Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO

Seeing Xu Ke in such a state, Ye Dexian's smugness grew. "See? I told you. This guy was going to drop dead without us even lifting a finger." Blood was now streaming from all seven of his orifices, and his body swayed, on the verge of collapse.

Clutching his chest, Uncle Qiu staggered to his feet. He had taken the full force of Xu Ke's most ferocious assault and was only now able to stand. "What on earth did he do?"

"I have no idea, but we can capture and interrogate him," Sun Luo growled, his eyes glaring. He reeked of a foul stench, and the way Ye Dexian was keeping a wide berth infuriated him. He decided then and there that once Xu Ke's strength gave out, he would torture him to death.

"If we can get our hands on his method, it would be an incredible ace in the hole for saving our own lives," Chang Yi said. He pulled out the dagger lodged in his body and swallowed an antidote pill.

The group then formed a circle, trapping Xu Ke in the center. But no one moved forward. They were all waiting for him to collapse on his own.

Xu Ke's expression was grim. Blood seeped from his nose and mouth in ever-increasing amounts. Coupled with the wounds on his left arm and leg, he was running on fumes. Even worse, however, was the state of his insides.

Just moments before, knowing he was facing certain death, Xu Ke had no choice but to bet everything on one last gamble. One option was to burn his True Qi and life force, just like Ouyang Shuang. But even then, he wouldn't be able to defeat so many Innate Martial Artists. So he had to take a dangerous risk, choosing to absorb all the Dragon Essence into his body at once.

As soon as the Dragon Essence entered him, it took effect. His power multiplied countless times over; the fact that he took on three opponents at once was the best proof. His original plan was to overwhelm the trio and make his escape. But just as he wounded Chang Yi, Ye Dexian appeared... and with his arrival came the backlash from the Dragon Ring.

His insides were now in utter chaos, ravaged by the rampaging Dragon Essence. I can't hold on...

COUGH... Xu Ke spat out a mouthful of blood. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Alright, it's about time." Seeing this, Ye Dexian was overjoyed.

Chang Yi spoke up. "Xu Ke, if you tell us the reason for your sudden burst of power, I'll consider giving you a quick and painless death." He knew that sudden surge of power hadn't come from burning life and True Qi; it had to be some other method. If he could master it, he'd have a way to save his own life in a desperate situation.

"Heh..." Xu Ke spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. "Fuck your mother." His consciousness began to fade.

"Take him away," Sun Luo said, his expression grim.

Uncle Qiu and Ye Dexian exchanged a look and stepped forward. Seeing them approach, Xu Ke forced his eyes open, trying to gather the last of his True Qi for a counterattack. He threw a punch, but his arm went limp before it could even reach Ye Dexian.

"Hahaha! This piece of trash still thinks he can fight back?" Ye Dexian sneered, his face alight with unrestrained glee. "This time, I've finally avenged Chong'er!" He vividly remembered how Xu Ke had crippled Ye Chong's Dantian.

"Uncle Qiu, before you let Sun Luo take him, bring Xu Ke to me. I'm hanging up now," Ye Fan said with a triumphant smile from the other end of the line.

Uncle Qiu nodded. "Yes!"

After the call, Ye Dexian stepped forward, raising his foot to stomp on Xu Ke's spine. But just then—

An indifferent voice rose from the shadows of the silent alley. "If that foot comes down, your head will hit the ground."

Everyone froze in shock.

"Who's there?" Ye Dexian's expression changed drastically. They hadn't noticed another person's presence at all.

Xu Ke was already delirious, but he still froze when he heard the voice. Who is that?

The voice continued, "Stop asking questions. You have ten seconds to get lost."

Chang Yi's eyes narrowed. "Sir, you're being rather arrogant. The two great families of Tianhai and the forces of the War God Wong Ting are gathered here. What gives you the right to speak to us in such a manner?"

The voice was full of undisguised contempt. "The Ye Family and the Huang Family are trash. Wong Ting is useless. I'd say the same thing if Ye Yunfeng and Huang Zhendong were standing right here.

"And as for the four of you worthless shrimps? Three of you ganged up on one man and almost got wiped out. What gives you the right to talk to me?

"Now, get lost!"

As the voice finished speaking, the faces of Chang Yi, Sun Luo, and Uncle Qiu turned ashen. What the man said was the undeniable truth. The three of them had tried to capture one person, Xu Ke, and had all ended up wounded. If Xu Ke hadn't been so focused on escaping, unsure when the Dragon Essence would go berserk, he could have easily taken Sun Luo's life. This fact was a source of profound humiliation.

"Do you have any idea who you're offending? Can you bear the consequences?" Sun Luo roared.

But the response didn't come in words. It was the sound of something tearing through the air.

BOOM!

A beam of True Qi shot out from the shadows.

BANG!

A massive spray of blood erupted as a deep crater was instantly blasted into Sun Luo's thigh.

"Innate Great Perfection!" Ye Dexian's face drained of color. "You're Wang Wu?!" The attacker's Vitality Essence Release was so powerful it could injure Sun Luo, an Innate Initial Stage martial artist.

Even with Sun Luo already wounded by Xu Ke, this proved the newcomer's formidable strength. Fewer than ten people in all of Tianhai City possessed such power. The first name that came to their minds was Wang Wu. He was the only known Innate Great Perfection expert protecting Xu Ke.

But the man only sneered. "None of your damn business. I'll give you ten more seconds. If you're not gone by then, I start killing."

"You dare?!" Sun Luo hissed, sucking in a sharp breath as he fought through the pain to roar his defiance.

"That's enough!" Chang Yi quickly stepped forward and grabbed Sun Luo. If Sun Luo died here, Wong Ting would undoubtedly bring trouble to the Huang Family.

"Senior, we are leaving now," Chang Yi said, casting a final, deep look toward the source of the voice.

"We're just going to give up like this?" Ye Dexian's expression soured. He glanced back at Xu Ke, whose body had begun to tremble and convulse. His face filled with bitterness. He was so close...

"What else are we supposed to do?" Chang Yi shot back angrily. "Do you really think the four of us can beat him in our current state, poisoned and injured?"

"Get lost. Now," the voice commanded, now laced with killing intent. "I'm only sparing you for Chen Xiong's sake. Don't push your luck."

At this, Ye Dexian finally gave in. The four of them scurried out of the alley in disgrace.

...

After the alley fell silent once more, a tall elder in a black shirt emerged from the shadows. His presence was imposing, his aura powerful and immense.

"S-Senior... why did you..." Xu Ke struggled to lift his head, hanging on by the barest thread of consciousness.

"Someone simply asked me to protect you."

Xu Ke was stunned. Who? Who would send an Innate Great Perfection expert? Could it be Master?

Seeing Xu Ke's body wracked with convulsions, the elder's gaze sharpened. "How do I save you?"

Hearing this, Xu Ke forced words from his throat. "Take... take me to Dapeng Commerce... Find Boss Duan..."

"No problem." The elder stepped forward and scooped Xu Ke up.

Xu Ke's consciousness finally dissolved, and he passed out completely. Just before everything went black, he heard the elder muttering beside him, "Who would've thought something would actually happen? How am I supposed to explain this?"