Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Sichuan Province.

A location somewhat removed from the main city.

It was known as nothing more than a quiet village.

While it wasn’t completely devoid of people, it was far from bustling like the central areas—an ambiguous position.

Dae Hwan, the Celestial Stream Sect’s leader, strode purposefully toward a certain residence in the area.

Though the sun was out, the place seemed oddly dim, and the further he walked, the fewer people he encountered.

With a hardened expression, the Celestial Stream Sect’s leader finally arrived at the residence.

As soon as he stood in front of the door, it creaked open as if they had been waiting for him.

Creak.

A man appeared through the narrow opening and bowed to Dae Hwan.

“Greetings, Sect Leader.

” Dae Hwan stepped inside and spoke without hesitation.

“What’s the status of the search?

” “Jin, the Guardian, has deployed teams to investigate, but...

nothing has been found yet.

” “Not even a trace?

” “...

No, my apologies.

” Grind.

Gritting his teeth, Dae Hwan pressed forward.

The interior of the house looked like a simple inn, but as he passed a bookshelf, he casually brushed against it.

Clang—!

Suddenly, the left wall slid open, revealing a staircase leading underground.

He immediately began descending the stairs.

“Sect Leader...

Guardian Jin is thorough.

We’ll find information soon.

” The man followed closely behind, trying to gauge Dae Hwan’s mood.

The recent ambush had created enough problems, leaving the sect leader on edge.

But— “Enough.

” “...

Pardon?

” The abrupt response left the man flustered.

“What do you mean?

” “I believe we’ve already found the culprit.

” “...!?

” The man was stunned.

The culprit?

Where had this sudden certainty come from?

Dae Hwan, however, continued without hesitation.

“It’s most likely the Star King.

” Hearing the name, the man’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“T-The Star King?

” “Yes.

It’s him.

” “...

Did something happen when you met him?

” “...

” Recalling the meeting with the Star King, Dae Hwan’s face twisted into a scowl.

It was an encounter he didn’t even want to remember.

Every exchange during their conversation had been a struggle to suppress his murderous intent.

The Star King’s smug expressions, the condescending tone of his voice—everything about him provoked anger.

‘Do I look like a pushover to you?

’ The memory of those words, spoken with that infuriating look, made Dae Hwan clench his fists.

“He asked me...

if I knew about Ilcheon Cult.

” “Ilcheon Cult...!

How does he know about that?

” “He claimed he has eyes everywhere.

Whether that’s true or not, his demeanor left no doubt.

I’m certain it’s him.

” The mention of Ilcheon Cult and the Star King’s expression at the time solidified Dae Hwan’s suspicions.

But the real problem was— ‘How?

’ How had it come to this?

No matter how much he thought about it, Dae Hwan couldn’t figure it out.

‘How could he possibly know?

’ The Star King was an enigma.

The more Dae Hwan examined him, the more questions arose.

Dae Hwan had already anticipated the Martial Alliance would take action.

In fact, he had deliberately leaked information to Mok Ri-seon, expecting the Alliance to respond.

He even predicted that high-ranking officials might be sent.

However— ‘I didn’t expect two of them.

’ He had assumed the operation would begin with reconnaissance.

Instead, two division leaders had shown up—completely disrupting his plans.

The timing of the leaked information reaching Hanan and the subsequent events in the region had created complications.

Because of this, Dae Hwan had to deal with the sudden presence of Star Dragon Division and its leader.

Yet at the time, he thought— ‘This might be better.

’ The Star King leading the Star Dragon Division?

By all accounts, the Star King was just a young man who had barely passed twenty, with no real experience.

Despite his reputation as the youngest to reach king-level strength, it didn’t seem to matter much.

In Dae Hwan’s view, he was just a child with raw power and no real ability to lead.

‘I was wrong.

’ When they met in person, the Star King was nothing like Dae Hwan had imagined.

Not only had he located the disguised inn, but his presence alone didn’t feel like that of a young martial artist.

‘How do I even describe it?

’ It was hard to put into words, but one thing was certain—he didn’t carry the aura of someone from the righteous sects.

Even when he subdued Dae Hwan’s men— ‘He intended to kill them.

’ There had been no hesitation in his actions.

If anything, it seemed like he was barely restraining himself from finishing the job.

It wasn’t something one would expect from a righteous martial artist.

‘Just how many lives has he taken?

’ The kind of presence he carried was something only those who had faced death repeatedly could have.

It was a state reached by warriors who had long since stopped assigning meaning to death.

