Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 744

“This is Mount Hua.”

The words struck me, stopping my thoughts cold.

What did he just say?

How could this place possibly be Mount Hua?

I looked around. All I saw was darkness.

It had been that way from the beginning—and it hadn’t changed.

Splash—!

Every step I took stirred the ink-like liquid covering the ground.

This hollow, empty space—how could it be Mount Hua?

“You’re not explaining enough.”

I voiced my confusion, my tone sharp.

“I’ve been to Mount Hua before. How could this place possibly be it?”

Was it a metaphor?

Maybe.

This wasn’t the real world, after all. That thought crossed my mind as I looked back at the old man.

But the look in his eyes forced me to narrow mine.

It wasn’t a metaphor.

[This is Mount Hua. The flowers withered, and the skies collapsed, but this is Mount Hua.]

“This place…?”

[Yes.]

“I don’t get it.”

It didn’t make sense, especially his earlier claim.

They had failed to stop the Blood Demon?

That was the root of the problem.

“What do you mean you couldn’t seal the Blood Demon?”

Forget this strange space—how had they failed?

“…Are you saying you came from another world?”

[Perhaps.]

The old man’s bitter laugh made me frown.

[Maybe I did. At the very least, this isn’t the world I knew.]

“…What?”

This wasn’t Shin Noya—the Shin Noya I knew.

Was that why something about him felt off?

The thought crossed my mind.

Another world?

A possibility I hadn’t considered surfaced.

What if this old man was Shin Noya—but not from this world?

The pieces of my thoughts tangled together, twisting out of place.

Was that even possible?

If it was—how?

Parallel worlds?

It wasn’t unthinkable.

I’d experienced something similar before.

“Infinite worlds, each diverging until the desired ending is achieved.”

A grim concept—but one I’d already accepted.

And if this old man was Shin Noya—

A Shin Noya from a world that failed to stop the Blood Demon—

“Then how did you get here?”

That was the first question I had to ask.

It shouldn’t have been possible.

The very idea of there being two Shin Noyas was absurd.

In response, the old man said—

[For a moment, I dreamed of hope.]

His voice sounded old and worn.

[I dreamed that perhaps… a miracle had happened. But it was nothing more than a delusion.]

“What do you—”

[You asked why I’m here.]

“Yes.”

[I don’t know. The last thing I saw was the end of my world.]

The blackened world.

Ink covering the ground.

Shapeless, unrecognizable forms filling the darkness.

Was this truly what the old man had seen as his world’s end?

[All I could do was wait. Wait for the world to collapse entirely.]

“…You waited here?”

[Yes. Even though the plum blossoms no longer bloomed, this was still Mount Hua.]

The end of the world.

A world that failed to stop the Blood Demon.

This horrifying, desolate place—was that what it looked like?

There’s nothing here.

No light.

Only ink that rippled unpleasantly and endless shadows that hid everything.

Nothingness.

This place was truly empty—

Except for the massive rock the old man sat upon.

[As I waited for the end,]

The old man continued.

[I closed my eyes for just a moment. And when I opened them—I was here.]

“…Here?”

[It was unfamiliar at first. But somehow, I knew. This was the cave in Shaanxi.]

“…”

A collapsing world—

And then he woke up in Shaanxi’s cave?

It was too bizarre.

Why had it happened?

I couldn’t make sense of it.

[I didn’t believe it either. How could I?]

Even the old man hadn’t understood it.

How could anyone?

[But I had to believe it.]

Despite the absurdity, he had clung to hope.

“Why?”

How could he be so quick to believe something so unbelievable?

Even as I asked, I already knew the answer.

[Because I thought it was a miracle.]

I knew exactly how that felt.

I, too, had turned back time.

Even if it was irrational—miracles were something you wanted to believe in.

That was human nature.

[Even if it couldn’t happen—even if it made no sense—I wanted to believe that the heavens showed mercy and gave me another chance.]

A miracle at the end of the world.

So—

[Even if the world had ended, a miracle saved Zhongyuan. And I, too, survived as a spirit in this land. I believed I had been given this chance because I had unfinished work.]

“…”

I clenched my fists.

I understood him too well.

[I let myself believe that lie. Ridiculous, wasn’t it? That Shin Cheol could fall into such foolishness.]

He laughed bitterly.

His situation wasn’t much different from mine.

The only difference was his belief in a higher purpose.

If what he said was true, then it made sense—

[If anything, I wished time would rewind. But that was impossible. So instead…]

“…Wait.”

I cut him off.

The old man looked at me, puzzled.

But I had to stop him.

Because something he’d just said didn’t sit right with me.

‘Time rewinding… impossible?’

Something about that line caught my attention.

Of course, time travel was impossible—

For most people.

But I knew otherwise.

‘How can he be so certain?’

If anyone should have known better, it was him.

Because—

“Let me ask you one thing.”

[Go ahead.]

“Do you know the secret of Yeon Ilcheon?”

[Hm?]

He should have known Yeon Ilcheon was a regressor.

If he’d already encountered someone who turned back time, he wouldn’t have dismissed the idea so firmly.

Sure, regression is unbelievable.

But something about his reaction felt off.

