Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 352 (Part 1)



352 (Part 1)

Time flows.

Just past noon as it approached the time of the afternoon.

The lingering scent of blood in the forest was still present but the intense atmosphere of hostility and killing intent began to gradually diminish.

It had reached a so-called lull.

The screams of the disciples which had been incessantly ringing out started to fade away.

By the time the sun began to set the situation had finally become one that could be organized.

It had been an unexpected massive assault.

Yet amusingly the attack could be contained in less than a day.

But that was not the only surprising thing.

After I headed towards the demonic realm and returned

I thought at least several days must have passed.

Surprisingly it was said that not even an hour had gone by since I had disappeared.

What could this mean…?

As for the assault.

Could it be because the key figures the Black Night Palace Head and the Black Dragon Sword suffered an early defeat?

If someone were to hear that an attack involving such individuals was contained in less than a day they might scoff and say it was ridiculous.

In an assault there is no such thing as ridiculous or not.

Especially if someone has lost their life.

Flare.

As the breath of the captured one ceased and all vitality turned to nothing but black ash.

Only then did I release the hand I had been holding.

As I collapsed weakly to the ground.

The shock caused my body to crumble.

The end of the nameless unorthodox sects’ righteousness was like that.

Tap tap.

Get notified for updates: https://discord.gg/93rmBjgP6B

I shook off my hands and surveyed the surroundings.

‘Is there more?’

I expanded my perception.

Perhaps because I had broken through a realm the sense I could feel which had only been a part of the mountain

had grown to half of Mount Tai.

It could be due to the opening of the energy center and the expansion of my vessel.

But it was also likely that my control ability had developed more finely and precisely.

‘…It seems there are a few who are still hiding.’

What remained seemed to be at a level that the instructors could handle on their own.

Tap.

I checked my body condition while gathering the remaining flames around me.

‘I’m feeling fatigued.’

I could feel my heavy body all too well. I had rolled around enough to be exhausted as soon as I reached the realm.

What could I do? An incident had occurred right after I came out.

If I hadn’t rolled that would have been a problem too.

Moreover.

‘I had to find that guy.’

While I was wandering around with the thought of cleaning up after finding Jang Seon-yeon it felt like a twofold task.

In the end I could not find Jang Seon-yeon.

That was the problem.

‘…What happened?’

According to the laws of the demonic realm Jang Seon-yeon should have returned with me.

When I asked the World Tree I received the same answer.

Since it was one of the expected outcomes I thought it wouldn’t be a big issue.

Moreover.

‘In a situation like this it would fit perfectly.’

It was an assault.

I never expected some madman would attack the Divine Dragon Hall.

Though it might be inappropriate to say so the situation had become quite convenient for killing those I needed to kill.

If Jang Seon-yeon had returned with me.

It would have been just like the situation with the enemy when I had erased all traces without a trace.

‘This has become bothersome.’

Just in case I went to the place where Cheol Ji-seon had opened the demonic realm.

But Jang Seon-yeon’s figure had vanished as if a mouse had died.

I had confirmed everything of Mount Tai while burning the enemies to death.

But I could not find Jang Seon-yeon.

How could that be?

Join our discord and ping me to update more chapters. Discord: https://discord.gg/93rmBjgP6B

‘If he’s hiding… No even so it doesn’t make sense.’

It was strange that Jang Seon-yeon who must have lost his memory would hide from me.

Even if he was hiding there was no way I wouldn’t be able to find him.

The only remaining possibility would be.

‘He might already be dead.’

Having lost his vitality and lying on this land it was something I could not find.

That was the only plausible story.

Unless he had not disappeared without a trace.

“Tsk.”

It had become a bit bothersome.

If I could clean it up during this opportunity it would have been a very good situation.

But now a possibility remained.

“Haah… Well when has everything I do gone well?”

I roughly swept my hair back and gathered my energy.

My body was filled with fatigue but there was still no problem moving.

This was probably.

‘Is it the influence of becoming a demonic practitioner?’

I had released all the demonic qi into my body and used my heart as collateral.

Thanks to that I succeeded in completely severing the connection with the Heavenly Demon while becoming a demonic practitioner.

Moreover….

“…I didn’t think I could release it.”

I clenched my fist and checked.

My body now was not that of a demonic practitioner but rather the original human form.

Once you become a demonic practitioner you cannot return until you die.

