An old man dressed in a golden robe suddenly appeared out of nowhere. However, what was striking about him was not his lustrous and expensive-looking attire. Rather, it was his uncanny resemblance to Jim that made jaws drop. He shared the exact physical build, appearance and facial expression as Jim's. The only detail that set the two apart was how he seemed to be more powerful than Jim!
''Brother!'' Jim muttered under his breath. Hearing Jim call out softly to the old man was enough for the group to recognize the latter.
"Master Billy!" greeted Garrett. Despite his excitement, he made sure he still regarded the man with respect.
Meanwhile, Josiah gloated silently at Scar. His thoughts seething with malice, he wondered if Scar would feel desperate after bearing witness to another completed spiritual king.
''You are Billy!'' he cried. Scar's face was instantly contorted with depression and gloom.
Billy was Jim's elder brother. He also happened to be among the most powerful completed spiritual kings. Back at the Oriental College, it appeared as though none of the other completed spiritual kings could overpower and defeat the Skyward Sword Spiritual King and the Array-shattering Spiritual King. But when paired against Billy, their powers would still seem mediocre in comparison. After all, Billy had been a renowned completed spiritual king for ages.
Even the Garuda tribe's very own leader—a demi-spiritual emperor—would regard Billy with a deep level of respect.
''Why are you here? Is the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth so valuable to your tribe?'' asked Scar. He was still in the middle of recovering from the mixture of shock and desperation he felt as he laid eyes on Billy. He simply could not believe that Billy was there—in flesh and blood.
Scar's deduction was right. It was truly unusual for two completed spiritual kings of the Garuda tribe to be in the same territory at the same time. What was even bizarre was the way both completed spiritual kings seemed to be immensely determined for the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth. It was simply not worth all the commotion.
It didn't take long before Ricky's face, too, mimicked Scar's somber expression.
'Could it be...that there is something else the Garuda tribe wants?' Ricky thought to himself as he tried to dig deeper into the entire situation.
''Ha-ha! You're right. Of course, we have not come here just for the mere Quintessence of Heaven and Earth.'' Garrett's smile was filled with smugness.
a quick and painless death, '' Billy threatened and readied his stance to make an attack.
''I refuse," Ricky shrugged. "I'll lose my life either way, '' he stated matter-of-factly.
''There's a painful death, and then there's also a quick death," Jim added. "You can take a pick between the two, you know?'' Jim was trying to outsmart Ricky. His plan was to acquire Ricky's secrets first, before he could kill the so-called ace genius.
''Ricky, surrender now. I guarantee you a decent death. If you don't cooperate, I'm going to have to smash your bones into pieces, '' Garrett threatened Ricky yet again.
''Spare me your foolishness!'' Ricky retorted. He was not about to give up without a fight.
''You asked for it!'' Billy yelled. His voice was filled with coldness yet his white hot rage was reflected in his actions.
Boom! Boom! Before they even realized it, Billy had completely broke out of his composure and momentum as a completed spiritual king. He transformed his spiritual energy into a giant palm before going off to attack Ricky with overflowing ferocity.
''Maybe I'll die today. But I'll make sure one or more of you will be going to hell with me. Just wait and see!'' Seeing Billy's attempt to strike Ricky, Scar let out a furious roar and summoned his full strength as a completed spiritual king.
At this point, Ricky had already encased the warriors with his barrier in secret. A simple signal from his psyche would enable him to transport all these warriors into the Chaotic Fire Zone.
''Whew! Sorry, I don't mean to interfere, but why are you all so greedy?'' Just then, a lazy voice interrupted their ongoing confrontation.