Chapter 1232: Zhang Baitu (2/2)

“For power, even blood brothers can become enemies, let alone mere friends.” Li Qiye stated without answering the question. He sighed once more while looking at the plaque.

Zhang Baitu eventually calmed down and bowed towards Li Qiye: “Young n.o.ble, how should I address you?”

Li Qiye answered: “Li Qiye, just a pa.s.serby.”

He didn’t have a big reaction after hearing this name and only nodded. He was only a little character and hadn’t heard of Li Qiye’s name before.

“Squeak—” Li Qiye pushed open the wooden doors to the hall. Lei Yu used all of his strength to desperately smash open these doors to no avail, yet Li Qiye opened them so easily.

“How, how can this be!” The old man couldn’t believe his own wide-open eyes.

“Why not?” Li Qiye turned back at him.

“Because, because these doors have never been opened by anyone.” Zhang Baitu was stammering. In his memories, no one had been able to open these doors. His seniors and even many big shots from Dongting Lake all failed.

According to the legends, the hall was protected by the wise saints of the world; their power safeguarded this hall.

Li Qiye didn’t reply as he stepped inside. The astounded old man calmed down and quickly followed.

He had to ask: “Young n.o.ble Li, are, are you one of the saints?”

The unopened doors had been opened by Li Qiye, so perhaps this was one of the legendary saints.

“Saint? Are you referring to the saints that protect the hall?” Li Qiye laughed and said: “If you believe so, then I can be considered one.”

With that, he went inside. This hall was very simple without any further decorations other than a stone pillar. Contrary to people’s expectations, the end of the hall contained no treasures. There was only a line of memorial tablets with names engraved on them.

Li Qiye was caught in a long silence while looking at these all-too familiar names. He began to bow in front of each one while feeling quite sentimental inside.

This was Zhang Baitu’s first time seeing these tablets and names. However, the majority of them had the surname Zhang, Hong, or Xu.

After a while, he quietly asked Li Qiye: “Are these, are these the tablets of my ancestors?”

“Yes.” Li Qiye softly nodded: “They are the wise sages of the human race, the pride of humanity. Even during the era of darkness, they continued to defend the dignity of our race and protected its final dawn.”

Zhang Baitu had no comments. He didn’t know anything about his ancestors. Only he remained of the Zhang Clan, and he rarely mingled with Dongting Lake.

“Unfortunately, the descendants did not inherit the ambition or beliefs of their ancestors. After so many generations of friends.h.i.+p, they still couldn’t avoid the temptation of one thing — power.” Li Qiye bemoaned while looking at the tablets.

The ancestors of the Zhang, Hong, and Xu were friends for generations. Their clans all followed Li Qiye, and they eventually settled down in this place, creating Dongting Lake. It was meant to be a shelter for the human race in the Heaven Spirit World.

The lake was once a prominent power. In its heyday, even the Exquisite Valley was far from being comparable.

Regrettably, the descendants of these friends betrayed each other later on. They fought for power to the point of life and death.

Because of this, Li Qiye didn’t want to bother with the lake’s unfilial mindset or power struggles.

After a long time, he withdrew his gaze and glanced over at Zhang Baitu, flatly stating: “Even if your Zhang Clan lost the fight back then, it shouldn’t have deteriorated to this state.”

Zhang Baitu smiled wryly and responded: “I don’t know much about the ancestors’ business. I heard that after leaving the lake, they decided to stay here and act as guards. It is we descendants who were useless and failed to pa.s.s on our lineage. By the time my father’s generation arrived, we were already finished. During my youth, my father and uncles departed one after another, unable to maintain the inheritance. In the end, I could only learn a few superficial things.”

In the past, the three clans ruled the lake together. Later on, the Zhang Clan lost the internal conflict. Their ancestors were stubborn as well, so after losing, they moved out of the lake and settled here.

Because their clan had lost a lot of resources, it was sent into a nosedive; each generation became worse than the previous.