1009 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Boom--!!! As the fist struck the ground, the floor crumbled in an instant. Sure, the force was strong, but the sensation of crumbling made him certain. ‘The foundation’s weak.’ It wasn't stable. It felt as though there was nothing supporting it from beneath. Thud-! Thud Thud-!!! With each punch, the surface broke more and more. Sure, his strength had increased, but it seemed this place was particularly fragile. He kept breaking it, just in case. He had set up a barrier to block out any noise or vibrations as he worked. After a while of pounding. Crack-! “Oh.” The ground gave way, revealing a space below. When he landed, he discovered a descending staircase. He ignited a small flame and sent it upwards along the stairs. The tangled mess suggested that there was no clear point of origin. After checking this, he raised his head, intending to inspect the hole he had come through. ‘I’ve come quite far down.’ It seemed he had descended deeper than he had anticipated. He brushed the stone debris off his hands and examined the path both in front and behind him. It seemed obvious that he wasn't going back up, so naturally, he chose to continue downward. * * * He continued his descent down the staircase. It felt interminable, and he was growing quite impatient. He considered just breaking through the way, but having found a path, he convinced himself that sticking to it was wiser. Walking along, he pondered several thoughts. Thoughts revolving around the battle with Yusa. ‘Why didn’t it activate?’ He had intended to use his ultimate technique back then, but after deploying the Nine Flames Wheel Art, the technique failed to manifest properly. ‘What happened?’ Why? It’s not as if the martial arts were completely obstructed. When considering his ability to conjure flames and use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, it didn’t seem like an energy issue. ‘Hmm.’ Did he misuse something? What was the problem then? He thought deeply, but nothing came to mind. If he had to guess. ‘Does it need time between uses?’ After using the ultimate technique, a circle hovered behind him, rotating to enhance his skills with the power it gathered. Yet. ‘Once I used it, the circle didn't spin again.’ This led to the thought: might there be a required interval before it could be reused? If so, how long must he wait? ‘I need to know this precisely.’ To avoid repeating such mistakes in real combat, he needed this confirmation. ‘I’ll have to spend time understanding it better.’ He felt this particularly as he didn’t have time to figure it out alone earlier. Reaching transcendent strength was valuable, but if he didn’t understand his power, he’d certainly encounter problems when employing it. Was it not so when he fought Yusa? ‘It didn’t seem too dangerous.’ The sure circumstances were such. Yet strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely safe either. ‘A graze could’ve been deadly.’ If he had been on the verge of a hit, he had to consolidate his energy to shield himself. Without focusing on evasion, even a single proper hit could have... ‘Would I have won?’ He couldn’t be sure. Ultimately, he had used spells to overcome it though. ‘Hmph.’ It was unfortunate. Truly regretful. Relying on spells at the last moment, that too. ‘I didn’t get everything from him that I should have.’ The one who disclosed the location suddenly died, which meant he didn’t gain what he ought to have from him. Among the most critical things was: ‘Devour.’ Yusa’s power of devour. The force that grew stronger with more consumption. A power also reminiscent of the Heavenly Demon's heavenly devouring art. Some time ago, with the azure fellow, he had learned a piece of information from Yusa. And that was: ‘The general’s power could also be devoured by my power.’ When the enemy tried to use his ability against him, his power activated instead, consuming Yusa’s power. As a result, he obtained information regarding ‘Devour’ through consumption. In simpler terms, this meant: ‘Not only dragons but the powers these creatures possessed wouldn't affect me.’ Moreover, ‘I can consume even the powers of these creatures.’ The moment they conceded defeat, my power could seize their abilities. Bearing this in mind, missing out on Yusa’s power was truly regretful. It seemed the power suited him quite well. ‘To think he’d just die on me.’ Yusa's sudden death made it impossible to acquire the power. ‘Tsk.’ It was a great disappointment. Overall, the fight with Yusa was mostly filled with regrets. ‘Think positively.’ He hadn’t left empty-handed, so he tried to focus on the positives. ‘Right? I learned that dark energy doesn’t affect them much. I discovered I can turn a general into a monster...’ Most importantly, ‘I found the location of the Divine Tree.’ Given all this, it wasn’t a bad situation. He comforted himself with this thought as he continued to walk for quite some time until finally, “...Here it is.” At last, he reached the end of the seemingly endless staircase. Descending the steep steps and reaching the very end, a large wall with an iron door embedded awaited him. It looked like the entrance, no mistake. Naturally, he reached out with his hand. A hum filled the air. “Hmm.” Space shimmered, and he felt waves against his hand, like submerging it in water. However, there was no feeling like being unable to grasp the doorknob or any issues with the door. Simply feeling the undulation, he gripped the doorknob. Creak--!!! Pulling it open. Thankfully, the door opened without difficulty. Once opened, the waves he had felt in his hand subsided. When he fully opened the iron door, light flooded through. He squinted. The light was so intense he couldn’t help but squint. Narrowing his eyes and shading them with his hand, he endured. After a moment, as his eyes adapted, “...Wow.” He voiced his awe upon seeing the constructed space inside. “This is insane. What is this place?” It was baffling. Surrounded by iron doors, he thought perhaps trees were planted underground. But the interior felt nothing like being underground. It was almost a heavenly paradise. Sprawling fields, a beautiful lake, and flower-filled meadows captured the eye. He couldn't help but be struck by the magnificence of the garden. In all his life, he had never seen a garden so splendid. Even the sprawling park that they said cost a fortune at Shaolin was not this grand. Caught in the enchanting spectacle, he was momentarily dazed. “…Ah.” He barely regained his composure. He couldn’t forget the purpose of his visit. “The Divine Tree…” He was here to find the Divine Tree. With this in mind, he scanned the surroundings, striving to find the tree. ‘What is this?’ It was puzzling. The garden was beautiful yet not vast. The ceiling somehow appeared open, allowing the light to shower in as if under the sun, but there wasn’t a towering tree like in Huashan Sect. What was going on? Why couldn’t he see the Divine Tree? Many trees were visible around the field, but they were all ordinary. There was no sign of the Divine Tree he sought. What was this? ‘Could it possibly not be here?’ Could he be in the wrong place? It seemed like a hidden area, the kind where a Divine Tree would surely be. Yet it wasn’t here? It was incomprehensible. “It has to be here.” It couldn't not be. Surely, it was somewhere. With that belief, he focused his energy. Just like before, he concentrated on sensing the Divine Tree’s energy. Whoosh--! Amazingly, he sensed the energy immediately, without needing to concentrate much at all. Refreshing and pure energy. It carried a holy feeling. Where it was barely perceptible above, here it was clearly felt. The energy was so rich there was no mistaking it. He turned his head, following the sensation. ‘Over there.’ In the area where the trees were gathered. That’s where the energy of the Divine Tree emanated from. He headed straight there. He briskly made his way amidst the trees. As he proceeded, the wind blowing around grew stronger. ‘There shouldn’t be wind in a confined space like this.’ If this truly were underground, there’d be no wind. Yet here, the wind felt out of place. Which could only mean. ‘This isn’t a normal place.’ It was evidence that this space was not ordinary. And proof that he was on the right path. With this confidence, he continued moving through the trees until finally, he stood before one. “…Hmm?” He tilted his head. His brow furrowed on its own. It had to. “This is supposed to be the Divine Tree…?” In front of him was a perfectly ordinary tree. A tree with green leaves one could see anywhere. Neither its size nor its leaves were special. It looked no different from the surrounding trees. “…What is this?” The energy he sensed clearly emanated from this tree. Was this truly the Divine Tree? ‘It’s too different from what I’ve seen.’ The tree at Huashan Sect was colossal, seeming to touch the sky. Even the Divine Tree he presumed to be the master's, albeit noticeably smaller, had an air and appearance that marked it as the Divine Tree. But. ‘What is this?’ This utterly nondescript tree is supposed to be the Divine Tree? Without the sense of energy, he would have passed it by without a second thought. In constant bafflement, he reached out to the tree trunk to verify. The rough texture felt beneath his fingertips. Indeed, the sensation was no different from any ordinary tree... Whoosh--!! “…?” Suddenly, a breeze wafted from the tree. From precisely the tree, not anywhere else. What was this? The tree’s leaves fluttered, releasing a fresh wind. What was going on with this tree? As curiosity marked his brow with wrinkles, “How does it feel?” “…!” A voice came from behind, causing him to turn abruptly. He hadn't sensed anyone approaching. On guard, he quickly readied his stance but then. Frozen. He stopped everything upon seeing the figure standing behind him. “Though it looks ordinary, it’s a strong and good-natured child.” A woman with white hair, dressed elegantly. Her face held a gentle smile as she looked at him. Her smile left him momentarily stunned. Unable to utter a word, he stood rigid, staring at the woman. “It’s been a while, hasn't it?” The woman spoke to the stiffened him. She was. “My son.” His mother. New Raid Counterattack! I get counterattacked twice for every three hits I throw. Chabook 11.12 Magical Girl Uncle +1 11.12 Re: Re: Request for multiple alternate history novels. 11.12 Regression theory that makes great actors please 11.12 I’m the weakest daughter of a villain in a martial arts novel, completed at 350 chapters 11.12 Request for the Barbarian’s game stream +6 11.12 Bought stick chicken breast… 11.12 [Eon Jeong] Requesting Soo Bo Kyo Nang/General, Lady Ham Nijeong +31 11.12 🔵 Let’s have a delicious meal 11.12 [Hyunro] Requesting works from writer I Naeri 🥬🥬 11.12 "Please, I'm looking for the novel by writer Yadamga, Mr. Rabbit." The First in the World’s Childhood Friend Chapter 1009 (1008/1060)