...
Above the beast mines, cries could faintly be heard.
The members of many families also recalled the Ye family's rule, and consequently fell into panic. Even some clan elders, who had remained calm, became restless. The air was filled with shock and sorrow.
"The ultimate battle is, in essence, for our five great families to decide the ownership of all beast mines through a single match. If the challenger wins, they can claim all the beast mines of the other families. If they lose, they naturally forfeit all their own."
Within the Yu family, an elder patiently explained to the crowd.
"One match to decide everything?" Xu Mu heard this and lightly shook his head. "This Ye family rule is rather hasty."
"It's not entirely inaccurate. By this point, there's no need for further battles to prove the Lin family's might. They have already fought through three rounds. Directly pitting their strongest individual is quite reasonable," Chen Sheng said slowly.
Xu Mu said nothing more.
"Whether it's reasonable or not, we must abide by the Ye family's rules. Furthermore, those who have already fought cannot compete again," another elder sighed with some pessimism.
"Alas, to think that the foundation of our Yu family in Black Corner City, built over nearly a hundred years, will be destroyed in a single stroke, reducing us to vassals of another clan."
"Looking at our three great families, all our powerhouses have already entered the arena. No one can contend with Ye Que anymore," the佘 family patriarch also spoke, his eyes weary.
"If you can't find anyone to fight, just surrender. I will be more lenient in my dealings with you in the future," Lin Che said with a triumphant smile. Unifying Black Corner City was within his grasp!
"That's impossible!" Yu Lin roared with a strength he seemed to find from nowhere.
"Stubborn as a dead duck. Once I become the City Lord of Black Corner City, I will make an example of your Yu family!" Lin Che cursed.
"A bunch of ants, why struggle?" From the Lin family's direction, the curtains of a sedan chair were pushed open by an invisible force. Then, a young man in a purple robe, with a face like a banished immortal and eyes like stars, emerged.
He was Ye Que.
"Minor impatience leads to major plans," Ye Que said, looking at Chen Guo. His calm eyes held a hint of condescending arrogance. "I didn't fight you before, and you thought I was afraid of you. How ridiculous."
"If you truly wish to challenge me, first obtain the qualification to participate in the Myriad Clan Alliance Assembly. Otherwise, you are merely a mantis trying to stop a chariot."
Chen Guo looked at Ye Que from afar, then smiled gently. He brought his index and middle fingers together and produced a glowing talisman from his robe.
"The qualification is right here."
Ye Que's eyes narrowed as he looked at the qualification talisman.
"If you don't dare to fight, just say so. You're just making excuses," Chen Sheng said mockingly. His senior brother Chen Guo was a man who would secure a top-hundred position at the Myriad Clan Alliance Assembly. How could he possibly not be able to defeat Ye Que?
"Even if that's the case, it only proves he has the qualification. It doesn't prove anything else," Ye Que walked down from the battle platform calmly and then looked at Chen Sheng. He continued, "If you doubt my strength, I can grant you special permission to participate in this final battle."
"But the question is, do you dare?"
Chen Sheng, upon hearing this, was about to step forward but was pulled back by Chen Sheng beside him.
"Don't go. You'll die."
"What's the point of bullying a child? If you have the guts, try me," Chen Juan said, brushing aside the long hair covering his eyes, stretching lazily, and yawning.
"A provocation? I won't fall for it," Ye Que stared at Chen Juan for a few seconds. He sensed the sharp intent within the sword sheath and was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected the members of the Tian Xing Sect to be this strong.
From the Lin family's direction, Lin Che also seemed to sense Chen Juan's strength. His expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly sent a telepathic message, wanting to warn Ye Que not to agree. But before he could speak, Ye Que had already refused.
"Even if I am confident of victory, I will not give you any opportunities, because this is not just my affair," Ye Que shifted his gaze from Chen Juan and looked around. He then continued, "I am here today not representing the Ye family, but only the Lin family. Therefore, I will not act impulsively."
