Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO-Chapter 574: One Punch, One Kick

Han Wang's rage was not born from grief over Cultivator Qi's death. After all, their relationship wasn't particularly close. His fury stemmed from two things. First, he had wrongly assumed Ghost Elder wouldn't recover and thus hadn't used his full strength, which allowed his attack to be blocked. Second, he knew that if he hadn't stopped Cultivator Qi from burning his True Qi, either Shi Hongda or Poison Elder would have been taken down with him. Then, even with Cultivator Qi dead, he and the Military Spike Assassin could have escaped. But now Cultivator Qi was dead, and he'd taken no one with him. Faced with such a disparity in combat strength, a head-on clash meant certain defeat for him and the assassin. That was the source of his rage.

Once the rage subsided, the battle-hardened Han Wang knew exactly what he had to do. Since they could no longer match Xu Ke's forces directly, there was only one way out of this predicament. Cut off the head of the snake. If he could capture Xu Ke, both he and the Military Spike Assassin could walk away free.

The Ghost and Poison Elders gave chase but couldn't even begin to keep up.

Seeing this, Tang Yingchang grew anxious and tried to break away from his own fight to rescue Xu Ke. He was the only one fast enough to catch Han Wang. But as he tried to leave, the Military Spike Assassin refused to let him go, unleashing a flurry of attacks and trading injury for injury just to slow Tang Yingchang down.

"You're staying right here!" the Military Spike Assassin roared, absorbing two of Tang Yingchang's punches just to keep him pinned.

Tang Yingchang shoved the assassin aside. Realizing he couldn't catch Han Wang, he wheeled around and shouted to the Yin Yang Elders, "Yin Yang Elders, stop him!"

The unique advantage of sound-based techniques lay in their tricky, unpredictable nature and their ability to attack from a distance. Only they could hinder Han Wang's advance.

But Han Wang made a split-second decision. "Don't stop me!" he yelled. "I'll capture him, give you the antidote, and then I'm leaving. I'll even solve your Xu Ke problem for you."

The Yin Yang Elders were ecstatic. This plan could work! They had been seething with envy ever since Shi Hongda got his antidote.

When Xu Ke saw the Yin Yang Elders fall silent, he cursed inwardly. Outsiders truly can't be trusted!

Tang Yingchang grew even more anxious. Is the plan really going to fall apart?

Seeing the Yin Yang Elders back down so easily, Han Wang cursed under his breath. If I'd known these two idiots were so easy to manipulate, I would have made this offer the moment they were poisoned. He silently chastised himself for being too proud to rely on schemes from the start.

Of course, the reality was that Han Wang's group hadn't been that determined to kill Xu Ke initially. When faced with Shi Hongda and the Yin Yang Elders siding with Xu Ke, they had made the smart, cautious choice to retreat rather than force a confrontation. Since they were already planning to leave, why would they have considered using ploys?

Xu Ke watched Han Wang charge at him with savage intensity. His pupils shrank, and he beat a hasty retreat, but no matter how fast he moved, Han Wang was faster. A Houtian Great Perfection Martial Artist trying to outrun an Innate Great Perfection Martial Artist was simply wishful thinking.

"Stand still and die!" Han Wang bellowed. "If you retreat one more step, I'll grab the three behind you!"

Hearing this, Fang Caizhe immediately shrieked, "Xu Ke, don't come over here!"

"Damn it." Duan Zhuo'e kicked him, sending Fang Caizhe screaming to the ground. Without hesitation, she rushed to Xu Ke's side and shouted, "Old fart, come and get me if you dare! If you can't, my Duan Family will dig up your ancestors' graves!"

Bai Qian'er also rushed forward, her face a mask of determination.

Neither of them was foolishly offering to die for Xu Ke. As members of the Northern Dragon Guard, they weren't prone to such stupidity. Their goal was to distract Han Wang and buy precious seconds. A moment's hesitation was all the Ghost and Poison Elders needed to catch up and intercept him.

