Urban Martial Saint

Before Helian Tiehua and the others arrived in Shenchuan City, Ye Qing had already gained a general understanding of the current situation of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls. The battle between the two sides continued, but it mainly revolved around territorial disputes.

As Ye Qing had learned earlier, the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls both originated from gangs, with grudges between them lasting for hundreds of years. In fact, many people within the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls no longer knew why they were enemies; they just knew that a battle was inevitable upon meeting. Especially in the current situation, the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance controlled most of the regions in Huaxia, while the Twelve Green Halls remained curled up on Tai Island, naturally unwilling to settle. Therefore, the battles between the two sides had evolved entirely into a power struggle. In this struggle for power, the critical role was played by the countless subordinates below. Meanwhile, the real master figures at the top were already preparing for the opening of the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates.

Despite this, the chaos that Shen Tianjun and others mentioned had already begun. The ongoing battles between the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls had strong forces on both sides, naturally impacting many places, which were now in chaos. However, the battles between the two sides adhered to certain rules, only confined to the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls, and did not involve others, preventing complete disorder.

However, Ye Qing was well aware that the upcoming contention for the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates would be the true chaos. Moreover, once the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates opened, according to Guiguzi’s prophecy, that would mark the time of true chaos in the world. Therefore, whether people could be stopped from vying for the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates was the key to preventing this chaos.

However, even though Ye Qing knew about these matters, he was entirely powerless. People across the world were already obsessed with the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, so how could he possibly stop them now?

During the time Ye Qing entered the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, three hidden masters from the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance also emerged, two of whom were former elders of the Seven Great Families. For instance, Bai Yonghui of the Bai Family and Zhou Haoyang of the Zhou Family were previously powerful elder-level individuals. The third, although not a member of the Seven Great Families, was also an elder-level figure within the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance, named Wu Tianyong.

In the messages conveyed by Black Bear to Ye Qing, he was cautioned to be wary of Bai Yonghui and Zhou Haoyang because these two were from the Bai Family and Zhou Family, respectively, and Ye Qing had notably offended the Bai and Zhou Families over the matter of Huangfu Ziyu earlier. Especially the Zhou Family, who were deeply resentful over an incident where a member was slashed in half by Ye Qing. If it weren’t for Huangfu Ziyu becoming the head of the Seven Great Families and Helian Tiehua strongly suppressing the matter, the Zhou Family would have already confronted Ye Qing.

Now, with a peak master from the Zhou Family returning, it was foreseeable what attitude the Zhou Family would adopt towards Ye Qing. Although Zhou Haoyang had not yet met Ye Qing, the Zhou Family already exaggeratedly informed him about Ye Qing’s past actions. Thus, by the time Zhou Haoyang received the news, Ye Qing was depicted as an arrogant, contemptuous bastard who casually bullied the Zhou Family. Furthermore, Zhou Haoyang was exceptionally protective and believed whatever his family told him, despite Helian Tiehua’s repeated explanations, which he ignored, likely returning this time to give Ye Qing trouble.

As for Bai Yonghui, he was more scheming and didn’t constantly shout for revenge against Ye Qing like Zhou Haoyang. However, his attitude towards Ye Qing wouldn’t be any better. Moreover, he secretly supported Zhou Haoyang, which was the main reason Zhou Haoyang dared to oppose Helian Tiehua and seek trouble with Ye Qing.

Wu Tianyong’s situation was somewhat better as he was not a member of the Seven Great Families and thus disregarded their affairs. He had also maintained an excellent relationship with Helian Tiehua’s father, fully supporting Helian Tiehua. It was due to his support that Helian Tiehua could temporarily suppress Zhou Haoyang. Otherwise, Zhou Haoyang might have already seized power with Bai Yonghui’s covert backing.

With Bai Yonghui and Zhou Haoyang present, the situation within the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance was troublesome, and their attitude towards Ye Qing sparked internal strife. Thus, Helian Tiehua implied that the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance couldn’t provide much help to Ye Qing and advised him to be cautious of Bai Yonghui and Zhou Haoyang.

At six-thirty in the afternoon, thirty to forty cars drove simultaneously to the outside of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance’s estate, signalling Helian Tiehua and the others’ return.

This time, accompanying Helian Tiehua were not only people from Shen Family Manor but also members of Sha Men, the Twelve Green Halls, the Sword Saint Sect, and many other factions. Such a convoy arriving simultaneously at the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance’s estate indeed made for a grand spectacle.

The lead cars naturally belonged to the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance, followed closely by a long limousine. Among the mainly off-road vehicles, this limousine stood out conspicuously.

