Childhood Friend of the Zenith-Chapter 647: The ultimate form of Nine Flames Firewheel (1)

I came back to life and we continue!

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Hiss...

The cold energy poured down relentlessly, its pressure so immense that I could barely breathe.

“Urgh...!”

I clenched my mouth shut, letting out muffled grunts—the most defiance I could muster.

Ssss! The energy forced its way in, expanding my meridians painfully.

Trying to resist was futile.

If I try to block it, I’ll explode.

The energy was too overwhelming. If I tried to stem its flow, my body would give out entirely.

The relentless cold bypassed my meridians and began accumulating directly in my heart. No, "accumulating" ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) wasn’t the right word—it was being crammed in forcefully, with no regard for limits.

The icy energy from the North Sea, combined with the cold within the Palace Lord, was being shoved into me all at once.

Damn it.

My mind raced for solutions, but the sheer volume of energy left me with no choice but to endure.

It felt like trying to bottle up an entire ocean wave.

Despite knowing it couldn’t handle more, Ma-do Cheon-heup-gong refused to stop, greedily devouring the energy as if trying to consume it all.

The cold energy continued flooding my body, and while Nine Flames Firewheel tried to neutralize it with heat, the balance was far from equal.

“Grrk...!”

Frost escaped from my lips as I exhaled, cold energy seeping out from within me. This had never happened before, even after mastering fiery techniques.

The expanded meridians twisted in pain, my vessel stretched to its limits.

I had already expanded my vessel through extreme means, but even that wasn’t enough. The cold energy had filled me completely, leaving no room for release.

Even worse, the energy wasn’t just any energy—it was pure, unrelenting frost.

If I couldn’t dissolve it with heat, my body would freeze solid from the inside out.

A no-win situation.

That’s what I faced.

Shit.

Had I known this would happen, I wouldn’t have even touched it. What I initially thought was a fortuitous opportunity had turned into a knife at my throat.

The cold of the North Sea is pouring into me.

Was this a chain reaction triggered by the destruction of the Ice Essence and the collapse of the Palace Lord?

Damn it all.

This wasn’t just some random energy—it was the accumulation of centuries. The royal bloodline had sacrificed their life force to amass this energy over hundreds of years, and now it was all pouring into me.

Was this meant for Mang?

It was possible. Mang had been gathering energy for his resurrection but failed at the last moment. Perhaps this energy was originally meant for him.

Crunch!

“Argh!”

The energy swelled past my meridians, causing my muscles to bulge unnaturally. My body began to twist under the sheer pressure.

What do I do?

My vessel was at its limit. With no space left, the excess energy was spilling into my physical body.

I could barely hold it in, but once it overwhelmed my body, I would...

Explode.

My body would rupture from the pressure, releasing the frost back into the North Sea, which would then plunge into a deadly eternal winter.

With the Ice Essence destroyed, there would be no way to contain it.

The North Sea will become a frozen wasteland.

Hiss...!

The cold crept along my arms and back, spreading through my body. My skin began to freeze, unable to keep up with the overwhelming frost.

Crack.

My hand, still pressed against the Palace Lord, was freezing solid. If I died here, the North Sea would truly be finished.

I clicked my tongue bitterly at the thought.

That’s not acceptable.

I didn’t care much about the North Sea. Honestly, whether it froze over or not had little to do with me.

But...

There are people here.

Woo Hyuk could rot for all I cared—he’d caused this mess, after all. Paejon would survive no matter where you threw him; that wasn’t a concern.

Even that damned Sword Demon could turn into the Heavenly Killing Star and wreak havoc for all I cared.

But Namgung Bi-ah and Tang So-yeol...

They can’t die here.

So, what do I do?

I wasn’t afraid of dying. But the thought of my death leading to theirs—that was a fear I couldn’t shake.

Was this regret?

No.

It wasn’t regret—it was greed.

My Authority as a dragon was greed itself. I had too much ambition to let it end here.

So...

What should I do?

Yangcheon.

Don’t ask the question.

You already know the answer.

Idiot.

I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. Was I asking myself questions now? Had I gone completely insane?

Whoosh!

I began circulating my energy.

Ssss!

Sensing the movement, the cold energy rampaged even more violently.

Ma-do Cheon-heup-gong continued its ravenous consumption, ignoring my body’s limits.

Has it gone mad from hunger?

