"You don't want them dead, do you?" Ricky asked, studying Brandon with narrowed eyes.
"That's right. I only let them live because they don't deserve to die by my hands," Brandon answered
with a fake smile.
His words, of course, pissed off Raylan, Ella, and the other five disciples of the Five-element Sect.
They felt so insulted that Brandon didn't even consider them as threats. They glared heatedly at him,
with their teeth gritted in anger and their eyes burning with fury.
However, even though their pride was hurt, none of them could say anything back.
After all, Brandon was telling the truth. They would all be dead if Brandon had wanted to kill them. The
shameful truth was that Brandon and his companions had played with them as if they were playing cat
and mouse.
"The primary reason why I let them live was that I wanted to use them as bait to lure you out. I wanted
your head badly not just because I promised Walt, but because you are a rare genius. You would be a
great threat to me if you were to be left alive," Brandon continued bluntly.
"Ha-ha! I'm flattered that you think of me as a genius. However, I won't show you any mercy. Even
though you don't want to admit it, the truth is that you are no match for us. I'm going to chop off your
head," Ricky replied with a laugh.
"I admit that we stand no chance against you guys. But since I did all this to get you here, do you think I
am not fully prepared?" Brandon revealed, a sly smile playing on his lips.
Upon hearing this, Ricky and his companions immediately grew wary, and they glanced around them
with their eyebrows scrunched into a frown.
"Well then, let me see what games you are playing. I'm curious if your plans can even scare me," Ricky
answered confidently.
All of a sudden, Brandon's face darkened, and he turned his gaze to someone hidden behind him.
"George, come out!" he yelled out.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! As soon as the words fell from his lips, countless ripples appeared in the
void again, and four more figures came down. The one leading them was a young man clad in fine
clothes and a fancy, golden crown. He exuded an aura of a nobleman, which attracted the attention of
the entire place.
There was no doubt that this young lad had a strong blood power and terrifying strength.
"It's George Hua!" Ashley abruptly cried out with a gloomy expression. Raylan, Hayes, and the others
also bore morose looks on their faces.
They had all heard a lot about this man.
Brandon was a powerful enemy to all the geniuses of the Five-element Sect, so it was not an
understatement to say that they could hardly defeat him. George Hua was somewhat similar to him,
except for the fact that George Hua was far stronger than Brandon.
Therefore, the disciples of the Five-element Sect saw George Hua as someone that they could never
surpass.
"Is that George Hua from the North Sect?" Ricky murmured in a low voice as he observed the young
man who had just arrived.
The name was familiar to him, as he had looked into the background of the famous geniuses in this
territory before he entered the ancient battlefield. It looked like his effort was not in vain.
As far as he knew, George Hua was one of the two most talented disciples in the North Sect. He would
most likely be appointed the next leader of their sect.
"I knew it! The North Sect has allied with the Luo Clan," Hayes remarked in a sullen tone.
George Hua took several steps in the air and landed next to Brandon. He glanced at Ricky's
companions before he finally rested his eyes on Ricky and Mordechai. His instincts were telling him
that the duo had something up their sleeves, and they were not as simple as they looked.
"I guess you two are the geniuses of the new generation in the Five-element Sect. I heard that your
vice leaders think highly of you," George Hua commented as he looked at Ricky and Mordechai.
"Perhaps, you should listen to my advice.
The Five-element Sect has already declined, so the only way for you to survive is to seek refuge with
us. Otherwise, you will be wiped out together with your sect.
Even if you can collect enough Territory Seals in the Territory Battle, the Misty South Palace will only
protect you for fifty years. The very day that your time limit runs out, we will seize your place and kill
every single soul from your sect.
Mark my words. Those who refuse to bow to us will die.
You've got no other choice but to surrender to us if you guys want to survive. You two just have to
swear fealty to our sect, and I promise that we will treat you well. I will personally help you grow
stronger, and you will get whatever you want," he added.
"Ha-ha! I have to say that you are an ambitious man. It won't be bad if warriors like us have ambitions
as you do. These benefits you are offering are quite tempting," Ricky responded slyly.
"However, we know something about loyalty.
And besides, we don't like people who threaten us. We appreciate your kindness, but we will not join
you," he continued straightforwardly.
"If that's what you want, then it looks like a fight is inevitable. That way, we could help you make the
right decision," George Hua answered caustically. Ricky's words enraged him. Now he hated Ricky
even more than Brandon did.
"Hey, George. I told you that for people like him, you should use your strength to speak. It's useless to
persuade them with words," Brandon asserted knowingly.
"I guess you are right. Anyway, let's see how stubborn and strong they are!" George Hua answered.
"Wait," Brandon interrupted, laying a hand on George Hua's shoulder. "I call dibs on Ricky's head. I
want to cut it myself and see him bleed. Leave him to me, okay?"
"Okay. Since you want his head so much, I won't get in your way," George responded, smiling
indulgently at him.
Meanwhile, Mordechai was listening to the conversation between George Hua and Brandon, and every
word ignited a fire within his heart. "Ricky, these two guys are too rude. I can't help but hate them on
sight. What about you?" he asked Ricky.
Although he couldn't do anything to the dead Rotten Thorn Men, he was not afraid of George Hua and
Brandon at all.
"You know what? I don't like them either. We should teach them a lesson!" Ricky responded loudly.
He had raised his voice on purpose so that everyone could hear him.
In the next moment, Ricky, Mordechai, Brandon, and George Hua jumped up and hovered mid-air. The
four of them burst out their momentums, which slammed and clashed against each other, creating
hissing sounds.
Ricky locked eyes with Brandon, while Mordechai met George's furious gaze.
And although both sides were itching to just fight, they had no intention of actually attacking each other
yet.
They were well-aware that the victory of each side wholly depended on the results of the fight among
the four people. It was meaningless for them to simply fight on their own.
"Be careful, Mordechai! This man looks like a formidable foe. Although his momentum and strength
seems equal to those of Brandon, my gut is telling me that he is stronger than Brandon," Ricky warned
Mordechai through telepathy.
"Understood. Don't worry, Ricky. Even if I can't defeat him, I certainly won't lose. I have faith in myself
and my Sorcerous Combat Body. Anyway, you must beat Brandon! We need to deal with him not only
to get rid of him but also for the reputation of our sect,"
Mordechai immediately responded earnestly.
"You can rest assured. I will definitely strike him down!" Ricky declared resolutely.
In the next breath, the momentums of the four young warriors began to increase. Everybody waited on
bated breaths, as they all expected the fight to start as soon as their momentums increased to the
peak.
Suddenly, a laugh rang out, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Ha-ha! What a surprise! I didn't expect
to encounter so many geniuses in the Land of Thorn."
Airwaves soon appeared in the distance, and they noticed five figures moving fast toward them.
A young man clad in black led this group, and he had the cloud power beneath his feet.
Three men and a woman formed his entourage, following closely behind him.
The woman, in particular, somehow felt familiar to Ricky as if he had met her somewhere before.
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