckled with amusement and relief when he saw this. He could tell that Hannah was going to have fun with those three people.


    "You three, capture those women alive!" Roe shouted to them.


    "Yes, Prince Roe!" The three men headed in pursuit of Hannah.


    "Tina, how will Hannah deal with those three?" Ricky asked although he was confident that Hannah c


    visible attack?" Ricky wondered and immediately activated his Golden Spirit Eyes.


    With the Golden Spirit Eyes, he saw everything clearly. The black figures around Pearl were condensed by pure Feminine Enlightenment.


    Moreover, the power of these figures was the same as Pearl''s.


    It was no wonder that the black figures smashed the ground into dust.


    ''What kind of Omnipotent Skill is this? Only someone with an extremely acute perception could see this, '' Ricky thought in shock.


    ''If I didn''t have the Golden Spirit Eyes, I can only perceive this if I activated my five zones.


    Feminine Hell is truly terrifying!'' Inwardly, Ricky kept repeating the name of the Omnipotent Skill.


    .....


    "How could this be?" At that moment, incredible fear took hold of Ronson''s heart. Just the change in Pearl''s body was enough to instill fear in him.


    "Take a step back, Ronson!" Roe shouted to Ronson. He was also covered by the runic power of vibration.


    Apparently, Roe had mastered the Space Vibration better than his brother. Through the reflection of the space, he could sense the Omnipotent Skill of Pearl.


    However, it was too late for him to remind Ronson.

 Chapter 908 Space Vibration

    Pearl surrounded Ronson with her black shadows and willed them to close in on him. It took all of two heartbeats to kill him¡ªone for turning the shadows into blade-shaped enlightenment and one for plunging it into his chest. Roe tried to warn his brother, but it was too late.


    Ronson had collapsed on the ground, his blood painting the earth red, before Roe could finish screaming. Pearl watched the light leave Ronson''s wide-open eyes.


    Just like that, Ronson, the third prince of the Eastern Empire, bit the dust. Pearl thought it was quite a laughable sort of death because Ronson did not realize what hit him until it pierced his heart.


    Regardless, she and Ricky still would have killed Ronson. They could not be the ones to show mercy here because if they had failed, they would have met a worse end.


    "I had to spill your blood, Ronson. I don''t want to go back to the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. It''s that or your life. I''m sorry," Pearl murmured. Her dark water rushed over Ronson''s corpse, instantly freezing it. In the time Pearl took to stand back up, he was no more than shimmering dust in the wind.


    "Ronson!" Roe and Ron roared. Pearl stood her ground and faced them.


    "How dare you kill him, Pearl," Roe hissed, tears streaming down his cheeks. Before Pearl could blink, the two brothers were already charging toward her. Ricky and Soar quickly stepped in.


    Buzz! Pearl could only stare as Roe and Ron summoned their Ultimate Vibration Domains. Their domains fused directly due to the resonance of their powers. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.


    The fusion definitely made their domain even more powerful.


    Pearl''s mouth was hanging open while the strength of Roe and Ron had condensed to the extreme.


    "Be careful, Soar," Ricky warned.


    The two brothers'' domain spread across the space like invisible wildfire, creating the feeling of the sky collapsing and the sea overturning. Pearl''s ears started ringing, and she watched in mixed fear and awe as Roe and Ron seized complete control of the space with their combined powers.


    Ricky quickly took Pearl into his Massacring Zone.


    Although familiar with the move, Pearl''s knees still threatened to buckle as she had use


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    Ron added. Ricky half-smiled at the two brothers.


    "Because you are not strong enough," Ricky answered.


    "Why do you oppose me all the time?


    Your Eastern Empire regards me as a threat simply because I''m better talented. You even unite with the Nether Manor and the Endless Shadow to put me down."


    "You will die today, Ricky," Roe interjected. The two brothers were not interested in what Ricky had said. Before Ricky could take another breath, Roe and Ron were attacking again.


    The space began vibrating once again. In the aftermath of the first attack, small Ultimate Vibration Domains started appearing, which were little spheres full of destructive power.


    "Go to hell!"


    With a thunderous roar, the small domains surged toward Ricky and Soar. Under the Ruin Enlightenment, they imploded and took a dragon''s form, creating dozens of little dragon-shaped domains hungry for Ricky and Soar''s blood.


    "Talking to them is useless. They want to kill us because they envy our power. We don''t need to say anything to them. Let''s just kill them," Soar said.


    He then broke out the Heaven Melting Spear and drew the Heaven Melting Fire from the void.


    "Dragon Soul Flame!" Soar burst out in flames and charged.


    "Kill!" Ricky then summoned and fused the nine kinds of burning flames and formed the flaming lotus with the influence of the Golden Spirit Eyes. He then merged the flaming lotus with Soar''s Dragon Soul Flame and followed Soar to end their enemies.

 Chapter 909 Jasper Versus Jefferson

    Boom!


    The whole area was engulfed by raging flames caused by the attacks of Ricky and Soar. The attacks from Roe and Ron were immediately devoured and burnt.


    Boom! At the same time, the small Ultimate Vibration Domains exploded together as well. As a result, the infinite Ruin Enlightenment saturated the air around them.


    It was obvious that Roe''s and Ron''s attacks were heavily dependent on the Ruin Enlightenment.


    It released the power of death that successfully defended against the flames.


    "Good move, but you guys think too much. Ricky and I are not weaklings that you can bully so easily," Soar said disdainfully when he realized what Roe and Ron wanted to do.


    The moment Soar finished his words, Ricky''s huge flaming lotus split into small scale flaming lotuses.


    The flaming lotus contained the Ruin Fire separately which made it easy to suppress the Ruin Enlightenment.


    Things went on as Ricky expected. Due to the power of the flaming lotus, the Ruin Enlightenment was suppressed easily. Some were even devoured by the Devouring Fire and turned into Ricky''s own power.


    Swish! At this time, Ricky used his Golden Spirit Eyes and moved towards the two brothers. Struck by a sudden panic, the two brothers could do nothing but resist desperately.


    This was because they perceived the flaming lotus as a threat. The fact that Ricky had suppressed their ruin power in an instant with the flaming lotus proved how powerful he was.


    However, because they were preoccupied with Ricky, they lost sight of Soar''s attack.


    Soar''s Dragon Soul Flame evolved into a flaming spear that followed the flaming lotus closely.


    Bang! The collision was as if doomsday had come.


    The airwaves disturbed the dirt beneath their feet. When it settled, four men could be seen. Ricky and Soar looked somewhat disheveled but had no visible injuries. In contrast, Roe and Ron were riddled with wounds and were visibly exhausted.


    Now that their power was exhausted, only despair was left behind.


    Without mercy or hesitation, Ricky killed them quickly.


    Perhaps the justice in his heart would have convinced


    te King Tiger tribe also arrived with Jefferson as their leader.


    When they met, both sides were shocked to see each other. They had no idea how the other party had come in.


    When the shock wore off, strong killing intent flowed through both sides.


    "Are you really in a hurry to die, Jefferson? Last time you escaped from the land of legacy of the Massacring Holy Tiger tribe. This time, you won''t be that lucky," Jasper said with a disdainful smile.


    Jefferson felt enraged when he was reminded of that bitter experience. Ferocious killing intent burned in his eyes.


    "Jasper, at that time I was not as powerful as you. Now, you and I are both almost demi-spiritual emperors. How dare you insult me?!" Jefferson responded coldly.


    "Ha-ha! Let''s wait and see!" said Jasper in a teasing voice. He burst out his momentum confidently. He knew Jefferson pretty well. Jefferson would not surrender the Dark and Light Lotuses until he was defeated.


    "Then let''s have a try. You all stand back,"


    Jefferson told his fellows, provoked by Jasper''s words. His momentum flared, ready to fight against Jasper.


    In his heart, Jasper was the devil itself.


    "This time, I will defeat you and trample you under my feet."


    "Ha-ha. I just had an idea. I will give you the heritage of the Massacring Holy Tiger tribe. It''s useless to me, after all. In return, you will be my pet," Jasper said with a sly smile.

 Chapter 910 A One-sided Battle

    "Humph! You''re playing with fire, Jasper! Do you want to die?" Jefferson roared angrily when he noticed that Jasper was teasing him. In an instant, he burst off his momentum and strength to the maximum limit.


    "I''m telling the truth. Everybody knows that I''m a man of my word," Jasper said. Amazingly, he still managed to keep the tongue-in-cheek expression on his face as he stared back at the angered Jefferson.


    "As long as you give me your soul and agree to serve as my ride, I will grant you the heritage of the Massacring Holy Tiger tribe,"


    Jasper promised while his eyes widened innocently. This infuriated Jefferson even more. "Go to hell!" Jefferson spat angrily at him.


    Driven by his fury, Jefferson transformed into his beast form. He maintained a clear-cut game plan against Jasper despite his rage at the latter''s inappropriate demeanor. Jefferson knew that if he wanted to gain footing over Jasper in a fight, he would have to unleash all of his strength right from the start. Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to gain the upper hand.


    "It seems that I will have to use violence to solve this problem," Jasper muttered, his tone now devoid of amusement.


    "Hugh, Amanda, and everyone else, please step back. Watch closely how I bend the White King Tiger to my will and convince him to serve as my ride." With this declaration, Jasper focused on Jefferson. His face turned somber as he concentrated on the upcoming battle with determination.


    He unleashed both his Golden Enlightenment and Thunder Enlightenment. He had no plans of underestimating Jefferson since he was well aware of the fact that Jefferson was the most powerful genius among the White King Tiger tribe''s younger generation.


    "Attack!" Right off the bat, Jefferson went for the killing blow. He rose to the air and gave a mighty roar. As he roared, the air that surrounded them surged in huge, wild motions. A void emerged with a White Tiger''s claw inside. The massive claw tore everything in its path and left every muscle shredded into minuscule, insignificant dots.


    Jasper watched Jefferson''s move calmly. He stood confidently without any trace of fear in the face of Jefferson''s power. Beside him stood a big golden hammer formed by the Golden Enlightenment, while on his other side stood a large thunder hammer formed by the Thunder Enlightenment.


    Jasper grasped the two big hammers in his hands. With his full strength, he raised both hammers and merged them into one gigantic hammer. Once fused, he threw the massive hammer easily towards the huge tiger claw.


    Bang! A series of fierce rum


    The shadow of the White Tiger ran at lightning speed. It moved so quickly that it left a huge tear on the void. It launched a punch that was packed with more power than the previous one.


    Golden killing energy along with the White Tiger''s blood power radiated on its claw. Both energy and power spread quickly all over his arms and his body.


    There was no doubt about it¡ªthis was the blood power of the White Tiger that threatened Jasper.


    His body reacted at a faster rate than Jefferson''s. Completely covered by the destructive thunder, his body evolved into the thunder domain.


    "Thunder Hammer Light!" The thunderous power gushed out and condensed into a destructive thunder hammer in the void. It created numerous rays of thunder-shaped light.


    The thunder-shaped light poured down simultaneously and hit the tiger claw.


    The power of the tiger claw lasted for a short while before it completely dispersed. At the same time, the shadow of the White Tiger behind Jefferson disappeared as well.


    Soon, Jefferson became too overwhelmed by the thunder-like light that he could no longer withstand it. His huge body fell on the ground with a heavy thud.


    Even though he already unleashed the maximum limit of his blood power, he was still no match against Jasper.


    "I told you that even if you could match my strength in the first round, that would not be enough. You would still lose the second round and all the succeeding rounds of this battle," Jasper deadpanned. He looked down at the shaken and badly bruised Jefferson.


    "Now, I am giving you two choices." Jasper met Jefferson''s eyes and raised two fingers. "You can either become a nutrient for the Dark and Light Lotuses or you can agree to become my ride."

 Chapter 911 Killer No. 3 And Killer No. 4

    "Young master!" one of the members of the White King Tiger tribe screamed as Jefferson struggled to keep himself upright. Seeing their young master on the brink of defeat was enough to make them angry enough to attempt retaliation, but Jefferson was not going to allow anyone from his tribe to take action.


    "Stand down," he ordered through gritted teeth. His tribe took his order and held their ground.


    Jasper half-smiled at him. It took all of Jefferson''s strength to stay on his feet. However, he once again got ready for the battle. Jefferson was now gruesomely bruised and extremely weakened. Obviously, he had been seriously hurt by Jasper''s thunder attack. But anyhow, he still managed to survive Jasper''s attack.


    It was no surprise, really, because Jefferson was sure Jasper was not meant to kill him. Not yet. "What''s your answer, Jefferson?" Jasper asked lightly.


    "You know my answer!" Jefferson growled.


    Jasper and Jefferson were both geniuses, and Jefferson was unwilling to accept the result of their battle. Every time the two fought, Jefferson never won once. Their first battle ended in a tie, but Jasper defeated him, although not easily, in their second battle in the land of legacy of the Massacring Holy Tiger tribe.


    Jefferson even dared to summon his blood power the third time he fought Jasper, but it was still not enough to defeat him. Actually, he posed almost no threat to Jasper. It killed him to realize that while he and Jasper were both geniuses, Jasper was much more powerful than he was.


    Jefferson could not live with that, and so he would fight until he erased Jasper from recent memory.


    He would not let Jasper ruin his journey on the road of martial arts.


    "Good. I''m impressed by your courage to face such a dangerous situation by yourself. You''re not really that bad," Jasper mused.


    "But just a piece of advice. The next time you decide to fight me, make sure you''ve made progress in your training. The gap between our talents is getting larger."


    Jefferson bristled at his opponent''s derision. "I will end


    . The rumors are true. You are indeed an extraordinary man," one of the young men replied. "No wonder Jefferson came to us," the other added with a sigh. "I''m Killer No. 4, and this is Killer No. 3."


    Jasper''s eyed widened.


    He marveled at the fact that he was standing in the presence of two highly trained and exceedingly talented killers.


    "If Jefferson allied with you, why didn''t you help him?" Jasper asked.


    "Jefferson is a joke, and we don''t ally with jokes. He couldn''t even get past your defenses," said Killer No. 4.


    "Jefferson and the others can enter the Holy Herbal Garden because of you. It''s clear now," Jasper murmured.


    "Did you think he had the ability to enter the Holy Herbal Garden himself?" Killer No. 3 smiled.


    Jasper watched the members of the White King Tiger tribe fume with rage over his conversation with the two killers, but they stood back as if still expecting the assassins to kill Jasper and save Jefferson.


    ...


    "I''ve heard that the top ten killers of Endless Shadow are all extraordinary genius killers. I want to see for myself," Jasper said coolly. Picking a fight with Killer No.3 and Killer No. 4 of the Endless Shadow was a death wish, but Jasper was willing to push his luck.


    They were the only ones absolutely qualified to be his real opponents, and he could not wait to put their deadly energy to the test.

 Chapter 912 The Powerful Killers

    "We will fulfill your wish. In addition to the Sense of Realm and the Heavenly Meridian, you''re also a major reason for us coming here. It''s time for you to reap the result of your doings. We are going to kill you, Jasper, because we will avenge our fellow members of the Endless Shadow that you killed," Killer No. 4 warned coldly with menace dripping from his voice.


    With rock-solid killing intent, his power was rolling in the air like a furious tornado. His momentum directly confronted Jasper and was on par with the thundering momentum of Jasper''s Thunder Eight Diagrams.


    ''As I had expected, the blood killing energy is one kind of power that is able to resist my destructive thunder.


    Since Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4 are so powerful, Killer No. 1 and Killer No. 2 must be even more powerful, '' Jasper thought to himself seriously as he witnessed their strengths. ''At that time, the warriors from all the five great dynasties will come. The trip to the Holy Herbal Garden will by no means be simple.


    Even so, I cannot give up so easily when the Dark and Light Lotuses are right in front of my eyes.''


    As the thunder energy pervaded, the Golden Enlightenment surged out and a golden hammer appeared in Jasper''s hands. This hammer was his spiritual weapon.


    "Eight-Diagram Skill!"


    Immediately, many small-scaled Eight Diagrams sprang up from his body and encircled him like scriptures. Seen from a distance, Jasper seemed to be levitating on a set of Eight Diagrams.


    The eight corners of the Eight Diagrams were continuously absorbing all the power in the space. Through the Eight Diagrams, the power could be quickly transformed into the Golden Enlightenment and the Thunder Enlightenment that he needed.


    "The Eight-Diagram power is rarely witnessed. Maybe this qualifies you to become a peerless genius. But your Eight Diagrams will be broken by our pure blood killing power," Killer No. 3 said when he saw Jasper''s acute skill.


    Immediately, blood black swords appeared in the hands of both Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4.


    They all moved at the same time as their momentums collided against each other. Everything happened unbelievably quickly, just in the blink of an eye. Others could not see their figures clearly in that area. They could only see the sparks due to the collision of the swords and the hammer.


    This intense collision lasted for a long time. And finally, since the two domains collided, they sepa


    His robe was ragged, and his body was also quite ruffled. Blood spilled over the corner of his mouth. There was a trace of sword attack on his Thunder Golden Hammer. All the power around him was completely smashed.


    "Your swords make me excited!" Jasper roared, shivering with excitement. He was full of fighting spirit.


    Then he activated his Eight-Diagram Skill. The Eight Diagrams again gathered around him. Subsequently, the power in the void rushed into his body quickly and transformed into the Golden Enlightenment and the Thunder Enlightenment that he needed with the Eight-Diagram power.


    Instantly, Jasper directly recovered his peak state.


    The Eight Diagrams came from heaven and earth. By cultivating the Eight Diagrams, one could get power from eight directions and transform it into their own power. In this way, since the source of the power was heaven and earth, it became truly inexhaustible.


    If one cultivated it deeply, they could even explore the secrets of heaven and earth.


    The reason why Jasper saw Jefferson as his possible partner was because he had looked into the heavenly law through the Eight Diagrams and found a part of his future.


    The faces of Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4 turned extremely miserable when they saw that Jasper recovered in an instant.


    They could feel that Jasper had definitely recuperated and regained his strength, without any after effect. They also knew that Jasper used the power of Eight Diagrams.


    That was because they knew something about the magical power of Eight Diagrams.


    At this moment, both of them seriously regretted having fought Jasper.

 Chapter 913 Eight-Diagram Mutant Versus Blood Mutant

    Jasper smirked at the two killers from across the field. Yes, they were powerful, but they were wrong to underestimate Jasper. They had no idea about the ultimate trump card up the peerless genius''s sleeve.


    They had confidence in themselves, but they might not be powerful enough to fight against the Eight Diagrams. Jasper began summoning his ultimate power.


    "He''s gathering the power of the Eight Diagrams! The Eight-Diagram Enlightenment contains the power of heaven and earth," the two killers said seriously.


    "Your Blood Killing Sword and your Shadowy Replication are really impressive, which makes you a little hard to deal with, but I like the challenge. I fight better in difficult situations, and I always win," Jasper said, willing the power of the Eight Diagrams to surround him.


    There was nothing that could stop him now.


    In a heartbeat, all of Jasper''s body transformed into the shape of the Eight Diagrams, its power filling his blood and bones with such dangerously raw energy that his knees threatened to buckle. He was heaven and earth now.


    There was no doubt that Jasper had activated the Eight-Diagram Mutant.


    "Eight-Diagram Mutant!" Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4 could only stare in mixed fear and awe.


    If they had the chance to choose what to do, they would run away instantly, but that was not an option now.


    They had no other choice but to fight. And they had secretly asked for the help of the reinforcements.


    Boom! Standing their ground, the two killers broke out their power of blood killing, releasing their respective mutants.


    Their mutants were of killing and blood.


    The body of Killer No. 4 ran completely black in blood, summoning the Black Killing Blood Mutant.


    The body of Killer No. 3 turned scarlet as if he had crawled out of hell. It was the Bloody Killing Blood Mutant.


    There were many kinds of blood-related mutants. They differed in blood shade and evolved into various enlightenment powers.


    The Black Killing Blood Mutant was the dark power. It was the combination of blood and darkness. The Bloody Killing Blood Mutant was the purest b


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    e seal.


    He could not help feeling disgusted by Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4.


    If they had fought using the replication of blood and flesh, they could have won. Unfortunately, they chose to escape. Jasper loathed deserters.


    He pressed all six of them down further with the power of the Eight Diagrams. Small Eight Diagrams instantly integrated into the six bodies. They writhed against the force. In a heartbeat, the four replicas disappeared, leaving Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4 helpless.


    Fear was the only thing left in their eyes.


    Of course, as killers, they would die before begging their enemies for mercy.


    "I wonder if I should kill you now or take my time with you," Jasper said quietly. He then turned part of the seal into blades aimed toward Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4. The two killers struggled to break free.


    Tormenting highly trained and high-ranking assassins would make a great story, and it would boost Jasper''s reputation to new heights. Jasper left the blades floating in midair and watched the terror curdle in the killers'' eyes as he contemplated killing them. But suddenly he retreated quickly without any hesitation.


    Swish!


    A bloody sword shot out of nowhere toward Jasper''s head. He stepped out of the way in time, the sword missing his head by a few inches.


    Jasper frantically scanned the field for his attacker.


    Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

 Chapter 914 Killer No. 2

    Jasper''s ears started ringing as dead silence fell over the battlefield. Only two kinds of power could bring about that effect¡ªspace power and the bloody killing in darkness, a type of power genius killers wielded.


    ''Another genius killer is coming. I can feel it, '' Jasper thought to himself. The killer must have come for either Jasper''s head or the Dark and Light Lotuses.


    Bang!


    Out of thin air, a bloody sword shot and broke through Jasper''s Eight-Diagram Seal, setting Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4 free.


    "You are here!" Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4 exclaimed in unison. They then turned toward Jasper. "You''re dead, Jasper!"


    Jasper would not have easily defeated them if the two killers had fought with the Shadowy Emperor Replication instead of fleeing. And now that their companion was here, they were not afraid of Jasper anymore.


    Soon enough, another young man appeared, clad in all black like Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4.


    There was no tinge of arrogance or menace in his gait. If anything, he looked like he could not hurt a fly, but Jasper could feel such restrained dark power emanating off him.


    Together with Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4, this newcomer could definitely defeat him, and that did not sit well with Jasper.


    Jasper looked across the field where Hugh, Amanda, and the others were fighting the White King Tiger tribe. They were also fighting for their lives and were too far away to come to his aid should he need it.


    "Keep fighting, Hugh. I can take care of these three," Jasper told Hugh telepathically.


    He then turned to face the newcomer.


    "You must be Killer No. 2," Jasper said, fighting spirit radiating from his body.


    Jasper was expecting the battle. He squared his shoulders and held his chin up. His training would progress more quickly if he fought with those far greater than him.


    "Yes, I am, and you are Jasper," Killer No. 2 answered.


    "You dodged


    Killer No. 2 had not shown up, Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4 would have died from Jasper''s Thunder Eight Diagrams.


    He soon reached Jasper and nodded at him.


    Soar, Pearl, and Hannah also came with him and were now on their way to join Hugh and the others in battle.


    Ricky gave Hannah strict orders to not expose her real strength. He wanted her to remain a strong and devastating card up his sleeve.


    ...


    Jasper''s sigh of relief was audible from where Ricky was standing. He could not allow Jasper to do what he was thinking. Not this time.


    "Give Killer No. 2 hell then, Ricky," Jasper said in a smiling voice and then charged at Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4. Ricky looked over Killer No. 2.


    Killer No. 2 flashed him a mocking smile.


    "Impeccable timing, Ricky," Killer No. 2 started.


    Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4 were now immersed in battle with Jasper.


    "I''m under orders from our lord to kill you on sight, you know, so today''s my lucky day. Not only would I be killing Jasper but you as well, Ricky the ace genius. When I''m done with you, I''m going to get the Dark and Light Lotuses," Killer No. 2 said.


    In the blink of an eye, three replicas of Killer No. 2 charged at Ricky.


    "We''ll see about that," Ricky sneered, power bursting from his body.

 Chapter 915 Five Mutants Versus Spatial Killing Blood Mutant

    "So, is it the Spatial Killing Blood Mutant?" Ricky asked in a low voice upon feeling that Killer No. 2''s power was already rising. Even creatures who cultivated the space power would find it hard to deal with the Spatial Killing Blood Mutant.


    If Ricky were almost a demi-spiritual emperor, it would be no problem for him to deal with his opponent.


    Boom! Once the power rose, Ricky immediately burst out five mutants at the same time. And in an instant, five kinds of runes surrounded him, making him look like he was clad in a majestic sparkly robe made of runes.


    "How could it be? How is this possible?" Killer No. 2 asked in shock as he felt the five kinds of mutant power bursting out from Ricky.


    Ricky knew that he was unable to keep the fact that he had five mutants from the others. After all, he had to go all out in the face of a powerful opponent.


    With that being said, he just ignored his opponent''s reaction. Then, the five kinds of runes emerged and turned into a passageway. Ricky then stepped out of the passageway and swiftly appeared before Killer No. 2 who still had his mouth agape from extreme astonishment.


    "Five Runes!"


    Taking advantage of the situation, he then condensed five kinds of runic power before bursting out the Iron Justice Saber''s forceful energy strike.


    However, this killer that he was battling against was very sensitive when it came to sniffing out killing intent. Even while he was still dumbfounded, he sensed Ricky''s move and immediately dodged the attack as if it was in his muscle memory.


    At the same time, he thrust his sword towards Ricky''s throat.


    But the sword didn''t seem to obey his wishes for it stabbed Ricky in a different and tricky way than it was supposed to. In any normal event, a sword could only be on one single track, but this time around, Killer No. 2''s sword seemed to have been cut off by space, which then occupied several directions.


    Without a shadow of a doubt, this was, indeed, the power of the Space Enlightenment.


    With the help of Spatial Killing Blood Mutant, Killer No. 2 used his knowledge of the Space Enlightenment to execute mysterious and elusive moves against his opponent.


    "Wow, he''s so quick and cunning! Undoubtedly, he has a deep understanding of space power." And for the first time in a long time, Ricky was stunned and affected by the threat he felt. From there, Ricky knew that Killer No. 2 was nothing like the other ones that he had encountered before because this one was a force to be reckoned with


    were sealed again with the help of the Massacring Sand and the massacring runes.


    "How could it be possible?" Dumbfounded, Killer No. 2 squinted his eyes as he could not believe that his space doors were expelled.


    "That is simply because my golden body is integrated with myself. Although you have a deep understanding of the Space Enlightenment, it is useless in front of my integrated system of defense," Ricky said, smiling.


    "Besides, your power has already been weakened while you are using the replication of blood and flesh. And you''ve been using one replica. In that case, you have really underestimated me!"


    At Ricky''s words, Killer No. 2''s face transformed from a triumphant one into a gloomy and defeated one.


    But just like what Ricky had said, he underestimated him. Otherwise, he would have attacked Ricky with all his three replicas instead of just one.


    "In that case, let''s wait and see!" three replicas said simultaneously and coldly.


    Meanwhile, the space doors reappeared from three directions and three swords slashed towards the third level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    Feeling the power of the three sword strikes, Ricky became more serious than before.


    Without any hesitation, Ricky directly channeled his Omnipotent Massacring Skill, as his third level of Ultimate Golden Body and the Massacring Holy Pattern were unable to deal with the three sword strikes.


    And in a flash, the massacring runes transformed into a dragon which then surrounded the chest of the third level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    "Omnipotent Massacring Skill! Massacring Golden Palm!"


    And in an instant, three giant palms collided with the three sword strikes.

 Chapter 916 A Bloody Battle

    Further, the other four kinds of runes also encircled the three Massacring Golden Palms, bringing out all of Ricky''s power and pouring into it.


    Boom! The power of the three palms collided with the three bloody swords crushingly.


    Ricky took the Massacring Golden Palms to defend himself.


    Passing the stalemate moment, two momentums instantly burst out and clashed against each other. The strong anti-seismic force pushed them away in a flash, leaving deep marks all over the void.


    The huge footstep of the third level of Ultimate Golden Body, helped Ricky steady himself before striking once more. The power had run quickly, but he soon gathered the Devouring Storm to pull Killer No. 2''s three replicas to him.


    Then, raising his golden body, he struck at the three replicas of Killer No. 2 with all the power he could use.


    Killer No. 2 was unable to stop Ricky''s Iron Justice Saber to slash down.


    Swish! However, even surrounded by the saber light, Ricky had only made a crack in the void as he passed right through the three replicas¡ªunable to touch them.


    "Sure enough, the power of space can make you disappear!" Ricky stated coldly.


    At that moment, he had realized the level of difficulty behind the Space Enlightenment again. This method worked just like Hannah''s Wonder Spatial Mutant.


    "Hannah, how do you feel about the Space Enlightenment of Killer No. 2?" Ricky asked Hannah through telepathy.


    "Ricky, you are insulting me! The Space Enlightenment is a child''s play in my eyes," Hannah blurted, unhappy with his words.


    "I know you''re outstanding. Now, could you please tell me how can I crack this trick?" Ricky asked with a smile.


    He might''ve eventually figured out his opponent''s weakness on his own. But it would take him a while.


    "That''s more like it," Hannah said happily now.


    "His power of space actually creates a small zone. So, first and foremost, his attack and dodge have actually entered anoth


    o another space but Ricky''s power of Omnipotent Skill forced him out." Jasper understood it all as he watched the collision between the two.


    ...


    Bang!


    The lotus attack and the bloody sword clashed, spreading red to the entire void as the red flames and the bloody aura of death intertwined.


    Under such a violent collision, the lotus attack suddenly broke. The strong force sent Ricky straightly to the ground, his body forming a huge crater.


    Killer No. 2, on the other hand, wasn''t much better either. His huge sword had also been shattered. As he rolled through the air, his replicas showed while he spat some blood.


    The collision hadn''t been easy on any of them.


    Yet, this wasn''t supposed to be a draw match but a life-and-death battle. One side had to live or both had to die, there was no middle ground.


    Regardless of his injuries, the three replicas merged to form Killer No. 2''s real body. Along with it, his strength had been immediately restored to its peak¡ªanother advantage from his blood and flesh replication.


    "So, you''re an ace genius, Ricky? Go to hell!" Killer No. 2 roared confidently as he was so sure he would win.


    "You''re not qualified to kill me!" Ricky''s cold voice reverberated from the crater.


    "Blood Vitality Devouring Skill! Blood Devil Mouth!"

 Chapter 917 No Mercy

    Swish!


    The next moment, waves of devouring runes slithered out of the deep pit like thin, bloody snakes. It was a display of the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill. Then, a huge, dark mouth appeared in the midst of the waves¡ªthe Evil Devouring Mouth.


    In the Devourer Zone, the dead bodies of Roe and Ron had already been used to fuel Ricky''s Blood Vitality Devouring Skill.


    Ricky''s momentum had once again reached its peak state after merging the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill and the Evil Devouring Mouth.


    "No! How''s that possible?" Killer No. 2 breathed in disbelief.


    Ricky did not bother to answer. Instead, he summoned the five mutants and merged the power of the five kinds of runes together. A cloud of grayish-white power erupted all around Ricky¡ªthe chaotic power.


    His chaotic power alone would not be enough to defeat Killer No. 2, but if combined with Ricky''s other power, it would be unstoppable.


    Terror and awe mingled on Killer No. 2''s face as he beheld Ricky''s might.


    As a top genius himself, Killer No. 2 knew the chaotic power quite well.


    "That''s impossible," he murmured. Ricky kept rallying his energy as Killer No. 2 stared at him in bewildered horror.


    He would attack soon, and Killer No. 2 had better be prepared when he did, because if not, he would end up kissing the ground for eternity.


    The Golden Spirit Eyes absorbed all of Ricky''s power and condensed it into a grayish-white arrow. With a wave of Ricky''s hand, he sent the arrow flying toward Killer No. 2''s heart.


    "Chaotic power¡ªChaotic Arrow!"


    "Blood Sword!" Killer No. 2 exclaimed. Ricky smiled to himself at Killer No. 2''s determination to win. Despite being in great shock, Killer No. 2 decided to exhaust his blood vitality and launch his last strike.


    Killer No. 2''s space power evolved into space doors and absorbed all the energy in the void. The gathered energy then flowed into the two drops of blood that appeared between Killer No. 2''s eyebrows.


    He was using his blood essence, which then materialized into a bloody sword.


    Ricky watched as Killer No. 2 sent his bloody sword to meet his attack head on. Ricky''s


    he second killer. He then made a good show of pondering something, letting Killer No. 2 anxiously simmer.


    "Oh, I remember now. Lynch of the Endless Shadow. Your young master," Ricky smiled. Killer No. 2''s eyes widened in shocking realization.


    "He told me the exact same thing right before I killed him," Ricky finished.


    Puff! Before Killer No. 2 could draw another breath, Ricky had already severed his head clean off his shoulders. At the same time, Ricky willed his runic power to completely destroy Killer No. 2''s soul.


    Ricky would never show mercy to enemies as vicious and cruel as the Endless Shadow. Letting them live would only mean trouble for him and everyone around him. One threat from one killer did not scare him. If they came for him, he would kill them all.


    "Wow. He''s not coming back from that," Jasper commented on Killer No. 2''s decapitated corpse. He was already standing and laughing beside Ricky, fresh from a recently concluded battle with Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4. "You defeated Killer No. 2 easily enough. I think we should fight some time and see who''s stronger between us. After all, I did just put away two high-ranking killers."


    "Then you''d have to get in line," Ricky smiled back.


    As the dust settled onto the earth, the fight for the Dark and Light Lotuses came to an end.


    Like the opposite nature of the Dark and Light Lotuses, it was a battle of life and death.

 Chapter 918 Jaspers Mystery

    The three killers died one after the other. The creatures from the White King Tiger tribe stopped the battle immediately. Ricky and Jasper already joined the fight and for them, killing their opponents would be as easy as chopping vegetables.


    There was one more thing they were certain about: Even though Jasper and Ricky killed the genius killers of the Endless Shadow, they didn''t kill the young master of the White King Tiger tribe. It also meant that they had no intentions of killing the other the White King Tiger members either.


    "Ricky, you are truly amazing! I can''t believe how strong you have become! I have to say that I no longer stand a chance against you!" After killing Killer No. 3 and Killer No. 4, Jasper couldn''t help but notice how much Ricky had changed.


    However, Jasper knew it was bound to happen. For a genius who was able to cultivate the chaotic power, Ricky should be as powerful as they would expect.


    "It is only because I have been blessed with great opportunities. The power of your Eight Diagrams definitely comes close to the heavenly law!" Ricky replied.


    "Ha-ha! I would trade the power of the Eight Diagrams for your chaotic power any time of the day," Jasper replied with a smile.


    "You obviously know what you''re doing. You stopped fighting the moment the three killers of the Endless Shadow were killed," Jasper said coldly as he turned to face the creatures from the White King Tiger tribe.


    "Jasper, I don''t give a damn if you plan to kill me or not. But you have to release our young master. Do you really want to create more tension between the White King Tiger tribe and your Oriental College?" A middle-aged man came out to speak. He looked frightened but still had the courage to try and convince Jasper to cease fire.


    "You are in no position to tell me what I am supposed to do," Jasper said coldly. "You can leave now. Don''t make me hurt you. I just killed three genius killers from the Endless Shadow right in front of you and that should serve as your warning.


    As for your young master, I will release him eventually. You would just have to wait until we''re done with him."


    "Jasper..." Another disciple from the White King Tiger tribe wanted to say something.


    But as soon as he opened his mouth, he sensed a strong killing intent from Jasper that immediately forced him to shut his mouth.


    "Leave now!" Jasper ordered lightly. His voice was filled with killing intent. It wa


    it''s quite difficult to say because it also belongs to fate and is a secret," Jasper replied with a mysterious smile.


    "Ha! A secret!" Ricky said with a smile.


    Since Jasper refused to say it, he must have had a good reason.


    But from what Jasper had said so far, he still revealed in some way that he had obtained the inheritance. Otherwise, Jasper would have only said that he didn''t know anything about the evolvement of the Eight-Diagram power.


    "It seems that he had obtained the inheritance. It seems that the mysterious inheritance really exists and is already right before our very eyes," Tina said. "But he should be careful because it is said that the recipient of this inheritance is not just one person but a few.


    And the final winner shall come from all the different recipients."


    "It seems like Jasper still has a long way to go before he completely obtains the mysterious inheritance," Ricky sighed.


    He didn''t say anything more after that. Now that Jasper was in possession of the inheritance, he also probably knew about everything that came with it. Knowing that, Ricky would never refuse to help him if he needed any kind of assistance in the future.


    They then looked at the Dark and Light Lotuses. Because there were many people there, each of them could get half of a Dark and Light Lotus.


    Ricky was very generous. He took out six Monkey Fruits and gave them to Jasper and the others.


    In the martial world, people were eager to pursue cultivation resources and would always grab what they needed. However, Ricky firmly believed that there was also love and peace in the martial world.

 Chapter 919 The Final Collision

    There were many kinds of affection in the world. Ricky and Soar''s bond as best friends and life-and-death brothers had been because of fate.


    Ricky firmly believed that Soar could not be absent from his path of martial arts the same way that he could not be absent from Soar''s.


    He wanted to make constant progress in his training, but he also wanted Soar to be there every step of the way.


    After picking the Dark and Light Lotuses, Jasper released Jefferson from his spiritual space tool, but Jefferson''s power was still sealed by the Eight-Diagram power.


    "Jefferson, I hope you can consider becoming my fighting partner. Otherwise, I would have to kill you," Jasper said.


    Ricky and his companions stared at Jefferson as he mulled over Jasper''s words.


    "You know quite well that my fighting partner will live and die with me. If you accept my proposal, you will be my brother instead of my enemy," Jasper further promised.


    Cultivating the Eight-Diagram power made him realize that he and Jefferson would be great and unstoppable together. Jasper was not about to give up such an opportunity to partner with an equal. He patiently waited for Jefferson''s answer.


    By now, Jefferson had already calmed down. He knew that he had become a captive, and anger and cynicism would not help him now. He had to think reasonably. He could not beat Jasper. Now that Jasper did not intend to kill him, maybe partnering with him was a great opportunity.


    "What did you do to the members of the White King Tiger tribe?" Jefferson asked coldly, scanning the field for any sign of his tribe.


    "I didn''t fight them, and I let them flee. They must be out of the Holy Herbal Garden by now unless they''re stupid," Jasper replied.


    Jefferson was relieved to hear that. At least his people were safe, and he could trust Jasper enough about not fighting those who were no match for him.


    "I''m the young master of the White King Tiger tribe. Why do you even want me as your fighting partner?" Jefferson asked. "I hate you. All I ever wanted was to


    .


    "You murdered three of our best killers," a young man in all black interjected. There was no mistaking that he was surrounded by a poisonous, restrained aura. He was from the Endless Shadow.


    Jasper felt his killing intent even from a significant distance. It made all his hair stand on end. He flashed the killer a mocking smile.


    "You must be Killer No. 1," Jasper said, amused.


    "For the record, they attacked me first. I simply defended myself. It''s not my fault. Your killers had no idea what they were up against, but if you''re here to exact vengeance, then bring it on."


    Killer No. 1 seethed with rage.


    "Pearl, are you really going to drop out of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce?" Nestor asked his younger sister Pearl telepathically.


    "Nestor, you know the fate I''m going to face in the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce. I''ve been trying my best to cultivate to dodge that fate," Pearl replied.


    "I know, but do you have to ally with our enemy in order to do that?" Nestor asked.


    "He may be an enemy to the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, but he''s kind to me. Because of him, I''ve gotten to truly understand responsibility and realized what a powerful warrior should be," Pearl answered.


    "As much as I hate to admit it, I''ve learned to hold him close to my heart."


    "Well, in that case, you''re now my enemy," Nestor conceded.

 Chapter 920 The Maze And The Upstream Water

    "Ha-ha, you are right.


    We can only fight with each other. This is the first and last fight between us. If we can kill all your geniuses here, the future of Oriental College is finished." Alden laughed.


    "In that case, no force in the entire Eastern Land will be able to counter our Nether Manor."


    "It totally depends on your strength, Alden. I heard that you have a deep understanding of the evil spirit. Show me what you got today!" Jasper challenged him in turn upon hearing the provocative words from Alden.


    Boom! Immediately after he finished his sentence, their momentum rose like two strong hurricanes arising from nowhere.


    At the moment when the storm swept, their movements were as fast as the wind and as strong as fire.


    Jasper was surrounded by the Eight-Diagram Enlightenment, while the evil spirit was surging around Alden. Alden represented the purest killing intention. It felt almost as if the true devils were descending, and everything would be destroyed with a single punch.


    Boom!


    The next moment, Alden''s fist clasped with Jasper''s palm. The violent impact swept through the airwaves making ripples and radiated towards all directions, shaking the space and the people around.


    Thump!


    Strongly hit by the intense energy, both Jasper and Alden retreated. The fire in their eyes calmed down and both of them became solemn.


    "The power of Eight Diagrams. I can''t believe you could cultivate such power," Alden said coldly but one could see he was lost in thought at the display of Jasper''s power.


    "You must have known it for a long time, am I right? Or you must be clear about the power of any genius in our Oriental College. Otherwise, how can you hunt us?" Jasper sneered back at him.


    "Cut the crap. Let''s compete with each other to prove who is better right now in this Holy Herbal Garden. Let''s see who goes down, the Nether Manor or our Oriental College!"


    "As you wish!" At this moment, Alden also started to look serious. He was filled with fighting spirit.


    "Fight!"


    Following Alden''s command, all the creatures behind him started attacking. This would definitely be a bloody slaughter.


    "Ricky, Killer No. 1 is i


    d to figure out this enigma with his Golden Spirit Eyes, but it was bounced back by the power of the passage. It was not because his Golden Spirit Eyes were not strong enough, but because his own strength was not strong enough.


    "There has to be some way out!" At this time, Ricky knew he was getting agitated and that he must calm down.


    ''There is nothing else in this passage except the flowing water. This flowing water is definitely crucial, '' Ricky thought to himself, now seriously putting his mind to solving this mystery.


    So the next moment, Ricky carefully observed the water beneath his feet again. He absorbed the power and examined with his Golden Spirit Eyes. There was no chaotic power in the water.


    On this inspection, Ricky discovered something important.


    He discovered that when he was not using his Golden Spirit Eyes, he could see the flowing water going away from his face. But, when he used his Golden Spirit Eyes, the water seemed to flow in the opposite direction.


    "How come this is happening? This is strange," Ricky thought aloud with apprehension, "Undoubtedly, what I see with my Golden Spirit Eyes is the truth. That is to say, this water, in fact, is flowing backward in comparison to what I see with my naked eyes.


    Perhaps, there is another power here that is bewitching my eyes.


    But this is not the point now. I''ll now go in the opposite direction. I think I can get out of the maze by this logic."

 Chapter 921 Warriors Gathering

    Ricky''s judgment was correct this time. He only spent less than eight hours walking out of the maze. Previously he had spent a whole day walking inside.


    The difference was significant.


    After walking out of the maze, he arrived at an empty hall.


    The hall was bathed in fairy energy that washed over Ricky like waves lapping on shore. Absorbing it made him feel like entering the wonderful state of body refinement.


    ''Is the running water flowing to this place?'' Ricky wondered. Then, a pond of water at the center of the hall caught his attention. It was where all the energy was coming from.


    Ricky could smell the energy, the scent of the Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level.


    "Wow. This pond must have come into being after it had soaked the Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level," Ricky marveled. It was the most unbelievable thing he had ever seen.


    The words carved in the middle of the hall confirmed Ricky''s theory¡ªHoly Water.


    "It is the Holy Water! There is no doubt that it is gained from soaking the Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level and absorbing their energy," Ricky said.


    As a warrior, he could not help feeling crazily excited. Using the Holy Water meant obtaining the countless Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level.


    All he had to do was move the Holy Water to his zone.


    "Calm down, Ricky," Tina reminded him telepathically, sensing his excitement.


    "Yeah, Tina, I know." Ricky laughed and launched himself toward the Holy Pond.


    Bang! Ricky crashed against some force and fell to the ground. A bloody barrier appeared around the Holy Pond.


    "Where did that come from? That wasn''t there earlier," Ri


    el like a living creature is about to come out? I can feel its breath of life," Soar said in a low voice.


    "I can sense it, too," Ricky replied. "With the life and death runes, I don''t think it''s a real life."


    "You''re not sure about its nature even with your rune? Some ace genius you are," Alden mocked.


    "You''d better shut your mouth, Alden, before I shove it down your throat," Jasper said pointedly.


    "Oh, I''d love to see you try," Alden sneered. "My evil spirit will sing at the taste of a genius''s blood like yours.


    Slaying you will excite me greatly and give me a complete sense of accomplishment."


    Jasper and Alden just could not help provoking each other. If it had not been for the Holy Water suddenly moving, the hall would have already been bathed in warrior blood.


    Bang! Then, something in the Holy Water finally surfaced. The hall fell in dead silence as everyone tried to make out what it was.


    It was like a bloody lotus flower. On it was a fan-shaped bloody leaf marked with bloody patterns.


    It was full of both blood vitality and the breath of life.


    It was the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum.

 Chapter 922 Illusory Killing Blood Mutant

    "Blood Ganoderma Lucidum!" The eight warriors were shocked to see the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum emerge from the Holy Water. It was as tall as a person, and there were countless patterns on it that left them even more astonished.


    As strong warriors close to the level of a semi-spiritual emperor, their eyesight was scarily good. Even from a distance, they could see the tens of thousands of growth rings on the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum.


    The growth rings indicated that it was 10, 000 years old.


    It was a real Treasure from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level. Just the name Blood Ganoderma Lucidum told how much blood vitality it contained.


    ''Ten-thousand-year-old Blood Ganoderma Lucidum? That can revive any creature even after they have turned into nothing but bones. Unbelievable, '' Zen thought.


    The Blood Ganoderma Lucidum contained enough energy to save a spiritual emperor on the brink of death.


    For Ricky and other living creatures close to the level of a demi-spiritual emperor, it could save their lives more than twice.


    "Ten-thousand-year-old Blood Ganoderma Lucidum!" They repeated the name of the treasure in awe.


    "No wonder there''s a blood barrier in place. It would be careless to leave such treasure unprotected," Tina sighed.


    "That Blood Ganoderma Lucidum is mine," Ricky said determined. "Even a small part of that treasure can help me break through to a demi-spiritual emperor quickly. Then, I can dispel your evil spirit, Tina."


    ....


    The eight warriors then looked at one another in greedy thirst for power. In a heartbeat, the hall exploded in fierce battle for the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum.


    It was Jasper against Alden, Ricky against Killer No. 1, Soar against Barr, and Henry against Nestor.


    None of them were willing to let go of such a precious Treasure from Heaven and Earth.


    "Fight!" they all screamed.


    The previously quiet hall turned into pandemonium


    clearly underestimated Ricky.


    ...


    "You should''ve known I wouldn''t have come here if I weren''t powerful enough," Ricky replied lightly. "You can''t kill me with a drop of your blood essence.


    Pretty crafty of you to use your Illusory Killing Blood Mutant on me. You timed it perfectly, too. You broke it out as soon as I released my five mutants.


    I could tell that you were astonished seeing my mutants, but you immediately stroke back despite the astonishment." Ricky looked Killer No.1 dead in the eye.


    "Seeing your astonishment, I was a little proud of myself. And then you activated the Illusory Killing Blood Mutant with a drop of your blood essence. That was when I was trapped in illusion.


    I have to say, your Illusory Killing Blood Mutant is indeed very powerful,"


    Ricky sighed.


    He thought that killing Killer No. 1 would be as easy as killing Killer No. 2, which he did almost without breaking a sweat.


    "Carelessness of that degree could have claimed my life in the battlefield," Ricky murmured.


    "Great realization, Ricky. Please never make the same mistake again," Tina said.


    ....


    "You think fast, ace genius. I''d give you that," Killer No. 1 said coldly.


    "Only a handful of people had been able to walk out of my illusions."

 Chapter 923 The Ultimate Battle

    "Your improvement speed is staggering. I guess we''re now at the same level and this battle couldn''t have come in a more suitable time. If you have enough time to cultivate and improve yourself, I will be unable to deal with you then,"


    Killer No. 1 said with a mocking smile.


    "Such threatening words would not kill me. Even if you used a drop of blood essence to create an illusion for me, I broke it in the end. I don''t understand by what way you would take me on, by the sword in your hand?" Ricky mocked. One could always count on a killer of the Endless Shadow to spew empty threats during a battle.


    Ricky thought it was sort of a brilliant strategy. Words and body language could hurt and demoralize as well. It could be all it took to change the tide in battle.


    All the same, Ricky was not about to let the killer walk out of the fight unscathed.


    "Don''t pat yourself on the back just yet, Ricky. This battle''s only getting started," Killer No. 1 replied.


    "You might have been able to break my illusion, but you won''t be able to survive what I''m about to throw at you next."


    The killer''s momentum began rising again. His powers of blood and illusion swirled all around him in menacing wisps.


    "Meet my Illusory Killing Blood Mutant, ace genius," the killer declared.


    "His Illusory Killing Blood Mutant is absolutely invincible," Tina told Ricky telepathically. "But you''re the owner of the Golden Spirit Eyes. That makes you and Killer No.1 equals in power.


    I don''t think he is able to kill you."


    "Let''s see who ends up in ribbons then, shall we?" Ricky sneered. With that, he activated his five mutants and drove the five Supreme Skills to the maximum.


    The Iron Justice Saber appeared in his hand, which, after fusing with the Ultimate Justice Saber, had almost reached the advanced stage of Sp


    stract him. He could not help feeling impressed.


    Ricky quickly turned nine kinds of flames into a torrent under the chaotic fire runes, which then formed a flaming cage around him.


    Ricky combined the two skills of the Flame Torrent and the Space Splitting Cage.


    The entire battlefield instantly caught fire.


    The nine kinds of sacred fire and peculiar fire burned the killer''s illusions into nothing.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Every Blood Killing Sword that flew toward Ricky sizzled and disappeared against his flaming cage.


    "Massacring Golden Palm! Three palms in one!"


    Ricky met another one of the killer''s Blood Killing Sword with a giant golden palm.


    "Great harmony of human and sword, kill in sword intent!"


    Seeing the giant palm, the killer''s eyes widened. He then integrated his body with the blood sword, filling it with illusory power. It pierced the golden palm.


    Ricky was expecting that move. It was a very Killer No. 1 thing to do.


    One-third of saber intent erupted and slashed out, and all the power condensed and turned into a strike with the essence of Transferring Formula. The strike collided with the blood sword.


    In the clash, Ricky and Killer No. 1''s bloodshot eyes met.

 Chapter 924 Kill Killer No. 1

    Boom!


    At the moment when the sword and the saber collided, their power and momentum were pushed to their own peak. The explosion under the Intent Apperception made the peak even more violent.


    The battlefield was then transformed into a domain of destructive thunder.


    "Kill!" Killer No. 1 roared. The Intent Apperception of his sword intent reached forty percent, which made Ricky''s thirty-percent Intent Apperception of saber intent tremble.


    Bang! Killer No. 1 took advantage of Ricky''s momentary panic. He mobilized all the power of the Illusory Killing Blood Mutant to gather the blood killing power, and then he crushed it towards Ricky with deadly precision.


    Bang! Bang!


    Ricky took the blow but kept his feet planted on the ground. The attack was strong enough to make him leave track marks on the earth. He took a breath and spat blood.


    It was Ricky''s first time to bleed during a battle against a warrior of his level, and this well demonstrated the strength of Killer No. 1.


    "Ricky, you shouldn''t have used the power of your saber intent against his sword intent. Your mastery of your saber intent won''t make up for the ten-percent intent gap," Tina said honestly.


    "You can''t challenge an opponent who is stronger than you in terms of Intent Apperception."


    "Agreed. Thank you for the reminder, Tina," Ricky nodded. His thirty-percent Intent Apperception was no match for Killer No. 1''s forty-percent Intent Apperception.


    If it were not for the third level of Ultimate Golden Body, he would have been seriously injured.


    Boom! Ricky retreated, but Killer No. 1 would not let go of this opportunity. He instantly jumped up and appeared above Ricky, and the illusion power once again filled the air.


    "Shadowy Emperor Replication¡ªreplication of blood and flesh!"


    Before Ricky could lift up his hands to draw a seal, four perfect replicas of


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ndensed the Iron Justice Saber into the Galaxy Strike, which was completely covered by chaotic power.


    "Galaxy Strike!"


    Even the battlefield seemed to have stood still. Killer No. 1 merged with his three replicas and tried to resist the attack.


    Killer No. 1 felt the power of Ricky''s Golden Spirit Eyes as well as the chaotic power of Ricky''s Galaxy Strike. His eyes widened in awe and terror.


    Killer No. 1 did not understand how Ricky appeared above him so fast. Even if Ricky had torn the space, he should have felt it coming.


    But it was too late.


    Ricky''s Galaxy Strike descended upon Killer No. 1 like a fatal storm.


    The blow fell on Killer No. 1''s head.


    With an ugly, crunching sound, Killer No. 1''s head was cleaved, streaming blood all over his face and neck.


    The chaotic power destroyed Killer No. 1''s soul under the control of Ricky''s Golden Spirit Eyes. Killer No. 1 was reduced to a corpse with unseeing, regretful eyes.


    Bang!


    Killer No. 1''s body fell heavily on the ground.


    The loud thud caught the others'' attention.


    Ricky''s allies were naturally excited while Alden and the others were stunned. They thought that Killer No. 1 would never be defeated with his near-legendary strength.


    They were wrong.

 Chapter 925 Fighting Alden And Barr

    Silence reigned on the battlefield as shock settled over them. Nobody moved nor made a sound.


    All of a sudden, the silence shattered like glass as Jasper''s booming laughter sounded. "Ha-ha! Ricky, you defeated Killer No. 1 so quickly. With your talent, we will surely win this battle."


    "We must win this battle!" Ricky said seriously. He shifted his eyes to Alden, who was their strongest enemy now that Killer No. 1 had been defeated. Once they killed Alden, they would win the battle.


    Ricky burned with eagerness. He would win this battle not only to survive but also to get the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum.


    Meanwhile, Alden felt a shiver run through him under Ricky''s intense gaze. If he had any doubt about Ricky''s strength, it was wiped clean by his quick victory over Killer No. 1.


    Although Alden was confident in his abilities, he could not help the dread that sank into his stomach like lead. With Jasper and Ricky as his enemies, there was a great chance that this would be his last battle.


    "Alden, do us both a favor and just kill yourself!" Jasper said coldly when he saw the muted expression on Alden''s face.


    He had originally planned to use the mysterious power evolved from the Eight Diagrams, but when Ricky took the lead and broke the deadlock, he figured that there was no need to use his trump card. If he used it prematurely, it could bring bad luck and could even reduce his life span.


    "How impertinent! Do you think you two can defeat me?" Alden could not help but exclaim scornfully. He would not keep quiet when insulted even if Ricky was extremely powerful.


    "Yes, I do. There is no way that you can win against us," Jasper replied coldly.


    At this time, it seemed that the time for words had ended. Jasper and Ricky looked at each other and fluidly burst out their attacks. They rushed to Alden, one from the left and the other from the right. They coordinated every movement with refined ease. It was as if they were dancing, a graceful and deadly dance.


    In turn, Alden gathered his most powerful skills and readily met Ricky''s and Jasper''s attacks separately.


    The three of them exchanged attacks swiftly, their strength almost at the same level. However, no matter how fast Alden moved, he


    he final attack!" said Jasper.


    The three worked together to launch a fatal attack. They moved quickly, heedless of the injuries they sustained and eager to end the battle.


    But at this moment, Alden and Barr roared again. They fixed their bloody dark eyes on the dead body of Killer No. 1. Their evil spirit instantly condensed into a nether claw that tore the space.


    The nether claw took the blood from Killer No. 1''s dead body and poured it over Alden and Barr. Like a miracle, their condition stopped deteriorating and their wounds healed completely.


    At the same time, Killer No. 1''s dead body became a mummy.


    "How is this possible? What did they just do?" Soar mumbled in disbelief as he looked on.


    "I guess the Nether Army from the Nether Manor are not creatures with flesh and blood. That is why they turn into a mass of evil spirit when they die. So, it''s normal for them to recover in this way. They are similar to real devils," Ricky said calmly.


    "I wonder what else the Nether Manor hides," Jasper said curiously.


    "I think we should work together and combine our power. That way we can inflict more damage on them and defeat them faster," Ricky said. "Otherwise, we will be exhausted and destroyed one by one in the end."


    "You''re right. We need to finish this battle as soon as possible. Ricky, since you have cultivated the chaotic power, you must be able to integrate power better. You should take the lead," Jasper said as he nodded his head at Ricky.

 Chapter 926 Victory

    "All right. I will use the chaotic power to integrate with your forces. It should create a fatal blow that would end this battle," Ricky nodded and said.


    He activated his chaotic power. There was no other power that could compete with the chaotic power except for the primitive power.


    His five runes merged and fused with his chaotic power. It formed a ball of light that constantly transformed under the influence of the five mutants and chaotic power.


    Of course, this was under the control of Ricky''s Golden Spirit Eyes.


    "Dragon Soul Flame!" On his end, Soar burst out his Omnipotent Skill. He also condensed all his power into an energy sphere that he integrated into Ricky''s ball of light.


    Meanwhile, Jasper integrated his power into the Eight Diagrams and quickly merged it into Ricky''s power as well.


    Boom! The fusion of the strongest skills of the three had almost exceeded the peak of the Heavenly Void.


    "Our victory depends on this," Ricky said seriously with his Iron Justice Saber clasped tightly in his hands. His Golden Spirit Eyes controlled the sphere of power and condensed it onto the blade of the Iron Justice Saber.


    This was their most powerful move. If they failed to kill the two people, then the battle would drag on.


    If the battle devolved into a battle of stamina and wills, there was a good chance that they would be defeated. With this in mind, Ricky moved to strike.


    The two roared ferociously again as they watched Ricky''s approach. Evil spirit gathered in their four strong arms.


    When enough power was condensed, they let loose a powerful punch.


    The power this punch held was wilder and inhumane. As they lost their humanity to the evil spirit, they became irrational and overwhelmed with darkness. Unlike real devils, they could not maintain their conscious minds.


    As they drowned in darkness, they were emptied of everything but the power they held. It was as if they had sold themselves to the devil for overwhelming power. As they lost their minds, they lost control of their power which resulted in wilder and more fatal attacks.


    Boom! The two powerful attacks collided so violently that e


    or my loved ones'' enemy.


    Swear to me by a Martial Arts Oath."


    "Very well, I accept." Nestor made a Martial Arts Oath as he spoke.


    "I hope you will keep your promise," Ricky said seriously.


    It signaled the end of the battle. The five of them looked at the ten-thousand-year-old Blood Ganoderma Lucidum with their eyes full of greed.


    They pondered seriously on how to break the bloody restriction. They couldn''t break it even if they combined all their powers. They looked at the almost transparent restriction that seemed fragile but was an insurmountable wall to them.


    Splash! Just then, the Holy Water swept up. They looked on in surprise as the blood of Killer No. 1 was absorbed by the bloody restriction.


    With a small cracking sound, the restriction was removed.


    After the restraint was removed, it turned into a pool of blood that merged with the blood of Killer No. 1.


    The Holy Water surged around them violently. Energy swept around the ten-thousand-year-old Blood Ganoderma Lucidum.


    In the next moment, the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum engulfed the blood and the Holy Water. It pulsed and throbbed as it enveloped the blood and Holy Water, as if it had a life of its own.


    It thirstily consumed the energy of the Holy Water. All of them gaped in awe as the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum shed its former appearance and transformed. From its gigantic height, it grew even more until it was as tall as four meters.

 Chapter 927 Evil Mandragora

    "What''s going on? Is it possible that the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum is still, at this very moment, growing?" someone blurted out. The five of them were not able to contain their amazement upon seeing it.


    Moreover, this alteration made them feel the invisible pressures and life threats. On top of that, they seemed to have involuntarily surrendered themselves to the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum''s control.


    With this, they felt that the blood in their bodies was about to burst out of their veins. And just like what they had witnessed before, the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum absorbed Killer No. 1''s blood.


    "Ricky, why is it that I have an ominous premonition that blood is necessary for the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum to grow and develop?" asked Soar in a low voice as he struggled using his powers to resist the unseen attraction that hovered over all of them.


    "In that case, you''re not the only one. I also have an ominous premonition," Ricky replied in a deep voice. "And it is a very strong premonition."


    "With this, we must take extra precaution," Jasper butted in as to remind them as well.


    During this time, they had no time to care about the Holy Water being absorbed. Their priority was learning about where the threat that they had felt came from.


    At the same time, the change of the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum had finally come to an end right after absorbing all the Holy Water and the blood of Killer No. 1.


    The Blood Ganoderma Lucidum was getting larger exponentially, with a height of five meters at this time. Originally coupled with a bloody color of energy around it, it somehow appeared to be covered in black blood, which reeked of evil. And right at that moment, it seemed that the sense of danger that they had felt came exactly from this black blood appearance.


    The Blood Ganoderma Lucidum used to spread pure and natural blood vitality. However, ever since some changes took place, it now spread bloody and murderous blood vitality.


    To be more specific and thorough, the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum was no longer a Blood Ganoderma Lucidum for its appearance had also changed greatly. All of a sudden, a black flower bloomed on the fan-shaped Ganoderma Lucidum.


    The black flower had five petals, each of which looked like a world that was filled with negativity and toxicity¡ªominous auras and overflowing killing intent, and death.


    "It seems that it has changed into another Treasure from Heaven and Earth rather than the Blood Ganoderma Lucidum. But I have never seen such a kind of Treasure from Heaven and Earth. And besides, it also seems quite weir


    vils."


    "Wait, the land of the holy beings and the devils?" Jasper and the others asked as they were all surprised at what Nestor had said about the flower''s function.


    "However, these are just rumors. I still don''t know if they are true," Nestor countered.


    "But it doesn''t matter right now. The point is that the mandragora flower have its own psychic intelligence. If it really has the psychic intelligence, then it must keep on absorbing energy. And there are only two ways for it to absorb energy."


    "What are the two ways?" Ricky suddenly asked in a low voice.


    "One way is through the divine power, which is the legendary power cultivated by the holy beings," Nestor said. "And the other way is to devour blood. The blood can be of any living being, but must be fresh.


    If it is, indeed, the Divine Mandragora, then it will not devour the blood because its psychic intelligence is justice. But now what we have is the Evil Mandragora. Compared to the divine power, it prefers the blood and would even keep devouring it more.


    I think that I have explained it all to you very well. Now you already know where that sense of threat comes from."


    Right after hearing such a lengthy lecture about the flower and its oddities, all the people suddenly turned gloomy as they were all disappointed at the Evil Mandragora''s function. With crumpled faces of sadness, they all took a glance at the Evil Mandragora.


    Meanwhile, after everything that they had learned, there was only one thought in their mind¡ªall of them hoped that this Evil Mandragora would not have the psychic intelligence. This was because that even with the simplest power of the bloody barrier, the Evil Mandragora could kill them easily.

 Chapter 928 Not Able To Defend

    "Ha-ha! I have been drifting away in the chaos for countless years. I can finally see the light of day again." A woman''s voice echoed from the Evil Mandragora. The voice clinked like tiny bells that sounded pleasant but the undertone of darkness filled Ricky and his companions with dread.


    Their faces wore different shades of terror and their legs were rooted on the spot. Fear clutched at them and made their hearts stutter and pulse quickly.


    It was the worst thing that could happen¡ªthe Evil Mandragora was sentient with psychic intelligence.


    The words indicated that it was aware of its existence although it had spent most of those years in slumber.


    And now, the arrival of Ricky and his companions had awakened it completely.


    Boom! The Evil Mandragora quickly changed and turned into a woman. Evil and darkness swirled around her like a terrifying cape. Her body and face were angelic but her eyes were murderous and bloodthirsty.


    Her curvaceous body was covered with nothing but petals. Jet black hair fell past her shoulders, decorated by a single petal.


    The blood vitality and the Holy Water energy rose from her body to be further transformed by the woman into real evil spirit.


    As they watched, she stretched herself and yawned languidly. She gracefully turned towards Ricky and others, her tongue distracting as it wet her lips. She looked at them hungrily, attracted by their energy.


    "Your blood vitality seems really rich. Cut your blood meridians for me."


    She stalked towards them like a predator as she eyed them like delicious morsels of food. "In this way, you will die sooner without pain. If you don''t...well, let''s just say that you would probably wish you killed yourselves instead."


    Ricky and his companions tensed and huddled closer. Nobody seemed ready to just give up. Instead, the fire of determination burned steadily in their hearts. They glanced at one another, their decision reflected in their eyes. They would rather die fighting than surrender to this monster.


    A single ray of light shone upon their thoughts. They were in the Heavenly Void where it was impossible to exceed the strength of a demi-spiritual emperor. Thus, no matter how strong the Evil Mandragora seemed to be, there was no way that she was a demi-spiritual emperor.


    With their lives on the line, Nestor shelved his grudges against Ricky. He moved closer to Ricky''s back, prepared to defend his back and fight alongside him as brothers.


    In an instant, the five of them had activated their full strength. They sprinted in separate directions and ro


    defeat mocked at them as they stood by the doorsteps of death.


    Soar was only lightly injured compared to the rest of them. His Three-Saber War God Armor had saved him but it was only a short reprieve. There was no doubt that once the Evil Mandragora found the Three-Saber War God Armor on his body, she would take it easily. There was no assurance he would survive that encounter either.


    "Ricky, maybe you can use the Divine Manor," Tina reminded Ricky. "There is divine power in the Divine Manor. Since you own it, you should be able to use some of its divine power!"


    "Yeah, it looks like I have no choice. I have to enter one of the zones," Ricky said to Tina. "But even if we enter the zone, we still don''t know how to get out!"


    While he was lost in thought, the Evil Mandragora was also preoccupied.


    She clapped her hands and grew until she towered over everything. She let loose her insatiable lust for blood and attracted the blood all around her.


    In a flash, the blood in the bodies of the five men seemed to come to life. It roiled and bubbled in its struggle to break out of their bodies.


    Ricky and his companions shouted in pain. They felt like their blood was being pulled out from their bodies and their veins were being pulled apart. Tortured groans escaped their slack mouth.


    "Ha-ha! Does it hurt?" The Evil Mandragora laughed delightedly in the face of their pain. She flicked a hand and they were reduced to pained groans and harsh breathing once again. "I told you I would make you feel something worse than death!"


    Screams and groans echoed once again with a flick of her fingers. It was as if their blood was boiling and a thousand needles were pricking them from the inside.

 Chapter 929 Heavenly Law And Divination

    Under the circumstances, their death seemed unavoidable. Within a quarter of the hour, their meridians would burst under the torture and their blood would flow out. It was a painful end just as the Evil Mandragora had warned them.


    ''Divine Manor, whether we live or die depends on you, '' Ricky screamed inwardly.


    "Ricky, let''s try again. Help me gather the chaotic power, and this time I will use the power of Eight Diagrams to help you!" Jasper urged him with his internal power.


    "The mysterious power generated from the Eight Diagrams?" Ricky asked in surprise when he heard Jasper''s proposal.


    "Before I agree, tell me the truth. What are the consequences if you use that power?"


    Ricky could tell as soon as Jasper suggested it that the power he held was dangerous, not only for their enemies but also for himself. Jasper sounded worried and hesitant when he suggested the idea. Furthermore, if the mysterious power of the Eight Diagrams could be used without restraint, Jasper would have used it from the start.


    "It will consume my life span. With my current understanding of that power, it will consume one-fifth of my life span or more in every use," Jasper said seriously.


    "One-fifth of your life span would be lost?" Ricky gasped in surprise. Now that he knew, he shared the same worried and hesitant look that Jasper had.


    One-fifth of one''s life span was an extremely high price to pay. The only people who could afford it were probably the powerful talents who were at the peak state of martial arts.


    But even for those geniuses, they would probably use it as a last resort.


    Could he let his companion use his life to save them?


    "I have no choice but to try," said Jasper.


    "Don''t worry, Jasper. I can mobilize divine power and defeat this Evil Mandragora!" Ricky replied.


    "Divine power! You are really lucky, Ricky!" Jasper replied when he overheard Ricky''s words.


    "But, Ricky, did you forget? Nestor said that the mandragora flower can absorb divine power. Even if you can mobilize divine power, it''s still not your power.


    In that case, the divine power is very likely to be absorbed by the Evil Mandragora and transforme


    the Massacring Zone.


    "Death Wings!"


    In the next moment, Ricky had condensed the Life and Death Omnipotent Skill. It evolved into the Death Wings and punched towards the mandragora flower.


    He needed to stop the mandragora flower even for just a moment so that he could bring the others into the Massacring Zone.


    However, he was stopped short by the mandragora flower''s suppression.


    It seemed like the Evil Mandragora had gotten tired of them. She was done playing and was ready to finish them off.


    "Ricky..." Tina murmured in a feeble voice with tears in her eyes.


    "It seems that we are going to die here today," Ricky said in an apologetic tone to Tina.


    "Ricky, what should we do?" Soar had also realized the blockade and asked Ricky through his internal power.


    "Soar, you have the Three-Saber War God Armor. I will buy you some time with my last strength. You have to run as fast as you can. If you become the true Great Dragon in the future, you must help me do something."


    "Ricky, I won''t let you die alone!" Soar protested vehemently.


    "No, I''d prefer that you escape with your life. Even if you want to die with us, I need you to finish something for me!"


    As he talked, Ricky gathered his strength again. He attacked the suppressed mandragora flower with everything he had.


    He screamed as tears escaped from his eyes in despair. He wanted to protect everyone but he was powerless. Pitiful and powerless.

 Chapter 930 Redemption

    The Evil Mandragora had finally revealed her true strength, and it was like seeing an ant fight against a starving mountain lion.


    Ricky had an inkling earlier, but now, he was sure that the true realm of the Evil Mandragora was far higher than a demi-spiritual emperor. She was most probably a spiritual emperor suppressed by the Heavenly Void.


    Soar, on the other hand, was cornered and left with no choice but to summon his Three-Saber War God Armor.


    "Ricky! Everyone!" Soar cried out when he saw that Ricky and the other three men were bleeding under the suppression. He was only in a better state because of the strength of his armor.


    "Oh my! Your armor is absolutely extraordinary!" said the Evil Mandragora in surprise. For the first time, her eyes sparkled with greed while she eyed Soar up and down.


    She had an extraordinary insight, as she could clearly feel the power of the Three-Saber War God Armor.


    With a playful smirk, she lifted a pale hand in front of her. She quickly condensed petals and attacked Soar with them, in a bid to gauge how powerful the armor was.


    Boom! The petals of evil spirit flew at breakneck speed towards Soar, and they exploded upon contact with him. The shock waves the explosion emitted were so strong that they blew a powerful wind across them all.


    Bang! Soar couldn''t withstand the powerful wind, and he was blown away and rolled over and over like a bay of hale. However, the damage that the petals caused was blocked by the Three-Saber War God Armor. As he stood up again, it became clear that he had no injuries, except his wounded pride from the embarrassing fall.


    "How excellent the armor is! It''s filled with divine power!" exclaimed the Evil Mandragora gleefully. She was cackling like a witch now, obviously pleased with the result of her test which exposed how powerful the armor was. It also inadvertently revealed the hidden divine power it had.


    Needless to say, the Evil Mandragora had probably guessed that the armor was at the divine level.


    Her desire for the armor was so strong that she was barely disguising the greed. She had a crazed expression on her face, as she tracked Soar''s every moment, and all the while, her eyes were trained solely on Soar''s armor. It was as if she had forgotten about Ricky and his team.


    Ricky crept carefully behind her, aware that she was not paying attention to them at that moment, and it was probably their last chance to help Soar escape. He stood up immediately, his face and body covered in blood.


    "Jasper, Henry! Could you please lend me a hand? Soar''s armor might help him escape," Ricky asked


    ragora and all the demonic power she possessed disappeared in a great explosion that rocked their world.


    Splash! The four men looked up, as the blood absorbed by the Evil Mandragora fell like rain from the sky.


    When they realized that her suppression had fallen as well, they hastily activated their powers to recover. They couldn''t believe what had happened, nonetheless they moved quickly just in case she came back.


    Of course, the blood they lost could not be restored, so they could only practice slowly or consume the Treasures from Heaven and Earth to recover.


    Ricky also activated the life and death runes and the Life and Death Fire to help the other three recover. It only helped a little because he hadn''t come around to perfecting it yet, but it was better than nothing.


    "What happened?" Jasper asked in a rough voice when he had recovered enough to talk. "There''s no living creature that can threaten the Evil Mandragora in the Heavenly Void, right?"


    "Maybe it''s because of the other powerful creatures in the Fake Chaotic Region." Henry suggested. He too sounded rough, and every inhale he made sounded harsh and forced.


    "Anyway, let''s get out of here first. If that devil comes back, she will definitely not give us any more chances," Henry urged the others. He thought that it was better not to look the gift horse in the mouth, so he hustled them all to concentrate on healing.


    "Who the hell are you? Why is my power useless against you?" They stiffened at once when the voice of the Evil Mandragora echoed around them. They looked around with narrowed eyes, highly alert against any danger, although it seemed strange to them that she sounded deathly afraid now, and not as confident as she had been earlier.

 Chapter 931 Tame The Evil Mandragora

    "The Evil Mandragora!" Fear gripped Ricky''s heart with claws of ice. He was sure his companions felt the same, too.


    They were helpless lambs at the mercy of their enemy. Before their powers were fully recovered, they had lost half of their blood. They had no powers left to resist. They were deathly scared of the Evil Mandragora.


    Of course, every creature was fragile deep in their hearts. Fear was their nature.


    Courage was only gained through years and years of practice.


    But there was also a trace of fear in the Evil Mandragora''s voice, which proved Ricky''s and his companions'' suspicions. The Evil Mandragora had met someone stronger than her.


    Bang! The next moment, the Evil Mandragora fell back to the passage of the maze, her body in a mangled mess and blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.


    Ricky and the others were dumbfounded. Although they had guessed that there was a living creature more powerful than the Evil Mandragora, they still felt it hard to believe.


    The sound they heard next stunned Ricky.


    "What did you do to my brother Ricky? Tell me now, old woman!" A clear, angry voice rang through the air.


    "It''s Hannah!" Ricky exclaimed and so did Tina in the Massacring Zone.


    Jasper and the others also couldn''t believe it. They looked at Ricky and asked with their eyes wide open, "Holy crap! When did you have such a powerful sister?"


    Ricky was sure they thought of the little girl who followed him. She was none other than Hannah.


    Hannah''s petite figure came out of the void.


    "Ricky! I''m so glad you''re okay!" When Hannah saw Ricky, her anger dissolved into joy. She rushed to Ricky and hugged him tightly.


    Jasper and the others did not know how to react. It was indeed Hannah. They did not understand how she had the power to scare the Evil Mandragora or where she came from just now.


    They all remembe


    a space appeared and Soar''s figure showed up.


    "Ricky! You''re okay!" Soar cried in relief.


    If it were not for Hannah, they all would have died.


    "Breathtaking," Henry commented. "We all owe Hannah our lives."


    Then, they all expressed their thanks to Hannah, who blushed at the appreciation.


    The Evil Mandragora then said, "If I choose to surrender, can you provide me with some blood?"


    "No. We can''t get blood for you by killing, but I can provide you with the divine power," Ricky said.


    "The divine power? Although this girl has the divine power, it is too limited. It can''t satisfy my needs at all," the Evil Mandragora replied.


    "You don''t need to worry about that. I won''t let you die as long as you surrender. Otherwise, we will kill you," Ricky said.


    "So, what''s it going to be?"


    Silence fell as the Evil Mandragora pondered her next words. They waited for her answer.


    "Fine," she finally said, albeit unwillingly. Ricky nodded. If he were in the Evil Mandragora''s shoes, he would make the same wise decision. The Evil Mandragora had a feeling that Ricky and Hannah were powerful enough to keep her alive.


    The Evil Mandragora then resigned her soul to Hannah, giving Hannah full control of her life.

 Chapter 932 Getting Out With Fruitful Results

    "I have surrendered to you. Please give me some divine power. I haven''t obtained enough blood and divine power for countless years. If it weren''t for me being asleep or for the Holy Water and the original energy pervading here, I would''ve died long ago," the Evil Mandragora said.


    She stared at the blood on the ground, hardly restraining her impulse to absorb it. However, she knew that Ricky and Hannah would not allow her to do that.


    "Certainly." Ricky nodded. Then, he condensed and took out a mass of divine power from the Divine Manor and handed it to the Evil Mandragora.


    The Evil Mandragora could not believe her eyes, and Jasper and the others didn''t either.


    Once again, Ricky was a mystery to them.


    They had not known that Ricky possessed divine power. But that was probably an important secret of Ricky, so they did not ask about it.


    After devouring the mass of divine power, the Evil Mandragora improved in appearance and aura significantly. Although the blood on the ground still appealed to her, she no longer felt the strong desire to absorb it.


    "Tell us why you''re here, Evil Mandragora," Ricky asked.


    "Countless years ago, I met a powerful master who was the owner of the Holy Herbal Garden. He was a demi-spiritual potentate, so I was no match for him. But he didn''t kill me. He only kept me under control," the Evil Mandragora started.


    "He sealed me in the Holy Pond and left the original energy in it. With the original energy, as long as I remain asleep, I wouldn''t be in danger.


    The original energy spread in the Holy Herbal Garden, and he put the garden in chaos. When the Holy Herbal Garden was finally eroded by chaos, I was able to emerge.


    I didn''t, though, because I knew I would need fresh blood or divine power as soon as I stepped out. So I stayed in a half-asleep state. Not long ago, the Holy Herbal Garden finally landed at this place, which gave me a chance to successfully come out."


    "So that explains it. Our arrival enabled you to come out," Ricky said.


    "That''s right. Only to end up shackled to someone else," the Evil Mandrago


    ng, and the others leaped into the Holy Pond to cultivate, too. The energy in the Holy Pond was enough for all of them to advance further.


    They had stayed for seven days before they left.


    The energy in the Holy Pond had been completely absorbed by them. Ricky and the others had sufficiently replenished their blood. Although their blood essence was not fully recovered, they would definitely recover to their peak states in twenty days.


    After absorbing the energy in the Holy Pond, all of them had reached their peak states, and in no time, each of them would definitely make a breakthrough.


    Of course for people like Ricky and Jasper, they might not break through until they left the Heavenly Void.


    This time, they were fully loaded.


    As for the warriors of the Nether Manor and the Endless Shadow, Ricky just ignored them. They were sworn enemies, so Ricky would not show them mercy. He did not want to kill them, though. He just let them find their own way through the maze.


    As for the warriors of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, Ricky told the Evil Mandragora to lead them out for Pearl''s sake and because Nestor had helped Soar.


    Ricky and the others were just leaving the Holy Herbal Garden when the people of the five great dynasties finally came in. Finding a totally plundered Holy Herbal Garden, they fumed with rage.


    Ricky and his companions met them once again.

 Chapter 933 Rest And Leave

    The people of the five great dynasties felt the brand new emptiness of the place. The great opportunity had been taken, and they were ready to kill those who had taken it.


    They regretted letting Ricky and his companions get inside. They should have fought them outside the Holy Herbal Garden.


    Unfortunately, they had not made that choice because they were a little afraid of the possible cooperation of all the creatures on the continent against them.


    They also wondered how Ricky and his companions had entered the Holy Herbal Garden before them. When it came to combat strength, the five great dynasties obviously had more warriors who were close to demi-spiritual emperors and completed spiritual kings at peak state than Ricky''s team.


    "Everyone, we have been tricked," a powerful warrior from the Great Sun Dynasty said.


    Two among the five great dynasties were the Great Sun Dynasty and the Great Bright Dynasty.


    "Everything here should be controlled by the people of the five great dynasties. Outsiders are only lucky enough to set foot in this place because of our kindness," said another powerful warrior.


    "Jasper, you and your companions are really extraordinary. I believe that you have some means to easily break the ban of the chaotic power," Shawn said to Jasper coldly.


    "That is none of your business. Treasures from Heaven and Earth belong to whoever gets them. So, everyone, please don''t take one more step or you will die painfully," Jasper warned.


    "Nestor, how did you get in the Holy Herbal Garden?" Ricky asked Nestor telepathically.


    "By Alden''s evil spirit," Nestor answered. "Alden had cultivated his evil spirit to an advanced level, and the evil spirit didn''t fear the chaotic power. Together with the power of the others from the Nether Manor, we broke the ban very quickly."


    "I see. It seems that we should never underestimate the evil spirit," Ricky conceded.


    "You''re right. Whoever gets the Treasures from Heaven and Earth will possess them," a powerful warrior from the Great Evil Dynasty sneered at Jasper. "We''ll just kill all of you then. That will work, right?"


    With that, all th


    enly Void. The Heavenly Void was going to open once again.


    When the space power dipped to the extreme, they heard intense roars. Undoubtedly, the spiritual emperors from the Eastern Land were attacking the exit of the Heavenly Void.


    Soon, some black passages appeared in the Heavenly Void.


    They quickly left through these passages.


    In a trance, they all came out and were immediately wrapped in the ruling power of the spiritual emperors, allowing them to withstand the power of the storms in the sky.


    The spiritual emperors of the Eastern Land were willing to protect the creatures from the Heavenly Void out of a sense of morality.


    On the other hand, all the disciples of the Nether Manor, the Endless Shadow, and the Northern Array Sect had been completely annihilated. None of them came out.


    As the passages closed with none of their disciples emerging, the faces of the spiritual emperors of those three forces turned gloomy and then angry. They certainly could understand what had happened.


    Immediately, intense killing intent began to overwhelm the entire void under their ruling power.


    The spiritual emperors of the Nether Manor, the Endless Shadow, and the Northern Array Sect surrounded the warriors of the Oriental College.


    The fiercest battle in the whole Eastern Land, one among spiritual emperors, was about to take place. The atmosphere tensed and stilled, the calm before the fatal storm.

 Chapter 934 Start Fighting

    "Isaac, Winston, are you two going to fight?" the Oriental Emperor asked coldly as the spiritual emperors of the three large forces surrounded him.


    Isaac was the strongest among the three vice chiefs of the Nether Manor, and Winston was the second leader of the Endless Shadow. These two spiritual emperors were no weaker than the Oriental Emperor.


    "It''s up to you," Isaac replied indifferently. "Our disciples were annihilated while your disciples passed through safely. That can only mean your disciples killed our disciples."


    "Humph!" the Oriental Emperor sneered. "Your disciples didn''t come out because they were not strong enough. You can''t blame others for that. Besides, my disciples are not the ones to blame for your disciples'' deaths."


    "Let me ask them, and I will know the truth," Isaac said, looking at the disciples of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce and the White King Tiger tribe.


    The disciples of the White King Tiger tribe did not talk much. They were just quietly sending some information to their two elders, the White Emperor and the Black Emperor. It was obvious that they were talking about Jefferson.


    On the side of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce, Nestor kept his promise and did not say anything. He even urged his fellow disciples to keep quiet.


    But he had no authority over the Luxurious Emperor.


    Pressed by the Luxurious Emperor''s gaze, several disciples of the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce revealed the truth. They claimed that everything was done by Jasper and Ricky. They also told the Luxurious Emperor that Ricky and Jasper got the opportunity of the Holy Herbal Garden.


    They did not say how powerful Hannah and the Evil Mandragora were, because no matter how strong they were, they were just insects compared to the might of the spiritual emperors.


    "I should have killed them when I had the chance," Soar said through gritted teeth.


    "It doesn''t matter if we kill them or not. The spiritual emperors of the Nether Manor and the Endless Shadow will not let us go either way,"


    Ricky mused.


    "Let''s just wait and see if they really want to take action."


    "Oriental Emperor, a


    They were outnumbered two to one. The Oriental College was off to a bad start.


    "Ricky, we''re in trouble now!" Soar panicked.


    In a battle between two spiritual emperors with similar strength, the field was even and anyone could win, but if two spiritual emperors fought against one spiritual emperor, the one was bound to lose painfully. If they got seriously injured, the Oriental Emperor and the Evil Emperor would not be able to protect them.


    "Stay calm. Let me think," Ricky said seriously.


    The only thing he could think of was escaping.


    "Evil Mandragora, how powerful are you?" Ricky asked the Evil Mandragora telepathically.


    His instinct told him that the Evil Mandragora was their best shot.


    "I can easily kill them. Among the spiritual emperors, they are only lower spiritual emperors. I''m a middle spiritual emperor. Although I haven''t completely recovered, they are completely no match for me," the Evil Mandragora answered proudly.


    "Then please help us. In return, I will give you divine power," Ricky said.


    "I''m your prisoner. Since I don''t want to die, I''ll naturally choose to help you. But are you sure about this?" the Evil Mandragora asked.


    "What do you mean?" Ricky said, confused.


    "I''m cultivating the real evil spirit, so when I attack, I''ll be regarded as a Great Devil. You should realize the consequences if I''m regarded as your companion," the Evil Mandragora explained.

 Chapter 935 The Old Oriental Emperor Appeared

    Upon hearing the Evil Mandragora''s words, Ricky fell silent.


    That was because what she had said made perfect sense. Now that she possessed a level of power higher than that of their opponents, she would not experience much difficulty the moment her decision to stand out during the battle and defeat those spiritual emperors was resolved. On the other hand, since she cultivated the Genuine Evil Spirit, she would then be viewed as a devil.


    If they found that she had arrived here together with Ricky, then they would think that Ricky was in collusion with devils.


    As such, any details and news about the current fight here today would quickly spread throughout the entire Eastern Land.


    Maybe no one in the Eastern Land dared to stand up and fight Ricky, but that did not eliminate the possibility that the powerful spiritual emperors in the other lands, including those in the Middle Land, would appear. When that happened, Ricky would face numerous powerful enemies.


    It was possible that no one except for his friends would believe that he truly had nothing to do with the devils.


    "Oh, thank you for reminding me about that, Evil Mandragora. Perhaps, you should try not to fight in public in the future," Ricky remarked in a low and serious voice.


    Boom! Suddenly, a loud roar resounded through the void. The battle among the twelve great spiritual emperors had reached the white-hot stage. The Oriental Emperor and the Evil Emperor seemed close to reaching defeat. There was truly no chance of victory for each of them after fighting against two spiritual emperors at the same time.


    "Oriental Emperor, let me give you a piece of advice. Stop being so stubborn. Give the ten disciples to us. If you don''t cooperate, then you already know the consequences that will take place!" Isaac strongly warned his opponent once again.


    "Cut the crap," the Oriental Emperor yelled back in a firm and loud voice. "For a very long time, you have been plotting everything that is taking place right now. Yet why do you still keep on talking so much nonsense? There is no denying the fact that you are able to kill me. Still, one of you must die." His ruling power had increased to the maximum.


    Isaac and Winston were in disbelief. Their pupils abruptly shrank in response to the Oriental Emperor''s words. The Oriental Emperor was right. If they managed to successfully kill the Oriental Emperor, then it was very likely that one of them would also perish and join him in his death.


    However, Isaac and Winston were able to regain their composure quickly. Besides, if they were not absolutely sure of winning, then they would not have decided to fight against the Oriental College in the first place.


    Isaac retorted in a sinister and mischievous tone, "Oriental Emperor, such being the case, your Oriental College will be completely ruined and along with its downfall, its long history will instantly crumble to dust." While speaking, the evil spirit around him had already gathered and reached its maximum


    Misty South, I won''t let the Oriental Emperor and the Evil Emperor die in my stead," Ricky declared.


    Although the real reason for the fight was the exaggerated ambition shared by the Nether Manor and the Endless Shadow, Ricky still served as a blasting fuse. Therefore, he believed he was also the one to blame and he should take responsibility.


    Wasting no more time, Ricky decided to release Doris'' mutant.


    Bang! However, before he was able to do that, there was stronger ruling power that had already begun to spread in the void. The said mighty ruling power directly crushed the attacks of both Isaac and Winston.


    Seeing what had happened, all the other groups currently engaged in battle abruptly halted.


    A furious voice came through. "Up until this time, there hasn''t been any force able to destroy our Oriental College yet. At least, there isn''t any force in the whole Eastern Land capable of doing that!"


    Then, an old man showed up. It was the Old Oriental Emperor.


    "Old Oriental Emperor!" Although his appearance was sudden and unexpected, all the disciples of the Oriental College were very excited to see him.


    The Oriental Emperor and the Evil Emperor also uttered a sigh of relief.


    "Old Oriental Emperor, you finally arrived," Isaac said coldly, his eyes casting a gloomy expression.


    The Old Oriental Emperor found it difficult to contain his anger. "If I hadn''t shown up, you guys would go ahead and act wildly here as if you own the entire place, right?" The Old Oriental Emperor launched an attack against Isaac as soon as he finished speaking.


    "Now that you declared you would destroy my Oriental College, show me how powerful you are!"


    "Evil Mandragora, just how powerful is the Old Oriental Emperor?" Ricky asked telepathically.


    "Well, he is about to be a middle spiritual emperor very soon. That means he can defeat all the spiritual emperors here with ease," the Evil Mandragora answered. "It seems that I don''t need to blow my cover and fight after all."

 Chapter 936 Five Strong Warriors

    "It''s not that simple..." Ricky grumbled in a low voice to himself after he heard what the Evil Mandragora said.


    "Pay attention!" the Evil Mandragora told him sternly, irritated by his grumbling.


    "There are four spiritual emperors on their way here, and three of them are close to the level of a middle spiritual emperor, and the last..." Her voice trailed off at this point. "What about the last one?" Ricky couldn''t help but ask when it didn''t seem like the Evil Mandragora was going to continue.


    "The last one is a real middle spiritual emperor. Although he is trying to conceal his power, I still sensed it," she continued. "And I''m sure he didn''t become a middle spiritual emperor recently.


    Even if I fight against him, I''m afraid it will only be a draw at most."


    "A middle spiritual emperor? How could that be? There shouldn''t be such a powerful warrior in the Eastern Land!" Ricky protested, but although he was baffled, he didn''t doubt the Evil Mandragora''s senses.


    "Old friend, do you think it is appropriate for you to join the battle?" At this time, a voice suddenly rang in the air. Wherever the voice passed through, the ruling power pervaded and evolved into a bloody giant sword.


    It was the bloody giant sword that helped Isaac resist the Old Oriental Emperor''s attack.


    Out of the darkness, came forth a middle-aged man clothed in black. Ricky could tell from the bloody giant sword and the blood killing power he emitted, that he must be Brad, the top leader of the Endless Shadow.


    What made Ricky surprised was that Brad looked exactly like the Shadow King of the Realm of Wildness. Their tones of voice and the cruelties that adorned their eyes were eerily similar as if they had been cut from the same flesh.


    For those who didn''t know them, it would be easy to mistake them for the same person.


    But Ricky was certain that they were not the same person, because Brad didn''t even look at him, and he was sure that he killed the Shadow King of the Realm of Wildness.


    Ricky remembered that the Shadow King of the Realm of Wildness had transformed into blood essence after death, and it made him wonder, ''Do all the leaders of the Endless Shadow have the same appearance?''


    ...


    "Brad, long time no see!" The Oriental Emperor''s face grew somber as soon as he l


    ned to be partners then. But how can we weasel out of this mess?" Jasper asked him in a whisper. This time, Ricky kept his silence, while in his mind, he was asking himself the same question.


    "This is not a battle.


    All my disciples have been killed. Why can''t I seek justice for them?" Brad asked them seriously.


    "Ha-ha, Brad, it''s all right to avenge your disciples, but the battle is to unify the whole Eastern Land, right?" A loud voice suddenly sounded from all around them.


    "As the saying goes, what goes around, comes around."


    The voice centered into one location, and a black figure appeared at once.


    The figure was surrounded by evil spirits all over his body, and a black mask adorned his face so that it obscured his true guise.


    Needless to say, this was the chief of the Nether Manor¡ªNorris.


    When he appeared, the Old Oriental Emperor, Wilbur, and Todd immediately tensed. The air around them thickened with barely disguised hostility.


    "I haven''t seen you three for a long time!" Norris greeted them with a smile.


    "Indeed, Norris. Since when have you started wearing a mask? If it weren''t for your voice, I wouldn''t have recognized you," Todd replied faintly.


    "Ha-ha, it''s my honor that you can recognize my voice!" answered Norris, as he jokingly gave a lazy salute.


    "There''s no need for you to say that. Do you want to unify the entirety of Eastern Land?" asked Todd impatiently. His question threw them for a loop in its directness, and everyone quieted in anticipation of Norris'' answer.

 Chapter 937 The Powerful Middle Spiritual Emperor

    "It''s just natural for someone strong to guide and unify this land. Don''t you think so, Todd?" Norris stated an undeniable fact with a little smirk on his lips.


    "And...you want to be that ''strong'' someone, am I right?" replied Todd in a displeased tone.


    "I think it''s useless to describe anyone as ''strong''. In fact, everyone has to prove that he has the most powerful strength. If that person can''t, then he will die."


    "Haha, don''t think of me as a fool! Of course, I know that. Otherwise, I would not have mentioned it in the first place," Norris responded. "But if he could prove to us that he is worthy of his strength, then everyone who has the guts to disobey him will surely die. Are we on the same page, Todd?"


    Meanwhile, Todd, the Old Oriental Emperor, and Wilbur all could not help but frown upon hearing his words.


    At that time, Norris was quite confident that he would win over them. After all, they were rivals for a long time now and he was aware of what they were capable of.


    "Evil Mandragora, can''t the three powerful men who are already close to being the middle spiritual emperors defeat a middle spiritual emperor?" Ricky asked in a hushed tone.


    "I believe that no one except a real ace genius can defeat a warrior of a higher level, especially when both of them are spiritual emperors," Evil Mandragora answered back. "Otherwise, the quantitative superiority will only delay the defeat more or less."


    Bang!


    Just then, the evil spirit momentum that surrounded Norris'' body had blown up. Taking a few steps forward, he suddenly emerged in front of Todd. Norris raised his balled fist and threw a Devil''s Fist directed towards Todd.


    Seeing the attack, Todd''s eyes darkened and became more attentive. Todd was Norris'' old opponent. After chasing at each other''s throat for a long time, he very well knew his opponent''s strengths and weaknesses and used this to his advantage.


    Apart from that, Norris had successfully cultivated the evil spirit up to fifty percent, which was thirty percent higher than the limit of evil spirit cultivation for creatures on the continent. For a thirty percent difference, it was most certainly considered a great gap.


    Meanwhile, Todd did not hesitate for a bit. Gathering his strength, he burst out his momentum to the extreme, condensing his power into a big palm.


    As it turned out, the power that spread around Todd was the Eight Diagrams power. Upon realizing what it was, Ricky knew that this was also the power that Jasper used. Turning into a palm, the power of Eight Diagrams crashed with Norris'' Devil''s Fist.


    "That''s the power of Eight Diagrams!" Ricky shouted at the sight of Todd''s attack.


    However, everybody, excluding those spiritual emperors, seemed to share the same shock as Ricky.


    They had some knowledge about the power of Eight Diagrams, more or less. Thus, they knew at the back of their heads


    Todd asked. He had no other choice. At that moment, it was either he did what Norris wanted him to do or for him to surrender.


    "Well, I''m glad you asked. But. it''s not a big deal. From now on, I want all of you to cultivate in my palace. As for matters of your own forces, I''ll send my men to deal with them," Norris said as he smiled from ear to ear.


    "But of course, first thing''s first¡ªI still have to avenge my disciples."


    Crack! Crack!


    Hearing Norris'' words, Todd, Wilbur, and the Old Oriental Emperor all clenched their hands tightly out of impulse. The sound of bones breaking resounded through the entire void under the angry ruling power.


    Of course, they would not really let Norris kill Ricky, Jasper, and their companions. And besides, they would not tolerate Norris'' condition that they cultivated in Norris'' palace. If they were to follow his condition, then it would also be the same as being imprisoned in that palace.


    As supreme emperors, they all stood at the peak level of the Eastern Land, which meant that their pride did not allow them to be imprisoned.


    Moreover, from the beginning, they had already understood what could potentially happen if they entered the palace. They knew that once they stepped foot in that place, they would have little to no chance of going out.


    "Why the long faces? Is there anything wrong with my condition?" Norris asked with a smile as he saw the rage burning in their faces


    Only this time, the three of them chose not to answer back. Instead, they responded to Norris with the terrifying ruling power on their body.


    Being supreme emperors, they would rather accept the fate of being killed than to live and be insulted to their core.


    They weighed the consequences of succumbing to Norris'' wishes. If they surrendered, then the disciples might think less of them. What was worse was that these disciples might be disheartened in pursuing martial arts.

 Chapter 938 Brads Attack

    "It seems that you''re not willing to accept that, my old friends?" Norris said darkly. He was not surprised to see Todd, Wilbur, and the Old Oriental Emperor, with angry expressions.


    As a matter of fact, he was actually deliberately provoking them, for he had no other reasons to impose that condition besides to prick their inflated egos. As a spiritual emperor himself, he knew the pride of one too well.


    Norris believed that these three might temporarily work with him, but they would never surrender to him and be fully loyal to him. They would constantly look for any chance they could to kill him, and he would need to sleep with his one eye open. In the future, it would be highly possible for them to break through and become middle spiritual emperors too. If that happened, they would be on par with him, and they could defeat him if they banded together.


    And so, it would be stupid to let them go. It would be like taking in a feral dog that would bite the hand that fed it without any second thought. This was why, from the very beginning, Norris had planned to kill the Old Oriental Emperor, Wilbur, and Todd.


    "Don''t overestimate yourself!"


    Boom! As Norris spoke, he let go of the limits on his strength and instantly gave off his momentum as a middle spiritual emperor.


    With the effect of the nether ruling power, the entire void had evolved into his domain, and all the spiritual emperors and disciples around would have only one thought¡ª''Surrender to him.".


    Fortunately for others, Norris'' ruling power only targeted three people¡ªTodd, Wilbur, and the Old Oriental Emperor. Otherwise, all the disciples on the airships would have turned into dust.


    "Go!" the Old Oriental Emperor and the other two bellowed with one voice. Their Ruling Worlds merged into one in an instant, and they all burst out their most powerful skills, which rushed to Norris at the same time.


    "Now, let me show you how a real middle spiritual emperor fights!" Norris'' voice echoed in a sinister tone, and he didn''t even flinch when the merged strongest attacks came for him.


    Instead, he clapped his hands, and the dense evil spirit ruling power around him formed into the shape of a python.


    He integrated with the python-shaped evil spirit ruling power. When he and the evil spirit were united, the shadow of a ferocious devil showed up.


    "I wonder if they can work together to manage to resist the attack," Jasper said in a low voice. "In my opinion, Norris seems to be a real devil."


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    o Ricky''s stubborn will.


    She turned away from him and got ready to fight Norris.


    Whoosh!


    Scarlet sword shadows suddenly materialized all over the void. A black figure stood behind each of these scarlet sword shadows.


    In a flash, these countless scarlet sword shadows merged into a bloody giant sword, and the figures behind them merged as well. It was Brad, the top leader of Endless Shadow.


    Bang! Wrapped by strong blood killing power, Brad''s sword dashed towards Norris.


    Despite all his power, the attack took Norris by surprise. And while he was in a daze, his counterattack was greatly weakened.


    As a result, Norris was stabbed by the sudden attack of the sword. A deep bloodstain that reeked of blood killing power was left on his chest, and it was so soaked in power that it would take some time before it was fully cleansed.


    The spectators in the void were surprised at this development, and a ray of hope peaked in their little heads. They were initially confused since they thought that Brad and Norris were allies, but they rejoiced too, now that their enemies were fighting among themselves.


    A deep silence reigned in the void, but it was soon broken by Brad. He shook his head and said, "No wonder you''re a middle spiritual emperor. Even with my sudden attack, you weren''t fatally injured."


    There was a grimace of frustration on his face. He had only tolerated Norris because he was waiting for an opportunity to attack him by surprise.


    But unfortunately, he still failed, which once again proved the great power of a middle spiritual emperor. And now that he had lost the element of surprise, he was at a great disadvantage.

 Chapter 939 The Principle Of The Endless Shadow

    "Ricky...did Brad just move?" Soar''s whisper sounded loud in the silence of the place, as he continued to stare wide-eyed at Brad.


    "You are right, but I don''t know why Brad attacked Norris. I never thought he would do something like this," Ricky answered him, and from his startled expression, he was as surprised as Soar.


    "How...how is this possible?" Even Jasper couldn''t believe what just happened. He murmured lowly, "I thought that the Endless Shadow had a strong alliance with the Nether Manor, and it was even rumored that Norris didn''t trust anyone, even his deputy chiefs, except for Brad."


    "What is going on?" Varying expressions of astonishment could be found on everyone''s faces, and their eyes swung quickly from Brad to Norris, then back to Brad again.


    At that moment, all of them were as clueless as newborn babies, and only Brad, Winston, and Hubert probably knew the reason behind Brad''s betrayal.


    All their eyes shifted to Norris, as he slowly got up with a bloodthirsty look on his face. Blood was slowly dripping down his cheeks, which added to the feral and menacing aura he was radiating.


    "Brad, you shouldn''t have betrayed me!" he snarled at Brad.


    "Norris, I know you will never trust anyone, especially in this martial world where the weak fall prey to the strong," Brad sneered.


    "You are right. I don''t trust anyone. I only trusted you because I wanted to take advantage of the Endless Shadow," said Norris with unusual honesty. Brad might have thought that he outsmarted him, but he had been stringing him all along! He continued, "But I really don''t understand why you dared to betray me. There''s nothing in it for you, only death! And I never planned to kill anyone from the Endless Shadow."


    At that moment, Norris'' curiosity over Brad''s actions overpowered his anger over Brad''s betrayal. He just couldn''t understand why Brad chose to betray him.


    From what he knew of Brad, he was the kind of person that put profit above all else. He wasn''t someone who would sacrifice his life for others. Why would he choose to betray him now?


    "Be honest, what kind of person do you think I am?" Brad asked him casually. He could see that Norris was struggling to accept that he was betrayed, and it amused


    ncerned, you are talking nonsense.


    The reason why our people can cultivate the evil spirit is that our Omnipotent Skill is excellent. Enough about this ridiculous story of us selling our souls!" Norris roared.


    "Ha-ha, really? But I believe all the creatures here are clear about what I''ve said," Brad said with a smile. "Today, you may be able to kill all of us, but the truth of what you do will spread far and wide.


    By then, there will be more powerful spiritual emperors who hate devils coming after you. Consider us the stepping stones, if you will."


    "You are looking for death! Since you have betrayed me, go to hell!" Norris said angrily. In the next moment, the blood killing power and the wound on his chest completely disappeared, as the evil spirit surged around them.


    This was the power of a middle spiritual emperor.


    "Let''s have a go, then. I suddenly realize that I have never done something as righteous as this before. It would be good for me if I were to die like this," Brad told him, a smirk etched on his lips.


    "Brad, thanks for giving us time!" Suddenly, Todd''s voice resounded in the battlefield. All three had recovered, and they burst out their momentum at the same time.


    As Brad and Norris talked, they had used up all the Treasures from Heaven and Earth and the advanced healing pills they had, so they could recover quickly.


    Finally, now that they had recovered, they would have another chance to kill Norris. And this chance would be their last.

 Chapter 940 Evil Mandragora Took Action

    "We are different from other factions. We are killers, and we have our unique principles that we follow. Despite that, I am willing to fight with you against these devils," Brad said lowly after Todd and the two others finished speaking.


    "I will work with you because we are facing the same enemy, but after this, we will go back to our ways, which is against this world."


    ''Maybe assassins are the most straightforward people in the world. They go straight to the point without hesitation. They return favors to those who are good to them, and take revenge on those who''ve done them wrong, '' Ricky thought ruefully when he heard Brad''s promise.


    "I agree with you, Brad. Let''s deal with Norris first. We will thank you later." After he said that, Todd nodded at the others, and they encircled Norris at once.


    "You are a bunch of nobodies! Even if you try to band together against me, you will never win!" Norris was almost hissing in outrage, as the others prepared to unite against him.


    "Devil''s skill¡ªHand of Evil Buddha!"


    Before the others were able to form their attacks, the demonic mist started to surround Norris. It mingled with the evil ruling power and the power generated from the earth, and he knitted his hands together until the dark evil spirit condensed into a giant hand. And then, a shadow appeared in the darkness. From every angle that they could see, it looked like a real devil.


    "Norris'' evil spirit is so pure, just like that of a Great Devil. Brad is right. It seems that Norris had sold his soul to the evil spirit, and perhaps, so did all people in the Nether Manor," Ricky said with resentment.


    "I never would have expected that the Nether Manor has colluded with the devils," said Jasper, who shared the anger and resentment that Ricky felt at that moment.


    Boom!


    The shadow that resembled a devil roared, as the evil hand hit the ground. In the blink of an eye, the power from the hand divided into four strands and dashed towards Todd and the others.


    The four people braced themselves and gathered all their strength to resist the descending power from the Hand of Evil Buddha.


    A few moments later, a great crashing sound echoed throughout the entire void. The layers of space broke in an instant, and it seemed that some primitive power emanated from there. Among an endless sea of mist, the giant hand stood firm and continued to release four strands of power.


    Bang! Bang!


    The waves suddenly erupted with the force of a thousand volcanoes. Four figures bounced again


    id that no single devil could stay safe in the Misty South. You can only survive with my help."


    "I am indeed a devil, but devils only befriend other devils. It''s not my style to collude with creatures like you, who are neither human nor devil. I would rather kill you," the Evil Mandragora sneered.


    "She is truly a devil!" What she had said was enough of a confirmation, and it incensed the spectators once again.


    But even if the Evil Mandragora denied it, they probably wouldn''t believe her, for they were already convinced that she was a devil.


    "You would rather kill me?


    Don''t be so full of yourself!" Norris'' face had reddened in anger, incensed that the Evil Mandragora dared to belittle him. "Are you sure your Genuine Evil Spirit can suppress my sixty-percent Genuine Evil Spirit?"


    "Evil Mandragora, stop talking to him. Kill him now!" Ricky''s voice called out from the side.


    Once again, the people who were watching exploded into a commotion.


    "Evil Mandragora is really under Ricky''s command!" With wide eyes and flapping lips, people continued to gossip about Ricky, as they got confirmation that the devil was working under his command.


    Meanwhile, Ricky watched the people bicker about him impassively. He had expected just as much from them, and soon, they would probably turn on him.


    The appearance of the Evil Mandragora had surely frightened them, and even if Ricky saved the warriors, they would still be convinced that Ricky had colluded with the devils.


    Ricky looked around helplessly, and then announced with great reluctance, "I am dropping out of the Oriental College. And from now on, I have nothing to do with them, nor they with me!"

 Chapter 941 The Grand Seal Array Of Four Devils

    Meanwhile, tension rose in the air as silence prevailed. With shock in their eyes, everyone present could not help but stare at Ricky.


    At once, they had figured it out. Ricky said this only because he didn''t want to involve the Oriental College with the issue. After all, the creatures on the continent would find it offensive if he stayed with the devils.


    Meanwhile, the Old Oriental Emperor, Jasper, and others all looked at Ricky and shook their heads as they tried to convince him otherwise.


    "Oh, come on. Don''t be so silly, Ricky. The Oriental College leaves no one behind! We stand united as always!" the Old Oriental Emperor directly said. "Don''t worry about it. After all, it is clear that everyone in here knows who connived with the devils."


    "Silence! I''ve made up my mind. I don''t want to hear any more about this!" Ricky shouted.


    Ricky had to do this. Reading minds was never an easy task. Ricky might have saved these people but they would most likely remember that Ricky would not have been able to save them if it weren''t for the devils'' help. In that sense, they might even think that Ricky sided with the devils.


    He could gamble as much as he wanted, but unfortunately, the people didn''t have the luxury of doing so.


    On the other hand, there was only one way on how Ricky would be able to deal with this¡ªthrough leaving the Oriental College.


    "Evil Mandragora, move!" Ricky said in a serious tone.


    ''I knew that I would leave one day, but I never expected that I would be forced to do so, '' Ricky thought. ''But mark my words, I will come back one day.''


    Boom! At this moment, the Ruling Worlds of both the Evil Mandragora and Norris crumbled.


    Countless enormous Devil''s Fists and Devil''s Punches materialized in that world. With each of these attacks equipped with the incomparable strength of a middle spiritual emperor, any world would surely be destroyed once they struck.


    All the living beings in that world were clearly shaken as they could not bear the superior force that lingered around them at that moment. Luckily, the Evil Mandragora was able to resist the formidable power that fell on their land.


    Meanwhile, inside the Evil Mandragora''s world, petals grew one by one and shot forward like sharp blades, colliding with the Devil''s Punches and the Devil''s Fists.


    These attacks evolved from the peak state of the ruling power from both sides, which eventually became their strongest force.


    Upon the powerful collision, the evil spirit was destroyed into dust. The wave swept everything away,


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    of any emergency, I have already set up a demonic array here.


    To be honest, we were lucky enough to set it up. Otherwise, all that I have done would have been destroyed by this damn woman."


    Boom! As soon as he finished his words, the four spiritual emperors of the Nether Manor activated the light pillars on their bodies using their blood essence power. Soon after, the evil spirit power spread around, covering the entire space.


    At that time, everything in the void was covered with the evil spirit power and the bloody killing power.


    Aside from that, all the creatures here were trapped in the array, along with the space being blocked.


    In fact, it was believed that the Nether Manor must have killed many creatures. Otherwise, they would have never been able to set up this grand array.


    "Grand Seal Array of Four Devils! Get up!"


    Their voices echoed, and thick black lines started to appear on the echogenic mass, turning the strong force into the Devil''s Fists and Devil''s Punches.


    Afterwards, a huge devil''s shadow suddenly appeared behind the four spiritual emperors from the Nether Manor, respectively.


    At that moment, it looked like a demonic world had been formed here.


    Meanwhile, the Grand Seal Array of Four Devils completely formed.


    Under this array, all creatures felt that a demonic claw was holding their necks tightly. As long as these demonic claws scratched, they could most likely die of asphyxiation.


    "Ha-ha, Grand Seal Array of Four Devils! We have already spent about twenty years to form it with a large amount of evil spirit and blood. Today, you are blessed for it is a worthy death for you!" Norris laughed loudly as he taunted his enemies.

 Chapter 942 The Last Strike

    "All of you, go to hell!"


    Norris said in a menacing tone, as killing intent flowed profusely from his body. The bloody aura that oozed from him was enough to stop the people in their tracks.


    "Leslie, can you recognize the center of the array?" Ricky asked through their telepathic link.


    "Ricky, this array is different from other complicated arrays. It has no lines on it, but it is gathered by the evil spirit power of the four spiritual emperors from the Nether Manor and exorbitant amounts of blood," explained Leslie, although his tone sounded tired and confused. He had extensive knowledge of complicated arrays, but this array was throwing him for a loop.


    "I can think of only one way to break it. Let''s overwhelm it with power!"


    "Is that so?" Ricky asked though he was talking mostly to himself. He turned to the Evil Mandragora then, with a pensive expression on his face.


    "Evil Mandragora, are you sure you can do it?" Ricky asked worriedly.


    "Honestly, I''m not sure. If I''m strong enough, I could find a way out, but the power of this array is far beyond me," the Evil Mandragora answered, as she shook her head in dismay.


    "If I gave you the divine power, can you resist it?" Ricky asked lowly. They were in a tremendously difficult situation now, because he hadn''t expected the Nether Manor to be so prepared against them. If it hadn''t been for the Evil Mandragora''s help, they would have died already. At the rate they had been going, it would be impossible to force out the Nether Manor''s trump card.


    "Ricky, the divine power is remarkably powerful, but I''m not a holy being, so I can''t recover quickly with its help. But if I get enough blood, I can recover instantly," she answered with a hesitant smile because she knew that Ricky couldn''t provide what she needed.


    "Blood? Where would I find blood for you? Even if I have blood, I won''t sacrifice innocent people just to survive!" Ricky retorted in surprise at her requirement, but the Evil Mandragora just shook her head at him as if he was a child that couldn''t understand how the world truly worked.


    "In the law of the jungle, there is no such thing as killing without good reason. Look at the creatures you saved. They are grateful to you but only for a short while. After that, they will only see you as a traitor who colluded with the devils," the Evil Mandragora calmly explained.


    "You should live for yourself and for the per


    The huge demonic pillars began to screech loudly, and ghost figures came out one by one. These ghosts were formed by the resentments from those who were killed for forming this array.


    Obviously, this was controlled by the four Nether Manor spiritual emperors. The power of the resentments was so powerful that it could even increase the bloody power.


    "Everyone, if you believe me, please give me your power!" the Evil Mandragora said loudly to the Old Oriental Emperor and his companions, aware that they might reject her just because she was a devil.


    To her surprise, they agreed. "Go ahead! Please use our power!"


    She was their only hope now. So they had no other options but to trust her.


    "Ricky, if possible, give me your chaotic power as well!" The Evil Mandragora told Ricky with her internal power.


    "What can you do with my chaotic power?" Ricky huffed, astonished that she would even want his measly chaotic power. It was nothing compared to her power, so he was surprised to hear that she needed it too. He wasn''t belittling himself, of course. But the truth was that he was too weak in front of a middle spiritual emperor, so did his chaotic power.


    "Ricky, it seems that you still don''t understand the chaotic power. Keep in mind that it isn''t something that is divided into different grades. Believe me, no stronger power could match the chaotic power," the Evil Mandragora explained to Ricky.


    "I really don''t understand, but if you say you need it, then I will give it all to you!" Ricky shouted as he gave all the chaotic power to her.


    "Go to attack them, my mandragora flowers!"

 Chapter 943 Leaving

    At this moment, the Evil Mandragora''s momentum burst and combined the power of all the spiritual emperors and Ricky''s chaotic power.


    All of the power condensed into a single devil shadow. At the back of her mind, she knew that she was able to integrate these forces because of Ricky''s chaotic power. Without it, it would be difficult for her to integrate the power of these spiritual emperors.


    This was the advantage of the chaotic power. It could take all kinds of different forces, and even incompatible forces, and make them into a perfect combination.


    She joined her hands together with the shadow, and huge petals of evil spirit flew out from all around her and instantly turned into a huge Mandragora.


    All the power she had integrated earlier was gathered in the center of this Mandragora. Surrounded by evil spirits, it crashed heavily into the Devil Pillar.


    The two streams of power appeared like two gigantic stars in the sky, as they collided with each other. In the center of the collision, a huge channel of light was formed.


    The waves intertwined, like two vast oceans, surging and colliding.


    Boom! Chaos reigned throughout the battlefield, and for a second, it looked like it was the end of the world. It was as if the power that was unleashed could erase even mountains and seas.


    Fortunately, the Evil Mandragora followed Ricky''s instruction and controlled the huge Mandragora to resist the spreading power. Otherwise, even with just the waves alone, the power could have killed all the disciples within the vicinity, and not just once but a thousand times.


    Several elders and some disciples of the Nether Manor could not bear such strong waves at all. They were pulled under the titanic waves until they disappeared completely.


    However, the four imperial emperors of the Nether Manor didn''t budge. They stood unwavering as mountains in the face of a fierce storm.


    The truth was that the Evil Mandragora wasn''t a devil. She just cultivated the evil spirit. But the term devil was more appropriate for her than to call her the Evil Mandragora.


    If she was a devil, only the creatures on the continent would call for her death. Even then, only a few of the most righteous spiritual emperors would take action. It wouldn''t be enough to attract the top masters of the continent.


    But once her real form was exposed as the Mandragora, the top masters and even the old monsters of the continent would surely pursue her, because of the


    rrect these wrong assumptions, because we know that no living creature can bear the accusation of colluding with the devil," said the Evil Emperor.


    Ricky looked up at him in gratitude then, relieved that at least someone believed in his innocence.


    "Thank you so much!" he cried out with a blinding smile.


    Then, Ricky bade farewell to Zenith, Henry, and some other people that he trusted. After he was done with his farewell, the Evil Mandragora took him, Pearl, Hannah, Sheila, and Lori away.


    Soar didn''t leave with them, because he would be leaving with Madeline. That wasn''t much of a surprise, because it was obvious that he was more attached to her than to this land.


    Of course, Ricky and Soar had promised to meet each other in the future somewhere.


    "Ricky, where are you going next?" the Evil Mandragora inquired as they left.


    "I need to go to the stormy ocean that connects the Eastern Land and the Western Land. I will meet Soar there," Ricky answered immediately.


    And once they left the void, he took them into the Massacring Zone, where no one would know their whereabouts.


    Not only would it be safer, but it would also give the Evil Mandragora enough time to recover, or her power could decline again.


    Although she was still a middle spiritual emperor, she no longer had the strength of a middle spiritual emperor. Instead, her strength had declined to the Old Oriental Emperor''s level.


    And so, Ricky let her enter the Divine Manor to recover.


    When she got there, she was dumbfounded at first at the sight of the Divine Manor. At that moment, she finally understood why Ricky had so much divine power.

 Chapter 944 Transforming Omnipotent Skill And Farewell

    After nearly a month''s journey in the Massacring Zone, they finally arrived at the Stormy Sea bordered by the Eastern Land and the Western Land.


    The Stormy Sea encompassed the whole Misty South, in which two lands circled each other.


    It was so vast that no one knew where it started and where it ended, though some claimed it started in chaos and ended in chaos as well. Its substantial size was enough to divide all five lands on the Misty South.


    Boom!


    All they could hear was the loud crashing of waves, deafening and thunderous, as they approached the sea. The clouds were darkened by huge storms that stirred even the sunken vessels in the depths.


    Meanwhile, Ricky and his companions remained inside the Massacring Zone.


    One of the reasons that they lingered inside was the storms that there were quite a few forces in the Stormy Sea. Forces of humans and beasts stayed near the continent, while forces of marine creatures loitered in the sea.


    Another reason was that the forces of marine creatures were said to be stronger than all the forces of the whole Eastern Land, and each of them had territories of their own.


    If Ricky and his companions went out recklessly, something could happen to them. And with the strength of these creatures, they could easily run into trouble again.


    As they waited, Ricky cultivated in seclusion to spend his time productively. He had already reached the peak of the upper spiritual king realm, and his foundation was immutable. He had also absorbed the tremendous energy in the Holy Water. Thus, he could tell that he could make a breakthrough at any time, and it would come naturally.


    But before he broke through, he needed to recover all his blood essence first. If he didn''t, he would take a long time in consolidating his breakthrough. It could also lead to a less stable breakthrough, which could be very dangerous for him. After all, anything gained through unnatural means could only have flawed results.


    As he evolved the blood essence, Ricky took out a Monkey Fruit and a Dark and Light Lotus. These were Sage Level Treasures from Heaven and Earth, all instrumental for the recovery of his blood essence.


    He refined them carefully, his movements sharp and precise, but he handled the precious treasures with all the gentleness his fingers could provide.


    As a result, his results were through the roof! Ricky''s blood essence was fully recovered in five days.


    Of course, the Treasures from Heaven and Earth of Sage Level were the main reasons for his rapid recovery. Without them, it would take him two or three more weeks to recover.


    Once everything was ready, Ricky made a breakthrough without hesitation. It only took two days for him to break through, and he ascended from an upper spiritual king to a completed


    tribe and the Casting Center have also prepared two spiritual space tools of cultivation resources for you. Ricky, you deserve all these.


    So, don''t be too reserved. It isn''t like you."


    "Ha-ha! Jasper, since you put it that way, I won''t decline any longer, or I would seem hypocritical. Anyway, I do lack a lot of things, including cultivation resources, Omnipotent Skills, and cultivation methods," Ricky admitted as he burst into laughter.


    Then, he accepted the Transforming Omnipotent Skill and the cultivation resources from Jasper.


    "Be careful when you go to the Northern Land!" Ricky reminded him, his tone colored by the concern he felt towards Jasper. Jasper just smiled back and said, "Don''t worry about me. I''m sure that I will not be in danger this time. Besides, I am not going there alone. Jefferson promised to come with me. What''s more, he absorbed the heritage of the Massacring Holy Tiger tribe, so he is a lot stronger now."


    "And apart from Jefferson, is Sarah with you too?" Ricky asked, and then he ended up laughing boisterously at the flustered look on Jasper''s face.


    "Alas, even so, I still wish that you and Soar could join us, though impossible," Jasper murmured, and a sigh escaped his down-turned lips.


    A moment of silence passed, as they stared at one another. Then, they burst into laughter at the same time, and the laughter echoed as loud as the waves that crashed from the sea.


    "Ricky, Soar, why don''t we have a drink here before we say goodbye?"


    Jasper suggested, hesitant to leave. And at that point, he would have said any excuse just to stay a little longer with these good companies. Once they had drunk to their hearts'' content, they parted ways with heavy steps. A part of them wanted to stay, but the blood that sang in their veins pushed them forward, into the separate ways of their martial arts.

 Chapter945 Practicing The Skill

    ''I have to come back in three years. And by the time I come back, I will be a spiritual emperor then, '' Ricky thought to himself. He stood midair with a pensive look on his face, as he stared at the distant sea in the direction of the Eastern Land.


    After that, they wrapped up their business and left the Stormy Sea. With hearts that were burning with determination, they headed for the Western Land.


    Soar, Pearl and the others followed Hugh and Amanda, as they walked over the sea. With the power of the windstorm that was ever-present in the Stormy Sea, they were able to get comprehension that helped improve their speed.


    With their current realms, if they could improve their speed by a little, the next battle''s result could be changed. With effort and determination, this could be their way to achieve victory.


    Thus, they comprehended their martial arts, as they walked over the sea.


    Another reason that they were taking their time was that Amanda told them not to hurry.


    Ricky, on the other hand, planned to cultivate the Transforming Omnipotent Skill in the Massacring Zone. Before they arrived at the Western Land, he was able to cultivate a small amount of the Transforming Omnipotent Skill, so his appearance could be changed.


    Normally, the Transforming Omnipotent Skill had three realms, and these realms were not in sequential order.


    The first realm was called the young realm. Based on the cultivation method of the Transforming Omnipotent Skill, the cultivator could transform himself into a child, about seven or eight years of age.


    ''It can transform me into a child, based on the cultivation method! The Transforming Omnipotent Skill is really unpredictable. I feel like it is more mysterious than my five zones, '' Ricky thought with wonder, amazed and slightly taken aback by the mysteries that the Transforming Omnipotent Skill held.


    If he changed into a child through the Transforming Omnipotent Skill, he could obtain a pure mind. After all, children''s minds were the purest, and owning a pure mind would give him a chance to feel the power of supreme enlightenment.


    Of course, this pure mind was also related to the cultivator''s mentality. The purity of the mind could be divided into ten levels, and once he reached the tenth level, he would have full access to supreme enlightenment.


    However, no one had been able to cultivate a pure mind to the tenth level. Anything that could think for itself had trace amounts of wicked thoughts.


    It was extremely difficult to cultivate that. Throughout history, only a few cultivators had reached the sixth level.


    ''It seems that the heavenly power is cultivated by the Transforming Omnipotent Skill. That means if I can cultivate a higher level of pur


    e the worst thing that could happen, especially if his secret was exposed.


    This process lasted for about two weeks, and it wasn''t until then that Ricky finally adapted to the middle realm. After two weeks'' training, he managed to stay in the middle realm for about two days.


    "It''s time to go out," Ricky announced when he felt that the time was ripe.


    "Ricky, I hope you can become a supreme emperor even in the Western Land," Tina said when she saw that Ricky had recovered his peak state.


    "I do have to reach the spiritual emperor realm as soon as possible. Every time I have to face the enemies, I always feel that my strength is not enough to defeat them. Although a spiritual emperor is not the strongest, I still feel that I am as weak as an ant since I haven''t reached the spiritual emperor realm yet," Ricky sighed, frustration evident in his voice.


    "Tina, in the following days, I should help you remove the evil spirit once again. I think I can help you drive out ten percent of the evil spirit this time. If things go according to plan, this way, your pain will be reduced greatly."


    "Thank you, Ricky!" Tina replied with a grateful smile.


    "You don''t need to be so polite with me," Ricky answered back, as his eyes twinkled in mischief.


    "But the evil spirit is not an urgent issue for the time being. We can take our time. Now that I have broken through and reached the innate realm, the pain I feel has lessened. The most important thing right now, is that you can try once again whether or not your regained spiritual meridian can merge with the Heavenly Meridian."


    When Ricky heard this, he felt like Tina poured ice-cold water over him. He paused, eyes wide in realization, then he answered in a low voice, "You are right. I shouldn''t give up before I try, or everything will be in vain."

 Chapter946 So What If I Dont Have A Heavenly Meridian

    With his legs crossed, Ricky sat down immediately and began to adjust his state of mind. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate heavily. Merging the Heavenly Meridian with their own spiritual meridian was considered to be a sacred event for any creature.


    Standing beside Ricky was Tina, who remained quiet, looking at him intently from time to time.


    After a while, Ricky flipped his hand and three Heavenly Meridians started to appear.


    These three Heavenly Meridians that he held were from Roe, Killer No. 2, and Killer No. 1 respectively. Needless to say, he had obtained several other Heavenly Meridians from other warriors. Aside from what he had, he had given away the rest of his Heavenly Meridians to his other companions, including Sheila and Lori.


    "Come on, Ricky. Don''t think too much. Please try again!" Tina persuaded as soon as she saw the hesitation on Ricky''s face.


    His uncertainty was quite valid. He was hesitant because he didn''t want all of his efforts to be in vain. He had been doing all that he could to become a spiritual emperor. It was all or nothing for him. He didn''t know if he could bear the pain of failing the task, even if he was mentally prepared and determined to succeed in his goal.


    However, he clearly knew that there was nothing else he could do but face whatever result might appear in front of him.


    At first, he didn''t believe that he was unable to break through and enter the spiritual emperor realm even after he had obtained the incredible regained spiritual meridian.


    "Merge!" Ricky, out of the blue, shouted as he made one of the Heavenly Meridians enter his Soul Sea directly and merge with his regained spiritual meridian. Afterwards, he condensed all his power on the Heavenly Meridian, allowing the Heavenly Meridian to fight against his regained spiritual meridian.


    On the downside, Ricky could probably be thinking about it too much.


    As soon as he incorporated the regained spiritual meridian into his Soul Sea, the regained spiritual meridian immediately released its power directly. Before Ricky''s power was released, the regained spiritual meridian burst out such strong power, destroying the Heavenly Meridian instantly.


    Everything happened so fast that Ricky was not able to react accordingly.


    Luckily, the power of the regained spiritual meridian hardly had any harmful effect on his body at all.


    As everything happened so fast, Ricky was left in awe.


    At that moment, he felt something out of the ordinary. As he sat there, aghast, he sensed that the regained spiritual meridian was trying to send him an obvious message¡ªhe did not need a Heavily Meridian. Determined to send him a message, the regained spiritual meridian did everything that it could to catch Ricky''s attention and to make him realize what it was trying to say.


    As far as being firm with its cause, it was also angry not only with Ricky but also with the Heavenly Meridian. However, it was angry with Ricky because he wanted to merge it with the Heavenly Meridian.


    But its anger against the Heavenly Meridian was too much that the regained spiritual meridian felt the killing intent towards the Heavenly Meridian.


    "Are you...angry?" Ricky asked ca


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    curse him as an idiot. To Tina, nobody in their right minds would even dare think of such a concept.


    On the other hand, when the same words came out of Ricky''s mouth, she believed them without hesitation. She overcame her shock and believed him without thinking twice.


    It was not because of her affection for Ricky that she believed these words, but because of her intuition.


    "Is it really possible to become a spiritual emperor and a holy being without a Heavenly Meridian?" Tina asked again.


    "I don''t know for sure either, but at this point, I have to believe that the answer is yes!" Ricky was hopeful. At least, he needed to believe that it could be possible for the time being.


    Every creature, especially those who cultivated martial arts, must have a belief in their minds regardless of what it was. In turn, those warriors should convert this belief into an invisible driving force for them to succeed.


    "Now that you said that it is possible, then I will stand my ground and believe in the same thing," Tina responded with support.


    "These two Heavenly Meridians are useless to me now. I might as well leave them to someone who might need them," Ricky said in a soft tone. Soon, he no longer thought of the Heavenly Meridians. Instead, he channeled his energy and began to prepare for the removal of the evil spirit from Tina''s body.


    After the preparation, both Ricky and Tina started to drive the evil spirit that possessed her body.


    This time, Ricky used the divine power, the chaotic power, and the justice power. With the help of these three kinds of power, it was quite easier to remove the evil spirit from her body. In a span of three days, they were able to eliminate ten percent of the evil spirit that was once inside Tina''s body.


    Such being the case, Tina was more able to break through and become an upper spiritual king.


    From that moment on, the evil spirit inside of her would no longer pose any threat to her well-being. All she needed to do was to simply wait for Ricky''s improvement. The more Ricky grew stronger, the faster it would be for them to cleanse Tina''s body of the evil spirit.

 Chapter 947 The Shark Palace

    After the evil spirit was removed from Tina''s body, Ricky left the Massacring Zone.


    "Ricky! It looks like you have comprehended the Transforming Omnipotent Skill," Hugh called out to Ricky, as he came out. He seemed to be looking forward to when Ricky would finally show the power of his Transforming Omnipotent Skill.


    "Hugh, the Transforming Omnipotent Skill can only be cultivated by spiritual emperors or above. For the time being, I can only change my appearance with the skill, and the change can only last for two days at most," Ricky answered him with a coy smile. Then he continued with a casual shrug, "So, as a matter of fact, I haven''t comprehended it at all."


    With that, he activated the cultivation method of the middle realm. In an instant, his bones, flesh, and blood transformed, and in the blink of an eye, there was a middle-aged warrior in his place.


    The others looked on in astonishment. Although they had seen the Old Oriental Emperor transform before, it was a different matter to see Ricky''s transformation close-up.


    "It''s obvious that this change begins from the blood, flesh, bones, and even the cells. Even if a supreme warrior was standing in front of you, he will still not recognize you. This is the effect of an Omnipotent Skill cultivation method!" Huge remarked in awe, as he looked Ricky all over, excited by the skill''s effect.


    "The Transforming Omnipotent Skill is quite unusual!" Ricky muttered almost to himself. He didn''t seem to mind Hugh''s close attention, as he was also looking at himself in amazement.


    His awe lasted for a few moments before he started looking around. Then he turned to the others and asked, "By the way, where are we now?"


    "We have reached about a quarter of the journey. We are now in the territory of a force called the Shark Palace, which is a semi-spiritual imperial force. A few years ago, the leader of the Shark Palace was an upper-grade demi-spiritual emperor, but I don''t know if he had grown any stronger in the past few years.


    The realm of a demi-spiritual emperor can be divided into several sub-realms: ordinary demi-spiritual emperor realm, lower-grade demi-spiritual emperor realm, upper-grade demi-spiritual emperor realm, and strong demi-spiritual emperor realm. And the most powerful realm is the incredible demi-spiritual emperor realm but it may or may not appear," explained Amanda. Ricky''s head tilted curiously, as he heard something interesting.


    "Incredible demi-spiritual emperor realm? Why did you say it may or may not appear?" Ricky asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.


    "Well, based on the degree of comprehension of the incomplete ruling power, the realm of the demi-spiritual emperor is divided into four sub-realms. The preliminary stage comprehension leads to an ordinary demi-spiritual emperor realm while the minor achievement comprehension leads to an lower-grade demi-spiritual emperor


    They saw the people from the Shark Palace, as they prepared their bows and arrows and condensed their power. They shot the arrows towards Ricky and his companions.


    "They don''t look especially strong. Let''s go and kill them, or else we cannot move forward," Ricky suggested casually.


    "Even if we kill them, we may still run into trouble again!" Hugh said helplessly. "But you are right, we have no choice but to kill them. After all, we can''t just stand here and wait until their arrows hit us."


    "I can''t understand what''s going on in their brains! Are they acting so arrogantly because there is an upper demi-spiritual emperor behind them? I wonder how they will look when they realize that they can''t hide behind that person when death comes for them," Soar muttered darkly.


    "Maybe it''s because they can''t sense any demi-spiritual emperor among us," said Amanda. She watched with widening eyes, as the arrows came closer and closer to them.


    "Let me fend off these arrows first," Ricky said, cutting off their conversations.


    Immediately, massacring runes surged and formed a golden wall barrier around them, fending off all the arrows. When the people from the Shark Palace saw this, their faces darkened.


    How could any creature resist them? It made them angry that somebody had dared to stand up to them because, in their minds, everyone should fear them.


    "How dare you resist? Don''t you know the rules here?" roared one of the people from the Shark Palace angrily.


    Immediately, the Black King Sharks stopped shooting arrows and besieged Ricky and his companions. Real killing intent flowed from their bodies like red auras.


    "Rules?" Ricky mumbled, feeling confused. He scratched his head in puzzlement, but there was no trace of fear or intimidation on him.


    "Do you know the rules here, Hugh?" he asked.


    "Of course I know. But it''s just nonsense!" Hugh immediately answered him with a playful smirk.

 Chapter 948 First Fight Against A Demi-spiritual Emperor

    "The leader of the Shark Palace has a son named Hyatt. Apparently, Hyatt is a major hall leader of the Shark Palace," Hugh reported. "Although I haven''t met him in person before, I think that he must be the hall leader who is currently in front of us.


    I asked some people on their thoughts about him. According to them, he is nothing but shameless and vicious!


    In fact, he has set up a rule that all the creatures who come to the sea areas of the Shark Palace would be his prey. Of course, this rule only applies to the creatures from forces that were weaker than the Shark Palace.


    As for such prey, he will surely hunt them. He would shoot arrows towards them. If the unfortunate prey is hit by the arrow, his life would be in Hyatt''s hands. On the other hand, if the prey is so lucky as to dodge the arrow, then Hyatt would let him go."


    "I can''t see any fairness to it. That is such an arbitrary and unfair rule," Ricky said monotonously.


    "But I must say that Hyatt imposes and follows his strict rules. In fact, he actually let those who escaped his arrows leave here and did not hunt after them secretly," confirmed Hugh.


    "What can I say? Maybe he is too arrogant to take back his words. All he wants is to retain his dignity," Ricky responded. "Both evil creatures and righteous creatures care very much about the promises that they have sworn and made. However, abiding by them or not will be their prerogative."


    "In that case, Hyatt must have already found us long ago! Otherwise, he would have not attacked us directly without asking any question first!" Hugh realized. "After all, there are a lot of forces in this sea area that are stronger than the Shark Palace."


    "I can feel the scent of the continents from your breaths. It is very obvious that you humans are from the continent. You should have figured out the rules before you decided to come here," Hyatt said gravely as he stood in midair.


    Hyatt was tall. In fact, he was about one head taller than the rest of the members of the Shark Palace. He was handsome and had a muscular body, except for his ears and teeth which were different from those of regular human beings.


    "Unfortunately, at this point, it seems that you have already given up the chance to survive.


    However, I also have another hobby. This hobby involves making slaves out of the creatures from the continent. In this way, all of you can stay alive."


    "Maybe some would follow your rules blindly. However, don''t expect us to do the same for we don''t have the slightest interest in abiding by your ridiculous rules," Ricky replied with firmness in his voice. "Get out of the way, or you''ll become roasted in an instant!"


    "Ha-ha, since when have humans from the continent become so arrogant? I never thought I would


    ready for the battle.


    "Flame Torrent, change the torrent into columns!" Ricky roared as his eyes burned with scorching flames. Meanwhile, the chaotic fire runes evolved into nine passages in total. In these passages, the flames rolled and surged uncontrollably.


    As a result, nine flames exploded from Ricky, all aiming to crash fiercely with the Shark Waterfall that came from every direction.


    It was known that water and fire were incompatible. In fact, such collision of the two elements naturally led to destruction. When water and fire were mixed, the most violent power would be produced.


    After crashing into one another, Ricky and Hyatt both flew back from the impact.


    However, Hyatt retreated slowly. Meanwhile, Ricky, being the disadvantaged warrior, retreated as heavily as he could.


    But that explosion was enough to make Hyatt''s face extremely clouded.


    ''Things are getting pretty hot. Although I have the strength of a demi-spiritual emperor, my power seems to be the weakest among all demi-spiritual emperors, '' Ricky thought and assessed the situation.


    It was only after experiencing this collision that he realized the limits of his strength.


    ''Now, I have no choice but to try the chaotic power. I think it''s better that I don''t use the third level of Ultimate Golden Body for the time being. After all, many people know that it is my signature skill. I''m just afraid that someone might recognize me if I use it, '' Ricky thought to himself as he thought of his next plan.


    "What a human! You didn''t fail to surprise me. But if that''s all the strength you have, then death will surely greet you in the end," Hyatt said with disdain, his face ferocious. Suddenly, he activated his incomplete ruling power.


    His wrath did not stop there for he was only getting started. This time, he was going to take it seriously.

 Chapter 949 Enemies Becoming Friends

    Meanwhile, Hyatt was shocked to learn how powerful Ricky was. Despite this, he was sure that Ricky was weaker than him.


    After the incomplete water ruling power took effect, Hyatt became surrounded by a humongous world of water. Nevertheless, the world that evolved from incomplete ruling power was still incomparable with a world that evolved from genuine ruling power.


    In this way, the world that evolved from the incomplete ruling power was considered to be nothing but a fake Ruling World.


    However, it still made Ricky feel hindered. No matter how strong the enlightenment power was, it was still incomparable to the strength of the incomplete ruling power.


    "Ricky, don''t condense the Ultimate Domain anymore. It will do more harm than good and will only make you feel suppressed," Tina reminded him as she was concerned about his well-being. "Think about this clearly. Imagine what it''s like when you use thirty percent of the saber intent to fight against someone who is using forty percent of the same skill."


    "Got it, Tina. Don''t worry. I will shake it off with my remaining strength," Ricky answered back.


    "So, all I have to do is to make the first action to gain the upper hand. Got it!"


    Ricky turned to the Chaotic Fire Mutant as the flames burned intensely. Suddenly, flaming passages encircled him, indicating that it was time to start the fight.


    He needed to have all the advantages that he could get. Simultaneously, he activated his four other mutants secretly and continued to condense the chaotic power. To gain advantage in the fight, his chaotic fire runes suppressed the activation of his four other mutants. In this way, he would make the enemy think that he had no ace card up his sleeve.


    "A mutant of flame, huh? Does that make you a great fighter? Don''t tell me that this made you so arrogant!" Hyatt said scornfully.


    "Just give it a try and you''ll know the answer for sure. See it with your own eyes," Ricky replied coldly. After his voice trailed off, he took out the Iron Justice Saber with the intention of launching the Galaxy Saber Strike. After placing the chaotic power into the Iron Justice Saber, he dashed towards Hyatt and did not hesitate to slash his saber at him with overflowing murderous intent.


    "Mark my words. Don''t overestimate yourself this time!" Hyatt commented in a condescending voice. He stared at Ricky and clapped his hands. Soon, the fake world of water from the sky suddenly became active and was about to fall on Ricky and his Galaxy Saber Strike.


    As soon as the fake world of water moved its way down to the ground, it transformed into a gigantic mouth of a black shark, ready to bite and devour anything that would come in its way.


    Instantly, their attacks crashed, and Ricky''s chaotic power was on the verge of bursting at the same time.


    But things took quite a turn. Unexpectedly, Hyatt decided to withdraw all his power. He took a few steps back from the battlefield and called t


    eptical. After all, Hyatt changed his treatment towards them all too fast.


    Not long after, they thought that maybe Hyatt was not as respectful as they thought. Maybe this was a trap for them to do something horrible.


    "Ha-ha, you''re right. No disagreement nor agreement. Warriors in the martial world always make friends after fighting a good battle. Of course, we can''t be more pleased to make friends with a genius like you. It would be an honor," Ricky replied courteously.


    "Hi, I''m Kenney. It''s so nice to meet you! And these are my friends."


    Of course, Ricky was not that stupid as to tell Hyatt his real name. After all, they really had to be extremely vigilant at that moment.


    "As much as we want to, I''m afraid that we can''t pay a visit to the Shark Palace right now. That''s because we have something very urgent to attend to.


    If you really want to make friends with us, then you would let us go this instant. After we finish dealing with our matter, we will pay the Shark Palace a visit, along with the blessing of some gifts."


    After Hyatt heard Ricky''s words, a glimmer of sinister light flashed across his smiling eyes. Ricky''s reply didn''t go beyond his expectations.


    "Kenney, I''m guessing that your matter is related to the opportunities of martial arts, correct?" Hyatt questioned. Afterwards, he tried to tempt them by continuing, "I can guarantee that as long as you come to pay a visit to our Shark Palace, your strength will surely soar to a higher level in no more than two weeks.


    And besides, we are sincerely willing to make friends with you. Although our Shark Palace is not the largest force in this sea, we can assure a safe and smooth passage for you through the entire sea area.


    Otherwise, I''m afraid that you will have to run into endless troubles in the sea, all because you are humans from the continent."


    Hyatt''s last few words weren''t at all that friendly. In fact, his last statement indicated an obvious threat to Ricky.

 Chapter 950 A Dragon Cave

    Ricky was, of course, aware that Hyatt was both tempting and threatening him.


    "It seems that we cannot leave easily today," he said telepathically to his companions. "As for the matter of the Shark Palace, he certainly wants us to be his cannon fodder, and even if he doesn''t, I''m sure that he has some other evil intention."


    "Ricky, you don''t have to keep talking to him. They can''t stop us from leaving," Soar said somewhat arrogantly, but Ricky shook his head in disagreement.


    "Hyatt can''t keep us here, yes. But what if the leader of the Shark Palace takes action against us?" he reasoned. "Hyatt must have sent a message back to the Shark Palace and assure his father that we aren''t a threat to them. If he doesn''t, I''m afraid his father will act against us.


    That''s why we should go back with them. If we find out that there''s something wrong, that''s the time we can run away. And if we can''t run away, we will have no choice but to expose something.


    Besides, he said there would be an opportunity for us, didn''t he?"


    "We leave it all up to you, Ricky," said Hugh seriously. They all nodded in agreement at this. They trusted Ricky, and besides, they weren''t worried at all because they had a middle spiritual emperor by his side. It was inconvenient if they exposed their strength at this point, but if push came to shove, they could take them all in a fight.


    "Let''s wait and see what kind of opportunity he can offer. If we''re not satisfied with it, then we can just leave!" Ricky decided. He thought that it would be better to check out the opportunity first, so they wouldn''t miss out on it, just in case it was something amazing. Anyway, with their strength, they could leave anytime they wanted.


    "Amanda, does Amelia need us at once?"


    "No, we can take our time. Even if we arrive half a year later, there will still be enough time," Amanda replied. Ricky nodded at this information and then turned his full attention back to Hyatt.


    "You mentioned an opportunity. May I know what it is?" he asked. His whole decision would be based on Hyatt''s answer because if he wasn''t interested in the said opportunity, he wouldn''t waste his time going to the Shark Palace.


    "Since I offered it, I won''t let you down," said Hyatt confidently.


    After all, if he had any way to solve his problem without involving them, he would have killed Ricky and his companions already.


    "A Dragon Cave for Flood Dragons." Hyatt''s words shocked Ricky and his companions. All of them realized now that the opportunity they were being presented was as precious as the finest treasures in the world.


    Meanwhile, Hyatt smirked at Ricky and his companions'' reactions. Just from their faces, he knew that they wouldn''t dare to reject him now.


    The Flood Dragon was a creature only inferior to the Great Dragon, and


    er Palace was equal to that of the Shark Palace, they couldn''t threaten the Super Palace. But at the same time, they didn''t want to give up on the Dragon Cave.


    He didn''t want to admit it, but they were desperate to find such a creature. Thankfully, fate had brought Ricky to him.


    When Hyatt was about to kill Ricky, he suddenly realized that Ricky was a good choice, so he changed his mind and invited him to the Shark Palace instead. As long as he could control Ricky''s companions, he believed that Ricky would follow his orders.


    "Oh, I see. But why do you need the joint power of fire and water to remove the restrictive force at the entrances of the Dragon Cave?" Ricky asked curiously.


    "That Dragon Cave is named Fire and Water Dragon Cave. According to our analysis, the dragon that lived there before must have been a Flood Dragon who cultivated the power of both fire and water at the same time. In that case, it seems natural that the restrictive force has both fire element and water element," Hyatt readily explained to him.


    "Oh. That is very reasonable," Ricky murmured.


    ''I hope this Dragon Cave really exists, and I hope it won''t let me down, '' he thought to himself.


    Ricky could tell from the get-go what Hyatt intended to do with them, and he sincerely hoped that he was telling the truth about the Dragon Cave. He could tell that Hyatt chose him because Hyatt believed that he could be controlled, but little did Hyatt know that what he was seeing was very different from the true Ricky.


    They journeyed for several hours at high speed, until they came to a small island. It was called the Shark Island, named for the Shark Palace that was located in its depths.


    As soon as they arrived, Hyatt led Ricky and his companions straight to the Shark Palace, where they were to meet the leader of the Shark Palace, who was also Hyatt''s father, Hiram.

 Chapter 951 Scheme

    Ricky and his companions followed Hyatt, as he entered the great hall of the Shark Palace.


    They stopped in the middle of the hall, where a burly middle-aged man was sitting on a seat. From the strong power that he was emitting, and the slight resemblance he had with Hyatt, there was no doubt that he was Hiram, the leader of the Shark Palace.


    Ricky looked at the three older men who were standing behind Hiram. He could sense that their powers were as strong as that of a lower-grade demi-spiritual emperor. He assumed from their proximity to Hiram, that they were the senior leaders of the Shark Palace.


    Besides these people, a young man was also standing close to Hiram. He looked to be the same age as Hyatt.


    His face looked gentle and unassuming, but his black gloomy eyes made him look sullen and ruthless. He seemed quiet and reserved, and if people weren''t particularly observant, they would have easily missed his presence there.


    "Hyatt!" Hiram greeted enthusiastically as soon as they entered. "I heard that you brought a young hero back who can help us. Where is he?"


    he asked eagerly, as he surveyed those who had come with his son.


    "This is Kenney. He is the man we need right now," Hyatt introduced Ricky, which prompted Hiram to study Ricky intently from head to foot.


    "Really?" Immediately, all the people looked at Ricky doubtfully. Although they couldn''t tell his true realm, they could tell that Ricky wasn''t a demi-spiritual emperor.


    "Father, everyone, don''t be fooled by Kenney''s realm. You''ll find that he''s a genius who can challenge warriors stronger than him," Hyatt said immediately when he noticed their doubtful stares.


    "And I once fought with him for dozens of rounds, but in the end, we came out even." "Really? That''s amazing!" Audible gasps were heard from the people around them. They were all shocked by Hyatt''s revelation.


    They murmured to each other, "He is a genius who can challenge warriors at a higher level than him? Does that mean he can challenge a demi-spiritual emperor, while he is just a completed spiritual king?" As the people whispered to each other, Ricky came forward and introduced himself.


    "It''s nice to meet you, I am Kenney. I''m sorry but my friends and I will have to trouble you in the following days," he said respectfully, but nobody answered at first. It became obvious that none of them believed that he could challenge those above his own level, not that this surprised Ricky. After all, he was used to people looking down on him, and he often used that as his advantage.


    "It''s easy to say he can challenge someone of a higher level, but do you have any proof? He should show us his strength." They all looked up when the yo


    ts to kill Kenney," Hiram replied doubtfully.


    "He likes women, doesn''t he? Kenney has beautiful women with him. Just give them to him," Hyatt suggested. "As for Kenney, you can kill him once our business is done."


    "Okay, you can tell Aaron of our plan." Hiram finally agreed and nodded to Hyatt. With that, he turned back to the battle in front of them.


    Boom! As soon as their attacks collided, Aaron pulled back and restrained some of his strength. It seemed like he agreed to cooperate with Hyatt''s plan, at least for the moment.


    He swiftly jumped back and spat out a mouthful of blood, his footsteps heavy and his body exhausted.


    ''He withdrew some of his power in that collision. Did he deliberately let me win?'' Ricky wondered with confusion, though he was careful not to show that he noticed. It seemed that they were deceiving him, just as he was deceiving them. Unfortunately for them, he could fool them with this method, but they could never fool him, not when he owned the five zones.


    Of course, he also knew why they let him win so easily. They probably wanted to make him happy, and they hoped that in his happiness and excitement, he would follow their orders more easily. And if he was happy following them, he wouldn''t notice the dangers that lurked around him.


    "You are truly a genius who can challenge those with a superior level. You have won this battle," Aaron said impassively. It was so obvious that he hated saying that, but he had no choice. Once he had said his piece, he stormed off to sulk alone, but before he left, he threw a lingering glance at Pearl and the other ladies.


    "Ricky, it seems that you won this battle pretty easily!" Soar said using his internal power. He sounded cheerful but hesitant as if he could also tell that something fishy was going on.

 Chapter 952 The Entrance

    "Yes, it was too easy, and their aim was very clear to me. They just wanted me to lose myself in pleasure," replied Ricky. "But we don''t have to reveal our findings. Let''s just beat them at their own game.


    For the following days, I will leave Hannah and Evil Mandragora with you guys. And I will secretly leave marks along the way by using the Heaven Melting Fire, which you can sense with your Heaven Melting Fire. Let Evil Mandragora bring you to me secretly,"


    Ricky further instructed. "Okay, I got it," Soar replied.


    "Kenney, you did great! Aaron is so arrogant that he has rarely admitted defeat. There are only a few people who could claim that honor," Hyatt said to Ricky. He appeared awed at that moment like he was one second away from applauding him.


    Meanwhile, Hiram and the other three demi-spiritual emperors from the Shark Palace were also approving of Ricky''s strength. They had warm welcoming smiles on their faces, as they nodded and complimented him. Of course, nobody but themselves knew what they were really thinking about.


    "Ha-ha, I''m flattered. Thank you for your compliments!" Ricky said with a pleasant smile on his face, but his voice was haughty and arrogant. It seemed that he, too, was playing a trick on the others.


    "Kenney, you''re really strong, and you have the Flame Mutant. I can say that you''re the person that we''ve been looking for," Hiram praised Ricky telepathically.


    "If we manage to get the opportunity in the Dragon Cave, you can receive one-fourth of it. What do you think?" he further offered.


    "One-fourth is too much, isn''t it?" Ricky answered excitedly as if he was overjoyed by the offer. Hiram smiled at this, pleased that Ricky had easily fallen into his trap.


    "Ha-ha, it''s not that much. With your strength, you deserve more than one-fourth of it. After all, without you, we won''t be able to enter the Dragon Cave," said Hiram as he laughed heartily.


    "Well, when it''s done, you can choose two Treasures from Heaven and Earth that you want from the Shark Palace''s treasure house."


    "Thank you very much, sir!" Ricky nodded his head and let a greedy smile brighten his face. He knew that he sounded satisfied and complacent, now that he was assured of a part in the treasures. At that moment, he wanted to give them the impression that he was greedy and arrogant, and that they wouldn''t be able to do anything without his help.


    "You''re welcome!" Hiram replied gently. And although his tone was still pleasant, a stern frown was hidden beneath his comely veneer.


    He thought that Ricky was exactly what he needed, though it was u


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    meters. Would the pressure be as strong inside the Dragon Cave? If so, Soar and the others will not be able to get there, '' Ricky thought uncertainly, as he worried about what could happen once the others followed after him.


    As Ricky expected, he was almost at his limit when they reached the depth of about ten thousand meters. He couldn''t go any deeper unless he burst out the five mutants or the third level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    At this point, the deep and narrow trench had widened into an immense space. As he looked around, he found many huge stone caves in the walls of the trench.


    Most of these stone caves were twisted in dragon-like shapes, sharp fangs wide open and furious expressions engraved deeply into the stones.


    His eyes narrowed, as he noticed that all the stone caves seemed to be tightly connected. Strong restrictive power was also spreading over the stone caves, and he wondered if only spiritual emperors could break it with their power.


    "This is the Dragon Cave," Hiram said excitedly, as he gestured to the view around them.


    ''This is it, '' Ricky thought to himself. ''I hope it won''t let me down.''


    "Judging from the power over the Dragon Cave, the Flood Dragon who once lived here must have been at the Emperor Level. If you can obtain the remains of a Flood Dragon at the Emperor Level, I believe your will soon have a breakthrough and ascend to the fourth level of Ultimate Golden Body," Tina reported.


    Meanwhile, Hiram was speaking, as he looked around. "It seems that the members of Super Palace haven''t arrived yet. Well then, let me lead you to our entrance."


    And so, Hiram led them to one of the stone caves, beside which there was an entrance in the shape of a dragon''s mouth.

 Chapter 953 Bruce Su

    The two entrances shaped like a dragon''s mouth were covered by the ruling power of water and fire respectively. When they first arrived, the entrances were filled with the power of dark and light, but they were soon replaced by the power of water and fire.


    "This is the entrance to the Dragon Cave," Hiram said.


    Ricky studied the openings, and as he looked up, he noticed that there was an inscription atop the two entrances. Two words were embedded, which said: Dragon Cave.


    "Tina, this is our destination. There were likely two Flood Dragons inside the cave once," Ricky said to Tina through his mind.


    "Ricky, be careful when you go in. We don''t know when Hyatt and Aaron will take action," Tina said worriedly. Now that he didn''t have Evil Mandragora by his side, Ricky could be in danger, especially if he entered areas where the power of his zones was blocked.


    "Don''t worry. If I have to fight them inside, I won''t try to reserve my strength anymore," Ricky assured her.


    He then concentrated on the surface of the entrance as he tried to sense the power within it. The Water and Fire Rule was at the Emperor Level, but it was compatible with the power of water and fire.


    That meant that the creatures who cultivated water power and fire water could work together so that they could enter.


    "Where are the people from the Super Palace? Why haven''t they arrived yet?" Aaron asked impatiently.


    "Patience. They are coming!" Hiram remarked lightly.


    He hadn''t even finished speaking when four figures rushed over. A middle-aged man seemed to be their leader. And two young men and a woman followed him.


    "Spike, it''s been a long while since I last saw you!" Hiram said with a smile, as he turned to greet them.


    "Ha-ha, I know you are busy in seclusion." Spike Su, the leader of the Super Palace, laughed delightedly.


    He glanced at Ricky, and a confused frown spread on his face when he found that Ricky was not a demi-spiritual emperor. Then, he remarked with a hint of ridicule, "Hiram, was the time I gave you to find someone suitable too short?"


    But to his confusion, Spike Su could tell that Ricky was relying on his strength to resist the pressure in the depths. His brows scrunched up in wonder, as he thought, ''Is this guy hiding his real strength?''


    Spike Su''s words showed that he didn''t intend to laugh at Ric


    Ricky heard a voice message from Bruce Su.


    "Hey buddy, I don''t know how you came to be with the Shark Palace, but you need to be careful. I don''t think it''s as easy to join them as it appears right now."


    Ricky was pleasantly surprised to hear that.


    He didn''t feel any intrigue or provocation from the message. It seemed that Bruce Su was warning him out of the kindness of his heart.


    It confused him a little too. He wondered why Bruce Su would bother to warn him when they were on opposite sides of this war.


    But then, it was entirely plausible that Bruce Su just wanted to sow seeds of discord in the Shark Palace as well.


    "We don''t know each other well, and for the time being, we are enemies. Reminding me like this will only make me feel that you are stirring up trouble," Ricky replied impassively. He didn''t know yet if he could trust Bruce, so it was best to keep up his pretense.


    "It''s just a casual reminder. I didn''t expect you to believe me, so you don''t have to think too much about it," replied Bruce Su.


    "Is that so?"


    A few minutes passed quickly.


    Their affinity with the ruling power on the entrance increased until they could easily enter.


    Once inside, their bodies started vibrating slightly, as they admired the inside of the enormous Dragon Cave.


    When they turned around to look at the entrances again, they found that the restriction of Water and Fire Rule had arisen again. Hyatt and Aaron were annoyed by this, as this phenomenon seemed to indicate that in this place, they couldn''t touch or hurt Ricky at all.

 Chapter 954 Fire Dragon Extremity

    ''It seems that they can''t take action against me in the Dragon Cave, even though they are eager to, '' Ricky thought happily when he saw that the restrictive force of Water and Fire Rule was restored over the entrance.


    It was good news for him, as he no longer needed to worry about a sneak attack from Hyatt and Aaron for the time being, and instead, he could concentrate on searching for the opportunity in the Dragon Cave.


    "Damn it. We have no choice but to let this bastard do as he wants, as long as we are inside the cave," Aaron ranted to Hyatt telepathically.


    "It doesn''t matter. We didn''t plan on killing him here anyway. But if he acts out, we will teach him a lesson as soon as we step foot outside the cave," Hyatt replied. He laid a comforting hand on Aaron''s shoulder, which looked like a casual pat to anyone outside of their conversation.


    The two fell quiet, as they decided to just wait and see.


    Meanwhile, inside the cave, Ricky was looking around.


    Since he had known Soar for a long time, and they had spent so much time together, he was quite familiar with the aura of dragons. Right then, he could sense the dragon aura that permeated the passage, but he could also tell that it wasn''t pure.


    It meant that the cave must have belonged to a dragon in the past, but it wasn''t a Great Dragon like Soar. It might be a Flood Dragon.


    The next thing he noticed, beside the dragon aura, was the overwhelming presence of the roaring flame. He couldn''t feel any water power in the passage at all.


    ''Perhaps, this entrance leads to a different Dragon Cave, and the entrance of the Super Palace leads to another one, '' Ricky guessed inwardly. ''Since there are said to be both fire energy and water energy here, and the fire energy is inside this entrance, then the water energy must be at the other entrance.''


    After they walked a long distance, more huge passages appeared in front of their eyes, and all of them were filled with roaring flames and dragon aura.


    There was no need for words, as all three of them moved towards the place where the roaring flame and dragon aura were most dense.


    An hour later, they arrived at a wide passage, where there was a pool filled with flaming magma.


    Their eyes gravitated to a gray-white ball of flame in the center of the flaming magma. Ricky''s intuition was telling him that it was an opportunity.


    ''Could that gray-white flame be a kind of sacred fire or peculiar fire?'' Ricky thought to himself, but the Chaotic Fire Zone didn''t show any unusual movement in response to the gray-white flame.


    He secretly checked


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ng flame, I''m afraid only you can seize it for us."


    "Don''t worry. I will do my best, as I have promised," Ricky said. Then he turned towards his target, his hand outstretched beside him. "I will try with my flame mutant."


    ''You two idiots! Do you really think I know nothing about it? You just gave me a chance to take the Fire Dragon Extremity, '' Ricky sneered inwardly at Hyatt and Aaron. He would never show mercy to his enemies who tried to stab him in the back.


    Without any hesitation, Ricky activated his Chaotic Fire Mutant and condensed the chaotic fire runes into a spiritual energy shield. With all of his weapons at the ready, he approached the Fire Dragon Extremity slowly.


    He kept Aaron''s previous failure in his mind, so he approached it with utmost care.


    Despite all the precautions, Ricky was confident that the Fire Dragon Extremity wouldn''t attack him because his Chaotic Fire Mutant was one of the strongest mutants in the world, and it had an affinity with any kind of fire.


    Besides, his Chaotic Fire Zone was a zone that could accommodate any kind of fire.


    As an extra precaution, Ricky also burst out the Heaven Melting Fire.


    Since the Heaven Melting Fire was the accompanying sacred fire of the Heaven Melting Dragon, he believed it would resonate with the Fire Dragon Extremity.


    Things went on just as he expected. While Ricky was approaching, the Fire Dragon Extremity moved to attack him, but it stopped when it felt the chaotic fire runes and the Heaven Melting Fire.


    At the same time, it also sent a message of affinity to Ricky.


    ''Fire Dragon Extremity, you are mine now, '' Ricky thought excitedly, as he took the Fire Dragon Extremity and put it into his Chaotic Fire Zone.

 Chapter 955 No Need To Show Mercy

    Ricky slowed down his spinning until he landed on the ground steadily. The phantom weight of the Fire Dragon Extremity was a comfort in his hands, and even before he touched it, he had no intention of giving it away.


    Meanwhile, Hyatt and Aaron were both shocked when they saw Ricky obtain the Fire Dragon Extremity easily since they were just planning to use Ricky to test its strength.


    They didn''t think that he would actually succeed. ''Maybe he has a flame mutant, '' they thought at the same time, as they glanced at each other from opposite sides of the room.


    This thought aroused bitter jealousy in their hearts, but at this moment, they knew that they should hold back their emotions.


    "Kenney, you really have a Flame Mutant. That flame didn''t try to fight you at all. Can you please show it to us? It must be a kind of treasure we haven''t seen before!" Hyatt praised Ricky with burgeoning excitement.


    "I''m sorry, Hyatt, but I don''t know how to take out that grayish-white flame. I''m afraid it has blended into my Flame Mutant," Ricky responded in turn. He looked at them with wide, innocent-looking eyes.


    When they heard Ricky''s claim, Hyatt and Aaron looked murderous, as they had no doubts that Ricky was lying to them. Their faces were shadowed, as the smiles fell off their faces like they were never there in the first place.


    They were starting to realize that there was more to Ricky than what met the eye, and they had made a mistake when they underestimated him.


    "Kenney, don''t talk nonsense. Give us the flame, or we''ll beat you to death. And don''t forget that I have your friends in my palace!" Aaron hissed at him, his eyes as sharp as knives.


    On the other hand, Hyatt kept his silence but stood a little farther away, ready to assist Aaron.


    Indeed, they couldn''t kill Ricky right at that moment, but they could hurt him until he was wishing for death.


    "I really want to give it to you. But I told you, I can''t!" Ricky repeated as if he was in distress.


    But truthfully, he wasn''t frightened by Aaron''s threat, because Pearl and his friends had Evil Mandragora to protect them. Thus, no one could hurt them, unless he was a middle spiritual emperor and stronger than Evil Mandragora.


    "Well then, whatever happens from this point on is your fault. Don''t think you can lie so easily to us," Aaron said coldly.


    Bang! All of a sudden, a cluster of toxic smog burst out and transformed into incomplete ruling power. At the same time, Aaron was enveloped by a phantom of a hissing python, and he fl


    ey understood that the power of the Flame Mutant that Ricky had was beyond their control.


    Aaron gritted his teeth in outrage, as his face reddened and veins ticked in his head. He swore at that moment, that he would kill Ricky, even if that was the last thing he could do. With that thought, he hissed like a snake and revealed his real beast form, the form of a mighty Black King Python surrounded by dark toxic mist.


    "Black King Python! Poisonous Mist Fusion!"


    He twisted his body like he had lost all his bones, and the Black King Python condensed its energy into something that resembled black seawater, which mingled with the toxic mist and formed a huge pillar that rushed towards Ricky.


    Then a flash of fighting spirit gleamed in Ricky''s eyes. With the chaotic fire runes, the nine types of sacred fire and peculiar fire easily blended into the Flame Pillar filled with the roaring magma.


    "Aaron, I''ll say this again. There is no need to show mercy to me. Even if you do everything you can, you will never defeat me," Ricky reiterated in a disdainful tone, ignoring the anger that rolled upon Aaron in waves.


    Bang!


    Bang! In the next moment, the two streams of contradictory power from the Flame Pillar and the Toxic Mist Pillar suddenly crashed into each other.


    Shock waves rippled through the air, and amidst these violent airwaves, two pillars remained in a deadlock.


    Crack! They had been locked in a stalemate for a short while, and silence reigned around them, but a sudden cracking sound shattered the quiet. Soon, cracks spread all over the Toxic Mist Pillar, and before long, it was covered in cracks.


    In the end, the Flame Pillar came out as superior.

 Chapter 956 The Ruling Spirit

    Certainly, Aaron''s loss was reasonable.


    As a matter of fact, his strength was only the same as Ricky''s, if not weaker than his. This was because he had just broken through and had just become a demi-spiritual emperor.


    Meanwhile, Aaron''s black water was restricted by Ricky''s Chaotic Fire Mutant along with nine types of sacred fire and peculiar fire. In addition to that, Ricky also blocked his poisonous smog by using his roaring flame and devouring power.


    Even though Ricky did not activate his Devouring Mutant, he did not need to be wary of any poison, because his body was already immune to it.


    Meanwhile, he took advantage of the flaming magma that scorched in the area. After merged with the power of the flaming magma, the Chaotic Fire Mutant''s power would be significantly enhanced.


    In this way, Aaron was inevitably doomed to lose to Ricky.


    Naturally, things would have been different if Hyatt took action and battled against Ricky, too. If that happened, then that would leave Ricky with no choice but to expose his chaotic power and have a real battle with them.


    At that moment, the Toxic Mist Pillar vanished into thin air, and Aaron''s body appeared. In an instant, the Flame Pillar hit him hard, sending him several feet away. He spat out a mouthful of blood as soon as he fell on the ground.


    "So, how do you feel now?" Ricky asked Aaron monotonously after he revealed his true body.


    Without any hesitation, he materialized his energy again and initiated an attack towards Aaron. If he could kill him here, then he would not show him any mercy.


    However, Hyatt could not bear it and just sit still and see Aaron get killed. He knew he had to do something to guard him against Ricky.


    "Kenney, you have really hidden your strength pretty well. We believed you when you said that you couldn''t take out that gray-white flame. But you don''t have to kill us, do you? Otherwise, none of us can get out of here alive," Hyatt warned Ricky.


    As much as he wanted to fight against Ricky, he feared what Ricky''s power was capable of once it was merged with the flaming magma.


    Nevertheless, even if he could defeat Ricky, he would still choose to let him live, all because they would never be able to get out of there without Ricky.


    Upon hearing Hyatt''s words, Ricky immediately stopped his assault against Aaron. If he were to kill Hyatt here, then he would have to do his best. After all, it was still unlikely that he would be able to defeat Hyatt since he was more powerful than most ordinary demi-spiritual emperors.


    "I never wanted to kill him, Hyatt. I just wanted


    ecause he had no idea what the ruling spirit was.


    However, he listened to Tina''s direction and didn''t hesitate. Instead, he did the same thing and quickly picked up these shadows that looked weak so he could immediately acquire their condensed power.


    "Some creatures at the Emperor Level release their ruling power into a certain area before they die. As time goes by, such ruling power is accumulated and purified. As a result, the ruling spirit is condensed from it," Tina explained.


    "Why do they do that?" Ricky inquired.


    "It''s most likely that this is the way they can let something like the Treasures from Heaven and Earth absorb the purest ruling power in the ruling spirit," Tina replied.


    "In other words, there might be some treasures lying around here."


    "Really? Is that so?" While speaking, Ricky started to look for treasures.


    "Ricky, you''d better collect all of the ruling power that these ruling spirits have turned into first. This is because that is the purest ruling power, and it will help you to break through and become a demi-spiritual emperor and then a spiritual emperor. It is as valuable as any Treasure from Heaven and Earth," Tina clarified.


    "Okay!"


    Ricky responded.


    Although some of the ruling spirits were even more powerful than Hyatt, they still lacked psychic intelligence or any will to fight. Therefore, all of them were divided up by Ricky, Hyatt, and Aaron in less than two hours.


    Obviously, Hyatt and Aaron also knew there would be some Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the place where the ruling spirit appeared. That was why they began to look for them as soon as they got the condensed ruling power.


    "Humph! Let''s wait and see who will find the treasure first."

 Chapter 957 Dragon Intent Grass

    Ricky snorted at the other two silently, while he activated his Golden Spirit Eyes secretly. With them, he searched for energy fluctuations that could be a sign of the presence of Treasures from Heaven and Earth there.


    As long as there was the slightest amount of fluctuation of energy, it couldn''t escape his Golden Spirit Eyes.


    He scanned the flowers and plants in the spacious area carefully, intent to leave no stone unturned.


    Two hours later, his attention was grabbed by a green grass beneath the ground where weeds were growing.


    It was growing inside the soil, and the Golden Spirit Eyes could sense that it was hiding its aura. For some reason, it reminded him of an animal that had its own consciousness, rather than a plant.


    It wasn''t very tall, only about four inches in all, with four leaves and a slender figure. There were micro-scales on it too, which looked similar to real dragon scales.


    The four leaves were identical in size, and its shape resembled a dragon.


    ''Since it grows beneath the ground, there is no doubt that the Treasure from Heaven and Earth must be this green grass, '' Ricky thought with a pensive expression on his face. ''But I feel that this grass is hiding its realm.''


    Ricky didn''t want to act recklessly, so he told Tina about the appearance of the grass before he did anything else.


    "Ricky, are you sure that the leaves on that grass were shaped like a dragon? And did you say there are dragon scales on its branches?" Tina asked thoughtfully after hearing Ricky''s description.


    "Yes, I''m sure," Ricky said affirmatively, which drew a shocked gasp from Tina.


    "It''s Dragon Intent Grass!" Tina exclaimed in disbelief. "How could it be? How can the Dragon Intent Grass exist in this ordinary Dragon Cave?"


    "What is Dragon Intent Grass?" Ricky interrupted Tina''s furious questioning, as he knew that nobody could answer her anyway.


    "It''s a kind of herb that has been refined by the blood essence of the Great Dragon for a few dozen years, and it should also have been refined by at least seventy percent of Intent Apperception for a few dozen years," Tina explained.


    "Due to those materials, the grass has an extremely dense Intent Apperception. Ricky, you currently have thirty percent of saber intent. If you can refine the Dragon Intent Grass, your strength will be increased, and your Intent Apperception can reach fifty percent.


    And even for a genius like you, it is almost impossible to increase the saber intent from thirty percent to fifty percent without any opportunity in three years, and even if you can do that, it will take you a


    must be at least at the Demi-potentate Level. It was such a shock, as they had never thought that they could find a Demi-potentate Level Treasure from Heaven and Earth here.


    That was why they didn''t chase after the Dragon Intent Grass and Ricky until quite a while later. At that moment, they also decided that if Ricky dared to take the Dragon Intent Grass, they would kill him straight away. As for whether or not they could get out of the Dragon Cave, they would think about that later.


    Their priority right then was to obtain the Demi-potentate Level Treasure from Heaven and Earth, and if it couldn''t be theirs, then no one else should have it.


    The three of them chased it tirelessly until they had it trapped in a dead-end. And although the Dragon Intent Grass could burrow under the soil, it couldn''t go very deep.


    "How did you find this Dragon Cave?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked them, once it realized it couldn''t escape.


    "It''s pretty great! Since you can speak, and you seem to have psychic intelligence. That means you are a Treasure from Heaven and Earth at the Demi-potentate Level!" Hyatt and Aaron exclaimed in excitement at the same time. And although they tried to appear decent, they couldn''t hide the greed in their eyes.


    Their killing intent also pervaded the small space around them, as they were prepared to fight to the death for the Dragon Intent Grass.


    Of course, Ricky also desired this treasure, and he wasn''t about to let them take it from him.


    "You don''t need to know how we found this Dragon Cave. You may have psychic intelligence, but you''re just a Treasure from Heaven and Earth. You are destined to be refined by us!" Hyatt said coldly.


    "Ricky, do you want it to surrender to you?"

 Chapter 958 Success

    Tina''s words shocked Ricky once again. He couldn''t understand how he could make the Dragon Intent Grass at the Demi-potentate Level yield to him.


    After all, its high level meant that it was cunning and had lived for thousands of years or even longer. He didn''t think that it would easily submit to any living creature.


    "Are you kidding? I''m pretty sure that it won''t choose to submit, and it might even choose to fight to the death and destroy itself," Ricky said in protest.


    "I have more information for you to obtain it," Tina, instead, said immediately.


    "Ricky, do you know the function of the Dragon Intent Grass of the Demi-potentate Level?"


    "I think it''s for increasing the Intent Apperception quickly," he readily answered as he tried to keep up with her reasoning. He vaguely wondered why she was asking these things.


    "That''s true, but it''s a total waste if you choose to merely refine it," Tina stated. "There are so many creatures on the continent, and many of them can cultivate the Intent Apperception to the sixth grade of completeness.


    But very few people can cultivate the Intent Apperception to higher than the sixth grade of completeness. Do you know why?"


    "Does it have anything to do with their talent?" Ricky asked, unsure.


    "Oh, Ricky! Do you think those who can cultivate the Intent Apperception to the sixth grade are not talented enough?" she teased him good-naturedly, and then continued, "It''s because people need to condense the Intent Soul to cultivate the Intent Apperception from the sixth grade of completeness to a higher grade."


    "The Intent Soul? What is that?" Ricky asked curiously, his nose scrunched up in confusion.


    "When a creature reaches the level of a completed spiritual king, it starts to condense the true soul, because the soul is the foundation of a creature. Only the soul can have a better understanding of the power of heaven and earth, with which the creature can advance to a higher realm of martial arts," Tina answered.


    "The Intent Soul is similar to the soul of a creature. You can say that it is the soul of a creature that can comprehend the Intent Apperception.


    But keep in mind that the condensation of the Intent Soul is not based on talent, but on luck and epiphany.


    It doesn''t matter how gifted you are. If you don''t have the epiphany of the Intent Apperception, you will never be able to condense the Intent Soul all your life. Some creatures with mediocre talent


    might as well deal with them first,"


    it said in a charming voice, and at that point, its arguments sounded logical, so Ricky decided to do as it said.


    "I have to admit that what you said makes sense. If I don''t kill them, it would be useless to sign the agreement with you.


    But I hope that you can tell me whether there is any other way out of this Dragon Cave," Ricky answered honestly.


    "Yes. Once you get the inheritance of those two disgusting guys, it will be easy for you to leave here," the Dragon Intent Grass immediately answered.


    "I will also swear to you, if what I just told you is wrong, then I wouldn''t be able to evolve into a Treasure from Heaven and Earth at the Potentate Level."


    At this, Ricky didn''t say anything more. Instead, he turned his attention to Hyatt and Aaron once again. He was thinking of how to deal with them. If he didn''t kill them, they would just keep getting in the way.


    Meanwhile, the Dragon Intent Grass landed directly on Ricky''s shoulder.


    And when Hyatt and Aaron saw this, their hearts were filled with jealousy and greed. Their killing intent arose, and they wondered what was truly going on. It didn''t bode well for them, that the Treasure from Heaven and Earth at the Demi-potentate Level had chosen to stand on Ricky''s shoulder.


    "Kenney, you already got the Fire Dragon Extremity. Do you still want this one?" Hyatt asked in a sinister tone. "I advise you to consider the safety of your friends."


    "I''m not worried about that, and I can tell you that I''ll take this Treasure from Heaven and Earth," Ricky replied with a smirk, and his power emerged in an instant.

 Chapter 959 Defeating Them One By One

    "You''re asking for death!" said Hyatt coldly.


    At that moment, Hyatt and Aaron were so furious that they forgot about how they could exit the Dragon Cave. Their minds were filled to the brim with fury and murderous intent. They stood, ready to fight against Ricky, one on the left, and the other on the right.


    "All right. It''s time that I fight with all my strength," Ricky muttered in an icy tone.


    As he spoke, he withdrew his Transforming Realm. And in an instant, his true appearance was revealed.


    The sudden change stunned Hyatt and Aaron so much, that it took them a while to recover.


    After all, it wasn''t every day that you could see a middle-aged man who could turn into a good-looking young man in the blink of an eye. And it was even more confusing for them, as they could tell that the technique Ricky used wasn''t for disguising, but it produced a real change.


    "Who are you?" Hyatt sputtered.


    He didn''t know why, but he felt an inexplicable danger which didn''t come from Ricky''s strength but his strong spirit of success.


    "My name is Ricky, not Kenney. And this is my true appearance," Ricky said as he spread his arms out as if to show them his real body.


    "Ricky!" Hyatt and Aaron gasped his name.


    Judging from their widened eyes and astonished looks, they had probably heard of him.


    "You''re the ace genius who conspired with the devils?" Hyatt asked with gritted teeth. Now, they finally understood why Ricky was able to challenge someone whose level was higher than his.


    "Really? You conspired with devils?" the Dragon Intent Grass also asked in surprise.


    "It doesn''t have anything to do with you, a Treasure from Heaven and Earth. Creatures from the continent and devils both want to refine you," Ricky replied to it nonchalantly.


    "Yeah, you''re right. My goal is to evolve to the Potentate Level. It doesn''t matter to me which race controls this world," the Dragon Intent Grass intoned in an impassive voice, as it nodded in agreement. It seemed that it didn''t care who would win, as long as it got what it wanted.


    "I conspired with devils? You can think whatever way you like. It doesn''t matter to me, because both of you will die here today," Ricky replied to Hyatt in an indifferent tone, but inside, fire was starting to build up with each insult.


    "Ha-ha, you talk so big! How could a man who conspired with devils dare to say that?" Hyatt laughed disdainfully after hearing Ricky''s words.


    But although he sounded confident, he was filled with apprehension inside, because now, he


    her. In their hearts, they were brothers already.


    "The chaotic power is certainly powerful. Even though you''re only a little stronger than your opponent, it is enough for you to kill him," the Dragon Intent Grass commented once again. There was a famous saying that cautioned all not to underestimate a genius who had comprehended the chaotic power, and it was right.


    "But you''re already gravely injured, and with those injuries, you are doomed. How could you win this battle?"


    "That''s none of your business. You just need to make an agreement with me," Ricky said with determination, fire burning in his eyes.


    "Devouring Mutant, Devouring Omnipotent Skill, Blood Vitality Devouring Skill, Evil Devouring Mouth!" Ricky exclaimed loudly, and all at once, his momentum and power recovered to their peak in a flash.


    Now that Aaron was dead, he no longer needed to have any reservation. This was now a one-on-one fight, and he had never backed down from one.


    ''What an amazing method to recover his strength! He combined five kinds of mutants. Maybe that''s why he could comprehend the chaotic power, '' the Dragon Intent Grass thought to itself.


    And as it looked at Ricky, whose eyes shone with fiery determination, and whose skin and clothes were bathed in Aaron''s blood, it thought to itself again, ''This is the man I want to follow.''


    Meanwhile, Hyatt was wailing and cursing Ricky, as he knelt by Aaron''s corpse. "I''ll kill you! I will make your friends and your women live in hell!" He burst out the incomplete water ruling power to its extreme, as rage fueled his every breath.


    "You can only blame yourselves for your loss. You deserve it," Ricky replied in a flat tone.

 Chapter 960 Shark Rebirth

    "This would not have happened without the Shark Palace''s evil plan. You would not suffer the consequences if the Shark Palace didn''t want me dead.


    That is why you deserve everything that has been happening to you. It''s your greed and arrogance that make you suffer."


    "Go to hell!" Hyatt screamed as he dismissed Ricky''s words. He did not give importance to Ricky''s reasoning, nor did he try and think of why all of this happened. At that moment, there was nothing in his mind but Ricky''s death. Hyatt found it acceptable for Ricky to take the Fire Dragon Extremity. After all, it would not be too much of a problem since he could actually take it away from Ricky later. But before that, there was something that he just could not stand¡ªRicky got a Demi-potentate Treasure from Heaven and Earth.


    Overwhelmed by the pain, Hyatt''s heart began to surge with more and more killing intent.


    It didn''t matter how powerful Ricky was, nor what his trump cards were. All that Hyatt wanted to do was to slash Ricky''s throat and slaughter him to save his own life. After his cousin''s death, there seemed to be nothing left for him aside from his life.


    In addition to that, he firmly believed that he was still stronger than Ricky.


    Swish! In an instant, his incomplete Water Rule spread wildly and turned the vast area into a world of water. Soon, the shadows of the Black King Sharks appeared in the same incomplete Water Rule.


    "Sharks, bite him with your sharp teeth and show no mercy!"


    Afterwards, the water power poured from the upside, flooding the world. In a snap, the shadows of the Black King Sharks opened their mouths full of blood and dashed straight for Ricky. At that moment, Ricky had a strong gut feeling that he was dealing with a group of crazy Black King Sharks who had no psychic intelligence whatsoever and were only interested in bloodshed.


    Meanwhile, Hyatt transformed into his beast form¡ªa real Black King Shark. Without hesitation, he immediately powered up and bore his sharp teeth, ready to rush towards Ricky.


    "Chaotic power! Chaotic Flame Torrent!" Just like how fire neutralized water, violent fire would be the best option to be used against the feisty sharks in this battle.


    In the front, chaotic power was being summoned along with the nine types of sacred fire and peculiar fire. Instantly, the fire turned into the shape of dragons, which swept and merged with each other. Soon, they combined with the chaotic power, forming the potent Flame Torrent.


    Moreover, this intense Flame Torrent also poured down from above their heads, fighting the infinite


    and pure blood essence.


    At that moment, the blood essence fused with all his strength, condensing into a miniature shadow of him. Soon after, his soul came out of his beast form and merged into the shadow.


    As soon as this happened, a miraculous change was expected to happen.


    After the soul merged into the shadow, the shadow gradually became real¡ªwith bones, flesh and blood. Soon after, it took on the form of the real Hyatt and became his real body.


    Meanwhile, the original Hyatt turned into nothing but a puddle of thick water.


    Howl! With a long howl, the new Hyatt rapidly grew larger as he turned into his original form. Right at that moment, he was undoubtedly reborn. With this, he had restored his strength to its peak, along with his improved blood vitality.


    "Damn it, I can''t believe that this is an actual rebirth!" Ricky murmured in disbelief upon seeing what had happened.


    "You are not dreaming. It is indeed an Omnipotent Skill of rebirth," the Dragon Intent Grass said in a low voice. "With this kind of Omnipotent Skill, his flesh and blood, bones, blood vitality, and strength can all be restored to the peak state, or even a bit beyond.


    Aside from that, there is a possibility that his talent and blood power will evolve faintly."


    "In this way, since he has acquired the Omnipotent Skill of rebirth, I can''t kill him by any means," Ricky said coldly as he gnashed his teeth.


    "No, you are mistaken. Such kind of Omnipotent Skill can only be used once in a few years. After each use, the user''s power won''t get any improvement later on," the Dragon Intent Grass explained.


    "So, this must be the Omnipotent Skill''s weakness, right?


    Hmm. I see! It''s very tricky," Ricky remarked.

 Chapter 961 The Power Of The Fire Dragon Extremity

    Ricky started to feel discouraged at the turn of events.


    At that moment, Hyatt had fully recovered to his peak state, if not better. And in sharp contrast, Ricky was quite weakened. He had just broken through and become a completed spiritual king, so if he used the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill and the Evil Devouring Mouth once again, his realm could be harmed.


    ''Life and death rune, Life and Death Fire, now let me see how much you can help me recover, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    He noted to himself that he should improve his comprehension of the Life and Death Zone in the future because the recovery with the Devourer Zone was too limited. After all, the Devourer Zone is a kind of killing zone, and thus, it was better used as a zone for fighting.


    As long as he could have a deeper comprehension of the power in the Life and Death Zone, he would be able to quickly restore to his peak state after a battle.


    Boom! As the Life and Death Fire burned, Ricky''s momentum and power recovered quickly too, although he would have recovered more quickly if he could use the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill. And even though he recovered, he didn''t reach his peak state.


    But fortunately, he had just enough for another attack.


    "Life and Death Fire? I don''t understand why you have so many sacred fires and peculiar fires," the Dragon Intent Grass said. It found that Ricky was indeed an incredible warrior, as he had managed to shock it several times already.


    "Shark Steel Skill! Taste my steel teeth!"


    shouted Hyatt in a disdainful tone. He glared sharply at Ricky, and it seemed as if he was looking down on him after his rebirth.


    His incomplete ruling power pervaded and evolved into physical power. This physical power transformed into steel-like power and merged with Hyatt''s body.


    With this technique, his body turned completely into steel. All at once, his body was reinforced and strengthened, even to the smallest parts such as his teeth.


    He opened his mouth and spat out a row of steel teeth, as he launched his strongest strike at Ricky.


    "Now let me test your power with the extreme flame!" Ricky declared firmly, and his eyes burned like a vengeful god, as he glared Hyatt down.


    His five mutants condensed a ball of chaotic power that surrounded his body, and then he turned into the Chaotic Fire Mutant. The nine kinds of sacred fires and peculiar fires emerged, and they fused with the chaotic power Ricky had condensed earlier.


    he Dragon Intent Grass said seriously.


    "Ha-ha, that''s easy. If you choose to surrender to me forever, I''ll tell you all my secrets," Ricky said in a smiling voice. "And I promise that I''ll not only help you evolve into a Potentate Level Treasure from Heaven and Earth, but I will also help you evolve further into a holy being so that you can be immortal.


    Besides, I can tell from your current tone that you admire me very much," he added cheekily.


    "You must be daydreaming!" the Dragon Intent Grass said in protest, its voice high and indignant. "But you are right. I admire you. That is because any creature will admire a genius who has successfully cultivated the chaotic power.


    Even your enemies will envy you because you possess the chaotic power, and in another perspective, they will admire you too."


    "I can''t tell you my secrets only because you admire me," Ricky said, shrugging his shoulders.


    "If you can cultivate the chaotic power further, and if you help me reach the Potentate Level, I may consider being your Intent Soul forever," the Dragon Intent Grass said seriously after a short pause. Its voice sounded sure, which pleased Ricky greatly.


    "Ha-ha, then it''s a good thing that I defeated those two first. Now, I can even receive such praises from you, a Treasure of Heaven and Earth at the Demi-potentate Level," Ricky said excitedly.


    "But before anything else, you''d better stay in my Soul Sea and help me condense the Intent Soul according to our agreement."


    "Don''t worry, I will never go back on my word because your chaotic power really appeals to me," the Dragon Intent Grass answered sincerely.

 Chapter 962 The Reason

    Ricky spent some time recovering to his peak state, and when he had fully recovered, he and the Dragon Intent Grass undertook separate oaths. The Dragon Intent Grass promised to help him condense the Intent Soul, while he would help the Dragon Intent Grass become a Treasure from Heaven and Heaven at the Potentate Level.


    Afterward, they signed an equal agreement. Of course, he still didn''t allow the Dragon Intent Grass to see his regained spiritual meridian and his mysterious ax.


    When the Dragon Intent Grass entered his Soul Sea, Ricky immediately had a feeling that his level of the Intent Apperception, which was originally in the third grade, had increased exponentially in an instant.


    Undoubtedly, it was the benefit brought by the Dragon Intent Grass.


    His mind felt like he had entered the world of intent, as he beheld the epiphany that was spread by the Dragon Intent Grass. He could quickly understand what intent was, and he could condense the Intent Soul effectively.


    "You are so extraordinary," Ricky said in awe, as he immersed himself in that wondrous feeling.


    "That''s for sure. With my help, you can condense the Intent Soul in less than five years," the Dragon Intent Grass said confidently, but surprisingly, instead of being happy, Ricky looked upset.


    "What? Five years?" Ricky replied in a shocked tone. It was obvious in his tone and expression that he was not satisfied with five years, as that was too long for him.


    "That''s not a long time," the Dragon Intent Grass said coldly, as it was offended at Ricky''s reaction.


    "I thought it would only take one or two years," Ricky whined. He didn''t mean to offend the Dragon Intent Grass, but he had a different time table. He really did not expect that to last that long.


    "You''re dreaming! Even for peerless geniuses, it can take decades for them to condense the Intent Soul, and besides, they have to constantly condense the Intent Soul during those decades," the Dragon Intent Grass said, looking aghast.


    "If one has only a little epiphany, it''s normal for him to spend hundreds of years to condense the Intent Soul. I said you could condense the Intent Soul in five years because you have mastered the chaotic power. Otherwise, you will need to spend more time."


    "Well, I will try my best then." Ricky frowned, still a little unhappy. He thought that five years were too long since he had a lot of things to do, but the time given to him was too short.


    "Ricky, it''s amazing if you can condense the Intent Soul in five years." Tina tried to comfort him awkwardly when she noticed that he was still upset.


    After all, no one had ever condensed the Intent Soul in just five years, but Ricky was still dissatisfied. Tina didn''t know what to say, although she sho


    ''s right. No one can blame anybody for such a thing. After all, this is the martial world," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "Now, I feel bad that I will use this Flood Dragon''s corpse to refine my body and improve my cultivation method after I heard what you said," Ricky said with a light laugh.


    "As far as I''m concerned, they are long dead. If you leave their corpses there, what will be the use of them? But if you are determined, I know a way that won''t make you feel guilty."


    Ricky studied the Dragon Intent Grass with curiosity after its intriguing words. "What is it?"


    "Do you know why the two Flood Dragons sent out their ruling power to form the ruling spirit in the Dragon Cave?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked mysteriously.


    "How would I know?" Ricky snorted in reply, and the Dragon Intent Grass snorted back in annoyance.


    "It is because they wanted me to become strong enough. They hoped that I would be a Treasure from Heaven and Earth at the Potentate Level. They wanted me to bring their bones back to the Dragon Island and bury them there. Although they experienced a lot of pain there, it was still their hometown, and they missed it very much.


    But I can''t do that. It''s so difficult for me to reach the Potentate Level. Even if I succeed, I don''t have the strength to take their bones back to the Dragon Island," the Dragon Intent Grass confessed.


    "So, you''re saying that you want me to take their bones back to the Dragon Island and bury them?" "That''s right. Then you can use their flesh and blood to refine your body and improve your cultivation method, and you won''t feel guilty at all,"


    the Dragon Intent Grass said with enthusiasm, as it nodded its head repeatedly. "Of course, even if you don''t agree to do that, then it''s okay. You don''t need to feel guilty. After all, it''s your opportunity."

 Chapter 963 None Was Simple

    "If I don''t accept your request, then I''ll feel guilty, and I''ve never done anything that would make me feel guilty. So, I promise you that I will try my best to do it," Ricky said sincerely.


    "Then, let me thank you on behalf of that dragon family and myself. After all, you''d be doing the work for me," the Dragon Intent Grass said. Its excitement was evident in its high-pitched voice, once it heard Ricky''s affirmative reply.


    Since Ricky promised to do so, it believed that he would fulfill his promise. After all, Ricky was a genius and an honorable person in its eyes.


    It had seen all kinds of geniuses in Dragon Island, including peerless geniuses and even ace geniuses, but Ricky stood out among the rest. He seemed to be the most qualified to become a powerful warrior.


    Maybe it was because Ricky had successfully cultivated the chaotic power.


    "Do you know how to get to Dragon Island?" Ricky asked.


    "Although I came from Dragon Island in the first place, I can''t remember the route at all, because the island has been hidden too perfectly. I''m afraid you can only rely on yourself to find it. Fortunately, I have a rough knowledge of where it is located," the Dragon Intent Grass answered sheepishly.


    "Okay." Ricky nodded his head, keeping this in mind. He would think more about it when it was time to go to Dragon Island.


    But now wasn''t the proper time yet. He couldn''t even consider going there until he reached the Sage Level. Otherwise, he would not be able to protect himself.


    And of course, he wouldn''t be able to fulfill his promise to the Dragon Intent Grass if anything bad happened to him.


    Soon afterward, the Dragon Intent Grass led Ricky to the wide passage where the ruling spirit appeared. In that place was a passage to where the three Flood Dragons had died.


    But before they proceeded, Ricky made sure to activate the middle realm of the Transforming Omnipotent Skill.


    That was because the three members of the Super Palace could show up there too.


    There was a hidden stone gate on the stone wall, which Ricky wouldn''t have found so easily if the Dragon Intent Grass didn''t tell him where it was. There was no restrictive power over the gate, though it was hidden perfectly.


    Ricky took note of all these details, as he pushed the gate easily. He crossed it and found himself in a huge stone cave. The moment he entered, he began to feel like he was drowning in a sea of the ruling power. That was most likely because there were dead bodies of creatures at the Emperor Level here.


    He looked around and found, as he expected, the dead bodies of three Flood Dragons in the center of the stone cave.


    Their heads resembled that of horses, while their bodies appeared like snakes. They had horns like a deer''s, claws like an eagle''s, and they had scales like a fish''s. They looked similar to gia


    all.


    "There are two reasons why you shouldn''t underestimate them. First, it''s what my instinct is telling me. And second, I can feel that they have obtained the Water Dragon Extremity and the Dragon Intent Grass in another cave.


    That Dragon Intent Grass doesn''t have psychic intelligence, so it doesn''t matter if they have it. But you know by experience how powerful the Dragon Extremity could be, and the fact that they have obtained it complicates matters. Since you have mutants, you can sense that they don''t have any mutants.


    It''s not easy for anyone who doesn''t have a mutant to surrender the Dragon Extremity, which indicates further that they can''t be dealt with simply."


