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Childhood Friend of the Zenith (Web Novel) - Chapter 1160: The World of Ascension (90)
Chapter 1160: The World of Ascension (90)
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
One of the Three Masters of the world, Paejon, had just challenged Gu Seongyul to a duel.And he did so right in front of everyone. That fact alone made the entire banquet hall freeze as if turned to stone.
“......”
Gu Seongyul silently stared at Paejon.
Even under that gaze, Paejon’s demeanor remained unchanged.
“This kind of pointless banquet isn’t fun for either of us, is it? I may have come here following my student, but since we’ve met after so long, we should at least enjoy ourselves.”
“......”
He was basically saying that since the banquet was boring, they should fight instead.
What kind of brainless conversation was this?
Challenging the head of a great clan to a fight just because they ran into each other?
As everyone exchanged bewildered looks at the absurd suggestion—
“......”
Gu Seongyul turned his gaze from Paejon to Jin Yeonryeong.
At his look, Jin Yeonryeong widened her eyes slightly before offering a quiet smile and giving him a small nod.
Seeing that, Gu Seongyul finally spoke to Paejon.
“Let’s go.”
...Wait.
Did he just ask Jin Yeonryeong for permission to duel?
“......Ha.”
At that, Paejon let out a small laugh.
“So this woman’s the one who turned you into a person.”
Paejon turned toward Jin Yeonryeong, looking as if he found the whole situation utterly absurd.
“She’s a fine lady.”
Gu Seongyul stepped in between Paejon’s gaze and Jin Yeonryeong.
“Do not look at her carelessly.”
“......Hah.”
As I furrowed my brows at those nauseatingly sweet words, Paejon made a similar expression and muttered.
“You’ve unknowingly become disgusting. Now I really want to beat you up.”
With that, Gu Seongyul and Paejon both stood from their seats.
As they made their way out, Gu Seongyul glanced back and spoke.
“I have business to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first. Please, enjoy the banquet.”
“......”
The clan leader and Paejon had both left the banquet.
Everyone could only stare in dumbfounded silence. I was no exception.
‘What the hell?’
Why did things suddenly turn out like this? As I sat there, confused—
-Follow me.
Paejon’s voice rang in my head.
-I’ll show you something interesting.
“......”
At those words, I slowly stood up. And at that moment—
Sshhk.
“......!”
“......”
I met eyes with someone else who had also stood up at the same time.
It was my father.
“......”
“......”
...It seemed he had received a similar message.
**********
Following Paejon’s instructions, I walked.
He had told me to head straight north, so I had a rough idea of the location.
As I walked, I turned to the person beside me.
My father.
“You’re going because of what the Clan Leader said, aren’t you?”
Just like how I had responded to Paejon’s voice transmission, I figured my father must have done the same.
“......”
He didn’t answer. He simply kept walking in silence.
“...Vice Lord?”
I called out again, thinking he might not have heard me. Still, there was no response.
At that moment, I became certain—he was ignoring me on purpose.
Confirming that, I immediately stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Vice Lord.”
“......”
He looked down at me.
His piercing gaze bore into me. To be honest, it scared me. Even though my cultivation level and strength were superior, there were some things that had been ingrained in my very being.
I was still afraid of my father’s gaze.
“What is it?”
His heavy voice made my throat tighten.
The words I wanted to say nearly got stuck, but I forced them out.
“Why are you doing this?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re childishly ignoring me.”
“...Childish?”
The moment I said that, his gaze sharpened. Shit.
He was still a Gu Clan bloodline through and through. That displeased look of his was terrifying.
“Isn’t it true? Ignoring someone when they talk is something only a child would do.”
“......”
“Are you that angry about me being your brother?”
Gu Seongyul had confirmed it. That I was his son.
Which meant I was technically his half-brother.
‘What a mess.’
Another illegitimate birth issue? This is a fucking disaster.
I wasn’t happy about it either, but the situation was what it was.
What I really didn’t like, though, was my father’s reaction.
“I didn’t ask for this either. I apologize for it being hidden from you, but—”
“Who told you that?”
“...Huh?”
“Who told you that I was angry about this?”
“...Isn’t that the case?”
I had assumed that was why he was upset. That I was his half-brother and that it had been kept a secret from him.
But at my question, he simply responded—
“You’re wrong.”
With a cold expression, he stated—
“I do not believe it.”
“...Believe what?”
“Baek Yangcheon.”
“Yes?”
“I do not believe that you are my brother.”
“......!”
My eyes widened.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
He didn’t believe it?
“What do you—”
“No matter what the Clan Leader said, I do not believe it.”
“...Why?”
“Who knows.”
He walked past me, speaking as he did.
“I don’t know the reason yet. That’s what I intend to find out.”
“......”
