"Wait for us, Young Master Yunfei!"
The other fourteen participating Ye Family disciples who followed gasped for air, drenched in sweat as they ran.
Among them, the only one who seemed slightly less strained was Ye Tianfeng.
However, his gaze toward Ye Yunfei had changed drastically.
The previous look of contempt was completely gone.
He finally understood that Ye Yunfei was not the good-for-nothing he had imagined him to be.
Just in terms of movement speed alone, Ye Yunfei was far stronger than him!
"Impossible! How did you all return alive?!"
On the Qin Family's temporary viewing platform, Qin Xiong's expression changed dramatically as he stood up.
"Did something go wrong?!" Shi Tianyuan and Lu Yunxiao roared out simultaneously.
After all, for this competition, the three families had secretly allied and prepared to eliminate all the Ye Family's participating disciples during the Banner Seizing Competition.
Before the competition began, the higher-ups of the three families had repeatedly instructed their participating disciples.
Once they reached the peak of Tianyun Peak, the disciples from the three families were to immediately act.
Moreover, the order given was to kill every single Ye Family disciple, leaving none alive!
To be extra safe, the four Early Stage Earth Realm experts guarding the summit to oversee the competition would even intervene if necessary, helping to encircle and kill the Ye Family disciples!
It could be said that under such meticulous arrangements, the Ye Family's fifteen participating disciples were undoubtedly doomed!
Yet now, all of the Ye Family's participating disciples had returned.
And each one was alive and well, completely unharmed.
"I understand now! You people of the Ye Family are all cowards! You turned tail and fled before the battle even began!
You never even reached the peak! You abandoned the competition halfway and ran back!
Ye Tianpeng, so this was your plan all along.
No wonder you dared to participate in the competition!" Qin Xiong suddenly exclaimed as if he had figured it out, his words dripping with venom.
"Exactly! Cowards who feared death, actually abandoning the competition mid-way!" Shi Tianyuan and Lu Yunxiao also exclaimed in sudden understanding.
"With such a disgraceful act, I'm afraid the Ye Family will no longer be qualified to be called one of Yuanyue City's Four Great Families," the City Lord of Yuanyue City also revealed an extremely scornful expression, shaking his head with a sigh.
"You are mistaken, City Lord. The Ye Family has no future!" Qin Xiong declared murderously, enunciating each word.
"So the Ye Family disciples turned back halfway, gave up on the competition, and ran away."
"They don't even have the courage to compete. How shameless of the Ye Family."
"The Ye Family has no hope left…"
...
In the square, numerous martial artists also wore expressions of disdain as they discussed animatedly.
Even many members of the Ye Family felt ashamed, hanging their heads dejectedly, wishing they could find a place to hide.
"It's good that you've returned. As long as everyone is safe, I am relieved. Victory and defeat are common in the affairs of war; do not take it to heart," said Ye Tianpeng, the only one who was somewhat regretful but inwardly relieved to see all the Ye Family participants safe.
Although he had come to the competition leading the team with gritted teeth, he had been constantly worried about the safety of these Ye Family disciples.
"Qin's old dog, tell me, which of your canine eyes saw our Ye Family disciples abandoning the competition halfway? Now, open those dog eyes of yours wide and take a good look. What is this?"
Ye Yunfei had returned to the Ye Family's temporary platform. He directly retrieved that large banner from his spatial ring and forcefully planted it in front of the Ye Family's platform.
Whoosh…
The banner fluttered and snapped loudly in the wind!
At this moment.
The entire square fell into dead silence!
Everyone stared with astonished eyes at the fluttering banner in front of the Ye Family's platform, wearing expressions of utter disbelief.
"Hahaha… Good! Excellent! Just wonderful! Fei'er, so you brought the banner back after all!" Ye Tianpeng was so agitated his whole body trembled, and he suddenly laughed heartily.
"Our Ye Family has won the Banner Seizing Competition!"
"Now, who dares to say our Ye Family people are cowards who fear death?!"
"The mining rights for the spirit stone mining region west of Yuanyue City this year belong to our Ye Family!"
...
All the members of the Ye Family erupted in cheers.
"You waste! How did the banner end up in your hands?! That's absolutely impossible! There must have been some problem with the competition!"
At this moment, the person who found this fact most unacceptable was Qin Xiong. His face instantly turned savage, his eyes gleaming with murderous light as he stared fixedly at Ye Yunfei and roared.
Shi Tianyuan and Lu Yunxiao also underwent dramatic changes in expression.
"How interesting."
Even up on the platforms of the Four Great Sects, the four elders and their disciples all felt a bit surprised and began paying attention to Ye Yunfei.