    "You''re right. I also have a feeling that they are more than what they appear to be, and I have felt this way since I met them earlier," Ricky said in agreement, as he covertly studied the newcomers intently.


    He felt that Bruce and Stuart were somewhat mysterious, just like how he had felt towards Jasper in the first place.


    But his gut feeling didn''t mean that their strength was mysterious. It only meant that their heritage was unknown to him.


    And that was exactly how Jasper had made him feel. Now, he felt the same way, as he looked at Bruce and Stuart warily.


    "It won''t be easy to suppress them, so it will probably be difficult to obtain the dead bodies of the three dragons," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "They may not be easy to deal with, but I''m not weak either. Besides, I love fighting against genius opponents, so now I''m eager for a good fight," Ricky said. Outwardly, he grinned widely at the three people, who looked back at him suspiciously.


    Finally, it was Bruce who broke the silence and the stare-off between them. He waved lightly and said, "Hi, buddy. Let me introduce ourselves again. My name is Bruce, this is my friend Stuart, and this is my younger sister Bella."

 Chapter 964 Bella Su

    "Nice to meet you. I''m Kenney," Ricky said politely since Bruce had spoken to him politely.


    "Kenney, did you really kill Hyatt?" Bruce asked urgently. He was worried because they knew that once Hyatt died, Hiram would find out. And if he did, he would disclose the discovery of the Dragon Cave to spiritual-emperor forces just to make sure that neither of them could benefit from it.


    "I understand your worries, and I share them with you. That''s why Hyatt hasn''t died yet, but he is dying," Ricky said with a comforting smile when he saw the worry on Bruce''s face.


    "I see. It seems that we are being oversensitive. You must have thought about it carefully before you made your move against Hyatt and Aaron," Bruce answered with a bright grin at Ricky''s polite answer.


    "Anyway, why don''t we get to the point? None of us want to give up the opportunity here.


    So we will have to fight against each other, the result of which will determine to whom the opportunity will belong," Bruce continued.


    "That''s for sure. But anyway, I''m at a great disadvantage, since there are three of you and I''m alone. And I believe that all of you are quite strong too," Ricky said, nodding his head.


    At that moment, Ricky was saying the truth. He was feeling discouraged because not only was he outnumbered, Bruce and Stuart seemed like strong warriors too. Even if Bella Su wasn''t a threat to him, he could not discount the other two.


    If he fought against all three, his chance of winning over them would be no more than forty percent.


    ''This is bad. If I could create a replica of my blood and flesh, it would make things easier for me, '' Ricky thought, and although he seemed calm to the others, inside, he was trying hard to think of something that could help him.


    "I want a fair fight, Kenney, so you can fight with the three of us separately. We won''t attack you at the same time," Bruce suddenly said, which made Ricky look at him with wide eyes. Disbelief was written all over his face.


    He was quite confused because if the three of them fought together, then he wouldn''t stand a chance. He expected them to take that advantage in the name of the great opportunity they could reap.


    "Somehow, I can''t believe you. Why would you do that?"


    Ricky asked directly, while his eyes narrowed at them suspiciously. "I know you won''t believe this," Bruce explained.


    "But we are doing this because we want to be friends with you. When we fight against someone whom we want to befriend, I think fairn


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    how strong Ricky was, and this was the best way that they could gauge his strength.


    "Bella, nice to meet you. Your name is pleasant to hear, and your eyes are enchanting enough for any man to fall for. I''m sure no man can resist your charm," Ricky said with a faint smile on his face, and he looked up and down Bella''s body with admiration in his eyes.


    "Any man? Does that include you?" Bella Su asked. Her demeanor was very different from earlier, as she acted coquettishly and smiled coyly at Ricky.


    As she blinked her charming eyes, incomplete flirtatious ruling power pervaded the space and enveloped their world with a thousand colors. Ricky was instantly immersed in a colorful world filled with warmth and tenderness.


    This was how horrifying the born seductive eyes were. Those with the same strength as her, or those weaker than her, could fall into the flirtatious world if they weren''t careful.


    And once they were trapped, they wouldn''t be able to do anything but wait until Bella Su killed them.


    "Humph! You''re overconfident!" Bella Su snorted at Ricky disdainfully when she saw that he was helplessly trapped in her flirtatious world. She thought that Ricky was no different from other men, easily seduced by women and a slave to their hearts'' desires. It was a pity that her elder brother thought so highly of him when he was nothing but trash.


    Her eyes glinted sharply. Then she folded her arms and her incomplete ruling power condensed into a sword. It dashed at Ricky like a bullet.


    Of course, Bella Su had a sense of propriety. She didn''t target any of Ricky''s vital parts, as she only intended to graze his skin to teach him a lesson.

 Chapter 965 Confronting The Masculine Power

    Meanwhile, both Bruce and Stuart witnessed how Ricky fell into Bella''s flirtatious trap. They never imagined that deceiving Ricky would be that easy.


    Since he was caught all too quickly, they both thought that he could just be pretending.


    At the thought of this, they immediately contacted Belly telepathically to warn her, but it seemed a little late for it.


    ''I got you now, '' Bella thought as soon as she caught Ricky. Now, she could take a step back from being vigilant. Soon after, she brandished her sword towards Ricky, but Ricky was quick as he immediately took action. At that moment, his once blurred eyes had turned into bright gold, which defeated Bella''s flirtatious trap.


    In the blink of an eye, Ricky used the Space-shrinking Pace and teleported behind Bella.


    Shocked, Bella had not expected this to happen, nor was she able to see what he had done. She didn''t know what was happening until Ricky grabbed her by the neck and squeezed her shoulders very tightly.


    Bella felt nothing but panic swarm her veins at that moment. How she wished that everything was just a dream.


    At that moment, her mind was blank as she could not imagine what was going on.


    Meanwhile, Bruce and Stuart were upset upon seeing this. In fact, Ricky falling into Bella''s trap was out of their expectation, but they had never expected that the situation would change so drastically in an instant.


    "I can feel some extraordinary power from his eyes," Stuart said thoughtfully as he took a good look at Ricky.


    "His pace is unstoppable. It''s like he''s using some kind of Omnipotent Skill to move so fast," said Bruce heavenly.


    At that moment, they understood that Ricky was not a simple opponent after all. In fact, they could not imagine how they would resist Ricky''s attacks and pace if they were in Bella''s shoes.


    Ricky held Bella in his arms and put his face too close to hers that she could already feel his heat. Then, with a wicked smile, he said, "Bella, there is no doubt that I am mesmerized by your glowing beauty. Don''t you think so?"


    As he spoke, he took a deep breath to sniff Bella''s scent, as if he were a heinous and lustful man.


    But Bella was not at all flattered by what he said; instead, she got frightened. Horrified, she screamed loudly, "You bastard! What do you want from me? How could you be so shameless!"


    She wanted to resist Ricky''s tight grip but failed to do so because of how tight he held her shoulders. Moreover, she was so close to him that if she moved by one more inch, then she would already be touching his body.


    "Oh, come on Ricky, don''t prolong this.


    runic power is not that simple?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked Ricky trough telepathy at the moment.


    "Not that simple, you say? What do you mean by that? Is there anything special about it? Isn''t it just a bunch of white runes with the flame element fused with it?" Ricky asked in confusion.


    After the Dragon Intent Grass reminded him, he directly activated his five zones to get a glimpse of Bruce''s white runes.


    As he tried to assess and check the runes, he found something quite odd about it.


    As he examined the runes, he felt a special kind of heat coming off of them, which was different from the heat of any flame. Instead, what he sensed was a primitive kind of heat.


    Ricky was quite familiar with primitive dark power. In fact, Pearl''s Feminine Mutant fell into this kind of category.


    ''I am not mistaken. The heat is absolutely the opposite of Pearl''s Feminine Mutant, so it means that the heat power coming from it is a kind of masculine power. Therefore, the runes are a kind of masculine runes, '' Ricky thought to himself as he realized what they were.


    Of all kinds of power, the primitive power was the strongest, followed by the chaotic power, which was a kind of power before the primitive power took shape.


    The group of power that was only second to the primitive power and the chaotic power were those in contact with the heavens, such as the heavenly power, masculine power, and feminine power.


    The masculine power was one of the most original kinds of power that appeared at the very beginning of time when the chaos had faded. Apart from that, both the masculine power and the feminine power were definitely the most durable kinds of power, only second to the primitive power and the chaotic power.

 Chapter 966 Masculine Power, The Invincible Opponent Of Flames

    ''I didn''t think I would face the masculine power here. Since it''s one of the oldest types of power in the world, it seems very profound. It''s not surprising that it feels mysterious, and it must be the cause of Bruce''s enigmatic quality, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Despite his shock, Ricky''s fighting spirit was increasing. Excitement livened his veins as he thought of fighting a genius who cultivated the masculine power.


    "Bruce, if I''m not mistaken, the power you are cultivating is the masculine power, right?" Ricky asked straightforwardly then.


    "Yes, you are right, Kenney. It is, indeed, the masculine power, but it''s still far from the real masculine power," Bruce said, nodding his head. "If the real masculine power is one hundred percent, I have only cultivated thirty percent at the most."


    "In my opinion, that''s nothing to sneeze at! I believe that you''re capable of cultivating the purest masculine power sooner or later," Ricky said with a warm smile. "Now, show me how strong your masculine power is!"


    "Ha-ha, I also hope so. Let''s get started!" Bruce answered, and as he spoke, his masculine power surged once again.


    He intended to take Ricky seriously, as he had already seen his considerable strength earlier.


    Surrounded by the masculine runes, the white masculine power pervaded, and its temperature climbed higher and higher. The masculine power and roaring flame had some similarities, and this was one of them.


    Both of the two were fire-related and born from flames, but the difference was that masculine power was more advanced than flame power.


    For a flame-based power to hurt anyone, it needed to have contact with its target, and it couldn''t severely injure the opponent unless it was burnt directly on the body.


    The masculine power, however, could be used to injure the opponent without contact with the opponent''s body. Thus, it was more long-ranged than a flame-power attack.


    This was because of the masculine power''s focus¡ªthe masculine light. Masculine light bore the power of heat, and it could be condensed into something fast, overwhelming, and deeply painful. The more light there was, the faster the heat could spread, and thus, the worse injuries could be inflicted.


    And now that Ricky was facing Bruce, he needed to be constantly alert and wholly focused on the battle since he couldn''t use his five mutants, the chaotic power, and the third level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    Swish!


    Bruce didn''t hesitate. His black pupils turned white, as the masculine power around him gave off vivid light that shone fiercely. While the light was shining, the temperature increased gradually, and steam and smok


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    surprise at Ricky''s move. But he easily recovered and gathered all the masculine power from his entire body without hesitation. He shrouded himself in it, like a chain-mail armor.


    "Masculine Rule! Masculine Shield!"


    This Masculine Rule was composed of the incomplete ruling power.


    Scorching white masculine power shone vividly in the place, and its light was as blinding as the sun, as it condensed into a protective shield for Bruce.


    Boom! The deafening sound of two powerful forces colliding rang through the air instantly. Bright orange light and white light combined, as Ricky''s flaming fist slammed on the Masculine Shield.


    The collision between the flame and the masculine power was so fierce that the whole cave shook. Glowing airwaves instantly swept around from the center of collision and formed ripples that dashed all over.


    Standing aside, Bella couldn''t stand the strong impact and was almost thrown back. Thankfully, Stuart appeared beside her just in time to steady her.


    At this moment, the power on the Masculine Shield was rapidly condensed and wrapped around Ricky''s flaming fist. Bruce quickly condensed the suppressive force of the masculine power over the flame to force Ricky to withdraw his Chaotic Fire Mutant.


    Under such strong suppressive force, Ricky''s flaming fist slowly turned back into blood and flesh, the chaotic fire receding.


    "He concentrated all the suppressive force of the masculine power on my right fist?" Ricky murmured in a low, surprised voice, as it was the last thing that he expected from Bruce.


    Then, without any hesitation, he drew out his right fist and quickly jumped away from Bruce.


    As soon as he retreated, the Masculine Shield quickly changed and condensed into an attack, rushing toward Ricky.

 Chapter 967 The Furnace of Heaven and Earth

    "Masculine Rule, Masculine Spear, charge him!"


    In an instant, the Masculine Shield transformed into the Masculine Spear and formed a world of masculine power in front of Ricky, who had just retreated. Heat pervaded the space, like the tide, and it flooded and swept everything in its way.


    At the same time, Bruce also focused the masculine power''s suppression on the Ricky''s Flame Mutant.


    Ricky could dodge the attack by using his Space-shrinking Pace, but after two rounds of confrontation, he realized that his Chaotic Fire Mutant alone was not enough to defeat Bruce.


    To make matters worse, he was at a disadvantage, as the masculine power could suppress his Chaotic Fire Mutant, though only slightly.


    "Boy, you are indeed a genius, but sometimes you''re too stubborn. Why don''t you just admit that you can''t defeat him?" the Dragon Intent Grass taunted Ricky, as in its eyes, Ricky was just prolonging the battle.


    "There is something you don''t know. An extreme situation like this is exactly what I need, because only in these situations can I make progress. Since the masculine power can suppress my mutant, I will take this chance to get rid of its suppression forever," Ricky responded seriously.


    "It''s impossible to get rid of the masculine power''s suppression! Such suppression involves the natural law. Like the way fire can restrict wood, the masculine power can suppress flame mutants, and that is an inherent and irrepressible part of nature," the Dragon Intent Grass protested wildly as if Ricky had suggested something impossible.


    "Yes, fire can usually restrict wood, but when there is a large amount of wood, it can overwhelm fire just like water, right?" Ricky retorted at once.


    Then, as he finished speaking, he burst out his Golden Spirit Eyes, and tens of thousands of rays of golden light spread. The whole space was filled to the brim with vivid golden light.


    "Omnipotent Skill with Spirit Eyes! Golden Light Arrow!"


    Ricky roared, and his voice resounded strongly in the cave. At once, innumerable golden light gathered and turned into a huge golden arrow.


    As the fire continued to spread and merge with the arrow, the gray-white Fire Dragon Extremity also emerged and blended with the arrow.


    "His eyes are indeed exceptional... And his mutant is a high-level Flame Mutant. He only recently obtained the Fire Dragon Extremity, but he is already able to use it so skillfully,"


    Stuart murmured in awe, as he watched what was happening. He finally knew what kind of eyes Ricky had, and he d


    ulfed with the strongest flames, and everything was burning. Even the light itself was burned into cinders.


    All of a sudden, however, the flaming world was covered, suppressed, and refined quickly by a giant shadow.


    Ricky blinked in surprise, as he looked closer and saw that the giant shadow was actually a huge furnace.


    ''Is that shadow from that furnace?'' Ricky thought to himself in confusion.


    Suddenly, a vision came to his mind in the form of words¡ªFurnace of Heaven and Earth.


    After that, a message came to his mind too. The Furnace of Heaven and Earth could refine everything and destroy everything, and any Treasure from Heaven and Earth could serve as nourishment for it.


    Heaven could be melted, and so could the earth.


    ''The Furnace of Heaven and Earth, and the flame from it! I need you!" Ricky thought beseechingly.


    In the next moment, Ricky opened his Golden Spirit Eyes. While golden light was shining, a pure red flame shot out, and his Chaotic Fire Mutant turned from scarlet to a rich crimson color.


    Bruce and Stuart were so shocked by the scene that they could only stare in silence.


    Their gut instincts told them that there was an invisible threat on the horizon, and their hearts urged them to run as fast as they could.


    "What happened? What changes happened to him in the blink of an eye? What is this dangerous feeling?" Stuart could not help but ask.


    Bruce also breathed deeply to calm down, as every survival instinct he had was clamoring inside him to run away and save himself.


    "Furnace of Heaven and Earth, suppress him!" Ricky roared fiercely, like a lion protecting its cub, and then, flames of pure crimson materialized around him.

 Chapter 968 They Were Both Confident

    At that moment, the flames on Ricky''s body had almost turned into lava. Pure red hot lava surged up from behind him, like a phantom of furnace. It was not completely solid, but it still exuded of extremely powerful energy.


    It was much more powerful compared to the fusion of the Fire Dragon Extremity under the Chaotic Fire Mutant and the nine flames.


    Ricky put all his infernal power into the furnace.


    With the help of Golden Spirit Eyes, he was able to send the furnace towards his opponent.


    "How can it be possible? Why was he able to increase his power in such a short amount of time? The lava-like flames do not seem to be suppressed by the Masculine Power any longer. From I know, the Fire Dragon Extremity, the most extreme form of fire, will be more or less suppressed by the Masculine Power! But the current situation..." Stuart muttered in a deep voice as he looked on at Ricky''s outburst.


    He was starting to feel uncertain about whether Bruce could win the game or not.


    Bruce felt great pressure all of a sudden. It seemed like Ricky''s flames of lava would be able to restrain his masculine power.


    "What kind of flame is this? Even equipped with the sacred fire, it is impossible for him to release such a great burst of power," Bruce nervously said, his eyebrows furrowing in apprehension.


    However, he had no time to think of a counterattack other than to concentrate all his strength on his spear and shield, otherwise he would really fail.


    Boom! The furnace with red flames and the Masculine Spear with white heat collided with one another. As the two came into collision, a violent storm of flames ignited and swept in all directions.


    The Masculine Spear pierced the furnace as the furnace tried to suppress it.


    The lava flame and the masculine power were at a stalemate.


    "Has this guy learned a new skill? What''s going on with his flame of furnace? It''s not a sacred fire, not a peculiar fire, nor is it an extreme flame. Why isn''t it afraid of the suppression of the masculine power?" The Dragon Intent Grass was also astonished.


    The grass was so stunned to the point that it felt numb.


    "You called yourself the Furnace of Heaven and Earth, right?


    Then help me suppress this so-called masculine power. Let''s beat him!" Ricky was burning with the utmost desire to win¡ªit was all that he want


    uld take advantage of other people.


    I''ll fight against you next, Stuart. If I win, the chance belongs to me; if I lose, you guys can take it."


    "Boy, you''re courting death. Stuart must be much stronger than Bruce," the Dragon Intent Grass warned. It thought that Ricky should not pay attention to moral principles at this point.


    "I''m confident. Just trust me," Ricky replied.


    They all fell silent, taken aback by Ricky''s words.


    They were not expecting Ricky to make such a request that was so obviously against his favor. It was known to all that there were three Flood Dragon bodies in front of him. Any ordinary warrior would have been excited to obtain this fruit of victory from the battle.


    Everyone was uncertain about Ricky''s demand.


    At that moment, their admiration for Ricky increased even more, whether they were aware of it or not. They could see there were no ulterior motives behind his request, only pure determination.


    ''I can''t believe he really made that condition!'' Bella commented inwardly and couldn''t believe her ears. Somehow, her attitude towards Ricky had changed.


    "Stuart, we seem to have had the right judgment. He is definitely a person who is worth being friends with," Bruce uttered using his mind voice.


    "Ha-ha! If that wasn''t the case, we wouldn''t have proposed to fight against him one by one," Stuart replied.


    "But he still cannot actually compete with me on this. The furnace flames is his strongest trump card. I think I can still manage to break it."


    Stuart looked ahead, extremely confident.

 Chapter 969 Fighting Stuart

    "Ricky, why did you say you''re confident? Is it because you plan to reveal your chaotic power?" Tina asked with worry evident in her voice.


    "You know that you can''t burst out the chaotic power unless you show all five mutants of yours, but once you use all the five mutants, your identity will be exposed. The Chaotic Fire Omnipotent Skill you have just comprehended isn''t enough to defeat Stuart though.


    He seems even more formidable than Bruce, and his masculine power is stronger and more profound than Bruce''s."


    "Tina, the Chaotic Fire Omnipotent Skill isn''t the only skill that I have comprehended," Ricky said quietly, but he sounded even more confident than normal, which confused Tina more.


    "Did you comprehended another Omnipotent Skill?" Tina asked, as her eyes widened in surprise. She wondered when Ricky found the time to comprehend this trump card that he was hiding.


    "Tina, it isn''t easy to comprehend an Omnipotent Skill. The right mind, the right timing, the right place, and an extreme situation are all needed. Without any of those, it''s impossible to comprehend an Omnipotent Skill. When I comprehended the Furnace of Heaven and Earth just now, I saw it with my Golden Spirit Eyes. This experience enlightened me and improved my comprehension of all the zones,"


    Ricky said. Tina was further intrigued by his explanations, so she couldn''t help but ask more questions.


    "What do you mean? You saw the zones in your body with your Golden Spirit Eyes?" Tina asked, and Ricky enthusiastically nodded in response.


    "That''s right. I used my Golden Spirit Eyes to observe the zones in my body, and I found something deeper. Now, I have a better understanding of the zones because of that. Since I have a deeper understanding now, I don''t have to burst out all five of my mutants. This time, I only need to use one of them, and I can rapidly activate the chaotic power with the help of other kinds of runes. In this way, I can use the chaotic power without revealing all five mutants,"


    Ricky further revealed, sounding proud and excited about his discovery.


    "Oh, I see. It seems that your Golden Spirit Eyes can interact with the zones in your body, which makes them more effective, and you can achieve even more!" The excitement in Ricky''s tone passed on to Tina easily.


    She was genuinely happy for his success at that moment, and she couldn''t suppress the bright grin on her face.


    After all, this new finding could mean the difference between victory and defeat in their battle with Stuart.


    "Kenney, we appreciate your offer. Even if you lose to me now, you may still get half of the opportunity here. After all, you have already won against two of us," Stuar


    ted you," Stuart said solemnly.


    At that moment, the confidence that he had vanished and was replaced by fear and hesitance. It was an indication of just how much he respected the chaotic power.


    It wasn''t until then that they finally understood why Ricky was able to defeat Hyatt and Aaron.


    "Kenney, you are truly an ace genius. We have seen geniuses who had also comprehended the chaotic power in the Middle Land. They were also ace geniuses," said Bruce seriously from where he was standing at the side. His face also showed astonishment, and he realized now that his earlier instincts were proven true. Ricky would be a good friend, but he was also a very dangerous enemy.


    ''So there are other ace geniuses who have also comprehended the chaotic power. I wonder how I will compete with those geniuses if I meet them in the future. Which chaotic power would win out in the end?'' Ricky thought with excitement. He was no doubt pleased by the idea of more powerful people that he could fight.


    "I didn''t know you''ve been to the Middle Land," Ricky remarked curiously.


    "No, I haven''t. I just benefit from my friendship with Stuart, including my cultivation of the masculine power," Bruce said at once.


    "Stuart comes from the Middle Land?"


    "Yeah!" Stuart answered, nodding his head.


    "I''m looking forward to going to the Middle Land!" Ricky said cheerfully.


    "I can take you to the Middle Land if you want. With your talent, there''s no doubt that you will gain a great reputation there too," Stuart said, inviting Ricky sincerely.


    "Ha-ha, okay! Let''s talk more about that later. Now, let me see how powerful your forty percent of the masculine power is!" Ricky challenged Stuart with a smile, as both of his hands gestured wide open as if to welcome all of Stuart''s attacks.

 Chapter 970 Chromatic Energy Appeared

    "Ha-ha, all right. I''ve never had the chance to fight against those ace geniuses who have comprehended the chaotic power in the Middle Land. It''s great that I can fight you today so that I can find out just how strong the chaotic power is!" Stuart remarked cheerfully, and his fighting spirit remained abundant and brimming despite the strength of his opponent.


    Boom! As soon as Stuart finished speaking, the heat that appeared as white steam began to spread, and he burst out his masculine power to the maximum, which was almost close to fifty percent of the masculine power.


    "Masculine Fire Robe!" Stuart exclaimed loudly. The glowing masculine power turned into a white robe that swiftly wrapped around him.


    This was another one of his Omnipotent Skills, and with it, his masculine power evolved into heat and condensed into a defensive armor under the incomplete ruling power. And since the masculine power was one of the strongest power in the world, the defensive armor made of it was at the same level, and thus, it was one of the best defensive Omnipotent Skills too.


    At first, Stuart had no intention to use this defensive Omnipotent Skill, as it seemed like an overkill earlier. But Ricky''s chaotic power was a game-changer, and he wouldn''t dare to underestimate him now.


    It would be stupid to underestimate Ricky when he already saw how powerful he was. A genius who cultivated the chaotic power was a threat that he shouldn''t look down on, and he swore that he wouldn''t hold back this time.


    "Chaotic power!" Meanwhile, Ricky had already seen through Stuart''s defense, so he activated his chaotic power to its maximum. Although his Chaotic Fire Mutant had gotten rid of the suppression of the masculine power when he comprehended the Furnace of Heaven and Earth, he was still wary of Stuart, who had comprehended forty percent of the masculine power.


    He looked back at Pearl since she had the pure Feminine Mutant. He knew that if she and he had similar strengths, he wouldn''t be sure that he could win, even if he burst out all his strength.


    The masculine power and the feminine power were two peas in a pod, as they were both under the heavenly law.


    "Kenney, I will not hold back anymore when I confront your chaotic power. Get ready for my strongest attack!" Stuart warned seriously, and he was met by a bright grin from Ricky like he was expecting a gift.


    "I''m always ready!" Ricky replied cheerfully.


    "Then take this!" Stuart exclaimed. He condensed the strong glowing masculine power on his ten fingers.


    Buzz! Just like Bruce, he also condensed dense masculine runes, which surroun


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    of his Soul Sea, which surrounded the mysterious ax.


    He had finally decided to use chromatic energy, and he intended to merge the chromatic energy and chaotic power. There was no doubt that it would be terribly powerful.


    He didn''t know yet what kind of power the chromatic energy was, but he guessed that it could be one of the strongest kinds of power in the world. If he merged it with the chaotic power, their combined power would be his strongest power yet.


    "Chaotic Chromatic Fist!"


    Ricky roared. He clenched his right fist to gather the chaotic power and the chromatic energy at the same time, and then his fist slammed hard against the masculine sword.


    He had never tried merging the two before, so he didn''t know what else he could do with it. This time, he decided to attack Stuart with a very basic strike.


    "Hey, boy, is this your other trump card? I''m disappointed this time. I thought it would be something impressive, but it''s just another kind of power. How can you defeat him without condensing an attack?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked with a pout when Ricky attacked simply.


    It was even starting to think that he was scared silly by Stuart''s Omnipotent Skill, and that was why he didn''t put much effort into his attack.


    But its thoughts were stopped short, and even its words dissolved into nothing, as it sensed the overwhelming power of the chromatic energy, which seemed to be much stronger than the chaotic power.


    ''This... This is impossible!'' the Dragon Intent Grass thought in shock, as it tried to collect its bearings. It couldn''t believe its own senses at that moment.


    ''Other than the primitive power, is there any other power that is stronger than the chaotic power in nature?'' it asked itself.

 Chapter 971 Obtaining The Opportunity

    Generally speaking, besides the primitive power, there was no other power stronger than the chaotic power in nature. But at that moment, the Dragon Intent Grass began to doubt its thoughts because of the chromatic energy.


    As a Dragon Intent Grass, it had been refined by the Great Dragon''s blood essence and at least seventy percent of Intent Apperception, so it was also under the heavenly laws. Thus, its senses had never been wrong.


    But how was this possible? It didn''t know of any other power that could be stronger than the chaotic power.


    It was also sure that the chromatic energy was not the same as the primitive power, because the primitive power was one kind of the first power, similar to the chaotic power which should be colored gray-white or black and white.


    And besides, there was real primitive power in the chaos, and according to the records left by some holy beings, the chaotic power was mostly black and white.


    Astonishingly, it couldn''t sense any extreme chaos, which was typically found in primitive power, from the chromatic energy.


    On the contrary, it could faintly feel the existence of order in the chromatic energy.


    "Boy, where did your chromatic energy come from?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked aggressively. At this moment, it was even more shocked than it would have been if Ricky had cultivated the primitive power.


    "Dragon Intent Grass, you''re shocked, aren''t you? I can''t tell you where it came from because that is a secret," Ricky said with a faint smile. "But I can remind you that I will tell you everything if you surrender to me forever."


    Meanwhile, Stuart saw that Ricky had casually sent a punch this way, so he thought that he was being underestimated. He had felt annoyed at first, but when he studied Ricky''s attack carefully, he also felt that the chromatic energy it contained was extremely powerful.


    He realized that Ricky wasn''t treating him like a fool. On the contrary, Ricky had burst out his strongest power because he respected him and treated him like a good rival. He just didn''t condense a move with it.


    "How many kinds of power has he cultivated?" Stuart marveled in astonishment, a surprised expression on his face.


    Even so, the battle hadn''t ended yet, and he didn''t want to lose either.


    He swiftly integrated himself into his masculine sword and gave all his strength to attack Ricky. At the same time, Ricky also turned his entire body into the Chaotic Chromatic Fist and dashed toward Stuart.


    The two men''s confrontation created deafening noises, and the result of their battle was finally at hand. This attack would decide who wou


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    o these Flood Dragons, although one of them was an ace genius.


    "Since you insist, Stuart, Bruce, then I am honored to accept. But since we are friends now, I can''t let you go back empty-handed.


    The opportunity here involves the inherited cultivation methods and the dead bodies of the Flood Dragons. The dead bodies of the Flood Dragons are of great use to me, so I''m going to take them. You can take their inherited cultivation methods and Omnipotent Skills."


    Stuart, Bruce, and Bella gasped in surprise and were quite dumbstruck from Ricky''s words.


    They were not only surprised by Ricky''s willingness to share the opportunity with them, but also by Ricky''s distribution plan because the inherited cultivation methods and Omnipotent Skills of the Flood Dragons were far more valuable than their dead bodies in their minds.


    Once the Flood Dragons'' dead bodies were consumed, they would no longer exist, but the cultivation methods and Omnipotent Skills could be used permanently, as long as they successfully cultivated it.


    "Kenney, we are a little confused. Even if you are to share the opportunity with us, it''s better if you took the inherited cultivation methods and Omnipotent Skills for yourself, right?" Stuart asked frankly.


    "Rest assured, guys. I''m not inconveniencing myself. For me, the dead bodies of the Flood Dragons are more useful than the cultivation methods and the Omnipotent Skills," Ricky answered with a smile.


    "Ha-ha, I see. A genius like you, who have already cultivated the chaotic power, will never be interested in the inherited cultivation methods of Flood Dragons. Maybe those of a Great Dragon''s could draw your attention. Ha-ha!" Bruce said teasingly, and their boisterous laughter filled the cave.

 Chapter 972 Celestial Sect

    "Are you kidding me, Bruce?" Ricky laughed heartily and patted Bruce''s back with an amused smile.


    "All right, if you insist, then we won''t refuse anymore. We will take the cultivation methods and Omnipotent Skills inherited by the three Flood Dragons," Stuart said earnestly.


    "The inheritance of the Flood Dragons is a great opportunity for us. We owe you one for this!"


    "Ha-ha, that''s right." Ricky nodded and smiled at them, satisfied that he had gained more friends.


    After that, they no longer hesitated. Ricky collected the corpses of the three Flood Dragons, and the other three took the inherited cultivation methods and Omnipotent Skills.


    Ricky began to refine the flesh and blood of the three Flood Dragons once the corpses were placed into his Devourer Zone. As for their bones, he would store them safely without refining them, and in the future, he would take them to the Dragon Island.


    Anyway, he also had to go there because Soar would surely return to Dragon Island as well.


    "Kenney, what''s your plan after we leave this place? Would you like to go with us to the Middle Land to train?" Stuart asked Ricky after they had finished taking their spoils.


    "I know you are a genius. I''m sure you''ll thrive in the Middle Land where there are many geniuses, and if you want, I can recommend you to my force. I believe you won''t be disappointed."


    "Stuart, I will certainly go to the Middle Land, but it''s not yet the right time. I still need to strengthen myself. Also, I still need to go to the Western Land once I''m done here, as I have something important to take care of there," Ricky said sincerely.


    "I really appreciate your kindness, but I cannot go with you."


    "Oh, you''re going to the Western Land!" Bruce remarked, but he didn''t say anything more. He just nodded to himself thoughtfully, but Stuart picked up his slack.


    "Okay, Kenney. I hope that someday we will meet again." Ricky smiled warmly at this sincere promise.


    He was already looking forward to that day when they would meet again. There was no doubt that they would be so much stronger by then as well!


    "By the way, Kenney, you can come and find us at my sect''s headquarters when you get to the Middle Land," Stuart said as he flipped his palm. In his hand was a white jade tablet, and he gingerly handed it to Ricky.


    "This is a jade tablet that is used to identify members of our sect. Its name is the Cel


    he looked back at Jacob''s strength and the cultivation method that he cultivated, it seemed reasonable that he was a core disciple of the Celestial Sect.


    But how could such a powerful warrior be imprisoned by the patriarch of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe? After all, even a million members of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe were no match for a core disciple of the Celestial Sect.


    "That''s right. This is the identity jade tablet of the core disciples at the Emperor Level of my sect," Stuart said after he looked closer at the jade tablet.


    Ricky was even more confused at this piece of information. Somehow, the more that he found out, the more questions were unearthed.


    ''Does that mean that Jacob broke away from the Celestial Sect?'' Ricky wondered.


    After a few moments, he decided not to think about it too much. After all, both Jacob and the Massacring Holy Ant tribe had been destroyed, and so, it was meaningless to dwell on the grudges between them.


    "Stuart, I got this token from a dead elder in a secret land. He asked me to take care of his sect in the future, so he gave me this token," Ricky explained.


    "Well, I think I have figured out what happened," Stuart said, nodding his head thoughtfully.


    "Could you please explain it to me?" Ricky said eagerly.


    "There is a rule in our sect that once a core disciple at the Emperor Level becomes an upper spiritual emperor, he is allowed to establish his own force," Stuart explained.


    "I think that the elder you met is a core disciple of our sect who had established his own force. He might have died during training outside."

 Chapter 973 Solve All Troubles

    "I think so." Ricky nodded without any further explanation. After all, the Massacring Holy Ant tribe and Jacob had vanished completely. He didn''t need to explain it to them, as there was nothing to be done anymore.


    "By the way, Kenney, what''s the name of that force? Let me check if I know anything about it," Stuart asked curiously.


    "Have you heard about the Blood Evil Sect, Stuart?" Ricky asked in return.


    After all, he promised Jacob he would take care of his sect, so he should be cautious.


    "Sorry, I don''t recognize the name. Maybe it''s because I don''t care about other sects," Stuart said with a little embarrassment.


    "However, once we return to the Middle Land, I will make sure to pay attention to the Blood Evil Sect."


    "That sounds lovely. Thank you very much, Stuart," Ricky said to Stuart gratefully.


    After that, Ricky and the other three left the Dragon Cave together, and everything that happened inside the cave was left to the past.


    As soon as they stepped foot outside the Dragon Cave, Ricky destroyed Hyatt''s soul, killing him completely. Of course, Hiram, who was standing outside the Dragon Cave, immediately sensed Hyatt''s demise.


    His eyes flared with anger and blood lust as if he was desperate to shed blood for his son.


    At the same time, he saw Ricky and the other three, as they walked out of the cave. And although they weren''t talking or acting friendly, they didn''t look like they were fighting either.


    He immediately approached Ricky and asked, "Kenney, what happened in the cave? What''s wrong with Hyatt and Aaron?"


    "Nothing serious. I just killed them," Ricky said lightly.


    "What?!" Hiram yelled out of hatred.


    "I already told you what happened. What else do you want me to say?" Ricky responded. The expression on his face remained unchanged, eyebrows raised in amusement as if he hadn''t just announced Aaron''s and Hyatt''s death. Courtesy was useless now that he had gotten what he came for after all.


    "You are looking for death!" Hiram''s heart was full of grief and rage for the death of Hyatt and Aaron, but the straw that broke the camel''s back was Ricky''s cold attitude towards their deaths. He felt everything disappear from his mind except for one objective¡ªRicky''s death.


    He went berserk, as his mighty power burst out in a frenzy, and since he was an upper-grade demi-


    much progress Hiram has made over the years!"


    Meanwhile, Hiram was glaring hatefully at Ricky and his friends who had recently reunited. "Great! Now that you are all here, I could kill two birds with one stone. Or should I say, I will kill all of you!" Hiram shouted impatiently. He seemed to be in a frenzy, ready to kill Ricky and his companions.


    The incomplete ruling power of an upper-grade demi-spiritual emperor enveloped his entire body and created an incomplete Ruling World.


    "Humph! Hiram, if you want to kill my guests, you should try to beat me first!" Spike said in a cold voice, as he released his aura as an upper-grade demi-spiritual emperor.


    "I''ll kill you as well!" Hiram snarled, as he turned to Spike with a murderous look.


    He knew that among everyone present, only Spike could stand up to him. He would take care of him first then, and the others would fall to his feet soon after.


    The tension thickened around them, as the fierce battle between the two upper-grade demi-spiritual emperors neared its commencement.


    But at that moment, Ricky suddenly called out to Spike, "Sir! I am the one who started this, so let me be the one to fight this battle. Hiram wants to kill me, but I want to kill him as well.


    Don''t forget that we have other problems that we need to solve."


    After Ricky spoke, the momentum of the two upper-grade demi-spiritual emperors gradually became weaker. For a few seconds, Spike stood in shocked silence, but Hiram readily burst out much stronger killing intent before Spike could say anything more.

 Chapter 974 Arrival At The Western Land

    "Kenney, you''d better leave Hiram to me. You''re no match for him yet. But since you''re my son''s friend, then you''re also a friend of the Super Palace. With this, I vow that I won''t allow Hiram to hurt you in any manner," Spike said to Ricky through telepathy upon recovering from shock.


    "Don''t worry about me, sir. Now that I have said that, I am confident that I can defeat him," Ricky replied. "After all, I came here with a striking and powerful warrior with me."


    "A powerful warrior?" Spike was not quite sure of what Ricky was trying to say. As a result, he was taken aback by Ricky''s words. At this moment, he seemed to understand why Soar and the others could have come out of the Shark Palace.


    On the other hand, he was curious about the level of this powerful warrior that Ricky had just mentioned. If the said powerful warrior was a demi-spiritual emperor, then Spike would have sensed his or her presence already since all of Ricky''s companions should be just around the corner at that moment.


    ''Could the strong warrior be a spiritual emperor? I wonder, '' Spike thought to himself as he was curious about this warrior''s identity.


    This was because only spiritual emperors'' complete ruling power could be hidden from the demi-spiritual emperors'' senses.


    However, he could still not understand how Ricky could take a spirit emperor with him.


    "You can''t bite off more than you can chew. Seems like you are such in a hurry to go to hell. Let me help you with that. I can send you there as soon as we finish this," Hiram snorted grimly as he couldn''t stand Ricky any more. In the blink of an eye, he activated a strong attack that swept towards Ricky.


    Despite this crippling attack, Ricky did not take a single glance at him.


    At that moment, the sea water and the void where Hiram was standing suddenly balled up, causing Hiram to shrink into a tiny particle and disappear.


    Such a scene caused all of the people of the Super Palace dumbfounded. All they knew was that Hiram suddenly vanished into thin air the moment he was about to attack Ricky. On the other hand, Ricky and his companions remained composed because they very well knew who was behind Hiram''s disappearance¡ªthe Evil Mandragora.


    However, their hearts still sighed in dismay due to the huge gap between a spiritual emperor''s strength and a demi-spiritual emperor''s As a matter of fact, it was so speedy that it only took a millionth second for the former to defeat the latter.


    It was natural for Spike, Bruce, and the others to feel puzzled.


    ''It must be a spiritual emperor! I didn''t expect that Kenney would be protected by a spiritual emperor. What can we say? Hiram has been courting death. How dare he attempt to


    in answered back.


    After Ricky and the others left the sea area, luck seemed to be on their side, for they had not encountered any trouble along the way. Two months later, they managed to cross the sea area and arrive at another large continent¡ªthe Western Land.


    In these two months, they all had made great progress. By using the Devouring Zone, Ricky had refined the three Flood Dragons'' cadavers into blood essence. Afterwards, he distributed the blood essence among his companions.


    During that period of time, Soar, Pearl, Hugh, and Amanda all became demi-spiritual emperors, all thanks to the blood essence of the Flood Dragons.


    On the other hand, Ricky made a breakthrough and became a second-class completed spiritual king and strengthened his cultivation level. This was a great demonstration of the great effect of the blood essence from the Flood Dragons at the Emperor Level.


    Nevertheless, Ricky was still unable to reach the level of lower-grade demi-spiritual emperor. Somehow, he found it too difficult to challenge who was at a higher level than him at the Demi-emperor Level.


    In addition, his saber intent was enhanced greatly from being primary thirty percent to completed thirty percent due to the effect of the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "Is this the Western Land?


    Whew! I can''t believe that we''ve finally arrived after almost three months'' worth of travel," they all sighed with intense tiredness as soon as they landed on the continent.


    Although they had always flown over the sea area, they all felt that the continent was more suitable for them. After all, this is where they felt more comfortable living on.


    "Yes, it''s familiar. I can already smell the breeze! This is, indeed, the Western Land," Hugh said with glee while looking at the marvelous plants around him.

 Chapter 975 About Amelia

    "So, this is the Western Land. I can feel that the spiritual energy emitted by heaven and earth is much denser here than in the Eastern Land," Ricky exclaimed as he felt the difference in the spiritual energy from the two places he had been to.


    With the use of his five zones, he was able to sense that the Western Land was wealthier in terms of spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It was probable that there were many spiritual emperors residing in the Western Land, with many middle spiritual emperors among them.


    "Ricky, you''re right about this place. The Western Land has the densest and purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth among the four major lands. Therefore, it is the most powerful place among the four major lands when it comes to overall strength," said Hugh excitedly.


    "Perhaps this could be because the Western Land has less been invaded by the devils recently."


    "In that case, there must be many middle spiritual emperors left in the Western Land, right?" Ricky muttered.


    "That''s for sure. It is said that the leaders of the five strongest forces in the Western Land are all middle spiritual emperors," Hugh replied. "Moreover, those five forces have divided the Western Land into five regions and they control the Western Land together. Rumor has it that with their leadership, no creature dares to disobey them."


    "Oh, I see," Ricky said as he nodded.


    Soon after, Ricky shifted his gaze to Amanda and said in a gentle voice, "Amanda, would you like to tell me how I can help Amelia?"


    "Of course. I guess now is the perfect time to tell you," Amanda answered back with a smile.


    Coming from a powerful force at the Demi-emperor Level, both Amanda and Amelia hailed from the Hong Clan.


    The Hong Clan had spiritual emperors from the past generations. Thus, the clan''s blood power was at the Emperor Level. On the other hand, the clan''s blood power¡ªthe Rainwater blood power¡ªwas a bloodline blessed with the water element.


    Given that Amelia possessed the Rainwater Mutant, she had an in-depth awakening of this blood power. With this, the clan was expecting her to become a spiritual emperor in the future.


    Of course, this was of great importance to the Hong Clan. As soon as Amelia became a spiritual emperor, the clan would be automatically become a spiritual-emperor force, granting them a place in the Western Land.


    However, no matter how great the opportunities were for Amelia because of the Rainwater Mutant, it also caused her a lot of trouble.


    Meanwhile, there was a spiritual emperor force in the region where the Hong Clan was located¡ªthe Chu Clan. It was said that this clan controlled seven demi-spiritual emperor forces, which included the Hong Clan.


    The Chu Clan had a son, Carney Chu, who was born with the Heavenly Fire


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    t they had suggested. Once the Evil Mandragora took action, she would surely not be able to escape her doom because of the middle spiritual emperors.


    "Don''t be joking, Pearl. If we do that, then I guess that none of us can escape," Ricky said as he shrugged his shoulders.


    Pearl didn''t dare say anything about Ricky''s words. After all, she knew that there was some truth in what he said.


    "Ha-ha, I think someone is jealous," Soar teased.


    But he stopped pestering as soon as he saw Pearl cast him a cold glare.


    "Yes, Ricky is right. If the Evil Mandragora fights against the Chu Clan, then I''m afraid that all of us will be the common target of all the forces in the Western Land. We will be doomed if that happens," Amanda said with blushed cheeks, embarrassed.


    Figuring out Pearl''s jealousy, Amanda was sure that she could not blame her at all. After all, she thought that it was natural for every woman to be jealous in this situation.


    "Amanda, since you asked me to come here, I believe that you had already come up with a way to solve the problem. I hope you do, because she asked me to make that promise to her," Ricky reminded her.


    "Ha-ha, Ricky, you are really keen to have realized this," Hugh said with a laugh.


    "Well, it seems that you have already figured it out. Please tell me all about it!" Ricky asked curiously.


    "Ricky, the plan that we have come up with can not only help Amelia get rid of the Chu Clan, but also provide you with an opportunity to improve yourself," explained Hugh.


    "Of course, this involves something that you might find hard to do. But in my opinion, you should not complain about it but instead accept it happily."


    "Are you sure about this? Well, that doesn''t sound pretty bad! What are you waiting for? Spill the details," Ricky asked enthusiastically upon hearing Hugh''s excited words.

 Chapter 976 The Hong Clan

    "Both the Hong Clan and the Chu Clan live under the rule of the Spirit Sect, one of the five major forces," Hugh explained.


    "There are seven steps to cultivate the Fire Transforming Formula, and there should be four years between each step. That means, after finishing one step, Carney needs to wait four years before he can continue to the next step. Now, there are still four months left before his next cultivation.


    We have two and a half months before the Spirit Sect will conduct their selection competition, and those who rank in the top ten would be recognized as core disciples of the Spirit Sect.


    And there is no doubt that they will exert a lot of effort to train those core disciples.


    The Chu Clan will be extremely cautious of the Spirit Sect since even though Carney is a genius, he isn''t strong enough to protect his clan. In contrast, the Spirit Sect has two middle spiritual emperors who can help the core disciples grow more quickly."


    "Okay, I think I understand," Ricky said, nodding. "However, I think Carney will take part in the competition as well since he is qualified to be in the top ten. Didn''t he also receive appreciation from the emperors of the Spirit Sect?"


    "Ricky, if Carney is only a genius from the demi-spiritual emperor force, he will certainly be appreciated by the Spirit Sect.


    But he also is actually from a spiritual-emperor force, and once he becomes strong enough, the Chu Clan is very likely to replace the Spirit Sect to be the new ruler. So, how would the emperors of the Spirit Sect appreciate him? No matter what they give to him, his loyalty to the Chu Clan will never waver,"


    Hugh said as he shook his head. He couldn''t blame Ricky for not immediately seeing the implications, as it was quite political in nature.


    "That''s also the reason why the Spirit Sect decided to hold the selection competition. They want to select and cultivate a disciple that can rival Carney. Or else, after twenty or thirty years, Carney will govern the whole Western Land."


    "Is there anyone in the Spirit Sect that can fight against Carney?" Ricky asked doubtfully.


    "Yes, but in the future, no one will stand a chance against him. The Spirit Sect plans to select someone who can be his equal, instead of doing something devious to hurt Carney. Thus, I think the Spirit Sect can be regarded as a decent faction."


    "Oh, I see. Now I get it." Ricky nodded, his face brightening with sudden clarity.


    "Lo


    of a big mountain that overshadowed the city.


    A grave atmosphere had shrouded the Hong Clan like a shadow for almost two years.


    The Chu Clan was like a mountain that suppressed them under its looming presence, and it was because of this situation that Amelia became the Hong Clan''s hope for revitalization.


    But today, the atmosphere was even much graver, especially in the cultivation square of the Hong Clan. All the disciples of the Hong Clan were furiously staring at the central arena.


    Disciples of the Hong Clan were scattered around the arena. Some of them were completed spiritual kings, but they stumbled like young colts, as they tried to get up from the ground. Their robes were ragged, and their bodies were battered and broken.


    Behind the arena, several young men in red sneered down at those disciples dismissively.


    Meanwhile, on top of a distant building, a few middle-aged men and old men stared at that scene, with their fists tightly clutched. The fingernails on their fingers sank deep into the flesh of their palms, making crescent-shaped wounds that bled lightly. They wanted to help their disciples, but the battles were between the juniors alone.


    In the middle of the arena stood a young man in a red robe with long crimson hair. His mouth was turned up into a disdainful smile, as his eyes scanned around the disciples of the Hong Clan that were present. He eyed them with scorn.


    Then, the young man said indifferently, "Well, is there anyone else who wants to join this battle on behalf of the Hong Clan? I, Curran, allow you five, so-called completed spiritual kings, to attack me together!"

 Chapter 977 Amelias Reappearance

    As soon as his words trailed away, the Hong Clan''s disciples immediately felt embarrassed. As a result, a strong and unparalleled killing intent awakened in their hearts. At this moment, they were so angry that all they wanted to do was to chop Curran and grind him into meat paste.


    But of course, they were forbidden to do that. If they could defeat Curran fairly, then the Chu Clan would not have any justifiable reason to give them some trouble. But if they swarmed forward and beat Curran together with the majority, then it would only give the Chu Clan their needed reason to retaliate. If this happened, then Amelia would have no choice but to accept her fate, which was the opposite of what they had wanted for her.


    In fact, Amelia was the hope of the Hong Clan, and they had seen her as a goddess and they all admired her.


    ''Damn it! How dare he show up here with his arrogance? If only Ablett and Amanda were here!'' all the disciples of the Hong Clan thought with resentment in their hearts.


    ''Ablett has broken through and become a demi-spiritual emperor. Even if he were here, I''m afraid that he would still not be able to fight against that lousy Curran. I guess that''s why the damn Curran dared to come here in the first place, ''


    one of the disciples of the Hong Clan thought. Despite looking very angry, all of them chose not to open their mouths. Seeing this, Curran felt nothing but amusement.


    Being Carney''s cousin, he was also considered as a genius in the Chu Clan. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been close to the demi-spiritual emperor realm at all. In fact, he had already won most battles against opponents at the same level.


    Meanwhile, if the Hong Clan obediently agreed with their request, then they would not have gone so far. However, the Hong Clan didn''t cooperate with them. Despite this, they could not bully the Hong Clan out in the open since the Chu Clan was a spiritual-emperor force, after all. They needed to keep their decency in the public.


    One of the reasons why Curran came this time was to subdue the disciples of the Hong Clan. All he wanted to do was to let the Hong Clan know that they were nothing in front of the powerful Chu Clan.


    Although he was close to a demi-spiritual emperor, he was still considered as a completed spiritual king. So when he came to the Hong Clan, his only intention was to challenge the completed spiritual kings at peak state. Knowing that he was invincible with his talent of defeating opponents in the same realm, he believed that he could multitask and defeat several disciples of the Hong Clan simultaneously.


    ''You are really over-confident! How dare you refuse the Chu Clan''s offer?'' Curran thought to himself as he laughed grimly in silence.


    Soon after, he opened his mouth again and sneered, "What''s going on here? Don''t tell me you''re still a


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    an, of course I have to stand out and defend my clan! After all, that''s not true," Amelia said indifferently as she directly jumped onto the battle platform where Curran was standing.


    "Oh, really? Dear Amelia, are you sure that you want to fight with me?" Curran asked, grinning, after hearing what Amelia had said.


    "Certainly!" Amelia said blandly. Meanwhile as she stood still, a strong wave of water power rose from her body, going up to her maximum.


    In fact, that was the power of a completed spiritual king at peak state.


    "Now, my power, come out!" Amelia exclaimed with firmness after bursting out the power of her Rainwater Mutant. Soon enough, some of the water power around her was also transformed into raindrops.


    Meanwhile, the water and the raindrops interlaced around Amelia''s body, evolving into her strongest Rainwater Momentum. The Rainwater Momentum should have been a kind of soft power, but because of Amelia''s surging anger, it had developed an obvious killing intent on the surface.


    The anger that pushed her was no other than her undeniable hatred towards the Chu Clan.


    Due to the Rainwater Mutant, Amelia''s power directly increased from a completed spiritual king at peak state to something that was close to a demi-spiritual emperor. As a result, her power was at par to that of Curran.


    At that moment, all the disciples of the Hong Clan gathered around and looked optimistic as soon as they felt Amelia''s strong power. They looked forward to seeing Amelia defeat and destroy the hateful Curran.


    Seeing the energy that Amelia had summoned, Curran''s eyes immediately darkened.


    At the sight of this, all he felt was more arrogance, for he knew and believed in his own capabilities and strength.


    "Amelia, if that''s what you want, then let me put your Rainwater Mutant to the test," Curran said as he grinned while his momentum rose rapidly.

 Chapter 978 Fight Between Amelia And Curran

    Most of the members of the Chu Clan cultivated the Light Apperception with the fire attribute, and so did Curran. With this power behind him, his whole body was ablaze with flames.


    Curran''s infernal power shone a deep crimson, and it was obvious that he had cultivated the infernal power to its extreme strength. But then, this was normal, as people of the Chu Clan had the blood power of heavenly fire.


    Some of the descendants of the Chu Clan had weaker blood power compared to him, but all of them had the blood power of the heavenly fire.


    "Amelia, you may attack first," Curran said as he opened his arms as if to welcome her.


    He hadn''t even finished speaking when Amelia started moving. And even if he didn''t ask her to attack first, she would have done that anyway, all for the sake of her clan. Over the past two years, the Chu Clan had oppressed the Hong Clan mercilessly, and the people of the Hong Clan had all felt wronged and downtrodden.


    She was willing to agree to the Chu Clan''s request for the sake of her clan, but she refused to accept that personally. They were lucky that she couldn''t abandon her clan in any way. In the end, they could force her to cooperate for the sake of her clan, but they could never force her to be loyal to them or to submit to their wishes willingly. But then, maybe she would still choose the path of destruction.


    Around her, the battle continued. The rainwater power gathered into several long whips. These whips were originally soft and as harmless as raindrops, but at that moment, they transformed into sharp spear-like whips that stabbed straight toward her enemy.


    Perhaps it was because of the burning anger that she was nursing inside her that all her moves were simple, brutal, and full of hatred.


    ''You are too confident, woman, '' Curran thought as he glared at her with disdain. He could feel the intense and overflowing killing intent that was coming from her, and it stirred the need inside him, the need to break this woman and teach her a lesson she wouldn''t forget. He shivered in pleasure, as he envisioned how he could humiliate and kill her in just one stroke.


    He also knew that although he could kill this woman, to defeat her was the most that he could do, because anything more would stir Carney''s anger against him. After all, Carney wanted her for himself, and the last thing he wanted was to get in the way of that.


    Fire and water were the two most incompatible elements, and this could be easily observed in their battle. As Curran suppressed his fury, he threw several punches to Amelia''s direction.


    Boom! The collision of fire and water engulfed the whole battle platform with violent airwaves, which caused extremely low


    ldn''t defend herself, and now she was going to be defeated.


    "No, we have to do something. We can''t let our Hong Clan be shamed like this," one of the people from the faraway stands murmured in denial, his hands clutched tight in fists. "This kind of humiliation is worse than a million deaths!"


    "They''re going too far in bullying others!"


    "We can''t compromise. Even if we send Amelia to them, the Chu Clan won''t appreciate what we have done, and they will just take advantage of her."


    "That''s right. The strong will dominate the weak, and in a clan like the Chu Clan, there are no ties of friendship."


    "Well, since you all agree, we should now decide when we will see the chief of the Spirit Sect."


    Several people nodded at this, and after several discussions, the people of the Hong Clan finally made a decision.


    "Amelia, it seems that Hong Clan has been defeated in this battle," Curran said lightly, as he drew his hands over his chest.


    "Defeated? Do you think you can defeat me in this way?" Amelia said coldly, as she wiped the blood from the corner of her lips. At the same time, her power surged once again.


    In the blink of an eye, she burst out the blood power of the spiritual emperor, as well as her Rainwater Mutant. Her momentum and strength grew stronger and stronger, as it became apparent that Amelia was preparing to fight to her death.


    "In that case, I will defeat you completely!" Curran replied coldly, as rage flickered inside him.


    If it weren''t for Carney, he would have ended the battle earlier with just a few moves, but thanks to Carney, he wasted his time talking nonsense with Amelia.


    "You don''t need to fight against this kind of lackey with all your might. Let me fight him. Besides, he is not worth your attack." A brisk voice sounded behind them.

 Chapter 979 You Are Just A Waste Of Blood

    Just then, a figure walked out from the gate of the Hong Clan to the arena. Every head turned to the figure, and the ongoing battle was momentarily forgotten.


    What they could see at that moment was an ordinary-looking, middle-aged man. None of them knew that it was Ricky, who was using the middle realm of the Transforming Realm.


    All people were naturally confused because the disciples of the Hong Clan had never seen Ricky before. In this situation, they weren''t sure whether Ricky was a disciple of their clan or not.


    None of them could identify who he was, and their minds were working slowly due to the pressure and humiliation that Curran had brought them.


    In contrast, the powerful demi-spiritual emperors of the Hong Clan were sensible, and they asked each other through the telepathic link, "How can this person enter? Why didn''t the guards stop him?"


    "Let''s see what he''s going to do first!" another demi-spiritual emperor answered.


    All eyes were fixed on Ricky, as he jumped up and landed beside Amelia on the platform.


    On the other hand, Amelia was just as confused as the rest of them, but something about Ricky''s eyes and the scent he gave off seemed familiar to her. And the way the middle-aged man looked at her was somewhat comforting as well.


    She didn''t think that he was repulsive at all, so, like the others, she waited for him to say his piece.


    "Amelia, you''ve grown into a beautiful woman in just a few years. I''m so happy to see you!" Ricky teased through the telepathic link.


    And when Amelia heard this, she immediately knew who the man was.


    "Ricky, it''s you! Why are you here?" she cried out, although her appearance belied her words. Her facial expression stayed the same, and there wasn''t a single trace of surprise on her face.


    Of course, Amelia would never forget Ricky. After all, they had made a promise before.


    At that time, her intuition had been so sure that Ricky wasn''t a simple man, and he was totally different from what he appeared to be. So, Amelia let Ricky make the promise.


    She didn''t expect too much from that promise, but she couldn''t forget it because it was the first time she let a man make a promise to her. She remembered it clearly for she had a huge crush on Ricky at that time.


    After all, a girl would always rememb


    stranger.


    Amelia''s eyes widened when she saw this, and she noticed that the young man seemed to have grown to a level she could not believe. He didn''t just show up without any preparation, but he had brought extraordinary power with him.


    At that moment, Amelia was terribly glad that she followed her instincts that day.


    Meanwhile, Curran was utterly humiliated, and he felt as if he had been tricked by a monkey.


    But he didn''t know that the most humiliating thing was still underway, and he wouldn''t know what hit him once it was done.


    On the other hand, Ricky finally decided that insults were not enough, so he kicked Curran right at his buttocks. He didn''t use too much power, as that would have thrown him too far, but he used enough force to make sure he fell on his face like an idiot.


    He taunted him, as he looked down at him. He said, "You are just a lackey and a big waste of blood. How dare you challenge me here? You useless monkey!"


    "Go to hell!" Finally, Curran launched another quick strike at Ricky. This attack was filled with as much strong killing intent as the last one, if not more.


    "It seems that it''s not as difficult as I thought. He just needed a little humiliation, and now, he''s all messed up!" Ricky frowned distastefully at Curran, as he talked to Tina.


    "He was sent here by the Chu Clan, which means that he''s not doing well," she answered. "But he is not bad. After all, he cultivated almost to the level of the demi-spiritual emperor at this age."


    "You are right, of course."

 Chapter 980 Not At The Same Level

    "He''s probably not brave either. Maybe, he is just a self-conceited man," Ricky said with a smile.


    As he spoke telepathically, he activated the Space-shrinking Pace again, because Curran''s attack was nearing his position. In the blink of an eye, Ricky appeared in mid-air.


    Curran couldn''t believe his eyes when he missed once again. His face reddened in anger and frustration, but he tried again and again because there was no way that he would just give up. He increased his speed to the fastest he could manage and continued to attack Ricky.


    Unfortunately, Ricky''s speed was faster than his, and now, Ricky was also using the Space-shrinking Pace. At the rate he was going, he wouldn''t even be able to touch Ricky''s clothes.


    "You are such a loser!" Ricky sneered at Curran again. He believed that the best and most effective way to deal with Curran, who bullied the weak and feared the strong, was by jeering at him and humiliating him.


    Once he had decided that he would help Amelia, the Chu Clan became his enemies, and he had never shown mercy to his enemies.


    Howl! Meanwhile, Curran was enraged after he failed to hit Ricky several times, and it was worsened by the fact that he was starting to become everyone''s laughing stock now. ''All because of this guy!'' he thought as he roared like a raving beast.


    "Who are you?" he asked angrily, as he stopped wasting his energy on his ineffective attacks. He finally admitted to himself that it had become useless, and he wasn''t affecting Ricky at all.


    "My name is Kenney, and since Amelia saved my life many years ago, I have been living in the Hong Clan." Ricky lied and he found it fairly easy to make up a story. If it was believable was a different story altogether though.


    "I heard that you look down upon the members of the Hong Clan, so I just had to come and teach you a lesson."


    "Guys, I feel like this Kenney is making up a story!" The disciples of the Hong Clan began to talk telepathically once they heard Ricky''s story.


    Some of them had lived in the Hong Clan for almost one century, but they had no recollection of Ricky at all. So, of course, they couldn''t believe that Ricky was a member of the Hong Clan.


    "Maybe he made this story on purpose so that Curran cannot refuse to fight with him, just in case he refused because he wasn''t a member of our Hong Clan," some other disciples guessed, and those who heard their theories agreed.


    "That''s


    dge of the battle platform. He looked at Curran''s eyes, which were full of various emotions, and said in a flat tone, "You lose, so fulfill your promise. Crawl out from here like the dog you are."


    His tone sounded murderous and cold.


    And once the disciples and the demi-spiritual emperors of the Hong Clan heard this, they couldn''t help feeling the shiver that traveled through their bones. At that point, everyone could feel the strong killing intent from Ricky.


    It was at this moment that it finally occurred to them just how strong Ricky was.


    "What did you say? You want me to crawl out of here?" Curran protested wildly when he heard Ricky speak. It was true that he had lost the battle, but there was no way for him to crawl out of here.


    As for his promise just now, he would not abide by it, because he was a genius from a spiritual-emperor force.


    "Ricky, just forget it. It''s okay as long as they leave," Amelia said to Ricky telepathically at the moment.


    "Amelia, don''t worry. I know what I''m doing," Ricky assured her. "If he crawls out of here, he wouldn''t dare to tell any other member of the Chu Clan, and he would not allow his attendants to disclose what happened here.


    Because by crawling out of here, he will lose the face of not only himself but also the whole Chu Clan. If the senior members of the Chu Clan find out, what position do you think would he have in the Chu Clan?"


    In a flash, Ricky came to Curran''s side, who was about to stand up. He stepped hard on Curran''s chest with his foot, and a pained groan escaped Curran, who was now pinned to the ground and unable to move.

 Chapter 981 The Talk

    Swish! When they saw Ricky step on Curran''s chest, the attendants of the Chu Clan immediately encircled him. But they didn''t dare to attack him rashly, because they knew that Ricky only needed to press harder with his foot, and he could kill Curran.


    "Is Amelia''s friend seriously going to make Curran crawl out of here?" one of the demi-spiritual emperors of the Hong Clan asked worriedly. He didn''t think it was proper for Ricky to do that. After all, the Chu Clan was a spiritual-emperor force, and if they retaliated against the Hong Clan, they wouldn''t be able to fight back.


    "It is fine. We have already decided to choose the Spirit Sect, so we don''t need to be afraid anymore," said another demi-spiritual emperor.


    All the other demi-spiritual emperors quieted down after this answer, and from that point forward, none of them spoke again.


    "What...What are you doing?!" Curran roared, but the sheer fear written on his face belied his tone. Ricky''s real killing intent terrified him so much that he almost wet his pants. "If you kill me, all the members of the Hong Clan will be buried together with me in no time."


    Ricky felt the irresistible urge to trample and crush him beneath his feet when he heard his pathetic threat.


    "That''s true. I can''t kill you because of the Chu Clan, but there are worst things than death, you know. I can let you have a taste of what true pain is. Can you imagine how it will feel if I crush all your bones to pieces, from the smallest bones of your toes to your skull? I bet you will be the one begging for death by then," Ricky said, grinning evilly.


    The disciples of the Hong Clan shuddered when they heard Ricky''s threats, and it wasn''t even about them. They realized that Ricky was much crueler than they had imagined.


    But they also understood that this cruelty was necessary to deal with people like Curran. They were afraid of the Chu Clan so they couldn''t do it themselves, and now that Ricky had done it for them, they had to admit that they wouldn''t have done as well as Ricky.


    Still, they were worried about the consequences if Ricky hurt Curran too much.


    "Should we stop him?" some disciples wondered around. "If Curran crawls out of here, the Chu Clan will surely take revenge on our Hong Clan, and we will be the ones who will suffer!"


    "We should ask Amelia to stop him."


    "Enough! Just let Kenney do as he wants." All their arguments were silenced by Abraham, the chief of the Hong Clan, who chose this time to speak up.


    At first, they could only stare in silence, but when they recovered, some


    though, it wasn''t possible for the two to talk alone, because Tina was still inside the Massacring Zone.


    "Ricky, it''s been nearly three years since I last saw you. I can''t believe that you''ve grown to a level that I can''t reach," Amelia said, breaking the silence. "What surprised me more is that you are an ace genius who has cultivated the chaotic power."


    "It seems that Amanda has told you everything about me," Ricky answered as he smiled at her warmly.


    "Yes, she did!" Amelia nodded. "Can I see how you look like now?"


    "Okay," Ricky answered, nodding his head. Then he withdrew the middle realm of the Transforming Omnipotent Skill, so she could see his real face.


    Once his real face was exposed, Amelia was suddenly struck dumb.


    "What? Are you addicted to my handsome face?" Ricky said jokingly when he saw that Amelia was in a daze.


    "Ha-ha!" Amelia couldn''t help but burst into laughter when she heard Ricky''s joking words. "Ricky, although I didn''t know you well, you are still as interesting as before."


    "Ha-ha, you think so?" Ricky replied, laughing as well.


    At that moment, they were both remembering the time when they were in the Snow Land, but they soon calmed down, and their laughs grew quiet.


    Amelia noticed that Ricky wanted to say something serious, so she waited for him to talk.


    When he didn''t talk though, she broke the embarrassing silence. "Ricky, is there something you want to tell me? We have nothing to hide from each other."


    "Okay..." Ricky nodded but he still found it difficult to put his thoughts into words.


    Finally, he opened his mouth and started to say, "Amelia, I want to talk about our so-called engagement. I don''t want to hurt you, but..."

 Chapter 982 Carney Was Coming

    However, before Ricky finished speaking, Amelia interrupted him, "Ricky, I understand. You don''t need to say anything more. After the matter is over, I will tell my father and the others."


    "You know what I mean?" Ricky asked in surprise.


    "Amanda already told me about it," Amelia said, biting her lip.


    At that moment, only she knew how much his decision pained her. She wondered why he would even decide that. Did he not find her attractive at all?


    Of course, she couldn''t blame Ricky. He had come all the way to their place, just so he could fulfill a promise he made long ago. If that wasn''t enough to prove Ricky''s outstanding character, then she didn''t know what else could.


    ''Maybe it''s because I''m not good enough!'' Amelia thought to herself sadly.


    "That''s great. I didn''t know how to talk about that," Ricky said with a relieved smile, nodding his head.


    "You just came from a long journey. I know you''re tired, so you can rest first, then afterward, we will discuss what we should do next," Amelia said in a quiet tone.


    She smiled weakly and then left Ricky to rest on his own.


    As she left, Ricky couldn''t help but follow her with his eyes, for she appeared so lonely and desolate. It was like she was under the shadow of an old tree in the light of the setting sun.


    Of course, he didn''t feel happy either. He felt a little guilty, and it felt like he had done something bad to her.


    "Amelia looks so miserable. She must have been in love with you. Maybe you two didn''t know each other very well, but you were quite young at that time. A girl can never forget the first man she had a crush on.


    Although I don''t want to share you with any more women, I hate seeing her look so lonely and desolate because she loves you," Tina said.


    "Let''s talk about that later, Tina. We need to prepare first, just in case the members of the Chu Clan come back," Ricky said helplessly.


    With his current cultivation level, he didn''t need to rest, because the long journey wouldn''t have any impact on his strength. But since he did feel a bit fatigued, he still went to rest.


    Cultivation at the Demi-emperor Level and the Emperor Level was more focused on the cultivation of the min


    come to destroy our Hong Clan?" Abraham spoke first and broke the silence.


    "Uncle Abraham, please don''t speak so seriously. Our Chu Clan and your Hong Clan are going to become relatives by marriage. How could I destroy the Hong Clan?" Carney said in a flat tone, a complete opposite of his warm words.


    "I came here today because of Curran. A few days ago, he ran amok in here, so I am bringing him here to apologize to you."


    Then, without waiting for Abraham''s response, Carney looked sharply at Curran.


    Despite his unwillingness, Curran came forward and apologized to the members of the Hong Clan.


    And when the people around them saw this, they were dumbfounded, as this was the exact opposite of what they were expecting. They had thought that the Chu Clan would be arrogant and domineering in front of the Hong Clan.


    But now, it turned out that the Chu Clan came to apologize to the Hong Clan.


    "What happened? How could this be? Why is the Chu Clan apologizing of their own accord? Am I dreaming?" Many warriors began to talk about it telepathically.


    "No, you''re not dreaming! The Chu Clan did apologize to the Hong Clan. Maybe it''s because Carney truly loves Amelia, so he is willing to go this far."


    "I don''t believe in true love. Let''s wait and see what happens next!"


    While the warriors were discussing among themselves, Curran''s cruel voice sounded again. He pointed at Ricky and said loudly, "It was him, Carney. It was him that day!"

 Chapter 983 The Confrontation

    Curran''s words drew everyone''s attention. They all shifted their eyes toward the direction he pointed, only to be met by a stranger. They all felt confused, as none of them had any idea who Ricky was.


    Whispers immediately started buzzing around, as they asked one another who he was. They also wondered what business he had with Curran, or what exactly he did to incur Curran''s wrath. After all, they could see that Curran was looking at him intensely, and Curran''s eyes were full of killing intent and, curiously, fear.


    Meanwhile, Carney looked at Curran sternly, a reminder of what he should be doing at that moment. Curran was acting immature and was throwing a tantrum like a child, which could only put the Chu Clan to shame. Only after he caught Curran''s eyes did he turn to look at Ricky.


    As soon as Curran noticed the expression in Carney''s eyes, he realized that he had forgotten himself.


    He was suddenly reminded that it wasn''t Ricky that he hated, but it was Carney whom he truly despised, mostly because he was jealous of Carney''s strength and fame.


    After all, if it weren''t for Carney, he would be able to obtain more cultivation resources, and if he obtained more cultivation resources, he wouldn''t have been defeated by Ricky.


    And that was the root of his problem at that moment: if he hadn''t been defeated by Ricky, he wouldn''t need to apologize to the Hong Clan.


    "Are you Kenney?" Carney asked Ricky then.


    As soon as he spoke, Ricky felt an invisible domineering pressure rolling toward him, and it felt like a mountain had suddenly settled above him as if to force him to his knees.


    On the other hand, Abraham opened his mouth to distract Carney, when he noticed that Carney was planning to do something to Ricky. He felt that he should do something to engage Carney.


    After all, their whole plan hinged on him, and Amelia seemed to trust him. Thus, Abraham resolved to support Amelia until the end, and if that meant he needed to trust Ricky more, then so be it.


    He was about to say something when he was stopped by Ricky secretly. "Chief Abraham, please let me answer his question. It''s a good opportunity for me to find out just how powerful he is," Ricky told him through telepathy.


    "Okay, just be careful! The stronger warriors of our Hong Clan will intervene and give you a hand if necessary," Abraham replied to Ricky.


    To be honest, Abraham also wanted to see how powerful Ricky was since his daughter seemed to trust him so much.


    Of course, he was also hoping for the best. If Ricky failed to help the Hong Clan deal with Carney today, then their Hong Clan would have no choice but to give up their plan and completely surren


    sually dies a fast and miserable death!"


    They fell silent then, no doubt already imagining Ricky''s tragic death.


    "I''d like to ask you a question, Carney. What do you think is a gentleman like?" Ricky asked in a disdainful tone since he could sense the sarcasm in Carney''s words.


    "A gentleman is someone strong. Only those who are strong can be qualified to possess everything," Carney sneered, looking down at Ricky.


    "If you don''t have the strength, you should lie on your stomach like a worm. Don''t even try to think about flying like a dragon. Otherwise, the higher you fly, the more painful it is when you hit the ground."


    "Ha-ha, you are right, Carney. A gentleman is a strong man," Ricky said with a smile.


    "I think I am a strong man, so I can be a gentleman. Then why can''t I have Amelia as my wife?"


    Ricky asked provocatively, getting rid of all polite pretenses.


    He was determined to test how powerful Carney was in battle, so he was intentionally saying all the things that could make him angry.


    "How arrogant!" All the warriors around them grew annoyed at Ricky, as they found him too overbearing to have said all those things.


    "Yes! Kenney is too arrogant. He''s just an ordinary warrior, so how dare he speak to Carney in this way?!"


    Carney''s eyes were burning with rage at Ricky''s provocation, and malicious spirit emerged from his body.


    "You are not the one who has the final say on your strength. You need to prove it!" Carney said to Ricky coldly, as he walked a few steps forward. In the void, an incomplete flame world had emerged and was now rushing toward Ricky.


    "Since you want to test if I am strong, just do it! Let''s fight!" Ricky said. Now that Carney was ready to attack him, there was no need for him to be polite any longer.

 Chapter 984 Flame Battle

    Boom! As soon as Ricky''s voice faded away, chaotic fire runes started to rise from his body, demonstrating roaring flames. With his fist clenched into a ball, he smashed Carney''s incomplete flame world, which was pushing towards him at that moment.


    With a single massive blow, Carney''s incomplete flame world was shattered into smithereens.


    "Fire? How dare you use fire against me?!" Carney exclaimed with disdain as he discovered that Ricky was also cultivating the power of flame against his fire attacks.


    It didn''t come to him as a surprise when he witnessed Ricky smash his incomplete flame world with one solid blow. After all, Carney had only exerted about thirty percent of his strength into that flame world. In that sense, his attack was bound to be destroyed very easily.


    "You''ll know once you give it a shot!" Ricky said with a sneer. Needless to say, he was fuming mad with his opponent. Despite this, Ricky had never bothered to taunt his opponent who underestimated him; clearly, beating that opponent was the best way to humiliate them.


    "Oh, don''t feel so cocky. I''ll give you an opportunity to take back your flame," Carney said indifferently when he saw Ricky not paying attention to what he had to say.


    At that moment, Carney was no longer able to hide his strength. Instantly, the mark between his eyebrows flashed brightly. In no time, everything that surrounded him, including the void, was replaced by flames


    However, these were no ordinary flames, nor were they holy fire or sacred fire. Instead, these flames contained heavenly power. Therefore, they were called Heavenly Fire. In fact, this so-called Heavenly Fire was quite comparable to Ricky''s Devouring Fire, for they both had to be developed by devouring power. The only difference between them was the kind of power they devour¡ªthe Devouring Fire devoured other kinds of flames, while the Heavenly Fire devoured the heavenly power.


    Meanwhile, Carney''s body had also transformed into the state of the heavenly fire. In the thick of the blazing flames, six balls of Heavenly Fire stood behind him, distributed regularly as if they were the source of Carney''s Heavenly Fire Mutant.


    "Wow, is this the Heavenly Fire Mutant?" All the warriors around couldn''t help but look with awe as they saw how Carney transfigured. After all, this would be the first time for the majority of them to see the Heavenly Fire Mutant in person.


    "It seems that Carney is really furious this time." The warriors began to discuss and whisper among themselves.


    "That''s correct. Within the Spirit Sect''s territory, only a few core geniuses can force Carney to


    ious. After some time, his envy evolved into killing intent as he wanted to end Ricky''s life as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would suffer unimaginable consequences.


    Moreover, he told himself that the existence of his strongest flame mutant was enough for the Western Land, and the other flame mutants would have to surrender to him or be destroyed.


    "Didn''t anyone tell you that all the other flame mutants are useless in front of my Heavenly Fire Mutant?" Carney said to Ricky condescendingly as he walked slowly toward him amidst the raging flames.


    "I have no idea on what you''re talking about," Ricky replied as he grinned from ear to ear as he stepped towards Carney in the blazing flames.


    Boom! Meanwhile, as soon as their momentums met each other, both of them began to launch their attacks at fast speed. During that time, the void where they fought looked like two lava worlds colliding.


    Without hesitation, Carney directly grabbed one of the six balls of flames behind him and condensed it into the shape of an arrow, shooting one directly at Ricky.


    As the chaotic fire runes surged, Ricky''s pupils moved anomalously. In a flash, he burst out the Flame Torrent, condensing it into a pillar, which he slammed towards Carney with full power.


    Boom! In a heartbeat, huge flames accompanied by air waves burst out as if the sky collapsed, engulfing the two of them.


    Swish!


    As the collision went more intense, everyone thought that Ricky was going to end up in ashes. As they thought Ricky would be engulfed by the flames, unexpectedly, both he and Carney were knocked out of the area due to the great impact of their attacks.


    Ricky was not burned in the ashes. This meant that the two of them had similar powerful strength.

 Chapter 985 Murderous Intent

    Ricky was pushed farther by the impact, which implied he was relatively weaker than Carney. The truth, however, was that people in the surroundings did feel that Ricky was emitting the power which was comparable to a demi-spiritual emperor''s.


    This battle demonstrated the extent of Ricky''s strength.


    They could tell that he hadn''t become a demi-spiritual emperor yet and that the power he released was not incomplete ruling power. All these indicated that he had burst out the power of a demi-spiritual emperor when he was just a completed spiritual king.


    ''He is a genius who can challenge someone stronger than him!'' The people that had gathered around them admired Ricky from afar, as they thought that only someone really brave could do that.


    At that moment, all of them changed their views on Ricky. They had looked down upon him before, and some had even resented him, but now they grew to respect him because he could defeat someone stronger than him and this was something that they could not achieve.


    "It seems that all of us are wrong. He is not an overconfident man, nor did he do this out of his sense of justice. The truth is that he really has enough strength and talent!"


    "All of us spoke out of turn. We didn''t know what we were talking about!"


    "I can say that he is as much a genius as Carney!"


    "Yeah, maybe he is a late bloomer, or perhaps he just looks old for his age?"


    "He can challenge someone who is at a higher level than him! There is no wonder he could easily defeat Curran who is close to a demi-spiritual emperor." The people around them were abuzz with their opinions and praises for Ricky. Abraham sighed and said, "He has the mutant, and he is even able to challenge someone stronger than him. It seems that we made the right choice when we put our trust in him." "Ha-ha! Chief, it seems that you will have a good son-in-law in the future." Almost all the other demi-spiritual emperors of the Hong Clan sent this message to Abraham with their internal powers and congratulated him for choosing well.


    They were very happy that such a genius would soon become a member of the Hong Clan.


    Moreover, at that moment, they were more confident that Ricky would become the core disciple of the Spirit Sect since he had shown that he could challenge those stronger than him, even a demi-spiritual emperor like Carney, all while he was a completed spiritual king. It further proved that Ricky was not as simple as he appeared to be.


    The Spirit Sect had always wanted another geni


    In a word, after careful consideration, Carney had made up his mind to kill Ricky here.


    "Qualification? You can only qualify after you defeat me!" Carney replied bluntly.


    His aura had reached its limit as the Heavenly Fire burnt. Now, everyone could feel that although Carney''s realm was still an ordinary demi-spiritual emperor, the power that he was releasing had already reached that of a lower grade demi-spiritual emperor.


    This kind of feeling was especially true when he had released the Heavenly Fire Mutant.


    Carney launched another strike as soon as he finished speaking. He grabbed another cloud of Heavenly Fire with his left hand and transformed it into the shape of an arrow, which he held in both hands, as he rushed toward Ricky.


    "No flame mutant has ever been able to escape from my Heavenly Fire Mutant. Did you see the six clouds of Heavenly Fire on my body? They are formed after my Heavenly Fire Mutant devoured six owners of flame mutants.


    And today, you will become the seventh cloud of my Heavenly Fire!"


    "Are you sure you want to fight me seriously?" Ricky asked coldly.


    He didn''t expect that Carney would be foolish enough to challenge him in a life-and-death battle right then and there.


    Of course, Carney was only confident because he was sure that he wouldn''t die, no matter what happened. Even if he lost, there was a powerful demi-spiritual emperor behind him, who would surely rescue him.


    With this strong back-up, he didn''t fear anything.


    "I never hold myself back in battle, and every fight I participate in becomes a life-and-death battle," Carney replied lightly. The arrow in his hands began to throb and transform.

 Chapter 986 Void Power VS Heavenly Power

    As soon as Carney finished speaking, a great change took place in the arrows in his hand, while it was amidst the blazing flame.


    "Heavenly power¡ªHeavenly Fire arrows, merge!"


    Carney exclaimed. While the arrows were changing under the incomplete Fire Rule, strands of dense heavenly power gushed out. Although he was not able to use the dense and pure heavenly power like spiritual emperors, the power he was using was still strong enough.


    And although a demi-spiritual emperor could comprehend ruling power, he could never rely on himself to use the heavenly power. But with the Heavenly Fire Mutant, he was able to use the heavenly power directly, which showed the excellence of the Heavenly Fire Mutant.


    The heavenly power merged with the incomplete Fire Rule, evolving into two smaller flame worlds that appeared directly in front of Ricky. The Heavenly Fire arrows, which had increased in size, were growing even madly in the two flame worlds.


    It wasn''t until then that Carney began to show his real strength, while those who were watching realized that it was only now that the real battle had begun.


    "It''s the real strength of the Heavenly Fire Mutant that enables a demi-spiritual emperor to use the heavenly power!" the warriors that were watching their battle sighed in awe, as they saw the real outburst of Carney''s strength.


    "I wonder how Kenney will react," some other warriors said with excitement.


    However, unlike earlier, there was no trace of disdain in their voices when they talked about Ricky. Instead, they were just looking forward to what Ricky would do, as they thought that he could readily face what Carney threw at him.


    In the region under the control of the Spirit Sect, Carney was able to defeat all the geniuses who challenged him with ease, at least, those who were of the same age and level as him. Only a few geniuses from the Spirit Sect who were older than Carney could compare with him. Besides them, no genius less than one hundred and fifty years old in the whole region could even fight with Carney.


    Thus, deep in their hearts, these warriors still hoped that there would be a genius who could stand up to Carney and defeat him.


    In that way, they would feel like somebody did something they were not able to, and in the process, he was also standing up for them.


    "That''s heavenly power! It''s so enviable that a demi-spiritual emperor can use heavenly power!" Ricky couldn''t help but exclaim, as he felt the real heavenly power that Carney had burst out.


    "It seems that the Heavenly Fire Mutant is i


    nt earlier was drowned in even more violence.


    The power of the void and the heavenly power thus collided.


    For the heavenly power, Ricky''s realm was too low, so he had no better way of dealing with it other than bursting out the chaotic power. However, it was not yet time to show them his chaotic power.


    Once he exposed the existence of his chaotic power, he could draw unnecessary attention from the spiritual emperors of the Chu Clan, and they would likely fight him. That was not what he wanted.


    Fortunately, Ricky had something that grew in the heavenly power with him, and that was the Void Tree.


    The Void Tree grew by absorbing the heavenly power, and it could also evolve into the power of the void.


    Therefore, the void power could be thought of as a kind of power that evolved from the heavenly power, and thus, it wasn''t any weaker than the heavenly power.


    Although Ricky didn''t cultivate the void power, he could still use the Devourer Zone to control the Void Tree. This way, he could condense the void power from the Void Tree and use the void power in battle.


    "How is this possible? This power has traces of the heavenly law, but it isn''t the heavenly power. It only falls to the heavenly category. You''re not a demi-spiritual emperor yet, so how can you have such power in your grasp?" Carney asked in disbelief. He was once again astonished by the void power.


    At the same time, all the warriors around were astonished too, and some were even numb with shock.


    It was not until then, that they had to admit that Ricky was a genius, and surely, he was enough of a genius to contend with Carney.


    At that moment, an ordinary warrior in the crowd sent a message secretly.

 Chapter 987 Carneys Attack

    Boom!


    At that moment, the void transformed into a vast inferno that was filled with fire and lava. Only a warrior that was at least at the level of a lower grade demi-spiritual emperor could escape with his life.


    In this environment, two figures were surrounded by the raging flames, standing in front of each other. They had burst out their raging powers, and no one dared to approach them at all.


    The fierce collision lasted for a long time before it ended with the two men lying broken on the ground.


    Both of them coughed and spat blood, as they knelt heavily on the ground, and their faces were both ashen and dust-streaked.


    "What kind of power is this? It can even withstand my heavenly power!" Carney muttered sullenly. He wiped the blood off his mouth and stood up, limping until he found his footing.


    "What kind of power is that? It looks like the heavenly power, but it''s not the heavenly power at all. It seems to be a kind of space power!" The warriors that were watching them gasped in shock, their eyes wide in disbelief at what they had just witnessed.


    "It is the void power that is comparable to your heavenly power!" Ricky stated, grinning with his teeth all bloody.


    "Did the void devour the heavenly power? No wonder you can resist my attack!" Carney said in amazement, but he quickly remembered who he was talking to and frowned petulantly.


    "Oh, that is the void power! It has the incredible attribute of the heavenly law while also harnessing the strong power of space!" the warriors remarked in admiration, and they gave Ricky looks filled with awe as well.


    After all, it was more difficult to comprehend the void power than space power.


    "He is such an ace genius. He owns a powerful Flame Mutant, cultivates the void power, and dares to challenge anyone, even those of a superior level. Who on earth is him? Where does he come from? How could someone so talented remain so unknown? How did the Hong Clan come by talent such as his?" The warriors asked each other, while some thought these questions in silence. But there was no doubt that they were all wondering about the same thing.


    "You will die today!"


    Carney snarled as he rushed towards Ricky again without any hesitation. His eyes were bright with keen interest and greed, as he craved for Ricky''s cultivation and power, and he was greatly driven by this greed to kill Ricky so that he could he obtain all that he wanted. He was threatened because Ricky could grow to be


    antoms, as he had thought at first.


    However, they became puppets and fighting tools under the control of Carney''s Heavenly Fire Mutant.


    Ricky could sense that they must have been talented warriors with Flame Mutants before their death. They were probably defeated by Carney and transformed into these mindless versions of themselves.


    ''This reminds me of array puppet masters, although these are much more brilliant, arcane, and profound than the methods used by the array puppet masters, '' he thought seriously, as he observed their movements.


    "Ricky, I''m afraid that those giants are extremely powerful!" Tina said, and her voice was shaky with worry.


    "They were once six geniuses who all owned powerful Flame Mutants, but Carney killed them and integrated them into his Heavenly Fire Mutant."


    "Now that you have the Chaotic Fire Mutant, you should be aware that these six people were all geniuses as well. Just like them, you will be killed by me, and your Chaotic Fire Mutant will become my seventh ball of Heavenly Fire,"


    Carney said cruelly, as he gave Ricky a wicked smile. Greed filled his heart and overflowed in his soul, so much so that it showed in his eyes, but then, he had no intention of trying to conceal it anyway. He was more taken by the thought of how each additional Heavenly Fire could greatly improve his talent and power.


    He didn''t have a seven-star spiritual meridian until he killed those six talents and transformed them into his heavenly power.


    That was another incredible character of his Heavenly Fire Mutant.


    And it was also the reason why his Heavenly Power was so breathtakingly incredible.

 Chapter 988 Who Would Win

    At that moment, the flame on Carney''s body was at its hottest and purest, as he had already reached the limit of what he could condense into the Heavenly Fire.


    The six balls of Heavenly Fire were equivalent to six assistants for Carney, and each of them had the Heavenly Fire Mutant too.


    "You''re going to be my seventh ball of Heavenly Fire today,"


    Carney announced in a murderous voice. As he clapped his hands, the six balls of Heavenly Fire behind him followed him by clapping their hands too, and they formed a regular pattern.


    "Go and attack him!"


    Carney shouted as he and his six assistants besieged Ricky in an instant, using the Heavenly Fire.


    Ricky was immediately trapped in a world of heavenly law and fire that Carney had built, and although it appeared as if he was still in midair, he was actually in a cage that Carney had constructed.


    ''Heavenly law! Heavenly Fire! So, this is how he refined the six geniuses with flame mutant into his Heavenly Fire, '' Ricky thought to himself with a stern frown.


    ''I think I understand his Heavenly Fire Skill a little better now.


    He achieves this skill by seizing other people''s heavenly law and fire skill, and in that sense, his martial arts path is almost the same as the devouring skill.


    It is no wonder that he needs the assistance of a soft mutant''s power to enhance his cultivation level every time.


    If one can achieve heavenly law through this kind of plunder, then what is the use of the real heavenly law? In that case, every path can be called heavenly law!''


    Ricky couldn''t help but criticize such a loathsome martial arts path in his thoughts. Maybe it was because he cultivated the power of justice that he hated such an unjust way of doing things.


    "Let me break that so-called Heavenly Fire Skill of yours!"


    Ricky stated coldly, as he looked Carney in the eye, amid the red-tinged air spewed out by his burning flames.


    "Ha-ha, don''t overestimate yourself. My Heavenly Fire Skill can defeat all other fire skills. Even if your mutant is the strongest Flame Mutant, it will only become my seventh heavenly fire in the end." Carney laughed confidently upon hearing Ricky''s words, and he looked down at him with a condescending smile as if Ricky didn''t know what he was saying.


    He appeared overly confident of his skills, and it was probably bolstered by the fact that he hadn''t lost to anyone yet.


    He could admit that Ricky was very strong, but in his opinion, Ricky also ha


    ace of Heaven and Earth. In the blink of an eye, the Furnace of Heaven and Earth became more opaque and grew stronger than pure steel, and it was engulfed in golden light as if the furnace had been filled with thick golden water.


    With the power of the Golden Spirit Eyes, Ricky activated the Fire Dragon Extremity and gathered all the sacred fire and peculiar fire into the Fire Dragon Extremity, forming the most extreme flames.


    In the next moment, the Furnace of Heaven and Earth collided with the Heavenly Fire again.


    The collision was even more violent this time. The void was submerged in darkness.


    The roaring flames and airwaves swept over the place and forced all the warriors around them to step back, even though some of them were stronger than Ricky and Carney. That was because the great momentum of the flames made them fear for their lives.


    None of them could react as the battle was still going on, and their eyes were fixed on the flames and airwaves. They were afraid that they would miss the moment when the result of the battle became clear.


    After a long while, under the expectant gaze of all the warriors, two figures who looked extremely disheveled were knocked aside by the impact. They were Ricky and Carney.


    Puff!


    Ricky''s harsh breathing was interrupted, as he spat out a mouthful of blood, and his knees trembled weakly, so he fell to his knees on the dirty ground. It seemed as if he had given all his strength, but it was not enough to defeat his opponent.


    Meanwhile, Carney appeared wounded and dirty, but he was still steady on his feet. It looked like he still had some fighting power left in him.

 Chapter 989 Calvins Appearance

    "Kenney has been defeated!"


    all the warriors sighed as they were caught by surprise. They all knew that if Ricky was defeated, then he would die. However, if Carney was defeated, he wouldn''t, because the Chu Clan was there to back him up whenever he needed help.


    "Father, please save Kenney!" Amelia said to Abraham telepathically.


    "I understand!" Abraham said, nodding his head.


    Without hesitation, Abraham, together with a strong demi-spiritual emperor of the Hong Clan, was about to stand up from their seats to come to Ricky''s aid. Considering that a powerful demi-spiritual emperor of the Chu Clan had accompanied Carney, the Hong Clan should also have two powerful demi-spiritual emperors to fight against them. Otherwise, they would not be able to save Ricky from his impending death.


    "Chief Abraham, I haven''t lost yet. You are just scratching the surface. Wait until I unleash my devastating skills." Ricky contacted Abraham telepathically. "Even if I lose, I''m sure that Carney can''t kill me. Sit back and relax; there''s no need for you to help me at this point.


    Moreover, the Hong Clan will look bad if you are the first to take action. If that happens, the Chu Clan will have more excuses to fight you. All I''m afraid of is that the Hong Clan would be annihilated by the Chu Clan even before you see the powerful warriors of the Spirit Sect."


    "But you..." Abraham''s eyes widened. He hesitated to follow the plan as he had grown concerned about Ricky''s safety.


    "Don''t worry. I know what I am doing and I won''t put my own life at risk," Ricky reiterated.


    Meanwhile, he shot Carney a glance and began to sigh in his heart, ''This guy is a genius! I guess that he is even a peerless genius. His fire and mutant are really awesome.''


    During the fight, Ricky had to admit that he was already losing. As a matter of fact, there was a serious gap between his and Carney''s strength because Carney had almost faintly surpassed the strength of an ordinary demi-spiritual emperor.


    "This is unexpected. I didn''t expect you to have such a pair of powerful eyes!" Carney remarked after stabilizing his body. Although it was just for a quick second, he had already presumed that Ricky''s eyes were responsible for the increase in his power.


    Moreover, Carney also came to realize that he was envious of everything that Ricky had.


    As far as he could remember, he had never been greedy over anything that he didn''t have, because nobody else had anything worthy to be envious about. Instead, it was the other way around¡ªpeople were envious of what Carney had. But the tables had turned now for he was the one who wanted something that belonged to Ricky.


    Regardless, he grinned from ear to ear. Now that he had defeated Ricky, Carney was sure to get what Ricky h


    ven the case, the Chu Clan would most probably crush and exterminate the Hong Clan bluntly. Even if they chose to surrender to the Spirit Sect, it would already be too late.


    "Wanton, kill him for my sake!" Carney ordered the strong demi-spiritual emperor that had accompanied him in an angry voice. Given that the breakthrough was close at hand, he could not restrain himself any longer.


    At that moment, Carney had no other choice but to prepare for the breakthrough.


    "Just as I expected, they are indeed starting to kill. It seems that it''s not easy to solve the problem today," Ricky said in a serious tone.


    But as soon as Wanton stood out, Abraham stopped him. Soon after, a fight happened in which Wanton threatened the Hong Clan.


    "Ugh, what should I do now?" Ricky mumbled to himself as he felt a little anxious.


    As his anxiety punched him in the gut, he caught sight of Carney who was sitting cross-legged. In an instant, killing intent seemed to have filled his mind and soul.


    ''Although I don''t want to take advantage of others'' perilous state, it doesn''t mean that I will never do that. Today, I have no choice but to kill Carney before he kills me. Then, I will let the Evil Mandragora kill the spiritual emperors of the Chu Clan as swiftly as possible. If that all works out, then we''ll have to run away and never look back!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    Moreover, he planned to do so.


    Meanwhile, the void beside Carney began to twist, and a bearded man in a red robe appeared. As soon as he landed his feet on the ground, the bearded man did not hesitate and used his power to help Carney.


    However, his help wasn''t for Carney to make a breakthrough, but rather to help him restrain his realm.


    "That...That is the chief of the Chu Clan¡ªCalvin!" the warriors around all stammered as they saw Calvin right in the flesh.

 Chapter 990 Langstons Appearance

    Calvin! It was Calvin Chu! This name, at that moment, resounded through the mind of every living being there.


    There were other spiritual-emperor forces in the region besides the Spirit Sect and the Chu Clan.


    But when the word spiritual emperor came to mind, Calvin would surely be the first one to be mentioned.


    Apart from the two hidden middle grade spiritual emperors of the Spirit Sect, Calvin was the strongest lower grade spiritual emperor in the area, and even the chief of the Spirit Sect had admitted that he was not a match for Calvin in a life-and-death battle.


    He was also considered a genius, as he became a spiritual emperor when he was less than a hundred years old, and among all the current spiritual emperors in the Western Land, no one could achieve that.


    "The spiritual emperor of the Chu Clan has come!" Ricky said with surprise.


    "What should we do, Ricky?" Tina asked and the worry was evident in her voice. "I have no choice but to let the Evil Mandragora take action,"


    Ricky answered her promptly, although the hesitation could be seen in his actions. It seemed that they now had an enemy that he couldn''t fight himself, and he hated that very much.


    "Evil Mandragora, how long will it take for you to kill Calvin?" Ricky asked the Evil Mandragora, who had been cultivating and recovering in the Divine Manor for a long time.


    "I have recovered a lot in the past few days, as I have been absorbing the divine energy, and I am now very close to my peak state. Although this Calvin is the most powerful among the lower grade spiritual emperors, I can still kill him without much effort!" The Evil Mandragora spoke confidently at first, but suddenly, her voice was softened by hesitation, as she said, "The two middle grade spiritual emperors of the Spirit Sect can''t come to help within five moves, but..."


    "But what?" Ricky asked, slightly alarmed that she was hesitating.


    "But there is another spiritual emperor here who is on par with Calvin. If they work together, they could bid for time and wait until the two middle grade spiritual emperors of the Spirit Sect come and help," she explained, and as soon as Ricky heard this, he subtly looked around and observed the people around them.


    ''What? There is another spiritual emperor here? Are they going to do something to the Hong Clan today?'' Ricky wondered pensively, a little bit annoyed that he had not detected the strong threat earlier.


    "Evil Mandragora, you''d better make your move. Howev


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    help but gossip with each other.


    Langston was a person of the most exalted rank in the area of the Spirit Sect, and he was always cultivating in seclusion inside the Spirit Sect. So why was he here today?


    "Do you think it''s possible that Langston is interested in Kenney''s talent?" one of the creatures said through telepathy. "After all, the Spirit Sect has always been looking for a genius who can fight against Carney."


    "That must be true. People of the Spirit Sect are everywhere throughout the whole Spirit Sect area, so someone must have reported to Langston what was happening here.


    That''s why he came."


    "Calvin, long time no see. I wonder why your Chu Clan is here in full-force today," Langston remarked with faked indifference.


    "This involves matters of the Chu Clan, so naturally I need to be here," Calvin replied lightly with a sharp glint in his eyes. "How about you, Langston? I didn''t expect that you would come here either. Why are you here?"


    "Ha-ha, of course, I also have something important to do here." Langston laughed loudly, as a small smirk played across his face.


    "Well, I''m all ears for your explanation!" Calvin''s face was marred by a deep frown, as he was incensed even more by Langston''s mocking laughter. It irritated him that Langston was acting indifferent when he knew that he came here just to ruin his plans.


    And he knew what exactly Langston was planning, and why he felt the need to come out today.


    "Ha-ha, my disciple sent a message to tell me that a peerless genius has appeared here. I just had to come and see for myself!" Langston said innocently as if he had no idea what was going on here.

 Chapter 991 The Spirit Sect Was Still The Strongest

    All the creatures present heard what Langston had said. In an instant, it seemed that their guesses were right and they all knew what was happening in front of them.


    "It seems that Langston is really following you," Tina said as she heaved a sigh of relief. "Tell me the truth, Ricky. Did you know from the start that people of the Spirit Sect would show up?


    Was that why you decided to reveal your Golden Spirit Eyes?"


    "Oh, Tina, you''re overestimating me. We''re on the same page. I didn''t expect that the people of the Spirit Sect would come here, not to mention Langston coming here personally," Ricky said with a smile.


    "The only reason why I activated the Golden Spirit Eyes was because I was left with no choice. Otherwise, I would be seriously injured. And if that happened, then I would not be able to use the Evil Devouring Mouth.


    Of course, I didn''t expect that Calvin would come, either. I can''t believe that everything is so complicated now."


    "All right. But that doesn''t matter now. All that matters is whether Langston is sincere in looking for a genius, or not. If so, then it will be a lot easier to settle the matter, because we will know what to do," Tina explained.


    "Well, I hope so!" Ricky replied.


    Meanwhile, the Hong Clan could not be any happier. Initially, they had thought that they would eventually surrender to the Spirit Sect. However, it seemed that things turned out in their favor.


    After all, there might be no reason for them to do that anymore, because their chief''s future son-in-law was a genius who had drawn Langston''s attention.


    "Wait, are you serious? Langston, you said that we could find a peerless genius somewhere here, but I can''t find any peerless genius aside from Carney," Calvin said in a threatening voice.


    When it came to power or fame, the Spirit Sect was superior to the Chu Clan. Therefore, his threat didn''t work on Langston because the people of the Spirit Sect were also there.


    "Ha-ha, you must be kidding me, Calvin." Upon hearing Calvin''s failed threat, Langston burst into laughter.


    "Now that you think there is no other peerless genius in sight, then just forget what I said. After this, I''ll take whomever I suspect is a peerless genius, and bring that person back to the Spirit Sect. I believe you won''t stop me with my plan, will you?"


    After saying his words, Langston pointed his finger at Ricky.


    "Young man, would you like to accept my invitation to join the Spirit Sect? What do you think?" Langston invited Ricky without hesitation.


    "I envy him so much!" one of the warriors burst out


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    your chaotic power, then I think Langston would say nothing more with Calvin," the Evil Mandragora said.


    "Hey, look.


    Langston, are you serious enough to stir up trouble between the Spirit Sect and the Chu Clan because of someone who is out of the picture?" Calvin threatened again, as he wanted to deescalate the tension.


    "Ha-ha, that''s not what I want either, but it seems to me that you are a little overbearing," Langston said with a smile. "If you still insist, then there''s only one thing that I can tell you: the Spirit Sect is still the strongest force here. Let that sink in."


    Calvin and the other members of the Chu Clan all sank into silence at Langston''s words, their faces gloomy.


    But they didn''t dare say anything. The fact that the Chu Clan didn''t have any middle spiritual emperor meant that they were not qualified to contend with the Spirit Sect.


    With this, they thought that Carney was their only hope in the future.


    "Ha-ha, I couldn''t agree with you more. The Spirit Sect is indeed the strongest force in here," Calvin said as he burst into laughter after moments'' silence.


    But as far as everyone could tell, this wasn''t a laughter of happiness, but rather a laughter of warning. From how he responded, Calvin wanted to let the Spirit Sect know that they were the strongest, but that could change in the blink of an eye.


    "Ha-ha! Calvin, you are really so open-minded. Thank you so much for acknowledging us!" Langston said with a smile, ignoring Calvin''s warning.


    "Since you have already finished what you needed to do, you may leave in peace right now, Langston. The Chu Clan will have to stay, though, because we still have unfinished business," Calvin said with abandonment.

 Chapter 992 Reveal The Trump Card

    "Sir, you know what the Chu Clan is planning to do next. If they succeed, Carney will become more powerful in the future, and his time to become a middle spiritual emperor will also be greatly reduced," Ricky said by using his telepathy so that he could communicate with Langston secretly.


    "Do you want me to help the Hong Clan?" Langston asked.


    "Yes, sir," Ricky answered promptly. "The Chu Clan has been deeply hostile to the Spirit Sect now. If you help the Hong Clan, you will also be helping the Spirit Sect.


    Besides, I am engaged to Amelia, so if you help me, I will definitely reward you in the future."


    "Ha-ha, indeed for the sake of a female friend! In that case, I will have to help you!"


    Langston agreed as he laughed good-naturedly. However, Ricky could sense the undertone of hesitation and unwillingness in his words.


    "Thank you so much!" Ricky uttered sincerely, and he was a little bit relieved that although Langston was hesitant to help, at least he wasn''t about to help Calvin.


    He then asked again, "Sir, is there a big risk involved in helping the Hong Clan?"


    "Oh! It seems that you have read my mind," Langston said with a little embarrassment when Ricky successfully guessed his doubts. "But even though I am hesitant, I have to help you because I want to have you on my side. After all, I want to rely on you to defeat Carney in the future."


    "Would you like to explain a little to me, sir? After all, there is Carney alone in the Chu Clan who intimidated the Spirit Sect. What''s more, he has not grown up to be very powerful yet," Ricky said, cocking his head as if he was confused.


    "It''s not only because of Carney''s strength in the future, or else the Chu Clan wouldn''t dare to behave so maliciously in this region," Langston said. "This is all because of the background of the Chu Clan."


    "The Chu Clan''s background?" Ricky asked doubtfully.


    "I am talking about the Sky-breaking Dome, which is also one of the five big forces here!" Langston said.


    From his words, Ricky got a little inkling of what he meant, as he also knew something about the Sky-breaking Dome.


    He heard that it was one of the fiv


    ecause Carney is no match for me in my eyes," Ricky said with confidence, and disdain colored his tone.


    "Oh, man, you are overconfident. Although you can challenge those stronger than you, there is no fairness in the battle, and no one will lower their realm just to fight with you," Langston reminded Ricky, slightly put off by his overconfidence.


    "Why would I dare to say that I am confident if I do not have enough strength?" Ricky replied.


    "Sir, please check the power in my palm secretly, and you will understand what I mean."


    "Okay, let me see." Langston was quite curious now. He used his mind to scan the palm of Ricky''s hand, as he replied to Calvin, "Ha-ha, Calvin, don''t worry. I have something else to do here."


    "Ricky, are you going to expose the chaotic power?" Tina asked.


    "That''s right. I intend to expose the chaotic power to him. Only in this way will he really help me," Ricky told her. "And only in this way will he think highly of me.


    The Sky-breaking Dome is my target, and I think Langston will be of great help to me if I go there."


    "The Sky-breaking Dome?" Tina said lightly. "Maybe it''s the right choice for you to come to the Western Land."


    "That''s right. I have to investigate all the forces with the name of the Sky Dome," Ricky agreed. "Because it might be related to my identity and the origin of my blood power."


    At the same time, Ricky condensed the chaotic power on his palm.

 Chapter 993 Langstons Determination

    When Ricky''s chaotic power was condensed and formed, Langston only looked on dazedly as if he couldn''t believe what he was feeling at that moment. His body trembled slightly, only noticeable to those who were looking at him intently.


    Ricky, of course, noticed how shocked Langston was, so he immediately withdrew the chaotic power, especially because he didn''t want Calvin to know of its existence yet.


    From his position, Calvin could only see that Langston was not moving, but he didn''t know what had drawn this reaction from him, so he asked directly, "Langston, is there something wrong? You may as well tell me!"


    At that moment, Calvin was very serious. He assumed the reason why Langston hadn''t taken Ricky away yet was that Ricky did not want to leave in order to defend the Hong Clan.


    He could not think of another reason why Langston refused to leave.


    "Is... Is that the chaotic power?" Langston stuttered in shock, and at that moment, he couldn''t care less about Calvin''s question.


    "I won''t and dare not lie to you about this. I''m confident at myself because I own the chaotic power," Ricky replied firmly.


    "Carney has spent less time on cultivating compared with the core talents of the Spirit Sect, while I spent less time than him. I can kill him easily if we are of the same level.


    Besides, I''m confident that I can reach the same level as Carney in a short time, so I don''t need to take him seriously."


    Now that he knew where Ricky''s confidence was coming from, Langston admitted that it wasn''t arrogance if Ricky had something to back it up. On the contrary, he felt that Ricky was powerful enough to be even more confident than he was at that moment.


    In the Western Land, Langston was the most qualified person to be called a spiritual emperor. How could he not know the talent of a genius who owned the chaotic power?


    ''What an ace genius! I didn''t expect that this man is an ace genius. It seems that I have to show my sincerity," Langston thought to himself, and at that moment, he made a promise to himself that he would do anything to get Ricky on his side.


    "Kenney, you have impressed me so much. I''m glad that I agreed with your request first, or I would have lost an ace genius like you," Langston said to Ricky.


    "I''m flattered! Thank you so much!" Ricky said excitedly.


    he Chu Clan for so many years. If they don''t take advantage of Kenney, this land will belong to Carney when he has grown strong enough.


    If you think about it, protecting the Hong Clan also means cutting off Carney''s rapid progress."


    In a word, it seems that Langston is determined to protect Kenney and the Hong Clan."


    "Langston, I will ask you again. Do you really want to fight against the Chu Clan?" Calvin roared as the momentum of his body burst out to the extreme.


    "I have never thought of being an enemy of the Chu Clan, but I will do what I need to do. If you think that way, then there''s nothing I can do," Langston replied coldly.


    At this moment, he was determined to oppose Calvin, because he was determined to help Ricky, the one who was an ace genius cultivating the chaotic power.


    And in his mind, even if the warriors from the Sky-breaking Dome came to oppose him, he believed that he wouldn''t change his mind.


    "Okay, you have made your bed, so I''ll make you lie in it too! Don''t blame me when you suffer, as you have chosen this path yourself. Do you think that the Spirit Sect is the most powerful sect in this area?" Calvin asked condescendingly when he heard Langston''s decisive words.


    "Isn''t it true?" Langston replied coldly, as he began to feel annoyed. After all, Calvin''s words were a blatant challenge to the Spirit Sect.


    "Don''t forget that the Chu Clan cannot be bullied easily. If you want me to leave, you need to back your words with strength!" After that, Calvin burst out his power to the extreme.

 Chapter 994 An Overwhelming Battle

    As soon as Calvin stepped out, the fire ruling power swept through the air and the power of the heavenly law entwined with it, while at the same time, Calvin''s flames also revealed the nature of the Heavenly Fire.


    Wary after what had happened earlier, all the other warriors dispersed the instant that Calvin moved, for they dare not come close to the momentum of a spiritual emperor. They were terrified that a single surge could turn them into ashes, and they could only blame their carelessness for it.


    "Such being the case, I''ll try your Fire Rule, Calvin," said Langston aggressively.


    He threw his palm out, and the heavenly power merged with the ruling power. A strong stream of water spread in an instant and destroyed Calvin''s tentative attack. Crack! Their bodies collided hard against each other as space was shattered.


    And due to the merging of the heavenly law and the ruling power, their bodies grew larger until they were nearly twenty meters in height.


    ''I can feel their strength, and they are even stronger than the Old Oriental Emperor, Wilbur, or Todd, '' Ricky thought when he felt the power that was being emitted by the collision between Calvin and Langston.


    "That''s for sure. The spiritual emperors you mentioned, such as the Old Oriental Emperor, are only about to become middle spiritual emperors, so their comprehension of ruling power and their strength are much inferior to that of a real middle spiritual emperor," the Evil Mandragora explained.


    "But for these two in front of you, their strength is on par with that of a middle spiritual emperor, and they only lack a little rule. Once they comprehend the rule, they can officially step into the realm of a middle spiritual emperor, but if they can''t do that, then they can never become middle spiritual emperors."


    "Even the lower spiritual emperors have different realms, right?" Ricky asked for clarification, although he already had an idea.


    "Lower spiritual emperors, middle spiritual emperors, and upper grade spiritual emperors all have four realms¡ªbeginning, completeness, half-step, and peak," the Evil Mandragora answered promptly.


    "Calvin and Langston are both in the peak realm, so if they joined hands against me, they can probably resist me for more than ten moves. If lower spiritual emperors in half-step realm, such as the Old Oriental Emperor, are to fight with me, they can only do the same if more than ten of them are working together."


    "I see!" Ricky said gratefully, as he under


    idelines with a grave look on his face, because many palaces and houses of the Hong Clan were overwhelmed by the airwaves. The Hong Clan was suffering a great loss, and it would worsen until this fierce battle was done.


    At the same time, there was excitement crawling through his veins when he though that they had finally found someone who could oppose the Chu Clan.


    "It''s time for them to end their fight after this confrontation. If Calvin is truly wise, he will retreat. Because, from this confrontation, we can see that he cannot defeat Langston, and the Spirit Sect still has two middle spiritual emperors," Evil Mandragora remarked.


    "This time, the situation was indeed dangerous, but we still managed to survive!" Ricky sighed with relief, and a small smile crept unto his face.


    "This is all because of your talent. If you''re just an ordinary genius, you would have fled away and left here as soon as I took action today."


    "What do you mean?" Ricky asked, curling his lips, but she didn''t answer him.


    In front of them, just as Evil Mandragora said, Calvin had stopped after the last attack. He didn''t say anything, but he cast a threatening glare at Langston and Ricky before he left with all the other members of the Chu Clan.


    It appeared that their trouble had finally come to an end.


    But Ricky knew that the Chu Clan would surely seek help from the Sky-breaking Dome, and Carney would surely come back to fight him again.


    "It seems that I have to improve my fighting power to the realm of a lower demi-spiritual emperor," Ricky said seriously.


    At this time, Langston slowly came to his side and looked at him with expectant eyes.

 Chapter 995 The Background

    "I can''t thank you enough, sir!" Ricky smiled from ear to ear as he sincerely expressed his gratitude.


    "In that case, you should call me Chief from now on. How does that sound?" Langston gave a faint smile as he replied. Despite the happiness from all that was happening, Langston could not help but feel the heaviness of his heart now that it was time for him to also think about solutions on how to deal with the Sky-breaking Dome.


    Since Calvin suffered such a great loss, he would most probably seek help from the Sky-breaking dome.


    "Yes, Chief!" Ricky respectfully tried to get Langston''s attention.


    "We would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts!" At that moment, the members of the Hong Clan led by its leader, Abraham, also expressed their sincere appreciation to Langston.


    "You''re welcome. A warrior with the Rainwater Mutant must be treated as a genius in the Spirit Sect." Langston smiled as he spoke.


    "Does that mean that Amelia can also join the Spirit Sect if she wants to?" Abraham asked excitedly upon hearing Langston''s words.


    "Well, of course. After all, the Spirit Sect is also short of mutants and it would be great if she could join us," Langston replied. "But, as far as I''m concerned, it''s better that you join the Spirit Sect by taking part in the competition that would be held two and a half months from now.


    By then, the competition would be fierce. In fact, tons of rewards await you once you become a core member! Moreover, these rewards are great opportunities for you, and your realm will surely benefit from them. I know you are very interested in joining the Spirit Sect now, but if you do right now, then there will be no reward for you at all."


    "We completely understand, Chief!" Ricky and Amelia said in unison as they nodded their heads upon hearing Langston''s words. Right then and there, he imagined all the rewards that could soon be his.


    "Let me remind you that you can''t be careless in this competition. Moreover, there would be no fooling around, because there will be many geniuses of the elder generation who often take part in the competition. Be careful for most of them are not weaker than you or Carney," Langston warned with a faint smile.


    "Well, that makes it more interesting." Ricky smiled.


    "That''s good to hear. You can stay in the Hong Clan for the time being. But be sure to head to the core area of the Spirit Sect. I''ll be waiting for you there," said Langston. At that moment, he was eager to see how well Ricky''s skills would play out in the upcoming competition.


    Ricky had gained a good reputation because of what had happened today. But in the competitio


    would not let her go, because her blood could open up the passage between the Devil Land and the continent.


    "Chief, take a guess about where I come from. You''ll be surprised," Ricky teased him.


    "Are you to test how observant I am? Then let me have a try!" Langston remarked. "By feeling your aura from such a close distance, I find that you''re not so old as you look.


    You are Amelia''s friend. She once went to the Eastern Land and as far as I can remember, there is an Oriental College in that area. I have once witnessed the cultivation method its former dean cultivated, which was the Transforming Omnipotent Skill."


    Langston stopped speaking. He shifted his gaze to Ricky who stood frozen.


    Ricky was at a loss for words. At that moment, it seemed that Langston had already known who he was all along.


    ''But how could it be possible? How could he know?'' Ricky thought to himself in shock. At that moment, he knew that he had forgotten what a spiritual emperor was capable of, especially when he was the chief of a great force.


    Needless to say, Langston must have figured out who he really was based on Amelia''s previous trip to the Eastern Land and Ricky''s Transforming Omnipotent Skill.


    Langston must have known that Amelia had been to the Eastern Land based on the information gathered by the spies of the Spirit Sect. At that point, Ricky suspected that there might be Spirit Sect spies lurking in every demi-spiritual emperor force within the Spirit Sect''s territory.


    "So you''re the ace genius from the Eastern Land¡ªRicky!" Langston said in a light tone. "And I believe that you haven''t revealed that you have comprehended the chaotic power in the Eastern Land.


    Otherwise, you would have already been known as an ace genius in that land."

 Chapter 996 Why Carney Suppressed His Own Breakthrough

    After he heard this, Ricky didn''t bother to say anything more, and he had to admit that he had underestimated the spiritual emperor''s ability.


    He removed the effect of the middle realm cultivation method until his true face was revealed.


    "Transforming Realm! This kind of Omnipotent Skill cultivation method is amazing, right? If I didn''t know it, I wouldn''t have recognized it," Langston exclaimed when he finally saw Ricky''s original face.


    "You have a special insight. I think I should never have kept it from you from the very beginning!" Ricky murmured.


    "It''s fine since it''s your business anyway. It is not a big deal for me that you hid your identity," Langston said as he shrugged. He was not angry that Ricky concealed his identity, and he appreciated that Ricky talked with him alone, so he could confide his secret.


    "So, Chief Langston, can you tell me your thoughts now?" Ricky then asked nervously. His mind had already connected to the Massacring Zone, and at the same time, he was ready to release the Evil Mandragora from the Divine Manor.


    "What do you think?" Langston smiled.


    "There was a time when I would have guessed what was on a spiritual emperor''s mind, but now I know that if I am not yet a spiritual emperor, I am not qualified to guess the thoughts of a spiritual emperor," Ricky said humbly, and he inclined his head a little so that he was bowing down slightly.


    "Ha-ha! It seems that after I guessed your identity, you have become more prudent." Langston laughed heartily at his words, and then he continued, "But there is no need for that. I only guessed it because I know many things, but if I wasn''t familiar with the Transforming Realm, or if I didn''t know that Amelia had been to the Eastern Land to practice, I would never have guessed that. At best, I might have known that your middle realm facade was not real.


    Although I, as a spiritual emperor, am connected with the heavenly law, my mind is still similar to that of mortals, and thus other people can observe what I am thinking. You can''t be afraid of spiritual emperors just because of this matter.


    Otherwise, those incredible demi-spiritual emperors will not exist in this world. Even if they are not spiritual emperors, they can still challenge or even suppress the emperors."


    Ricky nodded pensively, as he was enlightened by Langston''s words.


    He knew that every creature understood a lot of things, but they were unwill


    id."


    "Ha-ha! I see. Carney will also participate in this contest, right? I solemnly promise that I will defeat him there," Ricky replied with a smile.


    "There is no doubt that Carney will participate in the contest, as he probably wants the reward, and of course, your life," Langston assured him. "I''m looking forward to watching you fight against him."


    After Langston left, all the people of the Hong Clan were immersed in excitement.


    At that moment, they looked at Ricky with overflowing respect and admiration.


    The thought that he was too old for Amelia had been wiped clean from their minds.


    And now, they thought that since he was a genius who was on par with Carney''s strength, he deserved to get her. And the chief of the Spirit Sect also thought highly of him.


    They reasoned that great minds mature slowly, especially in the martial world.


    So in their eyes, Ricky had transformed into the kind of genius who gained great talent later in his life.


    After a short conversation with Abraham, Ricky also started his cultivation, and this time, he planned to cultivate his casting skills and runes.


    He had just reached the level of a second-class completed spiritual king, so it would not be good for him to break through again deliberately.


    Therefore, he decided to cultivate his casting skills and runes. He cultivated the runes according to the Chaos Manual, and in this way, he could improve his realm invisibly, but this natural improvement would not affect his realm significantly.


    Besides, he had turned his back on casting recently, so this was also an opportunity to get back to it.

 Chapter 997 The Advanced Spirit Level

    Ricky regulated his breath first in the Massacring Zone, and after he had adjusted his breath to its best state, he started to cultivate in casting. At that moment, five mutants appeared, five kinds of runes merged, and the chaotic power and five kinds of runic power were interacting continuously.


    At this moment, the Chaotic Fire Mutant was dominating because fire was naturally the most important for casting. The Fire Dragon Extremity appeared and merged all the power in his body, and gradually, it reached its strongest form.


    "Fire Dragon Extremity, let me see how you help in my casting practice!" Ricky said expectantly.


    Taking out his furnace, Ricky poured the Fire Dragon Extremity into it, and then he took out all the casting materials that he had prepared in advance. He exerted all his concentration and effort, as he had to do his best in the following two months.


    The process of casting was very difficult, and without any guidance, many casting geniuses made many mistakes even if they obtained the advanced inheritance. Ricky was different because the Chaos Manual had unique perceptions. It was very sophisticated and advanced, and it was as if many casting masters were guiding Ricky as long as he wanted.


    Therefore, it was difficult for him to make a mistake in casting the Chaos Manual.


    As he worked, he also took off his shirt and put away from his mind any distractions that he had, as he was prepared to make great efforts in casting.


    When Tina saw Ricky''s strong upper body, her face turned a bright crimson, but she activated her power to hide the flush on her face because she didn''t want Ricky to see how much he affected her.


    There was nothing in the world that she wanted to see the most besides Ricky casting in silence at this moment.


    And from that moment forward, Ricky was just casting constantly. He was quite handy with casting, thanks to the cultivation method recorded in the Chaos Manual, and he made it a point to reach his limit, and he even pushed himself further so that he had more progress each time.


    In this way, he made constant progress.


    Another important point was the Fire Dragon Extremity, as it deserved to be the best flame in casting, and if the Fire Dragon Extremity was mixed with the nine types of sacred fire and peculiar fire, it could


    ormal thing in the martial world. And if you had no talent, how could you ask people who didn''t even know you, to treat you sincerely?


    "Is there any news about the selection of the Spirit Sect?"


    "Yes, it''s big news!" Abraham suddenly perked up in excitement to deliver the surprising news.


    "Oh? What is that?" Ricky asked curiously, an eyebrow raised in question. "The place of the selection has been changed, and the award rules have also been changed,"


    Abraham readily answered. "In the past, each selection was carried out in the Small World of the Spirit Sect, but this time, the selection will be held in the Blood Spirit Ground of the Western Land,"


    Abraham continued. "What? The Blood Spirit Ground!"


    Amelia and Amanda exclaimed in chorus. Their eyes were filled with fear, and they couldn''t help but step closer and seek comfort from each other.


    Little tremors shook their hands minutely, and just the thought of that place was like ice poured in their veins.


    "Yes! I didn''t expect that it will be in the Blood Spirit Ground either. When the news came out, all the people in the Western Land were excited and shocked," Abraham said enthusiastically.


    "Some timid disciples even gave up and refused to enter the selection.


    Kenney, I have a feeling that this change in the Spirit Sect is because of you," Abraham said as he looked at Ricky intently.


    "For me? Why would they do that?" Ricky shook his head in denial, as he thought that changing the selection place seemed to have no connection to him at all.

 Chapter 998 The Blood Spirit Ground

    "Before you showed up, and even before you fought with Carney, official information was that the coming selection competition would still take place in the Small World of the Spirit Sect," Abraham told Ricky.


    "But the news about the change came right after Langston left.


    I don''t think it''s a coincidence.


    Besides, I think the change in rewards this time is also because of you."


    "Rewards? How did the rewards change?" Ricky was mostly just interested in the rewards. After all, no matter where the selection competition ended up taking place, his only real opponent was Carney.


    "For all the previous selection competitions, each of the top ten participants had the chance to become a core disciple, choose three Demi-sage Level Treasures from Heaven and Earth, and get two zones of cultivation resources from the Spirit Sect," Abraham explained.


    "This time, the one who wins the first place will get an additional unimaginable reward!"


    Undisguised greed twinkled in Abraham''s eyes as he spoke. He was a strong demi-spiritual emperor, so Ricky could imagine what kind of reward could make his eyes twinkle in greed.


    "What''s the extra reward for the one who wins first place?" Ricky promptly asked. He couldn''t even contain his eagerness.


    "The Spirit Pool!" Abraham exclaimed.


    "Wow!" Amelia and Amanda both could not help but gasp in shock.


    "What is the Spirit Pool?" Soar asked, eyebrows furrowed in curiosity.


    "Inside the Spirit Sect''s territory, there is an energy pool. It is said to have been shaped by the essence of heaven and earth. In the beginning, it was nothing but that¡ªa pool with essence from heaven and earth. It wasn''t much of an attraction for the demi-spiritual emperors like me.


    But ever since the Spirit Sect had been founded, every spiritual emperor of the sect had merged their power, blood essence, bones, flesh, and even blood into the Spirit Pool before they died," Abraham imparted.


    "I see. That''s unbelievable!" Soar exclaimed. "As a great force, the Spirit Sect has a history of tens of thousands of years, right? There must have been dozens of spiritual emperors from the Spirit Sect who have died within that period!


    How much dense ruling power and energy does the Spirit Pool have?" Soar asked.


    "I don''t exactly know how


    w even more eager.


    If there were only warriors who participated in the selection contest in the Blood Spirit Ground, it would be too dull. Ricky was eager to challenge something more difficult.


    "But be warned¡ªthe Blood Spirit Bead contains evil spirit, so warriors dare not refine too many beads," Amanda added.


    Ricky and Soar glanced at each other and burst out laughing at the same time. They both realized that maybe there wouldn''t be too many people competing with them for the Blood Spirit Bead.


    Other warriors might be afraid of the evil spirit, but Ricky was not.


    "What are you two laughing at?" Amanda''s face was scrunched up in confusion.


    "Ha-ha! You will know when the time comes." Ricky smirked.


    Amanda scoffed in response, seeing that Ricky wanted to keep it a secret for the time being.


    She would know the answer sooner or later.


    "Alright. So, where is the Blood Spirit Ground?" Ricky turned to look at Abraham.


    "It''s in the mountains the Spirit Sect is inhabiting," Abraham answered. "It is said that this time, two middle spiritual emperors will personally officiate and control the array there to prevent any strong warrior from cheating or making trouble."


    "That''s good. By the way, has Calvin asked the middle spiritual emperors of the Sky-breaking Dome to go to the Spirit Sect yet?" Ricky inquired.


    "I don''t know why, but he still hasn''t," Abraham replied. In fact, he was confused because it was not like Calvin''s way of doing things.


    "That''s weird..." Ricky murmured.

 Chapter 999 Another Challenge

    With the selection contest coming up in three days, Abraham led Ricky, Soar, Amelia, Amanda, and some other disciples of the Hong Clan to the Blood Spirit Ground.


    Meanwhile, another known genius of the Hong Clan, Ablett Hong, had just come back from training as he was also planning to participate in the said contest.


    Ablett Hong was an achiever in his craft. In fact, just in his late forties, he was already an ordinary demi-spiritual emperor at peak state.


    For as long as Langston''s mutant was present, the disciples did not feel the need to worry about the safety of the Hong Clan.


    On the other hand, Ricky had asked Langston about the Sky-breaking Dome''s movements. However, this only brought Langston confusion. Based on his understanding of the Chu Clan, Carney must have sent a message to the Sky-breaking Dome, and they should have already taken action.


    But to their surprise, neither the Sky-breaking Dome nor the Chu Clan took action.


    Langston informed Ricky that the two Dominant Top Elders of the Spirit Sect guessed that the middle spiritual emperors of the Sky-breaking Dome might be in seclusion, because they themselves usually cultivated in seclusion as well.


    Hidden in the Blood Spirit Mountain, the Blood Spirit Ground was said to have been formed by themselves due to its one-of-a-kind environment.


    Compared to the various bright and clear places, the Blood Spirit Ground was different from the rest due to the blood vitality, evil spirit, and the very pure ruling power it possessed. In fact, strong warriors both traditional and nonconforming ones, from diverse forces, had died in there.


    Spreading throughout the entire Western Land, the Blood Spirit Mountain''s atmosphere was calm, except when it touched the Spirit Sect''s territory. Only in that region was its environment described as hellish by all warriors who had been there.


    That was because the Blood Spirit Ground''s entrance was located right in that area.


    Meanwhile, in order to select the core disciples, the Spirit Sect proclaimed that anyone who was not going to participate in the said selection contest should leave the premises. Many dangers lurked in the Blood Spirit Ground. Because of this, only a few people were able to explore it.


    This place was enveloped by an array. Regularly, two Dominant Top Elders of the Spirit Sect came there to monitor and make sure that everything was going as it should.


    Suddenly, figures appeared one after another as the warriors who came to participate in the selection started to arrive.


    This time, the selection contest was going to be held in the Blood Spirit Ground. According to the rules, only creatures less than one


    ted that Ricky was a peerless genius. However, Ricky''s appearance told them otherwise, as he looked more than a hundred and fifty years old.


    "Sure enough, it is a cruel scheme of the members of the Chu Clan. It is obvious that they want to disgrace you and prevent you from participating in the selection contest. If this persists, then the Spirit Pool will fall into Carney''s hands," Soar said indifferently.


    "Ha-ha, in that case, then I will play with them in their little game. Let''s wait and see who will be disgraced in the end. Game on," Ricky said with a sneer.


    Soon after, he said to Carney telepathically, "I can''t believe you! How could a genius of the Western Land do things this way? Or, did you do that only because you are not confident to defeat me in seizing the Spirit Pool?"


    Ricky spat out harsh words to throw him off guard at the moment.


    In truth, Ricky had not expected that Carney would do such a thing just to kick him out of the contest. After all, he thought that all Carney wanted was to have a fight with him in public, and win a victory in front of many people.


    "I just want to achieve my goal by any means. You''re killing the fun. If I can get what I want so easily, then what''s the point of going through so much trouble?" Carney replied monotonously.


    "As for you... After the selection contest, I will defeat you and kill you under the watchful eyes of the crowd!"


    "Really? But it''s a pity that things won''t go on according to your plan. This would be fun. I can''t wait to see how you will check my age," Ricky mocked.


    "It seems that you are very confident with your plans. I hope you can keep the confidence until later. Otherwise, everything else will be so boring." Carney could not help but make fun of how confident Ricky was.

 Chapter 1000 Unexpected Age

    In the next moment, Carney met the eyes of one disciple of the Chu Clan, and they had understood each other without needing words, as the disciple stepped forward and announced to all the people there, "I am Kavin, and none of you probably know me, but something fortunate happened to me. Once when I was training, I obtained a piece of the Age Stone."


    ''What? He has the Age Stone?!'' As soon as the words fell from his lips, the warriors were beside themselves with excitement and disbelief. They looked at each other and remarked inwardly, ''Age Stone? The Chu Clan must be very well prepared since they took out the Age Stone for this!''


    They eyed Kavin doubtfully, as they couldn''t believe that he had the Age Stone, especially because he didn''t look particularly strong.


    "It''s the Age Stone! I didn''t expect that the Chu Clan had such a thing!" Abraham exclaimed seriously, and then he turned to look at Ricky, who didn''t look like under one hundred and fifty years old.


    The Age Stone was the product of the laws of heaven and earth, and although it did not improve the strength or any other aspects of the creature that possessed it, it had a peculiar function to tell the age of the living creatures through their blood.


    "Oh, I see, it''s the Age Stone. The Chu Clan indeed has a lot of treasures," Ricky also said, and it was clear that he was taken by surprise as well.


    "Ricky, although the Age Stone doesn''t have much effect, it is still slightly effective, and it can expose the age of creatures and Treasures from Heaven and Earth," the Dragon Intent Grass warned him.


    "You should get this Age Stone, as it will be very useful for you to collect the Treasures from Heaven and Earth in the future.


    Of course, the most important thing is that you may use the chaotic power you have cultivated to gain some power of time and life from the Age Stone, because the Age Stone evolved from the power of time and life under the effect of the heavenly law."


    "Is that true?" Ricky asked curiously when he heard the Dragon Intent Grass''s words. "You can make it if your chaotic power is profound enough.


    I have no reason to lie to you about this kind of thing, and anyway, this is just one of the unique advantages of the chaotic power," the Dragon Intent Grass replied.


    "In that case, I''ll take this Age Stone." Ricky smiled a


    their doubts through the mind communication.


    "That''s right. Kenney is not an ordinary person, so I''m sure that he has something up his sleeve this time."


    "Young master, shall we stop him? I feel like something is wrong," some disciples of the Chu clan warned Carney secretly, as they also felt that something was suspicious.


    "How can I stop him? If we retreat now, it will be more shameful for the Chu Clan, than it will be if we lose. We are the ones who proposed it, so we can''t stop it.


    Besides, even if we fail, it''s only a loss of an Age Stone, and I am sure that there is no way that Kenney is younger than one hundred and fifty years old,"


    Carney told his disciples with a deep frown. "Okay, give it a try!" Kavin said as he placed the Age Stone in front of Ricky.


    On his part, Ricky did not hesitate, and he bit his thumb and let his blood spill directly over the Age Stone. All the people stared expectantly at the Age Stone, waiting with bated breaths.


    As the blood seeped into the stone, the numbers two and zero appeared on the stone, and together, it read twenty.


    At the sight of these two numbers, the whole place fell into a deathly silence, as they were so shocked by what they had seen.


    Kavin stood there with his mouth open, similar to most of the other spectators who were staring with their slack jaws.


    "What? How could that be possible? Maybe that Age Stone is fake, because there is no way that you are twenty years old. You should be around two hundred years old!" A man''s astonished voice broke the silence first.

 Chapter 1001 Enter

    "Twenty years old!" The two numbers that they had seen seemed to have stolen their tongues, and no one dared to speak a word. Not even a breath or a sigh broke the silence that surrounded the arena.


    To be honest, they had only heard of twenty-year-old demi-spiritual emperors, and as far as they knew, they could only be found in the Middle Land, so they had never seen such a genius before in this region.


    Now, it was happening in front of them.


    They could hardly believe it, even when the evidence was in front of their very eyes.


    However, one more thing confused them, and that was Ricky''s physical appearance because it did not look like the face of a twenty-year-old man at all.


    They stared intently at Ricky as if they wanted to pick him apart and study him, and they wanted to discover what made him so strong.


    "How is that possible?" Carney said angrily. He also could not believe what he had seen, and he was convinced that something was wrong with the Age Stone, or Ricky had done something to cheat them.


    "You should know that it is very rare for a twenty-year-old person to own the power of a demi-spiritual emperor, and he can be seen as a great genius among the four lands. I think that a genius like him is worth the conflict with the Chu Clan and the Sky-breaking Dome," Langston whispered to the two elders who were standing beside him in the void, and his expression showed how satisfied and pleased he was at the fact.


    "And he has such a good character too. I like him very much!"


    The two old men nodded in agreement and said, "The cultivation of chaotic power alone is enough to attract our attention. And besides, as we can see from this matter, he is not inferior to Carney in handling problems."


    "We finally have a genius who can compete with Carney!


    It feels like we just punched the Chu Clan in their faces, and it''s so satisfying. It''s a pity that Calvin is not here. I would pay to see his reaction when he finds out about this," Langston said gleefully.


    "But why does Ricky want the Age Stone? Isn''t it better to ask for a Treasure from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level when he agreed to the bet with the Chu Clan?"


    "How could this be possible? You can''t be only twenty years old!" Kavin''s outraged and disbelieving shout echoed around them when he finally opened his mouth to speak.


    "Ha-ha, are you going to


    , things went as expected. Langston opened the entrance of the Blood Spirit Ground, but Carney only shot a threatening glance at him, before he entered the Blood Spirit Ground first. The warriors he had brought with him entered one after another.


    When they saw this, the warriors who expected to see the fight between Ricky and Carney felt disappointed, and they could not help but sigh, as they entered the Blood Spirit Ground as well.


    "Ricky, we can''t explore the situation inside the Blood Spirit Ground, so after you enter it, you have to depend on yourself. You''d better carry out the battle with Carney in secret because he has made great progress in the past two months," Langston reminded Ricky again through telepathy.


    "Do it secretly so that you can use the chaotic power."


    "Don''t worry. I won''t let the Spirit Pool go," Ricky said confidently.


    Then he, Soar, and the others also entered the space. The crack was like an abyss, and after their bodies were shaken roughly, they looked up and found themselves in another world.


    It was dark. The Blood Devil and justice were integrated deeply, and they seemed to have felt the primal heaven and earth within the chaos.


    "It was indeed a passage between the Devil Land and the continent in the past. It is so similar to the chaos," the Dragon Intent Grass exclaimed the moment they entered.


    "Ricky, let me out. I like this place," the Evil Mandragora also said at the moment.


    "Evil Mandragora, if you come out, will the middle spiritual emperor of the Spirit Sect feel your existence?" Ricky asked.

 Chapter 1002 Blood Spirit Beast

    "Don''t worry. There was once a passageway here. It was chaotic, like the original form of space. Despite the passageway not being here any longer, the middle spiritual emperors are still unable to detect it," the Evil Mandragora explained.


    "Even if they deploy an array here, they can only control and monitor all the things that happened outside. However, they aren''t capable of seeing what''s going on here."


    "That''s good news!" Ricky exclaimed.


    As a daughter of a holy being, Hannah was cultivating in the Divine Manor and had the ability to refine the divine power. Even though she was still unable to use such great power at the moment, with her talent and the divine power she had refined, she made tremendous progress in a short time.


    By now, she had reached the level of a lower grade demi-spiritual emperor at its peak.


    In fact, the Evil Mandragora was not Ricky''s only ace in the hole for Hannah was also his best-kept secret.


    "Sure enough, I kind of like this place. It suits me, don''t you think?" The Evil Mandragora emerged in the air. Shaking herself lightly, she greedily absorbed all the evil spirit and blood vitality in the passageway that she could get her hands on.


    Suddenly, she smelled the precious fragrance of blood from all the blood vitality that she had absorbed, which in turn, made her clear eyes transform into bloody red out of excitement. Driven by such a strong desire and love for blood, the Evil Mandragora could not help but lick her lips in anticipation.


    "Hey, Evil Mandragora!" Knowing what was happening to the Evil Mandragora, Ricky called her attention and reminded her solemnly of what she was not supposed to do.


    Upon hearing Ricky''s warning, the Evil Mandragora seemed to have awakened from her trance and tried to control her craving for blood.


    "Evil Mandragora, help me look for the Blood Spirit Beasts, and as a reward, I promise to give you their corpses," Ricky added.


    He really wished that the Evil Mandragora could refrain from absorbing blood. However, he also understood the fact that it would take her a lot of effort and time to achieve such abstinence. As a solution, he decided to allow her to suck blood less often than to make her quit her habit all at once.


    "Wait, are you really serious about that, Kenney?" the Evil Mandragora asked in disbelief upon hearing what Ricky had promised her.


    Due to the presence of the disciples of the Hong Clan around them, the Evil Mandragora called him Kenny instead of referring to his real name, Ricky.


    On the other hand, the Blood Spirit Beasts, condensed by the evil spirit and blood vitality from powerful warriors, helped the Evil Mandragora with her cultivation. With this, she could refine the absorbed blood and use it to strengthen her power.


    "Oh, come on. Why would I even lie to you?" Ricky said.


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    group of python-shaped Blood Spirit Beasts that gathered in a dark valley to breed.


    The strongest one in the group was a two-hundred-meter long python, whose body looked like a hill due to its size. ''This must be a King Blood Spirit Snake with the power of a lower grade demi-spiritual emperor, '' Ricky thought.


    Hiss! At that moment, Ricky and his companions were immediately surrounded by the Blood Spirit Snakes as soon as they arrived.


    "Soar, Amanda, I''ll deal with the King Blood Spirit Snake while you two go and handle the rest of them," Ricky said hastily as they had no time to lose.


    "I see. Great! I can finally have a good fight here today!" Soar replied with glee. All of a sudden, the Heaven Melting Fire in his body instantly surged out, transforming into phantoms of fire dragons and finally condensing into the Dragon Battle Technique.


    On the other hand, Amanda, Amelia, and the other disciples of the Hong Clan had been concentrating on the fight and doing their parts as well.


    "Good!" Ricky nodded slightly. At that moment, he flew in the air and hovered on the King Blood Spirit Snake. Intentionally, he broke out his power to provoke it badly.


    Roar! But the savage Blood Spirit Beast was not able to stand Ricky''s taunt. As soon as Ricky''s momentum fell on its head, the King Blood Spirit Snake roared violently, activating one of its most powerful killing blows.


    Boom! Meanwhile, Soar transformed eight dragons and charged into the group of the Blood Spirit Snakes. At that moment, Soar did not waste any time as he started to kill them one by one mercilessly.


    What Soar used against these beasts was the best choice. After all, the Heaven Melting Fire was the best weapon to handle the Blood Spirit Beasts.


    "Ricky, I just have a question to ask you, and I hope you can answer it honestly." The Dragon Intent Grass''s voice echoed at this moment.

 Chapter 1003 The Blood Devil

    "Dragon Intent Grass, why are you hesitating? If you have anything to say to me, just say it!" Ricky spoke with impatience and urged it to speak plainly.


    "Okay. When we were in the Dragon Cave, you said that you had seen a Great Dragon. Is that true?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked seriously, and Ricky was greatly surprised to hear such a question. He seemed to be thinking of what he should say, and then he asked, "Dragon Intent Grass, have you found something?"


    "Ricky, please answer my question first," the Dragon Intent Grass said, brooking no arguments.


    "Well, it seems that I can''t hide it from you. After all, you are a Dragon Intent Grass," Ricky said frankly. "Yes, I have seen a Great Dragon, and that Great Dragon is a close friend of mine."


    Ricky had an inkling that the Dragon Intent Grass had somehow sensed Soar''s identity, and that was why it asked such a question.


    He suspected that the Dragon Intent Grass could sense the existence of a Great Dragon, besides the creatures of the Dragon tribe, and it could probably do it better than some Great Dragons.


    "I knew it! Soar is a Great Dragon¡ªa Heaven Melting Dragon, isn''t he? No wonder his Heaven Melting Fire is so close to the original and the most primitive Heaven Melting Fire," the Dragon Intent Grass exclaimed happily.


    "It''s unbelievable! I met the Heaven Melting Fire and a Heaven Melting Dragon, one of the five kinds of Great Dragon, here."


    Although it had already guessed the possibility, the Dragon Intent Grass still could not help but sigh in astonishment when Ricky admitted it.


    "Dragon Intent Grass, I have a lot of questions about the Heaven Melting Dragon tribe to ask you, but it''s not the right time for me to do so yet. Let''s talk about it after I defeat this King Blood Spirit Snake," Ricky said, cutting off the conversation, so he could redirect their attention back to what was more urgent.


    "I understand. I also want to ask you for help later!" the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    And so, they suspended that particular topic for the time being.


    Ricky didn''t dare to underestimate the King Blood Spirit Snake, who was a lower demi-spiritual emperor, so he activated the Chaotic Fire Mutant quickly. He murmured, "Now, I''ll let you have a taste of my current fighting power!"


    He stood high in the air, and he was followed by the King Blood Spirit Snake, who appeared to cultivate gravitation power. The places that its huge body passed through were smashed into pieces.


    Swish! Its thick tail seemed immovable like a mountain, and it swung straight toward Ricky with pure power in a move that could sweep away thousands of enemies.


    It was an Omnipotent Sk


    ower, while the Blood Devil burst out its moves one after another, as it tried to destroy and escape the Furnace of Heaven and Earth. Unfortunately, nothing happened, and the two sides were locked in a stalemate.


    "The Blood Devil evolved by the King Blood Spirit Snake is so powerful. It can even resist the suppression of my Furnace of Heaven and Earth!" Ricky remarked loudly, as he learned during this confrontation that the Furnace of Heaven and Earth wasn''t enough to help him kill the King Blood Spirit Snake.


    "The strength of this King Blood Spirit Snake is on par with yours, and the strength of the Blood Devil includes the real evil spirit, so you can''t defeat both of them in one move," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "I think you need to put more strength behind your attacks to defeat the King Blood Spirit Snake."


    "Dragon Intent Grass, I did want to have a good fight with the King Blood Spirit Snake, but now the situation has changed. I can''t spend too much time and energy on this King Blood Spirit Snake," Ricky said in a flat tone.


    "Ha-ha, it seems that your sensibility is indeed extraordinary. You have sensed it as well?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked in a smiling tone.


    "Cut the crap. If I had poor senses, I would have died millions of times already," Ricky said bluntly.


    Then he stopped talking nonsense and concentrated on the Furnace of Heaven and Earth. The King Blood Spirit Snake was so powerful that the power of the Furnace of Heaven and Earth was not enough to fully suppress it, much to Ricky''s frustration.


    Fortunately, this King Blood Spirit Snake didn''t have psychic intelligence, so it knew nothing about battle tactics or techniques. As a result, although they had equal strength, Ricky thought that he could easily kill it.

 Chapter 1004 Gerry

    After Ricky had used the Furnace of Heaven and Earth to suppress the King Blood Spirit Snake, he formed an array with his hands, and he activated the Shadowy Emperor Replication to produce two Shadowy Replications. As soon as the two Shadowy Replications appeared, they activated the Space-shrinking Pace and arrived at the other side of the furnace.


    The final strike was launched in the blink of an eye. They used the Furnace of Heaven and Earth as the medium, and they merged with it and launched a sneak attack from behind the King Blood Spirit Snake.


    This sneak attack was effective and fatal.


    There were two reasons that it proved effective. The first reason was that the King Blood Spirit Snake didn''t have psychic intelligence, and it only cared about the opponent that it could see and ignored everything else. Its fatal weakness was knowing nothing but killing other creatures.


    The second reason was that Ricky''s Space-shrinking Pace was too strong for the King Blood Spirit Snake, as it was a technique that was effective even for warriors that were more powerful than Ricky. The King Blood Spirit Snake, which had no psychic intelligence, was helpless before it.


    And with these two reasons, the King Blood Spirit Snake inevitably died.


    All the gravity and power of the Blood Devil faded away inside the Furnace of Heaven and Earth until only the corpse of the King Blood Spirit Snake was left. Before it, Ricky stood like an avenging angel with not even a speck of dirt on him after such a hard battle.


    At the same time, Soar and the others'' battle also came to an end.


    "Ha-ha, Ricky, we have gained a lot this time, and in less than three days, we already obtained three hundred Blood Spirit Beads. If things continue like this, we will all have the core qualification with no problems!" Soar said excitedly after he collected the bodies of the Blood Spirit Snakes.


    Swish!


    Suddenly, huge soles appeared from out of nowhere and crashed down towards the Furnace of Heaven and Earth.


    Almost everyone was taken by surprise, except for Ricky who had already expected this to happen. He swiftly activated the Chaotic Fire Zone, and then both the Furnace of Heaven and Earth and the corpse of the King Blood Spirit Snake were taken into the zone, while the two Shadowy Replications merged with Ricky''s real body. Flames swept all over them and turned into a pillar of light, and it hit the top in the guise of a fireball.


    Boom! A deafening explosion sounded with the collision, and Ricky and the unknown figure were both thrown into the distance.


    They landed on their feet steadily, a few meters away at the same time. The owner of the soles was a young man, who seemed to be a bit older than Ricky, but his body was as big as a mountain.


    He was a real gian


    lided. Gerry''s body trembled like a mountain shook by earthquakes, and then the whole area was occupied by the gravitation world.


    In that instant, Ricky felt like gravity had increased a thousand times, and his body grew heavy and difficult to move, which made his attacks slower and easier to dodge. The difference in his speed was minute, but it could still prove fatal for him, as a single second of weakness could lead to his defeat.


    ''Although the gravitation power is simple and crude, it is indeed one of the most powerful offensive skills, '' Ricky thought to himself. ''The gravitation power that Gerry released is much more complicated than that of the King Blood Spirit Snake.


    Especially since he uses gravity to limit my speed, which is quite smart, but unfortunately...''


    Bang!


    At the moment, while Ricky was being suppressed by the strong gravity, Gerry launched his strongest move. The Giant blood power broke out again, and his body grew exponentially bigger, while his right hand was clenched tightly into a fist. With this fist that held the strength that could level mountains, he punched Ricky.


    Although the attack looked ordinary, the powerful warriors could feel the great gravitation power that it contained. With its power, a warrior could even shatter the whole Small World of a demi-spiritual emperor at a lower grade.


    "Kenney, try my powerful Gravitation Fist!" Gerry shouted, full of fighting spirit.


    "Let''s see if your gravitation can destroy my Chaotic Fire Mutant," Ricky also responded aggressively.


    After that, his Chaotic Fire Mutant burst out and turned into the Flame Torrent, which divided into several streams. These streams rushed to the direction of Gerry''s huge fist.


    Boom! In the next moment, the raging power collided with the gravitation power, and its force drowned out everything in its wake.

 Chapter 1005 Strange Resonance

    Gerry''s punch was so powerful that Ricky, who was under the Chaotic Fire Mutant, confessed that he found it challenging to collide with the punch head-on. On the other hand, Gerry also found it difficult to hit Ricky''s real body due to the Flame Torrent under the Chaotic Fire Mutant.


    In the middle of the wrath and gravity, the Flame Torrent seemed to have continuously wrapped itself around the fist, while nine kinds of flames burned simultaneously.


    At that moment, Ricky had no choice but to deal with the dominant power with a pliable move. Now that he found it difficult to take the punch, he decided to avoid it instead. He chose to burn it with the Flame Torrent.


    After a moment of battle, Gerry felt a little bit tired. He decided to take a step back from all the attacks and retreat.


    "I can''t believe that the Chaotic Fire Mutant can make you invisible! If I''m not mistaken, I''m sure that it''s very similar to Carney''s Heavenly Fire Mutant," Gerry said in a serious tone after withdrawing.


    "In fact, I can''t even make myself invisible because the suppressed strength can still touch my real body. Moreover, there are a lot of means that can be used to do that. Otherwise, all the mutants that can evolve in this way would have been invincible," Ricky exclaimed with joy in his voice.


    "That only means that your gravitation power can also achieve that."


    "Then what are we waiting for? Buckle up and let''s fight!" Gerry did not find it necessary to say anything further upon hearing Ricky''s words. Hurriedly, he burst out his Giant blood power to its extreme, allowing his body to grow to its limit of nearly two hundred meters tall.


    Gerry being in a gigantic state, it was natural for him to evolve his gravitation power to the extreme as well.


    "Nothing can stay hidden in the gravitation world!"


    Deep in the gravitation world, Ricky had a hunch that his real body that had merged with the Flame Torrent was already locked in.


    Soon after, he knew that his hunch was right for Gerry threw another blowing punch against him.


    The punch had already located him. As a result, the gravitation power had spotted where his true body was hiding.


    "Damn it. It seems that the Flame Torrent won''t make it," Ricky said helplessly. That moment did not come as a shock to him anymore. After all, he had already expected that the gravitation power would be able to track the invisible flame that he had evolved into.


    Without hesitation, Ricky burst out his momentum to its maximum, displaying the Enlightening Wind Hole. Soon after, he fused the power of the chaotic fire rune, the Fire Dragon Extremity, and the nine kinds of flames, to withstand the punch.


    Boom!


    In a spli


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    he Space-shrinking Pace now, then he would lose the battle right away due to limited speed.


    Meanwhile, he unsheathed the Iron Justice Saber as he wanted to finish the fight once and for all.


    "Five-Rune Galaxy Saber Strike!"


    At that moment, Ricky''s pupils shrank in an instant. He used the Space-shrinking Pace and dashed towards the colossal Gravitation Fighting Hammer at lightning speed. Soon after, he lashed out and gave a swift strike towards his opponent.


    As soon as he took out his saber, the galaxy power merged with all his other power, enveloping the Iron Justice Saber. Then, the five kinds of runes combined into a lotus, which plunged into the Iron Justice Saber.


    With one strike, the five kinds of runes fused with the galaxy power in an instant.


    Suddenly, light shone brightly in their area, illuminating the saber to be as huge as the Gravitation Fighting Hammer.


    Any second now, the two strongest attacks would collide with each other, determining the winner of the fight.


    While the bout was nearing its end, Ricky''s body felt an unusual movement. At that point, he knew that it was not from the mysterious axe, nor from the regained spiritual meridian. Instead, he felt that it was his own blood that was moving peculiarly.


    This vibration was a kind of resonance that usually occurred between warriors with the same or similar blood power.


    At that moment, Ricky could clearly feel that the vibration from his body came from no other than Gerry, who was in front of him the entire time.


    "But how could it be possible? How could my blood power resonate with Gerry''s Giant blood power? What is happening?" Ricky mumbled in confusion.


    However, he noticed that Gerry did not show any surprise about this oddity at all as if he did not detect anything unusual.

 Chapter 1006 Blood Power

    It meant that Gerry had no similar resonance for the blood power like him, which showed Ricky''s blood power and the Giant blood power came from the same branch, but his blood power was much stronger than the latter.


    And since they came from the same branch, the superior blood power could feel the resonance of the inferior blood power, while the inferior blood power could not feel the resonance of the superior.


    ''It seems like my blood power is of the same branch with the Giant blood power, '' Ricky thought to himself as he felt pleasantly surprised when he realized this.


    ''The Giant blood power is nothing more than enhancing the body and strength, so even in its strongest, it can''t be the top blood power in the world.


    On the other hand, the Holy Three-Saber even feared my blood power.''


    Ricky''s mood was pensive, but no matter how much he thought, his doubts wouldn''t seem to disappear.


    But now, the most important thing for him was to fight.


    Boom! When the Galaxy Saber combined with the five kinds of runes and collided with the Gravitation Fighting Hammer, the whole space was submerged into a turbulent ocean that swept and intertwined violently.


    Gerry and Ricky disappeared beneath the crashing waves of power.


    After a long time, the waves retreated and their disheveled bodies were exposed. They were equally injured, with their clothes torn and wounds scattered all over their bodies.


    "Kenney, let''s stop here. Maybe you have a powerful trump card, but I think you should use it for fighting against Carney," Gerry said, panting harshly.


    He also had a trump card, but he didn''t feel the need to expose it since he didn''t intend to take the King Blood Spirit Snake''s body from Ricky for free. He planned to exchange the Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level for it.


    "Okay, let''s end in a draw. Anyway, you have decided to exchange a Treasure from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level for it." Ricky nodded and smiled.


    They restrained their momentums at once. When there was no conflict of interest, they were trusted friends to each other.


    Without any hesitation, Gerry took out the Treasure from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level to exchange it with Ricky.


    It was a Heavenly Spiritual Fruit.


    The


    hat signified some kind of resonance turbulence.


    Gerry was slack-jawed, as he watched this fantastic phenomenon.


    ''Just as I thought! My blood power is resonating with his, so it must have something to do with the Giant blood power, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Boom! Suddenly, both of their eyes widened when Ricky''s blood essence tried to devour Gerry''s blood essence.


    Ricky quickly took it back before it could succeed.


    "Gerry, do you understand now why I asked you about this?" Ricky asked as he looked at the stunned Gerry.


    "It seems that your blood power is of the same branch with the Giant blood power. But why is your blood power still hidden? You are almost at the demi-spiritual emperor realm, but it has not awakened yet," the Dragon Intent Grass said doubtfully.


    Inside the Massacring Zone, Tina was also confused because she knew that the Holy Three-Saber had said that Ricky''s blood power was terrifying.


    However, the Giant blood power was only a very ordinary one in the whole continent.


    So why did Ricky''s blood power and the Giant blood power resonate?


    Gerry was in a daze, and he only seemed to come to his senses when he heard Ricky''s question. He looked at Ricky with surprise, disbelief, and excitement in his eyes.


    "I''m so lucky to meet you, Kenney!" Gerry suddenly exclaimed, and he looked ecstatic.


    "What do you mean?" Ricky asked, utterly confused.


    "Kenney, just now, your blood essence was going to devour mine, right?" Gerry asked expectantly.

 Chapter 1007 Rickys Mother

    "Yes!" Ricky replied. "My blood essence wanted to devour yours, so I withdrew it."


    "So, your blood power is superior to mine," Gerry remarked pensively. "That means you are the one our chief elder has been looking for."


    "Your chief elder?" Ricky became more confused when he heard this because he was not aware that he knew their chief elder. "Could you tell me more about this, Gerry?"


    "I''m not lying, Kenney. I really don''t know much about the blood power of our Ju Clan. After all, it is the topmost secret of a clan, and only the elders and the leader know it," Gerry said, shaking his head.


    "More than a dozen years ago, the chief elder gave a secret order to the genius disciples, including me. He said that we might meet someone who came from another clan and had stronger blood power than us.


    And he told us to invite that person to our Ju Clan when that happened, and he also mentioned that anyone of us who found such an outsider would receive a huge reward.


    So, don''t you think you are my lucky star, Kenney?" Gerry said happily.


    At the same time, he was very confused, because he didn''t understand why their chief elder had required them to do so. And it was also a great surprise to meet such an outsider, and it kind of felt like he had met some kind of mythical creature.


    "Is that so?" Ricky murmured, already deep in thought.


    "Ricky, it seems that your blood power must have something to do with the Giant blood power of the Ju Clan, or else, their chief elder would not have made such a request to their geniuses. I''m almost sure that you are the one their chief elder was talking about." Tina also took this time to chime in.


    "It seems that after the matter here is over, you should take a trip to the Ju Clan, and maybe you will find out more about the background of your blood power.


    I just don''t know whether it would be good or bad, and if that will put you in danger again," she added.


    "It doesn''t matter if it will be dangerous or not. I need to go there because this may be the only chance for me to know more about the blood power in my body," Ricky said determinedly. "I don''t know what my blood power has to do with the Giant blood power, but I hope I can find out."


    "Ricky, a lot of unknown things seem to hover about you like puzzle pieces of your life," the Dragon Intent Grass said curiously.


    Of course, it was curious about Ricky''s blood power, because its intuiti


    e, am I right?"


    "A secret place? What kind of secret place is this?" Soar asked curiously.


    "It is a place that was discovered by the demi-spiritual emperors of our Ju Clan when they were training in the Blood Spirit Ground. We planned to go there, and it was a coincidence that the selection contest of the Spirit Sect was also set to take place in the Blood Spirit Ground," Gerry said.


    "Oh, I see. But why do you want to invite us?" Ricky asked.


    "There are two reasons. First, I highly value your strength, Kenney," Gerry answered. "And the second reason, as you know, is your blood power.


    If you go there, you won''t need to waste your time hunting for Blood Spirit Beasts, because that place is also a gathering place for them, so there would surely be a lot of them there.


    What do you think?"


    "Please tell me the truth, Gerry. Is that place only known by your clan?" Ricky asked with a faint smile.


    "Ha-ha! Indeed, nothing can be hidden from you. No, it is not only our Ju Clan that knows that place. The people from the Sky Palace, another spiritual-emperor force, also know about that place," Gerry said, laughing in astonishment because he didn''t expect that Ricky would think to ask that.


    "The disciples of Sky Palace would be there?!" Amelia gasped in alarm as soon as she heard the name, and a trace of resentment appeared in her eyes.


    "Is the Sky Palace very powerful?" Ricky asked.


    "It seems like you don''t know much about the Western Land. The Sky Palace is a spiritual-emperor force in alliance with the Chu Clan, and they are as strong as the Chu Clan too," Gerry explained.

 Chapter 1008 The Blood Evil Pool

    All the forces in the Western Land had investigated Ricky and none of them had found any information about him. Many forces had therefore surmised that Ricky was not from the Western Land.


    "Miss Amelia, if I''m not mistaken, it was someone from the Sky Palace who told the Chu Clan that you have the Rainwater Mutant in the first place. It might put you in so much trouble later," Gerry continued.


    An enemy of Ricky''s woman was also his enemy.


    Despite his sincerity, Gerry was still trying to be in Ricky''s good books to increase the possibility of the latter agreeing to his invitation.


    His reason for doing so was obvious¡ªRicky had extraordinary strength and his blood was similar to the blood of their Ju Clan. Moreover, after their battle, he had realized that Ricky''s character was admirable.


    "Ha-ha! It seems that you genuinely want to invite me, Gerry. Oh well, I have no chance to refuse you now, do I?" Ricky smiled and slightly nodded, indicating his acceptance of Gerry''s invitation.


    He wanted to see the strength of the disciples of the Sky Palace, which was in alliance with the Chu Clan.


    Since they were on the same side with the Chu Clan, they would be his enemy sooner or later.


    "That''s very kind of you. Thank you very much. I''m sure we''ll get the opportunity in that secret land now that you''ve joined us." Gerry immediately went down to business, thrilled at having obtained Ricky''s agreement.


    "Well, then, tell me more about that secret land please," Ricky softly said.


    "It has the Blood Evil Pool," Gerry began.


    "As you all know, the Blood Spirit Ground was once a passage between the devils and the creatures from the continent, but it was also a battlefield. Many powerful devils and powerful warriors from the continent died there.


    Their power and blood changed the land''s environment, making such a creature as the Blood Spirit Beast come into being.


    However, not all their power and blood were assimilated by the void or formed the Blood Spirit Beasts. Some of their power and blood vitality developed into a unique body of water and gathered into a pool.


    The demi-spiritual emperors of our clan found the secret land with such a pool and called it the Land of Blood Evil Pool. The pool has thus been called the Blood Evil Pool.


    There are a lot of powerful Blood Spirit Beasts there, which our demi-spiritual emperors could not defeat. They wanted to return


    lied.


    "Three hundred years is not a very long time for such a great force as the Dragon tribe. I don''t think great changes have taken place, right?" Ricky said.


    "You''re right." the Dragon Intent Grass replied.


    "What was the situation in the Dragon tribe when you were last on the Dragon Island?" Ricky asked further.


    "The ancestor of the Dragon tribe was a chaotic holy beast, the Chaos Green Dragon, which hasn''t shown up in countless ages. I don''t know if there''s any of them in the Celestial Land. The Dragon tribe in the continent can be divided into five categories¡ªthe Killing Metal Dragons, the Life Wood Dragons, the Soft Water Dragons, the Heaven Melting Dragons, and the Thick Earth Dragons.


    These five major kinds of Great Dragon have the strongest blood power of all the Great Dragons, which is only second to the Chaos Green Dragon. They are the leaders of the Dragon tribe, and they dominate all other Great Dragons with lower blood power, such as the Thunder Dragon. As for Half-great Dragons, such as Flood Dragons and Curled-up Dragons, they are all ignored by the five major kinds of Great Dragon.


    After fighting against devils for ages, the Thick Earth Dragons and the Heaven Melting Dragons have become extinct. But now, your buddy has told me that the Heaven Melting Dragons haven''t become extinct yet.


    The Killing Metal Dragons have declined and no longer have the right of speech on the Dragon Island. Therefore, the Dragon Island is now under the control of the Life Wood Dragons and the Soft Water Dragons."


    "Doesn''t the Dragon tribe have a chief for the time being?"

 Chapter 1009 Oswald

    "Unfortunately, there is no leader now. A lot of powerful Killing Metal Dragons had died in the battle in the previous era, including the late leader," the Dragon Intent Grass said. "Since then, the Dragon tribe has become leaderless.


    The Life Wood Dragons and the Soft Water Dragons have been fighting with each other for three hundred years, and I do not know what the situation is now."


    "Well, that only means that there is no trace of any Heaven Melting Dragon in the entire Dragon Island," Ricky replied.


    "Yes, that''s true. In fact, only the Great Dragons accompanied by the Heaven Melting Fire are considered as the real Heaven Melting Dragons," the Dragon Intent Grass said. "Some other fire dragons are not really Heaven Melting Dragons."


    "In that case, do you think there will be much resistance once Soar returns to the Dragon tribe?" Ricky inquired.


    "If he is just an ordinary fire dragon, then I''m sure that he will be fine. But since he is a Heaven Melting Dragon, I''m sure that the Life Wood Dragons and the other Heaven Melting Dragons will definitely get in his way and make his return to the Dragon tribe more difficult for him. As for the reason behind it, you should know that by now. That is the scheme against each other," the Dragon Intent Grass answered.


    "Well, that''s for sure." Ricky spoke in a low voice.


    "On the other hand, I urge you not to go to Dragon Island before your strength reaches the Sage Level. Otherwise, those dragons will probably kill you, just like what they did to the three Flood Dragons in the Dragon Cave," the Dragon Intent Grass added.


    "However, things are not the same for the Killing Metal Dragons. After all, the fact still remains that the Killing Metal Dragons'' power had just declined, causing the number of their powerful warriors and geniuses to dwindle. Despite this, I think that they still have many powerful warriors."


    "Wait. The Killing Metal Dragons?" Ricky murmured lightly. "Can you tell me the accompanying fire of the Killing Metal Dragons?"


    "Well, as it turns out, you have it. What you have is the fire with the metal element. It''s called the Heaven Slaughtering Fire," the Dragon Intent Grass reported. "Let me ask you something. Have you also happened to see a real Killing Metal Dragon?"


    The Dragon Intent Grass gulped some air. He was taken aback by the possible fact that Ricky, indeed, had seen a true Killing Metal Dragon once in his life.


    "Well, I am not sure about that, but I got the Heaven Slaughtering Fire from a friend. I traded something to him in exchange for his Heaven Slaughtering Fire," Ricky replied. "I was not powerful at that time, so I couldn''t figure out if he had the breath of a Great Dragon or not."


    "In that case, I can say for sure that your friend is a Killi


    lor, exuding a strong and secret aura of water.


    In addition to his stunning blue hair, this young man had a pair of dazzling blue pupils.


    Following him were six other people who also had blue hair and blue eyes. The only difference was their colors were not as deep as this young man''s, which indicated a distinction in their blood power.


    If any genius from the Western Land were here, then he would definitely recognize that this young man was Oswald Shen, the strongest genius among the younger generation of the Sky Palace.


    Oswald Shen was as famous as the core talents of the five major forces in the Western Land. As a matter of fact, among all the warriors at the same level, he was the one who would most likely compete with Carney''s talents.


    Of course, now that Ricky had shown his power, Ricky could be considered as another matched rival for Oswald.


    "Young master, they went inside without thinking twice. It seems that they didn''t notice our presence," a young man sneered, looking at where Ricky and his companions went.


    "As far as I know, it''s impossible for them to feel the airship at the Demi-sage Level, so no wonder they did not notice us. By the way, I''m a little surprised that Gerry has invited Kenney," Oswald responded.


    "Young master, maybe this is your chance. After all, the blood power of the Rainwater Mutant would help you more in your evolution than it would help Carney. And here we meet the one with the Rainwater Mutant," one of them said.


    When Oswald heard this, a greedy and evil smile appeared on his face. "Yes you are right. I am really so lucky to meet them here. I can defeat or even kill that Kenney right here. In that situation, I can get the Rainwater Mutant and destroy an enemy. This is called killing two birds with one stone.


    Perhaps, I should thank that Gerry for bringing Kenney here!"

 Chapter 1010 A Bloody Battle

    After they passed through the bloodstreams, they went through the void and arrived at the bottom of the abyss, where they found what appeared to be a vastly different world indeed.


    It was wide but with more blood vitality, evil spirit, and strong ruling power, and there was so much of them that the three kinds of power could be condensed into the water there.


    So much power roiled in the water, like a lake of death that would lead the souls of the dead into the underworld.


    Even though there was a lot of pure ruling power, they still had to activate their spiritual energy as soon as they went inside, and then they formed it into a solid shield to suppress the corrosive effect brought by the evil spirit and the blood vitality.


    "It''s totally different from the outside!" Soar said as he turned around, giving the place a curious once-over.


    "This is likely a Small World of a great master, and after countless years, it became a Secret Blood Spirit Space that can absorb the power of the whole Blood Spirit Ground," Gerry explained to them.


    They spent a few minutes closely observing the space and found that all the forces were moving toward the center, which told them that the Blood Evil Pool could likely be there.


    Howl! Howl!


    All of a sudden, the air was filled with the sound of howling, and at once, countless Blood Spirit Beasts surrounded them.


    Their hearts thudded wildly, as they looked at the barrage of the Blood Spirit Beasts that came out of nowhere.


    Ricky and the others could count at least four hundred beasts, and though they weren''t a threat on their own, their strength was in their numbers.


    To make matters worse, they could sense four Blood Spirit Beasts that were at the lower demi-spiritual emperor realm in this group.


    ''How did these beasts know we are here?'' they all wondered. It seemed like the beasts knew that they were coming, so they were able to quickly surround them.


    These Blood Spirit Beasts had no psychic intelligence at all, and killing was the only thing they knew how to do, so it could only mean one thing; someone was controlling them.


    "Evil Mandragora, are you sure that those guys from the Sky Palace just followed us secretly and They didn''t enter this place in advance?" Ricky asked the Evil Mandragora doubtfully because he suspected that the people from the Sky Palace were playing tricks on them.


    "This place is much like the Devil Land, so I can feel the breath of those demi-spiritual emperors," t


    ses.


    After the fight, all of them were exhausted and slumped to the ground, but each of them had wide smiles on their faces, as they were all excited for the hundreds of Blood Spirit Beads that they had obtained.


    "Ha-ha, not bad. Although I almost died here, it was worth it to get these hundreds of Blood Spirit Beads," Soar said excitedly.


    "Evil Mandragora, calm down! You have to get used to refining the divine power, so don''t focus on absorbing blood," Ricky quickly warned the Evil Mandragora, as the blood all over the ground caused her bloody intent to surge.


    "Three dead bodies of the Blood Spirit Beasts are too few," the Evil Mandragora whined. "Ricky, you are a good person, but you are too stingy in this aspect."


    "I am not being mean. I am just reminding you," Ricky sighed with profound resignation.


    "Well, let''s stop talking about it. I think you''d better take me to the Divine Manor, or else, I will not be able to control myself with all these blood around us," the Evil Mandragora said.


    "Okay!"


    Then, Ricky took the Evil Mandragora into the Divine Manor and reasoned to Gerry that the Evil Mandragora was allergic to too much blood, so he had to put her in the spiritual space tool.


    Of course, before the Evil Mandragora went inside, she had secretly poured the refining power into Ricky''s and the others'' bodies.


    Ricky had also secretly informed Gerry, Soar, and the others of his plan.


    Of course, they were curious about how Ricky was able to do so, but none of them asked, as they knew that it was Ricky''s secret.


    After they had gotten everything ready, the people of the Sky Palace finally showed up.

 Chapter 1011 The Blue Water Mutant

    Swish! While Ricky and his companions were recovering, some figures suddenly appeared in front of them. They were the people from the Sky Palace.


    Oswald, who had deliberately emerged his airship at the Demi-sage Level, headed the group.


    "Gerry, I didn''t expect you to come so soon, and how delightful that you have found the famous Kenney to help you. I heard that he is on par with Carney! Your troop is quite powerful," Oswald said, sarcasm dripping heavily from his words, as he taunted them as soon as he appeared.


    "But I wonder, is it really like that? Why do you all look exhausted now?"


    "Oswald, it''s you! Have you been using that airship to follow us secretly?" Gerry exclaimed, acting surprised and concerned. His shock and anger resounded into his words as if he really did not know that Oswald was following him.


    "It''s a big surprise that the leader of the Sky Palace would give you an airship at the Demi-sage Level just to kill us!"


    "That''s where you are wrong! We don''t need to use the airship at the Demi-sage Level to kill people from your Ju Clan. On the contrary, this airship is prepared for the opportunity in the Blood Evil Pool." Oswald snorted contemptuously when he heard Gerry''s words.


    Then, he looked at Ricky and said with disdain, "Kenney, what do you think I will get if I give your and Amelia''s heads to Carney?"


    "I believe you will be immediately abandoned and killed by him," Ricky replied lightly with a smirk on his face.


    Bang! Oswald''s face darkened in anger when he heard Ricky''s reply, while his aura grew dim and murderous, and the five people behind him reflected this change as well.


    However, Oswald immediately smiled because he thought that he didn''t need to be angry at creatures who were about to die anyway.


    "Ha-ha, you are so mean," Oswald said with a smile. "It is a pity that you can be mean for only a little more time."


    "You want to kill me? You''re just a guy who hides like a coward on an airship. Someone like you cannot kill me," Ricky said with disdain.


    "Well, we will find out soon if I can kill you or not, so don''t blame me for this. After all, it is Gerry who took you here, so..."


    "Oswald, I can''t believe y


    And there was also a trace of recognition and fear in her voice.


    "Tina, why are you so afraid of the Blue Water Mutant?" Ricky asked.


    "Ricky, the Blue Water Mutant is a vicious mutant with extremely potent water power," she answered. "It is similar to your Devouring Mutant, in that, it will grow and develop by devouring things."


    "What do you mean?" Ricky asked because he still wasn''t sure that he understood what she was saying.


    "Ricky, your Devouring Mutant grows by devouring things, but it won''t hinder your cultivation and improvement of martial arts, and you can also control your Devouring Mutant.


    But the Blue Water Mutant is more extreme. It has to devour and it only devours the blood power of mutant, especially the blood of the water kind mutant, which can help it progress and evolve greatly."


    "He devours the blood of the mutants. No wonder he is so greedy for Amelia," Ricky muttered to himself, pensively nodding his head. "So, the reason that Oswald told Carney about Amelia and her Rainwater Mutant is that he wants Carney to get Amelia, and once that happens, he can control things secretly until he can finally snatch the blood power of the Rainwater Mutant from her.


    He is using Carney to conceal his mutant."


    "Ricky, the terrible thing about the Blue Water Mutant is that it can control the owner of the mutant, which is different from the usual where the owner of the mutant controls the mutant," Tina said seriously.

 Chapter 1012 Counterplot

    "What? But how can the Blue Water Mutant control the owner of the mutant instead of the other way around, which is the usual way?" Ricky asked Tina telepathically, and his tone was filled with disbelief after he heard what she said.


    "Does the Blue Water Mutant have psychic intelligence?" he asked again before she could answer his earlier questions.


    "No, it doesn''t, and that explains how terrifying the Blue Water Mutant is. It can control its owner behind the scenes, which sets apart the Blue Water Mutant among other mutants. It is like a cultivation method in that it can be divided into nine levels," Tina explained, to Ricky''s surprise.


    "But that''s impossible! How can a mutant be similar to a cultivation method? A mutant can only evolve from a lower grade to a higher grade," Ricky said, and he shook his head in disbelief, as he found Tina''s explanation too bizarre to be believable.


    "It is true, Ricky. This kind of mutant can be found in the records of our clan," she insisted. "And that is what makes this mutant vicious.


    Each cultivation level of this mutant requires the blood power of nine water mutants, and when the mutant devours this required blood power, it has to devour the owners of these water mutants who are still alive.


    The owner of the Blue Water Mutant can cultivate into a higher realm only if the Blue Water Mutant devours the blood power of other water mutants. Oswald, who has reached the level of a lower demi-spiritual emperor, has likely enhanced the Blue Water Mutant to the second level, which means that he has devoured no less than eighteen owners of water mutants."


    "Eighteen! What an evil creature! To think that he had even devoured them when they were alive!" Ricky exclaimed angrily, as he was unable to keep his killing intent from rising.


    If the eighteen water mutant owners were Oswald''s enemies, he would not have been this angry. After all, this was a martial world where battles of life and death took place every day between mortal enemies, so one was free to devour who he wanted to devour in such a situation.


    But even without thinking, Ricky was sure that none of the eighteen people had held any grudge against Oswald, and it was more likely that they had been in a similar situation as Amelia and the Chu Clan.


    "What''s more, the Blue Water Mutant has to devour the blood power of water mutants that are at a higher level than those it had devoured for its previous level of cultivation," Tina continued. "And when the Blue Water Mutant reaches the ninth level and achieves completeness, it will become one of the strongest mutants, only second to the Chaos Mutant.


    There are many kinds of powerful and vicious mutants that are below the Chaos Mutant, and they are almost the same as the Blue


    the most extreme mutants."


    "This mutant is incredibly dangerous, both to the one who owns it and the others around him," Ricky said seriously.


    "Oswald, you have no humanity," Gerry also said coldly.


    "Ha-ha! That''s because I''m not a human being like you. Why do I need humanity? Anyone who violates me shall die. You are all going to die here today," Oswald declared with a demonic grin on his face.


    "First of all, thank you for telling us all of your plots. But I want to remind you that you cannot kill me, although you would have had a better chance if your Blue Water Mutant reached the ninth level!" Ricky responded coldly.


    Boom!


    In the next moment, Ricky''s momentum also burst out in preparation to fight, as he would like to try just how vicious this Blue Water Mutant was. He had high hopes for it, as it was said to be one of the most vicious mutants, so he hoped he would not be disappointed.


    "Kenney, let''s fight together against him!" Gerry called out just before Ricky attacked.


    "Okay!" Ricky nodded in agreement before the two of them pushed their strength to the extreme.


    It was because they knew that Oswald and his Blue Water Mutant were essentially indestructible, so it was better for them to work together.


    And although it was true that Ricky was very competitive, he was not paranoid nor arrogant enough to believe that he could take on everything.


    In his opinion, he''d better cooperate with Gerry for this battle, because it would be very difficult for him to defeat Oswald alone unless he revealed too many things.


    "Well, let''s test the vicious nature of this mutant together," Gerry said seriously while his momentum was surging. He also hated the owner of such a mutant, and the things that Oswald had told them earlier stoked the fire that was burning in his heart. Oswald would die today.

 Chapter 1013 The Power Of Heavy Water Toxin

    "Do you really think that you can defeat me? Just the two of you? You must be dreaming! Today, you will see that I am more powerful than Carney," Oswald declared. "On the other hand, I am really intrigued by how you found me.


    As far as I know, my airship is at the Demi-sage Level, and it is impossible for you to detect it by using your own power. In that case, do you have weapons at the Demi-sage Level with you right now?" As each word left his lips, his eyes narrowed, hoping that Ricky and his colleagues had brought weapons at the Demi-sage Level so he could rob them.


    "But, no, that can''t be right. If you brought weapons of Demi-sage Level, then I will surely be able to sense them, too," Oswald added immediately.


    "Let me cut to the chase. I''m tired of your guessing game. Oswald, your Demi-sage Level airship is a fraud." Ricky grinned wickedly from ear to ear.


    "Go to hell!" Oswald cursed upon hearing what Ricky said.


    Soon after, he decided to end things once and for all. ''If I could kill them all, then everything will be mine, and I won''t have to figure things out anymore. It''s as simple as that, '' Oswald thought.


    Meanwhile, heavy blue water gushed out, transforming into his fighting path. As he stepped forward, his mutant power and incomplete water power merged. Afterwards, the merged power condensed into two blue water sword lights.


    Heavy water was the acme of water power. Aside from this, the power of mutants that he had devoured had all been released. At that moment, people could feel the twenty various kinds of water power from the two blue water sword lights.


    Undoubtedly, Oswald owned twenty kinds of mutants from consuming twenty mutant owners.


    At that moment, Amelia was his twenty-first target.


    Clatter! Meanwhile, the two blue water sword lights began to emit blue toxin, which threatened most of the warriors who had seen it.


    "Ricky, he has the heavy water toxin. Tell Gerry to be careful!" Tina reminded him as soon as she saw the toxin. "I don''t know much about the heavy water toxin, because it is not written much in the books, but please be careful."


    Ricky reminded Gerry telepathically right after hearing Tina''s warning.


    "Do you lads really think you can survive my first strike?" Oswald ridiculed as he held the two blue water sword lights in his hands tightly.


    "Just one strike, huh? Are you sure about that? Man, I don''t know where your confidence comes from. Do you really think you are much more powerf


    n realm and strength. It was very hard for him to compete with Oswald. After all, the heavy water he exuded was at its peak, making it at par with Ricky''s Chaotic Fire.


    ''I can''t deny Oswald''s strength. He is even stronger than Carney!'' Ricky thought.


    Contrary to what Ricky thought, he seemed weaker only because he was not exerting all of his effort and strength.


    Ricky wasn''t sure whether or not Oswald had other trump cards.


    "My god, the heavy water toxin is so horrible!" Ricky couldn''t help but exclaim again.


    "Naturally, the extreme heavy water is very similar to the Fire Dragon Extremity. In fact, the heavy water toxin is considered to be one of the strongest toxins," Tina lectured. "Break out your devouring runes now, or else it will be really difficult for you to deal with him sooner or later.


    After all, you are not strong enough to use the Fire Dragon Extremity completely, and your realm is not high enough."


    ''Maybe I really have to expose my Devouring Mutant. Although I am not afraid of the heavy water toxin, it is still a fact that I can''t defeat Oswald if I didn''t break out the Devouring Mutant. Moreover, Gerry was poisoned unexpectedly. I have no other choice but to help him with my Devouring Mutant!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    Swish!


    Soon after, Ricky burst out his devouring runes. Flowing like rivers, the scarlet devouring runes instantly devoured the heavy water toxin.


    While this happened, Ricky activated the power of the Devouring Mutant.


    Boom! After the devouring runes engulfed the heavy water toxin, the power of the Devouring Mutant fueled Ricky''s Flame Mutant, allowing it to burn again.

 Chapter 1014 Dual Toxic Blue Skies

    As the flames burned, Ricky''s flaming lotus was condensed once again, colliding with the blue sword light. With a loud crash, they were at a deadlock.


    Instantly, Ricky retreated and instinctively leapt in front of Gerry to protect him. With all his might, he used his devouring power to resist the heavy water toxin that was trying to engulf him, "Hey, Gerry. How are you holding up?" Ricky asked in concern.


    "Nothing serious, I guess. I''m just baffled. I didn''t expect the heavy water toxin to be so aggressive! In fact, not only can it erode a warrior''s attack, but also transfer power," Gerry answered heavily after stabilizing his body.


    With his current strength, it was impossible for Gerry to be defeated by Oswald in one swift move. It seemed that Gerry had turned a deaf ear to Ricky''s reminder and still underestimated the effects of the heavy water toxin.


    "Kenney, is this your power?" Gerry asked gently as he looked at how Ricky''s Devouring Mutant burst out from his body.


    "I hid it for a purpose, okay? But now, it''s out. Gerry, I''ll take care of this. Just sit back and rest until you can nurse yourself back to health," Ricky insisted. "Don''t worry about me. My two kinds of power can both suppress the heavy water toxin."


    Boom! After some time, Ricky was no longer able to hide his power. As the devouring runes surrounded him, the Devouring Mutant erupted and fused with the Chaotic Fire Mutant in an instant.


    "Wait, but how... How could this be possible?" Gerry, Amelia, and the other disciples of the Ju Clan exclaimed in shock to see that Ricky was using not one, but two mutants at the same time!


    ''How could he own two mutants at the same time?'' Gerry could not help but ask himself internally. Since mutants were generally in conflict with each other, Gerry''s and the rest of the disciples'' thoughts were so scrambled as they could not fathom on how Ricky was able to pull this off.


    But now, they could no longer deny the magic that was happening in front of them. At that moment, they witnessed how the two mutants on Ricky''s body merged astonishingly.


    Meanwhile, Oswald, who had already walked out of the explosion, also stopped in his tracks. He shared the same feeling that Gerry and the rest had at that moment, and found Ricky''s capabilities unbelievable as well.


    "Whoa, two kinds of mutants, at the same time!" Oswald murmured unconsciously as his body trembled in shock.


    However, a thought crossed his mind. He realized that the reason why Ricky was able to withstand his heavy water toxin was all because of Ricky''s Devouring Mutant.


    "I... I can''t believe that you have two mutants! One of them is the Devouring Mutant, a mut


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    the two heavy water blue skies.


    "I think this is the place where Oswald devours and refines mutants!" Ricky said in a deep voice, feeling threatened of Oswald''s big plan.


    "Unfortunately, he doesn''t understand that my Devouring Mutant and Chaotic Fire Mutant are not ordinary mutants. He doesn''t know that they were specially made from my zones. As long as my zones still exist and are still with me, no one can take my mutants away from me.


    This is really a big joke that he is actually trying to devour my Devouring Mutant. Man, I really don''t know how his brain works.


    That leaves me with the best payback. Today, I will destroy his Dual Toxic Blue Skies."


    Ricky sat down, like the root of an old tree that pierced into the void ruthlessly. Meanwhile, the power of his mutants began to surge violently.


    When faced with the devouring runes and the Devourer Zone, the heavy water toxin was useless, no matter how much of it was there.


    Meanwhile, Ricky absorbed the transforming ruling power through the Divine Manor as soon as it reached his body. Soon after, he refined it by using the divine power.


    In an instant, the Furnace of Heaven and Earth and the Evil Devouring Mouth were condensed.


    Moreover, the two Omnipotent Skills were able to fuse with the five kinds of runes.


    On the other hand, on the flaming furnace, a humongous mouth that was drenched in blood appeared.


    At that moment, the extreme melting power mixed with the devouring power.


    In a heartbeat, savage roars of a violent beast echoed through the void. The once bloody mouth in the furnace turned out to be the bloody Evil Devouring mouth. The bloody mouth grew exponentially until it was larger than the two heavy water blue skies. Without warning, it engulfed the later with utmost ease.

 Chapter 1015 Sky Splitting Strike

    Boom! At the moment, the bloody Evil Devouring Mouth devoured the heavy water blue skies in an instant. Moreover, with the power of the scarlet rune, the Evil Devouring Mouth''s size had gone beyond description. Only someone who was stronger than both Ricky and Oswald could define how amazingly powerful their attacks were. As for others, they would feel nothing but shock upon seeing what these two warriors were capable of during the battle.


    After consuming the two heavy water blue skies, the Evil Devouring Mouth shrank exponentially and went inside the Furnace of Heaven and Earth. The furnace could contain and control the two pieces of skies for a moment. Moreover, the furnace wanted to enter the Chaotic Fire Zone so the two pieces of skies would be completely suppressed and refined by using the power of the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    However, Ricky could not place the Furnace of Heaven and Earth inside the Chaotic Fire Zone for the time being, because the two heavy water blue skies kept on trying to break out from the furnace in an attempt to harm him.


    At this moment, Oswald and Ricky were at a standoff once more, as their skills fought their way to dominance.


    "What? A furnace?! D...Devouring?! How dare you devour my Dual Toxic Blue Skies?!" Oswald growled in anger. He didn''t expect that Ricky''s power could go beyond his expectations.


    With the three kinds of runes, it was not necessary for Ricky to activate his three other mutants and the chaotic power. This was because his power at that moment was already enough to confront his opponent as his runes were already integrated with him.


    In fact, Ricky had already infused the power of his Golden Spirit Eyes into the Furnace of Heaven and Earth. Despite this, he still opted not to show the power of the Golden Spirit Eyes out in the open.


    ''Wow, Kenney has very terrifying power. Is this his real strength? Although they are at an impasse, it''s very evident that Kenney can resist Oswald''s attack. It seems that Oswald can''t defeat us, at least for now.


    I''ll have to continue regulating my breathing if I want to remove these heave water toxins from my body. After all, we''re all we got. There''s nobody else here who has the strength to lend Kenney a hand, '' Gerry thought as he assessed the situation.


    With his eyes glued to what was happening, it seemed that he could already taste the victory.


    Meanwhile, Amelia''s eyes flashed with admiration and regard for Ricky. Although she had already known the fact that Ricky was beyond extraordinary, she was still in awe af


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    it a try, then!"


    Ricky yelled. As soon as he finished speaking, he condensed the galaxy power, and a sky appeared behind him. In the blink of an eye, he held his blade high and struck the sky, splitting it into two.


    Without a doubt, what Ricky demonstrated was the fourth formula of the Galaxy Saber Skill¡ªSplitting Formula.


    As a matter of fact, the Galaxy Saber Skill could no longer catch up with Ricky''s current level. However, with the five kinds of runes, the Galaxy Saber Skill and Ricky''s power could merge and evolve into his strongest blade power.


    When the shadow behind him put the saber down, Ricky''s saber did the same. At that moment, the Golden Spirit Eyes gathered the nine flames, the Fire Dragon Extremity, and the devouring power into the galaxy power.


    When the roaring blade light shone, its striking light was the only thing that could be seen in the sky


    "Since your Blue Water Mutant can transform into skies, then I will split them. Galaxy Saber Strike¡ªSky Splitting Strike!"


    "Wait, split the skies? Are you serious? How could you do that? You''re too smug for your own good!" Oswald roared angrily upon hearing Ricky''s words. Soon, the heavy water condensed into his body, making him run wildly.


    As he ran madly, surges of transforming power mixed with the heavy water toxin. This turned and evolved into the transformed Ruling World.


    In this world, the transforming power formed spiral storms, involving Oswald into them, which changed into huge transforming storms as massive as the galaxy saber light.


    "Transform the heavy water!"


    Bang! Bang! Bang! In the midst of the fierce roars, both Oswald''s and Ricky''s strongest attacks collided once more.

 Chapter 1016 Just A Replication

    As the two strong lights collided, thunderous noise echoed throughout the whole void.


    At that moment, the windstorm transformed by the heavy water collided with the strongest galaxy power in an instant. On the other hand, the galaxy power wanted to annihilate the windstorm, while the latter wanted to shift the galaxy power into its own power. Both attacks went head-to-head with each other. The one who would survive until the end would be crowned the winner of the fight.


    "Heavy blue water blood essence, transform into Heavenly Strike!"


    Meanwhile, Oswald''s voice reverberated from inside the heavy water windstorm. Suddenly, a giant blue shadow emerged from the windstorm. The giant shadow made an enclosure, and soon after, a large drop of blood essence fell on the heavy water windstorm.


    "That giant shadow must be the shadow of the Blue Water Mutant''s real body," Tina exclaimed. "The Blue Water Mutant has its own true concrete body, but it usually starts as a shadow. It can only have its concrete body once its owner raises it to the completeness level.


    And once the mutant is promoted to the highest level, the owner of the said mutant may not exist any longer. Afterwards, the Blue Water Mutant would have taken over and will be the only one that exists."


    "Unfortunately for him, he didn''t have the chance to achieve the highest level," Ricky said indifferently.


    Soon after, Ricky activated the chromatic energy deep in his mind and merged it with the Galaxy Strike with the Golden Spirit Eyes'' help.


    At that moment, Ricky discovered something very important.


    He noticed that there was only a heavy water replication of Oswald''s in the storm by using his Golden Spirit Eyes.


    The fact was that the real Oswald was not there. But Ricky was certain that Oswald had never left the water windstorm. ''So, Oswald was just using the heavy water replication all along from the very beginning.'' Ricky suddenly made a realization.


    After having an epiphany, Ricky felt the shock and disbelief crawl through his skin. On top of that, he also came to fear the power of the real Oswald.


    ''His heavy water replication is already so powerful! Then how about Oswald''s real power? How would I deal with him?'' Ricky panicked.


    "Evil Mandragora, Tina, do you believe that the Oswald who fought with me from the very beginning was just a manifestation of the heavy water replication?" Ricky asked Tina and the


    er all, no one will believe it even if we tell others that Oswald did not show himself up at all," Ricky suggested.


    "Well, of course, you can tell someone you trust," he added.


    "I understand what you mean. After I go back, I will discuss this matter in private with the chief elder. After all, we can''t just leave such an evil Blue Water Mutant to do whatever it wants," Gerry answered.


    "Okay, I think we''re all settled. I guess we don''t have to be annoyed by this anymore. Why don''t we go now and see the Blood Evil Pool?" Ricky gleefully proposed.


    Meanwhile, on a sea on the edge of the Western Land, everything seemed to be calm and ordinary.


    However, huge waves swept and appeared out of nowhere in an instant. The clear water turned dark blue with traces of darkness in it.


    All of a sudden, a figure emerged from the sea.


    If Ricky were here, then he would have recognized who this person was¡ªOswald. Only this time, he was definitely not a heavy water replication, but his real body, which was clear from the aura that his body exuded.


    At that moment, Oswald seemed to be very unhappy as his brows were furrowed and his rage was spreading, making the sea water turn black without being noticed.


    After his heavy water replication was killed, all the information returned to the mind of his real body. Because of this, he woke up from the state of seclusion.


    "Kenney, so you used the Chaotic Fire Mutant and the Devouring Mutant, huh? That''s interesting," Oswald said coldly, looking ahead as if he had seen Ricky from the inside of the Blood Spirit Ground through the immaterial void.

 Chapter 1017 A Blood Crystal

    "I just hope that they won''t find the thing in the Blood Evil Pool," Oswald said coldly. "However, even if they find it, it won''t matter. After all, it will eventually return to my hand.


    But since they have known that I have the Blue Water Mutant, I have no choice but to waste no time and kill them as soon as possible.


    I can''t let the old men of other forces know about this.


    If they find out, then everyone will surely despise me."


    Meanwhile, in the Secret Blood Spirit Space, Ricky and his companions arrived at the Blood Evil Pool.


    There, infinite streams of blood assembled in the center of the area, which formed the massive Blood Evil Pool.


    Splash! The sound of running water echoed through the air. Streams of blood constantly flowed into the Blood Evil Pool, but the blood evil liquid in the pool seemed to remain unchanged.


    Just like what Gerry had said, the Blood Evil Pool contained pure blood vitality, pure ruling power, and real evil spirit, which were isolated from each other. With this, they didn''t have to worry about being eroded by the evil spirit if they refined and devoured the blood vitality and the ruling power in the Blood Evil Pool.


    Moreover, they found the martial arts experience and comprehension in the Blood Evil Pool were absolutely appealing to them.


