"The reason why I want to stop the battle is that the Sand Region is about to appear. It will be exciting to continue the battle while you are in the Sand Region. The battle will be more interesting when you guys fight for the Massacring Sand," Henry replied with an unfathomable smile on his face.
Pearl's eyes narrowed into slits at Henry's answer and facial expression.
"What an arrogant, sadistic prick!" Soar told Ricky telepathically.
"The Sandy Mutant is an unsolved mystery in the world of martial arts. It is perfectly reasonable that Henry is proud of it. But it seems to me that his arrogance stems from something deep and strange, and it is very scary," Ricky said, calmly analyzing the situation.
"Are you satisfied with my explanation, Pearl?" Henry asked, eyeing Pearl's gloomy face.
"Your idea sounds interesting indeed. Since you're the one who brought it up, I don't object to it. I just want you to be aware that you have offended me by intervening," Pearl replied, her demeanor ice cold as she stared back at Henry.
"Pearl, please don't look at it that way. There is a fuzzy line between friends and enemies. It is pretty normal for friends to turn against friends to safeguard their interests. The law of the world of martial arts is just as cruel as the law of the jungle. The weak fall prey to the strong because the strong rule the world and everything in it." Henry could not help bursting into laughter.
"Maybe we would become friends when we enter the Sand Region."
"I'm not interested in befriending my enemies," Pearl nonchalantly answered.
"Well, that's a pity," Henry replied sincerely.
A killing aura exuded from his eyes, pervading the ground without anyone noticing. Even though Ricky possessed the four zones, he was not able to sense that there was something wrong with Henry because his aura was really subtle, almost concealed from everyone.
"Brian, Pearl has agreed on the plan. What about you?" Henry asked, turning to Brian.
"Since Pearl doesn't want to join forces with me anymore, my chances of defeating Ricky are very slim," Brian calmly replied with a faint smile on his face. "But you're right. Enemies can be friends."
He paused for a moment and continued, "So, I hope we can be friends when we enter the Sand Region."
"Tha
ition. It makes me believe this is the Land of Legacy of Massacring Holy Ants," Ricky replied with furrowed brows.
"We should take action in different directions now. If we're lucky, we would meet each other in the real Sand Region," Daisy suggested as her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
All the warriors in the vicinity could not resist their strong urges any longer and dashed toward the Golden Enlightening Statues. They all leaped into the mouths of the statues and disappeared without a trace.
"See you in the Sand Region, Ricky. We still have unfinished business." Henry smirked at Ricky.
"I look forward to finishing it," Ricked answered.
Henry and Yori brought the disciples of the Bing Clan to the Golden Enlightening Statues, too.
Pearl and her companions also followed suit and entered the statues. Before proceeding, she silently threw Ricky a murderous glance, suggesting that he was doomed to die in the Sand Region.
Ricky nonchalantly returned Pearl's stare without uttering a word.
"We should move now. Otherwise, there would be few options available to us," Ricky urged and swiftly entered the Golden Enlightening Statues with his friends.
...
Intense power struck Ricky's body before he entered a small golden space that emitted rays of golden light and exuded the Golden Enlightenment.
He was surprised to find himself in a closed, eerily quiet space.
'I can enter the real Sand Region once I pass the test here, ' Ricky thought to himself. 'But what is the test?'