345 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

<Chapter 345: Resurrection. (4)> Whooosh-! After a massive wave of heat swept through. The chill of the spring breeze quickly settled the heat. To be precise, he had recaptured the heat back into his core before it could spread. Crackle... Crackle. The sound of embers burning was heard. The remnants of the flames simmered quietly on the ground. Calming down the qi that had surged wildly, He checked his physical state. 'More than half of the qi is still left.' Unlike the past, where his energy would be completely drained after using martial arts, Even after repeatedly casting Flame Jade while channeling Red Sky, more than half of his qi remained. This was due to his skills reaching the Flower Mirror stage, broadening his core and making it far more efficient to utilize his abilities. He surveyed the surroundings. The sky was still shrouded in a black veil. The area he had slightly broken through while channeling Red Sky had quickly closed up, leaving no gaps. 'What exactly is that force?' He scrutinized carefully, but could not discern it just yet. It was peculiar. It was too complex to be a formation and too intangible to be martial arts. Could it be the force of a demonic entity? It was plausible. He shifted his gaze. Crack. The Shenlong Pavilion building, which had been cracked and on the brink of collapse, was now almost half destroyed, making it difficult to even call it a building. This was because it had been smashed to pieces by the explosion of the Great Flame Jade. '...' He wondered if he had overdone it, as a cold sweat trickled down his back. Hopefully, he won't be asked to compensate later. Crunch. He stepped forward, crushing the charred tree branches underfoot. Where the explosion had just swept through, The air was thick with dust. With a wave of his hand, he created a gust of wind. Whooosh-! As the wind blew the dust away, A massive crater, filled with traces of flames, was revealed. He moved toward it. At the center of the crater, Something black was writhing. It was the warrior of the Flower Mirror stage he had just clashed with. 'He's not dead.' Thankfully, it seemed he hadn't died. He hadn't thrown it with the intent to kill in the first place. If there was a miscalculation, it was the lack of proper control after immediately using his power following an advancement in his skills. It would be troublesome if he died. He hadn’t uncovered anything yet. “Cough… Hah… hah…” The old man kept coughing up blood. Fortunately, it seemed he had avoided a fatal blow, though his condition was clearly not normal after being swept up in the explosion, even with the protective energy he had around him. “… You… you brat…” The old man, his face half-melted, glared at him with a murderous look. It wasn’t that the old man was weak. He was a strong figure. Who would be considered weak among those who reached the Flower Mirror stage? He had turned Cheonghae Ilgeom into that state, and immediately recognized him as an extraordinary opponent upon facing him. Just as there are significant differences even among those at the same stage, The disparities become extreme when reaching the Flower Mirror stage. The gap between the old man and himself must be considerable. Nonetheless, The reason he could reduce the old man to such a state was ultimately because— 'Even a Flower Mirror stage warrior can succumb to demonic qi.' The demonic energy he had embedded deep in his core had seeped into the old man. '...I’m not completely unscathed myself.' During the battle with the Huangbo family's assassin previously, That old man had not long reached the Flower Mirror stage. Thus, infiltrating his core with demonic qi wasn’t too difficult. But this situation was a bit different. 'It was a close call.' He had to blend the demonic energy unnoticed during the fight, The old man’s strong cultivation made it difficult for the demonic energy to penetrate him. Moreover, If he hadn't broken through the barrier, the demonic energy wouldn't have penetrated easily. This meant— 'The demonic energy was strengthened upon reaching the Flower Mirror stage.' Simultaneously as he crossed the barrier, the demonic energy within him also grew stronger. Should this be seen as a good thing? 'No, it's not something to be pleased about.' Although it secured a victory in the battle, The fact that it was more because of the help from demonic energy, rather than his own established prowess, left him feeling unsettled. Moreover, the repercussions of using demonic energy lingered in his body. 'I don't have any internal injuries, but there’s an undeniably murky feeling left.' Though it hadn't mixed with his qi, there was a chance it could encroach if he wasn’t careful. Especially having reached the Flower Mirror stage, The corruptive nature of the demonic energy felt particularly intensified. What happened to the purification speed of the Nine Flame Wheel Technique? This will need to be clearly identified later. For now, he approached the old man. “What are you?” “Cough….” Grabbing the old man’s hair, he lifted his face up. There was no respect for the vanquished. Especially if they were part of the unorthodox faction. In essence, whether orthodox or unorthodox, a scoundrel was still a scoundrel, so he didn’t particularly discriminate. “Why are you here?” “…You…” A long scar along the old man’s neck became visible. A sword wound? Seeing how deep it was, It seemed rather severe. Besides, why would a warrior of this level attack Shenlong Pavilion? “Refusing to talk?” At his question, the old man trembled violently. Was it from anger, or fear? It looked more like the former rather than the latter to him. This won’t do. He’d have to resort to interrogation. 