Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Qi surged from my top Dantian, pouring endlessly from my body.

As it left my body, it transformed into heat, then ignited into flames.

I could feel my hair shifting color.

Blaze-!

A ring of flames spun around me at incredible speed.

A second ring of flames formed around me.

The pressure within my body intensified as my Qi surged wildly.

One misstep in my Qi flow could make me cough up blood, yet I wasn’t worried.

I knew I could withstand the pressure; my body had grown stronger upon reaching Fusion Realm.

I then spoke out loud.

“Red Heaven.”

Swoooosh-!

The rings of flames and surrounding heat shot up into the sky.

The heat and flames swirled together, forming a fiery tornado.

The tornado rose, piercing through the blackened sky.

Craaack-!

Hm.

I watched the spectacle unfold.

It was like watching flames slowly melt through a frozen lake.

Is it really that fragile?

It felt like some sort of Formation, yet there was something odd about it.

I hadn’t expected it to break so easily.

Was it because I had broken through my wall?

That likely wasn’t the reason.

It hadn’t been difficult to break, given there was already a crack.

What’s going on?

I wondered how many days had passed here while I was in the Abyss.

I guessed it had been a few days.

I hadn’t counted days in the false world, but that was my best estimate.

So, what happened in just a few days?

I wasn’t able to know yet.

It’s been a few years ever since I’d set foot in the Central Plains, yet it didn’t feel unfamiliar.

Considering the hardships I’d faced in my past life due to the World Tree’s assignment, this was almost preferable.

Or perhaps I felt this way because of the mark the tree had given me.

I closed my eyes, lost in thought.

Put it aside.

I set my thoughts aside.

I could think about all of this once the fight was over.

This was a lesson I’d learned through long hours of mental training.

I’d known it before, but I’d never managed to put it into practice.

Though my Qi raged within my Dantian, and heat poured from my body, my mind was calm.

Crack.

Fragments began to fall from the sky.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t shatter it entirely.

It seemed I wasn’t strong enough yet.

I’d only managed to break the sky directly above the Heavenly Dragon Academy.

Through the crack that formed, a Red Heaven could be seen.

It was one of the Gu Clan’s Secret Art, and an ability I finally was able to use thanks to me reaching Fusion Realm.

This was the power of Red Heaven.

The sky was painted red, as if at sunset.

It was different from the blood-red sky of the Abyss.

The faint pink tint was likely due to the Tao Qi within me.

I nodded, gazing at the sky.

I’ve reached it.

I confirmed once more that I’d achieved Fusion Realm.

After going beyond the grave of martial artists called the Peak Realm, I finally reached this state after going through all kinds of struggles.

My five senses felt different.

Compared to when I was in Peak Realm, everything felt denser.

My senses had broadened and sharpened.

Because of this, I could sense the vast amount of Unorthodox Qi spread around.

Is this an ambush?

What kind of crazy bastards would ambush the Heavenly Dragon Academy?

To be fair, bastards from the Unorthodox Faction were known to be crazy, so it wasn’t that strange.

This likely applied to the man standing before me as well.

He had a physique similar to the First Elder’s.

A body that transcends above humans. He was big as a bear.

I’d guess that he wielded a great sword.

I recalled the Black Palace martial artist I’d killed in Mount Hua.

Silent iron, huh?

Judging by its black blade, it was an extremely high-quality great sword.

His level…

It was Fusion Realm.

Considering how I wasn’t able to get a clear grasp of his level, it seemed like the opponent was at an extreme level.

And judging by Qinghai Sword’s bloody state on the ground, it seemed this old man was responsible for that, too.

Who is it?

Monsters of the Unorthodox Faction that reached Fusion Realm were usually well known.

Could he be one of the Four Emperors or Five Kings?

Did any of them wield a great sword?

“Red Heaven…”

The old man mumbled, interrupting my thoughts.

“I could swear I’ve felt this Qi before. You bastard… you’re from the Gu Clan bloodline.”

“You know me?”

“There’s only one clan that can turn the sky red with flames—how could I not know?”

I felt a bit of pride that he’d recognized it just from the characteristics.

However,

So he saw the Red Heaven before?

There was the fact that he was aware of the ability.

Was it my father?

If not,

Maybe it was my grandfather.

Either one was possible.

Either way, it didn’t matter.

Even if he had seen it before,

Doing this attracts a ton of eyes.

