[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith":3,"chapter-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-345":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Childhood Friend of the Zenith",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1240321,1667,"Chapter 345: Comeback (5)","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-345",345,"\u003Cp>While a massive wave of heat engulfed the Heavenly Dragon Academy, a bloody wind swept through the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Young Prodigies were being slaughtered by martial artists from the Unorthodox Faction, filling the mountain with the stench of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst it all, the mountain trembled under an immense surge of Combat Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slaaam-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground shifted with each powerful punch he threw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cggck-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His foot ground against the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The force of his attacks was so intense that each movement left a mark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ripped and shredded it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountain would never be the same after this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin was loyal to the nature of martial arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, martial arts existed for destruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To protect someone with it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d long since discarded such a narrow-minded notion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To protect something, one had to destroy something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many martial artists focused on training their martial arts to increase their level, but the essence of martial arts was destruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To achieve that, one needed sublimity, persistence, and relentless training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of which could be respected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drip… Drip…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dishonored Venerable, no, the current Bi Eejin wasn’t concerned about such a thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For him, martial arts were merely a means toward his own idea of perfection: the destruction of heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drip…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood dripped from his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands were covered in blood, a sight that would chill most. And not all of it was his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin shook the blood from his hands and looked down at the struggling figure before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood that splattered everywhere, belonged to that body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin spoke, his expression calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are lasting longer than I expected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a compliment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opponent had withstood eight or nine strikes. Bi Eejin had said his opponent would win if he endured ten, but he hadn’t expected him to last past five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was full of arrogance, but he was also confident in himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His martial art was strong enough for him to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It held the power to shatter heaven itself, and beyond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is why he named his martial art the Destruction of Heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin looked at his opponent, who could barely keep breathing, and asked a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was your title again? The Lord of the Black Palace, was it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure before him was none other than the Palace Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haah…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Palace Lord exhaled as if responding to Bi Eejin’s question. He was clearly in poor shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Why…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Palace Lord spoke in a very quiet voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin focused his ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he could hear the Palace Lord more clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How… come… it doesn’t work… against you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin tilted his head, puzzled by his opponent’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thankfully, he was able to realize it shortly after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, are you referring to that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin briefly knew what the Palace Lord was referring to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A trace of toxic Qi that still lingered within Bi Eejin’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d sensed it just before the fight with the Palace Lord began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, he was curious about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the first time he felt something like this, and it felt very nasty and toxic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was indeed a strange Qi, one that not only obstructed his own Qi flow but also slowed his movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wondered if it was a type of poison at first, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Perhaps it was one of the abilities that belonged to the Palace Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whichever it was, it indeed got in the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was pointless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Bi Eejin, it was no real obstacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was a nuisance, but in the end, all I had to do was block it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It might’ve been problematic if it had been poison, but since it was a form of Qi, Bi Eejin only needed to use his own Qi to block it, keeping it from interfering with his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Palace Lord’s pupils began to tremble at his response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…That… is… impossible…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like it was too shocking for him to understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qi his heaven blessed him with, was very critical to a martial artist’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, even with that Qi entering Bi Eejin’s body, he had managed to block it with his own Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On top of that, he was able to win against the Palace Lord in the process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How… can you do such a thing…? What are you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Separating one’s Qi from foreign Qi wasn’t as simple as picking salt from a pile of sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was more like trying to separate alcohol mixed in a flowing river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How was such a thing possible?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just what is that thing standing in front of me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Palace Lord stared in shock, Bi Eejin tilted his head in mild confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s as simple as just doing it. What’s the problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was doable, as long as one tried hard enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was the problem with it though?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin simply couldn’t understand the Palace Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dismissed the shocked Palace Lord and began looking around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he gazed towards the Heavenly Dragon Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he wasn’t mistaken, something seemed to be happening there too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His senses didn’t reach that far so he didn’t know for sure, but he at least knew that a problem occurred there as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is… is it that child?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sensed a faint trace of peculiar Flame Qi, along with dense killing intent and Combat Qi wafting past his cheeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Flame Qi felt the same as the one that child used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, it felt much denser and hotter than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, Bi Eejin thought the child had overcome his wall and grown stronger… but he quickly dismissed the idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was sitting somewhere in a perfected form of Peak Realm, but he still had some ways to go to reach the next level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, he was still just a young kid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Bi Eejin hadn’t reached Peak Realm at that age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was impressive enough that the child was even aiming for Fusion Realm after reaching Peak Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his current rate, he would reach Fusion Realm by age twenty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that really happens, then it’ll truly go down in history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fusion Realm at the age of twenty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one in history had even come close to such a feat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Bi Eejin want him even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The child had enough talent and body for his martial art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How disappointing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once again, Bi Eejin was reminded of how lacking his own body was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fixed his weak body through training, experience, and herbs in his secret vault, but that was only a temporary solution at most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin’s weak body and Qi prevented him from reaching Fusion Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was to the point where he couldn’t even wield his Heaven Destruction Art effectively; using it ten times strained his body to its limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The