643: Chapter 643 The Old Man with White Hair Travels

The speed at which the Immortal Mountain pierced through the void was three times faster than before.

Li Heng stood at the mountain peak, wind pouring in from all directions, blowing his head of white hair into a wild mess.

He raised a hand to smooth his hair.

Between his fingers, three strands came away. They were white.

“Xie Wangsheng.”

“Present.”

“Do you have any hair dye?”

Xie Wangsheng was silent for two seconds.

“...Dean, we are currently in the Void Realm heading toward Neptune.”

“Hair dye isn't heavy.”

Xie Wangsheng opened his mouth but didn't respond.

He stared at Li Heng's profile.

Half a month ago, this face still looked like someone in their early twenties. Now, his eye sockets had sunken, the contours of his cheekbones had become prominent, blue veins bulged on the back of his hands, and his knuckles were pale.

The price of thirty percent of his Origin.

If any other Cultivator gave up thirty percent of their Origin, they would immediately drop two major Realms. Li Heng had endured it, but his body was being honest.

“Have Fang Yuan and the others arrived?”

“Fang Yuan and Liu Lian returned to the Immortal Mountain through the Leaf Vein Passage ten minutes ago. Lin Xiao arrived five minutes ago. Chen Pingan and Lu Miaomiao arrived three minutes ago.”

“Their status?”

Xie Wangsheng hesitated for a moment.

“Fang Yuan has a comminuted fracture in his right arm, and his spiritual energy reserves are less than ten percent. Liu Lian overdrawn his essence blood to manifest the Moon Laurel power; his face is whiter than paper. Lin Xiao is in the worst state—he struck that thing inside the Earths Core with one 'Immortal Slaying' strike, almost draining his Sword Intent entirely. He’s swaying just trying to walk.”

“What about Chen Pingan?”

“His Physical Body is fine, but after fighting for three consecutive days, his mental state isn't great. Lu Miaomiao is about the same.”

Li Heng gave an 'oh'.

The Communicator vibrated.

Fang Yuan's voice came through, incredibly hoarse.

“Dean, we've gathered. At the Main Peak Square.”

“Understood. Come up.”

“Up... up where?”

“The mountain peak. I'm waiting for you here. Hurry up.”

Three minutes later, five people appeared on the mountain peak platform.

Fang Yuan's right arm was suspended from his neck with a cloth strip torn from his clothes, and he walked with a limp.

Liu Lian's face was so pale it looked blue, his lips were cracked and bleeding, and the sword in his hand was being used as a crutch.

Lin Xiao was the most pathetic. His legs were shaking, and he was being half-carried up by Chen Pingan. The broken sword snow name was sheathed on his back, its luster mostly dimmed.

Chen Pingan carried Lin Xiao, while Lu Miaomiao walked at the very back, her eyelids drooping.

The five of them stood before Li Heng.

No one spoke.

Because they all saw Li Heng's hair.

Fang Yuan's lips twitched.

“Dean, your head—”

“It's white, I know. Don't waste words.”

Li Heng pulled a silver fragment from his pocket. The fragment's light was exceptionally piercing in the dark Void Realm.

“Do you recognize this?”

Fang Yuan nodded.

“The Gate Key.”

“Correct. This thing can lock the gate of gui xu once more. But it must be used at the entrance. That's why I'm taking you to Neptune.”

“What do we do once we're there?” Liu Lian stood a bit straighter, leaning on his sword.

“You are responsible for helping me hold off the things at the gate. I'll be responsible for locking the door. Once it's locked, the grey-white monsters outside will lose their supplies, the sky curtain will automatically repair itself, and the one in the Earths Core will lose its connection. It'll be over once and for all.”

“Hold them off for how long?”

“I don't know. Depends on the situation. I'll be as fast as I can.”

Liu Lian and Fang Yuan exchanged a look.

“Dean,” Fang Yuan lifted his slung right arm, “in my state—”

“As long as your two legs can still stand, it's fine.”

Li Heng didn't explain further.

He turned to face forward. In the void, the silhouette of Neptune had already emerged in the distance. The deep blue sphere hung in the darkness.

“Xie Wangsheng.”

“Present.”

“After the Immortal Mountain reaches Neptune, it won't land. Hover it above the public toilet. You will command the Formation Masters to maintain the defensive shell. If the Mountain-Protecting Grand Array runs out of energy, use the tree vines. If the tree vines can't hold, use people. If the people can't hold—”

“Then what?”

“Call my name.”

Xie Wangsheng's Adam's apple bobbed.

“Understood.”

The Immortal Mountain accelerated.

The starlight in the void stretched into thin lines behind them.

