1063 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

**Chapter 1063: The Northern Rabbit - Web Novel Archives** In a white expanse, a stream of ash flows. Dust thick with soot is scattering above the scorched ground. "Cough." Under the circumstance, he spat blood. An upheaval within him stirred, causing blood to flow naturally. It was agonizing. It felt as if his insides were being shredded apart. He barely managed to suppress it, but even that proved challenging. He strained his trembling hands to hold on. "Where do you think you're going?" Boom-!! "Ugh..." With another wave of impact, his body was naturally compressed. Crack-! A sound emanated from within his body. It felt as though the bones in his back were completely shattered. Not just his spine—his ribs gave out as well. The broken bones pierced into his flesh. His organs were being torn. The blood coursing within drenched his insides. "I distinctly warned you not to move. Seems like you have trouble understanding clearly." "Ugh..." "Not just anyone, but your ancestor is speaking to you, yet instead of being grateful, how can you display such an ungrateful attitude?" What? Hearing those words made his eyes snap open. Be grateful? "Bastard..." A curse slipped from his lips naturally. "Attacking right off the bat, and I'm ungrateful? Is this guy insane?" The moment he saw me, he attacked without warning. I tried to defend myself somehow, but that wasn't easy either. And by virtue of it, I ended up like this. What? Be grateful? "Haha." A laugh echoed. At that instant, his view inverted. Whoosh!! He felt the wind against his body. Cutting through the pressure, he zipped through swiftly. He realized his body was flung. In realization, he gathered his strength. Crack-!! 'Ugh!' The broken bones snapped back as his body began to regenerate. His damaged organs repaired themselves. Enclosing his rejuvenated body with energy. However. Click! No flames emerged. 'Dammit.' This mess again. It was the same last time, too. He gritted his teeth. He immediately abandoned the flames and turned to Tua Pa Cheon Mu. Screeeech-!! A blade twisted within his body, amplifying his agony. Feeling it, his face contorted with pain. It felt twice as intense compared to the usual. This wasn't how it normally felt. The pain was astonishingly sharp. Yet, stopping wasn't an option. He activated Tua Pa Cheon Gong, expelling energy through his body. Thud!! His energy created waves, binding around him. The energy expelled from his body reduced his descent speed. Simultaneously, he enveloped his body with energy, fortifying his flesh. He invoked Cheongcheon. Only then did his speed finally decrease. Just as he was about to come to a complete stop. Boom-!! "Ugh!" His head was struck with sudden force. Hit by something, his body plummeted to the ground. He fell at an even greater speed than when he was airborne. Crash-! With a booming crash, his body collided with the ground, sending white debris scattering in all directions. He spun his embedded body around. Despite his throbbing body, he swiftly attempted to raise his upper body, only to- Grab. His neck was seized and he was hoisted up. "Such foul language. It seems you were somewhat improperly raised." Ignoring the man's words, he clenched the wrist gripping him. Attempting to break it, he exerted his strength. "This is quite..." In a voice tinged with annoyance, the man brought his other palm to my chest. And then. "What rude behavior is this?" Rumble---!!! "Argh!" Flames encircled his body, igniting from his chest. He screamed. His skin combusted. It was torturous. The flames seemed poised to dissolve his entire being. Despite writhing in agony, he strained to observe the situation. His eyes flicked towards the man. It wasn’t the pain that held his focus—it was his inability to resist the flames. The tremendous pain was binding him, making his mastery of Pyrokinesis seem meaningless. "Interrupting while I'm speaking is quite rude." Aaah---!! For a long time, his screams echoed. Then suddenly, the flames engulfing him dissipated. Sizzle. In an instant, the flames disappeared. His burned body still emitted smoke. "Ugh..." While groaning from pain, the arm clutching his neck released its grip, and he slumped down limply. "Gasp... Huff." His body immediately began to regenerate. His regeneration ability seemed intact as his scorched flesh quickly repaired itself. It wasn’t slow. The regeneration was quick. Perhaps I should be thankful for that? Gritting his teeth at the sight of his regenerating skin. The absence of flames was one thing, but it seemed everything he gained regarding Pyrokinesis had vanished. That included his resistance. Without it, there was no way he could be this tormented by flames. "Click, click..." A tongue clicked near him. It wasn’t his attacker. When