Jiang Chen remained in the sky-boat without leaving his seat. As a guest, the host hadn't spoken up, so it wouldn't be appropriate for him to go out and stick his nose where it didn't belong.
After all, this was the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms, not the human territories. The advantages he currently held in martial arts were no longer significant here — they could hardly even be called advantages.
So at this stage, Jiang Chen felt it was best to keep a low profile. After all, this was a dispute between the Yan family and another sect. There was no need for him to get involved.
It was obvious that Yan Qingsang's fury far exceeded Jiang Chen's.
Without orders from Elder He and Elder Quan, though, Yan Qingsang could only stew in silence inside the sky-boat — though he was well aware that even if he went out, he would only make things worse.
Outside, Elder He was patiently communicating with the Zhouguang Sect side. It was clear that he had already lowered his stance considerably.
Obviously, the earth-shattering news that the Zhouguang Sect member had delivered earlier had shaken Elder He and the others, making their confidence increasingly unsteady.
"Friend, on Eternal Divine Kingdom territory, our Yan family has never trespassed into your Zhouguang Sect's forbidden grounds. No matter where this dispute goes, your Zhouguang Sect has no right to intercept our Yan family's sky-boat. Does your lordship not fear punishment from the Eternal Divine Kingdom's royal court?"
"Cut the nonsense. You're passing through Zhouguang Sect territory — naturally, we have every right to intercept you." That voice laughed arrogantly. "If you know what's good for you, cooperate quietly. Otherwise, you can look forward to being our guests at the Zhouguang Sect. When you'll be allowed to leave — that depends on our mood."
Elder He's deference had its limits. After all, both were first-rate powers, and this Zhouguang Sect member's arrogant tone was pushing things too far.
Elder He's patience was wearing thin. He stared coldly at the other party. "Since when did the Zhouguang Sect become so tyrannical? Are you really going to bully my Yan family right out in the open?"
"So what if we're bullying you? If you want to pass, leave behind all the ancient jade you've obtained, and hand over the princess of the Blue Smoke Island Domain. Maybe then we'll graciously let you through. Ha ha ha!"
At this point, Huang'er, inside the sky-boat, could listen no longer. She said to Ling Bi'er, "Stay in the sky-boat. I'm going out to face them."
Once Huang'er moved, the other young members of the Yan family could no longer hold back and followed her out one after another. Yan Qingsang and Jiang Chen exchanged a glance, then stepped out of the sky-boat as well.
Seeing all the young members of the Yan family come out, Elder He was somewhat irritated but refrained from scolding them, merely waving his hand. "What are you all doing out here? Get back inside."
But Huang'er ignored Elder He and calmly looked across at the other side. "Friends from the Zhouguang Sect, the Eternal Divine Kingdom has its own rules. Our Yan family has no grudge against your Zhouguang Sect. If you think that because our family is going through a difficult patch you can bully us at will, then your vision is far too shortsighted. If you block us here today, we will fight to the death. If it truly comes to a life-or-death struggle, when the royal court investigates, it will be your Zhouguang Sect that is in the wrong. I think you know better than anyone what the Eternal Sacred Land hates most — it's people breaking the rules of the Eternal Divine Kingdom. Your Zhouguang Sect might be able to bully us few individuals, but can you wipe out my entire Yan family? Can you silence the talk of the whole world?"
Huang'er was neither flustered nor hasty, and she didn't dither like Elder He.
She laid out the stakes directly. Put simply, she didn't believe these people could actually do anything to them. All they were doing was blocking the road to rob them, hoping to extort some benefits.
If the Yan family backed down, the other side would not only get what they wanted but would also spread the word everywhere, dragging the Yan family's name through the mud.
So the best course of action was not to compromise, but to show an attitude of fighting to the death. After all, in broad daylight, even the Zhouguang Sect wouldn't dare go on a full killing spree and slaughter them all right here.
The Zhouguang Sect didn't have the nerve, and the Eternal Sacred Land would absolutely not permit it.
"Tsk tsk, you little lady — quite the silver tongue. Could you be the famous Yan Qinghuang of the Yan family?" The burly man leading the Zhouguang Sect group let out a lewd, twisted laugh as he sized up Huang'er.
Huang'er's expression remained calm. She slightly narrowed her eyes, a faint look of disdain on her face.
"What a sharp-tongued little thing. Didn't I hear that the Yan family already sold you off? Why do you still care so much about their affairs? Miss Yan Qinghuang, we can let you pass. Consider it doing a favor for the Xiahou family! Please!"
The burly man made a deliberately exaggerated gesture.
The men behind him all burst into raucous laughter, laughing so hard they doubled over. It was clear they didn't take the Yan family people seriously at all.
Huang'er gave a slight nod and said to Elder He and Elder Quan, "Elders, stop wasting words with them. Get back in the sky-boat and resume our journey. I'd like to see if anyone truly has the audacity to brazenly break the Kingdom's rules on its own territory!"
With that, Huang'er didn't spare the men another glance and walked straight back inside.
The two elders were startled, then exchanged a glance and nodded. They seemed to agree that Huang'er's approach was the best course of action.
If they kept arguing with these people, the dispute might never end. If they actually activated the sky-boat, these people might not dare do anything to them.
An attack on the sky-boat would mean war. Once war broke out and casualties occurred, the matter would inevitably reach the Eternal Sacred Land.
Once the Sacred Land learned of it, even though the Yan family's standing was no longer what it once was, they would certainly be able to get justice. After all, the rules were right there.
The Zhouguang Sect was not the kind of power that could completely disregard the rules. And the Eternal Sacred Land had no reason whatsoever to shield the Zhouguang Sect.
In an instant, everyone had returned to the sky-boat.
"Start the sky-boat and resume the journey!" Elder He ordered.
The sky-boat slowly began to move. The Zhouguang Sect men gritted their teeth and looked at each other in dismay. They had never expected the Yan family people to be so tough.
The two old men had already started to waver, but who would have thought that once that little girl Yan Qinghuang came out, just a few sentences were enough to turn the situation around.
Honestly, they truly didn't have the courage to let things spiral out of control. Attacking the sky-boat would be easy, and they were ninety percent confident they could keep the Yan family people.
But if the Yan family people fought to the death and people were killed, the Zhouguang Sect would be in deep trouble.
This was no minor dispute — it involved a clash between major powers. Once lives were lost, it would absolutely not be easy to sweep under the rug.
"Elder Tu, should we do it?"
"This Yan family girl is too arrogant. Why don't we capture her and teach her a good lesson!"
"Seize them all and make the Yan family pay ransom! We just need to cook up a story about them trespassing in our sect's forbidden grounds and stick to it. What can they do about it?"
"Exactly! As long as we have them in our hands, we can say whatever we want!"
Everyone's eyes turned to the burly man. He was clearly locked in an internal struggle, but in the end, the murderous gleam in his eyes gradually faded.
"Forget it. We can't be rash about this. I didn't expect that little girl Yan Qinghuang to be so hard to deal with — even more troublesome than those two old men. If they truly fight to the death, the situation will be difficult to handle."