The phantom, clad in armor and wielding a spear, gazed down upon the mortal realm like a celestial being, exuding immeasurable pressure.
"Hoo!"
Zhang Qian roared, not daring to delay. With all his might, he swung his halberd, its force seemingly capable of shattering mountains and rivers. A single strike to break a hundred spears, he interrupted Yang Xiao's ever-escalating offensive momentum. But at this moment, the phantom in the sky fiercely thrust its spear downward.
*Boom kachak!!!*
Zhang Qian bellowed, drawing endless strength from the elephant demon beneath his feet. His heavy halberd pulsed with the essence of reincarnation, shattering the phantom's spear in the sky instantly.
*Dong!*
Zhang Qian took a step forward, his halberd carrying the boundless intent of reincarnation. Like a god of war, he unleashed a terrifying sweep intended to crush the heavens. Even the colossal elephant demon beneath him could not withstand such immense power, its thick legs buckling. Yet, the pressure bore down even more intensely on Yang Xiao, who faced the halberd head-on.
His body radiated a terrifying spear intent. The phantom in the sky also grew enraged, projecting its spear phantom, imbued with boundless sharpness, into reality. Endless spear intent attached itself to Yang Xiao, confronting the halberd of reincarnation head-on.
*Boom dong dong dong dong!!!*
Yang Xiao's eyes held an arrogant, world-conquering intent. His long hair fluttered, and his spear, swift and earth-shattering like thunder from the nine heavens, swept away everything in its path, including that fearsome heavy halberd.
"Break!" he roared. Amidst the relentless barrage of impacts, his spear, swift and terrifying as thunder from the ninth heaven, collided with the tip of the halberd.
Then, with a series of earth-shattering explosions, Yang Xiao, with overwhelming force, sent Zhang Qian and his colossal elephant flying. The tens of thousands of tons of impact crashed into the beast mining cave walls, causing the ground to shake.
*Boom rumble rumble rumble rumble……*
The mountain body trembled violently. The Lin family members quickly used their abilities to stabilize the innermost palanquin, fearing that the commotion would disturb the occupant resting within.
Meanwhile, the phantom above Yang Xiao's head slowly dissipated. He, riding a rhinoceros demon, slowly walked back towards the Yu family.
"Yang Xiao, so strong." Whether from the Yu family or the Lin family, all the young prodigies felt a fervent sense of worship. The strength Yang Xiao had displayed at the end could already rival that of the Huacai realm. In fact, some older Huacai realm cultivators present believed they couldn't withstand that terrifying spear strike.
"It's not over yet, is it? The momentum of your spear hasn't reached its peak," a voice, detached and proud, emanated from the noble palanquin in the Lin family's direction.
"Zhang Qian is not worthy of me using that spear, nor was that spear meant for him," Yang Xiao replied, his voice hoarse, suppressing the blood surging into his throat.
"Then who was that final spear meant for?" the person in the palanquin asked again.
Yang Xiao remained silent, his burning gaze fixed directly towards the Lin family's direction, his meaning clear.
"So it was for me. You are indeed impressive, junior brother." The voice in the palanquin seemed to smile before speaking again.
"Senior brother flatters me." After replying, Yang Xiao took a pill and closed his eyes to heal, speaking no further.
The Yu family members listened to their exchange, their eyes showing barely concealed panic. Yang Xiao's senior brother, wasn't that Ye Que?
Now, the Lin family was only one victory away from securing this beast mining dispute. To retain their own mining rights, the Yu family needed three more wins. But Ye Que was from the Ye family; could he truly be defeated?
The Yu family members felt despair creeping in. Even if Chen Guo somehow defeated Ye Que, the Yu family would have no one left to fight. Only Zhong Qiu and Zhong Da remained, along with a host of unremarkable younger generations.
The Lin family, on the other hand, had many reinforcements.
"I haven't fought anyone from the Ye clan before," Chen Guo slowly stood up, his right hand gripping his saber. He looked towards the Lin family's direction, his expression gentle yet carrying a hint of dominance.