I hadn’t fed it demonic stones in a while, so maybe it was acting out in frustration.

You wouldn’t actually kill your master, right?

I wanted to believe that, but it felt like mere wishful thinking.

As soon as I tried to circulate my energy, the cold energy surged even faster into me.

Damn bastard.

I clenched my teeth and focused.

Fine. Let’s do this.

Whoosh!

Nine Flames Firewheel spun rapidly within me, releasing waves of heat.

The energy continued pouring into me through my palm. Normally, attempting to manipulate such chaotic energy risked severe inner deviation.

But what choice do I have?

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There was no other way.

I wasn’t a genius who could delicately manage energy flows.

The only thing I knew was how to smash through obstacles.

Let’s see who breaks first.

If the cold was endless, then I would burn it away endlessly.

The cold and heat clashed violently within me, creating turbulent waves. The opposing energies collided, triggering a series of internal explosions.

It was madness.

One misstep would mean death, either by inner deviation or simply bursting apart.

But I couldn’t stop.

If I stop, I die anyway.

There was no retreat now.

Either I would suppress the cold and contain it within me, or I would freeze solid and shatter.

Victory or defeat.

That was all there was.

The only question left was...

If I manage to absorb it all, how much power will I gain?

If I succeeded in containing this vast energy, how strong would I become?

At least double.

This was a storm of pure energy.

A human couldn’t handle it, but if I succeeded, it would elevate me beyond belief.

Crunch!

The cold and heat swirled violently within me, tearing at my insides.

The sensation was brutal and sharp, like my flesh was being shredded.

But this much...

Thanks to my training with Tua Pacheonmu, I had built up a high tolerance. Pain like this was something I could endure.

The problem was—

The vessel.

The vessel, now overflowing and at its limit.

Any more energy, and it would burst.

It was already leaking, saturating my body.

Under normal circumstances, this might have been a fortuitous opportunity—a chance for transformation.

But not for me.

This energy was beyond what even my enhanced body could handle.

Whoosh!

First, empty the vessel.

I channeled heat to burn away the excess energy. If there wasn’t enough space, I would make some.

Hiss...!

My body emitted steam as heat and cold clashed violently.

The more energy I used to create space, the more cold energy poured in to fill the void.

Two forces were locked in a deadly struggle.

In the empty space I managed to create, I forced the cold energy in, only to face another backlash.

Thud!

I coughed violently, blood spraying from my mouth and staining the Palace Lord’s chest.

“Whew...”

As I exhaled, cold air escaped from my lips.

Expelling so much heat had accelerated the freezing process. My body grew sluggish, and my breathing slowed.

For some reason, my mind felt clear.

Despite the overwhelming pressure and the impossible situation, I didn’t feel fear. There was no hesitation.

Clench!

I grasped the cold energy with my fiery energy. My vessel was full, and my body, swollen with energy, seemed to stretch itself as if trying to expand its limits.

No matter how much I emptied, it kept filling again, and the process was growing tiresome.

Then, let’s release some of it outside first.

Fwoosh—!

I seized the surging cold and hurled it outward. The energy twisted and dispersed, spreading widely around me.

“...Hah.”

I vaguely heard Paejon let out a dry laugh behind me.

Did I mess up?

I don’t know.

I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing, nor did I fully understand why I was acting this way.

At this moment, I was simply following the pounding rhythm of my heart and the instincts driving me forward.

Even knowing that mishandling this energy could kill me, I didn’t hesitate to twist the flow.

Whooooosh—!

Unable to contain the sheer energy, I spread it out and rotated it rapidly.

By infusing a trace of heat into the cold, I was able to control it, as though the cold had become an extension of my own energy.

The energy kept building.

The layers of cold gathered until they appeared as a solid mass, dense and concentrated.

Fascinating.

To think I could manipulate such massive energy—energy that wasn’t even mine—using heat as a medium to restrain and command it.

I didn’t stop to question how or why it worked. If I had hesitated, I would’ve exploded on the spot.

This works. That’s all that matters.

Why it worked didn’t matter right now.

The real challenge begins now.

Sssss...

A strange emptiness settled over me.

The endless flow of cold energy finally ceased.

That means...

The heavy energy surrounding me was all that remained of the North Sea’s pervasive frost.

I didn’t bother to look around.

For now, the priority was stabilizing the Palace Lord’s remaining cold energy.

