The Ultimate Devil's Magnificent CEO

"You can go on ahead, driver. Thanks!" Zhou Fan and his group jumped out of the car. He ignored the crowd of people surrounding them, patted the car door, and spoke with a smile.

"Hey, buddy, this looks like an ambush. You need any help?" The driver saw all the people swarming them. He didn't get out of the car, but he gripped a large wrench in his hand.

"Okay, how about this? Once you get into Jiang Province, go to the first tavern you see on the side of the road and tell them their boss is pinned down here. That'll do it!" Zhou Fan hadn't expected the driver to be so eager to help. He rattled off the instructions, then waved at him with a smile.

Metheus, for his part, didn't give the driver any trouble. He waved a hand at the men behind him, allowing the driver to leave. Only then did he slowly walk over.

"Nether King, long time no see. You've gotten even more handsome!" Metheus was about the same height and build as Zhou Fan and wore his hair in a middle part. He stopped ten meters away and greeted him with a smile.

"More handsome, you think? I can't help it, it's not like I'm trying. Explains why my luck with the ladies has been so good recently!" Zhou Fan said with a cocky grin. He took out a cigarette and tossed it over, then lit one for himself.

To look at them, you'd never guess they were enemies on the verge of a life-or-death battle. They seemed more like old friends catching up after many years apart.

"I'll ask you one last time—this is on behalf of Lorne, but it's my own wish, too—will you join us in Dark Night? Just give the word, and I'll lead my men to storm the Netherworld King's Hall this very instant. We'll capture Ye Fei and Zhao Ya alive and dump them at your feet. How about it?" Metheus was still trying to persuade Zhou Fan, refusing to give up. He'd been at it ever since their first meeting, when he'd witnessed Zhou Fan's capabilities firsthand.

"You know as well as I do that without you, the Netherworld King's Hall is just a disorganized mob. They won't be able to stop our assault."

Zhou Fan shook his head. He wouldn't have agreed before, and he certainly wasn't going to agree now. Dark Night's code of conduct was fundamentally at odds with his own. They had no moral compass; as long as the pay was good enough, they would do anything without a second thought. But Zhou Fan had lines he would not cross.

"It's like the old saying goes: those who walk different paths cannot make plans together," Zhou Fan said calmly.

"Surely you don't believe that you and these four can get away from us alive, do you?" The smile on Metheus's face slowly vanished, and he made no effort to hide the disdain and contempt in his eyes for Fan and the others.

"I'd like to try," Zhou Fan said with a smile, then dropped his cigarette butt to the ground.

"If that's how it is, then let's begin!" Metheus wasted no more words. With a wave of his hand, his legion of experts split into two groups and charged toward Zhou Fan and his companions.

"Whether you live or die now depends on your own skills. If you manage to break through, don't you dare look back. Just run!" After leaving them with those words, Zhou Fan held nothing back. He brandished the Li Hen Sword and charged straight into the advancing crowd.

A single swing of his sword forced several men back instantly, but Zhou Fan's pace didn't falter in the slightest. He charged straight ahead, his eyes locked on his target: Metheus. It was as if no one else existed.

The moment Li Xing and Li Yue saw Zhou Fan charge, they moved without hesitation. With the perfect coordination of a single entity, they launched a surprise attack on a man to their left. One strike—and whether it landed or not—they immediately disengaged and moved on to their next target.

Seeing this, Fan and He Yi also threw themselves into the fray as if they had a death wish. They picked a direction; He Yi forged a path forward while Fan guarded their rear, and they fought onward with grim determination.

A minute later, Zhou Fan stood before Metheus. He held the Li Hen Sword angled toward the ground, its tip dripping with blood. In the short time it had taken him to break through, six or seven opponents had already fallen to his blade.

"Nether King, I genuinely admire you. I had hoped you would join Dark Night, to assist Lord Lorne alongside me and build a grand future for us all. What a pity you're so ignorant of your own limitations!"

Watching Zhou Fan carve a path toward him, Metheus shook his head in disappointment. He then took his signature weapon—a massive blade weighing over a hundred pounds—from a subordinate behind him. He stepped forward and brought the blade cleaving down on Zhou Fan.

Zhou Fan didn't evade. With a flick of his wrist, he swept his sword upward to meet the massive blade.

From the very first move, they both went all out.

Neither Zhou Fan nor Metheus had ever crossed blades before, but they both knew with absolute certainty that they had to use their full strength to have any hope of victory. To do otherwise would not only be an insult to their opponent, but also a fatal joke at their own expense.

CLANG!

The heavy impact rang out. The immense force of the recoil made both of them stagger, and each took half a step back.

In that instant, both men subconsciously shook the hand gripping their weapon, trying to ease the numb ache caused by the colossal impact.

But in the next second, as if sharing a single thought, they both gripped their weapons with two hands, stepped forward, and swung at each other once more.