Hong Yu's words shocked Phoenix, because she had revealed that she knew his innermost secrets. How did she know everything he was planning?!

"Young Master, you think highly of yourself, but you're not very skilled at dissembling. I've been by your side for three whole years, and it's easy for me to deduce your thoughts based on a few small comments you've made recently," Hong Yu explained. Her confidence left a bad taste in Phoenix's mouth. "Did you come over just to brag about your understanding?"

"No, I'm here to remind you one last time—don't make this worse than it already is! Otherwise—"

Phoenix's eyes flashed. "Impossible! Give up and back down? Do you know what Ali's condition is like?"

"I do! But have you considered that this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't chosen to attack that Earthling first? Did you know that Zhang Lie and Team Zenith not only managed to unlock the potential of limit fragments, but have also hunted down a legendary lifeform in the first realm of the dimensional world?

"And are you aware that your rashness could well have cost the winged its position as one of the four prime races? Are you aware that you represent the entirety of the winged race, not just your particular clan?!

"Wake up, Young Master! No one will stop you if you want to throw away your future, but please don't bring the entire race down with you!" Hong Yu shouted.

The winged were divided into three main clans based on the color of their wings: the black-winged, the white-winged, and the rainbow-winged. The strongest among the representatives of each clan would control the majority of the race's resources and lead the entire race for that generation.

Phoenix's father was the current leader of the winged, so Phoenix was considered a young master, or even a prince. Given the resources that had been concentrated on him, Phoenix was a fair bit stronger than Hong Yu, but his intelligence and ability to understand the big picture were noticeably worse.

As for Hong Yu, she was the princess of the rainbow-winged clan, and she had been forced to become one of Phoenix's attendants due to pressure from her clan. Before the Void Cup, their interests were mostly aligned, and their relationship was peaceable. Hong Yu was intelligent and tactful, and Phoenix would have been hard-pressed to find a flaw in her abilities, but what ultimately caused a rift between them were their opinions on Zhang Lie.

According to Hong Yu, under these circumstances, they certainly could not clash directly with the humans, because the humans had sole access to the theory of limit fragments. Instead of a clash, it was most important to focus on the winged's performance in the Void Cup, which was closely scrutinized by just about every intelligent lifeform in the Milky way.

Furthermore, Hong Yu didn't think that Phoenix would be able to beat Zhang Lie, anyway. Phoenix definitely wouldn't be able to take down Pu Kui with just one punch, but Zhang Lie had done it.

"Just you wait! Observe as I take down those human ants, then lead the winged down the path of hegemony!" Phoenix called out, raising his head to the skies and laughing while Hong Yu watched on in horrified fascination.

Hong Yu's final warning did nothing but to incense Phoenix further, and their conversation came to an unhappy end.

When the Solar System received news and footage of Phoenix's fight against Chu Feng, there was a huge uproar, and a torrent of messages flooded Yan Long and Su Feng's transceivers.

Almost all the messages expressed the same sentiment: that they needed to seek payback against the winged for what was done.

The next day of the Void Cup would reduce the number of remaining competitors from fifty to twenty-five. Unfortunately, none of the humans were paired up against the winged. They fought the magma demons, the blood demons, and even a member of the night spirits; the only competitor they faced from the four prime races was Lianyou of the aquatic.

Zhang Lie faced Lianyou, Sun Mengmeng faced Yao Yue, and Sun Xiaowu faced Ye Mo.

The opponents that the other hunters faced were quite a bit worse than these three. 

Of the twenty-five matches happening, there were only a few that the crowds focused on—for instance, that between Zhang Lie and Lianyou, or Sun Mengmeng and Yao Yue, or those of the young leaders of the four prime races and the humans of Team Zenith.

The outcome of the match between Zhang Lie and Lianyou was obvious. Against Zhang Lie's domineering water-attuned techniques, Lianyou, who was below-average among his race's competitors, stood no fighting chance. A few seconds after the start of the match, he surrendered after being struck by Zhang Lie's [Fists of the Silent Sea].

Sun Mengmeng's fight with Yao Yue was considerably more interesting. 

Arena #0056 was wreathed with purple flames and blood-colored demonic energy. Great explosions rocked the arena as two figures darted amidst smoke and fire.

Yao Yue dragged a greatsword behind her, sending it crashing down with a blast of blood-colored energy.

Sun Mengmeng drifted in and out of the smoke like a purple firebird, ethereal and mobile. As she dodged Yao Yue's attacks, she continued shooting tracking arrows in her direction, forcing Yao Yue back.

As Yao Yue swept away three of Sun Mengmeng's arrows with a wave of her sword, she called out, "Alright, warm-up's over! I have to admit you're particularly skilled at restraining your opponent's advances, but that ends now. [Totem of the Blood Moon]!"

A familiar ruddy glow saturated the entire arena as a blood-colored moon ascended, bringing Yao Yue's demonic energy to a whole new level entirely.

"I apologize, but I can't go easy on you now. If you can fend off this blow, then victory is yours. [Tome of Blood: Sign of the Demon Moon]!"

Demonic energy burst from Yao Yue's body as she swept her broadsword in an elegant arc around her, sending a crescent blade of demonic energy whirling toward Sun Mengmeng—and a piercing beam that shot out from the demon moon, tracking the advance of the blade.

Fortunately, Sun Mengmeng had been keeping her distance from her opponent, and she had gained a few precious milliseconds in which to react. 

"[Lunarflame Shot]!" Her right hand, with which she drew back her bow, blurred. Countless arrows of purple flame shot out of her bow like a meteor shower, striking the demon moon and Yao Yue's crescent blade and sapping the attacks of their strength. Within moments, she had negated the brunt of the attack, and the outcome of the match seemed obvious.

In the end, amidst a dazzling meteor shower, Yao Yue's attack dissolved completely, and Yao Yue admitted defeat graciously. "I surrender. With this skill alone, you've expended more demonic energy than the entirety of my reserves— I can't believe it!"

She laughed off her defeat as though they were two friends sparring, rather than competitors at an extremely important stage of the Void Cup. Before Sun Mengmeng could reply, she had been teleported back to the humans' waiting room.

Zhang Lie, Fang Yi, Zhou Ying, Li Feng, and Yang Ze were all there waiting for her.

They were attentively watching her and Sun Xiaowu's battle. Sun Xiaowu naturally had the advantage, and it seemed that he would secure his win shortly.

"[Darkness, Descent]!" Ye Mo shouted, drowning the arena in pitch-black darkness.

It was apparent that she wanted to end this fight with a single strike, but Sun Xiaowu was wholly unperturbed by such an advance. After all, he was the main tank for Team Zenith, so even as his opponent blinded him from sight, Sun Xiaowu didn't panic. He activated [Adamantine Aegis] and his goldenhorn beetle soulshard as he waited for his opponent's blow.

"[Night Spike]!"

Sun Xiaowu felt his armor ring as Ye Mo activated a technique by his chest, but his defense held out. The attack naturally revealed Ye Mo's position, so Sun Xiaowu immediately counterattacked. "[Goldenscale Palm: Split]!"

Golden radiance lanced the darkness, which melted away like snow. As his fist hit Ye Mo, she flew into the air. The next thing she knew, her body crashed into the ground in the shape '大'.

Her genetic energy had been dispersed, and her bones creaked and rattled as she got up, but her injuries weren't serious. She knew that her opponent had held back.

His frightening defense and overwhelming strength left Ye Mo with no hope of victory.

"I apologize, I didn't control my strength properly!"

"No, it's simply that the disparity between us is too great. I don't see any conceivable means by which I can win. I surrender!"