This was an immutable law decreed by the Heavenly Demon.

I had returned from being a demonic practitioner to being human.

‘Was it this easy?’

When I became a demonic practitioner and had completely turned the demonic qi into my own

I realized how to return to being human without anyone teaching me.

How to use the demonic qi that is.

It was like instinct.

‘And there….’

I rolled up my right sleeve to check my skin.

Seeing the remaining marks there made my expression frown.

“What the hell is this?”

There was a subtle trace of an unknown influence left.

When I had become a demonic practitioner in my previous life there had been nothing like this.

Why was that?

It was as if.

“Hyung-nim.”

“…!”

As soon as I heard the voice I hid my sleeve. I immediately turned my head toward the direction the voice came from.

There stood Pae Woo-cheol.

“Oh you were alive?”

“…Were you alive?”

At my words Pae Woo-cheol made a wounded expression.

With a face as fierce as mine seeing such an expression only made him look scarier.

“Hyung-nim seems… to be okay.”

Pae Woo-cheol looked around me and widened his eyes.

All around were the charred corpses of unorthodox sects.

Though there weren’t that many it would be surprising to see.

And as I quietly observed the look in Pae Woo-cheol’s eyes as he spoke those words.

Suddenly I blurted out.

“Did you kill them?”

“…!”

Pae Woo-cheol’s eyes trembled at my words.

The emotions contained in his eyes were something I knew well.

Looking at Pae Woo-cheol’s body condition and the traces left on his hands

It seemed he had dealt with some unorthodox sects martial artists.

It seemed that had somewhat distorted his mental state.

Seeing that I could feel that despite his large build he was still a prodigy.

“You did well.”

The feeling I had was only up to that point.

Once you are born as a martial artist it is something you will inevitably experience.

There was no need for consolation or empathy.

It was a part that one must endure alone so that was all there was to it.

“It seems to be almost over so you should go back.”

“…Hyung-nim…”

“I have to go too.”

In the first place the disciples should have evacuated in advance.

I simply had the thought of finding Jang Seon-yeon to clean up.

It would be strange for Pae Woo-cheol to still be here.

“Why were you still here?”

“…”

At my question Pae Woo-cheol slightly turned his head.

Avoiding my gaze and keeping his mouth shut it seemed he had some reason he couldn’t speak.

Seeing that I moved my steps and brushed past Pae Woo-cheol.

My hand lightly patted Pae Woo-cheol’s sturdy shoulder.

“Enough. Let’s go down now.”

If he didn’t want to talk I didn’t want to pry unnecessarily.

If he had something to say he would have said it.

“Yes… Hyung-nim.”

Whoosh.

The spring breeze brushed against my cheek after winter had passed.

The wind which should have been fragrant was mixed with a terrible smell of blood.

“…”

This year’s spring.

It would probably be the most unpleasant season I had experienced since my return.

******************

The completely collapsed and shattered Divine Dragon Hall had turned into a refuge.

I could see the disciples bleeding and receiving treatment.

There were also those trembling in fear shaking uncontrollably.

Some sat against the wall with lifeless eyes as if their souls had left them.

Though it had been less than a day since the assault

the condition of those experiencing such an event for the first time was far from good.

‘No there must have been almost none.’

Was it said to be an era of peace?

It was a thing of the past that ended the war with the unorthodox sects after experiencing turmoil.

Though the unorthodox sects’ top figures seemed to be living lavishly

In the end they were all holding their breath under the line set by the orthodox sects.

The absolute beings known as the Three Lords.

Considering that they were all from the orthodox sects it was easier to understand.

Now was the era of the orthodox sects.

No matter how much the unorthodox sects gritted their teeth and appeared they would not be able to stand tall under the might of the orthodox sects.

How long had it been since such an incident and assault occurred?

It must have been the first time in nearly a decade.

‘In my previous life the major incident began only from the point the Black Night Palace collapsed.’

The incident of the assault on the Divine Dragon Hall was something that had not occurred at least in my previous life.

This too was an anomaly that appeared in this life.

This means.

‘It’s my fault.’

It was a butterfly effect caused by my return.

That thought felt a bit poignant.

“…No… don’t get up…!”

“Jang-hyung… Jang-hyeong!”

“Senior Brother… please open your eyes….”

In the middle of the plain set up in the Divine Dragon Hall.

The reason the sounds close to screams continued to echo was.