The Bloody Monk finished speaking and turned to leave with White-haired Ding San, completely ignoring the crowd and Ye Qing.

Seeing Ye Qing's reluctance, the members of Sha Men hurriedly came over to stop him. Everyone knew Ye Qing's temperament and were truly afraid he would anger the Bloody Monk. After all, the Bloody Monk was known for killing without blinking. The fact that he gave Ye Qing this bit of face was already out of appreciation for Ye Qing saving the members of Sha Men. Otherwise, with his personality, he would have already killed Ye Qing.

The members of Sha Men felt guilty towards Ye Qing, as it was their sect leader who had taken Ye Qing's Seven-Star Ancient Sword. However, they also understood that they couldn't persuade the Bloody Monk otherwise. The Bloody Monk's purpose was the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, and ultimately he would still take the Seven-Star Ancient Sword; otherwise, the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates couldn't be opened. Even if he didn't take it now, he would take it later. What difference did it make whether it was sooner or later?

Although Ye Qing was very unwilling, he also understood the gap between himself and the Bloody Monk. After being advised by others, he reluctantly left. Both he and Liu Mubai were seriously injured tonight, and if it hadn't been for the Bloody Monk's arrival, they most likely would have met a tragic end. To clash head-on with the Bloody Monk now would be most unwise; the only option was to return, recuperate, and wait for an opportunity.

Moreover, the most crucial thing for Ye Qing now was that Huangfu Ziyu had not been found. There was still no news of Huangfu Ziyu, which was Ye Qing's greatest concern. He didn't know what her situation was.

After sending Ye Qing off, the members of Sha Men immediately returned to the attic to see the Bloody Monk. It had been over a decade since they last saw the Bloody Monk, and now that they finally did, one could imagine their feelings.

Inside the attic, the Bloody Monk had already reconnected White-haired Ding San's broken leg bone. By the time everyone entered the room, White-haired Ding San was standing steadily, showing no sign of his previously broken leg.

"Wow, what happened?" Ghost King Li Ruoyuan exclaimed in shock, asking, "Wasn't his leg bone broken just now? How is he standing so straight?"

Everyone looked at the Bloody Monk in astonishment, while the Bloody Monk wore an unperturbed expression, saying, "A broken leg bone is nothing. Even if all his bones were broken, as long as there's still a breath left in him, he can quickly recover."

"Really?" Everyone's eyes widened, and Ghost King Li Ruoyuan was full of wonder, saying, "How is that possible?"

"What's impossible about it!" the Bloody Monk said proudly. "This is a secret weapon I spent fifteen years uncovering, prepared to deal with the Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls. If it weren't so formidable, what would I use to contend with the people from Hong Alliance and Qing Tang?"

Everyone exchanged looks, surprised that after fifteen years, the Bloody Monk reappeared for the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates.

"Sect Leader, the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates is of immense importance, and every time it appears, it brings endless turmoil to Jianghu," Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu said in a low voice. "We were framed by traitors ten years ago, weakening our strength, and we probably no longer have the ability to compete for the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. Moreover, the Hong Alliance and Qing Tang are extremely powerful. If we rashly get involved, we might become cannon fodder."

"Cui Yu, in these fifteen years, your courage has dwindled!" the Bloody Monk glanced at Cui Yu and said in a deep voice, "Since I dare to compete, it means I am prepared. So what if the Hong Alliance and Qing Tang are powerful? Competing for the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates isn't about numbers but the strength of top experts. I have this killing machine here, and as long as he is trained to be an unparalleled killing god, he will rival the power of one of the Five Absolutes. And your Seven Kills Formation, a grand formation left by Guiguzi, can trap one of the Five Absolutes if practiced to the highest level. By this count, our side is the strongest!"

Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, and Demon Queen He Qinghua said in a deep voice, "Sect Leader, I'm afraid the Seven Kills Formation can't be arranged anymore. Netherworld Scholar betrayed Sha Men and has disappeared. Without him, the Seven Kills Formation can't be set up at all!"

"As long as he's not dead, he will return eventually, and the Seven Kills Formation can still be set up!" the Bloody Monk laughed coldly, suddenly turning to take a large box from behind the sofa. The box was about one and a half zhang long, a foot wide, and it was unclear what was inside.

The Bloody Monk opened the box, revealing a spear and a long blade. The spear was the Overlord Spear, and the long blade was the Cold Moon Blade that he took from Huangfu Ziyu last time. The Overlord Spear was taken by White-haired Ding San last time and ultimately ended up in the Bloody Monk's hands.

The Bloody Monk placed the Seven-Star Ancient Sword into the box as well, proudly saying, "The Heaven Earth Man Three Gates require seven keys, and I have already obtained three. Only by gathering all seven keys and acquiring the three maps stored by the Twelve Green Halls can we locate and open the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. Hmph, the remaining four keys, with three still being stored at Shen Family Manor, let's see how much longer they can stay hidden. The people from Hong Alliance and Qing Tang are coming soon. Shen Tianjun holding those three keys is like painting a target on himself. I don't believe he isn't worried."

