[{"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-765":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},1240565,1667,"Chapter 764","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-765",765,"\u003Cp>Ilcheong Sword stood frozen, as if his mind had short-circuited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other members of the Martial Alliance, including Bumdong, looked equally shaken—like they’d just been hit by an earthquake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Connections were always a useful thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was reminded of that once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Hah.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was because Heavenly Lord had intervened to defuse the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to him, my head cooled off a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With my current body, I wouldn’t have been able to handle a fight against Ilcheong Sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I might have pulled off a victory, but the plan would’ve gone up in flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now that we’re done talking, can we go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ilcheong Sword furrowed his brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clearly had more he wanted to say, but with Heavenly Lord standing right there, he swallowed it down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he shot me a sharp glare before eventually giving in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I’ll escort you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that, he folded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>******************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The path to the pavilion was clear once the first obstacle was removed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Ilcheong Sword personally leading the way—and the location not being far to begin with—it didn’t take long to arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we moved, I glanced around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A lot of personnel.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had counted forty earlier, but there were even more stationed inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was far fewer than the Alliance’s original forces, it was still a sizable number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One thing, however, stood out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Where did the rest of them go?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three division leaders were here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ilcheong Sword, Twin Blade Sword, and the last one…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Probably the Golden Dragon Division Leader.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the two swords hanging at his waist, he fit the description of someone who practiced dual-sword techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The One Dragon Division Leader was confirmed dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Red Dragon Division Leader was a separate matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I already knew what the Wind Dragon Division Leader was up to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So where were the others?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They weren’t around when the monsters attacked, so I thought they were all here.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that clearly wasn’t the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So where did they go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had one guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hoped I was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I wasn’t, my faint respect for the Alliance would turn to outright resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We continued walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, we arrived at the pavilion—the site of the martial arts tournament and my earlier clash with the Poison King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To think I’d end up back here in this battered state so soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What a joke.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared straight ahead, suppressing the bitter thoughts creeping in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crimson barrier was still intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was surrounded by a large group of people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell are we supposed to do?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry up and try again! The Alliance Leader is still trapped inside!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re doing everything we can!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gathered crowd was visibly distressed, staring helplessly at the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recognized the uniforms of prestigious martial clans and the crests of wealthy merchant families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was strength or wealth, the people here represented the pillars of the Central Plains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I scanned the scene, my gaze settled on a figure standing at the forefront.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An old man with an expression twisted in fury—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Look at that face. He’s about ready to cut someone down.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current Martial Alliance Leader, the Wudang Sword Saint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gone was the benevolence typical of a Daoist elder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked more like a demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the clear skies, he likely knew the worst of the attack was over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, his expression showed no relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So he knows.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t a fool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must’ve realized the Alliance’s image—and his own authority—was crumbling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trapped and unable to act, he could only stew in anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood that feeling all too well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How satisfying.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oddly, it lifted my mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling unexpectedly cheerful, I pushed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I brushed past the guards blocking my way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excuse me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Urgh—! What the—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, yeah. Move aside. I’m in a hurry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I forced my way through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I finally reached the front, I saw the scene up close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near the barrier, a group of martial artists stood wearing uniforms marked with the character for “wind” (風).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Wind Dragon Division.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were one of the Eight Sword Divisions, specializing in formations and tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the center—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Division Leader! Please, stop! You’re going to hurt yourself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let us handle the rest. Please…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surrounded by people trying to restrain him, an old man knelt before the barrier, his hands trembling as he touched it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Bima Pa, the Wind Dragon Division Leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite his frail body, he kept working on the barrier, his hands visibly shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was trying to break the seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Not much use, though.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was acting under my orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huu… Huuu…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bima Pa looked like he could collapse at any moment, yet he didn’t stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching him, I narrowed my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Looks like my guess was right.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d hoped to be wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the situation was playing out exactly as I feared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been estimated that even with Bima Pa’s help, breaking the barrier would take half a day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The half-day estimate was only possible because Bima Pa, the Wind Dragon Division Leader, was an expert among experts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anyone else had tried, it would’ve taken days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It spoke volumes about her skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, she was the reason the process could be shortened to just half a day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And sure enough—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The barrier’s gotten a little thinner.