Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1051

Chapter 1051

The injury on Yarang’s hand faded away as it dissolved into the air.

“What?”

I let out a startled breath. That wasn’t regeneration. It was, without a doubt, true healing.

‘Did she just use magic to close the wound?’

This was an ability beyond anything I had ever known. I never imagined Cheonma could do something like this. To use something as destructive and wild as magic to mend a wound? It was a concept I hadn’t even considered in my previous life.

Cheonma had never demonstrated such a skill before.

The magic she commanded was a force of pure devastation.

The black ocean that formed in the sky, from which countless bees poured forth, was still a memory potent enough to make my knees weaken.

‘And she can use it like this?’

Cheonma, who wielded such immense power—yet—

‘Why did she lose?’

Why was she defeated by the Divine Sword?

The thought abruptly surfaced in my mind.

Back then, I had simply accepted that the Divine Sword was stronger, so it made sense that Cheonma was defeated.

‘But now, it feels questionable.’

The Divine Sword was powerful, there was no denying that.

But was she truly more powerful than Cheonma? Was that really what happened?

‘No matter how highly one regards the power of the Divine Sword.’

The Divine Sword’s energy, said to purge all demons, was extraordinary.

It was credited with a major role in the war against the demonic forces, yet something about it felt inconsistent.

‘Cheonma is strong.’

Cheonma never exerted her full power in any conflict.

Not when she killed the sect leader of the Mount Hua Sect.

Not when she beheaded all three of the Three Immortals.

‘Ah.’

Although her battle with her father may have been the exception.

Even Cheonma was severely wounded that time.

But aside from that instance, Cheonma had never been pushed to her limits.

Meanwhile, the Divine Sword had—

‘Always fought with everything she had.’

The Divine Sword’s overwhelming strength was undeniable. But when compared to Cheonma, that power didn’t seem sufficient.

The reason the Divine Sword overcame Cheonma wasn’t just strength, but the inherent nature of the Divine Sword itself.

That impenetrable defense.

The Divine Sword’s energy, which could slice through the magic of the most powerful demons, existed solely because of the Divine Sword’s unique essence.

‘That’s why I believed the Divine Sword was victorious.’

Because their powers were diametrically opposed.

I thought Cheonma’s attacks would never connect, making the Divine Sword’s victory inevitable.

‘…But was that truly the reason?’

It was an issue I had deliberately avoided.

Now, reconsidering it in light of the Blood Demon, Cheonma, and Wi Seol-ah, everything becomes more tangled.

Furthermore…

‘I was told that my return was fate, and that Cheonma was the cause.’

Looking back, it all feels strange.

‘I hope this is just my imagination running wild.’

I would prefer it to be an overreaction. But as usual, my darkest suspicions have a way of matching reality.

“Tch.”

I scowled and clicked my tongue in frustration when—

Szzzzzzzz—

The air shuddered. At the sudden disturbance, I turned my head and saw Cheonma ripping the air apart, forming a Magyeong Gate.

“…What are you doing?”

“We must depart now that you’re awake.”

“What?”

“You will be punished.”

“What does that mean? Who is going to punish you?”

“Get up.”

Ignoring my question, Cheonma spoke to Yarang. Silently, Yarang rose at her command.

“Hey. I’m talking to you.”

“I will not answer. Go inside.”

“What.”

Her tone was absolute. Her face was blank, but her words held a steely resolve.

“Go inside. We are leaving now.”

“No…”

“Now.”

She pointed toward the Magyeong Gate, making it clear the discussion was over.

I opened my mouth to protest, but at that moment, Yarang moved and stepped through the gate.

Cheonma followed her.

“Wait, hey.”

Were they going together? I hadn’t expected Yarang to go, but she entered first.

I stared, bewildered, as Cheonma seized my wrist and pulled me with her.

Unable to resist, I was yanked into the Magyeong Gate.

Whooooosh—

My body passed effortlessly through the energy barrier, and an instant later, the surroundings had completely transformed.

“This is…”

The change in the scenery was profound.

The gray sky and barren land were gone. In their place was a blue sky, and the ground was lush and vibrant.

It felt as though we had returned to a different world.

‘No.’

This was the place I had seen before blacking out.

The crater I’d made with my martial arts was still there. The signs of my fight with that creature remained.

It looked like the same location, but…

“What in the world…”

It was familiar, yet not.

Amid the ruins of structures on the beautiful field, flowers and grass had grown, marking the passage of time.

In the distance stood a gigantic tree that hadn’t been there before.

An ancient and majestic tree.

It was unmistakably a divine tree.

And…

“What is this…”

I averted my gaze from the divine tree and looked at the remains littering the ruined field.

The green grass, the flowers, and what didn’t belong—what was completely out of place.