he looked beside him, he saw Shin Noya squatting, staring at him. "Aren't you suffering a bit too much? You should have put up a better fight." "Noya..." He turned to Noya, his gaze filled with disbelief. "What on earth is happening...?" What kind of mess is this? It was beyond comprehension. He rolled his eyes, surveying his surroundings. A world turned white. The scorched ground and the ashes rising up. While it wasn’t familiar, he knew this place. Of course. He had been here once before. This was a realm from the past he encountered in Sichuan. And. "What should I do about this?" The being standing before him was one he had already seen. Lifting his head, he saw the figure looking down at him. Someone who bore an exact resemblance to himself. More precisely, he was identical to his previous life’s form, and he had already known this one's identity. Having judged what he was. "…Guyeomhwaryun Gong." The essence of Pyrokinesis within him. The embodiment of Guyeomhwaryun Gong, and this place was his inner world. That was the conclusion he arrived at back then. "Ancestor...? What does that mean?" He furrowed his face at the words spoken by the being. Ancestor? Unable to comprehend, he questioned the being, who smirked and spoke to him. "Just as I said. I am your ancestor." "...Ancestor?" Ancestor? With eyes twisted in confusion, he looked at the being. Ancestor? Not the essence of Guyeomhwaryun Gong but an ancestor? Hearing this, contemplation ensued. Why would such a being be here? Why in this form within his inner world? But beyond the question, one word bubbled inside him as he looked at the being heralding himself as an ancestor. "…You accursed lunatic." "...Hmm?" The sharp curse halted the figure in its tracks, its expression shifting as if it couldn't believe what it had just heard. But it had heard correctly. Unable to contain my rising anger, I poured it onto him. "If you've made a mess, then clean it up properly, you damn bastard!" "..." Charged with resentment, my words made the supposed ancestor freeze. Indeed. That guy was the root of all evil. He had wreaked havoc not just on my life, but also on the Gu family and the entirety of the Central Plains. If he had handled things properly, I might not have ended up like this. The Central Plains wouldn't have been in its current state either. But then. "Suddenly showing up and calling yourself an ancestor? With all you've done, how dare you expect to be treated with reverence? Are you out of your mind?" "..." "You damn son of a—" Unable to restrain my string of curses, I spewed forth more insults. However, Shin Noya, unable to listen any longer, covered my mouth with his hand. "Mmfh... Mm!" "...Alright, alright. Calm down. Just try to relax for a moment." While Shin Noya was calming me down, the figure looked at me with somewhat dry eyes. "You're right. What you said is correct." Though his pitiful voice prickled my ears, I paid it no mind. I simply glared at him and tapped Noya's hand, indicating he could let go now. Noya slowly withdrew his hand. "Ugh." Spitting to rid the taste from my mouth, I looked back at him and asked, "So what's your point? Why are you here looking like that?" "The immense vessel could no longer bear its burden. The cracking of this world signifies that." "..." Crackle-crackle. The world shattering implied the collapse of my vessel. Did he mean my vessel had collapsed? I recalled the recent instability of my body. Was that the cause? ‘Then what happens now?’ It wasn’t the first time I'd experienced my vessel shattering. The first time it broke, during Madam Tang's trials, I ended up in another time. There, the vessel shattered, and I turned into a dragon. Now, years later, the vessel had shattered again. ‘What does this mean...?’ With the already broken vessel fracturing again, what would become of it now? As my eyes darted with a hint of unease. "If things continue as they are, both you and the shattered vessel will cease to exist." The ancestor spoke. "So choose." Choose? Choose what? "If you absorb me, you can restore the vessel." "What?" If I absorb the ancestor, I could survive? It was a startling claim. "What does that mean?" Suddenly talking about absorption—what was he talking about? Absorb the ancestor to restore the vessel? This unexpected suggestion threw me off, but my first thought wasn't 'why?'. "Then what happens?" Absorbing him and the restoration of the vessel—it seemed fishy. Especially with him saying it, it was hard to believe. I was wary of whether the restoration and recovery were genuine, so I asked. The ancestor delivered an even more shocking statement. "But once the absorption is complete," he said, casting a glance towards the fractured heavens. "You'll have to become the calamity you despise so much." "...!" His words widened my eyes in shock.