1057 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 1057: The Northern Rabbit - Web Novel Archives Crackle—! The tendrils melt away in the fire, leaving nothing but debris that falls to the ground. Thump—! Thud, thud—! Sssss—!! As the debris hits the ground, it quickly melts and disappears, hinting at the intense heat eating away at the surface. A pungent odor assaults the nostrils, yet the owner of the tendrils seems unfazed as he gazes somewhere with calm, detached eyes. There stands a young man cloaked in white flames, his face twisted as he glares at Taecheon. “You damned brat, how dare you.” The smoldering fury is striking. This display of emotion brings a slight curl to Taecheon’s lips. “It’s you, then. The fracture that the world watches.” It was obvious at first glance. How distorted he looked. The threads of fate didn’t connect to anything. Never had he seen such a tangled and twisted state. Moreover. “To defy the divine.” Taecheon examined the flames consuming his tendrils. The white fire continued its relentless assault. It even affected his divinity—something Taecheon eyed with a mixture of intrigue. Who might be responsible? “The Ten Thousand Realms perhaps?” It’s possible. Or maybe. “Another one of them.” There were countless beings with grievances, among them one particularly adept in such matters. Especially. “When you look beside you, it seems more likely……” Taecheon spoke while looking at those standing beside the young man. Among them, he focused on a woman with black hair. “The Dragon Emperor, was it? Was it you who conjured such a tangle?” The Dragon Emperor. Once a haughty ruler of the Dragon Realm. He wondered if this was their doing and spoke up. “What’s he blabbering about, that bastard.” The young man. Guhyangcheon seemed unfazed by the words, instead, he lunged at Taecheon enveloped in fiery might. Whoooosh—!!! The orb in his grasp morphed. Infernal Crystal Spear. A white spear shot towards Taecheon. Zip—! It was so fast, it defied sound. Taecheon reacted only with his tendrils. Crunch—!! The spear pierced through the tendrils with ease, advancing towards Taecheon. “Hmm.” Taecheon reached out, catching the flying spear with his hand. Crreeeeek—! Upon contact, the incredible heat disintegrated Taecheon’s hand. Seeing this, Taecheon grimaced, twisting the spear askew. The misaligned spear sliced through the air, exploding not far off. Boom—!!! White heat roared into the sky. At that moment. Heavenly Demon Art. “……!” Taecheon sensed a presence right before him. Turning his head, Guhyangcheon had closed in, forming something in his palm. “Heavenly Demon Soul Jade.” A white, ominous orb began to crack in Guhyangcheon’s hand. Thunk—! With a small sound, screams erupted all around. Screeeeech—!!! The shriek of energy burst forth with immense shockwaves. “Oh……” Sincheol, observing, expressed admiration. “This fellow.” In my absence, you’ve crafted something curious. A dash of awe. But also. “……Regrettable.” A sliver of regret too. Just newly learned, or perhaps newly mastered martial art, Guhyangcheon’s power had some lacking aspects. That was the issue. This single flaw left a crucial part of his power insufficiently developed. “Tsk, tsk.” Certainly, the affected party would have noticed. “That gave me a fright.” Amidst the raging screams, Taecheon’s voice, laced with amusement, spread out. Concurrently, the ground quaked violently. Rumble—!!!!! The ground burst open, causing numerous tendrils to erupt forth. Guhyangcheon saw this and pulled his energy back, moving his body. In the midst of where the Heavenly Demon Soul Jade had exploded, Taecheon still stood. Though his body looked battered with the direct hit, it was all. Taecheon, unfazed by the supposed damage, wore a smile as he regarded Guhyangcheon. As if to ask. ‘Is that the best you’ve got?’ With such an expression. “Tch.” Guhyangcheon clicked his tongue at this. And then. “Hooo.” Exhaling deeply, he channeled his energy. White heat, the same white flame previously utilized. Against them, using the white flame inflicted significant damage. Having realized this in the last battle, he employed it again. A white aura ascended to the sky, forming a barrier. White Sky (Baekcheon). Beneath the ashen sky, a white realm emerged. Additionally. Woooong—!! At the center of this sky, he hoisted a sun. Solar Wheel. As soon as the orb rose, strength surged through Guhyangcheon’s body. The peculiar trait of the Moonlight Clan manifested, extremely fortifying his physical form. “Haha.” Taecheon let out a chuckle witnessing this. “Fascinating. To contain so much within your body. Even just before breaking.” Holding such thoughts, Taecheon swallowed further words. Guhyangcheon’s hands were descending upon Taecheon. “Hoo!” With a shout and a sweeping motion, his fingertips raked where Taecheon stood. The air pressure erupted, scars imprinting the ground as if massive claws had rent it. Crraaash—!!! He had evaded. Guhyangcheon’s dilated pupils searched for Taecheon. Behind him. Was he too slow? Realizing he’d missed, Guhyangcheon added something else to himself. Azure Sky. He encompassed himself with the heavens. The energy of the Thundering Blade Art coursed through him, enhancing his capabilities. Crrrrreeech—!! By