But while Han Wang threatened to grab the others, his aura remained locked tightly onto Xu Ke, and he paid Duan Zhuo'e's taunt no mind.

Hearing Duan Zhuo'e's shout, a cold light glinted in Xu Ke's eyes. "You're courting death!"

He knew if he retreated any further, the distance and timing would mean Han Wang might genuinely be forced to attack someone else. And he wouldn't target Fang Caizhe; he would go for Bai Qian'er and Duan Zhuo'e, who had charged forward. At that thought, Xu Ke stopped in his tracks. They couldn't sacrifice others for his sake. He had to save himself.

His resolve hardened. He glanced at the Bronze Wine Chalice and the Jade Mountain Lotus in the car, a look of intense pain and reluctance on his face. But as he watched Han Wang close in, he took a deep breath. Damn it all. To save my life, nothing else matters!

He lunged forward, grabbing the chalice and the lotus. The moment his fingers closed around the Bronze Wine Chalice, it crumbled to dust. He snatched the Jade Mountain Lotus, shoved it into his mouth, and began chewing frantically.

"Haha! So you finally realize you can't escape?" Han Wang roared with laughter when he saw Xu Ke stop moving after grabbing the items. "You think eating that crap will do you any good now?" As long as he captured Xu Ke, victory was assured.

Seeing Xu Ke frozen in place, Bai Qian'er and Duan Zhuo'e's faces paled. "Xu Ke, run!"

A look of sheer ecstasy spread across Fang Caizhe's face. The Yin Yang Elders watched with rising excitement. The Military Spike Assassin, as if he'd grown wings, redoubled his assault, his fighting spirit soaring as he forced Tang Yingchang into a crushing retreat.

In that same instant, the faces of Tang Yingchang and the Ghost and Poison Elders turned deathly white. It's over...

"Run. Why aren't you running anymore?" Han Wang sneered, now standing directly in front of Xu Ke as he unleashed a thunderous punch. This single blow was enough to cripple Xu Ke and bring him under complete control.

As the punch flew, seemingly impossible to avoid, a look of horror dawned on everyone's faces.

At that moment, Xu Ke whipped his head around. His eyes were blood-red, and blood streamed from all seven of his orifices as he bellowed, "Run? My ass!"

The words had barely left his lips when the aura inside his body erupted and soared to the heavens.

BOOM—

A qi wave erupted like a dragon, sweeping over everything.

Everyone stared in utter shock at the imposing power now bursting from Xu Ke.

An Innate Martial Artist?!

Han Wang was so stunned by Xu Ke's terrifying, blood-soaked appearance that his fist paused in mid-air. "How... how is this possible?"

Others merely sensed the power gap as Xu Ke leaped from Houtian Great Perfection to the Innate Initial Stage. But Han Wang was different. Being so close to Xu Ke, he felt a tremor deep in his soul. In his eyes, Xu Ke's aura was that of an Innate Great Perfection!

BANG—

Xu Ke lunged forward and kicked Han Wang squarely in the chest.

"Ugh..."

Before the disbelieving eyes of the crowd, Han Wang grunted and stumbled back a step.

The sight left everyone utterly petrified.

How could this be? A Houtian Great Perfection Martial Artist just forced back an Innate Great Perfection Martial Artist?

"Impossible!" Han Wang roared, his eyes a whirlwind of terror and panic. If Xu Ke could truly unleash the power to repel him, they were all dead! No! This can't be happening! He had to crush Xu Ke, right here, right now.

He shook off the shock and focused on Xu Ke again, only to be met with a fist that was already inches from his face and growing larger by the millisecond.

BANG—

Xu Ke's punch smashed directly into Han Wang's forehead.

Blood trickled down Han Wang's face.

At that moment, the entire scene fell into a dead silence.

A Houtian Martial Artist... had just shattered the Protective True Qi of an Innate Great Perfection Martial Artist?