"My master, I'm afraid you can't leave this place right now. But when this Earth Fire Place disappears, I
can get you out of here without being noticed by anyone. Even an innate spirit would not discover your
departure," said Alva with confidence. He lowered his head and bowed to show respect for his master.
'Even an innate spirit would not discover me when I leave! That is just incredible. Can he really pull that
off?' Ricky thought to himself. He was so astonished at the man's capability of making him leave
without being noticed.
"Yes, my master. I am a real treasure and I can do that. Although I've been hurt badly, I can still perform
my power. The least I can do is to help you escape without being detected," Alva stated confidently as
he reassured Ricky. It was as if he had already read his master's mind.
"I am so glad to hear what you can do and that you're sure of it. If that's true, please, I need you to get
me out of here when the time comes," Ricky said in a helpless tone.
It was no secret that several other warriors had already died in the Heaven Melting Pagoda. They were
killed by no other than the Beast Fire. To them, once you enter the pagoda, there would be no certainty
that you would be able to come out alive. All of this was seen and witnessed by all the other warriors
who refused to go in. But even if Ricky escaped the pagoda undetected, he would still be mobbed by a
group of angry warriors all because of what he might have gained inside of it. Even if Elder Alexander
gave him protection, it wouldn't be enough to control a crazy mob.
The theory that the pagoda could have the ability to aide his escape meant that he could have more
time and energy to fight off the greedy men outside of the pagoda. This thought alone lifted some
weight off his shoulders.
"Oh, Alva, here is another thing. About those Beast Fires inside the pagoda... do you still need them?"
Ricky asked nonchalantly.
"My master, throughout the years I have collected Beast Fires to restore my energy and strength. I do
not need them anymore, master. I owe it to the Heaven Melting Fire that I have finally gained and
recovered my strength completely. Please, feel free to engulf these fires!" Alva replied enthusiastically.
"It seems that you have already known that there is another fire existing in my body," Ricky said
positively as he had already expected that Alva knew about his special power.
"You are right, my master. You used such a special fire without any reservation in my body. There's no
way I wouldn't be able to feel it!" Alva replied.
"Oh, and by the way, my master...which kind of fire would that be?" he added.
"It's the Devouring Fire. Have you, by any chance, heard anything about it?" Ricky had no intention of
hiding the fact away from him. This special power did not require secrecy. He went straight to the point
and discussed the essentials of the Devouring Fire in his body. Alva's face was crumpled, as he tried to
understand and remember if he had ever encountered such skill before.
"What?! The Devouring Fire! What a surprise! Oh, stupid me! I should have thought of that!" Alva's
eyes widened as he realized that what Ricky had was indeed the Devouring Fire.
"Oh? Are you familiar with it?"
"Yes, my master. As a matter of fact, I was born from the Heaven Melting Fire. I had the privilege of
containing any kind of fire in my body. Back in the days, the Heaven Melting Dragon acquired many
fires and put them inside my body to increase my strength.
The dragon also tried to absorb the Devouring Fire. But it failed to take it in.
And that is how I am familiar with the Devouring Fire. But it had never appeared in my body for some
reason. As I have heard, among all the peculiar fires and the divine fires, the newborn Devouring Fire is
the most vulnerable one. It can even be perceived to be impotent than the Beast Fire. On the other
hand, it is known to have such huge potential when honed.
That's because the Devouring Fire can grow quickly by taking in other fires, engulfing them. Once it
absorbs other fires, it would gain more power, and grow even larger than it is until it becomes the first
ever fire in the world. No one has ever seen such beauty, strength and divine power of it. The Chaotic
Fire, we call it!" Alva continued as he recalled all the knowledge he had on the Devouring Fire
"Now isn't that interesting?" Ricky said as he pondered on what Alva had just said about his power.
He was astonished at the amount of knowledge that Alva had regarding his power. This enlightened
him and made him remember how he mixed up almost a hundred and eight fires using his skill just to
create the Chaotic Fire. From what he gathered, it meant that the Devouring Fire enabled him to engulf
the other one hundred and seven fires to produce the ultimate Chaotic Fire! Ricky was dazed at the
process of using a tremendous amount of fires to create such power.
Using his added knowledge to the Devouring Fire, he decided to do something that he had always
wanted. Ricky focused and activated his internal strength and transferred all kinds of the Beat Fire into
where he stood. With a deep breath, he began to manipulate the Devouring Fire to engulf the Beast
Fires by using the Devouring Skill.
He was more than thankful for Alva's offer. With more than two hundred of Beast Fires inside the
pagoda, Ricky was excited to engulf each and every one of them. He presumed that devouring all of
them would grant him a more powerful Devouring Fire--the stronger and better Chaotic Fire.
For the next four days, Ricky channeled all his energy and engulfed every single one of the fires in the
pagoda.
Meanwhile, outside of the Heaven Melting Pagoda, people anxiously waited for Ricky. Theo and three
other partners awaited his exit.
"Why isn't he out yet? I'm so worried about him!" Kayla asked as she paced back and forth.
