Childhood Friend of the Zenith-Chapter 541
Time flowed swiftly.
Summer passed.
Autumn arrived.
Before long, autumn faded away, giving way to winter once again.
This cycle of parting repeated.
Three years.
Before anyone realized it, three years had passed.
To some, this might seem like a fleeting moment.
However, within the martial world, those brief years were filled with countless events.
The first major piece of news came when the Martial Alliance announced the heinous crimes committed by the Tang Clan.
It was revealed that the Sichuan Tang Clan had conducted inhumane experiments for their own gain, even resorting to the long-standing abduction of children to fuel these experiments.
As the news spread, many were enraged.
"Punish the Tang Clan!""How could a renowned righteous clan stoop so low?"
The uproar was far greater than anyone anticipated.
Although the elders who orchestrated the scheme were all executed,
such measures were insufficient to quell the public's outrage against the Tang Clan.
"The Tang Clan is no longer one of the Four Great Noble Houses.""How can a clan that committed such atrocities still hold such a title?"
Rumors like these began to circulate, spreading from small whispers to widespread discussions across Zhongyuan.
Adding fuel to the fire was the Tang Clan’s decision to halt all their ongoing operations and retreat behind closed doors, issuing an apology in the process.
As seasons passed, fewer and fewer people referred to the Tang Clan as one of the Four Great Noble Houses.
The once-fiery scandal surrounding the Tang Clan faded, leaving only speculation about which family might rise to fill the now-vacant position among the noble houses.
The second major event emerged from Sichuan.
Reports from the region, later confirmed by the Martial Alliance, revealed that crimson-ranked Magyeong Gates had begun to open.
This news caused a significant stir.
Crimson-ranked Magyeong Gates, which had not appeared for centuries, were now emerging.
The devastation they brought was severe.
While Zhongyuan’s peace had endured despite the appearance of demonic beasts, this was largely because the green- and blue-ranked beasts posed relatively low threats, and martial artists of moderate skill could handle them.
However, crimson-ranked beasts were an entirely different matter.
Peak-level martial artists.
Even a group of such warriors needed to band together to hunt a single crimson-ranked beast.
This led to a sudden surge in the importance of peak-level martial artists.
Fortunately, the expected catastrophe spanning five, even ten years,
resulted in far less damage than anticipated.
The reason for this was the intervention of an anonymous informant.
As soon as the news of crimson-ranked Magyeong Gates spread,
this informant provided a detailed method for handling crimson-ranked beasts.
"Crimson-ranked beasts are surrounded by a rotating barrier made of Qi.""The barrier protects their entire body and absorbs incoming energy.""However, if a peak-level martial artist focuses intensely, they can discern a gap in the rotating barrier. Aim for that."
Initially, this seemed too far-fetched to believe.
But it didn’t take long for its truth to be confirmed.
Thanks to this strategy, the immense damage that could have occurred was mitigated significantly.
Moreover, the rarity of crimson-ranked Magyeong Gates compared to other ranks also played a role.
What mattered most, however,
was that the era once called the “Era of Peace” had begun to show cracks.
The third event concerned a shift in leadership within the Martial Alliance.
After Nakgeom Jangcheon’s departure, the Alliance needed to appoint a new leader, which sparked political conflicts.
Although the process of selecting a leader was conducted in secret within the Alliance,
some information became known.
It was said that the leader of the Wudang Sect and the head of the Peng Family vied for the position.
Before long, news broke that the Wudang Sword Saint had risen to the position of Alliance Leader, succeeding Nakgeom Jangcheon.
This was an unprecedented occurrence.
Since the founding of the Martial Alliance, this marked the first time a martial artist from a sect had become its leader.
Finally, the fourth event.
In Qinghai, a crimson-ranked Magyeong Gate went out of control.
This led to the death of Yi Bijin, the Sword of Qinghai and leader of the Kunlun Sect.
*
A plain in the Guangdong region.
There, a man knelt on the ground, bleeding heavily.
“Urgh…”
He spat blood onto the dirt as he supported himself.
Drip, drip—
Dark crimson blood trickled down, a clear sign that the man’s life was at its end.
His left arm was grotesquely twisted,
and the center of his chest was unnaturally sunken.
The pain was excruciating,
but despite this, the man laughed.
