Read Daily Updated Light Novel, Web Novel, Chinese Novel, Japanese And Korean Novel Online.
Childhood Friend of the Zenith (Web Novel) - Chapter 1154: The World of Ascension (84)
Chapter 1154: The World of Ascension (84)
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
His crimson eyes burned with intensity. That damn characteristic of the Gu family—those sharply slanted eyes. And, of course, his body, which bore the unmistakable traits of our bloodline.Not the massive build my father and Elder Il possessed, but rather the smaller frame that I, along with other Gu clan members, had.
To be precise—
He’s originally about my size.
A height similar to mine before I underwent rebirth through bone refinement. In other words, quite short for a martial artist.
And on top of that—
...He looks seriously terrifying.
I’m not the type to throw that word around, but damn. The person sitting before me—this so-called family head—really did look terrifying.
The sharp cut of his eyes radiated something outright murderous.
Ah, shit.
Is this what other people feel when they look at me?
...I really hate this.
For a brief moment, I could almost sympathize with them. No—wait. That’s not important right now.
So...
This guy is the Gu family head?
As I was still reeling from his sudden appearance—
“Oh my, you’re here?”
Jin Yeonryeong greeted her grandfather with a bright smile.
“You said you’d be arriving late, but you’re early.”
“...Mm. My work finished sooner than expected.”
“I see. Ah, this here is Baek Yangcheon, a young warrior. He’s Cheolwoon’s companion.”
“...”
At Jin Yeonryeong’s introduction, her grandfather’s gaze locked onto me.
A surge of intensity, as if struck by lightning.
I immediately straightened my posture.
“...I am Baek Yangcheon of the Azure Dragon Division. It is an honor to meet the head of the Gu family.”
“...”
He didn’t respond with words—only a slow nod.
“Have a seat. I’ll bring tea.”
At Jin Yeonryeong’s words, the family head sat down at the table without hesitation. She then stepped outside to fetch the tea, leaving me alone with him.
“...”
“...”
An oppressive silence.
What the hell am I supposed to do with this?
I never expected to meet him like this.
Having no idea what to say, I simply remained still.
How did it come to this?
Of all places, why did it have to be in this small hut—just the two of us?
I swallowed a breath and waited in awkward silence, when—
“What brings you here?”
The old man spoke first.
I swallowed dryly and tried to respond.
“...For an Azure Dragon Division mission—”
“Wrong.”
He cut me off.
His gaze sharpened as he rephrased the question.
“I am asking—why have you come here, burned by the flames of the afterlife?”
“...”
I widened my eyes at his words.
As I thought.
So my suspicion was correct.
"You are the Scorched One, aren’t you?"
That voice I had heard before.
I had my doubts, but now they were confirmed.
It was Grandfather.
The current Gu family head. He was the one who had spoken to me back then.
Now—what do I do?
How should I respond to this question?
Deny it? Play ignorant?
I considered my options over and over, but in the end, the answer was simple.
“What is the Scorched One?”
Neither denying nor confirming.
First, I needed to ask.
That term had stuck with me from the start.
“...”
At my question, his gaze subtly shifted.
“You don’t know?”
“I don’t. That’s why I asked.”
“...”
At my reply, he seemed momentarily puzzled.
Then—
Whoosh!
“—!”
Without warning, he reached out, aiming for my throat.
This crazy old man.
Smack!
I barely managed to grab his wrist.
What the hell is it with the Gu family and their obsession with strangling people?
Seriously, their temper is the worst.
“...What are you doing?”
I tightened my grip to hold his wrist in place. His strength surged.
He’s strong.
“...”
Despite my question, he didn’t answer.
Instead—
Fwoosh—!
“—!”
His hand transformed into pure flames and slipped free.
Before I could react, his now-freed hand shot toward me once more.
Clench!
“Ugh—!”
He grabbed my throat.
I struggled to break free, but—
Fwoooosh—!
Fire engulfed my entire body.
Scarlet-red flames.
It looked as though my entire body was burning, yet—
It’s not hot.
The flames didn’t hurt.
They didn’t burn my skin.
They simply wrapped around me, swirling in place.
For the briefest moment—just a fraction of a second—those flames clung to me.
Then—
Fshh.
They faded away, as if recalled.
“...”
I stared at him, stunned.
He spoke.
“...How peculiar.”
“...What the hell was that?”
“The burden has not imprinted itself onto you. And yet, you have already accumulated more than enough qualifications.”
“...”
“How many generations?”
“...What?”
“How many generations of Gu family heads have passed before you?”
“...?”
I froze.
This old man—
He already knows.
He knows that I’m from the Gu bloodline.
All the effort to conceal my identity—meaningless.
And more than that—
Did he just ask if I’m the family head?
I scoffed inwardly.
“I am not the family head.”
“...What?”
This time, his eyes widened.
“You are not the head of the Gu family?”
“No.”
“Then... are you the young master?”
“No.”
“That can’t be. How could a young master be so—”
“I’m not the young master either.”
“...”
Silence.
“...Not even the young master?”
“No.”
“...”
He stared at me as if he couldn’t comprehend what I was saying.
That look—what the hell was with that look?