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crimson barrier looked slightly faded compared to before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s still going to take a while.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had only dimmed a bit. Fully dispelling it would take much longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I frowned, contemplating my next move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half a day was too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to break the barrier sooner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why I was even using Bima Pa in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But this might get annoying.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What should I do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I studied the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the eye, it just looked like a normal magical seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as Pillduma had boasted, it had enough power to restrain three of the Ten Grand Masters and several martial artists at the Hwagyeong level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is it really that hard to undo?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Activating my Insight Vision, I examined the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even turning it on was a struggle, thanks to my internal injuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Oh.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could see it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A web of countless intertwined threads—so tangled it was impossible to tell where they began or ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The threads formed the barrier, and it seemed Bima Pa was carefully unraveling them to find the starting point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I realized something immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No wonder it’s going to take half a day.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When was she supposed to untangle all of this and find the starting point?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is the most tedious work I’ve ever seen.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling a headache coming on, I examined it more closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Hmm.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I squinted, looking for clues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Still can’t figure out the principles.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t understand how it functioned or produced such effects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that I’d expected to—I’d never studied formations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A shame.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I could figure it out, it’d be a useful power to exploit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with Pillduma gone, there was no point in dwelling on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hmm.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shifted my focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tangled threads…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were packed so densely that finding any gaps seemed impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, not long after, I noticed something strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several of the threads were glowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What’s this?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why were those threads shining differently?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I traced them with my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the threads, though tangled, converged toward one spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That spot was somewhere on the ground beneath the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like an ordinary patch of dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring Bima Pa, I headed there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was about six steps away from the group of martial artists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the many glowing threads, several converged at this point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t look special at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at it for a moment before reaching out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuuung—!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barrier trembled as soon as my hand touched it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“D-Division Leader! The barrier’s reacting!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could it be? Is there progress?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking it was Bima Pa’s doing, the others turned to her with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ignored them and focused on the sensation at my fingertips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuuung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuuuuung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Energy pulsed against my hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The formation, which had seemed complex from afar, felt different up close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This feels… familiar.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d felt this before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought about it for a moment—then remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ah.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pillduma’s hideout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was similar to the formation I’d touched there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this one was far more intricate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The threads began writhing violently, as if rejecting my touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuuuuuung—!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…T-This can’t be! The formation’s destabilizing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If this keeps up… we’ll have to recalculate everything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it! Why now?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others panicked, thinking their progress had been ruined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I didn’t get it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why start over?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vibrations were wild, sure, but the source wasn’t the chaotic threads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the glowing threads I’d grabbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why bother with the start or end points?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long would it take to find those?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why not just rip the right thread?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I’d already found a critical thread, why not simply pull it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as I thought of it, I gripped the thread and yanked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snap—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tore easily—almost too easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My eyes widened in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was it this fragile?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had I pulled the wrong one?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before I could second-guess myself—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuuuuuuuuung—!!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barrier quivered violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guuuuuuuung—!!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starting from the point where the thread snapped, the barrier began to unravel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah—!! D-Division Leader! You did it—huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were about to cheer—until they realized the barrier’s collapse hadn’t started with Bima Pa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their eyes all turned toward me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their faces clearly said, What the hell just happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave them an awkward smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, uh… it just seemed like it was taking too long, so I tried something… and it worked? Haha. Lucky, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Haha…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I forced a laugh, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one laughed with me.\u003C\u002Fp>",1634,"2026-06-05T15:10:17.629Z",1,"novelbin.me","2661b01790110a48ece21c8401f980c60774caad13f2d6c198105c5d741feac2","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-766","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-764",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]