"Devouring Storm!"
As Ricky's growl echoed over the battle field, the whole area seemed to be shaken out like a mat by an
invisible yet strong windstorm. The devouring energy twirled up turbulently and formed a typhonic air
current. Everything in the zone, including the zone itself, was about to be devoured and smashed into
pieces.
Buzz!
Radical changes took place over Ricky's body all the while. A buzzing sound rippled around him,
countless devouring runes encircled him, and suddenly the runes surged violently like sea currents,
overturning the sky and the earth.
As the devouring power pervaded around them, the runes released blood red light and shone with
boundless radiance. It seemed to flash with endless vehemence. The bursting power was so intense
and piercing that the Shadowy Fatal Lights seemed to freeze for a moment.
Soon, the devouring runes and Ricky began to merge together. Ricky was submerged within the
devouring rune current and became a part of the devouring runes.
Then the vehemently surging devouring runes twirled and accelerated into a spiral storm around him.
The blood red spiral storm intensified and solidified gradually. It absorbed spiritual energy, pulling it in
from all over the place. The devouring power formed the shape of drills and shot out devouring energy
rapidly as it sprung around.
Pow!
The next moment the Shadowy Fatal Lights and the Devouring Storm bumped into each other. The
immense sound of a collision was so thrilling that it produced a fierce vibration of power. The vibration
was so fierce and the power so intense that it seemed as if the whole mountain was the very center of
the collision and all storm-like forces crashed right there on the spot.
Interwoven black and blood red air billows released countless strange ripples out into all directions and
spread about in the roaring boom. The ripples were fierce enough to grind the whole place into ashes
indistinctly.
In the center of the collision, two interwoven Shadowy Fatal Lights merged their power together and
launched a tumultuous attack against the scarlet spiral windstorm. It seemed as if they had confronted
each other in a Roland for an Oliver situation.
However, a perceptive warrior would have sensed the rapidly weakening trend of the Shadowy Fatal
Lights. The power of the Shadowy Fatal Lights dissipated into emptiness as they passed through the
Devouring Storm.
Soon the Devouring Storm quickly outmatched the weakening Shadowy Fatal Lights in power.
Gradually, at its summit, the Devouring Storm was strong enough to smash everything in its way as is if
it were a hot knife cutting through soft butter.
After a splintering sound, the two Shadowy Fatal Lights scattered into pieces. They then were
absorbed by the devouring windstorm.
"Ahhhhhh!" Thomas's scream echoed across the turbulent sky as his body appeared in the air billows.
Since his Shadowy Replication and the Shadowy Fatal Light failed to win him the fight, his tangible
body showed back up.
The Devouring Storm grew even stronger after absorbing the power of Shadowy Fatal Light. It tore its
way toward Thomas's chest in an arch of swirling energy.
At the sight of that ferocious attack, Thomas stopped screaming. He folded his arms in front of his
chest and assembled his spiritual energy to form a shield to resist the Devouring Storm.
His efforts were in vain, however. His Shadowy Fatal Light could not resist Ricky's Devouring Storm
even at its climax. Now that all he had left was his spiritual energy shield, it could do almost nothing.
Ricky's figure appeared behind Thomas's back as a spiral of scarlet light shot past him.
Ricky's face was covered with excitement as he stood there gasping for breath.
Thomas's body was utterly exposed before Ricky's eyes once again as the bloody light struck. But this
time, he was a dying man.
A huge hole appeared in his chest. Blood trickled out of the cavity and stained his body and his robe. A
large amount of scarlet runes hung over the wound, devouring the remaining power from his body to
the last bit.
Unwillingness and terror filled his eyes as he stood there helplessly.
"I'm not ready for death. I, Thomas, will not die here!" Thomas struggled to articulate his unwillingness
and terror at the idea of being beaten. He soon fell over onto the ground despite his protests.
"Shadowy Replication is indeed powerful and peerless for rivals in the same realm. Unfortunately you
met me. My Devouring Storm is the most peerless skill among all peerless skills." Ricky grunted as he
turned back and looked at Thomas's body.
He looked at Thomas as a respected rival.
The Devouring Storm was a skill he mastered after his understanding of the Devourer Zone and the
Devouring Skill had reached a critical point. He sensed the power building when he fought against the
two masters of the Panther Gang.
It had taken long hours of meditation before he could fully master it and bring it into play on the battle-
field.
Ricky named the skill the Devouring Storm because of the indistinctive messages the Chaotic Fire
Zone sent him.
He knew by instinct that the two zones and two Supreme Skills could generate their intrinsic and
specific skill--or skills.
Those skills would rather be called Omnipotent Skills because they were skills mastered through the
two Zones. Unlike low cultivation methods, there were no realm limitations nor grades restrictions.
Those zone skills could improve as Ricky's power strengthened. The power scope of the skill was not
related to levels but instead to the strength of the warrior. So it would make more sense to name them
Omnipotent Skills.
'An Omnipotent Skill is the cultivation method that can generate the utmost power with no grade or
realm limitations. I'm just lucky to have such skills!' Ricky thought in excitement.
'If I can master more Omnipotent Skills based on my understanding of the two zones and the two
Supreme Skills, then I can greatly enhance my power. Maybe I will be able to rival warriors three
grades higher than me!
Or if I try hard enough, one day I will be able to challenge rivals four grades higher than me too!'
That was something he would have to work for.
Ricky looted Thomas's corpse for his belongings. The Bronze Key was the most important object
Thomas possessed.
Ricky felt even more sure that the Bronze Key was an extraordinary spiritual weapon when he finally
held it in his hand. Unfortunately, he was not yet strong enough to mobilize it.
"Even if the Bronze Key is a spiritual weapon, or even a middle grade one at most, it would not make
sense for eight warriors at the ninth grade of Bone Reinforcement to give up the Great Dragon's blood
essence for it," Ricky murmured as he looked over the key.
Ricky was right. A spiritual weapon, or even a middle grade one, could not match the value of the Great
Dragon's blood essence, even though the latter's power had greatly worn off over the centuries.
"Is it possible that there are some hidden secrets that the Bronze Key holds that make it more valuable
than the Great Dragon blood essence? Could this key grant the opportunity to promote a warrior to an
innate spiritual king?"
...
Ricky took all Thomas's eight storage bags and investigated them with his spiritual power. Then, he
was filled with great joy.
Inside the bags, there were gold coins, Treasures from Heaven and Earth, and heaping medicinal pills.
"I think this makes this trip to the Chaotic Mountains a fruitful harvest!" Ricky remarked in satisfaction.
He then decided to leave, but he did not intend go back to the Chaotic Region. The Fire Dragon Egg in
the Chaotic Fire Zone was too impatient to wait any longer.
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