With all the flames and the sky turned red, it was impossible not to notice.

The heat painting the sky red slowly descended, pressing heavily on the surroundings.

My Red Heaven was gradually expanding its territory.

The names of Gu Clan’s Secret Arts all had a single meaning, and the Red Heaven in some ways felt like arrogance to me.

The Red Heaven is an ability that releases flames from one’s top Dantian, creating a territory of fire.

The said territory is the sky that becomes painted in red, and underneath the territory filled with flames, burning with greater intensity until every opponent is destroyed without a single survivor.

In a way, this was a martial ability that embodied the spirit of a clan.

Similarly, the Namgung Clan had the Master of Swords as their symbolic martial ability.

It maximized their presence, suppressing their opponent’s movements entirely.

That was how they expanded their territory of control.

Gu Clan’s process of increasing their territory was to paint the sky in red which was absurd, and it was so high in difficulty that it required one to unlock their top Dantian to reach Fusion Realm.

I wonder how far I’ve reached.

I clenched my fist a few times to feel my strength.

Since the start of my regression, I estimated I’d reached about half the level I held in my past life.

No, maybe a bit less.

Was it fast or slow?

I wasn’t sure.

There was still a long way to go.

“You bastard…”

The old man glared at me as he spoke.

“So you are the Tiger Warrior, huh?”

Hmm?

I raised an eyebrow in surprise at hearing my father’s title so suddenly.

“But as I recall, the Tiger Warrior isn’t free to leave Shanxi so easily.”

“Do I look that old to you?”

My father might be getting on in years, but as a master martial artist, he certainly didn’t look it.

But even so, I shouldn’t look old like him.

“If you’re not the Tiger Warrior… then could you be the True Dragon?”

The old man’s eyes widened, realizing he was right.

I nodded in response.

“Impossible…”

The old man looked at me, stunned.

“I heard you’re not even twenty.”

“And?”

“Then… how… how did you break through the wall?”

Oh, that’s why he was acting like that.

Even if I searched the records of the Central Plains, no one had ever reached Fusion Realm before twenty.

So, it wasn’t surprising the old man reacted this way.

Though personally, I didn’t feel much about it.

It’s not that impressive because of my regression.

Others may see me as a genius, and that was something I desired so much in my past life.

But now, I felt nothing about it. Ironic, really.

I nodded, responding to the old man in a blunt tone.

“That’s the least of your worries right now.”

I intensified the heat within my body.

My body grew hotter as the heat merged with my Combat Qi.

Ha.

Straight into a fight right after returning to the normal world.

Would I ever get any peace?

Sensing my Combat Qi, the old man’s eyebrows shot up in shock.

“What a brash child you are. Are you not even going to ask who I am?”

“What would I do with that information?”

I said it earlier.

“I don’t enjoy exchanging words with Unorthodox Faction scum.”

There was no point in talking to this kind of trash.

If I wanted information, I’d just cut off their arms and legs to make them talk.

There wasn’t a need for me to be kind to them.

“The important part is that you are an enemy to me.”

“Why do you think that? It’s possible that I am not an enemy.”

I smirked, a clear mocking smile.

“If you’re going to say that, you might want to hide the killing intent in your eyes.”

The old man’s expression turned sharp and cold at my words.

I’d exchanged enough words with him.

********************The Black Dragon had heard plenty about the True Dragon.

He was the child of the famous Tiger Warrior.

Not only that, he was also the child who led Gu Changjun to his death, someone the Black Dragon was taking advantage of.

Thanks to that, the Black Dragon’s relationship with the Palace Lord had soured, though he wasn’t too concerned about it.

He had become the youngest to reach Peak Realm.

His talent was remarkable enough to be recorded in the history of the Central Plains, but he was still, after all, just a Young Prodigy.

For this reason, the Black Dragon believed he was still far from posing any real threat.

Moreover, the Black Dragon saw it as a win, since he was able to get rid of the Tiger Warrior’s son in the process of killing everyone in the Heavenly Dragon Academy for his goal.

Even if he flew above others, he was still just a baby tiger.

However,

Blaaaze-! Slam!

“Swoosh…!”

The fist that struck his great sword landed with explosive force.

The Qi packed into that fist was no small matter.

The Black Dragon’s heavy body lifted slightly off the ground.

Did that tiny fist lift me off the ground?