And the Star King embodied that perfectly.

‘...

I don’t understand.

’ It made no sense.

Had he somehow lived another life?

If not—then how?

‘This is getting troublesome.

’ The Star King clearly knew something.

It was impossible to tell how much, but he definitely held critical information.

However— ‘Not everything.

’ It didn’t seem like he knew the whole picture.

He was aware of Ilcheon Cult and the sect’s existence, but beyond that, he appeared uncertain.

Or perhaps— ‘He could be pretending.

’ It wasn’t a guarantee.

He might have been feigning ignorance.

More importantly— ‘His goal doesn’t seem to be us or Ilcheon Cult.

’ The Star King’s focus appeared to lie elsewhere.

From the moment he arrived, he had mentioned one thing.

‘Work with Ilcheon Sword.

’ And—help Ilcheon Sword kill him.

That was the Star King’s request.

Why would he push Ilcheon Sword—the Azure Dragon Division leader—to kill him?

Weren’t they allies?

The question didn’t linger for long.

Clearly, it was about justification.

The Star King needed a reason—an excuse that would arise from Ilcheon Sword’s involvement.

And Dae Hwan had agreed to cooperate under the guise of a deal.

For now, it served his interests.

When he later observed Ilcheon Sword, it became even clearer.

Ilcheon Sword was moving exactly as the Star King intended—as if they had planned it together.

‘If this is staged, that’s actually reassuring.

’ Because if it wasn’t— ‘We’re all dancing to that kid’s tune.

’ Then.

And now.

Dae Hwan couldn’t shake the «N.

o.

v.

e.

l.

i.

g.

h.

t» growing unease.

“...

Sect Leader.

” The man beside him spoke up, looking anxious.

“Should we report this to Chief Mok?

” “To Mok?

” “Yes, about the Star King’s actions—” “Don’t.

” “...

Excuse me?

” The man stared in confusion, but Dae Hwan’s expression remained cold.

Reporting to Mok Ri-seon?

That was out of the question.

‘He already knows Mok is one of ours.

’ And more troubling— ‘Can Mok still be trusted?

’ Mok Ri-seon had already betrayed the Alliance once.

If he had done it for personal gain before, what was stopping him from doing it again?

For now, Dae Hwan decided to wait.

And if it came down to it— ‘He’ll be the first to go.

’ Dae Hwan’s eyes hardened as he resolved himself.

“For now, we’ll do as the Star King said.

” “...

Sect Leader.

But—” “However, siding with only one faction may not be the wisest course.

” The Celestial Stream Sect’s leader focused his energy as he turned to the subordinate.

“We should also support Ilcheon Sword, just as he desires.

” “...

You mean—” “We’ll give Ilcheon Sword even more strength than what the Star King requested.

” Their intentions were clear.

They were both preparing to drive a blade into each other’s throats to secure their respective domains.

“Hah....

” Recalling this, the Celestial Stream Sect’s leader let out a bitter laugh.

“...

As expected, the so-called righteous sects are rotten to the core.

” Killing each other for personal gain— What honor or virtue could possibly exist in such actions?

And yet, these were the division leaders of the Martial Alliance.

‘And they still dare to call themselves righteous?

’ It was meaningless.

Completely hollow.

‘Not much time remains.

Watch carefully.

’ The day to unveil his plans was approaching fast.

The end of being treated as a scapegoat—a disposable pawn labeled as an unorthodox sect—was near.

‘You are not righteous.

’ Their roots had long since rotted, their convictions lost.

No, they had abandoned their roots so completely that there was no foundation left to claim.

The true roots of righteousness lay in Ilcheon Cult.

What the so-called righteous sects had discarded, Ilcheon Cult preserved.

And soon, many would see it for themselves.

The true foundation of righteousness— The legacy of Yeon Ilcheon, the Iron Fist King of Gold and Steel.

Those who carried his will would rise again.

****************** The man who burst through the door so suddenly was none other than the head of the Tang Clan—the Poison King.

I stared at him, my expression frozen in disbelief.

“...

Wait.

Clan Leader?

” Why on earth was he here?

This was beyond unexpected—so much so that it was almost absurd.

To make matters worse, he looked furious.

“Young Lord Gu....

” “Yes?

” The Poison King scowled and turned his gaze to the side—where Yeon Hong, or rather, Amwang, was seated.

“Another woman?

” “...

What?

” A woman?

What kind of nonsense was that?

I stared at him, completely lost, but he continued.

“You’re already making our precious So-yeol suffer, and now there are two more?!