    Undoubtedly, the progress of cultivating in this pool for some days was equal to that of a difficult cultivation outside for several years. In fact, if there was a chance of a breakthrough happening here, it would surely be comparable to working hard for a dozen years outside.


    "So, this is the Blood Evil Pool. Even though I haven''t taken the plunge in the pool, I can already feel that this will be a rewarding trip," Soar said excitedly. He couldn''t wait to dip himself into the pool right away.


    "Soar, be careful. There are many Blood Spirit Beasts in the depths of the pool," Ricky reminded him.


    Howl! Howl! Before Ricky''s words trailed off, a huge number of Blood Spirit Beasts appeared and pounced on them one by one. Lucky for Ricky and the rest, these Blood Spirit Beasts were not strong at all. With one strike after the other, Ricky and his friends had managed to kill them very easily.


    Since Ricky''s trip to the Blood Spirit Ground was already fruitful, he thought of sharing the Blood Spirit Beasts to Gerry instead. After all, he had already gotten a Demi-sage Level airship from Oswald, and he didn''t need the beasts that much at that moment.


    "Oswald said that there is something here controlling those Blood Spirit Beasts. I guess that the thing he mentioned might b


    s if she was afraid that Ricky would not agree to her terms.


    "So, it seems to be very important to a middle spiritual emperor like you," Ricky said with a faint smile. Naturally, he sensed the Evil Mandragora''s worry. He then continued, "You should know me well by now. If it is useful to you, then do you think I will seize it from you?"


    "I''m sorry. Maybe I thought too much," the Evil Mandragora apologized.


    At that moment, the Evil Mandragora realized that she had worried too much. After all, she should know that Ricky was not the kind of person who would fight against his companions for treasures or opportunities.


    "Come on, quickly tell me what it is, Evil Mandragora, or I will no longer bear my own curiosity," Ricky pleaded.


    He was extremely eager to know what could make a middle spiritual emperor, such as the Evil Mandragora, care about so much.


    "Ricky, if I guess this correctly, there is a high chance that a Blood Crystal exists in the depths of the Blood Evil Pool. And it''s not just a regular one, but at the Sage Level," the Evil Mandragora said seriously.


    "What did you say?! A Blood Crystal? At Sage Level?!" Tina was shocked to hear the Evil Mandragora''s words as she knew how precious a Blood Crystal was.


    "So, you know about the Blood Crystal?" the Evil Mandragora asked as she did not expect Tina''s response. After all, she found it surprising that Tina would know about such a thing when Blood Crystals didn''t exist on any continent.


    "Yes, I do, because I have read records not only about continents but also about the Devil Land," Tina said in a cheerful and exciting voice. "I read so many books and records because I didn''t have anything to do with my time other than reading."

 Chapter 1018 The Blood Crystal Zone

    "Doesn''t this Blood Crystal exist on the continent?" Ricky asked both Tina and the Evil Mandragora.


    "Yes, you''re right. The Blood Crystal doesn''t exist on the continent. In fact, it only exists in the Devil Land," the Evil Mandragora replied. "It is so precious that all the creatures on the continent desperately want to get it."


    "If it only exists in the Devil Land, then why is it here?" Ricky asked in confusion.


    "There are two reasons for that. One is that strong devils left it here. Second, the environment here and the one in the Devil Land are quite similar in a lot of ways, such as the blood and evil spirit flooding this area, hence it is possible to create the Blood Crystal in this environment."


    "According to you, the Blood Crystal is created in the Devil Land. In that case, then why can it also give benefit to the creatures on the continent? Doesn''t the Blood Crystal contain the evil spirit? After all, the Blood Crystal is made from the evil spirit and blood," Ricky asked for clarification.


    "Maybe it''s because things are sure to develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme. The Blood Crystal formed by the evil spirit and the force of heaven and earth should have the evil spirit. On the contrary, it is quite odd that it doesn''t contain any evil spirit at all. Only the purest blood vitality is inside of it."


    "So it means that the Blood Crystal can absorb blood and use it to grow. The longer time it takes, the more pure blood it will contain.


    Hmm... Did I get it right?" Ricky muttered. "Then, what''s the Blood Crystal''s immediate effect on its user?"


    "Good question. As a matter of fact, the Blood Crystal can make an invisible exchange of blood and activate the blood power!" the Evil Mandragora said. "Aside from that, it can stimulate the blood power of a living creature regardless of its realm or level."


    "Can you tell me more about the exchange of blood and stimulation of the blood power?" Ricky asked as he wanted to know more.


    "The so-called blood exchange is done to remove the impurities in the creatures'' blood. Since the Blood Crystal has the purest blood in the world, refining the blood will stimulate the best blood power in the body of the living creature.


    In instances where a creature''s blood power has not awakened, the Blood Crystal will help awaken the blood power."


    "What? Did I hear it right? Can it really help a creature awaken its blood power?" Ricky said as he jumped in excitement.


    In that case, the Blood Crystal could help Ricky activate the mysterious blood power inside his body.


    "Hold your horses, Ricky. I know what you are thinking. However, we


    Who knows what creatures and energies lurk inside of the crystal? I have to go in." Ricky clenched his fist and turned his eyes to Tina.


    "Ricky, remember to be careful!" Seeing that Ricky was determined, Tina reminded him of the dangers. After all, she knew that whatever she said, Ricky would still pursue looking for the Evil Mandragora. He would stay true to his word and not break his promise.


    "Lad, in the martial world, only a few creatures can be so kind and righteous just like you," the Dragon Intent Grass sighed as he looked at Ricky with caring eyes.


    Soon after, Ricky burst out the power of his five mutants, collecting the chaotic power into his body.


    He jumped out of the Massacring Zone and went towards the lights. In an instant, he was engulfed by the Blood Crystal.


    Feeling a sudden tremble all over his body, he tried his best to stay calm as he made his way to another space.


    ''What is this place? Everything is blood red: from the space to the sea below...'' Ricky thought as he gasped for air. He felt like he was suffocating from the blood''s stench.


    Aside from the blood sea, the only place where Ricky could stay was probably on the huge blood stones that floated in the air. But these blood stones were not the Blood Crystal; instead they were normal pieces of stones that had been eroded by blood for countless years.


    Moreover, he felt the strong power of the array being emitted from the area.


    "Is this the space inside the Blood Crystal?" Ricky muttered. Without wasting time, he activated the Golden Spirit Eyes to look for the Evil Mandragora.


    "Ha-ha, a creature has finally come in! Oh, the Evil Mandragora, here you are! God is with me indeed!" Just then, the sound of a loud laughter caught Ricky''s attention.

 Chapter 1019 Two Imperial Souls

    Bang!


    As soon as the voice finished speaking, the sound of something heavy falling into the water echoed, or more precisely, the sound of something that had fallen into the blood sea echoed. Ricky looked over and saw that the Evil Mandragora had been slapped down into the blood sea by a big bloody hand.


    "Evil Mandragora!" Ricky shouted immediately.


    Meanwhile, he gathered his strength, trying to beat the bloody hand that had caught the Evil Mandragora. However, his attempt was like a mantis that was trying to stop a chariot. As a middle spiritual emperor, the Evil Mandragora couldn''t even resist the big hand, so how could Ricky beat it?


    That bloody palm released a small amount of anti-seismic force, and as a result, Ricky was shot into the blood sea. just like what had happened to the Evil Mandragora.


    "Wow, I didn''t expect another human male to come here. This is great!" a voice exclaimed when they saw Ricky. "Although there is a powerful Evil Mandragora here, I prefer to choose the physical body of a man!


    And oh! How marvelous!


    This human has mastered the chaotic power, so he must be an extraordinary man. Maybe he is God''s present to me."


    "Ricky, why did you come? Do you have a death wish or something?" the Evil Mandragora said coldly to Ricky when he got caught in the blood sea. Although she sounded cold, she was actually moved because she knew that he was worried about her.


    She knew that Ricky felt the danger as soon as the bloody red light emitted from the Blood Crystal, but he still came despite the danger.


    "Evil Mandragora, it''s great to see that you''re not dead yet." Ricky grinned widely, as he scanned her for injuries. "Anyway, let''s talk about this later. First, we have to find a way to get out of here as soon as possible!"


    "I''m afraid that is impossible. We can''t escape because this is the zone controlled by the imperial soul," Evil Mandragora said solemnly. "Besides, this place has been blocked by the array, and your zones have become useless.


    I''m sorry, Ricky!" She couldn''t help but apologize, as she thought that this was a failure on her part.


    It was her fault that Ricky was trapped. There was no doubt that the imperial soul was kept in here, as it waited for an opportunity to start over again and revive in a new guise.


    All along, it planned to break the control of the Blood Crystal Zone and regain freedom. Boomin


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    s this man who had trapped him in the Blood Crystal Zone with an array for countless years.


    "I''ve just been sleeping for thousands of years. I can''t believe that you think my soul is destroyed out." The Wild Array Emperor laughed. "Think about it. If my soul had perished, how can the array in the Blood Crystal Zone still trap your soul in here?"


    "Damn it! Wild Array Emperor, how long are you going to keep me here?" he roared again in fury.


    "Ha-ha! Don''t you know the name of this array - Double-Blood Death Array?" The Wild Array Emperor laughed and said, "This array has been stained with our blood since it came out. Unless some creature transcending us breaks it, or only when we both die completely, the array will disappear automatically."


    "Humph! You jerk! I will kill you!" the Blood Devil Emperor roared as he heard those words.


    The calm blood sea immediately surged again and condensed into bloody diabolic claws in midair, dashing fiercely to the Wild Array Emperor.


    However, they were defeated by the Wild Array Emperor eventually.


    "Don''t you think you''re wasting your energy? A few thousand years ago, your body in this Blood Crystal Zone was destroyed, and now there''s only your soul left. Do you think you can defeat me?" the Wild Array Emperor said with a challenging smile.


    Howl! Howl! In response, the Blood Devil Emperor roared madly. The Wild Array Emperor was right. Now that he was just a soul, it was impossible for him to defeat him.


    And since the Wild Array Emperor showed up, it was more than impossible for him to revive in Ricky''s new guise now.

 Chapter 1020 Use Your Body

    "It turns out that this array is called the Double-Blood Death Array!" The Evil Mandragora''s voice was low. "Ricky, it looks like we can''t leave today.


    I believe you have heard of the method of destroying the Double-Blood Death Array."


    "I''ve heard it, and it''s definitely better than being dead now. Maybe we''ll be able to get out with the help of the Divine Manor once Hannah''s strength improved a little," Ricky replied.


    "Sir, thank you very much for saving our lives!" Ricky and the Evil Mandragora then both expressed their thanks to the Wild Array Emperor.


    "Ha-ha! No problem! You''re pretty good too, yourself. It''s amazing that we have young people like you in our continent who cultivates the chaotic power." The soul of the Wild Array Emperor looked at Ricky with satisfaction.


    "There have been very few Evil Mandragoras in this world. For several generations, seeing them was incredibly rare!" the Wild Array Emperor exclaimed upon seeing the Evil Mandragora. His eyes were wide open in curiosity. After all, Ricky should not be with the Evil Mandragora.


    "He saved my life, so I choose to follow him," the Evil Mandragora explained after seeing the unrestrained look on the Wild Array Emperor''s face.


    "Oh, I see. You''re a bit different from the other Evil Mandragoras." The Wild Array Emperor nodded. Of course, if the Wild Array Emperor knew that the Evil Mandragora was controlled by Ricky because they had signed the bonding contract, he would not say so.


    Hearing the Evil Mandragora''s words, Ricky did not bother to explain any further.


    "Sir, are we really just stuck here?" Ricky''s eyebrows were slightly furrowed in worry.


    "I let you in with my array power and naturally, I have a way to let you out," the Wild Array Emperor told them through telepathy.


    "It was you who let us in?" Ricky and the Evil Mandragora were both shocked.


    "I''ve drawn the hiding array on the Blood Crystal and it will be activated whenever any creature gets close to it. So..." the Wild Array Emperor explained.


    "So what''s the solution, sir?" Ricky frankly interjected.


    Ricky couldn''t really blame the Wild Array Emperor for drawing the array. They would not be in that situation if they did not try to snatch the Blood Crystal in the first place.


    "As I said, this will only deactivate if


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    y Emperor was still going on.


    "Wild Array Emperor! You will be killed by the damn justice in your heart one day! Nobody in the four continents will remember you even if you kill a devil today!" the Blood Devil Emperor taunted.


    "Ha! I didn''t kill the devils for the sake of honor. I have descendants who exist on the continent. Maybe I''m not that great, but for the sake of my descendants, for the continuation of my bloodline, I will fight against the devils without regret." The Wild Array Emperor''s heart was full of honor.


    "You are so stubborn. I must kill you today. If I miss this opportunity, I will never have another chance to kill you again," the Blood Devil Emperor roared, releasing all his strength.


    "Then try it!" The Wild Array Emperor was also full of fighting spirit.


    "Sir, I would like to give my body to you to eliminate the devils," Ricky said to the Wild Array Emperor using his internal power.


    "Have you made up your mind?" The Wild Array Emperor was a little surprised to hear Ricky''s quick answer.


    "If I haven''t made up my mind, I will not have the guts to reply to you through telepathy!" Ricky said with a smile. "What should I do now?"


    "Well, young man, thank you so much. After defeating the devil, I will not disappoint you." The Wild Array Emperor was beaming. "Alright, you don''t need to do anything. You just need to calm down.


    But I must warn you. This might be very painful. You will need to bear my soul power."


    "Don''t worry, sir. I can bear the pain," Ricky replied confidently.

 Chapter 1021 Heavenly Array VS Furious Beast

    "Ha-ha! Young man, I like your candor very much!" The Wild Array Emperor laughed insanely upon hearing that Ricky was so confident that he could bear the pain.


    Staying true to his name, the Wild Array Emperor was named as such due to being a rebellious man. His arrays could not only hurt his enemy severely, but also damage himself at the same time.


    Thus, he enjoyed being unruly when dealing with people and other things.


    Being a decisive person, Ricky was capable of making a decision under pressure.


    Moreover, he was the kind who wouldn''t make such rash decisions. Otherwise, he could not have cultivated the chaotic power.


    "Blood Dragon Killing Array!"


    Immediately, the Wild Array Emperor''s energy surged, and his soul was covered with golden purple lines. These lines were the unique array lines of the array deployer at the Demi-sage Level.


    The color of arrays at each level were different from one another¡ªcyan at the King Level, purple at the Emperor Level, and gold at the Sage Level. Hence, the array created by the array deployer at the Demi-sage Level was golden purple.


    Splash!


    Meanwhile, it seemed that a tsunami hit the depths of the blood sea as many powerful pythons assembled and formed a bloody array underneath the golden purple lines.


    At that moment, the blood array was filled with strong killing intent and feral energy. Soon after, the pythons and the golden purple lines fused together and coiled around the Blood Devil Emperor.


    "Wild Array Emperor, I am already tired of this array. Stop employing it!" the Blood Devil Emperor shouted impatiently as he saw the same old array for the nth time.


    "Over the years, I have been able to see the center of the array clearly."


    "Yes, you are right about that. However, no matter how clearly you see the center of the array, there is still a risk of you being trapped in there for a while," the Wild Array Emperor said as he waved his hand. "Listen to me. You''ll be killed in this!"


    "Ha-ha, I didn''t know that you could be so arrogant!" the Blood Devil Emperor snorted and began to destroy the array.


    Without thinking twice, the Wild Array Emperor infused his soul directly into Ricky''s body.


    In a snap, Ricky felt the agonizing pain all over his body. He felt that he was being ripped apart, having ants prick his skin little by little. He was in a slow and painful torture, feeling like he was going to explode at any given moment.


    ''The demi-saint''s soul is really strong that


    ea below.


    After that, the endless blood sea and the bloody world began to merge and turned to an unknown ferocious beast. Yelling its existence, its roar reverberated through the entire world.


    In his defense, the Blood Devil Emperor''s soul grew larger and directly integrated with the fierce beast, forming a giant beast in the shape of a human. The beast''s two strong arms resembled dragons, which grew again and occupied the entire Blood Crystal Zone.


    Suddenly, the two arms were broken with a loud crash. Carrying all the power of the Blood Devil Emperor, they rushed toward the Wild Array Emperor. At that moment, the beast roared its heart out of pain, filling the entire Blood Crystal Zone with its voice of misery.


    Without a doubt, the Blood Devil Emperor sacrificed two of his soul''s arms just to launch a very powerful skill.


    As everybody knew, the soul''s arms were not the same as that of the real body. On the continents, it seemed that only the mighty creatures at the Sage Level could be reborn once their soul''s arms were destroyed.


    Moreover, when the Blood Devil Emperor''s soul suffered such a loss, it would definitely hurt him badly.


    Of course, the Blood Devil Emperor did not want this to happen, but he was left with no choice at that moment.


    This was because the Wild Array Emperor became too powerful when he fused with Ricky''s body.


    "We are not done here. I''ll kill you!" the Blood Devil Emperor growled.


    "I will prove you wrong later," the Wild Array Emperor responded.


    At this moment, his array power and ruling power were also activated to their peaks.


    "Heavenly Array! Heavenly Palace Suppression!"

 Chapter 1022 Array Inheritance

    All of a sudden, the golden purple lines on the surface of the void turned into a solid palace, where lights danced and pulsed which made it appear like it was transforming. It also gave off an unseen aura of holy beings, and this meant that this could only be one thing¡ªthe Heavenly Palace.


    Waves of overwhelming heavenly power flowed from the palace and turned into the celestial troops.


    Boom! The celestial troops, carrying invincible power, rushed toward the Furious Beast summoned by the Blood Devil Emperor.


    In the next moment, the celestial troops and the devil beasts collided with enough force to make the blood sea surge and overflow, and the raging power swept around until everything was submerged.


    This violent wave was so powerful that even the Evil Mandragora, a middle spiritual emperor, could not resist its incredible force.


    Fortunately, she was a middle spiritual emperor, and thus she did not suffer much damage.


    The endless rumble didn''t stop until almost an hour had passed, and soon, Ricky and the Blood Devil Emperor''s soul slowly emerged.


    At that moment, Ricky looked as if his skin had been flayed off, and in the absence of skin, his muscles and ligaments were now exposed and covered by what seemed like endless amount of blood. His body was in so much shock and pain that even the slight trembling of his limbs felt too much.


    The soul of the Wild Array Emperor had come out from Ricky''s body, but it did not look as solid as it had been before. Instead, it looked almost transparent now as if it would disappear at any time.


    On the other hand, the Blood Devil Emperor''s soul was on his knees, and his solid spiritual power had also become transparent. Both of his arms were broken, and the breath that came from his body was getting weaker and weaker each passing moment.


    The Blood Devil Emperor was too weak to fight.


    "Adjust yourself first," the Wild Array Emperor instructed Ricky before he jumped in front of the Blood Devil Emperor.


    "This is not true! I will never be defeated!" the Blood Devil Emperor roared at the sight of the Wild Array Emperor with a ferocity that he should not have anymore, judging from his broken body. And despite his injuries, his eyes were still burning with rage, and in the next breath, he moved as if to gather his last strength to attack the Wild Array Emperor.


    However, the Blood Devil Emperor had exhausted everything that he had, and he was now totally destroyed by the power of the Wild Array Emperor''s arra


    t sounds great. Thank you very much!" Ricky''s expression brightened because of the Wild Array Emperor''s words.


    "Ha-ha, very good! I am glad that I can pass down my Heavenly Array to someone before I die, and so, I will not have anything to regret." The Wild Array Emperor laughed heartily, as his burden was relieved by Ricky''s acquiescence.


    Since Ricky was an ace genius who cultivated the chaotic power, and his personality was extremely pleasing, the Wild Array Emperor naturally wanted him to be his inheritor.


    Anyway, he had no other option besides Ricky.


    "You should get ready now, and I will start the process," the Wild Array Emperor said seriously, and his tone was filled with fondness, both for his valued legacy and Ricky.


    However, he also felt a little sorry for himself because after he passed his Heavenly Array to Ricky, he would surely die.


    "Yes, sir!" Ricky answered with sincerity, showing that he truly valued whatever the Wild Array Emperor wanted to give him.


    "Remember, try your best to make my Heavenly Array remarkable again! This is what I want most because all my life I have been wild and domineering. Who can compete with me?" the Wild Array Emperor said once his spiritual power had entered Ricky''s soul.


    "Please rest assured, sir. I will make sure that Heavenly Array will once again gain as much glory and honor as it deserves," Ricky promised firmly.


    Then, he concentrated all his attention on receiving the inheritance of the Heavenly Array.


    After all, for an elder like the Wild Array Emperor, the best way to show respect and admiration toward someone like him was to wholeheartedly accept his inheritance.

 Chapter 1023 The Competition Began

    Soar and the others gave up searching in the Blood Evil Pool and began to refine the pure blood vitality in the Blood Evil Pool instead, as they aimed to gain insights about the martial arts experience and comprehension with it.


    At that moment, Ricky and the Evil Mandragora had returned. Despite the great dangers that they had gone through, they were able to reap a rich harvest, as not only did they get the Blood Crystal, Ricky also obtained the inheritance of the Heavenly Array from the Wild Array Emperor.


    And since the Wild Array Emperor taught Ricky all his comprehension of the array through the soul injection, Ricky now owned the array power of an upper spiritual king.


    ''It will take me just a few months to improve my array power to my current realm, and with this array power and my strength, my combat power will greatly improve, '' Ricky thought to himself excitedly.


    He handed over the Blood Crystal to the Evil Mandragora and asked her to refine it first.


    "Soar, let''s share the rest of the Blood Crystal equally," Ricky said to Soar through telepathy.


    "Ricky, the Blood Crystal has little effect on a legendary beast like me because my blood power has reached its peak, and there is nothing for me to awaken," Soar replied with a smile.


    "But you can still reach the realm of the Chaos Green Dragon, right?" Ricky asked.


    "I cannot reach the realm of the Chaos Green Dragon even if I used one hundred more Blood Crystals," Soar answered and smiled reassuringly at Ricky. "No dragon can become an Azure Dragon beside the first Azure Dragon that was born in the chaos.


    So, you can use the rest of the Blood Crystal by yourself. I''m looking forward to the day that you will successfully awaken your blood power."


    "Okay, I won''t pretend to be unhappy with your choice, Soar. I''ll accept it gratefully," Ricky said as he smiled brightly at Soar.


    He did not need to be so distant with Soar, after all, because Soar was his best friend.


    "Ricky, you should refine it as soon as possible because I don''t think Carney will stay where he is. He will definitely improve himself as well," Soar said.


    "Okay!"


    Ricky nodded once, and then he concentrated on refining the blood vitality in the Blood Evil Pool to transform it into his energy. Of course, he also absorbed the martial arts experience inside and merged it with himself.


    At that moment, Ricky became a second-class completed spiritual king at the peak state.


    After three days, he made a breakthroug


    told Ricky through telepathy.


    "What''s more, Amelia must have grown up to a beautiful woman now. You must be so excited to marry her."


    "Hugh, let me have the competition first!" Ricky replied helplessly.


    "Ha-ha, okay!" Hugh could not help but laugh at the helplessness and embarrassment that colored Ricky''s words.


    "Twenty-two warriors are qualified for the next round. In this next round, you will compete in groups of two people. There will be ten rounds in total.


    If you win in one round, you will receive one point, but if you lose, you won''t get any points. The ten warriors with the top ten points will qualify as the ten core disciples this time. Of course, when the ten core disciples are determined, the remaining twelve of you will still have a chance to challenge."


    After saying that, Langston waved his hand and swept the twenty-two warriors including Ricky toward the rings.


    He placed two warriors in every ring randomly, and while he was doing so, a familiar voice came into Ricky''s soul sea.


    "You are Kenney, right? You have that thing in the Blood Evil Pool, don''t you?" When he heard this, Ricky stiffened alertly, and he let his gaze study the other warriors secretly.


    As he looked around, he saw a man in a black cloak.


    But Ricky recognized the voice now. It was Oswald!


    "Oswald!" Ricky responded with a sneer. "Aren''t you afraid that I will tell the public that you have the Blue Water Mutant? Why did you come here?"


    "Afraid? My Blue Water Mutant is not something that the middle spiritual emperors can tell. And anyway, many people can prove that I didn''t participate in the selection of the Spirit Sect this time."

 Chapter 1024 Charles Kong

    "So, I think you should know what happens as soon as you make it public!" Oswald responded to Ricky''s threat.


    "You are right about that. However, you must know that I can''t give it away once I get my hands on it," Ricky answered.


    "Let''s make a deal," Oswald enthusiastically said.


    "Oh? What is it? I''m all ears!" Ricky moved closer as he was eager to know about the plan.


    "It''s very simple. Give me the Blood Crystal. On my end of the deal, I won''t let Carney know about your double mutants. I understand that it''s your edge against him. If he doesn''t know about it, you gain the advantage," Oswald said assertively.


    "I believe the Spirit Pool is more appealing to you than the Blood Crystal. Give me the crystal, and I will help you defeat Carney and thus you will win the Spirit Pool. Plus, you are a genius. I know that you don''t want Carney to defeat you with so many people watching, am I right?


    As soon as you agree with my terms, I can immediately arrange someone to examine Carney''s strength for you.


    Otherwise, I''ll do the exact opposite and test your strength for Carney''s benefit. Your choice."


    "Ha-ha, can I just say that this deal is very tempting? However, it seems that you have nothing to give out in this whole deal. Where''s your risk? I don''t believe that you''ll hold up your end of the bargain. You have to do better than that, or else I won''t accept this deal." Ricky gave him a quick smirk.


    "Well, in that case, you have already lost a third of the advantage in this round," Oswald said indifferently. He did not expect that Ricky would turn down his proposal so decisively.


    "Ha-ha, just wait and see!" Ricky retorted.


    "Kenney, I''ll make sure to give you a thorough beating this time.


    No one shall challenge me. Even if gods dare to do this, I will only make them taste my raging anger." Carney clenched his fists as he threatened Ricky at this time.


    "Well, I get where your anger comes from. However, I will also let you know what happens when you offend and bully my friend," Ricky responded in the same ominous tone.


    Soon after, the two of them stood in front of each other and began to fight their way to victory.


    Ten rounds of grueling battle had passed, and every round was won by Ricky. Out of the blue, a thought crossed Ricky''s mind. ''Maybe Chief Langston favors me and wants to make this easy for me. All my opponents seem weaker than me.''


    st each other heavily.


    Upon collision, countless streams of gray power began to come out, forming the world power around Charles. As this happened, Ricky saw tremendously huge rocks coming to him.


    Without a doubt, Charles Kong cultivated the rock power.


    "The rock power!" Ricky murmured.


    At that moment, intense and powerful flames started to spread all over Ricky''s body. Afterwards, he summoned his robust power to withstand Charles Kong''s invisible rock power.


    ''I have to promote my realm to the demi-spiritual emperor realm as soon as possible. It''s a loss for me to use the enlightening power to fight against the incomplete ruling power, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Swish!


    In a flash, both of them raised their arms as they made a move. Immediately, they clashed forcefully into one another. With so much momentum and killing intent, their own power had transformed into their own shields. Their confrontation was so intense that their fighting spirit clearly reached the peak state.


    Quickly, one round turned to a dozen rounds as their strengths were quite a match.


    "I see that Charles is indeed very extraordinary. He can even fight against Kenney." The warriors around were extremely shocked after seeing Charles Kong''s capabilities.


    "Looks like we have a dark horse in this battle."


    "Calm down, it''s still too early to say so. Although the fighting spirit has reached the peak state, they haven''t summoned their real strength yet. Only when they use their real strength and their real trump cards can we know the difference between their power and decide the winner."

 Chapter 1025 Rock Mutant

    "You are strong! I am not surprised that Oswald depended on you to force me to reveal my double mutants." They paused in their fight and eyed each other like wary hounds, and then Ricky broke the silence. "But if this is the full extent of your power, you still have a long way to go."


    "Don''t worry. I still have a lot of power in me," Charles answered with a stern frown on his face.


    He was called a genius for a reason, so just after a couple of rounds, he could already tell how powerful Ricky truly was.


    By this time, he realized why people like Oswald were afraid of Ricky. He knew that Oswald had the Blue Water Mutant, and that was the only reason that he was following him.


    "So this is the power of the double mutants! Their power has never been seen before, and it will be a pleasure to see it first-hand," Charles muttered in a serious tone, and his body was fully geared up for a fight.


    And it would be a memorable fight because like Ricky, Charles was also a genius.


    Crack! In the next moment, countless cracks appeared on the ground beneath Charles, and with a loud rumble, the ground collapsed and engulfed him.


    Then, the rock power surged out from Charles, but it was not the ordinary rock power, instead, it seemed to be coming from a mutant. Charles'' body turned grayish-white, and it made him look no different from the dozens of rocks on the ground.


    "This is the Rock Mutant," Ricky said in a low voice, and his eyes grew sharper and darker.


    "Yes, it is indeed the Rock Mutant!" Tina said. "It seems that Oswald arranged a good opponent for you."


    "After the several attacks I have exchanged with Charles, I can tell that his strength is at the peak state of a lower-grade demi-spiritual emperor. Fortunately, I have made a breakthrough in the Blood Evil Pool, or I would have been forced to use the chaotic power," Ricky told Tina.


    "Can he force you to reveal your Devouring Mutant?" Tina asked, worried.


    "I don''t know, but if that is what Oswald wants, I will be glad to give him what he wants. Carney''s eyes will bug out in shock!" Ricky smiled in amusement.


    "It seems that Oswald might have helped you," Tina said with a smile because she knew what Ricky m


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    ion power, so it''s normal for Charles to cultivate the gravitation power," Tina said.


    "The Rock Mutant can indeed restrain the flame mutant to some extent.


    In this battle, if this is all that Kenney can do, he will definitely lose," some warriors commented.


    "I don''t think this is all that he can do.


    After all, Kenney is on a par with Carney, so I am sure that he won''t lose unless Charles is a genius at the same level as them."


    ''Is Ricky going to use his chaotic power in the first battle?'' Langston thought to himself at the sight of this.


    He was a little surprised with how the competition was developing.


    ''Ricky''s realm is still a little lower.


    Otherwise he could have defeated his opponents by now...''


    Charles didn''t show any mercy after he sensed Ricky''s real body. He gathered all the rock awls together and increased the impacting force with the gravitation power to stop Ricky quickly.


    "Go!"


    he then roared at his mutant and attacked Ricky with all his strength.


    On his end, Ricky did not dare to hesitate. The Furnace of Heaven and Earth erupted instantly to protect him, and he activated all his defenses.


    "Kenney, show your double mutants. You can''t resist my Rock Mutant just by your Chaotic Fire Mutant. Your realm is too low," Charles urged Ricky because he also wanted to witness the power of the double mutants.


    "Well, I''ll do as you wish!" Ricky replied coldly.


    Finally, everything went on as Oswald expected.

 Chapter 1026 Result

    Boom!


    Tremendous rock awls rushed down one by one and swiftly swallowed Ricky and his furnace, and then, the powerful gravity created an abyss in the middle of the battlefield.


    "No way! Is Kenney defeated?" Some warriors shook their heads in disbelief, as they watched the scene in the Small World with wide, stunned eyes.


    Most of them had heard about the well-matched fight between Ricky and Carney and how well Ricky had fought at that time. So now, even though Charles was very strong, they could not believe that Ricky would be defeated just like that.


    "Perhaps we have overestimated Kenney''s combat power, but we can''t blame him since it''s too difficult for him to challenge someone at a higher realm."


    "You are right! Carney should have made a breakthrough by now, so the only one who can fight against Charles is Carney."


    Boom!


    As the discussions carried on, two strong forces suddenly burst out from the deep hole and broke through all the rock awls. One was the flame power and the other was the devouring power.


    The chaotic fire runes spread all over the place, while the strongest flame formed under the Fire Dragon Extremity and collided with the rock awls again. Beneath the power of the devouring runes, the blood-red devouring power reached its limit, as well as the gravity power in the Devourer Zone.


    And this time, both of the forces were based on the mutants.


    "The Chaotic Fire Mutant and the Devouring Mutant! Ricky indeed has double mutants!" Of course, Charles was the first one to realize what happened since he had known that. But even though he had expected this to happen, seeing it was no less shocking.


    At this moment, he felt his fighting spirit increase, as he wanted nothing more but to fight and defeat this person.


    He was the type of person who liked to fight a lot, and now, a fight with someone who owned double mutants was like a mouth-watering feast that he could not say no to. Oswald did not even need to order Charles to join in this battle, and he needed no other incentive besides his own desire to fight.


    The people around them slowly felt the power of the double mutants. Their eyes narrowed in shock, and multiple gasps could be heard from all over.


    The spiritual emperors who hid in the void and usually were not affected by anything were also shocked and numb at this m


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    him into pieces.


    And as he tried to stop it, it felt like he was carrying the weight of the world.


    ''Good punch! It was almost scary but unfortunately, I have become numb to fear because all the things I have experienced taught me to overcome fear. During my martial arts cultivation, I always overcome the things that I''m afraid of, '' Ricky thought to himself coldly.


    "Fight!"


    "Furnace Devouring Devil! Storm sweeping!"


    In the next moment, the Furnace of Heaven and Earth and the Evil Devouring Mouth merged and suppressed all of Charles''s attacks, while inside the Furnace of Heaven and Earth and the Evil Devouring Mouth, the Devouring Storm and five kinds of runes swept up and destroyed the Eight-side Rock Fists.


    Boom! In the blink of an eye, loud rumblings filled the void and violent waves engulfed everything, while fragments of rocks and bloody flames erupted like geysers and destroyed almost everything in sight.


    Only the spiritual emperors could clearly see how they fought against each other, as the destruction was too much for those at lower levels.


    The constant sound of explosions did not stop for a long time.


    Just as the sounds of explosions tapered off, a voice full of hesitation suddenly called out, "I lost this battle."


    Then, all the people saw Charles jump out of Langston''s Small World.


    Fortunately, Charles was not hurt at that moment. He was safe and sound but a little embarrassed.


    "What happened?" The people looked around at each other in increasing confusion, as they had no idea what just happened.

 Chapter 1027 Another Battle With Carney

    At that time, the warriors around were not yet done recovering from the shock upon seeing Ricky''s double mutants. Now, their emotions were running high as they could not understand why Charles suddenly admitted defeat.


    "Wait, maybe he suppressed Charles but it was done invisibly; that''s why we didn''t notice it."


    "Wait, what''s wrong? The two fighters'' strengths were on par with each other. Why did Charles suddenly admit defeat?" the spiritual emperors in the void questioned. As people who saw the battle, they were confused about how the battle arrived at this conclusion.


    However, they opted not to say anything. After all, Langston didn''t make any interference, and Charles suddenly admitted defeat for no reason.


    "Hey, Ricky, what happened?" Tina asked with wonder.


    "I...I don''t know." Ricky shook his head. "If I only rely on my double mutants, then it will be difficult for me to defeat Charles. I have to admit that he is very strong. Imagine earlier, neither of us came close to victory because of our paralleled strength. I just don''t know why he admitted defeat so easily.


    Even if he has noticed that I have a trump card up my sleeve, he should not have conceded. He must also have one!"


    "Well, this is so weird," Tina whispered in a low voice.


    "Charles, you''re strong.


    You didn''t lose the fight. Now, tell me. Why did you suddenly give up?" Ricky asked hurriedly.


    "Kenney, as I have said, I just wanted to see how powerful your double mutants are, and nothing more," Charles replied with a small smirk on his face.


    "I only do what I want to do for Oswald. I''m not his subordinate. And this will be the last thing I do for him. After this, I should leave and get down to my own business.


    As a matter of fact, I didn''t fight to kill you. Plus, I am not interested in the so-called Spirit Pool. Seeing your double mutants is enough satisfaction for me."


    "Got it. Remember to watch out for Oswald!" Ricky warned Charles.


    Everyone had his own ambition. For instance, Charles'' goal was not in the Western Land, so he naturally did not want to stay here for too long. The fact that he was not interested in the Spirit Pool meant that he might know something better than it.


    "I know that he is not a good man, and so am I! I''m saying this to tell you that it won''t be that easy for him to attack me. I hope that we meet again somed


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    Calvin said to Carney.


    "Father, I will definitely make it. My Heavenly Fire Mutant is created to kill mutants," Carney replied. "Now that Kenney gets in my way in the cultivation of the martial arts, I will not hesitate to kill him with my bare hands."


    "Well, it''s all up to you whether the Chu Clan can get the honor," Calvin said severely.


    "Father, please.


    Just wait and see! I will bring honor to our clan."


    As soon as the enemies met eye to eye, fury began to surge from their veins. They could not deny that their rivalry was intensified, especially when there was a woman whom both of them wanted to have. Carney set his foot inside of the Small World, signaling the start of the fight. In an instant, both of Carney''s and Ricky''s power exploded, filling the Small World with an intense storm.


    This storm was split into two parts, with the momentum on each side reaching their respective limits. As a result, the whole space shook forcefully.


    "You are so brave. Despite knowing that I have two mutants, you still dared to challenge me. How dare you court death?" Ricky sneered.


    "Court death? I seriously have never thought of it," Carney answered coldly. "Your double mutants may be strong, but in front of a strong warrior like me, they are worthless."


    "Ha-ha, is that so? But why do I see the seriousness in your eyes?" Ricky teased.


    "I just hope that you can keep your smile later!" Carney replied indifferently. "Let''s not waste time. Just start this life and death battle once and for all. How about you sign a deathmatch contract with me?"

 Chapter 1028 The Deathmatch Contract

    Swish!


    When Carney''s voice trailed off, a drop of blood essence came out of the space between his eyebrows and drifted into the air. Undoubtedly, Carney was not fooling around when he asked to sign a deathmatch contract with Ricky.


    "Is Carney going insane? Is he really going to sign the deathmatch contract?" All the warriors were stunned to see this happen, for they underestimated Carney''s raging desire to kill Ricky once and for all.


    "I can''t believe that he''s actually serious about it! He has even proposed a deathmatch contract. Well, I guess that this is more complicated than we thought."


    "You got that right. The way I see it, talents are radical and narrow-minded, especially geniuses like Carney and Kenney. They don''t want to be outshone. They don''t allow creatures with the same talent as them to exist."


    "But I''m more interested if Kenny will accept the deathmatch contract."


    The deathmatch contract was a contract signed by two living creatures with the use of their blood essence.


    Once the two creatures signed the contract, both parties would be possessed by the inner demon. The only way to abolish the contract was for either of the two warriors to successfully kill the other.


    Moreover, if they did not kill the inner demons in their hearts, then it would be impossible for them to break through to the higher realm in the future.


    Needless to say, once they signed the deathmatch contract, it was to do or die¡ªneither of them would be able to break through to the Emperor Level if the contract was not fulfilled.


    Meanwhile, as the spectators finished exchanging their sentiments about the contract, their eyes were glued to Ricky.


    ''Ha-ha, well, this is a little surprising. I may have underestimated Carney this time. I didn''t expect that he would still have the courage and strength to sign a deathmatch contract with Kenney even though he is completely aware that Kenney has double mutants. It looks like Carney is confident enough to win this battle!'' Oswald said inwardly.


    ''But, it won''t be good for me if Kenny dies here. I mean, the Blood Crystal is still on that guy''s body! He should win this.


    I just hope that Langston and the two old fellows from the Spirit Sect will help him. Otherwise, I will have no other choice but to steal Kenny''s corpse if that happens.''


    "Calvin, are you sure about this?" Langston asked Calvin indifferently.


    "This decision lies in the hands of these two young warriors and has nothing to do with me and what I think. What? Are you not


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    yet very brutal. However, it was the best way on how to test the gap in their strengths.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Soon after, the audience could only see two groups of glowing light that appeared to be crashing with each other, launching attacks fiercely in the Small World. Everything that Ricky and Carney passed by or touched seemed to be destroyed.


    With such a savage battle, infinite dust swept all over the fighting area as if a tsunami was rising.


    Beep!


    Meanwhile, at one point in their battle, the voice of dripping blood was heard. The sound penetrated the hearts of the warriors instead of letting them hear it with their ears.


    Every hit of their physical bodies was tantamount to a risk in both of their lives.


    But it was too late for them to back out of the deathmatch contract. Only life and death stood between them and their desire to achieve the Emperor Level. With every attack, they gave it their all as if it was their last day on earth.


    "Are they going to determine life and death in this way?" some warriors whispered.


    "How come? In fact, what they are doing is that they are consuming each other with every collision, because they clearly understand the other''s strength. Only by consuming a lot of energy can they have the chance to win in the final collision when they show their trump cards."


    "It should be like this. After all, they are on par with each other. This will all go down on their respective trump cards.


    To simply put it, the last man standing wins this fight."


    After an hour of gruesome fight, the people noticed that Ricky and Carney were slowing down. Sure enough, they had already consumed a lot of energy at that point.

 Chapter 1029 The Ultimate Battle

    "They slowed down. It seems that they have consumed most of their energy, so now, it''s time for them to fight with their greatest skills," the warriors murmured to each other when they saw that their attacks had slowed down.


    Boom!


    Just then, Carney suddenly broke out the Heavenly Fire Skill, and six balls of Heavenly Fire appeared behind him. In a flash, they transformed into soldiers and condensed into a sword.


    "Go attack him, my sword!"


    In the next moment, Carney and the six flames rushed over to besiege Ricky in seven directions.


    The Heavenly Fire swept in seven directions and formed seven passages that were exclusive to Carney, and in the blink of an eye, the sword came to Ricky with blazing speed.


    Carney used the heavenly power which was everywhere although most of it was in the Heavenly Void, and his Heavenly Fire Mutant was born to use the heavenly law. After years of cultivation, he had taken to the heavenly law like a duck to water.


    And even though the six balls of Heavenly Fire were a fair distance from where Ricky was standing, they could instantly replace the heavenly power around Ricky. In this way, Carney''s move was like a killer''s instantaneous move, and it could kill the opponent with a sudden attack.


    But after he executed this move, Carney gasped heavily and staggered on his unsteady feet. It had obviously taken a lot out of him.


    This move, indeed, gave Ricky a huge blow, and since he was caught off-guard, he didn''t have time to condense any power to protect himself. The heavenly power even targeted Ricky''s Chaotic Fire Mutant despite its invisibility.


    "Carney is truly a genius. He burst out such power in the first move when, generally, people use skills like those at the end of the battle. His opponent didn''t even have time to dodge!" The surrounding crowd chattered noisily with each other, intrigued and impressed by Carney''s attack.


    They were most concerned about Ricky''s counterattack because they all knew that it was too late for Ricky to resist.


    "Go to hell!" Carney shouted seriously.


    "You want to kill me? Dream on!" Ricky replied coldly. He brought out his Iron Justice Saber, and the moment that he stomped on the ground, his body flew into the air like an avenging angel. He slashed at Carney with the galaxy sab


    h, and by that time, there would be a fierce war.


    ''Damn it! The Omnipotent Skills of my Heavenly Fire have all erupted, but I''m still just breaking even with this guy. How is this possible?'' Carney thought as frustration and exhaustion slowly took a toll on him.


    ''I''m afraid that I can''t defeat Carney even if I activate another mutant. After all, he has the strong Heavenly Fire and has made a breakthrough, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''I should burst out the chaotic power instead. Without the chaotic power to suppress him, my current strength cannot hurt Carney at all, and at this rate, I will be at a disadvantage in the battle.''


    Once he had made up his mind, Ricky stopped hiding his skills, and his Devouring Mutant took the lead, bursting out his Blood Vitality Devouring Skill and Evil Devouring Mouth.


    On the other hand, Carney turned over his hands and a burning red pill appeared.


    "It should be a pill at the Sage Level for recovery, but I don''t know what it''s called." The pill immediately attracted everyone''s attention.


    "It looks like the Holy Fire Pill!" some warriors of great insight muttered.


    "What? The Holy Fire Pill is at the intermediate stage of Sage Level! It''s much more precious than pills at the inferior stage of Sage Level!" They were dumbfounded when they heard the name from the others.


    "That''s right. For the creatures who cultivate fire, the Holy Fire Pill will not only help them to recover instantly, but it will also increase their strength by ten percent for a long time."

 Chapter 1030 The Amazing Chaotic Power

    "The Holy Fire Pill is refined with dozens of Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the Sage Level and nearly a hundred kinds of those treasures at the Demi-sage Level, and all of them contain tremendous fire elements. Although it is at the intermediate stage of Sage Level, its value is no less than a pill at the advanced stage of Sage Level!


    The pill can surely restore Carney''s strength and even make him surpass his previous peak.


    This new peak can last for a few hours, so in this case, Kenney is at a disadvantage!"


    "Holy Fire Pill! It looks like the Chu Clan is determined to kill me! A Holy Fire Pill is almost as valuable as you, Dragon Intent Grass," Ricky said to the Dragon Intent Grass through telepathy.


    "The Holy Fire Pill cannot compare with me," the Dragon Intent Grass sneered hearing what Ricky said.


    "Well, Dragon Intent Grass, since you said that the Holy Fire Pill is not as good as you, I hope your trump card won''t disappoint me," Ricky smiled.


    "Oh, I see. You said that because you are worried that my trump card is not powerful enough to defeat Carney!" the Dragon Intent Grass replied with a pout, as it was a bit put out that Ricky had tried to trick him.


    "I have two strong trump cards left, namely, the chaotic power and five mutants, but I will only expose the five mutants as a last resort," Ricky said pensively.


    "I think I have to use the chaotic power next, as I believe that the Holy Fire Pill is not the only trump card that Carney has."


    "Ricky, I won''t brag in this situation. Just go and fight, and I assure you that when the time comes to use the trump card that I give you, you will win," the Dragon Intent Grass declared, and he sounded so sincere and determined that Ricky just had to believe him.


    "But I still hope you can defeat Carney with your chaotic power because my trump card will burden your body to a certain extent."


    "I understand." Ricky really did. He got that his chaotic power needed to work, or else he would be forced to use a trump card that could also be a double-edged sword for him.


    While Carney took the Holy Fire Pill, Ricky''s energy also recovered to its peak.


    "Look, Kenney has also returned to his peak, but how did that happen when he did not take any pills or Treasures from Heaven and Earth?" Th


    mless pieces, while Ricky''s punch hit Carney''s chest dead-on without any warning.


    Puff!


    In the blink of an eye, the people around saw Carney as he was thrown into the air, vomiting blood.


    At that moment, they felt like they were in a dream because as far as they were concerned, it should be Ricky who lost that encounter.


    Of course, this unexpected result drew their attention to Ricky''s right fist that was covered by a grayish-white light.


    "That grayish-white power..."


    The people didn''t know what to say since they were not sure, and their mouths opened and closed like fishes.


    Finally, the words of a spiritual emperor in the void confirmed the grayish-white power. He said, "How is this possible? That is the chaotic power, which is only second to the primitive power, the greatest power in the world!"


    "Chaotic power!" At that moment, all of their minds were overtaken by these two words, as they echoed in their brain. Their faces were filled with shock as they wondered at what they had just witnessed.


    "Humph! No one can contend with my brother''s chaotic power!" Soar snorted, noticing that the people that were watching could not believe their eyes.


    "Of course, everybody is shocked. Who wouldn''t be?" Langston uttered in the void, and his tone was also full of shock.


    Although he had known that Ricky had the chaotic power, he still couldn''t help but marvel at its presence.


    It was truly amazing, and it was the strongest and the most stunning power no matter how many times it appeared.

 Chapter 1031 The Last Strike

    Ricky ignored the shocked looks of the people. He took a step forward and waved his Iron Justice Saber. The Chaotic Galaxy Saber Strike slashed directly at Carney who was still rolling painfully.


    He sputtered out blood again and then fell on the ground with a heavy thud, leaving a deep pit right where he fell.


    The loud sound suddenly brought the warriors around back to their senses.


    "Carney is going to lose!" All the voices echoed.


    However, most of their eyes were focused on Ricky¡ªfocused on his chaotic power, to be exact. Only a few of the warriors had seen that kind of power.


    They were certain that Carney would be completely defeated right from the moment they saw the chaotic power.


    All the members of the Chu Clan and the others who stood by them wore extremely gloomy faces. Calvin was almost unable to control himself from joining the battle, but his sense stopped him from doing so.


    "It''s the chaotic power!" The warriors were still wild with excitement at seeing the chaotic power.


    "I can''t believe we were able to see a cultivator of the chaotic power today. It was definitely a worthwhile trip!"


    "It is said that those who can cultivate the chaotic power are the ace geniuses!"


    "In this current situation, Carney is totally not at the same level as Kenney!"


    "The Hong Clan is so lucky this time. Their son-in-law is an ace genius. I don''t think they knew that Kenney is an ace genius judging from their expressions."


    "Kenney has double mutants and he cultivates the chaotic power. He is one of the most powerful even among the ace geniuses, isn''t he?"


    If one would listen carefully, one would definitely feel strong killing intents among the voices.


    Since such a genius did not originate from their own forces, they naturally wouldn''t allow him to grow stronger.


    "I''ll kill you!" Ricky once again gathered his power and attacked Carney. He would not dare relax as long as an enemy like Carney was not completely dead.


    The chaotic power, the power of the chaotic fire, and the devouring power gathered together onto the Galaxy Saber Strike and gave a fatal blow to Carney.


    "So what? What difference will it make i


    Eyes directly under the chaotic power. The power of his whole body was condensed in his Golden Spirit Eyes. With it, Ricky''s power had reached the extreme.


    Ricky gathered all this extreme power to his Iron Justice Saber, forming his strongest strike.


    Carney did not speak again. His eyes flashed with ferocity. There were three more balls of Heavenly Fire exploding and disappearing behind him, their power going back to his real body.


    He then merged the two remaining balls of Heavenly Fire and formed the Heavenly Fire Sword. The power of Heavenly Fire and the heavenly law were also pushed to the extreme.


    At that moment, Carney finally broke out his Fire Transforming Formula.


    Heavenly power could be seen surging inside the invisible space. The power released all the fire elements and gathered into seven balls of Heavenly Fire that contained incomparable energy.


    However, the Heavenly Law Sword that Carney had condensed only swept over four balls of the Heavenly Fire. He clearly still hadn''t successfully mastered the fifth level of the Fire Transforming Formula.


    "Fourth-level Heavenly Fire Sword, kill!"


    With his roar, the fourth-level Heavenly Fire Sword rushed at Ricky.


    "You''re right. He''s not heartless enough and had left two balls of Heavenly Fire. Dragon Intent Grass, I have to count on you now. Otherwise, I can only break out the other three mutants," Ricky said as he clenched his fists, determined.

 Chapter 1032 The Stronger Shall Win The Reward

    "Don''t worry. With the two remaining heavenly flames, he is doomed to fail. Your body is strong enough to withstand one-fourth of the Intent Apperception that I have accumulated over the years, and it will surely lead you to victory," the Dragon Intent Grass said confidently.


    "Intent Apperception?" Ricky asked doubtfully.


    "Don''t ask anything. Just activate your saber intent!" the Dragon Intent Grass said in a bossy manner.


    "Okay!" Ricky nodded and thirty-percent saber intent at the middle stage exploded out from the Iron Justice Saber. He believed in the Dragon Intent Grass, so he would not doubt about it anymore.


    At this moment, all the warriors watched with baited breaths, waiting to see the last move that Ricky and Carney would bring out.


    They paid no attention to Ricky''s saber intent, including Carney, because they all thought that it was just a way for Ricky to enhance the chaotic power.


    This was because Ricky''s chaotic power concealed the other power that was slowly waking up inside him like a sleeping beast.


    Boom! In the next moment, the saber light and the sword light collided, and thunderous waves swept through everything. It appeared like the collision of two peaks, and at that moment, the two forces held still at a stalemate.


    "Ricky, stretch out your body and accept my Intent Apperception. Then your saber intent will burst out in an instant, and you have to endure it because it is my exclusive Intent Apperception. Once you accept it, be ready for your body to bear the burden," the Dragon Intent Grass warned him.


    "Don''t worry. I can even withstand the spiritual power of the Wild Array Emperor. I''m not afraid of any extreme pain," Ricky responded as he started to stretch his body.


    The Dragon Intent Grass directly poured one-fourth of the Intent Apperception that it had accumulated over the years into Ricky''s body, and once Ricky received this, he suddenly felt like his body was about to explode, and endless pain overwhelmed him in that instant.


    Crack! Ricky groaned in terrible pain, as multiple wounds appeared on his body. "What is happening to Kenney?"


    The warriors were surprised when Ricky suddenly made a pained sound, and all eyes gravitated toward him. "There is another kind of power on


    e power appeared and removed Carney from his Small World.


    This scene shocked everyone.


    "Arthur, I didn''t expect that you have such a trump card. You have put a Space Sign on Carney''s body and saved him while Langston was not watching. Don''t you think that is inappropriate?" A low but furious voice sounded. It turned out that Arthur, the Sky-breaking Emperor was helping Carney secretly.


    At the same time, Langston and Calvin stopped fighting, and that was when Langston realized that Calvin had only attacked him to distract him.


    Langston resented them immediately, but he could only blame himself for being too careless. But nobody expected that Arthur would make a Space Sign on Carney, as doing this, he also sacrificed a part of his life span.


    Only spiritual emperors could make the Space Sign.


    A spiritual emperor or a creature above the spiritual emperor realm could consume a certain amount of life span, and with it, he would turn the heavenly power into the unique space power, which he could pour into a creature that was weaker than himself.


    If this creature was in life-threatening danger, the spiritual emperor would sense it. And if he activated the space power, this weak creature would appear beside him in an instant.


    Of course, this kind of transfer was limited. The more space power the weak creature received, the longer the distance it could be transferred. At the same time, the amount of the space power depended on how much life span the spiritual emperor consumed.

 Chapter 1033 Save His Life

    Carney had disappeared. He had been transferred to Arthur''s Small World for the purpose of healing. Meanwhile, a figure showed up right at the spot where he disappeared.


    That was a burly old man with white hair.


    Although he was old, he exuded an aura of confidence with unparalleled energy. As he stood there, his strong aura stood out so intensely that no one could move their eyes away from him. Langston, Calvin, and all spiritual emperors in the void became background in contrast to him.


    Arthur, the Sky-breaking Emperor, for whom all creatures in the Western Land had a sense of respect, admiration, and even fear, could probably be qualified to be the strongest warrior in the Western Land.


    As the previous chief of the Sky-breaking Dome, he was claimed himself as the Sky-breaking Emperor. It only meant that he was the most powerful warrior in the Western Land.


    "I didn''t expect the Sky-breaking Emperor to save Carney. He left a Space Sign on Carney''s body so that he could take him away from Langston''s Small World. After all, Langston is just a lower grade spiritual emperor," the warriors whispered.


    "I don''t think the Spirit Sect will let this go. It would be too shameful for them. Besides, the warriors from the Spirit Sect hate Carney so much because every time he made a breakthrough, he would always go to challenge the Spirit Sect!"


    With Arthur''s appearance, the two Dominant Top Elders of the Spirit Sect also arrived consecutively to each other.


    The two old men who were dressed in burlap cloth emitted powerful energy comparable to that of Arthur.


    One was the Mason, who was called the Spiritual Mountain Emperor, and the other was Easton, who was called the Spiritual Water Emperor.


    "Mason," Arthur called out, "creating Space Signs such as this is one of my defense methods and is therefore not illegal in this competition." He looked at the two Dominant Top Elders with cold indifference.


    "Arthur, you have your methods, but our Spirit Sect also have our rules. Since Carney and Kenney have signed a deathmatch contract, they should fight to the death," Mason stated.


    "Now that your method has broken our rules, we must settle this."


    "Is that so? How exactly should we settle this?" Arthu


    concession, Ricky did not want to drag the battle on any longer.


    He didn''t have a better choice.


    As for Carney, Ricky would never take someone so pathetic as a real opponent.


    He must kill Carney, but not now. Ricky knew that Carney was wild for revenge and was guaranteed to always come back to haunt him down. After all, he was responsible for Carney''s inner demons that hinder the latter from future cultivation. If Carney did not kill Ricky, the former would never make any further progress.


    "Sirs, the battle is over. I''ll deal with everything here," Ricky said to the two Dominant Top Elders.


    "Very well. You''re a great blessing." The two Dominant Top Elders were both relieved and impressed that Ricky dared to stand up and speak out his opinion by himself.


    Both of they understood that even if the two of them used their full strength, it was still impossible for them to take Carney away from Arthur that easily. Ricky agreeing to Arthur''s proposition only proved that he was the kind of genius who was reasonable and able to size up the situation quickly and accurately.


    "You are quite delightful, sirs," Ricky replied respectfully.


    It was a great achievement for Ricky to have obtained appreciation from the two Dominant Top Elders.


    "However, if I may ask, what request I will make do you think is suitable?" Ricky furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.


    "Well, if you would trust me, I will make the request on your behalf," Mason said with a slight smile.

 Chapter 1034 Sky-breaking Palace

    "Of course I believe you, sir. If you have any good ideas, I will be more than happy to hear them out!" Ricky answered.


    On the other hand, Ricky thought that Mason must have had his own idea. And Ricky believed that he would never treat him awfully.


    "Young man! What do you need to agree to stop this fight?" Arthur''s voice echoed through the air. Although his voice was soothing, Ricky still felt the strong killing intent embedded in his tone.


    "Arthur, it appears that my disciple lacks sufficient knowledge about your Sky-breaking Dome. To make things fair, I will raise the condition for him," Mason said as he waved his hand to catch Arthur''s attention. "I hope you won''t mind."


    "Humph! Come on, tell me!" Arthur laughed coldly after hearing Mason''s words.


    At that point, the Sky-breaking Emperor felt cornered, as if he had no other choice but to concede. The array drawn by Mason and Easton really threatened his life. Moreover, the Spirit Sect ruled this place, and he would not know for sure if other arrays were present in the area.


    With that being said, Arthur mustered up all his courage as he was ready to make a great sacrifice.


    He might have put in a lot of efforts to save Carney, but this was not only because they had the same bloodline. Apart from saving Carney, he also wanted to save Carney''s talent. He knew that once Carney grew up and became more powerful, he might even be qualified to be the next chief of the Sky-breaking Dome.


    "Carney''s Holy Fire Pill is very effective. I believe that you also have one. Kindly take it out and let my disciple have a look at it!" Mason smiled as he instructed Arthur.


    As Arthur heard his words, his eyes grew dark in anger. Knowing better than to lash out, he kept his cool and did not say anything. Flipping his palm, he showed a Holy Fire Pill and shot it to Ricky.


    ''Wow, I can''t believe it! It''s the Holy Fire Pill!'' Ricky thought excitedly as he took the Holy Fire Pill from Arthur''s hand, feeling the energy contained in it.


    Meanwhile, all the warriors who saw this became jealous instantly. Right in front of their eyes was the Holy Fire Pill, and they had only heard great things about it. Surely, they could never be blamed for wanting it all to themselves. At that moment, all the other warriors were so distracted by the beauty of the Holy Fire Pill that they would grab any opportunity to t


    red to him that the chromatic energy was attractive to weapons and Treasures from Heaven and Earth.


    ''Can I put the Iron Justice Saber into my soul sea so that the chromatic energy can nourish it? I wonder.'' At this moment, Ricky thought of the possibilities that could help him achieve greatness.


    "Arthur, I am just asking for two positions.


    It''s absolutely worthwhile because they can save Carney''s life. In fact, I don''t think that this requirement is too much," Mason said.


    Swish!


    Meanwhile, a roll of beast hide emerged in Mason''s hand. Soon after, he handed it over to Arthur.


    "This is a protection array at the peak level of the = middle spiritual emperor. Keep it for it will be very useful for the Sky-breaking Palace. As there are few such arrays in the whole Western Land, you should know its value." Mason then gave it to Arthur.


    "Now, I think this is a great deal for both of us!"


    Hearing Mason''s words and looking at the hide in his hand, Arthur fell silent. Mason taking out such valuable arrays meant that he was very insistent on getting those two positions now.


    ''If they get two positions, then Kenney will go to the Sky-breaking Palace. That would surely be the perfect time for Carney to kill him, '' Arthur thought in his heart.


    ''After all, they will only get two positions, and it does not mean that people from the Spirit Sect can benefit from that.


    As long as I have a good plan, I will let the two people from the Spirit Sect get nothing and let them die there.''


    After thoughtful consideration, Arthur finally agreed. "Okay, I agree."

 Chapter 1035 An Important Talk In The Spirit Sect

    All of a sudden, a heated life-and-death battle between the two geniuses had ceased.


    After Ricky defeated Carney, Arthur appeared and saved Carney from death. All the events that happened one after the other were so intense, with the effects so similar to a tornado sweeping through the entire Western Land.


    Naturally, Ricky was once again the talk of the town.


    Double mutants, chaotic power, ace genius ¡ªthese were just some of the words that the people often used to describe him. Most importantly, he was known as the warrior who defeated the renowned and most talented person in the entire Western Land, Carney.


    As a result, he replaced Carney and became the most talented person in the Western Land. In fact, merely Ricky showing his chaotic power was enough to make him the most talented one.


    After all, the chaotic power was the strongest to everyone''s knowledge.


    "Well, I didn''t expect Kenney to be a genius who owns the chaotic power!"


    "I feel the same way. With his double mutants and the chaotic power, it is not far off that he could conquer all four lands!"


    "I heard that there is an ace genius in the Eastern Land named Ricky. I wonder if Kenny is more powerful than he is!"


    "Really? I doubt that! From what I''ve heard, Ricky connived with the devils and is in hiding. Who wouldn''t hide when you are the target of all the creatures on the continent? Serves him right."


    "That''s not what I heard. I was told that Ricky is a righteous and a true gentleman. In fact, he didn''t conspire with the devils; that very devil is just being obedient to him, following his every order."


    "Forget it. It''s none of our business whatever his deal was with the devils. We wouldn''t understand. We are not on the same level as him."


    "Yes, only a genius like him or a master from the older generation can fight against him."


    "This time, the Spirit Sect got two positions of entering the Sky-breaking Palace.


    I''m sure that Kenny has one. Do you think Kenney and Carney will have a live-or-die battle inside the Sky-breaking Palace?"


    "Well, I guess they will. Otherwise, neither of them could have reached the Emperor Level in the first place."


    "My bet is on Kenney. The chaotic power is invincible at the same level."


    "I don''t think so. After all, the Sky-breaking Palace is guarded by the Sky-breaking Dome. Although the Sky-breaking Dome isn''t able to control the whole palace, they are more familiar with it.


    Besides, those who


    gate opened would possibly be a hundred years later.


    Seeing that there was nothing that could destroy Ricky''s confidence, the three elders nodded in agreement.


    "Well, that''s exactly what a warrior should be. You deserve to be a genius in cultivating chaotic power. It''s not a coincidence that you have defeated the Nether Manor of the Eastern Land, and no wonder Norris surrendered to you," Easton complimented Ricky.


    "I am so flattered to hear that, sir, but who is the other one?" Ricky said softly.


    "Do you have any suitable candidates?" Easton asked.


    "No." Ricky shook his head.


    Even if Soar was by his side, helping him become more powerful, Soar was not strong enough to enter the Sky-breaking Palace. Despite Ricky having five zones, it was still too risky to enter because none of them knew if there was any sealing array which would constrain the power of zones.


    Moreover, the only good thing that Ricky could get from there was the chromatic energy. Ricky could completely let Soar bathe in his own chromatic energy instead of letting Soar take the risk to go inside.


    "Not to worry. We will help you with that," Easton smiled with reassurance.


    "Thank you so much. So, may I know who it is?" Ricky asked again.


    "I would if I could, but that little guy is still in seclusion healing himself. You can cultivate in the Spirit Pool in the meantime before he comes out," Easton said in suspense.


    "Well, I''m looking forward to it." Ricky returned the smile.


    Without wasting time, he concentrated his mind on the Spirit Pool as he wanted to know how the pool would make him improve his power and abilities.

 Chapter 1036 Refining In The Spirit Pool

    After that, Mason guided Ricky to the Spirit Pool in person.


    Being a powerful pit of energy, the Spirit Pool was hidden inside the secret land of the Spirit Sect, forming an independent world. As soon as Ricky set foot into that world, he felt elated and said, "Wow, is this the fairyland? I think I''m going to fly! This is just so perfect!"


    Undoubtedly, the reason behind his ecstatic feeling was due to the purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and the purest ruling power that was inside that place.


    Getting its shape in a natural way, the Spirit Pool was a giant square-shaped pool. Just like a hot spring, liquid full of essence spiritual energy surged out from the depths of the ground.


    There, several streams flowed from the Spirit Pool, spreading the liquid of essence spiritual energy to the entire territory of Spirit Sect. Obviously, this was done so that the Spirit Sect could increase its spiritual energy, and its luck.


    But what caught Ricky''s attention more was the stone statues that were posted on the four sides of the Spirit Pool.


    However, the more he stared at them, the more he felt that they weren''t inanimate stone statues. In fact, he could vividly feel that these statues had once experienced to be alive.


    "I see that you noticed these statues. Fun fact, all of them are predecessors of the Spirit Sect," Mason said solemnly, as soon as he saw Ricky''s confused eyes. "Before they died, they all poured all their power and comprehension into the Spirit Pool relentlessly. This is the reason why the Spirit Pool''s elegant aura remains the same after ten thousand years.


    Moreover, they have become the stone statues themselves! How great is that?"


    "Oh, I see!" Ricky nodded and made a bow to these stone statues.


    "Not only can the Spirit Pool increase the possibility of breaking through and becoming a spiritual emperor but also provide a warrior with the heritages of spiritual emperors. You can get them only if you''re lucky enough," Mason explained.


    "Elder Mason, thank you, but I don''t think I need the heritage," Ricky replied with a smile on his face.


    "Yeah, you are right. I almost forgot that you cultivate the chaotic power and have double mutants. You have risen as a strong and competitive warrior in the Eastern Land, so you must have your own way of cultivation. I''m afraid that the heritages of the spiritual emperor would only be a burden to you if you had them," Mason said with a smile as he placed his hand on Ricky''s shoulder.


    "Let''s go. We still have a lot of work to do. First, I''ll escort you to the Spirit Pool so that you can cultivate there. Next, I will help you completely refine the Holy Fire Pill and absorb the spiritual energy in the Spirit Pool


    r. After all, the spiritual emperors have been integrated with heaven and earth already.


    The demi-spiritual emperor''s state is the turning point during the process of modification between the two.


    Therefore, as a cultivating demi-spiritual emperor, you should begin to go through the process of transformation of the power of heaven and earth into your own power. Only after going through such a process will you be able to understand the ruling power."


    "I see, Elder Mason." Ricky smiled and nodded.


    "But I don''t want to make a breakthrough so soon. What I want to do now is to have my breakthrough done during a battle. And I think that it is what''s best for me at this time."


    "Ha-ha, you know what? You''re the only one who dares to talk about a breakthrough in battle!" Mason commented while laughing out loud.


    At that moment, he knew better than persuade Ricky to change his mind. Instead, he became supportive of him, because an ace genius'' path of martial arts was absolutely different from that of anybody else.


    Seeing Ricky''s absolute plan, Mason thought that maybe some of Ricky''s previous breakthroughs had happened during battles. Perhaps that was why he was so sure of what he had wanted to happen.


    "Elder Mason, thank you for helping me this past month. Now it''s time for me to go out. Just like what they say, fighting is always the best way to make the fastest progress," Ricky said as he lowered his head.


    "Ha-ha, all right. I think it''s time to move forward and meet your partner," Mason said and shook Ricky''s hands.


    "But, Ricky, before that, I''ve been meaning to ask you something."


    "Please go ahead," Ricky said in a mellow tone.


    "Back when I was helping you improve your realm, I felt array power in your soul. Have you, by any chance, obtained the heritage of arrays?"

 Chapter 1037 Old Friends

    "I won''t dare hide anything from you, Elder Mason. Yes, I inherited the array from an elder who had died," Ricky said as he nodded.


    "It seems like that man has directly infused his soul to you, therefore you no longer need to cultivate." There was a trace of sadness in Mason''s tone as he knew that person would definitely die from doing so.


    "Yes, that elder knew that he would die soon, so he helped me in this way," Ricky smiled sadly.


    "That was because he thought very highly of you. Otherwise, he wouldn''t do that. What level has your array power reached?"


    "Just in the realm of a middle spiritual king, sir," Ricky said.


    "That is quite far from your own combat power. Don''t go to see your partner yet. Instead, you should cultivate in seclusion for another month. You''ve inherited the array power directly from the his soul. With my instruction and your talent, you can definitely improve your array power within a month.


    Then you will have another powerful trump card for your trip to the Sky-breaking Palace."


    "Thank you very much!" Ricky almost jumped in his excitement.


    Mason had a high level of accomplishment in terms of arrays. That was why he could use only one array to stop Arthur from attacking earlier. No wonder Ricky was glad to have his help.


    So then, Ricky and Mason stayed in the Spirit Pool to train for another month.


    During that month, they had only one goal.


    That was to make Ricky master the array he inherited from the Wild Array Emperor and improve his array power to the same level as his combat power.


    A month seemed to fly by like a blink of an eye, especially for a demi-spiritual emperor in cultivation.


    After cultivating in seclusion, Mason took Ricky to another secret land of the Spirit Sect.


    "Ricky, your partner is one of my disciples. I took him as my disciple recently, so very few people are aware of him. But his identity is a little bit special," Mason told Ricky while on the way.


    "So, before you meet him, you need to make a Martial Arts Oath. Don''t expose his identity to anyone."


    "Understood, sir," Ricky said as he nodded firmly. He then proceeded to make a Martial Art


    pengornis was a kind of vulture, which was the natural enemy of the Dragon tribe. Although Autelan had hidden himself well, a talent of the Golden Holy Pengornis tribe saw through him.


    The flesh and blood of the Great Dragon were unimaginably tempting to the pengornis and the vultures.


    Therefore, that genius directly launched a hunt for Autelan and Olivia. They had no other means of escape but to leave the Middle Land.


    They were able to escape, but almost with casualties. Autelan suffered severe injuries in order to protect Olivia from being hurt. He was almost on the verge of death.


    Fortunately, they came across Mason at the sea of the Western Land. Mason was searching for Treasures from Heaven and Earth at the time and was able to help them. He exchanged a golden Small World from his friend to let Autelan safely recover in it.


    In the golden Small World, Mason helped Autelan heal from time to time, and gave him the Treasures from Heaven and Earth to accelerate recovery. After three months, Autelan finally recovered.


    Moreover, because of the blood power of the Great Dragon, Autelan seemed to be reborn after that serious blow. His realm and strength both progressed during his recovery.


    Of course, during this time, Autelan took Mason as his master.


    He was eternally grateful to him.


    Soon, Ricky came to the golden pool in the golden Small World. In it, he found a golden Great Dragon resting there.

 Chapter 1038 Two Dragons Met

    It was a golden Great Dragon with a length of over two hundred meters, and each of its golden scales was stunningly majestic. Its noble bloodline invisibly showed the royal and imperial aura.


    "Oh my god! I can''t believe it''s the genuine Killing Metal Dragon, and that is the five-clawed one!" the Dragon Intent Grass gasped in shock.


    In the huge golden pool, endless golden power filled the air, and Treasures from Heaven and Earth appeared one by one. They were absorbed by the golden power and were condensed into the purest energy, which was brought back to the body of the dragon.


    The Heaven Slaughtering Fire was burning in the golden pool, and it was currently burning Autelan to help him recover from his injuries.


    "Autelan!" Ricky called hoarsely, worried by the multitude of wounds that he could see.


    "Ricky, I knew it was you the moment you entered this Small World," Autelan said with a smile, as he opened his eyes slightly.


    "That is because we both have the Heaven Slaughtering Fire, isn''t it?" Ricky answered, smiling slightly too, but his face was still clouded with concern for Autelan.


    "Ricky, now that you are here, it will only take me three days to recover and reach the peak state again. I can even reach a higher level," Autelan said, seeing the worry in Ricky''s eyes.


    "What can I do to help?" Hearing this, Ricky felt a little confused.


    "You have the Heaven Slaughtering Fire and the Heaven Melting Fire," Autelan stated. "No matter what kind of Light Apperception a Great Dragon like me cultivates, our bloodline comes from the Chaos Green Dragons, and the Chaos Green Dragons were born in the Chaotic Green Fire.


    So, the Great Dragons of five different bloodlines all have the accompanying sacred fire, and our lives come from this accompanying sacred fire.


    I was severely hurt this time, and I would have died if the Heaven Slaughtering Fire and the Heaven Melting Fire hadn''t provided power for me.


    I can feel that the Heaven Slaughtering Fire and the Heaven Melting Fire are at a peak state, and if I merge the power of my sacred fire with that of yours, I can be healed quickly."


    "Now I understand! The Great Dragon''s initial blood power comes from the fire," Ricky murmured, his eyes brightening with understanding.


    "It seems that you two are not only fellow disciples, but also good friends, so there is no need for me to say anything more," Mason said gently after hearing the conversation between Au


    im to do based on his personality.


    Ricky''s eyes darkened when he thought of that possibility.


    ''There is always a way ahead. No matter how hard it becomes, I must keep on striving and going forward. Only when I find all the fragments of the mysterious axe can I see my mother, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''Since the Sky-breaking Palace will open in a month, my next trip is going to the Giant Sect where people of the Ju Clan live.''


    "Ricky, you look serious. What''s the matter?" Mason asked.


    "Elder Mason, I am thinking of the tour to the Sky-breaking Palace, and I could not help but worry," Ricky answered. "But it does not matter, because in my mind and my heart, I know that I need to do this, and I will not rest until I have succeeded."


    "You naughty guy! You worried me for a minute there!" Mason said lightly.


    "Elder Mason, I still have something important to do in the following month, so I want to leave the Spirit Sect for a short while," Ricky said to Mason then.


    "You want to leave the Spirit Sect? Now?" Mason was confused because he could not see why Ricky would choose to leave at this point.


    "Ricky, you have to know that many people outside are watching your every move now. If you go out, I''m afraid that a lot of people will hunt you down."


    "I know, but I must leave because this is related to the whereabouts of my mother whom I have never met, so..." Ricky whispered in a quiet voice, but his tone was firm and unshakeable.


    "Your mother?!" Mason repeated seriously on hearing Ricky''s words.


    At this moment, he knew that he could not stop Ricky, because no creature would put his mother last.

 Chapter 1039 Jeffrey Ju

    "So next, I need to go to the Giant Sect because there is some news about my mother, and I need to go to find out more," Ricky said with a serious look in his eyes.


    "If it''s the Giant Sect, it will be simple. When the Dominant Top Elder of the Ju Clan made a breakthrough and reached the spiritual emperor realm, I protected him, so when you arrive there, tell them that you are my disciple, and they will tell you everything," Mason instructed Ricky.


    "It''s not proper for me to ask more about your business, so I won''t. I know you have already made up your mind, but Easton, Langston, and I shouldn''t go with you, because you will be more in danger of exposure if more people come with you."


    "I agree," Ricky answered, nodding his head earnestly. "But..." Mason started suddenly, and his eyebrows were scrunched up as if he was thinking hard about something.


    Then, he looked at Ricky seriously and said, "But I want to make sure you will be safe, so allow me to leave a Space Sign on you!"


    "Elder Mason, there''s no need for you to do that. It will consume your life span!" Ricky refused vehemently.


    "Don''t worry. My Space Sign contains the array power, so it will only consume a hundred years of life to transfer you from the Spirit Sect to the Giant Sect. For a spiritual emperor, the life span of a hundred years is nothing more than a drop of water in a bucket," Mason said immediately to comfort Ricky, who still looked hesitant.


    "Elder Mason, you may lose the opportunity to make a breakthrough just because of this one hundred years of life, right?" Ricky asked. "So, I can''t accept the Space Sign.


    Besides, I can go and leave as I please, with no one noticing. Otherwise, I couldn''t have come from the Eastern Land to the Western Land, so please believe in me."


    "Okay, I understand. And because you refused the Space Sign, I can see just how different you are from Carney, and I know that you are destined to surpass him someday!" Mason appreciated Ricky more after he saw Ricky''s genuine concern for him.


    Ordinary disciples and even Carney would not refuse the Space Sign from a spiritual emperor because it could save their lives, but Mason knew from Ricky''s tone that he was not lying.


    "So long then, and be careful!"


    "I know! Elder Mason, please take care of Soar and my friends," Ricky said.


    "Ha-ha, your friends? You have a special relationship with that woman who has the Feminine Mutant, don''t you?" Mason joked


    llect all the eight pieces!" Jeffrey Ju replied.


    Ricky fell into silence after hearing that. It was just as he had expected. He had a strong intuition that he could see his mother only after he gathered the eight pieces of the mysterious axe, and now, he was proven correct.


    Still, despite knowing ahead of time, he could not help but feel disappointed that he could not see her at that moment.


    ''Mother, why can we meet each other only after I have collected the eight pieces of the mysterious axe?'' At this moment, Ricky was very confused.


    However, he knew that since his mother had said so, she must have valid reasons. He could sense that his mother also wanted to see him, but she had no other choice.


    ''Then I have to collect the eight pieces of the mysterious axe as soon as possible, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    He was quite confident that he would get the piece in the Sky-breaking Dome, so it was fair to say that he would have two pieces very soon. He decided that he would have to find the other six pieces as soon as he could.


    "Did my mother tell you anything else?" Ricky asked after he calmed down.


    "Yes. She said that you need to stop your father from looking for her because it is too dangerous," Jeffrey Ju replied.


    "Really? But I don''t even know where my father is," Ricky said, longing for his father even more eagerly.


    Jeffrey Ju''s eyes sharpened at this, and he leaned forward to whisper something to Ricky, his voice quiet against the beating of Ricky''s heart. "The Ju Clan knows where your father is."


    As soon as the words fell from his lips, Ricky leaned away, looking at him in shock.

 Chapter 1040 The Things Left By Rickys Mother

    "What? You know where my father is?" Ricky was left flabbergasted by Jeffrey''s words


    "Yes. Your mother told us and we have been secretly protecting him all these years." Jeffrey imparted.


    "I see. Sorry to be a bother, but I need to get to him. I will explain everything to my father when I see him," Ricky said as he nodded. A look of expectation and longing lingered in his eyes.


    "Alright, young master. I''ll go send for someone to take your father here at once," Jeffrey said and made a turn to leave.


    Ricky placed a hand on Jeffrey''s shoulder, stopping him. "That''s okay, but I want to go myself." He was feeling too eager and couldn''t wait any longer.


    "But young master, your mother has left something that you need to go to fetch by yourself, so I¡ª"


    "What is it?" Ricky interrupted.


    "We don''t know what it is. It''s in our ancestral land," Jeffrey said.


    "The ancestral land? It seems your clan is so extraordinary." Ricky couldn''t help but smile. "Please take me there!"


    "It''s actually inside my body!" Jeffrey said as he gently pointed to himself.


    The next moment, his right eye sparkled and a black figure slowly came out from it. The figure soon formed into a bronze body.


    "Young master, this is the ancestral land of our clan," Jeffrey explained to Ricky.


    As he gazed at the bronze body, Ricky felt an inexplicable impulse inside his blood and veins as if there was something about it that resonated with him.


    ''It seems that my blood power is really the same with the Giant blood power. But I wonder what kind of blood power it is? Does having the Giant blood power mean that I can expand my body?'' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Sir, you said that my mother had the same blood power as your clan. Could you please tell me where the blood power originated from?" Ricky asked. Since they were on the same team, he must know some information about the source of the Giant blood power.


    "Of course. But if you still think it''s a bit unrealistic after my explanation, just please refrain from laughing," Jeffrey said with a smile.


    "I promise I won''t laugh. Sir, you can just call me by my name. It''s kind of strange to hear ''young master''," Ricky said.


    "All right, Ricky." Jeffrey''s smile got wider.


    Apparently, he had known Ricky''s real


    ky to go inside too deep. Jeffrey told him that the things left by his mother were on one of the giant statues.


    So he assumed that Ricky should be able to feel it since he and his mother had the same blood power.


    "Ricky, the ancestor of this Ju Clan is more powerful than we could ever think. I cultivated in the Divine Manor for a period of time, and I know how it feels when facing the aura of a holy being. And I can feel it right now, in this ancestral land. I can feel the aura of a holy being.


    What I''m saying is, the ancestor of the Ju Clan is very likely a powerful holy being," the Evil Mandragora stated loud.


    "A holy being? That seems to be a bit too far-fetched, don''t you think?" Ricky dismissively said.


    "Well, I''m curious about what level your mysterious mother is at. And even more so, which level does your blood power correspond to?" the Evil Mandragora said.


    "I''m curious too, you know." Ricky shrugged as he shook his head.


    He then calmed himself down and started with his task. He approached every giant stone statue and sensed them carefully one by one.


    ''Mother, what did you leave for me this time? Why can''t you see that what I really want is to only see you?'' He gave out a sigh.


    He was deep in his thoughts when one of the giant stone statues lightly buzzed.


    He felt some resonance as the sound rang.


    The stone statue then suddenly radiated a beam of golden light. The light condensed into a shadow of a giant golden axe and drew towards Ricky''s hand, forming a mark.

 Chapter 1041 The Golden Blood Power

    "What is this?" Ricky harbored a feeling of uncertainty as he looked at the golden mark on his hand.


    The shape of the sign was exactly the same as that of the mysterious axe, which just added more questions to his confused brain.


    "Ricky, that mark seems to be a force¡ªand a very strong force!" the Evil Mandragora exclaimed.


    "A force?" Ricky raised an eyebrow. "My mother left it to me. But what''s the use of this force? Is it for protecting me?"


    Boom!


    At that moment, as if on cue, Ricky felt the force divide into several small forces. It then entered his blood meridians and integrated into his blood power.


    "Ah!" Ricky screamed as he suddenly felt a strong pain spreading to every inch and every corner of his body. It was so painful that he fell and rolled onto the ground.


    Bang! All his blood meridians suddenly became violent, as if they were going to blow his body up.


    "What''s going on?" Ricky said as his face twisted in pain.


    He felt an extreme itch all over his body. With everything happening all at the same time, he felt like he was at the bottom of hell. The rolling of his blood was probably how burning in the flames of hell would feel like.


    He never felt any burning pain with the Chaotic Fire Mutant. But now with his rolling blood, the burning pain was almost unbearable. The worst part was that he could not activate any mutant at the moment.


    "Ricky, how are you feeling now?" Tina, the Evil Mandragora, and the Dragon Intent Grass were all worried when they saw Ricky rolling on the ground and writhing in pain.


    "My body feels like it''s exploding over and over, and the blood flowing inside me feels like fire! What''s worse, I can''t activate my mutant at all!" Ricky roared.


    He felt absolutely powerless.


    "Blood? Burn? Is it because your blood power is about to awaken?" the Evil Mandragora said in a deep voice.


    "Ah!" Ricky screamed and then fainted.


    After a long time, he finally woke up.


    When he regained consciousness, he found that there was nothing wrong with him. In fact, he even felt better than ever. Moreover, he felt that his powe


    to find the answer myself. I''m afraid the Celestial Land is the only place where I can find the answer."


    "Ricky, although only one-tenth of your blood has that blood power, you can still have a try and see what kind of power it is," the Evil Mandragora suggested.


    They were really curious about the Chaos blood power.


    "Right. Try to activate the blood power." The Dragon Intent Grass could not hide its eagerness.


    "Alright!" Ricky was also eager, probably even more so.


    He then held his breath and communicated with the golden blood power in his mind. The moment he communicated with it, he suddenly sensed the change of the chromatic energy around the mysterious axe in his Soul Sea.


    ''Does my blood power have anything to do with the mysterious chromatic energy?'' Ricky wondered.


    ''Just have a try!''


    Ricky then integrated the chromatic energy with his golden blood power. He felt an invisible force guiding him and his mind started to walk forward accordingly.


    After walking for a while, he suddenly saw an invisible world. His body seemed to have merged with heaven and earth, making it possible for him to touch any power.


    Boom! In a flash, his body was full of chromatic energy.


    This was a derived version of his own blood power, which meant that his golden blood power could break out the chromatic energy.


    Then, he saw three words appear in the golden blood power.

 Chapter 1042 Ancestral Intent Formula

    "Ancestral Intent Formula!"


    At that moment, Ricky''s Soul Sea was absorbed in the invisible world as soon as the golden blood power and the chromatic energy surged out. Soon after, three words emerged in the air. On the other hand, while this happened, his regained spiritual meridian also vibrated relentlessly.


    To be more precise, it was the five spaces on his regained spiritual meridian that were vibrating. Apart from that, Ricky felt that the spaces that were not activated were also trying to echo.


    ''Ancestral Intent Formula? Wait, what do these three words mean? It should come from my golden blood power. It seems highly similar to the mysterious axe and my regained spiritual meridian, and they must be connected with each other. Otherwise, it won''t affect the chromatic energy and make my regained spiritual meridian vibrate, '' Ricky wondered.


    ''My regained spiritual meridian has brought the Chaos Manual to me. Is this Ancestral Intent Formula also a cultivation method or a kind of Omnipotent Skill?''


    Buzz! As soon as Ricky stopped thinking, the three words "Ancestral Intent Formula" had floated towards him and were completely ingrained into his Soul Sea. After that, he seemed to have understood what it was.


    Without a doubt, the Ancestral Intent Formula came from his golden blood power and complemented the Chaos Manual.


    The Chaos Manual individually corresponded to the five spaces on his regained spiritual meridian. Each space was a world with a fixed set of Supreme Skills, which was of great importance to the inner cultivation.


    The inner cultivation was tasked to comprehend all kinds of power, including the enlightening power, the ruling power, and the supreme enlightenment of heaven and earth.


    With that being said, the Chaos Manual was definitely not an Omnipotent Skill used for fighting.


    However, the Ancestral Intent Formula was different from the Chaos Manual. In fact, it paid more attention to the external cultivation. It could turn the blood power into one''s own will, and use the willpower to fight.


    The Ancestral Intent Formula was complementary to the Chaos Manual, not only because one focused on the inner part and the other focused on the external part, but also because if someone wanted to exert their power to the extreme, he had to use them at the same time.


    At that moment, Ricky was aware that the Ancestral Intent Formula could be co


    d.


    "Certainly, your blood contains the Giant blood power," the Dragon Intent Grass claimed.


    "That seems to be factual," Ricky said in a low voice. "I think my mother left me that mark in order to awaken the blood power in my body."


    Feeling the overwhelming insatiable thirst to fight, Ricky withdrew the Ancestral Intent Formula. It was making him quite uncomfortable since he didn''t have the chance to fight at that moment.


    "My blood power has already awakened, but the mark in my palm hasn''t disappeared yet. It didn''t even change at all. Evil Mandragora, as you said, I have felt great power from the sign, but nothing is happening."


    "Maybe you can only know once you use it," the Evil Mandragora answered.


    "All right. Then I guess that I''ll I have to explore it myself first," Ricky said.


    Soon after, he turned around and left. After all, he could not stay for long since it was the Ju Clan''s ancestral land. ''I got everything my mother left me; now it''s time to go, '' Ricky thought.


    Moreover, it was already time for him to meet his father.


    "By the way, Ricky, did you get the name of this Omnipotent Skill?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked out of curiosity as soon as Ricky walked out.


    "It''s the Ancestral Intent Formula!" Ricky replied.


    "Ancestral Intent Formula? Why do I get goose bumps from the word ''ancestral''?" the Dragon Intent Grass mumbled.


    "I get you. I kind of feel the same way," said the Evil Mandragora.


    "Hey, Ricky, how did it go?


    Did you get what your mother left for you?" Jeffrey asked Ricky with concern as soon as the latter walked out.

 Chapter 1043 Father And Son Met

    "Yes, sir, I got it. Thank you so much for helping me." Ricky pressed his hands together in thanks.


    Jeffrey waved his hand. "It''s my pleasure. You can stay in the Ju Clan for a while. After ten days or so, our disciples will escort your father here. Once he arrives, please help us persuade him, Ricky," he said.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll try to persuade my father not to go out again and make him concentrate on his cultivation. But I''m afraid that it''s best to let him stay in your clan. After all, it''s too dangerous if he stays with me outside." Worry was written all over Ricky''s face.


    "As long as you trust me, everything will be done," Jeffrey assured him.


    Ricky then asked for Jeffrey to find him a nice quiet place to begin his cultivation in seclusion.


    Owing to his cultivation in the Spirit Pool, Ricky''s power had been strengthened and with his deep comprehension of power, he was able to make a breakthrough into the level of the demi-spiritual emperor. But since he felt that his skill was not solid enough, he decided to make a breakthrough after a few battles.


    However, he soon found it too difficult to restrain his awakened blood power that he had inherited from his parents. He had already reached the level of a completed spiritual king at peak state. If he continued to suppress his real power, it might backfire any time soon. He must make a breakthrough before that happened.


    His father would arrive in about ten days. That time would be sufficient enough for him to make a breakthrough.


    Ricky sat cross-legged in his seclusion and sighed, "I will finally become a demi-spiritual emperor, and I will be close to the real spiritual emperor realm very soon."


    "Once you become a demi-spiritual emperor, you are getting closer to becoming the strongest for all of eternity. However, I know that it won''t be easy for you to become such a powerful warrior," Tina sighed with emotions. She knew well enough what difficulties and challenges Ricky had ever met.


    "Yes, I know that. But as I look back, my long road for cultivation seems to have passed quickly." Ricky seemed somehow relaxed.


    He then started hi


    being bullied by others," Zoran said with a smile.


    Of course, he wanted to go out and look for his wife as well, but based on his recent encounters, he knew that he was not strong enough to look for a person in such a big world. It was asking for death by doing so.


    He had also realized that if it weren''t for the Ju Clan''s secret protection, he would have already lost his life.


    "Now you can fully concentrate on your cultivation in the Ju Clan," Ricky said.


    "Don''t worry. I will wait for your mother. Until then, I will be trying my best to cultivate and reach the level of the spiritual king as soon as possible," Zoran Nan said seriously.


    In the next few days, Ricky and his father had deep and meaningful conversations, as if saying everything that hadn''t been said in the past few years.


    During this time, Ricky had also reminded Jeffrey about helping his father break through to the level of the spiritual king.


    It was easy for a spiritual emperor to help someone become a lower spiritual king.


    And after becoming more powerful, Ricky would help his father to achieve further improvement.


    After everything had been arranged, Ricky went back to the Spirit Sect in secret.


    By this time, Autelan had completely recovered and had also made a breakthrough in his strength.


    Then, following Mason, they went to the Sky-breaking Palace.


    ''I must get the second fragment of the mysterious axe!''

 Chapter 1044 Gerald

    It was like the Sky-breaking Palace formed a world by itself.


    There was a dangerous place in the area of the Sky-breaking Dome. It was as famous as the Blood Spirit Ground in the area of the Spirit Sect. It was called the Sky-breaking Abyss. The Sky-breaking Palace lay over the top of the Sky-breaking Abyss, and that was how it got its name.


    Mason led the small group composed of Ricky and Autelan to the Sky-breaking Abyss.


    The Sky-breaking Abyss was naturally formed, and it was as wide as a small world. It crossed the entire Western Land and didn''t end until it reached the end of the sea.


    Inside the abyss were strong storms. As a result, the seawater could not flow into the abyss.


    It was also adjacent to the area where the Sky-breaking Dome was situated, and two huge mountains loomed right next to each other and formed the palace''s outline.


    From the distance, it appeared like the sky was broken, and that was where the name of the Sky-breaking Palace came from, as well as the names of the Sky-breaking Dome and Sky-breaking Abyss.


    The Sky-breaking Dome was situated just in front of the Sky-breaking Palace.


    However, the Sky-breaking Palace was a forbidden place, and no one was allowed to enter regardless of the reason.


    People who were outside could clearly feel the strong forces that were emanating from the palace, which blocked an invisible space that hindered anyone from entering the Sky-breaking Palace.


    Every one hundred years, the sealing power was lifted and the Sky-breaking Palace opened.


    Because that mysterious object inside the palace was very important, the Sky-breaking Dome never let the disciples from other forces enter, not unless these forces surrendered to them.


    Still, the forces that yielded to them had to consume a lot of resources just to ensure that their disciples would be allowed to enter.


    Once the Sky-breaking Palace opened, all forces came one after another, most of them invited by the Sky-breaking Dome.


    Even without the Sky-breaking Dome''s invitation, people from other forces still came because they would like to know what the object in the Sky-breaking Hall of the Sky-breaking Palace was.


    This time, the Spirit Sect joined in. And since those forces knew the reason why the Spirit Sect was able to get two spots, they also


    r all, he believed that powerful people should be heartless and fearless, so he perceived Gerald''s character in a positive light.


    If possible, he wanted to practice the heartless cultivation method of Gerald as well.


    "Well, with your words, I can rest assured, but don''t push yourself too hard. After all, countless seniors of the Sky-breaking Dome have failed for so many years already," Arthur said.


    "Got it!" Gerald replied in an indifferent tone.


    "Well, I have said everything that I need to say. The number of opportunities you can get on the journey in the Sky-breaking Palace depends on yourselves." After Arthur finished his words, he swept up the twenty-five people, bringing them to head for the Sky-breaking Palace.


    The other four spiritual emperors followed him closely.


    At this time, there were already a lot of people in the Sky-breaking Palace.


    So when Arthur and his people came, many people noticed them.


    Arthur greeted the spiritual emperors in the void secretly.


    His eyes scanned over the three people curiously and lingered over Mason''s group who had just arrived.


    Meanwhile, the other people had also noticed Mason''s arrival, accompanied by Ricky and Autelan.


    "Look, one of the two spots was indeed given to Kenney."


    "What is he thinking? With his talent, he will surpass Carney sooner or later. Even if he has the deathmatch contract, he shouldn''t have entered the Sky-breaking Palace."


    "I agree! Does he have a death wish?"


    All sorts of discussions could be heard concerning Ricky.

 Chapter 1045 Great Easy

    "Mason, I thought that the Spirit Sect would give up the chance of getting into the Sky-breaking Palace, but I am still surprised that you have the guts to come here. After all, the Sky-breaking Palace is filled with my people. The opportunities here should only belong to powerful cultivators," Arthur said snidely at Mason, the threat clear in his words.


    He was still holding a grudge against Mason because of what had happened between them earlier. ''This time, '' he thought to himself, ''I will take my revenge.''


    "It was not easy for our sect to obtain these two positions, so we won''t give up so easily. As for obtaining the opportunity in the Sky-breaking Palace, it doesn''t depend on the number of people," Mason retorted.


    "It''s true that obtaining the opportunity does not depend on the number of people, but the strength of a group has something to do with the number. I am sure it was not easy for your sect to find a genius like Kenney, and it would be a big blow to you if he dies in a place like this," Arthur sneered at him and threw him the most condescending look that he could manage, to which Mason only chuckled in amusement and said, "Ha-ha, let''s wait and see!" His reply and good-natured smile seemed to irritate Arthur badly.


    "Humph!" Arthur snorted coldly at him and finally shifted his gaze towards the spot where the Sky-breaking Palace.


    In his mind, he decided that he would not let Mason leave this place without being disgraced.


    And to do that, he needed to kill Ricky and Autelan in the Sky-breaking Palace.


    "Hey! Why wasn''t the position given to Fein?" A heated discussion sparked the moment that Ricky and Autelan shown up. At the same time, all the warriors around turned their attention from Ricky to Autelan because none of them had met Autelan before.


    They had expected Fein to come with Ricky because he was a core disciple of the Spirit Sect.


    But now a different person, Autelan, was in front of them but not Fein. So they could not help but feel confused.


    "I have no idea. Maybe he is a hidden genius of the Spiritual Sect? Anyway, we will know more about him and his power as long as we enter the Sky-breaking Palace," another warrior replied.


    At this moment, a drop of blood essence spilled from Arthur''s forehead and flowed into the power that sealed off the Sky-breaking Palace. Then, after the weak seal power finally disappeared, the


    Space Nodes so that we can have a good harvest in this trip," Autelan said.


    "Okay, let me search for them." Ricky smiled. "You just need to follow me, and you will see countless Space Nodes and the mysterious chromatic energy."


    "Really? Ricky, do you mean that you can sense the existence of the Space Node?" Autelan said doubtfully.


    "Ha-ha! Just wait and see." Ricky smiled mysteriously.


    Immediately, he activated his golden blood power and chromatic energy in order to easily sense the Space Nodes nearby. Then he smiled happily, as it turned out that there were four within their vicinity.


    The chromatic energy was unique, and because of that, he could naturally feel if there was one within a certain distance, and he could do so with ease.


    Once he found the Space Nodes, Ricky used his power to mark them.


    "Autelan, I found four Space Nodes, and we could divide it equally between us. Let''s go and accept the baptism of the chromatic energy!" Ricky said casually.


    But at that moment, Autelan was busy staring at him in shock.


    All of the people outside the Sky-breaking Palace were shocked as well.


    What was going on? Wasn''t the Space Node hard to find? It was said that if one was able to find one in the Sky-breaking Palace within several days, then he would be deemed to be extremely lucky.


    And yet, as soon as Ricky entered, he easily found four Space Nodes.


    Of course, none of them thought that this was pure luck on Ricky''s part, and they were all convinced that he had some methods for finding them. After all, he just found, not one, but four Space Nodes!

 Chapter 1046 A Fierce Battle

    "How... How could this be possible?" The warriors around clamored in disbelief. After all, they didn''t know whether to trust what was unfolding in front of them.


    They did not need to go to the Sky-breaking Palace just to know what was happening inside. As far as they knew, even the descendants of the Sky-breaking Dome found it difficult to locate the Space Node by themselves.


    However, Ricky''s actions had disproved them once and for all about how easy it was to find the Space Node.


    At that moment, Arthur''s confident expression suddenly turned into a downward spiral of disappointment and seriousness. He realized that Mason must have prepared to pull out all the means for his men''s trip to the Sky-breaking Palace.


    In his mind, Ricky''s ability to easily obtain Space Nodes was clearly a trick under Mason''s sleeve.


    By all means, he was not aware that Mason was also confused about what had just happened.


    ''How could he find the Space Node effortlessly? Is it because he cultivates the chaotic power? After all, the chaotic power is rooted in the primitive power, which is also the source of all existing power. No matter how mysterious the chromatic energy is, it cannot be compared to the chaotic power in any manner, '' Mason thought.


    As the spiritual emperors recovered from the shock, they calmed themselves down and eagerly awaited for the battle to commence.


    Initially, they expected that Ricky and Autelan were doomed to fail even though they were deemed to be powerful entities. But things turned this time around. Now, people thought that this fight would not be as simple as they thought it would be.


    But more than that, they were more curious as to how Ricky found the Space Nodes.


    ''I mean, like what the hell is going on with this guy? How could he possibly find the Space Node so easily? Did he even break a sweat? Is it just me or this guy is one hell of a lucky bastard, '' Arthur angrily exclaimed in his heart.


    "Hey, Autelan, what are you waiting for?


    Hurry up and cultivate the chromatic energy in the Space Node. Don''t waste time," Ricky reminded Autelan, who was still a bit disoriented.


    "Uh, yeah. Okay!" Autelan answered back as soon as he calmed down.


    Deep down, he knew that it must be Ricky''s secret; that was why he didn''t ask anything further.


    Soon after, Ricky and Autelan quickly approached the Space Node. As soon as Autelan was exposed to the chromatic energy, he did not waste any


    guided by the Sky-breaking Emperor.


    That was why at that moment, it was very difficult to place a bet on who would win the fight. After all, both of them must be equally matched than they were the last time they faced each other.


    This was the reason why all the other warriors were really enthusiastic to see their fight.


    "Mason, even though Kenney has his own technique in finding Space Nodes, it seems that two of your disciples are asking for death by going inside the palace,"


    Arthur said to Mason with contempt and disdain. "Arthur, we still don''t know how this will turn out. Don''t get overconfident!"


    Mason replied arrogantly. Meanwhile, he had complete confident in Ricky. At that moment, he knew that Ricky would emerge victorious in the battle.


    Moreover, he could clearly see Ricky''s improvement after he came back from the Ju Clan.


    "Well, what can I say? I''ve always been confident and aggressive," Arthur scoffed.


    "I just hope that your extreme confidence will not turn into bitter disappointment after this," Mason scoffed back.


    Boom!


    Instantly, Ricky and Carney both exploded their momentums. No words were needed to spite the other. At that point, what mattered was their desire to win and kill the other.


    As soon as their momentums reached their peaks, the battle initiated.


    On the other hand, Carney''s follower had retreated far away. Although he was at the same level as Ricky and Carney, he knew better than to meddle and get involved in a fight that did not concern him.


    "Just as expected, another fierce battle is coming!" all the warriors outside exclaimed in anticipation.

 Chapter 1047 You Are Just A Joke

    "Come on! Let me see how much of your Heavenly Fire Skill has been restored," Ricky sneered disdainfully.


    Boom! As soon as Ricky finished speaking, the Heavenly Fire started to burn on Carney''s body. Six balls of Heavenly Fire were condensed, and they encircled him in their full power, showing that at this moment, Carney''s Heavenly Fire Skill was fully restored.


    Undoubtedly, it was because Arthur consumed a lot of energy to help him recover.


    "Carney''s Heavenly Fire Skill has been restored," the warriors outside murmured after seeing what was happening.


    Each ball of the Heavenly Fire mattered to Carney''s life, and if he lost anyone of them, it would be a fatal blow to him. After he recovered, the power of his Heavenly Fire Skill also increased.


    "Arthur must have consumed a lot of energy on him,"


    Ricky murmured.


    "He has broken through to the upper-grade demi-spiritual emperor realm." He sensed the change of Carney''s realm, but he didn''t care at all, because he didn''t take him seriously.


    Without saying anything, Carney merged with six balls of Heavenly Fire and instantly condensed his sword. The sword pierced through space and rushed straight to Ricky''s forehead.


    However, Ricky only threw a punch with his Chaotic Fire Mutant in response.


    And to the others, it looked like any ordinary punch.


    Before Ricky broke through to the demi-spiritual emperor realm, he already had the strength of an upper-grade demi-spiritual emperor. Now, his golden blood power was awakened and he had recently broken through again, so his strength should have been promoted to a higher level.


    ''How much strength will Carney force me to use?'' Ricky wondered.


    Bang!


    The sound of metal colliding rang out. Ricky''s fist collided with Carney''s sword, and fierce roars resounded through the whole space, as endless flames exploded in an instant.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Amidst the violent waves, heavy footsteps resounded, while a figure was blown away by the violent force.


    It was Carney. Ricky came out of the waves slowly and said with disdain, "Although your Heavenly Fire Skill has been restored, you seem to have regressed in your strength. You can''


    al Heavenly Fire! Kill him with one strike!"


    "I can''t believe it. Carney is forced to exert all his power at the beginning of the fight," the warriors around murmured when they saw that Carney had used his trump card early in the fight.


    "Perhaps, we have underestimated that genius who cultivates the chaotic power. He can challenge someone whose realm is higher than him. What an ace genius!"


    "I''m afraid that only ace geniuses can compete with him."


    At that moment, Arthur''s face had grown so dark that those who were standing beside him could not help but step back, as his anger seemed about to blow up in any second.


    "Fatal Heavenly Fire? Is that your last strike?" Ricky murmured. "Carney, you are a worthy opponent. To show my respect to you, I will fight back with my strongest power.


    I want to tell you that you are nothing but a joke to me now!"


    Ricky''s eyes were glowing gold, as he activated the Chaotic Fire Intent Formula, which was one kind Ancestral Intent Formula.


    His body transformed and grew up to ten feet high in a flash.


    However, he did not use the chromatic energy because it would be too conspicuous, and he figured that the chaotic power was enough to deal with Carney.


    The chaotic fire runes and the chaotic power were condensed. Driven by the Chaotic Fire Intent Formula, Ricky burst out the Flame Torrent and condensed the flames into a pillar, which rushed towards Carney''s Fatal Heavenly Fire.

 Chapter 1048 You Are No Threat To Me

    Boom!


    When they both burst out their momentums, the whole area was once again submerged by the infernal power, and everywhere that the two skills reached, the temperature rose sharply as if everything would be burnt down.


    When the temperature rose to the extreme, Ricky''s Flame Torrent under the Chaotic Fire Intent Formula collided with Carney''s Fatal Heavenly Fire.


    Boom! The two attacks dashed through each other amid the roaring momentum. Then, two human shapes could be seen through the flames. They were Ricky and Carney.


    Both of them remained motionless, and their peak momentums didn''t recede either. It was like a stalemate, as they stared each other down, and the people outside didn''t know who won this battle.


    "So who is the winner?" Immediately, all the warriors outside began talking.


    "Although their collision just lasted for an instant, it was a fatal blow. Maybe at this moment, the two of them are still immersed in the confrontation!"


    "Their confrontation has shown that a fight between two strong warriors could be decided in the blink of an eye. Of course, I am sure that both parties have suffered great losses."


    "They both suffered losses? But I feel that Kenney hasn''t exerted all his strength yet." Some spiritual emperors discussed with one another telepathically.


    Bang!


    Bang! Their discussions were cut short when a bang suddenly burst out from Carney''s body, and like a stop-motion film, he fell slowly to the ground. His whole body was flayed and torn open, and blood was flowing out from his wounds like a geyser. At the same time, his Heavenly Fire dispersed into thin air.


    At this moment, he was dying. And just a little external force would be enough to kill him.


    Meanwhile, Ricky was not feeling good, either.


    After all, he was injured badly by the combination of the Fatal Heavenly Fire with all of Carney''s strength behind it.


    ''I underestimated Carney''s desperate Fatal Heavenly Fire. Fortunately, I have awakened my blood power and made a breakthrough to be a demi-spiritual emperor, so I was not injured too badly, '' Ricky thought to himself. Hastily, he used the chromatic energy and the chaotic power to adjust his breaths and heal his injury.


    w dare you talk to me like that?! You can''t..." Arthur said angrily upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    Crack!


    However, before he could finish his words, he heard a small cracking sound. Ricky had exerted strength to his foot that was on Carney''s neck, instantly breaking it. At the same time, he used his flames to burn Carney''s soul.


    In this way, Carney, the man who was well-known in the whole Western Land as the number one genius in all the four lands and had the Heavenly Fire Mutant, died thoroughly.


    And as soon as Carney breathed his last, Ricky''s inner demonic power was taken away by some invisible heavenly power.


    It was at that moment, that the deathmatch contract was thus terminated.


    And so, Ricky finally felt relaxed like a string had been pulled loose.


    Meanwhile, there was utter silence outside.


    The moment Carney died, all the warriors watched with unease because they could not believe it was real. It had never occurred to them that Carney would die, even under the protection of the Chu Clan and the Sky-breaking Dome, and he even died inside the Sky-breaking Palace.


    "Carney has now passed," Ricky said lightly and smirked.


    "Sky-breaking Emperor, maybe your threat could be useful to other people, but it doesn''t work on me.


    That is because I am unique in this world!"


    "Go to hell!" Arthur shouted angrily upon hearing Ricky''s words. However, he could not do anything else, because he couldn''t get into the Sky-breaking Palace.

 Chapter 1049 Lets Kill Them

    "All the disciples in the Sky-breaking Palace, listen to me! If any of you can kill Kenney, I''ll take him as my personal disciple," Arthur announced to all the disciples in the Sky-breaking Palace.


    After that, his momentum reached its full limit.


    Then, he turned to look at Mason with a murderous look in his eyes, but he did not move an inch.


    Because he was afraid he would accidentally kill Mason once he released attacks.


    His sole target was Ricky.


    At that moment, the members of the Chu Clan felt resentful, depressed, and a little confused, because they had always regarded Carney as the future mainstay of the Chu Clan.


    "The opening of the Sky-breaking Palace is likely to cause a conflict between the Spirit Sect and the Sky-breaking Dome, so it is bound not to go on as usual," the warriors outside whispered to each other.


    "The Chu Clan and the Sky-breaking Dome are determined to kill Kenney, so how will the Spirit Sect protect Kenney?"


    "Ha-ha!


    Kill me? Well, you can try, but I promise that you will fail!" Ricky just sneered when he heard what Arthur said, and there was no trace of fear or even hesitation in his eyes.


    "I''m curious to know whether I can kill all of you in the Sky-breaking Palace. Let''s give it a try!"


    When no one moved to attack, Ricky looked intently at the man who followed Carney most faithfully.


    However, that man seemed to be in a daze, shivering with fear, and it was like he had forgotten how to use his feet that he could not even use them to run away. He was like a tree that was rooted on the spot.


    Ricky did not show any mercy and killed him immediately.


    If he didn''t kill this man, he would surely unite with the other disciples of the Sky-breaking Dome to kill him.


    "If all the people in the Sky-breaking Palace want to kill me, then there are forty-six people that I have to kill. Shall we start?"


    Ricky did not want to launch such slaughter, and the justice power in his body was somewhat dissuading him from doing so. But in this situation, he had no choice but to kill.


    After he obtained the Divine Manor, Ricky never entered it to comprehend the justice saber skills that the Holy Three-Saber left to him. It was because he didn''t want to possess too much justice power.


    At the very


    ght. Gerald hasn''t taken any action yet.


    I wonder, what is he waiting for?"


    As the warriors expected, after several losses, the rest of the disciples didn''t appear anymore. Instead, they secretly looked for Gerald, so they could work together.


    Although they were afraid of Gerald, at this moment, they were more afraid of Ricky and Autelan.


    This time, Gerald did not treat them coldly like he usually did, and he agreed to fight together with them.


    But the truth was that he did not care about them at all.


    He was just looking forward to fighting against Ricky and Autelan because Ricky had killed Carney.


    "Ricky, it seems that they have realized that they are no match for us, so they will unite together secretly, most likely with Gerald. The next battle will be a life and death one, as it is said that Gerald is quite strong," Autelan said with a strong fighting spirit.


    Even though the odds were against them if their enemies worked together, he was still excited because he really wanted to fight against a strong warrior like Gerald.


    "You are right. Let''s rest first, and then we will go to Sky-breaking Hall. They are most likely to wait for us there," Ricky said, nodding his head thoughtfully.


    "The final battle is coming."


    ''It''s finally time for me to get the fragment of the mysterious axe, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Sky-breaking Hall? Cool. I''m really curious what it looks like with that mysterious thing in it," Autelan said as his eyes flashed with great interest.

 Chapter 1050 Meeting Enemies

    "If I''m being honest here, Autelan, I only came here for that mysterious thing in the Sky-breaking Hall and nothing else," Ricky whispered.


    "I know. But it''s just said that for countless years, no one in the Sky-breaking Dome was able to sense its location. I can''t believe that no matter how supreme their blood power is, they still could not tell where it is, but it''s true," Autelan mumbled in a deep voice.


    Everyone desired to acquire the mysterious object. But as it turned out, after so many years, no one was able to get it.


    In fact, even the people of the Sky-breaking Dome with the purest blood power weren''t able to get their hands on it!


    "Autelan, from my observation, I think that the object can''t be found just by using blood power. It is just waiting for its master," Ricky uttered.


    Meanwhile, Autelan fell silent upon hearing Ricky''s take on the situation.


    Suddenly, he recalled how Ricky was able to detect the location of the Space Node without breaking a sweat.


    ''I don''t think that Ricky easily found the Space Node out of pure coincidence. Judging from the tone of his voice, it seems that he already knows the location of the obscure object. Could he be the owner of what he is looking for?'' Autelan could not help but wonder.


    ''If that is the case, I must definitely help him.


    From the very start, I have been having a strong feeling that Ricky is not an ordinary man because he acquired the blood power of the Great Dragon. Now that he has already cultivated the chaotic power, I''m sure that my guess is right¡ªhe is extraordinary.''


    "Hey, Ricky, please tell me the truth. Are you the master of that mysterious thing?" Autelan inquired straightforwardly.


    "You got me. Yes, I am. And right now, I am very determined to get my hands on it," Ricky admitted.


    "I see. How about this. Since you are so confident that you will be able to get it, I''ll help you. How does that sound?" Autelan responded.


    Ricky and Autelan may not be so close to each other. In fact, they hadn''t known each other long. Despite this, they still believed in their hearts that they were the most sincere friends. Technically speaking, this bond could also be the effect of the same fire in their bodies.


    "I am so glad to hear you offer aid. Thank you, Autelan!" Ricky expre


    inner can escape, and the loser has to stay here to fight against me. How does that sound?"


    "Ha-ha, from your words, I can sense that you don''t have enough power. Otherwise, you can make both of us stay here." Autelan burst out a little laugh as he made fun of Gerald.


    "How naive of you! Weak men always try to challenge the strong, and they are still stubborn until they die. Such kind of people are not really brave, but totally foolhardy, which I hate the most," Gerald said firmly upon hearing Autelan''s comment.


    "You two are obviously weak. Unfortunately for you, I like the feeling of killing such people."


    As soon as he finished speaking, the strong murderous intent surged on his body and rushed straight towards Ricky and Autelan.


    Seeing the ruthless murderous intent that was about to hit them, Ricky and Autelan felt as if they were in hell. At that moment, both of them suddenly felt that they had become brutal and merciless people.


    ''That''s a very terrible and ruthless power! How did it come out?'' Both Ricky and Autelan could not help but sigh in their hearts.


    However, it was nearly impossible for Gerald to defeat them only by using that power.


    "Ricky, let me fight with Gerald first this time. I have been in seclusion for several months, and haven''t fought at all. I''m so bored. Let me stretch my muscles and beat the crap out of him," Autelan suggested to Ricky using his internal power.


    "Ha-ha, okay. I understand. Go get him! I will leave this battle in your hands, Autelan. Be safe."

 Chapter 1051 Ruthless Slaughter

    Soon after, Ricky took a few steps back to give space for Autelan to fight.


    He trusted Autelan''s skill and strength. And although it seemed that Autelan could not defeat Gerald, it also seemed that Gerald would not be able to defeat him.


    With this, Ricky decided to help in other terms and deal with the other disciples of the Sky-breaking Dome all by himself. Despite the fact that each of them was not as strong as him, they could still do a lot of damage when they attacked as one. After all, the gap in power between them and Ricky was not that far off.


    But Ricky was not at all terrified of their combined power.


    That was because fortunately, he was an array deployer, and he could devise a strategy to slay them.


    ''I can trap them with an array once they have their guards down, and then kill them one by one. After that, I can help Autelan kill Gerald, '' Ricky said inwardly.


    But at that moment, it appeared that he might have underestimated Gerald''s self-confidence in his ruthless power.


    "If any of you dares to interfere in this upcoming battle, you leave me no choice but to see you as disrespectful and rebelling against me. I think you know clearly how serious the consequences will be." With a murderous aura surging around him, Gerald declared to the disciples in the rear without facing them.


    As soon as the disciples heard his statement, their momentums quickly dispersed. With one foot behind the other, they retreated because they were afraid to disobey Gerald. After all, they knew how extremely disastrous the consequences were once they go against his orders.


    ''Really? Is he so confident? Well, I guess that he''s a little too cocky for his own good, '' Ricky thought.


    Although Gerald was quite annoying, this was exactly what Ricky wanted.


    This gave him time to deploy the array. Unlike Thiago''s Array Mutant, he couldn''t deploy arrays on his body. Instead he had the Massacring Zone and the Shadowy Replication.


    Being resourceful, he created the Shadowy Replication inside the Massacring Zone and afterwards began to deploy the array.


    ''I think that it''s a good idea to deploy an array inside my space. In this way, it can be equal to about a quarter of the Array Mutant, '' Ricky said with excitement in his heart.


    "Oh? So you two won''t fight together, huh? You want to have a one-on-one fight with me! Do you think that I


    an has the Great Dragon''s blood power!" One of the spiritual emperors could not help but notice.


    "Yes, although the Great Dragon has never come out, there are still many creatures with the Great Dragon''s blood power. Apparently, Autelan is one of them. Wow, this looks like good news for the Spirit Sect! They have acquired one more genius."


    Boom! Suddenly, a loud crashing noise came from the explosion in the air. At this moment, the battle had reached its peak. It seemed that the result was about to come out.


    After some time, the air waves dispersed, and their bodies came out. At that moment, both of them stood in midair, with their clothes mangled from all the fighting that they had done.


    Despite looking tired, they still kept on enhancing their momentums, as if they were ready to launch attacks once more.


    "It seems that the Ruthless Killing Fist failed to defeat Autelan. This could only mean that Autelan is far stronger than anticipated. In my opinion, this battle is absolutely more splendid than the last one between Kenney and Carney."


    "You got that right!"


    ''Damn it! Where is Autelan from? How could he be this powerful? More importantly, why are such geniuses always on the side of the Spirit Sect?'' Arthur cursed inwardly with anger.


    Being a spiritual emperor, he knew that Autelan''s power was no weaker than Gerald''s.


    At this point, Arthur finally realized that he had underestimated Ricky and Autelan. He secretly blamed the Spirit Sect for the current situation because he thought Mason deliberately concealed his disciples'' abilities.

 Chapter 1052 The Sky-breaking Domes Preparation

    At the very beginning, Arthur had thought that everything was under his control, Ricky had made such progress and was able to defeat Carney.


    After that devastating defeat, Gerald became his last hope. However, it was not in his expectation that Autelan could yield power that was no worse than Gerald''s.


    ''Damn the Spirit Sect!'' he exclaimed angrily in his heart.


    Out of rage, he clenched his fists so tight that his bones made a cracking sound.


    For the very first time, Gerald''s face was obscured in rage. He did not expect that Autelan would be unharmed by the Ruthless Killing Fist at all.


    "You are Autelan, right?" Gerald asked indifferently.


    "Yes!" Autelan answered coldly.


    "Okay, then! Autelan, I take back what I just said. You are not weak at all. In fact, you hold so much strength that it''s enough to catch my attention. Needless to say, I want you and your power gone! Just wait and see. I will do my best to eliminate you. Prepare to die, Autelan," Gerald insisted.


    "Ha-ha, what can I say? Thanks for your attention," Autelan replied, mocking. "But I have to tell you that you''re wrong. You can''t kill me!


    Instead, I will see to it that I end you!"


    "Really? In case you don''t know, I have never missed killing anyone with my killing fist. I never fail," Gerald spat as he found Autelan''s words to be annoying.


    In fact, this was the first time that someone in the same realm challenged him to a duel.


    At the same time, he had also expected that he and Autelan would end up in battle. With this, he had prepared his strongest murderous intent. However, upon hearing Autelan''s taunts, he was not entirely sure of what to feel.


    "Kill!" Both of them shouted at the top of their lungs as their killing power had both reached the peak.


    Boom!


    Out of the blue, something unexpected happened. There was a loud crash that echoed in the entire Sky-breaking Hall, attracting everyone''s attention.


    At that moment, they all felt that the suppressive force around the entrance of the hall weakened tremendously.


    On the other hand, among all the people in the hall, Ricky was the one who felt it most. This was due to the mysterious axe''s spirit in his Soul Sea that had almost exploded out of his b


    n his heart as he stared at Gerald.


    At that moment, all the disciples followed suit and shifted their gaze at Gerald.


    Every time the Sky-breaking Palace opened, the disciples with the most superior blood power would try and see if they had what it took to enter the Sky-breaking Hall.


    For hundreds of years, Gerald was considered to be the most talented disciple with the most superior blood power. And now that the force had been weakened, it would be easier for him to break through and enter the hall.


    "I don''t know if Gerald would make it. I mean, look at those poor disciples who have been bounced off by the force!" some of the bystanders remarked outside.


    Soon after, Gerald went to the entrance of the Sky-breaking Hall and turned his palm over. In an instant, a blood essence ball of about five cubic meters was formed.


    At that moment, all the people who were around him felt the colossal blood power that was inside the blood essence ball.


    "What is that?" all the warriors outside whispered. They were all dazzled by what they saw with their own eyes.


    In fact, both Ricky and Autelan were also shocked at this scene.


    "Wow, this blood power is surely so strong! Plus, it''s the same with Gerald''s blood power," Autelan muttered.


    "It seems that the blood essence ball must have condensed the blood essence of many living creatures from the Sky-breaking Dome!"


    "Nothing could stop me from getting that mysterious thing this time!" Arthur said scornfully.

 Chapter 1053 The Second Fragment

    "This blood essence ball is a mixture of all the blood essence that the geniuses of the Sky-breaking Dome had for the past thousands of years. With this blood essence ball and the weakening of the suppressive force, I will fulfill all my ancestors'' wishes to obtain this mysterious thing."


    As Arthur commented, it was evident that he was fully expecting to succeed in this endeavor.


    "It seems that the Sky-breaking Dome has been preparing for this for countless years," all the disciples present said simultaneously, as they fully understood what was happening after they heard Arthur''s words.


    At that moment, all they could feel was envy because the Sky-breaking Dome was highly likely to obtain the mysterious thing in the Sky-breaking Palace.


    "Ricky, a blood essence ball that big is bound to gather the blood essence of countless geniuses of the Sky-breaking Dome, so they must have made full preparations for that mysterious thing.


    It looks like they are determined to get it this time," Autelan said to Ricky.


    "Truthfully, I can''t be sure if we could win against them this time. The Sky-breaking Dome will guard the Sky-breaking Palace, and with so much blood essence, Gerald may be able to enter the hall," Ricky said in a low voice.


    "Then let''s kill him before he gets inside!" Autelan said, sounding a little too eager.


    "Other disciples of the Sky-breaking Dome will buy some time for him, so we don''t need to waste our energy to do that. Let''s see if this huge blood essence ball can help him enter," Ricky said softly.


    His eyes were glued to Gerald at this moment.


    Not minding all the people who were watching his every move, Gerald took the blood essence ball and swallowed it.


    After that, he walked to the entrance and stepped inside with no further ado. Although the suppressive force tried to stop him, it was blocked by the strong blood power in his body.


    And with that, Gerald entered the Sky-breaking Hall.


    "Ha-ha, Gerald really made it!" Arthur laughed with palpable relief, as he watched the scene play out in front of him.


    "Ricky, he was able to enter," Autelan said through telepathy.


    "Autelan, get into my spiritual space tool. Let''s go in together!" Ricky replied.


    "Ricky, just go by yourself. That mysterious thing belongs to you," Autelan insisted. "I believe that Gerald will be unable to defeat you.


    Moreover, I have to stay here and take care of these guys."


    "Are you sure you can handle so many discipl


    ed not to guard it anymore thousands of years ago. They sought to take it away because they thought that the mysterious thing was abounding in power.


    After all, the Space Node had evolved from this mysterious thing, which proved how valuable and powerful it was.


    ''It''s impossible! How could this be? Countless years have already passed, so how could the so-called master of the mysterious thing suddenly appear?


    I''ll kill him for sure!''


    At that moment, there was no other thought that was running inside Arthur''s mind except the thought of how he could kill Ricky.


    Honestly, he didn''t care that Ricky had killed Carney, and even if he killed all of the disciples of Sky-breaking Dome, he would not care about it either. However, if Ricky wanted to seize the mysterious thing, he would definitely stop him.


    He swore to himself that he would stop at nothing to kill Ricky, and this day would not end without Ricky''s corpse lying broken on his feet.


    He secretly decided that if Ricky really took it away, he would hunt after him no matter where Ricky went to.


    The inside of the Sky-breaking Hall looked so huge that it was like another world, and many giant stone statues stood there.


    The moment Ricky stepped inside, he could sense the location of that mysterious thing. This very fragment of the mysterious axe was hidden in one of the giant stone statues.


    When he stepped closer to the statues, one of them exploded suddenly, and a black iron piece appeared and fell in front of him.


    "I finally have the second fragment!" At that moment, Ricky was filled with so much excitement that he could not stop his body from shaking.

 Chapter 1054 Go All Out

    Before Ricky could take a close look at the iron piece, it was assimilated into the mysterious axe in his Soul Sea. And after that, he noticed that the two-thirds of the mysterious axe was already formed.


    ''So the next thing I need to do is to look for the rest of the fragments, '' Ricky thought to himself seriously.


    At this moment, he had a strong feeling that the chromatic energy inside his body would increase, and his golden blood power would also awaken again.


    But unfortunately, it was not yet the time for him to enhance his strength and awaken his blood power.


    "How could this be possible? How did you get in here?" Gerald asked in disbelief, as he was shocked to see Ricky inside the Sky-breaking Palace as well.


    "Nothing is impossible. I came in to get that mysterious thing," Ricky said as he smirked sharply at Gerald.


    "I saw you take something earlier. Was that the mysterious thing?" Gerald asked coldly, as he was in no mood to dwell on how Ricky came in.


    "You saw it with your own eyes, so why should I explain it to you?" Ricky smiled at Gerald mysteriously, but it only angered him more.


    "Why? Why did you get that mysterious thing as soon as you came in? You didn''t have the blood power from the Sky-breaking Dome, and yet, you seem to have no problem walking into this place!" Gerald was quite confused when Ricky admitted that he had successfully taken the mysterious item that everyone had been coveting.


    After all, even though he had condensed tremendous blood power, there was still so much suppressive power stopping him. Every step he took inside felt like he was doing so with knives under his feet, and it also felt like gravity had been multiplied a thousand times.


    "Who the hell are you?" Gerald asked in earnest.


    "I''m the owner of this thing. I''m just here to get back what belongs to me," Ricky answered lightly.


    "The Sky-breaking Dome is just the protector of this mysterious thing. However, you are not satisfied, and even hope to get it," Ricky said coldly. "You have already violated your mission."


    "You''re bragging! We are not only the guardian of this mysterious thing, but we are also its owner. Why are you talking about this nonsense?" Gerald replied coldly upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    "Kenney, hand me the mysterious thing and then kill yourself. If you don''t, I will make sure that you die in the most painful way."


    "Well, I''d like to see you try!" Ricky replied fiercely, as the energy inside his body surged out in a


    the ace genius in front of him.


    "Really? Then I have to break this record today," Ricky replied coldly.


    Swish!


    In the next breath, their attacks started all over again, and as Ricky carried the chaotic power, the five kinds of mutants collided with the Ruthless Killing Skill violently.


    The so-called killing fist erased any fear Gerald might feel, and it filled his mind with thoughts of fighting and killing. His eyes turned redder every time he threw a punch.


    It was a safe assumption that when the scarlet color in his eyes had reached the extreme, Gerald would change somehow, and by that time, his power would have grown so much stronger.


    However, Ricky''s five kinds of mutants had thorough functions. They could attack the enemy, defend Ricky, and help him recover at the same time, and they had proven themselves invincible in every battle. Besides, with the help of the strongest chaotic power, they would never fall to Gerald''s Killing Fist.


    The two of them moved so quickly that in such a short time, they had fought for nearly a hundred rounds.


    "This is so exciting! Ever since I came to the Western Land, I needed to constantly hide my identity, so I have never been able to fight like this," Ricky exclaimed as he shook his hands after the violent collision.


    Since he was strong, it was very difficult to find a worthy opponent. So he was always looking forward to such an exciting battle in which he needed not hide his full strength.


    "Ricky, remember to be careful. Gerald''s Ruthless Killing Skill has reached its peak now, and there seem to be some changes on him," the Dragon Intent Grass warned Ricky in a grave tone.

 Chapter 1055 Seven-string Zither

    Kill! There was an endless bloody slaughter of the most ruthless kind wherever the people looked. For them who were a lot weaker than Gerald, they could immediately fall into his ruthless killing world, even with just a single glance.


    Fortunately, Ricky activated the Golden Spirit Eyes or he would have fallen prey to Gerald''s killing world. Once he was trapped, it would be too late to burst out his Golden Spirit Eyes.


    At that moment, every part of Gerald''s body seemed to be filled with the ruthless killing intent, and it was especially concentrated in his bloody eyes.


    As this happened, a scarlet round mark appeared between his eyebrows.


    It could not be a mutant''s mark because there was no trace of a mutant''s natural force on his body.


    ''What level has Gerald cultivated the Ruthless Killing Skill to? His momentum is enough to fill the whole area in this extreme ruthless killing intent!'' Ricky wondered, slightly astonished by Gerald''s strength.


    "Ricky, I have to admit that Gerald''s Ruthless Killing Skill has reached its highest level. The mark between his eyebrows indicates this point," the Dragon Intent Grass also piped in, and it sounded just as surprised and awed as Ricky.


    "That mark is a symbol of supreme strength. As far as I know, there are two kinds of marks in the world. One is the mark of the mutant, which is formed naturally, while the other is acquired when a creature cultivates his strength to a very profound level.


    If you compare the two marks, the acquired mark is often much stronger than the one that is formed naturally.


    I didn''t expect to see such a talent here!


    The warriors from the Western Land said that Carney was the number one genius in the Western Land, but I don''t think that is true. At the very least, Gerald and Oswald, the owner of the Blue Water Mutant, are both more talented than Carney."


    "Yeah, you are right. This reminds me that many of the most talented geniuses are still hidden," Ricky said, nodding his head reverently.


    "Ricky, remember to be careful. With the help of the Ruthless Killing Skill, Gerald can be immune from any interference when fighting. Now, he just wants to kill people and nothing more," the Dragon Intent Grass reminded Ricky.


    "As he breaks out his skill to the extreme, I think, his thoughts and mind have been sealed by the Ruthless Killing Skill. Even if the entire w


    as blood, but it was different from ordinary blood.


    He could sense that this mysterious blood contained the strongest and most ruthless killing power.


    "What kind of treasure is it?" Ricky whispered in alarm.


    "How could this be? I didn''t expect that this guy could be this strong and ruthless!" the Dragon Intent Grass said in shock, and even Ricky could hear its heavy gasps.


    "Do you know what kind of treasure that is?" Ricky asked.


    "It is called the Seven-string Zither!" the Dragon Intent Grass said seriously.


    "Oh my goodness, really?" Tina, at this moment, exclaimed. "I can''t believe that there is such a ruthless creature that can cultivate the killing skill to the seventh level."


    "He is already countless times more ruthless than the devils," the Evil Mandragora piped in as well, her voice surprised and awed.


    "What is the Seven-string Zither?" Ricky asked. He took a closer look and found that there were seven strings on the zither, so that must be where it got its name.


    "When creatures cultivate the Ruthless Killing Skill to surpass the power of the natural mutant, they will be at a kind of peak state." The Dragon Intent Grass began to explain.


    "Once they reach this extreme level, their weapons will be infected by the extremely ruthless killing power and turned into the ultimate weapons.


    The ultimate weapon and the accompanying weapon are similar in some ways. Gerald''s weapon is a zither, so his ultimate weapon is the Seven-string Zither."


    "Oh, I see. But why are you so shocked?" Ricky asked, still puzzled by the others'' reaction.

 Chapter 1056 The Battle With Trump Cards

    "That''s because he has to kill seven of his most valued people so he could cultivate the Ruthless Killing Skill to the highest level," the Dragon Intent Grass said in a severe tone.


    "What? Does he really have to kill seven of the closest people in his life?" Ricky could not help but exclaim in disbelief.


    To Ricky, even the most savage creatures would surely have something or somebody that they treasured and adored so much. But after hearing what the Dragon Intent Grass had just said, he was stunned to find out that he was wrong after all when it came to Gerald.


    Even when presented with facts, Ricky was still in denial of how it was possible.


    "Ricky, perhaps the so-called extreme power does not exist in the world. On the other hand, I think that once a creature cultivates the Ruthless Killing Skill to the highest level, its power absolutely has already reached the extreme," the Dragon Intent Grass stated.


    "Every time it kills one of its closest creatures, its heart becomes a little bit colder, and a drop of cruel blood will start to emerge in its heart. This drop of ruthless blood is condensed from the blood of the murdered creature. When it kills the last one, seven drops of ruthless blood will fuse with its heart, which soon will form an actual brutal heart.


    When this happens, the creature who did this will no longer know mercy, but only merciless killing intent in its heart.


    Given this, the ruthless killing intent will automatically lead it to cultivate its respective ruthless killing skill, making it like a kind of inheritance. Needless to say, this ruthless killing intent is manipulating this creature."


    "I mean, to cultivate the Ruthless Killing Skill at the expense of the lives of seven closest creatures? I can''t believe someone would do that," Ricky said in an inaudible voice. "This skill is too powerful and could lead to huge consequences once used in the wrong hands. Once such a creature grows stronger and becomes a powerful warrior, it will kill all the other creatures for the sake of its own killing intent."


    "That''s true. However, let me tell you that no such creature has done this before, at least not yet," the Dragon Intent Grass said. "You know how I am certain? That''s because I know for a fact that righteous warriors like you will never let such a creature grow."


    "In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with justice or evil itself. However, I will always choose to follow my heart. Beyond anything, I will not allow such a creature to exist. Even if it has no animosity with me, I will kill it and prevent all of humanity from suffering its wrath and greed," Rick


    t as the name suggests, this killing skill is so ruthless that these drops of blood even came from seven of his close relatives," Ricky uttered.


    Meanwhile, he activated the Heaven Illuminating Fire and used it to set the seven drops of ruthless blood ablaze.


    On the other hand, as Gerald suffered on the ground, he lost both his ruthless power and heart. With his Ruthless Killing Skill destroyed, he and his body slowly returned to its normal state.


    Now that he was back to the way he originally was, the only aura that he exuded was that of an ordinary warrior.


    "It looks like Gerald didn''t really cultivate the Ruthless Killing Skill at the start of his cultivation!" Ricky said in a weak voice. "Is it possible that he inherited the Ruthless Killing Skill?"


    "Well, I guess that could be the only explanation," the Dragon Intent Grass answered.


    "I think he''s still breathing. Do you want to finish him off?" it then vaguely suggested.


    Hearing this made Ricky confused. He might not be that merciful, but all he knew was that he wanted to let Gerald go at that moment.


    ''Do I really want to spare him? Is it really worth it?'' Ricky asked himself.


    "Father, Mother, and all of those that t I have killed, please forgive me. I''m truly sorry," Gerald pleased right after he lost the Ruthless Killing Skill.


    At that moment, tears started to roll down his cheeks. Shedding tears was already foreign to him, for he could not remember the last time he cried.


    "Did he regain his humanity after his Ruthless Killing Skill was destroyed?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked in shock.


    "Perhaps, I should give him a chance," Ricky muttered under his breath.


    Despite Ricky''s mercy, Gerald could not find it in his heart to forgive himself.

 Chapter 1057 A Fierce Fight Would Start

    Without the Ruthless Killing Skill, Gerald realized how painful it was to kill his dearest ones himself, and words were not enough to describe the suffering he had felt. So after a roar of grief and indignation, he activated the rest of his strength, breaking his heart and destroying his soul.


    He chose to end his life after he figured out what he had done.


    "He chose to commit suicide!" Ricky said with a little pity. He had decided that he would spare Gerald''s life, but Gerald chose to end his life instead. Now that he was dead, the chance that he could still make up for his mistakes had died with him.


    "It''s just as I had expected. How can he bear the pain of knowing that he had killed all his loved ones? And this time he did not have the Ruthless Killing Skill to dull his emotions. The thought that he wants to compensate for it is a noble one, but it is impossible to achieve. The horrible things he has done will follow him around like a shadow, and he will have to live his whole life with it on his shoulders. In this case, wouldn''t you say that death is a welcome relief for him?" the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "This is what he deserves for what he had done.


    Just burn his body, Ricky. Maybe it''s his wish because he had destroyed his loved ones'' bodies. Just do this as a token of regard for him."


    "You are right, of course." Ricky nodded and then burned Gerald''s body with fire.


    However, while he burned Gerald''s body, he noticed that there was a stream of black blood that was slowly flowing out, and intense ruthless killing power was emerging from it. Even with the nine kinds of flames and the Fire Dragon Extremity, Ricky still spent a long time burning up the blood.


    "Dragon Intent Grass, what is that blood? It is not the ruthless blood, right?" Ricky asked curiously.


    "It is, indeed, the ruthless blood, but it is not condensed from the blood of his dearest ones. You can say that it''s the original ruthless blood," the Dragon Intent Grass answered in earnest.


    "What is the original ruthless blood?" Ricky and Tina asked in increasing confusion.


    "The original ruthless blood evolves from the original ruthless supreme enlightenment in the chaos. A creature should first obtain this blood before it is considered qualified to cultivate the Ruthless Killing Skill," the Dragon Intent Grass explained.


    "From the ruthless supreme enlightenment in the chaos?" Ricky and Tina exclaimed in disbelief.


    "Yes, I''ve


    so his body might be a treasure trove for them.


    In that instant, all the warriors expected that there would be a real fight between the Sky-breaking Dome and the Spirit Sect.


    They expected that when the two parties were both seriously injured because of the fight, these people who had stayed away from the fight would eventually get benefits.


    In an impressive display of his power, Autelan killed all the disciples, except those who didn''t join in the fight at the beginning.


    After all, he was not a killer, but he would not hesitate to kill his enemies for it could mean the difference between life and death for him.


    He knew that if he showed any sign of weakness, they would not show him mercy and kill him in more gruesome ways.


    He was just beginning to wind down when Ricky came out of the Sky-breaking Hall.


    As soon as Ricky walked out, everyone realized that Gerald had died, and it was Ricky that successfully obtained the mysterious object.


    Arthur and the people of the Sky-breaking Dome watching outside also realized what happened.


    But they could do nothing but watch in silence.


    "Ricky! Did you get it?" Autelan asked.


    "Yes, I did, and Gerald has been dealt with as well," Ricky replied.


    "I''ve dealt with everything here too, but once we get out of here, there will be a fierce fight," Autelan said seriously. "The Sky-breaking Emperor is the only one who can let us out of here because only those who have the blood power of the Sky-breaking Dome can open the door."


    "Don''t worry. I am sure that in his haste to kill us, he will let us get out as soon as the time is up," Ricky murmured.

 Chapter 1058 Earth Seal Array

    "Besides, even if he doesn''t let us allow us to get out, the Sky-breaking Emperor still can''t do anything to stop us!"


    "Really? Do you know another way out? Can that mysterious thing help us?" Autelan asked in surprise.


    "That''s right. It is the core of the Sky-breaking Palace. Now that I have it, I can control everything here," Ricky said with a smile.


    "Ha-ha, I can imagine how angry Arthur will be when he finds out that you have got it," Autelan laughed in amusement and relief.


    "Even now, he must be very upset because Gerald and all his disciples are all dead, and the mysterious object has fallen into my hands," Ricky said as a small chuckle escaped from his lips.


    "But it''s all their fault, and they deserve it. From the moment that he intervened in the life and death battle between Carney and me, it had been doomed."


    The mysterious axe belonged to Ricky. If the Sky-breaking Dome guarded it without the intention to possess it, like what the Sky Manor did, Ricky would have been grateful, and he would help them when he became stronger.


    But because of their greed, they could only be mortal enemies.


    Afterward, Ricky and Autelan waited for the deadline of two months to come up, and so did the people outside. A deathly silence had settled over the waiting crowd.


    The atmosphere was extremely oppressive, which indicated how intense the coming storm would be.


    Meanwhile, many warriors had retreated to a safe distance, because they didn''t want to be involved in the conflict between them.


    They just wanted to watch, and all of them were geared up to take advantage of any opportunity that could suddenly come up.


    Finally, two months passed. As Ricky had expected, the sealing power on the entrance of the Sky-breaking Palace was once again weakened, and Arthur opened the entrance with his blood essence at once.


    Ricky, Autelan, and several other disciples went out in a flash.


    "Kill him!" Without any hesitation, Arthur together with the four spiritual emperors of the Sky-breaking Dome, Calvin, and another spiritual emperor of the Chu Clan rushed to kill Ricky and Au


    the Sky-breaking Dome were all trapped in it.


    "This is an array! Does the Sky-breaking Dome plan to defeat Langston and the others through only one array?" many warriors around exclaimed in disbelief at the sight of the array.


    "The Sky-breaking Dome must have underestimated Langston''s strength. He is the disciple of Mason and Easton, so he must have a high level of accomplishment in terms of arrays."


    "Do you think that you can defeat me with just one array?


    I can destroy your array even with one hand," Langston said with a smirk.


    "Ha-ha! Since you are an array master, of course, you would dare to say so. I admit that you can break ordinary arrays with one hand, but you can''t break this array, and neither can Mason or Easton," the chief of the Sky-breaking Dome replied with a smile.


    "Is this array as powerful as he claimed? But then, why can''t we feel it?" the warriors around said in doubt when they heard what the chief said. But the spiritual emperors seemed to have thought of something, as all of them suddenly stiffened in alarm.


    Without any hesitation, Langston jumped up, gathered all his strength, and rushed toward the array. He was eager to see what the array was like.


    Boom! Although Langston went all out, the array didn''t even budge, and instead, it even appeared to have absorbed some of his power.


    "This... This is an Earth Seal Array!" Langston said gravely.

 Chapter 1059 Crisis

    "What? I can''t believe it. It is an Earth Seal Array!" After hearing Langston''s words, all the warriors that surrounded the area were taken by surprise. "So, is the Sky-breaking Dome really going to shut itself down for decades?"


    "But from what I''ve heard, this array seems to have been lost for millions of years, and not a single person has been able to trace its location. How could the chief deploy such an array?"


    Meanwhile, Ricky and Langston suddenly became dreary while the warriors exchanged their thoughts about the array in a heated discussion.


    As a matter of fact, several kinds of arrays existed.


    Among them, the Earth Seal Array was considered to be the strongest kind of the Earthly Array.


    On the other hand, the array Ricky inherited from the Wild Array Emperor was a kind of Heavenly Array.


    Heavenly Arrays were as powerful as the Earthly Arrays. But the difference between them was that one depended on the power of heaven while the other one relied on the power of earth.


    Apart from this, there were a lot of other differences between the two kinds. For instance, the Earthly Array focused on sealing while the Heavenly Array focused on attacking.


    In fact, among the Earthly Arrays, the Earth Seal Array remained the most powerful sealing power.


    Moreover, when enabled by a spiritual emperor, the Earth Seal Array could seal an entire place for as long as a dozen years. In terms of durability, no array deployer at the Emperor Level or spiritual emperor could destroy it except for a saint or an array deployer at the Demi-sage Level.


    Therefore, considering the situation that they were in, it meant that Ricky, Langston, and their people would be trapped there for more than ten years.


    "Whoa, an actual Earth Seal Array! I thought that it has been lost for so long! I''ve rarely heard of it even in the Dragon Island," the Dragon Intent Grass exclaimed inside Ricky''s Soul Sea.


    He was baffled at the sight of such an array because, as far as he knew, the Earth Seal Array was formed a long time ago.


    "Well, it could be. After all, the Sky-breaking Dome has existed for thousands of years," Ricky said in a low voice. "At this point, I won''t even be surprised if they take out any more of their ancient trump cards."


    "But how could that be? How could such a humble spiritual-emperor force exist for so many ages?" The Dragon Intent Grass'' eyebrows started t


    the Earth Seal Array," the chief of the Sky-breaking Dome replied in a monotonous but deadly tone.


    Afterwards, he immediately activated the entire array. Soon after, a huge bloody hand formed in the air, which slapped straight down at Langston and his companions.


    "Fight!" Seeing his gigantic bloody hand, the eyes of the spiritual emperors suddenly became clouded as they could feel the power that was spreading all over it.


    Boom!


    Meanwhile, amidst the violent waves, Langston and his comrades were crushed by the powerful bloody hand. In a snap, they were thrown far away by the intense impact, and later spat mouthfuls of blood.


    No matter what they did, Langston''s side couldn''t naturally resist the extreme force. After all, the strength of this bloody hand was stronger that of a lower spiritual emperor.


    "That array is really awful!" the warriors around exclaimed in awe. "Can''t you see the irony in this? Mason, Easton, and Langston are all array masters, but they still can''t break this array."


    "It''s just a pity that an ace genius like Kenney is going to die."


    The gossip never stopped.


    "Wow, the Earth Seal Array can even release as much power as a middle spiritual emperor under the control of the chief of the Sky-breaking Dome," Ricky whispered.


    "What about your Heavenly Array? Can we do something about it? Ricky, we must think of some other way," Tina said worriedly.


    "Although my Heavenly Array can resist the Earthly Array, I am still too fragile to activate it. Plus, it''s too late to pass it to Langston and the two Dominant Top Elders," Ricky uttered.

 Chapter 1060 Mothers Power

    "Let me go out then. I think I can fight against the chief, even kill him. This way, even if we fail to break the array, we''ll be safe for the time being," the Evil Mandragora firmly said.


    "Evil Mandragora, you are my ace in the hole and it is still not the time for you to take action. Besides, Arthur should be able to enter the array," Ricky responded in a low voice.


    "You might be put in danger!


    We have no other choice now. The sealing power of the array is too strong. It is impossible for you to take all your companions into the Divine Manor and spaces." The Evil Mandragora''s tone was rife with concern.


    At that moment, perhaps she didn''t realize that she really did worry about Ricky''s safety and cared deeply about him unconsciously.


    It was what Ricky had done, his charming character and talent that conquered her.


    "I have an idea, but it is extremely risky," Ricky muttered.


    "What''s your idea?" The Evil Mandragora pursed her lips in confusion.


    "Evil Mandragora, you have once told me that this mark my mother left on my palm not only helps awaken my blood power but also contains powerful energy," Ricky said as he lightly touched the mark.


    "I got it."


    The Evil Mandragora nodded. She immediately understood what Ricky meant.


    "Langston, I never knew you could be frightened." the chief of the Sky-breaking Dome said coldly when blood spurted from Langston''s mouth as he landed heavily on his back. "Your fear had made you forget the power of the Earth Seal Array! Oh, you are too weak to challenge me!" He then gazed around and proceeded to address the others.


    "Alright. Listen up, everyone. You better stop struggling. I will give all of you a quick death so you can all go to hell peacefully. If not, you will be crushed into pieces."


    "Langston, I will kill you this time. All of you will go to hell for the sake of my son!" Calvin hissed, his eyes wild with anger.


    Langston wiped off the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Everyone, deploy the array!" he said in a low voice, taking no notice of his opponents'' shameless taunting.


    The next second, Langston and the other two spiritual emperors of Spirit


    "I was planning to go after you later to grab the fragments of the mysterious axe. But since you''re in such a hurry to die, I''ll kill you first!" the chief of the Sky-breaking Emperor coldly said as he saw Ricky come forward.


    Boom!


    The golden mark began to shine, either possibly because Ricky activated his blood power or it sensed that Ricky was in danger.


    Golden light rose from his palm. A golden figure emerged from the light and directly integrated with Ricky.


    "Ricky, my son!" Ricky heard a familiar voice ring in his Soul Sea as the golden figure merged with his body.


    "Mom? Is that you?" Tears began to fill his eyes.


    "Yes. It''s me, my dear. You have activated your blood power. It seems that you have obtained all the fragments of the mysterious axe," a gentle voice said.


    "Mother, it''s me. Where are you? I have a lot of questions to ask you," Ricky asked excitedly.


    "My son, it''s not time for us to meet yet. If you want to break up the array, relying on the blood power I left in your body is not enough. You have to bear the power when this shadow of me integrates with you totally. There''s a great possibility that you will be seriously injured because of pain you will suffer. I''m afraid I can''t predict the outcome,"


    the gentle voice replied.


    "I got it, Mother. But I can endure it! Let''s do it!" Ricky said firmly. Hearing his mother''s words only gave him more confidence and determination.

 Chapter 1061 Breaking The Array

    At that moment, Ricky knew that his mother must have had no other choice when she said that it was not the right time for them to see each other. Of course, he could not blame her for this. In fact, he could only blame himself for not being strong enough.


    He knew that he had to move on despite how catastrophic the effects would be.


    On top of everything that he had on his plate, he was forced to step up and be a powerful man.


    "Ricky, after the fusion, my consciousness will automatically disappear. After this, you should know that you can only depend on yourself." Soon after, the soft voice trailed off into the air.


    "Mother, I will not let you down. I will collect all the fragments of the mysterious axe as soon as possible!" Ricky said sincerely.


    Afterwards, he felt a kind of vigorous power swelling out and flowing toward his body. Soon after, it attached itself to his body so that he could take advantage of it. Without a doubt, this was his mother''s blood power.


    But at that moment, Ricky felt his lifespan transition, and his realm burned with an unknown force. Little by little, he felt his realm decline.


    "My life is fading away, and my realm is going down. Is this the consequence that my mother mentioned?" Ricky said in a deep voice. "And, while invisible, my flesh and blood are also being destroyed. If it continues like this for a long time, then the foundation of my martial arts will definitely be messed up.


    It seems that I must break the array as quickly as possible. Otherwise, I will have to pay a huge price."


    Boom! After the golden shadow merged into his body, his power and momentum surged out endlessly. Soon after, he became the center of the whole area.


    "W...What''s going on?" Everyone muttered as they were shocked to see what was happening in front of them.


    Without thinking twice, Ricky condensed his strength and launched a punch directed at the chief of the Sky-breaking Dome, smashing everything that was on its way. In a snap, the golden fist landed heavily on the chief''s chest with a strong momentum. At that point, it seemed that there was no other way that the chief could defend himself.


    In the next moment, huge amounts of blood spew out of his mouth as he fell on the ground, seriously injured.


    As this happened, a deafening silence blanketed over the entire battlefield as everyone was shocked at what they had witnessed.


    In fact, nobody in his right mind ever saw th


    saw that although Ricky was just a demi-spiritual emperor, he obtained the power at the Sage Level in an instant with the help of the mysterious object.


    Meanwhile, all the spiritual emperors of the Spirit Sect gathered.


    "Don''t say anything. Keep quiet. Let''s go back!" Mason commanded.


    Soon after, he left with his people.


    On the other hand, Arthur didn''t stop them because he knew he couldn''t defeat the Spirit Sect without the Earth Seal Array.


    What was worse was that the Sky-breaking Dome''s chief suffered some serious injuries.


    At that moment, none of the people had ever expected that such a life-and-death battle would end in this way.


    "Ricky, how are you feeling?" the Evil Mandragora and the Dragon Intent Grass shouted anxiously as they saw Ricky was at gasping for breath in the palace of the Holy Three-Saber.


    Meanwhile, back inside the Massacring Zone, Tina cried out relentlessly and desperately as she was worried about Ricky''s life.


    Suddenly, Ricky''s hair turned into an ashy color, with a few creases appearing on his face.


    Moreover, his once strong body deflated into flesh and bones.


    If there was no breath, then everyone would assume that he had already passed away.


    In fact, Ricky was only an ordinary spiritual king right at this moment.


    "Is... Is this the price he has to pay for activating the strength of the mark? He is losing his life, his realm, and even the essence of his blood and flesh," the Dragon Intent Grass said in a hushed voice. "This price is too high. It''s too much!"


    "Evil Mandragora, do you think Ricky will recover this time?" Tina cried out loud.

 Chapter 1062 Bathe In Divine Energy

    "I don''t know. He is seriously hurt this time. His whole body, flesh and blood and all, has been depleted. He really suffered a huge blow to his life," the Dragon Intent Grass said as it wore a worried look on its face.


    "Even though we have advanced Treasures from Heaven and Earth, it would still be very difficult to save him because his foundation has been seriously damaged."


    "Indeed! No matter how seriously a creature gets hurt, advanced Treasures from Heaven and Earth can help them recover. However, it''s too difficult to restore the foundation of martial arts. It would take a one in a million chance or even a miracle," the Evil Mandragora said in a low voice.


    "The only thing left that he can rely on is that mysterious object and his resilient chromatic energy. I really don''t understand why his mother left him with this kind of power. He is able to severely hurt enemies with his power, but at the same time, it causes more damage to him in return."


    "You two, stop talking about it now. Just hurry up and find a way to save him. Can you refine the Treasures from Heaven and Earth and infuse them into his body to help him recover?" Tina anxiously said.


    "Tina, we understand how you feel. But right now, the only thing we can do is to wait. Only when he wakes up can we help him refine the Treasures from Heaven and Earth. Only then can we see if he''ll be able to recover," the Evil Mandragora mournfully said.


    "Why not now?"


    "His body is as fragile as a thin sheet of paper. We don''t know what''s going on inside his body. If we infuse the treasures into his body, I''m afraid the result will be the opposite of what we are hoping for," the Evil Mandragora replied.


    "Only when he has the strength to control the treasures can he avoid all dangers."


    "But when will he wake up?" Tina couldn''t help feeling distressed about the situation.


    "It all depends on his perseverance and chromatic energy. Look, his chromatic energy has been constantly surging out to repair his body," the Dragon Intent Grass pointed out.


    At that moment, the chromatic energy was pervading over Ricky''s almost lifeless body. It was the only thing that was preventing his injuries from worsening further.


    "We should probably wake Hannah up. As the daughter of a holy being, she is born with the ability to control the divine energy. Maybe she


    cadence any longer.


    It didn''t matter that his life span had been consumed, his blood and flesh essence had been exhausted, and his realm had descended. At the end of it all, there was his little group of friends by his side and with their help, he believed that he would soon be able to return to his peak state.


    There was absolutely nothing that he should worry about.


    After everything was ready, Ricky began to recover. Tina, the Evil Mandragora, and the Dragon Intent Grass helped refine the Treasures from Heaven and Earth to offer him energy. Hannah provided the divine power to bathe his whole body.


    Ricky activated the chromatic energy and infused it into his heart to awaken more blood power.


    In order to recover, he must have enough blood and blood power. That was the most important premise. In this case, he could restore his flesh and blood and gradually repair the foundation of his martial arts with the help of the divine power, as well as the energy from the Treasures from Heaven and Earth.


    He bathed in the divine energy and constantly awakened his blood power, hoping to return to the peak state.


    Meanwhile, in the meeting hall of the Spirit Sect, Mason and his people had just returned.


    Soar, Pearl, and Amelia immediately rushed towards him to ask about Ricky.


    "Ricky is still alive, but I don''t know where he is." Mason looked dolefully at the three. "I don''t want to lie to you. He might be seriously hurt."


    The three of them let out a worried gasp. "Oh, Elder Mason, didn''t he tell you where he would go?" Soar lamented.

 Chapter 1063 Complete Emperor Island

    "I don''t know... Before he left, he told me not to look for him, and he also asked me to tell you to work hard and wait for him to come back," Mason told the others.


    "We understand." Soar and Pearl nodded firmly.


    They believed Mason''s words because they had a hunch that Ricky might have been badly hurt, but they were sure that he wasn''t dead.


    Otherwise, they would have felt his death, and it would be like a phantom, piercing pain in their hearts and the faintest echo of emptiness that could never be filled.


    ''I will wait for you, Ricky. I believe you will come back to fight against the Sky-breaking Dome and return to the Eastern Land to ruin the Nether Manor!'' Soar said inwardly. He had to work hard and give his best in his training, otherwise, he would just drag Ricky down with him.


    At this moment, both Pearl and Amelia thought the same way.


    The news about the battle between the Sky-breaking Dome and Ricky quickly spread through the entire Western world like a storm.


    All of a sudden, the creatures began talking incessantly about Ricky while all the greedy and powerful warriors were looking for him.


    However, to their dismay, no matter how hard they tried, not a single trace of Ricky could be found.


    This was because Ricky was in the Divine Manor, and the Divine Manor was in the Sky-breaking Abyss.


    He had to abandon his original body since his blood and blood power were both greatly harmed by the after-effects. It was so bad because even the slightest after-effects would block his way of cultivation.


    He was bound to go through this painful and long-lasting torture.


    But he knew that he must hold on. His belief, his promise, and his dream to become an undefeatable warrior gave him the courage to overcome any difficulty he would encounter.


    His strong will power aided his focus, and it gradually became easier for him to ignore the passing of time during the painful refinement.


    In his heart, there was only one goal, and that was to return to his peak state.


    The whole Western Land eventually regained its peace after the battle in the Sky-breaking Palace. All the forces stayed low profile for some reason. It seemed that a peace and development age had come.


    At first, there was still some disturbance caused by some warriors'' who were searching for Ricky, but as time passed, their search turned out to be futile, and they lost their interest in him soon.


    The martial world was quite cr


    allowed to enter the Complete Emperor Island when it opened its entrance.


    According to them, it made no sense that it appeared now because the records of the ancient books suggested that it was supposed to open in two or three months.


    No matter how resourceful they were, those completed spiritual kings couldn''t make a breakthrough and become demi-spiritual emperors in two or three months. Only those who had reached peak state could make it.


    In sharp contrast to their bitter grumblings, all the demi-spiritual emperors were extremely excited.


    Once they heard about the Complete Emperor Island, they hurriedly traveled all the way to the island to wait for its opening.


    "I didn''t expect that the Complete Emperor Island will appear here! According to the records of ancient books, every time it appears, many demi-spiritual emperors can instantly become spiritual emperors," some warriors commented and discussed with each other.


    "That''s right. The Complete Emperor Island hasn''t appeared for thousands of years or even tens of thousands of years. Luckily, we are here to bear witness to it."


    "It doesn''t matter to the five major forces. They all have middle spiritual emperors, so their position as the major force will remain unchallenged. After the opening of the Complete Emperor Island, the new spiritual emperors will compete against each other and fight for the territory, and by that time, there will be a major reshuffle in the standing of the forces."


    "Yes, I can''t wait for the fierce battles to start once the Complete Emperor Island opens!"


    "Me too! I''m anxious to see who will stand on the top."

 Chapter 1064 A Young Man With Grey Hair

    Soar and Autelan had also come near, and they were now hiding in the space around the Complete Emperor Island.


    "It has been two years, and there has been no news about Ricky at all. If my Heaven Melting Fire and my intuition didn''t tell me that he is still alive, I would think that he had died," Soar said as his voice quivered with emotion.


    "It''s a pity that he is going to miss the chance to make a breakthrough in the Complete Emperor Island."


    "Perhaps he has already left the Western Land," Autelan guessed. "In the past two years, the Sky-breaking Dome hasn''t had any conflict with us, but they have arranged many people to look for Ricky secretly.


    So, it is good for his sake if he ends up missing this. The Sky-breaking Dome will not leave him alone, and you know that we cannot underestimate them. They even have the Earth Seal Array. Who knows what other trump cards they have?


    On the other hand, Ricky can only burst out that strong power once, so he is at a disadvantage."


    "Don''t worry. Even without such a good chance like the Complete Emperor Island, he won''t fall behind us. What we need to do now is to seize this chance to make a breakthrough. When we become spiritual emperors, we can finally have what it takes to help him fight against the Sky-breaking Dome and the Nether Manor," Pearl said, her eyes flashing with fierce determination.


    "You are right, Pearl. We don''t have to worry too much about him. He is a genius who has cultivated the chaotic power, so he won''t fall behind us," Autelan echoed.


    "Instead, we need to focus on getting the Emperor Light and dealing with the people of the Sky-breaking Dome."


    As he mentioned the people of the Sky-breaking Dome, they could not help but exchange looks with each other, and even from far-away, they could see that all of their enemies were eyeing the island with greedy interest.


    "That''s right. We have to take precautions against the Sky-breaking Dome. This time, they will not let us go easily," Soar said firmly as he, too, stared at the void where the people of the Sky-breaking Dome stood with enormous murderous intent.


    "Don''t worry. Fein and the elders will help us!" Autelan tried to comfort him, although there was also wariness in his bones that stiffened every move he made.


    "Look!


    Although the Complete Emperor Island hasn''t opened yet, all the warriors around are starting to become fully alert and ready to fight for their chance," some warriors commented.


    "You mean the Sp


    air must be no natural. He is just faking it," some of the warriors said in annoyance.


    "What''s more, the Complete Emperor Island has opened for one day and a half. He must have come here late on purpose. I think he just wants to attract our attention. He must be much weaker than all the other demi-spiritual emperors."


    "Keep your voice down. At least, he is stronger than all of us!"


    "What? The Complete Emperor Island has opened for one day and a half?


    It seems that I came at the right time. I wonder if the Emperor Light can help me overcome the obstacles so I can become a spiritual emperor," the grey-haired young man murmured.


    "But my current appearance is really good. No one can recognize me except the people I am extremely familiar with."


    "Hey, lad! I didn''t expect you to have a totally different appearance." A voice rang in the grey-haired young man''s mind.


    "Ha-ha, I''m lucky to be blessed in misfortune. I like my current appearance. At least, I''ve become more handsome," the grey-haired young man replied with pride.


    "It seems that not only your face has changed, but you are also even more thick-skinned than before.


    Just as I expected, you rebuilt your body as soon as you recovered to a peak state. That is how you changed your face completely, am I right? In this way, you don''t need to disguise yourself manually anymore. Those people cannot recognize you as Kenney, let alone Ricky," another voice said, and the tone was quite impressed.


    "Ha-ha, no one would have expected that I would come back with such an appearance," the young man laughed loudly. After a few leaps, he entered the Complete Emperor Island.

 Chapter 1065 The Ruling Essence

    Without a doubt, the young man with ash-grey hair was no other than Ricky. In a span of two years, he had just returned to his peak in the martial arts.


    During these past two years, endless pain tortured every part of his body as he cultivated to return to his former glory.


    Not long ago, he tried to reconstruct his body, and he was successful in doing so. In fact, his body gained more power than before due to the golden blood power and the chromatic energy that he used to refine it.


    At that time, twenty percent of Ricky''s golden blood power had already awakened. In the past two years, he had not only returned to the demi-spiritual emperor realm but also reached its peak.


    Moreover, with the help of the golden blood power and the chromatic energy, his foundation of the martial arts was completely restored.


    Fortunately, it seemed that Ricky was blessed this time around. This was all due to the chromatic energy and the golden blood power that he was able to be completely reborn.


    Soon after, his body changed its shape, along with his visage. Despite the changes that kept happening in his body, his eyes and his evil smile remained the same.


    However, after undergoing a major overhaul, there seemed to be one unexpected thing that happened. As it turned out, his grey hair did not revert back to its original color.


    But he did not care at all. Instead of being saddened by this, he chose to be glad about it. "Well, this kind of suits me. This will be the mark of my rebirth," Ricky said.


    In addition, his grey hair would also symbolize and remind him how he fought the Sky-breaking Dome and the Nether Manor.


    Meanwhile, as Ricky set foot on the Complete Emperor Island, a chaotic battlefield met his eyes.


    Cracks on the ground could be seen, which looked like real dragons that puffed out air waves from afar.


    But what caught his eyes more were the mountains that had been demolished.


    There, he laid eyes on the smoke-laden place that was filled with traces of ashes from the previous fights. Even after years since the last battle, Ricky was able to see through the scenes of the intense battles that took place in the area as if he were there.


    Moreover, the entire area felt hot to the touch, an evidence that intense battles had taken place in the area.


    "No wonder that this was once the battlefield for spiritual emperors. Numerous traces of war, bloodshed, gunpowder, and smoke are very visible in this area. The fighting spirit in my heart inspires me more when I see them," Ricky


    ints are divided into five realms."


    "I see!" Ricky nodded.


    "Then, what level has your strength reached?"


    "As far as I can tell, my strength is close to the two-star middle spiritual emperor realm," the Evil Mandragora answered.


    "As you have noticed, Arthur''s combat power is at the same realm as mine."


    Soon after, without hesitation, Ricky took all thirty ruling spirits away.


    However, when he was collecting them, something strange happened. These ruling spirits merged into one gigantic ruling spirit. Apart from this, he could clearly feel that this huge ruling spirit contained more ruling power than the sum of all the minor ruling spirits combined.


    Without a doubt, such fusion could reach the result that one plus one was greater than two.


    But at that moment, Ricky felt the offensive intent from the huge ruling spirit for the very first time.


    "Wait, what happened? How could these ruling spirits fuse? Plus, this huge ruling spirit is infiltrating power! I cannot help but feel attacked," Ricky said gently.


    "As far as I can remember, ruling spirits won''t take the initiative to launch attacks. What''s more, odd is that even those ruling spirits in the Dragon Cave have never integrated into one."


    "It''s true that the ruling spirit won''t take the initiative to attack. However, after fusing, they are no longer the ruling spirits but instead, the ruling essences," the Dragon intent grass clarified.


    "I can''t believe how lucky you are. You should be happy and thrilled to meet a ruling essence as long as you came in."


    "Is this the ruling essence?" Ricky asked after hearing the Dragon Intent Grass''s words. "But what is the ruling essence?"

 Chapter 1066 Three-colored Sacred Python

    "The ruling essence is even better than the ruling spirit," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "In the Complete Emperor Island, the most precious opportunity is the Emperor Light, which is condensed by the ruling spirit, while the power of the ruling essence is at the stage between that of the Emperor Light and that of the ruling spirit.


    There is only one way that the ruling essence can be formed. First, tremendous ruling spirits have to be merged with the blood essences of spiritual emperors, and then, they should be condensed for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.


    Although the Emperor Light can transform a strong demi-spiritual emperor into a spiritual emperor instantly, it''s also necessary for the demi-spiritual emperor to pass the Thunderstroke Doom to make it through. The ruling spirit may help the demi-spiritual emperor make a breakthrough, but with the ruling essence, the demi-spiritual emperor''s breakthrough will be assured, and his chance to become a spiritual emperor will increase further."


    "Oh, I see. So, you are saying that once I get this ruling essence, it''s a sure thing that I will have a breakthrough and reach the upper demi-spiritual emperor realm," Ricky said excitedly, and the momentum in his body immediately honed in on the ruling essence.


    "You are really lucky because you have just entered the Complete Emperor Island, but you have already met the ruling essence. Other people entered the island a day earlier than you, and yet, some of them probably haven''t found any trace of ruling spirit," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "Well, there is an old saying that goes: Luck will follow if you can survive the disaster." Ricky was grinning brightly when he brought out an Omnipotent Skill in the next moment. It was the Space Splitting Cage.


    The chaotic fire instantly surrounded the ruling essence, and through it, he captured the ruling essence easily and put it into the Massacring Zone.


    It could take the initiative to attack, but it had no intelligence, and its strength was homogenous and weak.


    "I got the first one! Now, I''m going to find the second one. If this goes smoothly, I can break through to the strong demi-spiritual emperor realm soon," Ricky said as he eagerly looked ahead to what his plans were.


    "Brat! You are daydreaming again. You are lucky enough to get one ruling essence, so stop daydreaming about the second one," the Dragon Intent Grass immediately said when it sensed that Ricky''s head was in the clouds. "You have to refine this ru


    ngs."


    "Oh, I see now!" Ricky murmured.


    "Be careful. The cultivation method they are practicing is the dual cultivation method. Besides, they are siblings, so they would surely work with each other very well, and that will greatly improve their combat power," the Dragon Intent Grass warned Ricky.


    "Don''t worry. It does not matter how many there are. As long as they are not strong demi-spiritual emperors, I can defeat them easily," Ricky murmured as his eyes burned with confidence and determination.


    "I don''t deserve to fight against you?


    Ha-ha. That''s funny. Let''s try and you will know the answer!" Ricky replied indifferently.


    "Ha-ha, really?" The two men burst into laughter upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    Boom!


    As they laughed, they burst out the power that belonged to the upper demi-spiritual emperors. And just as the Dragon Intent Grass said, they cooperated and launched an attack with a joint fist. One of them stood on the left, and the other on the right, as the fist rushed toward Ricky.


    "Well then, I would like to see how your answer right now!" they scoffed coldly.


    "Just watch!" Ricky grinned. "This is my first battle after two years. I hope it''s not that boring."


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    As soon as he finished his words, he threw two punches with so much speed that the two men had no time to react at all. In an instant, they felt that their fist was enveloped by a great pressure as if it was being suppressed by one hundred thousand mountains.


    As the strong force swept from their arms to their chests, a dull, uncomfortable ache rattled in their chests. And in the blink of an eye, they were thrown backward like weightless dolls.

 Chapter 1067 Its Time For Me To Return

    Puff! The two men sailed through the air, blood spouting from their lips like a morbid fountain.


    "How is this possible? How did you defeat my brothers so easily?" The two women couldn''t believe their eyes.


    Meanwhile, the two men stared at Ricky with fearsome expression, but they knew that they could do nothing more. They could tell from Ricky''s momentum that he was not as strong as them, but now, the result of the battle told them that they were no match for him.


    On the other hand, the two women were not only shocked but also excited.


    Because a strong companion was greatly needed for their dual cultivation. After all, the stronger their companion was, the faster their progress would be.


    Before this happened, Ricky''s temperament and extraordinary appearance had already attracted them, and now he even showed such a powerful strength. How could they not be excited?


    "Young man, you are so strong. Would you like to spend one night with me? If you want, I can also ask my friends to come over, and we will play with you until you are satisfied," the relatively elder woman asked, tempting Ricky.


    "You must have known that people of our Three-colored Sacred Python tribe use the dual cultivation method. We just want to get some masculine aura from you. It''s a piece of cake for you to cultivate for several days.


    But you will benefit a lot from staying with us..."


    "I''m sorry, but I''m not interested in neither of you. Since you have no intention to kill me, you can leave now. Otherwise, I''ll kill you all," Ricky interrupted her before she could finish her words.


    After he was done talking, a strong killing intent began to spread from his body.


    At once, the two women felt his killing intent, and they could not help but tremble in fear.


    ''His murderous intent looks so terrifying, but he doesn''t seem to be the kind of man addicted to killing. It means that he must have experienced a lot of life and death battles. The masculinity of such a man must be intense. If we get him...'' they thought to themselves. They feared Ricky''s murderous intent, but it did not make their lust for his power lessen.


    "You two, go and catch him now!" the elder woman ordered the two men.


    Roar!


    Immediately, a deafening roar rang out. The four people''s momentums surged higher, as they all turned into their beast forms.


    The four Three-colored Sacred Pythons, each about two hundred meters long, were as gigantic as a towering tree, occupying the whole void, and they all cast their greedy gaz


    grayish-white chaotic power surged out from his body.


    "Chaotic power! You really are Kenney!" When they felt the presence of the chaotic power, they became one hundred percent sure that the man standing in front of them was Kenney.


    However, their eyes were still filled with doubt.


    In their minds, since "Kenney" had gone missing for two years, they thought that he had already died or quit the martial world. But now, he not only came back looking like a different man, but his strength had also increased exponentially. Seeing this, they were all taken by shock and could not react at once.


    "Well, as I said, I won''t kill you since you did not want to kill me at the first place. Hand me your storage ring and spiritual space tool, and then you can leave!" Ricky said indifferently.


    Hearing Ricky''s words, they took out all the things, though reluctantly.


    They didn''t dare to provoke Ricky because they had heard of the battle in the Sky-breaking Palace. It was very likely that he didn''t kill them because he did not indiscriminately kill people, but they still did not want to push him and test their luck.


    At this moment, they regretted that they had found him in their search for the ruling essence.


    "You are powerful enough to defeat us even without exposing two mutants. Why did you tell us your identity?" the woman asked when they were about to leave.


    "Because I want you to help me tell the people of the Sky-breaking Dome and those who want to kill me that I have returned," Ricky replied enigmatically with a smile.


    "I see. But Kenney, mark my words, we won''t let you get away with it so easily the next time we meet," the elder sister said.

 Chapter 1068 Kenney Is Back

    "Ha-ha, you know what? I respect the people who are brave enough to mess with me, but you have to prepare more Treasures from Heaven and Earth next time you come here. If you don''t, you will lose your life," Ricky warned gently with a smile on his face.


    "By the way, what''s your name? So that the next time you give me the treasures, I will know what to call you."


    "I am Cassidy. Remember that name for you will soon kneel before me," the woman said furiously after hearing Ricky''s words.


    After those parting words, she threw a dark glare at Ricky once more and finally left.


    "We''ll be in trouble if we just let them go like this!" the Evil Mandragora said.


    "Well, I have two reasons for doing that. First, I need them to spread the word to others that Kenney has returned. The second reason is that they did not have any intention of killing me, so in return, I want to spare them as well. Besides, I''m sure they only said those harsh words to me because they were upset that I took their possessions," Ricky explained in defense of his actions.


    "You know, sometimes, I don''t know if you are truly merciful or not. There are times when you treat your enemies so ruthlessly that even I feel scared. But now you are treating these people so well," the Evil Mandragora confessed, shaking her head.


    "Ha-ha, I just follow my heart." Ricky smiled at her disarmingly and then turned his attention to their previous opponents'' belongings.


    He took all of them in his arms easily, and then he entered the Massacring Zone.


    "This black compass is a demi-spiritual sacred weapon. It has the ruling power. They probably rely on this to find the ruling essence. I can also take advantage of it later," Ricky said as he checked out the black compass.


    "It''s not that simple. If my guess is right, this compass depends on the ruling power on it to find another source of ruling power. Blood essence is needed to activate its ruling power. Three drops of blood essence can activate it, but that is not enough to find the ruling essence," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "Three drops of blood essence!" Ricky was upset upon hearing that.


    Three drops of blood essence could activate it only once, and it was likely that the compass was unable to locate the ruling essence. That only meant a large quantity of blood essence was needed. But even if he was reborn several times, he would not have that much blood essence.


    "Well, I''d better refine the ruling essence first!"


    After that, Ricky began to refine the ruling essence. H


    We have to go to meet him as soon as possible," Soar said with a somewhat worried look clouding his face.


    "Yes, I think Ricky exposed his identity as Kenney so that he can attract the attention of the Sky-breaking Dome''s disciples. In that way, he is also trying to keep us safe. We have to go and look for him first," Autelan said in agreement promptly, as his mood was sobered by the thought that Ricky was putting himself in danger to help them once again.


    "Soar, why don''t you use the Heaven Melting Fire to search for Ricky, and I will use the Heaven Slaughtering Fire to do the same."


    Seven days had passed, and Ricky had successfully refined the ruling essence in the Massacring Zone. He reached the upper demi-spiritual emperor level, just as he planned, but it was still not stable.


    He also wanted to consolidate his realm, but at this time, some unexpected guests had entered the area where he was staying.


    Among these unexpected guests, Ricky knew four people, and those were the siblings that he had encountered last time.


    This time, they brought two groups of people with them. One group was led by a woman dressed in expensive and fancy-looking clothes, while the other group was composed of an arrogant young man.


    This young man looked younger than Ricky, but he was already a strong demi-spiritual emperor. However, it seemed that he had just made a breakthrough.


    "Cassidy, is Kenney really here?" the young man asked impatiently.


    "Yes, he is here. He has got the ruling essence I was looking for and our ruling compass," Cassidy answered immediately.


    "Let''s start looking for him here then. I must kill him myself!" the young man declared coldly.

 Chapter 1069 Killing Without Mercy

    "Ha-ha, you don''t have to look for me. I''m standing right here. If you want to kill me, just come at me and stop talking!" A grey-haired young man appeared out of nowhere while the young arrogant man was speaking. This grey-haired young man was none other than Ricky.


    "Cassidy, I didn''t expect you to call helpers in such a short time! How efficient of you!" Ricky said as he looked at Cassidy.


    "Kenney, give me the ruling essence and the ruling compass, and maybe you can survive today," answered Cassidy.


    "Ha-ha, I don''t have the habit of handing things over when they are already in my hands," Ricky said with a smile.


    As he spoke, he also checked out the young man and the woman who was wearing a glittering dress from the corner of his eye. He took special note of the woman, as she gave Ricky a complex feeling.


    Besides, even his Devouring Mutant was reacting to her presence strangely.


    ''Does she cultivate the devouring power?'' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Don''t waste your time talking to him. I''ll kill him and give you the ruling essence and the ruling compass," the young man said arrogantly. Then he turned toward Ricky.


    "You are that Kenney appearing two years ago. I couldn''t see any difference in you except for the disgusting grey hair." After saying these words, he rushed toward Ricky swiftly, ready to attack.


    "You can try, but I can''t promise you''ll survive what comes after," Ricky sneered at the arrogant but ignorant young man.


    He didn''t even care about the young man''s name because at the rate he was going, his arrogance and stupidity would kill him before he became powerful enough to be a real threat to Ricky.


    All that mattered at that moment was that the young man had strong killing intent for him.


    "Kenney, I don''t want to kill you, and I don''t want any enmity between my Three-colored Sacred Python tribe and the Spirit Sect. So hand over the ruling essence and the ruling compass. They originally belonged to us after all. I promise that if you do, you can leave here safely," Cassidy suddenly said to Ricky through telepathy.


    "Do you know who that young man is?"


    "No. Why? Is there anything special about him? You just piqued my interest. Who is he?" Ricky asked curiously.


    He was a little surprised by Cassidy''s words. The fact that she initiated this conversation implied that she did not mean to kill Ricky at all.


    Cassidy should be glad that she showed this attitude because this would save her life la


    o that with only a punch, and Terrell would have died even though he is a powerful demi-spiritual emperor!'' Cassidy and her siblings thought in shock.


    At this moment, dark and immense fear clutched their hearts like thorned chains.


    They finally understood that they were only alive because Ricky didn''t want to kill them, and the disdain for killing that he showed was actually true.


    Their hearts were seized with fear.


    Terrell''s screams were the only sound in the clearing, as none of them dared to move or speak.


    This silence was broken by Ricky. He looked at Terrell who was lying on the ground and said disdainfully, "You are far weaker than Gerald and Carney. If it were them at this moment, they wouldn''t be as useless as you, who couldn''t even withstand my first punch.


    If I am guessing it right, you just let the Sky-breaking Emperor see something of you that is similar to Gerald and Carney. Am I right?"


    After saying that, he jumped on to the ground and stepped on Terrell''s mouth so that not even a scream could escape his lips.


    Terrell was filled with nothing but despair.


    As a person who had never experienced life and death, now, he could feel nothing but despair and fear for his pitiful life.


    "Do you want to beg for mercy now? But I can tell you that I will kill everyone who belongs to the Sky-breaking Dome because I know that the Sky-breaking Dome will do the same to me," Ricky sneered again.


    After that, he didn''t hesitate and was about to crush Terrell under his feet.


    However, the woman who was wearing a glittering dress spoke at this moment. She said, "Kenney, will you please show him mercy?"

 Chapter 1070 The Sky-devouring Sacred Python

    "What?" Ricky responded gently after hearing what the girl in a luxurious dress had said.


    "Young lady, you are a wonderful and gorgeous woman. However, I can''t just follow your orders and spare Terrell''s life."


    "Please, I''m being serious, Kenney," the girl replied. "I am Dale from the Sky-devouring Sacred Python tribe, and I am friends with Cassidy."


    "I didn''t expect she to be from the Sky-devouring Python tribe," the Dragon Intent Grass murmured under his breath.


    "Ricky, this Sky-devouring Sacred Python tribe is very similar to the Three-colored Saint Python tribe. Let me explain. Above the Three-colored Saint Python tribe, there is the Four-colored Imperial Python, and the Five-colored Holy Python; while above the Devour Sky Sacred Python, there is the Sky-devouring Imperial Python and, the Sky-devouring Holy Python.


    In fact, these two kinds of python beings on the land, are considered to have the best chance of evolving into Great Dragon."


    "The Sky-devouring Python!" Ricky exclaimed in a low voice. "So does that mean that the Sky-devouring Python cultivated the devouring power?"


    "Yes, the Sky-devouring Python is born with the ability of devouring power. In addition, it has the primitive devouring power in the world. In my opinion, the devouring power of the Sky-devouring Python may be as powerful as that of your Devouring Mutant," the Dragon Intent Grass clarified.


    "In that case, it''s not very odd that I felt the resonance of devouring power from Dale at the very beginning," Ricky muttered.


    "Dale, even if you''re a member of the Sky-devouring Sacred Python tribe, I can''t just listen to you and let go of him.


    Can''t you see? He desires to peel my skin and drink my blood!" Ricky said as he tried to convince Dale.


    "Kenney, I am positive that Terrell will never be your opponent again. After all, you have superior strength and talent. But since he came with me and Cassidy, I do not think that his death would please the Sky-breaking Dome. If that happens, then I am sure that the Sky-breaking Dome will make our lives miserable," Dale explained.


    "So that is why I am begging you to spare his life. If you do, then consider our two clans to be indebted to you. Expect us to repay your kindness if you do this."


    "Hmmm. If I can spare his petty life under one condition: both of your clans will owe me a favor each, I only think that it''s a fair and good deal for me." At that moment, Ricky gave a sinister smile after hearing what Dale had just said. All of a sudden, he became more interested in what he could gain from the deal.


    But soon after, Ricky''s to


    rm, was coiled in the void. Soon after, she instantly merged three bloody giant mouths with each one being a world on its own. The first mouth contained all living beings that had evolved, while the second mouth, showed the boundless earth. And in the third mouth, it showed the infinite heaven.


    Afterwards, the three mouths combined into one and formed the strongest devouring power, pressing down on Ricky. On the other hand, as Ricky was being pressed down, he could clearly feel everything on his body being swallowed up.


    Soon after, his devouring runes encircled and fought back, and Ricky''s body instantly turned into a bloody giant mouth to resist. The giant mouth met with Dale''s attack.


    Boom!


    The next moment, an infinite roar echoed through the sky as the two fierce devouring attacks consistently crashed into one another.


    The rampage devouring power was unstoppable at that time, sweeping everything that was on its way.


    Swish!


    All of a sudden, Dale and Ricky were thrown back from a humongous air wave. Despite being thrown off, their powers remained at their peak states.


    At that moment, the two sides were completely neck-and-neck in the battle, pushing each other to their powers'' limits.


    "She really lives up to her fame as a powerful Sky-devouring Sacred Python. At this point, it seems that her strength is actually comparable to my devouring power. Her Omnipotent Skill is really remarkable so that even I want to own such skill as well," Ricky said softly as he wondered.


    "That is true, but clearly, you won this fight. Look, you haven''t exhausted your full strength yet, while Dale had already done her best. There''s no other clear winner here than you, Ricky," the Dragon Intent Grass confirmed.

 Chapter 1071 The Blood Essence Pill

    "I have lost this battle." Dale admitted her defeat as she stood there calmly. However, by the look on her face, it was clear that she was reluctant to accept her defeat.


    The Sky-devouring Strikes that she released were already at maximum power, meaning she could no longer push it further. Even if she merged her blood essence to boost the power, she knew that she could not take down Ricky''s Chaotic Fire Mutant, which Ricky had not yet used against her.


    Moreover, she didn''t think that he had already released his devouring power to the extreme and expected that he could still strengthen his attack towards her.


    At that moment, she knew that her opponent could do more damage now that she saw how he easily resisted her attack.


    Meanwhile, as Dale stared into nothingness, she came to realize that the reason why Terrell lost was not that he was too weak, but rather that Ricky was too powerful.


    "Thank you," Ricky uttered as he smiled.


    At that time, Ricky had been thinking about how to get Dale''s Omnipotent Skill¡ªthe Sky-devouring Strikes.


    Obviously, Dale''s Sky-devouring Strikes were not very powerful at all due to her lack of comprehension. In fact, during the previous fight, Ricky was certain that he could feel the extraordinary power of the Sky-devouring Strikes. Moreover, he knew that it would not be weaker than his Evil Devouring Mouth if he could pair it up with his Devouring Mutant.


    "There is no doubt that your Devouring Mutant is stronger than my innate devouring power," Dale praised while cupping her hands.


    "Thank you for your compliment. Don''t worry. I''ll cover up for you. I will personally tell the leader of the Sky-breaking Dome that I was the one who killed Terrell. Plus, this meeting never happened if you know what I mean." Ricky winked at her.


    "I can never thank you enough for this," Dale replied.


    Soon after, she got ready and prepared to leave with Cassidy and the others.


    "Hey, wait, Cassidy! Did you already forget what I told you last time? If you come to me again, then you are welcome to join my team. But if you want to leave now, you must leave something behind," Ricky reminded.


    Hearing his words, Cassidy and the others automatically had their happy faces upside down.


    "Kenney, you have already taken all of our belongings. What else do you want from us?" Cassidy said in an annoyed tone.


    "This is none of my business. But you must leave something behind," Ricky said. "Think about it. If I don''t get strong enough today to beat Terrell, then I will be more miserable than I already am!


    I won''t kill you only because you did not intend to kill me at first. But don''t consider this to be


    other hand, are naturally formed. And we call these pills the blood essence pills."


    "Oh, the blood essence pills!" Ricky murmured as soon as he heard that.


    "Yes. I''m assuming that you already know how the blood essence pills work since you seem familiar with them," Dale guessed.


    "Dragon Intent Grass, is this true?" Ricky asked the Dragon Intent Grass in secret.


    "Yes, she''s right. A blood essence pill is as good as twenty drops of ruling essence. I never expect that such a place exists. But after all, it''s the battlefield of the spiritual emperors. So it just makes sense," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "We''re not the only ones who found this place. In fact, we should also give credit to those talents from the other spiritual-emperor forces. As a deal, I''ll exchange the cultivation method of my Omnipotent Skill with you if you can help us get the blood essence pill," Dale said, wanting to seal the deal.


    "Of course. We don''t have to worry about any conflict we may have because we can divide the pill equally!"


    "Without a doubt, the blood essence pill is attractive," Ricky said lightly. "So, I accept your request. But please don''t try to pull any tricks on me this time, or else..."


    "Don''t worry. Relax, I don''t even have that strength to plot anything against you right now," Dale reassured as she gave a little smile.


    Soon after, she felt relaxed. She thought that now that Ricky was playing for their team, their chances of winning were very high.


    "What are we waiting for? Let''s go to that secret place," Ricky yelled as he tried to call the attention of the others.


    Soon after, he turned to Cassidy and said with a smile, "Let''s take off now, Cassidy, shall we?"


    "Humph!" But to his dismay, Cassidy only responded with a sneer.

 Chapter 1072 Holy King

    Dale led Ricky to a much hotter area where the smell of the blood essence was so pungent and thick, and blood vitality pervaded in all directions.


    He was met with the sight of endless mountains wherever he looked, and each of their peaks was as high as the skies, creating a unique view of the horizon.


    In the center of these mountains was a huge lake, and it was commonly known as the blood essence lake precisely because of its surroundings.


    Since the Complete Emperor Island had been opened for nearly ten days, the suppressive force over the blood essence lake should disappear soon.


    "Is that the blood essence lake?" Ricky asked.


    "Yes, it is. In a few hours, the suppressive force over the lake will vanish," Dale answered and then she paused as if she had remembered something. She remarked again, "It''s time for the other disciples to arrive."


    "Miss Dale, pardon me if I am overstepping, but I have to ask. I am sure you are not the only disciple of the Devour Sky Sacred Python tribe who is daring enough to enter the Complete Emperor Island. Why then did you come here alone and not with the other disciples?" Ricky cocked his head curiously, arching an eyebrow in question.


    "Mr. Kenney, you should know that any great clan or force with a long history is not as peaceful as they seem to be. It is a frequent problem of tribes like these that there are internal factions and feuds, as there are many members who crave power. It seems that everyone wants to become the leader," Dale explained.


    "In this case, it is much easier and, perhaps, safer to trust people who are not from the same tribe."


    "Ha-ha, I got it!" Ricky smiled sincerely and opted not to probe further into what seemed like a complicated issue.


    As time went by, more than a dozen disciples from different forces arrived at the Blood Essence Lake.


    As soon as they arrived, all their attention was naturally focused on Ricky.


    "Is that young man with gray hair Kenney? Did he really come back?" the warriors murmured among themselves.


    "If it''s really him, he has changed a lot. He used to look like a middle-aged man, but now, he looks so young! His hair transformed from black hair to white hair though, which looks quite strange. What a weird change!"


    "Yes, it''s him. His eyes and expression look are very similar to how Kenny presented himself two years ago too. The ace genius did come back."


    "I didn''t expect that he is with Dale and Cassidy."


    "It must be Dale and Cassidy who invited Kenney to come here."


    "If he is here for the blood essence too, what should we do? The blood essence is invaluable to us, but it''s not like we can defeat him!"


    "Don''t worry. Kenney is aggressive, but he is a reasonable man. As long as we don''t provoke him, he won''t stop us from finding the


    s.


    Without a doubt, this was none other than the blood essence pill.


    They stared at it greedily.


    With such a large blood essence pill, they would definitely have more chances to break through and reach the Imperial Level.


    But despite their desire, they restrained themselves because this was not the time to act rashly. If they went closer recklessly, they would die miserably and senselessly.


    As for Ricky, it was likely that they feared him less because of the changes in his physical features. None of them knew the truth about Ricky''s real strength. In fact, they feared the Holy King more than him. They believed that as soon as they made a move for the pill, the Holy King would kill them on the spot.


    At that moment, the Holy King was emanating an imperious aura, and it seemed like a warning to everyone present. The blood essence pill was his property, and if anyone dared to seize it, he would kill them mercilessly.


    Sensing the imposing manner of the Holy King, all the warriors could not help but retreat.


    Anyway, they had no strength to compete with him, and they did not want to throw their lives away.


    Instead, they turned their eyes to Ricky, who was, at that very moment, studying the dragon with interest. He did not seem to mind the Holy King, but then, he was the only one who could compete with him.


    Most of them were hoping that they would fight unto death. They hoped that both of them would die of their injuries, but if not, they wished that at least one would die of injuries and the other one would be left too weak to fight. In that way, they would have a fighting chance at the pill.


    "I will take this blood essence pill. I''m sure none of you will disagree with me!" Holy King raised his voice, looking around for anyone who would dare challenge him.


    Finally, his eyes landed on where Ricky was standing.

 Chapter 1073 Battle Between Geniuses

    Ricky met at the intense gaze that the Holy King leveled at him with no sign of fear, and he let a boyish smirk tug at the corner of his mouth, as he walked forward. With every step that he took, his power surged out of his body, exuding a bit more the closer he moved. In the end, his surging power collided with the power of the Holy King.


    "Look! Kenney is about to take action. Once he shows his power, we''ll know if he''s that Kenney who appeared two years ago," said the warriors that were loitering at the sidelines, as they observed Ricky, who seemed to be preparing for a confrontation with the Holy King.


    "Let''s see if it''s true or not. After all, his strength can never lie. If he wants to fight against the Holy King, he must break out the chaotic power.


    It is said that the holy beast''s blood power inside the Holy King''s body is as strong as that of the emperor beast. If Kenney turns out to be as powerful as he was two years ago, then we will be witnessing a battle between two geniuses today! How exciting!"


    "Well, let us just wait and see!"


    "Of course, all of us are hoping for the same thing...


    They would both suffer great losses in this battle, and hopefully, they would die together..."


    "You are very bold to use the mysterious object. Have you forgotten how you got hurt you badly years ago? I don''t believe that you can improve that much in just a few years," the Holy King said coldly when he realized that Ricky wanted to compete with him for the blood essence pill.


    No one could resist Ricky''s mysterious object, and every creature wanted to try their best to get it.


    Nobody dared to speak out their greed because Ricky was too powerful. But it was obvious that they would pounce on him like hungry wolves at the first chance that they could get, no matter how slim it was, if they could steal the object from him.


    "Two years is enough for me to be more powerful than those demi-spiritual emperors," Ricky said with a slight smile. "So if you want to monopolize the blood essence pill, you have to defeat my chaotic power first."


    "You arrogant fool! How dare you claim to be more powerful than demi-spiritual emperors?" A man that was standing beside the Holy King suddenly erupted in a fit of anger, as Ricky''s words lit up his short fuse.


    "Young master, you don''t have to fight with him. I can deal with him."


    "Step back! You are not qualified to interfere with this affair," the Holy King scolded in a cold voice. He looked at the meddling disciple with an icy glare as if daring him to move forward.


    If he did, he would be the first to die.


    "Cha


    t retreat at all. They tore the airwaves and collided once again. They gathered all their strength together, focusing on their feet, hands, and elbows.


    At this moment, their feet, hands, and elbows became their most terrible weapons, as deadly as steel or metal.


    Ricky constantly changed between the two mutants, flowing between them like water, and he activated the devouring power and the chaotic fire to the extreme. This performance blinded the Holy King, so he was unable to launch any fatal attack to hurt Ricky.


    The gray death power of the Holy King could condense the hardest spur in any part of his body, and the densely packed spurs acted like his invincible armor. It did not budge under the power of Ricky''s flames.


    After several hundred rounds of confrontation, they collided with each other with their bodies alone.


    "They truly deserve to be called geniuses. Their powers have reached a level that is far beyond our reach!" The onlookers could only watch in amazement, as Ricky and the Holy King traded blow after heavy blow.


    "Yes, their powers are close to a demi-spiritual emperor at the peak state. Even if we cooperate, they will still overpower us!"


    "Well, the only thing that we can do now is to hope that they both get injured seriously and die together."


    Of course, they said the last sentence through telepathy.


    "Dale, no matter who wins or loses, the blood essence pill won''t belong to us," Cassidy said in a low voice.


    "I agree with you. If Kenney wins, he is the one who has worked hard for that. He deserves to get that spiritual pill." Dale nodded slightly.


    The battle continued.


    "This is the Evil Devouring Mouth! Come out! Furnace of Heaven and Earth!"


