1116 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

"Damn it." A big mistake. A very big one. Crackle. He frowned at the electrical energy crackling before him. Lost in concentration, he misperceived it. While suppressing his energy and hiding his presence, he'd momentarily forgotten something crucial. ‘I should have been crushed by that energy.’ The pressure emanating from the front. The pressure mixed with the electrical energy being released. It was the essence of a martial artist who had reached transcendence, someone who had likely touched upon the level of "Samjonja." Since his own son, Namgoong Jehui, was present, Cheonjon had somewhat controlled it. Yet, for anyone at a post-peak level to withstand it was audacious. Even his father, who had comfortably surpassed the post-peak stage, barely endured it while spewing sparks. ‘Yet, I just stood still, accepting it all.’ He had been standing unaffected while receiving that force in full. He had assumed it would be fine since he was concealing his own realm, but in hindsight, it was not the right decision. "Strange." Crackle. Crackle---!!! The electrical energy grew stronger. Rumble--!!! Reacting to the energy being emitted, the blue sky wavered. Dark clouds began forming. Rumble-!! The lightning he sensed before seemed to intensify. "What are you?" Cheonjon's blue eyes were charged with electrical energy. The feeling was ominous. "Hey, Old man. Let’s just calm down for a moment..." Crack-!! “Damn it.” He twisted his upper body. The electrical energy lunged down directly. Crack-! Lightning struck the ground directly. Before him, Cheonjon’s hand stretched out. A blue flash surged toward his neck. He released a bit of energy to create a rebound. Swish-!!! His body spun rapidly, dodging the attack. Teeth clenched, he pressed forward internally. ‘Is he insane?’ This old man. He was completely serious. He was moving as if he intended to kill him with full strength. ‘What now?’ There was not much time to ponder. Cheonjon was already following his evasions closely. Wuuu--!! He could see energy gathering in Cheonjon's hand. Oh, that seems quite dangerous? Should he dodge it and counterattack? As the brief deliberation looped, he soon reached a conclusion. Thud. He grounded his foot with force. Tension rose through his body as if supporting the ground beneath him. ‘Take the hit.’ He decided to just take it head-on. It looked like not a killing move at first glance. The target was his chest. He planned to emit some energy, condense it into a defense formation, and naturally deflect the incoming attack. Buzz-!! The compressed electrical energy rushed toward him. As expected, the target was his chest. Right as the attack was about to make direct contact with his chest— Thud-! ‘Huh?’ Cheonjon's hand stopped short, halting in the air. A hand—his father’s hand—gripped Cheonjon’s wrist. Whoosh-!! Flames erupted. Fierce crimson flames dominated the surroundings. "Enough." A deep, heavy voice echoed in his ears. His father spoke to Cheonjon. Cheonjon, whose attack had been blocked, looked at his father with his piercing blue eyes. "What?" "While I may not know why you’re acting this way, Cheonjon..." Even though his father met Cheonjon's fierce gaze, there wasn't a hint of a tremble in his demeanor. “If you continue to act rudely in my presence, I’ll have no choice but to respond accordingly.” “Ha!” Cheonjon scoffed at his father's words. "Respond accordingly? You think you can handle this old man? Being called the Divine Dragon, does it make you feel important?" “That is not it.” Whoosh-!! The intensity of the flames increased. “What can a mere post-peak level martial artist possibly do to the great Cheonjon? I am merely...” Crunch. A sound came from Cheonjon's gripped wrist as his father intensified his grasp. "I am here as a deputy of the Azure Dragon Unit, representing the current main command visiting the Namgung clan. So what Cheonjon is doing now is, in essence, disregarding the main command itself.” He was not speaking as a mere post-peak level martial artist but as a representative of the main command. Thus, he warned Cheonjon not to act carelessly. Naturally, Cheonjon did not take kindly to this warning. "So what." Rumble. As flames flourished, Cheonjon's energy in the air grew stronger. "What, even representing the main command, do you think you can do anything?" The opponent was of the Samjon class. The sky of Zhōngyuán's orthodox sects, beings that not even a peer from a similar echelon could easily confront. What could mere mention of the main command change? As if in response to that sentiment, Cheonjon spoke. “……Sigh.” His father let out a vivid sigh as he looked intently at Cheonjon. As the clarity of his sigh registered, an annoyed frown appeared on Cheonjon's face, and his father spoke to him. "It seems age has clouded your understanding." 