<h4>Chapter 354: Defeat in One Blow</h4>


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


    Musi F 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 F crept closer to her. "Many of the Musi men are willing to copte 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 mes extinguishing themselves around him.


    "The Eclipse Sage!" Musi F 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 F 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''tmit suicide, I''ll melt your body down instead." His eyes red with anger, and the aura emanating from his body was sufficient to shock even Musi F.


    "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 ns? You must have heard of the Musi n—and the n head, Musi Yu, warlord of the third realm! Is your disciple really worth rousing the ire of the Musi n?"


    Zhang Lie narrowed his eyes. "Are those yourst words?"


    "Champion of the Void Cup, think about it carefully! There''s nothing to be gained from having the Musi n 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 n will surely provide you with appropriatepensation. What say you?"


    Hong Xiao went quiet. Even if Zhang Lie weren''t convinced by Musi F''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 n''spensation would surely be more tempting.


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


    When Zhang Lie didn''t speak, Musi F 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 n, so if you''re willing to relent this once, I''ll be happy to share this manual with you on behalf of the Musi n, 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 poprity ever since Zhang Lie won the Void Cup, and youthful hunters from all over the gxy were interested in attending the dojo. An alliance between the Musi n and the Zenith Dojo would benefit the Musi n far more.


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


    Musi F 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 apetition means all that much in the grand scheme of things? The Musi n''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 im all you own."


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


    "Lad, you might be a strong hunter among the younger generation, but there are countless geniuses in the gxy. Do you really think you''re all that? If our n 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 F''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 toote for Musi F to regret his actions. Zhang Lie tossed Musi F''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 n?"


    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 reimed 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.