“Haha…”
The man’s name was Do Mun-gang.
Though no one called him that anymore, only a few years ago, he had been known as one of the Five Demonic Kings.
Do Mun-gang, the Demonic Fist of Nine Blows (구권적마).
A grandmaster of the Hua state, renowned for crushing his enemies with just nine punches.
Now, he was dying on the soil of Guangdong.
“…Ridiculous.”
Covered in blood, Do Mun-gang raised his head.
At the edge of his failing vision stood a figure.
Clad in a martial artist’s robe, a blend of azure and black, the person stood with their hands clasped behind their back, calmly staring at him.
Do Mun-gang’s trembling lips curled into a faint smile.
“…I didn’t even touch you, did I?”
“You grazed me.”
The voice was steady,
its tone youthful, almost melodic, prompting Do Mun-gang to laugh bitterly.
“…Ha…”
His unrivaled martial art, known for never missing its mark,
had been utterly destroyed.
He had barely managed to graze his opponent.
Decades of training,
defeated by a youth who seemed barely past his twenties.
“Ridiculous…”
Do Mun-gang chuckled again and lowered his head.
He no longer had the strength to lift it.
As his vision darkened, he asked one final question.
“…May I know your name?”
He wanted to hear it.
The name of the martial artist who had utterly defeated him.
And beyond that,
The name of someone he believed would one day become the Greatest Under Heaven (고금제일인).
The youth’s pale blue eyes sparkled as they replied,
“A name? Just call me the third son of the Gu family.”
“…The Gu family…”
Hearing this, a face flashed through Do Mun-gang’s mind.
A monstrous man who had once placed restrictions upon him.
The surname matched.
Could this youth be that man’s child?
He remembered hearing that the man had a son, but he couldn’t recall the name.
Still,
‘…No, it can’t be…’
He quickly dismissed the thought.
That monster had used fiery techniques,
whereas this youth had not.
This youth had defeated him purely through hand-to-hand combat. It couldn’t be the same family.
Satisfied with this conclusion, Do Mun-gang asked another question.
“Then… do you have a title?”
“A title?”
The youth tilted their head slightly.
A moment of thought.
Or perhaps hesitation.
After a few seconds,
the youth finally spoke.
“Cheonma.”
Hearing this, Do Mun-gang’s thoughts churned.
“…Cheonma…”
The Blood Demon.
An arrogant title, yet one that seemed to fit the youth perfectly.
With that thought, Do Mun-gang let his head fall.
And he met his death.
“…Hmm.”
The youth dusted their hands off,
gazing at Do Mun-gang’s lifeless body with little emotion.
Then, they reached into their robes and retrieved a letter.
It was a letter left by their master,
bearing the seal of the Beggars’ Sect Leader.
The sight of the seal made the youth grimace slightly.
It was clear this wouldn’t be an ordinary matter.
What kind of absurdity had been sent this time?
The thought alone made them uneasy.
They unfolded the letter and scanned its contents.
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“…Ah.”
The first line of text caused their eyes to widen.
It was unexpected.
“Announcement: The Divine Dragon Martial Tournament will be held.”
A sudden and bewildering declaration.
Why now?
Though baffled,
the youth found themselves smiling.
Perhaps this wasn’t so bad after all.
“At least it’s a reason to start moving.”
Crunch.
They folded the letter haphazardly and stuffed it into their robes,
then looked up at the sky.
And spoke.
“Come down.”
As they stared at the sun,
a ferocious roar echoed from above.
ROAR!
Something plummeted from the sky at incredible speed.
BOOM! CRASH!
The earth trembled as a massive impact sent dust flying.
When the dust cleared,
Growl…
The youth was perched atop a massive beast with azure scales.
As they stroked its scales, they muttered,
“Let’s head home. If we’re late, that old man will throw another fit.”
Growl!
With a powerful leap, the beast took to the sky.
Whoosh!
It moved with incredible speed,
the scenery below blurring in an instant.
As the wind whipped through their hair,
the youth clenched and unclenched their fists repeatedly, lost in thought.
“This should do for preparation.”
It had taken longer than expected,
but the foundation was set.
Now, it seemed, the time had come.
Yes.
It was time.
“Let’s begin.”
Time to unleash their full potential.
