Shortly after the words were exchanged, many eyes darted to Li Qiye and the white general. With the spear in his hand, the general's will to battle was monstrous; he was ready to fight against the rest of the world. Meanwhile, Li Qiye was nonchalant and relaxed, as if he could easily take down any powerful foe.
The atmosphere became tense with everyone holding their breaths. Many felt that Li Qiye could take down the white general instantly. However, they still wanted to see the fight. After all, the general was Zhentian's disciple. He might not be as strong as Zhentian, but the disparity shouldn't be too far. Thus, if Li Qiye killed the general, it would be a direct blow to Zhentian.
“Fellow Daoist Li, it is just a misunderstanding.” A voice came about during this tense moment. It was one with the world and its rhythm while accompanied by the grand dao.
Another man came about, causing the sun and moon to shift with celestials floating around him. Each of his steps seemed to be crushing the world with the weight of Mount Tai.
“Meng Zhentian!” Someone exclaimed after seeing him. People might have conflicting thoughts about him, but at this moment, they all felt a sense of awe and respect. They quickly parted to make way for him and kept a distance.
Zhentian's arrival shocked everyone. They felt their hearts beating faster and knew that a storm was coming.
“Misunderstanding?” Li Qiye maintained his leisurely smile after seeing Zhentian. He looked as if the dreadful Zhentian was no different from a random person walking on the streets.
Just this alone was worthy of admiration. Anyone would be affected by Zhentian or at least put on a serious expression. If they weren't enemies, then it would be a look of respect.
Zhentian revealed a smile as bright as the sun, illuminating everyone's hearts. It made them feel at ease and that he was trustworthy. He spoke: “I was thinking of everyone's safety when I had my disciple stay here in order to avoid needless deaths for our friends here.”
This answer made everyone glance at each other. Such an excuse was unbelievable. However, no one dared to question him at this moment.
After all, opposing him right now was an unwise move, not to mention very few here were qualified to fight against him. They knew they weren't his match, so why would they bother to challenge him?
They glanced over at Li Qiye instead since he was the only one who would dare to do so and fulfill their wish.
“So you are saying that I am misjudging your good intentions?” Li Qiye chuckled.
Zhentian showed a charismatic and convincing smile: “Fellow Daoist Li, you are overthinking things.”
He spoke in such a friendly manner that it made them seem like friends that haven't met in a long time. No one could imagine that these two became irreconcilable enemies not long ago.
At the convention of myriad races, Zhentian angrily called Li Qiye by his name, but now, it was “Fellow Daoist Li” with a friendly smile.
Li Qiye asked in a carefree manner: “So you have a reason for letting your disciple block this path?”
Zhentian seriously replied: “I indeed did so for everyone's sake so that they don't enter the dangerous area and lose their lives. Everyone followed us here, so if they were to die because of us, I would feel very sorry.”
He spoke with such sincerity that some people were confused and couldn't determine whether he was lying or not. They found it hard to suspect him due to his attitude. Some even began to think that the white general was here so that they wouldn't see the upcoming danger.
Of course, the older crowd didn't believe him at all and simply sneered in their minds.
“I'd like to hear what is dangerous about it then.” Li Qiye didn't object and smiled casually.
Zhentian continued: “This snow valley has an extremely unstable ice source and could accidentally freeze over everything with monstrous power. If people aren't prepared, even God-Monarchs would freeze to death in an instant.”
The crowd wavered and thought that maybe this ice valley was actually dangerous. Zhentian didn't look like he was lying at all.
“I see.” Li Qiye cheerfully replied: “It's just an ice source — not enough to reach the apex. Let's go, I want to take this immortal medicine then go back home for a nap.”
Zhentian hurriedly said: “Fellow Daoist Li, you need to reconsider. This place is filled with fatal dangers. You should wait for this ice source to dissipate before entering.”
He acted as if he was thinking for Li Qiye. No one could see that these two were mortal enemies. In terms of logic, Li Qiye was Zhentian's competitor for the Heaven's Will. Thus, Li Qiye getting in trouble could only be good for Zhentian. So now, when Zhentian asked Li Qiye to not seek trouble, it seemed like an act of kindness. This began to convince the other cultivators nearby.
Even some of the more experienced cultivators murmured: “Maybe this ravine is really dangerous.”
At the same time, the real masters understood what was going on. They knew that this was a type of strategy to egg Li Qiye on. The more Zhentian talked like this, the more Li Qiye would want to take the risk and rush inside.
Li Qiye smilingly replied: “I accept your goodwill, but this danger is nothing to me. Move.”
“He bit the bait.” The old master quietly thought: “The older the ginger, the spicier it is. Fierce might be powerful, but his scheming is still not a match for Zhentian.”
“Well…” Zhentian hesitated before answering: “If Fellow Daoist Li wants to come inside, I can't do anything about it. However, focus on staying safe and leave at the first sign of danger. I shall lend you a hand then.”
One would mistake Zhentian as Li Qiye's best friend at this moment.
“No need, this won't be anything.” Li Qiye didn't care for Zhentian at all.
Su Yonghuang, standing next to him, was also chuckling. She knew Li Qiye too well. Li Qiye enjoyed jumping into traps and trampling all over his opponent's calculations when they were certain of victory. He enjoyed watching their despair.
Zhentian helplessly replied: “I won't hold you here any longer then.”
Both he and the white general stood to the side so that Li Qiye could enter.
The older masters quietly shook their heads. Li Qiye was still goaded into this trap in the end. He was still a bit too young and inexperienced compared to Zhentian.
Regardless of their thoughts, everyone held their breaths as they watched the snow valley to see if it was dangerous like Zhentian had said or not. They wanted to see if Li Qiye could actually weather through the incoming peril. They didn't miss a single beat as he slowly walked into the entrance while waiting for the danger to come.