Fang Yuan sat on a rock at the mountain peak, pulling the five thunders shaking heaven drum from his robe with one hand. The runes on the drum face were mostly dim; the Dean's final burst of Golden Yang Lightning had already been used up in the Earths Core.

He flipped the drum over.

There was a crack at the bottom of the drum. It had been there since they left the Earths Core.

Fang Yuan felt the crack with his thumb.

Liu Lian sat down beside him.

“Your drum...”

“It can still be beaten.” Fang Yuan stuffed the drum back. “What about your sword?”

“It can still cut.”

The two were silent for a few seconds.

On the other side, Lin Xiao leaned against Chen Pingan's shoulder, eyes closed as he regulated his breathing. The broken sword snow name lay across his knees, its tip occasionally lighting up before dying out again.

Chen Pingan had a loud voice and wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but he opened his mouth twice and closed it again.

He looked at Li Heng's back.

The white hair was blown up by the wind of the void.

Chen Pingan suddenly felt that the Dean's back looked narrower than before.

It wasn't an illusion.

Thirty percent of his Origin.

Lu Miaomiao walked over and crouched down next to Fang Yuan.

“Senior Brother Fang Yuan.”

“Yeah.”

“When I was in the Source Realm, I heard Xie Wangsheng say that the Dean hasn't eaten for three days. The spicy strips are all gone too.”

Fang Yuan didn't respond.

Lu Miaomiao pulled something out of her pocket.

A piece of chocolate.

The wrapping paper was wrinkled, with wobbly cartoon patterns printed on it.

Fang Yuan recognized it.

That was the thank-you gift given to the Dean by the little girl they rescued in the Romanian castle. Frieren had kept it later, and Lu Miaomiao must have gotten it from Frieren at some point.

“Give it to the Dean.” Lu Miaomiao stuffed the chocolate into Fang Yuan's hand.

Fang Yuan squeezed the piece of chocolate.

He stood up and walked toward the edge of the mountain peak.

“Dean.”

Li Heng didn't turn around.

“Hmm?”

Fang Yuan handed the chocolate over.

Li Heng glanced down.

“Where'd this come from?”

“The little girl gave it to you before.”

Li Heng took it. The movement of tearing the wrapper was much slower than usual.

He took a bite.

He chewed a couple of times.

“Too sweet.”

“Just make do and eat it.”

Li Heng stuffed the remaining half into his mouth.

Neptune was getting closer and closer. The deep blue atmosphere cast cool-toned light onto the Immortal Mountain's shield.

The Communicator rang again.

It was Zhang He's voice.

“Dean, over here in Jinghai, after Little Black finished eating that skeleton, it flew into the sky and is currently gnawing on the grey-black areas of the sky curtain. It has already cleared three sections. But, uh...”

“But what?”

“Little Black grows a size bigger for every piece it eats. It's now as big as a building. The citizens are asking if this black ball is a new monster and if they should evacuate.”

“Tell them it's new equipment for municipal environmental sanitation.”

...Yes.”

Li Heng hung up the communication and finished the last bite of chocolate.

The Immortal Mountain passed through Neptune's outer atmosphere.

The arctic airflow slapped against the defensive shell, making creaking sounds.

Ahead.

That expensively built, luxury public toilet situated right across from the gate of gui xu stood lonely on the ice field.

The plaque at the toilet entrance was still there—'Guixu Dedicated Public Toilet, Welcome'.

The speakers were also still playing. The melody of the school song looped over and over.

But the gate behind the public toilet had changed.

The silver-white surface was covered with spiderweb-like cracks. Black smoke seeped from the cracks.

The spiral patterns on the gate's surface were slowly rotating.

The rotation speed was twice as fast as before.

Fang Yuan walked to Li Heng's side and glanced down.

“Dean, the gate is moving.”

“I see it.”

Li Heng took the silver fragment out of his pocket.

The spiral patterns on the fragment were also rotating. In the opposite direction of those on the gate.

One clockwise, one counter-clockwise.

The key and the lock.

The Immortal Mountain hovered five hundred meters above the public toilet. Tree vines spread down from the mountain's base, digging into Neptune's frozen soil to form a temporary anchor.

Li Heng shrugged his shoulders.

His bones cracked twice.

He began to walk down the mountain.

Fang Yuan, Liu Lian, Lin Xiao, Chen Pingan, and Lu Miaomiao—the five of them followed behind.

When they reached the mountainside, a dull impact came from behind the gate of gui xu.

The entire public toilet shook.

The plaque went crooked.

The speaker skipped a beat, and the school song went out of tune.

The largest crack on the gate's surface widened by two centimeters.

Black smoke erupted from the crack, frozen into black ice crystals by Neptune's extreme cold, clattering as they fell all over the ground.

Something was laughing behind the gate.