    "Eagle Feather Spear!"

 Chapter 1074 The Holy Nether Death Formula

    Meanwhile, both of them had pushed their power to the limit. At that moment, two savage attacks rushed and devoured one another.


    This clash caused by the brutal blast wave turned the area into an ocean of power. In an instant, the grey power of death, the bloody power of devouring, and the scarlet power of chaotic fire intertwined, forming a tornado that would severely crush the entire space.


    Boom!


    The crash echoed a deafening roar, and the tornado''s intense blast struck the whole blood essence pool like a roaming dragon.


    This vicious force, however, sent both Ricky and the Holy King far away from the explosion.


    At that moment, the Holy King''s eyes turned dreary, not because the fight ended with a draw, but because he knew that Ricky had not used the chaotic power just yet.


    His heart became heavy, knowing that Ricky was underestimating him.


    "Kenney, how dare you belittle me?! You haven''t even used the chaotic power!" said the Holy King in a loud and stern voice. His rage dispersed rapidly, causing the bloody water in the lake to shake around him to create a vast space.


    "You''re wrong. I never underestimated you, Holy King. But you didn''t show your trump card, so why would I even expose mine? If I did, then I would have been in a disadvantage, right?" Ricky said with a cunning smile.


    "Just show me the Omnipotent Skill cultivation method of the Holy Eagle Tribe, and you''ll see what I am capable of."


    "Wrong move, Kenny. You are courting death!" the Holy King shouted in a sinister tone upon hearing Ricky''s taunt.


    Instantly, his eyes turned grey. He looked at Ricky furiously, and at that moment, they looked like two worlds of death.


    Soon after, his surroundings transformed into a world of death, placing him in a pedestal as if he were the ruler of this world.


    There, Ricky felt he had entered a river of death where his body aged with every step he took.


    ''Are you trying to suppress and destroy me with the power of death? You must be dreaming!'' Ricky thought to himself with disdain as soon as he felt the surging power of death around him.


    He though so because he already had three ways to deal with the power of death at that moment.


    These included his Life and Death Zone, his chaotic power, and his chromatic energy.


    However, he did not think that it was the right time to expose his chromatic energy and his Life and Death Zone just yet.


    Soon after, Ricky condensed the chaotic power without thinking twice. As a result, his body immediately turned grey, just


    n the center of these compasses. It spread its wings high in the air, and was surrounded by the nether devils. Soon after, it flew to Ricky with unlimited power.


    "Kenney, do you know how many geniuses and elders have been devoured by my Death Eagle and Nether Devils? I just want to remind you that their power became nutrients for the nourishment of my Holy Nether Death Formula," Holy King said coldly while giving a cunning smile.


    "I''m not interested in it. After all, I''m certain that you will lose this time," Ricky said softly.


    Under his double mutants, he once again condensed the Furnace of Heaven and Earth and the Fire Dragon Extremity with the nine flames flickering around him. Now, he had all his power with him, along with the chaotic power.


    "Furnace, come out. Chaotic power, strike!"


    Immediately, Ricky''s pupils turned grey. After a quick rotation, his body transformed into a saber. Soon after, he took the shape of the Iron Justice Saber and combined all the power that was melted in the Furnace of Heaven and Earth.


    Once the furnace broke, the blade radiance shot directly towards the head of the grey white eagle. But because Ricky had the Golden Spirit Eyes, Ricky could clearly see that the source of the Holy King''s Omnipotent Skill was focused on his Death Eagle.


    The moment the saber radiance came down, the nine Nether Devils all stood out to resist it, trying to weaken the power of Ricky''s strike, so that the Death Eagle could devour Ricky.


    Bang!


    Soon after, airwaves swept the ground, leaving the image of Ricky and the Holy King colliding with each other. Undoubtedly, it would not be long before the winner could emerge in victory.

 Chapter 1075 Shoot The Eagle

    Crack! Crack!


    The sounds of broken pieces of metal echoed through the violent waves. This time Ricky''s Chaotic Strike seemed invincible as it slashed the nine Nether Devils into halves.


    Everything happened in the blink of an eye, as Ricky struck his blade across the nine Nether Devils like he was cutting nothing but flimsy paper.


    "Wait, what''s going on? I can''t believe that the Holy King is unable to withstand a single blow!" several warriors around commented as they witnessed what had happened.


    "Shut up, guys. You know nothing. The power of the Holy King''s Holy Nether Death Formula lies in death. So, just watch carefully!" some other warriors retorted. "Those nine Nether Devils are the key to instant death.


    The faster the nine Nether Devils are defeated, the more power Kenney''s strike will eventually consume. Just wait and see."


    Just as expected, rich death power penetrated Ricky''s strike as soon as he finished killing the last Nether Devil. In fact, this death power was so strong that it almost drowned Ricky.


    In a flash, the death power destroyed a huge chunk of Ricky''s power.


    "What? This is..." All the warriors around did not know what to say upon seeing what was in front of them.


    "Just as I told you, this is exactly how the power of the Holy Nether Death Formula works," some warriors argued. Although the Nether Devil was destroyed, the process would consume a large amount of energy of Ricky. As a result, he was likely to be hurt badly instead.


    "I bet you the Death Eagle is the real killing strike of the Holy King."


    "Kenney, you will surely die under my Death Eagle. Prepare to meet your doom!" With the fierce roar of the Holy King, the Death Eagle launched its strike. At that moment, it raised its claw and tore up the entire death world. After absorbing all the power in it, it immediately charged at Ricky''s transformed strike.


    "Kenney is going to lose this one, isn''t he? I mean, there is a significant difference between their powers right now. I don''t think he can make it."


    "Hold your horses. Let''s see if Kenney has other trump cards up his sleeve."


    "The Holy King''s Death Eagle is worthy of his name!" Ricky murmured in a low voice for he didn''t expect that the Death Eagle would be this powerful. Although he disliked the idea that his opponent''s strike was more powerful than his, Ricky knew that the Holy King''s power should be respected for its potency.


    The death power might be inferior to the chaotic power, but at that moment, the Holy King''s Death Eagle pushed the death power to its limit. Even though it was released with dela


    cky released the power of the five kinds of runes just for the purpose of preventing the chaotic power from being suppressed again by surprise.


    Soon after, the five Supreme Skills were activated, and the strongest chaotic power in his body gathered and focused in his hands, forming an enormous arrow.


    Meanwhile, his Golden Spirit Eyes burst out blinding lights, controlling the arrow in his hands. As soon as the countless rays of light condensed to a point, the arrow shot out with fury.


    "Look at his eyes! That''s marvelous!" a warrior said with admiration in his voice.


    ''Wow, Kenney really does have a lot of good stuff!'' more and more people thought in their hearts as they continued to watch the epic battle between two incredible warriors.


    Bang! Soon after, the sound of the savage crash echoed in all directions, prompting the surge of the blood essence lake.


    All the people in the arena saw the arrow fly wildly, suppressing the attacks of the Holy King. In a split second, iron-like feathers started falling onto the ground like rain, and with one shot of the arrow from Ricky, the Holy King''s beast form was destroyed.


    As the Holy King bled out, the arrow pierced through the center of his body.


    At that moment, the chaotic power appeared like small curved hooks that frantically tore up the Holy King''s body and all of his power.


    "Is this the true power of the chaotic power?" The warriors started to feel numb after seeing such a brutal scene.


    At that moment, the Holy King lay on the ground and held his chest to keep the blood from spurting out. "Ahhhhh!" he shouted as he could not bear the pain any more.


    Crying in pain, the Holy King was not able to move, as he unwillingly accepted his defeat.

 Chapter 1076 A Big Harvest

    It could be said that the Holy King was defeated because of his death power.


    If Ricky didn''t have the Life and Death Zone and the life and death rune, he would have been hard-pressed to win, especially because he didn''t want to reveal his blood power and chromatic energy.


    Thankfully, he had the life and death rune, which rendered the Holy King''s extreme nether death power useless.


    As powerful as the Holy King was, of course, he knew why he was defeated.


    Knowing, however, was very different from accepting, and he was very much unwilling to accept defeat.


    "The Holy King''s depression from defeat is indeed reasonable," the warriors murmured to each other.


    "Maybe he is taking it hard that someone was able to defeat him, but I have to say that Kenney is indeed stronger than him. Otherwise, Kenney would not have defeated him only with the life and death runes. If that were the case, no trick could have helped him change the battle''s outcome," claimed the other warriors.


    "As they say, all is fair in love and war. The life and death rune is also Kenney''s power."


    They were discussing the battle with great enthusiasm as if they themselves had fought in it. They all watched Ricky like a hawk, wondering if he was going to kill the Holy King.


    Truthfully, they wanted Ricky to kill the Holy King because small forces like theirs did not have many chances to develop due to the influence of the bigger forces. They could only get their opportunity if the bigger forces clashed against each other and defeated each other.


    Unfortunately, this time, they would surely be disappointed because Ricky had already restrained his power. Obviously, he was not going to attack the Holy King anymore.


    "You have defeated the Holy King! Judging by his domineering character, he is destined to become your enemy, so you should take this opportunity to kill him," the Dragon Intent Grass said to him telepathically.


    "I know that. If I didn''t have any enmity with the Sky-breaking Dome, I would kill him right now," Ricky answered. "But I really don''t want to make more enemies of other big forces when I still have the Sky-breaking Dome to worry about.


    I''m afraid that I am not yet that strong.


    Now that the Holy King has been defeated, he is no longer my opponent. We don''t need to worry about him anymore, for he is no threat to me.


    Besides, I would have to reveal my chromatic energy if I wanted to kill him now, which I don''t want to do at the moment. I will only reveal my chromatic energy when fighting for the Emperor Light. If I used the chromatic energy here, I would have to kill everyone here to make sure I don''t have any witness."


    "You''re right!" The Dragon Intent Grass nodded in agreement, as it thought about what Rocky had said.


    On the


    th.


    He didn''t need to know whether she was hiding any information about her Sky-devouring Strikes. Since he had the five zones, he only needed to learn about it in general, and he could deduce the details if he followed the method recorded in the Chaos Manual.


    As for his Evil Devouring Mouth, a Sky-devouring Sacred Python might be able to cultivate it to a deep degree, but she could never cultivate it to a level stronger than he did. That was because the Evil Devouring Mouth was evolved from his Devouring Mutant in the first place. And since that was the case, nobody could use it against him and defeat him with it.


    ''I finally got both the blood essence pill and the Sky-devouring Strikes!'' Ricky thought to himself. He couldn''t help but feel excited at that moment.


    "The remaining sixty percent portion of the spiritual pill is enough for you to make great progress. If you can comprehend the Sky-devouring Strikes during this time, together with the chromatic energy, you will be invincible in the competition for the Emperor Light," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "I wonder when the Emperor Light will appear!" Ricky asked loudly, eager for a good fight.


    In fact, he was more eager for the Emperor Light than any other thing in his life at that moment. He longed to find out if the extremely powerful Emperor Light could help him become a spiritual emperor despite his lack of a Heavenly Meridian.


    "Kenney, what are you going to do next?" Dale asked at this moment.


    She asked this because she already wanted to be in Ricky''s company.


    "Once we get out of here, I need to start looking for my friends. I will pay a visit to the Spirit Sect, if everything goes smoothly. I''m afraid that people from the Sky-breaking Dome is about to take action against them," Ricky answered, his worry evident from the dark look on his face.

 Chapter 1077 A Strange Visitor

    "I see..." Dale responded, a little disappointed with Ricky''s answer.


    "Well, I''m leaving now. I hope the trivial misunderstandings between us won''t cause us to be enemies," Ricky said with a smile.


    "Of course not!" Dale and Cassidy both replied at once, with much vehemence that made Ricky smile.


    After a final farewell, Ricky left.


    "If he can defeat the people from the Sky-breaking Dome, he is bound to become the king of the whole Western Land. He is talented, powerful, and has the temperament to rule the world," Dale uttered reverently, as she stared at Ricky''s receding back.


    "So we should make good friends with him," Cassidy added, nodding her head.


    "No matter what, we can''t offend him! I think that we should help him if he needs our help, simply because of what he did today. He also gave the ruling compass back to you, right?" Dale told Cassidy, as she finally turned her eyes away from Ricky.


    Meanwhile, Ricky was walking away with his head in the clouds, planning his next step. "Soar, Autelan, and others must have come here too, but I don''t know where they are at the moment," he muttered lightly.


    The Dragon Intent Grass, who had been listening to him quietly, replied, "You have Heaven Slaughtering Fire and Heaven Melting Fire with you, don''t you? You can use them to get a feel of their location."


    With that reminder, Ricky began to use the two kinds of sacred fire to feel. However, he did all these in the form of his Shadowy Replication as his real body was already in the Massacring Zone.


    The information of the blood essence pill and the Sky-devouring Strikes appeared in front of his eyes in the Massacring Zone.


    "Good move! You''ve learned to use your Shadowy Replication to look for them, so your real body can concentrate on cultivation at the same time. In this way, time won''t be wasted. I just wonder how you got the cultivation method of the Shadowy Emperor Replication. After all, this cultivation method should not be revealed to anyone except the core figures of the Endless Shadow. And it is said that only a creature with the potential of being a killer can cultivate this cultivation method successfully,"


    the Dragon Intent Grass said, sounding pleased.


    "I guess you can say that I got it by accident," Ricky said with a smile, and then told the Dragon Intent Grass how he got the cultivation method of the Shadowy Emperor Replication.


    "Is that so? That sounds so peculiar!" the Dragon Intent Grass remarked in a low voice.


    "Dragon Intent Grass, what do you know about the Endless Shadow on the four continents?" Ricky asked curiously before it could ask any more questions.


    "I don''t really know that much. I do know that they are killers, and the Endless Shadow was founded by their patriarch¡ªSullivan. Although I used to live in the Dragon tribe, I had not heard much


    you where the Emperor Light will appear."


    "What?!" Ricky became more confused when he heard that and so were the others. Evil Mandragora, the Dragon Intent Grass, and Tina were all shocked too, for that was the last thing that they expected to hear.


    The Emperor Light was a key to becoming a spiritual emperor. Any strong demi-spiritual emperor who possessed it would be able to break through and become a spiritual emperor.


    Words could not describe how important it was.


    And yet, this strange man in black, who would not even show his face, was going to tell Ricky the place where the Emperor Light would appear. Should Ricky believe him?


    "Do you think I will believe your words?" Ricky said when he overcame his shock.


    "Of course you won''t, but I know that you will be curious about that place and your curiosity will lead you there." While speaking, the man in black sent a message to Ricky. Obviously, that message contained instructions on how to get to the place that he was referring to.


    "I''m going to destroy this message. No matter how curious I am, I will not go there. I will find the Emperor Light by myself," Ricky answered, scowling at the other man.


    He thought that whatever the purpose of the stranger was, he would not achieve it if he refused to go to that place. He would not play into this strange man''s hands, and whoever else he was working for.


    "Ha-ha! Your curiosity will make sure you read that message." The man in black laughed, as he seemed amused by whatever Ricky said, which angered Ricky all the more.


    Ricky didn''t bother to reply and instead bit his lip to control his temper. He reached out his hands and tried to destroy the message, but he was stopped short by the man''s final message.


    At the moment before the strange man disappeared, he said, "By the way, I forgot to tell you that Autelan, Soar, and the three girls are all there."

 Chapter 1078 The Emperor Light Appeared

    Ricky stopped shaking his clenched fists after hearing the man''s final message.


    At that moment, he wanted to awaken his true body which was cultivating in seclusion in order to retain the man in black. However, he soon found out that the movement skill that the man used when he left was more appealing than his Space-shrinking Pace.


    As a result, it would be almost impossible for him to catch up with the strange man.


    "Damn it! Did he also lure Soar and the others in there?" Ricky said grimly. "If that''s the case, then I''m afraid that people from the Sky-breaking Dome have been lured in there as well."


    Regardless if the man in black was telling the truth or not, Ricky had come to realize that he had to go to that place personally. After all, he could not just leave Soar and the others alone for they might be in real danger.


    "Dragon Intent Grass, do you know what kind of cultivation method that man has?" Ricky suddenly inquired.


    "As far as I know, he didn''t expose any cultivation method, but only his pace. I can''t tell what cultivation method he has, but something tells me that he is more dangerous than we thought," the Dragon Intent Grass said in a low voice.


    "So, what is his goal?" Ricky asked seriously. "Does he want to lure people who are clearly enemies and watch them fight against each other just so he could take advantage of them in the end? That''s wicked! Moreover, it''s totally unnecessary. He can capture the Emperor Light directly since they are the only ones who know about that place."


    "I guess he''ll need the cannon fodder so he attracted so many people there! It''s better to be prepared than to face dangerous obstacles in that place. Better safe than sorry!" the Dragon Intent Grass said softly.


    "Ricky, I don''t know why, but I felt the strange aura of a devil from that man in black," the Evil Mandragora said.


    "What do you mean? A devil?" At that moment, both Ricky and the Dragon Intent Grass were confused as they heard the Evil Mandragora''s words.


    That was because they didn''t sense anything evil from that man. Having the chromatic energy in his body, Ricky was sensitive to the aura of devils. As a result, he would know if the man had such aura.


    "But I''m not sure about it though. Perhaps it is because I''m a devil creature that I have that kind of feeling," the Evil Mandragora said in a low voice.


    "A devil creature?" Ricky murmured as he thought carefully about the Evil Mandragora''s assumption.


    However, he would not be able to figure anything out if he continued to think here. Therefore, he absorbed the message into his Soul Sea instead.


    Meanwhile, a path suddenly appeared in his Soul Sea.


    Without thinking twice, Ricky walked directly along this path


    ed meters. But when Ricky tried to feel a little of it, he found that the ruling power inside was as profound as a vast sea.


    At that moment, the light shone and soared into the sky, as if it was absorbing the heavenly power.


    The light released around absorbed the ruling spirits and ruling essences in the whole ruling region into the column.


    The Emperor Light was surrounded by numerous skeletons.


    Meanwhile, those said skeletons were veiled in ruling power, which meant that they were obviously the skeletons of spiritual emperors.


    It was said that the skeletons of spiritual emperors were indestructible, meaning they were to exist forever. But the essence of these skeletons had all been already absorbed by the Emperor Light. Therefore, some of them had already been dried up and would turn into dust once blown.


    "Finally, this is the Emperor Light," Ricky said as he fixed his eyes on the light column.


    "Yes, it is. It has gathered the essence from tens of thousands of spiritual emperors. Needless to say, it can definitely help multiple people become spiritual emperors," the Dragon Intent Grass explained.


    "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and use the space power to collect the Emperor Light!"


    "Okay!" Ricky answered and nodded with determination in his eyes.


    Swish!


    But right at this moment, several figures came over quickly to where they were standing. All of them were so excited upon seeing the Emperor light that they shouted, "Haha, can you believe what we are seeing in front of us? This is great! That is the Emperor Light! It is so huge that it is enough to create several spiritual emperors."


    At the same time, a few figures also showed up in different directions.


    "Dragon Intent Grass, it seems that I can''t get the Emperor Light so easily," Ricky murmured lightly.

 Chapter 1079 Elder Norton

    "So many warriors have come to this place simultaneously, so it is obviously not a coincidence. That man in black also guided them here," the Dragon Intent Grass speculated.


    "Marvelous! Next, let''s all fight for the Emperor Light without strength!"


    After calming down from being overwhelmed, the warriors in the surroundings fixed their fearful eyes on Ricky. After all, they had every right to be scared especially when they knew what had happened during Ricky''s battle with the Holy King.


    Knowing this piece of information wiped away the excitement on their faces.


    With Ricky there, they knew that it would be very difficult for them to acquire the Emperor Light.


    But these warriors did not back off. After all, they outnumbered Ricky. If there was even any chance, they could even form an alliance to take Ricky down and then compete with one another for the Emperor Light.


    "All I can say is that you are definitely in a bad situation now. You have become the top enemy of all the people here. Therefore, they will definitely unite to fight against you," the Dragon Intent Grass said through telepathy upon sensing the tension in the atmosphere.


    "I might be really afraid if they form an alliance to take me down, but I don''t think they will ally with one another wholeheartedly. I''m just certain that they will cooperate with reservation. In such a case, I''ll be the one with the upper hand," Ricky said.


    "Hey, I haven''t seen Soar or the others here yet. They''re here, right?"


    But as soon as Ricky''s voice drifted away, five more people came in¡ªSoar, Autelan, Pearl, Amelia, and Amanda.


    "Ha-ha.Hey guys! I can''t believe it! It has been two years since we last saw each other. Finally, you''re here," Ricky said enthusiastically upon seeing them. Immediately, the five people dashed towards Ricky as they looked at him with disbelief.


    Seeing that Ricky was showing his real face, they could not help but be surprised. Although they had already heard about what had happened to him, they still couldn''t believe it even when they saw him in person.


    "Ricky! What happened to you in the past two years? Did the mysterious thing do this to you?" Soar asked through telepathy.


    At that moment, the three girls'' eyes welled up after seeing the drastic change in Ricky''s body. In fact, they could only feel the chilling trauma that he had to go through. Moreover, due to the damaging injuries he had sustained, his hair even turned white.


    "Let bygones be bygones. I don''t want to talk about that anymore. I just want to move on. After all, I''m much better now, aren''t I?" Ricky uttered monotonously.


    "Why did you come here, Aut


    ring that the whole thing was the plot of the man in black, it didn''t come as a surprise to them when they saw their enemies. After all, this would only make everything more interesting.


    Upon seeing Norton, all the warriors around frowned in dismay and fear. But after giving it some thought, they knew that they should be more excited now that he and his men were finally here.


    Norton and his men''s would definitely be Ricky and his companions.


    Although Norton was strong, Ricky was not weak either. After all, he was the genius who had just defeated the Holy King.


    If these two tigers fought against each other, both sides would suffer great losses. In this way, the warriors around would have enough time and chance to get the Emperor Light.


    Meanwhile, as soon as the members of the Sky-breaking Dome arrived, they immediately had their eyes fixed on Ricky.


    "Kenney! Just as I heard, you''re still alive," said Norton enthusiastically.


    "I will only die after I annihilate the Sky-breaking Dome," Ricky said with composure. Of course, he would not say anything pleasant to the ears to any member of the Sky-breaking Dome.


    "Ha-ha! What a boast! Hand over the mysterious thing that belongs to the Sky-breaking Dome if you want me to keep your corpse in one piece!" Norton sneered as he reached out his right hand.


    "You should feel ashamed. The Sky-breaking Dome claims that the mysterious thing is yours, but you never speak its name out. How could it be yours when you don''t even know its name or what it is?" Ricky taunted. "It''s with me now. Take it if you can!"


    "Don''t be too chirpy. Do you really think you are unbeatable now just because you defeated the Holy King? Now, let me show you who is the strongest demi-spiritual emperor of all."

 Chapter 1080 Who Was Stalling For Time

    Boom!


    As soon as he finished speaking, Norton''s energy broke out, and his power crushed everything in its path. That was the power of an extremely powerful demi-spiritual emperor.


    As Norton was packing so much underneath, it was no wonder he was so domineering. None of the warriors present could resist such powerful force. Even if all the warriors joined forces to attack him, they would not success defeat him because there were still many other people from the Sky-breaking Dome to assist him.


    Ricky''s face darkened as he felt Norton''s powerful strength. As this Ricky was only a Shadowy Replication, he was afraid that he couldn''t hold on for three moves.


    So he turned to look at Autelan. He trusted that the latter could take care of him, so he was not afraid to bring Autelan some trouble.


    Autelan met his eyes, nodded slightly, and leaped in front of Ricky.


    "Old man, let me see if you really have great power," Autelan said coldly. Then, he condensed golden dragon scales on his arms, and they were transformed into his most powerful weapon.


    A golden flame rushed out. It was the Heaven Slaughtering Fire, where the strongest Massacring Power evolved from. Autelan punched with its power behind him.


    "Stop, you evil creature!"


    Norton shouted angrily. Autelan''s fearless attack pissed him off because he perceived it as a slight to his pride. He thought that it was a serious provocation, for the young man dared to attack him first.


    He threw a forceful punch, and his sleeves fluttered with the airwaves. The power swept across his palm, and an intense storm appeared in an instant. The storm expanded and finally formed a stormy world.


    Boom! In the next breath, the golden fist and the transparent palm collided.


    When the strong storm from Norton''s palm swept over, the golden dragon shadow condensed directly above Autelan''s fist and looped around the storm.


    This ordinary punch, as well as the plain palm attack, drowned the entire area in violent waves, which was a testament to how powerful both the two fighters truly were. Covered by the airwaves, the two of them were blown away by the strong inverse powers. Deep ditches appeared in the area where they had dug in their soles to keep their balance.


    "Autelan is truly powerful!" Seeing this, all the people around them were shocked. "It is no wonder that Autelan is said to be just as strong as Kenney."


    "I didn''t expect that he has become a strong demi-spiritual emperor. He has the talent to challenge those who are at higher levels than him, and this


    embers of the Sky-breaking Dome?" Ricky asked in a low voice.


    "That seems to be the case," the Evil Mandragora answered.


    "So, we have been trying to stall for more time, while they are also waiting for reinforcements... We have been tricked!" Ricky cried out angrily.


    "Autelan, do your best to suppress him. I think he is stalling for time as well," Ricky immediately told Autelan through telepathy.


    "I will try my best!" Autelan answered firmly. He also found it odd that Norton was just going along with their plans when he should have been alarmed. It turned out that they were being played all along.


    Autelan''s eyes flashed fiercely, as his power increased and surged. At the center of his palm, the golden Heaven Slaughtering Pagoda rose, turned into a golden spear, and exploded the strongest power.


    At the same time, Soar and the other three ladies also moved to join the fight.


    However, they were stopped by those disciples of the Sky-breaking Dome. And because of the large number of these disciples, they were pushed into a disadvantage.


    At this time, Ricky couldn''t do anything, because once he did, the others would find out he was just a Shadowy Replication.


    "What''s wrong with them? Why are they suddenly breaking out all their might?" Seeing this, all the warriors became even more confused.


    "You mean most of them are giving all they''ve got.


    But look, Kenney is the only one that is not fighting."


    "Humph! You just realized that I was stalling? Isn''t it a little too late? Although I don''t know what you are waiting for, everything is over for you now," Norton sneered coldly.


    Swish! As soon as he finished speaking, two figures came out of the void.

 Chapter 1081 The Combination

    The two strangers that just arrived were both old men who were about the same age as Norton. Like him, their auras and blood vitalities appeared very strong despite their advanced age. In particular, the old man in the crimson robe looked like his clothes had been drenched in the blood of his enemies.


    "Are those Elder Zayn and Elder Steward from the Sky-breaking Dome?" It seemed that most of the warriors recognized them immediately.


    "The three strongest demi-spiritual emperors of the Sky-breaking Dome are all here! They are really determined to obtain the Emperor Light if they are willing to go this far."


    "I didn''t realize that Elder Norton was deliberately delaying the fight!


    So, all this time, he was just buying time and waiting for Elder Zayn and Elder Steward to show up."


    Meanwhile, the faces of Ricky and his companions darkened with this development.


    "What? Are you annoyed by the fact that Fein and the others haven''t shown up?" Norton said with a sneer after the anger on his face had receded.


    Since Zayn and Steward had come to join him, he believed that as the three strongest demi-spiritual emperors, they were sure to win.


    When Autelan heard his words, his face looked somber as a grave. He asked coldly, "Did you attack Fein and the others?"


    "I didn''t attack them. After all, they are not a weak bunch, and we are not stupid. We only sent someone to make trouble for them, so that they couldn''t come here to assist you," the old man in a purple robe answered in a flat tone. He was Steward.


    "Are you Kenney, the man whose appearance has been changed?" Steward immediately shifted his eyes to Ricky.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    As soon as he finished speaking, he sent a strong beam of thunder light that flashed and shot toward Ricky. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from where he was standing and appeared in front of Ricky.


    He rotated his body and struck towards Ricky''s neck with his leg that was carrying destructive thunder power.


    Autelan and his companions saw what was going on, but none of them could do anything about it, as they could not easily get rid of their respective opponents at the moment. None of them could move fast enough to defend Ricky.


    Ricky, though he was a replica at the moment, condensed the chaotic power and crossed his arms to resist Steward''s strike.


    Crack! With a great cracking sound of something breaking, Ricky''s arms shattered in their sockets and were almost ground into powder. He was also thrown by the powerful impact to the ground, panting heavily.


    All the warriors present looked at the scene in disbelief. None of them could believe that an ace genius like him had been defeated so easily.


    But when they saw that Ricky''s broken arms were not bleedin


    to Autelan and Soar telepathically.


    He was asking this because earlier, the two had told him telepathically not to take them into his Massacring Zone with the three girls.


    "Don''t worry, Ricky. The situation is not so bad yet," Autelan insisted telepathically.


    "Ricky, just wait and see. It''s a secret skill of our Great Dragon Race¡ªGreat Dragon Combination!" Soar said.


    "Great Dragon Combination? What is that?" Ricky murmured curiously.


    "Great Dragon Combination! I didn''t expect that the two of them could succeed in cultivating the Great Dragon Combination within only two years," the Dragon Intent Grass remarked lightly.


    "It is said that the Chaos Green Dragon has left a set of inherited cultivation method for the five kinds of Great Dragons, which is the Great Dragon Combination. If the five kinds of Great Dragons could cultivate the method successfully and combine it into one, they could possess the blood power of the Chaos Green Dragon and make it appear again."


    "That is so brilliant!" Ricky was quite surprised at this.


    He once again marveled at the great power and the extraordinary cultivation method possessed by powerful masters such as the Chaos Green Dragon.


    "Unfortunately, there has never been an era when the five kinds of Great Dragons could cultivate the method successfully. Since the Chaos Green Dragon disappeared, none of the powerful warriors of the Dragon tribe has been able to suppress everything.


    Apart from the difficulty of this combination cultivation, it is already too difficult for the five kinds of Great Dragons to work together with one mind," the grass added.


    "I see!" Ricky murmured in acknowledgement.


    "So, the combination of Autelan and Soar make them possess the blood power of the Chaos Green Dragon. Have I understood correctly?" Ricky asked expectantly.

 Chapter 1082 The Combined Power

    "Sort of. They will possess some blood power of the Chaos Green Dragon. However, it will be a small portion. But that doesn''t matter. Their combination can greatly improve their fighting power. Therefore, both of them will be strong enough to defeat the three elders from the Sky-breaking Dome. In fact, they can already deal with the elders without you getting involved," the Dragon Intent Grass expounded.


    "I see. Then that would be great," Ricky answered.


    After all, he was also looking forward to seeing the combination.


    "What? You just put the three girls inside your spiritual weapon zone? You know what the consequences will be! It seems that you want your Shadowy Replication to be destroyed!" At that moment, Zayn descended from the sky and walked towards Ricky.


    He believed that the mysterious object that Ricky was carrying was more valuable than the Emperor Light.


    "Enough of this! I''ll send your Shadowy Replication straight to hell! Just remember to tell your real body to come here right away. Otherwise, there will be no good play for him to watch," Zayn sneered as his power started to rise from his body.


    "We are your opponent but not him!" Soar said grimly.


    "What the hell! Why are you people asking for your own death?! It has been a long time since the three of us showed up last time, and I believe that the younger generation has forgotten who are the most powerful among the demi-spiritual emperors," Zayn said bleakly.


    "Humph! You are nothing but a bunch of useless old men who even dare not to draw the Thunderstroke Doom, but here you are very willing to fight with us for the Emperor Light. I bet that even if the Emperor Light is given to you for free, it will go to waste because you still don''t have the guts to draw and break through the Thunderstroke Doom," Soar taunted.


    When the three old men heard his scarring words, their eyes all darkened in fury. As a matter of fact, what they hated the most was the fact that other people claimed that they didn''t dare to draw the Thunderstroke Doom and break through to the imperial level.


    What Soar just said stung them worse because he was telling the truth. They might have accumulated and comprehended enough, but they still weren''t confident enough to break through the Thunderstroke Doom.


    As a matter of fact, the Thunderstroke Doom for a spiritual emperor to go through was very different from that for a spiritual king.


    In order for a warrior to break through the Thunderstroke Doom to become a spiritual king, he could be assisted with pills and Treasures from Heaven and Earth. However, this method did not apply to the Thunderstroke Doom for a spiritual emperor. Once a demi-spiritual emperor used any external force as assistance, the Thunderstroke Doom would surely expand exponentially and thus add


    "


    "It is not a simple fusion. After all, the Omnipotent Skill left by the Chaos Green Dragon is truly powerful and remarkable! At this point, it''s already impossible for the three old men to defeat them. Soar and Autelan would surely win this," the Evil Mandragora also sighed with emotions.


    "Fight!" Autelan and Soar yelled loudly after merging.


    At that moment, they did not think twice and immediately dashed toward their opponents.


    In the blink of an eye, they had already appeared in front of Steward, striking him violently with their fists.


    Autelan and Soar acted too fast at that moment that Steward was caught off guard. Soon after, he condensed the thunder power into his arms and crossed them over his body to resist their attack.


    Afterwards, a dull crash echoed all throughout the space, sending Steward back away like lightning.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    As soon as this happened, two dull sounds were heard from their opposite sides as both Norton and Zayn were thrown backwards as well.


    "Wow!"


    All the other warriors'' eyes were wide open as they witnessed this sudden change.


    It was truly a sight to be seen! Just as they hit Steward, they had already hit the other two elders even before the warriors realized what was going on.


    "And I thought lightning was already fast! That was an amazing cultivation method! The fusion makes the two of them burst out such a strong power!" the warriors around commented.


    The three elders of the Sky-breaking Dome were caught off guard. The display of power from the two dragons only was proved to be extremely powerful once they combined.


    "But at this point, it still seems hard to tell the winner."


    Soon after, all the people present in the area turned their eyes to the three elders of the Sky-breaking Dome who were thrown far away from their initial positions, waiting for their reaction.

 Chapter 1083 Three-Heart Connecting

    At this time, the three elders from the Sky-breaking Dome were in a slightly embarrassed situation, as blood continued to spill from the corners of their mouths. They were all hit by Soar and Autelan and were injured quite severely. After all, by now, the combined strength of Soar and Autelan had surpassed theirs.


    However, such injuries were no big deal for them, and a little strength would be enough to heal them.


    At this moment, the injury to their pride could be considered a more serious injury compared to their wounds. And as such, all three of them looked extremely blood-thirsty as they were filled with hatred.


    After looking at one another with tacit understanding, they stood in a row, not far away from one another.


    They understood that they were no match for Soar and Autelan if they fought alone, so they had to unite, and they couldn''t be far away from one another. Otherwise, they would be defeated one by one.


    After all, they were greatly surprised by Soar and Autelan''s speed and knew that they should not underestimate the latter.


    "They have improved in all aspects after they fused, which should be caused by the blood power of the Chaos Green Dragon. It''s somewhat similar to your Ancestral Intent Formula," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "All kinds of Chaos blood power come from the chaos. Since they share the same origin, of course, the cultivation methods and Omnipotent Skills evolved from them may be similar to one another. In other words, all the chaos-related cultivation methods in the world are fundamentally similar. They are all oriented to the heavenly law and the chaos," Ricky said as if deep in thought.


    "You are right," the Dragon Intent Grass said, nodding its head.


    "Hey, you three old bastards, how does my fist feel?" Soar said teasingly, enjoying the look of shame and anger on the faces of the three old men.


    However, the latter merely ignored Soar''s words and launched their attacks at the same time, just as they had agreed telepathically. They acted as one and worked well together, something that was to be expected, as they had fought together for many years.


    Their tacit attack worked immediately and pressured Soar and Autelan into defensive positions, and as such, it effectively stopped their attacks, as it kept them busy dodging as fast as they could.


    The elders of the Sky-breaking Dome outnumbered them, which placed them at a disadvantage. And to be honest, the three old men''s powers could perfectl


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    chests, including a heart of thunder, a heart of blood, and a heart of wind.


    The energies emitted by the three hearts were connected with one another. In an instant, the three of them seemed to have been connected as well.


    "They are performing a skill called the Three-Heart Connecting. It is said that they can have empathy and connect with one another like triplets. In this way, their power will be combined perfectly," one warrior remarked.


    "If the three elders combine their powers, they would not be inferior to the combined strength of Soar and Autelan! Maybe this will give them an advantage."


    "The result will be decided in an instant!"


    "I didn''t expect these three old guys would have cultivated such an amazing cultivation method. Although their bodies haven''t been combined into one, their wills and power will be perfectly combined," the Dragon Intent Grass said unhappily.


    "Don''t worry. I firmly believe that Autelan and Soar will not be defeated," Ricky said seriously.


    He was very excited at that moment because his real body was about to wake up.


    "Three-Heart Connecting!"


    Steward then threw out a punch, which involved the strongest destructive thunder. Zayn took a step forward, and the aura of a bloody hell emanated from him. Lastly, Norton blew a palm, which enveloped them like an endless windstorm.


    But when they had their hearts connected, the three strongest attacks were also combined. The attacks with three greatly varying elements combined and formed a ball with three elements. It then rushed to the Chaotic Double Punishment launched by Soar and Autelan.


    Then, a violent rumble shook the world.

 Chapter 1084 Men In Black Appeared Again

    Meanwhile, as soon as the ball grew bigger, it crashed directly with the massive claw transformed by the Chaotic Double Punishment.


    Soon after, violent waves swept through everything, drowning them quickly.


    Just when the huge claw was about to tear the whole place apart and suppress the ball, the latter was already beginning to condense, aiming to destroy everything in its way instantly.


    In fact, the whole area had been collapsed after the collision created by the huge impact. The damage could have been expanded further if it were not for the presence of the rich ruling power in this area.


    It took a long time before the air waves finally vanished, clearing the air out, and the fighters could finally be seen.


    Meanwhile, Soar and Autelan''s fusion had been taken apart. Kneeling on the ground, the two Great Dragons caught their breaths. Their combined power might have been great, but they had given so much of their power out in a short period of time, leading to a very strong side effect.


    At this moment, both Soar and Autelan were drained of their energy and could no longer fight.


    On the other hands, the three elders from the Sky-breaking Dome seemed to have it worse than them.


    Without any more energy to fight, all they did was stare at Soar and Autelan malevolently. In fact, these elders were so sure that they would emerge victorious in this battle, but unfortunately, the tables had been turned this time.


    "Kill!" At that moment, the three old men''s hearts were full of resentment and anger towards the two Great Dragons who they never thought could beat them.


    "Whoa, I can''t believe this! Both sides are severely hurt! I don''t think they can''t fight anymore." Witnessing this, the warriors around were eager to do something and walked toward the center.


    But before they reached the center, the disciples of the Sky-breaking Dome already released their powers to stop those guys and protect the elders.


    Meanwhile, the warriors sensed that the power of the disciples from the Sky-breaking Dome were threatening. As a result, they decided to stop in their tracks.


    On the other hand, the three elders ignored the cultivators who were walking towards them and trying to hurt them. Moreover, they thought that these warriors were weak and would not dare oppose them even though they didn''t have enough power to fight at this moment.


    "Kill them both! Do not spare their lives!" Zayn ordered two disciples from the Sky-breaking Dome.


    "Understood!" Soon after, the two disciples immediately jumped to Soar and Autelan''s side, with the intention of killing them with one single blow.


    Swish!


    However, two black lights blasted out from


    Drugged one night by her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious man took advantage of her in an ecstatic night filled with sex.


    To take her revenge, she married the man, and used him.


    "As long as I''m alive, I''m still his legal wife, while all of you are just his mistresses."


    She remained adamant even when he was involved in scandals with other women.


    Eventually she stormed off after she learned that he had betrayed her again.But life brought her back to him a few years later, to his astonishment.


    er since they appeared. So, none of them had noticed Ricky''s transformation. Now seeing Ricky''s real body suddenly appear here, no wonder they were shocked to the extreme.


    "My real body has always been here!" Ricky said coldly as he ignored the three elders. At the same time, he walked over to Soar and Autelan and healed them with the Life and Death Fire.


    "You have disappointed my master so much.


    That''s why you have to die!" the man in black said once again. Soon after, with lightning speed, he directly murdered the three elders from the Sky-breaking Dome.


    Meanwhile, as soon as the three bodies echoed a loud thud on the ground, all the other warriors became more frightened than ever.


    At this point, they didn''t care about where the men in black came from. All they had in mind was that these men were audacious and daring enough to kill the three elders from the Sky-breaking Dome.


    In fact, even Ricky had to think deeply about considering to commit such heinous crime.


    "The rest of you, you can leave now!"


    the man in black ordered the other warriors as soon as he and his companions murdered the elders. "Otherwise, we have to send you to hell with them. Do you want that? You can''t stay here anymore because the Emperor Light does not belong to you.


    All of you should know it."


    Hearing his words, all the warriors around knew that he meant it. If they did not retreat immediately, then it was most likely that they would suffer the same fate as the elders.


    Therefore, without thinking twice, all the warriors left the area as quickly as possible as they thought that their lives were more important than acquiring the Emperor Light.


    After they left, the ten men did not do anything but wait silently as Ricky healed Soar''s and Autelan''s wounds.

 Chapter 1085 Too Many Questions

    Four hours passed when Autelan and Soar had finished recovering with the help of Ricky''s Life and Death Fire.


    Soon after, the three of them shifted their gazes to the ten men who were clad in black.


    "Congratulations, Mister Kenney! The Emperor Light is now yours," one of the men in black exclaimed in a joyous voice.


    "Who on earth are you?" Ricky asked in a hushed voice. "Why are you here, and what is your purpose?"


    These men didn''t attack them. Instead, they even handed the Emperor Light over to Ricky. At this moment, Ricky believed that there must be something fishy.


    "Mister Kenney, the Emperor Light is now yours! Shouldn''t you be thanking us for letting it happen?" the man in black returned the question.


    "What? So you want us to thank you?" Ricky replied coldly.


    "Not only have you killed everyone from the Sky-breaking Dome but also offended the other warriors. For sure, they will be blaming us for what happened because, in their eyes, we are on the same team. From what I see, you are deliberately setting a trap for us!" added Ricky with a sneer.


    "Ha-ha, I don''t think a genius like you has to be afraid of those useless losers," the man in black commented as he laughed loudly.


    "Clearly, I''m not afraid of them. However, what I am concerned about is the possible alliance among the forces behind them," Ricky responded frankly.


    "You must be joking! Nevertheless, the Emperor Light is all yours now. I just hope that you can hold on to it for a long time. We will surely meet again sooner than you think, so I guess we''ll see you around," the man in black said in a beaming tone.


    Soon after, the ten men clad in black prepared to leave the place peacefully.


    Meanwhile, Soar wanted to stop them from leaving, but Ricky pulled him back, preventing him from doing so.


    "Ricky, aren''t we going to do anything about this? So, what? Are we just going to let them go like this?" Soar said. "My gut tells me that they had formed an alliance with the Sky-breaking Dome. When they saw that the Sky-breaking Dome lost to us, they killed them in a snap. Now, I think it is only logical to kill these men. After all, there''s a high chance that they''ll stab us from behind.


    Moreover, I just can''t believe that they will give us the Emperor Light without a fight! Don''t you guys find it odd?"


    "Soar, I totally understand your concerns. But all ten of them are strong demi-spiritual emperors at peak state. Are you sure we can handle them?" Ricky said. "None of them is weaker than the three


    hey all entered the Emperor Light.


    "Tina, join us, please," Ricky said, inviting Tina.


    "Ricky, it''s better for me to stay here. After all, the Emperor Light is only useful for demi-spiritual emperors. I will not be able to refine it with my current strength. Moreover, I can''t refine anything related to energy until the evil spirit is completely eliminated from my body. Otherwise, such energy would only become nourishment for the evil spirit," Tina explained.


    "You don''t have to worry about that, Tina. I promise you that I will remove all the evil spirit from your body soon," Ricky said in a serious tone.


    "Since I came to you, I have always believed that you would do it for me. Now, I have even become a spiritual king, and this was something that I had never imagined before," Tina said in a joyous tone.


    "Well, what can I say? It''s just so good to have you by my side, Ricky!" Her voice was filled with shyness and happiness.


    In fact, Ricky was a little surprised to hear this. But soon, excitement began to fill his heart.


    He now felt that having a sensitive woman such as Tina by his side made his life more joyous and delightful.


    ''I need to protect everything I have with my strength. I must dedicate my life into becoming stronger so I won''t lose anyone that I care!'' Ricky thought to himself seriously.


    Soon after, he walked into the Emperor Light and began to bathe in it.


    When he got there, Soar and the others all had already entered the state of cultivation. At that moment, their momentums and strengths rapidly rose involuntarily.


    "Emperor Light, I hope you won''t let me down!" Ricky whispered to himself as he started to cultivate.

 Chapter 1086 An Incredible Path

    Meanwhile, as soon as Ricky sat down, he felt the stress disappear from head to foot. Soon after, he activated the Supreme Skills as he prepared to absorb and refine the Emperor Light. But at that moment, he suddenly realized that he did not know how to absorb the purest ruling power.


    In fact, the Emperor Light was so rare to spot that it could also be considered as a Treasure of Heaven and Earth. Moreover, it was needed by a warrior to become a spiritual emperor, and the only way to absorb it was absorbing it through a Heavenly Meridian.


    But the problem was that Ricky didn''t have a Heavenly Meridian.


    "Hey, Ricky, why aren''t you absorbing the Emperor Light?" asked the Dragon Intent Grass as it sensed Ricky''s frustration.


    "Well, how do you expect me to absorb it then?" Ricky sighed as he felt so helpless.


    "As you already know, you need to absorb it through your Heavenly Meridian. After that, the ruling power in the Emperor Light will help you open up the path to the Imperial Level," the Dragon Intent Grass answered. "Wait. Don''t tell me you don''t even know this!"


    "I know that! It''s just that there is no Heavenly Meridian in my body," Ricky responded shyly in a low voice.


    "What?! Are you serious?" both the Dragon Intent Grass and Evil Mandragora exclaimed in disbelief upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    "Oh, come on. Do you think I''ll ever lie to you? I''m telling you the truth!" Ricky said. "If you don''t believe me, then I''ll just show you. I can open my mind so you can feel my spiritual meridian."


    But at that moment, the Dragon Intent Grass and the Evil Mandragora were still in disbelief. However, they also knew that Ricky wouldn''t lie to them, especially about serious matters such as this one.


    "Ricky, as far as I know, you got more than one Heavenly Meridian from the Heavenly Void in the Eastern Land. Don''t tell me that you gave all of them away," the Evil Mandragora could not help but ask.


    "No, I didn''t give all of them away. It''s just that every time I tried to merge the Heavenly Meridian, my spiritual meridian would destroy one," Ricky explained.


    At that moment, he felt that he didn''t have to hide this secret from the Dragon Intent Grass and the Evil Mandragora any longer. After all, he considered them to be a part of his life now.


    On the other hand, both the Dragon Intent Grass and the Evil Mandragora were still out of words to express how confused they were with the whole situation. That was why, at that moment, no one spoke out a single word.


    After all, nobody knew what to say to Ricky to make him feel better.


    But after a long and painful dead air, the Dragon Intent Grass finally had the courage to say something. "You know what? I have always thought that your spiritual meridian was out of the ordinary, but I didn''t expect it to be this extraordinary! I mean, it could even destroy Heavenly Meridians, and if you don''t find that exceptional, then I don''t know what exceptional means to you. You know, a Heavenly Meridian can only be destroyed by the heavenly law, and it can''t be des


    axe spirit could evolve the chromatic energy, he thought that it must have the capacity to refine all kinds of power as well.


    Generally speaking, the ruling power in the Emperor Light could only be absorbed by a Heavenly Meridian. But at this moment, it seemed that the mysterious axe spirit served as a Heavenly Meridian.


    Meanwhile, at that moment, Ricky was in the state of cultivation. Soon after, his momentum and strength started to rise again.


    Given his previous cultivation in seclusion, he had already become an upper-grade demi-spiritual emperor at peak state.


    For demi-spiritual emperor, the most critical point was that he must have a good comprehension ability. He would make swift progress as long as he had a deep understanding of the rules.


    With the Chaos blood power, the five zones, and the regained spiritual meridian, Ricky had an extremely excellent comprehension ability. Perhaps everyone held a high standard on him that no one could challenge him in this respect.


    As a result, his progress reached its peak with the help of the mysterious axe spirit.


    In ten days, he made a breakthrough and became a stronger demi-spiritual emperor.


    Soon after, he spent another ten days to hone his strength at this level.


    On the other hand, once he became a stronger demi-spiritual emperor, Ricky found that he no longer had any room for improvement. All he could feel was that the invisible heavenly power was suppressing his progress.


    Undoubtedly, the heavenly law didn''t recognize him and allow him to make further progress since he didn''t possess a Heavenly Meridian.


    Without Ricky being acknowledged, the heavenly law would definitely suppress him.


    ''It seems that my path of martial arts has come to an end, but only for now. From now on, I''m going to find the unique path of becoming a spiritual emperor that truly and only belongs to me, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Before he could move on to his new goal, he first had to find out where the men in black were from, and what they wanted with him.

 Chapter 1087 Showdown

    Meanwhile, Ricky was now an upper demi-spiritual emperor at peak state. His strength was also at the limit of this level. Being new to this new level, he still had to explore the limits of his fighting abilities. However, there was one thing that he was sure of¡ªno one on the Complete Emperor Island was his match anymore.


    Beaming with confidence, he was set to step on an extraordinary path in the martial arts world.


    After a few days, Soar, Autelan, and the others had almost absorbed all the ruling power contained in the massive Emperor Light.


    At that moment, Ricky could sense that Soar''s and Autelan''s auras reached their peaks. Without a doubt, he knew that they had become strong enough to endure and break through the Thunderstroke Doom right now.


    Meanwhile, Pearl also had turned to be an extremely strong demi-spiritual emperor at peak state. As a result, she would only have to cultivate for a few more months before she became strong enough to incur the Thunderstroke Doom.


    However, whether she could pass the Thunderstroke Doom successfully was unknown to everyone.


    On the other hand, Amanda and Amelia had become upper demi-spiritual emperors at peak state as well. Therefore, with their strong strengths they had, the two sisters could surely cultivate more smoothly until they could break through the Thunderstroke Doom.


    "Wow, the Emperor Light is really powerful without a doubt. Cultivating here for a month is equal to one year''s routine cultivation. Moreover, we could never gain the rules and experiences contained in the Emperor Light if we cultivated only by ourselves," Soar said enthusiastically as he felt the rush of power in his body.


    In fact, he could even break through completely and become a spiritual emperor as long as he consolidated his strength for a few more months.


    "I see that you have also become a strong demi-spiritual emperor, Ricky. Now, I don''t need to fear anyone starting today. Let''s go and investigate who those men in black truly are!"


    "You said that, right. Now, let''s see what they''re hiding under those black covers. To be honest, I''m really eager to know if they are really that terrible," Autelan commented as he agreed with what Soar had to say.


    "Hey, take it easy. I still think that they are the ones who will initiate to meet with us. After all, I think they know where we are," Ricky reminded.


    After exchanging their experiences with their breakthroughs, they walked out of the Massacring Zone and started to prepare to leave the ruling region.


    But before they left, they made sure to collect many ruling spirits and ruling essence. Even though these things would not actually be of use to them, they knew they would be useful for their friends who were not able to enter the ruling region with them.


    In fact, they would give these ruling spirits a


    ius with great luck, just like Soar or Autelan, the genius'' chances of breaking through the heavenly doom will greatly increase.


    If another genius devours the guy who has refined the Emperor Light, the former will be able to gather the great luck in the latter''s body and use it. Moreover, when that person tries to break through the heavenly doom to become a spiritual emperor, he can use the great luck to resist a huge part of the attack from the heavenly doom."


    "So that explains it!" Ricky said.


    "But that kind of behavior is very cruel, indeed. The geniuses who have refined the Emperor Light have to be devoured alive, because only in this way can their great luck be gathered to its peak," the Dragon Intent Grass explained. "The fact that the master of these men in black came up with such an idea is enough to prove how cruel he must be."


    "It doesn''t matter whether he is extremely evil or not. The fact still remains that we have already refined the Emperor Light. If they really want to take it back, then they will have to eat us alive. So this is their plan. But whether they can achieve their goal or not, I seriously doubt! I won''t let this happen!" Ricky said coldly.


    At that moment, everything was clear to him now that he finally understood what these men in black wanted from them.


    Undoubtedly, the reason why the men in black had lured them here to fight for the Emperor Light was because they wanted the strongest warriors to get and refine the Emperor Light. After that, they could capture these strong warriors and send them to their master to eat them.


    "Now that you''re up to speed with what is happening, all of you will go to hell safely. It''s your honor to be the nutrient for our master in his path to become a spiritual emperor."


    As soon as the voice faded away, the fifteen men slowly walked towards Ricky, Soar, and Autelan, surrounding them.

 Chapter 1088 Trick We Also Have One

    "I have to admit that your scheme is perfect," Ricky sneered.


    "Thank you!" The man in black laughed, and his creepy laughter echoed around them. "You three should just give up, and let us capture you easily!"


    "Don''t talk big. You are asking for the moon if you want us to surrender to you fools! I despise people like you who creep in the shadows like cowards. I promise you, you will die today," Soar said coldly.


    "We may be fools, but I don''t think it will be a problem for us to take down you guys," answered the man in black confidently.


    "Maybe your plan is perfect, but I think that perfection leads to pride, and pride can lead to your downfall," Ricky said coldly.


    "And how do you propose to defeat us? I''m all ears!" taunted the man in black.


    "It''s very simple. Since we refined the Emperor Light, our strength has been greatly improved. We are now even stronger than a strong demi-spiritual emperor at the peak state. As a matter of fact, we are strong enough to break through the Thunderstroke Doom and become spiritual emperors at any time. I honestly think it''s fair to say that we have the ability to get rid of you or even kill you," Ricky easily answered.


    "Ha-ha, you are indeed right. Right now, each of you is more powerful than us, so each of you will have no problem beating us individually." The man in black laughed as if he was unaffected by the fact that Ricky was saying.


    "But you know what? This is something we have expected as well. We are no fools."


    Hearing the man''s words, Ricky, Soar, and Autelan darkened at this point, and they warily looked around in case there were more enemies hidden in the darkness.


    However, only those with sharp eyes could read calmness behind the gloom in their faces. In other words, their concern was just a disguise.


    In the next moment, three men in black stood out. They turned their palms over, and six glowing spheres appeared.


    These spheres were condensed by the strong ruling power, which was similar to that contained in the Emperor Light. However, the difference was the there was something inside those spheres.


    There was a figure inside each of the six glowing spheres.


    It was clear that all men inside were


    rom your body, leaving you weak.


    Am I right?" Amid the tense silence, the man in black spoke again, "Oh, no. To be more precise, you should feel that all your power has been suppressed into the Heavenly Meridians.


    And soon, you will feel unbearable pain in your body before you pass out.


    Do you know why this is happening? Let me tell you everything. This is because we had carved many small-sized Ancient Water Toxin Arrays in the Emperor Light!


    Such toxin is the deadliest you can find in the world. It is invisible and colorless. Even a spiritual emperor couldn''t detect it if the array is not activated.


    The toxin will erode your Heavenly Meridian, seal your power, and make you vulnerable!"


    At this moment, the fifteen looked exceedingly conceited and poured scorn on Ricky, Soar, and Autelan.


    "Arghhhhh!"


    Soar suddenly screamed out and knelt on the ground heavily.


    "Ha-ha, you may be a strong dragon. But so what? You will have to surrender to us eventually!" The fifteen men laughed loudly, as they seemingly enjoyed the pain in Soar''s scream


    However, their laughter stopped abruptly because, in the next moment, Soar stood up as if nothing happened.


    He shook his hands, as a boyish grin took over his face. He jokingly said, "Actually, I lied to you. I didn''t feel any pain at all."


    At the same time, Ricky and Autelan transformed their serious faces into joyous ones.


    "Just as you have a trick, we also have one to deal with you!"

 Chapter 1089 An Eye For An Eye

    Meanwhile, Ricky, Soar, and Autelan remained unscathed by the Ancient Water Toxin Array of the men in black.


    "What is happening? How could this be possible? I can''t believe that your bodies haven''t even been weakened by the water toxin, and your strength hasn''t been repressed by the array." At that moment, the fifteen men in black could hardly believe their eyes upon seeing that all three of them were in complete safety.


    The other six geniuses they had caught were no inferior to Ricky and his other two companions, but they still weren''t able to resist the Ancient Water Toxin Array. As a result, they dropped on the ground as they fainted in pain and agony. That was why these men in black could catch them.


    However, Ricky, Soar, and Autelan were unaffected by the array; thus, they were still fine.


    "What can I say? Those men in black are really something. With the Ancient Water Toxin Array that they possess, I''m sure that they must come from a powerful force," speculated the Dragon Intent Grass in Ricky''s Soul Sea.


    "It''s a good thing that I am an array deployer of Demi-spiritual Emperor Realm and have the chromatic energy. Otherwise, we would not have sensed the toxin and would have already fallen into the trap by now," Ricky said as his voice slightly trembled in fear.


    "The Ancient Water Toxin Array is very elusive. In fact, it can hide in every thread of the Emperor Light. No wonder it is difficult even for spiritual emperors to feel its presence."


    Before keeping the Emperor Light into his Massacring Zone, Ricky did not think twice to use his chromatic energy to check it first for any tampering. After all, the black men gave the Emperor Light to them without any fuss, so Ricky had to make sure that it wasn''t rigged.


    On the other hand, these men in black seemed to have seen this coming and thought that Ricky would indeed, check the Emperor Light for any inconsistencies.


    However, they were more confident in the Ancient Water Toxin Array. In fact, their water toxin was so amazing that even the regular spiritual emperors failed to sense its presence. As a result, they also thought that Ricky and his companions would not sense it either.


    Meanwhile, these men did not have any idea that Ricky was not only an array deployer but also someone who possessed a very unique kind of power¡ªthe chromatic energy. With the use of this power, he was able to detect the Ancient Water Toxin Array.


    "I give so much regard to the Ancient Water Toxin Array for being extraordinary. But I''m afraid that it will only go to waste if you use it," Ricky said lightly as he gradu


    e men in black weren''t surprised at all to see Soar and Autelan in their beast forms.


    "Sure enough, you must have very unusual backgrounds. Otherwise, you would not have known we are Great Dragons. However, this is no longer important, because, in a few moments, your lives will come to an end. And you can''t stop us asking the people behind you all the questions we have."


    At that moment, both Soar and Autelan didn''t expect that the men in black knew their real identities.


    But just like what they said, there was no time to dwell on this matter for it was not at all important.


    "Go!"


    The next moment, Soar and Autelan released their power and fought fiercely with the men in black.


    "The Ancient Water Toxin Array...


    Maybe you are presenting me a wonderful array. I will take advantage of it and make you suffer from it!" Ricky said in a low voice as he looked at five men in black. "Just like what I said, it''s an eye for an eye. Therefore, expect to taste the Ancient Water Toxin Array.


    After all, it would be too unfair if you only make your enemies feel the array."


    As soon as he finished speaking, Ricky turned his palm, and a ball of black and blue light rose from it.


    Soon after, this ball grew larger quickly and formed another array inside the fourth suppressive array.


    Afterwards, black toxin and blue water power flowed on the array at the same time.


    Ricky clapped his hands, and the toxin power on the array continuously emerged, with the black part covering the blue.


    "How can he do it? There''s no way! How can you mobilize the strongest toxin on this array? Logically you are unable to do that even though you are an array deployer!" the five men in black asked in utter fear and disbelief.

 Chapter 1090 Devils

    The Ancient Water Toxin Array contained supremely poisonous toxin in the world, which only they could mobilize with their special toxic water power. If anyone else, even spiritual emperors, dared to mobilize such supremely poisonous toxin, it would probably kill them instead.


    Despite its supposed rarity, Ricky had just created a huge Ancient Water Toxin Array. And not only that, but he was also flawlessly controlling the toxic power. The men in black couldn''t believe what they were seeing.


    "That''s impossible. Even though you are a talented array deployer and have the Devouring Mutant, it is still impossible for you to control the supremely poisonous toxin in the world." The men in black could only gape in disbelief, as Ricky smirked at them tauntingly.


    "I told you that if you knew my trump card earlier, you would not be so confident. Unfortunately, this could only end one way¡ªwith your loss!" Ricky said with a faint smile.


    The toxin in the Ancient Water Toxin Array was so powerful that it must have been designed by a top genius. Ricky had to admit that he could hardly control, even though his Devouring Mutant was working overtime.


    Thankfully, he still possessed the Devourer Zone, so no matter how powerful the toxin was, he could bring it under control as well.


    "Well, it''s time for you to have a taste of the array''s power since you were talking about it so much."


    "Humph! Kenney, you are truly strong. We did not expect that you could find the Ancient Water Toxin Array. But if you want to use the array to fight against us, you must be daydreaming," the five men in black replied in a cold voice upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    At this moment, they were naturally afraid of Ricky. However, Ricky was too arrogant. His tone sounded like he didn''t take them seriously, and he was acting like they were mere weaklings that he was playing with. This awakened the anger inside them, enough to overcome the fear that lingered in their bones.


    "Ha-ha! You will see it very soon!" Ricky said lightly. "I know your strange water power has rendered you unafraid of and invulnerable to toxins, but what will happen if your power is sealed?"


    Ricky said with a wicked smile that pulled at the corners of his mouth.


    After saying that, he clapped his hands, and the suppressive array changed in an instant. With Ricky''s five kinds of runes, the strong suppressing and sealing power formed five long sabers with cyan purple patterns.


    The long blades dropped and rus


    he men in black with ease.


    "I didn''t want to kill them, but these men left me no choice. If we didn''t kill them, their master will devour Fein and other guys alive," Autelan said.


    "They hold a candle to the devil. In my opinion, they should be killed. Maybe it was wrong to kill them, but it was out of our hands," Soar added.


    "Ricky, it''s time to see their true colors."


    Nodding slightly, Ricky burnt the upper part of the body of one of the men in black with his flame. Then, the man''s real body finally appeared in front of their eyes.


    All three of them gasped in shock.


    This man''s real body was a devil''s body. It was a real devil''s body.


    In Ricky''s Divine Manor, there were real devils, so he could not mistake anything else for a devil''s body.


    Of course, a devil could turn into human form, but once he died, his original form would show up. The man in black had fiendish arms, bloodthirsty pupils, and a strong body.


    Telepathically, the Evil Mandragora agreed that the man was, indeed, a real devil.


    "Those men in black are all devils? How is that possible?" Soar asked in disbelief, but none of them had the answers.


    "This is a devil''s corporeal body. It is true. But why didn''t they use the evil spirit? And how come we didn''t sense any trace of devils from their bodies?" Autelan muttered softly, almost to himself, as he observed the man''s dead body.


    "Even now, we still can''t sense any trace of the evil spirit from their bodies except for the devil''s body."


    "Ricky, do you know what this could mean?" Soar tuned to Ricky in confusion.


    "No... I am confused too," Ricky answered hesitantly, shaking his head.

 Chapter 1091 The Sudden Thunderstroke Doom

    "Could it be that these guys are devils, but they chose to cultivate the martial arts of the continent?" Autelan said loudly.


    "No way! Creatures from the continent can''t cultivate the evil spirit fully, and the upper limit is thirty percent. Even Norris, who is likely to have sold his corporeal body to devils, cultivated the evil spirit only up to fifty percent. And the opposite is also true. Even if devils sell their corporeal bodies to our continent, it is still impossible for them to completely remove the evil spirit from themselves.


    Of course, maybe there is some other very special way that we don''t know yet,"


    Ricky protested at once, shaking his head vehemently.


    "Ricky, this means that the people behind these men in black must surely have something to do with devils. This time, the matter is no longer because of personal conflict," Autelan said.


    "You''re right, Autelan. Since devils are involved, the matter is not as simple as a personal conflict. I am sure that something bigger is at play here," Ricky agreed, nodding his head sagely.


    "Ricky, you know that I have followed you for a while now, and I have encountered a lot of things related to devils even since then. It seems to me that, in this era, devils are going to invade the continent once again," the Dragon Intent Grass said from Ricky''s Soul Sea.


    "The devils will invade?" Ricky replied to the Dragon Intent Grass curiously.


    At the same time, he wondered what it could have meant.


    "What should we do next?" Soar asked worriedly.


    "Of course, we should find out who the person behind these men in black is. This will be our only goal before we leave the Complete Emperor Island. After all, almost all the members of the Sky-breaking Dome have died," Ricky answered at once, seemingly undaunted by the great task before them.


    "Are we going to look for that person aimlessly? We know nothing about them after all," Autelan said.


    "Not necessarily. If these men in black fail to return to whoever set them on us, the people behind them will likely take action. There is a great chance that he or she might come to us voluntarily," Ricky explained.


    "But before that, let me wake up Fein, Payne, and the four people from the Great Jade Dynasty first."


    After saying that, Ricky sucked the remaining water toxins in the six people''s bodies and woke up them with the Life and Death Fire.


    He had already depicted the Ancient Water Toxin Array, but its power depended heavily on the toxin.


    The toxin was limited. Every time the Ancient Water Toxin Array was used, toxins would have to be consumed.


    Therefore, the user had to


    estructive auras radiated all over the place, and from time to time, lightning flashed across the sky from out of nowhere.


    Dark clouds were rolling in the sky outside the Complete Emperor Island. Thunderstroke clouds also materialized, as the destructive thunder surged as if it was ready to strike.


    Such a scene naturally attracted all the creatures, and they all gathered in that place quickly.


    "This is the Thunderstroke Doom for a spiritual emperor. Who is going to break through the Thunderstroke Doom and become a spiritual emperor?" said a spiritual emperor.


    "The thunderstroke clouds are targeting the inner part of the Complete Emperor Island. It must be a genius on the Complete Emperor Island."


    "It''s very possible that a genius has obtained the Emperor Light but failed to use it properly, and the Thunderstroke Doom is drawn here instead."


    "How reckless that guy is! He has to consolidate the current strength after absorbing the Emperor Light. How dare he try to break through the Thunderstroke Doom so soon?"


    "I don''t know if he is confident or reckless!"


    "Someone wants to break through the Thunderstroke Doom on the Complete Emperor Island.


    Is he courting death? This is the Complete Emperor Island, where a spiritual emperor is not allowed to exist!" Warriors lingered around the areas, heads turned to the west, as they talked about what was happening heartily.


    "I don''t know what it will be like to break through the Thunderstroke Doom on the Complete Emperor Island. Will it cause any harm to us?"


    Meanwhile, Ricky and the others'' faces darkened slightly. They all thought that the person who was most likely to be breaking through the Thunderstroke Doom at this moment must be the master of the men in black.

 Chapter 1092 Kenney, We Meet Again

    "I am sure that only the one behind those men in black can bring the Thunderstroke Doom here, with no care for the lives of all the living beings in the Complete Emperor Island," Soar spat out between gritted teeth.


    "Damn these guys! In this case, I need to go and have a look!"


    Ricky shook his head, as anger clouded his mind with a thick red tint. "Guys, go ahead without me. I need you all to leave the Complete Emperor Island at once."


    "No, brother! Even though I do not doubt that you can survive, it''s still too dangerous for you to go alone." Soar immediately shook his head, as he profusely disagreed with Ricky''s proposal.


    "Kenney, if you want us to leave, then we will leave here together. If you want to go there and have a look, then we''ll go with you as well!" Fein and Ted replied seriously.


    "Don''t worry, I will be all right. With my current strength, only a genuine emperor can pose a threat to me," he comforted them. "And even if I meet a real emperor, I''m still confident that--"


    Boom!


    His speech was interrupted by a deafening explosion that shook all of the Complete Emperor Island. This time, it was not because of the Thunderstroke Doom, but because of the suppressive force that pervaded in the Complete Emperor Island.


    With the deafening bang, the suppressive force around the Complete Emperor Island became stronger in an instant. It looked almost opaque in its thickness.


    "What just happened? The suppressive force around the Complete Emperor Island seems to have grown stronger. It''s even stronger than it was in the beginning!" The surrounding warriors started to talk amongst themselves, feeling worried despite not knowing what they should be worried about. "The power from above seems to have stopped merging with our incomplete rule."


    "Does that mean we can''t go out?"


    Soon, the change attracted the attention of all the warriors on the Complete Emperor Island. Many of them tried to leave the island, but the suppressive force of the Complete Emperor Island forcefully bounced them back.


    At this moment, all the warriors were nearly brought to their knees in despair.


    They all knew that the change must have been caused by the Thunderstroke Doom outside.


    Thus, they could only pray that the Thunderstroke Doom would not enter the Complete Emperor Island.


    "What is happening? Why did the suppressive force around the Complete Emperor Island suddenly grow stronger?" The warriors outside the


    eror.


    "It was truly a great idea. The suppressive force on this Complete Emperor Island can indeed resist the Thunderstroke Doom without enhancing its power."


    As soon as the laughter fell, a streak of blue light shot into the air from the west, turning into a human figure.


    The void where that man stood was drowned in blue water, and in that place, a world of blue water formed instantly.


    "Blue heavy water! It is the Blue Water Mutant!" Ricky uttered seriously, as he watched it happen right before his eyes.


    "Just as I thought! It is this guy." "What? It is the Blue Water Mutant?!" After hearing Ricky''s words, Autelan, Fein, and Ted were all shocked. They looked at the blue world in the void again, and all of a sudden, their pupils shrank as they also recognized it.


    All the warriors around were shocked to find out that it was the blue heavy water.


    It was known that only the legendary extremely poisonous Blue Water Mutant was able to exert the blue heavy water.


    "How could this be possible? That''s the Blue Water Mutant!" some warriors who had also recognized the Blue Water Mutant said in shock.


    Everyone was stunned.


    "How could it be possible? I can''t believe that I can see the Blue Water Mutant in my life!"


    "Ricky, it''s him!


    He is the man behind those men in black. No wonder their strange water power had the same power as that of the Blue Water Mutant," Soar said coldly.


    "Perhaps I should have known that those men in black were under Oswald''s command," Ricky added lightly.


    "Ha-ha!


    "Ha-ha!


    Kenney, here we meet again. How are you?" Oswald looked at Ricky with piercing eyes.

 Chapter 1093 Arrogance

    "Oswald! Long time no see, indeed. Nice to meet you the second time around. And I believe this will be the last time we see each other," Ricky sneered in a loud voice upon hearing Oswald''s regards.


    "No doubt about that. I feel the same way! This will be the last time, Kenney," Oswald said, threatening.


    Hearing their exchange of greeting, the warriors around could not help but react. Soon after, they began to whisper, "Since when did Kenney have issues with Oswald?"


    At that moment, they were still astonished by the Blue Water Mutant''s presence. But there was nothing they could do but to accept it from now on.


    But when they saw more than a dozen men clad in black standing behind Oswald, their faces turned pale as they had almost guessed what had just happened.


    "I don''t know, but it sounds like Kenney has already known about Oswald''s Blue Water Mutant a long time ago!"


    "Well, I never expected that Oswald would be the one behind the men in black."


    "I can''t believe that Oswald managed to hide his strength so well. Plus, I never expected that he owns an extremely terrifying mutant such as the Blue Water Mutant."


    "Yeah, I feel the same way. He was already quite outstanding back when Carney was alive. But as it turns out, Carney was more famous. He obviously outshone Oswald and drew everyone''s attention to him."


    "So, maybe that''s why Oswald also vanished when Carney died and Kenney disappeared! I mean, there was no longer any genius to draw the attention that''s why he did it."


    "But right now, all we know is how strong those men in black are. In fact, they are all strong demi-spiritual emperors at peak state. Although the Sky Palace is a spiritual-emperor force, it is impossible for them to have so many strong demi-spiritual emperors in their palace."


    "You''re right. Plus, these men in black look quite young and agile. I just hope we can match their speed."


    "But the problem is that the disciples of the Sky Palace are not with Oswald right now. This only means that he probably has established his own force."


    "But these facts won''t change a thing about our current situation. I know that he utilizes the suppressive force on this island to break through the Thunderstroke Doom. Everything may seem okay now, but who knows what will happen next?"


    "All I can assure you is that this guy is really the owner of the Blue Water Mutant.


    Look at him. He doesn''t care about anyone else''s life at all. Just himself."


    "Kenney, may I just say that you are the very first genius in the entire Western Land who has attracted my attention? And I have to admit that your growth and improvement in the martial arts has threatened me q


    e!"


    "I never expected any of this, too," Ricky responded in a deep voice. "However, it appears that the person behind him doesn''t have the ability to enter the Complete Emperor Island.


    I think it will be much easier for us if I kill Oswald at lightning speed before he becomes a spiritual emperor."


    "Right now, I think this is our only option," replied the Dragon Intent Grass. "But it is very difficult to pull off. As long as Oswald wants the heavenly doom, it will come at any time."


    "Well, let''s leave everything to the fate then, whether it will come or not," Ricky said in a serious tone.


    On the other side, Oswald continued, "It was just out of my expectation that Gerald, who had cultivated to the ultimate ruthless state, was killed by you even before he could start to injure you seriously.


    At that time, I understood that if I wanted to kill you, I had to do it with no one''s help. I hope now you understand."


    "I''m more than honored to make you feel threatened and take action in person!" Ricky said with a smirk on his face.


    "Yes, you are not mistaken. You''re greatly honored!" Oswald said in a condescending tone.


    "But I just want to ask you one more time. Are you willing to surrender to me and follow me? If you are, then you will have a brighter future. I can promise you this because I have a unique trump card that is beyond ordinary people''s imagination.


    Take these men in black, for example. You already know their real bodies, but you still know nothing more in detail about them, right?"


    "Ha-ha, well, I have to admit. What you said actually made me curious and a little interested. But, I prefer to create my bright future by myself and satisfy my curiosity through my exploration," Ricky said, the smirk still resting on his face.

 Chapter 1094 The Real Blue Water Mutant

    "Your bright future? Created by you? Ha-ha! What a big joke!" Oswald let out a loud laugh, mocking Ricky. "Please enlighten me¡ªhow can you, who is going to die here, create a bright future?


    Anyone who rebels against me shall die. Only those who obey me have the right to create their own bright future!"


    With these words, his momentum exploded at once. The power of the blue water condensed into strong blades and hacked at Ricky from multiple directions.


    It could be felt that the power of each blue blade had reached the extreme level of an demi-spiritual emperor. At that level, it could possibly even destroy the Thunderstroke Doom. No demi-spiritual emperor could be able to withstand it.


    As they strongly felt the terrifying power of the blades, a strong sense of fear washed over all warriors present. Such power could only perhaps be found from a spiritual emperor.


    "How is this possible? When did he possess such great power so close to that of a spiritual emperor''s?" Soar said in a deep voice. He pressed his lips together. "Although I hate to admit it, I''m certain that even just one of those blue blades can easily defeat me."


    Fein slowly nodded in affirmation. "Oswald concealed his real strength well. Is this the power of the Blue Water Mutant? If so, then Kenney is in danger now."


    "Let''s launch our strongest attack together and try to kill him in a split second. Only in this way can we defeat him," Ted advised.


    "But we absolutely don''t stand a chance! There''s still a huge difference in our strength versus Oswald''s. Although we''ve all grown strong enough to pass the doom, even with all our strengths combined, we''re far from being able to rival against him! Well¡­ That is unless we also trigger the Thunderstroke Doom!"


    Autelan stated.


    The others fell silent because Autelan''s words were true. If they wanted to defeat Oswald, they had to trigger the Thunderstroke Doom.


    In that case, their incomplete ruling power would change in an instant into the compl


    ly subdued him.


    ''So is this how powerful the ace genius is?'' Oswald thought grimly.


    Ricky also looked solemn. He could feel Oswald''s strength just through one move.


    He had broken out his extreme power with the Chaotic Punch, but it was matched by just a casual attack from Oswald.


    ''This is indeed the power that can trigger the Thunderstroke Doom! And that water power is the power of the real Blue Water Mutant!


    The last avatar of mine cannot compare with this at all!'' Ricky exclaimed in his thoughts.


    "Ricky, your strength has come close to the incredible demi-spiritual emperor, but it''s still a long way to reach it. You have to travel that road by yourself," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    The powerful demi-spiritual emperor possessed the power to trigger the Thunderstroke Doom, which was a clear sign of becoming the incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    But to make it, one still had to make a most important breakthrough¡ªa breakthrough that only himself would be able to know what it was like.


    The road to becoming the incredible demi-spiritual emperor only belonged to himself and not anyone else.


    ''Incredible demi-spiritual emperor? So this fight is likely to be an opportunity for me to become that!'' Ricky murmured to himself.


    "Kenney!


    I''ll let you know what the real Blue Water Mutant is!"

 Chapter 1095 Fierce Battle

    Splash!


    As soon as Oswald''s voice trailed off, he employed the Blue Water Mutant. Soon after, limitless water poured out from the sky which stretched for hundreds of meters around.


    Moreover, following his mutant, he also transformed into the current of blue water. Soon after, the mutant mark in between his eyebrows turned into a circle, signaling that his mutant was already being used to the extreme.


    At that moment, infinite water flooded towards him. Then, numerous extreme blue water toxins from the Blue Water Mutant fused with the water. With this, a real world of heavy water appeared under the ruling power.


    Soon after, an invisible current of blue heavy water spread around his body, assuming the role of an armor.


    With Oswald in the center of the surge of power, a dominant kind of aura spread all throughout the area as if he were a king, full of power. At that moment, he looked down upon the entire Complete Emperor Island. This was not only because of his current state but was also the effect of the Blue Water Mutant being one of the ultimate mutants in the world.


    "Chaotic power? Humph! Unfortunately, your chaotic power will bow to my blue heavy water!" Oswald cried after erupting the Blue Water Mutant.


    But Ricky didn''t respond. Instead, his Chaotic Fire Mutant devoured the power and immediately burst out. Soon after, five kinds of runes surrounded him, and his grayish-white eyes turned into the golden light. As a result, his Golden Spirit Eyes appeared.


    "So you have one kind of the Eyes of Heaven and Earth? Say goodbye to them for they will be mine! Ha-ha-ha!" Oswald laughed greedily as he aimed for Ricky''s eyes.


    "Then what are you waiting for? Show me what you got and fight me!"


    Meanwhile, Ricky launched the first attack. In a snap, his five kinds of runes and the Golden Spirit Eyes fused with the Fire Dragon Extremity and the nine kinds of flames into the chaotic power. Clenching his left hand into a fist, he grasped the Iron Justice Saber that gleamed in his right hand.


    As soon as his feet jumped into the air, Ricky employed his fist shadow, blasting out the Galaxy Strike.


    Moreover, the Furnace of Heaven and Earth and the Evil Devouring Mouth behind him merged together and formed the world of power, which provided him with unlimited power to fight.


    Ricky thought of using the Sky-devouring Strikes but chose not to because his comprehension of them was not deep enough at the moment.


    Meanwhile, he burs


    oar, use your Heaven Melting Pagoda and my Heaven Slaughtering Pagoda!" Autelan immediately told Soar telepathically.


    "Yes!"


    "Do you really want to kill me this way?


    Do you look down on me?" Ricky muttered at this moment. Amidst the infinite violent dust, a strong force suddenly poured out.


    Bang! Bang!


    As soon as the dust scattered around, the giant''s six fists exploded.


    And a twenty-foot high figure appeared.


    Behind it, the flaming and devouring saber light slashed down. These were the two strikes launched by Ricky through breaking out the Ancestral Intent Formula and gathering all the strength he could.


    Crack! Crack!


    Instantly, the giant was wrecked into three pieces and disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    As a result, Oswald was thrown back a thousand meters in the air due to the impact. As soon as he landed on the ground, he felt the crushing weight on his chest and spat a mouthful of blood.


    "How can this be possible? What kind of power does he possess? Why do I feel that his power is even more powerful than my Blue Water Mutant?" Oswald asked in disbelief as he saw his wounds gush out with blood.


    "Hey, guys, Kenney is fine!" Soar said enthusiastically.


    "Do you have any idea what kind of power that is?" everyone exclaimed as they witnessed the power of Ricky''s Ancestral Intent Formula.


    At that moment, they could not help but ask, because they could feel the tremendous pressure brought by Ricky''s strength.


    "What...


    What kind of power did you just use on me?" Oswald also asked Ricky aggressively.


    "The kind of power that will kill you!" Ricky answered back in a murderous voice.

 Chapter 1096 Failure In Killing Oswald

    "You are digging your own grave! How dare you hurt my true body?!" Oswald said grimly upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    At that moment, he gathered all his strength as he lifted his palms upward. Soon after, the power of the Blue Water Mutant poured down like rain, condensing eight gods of blue water again.


    "Heavy Water of Heaven and Earth! Show up, my eight water gods!"


    This was the power of the Blue Water Mutant. It had the ability to summon the shadow of the god of water.


    However, what Oswald summoned was an evil one, the evil god of carnage.


    Meanwhile, the eight evil gods merged into his body, instantly strengthening his power of heavy water.


    Boom!


    Moreover, the sudden rise in his power caused the Thunderstroke Doom to shoot further in the sky.


    "Ricky, I''m afraid that Oswald will activate the Thunderstroke Doom to destroy you. And when that happens, nobody can tell you what to do next," the Dragon Intent Grass warned him.


    "Then, I guess this is it. It''s time for the moment of truth. We have no other choice but to kill him in one big blow. We don''t have much time. We have to beat him before he triggers the Thunderstroke Doom," Ricky uttered as he tried to stay focused on the goal.


    Without wasting time, Ricky tore up the void and leaped towards Oswald, launching his vicious attacks.


    Soon after, his Golden Spirit Eyes concentrated the nine kinds of flames, the Fire Dragon Extremity, burning his body. As a result, he instantly became more enthusiastic, bringing to light his peak fighting form.


    The chaotic power came from his blood, and the power from the Ancestral Intent Formula came from the heaven.


    Apart from those, Ricky also summoned the chromatic energy into his Massacring Zone. He had to keep his ace card hidden so that he could employ this fatal move smoothly when it was ready to be used.


    Meanwhile, the three kinds of power joined altogether on the Iron Justice Saber, making it give off an intense and blinding saber light. In addition to that, he also unified the Iron Justice Saber with his own body. Afterwards, he immediately turned into an earth-shaking strike and dashed towards Oswald at lightning speed.


    "This strike has no name, and you will die not knowing its name. I am using it to end your life for the sake of everyone on this island!" With a loud thunderous roar, a ray of light fell down together with the saber.


    "Kill me with one strike? You wish!" Oswald taunted after seeing Ricky prepare his fiercest attack.


    Swish!


    Meanwhile, he condensed eight arms on his body to fight against Ricky''s brutal attacks.


    "God of heavy water! Heavy Water Fist!"


    At that moment, eight arms immediately extended from his body. Soon after, these arms evolved into eight humongous channels, roaring ferociously all throughout the area. A


    med Oswald''s figure.


    However, he still looked weak from all the damage that he had sustained from Ricky''s attacks.


    "I... I can''t believe this! Oswald is still alive!" At this moment, the warriors felt more frightened after sensing the aura of the Thunderstroke Doom getting stronger and stronger each second.


    "The chromatic energy? Is it also the power of the mysterious thing in the Sky-breaking Palace? I never expected that you could control it," Oswald uttered coldly as he got up on his feet.


    But at that moment, all Oswald felt in his heart were greed and hatred.


    ''Am I seeing this right? Even the chromatic energy can''t kill him?! The life force of the Blue Water Mutant is so powerful! How on earth am I going to defeat him?'' Ricky thought to himself.


    In fact, the chromatic energy he had broken out earlier had even pierced Oswald''s chest! But now, here he was, safe and sound.


    "That''s why the Blue Water Mutant is so powerful," the Dragon Intent Grass emphasized.


    "But that''s not the whole point, Ricky. As a matter of fact, Oswald is likely to trigger the Thunderstroke Doom. Both of you have already shown all the tricks up your sleeves. So this is the only way he can defeat you!"


    "What? Does he really dare to trigger the Thunderstroke Doom right now? I doubt he''ll do it. After all, his body is extremely weak, and I don''t think he can do it!" Ricky uttered in a low voice.


    "Don''t forget how many geniuses he has devoured. He can''t consume all their power at one time! So it''s likely that he is still storing great power in his body," the Dragon Intent Grass replied.


    As soon as the Dragon Intent Grass finished its words, Oswald knitted his hands together again, and a dozen yellow light balls appeared between his eyebrows. Soon after, these yellow balls released a kind of powerful energy that helped him recuperate more rapidly.

 Chapter 1097 Drawing The Doom

    Meanwhile, these bright yellow light masses looked very similar to the ones Fein and the others had been in before. However, the only thing that set them apart was their difference in size.


    Interestingly, shadows of people could be seen inside these light masses. Moreover, these masses emitted a kind of energy that was the same as that of the Emperor Light. Needless to say, the people inside these masses were no other than geniuses who had refined the Emperor Light.


    At that moment, all the warriors who saw this could not help but dig deeper into what was going on.


    "Those geniuses might be very weak now, but they are not dead yet. It seems that it would take Oswald a while before he can refine the Emperor Light altogether," Ricky whispered in a low voice.


    Soon after, he confidently burst out the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill and the Evil Devouring Mouth. With the help of the Devourer Zone''s strong blood vitality, he was able.to recuperate quicker than expected. As a result, he immediately sent himself in front of Oswald the moment he took one step forward.


    On the other hand, the chromatic power and the power from the Ancestral Intent Formula enveloped the Iron Justice Saber, revealing the Sealing Formula of the Galaxy Saber Skill.


    At that moment, Ricky no longer concealed the fact that he was an array deployer. That was why when the Golden Spirit Eyes blinked, he did not hesitate to let the cyan-purple patterns cover his body almost instantly. Soon after, two arrays that had already been depicted came out of the Massacring Zone.


    "Heavenly Array¡ªDouble Dragon Killing Array!"


    "Heavenly Array¡ªThe Fourth Seal!"


    At this moment, two arrays were set¡ªthe array of heavenly seal, and the array of wild slaughter.


    Soon after, these two arrays unfurled and rapidly absorbed the heavenly power. At that moment, the Fourth Seal Array fused with the sealing formula, building Ricky''s strongest sealing power.


    Meanwhile, the Double Dragon Killing Array suspended behind Ricky. As soon as it got larger, it formed two dragon shadows with intense killing intent. These dragon shadows roared out loud, spitting out two of their strongest killing blades¡ªone from the left and one from the right, slicing towards Oswald.


    "Wait, I know what those are! Those are arrays! The cyan-purple patterns mean that he is an array deployer at Demi-spiritual Emperor Realm!" The warriors who witnessed this were stunned to see such a secret unfold.


    "But how is this possible? Kenney is an array deployer as well!" Many voices echoed all around as they were filled with disbelief.


    On the other hand, only Soar, Pearl, and the other two girls were the ones who were not surprised to hear this news.


    "Well, I guess Kenney did it again. He has so many trump cards up his sleeve!" Fein and Ted mumbled.


    Both of them might be amused, but they weren''t really surprised at that point. After all, they were used to finding Ricky''s infinite trump card


    sland. Undoubtedly, they were acting upon Oswald''s orders.


    As for Oswald, he didn''t care whether other creatures on the island were dead or alive for he would do anything to kill Ricky.


    By now, a series of facts had proven that his worries were reasonable. Ricky was absolutely his greatest enemy. As it turned out, a genius who cultivated the chaotic power couldn''t be underestimated at all.


    Meanwhile, all he needed to do at that moment to achieve his goal was to take advantage of the current Thunderstroke Doom to kill Ricky once and for all.


    And without a shadow of a doubt, he also thought that it was his best opportunity.


    At this moment, Ricky had no choice but to put Autelan and his other companions into his Massacring Zone in order to protect them.


    "And so what? Even though you put them in your spiritual space tool, you still can''t escape! No one will survive. Mark my words!" Oswald mocked.


    "Oswald, you can attack me with the help of the Thunderstroke Doom, and I can also attack you by utilizing the same Thunderstroke Doom. Don''t forget that the Thunderstroke Doom will be strengthened because of my existence, and you have to face the fact as well," Ricky spat coldly as he walked towards Oswald.


    At that intense moment, neither of them wanted to let go of each other.


    Upon realizing how powerful and special the Blue Water Mutant was, Ricky knew that he would definitely set the tiger back to the mountains if he let go of Oswald, which would become a big trouble in the future.


    Ricky was confident that those geniuses whom he had defeated would no longer be able to challenge him once again. But things were different when it came to Oswald, who had the Blue Water Mutant. As a result, Ricky felt that he would face more trouble in the future if he let go of Oswald now.


    "Ha-ha, you are right. But don''t forget that I am the one who is breaking through the Thunderstroke Doom this time," Oswald scorned upon hearing Ricky''s words.

 Chapter 1098 Incredible Martial Arts Road

    "This is my Thunderstroke Doom. Thanks to you, it has grown more powerful, and you have to deal with that additional power. It does not matter how talented you are. If you get involved in other people''s Thunderstroke Doom, you will surely die."


    "You weakened the power of the Thunderstroke Doom with the force on the Complete Emperor Island. You also tried to kill me with the force of the Thunderstroke Doom! You don''t want to admit it, but I know that I make you quiver in your boots. Your strong will of martial arts has dissipated," Ricky told him with disgust, but Oswald just smiled at him, unaffected by his words.


    He opened his arms wide, threw his head back, and laughed like a maniac. He said, "Ha-ha! Kenney, it is useless to insult me with such cliched and meaningless words. Do you think I believe in your useless philosophy? For me, as long as I can achieve my goal, I don''t care what road I take. That is my martial arts road."


    Ricky''s face darkened once again. ''This guy is a monster, '' he commented inwardly.


    Crack!


    A resounding crack suddenly echoed all over the Complete Emperor Island, as the suppressive forces on many areas were shattered into pieces, thanks to the Thunderstroke Doom''s massive force.


    Technically, the Thunderstroke Doom did not destroy the suppressive force directly. This was impossible since the suppressive force on the Complete Emperor Island far exceeded that of the spiritual emperor''s Thunderstroke Doom. Instead, the suppressive force retreated according to the heavenly law.


    No matter how special the Complete Emperor Island was, it could not go against the heavenly law to stop the Thunderstroke Doom from coming down.


    However, it had, indeed, weakened the Thunderstroke Doom to a certain extent even though Ricky was also there, which reversely strengthened the Thunderstroke Doom.


    In a fraction of a second, all the suppressive forces on the Complete Emperor Island faded with the influence of the heavenly law. Endless destructive thunder poured down in the blink of an eye and drowned the island.


    The warriors who had escaped but were too slow and weak to escape completely were hopelessly submerged under the Thunderstroke Doom.


    As some warriors successfully escaped, the creatures outside realized what was happening inside the island.


    "Sky Palace!" In an instant, all their anger was concentrated on the Sky Palace.


    In the void, the chief and all the disciples of the Sky Palace trembled with fear.


    However, the truth was that none of them knew that Oswald had the Blue Water Mutant, except those people who followed Oswald and the chief of the Sky Palace.


    Despite the mounting anger, the surrounding warriors did not attack the Sky Palace.


    The


    change his mind.


    He didn''t have the Heavenly Meridian, so if he wanted to become a spiritual emperor, he must go against the heaven law. And if he wanted to become a spiritual emperor, he must become an incredible demi-spiritual emperor prior to that.


    He felt that his road to becoming an incredible demi-spiritual emperor was in this Thunderstroke Doom, so he was convinced that it was his only chance. Moreover, his regained spiritual meridian and Chaos blood power were also telling him that his road of becoming an incredible demi-spiritual emperor was in here.


    He couldn''t hold back. If he did, he could never reach the incredible martial arts road again.


    He would rather die now if he could not become a spiritual emperor.


    And his valiant heart also told him that he could not retreat.


    ''It''s my incredible martial arts road! I have to find it myself!'' Ricky thought to himself. At this moment, there was nothing but determination in his eyes.


    If he failed, he was willing to pay with his life.


    Boom! At the same time, the Thunderstroke Doom in the sky had reached its peak.


    Five colors began to spread over the purple destructive thunder.


    With a flash of lightning, the sky collapsed, and everything within miles was drowned out by the five-colored purple destructive thunder. There was destruction everywhere, and no life could be found.


    "The incredible road! It''s my incredible martial arts road! Come on, I am waiting for you!"


    Ricky shouted with determination.


    "It''s the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom!" The warriors around were astonished to see the scene.


    The Thunderstroke Doom was usually made up of different colors, which signified its strength. The Thunderstroke Doom with only one color was the weakest, while the Thunderstroke Doom with five colors was the strongest.

 Chapter 1099 The True Identity

    The Thunderstroke Dooms for spiritual kings also differed in strength but not in the number of colors. A creature that was a spiritual king had just begun the progress of taking off the mortal body and had not yet come into contact with the heavenly law. And the heavenly law allowed such creatures to exist in excess.


    Therefore, no matter how talented a genius was, if he was breaking through to become a spiritual king, his Thunderstroke Doom would be quite weak. In that kind of Thunderstroke Doom, the chance to survive was very high.


    However, the Thunderstroke Doom for spiritual emperors were different. Spiritual emperors could not only come into contact with the heavenly law, but they could also use the heavenly power. The heavenly law did not allow many such creatures to exist.


    Moreover, the more gifted a creature was, the stronger the Thunderstroke Doom for him would be. At the same time, he would have less chance to survive.


    The heavenly law even divided the Thunderstroke Dooms for spiritual emperors into five levels, from the one-colored Thunderstroke Doom to the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom.


    The one-colored Thunderstroke Doom was the weakest, so a lot of creatures could survive in its wake.


    On the other hand, the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom was the strongest. It was so deadly that it would often leave no life behind.


    The most common ones were one-colored and two-colored dooms. Even so, most of the demi-spiritual emperors might die from them.


    Another level was the three-colored Thunderstroke Doom, which could come to a peerless genius.


    The chance of survival in a three-colored Thunderstroke Doom was less than ten percent.


    Four-colored Thunderstroke Dooms were extremely rare because they were only for ace geniuses. Therefore, it could be said that the four-colored Thunderstroke Dooms were as rare as the ace geniuses.


    And the chance of survival in a four-colored Thunderstroke Doom was only one or two percent at the most.


    As for the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom, it only existed in legends, and it was also known as the Thunderstroke Doom of absolute destruction.


    A creature that could cause a Thunderstroke Doom of this level was a genius among ace geniuses. And this creature''s cultivation method must be incredible. Only in this way would the heavenly law choose to test this creature''s ability through the strongest five-colored Thunderstroke Doom.


    It was no exaggeration to say that there was no chance of surviving a five-colored Thunderstroke Doom.


    "Look! A five-colored Thunderstroke Doom!


    The legendary Thunderstroke Doom of absolute destruction. I can''t believe that I am seeing it with my own eyes today!" Many creatures were so shocked that they could not help but shout in alarm upon seeing it.


    y''s true identity.


    "He has finally returned to his true identity..." Mason sighed. His tone sounded regretful because he didn''t think Ricky would have any chance of surviving in the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom.


    The fact that it was not his Thunderstroke Doom made matters even worse.


    "Ricky? Is he the Ricky who colluded with devils?"


    "I didn''t expect that Ricky is Kenney."


    "Maybe we should have thought about it carefully, and we might have realized it earlier. After all, there are not so many ace geniuses in the world. Kenney is Ricky, and Ricky is Kenney."


    "Yeah!"


    "I heard that he wasn''t colluding with devils. It was just that Ricky had subdued a devil spiritual emperor. In fact, he has rescued many forces in the Eastern Land."


    "What''s more, what Ricky has done on the Complete Emperor Island also proves that he is not that kind of person."


    "That''s right!"


    "But it''s useless to say all this now. Whether he is Ricky or Kenney, whether he colluded with devils or not, he would definitely die from the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom! We are about to lose a man of such incredible talents..."


    "What a cunning guy! I didn''t expect him to be Ricky!" Oswald was also shocked at this moment, but he didn''t have much time to entertain his feelings, as the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom was giving him a difficult time.


    "I feel better when I can burst out all my power under the Ultimate Golden Body!" Ricky said as he felt exhilarated.


    At the moment, he felt so good after having to hide his real power for so long. It felt like he had finally shed his skin that was smothering him all this time.


    Crack! As this was going on, the endless five-colored Thunderstroke Doom continued to attack Ricky''s huge Ultimate Golden Body.


    At this moment, Ricky finally took action, and his Massacring Sand suddenly surged.

 Chapter 1100 The Mysterious Conversation

    At that moment, the Massacring Sand filled Ricky''s golden body as he soared into the sky to resist the Thunderstroke Doom''s infinite attacks.


    On the other hand, Ricky would only be able to break through the Thunderstroke Doom once he survived all of the doom''s five attacks.


    Meanwhile, two massive vicious-looking cloud clusters began forming up in the sky¡ªone for Oswald and one for Ricky.


    However, it was very evident that Ricky''s could cluster was more powerful than Oswald''s, for it contained more intense destructive power than the latter.


    Moreover, the sky in the area seemed to be separated into five layers with incremental thickness, indicating a stronger destructive force in each of its layers. Soon after, five ferocious attacks suddenly flashed down to where Ricky and Oswald stood.


    Boom! At that moment, the first layer of the Thunderstroke Doom released a powerful thunderbolt, striking down Ricky and Oswald.


    On the other hand, Ricky and Oswald did whatever they had to in order to dodge the first attack, leaving them almost out of breath from exhaustion.


    "Whoa, there''s no doubt that this is the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom of absolute destruction! With its merciless power, even its first attack is enough to deprive the two ace geniuses of the power to continue fighting!" the warriors around commented intensely.


    "But all kinds of pills and Treasures from Heaven and Earth are forbidden to be used in the whole process. That means it will be even more difficult for these geniuses to deal with attacks after this without any assistance from pills or treasures to help them recover."


    After the voice trailed off, the attack from the second layer of the Thunderstroke Doom struck the geniuses with a deafening sound.


    During this time, Oswald didn''t just evade the attack. Instead, he clapped his hands and summoned the endless water power from the surrounding area. Quickly, he absorbed this said power and recovered his strength, bringing him back to his peak state.


    But at that moment, Oswald''s whole body seemed to turn terribly pale.


    This was due to the large amount of blood essence that he had consumed in a short time to recover to his peak state, causing his body to go into a shock.


    Ricky, on the other hand, had no choice but to burst out the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill and the Evil Devouring Mouth again. He also condensed the Life Wings, mobilizing all the life energy in his body.


    Soon, after both of them readied their attacks, Oswald and Ricky started to resist the attack from the second layer of the Thunderstroke Doom.


    As soon as the second attack disappeared, Ricky and Oswald were already at their last gasp, catching their breaths.


    "Oh, my. I bet you that they are


    ted, and vanished in an instant.


    Although the Thunderstroke Doom attacked Oswald, it didn''t cause him any harm after the invisible power disappeared.


    A few moments later, Oswald finally revealed his true body.


    "Well, apparently that guy really was telling the truth. The five-colored Thunderstroke Doom of absolute destruction will, indeed, not hurt me," Oswald scorned. At that moment, he chose not to look at Ricky because he believed that Ricky would most certainly die. Instead, Oswald just sat down cross-legged and got ready to become a spiritual emperor.


    Meanwhile, infinite thunder surrounded Oswald, preventing the other warriors from seeing him.


    And at that moment, they all thought that Oswald had been dead.


    "Oswald is dead now. Even if Kenney, oh, no, Ricky, could resist the third attack from the Thunderstroke Doom, all his efforts would still be in vain. The way I see it, it is going to be impossible for him to survive the fourth and the fifth attacks."


    Someone voiced out his opinion.


    Bang!


    Thunder light flashed, and the third attack of Thunderstroke Doom retreated. Ricky''s body fell heavily in the void like a cannonball. He had sustained a lot of injuries all over his body.


    At that moment, Ricky was so beaten and bruised that all the warriors around him felt only a little breath of life from him.


    "That''s it. Surely, this third attack is his limit!" the warriors around sighed at the sight of this heartbreaking scene.


    On the other hand, all the members of the Spirit Sect could not help but feel sad.


    At that moment, all they saw was Ricky so weak that he could not even gather his power, let alone gather his strength to recover.


    Moreover, the fire of life that was transformed on his body was only faintly visible.


    "Is... Is this my limit?" Ricky mumbled weakly.

 Chapter 1101 Ancestral Thunder Zone

    Ricky was powerless at this moment. Not an ounce of power was left for him to be able to activate any of his zones or Omnipotent Skills. He was on the very brink of death that perhaps even a tiny ant could kill him.


    He had already reached his limit after the attack of the Thunderstroke Doom. As expected, the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom wreaked absolute destruction and did not give any creature that came across its path any chance of survival.


    It was a fact that not a trace of arrogance could be found in Ricky. Among the demi-spiritual emperors, no genius could dare to claim superiority over him except for an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    However, even with all the trump cards in his hand, he was only able to resist the third attack of the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom.


    The third attack was nothing compared to the fourth and the fifth attacks that were to come.


    ''So it is indeed true that the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom exterminates any sign of life, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Fear was slowly creeping up inside his heart. Naturally, he was afraid of dying but right now, he needed to calm down. There was still a little time before the fourth attack of the Thunderstroke Doom arrived. He had to find a solution in that little time he had been left.


    There must be a solution. He firmly believed it because, at that very moment, he felt that he was closer to his incredible path.


    But first, he must calm down.


    ''I have used up all my power. Even if I burn my blood essence or even my Chaos blood power, the power I''ll get would surely still not be enough to resist the incoming attack, '' he mused.


    ''I have to find a new source of power. I can only find that new power from a new zone in my regained spiritual meridian.


    In the past, my regained spiritual meridian always automatically activated a new zone when I was on the verge of dying. But this time, I have to open a new zone myself. My current comprehension of the regained spiritual meridian should be enough to help me activate a new zone.''


    His regained spiritual meridian was composed of nine segments in total, so there were nine zones in it. He had already activated five zones, so there were four zones left.


    The next moment, his mind infused into the four segments of the regained spiritual meridian that hadn''t yet been activated.


    He then started to scour the four segments with his mind.


    He needed to find the segment that was the most useful for him.


    Soon enough, he felt some ab


    including the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom of absolute destruction.


    Boom!


    When Ricky wielded his Thunder Light Blade, the attack of the fourth layer of the Thunderstroke Doom was split in half. It looked as if the clouds were falling from the sky.


    Ricky slowly lowered himself down to the place of the wreckage. The Thunder Light Blade in his arm quickly grew bigger and bigger as it absorbed the thunders from the Thunderstroke Doom.


    "How is that possible? He''s absorbing the power of the Thunderstroke Doom!" At that moment, all eyes were frozen wide in shock.


    They had no words to describe Ricky''s abnormal behavior. Since the ancient times, no creature had ever dared to challenge the Thunderstroke Doom, let alone attempt to absorb its power.


    The warriors present watched in complete bewilderment, and they had almost become numb at this point. Even if Ricky were to take out a more incredible trump card, they would most likely not be surprised anymore because, with everything that he had done so far, nothing could probably top this.


    Of course, all this could only prove that the Ancestral Thunder Zone could suppress the thunders. If Ricky hadn''t activated the Ancestral Thunder Zone, even if he was at his peak state, he would surely be destroyed into ashes by the attack of the Thunderstroke Doom.


    A few moments later, the fourth attack''s power had all been absorbed by Ricky into the thunder pool in the Ancestral Thunder Zone.


    Ricky felt the power in his Ancestral Thunder Zone increase a little afterwards.


    ''It seems that as long as I absorb the power of thunder, the Ancestral Thunder Zone will grow rapidly, '' Ricky surmised.

 Chapter 1102 The Grace

    "I...I can''t believe it! He has absorbed all the thunder power!" the warriors around sighed heavily upon seeing Ricky was able to successfully resist the fourth attack of Thunderstroke Doom and absorb all the thunders.


    Afterwards, they kept their eyes on Ricky to check if he really could fight the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom.


    On the other hand, everyone knew that this was not Ricky''s own Thunderstroke Doom. This meant that there was supposed to be no chance of survival contained in this Thunderstroke Doom.


    But Ricky was a fighter. He kept on revealing one trump card after another to uplift the hope in their hearts


    ''Onto the fifth attack of Thunderstroke Doom! I feel it coming any time soon. When that happens, I''m sure my Thunder Light Blade will definitely bloom once again!'' Ricky thought to himself heavily as his right arm was still in the form of thunders.


    He knew that he was able to sense death like nobody else could. Even though he was already stepping on the incredible path, he still vividly felt the presence of death coming from the fifth attack of Thunderstroke Doom that hadn''t descended yet.


    With that being said, Ricky''s heart was still heavy despite showing assurance that he could surpass the wrath of the fifth attack.


    But he was already there, and there was no other choice for him except to go on bravely. At that moment, he knew deep in his heart that nothing could stop him.


    Soon after, he gathered all the power from his Ancestral Thunder Zone on the Thunder Light Blade and readied himself for the final confrontation.


    Boom!


    Finally, the fifth attack of the Thunderstroke Doom came rushing down. The entire sky above the Complete Emperor Island was now covered with five colors, which reeked of the smell of impending death without the chance of survival.


    At that moment, nobody batted an eye as they keenly observed Ricky''s every move.


    However, Ricky sensed that he had already fallen into the pit of death at that moment.


    ''But how is this possible? The Thunderstroke Doom has not attacked me yet, but I already feel being slowly pulled towards death!'' Ricky thought to himself in utter disbelief. ''I''ve stepped on the incredible path. Wouldn''t the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom want to give me a little chance of life after all this?''


    At this moment, Ricky realized that his Ancestral Thunder Omnipotent Skill would not be able to resist the fifth attack and absorb the energy contained in the oncoming attack.


    That was because the gap between their strengths was just too huge.


    Just like comparing a newborn lion to a grown-up water buffalo, a small creature could not compete with a gigantic entity no matter how stro


    ed in surprise.


    "But how could it be possible? He''s not dead after all!"


    In a snap, all the stunned warriors became astonished.


    Moreover, they were out of words to express the surprise they felt.


    Today''s events were just too bizarre. Apparently, Ricky had been killed by the heavenly doom, but Oswald survived. How could he still be alive?


    In addition, at this moment, they could also feel that Oswald had become a real spiritual emperor.


    After a long time, the warriors around came to their senses and accepted the impossible fact.


    "So what? Although you have broken through the Thunderstroke Doom, the existence of an owner of the Blue Water Mutant is not allowed on the continent!" some spiritual emperors said coldly.


    "Plus, for the sake of your own interest, you exposed all the warriors on the Complete Emperor Island to the Thunderstroke Doom. This is outright unforgivable!"


    As soon as they finished their words, some spiritual emperors already went to attack Oswald.


    As Oswald saw the spiritual emperors rushing towards him, he stopped laughing. But there was no fear in his eyes because he had already expected that this would happen. Otherwise, he would not have revealed his Blue Water Mutant or chosen such a way to break through the Thunderstroke Doom in this place.


    "What an arrogant bunch of old men! What? You want to kill me? You must be dreaming!" Oswald taunted.


    "No, you are the one who is arrogant! You already deserve to die only because you have the Blue Water Mutant. How could even think that you deserve our mercy?" several spiritual emperors scorned.


    At the same time, they also prepared to take action. Of course, they wouldn''t allow Oswald to survive, whether it was for public interest or their own.


    "No. Leave him to me, please!"

 Chapter 1103 An Incredible Demi-spiritual Emperor

    Meanwhile, as Ricky slowly walked out of the almost dissipated thunder, a calm voice echoed, "A scum like him doesn''t deserve your move."


    Hearing this stunned everyone around to their silence.


    "What? Ricky is still alive? How is that possible?" Soon after, various voices of doubt and disbelief flooded the atmosphere.


    Warriors exchanged their views and opinions as they wondered whether the deadly five-colored Thunderstroke Doom was true.


    At that moment, people could not help but stare at Ricky cynically.


    On the other hand, the people and disciples from the Spirit Sect reacted differently, for they all became excited.


    At the same time, Ricky released Autelan and the others from the Divine Manor and instructed them not to do anything until he killed Oswald.


    Meanwhile, Autelan heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that Ricky was fine. But somehow, he thought that something was not right and was not adding up. Although Ricky was still a demi-spiritual emperor, the invisible pressure he released was like the power of a real spiritual emperor.


    "Two Dominant Top Elders, please help me. Please do everything in your power to stop anyone from getting involved in my fight against Oswald," Ricky pleaded to Mason and Easton using his internal power.


    "Ricky, we know that you have survived the destructive force of the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom, but don''t be too arrogant. Can''t you see that Oswald has already become a spiritual emperor?" the two Dominant Top Elders said seriously upon hearing Ricky''s request.


    Seeing that Ricky had just made a narrow escape from death, they didn''t want to see this genius from the Spirit Sect risk his life again.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t do that if I am not confidence enough. Plus, if I don''t personally kill Oswald, then I won''t have the chance to become an incredible demi-spiritual emperor," Ricky said through his internal power.


    "What? An incredible demi-spiritual emperor?" At that moment, both Mason and Easton felt doubtful when they heard Ricky''s words.


    That was because an incredible demi-spiritual emperor was both familiar and strange to them.


    Meanwhile, Ricky and Oswald had been locked in a standstill.


    "I didn''t expect you would survive just by resisting the first and second rounds of the Thunderstroke Doom. There has to be more, maybe someone who is doing you a favor. Am I right?" Ricky mumbled using his internal power as the killing intent was very visible in his eyes.


    Ricky was determined to kill Oswald, whether for his own interest or for the public''s interest. The owner of the


    has become an incredible demi-spiritual emperor!" Oswald said grimly after recovering from shock.


    "Perhaps, I should thank you for your help. If you hadn''t kept me in your five-colored Thunderstroke Doom, then there is no way for me to become the legendary incredible demi-spiritual emperor!" Ricky said with a smirk.


    Oswald became more somber after hearing Ricky''s words.


    This was because the fact told him that it was true. If it weren''t for Ricky passing his five-colored Thunderstroke Doom, then Ricky would have never become the incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    "Argghhhhh!" At that moment, Oswald''s heart became more furious than ever.


    "Elders, I hope you can give me an opportunity to fight against Oswald alone.


    After all, it''s my road of martial arts," Ricky said respectfully to the spiritual emperors around him.


    As a reply, all the spiritual emperors around nodded in agreement. To be more specific, a kind of invisible obedience force released by the incredible demi-spiritual emperor made them nod involuntarily.


    But of course, regardless of the influence of the incredible demi-spiritual emperor, these spiritual emperors were willing to do that.


    More importantly, no one wanted to be an incredible demi-spiritual emperor''s enemy, so they needed to have absolute confidence in him.


    Moreover, Ricky''s request had no conflict of interests with them, so it was not big of a deal because they could also kill Oswald if Ricky failed to do so.


    Perhaps, many of them also thought about using Oswald''s hands to kill Ricky.


    "Thank you so much," Ricky replied respectfully and then turned to look at Oswald.


    Without a doubt, this was the beginning of the real battle between them.

 Chapter 1104 Killing A Spiritual Emperor

    "Elder Mason, Elder Easton, there might be someone more powerful behind Oswald. Please be careful," Ricky warned Mason and Easton telepathically.


    "Don''t worry about us. Today, you must focus on this battlefield. Maybe we are two old men, but we are capable enough to stop others from stopping you," Mason and Easton said with firm resolution.


    At this moment, the two of them were no longer worried about Ricky and put their faith in him instead.


    That was because they knew that an incredible demi-spiritual emperor existed for the sole purpose of killing a real spiritual emperor.


    Although there were very few incredible demi-spiritual emperors known in history, the stories of each of them were clearly recorded in ancient books and files.


    And according to such records, every incredible demi-spiritual emperor had killed one or more spiritual emperors in their lifetime.


    Therefore, one needed to kill a spiritual emperor in order for him or her to be recognized as a genuine incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    "Watch out, Oswald. You are my stepping stone to become a real incredible demi-spiritual emperor," Ricky said with disdain.


    As he spoke, he had already burst out his momentum to its peak, including the power of the six mutants, the chaotic power, the chromatic energy, and the power of the Ancestral Intent Formula.


    Without a doubt, Ricky would do whatever it took to push through and not delay the battle any further. At that moment, it was evident that he wanted to kill Oswald as quick as possible using his strongest power.


    Needless to say, the strength of the incredible demi-spiritual emperor was indeed powerful. In fact, an incredible demi-spiritual emperor was stronger than many new spiritual emperors. However, incredible demi-spiritual emperors all had the same Achilles'' heel.


    But of course, this fatal weakness only existed when they were faced with spiritual emperors.


    It was known that a spiritual emperor could communicate with heaven and earth and use the heavenly power. Moreover, spiritual emperors had infinite power, especially when fighting against creatures below the spiritual emperor level.


    On the contrary, although an incredible demi-spiritual emperor was very powerful, he still couldn''t use the real ruling power or communicate with heaven and earth. In addition, his power couldn''t be compared with that of a real spiritual emperor.


    In comparison, it would appear that Oswald''s power was like a bunch of spears, while Ricky''s power would consist of only a few deadly ones.


    If Ricky wanted to win over Oswald, then he had to end the battle as soon as possible with one quick blow. Otherwise, he would only end up defeated.


    As a result, he would not hold back but go all out in this confrontation.


    N


    ble demi-spiritual emperor was so that he could collide with a spiritual emperor so fiercely.


    After all, it was better to see with their own eyes than to annoyingly hear about it from other people repeatedly.


    Finally, after several hundred rounds of battles, the momentums of the two warriors had reached their limit.


    Meanwhile, in the sky between the two air waves, they stared at each other¡ªone with blue eyes and the other with golden eyes, gleaming like thunders.


    "So, you want to kill a spiritual emperor, huh? Let''s see about that!" Oswald said wildly and arrogantly as he evolved endless blue sea with his Blue Water Mutant.


    "Now, you''ll be off with your head!"


    As he spoke, Oswald bent his finger towards Ricky, with disdain and contempt written all over his face.


    "Ha-ha!" But Ricky just chuckled slightly as a reply.


    Today, he claimed that he was going to kill a spiritual emperor because he was sure that he had incredible strength flowing through his veins.


    Therefore, as soon as the chuckle ended, Ricky clapped his hands and channeled all his strength and gathered them to his chest.


    "Humph!" Seeing this, Oswald didn''t react any further. Instead, he tightened his whole body and condensed the strongest power.


    "Watch closely, guys! The battle is about to end at any moment."


    "I wonder if the incredible demi-spiritual emperor can kill the spiritual emperor, or the blood of the incredible demi-spiritual emperor will become a stepping stone for the extremely evil mutant in the world."


    "Go Ricky! Fight! We know you can do it!"


    "It doesn''t matter. Even if Oswald wins this one, he still can''t leave this place. The Complete Emperor Island is not only the place where he became a spiritual emperor, but also the place where he will die."


    "Chromatic Axe¡ªBloodline Strike!"


    "Heavy Water¡ªBlue Toxin!"

 Chapter 1105 The Success

    Meanwhile, the size of the blue sea area around Oswald''s body began to expand again due to his own power and momentum. With Oswald in the center, infinite blue water poured out in eight different directions, and roars of wild beasts echoed in the atmosphere.


    When the overwhelming water reached a certain distance, it soared into the sky along with its extreme blue poison power, as if it were tearing it into pieces.


    At this moment, Ricky''s devouring power trembled slightly due to the toxin power of the blue heavy water.


    Without a doubt, it was already established that the blue water poison was the most powerful one in the world. In fact, it could even make the devouring power, which had the ability to suppress the toxin, tremble.


    At that moment, people could clearly see eight streams of water dash towards the sky. Soon after, these streams transformed into five giant pagodas that had eight floors with eight directions. Then, these giant pagodas condensed and released the power from the Devil Land.


    Howl! Another deafening roar echoed as blue shadows emerged behind each of the huge pagodas. Carrying spears in their hands, these blue shadows appeared to be the figures of the malevolent spirits. In fact, in comparison to these blue shadows, the pagodas looked very small in front of them like they could easily fit these shadows'' hands.


    These eight malevolent spirits moved in an instant as they were inside Oswald''s heavy water world. With pagodas on their left hand and spears on their right hand, these shadows gathered their killing power and came towards Ricky from eight directions.


    Soon after, the heavy power, the power from hell and the power from Devil Land all fused together and formed a unique kind of killing power¡ªthe extreme killing power of the giant pagodas.


    Puff!


    Meanwhile, Oswald opened his mouth and coughed out eight drops of blood essence, respectively, integrating them with each of the eight malevolent spirits.


    To any spiritual emperor, losing eight drops of blood essence was already considered to be such a great loss. There was no wonder that Oswald turned pale and caught his breath as soon as he did so.


    However, Oswald had no other choice but to make use of his blood essence in order to break out the most extreme power of his move.


    After this move, either his enemy or he would die.


    Meanwhile, Ricky could not help but stare at the malevolent spirits that were coming from eight different directions. At that moment, he could clearly feel the strong and irresistible force radiating from them.


    But d


    sterious chromatic energy together was exceptional. Apart from the primitive power, Ricky thought he was invincible as he felt that no other power could surpass him.


    Just as expected, Oswald was unable to stop Ricky after he suffered a heavy blow.


    "Save it. Your invisible heavy water is nothing but a joke!" Ricky grunted, disdain in his voice.


    "I guess the incredible demi-spiritual emperor wins this one!" warriors around exclaimed once again after seeing that Oswald had completely lost his chance.


    "It seems that the records of the ancient books and files are real. Some talented emperors are destined to be the stepping stone of the incredible demi-spiritual emperors on their extraordinary paths!"


    "I just didn''t expect that Ricky''s stepping stone is the owner of the Blue Water Mutant.


    By the looks of it, he is likely to surpass all the former incredible demi-spiritual emperors!"


    At this moment, Ricky''s mood entirely changed. In fact, he was not sure about his future concerning his incredible road earlier. But after defeating Oswald, it seemed that he had an idea of what to do next.


    ''My incredible road is finally complete!'' Ricky sighed with deep emotion in his heart.


    ''Maybe I should be grateful to all my enemies who paved the way to my success.


    Without them, I couldn''t be that courageous in my pursuit of the martial arts road.''


    At this moment, Ricky''s power also started to decline and go back to its calm state. After all, the battle was over.


    Of course, he still had plenty of doubts. Why didn''t the people behind Oswald show up as soon as he died?


    ''So, was I wrong to assume that he had other people behind supporting him? Is there really no one behind Oswald?''

 Chapter 1106 The Saint Guardian

    "Dragon Intent Grass, Oswald is already dead, but why hasn''t the one behind him come out yet?" At that moment, Ricky found the situation confusing, so he had to ask the Dragon Intent Grass for some answers.


    Ricky glanced at the men in black from the corner of his eye. He found it odd that these men were still as calm as before despite Oswald''s death.


    "I don''t know. Is it possible that the people behind Oswald just used him?" the Dragon Intent Grass said with doubt.


    Bang!


    As soon as the Dragon Intent Grass'' words faded, a space rift emerged above Oswald''s dead body. Soon after, a large black hand, which was formed by the evil spirit, popped out.


    In addition, all the creatures around felt and were certain that it was made of the purest evil spirit of all.


    "How can this happen? But...That''s a devil!" all the warriors who witnessed this said in a serious tone.


    "Now, a devil shows up? What are the odds?" Ricky huffed.


    However, he wasn''t at all surprised to find that the people commanding Oswald was connected with a devil, because from what he had learned from those men in black, Oswald was most probably in cahoots with a devil.


    But the only thing he did not understand was why the devils didn''t show up until they knew that Oswald was already dead.


    Moreover, Ricky could vaguely sense that he had already seen the hand before, and that it somehow looked very familiar to his eyes.


    ''Why does it look familiar? Where have I ever seen this before?'' Ricky wondered doubtfully. As he tried to refresh his memory, he suddenly stumbled upon a scene in his mind.


    At that moment, his memory took him back to what had happened in the Snow Land.


    Back when he killed Nate, it was the exact same giant devil''s hand that took away Nate''s corpse.


    In the same way, it also targeted Oswald''s dead body.


    However, so many spiritual emperors were present at the moment, preventing the devil''s big hand from descending to the ground.


    Moreover, these spiritual emperors could also feel the devil power that the hand emitted. As a result, these spiritual emperors attacked the hand all at the same time.


    At that moment, these people would do everything in their power to stop the devil hand from getting what it desired.


    Moreover, they also thought that this devil was the one controlling Oswald.


    Boom!


    Soon after, an earsplitting noise echoed through the air. All the spiritual emperors'' attacks collided with the hand, sweeping the strong waves of air through the void again.


    Puff! Puff!


    Amidst the airwaves, all th


    power must be very strong. In fact, I have personally felt it. I believe your blood must be more delicious."


    As he spoke, the demi-saint devil walked towards Ricky.


    At that moment, everything was suppressed under the great pressure of the demi-saint. The space was blocked, and all the creatures in this area couldn''t move, including the spiritual emperors who had already stood up.


    Without a doubt, this was another kind of power that was stronger than the ruling power.


    "A devil! I will show you no mercy!"


    Suddenly, a cold voice pierced through the air. Wherever the voice passed, all the power of the devil was destroyed. Soon after, a flame rose up in the air like a blazing sun burning down towards the demi-saint devil.


    At that moment, it was the devil''s turn to get frightened at such power. After all, his fear was not much weaker than what the creatures around had felt towards him. Obviously, the power of this flame was much greater than that of this devil.


    Meanwhile, on this flame, a middle-aged man in red old shabby armor appeared.


    He looked ordinary at first sight, but what made him superior was his momentum.


    "I am the saint guardian who has been guarding this land for the past one thousand years. All those years, I have never expected that there would be an actual devil who would appear here," the middle-aged man said monotonously as he ascended in the air.


    His tone reflected very strong killing intent to murder devils in cold blood.


    "Could he be...the saint guardian!" "I didn''t expect that a saint guardian actually exists. Hooray! He will save us!" All the warriors around got excited as they learned about the real identity of the middle-aged man.

 Chapter 1107 The Frustrated Sky-breaking Emperor

    Just when the warriors were feeling desperate, a saint guardian came swooping in from out of the blue. As it turned out, the powerful forces in the Middle Land did not forget about the fact that devils existed and that these creatures had the ability to invade any continent anytime they desired.


    "Just like what they all say, a saint guardian is available all the time whenever a devil does evil. The only time they won''t be able to respond is when evil no longer roams the world," the Dragon Intent Grass said. "So, for now, we''re safe."


    "Dragon Intent Grass, where does the saint guardian come from? I haven''t heard of such a creature from any ancient book or record. How could they be unrecorded?" Ricky inquired.


    "First off, the strongest warriors in each of the four lands are merely middle spiritual emperors, or upper spiritual emperors at the most. For instance, we can all see how the devil race dispatched a demi-saint in this area. We can clearly see that he is so strong that he can slaughter a large number of warriors," explained the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "This is where the saint guardian comes along. That''s why the super forces in the Middle Land, which have once had spiritual potentates, secretly send a powerful saint to each of the other four lands to seek justice and protect them. These super forces take turns in providing such saints, with each of them serving for a term of about one thousand years.


    The saints sent here are the saint guardians with the main task of guarding the citizens and other creatures against the devils.


    Second, they also impede any strong saint in the Middle Land from going to the other four lands to act recklessly."


    "Hmmm...I see!" Ricky nodded his head slightly. After hearing the Dragon Intent Grass'' explanation, he sure had a newfound admiration towards the saint guardians and to the super forces that had dispatched them.


    "In the four lands, the spiritual energy seems to be relatively thin. This greatly contributes to the limitation of the possibility of existence of uppe spiritual emperors. Despite this, there have been reports of many upper spiritual emperors in the area in the past countless years," the Dragon Intent Grass continued.


    "But now, you might ask how come there is no upper spiritual emperor or demi-saint in the four lands. That''s because once a warrior reaches this level, he or she would be required by the saint guardian to leave the land and go to the Middle Land instead.


    This is how peace is maintained in all the four lands."


    "Well, I think that this method is good and well thought of!" Ricky nodded as he gave a little smile.


    Suddenly, a question popped to his mind.


    "Tina,


    is murderous intent did not linger for too long.


    Nevertheless, it was this momentary killing intent that made Arthur and his companions feel like they had fallen into a very deep abyss. At that moment, none of them dared to move at all, as if they were frozen on the spot.


    Meanwhile, the warriors who saw this gasped in amusement.


    "I sense that the Sky-breaking Emperor must be blinded by anger. Even if it is true that Ricky really colludes with the devils, he couldn''t have gone that far as to attempt to make use of a saint to kill Ricky," some warriors whispered to each other.


    "Well, I didn''t expect an incredible demi-spiritual emperor to appear in the current era.


    You''re doing good, little buddy!" the saint guardian said as he looked at Ricky with appreciation.


    All the warriors around could not help but envy Ricky when they heard how the saint guardian addressed and complimented him.


    As for these lower spiritual emperors and middle spiritual emperors, they could also clearly see the joy and honor on Ricky''s face upon being addressed as a buddy by a respected saint.


    At this moment, all of them realized that from that moment on, they could not provoke Ricky anymore.


    Without a doubt, the saint guardian''s appreciation of him was one of the reasons for this honor. But more importantly, that was because of Ricky''s own powerful strength and his status as an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    "Thank you, sir!" Ricky said respectfully. Of course, he could not hide the excitement he felt about being treated kindly by the saint guardian.


    "Ha-ha, no big deal! An incredible demi-spiritual emperor deserves all kinds of praise!" the saint guardian said with a faint smile on his face. "Hey, little buddy, would you like to have a chat with me in detail?"

 Chapter 1108 About To Go Back

    Hearing what the saint guardian said, all the warriors surrounding them were shocked once again. They could not help but envy Ricky. After all, it was a great honor to be invited to talk by a saint.


    This was much more important than being called "little buddy".


    It showed that the saint guardian already viewed Ricky as his own people, and now, Ricky had added a saint as one of his backups. If Ricky asked the saint guardian to do something for him, the saint guardian would probably agree to do it, as long as it was reasonable and it wasn''t too difficult to do.


    Now, some things could seem improper for a saint guardian to do himself, but there was no doubt that there would be many upper spiritual emperors or demi-saints who would love to do it in his place, as a favor to a saint.


    ''Ricky should not be trifled with!'' The warriors marveled at Ricky''s luck, as his influence grew even greater. They gave up the idea of taking anything from him at once, as nothing would be worth throwing their lives away, which was essentially what they were doing if they went after him.


    At this point, the members of the Sky-breaking Dome and the Chu Clan were drowning in their shame and anger in the face of Ricky''s success.


    They held too much jealousy, hatred, and killing intent toward him, and their resentment for him was so deep that it ran through their very bones.


    At that moment, Ricky was also surprised to hear the saint guardian''s invitation, but it suddenly dawned on him that every strong warrior had to take an incredible demi-spiritual emperor seriously. No wonder the saint guardian thought highly of him.


    So he readily agreed saying, "I have no reason to reject your invitation, sir."


    He was happy to have a connection with a saint. After all, he was confident but he was not arrogant. He would not be haughty or rely on himself for everything.


    In the world of martial arts, the more sophisticated ones had more chances to survive.


    Of course, Ricky''s sophistication was on the premise of not hurting others.


    He believed that the saint guardian invited him sincerely because the Dragon Intent Grass had told him that the super forces that dispatched saints to guard weaker lands were all forces of justice. This meant that the saint they dispatched were all righteous.


    So it was unlikely that the saint guardian invited him to have a private talk with sinister intention.


    Besides, even if he wanted to snatch something from Ricky, Ricky had no choice but to give in to him.


    That was because he was being watched by a saint. He could not escape even if he wanted to. He just needed to face it head-on.


    "Ha-ha, you are quite brave. You deserve to be an incredible demi-spiritual emperor. Ordinary demi-spiritual emperors can only tremble before me, and none of them can look as relaxed as you do," the saint


    no power now. A rumor is even going around nowadays, saying that the saint guardian has accepted you as his disciple. I think that for the next one or two years, none of their members could make any move against us. At least, not in public," Autelan said. Then he smirked gleefully and continued, "And I doubt they would be brave enough to do anything big against us even in secret."


    "It seems that the threat from the Sky-breaking Dome has been solved for the time being," Ricky murmured with a faint smile.


    He hadn''t expected that the Metal Fire Saint would be such a big deterrent, which even the members of the Sky-breaking Dome dared not to act against. He was surprised, but he was pleased as well. That was exactly what he wanted.


    "Ricky, what are you going to do next?" Soar inquired curiously, seeing the pleased smile on his face.


    "How long will it take for you to break through the Thunderstroke Doom and become spiritual emperors?" Ricky asked.


    "I think seven or eight days will be enough...We have been looking forward to that for a long time after all," Autelan answered seriously. He looked away from Ricky and into the horizon, his eyes burning with a longing that he could soon satisfy¡ªa thirst that could only be sated if he became a spiritual emperor.


    "Well, you can become spiritual emperors first, and after that, we should return to the Eastern Land. More than two years have passed. I guess by now, Norris has recovered completely." Ricky decided.


    "It''s time to make a clean break with the Nether Manor."


    "I agree!" Autelan and Soar said seriously, and their voices echoed as one. At that moment, they clearly remembered their hatred against the Nether Manor.


    So in the following days, Autelan and Soar began to regulate their breaths. And after six days, they had adjusted to their peak state. Thus, they began to break through the Thunderstroke Doom.

 Chapter 1109 An Unexpected Visitor

    While Soar and the others adjusted their state, Mason and Easton were busy creating arrays around the Blood Spirit Ground to keep them invisible. Soar and Autelan would have to reveal their true bodies when they try to break through the Thunderstroke Doom, so they had to do that in a secret place.


    Hopefully, the Blood Spirit Ground, together with some powerful arrays, would be enough to prevent anyone else from seeing the two of them, as they focused on breaking through.


    After some adjustments, Mason led Soar and Autelan to the Blood Spirit Ground, where they could concentrate on their job in peace.


    At the same time, Easton led Fein, Ted, and Pearl to the cultivation square of the Spirit Sect to break through the Thunderstroke Doom, so that all the disciples could watch them do that. In that way, they could increase their experience in resisting the Thunderstroke Doom.


    Although the chances of these disciples becoming spiritual emperors were small, things would be different in case they came across great opportunities.


    Ricky was not worried about Soar and Autelan, even though the two dragons would surely cause four-colored Thunderstroke Dooms. He believed that it would be easy for a legendary beast like the Great Dragon to break through it anyway.


    That was because the physical bodies of legendary beasts were incomparably strong. Thus, the two dragons could probably break through the first three attacks from the Thunderstroke Doom just with their physical bodies. They were that strong.


    Meanwhile, Fein was the first to break through. He faced a two-colored Thunderstroke Doom, which was the strongest type among two-colored Thunderstroke Dooms. This showed that he was quite talented, although he was still far away from being a peerless genius.


    In the end, he managed to break through it with the full use of his abilities.


    After that was Ted''s turn, who faced a two-colored Thunderstroke Doom as well. However, this one was a little weaker than the one Fein managed to summon.


    Unfortunately, Ted failed to make it, and he was killed by the second attack from the Thunderstroke Doom.


    In that instant, the whole Spirit Sect was enveloped by a sorrowful silence, as sadness gripped the hearts of all the disciples who viewed Ted as their dear comrade.


    "The chances to break through the doom and become a spiritual emperor are around ten percent. Those who succeed are either abnormally talented ones like you or gifted legendary beasts. "The path of martial arts is always cruel. Even if a person has the best opportunity, and even if he grows rapidly, it is still useless if he fails to break through the Thunderstroke Doom and become a spiritual emperor,"


    caused the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom, which had only existed in legends before.


    Likewise, the Thunderstroke Doom this little girl will cause will surely be a four-colored Thunderstroke Doom."


    "What?! A four-colored one!" All the disciples of the Spirit Sect were even more shocked, and they could only stare at him helplessly with their eyes wide open.


    It was only now that what he was saying began to make sense to them.


    "Are you sure of it, sir?" Ricky asked.


    "I won''t lie to you. You know, I don''t want this girl to die. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be standing here and saying all these to you," the old man said in a low voice.


    Hearing this, Ricky fell into a thoughtful silence.


    He glanced at Pearl and shook his head discreetly. It was obvious that he didn''t want her to continue this task anymore.


    Pearl didn''t know what to do either because, truthfully, she was not confident that she could break through a four-colored Thunderstroke Doom. If it was a two-colored Thunderstroke, then she could still go for it, but a four-colored one was a different story.


    "Sir, can you tell me what you are here for?" Ricky asked. He didn''t believe that the old man was just here to warn them, so he needed to know the old man''s real intention.


    "I want to take her away and help her temper her cultivation. In that way, she will be able to break through the four-colored Thunderstroke Doom successfully," the old man said.


    "No way! I won''t let you!" Ricky responded instinctively.


    Grace had already been taken away. He didn''t want any more of his friends to be taken away like that, especially his women.


    "Ha-ha, you are a bad-tempered incredible demi-spiritual emperor!" the old man said, laughing, but he didn''t seem angry with Ricky even though he had acted so impolitely.

 Chapter 1110 Parting Again

    At that moment, the old man didn''t look angry despite Ricky''s disrespect. On the contrary, he appreciated him very much, which was reasonable for anyone to do. After all, any creature would be happy to associate with an incredible demi-spiritual emperor. Even jealousy could be considered as another kind of appreciation.


    The old man''s eyes were full of yearning for genius.


    Meanwhile, Pearl was pleased to see the anger on Ricky''s face because it meant that he didn''t want to be separated from her. His anxiety and anger meant that she held a very important position in his heart.


    Any woman would be deliriously happy if the man she loved showed that much care for her. Words were good, but actions worked so much better to show your love. And with Ricky''s reaction, Pearl felt that her love was being reciprocated at last.


    The old man was chuckling to himself, amused at their reactions. But soon, he turned serious and motioned for someone else to join them. At once, two figures approached from the same direction that the old man had come from.


    Ricky gaped in shock at the sight, as he had recognized them immediately.


    They were Stuart and Bruce, whom he had once met in the Dragon Cave.


    As he looked at the men before him, he finally understood what was going.


    Stuart and Bruce were members of the Celestial Sect, and the old man must be a very powerful warrior of the same sect. Of course, they would cast greedy eyes on the Feminine Mutant.


    "As I expected, they are from the Celestial Sect. How could they let go of the Feminine Mutant once they found it?" the Dragon Intent Grass said. "But this may be an opportunity for Pearl."


    "Ricky, long time no see. It''s been two years since we saw each other. How have you been? I can''t believe you''ve changed so much. I almost didn''t recognize you," Stuart greeted Ricky with a warm smile.


    "My physical features may have changed, but I assure you I am still the same inside." Ricky looked at them with a helpless expression, shaking his head slightly.


    "You must have guessed my real identity correctly back then."


    "More or less. After all, I don''t think there are too many geniuses like you in the world," Stuart answered with a smile.


    "However, due to this inevitable change, you have become an incredible demi-spiritual emperor that would appear every several eras," Bruce remarked. "If only it''s possible, I wish I were you."


    "Ha-ha!" They all burst into laughter at the same time, amused by Bruce''s joke. And just like that, it felt like they were back to that time where they were all good friends.


    But so


    ould go with them."


    "Ricky, thank you for your support." Hearing Ricky''s words, Pearl was excited, but she was reluctant to part with him.


    Naturally, she wanted to go and cultivate in the Celestial Sect.


    And in that way, she could grow to be a strong woman who deserved to stand by Ricky''s side.


    At the same time, she didn''t want to fall too far behind him, because, even though she already thought of Ricky as her man, she still regarded him as a competitor.


    "I just hate that we have to go our separate ways..." Ricky sighed.


    "Considering your talent, I don''t think it will be too long a time before we meet again. There was a time when I didn''t believe you in the past, but now I believe in you," said Pearl.


    "You don''t know how pleased I am that you believe in me. I promise you, I will go to the Celestial Sect to bring you back soon," Ricky promised to her telepathically.


    "You made a good decision. Being in the Celestial Sect will help Pearl grow quickly. Moreover, Stuart is a righteous man, and he has a very high position in the Celestial Sect. He will have no problem protecting Pearl," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "All right. I agree to go with you to the Celestial Sect," Pearl said.


    "That''s great! Welcome to the Celestial Sect!" Sewell, Stuart, and Bruce all exclaimed as soon as Pearl agreed.


    "Stuart, please take good care of Pearl. If she gets hurt, I won''t let you go easily!" Ricky warned Stuart, although he was smiling despite his words.


    "Young man, don''t worry. I won''t dare to anger an incredible demi-spiritual emperor. Ha-ha!" Sewell answered for Stuart, laughing amicably.


    "Please rest assured, Ricky. I will protect her with my life," Stuart also promised again.

 Chapter 1111 Tremendous Changes

    When everything had been settled, Pearl prepared to leave with Stuart and the others. And a few hours later, they were on their way to the Celestial Sect.


    As they went on their way, none of them noticed the figure that was standing from the peak of the mountain they had come from. It was Ricky, who came out of the Spirit Sect''s territory to watch them leave, and on his face was an expression of melancholia and excitement. He whispered to himself, "Pearl has left. It''s time for me to return to the Eastern Land next."


    "Yes! It''s time to go back. Norris, who is still in the Nether Manor, should have recuperated by now!" A voice suddenly sounded from behind Ricky. It came from Tina.


    "I will give Autelan and Soar a few days to rest and recuperate. After that, we''ll start our journey back. This time, we must fix all the problems with the Nether Manor, or else, I can''t go to the Middle Land with peace of mind!" Ricky said in a serious tone.


    "I just hope that Norris won''t get stronger..." Tina replied, sounding a little worried.


    "Don''t worry so much! With the help of Mason and Evil Mandragora, I think we will be strong enough to take care of him this time," Ricky replied confidently.


    Just as they planned, Ricky and others went on their way to return to the Eastern Land a few days later.


    Mason led the way, and they reached the destination in just half a month.


    Upon entering the Eastern Land, they realized that something bad had happened, because they could feel the oppressive atmosphere lingering on the land. It couldn''t be seen, but it felt so thick that they could almost see it.


    The aura of death and violence pervaded everywhere, and it was a sharp contrast with the brightness of the void.


    "There is an immense air of death in this space. It seems that a fierce battle is about to take place," Mason uttered in a deep voice.


    "Has Norris already recovered?" Ricky murmured solemnly.


    With these thoughts, they moved faster without conscious thought, as they headed quickly towards the Oriental College.


    But suddenly, a middle-aged man stopped them in their tracks. He was leading a group of people, and all of them were wearing some kind of blue robe as their uniform.


    Their robes were decorated by a pattern that was vaguely familiar to Ricky.


    He was not overly familiar with these robes, but he knew that they were unique to the Southern Array Sect.


    ''The


    remaining disciples, as long as they surrendered and turned their backs on their forces, they would not be killed.


    Finally, the remaining powerful warriors of these forces banded together and stole away to the core secret land of the Endless Shadow.


    The Endless Shadow held a powerful array, which could burst out a strong power with the joint forces of several spiritual emperors. This made Norris tremble in fear.


    And so, the Oriental College, the Casting Guild, and some other righteous forces had all been staying in the core secret land of the Endless Shadow for the last entire year.


    However, they were just sitting still and waiting for death, for it was said that Norris was rapidly improving, and his power was becoming greater each day. He recently united with the spiritual emperors of the Nether Manor, and their joint force was powerful enough to destroy the said array.


    "Damn it! He recuperated a long time ago!" Soar shouted impatiently after figuring out everything.


    "The Old Oriental Emperor and his fellows are safe for the time being. Fortunately, it''s not too late for us to fix the problem," Ricky also said in a serious tone.


    "We''d better not lose any more time. Let''s go to the secret land of the Endless Shadow now," Mason added. "We need to unite with your imprisoned seniors and fight back!"


    With this piece of news, they were desperate to hit the road.


    "Do you think you can just get off so easily after killing my son? All of you will go to hell with my son today!" a voice suddenly shouted out of the blue, screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs.

 Chapter 1112 Fear Of Sol

    In a hurry, an old man clad in black arrived. At that moment, his aura was made of nothing but anger. As a result, everything around him was wrapped with a world with the earth element.


    As it turned out, this spiritual emperor could cultivate the Earth Rule.


    "Master Sol! Th...They killed the young master!" all the disciples yelled as soon as they saw the old man.


    "How can you live with yourself after what my son died? You should go the hell with him since you failed to protect him!" Out of the blue, Sol snorted and grabbed the warriors with his hand, crushing them mercilessly.


    Afterwards, he shifted his gaze to Ricky and his companions.


    Just at the first glance, he became frozen to his position immediately.


    As a matter of fact, how was it possible that he, as a spiritual emperor, could not feel that Autelan, Soar, and Mason were all spiritual emperors?


    At that moment, he was frantic, for he could not feel any power from Mason. This could only mean one thing¡ªMason was much stronger than him, and he could not accept that.


    ''But how could it be possible? This old man is close to a middle spiritual emperor at the least.'' In the blink of an eye, his heart sank. At that moment, a lot of things went on his mind that he had almost forgotten to feel the hatred for his son.


    Right at that moment, the only thing he desired was to escape without being traced.


    "Ricky, let me kill him right away!" Mason said to Ricky telepathically, as he summoned his power.


    "Sir, please ask Soar to guide you and the Evil Mandragora to the land of Endless Shadow," Ricky instructed politely. "Let me deal with him. After all, I want to see how powerful I am now."


    "All right, but under one condition¡ªfinish the battle as quickly as you can. I''m afraid that, other spiritual emperors will come to his aid. This old man just broke through a few days ago, and he won''t be a match to you," Mason reminded upon hearing Ricky''s request. He was true to his word, for he did not stop him in any way.


    Soon after, Soar and the others left with Mason.


    On the other hand, this left Sol entirely confused. In fact, he did not know why there was a need for Mason and the others to leave.


    However, he did not bother himself to ask. His son was already dead, and he could not afford to get himself killed. Though feeling insulted, he had put up with it and decided to seek help from others.


    Soon after, Sol


    mutants and his fourth level of Ultimate Golden Body.


    Instantly, Ricky''s power dominated that of Sol''s.


    On the other hand, this made Sol feel an irresistible force.


    Without hesitation, Ricky gathered all his power in his hands using the power of the Ancestral Intent Formula.


    "One move. If you can resist this single move of mine, then I, Ricky, will let you go," Ricky said confidently in a cold voice while his power surged.


    "Ricky! You are Ricky, the guy who appeared three years ago!" Seeing the gold body and hearing Ricky admit to his true identity, Sol felt incredible.


    But at this moment, he did not have much time to think about it as he could already feel the power from Ricky''s hands pressing him.


    Puff! Puff!


    Struck with panic and despair, Sol directly ejected six drops of blood essence, mixing them with the surging power in his hands, trying to resist Ricky''s attacks.


    "The heart blood, the earth shield!"


    Soon after, Sol''s strength had reached the extreme. Then, endless heavenly power and his ruling power had condensed into an indestructible fortress.


    "It seems that this is your strongest defense. No matter, I will tear you up!"


    Ricky roared with a grave look on his face. Then, he launched the attack with his two palms which carried destructive power.


    In the past two years, he had barely used his Massacring Golden Palm, but that didn''t mean that he didn''t have a good comprehension of it at all. Now, he was able to strike five times the power with one move.


    Boom! The next moment, Ricky''s attack fell hit Sol''s shield, causing air waves to burst out.

 Chapter 1113 The Fact

    Crack! Crack!


    As soon as the blast swept through the air, Sol''s strongest defense was shattered into pieces. Soon after, he started to cough a mouthful of blood as he was flown out with intense force.


    As he was shot out like a cannonball, the traces he left seemed to have torn the void into two.


    At this moment, his eyes were filled with nothing but infinite fear and despair.


    It was not until this moment that he realized how big the difference was between his strength and Ricky''s.


    This was quite reasonable. Sol had just become a spiritual emperor not long ago, making his strength more inferior than what Oswald had. Needless to say, he was far weaker than Ricky.


    He was considered to the weakest lower spiritual emperor. Of course, he could not contend with Ricky, whose capability in combat could reach the average level among lower spiritual emperors.


    In general, a slight different on the strengths would be considered large enough to decide the winner when two warriors fought. The dominant fighter could easily defeat the inferior one without breaking a sweat. But of course, there were exceptions to this normal rule, with an abnormal ace genius such as Ricky as an example.


    During this time, Ricky did not think twice as he darted and trailed Sol. Instantly, the latter was shredded into pieces. Soon after, Ricky activated the flames to burn his soul.


    In order to fully kill a spiritual emperor, he had to entirely destroy his corporeal body and soul. Otherwise, there would still be a chance, although small, to bring the spiritual emperor back to life.


    "You are the only one to blame for this. You are a member of the Nether Manor, and the feud between the Nether Manor and me cannot be mended," Ricky said gently.


    "You''re very decisive, making you so resilient living in this world where the strong preys the weak. Moreover, you''re an incredible demi-spiritual emperor. I have no doubt that you will definitely hold one of the supreme positions in the world in the future." An appreciative voice immediately came through out of the blue.


    "I''m flattered to hear that, sir!" Ricky said with utmost respect.


    As the void slid open, a middle-aged man in a plain grey robe walked out.


    As a matter of fact, this man looked nothing but an ordinary person, radiating an aura that was as plain as his robe.


    This man was none other than the saint guardian in the Eastern Land¡ªthe Wood Saint.


    "An incredible demi-spiritual emperor deserves all kinds of praise. It is an honor to have seen you in action," Wood Saint said with a faint smile. "Moreover, I''ve been always aware of what you did in the Eastern Land."


    Soon after, Ricky walked towar


    I can''t really interfere with that."


    "Thanks, sir. I think I got it." Ricky smiled and nodded.


    "There is still something I''m confused. why could Norris have recovered so soon? Did he really make a breakthrough on his own?"


    "In my opinion, he is not that talented. Being a middle spiritual emperor is his limit. It just so happened that a pill refiner has appeared and supported him. That pill refiner is also the main reason why Norris dares seek ascendancy in the Eastern Land."


    Wood Saint replied.


    "A pill refiner! It seems that this pill refiner must be at the Sage Level! But why on earth would a Sage Level pill refiner work for the Nether Manor?"


    Ricky asked.


    "There can only be one explanation to that. It''s because that pill refiner is also a human devil," the Wood Saint answered. "Although he is not from the Eastern Land, his strength is not enough to make me take action against him, so..."


    At this moment, the Wood Saint was somewhat helpless. As a saint guardian, he was subjected to too many restrictions because they had already pledged to the Martial Arts Oath. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have to consider situations so carefully before taking action.


    "Don''t worry. I will try my best to solve the problems here," Ricky said seriously.


    Perhaps neither the Nether Manor nor Ricky was right or wrong. It was just that they thought about things from different perspectives, and they had different understandings of the meaning of justice.


    In order to defend justice in his heart and to make the people he knew and valued continue to live here, Ricky had to keep fighting against the Nether Manor.


    After learning about the background of the Nether Manor from the Wood Saint, Ricky did not think twice to rush to the location of the Endless Shadow.

 Chapter 1114 The Decisive Battle

    Everybody knew that in the Eastern Land, the strongest branch of the Endless Shadow was the one in the Dark Fallen Realm.


    Moreover, this was also where the Nether Manor was located.


    Therefore, the center of the entire Eastern Land was transferred to the Dark Fallen Realm. Everyone was paying close attention to it.


    On the other hand, the Endless Shadow was located in a massive mountain range buried deep in the darkness. At the moment, the members of the Oriental College, the Casting Center, the White King Tiger tribe, and the Northern Array Sect had all gathered here.


    Meanwhile, a gigantic array appeared in the mountain range where the Endless Shadow was situated, shrouding the entire area.


    At that moment, three figures floated in the air in three directions of the array¡ªthe Old Oriental Emperor; Wilbur, the leader of the White King Tiger tribe; and Brad, the chief of the Endless Shadow.


    However, the leader of the Casting Center, Todd, was not there. He and Jasper had not yet returned from their exploration outside.


    Meanwhile, the three of them continuously refined the Treasures from Heaven and Earth that they had prepared, so that they could integrate a large amount of energy into the array.


    This array came from the Endless Shadow. It was called the Black Shadow Array.


    After the array absorbed the energy from those treasures, the patterns on it transformed into black shadows that were supporting the array.


    Inside the array, many spiritual emperors, including the Oriental Emperor, Gorden, as well as spiritual emperors from the White King Tiger tribe, also continuously gathered their own power and poured it carefully into the array.


    Outside the array, Norris had already managed to lead a group of people into this location.


    "Listen up, you three! I''m going to destroy your turtle-shell-like weak array today. I''ve given you too many chances, but as it turns out, you have taken them for granted," Norris said confidently.


    "You can try, Norris! But let me tell this. We will never surrender to you!" the Old Oriental Emperor said in a cold tone.


    "Humph!" Norris snorted coldly and soon threw out a devilish punch with his power.


    Boom! In an instant, the entire Black Shadow Array started to tremble wildly, and the shadows that came from the patterns vanished. Cracks started to appear one by one, which spread on the array.


    "How could this happen?" the Old Oriental Emperor and the others uttered in disbelief upon seeing that the Black Shadow Array wasn''t working anymore. As far as they could remember, Norris was not this powerful a few months ago.


    "Do you want to see me break it even more?" Norris taunted as he threw another powerful punch.


    With no


    psing spaces.


    Puff! Puff!


    The moment they reached the climax in the battle, two figures flew out in an upside-down manner, spitting mouthfuls of blood. These two figures were Mason and the Evil Mandragora. That was because, during the collision of their corporeal bodies, they were at a disadvantage.


    "You jerks! Who do you think you are? Do you think I am still how I was three years ago? Pray to your gods because this time, no one can stop me from dominating the Eastern Land," Norris sneered after walking out of the air waves condescendingly.


    Seeing that Mason and the Evil Mandragora were at a disadvantage, Soar and Autelan began to speak in a deep voice. "Do you have any idea how this happened? How could Norris become this powerful?"


    On the other hand, the Oriental Emperor and the others became depressed again.


    At that moment, they could not hide their extreme sadness and despair as they saw how Norris'' strength seemed to go beyond their imagination.


    "Norris, you''re indeed powerful, but your aura is unstable. I guess you broke through improperly," the Evil Mandragora said coldly. "Your path of martial arts will be ruined because of this!"


    At that moment, the Evil Mandragora tried her best to say some words to disturb Norris.


    However, Norris was a spiritual emperor after all and could figure out the true intention of the Evil Mandragora.


    As a result, he just responded scornfully, "Ha-ha! So what? Even though my aura is unstable, it is not a big deal for me. I''m pleased as long as I can seek hegemony in the Eastern Land!"


    As soon as he finished his words, he activated all his strength. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to end the battle as soon as possible, so that he could enjoy the honor and excitement of being the dominator of the Eastern Land.

 Chapter 1115 Let Me Fight

    At that moment, Norris clapped his hands, and his eyes turned into blood-black. Soon after, he created an evil world around his body. Before long, the evil spirit inside the said world grew more violent as it surging like the tide. The world became dark, with huge black trees emerging one after another.


    These trees were evil trees.


    Evil spirit could evolve from these trees. Needless to say, at that moment, the Nether Manor''s evil world was transformed into the homeland of devils.


    "Here come the evil trees! Die from these evil flowers!"


    At that moment, the devilish world was shrinking. Soon after, numerous evil trees were gathered and fused together, embracing Norris. Suddenly, a huge black evil tree emerged and occupied the whole void, unleashing a rush of power toward the Evil Mandragora and Mason.


    "After I kill you two middle spiritual emperors, my aura and strength will be more stable!" Norris said in a bloodthirsty tone as he licked his lips.


    After the said giant evil tree grew to a certain height, a gigantic flower bloomed on it.


    Soon after, the flower emitted a strong demeanor, filling the entire void. Then, it locked the location of Mason and the Evil Mandragora before it rushed towards them ferociously.


    At that moment, they felt the smell of death apart from the evil spirit that prevailed the surroundings. And as soon as the evil flower engulfed them, Mason and the Evil Mandragora felt that they had fallen into hell.


    Without thinking twice, they instantly activated their powers to the extreme to counterattack.


    "Array! Rule! Come out and fight for me!"


    Mason roared out loud. Soon after, patterns appeared in the void, covering the entire place in purple as if the purple Flood Dragons had invaded the area.


    Due to the power that the array brought, Mason had improved his own power further.


    At that moment, purple patterns spread all over, forming a mountain made of ruling power behind him.


    "Suppress him!" Mason shouted.


    Meanwhile, the Evil Mandragora spread out her hands, and the evil spirit poured out of her palms, blossoming like a flower as well. Unfortunately for Norris, the Evil Mandragora''s flower was far more superior to his in terms of appearance and quality.


    But it was actually reasonable without a doubt. This was because the Evil Mandragora was unique in the entire world and the flower if created was definitely way powerful than any other evil flower.


    "Mandragora! Bring me the sword!"


    Soon after, the mandragora flower bloomed, pushing out an enormous evil sword in its center, which headed towards Norris at full speed.


    Boom! At that moment, three extremely powerful attacks¡ªthe flower, the sword,


    y?" At this moment, Ricky''s name rang a bell to the mind of everyone who was there. After all, this name was a legend in the Eastern Land.


    "Ha-ha. What did you say? Fortunately, you came back just in the nick of time? I can''t believe you are still as arrogant as before. Even though you have become a demi-spiritual emperor, you still do not have the right to talk to me like this!" Norris mumbled helplessly and angrily upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    "Masters, please let me fight Norris alone while you kill the other members of the Nether Manor," Ricky said telepathically again. "Recently, I have unexpectedly gained some power. I just want to put it to the test, if you''d let me."


    "Just as I have suspected. You stayed not to fight with that spiritual emperor," Mason commented.


    Needless to say, they were more curious about what kind of power Ricky had gotten that made him so confident.


    At that moment, they didn''t think Ricky was talking big, because after so many things had happened, they had already trusted Ricky unequivocally.


    Even though Ricky had been away for almost three years, the Old Oriental Emperor and the others still believed in him. Perhaps, it was his charm that made him very likable.


    "So, will there be any aftereffect?" Mason asked worriedly.


    "Don''t worry. It''s not like the last time," Ricky answered in a smiling tone.


    After that, Mason and the Evil Mandragora stepped a few meters back, while Ricky went forward and continued the battle with Norris.


    On the other hand, this confused the minds of the bystanders, making them think to themselves, ''Will he take over the rest of the battle?''


    "What? You want to fight me?" Norris asked in disbelief.


    "Didn''t you hear what I just said? Let me fight the rest of the battle," Ricky sneered.

 Chapter 1116 Holy Platane Stakes

    Boom!


    As soon as Norris heard Ricky''s words, his energy immediately turned into raging anger. In fact, there was nothing that could make him angrier than a demi-spiritual emperor eager to fight him.


    Due to the fire of anger and hatred burning in his soul, he exerted a very powerful punch towards Ricky.


    On the other hand, Soar and the others got worried upon seeing this. They guessed that Ricky might have burst out the power of the mysterious axe at this moment instead of his own strength.


    So they were afraid that the strength Ricky used to fight would not be enough for him to withstand the attack, considering that it was not his real strength at all.


    Boom!


    Boom! As Norris'' attack approached Ricky, three balls of bright cyan light appeared on Ricky''s body, resisting the strike.


    At the sight of this, Soar, Mason, and the others could not help but heave a sigh of relief.


    At that moment, everyone gasped in shock after seeing Ricky resist the attack successfully. Sure enough, they knew that it was not Ricky''s own power.


    Needless to say, no matter how powerful a demi-spiritual emperor was, it would still be impossible for him to have the real strength of a middle spiritual emperor.


    Meanwhile, Norris'' face darkened as soon as he saw that Ricky was unscathed by his move.


    The truth was that this power that Ricky held belonged to the Wood Saint.


    Back when they were talking, the Wood Saint had told Ricky the fact that Mason and the Evil Mandragora were no match for Norris.


    Not being able to take action himself, the Wood Saint passed part of his strength to Ricky for him to fight Norris instead.


    Moreover, this was his real intention of having a private talk with Ricky.


    The Wood Saint was willing to help Ricky not only because the Metal Fire Saint asked him to do so, but also because he himself didn''t want to see the Nether Manor control the Eastern Land.


    If people from the Nether Manor were righteous, then the Wood Saint would have allowed them to control the Eastern Land despite being human devils. However, the human devils from the Nether Manor were mostly people with nothing but killing desires in their hearts.


    Once the human devils got control of the Eastern Land, it would most likely become the base of the devils once they invaded.


    Thus, to protect the justice in his heart, the Wood Saint decided to help Ricky.


    Because Ricky noticed Norris'' very fast improvement over the past years, he would most certainly not refuse the Wood Saint''s help.


    In fact, that was what he needed most to shut Norris down immediate


    t can''t possibly have this immense power!" Norris roared as he withdrew awkwardly.


    At that moment, everyone present was stunned to see what was happening.


    ''The power coming out from the sacred weapon is incredibly strong. Could someone be behind this?'' Mason wondered as he started to doubt.


    Moreover, he was aware that only a real saint could possess that power.


    "Humph! You''ll never know what kind of trump card I''ve stored. The slaughters you have made in the Eastern Land will be paid with your own life and blood today!" Ricky sneered.


    As soon as he finished his words, the three Holy Platane Stakes shot fiercely towards Norris.


    At that moment, Norris suddenly lost all his arrogance and overwhelming confidence. The only thing left in his heart was the fear of dying.


    Creatures like Norris were more frightened of facing death in the face. In particular, he feared the most when all of his dreams were only a step away from him.


    His arrogance blinded him. He did not feel the power of the Holy Platane Stakes carefully until that moment. Now, he sensed that the power was a lot stronger than his and totally suppressed his power. It was a power that overwhelmed the ruling power.


    As a spiritual emperor, Norris was very much aware of the power that overwhelmed the ruling power.


    He now understood who was the real one manipulating this overwhelming power and attacking him.


    But he didn''t have the time to dwell on the matter. At this moment, all he could do was yelling, "Lady Queenie, please help me!"


    As soon as Norris finished his words, a calm and clear sound like an oriole singing resounded in the air. "You are really useless, Norris. You''ve been defeated by the same person twice."

 Chapter 1117 Meeting The Saint

    The voice trailed away into the darkness, and a woman robed in black came out. She walked with the grace of a queen, as she stood in front of the members of the Nether Manor.


    The woman was tall and devilishly beautiful. Her pupils were abnormally black as if they were full to the brim with evil.


    The cold expression on her face didn''t decrease her beauty, though. Instead, it made her more charming.


    Intangible magic was flowing from her body, and she exuded a queenly aura. It was as if she was the center of the whole world. With a start, Ricky realized that he had felt such aura once before, way back when Pearl had activated the Feminine Mutant.


    Everyone present was surprised at the sight of the woman. They couldn''t believe that she was the one Norris was asking for help from, because judging by the power she emitted, she was only a one-star lower spiritual emperor.


    ''Is she the pill refiner behind Norris?'' Ricky wondered in confusion. If that were the case, it was time for all of these to come to an end.


    It didn''t matter to him how excellent the girl''s pill refining skills were; she could not change anything as long as she was merely a one-star lower spiritual emperor.


    But somehow, Ricky felt that things were not that simple.


    And what happened in the next moment proved him right.


    The moment the woman stood out from the crowd, she clapped her hands, and a small evil tree sprouted out in front of her.


    From the evil tree, another figure walked out.


    It was obviously a mutant instead of a body with blood and flesh. And as soon as it showed up, it drew the attention of all the warriors present.


    The mutant looked like a middle-aged warrior.


    He flicked his finger, and three rays of evil spirit shot out and collided against the Holy Platane Stakes. The evil spirit defeated the Holy Platane Stakes with ease, and made them retreat to Ricky''s side.


    All the people watched in shocked silence.


    The Holy Platane Stakes were able to defeat Norris, which showed just how powerful they were. And now a mutant was able to defeat the Holy Platane Stakes with one attack, and that showed how powerful the mutant''s real body was.


    After the mutant appeared, Ricky quickly retreated, because he knew that the mutant was too powerful for them to fight. None of them expected this to happen, and in fact, it was above and beyond their expectation.


    There was silence all around.


    All eyes were fixed on the woman and the mutant. As for Norris, he was standing behind the woman lik


    lder, just ignore him. Even though he is a saint, he is still not a match against a mutant like you, right?" the woman ordered, insisting.


    "But, My Lady, this..." the mutant muttered quietly, still trying to reason with the woman.


    But he didn''t get to finish his words. He must have switched to speaking with the woman telepathically.


    At this moment, the Wood Saint''s face had visibly darkened, as he watched his opponent''s movements cautiously.


    The woman was right. Even though his opponent was only a mutant, the mutant would be able to defeat a saint like him.


    Fortunately, it looked like the woman''s rage had cooled after a while, so whatever the mutant said to her must have worked wonders.


    "Fine. Since you won''t allow us to interfere in the matters of the Eastern Land, I will solve this problem myself," the woman said to the Wood Saint with a smirk afterward. Then, she turned to Ricky, eyeing him like she wanted to eat him whole.


    "Your name is Ricky, right? I know what you did in the Eastern Land, and I know that you''re the central figure among your group. So, let''s settle this matter with just you and me," the woman proposed.


    "Oh? That does sound interesting, but how do you want to settle the matter?" Ricky asked curiously.


    He didn''t want the mutant to fight either because he had seen from the Wood Saint''s expression that he was at a disadvantage when facing the mutant. Thus, Ricky needed to deal with this matter himself.


    "It''s simple. You and I will fight, and if you win, I won''t interfere in anything here. But if you lose, you have to disappear from the Eastern Land, just like you did three years ago," the woman said lightly.

 Chapter 1118 Queenie Murong

    "Miss, don''t you think your suggestion sounds unfair? After all, you are already a spiritual emperor, while I am just a demi-spiritual emperor. How could I challenge someone powerful like you? Imagine what other people would say about you," Ricky replied, slyly trying to dissuade her from a direct confrontation.


    "Unfair? Why should I bother myself with being fair? Do you think a woman like me needs to do things reasonably? Besides, I don''t care about what other people think of me," the woman responded snidely.


    "You are the most powerful genius in the Eastern Land. If you want to save the Eastern Land, then you should accept my challenge. It''s not my problem if you are not yet a spiritual emperor. You should have thought of that before you got in my way!"


    The woman continued talking with no care for Ricky''s words. He couldn''t help but sigh helplessly. "If that is the case, then I can''t refuse your challenge.


    But, are you serious? If you lose, will you really leave the Eastern Land?" Ricky asked earnestly.


    "Of course I mean it!" the woman scoffed at him as if she could not even entertain the idea of being defeated by a mere demi-spiritual emperor.


    On the other hand, the mutant was wary of the deal, and he felt like something fishy was going on. As someone who was at a disadvantage, Ricky looked very calm, so was Mason. They seemed strangely confident as if they were sure that Ricky could win against her.


    ''Why do they look so confident?'' the mutant thought to himself, puzzled.


    ''Could they be planning something? I hope their confidence would help them win this time. Otherwise, the trouble that Lady Queenie would stir here could be terrible for us human devils, especially in this era when the real devils are beginning to stir.


    We, human devils, are in an embarrassing situation.


    Devils don''t like us, and the creatures on the continent don''t want us either, '' the mutant sighed within his mind.


    ''Luckily, the creatures on the continent are kind-hearted essentially. After so many years, we''ve finally won their trust. I hope this time, Lady Queenie will be kind enough to let these people go.


    It''s very unwise for us to clash with the creatures on the continent at this time. Otherwise, the trust that we have accumulated over the years will be gone in an instant.''


    The mutant wanted peace with the creatures on the continent, so he really wanted Queenie Murong to change her mind.


    In fact, most of the human devils already thought of the continent as their home, so he hoped that she wouldn''t cause trouble in this place.


    In the next moment, Ricky and Queenie Murong had stepped into the void. The confrontation was inevita


    killed him back then in the first place.


    Unfortunately, it was too late now because he had become too powerful for them to take care of.


    They could only wait with baited breaths, hoping against hope that Ricky would have mercy on them or, at least, kill them swiftly.


    These spiritual emperors wracked their brains for any way they could escape.


    ''Damn it! How hateful! How did he become an incredible demi-spiritual emperor?!'' This was the question that ran in their minds continuously. The spiritual emperors, including the Luxurious Emperor, could do nothing but drown in their resentment. They were powerless to do anything else.


    Ricky would have been less intimidating if he became a real spiritual emperor compared to him being an incredible demi-spiritual emperor. This just showed how powerful an incredible demi-spiritual emperor was.


    The Luxurious Emperor and his companions didn''t think that Queenie Murong would help them. They were well aware that they were not different from Norris in her eyes. For her, they were just pawns to be used and discarded.


    At this moment, they knew that they were in grave danger.


    High in the air, the collision between Ricky and Queenie Murong had reached its peak.


    Ricky had to admit that Queenie Murong was also a peerless genius. She should have just broken through and become a spiritual emperor, but she already had the strength of a one-star lower spiritual emperor. That was an impressive progress.


    ''This woman not only has a strong devil''s blood power, the human force behind her must be powerful as well, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "She is protected by a powerful saint, so she must be a peerless genius. If you want to defeat her, you should show some real skills," the Dragon Intent Grass reminded Ricky.

 Chapter 1119 The Heavenly Ice Mutant

    Boom!


    Following another deafening noise, Ricky and Queenie collided and then parted, ending up standing on opposite sides of the void once again.


    "Go to hell!" Queenie exclaimed fiercely, as her eyes blazed with killing intent.


    Any one-star lower spiritual emperor would have felt the anger and killing intent that she was emitting. It was so thick that it was a wonder how the air could stay so clear.


    An incredible demi-spiritual emperor was still a demi-spiritual emperor. If a spiritual emperor lost to an incredible demi-spiritual emperor, he was losing to a demi-spiritual emperor after all, which was something no spiritual emperor could stand.


    "Miss Queenie, why are you so angry?" Ricky asked, with a teasing smile on his face.


    "I will kill you!" Queenie said viciously.


    If looks could kill, Ricky would have died on the spot. She burst out her momentum again, and purer evil spirit surged out.


    Her visage transformed further until she looked so much like a real devil. And with her charisma and beauty, she looked like the queen of devils.


    She was shrouded by a kind of evil spirit from the endless darkness, which was the noblest evil spirit.


    "Ricky, this kind of evil spirit comes from one of the eight major bloodlines of devils. It means that Queenie''s devil bloodline is remarkably extraordinary. Therefore, she must have a very high position among the human devils," the Dragon Intent Grass surmised.


    "I think you are right. My chaotic power and chromatic energy are reacting strangely to her evil spirit!" Ricky replied.


    "Black Devil blood power!


    The devil has come!"


    Queenie shouted menacingly as she hovered in the air like an avenging angel. She clapped her hands, activating the Black Devil blood power, and a giant shadow of a black devil appeared behind her. It floated behind her with a certain arrogance, as it looked at them like they were all mere ants beneath its feet.


    "Black Devil''s punches!"


    The black devil shadow raised its head and let out a long howl. As it opened its mouth, infinite amounts of heavenly power mixed with the evil spirit came out, converging into a punch that smashed toward Ricky. Wherever the punch passed, the void crackled and shattered, creating various passages in its wake.


    "Six mutants, activate the chaotic fist!"


    Ricky burst out his mutants, condensed the chaotic power, and merged them with his Ultimate Golden Body. It formed a punch as well, which he readied to confront Queenie''s attack.


    Boom! The two punches clashed with a loud explosion, which resulted in numerous airwaves and clouds of dust. The power it emitted was as strong as an abyss.


    Ricky''s chaotic power and Queenie''s dark evil spirit collided fiercely in


    ended with a draw.


    But in the next breath, Queenie shouted in pain, as she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Her face had quickly turned ashen-gray. At the same time, the power of the Heavenly Ice Mutant retreated from her body.


    In sharp contrast, Ricky looked a little disheveled but was otherwise unharmed.


    Thus, their battle had ended.


    All the warriors around could tell who had won.


    As soon as the battle ended, the mutant came running to Queenie''s side. "Are you alright, My Lady?"


    "I''m fine!" Queenie huffed loudly, as his worry aggravated the pain of her loss.


    At this moment, she shifted her eyes to Ricky, who was as calm and composed as when they had started fighting. In an instant, the anger in her eyes was replaced by appreciation, though her appreciation seemed cunning.


    The deep frown lines on her face smoothed over, as an evil smile pulled at the corner of her lips.


    "Miss Murong, thank you for letting me win," Ricky said, cupping his hands as a sign of respect. In fact, if he hadn''t gone easy on her, she would have been badly injured.


    He had gained the upper hand with his chromatic energy, but he wasn''t about to rub it in her face. Ricky had more class than that.


    "You are truly worthy to be called an incredible demi-spiritual emperor, for you have the ability to kill a real spiritual emperor and make great achievements in the path of supreme enlightenment," Queenie told him reverently. She seemed to have forgotten how angry she had been earlier. Now, she couldn''t stop singing him praises!


    Ricky saw this change, which only intensified his confusion. After all, her attitude towards him had changed too abruptly. It was like he was talking to a different person.


    ''She seems to be plotting something. I have to be careful, '' Ricky thought to himself.

 Chapter 1120 Problems Solved

    "I''m flattered, but I hope you can keep the promise you made earlier. From now on, please refrain from interfering in the matters here in the Eastern Land," Ricky said firmly, reminding Queenie of what she had promised before the fight.


    The contrasting change in Queenie''s attitude before and after they fought made Ricky realize that she was more than what she was letting on. She appeared like a conceited and arrogant woman who could easily make mistakes, but the opposite seemed accurate. She was a cunning woman.


    Ricky didn''t believe that Queenie could let go of what happened quickly. Even if she let it go now, she would be likely to come back in the future and seek revenge.


    Meanwhile, Norris and his companions seemed to be the most frightened of the bunch. After all, they would end up with miserable deaths if Queenie left them alone. And she was someone highly liable to do that.


    At that moment, Norris was begging Queenie telepathically to save the Nether Manor for the sake of their same identity as human devils. He was also reminding her of the things he had done for her in the past years.


    However, Norris didn''t expect that the mutant that worked for Queenie would suddenly attack him. He was killed instantly.


    After all, it was too easy for a saint to kill a middle spiritual emperor.


    What happened, of course, shocked everyone present.


    All the warriors panicked when they saw that Norris had turned into ashes all of a sudden, especially the Nether Manor members and the creatures that followed the Nether Manor.


    Ricky, the Wood Saint, Mason, and their companions were confused too. Why did Queenie have her subordinate kill Norris?


    "Is that enough to show you my sincerity?" Queenie said with a faint smile while looking Ricky in the eyes.


    "Thank you!" Ricky said respectfully, although he wasn''t sure how to feel about what she had done.


    He did not feel sympathy for Norris despite the latter''s sudden death, because he had wanted to kill him. At the moment, he was more preoccupied with the fact that Queenie was not as simple as he had thought. She was by no means a self-conceited princess who could easily be played.


    "This woman is not easy to deal with. She is cunning and seems to be moody. You can''t guess what she will do next," the Dragon Intent Grass said warily.


    "I don''t think it was necessary for her to let that mutant kill Norris," Ricky murmured regretfully.


    "Who knows? Maybe she was planning to do that from the start..." the Dragon Intent Grass said gently.


    "Mister Ricky, you can say that I did you a favor since I killed a big enemy of yours for you.


    In return, you have to do something for me," Queen


    However, I want to remind you that she shouldn''t be underestimated. She would probably do as she said. I don''t think a woman like Queenie could joke about that," reminded the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "I think the best course of action is to go to the Nether Manor. Anyway, the Wood Saint will protect you from her."


    "Well, it seems that I don''t have a choice..." Ricky nodded and sighed.


    "I''m afraid I need the Wood Saint to take care of me in the dark. I don''t know what tricks Queenie has up her sleeve."


    A bright-colored hall had been set up with white and red decorations in the Nether Manor. These colors were chosen because white looked noble, while red looked fascinating.


    Dressed in a loose robe, Queenie was like a wild rose that blossomed in the middle of thorns. Together with the unique charm brought by the bloodline of devils, she looked so attractive that no man could take their eyes away from her.


    "Elder, has Ricky taken care of all his problems?" asked Queenie in a low voice.


    "Yes, My Lady. I think he will be coming soon," the mutant that worked for Queenie answered.


    He bit his lip as if he wanted to ask something but was afraid to do so. Finally, he asked in a worried tone, "But do you really want him to take part in that matter?"


    "Actually, I didn''t want to find a helper in the first place, but I don''t want to miss working with an incredible demi-spiritual emperor. Moreover, if a grown incredible demi-spiritual emperor can support our human devils to some extent, we will live a better life in the future," replied Queenie.


    Her words visibly delighted the mutant. It was because her words indicated that she was thinking for the sake of the human devils, which made it happy. It was what the mutant wanted above all in the first place.

 Chapter 1121 The Threat

    "My Lady, he''s coming!" the mutant exclaimed excitedly as he sensed Ricky''s arrival.


    "Of course, I knew he would," Queenie replied confidently, as the corners of her lips curled up in a smile.


    Soon after doing what he was told, the mutant hid again.


    That was because the mutant didn''t want Ricky to see him.


    Meanwhile, a Nether Manor disciple led Ricky in their arrival at the hall.


    Needless to say, the Nether Manor disciples were really angry with Ricky. However, there was nothing they could do but obey Queenie''s orders. In the end, they managed to treat Ricky politely and respectfully, and at least tried to be civil about it.


    On the other hand, Ricky was known to have a strong mind and consciousness, but at that moment, he could not help but feel astonished by the fascinating beauty of this attractive woman in the hall.


    Luckily, he snapped out of it with the help of his chromatic energy.


    ''No wonder this woman is unique. She has double bloodlines of both humans and devils. She can be as noble as a cold saint one second and then turn into an attractive queen of devils the next. Plus, she seems quite moody. Damn, it''s really hard to deal with her, '' Ricky suddenly wondered.


    "Well, I just hope you won''t be too fascinated by her!" Tina said to him in a jealous tone.


    "Don''t worry about me, Tina. I''m confident that I can control myself," Ricky replied when he heard Tina''s comment.


    "Well, hello there, Mister Ricky.


    Mind answering a question for me? Do you think I am beautiful?" Queenie asked Ricky in a whisper after walking to him charmingly.


    "Well, Miss Queenie, what do you really want to say to me? Let''s not waste any of our precious time and get straight to the point!" Ricky said in a serious voice.


    If it were any other woman, Ricky might have flirted with her for a while. But it was Queenie who was in front of him, making Ricky give up the idea of flirting with her entirely because she was shrewd. Now, if Ricky would flirt with her, he knew that he would definitely lose and would most likely end up falling for her instead.


    Plus, she could do anything she wanted because he was in her territory now.


    "Oh, please! How could you be so boring?" Queenie said miserably upon seeing Ricky avoid her cunning question.


    At that moment, Ricky''s deflection of Queenie''s game made her doubt her own beauty, which had never occurred before. In fact, any man who had seen her fell for her in an instant, as if she had cast a spell. However, th


    t seemed to be puzzled by Ricky''s reaction. In fact, he didn''t know why Ricky would suddenly change his mind.


    ''I guess that I don''t know her well enough, ''


    the mutant thought inwardly.


    "How did you find out?" Ricky asked Queenie in the same manner.


    "Hasn''t that saint guardian told you that I have the Black Devil blood power? I can sense any devil''s blood in the world," Queenie replied telepathically.


    "Although the Evil Mandragora is not a devil in its true sense, she cultivates the evil spirit, very pure evil spirit, in fact. Moreover, I know a lot about the Evil Mandragora."


    "Okay, I got it!" Ricky replied.


    ''I didn''t know that the Black Devil bloodline could be this powerful!'' He could not help but think upon hearing what Queenie said.


    "I can help you do this, but under some conditions: it should not involve harming others," Ricky said. "And you must make a Martial Arts Oath. I''ll help you do the thing you want me to do. But in return, you must keep the Evil Mandragora''s identity to yourself."


    "Ha-ha, don''t worry about me having a big mouth. And don''t worry about harming others. What I want you to do for me is only related to the force I''m from," Queenie said with a smile.


    Soon after, as agreed, she made a Martial Arts Oath.


    "Thank you!" Ricky said after hearing Queenie''s Martial Arts Oath.


    "Oh, you don''t need to thank me. For all I know, you must hate me very much as we speak!" Queenie just smiled and jested.


    "Now, let''s get on and tell me what I need to do for you," Ricky requested.


    At this moment, he was not at all happy with what was happening, especially the fact that he was being threatened.

 Chapter 1122 Grand Humanoid Evil Tree

    "Mister Ricky, how much do you know about human devils?" Queenie asked as a smile tempered the steel in her voice. She hadn''t fully let her guard down, but after Ricky calmed himself down, she also stopped acting as threatening as before.


    "I heard that there are living creatures called human devils in this world. That''s all I know," answered Ricky. A resentful sneer dimmed the smile on Queenie''s face when she heard his answer.


    "You are right. We, human devils, are all low-level creatures to both creatures born on the continent and creatures of devil race. A genius like you, Mister Ricky, will never be interested in knowing that," she remarked indignantly.


    However, despite the resentment that her words held, Ricky could tell that she felt helpless and indignant toward the situation as well.


    ''I guess the situation of human devils is not as good as I previously thought, '' reflected Ricky. Although honestly, he never gave much thought to human devils at all. But after hearing what Queenie said, he now understood why she felt that way. Unfortunately, he didn''t have time to dwell on other people''s problems, as he also had issues of his own.


    At that moment, he still had a lot of problems that he needed to solve.


    "I don''t know about other people, but I never look down upon anyone or any race," Ricky told Queenie sincerely. "Even if they are my enemies, I will not judge them based on their bloodline and background. If I consider them my enemies, then it is because of their actions and not for anything else," he continued.


    "I see that you are quite open-minded, Mister Ricky," responded Queenie, as one of her eyebrows lifted in disbelief. She had a hard time believing him, as life had taught her the opposite.


    Since she was a child, she had learned never to believe anyone else except human devils. Otherwise, she would get hurt.


    "We, human devils, have been trying our best to survive in this world over the past years. We have to deal with all the creatures born on the continent and creatures of devil race, and that is not an easy thing to do. I am sure you know that," stated Queenie.


    She paused for a short while, reminiscing the hardships that she had faced in the past. And as Ricky looked at her in the eyes, he too could sense the difficulties she had suffered.


    "Judging from your situation, I can only guess how hard it must have been, but I''m sure it is a hundred times harder than I can imagine," Ricky responded somberly, as he was aware of the delicacy of their topic, and he didn''t want to say something insensitive.


    "To be honest, we are truly grateful to all the creatures born on the continent, for many of you are just and kind. Their kind hearts are the reason that human devils have survived there until this day," added Queenie.


    Then, she paused and studied Ricky. She had to take the time and breathe, for her words, at that moment, weighed heavily on her soul.


    "However, in this world where the weak would fall prey to the strong, strength is the only thing that matters. And the most important reason that human devils have gotten to where they are today is mostly because of our strength,"


    which is to use me and hunt me down afterwards," Ricky responded with a smile.


    Well, he was right, to an extent. Indeed, Queenie had chosen a third option, which was to force Ricky to yield to her.


    Of course, it was good to have an incredible demi-spiritual emperor of your level by your side. However, it would be even better if you killed an incredible demi-spiritual emperor of your level, as that would prove to everyone the extent of your abilities.


    Moreover, it would be a greater shock for anyone if one managed to make an incredible demi-spiritual emperor of the same level surrender.


    Queenie desperately wanted to subjugate an incredible demi-spiritual emperor from the continent and make him yield to her. In that way, she could avenge her race for the difficulties they had suffered in the past, and it could also be the perfect venue to show off her power to other forces.


    "I never use benefits to draw people to my side. I use my own way, just like what I am doing now. So, I hope you don''t mind," Queenie casually mentioned as if she didn''t care about what Ricky said.


    Hearing this, Ricky was speechless.


    "You are very different from your peers," he remarked after a short silence, amusement lightening his expression. He inwardly laughed and thought to himself, ''What can I do? Queenie knows the identity of the Evil Mandragora. I have no choice but to help her, no matter what she wants from me.


    It''s not like I can kill her, either. Undoubtedly, she is powerful enough to have a backup, and she might even tell other people about my secret.


    If that happens, all the creatures on the four continents will find out that I am with the Evil Mandragora.''


    Queenie could not read his thought, but it was evident from his expression that he was about to give in to her. A triumphant smile flashed across her face. "I think so too," she said with amusement.


    "After this, you have one month to prepare, and then you can come to the Nether Manor to meet me. You will follow me to our ancestral land, where we will locate the grand humanoid evil tree of this era," she added.

 Chapter 1123 A New Problem

    In the next month, Ricky had put all his effort and soul comprehending the Ancestral Thunder Zone and the Ancestral Thunder Mutant. Ever since the opening of the Ancestral Thunder Zone, he hadn''t had the time and peace to comprehend and explore it yet. Now that he had the whole month to himself with no other distraction, he found that it was the best time to do this work.


    Meanwhile, the truth about his alleged involvement with the devils had come to light after encountering the demi-saint from the Western Land. There was no truth to these allegations. In fact, it was a complete slander to his name. The only reason why the creatures from the two lands were able to survive the potential crisis was due to the saint guardian''s appearance. However, to a greater extent, it also had something to do with Ricky. If it weren''t for him, then things would surely have definitely gone a different path.


    Moreover, Ricky was now an incredible demi-spiritual emperor, and the creatures from the two lands were trusting and believing him more, creating the power of faith. Such power was increasing Ricky''s strength in turn.


    In fact, he was already familiar with the power of faith because this was what he had felt since he got the Divine Manor. And now, he was feeling the same power from the creatures of the Eastern and the Western Land.


    ''The Holy Three-Saber once talked about a certain method, and I think it may be the method of faith, '' Ricky thought to himself as he tried to refresh his memory.


    In the same month, he had also successfully helped Tina drive the evil spirit out of her body.


    This time, he had no difficulty removing the evil spirit from her body. This was all thanks to the Devourer Zone''s and the Ancestral Thunder Zone''s help, both of which could suppress the evil spirit. Besides, the chromatic energy and the chaotic power made the task easier.


    As a matter of fact, it took only two days for Ricky to successfully help Tina drive all the evil spirit out of her body.


    Now that Tina had fully recuperated, she could finally give full play to the power of her body refining bloodline and Refining Blood Mutant. At that moment, she believed that she could cultivate quicker and become a spiritual emperor or even a saint in the future.


    Needless to say, Tina was overjoyed. The evil spirit that once haunted her for more than twenty years was finally gone from her system. Now, she knew how to relax, something that she had never done and felt in the past twenty years.


    Seeing this made Ricky very excited about her growth, too.


    However, there was another problem inside Tina''s body, and Ricky was the only one who knew about it.


    Perhaps it was because the evil spirit had been accum


    here the evil spirit emitted.


    On top of this circular opening, there was a suppressive force that prevented any creature''s mind from entering it to detect the situation inside.


    "Judging by its size, this must be the entrance and has come into being for five years. I assume that it will have the largest size in the sixth year and disappear right after," Queenie remarked.


    "Therefore, we only have one year to do what we have to do in the land and leave immediately before that year ends. Otherwise, we might be trapped inside and could not come out until the next era comes.


    But of course, there''s always the option of becoming a holy being. If you can be one, then you can just break it and come out."


    "When can we enter it?" Ricky asked.


    "In one or two days!" Queenie answered.


    "Who are you up against this time?" Ricky asked.


    "We human devils have eight major clans. I am the representative of the Murong Clan, so my competitors are the representatives of the other seven clans. Of course, they would invite the geniuses from some great forces,"


    replied Queenie.


    "Speaking of those geniuses, I do have a bit of desire to fight," Ricky said expectantly.


    "Well, I hope you can defeat them all," Queenie said with a smile.


    "Why do I feel like you really hope that I fall out with them?" Ricky commented lightly.


    Soon after, the suppressive force over the entrance disappeared, and Queenie immediately guided Ricky to go inside.


    Since the mutant that worked for Queenie was guarding outside the entrance, Ricky naturally did not worry about anything.


    After traveling in a dark void for several hours, Ricky and Queenie finally arrived in another world.


    It was the ancestral land of human devils¡ªan ancient place where the evil spirit and the continent spirit coexisted.

 Chapter 1124 The Ancestral Land

    When Ricky entered the area, he found himself in a vast Devil Land, surrounded by an endless amount of evil spirit, which could erode and destroy his body in an instant. He waited for the pain to assault him, but thankfully, the evil spirit around him became the pure continent spirit. He breathed easily then, knowing that the continent spirit would not damage him.


    In conclusion, the evil spirit and continent spirit in this world were shifting.


    The light and darkness were also alternately changing in the sky, painting it in varying shades of blues and oranges.


    Ricky felt the original power in his veins, in its thickest and most potent form he had ever encountered. The original energy contained in the ancestral land of the Massacring Holy Ant tribe seemed insignificant compared to the endless sea of original energy in this place.


    The plants he had seen in other places were nothing compared to the plants here. The trees and flowers here were so giant that they had their own worlds.


    Ricky felt insignificant and humbled.


    Standing there, he felt that he was automatically cultivating. The original energy and primitive power here allowed him to cultivate automatically.


    And although there was thick evil spirit around him, Ricky did not feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, he felt like he was a fish in the water, and he was so comfortable that he felt like he was in a fairyland.


    "This deserves to be the ancestral land of the human devil race. The land is so vast and magnificent. It even contains natural primitive power!" Ricky sighed in awe as he looked around. "Maybe, after cultivating for some time here, I can finally become a holy being."


    "All the living creatures who come here for the first time have the same reaction as you. However, you should know that cultivation in a secluded place for a long time is not an efficient way to improve yourself. No matter how good the cultivation place is, it will be useless after a time. Without experiencing battles, how can one improve himself?" Queenie said.


    "Yes, you''re right. You deserve to be a genius born in an influential force," Ricky agreed, nodding his head.


    That was the nature of martial arts. No matter how good the cultivation environment was, it would be good for nothing if one stayed there in seclusion for a long time. A true warrior would need to go out for training, where he could gain more insights, and only through that could he reach the peak of his martial arts road. Both cultivating and experience were indispensable.


    "I learned this from a saint that I have met before. You


    ttish blood flower, and there were endless bloody thorns inside.


    Moreover, there was a strong force emitting from the bloody vine. The two of them could tell by the power surrounding it that it was at the Emperor Level.


    "What''s this?" Ricky exclaimed.


    ''How could a vine have the power at the Emperor Level?''


    He dared not hesitate. His Chaotic Fire Mutant exploded in an instant, and then he broke out a fierce fire that surrounded him and Queenie. Flames instantly condensed and burned the vines.


    Despite his powerful attack, Ricky failed to destroy the vines. The giant mouths spat out a lot of blood water, which contained two kinds of power, the evil spirit and the continent spirit.


    "Shit! These vines extinguish my chaotic fire so easily!" Ricky couldn''t help but curse when he saw what had happened. The plants were not afraid of his fire at all! He had never seen anything like that.


    "These are not ordinary vines. They are vines that are spread out by the humanoid evil flower," Queenie explained from beside him. "The humanoid evil flower is a kind of flower growing in our ancestral land.


    This kind of flower has no psychic intelligence, and it grows by absorbing the evil spirit and the continent spirit, as well as devouring other plants'' essence. It is ferocious and poisonous, and we cannot underestimate its strength.


    As you can see, it''s not even afraid of the fire of your fire mutant. What''s more, its power will be enhanced when it meets fire."


    "It sounds like a very unique flower. The endless world is full of wonders!" Ricky excitedly cried out.


    He looked at Queenie, as his eyes burned bright with excitement and fighting spirit. "How can I beat back these flowers?" he asked.

 Chapter 1125 Humanoid Evil Flower Garden

    "Well, the answer is very simple¡ªto destroy the heart of the humanoid evil flower!" replied Queenie.


    "What? the heart?" Ricky inquired.


    "The humanoid evil flower is similar to creatures like us for its power all comes from its heart, too. In fact, the vines would grow endlessly and could not be eliminated no matter how hard we try unless the heart of the flower is destroyed," expounded Queenie.


    "So, where can we find the real body of the flower? I just can''t wait to end this."


    "A humanoid evil flower does not come alone. In fact, they come in groups," Queenie replied. "They usually live underground and form a world of their own. We can never get rid of these vines unless we directly go to the source and destroy their heart," Queenie added.


    "So what are we waiting for? Let''s go underground. I really don''t want to be entangled by these vines any longer," Ricky murmured.


    At that moment, he used the Iron Justice Saber and cut these vines for good. However, it seemed that the more he cut them, the more they grew.


    "As I''ve told you, the humanoid evil flowers form a world of their own underground¡ªa garden. However, it''s not easy for us to enter the garden," said Queenie in a low voice.


    At this moment, she felt very unhappy as well. After all, it was not very pleasing to come across the tough humanoid evil flowers on their first day in the ancestral land of human devil race.


    "Then what do you suggest we do?" Ricky asked.


    Since he knew nothing about the ancestral land of human devils, he asked Queenie for what she knew.


    "That would depend entirely on our guts," Queenie said monotonously. "Well, we can intentionally let these vines catch us. Once they do, they will send us to their heart to devour and absorb us.


    That can be our chance to destroy the heart.


    That''s the only way I know how we can get rid of them."


    "If you have the guts, then how couldn''t I? If I don''t have the courage, then you might end up belittling me, and I don''t want that to happen," Ricky said with a smile on his face.


    Ever since they set foot in this ancestral land, both Ricky and Queenie promised each other that they would try and work with each other no matter how they despised one another. Otherwise, they would most probably regret not being civil with each other in the end.


    After finishing his words, Ricky erupted his Ultimate Golden Body and wrapped it around Queenie. Soon after, R


    ty for us." Ricky nodded his head upon realizing this information.


    Soon after, thousands of rays of golden light erupted from his Ultimate Golden Body to resist the attack of the bloody light.


    Immediately, flames spread on his golden body once again.


    "Ricky, I''ve already told you that flames don''t work on these flowers. They would only strengthen them," Queenie reminded upon seeing that Ricky was about to burn the flowers with his flames.


    "I know, but it will still depend on what kind of flames they are," Ricky said in a flat tone.


    As soon as Ricky finished his words, ten different kinds of flames rose from his body. Because of the activation of the Ancestral Thunder Zone, Ricky had one more kind of peculiar fire¡ªthe Ancestral Thunder Fire.


    "What...This is..." Queenie was dumbfounded to see these ten types of flames surge from his body.


    As a genius human devil, she could most certainly recognize these flames as the sacred fire and the peculiar fire.


    In particular, when she looked at the black flame, she said in a shocked voice, "Is that the Heaven Illuminating Fire? The one that never dies out?"


    "Exactly! This one can burn everything in the world. And it can also burn the humanoid evil flowers. Plus, I don''t have anything to worry about because I''m stronger than these flowers," Ricky said.


    "You have ten kinds of sacred flames. And you even have the Heaven Illuminating Fire. Your body must be a treasury," Queenie sighed with emotions. "I guess the reason why you can control so many flames is because of your eyes.


    Perhaps I can guess the name of your magical eyes."

 Chapter 1126 The Chomper

    "I believe that they are the Golden Spirit Eyes that can control all kinds of flames. Am I right?"


    "Ha-ha! Oh, Queenie, you''re really smart!" Ricky didn''t deny anything but just smiled at the moment.


    Meanwhile, it seemed that Queenie was not prepared to take any action. She thought that if Ricky''s ten kinds of flames even couldn''t beat these humanoid evil flowers, then it would also be impossible for her to do that. So, she decided to leave this work to Ricky alone.


    "Well, Queenie, let''s see how well you know flames. Do you know what kind of flame this is?" Ricky asked with a huge grin on his face.


    Howl! Soon after, the dragon''s shriek echoed all throughout the entire space, and a grey-white dragon-shaped shadow spurted out grey-white roaring flames.


    "This...This is the Dragon Extremity!" Queenie exclaimed in astonishment after seeing it with her own eyes.


    "Without a doubt. It is the Dragon Extremity!" Ricky replied while nodding his head slowly.


