Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO-Chapter 663 Not So Smooth

Fang Caizhe never imagined that Xu Ke's death, an outcome he'd believed was already in the bag, could have gone so wrong.

After all, it was Shi Hongda himself who had approached him to discuss their strategy. Had he been set up from the very beginning?

Does that mean… I'm doomed?

At this moment, an utterly terrified Fang Caizhe instinctively stumbled backward, certain Xu Ke was about to walk over and slap him to death.

But he was overthinking it. Practically no one had time for him now, not even the Northern Dragon Guard, who no longer paid him any mind.

After a brief glance at Fang Caizhe, Xu Ke turned his gaze to Ye Taiqing, who was lying on the ground.

Ye Taiqing was still glaring furiously at Shi Hongda, Han Wang, and the others, snarling, "This was a trap you set from the start, wasn't it?"

Han Wang remained expressionless. "It was your own foolishness that made you step into it."

Ye Lang nodded in agreement.

Since being warned by Hu Deyao, the two of them had become completely compliant. Though reluctant at first, they now had the feeling of having turned from darkness to light. Even when accused of betrayal, they felt no guilt whatsoever.

Ye Taiqing was so furious his blood pressure shot up.

Shi Hongda, however, still felt a twinge of guilt. Not daring to meet Ye Taiqing's eyes, he said, "Brother Ye, I had no choice."

"No choice my ass!" Ye Taiqing roared.

Holding his blade, Nie Yuntian stood up straight, his face grim. He questioned Shi Hongda, "So when I asked you to wait, you used the excuse that there was no time to delay and pushed the door open. That was because you were a traitor all along, wasn't it?"

Shi Hongda remained silent. Since he was responsible for coordinating with Fang Caizhe, he had been the one calling the shots.

Originally, Ye Taiqing and Nie Yuntian had wanted to wait until after Xu Ke's group battle with the Northern Dragon Guard to make their move. They had given Fang Caizhe a hidden weapon he could use to injure Xu Ke amidst the chaos.

But how could Shi Hongda have just stood by and watched? What if Xu Ke really had been exhausted and, by some stroke of bad luck, was struck by Nie Yuntian's blade or a palm from the Fire Guard?

Therefore, he refused to wait and immediately shoved the doors open, forcing everyone to advance. Otherwise, they certainly would have held back until Xu Ke's fight with the Northern Dragon Guard was over.

"Heh, to think the Huang and Qin Families betrayed us long ago. Instead, it's the Ye Family, our first-time ally, who honored their promise…" Nie Yuntian's voice dripped with heavy sarcasm. "When I return to the Southern Territory, I will report everything to Lord War God."

At these words, Shi Hongda's expression finally changed. "Brother Nie, about this matter…"

The saying goes that dogs resemble their masters, and the members of the Huang Family all shared a similar habit: they were self-serving fence-sitters, always hesitant to commit to a decisive action. Just as Huang Zhendong had been reluctant to kill Xu Ke, Shi Hongda was unwilling to directly break with Wong Ting. Hearing Nie Yuntian's words, he still clung to the idea of salvaging the situation and tried to explain himself.

"What makes you think you're going back?"

But just then, the corners of Xu Ke's mouth curled into a cold smile.

Nie Yuntian roared with laughter, which then cut off abruptly. His tone turned chilling. "Xu Ke, do you really think you can keep me here?"

Knowing that the five of them, including the Yin-Yang Elders, were traitors, Nie Yuntian understood that his side, with only three people, stood no chance against Xu Ke. All he could think about now was escape. But escaping didn't mean he admitted defeat. He didn't believe Xu Ke's people could hold him.

"Why not?" Xu Ke sneered.

"Xu Ke, don't make things difficult for me," Shi Hongda interjected, growing anxious. "You promised me."

During their previous discussions, Shi Hongda had made Xu Ke promise to leave some room for maneuver.

But Xu Ke just gave him an innocent look. "Elder Shi, I haven't made things difficult for you."

"You want us to kill him! How is that not making things difficult for us? This will cause a complete break with the Southern Territory Army!"

"Exactly," Xu Ke said earnestly. "Once the break is complete, things won't be difficult anymore, will they?"

