Chapter 643 The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is Just Another Fire Breathing Beast

Chapter 643: Chapter 643 The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is Just Another Fire Breathing Beast

Wherever the death qi passed, life withered. Grass turned black.

Flowers shriveled instantly.

The ground darkened as though it had been drained of every trace of vitality, while cracks spread rapidly across the stone pavement.

Crack! Crack!

Several nearby walls trembled before collapsing into dust.

The enormous crowd that had been peacefully waiting moments ago erupted into panic.

"What is that?!"

"Death qi!"

"Everyone, get back!"

"Stay away from the gates!"

People hurriedly retreated, some drawing their weapons while others immediately circulated their cultivation techniques to protect themselves.

Even the more powerful cultivators looked grim. This wasn’t ordinary death qi.

The sheer density of it made their skin crawl.

A few weaker cultivators felt their spiritual energy become sluggish simply by being exposed to the aura.

"Don’t touch it!"

Someone screamed as another person nearly stumbled into the spreading black mist.

The person immediately pulled him backward.

"Are you trying to die?!"

The crowd continued retreating. Nobody knew what had arrived.

Nobody knew whether it was an enemy, a powerful evil cultivator, or something even more terrifying.

But one thing was certain.

Something incredibly dangerous had appeared outside Medicine King’s courtyard.

And the most frightening part was that the death qi was still spreading.

Step by step. Slowly. Relentlessly.

As though whatever was approaching had brought death itself along with it.

Everyone had been so focused on the enormous miasma of death qi that nearly a full minute passed before anyone finally realized that the terrifying phenomenon had a source.

Then someone suddenly pointed toward the gates.

"Look!"

"There! There’s someone inside the death qi!"

"An old man!"

The entire crowd turned at once.

Through the thick black miasma, a tiny figure slowly became visible.

He was an old man who looked barely five feet tall.

His body was thin and frail, so much so that he seemed as though a strong gust of wind might knock him over.

He wore white cultivator robes, but the robes had long since lost their original appearance.

The fabric was faded, torn, and covered in countless patches.

It looked less like proper clothing and more like something that had survived countless thousands of years alongside its owner.

The most shocking thing was that the old man wasn’t carrying a cane.

He wasn’t using a flying sword. He wasn’t riding a spiritual beast.

He wasn’t relying on any visible treasure. He was simply walking.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Every step was slow and unsteady.

The old man’s back was slightly hunched, and his breathing seemed faint enough that several people wondered whether he might collapse at any moment.

Then a gust of wind swept through the academy grounds.

The old man’s tiny body swayed.

"He is going to fall!"

Someone exclaimed.

But before the old man could actually fall, his foot shifted slightly and he regained his balance.

He continued forward. Another few steps. Another gust of wind. Again, his body shook.

Again, he somehow remained standing.

It was almost unbelievable.

A person who looked as though he could die at any moment was stubbornly continuing to walk toward the Spirit Spring Academy.

And everywhere he went, death followed. The crowd immediately backed away.

"Stay away from him!"

"Don’t get too close!"

"His death qi is too strong!"

"Anyone who touches that miasma will probably die!"

Even the cultivators with higher cultivation levels looked extremely cautious.

They could tell that the old man was in an incredibly strange condition.

His vitality was almost completely exhausted, yet the death qi surrounding him was terrifyingly powerful.

It was as if his body was standing at the boundary between life and death.

One more step forward might be life. One step backward might be the grave.

Yet somehow, he continued walking. Nobody knew who he was.

Nobody knew where he had come from. And nobody dared ask.

The old man slowly approached the academy gates.

The guards who normally stopped outsiders didn’t even dare raise their weapons.

They merely stood frozen as the old man passed them.

One guard swallowed nervously.

"Should... should we stop him?"

The other guard immediately shook his head.

"Are you insane?"

"But he’s entering the academy."

"Then let him enter."

"But..."

"Unless you want to become part of the scenery, don’t go near him."

The first guard immediately became silent. Nobody blocked the old man.

The reason was simple.

The death qi surrounding him was already destroying everything in his path.

