After those saints took their leave, Ricky accompanied Wally to the Endless Shadow's headquarters in
the Third Sheol City.
A desolate air encompassed the whole city. As soon as Ricky stepped foot inside, he felt the overcast
atmosphere settle over him, and when he looked around, he found nothing but arrays, giant chariots,
and ancient palaces. Moreover, a strong evil spirit saturated the air inside the city as well.
Of course, that was to be expected seeing as the city led to the Devil Land.
Army troops could be found scattered inside, going to and fro in the depths of the city.
Some armies trod familiar paths into the Devil Land where they continuously fought against the devil
race. Meanwhile, others were marching out of the Devil Land and into the city. Some warriors looked
elated, celebrating battles fought and won. The others trudged with heavy footsteps, looking dejected.
It didn't take someone to know these warriors had lost and were coming home brokenhearted.
The devil race never acted alone. That was why the creatures from the continent opted to fight them in
groups. Otherwise, those devils would certainly outnumber them. "Thank you again for your help, sir!"
Ricky repeated to Wally again once they had entered a palace.
"Are you offended that I didn't come to your aid from the start? Maybe you feel that I should have
helped before those saints hurt you in the first place..." Wally gazed at Ricky with a knowing
expression.
'Damn it! Looks like that he knows about my plans, '
Ricky thought to himself, startled. "Of course not," he said to Wally, shaking his head fervently.
"I'm glad to hear that, especially since I held off on purpose. I knew that if I made a move back then, I
would ruin your plan. I even asked the saints who wanted to help you not to do anything," answered
Wally.
The knowing smile on his lips grew wider as he stared at Ricky thoughtfully.
Upon hearing this, Ricky felt a little embarrassed. Now, he was sure that Wally had seen through his
plan.
'Although my plan was flawless, it still didn't fool him, huh?' Ricky thought to himself.
Knowing that he couldn't deny it anymore, he told Wally directly, "I hope I didn't offend you, sir. I had no
other choice at that time."
As soon as Ricky finished speaking, his shadow began to change. Suddenly, another Ricky appeared
beside him.
This new Ricky made a series of gestures with his hands, and the original Ricky, who had been talking
to Wally, transformed into three drops of blood. It was Ricky's blood, which contained a little flesh.
"That was the Shadowy Emperor Replication! I knew it!" Wally gasped in utter surprise.
It turned out that those saints outside the Third Sheol City had not attacked Ricky but a replica of his.
Since his replica had taken the hit for him, the meridians in Ricky's real body weren't broken at all. Of
course, those saints didn't know that.
In other words, Ricky was not hurt at all.
He had been working on the Shadowy Emperor Replication for a while now. Back in the space that
Paul had created, he managed to gain mastery of the Shadowy Emperor Replication to an extent. And
after half a year of hard work, he could now put it into practice freely.
The replica that Ricky created through the skill of Flesh Replication was identical to Ricky in every
aspect except for the soul. Thus, he was confident that even saints couldn't see through his trick.
But, to his surprise, it couldn't fool the saints from the prestigious Endless Shadow.
After all, Wally had just admitted that he knew of Ricky's plan.
Ricky used his replica to impersonate him, making sure that the saints would hurt his replica and not
Ricky himself. He decided that he would only show up once the selection had begun.
In doing this, those disciples would believe that they managed to destroy his meridians, and they would
underestimate him. They would undoubtedly be caught off-guard, and he would be able to defeat them.
That was Ricky's plan.
"You are quite the cunning boy, aren't you? You even created a replica while I did not notice at all. I've
been in your mind for so long, and yet you've managed to keep me in the dark all this time," the Dragon
Intent Grass said from inside his mind. It, too, was astounded. Perhaps, it was even more astonished
than anyone else present.
"Ha-ha! Dragon Intent Grass, no one would show their trump cards unless necessary," Ricky
responded with a laugh.
"You are so shrewd! I can't believe that you kept it from me," the Dragon Intent Grass said. "I was so
worried for you!"
Although Wally had guessed that Ricky performed the Shadowy Emperor Replication, hearing Ricky
admit it was still unbelievable. "Can you tell me how you mastered the Shadowy Emperor Replication?
I suppose that you are, at most, thirty-one or two years old, but you can already use the Flesh
Replication. That shows how incredibly talented you are. Even among lords in our sect, the strongest
one had mastered the Flesh Replication when he was an upper spiritual emperor at the peak state.
It is no wonder you were once an incredible demi-spiritual emperor," Wally said, face slack in awe as
he was overwhelmed by shock.
"Thank you for your kind words, sir. I'm flattered!" Ricky replied respectfully.
He was relieved to hear that Wally wasn't offended that he tried to fool the saints. Instead, Wally didn't
seem angry knowing that he managed to cultivate this method.
Just as the man had asked, Ricky then told Wally how he had learned the cultivation method of the
Shadowy Emperor Replication.
"Sir, I want to confess something to you. When I was in the Eastern Land, I possessed a deep-seated
prejudice against the Endless Shadow, and I have taken out a lot of people from this force. I owe you
an apology," said Ricky.
He looked apologetic, and his eyes were downcast and regretful.
"Ha-ha! You don't have to apologize. I understand that, in the martial world, it's inevitable to have some
small conflicts. And since we are clear about it now, I'll let it go. Besides, our job is to kill people. Why
should I be offended when you were just doing your job?" replied Wally with a wide smile.
"This is good. Lord Wally is such a broad-minded guy!" the Dragon Intent Grass said.
"Thank you for your understanding, sir!" Ricky said earnestly, inclining his head respectfully.
He had a newfound respect for the Endless Shadow now. Although the Endless Shadow was a wicked
faction, they took the lead to fight off the devil race. It was undeniable that they did a service to the
continent, and one must recognize that.
Ricky thought that they were much better than those hypocritical saints from the major forces.
"I can't believe you learned the Shadowy Emperor Replication by yourself at such a young age," sighed
Wally again. "Now, you can be considered a member of the Endless Shadow to some extent. And since
you are now one of us, it's my job to save you."
It was evident in Wally's eyes that he admired Ricky.
"By the way, sir, I have one question..." asked Ricky.
"What is it?" Wally said, nodding.
"I'm curious about the identity of those Endless Shadow members from the other four big lands. Whose
replicas are they?" Ricky asked.
"Most of them are Brad's, and the rest of them are mine and the other lords'. Endless Shadow has
rapidly developed, and our primary goal is to kill without any intentions. To make sure that we won't
lose sight of our original goal, we replaced those in charge of our branches with our replicas.
Those replicas are weaker than the strongest warriors stationed in the places where they are to avoid
disturbing the balance, but I guess you knew that already.
And one more thing, the goal we had in mind when we sent our people to the four big lands was to
eliminate the remaining devils," Wally said.
"From now on, I will respect the Endless Shadow," Ricky declared sincerely when he heard Wally's
words.
"Ha-ha! Well, I'm glad to hear that! I got a peerless genius to look favorably upon the Endless Shadow.
It looks like saving you today is worth it," Wally said, smiling.
"Wally, my old pal, I have arrived. Am I welcome here?" At that moment, another voice rang out in the
palace.
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