    "The Dragon Extremity is the extreme flame. I can''t believe you own such a thing!" Queenie gasped again. At the moment, she realized that she still underestimated Ricky''s strength, despite knowing that he was an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    Both the Dragon Extremity and these ten types of flames were something that others had always dreamed of owning.


    In fact, Ricky didn''t want to expose his Fire Dragon Extremity at all. However, he felt that all the attacks from these flowers were nowhere near being weak so that he had to use the power of the extreme flame in order to kill them in one massive strike.


    These tough flowers must be destroyed once and for all. Otherwise, they would regenerate and come to life again. As Queenie had mentioned, as long as the heart of one humanoid evil flower existed, it could quickly give rise to other flowers that had been destroyed.


    Meanwhile, the Fire Dragon Extremity integrated with ten kinds of flames and turned into ten virtual flaming dragon-shaped shadows, biting at the humanoid evil flowers from ten various directions.


    Boom!


    Under these magnificent furious flames, these flowers could be buried in the sea of fire instantly, no matter how powerful they were.


    Meanwhile, in the sea of fire, various screams from the flowers could be heard.


    "Wow, all I know is that the flame that combines the Fire Dragon Extremity with the ten kinds of sacred flames can be considered as the strongest flame in the


    evil spirit which could naturally penetrate into her impure evil spirit. As a result, the poison gas also infiltrated into her barrier.


    "Damn it!" Queenie snorted as she realized that she couldn''t use the evil spirit to deflect the poison gas. Without any other choice, she broke out the Heavenly Ice Mutant.


    Fortunately, the power of the Heavenly Ice Mutant successfully blocked the poison of the Chomper.


    However, she was still having a hard time blocking the poison. At this time, the thick vines of the Chomper rushed at her violently.


    Because her strength was inferior to that of the Chomper, Queenie had only managed to resist a few strikes before suffering a crushing defeat.


    "Ricky, I think this is your cue. Be the hero that rescues the damsel in distress," the Dragon Intent Grass mocked as he laughed.


    "I''m afraid that helping her might make her think that I see her inferior to me, and I really don''t," Ricky replied gloomily.


    But at that moment, he knew that he still had to save her.


    Meanwhile, the flames erupted and directly condensed the Space Splitting Cage under the control of the Golden Spirit Eyes, wrapping around Queenie. Although Ricky couldn''t beat the Chomper with just the Chaotic Fire Mutant, he still had the capability to resist the attacks of these vines.


    "Why is the poison not affecting you?" Queenie asked with wonder upon seeing that Ricky stood in midair unscathed.


    "This is because of my Devouring Mutant!" Ricky explained briefly.


    Without thinking twice, Ricky broke out his six mutants. After all, he had to go all out in order to defeat the Chomper at this time.

 Chapter 1127 The Ancestral Thunder Net

    "The Devouring Mutant? Can it devour everything?" Queenie asked seriously, her tone full of jealousy and admiration.


    "Queenie, your strength will be restrained by the Chomper, so let me take care of the rest of the battle. Don''t worry. If I can get Chomper''s pistil, I promise you I will share half of it with you," Ricky said in a flat tone, as his chaotic power and chromatic energy twisted and throbbed around him.


    She felt immediately indignant when she heard this, as she felt that he was underestimating her again. She turned to him, her eyes blazing with anger, and stared him down.


    Of course, Ricky didn''t miss the shift in her mood.


    He sighed helplessly and said to the Dragon Intent Grass, "Look, Dragon Intent Grass! I told you that even if I saved Queenie, she would not appreciate it. I really don''t understand what this woman is thinking!"


    "Well, you can''t do anything about it. After all, this woman is determined to make you surrender to her," the Dragon Intent Grass said with a smirk as if it was having fun seeing Ricky was treated this way.


    "Thank you!" It felt like the whole world paused when Ricky and the Dragon Intent Grass heard Queenie utter these two words. They were so stunned that it took them a few second before they could say anything.


    "Damn it! Did I hear it wrong? Did she just thank me?!" Ricky muttered to the Dragon Intent Grass, to which it answered, "No, you didn''t hear it wrong. I think this woman is keeping account of everything in her mind, and when you two get out of here, she will surely settle accounts with you."


    "Let her be. I just hope that after I help her find the grand humanoid evil tree, she will fulfill her promise not to expose the identity of the Evil Mandragora," Ricky said.


    Among the six mutants that had been activated, Ricky now mainly depended on the Chaotic Fire Mutant. It was because all kinds of plants were born to be suppressed by flames. As he fought, he brandished the Iron Justice Saber in his hands, and he swiftly destroyed the thick vines that came at him.


    Ricky''s concentration was at its peak, and his target was the Chomper''s heart.


    With a single-minded focus, he continued onward to the location of Chomper''s heart.


    When the Chomper released toxins, he swallowed them with his Evil Devouring Mouth. And when Chomper attacked him with vines, Ricky withstood the blow with his Ultimate Golden Body and fought back with the Iron Justice Saber''s galaxy strike.


    At this time, Ricky''s goal was to fight against Chomper head-on until he could get an opportunity to attack its heart.


    lace was full of thunder power, all of Chomper''s vines seemed to flinch, which showed their fear of Ricky''s thunder power.


    "Come down!" Ricky roared again. Then, countless thunders formed a huge net and suppressed Chomper.


    Crack! In an instant, many vines were destroyed by the thunder power like sweeping up dead leaves.


    "The humanoid evil flower is afraid of thunder!"


    Queenie remarked from where she was standing far away. She had to keep this in mind.


    She needed to share this knowledge with her clansmen as soon as she came back, so anyone who would enter the ancestral land of human devils could prepare thunder power in advance.


    Chomper tried its best to resist, but the vines were too fragile in the face of Ricky''s thunder. It was now in a dire situation, a complete turn-around from Ricky''s disadvantage earlier.


    "If I had activated the Ancestral Thunder Mutant from the very beginning, I wouldn''t have had so much trouble," Ricky said with a wide grin.


    Then, he transformed into thunder light, and his veins filled with thunder and lightning.


    "Thunder Light Blade!"


    A huge thunder blade instantly formed, and it ran across the entire garden and cut Chomper in half. To Ricky''s surprise, the flower could even bleed like a human would do.


    "What a world full of wonders! Even a flower such as this can bleed like animals!" Ricky sighed again.


    Without hesitation, he cut the heart of the flower with the Thunder Light Blade and suppressed it with the ancestral thunder runes.


    It was not until then that Ricky turned into his real body, and Chomper''s massive heart fell right into his hand.


    "Queenie, everything is done!" Ricky declared, turning around to face Queenie with a smile.

 Chapter 1128 The Road Of Faith

    "What are you doing? Are you showing off to me?" Queenie pouted. Ricky kept saving her from the beginning to the end, which she resented very much. Proud as she was, she hated the fact that she had to be rescued, and to think that it was Ricky who saved her gave her the grief.


    "I wouldn''t do that. I''m not that brave," Ricky said sincerely with an appeasing smile on his face, although he wanted to declare the opposite. After all, beggars couldn''t be choosers. He didn''t want to provoke Queenie too much, or she could expose the Evil Mandragora''s true identity. If that happened, he would only regret it, so it was better to play by Queenie''s rules for now.


    Without saying anything more, Ricky destroyed Chomper''s heart with his thunder power, and then he divided the pistil into two halves and handed one half to Queenie.


    Queenie accepted it without hesitation. She even looked like she wanted to monopolize the whole pistil for herself.


    "You are more honorable than I thought, huh? I didn''t do anything to help, but you''re still willing to give half of it to me," she quietly muttered as if it physically hurt her to say these kind words.


    Ricky didn''t know how to respond to that, so he kept quiet instead.


    He had expected her to thank him, as she had done earlier, but she didn''t. Honestly, he should have expected that.


    "By the way, the evil spirit in Chomper''s pistil is quite powerful. Do you need my help with the refining?" Queenie asked out of the blue, smiling pleasantly all of a sudden.


    "No, thanks," Ricky answered lightly.


    He knew that if he handed his half to her too, she was likely to keep it for herself. He was sure of that.


    "Humph! Why can''t you just appreciate it when you are offered something good? There are too many geniuses in this world who want my help, but you refuse me when I offer to help!" Queenie snorted upon hearing Ricky''s refusal.


    "My Devouring Mutant is enough to deal with it," Ricky simply answered. Then, he sat down and began to refine his half of the pistil.


    Now that Chomper had been destroyed, this garden was the safest place for them to stay in the ancestral land.


    When Queenie saw Ricky sit down with crossed legs, the angry look on her face immediately disappeared. ''Calm down, '' she thought to herself. ''This guy is really extraordinary. I have to make him surrender to me, so that I can show my power that I can even make a genius like him obey to me to those old guys on the continents.''


    Then, she also sat down with her legs crossed and started to refine her half of the pistil.


    When his mind had finally integrated into the pistil, Ricky felt like he had entered an enormous world where there was nothing but abundant pure evil spirit and pure continent spirit.


    "What tremendous power!" Ricky sighed.


    "That''s reasonable. Chomper lived


    ising the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "Why? Are you going to start with your soul?" it asked in astonishment. "No, I''m not going to do that either.


    Although those incredible demi-spiritual emperors in the previous eras were also incredible demi-spiritual emperors, they all had Heavenly Meridians. They took an incredible path, but their action was still within the range of the heavenly law," Ricky reasoned in a low voice.


    "On the contrary, I don''t have a Heavenly Meridian. If I try to make either my body or my soul to become a spiritual emperor first, I''m afraid I will die in the end and render all my efforts a waste. It''s because I don''t think the heavenly law allows the existence of any spiritual emperor without a Heavenly Meridian."


    The Dragon Intent Grass fell silent after hearing Ricky''s words. It had forgotten that Ricky didn''t have the Heavenly Meridian.


    "Your path of martial arts is really so..." The Dragon Intent Grass trailed off, as it didn''t know what to say.


    It could not understand what kind of spiritual meridian Ricky owned. Why couldn''t it merge with the Heavenly Meridian?


    "Ricky, what do you think then? Now that you have become an incredible demi-spiritual emperor, how can you just stop there? If you stop going further and becoming a spiritual emperor, you will be the butt of everyone''s ridicule," the Dragon Intent Grass warned.


    The grass guessed that Ricky probably had a plan, but only Ricky knew his end goal.


    "I''ve found a path," Ricky said lowly, almost murmuring to himself. "I see hope on this path, and it will lead me to achieve more."


    "What kind of path?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked seriously. As he expected, Ricky did have his own way once again. And he would take this unique path regardless of other people''s opinions.


    "It is the path made of faith!" Ricky mysteriously answered, looking off into the distance.

 Chapter 1129 Encountering Real Devils

    "Faith?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked in confusion. Ricky''s words had surprised it quite a bit, as it was unfamiliar with the so-called path made of faith.


    According to all the ancient books that mentioned incredible demi-spiritual emperors, there were only two feasible ways in which an incredible demi-spiritual emperor could become a spiritual emperor¡ªwith the soul or with the corporeal body.


    Some incredible demi-spiritual emperors had tried to take other paths, but they had all ended up dead with no exception. It seemed that apart from the two ways, all other roads would lead to death.


    But the fact was, just as Ricky said, he didn''t have the Heavenly Meridian, so his path could not follow the heavenly law. It could be for that reason that neither the soul nor the physical body would work, so he needed to find an alternative to become a spiritual emperor.


    "Why did you choose faith?" asked the Dragon Intent Grass again. "I''m not sure. Maybe it is because of my intuition. Since I don''t have the Heavenly Meridian, the heavenly law will surely reject me and kill me if I follow ordinary methods.


    I think it is almost impossible for me to become a spiritual emperor with my corporeal body or my soul," Ricky explained matter-of-factly.


    "But I''m still in the world where heavenly law prevails, so I want to make use of the power of these creatures subject to the heavenly law.


    The creatures in the Divine Manor have faith in me. Thus, I can obtain the power of faith through them. And I know that more than half of the creatures from the Eastern Land and the Western Land have faith in me as well. Notably, the younger generation looks up to me, and through that, I can feel their faith.


    Such power of faith not only increases the speed of my cultivation, but it also gives me more confidence in my martial arts. Therefore, I have begun to think about using the road made of faith to become a spiritual emperor. Besides, those creatures'' faith belongs to a kind of power under the heavenly law, so I will have more chances of surviving the Thunderstroke Doom that I will have to face."


    "That is very impressive. Perhaps, the day has come for me to learn something from you. Thank you for helping me improve my knowledge," said the Dragon Intent Grass after hearing Ricky''s explanations.


    "Your path is destined to be unique, and I can do nothing but give you some advice because no one knows you better than yourself. If your intuition tells you that the way of faith is most suitable for you, then you can go ahead and choose that way, though no one has ever taken it before.


    You may not have the Heavenly Meridian, but maybe you will discover a different path."


    There was something Ricky hadn''t told the Dra


    vils?" Ricky suddenly asked in a somber tone, as they searched all over the place.


    "Only we human devils can enter this place," she answered at once. She wondered why he would wonder about that, so she asked him, "What? Why did you ask such question? Have you found anything?"


    "I sensed the aura of real devils," Ricky said seriously.


    "I guess that''s not surprising, because the purest and strongest evil spirit prevails here," she remarked casually, not at all alarmed by Ricky''s words. "Queenie, I''m very familiar with devils, the real devils.


    Although the evil spirit here is very pure, I can tell the difference between the evil spirit and the aura of real devils," Ricky said.


    At this point, Queenie''s heart thudded heavily in her chest, as she realized that he was not lying.


    "Is this a trick? Are you sulking because I hid something from you?" she asked doubtfully. However, before Ricky could answer her, a voice suddenly resounded from around them.


    "Ha-ha, I didn''t expect to meet a humble human devil so soon. And she''s a beauty too. How lucky!" The voice was deep and husky; and coupled with its maniacal laughter, whoever it was seemed terrifying and creepy.


    Queenie and Ricky turned around, looking for whoever had talked.


    Swish! The next moment, three figures appeared from afar.


    These three figures all resembled human beings, but their eyes were bloodshot, and there were unique demonic horns on their foreheads. Every cell of their body exuded the real evil spirit. All of these characteristics pointed to the fact that these men were real devils!


    "How is this possible? How can devils appear in our ancestral land?" Queenie mumbled in shock upon seeing the three devils.


    "It seems that your ancestral land has already been exposed to the devil," Ricky muttered in a low voice.

 Chapter 1130 The Glazed Fruit

    Queenie''s mood soured even more after hearing Ricky''s words because she knew that he was right. The fact that the devils could enter the ancestral land of the human devils only meant that this place had already been exposed to the devils.


    That was the worst thing that could happen for human devils like her.


    If devils occupied their ancestral land, their fortune would also run out quickly. And if the devils destroyed their ancestral land, their race would also most likely be in danger of destruction.


    "Those damn devils!" Queenie hissed in an icy whisper, as fierce murderous intent filled her eyes to the brim.


    Compared with the creatures from the continent, the human devils hated the devils more. That was because many continent creatures could tolerate the existence of human devils. In contrast, the devils only thought of the human devils as a lowly race which corrupted their supreme bloodline.


    "Ha-ha, this human devil chick looks great. Her blood power originates from the Black Devil blood power, one of our eight main blood powers!" A devil stared at Queenie with greed, almost salivating. He growled, "If we devour the Black Devil blood power, our blood power will reach a higher level!"


    On the other hand, the devils were mostly ignoring Ricky. After all, he was just a demi-spiritual emperor in their eyes, so they didn''t see him as a threat.


    "Hey, before we devour her blood power, we can play with her for a while. Although the human devils are very simple, the women of this race combine the characteristics of the devils and the continent creatures. It must be interesting to play with such a woman!" another devil echoed with a perverted smile.


    "Ha-ha! That sounds great!" The other two devils also laughed lewdly upon hearing this suggestion as if just the thought delighted them already.


    The next moment, they surrounded Queenie in the blink of an eye.


    "You are looking for death!" Queenie hissed at them in an arrogant tone, and her blood boiled higher when she saw their disgusting expressions.


    Soon after, she launched an attack and fought with them furiously. "Aren''t you going to help her?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked through telepathy.


    "Those three devils have just become spiritual emperors, so I''m sure they can''t stand up to Queenie for long. If I am assuming correctly, she is almost a one-star lower spiritual emperor at peak state right now," Ricky replied.


    And just as he had expected, Queenie had the upper hand in only a few rounds.


    The three obscene devils'' attitudes were a far cry from when they had st


    ace! If I cultivate here, I can achieve in one day what would take me months to achieve outside!'' Ricky thought to himself.


    At that moment, their gazes focused on a pond in the center of the basin. There, a small colorful tree floated in the middle with a colorful fruit.


    "Wow, it''s truly the fifth grade Glazed Fruit!" Ricky and Queenie both exclaimed with excitement.


    "Those three useless idiots! They failed to kill you, and they even failed to stop you from coming here!" Queenie and Ricky jumped when a voice suddenly rang in the air. Meanwhile, a black, bloody figure rushed out and picked the Glazed Fruit before they could react.


    Ricky and Queenie tracked the movement of this stranger, immediately wary as this person seemed to be those devils'' boss.


    It was a young man dressed in a black and bloody robe. He had a pale, ashen complexion as if he was suffering from a deadly disease, or perhaps, he had not seen the sun in ages.


    But despite his sickly appearance, it would be a mistake to underestimate this young man, as he was definitely not weak.


    The mood in the clearing became somber, as Ricky and Queenie cautiously eyed the young man.


    "This devil has put a lot of pressure on me!" Ricky told Queenie by telepathy.


    "Of course. He is a genius of the Crimson Devil tribe''s direct descendants. If I can absorb his blood power, mine will increase by about thirty percent," Queenie replied seriously. Although she still looked apprehensive and cautious, greed flashed across her face as she spoke.


    The moment that the young man showed up, she sensed the strength of his blood power. It was something that she wanted, but at the same time, she could not help but feel terrified of it.

 Chapter 1131 Kurt

    The young man stood still, watching them with a hawk-like gaze. He was likely waiting for the moment when the Glazed Fruit would fully mature, and at that moment, the Glazed Fruit would undoubtedly release its chromatic power. The devil was, no doubt, waiting for that moment.


    "She is a human devil with the Black Devil blood power, and her blood power is quite powerful. Even though her blood power is incomplete, I can still increase my blood power if I swallow hers!" the young man muttered in a husky, grating voice. His hungry gaze never left Queenie, and it made her shiver in discomfort.


    Queenie could feel his blood power, and of course, he could also feel hers.


    Devouring was an instinct instilled to the very core of devils. That was why they loved devouring so much! And unlike the top bloodlines from the continents that were born noble, most of the top bloodlines of the devils were enhanced gradually through devouring others. That was how they developed and climbed up from the bottom.


    "You want my blood power, but I also want yours, so it seems like we have a problem here," Queenie replied coldly after hearing the words of the young man.


    Meanwhile, the young man had still not acknowledged Ricky''s presence. It was as if he could not care less about Ricky, and he didn''t think that the strange young man could be a threat to him.


    "Can you handle him by yourself?" Ricky asked by internal power.


    "Although he has put a lot of pressure on me, I''m confident that I can kill him. I don''t want to rely on anyone else. I only asked you to help when we were trapped by those damn flowers earlier because I had no choice at that time. Don''t think that will always be the case," she answered irritably.


    "Ha-ha, okay, let me see what your limit is!" Ricky smiled in amusement, and he settled back to watch her fight.


    On the other hand, Queenie was reluctant to expose her real strength in front of Ricky. However, after what had happened in the garden earlier, she realized that there was a big gap between Ricky''s and her strength. Now, there was no more need for her to hide her power.


    This time, she also wanted to use this young man to test the limits of her strength.


    After all, the opportunity had already presented itself, and she didn''t want it to go to waste.


    "You, devil creature, what''s your name?" Queenie asked the young man coldly. "And how did you guys enter the ancestral land of our human devils?


    What is your purpose of coming here?"


    "My name is Kurt!" the young man answered confidently. "Our purpose is, of course, the same as yours. We are here for the grand humanoid evil tree. We also have a crucial goal, which is to see if w


    he power contained was soft and gentle. When Queenie''s attack came towards him, it was like a stone thrown into the sea that disappeared without a trace.


    "What kind of Omnipotent Skill is that? It can easily dissolve Queenie''s powerful attack like it was child''s play!" Ricky exclaimed in astonishment.


    "If I didn''t guess it wrong, there is the power of the Supreme Ultimate contained in his crimson devil power, and it can turn the opponents'' against them," the Dragon Intent Grass explained. "What? The power of the Supreme Ultimate?


    Isn''t that a kind of power on our continent? How can the devils put it into practice?" Ricky asked.


    "Throughout the years, many devils'' Omnipotent Skills have been merged with those of the continents. Some of the devils'' powers can also be combined with powers from the continents. This is normal," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "As you have seen, the cultivation method of some creatures on the continent contains that of the devils too."


    "I get it," Ricky answered, nodding his head. He continued, "The power of Supreme Ultimate should have been passed down among the devils since the ancestors of the Crimson Devil tribe had merged it first.


    Oh, look! She is doing something amazing!"


    The moment Ricky finished speaking, the bloody world changed instantly, and powerful force permeated everything in an instant. It was Queenie''s power.


    The powers merged instantly and turned into a devil claw.


    "Go fight, my Crimson Devil blood power!"


    At the same time, Kurt poured his strongest power into the claw.


    "You will die under this claw today!" Kurt roared with strong killing intent, and he spoke with the utmost confidence in his abilities.


    It could be seen that all the previous concessions were for this counterattack.

 Chapter 1132 The Arrival Of More People

    "This sucks! Kurt has already integrated his own energy with Queenie''s claw. At this rate, it''s only a matter of time before Kurt defeats her!" Ricky said worriedly, intending to step in and help Queenie out.


    "Wait! Take it easy, will you? I don''t think Kurt could defeat Queenie so quickly anyway. She must have something more up her sleeve," the Dragon Intent Grass immediately said in a bid to discourage Ricky from interfering.


    Sure enough, when Ricky concentrated back in the fight, he noticed that Queenie didn''t look alarmed at all, even in the face of Kurt''s attack. Instead, she appeared calm and collected with no sign of distress.


    "Heavenly Ice Smashing!"


    In the next breath, Queenie had turned her whole body into heavenly ice. Then she activated the power of the Heavenly Ice Mutant to the extreme.


    However, she didn''t condense any kind of power to counter the attack. She, instead, stood still and allowed Kurt''s powerful attack to strike her body.


    Crack! In the blink of an eye, the forceful move ravaged and shattered Queenie into a thousand fragile pieces.


    Ricky watched, struck dumb, as he wondered if Queenie had died. He didn''t expect that she would do nothing to resist the attack. At this moment, Ricky felt the feeling of loss and anger swirl inside him like a storm. Why didn''t she defend herself? Did she run out of time, or did she realize that she couldn''t win?


    "I''ll kill you!" he then shouted at Kurt furiously, as all the emotions inside him overwhelmed him. Between one breath and the next, he burst out all his killing intent and prepared to attack.


    "Brat, what are you doing? Can''t you tell that she is still alive?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked him.


    Its words stopped Ricky in his tracks. "What? She is still alive?" Ricky asked doubtfully.


    "It''s not just hearsay that the Heavenly Ice Mutant would not die even when it''s smashed into pieces," the Dragon Intent Grass said. "That''s the true power of the Heavenly Ice Mutant. As long as there is a piece of broken ice, the owner of the Heavenly Ice Mutant will not die, unless she was attacked by a warrior who is much more powerful than her."


    "So, the Heavenly Ice Mutant will not die even when it is broken..." Ricky murmured to himself in admiration.


    Clatter!


    As he said these words, the broken ice pieces that had shattered earlier suddenly gathered in an instant. The chunks of ice started to fuse until a figure began to form¡ªQueenie!


    "I didn''t expect that your Crimson Devil tribe''s cultivation method has already perfectly merged with the energy of the Supreme Ultimate," Queenie said in a low voice while she studied Kurt int


    considerable distance from each other, as blood and spit shot forth from their mouths. They were both severely injured.


    It was not until then that the sword light dispersed, from which a handsome young man in a white robe stepped out. The strong sword light in the void turned into a sword in his hand.


    "It''s you, Tony!" Queenie said coldly as soon as she saw the young man in white. "Sawyer?"


    "Ha-ha, I''m flattered. I didn''t expect that you would miss me so much. I believe that I did the right thing by proposing to you last time. Otherwise, you would not have missed me so much." Another voice came through as soon as Queenie''s voice trailed away. Then another young man in a white robe showed up.


    This young man in white might not be as handsome as Tony, but the evil aura he was emitting indicated that he was more dangerous than Tony.


    "Shut up, Sawyer! Or I''ll tear your mouth apart!" Queenie warned coldly.


    "Ha-ha, if it were in the past, I would be afraid of your threat. But now..." Sawyer sneered.


    Then, before he even stopped speaking, his body sprang into action. He condensed a fatal strike, as killing intent pervaded around him in a thick cloud.


    At this moment, Ricky''s eyes were fixed on Sawyer carefully. He was on full alert because once Sawyer attacked Queenie, he wanted to be ready to use the Space-shrinking Pace to stop him.


    Fortunately, Sawyer''s killing intent seemed to target Kurt completely.


    In the blink of an eye, Sawyer and Kurt tangled together in a fierce battle.


    However, it was a short-lived fight, for just a few rounds later, Sawyer successfully defeated and killed Kurt.


    "Ricky, tell me honestly. Did you know that these two people were here all along?" Queenie asked telepathically in a cold voice.

 Chapter 1133 Breaking An Arm

    "Yes, I did notice their presence a while ago, but I didn''t think it was time to mess around with me. Otherwise, you would reveal my presence. And you know that is not a good idea," Ricky said with a little embarrassment upon hearing Queenie''s question.


    After all, he hadn''t intervened even though she could have gotten seriously hurt. He just stood by and let her be taken off guard.


    "All right. Well, at least you''re not lying to me. But you have to get that Glazed Fruit for me, or you know what will happen to you," said Queenie, her eyes flashing threateningly.


    It didn''t matter to her if she got hurt along the way. As long as she could take the Glazed Fruit from Tony and Sawyer, she would sacrifice everything. The Glazed Fruit was worth that much.


    "Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. I can do this," Ricky proposed with a hint of annoyance because she kept on doubting and threatening him.


    He had no choice but to go along with her, though, so he just nodded and focused on his task.


    Since Kurt had been severely injured, he was, of course, no match for Sawyer.


    After Sawyer killed him, Kurt''s storage spiritual weapon naturally fell into Sawyer''s hands. Then, Sawyer and Tony came closer to Queenie''s side.


    "Miss Queenie, your beauty is truly exquisite!" Sawyer praised her with a cloying, sweet smile that made Queenie''s mood plummet to icy depths.


    "Humph! I don''t care for your flattery, so you can stop it already. What do you want?" she asked straightforwardly. "But, Miss Queenie, I just saved your life.


    Shouldn''t you be thanking me?" Sawyer pouted like he was hurt¡ªas if he helped her out of the goodness of his heart.


    "Technically, it was my sword strike that ended the battle. You should thank me for that," Tony chimed in with a smile.


    It was evident that the two men were vying for her attention.


    After all, Queenie looked so beautiful and elegant; and any man could fall in love with her at a single glance.


    Her charm made this moment worse because injured as she was, she looked like a pitiful bird who needed the care of strong, manly men. Queenie aroused the two men''s primitive side and their desire to protect her. "You two sneakily attacked people. How dare you still behave so arrogantly? I could have killed him instead! And I won''t allow any chance for you to poke your nose in the Glazed Fruit!"


    Queenie questioned coldly. "Ha-ha, don''t worry. The Glazed Fruit is not the only thing we want to poke our noses into. We are very interested in you!"


    Queenie''s hackles went up when Tony and Sawyer laughed at that statement. The obscene look on Tony''s face told Queenie everything he was trying to imply, and it made her feel sick. "You? You are not even qualified to approach me! You are just a dirty swine!" exclaimed Queenie in disgust.


    She felt sick just at the sight of


    "Your name is Tony, right? I usually don''t mind it when pretty ladies touch and pat my face, but you are very far from being a lady, not to mention, you''re too ugly. Do you know what happens to people who touch me without permission? It''s very simple.


    I just separate his arm from his body."


    Hearing Ricky''s words, Sawyer and Tony were stunned for a moment. Then, they burst into laughter at the same time. They almost didn''t know what to say. "Sawyer, did you hear what I just heard? Did this little brat think he could even touch me?" asked Tony, laughing a little in disbelief.


    "Yes, I think so."


    With Sawyer''s confirmation, Tony turned his dark eyes to Ricky with a blood-thirsty grin.


    "I was about to leave, brat. You should have kept your mouth shut.


    Now, I really want to remove an arm from your body."


    As he finished speaking, a gust of wind flew toward Ricky. And in the blink of an eye, Tony appeared before him with his claw-like hands raised aggressively. In a split-second, he was about to reach Ricky''s right hand!


    Surrounded by the Massacring Power, Ricky directly activated his Ancestral Intent Formula, and his body instantly grew twenty feet taller. The pure continent spirit in his surrounding was like countless stars that were gathering. In a flash, the power turned into a palm that struck down toward Tony.


    Bang!


    The next moment, the Massacring Fist collided with Tony''s claw, and the two forces exploded in an unstoppable momentum.


    Crack! The sound of broken bones echoed through the void, as the chromatic energy spread out from the airwaves. A figure could be seen flying through the air, and blood gushed and spurted after it.


    But that was not all. Another figure followed quickly at the speed of light, almost too fast for a human eye to see.


    In a split second, thick blood sprayed everywhere. And an arm suddenly flew above in an arch.

 Chapter 1134 One Vs Two

    Bang!


    Accompanied by a loud thud, an arm suddenly soared in the air with blood spurting behind it. A few feet away, two figures fell at the same time, stirring dust and debris in the air, which made it difficult to discern who managed to hit the other.


    As the dust settled down, visibility improved, and with it was a revelation. It was Ricky standing over Tony, his foot crushing Tony''s chest.


    The loss of his right arm was too much for Tony to bear. He writhed in pain as screams tore through his battered throat.


    There was a growing fear in his mind as well, because, at any moment, Ricky could put more pressure on his foot, which would undoubtedly kill him. Already, Ricky''s foot was like a small mountain on his chest that was smothering him.


    Under such power, he did not even have a chance to resist.


    Of course, it was also his fault. Tony had sorely underestimated Ricky because he never thought that Ricky could be more powerful than him. Tony didn''t exert all his strength in his strike, and it looked like a mistake that he would soon regret.


    ''How is this possible?'' Tony muttered to himself out of tremendous fear.


    He wanted to fight back, of course, but Ricky''s foot had the weight of a small mountain, and it seemed to be full of a fierce sealing power, under which he couldn''t use a trace of his strength to fight back.


    "Sawyer, help me!" he cried desperately. Meanwhile, Sawyer had been watching them as if in a dream, and he had not moved a muscle.


    But his voice appeared to kick Sawyer back to reality, and he hastily rushed to attack Ricky. He knew that if he was even just a second late, Tony could die.


    Unlike Tony, Ricky didn''t dare to look down upon this opponent, so he fought back with all his strength. And when he noticed that Sawyer was about to step forward, he backed away from Tony and assumed a defensive position.


    Tony took this chance to escape with Sawyer''s help. He immediately stood up, and then he activated his power to grow a new arm.


    For spiritual emperors, as long as they didn''t suffer any severe injury to their souls, and as long as the damage to their bodies wasn''t extreme, they could regrow their flesh and blood.


    Of course, such rebirth would make spiritual emperors consume their blood essence. If they frequently lost their blood essence, then the blood essence would be wasted.


    At that moment, the whole world echoed with a deafening silence. Both Tony and Sawyer watched Ricky sharply, as they finally realized that this warrior that came with Queenie was not useless.


    On the contrary, he was way more powerful than they thought he could ever be.


    Even though Tony was unprepared, Ricky could not have done that much damage to Tony if Ricky didn''t have the strength to back him up.


    While they stared at Ricky carefully, they felt that he was really at the d


    tack either.


    Thus, Ricky chose to give up the resistance, and the sword moved to pierce his chest to Tony''s delight.


    However, only the sound of metal clanging against each other sounded in the air. Tony''s sword barely left a shallow scratch on Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body.


    Tony was aghast!


    How could this be possible? He had struck Ricky with all his strength, and Ricky did not even resist, but his attack barely damaged his body.


    It was reasonable if one thought about it well. After all, someone who was a little powerful than Ricky could hardly damage his Ultimate Golden Body with one punch, let alone someone weaker than him.


    This was exactly what Ricky wanted. If Tony attacked him, he would come closer to him, and Ricky could find a chance to kill him with one strike.


    "Tony, watch out!" Sawyer roared at that moment.


    He had realized that Tony could not cause considerable damage to Ricky, but Ricky could easily hurt him.


    Upon hearing Sawyer''s warning, Tony, with his eyes wide open, stepped back quickly without hesitation.


    "It''s too late to run now!" Ricky warned with an icy smirk that froze Tony''s blood in his veins with fear.


    He burst out the Space-shrinking Pace and appeared above Tony''s head in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, three figures materialized in front of Sawyer so that he could not interfere. These three were Ricky''s shadowy replications.


    Of course, Ricky didn''t expect that his replicas could defeat Sawyer. He just needed them to distract Sawyer for a second, which would be enough for him to deal with Tony.


    Boom! At that moment, Ricky also revealed his real strength. All his power, including the power of his six mutants, the chaotic power, the chromatic energy, and the power of Ancestral Intent Formula, burst out.


    With all his power gathered in his hands, he fused them in one fluid motion and moved to sever Tony''s head.

 Chapter 1135 Wild Purple Devil Blood Power

    When Tony saw the instant change in Ricky, he was shocked, speechless and numb. Sawyer, too, was astounded to the core. However, they didn''t have the luxury of time to indulge in shock, as both of their lives were at stake.


    Sawyer had to kill Ricky''s three replications as soon as possible, while Tony had to resist Ricky''s fatal attack with all his strength.


    "Come out, my swords!"


    Tony exclaimed as blood essence came out from between his eyebrows, and at once, intense sword light burst out from every pore of his body. The sword light swept around with great momentum and formed ten swords over his head.


    Then they enlarged and grew rather big.


    Merged with the blood essence, they gave out the brightest light, and collided against Ricky''s strike.


    On the other hand, Sawyer also burst out his most potent power. He activated his devil blood power and turned into his devil shape, trying to kill Ricky''s replications in one strike.


    However, with the six mutants, the chromatic energy, and the chaotic power, Ricky''s Shadowy Replications had eighty percent of his best skills. Thus, they had no difficulty resisting Sawyer for a while.


    Boom!


    Ricky''s and Tony''s attacks collided once again.


    This time, there was a massive gap between the two''s power. The ten swords could not stop Ricky''s strike at all, while Ricky destroyed Tony''s attack as easy as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood.


    Ricky didn''t withdraw his power until he had cut Tony''s body in half.


    Afterward, he released the devouring power to absorb Tony''s dead body and soul, which would serve as nourishment for his Blood Vitality Devouring Skill.


    Queenie had been observing him through all these.


    ''Hmm...It looks like he has completely refined the other half pistil. His strength is now equal to that of a one-star lower spiritual emperor at peak state, '' Queenie thought to herself upon seeing what was happening.


    ''It appears that the Devouring Mutant is truly powerful.


    But the power of a one-star lower spiritual emperor at peak state should be the upper limit of an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    I can still surpass him in our ancestral land.''


    Soon, Sawyer defeated Ricky''s replications, but it was too late. Ricky had already killed Tony.


    "I have never heard of an incredible demi-spiritual emperor who has six mutants and the chaotic power. As I stand he


    st each other, and the collision was all about physical collision, the most primitive kind.


    The Wild Purple Devil blood power was indeed powerful. Ricky could say that he had never met an opponent with a human body as sturdy and robust as Sawyer''s.


    It was also the first time that he had failed to gain the upper hand with his Ultimate Golden Body while fighting against an opponent of the same level.


    After hundreds of collisions, Ricky felt a sharp pain under his body.


    Meanwhile, the expressions on Sawyer''s face indicated that he was not feeling better than Ricky.


    "I have to admire your golden body. I can''t believe it''s as strong as my corporeal body which has finished berserk of three levels," Sawyer said coldly. "But today, since you are courting death, I''ll satisfy you."


    His wide eyes turned a shade of purplish-black once again, and his devilish body rose as well.


    "The fourth level!"


    With a thunderous shout, Sawyer directly entered the state of berserk at the fourth level. In an instant, Ricky immediately felt a strong suppression on his body.


    "I have never been suppressed by any opponent of the same level in terms of physical strength. Today won''t be an exception," Ricky declared fearlessly. He believed that he was destined to step on an incredible path that was different from any other creature''s journey. And he would never allow himself to fall behind in any way.


    With the help of the Ancestral Intent Formula, the six mutants ran amok all over the place. Simultaneously, Ricky''s body evolved from twenty feet tall to thirty feet tall.

 Chapter 1136 Collision Between Eyes

    At this moment, the Chaos blood power in Ricky''s body was surging, activating the Ancestral Intent Formula.


    As his body turned to the Ultimate Golden Body, his corporeal body was enhanced fundamentally. The power he emitted was already as strong as that of Sawyer, who was in the state of the fourth level berserk.


    When Sawyer sensed Ricky''s change, his face darkened even more because he could feel considerable improvement in Ricky''s physical body.


    ''Damn it! Is an incredible demi-spiritual emperor really so powerful?'' Sawyer thought to himself with a frustrated huff.


    ''This guy must have other trump cards, so I''d better retreat first. I can settle accounts with him after I refine the Glazed Fruit, and by then, I can defeat him much easier.''


    On the other hand, Ricky had no intention of letting Sawyer go.


    He was sure that Sawyer would certainly refine the Glazed Fruit if he slipped from his fingers right then. If that happened, Sawyer would surely return to kill him.


    Besides, Queenie had asked him to kill Sawyer right away. With these thoughts, he decided he must kill Sawyer today.


    With a deep breath, Ricky activated the Chaos blood power and the Ancestral Intent Formula, pushing his power to the extreme before he launched an attack.


    With a mighty shout, the two men collided against each other, creating an explosion that shattered everything in its path. It flattened the trees to the ground, ground up the rocks into the dirt, and turned the once fruitful land into a barren wasteland.


    They fought for well over an hour, exchanging blows several hundred times, but the result of their physical collision was still uncertain.


    "Go fight! My punches!"


    Sawyer punched ferociously. Each of his punches was like a demonic halberd.


    With his corporeal body going berserk, he exerted his Omnipotent Skill in an attempt to beat Ricky back.


    "Chaotic strike!" Ricky did not flinch at the onslaught. Instead, he integrated all his strength with the chaotic power, and he pounded Sawyer with a massive fist.


    The sound of heavy footsteps sounded as the two men moved at breakneck speed.


    Ricky and Sawyer stepped back at the same time, and each heavy footprint left a broken void behind, which made the broken space heal very slowly.


    Sawyer took this opportunity to run away, using the force from the impact to hasten his steps.


    "Sawyer, if you are more powerful than me, you can escape today. But there is no if. You will die today!" Ricky let out a disdainful sneer, as all the weight on his body retracted into space. Then, he activated the Space-shrinking Pace.


    In a few seconds, Ricky reappeared direct


    light intertwined, they automatically collided with each other.


    "Golden Spirit Eyes!" Sawyer recognized the Golden Spirit Eyes as soon as Ricky activated them, which was understandable as he had rick knowledge about the Eyes of Heaven and Earth.


    He was also a member of an influential clan, so he naturally had to learn as much as possible about other Eyes of Heaven and Earth. "Ricky, each pair of Eyes of Heaven and Earth is hostile to one another. A pair of such eyes can devour another kind, and it will evolve dramatically because of that," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "Some say that if a pair of Eyes of Heaven and Earth devours other pairs, it will likely evolve into a pair of Heavenly Law Eyes.


    As for what the Heavenly Law Eyes are like, they have never appeared, so please don''t ask me.


    But it is undeniable that if your Golden Spirit Eyes can devour his Yellow Ruin Spirit Eyes, you will not only get their power, but you can also improve your eyes."


    "So, it seems that Sawyer is a great opportunity for me," Ricky said excitedly.


    When he decided to kill Sawyer earlier, he had not considered the Heavenly Law Eyes. But the thought that he could improve his own eyes and enhance their power was enough to get his full attention.


    "I will take your Golden Spirit Eyes today!" Sawyer growled viciously with a sullen look on his face.


    "Yellow sand, cover the sky!"


    As soon as he spoke, the power of the Yellow Ruin Spirit Eyes burst out. Under the desolate light, the whole area turned into a boundless world filled with yellow sand.


    This was not an illusion, but a real yellow sand world, which showed the power of the Yellow Ruin Spirit Eyes and the Yellow Ruin blood power.


    They could summon a yellow sand world for real!

 Chapter 1137 The Metallic Array

    The blurring world grew larger and larger, as the yellow sand stirred. In the end, yellow completely covered the whole dark purple devilish energy, and the deadly ruin power came out and swept tornadoes one after another towards Ricky.


    "How extraordinary the Yellow Ruin Spirit Eyes are! They can summon a yellow sand world in an instant. It''s really awesome. I''ll take it," Ricky said excitedly, even though he was in such a dangerous situation.


    The more powerful the Yellow Ruin Spirit Eyes were, the more excited he became because they already belonged to him in his heart.


    "How dare you!" Sawyer cried out as he stood in the yellow sand world, looking at Ricky with disdain.


    "You will know whether my words are empty or not in the end. But it will be too late for you then," Ricky sneered.


    His body trembled as a flame blown by the wind, continuously releasing endless fire. That was the sea of raging fire transformed from the Ruin Fire. It was the best choice to deal with the storms created by Sawyer.


    The raging fire turned into a fire dragon, which intertwined with the ruined yellow sand windstorm as gladiators interlocked in a fight.


    "It''s the Ruin Fire!" Sawyer said seriously as he recognized Ricky''s fire.


    At this moment, all the greed in his body began to emerge. He found that Ricky had everything he desired, like a treasure trove that God had prepared just for him.


    The Ruin Fire was the best match for his Yellow Ruin Spirit Eyes.


    Boom!


    The ruin fire was indeed the best tool to fight against the yellow sand storms. The two kinds of strong ruin powers were evenly matched in the void.


    "Leave this yellow sand world first," the Dragon Intent Grass said. "If you don''t, you will be at a disadvantage. After a certain amount of time, the Ruin Fire will not be able to resist the sand storms."


    "I know that..." Ricky nodded, falling deep in thought as he racked his brain for solutions.


    After all, the Dragon Intent Grass was right. This was the world summoned by the Yellow Ruin Spirit Eyes, so he would certainly have a disadvantage in this environment.


    "Golden spirit world!"


    In the next breath, Ricky broke out the world evolved by the Golden Spirit Eyes. Countless beams of golden light surged from the void and rushed into the world, and soon, a golden world formed with Ricky as the center.


    The golden world grew larger and formed a stalemate with the yellow


    ecause its power was too strong.


    It could be said that, to a certain extent, an array deployer equaled to someone who owned a powerful mutant.


    "You are an array deployer!" Sawyer roared ferociously at the sight of the purple lines.


    "It''s incredible! He is an array deployer at the Emperor Level!" Queenie exclaimed in shock from where she was standing in the distance.


    He owned six mutants, the chaotic power, the Golden Spirit Eyes, various kinds of sacred fire and peculiar fire, and now he was even an array deployer. Ricky had too many trump cards, and each of them was enough to make a warrior at the same level as him invincible.


    Now, all these things were concentrated on one person.


    At this moment, Queenie and Sawyer finally understood why Ricky could become an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    It was almost impossible not to become an incredible demi-spiritual emperor with so many powerful skills. And the heavenly law wouldn''t allow too many creatures like that to exist in the world. After so many eras, an incredible demi-spiritual emperor finally showed up.


    Boom!


    As the purple lines emerged on Ricky''s body, countless lines also permeated the void, instantly forming a circular array.


    It shrouded Ricky and Sawyer like a thick fog.


    Inside the array, it was even harder for Sawyer to run away, as all the roads had been blocked.


    As the purple lines faded, golden light appeared. It was a golden array.


    "The third Heaven Array comes out¡ªGolden Killing Array!"


    Ricky cried out fiercely as he stood upright in the middle of the array. This battle was about to end.

 Chapter 1138 An Omnipotent Skill Of Escape

    Buzz!


    In the sizeable golden array, countless rays of golden light shone and fused with the purple lines, integrating into a massive golden sword. The pattern resembled a strong Flood Dragon that was roaring in the sky and absorbing the heavenly power contained in the heavenly array.


    With his Gold Spirit Eyes, Ricky put all his power in this sword.


    ''My success or failure depends on this one move!'' Ricky thought to himself with a heavy heart.


    He was giving it his all. If he still could not kill Sawyer with this move, he could never do it with his current skill set.


    But he believed he would make it because he already knew all of Sawyer''s strengths and weaknesses. Like him, Sawyer''s power was equivalent to that of a one-star lower spiritual emperor at peak state.


    Once he burst out the power of the array and absorbed the space power, he could go beyond this stage''s power.


    "Sawyer! Prepare to die!"


    With a shout, Ricky transformed himself into countless purple lines and integrated with the giant sword. Together with the golden array, he rushed to strike down Sawyer.


    When Sawyer felt the intense power of Ricky''s strike, his eyes began to fill with real fear for the first time. He could tell that the energy from this strike was already more potent than his own.


    His fear prompted him to burst out the Wild Purple Devil blood power once again, and he merged it with his Yellow Ruin blood power too.


    But this time, he dedicated all his power for defense.


    The evil spirit, which was in the mixed colors of red, yellow, and dark purple turned into the most durable shield.


    "You can''t kill me, Ricky!" Sawyer growled again.


    "You can try, but you will never succeed!"


    Bang!


    The next moment, Ricky''s giant sword hit Sawyer''s defensive shield, and the impact from their collision created gales of devastating wind around them. This time, Ricky and Sawyer seemed to be in a stalemate.


    But the Golden Killing Array surged again at once, and another layer of purple lines appeared. The infinite continent power in the air was absorbed and merged into the golden sword.


    This showed how powerful the heavenly array was. It could absorb the power of heaven and earth in an instant.


    With the support of this power, the golden sword shortly pierced through Sawyer''s defensive shield. When the Yellow Ruin Spirit Eyes inevitably shrank, the golden sword pierced Sawyer between his eyebrows.


    "Go to hell!" Ricky roared, and the giant golden sword instantaneously destroyed Sawyer''s corporeal body.


    At this tim


    an. After all, Sawyer knew nothing about Ricky except his name.


    Queenie''s face darkened at Ricky''s reminder.


    "Humph! Our clan is not a pushover that he could bully easily," she said coldly. "Anyway, let''s talk about it later. Now let''s find a place to recover.


    If anyone else comes here at the moment, we''ll be in real trouble," Queenie added, to which Ricky quickly nodded in agreement.


    "Okay!" Then, the two went back to the humanoid evil flower garden where they had been earlier because it was the only secure area in the territory of this ancestral land now.


    As for his zones, Ricky still didn''t want to reveal them to Queenie for the time being.


    He could say that their relationship was better than before.


    However, he could not fool himself into thinking that they were friends. After all, they were merely using each other. One could say that their relationship would end where their usefulness would stop.


    As for whether or not he could truly be friends with Queenie, Ricky wanted to wait and see. Of course, the decision would be up to Queenie. As long as she treated him sincerely, he would treat her sincerely in return.


    After they entered the humanoid evil flower garden, Ricky took out the Glazed Fruit. It was a colorful fruit with the size of two fists and the shape of an ellipsoid.


    Ricky and Queenie took a deep breath filled with the power of the Glazed Fruit, relaxing all over as if they were bathing in fairyland.


    "The Glazed Fruit really lives up to its fame as a Treasure of Heaven and Earth. With it, I can easily make a breakthrough and become a lower spiritual emperor. By then, I won''t need your help anymore,"


    said Queenie with excitement.

 Chapter 1139 The Road To A Spiritual Emperor

    "Ha-ha, that''s a relief for me." Ricky smiled.


    "Queenie, we can''t delay anymore. Hurry up and refine what you need. Since Sawyer is absent, you have one less rival in the fight for the grand humanoid evil tree, but I am sure that the devil race will get involved too. I''m afraid things will be more serious than we imagined."


    "I know. Give me half of the fruit now," she said impatiently. Meanwhile, the Dragon Intent Grass nudged Ricky telepathically and said, "Hey, Ricky, if you can''t win Queenie''s heart in the future, it will be a shame that you let this chick boss you around every time." "Dragon Intent Grass, instead of wasting your time teasing me, you might as well pray that the talented disciples of the devil race who have come this time won''t succeed,"


    Ricky responded sharply. "Ha-ha, but are you really going to give half of this Glazed Fruit to her?


    You know, it''s not something that a humanoid evil flower''s heart can compare with." The Dragon Intent Grass laughed in amusement, finding it funny that it managed to irritate Ricky.


    "I won''t just give her half of it. I''ll give her three-fourths," Ricky declared to its surprise.


    "Wait¡ªwhat?" replied the Dragon Intent Grass with much disbelief.


    It didn''t mean to persuade Ricky to give her more.


    But after a short silence, the Dragon Intent Grass understood Ricky''s purpose. It sighed, "Oh, Ricky, I feel ashamed in front of you. I didn''t expect you to be so generous."


    After that, Ricky split the Glazed Fruit into two parts. One part was one-fourth, while the other was three-fourths. He kept the one-fourth part for himself, and then he gave the other three-fourths to Queenie.


    Like the Dragon Intent Grass, Queenie was astonished by his generosity.


    Even though she explicitly asked Ricky for half of the fruit, she would be happy to receive even a smaller portion. For such a precious treasure, even one-fifth of the fruit would have satisfied her!


    Besides, Ricky was not obligated to give her a portion of the Glazed Fruit, and if he decided to keep everything to himself, she couldn''t have done anything about it.


    But unexpectedly, Ricky gave her three-fourths of the total.


    Queenie didn''t think he did that just because she was good-looking, because what happened before had proved that a girl''s beauty would never bewitch Ricky. Otherwise, he would have been at her beck and call from the beginning.


    She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously and asked, "Are you mocking me? Or are you giving me more out of pity?"


    "You think too much. If it weren''t for the devil race, my personality would have p


    lied Ricky. "Whether my incredible road is a success or not and whether I will live or die, I have to face it now.


    I will have to confront it anyway, so why should I prolong it? Regardless if it''s the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom or not, I will face it head-on.


    Otherwise, all my efforts over the years would be in vain. And it would be just a joke that I became the incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    Only when I am a spiritual emperor can I really step on the road to be a mighty warrior.


    I have to be brave if I want to be a spiritual emperor," Ricky added lengthily.


    "Dragon Intent Grass, if I don''t come back in half a day, you and Evil Mandragora use the Divine Manor to leave by following Queenie secretly," he also instructed.


    Then, between one breath and the next, he leapt out of the humanoid evil flower garden and left the Divine Manor and the Dragon Intent Grass behind.


    In midair, Ricky no longer suppressed his internal power.


    He immediately released the ruling power of the three aspects: his corporeal body, soul, and absorbed faith.


    Boom!


    The moment that he released the power, a loud rumble echoed through the void, and triple Thunderstroke Dooms suddenly appeared.


    The ancestral land of the human devils suddenly grew morose, as the intimidating view of the Thunderstroke Dooms attracted the attention of the creatures that had entered the territory.


    The auras and powers of the Thunderstroke Dooms were different and obviously aimed at Ricky''s corporeal body, soul, and power of faith, respectively.


    "From ancient times to the present, I must be the first one to go through these alone," Ricky uttered in a low voice, summoning all his power to confront the Thunderstroke Dooms.

 Chapter 1140 Becoming A Spirit Emperor

    At this moment, Ricky could not be more confident.


    The power of the three Thunderstroke Dooms went directly into his body. Even though he had the mysterious axe, the six zones, and the Chaos blood power, he could only feel endless death.


    The power of death he could feel right now was more intense than the one from Oswald''s five-colored Thunderstroke Doom last time.


    Without a doubt, Ricky''s three Thunderstroke Dooms were all five-colored ones.


    That meant that he had to break through fifteen strikes from the Thunderstroke Dooms next.


    ''Even if I die today, I must die on the path to become a spiritual emperor. Only in that case will I have no regret, '' Ricky thought with fierce determination, as his aura rose to its peak, ready to resist the Thunderstroke Dooms.


    Actually, the Thunderstroke Dooms from the three aspects were supposed to be broken through separately, but Ricky couldn''t separate his corporeal body from his soul.


    His intuition told him that he would be more likely to die if he tried to break through the Thunderstroke Dooms separately.


    In the next moment, something he hadn''t expected happened. The three Thunderstroke Dooms that had been violently surging disappeared suddenly, while his surroundings calmed down in an instant. It was as if there had never been any Thunderstroke Doom.


    This deviation from the expected breakthrough shocked the other warriors in the ancestral land of human devils.


    The buzzing of their conversations drowned out the peaceful silence left by the Thunderstroke Dooms. "What''s going on? How could there be any Thunderstroke Dooms in the ancestral land of human devils? And why did they disappear so quickly?" the people asked.


    Of course, Ricky was the most confused one.


    "What happened? Why did the Thunderstroke Dooms disappear?" Ricky murmured in his confusion. As he spoke, he tried to incur the Thunderstroke Dooms once again, but there was no response in the air.


    He was stupefied. And the frustration and anger he felt simmered inside him, almost overflowing.


    Ricky was not one to be provoked easily. He had lost his temper only once before, and that was when his spiritual meridian was taken away. But at this moment, he was boiling with rage, and he didn''t know what to do.


    He could never become a spiritual emperor, especially if he couldn''t even incur any Thunderstroke Doom!


    If he could not become a spiritual emperor, everything was meaningless. It didn''t even matter that he was an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    "Can''t I become a spiritual emperor only because I don''t have a Heavenly Meridian?" Ricky stood in midair and roared with indignation when he regained the ability to talk. He had been so shocked earlier that he could not speak, but now resentment bu


    ent, as long as he wanted, he could use the infinite heavenly power at any time.


    He was now completely integrated with the heavenly law.


    As he stood high above the earth, he felt like he was the only center of this area.


    And he also felt like his power had evolved from a lake to an ocean.


    "Is this how a spiritual emperor feels? I''m a real spiritual emperor now. I am so much stronger than I was a while ago," Ricky exclaimed in excitement.


    He had finally become a genuine spiritual emperor!


    This had once been an unattainable dream, but now it had come true. Ricky finally stepped on the path of the strongest warriors.


    ''Perhaps, my survival from the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom was the grace of the heavenly law, '' Ricky sighed in his heart.


    After he became a spiritual emperor, he suddenly realized that an incredible demi-spiritual emperor couldn''t break through the five-colored Thunderstroke Doom by themselves. It could only be broken through with the grace of the heavenly law.


    When Ricky thought of this, he felt a bit disgruntled, despite his excitement from being a spiritual emperor.


    The grace of the heavenly law made him understand that no matter how strong a creature was, it was still under the control of the heavenly law. It was humbling, even if he didn''t want to admit it.


    Just as the saying went, the heavenly law was reasonable and treated everything in the world equally without discrimination.


    But in the end, his excitement about becoming a spiritual emperor prevailed.


    ''This is a new beginning for me. After leaving this place, I should head for the Middle Land, which is full of strong warriors. There are many acquaintances of mine there, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    Buzz!


    At that moment, rays of two-colored light appeared in Ricky''s eyes. It flashed transparent and dark.

 Chapter 1141 Grand Humanoid Evil Tree Appeared

    The two-colored light shone brightly like newly lit flame, flickering from far away. The center of the whole ancestral land seemed to have hit the glare directly, where there appeared to be Treasures from Heaven and Earth.


    "The light contains the evil spirit and pure continent spirit. The grand humanoid evil tree must be there!" Ricky exclaimed, exhilarated.


    With no hesitation in his steps, he strode forward and entered the humanoid evil flower garden beneath the ground.


    "Did you make it?" the Dragon Intent Grass and the Evil Mandragora both eagerly asked when they felt the aura of a real spiritual emperor from Ricky. After all, they had been worried about him all this time.


    They both cherished Ricky in their hearts as their closest friend for a long time, and the adventures they had gone through only strengthened that.


    "I made it!" Ricky told them happily.


    I''m a real spiritual emperor now!" "I can''t believe you have made it without a Heavenly Meridian!


    And I can''t imagine how you broke through the Thunderstroke Dooms." The Dragon Intent Grass sounded thrilled and awed at the same time.


    Perhaps, it would be a long time before its excitement about Ricky''s success in becoming a spiritual emperor died down.


    "Actually, I didn''t break through any Thunderstroke Doom this time. I avoided that disaster because when I became an incredible demi-spiritual emperor, Oswald''s Thunderstroke Doom could also be viewed as mine," Ricky corrected the Dragon Intent Grass immediately. From the start, he had no intention of hiding this from the Dragon Intent Grass or the Evil Mandragora. He didn''t want to hide anything from those who treated him sincerely.


    "What? You didn''t break through any Thunderstroke Doom?" The Dragon Intent Grass and the Evil Mandragora were taken aback by Ricky''s words.


    The Evil Mandragora''s eyebrows were narrowed in confusion, and both of them could not understand what Ricky was trying to say.


    "The heavenly law bestowed me this grace!" declared Ricky. The expressions on his companions'' faces told him they didn''t understand him still, so he relayed what had happened to him briefly.


    "Well, to put it succinctly, there is no chance of survival in a five-colored Thunderstroke Doom.


    No creature in this world can break through a five-colored Thunderstroke Doom and become a spiritual emperor with his strength unless the heavenly law gives him grace," he continued. Both the Dragon Intent Grass and the Evil Mandragora fell into a thoughtful silence from his words.


    They did understand now what Ricky was saying, but it was too much to process at once.


    They didn''t think Ricky was lying to them, but what they heard sounded too shocking, so they were speechless.


    "Please, don''t ask me


    elf," relayed Queenie.


    "Really?" Ricky murmured pensively.


    "We are out of luck. The two-colored light only appeared in this ancient vine forest. There was nothing that even resembled it in the whole ancestral land, so it seems that there is only one grand humanoid evil tree in this era," she continued, shaking her head.


    "Otherwise, with your strength, you''re very likely to get a grand humanoid evil tree!"


    "I''ve become a spiritual emperor. This trip is a complete success for me. The grand humanoid evil tree is not important to me anymore." Ricky smiled.


    "Humph! That''s because you don''t know enough about the grand humanoid evil tree," Queenie snorted, pouting at his words.


    Boom! At this moment, the two-colored light above the ancient vine forest seemed to come to life. It condensed in the blink of an eye and formed the shadow of a huge tree.


    "That''s the shadow of the grand humanoid evil tree! So the grand humanoid evil tree is indeed showing up in the ancient vine forest! Ricky, if you help me get that tree, I promise to do three things for you. Of course, I don''t mean I will make difficulties for you!"


    Queenie blabbered excitedly.


    "If you keep your promise, that would be great," Ricky replied with a smile.


    "What do you mean? Are you implying I don''t keep my promise?" Queenie said coldly.


    "I didn''t say that!"


    Swish!


    Swish!


    While they were arguing, the towering trees in the whole forest started to shift dramatically, and the branches which were as thick as Flood Dragons surged in wave-like tempo.


    "What''s going on? Are these the humanoid evil flowers?" Ricky asked in alarm as he looked around at the trees cautiously.


    "Humanoid evil flowers are not this numerous! The grand humanoid evil tree must have begun to select its owner!" Queenie answered with great excitement.

 Chapter 1142 The Puppets Of The Tree

    "This is also a test for us, isn''t it? It will choose the master by itself, so we have to make sure that it chooses us," Ricky suddenly blurted out, realizing it belatedly.


    "Exactly. You can think of it that way," replied Queenie. "But I am not sure if it''s a test of strength or luck or even both of them."


    Before she could say anything else, the sturdy branches swiftly moved towards them, moving so fast that Ricky and Queenie didn''t have time to react at all. These two appeared in a world of giant vines, and all around them were endless unyielding branches, the power of which was not something that they could hardly resist.


    "The grand humanoid evil tree seems like a formidable enemy!" Ricky uttered in a low voice when he felt the power in the space full of branches.


    "Of course. I told you that it could be considered as the accumulated will of the human devils'' ancestral land in this era," Queenie explained briefly.


    "Ricky, put a drop of blood essence on the branch!" As Queenie said this, she also gave a drop of blood essence from her hand, putting it on a branch, which immediately absorbed it.


    "But why?" Ricky asked out of curiosity.


    "The grand humanoid evil tree will absorb the blood essence, which will allow you to join the following test. Otherwise, you will die. In other words, the grand humanoid evil tree needs to judge your strength by the blood essence." Queenie was remarkably patient as she explained, which showed how important this step was.


    "It is the combination of the ancestral land of an era. It''s no wonder that it can possess such a remarkable ability!" Ricky exclaimed with admiration.


    Then, he also dribbled a drop of blood essence on the branch.


    Suddenly, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of intimacy between him and the space in the surroundings.


    "Queenie, what do you plan to do if the grand humanoid evil tree chooses me to be its master? After all, I was an incredible demi-spiritual emperor before, so this is quite possible." Although Ricky asked lightly, there was a trace of pride that could not be hidden in his eyes.


    "The grand humanoid evil tree is closest to the human devils. Therefore, even if you were an incredible demi-spiritual emperor, as long as there is a genius from the human devils, the grand humanoid evil tree will never recognize you as its master," she answered confidently. "Otherwise, we human devils will not seek help from any other creatures.


    Of course, it would be a different matter if there were a second grand humanoid evil tree.


    If that were the case, this gra


    It adds Intent Apperception onto the branches and forms human-like shapes to fight," Queenie explained through telepathy.


    "These are puppets of the tree?" Ricky stared at the human-like shapes in wonder. "If I''m not mistaken, these puppets are almost as powerful as you, and they can be used to deploy the array!" he assumed.


    "You are indeed an array deployer of Emperor Level. No wonder you can see the key of the puppets at a glance," praised Queenie.


    "Be careful! Although these puppets don''t have psychic intelligence, they are still powerful. In fact, they can be more dangerous after the array is formed," Ricky reminded her.


    Soon after, her sword unleashed its forty-percent sword intent at the middle stage. In the blink of an eye, it pierced through several of the tree''s puppets with its sword intent. Then Queenie wielded her sword again, cutting these four puppets into pieces.


    However, she was also attacked from all sides.


    At that time, her Black Devil blood power burst out and condensed the body of Black Devil, which resisted the attack of other puppets. After the collision, the body of the Black Devil was barely injured.


    "The devil''s body is really strong! I can''t believe it!" Ricky exclaimed again.


    Under the defense of the Black Devil''s body, along with the heavenly ice and sword intent, Queenie gradually gained the upper hand. It was impressive to Ricky since she had done so all alone.


    Of course, the most important point was that the tree''s puppets didn''t have psychic intelligence. Thus they could not work together against Queenie, and they could only attack her on their own.


    But if these puppets were used to make the array, everything would be different.

 Chapter 1143 Queenies Strike

    "Perhaps, Queenie isn''t as bad at swordsmanship as I thought. She has comprehended forty-percent of the sword intent at the middle stage. At the same time, you have also comprehended forty-percent of the saber intent at the middle stage now," commented the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "I barely put effort into my saber intent these days. In fact, I don''t think I could have reached forty-percent at the early stage without your help, Dragon Intent Grass," Ricky replied gratefully.


    "Hmm... I think these tree puppets will soon form an array.


    If they don''t, they will be like live targets that Queenie could slaughter with her eyes closed. And I don''t think the grand humanoid evil tree''s test can be that simple or straightforward," he speculated.


    Just as Ricky was speaking, the puppets merged again and formed nine figures around them.


    "They have begun to form an array," Ricky remarked gravely, urging Queenie to move.


    All of a sudden, the nine tree puppets rose in the air so that eight of them looked outwards in eight different directions, while one of them stood in the center. Vines appeared and writhed together in a formless dance, intertwining around each other until the nine tree puppets were united and had gathered their power.


    At this moment, Queenie looked grim. She could feel a serious threat from their union.


    "What is this array?" Ricky asked seriously.


    "Based on the nine points where the nine tree puppets stand, it must be one of the nine-point arrays," the Dragon Intent Grass replied. "But I can''t see what array it is before the nine tree puppets unleash their power."


    "Kill!"


    Queenie also wanted to know what kind of array it was. Before the array had fully formed, she produced a sword and struck in the puppet standing in the center.


    But this puppet didn''t do anything to resist her at all.


    Thus, as soon as the sword aura fell, its vines withered and turned into dust.


    But in the next moment, another tree puppet appeared at the same point, as if Queenie had never attacked the original puppet.


    "What happened? Even if the tree puppet takes shape again, it should take some time," Ricky uttered worriedly. "At this rate, no matter how powerful Queenie is, she won''t go th


    ets.


    Ricky saw that it split the world apart in an instant. Of course, it was also emitting a strong killing power.


    The sword fell and unleashed an invisible force. The force didn''t chop the nine puppets, but it cut the invisible chain power.


    Crack! Loud cracking echoed throughout the forest.


    As if it could feel pain from these cracks, the humanoid evil tree''s puppets united to withstand the attack.


    But they didn''t stand a chance, and Queenie cut them into nine useless parts. Once they were separated, they were no longer her rivals.


    Boom!


    With the resounding explosion, the puppets scattered in the shape of vines and retreated quickly.


    "Sure enough, cutting off the chain power of the nine puppets will destroy them," Ricky sighed.


    "I think Queenie wielded that sword magnificently! Why didn''t she use this skill at the beginning? She has wasted so much time," said the Dragon Intent Grass, sounding a bit put off.


    "Maybe she needed to gather strength," Ricky replied.


    Puff! Just as the words fell from Ricky''s mouth, Queenie suddenly collapsed to the ground, blood spurting from her mouth. She was gravely injured!


    Her face was pale as moonlight, a sharp contrast to the blood spilled from between her lips, emphasizing its crimson color.


    It seemed that she was at her last gasp. "Are you still alright?"


    Ricky asked with a worried frown on his face. "Is this the consequence of her outburst with that move?" the Dragon Intent Grass assumed.

 Chapter 1144 Queenies Determination

    "Let me out! I can help you heal your injuries!" Ricky frantically instructed Queenie with a worried frown etched deeply on his face.


    He could tell from her aura that she was seriously hurt.


    As soon as Queenie heard Ricky''s voice, she followed his instructions with no hesitation. She knew that she needed help at that moment, and she didn''t want to waste more time arguing. That sword was powerful, indeed, but the strong impact also caused a lot of damage to her.


    "What''s the matter with you?" Ricky asked the moment he stepped out. Simultaneously, he burst out the Life and Death Fire and took life energy from the Life and Death Zone to help Queenie recuperate.


    "I comprehended the Omnipotent Skill just now from the fusion of the blood of devils and humans. However, I haven''t fully mastered it yet. Therefore, every time I use it, it causes damage to my heart," she explained fitfully between shallow, pained breaths.


    "Worse still, it will even consume my lifespan."


    "Okay, I get it now..." Ricky responded with a nod, and then he continued to heal her injuries.


    "Life Wings!" The next moment, he burst out the Omnipotent Skill related to life and condensed several small Life Wings in his palm, which burned with the Life and Death Fire and entered Queenie''s heart.


    This definitely did not bode well for Queenie. Undoubtedly, her injury could negatively affect the trial she was currently undergoing.


    Therefore, Ricky didn''t hide his real strength, and he proceeded to use all his Omnipotent Skills to help her recover.


    With the strength of his Life Wings and Life and Death Fire, Queenie recovered quickly.


    "The life energy is tremendous!" The more that Ricky healed her and showed his real strength, the more shocked Queenie became. She watched in astonishment, as he rapidly restored her physical strength. She even had a feeling that the life energy contained in Ricky''s body could have saved her even if she were dead.


    At that moment, she understood the reason why Ricky was so powerful.


    With this kind of capability in recovery, it was like he could heal himself infinitely. If so, who could possibly kill him? How could he not be so powerful?


    "Thank you so much!" Once again, she could only thank Ricky after he had saved her life.


    Without the help of his capability in recovery, she would have ended up hiding inside the spiritual space tool, and in doing so, she would have no chance to obtain the grand humanoid evil tree.


    If only to herself, Queenie had to admit that bringing Ricky into the


    into Queenie''s body, and after a short moment, she recovered to her peak state.


    "She merged the blood essence with her Omnipotent Skill to recover in an instant!" Ricky murmured.


    There was no doubt that Queenie was ready to risk her life at that moment.


    "Good. After this, she must exceed her limits twice. She should not collapse from it before she passes the test," remarked the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "That would be as difficult as summoning and breaking through a four-colored Thunderstroke Doom!"


    "Ricky, you are not allowed to interfere with whatever happens in the next two stairs! As long as I am not dead, you can''t intervene. This is my determination!" Queenie said to Ricky in a very serious tone, "If you dare to interrupt me, it means that you don''t respect the will of martial arts!"


    Ricky was shocked speechless by the fire burning in her eyes and her brave attitude. He could tell she would not take no for an answer, so he just nodded blankly.


    He once again felt the strength of Queenie''s determination¡ªher desire for martial arts and the grand humanoid devil tree, and her determination to lead the rise of human devils.


    "Don''t worry. I have been in the same situation before, and I can understand what you are feeling right now. I know what kind of determination it is, and I respect it. If you die, I will leave with your corpse," Ricky responded heavily.


    "Thank you," she answered with a soft sight. "If I succeed this time, I will do as I promised. I will do three favors for you." Queenie smiled at Ricky confidently, and then, without any hesitation, she stepped onto the fourth stair.


    Boom! Immediately, the momentum on the fourth stair swept up.

 Chapter 1145 Willpower And Courage

    As soon as Queenie stepped on the fourth stair, the whole stretch was immediately filled with the powerful momentum rolling from the stair. It was clear that the power on the fourth stair had surpassed Queenie''s limit.


    ''Sure enough, if she wants to pass the fourth stair, she has to surpass her limit, '' Ricky sighed in his heart.


    As soon as Queenie set foot on the fourth stair, she fell to her knees.


    Her delicate body was drenched in sweat, as was her beautiful face which was scrunched up in pain. Her clothes were sticking to her body, stained by both sweat and blood from her various injuries.


    At this moment, not only did Queenie suffer from great pain, but also she felt like a huge mountain was suppressing her.


    She couldn''t move! Under the pressure and pain, it wouldn''t take long for her to fall into a coma, and if that happened, her challenge would fall through.


    So, before she fainted because of the endless pain and pressure, she had to go beyond her limit. If she could not surpass her pinnacle, she would not pass the fourth stair.


    In her peak state, the Black Devil body and the Heavenly Ice body appeared behind her.


    At the same time, her willpower and desire for martial arts surfaced in her Soul Sea.


    How could she go beyond her own limit, the limit of her willpower? She would rely on her desire, her will, and the path she never gave up and kept pursuing.


    She was now on the path to being a saint.


    No matter how many thorns there were in front of her, she must step forward even if the blood drained from her feet.


    Her willpower turned into momentum and constantly increased the strength of her body. Her half-kneeling body slowly recovered enough strength to stand up.


    "I didn''t expect that Queenie would have such a strong will," Ricky solemnly remarked as he looked at the scene on the fourth stair.


    "She will surely pass the fourth stair!" he continued.


    "Talent, spiritual meridian, blood power...Although these things are important, the most important element is a determined mind in martial arts," added the Dragon Intent Grass. "And Queenie has such a determined mind in martial arts.


    What''s more, she has the Black Devil blood power and the Heavenly Ice blood power. And her spiritual meridian is not low-grade either. Therefore, among all the peerless geniuses, we can say that


    ion for martial arts, and courage to fight to survive the danger of death, they would step on the fifth stair regardless of their current condition.


    It was not shameful to fall on the fifth stair, but one who even dared not step on it would never be qualified to talk about the path of martial arts.


    Consequently, one with such great courage would pass the fifth stair, just like Queenie. On the other hand, for those without that courage, if they showed the slightest hesitation or timidity, suppressing power would appear on the fifth stair.


    And no miracle could save them then.


    "I get it! The test of the grand humanoid evil tree is really amazing!" Ricky praised the tree, sounding amazed.


    "This is the real test. Every warrior who can enter the ancestral land must have first-class talent, blood power, and spiritual meridian, so their willpower and courage should be tested."


    "You''re right, Ricky. Only a genius who has all those characteristics deserve to be the owner of the grand humanoid evil tree, which is a top and precious treasure," agreed the Dragon Intent Grass. At this time, Queenie was suddenly enlightened too.


    It seemed that she, too, had figured out the reason why there was nothing on the fifth stair.


    Queenie was grateful that she had not hesitated at that time. She had not cared about her life since she entered the ancestral land, and she was lucky that she was so focused.


    Otherwise, all her efforts would have been in vain, and the sole reason would have been the slightest hesitation and timidity in her heart.

 Chapter 1146 More People Appeared

    Boom!


    In the next moment, Queenie''s momentum burst out unintentionally. It seemed that her cultivation level was not the only aspect that was enhanced. Her state of mind had also unknowingly improved.


    "I didn''t expect that this test can improve your state of mind and lead you towards some epiphany," Ricky remarked admiringly.


    All creatures were envious of this kind of invisible epiphany, as the state of mind could be considerably enhanced.


    "Honestly, I just got lucky!" Queenie replied.


    To a large extent, Queenie''s attitudes towards Ricky had changed a lot.


    After all, it was thanks to his treatment that she could achieve all these. Without him, she would not grow as much as she had.


    And Queenie was not inherently evil. She did have a conscience, so she treated anyone who got her recognition sincerely. What was more, her state of mind had improved, so her actions were well-thought-out as well.


    Of course, she still acted like a bratty and moody woman to those she was not familiar with or did not recognize.


    ''It seems that it is already impossible to make Ricky yield to me, '' Queenie thought to herself.


    Actually, people like her paid more attention to friendship. If she did not recognize a creature, she tended to treat that person without any sincerity; but once someone obtained her recognition, that person could count on her sincere attitude. And she would never change until she died.


    Of course, to these two, they were merely acquaintances who just acknowledged each other. It needed more time for them to be closer friends.


    "Perseverance and courage cannot be boiled down to luck or fluke!" Ricky answered her with a laugh.


    "Then, you can restore your power first!"


    After leaving the plain filled with vines, Ricky and Queenie came to a circular valley.


    Several peaks were around them, but no one knew how high they were. And on each peak, a platform stood tall and imposing. When Ricky and Queenie stepped out of the exit, they landed on one of these platforms.


    At that time, the first thing that caught their attention was the center of the valley.


    There was a round light of power like an altar in the middle, wherein stood a seed about the size of a fist. It contained a strong aura of vitality and energy.


    The shadow of a giant tree emerged from these two kinds of auras.


    "The grand humanoid evil tree is over there!" Queenie exclaimed with excitement.


    "This seed is the grand humanoid evil tree?!" Ricky was astounded. After all, the image of the grand humanoid evil tree in his mind was a gigantic tree, as vast as the entire world, just like


    tated towards the seed of the grand humanoid evil tree. They studied it with a growing hunger in their eyes.


    ''Won''t any devils come here?'' Ricky wondered in his mind.


    Right after he thought of this, a burst of laughter echoed in the air and broke the silence. Two young men in blood-red robes landed in their midst.


    "Ha-ha! I didn''t expect that the humble human devils have already developed so well that three of them could come here!"


    "The devils!" Ricky and the other five people shouted in alarm, and their gazes turned cold and sullen as they looked at their hated foes.


    "Even though we are devils, there is no need for you to look at us with so much hatred," the thinner of the two young men replied with a faint smile. "Kill them!"


    Rodger Dugu bellowed in a voice full of murderous contempt. At the same time, a saber came out from his back, filled with strong saber intent.


    Without any hesitation, he rushed towards the two devils.


    Boom!


    However, at that moment, the four peaks in the surroundings suddenly shifted. A strong force burst out from these peaks, which were instantly covered with the suppressive force.


    Bang! Rodger Dugu was thrown back by the suppressive force like a limp doll.


    Then, in the blink of an eye, the peaks transformed into massive competition platforms.


    These four competition platforms spun rapidly in the air, as two of them fused afterward.


    In a flash, the four platforms disappeared, and only the two new platforms were left.


    There was no doubt that each two of these four groups would have to fight against each other.


    Rodger Dugu, Gage Lin, Molly Ximen, and the tall man were on one competition platform, while Ricky, Queenie, and the two devils were on the other.

 Chapter 1147 Scales Yu

    "It looks like you and Queenie have a stroke of misfortune. Being on the same competition platform with the two devils means that you will only have two results¡ªlive or die!" the Dragon Intent Grass pointed out thoughtfully. "Well, this seems like bad luck indeed. But if we want to obtain the grand humanoid evil tree''s seed, we will have to meet them sooner or later, so it doesn''t make that much of a difference.


    Our luck doesn''t matter. Our survival here depends solely on our strength," Ricky replied confidently.


    "What''s more, this is also what I wanted. If any other groups were assigned to these two devils, I was afraid that the devils would slaughter them without mercy. It is fortunate that we will be the first to fight them. This way, we will surely defeat these two devils.


    And I can say these things not only because of my intuition but also because of my confidence." "Ha-ha, aren''t you getting a bit overconfident?" the Dragon Intent Grass taunted Ricky after hearing his words.


    Ricky did not seem to mind the teasing, as he laughed lightly and answered, "Ha-ha! When I was an incredible demi-spiritual emperor, I didn''t dare to say such words, but now that I have become a spiritual emperor, I''m not afraid of anything."


    At that moment, Rodger and the three other people naturally focused their attention on the platform where Ricky and the devils were standing on. They looked on with pity and worry because they didn''t think that Ricky and Queenie could go toe to toe with these two genius devils.


    Queenie may be a two-star lower spiritual emperor, but Ricky had just made a breakthrough, which meant that he became a spiritual emperor very recently.


    It was true that Molly didn''t get along well with Queenie, but they also appreciated each other. It could be said that they were both enemies and friends.


    And now, Queenie was in a hopeless situation, so she naturally felt sad.


    "Damn it! Why didn''t the grand humanoid evil tree put me on that competition platform?" Rodger exclaimed with a little bit of resentment.


    "Queenie, it seems that Rodger has a good impression on you!" Ricky said in a teasing tone using his internal power, upon hearing Rodger''s resentful voice.


    "Rodger is one of the few geniuses of the human devils that have my recognition," she replied readily. "But enough of that! At this moment, you''d better think about how to deal with these two devils. We should not underestimate their strength at all."


    "It seems that Rodger''s moral quality is fairly good if he can impress you!" Ricky said in a flat tone. "Don''t worry about the two dev


    oody red evil spirit was so overwhelming that no words could have described it at that moment.


    His aura alone could produce a devilish world. That was the power of a real devil.


    "You''re an idiot! You really make me long to see the bloody killing again, just like in the hell! Ha-ha!"


    Scales Yu sneered and launched his attack immediately.


    "Ricky, if I''m not mistaken, the blood power of Scales Yu is the Heavenly Devil Jail blood power!" Queenie urgently told Ricky through telepathy when she saw that they were about to fight.


    "There is no doubt that the Heavenly Devil Jail blood power is also one of the eight blood powers of the devil race.


    But what I want to emphasize is that the pure Heavenly Devil Jail blood power is good enough to be called the top one among the eight kinds."


    "Really? Is it that powerful!" Ricky exclaimed out of surprise.


    "Exactly! The Heavenly Devil Jail blood power that the human devils inherited cannot compare with the pure one that the real devils own at all!" Queenie added. "So you must be very careful when you fight him."


    "Okay, I will. Thanks for the reminder!" Ricky assured her.


    ''So that is the Heavenly Devil Jail blood power? Let me see how powerful it is!'' As he murmured inwardly, he gathered the power of the Chaotic Fire on his right fist and punched out.


    When Ricky launched his attack, he only felt a burst of happiness and comfort. Under the ruling power he now owned as a spiritual emperor, he could take advantage of the whole energy in the surroundings.


    ''The Emperor Level is indeed the level close to the heavenly law!'' Ricky uttered to himself silently in amazement.


    Bang!


    At that moment, Scale Yu''s devilish fist collided with Ricky''s punch.

 Chapter 1148 Three Devil Buckles

    The two fists collided as if two waves had crashed against each other, and airwaves like ripples scattered fiercely in an instant. Meanwhile, the invisible power caused by the fists'' collision forced both Ricky and Scales to fall back a few steps.


    Thump! Both of them landed heavily on the competition platform, creating deep indents beneath them.


    Suddenly, the whole space fell into dead silence.


    Rodger and his three companions could not believe their eyes! They blinked repeatedly and rubbed their eyes as if it would change what they had just witnessed.


    What just happened? Ricky, a warrior who had just become a spiritual emperor could fight on par with a genius of the devil race who was a two-star lower spiritual emperor.


    It sounded impossible, but it was the truth!


    "How could this be possible? You possess the strength of a two-star lower spiritual emperor?!" Scales exclaimed in a disbelieving tone. He swore that this was the first time that he had felt so shocked and astonished since he was born.


    At the same time, he carefully tried to discern Ricky''s strength. At that moment, he was not willing to believe that Ricky had just become a spiritual emperor. The four warriors on the other competition platform all agreed. They could not believe that as a new spiritual emperor, Ricky could trade blows easily with Scales. They, too, released their power to get an impression of Ricky''s strength.


    "Indeed, he has just become a spiritual emperor. Or is he hiding his real strength in some way that we don''t know?" Gage asked in confusion. "It''s incredible that he can challenge someone who is one star stronger than him when both of them are spiritual emperors."


    "Perhaps, he has hidden his real strength. But you are right, he is, indeed, incredible! He must have been an incredible demi-spiritual emperor once!" Rodger remarked in an awed tone as well. He had a strong intuition that Ricky used to be an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    Earlier, as Ricky launched his attack, he sensed a powerful and invisible pressure, which made him think that Ricky was an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    "An incredible demi-spiritual emperor?! That''s impossible. After all, it can take several eras to have one!" Gage replied, shaking his head in disbelief.


    "But anyway, we were all wrong. Someone who Queenie recognized enough to bring out here cannot be a waste of blood," Rodger added.


    Molly wore a dismayed expression on her face because she had been worried about Queenie, but now she found that her worries were totally unnecessary. At that moment, she was somewhat ashamed because she thought that Queenie must have been laughing at her ignorance earlier.


    "Of course, I have the strength of a two-star lower spiritual emperor. W


    ernal world with a fierce roar.


    This devil raised its head and roared at the sky, and then it opened its mouth, and a huge seal with the shape of a buckle descended from the heavens. It rushed towards Ricky at breakneck speed.


    Buzz! Wherever the Devil Buckle passed, even the surrounding trembled with fear. Ricky, too, was awash with fear as he watched the demon.


    "What a terrible move!" Ricky couldn''t help but exclaim!


    "This is the unbeatable strength of the Heavenly Devil Jail blood power! Deal with it with all your strength, and don''t slack off. If you don''t give this your all, you will be in a disadvantageous position, which would be troublesome," the Dragon Intent Grass warned Ricky.


    "This battle is bound to be fierce, but it will undoubtedly end in a stalemate.


    Chaotic fire! Come and protect me!"


    Ricky roared and clapped his hands, and his eyes turned into flames as hot as the sun.


    Boom!


    Ten kinds of sacred fire and peculiar fire swept out and condensed into a single gigantic flame on Ricky''s body, which also rose the head and roared ferociously. Meanwhile, the giant of flames transformed into the flaming lotus.


    And the flaming lotus surrounded Ricky to protect him.


    "What terrifying flames! Those are the sacred fire, right?" Rodger quietly asked when he felt the overwhelming power of Ricky''s flames, and his fighting spirit rose immediately.


    "They must be the sacred fire, as well as many other kinds. As a member of the race of the emperor beast¡ªHeavenly Kylin Cattle, I can feel it clearly," Gage replied. His eyes were glassy as he watched the display as if he was in a dream. He could not help but ask, "What kind of Flame Mutant does he have? How can he control so many kinds of sacred fire?"


    Boom! During their discussion, the first Devil Buckle finally hit Ricky''s flaming lotus.

 Chapter 1149 Sudden Turn Of Events

    The first Devil Buckle swooped down and instantly drowned Ricky''s flaming lotus. With it, countless ripples of airwaves spread in an instant and impacted the entire huge battle platform. Queenie and the other genius from the devil race, who were fighting nearby, had to pause their fight and turn around to resist the airwaves'' impact. Otherwise, they would have been collaterally damaged.


    The moment it drowned the flaming lotus, the first Devil Buckle exploded, and the scarlet evil spirit rushed to the flaming lotus.


    Crack! A cracking sound came through. It was from the cracks on the flaming lotus.


    The flaming lotus formed by Ricky''s flames and the Fire Dragon Extremity was undoubtedly one of Ricky''s most powerful defenses. However, at this moment, the instantaneous attack of the first Devil Buckle resulted in cracks on the flaming lotus, which was an indication of the great power that the buckle had.


    And it was also an indication of how powerful Scales was.


    Fortunately, the power of the first Devil Buckle dissipated soon after.


    "The second Devil Buckle!" Quick as he was, Scales had already condensed the second attack before the airwaves began to disperse.


    In the hell world behind him, another devil figure appeared. The two devils spat out their power in turns, which turned into two Devil Buckles. These two Devil Buckles merged and then rushed to suppress Ricky.


    Although it was a combination of only two Devil Buckles, its power was several times stronger. It was not as simple as adding the strengths of two buckles.


    When he felt the power of the second Devil Buckle, Ricky frowned slightly, as he thought that Scales was far more challenging to deal with than he had thought.


    Ricky didn''t dare to reserve his strength. He activated his six mutants in an instant, and the six kinds of runes encircled him. Soon, all his power gathered on his chest.


    When Ricky''s six mutants burst out, everyone present was once again shocked.


    They were all wondering how such a creature that had six mutants could appear in the world.


    "Now, I finally understand why Queenie invited him to be her helper. And I also understand that he was not hiding his real strength. Instead, he was once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor!" exclaimed Rodger.


    This time, Gage and the other two didn''t have anything to say, as they were watching Ricky with rapt attention.


    Meanwhile, Scales was as dumbfounded as they were. He was shocked speechless because he didn''t expect Ricky to have so many trump cards. Although he was a devil, he knew a lot about mutants. It should have been impossible for anyone to possess two mutants at the same time, let alone six mutants.


    However, it was a fact t


    im that the battle between him and Scales would ultimately decide their victory. This was a life and death battle between Ricky and Scales.


    "Thank you for your compliment! However, what I want is not only to become your real enemy but also to kill you and get the grand humanoid evil tree," Ricky said with a faint smile.


    "Ha-ha, you are so arrogant." Scales didn''t get angry but burst into laughter upon hearing Ricky''s words.


    Of course, his killing intent did not decrease at all.


    "If you were a devil, or if I were a creature from the continent, maybe we could become both friends."


    "Perhaps, but it doesn''t matter now. As long as you devils invade the continent, you are destined to be my sworn enemy," Ricky said.


    "Of course. However, everything can be determined by strength. I admit that your defense is the strongest that I have ever seen, but even the strongest defense cannot be used to kill the enemy, right?" Scales replied with a smile.


    "Yes, you''re right." Ricky nodded.


    "And it''s impolite not to reciprocate, isn''t it?


    Now that you have attacked me three times, it''s my turn. You are going to take my strike right now!" Crack! The moment Ricky finished speaking, the ground beneath his feet broke into pieces. He then disappeared in the blink of an eye, and before Scales could blink again, Ricky was right in front of him!


    The power of the six kinds of runes and the six mutants gathered in Ricky''s right fist, forming a fist shadow.


    However, Scales did not take Ricky''s fist strike seriously at all. This punch was powerful, but in Scales'' eyes, it was just an ordinary punch.


    But in the next breath, Scales'' pupils shrank in shock and debilitating fear, for he could not believe his eyes.


    That was because the power in Ricky''s fist had changed in an instant.

 Chapter 1150 Heavenly Jail Body

    The six kinds of runes merged and formed a grayish-white power¡ªthe chaotic power.


    "That grayish-white power..." Rodger and the other three blurted out in utter shock, as their eyes widened like saucers.


    "Look at the chaotic disintegration, the extreme primitiveness...It is, undoubtedly, the chaotic power, and he already has a deep comprehension of it," Gage remarked with amazement.


    Molly and the man with an iron tower were also struck dumb.


    They all had been shocked by the six mutants earlier, but it was nowhere near what they were feeling at that moment.


    "Chaotic power!" Scales shouted fiercely, recognizing the chaotic power immediately. It was definitely strong enough to contend with the most potent evil spirit.


    At that moment, Scales'' face clouded in uncertainty, as for the first time, he doubted if he could really defeat Ricky.


    However, he didn''t have the luxury to dwell on his thoughts and fears. Once Ricky had turned the power in his hands into the chaotic power, his punch became even more powerful than before. Although it wasn''t a specific attack, the energy contained in that single punch was no weaker than Scales'' three Devil Buckles.


    As Scales'' scarlet eyes flickered, the hell world behind him transported before him instantly, turning into a scarlet shield to resist Ricky''s punch.


    Condensing the hell world into a defense was undoubtedly one of Scales'' most powerful defensive skills.


    It was understandable that no genius would dare to look down on the chaotic power. Even though they spoke ill of it, they would never dare to underestimate it in their hearts.


    Bang!


    A dull sound of collision rang through the air, and then Ricky and Scales separated again heavily. Scales'' shield was broken, which meant that Ricky''s attack had passed through it. As a result, Scales'' chest was severely injured, evidenced by his shallow breathing and the blood spurting from his mouth.


    When the shield was broken, the evil spirit burst out from it. That was the essence of the shield. The energy exploded on Ricky''s punch, and Ricky felt the feedback like a gust of power rushing into his right arm. At that moment, a piercing pain flowed through his body like a wave.


    Thanks to the suppression of the Chaos blood power, Ricky finally eliminated the impact of Scales'' power.


    "So, you own the chaotic power!" Scales remarked coldly, once he managed to stabilize himself.


    It was the first time in his life that he had felt such great desire to kill someone.


    A genius who had the chaotic power was not only his enemy


    re connected with him through the bloody channels.


    "Under my Heavenly Jail Body, everything will turn into nothing, including your chaotic power!" Scales roared, revealing his devilish form, together with the ferocious and bloodthirsty nature of devils.


    "Ancestral Intent Formula!"


    Ricky didn''t acknowledge Scales'' words. Instead, he simply summoned the Ancestral Intent Formula. At once, six figures appeared behind him, each one as tall as thirty feet. He, too, had shot up to thirty feet high.


    On a closer look, it seemed like the six figures were the condensates of his six mutants.


    However, they were all covered by the chromatic energy. Ricky''s real body was also covered with chromatic energy.


    "What is this five-colored power? Why do I feel it is even stronger than the chaotic power? How could it make my blood power have an urge to surrender to it?"


    Rodger mumbled in a low voice. "That''s right. I also feel a sense of submission. It seems that Ricky''s blood power is not simple.


    That five-colored power may have been derived from his blood power," said Gage.


    "This means that his blood power cultivation is notably profound, and that is why we feel that this power is stronger than the chaotic power.


    I don''t believe that there is any power on the continent superior to the primitive power. You must know that even the legendary Chaos blood power derives from chaos."


    At this moment, the six figures respectively evolved their own channels, connecting with Ricky''s real body. Altogether, they confronted Scales in the air.


    Boom! Their momentums were continuously increasing every second. And once their power had reached their peak, they would then collide eventually.

 Chapter 1151 One Last Resort

    Boom!


    When their momentum increased, the suppression of the entire area had increased further as well. And when the atmosphere''s suppression had reached its peak, Ricky and Scales finally burst out, their eyes full of the light of confrontation.


    In the next breath, they collided against each other. Every cell of their bodies had turned into the strongest weapon to be used against each other.


    Bang! In the blink of an eye, the space around the entire arena suddenly collapsed. In the short time that elapsed, Ricky and Scales had already exchanged hundreds of moves, and the power in each round of confrontation surpassed the power of the Three Devil Buckles.


    They seemed to have traveled through time and space, colliding at every point. The intensity of their battle was beyond words. Every move they used pushed them to their limits, which was unavoidable because they were engaged in a battle of life and death.


    Ricky attacked with a stronger move, and Scales answered back with an even stronger one each time. They were forced to push themselves to the extreme, for any inferiority could lead them to death.


    "What fierce confrontations! If it were me facing those fearsome attacks, I''m afraid I would need all of my strength to resist. And even then, I would probably lose within three rounds," Gage remarked with a solemn expression as he watched the battle between Ricky and Scales.


    "Watching this battle has ignited the fire in my veins! And now, the fighting spirit in my body has erupted like a volcano. I really want to fight with either of them," Rodger murmured aggressively with a bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes. The blade on his back was humming loudly, as if it had read its master''s mind.


    ''Damn it! How could Queenie be so lucky as to meet such a genius?'' Molly thought to herself with a barely concealed frown on her face. At that moment, she could not be more jealous of Queenie.


    Out of jealousy, she decided that she must draw Ricky to her side as well. It would not only lend her more strength, but it would also be disadvantageous to Queenie, which would be the icing on the cake. ''Ricky, no matter which clan or force you are from, I will make you my man,'' she promised herself inwardly.


    Meanwhile, Queenie was having the same thread of thoughts. She thought to herself,


    ''I didn''t expect Ricky to make such big progress in cultivation. After all, he had just broken through and become a spiritual emperor not long ago. He truly deserves to be called an incredible demi-spiritual emperor once. If I can get along well with him, it will be of great help to us, the human devil race, in the future.''


    By this time, s


    . As he wielded his saber, its radiance shot out and combined with the chromatic energy and his Ancestral Intent Body. Together, they formed Ricky''s strongest strike towards Scales.


    "The result of this battle will be determined in a moment," Rodger muttered shortly, not taking his eyes off Ricky and Scales. Bang!


    Time slowed to a crawl, as the two attacks grew closer and closer to each other. It felt like these two attacks had lasted for countless years before they finally collided in a frightful explosion. In an instant, with the point of the collision light as the center, endless airwaves swept and engulfed everything.


    Crack! Crack! Crack! The violent collision covered the entire broken space like a hurricane, covering everything in dust, wreckage, thunder, and lightning.


    Such a collision lasted for a long time before it faded away.


    When the waves of energy dissipated, Ricky''s and Scale''s figures were revealed. At this moment, both of them were on their knees on the battle platform, dying.


    "Both sides are badly injured!" Gage exclaimed in a breathy whisper.


    But they were not surprised at such a result because the power both parties burst out had already decided it.


    "Scales, you are both suffering. Just admit your defeat. After all, this is our human devils'' ancestral land. You devils are not welcome here," said Rodger.


    "Humph! There is no one here who is qualified to make me leave, including Ricky," Scales replied coldly. "Now that I''m here, you all have to die today!"


    "And how are you going to do that in your condition?" Ricky asked with an eyebrow raised, even as he gasped for breath.


    "Of course, I can''t kill you in this way. However, I forgot to tell you that I have one last resort," Scales answered menacingly.

 Chapter 1152 Rickys Last Resort

    Scales straightened up gingerly as he spoke. Meanwhile, a world materialized behind him once again. It shrank and sank into his body, and his power quickly returned to its peak state.


    However, two muscular arms were missing from his Heavenly Jail Body.


    And any warrior who had a sharp sense would be able to feel that his power had weakened slightly.


    Ricky also noticed that.


    ''It seems that Scales'' capability in recovery is far inferior to mine!'' he thought to himself. He narrowed his eyes at Scales and declared confidently,


    "Are you sure about that?


    Then let me see how powerful your last resort is!" Ricky''s voice resounded with steel in his tone as if he thoroughly believed his words. At the same time, he also stood up, and the Life Wings gradually formed behind him.


    "You seem very calm. It seems that you also have a trump card that I have yet to see. Now, show it to me!" Scales responded. He had anticipated that Ricky still had another trump card up his sleeve, for he would never underestimate a genius who had cultivated the chaotic power.


    At this time, Ricky also recovered to his peak state with the Life Wings.


    "Their recovery capability is incredible!" Gage exclaimed when he saw this.


    "But it seems that Ricky''s capability in recovery is much more powerful compared to Scales. Look, Ricky has truly recovered to his peak state, while Scales'' strength has slightly decreased," noted Rodger.


    "Hmnn... Perhaps. But I feel that both of them will end up suffering great losses," Gage remarked.


    "But it might be better for us if both of them are badly hurt," Rodger added.


    Meanwhile, Ricky and Scales were still engaged in a battle of words. Ricky yelled at Scales,


    "As you wish!" In an instant, purple patterns began to spread all over his body.


    "He is an array deployer at the Emperor Level!" Scales muttered under his breath.


    His face darkened as he grew more serious and put all his focus on Ricky. No one would underestimate an anomalous genius like Ricky, especially when his expertise with the arrays could be considered unrivaled.


    "He is an array deployer at the Emperor Level!" Rodger and the others also exclaimed in shock.


    "He is already so strong! If he combines the great ability he just showed with the power of the arrays, then I can''t even imagine how strong he can be!" Gage blurted out expectantly, his eyes wide with awe.


    He didn''t have any connection with Ricky, but Scales was a devil, so as long as he and Ricky were not mortal enemies, he would unconditionally stand by Ricky''s side every time.


    "The second killing array¡ªthe Wail of Ghosts and the Howl of Wolves!"


    As the patterns spread


    "We admit defeat and quit this test of the grand humanoid evil tree!"


    As soon as he finished speaking, the competition platform changed instantly. Two rays of light flared, and the two devils disappeared in an instant.


    "Ricky, I admit my failure this time. When the passage between Devil Land and the continents opens, I hope we can meet again. At that time, there is nothing but life or death waiting for us," echoed Scale''s voice for the last time, as he and his companion disappeared.


    "Does this guy know that you still have a trump card to recover?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked with pity after seeing Scales admit defeat and leave. It knew that Scales escaping with his life was terrible because if Scales didn''t die today, he would be a formidable enemy in the future.


    After all, if he reached a higher level with his powerful Heavenly Devil Jail blood power, he would be a great enemy of the continents'' creatures.


    "I don''t know, but he certainly doesn''t have any more trump cards to recover," Ricky also replied with pity in his voice. "That is why he didn''t dare to risk whether I have another trump card or not. It is better for them to leave. After all, Rodger and the others are still here.


    I believe Scales is bound to become a powerful enemy in the future. He is tenacious and able to accept and learn from his mistakes and failures. I am certain that his growth will be exponential in just a few years."


    "You are right. The most terrible enemy must be those who are tenacious and can face and learn from their failure," the Dragon Intent Grass exclaimed. "What a pity!"


    Queenie, Rodger, and the others also sighed in dismay at that time. After all, Ricky had been so close.


    If the devils had not surrendered, Scales would surely be dead by now.

 Chapter 1153 The Battle Between Emperor Beasts

    After Scales and his companion left, Rodger turned to Molly. "Hey, Molly! We will be the ones fighting next. Remember that safety goes first in our combat. We don''t want to hurt each other," he said with a smile.


    Although they were not from the same continent, Rodger thought that there was no need to have a life-and-death battle. After all, they were both human devils.


    Molly smiled back, nodding slightly before answering, "Of course! But your opponent is not me."


    "Oh?" Rodger''s eyebrows raised in surprise. He glanced curiously at the strong and muscular looking man who was standing beside Molly. "Then, will this guy be my opponent? Why don''t you introduce us?"


    asked Rodger, still smiling.


    "Some of the human devils'' clans do not live on the same continent, but why do you seem very familiar with each other? I don''t think you would have known each other well only by exchanging information," Ricky said to Queenie while he was adjusting his breath.


    "It''s very simple. Some of the human devils'' major clans have a Transmission Array, so there are many opportunities for our disciples to compete with and share information with each other," Queenie explained.


    "Transmission Array! It''s said that only the high-grade array deployers at the Sage Level can deploy the Transmission Array," Ricky exclaimed after hearing her explanation.


    Meanwhile, Rodger was still facing off with the bulky man who towered over all of them. At that moment, the man was introducing himself. "My name is Eric, and I belong to the Land Bear tribe! I have come a long way from the Bleak West."


    "The Land Bears are emperor beasts. They are said to be the King of the land beasts!" Rodger exclaimed out of surprise.


    Ricky and Queenie were astonished too.


    Initially, the ancestors of the Land Bear tribe were just common species of bear. However, with the innate talent that could mobilize the power of earth, they slowly became the strongest emperor beasts.


    Perhaps, since they achieved their improvement step by step, the fighting capacity of the Land Bears was quite potent and almost invincible at the same level.


    "Then, Eric, let''s fight!" Gage declared, looking at Eric as his incredibly strong fighting intent flared.


    Since many creatures perceived the Land Bears as the most powerful emperor beasts, the other emperor beasts naturally craved to challenge them to prove their worth.


    "You are a descendant of the unicorn tribe, a legendary beast and emperor beast. I also wish to fight you." Upon hearing Gage''s words, Eric also became eager to fight. His fighting intent swelled in his veins like a volcano about to erupt with m


    ortunity, he would be very likely to evolve into a legendary unicorn."


    "But the chance of that happening is extremely rare. It''s almost impossible without an incredible opportunity!" contradicted Queenie. "Holy beast, emperor beast, and legendary beast¡ªthey are very similar. Although they have inborn talents, their evolution is countless times more difficult than ours," she added.


    As the battle continued,


    Eric''s face grew serious when he saw Gage''s move. Without any hesitation, he also used his blood essence to summon the essential power of the earth.


    "The Power of Earth, the Earth Door!"


    His massive forefoot stomped on the arena''s ground, creating a small earthquake. Instantly, seven Earth Doors rose from beneath the ground and created a shield in front of Eric.


    "Gage, this is my strongest defense. If you can break through four of these doors, I will admit defeat in this battle!" Eric shouted from beyond the seven walls, sounding confident and triumphant like he had already won.


    "You''re too arrogant, boy. I''ll break all seven doors for you!" Gage flew into a rage on hearing Eric''s words, and he hastened to infuse more of his power into his strike.


    Boom!


    With a blast of airwaves, the crimson hooves finally landed on the first Earth Door.


    The next moment, a strong wind picked up and engulfed the whole place. It lasted for a long time before the dust began to settle.


    When the airwaves dissipated,


    two figures appeared. Gage and Eric were in their human forms at that moment, and both were standing stiff as a rod.


    All the spectators looked to the seven doors. There were still four doors left. That was to say, Gage''s most powerful strike had only broken three Earth Doors.


    In this case, Gage was defeated.

 Chapter 1154 Rodger Won

    "I have only broken three of your doors. It is not you who behaved arrogantly but me. I admit defeat in this battle, and now, I''m willing to admit the you are indeed very strong," Gage admitted his defeat with a smile. He was defeated because he was not strong enough, so he could willingly accept the result. After all, it only meant that he had to work harder, and he could expect better results next time as long as he was alive.


    "I''m flattered. Who knows? Maybe I was just lucky. But let me tell you that our Land Bears'' fighting power can be infinite wherever there is a land. We indeed enjoy an exceptional advantage," Eric replied. Ricky found Eric to be so modest. He was not as overbearing as people thought him to be.


    And a man like him was truly powerful.


    After all, only a truly powerful being could be powerful and determined in his heart, while outside, he would still be humble and accepting of his faults.


    "Ricky, why don''t you make friends with them? After all, they are also peerless geniuses. Besides, you can use the support of the forces behind them," the Dragon Intent Grass suggested in Ricky''s mind.


    "Although you''re unique in this world, you won''t be unafraid of anything for a long time to come. You still need some people and some forces to back you up.


    For example, in the Eastern Land and Western Land, if you don''t have the Oriental College and the Spirit Sect to support you, no matter how extraordinary your talent is, it will still be useless. You should understand what I mean!"


    "I understand!" Ricky replied.


    The Dragon Intent Grass was right. If Ricky wanted to grow further in this martial world, talent, willpower, blood power, and spiritual meridian were all critical factors. And it was also important whether there were strong forces supporting him.


    Over these years, Ricky had also come to understand this.


    Of course, Ricky had his own principle, which was to make friends with people and forces that could get his approval.


    "Ha-ha, I can accept this defeat. Eric, you don''t need to make excuses for me. I can accept failure as long as I don''t lose my life," Gage said with a smile upon hearing Eric''s words.


    Then, he withdrew his power and spread out his hands in front of Rodger, indicating that it was Rodger''s turn to fight next.


    "Molly, you go first!" Rodger said with his power surging around his body.


    "Eric is stronger than me, so..." Molly remarked, shrugging and smiling lightly.


    As a result, Rodger and Eric confronted each other face to face.


    "Rodger,


    rd fiercely.


    Eric had no choice but to counteract it with a powerful blow.


    "It seems that they are not well-matched in strength. Rodger got the upper hand," commented Ricky in a low voice. "He broke all the seven doors, which means that he had broken through Eric''s strongest defense.


    And when it comes to attacking, Eric is naturally no match for Rodger."


    "But, technically, Eric didn''t fail. He resisted the strike up to the last moment," Queenie contradicted.


    "But the fact is that Rodger did not burst out the power of the Heavenly Saber Mutant. In that strike, he only burst out the blood power of Blood Devil and the power of saber intent, didn''t he?" Ricky answered.


    Back on the arena, the two warriors communicated.


    "You broke through my boundless strength and all the Doors. And you didn''t even have to use the power of the Heavenly Saber Mutant. I admit defeat in this battle." Shaking his head, Eric admitted defeat.


    However, it could be seen that his fighting intent was even more intense. "If we have the chance, let''s fight again," he added.


    "Thank you!" Rodger answered with a smile as he took back his saber. "If you take me as your friend, I will be more than pleased to have another fight with you."


    After that, Eric looked at Molly apologetically.


    "It does not matter, Eric. You have tried your best. Thank you," Molly reassured him. However, contrary to her words, her eyes showed her unwillingness as she looked at Queenie.


    "Humph!" Queenie smirked when she noticed Molly''s sour and jealous expression. This, in turn, irritated Molly even further.


    Meanwhile, Rodger turned his attention to Ricky with a strong fighting spirit in his eyes.

 Chapter 1155 Heavenly Saber Stunt

    At this time, the remaining two battle rings had wholly merged. Molly and Eric then left respectively, but neither of them left the core area. Instead, they prepared to watch the last battle for the grand humanoid evil tree not far away.


    "Hey, Eric. Who do you think will win this battle?" Molly whispered.


    "Who do you want to win?" Eric asked instead. He didn''t give a straight answer.


    "Of course, I want it to be Rodger. Don''t you see how disdainfully Queenie looked at me?"


    Molly answered back in a cold tone. Eric didn''t say anything more, but a small smile pulled at the corner of his lips.


    "Why are you smiling?"


    "Nothing. I just thought that it might be quite difficult for Rodger to win this time, even though he has the Heavenly Saber Mutant. As for Ricky, you already saw what he managed to do," said Eric with a shrug.


    After that, the pair grew quiet as they both focused on the upcoming battle.


    The fighting spirit and tension between Rodger and Ricky continuously thickened with each passing second. Suddenly, Rodger broke the silence. "Ricky, I have felt the blade intent from you, and it''s probably more than forty percent. You must have been a saber master, too."


    "I''m flattered, but I wouldn''t call myself a saber master, especially not in the face of a blade master like you. After all, you can manage fifty percent blade intent." Ricky threw a faint smile to Rodger.


    He had to admit that his saber skills were not as outstanding as Rodger''s, and he could even go so far as to say that Rodger was far superior to him in this respect.


    "I assure you that this is not just lip service. I am merely stating a fact I gathered from my observations today. By the way, have you regained your strength at peak state?" Rodger asked.


    "Sure, tackling ten more battles would be fine for me now." Ricky smiled.


    "That''s good to know. Okay, let''s cut to the chase! I will take action first," declared Rodger. He was keenly aware of the rules: the one who took the shot first would usually take the lead in all probability.


    "Ha-ha, I''ll be much obliged to see how powerful your Heaven Saber Mutant is." Ricky laughed boisterously, as the inner energy inside him was bursting out.


    With the buzzing sound, his array, the Wail of Ghosts and the Howl of Wolves, was revealed.


    "You have seen it earlier, Rodger. This array is combined with my power at the peak state. If you can destroy this array, you will win the battle," Ricky uttered sincerely as his figure was merged into the array in an instant.


    Rodger didn''t mind his words and declared at the top of his lungs, "Heavenly Saber Stunts!"


    At this moment, the real power of the Heavenly Saber Mutant was revealed. Everything around Rodger h


    ded, and a golden world appeared. A golden giant rose from the ground and fused with the power of the array. The golden giant then threw a punch.


    "What the hell!" Rodger was shocked by the punch; he couldn''t believe his eyes. A shocked expression froze over his face, even as the sound of fighting continued to rage around him.


    Of course, the people around him, including Rodger, recognized Ricky''s eyes immediately. "Eyes of Heaven and Earth!" shouted Ricky with all his might.


    Bang!


    Under the attack of Golden Spirit Eyes, Rodger appeared inferior to Ricky, which was a sharp contrast to their earlier situation. If Ricky defeated him with this move, he would have no more chance to destroy Ricky''s array.


    Just like Scales, Rodger was a decisive person. He knew that there was no chance for him to win, so he retreated all his power.


    "Wow, Ricky! I can''t believe you also have a pair of Eyes of Heaven and Earth. How enviable!" Rodger shook his head while gathering all his vigor.


    The sudden change of the Heavenly Saber Stunt had granted Rodger the chance to break Ricky''s array by surprise. However, Rodger didn''t expect that Ricky owned a pair of Eyes of Heaven and Earth.


    "At every critical point, Ricky showed so many trump cards that made me jealous!" Eric commented not far away.


    Since Ricky had just fought with Scales, nobody expected him to bring out more impressive moves.


    They had all thought he was exhausted, so they were naturally stunned when they saw Ricky showed off his another trump card.


    "Actually, Rodger, I intended to show that move to Scales in the first place," Ricky remarked as he faced Rodger. "But Scales was quite decisive. He preferred to admit defeat and leave at once, so I was able to reserve it for my next deserving opponent, which turned out to be you."

 Chapter 1156 A New Discovery

    At once, Ricky also eased his power down.


    Since Rodger could not destroy his array, Ricky naturally won the battle. In fact, even if he hadn''t used that array, he believed that he would still defeat Rodger in the end.


    He was that confident of himself.


    "That explains it. However, I didn''t expect you to use it on me. Anyway, regardless if you used it or not, this power still belongs to you. I am defeated, and your incredible strength has sincerely convinced me," said Rodger.


    Ricky nodded gratefully in return, answering, "Thank you!"


    "I hope you two can join us after you finish your task here and get out of this place. We will wait for you in the forest outside. If you don''t mind that our talent is not enough, Ricky, we want to make friends with you. What do you think?" proposed Rodger in a friendly manner.


    Honestly, they weren''t happy that they had failed to obtain the chance of obtaining the grand humanoid evil tree, but they had no regrets. After all, they got to fight Ricky, and it was an honor to be defeated by such an incredible fighter.


    "Ha-ha, it will be my pleasure!" Ricky replied with a bright smile.


    Then, Rodger and the other three left the core area, for it was better that they weren''t there for the next part, which was the process of refining the grand humanoid evil tree. After all, it was a top-secret process.


    What was more, if they were present, they would envy Ricky and Queenie and feel upset.


    "Queenie, the grand humanoid evil tree belongs to you now.


    Hurry up and refine it while I can still control myself. Otherwise, I might fail to restrain the greed in my heart," Ricky said in a teasing tone.


    "Thank you. Without you, I might have already died," Queenie told Ricky sincerely. "From now on, you have my approval. I''ve said that I''ll do three things for you, and you can count on these words."


    "My, my! It''s not your style to say these words," Ricky teased her as his lips curled with an evil smile, making Queenie frown in irritation.


    "Humph!" she snorted and rolled her eyes at Ricky, knowing that he was just goading her for fun.


    She turned away from him and jumped to the core area to take the seed of the grand humanoid evil tree.


    By this time, Queenie had been accepted by the grand humanoid evil tree, so the suppressive force on the seed had disappeared.


    "Finally! The grand humanoid evil tree is mine!" Queenie couldn''t help but yell in her excitement, as she clutched the seed in her hand.


    "Just refine it quickly. You can be excited after you do that," Ricky urged with a smile, walking to her. "I will stand guard for you."


    "Okay!" Queenie nodded, intending to merge the seed at o


    ur word, even though I take this grand humanoid tree," Ricky said with a faint smile.


    "Don''t worry. I never break my promise to someone I have approved," answered Queenie.


    Then, she was quiet for a moment as if she was deep in thought. But soon, her curiosity got the better of her, and she suddenly asked, "Ricky, I just realized that I don''t know you as well as I thought. How did you get the Void Tree?"


    "Of course, I entered the Heavenly Void and got it by chance and lady luck''s help!" Ricky answered with a smile, although his answer was kind of vague.


    He didn''t want to share the details, so he changed the topic. He asked, "This white seed is the grand humanoid tree, right? What do you think about the black one?"


    Seeing that Ricky was purposely changing the topic, Queenie didn''t push him for more. She knew that Ricky must want to keep his secrets close to his chest.


    "The one you got is the grand humanoid tree, so this one must be the grand evil tree," she answered, going along with the new topic. "Judging from the infinite evil spirit in it, I''m sure of that."


    "So, this is the grand evil tree..." Ricky murmured.


    "The grand humanoid evil tree accepted you, and the grand humanoid tree has appeared because it accepted me. But why did the grand evil tree appear?" he asked in confusion.


    "Ricky, I''ve been cultivating in seclusion in the Divine Manor. Have you forgotten me?" The Evil Mandragora''s familiar voice sounded at the moment.


    "Evil Mandragora!" At the sound of her voice, Ricky got it at once.


    "You don''t need to think anymore. I''m sure the grand evil tree has appeared because of me. And I woke up from seclusion because I felt the grand evil tree''s power of resonance with me," the Evil Mandragora said, sounding excited as well.

 Chapter 1157 Fusion Of Two Trees

    When Ricky heard the Evil Mandragora''s words, he hastily turned to Queenie and said, "Can I have the seed of this grand evil tree? I need it for something. If you give it to me, I''ll owe you one!"


    "Why would you want the grand evil tree?" Queenie eyed Ricky with a puzzled look on her face, and she tried to see why Ricky wanted the grand evil tree. As far as she knew, he was not compatible with it.


    But she soon realized what he needed it for and said with a smile, "Oh! You want to give it to the Evil Mandragora, am I right?"


    "Exactly!" Ricky nodded.


    "In that case, we can say that the grand evil tree''s seed truly belongs to her. After all, the grand evil tree is not suitable for any living being on this continent, and only those of the devil race are fit for it. Since the Evil Mandragora is on your side, it will be the best for her to get the grand evil tree," Queenie said, nodding her head in agreement with Ricky''s decision.


    After that, Ricky took the seed of the grand evil tree and entered the Divine Manor. There, he handed it to the Evil Mandragora.


    Then, he returned to the core area where he and Queenie began to cultivate in seclusion.


    Queenie aimed to merge with the grand humanoid evil tree, while Ricky aimed to integrate with the grand humanoid tree.


    Ricky''s mind entered the seed of the grand humanoid tree, as he communicated with it first.


    As he spent more time on it, it became clear that the grand humanoid tree was very similar to the Void Tree. They both had their own will, although they did not have psychic intelligence.


    At the same time, Ricky infused the tree with primitive power and chromatic energy.


    The grand humanoid tree had already recognized Ricky. And with the help of these two powers, Ricky ultimately merged with the grand humanoid tree within just one day.


    As it absorbed more and more power, the seed began to change. It rapidly sprouted healthy, green leaves and soon towered over Ricky. Within a short while, the small tree had grown as tall as the Void Tree.


    The Void Tree had a gray tinge over it, and every place was filled with heavenly power. Therefore, since Ricky owned a Void Tree, his cultivation speed was several times faster compared with other living creatures.


    Of course, the most important thing with the Void Tree was that it could bring the person who owned it close to the heavenly law, and it could also allow that person to comprehend the heavenly law effectively. With its help, that creature could see his martial art''s path more clearly and, thus, pave the way to become the strongest one.


    On the other hand, the grand humanoid tree was white, and it was filled with the continent''s purest power.


    Once Ricky had fused with the grand humanoid tree, the way to beco


    se to the chaos. And you can feel all kinds of primitive powers inside. It is a gray space."


    "I wonder which heaven I can communicate with as I am a spiritual emperor without Heavenly Meridian," Ricky queried d again, hoping for an answer this time.


    "You have extraordinary spiritual meridian, and you have also become an emperor. I suppose the heaven you can communicate with is, at the least, the outer heaven!" the Dragon Intent Grass answered confidently. "You should integrate your whole body and mind into the heavenly law and follow the heavenly power to enter your heaven."


    Concentrating his mind and activating the Void Tree,


    Ricky quickly integrated his entire mind and will into the heavenly power in the surroundings.


    However, what Ricky did not expect was that at this time, the chromatic energy in his body automatically enveloped his mind and will like a spiritual shield.


    "Is the chromatic energy guarding me?" Ricky asked, a puzzled expression on his face.


    However, he did not think about it too much because he didn''t have a lot of information on chromatic energy.


    He silently tried to communicate with the heavenly law in a natural way. After a long time, his mind and will finally come to a strange space. There was no doubt that this was the heaven he could communicate with.


    However, after observing for a while, Ricky was a little stunned. This heaven was not similar to the first to the ninth heaven, nor did it look like anything that the Dragon Intent Grass described. In fact, it looked different from the descriptions of the outer heaven or the legendary heaven that he was given.


    This heaven was colorful, and there was no complete space or broken space. It was totally invisible.


    "What happened? Where am I?" Ricky asked aloud in confusion, hoping that somebody would give him some answers.

 Chapter 1158 A Deal

    All of Ricky''s sense, including his intuition, told him that this place didn''t belong to any of the nine heavens. It was also unlikely to be the outer heaven or the legendary heaven.


    He looked around in confusion but quickly recovered because he had experienced things a lot more shocking than this.


    ''I think there are two reasons that this happened. First is due to the chromatic energy, and the other is that I don''t have the Heavenly Meridian,'' Ricky thought to himself.


    ''The color of this place resembles the chromatic energy, and I remember that I was wrapped up in the chromatic energy at that time. So I think this is most likely due to the chromatic energy.


    Maybe my martial arts path is doomed to be different from that of any other living creature the moment I got the regained spiritual meridian. After all, my martial arts path is not within the heavenly law, so I don''t need to communicate with the heavens within the heavenly law. Instead, I need to commune with my version of heaven, which belongs solely to me.''


    After that, Ricky integrated all his mind and will into this special heaven.


    Just as the Dragon Intent Grass had said, everything he had, including his comprehension and perception ability, rapidly improved. He could also feel that the speed of his cultivation had promoted a lot.


    However, it was too difficult to improve the realm while he already became a spiritual emperor. It might require a month of similar cultivation to achieve a noticeable effect.


    If a mortal creature cultivated under such circumstances, he would undoubtedly make a breakthrough from the Skin Refinement Level to an innate spiritual king in a month.


    "I see that only when a spiritual emperor communicates with his heaven can he improve his cultivation speed. In this way, the cultivation speed will be at least three times faster. And I can feel that it is multiple times faster than what it was before," Ricky excitedly noted.


    Unconsciously, he had indulged in such a cultivation state.


    Time passed swiftly in his meditation, like a passing cloud.


    When Ricky woke up, Queenie was already beside him.


    "How long have I spent in cultivation?" Ricky asked.


    "Just a few days."


    "Only a few days? Wow. I feel like a few years have passed!" Ricky blurted out in amazement.


    "It seems that you have communicated with your heaven. Tell me, what is your heaven like?" Queenie asked curiously because she really wanted to know more about the heaven that a once incredible demi-spiritual emperor communed with. And she believed that any other creature


    f his tribe''s powers. Every creature of his tribe depended on it!


    If the Sacred Unicorn Fire''s purity would be increased, it would not only increase their strength, but it could also stimulate their blood power to a certain extent.


    Ricky''s proposition also astonished Rodger, Eric, and Queenie.


    As a creature who just became a spiritual emperor, Ricky was not supposed to know any method to increase the sacred fire''s purity, even though he was once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    "Are you serious, Ricky? You''re not just pulling my leg, right?" Gage asked seriously again, looking extremely excited.


    "We haven''t known each other for long, but I promise I don''t joke about such serious matters," Ricky reassured him.


    When he spoke, his tone was firm and confident, and the others could not help but trust in him.


    "If you''re telling the truth, you must be my savior. Just tell me what you want! I will try my best to do whatever you want me to do," Gage said seriously.


    "Ha-ha, don''t worry! I don''t want anything big, just want a cluster of your fire!" Ricky smiled warmly, pleased at Gage''s reaction since it was now obvious he would get the fire that he needed.


    "Rodger and Eric, please watch over and protect us while we do this," Ricky said, turning to Rodger and Eric.


    The two immediately stood straighter, flattered by the trust he was now giving them. "We are glad to do that. We would like to see how incredible you can be."


    "Ha-ha, thank you so much!" Ricky smiled.


    "Now, Gage, please release the tension in your body and concentrate. Gather your Sacred Unicorn Fire. Don''t resist my power."


    "I got it!" Gage nodded enthusiastically. Then he closed his eyes and focused.

 Chapter 1159 A New Journey

    Actually, it was not because Gage trusted Ricky very much that he dared expose his body to Ricky without protection. It was because Ricky couldn''t do anything to him in such a case. After all, no matter what happened, Rodger was standing by his side.


    Ricky sat down beside him, as his Devourer Zone and Chaotic Fire Zone directly appeared behind him.


    The Chaotic Fire Zone could purify any kind of sacred fire, while the Devourer Zone could devour all impurities. Once the two zones worked together, any sacred fire could be purified thirty percent more than before with ease.


    Gage was not a bad guy and Ricky trusted him. In Ricky''s opinion, there was no need for him to suspect anybody he had decided to trust.


    Gage, on the other hand, gathered all the Sacred Unicorn Fire into his heart at once, because his blood power could be purified to the greatest extent if the process took place in his core¡ªthe heart.


    "Oh! Gage gathered the Sacred Unicorn Fire into his heart! It seems that he is quite determined to do so," the Dragon Intent Grass said with appreciation.


    "I think so too. I should not underestimate him. In fact, if I were him, I may not do this because it''s too risky. I''m afraid I have to respect him in this regard," Ricky said.


    As Ricky activated his two Supreme Skills to the extreme, he quickly entered the process of purifying.


    And it took four days to finish this process.


    "Gage, try using your Sacred Unicorn Fire again.


    Let''s wait and see if it is different from before," Ricky said.


    "Okay!"


    Nodding slightly, Gage condensed the Sacred Unicorn Fire into his right fist to feel it carefully. Then, his face immediately brightened with excitement. Obviously, he could feel the favorable change in his fire.


    Boom! The sacred fire exploded when Gage suddenly punched out, and the space in front of him shattered into pieces.


    "Gage, how long did it take for the space to heal?" Rodger asked expectantly.


    "Four seconds more than before!" Gage said excitedly. "That is to say, the purity of my Sacred Unicorn Fire has increased by more than thirty percent, which means my strength has increased significantly."


    "Did you say more than thirty percent? Wow!" Rodger and Eric exclaimed, gasping in shock at the same time.


    Queenie, who was standing by the side, looked at Ricky in astonishment. Once again, she was overwhelmed by his great power.


    "You improved by more than thirty percent. That''s great! I''m happy that I haven''t disappointed you, Gage," Ricky said with a faint smile.


    "Ricky, I don''t want to say thanks because I feel like words are too shallow to show my deep appreciation for


    oncern.


    "That''s for sure. I''ll tell my father as soon as I get home," she reassured him. She knew that Ricky had good instincts, so if he was really concerned about this matter, then it was bound to be taken seriously.


    "Goodbye for now, Ricky. I will take these human devils from the Nether Manor away so that they won''t cause you any trouble in the future."


    Finally, after that conversation, they said goodbye to each other.


    Ricky was, of course, heading for the Oriental College. On the way, he said to the Dragon Intent Grass, "When I''m well prepared, I''m going to the Middle Land, and my path of martial arts will enter a new phase. Many people and things are waiting for me in the Middle Land."


    As he said this, two familiar delicate figures appeared in Ricky''s mind.


    "Yes, if you want to make rapid progress, the other four lands are no longer suitable for you. You have to go to the Middle Land," the Dragon Intent Grass said in agreement.


    "How time flies! You were a completed spiritual king when I began to follow you. Now, you''re already a spiritual emperor. I''m looking forward to seeing you become a saint."


    "Ha-ha, that day will come soon. My next journey is the path to become a saint." Ricky smiled.


    A few hours later, Ricky arrived at Oriental College.


    As soon as they heard the news, the Old Oriental Emperor, Tina, and several others stopped what they were doing and gathered together around Ricky.


    "Sure enough, Ricky has become a spiritual emperor!" the Old Oriental Emperor excitedly proclaimed when he sensed Ricky''s aura. It was finally that of a real spiritual emperor!


    "In the past year, I ran across some opportunities and became a spiritual emperor by luck," Ricky told them bashfully, smiling all the while.

 Chapter 1160 Negative Result

    "You always say you make progress by luck!" Hearing Ricky''s words, the Old Oriental Emperor and the other spiritual emperors burst into laughter. They admired him because it took only a few years for Ricky to reach the same level as them.


    "Hey! Where are Autelan and Soar? I can''t sense their auras in the Oriental College. Did they go out for training?" Ricky asked curiously.


    His innocent question immediately wiped away the smiles on the spiritual emperors'' faces. The Old Oriental Emperor clasped his hands together worriedly as he answered, "Someone from the Dragon tribe came and took them away!"


    "What?! The Dragon tribe did that?" The smile immediately disappeared from Ricky''s eyes and was replaced by worry.


    "Don''t worry. Autelan said that the powerful warrior from the Dragon tribe who came was a senior fellow of their bloodline, and I noticed that said warrior was treating them kindly. You don''t have to worry," the Old Oriental Emperor said as he could feel Ricky''s worry.


    "So that powerful warrior must be from the race of the Killing Metal Dragon. In that case, you don''t need to worry about them. The Killing Metal Dragon will surely train Autelan attentively, and Soar will also benefit from that," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "Alas, I can feel relieved now. Since they returned to the Dragon tribe on Dragon Island, I''m sure that they will have much greater strength when we meet next time. I have to work harder from now on, so I won''t get left behind," Ricky declared with determination.


    "I really didn''t expect that Soar and Autelan are Great Dragons, and they are from the direct bloodline of the five kinds of Great Dragons," the Old Oriental Emperor breathlessly sighed, obviously in awe of Soar and Autelan.


    "Sirs, we didn''t mean to conceal it from you!" Ricky explained with a little embarrassment.


    "Ha-ha! Set your heart at rest, Ricky. We are not so narrow-minded as to feel angry about this. On the contrary, what you did is right. The Great Dragon''s identity is too sensitive in this era," the Old Oriental Emperor said.


    "Since Dragon Island is hidden, Great Dragons are no longer as influential as they used to be. As a result, many warriors cast their greedy eyes on them. After all, every part of a Great Dragon is valuable."


    The Old Oriental Emperor and the others left right after that conversation. Meanwhile, Ricky rested for two more days before he took Tina to Three-hall City.


    Ricky had already decided that he would go to the Middle Land, where he would stay for a long time. He had no plans of coming back so soon.


    found the evil spirit mass in the past year. It means that the mass is hiding very well. It is truly horrible!


    If I didn''t have the chromatic power and the zones, I''m afraid I would not have discovered it either."


    "You are right. The fact that Tina hasn''t discovered it even though a whole year has passed indicates that the mass is an extremely grave threat to her. This time, you have to try your best to remove it," the Dragon Intent Grass remarked.


    "I understand!" Ricky replied telepathically.


    The next moment, he activated all his power and directed it to Tina''s heart.


    Targeting the evil spirit mass with his mind, he tried to remove it with the chromatic energy and the chaotic power. At first, he was thankful because the mass did not increase in size even though a year had gone by.


    However, something terrible happened. Ricky''s worst fears had come true.


    His power still could not eliminate the mass at all!


    Instead of getting rid of the mass, his power was bounced back. It could be said that his power was not strong enough.


    ''Does it mean my strength of Emperor Level is not enough?'' Ricky thought to himself.


    Unwilling to accept this result, he ignited the two pieces of the mysterious axe and used the Ancestral Intent Formula to activate the chromatic energy on them. Next, he tried to remove the mass again. This time, his effort seemed to work a little better, but only slightly.


    He used all his power, but his efforts seemed to be in vain.


    Even though he gave it his all, the chromatic energy on the mysterious axe and the power on the evil spirit mass fell into a stalemate.


    "Ricky, my heart hurts. Are you pouring too much power into it?" Tina said all of a sudden.

 Chapter 1161 See Off By Two Saints

    Ricky startled when he heard Tina''s words, and he immediately gathered his power and stopped what he was doing, a guilty look on his face.


    "Sorry, Tina. I wanted to remove the evil spirit in your heart completely, so I used too much power." He grimaced slightly, and then turned to the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "Do you know what I should do next? How can I help her?" "I have no idea. I''m actually surprised that the evil spirit''s influence is so powerful!" the Dragon Intent Grass blurted out.


    "Since the chromatic energy in your Soul Sea can resist it, more or less, you''d better seal it first.


    And since you know something about the Heavenly Array, you can suppress it first with the help of your chromatic energy," it further suggested. Ricky sighed and replied unhappily, "Then I guess that''s all I can do for now. I hope she won''t feel the power I leave in her body."


    Afterward, Ricky combined the mysterious axe''s chromatic energy with the array he had prepared beforehand to suppress the evil spirit mass.


    As soon as he accomplished everything he needed to do, he bid farewell to everyone.


    Then, he stepped on the road to the Middle Land with Tina and Amelia.


    The three of them traveled for a while and stopped by the coastline. They stood side by side silently, as they admired the waves crashing against the shore.


    "Tina, how do we get to the Middle Land? Is there somewhere in particular that we need to go through?" Ricky asked. Deep inside, he felt incredibly moved at that moment because it was the beginning of his new journey.


    "The endless sea and endless mountain," replied Tina enthusiastically. "We don''t have the guidance of saints, so if we want to go through the endless sea and the endless mountain, I''m afraid we have to go through all kinds of dangerous places!"


    "Ha-ha! That''s all right. Dangerous places make any journey more interesting!" Ricky told her with a bright grin.


    "Anyway, we don''t have to worry about the forces at the Emperor Level in the sea, as they won''t make things difficult for us. After all, the Old Oriental Emperor and Mason have already communicated with them," he continued. "So, the dangerous place should be located in the endless mountain."


    "Indeed. There are many forces at the Sage Level in the endless mountain. And I believe that they are more dangerous than those in the sea," Tina said, nodding along.


    "Ricky, I will follow you wherever you decide to go through. I just hope that you will not look down on me because of my humble strength," Amelia suddenly remarked with a shy smile.


    "Don''t worry, Amelia. You are too beautiful for him to dislike," Tina chimed in with a teasing smile, which widened even more when Amelia''s face turned bright red.


    Soon, without turning their backs


    n''t have any information on that sect. You see, the forces where the saint guardians belong to are located in the outer region of the Middle Land.


    On the other hand, my clan is a force based in the inner region, so..." answered Tina. "It is said that the Middle Land has the outer region, the middle region, and the inner region. And the forces at the Sage Level of the inner region are the most powerful. That means you have a good background, Tina!"


    Amelia praised Tina sincerely. But Tina shook her head sadly and contradicted her, saying, "They might be great forces, but even though they are influential and powerful, they still have to do some things against their will!"


    Their conversation was interrupted by Ricky, who suddenly stiffened and began looking around vigilantly. "You two, get in the zone first," he instructed them abruptly, sounding serious and wary.


    "Ricky, what''s going on? Did you see anyone?" Tina asked once Ricky had taken them into the Massacring Zone.


    "I felt two spiritual emperors approaching us. And it appears that they are coming without good intent," Ricky explained at once.


    "Who are they?"


    Tina sounded alarmed and worried, especially because she couldn''t detect the presence of the strangers. "I don''t know. I''ve never seen them before. Perhaps, they are spiritual emperors from the sea area," he guessed.


    Outwardly, Ricky felt that the two strangers were already around him. He said aloud, "Now that you two are here, please show yourselves. Hiding in the dark is not what the spiritual emperor should do. If you refuse to fight valiantly, you will lose your firm will."


    "Ha-ha, no wonder you are an ace genius. What you said indeed makes sense!" Not far away from Ricky, two figures landed on the ground gracefully. They were chuckling in amusement and had smug smirks on their faces.

 Chapter 1162 Nether Ice Elders

    Two old men with grey hair stood before Ricky, but despite their advanced age, the power they emitted made Ricky feel cold and dark.


    Even before Ricky laid eyes on them, he had sensed that the two old men were mighty warriors at the Emperor Level.


    However, the two were just ordinary two-star lower spiritual emperors, which was a great relief for Ricky.


    "I think these two gentlemen cultivate the ruling power with the ice element," the Dragon Intent Grass said to Ricky through telepathy. "They are both two-star lower spiritual emperors. I suppose that with your present strength, it shouldn''t be difficult to deal with them.


    Besides, the Evil Mandragora can also help you. Things won''t go worse."


    "If it is a simple one-on-one fight, they are indeed no match for me. But they can still put a lot of pressure on me if they work together, so we still need to be careful," Ricky replied with a cautious air.


    "I''m sorry.


    But why are you standing in my way?" Ricky asked bluntly. After all, there was no use of beating around the bush, because he could tell that they came with no good intention.


    "We have heard of you, Ricky, the ace genius. You are the only incredible demi-spiritual emperor in several eras. Your brilliance has reached far and wide," one of the old men responded.


    It looked like the two men didn''t plan to hide anything either, seeing as they came straight to the point at once.


    "We are Nether Ice Elders. To be honest, you make us feel slightly uneasy, for you have already become a spiritual emperor. However, our greed has gone beyond our fear. So, hand over that mysterious object you obtained in the Sky-breaking Palace, and we will give you a painless and swift death."


    Boom!


    As soon as he finished speaking, their power erupted instantly.


    "I see. Your greed drove you to do this," Ricky sneered as he looked down at the men disdainfully. "Too bad you won''t get what you came here for. You two don''t deserve to be called elders, but the miserable lackeys of the Sky-breaking Dome!"


    Ricky actually knew something about these two elders because Mason had mentioned them to him before.


    These two elders were the spiritual emperors of the Western Land. They didn''t belong to any force, and they often assaulted others. They frequently robbed people, burned down villages, and killed people indiscriminately. Mason even targeted them once, after they managed to offend disciples of the Spirit Sect.


    But at that time, the Sky-breaking Emperor showed up and pretended to know nothing about what had happened and saved the two old men.


    Since then, Mason suspected that Nether Ice Elders were members of the Sky-breaking Dome.


    The fact that most of the two elders'' victims wer


    n instantly.


    As the nether ice power swept around them like winter air, all the ice turned into dark ice, as if it came straight from the nether world.


    Crack!


    The next moment, the ice broke again and condensed into icy spikes in midair, with some of them as long as a hundred meters. They spun rapidly and collided with Ricky''s Death Wings and Thunder Light Blades.


    Boom! With the power colliding fiercely, the two elders blocked Ricky''s first strike.


    However, both felt a great pressure on their chests, and blood came spurting out from their mouths.


    "You are quite powerful to be able to withstand my first move. But if that''s all you have, you will have to die during my second strike," Ricky said seriously.


    His Iron Justice Saber shot out at once, and the six mutants'' power integrated and turned into chaos, which then fused with the galaxy power.


    In the blink of an eye, Ricky''s strike slashed down with a fearsome crack. Crack! The frozen sea shattered into pieces upon impact and quickly restored its original state. This was the chaotic power that could restore everything.


    "He has the chaotic power!" the two elders exclaimed in surprise after they felt his strike''s power. Their eyes met, and both orbs reflected the fear that was beginning to take hold of them at that point.


    The two elders exchanged discrete nods as if they had agreed on something without talking. Or perhaps, they were talking, but Ricky was not privy to their conversation.


    In the next breath, dark ice rose from their bodies like a black mist. It seemed like they had the Nether Ice Mutant! In a flash, they were both transformed into ice sculptures.


    "Combination!" the two elders shouted.


    As soon as the words fell from their mouths, they merged into one being.


    This scene shocked Ricky to the core.

 Chapter 1163 Charge Some Interest First

    Boom!


    An explosion rocked the entire place, as the Nether Ice Elders merged as one. Their power significantly increased, and if they finished their fusion, their power could almost rival Ricky''s strength.


    However, the Nether Ice Elders failed to merge successfully. Only their lower body parts had integrated into one being.


    They had fused from the chest down, but their incomplete transformation granted them two heads and four arms. Their strength was not monstrous, but they sure looked horrible.


    "Is this the combination of nether ice?" muttered Ricky in wonder. "It seems that the threat I felt from the Nether Ice Elders is this combination skill.


    But it seems that this is far weaker compared with the combination that Autelan and Soar could do."


    "Hah! Far weaker? Their combination is not even comparable to that of Autelan and Soar," the Dragon Intent Grass snorted. "Their combination is, at most, a rough one without any consciousness or mind.


    Besides, I don''t think this combined form can last for a long time.


    This combined form isn''t that big of a threat. If you fought with your full strength, you could easily defeat these two."


    "Dark Ice Palm!"


    After the two old men had combined, their power surged to its limit, and they made seals simultaneously with their hands.


    The nether ice, which was crushed by Ricky''s strike, condensed again. Simultaneously, the whole sea turned into the world filled with nether ice once again.


    The four hands of the two old men jabbed towards Ricky at the same time. On the surface of the ice, four giant palms condensed instantly, just like the legendary Buddha''s Palm that seemed able to envelop the whole world. In the dark world filled with nether ice, these four giant palms merged and multiplied in size.


    It looked like the whole sea area had become the fused large palm.


    Boom! In the next moment, Ricky''s saber strike collided fiercely with the two old men''s palm as if two skies collided. In the most intense moment, the two powers were locked in a stalemate, as waves of energy swept over them, and their surroundings soon turned to ruins.


    "You brat! Even though you were once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor, which made you unique in several eras, don''t be too arrogant. Today, we will kill you with our combination skill," the Nether Ice Elders roared again.


    They sounded very confident at this moment, for they were convinced that Ricky could not overcome their combined strength.


    Both the two old men thought that Ricky''s strength was what they could detect alone, and they never imagined that he could have some aces up his sleeves.


    Boo


    out of their bodies, slowly mixing with the seawater that was gradually swallowing them whole. The moment the palm disappeared, the nether ice in the whole area of the sea surface retreated.


    "Originally, I did not intend to bring trouble to your Sky-breaking Dome. Since you have the guts to provoke me on your own, I will not be so merciful. You''re going to pay for your sins¡ªwith some added interest¡ªyour life!" Ricky sternly warned them, as he revealed his original form.


    Then, he carried his saber and strode forward, ready to kill them.


    "Emperor, please save us!" the dying Nether Ice Elders roared in fear when they saw the cold light from Ricky''s Iron Justice Saber. The two men writhed in pain and cried for help desperately. Their empty arrogance at the beginning was now laid bare, as they kept on pathetically begging for help.


    "Useless rubbish! You have lived so long, but you still can''t deal with a young man!" All of a sudden, a familiar cold voice rang from the outer part of the void. A massive split instantly opened in the void, and a colossal hand reached inside, rushing towards Ricky menacingly.


    However, Ricky could not care less about this big hand. He just poured his power into the Iron Justice Saber, making the killing saber light more intense.


    Bang! Just as the big hand landed above Ricky''s head, a blossoming flower suddenly appeared to resist it. At the same time, Ricky sent out two beams of saber light, and cut off the heads of the two men. Then, their heads were sent flying upward by the huge impact.


    There were Heaven Illuminating Fire and the chromatic energy, burning two solid black shadows. These were the souls of the Nether Ice Elders.


    The two old men screeched in pain before they died completely.

 Chapter 1164 He Failed

    After killing the Nether Ice Elders, Ricky turned around and looked at the crack in the void. He said coldly, "Arthur, I didn''t expect you to fight me in person. Are you in a hurry to go to hell?"


    "You stupid brat!" Arthur, the Sky-breaking Emperor, snorted coldly upon hearing Ricky''s words. Huge waves instantly overturned the whole sea, and a strong momentum swept directly toward Ricky.


    Just as the waves were about to hit him, a few streams of black petals floated from the sky. In the blink of an eye, the Evil Mandragora had appeared, and she resisted Arthur''s momentum for Ricky.


    "You¡ªyou''re a devil!" Arthur blurted out in surprise at the sight of the Evil Mandragora. Even though he was shocked, he quickly reacted and redirected all his power towards her, because he knew that if he wanted to kill Ricky, he had to kill her first.


    Arthur needed to think fast and adapt quickly if he wanted to achieve his goal for coming here, and that was to kill Rick. He knew better than anyone else that it was his last chance to kill Ricky.


    As talented as Ricky was, if he went to the Middle Land and came back alive several years later, he would be able to kill Arthur as easy as killing an ant. Therefore, Arthur had to try his best to kill Ricky now.


    "I pity you, Arthur. You might have lived a little longer if you didn''t come here today. Or perhaps, you could have run away. That is the only way that you can extend your life. I didn''t expect you to be in such a hurry to court death here,"


    Ricky responded when the Evil Mandragora didn''t say anything. "Brat, if there were not so many spiritual emperors protecting you, I would have killed you more easily than crushing an ant to death," Arthur said coldly.


    If it were possible, he would have killed Ricky thousands of times over.


    "You old dog, if I were at the same level as you, you would be even weaker than an ant in my eyes," Ricky responded.


    "Moreover, the mysterious object in the Sky-breaking Palace belongs to me, which can be proved by the fact that I can use the chromatic energy. As the most powerful one in the Sky-breaking Dome, you should know what the responsibility of the Sky-breaking Dome is."


    Arthur felt a little hesitation when he heard Ricky''s words, because deep inside, he knew that Ricky was telling the truth.


    But of course, at this moment, he would never admit that. "Ha! You''re joking, right? Why should it belong to a scrawny kid like you? Our Sky-breaking Dome had been guarding that mysterious object for countless years. How could you claim that it belongs to you only because you got it by luck?!"


    Boom! The moment he finished speaking, his momentum reached its peak. For him, it


    thur jumped into the blood blade himself. He would kill the Evil Mandragora once and for all!


    His strike went forward with no obstacles, like a sharp knife cutting through jelly. This strike was so powerful that a single hit could break even the sky.


    However, the Evil Mandragora wasn''t afraid of it at all.


    In fact, she just stood there, watching with an unreadable expression on her face.


    She abruptly clapped her hands once, and countless small flowers behind her instantly integrated into a huge Mandragora in the sky. Not a second later, and all her power also integrated into it.


    Then, the Mandragora blossomed, and an evil hand stretched out from inside.


    As the evil hand flicked gently, blood vitality exuded from the evil black spirit and condensed into a bloody finger. This blood finger collided with Arthur''s blood blade.


    "Mandragora''s blood finger!"


    Boom!


    The two attacks collided with a flash, and the airwaves from the impact instantly overwhelmed everything. The whole sea appeared as if someone had turned it over. Such violent momentums had formed because the two parties were well-matched in strength.


    However, after only a few moments'' stalemate, the blood blade was suddenly crushed and broken by the blood finger. Then, all the attacks of Arthur shattered and dispersed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood and fell heavily into the sea.


    As the airwaves dissipated and the dirt floating in the air settled down, the Evil Mandragora was revealed, looking fresh and unharmed. Her fearsome eyes stared down at Arthur and said, "It seems that you really can''t take even only one move of mine. I guess you have not worked hard in cultivating martial arts in the past few years. From now on, I will not show any mercy. I''m going to take your life now!"

 Chapter 1165 The Endless Mountain

    Swish!


    As soon as the Evil Mandragora finished speaking, she directed her suppression toward the sea area, where Arthur had fallen, with the Mandragora flower on her head. Airwaves swept over the water, and gigantic waves surged and drowned everything.


    A few moments later, the massive Mandragora flower emerged from the seawater and shrank in an instant.


    An inside view of the huge Mandragora would show the pained Arthur, as multiple black petals stuck his body. Each of these petals carried away Arthur''s power, gradually weakening him.


    Meanwhile, from outside, all they could see was the gigantic Mandragora, but they could all hear Arthur''s hysterical screams that were getting louder and louder by the minute.


    Evidently, the Evil Mandragora was refining his power.


    And even though Arthur kept struggling, he couldn''t escape from the clutches of the Evil Mandragora. Her suppression was just too strong.


    "I will never give up! I will not admit defeat!" he yelled in anger. He might be furious at that moment, but he was also secretly terrified because it was already evident what would happen to him next.


    "So what? We don''t care if you accept it or not. Your Sky-breaking Dome has broken your vows and failed your guard!" Ricky yelled back at Arthur.


    "But you can rest assured that the Sky-breaking Dome will not be eradicated. We will leave some of your followers alive, but we will make sure that the Sky-breaking Dome will never be able to rise again."


    Just as Ricky finished speaking, Arthur''s struggling slowed down to a stip. The Evil Mandragora had finally devoured all of his power and destroyed his soul.


    In this way, Arthur, who had dominated the Western Land, died. "After Arthur''s death, the Sky-breaking Dome will no longer be a threat," remarked Ricky.


    "It means that I have solved some problems for the two Dominant Top Elders before I leave." "Are you upset because you didn''t kill him by yourself?" the Evil Mandragora asked in a soft voice after she had restrained her momentum.


    She had a gentle smile on her face that told Ricky she was sincerely asking but not teasing him.


    Ricky suddenly fell silent, as he was slightly shocked by the feminine fragrance coming from her. As an energetic man in the green, how could Ricky stay calm in front of such a woman?


    The Evil Mandragora had a perfect figure and a gorgeous face. She looked frightening when Ricky first met her only because she fed on blood at that time. Now that the Evil Mandragora no longer devoured blood, her beauty and elegance had finally shone through.


    Seeing Ricky''s reaction, the Evil Mand


    , and sounds of impact seemed to be coming from within. On a closer look, it appeared to be an enormous river filled with white fog.


    Every part of the river was a land of fortune in that area.


    "Is this the Fortune River? Even though I''m just standing here, I can already feel the fortune in my body involuntarily resonating with it," Amelia sighed with wonder.


    "Exactly! It deserves to be the dragon meridian''s dwelling place," Ricky said in agreement as well.


    Then the three of them leaped into the river and began to cultivate by absorbing and refining the fortune.


    Besides them, countless creatures were cultivating in the Fortune River But even though Ricky and the other two dived in, they didn''t cause any commotion in the river.


    Ricky''s white hair, which ordinarily was an attention magnet, didn''t draw much attention here. After all, a variety of hair colors were present in this place because of the creatures'' different bloodlines. And although the two girls both looked exceedingly beautiful, they were not very special here either. It was because every female genius that came here was gorgeous too.


    But a coincidence could occur at any time too, and there were eyesores in every place. This place was no different.


    Not long after Ricky and the two girls began their cultivation, three young men with red hair approached them. All of them were strong demi-spiritual emperors. In fact, most of the creatures cultivating here were strong demi-spiritual emperors.


    Thanks to his six zones, Ricky had hidden his real strength well, so no other creature could recognize that he was a spiritual emperor.


    Among the three young men, the leading one had a red mark between his eyebrows, which was the mark of a mutant.

 Chapter 1166 Three Breaths! Die!

    "Oh, man! We sure have rotten luck. As soon as we arrived, someone started to make trouble for us. Can''t we cultivate in peace here?" Ricky whined to Amelia and Tina through telepathy after seeing those three people walking towards them.


    "Ricky, I''m afraid that they came for me because the young man''s mutant stirred some kind of reaction from my Rainwater Mutant, and I think my mutant also triggered something from him," Amelia admitted, looking embarrassed as she did so.


    "I have never heard of that!" Ricky was a little surprised to hear Amelia''s words.


    "Maybe she has met a particular mutant that is an innate enemy for her mutant," the Dragon Intent Grass suggested. "All things in the world mutually reinforce and neutralize each other. Some will blend with each other, while some are mutually exclusive. This is normal."


    "Is that so?" Ricky murmured.


    "Hey, woman, your mutant makes me feel very uncomfortable!"


    The young man with red hair approached Amelia with a dark glare on his face. From the cold way he spoke, it was evident that he was not planning anything good.


    Boom! Suddenly, the mark between the young man''s eyes lit up, and his eyes flashed like flaming lava with a hint of obscenity behind them.


    And when he yelled, his voice attracted many people''s attention in the surroundings.


    The surrounding crowd started muttering to each other. Some of them asked, "Isn''t that Redmond of the Flame Valley? Did he take a fancy to those two women?"


    "I guess so. He is the young master of the Flame Valley, after all. If he takes a liking to a woman, he can just go for her directly.


    Besides, those three people probably belong to the human race, and in the endless mountain, the human race members are always too weak."


    "Mister, maybe our mutants are mutually exclusive, but I don''t have any enmity against you. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, we will leave here immediately," Amelia said in a low voice, as she didn''t want to cause any trouble for Ricky.


    "You are too naive, lady! Unfortunately for you, now that your Rainwater Mutant has met my Flame Melting Mutant, I won''t let you go," Redmond merely sneered after hearing Amelia''s words. From the beginning, he had no intention of letting her go.


    "Is that true? That woman''s mutant is Rainwater Mutant!" Upon hearing Redmond''s words, the creatures gathered around them were shocked.


    "It seems that Redmond is not making trouble because of women this time. It is known that the Rainwater Mutant and the Flame Melting Mutant restrain each other naturally, for we know that water an


    clutches.


    No matter how powerful the force behind him was and how many powerful masters he had, Ricky could kill him in an instant at this moment. He felt extremely terrified.


    "You¡ªyou can''t kill me. I am the young master of the Flame Valley, and my father is a powerful upper spiritual emperor!" In fear, Redmond could only threaten Ricky with the force behind him.


    Hearing this, Ricky shook his head speechlessly. He was really disdainful of such an arrogant young master.


    And because of this arrogance, Ricky would never let him go. Only villains had this kind of character, and once he let him go, it would only cause endless trouble for him and the people around him.


    "First, I don''t know about the Flame Valley; Second, three breaths have passed, you are already dead in my eyes," Ricky said lightly, with his right hand slowly increasing their pressure.


    At this moment, Redmond could only stare at him, his eyes wide open in panic.


    "Young man, can you do me a favor and spare his life?" Another voice suddenly sounded. An old man with black hair walked out of the river, not far away.


    The old man was thin and shifty-looking.


    "Yellow Water Emperor, please help me. I will repay you a lot if you save me!" Redmond immediately roared upon seeing the old man, as he finally saw his last hope. Perhaps, he could survive for another day!


    However, they didn''t know Ricky well. Redmond had not even finished speaking when Ricky broke his neck. His power went directly into Redmond''s body and crushed his soul.


    It was a piece of cake for Ricky to kill a demi-spiritual emperor now.


    Everyone was struck dumb, gawking speechlessly at Redmond''s corpse, which fell into the river with a splash.

 Chapter 1167 A Mysterious Man

    They might have thought that Ricky would kill Redmond eventually after some hesitation instead of accepting a compromise, but they hadn''t expected him to do it so quickly.


    Moreover, the Yellow Water Emperor had stated his intention to save Redmond. And they all knew very well that the Yellow Water Emperor was a two-star lower spiritual emperor.


    Compared to him, Ricky seemed like a child playing like being an adult. After all, they all thought Ricky was merely a one-star lower spiritual emperor, as it was what their senses told them about Ricky''s pervading aura.


    Indeed, the Yellow Water Emperor''s advanced age and low blood vitality meant that he was a little weaker than the spiritual emperors at the same level as him. Still, he was confident that he could defeat any lower spiritual emperor with ease.


    Meanwhile, the spectators had thought Ricky was arrogant when he ignored the Flame Valley. Now, they were even more convinced that he was exceedingly self-important because he killed Redmond regardless of the words of a spiritual emperor who was stronger than him.


    "Humph! That young man with white hair is really arrogant!" The crowd began to murmur about Ricky with discontent.


    Some spiritual emperors even remarked, "Nowadays, many geniuses are indeed arrogant." The others chimed in too with their own opinions and said,


    "You know what? Another genius from the Flame Valley, Fitch, has also come to the Fortune River, though he is not in this part of the river.


    Once Fitch hears the news, he will undoubtedly come here to get revenge. The only thing the Yellow Water Emperor needs to do is keep the young man with white hair here for a little longer."


    "No matter what, the three newcomers will have a hard time," they added, shaking their heads in pity.


    The Yellow Water Emperor was quiet for a few seconds because of shock, but he angrily turned to Ricky when he recovered.


    "Brat, didn''t you hear me?" he yelled, fuming and red-faced.


    The truth was that he didn''t care about Redmond''s death, but the fact that Ricky ignored him made him lose face, and he would undoubtedly lose a lot of cultivation resources due to Redmond''s death.


    After all, Redmond was the young master of the Flame Valley. If he had saved him, Redmond would surely give him a lot of rewards since he had promised to do so in public.


    With these thoughts in his mind, the Yellow Water Emperor had already made up his mind to kill Ricky. "You old dog, why didn''t you say anything when Redmond wanted to kill me just now?"


    Ricky responded ferociously with a murderous look on his face. He would not be kind to the Yellow Water Emperor.


    In his eyes, such a creat


    e now," the young man said seriously.


    "I see. Well, may I know the name of my would-be savior?" Ricky smiled.


    He didn''t feel any malicious intent from the young man, so he just asked him politely. Anyway, he could not care less about the trouble that the young man was talking about.


    The so-called big trouble could be nothing more than his killing Redmond, the young master of the Flame Valley, as well as the Yellow Water Emperor.


    "My name is Edie!" The young man smiled and inclined his head in greeting.


    "Buddy, it seems that not only do you look like a woman, but your name is also more like a woman''s," Ricky commented with a smirk, which changed the mood of their guest.


    It was evident that he had annoyed Edie too much this time, as Edie''s face had darkened remarkably. "Buddy, I feel like slapping you on your mouth!"


    "Ha-ha, buddy, I''m just kidding!" Ricky immediately said with an apologetic smile. He put his right hand on Edie''s shoulder, patting in a friendly manner.


    Seeing Ricky put his hand on his shoulder, Edie wanted to dodge subconsciously, but he didn''t in the end, though he frowned slightly.


    "Tell me. Why did you say we are in trouble?" Ricky asked in a calm tone.


    He didn''t feel any malice from Edie, but he did feel that this guy was not simple. That was why he prepared himself in advance despite his smile.


    That was the reason he placed his right hand on Edie''s shoulder. He had actually placed his hand on Edie''s vital part. "It seems that you don''t believe me," said Edie with a smile.


    "In the martial world, would you believe a stranger who cottons up to you with only a few words?" Ricky asked.


    "You are right. Still, I have told you my name. Don''t you think you should tell me your name as well in return?" said Edie.

 Chapter 1168 Wind-Mountain Alliance

    "Kenney!" Ricky answered with a smile.


    "Is that your real name?" asked Edie with a single eyebrow raised. "Of course, it''s my real name! I have no reason to lie about it!"


    Ricky insisted. "Well, I''ve answered your question. Now, it''s time for you to tell us why you followed us here."


    "I really don''t want the three of you to die, so I''m giving you some advice. Do you know what kind of force the Flame Valley is? It''s an upper spiritual emperor force! They even have a demi-saint patriarch, although he went to the Middle Land and hasn''t come back yet," revealed Edie.


    "Even though you seem to be quite powerful, maybe even stronger than I can imagine, it still won''t be easy for you to escape from the Flame Valley in this mountain range."


    "We have met only by chance, so why are you telling us this?" Ricky asked again. And this time, he sounded puzzled on behalf of Edie.


    At the same time, he withdrew his right hand from Edie''s shoulder.


    "I don''t like the Flame Valley members'' way of doing things, so I always help those that they try to suppress. Believe it or not, that is the only reason I am doing this," replied Edie. Ricky could not help but look at Edie closely, and found that he didn''t seem to be lying. At any rate, it didn''t look like they could get more information from him, so the only thing they could do was take him at his word.


    "Since you say so, of course, I believe you. But I have another question to ask you. Can you tell me the fastest route to the Middle Land? We want to get there as soon as possible," asked Ricky.


    "Of course, you''d better have a connection with a Sage Level force. In this way, even if the Demi-sage Level patriarch of the Flame Valley comes back, he will not be able to do anything to harm you," Edie answered.


    "What do you mean by a Sage Level force?" Ricky tilted his head thoughtfully.


    "The mountain range within millions of miles from here is under the jurisdiction of a Sage Level force¡ªthe Wind-Mountain Alliance," revealed Edie. "There are two powerful warriors at the Sage Level in the Wind-Mountain Alliance, and they are also involved in various auction activities.


    For the sake of auctions, the alliance organizes a team every once in a while to go to dangerous places in search of Treasures from Heaven and Earth and the relics of powerful warriors.


    I saw that you are quite powerful, Kenney. If you can join that team, you can ask for a reward when you succeed. By then, you can ask the powerful warriors of the Wind-Mountain Alliance to help you pass the endless mountain."


    "I see. Thanks for the information, man." Ricky nodded gratefully, although his head was already planning his next move.


    "May I know the relationship between you and the Wind-Mountain All


    the mysterious axe could not suppress the evil spirit mass, Ricky would have to tell Tina the truth.


    "No way.


    You know I wouldn''t dare," Tina insisted, laughing happily.


    "Ricky, can we leave this area using the Massacring Zone now?" Amelia suddenly asked.


    "I intended to. But my Shadowy Replications have heard of something else, so I have to take a trip to the Wind-Mountain Alliance," Ricky said.


    "Oh? What is it? Did you hear something overestimating?" Amelia asked as her ears pricked up with interest.


    "A large-scale auction will take place at a certain branch of the Wind-Mountain Alliance in a few days. I don''t lack Treasures from Heaven and Earth, but I''m determined to obtain one of the most important auction items," explained Ricky.


    "There will be an auction? What is this item you want? You seem very determined to get it, so it must be incredibly important," the two girls curiously asked. Ricky smiled at their enthusiasm and answered,


    "They will auction the Chaotic Sword Intent Grass!" "What?!


    The Chaotic Sword Intent Grass! I can''t believe it would appear!" Tina and Amelia exclaimed in one voice. And at once, they understood why Ricky was so determined to get it.


    After that conversation,


    Ricky navigated the Massacring Zone towards the place where the auction would take place.


    "Well, now it seems that Edie''s confidence makes sense. You indeed have no choice but to go to the Wind-Mountain Alliance," Tina said in a smiling tone.


    "Ha-ha, just let him be proud of himself this time," Ricky said with a smile. "Moreover, it will be nice to attend such a large-scale auction. Maybe we can really get something we need.


    After all, I have a pair of Golden Spirit Eyes."


    Very soon, the three of them arrived at the place where the Wind-Mountain Alliance''s auction would take place.

 Chapter 1169 Fitch

    A circular castle was located in the mountain range, and it was the third-largest castle of the Wind-Mountain Alliance. This was where the auction would be held.


    The auction had just begun when Ricky and his companions arrived.


    Naturally, Ricky attracted almost everyone''s attention because of his eye-catching white hair. And he was also quite infamous for killing Redmond and the Yellow Water Emperor.


    Since Ricky killed the two of them within a very short time, rumor had it that he was a genius who could challenge someone whose level was higher than him at the Emperor Level.


    "It seems that the white-haired young man is the person who killed Redmond. It''s amazing that he hasn''t been captured by the spiritual emperors of the Flame Valley after so many days. Obviously, he is not easy to deal with," some warriors whispered to each other.


    "But he has finally come to the Wind-Mountain Alliance, which is the only force in this area that can rival the Flame Valley''s strength. They are the only ones who are not afraid to face the Flame Valley!"


    "Look, here comes Fitch. His master is Redmond''s father, and he has been looking for the white-haired young man recently. Those two are bound to meet, and I bet there will be a good show soon."


    "Well, this is the territory of the Wind-Mountain Alliance, so I don''t think Fitch will take action. Besides, at the beginning of the auction, the Wind-Mountain Alliance has clearly announced that no force is allowed to stir up trouble in the territory of the Wind-Mountain Alliance during this auction, or it will be regarded as a challenge to the Wind-Mountain Alliance."


    "Then it depends on who they were referring to. The white-haired young man and his companions all belong to the human race, so the Flame Valley holds more importance in our endless mountain than them."


    Meanwhile, Fitch sauntered towards Ricky, followed by his subordinates.


    He raised a sharp eyebrow at Ricky and asked, "Are you the one who killed Redmond? That''s very bold of you. Do you know who you are dealing with?"


    "He asked for it, so I merely granted his wish," Ricky replied indifferently.


    Fitch was enraged, not just from Ricky''s words but also from the way he was acting as if he was looking down on him and the Flaming Valley.


    He didn''t know where Ricky''s arrogance was coming from, seeing that Ricky was a mere human being.


    Boom!


    A sneer broke out on Fitch''s face, as his power swelled and rolled toward Ricky and his companions. It was the power of a two-star lower spiritual emperor, and from its intensity, everyone knew that he had been a tw


    I take your reward and break the rule today, no one will dare to come to the Wind-Mountain Alliance anymore. In that case, the alliance will only exist in name," Edie said with a slight smile.


    But despite his submissive words, his eyes were cold as steel, brooking no arguments.


    "Of course, once you leave the territory of our Wind-Mountain Alliance, we will not care about anything that is going to happen. So, please forgive me for what I have done."


    "In that case, let''s do as your rules!" Hutton replied, bearing the anger in his heart but unable to do anything else.


    After all, the Flame Valley could not provoke the Wind-Mountain Alliance. And as a senior leader of the Flame Valley, he had some suspicions about Edie''s identity. Thus, he did not want to evoke his anger.


    "Fitch, let''s go. We''ll wait until the auction ends," said Hutton.


    Then he turned to his followers and said, "Let''s go. I hope I can get something good at this auction."


    With that said, Hutton left without a backward glance at Ricky, not because he had forgiven him, but because he had already torn him to pieces in his mind.


    After that, the people from the Flame Valley followed behind Fitch and Hutton and entered the castle. Seeing the people of the Flame Valley leave, all the warriors around entered the castle, too.


    "Hi, Kenney.


    I''m glad you came here as I said," Edie then said to Ricky using his internal power.


    "I have no choice. The people from the Flame Valley is too scary. I had to come," Ricky sighed as he spoke, just so Edie would believe that he was truly afraid of the Flame Valley members.


    "Counting this time, I have helped you twice. Shouldn''t you give me something in return?" said Edie with a teasing smile.

 Chapter 1170 Competition During The Auction

    "Well, you are right. Maybe, I can marry you to pay you back," was Ricky''s cheeky answer.


    The teasing smile on his face widened when Edie scowled coldly. "Fuck off!"


    he yelled before he left, and Ricky could only shrug helplessly, scratching his head with a crude grin.


    Meanwhile, the Thousand-hand Emperor was a little surprised when he saw this, for he could tell that Edie was not really angry at Ricky. He was astounded to see Edie bickering with someone, and Edie seemed to care a lot about the white-haired man too. He had never seen anything like it before!


    After all, Edie had never thought highly of any genius in this region.


    ''It seems that the so-called Kenney is not a simple person. He could not have drawn Edie''s attention only by killing Redmond, so there must be something special about him,''


    the Thousand-hand Emperor thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, Ricky and the two girls had entered the castle''s hall where the auction would be held.


    In the center of the hall was the auction platform, surrounded by rows of seats. At present, the hall was already crowded with people, and most of the seats were occupied.


    "It seems that we are late. Finding a seat will not be easy," Ricky murmured to the girls.


    "There are a few private boxes upstairs, but I''m afraid they have all been booked by those big forces already. I''m afraid the three of us can''t make it," Tina answered, worriedly wringing her hands together.


    At this time, a young manservant came up to Ricky and said in a soft voice, "Mister Kenney, ladies, please follow me. Your box is ready."


    "We have a private box?" Ricky blurted out, his eyes wide in surprise.


    "Yes. Deacon Edie has arranged one for you three," answered the young manservant primly.


    "I see. Please convey my thanks to him then,"


    Ricky told the young man with a smile, gesturing for him to lead the way.


    "Ricky, is it possible that Edie has a crush on you? I mean, why else would he arrange all these for you?" Tina asked with amusement once they had entered the comfortable private box.


    "Wha¡ªwhat are you talking about? I''m not interested in men!" Ricky looked flustered for a second, as he shook his head fervently.


    Thankfully, the auctioneer interrupted them, as the auction was about to start. "We will be starting now, so please settle down!"


    The first items to be auctioned off were the items. These included the lower-grade Treasures from Heaven and Earth, lower-grade Omnipotent Skills, and incomplete demi-sacred weapons.


    And these items were usually bought by the warriors who were sitting on the seats outside.


    It was not until more than half of th


    Amelia''s shoulder and went back to bidding.


    "Thirty-nine and a half zones of cultivation resources!" Ricky shouted.


    "A half?" Many warriors around were surprised to hear Ricky''s new bid.


    It was the first time that they heard such an absurd amount, for nobody ever bid in halves of cultivation resources at an auction.


    "That young man must be at his limit. Thirty-nine and a half zones of cultivation resources must be all that he has," many warriors speculated. Most of them turned a judging eye at Ricky like he was some poor kid who infiltrated the auction.


    "Ricky, you are so smart as to offer the thirty-nine and a half zones of cultivation resources. In this way, Fitch is very likely to think this bid is your limit, so he won''t raise the price again, because winning the Aquatic Fruit with so many cultivation resources is not worthwhile for them at all," Tina commented, smiling.


    "Even so, he also played tricks on us. After all, we would not have to spend so much if he didn''t bid," answered Ricky. "And I will also keep this in mind.


    I really hope that they could get the Chaotic Sword Intent Herb by auction. If they made it, then I could have a way to take the grass from them."


    As Ricky guessed, Fitch didn''t bid again.


    Since Ricky had offered half a zone of cultivation resources, Fitch believed that the bid had reached Ricky''s limit. If he raised the price again, he would be very likely to get the fruit, which meant that he was playing a joke on himself.


    He didn''t want to take such a big risk.


    Moreover, he was already very satisfied that he had made Ricky spend nearly forty zones of cultivation resources. For him, his anger had been satiated.


    In this way, the Sage Level Aquatic Fruit went to Ricky in the end.

 Chapter 1171 His Trick

    Many warriors had expected that Ricky would take this Sage Level treasure, for they all knew that the Flame Valley wouldn''t want to spend too many cultivation resources on a something that was of no use to them.


    "Amelia, after things are over here, I will help you refine it," Ricky promised Amelia once the Aquatic Fruit was in their hands.


    In response, Amelia could not stop the bright smile that flashed across her face. She enthusiastically nodded, pleased with Ricky''s promise. "Thank you!"


    "Oh, don''t be so courteous to me!" He could not help the answering smile that automatically made its way to his lips.


    Then, Ricky sent the cultivating resources to the manservant who had brought him the fruit.


    However, the manservant didn''t take the resources. "Our deacon said that he sent you this fruit as a gift," the man revealed tonelessly.


    Ricky and his companions were surprised to hear the news.


    "I really don''t understand; what on earth does Edie want from you? Does he really have a crush on you?" the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "Dragon Intent Grass, if you have time to make a joke, why don''t you think about what Edie really wants?" Ricky replied.


    "Do you think Edie has found out about your real identity? Maybe that is why he is trying to cozy up to you!" the Dragon Intent Grass speculated.


    "I don''t think my story has reached this endless mountain yet," Ricky responded negatively.


    Meanwhile, he turned back to the manservant and answered,


    "Please express my thanks to him for me. I appreciate his kindness, but I can''t accept a reward when I have not done anything to merit it yet. Please take my cultivation resources!"


    After all, it was not always a good thing to take advantage of others without any reason.


    At this point, the auction was now in full swing, and the better items were starting to be brought out. The next auction item¡ªChaotic Sword Intent Herb was to be auctioned soon.


    "Everyone, lend me your eyes! I will now show you the last items to be auctioned. And the first will be the Chaotic Sword Intent Herb!" At this time, the warrior who was in charge of the auction had also become very excited.


    The other spectators were even more excited, as the Chaotic Sword Intent Herb was an exceedingly rare treasure. It was superior to any Treasures from Heaven and Earth at Sage Level, and it could scarcely be found.


    The warriors around sighed deeply in admiration, as they were well-aware that they didn''t have any chance to get it.


    "The Chaotic Sword Intent Herb finally appeared!" Ricky said seriously in his private box.


    The Chaotic Sword Intent Herb was an herb that could only grow in the Fake Chaotic Space. It contained two kinds of powers¡ª the chaotic power and the intent power. And if a creature cultivated the Chaotic Sword Intent Herb


    y would have less money to compete for the next items later.


    "Thank you so much, my friends. I will certainly make sure that our leader hears about your kindness once I get back to the Flame Valley, and we will pay you back for that," Hutton gratefully remarked, thanking the two forces for not bidding more and increasing the price as a result.


    After all, if the two forces bid more, the Flame Valley would have to bid higher and higher. In that case, they would have to pay more to get the Chaotic Sword Intent Herb.


    "It is our pleasure!" The two forces gave the humble reply.


    They were probably happy deep inside, but they controlled their emotions well enough so that they wouldn''t look like beggars looking for scraps from the Flame Valley.


    Meanwhile, the warrior in charge of the auction asked excitedly, "Does anyone else have a higher price?"


    With six hundred zones of cultivation resources, the Wind-Mountain Alliance had earned a lot of money, so he was very excited.


    Of course, no one answered.


    But as he was about to announce that the Chaotic Sword Intent Herb belonged to the Flame Valley, something unexpected happened.


    ''Well, I can''t turn down this opportunity to play with the Flame Valley. Let''s see how you like it when you''re the one being played with,'' Ricky sneered in his heart.


    The next moment, a Shadowy Replication appeared and entered the Massacring Zone. Then it rushed quickly to the private box where the Flame Valley was in.


    "Ricky, why did you send your Shadowy Replication there?" Amelia said, a little confused.


    "I want to know how many cultivation resources the Flame Valley has brought here. I''ll make sure that they use up all their cultivation resources this time," answered Ricky with a wicked smile.


    Then, he declared in a loud voice, "I will offer six hundred and fifty zones of cultivation resources."

 Chapter 1172 Being Fooled By Ricky

    A sudden silence fell over the room as soon as the words fell from Ricky''s mouth.


    All eyes swiveled toward Ricky''s private box, and some warriors even rubbed their ears to make sure that they didn''t hear it wrong.


    Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and no one dared to make a sound.


    Meanwhile, Edie and the Thousand-hand Emperor were staying in one of the castle''s secret rooms. They, too, were astounded and intrigued to hear Ricky''s price.


    "Edie, your friend is too impractical. If he fails to provide that much cultivation resources later, he will be..."


    The Thousand-hand Emperor cut off his words with a sigh. Of course, he knew that Ricky was playing tricks on the Flame Valley, but he was afraid that Ricky was acting too impulsively. There was no way Ricky could provide them with that large amount of cultivation resources after all.


    "Do you think he doesn''t have that large amount of cultivation resources?" Honestly, Edie was not only asking the Thousand-hand Emperor, but he was also asking this to himself.


    "Do you really think he can give us that many cultivation resources? The number of cultivation resources he mentioned can only be provided by a top force at the Emperor Level!" the Thousand-hand Emperor answered heatedly. "If possible, I think we should persuade him not to add too much. Another fifty to six zones of cultivation resources will be enough. If he adds more, the Flame Valley may stop to compete," he added.


    "Perhaps, he does not have that many cultivation resources, but I believe that he has some things that are priceless," Edie muttered mysteriously, so quietly that the other man could not hear him.


    Meanwhile, back at the auction hall, the tense silence had finally been broken.


    The spectators seemed to have recovered, and they turned to each other asking,


    "Do you think that voice belongs to that white-haired young man?"


    "Yes, he must be doing this for revenge! He is trying to raise the price so that the Flame Valley will have to offer more cultivation resources."


    "That''s for sure! This kid has balls of steel. Isn''t he afraid that the Flame Valley will give up on the bid?"


    "Maybe he is that brave, or maybe he has the cultivation resources to pay for it..."


    The happiest ones at this moment were the two great forces, the Moon Dragon Palace and the Star Tiger Palace. They did not want to offend the Flame Valley, but if there was someone who offended the Flame Valley, they would be very willing to see that.


    And the reason was simple¡ª the three major forces competed fiercely against each other. They were opponent forces, but their hostility could not be shown directly, so they could only resort to passive-aggressive ways.


    "We were right not to raise the price earlier! It is much bett


    a young warrior.


    "Edie, it seems that this Kenney is really not that simple," the Thousand-hand Emperor said at this time. It seemed that Ricky''s performance had changed his attitude, as he said to Edie, "Maybe you are right. Kenney is a person destined for great success."


    Hearing his words, Edie was slightly intrigued. "Really? What changed your mind?"


    "According to our information, the amount of the cultivation resources brought by the Flame Valley is about seven hundred and ten zones," reported the Thousand-hand Emperor.


    "If Kenney no longer bids a higher price next, it is very likely that he knows how many cultivation resources the Flame Valley has brought here this time. And if that is true, this Kenney is not as simple as he seems to be."


    At this moment, all the eyes in the auction hall were fixed on the Flame Valley''s private box.


    Everybody was eager to know if the Flame Valley would continue to raise the price.


    After a long silence, they heard Fitch''s voice again, but this time, he sounded like he was in agonizing pain. "Seven hundred and twelve and a half zones of cultivation resources!"


    After this, the whole space was silent for a while, as all the warriors came to realize that the Flame Valley had finally reached their limit.


    At that point, they could feel the strong murderous intent coming from the Flame Valley to Ricky.


    "Well, now that the Flame Valley has taken out so many cultivation resources, I have to give up the Chaotic Sword Intent Herb." In the silence, Ricky''s sigh was suddenly heard.


    "I guess they really deserve to be one of the influential forces.


    Warriors like me who do not have a big force as a backup can never compete with them successfully," Ricky lamented in a seemingly regretful tone. Upon hearing this, almost all the warriors couldn''t hold back their laughter.

 Chapter 1173 A Tusk

    Wild laughter echoed in the auction hall, brightening the hall''s aura. The place was rowdy with hooting and laughter, except for one place¡ªthe Flame Valley''s private box.


    In the background, they could hear the sound of furniture breaking, someone spluttering in disbelief, and outraged shouting.


    Many warriors present could imagine the faces of the four Flame Valley members at that moment, and it just made them laugh harder.


    The laughter died down soon enough, and the warriors began to speculate and discuss thoughtfully.


    "Who on earth is this white-haired young man? He must have known how many cultivation resources the Flame Valley had brought with them today. But how did he find out?" some of them asked.


    "Yes, his last bid was indeed seven hundred and twelve zones of cultivation resources, so he must have known..."


    Meanwhile, inside one of the secret rooms in the castle were Edie and the Thousand-hand Emperor.


    "Edie, it might be a coincidence, but the information in Kenney''s hand is more accurate than that we have. Could he be a descendant of someone from our Wind Mountain Alliance?" asked the Thousand-hand Emperor.


    "I don''t think so, and I don''t think his real name is Kenney. I only befriended him because I felt that he was extraordinary. Apart from that, I know nothing about him," said Edie. "However, I didn''t expect him to possess such information. It seems that I have underestimated him."


    While they were conversing, Ricky and his companions were cheerfully celebrating.


    "Flame Valley, you''re not qualified to play with me!" Ricky sneered, unseen by anyone outside of their private box.


    "I can imagine their expressions at the moment," said Tina, giggling in amusement. "And I can also imagine how desperately they want to take revenge on you for this."


    "Yeah! Ha-ha! And they are likely confused about how Ricky knew the maximum amount of cultivation resources that they could spend," Amelia chimed in, laughing all the while.


    "You bastard, tell me your name if you have the guts!" Fitch roared angrily all of a sudden.


    "Fitch, you can ask for it politely if you want to know my name so much. I won''t refuse to tell you. Now, listen carefully. My name is Kenney," Ricky said in a flat tone upon hearing Fitch''s roar.


    "So, his name is Kenney..."


    The other warriors present were listening too, and of course, they automatically took note of his name as well.


    At this point, the auctioneer took out the second auction item in the finale group.


    This item was placed in a zone box. It looked about half a meter in length, but its real length was longer than that.


    Everyone let out admiring murmurs, as the box was opened to reveal a white tusk with a crescent shape.


    "It''s a tu


    the Wind-Mountain Alliance?" the team leader of the Moon Dragon Palace said to his men through telepathy.


    "Let''s stop bidding here. If he really works for the Wind-Mountain Alliance, we won''t lose anything then. If he doesn''t, he certainly won''t be able to pay the cultivation resources, and he will die a miserable death. Even if he really buys the tusk by auction, we can always snatch it from him after the auction finishes," the team leader of the Star Tiger Palace said.


    At this time, the four members of the Flame Valley did not say anything. Apparently, they had lost faces and could not speak in public again.


    Meanwhile, back in the secret room, the two men inside had their own speculations.


    "It seems that Kenney is going to get this tusk by spending six hundred and fifty zones of cultivation resources. But the value of this tusk is actually more than this price," said the Thousand-hand Emperor.


    "He does get a good bargain. But it is true that what he is doing now seems like he works for us," said Edie.


    "Now, I''m curious about how he will pay the six hundred and fifty zones of cultivation resources."


    Then, Edie and the Thousand-hand Emperor both turned their eyes to the private box where Ricky was in.


    And it was not just the two of them, but all the other warriors in the hall had also fixed their eyes on Ricky.


    If Ricky could not pay the allotted cultivation resources, the manservant by his side would ring the alarm.


    A manservant ran to Edie and reported in a low voice, "Deacon Edie, Kenney wants to invite you to his private box. He said he wanted to exchange another item for cultivation resources, and that only you would know its value."


    "Really? Then let me see what he can use to offset for the six hundred and fifty zones of cultivation resources," Edie said curiously.

 Chapter 1174 The Incomplete Map

    "By the way, please tell the auctioneer to continue the auction. Don''t wait for my signal anymore," Edie told the manservant. Even if Ricky couldn''t offer anything in exchange, he wouldn''t let everyone know about it.


    He already expected that Ricky had nothing to offer in exchange, but he had planned to ask Ricky to do something in return instead.


    It was better for Ricky to work for them than for harm to come to him after all. "Got it!" the servant replied and left quickly.


    Just as Edie instructed, it didn''t take long before the auction continued.


    "Next, we are going to show you the third item!" Saying this, the quickly brought out the last item, presenting it to the audience. However, the warriors paid no attention to it yet, as they were all busy waiting for news about Ricky.


    "So it is true that Kenney has six hundred and fifty zones of cultivation resources? He was able to pay, right? That''s why the auction is continuing?" All the warriors in the hall were astonished when the auctioneer decided to proceed. They had all expected that Ricky would not be able to provide six hundred and fifty zones of cultivation resources, and they were waiting for him to either get beaten up or thrown out.


    "Who knows!"


    "The Wind-Mountain Alliance must trust him a lot, and maybe they have resolved this matter internally. Or they could be cheating us by working with each other!"


    "Not necessarily. I don''t know about you, but I have a strong feeling that Kenney is not as simple as we think. Besides, the Wind-Mountain Alliance has never cheated anyone these past years, so why would they do it now?"


    At this moment, a variety of discussions could be heard in the crowd.


    "We will know whether he is cheating us after the auction ends and he leaves. We can follow him secretly then," the team leaders of the Moon Dragon Palace and the Star Tiger Palace talked to each other through telepathy.


    "That''s right. Hutton won''t let him go easily. We just need to follow him secretly."


    Meanwhile, Ricky and Edie were talking in the castle''s secret room.


    "I really want to be friends with you, Kenney, but there are still some things that need to be done by the book. I can''t protect you this time, and if you can''t provide anything of equal value, the consequences will be really serious," Edie told Ricky straightforwardly as soon as he stepped foot inside.


    "Don''t worry! I know the rules," Ricky replied with a smile.


    "So what are you going to give us in order to get that tusk?" the Thousand-hand Emperor asked.


    "Edie, can you tell me whether the power you cultivated is the power of the wind?" Ricky asked first without answering the Thousand-hand Emperor. From the moment Ricky observed Edie with his Golden


    enty-five zones of cultivation resources," responded the auctioneer. "If any of you think you are lucky enough, you can bid for it. I am sure you can all afford twenty-five zones of cultivation resources, am I right?


    Of course, you can also join hands to buy one!"


    Ricky listened intently while still inside Edie''s private room. He nodded at Edie approvingly and said,


    "You did well copying the incomplete map into fifty pieces, and twenty-five zones of cultivation resources for each piece seems like a good price as well. All together you will get more than one thousand zones of cultivation resources if you sell all of them."


    Then, Ricky looked curiously at him and asked, "By the way, why didn''t you make more copies?"


    "Fifty pieces will be just enough. If there are more, those warriors will think that it is not that valuable. If there are less, we will not be able to earn many cultivation resources," Edie answered. "But this incomplete map is definitely left by a saint."


    "How many pieces of the incomplete map are yet to be found?" Ricky asked.


    "There is still more than a half left..."


    "More than half is missing? So that means this map is useless," Ricky said, shaking his head.


    "Not necessarily. I have told them that it all depends on luck," replied Edie with a sly smirk. "How about you? Do you want a piece of the map?"


    "I have nothing on me now, and I don''t have any more peculiar fire to exchange with you," answered Ricky, shaking his head quickly.


    "Don''t worry. I will make sure that they will send a piece of the map to you for free," Edie said with a warm smile.


    "Ha-ha, thank you. To be honest, I also want to try and see if I am lucky enough to find something following this incomplete map." Ricky smiled, while in his mind, he was already plotting what he would do next.

 Chapter 1175 Confrontation

    After the copies of the defective map were auctioned off, the current auction came to an end.


    "When are you going to use the Transmission Array?" Edie asked.


    "I haven''t gotten the Chaotic Sword Intent Herb yet," replied Ricky with a faint smile. "So, I may have to wait for some more time."


    "What? You''re going to do snatch it from the Flame Valley?" Both Edie and the Thousand-hand Emperor were shocked by what Ricky implied. They really couldn''t understand how he could be so confident. How could he even target a big and influential force like the Flame Valley?


    After all, Hutton was a powerful upper spiritual emperor of the valley. Plus, there were two more spiritual emperors that were middle spiritual emperors in the force.


    Besides, Fitch was not a simple man either.


    "Since they want to take advantage of me, I will not let them go so easily," Ricky declared flippantly as if he was merely stating a fact.


    "I have to go now. See you later!" With that farewell, he left with the two girls, and Edie didn''t do anything to stop them.


    He was too deep in thought, for he wanted to know where Ricky''s confidence against the Flame Valley was coming from. He didn''t think that the Moon Dragon Palace and the Star Tiger Palace would let Ricky go either, which complicated matters even more. If Ricky was an ordinary man, he should be fearing for his life now.


    "Sir please follow Ricky and save his life if necessary," Edie said to the Thousand-hand Emperor after Ricky left.


    "Oh? It seems that you really think of him as your friend," the Thousand-hand Emperor said with a little surprise. But he didn''t refuse Edie''s request. Before long, he also left, intending to follow Ricky.


    While leaving, Ricky naturally took the two girls into his Massacring Zone.


    In sharp contrast, he didn''t hide his presence as he left, not caring if everyone could see where he was going.


    "Kenney is quite bold. Doesn''t he know his own situation? How could he leave in such a grand way as if he is asking to be followed? He should at least stay in the castle until everyone has left!" some warriors who followed him said.


    "Don''t fret. We will soon find out whether he is arrogant or extraordinary as long as we go after him.


    After all, we don''t know if the Moon Dragon Palace and the Star Tiger Palace would let him go, but I''m sure that the Flame Valley won''t."


    Meanwhile, in a forest inside the valley, Ricky suddenly stopped in his tracks and said lightly, "Come on and show yourself! I have been waiting for you for a long time."


    "I don''t care if you are suicidal or just extremely arrogant. Anyway, you will certainly die today!" Fitch threatened him as he walked


    nt you!" Ricky announced coldly. The corners of his mouth pulled upwards into a faint smile as if he was having the time of his life.


    Behind him, an Intent Apperception suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Saber shadows appeared inside the void, which was even more indestructible with the help of massacring runes.


    It was like two skies collided into each other. And the void was suddenly filled with nothing but saber and sword shadows.


    At the same time, Ricky''s golden arms and Fitch''s flaming sword once again slammed against each other.


    A fearsome close-combat ensued between two corporeal bodies. Initially, they were in a stalemate, but after about a hundred rounds, Fitch gradually fell into a disadvantage.


    "It looks like Kenney is physically stronger than Fitch!" the surrounding crowd muttered to each other.


    "Fitch should have figured it out by now. From here on, he would probably change his tactic!"


    "Kenney cultivates massacring power, so his corporeal body must be incomparably strong."


    Knowing that he was gradually losing ground, Fitch stepped back and kept a good distance away from Ricky.


    His body was still surrounded in flames, and his face showed a terrible expression.


    At that moment, he looked like he lived for nothing else but to kill Ricky.


    "Infernal sword, set everything ablaze!"


    As he roared, his momentum increased sharply, and the flaming sword in his hand changed instantly. It was divided into ten swords, which later turned into a hundred. In this way, countless swords were produced in just a few seconds.


    Boom! The ground swept by Fitch''s momentum was transformed into a sea of flames, glowing yellow like magma and pouring off heat.


    Soon, scarlet swords that resembled huge bones rose from the blazing sea one by one.

 Chapter 1176 Sword Bone Tiger

    Splash!


    The sea of flames surged, and so did the huge sword bone, which fused with thousands of swords in the void in a flash. As the roar echoed throughout the sky, a giant shadow of a tiger appeared out of nowhere.


    This tiger shadow seemed to have no flesh and blood and was entirely made up of swords and bones. When the tiger shadow roared, the stones turned into huge swords.


    After Fitch merged his own body into it, the tiger shadow rushed towards Ricky, and wherever it passed would be torn into two pieces.


    "Massacring Holy Pattern¡ª two hundred patterns!"


    Ricky shouted. He had no reason to retreat in the face of Fitch''s attacks. He clapped his palms together, as strong and huge golden patterns emerged from his feet at the same time. Then, the patterns multiplied up to two hundred in an instant.


    The two hundred patterns merged and turned into the shape of a giant arrow, which swept like a tornado.


    Howl!


    When the tiger shadow roared again, the two strikes from the two parties collided with each other. Instantly, the airwaves caused by the collision swept across the area, as the lightning flashed intermittently around them.


    It was only for a moment that the fight between these two had reached a limit.


    To the warriors around, these two were equally matched. But they had no idea about Ricky''s real strength. The massacring runes activated the other five kinds of runes instantly, and under the runic power of these six runes, the strength of Ricky''s Massacring Holy Pattern increased in a flash.


    It happened so quickly that Fitch was caught off guard. He could not do anything and was defeated in the blink of an eye.


    As a result, the tiger shadow dissipated into oblivion, and Fitch fell on the ground with a heavy thud like a puppet with its strings cut down.


    Meanwhile, a huge and deep pit suddenly opened, and endless dust engulfed everything. "Whoa! Kenney''s trump card is amazing. It looks like he cultivates a variety of runes to boost his power!"


    the warriors around exclaimed in surprise.


    After smashing Fitch''s attack, the arrow transformed by the Massacring Holy Pattern did not reduce its momentum. Instead, it continued towards Fitch where he was lying prone on the ground.


    Puff! However, in the next moment, only the cracking sound could be heard amid the poor visibility brought on by so much dust. Simultaneously, countless golden lights burst out, which showed that it was the arrow transformed by the Massacring Holy Pattern that cracked.


    Upon seeing this, Ricky was slightly shocked. It seemed like he had underestimated his opponent.


    At that moment, two huge shar


    nd?


    Even though Redmond had little talent, he could still possess the Flame Melting Mutant. On top of that, he even had Hutton, an upper spiritual emperor, as his father. Fitch believed that if he grew up with such conditions, he would have been a middle spiritual emperor now.


    "Massacring Golden Palm ¡ªten palms out!"


    Once Ricky had activated the Massacring Mutant, he broke out the Massacring Omnipotent Skill. He leaped and launched the palm in one movement. Then, ten giant golden palms burst out and fell in succession, colliding with Fitch''s strongest strike.


    Boom!


    These two moves collided with each other, and the ferocious power flooded everything in its wake. Ten Massacring Golden Palms were so powerful that the huge sword Fitch had made was hit and hurled into the air like it was made of feathers.


    The ten palms did not reduce their momentum, and in the blink of an eye, they had struck Fitch''s beast form, the Sword Bone Tiger.


    "How could this be possible?" The warriors around could not believe what they had seen.


    They all believed that Ricky and Fitch were well-matched in strength. But, why did Fitch look like he didn''t have the strength to resist?


    They were astonished because they didn''t know Ricky''s strength at all. With the fourth level of Ultimate Golden Body and the six kinds of runes, his strength was no inferior to that of Fitch.


    As long as Ricky broke out the Massacring Mutant, Fitch was no match for him. Not to mention, apart from the Massacring Mutant, Ricky also had the Massacring Zone.


    From the very beginning, the result of this battle had already been decided.


    "Ahh! I can''t believe it!" Fitch shouted ferociously. Of course, he was the most unwilling to believe the result of this battle.

 Chapter 1177 Get It

    "You should have listened to me. I already told you that I could easily kill you!" Ricky sneered, looking pleased as Fitch threw a useless fit. Fitch''s empty words couldn''t help him now.


    After the golden light pervaded, Ricky instantly turned into a huge palm and crushed Fitch into the ground. Six kinds of runes formed a cage and imprisoned Fitch, rendering him trapped and helpless.


    After the shock, people could not stop their big mouths from flapping. "I can''t believe it. If Kenney broke out his Massacring Mutant at the beginning, I''m afraid that Fitch would have only lost faster."


    "Yeah, he is indeed quite capable. No wonder he could kill the Yellow Water Emperor in an instant!"


    "But I am really curious. How will he deal with Hutton and the other two middle spiritual emperors from the Flame Valley?


    He could defeat Fitch easily but what about those three?"


    Swish! While the flurry of whispers and hissed conversations grew louder, the void on Ricky''s sides suddenly cracked, and the two huge palms forcefully rallied down and rushed directly toward Ricky.


    ''It must be the two middle spiritual emperors who are attacking him!'' all the warriors thought to themselves when they saw this.


    As the dust settled around them and the visibility improved, they saw the two middle spiritual emperors of the Flame Valley standing behind these two huge palms.


    "Humph!" Ricky snorted condescendingly as if he didn''t care about the two huge palms rushing after him. To the spectators, they thought the huge palms were too strong to be resisted, but Ricky only scoffed at them with disdain, while his large palm ignored them and continued to suppress Fitch.


    Boom! At that critical moment, two water spiritual fingers sprang up from Ricky''s body and collided with the two gigantic palms separately.


    It was more like a complete crushing than a collision.


    When the two fingers collided with the two palms, the latter immediately collapsed. However, the fingers didn''t dissolve afterward, and they went on to pierce through the two middle spiritual emperors.


    When the power of the fingers ran through them, it instantly destroyed the souls of these two middle spiritual emperors.


    Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The two middle spiritual emperors died even before they realized what was happening.


    However, the battle was not over yet.


    The two fingers combined into one and merged into the space in an instant, and then Hutton''s figure appeared behind this very space. However, at this moment, the only thing people could see in his face was fear and despair.


    There was no time for him to resist the fingers or roar at all. He was struck by the fingers


    half a year.


    There are still two months left before it will be opened the next time."


    "Is that so?" Ricky said coldly, obviously displeased. "Well, I am leaving then."