Why was he staring at me like that?
And then—
“Then... how did you break the restriction?”
“...The restriction?”
“If you are not even the young master, then you should not have been able to lift the restriction.”
“...?”
“How, then—”
He fixed his gaze on me.
“How have you mastered the Nine Flames Firewheel Technique?”
“...”
The Nine Flames Firewheel Technique.
And the lifting of the restriction.
Hearing that, I finally understood the meaning behind his questions.
So that’s it.
This was something I had already heard about before.
The very reason for the Gu family’s existence—
To serve as the proxy for the vanished ruler of Zhongyuan.
To fulfill that role, once someone ascended to the position of Young Master, the world’s imposed restriction on Zhongyuan—
They would be granted the ability to shatter the ceiling of power.
A privilege, yet also a curse.
And the fact that Grandfather mentioned it alongside the Nine Flames Firewheel Technique...
...It means that unless the restriction is broken,
The Nine Flames Firewheel Technique cannot be fully mastered.
Hah.
I had no idea.
So the Nine Flames Firewheel Technique can only be mastered if one is, at minimum, the Young Master?
...What a load of bullshit.
I genuinely didn’t know this.
If I had never undergone shedding and remained human, I would have never been able to master the technique—unless I had become the Young Master.
"Your body is also strange. You are not human. The Scorched One... What exactly do you exist for?"
“...You’re asking a person why they exist? That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”
He kept calling me the Scorched One, over and over.
I was starting to get pissed off.
And then—
Whoosh!
“Kh!?”
CRACK!
Out of nowhere, Grandfather grabbed me and hurled me through the air.
With a loud crash, the hut shattered, and my body rolled out onto the ground.
The sheer force of it was absurd.
What the hell?
I barely managed to land properly, snapping my head up—
And there it was.
Whoosh!
The sole of a foot.
I planted my feet firmly into the ground.
BOOM!
A pressure shockwave exploded beneath me, sending me skidding backward.
The spot where I had originally been standing—
That was where Grandfather’s foot came crashing down.
KUUUUUUUAAAAAAA—!!!
Scarlet flames erupted, scorching hot.
“...Ha.”
He’s really picking a fight now?
I prepared to channel my energy into my body as I stared into the blaze, but within the fire, Grandfather’s voice rang out—
"Answer properly when I ask you a question. I am not in the mood for jokes."
“...Ha-ha.”
What the hell am I supposed to do?
This family is absolute shit.
That filthy temper of his—it must be a family trait.
How the hell does it never change?
Beating someone just because they don’t answer immediately—what kind of logic is that?
If I hadn’t dodged just now, my skull would have been shattered.
Hssssss—
Flames coiled around Grandfather as he spoke again.
"I will ask you once more."
The fire around him surged upward, spreading into the sky.
A vast expanse of flames turned the heavens red.
Red Heaven.
The flames ruled the sky.
"What is your purpose?"
“...”
I let out a deep sigh, staring up at that damned sky.
It looked like this wasn’t something I could just brush off.
“...I don’t know.”
KRRRRRRMMMM—!
I focused my energy, letting it circulate throughout my body, before speaking again.
“If you’re so curious, why don’t you find out for yourself?”
He was the one who started this.
And like I said—
Gu family members tend to have shitty tempers.
And I, in particular, am among the worst.
Among all the Gu clan bastards, I was in a league of my own.
“Maybe you need a proper beating to snap you out of it.”
That’s how it works.
They just haven’t been beaten enough.
That’s why we fight first and talk later.
I was about to charge in when—
"STOOOOOOOP—!!!"
KUUUUUUUUUUUNG—!!!
“...Huh?”
Something massive came hurtling through the air.
CRAAAASH—!!!
Debris scattered everywhere from the impact, sending shockwaves through the surroundings.
Through the dust and rubble, a hulking figure emerged, roaring—
"What the hell are you two doing?!"
A giant man with crimson eyes.
It was Gu Ryun.
“...The Division Commander?”
Grandfather frowned at his appearance.
And then—
GRAB!
Gu Ryun suddenly lunged forward, seizing Grandfather by the collar.
“What—”
Grandfather’s brows furrowed in shock, but then—
"Gu Seongyeol! You pathetic excuse for a man!!"
“...What?”
That was the first time I heard my grandfather’s name.
Ah. So his name is Gu Seongyeol.
I stored that bit of information away in my head.
But in the next moment—
"No matter how much you resent it, he is still your son!! Just because you don’t want to face the truth, you try to kill your own child?! How the hell can you call yourself human?!"
“...Excuse me?”
“...What?”
Both Grandfather and I froze at Gu Ryun’s words.
Wait.
That’s—
That’s not right.
Gu Ryun, completely misunderstanding the situation, blurted out an absolute mess of a statement.
And at that very moment—
Thud.
Something dropped nearby.
I turned my head—
And there, standing in shock, was Jin Yeonryeong.
Her hands trembled as she looked at Gu Seongyeol, her grandfather.
The medicine she had been holding lay scattered across the ground.
"...Son?"
She muttered, her voice shaking.
Wow.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
This is a complete disaster.
An absolute, utter disaster.