martial art was created for his past life’s self to begin with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A frail, talentless body was clearly unfit to handle such an art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d used the technique six or seven times so far; any more, and the backlash on his body would be severe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was fortunate that the battle ended before that happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin sharpened his senses while wandering around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scent of blood still hung in the air, though it seemed to be fading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like a good thing, but it also didn’t feel right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this ambush could be dealt with so easily, it likely wouldn’t have occurred in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just because the Academy’s instructors and students were present didn’t mean they could overcome the ambush, even if they matched the attackers’ level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more powerful attackers were on par with the instructors, yet Bi Eejin sensed something unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I must learn what is happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A frown naturally formed on his face. He didn’t want to involve himself with what was happening in the Central Plains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Bi Eejin was regarded as an Orthodox Faction martial artist on the surface, he didn’t feel aligned with either side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have no choice this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was problematic how the troublemaker of Bi Clan was also here as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin didn’t want that child to be put in danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why must I go through this mess at this age…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never married or had children to avoid such burdens, yet here he was, entangled in it all after regaining his youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How ironic it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m sure the other children managed to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was slightly concerned for the injured children, but he trusted they’d gotten away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he’d informed the Sword Venerable, Wi Hyogun’s descendant, beforehand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that thought, Bi Eejin turned his gaze back to the Palace Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw a destroyed body that was going to lose its life any second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his opponent was of a higher level than Bi Eejin and wielded a strange power, defeating him had not been difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin had torn through his body in a few strikes, confident he could defeat anyone as long as he anticipated their moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clenched his fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He considered informing the Murim Alliance about him before finishing him off but decided against it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want to leave a potential threat behind, nor did he want to involve himself further, it would only expose his identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin planned to go back to Bibi after finishing his business. He put her in a safe place, but it was possible that something might have happened to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kwak-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stomped the ground with his foot and strengthened his balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His target was the Palace Lord’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He aimed to end it with a single blow, but just as Bi Eejin’s fist neared the Palace Lord’s head,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Squeeze-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin’s fist froze in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t stopped himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone had seized his wrist, forcing him to halt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a sharp gaze, Bi Eejin looked at the one who’d stopped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They grabbed his wrist after suddenly appearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin hadn’t sensed their approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He may have been exhausted from expending so much energy, but he was still shocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He twisted his wrist and slipped free from the grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the strength in the grasp, he’d escaped with ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin quickly put distance between himself and the newcomer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they could approach him and halt his attack undetected, they had to be an exceptionally skilled martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin observed the person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, he saw shoulder-length black hair and pale skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their face weren’t visible due to their hair getting in the way, but Bi Eejin had a strange feeling after looking at the person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their presence feels faint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they stood directly in front of him, it felt as if they weren’t truly there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin couldn’t get a grasp of the person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was likely why he’d missed their presence entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He steadied his breathing and calmed his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he repeated his question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I asked who you…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was about to finish, Bi Eejin suddenly dropped to one knee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huff…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp pain surged through his Dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain felt as if it was squeezing his body, radiating up to his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mysterious toxic Qi that entered his body before his fight against the Palace Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was now raging wildly within his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Qi began to surge uncontrollably, draining his strength as pain coursed through him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried his best to endure it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin glared at his opponent with bloodshot eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Is this your doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized this had started the moment the figure appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response, the figure in front of him remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They merely turned their head to look at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Bi Eejin caught sight of his opponent’s face, a look of horror spread across his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin wasn’t the only one shocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bleeding Palace Lord, kneeling nearby, also looked stunned at the sight of the small figure’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My…! My heaven…! Why are you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Palace Lord spoke, the mysterious figure stepped toward Bi Eejin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With each step, a dense black aura poured from the small figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It resembled the martial art the Palace Lord had used, but it was far denser and even more menacing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin knew that he was in danger. Despite such an aura, he wasn’t able to get a grasp of his opponent, nor was he able to tell how powerful it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wondered if it was the pain clouding his senses, but he was sure that wasn’t the cause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it drew near, the figure extended a hand cloaked in black aura toward Bi Eejin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was to grab Bi Eejin’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small hand moved swiftly toward Bi Eejin’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just somewhat cold, but ice cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right as the hand was about to grasp Bi Eejin’s neck,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoop-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone yanked Bi Eejin backward by his clothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin tumbled to the ground, but he’d escaped danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin coughed out loud and stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still felt pain, but he thankfully was able to move a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he looked to see who had saved him, he was struck by shock once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was none other than Wi Seol-Ah that saved him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi Eejin had clearly told her to go somewhere safe with the others, yet here she was, having saved him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though grateful, he couldn’t help but feel confused seeing her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was understandable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah was pointing her sword toward the presence in front of her with fierce eyes, and the presence too looked back at Wi Seol-Ah with a strange expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tilted its head, studying Wi Seol-Ah from head to toe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it… fascinated by her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure’s reaction was strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like Wi Seol-Ah was staring into a mirror, the figure looked exactly like her, enough to send chills through Bi Eejin.\u003C\u002Fp>",2345,"2026-06-05T15:09:39.031Z",1,"novelbin.me","144165aa0cda8c92bbacc8792d9504468271171aa5604463ec8230149e85fbb9","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-346","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-344",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]