So I pressed further, bringing up Yeon Ilcheon as bait.

[What are you talking about? What secret?]

“…”

A chill ran down my spine.

Shit.

He didn’t know.

The old man had no idea Yeon Ilcheon was a regressor.

Or—

Was he pretending not to know?

No.

What if he genuinely didn’t know?

What if—

Yeon Ilcheon never regressed in his world?

Suddenly—

‘That would mean…’

If his world existed before Yeon Ilcheon turned back time—

And if that’s why they failed to stop the Blood Demon—

“…Shit.”

My trembling hands rubbed down my face.

My breathing quickened.

I tried to calm myself, but it wasn’t working.

[Boy? What’s wrong?]

“…Give me a moment.”

A splitting headache tore through me.

I forced my thoughts into order.

‘A world where Yeon Ilcheon never regressed.’

The world resets itself endlessly, creating and destroying timelines until it reaches the desired outcome.

That’s what I’d been told.

And this?

‘…Could this be one of those abandoned timelines?’

A timeline where Yeon Ilcheon never turned back time—

And failed to stop the Blood Demon.

If that was true—

‘Does regression even mean turning back time?’

Or is it jumping to another world entirely?

If that’s the case—

‘Then what happened to the world I came from?’

The world where the Divine Sword defeated the Heavenly Demon and brought peace—

What happened to that world?

‘They said timelines reset until the desired outcome is reached.’

If I was thrown into another timeline—

What happened to the one I left behind?

What happened to the Divine Sword?

Cold sweat ran down my back.

My chest tightened.

‘…Then what was the Divine Sword I met?’

The one I absorbed using the Demonic Devouring Art to save her—

The one who guided me and gave me strength.

The one my mother told me to protect.

‘This wasn’t supposed to happen.’

If this really was a different world, then what became of her?

[Boy. Are you alright?]

“…No. I’m fine.”

A world reset.

Countless lives erased.

And I didn’t care.

Whether hundreds or thousands or even tens of thousands of people died—

None of that mattered to me.

The only thing that mattered—

‘The Divine Sword.’

The one person I was willing to risk everything for.

If this timeline erased her—

I couldn’t accept it.

[What is Yeon Ilcheon’s secret?]

“…Forget it. I was just testing you. Don’t worry about it.”

[Hmm?]

The old man didn’t look convinced, but I couldn’t tell him.

Not yet.

Because another question had surfaced.

‘If this is a world where Yeon Ilcheon never regressed…’

And if it truly reached its end—

Then—

‘How did this old man survive?’

How was he still here?

How long had he been in that cave?

‘This never happened in my past life.’

There were no records of Mount Hua’s Sword Saint being found.

No mention of Yung Pung inheriting his legacy.

I’d always assumed the difference was because of my actions.

But now—

‘Was this really caused by me?’

Two Shin Noyas.

The spirit trapped in the ancient cave.

Was all of this really my doing?

Or—

‘Who?’

Who brought this old man here—and why?

Was it truly some miracle that his soul remained?

No.

‘There are no miracles in this world.’

Even my regression wasn’t a miracle.

Everything happening now—it wasn’t random.

Yeon Ilcheon’s words echoed in my mind:

"Does your regression really seem like a miracle?"

“…”

Back then, I brushed it off.

But now, after everything—

I understood.

‘There are no miracles.’

Everything was deliberate.

A result of someone’s plans.

‘This old man didn’t end up here by chance.’

Someone wanted this.

But who?

And for what purpose?

‘Who the hell—’

Who set all of this in motion?

Clench.

My jaw tightened as I ground my teeth.

‘I don’t know.’

No answers came to mind.

So what should I do?

The answer was simple.

‘Find someone who knows.’

Find someone who could shed light on this mess.

Two possibilities came to mind.

The first—

Namgung Myung, the Thunder Blade of Murim hiding in Sinjiang.

He’d already told me to seek him out.

He might have answers.

But getting to him wouldn’t be easy.

So—

‘The second option.’

The one more likely to have the answers I needed.

The one most closely tied to this chaos.

‘…The Blood Demon.’

The harbinger of disaster.

If I wanted answers—

I would have to face him.

   ******************
   

A suffocating chill filled the underground chamber.

—Mmm.

The figure sitting in the darkness slowly opened his eyes.

Crimson irises gleamed, piercing through the shadows.

As the icy air thickened, the figure let out a long, deliberate breath.

—Hoo…

Frost spread outward with his exhalation.

His condition was appalling.

His left arm had been torn off, and what remained was covered in burn marks.

The burns stretched across his face, leaving half of it scorched and disfigured.

Below his waist, his legs were completely destroyed—reduced to ash.

Yet, despite being reduced to such a state, he was awake.

And he smiled.

—I can feel it.

A familiar presence.

He chuckled softly, a rare warmth in the midst of his ruined body.

He could sense it clearly.

Someone was coming.

And soon.

Savoring the sensation, he whispered to himself.

—I’ll need to prepare tea.

The finest, most expensive tea he could find.

His voice lingered in the air, carrying an eerie calmness.

Blood Demon (Dokgo Jun) closed his eyes once more.

Sleep overtook him.

For now, it was impossible to resist.