Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 479



479

”’Chapter 480 – The Decayed Thing.

A deep pit.

Nahi had to hold her breath as she looked below.

It wasn’t just that the water from the lake had completely drained; it was the figure that was the problem.

‘Could that be the author?’

Nahi’s brows furrowed deeply.

Although the physical sensation was different and there were changes in appearance it didn’t take long for Nahi to realize.

That person was.

The one who had just leaped into the Dokkyeon Lake Gu Yangcheon.

‘How?’

She couldn’t understand.

It was already strange that he was alive without a care in that lake.

‘… Why does he look like that…?’

Gu Yangcheon’s appearance had changed drastically from before.

Not only his clothes but even his height had increased from a distance and his physique had become much sturdier.

If his previous appearance had been sleek and somewhat thin.

Now he could easily be seen as a robust young man.

‘And… he’s not alone.’

There was something next to him.

What is that? Nahi squinted her eyes to focus.

Then something next to Gu Yangcheon became a bit clearer.

‘Wha… water?’

At the very least it wasn’t in human form and no matter how she looked at it it was a demonic beast.

With blue scales it seemed to be a blue-grade demonic beast? But the color was somewhat lighter.

It was closer to sky blue than deep blue.

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As Nahi carefully observed the demonic beast’s appearance.

Swish.

The demonic beast’s eyes turned towards Nahi.

“…!”

Despite the distance the demonic beast seemed to sense Nahi and stared directly at her.

Grrr-!

It threatened with a vicious grimace.

That growl sent chills down Nahi’s spine without her even realizing it.

‘… What is this?’

It was merely the threat of a blue-grade demonic beast.

As a peak-level assassin there was no way she would be scared by such a threat.

Yet an unknown sense of alertness made her swallow hard.

What was the changed Gu Yangcheon and what was that demonic beast beside him?

As Nahi continued to observe the situation with confusion and bewilderment.

“… Hup…!”

She had to cover her mouth with her hand to suppress her reaction.

Suddenly an abnormality appeared and it felt ominous.

Crack-!

Changes began to manifest in Gu Yangcheon’s body.

His body twisted slightly and in the end.

‘Is he getting smaller?’

His height decreased and his physique became frail.

It might be somewhat ambiguous to say he became frail.

He had merely returned to the appearance he had just before jumping into the lake.

Whether the larger form was real or the smaller one was real was uncertain.

But whatever it was it was undeniably an impossible occurrence.

Confirming this Nahi tried to turn her body away.

It was strange. That figure was definitely something unusual.

She had to run away. Nahi’s instincts screamed that.

But.

‘… Where to?’

Where should she go?

To the Poison King? Or to the Tangdeok?

Either way was problematic but for now Nahi moved her body.

She thought it was best to get out of this place first.

At that moment.

“Where are you going?”

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“–!!!”

Someone appeared in front of Nahi speaking in a friendly voice.

Perhaps due to her days living as an assassin Nahi managed to suppress a scream.

The one blocking her path was none other than Gu Yangcheon who had just been in the pit.

“Where are you going?”

Gu Yangcheon looked at Nahi with a broad smile as if something pleasant had happened.

Nahi found that smile even more frightening.

It wasn’t just because of his appearance.

‘Something… something is off.’

The atmosphere of Gu Yangcheon in front of her was so different from the first time.

It was hard to grasp.

How should she put it?

There was an overwhelming pressure that made her want to kneel involuntarily.

“I don’t quite remember but…”

Step.

Gu Yangcheon took a step closer.

Nahi tried to step back but she couldn’t even do that.

Her legs had stiffened and wouldn’t move.

“I clearly warned you that it would be better not to think about escaping. Didn’t I?”

“…”

“I really am asking because I don’t remember.”

He had said that.

He had said she could run away as much as she wanted.

But the gaze she felt at that time.

Also his aura had told Nahi a different answer.