"Well done, Ye Yunfei!"
At this moment, no one noticed that high above the square, two figures stood upon the clouds: Su Qingluo and Rong Popo.
During the Banner Seizing Competition just now, Su Qingluo and Rong Popo had both clearly observed Ye Yunfei's actions.
Su Qingluo watched excitedly, her delicate fists clenched tight, continuously cheering Ye Yunfei on.
"Hmph! This brat, placed in a small place like Yuanyue City, can indeed be considered a genius. However, he's already sixteen and only at Body Tempering Sixth Level. Compared to the young prodigies from the great sects and clans of the Eastern Region, he's just trash," Rong Popo snorted coldly. It seemed the more outstandingly Ye Yunfei performed, the unhappier she became.
"Hehe, this guy is truly full of surprises," laughed a young woman in a pink dress softly within the square, her appreciative gaze fixed on Ye Yunfei.
This pink-dressed woman was Xiao Chuchu.
"Young Master Ye's actions always bring pleasant surprises," Old Huang, standing beside Xiao Chuchu, nodded with a light chuckle.
"Hahaha… Qin's old dog, starting to lose your temper now? I am also a participant. Why wouldn't it be possible for the banner to end up in my hands?" Ye Yunfei laughed heartily from the Ye Family's platform.
"Waste! You must have used some trickery, some underhanded method to obtain the banner! Now, hand over the banner immediately. That banner is only worthy of my Qin Family!" Qin Xiong, now bordering on madness, roared furiously.
"Enough! Qin Xiong, the rules of the competition state that whichever family's disciples bring back the banner wins. Our Ye Family has already won this round. I hope you do not break the rules of the competition!" Ye Tianpeng stepped forward, shielding Ye Yunfei, and shouted sternly.
Just then.
"Patriarch, Young Master Qin An and the others have returned," a Qin Family elder said to Qin Xiong.
Sure enough, at the entrance to the square, Qin An emerged, his expression extremely gloomy.
The participating disciples from the Qin, Shi, and Lu Families, following behind him, also entered the square one after another.
"Damn it!" Qin An's gaze immediately fell upon the banner planted in front of the Ye Family's platform. His originally handsome face twisted into an ugly expression.
In his heart, that banner should have been brought back by his own hands!
That honor should have belonged solely to him, Qin An!
But now, it had been snatched away by someone else!
"The banner was truly brought back by someone from the Ye Family!"
The participating disciples from the three families, both shocked and furious, returned dejectedly to their respective families' platforms.
Qin An lowered his voice and spoke a few words to Qin Xiong.
Qin Xiong's expression shifted rapidly, and he fixed a venomous glare on Ye Yunfei from across the square.
The patriarchs and elders of the other two families also immediately questioned their participating disciples about what had happened.
"Fei'er, just what happened?" At this point, Ye Tianpeng and the seven Ye Family Elders couldn't hold back either, casting questioning looks toward Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei gave a concise explanation of the situation.
"That traitor Ye Tianqing actually betrayed the Ye Family!"
"Ye Yunfei, you're saying you killed all four family guardians protecting the banner?"
...
Ye Tianpeng and the seven Elders were both shocked and furious.
However, they believed Ye Yunfei indeed possessed the strength for such a feat.
After all, during the Ye Family assembly, Ye Yunfei had publicly crippled the Earth Realm Mid Stage Ye Zhongnian!
At that moment.
On the Qin Family platform.
"Father, for now, let the Ye Family have this win in the Banner Seizing Competition. In the competition's second stage—the stage battles—I will personally kill every Ye Family disciple I encounter. Besides, the Ye Family won't exist for much longer. What does winning or losing even matter now?" Qin An had now completely regained his composure, his expression returning to its usual arrogant, domineering confidence.
"Exactly! After the competition, the forces of our three families will immediately take action to exterminate the Ye Family. So, let Ye Tianpeng revel in his fleeting victory a little longer," said Qin Xiong, the muscles on his face twitching as he glared murderously at Ye Yunfei and Ye Tianpeng.
"City Lord, let the second stage begin now!" Qin Xiong addressed the City Lord.
Shi Tianyuan and Lu Yunxiao also nodded in agreement.
They thought exactly like Qin Xiong.
The three families had long agreed: once the Four-Clan Mine Seizing Competition concluded today, their forces would immediately move, jointly attacking and exterminating the Ye Family!
So, what did it matter if the Ye Family temporarily won this round?
"Good! I hereby declare that the second stage of the Mine Seizing Competition, the stage battles, begins now!" the City Lord of Yuanyue City proclaimed loudly.