Just a little more.

Rotating the cold energy and harmonizing it with my own energy was a difficult task. But difficult didn’t mean impossible.

I focused.

Ssssss—!

The remaining cold energy felt hesitant, as if unsure of itself. I couldn’t help but smirk at the notion.

What, scared?

That didn’t seem possible, yet the energy felt withdrawn, almost timid.

That’s what you get for trying to mess with me.

I showed no mercy. Wrapping the lingering cold with my intangible energy, I activated Ma-do Cheon-heup-gong and absorbed it all.

Shiiiiiing—!!!

The last of the cold energy flowed into the empty spaces in my vessel.

It’s done.

The Palace Lord’s energy was fully absorbed.

I stood up, feeling bloated from the sheer volume of energy.

"I feel sick from having too much energy... how ridiculous."

Was this a luxury problem? Either way, it wasn’t pleasant.

And yet—

It’s not over.

The cold energy I had dispersed earlier still surrounded me, and my internal energy was far from stable.

If my vessel couldn’t hold it all, what was I supposed to do with the rest of the energy still swirling around me?

Should I expand my vessel?

My vessel was already stretched to its limits.

Could I push it further?

If not that...

What if I compressed what was already inside?

By reducing its size, I could make room for more.

Clench!

I tightened my fist.

Thump!

My heart pounded heavily, and the lingering heat within me surged to the surface.

At the same time, I commanded the heat restraining the external cold energy.

Compress it.

Ssssaaaaa—!

The rotation quickened.

The cold energy within my vessel began to spin, swept up by my own energy.

I forced the swirling energy to compress, applying more pressure with each rotation.

The cold surrounding me started to converge, as if aware of my intent.

It resisted, its defiance palpable.

“Hah.”

Resist, will you?

Crack!

I exerted more strength, pressing the energy down.

The resistance intensified, sending shockwaves through my body.

Pop!

Blood vessels in my eyes burst from the strain.

I ignored it.

Faster.

Smaller.

The interplay of rotation and compression was something I never thought I’d rely on, but here I was. The techniques I had learned in life weren’t entirely useless.

Screeech—!!!

When I felt the energy was sufficiently compressed, I opened my clenched fist and guided the flow.

The cold energy that had been swirling outside was drawn into my palm.

Whoosh—!

The concentrated energy stirred violently as it entered my grasp, creating shockwaves in the air.

Soon—

Buzz.

The cold energy formed a sphere the size of a human head, radiating a powerful aura.

It was a success.

Now it was time to finish it off.

Clench!

I activated Ma-do Cheon-heup-gong, devouring the sphere rapidly.

The compressed energy flowed into my body without resistance, settling naturally into my heart and merging with the Palace Lord’s energy.

As I felt the union of the energies, I let out a slow breath.

Fwoosh—!!!

Flames erupted within me, consuming the cold.

This was the process of purification.

The cold energy was massive, while the flames were tiny by comparison. But even so—

I can do this.

I was confident that my flames wouldn’t lose.

Thump! Thump-thump-thump!

It was a violent clash.

My vessel teetered on the edge of breaking, and my frozen body struggled to keep pace.

But—

You’re greedy, aren’t you? This much is nothing.

If I couldn’t devour this, how could I ever claim more?

Fwoosh—!!!

I stoked the flames further. If it wasn’t enough, I would even draw on my innate energy to fuel them.

Hiss!

The greedy flames consumed the cold without pause, despite the latter’s frantic resistance.

Stay still and stop struggling.

Like throwing punches, my flames bit into the cold energy repeatedly.

By the time the chaotic struggle subsided—

“...Whew...”

I let out a ragged breath and slowly opened my eyes.

“...Ah.”

Feeling something wet trickle down, I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. My body was drenched in sweat.

“...”

I raised my hand slightly to test something.

Whoosh—!

A small flame flickered to life, quickly forming a tiny sphere of heat in my palm.

I tossed it toward the empty ground nearby.

BOOM—!!!

Despite its size, the explosion it caused was immense.

“Hmm.”

Watching the ground erupt into chaos, I finally confirmed it.

My internal energy has surpassed the peak of my previous life.

And—

“...I’ve reached the realm of perfection.”

The ultimate form of Nine Flames Firewheel.

This meant only one thing.

I’ve finally surpassed my past self.