Ye Qing, just after hearing Helian Tiehua's transmitted message, quietly led Huangfu Zilong and his sister away from the cave entrance, taking cover among the dry grass. There were too many people over there, with extremely complicated relationships, and most were eyeing Huangfu Zilong and his sister fiercely. Ye Qing dared not let them stay there any longer.

It was not long after Ye Qing had left that those at the scene noticed their departure.

The first to discover this was the Patriarch of the Zhou Family. He had always wanted to kill Ye Qing to avenge himself, so his attention was more focused on Ye Qing after coming out. However, after glancing a few more times at the duel between Helian Tiehua and the elder, he turned around to find that Ye Qing and the Huangfu Zilong siblings were gone, which startled him immediately.

"The one named Ye has fled!" shouted the Patriarch of the Zhou Family. He knew very well that the strength of the Zhou Family alone was no match for Ye Qing. So, by shouting this, he hoped to enlist others to join him in the pursuit, thus creating an opportunity for revenge.

Upon hearing this, everyone's gazes shifted, with Prince Wan Yan being the first to frown deeply and say in a grave tone, "Chase!"

Prince Wan Yan had suffered a significant loss at Ye Qing's hands earlier and was already extremely displeased, wishing desperately to catch up with and kill Ye Qing. Thus, he was the first to lead the Supreme Elders beside him to pursue Ye Qing.

"All members of the Seven Families, hear my command!" At this moment, Helian Tiehua suddenly shouted, "Block the Wanyan Family, do not let anyone pursue Ye Qing!"

Members of the Seven Families were originally planning to pursue Ye Qing as well, but hearing Helian Tiehua's words, they were momentarily stunned, most looking at Helian Tiehua with dissatisfaction.

"Helian Tiehua, what do you mean by this?" the Patriarch of the Zhou Family said in a deep voice, "The one named Ye has killed several members of my Zhou Family and has abducted the Huangfu Zilong siblings. The urgent matter is naturally to capture them. Yet, you want us to protect them. What's your true intention?"

Helian Tiehua frowned slightly. Although he did not know what had happened inside the cave, he was aware of the earlier bullying by the Zhou Family towards the Huangfu Household. So, without needing to guess, he knew who was right and who was wrong.

"I know what I'm doing, just follow my instructions!" Helian Tiehua replied sternly.

"Hmph, Helian Tiehua, do you really think of yourself as the master of the Seven Steering Committees of the Hong Alliance?" said the Patriarch of the Bai Family disagreeably. "What right do you have to order us? We were courteous to you before because you were concerned for the Seven Steering Committees of the Hong Alliance and for the Seven Families. But now, the one named Ye has killed members of our Seven Families, and not only do you not kill him, you want to protect him. Why should we listen to such a treacherous order?"

"Hahaha..." Prince Nalan suddenly laughed from afar, saying, "Those who gain the way have many helpers; those who lose the way have few. Helian Tiehua, you're speaking for outsiders, yet even members of the Seven Families cannot tolerate you. How interesting. It seems that your position in the Seven Steering Committees of the Hong Alliance is not as high as I thought. I believed you were already above the Heads of the Seven Families, but it appears that the true leader of the Seven Steering Committees of the Hong Alliance is still in question!"

"Nalan Jingwei, we, the Heads of the Seven Families, are on par with Helian Tiehua. No one stands above the other!" replied a head from the Seven Families in a deep voice.

Prince Nalan sneered, "Is that so? Haha, based on your past circumstances, it seemed that the Seven Families were just Helian Tiehua's vassals?"

Members of the Seven Families were already extremely dissatisfied with Helian Tiehua, and now, hearing these words, naturally felt even more enraged.

"Nalan Jingwei, listen clearly, the Seven Families will do as they wish, and no one can command us!" the Patriarch of the Zhou Family shouted sternly.

"Hahaha..." Prince Nalan continued to sneer without saying a word, his laughter full of mockery.

Members of the Seven Families were all furious. They could hear that Prince Nalan was actually scorning them.

"Nalan Jingwei, today we'll let you witness the status of the Seven Families in the Seven Steering Committees of the Hong Alliance!" shouted the Patriarch of the Bai Family in anger, and said aloud, "Go, bring back the one named Ye for me!"

A few members of the Seven Families hesitated, but most pursued with righteous indignation.

Seeing this situation, Helian Tiehua was very worried, and said, "Ye Qing is a friend of the Seven Steering Committees of the Hong Alliance, and the Huangfu Zilong siblings are members of the Seven Families, all part of our Seven Steering Committees. At this moment, you should be protecting them to leave, not pursuing them. Isn't this infighting among us?"

"Helian Tiehua, shut up!" shouted the Patriarch of the Zhou Family angrily, "We are not your subordinates, nor do you have the authority to command us. We know what we want to do; it's not for you to dictate!"

"Don't waste time with him, quickly pursue!" the Patriarch of the Bai Family shouted loudly, already leading his men to pursue ahead.