"I must win this battle. I will not take even the slightest risk."
"Who among you will come?"
On the platform, the crowd was in an uproar, desperately searching for someone who could contend with Ye Que. But in the end, only three young geniuses were found, their strength at most comparable to She Ling.
Yu Lin looked at the chosen individuals, a sense of desolation rising in his heart. With this level of strength, even if all three of them fought together, they likely couldn't defeat Ye Que.
"Father, if there's no other choice, let me go," Yu Leyao said earnestly, gripping a dagger. Her talent and strength were not weak; she had simply been overshadowed by Yu Xueluo.
"If you go, it's better that I go," She Qingzi also spoke, her composure restored.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think this is a game of make-believe!" Yu Lin and the patriarch of the She family simultaneously rebuked, sending the two women back.
In truth, they knew very well that their daughters' strength was indeed the best option to fight at the moment. But the problem was, their opponent was Ye Que. If he didn't hold back, they might never return!
After a round of arguments, everyone resigned themselves to silence, truly unable to find anyone who could fight Ye Que.
"Daughter, our Yu family may be finished from now on. Your marriage to Yang Xiao is a good outcome. At least it can ensure our clan continues to survive by the skin of its teeth," Yu Lin accepted his fate, gripping Yu Leyao's hand, his voice hoarse.
Yang Xiao, hearing these words, showed a hint of a smile on his perpetually gloomy face. After these days of getting to know her, he had indeed developed some feelings for Yu Leyao. However, her affections lay elsewhere, and because of Yu Xueluo, he couldn't force her.
"If that is the case, I will mobilize the full strength of the Yang family to protect the Yu family," Yang Xiao said calmly.
"Father... I..." Yu Leyao's eyes turned red, her body like a fragile willow branch. She trembled, wanting to refuse, but could not speak.
"Selling your daughter to preserve the family is truly despicable," Chen Juan said lightly, his voice laced with mockery.
"So what? This is her best outcome. Once our Yu family declines, the gap between her and Yang Xiao's status will widen. Will she have to marry into the Lin family later?" Yu Lin's voice was bitter. He knew all too well the fate of a fallen family's young lady.
"We few will repay her life-saving kindness, so this marriage can wait," Chen Guo said.
Yu Lin looked up and sighed, shaking his head.
"Repay? How will you repay? Do any of you wish to marry her? Or can you find a better match for Leyao?"
"Without the binding of such a relationship, with Leyao's talent, even if she joined Tian Yu Sect or Tian Xing Sect, she would be like a rootless duckweed. I know you sincerely wish to repay your debt, but in the current situation, it is simply good intentions with no power, isn't it?"
Chen Guo and the other three fell silent.
They indeed wanted to repay her kindness, but a major life event like marriage could not be decided by mere gratitude. Moreover, their initial plan was indeed to bring Yu Leyao to the Tian Xing Sect. But as Yu Lin said, they couldn't protect Yu Leyao forever.
Marrying Yang Xiao, while not necessarily a good thing, was still far better than the slim prospects they could offer.
"Father, please don't say any more. I... I agree to marry Yang..." Yu Leyao, crying like falling pear blossoms, was about to agree to the marriage, but before Yang Xiao's name was even uttered, she was abruptly interrupted by a voice.
"Wait!" Xu Mu called out softly. He walked into the crowd, glanced at Yang Xiao, then at Yu Leyao, and said, "That Ye Que, I have a way to deal with him."
Yang Xiao's face darkened at the interruption.
"Even if you can fight him, you've already fought. A person is not allowed to go onto the battle platform twice. That's the rule."
"I have fought, but my demonic beast has not. Can't it go?" Xu Mu looked at Yang Xiao, a hint of deathly stillness in his eyes, which made the latter tremble.
"It's alright, don't worry. I will handle Ye Que. Your Yu family's beast mines will not be lost," Xu Mu said softly as he walked to Yu Leyao's side, comforting her.
