1172 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

A dazzling beam of light shot forth, making it difficult to keep one's eyes open. Why was it glowing so intensely? Was it throwing a tantrum or something? 'Can't you tone it down a bit?' Once all that could be absorbed had already been drained, there was no point in continuing. It was a futile effort. Since it didn't seem to be causing any real harm, he merely grimaced. After a while, the relentless emission of light... Swoooosh—!! 'Oh?' The light began to transform. It wasn't diminishing or intensifying; instead, the color itself was changing. Shifting from red light to blue. Along with it, he sensed a familiar energy. This was... 'It's my energy.' The energy that had been taken from him was now forming this light. How curious. To suddenly emit light using his energy. Swoosh. "Finally let go." The hand that wouldn't detach from the egg was now released. He twisted his wrist lightly, and then retrieved the energy that had been emanating. Rumble. The oppressive heavenly martial arts dissipated, and the distorted space returned to normal. "Hmm." Gradually, the light diminished. Before long, it vanished completely. What remained in its place... "It's turned blue...?" It was just an egg that had changed from red to blue. It appeared natural and unmoved, as if it had always been this color. Even upon touching the egg again, it was the same. This time, it could be detached with ease. "Strange." Why had this thing turned blue? Had it changed after absorbing and being reabsorbed by energy? He tilted his head, perplexed, staring at the egg. "Hey." He then nudged it lightly with his foot. No response. What was this? "Do something, at least." After all that effort in draining energy, now it suddenly played dead. What an absurd creature. "What exactly are you?" Despite causing such a commotion with energy, its true identity remained a mystery. "Tsk." Although he tried to discover something, there was no way if it stayed motionless like this. "I didn't come all the way here to leave empty-handed." Why was it connected to the Blood Demon’s Secret Chamber? What was this egg that it consumed his energy so voraciously for? He needed to understand before leaving. "This is bothersome." Unwanted visitors were sensed. He turned his gaze backward. "Knew they'd notice." It was the aftermath of unleashing his heavenly martial arts. Those who had noticed were approaching. The Peng family and apprentices of the martial alliance. In addition... The Gu family’s sword squad was also heading this way. * * * "Form ranks. Stay alert." First Elder, no, now the head of the first sword squad, Gu Ryoon, shouted with a grave expression. With him at the forefront, dozens of others moved in unison. They were all martial artists wearing red martial uniforms. They were from the Shanxi Gu family. The martial artists affiliated there. ‘What is this?’ Standing in front of them, Gu Ryoon looked straight ahead. He was staring at a forbidden area. The blood relatives of the Gu family. Among them, only with the head’s approval could they enter this forbidden zone. An anomaly had occurred there. ‘What was that presence just now?’ An overwhelming presence. Vast and intimidating enough to break into a cold sweat just upon feeling it. ‘That level of murderous intent is incomprehensible.’ Had a mountain of corpses been piled up? The massive release of energy that accompanied the presence; the murderous intent contained within it was of a completely different magnitude, even to Gu Ryoon, who had lived a life of constant battle. ‘Who is it?’ Who could have emitted such an aura from that place? ‘The space is distorted.’ The surrounding flow was visibly twisted. All of this was due to the aftermath of the energy. To think that simply emitting energy could wreak such havoc around. ‘Who could it be?’ Judging from the quality of the energy, it was on par with the Trinity. To have caused such a situation with mere energy alone, though... ‘A Heavenly Lord, perhaps?’ The possibility also existed that it could be the rumored old fiend who handled vast energy, the Heavenly Lord. ‘That person typically wouldn’t leave outside Anhui, though?’ The Heavenly Lord was not one who would come to Shanxi. Given past events, the Heavenly Lord would not have ventured to Shanxi. ‘Then, who?’ It was incomprehensible. Was it Pejon? No, it couldn't be Bijuu either. The reason being... "Things are getting interesting, don’t you think, Gu Ryoon?" "…Ugh." Because the wily Bijuu was right beside him. Gu Ryoon frowned as he spoke to Pejon. "Why on earth did you follow? And in the first place, why are you even here?" He was baffled by Pejon's sudden leap to the forefront when he should have remained quietly in the Gu family. "The reason is simple." Pejon laughed in response to Gu Ryoon's question. "Because I'm bored." “…” A true Bijuu-esque reason. "If you’re bored, why don’t you engage in the training you love so much? Why come here?" "How can one practice endlessly every day? Sometimes you need a diversion like this." "Didn’t you have enough diversion in teaching that apprentice of yours?" Mentioning the disciple, Gu Ryoon’s expression twisted slightly. The young man he was referring to came to mind. ‘It’s unsettling.’ Baek Yangcheon. He was a bloodline of the Gu family and the illegitimate son of the family head Gu Seong Ryeol. Perhaps from some lingering concern, he'd decided to confirm it, and the truth was shocking. ‘That conniving man.’ All this time, he had pretended to be a faithful husband, shielding Jin Buin, only to have committed such outrageous behavior. Even worse, he didn't take responsibility for it. That was what infuriated Gu Ryoon the most. ‘He needs a good lesson.’ Since becoming the head of the family, he somehow changed. Unable to cope with this change, even his younger sibling left the family. The one unchanged aspect then was... ‘His affection for Jin Buin.’ He thought that Seong Ryeol’s love for his wife hadn’t changed. ‘Tsk.’ It was merely a futile wish. It seemed the family head truly had changed. As Gu Ryoon tried to suppress his anger after reaffirming this— “The disciple is nothing. Thanks to someone, he's just staying put and watching.” “…” It referred explicitly to the time Gu Ryoon made an explosive remark in front of Jin Yeon Ryeong. “I told you to handle that fiery temper of yours, didn’t I? If you're going to do it, do it quietly.” “...Does that sound like something to be done quietly? If I’m going to do it, I should do it properly.” “To me, the head of the Gu family seems pitiful.” “Nonsense. What’s pitiful about someone who couldn't control himself?” “Well, there seemed to be more to it.” “What’s there?” “Forget it. Speaking to you about it could lead to unforeseen events, so it’s better to keep my mouth shut.” “…You little…” “And also.” Pejon leaped, his grin widening. "Staying here is the right choice, even just because of that disciple," Bijuu remarked casually. "What?" Gu Ryoon responded, perplexed. "Go on ahead," Bijuu said, offering no further explanation, and launched himself forward. Bang! With a burst of dust, Bijuu moved a considerable distance away. "Darn it..." Gu Ryoon had intended to warn him about venturing into the forbidden zone. "Increase speed," Gu Ryoon commanded, urging everyone to quicken their pace. * * * When they finally reached their destination, having increased their speed, Ge Ryoon was met with a large crowd. ‘What’s going on?’ He wondered why so many people had gathered and began to identify them. "Peng Gajoo." "Eon Ah Kwun. It's been a while." Surprisingly, the head of the Peng family was present. "...It’s true you appeared on the front lines." "With the affairs of the alliance, how could I hold back?" Even now, Peng Gajoo managed to say the right things smoothly. Among the crowd were not only martial artists of the Peng family but also many from the alliance. Gu Ryoon addressed them while observing. "What brings so many of you here?" "Did you not feel it, Eon Ah Kwun? That tremendous energy earlier. We’re here to investigate because it emanated from this location," Peng Gajoo explained, prompting Gu Ryoon to slightly frown. ‘Did this man eat something bad?’ It was unusual for him to appear on the front lines. To appear personally because a problem arose? The Peng Gajoo he knew wasn’t like this. "I appreciate the concern, but from here on out falls under the Gu family jurisdiction. The rest will be handled by the First Sword Unit." "The energy was ominous. Knowing it’s dangerous, is that what really matters right now? We may need to combine our strengths." "Strengths, you say... Wait a moment, didn’t you see the person who just passed by?" "Person? What-." Peng Gajoo started to respond, but— Kwoooaaahhhhh---!!!! "Ugh!?" "Grrk!" Suddenly, an immense pressure erupted, enveloping the martial artists. It was the same pressure as earlier. What was happening all of a sudden? ‘And what about Bijuu?’ Where did that man Pejon disappear to? He left first, and if Peng Gajoo didn’t see him, it must mean he vanished somewhere along the way. Luckily, Gu Ryoon didn’t ponder this mystery for long. Kwoooaaahhhh!!!! In the overwhelming draught of energy, a familiar sensation brushed past. "This is...?" It was Bijuu's energy. Just as he turned his head towards the direction it came from— Boom!! An explosion erupted and someone was thrown out. "Ahahahaha!!" The one who emerged from the chaos, laughing maniacally, was Pejon. Though flying backward, he had a twisted smile plastered on his face. It was an unsettling sight. What’s that fool doing? As Gu Ryoon turned his gaze, baffled— "Yes, let’s see what you've got." With a crack, the bizarre Pejon was left behind, and something else burst from the explosion. It was a person. Well, to be precise, a person wearing a mask. A martial artist clad in dark martial robes and wearing a white mask. He lunged at Pejon. Thud—!! Crack! As the two engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat, reverberations rippled through the air. It was enough to shake the very space around them. "Grrk!" "My head...!" With just the pressure, the surrounding martial artists staggered. It was a tremendous battle. The issue was that those two were not the end of it. Kyaaaah—!!! Boom!!! With an ear-piercing cry, something huge descended around Gu Ryoon. "A—a monster...!" "How is it that big...?" It was a monster, one so large it seemed to touch the sky. How could something be so colossal? Gu Ryoon had never witnessed such a size before. At its size, what rank would it be? "Black...?" Upon closer inspection, the monster had a black hue. What in the world was happening? Amidst the chaotic situation, Gu Ryoon's eyes quivered.