The Black Dragon masked his shock and charged his Qi.

The child’s attack was stronger than expected, but not enough to break through his defenses.

All he had to do was counterattack and-

Swoosh-!

“…!”

The Black Dragon’s eyes trembled as he felt a sudden surge of powerful Qi.

While he was still airborne, the True Dragon began compressing an incredible amount of Qi into his palm.

“Flaming Sphere.”

He gathered heat, formed it into a marble-sized sphere, clenched it in his fist, and struck it at the Black Dragon’s great sword.

He was aiming for the same spot he hit last time.

As soon as the sphere made contact,

Crraaccggk-!

A rough explosive sound echoed.

Boom-!

A massive explosion erupted instantly.

The explosion unleashed an astonishing amount of Qi-fueled heat.

The once-flat ground was instantly turned to rubble.

The Black Dragon rose, surrounded by swirling smoke and heat from the explosion.

“Ugh…!”

Swoosh-!

The Black Dragon generated a gust of Qi to sweep away the flames, but the fire clung to him.

There seemed to be something unique within the flames.

Unbelievable.

He glanced at the spot where they’d collided.

It was a mess.

Flames scattered across the area, leaving a crater in the ground as if a meteor had struck.

At the center, a figure wreathed in flames stood.

With eyes the same color as his hair, he glared at the Black Dragon, standing motionless.

“You bastard…”

The Black Dragon frowned in response.

This was no mere Young Prodigy.

How was such a thing possible?

He pushed his thoughts aside and raised his great sword high.

This wasn’t something he expected.

He had to kill him quickly.

Even if they were both Fusion Realm martial artists, this brat had only just broken through his limits.

The Black Dragon was certain this kid was no match for him, talent or not.

He had to kill him now, though.

Then,

“You seem deep in thought.”

The True Dragon’s voice echoed from behind the Black Dragon.

The Black Dragon flinched in surprise.

His gaze was still fixed on the flames, but the True Dragon had already left that spot long ago.

The Black Dragon turned his body around.

His great sword was enhanced as well.

It formed a black aura around it, and just looking at it was already horrifying enough.

This was the Black Dragon’s martial art, known as the Black Steel of Death.

His sword had a supreme Sword Force that no martial artist could block with ease,

Smash-!

“Ugh!”

But all that power was pointless if he couldn’t land a hit.

The great sword wasn’t able to reach the True Dragon.

Before his heavy Sword Force could cleave the True Dragon, the young man’s fist struck the Black Dragon first.

The True Dragon’s fist smashed the Black Dragon’s face.

Blood began to trickle down the Black Dragon’s face.

His fist broke through the Black Dragon’s defense aura and landed a solid hit.

Just as the Black Dragon’s head started to snap back,

Clench-!

The True Dragon seized him by the hair, holding his head steady.

Then,

Smash-!

His flame-enhanced fist struck the Black Dragon’s face again.

This blow was even stronger than the last.

Smash-!

Another blow.

Pow-!

Yet another.

“Kugh…!”

The Black Dragon groaned, feeling as though his head might burst.

His entire brain felt rattled.

The impact of the blows was brutal enough, but the flames surrounding each punch made it far worse.

The Black Dragon kept trying to shield himself with his defense aura, but nothing was going as planned.

He would have lost consciousness already if not for the Qi keeping him alert.

Crack.

He gritted his teeth.

I, the Black Dragon, am being humiliated by this brat…!

The Black Dragon was being humiliated by not the Sword Venerable he desired to kill, nor any of the Hundred Masters of the Central Plains. Instead, he was being pulverized by a little brat who hasn’t even reached the age of twenty yet.

His anger had reached its limit.

He couldn’t allow this humiliation to continue.

Rumble.

He gathered his Qi into a single spot.

He needed to break free first, planning to release a burst of Qi to create some distance from the True Dragon.

Even if he had to endure the recoil from the blast, he had to escape first.

Black Steel’s Screech.

It was a martial ability that used a black aura to explode a screeching sound to the surroundings.

He knew it would recoil back on him, but he had no choice.

Just as the Black Dragon was about to unleash his technique, the True Dragon suddenly paused.

Did he sense the Black Dragon’s intention?

The Black Dragon wondered,

It’s too late.

He’d already prepared his attack by now.

The True Dragon would be severely injured if he took the hit from this close.

