"You… you dare…"

On the ground, Uncle Qiu struggled to get up. When he saw Ye Fan bleeding from all seven orifices, he felt as if he'd been struck by lightning.

Ye Yunfeng had entrusted him to protect Ye Fan at all costs. How could Ye Fan have become a complete cripple just moments after leaving Tianhai Port?

Xu Ke revealed a gentle smile, but in Uncle Qiu's eyes, he was a demon. "Stop wasting your breath. With that energy, you should be thinking of a way to save your own lives."

"What… what do you want?" Ye Fan struggled to say, lying on the ground. He was in so much pain that his entire body was rigid; he couldn't even move a finger. To make matters worse, a throwing knife was still embedded in his other hand. Because Xu Ke's kick had been so savage, ripping the hand he had pinned to the wall completely free, the throwing knife had torn the wound even deeper.

Uncle Qiu's expression immediately became uncertain…

Save our lives? Is there some secret we can trade for our lives?

"I want something of value," Xu Ke said slowly.

Ye Fan gritted his teeth. "Then pull this throwing knife out of me first."

"Are you bargaining with me?" Xu Ke asked, feigning confusion.

"What?" Ye Fan froze instinctively.

Then, Xu Ke said with a grin, "I don't like to bargain."

WHOOSH.

Xu Ke grabbed another nearby throwing knife and hurled it fiercely.

BANG!

This time, it nailed Ye Fan's other hand directly to the ground.

"Ahhh!" Ye Fan's body convulsed again as he screamed in agony. He looked at Xu Ke's still-smiling face and felt a chill creep into his bones…

Torture. This is outright torture!

Seeing this, Uncle Qiu's face went pale. "Bast— Xu Ke, we can talk this through. Don't be rash."

"Fine, let's talk," Xu Ke nodded. "Tell me what you have to trade for your lives."

"Aren't you afraid the Martial Alliance will find out you're torturing us here?!" Ye Fan roared. "According to Martial Alliance regulations, what you're doing is a violation of the rules!"

"Rules?" Xu Ke scoffed, his tone turning suddenly icy. "This ship has already sailed beyond the jurisdiction of the Martial Alliance, and you're talking to me about rules? Fuck your rules."

As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere in the cabin plunged to a terrifying freezing point.

Ye Fan's body went completely rigid. He heard undisguised killing intent and cunning calculation in Xu Ke's tone.

From the very beginning, our escape route was just part of his trap… Xu Ke deliberately waited for the ship to leave Tianhai Port before making his move. It was all for revenge! This time, in the lawless waters beyond the Martial Alliance's jurisdiction, no rules could constrain him.

Uncle Qiu swallowed hard. "Xu Ke, calm down."

By now, he understood. They had likely been poisoned by Xu Ke the moment they boarded. At this moment, they were fish on a chopping block, completely at Xu Ke's mercy.

"Uncle Qiu, there's no point in saying anything more to him," Ye Fan sneered, a grim look on his face. "This guy never intended to let us go. Begging for mercy is useless."

Uncle Qiu had been planning to trade the Ye Family's secrets for their lives, but Ye Fan's words were a bucket of cold water.

That's right, we have no chance left!

Thinking of this, Uncle Qiu looked directly at Xu Ke. "Is there really no chance left?"

Staring at Ye Fan, Xu Ke nodded dismissively. "None at all."

He had never planned to spare them. His talk about saving their lives was just a lure to see if he could fish out any valuable information. If not, it didn't matter. Killing Ye Fan was the main objective.

"You're too cruel," Uncle Qiu stared at Xu Ke, his voice dark. "Young man, it's not a good thing to be so ruthless in your position."

Xu Ke finally turned to look at Uncle Qiu and laughed. "You're talking to me about being too ruthless?"

"Are you even worthy?"

Seeing the contempt in Xu Ke's eyes, Uncle Qiu finally snapped. "Die!"

His internal True Qi instantly began to burn. Just like Ouyang Shuang, he was going to launch a final, desperate counterattack.

But just then…

BANG!