"While a demonic beast fighting alone is unprecedented, the rules do permit it. However, we wonder which demonic beast you intend to use against Ye Que?" Yu Lin and the others' eyes lit up, as if they had grasped a life-saving straw, and they asked Xu Mu.
"Him." Xu Mu pointed towards the distance at the Qiongqi, which was lazily basking in the sun.
"It?" Everyone turned to look, and then they saw the beast that had been severely injured and unable to move just a few days ago – a white tiger. They were all stunned.
Xu Mu intended to use a wild beast to fight Ye Que?
"Could it be that it's not a wild beast..." Although Yu Lin was shocked, he immediately thought that with Xu Mu's mysterious identity and strength, how could he possibly buy a mere wild beast?
Perhaps this white tiger was a ferocious great demon!
"Of course, it's not a wild beast." Xu Mu was taken aback, then smiled. If he were to tell them that Qiongqi was a divine beast, these people would probably be scared speechless on the spot.
"You are an interesting person. Are you sure you want to use it to fight me?" Ye Que, who was below the platform, heard Xu Mu's words and immediately chuckled. It was the first time he had seen a beast tamer send a demonic beast to fight on its own.
"Are you perhaps going to make a last-minute rule change, disallowing demonic beasts from fighting alone?" Xu Mu stood on high ground, looking down at Ye Que.
"That's not the case. Of course, it can go on, but I need to confirm that it is your demonic beast," Ye Que replied calmly. "If you brought out a family elder's innate demonic beast, I naturally would not fight it."
"You can rest assured about that," Xu Mu said lightly. "This little fellow, I just bought it from the Myriad Treasures Pavilion a few days ago for fifty thousand gold. Many people saw it then, and there were people from the Shang family who can testify for me."
Ye Que narrowed his eyes and looked back.
"It's true," the people from the Lin family nodded.
"Fifty thousand taels of gold might be a fortune to you, but to me, a demonic beast of this caliber is merely introductory," Ye Que said arrogantly, his hands behind his back. When he first began practicing the art of beast taming, the demonic beasts he encountered were from royal families with divine beast descendants.
"You... do you think you're invincible?" Xu Mu clicked his tongue. Such arrogant words! Wasn't he afraid of being struck by lightning one day?
"There are enemies in the world, but it won't be you," Ye Que said calmly, his hands behind his back, his expression arrogant.
Seeing his stubbornness, Xu Mu no longer spoke to him, but instead turned his gaze to Qiongqi. The latter slowly stood up and then descended the battle platform.
Ye Que's expression was confident. He looked at the small, weak white tiger, even thinking he could win easily without summoning a demonic beast to fight.
But the next second, he knew he was wrong.
Because as Qiongqi descended, its body had already transformed. It was no longer a skinny civet cat; its snow-white fur was now covered in noble yellow. The things flowing from its weary eyes made him instinctively want to avoid them.
Was this tiger a terrifying great demon?
As Ye Que pondered this, he was about to say something when he realized Qiongqi was already running towards him. Thus, he could only summon a three-stage golden armored beetle. It was the demonic beast with the strongest defense he could use, and it was three-stage.
He was very proud because he himself was only at the second stage.
Ye Que believed that no matter how extraordinary the tiger's origin, it would be crushed by his golden beetle's pincers. If it survived by luck, it would be stunned into idiocy by the golden armor on its surface.
But none of these things he hoped for happened.
He saw the tiger and the golden armored beetle meet.
Because the tiger struck first, the golden armored beetle used its indestructible shell for defense, glowing brilliantly, with the great Dao imprinted like a rock.
This was unbreakable; there should be no complications. Ye Que thought this, but complications still arose.
The tiger's claw swiped at the golden armored beetle's shell, and the latter's shell caved in with a thud. Green demonic blood flowed from it, but it didn't reach the battle platform, as it had already been sent flying outside the platform by the sheer force of that claw.
Qiongqi resolved it with one claw and then continued to run towards Ye Que with slightly weary steps.
...