Shi Hongda froze for a second, and then his face flushed crimson. He understood. Xu Ke was trying to drag all the families of Tianhai into a direct confrontation with Wong Ting! From the very beginning, there had been no turning back for him!

Xu Ke was speechless at his reaction. We've already moved against Nie Yuntian... why is this guy still clinging to illusions?

Seeing this, Nie Yuntian's eyes darted as an idea struck him. He had originally intended to use a self-harming secret technique, but now he felt there was still room to maneuver. Looking at the expressions on the faces of the Yin-Yang Elders and Shi Hongda, it was obvious the three of them had been coerced. If he played his cards right, he might have an even better chance of escaping…

But in the instant they were speaking, an extremely subtle hissing sound emanated from the spot where Nie Yuntian stood…

Hearing the faint noise, Nie Yuntian instinctively froze. Where did that sound come from?

The next moment, before Nie Yuntian could even react, the floor beneath him exploded. Over a hundred venomous snakes surged out, each flicking a scarlet tongue. They were a dense, writhing mass that blotted out the light, instantly covering a corner of the stadium with their slick bodies.

Nie Yuntian's complexion changed drastically. He no longer cared about sowing discord; he just swung his blade, hacking wildly.

"AHHH!!!"

At the sight of the countless snakes bursting forth, the first person to scream… was Ma Lian.

"Damn it, where did all these snakes come from?!" Ma Lian shrieked in terror.

"Are you out of your mind?" Xiang Hongyu, who was already on edge, cursed and kicked him.

The others shot Ma Lian furious glares.

The sudden downpour of snakes had startled everyone. They were already horrified by Xu Ke's viciousness. The man had appeared to be wasting time bickering with Shi Hongda, but in reality, he had been planning all along to divert Nie Yuntian's attention for a sneak attack. The sight had sent a chill down their spines. Ye Taiqing, in particular, broke out in a cold sweat. With his experience, he knew exactly how deadly these snakes were. But Ma Lian, with his ophidiophobia, was even more outrageous, scaring everyone else even further.

Xu Ke had no time for their reactions. He roared at the others, "Move! What are you standing there for? Anyone who doesn't fight won't get the antidote!"

Han Wang and Ye Lang were just standing there watching the show? Why weren't they seizing this opportunity to break through Nie Yuntian's protective True Qi? This would allow the lurking Poison Elder to strike, using his now-mastered poisonous body to poison Nie Yuntian.

Hearing Xu Ke's order, Han Wang was the first to charge, launching a palm strike at Nie Yuntian, who was busy hacking at the rain of snakes, sending their corpses flying.

Nie Yuntian's domineering True Qi was exceptionally powerful, blasting away any normal snake that got too close. But he was overwhelmed by their sheer number, and his attention was completely divided. At that moment, Han Wang's palm strike reached him unnoticed.

PFT!

Nie Yuntian took the blow head-on. The piercingly cold True Qi was excruciating. He could only fly backward, staggering a dozen steps to dissipate the force.

But just as he retreated, Tang Yingchang, who had been preparing his move, acted. He had somehow gotten behind Nie Yuntian and now launched a kick.

At the same time, Shi Hongda and the Yin-Yang Elders, gritting their teeth, abandoned Ye Taiqing and attacked Nie Yuntian. Their goal was to take out one of the enemy in a single, decisive blow.

Seeing this, Nie Yuntian's expression finally twisted in horror. "You despicable cowards!" he roared.

With so many attacking him at once, venomous snakes crawling all over his body, and scorpions and spiders appearing from nowhere to harry him, a true, deep chill settled in his bones.

At that moment, everyone's hearts were in their throats. Is Nie Yuntian about to be seriously injured?

But Hong Wei, who had been standing perfectly still this whole time, watched the scene with a slow, sneering smile forming on his lips.

Just then.

CRACK! CRACK!

Two blasts of True Qi, unleashed almost simultaneously, stirred the wind and shattered the windows, heading straight for Tang Yingchang.

Seeing this, Xu Ke's pupils contracted, and his heart sank. Things really aren't going to be that easy.