[{"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-527":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},1240353,1667,"Chapter 526","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-527",527,"\u003Cp>As the sun began to set, I stepped outside my quarters to stretch my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the time I lost consciousness, which was just past noon, I must have been out for several hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stretching lightly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain coursed through my body—not just muscle soreness, but the kind of pain that felt like my entire body had been broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was undeniably painful,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is manageable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the agony of using Tua Pacheonmu, this was nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This level of pain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking back to the torture I endured in my past life, this was hardly worth flinching over. Considering I survived with all my limbs intact back then, it was nothing short of a miracle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other demons had their eyes gouged out and tongues ripped off when captured, but I’d only had my vocal cords damaged. In hindsight, I’d say I was lucky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though, now that I think about it…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It wasn’t luck, was it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suspect it was someone’s doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can’t be sure, but looking back now, it feels like there was some kind of intervention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The events I went through couldn’t have been mere coincidences—they felt too deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like a fog lifting after my last conversation with Tang Jemoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My perspective on Cheonma and other matters had shifted since then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps I had been deliberately avoiding the truth—or maybe I simply didn’t want to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, though, I can feel a clarity that wasn’t there before, as if the haze has been swept away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could Tang Jemoon have done something?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can’t say for sure, but her words lingered in my mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She claimed to have erased the veil of forgetfulness that hung over me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rotated my arms, ignoring the pain that shot through my spine and into my skull. Slowly, I assessed the aftereffects of my earlier strain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain aside,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My energy flow feels off.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sensation of my qi not circulating properly wasn’t an illusion—it was very real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this the backlash from using an incompatible artifact? If so, the efficiency is terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While not debilitating, I estimated that my strength would be reduced by about 30% in actual combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silver lining was,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The recovery doesn’t seem like it’ll take too long.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with the strain on my body, my recovery rate was impressively fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I stretched, I could feel my tired meridians healing and my sore muscles recovering quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like the pain spurred the blood to circulate more rapidly, allowing me to feel the recovery in real-time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not bad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t the first time I noticed it—similar thoughts had crossed my mind after taking a beating from Paejon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only had my durability increased, but injuries that should have left me bedridden for weeks healed in just days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A resilient body capable of enduring harsh trials—an invaluable asset for what lay ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the immediate pain, the gains were undeniable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can use any artifact.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s still not entirely certain, but I feel confident in the idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought back to how I had managed to convert Thunder Qi into Fire Qi while using Noe-a and began to consider Guijeong as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Was it really ignorance of Guijeong’s potential that kept me from utilizing it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a light touch of my will, I felt Guijeong stir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it appeared to be just a strip of cloth, it was undoubtedly an artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shape-shifting one, capable of taking various forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question was,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there a reason I can use this thing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since I discovered I could wield Noe-a, that thought had lingered in my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once blood-red, Guijeong had turned blue at some point—around the time I shed my old self.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no coincidence. Anyone could see that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guijeong had changed as I changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And not just Guijeong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssshh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From my hand emerged the little Red Water Snake, now with shimmering blue scales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even its appearance had transformed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once a simple serpent, the creature now possessed a form that could shift at will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the moment, it appeared as a slender snake, but it could grow massive—a size comparable to a small ox—if it desired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching its tongue flicker innocently, I asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, where have you been?”Ssshh?“Seriously, where have you been all this time? I haven’t seen you around.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With everything that had been happening recently, I hadn’t paid much attention to the snake. But now, seeing it so calm and not even begging for food, it seemed it had been fending for itself just fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Surely you didn’t transform into that massive form and go hunting, did you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While not as large as some demonic beasts, its appearance stood out enough to attract attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The radiant blue scales, the fur along its body—it was clearly something more than a simple beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it roamed around in its original form, it could cause trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’ve been doing something like that, be careful. If you cause any issues, I’ll eat you myself.”Ssshh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It shivered slightly at my words, almost as if guilty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll have to figure out what’s going on with you too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Born from the egg left behind by the Red Water Snake, nourished by my energy, this creature had become something else entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I mused over these matters, I couldn’t help but laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So much to do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tasks kept piling up, more and more as time went on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After confirming my body’s condition, I steadied my breathing and performed a Qi Conversion Technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My bones twisted as my body gradually reverted to its former state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sensation of my viewpoint lowering was always unsettling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haa…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a weary gaze, I looked around, sensing movement in the underbrush nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, someone appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There you are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frowning slightly as she approached, it was none other than Moyong Hee-ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at her and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it over?”“…Over?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t seem to like my question, as her gaze turned sharper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s with that look?”“You’re seriously asking that?”“Yeah.”“Ha…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moyong Hee-ah sighed deeply before continuing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could you just leave us like that? We nearly suffocated in there…!”“What? Father said he’d be leaving soon anyway, so I thought it’d be fine. He even said it was alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d mentioned to my father that I wanted to step out to check my condition, and he had granted permission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was awkward being around Namgung Bi-ah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Awkward? No, you were just embarrassed.]