    Of course, he didn''t believe Edie. Even if it was true that the Transmission Array would open in two months, he didn''t want to wait because that would waste a lot of his time. Hell, he could pass through the endless mountain by taking advantage of the Massacring Zone in those two months!


    "Why? You don''t even want to wait for two months?" Edie said anxiously after seeing that Ricky was about to leave.


    "I don''t have a demi-saint following me. Compared with the demi-saints of the Wind-Mountain Alliance, the power I used to kill the three spiritual emperors of the Flame Valley is not that strong, though it was also at the Demi-sage Level," Ricky replied with a frown.


    "Therefore, the longer I stay here, the more dangerous it will be for me.


    I''d better leave while I can still intimidate those forces."


    "I can make sure that you''ll be safe in the Wind-Mountain Alliance in those two months," Edie reassured him hurriedly, seemingly alarmed now that Ricky was about to leave.


    "I will never accept a reward that I haven''t earned. Besides, I can''t believe those I don''t know very well." Ricky smiled disarmingly. Meanwhile, in his mind, he had already connected to the Massacring Zone.


    If something unexpected happened, he would enter the Massacring Zone directly.


    With his current strength, even the sealing power of the upper spiritual emperors couldn''t stop him from entering the Massacring Zone, unless they were demi-saints.


    Seeing that Ricky was truly about to leave, Edie had no other choice. His shoulders drooped helplessly, as he blurted out, "Okay, you win. I will tell you the truth!"

 Chapter 1178 The Real Purpose

    "Really? What is the truth then?" Ricky asked with an arch lift of eyebrow.


    ''I knew he was hiding something,'' he thought suspiciously meanwhile.


    "All right, I admit it. Our Transmission Array is available at any time. I swear that this time I am telling the truth," said Edie.


    "I see. Well, if you didn''t want me to use it, you could have just told me the truth. You didn''t have to make up a lie to deceive me. I don''t think I would be shameless enough to insist on using it in such a case," Ricky said in a low voice.


    "You misunderstand me, Kenney. You should know that I lied to you only because I wanted you to stay here for two more months. In that case, after one month staying here, you can go to a secret land with me to look for some Treasures from Heaven and Earth," Edie revealed, earning a surprised chuckle from Ricky.


    "Ha-ha, you must be joking! Your Wind Mountain Alliance has two saints and countless spiritual emperors. With your position, thousands of spiritual emperors will undoubtedly come to serve you as soon as you announce your intention. On the other hand, I''m merely a lower spiritual emperor. Why would you prefer to go with me?" Ricky protested.


    Edie sighed when it looked like Ricky was still doubting him. He muttered, "It''s so difficult to lie to a smart genius!


    To tell you the truth, the secret land I am going to this time is the Emperor Beast Swamp."


    "The Emperor Beast Swamp? What is that?" Hearing Edie''s words, Ricky was sure that he was finally telling the truth. And his curiosity was also piqued.


    "It is an ancient battlefield left in the endless mountain," Edie explained at once. "Many ruins and heritages of emperor beasts of at the Sage Level can be found in it.


    The ancestors of many emperor beasts in the endless mountain have left heritages all over the Emperor Beast Swamp, and many of them are from our Wind Mountain Alliance.


    The Emperor Beast Swamp only appears once every era, and when it appears, only some Sage Level forces in the endless mountain can sense its presence. This is because only the blood essence of saints can sense the remains and power of the ancestors."


    "I see...So your purpose is to find the heritage of your ancestors in the Emperor Beast Swamp." Ricky nodded as he finally understood what Edie wanted from him.


    "Yes, you''re right. Of course, the heritage of our ancestors is not my only target. I won''t refuse it if I have the chance to get the heritage of any other emperor beast," Edie added. "I believe t


    news about an incredible demi-spiritual emperor..." Edie then told the story about Ricky.


    "That guy used to be an incredible demi-spiritual emperor!" The Thousand-hand Emperor was astonished after hearing Edie''s explanation.


    He could hardly believe his ears.


    On the other hand, it took Ricky three days to help Amelia refine the Aquatic Fruit thoroughly.


    And as a result, Amelia was now powerful enough to incur the Thunderstroke Doom.


    In fact, Amelia had almost reached this level since they left the Complete Emperor Island. However, she was not a freak like Ricky. She had to be well prepared for even one strike from the Thunderstroke Doom.


    "Amelia, after this Aquatic Fruit is refined, you can incur the Thunderstroke Doom at any time, right?" Ricky asked.


    "Yes, but I would rather wait until I completely digest the power I''ve gotten from the fruit," answered Amelia. "I think it will likely be the time when you return here with Edie from the Emperor Beast Swamp."


    "Ricky, do you understand what Amelia means? She doesn''t have the confidence to break through the Thunderstroke Doom and become a spiritual emperor unless you''re by her side," Tina said in a teasing tone.


    Hearing Tina''s words, Amelia blushed fervently. Of course, the blush on her face embarrassed her even more, and she wished that the ground could just open and swallow her up.


    "Well, let''s talk about something else. Amelia, take out your weapon. During my secluded cultivation, I might cast weapons, and I can integrate that tusk into your weapon," Ricky said, awkwardly changing the topic in a hurry.


    Then, with Amelia''s weapon, Ricky began to cultivate in seclusion.

 Chapter 1179 Breakthrough

    Ricky made a Shadowy Replication during his seclusion.


    He had almost reached the peak level in this skill. Next, he wanted to practice the cultivation of the Flesh Replication.


    To say that it was difficult to cultivate the Flesh Replication was a major understatement!


    It must be cultivated based on the Shadowy Replication, so Ricky would need to leave many outside affairs to his Shadowy Replication to deal with. In that way, he could concentrate on familiarizing himself and improving his cultivation of the Flesh Replication.


    This time he only had one month to cultivate in seclusion, so he had no time to waste.


    That was the second reason why he created his Shadowy Replication.


    Ricky used the Devourer Zone to separate the ancient mammoth''s tusk with its enormous energy. He made his Shadowy Replication carry the tusk, the Iron Justice Saber, and Amelia''s long whip into the Chaotic Fire Zone.


    After that, he left his Shadowy Replication in charge of the weapons there.


    Ricky gave Tina a part of the tusk''s tremendous energy.


    This was because if Amelia refined all the energy the tusk contained, she might not be able to control it, and she might inadvertently summon the Thunderstroke Doom when she was not ready yet.


    Obviously, the three of them didn''t want that to happen, so Amelia had to give up a part of the whole energy.


    Ricky first refined the tusk''s energy. And with its help, he planned to break through and become a two-star lower spiritual emperor.


    He could have made a breakthrough after he had left the ancestral land of the human devils and merged with the grand humanoid tree earlier, but he had made too many breakthroughs during that period in the ancestral land of the human devils. Thus, he needed time to consolidate his realm before he proceeded to the next stage.


    Now, it was the right time for him to make another breakthrough.


    The six zones were working simultaneously to absorb the refined energy. Meanwhile, Ricky obtained a better understanding of the ruling power. The spiritual emperors'' breakthrough did not only involve the increase of one''s strength but also the comprehension capability of all kinds of ruling powers.


    He could easily comprehend thanks to the six zones. And with the help of the Chaos Manual and the Ancestral Intent Formula, he had nothing to worry about concerning his comprehension.


    This must be Ricky''s most remarkable aspect, and it was also the reason why he could break through quickly at this stage.


    In other words, the regained spiritual meridian, and the Chaos blood power he awakened, were all he had. These two were the foundation of everything else he obtained.


    His regained spiritual meridian made him the most talented person in the world, and his Chaos blood power made


    ld like a little primrose flower.


    "Winifred, may I ask you something?" Ricky curiously asked Winifred, using his internal power.


    "Do you want to ask the reason why Flint is so unkind to you?" Winifred immediately asked, smiling at Ricky in amusement.


    "Yes, I don''t have any conflict with him. Even if he is jealous, he shouldn''t have such a strong murderous intent. Besides, it seems that he wants to kill me just because I have a good relationship with Edie. Or perhaps, Flint likes men, and the man he likes is Edie. Am I right?"


    Ricky answered.


    "Ha-ha, you are right!" Winifred admitted after hearing Ricky''s words.


    "Damn! I can''t believe it''s true!" Ricky initially asked that as a joke, so he was incredibly surprised to hear her answer.


    "It is true. But anyway, you are only half right!" Winifred said mysteriously.


    "What do you mean?" Ricky was confused.


    "I''m sorry, but it''s not my secret to tell. It''s Edie''s choice whether he wants to tell you or not. Perhaps, you can ask him about it yourself," Winifred suggested. "Anyway, I wanted to ask whether you were once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor."


    "Sort of," Ricky responded.


    "Sort of? So, does that mean that you admit it!?" asked Winifred with great astonishment.


    Ricky didn''t even notice her surprise because he was still thinking about what she had implied. He was a bit confused and a little curious as well.


    However, he couldn''t ask Edie why Flint liked him.


    If he did that, he was sure that Edie would be furious. He would likely fight him too. After all, Ricky had said that he looked like a woman several times before, and each time, Edie responded with annoyance.


    Soon, the four of them had arrived without being noticed. They found themselves in an abyss in an endless forest, as it was the place where the Emperor Beast Swamp would appear.

 Chapter 1180 Dark Marsh

    Before they reached the abyss, Edie took out a drop of blood. It did not look like blood essence, but it had tremendous power. The power that filled the air was infinitely stronger than the rule.


    "Is this the blood essence of saints?" Ricky asked.


    "Humph! What would you know about the blood essence of saints?" Flint said snidely.


    Hearing this, Ricky just smiled slightly. The best way to deal with Flint''s jealousy was to ignore it, and since Edie was there, Ricky was confident that Flint would not make a move against him. For that moment, he was all bark and no bite.


    "This place is a place of essence. To open it, we will need a powerful blood sacrifice," said Edie.


    Under the blood essence of saints, Edie formed an array with his hands, and a dark passage instantly appeared below him.


    "Let''s go!" Edie shouted before he jumped into the passage first, the other three following closely behind.


    They went through the dark passage and came upon a plain that was so vast that it stretched on and on and on. The ground beneath this whole world seemed to be made up of flowers and plants, and the space was extremely humid and wet.


    Flop! As soon as they came in, an invisible force blocked them from moving forward, and they inadvertently slammed against the ground and were immediately thrown back. When they tried to stand up, they realized that they couldn''t! Their bodies were sinking rapidly into the ground.


    It seemed like the ground was about to swallow them whole at that moment.


    Without any hesitation, they hastened to gather all their strength to stop themselves from sinking, and they had to keep activating their power. At the same time, Ricky felt that he couldn''t fly in the air, let alone tear space.


    He felt as if he had returned to the Demi-immortal Level.


    And all this was caused by this invisible pressure in the air, which was coming from above the ground.


    "This feeling makes you realize what Emperor Beast Swamp is like, right?" Edie said with a meaningful smile. He seemed calm and composed as if he was not about to be swallowed by the ground.


    "I can relate. I feel like I am just a demi-immortal here," Ricky replied, chuckling.


    "You can''t fly or tear space, so it''s normal for you to feel like you are only a weak demi-immortal. We are in the Emperor Beast Swamp, after all. The ground here is marshy every


    hat it was highly likely that he wouldn''t make it out this time.


    Edie and Winifred were deeply shocked, and a grave expression took over both their faces.


    Were they going to lose two partners before the battle started?


    "Do you have any idea?" Ricky asked. "In all these years, have you ever thought of a way to deal with this dark marsh?"


    "I have thought of it, but I can''t find any effective way," Edie replied. "Besides, the dark marsh is very special. The greater the strength unleashed, the greater it tries to pull you in.


    So... All who were trapped in the dark marsh died," said Edie in a low voice.


    Who would have thought that the four of them would be so unlucky to sink into the dark marsh as soon as they entered?


    "Really?" Ricky murmured.


    The next moment, he gathered all his strength, trying to rush out by slapping the marsh with his hands.


    However, just as Edie said earlier, the greater the strength he unleashed, the greater the pulling force from the dark marsh became. And because he had unleashed so much strength, he inevitably buried almost half of his body into the dark marsh, worsening his situation.


    He unleashed his Massacring Mutant to form the massacring light, but he still could not escape from the marsh.


    Obviously, the second he was trapped in the dark marsh, his body was restrained immediately.


    Ricky''s unleashing of strength also made Flint sink faster, so Flint cursed Ricky brutally, "Idiot! Why did you activate your strength? If you want to die early, it''s none of my business. But don''t get me into trouble!"

 Chapter 1181 The Devouring Marsh

    "Fuck off! Don''t think I''m afraid of you just because I don''t say anything each time you teased me!" Ricky responded rudely after hearing Flint insult him again. Although he didn''t want to pay any attention to Flint, that didn''t mean he had infinite patience.


    He was already fed up with being trapped in the dark marsh. And Flint''s insult only fanned the flames of his temper.


    "What did you say?" replied Flint as his face contorted into a murderous scowl.


    Perhaps, because he had been insulting Ricky from the start, and Ricky never chose to fight back, he had got used to having his way with Ricky. Now Ricky suddenly fired back, he could not back off either.


    Sensing Flint''s strong killing intent, Ricky no longer responded with words but directly burst out his power. His Golden Spirit Eyes instantly condensed two Golden Light Arrows, which struck Flint on his shoulder.


    Puff! Flint shouted in pain, as blood spurted from the wound on his shoulder.


    On the other hand, after Ricky exploded his power to attack Flint, three-fourths of his body was pulled in by the marsh.


    At the same time, half of Flint''s body had also fallen into the marsh.


    "Ricky, what are you doing?!" Edie asked coldly, seeing what he had done.


    "I am warning you. If he dares to say one more offensive word to me, I will make sure he goes to hell first!" Ricky responded coldly, staring at Flint with strong murderous intent.


    At this moment, fear began to claw its way into Flint''s heart.


    He was not afraid of Ricky''s strength, but he thought that Ricky was a loose-cannon. He was going to die because of him! Although Ricky''s burst of power would cause the marsh to suck him in first, Flint would not be far behind. Even if Ricky didn''t kill him, his reckless attacks would cause the marsh to pull Flint deeper, too!


    It was not until now that Flint felt a little regretful for continuously insulting Ricky.


    At this moment, all the hatred he had for Ricky flashed in his mind, especially the two wounds in his shoulders.


    Of course, Edie knew it was Flint''s fault in the first place, so he reminded him again seriously, "Flint, shut up, or you''ll have to die here alone!"


    Then, he advised the two, trying to calm to two of them, "You two had better not use any more of your strength. The more time that you delay, the better chances you''ll have of surviving this."


    However, Ricky didn''t want to take Edie''s advice. Edie soon noticed that Ricky was still accumulating the power i


    big favor would be enticing enough for Ricky.


    "Of course, I can do that much for you," answered Ricky immediately. "But I want to make it clear that I am only saving him for your sake. And if he doesn''t want to die, he should give me everything he has with him!"


    He had consumed half of his cultivation resources when he bid for the Aquatic Fruit for Amelia. Now, he wanted to take advantage of Flint to replenish himself.


    Moreover, Ricky believed that the cultivation resources Flint owned would definitely be more than fifty zones. After all, he was the direct descendant of a saint.


    Ricky looked at Flint with a wicked smile, knowing that he had no choice but to agree.


    At this time, if people could kill someone with their minds, Flint would have killed Ricky a thousand times over. And he might have been cut into pieces every time.


    However, Ricky didn''t care about this. He only cared about the cultivation resources Flint had.


    Considering Flint''s childish character, Ricky had never regarded him as a real strong opponent.


    Flint was stubborn for a minute, holding a fearsome expression on his face. But he soon relented and gave all his stuff to Ricky. He didn''t want to die after all. In fact, he was terrified of dying.


    Anyway, he was a saint''s direct descendant, so it would not be difficult to obtain the same amount of cultivation resources in the future. His life was more important right now.


    Moreover, he could not take revenge on Ricky if he died now.


    "All right, almost fifty zones of cultivation resources. I guess it''s worth saving your pitiful life," Ricky replied with disdain before he started to save Flint.

 Chapter 1182 Three-legged Nether Crow

    Flint didn''t say a word after Ricky rescued him, not even a short "thank you". He just activated the blood essence and kept moving forward, for he was too ashamed to say anything. If it weren''t for the temptation of the emperor beast''s ruins here, he would probably leave the Emperor Beast Swamp.


    The four of them continued their journey in deep silence, like a fearful calm before the storm.


    "Next, you should notice that there are many visible swamps on the periphery of each dark marsh. There are marsh muds, and they are very important to us in these visible swamps. We need to get them," Edie said after they were some distance away from the dark marsh.


    Of course, it was mainly for Ricky to hear.


    "Can you tell me more about these marsh muds?" Ricky requested.


    "The visible swamps are the ones we can see and feel. The gravitational force they exude is not very strong, so we can easily get out if we fall into them," explained Edie as he gestured to the marsh around them.


    "In the center of the visible swamps, there is the special mud which looks like a fetus.


    That mud is condensed from the power in the surroundings. We usually call it marsh mud.


    These marsh mud contain an incredibly pure power. If we refine it, we can replenish our energy.


    Ricky, I believe you have noticed it as well. We are consuming a lot of power just to resist the gravitational pull from the swamp. However, the speed at which we absorb the power in the air here is much slower compared to the rate that is being used. It is because the gravitational pull of the swampland is also stopping us.


    In this case, even if we refine the Treasures from Heaven and Earth, our physical strength will be consumed a lot. Once we meet a rival, it is not good for us to fight."


    "You are right. Even though I have the devouring power, I am still consuming more power compared to the amount of power I am absorbing. It is not good for us to keep refining Treasures from Heaven and Earth." Ricky nodded with understanding.


    "Therefore, we have to get a lot of marsh muds, so that we won''t be at a disadvantage when fighting with other opponents," Edie explained wisely.


    But then Ricky cocked his head to one side, looking puzzled. He asked curiously,


    "Then, how many marsh muds are enough for us to stay for a month?" "Each of us should have four balls of marsh mud. I think that will be enough for the duration of our stay," answered Edie.


    "Of course, it will be be


    er all.


    And even he, himself, didn''t think he could defeat Ricky.


    Soon, Flint fought with one man on Kirk''s side. It was a fierce battle, but Fitch was still defeated in the end. From this battle, Ricky could see that Flint''s strength was just only slightly stronger than that of Fitch.


    "It seems that Flint was sent here mostly because of his identity," Ricky talked to the Dragon Intent Grass through telepathy.


    "That''s possible. The Wind-Mountain Alliance is a big force. There should be many geniuses under the age of one hundred years old. Apart from Edie and Winifred, there should be someone more powerful than this Flint," remarked the Dragon Intent Grass.


    On the other hand, Ricky was more curious about Edie''s identity, which was still unknown to him until now.


    The access to the Emperor Beast Swamp was unquestionably tough and stringent. And yet, Ricky was qualified to enter just on Edie''s word. No warrior of the Wind-Mountain Alliance had stepped out to oppose it.


    It supported his theory that Edie must have a special place in the Wind-Mountain Alliance.


    Ricky even guessed that the two saints of the Wind-Mountain Alliance must show respect to Edie.


    Back in the battle, Flint was once again cloaked in shame after he was defeated in front of Ricky.


    Ricky could even feel that Flint blamed him again for his failure.


    But Ricky didn''t care about it at all. If Flint came to vent anger on him, he would teach Flint a good lesson.


    And then, Marvel stood out, pointed at Ricky with her slender forefinger, and said a little flirtatiously, "I want this handsome guy with white hair to be my opponent!"

 Chapter 1183 Black Nether Triangle

    "Beautiful lady, you won''t win if you challenge me," Ricky said to Marvel, giving her a charming smile.


    His words made her chuckle a little, as a more seductive expression took over her face. "Ha-ha! Really?" She twisted her slim waist in a snake-like maneuver, and in the blink of an eye, her dainty figure reappeared in front of Ricky. The dark power coming from her swelled and crested, and it seemed to be fused with a kind of enchantment power.


    However, all these illusions created by the enchantment power stood no chance in front of Ricky''s Golden Spirit Eyes.


    Marvel thought that Ricky would fall into her trap. Her fair hands instantly turned into black claws and grabbed Ricky by his shoulders.


    "Marvel, your hand is one of the most charming ones in the world. But it''s a little bit ferocious when you release strength with it. What a pity!" Ricky responded in an indifferent tone, just as Marvel thought she would succeed in attacking Ricky. Then Ricky countered with a thunder fist.


    As soon as Marvel launched her attack, Ricky was able to perceive her extraordinary power with his six zones.


    Marvel used the dark power, which then collided with the Ancestral Thunder power.


    Crack! Crack! Crack! In that instant, Ricky''s eyes turned purple, as destructive power swept all around and gathered in his right arm. He released a powerful punch, with the five fingers of his right hand clenched tightly.


    ''Does he cultivate the thunder power?'' Winifred thought to herself after seeing Ricky burst out the thunder power. ''It seems that he really has a variety of mutants. A former incredible demi-spiritual emperor is indeed unusual.''


    Flint, who was standing by the side, had a murderous expression on his face. The stronger Ricky was and the more power he exerted, the more he felt jealous and resentful of Ricky, especially when he had just lost his own battle.


    Bang! After the collision of their powers, Ricky hit Marvel back heavily with a heavy blow. The strength of his thunder power made Marvel''s arms tremble with exertion.


    Of course, part of the reason was that Marvel underestimated him a lot. After all, she thought Ricky would be trapped by her enchantment power for a while, so she wasn''t ready to defend herself from a counter-attack.


    "Hey, white-haired handsome guy. It seems that I have underestimated you." Marvel smiled cha


    ow, as it had a curved horn on its head and three claws under its abdomen. Its whole body was integrated like a dark hell.


    It was the emperor beast¡ªThree-legged Nether Crow.


    "Black Nether Tripod!" As she flapped of her wings against the wind, Marvel focused all her strength on the three claws. All three claws went out of her and produced three strong black pillars, which later formed a massive black tripod.


    This black tripod looked like the darkest hell.


    "Suppress everything!"


    Soon, the black tripod fell from the sky and directly suppressed Ricky with all its might.


    However, Ricky didn''t even look at it. The Thunder Light Blade on his right arm suddenly became larger, and with it, he launched a fierce attack towards the black tripod.


    Bang! In the next breath, the deafening noise of metal colliding rang through the air, and lightning and sparkles burst out. The attacking power of the two seemed to have stopped in a dilemma in midair.


    Crack!


    But the next moment, the sound of breaking echoed across the visible marshes. The purple lightning filled the black nether tripod, and wherever it passed, all the lights turned into real cracks.


    Before Marvel could even blink, her black tripod was shattered into pieces.


    Then, she too was hit by the Thunder Light Blade''s power, and she turned back at once into her human shape, as she staggered backward with weakened knees, spitting out a mouthful of blood.


    If this battle were a life and death match, Ricky''s Thunder Light Blade would have slashed Marvel''s neck, ending her life tragically.

 Chapter 1184 This Cant Scare Me

    "It seems like I''ve won this battle. Marvel, your Black Nether Tripod still needs to be improved further," Ricky said with a smile, at the same time, withdrawing his power.


    There was no smile on Marvel''s face anymore. In fact, she was now fuming silently, as she eyed him with contempt and a little curiosity.


    "Marvel, step back. We have lost this battle," said Kirk. His face looked sullen and unsure, as Ricky''s strength was beyond their expectations. He had a bad feeling about this.


    Meanwhile, Marvel looked incredibly unwilling, but she had no choice but to back down since Kirk had ordered her to do so already.


    "Fortunately, I have won this round. Next, it''s your turn to compete," Ricky said to Winifred using his internal power, as he landed on the ground not far away from her.


    "Your victory is just as we have expected. It all depends on me now, but don''t worry. I won''t let you guys down!" Winifred confidently replied before stepping forward.


    Then came the battle between Winifred and the last woman. It was not until then that Ricky realized Winifred was actually more powerful than Fitch. It seemed like she was not as simple as he had initially thought.


    Although the fighting was a little fierce, Winifred still won the battle.


    In this way, Ricky and his companions won two out of the three matches, which meant that they had won the right to the visible swamps.


    Kirk and his companions were all scowling now, looking even more sullen than Flint had been earlier.


    "Kirk, I hope you will keep your promise. We have won two rounds out of three. This visible swamp belongs to us," Edie said with a triumphant smile.


    "As members of the Three-legged Nether Crow tribe, our promise naturally counts, but the battle just now only decides that we will not intervene in the visible swamp here," Kirk replied with a sneer, which elicited a puzzled look from Edie and his companions.


    It seemed like Kirk was implying something, but they were not sure what he really meant.


    Edie scowled at Kirk sternly, believing that he was playing a trick on them.


    "What are you saying, Kirk?" he asked coldly.


    "It''s very simple. From now on, I''ll personally try to capture this visible swamp, not for my friends, but for others." A devilish smirk flashed on Kirk''s face.


    "Humph, if you don''t want to give up, you can tell us directly. There is no need to make such an excuse," Edie sneer


    me an answer."


    Edie could not help but remark disdainfully, "Humph! I didn''t expect you to hide under someone else''s skirt."


    He had initially admired and respected Kirk because of his strength, but now he could feel nothing for him but disdain.


    "Ha-ha! Don''t put it that way. Every creature born in this world has a clear price. You don''t know your price yet, but I know you will sell your loyalty given the right opportunity. You simply haven''t found the right buyer yet." Kirk laughed.


    "Because of Lundy''s talent, courage, and luck, he is bound to become one of the most powerful men in the world. That is why I gave him my loyalty. And I am sure that I did the right thing."


    "Ha-ha, what a bunch of rubbish! You are full of hot air, aren''t you?" Ricky chided him. "You use such sweet words, pity that they are wasted on you!"


    "What did you say?" Kirk said coldly on hearing Ricky''s words.


    "Don''t you understand? Let me translate it for you," Ricky sneered. "What I meant to say was, no matter what bullshit Lundy says, he will not frighten me. And my loyalty and dignity are priceless. He can''t afford it.


    If you understand my words, you should leave now. Otherwise, I will end your worthless life."


    "You are looking for death!" Kirk roared coldly. Flames of rage blazed in his eyes, and his hands were already preparing to launch attacks.


    At this time, Flint, who was standing a few feet from them, was the only one who looked excited. He was overjoyed that Ricky was going against Kirk and Lundy.


    ''You''re asking for death! You''ll regret it!'' Flint thought to himself coldly.

 Chapter 1185 His Beast Form

    "Ricky!" Winifred blurted out in shock. She couldn''t understand why he would challenge Lundy, even when she had already explained about him. She almost put her hand on Ricky''s mouth, but Edie interrupted her with a meaningful look.


    "Do not interfere, Winifred. People like Ricky, who was once the only demi-spiritual emperor in several generations, are unlikely to surrender to any creature. That is why he must fight whenever he encounters geniuses like Lundy," Edie said to her using his internal power.


    "I see, so we have to choose between them, right?" Winifred also replied through telepathy.


    "Exactly! And I choose Ricky. It''s not only because of his talent but also due to his personality. If we choose Lundy, we''ll just be as good as dead," Edie explained.


    "What''s more, I don''t think Ricky is as simple as he wants us to believe. He must have powerful warriors helping him from behind, or he would not have power at the Demi-sage Level."


    "I got it!" Winifred nodded to herself but remembered that they had one more issue. "But what about Flint?"


    "Just ignore him. If he wants to leave, let him go!" Edie answered indifferently as if he could not care less whatever happened to Flint.


    Meanwhile, Ricky was still insulting both Lundy and Kirk.


    "I''m always playing with fire, for I have yet met a warrior who can kill me. On the contrary, I have killed them all in the end. So, do you want to try to be the exception?" Ricky let out a laugh filled with contempt.


    Kirk kept his silence in spite of Ricky''s disdainful words. Instead of words, a pair of black wings appeared behind his back like a dark cloak, and he leaped toward Ricky with a fearsome snarl. At the same time, the upper half of his body seemed to turn into huge and sharp claws, which pounced toward Ricky.


    Just from the momentum, it could be seen that Kirk was more powerful than Marvel.


    However, just when Ricky was about to take action, a white tornado swept over and helped Ricky resist this strike. Then, Edie appeared in front of Ricky.


    "Let me be the one to fight this battle!" Edie called out.


    "Of course. It will be my honor to finally see you fight. I hope you''ll take this opportunity to show me your real power, Edie," Ricky replied with a smile and immediately stepped back.


    "Edie, do you really want to set yourself against Lundy?" Kirk asked in an icy tone when he realized that Edie was siding with Ricky. He wanted to threaten him with the name of


    hand. And with the combination of wind and rain, he will possess great potential to become the legendary beast," the Dragon Intent Grass remarked. It also added, "I have just mentioned that Sacred Benu has two rules, the Wind Rule and the Rain Rule."


    "It seems that Edie will be the winner of this battle!" Ricky commented as he breathed a sigh of relief.


    Of course, Kirk could also feel the pressure from Edie''s blood power, so he, too, must have known that he couldn''t delay any longer.


    At the moment, three drops of blood essence emerged from between his eyebrows and fused into his three legs separately.


    "The Tripod of Hell!"


    With a roar, three feet stepped out of the void, and a huge tripod evolved into innumerable worlds of dark hell, all of them suppressing toward Edie.


    Although it was similar to Marvel''s Omnipotent Skill, the power that spread in this strike was far from the same. It was infused with Kirk''s blood essence, after all.


    "This battle will be decided in this collision," Ricky said in a low tone.


    "The Windstorm of Two Rules!"


    Edie yelled as his massive body spun around, and he turned into a giant spiral windstorm, which seemed capable of sweeping everything in its path and destroying everything.


    At first, there was only the Wind Rule above the storm, but soon, another rule sprang up. As Ricky had said earlier, it was the Rain Rule. And when the wind and rain were combined, the force of destruction became much stronger and crazier.


    Maybe everything could be destroyed under the great power from wind and rain.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Then, their strongest attacks collided at last.

 Chapter 1186 The Visitors

    Furious waves of energy began to clash with each other. The power from the two sides seemed to be well-matched but only for a moment. In the next breath, the three-foot tripod was defeated when the destructive power of the storm pervaded.


    First, the power of the blood essence on the three-foot tripod was swept out by the storm, and countless cracks appeared on the tripod.


    Then, the storm ruthlessly ravaged Kirk''s colossal body, as a hapless dove in the middle of a tempest.


    Blood spurted out from Kirk''s parted lips, as he rolled several times until he finally came to a stop a few meters away, changing back into his human shape.


    As soon as he recovered, he moved to run away, as Marvel and the other two followed behind him closely. He looked back and spat poisonously at Edie, saying,


    "Edie, I will never forget what happened today! And you have to remember that you have offended not only me but also Lundy."


    "Humph! How dare you still act so stubbornly, when you are already at the brink of death?" Ricky said with disdain. In his mind, Kirk was as good as dead because there was no way he would just let him go.


    Thanks to the Ancestral Thunder Mutant and the Space-shrinking Pace, he could move at an incomparably high speed. And since they couldn''t tear the space or fly in the air here, it would be much easier for Ricky to catch up with Kirk.


    However, Edie stopped him just as he was about to take off after Kirk.


    "Ricky, just let them go. The four of them aren''t a threat to you anymore, but if you kill them, it will get the Wind-Mountain Alliance into trouble. The Three-legged Nether Crow tribe might try to put their deaths on our heads," said Edie.


    "Since you have said so, how can I disobey your request?" Ricky smiled sweetly at Edie.


    So far, Edie had treated him sincerely, not just in the Emperor Beast Swamp but even before they came here. Far be it from him, that he would return that kindness with enmity.


    If he killed Kirk, the Three-legged Nether Crow tribe would definitely make trouble for the Wind-Mountain Alliance, and that was the last thing he wanted for them. "Thank you very much," replied Edie, nodding his head gratefully.


    People who belonged to a great force naturally benefited from their force, as they possessed a large number of resources and were protected by powerful warriors.


    But there were also many disadvantages to belonging to a big force. The worst one was that they always had to consider how their actions w


    at they had such a member of the Wind-Mountain Alliance sullied the good name of their force. He could not help but shake his head in dismay.


    "It doesn''t matter. Everyone has his own ambition!" Ricky laughed. "Besides, I have never taken him seriously since the very beginning."


    After that, Ricky and the other two began to enter the visible swamp to collect marsh mud.


    A few hours later, they had broken in all the open swamps and obtained all the marsh mud.


    Then, the three of them divided the marsh mud equally and merged it into their bodies.


    The energy of the marsh mud was indeed pure. It could be quickly refined with only a little strength to replenish the power that they had consumed during their battles, as well as the energy they spent because of the strong gravitational pull of the area.


    "Indeed, only with the marsh mud could we always be at the peak state. The marsh mud is even better than recovery elixirs," Ricky muttered, sounding impressed.


    "Of course," responded Winifred immediately. "After all, no matter how much swamp mud we absorb and refine, there will be no side effect.


    On the other hand, if we refine too many elixirs, there might be some side effects."


    Swish!


    Just as Ricky and the other two were about to move forward, a dozen people suddenly landed.


    Immediately, Ricky''s face grew serious, for he could clearly sense that three of them were exceedingly powerful.


    "Edie, we meet again," a man in a colorful robe said first.


    "Long time no see, Sumner, Mona, and Lionel," Edie replied indifferently. "You three seemed to have joined hands. Are you coming together to take the marsh mud from me?"

 Chapter 1187 The Five-element Sect

    "Sumner is the man in the colorful robe, while Mona is that very beautiful woman. But be careful! She may look utterly gorgeous, but she is too powerful to be underestimated for her beauty. Lastly, that young man with the red hair like a lion''s mane is Lionel," Winifred explained to Ricky with her internal power, introducing the newcomers one by one.


    "They are all the finest geniuses of their generation. They are respectively from the Chromatic Peacock tribe, the Holy Wolf tribe, and the Seven-headed Golden Lion tribe."


    "So they are Sage Level geniuses, which means that all of them are peerless geniuses. Knowing that really makes me want to fight them!" Ricky replied excitedly to Winifred''s words.


    "Forget it! Although they are strong, they are still no match for you. Only Lundy can be your opponent," Winifred immediately protested.


    "By the way, aren''t there three more people who are as popular as Lundy? How about them?" Ricky asked curiously all of a sudden.


    "This swamp is only for the endless mountain in our Eastern Land, so they can''t take part in it. They, too, have their own Emperor Beast Swamp," explained Winifred.


    "If you want, you can go and compete with them after you get out of here."


    "If they came here, I would have fought them, but I''m not interested enough to go to them," said Ricky, sounding uninterested. "I just hope that the Wind-Mountain Alliance will let me use the Transmission Array after we leave here."


    "Ha-ha, it all depends on Edie. If he says yes, then you''ll be allowed to use it; but if he says no, no one can help you!" Winifred smiled as she talked to Ricky through telepathy.


    "Wow, he is that influential? Can you tell me what Edie''s real status is in your alliance?" Ricky asked curiously.


    "You can guess it yourself. It is not good for me to tell you anything about it," answered Winifred secretively, as they focused on Edie and the strangers once again.


    "Ha-ha! You think too much. If we really want to capture the marsh mud here, there is no need for three of us to be here together, right?" Sumner told Edie with a smile.


    "I was kidding, guys." Edie knew very well that they didn''t come to capture the marsh mud, but they must have a reason for their presence.


    "So, what is it that makes you three unite?" he then asked out of curiosity.


    "Of course, we came here for the Giant Visible Swamp," answered Sumner in a somber tone.


    "The Giant Visible Swamp?" Edie asked. "I don''t know what you mean."


    "What is th


    but I have made a promise to help Edie from the beginning. Now that he still needs my help, I can''t turn my back on him." Ricky smiled and nodded at them politely.


    "Well said, my friend." Sumner''s face brightened with a pleased smile, for it seemed that Ricky''s words had satisfied him. He inclined his head respectfully at Edie once again and said, "We will go ahead then."


    No more words were exchanged, as Sumner and his companions left directly afterward.


    Not long after they left, another group of people arrived to invite helpers for another genius of the Five-element Sect. This time it was Raylan of the Water Sect.


    Of course, Edie and Ricky also refused.


    But this group of people acted rudely and aggressively, and they didn''t leave until they had threatened Ricky and his companions.


    "I didn''t expect that you would refuse them. If I guess right, ten percent of the Blood Beast King will be much better than to get the blood beasts," Ricky said to Edie.


    "Of course. The energy and the Sage Level comprehension ability involved in ten percent of the Blood Beast King are indeed much better than those of the blood beasts. And I didn''t give up on the Blood Beast King," Edie answered with a sly smile.


    "Then why didn''t you say yes to them?" asked Ricky in surprise.


    "Because I''m smart enough not to think you are inferior to Lundy or those holy saints from the Five-element Sect." This time, Edie''s sly smile transformed into a smirk, waiting for Ricky to deny what he had said.


    But Ricky said nothing because he believed that Edie was too smart for that. Instead, he just shrugged his shoulders without confirming Edie''s suspicions.

 Chapter 1188 Grady

    "Isn''t it true? Or Ricky, are you willing to share the Blood Beast King with them? I seriously doubt it," Edie asked Ricky with an amused smile on his face.


    "You are such a smart guy. Just as you said, of course, I won''t be willing to share with them." Ricky smiled back with an equally amused grin, pleased that Edie seemed to know him well.


    However, a question suddenly came to his mind. He asked Edie, "But I''m curious why the people of the Five-element Sect would be involved in this matter of the Emperor Beast Swamp?"


    "It is because the Red Potentate Roc tribe has monopolized the Blood Beast King for several eras, and the other talents were naturally unwilling to accept it. That is why they decided to recruit talents from other big forces to help them, even if it means they would get less than if they did it on their own. Anyway, having little is better than nothing," Edie explained lengthily.


    "The Five-element Sect is very close to the endless mountain in the East Land, so it''s natural that Sumner would invite geniuses from the Five-element Sect.


    But, honestly, I''m not sure if Ashley and Raylan can defeat Lundy.


    When push comes to shove, an ace genius is not that easy to deal with."


    After that, with Winifred''s blood essence as a guide, Ricky and his companions continued to look for the relic.


    "Flint took the other drop of blood essence with him when he left. And now, we have used this drop of blood essence as a guide. We''ve run of our blood essence we brought with us. If we want to go out, we have to grab more blood essence from the other warriors," Winifred remarked suddenly, looking a bit worried but Ricky just smiled in return.


    "You don''t have to worry about that. I''m sure something will come our way," he assured her.


    About seven days later, they finally found where the relic could be located. When they entered the place, they found that it was the relic of a powerful warrior of the Red Potentate Roc tribe who was at the Sage Level.


    It was a blood-colored valley. The inheritance and strength of this Sage Level master from the Red Potentate Roc tribe had turned into ten blood beasts, which looked exactly like the Red Potentate Roc.


    Now, these ten blood beasts were not very strong, so the three of them subdued those them in just a few minutes.


    "I didn''t expect to find a relic that belongs to a Red Potentate Roc tribe warrior.


    , and he must have told Lundy about it," the Dragon Intent Grass guessed.


    "That must be it. Otherwise, Edie wouldn''t have shown such a strong killing intent to Flint in an instant," Ricky said and agreed.


    "Kirk, you take care of this former incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    You have already failed in Edie''s hands once. Don''t let me down this time," Grady reminded Kirk lightly.


    "Don''t worry, Grady. I can defeat him in just three moves. It doesn''t matter if he was once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor or not! He is doomed, anyway!" Kirk boasted at once, glaring at Ricky with murderous eyes. As his dark power surged around him like a wave, he appeared by Ricky''s side.


    But in the blink of an eye, Ricky disappeared from his eyes and reappeared behind him.


    Ricky had exploded his Ancestral Thunder Mutant and Space-shrinking Pace, so how could Kirk catch him?


    "Ancestral Thunder Intent Formula!"


    The moment the Thunder Light Blade was condensed, Ricky activated the Ancestral Thunder Intent Formula and instantly expanded his body to about thirty feet tall. The Thunder Light Blade was surrounded by the destructive power, and Ricky used it to cut Kirk''s body in half.


    Along with it, Kirk''s soul was also cut in half.


    Kirk died in the blink of an eye. He didn''t feel any pain, and perhaps, he didn''t even realize that he had died.


    This was Ricky''s real strength.


    A so-called genius like Kirk would die in Ricky''s hands with only one strike.


    Everyone was shocked by what they saw, including Edie, because he had never thought that Ricky was this powerful.

 Chapter 1189 Futile Resistance

    "I let you go last time, but that doesn''t mean I will let you go this time," Ricky said indifferently, stepping on the ground and bathing in the light of his thunder lightning.


    Killing Kirk didn''t have the slightest psychological impact on him.


    At once, Ricky''s words broke the two groups'' stunned silence.


    "And you," Ricky continued, turning to Grady and Kirk. "Before you try to kill someone, you better find out that person''s real strength first. Otherwise, you will die for nothing."


    To be honest, Grady and Flint were so weak that they could not arouse his fighting intent.


    However, Ricky would not let go of them. Since they had already come with the intention to kill him, there was no doubt that he would return them with killing. And besides, he was more than ready to kill Flint.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    With the destructive power of the ancestral thunder spreading, Ricky''s body was filled with purple flames. This was the ancestral thunder fire.


    As soon as he finished speaking, Ricky sauntered towards Grady like a predator that found its prey, and his strength increased with every step he took.


    The pressure Grady felt grew stronger and stronger the closer Ricky got, and the fear in his heart grew invisibly as well. It was not until this moment that he realized the true meaning of being an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    As for Flint, he was so scared that he almost peed in his pants. He couldn''t help but imagine what would happen if Ricky had attacked him instead. Would he have any chance to resist?


    Or would he die without knowing what happened?


    "Stop Flint! Don''t let him go this time. You already let him go once, and see what happened?" Ricky said to Edie and Winifred using his internal power.


    "Oh! We understand, Ricky. We won''t let him go," Edie and Winifred were both surprised at first when they heard Ricky''s transmission.


    However, they readily agreed with what he planned to do.


    "Humph!" Grady was one of the peerless geniuses of his generation, and he had already killed a lot of people in his lifetime. Although Ricky''s strength frightened him a little, he was able to calm himself down before the fight. Without a trace of hesitation, he released his power, which then collided with Ricky''s power heavily.


    Boom! The power Grady erupted was a kind of burning power, which was even stronger than the flame power and lava power.


    Moreover, there was sharp keenn


    arp claw.


    It felt so powerful, like it could destroy everything in its path.


    After it had penetrated the sharp claw, the ancestral thunder piton once again bloomed and turned into an Ancestral Thunder Net, which immediately filled with the ancestral thunder runes. It covered Grady and rapidly shrunk in size, forcing Grady back into his human form.


    That was the end of the battle.


    Edie and Winifred were bowled over by what they witnessed. At this moment, they had just realized how truly powerful Ricky was.


    And they knew clearly that this was not Ricky''s strongest power.


    ''Sure enough, only Lundy can fight against him. I''m afraid even Lundy won''t be able to defeat Ricky so easily!'' Edie thought excitedly.


    In that instant, he felt his fondness for Ricky grow like a well-watered bud.


    Ricky''s astonishing power made Winifred''s eyes widen with admiration.


    After all, every girl would be attracted to such a talented warrior.


    "As I said, all your resistance is in vain." Ricky said coldly, looking at Grady who was still trapped within the Ancestral Thunder Net.


    "Indeed, everything is in vain! I regret coming here to kill you," Grady answered sullenly.


    "Very good. It seems that you are not so weak that you would ask me for mercy," declared Ricky. "It appears that, except for being lecherous, you are not good for nothing.


    I respect ambitious enemies, so I will give you this chance. You can just kill yourself! If I do this, you will suffer before you die."


    After saying that, Ricky restrained a little bit of his strength so that Grady could erupt the power to commit suicide.

 Chapter 1190 Talents Gathering

    "I didn''t expect that I would end up having to kill myself," Grady said bitterly upon hearing Ricky''s words. "I should have seen this coming."


    "That''s right. You deserve this," Ricky responded calmly.


    "But don''t celebrate yet, because, soon, you will end up just like me," Grady said threateningly, his eyes flashing cold and grey.


    "Oh? Is that so?" A faint smile pulled at the corners of Ricky''s lips as if Grady''s words had amused him.


    "My brother, Lundy, will avenge me!" Grady looked excessively confident as he declared this, but Ricky didn''t look any less amused.


    "Your brother will never know what happened between us. And even if he manages to find out, I will send him to his creator so that you two can reunite," Ricky retorted, flashing Grady a taunting smile.


    "Will you?" Grady responded with a sneer.


    "You''ll find out soon enough. Take your life now!" Ricky said.


    Grady was not a coward. Knowing that Ricky would not let him live, he destroyed his soul to end his life.


    Once he was dead, he turned into his beast form¡ªa Red Potentate Roc. Ricky absorbed his beast form into the Devourer Zone, which provided nourishment for his Blood Vitality Devouring Skill.


    As soon as Grady took his last breath, Flint''s last hope shattered into pieces. Tears poured down his cheeks, as he fell to his knees on the muddy swamp ground.


    He turned to Edie with a pitiful look and cried,


    "Edie, Winifred, we grew up together. Let me go this time for old time''s sake. I swear I won''t do it again.


    And besides, we are all members of the Wind-Mountain Alliance, and we are related by blood. If I die, how will you explain it to our seniors?"


    Flint begged desperately for his life, and Ricky could see that although Winifred was scowling at Flint, Edie seemed to be hesitating.


    "Humph! When you turned your back on us and sold Edie''s secret to our enemies, did you think that we are still your family? Did you feel sorry?" Winifred snorted coldly.


    "Look at this pathetic guy, Ricky!


    He is trying to use their soft spot to get his way. If it goes on like this, I bet Edie and Winifred would not have the heart to hurt him," the Dragon Intent Grass remarked with much annoyance.


    "I know. Anyway, I never planned to let Winifred and Edie lay a hand on him since they are still connected by blood. I don''t want to hurt them," Ricky replied at once. "But I can''t let Flint live. Otherwise, he will cause me more trouble," he continued with a frown.


    ''If worse comes to worst, I will just head for the Mi


    eal blessing power, and there was no way that lower spiritual emperors like them could survive it.


    More and more people showed up.


    And before long, the most competitive three geniuses arrived. They were Lundy, Ashley, and Raylan.


    Lundy was a handsome young man who was clad in a scarlet robe. There was a golden mutant mark in between his eyebrows, which made him stand out among the crowd.


    Behind him was a horde of warriors, all of whom looked prideful and aggressive.


    As soon as Lundy appeared, the geniuses in front of him parted in the middle, making way for him automatically.


    At the same time, Sumner, Mona, and Lionel came out from another direction, and with them was a woman clothed in green, flowing dress and a hazy veil. It was none other than Ashley.


    From another direction came a good-looking young man with fair skin and a folding hand on his long, delicate-looking fingers. He was quite a charming gentleman. Behind him followed a group of warriors, looking ready to cater to his needs. It was none other than Raylan.


    Of course, Edie was more captivating than him, and Edie''s features leaned more toward the feminine side.


    The warriors present fixed their eyes on Raylan and Ashley while talking about them, but most of them paid more attention to Ashley. After all, she was a gorgeous woman and powerful to boot.


    They didn''t talk about Lundy because they already knew a lot about him. They didn''t think there was any need to talk about him.


    Soon, Ricky, Edie, and Winifred arrived. They, too, drew the attention of many warriors. After all, rumor had it that Ricky could challenge someone whose level was higher than him at the Emperor Level.

 Chapter 1191 The Blessing Blood Tower

    There was another reason why Ricky, Edie, and Winifred caught the attention of the crowd. It was because everyone knew that Lundy, Raylan, and Ashley invited Edie to team up with them, but he had refused them all. Seeing Edie with Ricky, of course, caught their attention.


    "I don''t know what''s wrong with Edie! He refused all of the invitations he got from Lundy, Raylan, and Ashely. Does he think that he has a chance of getting his hands on the Blood Beast King by himself?" a warrior whispered.


    "Unfortunately, we are not strong enough to get their attention!"


    "But we should not give up so easily. Once the Blessing Blood Tower appears, we should give it a try."


    A heated discussion broke out among the warriors.


    Among all the geniuses here, Lundy only had respect for Ashley and Raylan. He thought that they were the only ones who were qualified to be his opponents. "I don''t get it. The Five-element Sect is a powerful force, so why did you accept the invitation and come here? Why would you get involved in the fight for the Emperor Beast Swamp in the endless mountain?" Lundy said to the two talents.


    No matter how confident he was and believed that he would become a more powerful warrior in the future, he had to take Ashley and Raylan seriously. Only an incredibly conceited man would underestimate them, and he was anything but that.


    Meanwhile, Lundy looked a little restless. His brother was supposed to be here, but there was no sign of him. He was even more worried when he saw that Edie, Ricky, and Winifred had already arrived together. His intuition was telling him that something bad had happened to his brother.


    "Since we have accepted their invitation, we would do our job," Raylan replied. "Lundy, don''t tell us that you are afraid to lose to us?"


    "Ha-ha!" Lundy just let out a laugh.


    Instead of joining the conversation, Ashley chose to stand there and remain silent while she waited.


    However, all the geniuses present could feel that an intense atmosphere had enveloped between Lundy, Raylan, and Ashley. They were laughing outwardly, but they were hostile to each other in reality.


    "These three are very powerful. Ashley and Raylan even rank very high among the peerless geniuses. As for Lundy, I have a feeling that he is as talented as I am. Apparently, he is an ace genius," Ricky remarked inwardly.


    "This is the first time I''ve met an ace genius. Although Autelan, Soar, and Jasper have the potential


    th these geniuses. I think that will be a good experience," Sumner commented.


    However, Edie didn''t look interested in what Sumner just said.


    "Whatever," he replied in a frosty tone.


    Ricky jumped up, and as he entered the third floor of the Blessing Blood Tower, he found that it was a blood-colored space. In the next second, he trembled slightly and landed on a blood-colored battle ring.


    In a blink of an eye, another young man appeared in the ring.


    "It''s nice to meet you. I''m Anderson Qin from the Yellow Imperial Crocodile tribe." The young man introduced himself politely at the sight of Ricky. "I didn''t expect that my first opponent would be you, Kenney."


    "My real name is Ricky Nan," Ricky said with a polite smile. "Kenney is just my alias."


    He would be leaving the endless mountain as soon as he left the Emperor Beast Swamp. And besides, Lundy already knew his real name. Thus, he figured that there was no need to hide his identity any longer.


    "Oh, I see, Ricky," Anderson responded with a faint smile. "Anyway, it doesn''t matter what your name is. What really matters is the outcome of this battle.


    Although we will not be able to get our hands on the Blood Beast King, we must be serious about every fight as a warrior," he added.


    "You are right. Let''s get started!" Ricky said at once, nodding at him impatiently.


    "Take this!"


    The moment Anderson finished his sentence, the ring was engulfed by yellow water, and a strong killing intent enveloped it.


    "The Imperial Crocodile Claw!" Anderson shouted.


    In the next moment, thousands of yellow sharp claws appeared under the yellow water.

 Chapter 1192 Fight Lionel

    This was Anderson''s deadliest attack. He could tell that Ricky was not as simple as he had initially thought, so he was even more desperate to defeat him. And he had to do it fast.


    The numerous claws were full of ancient patterns, and strong explosive energy burst out as if it was about to release its anger.


    Unfortunately, Anderson didn''t understand Ricky at all.


    "Come out! Life and death runes! Life and Death Wings!"


    The Life and Death Wings bloomed upwards, as the power of life and death enveloped Ricky in its embrace, turning his body black and white. He instantly rushed into the endless yellow water, and his Life and Death Wings swept through every power that it passed through.


    Anderson''s claws collapsed all at once. Meanwhile, Ricky disappeared from his place and reappeared in fron


    words.


    "Well, it seems that you''re not going to compliment me anymore, even if you sound a bit disdainful when you do," Ricky said lightly, looking at Lionel''s ferocious and doubtful expression.


    "You are strong. I didn''t expect that it would be that hard to resist you," answered Lionel coldly. "However, only your body is strong. But of course, I take back all the words I said with disdain."


    "Thank you very much. I hate being looked down upon by others," Ricky said.


    "Now, show me your beast form. I want to see how strong you really are! And I also wish to see how terrifying the Seven-headed Golden Lion can be."


    "As you wish!" Lionel snorted.


    Howl!


    In the next moment, seven roars resounded from out of nowhere, as the bloody arena was instantly covered with a huge golden figure.

 Chapter 1193 The Ear-splitting Lion Roaring Skill

    The giant golden shadow loomed over the whole blood-stained battle ring. This golden power was like an ocean surging with powerful currents, and from within the golden shadow, seven large lion heads the size of a mountain popped out.


    The first impressions the seven lion heads made could be summed up in three words¡ªfearsome, deadly, and ruthless. The Seven-headed Golden Lion seemed to have enough power to rule the whole world.


    And then, the seven loud sounds earlier during the fight became more intense and long-lasting, making Ricky''s ears ring painfully.


    "It''s really rather powerful!" Ricky yelled out in surprise.


    "Humph! What''s so special about that? The Nine-headed Golden Lion is mightier and more domineering!" the Dragon Intent Grass commented as he looked unimpressed. "It was said that when the ancestor of the Nine-he


    ring, and to his surprise, his opponent this time was Sumner.


    Seeing that Ricky was his opponent, Sumner shook his head helplessly.


    "It seems that I have to give up," he said with a bitter smile. "This is ridiculous. I can''t believe that I invited you to join me. That was such a foolish act. I didn''t know you are this powerful that you don''t need to team up with others at all."


    "Ha-ha! It was because you didn''t know my background. There is no need to feel bad." Ricky smiled.


    "Never mind. I don''t want to waste my energy anymore. I admit defeat. Good luck in the coming rounds," Sumner said with a smile.


    Ricky disappeared again after Sumner admitted defeat, but this time, he appeared on the second floor.


    After a few moments, three more people landed on the second floor as well. They were Lundy, Ashley, and Raylan.

 Chapter 1194 Fight On The Second Floor

    "I know these four guys will make it to the second floor! I wonder who will win in the end." The audience stared up at the four figures standing calmly on the second floor with awe in their eyes, and their discussion grew louder and louder in excitement as if they were the ones participating at that moment.


    ''I wonder how they will decide who will fight with whom, and which of them will set foot on the first floor,'' the spectators eagerly wondered.


    As soon as the four competitors met on the tower''s second floor, their auras surged. It was as if four worlds had bumped into each other, confronting each other with immense and destructive energy.


    None of them said anything, as they were all waiting for the decision from the second floor.


    Su


    aker than me," Ricky contemptuously sneered as he looked down at Raylan, who was looking back at him murderously.


    "You are courting death!"


    Raylan couldn''t help but lose his temper after hearing Ricky''s words, but he managed to control himself quickly. Instead, he smiled and uttered in a low voice,


    "You are trying to provoke me with your words, right? Don''t overthink it." "Oh! I didn''t expect you to realize that. You''re smarter than I thought," replied Ricky with a sly grin. "But it doesn''t matter because I can defeat you anyway."


    "Humph! How dare you say that! Next, I will show you that your body and your double mutants mean nothing to me! All of your talents and skills are just trash in front of my mutant," Raylan roared angrily.

 Chapter 1195 Mutant Competition

    Splash!


    The moment Raylan finished speaking, the water power around him grew even more turbulent, surging as if every body of water in the galaxy had been emptied and poured out and circled around him.


    His power seemed endless at this point. It felt like he didn''t need to rely on the marsh mud''s power he carried.


    After that, the heavenly power in Raylan''s body immediately increased.


    "It looks like you have finally revealed your mutant and blood power," Ricky said, looking pleased, even though this battle had just become tougher.


    When the mark between Raylan''s eyebrows appeared, his body had instantly turned into a water spirit.


    The Water Mutant could activate all kinds of water power, including heavenly water power, earthly water power, and poisoning


    en. "Although the realm''s suppression is strong, it seems that the mutant''s suppression is a lot stronger. Ricky has been controlling the rhythm of this battle since he brought out his mutants, and soon, both of them would be too exhausted to fight. If that were to happen, Ricky would surely win."


    "That''s right! But Raylan won''t sit still waiting for death. I''m sure he''ll do something."


    The people outside hadn''t even finished speaking when Raylan suddenly stood up straighter and separated from Ricky.


    "My water power, please bless me with the nine dragon bombs," he roared furiously, and numerous water tornados rose around him.


    With that, his strength soared to its limit once more, and nine rays of water dragons slithered around him like poisonous snakes.

 Chapter 1196 The Chaotic Power

    Howl! Howl!


    All of a sudden, the sound of dragon shrieks echoed from a distance. Then, nine water dragon shadows came out of nowhere and encircled Raylan.


    The heavenly law''s pure water power gathered and formed each water dragon and fashioned them as big as a mountain. They looked as if each one could swallow the sky and the earth.


    With a fierce roar, the nine water dragons finally took shape, and they formed a certain array surrounded by the void. The nine dragon''s heads stared at Ricky intently, seemingly studying him, while the water power from the heavenly law poured down, putting immense pressure on him.


    The power of this strike was absolutely overwhelming.


    Invisibly, there was the array power in the strike.


    As Raylan formed a smaller array with his hands before his chest, the nine water dragons pounced t


    while, a harsh voice broke the dead silence.


    "Damn it, am I dreaming? That is the chaotic power!"


    "I''m not dreaming. That is indeed a gray-colored power, and its resolving power is evident. Yes, I''m sure it''s chaotic power."


    The battle between Ashley and Lundy stopped again, as they were both unable to look away from Ricky. Ashley seemed awed but not at all shocked.


    On the other hand, Lundy had a sullen and fearsome expression on his face. He was incredibly jealous that Ricky could do this, and he didn''t want to admit to himself that Ricky was actually a brilliant warrior.


    Ricky was previously an incredible demi-spiritual emperor, and that made him jealous at first. Now, he not only burst out six mutants but also the chaotic power. And Lundy''s arrogant heart was destroyed when he saw these with his own eyes.

 Chapter 1197 The Result

    But Lundy, after all, was an ace genius. There was no way he could be so fragile mentally.


    His lunacy was only temporary.


    "Why? How can you burst out chaotic power?" Of course, Raylan was the most apoplectic, as he was Ricky''s current opponent. He couldn''t accept that Ricky seemed even stronger than him. He roared and snarled, but in his rage, he forgot to launch an attack.


    Meanwhile, Ricky merely ignored Raylan''s tantrum. As the chaotic power had erupted, the time to end the battle grew closer.


    ''The chaotic power which owns one-tenth of the strength of the primitive power, show me how mighty you are!'' Ricky thought to himself with excitement.


    When he used the chaotic power again this time, he felt his strength in


    my Life and Death Mutant, only when I combine life and death with each other can I unleash the most powerful attack."


    "Yes, the combination of life and death is terrifying," the Dragon Intent Grass also agreed. "But it seems that Lundy has great self-confidence as he didn''t even activate the power of his mutant!"


    "Let''s wait and see!" Ricky said.


    While Lundy looked at the power of the two dragons, there was still no change in his eyes. He was still as ferocious and confident as when they had started.


    Thump!


    In the next breath, Lundy stomped hard on the ground, and two deep cracks spread out of the bloody battle ring.


    This time, the endless heat encircled Lundy, which was enough to instantly melt everything.

 Chapter 1198 A Mountain Cannot Accommodate Two Tigers

    The bloody ring began to break apart due to the overwhelming force, and cracks began to emerge from every nook and cranny. It was lucky that the blessing power had strengthened the battle ring''s recovery ability. Otherwise, the participants would have destroyed it a thousand times by now.


    "What a brutal force! It seems like it is on par with the combined force between my Chaotic Fire and Fire Dragon Extremity," Ricky exclaimed, sounding a little bit fascinated.


    "I have to say that Lundy is exceedingly talented. He truly deserves to be called an ace genius," the Dragon Intent Grass also remarked after it felt Lundy''s impressive power.


    "Divide of Burning Flame!" Lundy shouted furiously as his eyes turned into the color of flaming lava.


    was the first time that Lundy had spoken after repelling Ricky.


    An invisible power burst out from Lundy, much like how the sovereign acted. Lundy''s jealousy was gone, as he defeated Ricky with all his strength.


    Of course, it was only Lundy himself who thought that he had won.


    "I''m the only ace genius in the world," he shouted at Ricky.


    After saying that, Lundy gathered his strength again, and he prepared himself for another heart-stopping attack. He couldn''t let go of Ricky.


    But in the next breath, Ricky''s voice suddenly echoed from the bottomless pit, and the golden light bloomed all of a sudden. "Are you really the only ace genius in the world? I don''t think so!" He stepped over the airwaves and once again confronted Lundy.

 Chapter 1199 The Scorching Mutant

    As he spoke, Ricky wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Lundy''s punch packed a lot of heat. It hurt a lot and made his body feel numb with too much pain.


    ''He is indeed a powerful opponent!'' Ricky sighed in his heart.


    Honestly, he would have lost half of his life if the six mutants and chaotic power didn''t protect him and boost his defense. Lundy''s attack would have killed him in that instant.


    At that moment, Ricky truly felt that a minor gap in realm when they were all at Emperor Realm meant huge gap in strength. Ricky could challenge those stronger while they were all at the Emperor Realm because he had once been an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    "Oh! I didn''t expect you to stand up." Lundy looked slightly surprised w


    d at the far-left.


    "Wow, what a fierce battle! I''m so jealous!" Watching their battle, all the warriors could not help but admire them even more. They desperately wanted to be in their shoes.


    Only after several hundred rounds did they stop. At this moment, their powers were burning like fire, and massive wounds were littered all over their bodies.


    "I will kill you!" Lundy roared.


    "Then show me your power already! I''m beginning to get bored..." Ricky sneered despite his wounds as if he wasn''t feeling any pain at all.


    And at this moment, he had activated his Ancestral Intent Formula.


    With death intent in his eyes, Lundy also launched a deadly attack as he shouted, "Heaven''s scorching flame and flaming shock wave! Come out!"

 Chapter 1200 Resurrection

    Boom!


    The next moment, Lundy''s whole body ignited with the red flame. His body changed again and grew as tall as sixty feet, and in this way, his Scorching Mutant became more pronounced. At this moment, Lundy looked like he was gathering countless scorching worlds to him.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Each inch in his vicinity started to explode, and spinning crimson balls of lava splashed from the blasts. The more revolutions the crimson lava balls made, the larger they became, similar to a snowball growing larger with every roll.


    In just a short time, several gigantic dark red planets had surrounded Lundy.


    Meanwhile, Lundy''s heavenly power connected the giant lava balls, like a broad star array that rushed toward Ricky. As the lava balls fused int


    t breath. It also managed to heal all his wounds completely, making it so much better than the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill and the Life Wings.


    "I had no choice. Lundy is much more powerful than I thought. I had to use this secret skill," Ricky confessed, shaking his head. "This is a more profound Omnipotent Skill that I have comprehended from the Life Wings. As long as I am alive, I can instantly recover to my peak health."


    "That''s brilliant! It means that it will be very difficult for your opponents to kill you in future battles!" the Dragon Intent Grass exclaimed after hearing Ricky''s words.


    It was indeed an incredible Omnipotent Skill.


    "If only this skill will bring only benefits," Ricky said in a low voice.


    "What do you mean?"

 Chapter 1201 Would Ricky Lose

    "Each use of an Omnipotent Skill has a price that one has to pay. How can I not pay the price for the skill of the Resurrection?" Ricky declared gruffly and shrugged. He further continued,


    "And the cost of that is my lifespan. It will consume at least a hundred years of my life if I raise myself from death once. If I am injured heavily, it will consume about a thousand years. That is to say¡ªI borrowed my future lifespan."


    "I see! But you will become immortal once you become a holy being. That would make this move worth the risk.


    What a brilliant plan!" the Dragon Intent Grass said lightly.


    "I still have a long way to go before I can become a holy being," sighed Ricky in response.


    However, the Dragon Intent Grass didn''t say anything more.


    gh Ricky did amazingly before, and even though he just released fifty percent blade intent, there is still a big gap in strength between him and Lundy. Perhaps, this is because the latter''s power is nearly equal to that of a three-star lower spiritual emperor."


    "That''s right. In a word, it still comes down to the difference between the realms!"


    "Ricky is doomed. What a pity! His talent should still be superior to Lundy, but he has only cultivated for a little time.


    If his realm were on the same level as Lundy, nobody could compete with him!"


    "Ricky, you are really powerful! I have to say that up until now, I admire you, and you are the first person who has won my admiration. Unfortunately, you will lose eventually!" Lundy declared firmly.

 Chapter 1202 Fighting State At The Middle Realm

    Ricky had already used the chaotic power, the six mutants, and the mysterious chromatic energy. After that, an array appeared with fifty percent blade intent. Lundy was shocked because Ricky just kept pulling out all the stops. It was like he had an unlimited supply of aces up his sleeves.


    Thus, Lundy had to admit that Ricky was indeed powerful and deserved his respect.


    However, Lundy still firmly believe that he would be the victor today. Ricky would only serve as his stepping stone because of the gap between their real strengths and realms.


    In the end, no matter what Ricky did, his power was ultimately weaker than that of the heavenly meteorites that Lundy had summoned.


    "It''s flattering to hear your admiration. But as I said, if you want to kill me, then you must speak with your strength. I haven''t lost yet," R


    ed, everything would be useless.


    Bang! A loud crashing sound echoed in the tower as Ricky''s strongest Galaxy Saber Strike collided hard with the two heavenly meteorites.


    He needed to bring down the meteorites, and he pushed the Galaxy Saber Strike to destroy everything.


    Boom! For a moment, no sound could be heard except for the explosive noise that their collision made. The space between them shattered like delicate glass.


    The whole bloody ring seemed about to fall apart as if the universe had been destroyed.


    And then, the spectators spotted two shadows floating beneath the strong waves.


    At that moment, they were fighting as hard as they could. After a long time, everything was destroyed, and it seemed that the battle had already been decided.


    As the waves dissipated, the two figures finally emerged.

 Chapter 1203 Kill Without Mercy

    Once the airwaves had dissipated, all eyes focused on the center where the two figures finally emerged¡ªRicky and Lundy.


    Both men were a mess of broken bones, wounds, and blood, as they laid barely conscious on the battle ring. They were evidently at their last gasp. They could scarcely breathe, let alone get up and fight.


    "Both sides are badly injured!" Everyone was taken aback by what they had just seen.


    However, they were not very surprised because Ricky and Lundy had released an equal amount of power to hurt each other. It was highly likely that both men had suffered significant losses as a result.


    And that was just the fact.


    Some people immediately started to discuss what could happen next. "If both sides are badly injured, who will the Blessing Blood Tower choose? I this case, I don''t think they could just get the Blood Beast King like this."


    "I''m afraid that won''t happen. Can you believe it? They will probably start fighting again once they have recovered some of their strength." The onlookers discussed among themselves heatedly.


    "It looks like both of us are too injured to con


    us, a prodigy, and one of the best warriors in the world died.


    "He is dead! Ricky really killed Lundy!"


    "What a decisive young man! He killed him without batting an eyelash!"


    "It''s just as I expected. After all, if Ricky didn''t kill him, the members of the Red Potentate Roc tribe won''t let him go."


    "I finally won!" As the Shadowy Replications took Lundy''s body, Ricky gave a deep sigh.


    He felt that he had grown stronger somehow.


    "The extraordinary ace genius Lundy is dead!" At this moment, the surrounding warriors were all preoccupied with Lundy''s death. Of course, more of their eyes were on Ricky and his Shadowy Replications.


    The death of a peerless ace genius was a witness to the growth of another peerless ace genius.


    Boom!


    All of a sudden, the blood mountain exploded, and a huge blood shadow shot out like a dragon.


    "Is this the Blood Beast King?" Ricky murmured.


    "It''s the Blood Beast King! It looks so powerful! Judging from its aura, I feel like it''s as strong as a two-star lower spiritual emperor," the geniuses around said seriously, their eyes flashing with greed.

 Chapter 1204 An Unexpected Surprise

    However, no matter how greedy they were, they couldn''t get their hands on the Blood Beast King.


    "This Blood Beast King has the power of a two-star lower spiritual emperor at the peak state. How will Ricky deal with it?" some warriors commented doubtfully.


    "Although his real body is at his last breath, his two Shadowy Replications are definitely going to help him hold on for a while.


    Then once he recovers, the Blood Beast King will be like child''s play for him."


    Just as those warriors expected, Ricky''s two Shadowy Replications helped him resist the Blood Beast King for two hours. At this time, both Shadowy Replications showed great power, as both were close to a two-star lower spiritual emperor at peak state.


    Thankfully, they were enough to withstand the attack from the Blood Beast King.


    Ricky recovered some of his strength later, so he wasted no time joining the battle. As soon as he could, he immediately jumped in to help his Shadowy Replications fight off the Blood Beast King.


    After several rounds, a blade light suddenly fell from between the Blood Beast King''s eyebrows, and its fighting instinct completely disappeared. It stopped moving and stood as still as a marble statue.


    When Ricky saw this, he immediately jumped in with his Iron Justice Saber and


    was determined to leave the Emperor Beast Swamp immediately and head to the Middle Land as fast as he could with the help of the Transmission Array.


    Edie and Winifred knew precisely what he wanted, so they nodded quickly and turned to leave.


    However, before Ricky could take a step forward, two figures had landed in front of him and blocked his way. They were none other than Raylan and Ashley.


    When the surrounding warriors saw this, they were overjoyed. After all, the only ones who could threaten Ricky here were the two of them.


    They could never win alone, but if the two teamed up to fight against Ricky, they might have a fighting chance.


    "Are you sure you want to steal from me?" Ricky asked coldly, startled to see them blocking his way.


    He didn''t expect that the two of them, especially Ashley, could be this kind of person.


    Honestly, he was surprised and slightly disappointed.


    "Hand over the Five-element Flag, or you won''t be able to leave here today," Raylan ferociously snarled as he pointed at Ricky.


    "The Five-element Flag?" Ricky repeated and looked at him in surprise for a moment as if he didn''t understand what Raylan was saying.


    And then, he rolled his eyes and seemed to understand something. "So, that flag is called the Five-element Flag!"

 Chapter 1205 Going To The Middle Land

    "Raylan and Ashley both recognized the flag, and they even know its name. Perhaps, it has something to do with the Five-element Sect?"


    The crowd started to whisper among themselves upon hearing Raylan''s words.


    Meanwhile, Ricky asked Raylan and Ashley straightforwardly, "Does this flag have anything to do with your Five-element Sect?" At that very moment, he finally understood why Raylan and Ashley were acting strangely. It would explain why they would suddenly join hands.


    "Of course. The Five-element Flag is actually our sect leader''s sacred weapon," Raylan answered him coldly.


    "Oh, so that is why! But why do you expect me to give it up? Whether this flag has anything to do with your sect doesn''t have anything to do with me. And besides, I obtained it rightfully, so there''s no way I will just give it up," countered Ricky.


    He now understood that the reason Ashley and Raylan came to the Emperor Beast Swamp was to look for the Five-element Flag, but they didn''t expect that the flag would appear here.


    "Ricky, although our Five-element Sect has divided into different branches, and we may not be as strong as before, we all share the same attitude toward this matter. We all hold this flag in high reward," declared As


    el could design Transmission Arrays. The cost of hiring such an array expert was far more than that of hiring a saint.


    "Please don''t worry, sir. I swear that I won''t tell a soul!" answered Ricky earnestly. "That''s good. You can go inside now!" said the guard, leaving Ricky behind to say his farewells.


    Ricky nodded to Winifred and Edie.


    "It''s time to part, my friends. Goodbye." After that, he finally went inside, where he found a place similar to a tunnel.


    Gravity seemed weak inside the place, and Ricky felt like he could float in the air.


    ''At last, I will finally be in Middle Land after half a day,'' Ricky thought to himself excitedly.


    Meanwhile, as Ricky was using the Transmission Array, the warriors who witnessed what he had done in the Wild Beast Swamp spread tales of his exploits with everyone they met.


    Before half a day had passed, the whole eastern area of the endless mountain had heard of what he had done.


    "Ricky had killed Lundy, an ace genius? How did that happen?" All the creatures who heard that news found it hard to believe.


    On the other hand, Ricky''s exploits in the Eastern Land also reached the Middle Land.


    "Ricky was once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor! That''s unbelievable!"

 Chapter 1206 Getting Ready

    In short, the astonishing news spread through the eastern part of the endless mountain, sparking incessant discussions for a long time. Unsurprisingly, all eyes were on the two forces¡ªthe Red Potentate Roc tribe and the Flame Valley.


    Needless to say, the Red Potentate Roc tribe was the strongest Sage Level force in the eastern part of the endless mountain, not to mention the individual strengths of their members. They would be the laughingstock if they didn''t take any action to deal with Ricky.


    On the other hand, the Flame Valley was also a strong, influential force that could even be regarded as a demi-sage Level force.


    Like many warriors expected, the Red Potentate Roc tribe tracked Ricky on to the Wind-Mountain Alliance''s territory. However, they were too late, as he was no longer there.


    Even though the Red Potentate Roc tribe was strong, they couldn''t take advantage of the Wind-Mountain Alliance or blame them for not keeping Ricky. After all, the Wind-Mountain Alliance was not a weak organization. So the former could only make harsh remarks but couldn''t do anything.


    Perhaps, the Wind-Mountain Alliance didn''t want to create conflict with the Red Potentate Roc tribe as well, so they immediately told the latter that Ricky had gone to the Middle Land. It didn''t matter anyway. The Middle Land was a vast place, so the Red Potentate Roc tribe would undoubtedly have difficulty fi


    in them.


    "Amelia, cast away the fear in your heart and face the heavenly tribulation. This is your life and death battle, so you must set aside all thoughts of life and death and fear. Only then can you succeed. You must take courage and forge ahead!" urged Ricky earnestly.


    "Okay!" Amelia nodded her head firmly, and her beautiful eyes gradually filled with determination and fighting spirit. At that moment, all the energy on her body dispersed.


    Boom! The entire area suddenly turned into a wreck, looking devastated and somber. Countless pieces of destructive thunderbolts poured down in an instant, and soon, the whole place was filled with two colors.


    It looked like Amelia had summoned the two-colored Thunderstroke Doom.


    When he saw this, Ricky breathed a sigh of relief, for he was a hundred percent confident that Amelia could overcome this two-colored Thunderstroke Doom.


    However, it would be a different case if she had summoned a tricolored Thunderstroke Doom.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    In an instant, the first attack from the Thunderstroke Doom descended, and a thick purple thunder light bloomed, which hit Amelia right between her eyebrows.


    Her Rainwater Mutant simultaneously burst out and formed a rainwater world around her body. To be precise, it wasn''t a single rainwater world but several layers of rainwater worlds.


    "Holy Rainwater Shield!" she shouted loudly.

 Chapter 1207 Another Misty South Palace

    Splash!


    The world of water and rain instantly shrank after her cries. It resembled an endless armor plate, as it transformed into a sturdy shield that could resist the first strike of the Thunderstroke Doom.


    Boom! In the next moment, the ground slid apart and shook, while forceful airwaves permeated the surrounding atmosphere. Large scale thunder and lightning engulfed the whole area. Wherever the earth cracked, it ate countless trees, plants, and other living creatures, leaving chaos in its wake.


    Seeing this, Ricky could only clench his fists tightly as he broke out into a cold sweat. Although he trusted in Amelia''s abilities, he couldn''t help but be anxious for her safety. Unfortunately, he couldn''t help her, so he needed to content himself with staring at the center of thunder and lightning.


    A few minutes later, the first strike of the Thunderstroke Doom finally dissipated into thin air.


    And in the center of this strike left a purple, scorching small world, resembling a silk cocoon. It was the shield that Amelia had created. Ricky sighed in relief once he laid eyes on the shield. Although the thunder and lightning had scorched it, it wasn''t broken up, after all.


    That meant that Amelia had passed the first trail of the Thunderstroke Doom.


    Crack! At first, thin spider web cracks appeared on the scorched shield.


    Then in the next breath, a loud crack resounded be


    ut burst into laughter. "Ha-ha!"


    The Dragon Intent Grass was, of course, weirded out by her reaction, so Tina had to tell it everything. To say that it was shocked was an understatement. "What?! How dare you build your own force and name it the Misty South Palace!" The Dragon Intent Grass couldn''t get over its astonishment.


    It swore that Ricky must really be the most daring person in the Misty South, for only he would do something like that.


    Amelia also glanced at Ricky with an exasperated look while she listened to Tina''s explanation.


    "But how was I supposed to know? No one has ever told me that the biggest power in the Misty South is also called the Misty South Palace!" Ricky blurted out, looking slightly flustered from all the attention he was getting.


    "And you, Tina, we already knew each other at that time. Why didn''t you tell me that?" Ricky asked Tina in a reproachful tone.


    "It''s okay. No one at that place knows what the name means anyway. Besides, Doris and I were hiding in the dark at that time, so we didn''t hear your conversation. How could I know you would use such a name?" Tina smiled innocently.


    "Afterward, it was too late when I found out, and I didn''t think it was appropriate to tell you."


    "All right. Fortunately, I didn''t attract a major disaster because of that. From then on, I didn''t develop my Misty South Palace, otherwise..." Ricky sighed.

 Chapter 1208 Unexpected Visitors

    The Misty South Palace was the strongest power on the Misty South, and it was also the oldest force to exist. Their founder started the group way back at the very beginning of the devil race''s invasion, for the Misty South Palace was born to resist the devil race.


    Of course, another important reason why the Misty South Palace was the most influential force was that top warriors in every era would appear in the Misty South Palace.


    It was no exception in this era. Otis, the most powerful man on the continent, was the current lord of the Misty South Palace.


    The Misty South Palace was strong indeed, but their top warriors seldom stayed in this continent, as the devil race had not moved around. Perhaps, the Misty South Palace''s only activity here was recruiting talented disciples in the Middle Land and training them.


    Any force, especially a strong one, would undoubtedly be offended if they found another force with the same name. If they discovered that Ricky had established a force with the name of the Misty South Palace, it could end disastrously for him.


    The Misty South Palace was the mightiest force on the Misty South, so he could just imagine what they would do if another party had the same name as them.


    And even if the Misty South Palace didn''t show up to teach Ricky a lesson, their allies and friends would definitely come to take action.


    If that were the case, ho


    confronted each other. Their power and momentums surged and flowed over each other as if looking for a weak spot.


    Ricky could feel that Raylan had become more formidable in the short time that they didn''t see each other. It seemed normal to him, though, since he had defeated Raylan last time. Thus, Raylan must have doubled his efforts in practice to be stronger the next time they saw each other.


    "Who is this white-haired young man?" Some of the crowd began to whisper.


    "Is he a genius from some other region''s strong Sage Level force? Is that why Raylan came here to visit him in person?" Seeing Ricky, all the warriors around felt their curiosity boil up to overwhelming levels.


    "Raylan, you moved really fast! You are even one step faster than me." At this point, a delicate voice rang out, and another group of warriors also arrived at the inn hall.


    The leader of the group was a masked woman¡ªAshley.


    "It''s Ashley!" When the surrounding warriors saw the woman, they were even more astonished. That was especially true of those male warriors, who acted like they had seen a goddess when she appeared.


    "Ricky, Ashley is also here. It seems like today is full of surprises. If you think something is wrong, don''t hesitate to run away, and don''t be afraid of being exposed. You have to put your life before anything else, you hear me?" the Dragon Intent Grass earnestly advised.

 Chapter 1209 Rickys Decision

    "Ashley, you are here too!" Raylan called out her name with a bitter smile as soon as he saw her. He didn''t look surprised at all though, for he had already anticipated that she would soon arrive with her entourage.


    "Look! Ashley has also come, and she seems to be here for this white-haired young man as well. Who the hell is he?"


    The surrounding warriors stared at them with great curiosity.


    Meanwhile, Ashley approached Ricky amicably and greeted him, "Hey, Ricky! How have you been?"


    "Hello, Ashley. I''m doing good," Ricky replied in a low voice before he turned to look back and forth at Raylan and Ashley.


    "What brings you two here?" he then asked them coldly. In any other case, these two could have been his friends, but because they were here for the Five-element Flag, he and these two people were enemies. Thus, he couldn''t simply welcome them with open arms.


    "Ricky, don''t be so dramatic! I didn''t come here to fight," Raylan answered with a faint smile. The folding fan in his hand stirred restlessly as he continued, "Actually, I came here today to invite you to visit my place. We are hoping that you would be interested in joining the water branch.


    I believe that with your talent, you will undoubtedly rise to b


    y knew Ricky, the once demi-spiritual emperor.


    She naturally admired Ricky because of his talents, though they had starkly different views from the very beginning.


    "Ricky, I want to know what the wood branch offered you," said Raylan with a scowl. Then he continued, "No matter what they offer, we are prepared to offer you double."


    Meanwhile, the surrounding warriors became even more envious after hearing Raylan''s offer. "I can''t believe it! That white-haired young man must be incredibly talented. And if this isn''t about his talent, what on earth is with him that the Five-element Sect want so much?" they exclaimed dubiously.


    At this point, Ricky could only smile at Raylan since he didn''t know what else to say. "I don''t think you can offer me anything that can change my mind, Raylan. After all, some things can''t be bought by cultivation resources or Treasures from Heaven and Earth."


    "Really? Your words make me want to know even more. Besides, I still don''t believe that we can''t work out a better deal," Raylan insisted.


    "Fine! It looks like I have no other choice but to tell you the truth. The vice leader of the wood branch said that if I join them, I will be permitted to marry Ashley," replied Ricky seriously.

 Chapter 1210 The Saint Appears

    A thick, harrowing silence fell over the crowd. The people''s eyes were wide in shock, but none dared to disturb the quiet while their minds were rushing to understand what they had just heard.


    Even after Ricky''s voice faded away, the people in the inn hall were still frozen in astonishment, watching Ricky and Ashley with a dumbfounded expression.


    Finally, after a long, tense silence, the onlookers began to react one after another.


    They looked at Ricky with admiration and deep jealousy because they believed that most of what Ricky had said was the truth.


    Initially, both Ashley and Raylan had tried their best to invite Ricky to join them. Ricky said that he would consider it but didn''t outright agree with either of them, which indicated that Ricky wasn''t interested in the position of the holy son, nor was he interested in the abundant cultivation resources they two could provide him if he joined them. That made it plain as day that material riches could never sway Ricky.


    However, whatever he had seen in the jade slip that Ashley gave him had instantly changed his mind.


    Perhaps, beauty was the most attractive thing to a man like him. He could reject anything without a care except for the allure of a woman¡ªthat was how ever


    heart.


    "I''m sorry about this, Raylan, but I have to choose the wood branch instead of the water branch," Ricky finally said.


    As the dust settled down, the warriors around couldn''t help but stare at Ricky enviously. They didn''t think badly of him for choosing the wood branch because of Ashley, for if they were him, they would also make the same choice in a heartbeat.


    "Come on then. Let''s go," Ashley said shortly. She was in a bad mood. All she wanted was asking Ricky to leave with her as soon as possible.


    Ricky didn''t mind her bad attitude at all. He smiled slightly and prepared to leave, but a voice stopped him in his tracks.


    "Since ancient times, it''s natural for heroes to fall for beautiful women, but the enjoyment brought by martial arts is infinite. Once you have become a powerful man, you can choose any woman you want."


    Then, a man clothed in a white robe appeared.


    He was a middle-aged man who had a lot of white hair, and his wise, meaningful look seemed to reflect all the tribulations that he had experienced in his lifetime.


    As soon as the man appeared, all the eyes abruptly gravitated towards him.


    "It''s the Nether Water Saint!" one of the crowd shouted out in surprise when he recognized the newcomer.

 Chapter 1211 Battle Between Saints

    In the entire Five-element Region,


    the Nether Water Saint was regarded as one of the strongest saints in their records.


    Moreover, he was also tasked as the vice leader of the Five-element Sect''s water branch. The Five-element Sect had no leader for a long time, and this was one of the main reasons why the sect had been divided into various branches. Due to them being leaderless, the leaders of the sect''s branches took the initiative and all appointed themselves as the vice leaders of their respective branches.


    Meanwhile, upon seeing the Nether Water Saint, everyone in the surroundings stood up straight and bowed. Lining up in straight rows, they greeted respectfully, "Greetings, sir!"


    It was said that no matter how powerful a spiritual emperor was, he was obliged to lower his head in front of a saint because clearly, he didn''t have the strength to provoke him.


    "Master!" Raylan greeted with utmost respect.


    "Nice to see you, sir!" Ashley said. The Nether Water Saint was, in fact, as old as Wood Saint. Therefore, Ashley found it deemed necessary to return the respect.


    On the other hand, Ricky also bowed and greeted the saint, showing nothing but admiration and respect. It did not matter to him if a saint held a different stance from him in terms of martial arts, for he revered and honored eve


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    two saints were not from the same branch, Ricky didn''t assume that they were enemies.


    However, Ricky kind of knew the reason behind it. In fact, they all hoped that the Five-element Sect could be united again, but despite this wonderful aspiration, none of them obeyed to the others. As a result, they didn''t have a real leader.


    That was why, at that moment, he made sure to use the right words so as not to offend Raylan and Ashley in any manner.


    "Humph!" Ashley just snorted.


    At that moment, Ricky did not only win the favor of her master, but also the favor of the Nether Water Saint. Without a doubt, the two saints had been fighting over Ricky''s membership to their respective branches.


    Ashley really did not know why the saints valued Ricky so much, despite the fact that he was once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    Somehow, she felt a bit jealous of Ricky.


    On the other hand, Raylan also ignored Ricky. Frankly, all that ran through his mind at that moment was the image of him killing Ricky. Raylan was relieved that Ricky did not join the water branch. Otherwise, his position in the water branch would be challenged once he witnessed how Ricky was valued by his master.


    At that moment, Ricky could not help but feel helpless when he felt that the two turned their cold shoulders to him.

 Chapter 1212 Regain The Five-element Flag

    "Ha-ha, looks like you''re going to have a hard time in the Five-element Sect in the following days." The Dragon Intent Grass laughed.


    "It doesn''t matter. I just wanted to relieve the embarrassment. Besides, I am just staying there for a while. I don''t plan on making any friends on my visit," Ricky said.


    The Misty South Palace was still his dream destination.


    ...


    A few hours later, Wells and Lloyd landed simultaneously. Lloyd was still the calm and energetic self he always was. It was as if he hadn''t been through a battle at all.


    Wells, on the other hand, had a trace of discomfort, and naturally, his black hair was a bit messy.


    Obviously, Wells had been at a disadvantage in the previous confrontation.


    "All right, Lloyd. I''ll give him to you now. But don''t train him to be as soft as you are," Wells said lightly. "And I do hope you won''t get involved in the matter of the Five-element Flag."


    "You can rest assured that I am not that kind of person," Lloyd answered in a soft tone.


    Then, Wells turned to Raylan and said, "Let''s go." They left.


    "We must leave, too.


    This is not a good place to talk." Lloyd declared, again in


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    d spoke up again.


    "All right then. I will let Ashley take you to your place. You two will be able to talk to each other in private. After all, you have already..."


    Before he could finish his words, Ashley angrily interrupted, "Master!"


    "Ha-ha, okay, okay. I won''t meddle in your personal affairs. I have some important things waiting for me anyway. Ashley, you make arrangements for Ricky first and also tell him about the selection of the holy son,"


    "Okay,"


    was her reply.


    Afterward, Ricky followed Ashley to his place of residence.


    "Ashley, look. I''m sorry for what I did before. I was mean and cruel, and I want to apologize. I hope you understand," Ricky said apologetically once they were outside.


    "Humph! You are a bastard!" Ashley just snorted.


    Ricky spread his hands helplessly at this response.


    "Listen up. I am going to tell you about the selection of holy son as my master told me to," Ashley added in a cold voice.


    Obviously, if it weren''t for Lloyd, she wouldn''t have spoken a word to Ricky.


    "I''m all ears!" Ricky smiled. He did not care about Ashley''s attitude towards him as long as he could get what he wanted.

 Chapter 1213 Three Holy Sons-to-be

    "It is said that the holy son and the holy daughter are the backbones of any Sage Level force. In fact, they are the most valued disciples. In short, they are the heirs to this Sage Level force, if you get my drift," Ashley explained.


    At that moment, there was a distinct trace of haughtiness in her voice. Perhaps, this was because she had been the holy daughter of the wood branch from the very start.


    Of course, Lloyd''s trust helped her a lot. But her success would still mainly rely on her efforts. If Ashley was not powerful enough, then she would have already be deprived of the position of the holy daughter.


    "So a holy son and a holy daughter represent the Sage Level force, to some degree," she added.


    "Got it. Then, a holy son and a holy daughter have many rights and privileges to enjoy. Am I right?" Ricky clarified.


    "Yes. Also keep in mind that the holy son and the holy daughter will know everything except for the core matters. They are qualified to obtain any cultivation method and any cultivation resource," expounded Ashley.


    "Oh, I can''t wait to be one of them," Ricky said gently.


    "As far as I know, my master probably wants you to be the holy son. But on the contrar


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    .


    When Ricky came, all eyes were plastered on him directly, but they were not friendly at all.


    "Ha-ha! So, is this the special welcome ceremony for me?" Ricky mocked.


    On the other hand, he certainly knew the reason for this gathering¡ªit was because of the news that Ashley was already engaged to him. In the wood branch, Ashley was considered to be a goddess among all the male disciples.


    So, those disciples could not help but feel angry and act wildly upon hearing the shocking news.


    "Yes, yes. They are here to welcome you." Ashley gave a sneer.


    She knew that this would happen. She just hoped that these male disciples making things difficult for Ricky.


    Surely, there must be some stand-outs among these disciples, which Ashley could use for revenge.


    "Well, it seems that next I have to thank them for their ''kindness'' after all." Ricky smiled.


    Immediately, a young man in grey walked out and disdained Ricky.


    "So, you are Ricky, the new disciple? I heard that quite some strong warriors of the Red Potentate Roc tribe are looking for you now," he said with a mocking smile. "Are you coming to the wood branch to hide from the disaster?"


    "Ha-ha! Well, I guess he is."

 Chapter 1214 Take You As My Boss

    When they were laughing at Ricky, Ashley explained to Ricky through their telepathic link. "Let me introduce him to you. This young man is Doug Chen. He is the fourth competitor for the position of the holy son.


    "Oh, I see. Then, what about the three other powerful candidates? Where are they? Wouldn''t they come?" Ricky was a bit disappointed. The young man in front of him was not a prime candidate, and he seemed a bit lackluster compared to the three other competitive candidates.


    "If you defeat him, they will show up," Ashley replied.


    "Is that so?" Ricky asked, his voice faint. "I don''t think they know that I killed Lundy."


    "Perhaps they do. However, I don''t think it matters to them. Lundy''s fame did not reach here. So they have no idea what it means that you killed him," Ashley said. "And, I''m really curious, what makes you think that you can defeat Doug?"


    After a few moments of silence, Ricky turned to look at Doug.


    "You must be joking," he responded to Doug''s teasing words. Even though they made fun of him, he wasn''t upset.


    Doug walked up to Ricky. He nodded to Ashley as a greeting. "If you want me


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    hanks to the half of the Blood Beast King, my strength has improved immensely,'' Ricky thought to himself excitedly.


    "After some training, you will be able to make a breakthrough and become a three-star lower spiritual emperor. At that time, you can beat most warriors who haven''t become the middle spiritual emperors," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "It might take a long time, but I believe that you will become a saint one day." It tone was filled with joy.


    "My journey to becoming a saint will begin with the Five-element Sect. I''m looking forward to it," Ricky replied, thrilled.


    When Ricky came back to his senses,


    Ashley and other disciples had also recovered from the shock.


    The disciples stared at Ricky adoringly, amazed at his terrifying power. ''The white-haired Ricky is at par with the three who are most likely to be the holy son. He is not someone that we can mock or not take seriously,'' they thought to themselves.


    ''Damn! This guy is powerful,'' Ashley sneered inwardly.


    The next moment, everyone fixed their eyes on Doug. He had been defeated, and they were wondering what he was going to do next.

 Chapter 1216 Stellar Wood Mutant

    While Ricky released his fire, Guillermo was shroud in the mist. There was a cold brilliance about this mist. It felt like the mist was made of stellar power. That wasn''t all. Various green branches could also be seen in the mist, which was a manifestation of wood power.


    "Guillermo is unleashing his stellar power and wood power simultaneously. It looks like Ricky has put him under a lot of pressure. I think the chances are that Ricky is the fourth most competitive candidate for the holy son," a disciple remarked as he looked at Guillermo.


    "I can''t believe Guillermo cultivates both stellar power and wood power. That being the case, I''ll have to go all out against him," Ricky murmured to himself.


    There was a whooshing sound as a gust of wind began blowing in from Ricky''s direction.


    Chaotic fire was a natural enemy of the wood. The wind power Ricky had unleashed could slightly suppress the stellar power.


    Together, the double power Ricky had released was easily comparable to Guillermo''s.


    "Ricky has dual powers too! This battle is going to be awesome." The disciples were already on edge and curious about what would happen n


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    almost jumped up in utter shock. "That''s amazing! Ricky cultivates six types of power and has corresponding runes for them. Is he a casting master as well?"


    "Six types of runic power versus a double mutant! This is going to be legendary!"


    ''Seriously? I can''t believe that he has no intentions of bursting out even one mutant to resist. Is he really that powerful?'' Ashley mused with a pout when she saw that Ricky was still not bursting out a mutant.


    "He owns six types of runic power! I must be more careful dealing with him!" Guillermo murmured to himself in a low voice.


    He could clearly feel that Ricky had cultivated the six kinds of power he was displaying to their extreme strength. Personally, even cultivating two types of power was difficult for Guillermo and he had barely succeeded. Therefore, he knew just how talented Ricky was.


    "I don''t know if he has any other tricks up his sleeve or not, and I don''t care. I must bring him down with one strike without giving him a chance to react. I can''t lose in front of Ashley!" Guillermo made up his mind.


    "Come out, the Stellar Wood Buddha!" He summoned his powerful strike.

 Chapter 1217 Establishing Prestige

    Guillermo unleashed two beams of light when his pupils turned green.


    One beam of light soared into the sky and the other cascaded to the ground. The nearby disciples examined them, discovering that they were actually two smooth mirrors.


    They looked like common mirrors but everyone present knew that they were Guillermo''s weapon at the Demi-sage Level.


    "What? Guillermo is already showing his trump card? He''s using the Double-sided World Mirrors!" one of the disciples exclaimed when the mirrors in front of him became recognizable.


    "He has no other choice. Ricky is way too powerful."


    Before their eyes, the two mirrors grew ten times their original size and integrated into the void. Not long after, two worlds materialized. They had been created through the use of Guillermo''s weapon.


    Countless towering trees grew from the rich ground in one world, creating enormous wood power. and in the other world, dazzling light shone and turned into the stellar power.


    After Guillermo activated the power of his Stellar Wood Mutant, the two types of power from the two worlds merged into one. Then a giant shadow formed behind Guillermo.


    It was a Buddha''s shadow surrounded by the stellar power.


    "Take this, the palm strike of the Stellar Wood Bud


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    g the duel. Ricky was now standing taller, puffing his chest out for all to see.


    "You''re trying to use others to embarrass me. It looks like you won''t get what you want today," Ricky said flatly after landing in front of Ashley.


    "There will be plenty of opportunities. I know many geniuses, and some of them are not from the Five-element Sect," Ashley replied, not bothering to hide.


    "Ha-ha! In that case, I will thank you in advance. You''re welcome to invite more people to challenge me. I''m more than happy to battle talented warriors. But maybe next time you should focus on picking someone at my level so that they have a chance of defeating me," Ricky said.


    "You are too cocky!" Ashley said in a displeased tone.


    "Ha! Let''s stop wasting precious time. Take me to my room and find a place for my friends to reside," Ricky ordered.


    As he waved his right hand, Tina and Amelia showed up.


    "No way! Ricky has lovers?" a nearby disciple exclaimed with jealousy. Everyone present fixed their eyes on the two women.


    Although Tina and Amelia were not strong, they were on par with Ashley in terms of looks and temperament.


    Ashley was also surprised at the sight of the two women. Observing them secretly, she began to compare herself to them.

 Chapter 1218 The Selection Of The Holy Son

    Ashley was a proud girl. However, she would still compare herself to gorgeous girls whenever she came across them. She didn''t mean to, but she would sometimes become insecure.


    She secretly sized up Tina and Amelia, and she felt that they would overshadow her and take her place as the most coveted female in the wood branch. The aura that Tina exuded made her eye-catching. Ashley knew she couldn''t compete with that.


    She felt white-hot jealousy bubbling in the pit of her stomach.


    Ashley couldn''t help but take it out on Ricky. She cast an angry glance at him. "I don''t get it. Why would my master think so highly of a womanizer like you?"


    "Ha-ha! That''s none of your business. Don''t tell me that you don''t even have extra rooms?" Ricky responded.


    "Humph! Being with you is such torture," Ashely said, rolling her eyes at Ricky. "You live on that mountain. Go find it yourselves."


    With that, Ashley immediately took off.


    "Ricky, now that you have become a disciple of the Five-element Sect,


    when will you break off your engagement with Ashley?" Tina asked, after h


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    ther, Mordechai and Guillermo were already ready to fight. They exuded the strong auras containing the wood element. It was as if they were in a forest.


    "Guillermo!" Mordechai greeted. He cupped his hands, a gesture of courtesy before battle.


    "Mordechai, ever since you have already made a name for yourself, I have never fought against you. Rumor has it that no one knows your real strength. I''d like to see just how far you can go," Guillermo responded, saluting back. His spirits seemed high.


    He was raring to go.


    He was eager to defeat Mordechai and rid himself of the shame that Ricky brought upon him.


    Of course, his ultimate goal was to become the holy son. Only when he became the holy son would he get closer to Ashley.


    "I have been waiting for this moment for a long time," Mordechai replied, exuding great fighting spirit.


    In the next second, the pair unleashed all of their power.


    Wood dragons appeared and growled behind them. Then, the dragons dashed forward and collided with one another. With that, Guillermo and Mordechai charged at each other.

 Chapter 1219 The Dual Powers

    In the blink of an eye, Guillermo and Mordechai released their wood power to their extremes, filling the entire Combat Space. In the air, the two wood dragons they had formed using their wood power collided multiple times but they seemed to be evenly matched.


    When the worlds and wood dragons created by Guillermo and Mordechai were broken, they were forced to separate for the first time since the battle had started.


    And the moment that they separated, they started garnering their wood power again.


    "Omnipotent Skill¡ªVine Strangling!" both of them yelled.


    The same Omnipotent Skill began brewing, and it was obvious that the skill exclusively belonged to the wood branch, not the one that they learned during their exploration.


    In an instant, two beams of green light shone, filling the entire Combat Space. Woven around them were numerous vine shadows.


    All the nearby disciples could feel the force released by the vine shadows and they stepped back. If they were the ones targeted by the vine shadows, they would likely be strangled to death.


    When the two streaks of green light collided with each other, the shock waves that were produced spread over the entire Combat Space,


    forcing Guillermo and Mordechai t


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    ad changed Mordechai''s character, making him violent and cruel.


    "Come on!"


    The dragon shadow growled as it pounced on Mordechai.


    "Merge now!" Mordechai yelled in a hoarse voice.


    The bones combined and turned into white, bamboo-shaped stick. The wood power was condensed into green leaves and they attached themselves onto the stick.


    A destructive power covered the outside of the bone stick.


    Mordechai wrapped his hand around the bone stick and slashed it at the dragon shadow.


    The sound of the collison rang through the air again.


    A shock wave was produced and everything fell silent.


    Soon, the result would be revealed.


    Ricky peered at the two competitors.


    "Ashley, could you tell me what kind of mutant Mordechai possesses?" Ricky asked through telepathy.


    "What''s up? Are you afraid of him now?" Ashley replied teasingly.


    "If I were scared of him, I would not join the fight over the position of the holy son. I am just curious," Ricky answered.


    "Unfortunately, I have no clue. I''m as curious as you," Ashley said with a sneer. "And even if I did know, what makes you think I would answer your question?"


    "Well, never mind!" Ricky exclaimed, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest.

 Chapter 1220 Shadow Sword Mutant

    With a loud bang,


    the dragon shadow was hit and fell from the sky.


    Before the dragon shadow could make contact with the ground, Guillermo appeared. His whole body was drenched in his own blood. When he collided with the ground, his body slumped and he couldn''t find the energy to stand.


    Mordechai''s arm transformed into a bone. He walked up to Guillermo and wrapped it around his neck before anyone noticed.


    "I emerge victorious!" Mordechai''s hoarse voice rang out, allowing everyone present to see that the fight had ended.


    "Mordechai won without using his mutant power. That''s unheard of!" a nearby disciple said, causing a trail of comments regarding Mordechai''s power to follow.


    "For a long time, I''ve been hearing how powerful Mordechai is. I''ve finally witnessed his strength."


    "I bet Mordechai will be the holy son. I know that Ricky and Hayes are strong too, but they''ve already revealed their mutants. That puts them at a disadvantage for the following fight."


    "Are you sure about that? Haven''t you heard the rumors about Ricky?"


    When Guillermo heard them gossiping, his face twisted in embarrassment and resentment.


    He slumped his shoulders and


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    word didn''t have a tricky trajectory and it didn''t hide its trace.


    Its trajectory was a straight line.


    Hayes stood tall and stiff like a sword behind the flying sword.


    He couldn''t be bothered to focus on anything but his sword. It was meant to be a lethal strike. If he were to hit his opponent, he would win. If he were to lose, there was a chance that he would die.


    In that moment, all of his defense and attack mechanisms were focused on the flying sword.


    While the flying sword made its way towards its target, the Shadow Sword Mutant communicated with the heavenly law. Then, the heavenly power appeared and ensured that the sword''s target could not dodge its attack.


    No creature could avoid it. They could either defend themselves or fight back.


    Ricky was determined to win so he chose to defend himself.


    He didn''t believe that this was the best move that Hayes possessed. If he fought back, he was worried that he might get hit by the sword.


    When faced with such a fearless swordsman,


    Ricky thought that the best way was to counterattack after surviving the blow.


    And the premise was that he would withstand any blow from Hayes successfully.

 Chapter 1221 Heavenly Flying Sword

    Ricky thought about it for a while and then determined that he had the confidence to resist Hayes'' attack. Therefore, he chose to defend himself.


    Of course, that wasn''t his only reason. He wanted to see the full power of Hayes'' flying sword and witness the power of the Shadow Sword Mutant.


    A moment later, Ricky stomped his feet against the air.


    Then he stood completely still. His feet were planted like the roots of a tree, holding him so firmly in place that it felt like no force in the world could move him.


    Pressing his palms together, he allowed endless purple ancestral thunder to gush from his chest and he used it to form the Ancestral Thunder Net.


    The Ancestral Thunder Net could shatter and block an enemy''s attack.


    In addition, Ricky released several massacring runes, and sent massacring patterns to cover the surface of the Ancestral Thunder Net.


    And Ricky was still not done rounding up his defenses yet. The Source of Golden Body inside of him stirred, and he activated the fourth level of Ultimate Golden Body to resist the attack.


    Rushing through the air like an arrow, Hayes'' flying sword tried to pierce through the Ancestral Thunder Net, c


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    ock waves.


    The Heavenly Flying Sword had managed to pierce through the lotus and it destroyed all the massacring patterns.


    Within seconds, it had even managed to break the Ultimate Golden Body.


    Right after his last defense was broken, Ricky narrowed his eyes and gathered the chaotic power in his palm.


    But before he could fight back, the flying sword stopped. All the power it carried dispersed, including the heavenly power.


    Suddenly, Hayes dropped and half-kneeled in front of Ricky.


    At this point, Hayes had used up all his strength.


    He had fed all of his power into the Heavenly Flying Sword. Ricky''s defenses were all shattered but Hayes had no strength left to finish the job.


    The round ended in a tie.


    However, it was still a failure for Hayes.


    He hadn''t withdrawn his sword.


    Now, he was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered by Ricky.


    "How can someone possess six mutants? This is unbelievable. I can''t believe you manage to do that. Anyway, I lost," Hayes said reluctantly, gasping for breath.


    He was not the kind of person who would be ashamed to admit defeat.


    "But it is not a shame to be defeated by a powerful freak like you."

 Chapter 1222 Selection Of The Holy Son

    "Thanks a lot, Hayes!" Ricky said gratefully.


    He noticed that Hayes and Guillermo had completely different attitudes when facing failure, and he very much preferred Hayes'' approach. He believed that with Hayes'' personality, he would surely achieve great heights in the future.


    "Ricky, if you want, you can tell him about the Justice Skill of the Holy Three-Saber and your comprehension of the Justice Skill. It might help him to break through to the Sage Level," the Dragon Intent Grass suggested.


    "Hayes is an honest and straightforward person. If he can reach the Sage Level soon, he will surely be a great help when the time comes. He can help us fight the devils who will undoubtedly try to invade," it added further.


    "Okay, I will."


    Ricky nodded and then said to Hayes, "We can discuss our martial arts experience some more later. I think that will be helpful to both of us."


    "That would be wonderful!" Hayes grinned brightly and nodded eagerly to Ricky''s suggestion.


    Meanwhile, most of the warriors who watched their fight were in a state of shock. "Ricky just defeated Hayes!" some of them cried out. Some others commented, "He actually has six kinds of mutants. That is unbelievable!"


    It was entirely conceivable that for a long time to come, they would all have to immerse themselves in the power of Ricky''s six kinds of


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    fought against each other, a loud cracking sound suddenly rang out.


    In this way, it became clear that although the two of them had only clashed once, they had erupted with their strongest power. Obviously, this was going to be a fierce fight.


    Boom!


    The instant they were bounced back, they planted their hands and feet on the void to stop their momentums, consequently tearing the space apart. Then, they collided with each other again fiercely.


    "Hyaaa!"


    From the other''s perspective, the powers they broke out and the strength of their bodies were well matched.


    Endless fighting spirit flowed out from them like a river, and they could not help but roar out. Bang!


    In the succeeding violent blast wave, only the interwoven figures and the broken space fragments could be seen.


    "What a fierce battle! Their initial attacks were as powerful as some of our final attacks. I have to admit that they are both more powerful than me," Hayes remarked from the side, amazed.


    "Who do you think will win, Hayes?" some disciples asked curiously. Hayes could only shrug indifferently as he shook his head.


    "I honestly don''t know. I have no idea how powerful their trump cards are. But I might have a better idea once they show more of their powers."


    In just a few minutes, Ricky and Mordechai had fought for hundreds of rounds.

 Chapter 1223 A Good Match In Physical Strength

    After a fierce body collision, Ricky and Mordechai separated. The Combat Space was divided into three parts as two deep cracks emerged from the void.


    "Mordechai didn''t gain this much power through any cultivation method. He was born with this strength. Does his blood power bring him such durable, powerful flesh? By the looks of it, he''s like a fearless beast which is numb to any pain!" Ricky commented in a low voice as he felt the immense searing pain that pierced his body.


    "To be honest, I was at a disadvantage when we clashed," he added.


    The main reason for this was that Ricky''s grade was lower than Mordechai''s. Among the Emperor Level warriors, those with higher grade possessed significantly stronger bodies than those in the lower grade.


    "Honestly, I have no clue at all. I don''t even know how he got that powerful body," the Dragon Intent Grass commented. "His blood power couldn''t be the one that gave him that amazing body. I can only guess that his mutant has something to do with that."


    "Well, this is weird. I have no idea how his body got this strong either!" Tina said as she shook her head. "Maybe he has some mutant power that is stronger than his blood power."


    On the other hand, Mordechai had become hostile and ferocious as soon as he activated the blood power. "Ricky, oh, that was the greatest feeling of all! Never have I ever met someone who could fight against me like that! That was a rush!"


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    Dragon Intent Grass said with esteem appreciation.


    "I''ve never seen this kind of dark gray power before. But if my memory serves me right, I must have seen someone unleash it or I must have heard of it. I can''t quite remember," it continued, sounding rather a little bit puzzled.


    "I don''t care what kind of power he has! I will still try to crush him with my Ultimate Golden Body!" Ricky said with determination.


    At the same time, he activated the Massacring Intent Formula. Soon after, he immediately grew taller, and when he was at least three feet tall, he merged with the Ultimate Golden Body and fought against Mordechai fiercely.


    Meanwhile, neither of them performed Omnipotent Skills. As they fought, they gathered their ruling powers and transferred them to their fists, feet, and chests so that they could hurt each other using their physical bodies.


    After nearly forty-five minutes of non-stop fighting, the entire Combat Space was in total chaos as it was filled with harsh and violent shockwaves that rattled the entire area.


    The two figures were only shuttling back and forth in the broken space, trying to bring each other down to the ground.


    Like any other match, they would occasionally bleed whenever they sustained intense injuries.


    Everyone around the Combat Space, including the demi-saint elders, was discombobulated after witnessing the continuous body slamming of the two powerful warriors.

 Chapter 1224 Sorcery Blood Power

    Their battle lasted a long time, and everyone was awestruck as they watched it.


    Ricky and Mordechai were well matched in their physical strength. Right now, they were in a deadlock.


    The battle between them was so intense that it could be at par with a battle between middle spiritual emperors. Their physical strength was equal to that of the lower spiritual emperors.


    Suddenly, the fierce fighting came to an end. Ricky and Mordechai separated from one another, both of them trying to catch their breaths. At that point, both of them were covered in blood.


    Despite that, their fighting spirit was still at the top. They were not ready to stop.


    "You''re the first one on my level who can fight me like that in a bodily collision," Ricky said, his voice low.


    At that moment, Ricky was not sure if he could beat Mordechai.


    He was convinced that Mordechai was a top ace genius in terms of physical strength.


    "You are also the first person I''ve encountered who could match my physical strength. However, it is I who will prevail. I will become the holy son, and I will defeat you," Mordechai said, his voice hoarse. Since he had burst out his blood power to its extreme, Mordechai had become more aggressive


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    his special body, we could easily end up in a draw. I can''t imagine how powerful he would be with the help of his special body," Ricky said, looking Mordechai in the eye. Suddenly, he felt refreshed. He was more eager to fight.


    Ricky had met two people whom he thought were qualified to be his opponents.


    The first one was Scales, whom he had encountered in the ancestral land of human devils.


    The second one was Mordechai, who was right before his eyes.


    Although Lundy was powerful and considered as an ace genius, his strength was simply not enough to excite Ricky.


    "I can''t believe that such creatures exist!" Tina and Amelia said in chorus. Their jaws had dropped open slightly in their shock.


    "Right now, no one knows the Desolate Sorcery tribe except for the people from ancient clans and forces with a long history," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "A member of the Desolate Sorcery tribe has showed up. I don''t know if it''s a good thing. Once they unleash their blood power, they will become ruthless and aggressive. I believe you can tell by the way that Mordechai has changed.


    However, I think it might be a good opportunity for you to confront a creature from the Desolate Sorcery tribe."

 Chapter 1215 Guillermo

    Ricky sauntered up to Doug, who hadn''t recovered from the fear that Ricky''s strike had brought him. "Hey, Doug, do you remember when you said that you would consider me as your boss if I could withstand three moves from you?" He prompted Doug point-blank.


    Hearing Ricky''s words brought Doug back to his senses.


    "This is unbelievable. I lost?!" Doug muttered to himself in disbelief.


    However, even though he found it hard to believe, he had no choice but to accept it and do as he had promised.


    He struggled for a while as he weighed what he should do next, and when he made up his mind, he said to Ricky,


    "Don''t worry. I''m a man of my word. From now on, you will be my boss, and I will run errands..."


    But before he could finish his sentence, Ricky interrupted him with a laugh. "Ha-ha! You''re too serious, man. I was just joking. I can''t believe you took my words seriously," he uttered.


    From the beginning, Ricky had no intention of taking Doug in as his follower. He just used Doug to prevent the other disciples from picking on him. He had gotten what he wanted, so it was about time to let Doug go as well.


    After all, he had just joined the wood branch.


    Meanwhile, the warriors present fell silent when they heard Ricky''s words.


    The last thing they had expected was for Ricky to act so graciously, as they had all thought that he would give Doug a hard time given the situation.


    Some of them thought to themselves, ''Ricky


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    y warned Ricky through their telepathic link.


    "Ha-ha! It seems that you are a very devoted lover!" Ricky laughed carelessly, for Guillermo''s words didn''t faze him one bit.


    He continued, "Warriors should not fear anything, and I can''t give up just because you asked me to. So, we''d better solve this through our fists.


    If you beat me here today, I give you my word that I will stay away from Ashley."


    "Are you purposely provoking Guillermo so that he would fight you with his full strength?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked incredulously as it let out a laugh.


    "Actually, I have two reasons why I''m doing this. First, I want to know how strong these three candidates are. The holy son has great power within a sect, so I''m aiming to become the holy son. Before that, I''d like to test how my competitors are. The second reason is that I''m curious about the limits of my strength," Ricky confessed.


    "I hope that you will keep your word.


    However, if you get hurt during this fight, don''t take it against me. After all, you are the one who suggested this," Guillermo told Ricky with a grave expression.


    He sounded a little aggravated, and all the serenity and amusement had been wiped off his face.


    "Of course!" Ricky replied immediately.


    Once the duo reached an agreement, their momentums surged up and clashed against each other. Their energies battled, flowed, and writhed as opposing snakes filled with deadly electric currents.

 Chapter 1225 Sorcerous Combat Bodys Prowess

    "What are you talking about? A good chance?" Ricky asked when he heard the Dragon Intent Grass. He looked perplexed, and a small frown made its way into his face.


    "I was referring to your Ultimate Golden Body. I think maybe this is a good chance to reach the ninth level. We all know that the Ultimate Golden Body is a body-related cultivation method. Actually, it originated from the Desolate Sorcery tribe.


    They have the cultivation method to make it reach the ninth level. Plus, you have the chaotic power. There is a good chance that you can cultivate the Chaotic Golden Body with the Ultimate Golden Body and the chaotic power. In that way, your body will be invincible, and you will not lose to any member of the Desolate Sorcery tribe in a body collision," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "Oh, really? I didn''t know that. Then, in this case, does it mean that Mordechai could also own the Ultimate Golden Body?" Ricky asked.


    "I''m not sure. A lot of creatures in the Desolate Sorcery tribe don''t cultivate the Ultimate Golden Body because their Sorcerous Combat Body is more powerful than the golden body, which meant that that cultivation method is basically useless to them. It''s similar to a way that a saint will likely not be happy to acquire a spiritual emperor''s strength, as that strength will feel like a drop in a bucket to them.


    Of course, I may be exaggerating a little.


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    a deep breath and continued,


    "Now, I have finally realized what the strongest body can do! I have no choice but to unleash the chromatic energy in my Soul Sea, or else, I will lose. But I am having doubts about doing that because as soon as I arrived at the Middle Land, I had a strong intuition that I should avoid using it unless my life is at stake."


    "That''s your last trump card. You can''t show it willy-nilly. If you can''t defeat him with what you have unleashed right now, you can just admit defeat. Anyway, it has been a long time since the last time you lost to someone," the Dragon Intent Grass said to him, discouraging him from using the chromatic energy.


    "Hmm... You know what? That''s a good idea. But the only problem is that I won''t become the holy son if I surrender here," Ricky responded.


    Mordechai activated the power of his Sorcerous Combat Body once again.


    "Take that!" he roared.


    "Sorcerous Bone Strike!"


    It seemed that nothing could stop him as his momentum surged like a huge wave, and a black land formed beneath Mordechai''s feet.


    The dark power gathered around him and transformed into countless tornadoes.


    And within these tornadoes, huge white bones began to appear.


    These bones merged quickly into his weapon¡ªone that carried Mordechai''s full strength.


    In the blink of an eye, the giant bone rushed toward Ricky like a starving beast.

 Chapter 1226 Make A Deal

    The giant bone got closer to Ricky, and everything around it disintegrated into powder. Even with the protection of the Ultimate Golden Body, Ricky could still feel the great pressure. After all, Mordechai had used the power of his Sorcerous Combat Body.


    His momentum was terrifying.


    Without any hesitation, Ricky immediately activated the remaining five Ancestral Intent Formulae. He then applied the chaotic power and the chromatic energy to the formulae, unleashing his most powerful move. This was his shot to fight back.


    All the powers condensed into a large lotus, and it was aimed directly at the huge bone.


    The two forces collided, and an ear-splitting screech rang out.


    The sound shook the space. Both Mordechai and Ricky knew that they must hold on no matter how powerful the impact was. They gritted their teeth, and they proceeded to pelt one another with powerful blows.


    Of course, Ricky would not dare fight against him using his physical strength.


    "They are evenly matched!"


    "I''m afraid their battle will end in a tie once they become exhausted. Who will be the holy son then?"


    "I don''t know. There can only be one!"


    "I hereby summon you, my most powerful strike!" Mordechai suddenly yelled out.


    He realized that he couldn''t d


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    l wood energy there. Are you sure you would give up on this opportunity?"


    "Ha! Of course that is tempting. However, the original method of the Ultimate Golden Body is more important to me," Ricky replied.


    "Then, it''s a deal. I promise you that I will take you to that place," Mordechai said. "Perhaps I have cheated to become the holy son, but I have no other choice. I am in dire need of the original energy to help me break through."


    After they made the deal, Ricky and Mordechai stopped fighting.


    The two stood apart from one another, and they looked at each other knowingly. Ricky nodded his head.


    "I admit defeat," he proclaimed, his voice loud and clear.


    "What?" All the disciples could not believe what they had just heard. Ricky had by no means lost the battle judging from their current states. They didn''t understand why he would suddenly admit defeat.


    "Why did Ricky suddenly surrender? Does being the holy son mean nothing to him? Or is he not aware that the holy son can enter the ancestral land of the wood branch and absorb the original energy?" Lloyd murmured to himself, frowning. He was also baffled.


    However, the rules couldn''t be changed. Now that Ricky had admitted defeat, the position of holy son would belong to Mordechai.

 Chapter 1227 Holy Son Of The Five-element Sect

    "Ricky is not the right person to be the holy son of the wood branch. I guess he is the only one who dared to challenge the genius of the Desolate Sorcery tribe who is stronger than him, and they ended up in a draw," Lloyd added after some consideration.


    After they drew for countless times,


    the fight between Ricky and Mordechai had come to an end.


    Mordechai won, and he became the holy son of the wood branch.


    However, the crowd kept talking about Ricky and wondered why he conceded.


    Once the fight was over, Ricky promptly announced that his so-called engagement to Ashley was nothing but a joke. He also said that he was not good enough for her because he failed to become the holy son.


    His act left all the disciples bewildered.


    "What is on this brat''s mind?" Lloyd murmured to himself,


    every bit as confused as the others.


    "Ashley, you don''t need to worry about us anymore. I will be out of your hair now. I''ve explained to everyone about us, and I didn''t become the holy son. You''ve got what you want," Ricky said to Ashley, using the telepathic link.


    With those words, he left with Tina and Amelia.


    Ashley watched Ricky''s receding figure. She wasn''t happy at all. In fact, she was disappointed. She felt a pang


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    ming the holy son of the Five-element Sect. Most powerful warriors are from influential forces. Those top warriors in history were always backed by powerful forces.


    If it weren''t for the support of the strong warriors from the Oriental College and the Spirit Sect, it would be difficult for you to get to where you are today,"


    Tina chimed in.


    "Tina is right. Do you know why most of the top-notch warriors are from the Misty South Palace? That''s because the Misty South Palace is the best force," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "Well, I will accept his offer and become the holy son of the Five-element Sect," Ricky said. "To be honest, I am quite interested in this position. My previous experience makes me realize how important the force is to a warrior."


    After making his decision, Ricky looked Lloyd in the eye.


    "I have already gotten the Five-element Flag. Moreover, you asked me to accept this position. It would be silly to refuse your offer. I''m willing to become the holy son of the Five-element Sect.


    I also swear that I will cultivate hard to contribute to the rebuilding of the Five-element Sect,"


    Ricky said.


    "Ha-ha! Great! That''s exactly what I have expected from you!" Lloyd exclaimed in sheer excitement.

 Chapter 1228 Absorbing The Original Energies

    "But remember. Until you are strong enough, you need to keep this to yourself," Lloyd added, looking at Ricky in a knowing way. At this point, he was trying to contain his excitement at the fact that Ricky had accepted his offer and he had foreseen the rise of the Five-element Sect.


    As a saint, Lloyd knew how terrifying a talent who had once become the incredible demi-spiritual emperor like Ricky could be one day.


    No creature from the Desolate Sorcery tribe who was below Mordechai''s level could be a match for him.


    The most powerful geniuses from the powerful forces or clans at Mordechai''s level couldn''t defeat him,


    but Ricky was more impressive because he could match Mordechai''s strength even though his grade was a bit lower than his.


    Ricky was strong and talented and he would in reap plenty from it in his lifetime.


    "Don''t worry. I will keep this between us," Ricky replied, nodding his head.


    "Great. Now, I''m going to take you to the ancestral land and you will cultivate for a couple of months. Before we go, you should fill the two girls in," Lloyd explained.


    "What?" Ricky stared at him with wide eyes. "Are we going to the secret land of the wood branch?" he asked.


    "


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    ''However, I need to keep this sacred weapon hidden unless my life is at stake. Saints can''t resist the temptation of a sacred weapon, especially the Five-element Flag which is at the intermediate stage. Once they see it, they will try to take it away from me.''


    Time always passed so fast when Ricky was focused on his cultivation.


    Two months had passed by the time Ricky had finished his cultivation in the ancestral land of the Five-element Sect.


    At the same time, Mordechai also finished his training in the ancestral land of the wood branch.


    Lloyd took Ricky to his practice room and Ricky was surprised to see Ashley, Mordechai, Hayes, and Guillermo there too.


    Apparently, Lloyd had summoned them.


    Ricky nodded at Mordechai and Hayes in a friendly way.


    Guillermo kept his gaze fixed on Ashley.


    "You five are the most powerful geniuses in the wood branch. I have a job for you and I hope you can complete it successfully," Lloyd said.


    The five of them nodded their heads with a serious expression on their faces. "Sure. What are your orders, master?" Ashley asked.


    "Mordechai will be in charge of this task, and he is going to tell you what you are going to do," Lloyd said.

 Chapter 1229 The Sealed Land

    "Understood, sir!" Ricky, Ashley, Hayes, and Guillermo nodded at Lloyd before they all turned expectantly at Mordechai, waiting for further instructions.


    "Guys, I just want to let you know that this mission has something to do with me, and our vice leader has graciously done me this favor," Mordechai said. "Don''t worry. I will give you a handsome reward in return after we are done with this.


    I can''t reveal too much for now. But I promise that I''ll tell you everything I can once we get there, so don''t feel hesitant or uncomfortable.


    Of course, you can also refuse to accept this mission. It''s all up to you. I will respect your decision whether you choose to go or not."


    "Ha-ha! What are you talking about? You are now our holy son, and you''ve given us a direct order. How can we defy you?" Hayes responded with a kind smile.


    "Hey, if you don''t stop making fun of me, I''m afraid that we can''t be friends anymore," Mordechai muttered lowly as a small frown marred the stark features of his face. But as a matter of fact, he did not really get upset.


    Hayes didn''t seem to take his words seriously, as he let out boisterous and joyful laughter in response. "Ha-ha!"


    At this point, Guillermo cut into their conversation. "I''m sorry, guys, but I have already agreed to explore a secret land with some others. I''m a


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    master of the Desolate Sorcery tribe.


    And since Ricky and Ashley were already familiar with the Desolate Sorcery tribe and Mordechai''s connection to them, Hayes was the only one caught by surprise when he found out Mordechai''s real identity. Actually, Mordechai had no intention of keeping them in the dark. He thought it would be a good gesture to tell them everything about him since he was the one who asked for their help.


    The Desolate Sorcery tribe was the most powerful tribe in the past starting when the world was created. All its members could still remember the glory of their tribe, and they dreamed of restoring their tribe to its former glory.


    Unfortunately, they had been imprisoned in the Sealed Land for eras and couldn''t get out. As a result, they had gradually forgotten their dream.


    But a big change suddenly took place a decade ago, in the area where the Desolate Sorcery tribe were trapped, and a rift appeared on the array.


    This fissure opened the way to the continent.


    And its appearance rekindled the fire in the hearts of the Desolate Sorcery tribe''s members. They believed that they could help their tribe rise again once they returned to the continent.


    However, to their disappointment, they discovered that it was a lot harder to pass through the rift than they had previously thought.

 Chapter 1230 Guillermos Betrayal

    The reason behind the rift''s appearance put the Desolate Sorcery tribe in a precarious situation.


    Once they spotted the rift, the creatures of the Desolate Sorcery tribe wanted to pass through it to get out. However, they found that there was a strong suppressive force on it, preventing them from passing through.


    The suppressive force was equal to a blow from a three-star lower spiritual emperor.


    However, the strongest warriors of the Desolate Sorcery tribe were just two-star lower spiritual emperors. They couldn''t reach a higher realm.


    It was impossible for them to pass through the rift. If they tried to force their way through, they would have to suffer dire consequences.


    Realizing what was going to happen, they chose to stop for a while.


    However, several days after the rift appeared, they finally figured out why it was formed.


    It was the result of the collision between their place and another Sealed Land.


    After the two lands collided, the two ancient arrays which had sealed them collided and caused the two lands to begin to merge as one.


    The other Sealed Land was the place where the Devil Flood Dragon tribe stayed. This tribe belonged to the devil race.


    There we


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    shley shivered in disgust.


    "Guillermo, I never look down on anyone. I never think of you differently, and I certainly don''t care whether you are the holy son or not. However, what you are doing disappoints me.


    I didn''t expect that you would betray us to get what you want.


    I despise you now," Ashley said, frowning at Guillermo.


    Suddenly, Guillermo felt fire light up inside of him. His emotions suddenly got the better of him, and the look in his eyes suddenly became ferocious. He did not look like the Guillermo they knew. Perhaps this was what he really was. Ashley''s response just made him show his true colors.


    "You can say whatever you like because I don''t really care what you say about me anymore. Today, they will die. I will imprison you, and you will become my woman.


    The wood branch will also belong to me!" Guillermo proclaimed, staring at Ashley.


    "Humph! Dream on!" Ricky said, sneering at him.


    He didn''t expect that Guillermo would be so cruel and selfish.


    ''Perhaps there is no absolute good or evil. We may just see him as bad because we do not share the same stance.


    He is doing all this just to get what he is after,'' Ricky thought to himself at the same time.

 Chapter 1231 A One-sided Victory

    "Ricky, you will be the first one to die!" Guillermo growled. Ricky''s attitude had gotten on his nerves.


    "Really? You know what? Many warriors wanted me dead, including an ace genius. However, they all failed. They only served to make me a better warrior.


    I believe you will be no exception," Ricky responded, smiling faintly at him.


    At first, he had no intention of taking Guillermo''s life. To Ricky, he was nothing but a sore loser after all.


    However, his betrayal crossed the line. Ricky decided to dispose of him once and for all.


    When they heard Ricky''s words, the faces of the four warriors from the Red Potentate Roc tribe darkened.


    The young man of the Red Potentate Roc tribe who was in charge took a step forward. "I have long heard that Ricky is both arrogant and eloquent. Your reputation precedes you, and what they have said about you is true," he said, looking at Ricky. "However, talent is not equal to strength. Only the strong can survive."


    "You make a point. But, obviously, you think you are stronger than us," Ricky responded with a sneer.


    Everyone bristled. They wer


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    cently. There were two reasons for his rapid progress. The first one was that Ricky''s and Mordechai''s terrifying strength motivated him and made him more desperate to grow stronger. The other one was that Ricky had shared Holy Three-Saber''s saber skills with him.


    Hayes was eternally grateful to Ricky.


    In the past, Hayes would have had a more difficult time winning over Guillermo. Now, he didn''t even have to break a sweat this time.


    However, since Guillermo was also a disciple of the wood branch, Hayes didn''t kill him.


    At this point, Guillermo was scared and restless.


    The fight between him and Hayes had ended so fast. Hayes was simply out of his league.


    Terrified as he was, he was also overtaken by resentment. He hated losing.


    "Guillermo, the next time you decide to do something as stupid as this, make sure that your little helpers are powerful and can defend you if something goes wrong!" Ricky said with a defiant sneer.


    "Oh, wait. You will never have the chance to do this again," he continued after some pause.


    "Are you going to kill me?" Guillermo asked him coldly.

 Chapter 1232 Entering The Sealed Land

    "Yes. Now that you''ve tried to kill us, I don''t see any problem with ending your life. I even dared to bring down an ace genius of the Red Potentate Roc tribe. Just imagine what I''m going to do to you.


    Don''t tell me you have the support of some force even more powerful than the Red Potentate Roc tribe?" Ricky replied with a playful sneer.


    The moment he stopped talking, a murderous look appeared in his eyes. He was glaring at Guillermo with such hostility, that Guillermo had to avoid his gaze.


    Ricky would not let go of enemies like Guillermo. He knew that people like Guillermo would never change, and he would get back at him in the future.


    ''What if they were stronger than us?


    I guess that they would not show mercy to us and kill all of us in cold blood. I would die if I didn''t have the zones,'' Ricky thought to himself.


    Guillermo fell silent and fear engulfed him. He met Ricky''s gaze, and he quickly turned away once more.


    At this point, he realized that Ricky would take his life even though he was also from the wood branch.


    Just as he expected, Ricky was prepared to kill him.


    Noticing that Ricky was making a move, Hayes broke the eerie silenc


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    the other side," Hayes said in relief.


    "That''s right!" Ricky responded.


    Two hours later, they appeared in another world.


    It was all golden-red as far as the eye could see. Desolate mountains and yellow sand came into their view. The Desolate Sorcery tribe was born into chaos, and such environment suited them.


    Everyone but Mordechai felt uncomfortable in the new environment.


    However, they didn''t panic. They felt that they could quickly adapt to the new environment. After all, the spiritual emperors easily adapted to their surroundings.


    Soon, however, they found that something was wrong. They noticed that black evil spirit eroded the place, and the air was filled with the stench of blood.


    "It looks like that the creatures of the Devil Flood Dragon tribe have occupied your place," Ricky said to Mordechai, frowning.


    "Damn it!" With a roar, Mordechai prepared to take his companions to the Sorcerous Combat Palace. Before they could leave, a sinister laugh rang out.


    "Ha-ha! Our lord is right. There are indeed creatures from the continent coming. We have waited here for years. It turns out that it has all been worth it!" a voice said excitedly.

 Chapter 1233 Devil Flood Dragon Tribe

    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Not long after, five figures emerged in front of Ricky and his allies.


    These creatures all had strapping physique. Without shirts, they only wore skirts made of beast hide to cover up their bottoms. Frankly, they were comparable to primeval creatures based on how they dressed and how muscular their features were.


    On their heads were a pair of deadly horns, and their sharp, pointy teeth could be seen sticking out of their mouths.


    Aside from releasing a strong kind of evil spirit, they were also equipped with very sharp claws.


    Without a doubt, they were true devils. In fact, they came from the line of the devil race who had been captured by the strong warriors from the continent. In fact, they were from the Devil Flood Dragon tribe.


    "Ha-ha! This is a nice surprise! I didn''t expect that we would cross paths with three human women who all have good blood power. What a score! I think the waiting for so many years was all worth it!" one of them said sinisterly. Apparently, Tina, Amelia, and Ashley drew their attention.


    "It really makes me wonder how good these ladies are in bed. Have you ever wondered if they''re more fun to sleep with than the women in our tribe? I can only wonder," another one of them said as he looked filthily at the three women like they were meals to be consumed.


    "Shush! We''ll know onc


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    of them could only imagine the quality of life that these creatures from the Desolate Sorcery tribe had to live with over the years. They used to be the most powerful tribe in the world and even once invaded the Devil Land with the creatures from the continent.


    But now, they had to hide in the broken supreme weapon to avoid the mere Devil Flood Dragon tribe.


    They had been waiting for Mordechai''s gift of hope all these years. Otherwise, they might have chosen to die with the Devil Flood Dragons instead.


    After a long silence, an old and shaky voice echoed within the Sorcerous Combat Palace. "Mordechai... Son, is that really you?"


    "F...Father! It''s me. I''m back. I come back to kill those nasty devils," Mordechai shouted emotionally.


    The minute he stopped speaking, all the yellow ruins that surrounded the entrance of the palace began to disappear. Afterwards, an old man walked out of it slowly.


    At the sight of the elder, Mordechai dashed forward and knelt down in front of him. "Father!"


    "Mordechai! Oh, my boy, you''re finally back. You came back in the perfect time. If you were a little late, our tribe would have been wiped out and we would never restore the glory of our tribe," the elder said as tears of joy fell down his cheeks.


    "Hey, why does Mordechai''s father appear so old?" Ricky asked the Dragon Intent Grass.

 Chapter 1234 Fighting The Devil Race Again

    "He looks older than his biological age because he had used a lot of his life span. I assume he had to do that to activate the broken supreme weapon," the Dragon Intent Grass replied. "Perhaps, the ten spiritual emperors'' life essence was not enough to help the Sorcerous Combat Palace hold firm against the blows from the Devil Flood Dragon tribe."


    As soon as the Dragon Intent Grass finished speaking, countless people flooded out of the Sorcerous Combat Palace. One glimpse at them revealed they were all from the Desolate Sorcery tribe, and all of them were looking at Mordechai expectantly.


    Among them, there were more than ten people who looked as old as Mordechai''s father. It seemed as if they could die of old age at any time.


    "Father, sirs, what¡ªwhat happened to you?!" Mordechai stammered as he stared at the old men in utter shock.


    He already had an idea why they had aged so much, but he couldn''t say it out loud.


    In fact, just thinking about it made his blood boil at the injustice. Hatred overcame his heart, making him grit his teeth tightly.


    This intense rage activated his Sorcerous Combat Body. His veins involuntarily expanded, which increased the power of his Sorcerous Combat Body.


    Perhaps, his people had sensed his strong feelings. Those who had just emerged from the palace immediately initiated their Sorcerous Combat Bodies. Some of them were innate spirits, some were mortal warriors, and the rest were just children about several years


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    managed to reach its fifth level! No wonder he is a genius who has mastered the chaotic power. It''s a pity that the primitive method of the Ultimate Golden Body is in that very place. If only the primitive cultivation method isn''t in that place, we could have given it to him in a heartbeat," an old man, who was standing next to Mordechai''s father, muttered with a small sigh.


    "I wish the primitive cultivation method is in our hands. That way, we can get it to its real master," Mordechai''s father agreed.


    The battle on the ground covered by yellow sand had grown more intense in the few minutes that had passed.


    The members of the Desolate Sorcery tribe fought the Devil Flood Dragon tribe with their physical strength, and the two parties seemed to be well-matched.


    Among all the races on the continent, only the creatures of the Desolate Sorcery tribe could be a match for the devil race in terms of physical strength.


    "I''m so envious of these Desolate Sorcery tribe members. Their Sorcerous Combat Bodies make them the excellent fighters," the Dragon Intent Grass commented as it watched the fight. "I hope you can get your hands on the primitive cultivation method of the Ultimate Golden Body here. That is the only way you can have a greater chance to acquire the Chaotic Golden Body, which can be on par with their Sorcerous Combat Bodies."


    "Well, I will need to defeat this guy before me first before I can look for that method," Ricky replied seriously.

 Chapter 1235 Mountain Removing Skill

    Boom!


    The fierce battle raged on, but everyone was focused on Ricky and Mordechai.


    If they both won, then it would mean the victory of the Desolate Sorcery tribe. However, if they lost, the number of devils Hayes and others had killed would not matter anyway.


    "The devils must die!" With a roar, Ricky''s chaotic power and six mutants burst out. His body turned into the strongest weapon. Then, he dashed toward Devil Flood Dragon.


    The Devil Flood Dragon''s power surged and reached its peak in an instant as his killing intent towards Ricky grew a lot more. Devil mountains appeared one after another behind him. The evil spirit was spreading in the sky, confronting Ricky''s chaotic power.


    With the Golden Body and the Ancestral Intent Formula, Ricky directly collided with the Devil Flood Dragon with his physical body. The devil creatures were most proud of the strength of their devil''s bodies.


    Thus, defeating the devils'' physical bodies was the best thing for creatures from the continent.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! In the blink of an eye, two beams of light with different colors were whizzing around in the sky. Every time they intertwined, the strong sound of clashing metal would erupt. Every fifteen minutes, there would be dozens of rounds of confrontation.


    As a result, the fighting between the two sides


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    he Iron Justice Saber suddenly appeared. Its dazzling light shone as far as the eye could see, and it radiated immense power.


    All the power gathered around the blade.


    With his white hair flying in the air and his pupils transforming, Ricky activated the Transforming Omnipotent Skill¡ªmiddle realm fighting state.


    Under the middle realm fighting state, Ricky activated the original energy in his body. Although he could not use this power, he knew it would make his fighting power stronger.


    He knew he shouldn''t spare any effort in fighting the Devil Flood Dragon.


    "Chop the devil!" Ricky roared and launched his most powerful strike.


    Boom!


    The two sides'' powers surged, and the blade radiance collided with the devil mountains. Their collision sent shockwaves through the earth, and it was as if the world was falling apart.


    Raging waves engulfed everything. The sky and the earth seemed to connect.


    With such an outburst, people couldn''t help but stare at them. They knew that the next few moments would determine who was victorious in this battle.


    This was the time to launch the strongest attack of both sides.


    At this moment, Mordechai also broke out all of his strength and launched his final blow. "Sorcerous Combat Body! I hereby summon you, my blood power, to defeat the enemy for good!"

 Chapter 1236 Combination Of Two Devils

    Crack! Crack!


    When the blood essence spurted out from the middle of Mordechai''s eyebrows, cracks began to appear on the distorted ground.


    In an instant, countless cracks gathered, and his blood essence seeped into the bottomless abyss.


    Immediately after, a loud sound rang out from the bottom of the abyss. It was as if hundreds of thousands of soldiers were climbing up the abyss.


    A giant, yellow sand shadow suddenly appeared.


    It turned out that Mordechai had summoned it using his blood essence.


    This was his best shot.


    Mordechai merged with the giant shadow, and countless bones began to stick out from his body. They came toward the Devil Flood Dragon.


    "I will form the sea to take care of you," the Devil Flood Dragon shouted.


    He was already at a disadvantage. Seeing that Mordechai had launched his most powerful attack, he wasted no time and decided to go all out. He revealed his beast form and performed his most powerful skill.


    The evil spirit gushed out from his body and formed the sea. The waves engulfed the space, and the vast sea covered everything. The Devil Flood Dragon rode on a tall wa


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    wasted no time transferring all of the power of his Sorcerous Combat Body to Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body. Ricky''s strength immediately soared.


    "Golden Spirit Eyes!"


    After he got Mordechai''s powers, Ricky merged his own powers with the new powers using his Golden Spirit Eyes. Then, he created a suppressing lotus. It vibrated with powerful energy.


    Ricky locked eyes with the newborn Devil Flood Dragon. In an instant, the lotus rushed towards the dragon.


    The newborn Devil Flood Dragon huffed, and he destroyed the lotus with ease. The impact sent Ricky and Mordechai flying.


    The powerful evil spirit caused Ricky and Mordechai to fall on the ground. They crashed through the ground, creating two deep craters.


    "Young master!"


    "Ricky!"


    At the sight of this, Hayes and the warriors from the Desolate Sorcery tribe were frantic. They shouted for Ricky and Mordechai, worried about what had happened to them.


    They were not sure whether Ricky and Mordechai could survive such a blow.


    Grief began to devour them.


    All of a sudden, a voice broke the silence.


    "Hayes, I can handle this. Please trust me!"

 Chapter 1237 Fail To Defeat The Newborn Devil Flood Dragon

    Ricky''s voice cut through the despair in the air. Everyone was shocked to hear him speak. The two craters suddenly began to emit a five-colored light, and a huge, five-colored flag appeared.


    Ricky and Mordechai were below the flag. Under its protection, they were uninjured.


    Ricky immediately sent Mordechai out of the battlefield using his strength. Since Mordechai had transferred all his powers to his Ultimate Golden Body, it was impossible for him to recover quickly. He would get killed if he stayed on the battlefield.


    "It''s the Five-element Flag!" Ashley exclaimed, gazing at the five-colored flag in awe.


    "What did you just say? That is the most important sacred weapon of our sect! The Five-element Flag!" Hayes exclaimed too, his eyes wide open in shock. "However, it has been missing for the longest time. How did Ricky get it?"


    "He found it," Ashley replied.


    Hayes looked at the five-colored flag without blinking. He couldn''t believe his eyes.


    "I can''t believe that this young man has a sacred weapon in his possession. Although it doesn''t have psychic intelligence, it is flawless and intact. I think he can the new Devil Flood Dragon''s blows," Mordechai''s father said


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    ng Ricky fighting bravely had made Ashley''s resentment towards him disappear, more or less.


    But she would never show this to others.


    "We are finally going to win," Ricky said, slightly relieved. ''All the power has gathered on the light. Once the light hits the Devil Flood Dragon, the fight will be over,'' he thought to himself.


    Suddenly, he felt the space vibrate.


    A low growl echoed throughout the entire Sealed Land.


    In the blink of an eye, a powerful force appeared.


    Ricky could feel that his strike was going to miss its mark.


    He even felt that he was being targeted by a powerful being.


    Ricky raised his head and looked at the newborn Devil Flood Dragon. He was gazing at Ricky with such intensity that the latter immediately realized that something was up.


    The fight wasn''t over. The Devil Flood Dragon had suddenly become more powerful.


    Without a doubt, this shift indicated that the newborn Devil Flood Dragon had integrated every bit of the original two Devil Flood Dragons. He now possessed all of their memories and powers.


    This meant that Ricky''s attack could not harm him.


    Seconds earlier, Ricky would have been able to defeat the Devil Flood Dragon.

 Chapter 1238 No Way Out

    But at this moment, the newborn Devil Flood Dragon possessed a clear and open mind. Because he acquired the original two Devil Flood Dragons'' memories, this led to the promotion of his grade and power.


    More and more black scales appeared on his humongous body, withstanding Ricky''s forceful attack.


    Ricky''s mysterious axe could produce very strong chromatic energy that had the ability to destroy the evil spirit. However, the Devil Flood Dragon kept on releasing evil spirit faster than the release of chromatic energy of Ricky''s axe.


    As a result, Ricky was immediately thrown away by the evil spirit. In an instant, he was pushed away for hundreds of meters before he could even regain his balance and stability.


    "Ah! Fuck! I was almost there! Now, all our efforts are in vain! I should have attacked sooner," Ricky said in a frustrated tone, a dismal expression on his face.


    "Oh, for crying out loud! Stop complaining and just run as far as you could!" the Dragon Intent Grass advised. "You have no chance against him now."


    "All hail our lord! All hail our lord!" all the other Devil Flood Dragons shouted excitedly as they looked at their newborn Devil Flood Dragon. Impressed by his power and strength, the other Devil Flood Dragons praised and recognized their new leader.


    As the creatures of the Devil Flood Dragon tribe were overwhelmed with joy and excitement, Hayes and Mordechai, as well as the people of the Desolate Sorcery tribe, were filled with misery.


    For several times, they creatures of the Desolate Sorcery trib


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    ne that he had the Devourer Zone. But at that time, he had no other choice but to show it to them. All the people of the Desolate Sorcery tribe would have been killed if he did not utilize this supreme weapon.


    Lucky for him, they bought his story and believed that it was a supreme weapon.


    Not long after, Ricky controlled the Devourer Zone to steer and make its way towards the rift.


    However, Ricky made a huge mistake by underestimating the capabilities of the newborn Devil Flood Dragon.


    As soon as they were close enough to see their destination, they had a glimpse of the newborn Devil Flood Dragon and numerous other spiritual emperors from the Devil Flood Dragon tribe waiting by the rift, as if they were guarding it. There, they could clearly see how these devils worked the alms bowl as it emitted blinding light that shrouded the entire rift.


    Ricky frowned at this as he could no longer steer the Devourer Zone to approach the rift.


    Now, Ricky and his companions had no way out.


    "Everyone, may I have your attention please. As it turns out, we have to stay in the supreme weapon for a while," Ricky said in a frustrated voice. "Mordechai and I will have to cultivate for some time. And after that, we will get out and fight that Devil Flood Dragon again."


    Hearing this, Mordechai''s father and several old men present could not help but sigh in dismay.


    Somehow, they looked as if they wanted to say something to Ricky.


    "What''s up, sirs? Did you want to tell me something?" Ricky asked in a low and dismal voice.

 Chapter 1239 The Ancestral Land Of The Desolate Sorcery Tribe

    "Sir, are you familiar with the Sealed Land?" Mordechai''s father asked Ricky sincerely.


    "Sir, Mordechai and I come from the same sect. I hope you don''t mind, but please, just call me Ricky from now on," Ricky replied. "Well, I know a thing or two about the Sealed Land."


    "Then you must know that when creatures in the Sealed Land reach a certain level, they could no longer break through to a higher level," Mordechai''s father mentioned.


    "I see. In that sense, one can at most become a two-star lower spiritual emperor here, right?" Ricky said with a slight frown.


    "Yes. And I am aware that you can now challenge warriors stronger than you. Aren''t you now already a two-star lower spiritual emperor?" Mordechai''s father asked.


    "Yes, sir!" Ricky nodded his head.


    As soon as Ricky said his words, everyone fell silent.


    That was because, at that point, they all felt the hopelessness creep through their spines.


    ''This will be the end of us. Does this mean that we''ll stay in Ricky''s supreme weapon forever? I don''t think that Devil Flood Dragon would ever leave his post near the rift. Who could blame him? If we were in his shoes, we would do the same. But what should we do now?'' everyone in the Devourer Zone thought to themselves dejectedly.


    As everyone was in despair, the Devil Flood Dragon''s voice echoed across the entire Sealed Land,


    "Lowly humans,


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    as black land.


    In an instant, Ricky and Mordechai felt a sense of fear in their hearts for no apparent reason. Little did they know that their bodies were being penetrated by an invisible dark power.


    "Something big did happen in our ancestral land. And I believe that the devil race must be responsible for that. Our patriarch sealed us back then, and I guess that has something to do with them too," Mordechai said with much resentment as he looked around the place.


    "Mordechai, activate your blood power to reject the invisible dark power. I have a feeling that we might lose our senses if we keep letting it enter our bodies. The evil spirit that fills your ancestral land is very destructive. I feel that it is more powerful than the most powerful among the eight types of evil spirit of the devil race¡ªthe Heavenly Jail Evil Spirit,"


    Ricky recalled.


    "Thank you for warning!" Mordechai replied. Immediately, he activated his Sorcerous Combat Body and used his blood power to keep the dark power from approaching them.


    "Come on! Let''s go to the core area. Most likely, our patriarch left the primitive cultivation methods of the Sorcerous Combat Body and the Ultimate Golden Body there," Mordechai informed Ricky.


    But as they were about to continue their journey, they heard a shrill voice in their ears. It was something that resembled the cries of a baby.

 Chapter 1240 Infant Ancestry Devils

    The invisible evil power increased as the sound swelled to a crescendo as if the end of the world was about to descend. Ricky and Mordechai had to gather their strength to form a protective dome, which shielded them from any potential harm.


    "I knew it! There really are living beings here, or maybe those are creatures from the devil race," Mordechai muttered with a dark expression.


    The second he finished speaking, more than ten dwarfish figures appeared out of thin air, surrounding him and Ricky.


    Each of them stood less than a meter tall, with a dark crimson complexion that seemed almost black. Their eyes, teeth, skin, and other body parts were also blood-dark.


    They looked like infants!


    The duo started to sense the incoming creatures and they were not sure if they were blood and meat or not real.


    Some of those infantile creatures began to giggle, while some started to cry. It just made people feel creepy.


    All the while, Ricky and Mordechai observed them silently. They found that every time the mysterious creatures laughed or cried, more invisible dark evil power was created.


    With that realization, Ricky and Mordechai felt even more cautious of the childlike creatures.


    The two of them had run into ferocious and blood-thirsty creatures


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    those monsters had fused into a bigger one in order to struggle out of the Furnace of Heaven and Earth. Of course, the only reason they could merge was because they weren''t real Infant Ancestry Devils, and thus, they didn''t have any flesh so that they could be fused into one.


    Ricky smirked. He was expecting that from the beginning.


    He let out an unimpressed snort and commented, "I was waiting for you to become one."


    Under his control, the Fire Dragon Extremity, which had earlier transformed into a flaming saber trembled as he summoned it.


    It then slashed at the gigantic infant as if the saber had a mind of its own.


    This strike contained all of Ricky''s strength and the justice power that he had borrowed from the Divine Manor.


    It was evident, at that moment, that a white force had surrounded the saber like a force field. It was a manifestation of the justice power.


    Still, the gigantic devil didn''t give up. It opened its mouth, and immense Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit poured out and formed a dark crimson iron chain, which rushed toward Ricky.


    That was a soul attack, aiming to tether his soul.


    "Humph! Do you think you can touch my soul with my Fire Dragon Extremity and justice power around? Don''t be so naive!" Ricky sneered defiantly.

 Chapter 1241 Primitive Cultivation Methods

    In an instant, the Fire Dragon Extremity, which had turned into a saber, merged with the power of justice. Together, they released a bright, dazzling light. It destroyed the gigantic, fake Infant Ancestry Devil.


    After it was killed, the power of justice spread outward, and it devoured all of the power released by the giant fake Infant Ancestry Devil.


    After withdrawing the Fire Dragon Extremity, Ricky reduced his momentum.


    They could no longer hear the cries of infants. The dark evil power around them dispersed. Ricky could even sense that the amount of the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit surrounding him had decreased by a lot.


    "My power of justice is indeed the natural enemy of that monster," Ricky said excitedly.


    "There''s nothing to be happy about. You can defeat them because they were not the real Infant Ancestry Devils. If the real Infant Ancestry Devils were here, you would be dead meat. The Infant Ancestry Devils will pose a big threat to you in the future. You must cultivate your justice and soul powers in order to stand up to them when necessary in the future,"


    the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "Got it," Ricky responded, nodding his head resolutely.


    Then, he gathered some power of justice and transferred it to Mordech


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    the rest. He stuck out like a sore thumb.


    He looked at Ricky and Mordechai, and he began to speak in a harsh voice. "You people of the Desolate Sorcery tribe still haven''t given up. So many years have passed, and you still dream of getting your hands on the two primitive cultivation methods and getting your ancestral land back."


    Ricky and Mordechai stared at the monster intently.


    They could sense that he was different from the others because his body was made of flesh and blood.


    That was to say, he might be a real Infant Ancestry Devil instead of being formed by evil energy.


    "Brat, watch out. This is a real Infant Ancestry Devil. He is a three-star lower spiritual emperor," the Dragon Intent Grass reminded Ricky abruptly.


    "I can feel that," Ricky replied in acknowledgement.


    After a while, Mordechai broke the silence.


    "It appears that you are the one who caused our ancestral land to be eroded by the strong Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit," he said murderously, pointing at the Infant Ancestry Devil.


    "Ha-ha! You give me too much credit. I am not powerful enough to do that. It was our patriarch who accomplished that.


    I''m here because I have some unfinished business to attend to," the Infant Ancestry Devil replied.

 Chapter 1242 Secret Behind The Desolate Sorcery Tribes Downfall

    "Are you implying that you know the reason why our patriarch sealed our tribe?! Tell me why he did it then!" Mordechai demanded after hearing the Infant Ancestry Devil''s words.


    "Ha-ha! It looks like you are desperate to know the reason. Very well, I am going to tell you for the sake of your people that had passed away. I am really kind, am I not?


    You can consider this our last respect for the Desolate Sorcery tribe. After all, your tribe is about to be totally wiped out from this earth," the Infant Ancestry Devil responded coldly.


    "First of all, let me introduce myself. I am Chris Yin.


    Remember my name because I was primarily responsible for the destruction of your tribe."


    Hearing the callous remark made Mordechai''s blood boil. He desperately wanted to activate his Sorcerous Combat Body and crush this Infant Ancestry Devil until he had bled him dry, but this wasn''t the right time. He still needed to know what had happened to their patriarch.


    "Tell me what you did to my tribe!" Mordechai roared again.


    The incensed look on Mordechai''s face only served to amuse Chris, and he burst into laughter again. However, he did keep his promise. He shared with Ricky and Mordechai everything he knew.


    Of course, he didn''t do that out of the generosity of his heart. He only revealed these things because he was confident that the duo would not be able to make it out of here alive.


    According to Chris, the Desolate Sorcery tribe was


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    le patterns instantly appeared all over his body. He was starting the second killing array.


    "My array, the Wail of Ghosts and the Howl of Wolves, come out! Go and destroy all of these monsters!" Ricky shouted.


    As the array was activated, he also unleashed his six mutants and chaotic power at the same time. He covered the array with the justice power, the chaotic fire power, and the ancestral thunder power.


    These three kinds of powers were the evil power''s natural enemy.


    When he saw that Ricky burst out six mutants and the chaotic power, Chris'' eyes widened in utter shock.


    "You are using chaotic power! I didn''t expect that another creature from the continent had managed to cultivate the chaotic power. However, you''ve made a huge mistake. You shouldn''t have come here despite you possess the chaotic power. But this could be a blessing in disguise for me. After all, my value, power, and fame will all spread around the world if I take you out. Moreover, I''m curious if a genius who has cultivated the chaotic power tastes better than the creatures of the Desolate Sorcery tribe,"


    Chris added with a smirk, deliberately adding fuel to the plan.


    "Well, you can give it a shot. You better make sure your teeth are strong though. If your teeth aren''t hard enough, they will break," Ricky snapped back with a vicious sneer.


    At the same time, he waggled his finger a little, and the array directly rushed to those blood-black ropes.

 Chapter 1243 Confronting The Real Infant Ancestry Devil

    The array Ricky made flew towards the blood-dark ropes.


    The chaotic fire on the array merged with the justice power and the ancestral thunder power, and it burned wildly and morphed into countless ghosts and wolves. They rolled into the passages that the runes had created, and they tore the blood-dark ropes to bits.


    The chaotic power Ricky unleashed restrained the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit.


    Roars of these Infant Ancestry Devils echoed throughout the space, making the ground vibrate. For a moment, it was as if the two sides were locked in a stalemate.


    Mordechai took the opportunity and dashed out of the array. With the help of his Sorcerous Combat Body, he absorbed all the sorcerous power left behind in the ancestral land.


    "Sorcerous Omnipotent Skill¡ªthe Unstoppable Hand!" Mordechai yelled out.


    He activated the Sorcerous Combat Body and released enormous power. It formed a giant, terrifying shadow with arms as thick as the flood dragons. It tore up the space, and a huge rift instantly appeared.


    A gigantic, reddish-yellow hand came out of the rift.


    Its bones were sticking out, and it filled around the area surrounding it.


    In the blink of an eye, the giant hand cam


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    s as soon as possible. The odds are against us, and this is not the ideal place for us. We can''t stay here for too long. The Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit will erode us faster when we are in the fighting state,"


    Mordechai said through telepathy.


    "Got it!" Ricky replied.


    The two of them made their moves at the same time. They began to unleash their powerful Omnipotent Skills.


    "Come on!" Mordechai shouted. He activated the Sorcerous Combat Body. A drop of blood essence came out from the center of his forehead, and he used it to summon the shadow of their ancestor.


    A giant shadow appeared, and Mordechai merged with it. He gathered all of his power and dashed forward to punch Chris.


    "Chaotic Lotus!" Ricky yelled out.


    He burst out his six mutants and the chaotic power. He fused them with the power of the Golden Spirit Eyes and formed the Chaotic Lotus. Array lines covered the lotus to keep him and Mordechai from soul attacks.


    "Three-headed and Six-armed Regenerating Skill, attack now!"


    Chris let out a roar. He prepared himself to face Mordechai''s blow. Three of his arms made of the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit transformed into huge rings and hurtled towards Mordechai.

 Chapter 1244 Prevailing Over Chris

    "Three-headed and Six-armed Regenerating Skill¡ªSoul Attack!" Chris yelled out again, deciding to attack Ricky''s soul.


    His other three arms transformed into three scary-looking shadows and flew toward his target.


    In the next moment, their thunderous forces clashed against each other,


    which created shock waves that mixed with the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit nearby.


    Amid the waves, three figures were fighting fiercely.


    These were none other than Ricky, Mordechai, and Chris.


    Chris'' attacks were incredibly potent. After all, they contained the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit and his Ancestry Devil blood power. Warriors whose cultivation level was lower than his own would definitely have trouble fending off those strikes.


    However, his opponents right now weren''t ordinary warriors. One was a genius from a tribe whose members cultivated the strongest bodies in the world, while the other was an ace genius who was once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor.


    On top of their individual strengths, these two worked perfectly together.


    Every time Chris launched soul attacks against them, Ricky would merge his array with all kinds of powers to resist. On the other hand, if Chris attacked them with his physical strength, Mordechai would step up and fight him head-on with his Sorcerous Combat Body.


    At that moment, Ricky and Mordechai were locked in a stalemate with Chris.


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    "This can''t be happening. What kind of power can make my soul attack visible?"


    A few moments later, his pained scream echoed like an animal''s howl.


    It seemed that Ricky and Mordechai were stronger than Chris once they joined hands.


    What was more, Chris was not a real peerless genius, despite having the Ancestry Devil blood power.


    Ricky and Mordechai proved that they were more talented than him, and their blood powers were not inferior to his. The duo''s only weakness was their relatively lower cultivation level.


    If Ricky and Mordechai were at his level, they would undoubtedly defeat him in a heartbeat.


    Without a warning, Chris suddenly vomited a large mouthful of blood. He had returned to his previous appearance, as his other two heads and four arms dissipated. He fell on the ground with a loud thud, rolling over and over in the dust before he finally stopped.


    "Humph!Somehow, I expected more from a real Infant Ancestry Devil. I thought you could do better than this, but it looks like I overestimated you," Mordechai snidely remarked.


    He and Ricky went closer to Chris, floating over his prone and injured body. They looked down at him with a sense of triumph and closure.


    Finally, they had defeated Chris.


    Moments earlier, they had struggled to resist the soul attacks formed by the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit. Thankfully, they prevailed in the end.

 Chapter 1245 They Were Eroded By Evil Energy

    "I''ll agree that the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit and the Infant Ancestry Devils are incredibly powerful. But your strength is limited. Otherwise, you would have won the battle and occupy our territory long ago. The devil race is not the ruler of this world.


    So, you should take your own life now and we''ll let you die with some shred of dignity. Consider it a courtesy from our side,"


    Ricky told Chris.


    "Yes. Rid the world of yourself because if you let us do the job, nothing but ashes shall remain. We are already very kind to you, aren''t we?" Mordechai seconded. ''He showed us no respect and thought of us as insignificant. It''s time to teach him a lesson and show him how it feels to be despised,'' he thought to himself with a sneer.


    Chris looked up at the duo in the sky. There was pent-up anger in his eyes but he could do nothing.


    The fury he carried was such that if looks could kill, Ricky and Mordechai would be dust by now.


    Engulfed by hatred, Chris stood up with enormous effort and stepped back quickly. His momentum began to soar again.


    "Well, what are you doing? Do you still want to resist? I advise you to give up and stop wasting our time," Mordechai said with disdain.


    "He has made his choice to continue fighting us. Let''s finish


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    use the zone to escape, I hate the feeling of powerlessness that pervades all over me.


    I am not going to enter the zone unless my life is at stake. Don''t try to convince me otherwise. I know that chances are that I might have to enter it eventually, but for now, I should try my best. Only then will I not regret my actions." There was determination in his eyes.


    "Okay. Then I respect your decision," the Dragon Intent Grass replied.


    It knew that Ricky had already made up his mind. So no matter what it said to him, he would not listen to its suggestions.


    Ricky and Mordechai were fighting the two statues with their full might. Explosions and bangs arose constantly as the four collided. Most of them were caused by Ricky and Mordechai hitting the ground hard after being thrown away.


    Soon, the two of them were completely covered in blood. The two statues had sustained no injuries except for being stained by their blood.


    The duo''s strength faded away, and they were losing consciousness.


    "You are digging your own graves!" Chris snorted dismissively as he looked at them.


    He was excited right now since he fed on his enemies'' pain.


    Interestingly, none of them had noticed that the two statues were absorbing Ricky''s and Mordechai''s blood.

 Chapter 1246 Four Statues

    The fight raged on. Ricky and Mordechai went all out, giving every attack their best. Each time they sustained severe injuries, Ricky would use the life and death runes and the Life and Death Fire to help him and Mordechai recover. They fought the two statues valiantly.


    Half a day later, the duo was on the verge of death. Their bodies were covered in wounds, and the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit had eroded them through the wounds. They could barely think straight, and they could not form cohesive thoughts.


    Mordechai was so weak that staying upright had become a struggle for him. "Ricky, this is on me. I''ve dragged you into this mess. I shouldn''t have brought you here," he murmured, gathering his remaining strength to speak through telepathy.


    "Ha-ha! What are you talking about? Don''t blame yourself. It''s not your fault," Ricky responded.


    At the same time, he released his mind to cover Mordechai, ready to enter the zone with him.


    Ricky and Mordechai had both tried their best, but they still couldn''t win the battle. Ricky had lost the urge to fight and decided to enter the zone. He didn''t want them to be killed because of his sheer stubbornness.


    "It''s time to end this thing," Chris said abruptly. He looked down on Ricky and Mordechai disdainfully. "You losers, now yo


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    hat the two statues had divided into four.


    Although the statues had not been taken over by the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit, most of them had been eroded by it.


    But deep inside, the essence of the two statues which corresponded to the real primitive cultivation methods still remained. But they were suppressed because of the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit and Chris'' presence.


    Since Ricky and Mordechai had both resonated with the essence of the two statues. The two statues'' essence was awakened and thus broken free from the original statues and manifested themselves into new ones.


    In other words, the two new statues were actually the real primitive cultivation methods.


    The new statues might have lost some of their powers, but Ricky and Mordechai didn''t care about that.


    What mattered was they were going to get them after all. They looked at one another, bursting with excitement. "These two new statues are the real primitive cultivation methods!"


    Since their blood essence had integrated with the primitive cultivation methods, the pair were connected to them.


    Without any hesitation, the two of them communicated with them using their minds. In no time, the two primitive cultivation methods integrated with their bodies.


    Of course, this was only the first step.

 Chapter 1247 Fake Primitive Cultivation Methods

    Although they had already integrated with the real primitive cultivation methods, Ricky and Mordechai still had a lot of work to do to fully acquire their powers.


    But even so, the duo could still feel the increase in their powers. The power of Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body had increased, and so had the power of Mordechai''s Sorcerous Combat Body.


    "The primitive cultivation method is truly amazing. I just integrated with it, and my power has already soared," Ricky exclaimed excitedly. He could feel himself grow stronger.


    "It''s not a surprise to me. The primitive cultivation methods were the work of earth and heaven. They contain great powers. I finally feel vindicated. Anyway, I helped you get your hands on the primitive cultivation method of the Ultimate Golden Body. I''ve fulfilled my end of the deal.


    I would never be able to forgive myself if I didn''t fulfill my promise," Mordechai said.


    "Ha-ha! You are too hard on yourself. Even though we almost died, we are safe now, aren''t we?" Ricky comforted him. "However, now we have something to do. We need to dispose of that devil and destroy the two dark statues."


    "You are right!'' Mordechai re


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    re, I would never have come upon the primitive cultivation method of the Ultimate Golden Body."


    "You and Mordechai could be a match for the leader of the Devil Flood Dragon tribe," the Dragon Intent Grass replied.


    "We should destroy the two evil cultivation methods," Mordechai said to Ricky.


    "Can they be destroyed?" Ricky asked curiously.


    "Of course they can be destroyed. They are fakes. It will just take some time," Mordechai said with conviction.


    "Got it!" Ricky nodded in agreement. He didn''t want to leave the two evil cultivation methods lying around. They might fall into the wrong hands.


    "Ricky, can you tell my father that we are safe using your shadowy replica?" Mordechai asked.


    "No problem!" Ricky agreed.


    A few moments later, Ricky and Mordechai hit the two evil statues with their real counterparts.


    Just as Mordechai said, they would take some time to destroy.


    It took them a month to do so.


    When they broke into pieces, each one released an energy halo.


    One halo was golden, while the other was reddish-yellow. Ricky and Mordechai felt primitive power from the halos. They looked at one another in astonishment.

 Chapter 1248 Desolate Sorcery Tribes Patriarch

    "Look at this! What is this power called? I haven''t seen this before," Ricky murmured as he narrowed his eyes at the energy halos.


    "It''s the power from the two primitive cultivation methods. It showed up right after we killed Chris and destroyed the two evil statues," Mordechai explained briefly.


    "All we have to do now is to refine the two streams of powers and continue to absorb the two primitive cultivation methods. As soon as that''s done, we will get the complete primitive cultivation methods," he added.


    "Oh, I see. So, I guess that it''ll be a breeze for us defeating the Devil Flood Dragon tribe''s leader once we master them.


    Let''s put in our efforts for this. Surely, we''ll find a way to remove all the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit in your ancestral land after we bring down that Devil Flood Dragon. But now, we should keep on working to improve our strength since we can''t do that just yet," Ricky replied.


    Soon after, they sat down cross-legged and started to work seriously on the energy halos.


    Only when they had successfully fused the energies could they acquire the complete primitive cultivation methods and all their powers.


    As they focused on their work, changes were happening in the ancestral land of the Desolate Sorcery tribe.


    Meanwhile, the thick Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit had faded away slowly


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    think you would appreciate this useful stuff I have for you two," the patriarch of the Desolate Sorcery tribe responded.


    Of course, both Mordechai and Ricky got so excited to hear that the patriarch even got them a gift. With joy in their eyes, they leaned in closer as they waited for the big reveal.


    Undoubtedly, the patriarch''s gift must be something very valuable.


    Soon after, the patriarch''s mutant suddenly opened his mouth, releasing a reddish-yellow tripod.


    The wild fires formed by the patriarch''s mutant kept on burning around it.


    "Sir, is this the Heavenly Sorcery Tripod, the one regarded as the key to controlling our ancestral land?" Mordechai asked, with his eyes glued to the tripod.


    "Yes, that''s it, the Heavenly Sorcery Tripod. It is considered to be very essential to our ancestral land. It is said that whoever gets it will keep our ancestral land under his control. As soon as things are done here, I will give it to you,"


    the patriarch assured Mordechai.


    "Uhm, I beg your pardon, sir? I mean, this just sounds too good to be true," Mordechai said as he stared at the old man in complete disbelief.


    "You heard me the first time. You''ve acquired the primitive cultivation method of the Sorcerous Combat Body. And only you can be recognized by the Heavenly Sorcery Tripod," the patriarch said.

 Chapter 1249 Integrating The Eternal Power

    "You mean, you will let me take control of our ancestral land?" Mordechai asked incredulously. He couldn''t believe that such a good thing could happen to him. Whoever controlled the Desolate Sorcery tribe''s ancestral land would also be appointed as the tribal leader. Thus, it was a privilege and an honor to be responsible for the ancestral land.


    Mordechai felt flattered that his patriarch trusted him enough for such an enormous responsibility.


    "Listen to me carefully." The Desolate Sorcery tribe''s patriarch called Mordechai''s attention, as he was still distracted by the delightful news. "I''m going to tell you what''s inside the Heavenly Sorcery Tripod, but before I do, I want to ask you a question.


    Do you know why the Sorcerous Combat Body is the strongest body in the world?"


    "I don''t have the faintest clue," Mordechai replied as he shook his head uncertainly.


    "It''s because the Sorcerous Combat Body primarily rooted in the chaotic eternal power. The chaotic eternal power formed the Heavenly Sorcery Tripod, which then created our ancestral land. And later on, our tribe came into existence.


    In other words, our Sorcerous Combat Body is also from the primitive eternal power. That''s why it''s incredibly powerful," the patriarch of the Desolate Sorcery tribe revealed to


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    .


    Another fifteen days passed. Finally, their bodies were rebuilt. These bodies were made from Treasures from Heaven and Earth instilled with eternal power.


    During that period, the patriarch of the Desolate Sorcery tribe also taught them about his understanding of eternal power.


    After everything was done, they dressed up and jumped out of the tripod. At that moment, they felt like their bodies were as indestructible as sacred weapons.


    What was more, they felt like they were about to achieve a breakthrough.


    Ricky couldn''t stop his excitement, so he summoned his Ultimate Golden Body immediately to feel it. He was overjoyed to find that his golden body was covered by golden-purple eternal power.


    At the same time, Mordechai burst out the Sorcerous Combat Body, and similar to the Ultimate Golden Body, his reddish-yellow body had been replaced by a golden-purple one.


    ''I have acquired the eternal power, the chaotic power, and the chromatic energy. With these three powers, no one at my level could defeat me!'' Ricky thought delightedly.


    "By the way, there is one thing you need to keep in mind. You should focus on toughening up your bones first during the cultivation period. After that, you can work on improving your flesh," the patriarch advised the two young men.

 Chapter 1250 Free The Desolate Sorcery Tribe

    "Your skeleton won''t be able to bear the power in your flesh if you use the eternal power to improve the latter first. Also, you won''t be able to unleash all your physical strength during the process." The patriarch of the Desolate Sorcery told them almost everything.


    "Got it." Ricky and Mordechai nodded firmly.


    "From now on, you will oversee our tribe. I hope you will not let me down," the patriarch said to Mordechai. He pursed his lips with a serious expression in his eyes.


    "Sir, what are your mutant planning to do?" Mordechai asked.


    "I will use every ounce of strength I have to remove all the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit before I disappear. We''ll meet again if my real body manages to leave the chaos. You''ve already got the primitive cultivation method of the Sorcerous Combat Body. Once you refine the Heavenly Sorcery Tripod, it will recognize you as its master. Afterwards, if you want to fix the Sorcerous Combat Palace, you must let it develop its psychic intelligence once more,"


    the patriarch explained.


    There was a whoosh after that, and the patriarch''s mutant transformed into an enormous veil of power that spread out in all directions. Wherever it went, the Infant Ancestry Evil Spirit was dissipated.


    Very soon, the ancestral land of the Desolate Sorc


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    nt Grass said with laughter.


    Once everything was taken care of there,


    Ricky and Mordechai left the Sealed Land along with the other members of the Desolate Sorcery tribe and their friends.


    The second they had left the Sealed Land, the creatures of the Desolate Sorcery tribe could not hide their excitement anymore.


    The horde headed back to the wood branch.


    The creatures of the Desolate Sorcery tribe needed to find a place to settle down. Since that Lloyd oversaw the wood branch which spread across an enormous area, Ricky and Mordechai were sure that he could find them a good place for that purpose.


    However, when they arrived near the wood branch''s territory, Ricky spotted several creatures from the Red Potentate Roc tribe wandering its borders.


    He asked Mordechai, Hayes, and Ashley to go in first with the people of the Desolate Sorcery tribe.


    "It appears that the people of the Red Potentate Roc tribe hate my guts, most likely because I killed Richard," Ricky murmured.


    "You murdered two geniuses from their tribe. It''s no surprise they hate you to the core," the Dragon Intent Grass responded. "I am sure that their leader is coming for you in person to seek revenge."


    As soon as it was done talking, Ricky felt an unstoppable force coming his way.

 Chapter 1251 Surprising Saints Came

    The overwhelming force moved so fast that it left Ricky no time to get inside the zone where he could avoid it. It didn''t take him long to recognize that the force was the blessing power from a saint.


    This was precisely what the Dragon Intent Grass had foreseen. A saint had indeed been waiting for him, and that person was undoubtedly from the Red Potentate Roc tribe.


    At this point, a looming fear came over Ricky because he realized that he was hanging on by a thread.


    However, just as the blessing power was about to swallow him up in a blinding light, another blessing power appeared out of nowhere and blocked it.


    When Ricky saw this, he released a deep sigh of relief.


    He knew at once that it was Lloyd who had come to his aid. The presence of a saint nearby the wood branch couldn''t have escaped Lloyd''s attention, after all.


    Next, Lloyd''s imposing voice rang out. "Walt, you have lived on this earth for thousands of years. Shouldn''t you be guiding the youth instead of assaulting them? Don''t you feel ashamed of yourself?"


    An overbearing voice resounded. "This is none of your business, Lloyd, so you''d better stay out of this. Besides, you have no right to meddle in my affairs."


    "I wouldn''t interfere in this if you were after other warriors, but this young man is my disciple. The moment you tried to kill him was the moment you made this my concern too. After all, I can''t just


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    seemed like all the saints from the Luo Clan and the Red Potentate Roc tribe had been sent here to back them up.


    The Luo Clan definitely planned to deal with the wood branch today.


    "Brat, it looks like you weren''t their real target. They only came here because the Luo Clan intends to take over the wood branch," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "I think so too," agreed Ricky. "I wonder how Elder Lloyd is going to deal with all of them."


    The surrounding warriors soon realized what was happening. They distanced themselves from the saints immediately, making sure that they were far away from the line of fire. Once those saints began to fight, it would be too easy to become collateral damage, especially if they were too close to the battlefield.


    ''Is this the end of the wood branch?'' some of the warriors sighed in their minds.


    Before long, the ten saints arrived and went to stand beside Frank and Walt.


    "How do you like my surprise for you, old pal?" Frank teased Lloyd with a cloying smile.


    "Humph! I don''t know how you got so many powerful men in your horde. But you don''t scare me," Lloyd retorted sharply, glaring at Frank with his head held high.


    "So you are choosing your disciple over the wood branch, huh?" Frank asked with a playful look at Lloyd.


    At this point, an oppressive atmosphere had settled over the whole place, as both sides prepared themselves for battle.

 Chapter 1252 Crisis Is Solved

    The second Frank finished his sentence,


    the ten saints who had just arrived dashed forward and surrounded Lloyd. Alone, none of these saints was a match for Lloyd in terms of strength and momentum.


    However, their combined momentum easily surpassed Lloyd''s.


    Further, they had Frank on their side, who was easily as strong as Lloyd.


    The air was heavy with oppression and anger.


    All the warriors in the distance were looking at Lloyd, wondering what he would do next. There was no way he could defeat twelve saints all by himself unless he had become a medium saint.


    The warriors around them began to discuss possible outcomes heatedly. "Lloyd is surrounded by the twelve saints. I think he is going to give up the white haired young man."


    "Do you still think that they are here for Ricky?"


    "Ricky was once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor, but he is no longer the reason for this confrontation. The Luo Clan is just using him as an excuse. Their main target is the wood branch. They have planned on annexing the wood branch and then slowly taking control of the Five-element Sect."


    "So, how would you like to do this, old pal? The easy way, or the hard way?" Frank asked Lloyd, clasping his hands behind his back. From his demeanor, he seemed certain that everythi


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    eir side, a fight between the two sides would only cause chaos and damage and no side would end up the victorious one. The Five-element Sect would be annexed by other forces, and the Luo Clan would suffer the same fate.


    Frank''s face had gotten gloomy now.


    His initial plan was to take over the wood branch quickly before anyone from the other four branches of the Five-element Sect could notice.


    But the Five-element Flag had ruined his plans.


    "What''s your decision, Frank? What are you going to do?" Lloyd asked.


    Wells stepped forward. "Although our sect has declined over the years, it doesn''t mean that any random force can mess with us. Whoever tries to provoke us shall pay a heavy price," he threatened with a ferocious expression.


    "Fine!" Frank snorted as his eyes looked up and down at Wells.


    He wasn''t going to fight under such circumstances.


    "I am going to leave now. But you should know that it is the people of the North Sect who have their eyes on your sect, not me," Frank informed them.


    Lloyd and other saints of the Five-element Sect bunched their eyebrows when they heard that.


    The warriors were shocked once more.


    The North Sect must be a powerful force. Otherwise, it wouldn''t have been able to get people of the Luo Clan to work for it.

 Chapter 1253 Territory Battle

    "Well, you don''t need to concern yourself with that, Frank," maintained Lloyd. "You seem confident about that.


    Then I''m really looking forward to the day when you, the Five-element Sect, can reappear your glorious glory!" Frank replied snidely.


    After saying that, he turned his back on them and quickly left with his people.


    They couldn''t fight anyway, so it would be meaningless to stay.


    The North Sect had initially declared that they would support the Luo Clan, but the Luo Clan had no assurance of their loyalty. If they fought with the Five-element Sect now, they could win but would surely suffer grave injuries. In that case, the North Sect might turn on them and take advantage of their momentary weakness.


    Therefore, Frank couldn''t attack recklessly and with no assurances.


    And besides, even if the North Sect dared to blame him for not standing up to the Five-element Sect right now, he had a very good reason to back him up.


    "You must be Ricky, right?" said Brandon to Ricky before he left. "Yes, I am,"


    Ricky immediately replied, to which Brandon nodded. "I''ll make sure to remember your face.


    Enjoy your life to the fullest in the coming days because I''ll come back after a while, cut your head, and send it to Walt as a gift," Brandon warned him in


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    ct''s territory. After the Territory Battle, the Misty South Palace''s masters will divide the territory according to how many Territory Seals every Sage Level force obtained, and they will give fifty years of protection as well."


    "I see. So that is how a Territory Battle is conducted!" said Ricky, nodding. "Then how many Territory Seals do we need for the Five-element Sect?"


    "All in all, we only need four Territory Seals to maintain the territory of our Five-element Sect," answered Lloyd. "Thus, you must obtain four Territory Seals. You don''t need to try and get more than that, as our Five-element Sect is not planning to seize the territory of other forces.


    Of course, don''t force yourself if you can''t get four Territory Seals. The most important thing for you is to get the opportunities because the foundation of our Five-element Sect is still you guys," he added.


    "Understood!" Ricky, Ashley, and Hayes replied with serious looks on their faces.


    "There are still three months left. You just need to focus on your cultivation and practice hard to strengthen yourselves," Lloyd then reminded them. "And no matter the time, strength is always a necessity.


    What''s more, you have to face the geniuses of the whole outer region in the upcoming Territory Battle."

 Chapter 1254 Gifts From Ricky

    "Do you mean that we will be competing with all the other geniuses in the outer region of the Middle Land? That is indeed good news," Ricky said excitedly. His eyes were burning with the desire to fight.


    It was his chance to improve himself in such a short time, and it was a good opportunity to develop himself. Only when he fought those geniuses would he be able to learn things and improve his skills faster.


    "I''m glad to hear that. Young men should be full of confidence and must have faith in themselves," Lloyd said with satisfaction. He could tell that Ricky was looking forward to the contest.


    "I advise you to practice with each other in the coming three months. It will be a more efficient way to hone your skills," he advised, looking at the three disciples.


    Afterwards, Ricky, Ashley, and Hayes stayed at the cultivation place. They practiced with one another and shared their experiences in martial arts. After he had everything taken care of, Mordechai joined the three of them.


    The four of them filled Lloyd in on what had happened to Guillermo. They didn''t leave out any details.


    After hearing that, Lloyd heaved a deep sigh. He sudden


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    Humph! I don''t want your stuff!" Ashley said, rolling her eyes.


    Looking at her stone-cold face, Ricky smirked. He lifted his hand and turned his palm over, and a ball of bright, green fire rose from it. The flame emitted the aura of life and vitality.


    "I have a peculiar fire called the Life and Death Fire. I extracted this from the Life and Death Fire.


    I think this peculiar fire will be useful to anyone with wood-related mutants. Any warrior with such mutants would not refuse to take it."


    When she heard Ricky''s words, Ashley''s eyes went wide with greed. She stared at the green flame longingly.


    However, she composed herself. She feigned her indifference. She tore her gaze away from the fire and looked back at Ricky with disdain.


    "It''s just a measly flame. I don''t give a damn about it," she said defiantly as she walked away.


    After she left, Hayes and Mordechai looked at each other and burst into laughter.


    The three of them spent the next few days together, practicing and improving their skills.


    Then, they went to their own cultivation places to process what they had learned.


    "Young man, give me some of that green fire!"

 Chapter 1255 Real Ancient Battlefield

    The minute Ricky set foot in his cultivation place, he heard Lloyd''s familiar voice echo in his Soul Sea. Not long after, Lloyd appeared out of thin air looking at Ricky.


    "Elder Lloyd, I''m going to cultivate in private. What brings you here? Is there anything I can help you with?" Ricky asked.


    "Oh, don''t play dumb with me! Don''t tell me you are not aware that I cultivate the wood power as well." After gathering the courage to swallow his pride, he made a request. "Come on. Give me two balls of that green fire."


    "Ha-ha! I thought that a powerful being like you would never need this flame. Looks like I am mistaken," Ricky teased.


    "Stop that! Quit teasing me!" Lloyd said as his face darkened in annoyance, pretending to be offended.


    Ricky stopped making fun of the elder after seeing his irritated face. Afterwards, he pulled out two flaming balls of life fire straight from the Life and Death Fire and handed them over to Lloyd.


    "I hope you don''t mind, Elder Lloyd. But why do you want two balls of this kind of fire?" Ricky asked out of interest.


    "I need two of those because I will give one to Ashley. Wait, don''t tell me that you''re having second thoughts about me giving one to her?" Lloyd said as he stared at Ricky.


    "Ha-ha! Don''t get me wrong. It''s not that I don''t want her to get one. It''s just that I have already tried giving her the peculiar fire before, but she refused


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    attlefield. The scattering land of the ancient battlefield I entered before is nothing compared to this one. It''s not the size that matters. They bring me a different kind of feeling. Just by looking at this battlefield, I can clearly tell that the battles fought here were nothing but fierce,"


    Ricky commented.


    "That''s right. This is a real ancient battlefield where countless warriors at the Sage Level or the Potentate Level once fought," Mordechai chimed in. "Here, you can even see the damaged sites by the Divine Level warriors."


    "Once you enter it, keep your group intact! All of the others are enemies except for those from the four branches of our sect," Lloyd reminded them. "Keep in mind that all the forces want to expand their territory. That is the only known way on how they can gain more luck in expanding their influence."


    Upon learning what they had to do, Ricky and the other three nodded their heads. "Sure thing. Understood!" they replied firmly.


    "Well, go on! Just don''t get yourselves killed in there. Nothing is more important than your lives and safety,"


    Lloyd said as he wished them success.


    Not long after, Ricky, Mordechai, Ashley, and Hayes jumped and disappeared into the rift. At the same time, many people followed them and went into the rift. At that moment, the competition among the talented warriors from the outer region of the Middle Land had begun.

 Chapter 1256 Fighting Beast

    Once the disciples of all the forces had entered the rift, the saints sat down in wait for them.


    It was going to be a year before those disciples came out. However, the Grey Wind Land was a magical place.


    Everything that happened in the ancient battlefield would be projected in the sky and visible outside.


    After passing through the rift, Ricky, Mordechai, Ashley, and Hayes landed on an area covered with the bloody evil power.


    So powerful and widespread was the bloody evil power that it penetrated the four of them the instant they arrived. They could feel it clouding their senses and knew that ordinary warriors could not survive it.


    Besides, they also sensed another type of power apart from the evil power.


    It was not dense, but it filled the air completely.


    It rushed through their bodies, as if trying to tear them to pieces.


    Apart from that, the four of them realized that this mysterious power could arouse their own fighting spirit.


    "Can you feel this power trying to arouse our fighting spirit?" Ricky asked his companions as he gathered his strength to remove the mysterious power from his body.


    "I can feel it, all right." Mordechai nodd


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    rts.


    To kill a fighting beast once and for all, one had to take its energy source, which was its heart.


    "Leave this tiger to me," Hayes said, full of fighting spirit. He stepped forwards and gathered the justice power which appeared in the shape of a blade over his palm.


    "Be careful, Hayes. My gut is telling me that this tiger won''t be easy to deal with," Ricky warned.


    Hayes''s eyes flashed and the justice power continued to grow. Soon, he had formed eight powerful blades out of it.


    Under his control, these blades slashed forward and created eight passages in the water, leading up to the tiger.


    His companions could clearly feel that each of these blades contained the power of a three-star lower spiritual emperor at peak state.


    Even Ricky didn''t dare take these blades lightly.


    The tiger flapped its wings, and countless waves were created. They turned into eight water currents and lashed out at the blades.


    The second these currents encountered their target, the blades broke into pieces and vanished into thin air.


    The tiger was evidently much stronger than Hayes.


    It rushed towards Hayes, wings flapping and dividing the water in two.

 Chapter 1257 Comprehend Something

    Everything happened so quickly that Hayes had no time to react. His eyes widened in shock as he desperately tried to process what just happened.


    The tiger was undoubtedly as powerful as a three-star lower spiritual emperor at the peak state, and Hayes'' strength was at that level too. He had unleashed his most powerful attack on the tiger, but the beast shattered his attack like it was nothing. Neither he nor his companions had expected that it could actually use the bloody evil power inside the water.


    Fortunately, Hayes was an experienced fighter. So even though the tiger took him by surprise, he quickly came back to his senses. He stepped back in one quick movement and successfully dodged its attack.


    "It looks like he is having a hard time taking the beast down because it''s using the bloody evil power in the water to its advantage," Ricky muttered lowly. "That means the tiger is more powerful than an ordinary three-star lower spiritual emperor at peak state."


    Despite knowing how strong the tiger was, Ricky, Mordechai, and Ashley didn''t make a move to help Hayes. That was because the tiger was still weaker than Hayes, no matter how strong it was.


    Once Hayes had steadied himself, he began to transform. Wisps of white energy gushed out from his body, as his pupils turned as p


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    arted towards the tiger''s forehead. Hayes smiled triumphantly, for he thought that this strike would end the beast''s life.


    However, something unexpected happened.


    The tiger let out another fearsome roar, and its blood-black skin turned reddish-yellow. Moreover, all its power transformed into the fighting power.


    It was, without a doubt, the beast''s peak fighting form.


    Due to the fighting power, the water poured out of the space and engulfed everything with fighting power instantly.


    Consequently, Hayes'', Ricky''s, Mordechai''s, and Ashley''s fighting spirit roused once again.


    It felt like the blood in their brains were about to burst out from their bodies at any time.


    Mordechai immediately unleashed his power, thoughtfully shielding Ricky from the tiger''s fighting power.


    After all, a warrior couldn''t be disturbed during his cultivation, and Ricky was in the middle of comprehending things now.


    "Hayes, end this fight already! The strong fighting power is going to interfere with Ricky''s comprehension," Mordechai called out to Hayes, who immediately nodded in understanding.


    "Understood!" he replied briefly.


    With saber shadows covering his white eyes, Hayes'' body began to transform once again.


    "I need to borrow your power, Shadow Sword Mutant!" he yelled out.

 Chapter 1258 Jeremy Luo

    After activating the Shadow Sword Mutant, Hayes condensed another blade.


    "Come on, Heavenly Flying Saber!" he shouted.


    His saber was the combination of the justice power and the heavenly power. It glowed gently as it shot towards the tiger.


    Although it looked like an ordinary saber, powerful warriors could feel its immense power.


    The moment the saber appeared, all the tiger''s fighting power was suppressed.


    It cut through the tiger''s flesh, piercing through its body.


    Hayes had finally put down the beast.


    Even though the tiger was powerful, it was no match for Hayes. It also lacked the ability to think, which made it vulnerable to Hayes.


    Hayes flew towards the dead tiger and ripped its heart out. With one final exhale, the beast was dead for all eternity. Its body suddenly transformed into a ball of pure fighting energy.


    Hayes took a look at its heart in his hand. It was made of even purer fighting energy.


    "We''ve obtained the pure fighting energy," Mordechai said excitedly. He stared at the ball of pure fighting energy hungrily, delighted to have obtained it.


    "I knew it! This beast did have a large heart. This will be enough for us to improve our fighting spirit," Ashley chimed in, giddy with excitement.


    Warrior


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    h to handle you. I won''t even waste my energy on activating the others," Ricky responded, smiling faintly. Tremendous energy surged out of his body as his Devouring Mutant was activated. He was disgusted by Jeremy Luo''s attitude, but he wasn''t afraid of the latter.


    He had no intention of activating his other mutants.


    "Ha! This guy still has the audacity to be cheerful!" Ashley said in a low voice, looking at Ricky.


    Hayes and Mordechai looked at each other, their expressions inscrutable.


    It was evident that Jeremy Luo was a formidable foe. However, Ricky was going to fight him with just one mutant. They thought that Ricky was overestimating himself. Even though Ricky had comprehended a new Omnipotent Skill, they didn''t think that he could defeat Jeremy Luo with only one mutant power. He might have bitten off more than he could chew.


    Jeremy Luo was rendered speechless.


    "Ha!" He could do nothing but laugh at how absurd it all seemed to him.


    In the next moment, he activated his powers to the extreme.


    He even burst out the power of his mutant. He began to glow, and heat radiated off of his body.


    His entire body transformed into numerous grey-white meridians.


    At this point, he was just made up of grey-white meridians.

 Chapter 1259 Slay Jeremy

    Due to the power of Jeremy''s mutant, his body suddenly transformed into grey-white meridians.


    Upon seeing this, Ricky had felt that Jeremy''s mutant exuded a force similar to the masculine power, but it was not the real masculine power.


    Meanwhile, the space between Jeremy''s eyebrows began to display a three-line mark.


    "He has cultivated the Meridian Mutant at the third level!" Ashley exclaimed as she saw Jeremy''s state.


    Initially, Jeremy was known to have such an alarmingly powerful strength. But now that he had already burst out his mutant, dealing with him would be twice as difficult.


    Ashley might have held a little grudge against Ricky, but she could not deny the worry that she felt for him. After all, they were in the same boat, as Jeremy was their common enemy.


    "I can''t believe it! He has the Grey Light blood power at the third level!" Ricky remarked as he gave Jeremy a serious look.


    Of course, he would not come unprepared. Before coming here, he had already investigated the Luo Clan and tried to get as much information he needed about their blood power and mutant.


    And this blood power of the Luo Clan was called the Grey Light blood power.


    Both the masculine power and the Grey Light blood power belonged to the light power. Despite being a weaker version of its origin, the masculine power, the Grey Light blood power was considered to be a part of a powerful kind of light power. Given that any power related to


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    iendish power and transformed it into a powerful strike.


    Apparently, this was the new skill that Ricky had learned from his epiphany. Now, he could use this to test its power.


    Boom!


    In the next moment, the two massive strikes crashed onto one another, sending shockwaves all over the place.


    Ricky''s attack was so powerful that it was able to break Jeremy''s move in a snap!


    Soon after, Jeremy''s three beams of light turned into grey-light power.


    However, Ricky''s strike didn''t stop right there. Instead, it landed directly on Jeremy''s body.


    Despite fearing his enemy''s attack, Jeremy thought on his feet and quickly collected his remaining strength to create a shield to resist Ricky''s attack.


    Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain.


    At this point, Jeremy was no match for Ricky. He did not have anything left to fight with, for he was almost out of strength.


    All his defenses were struck and destroyed by Ricky''s strike which split his body in two.


    As soon as his body cracked open, Jeremy''s soul came out in an attempt to escape.


    But Ricky knew better than to give him that chance to get out. After all, Ricky controlled the space, so there was no way that Jeremy''s soul could escape.


    Under Ricky''s control, the fiendish power emerged from the water and annihilated Jeremy''s soul.


    As this happened, Ricky''s friends and the people of the Luo Clan all gasped in shock as they had never seen anything like this happen.

 Chapter 1260 Raylan Seeking Help

    Hayes, Ashley, and Mordechai looked even more shocked than the Luo Clan members present. Considering that Ricky was almost as strong as Mordechai, and there shouldn''t be a considerable gap between Mordechai and Jeremy in terms of strength, the three of them believed that Ricky would be just as strong as Jeremy.


    However, what they had just witnessed proved that they had thoroughly underestimated Ricky''s strength. It looked like Ricky was way out of Jeremy''s league.


    But only Ricky knew where his enormous strength had come from, as he knew that his strike could be equal to that of a middle spiritual emperor.


    He had been able to take his challenger down with one blow because there was a great amount of bloody evil power there.


    On the other hand, that tiger could also control the bloody evil power and the fiendish power in that place. But because it hadn''t developed its psychic intelligence, it could only use those powers to increase its fighting power. That was its biggest difference compared to Ricky.


