"Zenith, you can go, but you have to leave the boy!" a voice roared as Zenith tore the space apart and was ready to flee with Ricky. The whole place started to shake violently all of a sudden, the ground visibly trembling and cracking from the pressure.
One moment, Zenith was wreaking havoc, and then the next, a hand carrying a terrifying amount of spiritual energy appeared out of thin air, successfully blocking Zenith's way out.
Zenith had no choice but to stop in his tracks. His face turned grim as he gathered frosty power on one finger and attacked the hand with all his might. If he wanted to escape with Ricky, he had to get past this mysterious force and somehow knock him out. It was the only way, yet it was proving to be very difficult.
"My master, a middle spiritual king and an lower spiritual king are on the way!" Alva said, turning to Ricky with a grave face.
"It seems that this mysterious hand attracted not only Chief Zenith, but other people as well." Ricky's eyes darted to all the possible escape routes, all the while calculating their chances. As he narrowed down their options, he glanced at Alva and asked, "Do you think we can get out of here?"
"There's a chance, but a very slim one. You have to get into the Heaven Melting Pagoda before the innate spiritual king does and block him from entering. But in my present state, it won't be easy to accomplish. Getting rid of him might cost us a hefty price," Alva replied.
'A slim chance is better than none!' Ricky thought, preparing himself for the worst.
The next moment, two figures appeared in front of Ricky and Zenith. Their eyes were filled with murderous intent and no room for anything else. There was only one thing on their minds, and that was snuffing the life out of Ricky.
Ricky knew how much they wanted to kill him. After all, these two had so much resentment and hatred towards him.
One of them was Errol, a man who came from the West Desolate Land. He was Lyndon's father. Ricky remembered Lyndon quite clearly, as Lyndon was the man who hunted him down before. The other one was Mia, Andrew's mother. Errol was a middle spiritual king just like Zenith, while Mia was an lower spiritual king.
But it didn't matter what kind of spiritual king they were, as they were only ants in Ricky's eyes. He was more powerful that these two combined.
"Errol, Mia, it seems you two haven't left the Snow Land yet and have no plans to do so any time soon. That's your mistake right there. You should have left when you had the chance," Zenith said coldly, glaring at the two.
"Ha, if we leave, then we won't be able to see Ricky," Errol responded equally as cold. "Zenith, this is my last warning. Leave the boy alone and save yourself. That is the only way you can continue being the chief of the Snow Sect. Otherwise, we'd have no choice but to... take care of you, too."
"Errol, you're hilarious." Zenith laughed. "Do you honestly think your threats will work on me?" He laughed even harder. "I must say, I have
. This time, there was blood coming out of the corner of his lips.
"Zenith, I know your real strength. You can definitely hold your ground against many middle spiritual kings. But as long as you're trying to protect that boy, you can't win against me," Errol said, his lips curving into a smile.
He looked absolutely pleased, and Zenith could tell he was itching to continue the fight.
"Ultimate Flushing Wrath--Endless Flushing Palm!" Zenith felt it before he saw it. Errol's attack this time was even stronger than the last two.
'You sealed your death the moment you decided to protect Ricky, ' Errol thought as he aimed his blow at Zenith's chest. He wanted to hit the heart and make it stop beating.
"Chief Zenith, don't worry about me. Just give it your all!" Ricky said seriously, a hint of fear in his voice. He knew if Zenith got hit by Errol's technique yet again, the consequences would be dire.
"Nonsense, I'll definitely defeat him and I'll never leave you alone!" Zenith yelled back.
"No, Chief Zenith, listen to me! I want you to give it your all! Stall him, waste his time. All I need is a little time. I'll defeat Mia and escape!" Ricky said confidently.
"What?" Zenith asked, unable to believe what he just heard. Ricky, defeating Mia on his own? It was like a suicide mission.
"Trust me, Chief. I got this," Ricky said firmly. His eyes shone with resolve.
"I see. It seems that you've really come across a great opportunity in the Earth Fire Place. You're stronger now," Zenith replied with an understanding nod.
With a smile, he took back the protective layer of energy that he cast upon Ricky. It merged with the power within his body, making him feel complete and so much stronger.
At that moment, Ricky immediately hid inside the Heaven Melting Pagoda. His plan was to activate it and escape. His enemies noticed what he was doing, though.
"Oh my goodness, it's the spiritual space tool!" Errol and Mia exclaimed, their eyes filled with disbelief and greed.