[{"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-459":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},1239985,1667,"Chapter 458","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-459",459,"\u003Cp>‘…Sigh.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could be the way to return to my original world?What exactly is this \"regret\" that Tang Jemoon spoke of?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it related to the actions I took in my previous life? Or maybe…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is it related to Mageomhu?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I considered this as I felt the faint heartbeat of Mageomhu, who was draped over my back.It likely relates to the choice that Tang Jemoon mentioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What am I supposed to choose?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suspected it had to do with preventing Mageomhu’s death.Given the timing and the current situation, that seemed like the only possible choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Then… does it mean I should try to stop it?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s true that Mageomhu’s death was one of my regrets.But even if I manage to prevent it in this world… would it truly erase my regrets?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m not even sure if I can stop it.And even if I do, how would that change anything in my world?This is a different world, after all. Preventing it here doesn’t mean my regrets in my own world will disappear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I don’t know.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t grasp anything concrete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt Mageomhu’s breathing. Ignoring the tickle near my ear, I picked up my pace a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My back felt damp.It was Mageomhu’s blood soaking through my clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swallowing hard, I suppressed my feelings. I’d applied qi to stop the bleeding, but it seemed her wound was much deeper than I had anticipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, instead of drowning in these complicated thoughts, the priority was to return to the base and treat Mageomhu…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, I sensed something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I twisted my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slash—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tree behind me was cut down and fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I performed a roll across the ground, holding Mageomhu tightly in my arms to minimize the impact on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, I gathered my qi to its maximum and filled my heart with demonic energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bead of sweat formed as I took a defensive stance, eyes locked ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impressive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who had just slashed at me was approaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To think you would sense my attempt to sever your legs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Who are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gust of wind blew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It stirred the old man’s dark gray robe, giving his presence a hazy quality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, hazy yet overwhelmingly vast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crackle—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lightning qi surged around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The qi surrounding the old man resembled that of Mageomhu, yet it felt even more refined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I watched him with trembling eyes, he chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man chuckled softly as he looked at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems I may have made a mistake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understanding the meaning behind Cheonjon’s mention of a mistake, I swallowed hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That previous strike should have been undetectable to me.Under normal circumstances, my legs would have been cut by his sword, but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had managed to evade it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…How sorrowful this demon heart of mine is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the strike landed, I had felt a deadly intent—a suffocating killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is insane.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I licked my lips bitterly, staring at the old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last of the Namgung clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the Three Supremes under heaven and the Supreme of the Namgung family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heavenly Lord (Cheonjon).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An overwhelming aura of killing intent was radiating from his very being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fingers trembled uncontrollably.It was the pressure from the difference in our strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is seriously dangerous.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This killing intent was real. Cheonjon truly intended to kill me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What now?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I furrowed my brow.This was, after all, the territory of Sichuan. If Cheonjon acted this way here, Cheonma might intervene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon should be aware of that, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Does he intend to ignore Cheonma’s warning?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this the beginning of war?It wouldn’t be strange. In my previous life, Cheonjon had broken the pact and started a war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The issue was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why now, of all times?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Sigh.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I carefully laid Mageomhu down on the ground and rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This situation was so sudden that I couldn’t comprehend it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked, focusing all my senses on Cheonjon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is Sichuan… Are you ignoring the warning from the Cult Leader…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to diffuse the situation by mentioning Cheonma’s warning, but then…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt a sharp sensation piercing my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blade had been driven deep into my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as I realized the situation, blood poured from my mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Splurt—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade was withdrawn, leaving a trail of blood staining the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My knees buckled, and I collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Urgh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The qi supporting my body dissipated, and my vision started to fade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sensation was familiar to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was death.Death was approaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Just like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huff… Huff…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As my upper body began to sink, Cheonjon walked past me with slow steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His target seemed to be Mageomhu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached out.Even as my eyes closed, I tried to reach Cheonjon’s feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I missed.All I felt was the cold ground beneath my fingertips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the dimming vision, the last thing I saw was Cheonjon’s hand reaching for Mageomhu’s throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No… I had to stop him somehow, but I couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t stop the darkness from closing in, and I had to face an abrupt end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A building was burning and crumbling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blood that soaked the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day when the bloodline of the Namgung family was eradicated from the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon remembered that day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he forget?