The remains of what were once living beings.

Their bones were scattered across the field.

And they covered the ground so thoroughly there were almost no gaps.

**********

Countless white bones lay strewn across the green-tinged field.

They stretched so far they nearly filled the entire visible area.

Even more…

‘A significant amount of time has passed.’

The sheer number of bones indicated these were not recent deaths. Their brittle, bleached state suggested the passage of many years.

‘…What is this?’

It was bizarre.

‘Was it concealed by a barrier?’

In the ash-gray sky where I had confronted the crow, that desolate space had shown no sign of these bones.

To think a barrier had fallen, revealing this, made me scowl.

‘But this is reality.’

How had this come to be?

As that thought crossed my mind…

‘It can’t be.’

A realization dawned. The crystals I had encountered in the gray space. The life force I had sensed within them.

“Ha.”

I had a suspicion.

The living creatures trapped inside those crystals. They had been alive.

Their life force had erupted into the air, only to be absorbed by the crow, triggering a drastic transformation.

‘So these bones…’

I wondered if these bones were all that remained of the beings held within those crystals. It seemed a logical conclusion.

Then…

‘Did they turn to bone because their life force was drained?’

It appeared a great deal of time had passed, and I had witnessed the life force escape the crystals myself.

Life force exists only in living things.

The fact that these were now just bones meant something fundamental had been stolen.

‘When the life force left, only bones remained.’

Did the crow absorb everything that was released?

‘But how?’

How had such a barrier been created? The very notion of harvesting life force on this scale was unnatural.

‘Judging by the crow’s reaction, it seems it did all this without its master’s knowledge.’

The master of the Myriad Realms couldn’t have known.

What was its goal? And…

‘What about its new form?’

I recalled the white figure the crow had become.

The three pairs of wings that had turned white, and the blue eyes.

Clench.

My fists tightened involuntarily.

‘It was overwhelming.’

The gap in our ranks.

I could feel the vast difference in presence throughout my entire body.

It was like…

‘…The same feeling I get facing my mother or the Abyss.’

That sense of alien awe when in the presence of those referred to as «masters.»

I felt that same sensation from the crow.

‘Something has fundamentally changed.’

The crow’s condition had clearly shifted. Its body, having absorbed the life force, had undergone a violent metamorphosis, one I could perceive just by being near it.

‘…What is it planning?’

I didn’t know its purpose, but I knew its intentions were malevolent.

‘Damn it. This is bad.’

The situation had grown more complex.

It wasn’t just that the crow had uncovered my identity; it was that I didn’t understand its aims.

‘What could it want?’

I couldn’t conceive of a positive outcome, no matter how I thought about it.

‘…Hmph.’

I muttered under my breath and turned my gaze. The bones were one thing, but what truly drew my eye was the colossal tree now towering over everything.

The massive tree, while not as immense as the divine tree within the Mount Hua Sect, was the second largest I had ever seen.

One look was all it took to know.

‘It’s a divine tree.’

That was a divine tree. But…

‘…I can’t sense its energy.’

The unique aura that divine trees emanate was absent. This could only mean one thing…

‘Is it dead?’

If it were merely dormant, I might have held out hope. But the tree itself radiated no life force whatsoever.

Which meant this tree had already passed on.

Frowning, I moved toward the tree.

Or, I tried to.

Crack-!

‘…Damn it.’

A sharp pain shot through me as I moved. My body was still far from recovered.

‘What did I do?’

What had occurred while I was unconscious to cause such damage to my vessel?

If it were just physical pain, I could understand.

‘The vessel itself is fractured.’

My dantian, my meridians—everything was in ruins. I couldn’t recall the events, but it was clear something catastrophic had happened to my body.

As I pondered, I turned. Cheonma and Yarang were silently observing me.

Yarang had donned her mask again.

Her upper body had looked nearly shredded. Yet, thanks to Cheonma’s magic, it was now perfectly healed.

I was astonished by the result.

‘What is she?’

I had been told she had no memory.

I was told her memories from her time as the Divine Sword had been erased, lost to her.

‘So why does she keep…’

Why does she keep appearing and unsettling me?

I wondered if she did remember after all.

‘…If she did.’

If she had her memories, she wouldn’t be acting this way. I was certain of that.

I dragged my aching body toward the divine tree. As I drew closer, it became undeniable.

‘…It’s dead.’

The tree was deceased. Externally, it seemed intact, but I felt no life within it. I reached out and touched it, feeling the coarse texture of its bark.

“…This.”

It was nothing like the sensation I’d felt touching a divine tree before.

There was nothing. No resonance. No energy.

“It is definitely a dead tree.”

I wish it weren’t a sacred tree; that would be easier. But my instincts confirmed it was, and that was the problem.