“You are not my brother. That is what I am sure of. But since I lack a reason to prove it, I will find one.”
He was firm. Absolutely certain that I was not his brother.
How could he be so sure? Why was he so adamant?
And yet, even he didn’t know the reason.
He had no proof. Just pure conviction.
So now, he was going to look for a reason.
‘...What the hell kind of insane logic is that?’
Just how certain did one have to be about themselves to say something like that?
It was almost fascinating. But that wasn’t the important thing right now.
Fwoooosh—!!!
My father took off. Wreathed in flames, he shot into the sky like a meteor.
“...Damn.”
He was moving fast.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly before gathering strength in my legs.
Vwooom—!!
‘Guess I’ll have to keep up as best as I can.’
I couldn’t use flames like he could, so I had no time to waste. I had to chase him down without stopping.
**********
I had been running with all the energy I could muster for quite some time.
Boom! Boom—!! Boom boom—!!!
A heavy vibration rumbled beneath my feet.
‘What the hell?’
Frowning, I looked ahead.
Rumble—!! Boom boom—!!!
The ground shook. There was no sound, but I could feel the tremors. I let out a small scoff.
‘No sound, but I can feel the vibrations?’
Just how strong... How far away did I have to be to still feel this?
‘What are they doing over there?’
I tensed my muscles.
Crackle—!
Energy surged through my thighs as I kicked off the ground.
Boooom—!!!
The landscape shifted in an instant. I pushed my speed even further, leaping across the terrain.
Rumble—! Kuaaahhh—!!
The distant rumblings slowly turned into faint noises.
Then, that faint noise soon became a deafening roar.
Kuaaaa—!!!
It was like endless thunder crashing into my ears.
‘What the hell is going on?’
This level of noise—what in the world were they doing over there?
Even the distance was a problem.
‘At this rate, I’ll be out of Shanxi soon...’
I was already near the outskirts of Shanxi, close to what could be considered the frontline.
Why the hell had they come all the way out here?
As that thought crossed my mind—
Fwoooooooosh—!!!
“...!”
I came to an abrupt halt.
A blinding pillar of flames filled my vision.
I knew instantly what it was.
It was the flames of the Nine Flames Firewheel.
But—
‘What a ridiculous scale.’
The sheer power filling the air, the sheer size of the fire...
It was overwhelming enough to make even me stare in awe.
‘This is similar to my own style.’
Or rather—the way I fought in my past life.
An overwhelming amount of inner energy.
Using that energy to completely dominate an opponent.
A brutal, straightforward combat style that relied solely on raw power.
‘...Shit.’
I changed my course.
If I got too close, even I would be affected by it.
As I descended to a safer distance, my eyes remained locked on the flames.
Because watching this... made me realize something.
‘I don’t use this style anymore.’
Shin Noya and Paejon had changed the way I fought.
Compression. Rotation.
I had learned to refine my flames instead of just unleashing them wildly.
I had abandoned brute force for something more controlled.
But—what if?
What if I had never changed?
What if I had continued down this path until I reached its peak?
‘Would I have ended up... like that?’
It was a strange thought.
As I stood there, marveling at the sight—
"Krrk krrk krrk."
A laugh echoed from within the flames.
And then—
BOOM—!!!
The fire exploded open.
A powerful shockwave grazed my cheek.
“You sure are slow. I did tell you to hurry.”
Inside the opening, Paejon stood with his hands behind his back.
“If you’re this sluggish, how the hell do you expect to get stronger? Don’t you agree?”
“......”
Paejon clicked his tongue, then turned his gaze away from me.
His eyes were fixed on Gu Seongyul, who was floating in midair, looking down at him.
But—
‘...What the hell?’
Something was off.
He wasn’t surrounded by flames, yet his hair rippled as if it were caught in a breeze.
His eyes, too—less crimson, more a deep, eerie shade of scarlet.
An unfamiliar sight. An unfamiliar energy.
What the hell was that?
What did it mean?
Just as the question formed in my mind—
“Disciple.”
Paejon’s voice rang in my ears.
“You should be looking over here, not over there.”
My gaze snapped back toward him.
Crack—!!
“......!”
The moment I looked—I heard something breaking.
The ground?
No.
‘...What the hell is that?’
The sky.
Starting from where Paejon stood, the air itself was cracking.
As I stared, wide-eyed at the impossible sight, Paejon finally moved.
He unclasped his hands from behind his back.
"Now that we have an audience—"
His lips curled into a grin.
"Let’s put on a proper show."
“......”
At those words, Gu Seongyul slowly raised his palm, flames gathering within it.
And at that sight—
Paejon laughed.
"Watch closely."
His aura erupted.
"This is how you break the sky."
And at that moment—
The sky shattered.