"I'm not so sure though," Theo responded with worried eyes. "Why don't we wait for a few more."
All of them were jittery. Their hearts raced as they stood there and wished that at any minute, a person
would come straight out of the door. But, the more they waited, the more they lost hope. No one
showed up yet and this only made them more jumpy as they worried that the Earth Fire Place would
soon disappear.
Suddenly, the exit point of the Earth Fire Place appeared. This surprised them because it wasn't
supposed to be out for another two months.
Theo and the others decided to give up on the test. They did not want to proceed with the next
challenges for two reasons--they did not see themselves powerful enough to pass them, and that they
might meet Ricky and even be his opponents. And that was the last thing that both parties would have
ever wanted to happen.
"What shall we do now? Ricky did not come out, neither did other warriors. No one has come out yet!
This passage out of the place only stays here for several hours! It will disappear soon!" Theo stated
worriedly again.
"It has already been seven days since they entered the pagoda. No one's coming out alive. All of them
might have probably died there," some warriors whispered to each other frightfully. "Let's get out of
here. Otherwise, it will be gone when the Earth Fire Place disappears."
"I agree. We'd better leave now! It's what's best for us!" other warriors echoed in fear.
Many other warriors had cold feet and left through the passage. No one wanted to be stuck there and
die.
Suddenly, the ground shook violently. "Wh... What's happening?!" exclaimed Theo.
The Heaven Melting Pagoda started to tremble and flew out of the ground. The massive structure's
launch caused a strong sandstorm in the area and swept away most of the things around it. People had
a hard time staying on the ground. Everyone who was there held on to their lives as they tried their best
not to be taken away by the massive sandstorm. The pagoda continued to fly high up in the sky and
faded until it was a speck of dust in the clouds.
But before the Heaven Melting Pagoda's disappearance, it warned everyone, "All of the candidates did
not survive. Leave now or vanish along with the Earth Fire Place."
"What? They all died?!" "Really? How could it be!?" some warriors began to panic upon hearing the
news from the pagoda. Those who stayed only wanted to hear the final results. But when they knew
that they did not have much time left in the Earth Fire Space, they became ultimately worried for them,
and for those who were left behind.
Theo and the other three were devastated to hear the words from the pagoda. Their eyes were filled
with tears as they knew that their friend might have not survived the test. Theo comforted the other
three as they all mourned Ricky's demise.
They were at a loss for words as they loathed Ricky's passing. They were frozen at their spots as they
mourned, with tears that could fill a bucket. Now that the pagoda had already left, it was also time for
them to move on.
"Theo, Kayla, I'm so sorry for Ricky. How I wish that this is just a rumor. But you've heard what the
pagoda just said. I think we should leave here as soon as possible. Otherwise, we are going to
disappear with the Earth Fire Place," Pompeo insisted as he consoled them.
...
But things were not as Theo and the rest thought. Ricky, was alive and kicking. He stood beside the
window of the pagoda as it flew high above and looked at them. He wished that they knew he was still
alive.
'It was a good thing that they didn't push through with the challenges. They might have died in there, '
Ricky thought to himself as he watched them from the window. He felt relieved when he saw them
standing there unscathed through the window of the pagoda. "I'm sorry guys, but I really have to go. I
can't let the others see me. Meet me some other day and I'll explain everything to you," he muttered in
a low voice, apologizing, though they actually couldn't hear him.
Soon, the Heaven Melting Pagoda came rushing toward the entrance of the passage.
All eyes were on to the pagoda, some of them were the many demi-immortals and the several innate
spirits. Given this situation, the Heaven Melting Pagoda met Ricky's order and quickly fled the Earth
Fire Place. Then, Ricky took a look at Elder Alexander from far before he maneuvered the pagoda to fly
to the Snow Sect as quickly as possible.
At this point, Ricky should not be seen by anyone, especially those from the Earth Fire Land. With this,
he decided to go back to the Snow Sect first to avoid any fuss and think about what he should do next.
...
Soon, news about the Earth Fire Place flew all over the region. Since many people heard the loud
noise from the sandstorm as the Heaven Melting Pagoda launched itself from the ground.
Versions of the story were told from one person to the other. This only brought shock and fear to
everyone.
It was said that a mysterious pagoda materialized out of nowhere and lured talented warriors. It was
also said that the pagoda was clever to use the Beast Fire to kill the warriors one by one. The news
was all too gruesome and frightening for everyone who heard about it.
This story only made everyone in the Earth Fire Land curious. They kept on wondering about all sorts
of things--what the pagoda was, where it came from, and even what its purpose was.
Organizations and clans sent their best warriors to the place where the Earth Fire Place allegedly
appeared. They tried to find out clues as to what it was doing there. But unfortunately, their efforts were
in vain because as soon as they set foot on to the place, the Earth Fire Place had already vanished.
Not a single trace of information was left for them. If it were true, they did not even know where it would
appear next.
When everyone in the Earth Fire Land was busying digging out the information of the mysterious
pagoda, Ricky had already arrived in the Snow Sect. All of this and his escape would not be possible if
it were not for the Heaven Melting Pagoda.
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