” “Huh...?

” It didn’t take long to figure out what had caused his reaction.

Apparently, he had mistaken Shadow King, disguised as Yeon Hong, for yet another woman in my company.

‘Wait a second.

’ I frowned.

But why two?

Something didn’t add up.

If Amwang was the only one he mistook for a woman, it should’ve been one, not two.

It felt odd, but before digging into it, I needed to calm the Poison King down first.

“Clan Leader, I think you’re misunderstanding something....

It’s not like that.

” “Not like that, you say?

” “Really!

Do you think I have the time or status to surround myself with women like that?

” “Exactly!

That’s what I’m saying!

” “...

What?

” “You’re not particularly remarkable, so why are so many women following you?

” “...

” I was speechless.

I wanted to argue, but nothing came to mind.

“They say even heroes are drawn to beauty, so I tried to overlook it, but...

isn’t this too much?

” “No, seriously, this is all a misunderstanding—” It was hard to explain.

Even calling it a misunderstanding felt like a half-truth, and guilt gnawed at me.

How was I supposed to justify this?

No matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn’t find an answer.

My mouth felt dry as I struggled for words.

“But, Clan Leader...

” Then, a thought hit me.

“...

Is that really why you’re here?

” Why had the Poison King come all the way here?

That was the real question.

I had actually been planning to visit the Tang Clan today or tomorrow.

So seeing him suddenly appear here was disorienting.

“...

” My question made him pause for a moment.

His reaction suggested that this wasn’t the real reason for his visit.

“...

Clan Leader?

” I prompted him again, and this time, the Poison King coughed awkwardly.

“Ahem....

” “...

” I waited in silence, staring at him until he finally avoided my gaze and spoke up.

“...

I had something urgent to discuss, so I came to find you.

” So that’s it.

“So...

you weren’t actually here to scold me.

You had another reason but decided to vent first?

” “...

” He looked away again, clearly caught.

I scratched my cheek, suppressing a sigh.

“...

Fine.

Got it.

Let’s save the scolding for later.

Now, what did you need to talk about?

” I didn’t bother trying to defend myself further.

Even though I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, I couldn’t deny that there was some truth behind it.

But still—why had the Poison King come all the way here, bypassing the sealed area?

When I pressed him, he coughed awkwardly again before shifting his gaze toward Yeon Hong—or rather, Amwang.

“...

This isn’t the best place to discuss it.

” So it was something important, then.

Given the effort he’d made to come here personally, it had to be serious.

“Alright, then...

Let’s head to my quarters for now.

” I decided to take the Poison King back to my place.

****************** As soon as we arrived at my quarters, I gave the Poison King an awkward smile.

“I...

apologize for this.

I was supposed to visit you instead....

” “...

No need.

” The Poison King’s expression still bore traces of the anger he had shown earlier.

‘This is troublesome.

’ I sucked in a breath.

“Um...

does the Vice-Leader—no, does Lady Tang know that you’re here?

” “...

” “So she doesn’t.

” So he hadn’t told Tang So-yeol that he was coming here.

“Am I supposed to keep quiet about this?

” “...

Ahem.

” “Right.

I’ll stay silent.

” “I appreciate it....

” Judging by his reaction, he was well aware that Tang So-yeol would be furious if she found out.

But more importantly, he had still come here despite knowing that.

From that, I could make one guess.

‘Is this about the Dokcheon Pill?

’ The Tang Clan had been working on restoring the Dokcheon Pill ever since I provided them with the formula.

Recently, however, their attempts had failed due to problems with ingredients and timing.

Could they have made progress at last?

And was the Poison King here because he was upset with me for keeping him waiting?

I speculated as much.

“Hmm....

” I mulled it over as I poured tea.

I briefly considered skipping the tea altogether, but then I noticed the Poison King’s slightly dry lips.

I figured he could at least use something to drink.

So I reached for the tea that my attendant had prepared in advance.

But just as I was about to pour it— Thud—!

The Poison King suddenly slammed his hand over the mouth of the teapot.

I froze.

The tea had been steaming hot, yet he had grabbed it without hesitation.

‘What’s going on?

’ I was about to ask when— “Clan Le—” I stopped mid-sentence.

I had just felt it.

Thump.

The Invulnerable to All Poisons (Mandokbulchim) technique in my body reacted.

That alone told me everything I needed to know.

The Poison King leaned in and whispered.

“It’s poisoned.

” The tea had been laced with poison.

And for me, this was a moment I had been anticipating.