Everyone turned their heads in unison, their expressions surprised.

The Qin Family had arrived.

The man leading the group was the same middle-aged man who had discussed Xu Ke at the villa abroad. By his side was his son. Behind them followed two elderly men in black; they had similar faces, wore identical clothing, and each wore half a mask.

Seeing the Qin Family appear, the crowd's expressions varied. The Ye Family grew vigilant, while the Huang Family and Jin Hankang were excited. The Wang Family, Chen Xiong, and their companions, however, looked displeased.

Everyone knew the Qin Family was firmly in Wong Ting's camp. They might have appeared to be mediating, but it was obvious they were here to help the Huang Family suppress the Wang Family.

"Family Head Qin Feng, long time no see," Huang Zhendong said with a hearty laugh as he stepped forward.

Qin Feng clasped his fists, smiling brightly. "Indeed, it has been a long time."

Turning to Qin Feng's son, Qin Jinghuan, he added, "Jinghuan has become even more handsome."

Dressed in a white shirt, Qin Jinghuan nodded with a smile. "Thank you for the compliment, Uncle."

Huang Zhendong lifted his gaze to the two similar-looking elderly men. A hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes, but he still smiled. "Elder Yin, Elder Yang, long time no see."

The two elders did not speak but merely grunted, the sound seemingly coming from their nostrils. Their gazes fell on Shi Hongda, and they spoke simultaneously, their smiles unreadable. "Shi Hongda, you're still alive?"

The sight of the two speaking in perfect unison, their words carrying a powerful, oppressive force, caused the expressions of everyone present to change. Wang Qiya felt a tightness in her chest.

Wang Wu stepped forward, blocking the oppressive force.

Shi Hongda snorted, his expression darkening. "Zhuge Changyin, Zhuge Changyang. After all these years, you twin brothers haven't changed a bit. Still as peculiar as ever."

He had come today to show off, but first Wang Wu and now the Yin-Yang Elders had appeared, making him—a master of the Great Perfection Innate Realm—seem far less impressive.

The Yin-Yang Elders were both at the Innate Late Stage. However, as twins, they could unleash the combat power of the Great Perfection Innate Realm when they fought together. Moreover, they didn't specialize in physical combat but in sonic techniques; even their normal speech carried an oppressive aura...

"Peculiar is not our name," the two retorted coldly. They sneered and turned to Wang Wu, speaking in unison once more. "Wang Wu, long time no see. Why is your temper still the same?"

"Today is an important occasion, so don't delay the main event!"

"Shi Hongda was in the wrong, but he has already apologized. There's no point in dragging this out."

"Otherwise, we two brothers will have to give you a taste of our sonic techniques!"

Their words suddenly turned sharp, carrying a potent pressure that made everyone's eardrums throb uncomfortably.

Shi Hongda stared coldly at Wang Wu, a flicker of triumph in his eyes. "And me."

The three of them were clearly planning to use their combined might to bully him.

So what if Wang Wu is powerful? Two fists are no match for four hands, and he's facing three of us!

Seeing this, Wang Wu's face darkened. "This violates the rules of the Martial Alliance."

"How does it not comply?" Jin Hankang stepped forward, his face full of scorn. "Do you think the Martial Alliance's surname is Wang?"

"Shi Hongda was at fault, but he simply wanted to teach Wang Qiya how to respectfully treat her elders. His intentions were good. Moreover, he didn't intend to hurt anyone. He just came out of seclusion, so his control over his power isn't stable. The aura he released had a bit too much force, but it was completely unintentional.

"Under those circumstances, he even apologized! He's an elder teaching Wang Qiya a lesson, and he still took the initiative to apologize. After such a show of magnanimity, you people have the audacity to press for more? Do you want to waste everyone's time?"

"This is completely unreasonable!"

He rattled on and on. Jin Hankang could talk a dead man back to life.

