Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1116

Chapter 1116

“Damn it.”

Mistake.

I had made a grave error.

*Crackle.*

I stared, frustrated, at the flickering lightning energy in front of me. My focus had been too intense, leading to a critical miscalculation.

In my effort to suppress my presence and mask my energy, I had overlooked a vital detail.

I should have at least pretended to be overwhelmed by the pressure.

The immense force emanating from the Heavenly Lord—also known as the Celestial Master—the sheer weight of his lightning-infused aura, was a power only a transcendent martial artist could command.

Since his own son, Namgung Jeohwi, was here, he had probably held back a little. But even so, no ordinary Post-Peak Expert could possibly withstand it.

Even my father, whose power far exceeds that level, had been forced to unleash his flames just to endure it.

And I had just stood there, completely unaffected.

I believed concealing my true level would be sufficient. Looking back, that was a mistake.

“How peculiar.”

*Crackle! Crackle—!!!*

The lightning intensified.

*Rumble—!!!*

As if answering the surge of power, the clear sky began to shudder.

Dark clouds swirled into formation.

*Rumble—!!*

The earlier lightning was growing more powerful.

“What are you?”

The Heavenly Lord’s blue eyes glinted, alive with lightning.

I did not like the direction this was taking.

“Sir, maybe we should all take a moment to—”

*Boom!!*

“Shit.”

I twisted my body sideways. A bolt of lightning slammed straight down.

*Crash—!*

It hit the earth with devastating force.

And in that same moment—

The Heavenly Lord’s hand shot toward me.

A blue flash lunged straight for my throat.

I released a faint pulse of energy, generating a counterforce.

*Whoosh—!!!*

My body spun rapidly, just barely evading the strike.

As I gained momentum, I gritted my teeth.

Is this old man insane?!

He was completely serious.

He was moving with clear intent to kill me.

What do I do?

I had no time to think.

The Heavenly Lord was already correcting his stance to follow my evasion.

*Vwooom—!!*

I could see energy coalescing in his palm.

Oh.

That one looked bad.

Should I dodge and strike back?

I considered it for a split second before deciding.

I planted my foot firmly, bracing my entire body as if to receive a blow.

I’ll take the hit.

From what I could tell, this was no feint. He was aiming for my chest.

I condensed my internal energy into a hardened, defensive barrier.

The goal was to absorb the impact as naturally as possible.

*Bzzzzzt—!!*

The concentrated lightning shot directly toward my chest.

Just as I prepared for the impact—

*Clench—!*

Huh?

The Heavenly Lord’s hand never connected.

It stopped dead in the air.

Someone else’s hand had seized his wrist.

It was my father.

*Fwoooosh—!!*

Flames erupted.

A deep, blazing crimson fire spread out in all directions.

“That’s enough.”

A low, powerful voice cut through the air.

My father was staring down the Heavenly Lord.

The attack had been completely halted.

The Heavenly Lord turned his piercing blue eyes toward my father.

“…What did you say?”

“I don’t know what is compelling you to act this way,” my father said, utterly unfazed by the killing intent saturating the atmosphere. “But if you continue to show such disrespect to my man, I will have no choice but to reciprocate.”

“…Ha!”

The Heavenly Lord let out a scoff.

“Reciprocate? Do you truly believe you can do anything to me? Just because they call you the Divine Dragon, have you fooled yourself into thinking you are someone significant?”

“That’s not it.”

*Fwoooosh—!!*

The flames roared even higher.

“How could a mere Post-Peak Expert dare to defy the great Heavenly Lord?”

Then—

*Crack.*

A sharp sound came from the Heavenly Lord’s wrist.

My father had tightened his grip.

“But as the Deputy Commander of the Azure Dragon Division, I am here on behalf of the Main Sect.”

His voice was calm and measured.

“So if you continue with this behavior, you are directly disrespecting the Main Sect itself.”

It was a warning.

He was not speaking as an individual martial artist, but in an official capacity.

However—

“So?”

*Rumble.*

The lightning in the air grew stronger.

“Even if you are representing the Main Sect, what exactly do you think you can do?”

This was, after all, the Heavenly Lord.

One of the Three Masters, who stands at the absolute peak of the orthodox world.

Not even the Main Sect could openly challenge him.

What difference did a title make?

That was the implication behind the Heavenly Lord’s words.

“……Hah.”

My father stared at him and released a deep, weary sigh.

It was so pointed that the Heavenly Lord’s brow furrowed.

Then, my father spoke.

“You must be getting senile.”

…What?

Wait.

Did I hear that correctly?

I stared at my father, squinting.

Maybe I was hearing things?

“……What did you just say?”

Judging by the Heavenly Lord’s stunned expression, I had not misheard.

But—

“Didn’t you hear me?”