The door suddenly burst open. Wang Wu rushed in, closing the distance to Uncle Qiu with terrifying speed and bringing his palm down in a vicious chop.

"Pfft… Ah!" Uncle Qiu screamed as he coughed up a torrent of blood. "Wang… Wang Wu, you… a sneak attack?"

"Not a sneak attack. I just went to secure the cockpit. Came down to kill you on my way back," Wang Wu said, walking to Xu Ke's side.

Despair filled Uncle Qiu's eyes. He finally understood that all hope was lost. He had thought his last-ditch effort could win Ye Fan a chance at survival, but he'd never imagined Xu Ke's plan was so thorough and vicious; he hadn't just poisoned them, he had even brought Wang Wu onto the ship…

Meticulous and brutal. From the moment they thought they were embarking on a new journey, they were fated to die on this ship.

Having burned his life force only to be met with Wang Wu's full-powered strike, Uncle Qiu's life was spent. His gaze gradually dimmed…

But even in death, he couldn't understand… What was the true extent of Xu Ke's power? Why was he still so strong?

"Uncle Qiu!" Ye Fan roared upon seeing him die. He knew Uncle Qiu had died so quickly trying to save him.

"Mister Xu, am I too late?" Wang Wu asked as he approached.

"No." Xu Ke shook his head, then crouched in front of Ye Fan, blocking his view of Uncle Qiu's body. "Don't look. You'll be joining him soon enough."

"Xu Ke, you fucking scumbag!" Ye Fan bellowed, spitting a mouthful of bloody saliva at Xu Ke's face.

Xu Ke dodged it with a slight lean of his head and watched him quietly. "Go on. I quite admire this look of a down-and-out cur on you."

"Don't worry, I won't hit you for barking at me."

Ye Fan glared at Xu Ke, his eyes filled with venomous hatred. Those were the exact words he had said to Xu Ke yesterday. Now, their roles were completely reversed.

The cabin fell silent for a moment.

"Heh heh…" Blood trickled from the corner of Ye Fan's eye. He finally closed his eyes and let out a sneer. "You're feeling pretty good right now, aren't you, Xu Ke?"

"Does humiliating your betters make you feel like you're about to climax?"

Xu Ke shrugged, noncommittal.

Seeing this, Ye Fan's contempt only deepened. "So what if you kill me? So what if you torture me? You'll never be qualified to enter the circle of the elite."

"Never!" Ye Fan roared again. The blood beneath him had now formed a large puddle.

Xu Ke smiled. "Sure, keep going."

Ye Fan gave him a cold, mocking laugh. "Heh, I'll tell you something. A lowlife like you, with no brothers, no family… you can't possibly comprehend that kind of power."

"You can get rid of me, but my brother is waiting for you."

"You think that by taking me down, the Ye Family is finished? There's still Ye Chong! Do you know Ye Chong?!"

"Ye Chong will hunt you for the rest of his life, relentlessly, until he avenges me!"

"Being targeted by a major family will give you nightmares for the rest of your life!"

As he spoke, Ye Fan seemed to reclaim a sliver of the superiority a man from one of the six great families felt over a commoner like Xu Ke. He desperately searched Xu Ke's face for a trace of fear.

But Xu Ke merely wore an odd, knowing smile. "Ye Fan, you might have a slight misunderstanding about your brother."

"What did you say?" Ye Fan stared, taken aback.

Xu Ke pulled out a recorder. "Have a listen."

As he heard the contents, Ye Fan's expression stiffened, then slowly warped into utter disbelief…

"Then why are you helping me?" It was Ye Chong's voice.

"Don't you want to take Ye Fan down?" Xu Ke's voice replied.

A long, telling silence from Ye Chong followed.

After listening to the brief recording, the light in Ye Fan's eyes died completely, replaced by a manic laugh. "To kill a man and his very soul…"

"Xu Ke, you truly know how to kill a man and his soul."

"Hahahaha!"

He understood. He finally understood! That last shred of superiority he had clung to in front of Xu Ke was now utterly shattered… He had lost everything.

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