Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 866

Chapter 866

The pond appeared to only be large enough to hold five men, but that was a deception. The area beneath its surface was vastly more expansive.

A pond shimmering with golden light. The instant I peered into it, my eyes widened in shock.

The incredible hidden scale of the pond was astounding, but what truly seized my focus was what lay within it.
Something immense. So unbelievably huge that my mind couldn’t immediately grasp its dimensions.

‘…That is….’
It didn’t take me long to remember.
A gigantic serpent.
A snake of truly monstrous proportions.
And I recognized it.
‘…It looks identical to the snake from the secret chamber of Golden Stream Manor.’

That was almost a year after my return, during the time I had explored the secret chamber with Wi Seol-ah.
Back then, I had first thought it was a demonic beast, and the sight had terrified me beyond reason. When it spoke, I had nearly lost consciousness.

‘Is it the same serpent from that time?’
If it was indeed the same entity, what was it doing here? And by all appearances, it seemed to have been dead for a very long time.

‘…And there’s more.’
As I continued to examine the pond, I detected another oddity besides the snake.
Small, spherical objects were suspended in the water.
Each was roughly the size of a thumbnail.
Using Spatial Manipulation, I drew one out.
A white orb.
‘It’s exactly like the one I absorbed.’

The spiritual core I had taken from that mysterious creature—this was undoubtedly the same item.
This had to be what the master of the Celestial Stream Sect had consumed. The very same thing that had triggered the transformations in the others before they died.

‘Why are these orbs floating in this pond?’
And why was the corpse of the great serpent lodged within it?
I didn’t have the answers, but one thing was certain.
‘I must discover the truth.’
I resolved to dig deeper.
With a flick of my wrist, I released the acupuncture points holding the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master.
“Ugh!”
The tied-up man was thrown across the floor, tumbling roughly.
The moment his restraints were released, he tried to speak, but I seized his throat before a single word could escape.
I was cautious to prevent him from biting his tongue to end his own life.
“I have many questions for you.”
Thump!
My heart hammered inside my chest.
“But time is short… and there is something I wish to try.”
Sssss–!
“Guh…!”
Demonic energy erupted from my palm.
“Let’s keep this straightforward.”
I allowed the energy to wash over the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master, swallowing him whole.

******************

In the midst of the quiet, a young man opened his eyes.
“Hmm.”
He stretched his limbs, releasing a soft murmur.
“Hmmm.”
An unmistakable tone of pleasure was in his voice as he flexed his hands repeatedly.
“Not bad. You’ve done well,” he stated.
“It was my duty,” replied the woman kneeling before him.
Hearing her, the Blood Demon slowly got to his feet.
His form was completely changed from before.
Not long ago, his body had been a broken, barely human wreck. Now, it was fully restored, whole and unharmed.
“This will do… for the time being,” the Blood Demon muttered, pleased.
This vessel, which had previously been unable to withstand even a sliver of his true might, had been greatly enhanced through the extensive sacrifices he had employed.
Now, it could endure nearly half of his full power. It was still a far cry from his original body, but it was a satisfactory beginning.
With that thought, the Blood Demon stepped forward.
“What is the status of our operations?”
“All has been prepared according to your commands,” the woman answered.
“Good,” he said with a slight smile.
“However…”
Her pause made him look at her.
“What of the Star King? You did not give us specific orders concerning him, so he remains under observation.”
“The Star King? Ah, yes…”
The Blood Demon nodded as if recalling a minor detail. So that was the name they had given him.
“Let him be.”
“Pardon?”
The woman’s eyes grew wide with astonishment.
“Do not meddle with him. In fact, it is preferable that he continues on his current path.”
“But…”
“Hmm?”
The Blood Demon tilted his head slightly, and the woman immediately bowed deeply.
“Forgive me.”
“Heh.”
The Blood Demon gave a low laugh and turned his gaze away.
He knew the reason for her concern.
Unexpected variables had thrown their designs into disarray. The emergence of an unknown power had changed everything, creating results the Blood Demon had never foreseen.
While the woman appeared anxious about these events…
‘How wonderful.’
The Blood Demon, however, was utterly delighted.
A chain of abnormalities that neither he nor the world could have predicted.
He had believed nothing could astonish him any longer.
Yet here they were.
Even at this moment…
‘Something is different.’
He could sense it on the air.
Something had changed while his eyes were shut.
What could it be?
He did not ponder it for long.
‘It’s you again.’
That boy.
The persistent splinter left purposefully behind within a thousand layers of rebellion.
‘I wonder what entertaining trouble you’ve stirred up now.’
What could they have possibly done to make the world tremble so?
‘Is the world itself furious?’
The Blood Demon raised a hand to his mouth, his faint smile betraying his amusement.
Simultaneously, he halted and looked upward. Though the ceiling was in the way, he peered straight through the layers of rock and distance, knowing exactly what lay beyond.
“If it angers you so deeply, why not step in yourself?”
A dry laugh escaped him.
He started walking again, certain no answer would come.
But the shift had already started. It was far too late to stop it now.
The Blood Demon could feel it, and his smile widened.
The moment had arrived. Or maybe it had already gone.
“Dancer.”
“Yes.”
“I believe I will go and see my dear daughters.”
“…!”
Dancer’s body shook intensely at his words. She understood their meaning all too well.
“…Which one will you visit first?” she asked, her voice hesitant.
“Hmm… Let me see.”
The Blood Demon thought for a moment, then answered.
“For now.”
His face contorted into a dreadful smile.
“I need to reclaim my power. I am famished.”

