[{"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-745":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},1240795,1667,"Chapter 744","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-745",745,"\u003Cp>“This is Mount Hua.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words struck me, stopping my thoughts cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did he just say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could this place possibly be Mount Hua?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked around. All I saw was darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been that way from the beginning—and it hadn’t changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Splash—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every step I took stirred the ink-like liquid covering the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This hollow, empty space—how could it be Mount Hua?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not explaining enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I voiced my confusion, my tone sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been to Mount Hua before. How could this place possibly be it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it a metaphor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t the real world, after all. That thought crossed my mind as I looked back at the old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the look in his eyes forced me to narrow mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a metaphor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This is Mount Hua. The flowers withered, and the skies collapsed, but this is Mount Hua.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This place…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yes.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t get it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t make sense, especially his earlier claim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had failed to stop the Blood Demon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the root of the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean you couldn’t seal the Blood Demon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget this strange space—how had they failed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Are you saying you came from another world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Perhaps.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man’s bitter laugh made me frown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Maybe I did. At the very least, this isn’t the world I knew.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t Shin Noya—the Shin Noya I knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was that why something about him felt off?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought crossed my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another world?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A possibility I hadn’t considered surfaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if this old man was Shin Noya—but not from this world?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pieces of my thoughts tangled together, twisting out of place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was that even possible?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was—how?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Parallel worlds?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t unthinkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d experienced something similar before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Infinite worlds, each diverging until the desired ending is achieved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A grim concept—but one I’d already accepted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if this old man was Shin Noya—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Shin Noya from a world that failed to stop the Blood Demon—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then how did you get here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the first question I had to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It shouldn’t have been possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The very idea of there being two Shin Noyas was absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response, the old man said—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[For a moment, I dreamed of hope.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice sounded old and worn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I dreamed that perhaps… a miracle had happened. But it was nothing more than a delusion.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You asked why I’m here.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I don’t know. The last thing I saw was the end of my world.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blackened world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ink covering the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shapeless, unrecognizable forms filling the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this truly what the old man had seen as his world’s end?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[All I could do was wait. Wait for the world to collapse entirely.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You waited here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Yes. Even though the plum blossoms no longer bloomed, this was still Mount Hua.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The end of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A world that failed to stop the Blood Demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This horrifying, desolate place—was that what it looked like?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s nothing here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only ink that rippled unpleasantly and endless shadows that hid everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothingness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place was truly empty—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for the massive rock the old man sat upon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[As I waited for the end,]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I closed my eyes for just a moment. And when I opened them—I was here.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It was unfamiliar at first. But somehow, I knew. This was the cave in Shaanxi.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A collapsing world—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then he woke up in Shaanxi’s cave?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was too bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why had it happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t make sense of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I didn’t believe it either. How could I?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the old man hadn’t understood it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could anyone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[But I had to believe it.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the absurdity, he had clung to hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he be so quick to believe something so unbelievable?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as I asked, I already knew the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Because I thought it was a miracle.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew exactly how that felt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I, too, had turned back time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it was irrational—miracles were something you wanted to believe in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was human nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Even if it couldn’t happen—even if it made no sense—I wanted to believe that the heavens showed mercy and gave me another chance.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A miracle at the end of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Even if the world had ended, a miracle saved Zhongyuan. And I, too, survived as a spirit in this land. I believed I had been given this chance because I had unfinished work.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clenched my fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood him too well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I let myself believe that lie. Ridiculous, wasn’t it? That Shin Cheol could fall into such foolishness.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He laughed bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His situation wasn’t much different from mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only difference was his belief in a higher purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If what he said was true, then it made sense—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[If anything, I wished time would rewind. But that was impossible. So instead…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cut him off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man looked at me, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I had to stop him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because something he’d just said didn’t sit right with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Time rewinding… impossible?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something about that line caught my attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, time travel was impossible—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For most people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I knew otherwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How can he be so certain?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anyone should have known better, it was him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me ask you one thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Go ahead.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know the secret of Yeon Ilcheon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hm?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He should have known Yeon Ilcheon was a regressor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’d already encountered someone who turned back time, he wouldn’t have dismissed the idea so firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, regression is unbelievable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something about his reaction felt off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I pressed further, bringing up Yeon Ilcheon as bait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[What are you talking about? What secret?