'He probably didn’t attack alone. I must grasp the situation.' The situation was too urgent to be leisurely, Though he didn’t particularly care what happened to others. '...The children are a different matter.' For those he was connected to, things were different. Part of the reason he scraped through the demonic world and elevated his abilities was for their sake. For himself, And for them. With the chaos that ensued now, He needed to comprehend the situation the children were in. While contemplating that, he couldn’t help but frown. 'Having more to protect isn’t particularly favorable.' Contrary to his initial plan, There were more people around him that he had to safeguard. Though he viewed his changed life positively compared to his previous life, The future seemed somewhat suffocating pondering over it. Time is pressing. Should I conduct an interrogation?’ With time running short, it’s difficult to conduct an interrogation, Moreover, he was finding it hard to control his newly strengthened power. Torture seems somewhat difficult in such detail. Especially with someone who has been reduced to that state. As he briefly pondered over what to do, "…Heh…hehe." The old man suddenly began to laugh. "Why are you laughing?" Could it be that his mind was slipping at the brink of death? That would be unacceptable. He must tell what he knows before dying. "…You have terrifying eyes." "What did you say?" "Those eyes, contemplating how to kill me… I have seen many with those eyes. Had to, as they were all unorthodox warriors." "And?" Was he trying to insult him for having fierce eyes? "Those with such eyes… I have buried them all beneath the earth with my hands, and now I've become one of them, heh heh…" "So, what? Expecting mercy?" Was the old man going senile? Such nonsense from an elder. Fwoosh. Flames wrapped around his hand. The color and intensity were distinctly different from when he was at his peak. The old man gazed at the swirling flames with a hollow expression and spoke. "Are you truly from the orthodox faction?" "Of course, where else would you find someone as diligent as me in the orthodox faction?" Cleaning up the unorthodox scoundrels—if not him, then who in the orthodox faction would do it? After a fleeting moment of contemplation, he made up his mind. 'Kill him.' ... He decided against torturing and instead opted to kill. The situation wasn’t favorable, and the old man didn’t seem like someone from whom he could extract useful information. Rather than waste time holding onto him, it seemed better to deal with him without complications. Especially since he felt an unsettling aura tapping on his cranial senses among the many presences detected in his energy senses. He reached out. "This Black Dragon Sword... to be killed by a greenhorn." 'Black Dragon Sword...?' The mention of that name made him hesitate momentarily, but he didn’t stop his hand. Instead, he accelerated. His hand almost met the old man’s face. 1 That cannot be avoided. Crunch. “...!” He sensed a change. Retracting his outstretched hand, he put distance between himself and the old man. Gathering his qi at once, he heightened his alertness to the maximum. His core responded to an unknown presence that emerged in his energy senses. [...Roar…] “You…?” His eyes widened at the growling sound that reached him. A being that hadn’t revealed itself during his time in the mortal realm or in the demonic realm had suddenly awakened. [Growl…] The growl was quite feral. It was clear the being had bared its fangs at something. And that something... ‘…Is it him?’ It was likely the old man who called himself Black Dragon Sword. “Black Dragon Sword?” It was a name he thought he had heard in passing, but he couldn’t recall clearly. If it were a well-known epithet, he should have remembered immediately. Considering that a fighter of that caliber had an epithet, it was odd that he knew nothing of it. But now wasn't the time to ponder such things. “What is that?" Changes were occurring in the old man's body. “Cough…augh…” Starting from the scar on the back of his neck, Something began to seep out. Just watching its wriggling movements was enough to make one queasy. The sensation was akin to a massive worm. Whoosh-! He summoned flames to his fingertips. He couldn’t leave it as it was, as it seemed obviously dangerous. He felt the energy he had gathered in his core depleting rapidly. While casting his martial arts, he continued to monitor the old man's transformation. 