"Come, let me see how strong you are."
With that, he descended onto the combat stage.
This time, no sound came from the palanquin.
Then, facing Chen Guo, a disciple with an ordinary face emerged from the Lin family. His expression was grave, and he cautiously stepped onto the combat stage.
That person was clearly not Ye Que.
Xu Mu was stunned. The Yu family members were also bewildered. The entire spectator stand of the beast mine, save for the Lin family members, was frozen in shock and confusion.
Chen Guo looked at the man, his brow furrowed slightly.
Why wasn't the Lin family sending out Ye Que?
"So, the Ye family also fears defeat." Chen Guo shook his head, then casually swung his saber towards the man opposite him on the stage.
*Boom kachak!*
The saber strike initiated, its sharpness splitting the ground and advancing forward, growing ever larger until it transformed into a terrifying saber qi resembling a surging river, unstoppable. Terrified, the young disciple scrambled off the stage in a panic.
Thus, Chen Guo won, but his victory was uninteresting. He shook his head and returned to the spectator stands.
At this moment, the Lin family sent out another fighter. Still not Ye Que. This person was recognized by the people of Black Horn City; he was a well-known second-stage young prodigy from the vicinity, possessing considerable strength, belonging to the same level as She Jie and Zhong Ni. The Yu family had no one capable of fighting him.
As expected, Zhong Da entered the stage and was defeated.
With this, the Lin family had won four out of six matches, successfully seizing two of the Yu family's beast mines. The Lin family, which had seven beast mines, now had nine.
The She family, on the other hand, decreased from six beast mines to four, one less than the She family's five, putting them on par with the Zhong family.
"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have lent out my people..." Yu Lin's face was filled with sorrow, his heart aching. The other Yu family members also hung their heads in dejection. They could have held onto their beast mines; with Xu Mu and the Heavenly Travel Sect members' strength, it would have been no problem. But for petty gains and distrust, they had lost two beast mines.
One beast mine was equivalent to fifty bustling commercial street blocks.
Yu Lin felt dizzy and sat down in a chair, coughing violently before speaking:
"Since the beast mining dispute is over, let's go home. I'm tired."
"Patriarch Yu, there's no need to rush so," Lin Che said at this moment, stopping everyone from leaving with a smile.
"Do you intend to humiliate me further?" Yu Lin asked weakly.
"Certainly not. It's simply that the beast mining dispute isn't over yet, so I cannot let you leave," Lin Che said, smiling slightly. "Have you forgotten? The Shang family hasn't competed yet."
"That is your own affair, what does it have to do with us?" Yu Lin asked weakly and coldly.
"Of course, it's related. Because just now, the Shang family patriarch has agreed to grant all five of the Shang family's beast mines to my Lin family. This is the signed written agreement, and Young Master Ye Que can testify to it," Lin Che said, handing over the document into the palanquin.
"Hmm, it's valid," Ye Que said.
"So, what is the purpose of this maneuver of yours?" The patriarch of the She family couldn't help but ask.
Lin Che smiled mysteriously:
"Heh heh, have you forgotten what the elders of the Ye clan said when they formulated the rules for our Black Horn City beast mines?"
"'The five great families shall be ranked in order of the number of beast mines they possess. If a family possesses more beast mines than the other four combined, they may propose an ultimate battle in the beast mining dispute.'"
"And now, my Lin family has fourteen beast mines. Your combined total is only thirteen."
"Ultimate battle..." The eyes of the various patriarchs narrowed upon hearing this. Then, as if remembering something terrifying, their hearts trembled fiercely, and they couldn't help but look towards the Lin family's palanquin.
"No wonder, no wonder you didn't deploy Ye Que. You were waiting for this moment to engulf us all."
Yu Lin's voice was complex. It seemed they were not just going to lose two beast mines today. The Lin family's goal was to seize and annex all the beast mines of their families.
They intended to unify Black Horn City!