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chill ran down my spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man had no idea Yeon Ilcheon was a regressor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he pretending not to know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if he genuinely didn’t know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeon Ilcheon never regressed in his world?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That would mean…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his world existed before Yeon Ilcheon turned back time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if that’s why they failed to stop the Blood Demon—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Shit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My trembling hands rubbed down my face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breathing quickened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to calm myself, but it wasn’t working.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Boy? What’s wrong?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Give me a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A splitting headache tore through me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I forced my thoughts into order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A world where Yeon Ilcheon never regressed.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world resets itself endlessly, creating and destroying timelines until it reaches the desired outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what I’d been told.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Could this be one of those abandoned timelines?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A timeline where Yeon Ilcheon never turned back time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And failed to stop the Blood Demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that was true—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Does regression even mean turning back time?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or is it jumping to another world entirely?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that’s the case—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Then what happened to the world I came from?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world where the Divine Sword defeated the Heavenly Demon and brought peace—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What happened to that world?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They said timelines reset until the desired outcome is reached.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I was thrown into another timeline—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What happened to the one I left behind?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What happened to the Divine Sword?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold sweat ran down my back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Then what was the Divine Sword I met?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one I absorbed using the Demonic Devouring Art to save her—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who guided me and gave me strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one my mother told me to protect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This wasn’t supposed to happen.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this really was a different world, then what became of her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Boy. Are you alright?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…No. I’m fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A world reset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless lives erased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether hundreds or thousands or even tens of thousands of people died—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of that mattered to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing that mattered—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The Divine Sword.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one person I was willing to risk everything for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this timeline erased her—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[What is Yeon Ilcheon’s secret?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Forget it. I was just testing you. Don’t worry about it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hmm?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man didn’t look convinced, but I couldn’t tell him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because another question had surfaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If this is a world where Yeon Ilcheon never regressed…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if it truly reached its end—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How did this old man survive?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How was he still here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long had he been in that cave?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This never happened in my past life.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no records of Mount Hua’s Sword Saint being found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No mention of Yung Pung inheriting his legacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d always assumed the difference was because of my actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Was this really caused by me?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two Shin Noyas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit trapped in the ancient cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was all of this really my doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Who?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who brought this old man here—and why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it truly some miracle that his soul remained?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There are no miracles in this world.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even my regression wasn’t a miracle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything happening now—it wasn’t random.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeon Ilcheon’s words echoed in my mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Does your regression really seem like a miracle?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, I brushed it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, after everything—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There are no miracles.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything was deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A result of someone’s plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This old man didn’t end up here by chance.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone wanted this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But who?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for what purpose?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Who the hell—’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who set all of this in motion?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My jaw tightened as I ground my teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I don’t know.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No answers came to mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what should I do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Find someone who knows.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Find someone who could shed light on this mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two possibilities came to mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Myung, the Thunder Blade of Murim hiding in Sinjiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d already told me to seek him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might have answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But getting to him wouldn’t be easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The second option.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one more likely to have the answers I needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one most closely tied to this chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…The Blood Demon.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The harbinger of disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I wanted answers—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I would have to face him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>******************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A suffocating chill filled the underground chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Mmm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure sitting in the darkness slowly opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crimson irises gleamed, piercing through the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the icy air thickened, the figure let out a long, deliberate breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Hoo…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frost spread outward with his exhalation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His condition was appalling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His left arm had been torn off, and what remained was covered in burn marks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The burns stretched across his face, leaving half of it scorched and disfigured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below his waist, his legs were completely destroyed—reduced to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, despite being reduced to such a state, he was awake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—I can feel it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A familiar presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled softly, a rare warmth in the midst of his ruined body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could sense it clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Savoring the sensation, he whispered to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—I’ll need to prepare tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The finest, most expensive tea he could find.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice lingered in the air, carrying an eerie calmness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood Demon (Dokgo Jun) closed his eyes once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sleep overtook him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, it was impossible to resist.\u003C\u002Fp>",1859,"2026-06-05T15:10:16.200Z",1,"novelbin.me","fba5bb58f02c29a8d700c89cb0b588caa5db81fe4ef88ad75f03ce2226d3623b","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-746","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-744",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]