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His grandson, who had been called the family head, was left as a mere body on the ground.The Namgung family, which had once ruled over the martial world with their prestige, vanished overnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon could never forget that day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…How tragic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dry voice escaped the old man’s lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you think so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person he wanted an answer from kept her eyes closed, lips sealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Cheonjon, it was a face he had longed to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy who had wiped out his entire clan.The last remaining bloodline of his own in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was also the reason he continued to live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to ask you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did you do it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon wanted to ask her why she had burned down the Namgung family with her own hands.Did she hold so much resentment that she severed her own father’s head?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What drove her to become such a monster?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a question he had longed to ask, yet it no longer mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon’s gaze fell to the hilt clutched in Mageomhu’s hand.Even while unconscious, she held onto it as if she would never let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the symbol of the Namgung family—a relic that bore the command of an ancient ancestor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one acknowledged by Noe-a (Thunder Fang).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That person was the rightful master of Namgung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was what Noe-cheon Ilgeom had declared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon clenched his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What a laughable claim.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just the boast of an ancient ancestor.That’s all it was to Cheonjon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, it was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon had never been able to wield Noe-a. And yet, he had fulfilled the duties of the family head because he was the strongest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same for his successor, the Sword King.He could not wield Noe-a either, yet he became the family head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noe-a had ceased to be an important factor in choosing the family head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How… Why could you?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His great-granddaughter before him could wield Noe-a without any difficulty.And how could someone like her, who held that power, have wiped out her own bloodline?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon could never understand it.This haunted him with a bitter sense of regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had not listened to the council and had not gone to the Martial Alliance…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or, perhaps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If only I had killed you when I first saw you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would this have happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment when she had gripped Noe-a, causing it to shine and reveal its true form.He recalled the yearning in her eyes and the jealousy he felt then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where did things go wrong?Or, perhaps it no longer mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon slowly extended his hand toward Mageomhu.Her slender, pale neck was easily within his grasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Setting foot in Sichuan’s territory was forbidden.That had been Cheonma’s warning to the Three Supremes in the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For years, the Three Supremes had refrained from stepping into Sichuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonma’s overpowering presence instilled despair and fear in them.The most critical reason, however, was that Mu-hui herself had directly instructed him not to go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had said it wasn’t the right time, that there would be an opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon, who had followed no one’s orders, had, ironically, heeded her words and refrained from entering Sichuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That he had secretly hoped for an excuse.A reason to avoid fighting Cheonma, after succumbing to fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How despicable.It was embarrassing even to bear the Namgung name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So perhaps it was a relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Namgung name and all it entailed had perished with him and the child before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Heh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon laughed bitterly.This was all he amounted to, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A being mired in contradiction. Filled with revenge but too afraid to confront Cheonma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man of arrogance, cloaked in self-doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was who he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dark qi grew deeper.Cheonjon wanted to end this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vengeance that had kept him alive would be the end. This time, he would finish…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“....”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was about to snap Mageomhu’s neck, an odd sensation made him hesitate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Something…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something felt wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been hesitant about entering Sichuan out of fear of Cheonma’s power. So why was he here now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Why now?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man’s wish had been to die on the Namgung grounds, with all the wars ended.Why was he here, grasping Mageomhu’s neck?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This unsettling feeling made Cheonjon’s mind feel clouded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why? How did it come to this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to recall why he was even here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know. It felt like a blackened fog had settled in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only clear memory that emerged was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– “Permission granted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the feeling that someone had granted permission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he recalled this, Cheonjon’s eyes sharpened, and his grip tightened around her neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he seemed possessed and ready to fulfill his vengeance—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crrrck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonjon felt something and quickly turned around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But behind him, there was nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A trick of the mind? That thought crossed him momentarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon he realized it wasn’t a trick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because there was supposed to be something there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There should have been a corpse lying there.He had pierced its heart with his own sword, so it should have been there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he looked in that direction, there was nothing left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No blood.No traces of the fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he processed this impossible sight, Cheonjon was about to confirm the situation when—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bzzzzzz.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt a vibration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The direction was to his left. He turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the place from where he sensed the vibration, Cheonjon’s face filled with astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something was there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unmoving figure stood as if staring directly at him.\u003C\u002Fp>",1846,"2026-06-05T15:09:39.032Z",1,"novelbin.me","1378252c735cd66929f23398680c0e6b6da1f0882bda04659444de0c55cc8fe9","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-460","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-458",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]