Without Mu Ling, Ye Qing's body gradually became restless and hot again. Mu Ling could only temporarily suppress the properties of the secret medicine, but couldn't remove them entirely, as it wasn't a poison. Now without Mu Ling's suppression, the drug's properties had begun to manifest once more.

Moreover, the drug's properties had already spread throughout Ye Qing's body earlier, and now it acted even more rapidly. Especially with a nearly naked beauty standing next to him, the pressure Ye Qing felt was unimaginable.

Ye Qing struggled to suppress the wild agitation in his heart, stepping back several paces, not daring to get too close to Shen Qingyi. He removed his jacket and pants, tossing them to Shen Qingyi from afar, and whispered, "Put... put them on, quickly put them on..."

Speaking these words, Ye Qing had nearly exhausted all his strength; he was really on the brink of his limit. The secret medicine's properties were too potent, and besides, he was a young man full of vitality and passion. If not for maintaining a shred of sanity, he might have already lunged forward.

Shen Qingyi quickly picked up Ye Qing's clothes and put them on, as she was nearly naked and felt it inappropriate.

"Ye, what on earth is happening?" After dressing, Shen Qingyi hurried to Ye Qing and asked, "Just now... who exactly was that person?"

"Don't come near!" Ye Qing backed away a few steps; with every step Shen Qingyi took towards him, it felt like he could smell her fragrance, pushing him even closer to his breaking point.

"What's wrong?" Shen Qingyi asked in surprise, as she was unaware of what had happened. Mu Ling had suppressed the properties of the drug in her body, making her condition far better than Ye Qing's.

"Don't come near... don't come near..." Ye Qing retreated repeatedly, but he was already unable to hold on. Shen Qingyi's image began to blur before his eyes.

"Ye, what's happening to you?" Shen Qingyi was very surprised and urgently said, "It's me, Qingyi! Have you forgotten me?"

"Qingyi... Qingyi..." Ye Qing's voice gradually became deep, and his breathing became even more rapid, almost resembling a beast's panting. His eyes emitted a fiery glare, staring intently at Shen Qingyi, just like a wild beast spotting its prey.

Seeing Ye Qing like this, Shen Qingyi was also startled and hurriedly said, "Ye, what's wrong with you? What happened?"

Ye Qing did not speak, seeming utterly lost. Suddenly, he let out a deep roar akin to a wild beast, and leaped forward forcefully.

Outside the cave, the One-Eyed Man held Shen Qingyi's clothes on a stick, making it look from a distance as if he was running away with her. Although Shen Tianjun and others were chasing him, they were far behind and didn't notice that Shen Qingyi was no longer with him, so they continued to pursue tightly.

The One-Eyed Man was swift, and even with Shen Tianjun's prowess, he couldn't catch him. It seemed like the One-Eyed Man was deliberately leading Shen Tianjun and others on a chase, running through the woods for nearly an hour, yet no one was able to catch up to him.

Judging the time to be right, the One-Eyed Man suddenly stopped, turned to face Shen Tianjun, and laughed, "Shen, why are you chasing me so relentlessly?"

Seeing this One-Eyed Man, Shen Tianjun's expression changed abruptly, and he sternly said, "One-Eyed Ding Lianshun, it's you!? My Shen Family has no quarrel with you, why did you abduct my granddaughter?"

So this One-Eyed Man was named Ding Lianshun, and from the looks of it, Shen Tianjun recognized him. This meant he was definitely a master of the same generation as Shen Tianjun and the others.

"Your granddaughter?" Ding Lianshun glanced at the stick in his hand and laughed, "You're not talking about this, are you?"

With that, Ding Lianshun pulled the stick from the clothes, and the clothes fell to the ground immediately.

Seeing all this, Shen Tianjun's eyes widened in disbelief, realizing he had fallen into a trap.

Ding Lianshun, full of pride, waved the stick in his hand and laughed, "Shen, is this your granddaughter?"

Shen Tianjun's expression turned icy cold, and he said sternly, "Ding Lianshun, I clearly saw you take my granddaughter away. Where exactly have you hidden her? Hand her over now, or even if it costs me my life, I will stand against the Twelve Green Halls to the end!"

Shen Tianjun's words made his stance clear, if Ding Lianshun didn't hand over Shen Qingyi, he would definitely oppose the Twelve Green Halls to the bitter end. With Shen Tianjun's strength, if he truly opposed the Twelve Green Halls, it would surely cause them great headaches.

"Shen, why are you so agitated?" Ding Lianshun laughed and said, "I've long known that you are neutral and won't get involved in any affairs, so I certainly wouldn't trouble your family."

