Even a fool would realize they'd been played upon seeing this scene, let alone these old foxes who had struggled in the martial world for many years.

"What's going on? Where's Xu Ke?!"

A thunderous roar exploded.

Shi Hongda gnashed his teeth so hard he thought they would shatter.

The expressions of the remaining men were hidden by masks, but anyone could feel their auras descending into chaos.

No one could accept being led around in circles by a mere greenhorn.

And the one who found it hardest to accept was Lin Zhongtian.

His face was ashen and his lips trembled. "Xu... Xu Ke, you bastard, you screwed me over?!"

He immediately realized the truth.

Drive an empty car onto the highway on Xu Ke's orders? A mission? If this had anything to do with the Northern Dragon Guard, I'd twist my own head off. It was obvious Xu Ke had used him to divert the attention of these seven people, turning him into a complete and utter scapegoat!

"Where is he? Find him for me now! I'm going to kill him!"

After a brief silence, Ye Taiqing turned his head and roared, his tone thick with murderous intent.

He, the esteemed Fourth Master of the Ye Family, had been played for a fool the moment he returned to Tianhai after so many years. He hadn't even had a chance to make a move.

What a colossal humiliation!

The Yin-Yang Elders, however, maintained a rare clarity. "Find him? The kid's probably long gone."

Chase after Xu Ke now? Ye Taiqing might not mind losing face, but they certainly found the whole affair humiliating.

The expressions beneath their masks were equally troubled.

Before setting out, they had sworn they would bring back Xu Ke's corpse. And now? They were supposed to bring back an empty car?

Just then, one of the three top assassins from the Assassin's Alliance scoffed coldly, "The three great families, played for fools by a man who leeches off a woman. What an eye-opener."

His words made the faces of the men from the three families turn extremely ugly. Lin Zhongtian's eyes narrowed at the revelation.

So these people were from the three great families?

Another assassin added with contempt, "And you were telling us to coordinate with your operation on the way here? What a waste of our time."

The three assassins were clearly displeased.

Are the people from these three families all idiots?

Shi Hongda suppressed his rage and said, "Gentlemen, this isn't what any of us wanted."

Shi Hongda couldn't wrap his head around it. How did Xu Ke escape? How could he have known we were coming to kill him? Our security was airtight, so how did the information leak?

Suddenly, Shi Hongda's pupils constricted. There's a mole!

But before Shi Hongda could speculate further, one of the assassins sneered, "We know you didn't want this. If you did, you'd just be masochists. The issue here is your inability to handle a single young man. The three great families are nothing but trash."

Even a clay figurine has a temper, let alone proud experts at the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm.

Ye Taiqing snorted. "Even the best of us make mistakes. But this is Tianhai, not a place for you to run your mouth and act recklessly."

"I am mocking you. What are you going to do about it?" the masked assassin jeered.

Ye Taiqing's aura skyrocketed instantly. "Are you looking to die?"

"You want a fight?" The jeering assassin instantly unleashed a bone-chilling aura of his own.

Caught in the middle, a silent Lin Zhongtian was scared out of his wits. The power radiating from the two of them was terrifyingly strong.

"Enough!" It was Shi Hongda who intervened. "Is this the time for infighting? The right thing to do is to hurry to Sui City."

"Xu Ke must have already fled to Sui City."

He shot a fierce glare at Ye Taiqing. This idiot. Even if he wants to settle scores with the Assassin's Alliance, now is not the time. The two of us plus the Yin-Yang Elders barely count as two and a half Great Perfection Innates. Against three of them, defeat is guaranteed.

Ye Taiqing grunted but didn't argue back.

But the assassin sneered, "Go to Sui City? We won't be joining you."

This statement made the expressions of Shi Hongda and his three companions change drastically.

Ye Taiqing exploded in fury. "What did you say? You're leaving without doing anything?"

"We haven't even found our target!" Shi Hongda's face darkened. "Sir, aren't you going too far?"

The assassin scoffed. "If we were running this operation ourselves, we would have found the target, and the job would be over. But you insisted we follow your plan, and we did. So what happened? The mission failed because of your incompetence. Why should we keep listening to you? What if you fail again? Are we supposed to trail after you forever until you get it right? Do you take us for fools?"

The other two assassins nodded. "We're done, unless you want to pay us more."

"Impossible!" the Yin-Yang Elders roared in unison.

The hearts of Shi Hongda and the others were bleeding. These three assassins had been hired at a great cost to the three families. If they really left now, the loss would be immense.

"Impossible or not, that's how it is."

The three assassins turned and walked toward their car.

"Stop right there!" Ye Taiqing, seething with rage, moved to intercept them.

But the assassin who had just turned unleashed an aura like a venomous snake, locking tightly onto Ye Taiqing. "Thinking of making a move?"

The auras of the other two assassins also turned hostile and dangerous.

In that instant, Ye Taiqing froze.

Shi Hongda's face was livid beneath his mask. "Sirs, we have no desire to be your enemies, but we cannot pay more. If you don't come with us, you are violating the rules of your profession."

"Rules?" The three assassins burst out laughing as if they'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "We did everything you asked of us. We could take this to the highest authority, and we'd still be in the right. If you insist on using force, know that the Assassin's Alliance isn't afraid of a fight. We're just afraid your three great families can't bear the price of a war with us. I've said my piece. Take it or leave it."

At these words, Ye Taiqing and the other three men stiffened, unable to say a word.

The entire highway entrance fell into a dead silence.

Seeing the four men speechless, the three assassins sneered, got in their car, and drove away.

Only after the car had roared past did Ye Taiqing finally explode, grinding his teeth. "Those bastards! They've gone too far!"

The Yin-Yang Elders added in a grim tone, "That's faster than any extortionist could make money."

Shi Hongda remained silent. They had only their own weakness to blame for this situation. Otherwise, how could they have allowed the Assassin's Alliance to walk all over them like this?

Just then, Lin Zhongtian asked tentatively, his body trembling, "G-Gentlemen... can I go now?"

Since the target, Xu Ke, was gone, Lin Zhongtian had dared to hope he might live.

His words drew the attention of the four men, who exchanged a look.

Shi Hongda turned to Ye Taiqing. "Looks like you need to blow off some steam. He's all yours."

After being played by Xu Ke and humiliated by the Assassin's Alliance, Ye Taiqing was practically radiating rage. Shi Hongda, seeing that his companion looked about to explode, figured he might as well let him take it out on Lin Zhongtian.