Crack! Crack!
The sound of cracking interrupted the Evil Emperor's speech. With an erratic rhythm, the Luxurious Emperor's bones cracked from the heavy impact. Grunting turned into yelling, the sounds punctuated the hatred and resentment that engulfed the Luxurious Emperor. He was furious.
His eyes blazed ferociously. The killing intent behind them was obvious to everyone present.
Given the chance, the Luxurious Emperor would destroy the Oriental College. But, in his anger, even that didn't seem enough. He burned with the desire to see the whole Oriental Realm crumble into dust before his eyes. Blood would flow freely in the land, with a slaughter brought about by his own hands.
However, it would be nothing more than a pipe dream. He was a supreme emperor, but he was no match against the Oriental Emperor and the Evil Emperor.
The weak could do nothing but eat humble pie.
"I'm warning you—you will pay for what you did to me. I swear to God that I will come back for you, sooner or later," the Luxurious Emperor roared, his anger suppressed and tempered by the chill in his tone.
"Thanks for the kind reminder. I think I can at least pay the price," was the Oriental Emperor's flat response. He stared back, unimpressed by the threats made on his enemy.
"Sir, I'm afraid the Luxurious Emperor will be irritated by your words and will thus fight back with all his might," Ricky said to caution the Oriental Emperor through their telepathic link.
"Don't worry too much, Ricky. Even without your interference, the Luxurious Emperor and our Oriental College are doomed to have a ferocious fight. We have been enemies for a long time. The Luxurious Chamber of Commerce has already teamed up with the Nether Manor from the Dark Fallen Realm and the Endless Shadow," the Oriental Emperor said, soothing Ricky calmly.
"So, don't feel guilty. You did not bring us any trouble. We would have fought against him sooner or later.
What's more, we are your seniors in the Oriental College. So when you are trapped and faced with tricky problems, we are supposed to help you. If you were hunted by those extremely powerful emperors who are stronger than us, it might be more difficult for us to deal with them. But if it were just those spiritual emperors who are at the same level as us, we are confident and not afraid of them."
"Thank you so much, sir." He bowed as he spoke. Respect and gratitude seeped into Ricky's every action.
"But, sir, I'd like to ask one more thing. How are you going to resist the attack from the Nether Manor, the Endless Shadow, and the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce? They must be very strong when the three organizations cooperate." His brows furrowed as he spoke, lingering doubt tinged his voice.
"I think they will act after the competition for the Sense of Realm is over,
Tina huffed, clearly unhappy. She crossed her arms and glanced at her surroundings. She was not at all surprised to find herself in Ricky's place.
There was a bit of resentment in her, born out of the fact that she had been locked inside the Chaotic Fire Zone for such a long time.
When Ricky had locked her inside, she had known that when he released her they would be back at the Oriental College.
"I'm sorry, Tina. I had to do it in that situation," Ricky said. He rubbed the back of his neck as he awkwardly glanced at Tina.
"You already got out of that place. You practiced that cultivation method with Pearl. Am I right?" Tina asked.
There was a hint of jealousy in her voice and the clipped way she spoke emphasized the emotion. Pearl knew Ricky intimately—she knew him in a way that Tina envied.
"Tina, if you think I'm a playboy or something like that, then I don't know how to explain it. You can leave if you want and I won't stop you." Ricky's eyes flitted between her and the door. His face was serious.
"Am I such a narrow-minded woman in your eyes?" Tina caught his gaze in a soft stare.
"You know what I'm thinking. You know I have feelings for you, don't you? I might be jealous when you have other girlfriends, but it won't affect my feelings for you. I love you, Ricky. I only hope that there is still a place for me in your heart even if you fall in love with other girls."
Tina grasped her arms tightly, insecure and threatened by Pearl and Ricky's relationship. She was afraid that Ricky would leave her. While she was in the Chaotic Fire Zone, she decided to tell him about her feelings again and she did it immediately after she saw him. It was a desperate move by a desperate woman.
Her words surprised Ricky, though. He was dumbfounded, struck silent and fumbling for a proper response.
This was something he had not anticipated at all.