\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For once, I couldn’t refute Shin Noya’s jab. Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, Moyong Hee-ah didn’t know what was going through my mind and simply seemed displeased with the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not about whether it was fine. Just leaving like that…ugh.”“Are you really that upset? Did Father say something to you?”“No. He didn’t say anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That, she muttered under her breath, was the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He just stayed quiet the whole time…and then said he had something to do and left.”“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he left so quickly, it likely meant his work wasn’t done yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he came to see me despite being in the middle of something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, considering the Poison King’s request wasn’t a simple matter, that made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I contemplated, Moyong Hee-ah, struggling to hide her fatigue, asked me in a somewhat exasperated tone,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Fine. Let’s say I’ll let that slide. But, Young Master.”“Hmm?”“…What’s going on this time?”“…What do you mean?”“This incident—it’s connected to you, isn’t it?”“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once again, I was struck by how she seemed to know everything. Her certainty was a little frightening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I decided to feign ignorance, just as I had before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What are you talking about? What does this have to do with me?”“Really? Nothing?”“Of course.”“Then why are your eyes lying?”“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words made me instinctively avert my gaze, only to realize that doing so was as good as admitting guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, Moyong Hee-ah exhaled sharply, her expression filled with certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Tch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She clicked her tongue, clearly not about to let this go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not going to let this slide, are you?”“…I haven’t even said anything yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even before I spoke, her resolute answer made it clear—I wasn’t escaping this conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What should I do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s not like this information will stay hidden for long anyway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering the Poison King’s actions and Moyong Hee-ah’s information network, it wouldn’t take her long to piece things together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keeping that in mind, there wasn’t much point in hiding it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a quick mental review to filter out what couldn’t be said, I gave her a condensed version of the information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Human experimentation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moyong Hee-ah’s reaction was immediate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While she seemed unfazed by details about past plans or the elder’s schemes, the mention of human experimentation to create miraculous elixirs clearly hit a nerve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her response wasn’t simply shock at the atrocity—it was more than that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…And the Poison King is acting like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with such a scandal, she couldn’t understand his actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Executing the elder responsible, moving to deal with the third and fourth elders—it was all too drastic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absorbing their factions would be challenging enough, but handling it so openly would provoke significant backlash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Moyong Hee-ah found it incomprehensible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If it were me, I’d feel the same way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lack of prior knowledge about such incidents was itself a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Poison King might be trying to prove his innocence by acting so decisively, but that wasn’t the only explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s too bold.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only bold but conspicuously so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than covering things up, he seemed to want everyone to know about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He even contacted the Alliance, didn’t he?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apparently, a message detailing the situation had been sent to the Martial Alliance as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s his endgame?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His intentions were impossible to decipher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this spread across Zhongyuan, the consequences could be catastrophic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If things go badly, the Tang Clan could lose its place among the Four Great Clans.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The power structure could shift dramatically, given the number of prominent families vying to replace the Tang Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Poison King undoubtedly understood the risks involved in such actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Unless.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One possibility came to mind—the Poison King might be trying to force the Martial Alliance’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By exposing the situation, he could compel the Alliance to intervene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s too dangerous a gamble.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that were the plan, he would have handled it with more secrecy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t get it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, the Poison King’s motives were entirely unclear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I mulled over these thoughts, Moyong Hee-ah suddenly exclaimed,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widened as if she’d realized something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Could it be? So that’s why?”“What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her pupils quivered as though she’d pieced something together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What…”“Young Master, I have to go.”“Huh? Hey, wait…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I could stop her, Moyong Hee-ah spun around and sprinted away, disappearing into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Guess she’s feeling better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold energy that had previously been affecting her seemed to have subsided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if I’d wanted to, I could have caught her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in my current state, she wasn’t fast enough to evade me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I let her go, curious about what she’d realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning my gaze away from her retreating figure, I looked toward the shadows behind me and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a while. Feeling better now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At my words, the bushes rustled lightly before a figure emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man clad in black robes stepped forward, approaching me at a leisurely pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It’s been a while.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Paejon, who had been absent for days. Where had he been all this time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Appearing only after the dust had settled—how convenient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, an incident happened, huh? A big one, it seems. And…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon glanced around before continuing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your father was here too, wasn’t he?”“How do you know that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had they crossed paths?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I studied Paejon, he smirked and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who else could emit such intense heat? Only your father.”“…Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a reasonable answer, so I nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, as I looked at him, I couldn’t resist asking,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And by the way…”“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now was the perfect time to ask something that had been bothering me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I fixed my gaze on him and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you talk so casually, little brother?”“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, it had been a while since I’d seen him, but hierarchy was hierarchy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the seventh night passed, I was still the elder one.\u003C\u002Fp>",2043,"2026-06-05T15:10:08.481Z",1,"novelbin.me","a8328769025d420c00d12fd3bb873c295d4f55cdc9f656d280781ab4a271f9b6","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-528","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-526",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]