As soon as the vehicles stopped, four elders alighted from the limousine, standing respectfully beside it. One of them walked over and respectfully opened the door, revealing a young man in fine attire stepping out.

The young man appeared to be in his twenties, quite handsome, yet his eyes gleamed with a lascivious light, giving off a very unpleasant aura. Moreover, when he looked at people, the corners of his eyes tilted slightly upwards as if no one in the world was worthy of his regard, embodying a thoroughly superior demeanor.

Although the young man carried such airs and cockiness, most of those present around him wore smiles not because of anything else but because he was the Young Master of the Sword Saint Sect.

Most peak masters had heard of the Sword Saint Sect’s reputation and knew of its fearsome nature. Meanwhile, those unfamiliar with the Sword Saint Sect could gauge its power simply by seeing the four elders beside the Young Master. These elders claimed to be the servants of the Young Master of the Sword Saint Sect, yet their prowess reached peak levels, especially the leading elder whose strength was formidable, having exchanged hundreds of moves with Shen Tianjun without determining a winner. The fact that such figures served as attendants to this Young Master spoke volumes about the strength of the Sword Saint Sect. Even those unaware of the Sword Saint Sect dared not form any opinion upon witnessing such power.

Under the guidance of the four elders, the Young Master of the Sword Saint Sect leisurely got out of the car, his gaze shifting to a few other vehicles not far behind. Among those vehicles, several people emerged, led by none other than Shen Tianjun. Behind Shen Tianjun were several other members of the Shen Family, including Shen Qingyi and Shen Lingwei.

Since Shen Family Manor had been repeatedly attacked and Shen Qingyi was kidnapped multiple times, Shen Tianjun no longer dared to be careless. Whenever he went out to handle affairs, he would ensure his granddaughters were by his side to prevent any unexpected incidents. However, what he hadn’t anticipated was encountering people from the Sword Saint Sect at Chatiang Peak, who dared to snatch Shen Qingyi right before his eyes, enraging Shen Tianjun tremendously.

Even though Shen Tianjun understood the might of the Sword Saint Sect, he was someone who would rather break than bend. If anyone tried to bully his granddaughter, they would have to step over his dead body. Therefore, even knowing the great power of the Sword Saint Sect, Shen Tianjun fearlessly clashed with them, without a hint of dread.

Originally, after the affair at Chatiang Peak, Shen Tianjun intended to send Shen Qingyi back to Shen Family Manor for safety. Yet, upon reconsideration, he feared the treacherous Young Master of the Sword Saint Sect might secretly send people to Shen Family Manor to abduct Shen Qingyi. Worried about this possibility, he decided to keep Shen Qingyi close at hand to prevent any attacks.

Just after getting out of the car, Shen Tianjun noticed the malicious glance of the Young Master of the Sword Saint Sect directed at Shen Qingyi. This made Shen Tianjun’s expression turn cold as he stepped forward, shielding Shen Qingyi with a cold glare fixed on the Young Master of the Sword Saint Sect.

The Young Master of the Sword Saint Sect was glaring at Shen Qingyi when Shen Tianjun suddenly blocked his view, naturally irritating him. He gritted his teeth, glaring at Shen Tianjun, and said in a deep voice, ”Old bastard, do you want to fight again?”

As soon as he spoke, the crowd that had just gotten out of their vehicles immediately gathered around, mostly eager to watch the spectacle. Especially those who knew of Shen Tianjun’s renown were curious to see how the Southern Fist King would handle this situation.

Shen Tianjun stood tall and proudly, coldly replying, ”If the Sword Saint Sect wishes to fight, Mr. Shen gladly obliges!”

”Very well, then let’s settle our grudges here first!” The Young Master of the Sword Saint Sect waved his hand, and the four attendants moved to charge forward.

At this moment, Helian Tiehua, who was at the front, shouted loudly, ”Gentlemen, we have arrived at the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance. If there are any grudges, let’s discuss them inside the estate. After all, this is the estate of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance. Is it appropriate to cause a commotion here?”

The Young Master of the Sword Saint Sect glanced at Helian Tiehua, feeling displeased but did not dare outright disrespect him. After all, the Shen Family Manor only had Shen Tianjun as a peak master. However, the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance currently had four peak masters. Moreover, the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance had many hidden masters yet to emerge, and their multi-century accumulation of power was not to be underestimated. Before leaving the Sword Saint Sect, the elders repeatedly cautioned him to avoid conflicts with the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls unless absolutely necessary. Though the Sword Saint Sect could handle these forces, defeating the enemy also meant severe self-damage.