The decaying king had promised fifty-to-one odds because he expected the king of keys to pay up on the extremely slim chance that the Zongming world would win—he had no intention of coughing up the world's energy himself.

The solar king sighed. 

As expected. After their unexpected loss, he knew that the king of keys wasn't about to pay thirty superior worlds' worth of energy on their behalf—and they were dragged into the mess involuntarily.

The solar king had been unwilling to admit to the terms of the bet not just because he disliked Li Zongming and envied his ultimate victory, but also because he knew he would end up taking responsibility for the bet.

The solar king, the decaying king, the ice queen, and the king...