Ghost King Li Ruoyuan said softly, "Sect Leader, with us holding these three keys, wouldn't... wouldn't we also become targets?"

"I intend it that way on purpose!" the Bloody Monk said proudly. "If they want to enter the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, they must come to me for these three keys. By then, it will be a matter of seeing who is more capable. If they win, they can take away these three keys. But if they lose, I will take their keys and maps!"

Everyone exchanged glances, realizing that the Bloody Monk was indeed reckless, clearly preparing for a showdown. However, the Bloody Monk truly had the capability, as he could compete with the Five Absolutes.

Although Ye Qing was badly injured, a large amount of the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill's medicinal properties remained in his body, allowing him to recover in a very short time. And Ye Qing also gave Liu Mubai half of a Ziyu Chenxiang Pill, so by the time the two returned home, their injuries had mostly healed.

There weren't many people on Tian Sheng's side, and Black Bear and the others were sent away by Ye Qing for training. As a result, it became rarely quiet here.

After this ordeal, both Ye Qing and Liu Mubai were very tired and went to rest as soon as they returned. The next morning, before Ye Qing woke up, Li Lianshan came to find him.

"Damn, Ye Zi, what happened?" As soon as Li Lianshan entered, he immediately asked urgently, "Why did Chen San send someone first thing in the morning to tell me that I have to withdraw all my men from Shenchuan City immediately, and that his people are taking over here? What's going on?"

Ye Qing frowned, knowing for sure that Chen San wouldn't do such a thing. Undoubtedly, this was definitely Ao Wuchang's intention.

The opening of the Heaven, Earth, and Man Three Gates was imminent, and the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls would enter the mainland to fight for this opportunity. Undoubtedly, the Southern Six Provinces would be the main battlefield. Ao Wuchang from Shu entered Shenchuan City, naturally wanting to use it as his stronghold to occupy Shenchuan City and prepare to face people from the Twelve Green Halls.

Ao Wuchang's strength far exceeded Ye Qing's, and the three hundred Red Robes he brought were far superior to Ye Qing's and Li Lianshan's subordinates. Therefore, this battle basically had no meaning, as it was essentially a command to Ye Qing and Li Lianshan to withdraw from Shenchuan City. There was nothing they could do since Ao Wuchang's power was greater.

"How many places do we have in the suburbs?" Ye Qing asked, "Is it enough for all our people to move there?"

"Of course, that's not a problem, but the crucial point is, are you really going to withdraw from Shenchuan City?" Li Lianshan looked anxiously at Ye Qing and said, "This is the place we've fought so hard to secure. How can we just hand it over like this?"

"Let's retreat for now and talk about it later!" Ye Qing sighed and said, "In the coming period, the entire Southern Six Provinces will begin to descend into chaos. The city center may not be a good place to be, staying here will only be more dangerous."

"But we don't have to pull out completely!" Li Lianshan said, "At most, we just don't get involved in these matters, right?"

"Some things are not that easy to avoid, even if you want to," Ye Qing paused and said, "Besides, withdrawing is only temporary. Once this period is over, we'll come back. This is called advancing by retreating."

"Really?" Li Lianshan finally felt a bit relieved and said, "When we come back, will they give us our place back?"

Ye Qing didn't speak, as he wasn't confident either. However, he had made up his mind; if Ao Wuchang continued to occupy Shenchuan City, he wouldn't make it easy for Ao Wuchang. Even if he wasn't Ao Wuchang's match, he would still cause trouble for him.

Since Ye Qing had decided to withdraw from Shenchuan City, Li Lianshan had no objections. He immediately gathered his men and led them to leave Shenchuan City, setting up camp in the suburbs.

Fortunately, Li Lianshan had previously developed many businesses in the suburbs, so accommodating so many people was absolutely no problem. However, during this period, he couldn't manage his businesses in the city and would lose a lot of money, constantly making Li Lianshan lament.

As for Ye Qing, he was less concerned, as his thoughts were preoccupied with Huangfu Ziyu. He hadn't received any news about Huangfu Ziyu in recent days, which only heightened his worries, making him suspect if Old Wang Ba's previous words were lies.

However, the old scoundrel Old Wang Ba seemed to have vanished as well, so there was no way to find him to force information about Huangfu Ziyu's whereabouts. Therefore, even though Ye Qing was extremely worried, he could only stay put in Shenchuan City and wait for news, as he had no idea where to even look for Huangfu Ziyu.

On the third morning after moving to the suburbs, Ye Qing had just finished breakfast and was practicing fist techniques on the wooden dummy in the yard. He practiced several times each day—Bajiquan, Wing Chun Fist, the swordsmanship taught by Shen Tianjun, and the strange sword techniques within the handle of the Seven-Star Ancient Sword.

Suddenly, Zhao Chengshuang rushed over in a panic and said urgently, "Ye Zi, something has happened; your friend has escaped from prison!"