As the miniature dragon entered his body, Phoenix began to shake, then distend, then melt. His internal organs bloated, then crumpled. Phoenix made not a sound during this process, his throat still firmly in Zhang Lie's grrip.

As millions of spectators watched on, he turned into a puddle of black, inky sludge. 

The spectators gaped. Phoenix had... died?! Just like that? What sort of situation was this?

How did Zhang Lie have the courage to kill Phoenix right then and there?

"The first match is over. The winner: Zhang Lie!" the artificial intelligence announced, once it verified that Phoenix had indeed perished. This announcement prodded the startled crowd awake.

"Zhang Lie!"

"Dragonwolf Zhang Lie, Team Zenith!"

"He's unparalleled! Who among the competitors here can stand up to him?!"

Phoenix's death would have severe ramifications, that much was clear. The other races taking part in the Void Cup, be they friends or enemies, all began to take sides after learning of the event.

In the nightdemons' waiting room, Pu Kui announced, "Fu Bo, alert our forces. Station them at the major teleportation arrays of Ural. Tell them to hold back any experts from the winged!"

Pu Kui hadn't expected that Zhang Lie would kill Phoenix outright, but Zhang Lie had clearly exceeded her expectations.

"Your Highness, are we going to defend Zhang Lie against the repercussions of Phoenix's death?" Fu Bo was visibly hesitant; after all, Phoenix was the prince of the winged, and the winged race would surely stop at nothing to avenge him.

Pu Kui smiled faintly. "So what? Are you against it?"

Fu Bo stilled. "I think we had better be careful about wading into this mess. Think about what the winged are going to do! There's no need for us—"

Pu Kui broke him off with a laugh. "Better that the winged won't give up. Otherwise, how could we enter the fray so boldly? Go on, go make plans for this. I'm going to see Zhang Lie immediately; if I'm just a bit late, the other races are going to get to him first!"

"Yes, Highness!" Fu Bo finally understood Pu Kui's wisdom and insight. Indeed, the humans wouldn't be as easy to bully as he thought. Because of the limit fragments that Zhang Lie had developed, no allied race would—or could—allow him to die. He was the key to unlocking their future!

Otherwise, Zhang Lie wouldn't have dared to melt Phoenix down so flagrantly.

In the starbeasts' waiting room, their leader, the panda-like Xing Bai, reacted instantly. 

"Zhang Lie's really something. Xing Hui, have all the nine-star guards in the vicinity rush to Ural's capital, immediately."

Xing Hui blinked. "All of them? Are we going to sacrifice our forces for the humans, then?"

Xing Bai smiled. "Just a front, nothing more. I doubt the winged will end up launching an attack."

"Even if Phoenix is the one who died?" Xing Hui pressed.

"You've seen how Zhang Lie has all but taken control of the Void Cup, haven't you? With all these allied races protecting him, the winged won't be able to attack. Now, I'd better go see him myself!"

In the aquatic's waiting room, Lianna was as flabbergasted as the spectators watching the scene. "Lianhua, inform the elders of the situation. I'm sure they'll understand why it's in our best interests to protect Zhang Lie here."

"Yes, Highness!"

Tens, then hundreds, of races made the same choices as the nightdemons, starbeasts, and the aquatic, including the night spirits and the blood demons.

On the other hand, in the winged's waiting room, tensions were high.

"Arrogant, arrogant beyond compare! How dare they—! Hong Yu, Ali, what are we waiting for? We have to exact revenge on the humans!"

"Right, we have to inform the clan immediately—no human on Ural shall be left alive!"

"No, no—the winged should declare war on the humans and exterminate all of Earth!"

None of the winged competitors understood what sort of ramifications their suggestions would bring. Ali had just regained consciousness. While his life had been preserved, he was still in an extremely weakened state, and he had no ability to control the other hunters.

As for Hong Yu, her stance had solidified the night before.

"Quiet!" She had no choice but to step forward, quelling the disturbance the other hunters were causing. "Are you fools? Who would dare attack the humans now? The three other prime races would immediately rise up in their defense. Don't you see?! They're all hoping for Zhang Lie's help with these limit fragments!"

"I've just been informed that the nightdemons' elites are already gathered by the major teleportation arrays of Ural, and I'm sure the other races' experts are going to do the same. In that case, what can these winged representatives you intend on calling upon do?  If they kill Zhang Lie immediately, they'll make it much harder for the three other prime races to obtain limit fragments. Do you think those races would allow that?

"Have you thought about why Zhang Lie dared to kill Phoenix outright? Is it because of his arrogance? No! It's because he has nothing to fear— because everything's under his control! The winged won't be able to retaliate.

"Phoenix's pride and arrogance have brought disaster to the winged, and I have always stood in opposition against his provoking the humans, because I knew clearly what the outcome would be. However—not only did he refuse to heed my warnings, he even tried to torture and kill a competitor from Earth outright!

"It was because of his folly that the situation has devolved to this extent, and what we need to do is wait—"

Despite Hong Yu's clear analysis of the matter, the frenzied hunters couldn't stand listening to her any longer. "Wait, wait, wait—how long are we supposed to wait? Our leader's dead! Are you sure you're not a traitor to the clan?!"

"Traitor or not, I can't say, but I know she paid Zhang Lie a late-night visit last night!" One of the winged revealed that he had been surveilling Hong Yu.

"No wonder..."

"She's really a traitor?!"

With this revelation, the tide had turned almost completely against Hong Yu, leaving none but a few trusted confidantes willing to believe her words.

"Traitor, this is the winged's waiting room. Can you still call yourself a member of the winged? Scram!"

"Scram, scram, scram! You're not welcome here!"

"Who dares?! My young mistress is the princess of the rainbow-winged. How dare you sully her, how dare you try to countermand her!" one of Hong Yu's aides strode forward, pressuring the hunters into submission with her aura.

As the situation evolved into a stalemate, everyone turned to the one member of the winged, still resting in bed, who had yet to speak.