Remnants of black flame continued to burn within the smoking and charred warehouse, causing its walls to turn brittle.

Musi Fala grinned wickedly. "No, I want all of [Eclipse]!"

"You—dream on! Kill us if you dare!" Hong Xi suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. She was in a perilously weakened state, though she refused to give in.

Musi Fala crept closer to her. "Many of the Musi men are willing to copulate with men and women alike, you know, and—"

"And I've already dealt with them all for you," a calm, uninflected voice interrupted from the distance. A man walked into the smoking warehouse, the flames extinguishing themselves around him.

"The Eclipse Sage!" Musi Fala widened his eyes, then shook his head. It was a misunderstanding; the stranger's demeanor simply seemed too much like the Eclipse Sage's.

Hearing the familiar voice, Hong Xi shouted in relief, "Master!"

As the man approached, Musi Fala finally identified him. "Champion of the Void Cup, Zhang Lie!"

He turned to Hong Xi. "Would the champion of the Void Cup be your master? Don't be ridiculous—you'd never be able to approach a personage like him!"

He kicked Hong Xi's wounded and bleeding body, causing Zhang Lie to frown. "Do you want to do the honors, or shall I?"

"What? What do you mean?"

Zhang Lie snorted. "For injuring my disciple, you'll have to die in atonement. If you don't commit suicide, I'll melt your body down instead." His eyes flared with anger, and the aura emanating from his body was sufficient to shock even Musi Fala. 

"Champion of the Void Cup, this is a matter that doesn't concern you. Why force yourself into the affairs between the Musi and Hong clans? You must have heard of the Musi clan—and the clan head, Musi Yu, warlord of the third realm! Is your disciple really worth rousing the ire of the Musi clan?"

Zhang Lie narrowed his eyes. "Are those your last words?"

"Champion of the Void Cup, think about it carefully! There's nothing to be gained from having the Musi clan as an enemy. Your dojo has countless disciples, so why would you go so far for just one? If you're willing to look the other way, the Musi clan will surely provide you with appropriate compensation. What say you?"

Hong Xiao went quiet. Even if Zhang Lie weren't convinced by Musi Fala's words, he was. It was clearly illogical for Zhang Lie to prioritize one lone disciple over the Zenith Dojo as a whole, and the Musi clan's compensation would surely be more tempting.

Any other dojo leader might have agreed to such a transaction, but unfortunately for Musi Fala, Zhang Lie thought nothing of the Musi clan.

When Zhang Lie didn't speak, Musi Fala continued, "Champion of the Void Cup, let me be honest: your disciple is the descendant of the Eclipse Sage, and she has the manual for [Eclipse] in her hands. This technique is of paramount importance to the Musi clan, so if you're willing to relent this once, I'll be happy to share this manual with you on behalf of the Musi clan, and we'll always be your allies. Well? Surely you see that this can be a win-win situation for both of us?"

The Zenith Dojo had gained tremendous popularity ever since Zhang Lie won the Void Cup, and youthful hunters from all over the galaxy were interested in attending the dojo. An alliance between the Musi clan and the Zenith Dojo would benefit the Musi clan far more.

Unfortunately for Musi Fala, Zhang Lie wasn't interested in anything the Musi clan could offer. "Anyone who dares attack the disciples of the Zenith Dojo will have to pay, no matter their clan. I'll ask you again: are you going to kill yourself, or are you going to force me to make a move?"

Musi Fala felt as though he were about to explode with anger. He clearly hadn't expected Zhang Lie to be so stubborn and unyielding. "Zhang Lie, I'm reaching the limits of my generosity. I called you champion of the Void Cup out of respect; but if I were to be impolite, I might have addressed you as a country bumpkin from Earth instead!

"Do you really think that winning a competition means all that much in the grand scheme of things? The Musi clan's important even among the ranks of the world federation. Let me advise you once more: we can both benefit from cooperation, or I can claim all you own."

Zhang Lie replied calmly, "I'll consider what you said your last words, then."

"Lad, you might be a strong hunter among the younger generation, but there are countless geniuses in the galaxy. Do you really think you're all that? If our clan head were here, he could defeat you with just his pinky alone. If you dare touch me, I can assure you the Zenith Dojo will fall in retaliation."

Zhang Lie ignored his words. He stepped forward and vanished from sight. Musi Fala's eyes widened. His field of vision suddenly shifted; he saw a headless corpse slowly falling to the ground.

Th-That's my body! His body had remained where it stood, but his head had been severed—Zhang Lie was holding it up by his hair.

It was too late for Musi Fala to regret his actions. Zhang Lie tossed Musi Fala's head aside, then headed to Hong Xi's side. Blood pooled around her body, and Zhang Lie hurriedly poured a few vials of healing potions down her throat. "Why were you so rash? Couldn't you have waited to contact me before rushing off to the Musi clan?"

Hong Xi didn't retort. She smiled blissfully, enjoying Zhang Lie's care and ministrations. 

He frowned at the bleeding stump of her arm, then hurriedly found and reclaimed her cut-off palm. Reattaching the palm wouldn't be too difficult given the technological and medical advancements of the age.

It was only then that Hong Xiao, having recovered from his shock, rushed over.

"Champion of the Void Cup, M-Mr. Zhang Lie?!"

He was so astonished that he could hardly speak.