"Stop them!" At this moment, the Bloody Monk, who was fiercely battling Prince Nalan, suddenly shouted, "Sha Men members, hear my command. Anyone who dares to pursue Ye Qing shall be killed without mercy!"

The people of Sha Men had long been ready to spring into action, originally prepared to strike. Now, with the order from the Bloody Monk, their morale soared even higher, and they rushed out simultaneously, blocking the members of the Seven Families.

"Thieves of Sha Men, how dare you block our way!" The Patriarch of the Zhou Family's face was sinister, and he gritted his teeth, "Whoever dares to stop me, kill without mercy!"

"Dare to kill one member of my Sha Men, and I will kill one hundred of your Zhou Family!" the Bloody Monk roared loudly, "If the living aren't enough, I'll dig up your ancestral graves and make up the numbers with your ancestors!"

The Bloody Monk was extremely dominant and highly protective. Though he was a peak master, he was completely different from Helian Tiehua. Helian Tiehua held himself with dignity, and would generally not strike against those weaker than himself. However, the Bloody Monk was different; if he got angry, he'd kill anyone, regardless of moral principles. This was why the Bloody Monk's reputation was far less than Helian Tiehua's.

Nevertheless, the people of Sha Men were absolutely loyal to the Bloody Monk. This person was the kind who would go all out for anyone considered his own. But if you were his enemy, he would do anything to deal with you, half righteously, half wickedly. So over the years, although he destroyed Xiaolin Temple, slaughtered all within, Shijia merely wished to enlighten him, never intending to eliminate him!

Prince Nalan sneered aloud, "Bloody Monk, today neither of us can say who will leave here alive, and you still have the mind to scare people?"

Initially, many had been scared off by the Bloody Monk, but upon hearing Prince Nalan's words, they quickly regained their composure. Indeed, with the Bloody Monk and Prince Nalan dueling, it was uncertain who would leave alive today. What use was the Bloody Monk's threat?

The Patriarch of the Zhou Family's face turned grim, staring fiercely at the people of Sha Men, and said in a deep voice, "Anyone daring to stop us from pursuing Ye Qing will also be killed without mercy!"

Cui Yulong drew the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade and pointed at the Patriarch of the Zhou Family, saying gravely, "Today, you'll have to step over my corpse to get through!"

"Then I shall kill you first!" shouted the Patriarch of the Zhou Family, charging furiously at Cui Yulong.

Cui Yulong gripped the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade tightly, ready to confront him. At that moment, a person in white suddenly darted over, grabbing the Patriarch of the Zhou Family and forcefully throwing him back.

The person who intervened was none other than White-haired Ding San, whose strength had grown considerably after killing several top-level foreign masters, making his moves even more fierce.

"Everyone be careful!" The Patriarch of the Zhou Family was secretly alarmed upon seeing White-haired Ding San, hurrying to say, "This man is very dangerous, don't recklessly fight him. Fellow patriarchs, let's join forces to keep him at bay, let others finish off those Sha Men scoundrels, then we'll pursue Ye Qing!"

"Alright!" the patriarchs responded in unison, charging forth alongside the Patriarch of the Zhou Family to begin besieging White-haired Ding San.

In truth, this wasn't exactly a siege; they merely attacked from around White-haired Ding San, with none daring to get too close. However, it was sufficient to trap him, preventing any escape from their encirclement.

Seeing White-haired Ding San trapped, other members of the Seven Families immediately roared as they charged at the remaining people of Sha Men. The people of Sha Men hesitated not; the Killing Gate Seven Hidden directly set up the Seven Kills Formation, and Cui Yulong and the Left Protector promptly rushed out, mingling in battle with the members of the Seven Families.

In the distance, Helian Tiehua watched the members of the Seven Families clashing with those of Sha Men and couldn't help but panic, "Stop fighting, hurry back!"

However, at this moment, none of the Seven Families' members would heed his words.

Seeing the situation, everyone on Prince Wan Yan's side was also stunned. They had originally planned to chase Ye Qing, but now Sha Men and the Seven Families had started fighting first, leaving them as mere spectators.

"What should we do now?" a Supreme Elder asked softly.

"This..." Prince Wan Yan hesitated, just about to speak when Prince Nalan's voice suddenly reached his ear, "Wan Yan Zong, do not hurry to strike. Let Sha Men and the Seven Families fight until both suffer heavy losses. Then, join forces with my people to strike them all down at once. In doing so, your Wanyan Family's strength could surpass that of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Prince Nalan was using sound transmission, so only Prince Wan Yan could hear him. He frowned slightly, glancing over at Prince Nalan, who was clashing with the Bloody Monk, his mind wavering.

As Prince Nalan said, this was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he could seize this chance to bring down the forces of Sha Men and the Seven Families, it would surely deal a heavy blow to both. At that point, his Wanyan Family's power could rise, potentially standing on equal footing with the Seven Rudders of Hong Alliance, a dream come true for him!

However, Prince Wan Yan still held some concerns in his heart. After all, Prince Nalan was utterly untrustworthy, and collaborating with him was akin to seeking cooperation with a tiger!