With that, the Black Dragon began his attack.

Black Steel’s Scre…?

Just as he was about to release his Qi, the Black Dragon’s face twisted in confusion at a strange sensation in his body.

His Qi and aura weren’t listening to his command.

“…What?”

Only then did the Black Dragon start to question the bizarre situation he was in.

He was being overpowered by a martial artist who had just reached Fusion Realm and had even allowed his opponent to slip behind him.

None of this made sense; none of it should have happened.

Then…

“What.”

The True Dragon halted his attacks, staring down at the Black Dragon.

“Is your body not moving or something?”

The Black Dragon lifted his head up and stared at the True Dragon.

Blood covered his face, making it hard to open his eyes.

However, the bastard’s eyes were very clearly visible.

Just looking into his eyes felt like gazing into flames.

How could such red eyes suit someone so well?

Blood started to drip from the True Dragon’s hand.

It was the Black Dragon’s blood.

“…You… bastard.”

“Not bad.”

“Wait, you…!”The Black Dragon finally realized that True Dragon was behind the strange sensation he felt.

Was it poison?

That wasn’t possible.

The Black Dragon would have noticed immediately if poison had entered his body, and it wouldn’t have spread naturally.

“What did you…!”

Slam!

“Hugh…!”

A powerful blow to his chest sent the Black Dragon flying, causing him to roll across the ground.

Even as he flew, he felt the intense heat still saturating the surroundings.

After barely managing to get back up, he checked up on his body while breathing roughly.

It was as he expected.

His movements felt sluggish.

It was the same for his Qi.

They weren’t entirely frozen, but something was strangely slowing them down.

“…What did you do?”

Did he really use poison?

But how could he manage that in such a short amount of time?

The Black Dragon stared at the True Dragon in shock, glancing around as well.

The Qinghai Sword, who had fought the Black Dragon earlier, still lay on the ground, covered in blood.

He wasn’t far from the ongoing battle.

It was likely he could die from the explosion of the True Dragon’s attacks.

…That bastard.

The Black Dragon sensed a stark difference.

The Qinghai Sword had the strength of a Fusion Realm martial artist.

The Black Dragon wasn’t even sure if he could win easily against the Qinghai Sword, yet the Qinghai Sword was so easily defeated and ended up losing an arm, almost losing his life because he had many things to protect.

The foolishness of protecting others for the sake of justice, only to end up losing their lives for it.

This disgusted the Black Dragon about the Orthodox Faction,

But I don’t see that from the True Dragon.

He saw none of that in his opponent.

Instead, he wore an emotionless expression, exuded dense killing intent, wielded relentless Combat Qi, and moved with violent disregard for his surroundings.

Was he really from the Orthodox Faction?

It was to the point that the Black Dragon wouldn’t have found it strange for him to be from the Unorthodox Faction.

Was he truly the child of the Tiger Warrior?

“You bastaard…!”

“Why do you keep on screaming? You are hurting my ears.”

“Just what are you!”

The True Dragon’s expression turned quizzical at the Black Dragon’s roar.

He then opened his palm.

Then,

Swooosh-!

“…!”

A massive wave of Qi, far stronger than before, filled the air.

The Black Dragon felt a gust pass his cheek, then funnel into the young man’s palm.

The surrounding heat began gathering into his hand.

Blaaaze-!

The flames surrounding the True Dragon and the area gathered as well.

It formed a sphere.

A circular shape took form above his palm.

It resembled the small marble he’d used earlier, but this was far larger and packed with more Qi.

The Black Dragon’s jaw dropped.

What is that…?

It was impossibly large to be held in his hand.

Yes.

That was a sun.

The True Dragon held the sun itself.

The Black Dragon stared in shock at the True Dragon’s unbelievable power.

“Now I’m satisfied. I was always annoyed by how small it was.”

The True Dragon muttered quietly to himself.

“You asked me what I was, right?”

The Black Dragon’s shoulders shook at his dense, steady voice.

His presence felt different.

This was no mere Young Prodigy.

“I’m not sure myself.”

The Black Dragon raised his great sword, charging his Qi.

He knew he couldn’t block that attack.

He had to get out of its range.

As the Black Dragon moved his feet, the True Dragon’s hand tracked his movements.

“So I’ll begin finding out from here on.”

As the True Dragon moved his hand, the small sun crashed into the ground.