'Huh?' Whoa? Did I hear that correctly? Something seemed off with what I just heard. I narrowed my eyes and looked toward my father. I thought maybe it was a delusion. “……What did you just say?” Apparently, it wasn’t a delusion. Cheonjon's tightly drawn expression confirmed it. But. "Didn't you hear?" Even as he met the stern gaze of Cheonjon, his father repeated. "I told you to stop, old man." Rumble---!!! As he spoke, tremendous pressure emanated from his father's body. Mixed with heat, it burst forth, causing the surrounding trees to sway as if hit by a storm, and the air instantly changed. 'Wow.' Hearing the words, I gasped. Never did I expect my father to say something like that. ‘So that's where my temper came from.’ Watching this scene, I was convinced. Ah, my father also had quite the temper. Enough to stand up to a figure like Cheonjon. ‘I doubt I could pull that off.’ No matter how terrible my personality might be, I wouldn't dare to do something like this. Yet my father did so without hesitation. 'Oh no, this isn't good.' Looking at the state of things, I steeled myself. A battle would break out if things went awry. I couldn't stand by idly. Thus, I was contemplating releasing my suppressed energy when— “......Hahaha--!!!” Cheonjon burst into laughter. “Aha--!!!” As his consecutive laughter echoed, a tight tension filled the air. Swoosh. “……” Cheonjon relaxed his outstretched arm. Seeing this, his father also withdrew his hand from Cheonjon’s wrist. "Arrogant brat. A perfect copy of his father." “……” "Hana, your confident demeanor is commendable. Normally, I would have erased you from this land. But seeing this, I will overlook your insolence." At his words, I frowned, and so did my father. 'What is this?' I didn't expect Grandpa to be brought up here. Even in my father's expression, I could clearly sense something strange. "I apologize. I only intended to test your spirit; it seems my jest was too much." Cheonjon spoke with a sly grin, yet neither I nor my father relaxed our expressions. ‘Testing my spirit?’ Nonsense. That recent confrontation was genuine. Was he kidding when he tried to kill me with full force? It was a ridiculous statement. However, "So, why did you come to see me?" Shifting the topic, Cheonjon sought to move on. With the legendary Cheonjon offering an apology, there was little room left for complaints. "No, let's redo that." “Huh?” While it seemed pointless to pursue it further, my father surprisingly spoke up again to Cheonjon. "What?" "The apology, I mean. That wasn’t meant for me." He gestured toward me. "You should apologize to my subordinate." "......" Wow. I never imagined he would latch onto that too. I looked at my father with astonishment. Even in this situation, he insisted on addressing that part. “......” Cheonjon furrowed his brows momentarily at those words. Then, meeting my gaze, he spoke. "I apologize. I took the jest too far." "......No, it's fine." Thankfully, the apology was extended, and I accepted it immediately. Only then did my father nod in approval. "Are you satisfied now?" "Yes." "......So, what brought you to seek me?" Cheonjon asked Namgoong Jehui, who was still getting back to his feet. In response, Jehui quickly composed himself and began explaining. "Ah... about that..." He detailed the pressing matters at hand. "A retreat order?" Having heard the explanation, Cheonjon slightly nodded. “……Not only has a red demonic creature appeared, but now a major demon portal has opened?” It seemed entirely new to him; that meant— ‘It implies he hasn’t been leaving this space.’ He had been secluded within, incapable of receiving any information. It wasn't just perfect seclusion; it was almost absolute. "Do as you wish then." "……Thank you for the approval. I’ll proceed as instructed." Having received permission, it seemed we could move on to the next plan. Just as I was contemplating this— "Cheonjon, may I ask something?" Unexpectedly, my father addressed Cheonjon again. "Could you perhaps offer assistance in dealing with the demon portal?" "Hmm?" Cheonjon responded with a slight nod at my father's words. "Assistance?" "Yes." "What do you mean?" "When the demon portal reacts adversely, we cannot predict the outcomes. It threatens not only the Namgoong family but the entire Anhui region. I wanted to ask if Cheonjon could offer assistance on this matter." Cheonjon, who was rumored to have mostly retired and secluded himself in the family estate. He generally remained hidden in ordinary circumstances, but given that this involved the Namgoong house directly, could he lend his support? Had he not known, Cheonjon might have been indifferent, but now being fully aware of the situation, it seemed logical that he would assist. After all, this was happening in Anhui, where he resided. Having heard my father, Cheonjon laughed and replied immediately. “No.” “…What?” “……?” His succinct response cast a silence over the place. …Did he just say no?