'What on earth is that… a demon?' If it was a demon, it was a form he had never seen before. A demon parasitizing a human? Whatever it was, clearly the situation wasn't good. Flames gathered in his palm. He was preparing to cast another Flame Jade, as he had done moments before. His plan was to incinerate it completely. As its shape slowly materialized, it was grotesquely horrifying. Even the aura it emitted felt strangely murky and dark. Different, perhaps, from the demonic energy typically possessed by demons. Fwoosh-! The preparation for the Flame Jade was complete. He was about to release it when, [Growl!] Snap-! "What?" Along with the growl emanating from within him, He felt the gathered energy in his hand vanish in an instant. “This damned creature.” The beast had meddled on its own accord, neutralizing his accumulated energy. Was such a thing even possible? Could it interfere with the energy he used? Before anything else, he needed to understand why this creature had suddenly awakened and started interfering. “Why have you woken up now, after sleeping through all this…!” He was on the verge of demanding an answer. Screeeeeeech! With an ear-splitting noise, The transformed old man launched massive tentacles in his direction. Their speed was considerable. He gathered energy to respond. ‘…What?’ Suddenly, it felt as if his energy was blocked, unable to move. He wondered if his core had failed, but That couldn’t be. He had checked earlier and confirmed that more than half his energy remained. Despite his surprise, the tentacles swiftly approached. It was clear that this was a dire situation. As he pondered whether to summon a different form of energy, Thwack! Right before his eyes, the tentacles were cut down in an instant, crashing uselessly to the ground. The severed tentacles seemed to melt away, vanishing from sight. It even appeared as if they were absorbed into the earth. "What the…" As he wondered what had just transpired, He sensed a reaction at the center of the crater. When he directed his gaze towards the creature, ‘Someone was there.’ An unfamiliar figure had thrust a sword into the creature. It seemed this person was the one who had blocked the creature's attack directed at him. ‘I didn’t sense him.’ Even if his energy flow had been obstructed, His energy perception extended around him. That he hadn’t noticed this individual suggested They were likely an extraordinarily skilled master. ‘Who is it?’ He couldn’t see clearly. The presence was fuzzy, intentionally concealed, implying they were deliberately hiding their energy and presence. They donned a pristine white robe, Their hair was a matching shade of white. Screeeeeeech! The sword plunged into the creature's body seemed to be causing it severe pain, as it started to scream relentlessly. Where was the mouth for such screams to erupt from? The person, who appeared to be a man, To match the cries, moved his hand. Slash-! The sword embedded in the creature's body swung, effortlessly slicing the creature apart. The reason I involuntarily held my breath watching his motions Was that even though I could see his movements with my eyes, they didn’t register properly in my mind. Having split the creature once, the white-haired man Took advantage of the moment when the creature seemed powerless, reaching out to touch its body. Though the slithering, oil-like liquid was unpleasant, the man did not hesitate. And then, “…Huh?” I saw not the man, but his shadow moving. The shadow began to squirm, escaping outward to envelop the creature. —Screech... Argh... The sizable creature was wholly ensnared by the shadow. It thrashed about inside, but soon enough, its struggles ceased. Momentarily unable to comprehend the situation, I could only stare at the man. What on earth just happened? Possibly sensing my gaze, The white-haired man slowly turned his head towards me. His eyes were pure white, matching his hair. Even his skin was as white as snow. He seemed almost human, like me. His appearance held a certain mystique, and I momentarily forgot myself, watching him. "Are you just going to keep watching?" The man asked, looking at me. His voice was deeper than I expected, and hearing it made me flinch. “...Who are you?” Though it seemed he had rescued me, I couldn’t discern his identity, so I heightened my alertness. Ready to respond if necessary. I asked this while holding onto my tension. The man looked at me and slowly began to speak. Just as I was about to hear his answer, Whum…. “What?” Startled by the energy I felt from behind, I instinctively turned around. It was coming from the direction of Mount Tai. The power emanating from there made my whole body tremble involuntarily. And it wasn't just that. Sweat began to bead profusely on my forehead. “…Why?” The words slipped out of my mouth, unanswered. Leaving the creature and the man behind, I gathered my energy and leapt into action. It was a sudden move, But the white-haired man did not bother to stop me. I quickly increased my speed. The reason for such urgency was clear. From somewhere high up on the towering Mount Tai, I began to sense an energy that was all too familiar— An energy I desperately never wanted to feel again. ‘No… It couldn’t be.’ Though I wanted to deny it, The signature energy marked on my body had already confirmed it for me. It was unmistakable. From afar, at Mount Tai, I felt the demonic energy of the Celestial Demon.