"Elder, what are you saying? This is all just a misunderstanding," Guan Ling raised his head and forced a smile.
Even though he was the sect leader, facing this elder from the same sect, he had no choice but to adopt this humble attitude.
"A misunderstanding?" The elder sneered coldly. "You knew full well that Bai Mei is someone our Fengyun Sect is pursuing, yet you still took her in as a disciple. Isn't that harboring a fugitive?"
"Elder, you exaggerate. We truly had no idea about Bai Mei's involvement with your esteemed sect. Had we known, we would never have done such a thing," Guan Ling continued with a forced smile. "But look, she's just an inner disciple now, and she's already joined our Yunjie Sect. For the wrongs she's committed, I, Guan Ling, offer my apologies on her behalf. Could your esteemed sect perhaps show her some leniency?"
"Hmph! You apologize on her behalf? What makes you think you have the right to apologize for her?" The elder's voice was icy, his words cutting and unyielding.
The elders of the Yunjie Sect wore grim expressions, but none dared to retaliate.
"Elder, may I ask what it would take for you to spare her?" Guan Ling lifted his head and asked.
"Spare her? Did I say I would spare her?" The elder's face was cold and unrelenting as he spoke firmly. "Let me make this clear to your Yunjie Sect today—you must hand her over immediately."
Guan Ling's expression darkened.
"Negotiation? Why should I negotiate with you?"
The elder stood on the spirit vessel, his voice resolute and filled with disdain, showing no regard for Guan Ling or the others.
"If the elder refuses to negotiate, then I'm afraid we cannot hand her over either," Guan Ling's tone shifted, his demeanor hardening.
Since polite words had failed, he had no choice but to stand his ground.
"After all, she is now a disciple of our Yunjie Sect. As the sect leader, it is my duty to protect my disciples."
Hearing Guan Ling's words, the Fengyun Sect elder's expression turned completely cold, and a sinister voice hissed through his teeth.
"So, your Yunjie Sect prefers the hard way over the easy one, is that it?"
Guan Ling looked up at him but said nothing.
He was gambling, betting on how far the Fengyun Sect would go if he stood firm.
The Fengyun Sect wasn't just bluffing.
"I'll give you one last chance. Will you hand her over or not?"
As the Fengyun Sect elder's words fell, he raised his hand and gestured.
Almost instantly, the dark muzzles of the spirit vessel's cannons turned and aimed directly at the Yunjie Sect's mountain gate.
With the cannons in position, an invisible pressure enveloped the Yunjie Sect.
War was on the brink of breaking out.
Guan Ling's brows furrowed deeply.
This was another gamble.
He had to bet whether the Fengyun Sect would actually fire on his Yunjie Sect over this matter.
If they fired, it would mean the two sects had torn apart all pretense of civility.
The Fengyun Sect would not hold back.
And the Yunjie Sect, with its mountain gate bombarded, would certainly not let the matter rest.
But it was also clear.
The Fengyun Sect, unless pushed to the absolute limit, would not want to fire. After all, openly declaring war on the Yunjie Sect would come at a great cost.
Thus, the mountain gate stood in tense silence, both sides locked in a standoff.
While the standoff continued at the gate, within the Yunjie Sect, a powerful aura had reached its peak.
In her room, Bai Mei sat cross-legged, the final transformations taking place within her bones.
When everything fell into place, a completely new aura emanated from Bai Mei.
At this moment, an invisible pressure naturally radiated from her.
Compared to before, it was a qualitative transformation.
Inside her body, all her bones had turned a golden hue.
At the very moment Bai Mei completed her transformation, the experts within the sect who had been searching for the source of this energy surge suddenly widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Golden Supreme Bones!"
"Heavens, someone has awakened the Golden Supreme Bones!"
"This can't be real, it's too unbelievable!"
"Quick, go and see who it is!"
In that instant, the entire Yunjie Sect was thrown into chaos.
Even the old-timers who had been half-buried in seclusion, not even showing their faces when their wives passed away, suddenly burst out of their hiding places.
Even a legless Supreme Elder took to the air, his stumps kicking furiously as he flew.
All of them, without exception, rushed toward Bai Mei's room!