‘What happens now?’

This divine tree, the reason I came to the Black Phoenix Palace. I need to acquire it, but what if the tree is already dead?

‘…Can a divine tree even die?’

I’d never heard of such a thing, so I had no answer.

‘Tsk.’

I was left wondering what to do with an unresponsive sacred tree.

‘The fact that the sacred tree is dead is a problem in itself.’

If I trust my mother’s words, there should be a destined sequence of events. But perhaps because the tree is dead, nothing is happening.

Could this be the crow’s doing?

It felt like it had drained the vitality from everything, so I suspected it had done something to the divine tree as well.

‘This seems the most likely explanation.’

Far more likely than the tree simply dying on its own.

It was far more probable that the crow was responsible.

“Hoo…”

I pulled my hand back from the tree. Turning around, my eyes fell once more on the bleached bones covering the field.

“…”

I remembered what happened in the ash-gray world. The reason I had frowned upon seeing the crystal was simple.

‘I could hear the screams.’

Not only did I feel life force from the crystal, but I could also hear desperate cries.

Something inside was screaming.

Not pleading for rescue.

It was begging for death.

Begging to be killed and released from its prison.

It had been screaming like that.

That’s why.

I had lost my composure at the cursed sight.

That’s why I had recklessly charged the one who appeared to be the culprit.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue briefly and raised my hand.

Suuuu-!

Energy flowed from my heart. A stabbing pain followed, but I ignored it. It was tolerable.

As I gathered more energy and directed it, the bleached bones on the ground began to tremble.

And then…

SHII-III-III–!!!

They all levitated into the air. At that moment, I looked at Cheonma and spoke.

“Hey. Dig a little deeper.”

“…”

At my words, energy rippled from Cheonma’s feet. Black power surged forth and churned the earth.

Kuuu-KUUUUUNG—!!!

It happened in an instant. The solid ground shook, and a vast pit was carved into it. The bones were collected and dropped inside.

Thud-thud-thud-! The bones piled up.

I looked at the gathered remains. I could simply bury them as they were, but…

‘Even so.’

I swung my hand again, and flames ignited. The intense heat engulfed the bones, burning them to ash, reducing them to powder.

“Cover it.”

Once the bones were powdered, I instructed Cheonma. She used her black energy to fill the pit once more.

Boom—!!

It formed a mound at first, but as pressure was applied, it flattened, becoming nearly unnoticeable.

I finished the task and, after a moment of silence, turned my back.

I did not bow. I’m not one for such gestures, and this felt sufficient.

“…Now what?”

I still didn’t know the crow’s intentions.

I didn’t know what it was after.

‘I don’t even understand the condition of my own body.’

What had happened to leave my vessel in such a state?

That was my most pressing concern.

‘I can’t remember.’

Just before I lost consciousness, something had overflowed from my vessel and seeped into my body.

A warm sensation had enveloped my enraged form.

And shortly after, everything went black.

‘And when I woke up…’

I found myself in the chamber within Cheonma’s Magyeong Gate.

‘What was that?’

What occurred in that brief interval?

It couldn’t be that Cheonma simply arrived and saved me.

‘This feels strange.’

The lingering traces within my body were faint, but undeniable.

It wasn’t just the pain.

‘This…’

It was that distant, foreign presence I had felt from the crow.

That presence had left a mark on me, leaving me disoriented.

Moreover, knowing the origin of this energy made it all the more confusing.

This was…

‘The energy I absorbed from the divine tree.’

The energy I had gathered from the divine tree on several previous occasions. Now it lay dormant within my vessel, quiet but perceptible, making its existence known.

Was this a good sign?

I didn’t know.

‘So… should I ask my mother about this?’

Perhaps because of the state of the divine tree in this region, my mother hadn’t appeared.

My plans were in disarray, and everything had become complicated.

‘What should I do?’

What was my next move?

‘Should I go back to Mount Hua for now?’

And then…

‘What about her?’

What should I do with Yarang, who stood beside Cheonma? Should I take her with me?

As I was lost in thought…

Zzziiick-!

“Hmm?”

A sound abruptly reached my ears.

Chik. Chichick.

It sounded like something sizzling.

Irritated, I touched my left ear.

…Can you hear me?

“…!”

To my astonishment, I heard a voice. And it was a voice I recognized.

It was that voice…

“…Elder?”

It was unmistakably the voice of the turtle. Why was it contacting me so suddenly?

My eyes widened in surprise as…

_____________________________________________________

…Return immediately. Something has happened at Mount Hua.
_____________________________________________________

“…”

The turtle’s message continued.

At that moment, I turned and ignited energy around my body.

Frrr-!!!

A powerful sense of foreboding filled the air.