Anger was written all over Wang Qiya's face. "You're talking nonsense!" she snapped. She knew perfectly well that Shi Hongda had intended to injure her, yet Jin Hankang was twisting it into some kind of lesson? How shameless!

"Wang Qiya, I'm warning you again. If you continue to be so disrespectful and insolent toward your elders, I can punish you right here and now," Jin Hankang rebuked. How dare a little girl like Wang Qiya speak up? The audacity!

Instead of shrinking back, Wang Qiya's anger flared. She sneered, "What now? Do retired elders of Long Capital have the authority to punish people? I guess the Martial Alliance's surname must be Jin, then!"

She was no longer the same naive Wang Qiya who had been tricked into going to the Golden K Bar right after returning to Tianhai. How could she possibly be intimidated by Jin Hankang in a situation like this?

Jin Hankang's face turned an ugly shade of red. "Nonsense!"

If these words were to reach the Alliance Hierarch's ears back at the Long Capital Grand Alliance, I'd be in serious trouble...

Wang Qiya sneered. "Everyone here can be a witness to who started spouting nonsense first."

"Enough! What's the point of this verbal sparring?" At this moment, Qin Feng stepped forward, ever the smiling tiger. "You must be Qiya," he said cheerfully. "Listen to Uncle Qin and let's just drop this matter. If we really come to blows here, it won't look good for anyone. Look how difficult a position this puts Alliance Leader Chen in. Are you really going to disregard the bigger picture?"

Wang Qiya hesitated at his words.

But at that moment, Wong Qifu spoke up. "Qin Feng, the ones disregarding the bigger picture are Shi Hongda and the Huang Family. They are the ones making things difficult for the Martial Alliance. What are you saying to my sister?"

At this, Wong Qifu scoffed. "After all these years, is moral blackmail the only thing the Qin Family has learned?"

Upon hearing this, even Qin Feng's smiling tiger facade cracked.

The spectators in the viewing area were stunned by this turn of events... Could it be that the Wang Family really wasn't planning to back down today?

"Wong Qifu, did you eat gunpowder?" Shi Hongda stepped out, his face grim. "Self-mutilation is out of the question, and I've already apologized. According to Martial Alliance rules, the worst that can happen is I pay some compensation and get confined for a few days! If you keep pushing and refuse to reconcile, then we'll settle this dispute according to the Martial Alliance's rules."

An uproar swept through the venue. No one had expected a simple argument to escalate to this point.

To resolve disputes, the Martial Alliance had another method besides mediation: letting the involved parties fight. The loser had to unconditionally accept the winner's terms. After the battle, the dispute was considered over and could not be brought up again. Xu Ke's life-and-death battle with Ouyang Shuang had been arranged in this very manner.

As Shi Hongda made his proposal, everyone's expressions shifted. The spectating Ye Family naturally hoped for a fight. Chen Xiong and Yuan Shang looked uneasy and wanted to intervene. Meanwhile, the Huang Family, the Qin Family, and Jin Hankang sneered, eager to see a fight break out and Wang Wu get severely injured.

The Yin-Yang Elders spoke in unison, their voices menacing. "We are quite displeased with the Wang Family's overbearing behavior. We will assist Shi Hongda."

With the three of them attacking together, Wang Wu would be completely overwhelmed.

Seeing this, Wang Wu sneered. "Do you really think I can't defeat the three of you? Miss, I accept the challenge."

He could lose, but he could not show weakness.

Hearing this, Wong Qifu's expression tightened, and a hint of apprehension flashed in her eyes.

Should she let Wang Wu get injured? It seemed unnecessary...

But just then, a voice rang out from the entrance.

Everyone immediately whipped their heads in that direction.

"Go ahead and fight, but you don't mind if I add one more person to the mix, do you?"

"Two against three? Even so, it seems you old dogs are still getting quite the bargain!"

Seeing the newcomer, the expressions on the faces of the Huang Family, the Ye Family, Jin Hankang, and the others all turned grim.