"Then quickly hand over my granddaughter!" Shen Tianjun said sternly.

"Miss Shen isn't with me. Even if I wanted to hand her over, I couldn't." Ding Lianshun shrugged and said with a smile, "However, I just saw Miss Shen go somewhere."

"Where?" Shen Tianjun asked hastily.

Ding Lianshun smiled and said, "There's a cave behind this mountain. Shen, you might find something if you look there."

"Cave?" Shen Tianjun frowned slightly, then immediately turned around and ran straight down the mountain.

Meanwhile, Helian Tiehua had just arrived. Seeing Shen Tianjun leave, he didn't follow but rather looked coldly at Ding Lianshun.

"Cyclops, before the Twelve Green Halls have even entered the Mainland, you dare to come here first? Do you really think the Mainland has no one?" Helian Tiehua asked in a deep voice.

"Helian Tiehua, now that you're the only one left among the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance, what do I have to fear?" Ding Lianshun sneered, "I don't even need the Heavenly Master to enter the Mainland; I can handle you alone!"

"It seems you are quite confident!" Helian Tiehua took two steps forward slowly and said loudly, "If that's the case, let's see how much you've improved over the years!"

As Helian Tiehua spoke, he ran forward a few steps more, rushing straight at Ding Lianshun and threw a punch towards him.

Ding Lianshun did not delay, and countered with a punch of his own, colliding with Helian Tiehua's fist. Helian Tiehua stood still while Ding Lianshun stepped back two steps, causing the observing Northern Martial Zen and Prince Wan Yan to change their expressions.

Both of them had heard of the name One-eyed Ding Lianshun, a master on par with the Five Uniques. If it weren't for him being on Tai Island, he might have been among the Five Uniques, showing his immense strength.

They initially thought the match between Ding Lianshun and Helian Tiehua would be spectacular but didn't expect Ding Lianshun to be pushed back on the first punch. Ding Lianshun's reputation was beyond doubt, but Helian Tiehua's strength seemed overratedly strong.

Although Ding Lianshun was pushed back two steps after the first punch, he showed no signs of discomfort. Instead, he leaped forward, continuing to strike at Helian Tiehua.

Helian Tiehua neither dodged nor parried, standing there and trading blows directly. Every time their fists collided, Ding Lianshun would retreat a few steps, appearing to be at a disadvantage. However, despite fighting for a long time, Ding Lianshun remained composed, and Helian Tiehua, though seemingly dominant, couldn't overpower Ding Lianshun.

Both Northern Martial Zen and Prince Wan Yan were quite surprised, as they expected the fight to end quickly, not realizing that Ding Lianshun could hold out for so long, which was quite odd.

Far away, Prince Nalan was also observing the battle. He had arrived earlier but didn't approach. He didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls, as helping either side would be disadvantageous given their immense strengths.

"One-eyed Ding Lianshun really has some skills!" Prince Nalan's eyes flashed with brilliance, whispering, "Helian Tiehua's Thirteen Protectors' Horizontal Golden Bell Shield can counter an opponent's force by reflecting the attack back. If someone strikes him, the reflected force would certainly injure them. But every time Ding Lianshun clashes with Helian Tiehua, he retreats a few steps, apparently conceding ground, but actually absorbing the counter force. As a result, Helian Tiehua's Thirteen Protectors' Horizontal Golden Bell Shield becomes useless, a clever tactic!"

Wisdom comes with age, and Prince Nalan, being a Peak Master, could see that Ding Lianshun was dissipating the force with his retreating steps. In contrast, Northern Martial Zen and Prince Wan Yan thought he was retreating because he wasn't a match for Helian Tiehua and were surprised he hadn't been defeated yet. It seemed unlikely that Ding Lianshun would be quickly defeated under these circumstances.

Helian Tiehua was becoming increasingly frustrated. Since mastering the Thirteen Protectors' Horizontal Golden Bell Shield, few had withstood more than a few moves against him. Even a master like Joyous Monk couldn't gain ground against him. Yet, One-eyed Ding Lianshun had fought for so long, making his formidable shield technique ineffective, which truly surprised him.

In fact, while Helian Tiehua was surprised, Ding Lianshun was no less shocked. Although he concealed his feelings well, using his retreating method to absorb Helian Tiehua's force, only he knew the pressure he was under. Each counter force was genuinely powerful. Though he stepped back to dissipate it, there was still residual force countering at him, causing his arms to go numb, and he was nearing his limits.

While the two continued their relentless duel, a sudden cry from the mountainside drew everyone's attention.