Only someone with a death wish would voluntarily walk toward him.

The old man continued forward. His pace remained painfully slow.

Yet nobody complained.

The enormous line of people waiting to see Lin Feng naturally split apart.

People moved left and right to give him a wide path. Some held their breath.

Others activated protective barriers.

A few powerful cultivators stared at him with complicated expressions.

"What realm is he in?"

"I can’t tell."

"Neither can I."

"That’s impossible."

"Not necessarily. His death qi is interfering with my spiritual sense."

"Could he be an ancient cultivator?"

The speculation continued.

Some even wondered whether the old man was a legendary powerhouse who had lived for thousands of years and had finally reached the end of his lifespan.

After several minutes, the old man finally reached the end of the enormous queue.

He stopped behind the last person.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, he simply stood there.

He didn’t push forward. He didn’t demand special treatment.

He didn’t announce his identity. He didn’t even complain about having to wait.

He just quietly joined the line.

The people nearby stared at him in disbelief.

One young cultivator couldn’t resist whispering,

"Don’t tell me this old man also came here to be healed."

His companion glanced at the old man’s skeletal frame.

"Look at him. He’s already half a step into the grave."

"Half a step?"

The first cultivator snorted softly.

"I think he’s already got one foot inside."

A few people laughed nervously.

But the laughter quickly disappeared when the old man slowly turned his head in their direction.

His eyes were ancient. There was no anger in them. No murderous intent.

They were simply tired. The young cultivator immediately shut his mouth.

"Forget I said anything."

The people around him nodded in agreement.

Nobody wanted to become enemies with someone who could bring such terrifying death qi merely by walking.

The old man didn’t react.

He simply turned his gaze toward the distant courtyard.

For the first time, there was a faint change in his expression.

Hope.

It was incredibly subtle, but those closest to him noticed it.

This old man had traveled all the way here. He had endured countless years.

He had reached the very edge of his lifespan. And yet he had still come.

Perhaps Medicine King Lin Feng was his final hope.

Perhaps there was something inside that courtyard that could accomplish what countless other experts had failed to do.

The crowd slowly began realizing this as well.

"Could Medicine King Lin Feng really save him?"

"I don’t know."

"He’s practically dead already."

"But people say Medicine King Lin Feng has never failed."

"That’s just a rumor."

"Then we’ll find out today."

The discussion spread through the line. Soon, nearly everyone was watching the old man.

Even those who had been waiting for months had temporarily forgotten about their own problems.

They wanted to know the answer to one question.

Could Medicine King Lin Feng truly pull someone back from the threshold of death?

Meanwhile, the old man remained at the very back of the line.

And behind his frail body, the enormous death qi continued to roll across the academy grounds like a dark sea.

For the first time that morning, the people waiting to see Lin Feng realized that today’s patients might include someone far more extraordinary than they had expected.

"Hehehe... if that old man isn’t dead yet, he probably will be soon. Doesn’t he know that Medicine King Lin Feng has the Four Mighty Supreme Beings guarding his courtyard?"

"This is going to be quite a sight."

"I want to see another battle between top cultivators!"

"Me too!"

The whispers quickly spread through the enormous crowd.

Instead of dispersing, the people became even more excited.

A moment ago, everyone had been terrified by the old man’s death qi and had desperately tried to keep their distance.

Now?

Curiosity had completely overwhelmed their fear.

One by one, people began cautiously moving closer, trying to find a better position from which to watch the inevitable confrontation.

Nobody wanted to miss what might become the biggest spectacle they had witnessed in years.

"Don’t get too close!"

"Are you crazy? His death qi is still spreading!"

"I know! I’m being careful!"

"Move aside! I can’t see!"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down!"

Some people even climbed onto nearby walls and rooftops just to get a better view.

The elders of the academy could only stare helplessly at the growing commotion.

"Everyone, please maintain order!" Their warnings were largely ignored.

After all, who would willingly leave when there was a possibility of witnessing a battle between legendary cultivators?

They wanted free entertainment and drama, and they were probably going to get it very soon.