******************

The area was exactly as it had been before. The same location, the same setup.
Nothing had moved.
Yet I stood there, gazing sharply at something with narrowed eyes.
The same golden-tinged pond as earlier.
I looked to the side.
“…H-hngh…”
The master of the Celestial Stream Sect, a withered and skeletal old man, was on his knees, shaking his head.
His face was blank, as if his sanity had completely come undone.
The light had long vanished from his eyes, and the hatred and despair he had once aimed at me were gone.
It was as if he had lost not just his will to live, but his very soul.
Seeing him like that, I moved my hand.
Crack!
With a gruesome sound, my fist crushed his skull, and his body dropped to the ground, lifeless.
Instant death.
I didn’t bother cleaning the blood from my hand as I frowned.
I had already ripped every piece of necessary information from him—how the vile Ilcheon Cult had been formed, what they had been doing here, and the final goal behind their schemes.
I had my answers, and yet…
“…This is infuriating.”
Even after learning everything, it refused to add up.
The problem wasn’t understanding the circumstances.
I comprehended all of that clearly. What stuck with me was the final thing the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master had uttered.
I turned to face where the Shadow King was standing.
Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah also wore stunned expressions. Had it been a error to allow them to remain and hear it all? Or were they so disturbed from watching me use demonic energy to extract the truth from the sect master?
Regardless, I had intended for them to see. I could not conceal the reality of what I am forever.
It was time they witnessed my true nature.
The real issue was…
‘Something much larger has been revealed.’
What they had heard was far more shocking than any action I had just taken.
That was the reason.
‘The Shadow King…’
Even he wore a rare look of utter disbelief.
The cause was obvious.
Everything about this place, the events that had unfolded, and the final confession of the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master—had I been in his place, my reaction might have been even stronger.
‘How can this be?’
No matter how many times I turned it over in my head, it was incomprehensible.
I replayed the words again and again, but they defied all logic.
Anyone would feel the same.
“Click.”
I clicked my tongue, my brow furrowing as I remembered my last exchange with the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master.
“Who is ultimately behind all of this?” I had demanded.
He had struggled, gasping, before finally whispering a name.
“…Il.”
“What?”
The sound was too weak. I leaned in closer to hear.
Only then did his murmur become distinct.
“…Yeon Ilcheon.”
“…!”
My face contorted at the name.
What kind of insanity was this?
“Why would you mention him? He died centuries ago.”
Bound by the compulsion of a dying truth, the sect master could only utter madness.
I scoffed and pressed him harder.
“Are you trying to claim he is still alive?”
His response was slow, each word heavy with certainty.
“…Yes.”
“What?”
“Yeon… Ilcheon… is alive.”
The gravity of his statement froze everyone present.