That he would rip her legs off if she did.

Gu Yangcheon’s gaze was whispering that and it was the same now.

As if reading Nahi’s expression Gu Yangcheon asked.

“But why did you try to run away?”

“… Y-you… w-what… what are you?”

Crushed by fear she couldn’t even speak properly.

Despite having lived as an assassin Nahi had never felt this flustered in her life.

Gu Yangcheon’s lips curled up at Nahi’s question.

“Identity huh.”

At the same time.

“Ugh.”

Nahi’s gaze wavered.

“Indeed.”

Gu Yangcheon grabbed Nahi’s neck and lifted her up.

“Now I don’t even know. I just want to get to know you slowly.”

“Ugh….”

Did he intend to kill her?

It seemed so.

This person didn’t look like someone who would leave alive anyone who had discovered his secret.

‘Is this how… I die?’

Death was approaching.

Nahi trembled all over with the rising fear.

She wasn’t afraid of death.

It wasn’t the fear of dying.

What she felt was the terror of dying without accomplishing anything.

The fear of leaving this world ineffectively.

Having done nothing… and dying like this?

“Please… please spare me….”

Her voice burst out piercing through the pressure on her throat and the fear tightening around her body.

Hearing that Gu Yangcheon’s head tilted slightly.

“Interesting. I didn’t think you would beg for your life.”

“I… I can’t die like this….”

“Shut up.”

“…!”

Huff-!

A chilling aura pierced through Nahi’s body.

Is it killing intent? No it was somewhat different.

“You’re being noisy. Just shut up; I don’t plan to kill you.”

Contrary to his words his actions remained the same.

The pressure of the hand gripping her neck was unchanged.

The look in his eyes as he looked at Nahi was also unchanged.

It was like looking at a bug.

Moreover it felt like he didn’t even regard her as a living being with that dark gaze.

“Why would I kill you?”

It sounded like he was smiling but his voice was filled with coldness that pierced Nahi’s ears.

“Anyway I was just about to test whether it was possible or not. You’re a perfect test subject.”

Test subject.

Just hearing that word made Nahi’s insides churn.

She felt a chill.

What was he planning to do with her?

Nahi’s question would soon fade away.

Suuuuuu….

“… Ugh… ugh….”

From the fingertips gripping her neck an unknown energy began to invade Nahi’s body.

It was hot.

An unbearably hot heat.

Moreover the energy that penetrated her acupoints felt like it had thorns.

With every wave of energy that passed she felt wounds forming inside her.

“Ugh… Ah… Aaaah!!”

Having lived as an assassin Nahi who was skilled in enduring all kinds of torture and pain let out an unbearable scream.

It was a sign that the pain was that intense.

Eventually the energy penetrated to her qi center.

Kuuuk-!

As the energy coiled there.

Bang-!

Nahi felt something tightly bind her heart.

Then an immense pain struck her head.

Boom-!

“Crack.”

With a scream Nahi rolled her eyes back and lost consciousness.

Swoosh-….

As if her strength had drained away Nahi’s body slumped.

“Mm.”

Seeing this Gu Yangcheon checked Nahi’s condition from side to side.

“She’s not dead.”

He nodded observing the demonic qi that had properly mixed with Nahi’s body.

Fortunately it seemed the demonic qi was circulating well.

After confirming this.

Whoosh.

Thud-!

He carelessly tossed Nahi away discarding her.

Nahi who had lost consciousness rolled weakly on the ground.

Thud thud.

Afterward he casually brushed off his hands.

It felt so uncomfortable that he couldn’t help but do so.

How should he put it?

It felt like he had touched something he shouldn’t have.

To Gu Yangcheon the woman lying far away whose name he barely remembered was not important.

What mattered were his important people in this life.

The recipe for the Dokkyeon Dan swirling in his mind.

And the contemplation of how to use it.

Nahi who had just been turned into a demonic practitioner?

He had no interest in that.