now, his muscles screamed in protest. With his body greatly enhanced by the Moonlight Clan’s traits, it was an attainable overlap for him to endure. Boom—!! As he slammed the ground in preparation, vibrations surged like a boiling ripple. Feeling his lower body swell, Guhyangcheon launched himself. The sound trailed far behind. Boom—!! Only belatedly catching up. Guhyangcheon assaulted Taecheon with his fist engulfed in white flame. Taecheon dodged here and there, unable to escape the speed. Finally, Guhyangcheon managed to grab Taecheon’s ankle as he was moving. Without pause. Bang—! Bang, bang—!! He relentlessly hammered Taecheon into the ground, as if trying to pulverize his body. After pummeling Taecheon for a while, Guhyangcheon finally threw him towards a hill. Taecheon's body flew through the air at great speed. Seeing this, Guhyangcheon forged another spear and hurled it with all his strength. Thwack-!! The spear lodged into Taecheon's torso as he crashed into the hillside. Boom-!!! The impact was profound. As Guhyangcheon watched Taecheon embedded in the rock, he launched himself towards him again. His blue eyes were filled with rage. With murderous intent, Guhyangcheon conjured an infernal blaze and pressed it into the spear pinning Taecheon. Crack-! A detonating sound echoed. Then. Boom—!!! The explosion this time was of a different magnitude. Fusing various techniques, it had enough force to obliterate everything in its vicinity. As the flames surged upward, Guhyangcheon withdrew and landed back on the ground. “……” His face was grimly contorted, an unlikely reaction for someone who had just succeeded in an attack. The reason was simple. “Damn it.” He hadn't succeeded. Sizzle—!!! Retrieving the flames, his vision returned. The terrain was ruined and broken, yet despite the fire's sweep, there was no sign of anything melted. Such was the characteristic of the white flames. Unlike other energies, they couldn't melt or burn objects. These flames devoured only one thing. ‘Demonic energy.’ The alien energy that Guhyangcheon termed as demonic. Against such energies, the white flames had shown their strength, but... “Damn it.” This time, it seemed they were overpowered. At the epicenter of the explosion. Taecheon stood. Though half his body was mangled, his waist barely intact, the thought of victory did not cross Guhyangcheon's mind. “What on earth is he?” Though it resembled the face of the crow he had battled earlier, Guhyangcheon was certain this was no crow. Was it the absence of wings? No, it was a primal recognition. “My, my.” Taecheon spoke with a voice eerily unaffected by his destroyed form. “Is it a hallmark of this place? Each person more aggressive than the last.” As Taecheon uttered these words, energy flared once more in Guhyangcheon's hands. Ready to attack again. Suddenly. Firmly—! enN1WnIzcFhHMVJuR0JvdkNPc013ODRmUUIwZG82R3ZCamRSR2ZZWGVMOTJBdHZpeGE1bGVJR21jci95OTQzYw Someone grasped Guhyangcheon's wrist. Looking to see who it was, he discovered Sincheol. “…Master?” “Stay still. I can't concentrate with all this chaos.” “Master… Are you in your senses?” “Why else would I be here? Do you call that a question? Hahaha.” Such irreverent words. In the past, Guhyangcheon would have frowned, but now he couldn't afford to do so. Witnessing this, Sincheol clicked his tongue with a peculiar expression. “Look at that face? Don’t make such a face, I'm in better shape than I look.” “But...” “I said it’s fine. I was just a bit drowsy.” Just a bit drowsy, my foot. Guhyangcheon attempted to shake off the grip and move, but Sincheol's grip was unyielding. “Stay calm. Moving now won’t change a thing.” “That’s…” “Besides.” Sincheol glanced across to the other side. “Acting now won’t topple him anyway.” “……!” Hearing this, Guhyangcheon immediately turned to look at Taecheon. Whoos—!!! Taecheon’s body began to change. His previously white hair turned blue. His originally blue eyes shifted to an eerie white. With his pupils turning entirely white, his appearance became profoundly unsettling. His damaged body gradually repaired itself. “A—.” Shiver—! With just a single utterance, shivers ran across Guhyangcheon’s entire being. What was this sensation? Who was that? Though he had charged in anger, a sense of grave error crept upon him. What should he do? The thought of fleeing occurred to him without volition. “Young one.” A low voice brushed against Guhyangcheon’s shoulder. Gently. Suddenly, he felt a presence on his left arm. It was Gwijung. Gwijung unraveled itself and moved to Sincheol. Grasping the formed sword, still focused on Taecheon, Sincheol asked Guhyangcheon. “How long can you maintain that state?” “......Pardon?” “That body, I mean.” The body strengthened by the White Sky, Solar Wheel, and Azure Sky. Calculating swiftly, Guhyangcheon estimated. “Half… an interval… at most.” At maximum, half an interval from now. When he voiced this, Sincheol chuckled. “Is that so? Perfect.” Screech. With Gwijung aimed at Taecheon, Sincheol spoke. “Watch closely.” As petals began to settle on Sincheol’s body. The moment the slowly descending petals touched the ground. “This is all I have to show you.” Blossom—! A myriad of plum blossoms bloomed from Sincheol’s form.