[{"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-828":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},1240628,1667,"Chapter 827","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-828",828,"\u003Cp>The atmosphere turned icy after I cut him off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How should I handle this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was still mulling it over when—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…was.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Celestial Stream Sect Lord pretended not to notice the interruption and simply continued speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Wow, he’s just pushing through.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to point it out, but since he was about to share information, I held my tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you even realize how disgusting and horrifying it is to call something like that ‘righteous’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah? So?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t delude yourself. You… and your kind… are no true righteous sect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He faltered mid-sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t sure whether to consider me part of the so-called righteous sects or not. That hesitation showed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not a true righteous sect? Then who is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sect Lord rose to his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ilcheon Cult. They’re the true righteous sect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ilcheon Cult? Righteous?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I could question it—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I’ll handle what you’ve asked for. But don’t forget.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The floating swords returned to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a transaction. Just as you aim to get what you want, so does the Celestial Stream Sect…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, yeah. I know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waved dismissively to cut him off before he could ramble any further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I already knew what he wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d told me before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You want to be recognized as righteous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Specifically, he wanted me to pull strings with the Martial Alliance to remove their unorthodox sect label.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Celestial Stream Sect was desperate to escape its unorthodox reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>******************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Sect Lord left, I sat quietly in the room, staring at the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence lingered until I finally spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can come out now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jesus—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I flinched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone who hadn’t been there a moment ago was suddenly sitting in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shadow King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disguised as Yeon Hong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You called for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Ah, yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was hard to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The body was Yeon Hong’s, but the voice was undeniably Shadow King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That disconnect was unsettling, but it felt weird to point it out, so I let it slide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, nothing big. Just wanted to thank you for earlier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that was it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not surprising, so I slowly got up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the Sect Lord gone, I needed to get back to work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I was about to move—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you certain this is fine?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned to look at Shadow King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Letting the old man go. If you wish, I can take care of him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His casual tone made it all the more terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sounded so confident—like killing him would be no trouble at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank God this monster was on my side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nah, doesn’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He had ill intentions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, no doubt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was obvious the Sect Lord was scheming something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t care.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I already expected this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s what I wanted, anyway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I set it up this way on purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sect Lord would make a move sooner or later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had his own motives for working with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t just sit around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I was fine with that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re both disposable. Letting them clash makes my job easier later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was stirring the pot—letting things simmer before I struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially with Ilcheon Sword in mind, I needed the groundwork laid out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything worried me, it was that the Sect Lord might move faster than I expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Judging by today, he’s more cautious than I thought.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed more careful than reckless, so I set that concern aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, there is one problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I trailed off and shifted my gaze away from Shadow King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What he said about the Ilcheon Cult.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re no righteous sect. You’re fake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Ilcheon Cult is the real righteous sect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That line kept replaying in my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why would he say that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I mulled it over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ilcheon Cult. The true righteous sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stroked my chin, deep in thought. Pieces of information were coming together, forming a bigger picture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something felt off. Why did they specifically mention being a true righteous sect?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what exactly is Ilcheon Cult? The situation was still too vague to draw conclusions. Yet, one hypothesis started to take shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something that seemed far-fetched yet oddly plausible if connected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An anomaly the leader of Celestial Stream Sect might have experienced—or was rumored to have experienced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was one thing I knew, even from my previous life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The legacy of Golden Stream Manor and its hidden archives.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In my past life, it was said that they raided the secret vaults of Golden Stream Manor and obtained a great fortune. Even now, it seemed like they had gained something similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as for me… I was certain it couldn’t be Golden Stream Manor’s archives. The reason was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Because I was the one who claimed that legacy.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this life, I had seized the place known as Golden Stream Manor’s secret vault. The treasures hidden there were already mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I even confirmed that the space itself disappeared afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what exactly did the Celestial Stream Sect’s leader gain? I initially assumed it must have come from somewhere else, but then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No way.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if the leader of Celestial Stream Sect had truly obtained Golden Stream Manor’s treasure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what if that treasure was somehow tied to Ilcheon Cult?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Even the name—Ilcheon Cult—is suspicious.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, the title of the greatest under heaven belonged to Yeon Ilcheon. The name was far too similar to ignore, leaving an uneasy feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, there was what the Celestial Stream Sect leader had said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ilcheon Cult is the one true righteous sect.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did that even mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pondered the words carefully, and suddenly, something clicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…A righteous sect?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What does it mean to be righteous?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before explaining the values or beliefs of righteousness, the first question was—who decides what is righteous?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t take long to find the answer. Even this place was a prime example.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The Martial Alliance.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In today’s world, whether something is righteous or not no longer depends on martial values.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, it often comes down to whether one belongs to the Martial Alliance or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And who founded the Martial Alliance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It was Yeon Ilcheon.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeon Ilcheon, the man who stopped the great bloodshed of the past, had created the organization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Hmm.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The name Ilcheon Cult, its connection to Celestial Stream Sect, and the claim of being a true righteous sect—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could all of this really be a coincidence? Or was it just as I suspected?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ilcheon Cult might be tied to Golden Stream Manor.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought about this as I turned my gaze toward someone sitting before me—Amwang (Shadow King).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t help it. Given Amwang’s origins, I had to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Amwang is said to be a descendant of the Yeonga family.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A descendant of the cursed Yeonga bloodline. Wouldn’t he know something?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But if he did know, why hasn’t he said anything about Ilcheon Cult?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if he knew everything, why was he staying silent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ah.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right. I remembered now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Amwang did say he’d personally investigate Ilcheon Cult.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had shown interest and wanted to look further into it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant, even if Amwang wasn’t directly involved, he also sensed something was off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Did Amwang notice something about his own lineage connected to Ilcheon Cult?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was that why he wanted to investigate further?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pieces fit—especially considering that this was Sichuan, the land once associated with the Yeonga family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could Ilcheon Cult really be connected to Golden Stream Manor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And did Amwang already know about it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that were true, what would it mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless questions raced through my mind, and finally, I decided to just ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Amwang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, it’s faster to get answers directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At my call, Amwang looked up at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still disguised as Yeon Hong. It was hard to get used to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ignored the appearance and got straight to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About this Ilcheon Cult matter—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could it be related to Yeon—huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped mid-sentence, my words catching in my throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something felt off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Amwang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you suddenly speaking in that voice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the strange part—his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a moment ago, he had been using his own voice. But now, he was speaking in Yeon Hong’s voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to keep calm as I asked, but Amwang only tilted his head in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean, Young Lord?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? No, I mean…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he messing with me? I was about to tell him to stop playing around when—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sealed door suddenly burst open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was more startled than when Amwang had first appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who the hell barged in like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned toward the door, trying to calm my nerves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who just—?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I saw a face I recognized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bright daylight streamed in from behind the door, highlighting the figure of a man stepping inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not particularly large in stature, but his well-trained muscles hinted at strict discipline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face bore a kind and gentle expression—normally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But right now, his face was twisted into an angry scowl, shattering that gentle impression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Wait… what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was he doing here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared blankly, unable to comprehend the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Young Lord Gu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man alternated his gaze between me and Amwang, still disguised as Yeon Hong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—this wasn’t just any man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the head of the Tang Clan, the one who once ruled poison and steel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The father of Tang So-yeol, and the current vice-leader of the Azure Dragon Division.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Poison King was looking at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Another woman?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for some reason, he looked furious.\u003C\u002Fp>",1605,"2026-06-05T15:10:19.687Z",1,"novelbin.me","908e6ec6d0606027ab52ad8aed95185dcd51416529dc6c2642d0f68efe589188","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-829","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-827",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]