Chapter 43: Teleporting Away

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Teleporting Away

[Ding! Ice Jiao Lake Dungeon discovered!]

[Young Ice Jiao (0/1)]

Li Heng heard the system notification just a few steps after setting foot on the flat ground.

’A Dungeon, the Ice Jiao Lake!’

’And the condition to clear it is a young Ice Jiao?!’

Jiao Dragons. Before Li Heng had transmigrated, they were creatures that existed only in myths. Now, with a real lead on one, his heart stirred with excitement.

"Blood Wolf!"

Li Heng was still reveling in the excitement of discovering the Dungeon when he heard Lin Tao’s anxious, grief-stricken cry. He instinctively turned his head to look.

He saw Lin Tao’s Blood Wolf cub, now covered in a layer of frost, lying on the snow on the verge of death.

"This is... a Cold Ice Python?!"

Thick Cold Ice Pythons suddenly burst from the snow, one after another. As they emerged, a bitter wind began to howl across the previously calm plain.

The Cold Ice Pythons were enormous and ferocious-looking. Most importantly, they were soul beasts capable of using Soul Energy Skills. For a moment, there seemed to be too many to count.

Zheng Zhuoran felt his scalp tingle as he stared at the swarm of Cold Ice Pythons. He asked, almost instinctively, "Lin Tao, how’s your Blood Wolf? Should we retreat, or..."

His gaze then fell on Li Heng, who had walked down just a few steps earlier and was now the closest one to the Cold Ice Pythons.

Li Heng just stood there, perfectly calm.

’Could it be...? Is Li Heng so confident, even when facing this many Cold Ice Pythons?!’

The thought that Li Heng was powerful and reliable instantly took root in Zheng Zhuoran’s mind. He left his question unfinished, falling silent as he watched Li Heng.

Zheng Zhuoran awaited Li Heng’s decision: would they retreat, or would they charge straight ahead?

’He’s facing so many soul beasts alone, yet he’s completely unafraid and remains so composed?’

Xue Qing felt more than just admiration now. She realized she was starting to develop strong feelings for Li Heng.

’His Swordsmanship is superb!’

’He’s principled!’

’He’s calm under pressure!’

’So steady and cool-headed!’

’And now that I look closer, he’s actually kind of handsome!’

What young woman doesn’t dream of romance? As Xue Qing gazed at Li Heng—standing alone with his sword against so many ferocious soul beasts, his back looking slightly lonely and desolate—her heart fluttered.

Zhang Jian, watching Li Heng, didn’t have much of a reaction beyond muttering a single word to himself: "Badass!"

But the person who was most shocked and excited of all was the flat-chested loli!

Bai Shasha’s body trembled uncontrollably as she watched. Her first instinct was to immediately run "uphill" into the Wind Snow Area and get away from this place!

But that thought lasted only a second before Bai Shasha dismissed it. She remembered breaking through to the rank of Soul Disciple in her last battle, and the vow she had silently sworn to herself while looking at Li Heng’s profile—’I will never retreat again!’

She also recalled how Li Heng had managed to break through all on his own, right in the middle of a wolf pack!

’I’m a Soul Disciple now. I can fight alongside you!’

Bai Shasha’s eyes grew resolute. She was the first in the group to raise her weapon and assume a fighting stance against the horde of soul beasts. ’I won’t run this time! Li Heng, I absolutely will not drag you down! This time, I’m going to fight with you until the very... Huh?!’

’I really can’t take this! Time to retreat! I’m outta here!’

Li Heng was the closest to the Cold Ice Pythons. As he looked at them, his scalp tingled and his legs began to go numb. He could handle one or two, but at this rate, with their numbers still growing, he feared he’d be swallowed alive before he could even swing his sword.

Besides, he had already achieved his main objective for entering the Fallen Jiao Icefield. As for the mock college entrance exam, Li Heng couldn’t care less about it at the moment.

When it came to the current crisis versus his own safety...

Li Heng chose to play it safe.

Even though there was still time to retreat back to the Wind Snow Area, Li Heng had no desire to go back. He felt that staying here wouldn’t lead to any substantial increase in his power anyway.

’Most importantly—and fatally—my legs are numb... How am I supposed to run back?’

’Time to slip away and go do that Dungeon!’

Li Heng also remembered when he and Bai Shasha had been surrounded by the wolf pack, and how decisively she had retreated. He figured he should learn from the flat-chested loli.

’If things look bad, bail immediately!’

’Besides, I’m sure Bai Shasha will be the first to rip her Teleportation Talisman. And the others... seeing this, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to charge headfirst into a swarm of Cold Ice Pythons, right?’

Since everyone was likely to tear their Teleportation Talisman and flee, Li Heng didn’t even turn his head as his left hand began to move.

And so, the grandmaster in Zheng Zhuoran’s eyes, the romantic crush in Xue Qing’s heart, the ’badass’ on Zhang Jian’s lips, and the reliable teammate Bai Shasha dreamed of fighting alongside...

...tore up his Teleportation Talisman right under everyone’s noses, clean and without a moment’s hesitation.

WHOOSH~

WHOOSH~

The cold wind swept past. For some reason, everyone felt a stinging pain on their faces, as if they’d been brutally slapped. It hurt! A lot!

The wind wasn’t cold or bone-chilling. It just hurt.

Everyone fell silent. Unfinished thoughts died in their minds. Xue Qing was completely stunned, her brain a sudden blank. It felt as if something precious had just been shattered.

"Let’s go! The Blood Wolf has recovered a bit! Back to the Wind Snow Area!"

Because Lin Tao’s attention had been focused on his pet, he hadn’t been paying much attention to Li Heng. But he had a perfectly clear grasp of the grim situation they were in; there was no way they could win this fight.

Lin Tao’s sudden shout was like a splash of cold water, snapping everyone at least partially out of their stupor, though they were still bewildered.

But it was obvious that in this situation, being dumbfounded wouldn’t solve anything; it would only create more problems.

"Hurry! Back to the Wind Snow Area!" Zheng Zhuoran’s feelings were complicated, but he knew this was no time to stand around dazed.

After all, more and more Cold Ice Pythons were emerging from the snow!

And so, shoving and shouting, the five of them began running for the Wind Snow Area. They paid no mind to the low visibility ahead, focusing only on scrambling up the slope!

About ten minutes later, the five of them finally reached the top of the slope, returning to the part of the Wind Snow Area where visibility was only five meters.

"Keep moving! We’re going back to the rendezvous point!"

The five of them didn’t stop. They decided to abort their expedition into this mystic realm and return to the rendezvous point immediately.

For one thing, they didn’t know if the Cold Ice Pythons were in pursuit. For another, their team was suddenly down one person—and their core damage-dealer at that. On top of it all, everyone’s morale and condition were low.

One or two of them were still in a complete daze. Continuing the expedition under these circumstances was clearly out of the question.

So, returning to the rendezvous point became the unspoken consensus.

The five of them also had a tacit understanding. They didn’t discuss anything related to Li Heng, barely even speaking at all. Only Lin Tao would occasionally report on their surroundings.

On their way back to the rendezvous point, the five of them avoided conflict whenever possible; their will to fight had been completely extinguished.

Although no one mentioned his name, as they walked, every one of them was thinking about Li Heng. They replayed the scene in their minds, endlessly asking themselves: ’What Li Heng just did... what on earth was...’