    Ricky was both powerful and intelligent. Plus, he had the Devourer Zone. Through his own fiendish power in his Devourer Zone, he could use the bloody evil power and fiendish power here to their optimum potential compared to how the tiger had used them.


    Perhaps, that was the reason th


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    s soon arched involuntarily as if she had heard something shocking.


    "What''s wrong? Did something happen to him?" Mordechai asked when he noticed Ashley''s peculiar expression.


    "He is requesting back up. It looks like he and his team are being hunted down by Brandon, a member of the Luo Clan. They are currently in an ancient battlefield called the Land of Thorn, and they''re in big trouble!" Ashley cried out urgently.


    "They are in the Land of Thorn?! That place is very dangerous..." Hayes commented, frowning as he recalled what he knew of that place.


    "Maybe they didn''t have a choice. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have risked their lives entering the Land of Thorn," Mordechai cut in.


    "Did he tell you how we can find them?" Ricky asked Ashley.


    In the meantime, he knew that he had to put aside his personal conflict with Raylan. They must come to Raylan''s rescue no matter what. After all, he was the holy son of the Five-element Sect now, so it was also Ricky''s job to keep Raylan and his team safe.


    Although Raylan held a grudge against him, Ricky couldn''t stand idly by and watch him die.


    That was how a powerful and honorable warrior should act.


    Of course, all bets would be off once Ricky successfully saved Raylan. If Raylan tried to kill him, Ricky would show him no mercy then.

 Chapter 1261 Rotten Thorn Men

    "Well, Raylan didn''t tell me. Or that could also mean that he doesn''t really know how to guide us to him. But as far as I know, that is his blood essence, and I can use that to track them down," Ashley answered.


    "Let''s get to it. We don''t have much time. I just hope that they can hold on until we arrive," Ricky said in a hopeful voice.


    Without delay, Ricky, Hayes, and Mordechai followed Ashley and made their way to the Land of Thorn.


    After travelling nonstop for three days, the team arrived at a wet, dark place that housed evil spirit. They found it haunting as the place made them feel shivers down their spines.


    As they continued walking into the place, they felt that they could encounter dangers at any time.


    To make things worse, they noticed some thick, black, hard, thorny plants that seemed to have been all over the place.


    With full caution, they moved slowly. It was as if they were the only living creatures in that terrifying place.


    The plants in the area rose high and covered half the sky, with many of them drenched in blood. In addition, there was rotten flesh and bones everywhere.


    In general, it was the thorny plants which made the place such a nightmare.


    "This creepy place is the Land of Thorn. It''s disgusting, I know," Ricky said in a hushed tone as his eyes stared at the moving thorny pla


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    ave any idea how many of them are there?"


    "Not much. Probably about eight. But I can see that two of them are very powerful," Ricky answered. "I will deal with the two powerful ones. You three get the rest of them. I hope that my chaotic fire and thunder power are enough to restrain these creatures."


    "Sure thing. Please, be careful," Hayes reminded.


    After planning things out,


    the four of them jumped at the same time and flew towards the center of the basin. As soon as they got there,


    the Rotten Thorn Men under the ground growled with deafening ferocity.


    Soon after, the creatures rushed out and surrounded Ricky''s team. On the other hand, these creatures immediately got excited and entered their fighting state the minute they smelled the scent of living beings.


    Not long after, Ricky burst out his momentum, enclosing the two strongest Rotten Thorn Men.


    Upon seeing Ricky''s momentum surround them, they immediately considered him as the enemy.


    This disturbance caught Raylan''s attention, as well as the other six people who were fighting the blood-colored light''s repression. When they opened their eyes, they laid eyes on Ashley fighting alongside her friends. At that moment, the despair in their eyes seemed to have vanished and was replaced by the hope that she would be the one who could save them all.

 Chapter 1262 They Were Already Dead

    Mordechai, Hayes, and Ashley all released their powers, enveloping the Rotten Thorn Men. The three of them stood in different spots, and each of them had two Rotten Thorn Men to deal with.


    "See? Ashley and Hayes are here. We are saved," the disciples of the Five-element Sect exclaimed excitedly. They peered through the blood-colored light, and they were ecstatic to see the group. They wasted no time and got out of the blood-colored light. They began to heal themselves.


    Earlier, they had no choice but to set foot in the area covered by the erosive blood-colored light to hide from the eight Rotten Thorn Men.


    They were extremely grateful to Ashley and her companions at this time.


    However, Raylan was in a complicated mood. He caught a glimpse of Ricky, and he immediately did not know how to feel.


    The Rotten Thorn Men were incredibly powerful. They possessed the rotten power, and they could mobilize the shady power in the Land of Thorn. Moreover, when the rotten power merged with the shady power, the terrifying death power was formed.


    The Rotten Thorn Men could also control all the ancient thorny plants as if they themselves were the masters of the Land of Thorn.


    Thorny plants sprouted out of the ground and rushed tow


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    the lights.


    The four of them slightly panicked. They felt that something bad was about to happen.


    "What the hell are you? Reveal yourself!" Mordechai bellowed. He gathered all of his strength and threw a punch at one of the light balls. However, his strike didn''t cause any damage to the light. The power in his strike simply dispersed once it hit the light.


    As the growl grew louder and louder, more and more ancient thorny plants appeared. They were covered by rotten flesh and broken bones.


    Splash! Splash! Splash! The thorny plants flew into the lights, and the death power appeared. In an instant, new Rotten Thorn Men appeared.


    The newly condensed Rotten Thorn Men were much bigger and stronger than the ones that had just died.


    "This can''t be happening! Wouldn''t it take a long time for the Rotten Thorn Men to form? What the heck is going on here?" Mordechai murmured to himself in disbelief.


    The faces of Hayes and Ashley turned gloomy.


    "This only means one thing. We didn''t kill the eight Rotten Thorn Men at all," Ricky said.


    The Dragon Intent Grass observed what was happening and began to wonder, ''The Rotten Thorn Men are already dead. How could they be killed then? Let''s see if Ricky can get out of this.''

 Chapter 1263 Forced To Retreated

    "Wait. Let me get this straight. We didn''t kill the eight Rotten Thorn Men?" Mordechai clarified with widened eyes.


    "That''s right. If we had really destroyed them, then the lights containing the death power wouldn''t have shown up. Plus, if we didn''t kill them, then we should not have heard their awful growls. As far as I know, we only destroyed their bodies, but not their entire beings.


    They could easily rebuild their bodies using the materials that are scattered around the place.


    Therefore, it won''t take them long before they reappear," Ricky responded.


    "So, do you think that the lights we saw are the core part of the Rotten Thorn Men? In that case, then we need to destroy these lights so we can take them down and they will not regenerate anymore," Hayes said as he looked at Ricky with eyes full of hope.


    "I tried to attack the lights, but unfortunately, they remained unscathed," Mordechai suddenly chimed in.


    "Or maybe, your power isn''t just enough to cause damage to them. Once we break those Rotten Thorn Men'' bodies, we should join forces to attack the light balls. In that way, I believe that we can destroy them once and for all," Ashley heavily suggested.


    Meanwhile, ferocious roars echoed again. After rebuilding their bodies from the scraps of flesh and thorny plants from the area, the Rotten Thorn Men immediately dashed towards Ricky and attacked the four of them once more.


    Surely, their strength had improved with their new bodies, but they obviously were no match for t


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    into the Rotten Thorn Men, we had no more strength to spare. Later on, we stumbled into the area covered by the blood-colored light. But apparently, we didn''t know that this was not to be approached at all,"


    Ella explained briefly.


    "Is there some power in the blood-colored light that scares them?" Ricky asked in a low voice as he narrowed his eyes at the blood-colored light.


    "Ricky, can you please try to find a way to help us get out of here? If we stay here for too long, a lot of blood-colored light would invade our bodies. As you can already feel, we don''t have much time. The blood-colored light is full of the death power," Hayes pleaded to Ricky.


    Without a doubt, Mordechai and Ashley also fixed their eyes on Ricky as if they were asking for the same favor, too. After all, the three of them treated him like a leader, and they thought that with Ricky''s expertise, he could somehow find a way on how to help them get through this.


    "Everybody, please rest up. Before we do anything else, I need to study the blood-colored light. There must be some power in the light that frightens the Rotten Thorn Men," Ricky said severely.


    Upon finishing his words, he absorbed some of the blood-colored light and put it in the Devourer Zone for further study.


    Not long after, he closed his eyes and began to check and assess the powers in the light.


    "Hey, can you help us? Do you know something about the Rotten Thorn Men that we don''t know?" Ricky asked the Dragon Intent Grass telepathically.

 Chapter 1264 Play Hero

    "Yes. However, I don''t know much about them," the Dragon Intent Grass replied, its voice morose.


    "What? What do you mean you don''t know much about them? Are you planning to stay in this Land of Thorn with me for as long as you live?" Ricky asked, visibly frustrated.


    ''It is always of no use when I need its help. What is the point of the grass being here, then?'' he thought to himself.


    "Those Rotten Thorn Men are already dead. How are you going to kill them?" the Dragon Intent Grass remarked.


    "Is that all you know about them?" Ricky asked, disappointed.


    "Yes, that''s all I know about them," the Dragon Intent Grass responded.


    "I''m not surprised to hear that. I know you can''t give me any more useful information about them," Ricky said, an edge in his voice.


    Although he was very frustrated with the Dragon Intent Grass, he still valued its advice. He just wanted to know what to do.


    When he used the Devourer Zone to extract the powers in the blood-colored light, he was thinking about what it told him.


    "So these Rotten Thorn men are already dead..." Ricky murmured to himself. "That means it''s impossible to kill them because they''re already de


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    going through. It pained them to see him like this. There was nothing but admiration in their eyes.


    They knew that Ricky was doing this for them.


    Ashley no longer resented Ricky. All she had for him was respect. She wished that he would make it through.


    At that moment, Ricky had become their hero.


    A hero not only possessed great strength and talent, but he was also just. He was willing to sacrifice himself to help others.


    Ricky was everything that a hero was.


    A coward could never become a hero. Ricky would share with them his solution, but he would never disclose the risks it posed to him. He always did what was right, even if it was tough.


    Raylan was baffled. He did not know how to feel about Ricky''s actions.


    He believed that Ricky knew he wanted him dead, but he was still trying to save him.


    When he had asked Ashley for help, he knew that Ricky knew it was him seeking assistance.


    Ricky had still come to their rescue regardless of their conflicts.


    Raylan was not an evil person. He knew that he owed Ricky his life, and he knew he should be kind to those who were kind to him.


    In those moments, he was overtaken by guilt.

 Chapter 1265 Brandon Showing Up

    As soon as Ricky absorbed a huge amount of blood-colored light, he could not help but suddenly become wild and delirious.


    The only thing that could bring him back to normal was if he absorbed the death power and the dark powers with the help of the Devourer Zone and the Life and Death Zone.


    However, it was impossible for him to do so at that moment because he desperately needed the life power and the death power that were inside of the blood-colored light.


    Soon after absorbing the blood-colored light, he sprung out of it and fought ferociously with the eight Rotten Thorn Men once more.


    Under the influence of the Devourer Zone and the Life and Death Zone, the death power and the dark powers inside of the blood-colored light came together and turned into eight bloody-dark blades.


    In the blink of an eye, the blades dashed forward and slashed the Rotten Thorn Men in full force.


    Without a doubt, the death power and the dark powers inside the blood-colored light were powerful than most. Not long after, the eight blades they had created pierced the bodies of the Rotten Thorn Men, turning them into the light that contained the death power.


    "This is it. This move will tell us if we win! It''s all or nothing!" Ricky said in a serious tone while looking at th


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    s are from the Luo Clan!" the duo said in unison, glaring at them.


    "Well, you have taken out the Rotten Thorn Men. It would be too rude of me not to show up to congratulate you," Brandon said slowly. "Can you still remember what I told you? I told you that I will cut your head off myself three months ago."


    "Hmm... That threat sounds familiar. But I doubt if you can do that. I don''t know why, but I''m just one lucky lad. All those who attempted to take my life ended up dying at my hands,"


    Ricky responded with confidence.


    "Oh, is that so?" Brandon furrowed his eyebrows upon hearing Ricky''s threat.


    When he spoke,


    killing intent started to surge out of his body.


    "I see that you are a powerful foe. But, there are only five of you, yet you plan to kill us. Don''t you think you have given yourselves too much credit?" Ricky asked seriously. From a distance, he could tell that Brandon was desperate to put him down.


    Meanwhile, Raylan, Ella, and the others had almost fully recovered.


    Now, Ricky thought that if he teamed up with Mordechai, they could at least beat Brandon even if they couldn''t kill him.


    "Well, that seems like a good point. But do you know why Raylan and the others could wait for you to save them?" Brandon said with a vicious smile.

 Chapter 1266 George Hua

    "You don''t want them dead, do you?" Ricky asked, studying Brandon with narrowed eyes.


    "That''s right. I only let them live because they don''t deserve to die by my hands," Brandon answered with a fake smile.


    His words, of course, pissed off Raylan, Ella, and the other five disciples of the Five-element Sect. They felt so insulted that Brandon didn''t even consider them as threats. They glared heatedly at him, with their teeth gritted in anger and their eyes burning with fury.


    However, even though their pride was hurt, none of them could say anything back.


    After all, Brandon was telling the truth. They would all be dead if Brandon had wanted to kill them. The shameful truth was that Brandon and his companions had played with them as if they were playing cat and mouse.


    "The primary reason why I let them live was that I wanted to use them as bait to lure you out. I wanted your head badly not just because I promised Walt, but because you are a rare genius. You would be a great threat to me if you were to be left alive," Brandon continued bluntly.


    "Ha-ha! I''m flattered that you think of me as a genius. However, I won''t show you any mercy. Even though you don''t want to admit it, the truth is that you are no match for us. I''


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    those of Brandon, my gut is telling me that he is stronger than Brandon," Ricky warned Mordechai through telepathy.


    "Understood. Don''t worry, Ricky. Even if I can''t defeat him, I certainly won''t lose. I have faith in myself and my Sorcerous Combat Body. Anyway, you must beat Brandon! We need to deal with him not only to get rid of him but also for the reputation of our sect,"


    Mordechai immediately responded earnestly.


    "You can rest assured. I will definitely strike him down!" Ricky declared resolutely.


    In the next breath, the momentums of the four young warriors began to increase. Everybody waited on bated breaths, as they all expected the fight to start as soon as their momentums increased to the peak.


    Suddenly, a laugh rang out, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Ha-ha! What a surprise! I didn''t expect to encounter so many geniuses in the Land of Thorn."


    Airwaves soon appeared in the distance, and they noticed five figures moving fast toward them.


    A young man clad in black led this group, and he had the cloud power beneath his feet.


    Three men and a woman formed his entourage, following closely behind him.


    The woman, in particular, somehow felt familiar to Ricky as if he had met her somewhere before.

 Chapter 1267 Another Genius

    Meanwhile, under intense caution, Ricky secretly observed the woman behind the young man in black. Exuding an unworldly aura, the woman shone a tender look in her glistening eyes. Moreover, she was blessed to have such fine features that no man could ever avoid falling for a woman like her.


    At that moment, all the men in the area had their eyes glued to the woman.


    ''What is going on around here? She looks kind of familiar. Have I met her before?'' Ricky wondered the minute he saw the woman.


    Of all the people in the area, Ricky could not help but notice how the woman''s gaze always fell on him.


    "Hey, Hayes! See that girl? Do you know her?" Ricky asked telepathically after letting his curiosity get the best of him.


    "Ha-ha! Oh, Ricky. Don''t tell me that you''re attracted to that woman, too? But I have not met that woman before, and I don''t think George and Brandon ever did, too. Because if they did, they would surely have a different response than you,"


    Hayes remarked.


    "Really?" Ricky said softly to himself.


    "Ricky, snap out of it. That woman might be very enchanting, but you must pay close attention to that young man in front of her," Hayes said seriously.


    "Do you know that guy?" Ricky asked as he s


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    Wu''s place in the ranks.


    Hearing what George said, Ricky and Mordechai looked at each other and let out a rebellious sneer. "Humph!


    Are you really sure about that?"


    At that moment, both of them realized that George wasn''t taking them seriously at all.


    "In that case, try us then!" Ricky dared.


    Deciding not to hide his real strength anymore, he burst out his six mutants and unleashed the chaotic power. Soon after, he jumped and swung at Brandon from the sky. Afterwards, a colorful lotus emerged along with his punch.


    On the other hand, Mordechai activated his Sorcerous Combat Body. Immediately, he launched an attack on George in the blink of an eye.


    The moment the battle started, Ricky and Mordechai surely put in all their efforts as they fought with all their might.


    Seeing that the enemy had already made their moves, Brandon and George gathered their strength and performed their powerful Omnipotent Skills.


    And because they had already claimed to destroy their enemies in no more than three powerful strikes, the duo did not hesitate to show them their best moves.


    From a distance, Peter Wu watched the fight. However, he spent more of his time watching Ricky, and so did that woman behind him.

 Chapter 1268 Peters Interference

    Ricky wasn''t concerned about Mordechai at all because he believed that Mordechai was able to handle this.


    Even if Mordechai couldn''t beat George, the latter couldn''t hurt him too severely because of Mordechai''s Sorcerous Combat Body.


    No matter how much George wanted to, he wouldn''t be able to kill Mordechai unless he had the strength of a middle spiritual emperor.


    On the other hand, Brandon was facing Ricky''s strike, so he was on full-alert and highly defensive. He had gathered all his Grey Light blood power, which soon mutated into heat. In no time at all, the temperature in the entire place rose sharply as if the season had changed into mid-summer.


    When his eyes turned grey-white, four lines suddenly appeared between his eyebrows, lighting up like a beacon.


    "It seems that he has cultivated the Meridian Mutant to the fourth level!" Ricky exclaimed to himself with narrowed eyes.


    "Today, I will separate your body from your head and burn it to ashes. But I will keep your head intact, so I can have a reminder of this day," Brandon said maliciously as his eyes burned with white-hot flames.


    Then, he stretched out his finger, and four grey-white scorching passages emerged from the sky. His Grey Light blood power condensed into four gigantic fingers.


    "Omnipotent Skil


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    red at Peter like he was a puzzle that needed to be solved.


    A few moments of deathly silence settled over the place.


    At that moment, George''s and Brandon''s faces couldn''t be gloomier.


    They weren''t intimidated by Ricky, Mordechai, or Peter. However, if those three joined hands against them, they would undoubtedly lose.


    After all, they had already seen the extent of Ricky''s and Mordechai''s powers.


    "Peter, it looks like you can''t wait to go a few rounds with me. Well, if that''s what you want, then I''ll give it to you!" George menacingly announced as he struggled to control his rage.


    "Ha-ha! You misunderstand me. Ricky and his companions are my friends, just as you are also my friends," Peter replied vaguely, smilingly pleasantly at George.


    Peter''s words immediately confused both Ricky, George, and their supporters.


    At that point, they really didn''t know which side Peter was on.


    Thus, both sides fell silent, their brows scrunched in confusion.


    After a while, Ricky finally broke the silence. He looked straight at Peter and said, "I''m afraid I don''t understand what you mean. Can you please put it more clearly? If you do, I would appreciate it.


    However, I want to tell you now that no matter what your attitude is, we will never ever make peace with them."

 Chapter 1269 Life And Death Relic

    As soon as Ricky finished speaking, both George and Brandon turned to look expectantly at Peter.


    They both agreed with what Ricky had declared. They, too, would never reconcile with Ricky and other disciples of the Five-element Sect, for they were firmly on the opposite sides.


    Moreover, both George and Brandon desperately wanted Ricky dead.


    Of course, they had no legitimate reason for wanting him dead, as they were just jealous of Ricky''s talent. And in the world of martial arts, envy always had terrible, and disastrous consequences. If an individual allowed his jealousy to get the best of him, it could become his inner demon and an obstacle to his future cultivation.


    Noticing the confused expressions that everyone wore, Peter couldn''t help but smile. He then turned to the blood-colored light and said, "Everyone, do you know what this blood-colored light is, and where it came from? Do you know why those Rotten Thorn Men are afraid of it?"


    When Ricky, Brandon, and the others heard this, all their attention shifted toward the blood-colored light, as they began studying it intently.


    They would be lying if they said they weren''t curious about the blood-colored l


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    this ancient battlefield opened, our elders discovered the blood-colored light here and entered the Life and Death Relic," Peter retorted simply.


    "As for why I am telling you this, I have my own reasons. First of all, you are here and curious about the blood-colored light. Even if I kept it a secret from you, you would have explored this place after your fight until you stumbled upon it. Thus, it would be just a matter of time before you found this rift without my help.


    Moreover, the Life and Death Relic is filled with dangers, and the blood-colored light itself is already very dangerous. It will be too dangerous to explore on my own. Hence, I need more companions.


    On top of that, you guys have some interesting tricks up your sleeves. It would be safer to explore the Life and Death Relic with all of us together, right?


    So that''s why I am sharing my knowledge of the Life and Death Relic with you,"


    Peter lengthily clarified. "Now, you know the reason," he added with a smile.


    "I appreciate your honesty, Peter," George replied upon hearing his explanation.


    "Ha-ha! Well, you didn''t give me a choice. I wouldn''t dare to lie to you," Peter retorted jokingly.

 Chapter 1270 Life and Death Water

    Hearing his words, everyone thought that Peter was being honest. Based on how he acted, anyone could tell that he was being sincere and that he was telling the truth, especially when they heard that he needed their help when they entered the Life and Death Relic.


    However, Ricky, George, and the others did not mind that at all. This was because they were aware that being subjected to such a dangerous situation was very inevitable if they wanted to acquire something of immense value.


    All they knew was that they had already made up their minds to enter the Life and Death Relic even without Peter''s presence. For sure, they had already anticipated the hardships that they would encounter on their journey. And they were more than pleased to have Peter with them.


    "So, what can you say about my proposal?" Peter asked as he looked at Ricky and George, expecting answers.


    "Of course, we would go with you!" Ricky and George replied in a heartbeat at the same time.


    "I''m glad to hear that. But before we go, there is something you need to know. Generally speaking, it''s not really a good idea for those who are weaker than the three-star lower spiritual emperor at the peak to go with us. The blood-colored light in the Life and Death Relic is more erosive and powerful than what you can feel in here. So, my suggestion is that you''d better not push yourself too hard to go inside. I''ll be off. I''ll be seeing you inside when you guys make your decision,"


    Peter instructed them.


    As soon as he finished his words


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    said, the Life and Death Water was definitely a one-of-a-kind treasure.


    This so-called Life and Death Water was created by four powers: dark, light, life, and death.


    On the other hand, the four types of power served as the source of other powers. People said that after the universe was created, the dark, light, life, and death powers gave birth to other powers.


    In this case, then the Life and Death Water could be said to contain primitive powers. If a warrior could comprehend and refine it, it would be easier for him to break through in his cultivation and grow stronger.


    Apart from this, if a living being could refine the life power inside the Life and Death Water, he could extend his life and live for another thousand years even if he entered the deterioration stage.


    If one absorbed the death power in it, he could have the ability to slaughter all the creatures in a very wide area.


    Obviously, with this kind of property and effect, it was very apparent why many warriors coveted the Life and Death Water.


    "Guys, you seem to know a lot about it. I guess you don''t need me to tell you about the advantages of the Life and Death Water. If the water we find is enough for us to share among ourselves, then there will be no problem. But if it''s not enough for us, then we have no choice but to battle it out to know who would own it.


    However, we have rules. When we fight for it, killing is not allowed. If you can''t do that, then I will not let you go with me,"


    Peter said in a serious tone.

 Chapter 1271 The Polar Bird And The Life And Death Beast

    Ricky and Mordechai glanced at each other, nodded in agreement, and said, "Don''t worry. We agree with your proposal."


    George and Brandon also nodded to show their acquiescence.


    Despite getting the four of them to agree, Peter still took a few minutes looking at them intently. He was slightly worried that they might change their minds at a critical moment, especially once they found the Life and Death Water.


    After Peter was finally satisfied, he led them towards the place where the Life and Death Water was.


    Ricky couldn''t resist asking Peter about the gorgeous woman''s identity as they went on their way.


    When he raised the question, Mordechai, George, and Brandon pricked up their ears, as they were all curious about the girl as well.


    Peter didn''t answer Ricky''s question immediately. He glanced at the woman first as if asking for her permission, and he only opened his mouth when she nodded at him.


    "Oh, yeah. Let me introduce you. Guys, this is my cousin¡ªClaire Mu," he said as he motioned toward Claire. "It''s nice to meet you. I''m Claire Mu. I followed my cousin here to broaden my horizons," the gorgeous woman greeted them.


    "It''s nice to meet you too, Claire!" Ricky and the three other men greeted her back with a pleasant smile.


    "Brat, you can sense other people''s aura with your zone, right?" the Dragon Intent Grass abruptly


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    Bird and the Life and Death Beast in the middle.


    Thus, the right-most beast and bird were left for Peter and Claire to deal with.


    In no time, the six of them engaged their quarry.


    "Mordechai, I''m leaving the Polar Bird to you. Once I deal with the Life and Death Beast, I''ll help you take the bird down," Ricky instructed through telegraphy.


    "All right. Let''s get down to business!" Mordechai answered enthusiastically, facing down the Polar Bird.


    He knew that Ricky could easily handle the Life and Death Beast, for he had the Life and Death Mutant.


    And that was why he willingly let Ricky take care of it. In the blink of an eye, the duo started the fight.


    Ricky activated the Life and Death Mutant and cloaked himself with the chaotic power. He also summoned the Life and Death Zone, intending to attack the Life and Death Beast with it.


    After a dozen attacks against the fearsome beast, Ricky paralyzed it with his massive Life and Death Wings. Then, he used the Space-shrinking Pace to reach it instantaneously and struck it hard enough to be lethal with the help of the Life and Death Intent Formula.


    Of course, he had the upper hand mainly because the Life and Death Beast didn''t have any psychic intelligence.


    If it had psychic intelligence, Ricky might lose, as it was exceedingly powerful and the environment was in its favor.

 Chapter 1272 Georges Trump Card

    When Ricky slaughtered the Life and Death Beast, George and Peter also took out the Polar Bird and the Life and Death Beast. In just a couple of minutes, the three Polar Birds and three Life and Death Beasts had been eliminated.


    At last, the way to the Life and Death Water had been cleared, and they finally got their hands on it.


    The group of six immediately sensed a tremendous amount of energy coming from the magic water, and they realized why it was considered a Treasure from Heaven and Earth at the advanced stage of Sage Level.


    "Hey, Ricky, can you keep the Life and Death Water for now?" Mordechai spoke through telepathy.


    "I don''t have anywhere to store it." "No problem," Ricky replied, nodding.


    "I''m going to start refining mine, but I''ll leave half for you later." "You are so amazing, Ricky! You can refine the Treasure from Heaven and Earth at the advanced stage of Sage Level even without going into seclusion,"


    Mordechai remarked in astonishment as he gazed admiringly at Ricky.


    Just then, an immense amount of energy suddenly came barreling in their direction.


    It caught the duo off-guard, as they both had their backs turned, unaware of the danger. Thus, it was too late for them to dodge the crackling energy beam.


    Luckily, one of them had mastered the Ultimate Golden Body, while the other possessed the Sorcerous Combat Body. They instantly burs


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    explains everything. However, that won''t change a thing. You will die at my hands today," George noted sullenly.


    Ricky and Mordechai were seething with anger and killing intent. But at the same time, their hearts grew heavy with distress.


    No lower spiritual emperor could be a threat to them if they worked together, but the problem was, George was a middle spiritual emperor now. Moreover, George had Brandon on his side.


    Despite the overwhelming odds against them, they didn''t flinch a bit.


    Even if the two of them couldn''t defeat the enemy, they would still try their best to fight. And when they couldn''t hold on any longer, that was the time they would make their escape.


    Just as Ricky and Mordechai had made up their minds, Peter abruptly rushed forward and stood in front of George.


    "What do you think you''re doing, Peter? Are you sure you are going to stand up for them? If I were you, I would trade anything I have, including the title as the number nine genius for my life.


    Since you are from the Mu Clan, I might even be convinced to let you go, as it would do me no good to lay a hand on you.


    So if you do as I say, I will spare your lives," George said with a smug.


    "Are the rest of the people in your sect as arrogant as you? Or are you acting like this because you know nothing about me, a genius recognized by the Misty South Palace?" Peter huffed.

 Chapter 1273 The Gap Between Geniuses

    "You and Michael grew up together. And as far as I know, he is also one of the top ten geniuses. However, the mere fact that you don''t take me seriously only means that you don''t know what he is capable of,"


    Peter remarked further seriously as he looked at George straight in the eye.


    Not long after, Peter gathered all his energy, causing his momentum to skyrocket. With every passing second, his momentum grew stronger.


    As Peter reached the peak of his momentum, people around him were stunned to find out that he was also a middle spiritual emperor.


    However, Peter''s cultivation level did not come as a surprise to Ricky and Mordechai. In fact, they just exchanged looks and said in unison, "Another middle spiritual emperor."


    When Ricky saw Peter, he had already sensed that the man was a middle spiritual emperor.


    But when Ricky and Mordechai saw George display his real strength, they immediately confirmed the level of Peter''s strength. As a result, they concluded that Peter was definitely stronger than George.


    In addition, it was most likely that Peter had some tricks up his sleeve. If not, then he wouldn''t have been easily recognized by the Misty South Palace as one of the top ten geniuses in the outer region.


    George, on the other hand, was not surprised


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    ge was devoured by rage. "You are courting death!" he roared like a maniac.


    "Bring it on! Water Strike!"


    Soon after, with the help of the Mixed Water Mutant, George rolled his ferocious eyes and formed the heavenly water power. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of water powers emerged.


    At that moment, the Mixed Water Mutant began to dismantle all the water powers before merging them with the heavenly power.


    At the same time, it also took apart the heavenly power.


    Under the command of the Mixed Water Mutant, the heavenly power transformed into a strike aimed at Peter.


    This strike not only contained the heavenly power and tens of thousands of water powers but also the Mixed Water Mutant''s power. With that being said, it would be very difficult for Peter because he would have to resist these terrifying powers at once.


    In fact, the strike was so strong that Ricky and Mordechai could barely withstand this strike even if they worked together.


    "Humph! I see. So this is your trick," Peter huffed. Full of confidence, he didn''t look troubled in the face of the upcoming blow.


    "Keep your eyes wide open, George. I''m going to let you know that you can''t make up for the strength gap between us," he added, looking assured that he would win the fight.

 Chapter 1274 The Power Of Illusion

    The moment Peter finished his sentence, he stomped his feet over the sky that resulted in a thunderous rumble.


    Tremendous power gushed out from his body, transforming into thick white mist, which covered the blood-colored space in the blink of an eye. It was as if he had drawn the place straight out of people''s fantasies.


    It turned out that the Mu Clan of the Misty Mountain was renowned for a reason.


    Typically, the Misty Mountain, where the said clan lived, was engulfed by a white mist that contained the heavenly law.


    And all members of the Mu Clan were born in Misty Mountain. It didn''t matter what kind of spiritual meridian they were born with, the ability to use the cloud and mist powers was innate to them.


    Moreover, even the Mu Clan''s members who had yet to reach the Emperor Level could unleash the cloud and mist powers that contained the heavenly power, although they couldn''t put the heavenly power inside to their advantage.


    Over the years, the clansmen soon managed to devise the illusion power out of the mist and cloud powers.


    Of course, only Mu Clan''s members could do that.


    Peter considered George''s imminent blow as the mist, created out of Peter''s mist power, obscured him from view.


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    formidable foe, but he didn''t know the full extent of his strength.


    After a while, a voice broke the tense silence.


    "Ultimate Illusion Ball!" Peter yelled out.


    And as soon as he clapped his hands, more cloud and mist powers burst forth from his body.


    The moment that they came out, they turned into another power.


    That was, without a doubt, the power of illusion.


    Once he had transformed all the cloud and mist powers, he opened his palms where a ball emerged.


    That was Peter''s Omnipotent Skill¡ªthe Ultimate Illusion Ball.


    In the twinkling of an eye, the ball grew and started flying in the air. It stretched out to engulf all the giant palms, and the illusion power it contained submerged the palms.


    The ball''s interior was obscured from view. Only the earsplitting sound of the collision came out from time to time.


    However, with the help of the Golden Spirit Eyes, Ricky could see what was happening inside the ball.


    It turned out that the illusion power within the ball had confused the giant palms inside, and they were now attacking each other.


    Since the palms contained the same power, they were equal in strength. Hence, they broke into pieces each time they collided with each other.

 Chapter 1275 Michael Hua

    ''Wow! The power of illusion is so amazing. It can be on par with the power of poison. After all, both are difficult to deal with.


    I bet that I might not be able to withstand this blow if I were in Peter''s place. Plus, I would not know what would kill me without the Golden Spirit Eyes,'' Ricky thought to himself as he saw what was happening inside the ball.


    "So, you should just cultivate the illusion power. The cloud and mist powers in your Gale Zone are much superior to Peter''s. If you can use them to create the illusion power, I''m sure that you will be able to defeat him.


    If you use the Golden Spirit Eyes along with the power of illusion, no one will be able to break the illusions you create," the Dragon Intent Grass suggested.


    "I guess you''re right. But it''s not like I can master it at once! I mean, I am aware of how difficult it is to comprehend," Ricky replied. "I have always wanted to cultivate it so that I can create the perfect illusions. However, I just didn''t have a chance to do that."


    Meanwhile, the ball suddenly shattered into millions of pieces. The fragments dissipated into the air, which later on, were made to disappear by Peter.


    As soon as the palms had collided with one another, they immediately vanished into thin air. They left airwaves that spread a


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    Peter''s expression.


    "Huh? What are you talking about? I''m not that shallow," Peter exclaimed as he tried to hide his frustration.


    "In that case, thank you. And before we go, I would like to sincerely apologize to you for my cousin''s rude behavior and stupidity. He should have not challenged you in the first place," Michael Hua said with a pretentious laugh.


    Afterwards, he placed his gaze on Ricky and Mordechai. Without hiding any of his murderous intent, he asked, "So, you are Ricky and Mordechai, the new geniuses of the Five-element Sect. Isn''t that right?"


    It was said that the North Sect wanted the Five-element Sect to bow to its power, but the latter refused. Hence, the major players of the North Sect ordered all its disciples to track and hunt down the disciples of the Five-element Sect during the Territory Battle.


    Meanwhile, as Michael spoke, his unstoppable momentum began to rush towards Ricky and Mordechai at lightning speed. Sensing that the duo were already injured, he decided to inflict more pain on them by damaging them further with his momentum.


    Seeing this, Peter burst out his momentum and blocked Michael Hua''s attack for Ricky and Mordechai.


    "Michael, they are my friends. I will not let you lay a finger on them. Leave them alone!" Peter ordered.

 Chapter 1276 The Reward He Wanted

    At that moment, Michael witnessed how Peter stood up for Ricky and Mordechai. As a result, he pulled back his momentum almost instantly. "Easy there, Peter. I wasn''t really going to harm them. I''m just trying to check the strength of these two geniuses from the Five-element Sect," he remarked sarcastically.


    However, Michael was aware that Peter had the location of the other land of opportunity that they were about to explore. Therefore, he knew better than to piss him off.


    "Hey, Ricky! It really doesn''t matter if Peter is on our side. We are still in danger because, after all, both Michael and George are middle spiritual emperors. As far as I can see, the only reason why they haven''t made a move is that they still don''t have the location of the land of opportunity. Once they have it, we might be dead meat,"


    Mordechai said to Ricky telepathically.


    "Let''s just play it by ear and see how it goes. We will stand a chance against George the minute we leave this place," Ricky murmured. "We''ve come this far, and we can''t give up now. And besides, I''m sure there''s a way out of here. We just have to look for it."


    Meanwhile, Peter gave Michael a stern look.


    "Good. I expect you to keep your word," Peter said coldly.


    Soon after, Peter led the way, and the rest of them followed him.


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    . Moreover, Ricky was the first-ever warrior to actually ask of such a thing from the will of the queen.


    But after a while, Ricky did not receive any response. As a result, Ricky thought that the voice''s owner didn''t have what he desired. "You don''t have that kind of pill, do you?" he asked.


    "Of course I have. I can give it to you if that''s what you want. I just cannot wrap my head around the fact that you would waste such a good opportunity for a pill that doesn''t do any good.


    You should know that the pills which can help warriors refine Treasures from Heaven and Earth more quickly are not as precious as you think. Plus, you are still very young! You are less than fifty years old. However, you act as if you don''t have enough time to refine the Treasures from Heaven and Earth," the voice replied.


    "Yes, I need it. I''m running out of time. You must have noticed that. You see, there are seven of us that came here, and three of them are middle spiritual emperors. If I want to get my hands on the inheritance in this place, then I will have to defeat them all. Therefore, I must try to improve my strength in the quickest way possible,"


    Ricky pleaded.


    "I see. But if I''m not mistaken, you''ve just become a three-star lower spiritual emperor. Isn''t that right?" the voice inquired.

 Chapter 1277 The Illusionary Pool

    "It doesn''t matter if you can make progress and reach a higher level in a short period of time. Because even if you do, you still can''t break through and become a middle spiritual emperor. In my opinion, taking this kind of pills while cultivating is very superficial. Moreover, it could cause you more harm than good when you cultivate martial arts in the future.


    Hear me out and take my advice. Choose a good pill. Once you can get the opportunity, you will have a better chance of obtaining the inheritance of the king."


    "Thank you for reminding me. However, I still want to try the pill." Ricky smiled as he carefully declined the voice''s offer.


    Hearing Ricky''s stubbornness, the queen''s will stopped convincing him. "I guess you have already made up your mind. In that case, I won''t say anything further."


    She had tried to convince him to choose another kind of pill because she firmly believed that Ricky was a genius. After all, it took people great luck and talent to acquire a pair of Eyes of Heaven and Earth.


    However, Ricky''s insistence influenced her to change her opinion.


    Generally speaking, it was true beyond a doubt that warriors were clad in bravery, but this also depended on the chance of winning. If someone knew that he would not succeed but he still insi


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    ky felt his own experience, an inexplicable sadness continuously rose in his heart.


    Apart from these scenes, some of Ricky''s relatives, his father, and even his mother that he had never met appeared in front of him.


    And so did his best friends.


    After experiencing the traumatic parts of his life, the scene changed instantly and transformed into the scene where Ricky ruled the world and made great achievements.


    However, he was the only one there, with no one to share his glory.


    Two scenes fused together and Ricky only saw endless bones and blood splashing all over the place, as well as endless pain and loneliness.


    He was aware that none of this was real at all, but the power of illusion was so intense that it made him feel as if he was experiencing them all over again. Soon after, all kinds of pain surged from his body. If this persisted, he would probably fall into the illusion in an hour or less.


    "I see. So, this is a test of will and perseverance," Ricky mumbled. "A warrior who cultivates the illusion power must have a strong will and perseverance. Otherwise, he will be immersed in his own illusion.


    What I need to do next is to use my will and perseverance to fight against the illusions, and form a heart that can bear the extreme illusion power."

 Chapter 1278 The Heart Of Illusion

    Boom!


    At that moment, there was nothing but utter chaos in Ricky''s mind. He felt like the sky had fallen, and the earth seemed to have been pulled from under him, rendering him afloat in a dark, endless void. All kinds of cruel and painful experiences flashed in his mind as he floated in this void, continuing until he was ready to succumb to devastation.


    "This is a test and an opportunity at the same time. Besides, the king and the queen set up this pool, and it only allows warriors who have condensed the heart of illusion to get their inheritance."


    The illusion power aimed to overwhelm and break his mind. He needed to resist its efforts with his tenacious willpower.


    If he remained steadfast against this test, then he could finally have the chance to condense the heart of illusion.


    There was one gargantuan problem though: he could not use any power or ability. He could only use his will.


    Ricky valued perseverance and tenacity when it came to the martial arts, and he was exceedingly persistent in accomplishing something that he had already set his mind on. Perhaps, his tenacity could have some negative effects, but he persisted in what he thought was right.


    He sorely needed strength. If he were strong enough, he could help Tina drive the evil spirit out of her body, and he would be able


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    e an illusion if that person had only recently condensed the heart of illusion. It could only be done once that person had cultivated for a long time. But Ricky did it.


    Now that Ricky had noticed that there was little time left, he felt like he couldn''t waste it. Thus, he continued to make use of the Illusionary Pool, but he focused his cultivation on his Gale Zone next.


    After all, he knew that if he wanted to control the illusion power quickly, he had to start from the Gale Zone.


    "Your half a day is up.


    You can now go to the Heritage Palace, and I won''t be showing up anymore. Once you complete the two remaining tests, my mission will also be completed, and two of you will get the heritage," the queen''s will instructed.


    "Of course, it is entirely possible that one of you can obtain both heritages at the same time. It will all depend on your strength."


    As soon as the queen''s will finished speaking, a force suddenly swept Ricky and brought him into an ancient palace.


    Just as he appeared, the queen''s will completely disappeared.


    He glanced around and saw that Claire and Michael seemed to have been transported with him as well.


    The three participants glanced at each other, although none of them seemed surprised to see one another. After all, they all knew who had passed the test.

 Chapter 1279 Claires Real Identity

    After he took a glimpse at Ricky and Claire for a few quick seconds, Michael''s lips began to curl upward into a malicious smile.


    At that moment, Michael believed that he could defeat the duo without breaking a sweat, for they were far too weak to be his opponents.


    "Ha-ha! I can''t believe that Peter can be such a fool! He even gave up the opportunity of acquiring the inheritance because of you! By the looks of it, you enjoy a very high position in the Mu Clan," Michael said as he looked at Claire scornfully. At the same time, the cruel smile slowly disappeared from his lips.


    Not long after, he glanced at Ricky from his peripheral view disdainfully.


    "However, he didn''t expect that I would be here," Michael continued.


    "That''s true. No one had ever expected that you would be able to pass the test of the Illusionary Pool¡ªnot even the queen''s will. You''ve made it up to this point, but I just know that you would not get your hands on the inheritance,"


    Claire replied coldly.


    "Oh, really? Do you think so?" Michael responded sourly.


    Soon after, just above the two old altars at the center of the palace, the power of illusion started to manifest and emerge in front of them, followed by two beams of blinding light.


    Undoubtedly, these lights contained the treasures that they sought after¡ªinheritances of the king and the que


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    re began to display her true beast form. She had transformed into a holy beast¡ªWind Benu, which summoned the Gale Fire.


    Upon seeing the Gale Fire, Ricky was certain Claire''s fire came from him, for it had the aura of the Gale Zone.


    As far as he could remember, he had just given the Gale Fire to one person¡ªEdie of the Wind-Mountain Alliance.


    Moreover, Edie''s beast form was the Wind Benu too.


    However, this brought him confusion, for Edie was clearly a man while Claire was a woman.


    Using the Golden Spirit Eyes, he tried to confirm their respective genders, which eventually confirmed his initial guess.


    When he first met Claire, Ricky was able to sense that she had the same aura as Edie by using his zone. Regardless if Edie and Claire were the pigeon pair, it was still impossible for them to have the same aura.


    Therefore, Ricky thought that they were the same person.


    However, he still could not wrap his head around the fact why a person would suddenly change from a man to a woman.


    While he stared at Claire thoughtfully, she began to turn to him for help.


    "Hey, Ricky! What are you waiting for? Take action now," Claire urged him through telepathy.


    "Oh, right. I''ll figure out a move against Michael. But before I do that, I need to know the truth. Are you Edie, or not?" Ricky inquired with brimming curiosity.

 Chapter 1280 The Illusionary Wind Mutant

    "Yes, I''m Edie, but I''m also Claire. To make this simpler for you, technically, Claire is my real body. I bet you only recognized me upon seeing my beast form and the Gale Fire, didn''t you?"


    Claire clarified.


    "I knew it. So, that means that you two are the same person. Then that means... you are my old friend. But you wouldn''t admit that you are Edie if I didn''t ask you, right? Am I really your friend? How can you keep me in the dark all this time?"


    Ricky said mockingly.


    But of course, he was more curious about Edie''s changes at that moment.


    "Come on. You really got mad with that?" Claire responded.


    "No, of course, I wasn''t really mad about that. But there is something I want to know for sure. Are you a woman or a man? Most of all, how did you trick my Golden Spirit Eyes?" Ricky asked inquisitively.


    "Whatever you want me to be. Do you want me to be a man or a woman?" Claire asked with a slight giggle. At that moment, her voice contained a hint of expectation as she was eager to know Ricky''s reply.


    "Ha-ha! But of course, I would prefer it if you keep your girl identity. I always like women more than I like male friends," Ricky replied teasingly


    "You are such a playboy!" Claire commented playfully.


    Upon hearing this, Ricky could not help but burst into loud laughter


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    red in front of him and merged it with his right arm. Once his arm fully integrated with the black water, the latter started to turn dark yellow, releasing an increased cold power.


    Immediately after, Michael clapped his hands.


    "Black water, form the ice pillar, now!" he shouted.


    The next moment, the black water froze and turned completely dark yellow, forming an ice pillar together with Michael''s arm.


    Dashing forward at full speed, Michael attacked Claire''s claw with the ice pillar that he had just formed.


    Boom! The two forces collided, sending shock waves that spread far away in the air around them.


    After a while, the dark yellow ice power froze the air waves, which included Claire''s powers.


    Michael ran and the ice pillar was going to hit Claire very soon.


    At that moment, Ricky was supposed to launch an attack on Michael when the latter hit Claire with the ice pillar. After all, it was almost impossible for Michael to unleash another Omnipotent Skill in a short time.


    But if that were to happen, then, Claire would get hurt.


    However, Ricky would do everything in his power not to cause any harm to his friend, especially that she was doing this to give him the advantage of attack their enemy.


    Therefore, Ricky did not waste any time and took action immediately.

 Chapter 1281 The Dark Death Water

    Ricky immediately initiated his six mutants and chaotic power, as the six types of runes evolved into several passages. In an instant, he passed through one of the passages and appeared behind Michael, unleashing the Chaotic Punch to hit Michael.


    Faced with Ricky''s intimidating strike, Michael hesitated for a second. He couldn''t help but feel the apprehension at the back of his mind, which told him he would sustain severe injuries if he didn''t resist the upcoming blow.


    After he had refined the Life and Death Water''s life and death powers, Ricky''s cultivation level had shot through the roof.


    He could probably match any one-star middle spiritual emperor at the intermediate stage except those who were ace geniuses at that level.


    Thus, Michael had to give up attacking Claire, as he was unwilling to face such a lethal strike from Ricky. He turned around and crashed against Ricky''s Chaotic Punch with his black ice pillar.


    After the collision, the sound of cracking resounded around them.


    Michael''s black ice pillar shattered into a thousand pieces at once, as the energy of Ricky''s strike dissipated quickly.


    The round had ended in a stalemate.


    Boom! Just then, Ricky''s figure exploded and vanished in


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    a smart guy, so you shouldn''t have made such a mistake.


    Being too full of yourself can hinder you from taking others seriously, and that''s why you have ended up like this," Ricky responded.


    "Is that so?" Michael murmured to himself. "Perhaps, you are right. You have taught me a lot by putting me in this situation."


    "Then, you should thank me," Ricky snarled back with a sneer.


    "Ha-ha! Of course. I am so grateful that I will make sure to keep your corpse whole. In case you didn''t know, my initial plan was to tear you limb from limb," Michael confidently proclaimed.


    "So you think you are in the position to show mercy right now? You don''t have any right to decide how I''ll die,"


    Ricky answered back just as boldly.


    As the duo talked to each other, they activated their powers simultaneously and pushed them to the extreme. It was evident that a fierce fight was about to erupt.


    "Claire, get back!" Ricky warned Claire through telepathy.


    "Okay. I''ll leave him to you," Claire responded at once.


    Although she was slightly worried, she decided to put all her trust in Ricky. At that moment, the power of Michael''s Dark Death Water increased once again. At the same time, his body began to change.

 Chapter 1282 The Dark Death Mutant

    Not long after, a mutant mark emerged from the space between Michael''s eyebrows. At the same time, the Dark Death Water''s power seemed to have increased.


    "Under the Dark Death Mutant, the Dark Death Water will bear incredible power. Take care of yourself. Right now, Michael''s Dark Death Water is at the third level. It''s a good thing that you have the fiendish power with you. On top of that, you have the sacred fire and the peculiar fire. These fires will serve as your protection so that the Dark Death Water can''t harm you,"


    the Dragon Intent Grass reminded Ricky.


    "Now, I want to see what the Dark Death Water at the third level can do," Ricky said with a lot of determination in his voice.


    At that moment, he had his six mutants activated to the extreme. As this happened, the chaotic power and the chromatic energy had already surrounded him, becoming his strongest line of defense and his attack at the same time.


    "You attacked me by surprise just now, and you are going to pay the price for doing so. Let''s see if you can resist the attack of my Dark Death Water at the third level," Michael roared out loud.


    He clapped his hands, and soon after, his body and powers turned dark yellow. Immediately, the feminine power, cold power, and dark power appeared behind him and flowed.


    "Please, my lord, lend me your invincible power!"


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    violently due to the impact.


    "Did both of them get hurt?" Claire murmured to herself as she looked at the two men on the ground.


    Thinking that this might be a good opportunity for her, she took advantage of the situation and launched an attack aimed at Michael.


    At that moment, she didn''t see any problem attacking an injured man.


    "No, Claire! Stay where you are!" Ricky stopped her through telepathy.


    Ricky knew that Michael still had a lot of strength left. Moreover, if Claire made her move now, she might get seriously injured or worse, get herself killed.


    On the other hand, Ricky thought that Michael would be on high alert since he had already attacked him once. Knowing Michael, Ricky thought that his opponent would be too cautious to allow anything bad to happen again.


    Hearing Ricky''s message, Claire gave up her plan immediately.


    She gave Ricky her trust that he would never decide on anything that could hurt her. Without thinking twice, she listened to his judgment and stopped what she was about to do.


    "Claire, get back. Michael is still strong. You are too weak to hurt him," Ricky warned. "Leave him to me. You can attack once he gets exhausted."


    "Okay, got it!" Claire replied, still with a hint of anger in her voice.


    She hated to admit it, but she knew deep down that Ricky''s decision was reasonable.

 Chapter 1283 Advise Him To Surrender

    At that moment, Michael took back his powers and stood straight again.


    "I must have underestimated the chaotic power''s abilities. And that colorful power caught my interest. What it is called?" Michael asked in a sour tone as he looked at Ricky.


    Michael had a cultivation level that was higher than Ricky''s. That was his advantage over Ricky when they fought. However, it was still a fact that Ricky''s chaotic power and chromatic energy could suppress his power. He felt rather surprised.


    "Well, I''d really like to tell you, but I don''t really know much about it either," Ricky said in a playful tone while he shrugged his shoulders.


    He was aware that Michael must think that he was lying to the latter. Moreover, he thought that the tone in his voice would provoke Michael.


    It was said that one should know how to control his anger for it could blind one''s judgment. Given the situation at hand, it was not a good thing for a genius to get angry while he faced another genius as his opponent.


    Luckily, Ricky got what he wanted. As soon as his voice trailed off, Michael narrowed his eyes as fury started to boil down his veins.


    "How dare you be so arrogant before me? You''re just digging your own grave! If you don''t tell me, I''ll beat the shit out of you until you do," Michael growled furi


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    s, Michael is a very talented warrior. In fact, he could be on par with ace geniuses in terms of intelligence, talent, or combat experience. But once your level has improved, you will overshadow any ace genius who will come your way,"


    the Dragon Intent Grass comforted.


    "But the problem is, my cultivation level is lower than his," Ricky argued.


    At that moment, he stood up straight as he was ready to activate the skill of Resurrection. He was aware that it might cost him much of his lifespan, but he had no other choice but to push through with it. He believed that Michael had a way to get his strength back in a short time. So he needed to recover before Michael healed himself.


    "Michael, my clan has no intention of making enemies with the North Sect. Considering the current situation, I urge you that it would be best if you admit defeat now," Claire advised hastily.


    "Ha-ha! That''s funny. Ricky is indeed a difficult foe. But let me tell you something: he is not strong enough to kill me. Surrender? How absurd! Do you really think that you have the capacity to end my life?"


    Michael taunted.


    "I know that you have a trump card which can help you restore your power quickly. What makes you think that I do not have any trick up my sleeve?" Claire threatened with arched eyebrows.

 Chapter 1284 Claires Relationship With The Queen

    As Claire spoke, she exuded a queenly aura that seemed to be able to command the admiration of everyone in the vicinity.


    Ricky and Michael watched her in slack-jawed surprise, their eyes shining in admiration.


    She felt like a vastly different person.


    ''What is up with Claire? Her aura suddenly changed! If I were her opponent, I would have felt greatly threatened.


    That must be what Michael is feeling now,'' Ricky thought, nodding to himself.


    "Have you forgotten that Claire has the Polar Fish inside her? That''s why you are feeling that way towards her," the Dragon Intent Grass explained.


    "Ah, yes. I see!" Ricky replied, looking pensive.


    Before long, it turned out that Ricky had guessed it right.


    Claire''s aura was giving off such a commanding aura that it frightened and awed Michael at the same time.


    There could be two reasons that someone would feel this way. One reason could be that Clair was way too powerful, and the other was that her blood power was too strong.


    However, it was evident that Claire didn''t fit any of those reasons.


    Despite her powerful and intimidating aura, Michael wouldn''t back down. A ferocious glare flashed quickly through his eyes.


    The mutant mark between his eyebrows released a dark light, which seemed to be communicating


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    marked.


    "Well, if I had the support of a force more powerful than the Misty South Palace, I would have killed Michael without any hesitation. However, I am curious about one thing. I kept the fact that I was the queen in my previous life a secret from you, but you didn''t get mad at me,"


    Claire said pensively.


    "Why? Do you think I should be mad?" Ricky answered with a smile. "I think everyone has a right to keep their own secrets. However, I also believe that friends do not deceive each other. If you really thought of me as your friend, you would not have hidden that from me."


    "Is that so? It looks like you are not totally cool with that," Claire murmured gently as she studied Ricky''s reaction.


    Ricky shrugged and looked at her flatly as if he couldn''t care less about what she thought. "You can think whatever you want," he said indifferently.


    At that point, Claire seemed to realize something, and she abruptly became excited. Despite Ricky claimed he did not really care, Clair could tell that he was actually a bit mad at her because of this.


    She was delighted because the only reason Ricky was taking this seriously was that he already thought of her as his friend. Just as he said, he wouldn''t care that she had kept the truth for him if they weren''t friends.

 Chapter 1285 Obtaining Pills And Inheritance

    "So, this place is under your control, huh?" Ricky remarked with an unimpressed expression. "If that''s the case, you better let me out now. It is upsetting that the king''s inheritance is right before my eyes, but I can''t get my hands on it. So I''d rather leave here."


    Judging from the scowl on his lips, he was definitely not in a good mood.


    He initially thought that he would get the king''s inheritance once he defeated Michael, and in that way, he could finally cultivate the power of illusion. And since he had the Gale Zone, it would be easy as pie for him to get more potent illusion power.


    But since Claire was the queen in her previous life, everything in this place could be considered hers, including the king''s inheritance.


    It would be impossible for Ricky to take the inheritance away from her. After all, he was no match against Claire right now.


    ''Damn it! I''ve come this far for nothing!'' Ricky resentfully thought to himself.


    "Come on; look at the bright side. This place helped you increased your strength, at the very least," the Dragon Intent Grass comforted him with a teasing laugh.


    "If I had known this would happen, I would have asked for the Power-transforming Pill just as Michael did. That pill is much better than the Chaotic Disintegrating Pill," Ricky recounted.


    Cl


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    ou owing me more favors," Claire answered with a smile as she threw the pills at Ricky.


    At once, Ricky took them gladly.


    "I bet Claire gave you those pills because she felt bad for keeping you in the dark. It looks like she sees you as more than a friend," the Dragon Intent Grass teased Ricky through telepathy.


    "Shut up!" he responded flatly.


    After that, Ricky stepped into the light that the king''s inheritance gave off and began to accept it.


    Of course, he just received and kept the inheritance. He didn''t plan to master and comprehend all of it here, as the Life and Death Relic was too dangerous to let down his guard.


    As soon as the light engulfed him in its warm embrace, several words appeared in his mind.


    It read, "This is the inheritance related to the heavenly illusion power."


    "So this inheritance is about the heavenly illusion power, which is the top power of illusion. It looks like the king was a top warrior in ancient times," the Dragon Intent Grass remarked reverently.


    An hour later, Ricky had finally received all the inheritance.


    Since he and Claire had accomplished what they came for, they soon left the palace.


    ''That wasn''t a bad experience. I''m glad I gained a lot during my trip to the Life and Death Relic!'' Ricky thought to himself in a good mood.

 Chapter 1286 Enoch Qian

    After getting out, Ricky and Claire saw no sign of Michael and his companions. All they saw were Mordechai and Peter patiently waiting for them outside. Claire put the palace away.


    "So, have you found the inheritance? Did you get it?" Peter asked excitedly as he gave Claire an expectant look.


    "Yes, I have," Claire answered honestly.


    "That''s wonderful. Now, the rise of our clan rests in your hands," Peter exclaimed as his face brightened up with eagerness.


    "I know, and I will try my best to make it happen!" Claire said as she nodded her head.


    However, she didn''t tell Peter that Ricky had the king''s inheritance. Otherwise, Ricky would certainly be in huge trouble because surely, the Mu Clan would not let him go.


    Not long after, the four of them left the Life and Death Relic.


    Although there might be several treasures waiting to be discovered in the Life and Death Relic, they didn''t dare stay in there for too long due to its dangerous nature. In fact, only a few warriors were strong enough to probe the Life and Death Relic.


    Afterwards, Ricky and Mordechai split up with Claire and Peter, continuing their own adventure on their own.


    Initially, Claire wanted to explore the place with Ricky. But when she offered to go with him, Ricky politely rejected the offer. Instead, he thought that exploring the area on their own would be a whole lot better.


    Frankly, Ricky would have taken up Claire''s offer if both of them didn''t belong t


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    gentle smile as he opened his fang.


    "From what I''ve seen, you are quite strong. However, this broken array is quite powerful. If we were not from the Brilliant Array Sect, we would not be able to break it even if we use the skill of the Light Apperception.


    So, it''s okay. You actually did a good job. You don''t need to feel upset.


    But of course, if you really want to get your hands on the Territory Seal, you can talk Ashley or Ella into marrying me. Everyone knows that I love beautiful girls, particularly the powerful ones.


    With all my heart, I am willing to give up the Territory Seal in exchange for the enchanting girls. In fact, I can even take it and give it to you right now if you would talk one of them into marrying me.


    But at the end of the day, it''s still up to you. After all, I make sure never to make anyone do something they don''t want."


    After his voice trailed off, he quietly looked at Ashley and her companions.


    But after they heard his words, Ashley and her companions'' faces darkened. Perhaps, he just blurted out his thoughts and never meant to insult them.


    But Ashley and her companions still felt immensely offended and insulted.


    To be honest, there was nothing they could do about it. In the martial world, the weak warriors'' lives were in the hands of the strong ones. Instead of worrying about feeling insulted, they should at least feel grateful that Enoch Qian only teased them instead of taking their lives.

 Chapter 1287 Making A Bet

    At this point, a voice suddenly rang out and broke the oppressive atmosphere. "You may be ranked sixth in the top ten geniuses and have a good reputation in this place, but that does not make you worthy of the holy daughters of our sect."


    Immediately after, two figures landed on the ground, looking fearsome and gruff. They were Ricky and Mordechai.


    As soon as Ashley and her companions caught sight of Ricky and Mordechai, their faces lit up with glee. It was evident that the duo''s presence brought them much relief.


    Enoch and the other disciples of the Brilliant Array Sect looked cautious all of a sudden, as they turned their attention toward Ricky and Mordechai.


    Despite Ricky''s offensive words, Enoch didn''t seem upset. He sent an unimpressed glance at Ricky and Mordechai and remarked,


    "You must be Ricky and the new holy son of the wood branch. I have heard some interesting rumors about you two. They say that Ricky once took out an ace genius."


    "That''s nothing, really. Why don''t we go straight to the point? We found the Territory Seal first, and we both know how important the Territory Seal is to a force. Are you going to take it by force?"


    Ricky confronted Enoch straight-forwardly.


    "Ha-ha!


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    That''s why I could easily destroy it.


    If it were another array of the same level, I''m afraid I would have lost that bet," Ricky uttered modestly.


    "I heard that you have a pair of Eyes of Heaven and Earth, and I''m lucky that I witnessed their power. They are indeed amazing. Anyway, I''m not a sore loser, so you don''t need to comfort me," Enoch responded with a hint of admiration in his tone.


    It turned out that Ricky had earned his respect.


    Although Ricky had won the bet, he didn''t mock him or act arrogantly. Instead, he showed remarkable honor and humility. Enoch admired warriors like Ricky.


    "I swear that our people will not pick on the disciples of the Five-element Sect. You have my word on that," Enoch sincerely promised.


    And when Ricky heard and saw how sincere Enoch was, he was immediately relieved.


    He had been afraid that Enoch might take revenge on Ashley and the other disciples of the Five-element Sect.


    Besides, Ricky didn''t think he could defeat Enoch. After all, he was ranked sixth in the top ten geniuses, so he was undoubtedly stronger than Michael and Peter.


    Seeing that Enoch was willing to let things go, and he even made such a promise, Ricky could finally breathe easier.

 Chapter 1288 The Missing Ancient Arena

    "All right. Thank you," Ricky gratefully told Enoch.


    He was glad that they had come to a compromise. After all, he would be the one at a disadvantage if they had to fight, as he was no match for Enoch''s strength, not even if he teamed up with Mordechai.


    "You don''t have to thank me. I lost the bet, so it''s only right that I pay for it," Enoch answered.


    Now that Ricky had won, Enoch intended to leave, leading the other disciples of the Brilliant Array Sect.


    But as he was about to go, purple lines appeared in the void where the broken array had been.


    Immediately after, the powerful array power gushed out like a badly bleeding wound.


    Enoch instantly assessed it and realized that the array power was equal to that of a middle spiritual emperor. Knowing this, he immediately shouted a warning to his companions.


    "Get back! All of you, get away from the array!"


    The array power held immense energy that it would undoubtedly hurt any warrior who came in contact with it, especially if the person was weaker than a middle spiritual emperor.


    The terrifying purple lines spread all over the place, and a huge triangle array abruptly formed.


    The triangle array exuded an old aura, which told them that it had been set up a long time ago. It had an incredible sealing po


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    hat it didn''t end until the whole arena had traveled from the Devil Land to the continent a dozen times so they could fight on the arena. In the end, the creatures from the continent took the victory, and the devil race returned to the Devil Land.


    Despite the success, the battle was tragic.


    None of the devil race''s powerful creatures made it out of the arena alive, while only one powerful warrior from the continent made it through alive.


    Objectively speaking, neither of the two parties had won.


    It turned out that the one who won after countless fights still sustained too much damage and didn''t live longer than a few more days before he perished.


    Since then, the arena had vanished, never to be seen again¡ªat least, until today.


    Judging from the current situation, it was likely that this powerful warrior from the continent who had made it out of the arena live had sealed the arena here just before he died.


    And as time went by, the array''s power gradually began to grow weaker.


    Luckily, Ricky and Enoch happened to break the array, which led the missing arena to appear once again.


    Everyone stared at the arena in amazement.


    "Those ancestors who fought off the devil race truly deserve our respect!" Enoch remarked admiringly as he stared at the arena.

 Chapter 1289 Paul

    "If they didn''t fight so bravely, the devil race would have enslaved us. And our lives would have been filled with pain and misery," said Ricky. His voice welled over with reverence and respect for the powerful warriors who had fought the devils in ancient times.


    As they gazed at the ancient arena, the pair could imagine how the powerful ancestors took on the devil race.


    "I wonder what will happen now that this ancient arena has appeared. Will any opportunity be waiting for us there?" Enoch whispered to himself.


    Meanwhile, the other disciples on the ancient battlefield all had the same thought as Enoch.


    They admired those ancient and powerful warriors, who could be considered their seniors, and they were grateful for what they had done.


    And their top priority for the time being was to grow stronger, for only in that way could they overcome the devil race for good. Under the gaze of all the warriors, the ancient arena began to change again.


    A strong ancient aura suddenly flowed out, and the Combat Space inside the Rocks of Heaven and Earth became visible to the naked eye. All the warriors in the ancient battlefield noticed huge beasts in each Combat Space,


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    ce," Ricky answered with his eyes burning with determination.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    In the next moment, the warriors had finally entered the Combat Spaces inside the rocks.


    "Take care of yourselves, my friends!" Ricky said to Ashley and the others.


    "Don''t worry. We know ourselves well. Our target is those beasts instead of Paul''s inheritance," responded Hayes.


    Afterward, Ricky and his companions entered the rocks as well.


    He had barely set foot in the Fighting Space, and Ricky spotted a golden yak made of fighting energy. He could tell by its aura that the beast was as powerful as a three-star lower spiritual emperor at peak state.


    But, of course, it was a piece of cake for him to handle beasts at that level.


    So Ricky quickly brought the beast down with a single move, and he collected its heart and the pure fighting energy.


    "It feels like the pure fighting energy is much better in the arena than that in other places of the ancient battlefield. My journey here would be worth it even if I can only get my hands on the pure fighting energy,"


    Ricky growled to himself in sheer excitement, as he sensed the fighting energy and the beast''s heart.

 Chapter 1290 Improving His Strength

    Without thinking twice, Ricky immediately activated his six zones to refine and absorb the pure fighting energy. Surely, he could take his time doing this job because he managed to kill this beast in a short time, which left him enough time to do the afterward work. Not all the warriors could defeat the beast with a single blow.


    Ricky estimated that the first test would take at least three days. Now, he thought that this would give him enough time to refine and absorb his freshly-obtained pure fighting energy.


    His six zones helped him a lot and made him finish this work more quickly.


    Ricky''s fighting abilities were constantly being improved with the help of his zones. Meanwhile, the power of his zones also increased accordingly. It was said that the improvement of fighting abilities heavily relied on one''s cultivation base and realm. With that being said, it was essential for a warrior to enhance their cultivation bases and realms.


    In other words, one could compare cultivation base to a filled balloon. If a warrior only focused his resources on improving his strength and ignored to enhance his cultivation base, just like a balloon filled to the tip, the latter would explode. The warrior''s body would explode due to excess energy that hi


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    idn''t see any beast made of fighting energy.


    That would only mean one thing¡ªtheir opponents were no longer the beasts. In a flash, each of them entered an independent Combat Space.


    "Congratulations! You''ve made it this far. One of you will become Paul''s successor. Good luck to you all! The last test is about overcoming yourselves and your River of Time. Only the one who defeats yourself and your River of Time could be recognized by Paul.


    Last but not least, if you fail to admit defeat before you are about to lose, death will be upon you!"


    Paul''s will instructed.


    In an instant, a mysterious force appeared in the Combat Spaces where the thirteen warriors were.


    Soon after, a river emerged in front of them. The river was not made of water, but of an invisible force. As it turned out, the mysterious power they sensed came from the river.


    "If I''m guessing it right, this river is the River of Time, and the mysterious power inside it is the power of time," the Dragon Intent Grass remarked.


    "So, this is the power of time. This is the first time I''ve seen and sensed it. Let''s see what it can do," Ricky said seriously as his fighting spirit rose swiftly.


    At the same time, an unidentified figure started to come out of the river.

 Chapter 1291 Another Ricky

    The figure looked exceedingly familiar to Ricky. It was a man clad in black clothes with striking white hair and a wicked smile on his face. He had the air of a righteous man, and he seemed like he could make anyone feel comfortable in his presence.


    Ricky was thunderstruck at what he was seeing. It couldn''t be a dream or a hallucination, as the figure was made of flesh and blood.


    After a few moments, a bright smile lit up his features, as recognition dawned on his face.


    "Hi! It''s nice to meet you. I''m Ricky Nan. I am from the River of Time!" the figure casually introduced himself. "You must be confused right now. Let me put it this way. You and I are actually the same person, but I was you from a second ago."


    Ricky studied the man standing in front of him. They looked so alike that it felt like he was standing in front of a mirror. If Ricky didn''t know better, he would have thought the man was his twin brother.


    "What a coincidence. My name is Ricky Nan too!


    I''m curious if you are real, or maybe you''re just an illusion," Ricky responded blankly.


    "I am real, but, technically, I don''t really exist. You can fight and defeat me, but you c


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    ed you to help me activate another zone again,'' Ricky begged in his heart. He concentrated on activating the seventh zone.


    "You want to awaken the zone to defeat me, but I can''t let you do that. After all, it is Paul who summoned me using the River of Time.


    I have to follow his instruction. Please forgive me," the Ricky from the River of Time abruptly said.


    "Are you apologizing to yourself?" Ricky quirked an amused glance at his opponent.


    "Technically, yes. After all, we are the same person," the Ricky from the River of Time admitted.


    "Ha-ha! Well then, let''s see if you can stop me!" Ricky explicitly challenged him.


    Boom!


    As soon as Ricky finished speaking, his opponent unleashed all his powers like a rainbow of energy that flowed out from him. Ricky could tell that his opponent had released the chromatic energy from the mysterious axe.


    His opponent had merged the chromatic energy with all his other powers, which was his most powerful strike. Ricky could tell because it was also his best attack.


    When he saw this, Ricky''s eyes darkened more, looking grim.


    He hated to admit it, but he was not sure if he could survive this.

 Chapter 1292 The Time Zone

    This was the most powerful move in Ricky''s repertoire, and he wasn''t sure he could withstand it. Even if he could, he was barely able to defend himself.


    His prospects were made worse by the fact that he had to spend most of his energy activating the zone.


    "I have never felt the power of my trump card. Now''s the time to do so," Ricky murmured, his eyes sparkling with sheer fighting spirit.


    Taking a deep breath, he concentrated every single ounce of power on his Ultimate Golden Body and activated the Massacring Holy Patterns to defend himself.


    He didn''t use the chromatic energy from the mysterious axe to shield himself since he needed it to activate the new zone.


    "So, your plan relies on you using the chromatic energy to activate the zone. You''re going to lose! And if you don''t admit defeat, you will die. I''d hate to see you lose, but I must beat you. Paul compels me to do that. I am sorry,"


    the Ricky from the River of Time said.


    By the time these words had left his mouth, he had already created a suppressing lotus.


    This lotus rushed towards Ricky at full pelt.


    The


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    e compared to the holy being?" the past Ricky explained.


    "Is that so?" Ricky seemed to understand what his opponent meant.


    He had won now, and his past self was moving back into the River of Time.


    "Let me congratulate you too for activating the seventh zone," Ricky called out behind the latter.


    "Ha-ha! Take care!" He received a wicked grin in response and finally, the River of Time version of Ricky disappeared from the Combat Space along with the river itself.


    "So, looks like it is possible for us to defeat our past selves. All we need is some courage and determination. Although, it did cost you your lifespan," the Dragon Intent Grass remarked.


    "You''re right. Perhaps if I had activated the skill of Resurrection earlier, I would have won the battle much faster," Ricky said.


    "Doesn''t matter. You are the winner," the Dragon Intent Grass responded. "Now, I wonder what you are going to name your seventh zone."


    "It''s the Time Zone which contains the power of time," Ricky replied in a simple tone.


    "I see. The Time Zone," the Dragon Intent Grass repeated thoughtfully.

 Chapter 1293 Four Warriors

    "Just like what others say, time is mysterious and unpredictable. Now, you have it under control! How cool is that? I bet the other warriors will envy you if they know you have so many awesome zones.


    It looks like Paul''s inheritance is perfect for you in every single way. I mean, no one is more qualified to acquire Paul''s inheritance other than you," the Dragon Intent Grass remarked.


    "I know! It will be such a waste if the inheritance falls into another warrior''s hands," Ricky responded with a little smirk.


    After he consumed five thousand years of his life to get the skill of Resurrection working, the Time Zone was automatically activated in his body.


    More courage ran through his veins as soon as he made that decision. Moreover, his blood power and chromatic energy increased.


    After experiencing all that, his zone was activated. Perhaps, it was his courage that triggered it from launching.


    At that moment, he knew that he was destined to beat his other self from the River of Time. On the other hand, Paul was known to be the most powerful warrior in ancient times. In fact, he was popular for fighting the devil race with brimming courage. Surely, he would want his successor to be courageous enough to fight the devil race.


    What he needed was a successor who would give his everything wh


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    f fighting could clearly be seen from this place. By the looks of it, Paul and the top warriors from the devil race once fought here," the Dragon Intent Grass mentioned briefly.


    "Well, I guess so!" Ricky nodded.


    Not long after, Ricky caught sight of another three people.


    Aside from him, there were three more warriors in the Combat Space. This could only mean one thing¡ªfour warriors had passed the test.


    Ricky knew two of them. One ranked first in the top ten geniuses¡ªMike Mo, while the other ranked second¡ªAntony Zang.


    Mike Mo was an independent warrior who was not a member of any force. He was an ace genius focusing on the fortune-telling. He traveled the world alone.


    On the other hand, Antony Zhang came from the Sage Level force¡ªthe Zang Clan, the clan famous for its sword. When he was born, he gave off a very powerful aura that was similar to that of a sword. Undoubtedly, he was an incredibly talented swordsman and also an ace genius.


    But among the ten top geniuses of the outer region, it appeared that only Mike Mo and Antony Zhang deserved to be called real ace geniuses.


    Meanwhile, the other one was the young man clad in black clothes. However, no one knew who this mysterious man was. Ricky had never met him before, neither had other warriors from the ancient battlefield.

 Chapter 1294 The Mysterious Man

    Mike and Antony had heard of Ricky before. However, when they saw him, they were taken by surprise. Their impression had been that no one else would have come this far.


    Ricky''s presence immediately alerted them to his abilities. Since they were ace geniuses, they knew how difficult the test was, which meant that they couldn''t underestimate this man. He could pose a serious challenge.


    Their gazes then shifted from Ricky to the young man in black whom they had never seen before.


    "Does anyone know who that young man is? The one wearing black? I don''t think we''ve ever met him or even seen him before today," some of the saints outside the ancient battlefield asked others around them.


    "I don''t know him!" Most answers were in the negative and the exercise bore no fruit.


    "Looks like he might be another genius we are unaware of; or were unaware of till now."


    "Apart from Mike and Antony, Ricky and this stranger are the only ones who passed the test, which means they are powerful geniuses too. I wonder if they are stronger than Mike and Antony."


    "R


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    t Space, Mike fixed his gaze on Ricky. As he spoke, his momentum and strength were increasing rapidly. "Ricky, I know you were once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor!"


    Mike knew that he needed to take his opponent seriously since the latter had made it this far, which was an incredible achievement in itself.


    "Oh... I know you can utilize the heavenly power. It''s no wonder you are recognized as an ace genius and rank first among the top ten geniuses.


    Did you know that I always wanted to go a few rounds with you? But, I didn''t expect that we would meet like this," Ricky replied politely.


    "I''m flattered, Ricky." Mike smiled slightly.


    "But these are just titles. It is our strength that matters. Regardless of who fights who in this battle, there will only be one winner today. Only one man will enjoy fame and reward and the rest of us must go home losers,"


    he added.


    With that, his fighting spirit integrated with his strength. He was going to make his move when his fighting spirit and strength had increased to the highest possible level.

 Chapter 1295 The Fortune-telling Power

    In the blink of an eye, Ricky''s momentum soared and clashed with Mike''s, resembling two streaks of entangled lightning. Roaring and howling sounds echoed all around them as if beasts were prowling nearby.


    Of course, there were none. Only the collision of two ace geniuses like them could have produced such a sound.


    Ricky''s eyes shifted from one color to another the moment he activated his mutants. With these mutant powers, he intended to get on the same level as Mike in terms of momentum.


    Mike was undoubtedly an intermediate one-star middle spiritual emperor. And even though Ricky had become a three-star lower spiritual emperor at peak state, it didn''t change the fact that he was still just a lower spiritual emperor.


    If he wanted to take on Mike, he had no choice but to use his six mutants.


    "Grass, I truly understand how difficult it is to challenge someone with higher level when both me and the opponent are getting stronger. Although I had activated the seventh zone, I still found it hard to beat him. In this case, I might not be able to challenge my superiors once I have become a demi-saint." Ricky share


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    rything is possible. I''ll give it a shot!" Ricky responded with a bright grin.


    In the blink of an eye, the six kinds of runes had created an invisible power, which shielded him from the upcoming attack.


    The consequence shook Ricky to the core. He now realized how terrifying the fortune-telling power was.


    Due to the forceful collision, Ricky''s invisible shield that had been protecting him collapsed. However, Mike''s fortune-telling power twisted it around.


    Ricky had no choice but to condense hundreds of Massacring Holy Patterns to defend himself.


    ''The fortune-telling power originating from the heavenly power is indeed impressive. Mike''s level is higher than mine, and he can cultivate the fortune-telling power. That means I can''t defeat him with only six mutants,'' Ricky thought to himself.


    "Fortune-telling Blade, come out!"


    At that point, Mike had gathered more and more fortune-telling power, which he later unleashed. It was the first Omnipotent Skill related to fortune-telling he had activated to attack Ricky.


    In the next breath, Ricky felt the suppression around him grow stronger and stronger.

 Chapter 1296 The Fortune-telling Mutant

    At this point, a massive shadow rose from behind Mike like a hulking beast. Hairline cracks started appearing, and immense power flowed out from these fractures like a gushing river. The power formed sharp blades that flew towards Ricky at breakneck speed.


    Mike activated his Omnipotent Skill, which created a gigantic blade aimed at Ricky too.


    Seeing two powerful attacks aimed in his way, Ricky knew that his life was in grave danger.


    Without hesitation, he immediately activated the Shadowy Replication, meaning to counter the shadow''s attack with it. Countless shadowy replicas emerged in an instant, as the chaotic fist emerged and punched the sharp blades.


    Ricky himself burst out the Space-shrinking Pace, which allowed him to reach Mike in the twinkling of an eye. He then gathered his chaotic power, formed a giant fist, and used it to smash Mike''s giant blade.


    "That guy is using the chaotic power!" People outside the ancient battlefield recognized the chaotic power at first glance, and they were utterly shocked that Ricky would wield it.


    And when Mike saw that Ricky could handle the chaotic power, a sinister look flashed across his face.


    At that moment, he grew slightly uncertain if his fortune-telling power could defeat Ricky''s chaotic power.


    ''The chaotic power is indeed


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    towards Ricky like a huge meteorite.


    "Ricky, your chromatic energy may be strong, but it''s not enough to withstand my strike. You''d better show your other trump cards," Mike declared as he confidently met Ricky''s eyes.


    "Of course. I don''t need to hide my strength when faced with someone like you, who ranks first in the top ten geniuses," Ricky admitted seriously.


    "Eternal light!" he then shouted at the top of his lungs, as power flowed out from him like blood.


    After a few heartbeats, his golden body showed up once again, bearing its full power.


    The energy in his chest turned into a beam of light and fused with the chaotic power and the chromatic energy. While countless light shone around him, the golden purple power gushed out of his body and painted everything in purple hues.


    In the next breath, the light beam collided with the giant stars, and an ear-splitting sound rang out.


    Violent airwaves engulfed the entire Combat Space, blinding the surrounding spectators to what was happening inside. Across the thick white fog and whipping air, a beam of light and a giant ball could be vaguely seen.


    Before long, the harsh sound of explosions gradually faded away.


    And along with it, the waves also dissipated, exposing Ricky and Mike who were in the middle of the chaos.

 Chapter 1297 Defeat Mike

    When the air waves finally dissipated and the dust settled, Ricky and Mike were visible once more. Both had been significantly weakened.


    Ricky''s golden body and his chest had collapsed completely. He had sustained serious injuries, which had degraded his fighting power.


    However, his injuries didn''t hurt his life essence. Therefore, if required, he could recover completely using the life power.


    Although it was an option, Ricky decided not to unleash the skill of Resurrection right now. During his fight with his River of Time persona, he had activated that skill and it had seriously hurt his life essence. Granted that he had recovered with the help of the original energy, he still needed to avoid using the skill of Resurrection at least for a while.


    Activating it right now would hurt his life essence, which would make his recovery much more difficult.


    Instead, he summoned the Devourer Zone and activated the Evil Devouring Mouth along with the Blood Vitality Devouring Skill to heal his injuries.


    His opponent, Mike, was in no better shape than he was. A gaping hole was visible between his chest and his shoulder. This the result of Ricky''s strike.


    However, Mike had his own wa


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    rhaps Mike could have survived this attack, but he didn''t get enough time to activate an Omnipotent Skill to strike back.


    Neither did he have a body-refining cultivation method like the Ultimate Golden Body. Ricky had that and it gave him an advantage.


    "I admit defeat!" Mike announced reluctantly.


    A dumbfounded silence fell when these words were uttered.


    A couple of moments later, a heated discussion began.


    "Oh my god! Mike was just defeated. The Mike... The number one genius!"


    "I can''t believe Ricky is this strong!"


    "Perhaps Ricky really was a demi-spiritual emperor once. It''s clear that there''s a huge gap between his and Mike''s cultivation levels, yet he wins!"


    "Yeah, he is just a lower spiritual emperor and Mike is a middle spiritual emperor. Ricky winning just proves how powerful he is."


    The saints also began talking about the battle. "Although Mike''s fortune-telling power is incredible, Ricky has variety on his side. And almost all his powers are as strong as Mike''s fortune-telling power. They might even be better."


    "You''re right. If they were at the same level, they wouldn''t even have to fight. Ricky would undoubtedly be the winner with a single blow."

 Chapter 1298 Antony VS Chad

    "As far as I know, Ricky can cultivate almost ten kinds of power. Moreover, he has a deep understanding of these powers. It''s safe to say that he has a knack for comprehending powers."


    "Perhaps, his six mutants have something to do about his mastery of the martial arts. Moreover, we cannot deny the fact that he is better than most ace geniuses."


    "You know what? With a power like that, I''m starting to believe that Ricky used to be an incredible demi-spiritual emperor."


    On the other hand, the other talented warriors from the middle and inner regions became envious upon hearing how the saints praised Ricky and his prowess. From then on, these talented warriors marked Ricky as their opponent.


    At that moment, Ricky was unaware that his performance left a lasting impression on the saints who witnessed him. Neither did he know that many of the other geniuses vowed to beat him one day. Nevertheless, this was not at all what he had wished for himself. Initially, he did not want to make a lot of enemies prior to being the top warrior. But now, he had to face the truth that he had become an unsightly view to the eyes of other talented warriors.


    Not long after, Ricky withdrew all his powers and politely whispered


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    e out!"


    Upon being summoned, the dark power poured out from his body and entered the black smoke, turning it into a real tangible land.


    The dark land became more and more visible to the naked eye, and at the same time, Chad''s dark power increased.


    Boom! Boom!


    With a deafening rumble, two huge soil blocks sprouted from the land.


    One of them changed into a shield, just like that of a turtle''s shell, and came dashing towards the direction of Antony''s swords.


    Of course, the other soil block followed suit.


    "Shield of dark power!" Chad shouted.


    Clung! Clung! An intense sound of colliding metal echoed throughout the space. Not long after, Antony''s sword crashed head-on with Chad''s seemingly powerful shield.


    Instantly, waves of power swept through the air, causing the Combat Space to tremble.


    At that moment, the sword and the shield intertwined and kept attacking each other forcefully.


    Meanwhile, outside the ancient battlefield, everyone believed that their attacks had somehow come to a deadlock.


    But only Antony knew what was really going on.


    After a while, he began to raise his eyebrows in horror as he began to realize that Ricky''s shield was apparently absorbing his sword''s power.

 Chapter 1299 Antonys Death

    Antony gaped at his opponent in shock.


    He could sense that the shield Chad had created was not utilizing the energy from his sword for its own benefit. Instead, the power was just vanishing into thin air after being absorbed.


    Chad''s dark power was absorbing only a little bit of Antony''s sword power, but that little amount was enough to turn the tides in the former''s favor.


    It was the sort of moment which usually determined the outcome of a fight, especially when two warriors of the same level were engaged in combat.


    Ricky and Mike''s battle had been decided by a similar moment.


    They were evenly matched. But Mike had lost some of his power in his efforts to deal with Ricky''s Heavenly Illusionary Palaces. As a result, he was defeated.


    ''Damn it! What kind of dark power is that? It feels even more terrible than the extreme devouring power!'' Antony cried inwardly.


    However, he was a decisive man. Wasting no time, he withdrew all his powers. The swords moved around him to keep him from any harm.


    "Sword defense!"


    he shouted and was immediately su


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    in his eyes.


    "The Sword Manipulating Mutant is a powerful mutant. It could prove useful," Chad murmured to himself. He focused his eyes on the corpse, and two beams of black colored light shot out.


    It turned out that


    the beams were helping him devour Antony''s powers.


    "We''re going to kill him!" The entire Zang Clan was furious at this sight. They roared in frustration and anger.


    "Holy shit! This guy''s ruthless!" The rest of the warriors frowned.


    It was common for warriors to absorb their dead enemy''s powers. But few ever dared to do it in public. It was generally considered a cruel and evil practice and the righteous ones didn''t tolerate it.


    Even the saints narrowed their eyes thoughtfully when they saw this.


    They were threatened once more at this sight.


    A moment later, Antony''s dead body was nothing but a pile of ashes, and all his power had been absorbed by Chad.


    The truth was, Chad didn''t care about most of Antony''s powers. They were too weak for him.


    However, he wanted his Sword Manipulating Mutant power, and now he had it.

 Chapter 1300 I Want Your Head

    After Chad took Antony''s mutant power, he began to adjust his breath. Although he didn''t unleash all his power against Antony, he still consumed a lot of energy, so he needed some time to recover.


    Besides, it would take him some time to digest Antony''s mutant power too.


    Ricky and Chad had enough time to regain their energy and power.


    Soon, ten days had passed, and the two Combat Spaces where Ricky and Chad were had become one.


    All the warriors gradually forgot about Antony''s death except for the people from the Zang Clan. That was the reality of the martial arts world. It didn''t matter how talented a warrior was when he was alive. He would be easily forgotten once death claimed him.


    Perhaps, some warriors might mention Antony once or twice. But from the moment of his death, the majority had turned their back on him.


    At this moment, everyone''s attention was firmly on Ricky and Chad.


    "It looks like my intuition was right. I had suspected you would win before you fought with Antony," Ricky commented as he looked at Chad who stood opposite him. From the moment he laid his eyes on Chad, he found his aura familiar to him, and his intuition told him that Chad was stronger than Mike and A


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    t out a roar, and a dark spear shot out, flying straight at Ricky''s chest. Ricky could tell at a glance that the dark power within the spear was more potent than that which took Antony''s life.


    He didn''t dare let his guard down. As soon as he sensed the danger, he activated the Ultimate Golden Body and summoned the six types of runes, which evolved into passages.


    The light released by eternal power shot forth from his golden body. It instantly merged with the chaotic power and chromatic energy and flew toward the incoming spear.


    Buzz! At the same time, Ricky released the massacring runes, which automatically surrounded him like a shield. They formed about two hundred Massacring Holy Patterns.


    His intuition told him that he needed to set up the strongest defense that he could, or else, Chad would kill him without mercy.


    In the next moment, the light Ricky had released collided with the spear.


    At once, the dark power on the spear began to absorb the light''s power, resembling what it had done to Antony''s sword.


    Ricky''s eyes widened in shock as a small gasp escaped his parted lips.


    ''Its power is incredible! It can absorb my power and even erase it,'' he thought in with disbelief.

 Chapter 1301 Extremely Evil Power

    Frankly, Chad''s dark power was more appalling than Ricky''s devouring power.


    Terrifying as it might seem, but Chad''s dark power could not possibly devour Ricky''s power. This was because apart from devouring power, Ricky''s attack contained the chromatic energy as well as the chaotic power at the same time. In fact, these two powers were so outstanding that no other power could ever devour them.


    Meanwhile, Chad''s dark power ceased to absorb Ricky''s power the minute the devouring runes were activated.


    Soon after, Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body unleashed its primitive power, releasing the golden light. On the other hand, the purple-golden eternal power increased as the golden light spread. At that moment, the eternal power''s light beamed brighter, giving the dark spear no other choice but to withdraw.


    Overwhelmed by Ricky''s multiple powers, the dark spear was forced to return to its master.


    Ricky saw Chad as a worthy and powerful opponent. As a result, he didn''t think twice to release his powers without any reservation.


    Moreover, he tried his best to take advantage of every opportunity to gain control over how their fight would go about. To him, this was the only way he could increase his odds of emerging victorious.


    Because of


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    Body today!" Chad said while his voice brimmed with confidence.


    "Go ahead and try it if you can!" Ricky snapped back, not flinching even for a little bit.


    As his voice trailed off, the two parties clashed again with one another.


    Only this time, neither of them used any Omnipotent Skill nor any flashy moves. Instead, they fought with only their physical bodies.


    Generally speaking, this moment was a fight between the Ultimate Golden Body and the Dark Blood Divine Body.


    At the same time, Ricky''s chromatic energy and chaotic power fought with Chad''s extremely evil power.


    On the other hand, the warriors outside the arena had their mouths agape as they saw how the fight was unfolding right before their eyes.


    The fight that they were witnessing was so fierce that it made them feel that it was a fight between two superior warriors instead of two spiritual emperors.


    Only at that moment did the onlookers realized that Ricky and Chad were way, way out of their peers'' league.


    "I can''t believe how powerful these two are! I''m starting to think that the two of them are the only ones who deserve to be called the geniuses of the outer region," Mike and Peter remarked in awe as they watched the fight unravel in the Combat Space.

 Chapter 1302 The Dark Land Blood Mutant

    Of course, they were not interested in Chad.


    He had killed Antony in the previous fight. Thus, they didn''t think that they were on the same side.


    Bang! Bang! As the two warriors collided and then separated, their powers split up quickly as well. Since these powers were complete inverses of each other, the Combat Space looked like it had just been torn in half.


    Ricky and Chad were both incredibly strong, and most of their strength was intact. However, their bodies were riddled with holes and wounds.


    Blood was gushing out of both of them, even from Ricky''s Ultimate Golden body and Chad''s Dark Blood Divine Body.


    The bleeding was only to be expected. Each move they had made the last time had been at the cost of their lives. For the two of them to survive that collision was already quite remarkable.


    Using their own Omnipotent Skills, the duo reached their peak state once more in a very short while.


    "You are using the power from the earth, and an evil kind!" Ricky remarked coldly, narrowing his eyes.


    "You''re right. I''m using the evil power from the earth," Chad admitted. He did not hide the source of his power and confessed directly. He then sneered, "It''s no wonder you are a


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    That is all the respect I can extend towards you. "If you commit suicide, I won''t destroy your body once I have absorbed your mutant,"


    Chad asked lightly. With the Dark Land Blood Mutant taking control, he had lost any last shred of humanity.


    "Ha, ha. You are such a confident and conceited person! I wonder... what has thrown you into such a state..." Ricky responded and smiled upon hearing Chad''s words.


    He really didn''t understand why the man was so confident about his victory.


    "When I was a demi-spiritual emperor in the Western Land, I killed a warrior who possessed the Blue Water Mutant. Today, I am certain I can kill your Dark Land Blood Mutant as well!"


    Ricky roared again.


    "What?" The disciples outside the arena were shocked when they heard these words.


    "Ricky once killed a warrior with the Blue Water Mutant? And he was just a demi-spiritual emperor at the time?"


    "So, he really was an incredible demi-spiritual emperor once?"


    "Forget about that! What''s terrifying is the fact that he has killed the owner of the Blue Water Mutant!"


    As the discussions rose, so did Ricky''s powers.


    Meanwhile, gray runes began to surge out from the other six runes around him.

 Chapter 1303 Die At The Same Time

    "Your mutant is your trump card, but I also have my own mutant. Perhaps, this will destroy your Dark Land Blood Mutant," Ricky hissed, and his eyes flashed with gray light, which resembled the gray tinge the rune had emitted.


    At the same time, another kind of mutant power emerged from Ricky''s body.


    It was a mysterious power, and it resonated with Paul''s power in the Combat Space.


    "Time Mutant!" roared Ricky, his white hair flying in the air due to some unseen force.


    Under the influence of the seven kinds of runes, he activated the middle realm of the Transforming Omnipotent Skill.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    A deafening explosion rocked the ground, and Ricky''s strength and realm increased in an instant. The power of the seven mutants merged as well, and with the help of the chaotic power and chromatic energy, Ricky confronted Chad''s Dark Land Blood Mutant head-on.


    Ricky''s Time Mutant had the ability to control time from any era.


    At this moment, it was like his hands could grasp the invisible time. It seemed that he could pull the flow of time backward and push it forward. In short, he now had complete control over time in this Combat Space.


    To top that off, he had gained power from the invisible time, which was more valua


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    icky used the Golden Spirit Eyes, he could only sense the endless source of evil.


    At once, he took a deep breath and concentrated all his strength. The Omnipotent Skill of ancestral thunder evolved to the Thunder Light Blade, as he merged all his strength. And then, with the Thunder Light Blade in his hand and his other hand activating the skill of Resurrection at the same time, Ricky rushed towards the spear.


    Bang! Bang!


    The next moment, wild sparks burst out, followed by the most violent airwaves. Two huge mushroom clouds soon engulfed the entire Combat Space until everything was submerged in thick white mist.


    Perhaps, all they could see now was the intertwining of the two blood flowers.


    All eyes had gravitated to them at that moment as they waited for the final result.


    None of them noticed how long it took for the two figures to make a move in the violent airwaves.


    Their bodies fell to the bottom of the Combat Space simultaneously.


    As the people carefully watched, they saw how Chad had thrust his spear into Ricky''s chest at the same time as Ricky struck him with his Thunder Light Blade.


    It appeared that both sides had secured their opponent''s soul with their power.


    "What? Did they die at the same time?"

 Chapter 1304 Travel Back Through Time

    "They didn''t die together, did they? It looks like they still draw breath," some warriors remarked as they squinted their eyes. They had better eyesight than most and could see through the dust and distance.


    "I don''t think so. But even if they survived, they are both badly hurt!"


    "Yes, Ricky and Chad have locked onto each other''s soul. One single moment of weakness from either of them and the battle will be decided," another one said. "It''s such a pity that Ricky is going to die."


    The warriors in the audience, especially people like Mordechai were heavily worried.


    Lloyd and the others were in the same mood as the members of the Zang Clan.


    ''This guy has completely refined the Five-element Flag. I hope it can protect him!'' All they could do at the moment was pray in their hearts and hope they were heard.


    The saints seemed excited, though.


    They knew that Chad was going to die soon.


    The man posed a great threat to them and they didn''t care whether Ricky survived or not. As far as they were concerned, Ricky''s life for Chad''s death was a reasonable bargain.


    Perhaps they did feel a slight pity


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    was getting feebler by the minute.


    With the last ounce of strength and will he had left, Ricky turned into the Time Mutant.


    Time runes emerged and began to encircle his entire body.


    "Omnipotent Skill¡ªTravel Back Through Time!"


    Ricky roared with his mind, and his Time Mutant started to morph. Ripples appeared and began to revolve around him. They were formed out of time power.


    They seemed to be coming out of nowhere and were resonating with the time power already present in the Combat Space. The ripples then entered Ricky''s body.


    Immediately, his soul began to recover, and the wounds on his body started to heal.


    It took about a quarter of an hour, but Ricky finally recovered completely, and started floating in mid-air, fully unharmed.


    His momentum, strength, and blood vitality were at their peaks, It was as if he had never experienced a battle at all.


    A few steps away from him lay Chad''s corpse, dead as a doorknob.


    This scene shocked the Dragon Intent Grass to a great extent.


    Not only it, but the audiences were also incredibly shocked as well. Ricky had just risen from the dead!

 Chapter 1305 Came Back To Life

    "He came back to life? How is that possible?"


    all the warriors asked this at the same time after a long shocked silence. Some of them even rubbed their eyes to make sure that they weren''t dreaming. Those saints had the same questions in their minds, but they were too lost in thought to share their ideas.


    "What do you think, Dragon Intent Grass?" Ricky asked. Even Ricky himself could hardly believe it when he realized that he had recovered to the peak state. However, he had foreseen it, and that was why he spoke to the Dragon Intent Grass in a smug tone.


    That kind of Omnipotent Skill was incomparable. Even Ricky''s resolute heart could not help but feel conceited.


    "Is this your Time Zone''s Omnipotent Skill?" asked the Dragon Intent Grass. It seemed that hearing Ricky''s question had finally pulled it out of its shock.


    "That''s right. I call this skill Travel Back Through Time!" Ricky proudly stated.


    "Travel Back Through Time?! That is a marvelous Omnipotent Skill. Your Time Zone is really... " At that moment, the Dragon Intent Grass couldn''t find the right words to describe Ricky''s Time Zone.


    "The problem is that I can only use this skill on myself, and the time limit is about


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    Ricky decided in his mind.


    ''Someday, I will find out who is truly behind that big, black hand!''


    At this moment, the Dragon Intent Grass''s voice rang in his mind. "Why are you in a daze? Did that Chad-guy hit you in the head?"


    "No, I was just thinking. I wondered what would have happened if I hadn''t mastered the skill of Travel Back Through Time," Ricky answered promptly. He didn''t think it was necessary to tell the Dragon Intent Grass about the black hand. At least, not yet.


    There was no need to tell anyone else since it could only cause trouble and worry if he told everyone.


    "Stop overthinking, boy! You just need to remember that in the martial world only the strong and the winner survives. Thus, you only need to become either of those kinds of people. You don''t need to think about other matters, and neither should you dwell on things that didn''t happen," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "All right. I got it."


    "Now, it''s time for you to accept Paul''s inheritance!"


    A moment later, Paul''s will suddenly emerged. Looking at Ricky with admiration, the will remarked, "Congratulations, young man. You have obtained the inheritance. Perhaps, you are the most suitable inheritor."

 Chapter 1306 Pauls Inheritance

    "I can''t believe you already have such a good handle on the time power, so much so that you could even reverse time," said Paul''s will in an astonished tone. It seemed that Ricky''s talents had impressed the will greatly, and the will had come to admire him as well.


    "I am honored, sir," Ricky demurely answered, slightly bowing his head in respect.


    "On top of that, you even took down the Dark Land Blood Mutant''s owner, which emphasized how incredibly powerful you are. All these things showed that you are indeed Paul''s most suitable successor,"


    Paul''s will added further.


    After that, the will ushered Ricky gently toward a space overflowing with time power.


    The Rocks of Heaven and Earth had fused with the arena itself. From an outside perspective, it seemed like everything had gone back to normal, as no one could see what was happening inside the arena.


    Seeing this, all the saints that had gathered outside the ancient battlefield immediately spurred their men to prepare. "Get ready, men! As soon as Ricky steps out of there, we will swoop in and take the inheritance from him. But make sure to keep him alive! After all, he took down an enemy with the extreme evil mutant, and we can say that he


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    otentate Level. Can he surpass Paul? Perhaps, he can succeed as long as someone gives him a hand,''


    Paul''s will while observing Ricky, who was currently exploring the River of Time.


    Time flew by quickly. Ricky didn''t notice that two years had passed by in the River of Time, as he had been too immersed in Paul''s life.


    He actually took the understanding of Paul''s comprehension of time in stride, perhaps, due to the fact that he already possessed the Time Mutant.


    At present, his understanding of time power had greatly improved.


    Ricky could not only reverse time now, but he could also accelerate its flow.


    On top of that, he also learned a new set of techniques related to time, which Paul had once cultivated and used.


    Although he also had a martial skill related to time in the Time Zone, Ricky decided to study Paul''s skills instead.


    After all, no one would refuse to learn a spiritual potentate''s cultivation methods.


    ''It looks like I need to know Paul''s entire life before I can acquire that complete version of the time-related technique he had once cultivated.


    Judging by how challenging it is to acquire, it could highly likely be his real inheritance,'' Ricky thought to himself.

 Chapter 1307 The Eternal Time Scripture

    Ricky spent two more years in the River of Time enduring Paul''s entire life. All in all, four years went by until he had fully absorbed Paul''s comprehension of time.


    Now that he had accomplished that, Ricky felt like he didn''t need to spend much time developing his time power. Now that he thought about it, he just needed to combine Paul''s inheritance with his own Time Zone, and he could easily reach the Potentate Level by cultivating the time power.


    Finally, the River of Time''s end came into view, and Ricky stepped out through it.


    As soon as he was outside, he immediately sat cross-legged and began to adjust his breath. This journey was indeed fruitful, as he had obtained so much information, so much so that he could not completely absorb it in such a short time. He had to adjust his breath, otherwise, it would cause chaos in his heart about the martial arts.


    After adjusting his breath, Ricky reached out to the River of Time with his mind, seeing as he wanted to get Paul''s cultivation method from it as well.


    ''Whoa, this is unbelievable!''


    Paul''s will was exceedingly astonished while seeing Ricky come out.


    And thanks to Ricky''s mind communication,the will had an idea of what Ricky intended to do.


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    e accompanying weapon should also stop existing entirely. But now, an accompanying weapon had just appeared out of nowhere, one that was rumored to be Paul''s. If Paul had indeed owned this accompanying weapon, shouldn''t it have vanished alongside him?


    And if it weren''t Paul''s weapon, what was it doing in the River of Time that Paul created?


    Besides, how could it be Ricky''s accompanying weapon for no reason?


    "Sir, why is the Time Seal doing here?" Ricky asked Paul''s will.


    "The Time Seal is my master''s accompanying weapon," explained Paul''s will. "So it is really Paul''s accompanying weapon.


    But how can it be my accompanying weapon now? That doesn''t make sense,"


    Ricky asked with great confusion. "Ha-ha, silly boy! This is not the old one," Paul''s will laughingly remarked.


    "I''m confused, sir. Can you please tell me more about it?" Ricky pleaded with a puzzled frown.


    "When my master became a spiritual potentate, he traveled frequently into the chaos to look for time-related things. It was in one of these journeys that he found a time stone. With his power and several casting masters at the premium stage of Demi-divine Level, he used this stone to create the Time Seal," explained Paul''s will.

 Chapter 1308 Rickys Transformation

    "A lot of powerful warriors had died during that war against the devil race, and although Paul survived, it had cost him a lot. By the time the war had ended, he had almost run out of life essence and was on the verge of death.


    Thus, he extracted the Time Seal''s core before he breathed his last, for he knew that it was the only way that he could keep the seal from disappearing with him.


    And that was how the River of Time came to be. He turned the seal''s core into the river and stored it in this space where time flowed differently. He hoped that the new Time Seal could be formed with time power.


    And just as he expected, the old Time Seal''s core formed the new one with the help of time power," revealed Paul''s will.


    "I see. That means this Time Seal is the new one," Ricky responded, nodding thoughtfully. Now that he had heard the explanation from Paul''s will, he was beginning to understand everything.


    "Take this as one more gift from Paul to his successor," Paul''s will said after a while, gesturing to the seal.


    "Thank you! I really appreciate it," answered Ricky gratefully. He couldn''t think of any other way he could express his gratitude, so words would have to suffice for now.


    "With all those stuff dealt with, I have something else to discuss with you,


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    He now appeared more mature and reserved. At present, he had consolidated his cultivation level, and his power had also increased.


    "I have spent the past two years healing my injuries and consolidating my cultivation level. And it has paid off because my realm is now stable. I don''t have to worry about it anymore," Ricky seriously remarked with satisfaction, feeling the purity of the power in his body.


    "You did a great job. I''m glad that you didn''t pursue a higher level, Ricky. Believe me. It''s worth spending years on consolidating your cultivation level, not to mention two years. After all, only when you have a solid cultivation level can you have greater progress and reach a higher level," the Time Seal''s hermit spirit cut in.


    "I agree. A stable cultivation base is indeed valuable to any warrior. If your cultivation is unstable, even your incredible talent cannot help you become a top warrior," the Dragon Intent Grass added.


    In the past two years, the Time Seal''s hermit spirit and the Dragon Intent Grass had met each other and spent that better of those two years getting acquainted.


    "Listen, that''s enough cultivating for you. It''s now time to put away the arena and leave the ancient battlefield," the Time Seal''s hermit spirit instructed Ricky sternly.

 Chapter 1309 In the Face of Grave Danger

    The words of the Time Seal''s hermit spirit left Ricky feeling bewildered. He glanced at the seal with wide, astonished eyes and asked,


    "I''m sorry, sir, but I''m afraid I may have misheard you. Did you just tell me to put the arena away?" "Yes, I did. It''s about that you put away the arena," the Time Seal''s hermit spirit instructed nonplussed.


    "Okay, now, I am confused. How can I do that?" Ricky promptly asked, looking more and more baffled with each passing second.


    "After we defeated the devil race, Paul had refined this arena, which means that this was Paul''s property," the hermit spirit explained. "And because he is long dead, the arena would be passed on to his successor¡ªyou! The arena is made of the hardest Rocks of Heaven and Earth.


    It may not be a supreme weapon, but do not underestimate it because it''s as powerful as a supreme weapon. In fact, you can even use this arena against any supreme weapon," the hermit spirit cheerfully went on.


    Hearing this, Ricky was overjoyed, and he made up his mind right then and there to never give the arena up. After all, it rightfully belonged to him now.


    "Sir, what should I do put it aside?" he eagerly asked.


    "You can use the Time Seal since the seal serves as the core of the arena," instructed the hermit spirit. "Paul had taken this into consideration, so he integrated the Time Seal with the are


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    re you trying to offend us?" a saint threateningly retorted when he heard Ricky''s reply.


    "Young man, have you forgotten that the devil race is coming? For the sake of the entire continent, you should hand over Paul''s inheritance to more talented warriors than you. That way, more talented warriors who can rise quickly will have a chance to help the continent too," another saint blurted out.


    "You make a good point, sir, and I actually intend to do that. However, there are so many of you who want Paul''s inheritance that I don''t know whom to choose," Ricky responded immediately.


    Although the saints'' words aggravated Ricky, it was also what he wanted to hear. He knew that all the saints here had the same thoughts, so if he addressed it that way, it would imply that he wanted to choose one of them.


    In that way, he figured that the saints would fight amongst themselves instead of ganging up on him.


    It was true that he could give Paul''s inheritance away, but he could only do so to one person. Unfortunately, everyone wanted to have a finger on that particular pie.


    "Ha-ha! Young man, do you think you can turn us against each other by saying that?" one saint unexpectedly commented.


    It turned out that Ricky underestimated those saints. When he realized that they didn''t fall for his plans, his face darkened, and he became serious in an instant.

 Chapter 1310 A Man Named Otis Ao

    "Sir, maybe you think that you can joke around at this moment, but I assure you that this is no joking matter for me. I am telling the truth. Paul has only one inheritance, so you have to decide among yourselves who should get it..." Ricky convinced them, hoping that they would fall for his tricks this time.


    After all, this was the only way he could think of escaping this trouble. He would have to hand over Paul''s inheritance to them sooner or later, but he could put it off to the last second.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t escape and hide through his space, because these warriors in front of him were powerful saints.


    "It''s all right, Ricky. If there is no other way out, you can surrender the Eternal Time Scripture to them. Anyway, these saints have not experienced Paul''s whole life, so it will be difficult for them to comprehend the ancient scripture," the Time Seal''s hermit spirit advised Ricky telepathically.


    "Yes, sir. I understand,"replied Ricky with a grim face. He hated to admit it, but he had no choice.


    From the moment he obtained Paul''s inheritance, he knew that he had to hand something over as soon as he came out. That was the price he had to pay for being weaker than these men.


    ''My strength still isn''t enough! I wonder when I could be strong enough that I don''t have to be afraid of anything,'' Ricky wondered to himself in frustration.


    Meanwhile, one of the saints seemed to be growing impatient


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    was saying because he felt that the young man was probably at the Demi-potentate Level, close to the Potentate Level. Moreover, if this young man really wanted Paul''s inheritance, he wouldn''t be wasting his time talking to Ricky. In fact, he could easily kill Ricky now seeing no one else was around.


    The young man gracefully waved his hand as if to dismiss Ricky''s worries and said, "It''s okay. I know you can''t help worrying especially after your experience with those saints."


    "May I know your name, sir?" Ricky asked with a curious gleam in his eyes.


    He was a man with a clear distinction between kindness and resentment. He took note of those saints from earlier for revenge, but he also wanted to remember this young man who had saved him. He promised to himself that he would repay this man''s kindness.


    Ricky didn''t even care if those saints represented the whole Misty South continent or not. He just wanted to take revenge on them, to repay the wrong they planned to do to him.


    Hearing Ricky''s question, the young man didn''t seem hesitant to let his identity show. "My name is Otis Ao!" he replied honestly with a gentle smile.


    Those simple words felt like a stormy wave in Ricky''s ears, as his head suddenly pulsed in time with his heartbeats.


    In this era, there existed one man who was considered the strongest in all of Misty South, and he was now standing in front of Ricky. It was none other than Otis Ao!

 Chapter 1311 His Invitation

    ''So this guy is the lord of the Misty South Palace¡ªthe most powerful warrior in the Misty South!'' Ricky thought to himself excitedly once he recovered from his surprise.


    ''Why would such a great warrior come to my aid?'' he wondered.


    At this point, Ricky finally understood where the man''s confidence was coming from and why he defied those saints and admonished them like little children. The reason was simple: he was the best warrior in the Misty South.


    This fact also reassured Ricky because someone as accomplished as this guy would certainly not look at Paul''s inheritance with greed. Just as Otis told Ricky earlier, he would have been a spiritual potentate if it weren''t for the heavenly law''s restriction.


    He had already owned the strength to become a spiritual potentate, so why would he even need another spiritual potentate''s inheritance?


    Warriors at his level were always arrogant, but they had the strength to back their attitude up.


    "Thank you for saving my life, sir. I won''t forget this," Ricky earnestly thanked Otis again.


    "I was able to save you because those saints are not real masters. It was fortunate that the really powerful ones didn''t come here, or you would have been in grave danger. But don''t let your guard down! Even though those genuine masters didn''t appear, it didn''t mean that they are not after Paul''s inheritance.


    Perhaps, they didn''t dare


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    e mistake of boiling the ocean.


    You should concentrate on the current matter first," reminded Otis.


    "I will, sir! Thank you for your advice," Ricky politely answered, nodding his head seriously.


    "All right, take care of yourself. I hope that you will grow famous for your strength in the entire Misty South. It''s up to you how you will spend the time before our selection.


    See you then," said Otis, waving his head in farewell.


    "Wow, he just left without looking back,"


    Ricky murmured in a low voice as he watched Otis disappear from his view. However, he didn''t blame Otis.


    The moment he left the Snow Land, he became aware that he should rely on himself for everything.


    Besides, he had just gotten to know Otis today, and he had already done so much for him.


    "Where are you going after this?" the Dragon Intent Grass curiously inquired.


    "Well, I can''t go back to the Five-element Sect before I become the Misty South Palace''s core disciple. But those Sage Level forces would certainly try to come after me.


    Therefore, I need to think about how to keep myself alive while waiting for the Misty South Palace to start their selection.


    Even if they think that Otis has taken Paul''s inheritance from me, they won''t dare to come after him. So they will probably continue to chase after me so that they could find out more about Paul''s inheritance," Ricky responded.

 Chapter 1312 The Invitation Tokens

    At this point, Ricky had no idea where to go. He knew that he needed to go somewhere secure, where he could properly focus on his training. He still had a whole year before the Misty South Palace held the selection, and before that, he needed to become stronger.


    The good thing was that he didn''t need to worry about the Five-element Sect, at least, for fifty years. The fact that he had guaranteed their safety for such a long time was a load of his back.


    As long as Ricky was not in the Five-element Sect, they would certainly be safe from harm.


    Of course, he didn''t forget to send a message back to Lloyd, informing him that he was safe and sound. He had done this by creating a Shadowy Replication, which he tasked to deliver the said message to the Five-element Sect in the guise of an old man. That way, nobody would even look twice at the replication.


    Ricky himself had decided to change his appearance before he left the mountain, for he knew that it would not only allow him to move unhindered, but it would also keep him safe.


    It was no secret that Paul''s inheritance was in his possession, so he expected that most, if not all, warriors would soon find out what he looked like. Everybody would undoubtedly be on the lookout for him after all. If he didn''t disguise himself, any warrior he encountered would recognize him and spread the news about his whereabouts.


    Unfortunately, a lot of people already knew what he looked like when he activated the middle realm of


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    out the nearby cities and find more information on these tokens'' locations," Ricky murmured to himself thoughtfully.


    With that in mind, he went on to investigate several nearby cities, hoping for more news.


    He soon found out that some tokens could be found somewhere in a place called Corpse Blood Devil Land.


    From its name, it was evident that the place had something to do with the Corpse Blood Devil tribe from the devil race.


    The ancestral blood power was the strongest one in the devil race, closely followed by the eight major blood powers. Among the eight major blood powers, the Corpse Blood Devil tribe was the strongest.


    When the creatures of the devil race died in ancient times, their dead bodies formed the Corpse Blood Devil after tens of thousands of years.


    Rumor had it that the Corpse Blood Devil tribe once invaded this place, but most of them had been slaughtered. The land absorbed their corpse and blood, and that formed the Corpse Blood Devil Land.


    Though it was believed to be a rumor, it had a grain of truth.


    Meanwhile, the Linghu Clan owned the territory on the other side of the Corpse Blood Devil Land.


    The Linghu Clan was one of the eight influential human devil clans, and their members were said to possess the Corpse Blood Devil''s bloodline.


    "Hmn... I guess I should head to the Corpse Blood Devil Land," Ricky murmured to himself when he heard the news.


    Without hesitation, he turned away and headed for his new destination.

 Chapter 1313 The Intent Apperception Grass

    The entire area was shrouded in dark blood vitality, so much so that even the sky had turned black due to the evil spirit.


    And if that wasn''t enough to drive ordinary warriors away, a cold corpse miasma hung like a thick curtain in the air, and what made matters worse was that this corpse miasma was also a kind of poisonous gas.


    These were the dangers that awaited any warrior who would dare to venture into the Corpse Blood Devil Land.


    Of course, the conditions in this place were much better compared to the Corpse Blood Devil Land inside the territory of the Devil Land.


    This place continually absorbed the continent spirit from other places and transformed it into corpse miasma. At the same time, the invisible blood vitality that surrounded it gradually fused into the land.


    In such a harsh environment, there were only two kinds of plants and Treasures from Heaven and Earth that could survive. The first kind consisted of poisonous and cold ones, while the second kind were the ones that could restrain poison and cold.


    The mountains in this area were separated by blood-colored rivers, wide enough to be seen from a fair distance away.


    After half a month of traveling, Ricky finally arrived at the Corpse Blood Devil Land and found several warriors loitering nearby. Ricky approached them warily, knowing that they shared the same goal, which was to acquire tokens for the selection process.


    In fact, every warrior in the Middle Land probably wanted to join the Misty South Palace


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    consolidated his power in the place that Paul had created.


    That was actually necessary because every time he made a breakthrough, he needed to spend time consolidating his improved strength and level. That was because the higher one''s cultivation level was, the more important it was to consolidate their strength and level.


    Moreover, if he wanted to make any significant progress, energy and comprehension were indispensable.


    Any warrior who couldn''t reach a higher level would have to use other methods to improve their powers. The power from the Intent Apperception was a good choice for this situation, as it could enhance one''s strength without increasing the cultivation base.


    If a warrior reached fifty or sixty percent power of the Intent Apperception, it could greatly improve their combat effectiveness. It could even serve as their trump card.


    ''If I could level up my saber intent to fifty percent at the late stage before the selection begins, I would have another trump card!'' Ricky thought jubilantly to himself.


    He studied the Intent Apperception Grass with slight greed in his eyes, knowing that it could become a great asset to him.


    The Intent Apperception Grass had the killing property, which could potentially be useful to him. It was because he had the Devourer Zone, which could help him refine objects or treasures with killing property.


    However, before he could collect the Intent Apperception Grass, he knew that he had to take care of those Blood Zombies first.

 Chapter 1314 The Powerful Corpse Miasma

    The air was thick with tension until it snapped like a string, and the sound of growling reached Ricky''s ears.


    A few moments later, the blood-colored water in the Corpse Blood Devil River began to bubble and surge.


    The Blood Zombies'' eyes glistened with killing intent at the same time, almost as if they were reacting to the deluge of blood-colored water. Ricky could sense that the Blood Zombies were feeding on the water''s bloody killing power and cold corpse miasma, which made them stronger.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Very soon, the Blood Zombies'' momentum reached the peak.


    These creatures didn''t have significant psychic intelligence, which meant that they couldn''t strategize or use any complicated methods when fighting. The only thing they could do was to attack head-on. So, if they were in danger, they tended to go all out in their attacks and tear their enemies apart in a most violent and ruthless manner.


    With eyes narrowed in concentration, Ricky assessed the creatures'' strength and found that two of them were exceedingly powerful.


    "These Blood Zombies are going to be a pain in the backside," remarked the Dragon Intent Grass as Ricky checked the creatures over.


    "I know. That''s why I need to take them down quickly before other warriors come here. I don''t want anybody else to find out the Intent Apperception Grass in this place. And we both know that it''s too dangerous to go al


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    es charged at Ricky themselves, which made him feel like he was besieged from all directions.


    He couldn''t help but be on high alert with such potent attacks on the horizon. The next moment, he activated the Ultimate Golden Body, which he merged with the Massacring Holy Patterns, to defend himself. He also let loose the chaotic fire runes and burst out the Flame Torrent.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Thanks to the Flame Torrent and the Ultimate Golden Body, Ricky was able to withstand the Blood Zombies'' offensive. The minute that the airwaves were created, he activated the Space-shrinking Pace to move.


    At the same time, his arms transformed into Thunder Light Blades, while more Thunder Light Blades materialized around him. In the blink of an eye, these Thunder Light Blades had engulfed the two Blood Zombies. But Ricky''s attack was not over yet.


    In the next moment, he summoned the Furnace of Heaven and Earth. It flew forward and enveloped the Blood Zombies.


    The two Blood Zombies were inundated by the combined attacks from the Thunder Light Blades and the Furnace of Heaven and Earth, and before long, the pair had already been smashed into pieces. Ricky''s runic power had successfully obliterated their consciousness.


    The two Blood Zombies died on the spot.


    Simply put, Ricky had won this battle, but the fight had also shown him the true power of the corpse miasma. He became more alert.

 Chapter 1315 The Black Flaming Phoenix Tribe

    Ricky thought that the Blood Zombies'' murderous intent and the potent corpse miasma were difficult to deal with already on their own. He couldn''t imagine what would happen if these two Blood Zombies ever attained the ability to think like humans, as they would be impossible to defeat then.


    To top that off, the Dragon Intent Grass told Ricky that the Blood Zombies'' corpse miasma was the ordinary type, which implied that there were far more potent ones.


    "I was able to sample the corpse miasma''s incredible power this time, and even though it was just the ordinary type, it was strong enough to face my sacred fire and peculiar fire head-on. I can''t help but wonder what the stronger corpse miasma is capable of," Ricky said with a sigh.


    "Don''t think about that for now, and just focus on strengthening your chaotic fire power. Once your chaotic fire power and chaotic energy reach a certain level, no corpse miasma could threaten you," the Dragon Intent Grass responded.


    Without another word, Ricky picked up the Intent Apperception Grass and put it aside.


    Then, he resumed looking for the token.


    Before he found anything, however, he spotted a figure that was quickly coming toward him from afar. When it was close enough, he saw that it was a lovely-looking girl, her ponytail bo


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    you the token just because of who your father is. That''s bad!" Ricky reasoned lightly, pretending that he was a confused child.


    "Oh, is that so?" Levi asked with an eyebrow raised critically, as his face darkened because of Ricky''s words.


    He continued flatly, "In that case, I will make you hand over them with my strength."


    As he said this, he glanced meaningfully and nodded at the servant beside him. That servant walked up to Ricky with a cruel smile on the corner of his lips.


    "All right. I''ll go a few rounds with you, brat, but don''t think I will show mercy to you just because you are young. Don''t go crying to your mother, okay?" the servant sneered to Ricky viciously.


    As he spoke, a black flame as dark as ink materialized on his right hand.


    Since Ricky owned the Chaotic Fire Zone, he recognized his opponent''s fire at first glance.


    It was the Divine Black Bone Fire.


    It was commonly known as the kind of fire that accompanied the ordinary Black Flaming Phoenix.


    Meanwhile, the accompanying fire of the pure-blooded Black Flaming Phoenixes was called the Divine Black Bone Fire.


    The resonation of his Chaotic Fire Zone told Ricky that Levi''s accompanying fire was the Divine Black Bone Fire. This implied that Levis was a pure-blooded Black Flaming Phoenix.

 Chapter 1316 The Divine Black Bone Fire

    "It looks like he has the Divine Black Bone Fire, which is another kind of divine fire," Ricky murmured thoughtfully to himself. "Brat, if you want to get your hands on the Divine Black Bone Fire, now is your chance.


    You just have to take down this Levi guy," the Dragon Intent Grass advised him. "That''s because the accompanying holy fire and the accompanying divine fire are almost identical to the accompanying weapon."


    The only difference, as far as Ricky knew, was that the accompanying holy fire and the accompanying divine fire wouldn''t disappear once their masters died. Unlike accompanying weapons, they could exist without their masters.


    "The Black Flaming Phoenix tribe is one of the forces that rule over this place, so you might get in trouble if you lay a hand on him. You can''t afford that to happen right now," the Dragon Intent Grass warned Ricky.


    "I''m not looking for trouble. They are the ones who provoked me first. Besides, even if I don''t kill them, I doubt that they will actually let me go. After all, they think I''m a weakling and an easy target.


    I''m sure that they will try to steal the token from me," replied Ricky. "I guess you are right," the Dragon Intent Grass conceded after a while.


    "Honestly, I really want to kill them because they are direct descendants of the Great Phoenix. I despise the Great Phoenix tribe to m


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    ter than any human warrior in terms of physical strength since he was a powerful beast.


    But this battle seemed to say otherwise.


    "Emerge, my flames! Go and burn him!"


    Levi couldn''t afford to lose his focus, so he shook his head to stop himself from thinking such things. No questions mattered right now. He stepped back until he was at a safe distance from his foe, and then he let loose his Omnipotent Skill.


    His massive body suddenly lit up with black flames. It was none other than the Divine Black Bone Fire.


    "Be careful with that guy''s fire. It has something in common with your Heaven Illuminating Fire. They can both destroy bones and burn them to ashes,"


    the Dragon Intent Grass warily reminded Ricky.


    "I see. But it doesn''t matter, as not all the warriors can unleash the divine fire''s real power," Ricky confidently replied.


    Then he turned to Levi with a look of disdain and remarked, "I really want to know more about this your fire and its capabilities. I hope that its power will not let me down."


    At the same time, devouring runes suddenly emerged on Ricky''s body, as the Devouring Fire continued burning brightly.


    Although Ricky didn''t think Levi was big enough of a threat to deserve his respect, he still couldn''t underestimate the Divine Black Bone Fire''s power. So he decided to deal with this situation more carefully.

 Chapter 1317 Acquiring Another Fire

    The black flame on Levi''s head spread like wildfire all over his body, covering every inch in a matter of seconds. Even all the powers contained the air stood no chance and burned without a single spark, as the blood-colored river around them rippled in waves as if it was trying to escape from the black flame.


    Boom! Boom! When Levi opened his mouth, purer Divine Black Bone Fire appeared and flew towards Ricky. But the fire didn''t burn Ricky.


    Instead, it turned into countless tiny strings that blanketed Ricky and entered his body, penetrating to the marrows of his bones.


    This was the Divine Black Bone Fire''s true power. It could directly break the enemy''s defenses and penetrate their bones.


    In the next breath, feathers covered in the Divine Black Bone Fire shot out from Levi''s body and get connected with Ricky''s body through those strings.


    All of that happened in a split second, and the Divine Black Bone Fire ignited within Ricky''s bones.


    "Argh!" Ricky cried out as he felt the tremendous pain from inside his body.


    Despite the pain, though, he couldn''t help but appreciate the power of the Divine Black Bone Fire. ''His fire is indeed amazing. It has the ability to enter bones


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    space behind him.


    Ripples suddenly came out of nowhere, and a figure showed up and tried to escape from the net.


    But it was too late. The Ancestral Thunder Net had managed to entrap the figure, who didn''t seem strong enough to break the net. In an instant, the figure was brought before Ricky. It was none other than the girl who had given the token to Ricky and started the whole mess.


    She looked beyond terrified, unable to escape and caught-off-guard.


    "Ho¡ªhow could this be possible? You didn''t leave anything on me, or I would have noticed. How did you spot me?" the girl whispered in utter disbelief as she gaped at Ricky in terror.


    The truth was Ricky could still sense the mutant power radiating from her. It seemed like she had used it to cloak her presence.


    "A cloaking mutant, huh?" Ricky murmured to himself, looking deep in thought.


    "Hey, tell me, what is your mutant? Are you from the Linghu Clan, a human devil''s clan?" he straightforwardly asked the girl. Seeing as Ricky seemed to have no intention of killing her, the girl felt slightly relieved.


    "I was the one who asked first. How did you find me?" Despite her fear, the girl seemed unrelenting with her questions.

 Chapter 1318 Audrey Linghu

    "Ha-ha! Why should I tell you?" asked Ricky with a playful laugh. "It seems like you don''t realize what position you are in. You are my prisoner now, so you don''t get to ask the questions¡ª I do."


    As he spoke, Ricky unleashed more momentum, and his killing intent swelled like a cresting wave.


    This girl''s physical creatures screamed innocence and beauty, but Ricky believed that she was not as harmless as she appeared. Thanks to the Devourer Zone, Ricky''s killing intent emanated in a terrible way, intimidating and frightening.


    The beautiful lady, of course, sensed his killing intent, and a flash of fear flickered through her expressive almond eyes.


    "What do you say? Are you going to answer my questions or not?" Ricky probed further with a wicked smile on the corner of his mouth.


    It made him look like he wouldn''t think twice before hurting her. "All right! I''ll tell you!" the girl hastily responded, slightly scared and a little more than frantic.


    She had seen with her own eyes how Ricky took down Levi and his servants with no mercy or hesitation. That was when she realized that Ricky was a dangerous person, even though he looked like a child. She made a mistake trying to trick him.


    "I am Audrey Linghu from the human devils'' clan¡ªthe Linghu Clan. My mutant is the Sense Mutant." She introduced herself.


    ''It looks like I was correct. She is indeed a human dev


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    eyes narrowed and his displeasure pierced through Audrey''s soul, and she fought not to step back in fear.


    "Don''t push me, woman. I let you go despite the fact that you have got me into trouble, but now you are asking me to give the token back to you. Why should I do that?"


    Irritation marred the pleasant expression Ricky had been wearing earlier, and he stared down the girl menacingly.


    "Hey, what are you talking about? If I hadn''t given you the token, you wouldn''t have got your hands on the Divine Black Bone Fire," Audrey Linghu retorted with a pout. It seemed that her desire for the token far outshined her fear of Ricky.


    "Is that so?" Ricky asked with a fake smile.


    "Even though you don''t want to accept it, that''s the truth. If I had not given you the token, you wouldn''t have attracted Levi''s attention, and you wouldn''t have gotten your hands on the Divine Black Bone Fire. I indirectly helped you get the fire, so shouldn''t you thank me for that?" Audrey Linghu insisted.


    "The woman has a point, brat," the Dragon Intent Grass chimed in at this moment.


    "You are Audrey Linghu, right? What do you think would happen if I don''t give you the token?" Ricky asked with a wicked smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.


    "If you don''t give it to me, I''m going to tell everyone who you are," she answered with newfound impudence, smiling at Ricky triumphantly.

 Chapter 1319 The Corpse Lair

    "What did you just say? Who do you think I am exactly?" Ricky asked as he eyed Audrey with suspicion.


    "You possess many mutant powers, which isn''t very common in this time and place. However, I recently heard about a genius called Ricky Nan, who became famous for his strength, and he has several mutants like you. It''s not hard to see the connection, right?" Audrey explained with a sly, knowing look in her eyes.


    When he heard her words, Ricky''s eyes immediately lost their shine. It was evident that she had figured out his identity.


    ''How did she make such a connection? I made sure to disguise myself well except for my white hair. But I bet there are a lot of warriors out there with white hair, '' he wondered in utter confusion.


    "It looks like we underestimated the Sense Mutant''s power. Unexpectedly, it is good enough to detect your real identity," the Dragon Intent Grass grudgingly admitted.


    ''I guess this is the real power of her mutant. Without it, she would not have seen through my tricks, '' Ricky thought.


    "Well, I guess there is no use hiding it. I am, indeed, Ricky Nan!" he finally admitted, knowing that denying it would not help much.


    Of course, Audrey didn''t look surprised at all. In fact, she looked like her birthday had come early, as she was looking


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    s in the Corpse Blood Devil River are gathered in the Corpse Lair.


    The Corpse Lair is vast. You would save a lot of time if you take me with you,"


    Audrey elaborated.


    "Why do I feel like you want to come with me so much? Are you planning something else? Perhaps, are you still in trouble and need my help?" Ricky asked skeptically as he studied Audrey with suspicion in his eyes.


    "Come on! You''re overthinking things!" Audrey protested, shaking her head. "I just want to help you because I feel like you are a good man. That''s it."


    "Is that so?" Ricky murmured, still looking suspicious.


    The truth was that he still had some apprehensions, but he didn''t bother to voice any of them anymore.


    He headed straight for the Corpse Lair, which was known as the source of the Corpse Blood Devil Rivers because all the Blood Zombies and Devil Zombies in the rivers originated from there.


    Legend had it that the Corpse Lair came into existence after the dead Corpse Blood Devils absorbed the power of heaven and earth for eras.


    In other words, the Corpse Lair was the heart of the Corpse Blood Devil Land. As long as it existed, the Corpse Blood Devil Land would never disappear. But if the Corpse Lair was ever destroyed, the Corpse Blood Devil Land would gradually disappear.

 Chapter 1320 Laura And Dave

    The Corpse Lair was a detached expanse, which looked like a massive blood-colored ball shrouded by blood-colored light from afar. The blood-colored light, however, didn''t hold any power, so it couldn''t stop any creatures from entering the lair.


    At this point, countless warriors had already gathered near the Corpse Lair, and all of them had one goal in mind.


    Just as Audrey had foretold, all these warriors had searched for days, but they could not find any tokens in other places of the Corpse Blood Devil Rivers.


    Of course, the Misty South Palace would not spread false news, and since they claimed that there were tokens in this area, there certainly must be. A simple deduction pointed to the fact that it must be somewhere inside the Corpse Lair, as it was the only place that they had yet to explore.


    The warriors loitered around the lair with troubled looks on their faces, but none of them ventured inside because they were afraid of the dangers it held. After all, the Black Blood Zombies and Devil Zombies originated from there.


    Even an upper spiritual emperor would be in danger if they dared to step foot inside.


    While they were pacing back and forth around the lair, two teams arrived and caught their attention.


    An enchan


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    he core, and he would never spare their lives if he crossed paths with them.


    The others had not noticed Ricky''s wrath, but his killing intent didn''t escape the red-haired young man, and a hint of bewilderment flashed across his eyes. The young man with long red hair couldn''t think of anyone who wanted him dead, so he had no idea where the feeling of malice had come from. After all, he didn''t see anyone who had problems with him here.


    But he soon dismissed the feeling, for he didn''t think that the warriors present could pose a threat to him.


    "Ricky, why do you want him dead so badly? Do you have any grudge against the Black Flaming Phoenix tribe and the Great Phoenix tribe?" Audrey asked out of curiosity when her Sense Mutant detected Ricky''s murderous intent.


    "No. I just don''t see eye to eye with the Great Phoenix tribe," Ricky responded coolly once he had calmed down.


    "I agree with you there. I hate the Great Phoenix tribe more than any other force in the world. They are too self-conceited and think that they are so much better than others," agreed Audrey enthusiastically.


    ''Just wait, Great Phoenix tribe! It won''t be long now before I grow strong enough to eliminate you for good!'' Ricky swore to himself inwardly.

 Chapter 1321 Encountering The Blood-colored Wind

    While the other warriors were still meandering hesitantly around the Corpse Lair, Laura and Dave took the initiative and entered from different directions with their companions. Laura and her people followed Audrey''s advice on where they should pass since they knew that the latter possessed the Sense Mutant.


    However, Audrey didn''t tell Laura that she had already obtained a token for herself. "Laura, please give me a share when we find the tokens. I really want to join the Misty South Palace''s selection competition. After all, if I become a disciple of the Misty South Palace, the others would stop messing with my clan," she requested, pretending that she still needed one token.


    As a matter of fact, she made such a request for Ricky''s sake, as he still didn''t have a token.


    "No problem!" Laura immediately agreed, nodding.


    "It looks like Audrey wasn''t lying when she said that human devils think highly of you, or she wouldn''t have made that request.


    But that''s not surprising at all, considering the fact that you helped them obtain the grand humanoid evil tree. After all, the grand humanoid evil tree means everything to human devils," the Dragon Intent Grass remarked thoughtfully.


    Once they had gained access to the inner recesses of the lair, they found that it was a blood-colored space. There were copious amounts of blood aura, corpse


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    "Ricky, please help them out," Audrey pleaded through telepathy, taking his attention away from his conversation with the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "I''m on it," Ricky replied briefly. Then, he rushed into the area peppered with the blood-colored wind. Even if Audrey hadn''t asked for his help, he would still come to their aid. This was because he saw how the members of the Abstinent Sect had treated Audrey who was a human devil, and he could tell that the sect was a decent one.


    Although the disciples of the Abstinent Sect appeared indifferent, they weren''t bad people.


    As soon as Ricky stepped foot in the area, he immediately attracted everyone''s attention. Laura looked alarmed to see a child in the dangerous zone, and she immediately opened her mouth to ask him to leave.


    But she didn''t get to scold him, as in the next moment, something happened that shocked her and the other disciples of the Abstinent Sect.


    In the middle of the violent airwaves, Ricky had burst out the Gale Mutant. Although his strength was restrained, he had no trouble advancing deeper. Every time the strong wind hit him, they were bounced back by his body that turned golden-purple.


    He fared well because of his mutant. After all, as long as the wind power was weaker than Ricky''s strength, he could integrate with it without getting hurt thanks to his Gale Mutant.

 Chapter 1322 Incredible Body

    Since Ricky acquired the primitive cultivation method of the Ultimate Golden Body and cultivated the eternal power, his body had become almost indestructible. His endurance had also increased even when he hadn''t activated the Ultimate Golden Body. Thus, the blood-colored wind here couldn''t hurt him one bit.


    When they saw this, Laura and her companions were shocked.


    Although they knew that Ricky was a middle spiritual emperor, they still thought of him as a child just as his physical features suggested. Besides, a warrior who had just become a middle spiritual emperor was nothing special in their eyes. He shouldn''t be strong enough to do this.


    However, the blood-colored wind that downed two of their strongest had almost no effect on Ricky.


    ''Wow! Audrey''s new friend is really something!'' Laura remarked with awe in her heart once she regained her senses. It was not until this moment that she began to take Ricky seriously.


    "Laura, it looks like the rumors are accurate for once. This kid is more than what he seems at first glance. Moreover, I have used the Mind-clearing Spell to assess him, and I have a strong feeling that he may look like a kid, but he isn''t. His display of strength right now is more proof of that, especially his incredible physical body,"


    Helen remarked through telepathy as she watched Ricky, who was heading toward them.


    "You are righ


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    '' Laura thought in astonishment, amazed by what she had just witnessed.


    The other disciples of the Abstinent Sect were also shaken up by the scene.


    ''Queenie once told me that Ricky possesses the strongest body she has ever met. It looks like she was telling the truth after all. The blood-colored wind didn''t stand a chance against him, '' reflected Audrey. She was so relieved to see that display of Ricky''s terrifying physical strength.


    At that moment, another round of blood-colored wind blades shot out and attacked Ricky, and he soon began to bleed from a dozen scratches that had appeared on his body.


    It was evident that those wind blades were more powerful than the previous ones.


    When the blood-colored blades hit him for the fourth time, it caused bigger and deeper wounds on his body. Blood gushed out from them like a crimson river.


    The fifth time the wind blades assaulted Ricky, he felt the massacring power, corpse power, and devil power present in the air invading his body. The three kinds of powers had entered his body through his gaping wounds.


    ''This test seems to be targeting my physical strength. I can survive this if my body can fend off the erosion of those powers, and, in effect, my body will also grow stronger. If I can''t endure this, I would end up dead or turn into a corpse without psychic intelligence, ''


    Ricky pondered to himself.

 Chapter 1323 The Source Of The Wind

    A ferocious look flashed through Ricky''s eyes, as he activated his physical strength to fight against the three kinds of powers. He knew that this fight would depend on his pure physique, will, and persistence.


    It was dangerous indeed, but Ricky was not afraid to face them head-on.


    Honestly, he kind of enjoyed these moments, as they allowed him to grow stronger and better. It was through fights like this that he could attain what he wanted.


    The blood-colored wind blades didn''t relent with their attacks, continuously attacking him more than eight times. Ricky was now covered in his own blood. Wounds peppered his body from front to back, and blood sluggishly dripped from his veins.


    Despite being worse for wear, he was overcome with excitement.


    He knew that this encounter would force his physical body to become stronger and that was what he wanted.


    Once Ricky escaped from the place, his strength returned at once, and he immediately healed his injuries with his life power. He could easily recover to his peak strength, but he was afraid of exposing his identity if he did this too obviously.


    "It looks like the blood-colored wind helped him grow stronger," Laura noted pensively as she studied Ricky intently.


    It took half a day before Ricky fully recovered. When he deemed himself well enough, he turned back to the others and said, "I''m sorry to keep you waiting."


    "It''s okay. You s


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    tively, nodding thoughtfully.


    "That''s great. We can ask Soar to help us collect more Gory Wind Sources!" exclaimed Audrey with great excitement as a smile lit up her face.


    She then turned to Ricky and mentally urged him to help. "Ricky, you''ll help us, right? We can''t do it without you!"


    "Of course, I''ll help! Besides, I also want to get more Gory Wind Sources!" Ricky easily agreed.


    "That''s enough, Audrey. I don''t think we should get those Gory Wind Sources," Laura immediately protested, shaking her head lightly.


    "Why?"


    "I already mentioned that those Gory Wind Sources contain a special kind of blood vitality. That blood vitality is very bloody and violent, so it needs an extremely strong body to withstand it. If we try to refine the Gory Wind Source, we might end up losing control over it. After all, we don''t have an incredibly strong body.


    Only those geniuses who can sense it can refine it. Of course, saints can also refine it, even if they can''t perceive it themselves. Their strong bodies can bear the massacring energy inside it without losing control,"


    explained Laura at length, hoping to dissuade Audrey from her idea.


    "Oh! That sounds so scary! It sucks that only incredibly strong geniuses and saints can make use of it," Audrey and Helen whined in chorus as their faces darkened with doubt. It was too bad that they couldn''t take advantage of this new information.

 Chapter 1324 The Power Of The Mind-clearing Spell

    "If you don''t believe me, you can see it for yourself. Try absorbing a little power from the Gory Wind Source, and you''ll surely feel it," Laura instructed Audrey, who appeared reluctant to believe.


    "Okay, I''ll give it a try!" answered Audrey enthusiastically. The truth was that she itching to have a try since she thought it would grant her a lot of benefits.


    Once Ricky gave his permission, Audrey drew a tiny amount of power from his Gory Wind Source.


    However, as soon as the power entered her body, Audrey felt like she was trapped in a world full of killing, and she was immediately overwhelmed. Her head throbbed like it was about to explode, while her meridians expanded as if they would burst any moment.


    It was lucky that she drew only a minute amount of that power, or else it might have killed her on the spot. She then used all her strength to push out the power she had stubbornly taken. The pain dissipated as soon as the power disappeared.


    "That was horrible! The massacring power felt like it was trying to tear me apart," Audrey gasped out as she grasped her chest with her trembling hands.


    "Well, do you believe me now?" Laura asked dryly with an eyebrow raised.


    "Yeah, yeah. I believe you," agreed Audrey, sounding breathless and still in a state of shock.


    "Soar, you must be careful when you refine that power. I


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    ell. However, if they were weaker than those zombies, they would have been obliterated instead,"


    the Dragon Intent Grass explained.


    "The mind-clearing power is amazing indeed. I should avoid using the Devourer Zone''s power if my opponent cultivates the mind-clearing power then," Ricky remarked almost to himself.


    "You can also use it even if your opponent has the mind-clearing power, as long as you are stronger than them," the Dragon Intent Grass added, hearing his words as well.


    The moment that the Mind-clearing Spell''s power struck the zombies, the latter vanished into thin air, all except for the two most powerful ones.


    It was evident that the six women couldn''t take down the two leaders using the mind-clearing power alone.


    "The victory over those two strongest zombies depends on Laura and Helen. Since they knew the Mind-clearing Spell, their powers would be affected less in such a terrible environment. It is even possible that they would not be affected at all," said the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "This is exciting! I''m really curious about what mutants Helen and Laura possess. Now, I have a chance to see it in action," Ricky eagerly remarked.


    Laura and Helen didn''t dare to underestimate the two powerful zombies'' strength. Thus, once the pair burst out their momentums, they immediately revealed their mutants.

 Chapter 1325 Follow Them

    Boom! Boom! Boom! In the next moment, the two ladies released their mutant power.


    This mutant power was brilliant and contained the unparalleled, primitive star power that came from the stars in the distant void. This star power helped the mind-clearing power reach a higher level of intensity.


    "Star Curse Mutant!" the Dragon Intent Grass exclaimed as it recognized the mutant.


    "Both ladies have the Star Curse Mutants. The Star Mutant is divided into different levels according to the stars it has. The highest level is the seventh level, which has seven stars. Going by the marks on these women, it looks like Laura''s mutant is at the fifth level and Helen the fourth level."


    Under the power of the Star Curse Mutants, the purity of the two women''s strength increased again. It looked like all they needed to do was to wait for the evil power to fade away. Ricky''s Devourer Zone was once again rejecting such pure power.


    "Dragon Intent Grass, I''m afraid that if I cultivate the Mind-clearing Spell, the Devourer Zone in my body will explode," Ricky said.


    He had barely finished talking when


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    tents bloomed, both sides condensed their Omnipotent Skills and began to fight fiercely.


    Ricky''s eyes, meanwhile, were on the young man from the Phoenix tribe, his killing intent out for everyone to see. It would soon be time for Ricky to kill him.


    Now that he had gotten his hands on the token, he could run away once he killed that person.


    The young man from the Phoenix tribe was naturally baffled as he sensed Ricky''s killing intent. But his confusion soon gave way to anger.


    He was a talent of the Phoenix tribe. How dare a little kid show him his killing intent?!


    The young man''s killing intent soon surged out as he decided to crush Ricky with one claw.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Amidst this tension, a loud sound from the valley behind them attracted their attention.


    They collectively turned around and watched as a blood red crack appeared in the direction of the sound. Before long, a dozen figures were standing where the red crack once was.


    Blood Zombies and Devil Zombies!


    The people watched these zombies and felt their powerful auras, stunned, and not knowing what to do.

 Chapter 1326 The Shura Power

    These zombies'' auras indicated that they were on par with upper spiritual emperors, and some of them were as strong as an upper spiritual emperor at peak state. Ricky and everyone present stood no chance against zombies at this level.


    ''Darn it! I can''t even handle one such powerful zombie which is as strong as an upper spiritual emperor, let alone so many of them. I can''t believe I have such rotten luck, '' cursed Ricky in his heart.


    He tried to compute the gap between his side and the enemy side in his mind and came up with one conclusion. His opponents were way out of his league. Even if he managed to surpass his own limit several times, he still wouldn''t be able to take them down.


    At the same time, fear gripped the hearts of both Laura and Dave, as they imagined how they would fare against such powerful enemies.


    In fact, they had already given up fighting against the creatures and were ready to flee at the first opportunity.


    But in the next moment, they found that these zombies weren''t paying attention to any of them. It was like the zombies didn''t see them.


    When the zombies came out of the blood-colored rift, two giant coffins followed closely from behind.


    These two coffins were a bright scarlet in color as if they had been recently submerged in blood.


    When Ricky and his companions saw this, they momentarily forgot their fears and exchanged confused looks with one another. They had no idea what w


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    .


    "Okay. Kindly take Audrey with you, please," Ricky responded with a nod.


    Whoosh!


    While they were talking, the red-haired man from the Great Phoenix tribe jumped up and passed through the blood-colored rift.


    Dave, on the other hand, took off with his men.


    They were undoubtedly going home in a hurry because they wanted to be the first to report this to their superiors.


    "We can''t waste any more of our time here. We have to go back now. Take care of yourself, Soar!" After saying her farewells, Laura hastily turned away, her people following closely behind.


    "Ricky, be careful!" Audrey worriedly urged him. She sent one last concerned glance in his direction before scurrying way after Laura.


    "The guy from the Great Phoenix tribe is very decisive, huh?" Ricky mused with a sullen expression.


    "The members of the Great Phoenix tribe are incredibly arrogant. They won''t take the Dragon tribe seriously, not to mention a mere unidentified rift," the Dragon Intent Grass responded in agreement.


    "Is that so? Well, I''ll teach them to fear someday, and I''m going to start with this guy," Ricky sneered with a fierce look in his eyes.


    With that said, he jumped into the air and passed through the rift too.


    What he didn''t expect was that once he had entered the rift, it closed behind him.


    The rift left no sign of its presence behind. The Corpse Lair had gone back to normal as if nothing had happened.

 Chapter 1327 Steve Feng

    As soon as Ricky entered the blood-colored rift, he found himself surrounded by copious blood vitality, which flowed around him like a river.


    The blood vitality in this place contained the ultimate killing power¡ªthe shura power.


    But strangely, the pure shura power didn''t have any impact on his mind, and the corrosive power of the blood vitality also appeared to have dissipated.


    "Exactly! This kind of power is the purest and most extreme power. The shura power doesn''t give off a bloody feel, but once it breaks out, it has the effect of a catastrophic tsunami and might lead to millions of corpses," the Dragon Intent Grass narrated.


    "Oh, I see. I wonder if my Devourer Zone can also cultivate such kind of pure and ultimate power," Ricky eagerly replied.


    "That''s possible. Given that you have successfully cultivated the fiendish power, which isn''t very far from the pure power, you have a good chance of achieving that," the Dragon Intent Grass speculated after thinking for a while. It shared Ricky''s excitement, as it also wished for him to cultivate the shura power.


    After all, the shura power was pure killing power, and it contained the real supreme enlightenment of heaven and earth. It would protect Ricky''s mind from any evil influence.


    And, honestly, Ricky needed all the help he could get, for his killing intent tended to go to extremes due to his unbending hatred toward


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    "I''m not sure. Judging from the characteristics of these two coffins and the obscene amount of shura power they can hold, it is highly likely that they are the Shura Caskets," the Dragon Intent Grass answered.


    "Hmm... No matter how I look at them, I still can''t imagine them as supreme weapons..." Ricky disagreed, looking slightly perplexed.


    At this point, the big bloody hand had finished absorbing the shura power in the bloody coffins, but it still didn''t attack the two young men.


    Instead, it drew back and fused into the array.


    ''What the hell is this place?'' Ricky and the young man from the Phoenix tribe were both feeling anxious and a little intimidated.


    The blood vitality pervaded the whole place, which stopped the two of them from seeing anything at the distance.


    "Forget it. I''ll kill this young man from the Phoenix tribe first," remarked Ricky coldly as enormous killing intent flooded his mind.


    At the same time, the young man from the Phoenix tribe also released the killing intent. It was obvious that he had the same thought as Ricky.


    "Tell me who you are now!" Ricky frostily demanded.


    "I am Steve Feng from the Phoenix tribe!" the young man arrogantly responded.


    After all, he was from the Phoenix tribe. It didn''t matter how helpless he felt at that moment. He needed to show others that he was in control and that he had no weaknesses to speak of.

 Chapter 1328 The Shura Caskets

    Ricky looked murderous. He deactivated the effect of the young realm of the Transforming Omnipotent Skill, and revealed his true face. "So you are Steve Feng from the Phoenix tribe! I''m Ricky Nan. You will be the first of the Phoenix tribe to die at my hands," he said, his voice emotionless, his hair fluttering in the wind.


    He would kill every single soul of the Phoenix tribe he crossed paths with.


    "What? You are Ricky Nan?!" Steve exclaimed, surprised.


    Ricky had gotten his hands on Paul''s inheritance in the ancient battlefield of the outer region. There was no one in the Middle Land who hadn''t heard of him.


    Although a mysterious, powerful warrior had taken him away, other forces had continued to chase and hunt him down.


    A few talented powerful warriors from the Phoenix tribe knew Ricky because their noble daughter had feelings for him.


    Lanny hadn''t told anyone that he had attempted to murder Ricky.


    Once news of Ricky acquiring Paul''s inheritance spread, Lanny would know that Ricky was still alive.


    St


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    voice trailed off and left a cacophony of battle cries ringing out in his head.


    In that moment, he felt like his head was overcome by the shura power.


    ''That is so horrible!'' Ricky thought, gasping.


    But he wasted no time in gathering his devouring power and cast it over the remaining shura power in his head. He let himself feel the relief only when all of the shura power was eliminated.


    It had probably only been slight, this invisible force, but he knew it would be better to eliminate it rather than leave it be.


    This proved how powerful the voice''s owner was.


    "Well, your devouring power has reached the highest limit at your current level," the voice said again. This time, it didn''t put any power in Ricky''s head. The owner had recognized his strength.


    And then, a blood-colored figure materialized before Ricky.


    Ricky squinted at it, trying to make out its features, only to find that it didn''t have a face. It looked like a ghost.


    "I am the Shura Casket," the blood-colored figure introduced itself.

 Chapter 1329 Comprehending The Shura Power

    "So this is indeed the Shura Casket!'' Ricky thought, shocked.


    But he recovered quickly enough to respectfully say, "Nice to meet you, sir!" The figure who claimed itself to be the Shura Casket nodded at him in response and said, "This is a Sealed Land. Rex, a spiritual potentate from the Corpse Blood Devil tribe, is sealed in the array behind me."


    "I''m now in a Sealed Land, and a spiritual potentate from the Corpse Blood Devil tribe is sealed here along with me," Ricky repeated, dazed, as he tried to digest the information that the figure was giving him.


    He was shocked and confused; shocked that a spiritual potentate would be stranded here, and confused as to how this spiritual potentate had been trapped in a Sealed Land like this. He wondered if there was a rift which led to this place like the Sealed Land where the Desolate Sorcery tribe had been trapped.


    But he ruled out that possibility. He realized that since the Blood Zombies and Devil Zombies had made it here, anyone could enter this Sealed Land.


    The strange figure noted the confusion on Ricky''s face and expl


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    ing what he wanted to defend.


    It took him days of fighting to immerse himself in the task at hand.


    He had now become a killing machine.


    But soon enough, Ricky''s bloody eyes began to clear up, as if he had had an epiphany. The massacring power he radiated changed along with it.


    At this point, the blood-colored figure, which was the manifestation of the Divine Bellicose Casket, appeared in the casket. "Well done!" it remarked as it looked admiringly at Ricky. "He has the Devouring Mutant and has even mastered the fiendish power. I think he is the right person to cultivate the shura power!"


    However, the Divine Bellicose Coffin hesitated.


    It was in a dilemma, because Steve was also close to finishing his task.


    On the seventh day, Ricky stopped fighting and the blood-colored figures began to dissipate. Ricky opened his eyes and whispered, "I know now what the ultimate massacring power is."


    He then rolled his eyes and as he activated the Devouring Mutant, the massacring power appeared again.


    The power he now unleashed was different. It contained no emotion.

 Chapter 1330 Continuing The Unfinished Battle

    In the next moment, Ricky unleashed a massacring power that carried no negative or positive emotion. It gave off the killing aura alone.


    And since he had just comprehended the shura power, it was still far from perfect. Perhaps, it could be considered a prototype of the real thing.


    "Well done! You managed to comprehend the shura power in just seven days, which is a lot faster than I expected. Now that you can wield it, you can be a big help to me," the Shura Casket praised Ricky delightedly.


    "Thank you, sir, but I think I only achieved that because I am inside you. If I were in a different place, I might not be able to succeed, not even if you gave me seven years," Ricky humbly answered, shifting his eyes downward.


    He was actually telling the truth. He truly believed that the Shura Casket was the primary reason that he could comprehend the shura power in such a short time. Perhaps, it had secretly helped him comprehend because it needed his help.


    It must have given his mental strength a boost, which allowed him to complete his task this fast.


    With this thought in mind, Ricky would dare say that even an ordinary warrior could master the shura power, as long as he was inside the Shura Casket.


    "Sir, did Steve pass the test as well? Has he comprehended the shura power too?" Ricky asked when he remembered that Steve was in the other casket.


    "Yes, he did,


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    odies. But Ricky was an exception. After all, he possessed the primitive cultivation method of the Ultimate Golden Body.


    "Did he just burst out seven mutants? My eyes must be deceiving me!" The Shura Casket was shaken up when it saw Ricky activate seven mutants at once.


    After a fleeting silence, it murmured to itself, "Perhaps, it is the seven mutants that enable him to challenge someone stronger than him when both he and his opponent are the Emperor Level."


    In a flash, Ricky and Steve had fought more than ten rounds.


    And Ricky had the upper hand.


    No creature at his level was physically stronger than him, except those creatures with the Sorcerous Combat Body, the Great Dragons, and the devils.


    When he saw this, Steve''s face darkened. His pride would not allow him to be defeated in any aspect by an opponent he despised.


    However, just now, Ricky had defeated him in physical collisions. It was a slap to his face, as he had always been proud of his strong physical strength.


    But, of course, Steve didn''t lose his temper. He was a reasonable warrior, who could adjust his emotions depending on the situation, and this situation called for a calm and calculating mind. In the next breath, he unleashed more fire power that spread quickly throughout the space. He figured that since he couldn''t crush Ricky with his physical body, he would use his power instead.

 Chapter 1331 The Scarlet Massacring Mutant

    "I thought the members of the Phoenix tribe had incredibly strong physical bodies, but I guess I was wrong. Arrogant as you might be, you still can''t hold a handle against my strong body. I''ll crush you under my pinky," Ricky warned menacingly as he watched Steve, who was slowly backing away.


    "Oh? Do you think you can do that?" Steve scoffed, staring back at Ricky with a defiant glare.


    Ricky was starting to piss him off. However, he knew that his anger should not get the best of him. The best thing he could do right now was to focus his anger on the fight and use it to his advantage. He couldn''t let Ricky get away with his words, but he should not let his anger rule his head either.


    In the next moment, flames surged around Steve like an orange-red curtain, and a phoenix''s shadow emerged from behind him once again. The shrieking sound of a phoenix echoed, as the scarlet flames writhed and climbed higher around him. The next moment, the fire power that encompassed Steve formed countless wings, flying towards Ricky in an instant.


    "Omnipotent Skill¡ªThe Invincible Phoenix Wing Strike!" Steve let out a mighty roar, and his eyes were filled to the brim with killing intent.


    The flaming wings gathered in the blink of an eye, forming a pair of massive wings that rushed in Ricky''s direction.


    These wings were ablaze with scarlet flames. It looked like Ricky would turn int


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    ut them. At this point, it doesn''t matter who wins between them, as any of them can complete my master''s mission. Many years have passed, but it seems that the creatures of the Phoenix tribe haven''t changed. They are still so arrogant,"


    commented the Shura Casket while it observed the fierce fight between Ricky and Steve.


    After hundreds of rounds of confrontation, the two of them were once again forced to retreat by the resulting impact. It appeared that the pair had almost reached their limits.


    "Damn it! Why is this guy still standing?!" Steve snarled with a livid face.


    He had long stopped looking down at Ricky, seeing as the other man could trade blows with him in equal strength.


    "Nirvana!" he shouted in the next moment.


    His mutant power fused with the Scarlet Massacring Fire and transformed into a phoenix. It hovered over Steve like a silent guardian. In the next breath, the shura power nearby quickly surged into Steve.


    In a flash, he had regained his strength. In fact, he had become even stronger than before.


    "What kind of Omnipotent Skill is that? It is as powerful as my skills of Resurrection and Travel Back Through Time," Ricky noted, looking impressed by the skill that his opponent had exhibited.


    "If I''m not wrong, that''s the Omnipotent Skill of the Phoenix tribe¡ªInvincible Nirvana!" the Dragon Intent Grass informed him in a serious tone.

 Chapter 1332 Suppressing The Great Phoenix With The Golden Body

    ''Invincible Nirvana!'' Ricky thought, once he had heard what the Dragon Intent Grass had to say.


    Everyone on the continent knew about this Omnipotent Skill of the Phoenix tribe.


    There were nine levels in total about this skill. The blood power of the members of the Phoenix tribe was upgraded to a higher level with each jump in the level of Invincible Nirvana. As a matter of fact, the blood power of the Phoenix tribe was already the strongest on the continent and thus it hardly had any scope for improvement.


    But thanks to the skill of Invincible Nirvana, it provided the Phoenix tribe with more space to improve their blood power.


    Any creature of the Phoenix tribe could obtain the Chaotic Vermilion Bird''s blood power if they could cultivate to the ninth level of the Invincible Nirvana.


    But this was no longer possible. Creatures of the Phoenix tribe had been able to thus cultivate only in ancient times. No living creature had since done this for several eras.


    The most powerful part of the Invincible Nirvana was the ability of easy recovery.


    The first level of the Invincible Nirvana allowed a warrior to be reborn once, when confronted with a life-and-death situation. The second level allowed


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    s strongest power at the moment.


    "How is that possible?" Steve exclaimed, shocked at Ricky''s outburst.


    The fear in his heart grew because his last trump card was to burn his blood essence.


    But he now felt that even if he were to burn all his blood essence, it would be impossible for him to resist Ricky, especially when Ricky was this strong.


    Ricky had far exceeded his limits with the help of the two big trees.


    The information Steve had received had not told him that Ricky had these two trees.


    If he wanted to break out the power of the Invincible Nirvana, he must do it before he died. But if Ricky were to use this move, he would die for sure.


    "I didn''t expect you to use the power of these two trees so late in the battle," the Dragon Intent Grass sighed.


    "In the world of martial arts, we must have multiple trump cards. One won''t do," Ricky said.


    "This means you have other trump cards!" the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    Ricky wouldn''t give Steve any chance once he had unleashed the two trees. He poured all his strength into the eternal light, wanting to end the battle in a strong explosion.


    "I admit defeat. I admit defeat in this competition!" Steven said to the Shura Casket.

 Chapter 1333 The Refinement

    Steve had fought a lot of creatures, but it was not until he had faced the power of eternal light did he truly fear for his life. Thus, he chose to surrender. Under other circumstances, admitting defeat would have been useless, and he would have died either way. Fortunately, the Shura Casket was present, and that made all the difference.


    Just as Steve had expected, the Shura Casket''s blood shadow instantly moved as soon as he had admitted defeat, and it immediately intervened. That indicated that the Shura Casket had been prepared to move even before he surrendered, which made sense, as it only wanted to find a helper. Ricky and Steve were both incredibly powerful geniuses, so, in its eyes, they were both assets who could help in the fight against the devil race in the future. It would not let either side die.


    Therefore, the shura power abruptly stopped Ricky, and his terrifying move dissolved into the air.


    "Oh, man! It looks like you can''t kill him this time," remarked the Dragon Intent Grass with some disappointment.


    "We have no choice. I can''t go against the Shura Casket here," answered Ricky, who sounded just as bitter and disappointed as the Dragon Intent Grass.


    At the same time, he turned to the Shura Casket and asked with a hopeful expr


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    ng only on the outside and weak as a kitten inside. It had a strong evil spirit, but the power it contained was almost gone.


    "Gather the array''s power in my body!" the voice of Shura Casket guided him from the outside.


    "Yes, sir!"


    With these words, Ricky compressed the power of the entire sealing array.


    It seemed that this was what the two Shura Caskets were waiting for, as they immediately fused into one, combining all the array''s powers.


    The next moment, the Shura Casket turned into a bloody blade, which flew directly towards the rotten figure in the array. At the same time, the sealing array automatically created thick and murderous blood chains that wrapped around the devil''s entire body.


    Howl!


    Rex suddenly woke up! He raised his head to the sky and let out a deafening roar, as his rotten eyes burst out an intense and bright light. All his strength congregated in his chest and turned into a fist shadow, which immediately moved to resist the bloody blade.


    "Eli! You died a long time ago. You''re crazy if you think you can destroy me with such a broken array!" Rex growled.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The next moment, a loud sound thundered through the sky, and the two sides clashed under the sealing array with an ear-splitting explosion.

 Chapter 1334 A Narrow Escape

    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Ricky looked on as Rex and the Shura Casket viciously attacked each other. He figured that the two were completely on par with each other, but it was even more than he had expected.


    The blade derived from the Shura Casket was indestructible. It met Rex''s strike head-on, obliterated it, and cut Rex in half.


    In the blink of an eye, the blood-colored chains crushed him to dust.


    Typically, an individual as powerful as the spiritual potentate could not destroy a spiritual potentate''s body. But Rex had spent eras trapped in the array, which had greatly weakened him, making it possible for the Shura Casket to destroy his body.


    "Give up now, Rex! You can''t get out of this alive. How can you resist my master power when you only have your soul left?" declared the Shura Casket sternly as it stared down on Rex''s body parts.


    If it terminated Rex''s soul right now, he would die for good.


    "Darn it!" Rex''s soul howled ferociously.


    He hated to admit it, but he knew that he couldn''t do anything more. Although he was a spiritual potentate, the years he had spent in the array had weakened him to the point that he could not fight as well as he used to. To make matters worse, his fight with Eli had left him greatly injured, which put him in a more disadvantageous position.


    "Get ready to die!" the Shura Casket yelled out. Its blood-color


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    m the devil race. My master would have loved to see this."


    After saying that, the Shura Casket fell silent. It stared blankly into the distance with glassy eyes, as thoughts of Eli flooded his mind.


    "Those spiritual potentates from the ancient times are heroes, and they certainly deserve our respect. If it weren''t for their sacrifices, the devil race would have occupied the four continents," uttered the Dragon Intent Grass earnestly.


    "All right. As I have promised, I will give you my master''s stuff now. I should have shared with you his inheritance. But it is only for creatures from the Shura tribe.


    I hope you won''t take that against me," admitted the Shura Casket.


    "Don''t say that, sir. I didn''t even help much. All this time, I yearned for nothing else but Master Eli''s things, and since you have determined me worthy to receive them, I will be eternally grateful to you. Besides, I am a creature from the continent.


    It is my duty to eliminate the devil race,"


    Ricky responded modestly.


    "Young man, your words make me admire you even more. You are not only strong and talented but also responsible. Perhaps, you will become the first spiritual potentate of this era," the Shura Casket praised Ricky with much admiration.


    In the next breath, it collected its strength, as two balls of blood-colored light materialized in front of Ricky.

 Chapter 1335 Preparing For The Secluded Cultivation

    As the crimson light dissipated into oblivion, a real blood-red blade and a scarlet book suddenly appeared.


    "What are these things, sir?" Ricky curiously inquired.


    "That bloody blade is made of the Shura Iron, which is a kind of Rock of Heaven and Earth. It was forged into my master''s accompanying weapon¡ªthe Shura Blade," informed the Shura Casket with a thoughtful look as if it was lost in the memory.


    "The Shura Blade is like a brother to me. Back then, I developed the sealing array with my master, and the blade was the only thing left, and he entrusted it to me. He hoped that I can help him find a good master.


    After all, the Shura Blade is a divine object, and it is exceedingly powerful. It was born with the shura power and can even be combined with any weapon."


    "The Shura Blade!" Ricky gasped in astonishment.


    He could not believe that he would receive another Treasure from Heaven and Earth.


    "What kind of weapon do you have, boy? Are you using an ancient seal?" asked the Shura Casket straightforwardly.


    "Actually, sir, I prefer using a saber more," Ricky responded with an embarrassed chuckle. He then turned his palm, where the Iron Justice Saber emerged at once.


    "Oh, you possess the accompanying saber. You seem to have gone on a lot of adventures and found plenty of treasures," remarked the Shura Casket in surprise when it recognized the Iron Justice Saber on Ricky''s hand. It recognized Ricky''s accompanying wea


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    oals in mind for his secluded cultivation.


    First, he planned to cultivate the shura power, the Shura Eight Moves, and he needed to do this inside the Devourer Zone. Second, he intended to strengthen his cultivation base since it was still too weak compared with the geniuses who would join the selection process. That was to say, as time went on, he would find it more difficult to challenge those who were stronger than him. Ricky had to seize every opportunity to improve his cultivation base.


    In battles such as these, there was no fairness nor privilege.


    The last reason he had involved the ways of casting.


    If he didn''t improve his casting ability, his understanding of runes would not grow deeper either. That meant he had to improve his casting ability to the peak of Demi-sage Level in the remaining time that he had.


    Once the Misty South Palace''s selection ended, he would focus on his cultivation once more. Then, he could find a way to break through and become a casting master at the Sage Level.


    If he didn''t take his time to improve his casting level, his comprehension of runes wouldn''t be able to keep up with the progression of his cultivation base.


    After sitting cross-legged in the Devourer Zone, Ricky adjusted his breath to the perfect state and began to cultivate in seclusion.


    ''Now, let me check out the Shura Eight Moves'' first move!'' Ricky thought to himself as his spiritual sense fused into the blood-colored book.

 Chapter 1336 The Destruction Of Heaven And Earth

    Eli must have created the bloody scroll with the power of his Omnipotent Skills. And it contained all the cultivation methods and experiences of the Shura Eight Moves.


    Once Ricky''s mind had synched with it, his eyes were opened to the contents of the bloody scroll, seeing all nine pages arranged in succession. However, he found that only the first page of the scroll could integrate with his mind.


    ''In the Shura Eight Moves, there are eight strikes in total. That means the first eight pages of the scroll should correspond with each move. The Shura Casket mentioned that once I have mastered all eight moves, I will be able to learn one more¡ªthe one combining all the eight moves. That must be what the ninth page of the scroll contains, '' Ricky pondered to himself.


    Unfortunately, his mind could only integrate with the first page at this time. That meant he would have to successfully cultivate the first move and gain a deep understanding of it before he could move on to the next move.


    "With that pattern, the Shura Eight Moves must be a series of Omnipotent Skills, with the preceding moves used as the foundation for the succeeding ones," murmured Ricky thoughtfully. "In that case, let me see the first move first!"


    Boom! When his mind entered the firs


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    eyes, his bloody pupils grew darker like a moonless night. The pure killing revealed an intangible hint of clarity.


    "At last, I have comprehended and cultivated the real shura power," Ricky sighed happily.


    The next moment, he stood up and waved his Shura Justice Saber.


    He was about to make a move similar to the Destruction of Heaven and Earth.


    But even though the shape and move of the attack were identical to that of the bloody giant shadow, it was evident that Ricky''s strength wasn''t as powerful.


    It seemed that he had failed to comprehend the first move, the Destruction of Heaven and Earth.


    Of course, this was to be expected. No matter how talented Ricky was, it was impossible for him to do it perfectly the first time, especially when he had only seen it once.


    ''I guess I have to practice this strike more the next couple of days...'' Ricky planned to himself.


    The days passed quickly, and he continued working on his saber skills in the Devourer Zone.


    He created two Shadowy Replications and made them duel each other, carefully watching every move by the sidelines to spot his own flaws.


    Another two months passed as he cultivated in that way.


    And since he was so focused on his cultivation, he didn''t notice time passing him by.

 Chapter 1337 Becoming A Casting Master At The Peak Of Demi-sage Level

    Ricky spent four months honing his control of the shura power and the first move of the Shura Eight Moves.


    After that, he decided to work on his casting skills in the following days.


    He already had the Shura Justice Saber as his accompanying weapon which was integrated by his Iron Justice Saber and the Shura Blade. So he didn''t think he needed to cast other weapons for the time being. But, of course, just because he was satisfied with his current weapon, it did not mean he could stop practicing his casting skills forever. After all, if he wanted to comprehend more profound runic power, he needed to reach a higher casting level.


    A holistic growth was the key to reach his optimal strength, which meant he could not let his runic power get left behind once his cultivation level increased. If that happened, his mutant powers would grow significantly weaker.


    During this period, Ricky also mastered the supreme enlightenment power with the help of the Chaos Manual.


    If Ricky wanted to become a great warrior, he was required to have a better understanding of the supreme enlightenment. The Chaos Manual was a great source of information for that, as it was mainly about runes.


    All these pointed to one thing alone¡ªeven though Ricky had an incredible accompanying weapon, he couldn''t neglect weapon casting skills.


    Another benefit to


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    icky had improved in leaps and bounds.


    "Very good! You''ve made great progress!" the Dragon Intent Grass praised him with a satisfied air.


    "This is all for the sake of the Misty South Palace''s upcoming selection. I intend to become their core disciple this time. Otherwise, I believe there will be no place for me in the Misty South unless I am as strong as a powerful saint," Ricky seriously intoned.


    "Ha-ha! Don''t worry. If you can''t even become a core disciple of the Misty South Palace, no one else could make it. Besides, I''m sure that after this selection, everyone in the Misty South will know your name,"


    the Dragon Intent Grass assured him with a smile.


    "Thank you. I hope so too," responded Ricky politely.


    After that, he finally left the Chaotic Fire Zone and headed for where the Misty South Palace''s selection would take place.


    While he was on his way, Ricky received a message from the Evil Mandragora.


    "Evil Mandragora, are you done with your cultivation? It''s been a while since you entered the Divine Manor for cultivation," he remarked as he released the Evil Mandragora.


    However, the moment he caught sight of her familiar visage, he fell silent and his eyes widened in surprise. He could only stare blankly at the beautiful woman in front of him. Any man who laid eyes on her would certainly fall for her.

 Chapter 1338 The Third Sheol City

    The Evil Mandragora had transformed into something completely different. Ricky remembered her as a woman enveloped by a strong evil spirit, and the clothes on her body were worn and ragged.


    Now, she painted a completely different picture in her black leather skirt, showcasing her shapely figure. Her ink-black pupils were wide and expressive. These fine features would undoubtedly attract anyone who so much as glanced at her.


    She was exquisite. A simple flash of her smile or the flutter of her eyelashes was enough to tantalize anyone, and her plump red lips could make men fall head over heels for her.


    Tina and Queenie were the most refined and comely women that Ricky had ever seen, and they both had potent blood power to boot.


    However, the Evil Mandragora was more attractive than them right now. Even though Ricky was a sensible man, he could not help but feel enthralled by her beauty.


    In a heartbeat, Ricky used the space power, which allowed him to suppress his desire for the Evil Mandragora.


    He had been so close to losing his senses! The woman in question merely let out a chuckle, seeing him struggle to regain his control.


    "It looks like you''ve been busy, Evil Mandragora. You look totally different! Hell, if I didn''t use my power to regain composure, I might have gotten you in the sack." Ricky winked at her and disso


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    tual emperors to take you out," the Dragon Intent Grass chimed in at this moment. "In that case, the Misty South Palace will not interfere. Since you, yourself, are a spiritual emperor, they are within rights to send spiritual emperors to deal with you too."


    "Spiritual emperors can''t pose a threat to me. If they try to take my life, I will pay them back tenfold. Besides, Evil Mandragora, you are on my side. I don''t need to worry about anything as long as they don''t send demi-saints or saints. I can just hide in the zone, and they won''t be able to hurt me,"


    Ricky reassured his companion.


    Afterward, he and the Evil Mandragora went straight for the Third Sheol City. It was a long journey, for their destination was located outside the outer region.


    Unlike other competitors, Ricky didn''t have a saint to lead the way. The Evil Mandragora could move fast for her level, but she wasn''t as fast as a saint. It would take her more than half a month to get there. And she couldn''t possibly keep going with no rest.


    Another thing they had to remember was to keep away from saints. After all, they were strong enough to see through his disguise.


    Fortunately, Ricky and the Evil Mandragora didn''t encounter any trouble along the way.


    The pair arrived twenty days later at the Third Sheol City, a city in the southern desolation area.

 Chapter 1339 The Hypocritical Saints

    The southern desolation area was the outermost area of the outer region. It was a desolate place, filled with more yellow sand than people, and its overly hot climate was unbearable. The rain came few and far between as if it was summer all year round.


    An isolated peak surrounded by strange stones stood tall, and the entire area radiated an abundance of primitive auras.


    No force dared to establish their headquarters there.


    That was because there was a vast passage in this place that connected it to the Devil Land. Although all forces hated the devil race and all of them would fight if they had to, no one on the continent wanted to be the first in line when the devil race attacked.


    From afar, the horizon was an endless yellow line, extending as far as the eye could see. Besides that, there was nothing else.


    But when Ricky walked further into the area, he found a yellow ancient city in between the southern desolation area and the invisible space.


    At such a close distance, the ancient city seemed so high that it was soaring into the sky. Its length could not be measured, as it looked seemingly endless like a giant chaotic dragon crossing the whole southern desolation area. In other words, the ancient city was like a boundless world.


    Countless cracks and traces of battles peppered the ancient city''s walls. An experienced and sensi


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    fight against the devil race in the future!"


    Finally, these saints seemed to give up the idea of getting the inheritance from Ricky.


    They had no choice, of course, for they had to show incomparable justice in the Third Sheol City. After all, the city was the symbol of fighting against the devil race, and it symbolized the unity of all creatures on the continent.


    However, at that very moment, Ricky suddenly felt a strong force rush into his body.


    It was so powerful that he could not even move to resist it!


    Hiss! The invincible force had torn apart the energy meridians in Ricky''s body.


    Just as he had expected, some saints had undoubtedly taken action in secret.


    "Boy, are you okay?" the Dragon Intent Grass asked, sounding both angry and anxious. "These hypocrites!"


    "Dragon Intent Grass, someone just wrecked my energy meridians. I''ve never experienced this kind of pain!" Ricky cried in his mind. "But don''t worry. I have a way to deal with this."


    As he spoke, Ricky turned his attention back to the saints in front of him. He maintained a blank expression and endured all the pain, acting as if nothing had happened.


    Tearing apart his energy meridians was equivalent to crippling him! It felt like half his strength was gone. In his heart, Ricky swore that he would never forget this suffering and would take revenge someday!

 Chapter 1340 Wally

    ''What a bunch of hypocrites! It doesn''t matter that they are dedicated to fighting off the devil race. I''m going to make them pay for doing this to me, '' Ricky swore to himself as he viciously glared at the saints.


    Unfortunately, even though he wanted them dead badly, he had to control his temper and pretend that nothing happened.


    It was a relief that these saints believed Ricky''s claim. They believed that the man who had taken him away once was in possession of Paul''s inheritance now. However, they were convinced that Ricky must know something about Paul''s inheritance.


    Hence, these greedy saints wouldn''t leave Ricky alone.


    The saints couldn''t lay a hand on him while they were inside the Third Sheol City. To top that off, Ricky was participating in the selection. The only thing they could do was to order their disciples to do the job for them. Considering that Ricky seemed to always have something up his sleeve, they were worried that their disciples might be no match for his strength.


    They were afraid that Ricky would overpower their people and run away. Thus, in order to ensure that everything went well, they covertly shattered Ricky''s meridians themselves.


    Now that they had weakened him, it would be easier for their disciples to deal with him


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    hank you for your help, sir!"


    Ricky inclined his head curtly at Wally. "Don''t mention it. I''m sorry, I should have acted faster.


    If it''s alright with you, you can stay with me for a while. I can help you heal your broken meridians, and it will just take a couple of days. Perhaps, I can''t heal you fully, but I will at least try my best to heal you so that it won''t hold you back in the selection,"


    Wally proposed with an amiable smile.


    "I owe you my life, sir. Of course, I trust you. Thank you for your kindness," Ricky said in reply.


    Honestly, he wanted to reject his offer. Wally could probably sense his real strength, and he wasn''t sure if he could truly trust the man.


    But Ricky also knew that if he didn''t have a strong saint like Wally on his side, the other saints wouldn''t stop giving him a hard time. It would be troublesome to deal with in the first few days of the selection.


    "All right, everyone, I''ll meet you in the selection!" Ricky said to Lloyd and the others.


    "Okay! Take care of yourself." Lloyd nodded at Ricky, looking relieved that his friend had such a strong saint to back him up.


    None of them complained that Ricky wouldn''t be spending time with them. After all, they all knew that he would be much safer with Wally around.

 Chapter 1341 He Had Seen Through Ricky

    After those saints took their leave, Ricky accompanied Wally to the Endless Shadow''s headquarters in the Third Sheol City.


    A desolate air encompassed the whole city. As soon as Ricky stepped foot inside, he felt the overcast atmosphere settle over him, and when he looked around, he found nothing but arrays, giant chariots, and ancient palaces. Moreover, a strong evil spirit saturated the air inside the city as well.


    Of course, that was to be expected seeing as the city led to the Devil Land.


    Army troops could be found scattered inside, going to and fro in the depths of the city.


    Some armies trod familiar paths into the Devil Land where they continuously fought against the devil race. Meanwhile, others were marching out of the Devil Land and into the city. Some warriors looked elated, celebrating battles fought and won. The others trudged with heavy footsteps, looking dejected. It didn''t take someone to know these warriors had lost and were coming home brokenhearted.


    The devil race never acted alone. That was why the creatures from the continent opted to fight them in groups. Otherwise, those devils would certainly outnumber them. "Thank you again for your help, sir!" Ricky repeated to Wally again once they had ent


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    d Ricky.


    "By the way, sir, I have one question..." asked Ricky.


    "What is it?" Wally said, nodding.


    "I''m curious about the identity of those Endless Shadow members from the other four big lands. Whose replicas are they?" Ricky asked.


    "Most of them are Brad''s, and the rest of them are mine and the other lords''. Endless Shadow has rapidly developed, and our primary goal is to kill without any intentions. To make sure that we won''t lose sight of our original goal, we replaced those in charge of our branches with our replicas.


    Those replicas are weaker than the strongest warriors stationed in the places where they are to avoid disturbing the balance, but I guess you knew that already.


    And one more thing, the goal we had in mind when we sent our people to the four big lands was to eliminate the remaining devils," Wally said.


    "From now on, I will respect the Endless Shadow," Ricky declared sincerely when he heard Wally''s words.


    "Ha-ha! Well, I''m glad to hear that! I got a peerless genius to look favorably upon the Endless Shadow. It looks like saving you today is worth it," Wally said, smiling.


    "Wally, my old pal, I have arrived. Am I welcome here?" At that moment, another voice rang out in the palace.

 Chapter 1342 The First Deputy Chief

    "Ha-ha! Hello, my old friend, it''s been a while. Of course, you are always welcome here!" Wally let out boisterous laughter as he greeted the newcomer with open arms.


    In the next moment, a middle-aged man wearing cyan robes came into Ricky''s view.


    Although the older man''s breath was muted to Ricky''s senses, he could vaguely tell that this person was a lot stronger than Wally. Besides, Ricky also had a feeling that the middle-aged man had reached a higher level of the Sage Level.


    ''Is it possible that this man has reached the Demi-spiritual Potentate Level?'' wondered Ricky to himself as the two men greeted each other.


    "That''s possible," agreed the Dragon Intent Grass. "But Wally''s momentum feels slightly weaker than that man''s."


    "Deputy Chief!" Wally said to the cyan-clad man, inclining his head in respect. After that formality, a warm smile brightened his face, as he began to treat the other man like a close friend.


    ''He called him the deputy chief... Is that guy the Misty South Palace''s First Deputy Chief?!'' Ricky inwardly gasped in surprise when he heard Wally''s words. Although, of course, his face remained sharp and impassive.


    A total of seven palaces were located in the Misty South, and each chief of the Misty South Palace came from those seven palaces. These chiefs were also the strongest warrior in the land. The First Palace was the most prestigious one, for the Misty Sout


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    ts. If he took down a middle spiritual emperor, he would earn one hundred points, and an upper spiritual emperor would gain him a thousand points.


    Of course, the best reward was reserved for whoever killed a devil at the Demi-saint Level, as he would directly become the Misty South Palace''s core disciple.


    In addition to those rules, a candidate could also earn ten thousand points to become the core disciple.


    Of course, that was quite difficult to achieve. The ordinary candidates set their sights on becoming an ordinary disciple of the Misty South Palace, which they could attain if they were able to collect five thousand points.


    No one was allowed to use their backgrounds, such as the influence of their family or force, and only warriors who were participating in the selection could help each other.


    All participants must be under three hundred years old, or else it would also be useless to have the selection token to take part in it.


    Besides all these rules, Ricky also learned that they would spend two years in the Passage World, where the contest would be held.


    Of course, anyone who couldn''t stand these conditions, especially the long-term stay in the passage world, could choose to quit the selection.


    All participants were required to stay in the passage world for the entire two years, and they would automatically forfeit the selection if they left, regardless of the reason.

 Chapter 1343 Two Rivals

    Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Finally, it was time for the Misty South Palace''s selection to begin.


    About thirty thousand warriors had signed up for the selection in total, and they had all gathered at an enormous square that day. These were the most talented and powerful warriors from the central and outer regions.


    However, only ten out of these thirty thousand warriors would be chosen to become the Misty South Palace''s core disciples. It would undoubtedly be an intense competition.


    It was noticeable that there were no warriors from the inner region, but the Misty South Palace had opted not to include them for a reason. In the inner region, most, if not all, talented warriors belonged to Sage Level forces. Thus, they didn''t need the Misty South Palace''s protection.


    Most of the saints in attendance held the selection with the utmost respect and importance. After all, the creams of their crops were participating in it, and these warriors would be the future of their forces.


    Ricky, of course, immediately made a beeline for Mordechai and Lloyd.


    Besides him, the Five-element Sect had two more disciples who would join the selection¡ªMordechai and Ella. The pair had managed to get their hands on the tokens, and with them, they gained access to the Misty South Palace''s selection along with Ricky.


    It was certainly good news for the Sage Level forces like the Five-element Sect to ha


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    side with Jasper.


    "It''s okay. You can tell him about me. Anyway, he must have sensed our connection already, so you won''t be telling him anything that can compromise me," Jasper replied with a nod.


    "Mike, that guy is Jasper. He and I were once the disciples of the same sect. I think he also cultivates the law of the Eight Diagrams, which is similar to yours¡ªthe Law of Change," Ricky explained to Mike as soon as he received Jasper''s permission.


    "I sensed that he also has the power of the Eight Diagrams, and it seemed to resemble the heavenly power. Seems I was right..." Mike looked back at Jasper, looking lost in thought.


    Jasper fearlessly met the other man''s gaze.


    They were both Ricky''s friends, but Ricky could tell that the pair would do anything to defeat each other if they met in the Passage World. After all, they were rivals due to the Eight Diagrams that they cultivated, and only one of them could get a hold of the complete inheritance. As the saying went, no two tigers could live in peace in a single forest.


    ''What should I do? This is going to be a real pain in the neck, '' Ricky sighed to himself, his head aching in stress.


    If the two fought, he would have to side with Jasper, but he didn''t want to be on opposite sides with Mike either.


    "Brat, maybe you can intervene and solve this for them. You might even get them to live in peace," the Dragon Intent Grass suggested.

 Chapter 1344 The Passage World

    "I don''t think that''s possible..." Ricky shook his head sadly when he heard the Dragon Intent Grass'' suggestion, "That''s their business, so I can''t really intervene. They have no choice but to oppose each other since they are going to fighting for the same thing.


    It doesn''t matter who falters, the Eight Diagrams they cultivated with their blood and sweat will be taken away. Don''t you think that is more painful than death?"


    "But I still think you should try. Your efforts will undoubtedly count for something. Besides, you don''t want these friends of yours to get hurt, right?" the Dragon Intent Grass advised. It added, "You have the makings of a leader, and a leader has the charisma to influence people and make them see sense. You might be able to guide them into a peaceful solution."


    "Me, a leader? I''ve never wanted that!" Ricky vehemently responded. A boyish grin lit up his face as he added, "I already have my hands full with my own problems. How am I supposed to lead others? Still, you have a point. I''ll try my best to stop Jasper and Mike from killing each other."


    The confrontation between Jasper and Mike lasted only for a moment, for they were aware that this wasn''t the right moment to have a duel. They could wait until the selection started.


    The next moment, the First Deputy Chief arrived.


    All the warriors and saints participating in the selection


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    lared firmly.


    After that, the four of them moved forward carefully, searching for members of the devil race.


    The chances that they would find a lone devil here were very low. Thus, they had to be cautious. They were all one-star middle spiritual emperors, and in this Passage World, their strength was below average.


    If they weren''t careful enough, they could die before they realized what was happening.


    The group also paid great care to be wary of demi-saints in the devil race.


    If they met those guys, Ricky wasn''t sure that he could bring Jasper, Mordechai, and Ella into his space quickly enough.


    However, the Misty South Palace had foreseen this problem, and they had also sent out many demi-saints of their own.


    In doing so, the demi-saints in the devil race would naturally be enticed by the demi-saints of the continents. The weaker warriors would be in less danger.


    These demi-saints that the Misty South Palace had deployed could also be counted on for help. They could assist struggling participants and save them, but that would mean the warrior they saved would be knocked out of the selection.


    In that situation, many participants couldn''t help but feel conflicted. Should they ask the demi-saints of the continents for help, or should they try harder?


    Finally, after searching for a long time, Ricky and the other three met a group of devils.

 Chapter 1345 Jaspers Move

    The party they had encountered consisted of ten devils. Judging from their auras, three of them were middle spiritual emperors and four were lower spiritual emperors.


    "Guys, we will earn three hundred and seventy points if we kill them all," Ricky told his teammates using his internal power. He added, "We need to get at least twenty thousand points, so all of us can become disciples of the Misty South Palace.


    We will be cutting it too close if our hunts for the next two years continue at this rate. It''s possible that we might not earn enough points. So, I think we should start targeting devils at the upper spiritual emperor realm."


    "How can middle spiritual emperors like us kill devils who are the upper spiritual emperors? Only you can think of such ridiculous but amazing plans!" Jasper exclaimed, chuckling to himself as he added, "But you are mistaken about one thing. We must earn more than twenty-five thousand points.


    In that way, you can become the Misty South Palace''s core disciple, and they will have to pay closer attention to you. They will be forced to help you deal with the forces coming after you because of Paul''s inheritance."


    "Ha-ha, we''ll see! It all depends on my luck and my confidence!" Ricky responded with a laugh.


    After


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    oke the feeling of the continent''s pure heavenly power.


    This is the true power of the Law of Change.


    "Indeed! Among all the supreme enlightenment, the Law of Change is the one closest to the heavenly law."


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The next moment, the attack collided with the defense, and violent airwaves erupted and swept over them in an instant. The Holy Devil Fire Totem and Jasper''s Omnipotent Skill seemed to be in a stalemate.


    However, the so-called stalemate lasted only for a moment.


    The Azure Dragon''s shadow gave a great roar, and the Holy Devil Fire Totem suddenly collapsed. The latter dissolved into the smog and dissipated into thin air. Then, the pattern of the Eight Diagrams engulfed the ten devils that were seriously injured, which prevented them from escaping.


    Once again, the horn-shaped Omnipotent Skill displayed by Jasper fell again, and the ten devils collapsed lifeless on the ground.


    The battle had ended in a flash.


    Withdrawing his breath, Jasper slowly descended from the air with a triumphant smile on his lips. "I''m glad I didn''t let you down in this battle!" he remarked.


    "So, this is why some people regard the Law of Change close to the heavenly law. Well, it looks like they are right!" Mordechai praised Jasper.

 Chapter 1346 The Two-headed Hyena

    "Hey, Mordechai, it''s about time you show us your Sorcerous Combat Body. I''ve heard great things about it. Some people claim that it was all thanks to it that the Desolate Sorcery tribe rose to power over the continents and the Devil Land," Jasper said, smiling in anticipation.


    "Okay, I will. But after the selection, you must let me test my Sorcerous Combat Body with your power of the Eight Diagrams!" Mordechai nodded and replied.


    "Ha-ha, of course! That''s exactly what I want too!"


    As they were talking, Jasper came closer to the ten devils and cut off one arm from each, storing them into his spiritual space tool. They would present those as proof to get their points.


    Ricky then called forth his sacred fire and burned the devils'' bodies to ashes.


    With that done, the four of them continued on their way, searching for more devils.


    They hadn''t gone far before they had to stop because they all felt several powerful warriors approach. They didn''t seem to be devils but disciples from the continents, and they were moving incredibly fast.


    "I have a feeling that they don''t have good intentions," Jasper murmured hesitantly.


    He cultivated the Law of Change, a branch of the Eight Diagrams. It was the kind closest to


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    ill stop you from telling the truth to others, we''ll let you go!" A young man tried to convince Ricky, but he didn''t look trustworthy at all.


    "I already said that Paul''s inheritance has been snatched away by a mysterious master. Don''t you believe me?" Ricky replied, looking confused.


    "You want us to believe you? The only way we''ll do that is if we see the truth with our own eyes. Nothing short of us searching your memory can satisfy us!" the young man scoffed.


    "I see. Well then, there''s no need to say anything else. Fight me with all you''ve got! And, trust me, your Psychic blood power alone won''t be enough to deal with me," Ricky said somberly. "Your Psychic blood power may be strong, but it doesn''t mean that your physical body is just as strong."


    "Ricky, you are indeed a powerful warrior, but think about how much strength you can still exert with your meridians broken. Do you want to do this the hard way?" Then, the young man in black contemptuously declared, "Surrender to us now, and maybe you can live a little longer! Otherwise, not a bone in your body will escape unscathed!"


    "Most of my meridians have been destroyed, but that won''t stop me from dealing with you!" Ricky uttered with a disdainful smile.

 Chapter 1347 Sorcerous Fist

    "I''m not alone now. I have my brothers and friends," said Ricky.


    "Brothers and friends? You think the people behind you are your friends? They are courting death. Do you want to choose the hard way?" one of the strangers asked. Ricky''s refusal and resistance infuriated the five young men.


    "Leave this fight to me!" Mordechai said fiercely.


    Mordechai and the others had no idea that Ricky was alright and his meridians were not really broken. They had assumed that he was hurt so they would not let him fight easily. Ricky didn''t plan on correcting them anytime soon. This way, his injuries would be more believable.


    "Thank you very much, Mordechai!" Ricky replied, smiling slightly.


    Truth was, Ricky and his group weren''t paying the five men much heed because their auras told them that their strength was on par with that of the devil race''s previous leader they met not long ago.


    "Dogs! If you can take the force of my punches, I will he


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    ing out all the mantra runes from within.


    "My heart has perfectly integrated with my body. The stronger my body is, the firmer my heart will be. It''s wishful thinking, you trying to put a curse on my heart. You should know that that won''t happen unless your patriarch comes here in person," Mordechai said, his tone and demeanor cold.


    "Let me say it again: show me that you can take my punches and I''ll help you get the inheritance of Paul!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Mordechai''s body had reached the extremity of this realm with the help of the Sorcerous Combat Body. His physical strength was spreading, causing the entire space to tremble.


    "How strong he is! Ricky, looks like his body stronger than yours. Is this the Sorcerous Combat Body, the strongest body in the world?" Jasper exclaimed in awe.


    With the power of Eight Diagrams, Jasper had a good perception of the strength of the Sorcerous Combat Body.


    "Go attack, my sorcerous fist!"

 Chapter 1348 Mordechais Strength

    The physical strength of Mordechai unleashing the full extent of the Sorcerous Combat Body''s power caused the surrounding space to shatter.


    His clothes fluttered. At the peak of his strength, Mordechai was a real god of war who fought with his physical body.


    And at this point, he had concentrated all of his strength into his right fist.


    "The Sorcerous Combat Body is the strongest physical body. I''m nowhere near as good as Mordechai in terms of physical strength!" Ricky sighed as he felt Mordechai''s increasing power.


    "The Ultimate Golden Body is inferior to the Sorcerous Combat Body. Apart from the ancestry devil body, maybe only the Chaotic Golden Body would be a match for the Sorcerous Combat Body," the Dragon Intent Grass said. "I hope you don''t intend to get jealous or something like that. No one is omnipotent, after all, and you are no exception."


    "Don''t worry. I know that," Ricky said.