My father repeated himself.

“Stop it, old man.”

*BOOOOM—!!!*

As he spoke, an immense pressure exploded from his body.

The heat swelled violently, washing over everything nearby.

The trees shook as if in a hurricane, and the air itself seemed to warp.

Whoa.

I gasped inwardly.

I never imagined my father would actually say something like that.

Now I see where I get my attitude from.

Watching this unfold, it finally made sense.

My father had one hell of a temper.

Enough to talk back to the Heavenly Lord himself.

I wouldn’t have gone that far.

No matter how poor my attitude, even I wouldn’t have said that.

But my father?

He just went for it.

…We are in so much trouble.

Evaluating the situation, I subtly readied my energy flow.

If a real fight started here, I couldn’t just stand by.

Just as I was weighing whether to release my suppressed power—

“……Hahahahahaha—!!!”

At that moment, the Heavenly Lord burst into laughter.

“AHAHAHA—!!!”

As his laughter rang out, the tension escalated.

And then—

*Swoosh.*

“……”

The Heavenly Lord relaxed his extended arm. Seeing this, my father also released his grip.

“What an insolent brat. You are exactly like your father.”

“……”

“But, your audacity is commendable. Under normal circumstances, I would have reduced you to ashes on this very spot. However, given the situation, I will overlook your impudence.”

Hearing that, I frowned. My father did the same.

What the hell?

I didn’t expect my grandfather to be mentioned here of all places.

And from the look on my father’s face, neither did he.

“I apologize. I merely wished to gauge your spirit. I may have overdone it.”

The Heavenly Lord offered a thin smirk.

But I didn’t relax.

«Gauge my spirit?»

Nonsense. That was a real fight.

He came at me with full lethal force—
and now he called it a test?

It was ridiculous.

However—

“So then, why have you come to see me?”

The Heavenly Lord steered the conversation back to its original purpose.

At this point, there wasn’t much else to say.

The Heavenly Lord, one of the Three Masters, had apologized. If we tried to press the issue further—

“No, let’s do it again.”

“Huh?”

I thought it would be pointless to pursue it.

But to my astonishment, my father spoke up once more.

“…What?”

“The apology,” he stated clearly. “It wasn’t meant for me.”

My father gestured toward me.

“You should apologize to my subordinate.”

“……”

Holy hell.

I never expected him to take it this far.

I stared at my father in utter disbelief.

Even now, he was pushing it.

“……”

The Heavenly Lord’s brow twitched briefly—
but in the end, he looked at me and spoke.

“I apologize. I may have gone too far.”

“……It’s fine.”

Thankfully, he apologized, and I accepted it without delay.

Only then did my father give a nod.

“Now, are you satisfied?”

“Yes.”

“…Good. So, why exactly did you seek me out?”

The Heavenly Lord turned to Namgung Jeohwi, who was still crumpled on the ground.

Namgung Jeohwi hurriedly scrambled to his feet.

“A… Ah, well…”

He quickly began explaining the situation.

“A… Evacuation orders?”

The Heavenly Lord tilted his head.

“…Not only have Crimson-Rank Beasts appeared, but the Magyeong Gate has opened as well?”

From his reaction, he genuinely had not known.

Which meant—

He truly hasn’t left this place at all.

He had been isolated, completely detached from the outside world.

This wasn’t just seclusion.
It was full reclusion.

“Do as you see fit.”

“…I accept your command.”

Hearing his approval, Namgung Jeohwi let out a sigh of relief.

Naturally, this permission was essential.

With the Magyeong Gate unstable, every unnecessary risk had to be avoided.

“There is no need to report back on this. Handle it in your capacity as Clan Head.”

“Thank you. I will act accordingly.”

With that, we could proceed to the next step.

Or so I thought—

“I have a request for the Heavenly Lord.”

Suddenly, my father spoke up again.

“Would you be willing to assist with containing the Magyeong Gate?”

“…Hm?”

The Heavenly Lord raised an eyebrow.

“Assist?”

“Yes.”

“What do you mean?”

“If the Magyeong Gate retaliates, the consequences are unknown. Should that happen, not only the Namgung Clan but all of Anhui could be in peril. Given that, I wished to ask if the Heavenly Lord would lend his support.”

The Heavenly Lord had effectively retired, choosing to live in seclusion within the clan.

He rarely involved himself in anything.

But since this concerned the Namgung Clan directly, my father was asking for his intervention.

If the Heavenly Lord had remained unaware, that would be one thing.

But now that he knew?

Of course, he would help.

This was his own territory, Anhui.

After a brief pause, the Heavenly Lord let out a short laugh and replied—

“I refuse.”

“…Excuse me?”

“…?”

A heavy silence fell over the clearing.

…He refused?