Not even a little bit.

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

In a forest somewhere in Sichuan.

The surroundings were lush with trees and it was a vibrant forest filled with a clear blue hue.

Whoosh-! Whoosh-!

In the center there was a field.

Unlike the beautiful forest the center looked excessively violent.

There wasn’t a single intact rock around and the grass that had once covered the ground was all dug up and in disarray.

Whoosh-!

In such a place.

A man was continuously swinging a sword.

Swoosh-!

The tip of the sword sliced through the air.

Elegant and fluid.

That was how one could describe the man’s sword.

It was as if the waves had been shaped into a sword path.

As the sword flux entwined with the blade left traces it created an illusion of the Milky Way spreading out.

The sword path entrusted to the flow.

The man did not focus on the tip of the sword but moved his hands according to the flow.

His disheveled hair fluttered with every movement and his tattered martial arts uniform was visibly torn in several places.

As he swung the sword for a while.

[—-..–!]

A voice echoed in the man’s ear.

Perhaps due to that voice.

Suddenly the man stopped his moving hand and straightened his body.

Haaah-

Sweat dripped down but the man seemed unconcerned and merely let out a yawn.

[–!!]

Perhaps displeased with that a shout pierced through.

However the man remained unfazed.

“Could you please be quiet? You’ve been nagging all day long.”

He casually responded while digging into his ear.

At a glance he didn’t seem quite right.

That man’s alias was Mudang Gwaeseon.

He was one of the three who were called eccentrics upon reaching the Central Plains.

[—-!]

“Where do you think you’re going down to? I went down once last time so can’t you just bear with it? You’re an old man with plenty of age yet you have no patience.”

[—]

“Hah how predictable.”

Chuckle.

Mudang Gwaeseon laughed.

“I’ll say it again I have no intention of going back to that hellhole. You know that right?”

[—]

“I will live as a Taoist of the Mudang. If you don’t like it just get lost.”

[—–.]

“That’s right I’m the only one here. So you’re the one bothering me like this. Just stay quietly or I might just throw you away.”

While muttering to himself Mudang Gwaeseon approached a rock and plopped down.

There perhaps having prepared in advance was a roughly made rice ball.

He grabbed it and stuffed it into his mouth.

Rice grains fell onto his clothes and the dust on his hands mixed in but Mudang Gwaeseon seemed unconcerned.

After swallowing a few more bites Mudang Gwaeseon looked around.

“Oh I didn’t bring any water.”

Oh dear.

What a mistake. He should have brought water.

This was quite troublesome.

With a slightly troubled expression Mudang Gwaeseon suddenly looked at the densely wooded forest.

“Since it’s come to this could you bring me some water?”

In the seemingly empty forest Mudang Gwaeseon spoke to himself.

Surprisingly a response was heard from the forest.

Swoosh.

From the tree trunk someone appeared with calm steps. Upon seeing this Mudang Gwaeseon frowned and spat on the ground.

The mysterious figure smiled slightly at Mudang Gwaeseon.

That smile was something Mudang Gwaeseon despised.

“Are you sending your grandfather on an errand after such a long time?”

“You who came as a guest and brought nothing are not in a position to say that old man.”

Hehe.

At Mudang Gwaeseon’s words the figure that appeared from the forest laughed.

The sudden appearance was an old man with white hair.

Moreover he wore a blue martial arts uniform with characters indicating he was the master of Anhui written on his back.

Namgung.

It was clearly written on the back of the old man.

“You seem to be mistaken about something.”

“What do you mean mistaken? Is that about eating?”

“I am not a guest. I am merely.”

The identity of the old man was none other than.

One of the three supreme beings of the world and the absolute master of the Namgung Clan.

He was Cheonjon (天尊).

And also.

“I am just a grandfather who came to catch the grandson who ran away.”

He was the grandfather of Mudang Gwaeseon Namgung Hyung.”’