    Once he was sure that all his power had now come together, Mordechai launched his attack on the ground. His power caused air and dust to billow upwards before settling down t


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    factors when their points tally was enough.


    It was a while before Jasper suddenly stopped in his tracks. He seemed to have sensed something.


    He realized what it was¡ªthe power of Eight Diagrams!


    "Ricky, are you sure there is no other warrior who cultivates the power of Eight Diagrams except Mike?" Jasper asked.


    "No, I don''t think so. Those who cultivate the power of Eight Diagrams are absolute geniuses. Other than Mike, I have never heard of anyone who cultivates the power of Eight Diagrams in the outer and central regions," Ricky said, but he paused, thought for a second, and continued, "Unless they hide themselves from others like you.


    What? What did you sense?"


    "To be honest, I can vaguely sense another kind of Eight-Diagram power. It is not like Mike''s fortune-telling power," Jasper said. "It definitely exists. The powers of Eight Diagrams can sense each other."


    "What is that?" Ricky asked.


    "I don''t know, but I think it is the initial state of the power of Eight Diagram. It''s very likely that this inheritor hasn''t obtained the complete version yet."

 Chapter 1349 The Law Of Universe

    "I don''t think a common warrior who cultivates the power of Eight Diagrams can be your competitor. Am I right?" Ricky said, once he had processed what Jasper had said.


    Jasper sighed, "You have no idea how many warriors are inheritors of the Eight Diagrams and how fierce our competition is.


    There are eight kinds of inheritances of the Eight Diagrams. And there are many geniuses belonging to each inheritance.


    Do you know how many inheritors of the Law of Change I met when I was in the Northern Land?" Jasper cocked his head as he looked at Ricky.


    "How many?" Mordechai piped up.


    "Four! And each of them was ace genius," Jasper replied. He paused before continuing, "I obtained the complete Law of Change after several narrow escapes.


    There is only one person who can become the most powerful inheritor of the Eight Diagrams and also master of them. I may be merciful to an enemy, but I can''t show any mercy to a competitor when it comes to the inheritance of the Eight Diagrams. If I do, I might as well hand my life on a platter to the opponent."


    "Looks like your path is bumpier than ours!" Mo


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    Sorcerous Combat Body, and the other was an ace genius who used to be an incredible demi-spiritual emperor and had cultivated the chaotic power.


    "I think we should go down right away. I really want to explore this pit," Ricky said. He then looked at the others and continued, "I need each of you to give me a drop of blood essence to establish the connection. This way, I can immediately pull you into my space whenever you are in danger."


    "Okay!" the others said in unison and gave Ricky a drop of their blood essence.


    Once everything was in order, they prepared to go into the pit to find out what exactly was going on.


    They were about to jump into the pit when a sound caused them to stop and look across the pit. Four figures were rushing towards them.


    "It''s him! I didn''t expect to meet him so soon!" Jasper said, awed.


    Two of these figures seemed familiar to Ricky. One was Mike, the first genius in the outer region, and the other was Enoch, the sixth genius in the outer region.


    Talking about the rankings, it was widely believed that Ricky was now the first genius in the outer region.

 Chapter 1350 Adrians Inheritance

    There were two other people: a man, tall like a tower, and the other, a beautiful woman. They were extraordinary in both appearance and strength.


    "Ricky!" Mike and Enoch exclaimed in greeting the moment their group landed.


    "Mike! Enoch!" Ricky returned the greeting, his hands folded in respect.


    He then glanced at the other two and said, "And they are...?"


    His heart was beating anxiously, for he hadn''t expected Mike to make an appearance.


    "This is Braxton from the Six-armed Ape tribe. He is ranked fourth among the talents in our outer region," Mike said, introducing the man beside him. And then, gesturing to the woman, he said, "This is Leilani, a talent from the Seven-tailed Fox tribe and ranked third in the outer region."


    Ricky greeted them respectfully.


    But he was worried. It was not a good sign that two more geniuses from the top ten were here.


    In the next moment, two powerful momenta collided with each other, sweeping over everybody with an inexplicable force. Mike and Jasper were exchanging strikes secretly! Through this strong momentum, two forces


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    who had left the inheritance and how to obtain it.


    It was Adrian who had done it all.


    The inheritance of the Eight Diagrams was derived from the heavenly law. In addition to the master of the Eight Diagrams in the initial era, many talents had managed to cultivate the power and become extremely strong.


    And Adrian was one of the best. It was even said that he was the best after the master of the Eight Diagrams.


    From the information that had made its way into their brains, Ricky and the others knew that Adrian lived in the seventh era in history.


    When the devil race invaded, they had left the passage between the continent and the Devil Land wide open. Adrian, in a bid to kill the three devils who had been seriously injured, had rushed into the depths of the Devil Land alone.


    But he had flown right into an ambush set up by the devil race.


    Once the fierce battle was over, the Adrian had fled back to the passage. But he had become seriously injured and was unable to return to the continent. He spent his last strength in leaving his inheritance in this place.

 Chapter 1351 Borrowing Life From Death

    The Law of Universe contained all kinds of supreme enlightenment.


    The Emperor of Universe might have attained a lot when it came to arrays, for he was one of the best spiritual potentates. He had fused the power of the Eight Diagrams and the universe power with the arrays to engrave the Eight Diagrams and build the array zones.


    Each array zone here possessed the inheritance of a different kind of supreme enlightenment.


    If any creature wanted access to an array zone, all they had to do was fuse their blood essence and drop it onto the power of universe.


    Warriors who inherited the Eight Diagrams would be transferred to the land of legacy where the Law of Universe was located.


    ''Adrian is so powerful. The Law of Universe that he had cultivated can cause a countless number of enlightenments to evolve!'' Ricky thought admiringly.


    The others were also gazing around in awe, admiration, and respect for the great warrior.


    "This is the Law of Universe, which contains all kinds of enlightenments and can compete with the Law of Chaos to a certain extent," the Dragon Intent Grass said. "The other laws that


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    rray zone at any time they liked and return whence they had entered.


    The moment Ricky arrived at the entry point, he saw a fierce battle raging. Mordechai and Enoch had already comprehended the laws they had selected, but they had come up against five devils.


    "How did the devil race come here?" Ricky said, confused.


    The land of legacy that Adrian had left behind was forbidden to the devil race.


    But Ricky suddenly understood how they had managed to get here. He saw the continent spirit, the power of Eight Diagrams, radiating from the devils.


    These devils were cultivating the power of Eight Diagrams!


    The power of Eight Diagrams that they were displaying wasn''t very strong, but they had been able to enter this land of legacy because of it.


    ''Damn it! I can''t believe that they have cultivated the power of Eight Diagrams. These devils must have found this place a long time ago!'' Ricky thought agitatedly.


    "This is not the time to think about that. We need to kill them all," said the Dragon Intent Grass.


    Its words had barely died away before Ricky rushed into the battle against the devils.

 Chapter 1352 Meeting The Wild Purple Devil Again

    These five devils had cultivated the power of Eight Diagrams, but couldn''t use it in battle because such power they possessed was so weak compared to that a warrior at the Emperor Level possessed. It was obvious that they had cultivated this power only to be able to enter the land of legacy where the Law of Universe could be found.


    These devils were by no means weak. They exerted their full power, forcing Mordechai and the others to do the same.


    They looked delicate, but as they went berserk when their blood power began to work, their bodies began to expand and grow larger and stronger. Ricky felt that their bodies were as strong as his Ultimate Golden Body and Mordechai''s Sorcerous Combat Body.


    It was then that he realized that these devils had cultivated the physical body. What was more, they were outstanding at it.


    He got to know this clue as he watched them go berserk through the blood power three times.


    Ordinary devils could only go berserk once, even if they cultivated their physical bodies. The ones with stronger blood power could do it twice. Those that could do it thrice possessed top blood power in the devil race.


    And Ricky had a


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    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean, the young master is likely to have entered the space where the Law of Universe could be found by now," Ricky explained.


    "What?! That''s impossible!" everyone exclaimed in disbelief.


    "I hate to admit this too, but actually, everything is possible," Ricky continued. "The fact that these Wild Purple Devils have cultivated the power of Eight Diagrams indicates that they''ve known about this place for a long time. It''s absolutely possible that they would be prepared.


    And though Adrian was once a spiritual potentate, he is now dead. The Wild Purple Devil blood power is one of the eight major blood powers of the devil race, which means that there are many top masters in the Wild Purple Devil tribe. They must have some masters at the Potentate Level, which is why I claim that it is possible that they''d have made some preparations for the young master in advance."


    Ricky''s reasonable analysis caused the others to fall silent.


    "What should we do?"


    "Maybe the only thing we can do is trust Jasper and Mike!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Ricky had barely finished talking when the power of universe suddenly wrapped around him.

 Chapter 1353 Ronan Zi

    The others were shocked and confused at the scene unfolding before them.


    Ricky didn''t even drip his blood essence. And according to the message that Adrian had left behind, the warriors who entered this place had only one chance to receive the inheritance.


    But what this was all about? Nobody could tell.


    Ricky also had no idea what was going on, and he couldn''t break away from the power of universe that had wrapped around him. Before he knew it, he had arrived at a different array zone.


    This zone was filled with a strong power of universe from the Eight Diagrams, and was vast as a huge world.


    At the center of the zone was a huge altar of the Eight Diagrams and at the center of this altar, stood a giant, ancient, magnificently lifelike figure.


    Ricky guessed that this was probably Adrian.


    He looked up at the altar, where he could see three figures engaged in a fierce battle. Two of them were Jasper and Mike. The third was a young man in black, constantly shifting between his normal form and his berserk form.


    The evil spirit sur


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    te? Ha-ha! I don''t need to cultivate the power! Because this half of my flesh and blood possesses it!" Ronan Zi sneered evilly.


    "What do you mean?" Ricky asked, part cautious, part disbelieving.


    "What do I mean? I mean that this half of my flesh and blood belongs to Adrian!" Ronan Zi replied, his sneer turning into a disdainful laugh.


    "What?! How is that possible? Don''t try to lie to me!" Ricky could hardly believe this.


    Adrian belonged to the seventh era. Even though he was a spiritual potentate, his corpse should have turned to ashes, now that so many eras had passed since.


    Even if his corpse still existed, it should be in this space of legacy. Then, why was Ronan Zi claiming that he had Adrian''s body and flesh in his own body?


    At this, Jasper and Mike couldn''t stay calm anymore. They opened their eyes and stared at Ronan Zi. It would be a massive shame if the Wild Purple Devil tribe were to get their hands on Adrian''s corpse.


    "Do you know which four spiritual potentates of the devil race defeated Adrian?" Ronan Zi asked.

 Chapter 1354 Golden Body VS Five-Time Berserk

    "Who? The spiritual potentates of your Wild Purple Devil tribe?" Ricky asked, looking unimpressed.


    "Actually, you guessed it right. They were the spiritual potentates of our tribe," Ronan replied with a wicked sneer. "My patriarch was one of them who defeated Adrian. His flesh and blood had been in our tribe''s possession since then.


    After all, that was a great spiritual potentate''s flesh and blood. We kept it close to our chest for eons, and it was not until this era that circumstances changed. That is¡ªwe found his inheritance.


    To take control of it, I have integrated his flesh and blood."


    "Don''t even dream about it!" Ricky firmly refuted his statement. "Today, you''re not going to leave this place alive! And we will take Adrian''s flesh and blood back from you!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom! As soon as he finished speaking, his body unleashed a surging power, and his four mutants immediately burst out. It bounced back Ronan''s physical strength like it was child''s play.


    "What?! You have multiple mutants! There is really a creature who possesses multiple mutants!" When Ronan saw Ricky''s power, he could only gape at the spectacle in shock.


    But from his words, Ricky gathered that his opponent had heard of someone with multiple mutants before.


    "Were you the one who fought with Scales?" asked Ronan out of curiosity.


    "Oh, I think I know who you are referring to. Wow! I haven


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    ll his might. The sound of metal colliding rang in the air.


    After that, just as Evil Mandragora told them, Ronan used the momentum of the first punch to throw the second punch. Ricky could feel that this second punch was far stronger than the first one Ronan had unleashed.


    "Massacring Holy Pattern!"


    With a deep breath, Ricky steadied his stand and condensed the Massacring Holy Pattern. Three hundred Massacring Holy Patterns instantly poured out of his head, hooked up with the golden body, and reinforced it to protect him.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The next moment, violent airwaves plunged the whole place into darkness and chaos.


    Once the dust and debris dissipated and the energy waves receded, the golden body fused with the Massacring Holy Patterns became visible. It had been forced only a few steps back, and Ronan''s fist had left a light imprint on it. Besides those marks, it looked unscathed.


    Seeing this, Ronan became more furious, and a dark look flashed in his eyes.


    The defense Ricky had used was phenomenal! It was a smart and powerful defensive move that impressed Ronan despite himself.


    However, since he had thrown two punches, he had to make sure his third one counted. This would be his devil fist. With these thoughts, his momentum soared to its peak. Of course, he had done so on purpose, as it would certainly affect his last strike and add more power to it.

 Chapter 1355 The Extreme Killing State

    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The purple evil spirit slithered over the entire place once again, as another devil shadow took shape behind Ronan. Following the appearance of these three devil shadows, the Devil''s Fist grew immeasurably stronger and reached its peak.


    Ronan''s fist strike was created thanks to the overwhelming momentum he displayed, and indeed it was worth it. The third strike''s momentum surpassed Ricky''s by a wide margin.


    "Chaotic power and eternal power!"


    Faced with the daunting punch, Ricky dared not hold back his strength. The grey chaotic power and the golden purple eternal power poured out from each side of his Ultimate Golden Body and integrated with the Massacring Holy Patterns.


    In all his experience, he knew that Ronan''s third punch was not something he could take head-on.


    The Evil Mandragora and the Dragon Intent Grass were correct. He had to focus on defending himself first.


    If Ricky could block the third punch, Ronan''s momentum would have been for nothing. He would take advantage once the fist withdrew and launch his own attack. Of course, this plan assumed he could protect himself from Ronan''s third punch successfully. He believed he could do it, though, and he held this knowledge close to his heart.


    With a deep inhale, Ricky dug his heels deeper into the dirt with his arms crossed over his chest.


    Boom!


    The next moment, Rona''s fist strike collide


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    as high as the clouds as if it was forged from the Devil Land''s depths.


    With all his might, he thrust the spear in Ricky''s direction.


    However, Ricky''s Ultimate Golden Body stood in its way. It stood before Ricky like a shield, protecting him as he used his Golden Spirit Eyes. He then condensed the lotus to fight back.


    Bang!


    The next moment, the two strongest attacks collided, creating a great explosion. Debris and dust billowed out from where the two forces met, and explosions rang out one after another.


    The strong anti-seismic force spat out two disheveled figures at the same time.


    They were Ricky and Ronan.


    At this point, Ricky appeared slightly flushed from exertion, even as his power momentum began to decline.


    Meanwhile, the Extreme Killing State had already reached its end, and Ronan''s momentum and strength went back to their weakened state.


    "Well, it looks like we are done here. I won. Scales was a far better opponent than you," Ricky said lightly, an eyebrow raised critically at Ronan.


    "You know, you were doomed from the start. This is the land of legacy of the creatures from the continent. How can you, the devil race, take it from us?"


    "Rah!" Hearing Ricky''s words, Ronan let out a deafening roar.


    It was a unique roar that only devils could produce.


    "Go to hell!" This time, without hesitation, Ricky flew forward to end his opponent''s life.

 Chapter 1356 Adrians Soul

    Ricky had no mercy to spare for the members of the devil race, and there was no way he would give them another chance. Thus, he readily confronted Ronan and used the skill of Resurrection.


    Although Ronan was defeated, he was still the Purple Wild Devil tribe''s beloved young master, and their tribe belonged to the eight most powerful tribes of the devil race. If Ricky didn''t kill him, he would always sleep with one eye open.


    And what happened next proved that Ricky had been right to be cautious.


    "Do you think you can kill me? Hah! You are dreaming!" Just as Ricky was about to attack him, Ronan suddenly cackled as if he had tricked his opponent.


    Ricky eyed Ronan with a wary glance, and he immediately became more vigilant. His body stiffened with tension, like a coiled wire that could spring to action at any moment.


    For some reason, his fight-or-flight instinct had activated, and every cell in his body pushed him to back off.


    Ricky withdrew at once, listening to his instincts with no hesitation.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    As soon as he jumped away, another unparalleled power burst out from Ronan''s body. This exceptional power surpassed even Ronan''s power from earlier when he was still in the Extreme Killing State.


    Thankfully, Ricky didn''t let


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    e Ancestral Intent Formula. Immediately, the chromatic energy melded straight into his bloodstream, which helped him resist Ronan''s invisible pull.


    "If Master Adrian''s real soul were here, I would have submitted. After all, I have nothing but respect for him," Ricky muttered with an icy glare. "However, this isn''t the real deal. This is just a mask for you despicable devils!


    I, Ricky, have no choice but to destroy it!"


    The bloody heaven and earth behind him ceased growing after he said his piece. Endless shura power swept from all directions, merged with his strength, and gathered on the saber in his hand.


    When the Eight Diagrams formed by the power of universe tried to suppress him, Ricky instantly lashed out with his saber.


    "Destruction of Heaven and Earth!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    After that, the three forces¡ªthe shura power, the purple evil spirit, and pure white power of universe¡ªentwined with each other like exceedingly powerful ribbons.


    The violent airwaves surged and billowed all around them, drowning the entire space as the two sides fought.


    It lasted for such a long time that nobody could tell how much time had passed.


    But, finally, the debris and dirt subsided. At this time, Jasper and Mike also finished recuperating.

 Chapter 1357 The Battle Continued

    Jasper and Mike finished adjusting their breath right on time, and they immediately used their strength to disperse the violent airwaves. With it gone, Ricky and Ronan finally came into view.


    Their silhouettes painted a tableau of sorts that brought much relief to Jasper and Mike.


    That was because, at that moment, Ricky was standing over Ronan''s prone body with pure shura power surrounding his body. Meanwhile, he was holding the Shura Justice Saber, which was shining brightly with a scarlet-white light.


    Ronan had nothing in his heart but fear and uncertainty, trembling like a leaf beneath the other man''s feet.


    Even though he had burst out his strongest trump card, which was Adrian''s power, he was still no match for his opponent. He lost, fair and square.


    "Somehow, you keep on proving that Scales was so much better than you. At least, when Scales fought with me, he never cowered before me like a frightened rabbit," Ricky told Ronan, staring down at him condescendingly.


    "Besides, Master Adrian''s power belongs to the continent alone. No matter what you do, you won''t be able to understand it, let alone use it to its optimum strength.


    From the very beginning, you were doomed to die in my hands."


    The next instant, Ricky cut off Ronan''s head and burned his soul with the sacred fire.


    Whoosh! Seeing this, Jasper and Mike let out a relieved s


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    n the suppressed heavens, his heart didn''t waver. Instead, his fighting spirit increased, and the Law of Change''s purest power burst out of his body like a dam that had broken.


    "The Law of Change! The power of Azure Dragon! The power of three stars!


    Three stars in one!"


    The Eight Diagrams rose over Jasper''s head as a shining north star, while an Azure Dragon phantom condensed in the distance. The Azure Dragon opened its mouth and spat out the power of the three stars, which then formed the Eight Diagrams'' strongest power.


    Boom!


    In the next breath, the two patterns of Eight Diagrams collided against each other, followed by their Omnipotent Skills.


    Ricky''s eyes narrowed in interest, for he knew that this was the moment that would decide the victor and the vanquished.


    ''I hope Jasper will win!'' he thought secretly to himself.


    Around him, airwaves spread in all directions and turned into ripples. The power of the Eight Diagrams had drowned everything like a flood, and nothing could be seen beyond the chalky breeze. A long time passed before the debris had settled, but, finally, Ricky could see what happened to Mike and Jasper.


    At this moment, the two of them hovered in the air, still as statues. Both of them were disheveled and their breaths were barely there.


    ''Is it a draw again?'' Ricky wondered in silence as he beheld the scene.

 Chapter 1358 The Positive And Negative

    Just as Ricky had expected, Mike came out of the collision black and blue, spattered with the red of his blood. His chest ached with every move, which indicated that he must have broken some of his ribs, and his momentum and aura were rapidly diminishing.


    In sharp contrast, Jasper seemed unscathed.


    It was clear who had won the battle.


    Of course, if this were a battle of life and death, the end would have been much different.


    A thin, bitter ''smile made its way to Mike''s face as he stood by the altar, watching his blood drip on the floor. He didn''t want to admit defeat, but he had no choice.


    "It looks like Jasper has won, just as you expected, Ricky," remarked the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "Although Jasper is my friend, I feel sorry for Mike that only one person can inherit the Law of Universe," sighed Ricky in reply.


    Mike was a person who took pride in his humility and willingness to admit his own failure. Thus, he voluntarily came forward and told Jasper, "You won this battle, fair and square. Now, Master Adrian''s inheritance is yours!"


    "Thank you!" Nodding gratefully, Jasper smiled and added, "Since you agreed not to fight me to the death, I believe I owe you a favor."


    "From this day onwards, you are the inheritor of both the Law of Change and the Law of Universe. Your favor is worth a lot. There''s no


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    nt idea.


    Now that they had heard Jasper''s full explanation, Ricky and Mike finally understood why Jasper made such an offer.


    "Only spiritual potentates would dare to leave positive and negative inheritances separately. Even in his death, he is guiding the next generations to cultivate the Eight Diagrams!" Ricky and Mike exclaimed, eyes wide with awe.


    "Exactly! It''s no wonder he became one of the greatest spiritual potentates of the initial eras," Jasper agreed, nodding.


    "So, Mike, don''t think that I am offering you this opportunity because I am kind. The truth is that I can only comprehend one kind of inheritance," he then said to Mike.


    "After all, I don''t have the heart that''s both positive and negative.


    Don''t tell me you have such kind of heart!" he added jokingly.


    "Ha-ha! If I had that, I would have won the previous battle!" Mike replied with a laugh. He seemed more relaxed now that he knew Jasper wasn''t making fun of him.


    "I can''t believe there''s a positive and negative inheritance. Did Master Adrian foresee that two people would come to take his inheritance today?" The Dragon Intent Grass also couldn''t help but chuckle at the surprising turn of events.


    "Perhaps, this is for the best!" Ricky uttered happily. After all, he was glad that both his friends would benefit from the inheritance.

 Chapter 1359 The Heavenly Lotus Seed

    "But I''ve never heard that the Law of Universe is divided into two parts, so I''m not sure if this holds water. After all, they are not like Master Adrian. Only a spiritual potentate like him can have the heart with both positive and negative traits," mumbled the Dragon Intent Grass a little worriedly.


    "Don''t worry. Those two made it this far because they are special in their own right. They probably have their own thoughts on this based on their extensive experiences," Ricky reassured it. "Besides, they might have accepted Master Adrian''s inheritance, but I doubt that they will dedicate their lives to chasing him when there are other good opportunities out there.


    I think they will explore their own roads in the martial world.


    However, those two must grow closer than brothers and learn to communicate well with each other. Or else they won''t be able to cultivate the positive and negative Law of Universe together."


    "That would be pretty hard to accomplish," remarked the Dragon Intent Grass doubtfully.


    "I don''t have a heart like Master Adrian''s, so I can''t take both inheritances. That''s where you come in. I will choose one, and you will receive the remaining one because you alone are qualified for it besides me. How does that sound?" Jasper suggested.


    "That sounds great! Thank you, Jasper


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    Ricky better.


    "Okay, Jasper, I''ll take them. There''s no use saying no. It will be exceedingly helpful, after all," Ricky finally agreed after Jasper''s insistence. He then accepted the seeds and put them inside his Massacring Zone.


    "Boy, if you want to succeed, you must find eight warriors who are loyal to you, and you can give them the eight seeds. Otherwise, it will be very hard for you to rise to the top," the Dragon Intent Grass advised Ricky.


    "You are right. Don''t worry, I''ll get right on that." Ricky nodded. "Now, I''ll send my Shadowy Replication back to the Eastern Land and ask Scar to bring some people here."


    With everything settled and the inheritances finally in their hands, the three men exited the place and joined Mordechai and others.


    Then, they continued their hunt for the devils.


    By this time, the number of devils in the Passage World must have increased. It made sense because the creatures of the continent wanted to kill the devils, while the devils, in turn, also wanted to eliminate all the creatures of the continent.


    Meanwhile, before they had left the land of legacy, Jasper made sure to take the space where they found Adrian''s inheritance with him. After all, it was like Adrian''s tomb. He felt that he needed to return it to the continent as a tribute for Adrian.

 Chapter 1360 The Short Devil Tribe

    Afterward, Jasper and Mike left to explore the Passage World together, intending to fight the devils they encountered with just the two of them. In this way, they would get used to killing devils as a pair, and they would learn to fight like one unit in the future.


    "Farewell, Ricky. See you in two years," said Jasper as he lightly patted him on the shoulder.


    "See you! And take care of yourself!" Ricky replied as a small smile tugged at his lips.


    He then turned back to Enoch and the others and bade them farewell too.


    "I see. So both of them have got the inheritance of the Law of Universe, and the only difference is that one has got the positive part and the other the negative part. Even though we don''t want to see them fight, we can''t do anything about it. However, if they all take the road of martial arts of the Eight Diagrams, who will become the Eight Diagrams'' real master?" As they continued on their journey, Ricky told Mordechai and Ella what had happened in the array, and the two couldn''t help but sigh.


    "I don''t know. It depends on their luck, and of course, on how much they can improve," answered Ricky with a shrug. "Anyway, let''s continue hunting those devils. We only have less than four hundred points at present. That''s far from enough."


    "You''re right. It''s time to shake a leg, guys!" Mordechai agreed enthusiastically.


    After that, the three of t


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    s?" Ricky and the other two gaped at Ryland in shock.


    "Indeed," Ryland nodded.


    "What should we do?" Mordechai asked through telepathy. "Should we separate and go to the three strongholds by ourselves? But we can''t save them alone. It''s too dangerous."


    "No. We should stay together," Ricky protested. "Don''t worry. I have a way."


    He then went on to create two Shadowy Replications and then turned to Ryland.


    "Can you ask your two other companions to head to the two strongholds? My two Shadowy Replications will accompany them. And then you can take us to the third stronghold," Ricky instructed.


    "But the Short Devil tribe''s strongholds are incredibly dangerous. I don''t think we should risk our lives like this," protested Ryland with a shake of his head.


    "I know, but we have no other choice. Please, take us there," insisted Ricky once more. "If you take us there, I will free the five of you as soon as we resolve this matter. I give you my word."


    Hearing Ricky''s words, Ryland grew quiet as he pondered about whether he should take the risk.


    "Come on, man, let''s go. We are short on time, and I have to save my friends. I promise you I''ll owe you a favor." Ricky broke the silence when he prodded the other man again, impatient to save the others.


    "Fine, fine. I''ll take you there." Seeing the determination in Ricky''s eyes, Ryland couldn''t refuse him.

 Chapter 1361 The Massacre

    Ryland only agreed to lead Ricky to the Short Devil tribe''s strongholds because the other man promised he would set him and his companions free right after. However, Ricky''s favor was another story. He figured that he shouldn''t think about it, at least, for the time being.


    "Thank you, man! I''ll remember this," Ricky responded gratefully as soon as Ryland agreed.


    Ryland then led the three of them to one of the Short Devil tribe''s strongholds, and they arrived at their destination after about half a day''s travel. Unfortunately, Ricky couldn''t detect Claire''s aura in this stronghold, which meant that she and her companions must be in a different stronghold.


    "It looks like they aren''t here," Ricky muttered with blatant disappointment. He had hoped to find them here, but they came to the wrong place.


    And since they went to a dud, all they could do was wait for news from Ryland''s companions, hoping that one of them would have better news.


    Thankfully, Ricky finally received good news from one of his Shadowy Replications after an hour. It reported that they had detected Claire''s aura in another stronghold.


    "Thank you for bringing us here, Ryland. Now, just as I promised, the five of you are free from now on," Ricky declared with a smile. "But you must make a Martial


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    ould only watch the scene with disbelief in their eyes.


    Claire, Peter, and their companions, as well as Mordechai and Ella who were still in the Massacring Zone, all recognized it in one glance. "The ancient arena!"


    Ricky had indeed summoned the ancient arena.


    Boom! Boom! Under his control, it hovered over the black castle and then dropped onto it with a deafening blow, crushing the entire castle beneath it into dust.


    The ancient arena was made of Rocks of Heaven and Earth, which made it as tough and sturdy as any supreme weapon. A small black castle stood no chance against it.


    Pained and dying screams erupted from the dust and debris that had remained of the devils'' abode.


    Undoubtedly, the power of Ricky, a middle spiritual emperor, filled the ancient arena to the brim. And it had struck the castle with a crushing blow. How could any devil who hadn''t become a middle spiritual emperor survive?


    That was how Ricky dealt with the weaker devils, and only a few living devils remained. He then put away the ancient arena and the Time Seal. To his satisfaction, he noticed that only several middle spiritual emperors and lower spiritual emperors at peak state had survived.


    Of course, those devils who witnessed this fell silent, unable to utter a word out of shock.

 Chapter 1362 Peters Improvement

    Mordechai was speechless with disbelief, and he couldn''t say anything for a long time. After a long while, he asked, "How is that even possible? Does this mean you always have that ancient arena with you, Ricky?"


    Ella was in the same boat. She could only stare at Ricky in silence.


    "Yeah, it''s been with me all this time, and you just didn''t know." A mysterious smile flashed across Ricky''s face.


    "You really are incredible, man! How can you control that ancient arena?" Mordechai sighed again. "However, I don''t think we can use that here.


    If other warriors find out that you have that, you''ll be in even more danger!"


    "Don''t worry, none of these devils will leave this place alive. I''m sure you have no plans of just letting these devils go, right?" Ricky reassured the other man.


    "As for Claire and her companions, I think we can trust them to keep this a secret."


    After that, he released Mordechai and Ella from the Massacring Zone, and then he turned to Claire and Peter. "You guys can put away the Illusory Ring now. It''s time to take down these pests!"


    Hearing Ricky''s voice woke the two of them from their shocked stupor. Just as he instructed, they put away the Illusory Ring and went to Ricky''s side.


    Of course, they killed the Short Devil tribe''s old chief before anything else.


    "Ricky, thanks for coming," Claire breathed


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    e genius," the Dragon Intent Grass added further.


    While Ricky and the Dragon Intent Grass conversed, Peter had gained the upper hand with his heavenly illusionary power. With its power, he had managed to suppress the Black Poison released by the young master.


    "Is this all you can do?" Peter scoffed after he had suppressed the young master with layers of his heavenly illusionary power. "As I said earlier, I could have killed you already if you didn''t have so many people with you."


    "You dare mock me, you lowly human?"


    the young master roared at Peter''s insults. He then unleashed invisible killing intent that swarmed Peter''s heavenly illusionary power and destroyed it.


    The poisonous evil spirit had drowned the entire area, like a river with the young master at its core.


    "It''s the Poisonous River!"


    The young master made a small array with his hands in the blink of an eye, and a thick black poisonous evil spirit surged in an instant, forming a winding poisonous river that looked like a black python in the sky. Then, the poisonous evil spirit spread out and overflowed higher into the skies, as if it came from the original place of the poisonous evil spirit.


    Sizzle! Sizzle! Moreover, due to the poisonous evil spirit, the entire space turned into nothingness.


    Indeed, the poisonous evil spirit was terrifying in its power.

 Chapter 1363 Ricky Versus Three Devils

    "Hold your breath! Use your strength to get rid of the poisonous evil spirit!" Ricky called out to Peter as soon as he felt the poisonous evil spirit''s presence.


    He believed that Peter was stronger than the Black Poison Devil tribe''s young master, but he still needed to be careful in the face of any evil spirit, especially the poisonous evil spirit.


    "I see that your poison can restrain any kind of illusion power, but unfortunately, you are too weak to restrain me," Peter calmly lectured the young master, who looked surprised that he could counter the poisonous evil spirit with his heavenly illusionary power.


    "Go to hell!"


    The young master scoffed and abruptly lashed out with the Poisonous River like it was a long whip. Everything the river touched dissolved into nothing.


    At the same time, Peter''s heavenly illusionary power collapsed as well.


    But that did not faze Peter.


    With his eyes narrowed in concentration, he activated the Illusory Mutant. Layers upon layers of illusory yet condensed power swelled and crested like a wave, forming sheets of intertwined Heavenly Illusionary Spaces around him.


    Each Heavenly Illusionary Space had a heart at its very core.


    "The Omnipotent Skill¡ªThousand Illusionary Palaces!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Under the influence of this power, the Heavenly Illusionary Spa


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    lanned in his mind. He burst out his Ultimate Golden Body at the sixth level and all his mutant powers in an instant, and he rushed to the three devils from the Black Poison Devil tribe.


    Of course, these devils could feel Ricky''s strength, so they wanted to fight Ricky together.


    Meanwhile, Ricky mainly relied on the Devouring Mutant to help him through this battle.


    While the Black Poison Devil tribe''s ace was the poisonous evil spirit, he had the Devouring Mutant, which could devour everything. So, he naturally used it to resist.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Ricky and the devils exchanged dozens of rounds of body collision, and he quickly gained the upper hand over the devils.


    Even Ronan, the Purple Wild Devil tribe''s young master, couldn''t defeat Ricky in terms of physical strength, not to mention these three devils of the Black Poison Devil tribe.


    When the three devils sensed Ricky''s strength, they immediately avoided fighting him head-on. They maintained a good distance from him and released the poisonous Omnipotent Skill, intending to poison Ricky to death instead.


    "Poisonous Waterfall!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The three devils simultaneously released the poisonous evil spirit, which then merged together and formed a turbulent waterfall. Seconds later, it slammed down towards Ricky like a tidal wave.

 Chapter 1364 Borrowing Life From Death

    The three one-star middle spiritual emperors at peak state had banded together to attack Ricky with a waterfall strike combined with the poisonous evil spirit. Seeing this, Ricky couldn''t help but feel threatened by their allied strength.


    "This isn''t good! I''m only as strong as a one-star middle spiritual emperor at peak state," Ricky said to the Dragon Intent Grass through telepathy, feeling lightly alarmed. "Back when I was a one-star lower spiritual emperor, I could fight on par with a two-star lower spiritual emperor.


    But now, I can''t even challenge a two-star middle spiritual emperor. It looks like I can''t challenge warriors at higher levels from now on."


    "Lad, just be content that you could still do that when you were at the Emperor Level," the Dragon Intent Grass reminded.


    The grass was afraid that Ricky would insist on challenging those who were stronger than him, which might lead to his downfall.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t let it affect my progress in martial arts," Ricky reassured.


    Even though he hated it, he knew it was unlikely that he could still challenge anyone at a higher level in the future. It wasn''t because he had become less talented, but it was because the heavenly law would not allow him to do so any longer.


    And now, as Ricky looked at the falling Poisonous Waterfall, he was well prepared.


    The moment it came close en


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    hout mercy, and each one ended up with grave injuries.


    Everyone in the vicinity was astounded.


    Mordechai and his companions gaped in surprised silence, while the devils were miserable with fear and despair.


    "Now, I''m going to take your lives!" After saying this, Ricky stood up stiffly and loomed over all three devils. The next move he planned was cruel, but considering that his opponents were devils, Ricky felt like it was justified.


    As soon as the words fell from his mouth, the Life and Death River emerged behind Ricky like a shadow.


    "Omnipotent Skill¡ªBorrowing Life from Death!"


    A few seconds later, the power of death and life flowed out from Ricky''s body like a river. Similar to most primitive dark and light energies, it swept through everything in its path and evolved into the picture of life and death.


    The overflowing power bowled over the three injured devils, where the two kinds of power¡ªthe life and death power¡ªinstantly poured into their battered bodies.


    Immediately, the three devils collapsed in great pain.


    Worse, their life essence rapidly fell, as Ricky''s Life and Death River steadily absorbed it.


    Before long, it merged fully into Ricky''s body through the Life and Death River.


    The three devils were left with their last gasp, steadily weakening, while in sharp contrast, Ricky''s breath of life rapidly grew stronger.

 Chapter 1365 The Arrival Of A Demi-saint

    A sudden hush descended upon the area. Needless to say, Ricky''s performance had shocked everyone.


    Just now, he had used an offensive skill that absorbed his opponents'' lifespan and added it to his own.


    They had never heard of such a skill, let alone seen it used by anyone before.


    Perhaps, some of them had heard of it, but only when it had been used for evil means. They all felt like this was the first time someone had applied such an exceptional skill for aboveboard reasons. There was no trace of evil on Ricky at all.


    Those who saw what had happened couldn''t help but feel intimidated by Ricky. As for the devils, they were terrified.


    ''It seems that I will never be able to overtake him.'' As Peter gazed at Ricky''s towering facade, a confusing mix of feelings pulled at his heartstrings. Of course, he was happy about his friend''s success, but he also felt slightly frustrated at the same time.


    "This isn''t surprising at all, Peter, since he was once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor." Claire must have noticed Peter''s discouragement, so she tried to comfort him through telepathy. "Incredible demi-spiritual emperors are exceedingly rare, and several eras could pass with only one in existence."


    "I understand." Peter sighed.


    In fact, he had already decided not to fight Ricky, even before Claire said all these things to him.


    It would be st


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    evil tribe left, the young man turned to Ricky with an eyebrow raised and said, "You are nobody special; only one of the many warriors of the continent. But despite your mediocrity, I noticed that you used an impressive Omnipotent Skill earlier. Now, tell me the cultivation method and spell. If you do, I will spare your life."


    ''Is this guy interested in the skill of Borrowing Life from Death?'' Ricky wondered, slightly surprised by the devil''s words.


    "You are going to spare my life? Don''t make me laugh! I''m not stupid to believe a devil''s promises," replied Ricky coldly. "I can pray to anyone, but I will never pray to the devil race."


    He firmly believed that only idiots would believe what a devil said.


    Hearing Ricky''s words, the young man responded with much disdain, "You are just another brat from the continent who thinks too highly of himself. Do you think you can fight me? Well, think again!" After pausing for a moment, he continued, "I''ll take you to the Devil Land, where you will go through so much torture that you''ll wish you were dead! We''ll see how long you can hold on then. I''m sure that you''ll beg for your life and cry like the brat you are."


    After saying that, the devil condensed his blood-red evil spirit and shaped it into two enormous hands. One of them moved to grab Ricky, while the other one moved towards Mordechai and others.

 Chapter 1366 The Fourth Mister

    The young man from the Crimson Devil tribe was going to take Ricky back. As for Mordechai and the others, he would just kill them.


    "Ricky, I know Hannah is in seclusion but we''ll have to wake her up. It''s the only way," the Evil Mandragora ordered in an urgent tone.


    "I know that it is the only way and I don''t want to die," Ricky responded helplessly. "But if Hannah does something, then Mordechai and I will be eliminated in the selection this time."


    "Dammit, Ricky. This is a matter of life and death. Who gives a crap about the selection? If you don''t hurry, you might not be able to wake her up in time." The Evil Mandragora rolled her eyes when she heard Ricky.


    Ricky understood and hesitated no more. Hannah was cultivating in seclusion deep behind closed doors and he sent her a message.


    However, even before the message could reach her, two beams o sword light with milky white color appeared out of nowhere in the world of evil spirit. They cut off the bloody hands and then merged into one, morphing into one giant sword light and cutting the world in half.


    At the same time, it also wrapped Ricky and his friends in its glow to protect them.


    "Emanuel, authority is not given to you to slaughter creatures of the conti


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    and righteous spirits, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    The Fourth Mister turned towards Ricky and remarked, "You have white hair and an extraordinary temperament. Am I correct in assuming that you are Ricky, the young man who has obtained Paul''s inheritance?"


    "Yes, sir. I am Ricky!" Ricky nodded.


    He quickly became vigilant since he didn''t know why the Fourth Mister knew of him.


    "That is very good! You''ve just destroyed a stronghold of the devil race." The Fourth Mister nodded appreciatively. "You truly are a genius and I hope you keep growing rapidly."


    "Thank you, sir!" Ricky said modestly.


    "I have heard some interesting rumors about you, Ricky. I hope we engage in a friendly battle one day. After all, a fight with Paul''s successor would be an interesting study," the Fourth Mister continued.


    Ricky was a little confused to hear this.


    Although he was a genius, he didn''t think he was worthy of being remembered by someone as incredible as the Fourth Mister.


    But before he could ask more, the Fourth Mister had left.


    ''Is it because of Master Otis?'' Ricky was confused. However, he let it slide after a couple of moments.


    "Ricky, even a master like the Fourth Mister appears interested in you," Claire smiled.

 Chapter 1367 The Reason

    "But my current strength is not powerful enough to face off against a genius like that. I hope he doesn''t remember me," Ricky said in a hesitant voice. "Let''s not focus on that right now. Just collect these devils'' arms so we can go.


    If a master from the devil race comes again, we''ll be in trouble. A master like the Fourth Mister won''t save us twice."


    Sighing, Ricky bent over and the others helped him to saw off the arms of all the devils that were at the Emperor Level.


    In the end, they had defeated a total of twenty middle spiritual emperors and one hundred lower spiritual emperors from the devil race. From it, they had earned three thousand points. Obtaining three thousand points in just two days was unbelievable.


    "Look at how much we''ve managed to reap. Maybe we should keep destroying the devil race''s strongholds. That seems to be the only way we can hunt large numbers of devils and obtain more points!" Mordechai suggested in an excited voice.


    "I agree. It took the three of us almost a month to get five thousand points, but now, it''s taken only two days to get three thousand points," Ella replied, sighing as she recalled their previous struggles.


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    of the Short Devil tribe, I have something for you. It''s to say thank you for saving our lives," Claire suddenly said. She turned her hand over and opened her palm, revealing a black jade token.


    "What''s this?" Ricky asked.


    "The weapon casting heritage of the Short Devil tribe!" Claire answered.


    Ricky said in surprise, "So what the chief of the Short Devil tribe told us was true. You took their inheritance and that was why they were too afraid to hurt you!"


    "Of course. Otherwise, we couldn''t have threatened the devils using just the life of the old chief," Claire said, smiling.


    "The devil race has the Short Devil tribe, and we have the Short Human tribe. Those tribes are the most powerful weapon casting ones in the world. No one else can compare to them," Ricky explained, eying the gift in front of him.


    "The heaven and earth did not grace the two tribes with any talent for cultivation or fighting. They are all disabled to some degree. In return, they are given a knack for weapon casting. Those two tribes are the best at weapon casting in the world." Claire nodded.


    Mordechai and the others looked at her for a moment before they nodded too.

 Chapter 1368 Xavier Appeared

    The casting skills of the Short Devil tribe and the Short Human tribe were what all of the casting masters in the world yearned for.


    Ricky was no exception. He couldn''t act polite and refuse Claire''s gift. He grabbed it from her and held it tightly in his hand.


    "Thank you, Claire," Ricky told her.


    "Thank you for saving my life!" Claire smiled. "Besides, I''m glad I could become friends with a genius like you. It might come in handy again one day."


    "Ha-ha. Okay!" Ricky replied with a smile. "So what are you going to do next? Are you going to seek revenge on Xavier?"


    "Of course not. We may want to cut him up into tiny pieces, but our strength is far below his," Peter said. "First, we will gain more points. When we have enough points, we''ll take the time to focus on other things."


    "If you guys are willing, I think we should continue destroying the devil race''s strongholds together. It''s the fastest way to gain points," Ricky offered.


    "Yes! That''s exactly what I was thinking!" Claire exclaimed, clapping her


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    uld have pounced on Xavier and ripped him into pieces.


    "Now, now, don''t start calling people names. All I know is that the martial world is made up of warriors who can hide their true colors," Xavier replied, sneering.


    "So...you''re not going to kill yourselves. I guess I have to do everything, huh? Whatever. I can''t wait to see how powerful my poison will be after fusing with the water of the Black Poison Pond."


    As Xavier spoke, black poison power gushed out of his pores.


    Just like the Black Poison Devil tribe, the faint smell of black poison wafted from the inside of his body.


    "Calling you hypocritical is being kind. You are the most shameless person I have ever met!" Ricky growled as he slowly walked out from behind Peter.


    "Yes. I''ve never seen anyone more despicable," Mordechai echoed.


    It was not until Xavier and his companions heard Ricky speaking that they noticed his presence.


    When he saw Ricky''s white hair and face, Xavier''s mouth dropped open and he exclaimed, "It''s Ricky with white hair!"

 Chapter 1369 Heavenly Black Poison

    As they stared at the white-haired man in front of them, Xavier and the others couldn''t close their mouths because they were so surprised. As they recovered from their shock, excitement filled them. If Ricky were here, that meant that Paul''s inheritance was here with him.


    "Ricky! I didn''t see you there! This really is turning out to be a lucky day," Xavier said with a sneer.


    "It looks like you''re no longer just murderous. Now, you''re greedy too," Ricky replied calmly. There wasn''t a trace of worry on his face.


    "Everyone yearns for Paul''s inheritance. You must know that by now. And you''re right. I''m no selfless man. I don''t give a damn about the justice. Now that you''re here, I can''t let you go," Xavier snapped.


    "Besides, you''re standing right next to my targets. It''s like you''re asking to die."


    "I don''t think we''re going to die today, even though you are the fifth-ranked talent in the central region," Ricky shot back with a smile. Without making any movements, bloody-red devouring power surged out of his body and collided with Xavier''s black poison gas.


    "You have the devouring power? That''s not indeed a bit troublesome for me to handle!" As he witnessed his black poison gas being devoured,


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    ing force was so strong that the area seemed to flip upside down.


    The Nine Snake Poisons were as thick and as long as pythons.


    Gradually, wings sprouted on their backs.


    Under the power of the Heavenly Black Poison, the area surged.


    A couple of moments passed in suspended silence before the Nine Snake Poisons swept towards Ricky at the same time.


    The Heavenly Black Poison released a unique power of erosion. Ricky squeezed his eyes shut, afraid that he was about to die. The power behind the attack was like the world''s strongest storm, ready to lift him up and tear him apart.


    "Evil Devouring Mouth!"


    Now that his life was at risk, Ricky focused on the task at hand. He released as much of his devouring power as he could and instantly activated the devouring formula. The huge Evil Devouring Mouth appeared, eating all of the attacks that were pointed his way.


    "Furnace of Heaven and Earth!


    Ancestral Thunder Net!"


    At the same time, Ricky activated two more Omnipotent Skills and attached them to the Evil Devouring Mouth to form his strongest defense method.


    But this time, he was struggling. Even though he had combined the three Omnipotent Skills, it seemed hard to deal with his enemy.

 Chapter 1370 The Great Seal

    Although he had employed three kinds of Omnipotent Skills to defend himself, Ricky still felt threatened.


    His instincts were screaming that even if his three skills merged into one, they might not be enough to resist the Heavenly Black Poison.


    And they were right. He was losing.


    The three Omnipotent Skills only lasted for a moment before exploding into nothingness. There was a loud bang and Ricky''s defenses were gone. Meanwhile, the power of the storm condensed by the poison had only weakened a tiny bit.


    "I don''t believe this. The power of my three Omnipotent Skills isn''t enough to compete with Xavier even after merging into one?!" Ricky muttered in shock as he saw his skills dissipate. "Is the Heavenly Black Poison really that strong that its corrosive powers can destroy everything in its way?"


    "Maybe. The Heavenly Black Poison is one of the strongest toxins in the world. Unless your powers are overwhelmingly strong, resisting it is impossible," the Dragon Intent Grass replied.


    "Xavier deserves to be ranked sixth in the central region," Ricky remarked. "He has the Heavenly Black Poison, after all. Luckily, I have the sacred fire and the peculiar fire in my rep


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    d coldly.


    Immediately after, he summoned the Time Mutant. Its time power merged with all the power Ricky had and formed a square seal on his Ultimate Golden Body.


    The Time Seal emerged between his eyebrows. Very soon, the seal turned into the shape of a mountain.


    "Have a taste of Master Paul''s Omnipotent Skill!"


    Ricky had comprehended this Omnipotent Skill by cultivating the Eternal Time Scripture.


    Right after his words, all of his power, including the chaotic power, the chromatic energy, and the power of the rest of his mutants merged into one and integrated with the power of time.


    Time and strength were the main factors behind making this skill so incredibly powerful.


    The idea was to use the power of the River of Time and throw the enemy''s Omnipotent Skill into it. This would consume their power.


    Once that was done, the Time Seal would burst out a powerful force to suppress the enemy.


    Boom!


    As the small poisonous light ball rushed towards Ricky, it collided fiercely with the square seal.


    The power of time had now turned into a virtual river which was flowing around the small poisonous ball, sucking on its power as if it were a piece of candy.

 Chapter 1371 Kill The Snake

    At that moment in time, Ricky''s time power couldn''t extend any further. Before long, the poisonous light ball''s power was visibly weakening under the attacks of the River of Time summoned by Ricky.


    "The power of time!" Ricky kept adding more power to his attack, and all Xavier could do about it was roar out of frustration.


    He had exhausted all of his options. Still, he had no way to resist Ricky''s power of time other than constantly increasing the power of his poisonous light ball.


    "Look at Ricky''s power of time! It makes Xavier''s attack weaker by using the invisible power of the River of Time," Peter exclaimed as he stood on the sidelines, witnessing the fight. "Now I can see why it''s one of the most mysterious and unpredictable powers out there."


    "Well, if you think about it, the power of time has to be strong. If it wasn''t, Paul wouldn''t have become the most powerful warrior in the ancient times," Claire pointed out.


    "Yes. And Ricky has more up his sleeve. He has a mutant that is related to time. One day, it will help him become a supreme master like Paul."


    While the Time Seal continued to suck the power out of the poisonous light ball, the Time Seal grew again. With a loud bang, the Tim


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    a flash, the Winged Snake shadows struck forward, biting Ricky and his golden body.


    The poisonous power and the twining power were released at the same time, moving quickly through the air with the intention of corroding Ricky''s body before tearing him to pieces.


    Ricky gritted his teeth. He could feel the extent of the twining and tearing force, and his body ached as a result.


    However, he couldn''t lose now that he had awakened thirty percent of the Chaos blood power.


    Ricky threw his head back and roared towards the sky as golden light bloomed on his body. The force of it shook off the Winged Snake shadows that were tightly wrapped around him. All of the power gathered on the Shura Justice Saber and it slashed down.


    "The first move of the Shura Eight Moves¡ªDestruction of Heaven and Earth!"


    The red killing light and the golden bloodline light wrapped together to form one slash. All of the Winged Snake shadows that the slash touched collapsed on the spot.


    When he saw the strike, Xavier crossed his arms and transferred all of his strength into his best defense.


    But at that moment, his wings snapped and his pupils shrank. A wave of fear passed through him as his huge body split in half.

 Chapter 1372 Two Geniuses

    Faced with the pressure of the skill¡ªthe Destruction of Heaven and Earth, Xavier''s huge body was cut in half, indicating that the battle was about to come to a close.


    Currently, all that remained in Xavier''s soul was fear and despair. The small part of him that wanted to survive had almost been snuffed out, but it was still there. Filled with rage, he roared, "Ricky, you can''t kill me! You can''t! I''m from the Heavenly Black Winged Snake tribe. Not even you can afford to provoke the tribe I belong to. If you kill me, the Five-element Sect that you come from will be destroyed by my family."


    "Is that so? You''re missing one important fact. No one will know that I''m the one who killed you. Besides, the Misty South Palace is in charge of protecting the Five-element Sect for the next fifty years. When that time is up, I will destroy your family," Ricky snapped back in a voice that dripped with confidence.


    When he was done talking, he immediately released the Heaven Illuminating Fire to burn Xavier''s soul into ashes.


    But before it could reach him, another force appeared out of nowhere. It was black and yellow. R


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    gap between my strength and a real two-star middle spiritual emperor''s strength!" Ricky sighed deeply.


    Right now, he was able to disguise his anger and killing intent.


    Without the strength he needed, anger and killing intent would just affect his mind negatively.


    "But why did Chandler leave like that? Why didn''t he kill us all?" Ella asked in confusion.


    "Because there is a genius that he fears nearby," Ricky said.


    Then, he looked to the right and said, "Thank you for your help, sir. Otherwise, I would have lost my life."


    "No problem. When I felt the aura of two geniuses fighting, I had to come and check it out. I never thought I would find the famous white-haired Ricky." Everyone else turned in the direction of the new voice.


    "I saved Ricky''s life. Isn''t that an amazing story to tell?"


    Suddenly, a young, handsome bald monk appeared. He looked a bit chubby.


    In his left hand, there was a wine pot, and in his right hand, he held the roasted leg of a fierce beast.


    "Jedidiah Shang! It''s the monk who drinks wine and eats meat!" Peter and the others cried out when they saw the monk''s face.

 Chapter 1373 The Emperor Intent Tomb

    It turned out that this monk was quite famous.


    Everyone in the central region, the outer region, and the inner region knew his name.


    Out of the ten geniuses in the central region, Jedidiah was number two. To most creatures, the idea of crossing his path was terrifying.


    And he wasn''t just talented. He also had a powerful man backing him. His master was a reclusive demi-spiritual potentate.


    A long time ago, Jedidiah had fought against a genius from a Sage Level force and killed him. Then, masters from that force had been hunting him. There were even some Sage Level masters in that group.


    Jedidiah''s master was forced to take action to protect his disciple. He was an old monk dressed in ragged clothes. He didn''t look very impressive on the surface.


    But he managed to destroy the force in half a day.


    Back at that time, it happened so fast, and the Misty South Palace couldn''t interfere and stop him in time.


    They could have sent powerful warriors to protect the force, but it was too late. The force had been destroyed. Ther


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    ay surpass me. After all, you have seven mutants and you are Paul''s successor!" Jedidiah sighed.


    He did save Ricky because he liked him, but he also did it because he knew how talented Ricky was. He was sure that Ricky would be the strongest warrior one day.


    Anyone would have been willing to do it if it meant they could make friends with a genius that shared their values.


    "From now on, you should call me Worldly Monk, or you can just call me Monk. I like that." Then, Jedidiah took out the wine and meat again and began to eat and drink.


    "Okay. We''ll call you Monk. That''s simpler," Mordechai said with a smile.


    Then, without any more words, they headed for the north of the Passage World.


    "I don''t know if Jasper and Mike have heard the news. Cultivating the Intent Apperception is very important to them, too," Ricky said to the Dragon Intent Grass through telepathy.


    "Don''t worry. Soon, all of the creatures from the continent and the Devil Land in the Passage World will know about this," the Dragon Intent Grass said.

 Chapter 1374 Gathering Of Powerful Warriors

    Just as the Dragon Intent Grass had predicted, news of the appearance of the Emperor Intent Tomb swept through the entire Passage World like wildfire. Within a few hours, all of the creatures from the continent and the devil race knew of it and could be heard discussing it wherever they went.


    The northern parts of the Passage World were soon overrun by creatures from the continent and the devil race.


    Along with such a huge crowd also came bloodshed. Murders and deaths in the northern region increased drastically as one by one, and weaker creatures fell to their demise. Soon, the entire region was filled with nothing but corpses and the metallic smell of fresh blood.


    "So much bloodshed. So many bodies..." Ricky sighed.


    "The entire northern region reeks of blood. I wonder how many deaths have occurred so far. It must be a huge amount," Mordechai remarked.


    "Unfortunately, such cruel bouts of bloodshed are all too common in the Passage World. There''s nothing we can do about it. The devils are always seeking a way to get a hold over our continent," Ella told them.


    "It''s a pity, really. I feel sorry for these creatures. May they rest in peace," Jedidiah prayed sadly. His face had become somber.


    The bloodshed was enormous. And although the battles were


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    dn''t understand how Ricky was so confident.


    It was true that he carried seven mutants with him, which was undoubtedly extraordinary.


    However, he was yet to become a demi-spiritual potentate and at his current level of strength, posed absolutely no threat to the Phoenix tribe.


    In fact, Ricky was very far from becoming a demi-spiritual potentate right now.


    Their banter was interrupted when two demi-saints, one from the continent and one from the devil race walked out of their respective groups.


    On the continent''s behalf was Camden Jin from the Misty South Palace. The entire continent knew about him. He was the number one demi-saint in this Passage World and had guarded it for several years now.


    He looked at the demi-saint from the devil race and said, "Zaiden Ming. The Emperor Intent Tomb has appeared. I hope that you will keep your word and stop all battles in the Passage World."


    "Humph! Although I don''t want to stop, there is nothing I can do nothing about it. The lives of the creatures from the continent are not as important as the Emperor Intent Tomb," Zaiden Ming answered coldly.


    Camden Jin found any response to these insulting words unnecessary and thus, stayed silent. Instead, he turned around to talk to the creatures of the continent.

 Chapter 1375 Meet Again

    "Friends, everything depends on you now. The Emperor Intent Tomb is filled to the brim with opportunities but it is also equally dangerous. What the danger is, I am sure you all understand."


    Camden''s eyes flickered towards the devil race. They were the dangers he was referring to. He continued, "If you are not strong enough to overcome these dangers, please be extra careful."


    On the other hand, the devils were also receiving a pep talk. "You can see that the Emperor Intent Tomb has appeared. Not only is this a great opportunity to cultivate the Intent Apperception, but it also provides a wonderful chance for us to hunt and destroy our enemies. Don''t miss it!" Zaiden told the devils with a bloodthirsty smile.


    His order to kill the creatures of the continent was far less veiled.


    "Looks like there''s about to be enormous bloodshed inside the Emperor Intent Tomb," Ricky said in a light voice.


    "Yes. Even if we avoid the devils inside the Emperor Intent Tomb, they will come for us. The so-called truce we have lasts for a short while outside the Emperor Intent Tomb only," Jedidiah replied.


    "That means we must team up before entering the Emperor Intent Tomb."


    "Will it be a small


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    idiah was with them and nobody wanted to offend him.


    "Looks like having you on our side saves us a lot of trouble, Monk!" Mordechai laughed. "We really should follow you in the future."


    "Ha-ha, I like hearing that." Jedidiah smiled.


    However, his laughter froze midway as everyone suddenly became serious. They could feel a group of powerful warriors coming towards them.


    Ricky felt that two figures in the group were rather familiar.


    "Chandler? Xavier? Are they coming for us?" he murmured.


    What no one noticed was that a very serious expression was visible on Jedidiah''s face.


    Swish! Swish! Swish!


    Soon, about a dozen figures landed around them with Chandler and Xavier in the lead. Chandler was looking at Ricky with an indifferent expression, although there was a murderous smile on the corner of his mouth. Xavier, on the other hand, had incomparable gloom on his face.


    "Looks like we have no choice but to settle our accounts once and for all," Ricky said coldly.


    However, Jedidiah''s eyes were not fixed on Chandler or Xavier at the moment. Instead, he was looking at a young man clad entirely in white who was standing beside the duo.


    Jedidiah looked deathly serious.

 Chapter 1376 Miller Lu

    "Why do I keep seeing you everywhere, man? It''s so freaking annoying," Ricky muttered snidely as he glared at Chandler. He didn''t even spare a glance in Xavier''s direction.


    As for the young man in white that had caught Jedidiah''s attention, Ricky could tell with his several spaces that this man wasn''t as simple as he looked. He also had the same feeling regarding the black-clad young man next to Chandler. These people were undoubtedly much stronger than they appeared to be.


    The young man in black was also emitting an aura eerily identical to Chandler''s, which indicated that he also came from the Nether Phoenix tribe.


    "Since you don''t know your strength and insist on going above your station, I''m going to teach you a lesson you''ll never forget, Ricky!" Chandler declared with an ugly sneer. "Honestly, your talent is nothing to sneeze at, and you are truly qualified to become a supreme master in the future.


    Unfortunately, your arrogance has led to your downfall, and you have offended the Phoenix tribe and our noble son, Lanny."


    "And I already told you I don''t care about your so-called noble son. I''ll beat hi


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    " Miller Lu remarked upon hearing Ricky''s words. "All right, I''ll hold back and let Monk buy more time for you to escape."


    "Ha-ha, thank you so much, Miller," Ricky answered happily, glad that the other man seemed agreeable.


    "You''re lucky that Miller doesn''t like the Phoenix tribe, either. Otherwise, he wouldn''t try to buy more time for you," the Dragon Intent Grass remarked.


    "Even as a devil, I''ve heard about the Phoenix tribe''s arrogance and cruelty, so I''m not surprised that he dislikes them," the Evil Mandragora chimed in thoughtfully.


    "But, Miller, I didn''t say that I wanted to escape," Ricky said once his laughter died down, and his tone grew somber as a grave.


    When Miller Lu heard Ricky''s words, he was stunned.


    He couldn''t believe that Ricky intended to fight against them, seeing as he didn''t have the strength to do so. After all, Chandler had almost killed him last time, and he would have died if not for Jedidiah. That was why Chandler asked him to deal with Jedidiah.


    The next moment, Ricky walked up to Chandler fearlessly and declared, "Now, it''s time for you to pay for Lanny''s sins!"

 Chapter 1377 Make Progress Every Day

    Everyone around Ricky gasped again. They couldn''t believe what he was saying.


    He could say that he wanted to kill Lanny all he wanted. Lanny was not there, after all.


    But Chandler was right in front of him. Chandler was not as powerful as Lanny. That was why Lanny used him to do his dirty work. But everyone knew that Ricky was weaker than Chandler because he had been defeated in one move by Chandler a month ago.


    Therefore, they thought that Ricky would have chosen to run away instead of challenging Chandler.


    But now, it seemed like Ricky didn''t just want to fight against Chandler. He wanted to kill him. All the people present kept shaking their heads. They thought that Ricky had lost his mind.


    "Oh no! Don''t start overestimating yourself now, brat!" Xavier said while he glared at Ricky.


    He hated working for Chandler, but he had to repay Chandler for saving his life.


    He wasn''t as foolish as Ricky. He knew not to play any tricks on Chandler or challenge him because Chandler had the Nether Phoenix tribe and the Phoenix tribe supporting him.


    And why would he go against Chandler? After all, they shared an enemy, and currently, Xavier was not strong enough to take Ricky down on his own


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    it was not suitable for a warrior to break through in the Passage World.


    Chandler could tell that Ricky had not consumed Treasures from Heaven and Earth or pills to break through from the way he had consolidated his aura.


    Last time, he had let Ricky go because Jedidiah had appeared. He figured that he could ask Miller for help after and that they could attack Ricky together.


    But now, he regretted his decision. If he had known that things would turn out the way that they had, he would not have left back at that time. Instead, he would have sent a message to Miller and asked him to come as soon as possible.


    ''Damn it! What happened to him over the past month? How did he make so much progress?'' Chandler thought, clenching his fists.


    "Chandler, in order to avoid any more accidents, let''s fight Ricky together," Matthias told him through telepathy.


    Then, he informed Xavier of his plan.


    When they saw that Matthias and Xavier were about to make a move, Mordechai and the others stepped forward to stop them from helping Chandler.


    "Chandler, don''t play nice. If you want to kill me, show me all of your strength," Ricky taunted as he stretched out his finger and pointed it at Chandler.

 Chapter 1378 The Nether Fire

    "Ha-ha!" Suddenly, Chandler threw his head back and laughed.


    Then, the dark-yellow Light Apperception on the surface of his body started to burn. Beneath it, a new power appeared, gushing out all around him. It was the real nether power.


    Nether power was a type of dark power that could turn into flames and burn, but it felt ice cold to the touch.


    "Fine. If that''s what you want, I''ll show you my real strength!" Chandler roared, baring his teeth as he glared at Ricky.


    "He''s going to use the nether power?" Ricky murmured to himself. Seconds later, grey power surged out of his body. It was the chaotic power. It merged with the powers of the seven mutants and it prepared to confront the nether power.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    At the same time, Mordechai and the others started fighting with Matthias and their other enemies, trying to keep them from joining Chandler and attacking Ricky.


    In the distance, Jedidiah and Miller were sitting back and watching the battle unfold. They weren''t fighting against each other.


    When Chandler noticed that Miller wasn''t helping him in the fight, anger ripped through him, but he couldn''t do anything about it. Miller


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    mutants, after all," Jedidiah said. "Do you think we could be his opponents if we are at the same level?"


    "I don''t think so. Can''t you feel it? All of his mutants are top mutants. How else would he be able to control the sacred fires and peculiar fires?" Miller replied, shaking his head.


    "Damn it!" Chandler cursed, retreating as fast as he could.


    His Nether Fire was strong, but that didn''t matter. There were too many sacred fires and peculiar fires for it to block.


    When Ricky saw Chandler trying to retreat, he shook his head and activated the Space-shrinking Pace. Then, he sent his flaming lotus after his enemy. A few seconds later, Chandler was unable to dodge the attacks any longer.


    Chandler stopped retreating and yelled over his shoulder, "Nether Ice Shield!"


    His hands danced in the air, creating an array. Slowly, the Nether Fire merged with the nether power and turned into ice, forming a huge shield around his body.


    "Suppress!"


    Ricky roared, and the flaming lotus instantly descended, slamming into the ice shield that was around Chandler.


    "Fire Dragon Extremity!"


    At this moment, Ricky activated the Fire Dragon Extremity.

 Chapter 1379 Netherworld Ice Claw

    Boom! Boom!


    The extreme heat of the Fire Dragon Extremity, combined with Ricky''s sacred fires and peculiar fires, gave Ricky immense power. His flaming lotus'' power reached its peak. The nether ice evolved from Chandler''s Nether Fire began melting and breaking inch by inch. Finally, it shattered with a sonorous crash and the flaming lotus submerged Chandler in an instant.


    "Looks like he''s going to lose," the Dragon Intent Grass remarked.


    "Impossible! He hasn''t shown his beast form yet. Something''s up," Ricky said.


    Chandler, Jedidiah, and Miller were comparable in terms of strength. Ricky was certain that victory wasn''t going to be so easy.


    Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!


    As soon as he finished his words, his burning flames started to freeze over. Black-yellow ice covered the flames like a layer of wax, quickly diminishing his sacred fires and peculiar fires as well as the Fire Dragon Extremity.


    Luckily, this frozen state did not last for long.


    However, it was enough to afford Chandler an opportunity, which he rapidly claimed. Within the blink of an eye, he quickly retreated out of Ricky''s attacking range, condensed the ultimate ice once more, and launched another attack on


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    pear in huge quantities. As the fire dissipated, nothing but the netherworld coldness was left behind. The cold power continued to flow towards the claw as it approached Ricky.


    Ricky knew he had to defend himself instantly and thus, without hesitation, he activated the Time Seal between his eyebrows.


    The chaotic power, chromatic energy, and every single ounce of power in his body gushed out. All his fires and the Fire Dragon Extremity condensed once more and surrounded him to protect him.


    "Time Seal!"


    This time, the Time Seal was slightly different than before. This time, the chaotic fire power dominated it, followed by the power of time.


    Using the chaotic fire power was the most effective way of dealing with the extreme ice.


    The Time Seal grew as big as the phoenix''s black-yellow claw and collided with it.


    Ricky and Chandler were hardly visible anymore. Their bodies had morphed into their respective Omnipotent Skills.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Large explosions ensued and air waves swept over the area. The fierce power of either side collided and intertwined and for a second, there was a deadly and eerie silence. The dust would soon dissipate and the result of the battle would be visible.

 Chapter 1380 The Time-accelerating Skill

    The giant seal and the huge, sharp claw collided repeatedly in the air for all the bystanders to see. Strong air waves were produced from the impact, turning everything near them into dust.


    "If they don''t use their best abilities to the fullest, there''s a chance that neither of them will emerge victorious, just like our fight. Who do you think will win?" Miller asked Jedidiah.


    "I think that Ricky will be the winner. Chandler fights aggressively, but Ricky has more to fight for. He''s protective and ambitious. I have a deep understanding of Buddhism, so I am a good judge of character. From the moment I met him, I knew that he is a promising young warrior. Why else would I have bought him drinks?"


    Jedidiah replied.


    "Is that so? Well then, it''s an honor that I was the first person that you bought a drink," Miller said, laughing loudly.


    "If I had met Ricky earlier, you might have been the second one," Jedidiah responded, smiling back at him.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    When the energy that had been caused by their attacks dissipated, Ricky and Chandler clashed with each other. They performed several Omnipotent Skills, creating power and energy that spread until it filled the whole area.


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    with the same fate as Chandler if they had fought Ricky without knowing about his real strength.


    After a long time, Miller broke the eerie silence. "What was that?" he asked, frowning.


    "I don''t know, but it must have been related to the power of time. Only the time power could do that," Jedidiah replied, still shaking his head from the shock.


    Chandler had accepted that he would die no matter what he did. So, he decided not to resist. He closed his eyes and asked, "What did you do to me?"


    "I used the Omnipotent Skill of my Time Mutant, Time-accelerating Skill! When I activate it, the only creatures that can see me are the ones that are more powerful than I am.


    It makes the time around me go faster, which transports me into the future. That means that you can''t sense me or hurt me," Ricky explained.


    "Time-accelerating Skill? This is not fair. If I had known that you had mastered that, I wouldn''t have ended up like this," Chandler growled.


    "That''s true. If you had known that I had learned this move, you might not have lost to me. But the fact is that you were clueless. I told you that I would make you pay the price for what Lanny did to me," Ricky replied indifferently.

 Chapter 1381 Rickys Resolve

    Ricky comprehended the Time-accelerating Skill from his Time Zone. It was a time-related Omnipotent Skill that was opposite to the skill of Travel Back Through Time.


    Of course, he could only master the Time-accelerating Skill because he had a deep understanding of time. The Eternal Time Scripture also helped him to turn his physical body and attacks invisible using the skill of Travel Back Through Time or the Time-accelerating Skill.


    With these two skills, he could travel to the past or the future.


    Hence, Chandler''s attacks didn''t even hurt him one bit.


    His time power wouldn''t have worked on any other opponent that was far stronger than him, but, thankfully, he and Chandler were on par with each other.


    Chandler didn''t overestimate himself. If he could foretell Ricky''s moves, Ricky would have found it difficult to overcome him.


    The only hope Ricky had for winning against his opponent was through stealth, which was exactly what he did. After all, no one would have expected him to have mastered such an incredible Omnipotent Skill.


    It didn''t even enter their minds that any creature could master the Omnipotent Skill that Ricky had mastered.


    "Oh, really?" Chandler let out a mock


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    s no match against Mordechai in this situation!


    Flustered, Xavier immediately stopped fighting and fell to his knees, begging for his life.


    But Ricky had no plans of letting him go.


    "This guy doesn''t have a mutant, but his body is certainly strong. He can even stand firm against my Buddhist Body," remarked Jedidiah as he sized Mordechai up. He was curious about Mordechai''s Sorcerous Combat Body and eager to see it in action.


    "Have you heard of the Desolate Sorcery tribe?" asked Ricky.


    Of course, Jedidiah recognized the words, and his eyes narrowed in astonishment. "So he is from the Desolate Sorcery tribe! Then, that must be the strongest body in the world¡ªthe Sorcerous Combat Body!


    Who could have known he is freakishly strong too?" he exclaimed as he gaped at Mordechai in awe.


    He was familiar with the Desolate Sorcery tribe and the Sorcerous Combat Body.


    Before long, Mordechai fulfilled his promise to Ricky and tore off Xavier''s head without hesitation. He threw it at Ricky with a knowing look.


    Then, he withdrew his power and landed in front of Ricky. "Here, this is what you wanted, right? Take it," he urged the other man, as a satisfied grin brightened his face.

 Chapter 1382 Mysterious Power

    "Mordechai, why would I want this head? Its best use is as a piss pot. But a Heavenly Black Winged Snake''s head, on the other hand, is too big for that," Ricky said with a smile. Then, he released a flame of his sacred fire and burned Xavier''s head.


    "Now that that''s settled, let''s go to another space and get some rest!" he added.


    They all nodded their heads. Then, Ricky and his companions headed for another yellow space to find a spot to relax and recuperate.


    It took them half a day to find the perfect place. By that time, the news that Ricky had eliminated Chandler and Xavier had spread throughout the entire Emperor Intent Tomb. Almost all of the creatures that had entered the Passage World were talking about it.


    And not one of the discussions wasn''t heated.


    "It-it can''t be true. Chandler is not one of the ten top geniuses in the central region, but he is just slightly weaker than Miller and Jedidiah."


    "I also don''t believe it. If it weren''t for the fact that Chandler wanted to join the Phoenix tribe and his bad reputation, he could have ranked third out of the top ten talented warriors in the cen


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    s companions started walking in the direction of the mysterious power. The other warriors that were in the Emperor Intent Tomb also headed towards it.


    It didn''t matter if they were from the devil race or the continent; everyone felt the amazing waves that were radiating off of the new power.


    Finally, Ricky laid his eyes on a huge, cocoon-shaped space. The mysterious power was coming from the inside of it.


    The surface of the space was grey, and five colors were penetrating through the space.


    They perfectly resembled the chromatic energy''s colors.


    As Ricky got closer, the chromatic energy in his body surged and had a stronger resonance with the space. Whatever was inside the cocoon-shaped space was calling him towards it like a siren in the sea.


    ''Wow! Maybe I really will solve the mystery of the chromatic energy here, '' Ricky thought excitedly.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Filled with curiosity and greed, some of the creatures from the continent and the devil race dashed towards the cocoon-shaped space. But before they could set foot in it, they were sent flying backwards by the mysterious power.

 Chapter 1383 Ancestral Spirit

    Right now, no one was fighting, not even the devils. Everyone was standing and gazing excitedly as their eyes beheld the warriors who had been thrown backwards.


    Wherever restrictions went, opportunities followed. Usually, only places with invaluable treasures inside them had restricted entry.


    "Step back, everyone," Camden ordered the creatures of the continents.


    His order carried weight. The warriors from the continent nodded and instantly retreated a few steps away from the devils as well as the cocoon space.


    The latter seemed like an amazing prospect. However, they needed to be on guard against a sudden attack by the devils.


    "Listen. I have a feeling that the suppressive force of this giant cocoon space won''t stop me since I have the chromatic energy," Ricky murmured to the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "I have a feeling there is danger inside.


    But that isn''t going to stop you, is it?" the Dragon Intent Grass responded in a chiding tone. It knew that Ricky was going to step inside despite its warnings.


    "Nope. Not only must there be valuable treasures inside


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    the dark part.


    What about the Heavenly Ancestral God that mutant mentioned? Have you heard of him?" Ricky asked again.


    "No!" came the simple response.


    They had no recollection of hearing this name ever before.


    "I think we''ll need to consult some sect files and ancient books once we leave this place," Ricky murmured.


    "Who''s there?" At that moment, the Black and White Mutant suddenly turned towards the direction of the Massacring Zone and demanded in a powerful tone. He also blasted a ball out of the two kinds of ancestral spirit and blasted it towards Ricky.


    The latter dodged quickly.


    But there was no doubt that the mutant had found him.


    "How is that possible? How did he find me?" Ricky asked in disbelief.


    Inside the Massacring Zone, even masters at the Potentate Level couldn''t find him.


    Despite the mutant''s origin, he didn''t seem even as strong as a two-star middle spiritual emperor.


    When his attack missed the target, the mutant gradually walked over towards the Massacring Zone.


    "Come out!" he roared in a voice full of shock and power.

 Chapter 1384 You Are Ricky Nan

    Apparently the black and white mutant had fallen into a state of shock. He looked around but he couldn''t spot anyone else in the area. He initially thought that nothing in the world could escape him, but it turned out that he was wrong.


    "Stay hidden. He might have sensed your presence, but he can''t catch you as long as you stay here. There''s a chance that he is weaker than you are, but this is his place.


    After all, how else could he have made the demi-saints go mad?" the Dragon Intent Grass told Ricky.


    "But retreating like this is cowardly. Moreover, I want to save those demi-saints. After all, they are from the continent," Ricky said, frowning.


    "Brat, this is not the time for you to be a hero. If you go out there, you will end up in the same condition as those demi-saints," the Dragon Intent Grass explained.


    "Ricky, he''s right. Don''t take any risks. This black and white creature is strange. I can''t sense his life power, but he is intelligent and he has power," the Evil Mandragora added.


    "But I''m not like the demi-saints. I have the ancestral energy," Ricky pointed out.


    Immediately after, Rick


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    it, he knew things about you," the Dragon Intent Grass responded.


    ''Who the hell is this guy?'' Ricky thought, frowning.


    "Who are you?" Ricky growled again.


    "I told you before. You are not qualified enough to know me. But you''ve surprised me. And I''m more excited to see you. I was looking for you," the black and white mutant replied, rubbing his hands together.


    "Don''t let excitement get the best of you. I will terminate you," Ricky replied, clenching his fists.


    The situation was not ideal.


    The enemy knew everything about him, but he knew nothing about the enemy.


    Ricky gathered the chromatic ancestral energy and morphed it into a fist. Then, he activated the Space-shrinking Pace. Dashing forward, he aimed for the black and white mutant''s chest.


    Seeing Ricky''s powerful punch coming, the black and white mutant also formed a fist using the dark and bright ancestral spirit.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    In midair, both fists collided, sending air waves in every direction. Ripples of power crashed against Ricky and the black and white mutant.


    Immediately, both of them were forced to step backwards.

 Chapter 1385 A Genius Even More Talented Than Ricky

    Thump! Thump!


    A crack rang out as the space broke. Ricky and the black and white mutant left deep marks on the ground. The marks that were left by Ricky were longer than the mutant''s.


    Ricky''s eyes widened.


    With the level of strength he was currently at, no living being at the level of a one-star middle spiritual emperor could defeat him. He had seven mutants, chaotic power, and the power of ancestral spirit and he could use them all at once. He was also still able to challenge someone who was above his level.


    Generally speaking, even if other middle spiritual emperors had been incredible demi-spiritual emperors, it was still impossible for them to challenge warriors who were above their level. This again, illustrated how talented and powerful Ricky was.


    Ricky had the power of a one-star middle spiritual emperor at peak state, making him the strongest one-star middle spiritual emperor in existence.


    But now, he was discovering that the realm of the black and white mutant was slightly lower than his own, but their strength was equal. Of course Ricky was shocked.


    The black and white mutant might be a mere mutant, but Ricky had the feeling that it was a creature that had its own consciousness.


    "


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    mutant was stronger than him talent-wise.


    Whoever owned the black and white mutant was better than him.


    Since the moment his regained spiritual meridian had opened up several spaces and he had cultivated the chaotic power, Ricky believed he was the strongest. But now, he had to admit to himself that he had been wrong.


    "You are scared, aren''t you?" the black and white mutant taunted, looking at Ricky.


    "I might be," Ricky admitted. "But fear will only make me stronger."


    "Really? Do you have other Omnipotent Skills? Let''s see you use them!" The black and white mutant threw back his head and laughed towards the sky.


    Ricky scowled. The black and white mutant was teasing him and he wasn''t going to take that sitting down.


    "I won''t hold back," Ricky replied coldly.


    Then, his power started to shine again. The mutant mark between his eyebrows glowed as bright as it could.


    At the same time, the two Omnipotent Skills related to time appeared around the black and white mutant again, and richer chromatic ancestral spirit wrapped around them, leaving no spaces bare.


    "Time-disorganizing Skill!"


    Ricky roared as he activated the skill recorded in the Eternal Time Scripture as much as he could.

 Chapter 1386 The Opportunity

    "Time-disorganizing Skill!"


    Ricky released another stronger Omnipotent Skill that he had comprehended from the Time Zone and Paul''s inheritance.


    The Time-disorganizing Skill was an Omnipotent Skill made up of the skill¡ªTravel Back Through Time, and the Time-accelerating Skill. It was to be able to distort the time of any space forming an assortment of time periods.


    When Ricky used it, it could turn everything in the space he was standing in into countless time periods.


    Ricky lifted his arms, allowing the chromatic ancestral spirit to coat the skill of Travel Back Through Time and the Time-accelerating Skill again. Then, both of the Omnipotent Skills merged, causing Ricky''s chaotic power to gush out.


    The chaotic power helped the Time-disorganizing Skill to become even stronger.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    When Ricky opened his eyes, he saw that the space where the black and white mutant had been standing, the mutant himself, and the moves he had used were broken into pieces.


    And it was not an ordinary shattering.


    Instead of them being in the same space, they were all in separate time periods.


    It was the most complet


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    my slave, you can live and you will be able to crush all of the holy beings you meet in the future. You will even be able to ignore the omnipotent heavenly law."


    When they heard that, Ricky, the Evil Mandragora, and the Dragon Intent Grass were all shocked.


    Who was this black and white mutant? No one was brave enough to look down upon the heavenly law! But it seemed that this mutant was!


    "Ricky, hurry up and enter the Massacring Zone. You''re almost as strong as this mutant, but his essences are superior to yours. You can''t defeat him," the Dragon Intent Grass warned. Ricky''s safety was the most important thing to them.


    "I know, Dragon Intent Grass. My chromatic ancestral spirit is not at the same level as the mutant''s, as well as the ancestral spirit in this space," Ricky replied.


    "But if I keep fighting, I think I can learn more about chromatic ancestral spirit."


    "What''s your answer, human? Are you going to surrender to me?" the black and white mutant repeated.


    Meanwhile, he thought to himself, ''Heavenly Ancestral God, if the human who has obtained your strength chooses to submit to me, how angry will you be?''

 Chapter 1387 Bright Ancestral Spirit

    "No. I''m going to kill you!" Ricky roared as he finally stood up straight. He wiped away the blood that was smeared on the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.


    The black and white mutant burst into laughter. "Well, that''s a pity! The truth is, I love talents very much, and you are a genius if I''ve ever seen one, but unfortunately..."


    As he spoke, the mutant summoned the skill¡ªOrigin of All Things in front of himself again.


    ''My success in this fight is riding on this next move!'' Ricky thought, feeling determined.


    With his hands at his sides, he created a large seal and turned it into a Flesh Replication.


    ''From what I already know, this place can''t accommodate the Shadowy Replication, but it should be able to accommodate the Flesh Replication, '' Ricky thought. After all, the Flesh Replication was not an illusory creature. It was independent.


    The only problem was that Ricky''s cultivation didn''t run deep enough. Otherwise, the Flesh Replication that he had cultivated would also have its own independent psychic intelligence, making it easier to activate and fight.


    "Oh?" When the black and white mutant saw Ricky''s Flesh Replication come into view, his mouth gaped open slightly. However, his shock didn''t


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    en.


    Of course, that is under the premise that you won''t die before that time. After all, I''m watching you grow and it scares me in the meantime. I will have to send my subordinates to chase you and try to kill you to protect myself."


    "Your subordinates? Do you mean the owners of the evil mutants?" Ricky asked coldly.


    "I have a lot of subordinates." The black and white mutant laughed.


    Without waiting for Ricky''s response, he started to fade away.


    Analyzing the black and white mutant''s tone, Ricky knew that the mutant was just a little surprised at his comprehension of the bright ancestral spirit. The black and white mutant felt zero frustration towards it.


    The real body of the mutant had to be an unbelievably powerful person. The owner didn''t show any anger or fear when he was defeated by a middle spiritual emperor like him. He knew that the owner was very determined to win the final battle.


    ''That mutant has some strong will! It lacks joy, anger, and sadness. It is completely unaffected, '' Ricky thought. ''The real body of the black and white mutant is my ultimate enemy.''


    Suddenly, the fragments and the spirit of the mysterious axe in Ricky''s Soul Sea shook violently as if anger ripped through the axe.

 Chapter 1388 A Core Disciple Of The Misty South Palace

    ''That''s strange. Why is the mysterious axe acting up? Is it angry? Was it broken by the owner of the black and white mutant?'' Ricky wondered when he felt the anger of the mysterious axe towards the black and white mutant rearing up inside of him.


    Because he and the mysterious axe were already one, they shared emotions. Ricky felt its anger like it was his own.


    However, he had to suppress both sources of the anger.


    If the black and white mutant found out that he had the mysterious axe in his body, he would try everything he could to destroy Ricky, even if that meant sacrificing himself.


    The black and white mutant had methods of getting rid of Ricky, so Ricky had to tread carefully.


    "Can you tell me one thing before you leave?" Ricky asked, staring at the faint outline of the black and white mutant.


    "I have acknowledged your talent, and I''m willing to answer your questions. But whether or not I will answer them depends entirely on my mood," the black and white mutant replied, laughing deeply.


    "Did your owner take the bodies of the Blue Water Mutant and the Dark Land Blood Mutant away?" Ricky asked.


    "Yes," the black


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    e.


    "I don''t know, Ricky. I don''t think those forces will let you become a core disciple of the Misty South Palace that easily. They will accuse you of cheating to get an arm of a demi-saint from the devil race," the Dragon Intent Grass pointed out.


    "Of course they will, but I have to try," Ricky replied. "That''s not important. What matters is the decision of the First Deputy Chief of the Misty South Palace.


    If he agrees, then I''ll become a core disciple. If he refuses, then I won''t be able to do that, not even if I killed a demi-saint from the devil race."


    "You seem to have put a lot of thought into this problem." The Dragon Intent Grass smiled and continued, "According to the way that the First Deputy Chief feels about you, he will be on your side.


    That means that you are going to be a core disciple."


    "Yes. But not right now," Ricky said. "Next, I will continue to absorb the bright ancestral spirit here. Before the Emperor Intent Tomb disappears, I need to get as much of it as I can."


    Saying no more, Ricky sat down with his legs crossed and opened the Devourer Zone to absorb more of the bright ancestral spirit.

 Chapter 1389 The Improvement Of The Ancestral Intent Formula

    The appearance of the mysterious space in the Emperor Intent Tomb attracted the attention of the powerful devils and warriors from the continent. But since the Sage Level masters couldn''t enter the Emperor Intent Tomb, they had to let it go.


    Now, the devil race was feeling enraged.


    They had heard the news that all of the devils who had entered the Emperor Intent Tomb had been wiped out.


    The number of warriors and demi-saints that had died didn''t matter. What the devil race cared about was their pride. The deaths of so many of their members could discredit them.


    So the angry devils resorted to threats. They swore that they would get their revenge once the Passage World had completely opened.


    As the storm subsided, signs that the Emperor Intent Tomb was going to disappear cropped up. All of the warriors that were in the Emperor Intent Tomb had to hurry if they wanted to obtain the Intent Spirits and improve their Intent Apperception.


    Meanwhile, Ricky''s Flesh Replication followed Jedidiah and the others to find more Intent Spirits.


    Groups of warriors chased after Ricky, but none of them actually tried to attack him. They knew that Ricky was not weak and that Jedidiah was still with him. As a


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    al spirit, Ricky''s perception was higher. It allowed him to guess at the progress his companions had made. He thought that Jedidiah now had the power of a two-star middle spiritual emperor at peak state, and that Mordechai, Jasper, Mike, Peter, Claire, and the others had also broken through to two-star middle spiritual emperors.


    Ella was left behind slightly. She was a one-star middle spiritual emperor at peak state.


    However, that was expected. After all, her blood power was weaker than that of the others.


    Ricky respected and cared for his companions, so he gave some of the Massacring Fire to Ella, hoping that with her Fire Mutant, her strength could be further improved.


    Then, the two years spent hunting and fighting against the devil race in the Passage World came to an end.


    Another benefit that the warriors had gained while they were in the Passage World was their understanding of the amount of cruelty it took to fight with the devil race. When the devil race met the creatures from the continent, they showed no mercy and slaughtered everyone.


    The only way of surviving was to make the devil race fearful.


    Otherwise, the devils would eat one''s entire body and use it as their nutrition.

 Chapter 1390 People From The Phoenix Tribe

    After the selection, all of the disciples returned to the Third Sheol City.


    Nearly thirty thousand disciples had entered the selection, but only around twenty thousand of them were currently standing in the huge square. The rest had died in the Passage World.


    Gradually, all of the saints from all the forces in the Third Sheol City arrived.


    Ricky watched everyone around him. When he looked up, he saw the First Deputy Chief and Wally in the sky.


    "Ricky, killing Chandler from the Nether Phoenix tribe is a big thing!" Wally said through telepathy as he stared down at Ricky. "Chandler was the strongest talent in the Nether Phoenix tribe and he was valued by the elders of the Great Phoenix tribe.


    And there''s no doubt you know that he was also one of Lanny''s most important subordinates."


    "Sir, why are you telling me this? Did the Phoenix tribe send people here to avenge Chandler?" Ricky asked through telepathy.


    "Yes. And it''s bad. They''ve sent an elder at the Sage Level," Wally answered. "I think they are trying to take you away and steal Paul''s inheritance using Chandler''s death as the excuse."


    "Sir, please help me!" Ricky begged, feeling


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    s behind Miller. It is strong, but it is nothing compared to the Phoenix tribe," Ricky said. "I don''t want the Lu Clan to become enemies of the Phoenix tribe because of me.


    Besides, I don''t want to owe Miller anything."


    "So you think that the First Deputy Chief will help you?" Jedidiah asked after he heard what Ricky said.


    "I''m afraid I don''t know what the First Deputy Chief is thinking, but I know how to make the Phoenix tribe speechless," Ricky replied with a smile.


    "Oh? Really?" Jedidiah tilted his head curiously.


    "Just wait and see!" Ricky added, smiling even wider.


    "Matthias, you''re saying that I killed Chandler to take the devils'' arms that he had gathered. Okay. Then tell me, how many arms did I take from him?" Ricky asked.


    Matthias smiled. Then, he said, "Over twenty arms that belonged to middle spiritual emperors from the devil race, and over a hundred arms that belonged to lower spiritual emperors."


    "Are you sure about this?" Ricky asked with a smile.


    "I''m one hundred percent sure," Matthias replied.


    However, Matthias lowered his eyebrows. He didn''t understand what Ricky had meant by asking him such a question.

 Chapter 1391 The First One In History

    Matthias, the First Deputy Chief, Muhammad and the others were unable to figure out what Ricky was trying to say. There was no conclusive evidence that Ricky hadn''t taken the arms of the devils from Chandler. Even the number of these arms wasn''t proof enough.


    "I think everyone clearly heard what Matthias claimed about the arms I took from Chandler. Further, we all know that it takes at least ten thousand points to become a core disciple of the Misty South Palace," Ricky looked around and remarked in a loud voice that resonated everywhere.


    It was true that his current strength could not threaten or scare the Phoenix tribe. However, he wanted to humiliate them today.


    "Yes, we all know that," a warrior echoed.


    "And yet, I am going to be able to become a core disciple of the Misty South Palace without the need of any points. Tell me, why would I need to take the devils'' arms from Chandler then?" Ricky asked arrogantly as he eyed the creatures from the Phoenix tribe.


    Silence fell as soon as he asked the question. An intense discussion followed afterwards.


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    to ever get a demi-saint''s arm and also the first one ever to dare and embarrass the Phoenix tribe. And he did in front of the Phoenix tribe''s elder, who is at the Sage Level."


    "Even masters of the Misty South Palace wouldn''t dare to curse the Phoenix tribe like that!"


    "This was great, but he is going to face their ire now."


    "Who cares? I don''t think the Misty South Palace will let such a genius slip. By rule, Ricky has already become their core disciple. I think they will protect him."


    "Young man, that was eloquent and daring." Muhammad finally opened his mouth and spoke coldly. "But whoever insults and slanders our Phoenix tribe will come to no good end."


    And he made a move.


    The Phoenix tribe was arrogant and Ricky''s insults had stolen his logic and reason. Besides, the Phoenix tribe didn''t need to explain their actions since they were strong enough to be arrogant and domineering without worries.


    Unfortunately, Muhammad had forgotten that this was the territory of the Misty South Palace, and that Ricky had already become their core disciple.

 Chapter 1392 Twenty Years

    The First Deputy Chief had been planning to protect Ricky the whole time. Now that Ricky had become a core disciple of the Misty South Palace, it made more sense to look after him.


    So when Muhammad raised his hands and launched another attack, the First Deputy Chief leapt in front of Ricky. He condensed his power, creating a large defensive shield and completely dissolving Muhammad''s attack.


    Then, the First Deputy Chief spat, "My friend, this young man is a core disciple of our Misty South Palace now that he has finished that rule. If you attack him, you will be attacking the Misty South Palace."


    "First Deputy Chief, do you really believe that a demi-spiritual emperor like him can kill a demi-saint from the devil race?" Muhammad snapped back, glaring at the First Deputy Chief as he continued to stand in front of Ricky.


    The anger inside of him could no longer be contained. His aura burst forth so powerfully that it could have pierced through the sky.


    "Sir, he''s right. I''m not strong enough to kill a demi-saint, but a demi-saint who was dying and seriously injured is a different story," Ricky replied in


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    to become a saint in twenty years."


    "It looks like Ricky is still arrogant!"


    "Twenty years?" the First Deputy Chief and Wally said through their telepathic links, looking at each other helplessly.


    Even they thought that Ricky was being arrogant at that moment.


    They were expecting Ricky to say one hundred or two hundred years from now, but he had said twenty years.


    Going from a middle spiritual emperor to a saint in twenty years was almost impossible. In the past, not even an incredible demi-spiritual emperor could do it.


    "Twenty years? This brat is still talking big. Sir, I think we should wait for the twenty years to expire. After all, the Misty South Palace won''t let us take him away now," Liam Feng then suggested.


    "Besides, he won''t always be within the territory of the Misty South Palace."


    "Yes. We have to retreat. Because of this, our Phoenix tribe has lost face. The blame is all on the Misty South Palace," Muhammad replied.


    "Twenty years? Okay! You''ve stated your terms. When the time comes, don''t try to say that our Phoenix tribe is bullying you," Liam Feng then said to Ricky.

 Chapter 1393 Meet Otis Again

    "This is the Third Sheol City and it is filled with powerful figures. You can consider them my witness when I say that I will keep my word. In twenty years, I will visit the Phoenix tribe and settle the accounts with you," Ricky promised with a murderous look.


    "And one more thing. Please tell your noble son, Lanny, that I am going to trample him under my feet when we meet again."


    His words were so arrogant.


    The entire square of the Third Sheol City erupted into a heavily heated discussion as soon as Ricky''s words fell on their ears.


    "How arrogant!"


    "Ignorant too!"


    Even warriors who had been highly supportive of Ricky till now were thinking that this guy was being overly offensive.


    Promising to fight and trample Lanny in twenty years was a highly arrogant move.


    And to top it all off, Ricky had declared his malicious intentions about the noble son of the Phoenix tribe in front of their elder. Arrogance and ignorance were perhaps the simplest of traits to be attached to Ricky right now.


    "Wally, isn''t he being too arrogant?" the First Deputy Chief asked telepathically.


    "Maybe. But don''t you think his arrogance is much


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    t he wanted to bring Ricky to meet someone.


    The First Deputy Chief brought Ricky to the palace, where they saw Otis once more.


    "Sir!" Ricky greeted the man respectfully.


    His admiration and respect for this man were natural. Otis was the strongest of all the warriors.


    "Ever since the Misty South Palace has allowed people to become core disciples by killing a demi-saint from the devil race, you were the first one to ever do it. Perhaps you will also be the last one ever. It appears that I wasn''t wrong about you," Otis said appreciatively.


    "I was just lucky," Ricky smiled. "Otherwise, killing a demi-saint from the devil race would be impossible for me."


    "You are still very modest," the First Deputy Chief commented with a smiling face.


    "Regardless of whether you were lucky or powerful enough to kill a demi-saint, you have done it. You have become famous in a short while, partly because of your strength..." At this point, Otis chuckled. "But mostly because of your arrogance.


    Challenging the Phoenix tribe was a pretty ballsy move."


    "Sir, please don''t make fun of me. I know I was a bit arrogant," Ricky said awkwardly.

 Chapter 1394 The Next Lord

    "Make fun of you? No, no, no. I am praising you. I can tell that you are not that arrogant. You are confident," Otis said. "I am a man that appreciates confidence.


    I want to take you somewhere and show you some secrets."


    "Lord, do you really want to..." The First Deputy Chief''s voice trailed off. He couldn''t believe what Otis was offering.


    Ricky looked back and forth between the First Deputy Chief and Otis. He didn''t know what was going on.


    "Of course. You know how long I''ve been waiting for this moment," Otis replied, looking at the First Deputy Chief with serious eyes.


    "I know... I''m just a little shocked," the First Deputy Chief said.


    "That''s fine. Please make the arrangements," Otis replied.


    "I would, but I''m afraid that those men are not willing to do that. After all..." The First Deputy Chief stopped talking and looked at Ricky helplessly.


    "Tell them I''m begging them!" Otis demanded.


    "Ricky, why do I get the feeling they''re talking about something related to you?" the Evil Mandragora said.


    "It


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    o take the position before he was qualified, and it would take him a long time to be qualified.


    "I brought you here with me. You have no reason to refuse," Otis said, smiling at him reassuringly.


    "Well... Okay!" Ricky gave in.


    ''It looks like I''ve gained another identity. The next lord of the Misty South Palace... I have no choice but to accept the position, '' Ricky thought to himself, trying to avoid shaking his head.


    "Brat, you took advantage of the situation but you still acted innocently," the Dragon Intent Grass said after hearing Ricky''s thoughts.


    The Dragon Intent Grass wanted nothing more than to scold Ricky in that moment. How could he still want to refuse an opportunity like that one?!


    "Well, you are right," Ricky said helplessly.


    "Ricky, there is one more thing I have to inform you about. Whether you can become the lord of the Misty South Palace or not depends solely on you. In the future, if you can''t grow enough to take the position, I will have to remove your memories of today," Otis warned.

 Chapter 1395 The Ancient Continental Stela

    "Sir, I don''t want my memories to be erased," Ricky said, pursing his lips after he heard what Otis had said.


    Even though he would only lose the memories he had gained here, Ricky didn''t want to lose any of his memories. He believed that the loss of any memories would affect his road of martial arts.


    "Then figure out what you need to do and work hard to get it done!" Otis said. "You are the most talented and qualified person I have ever met. Use your ambition to push yourself to reach your goals.


    And I know that you still have a lot of other things on your plate. The Celestial Sect and the Phoenix tribe are among the sixteen major forces on the continent. If you don''t have the support of a powerful force with equal power to them, taking people away from those two forces is wishful thinking."


    "Sir, how do you know what I''m planning to do?" Ricky asked, raising his eyebrows.


    "I already told you. I went to Eastern Land and Western Land to learn everything I could about you. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have chosen you for this position," Otis said.


    As he spoke, he started to make a strange seal. Immediately, the five-col


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    mething.


    But he hadn''t. All of it was very strange.


    "If you want to understand, become a saint as soon as you can. That is the only way you can get your answers," Otis said like he could read Ricky''s mind.


    "I see." Ricky nodded.


    Since he was unable to answer his questions, Ricky returned to the stronghold of the Five-element Sect and headed for the Five-element Sect.


    To his surprise, Claire wanted to come along.


    "Why don''t you go back to your home, the Mu Clan?" Ricky asked, tilting his head to the side.


    Because of the inheritances of the king and queen, Ricky had always had inexplicable feelings towards Claire.


    "Ricky, don''t you think that the combination of the inheritances of the king and queen will allow us to cultivate stronger heavenly illusionary power?" Claire asked with a smile.


    "The heavenly illusionary power is useful, but it is not my main cultivation," Ricky replied, smiling back at her.


    "Then I''ll ask you instead. I want to use your inheritance of the king to cultivate stronger heavenly illusionary power. Will you please help me?" Claire asked with a hopeful expression on her face.

 Chapter 1396 The Misty South Shadow

    "Ha-ha, how can I refuse a beauty like you when you''ve already said that? If I refuse you, it will be inhumane," Ricky responded to Claire with a charming smile.


    After that, Lloyd led Ricky, Mordechai, Claire, and the others to the Five-element Sect.


    The battle in the Passage World was far from being the last battle between devils and creatures from the continent. But they were fairly confident that there would be no large-scale battles in the near future.


    For now, all Ricky had to do was cultivate and focus on growing stronger. That meant he wouldn''t return to the Passage World for now.


    Instead, he would embark on a new journey to the inner region after he returned to the Five-element Sect. His first stop would be the Misty South Palace, as it would pave the way for him to rise to the top. He was already counting the days when he would get to meet the talented geniuses of the ancient tribes and top forces.


    As for Lloyd, he had become a saint at the middle stage and gained two thirds of the blessing power, so it would probably take him about half a month to get to the Five-element Sect from the Third Sheol City. After all, the central region stood between them.


    And since Ricky had already become one of the Misty South Palace''s


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    t to start an all-out war against the Misty South Palace."


    "That''s the Misty South Shadow!" Lloyd gasped in disbelief as well. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing.


    "Elder Lloyd, what is the Misty South Shadow? Is it a person or a force?" Ricky asked out of ignorance and curiosity.


    "The Misty South Shadow isn''t one person but a force under the command of the Misty South Palace''s lord. They have the strongest warriors in the Misty South Palace," explained Lloyd with much passion.


    "Sir, can you tell us more about this? We have not heard of this Misty South Shadow at all," Mordechai chimed in at this moment.


    "The Misty South Palace has a total of seven palaces. Once the lord of the Misty South Palace is replaced, his confidants and the masters of the seven palaces, all have to be replaced as well," Lloyd added in detail.


    "This process is done to give space for the new generation to grow."


    "Indeed. That would motivate new cultivators to bloom and flourish," Claire concurred.


    "Those who quit from their posts choose to live in seclusion. They move in the shadows, protecting the Misty South Palace and the continent.


    As time went by, they garnered a name for themselves and were thus called the Misty South Shadow."

 Chapter 1397 The Gu Clan

    "The Misty South Palace is the most influential force in the Misty South mainly because of the Misty South Shadow, but there is no denying that the group itself is inherently powerful. The Misty South Shadow swore to have the Misty South Palace''s back, and they took their word seriously.


    In the past, many forces tried to make trouble for the Misty South Palace because they wanted the latter''s power and influence, but they miserably failed because of the Misty South Shadow. Many of those forces even had demi-spiritual potentates, though that didn''t help them, for the Misty South Shadow still destroyed them,"


    Lloyd lengthily narrated.


    "Whoa, really? The Misty South Shadow is that powerful?" Ricky and his friends exclaimed in sheer surprise.


    "It looks like the Misty South Palace uses their power to kill and uphold justice in the continent," remarked Ricky as he fell deep in thought.


    "Strength makes this world go around. You can achieve anything as long as you have the strength to back you up. Similarly, a force can succeed or fall depending on how strong its members are and as a whole.


    And just like the Misty South Palace, most influential forces have their own powerful members lurking in the shadows. However, the Misty South Shadow is way out of their league.


    In fact, members of


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    n, as a fierce expression settled over his face.


    He immediately tore the space in the next instant, heading in Lucas Gu''s direction.


    The next instant, he came upon a tall, muscular, and good-looking young man wearing a fine robe. He was hovering in the air with a murderous look on his face.


    "Are you the one who hurt the disciples of our Five-element Sect?" Ricky confronted Lucas Gu coldly. His killing intent exuded powerfully from his body.


    "You should be thankful I didn''t kill them. After all, they do not deserve to die at my hands," replied Lucas Gu arrogantly.


    "Anyway, I''m not here to talk about that. Listen carefully. I want you to leave Tina because you are not good for her. Even though you are a disciple of the Misty South Palace and the owner of Paul''s inheritance, she is still too good for you.


    After all, you are a lowborn mutt from an inferior bloodline," he added with much contempt.


    "Perhaps, you are right. I don''t have noble blood, but that doesn''t change the fact that Tina chose me over you," Ricky responded with a wicked grin.


    He figured that his words would provoke Lucas Gu.


    And he was right.


    As soon as Lucas Gu heard what Ricky said, he couldn''t hold back his temper. He let out an enraged shout, and his killing intent poured out of him like a flood.

 Chapter 1398 Defeat Lucas

    Tina walked forward, coming into view. When she heard what Ricky had said, she stayed silent, but her beautiful face flushed.


    After seeing Tina''s flushed face and shy mannerism, Lucas was convinced that what Ricky had said was true.


    Ricky, on the other hand, wasn''t done irritating Lucas. He continued, "The two of us have been training together for five or six years. It''s not appropriate for you to ask me to leave Tina!"


    "Ah!" Lucas'' endless anger combined with his killing intent. It sounded like a beast had roared.


    "Young master, we should leave. Now that Tina has become someone else''s woman, you can''t marry her. It would be a disgrace for the young master of our Gu Clan to marry a second-hand woman," the old man behind Lucas urged him telepathically.


    "I know, but I can''t go until I kill Ricky," Lucas replied through gritted teeth.


    The moment he was done talking, Lucas stomped towards Ricky. His strong killing intent made his power that was at the medium stage of a two-star middle spiritual emperor burst out in front of hi


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    by anyone before.


    But Ricky had done it in a way that made him crazy with anger.


    And even worse, it had happened in front of a large audience. There was a chance that none of them knew Lucas, but he couldn''t tolerate any failures.


    "I will kill you!" Lucas roared. His anger grew madly and gave birth to some desperate killing intent.


    However, before he could act, the old man stepped forward. He grabbed Lucas and they left.


    The old man wanted to attack Ricky more than anything, but he knew that he couldn''t do it in front of Doris because she would protect him.


    Before he left, he spat some more harsh words at Ricky. "Young man, try to not be so arrogant. It''s not a good look for you. You will make more enemies."


    "How did you manage to defeat Lucas? Out of the younger generation of the inner region, you are at the top," Doris praised Ricky when they returned to the cave.


    "Doris, now that Lucas has left, you and Tina have to leave, too, don''t you?" Ricky asked reluctantly. He didn''t want to part ways with Tina so soon.

 Chapter 1399 Dark Ancestral Spirit

    "That''s right. It''s time for me and Tina to leave," Doris replied, nodding her head.


    Tina stared longingly at Ricky. She didn''t want to leave, but she had no choice. Her leaving would be a good thing for both of them. After all, she could become stronger and Ricky wouldn''t have to look after her next time they met.


    "Now that Tina''s evil spirit has been cleared, she needs to spend some time training in our ancestral land. Ricky, you must be going to the Misty South Palace soon. You can come and visit her in our clan if you want," Doris suggested when she saw how forlorn they both looked.


    "I know I can, Doris. But before you leave, I want to check Tina one more time. Now that my strength and cultivation levels have improved, I can find the smallest amount of evil spirit in her," Ricky urged.


    "Okay. Thank you," Doris replied.


    Meanwhile, the old man and Lucas were walking. They didn''t stop until they were a long distance from the Five-element Sect.


    When he saw that the anger was still present on Lucas'' face, the old man decided he should say something. "Young master, are you all right?" He increased the volume of his voice so that Lucas would hear him and he could bring Lucas back to reality.


    Lucas shook his head several times and


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    a bad feeling about it.


    The dark ancestral spirit is complex. Something bad must be coming," Ricky said, slumping his shoulders.


    The Dragon Intent Grass and the Evil Mandragora fell silent. They agreed with Ricky and they didn''t know how to deal with the evil spirit mass inside of Tina either.


    In time, the evil spirit mass would become harmful and she would be in trouble.


    "Ricky, remember to be kind to yourself. You have the bright ancestral spirit, so the dark ancestral spirit can''t hurt you. The only reason you can''t destroy the evil spirit mass is because that your cultivation level needs to be higher," the Dragon Intent Grass comforted.


    "I agree. Once you reach a higher level and gain a deeper understanding of the bright ancestral spirit, the dark ancestral spirit that is inside of the evil spirit mass will be easy to destroy," the Evil Mandragora chimed in.


    "I hope it''s that easy! I need to be stronger or I won''t be able to protect Tina.


    I have to go to the Misty South Palace straight away," Ricky murmured.


    Before he made the journey, Ricky decided to rest for a couple of days. The only way for him to find more challenging competition and progress faster was for him to go to Misty South Palace and the inner region.

 Chapter 1400 Preparations Before Departure

    Ricky then shared his plan with Lloyd and the others.


    It earned a positive reception from them immediately, and they all pledged their support, knowing that Ricky would far better in the inner region.


    "I didn''t expect you to go to the Misty South Palace so soon. But, thankfully, I''m already well-prepared for this," Lloyd commented.


    With a wave of his hand, several figures suddenly showed up. They were none other than the four saints from the Five-element Sect''s other branches, which included Wells and Shirley.


    Ricky immediately met them halfway and greeted them warmly. "What brings you here?" he politely inquired.


    "I hope you haven''t forgotten that you are the holy son of the Five-element Sect, my boy," remarked Lloyd with a smile.


    "Of course not! I am a disciple of the Five-element Sect first and foremost, and I will never forget that," Ricky sincerely replied.


    "Very good. But now, the time has come for you to see more of the world. We have also decided to name you as the Five-element Sect''s leader if that''s alright with you," Lloyd declared with a serious expression.


    "Ha-ha! I knew it. You are now in charge of the Five-element Sect, and from now on, you will have your own force and several saints at your disposal," the Dragon Intent Grass chimed in from Ricky''s mind, sounding incredi


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    treasures were priceless, Ricky didn''t ask them to make any Martial Arts Oaths, for he trusted them wholeheartedly. If he didn''t have faith in them, who were his closest confidants, then he couldn''t trust anyone else in the world.


    ''Elder Evan, Scar, I hope that you would have grown exponentially stronger in twenty years. I sorely need your help, '' Ricky mused as he gazed at his loyal friends.


    He had his own reasons for giving them the Heavenly Lotus Seeds.


    Partly, he hoped that they would accompany him to the Phoenix tribe in the future.


    "I feel kind of guilty about this. After all, I gave them Heavenly Lotus Seeds because I''m planning to use them in the future," Ricky confessed to the Dragon Intent Grass.


    "Don''t think too much about it. No matter how great a warrior is, a time always comes that he has to be selfish. This is one of those times. And it''s not like you''re the only one who will benefit from this. Indeed, your wish for them to grow stronger is sincere," the Dragon Intent Grass comforted.


    ''If I become a holy being one day, I will help them become spiritual potentates or holy beings at all costs!'' Ricky decided in his heart. His eyes burned with determination as he thought of how to achieve that.


    Since he felt guilty, he promised himself that he would make things right one day.

 Chapter 1401 The Free Palace

    Once they had prepared everything, Ricky, Mordechai, Claire, Ella, and Amelia headed for the inner region where the Misty South Palace was located.


    However, Ricky didn''t expect that Lloyd would ask Shirley to escort them to their destination.


    Lloyd told them that the forces after Ricky wouldn''t send warriors at the Sage Level anymore because of the Misty South Shadow, but they might still send upper spiritual emperors or demi-saints to hunt him down.


    He insisted Shirley should accompany them as their bodyguard, and in that way, he wouldn''t need to worry about Ricky and the others.


    But despite Lloyd''s wishes, Ricky didn''t let Shirley join their journey. He instead brought her into his Chaotic Fire Zone, where she could spend her time cultivating.


    It didn''t even occur to Ricky to keep the Chaotic Fire Zone a secret from Shirley. He trusted her implicitly.


    And then, to avoid unnecessary trouble, the five of them took a remote path and made sure to keep a low profile throughout the entire journey.


    It was also lucky that before Tina left, she gave Ricky the airship at the Demi-sage Level.


    Thus, their little group of five used it to move forward.


    It would probably take two months to reach the Misty Sou


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    ace, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "That''s hardly fair, sir," he immediately protested when he heard Kohen''s conditions.


    "I guess you''re right. I wanted to give something as a wager initially, but I don''t have anything that is on par with Master Paul''s inheritance. Thus, I decided not to wager anything. But you have a point. It is indeed unfair to you.


    So, tell me, what do you want me to wager?" probed Kohen Free with a smile.


    "Since you asked, I won''t hold back! I heard that one of the four clans of the Short Human tribe lives in your territory. This clan invites talented casting masters from other casting forces to compete with their own casting geniuses every few years," Ricky said with a small smile.


    "That''s right. The Short Human tribe''s Helian Clan is indeed in our territory." Kohen nodded.


    "If you lose, I want an invitation to that competition. That shouldn''t be difficult for you, right?" Ricky suggested politely, though a sly smile pulled at his lips. "You see, I want to take part in their casting competition, but I don''t have a casting force to back me up."


    "Is that what you want? My, my, you seem exceedingly confident in your casting skills," responded Kohen Free with an intrigued smile.

 Chapter 1402 Free Body

    "I''ve always held a deep admiration for weapon casting. Being able to meet the casting geniuses in the inner region would be a pleasure," Ricky replied, smiling.


    "I''ve heard rumors that white-haired Ricky is a casting genius. It looks like they were true," Kohen said, laughing loudly. "Your timing is excellent. The Helian Clan is going to hold a competition in eight months."


    "Oh! Really?" Ricky exclaimed, raising his eyebrows expectantly.


    His casting level was at the peak of the Demi-sage Level now. In order to push past it and become a casting master at the Sage Level, he required either a deep understanding or an opportunity to improve himself.


    His best chance was a casting competition with other geniuses.


    "What a coincidence! I have a friend who is a genius from the Helian Clan and he gave me an invitation. I''ve kept it with me this whole time," Kohen continued with a smile.


    When he was done talking, he flipped his palm over and a golden invitation letter fell out of it. It hovered in the air in front of Ricky''s eyes.


    "If you win, you can have it. If you lose, Master P


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    "Not quite yet!" Kohen said in a low and serious voice.


    He didn''t intend to let the invitation go so easily.


    "Star!"


    After he yelled, the mutant mark between his eyebrows bloomed. In front of him, a world of stars appeared, constantly emitting the free power.


    Then, his thirty-three layered free body shone brighter and grew larger.


    "Free Omnipotent Skill - Free Spear!"


    The thirty-three layered free body split from Kohen''s body and flew through the air in Ricky''s direction. As it moved, it transformed into a long spear.


    Ricky gasped. It felt like he had tripped and fallen into a fountain of stars. The free power was all around him and the long spear was gaining ground.


    ''There''s something in the free power that I still don''t know, '' Ricky thought, frowning.


    His golden eyes trembled, releasing power that allowed him to see everything clearly again.


    He leaped into the air before he planted his feet like the roots of an old tree. Closing his eyes, he merged the chaotic power and the mutant power with the golden body.


    "Massacring Golden Palm - ten palms in one!"

 Chapter 1403 Neil Dao

    Boom! Boom!


    Combined with the chaotic fire power, all of the power that Ricky had alighted burned aggressively. In the air in front of the Ultimate Golden Body''s chest, it turned into ten golden balls.


    If Ricky was as weak as he had been back in the Third Sheol City, he would have had to resort to using the power of the bright ancestral spirit to deal with Kohen. But now, he was so strong that he didn''t need it.


    The ten balls of golden light rose and spun in the air, transforming into golden palms. They drew closer together and merged into one large palm. An invincible momentum that was caused by the huge, golden palm fell from the sky, suppressing everything under it.


    Bang! Bang!


    When Ricky''s golden palm and Kohen''s spear collided, the sound that was created rang in the onlookers'' ears.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Air waves covered the whole area, submerging it again. The battle should have been well-matched, but it was quickly turning into the opposite.


    The golden palm pushed against the spear, shattering it inch by inch.


    Crack! Crack! Crack! Within seconds, the spear no longer existed. Yet, the palm did not rest. It slammed into Kohen''s free body.


    Puff! Kohen bent over


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    clans and top forces, who are very arrogant and are not afraid to show that to the people that are beneath them," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "That must be why the Misty South Palace is one of the strongest forces in the Misty South."


    "In the world of martial arts, I think most people treat kind-heartedness like it is useless, but who knows?" Ricky replied. "Maybe brightness and darkness need to exist. Neither one is better than the other.


    But I still believe that brightness should be above darkness.


    The Misty South Palace follows the path of justice. That is why it has ranked first in the Misty South all this time. Even when the Misty South Palace was not the strongest in the Misty South, all of the weaker people considered it to be first in their hearts.


    That is how you know it is the true number one force."


    "That is correct. You have gained a deep understanding from all your years of training. You are very mature now," the Dragon Intent Grass praised.


    "In the past, I cultivated for myself, my relatives, and my friends, but when I learned about the great warriors of the ancient times, as well as the Misty South Palace, my opinion changed," Ricky explained.

 Chapter 1404 The Ranking List

    With Neil''s help, Ricky and his companions reached the place where the Misty South Palace, the most powerful force in the Misty South, was located.


    From a distance, all that one could see was a cluster of huge mountains. They were the highest peaks that Ricky had ever seen. To him, they looked like giants that were standing guard against the sky and the earth.


    The aura they gave off was so strong that Ricky and any other living being that entered the area felt insignificant.


    Ricky figured that the Misty South Palace was located here for that reason.


    Shrouded in clouds and mist, seven huge, black palaces were sitting against the mountains. They were not as tall as the mountains, but their invisible momentum was incomparable.


    Written on the biggest black palace were two words¡ª"Misty South."


    That made it clear that it was the first palace of the Misty South Palace.


    The other six palaces were named after the deputy lords of the Misty South Palace.


    "The Misty South Palace''s seven palaces are more amazing than I imagined. Each one is like a huge world. I can see how this is the home to the most powerful


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    ll, the first step is getting your identity card baptized by the Demon Eliminating Pool. The Ranking List is connected with the Demon Eliminating Pool," Neil answered. "Then, you must become a three-star middle spiritual emperor.


    Once that is completed, your name will automatically appear on the Ranking List.


    Raising your ranking is the easiest part. All you have to do is challenge anyone whose name is ahead of you. If you are strong enough, you can skip ahead and challenge Ryker. Then you will be the first one on the ranking list."


    "Interesting. That type of challenge is very appealing to me," Mordechai said. The fighting spirit of his Sorcerous Combat Body rose in him.


    As Mordechai''s fighting spirit entered the air, Neil noticed and added, "It''s not easy to pass the baptism of the Demon Eliminating Pool. Almost half of the disciples who return from the selection don''t pass it." Neil smiled knowingly.


    "What? Half of them get eliminated?" Claire asked, raising her eyebrows. "If they can''t pass the baptism of the Demon Eliminating Pool, does that mean they won''t be disciples of the Misty South Palace?"

 Chapter 1405 The Demon Eliminating Pool

    "No, no, don''t misunderstand. Those who don''t pass the Demon Eliminating Pool''s test are still disciples of the Misty South Palace. But unfortunately, they lose any chance of becoming core disciples," Neil hurriedly clarified.


    "Oh, and one more thing, the consequences of failing the Demon Eliminating Pool''s assessment is more severe for the core disciples since they will be demoted to ordinary disciples. I guess you can consider the Demon Eliminating Pool the more accurate test for whether you are qualified to be a real core disciple or not," he added.


    "Okay, I think I understand now. I have one more question, though. How does an ordinary disciple become a core disciple after passing the Demon Eliminating Pool''s test?" Mordechai asked out of curiosity.


    "Well, there are two ways to become a core disciple. First is the competition specifically designed for selecting core disciples. The only other way is to make it to the top three thousand on the Ranking List," answered Neil. "As for those who get selected as special core disciples, they must make it to the top three thousand within ten years or they will be demoted to ordinary disciples."


    "Can you tell us more about the Demon Eliminating Pool? What exactly is the test all about?" Ricky chimed in, seeking more information on the test so that he could p


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    alent and potential. Only when facing someone stronger when both he and his opponent were at the Skin Refinement could a warrior''s talent shine through.


    And for ace geniuses like Ricky, it would be a piece of cake to pass the first two tests. Those less talented than him would probably have a difficult time, though.


    Even a peerless genius would find it difficult to pass the second strength test.


    All candidates were only at the first grade of Skin Refinement, while their opponents in the first test were at the peak of the first grade of Skin Refinement. Worse, their opponents in the second test were at the peak of the second grade of Skin Refinement.


    If the pattern held up, Ricky figured that the third test would probably bring him a water figure at the peak of the third grade of Skin Refinement.


    Even he had to take his opponent seriously if it were that strong. After all, he was only at the first grade of Skin Refinement now.


    These three tests were indeed challenging.


    He wouldn''t be surprised if only misters at his level could pass the third strength test.


    At this point, Ricky didn''t dare to underestimate his opponent, so he readily burst out his seven mutants and chaotic power.


    After all, even though he was only at the first grade of Skin Refinement, he had other powers he could use.

 Chapter 1406 Another Kind Of Test

    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The next moment, Ricky came to blow with the figure at peak state of the third grade of Skin Refinement. His Omnipotent Skill relentlessly attacked, and in the blink of an eye, over ten rounds of confrontation had occurred.


    Thanks to his seven mutants, the chaotic power, and the eternal power, Ricky could match his opponent''s strength adequately.


    "These three strength tests surely are difficult." Ricky let out a burdened sigh.


    If his cultivation base were a little higher, maybe he would have found the third test to be easier. Unfortunately, his current cultivation base was only at the first grade of Skin Refinement, and worse, he had just reached this level. That was the weakest grade possible!


    If it weren''t for the seven mutants and the chaotic power, he couldn''t have matched his opponent''s strength.


    Ricky wondered if Mister Ryker and the Second Mister had passed the third strength test. He felt a little skeptical though because unlike him, they probably couldn''t challenge opponents at a higher level while they were only at the first grade of Skin Refinement.


    At this point, he knew he couldn''t stall any longer. If he wanted to win this fight, he had to end it as soon as possible, as he was only at the first grade of Skin Refinement. That meant he had limited power, and it wouldn''t be enough to fuel his


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    eople, but neither are those people in that house. I''m not a good person either. So why should I bother helping them?'' Ricky considered with a frown, and the impulse to save them dwindled.


    But in the short time he had dilly-dallied, the robbers had killed one of the house''s inhabitants. The other people screamed and wailed, injecting a burst of adrenaline into Ricky''s veins.


    ''What should I do? Should I save them or not?'' Ricky thought to himself as he struggled inwardly.


    Unfortunately, as he pussyfooted about, the robbers killed another person.


    This forced Ricky to move, as he didn''t want to see anyone die anymore. The justice in his heart prevailed over his anger. In the end, he saved the remaining people.


    Fifteen people lived in the house, but the robbers killed three of them. Ricky saved the rest.


    Meanwhile, none of the robbers lived long enough to regret what they had done.


    Although he didn''t have any cultivation base, Ricky was strong enough to deal with the robbers, for they were just ordinary people.


    He didn''t know why he killed all the robbers. Perhaps it was the helplessness and anger he had felt that day, inflicted by the old lady and rude house owner.


    After that, Ricky went on his way as normal. The occurrence didn''t affect him much in this state, and the second day soon came without more incidents.

 Chapter 1407 Strength And Responsibility

    Ricky walked forward without stopping for half of a day. The sky was clear and the sun was beating down on him, affecting his mood. He frowned and muttered profanities as he trudged along.


    Eventually, he reached a river that was very wide and deep. Above its churning water was a bridge made up of a single plank. Only one person could pass over it at a time. Ricky spotted an old man on the bridge.


    He was very thin and frail-looking, dressed in shabby, filthy clothing.


    If people looked at him, they would be filled with annoyance. For no reason at all, all people wanted to kill him the moment they laid their eyes on him.


    Currently, the old man was lying on the single plank bridge.


    ''Why is this old man irking me so much?'' Ricky thought to himself.


    At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to sneak up on the old man and beat him up.


    But he shook his head and said politely, "Excuse me, sir. I would like to cross this bridge. Will you please move out of the way? I can''t get past you."


    "Fuck off! Can''t you see that I''m basking in the sun?" the old man snapped.


    Then, he jumped to his feet and stormed towards Ricky. Peeling off his dirty, ripped shoes, he smashed them against R


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    wners of the evil mutants that Ricky had met.


    But there were only a few creatures who chose brightness over darkness completely, and vice versa.


    And those two types of creatures were the only ones who could obtain the highest form of power.


    "I will always choose brightness, but there is darkness in my heart. In the world of martial arts, I must have this darkness. Otherwise, I will die," Ricky said through telepathy.


    "If I can improve my strength, maybe the darkness will start to slowly disappear.


    The three character tests tell us that we must take the responsibility to gain the power from the heaven and earth. We need to choose the bright side or dark side.


    One day, when I can perfectly pass the three character tests, I will be a supreme master. But right now, it''s way too hard. No creature can change their character that easily, even if they have already know how to do it."


    "But no matter how difficult it is, you have to move forward to the bright and responsible side," the Dragon Intent Grass said. "After all, darkness will not help you.


    Remember what you told us before you came to the Misty South Palace? You explained why you chose to cultivate the martial arts."

 Chapter 1408 Earning Resources

    "You are right, Dragon Intent Grass," Ricky replied, nodding his head. "Not only the three character tests, but also the zones in my body have been telling me about the responsibility.


    And now I also understand why the Misty South Palace is and will be the most powerful force in the Misty South.


    I assume that the powerful masters from the ancient times, including Paul, all came from the Misty South Palace!"


    While he spoke, Ricky came to another realization. It was the epiphany of power. The saber intent in his body started to bloom.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! As the blade intent became more apparent, the area around Ricky reacted, turning murderous.


    All of the nearby warriors noticed and stared at Ricky cautiously.


    "It''s the resonance of the blade intent! Does that mean that he has comprehended something during the three tests of character?" a disciple exclaimed, staring at Ricky curiously.


    "I think so. I don''t know what he comprehended, but his blade intent is gradually improving."


    "Wow! He''s a talented genius! He comprehended something in such a short time!" As the warriors watched Ricky, many of them become jealous.


    "I think I should try and comprehend sixty percent of the blade intent. It looks like I haven''t passed the three chara


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    powerful forces that hated him.


    The first thing he wanted to practice was casting. If he didn''t become a casting master at the Sage Level, his runic power would not be able to keep up with his cultivation base.


    Not long after, a disciple walked towards Ricky and asked him to cast with four times the casting materials.


    He told Ricky that he wanted him to make a saber with the thunder nature.


    Ricky nodded his head and smiled. He never backed down from a challenge. He announced that he would publicly cast the weapon in front of the Ranking List.


    It didn''t take long for the square to become packed with people. They were all there to see Ricky cast a weapon in public.


    Standing among them were some of the top 100 talented disciples on the Ranking List.


    In the void, Neil and the Fourth Mister stood side by side, watching with careful eyes.


    "If his casting talent is equal to his talent in the martial arts, there is a good chance that the Misty South Palace will fall under his command in the future," the Fourth Mister said.


    "Don''t say that yet. We will have to wait and see!" Neil replied. "Right now, I''m more worried about whether he has passed the third strength test or not."


    "Look! It''s Wayne!" some people yelled and pointed.

 Chapter 1409 A Demonstration Of His Skills And Talents

    Everyone looked towards Wayne when they heard his voice.


    He wore the finery with a good-looking face. Unfortunately, his charisma took a hit because of his three-feet, dwarfish build.


    It was obvious that this young man belonged to the Short Human tribe.


    More members of the Short Human tribe stood beside him as well.


    Behind them followed a large group of people. Judging from their looks, they must be disciples of the Misty South Palace who had cast weapons with him.


    Since the Misty South Palace was the most powerful force in the continent, its disciples needed an enormous amount of weapons. Hence, it regularly invited casting masters and casting geniuses from the Short Human tribe to craft weapons for them.


    Wayne was the best of the best. He hadn''t even reached a hundred years old, but he had already become a casting master at the Demi-sage Level. He was better than most young casting masters in the Short Human tribe.


    "Inarguably, Wayne is one of the best and brightest. He will surely become one of the best casting masters in the future," praised the Fourth Mister as he floated around in the void.


    "I agree. I wonder how Ricky will fare against a formidable opponent like him," Neil piped in.


    A few moments later, Ricky arrived with Mordechai and the ot


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    the thunderous power, which took a long time before it faded into nothingness.


    "Whoa! This is amazing! I haven''t seen a more perfect saber!" the saber''s owner remarked happily after seeing his new saber''s power. "This is definitely the best Demi-sage Level weapon I have ever seen."


    The surrounding crowd had also been astonished by the display.


    All of them were spiritual emperors, so it was a given that they had all seen and used countless weapons at the Demi-sage Level. However, all those weapons paled in the face of Ricky''s creation.


    Moreover, they could tell that its thunderous power was even stronger than its owner''s.


    ''He actually made a perfect weapon at the Demi-sage Level!'' It was evident that all of them had one thought in their minds. They had thought him to be nothing but an arrogant fool, but they were proven wrong.


    Now, as they looked at Ricky again, they saw an incredibly talented young man.


    And finally, they realized he must be a veritable genius, one who was excellent in both martial arts and weapon casting.


    Ricky had made them swallow all their previous remarks. He had proven to them that he was nothing less than extraordinary.


    The talents and skills he had shown were far from what they had expected.


    No one could overshadow him.

 Chapter 1410 Taking On Wayne As His Disciple

    ''Ricky''s grasp of casting is so incredible that he has even surpassed many Sage Level casting masters. What a talented young man!'' Wayne ruminated silently as he gazed at Ricky''s countenance, which seemed to glow as he cast the weapon.


    This was a novel experience. He had admired none of the casting geniuses from the younger generation, but he couldn''t help but look up to Ricky.


    In addition, Wayne belonged to the Short Human tribe, and he was a casting genius himself. Thus, he observed a lot of exceptional qualities in Ricky''s casting just now, things that ordinary people might have missed.


    It was unbelievable that Ricky had cast such a flawless Demi-sage Level weapon, and to think that he had done it in one take.


    In Wayne''s experience, he needed at least three tries to cast a weapon, but he had never created something as perfect as this one.


    He believed most Sage Level casting masters couldn''t compare to Ricky. Indeed, he was one of a kind.


    "Ricky is amazing! His cultivation and casting skills are both exceptional!" the Fourth Mister muttered in awe.


    "Do you think he has what it takes to be the Misty South Palace''s First Mister after our lord? That position has long been vacant, and I think he will be an excellent successor," Neil offered.


    "Well, that has


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    e and as my friend."


    "Then what are you waiting for? Say yes!" the Dragon Intent Grass prompted him.


    "He only saw you casting once, but he readily made a Martial Arts Oath to be your disciple. You can see how determined and passionate about casting he is. And besides, he might be offended and think you''re looking down on him if you don''t accept him as your disciple.


    One more thing! Although the Short Human tribe is known for being arrogant, they are still willing to learn, provided they encounter someone they could respect. I would say Wayne is the most suitable disciple for you.


    You don''t want your casting skills to be a secret you bring to the grave, do you?


    By the way, if you accept a disciple, you will have one more faith energy."


    "Since you''ve mentioned so many reasons, I have no reason to say no," Ricky finally said.


    He then turned to Wayne. "To be honest, I didn''t expect that I would someday have a disciple from the Short Human tribe," he said with a smile.


    Hearing this, Wayne flashed him a bright smile of his own, grinning excitedly.


    "Master!" he called out, declaring Ricky as his master.


    "Oh, these beauties must be your girlfriends!" Wayne abruptly shifted focus as soon as he laid eyes on Claire and Amelia, who were standing behind Ricky.

 Chapter 1411 Ceaseless Cultivation

    When Ricky heard this, the thrill he had felt earlier turned into helplessness. He didn''t know how to explain. If he dared to open his mouth, the situation would go downhill.


    Meanwhile, the two girls were elated, and they couldn''t help the shy smile that pulled at the corners of their slightly upturned lips.


    But the peace didn''t last long. Two days later, everyone in the Misty South Palace had heard that Wayne volunteered to become Ricky''s disciple. And because of this, the people erupted into heated discussion once again.


    "No way! That''s impossible! No matter how talented Ricky is in casting, I don''t think he can surpass the Sage Level casting masters from the Short Human tribe. This must be a trick..." One person voiced his doubts out loud.


    "I''ve never heard of the Short Human tribe''s members taking casting masters from other forces as their teachers. Isn''t the opposite true? We all know that it''s the creatures from other races that desperately want to become disciples of the Short Human tribe''s casting masters."


    "It''s scandalous! I wonder what the senior members of the Short Human tribe think about this. They must be blowing off a gasket right now."


    While the ordinary disciples gossiped with each other, the numerous creatures of the Short Human tribe currently residing in the Misty South Palace had gathered in the palace. Two middle-aged men stood in their midst, and they were in charge.


    These two middle-aged men were Sag


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    sform every kind of Light Apperception he absorbed, turning it into the pure energy he needed to advance in his realm.


    And with the help of the Chaos Manual and the Ancestral Intent Formula, Ricky could comprehend all kinds of Light Apperception.


    Everything went according to his plan, and he leveled up quite fast.


    It was through this method that he had become a two-star middle spiritual emperor at peak state in just two months.


    He continued in this way, and before he knew it, another month had passed. He made a breakthrough in that time, and he was now a three-star middle spiritual emperor.


    It only took him six months of this routine before he managed to become a middle spiritual emperor at peak state.


    Of course, after that much cultivation, he also had to stop and rest. He focused on training other aspects of his strength instead.


    Ricky initially planned to cultivate in the Battle Palace, but he had to change his plan on the fly when he ran out of cultivation resources.


    ''I guess I''ll just cultivate in the Battle Palace next time when I have more cultivation resources.'' Ricky shrugged nonchalantly.


    Next, he decided to challenge the talented disciples on the Ranking List.


    "My fighting skills must be rusty after six months of seclusion. It''s time to get back in the ring," Ricky muttered lowly to himself as his gaze swept intently over the Ranking List.


    With narrowed eyes, he scanned it for a suitable opponent.

 Chapter 1412 Fernando Xiao

    Ricky''s eyes swept over the Ranking List quickly, but he didn''t find his name anywhere in the top forty thousand.


    As he scanned through the other names, the person in the thirty-thousandth place caught his attention. A smirk flashed on his lips.


    He activated his identity card, moved his name upwards, and covered the thirty-thousandth place. The action made excitement bubble up inside him.


    "Ricky, are you out of your mind?! That guy in the thirty-thousandth place is Fernando Xiao, one of the strongest geniuses on the list. He is only slightly weaker than an upper spiritual emperor," Claire told him in a strangled voice. She had been standing beside him and was utterly shocked when he challenged Fernando Xiao.


    "Don''t worry. I haven''t gone crazy. If you''ll recall, I spent six months cultivating. I''m sure my efforts will not be in vain," Ricky reassured her with a confident smile.


    As he said so, the Ranking List gave off a beam of light. Meanwhile, Fernando Xiao was in the middle of his seclusion, but something disturbed him. He opened his eyes curiously, his eyes landing on his glowing identity card. ''Did someone challenge me?'' he wondered to himself.


    He was right, of course, and Ricky was already waiting for him on the platform.


    Surrounding Ricky were countless disciples, evidently eager to see the upcoming battle.


    Their chatter filled the air, and each one had their own opinion they wanted to share. "Ricky is incredible


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    wers to make up for the gap. But if they are on par with each other, there would be no need for that. After all, his mutant would be one of their most powerful trump cards. Since even I haven''t activated my mutant, Ricky has no reason to use his as well, '' he pondered in silence.


    "Supreme water power¡ªWater Orb Blast!" Fernando Xiao shouted.


    The moment he activated his Omnipotent Skill, an enormous amount of supreme water power appeared, and it took on the form of a water orb that occupied almost the entire area.


    From absolute stillness, it abruptly burst into motion and flew towards Ricky.


    Fernando Xiao sped close after the enormous water orb.


    As this was happening, fire suddenly ignited over Ricky and spread wildly everywhere. It condensed into a seal similar to the Time Seal. Then, the seal expanded to the same size as the water orb.


    With a flick of Ricky''s palm, several kinds of sacred fire appeared, which he threw into the seal.


    He intended to use the power of these sacred fires to go head-to-head with the water orb.


    ''This is exhilarating! Fighting someone at my level sure is entertaining!'' Ricky thought delightedly.


    Whenever he confronted someone else in the past, he couldn''t help being frustrated if they were at a higher level than him. But this time, he didn''t have that problem anymore.


    Fighting spirit burned in his eyes as Ricky merged into the flaming Time Seal, intending to collide with the water orb.

 Chapter 1413 The Battle Of Fire And Water

    Water and fire were opposite elements, and thus, natural enemies. That meant a collision between these two opposing elements would always be intense and devastating. Now, as the flaming seal clashed against the water orb, the battlefield turned into a hellish landscape.


    The two potent attacks fought against each other, producing incredibly fatal water and fire ripples that blasted all over the place.


    These ripples left wreckage every which way they went, which showed how mighty Ricky''s and Fernando''s moves were.


    The detritus in the air caused by the impact soon settled down, and two figures could finally be spotted through the poor visibility of the airwaves. They were none other than Ricky and Fernando.


    It looked like they didn''t even pause. They continued using their Omnipotent Skills and relentlessly faced off with each other.


    After dozens of rounds of confrontation, they finally jumped away from each other, stopping when they were a safe distance away. Blood dripped from the corner of their lips, and their chests heaved with the effort.


    "That was a brilliant tactic! He used the power of sacred fire to restrain my attack containing the water power..." Fernando reflected on their fight, and his eyes narrowed in a somber expression.


    Ricky was indee


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    was strong enough to contain anything.


    Water gushed out of the enormous rift as it moved, speeding towards Ricky in an instant.


    Ricky''s eyebrows furrowed. Without hesitation, he activated his Chaotic Fire Mutant to its extreme, and the chaotic fire on his body began burning wildly. It exploded in the next second and split apart into eleven clouds of flame. These clouds morphed into dragons flying in mid-air.


    The eleven dragons made from the chaotic fire changed colors as they merged with the sacred fire and the peculiar fire.


    Boom! Boom!


    These fire dragons burned everything in their path. And in the next second, they formed a flaming lotus with eleven petals.


    This lotus tangled up with the chaotic power.


    "Eleven-petaled Chaotic Fire Lotus!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    However, Fernando''s rift devoured the flaming lotus.


    Dead silence filled the entire space the moment the lotus disappeared. Time seemed to stop. Everyone''s gaze stayed rooted on to the enormous rift.


    Obviously, they were waiting to see who had won the confrontation.


    They all saw the rift devour the flaming lotus, but that didn''t mean Fernando had won. No one could be sure that the lotus was destroyed.


    ''Will Ricky activate his other mutants?'' the curious disciples wondered.

 Chapter 1414 Waynes Circumstances

    The tense silence on the battlefield went on for a long time. All of a sudden, a confident voice broke through their reverie.


    "Extreme chaotic fire!"


    It seemed to come from the rift in the sky.


    The next instant, the fissure slowly swelled up as if it would explode.


    Crack! Crack! Crack! Hairline cracks started appearing, as grey-white flames seemed to burn from within.


    This was the power of the Fire Dragon Extremity combined with the power of Ricky''s sacred fire and peculiar fire. Each cloud of chaotic fire that the Fire Dragon Extremity created acted like a sharp blade that cut the rift like it was a thin piece of paper.


    Before long, the cracks had multiplied thousands of times, and Fernando''s rift began to leak too much power. And at this point, he couldn''t gather more, as Ricky''s Chaotic Fire Lotus was looming too near.


    The flaming lotus, which was bolstered by the protective covering of the chaotic power, instantly expanded, causing the fissure to widen until it finally broke apart.


    It gradually dissipated into thin air, as the flaming lotus burned all of it unto the very last trace of its power.


    Suddenly, blood spurted out from somewhere in the sky. It looked like crimson rain for a second. A figure showed up on the platform, shuffled away, and backed down. He didn''t stop until he was about a thousand meters from where he had been standing.


    It was none other than Fernando, who had clea


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    on to give you or Wayne a hard time anymore. In other words, you will prove to them that you are superior to their casting masters and Wayne wasn''t wrong to follow you," the Dragon Intent Grass replied.


    "That''s a good idea," Ricky murmured, nodding thoughtfully.


    "All right," he started as he turned to his companions. "There would soon be a casting contest, and I''m going to take part in it. Are you three staying here to cultivate, or would you like to come with me?"


    "I''m not that interested in casting, so I think I should just stay here and focus on my cultivation. I don''t want to waste my time, or the gap between our strength will widen more," admitted Mordechai.


    "Me too," Claire replied.


    She, too, didn''t want to be left behind by Ricky, which was a great possibility since he seemed to progress in leaps and bounds.


    Meanwhile, Amelia chose to go with Ricky, as she had already made peace with the fact that she could never surpass Ricky.


    Although heading for the Helian Clan was risky, Claire and Mordechai weren''t worried about Ricky. They were confident that his life wasn''t in danger since the Helian Clan wouldn''t dare to offend the Misty South Palace and the First Deputy Chief.


    "All right then. Good luck! I''ll see you guys when I return." After that, Ricky turned to leave.


    But before he could do so, a loud, authoritative voice reached his ears. "Ricky, I know you''re in here. Come out!"

 Chapter 1415 The Gap

    Ricky didn''t expect that anyone would come for him here, so the voice immediately made him wary, and his instinctive reaction to the voice was even more perplexing. It made him shake in anger, and his killing intent abruptly surged the moment that he heard it.


    That was strange, especially knowing that he didn''t even know who it was yet.


    "Who is it? Did the Short Human tribe send someone after you?" Mordechai asked, looking as confused as Ricky was.


    His guess made sense because only members from the Short Human tribe would have the guts to confront Ricky like this while he was in the Misty South Palace''s territory.


    Wasting no more time, Ricky and his companions quickly came out. The square meant for the Ranking List was packed with people by the time they reached there. The one hundred strongest disciples on the Ranking List gathered once again.


    While this was going on, several powerful auras emerged from deep in the void. They didn''t seem to be saints, but some were undoubtedly demi-saints, and they were probably misters who didn''t go out to train.


    All the crowd''s eyes were focused on the sky, where two figures hovered in the air.


    Based on their auras, they hadn''t reached the Sage Level, although the scorching auras they emitted still reigned supreme. They seemed to be flame experts,


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    t ancestral spirit in his body helped him to control himself.


    "Brat, you must endure it!" the Dragon Intent Grass urgently reminded Ricky. "He has been cultivating much longer than you, so it''s normal that the gap between your strength is still this vast. He isn''t a suitable opponent for you this time, but perhaps, he can be in the future. You just have to be patient."


    Ricky didn''t respond. He kept on glaring at Lanny with blood-thirsty eyes, and he forced himself to stand up, his mouth bleeding from the effort.


    No matter what happened today, he firmly promised himself that he wouldn''t kneel before these bastards. He would never bend his knees in front of the person he hated the most!


    However, the moment that Ricky straightened, his bones shattered under the pressure. White-hot pain pervaded his body, along with endless humiliation.


    The events that transpired in the Snow Land were happening again.


    He swore that the next time he saw Lanny, he would trample him under his feet. But now, it seemed that nothing had changed, and Ricky was still the same loser he had been before.


    Perhaps the only difference between then and now was that he was safe here in the Misty South Palace, as Lanny couldn''t kill him here. However, the humiliation he suffered seemed to have been multiplied tenfold.

 Chapter 1416 Heading For The Helian Clan

    ''This is humiliating, but I have no choice. I have to swallow my shame, for I do not have the strength to defend myself against him yet.


    Strength makes the world go round, and the weak are doomed to be oppressed. If they want to survive, they have to learn to endure.


    Survival should be my priority right now because, after that, everything is possible, '' Ricky carefully reflected himself in his heart.


    "Huh? I''m surprised you can still stand up. Perhaps, I''m being too charitable," remarked Lanny with a nasty smirk. As soon as he finished speaking, he put more pressure on Ricky with his domineering aura.


    He was well aware that he couldn''t kill Ricky while the other man was a disciple of the Misty South Palace, and especially not in such a public setting.


    Thus, he traveled all the way here just to humiliate Ricky, intending to provoke the other man until he went berserk or to discourage him, at the very least. He planned to show that no matter how hard Ricky worked, he would always be superior, and Ricky''s efforts would always be in vain.


    Of course, Lanny went through all this effort, not because he was confident, but because he felt threatened by Ricky''s talent.


    Not only that, but he also believed Ricky had acquired Eli''s inheritance.


    Eli wasn''t the best warrior in his era, but he was certainly one of the most powerful warriors at the Potentate Level.


    And if Ricky possessed two spiritual potentates'' inhe


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    m those disciples who want me to make weapons for them. Tell them that if they provide what you need, I will only ask them to pay three times the fee for the casting materials. I think that might make them more open to catering to your needs."


    "Well, good friend, I look forward to seeing you again. I hope by that time you will be a Sage Level casting master." Mordechai bade him goodbye warmly.


    "Take care of yourself. I''m sure those forces after you won''t give up so easily. Besides, Lanny sent his mutant to come for you, which means he sees you as a threat to him now. He would likely try to kill you in secret," Claire warned him with a concerned expression.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t get myself killed. I have too many plans that would go to waste if I die," Ricky reassured her.


    Soon after that, Ricky and Amelia went on their way to the Helian Clan.


    The Short Human tribe considered four continents as their home. They had no top warriors, as most of them focused on casting and had mastered it enough to be brilliant casting masters. Thus, even though they didn''t have any fighting capability, all tribes on the continent respected them.


    Except for those in the remote places, the members of the Short Human tribe received much respect and prestige.


    In particular, the Helian Clan was the most influential clan of the Short Human tribe in the Misty South.


    And they lived on the south-eastern side of the Free Palace.

 Chapter 1417 Hostility

    Although the Free Palace was a force to be reckoned with, it still showed immense respect towards the Helian Clan. They even went so far as to give up the southeastern area they had occupied earlier to the Helian Clan.


    The reason for this treatment was simple. Many powerful warriors of the Free Palace were independent cultivators, and because of the Free Palace''s relationship with the Helian Clan, these warriors were more likely to be invited elders of the Helian Clan.


    The invited elders of the Helian Clan held a high position and had status beyond others.


    They could have their weapons cast for free and could also make use of the rich cultivation resources provided by the Helian Clan. In the entirety of the four continents, the Short Human tribe was said to have the richest and the most advanced cultivation resources.


    All those resources were made available to them as long as they helped the younger generation of the Helian Clan in their cultivation and also swore to protect the safety of the Helian Clan to a certain extent.


    This was because the Short Human Tribe was not adept in cultivation.


    Therefore, they were willing to provide the cultivation resources to the invited


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    ion could participate in the competition.


    However, their hatred for Ricky exceeded their compliance with the rules.


    "Humph! Even if the invitation is real, it''s quite obvious that you stole it from another warrior."


    "Arrest him! Take him to the leader!"


    As soon as the words were spoken, several disciples of the Short Human tribe took their stance to fight against Ricky and Amelia.


    If Ricky was not backed by the Misty South Palace, they would have killed him on the spot.


    Ricky sighed. At this point, he had no choice but to meet them head-on.


    "Looks like it was just Ricky''s wishful thinking that he could ever participate in the competition," the warriors around him commented.


    "Yes, if it weren''t for the fact that he is a core disciple of the Misty South Palace, the Helian Clan would have slaughtered him right here, instead of arresting him."


    "Either way, this is going to be a good show.


    I heard that Kolton of the Misty South Palace is here as well."


    Ricky was helpless. He did not want to cause a mess, but he could not stand still and wait to be arrested either.


    "You guys, step back!" an old voice called out at that moment, drawing everyone''s attention.

 Chapter 1418 The Best Casting Genius

    When the voice faded into the ether, the figure of an old man emerged.


    Judging from his aura, the old man must be a saint, which perplexed Ricky because this guy was the weakest saint he had ever seen.


    But to his surprise, all the warriors in the square lowered their heads in respect as soon as they saw the old man.


    "Elder Graysen!" greeted all the disciples of the Helian Clan as they bowed down respectfully.


    Upon hearing them call the old man Elder Graysen, Ricky immediately realized who the man was.


    In the Helian Clan, aside from the top casting masters at the Sage Level who were hiding in the dark, there were also top casting masters at the Sage Level on the surface. Those were the head of the Helian Clan and their ten elders.


    The Helian Clan''s leader had highly likely achieved a Demi-divine Level in casting, while the weakest of the ten elders were casting masters that had reached the advanced stage of the Sage Level.


    Any force considered casting masters at the advanced stage of the Sage Level with the utmost respect. With just that information, it was clear how prestigious and powerful the Helian Clan''s ten elders were in the Misty South.


    "You are Ricky Nan, the one who took Wayne, the casting genius of our Short Human tribe, as your disciple!" Elder Graysen glared at Ricky f


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    ey clothes appeared.


    "It''s Kamari Helian, the most talented casting genius among the younger generation in the Misty South!" The moment the surrounding warriors saw the grey-clad young man, they immediately recognized him.


    Even the saints in the air showed respect to him.


    This young man was Kamari Helian, a casting genius of the Helian Clan. Even though he hadn''t even reached fifty years old, he had already defeated all the other casting geniuses of the Helian Clan. Currently, he had reached the Demi-sage Level at peak state in casting.


    Because of all these achievements, he became known as the most talented casting genius among the younger generation in the Misty South.


    Some rumors even claimed that in the few years that passed, Kamari had become a casting master at the Sage Level.


    Perhaps, a few decades later, another casting master at the Demi-divine Level would appear in the Helian Clan.


    The presence of a casting genius at such exemplary caliber made all the saints present sigh with awe.


    ''So that''s Kamari Helian...'' Ricky noted to himself seriously.


    He gazed at the other man intently, burning the man''s features to his memory. After all, this person was probably the biggest threat to him in this casting competition. In fact, this man was probably his only worthy opponent.

 Chapter 1419 The First Round

    The moment Kamari arrived, his eyes swept over Ricky critically, scrutinizing the other man''s weaknesses and strengths.


    Most people considered Kamari a one-of-a-kind casting genius, and there had been no one like him in the Helian Clan for the past thousand years. Kamari, himself, believed in his casting skills and thought that only a few people were in his level in terms of weapon casting.


    However, when he heard Ricky who was just a Demi-sage Level casting master could cast exceptional weapons with a furnace made from his Light Apperception, he couldn''t believe it at first. He thought the rumors were just that¡ªrumors.


    Thus, he decided to see Ricky cast with his own eyes.


    Kamari knew he couldn''t ignore the other man, for he was a threat to him. He had to prove that he was the most talented casting master.


    Along with his pride, he also needed to uphold the Helian Clan''s reputation, which depended on him winning against Ricky. He intended to crush Ricky during the casting contest, and in that way, he could remind everyone that he was the best casting master of his generation. People would realize that Ricky wasn''t qualified to teach anyone from the Helian Clan.


    "Since you already have an invitation, we will allow you to take part in the casting contest this time for the sake of the Misty South Palace''s representative. Good luck!" Kamari declared firmly, much to the Elder Greyson''s relief.


    Seeing this, it was evident that


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    evel casting master. And although the test had started, the top casting geniuses participating in the test couldn''t keep their eyes off Ricky.


    They studied every movement he made while they, themselves, were doing their task, which wasn''t difficult for them to achieve. After all, they had ten hours.


    It was a shame that things didn''t go as they expected.


    Seeing that it was just the first round, Ricky had no intention of showing his real skills.


    Instead, he crafted his weapon slowly and used a lame Pounding Skill. This confused the surrounding warriors, and they began to gossip with one another. "Did the rumors exaggerate this guy''s casting skills?" a warrior muttered, sounding incredibly perplexed by what he was seeing.


    "This is just the first round, so let''s not jump to conclusions. Maybe he doesn''t want to show his real skills yet," another warrior retorted. "Ricky must have something up his sleeve, or Wayne wouldn''t have taken him as his master. After all, Wayne is an arrogant casting genius in this era."


    ''What an interesting fellow! He is purposely acting like an ordinary caster. But he won''t be able to do this for long because the second round will be more difficult, '' Kamari mused.


    "Look at those fools! They''re so disappointed with your performance. Ha-ha!" the Dragon Intent Grass pointed out.


    "Let them be. I don''t plan on showing my trump card unless I have no other choice," Ricky responded with a smile.

 Chapter 1420 The Casting Ladder

    Just as the Dragon Intent Grass expected, over three-fourths of the participants were eliminated. Out of the thousands that took part, only hundreds of participants got into the second round.


    Those who expected much from Ricky were all disappointed because it took him nine hours just to create a mediocre weapon.


    ''This guy looks innocent, but he is quite cunning. He''s pretending to be weak so that his opponents would let down their guard, and then he''ll take them by surprise, '' Kolton mused quietly as he observed what Ricky was doing.


    Of course, he didn''t fall for Ricky''s trick since he knew the other man''s real casting skills.


    ''But this proves that he already got over what Lanny had done to him. His spirit is strong, and his determination and persistence are even stronger, ''


    he thought.


    In three days, the second test would begin in the Helian Clan''s Casting Ladder.


    The Casting Ladder had 999 steps in total, and the whole of these stairs was a supreme weapon of the Helian Clan that was designed for casting.


    The Casting Ladder had two parts with inherently opposite environments.


    Its left side was perfect for casting, as it had the ideal realm in weapon casting, spiritual power, and the power that could help warriors enter the state of casting.


    A warrior''s casting realm could improve exponent


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    progress couldn''t help but discuss.


    "That guy is incredible! Only Sage Level casting masters can cross the 450th level because it separates casting masters of Demi-sage Level and those of Sage Level. But Kamari easily made it to the 450th step without breaking a sweat."


    "It''s no wonder Kamari is considered the most talented casting genius in the Misty South. No one at the Demi-sage Level could surpass him in terms of casting!"


    ''I guess the rumors are right. He is extraordinary!'' Ricky thought to himself with awe.


    "That''s not good, brat! Kamari reached the 450th step without even breaking into sweat," the Dragon Intent Grass urgently reminded him.


    "Does that mean he is now a Sage Level casting master?" Ricky asked further.


    "Yeah, that''s highly likely at this point. Otherwise, he won''t be able to do that," the Dragon Intent Grass replied.


    Hearing this, Ricky fell silent.


    He didn''t say anything more because he thought the Dragon Intent Grass might be right.


    Ricky figured he could defeat any casting master at the Demi-sage Level, but someone at the Sage Level was a different story. He knew well that a Sage Level casting master could defeat him, even those that had recently reached that level.


    Who could have known that he would meet such a formidable opponent in this casting competition?

 Chapter 1421 A Worthy Opponent

    Everyone''s attention gravitated towards two more geniuses from the Helian Clan aside from Kamari. One of them was Tommy Helian, who had reached the 440th step, and the other was Melissa Helian, who had gotten to the 438th step.


    Once again, the surrounding warriors broke out into indistinct discussions. "Tommy and Melissa are among the most talented casting masters in the Helian Clan, and supposedly, they are only second to Kamari. Some people even claim that the two of them have the potential to become Demi-divine Level casting masters," one disciple murmured.


    "The Demi-divine Level is the peak level that any casting master hopes to reach. It''s unbelievable that the Helian Clan has three geniuses that have the potential to reach that level. They are truly superior to the Casting Guild," another warrior chittered excitedly.


    Many creatures hated that the Short Human tribe reigned supreme over the whole casting field, but they couldn''t do anything about it.


    The Short Human tribe seemed to have good fortune on their side, so no casting force could measure up to them despite the countless eras that had passed.


    "Tommy Helian... Melissa Helian..." Ricky''s gaze swept over the two, and he murmured their names in recognition.


    He took note of the


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    ame around.


    "Maybe we should invite Ricky to join us," a saint from the Casting Guild chittered excitedly.


    On the other hand, Tommy Helian and Melissa Helian had a blank look on their faces as they stared at Ricky.


    A hint of admiration appeared on Veronica''s calm facade.


    In sharp contrast, Kamari looked terribly agitated.


    He remembered all the times he had failed before he managed to reach the 450th step of the Casting Ladder. All the sweat, blood, and tears he sacrificed came back to his mind.


    It was Ricky''s first time on the Casting Ladder, but he had made it to the 450th step already. Perhaps, to some extent, Ricky was more talented than him in casting.


    ''No way! That''s impossible. Only the geniuses of the Short Human tribe can be as talented as I am in casting!'' Kamari seethed.


    Jealousy clouded his mind, and if he could, he would have killed Ricky on the spot.


    "I''m jealous of him... Do I see him as a threat to me?" he wondered to himself.


    ''This can''t be happening! I have to defeat him.'' He decided firmly in his heart.


    "Ricky, it looks like I was right. You do have something up your sleeve. Why don''t we compete? I feel like you will be a thrilling challenge for me." Kamari confronted Ricky coldly in the next moment.

 Chapter 1422 The Casting Competition

    "Well, I''m honored to compete with the number one casting genius in the Misty South," Ricky said with a challenging smile. His tone was calm, but he knew that it was not wise to keep his strength hidden any longer.


    "I''m looking forward to witnessing your casting skills," Kamari said in a serious tone.


    "Wow! This competition is getting really exciting!" The warriors below whispered amongst each other when they heard the conversation between the two.


    "Ricky might replace Kamari and become the number one casting genius during the course of this casting competition," one of the warriors said in an enthusiastic whisper.


    All the warriors who participated in the competition secretly hoped that there would be at least one genius who could openly challenge the casting status of the Helian Clan in the Misty South.


    "Kamari, you may go ahead and cast your weapon. The competition will last a whole day. I wish to comprehend something while I''m still on the Casting Ladder," Ricky said with a smile.


    He then sat down with his legs crossed and condensed his runic power to resist the three forces on the Casting Ladder.


    The pressure on the 450th stair was indeed testing Ricky''s limits. He was barely hanging on. However, only


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    collided with each other, aiming to disturb and distract the other.


    So did their spiritual powers.


    Ricky had to admit that the creatures of the Short Human tribe far surpassed other creatures in terms of spiritual power. After several rounds of confrontation with Kamari''s spiritual power, he was at a disadvantage.


    ''I have to use the bright ancestral spirit, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    He couldn''t make up for his spiritual power, but he could always depend on the bright ancestral spirit.


    With the help of the bright ancestral spirit and the seven runic powers, Ricky formed an absolute defense around his soul.


    ''What is happening? He is able to resist the disturbance from my spiritual power. What kind of power is he using?'' Kamari was surprised. ''Spiritual power is closely related to runic power. His spiritual power is not that strong, yet how can his runic power compete with mine? Is it because he cultivates many types of runes?''


    Unfortunately, Kamari was unaware of Ricky''s many incredible spaces.


    Due to these spaces, Ricky''s runic power didn''t need to be activated by his spiritual power.


    "Kamari, you should concentrate on your smelting," Ricky said with a smile when he saw the frown on Kamari''s face.

 Chapter 1423 A Deal

    Ricky''s words sounded like mockery to Kamari. He was infuriated.


    Kamari was tempted to release all his powers in order to destroy Ricky''s concentration on his casting in one fell swoop.


    "Thank you for the reminder!" Kamari spat, looking frustrated.


    The fight between them in terms of their runic power and spiritual power came to a halt and the two of them completely entered the state of casting.


    Kamari had his absolute trump card to break Ricky''s defense, and he really wanted to see Ricky fail miserably, but he couldn''t use it yet.


    "Dragon Intent Grass, is Kamari hiding his strength? Or is he only a casting master at the Demi-sage Level? If he is hiding strength, then why? What is he afraid of?"


    Ricky asked, sensing that neither Kamari''s runic power nor spiritual power was interfering with his anymore.


    "Hmm... I still believe that he has become a casting master at the Sage Level," the Dragon Intent Grass said. "He is indeed holding himself back, and there is a reason that he is doing so. He doesn''t wish to show his real strength at this point.


    Kamari''s performance till


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    you satisfied?"


    Ricky remained silent.


    "You said you wanted to surpass the Short Human tribe. A thousand years is enough time, don''t you think? If you cannot surpass them in a thousand years, then you can''t do it even if you have tens of thousands of years," the Casting Ladder continued because of Ricky''s silence.


    It was desperate to get Ricky''s casting manual. The more superior the casting manual, the less pressure it would feel from the suppression of the heavens.


    "You''re right, sir. A thousand years is more than enough time for me to grow far beyond their reach," Ricky replied. "But were you serious when you said you would help me become a casting master at the Sage Level?"


    "As the hermit spirit of a supreme weapon, I am always suppressed by the heavens. Do you think I could lie?" the Casting Ladder asked. "I can make you, a top talent who has already touched the casting road of Sage Level, become a real casting master at the Sage Level in a day or two easily.


    Otherwise, how can I, the Casting Ladder, be called the source of all casting skills of heaven and earth?"

 Chapter 1424 A Draw

    "Fine. How about if I make a Martial Arts Oath?" offered the Casting Ladder when it felt that Ricky still had some doubts. It showed its sincerity by making a Martial Arts Oath about the conditions they agreed with.


    Indeed, it seemed willing to sacrifice a lot just to obtain Ricky''s casting manual.


    As for Ricky''s side, the Casting Ladder was offering generous conditions. And these conditions were even more valuable than Ricky''s Chaos Manual.


    "Sir, aren''t you worried that I can become a casting master of Sage Level in one or two days? And if that happens, Kamari will no longer be my opponent in the third round," Ricky asked bluntly. He was moved when the Casting Ladder made the Martial Arts Oath, but he also knew that it was undoubtedly biased in favor of the Helian Clan. That was why he couldn''t help but doubt why the Casting Ladder didn''t mind helping him become a casting master of Sage Level.


    "Young man, even if you become a casting master of Sage Level, it''s not a guarantee that you''ll win first place in this competition," the Casting Ladder told Ricky with a knowing smile as if amused by his words.


    "Then it''s true that Kamari is now a casting master of Sage Level, huh? Otherwise, you wouldn''t be so confident that I can''t win," Ricky remarked with a heavy heart as he read between the lines.


    "You''re right. He is indeed a casting master of Sage Level, bu


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    wn on their knees. They could not even raise their heads to look him in the eye.


    Of course, most of the people from the other forces were thrilled at the development. How could they not be? They had been waiting for a long time for someone who could go head to head against Kamari. They were excited that the person, who had always beat them, finally met his match.


    The short man didn''t announce the first place anymore since it was quite obvious anyway. And besides, as a member of the Short Human tribe, he hated the result and was, therefore, not in the mood.


    Compared with the shock and excitement of the warriors from other forces, the members of the Helian Clan looked sullen and disconcerted.


    Kolton was the happiest. He didn''t expect that Ricky could compete against Kamari.


    In the background, the members of the Casting Guild were discussing how to win Ricky over, and so were the other casting forces.


    Elder Graysen''s face looked thunderous. Although he already knew the result before it was announced, seeing the happiness on other people''s faces irritated him even more.


    "What a pity!" Ricky grumbled quietly. He had hoped to win first place, and he didn''t expect that he and Kamari would end up in a draw.


    "In this case, I think Kamari''s extensive experience as a casting master of Sage Level has played a big role," the Dragon Intent Grass mused helpfully.

 Chapter 1425 The Holy Rune

    "Although he didn''t use the runic power at the Sage Level, he is still a real Sage Level casting master. He has experience, which you lack," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "Yes, I overlooked that," Ricky admitted. "It looks like I will have to beat him in the third round to win the first place."


    "Even if you could become a casting master of Sage Level, it will not be easy to defeat him. Who knows how long it has been since he broke through to the Sage level?" the Dragon Intent Grass said. "Anyway, give it your all. That''s the only option at the moment."


    "I know. I have no need for the second place. I will be the champion," Ricky said, his eyes filled with determination.


    During this time, Kamari had his glare fixed on Ricky. He couldn''t accept the fact that Ricky had tied with him for the first place.


    He was fully aware of his own advantages. He was a casting master of Sage Level, and even without using the power of the holy runes, he was supposed to have defeated all the other competitors with ease given his rich experience in casting.


    However, Ricky had stamped through all of his calculations.


    It was to be a fight between a giant and a dwarf. The giant was obviously expected to


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    ly power of nature," Ricky replied.


    "The difference between normal runes and holy runes is somewhat similar to the difference between a warrior who hasn''t yet reached the Emperor Level and one who is at the Emperor Level," he added. "It''s a qualitative change. Quantity or power has no value here."


    "Correct again! But the difference between normal runes and holy runes is far greater than that. It is not like the difference between a demi-spiritual emperor and a spiritual emperor.


    As you may already know, there is a stage called an incredible demi-spiritual emperor in between a normal demi-spiritual emperor and a demi-spiritual emperor, but there is no such thing as an incredible casting master of Demi-sage Level.


    Thus, it''s especially challenging for a casting master to reach the Sage Level. Even the most talented casting geniuses only reach that level after spending years in casting,"


    the Casting Ladder said.


    "I understand, sir," Ricky answered with a nod. "I have to dig further than ever to reach my goal this time. It has been over six months since I became a casting master of Demi-sage Level. Only about twenty percent of the runes in my body have turned into the holy runes."

 Chapter 1426 The Original Energy Of Casting

    "Lad, there''s no doubt that you are a casting genius! It only took you half a year to transform twenty percent of runes into holy runes," said the Casting Ladder with awe and a hint of disbelief.


    "At this rate, you can become a casting master of Sage Level in less than three years on your own."


    "Three years?" Ricky repeated, pursing his lips into a frown.


    Three years sounded too long.


    "Well, yeah. If that''s too much for you, don''t forget that top talents usually need dozens of years or more. I''m afraid your expectations are too high," responded the Casting Ladder when it noticed the displeasure on Ricky''s face.


    "What about Kamari? How long did it take him to become a casting master of Sage Level?" Ricky asked.


    "You can''t compare yourself to him. The disciples of the Helian Clan have been cultivating on me since childhood," the Casting Ladder reminded him gently. "And besides, Kamari has also cultivated on the 999th floor.


    I suspect that if he relied on his own comprehension, it would take him around five years to become a casting master of Sage Level. With that in mind, I can say that you are the strongest casting genius I have ever seen."


    "I''m honored to hear that, sir. However, if I didn''t get the incredible opportunities that I have had, I would not have improved as much," Ricky humbly replied. "I


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    e, I will lose to him."


    Hearing Kamari''s words, all the saints around fell silent.


    "Kamari, please ask Elder Westin and our chief first. Your safety is still our priority," Elder Graysen answered.


    "Yeah, let''s see what the chief wants first!" The other saints nodded in agreement, looking satisfied that Ricky might finally be dealt with.


    Time passed in the blink of an eye, and the Casting Ladder finally woke Ricky up.


    Just as Ricky expected, he didn''t gain a deep understanding, but he at least had a good grasp over his holy runes.


    "This is a marvelous occasion! I have cultivated a casting genius of Sage Level!" the Casting Ladder joyfully declared.


    "But remember, don''t intentionally improve your casting realm in the next few months. You have relied on external force to become a casting master of Sage Level this time, so you need to consolidate and comprehend it deeply first.


    Also, the original energy of casting can not only help you improve your realm. You need to work on that on your own."


    "I understand, sir." Ricky nodded, taking the Casting Ladder''s advice to heart.


    "All right, you should start preparing for the third round. I hope you can defeat Kamari and put the arrogant Helian Clan in their place," it added later on.


    "Ha-ha, sure! I will do as you wish," answered Ricky with a smile.

 Chapter 1427 The Third Round

    Laughing, Ricky took out the jade slip he had prepared in advance. It contained all the information recorded in the Chaos Manual.


    "Sir, here is the casting manual I''m practicing¡ªthe Chaos Manual!" he intoned as he held out the jade slip.


    "The Chaos Manual, named after the so-called chaos which contains everything. What an intimidating name!" the Casting Ladder sighed upon hearing the name of the manual. Since it was a supreme weapon, the Casting Ladder could see the innermost working of things with just a superficial glance. So when it heard the name of the Chaos Manual, it immediately understood how Ricky had gotten so incredible in casting. He even surpassed the strongest genius of the Short Human tribe.


    After the Casting Ladder took the jade slip, a deluge of information poured into Ricky''s Soul Sea.


    "This is for you, the casting manual of the Helian Clan¡ªthe Ancestor Divine Manual!" explained the Casting Ladder. "However, this is only a quarter of the complete version. As you know, aside from the Helian Clan, the Short Human tribe is composed of three more clans.


    The other three quarters are in the hands of the remaining three clans."


    "I understand," replied Ricky, nodding.


    He already kne


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    ted.


    Despite his great hatred, Elder Deacon didn''t say anything to Ricky.


    ''Wayne is my disciple and my friend. I need to save him, '' Ricky thought to himself, his determination strengthening his resolve, even as he felt Elder Deacon''s hateful glare.


    "The third round begins now! The 100th disciple, step forward!" Under Elder Calhoun''s and Elder Graysen''s watchful gazes, the short man in charge announced the beginning of the third round.


    Starting from the 100th place, the disciples participating in the competition approached the side of the drum in succession.


    When the disciple bombarded the divine drum with his runic power, it rang three times and twenty circles shone.


    "Three sounds! Not bad! The highest recorded done by the Short Human tribe''s casting geniuses under the age of three hundred is seven sounds," a warrior commented after hearing the third sound.


    "Even the 100th disciple, the least powerful of all the participants, can make the drum ring three times! The Short Human tribe is indeed filled with the best casting geniuses in the whole Misty South."


    "If the last disciple can make three sounds, I wonder how many more Ricky and Kamari can make. Will they break the previous record?"

 Chapter 1428 Shock

    Time went by quickly, and it was soon Brent''s turn, who was in the sixth place.


    The best result until this point was five sounds and fifty circles.


    And the one who had achieved this feat could undoubtedly be regarded as a top genius in casting.


    "I wonder if Brent can make six sounds," a warrior said out loud.


    Ignoring the sharp gazes of the audience, Brent walked to the drum''s side. He gathered all of his runic power, merged it with his casting intent which turned into a bright light, and slammed it into the center of the drum. Almost instantly, the light was absorbed by the drum.


    Thump! Thump! Thump!


    A moment of silence later, strong sounds reverberated through the air. As the light bloomed in circles, the sound rang out six times. After the sixth ring, the light stopped on the tenth circle.


    "Six sounds!" a warrior exclaimed.


    "Six sounds! A casting master like him who is under the age of three hundred could be considered an ace genius in casting!"


    "He has proved without doubt that he has the qualifications to become a casting master at the Demi-di


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    ed on the drum. Seven strong sounds came from the drum in an instant, and ninety-nine circles shone brightly.


    Seven sounds and ninety-nine circles!


    "Kamari broke the record without breaking a sweat!" the warriors shouted in excitement.


    But it was not a shocking result by any means. This much was expected of the genius.


    "With one more circle, the drum would have rung for the eighth time."


    "There is a huge difference between being able to make seven sounds and eight sounds. Although he could have made it with just one more circle, that is the gap in power between the Demi-sage Level and the Sage Level."


    "That''s right. Even Kamari wouldn''t be able to do it unless he is a casting master of Sage Level."


    Bang!


    Before they could finish their discussion, an even stronger sound resounded in their ears.


    In the space around them, there was a visible sound vibration, and runes pervaded. This sound was real, not their imagination.


    All their eyes widened in a stunned silence, except for the few elders of the Short Human tribe.


    There was an eighth sound!

 Chapter 1429 I Am The Best

    All the surrounding people watched with mouths agape, as Kamari''s momentum sharply increased.


    He didn''t use the Light Apperception. Instead, he used the runic power in casting, which immediately curled itself around him like a dragon, sending a jolt unto the nearby space.


    As his power swelled in increments, the rune experienced a qualitative change.


    The next moment, a stream of the holy power shot out from the rune. That was the power of the holy runes.


    Those who were watching were struck dumb, and their eyes almost bulged out in astonishment. The few moments of silence that ensued went on for what felt like centuries.


    All of a sudden, someone cried out as if they had seen a ghost. "That¡ª! That''s the holy rune!"


    "Only casting masters of Sage Level can use holy runes!"


    "Kamari must be a Sage Level casting master now!"


    The short young man standing beside the yellow drum became the subject of the audience''s adoring glances. After seeing his true abilities, they couldn''t help but think highly of him.


    Kamari had already been a formidable enemy when he was a casting master of Demi-sage Level. In the blink of an eye, he became a casting master of Sage Level, and the pressure he exerted was beyond description.


    "Is this even possible? How did he become a casting master of Sage Level so fast?" Veronica murmured to herself.


    She thought she was talented in casting and consi


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    at Ricky spent most of his time on martial arts, so they were even more disappointed.


    "Well, we can''t deny that he lost now. I only hope Ricky won''t take this badly so that he can continue training and catch up to Kamari someday," said another warrior, looking as if he had already given up hope.


    Meanwhile, the elders and casting masters of Sage Level from the Short Human tribe didn''t look thrilled anymore. The arrogance on their faces disappeared when they saw that Ricky seemed as talented as Kamari.


    Kamari, too, seemed taken aback.


    His eyes narrowed at Ricky, for the young man had truly caught his attention now.


    Strangely, Ricky didn''t seem worried or upset, even though he had shown his true power as a casting master of Sage Level.


    "It won''t matter how brilliant you are, I will always be better than you!" Kamari hissed at Ricky through telepathy.


    ''Whatever happens in the future, I will always be the best casting genius in the Misty South, '' Kamari mused with much arrogance.


    "Oh, is that so?" Ricky replied in a playful tone.


    "Well, I also have something to tell you, Kamari. You see, I am the best in casting!" he continued, stressing every syllable.


    He activated his runes the moment he finished speaking, causing his momentum to surge and swell violently.


    In the next breath, the seven kinds of runes transformed into seven dragons that quickly encompassed him.

 Chapter 1430 We Have The New Number One Casting Genius

    As the power of the seven runes reached their limits, the casting power at the Sage Level finally emerged from within Ricky. The runes shone brightly with a golden light, proclaiming that they had evolved into holy runes.


    When the drum sounded for the eighth time, the audience gaped at Ricky with open mouths just as they had when they witnessed Kamari''s real strength a moment ago.


    The air was filled with an eerie silence.


    As realization sunk in, a shaky voice broke the oppressive silence. "Are my eyes deceiving me? Ricky... Is Ricky a casting master of Sage Level?"


    "It is as plain as day! He released the holy runes, same as Kamari."


    It took Kolton a while to recover from his shock as well. He couldn''t help but clap his hands like a kid, exclaiming with a laugh, "Nice work, boy!"


    The other saints and casting masters of Sage Level stood up unconsciously and stared at Ricky, their eyes almost popping out in disbelief.


    "Incredible!" they remarked in unison. There was no other word to describe Ricky at that moment.


    Simultaneously, all of them came to the same conclusion¡ªthey would go to any le


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    lepathy.


    Although its tone was calm, Ricky could clearly sense the excitement in its voice.


    It was happy for Ricky''s victory.


    The Evil Mandragora in the Divine Manor, who had been watching what was happening in the competition, also felt happy for Ricky.


    Ricky''s voice was calm as he said, "Yes, I came to the Helian Clan with a purpose. Now, I''ve achieved my goal."


    Even though he seemed calm, Ricky was thrilled.


    "But to be honest, without the bright ancestral spirit, the chaotic power and the seven zones, I couldn''t have beat Kamari. And if he had used his full strength in the first place, I would have been defeated," he added.


    "Luck plays a huge role in victories. You were destined to be the new number one casting genius," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    ''Now, I can talk to the Helian Clan about Wayne in peace, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    He didn''t think that the senior members of the Helian Clan would give him a hard time now.


    After all, he had shown his talent in casting in front of everyone.


    A voice broke the silence in the air. "We have the new number one casting genius."

 Chapter 1431 Olaf Helian

    "From now on, there is a new number one casting genius in the Misty South!"


    The words stabbed into Kamari''s heart like a sharp dagger.


    Perhaps, everyone could see that Ricky was still inferior to Kamari even if he was now a casting master of Sage Level as well. He only triumphed over Kamari thanks to his other trump cards.


    But it didn''t matter what trump cards he used. In the end, Ricky won the victory fair and square, and nothing could change it.


    Besides, no one else had any complaints about Ricky''s victory except for the Helian Clann and some other forces attached to the Helian Clan. Almost all the warriors rejoiced when Ricky won, so it was obvious that they fully accepted Ricky''s victory.


    Only the results mattered to them, and they had no problem with Ricky using other trump cards. It was, after all, what they also wanted¡ªsomeone to humble the arrogant Helian Clan.


    "I refuse to accept this result! You are no better than me in casting. Therefore, I demand another competition with you. Let''s cast weapons," Kamari roared ferociously, ignoring the crowd that erupted into chaotic shouts and arguments.


    The glare he sent Ricky burned with hatred. If looks could kill, Ricky would have died twice over.


    "Kid, this is bad! You might lose to him if he insists on competing with you in making sacred weapons


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    eader in front of them was a fake.


    Though Olaf Helian could feel their intent gazes, he didn''t seem to mind, and his expression remained impassive. Deep inside, however, he was in a quandary.


    If possible, he would never allow an outsider like Ricky to set foot in their ancestral land.


    But he had no other choice.


    He met the eyes of the Helian Clan''s elders and muttered, "It''s that master''s idea!"


    When they heard this, the elders heaved a deep sigh of resignation. They had no choice but to give in.


    Every one of them picked up what the leader had dropped. And since it was that master''s order, they must follow it no matter how reluctant they were.


    Meanwhile, the surrounding warriors seemed to have recovered from their shock. They appeared quiet on the outside, but their minds were busy discussing with each other. "What''s wrong with the Helian Clan?"


    "Who knows? Why would Olaf Helian allow an outsider to set foot in their ancestral land? I can''t believe he offered it himself."


    "What do you reckon is he planning?" asked the Dragon Intent Grass and the Evil Mandragora. Both seemed as bewildered as the others were.


    "I have no clue," Ricky replied. "But that''s not important right now. I need to ask about Wayne first."


    After saying this, he asked Olaf Helian how they planned to deal with Wayne.

 Chapter 1432 The Ancestral Land Of The Helian Clan

    "You have shown us what you are capable of. You are indeed qualified to be Wayne''s master," Olaf replied calmly to Ricky''s inquiry.


    His answer caused a stir among the crowd.


    It became obvious that he had no intention of punishing Wayne.


    The warriors started discussing with each other telepathically, unable to believe their own ears. "I can''t believe that the Helian Clan is making a concession for an outsider."


    "Ricky is, without doubt, the first casting master who has been recognized by the Short Human tribe."


    "It was an impossible feat for anyone till date, but he has done it now. I don''t think there will be another one who would be able to accomplish this."


    "But I understand why they have come to this decision. Ricky is incredibly talented in both martial arts and casting. Besides, he has the support of the Misty South Palace. At this point, there is no way that the Short Human tribe can cause him harm. Since they can''t lay a hand on him, they have no choice but to befriend him."


    "You have created a stir. The Helian Clan has made a concession for you," the Dragon Intent Grass said.


    "I''m just glad that they have taken this decision instead of going on a rampage," Ri


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    ught to himself with a firm resolution.


    However, after only half a month, he was awakened by a familiar voice.


    He recognized the voice immediately as the Casting Ladder'', the one that had helped him become a casting master at the Sage Level during the competition.


    "Sir! How did you get here?" Ricky asked, surprised to hear the voice all of a sudden.


    "I was born here, so my consciousness can naturally appear here at any given time," the Casting Ladder explained.


    "Since the Casting Ladder was born in the ancestral land of Helian Clan, it is the core of this place," the Dragon Intent Grass added.


    "Are you here to guide me further in casting, sir?" Ricky asked with a smile.


    "You wish!" the Casting Ladder said with a scoff. "I had no intention of coming here, but you left me with no choice. If you keep absorbing the original energy of casting here at this rate, it will negatively affect the fortune of the Helian Clan within a single month."


    ''So, it discovered that I was absorbing the original energy of casting, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    "You can''t be serious, sir. Besides, I was allowed to cultivate here for three months. I still have much time left," Ricky said.

 Chapter 1433 Leilanis Request

    "You can''t continue cultivating like this. At this rate, you will take most of the fortune of the Helian Clan''s ancestral land in three months. The original energy in an ancestral land has to be kept within a certain range or the ancestral land will eventually deteriorate, causing the race''s fortune to decrease as well.


    I''m sure you''re aware of that.


    After all, more top warriors and excellent casting masters would pop up like mushrooms if the ancestral land''s original energy were infinite.


    Don''t forget that you''re in my debt. If it weren''t for me, you wouldn''t have been able to enter here, work on your holy runes and reinforce your casting level,"


    the Casting Ladder firmly reminded Ricky when the latter tried to play dumb.


    "Sir, so it is you who just spoke behind my back," Ricky started.


    ''I''m sure the Casting Ladder stepped in for me because I doubt the senior members of the Helian Clan would ever allow me to cultivate in their ancestral land...'' Ricky continued to reflect inside his mind.


    He looked at the Casting Ladder with gratefulness and continued, "Thank you very much, sir. I appreciate it."


    "If you really want to thank me, prove it!" the ladder challenged him in return.


    "Ha-ha! All right


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    ad never heard of it opening before.


    "Oh, I see. That means another bloody storm will start among geniuses in the Legendary Beast Region," Wayne chimed in at this moment.


    "Most powerful ancient beasts are buried in the Legendary Beast Tomb. It is an independent world that hovers separately beside the continent. Every once in a while, the Legendary Beast Tomb floats closer to the Legendary Beast Region and that creates a connection similar to the ancient battlefield.


    It''s a place where the strong ancient legendary beasts had fallen, which means that every inch of the Legendary Beast Tomb had been soaked in their blood. You can just imagine how amazing that place is. There must be more Treasures from Heaven and Earth in the Legendary Beast Tomb than anywhere else.


    The most enticing part is the benefit you can gain, such as the inheritances and blood essences of the legendary beasts buried in there.


    After all, the blood essence of a legendary beast can enhance not only the blood power of beasts but of humans as well,"


    Wayne clarified for Ricky.


    "Now, I understand! I can''t wait to see this Legendary Beast Tomb for myself..." Ricky nodded thoughtfully when he finally absorbed everything they told him.

 Chapter 1434 Looking Into Xenia

    "The Legendary Beast Tomb seems a good choice since I lack the legendary beasts'' blood essence. Although I have the Chaos blood power, it''s still too weak since I have only managed to wake less than half. I''m no match for geniuses who descended from legendary beasts in terms of blood power. That is my weakness. But if I get my hands on some blood essence from legendary beasts, I can awaken half of my Chaos blood power. Only then can I be on par with any genius,"


    Ricky admitted to the Dragon Intent Grass and the Evil Mandragora.


    "Well, the Legendary Beast Tomb is an excellent place for you to improve yourself. Your bright ancestral spirit and your Chaos blood power will help you unleash the full power of your Ancestral Intent Formula. And if you awaken more of your Chaos blood power, your progress will be unimaginable!" said the Dragon Intent Grass enthusiastically.


    With that conversation done, Ricky nodded at Leilani and said, "Okay. I''ll come with you to the Legendary Beast Tomb. I don''t want to miss the blood essence of the legendary beasts there."


    "Great! Thank you, Ricky!" Leilani thanked him profusely.


    She fully expected to encounter fierce competition in the Legendary Beast Tomb, and she was afraid that she wouldn''t


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    e reason they broke up, even if they were in love.


    She was convinced that if they didn''t cut each other loose, they would only hold each other back.


    ''Maybe you were right, Xenia... But I''m sure even you would be surprised at what I have achieved. I''m no longer a nobody in the Misty South, '' Ricky thought to himself.


    At this point, he felt torn. He loved and hated Xenia, and he didn''t know which feeling won over the other.


    "No official statements have been made, but I believe Xenia will become the noble daughter of our tribe once she completes her transformation. By the way, since you seem to know her quite well, do you know why she possesses such pure Nine-tailed Fox''s blood power even though she is just human? Many senior members in our tribe are curious about that, and so am I.


    If you know anything, won''t you tell me? I swear I''ll keep it to myself,"


    Leilani begged insistently.


    "Leilani, I''m sorry to disappoint you, but I don''t know either. We are just friends. I only asked you because you reminded me of her, and perhaps, that''s because you share the same blood," responded Ricky.


    "Oh, I see..." Leilani muttered with a little disappointment.


    Before long, they finally arrived in the Legendary Beast Region.

 Chapter 1435 The Seven-mouthed Greed Beast Tribe

    The moment they set foot in the Legendary Beast Region, Ricky immediately sensed the presence of its environment''s purest energy.


    The Misty South Palace was one of the oldest and strongest forces in the Misty South, so they had enough clout to obtain a prime territory in the region, one that was highly sought after and overflowing with fortune and power of heaven and earth.


    However, the Legendary Beast Region made this grandeur seem like child''s play. The area it covered was even more magnificent compared to the Misty South Palace''s lands.


    Perhaps, it could be thought of this way: the Misty South Palace''s location could be deemed the best in the Misty South among forces established by humans, while the Legendary Beast Region''s location was the best among the dwelling places of beasts.


    Of course, in terms of area, the Misty South Palace couldn''t compare with the Legendary Beast Region. After all, the former was just a force, and no matter how influential they were, they couldn''t hold a candle to where most descendants of legendary beasts lived.


    When they entered the region, Ricky took a deep breath, absorbing the pure energy from nature. "This Legendary Beast Region is amazing! It feels like the invisible heavenly power here is even stronger than in the Misty South Palace,"


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    that he would spare them.


    "No wonder this place is called the Legendary Beast Region. Even rarely seen creatures like the Seven-mouthed Greed Beasts can be found here." Mordechai voiced out his thoughts.


    "I don''t think it''s surprising at all. After all, they can only satisfy their greed in a remote but amazing place like this," Claire chimed in.


    When the five creatures heard them, they burst into delighted laughter. "Ha-ha! Look how famous we are. Even these people recognize us," the one in charge declared with much pomp and arrogance.


    He was evidently thrilled because a lot of people knew about their greedy character.


    "The extreme greed you represent is very befitting of your character," Ricky remarked. "You know, I don''t care how greedy you are. But not everyone can be your prey."


    "That''s where you are wrong!" the young man in charge retorted. "It is nature that dictates for the strong to prey on the weak. And everyone, including you, will always be weak prey for us."


    "Is that so? Why don''t you give it a shot?" Ricky sneered in reply, seemingly unthreatened.


    "Humph! Just because this Ricky has been recognized as the number one casting genius, he has become so arrogant!" another man from the Seven-mouthed Greed Beast tribe commented with a disdainful look.

 Chapter 1436 Mutants VS Fists

    "Ha-ha! This Ricky is a fool! He must have no idea what our young master is capable of," another man mocked Ricky, letting out a boisterous laugh.


    "Keep this in mind, brat. My name is Benny, and I will be sending you back to your creator soon," the young man in charge of the group from the Seven-mouthed Greed Beast tribe growled with a ferocious expression. In the next second, he unleashed his momentum and aimed it at Ricky.


    This revealed that Benny was an upper spiritual emperor.


    When Ricky''s companions sensed his momentum, their eyebrows furrowed in concern. They didn''t expect that their opponent would be so daunting.


    "This is bad! He is an upper spiritual emperor!" they exclaimed in unison.


    It didn''t take a genius to know that they couldn''t hold a candle against an opponent that was an upper spiritual emperor.


    They were aware that Ricky stood no chance against Benny, who had the higher level.


    It would have been better if Benny had just broken through since that would give them a better chance. Unfortunately, they could tell that Benny had broken through to that level a long time ago.


    He was a truly formidable opponent, which they should have expected, seeing as he was a Seven-mouthed Greed Beast.


    "Benny, if you dare to harm me, the Fox tribe will hunt you down," Leilani threatened the other man, trying to act tough even when she was a


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    e upper part of his hand was covered in black devouring power, which contained the power of greed.


    A mouth abruptly emerged from it. A second passed, and another appeared.


    In the blink of an eye, he had gained seven giant mouths. It merged with the devouring power and greedy power, formed seven vortexes, and morphed into seven fist shadows, which sped towards Ricky like bullets.


    Faced with such a potent move, Ricky had no choice but to summon his Ultimate Golden Body at the sixth level. It was the only way he could defend himself.


    Otherwise, Benny''s devouring power spurred on by the greedy power would break his flesh apart and weaken his strength in an instant.


    "Seven mutants, form a lotus!"


    At the same time, Ricky also released his chaotic power and merged it with the power of his seven mutants. A lotus with seven petals appeared and quickly expanded as it hovered over his head.


    Once the seven fist shadows were close enough, Ricky aimed the lotus at the shadows.


    In between one breath and the next, the two forces collided. Their impact produced violent airwaves that wrecked the entire surrounding and even the space beyond.


    Everywhere the airwaves swept, potent power surged next and drowned everything.


    All the people present had to gather their strength to withstand the airwaves except for the Evil Mandragora, who remained unyielding.

 Chapter 1437 Devouring Power VS Devouring Power

    Their forces collided fiercely, and soon after, it began to dissipate. As the dust settled, two figures came into view. Ricky was bent down, clutching on to his chest, blood dripping from his mouth.


    "I''ll finish you in three moves," Benny declared arrogantly when he saw that he had managed to injure Ricky.


    ''Well, there does seem to be a gap in power, '' Ricky thought to himself, wiping the blood off his mouth.


    Benny started gathering his strength and the black devouring power surrounded him. He was getting ready to launch a potent attack against Ricky.


    If his opponent had not been Ricky, Benny might have chosen to play with him before taking him out. But Ricky was famous. He was known to be strong and his talent was spoken widely of. Benny had no choice but to go all out. He didn''t want to give a single moment for Ricky to counter. He had to defeat him as soon as possible!


    "Since you are prepared to finish me in three moves, I guess I can''t hold back anymore," Ricky said with a smirk.


    And soon after, the land reverberated with the sound of a dragon. Power began to gush out from the seven runes; they were no longer ordinary runes, but holy runes which contained the holy power of heaven and earth.


    In an


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    h the power gushing out of his seven giant mouths, and rose into the air in front of him. Soon, a shadow of the Greed Beast appeared, and this Greed Beast only had one mouth.


    It seemed to be the shadow of the legendary Chaotic Greed Beast.


    The shadow opened its mouth wide as it flew swiftly towards Ricky.


    Ricky felt a strong pressure and the imminent danger approaching him.


    "Ancestral Intent Formula, it''s time for you to show what you are capable of!" Ricky said quickly as he took his fighting stance.


    The golden blood within his body responded, and Ricky''s body instantly grew larger, reaching almost fifty feet.


    Armed with the bright ancestral spirit and the Ancestral Intent Formula, Ricky felt like he was the heavenly law of the area and that his body was the essence of heaven and earth.


    His eyes flashed with the blood-colored devouring holy runes, and the Devourer Zone began to take shape behind him, absorbing all his powers and gathering them together.


    "You have the dark devouring mouth, and I have the Evil Devouring Mouth. Let''s see who wins!" Ricky said.


    As soon as he finished, his Evil Devouring Mouth was formed. It emitted a blood-colored aura as it dashed toward the giant black shadow.

 Chapter 1438 Toby

    The two enormous mouths clashed like hungry beasts, biting each other in the violent airwaves. After what seemed like forever, the encounter finally ended with a roaring echo that carried far into the air.


    Then, one gigantic figure spurted out a mouthful of blood from its equally gigantic mouth. The blood was black.


    It then rolled over, a groan of pain escaping from his lips, and it flopped onto the ground and slowly transformed back into its original visage. It was no other than Benny.


    Clearly, he had lost this battle.


    But his opponent, Ricky, didn''t look like he fared any better. The collision had thrown him back thousands of meters before he steadied himself on his shaky feet. Blood spilled down the corner of his mouth, and wounds were all over his tattered body.


    "That was close. I could barely beat Benny even with the help of the holy runes, the chaotic power, the Ancestral Intent Formula, and the bright ancestral spirit. It seemed like he could fight no matter what I threw at him. And it looks like he still has the strength to fight.


    Alas, this must be the last realm where I can challenge someone stronger than me with my own strength," Ricky lamented morosely.


    "It''s not a big deal, Ricky. You can just let him live if you can''t kill him


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    looking forward to seeing you send more young men after Ricky. I''m sure they will die one by one in his hands," Toby mocked with a cocky smile.


    "Oh, is that so? Let''s see who will die in the end," responded Elder Woodrow gruffly.


    Toby didn''t say anything more. Instead, he gave an unimpressed shrug and disappeared into the void.


    It was not until Elder Woodrow took his leave that the other saints nearby left as well.


    "Ricky is indeed fascinating. At first, I was tasked to keep him safe, but seeing how he deal with things, I''m feeling quite interested in him. I might even protect this young man with my life," Toby murmured to himself with awe, gazing upwards toward the airship where Ricky was.


    Ricky, on the other hand, had no idea what had just happened between Elder Woodrow and Toby.


    A few days later, the group finally arrived at the Fox tribe''s territory.


    The inner land of the Misty South served as a home for the Fox tribe''s Nine-tailed Foxes, while the other foxes lived somewhere else.


    For example, the Seven-tailed Fox tribe lived in the outer reaches of the Misty South.


    But although they lived separately, the creatures of the Fox tribe had their own places in their territory in the inner region, and they could cultivate there.