Almighty God of War - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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012

Was it because of the shock from eavesdropping on the conversation between Dong Yeonhwa and the Dong siblings, and the depletion of internal energy from using the nanobots?

Guyang Cheongang, who had fallen asleep exhausted as soon as he returned to his room, didn’t open his eyes until long after the sun had passed its zenith.

As he reflected on everything that had happened, he realized anew how little he actually knew about the Guyang Family Estate.

Though he had read many books in his room, none of them contained information about the family estate.

‘They say you must know your enemy and yourself to win every battle. Right now, I don’t properly understand myself or my surroundings. Especially if I’m to know the past and present of this family, I’ll be able to determine the direction I should move forward.’

Now that he could absorb knowledge at rapid speed with Akasha’s help, this was his opportunity.

When he asked about the location of the family library, Elder Hwang showed a puzzled expression, but soon guided him to the dusty archive in the back garden.

The library was smaller than expected, and the books were thickly covered with dust, as if they hadn’t been maintained for a long time.

Whatever it might have been like in the past, he could feel a desolation that seemed to reflect the current status of the Guyang Family Estate.

[Doctor, it looks like they’ve gathered ancient books that appear to be family chronicles and geographical records on the upper shelf of the eastern bookcase. They seem to be organized by year, so it would be best to examine them in order.]

Following Akasha’s guidance, Guyang Cheongang took out what appeared to be the oldest book.

The cover was almost completely worn away, making even the title faint, but when he turned the first page, the characters ‘Guyang Family Estate Foundation Record ‘ caught his eye.

‘One hundred and fifty years… The history isn’t as long as I thought.’

He turned the pages rapidly with Akasha’s help.

Akasha analyzed and summarized the textual information coming through his optic nerves in real time, transmitting it directly to his mind.

According to the book’s records, the Guyang Family Estate was established about one hundred and fifty years ago on fifty thousand pyeong of fertile land near Poyang Lake, east of Nanchang in Jiangxi Province, south of the Yangtze River.

This region was a vast plain in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, a place so abundant in grain production that it had been called ‘the granary of the world’ since ancient times.

‘With these geographical advantages and land scale, they must have wielded tremendous power in the past.’

[According to the records, the Guyang Family Estate grew into Jiangxi Province’s greatest wealthy family and a prestigious house with powerful martial strength within about fifty years after Iron Staff Great Hero Guyang Dam founded it.]

‘As expected.’

[The Guyang Family Estate particularly dominated the production of hemp cloth, a local specialty of this region, and secured distribution networks for the highest quality porcelain produced in nearby Jingdezhen and sales networks for bamboo paper. Thanks to this, they were able to accumulate enormous wealth. The distribution of rice, hemp cloth, and porcelain through Poyang Lake and Yangtze River waterways must have been truly a goose that laid golden eggs.]

Guyang Cheongang moved on to the next record.

Based on their economic wealth, the Guyang Family Estate naturally expanded their influence in Murim as well.

It was written that especially in Jiangxi Province’s Murim, where there were no particularly strong competing sects, they firmly held the position of hegemon that no one could challenge.

‘Hegemon of Jiangxi Murim… It’s completely different from their current fallen state. What on earth made this great family decline to what it is now?’

As if answering that question, the next page continued with records about the Guyang Family Estate’s ‘fatal problem.’

[Doctor, the Guyang Family Estate’s geographical location contained a major weakness. They faced the provincial border with the massive demonic sect force ‘Sacred Fire Divine Cult ‘ that controlled the southern regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and eastern Yunnan. People called them the ‘Demonic Cult ‘ and feared them.]

‘A demonic cult based in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains… It was like building a house next to a volcano that could erupt at any time.’

The records continued matter-of-factly.

The Demonic Cult periodically descended from the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and launched northern campaigns for hundreds of years under the pretext of punishing the Central Plains Murim that oppressed their religion.

Each time, the Central Plains sects formed the Murim Alliance and fought desperate resistance.

The name of that war was the ‘Righteous-Demonic Great War .’

The last Fifth Righteous-Demonic Great War among the five total wars had broken out just forty years ago.

[During the war, the Guyang Family Estate was placed on the front line of the Demonic Cult’s invasion due to their geographical location. The family’s leadership mobilized all the family’s capabilities to resist, but suffered tremendous damage.]

A bitter smile appeared on Guyang Cheongang’s lips.

[According to records, your grandfather who was the family head at the time, the elders, and most of the family’s elite warriors lost their lives in this great war.]

The book was densely filled with accounts of the Demonic Cult’s cruelty and the horrors of war at that time.

Not only the Guyang Family Estate, but various sects south of the Yangtze River suffered tremendous damage, including the Diancang Sect of Yunnan, the Hengshan Sect of Hunan, the Qingcheng and Emei Sects of Sichuan, the Tang Clan, and the Baili Family Estate of Fujian Province.

After the war ended, sects with long histories mostly recovered their past prosperity, albeit with difficulty, through ‘sect closure ‘ – cutting off all external contact and focusing solely on sect reconstruction.

However, some among them completely disappeared into the back alleys of history.

Guyang Cheongang closed the book with a heavy sigh.

‘The Baili Family Estate that was completely destroyed had their lineage completely cut off… and the Guyang Family Estate’s current state that I’m witnessing is itself the process of decline.’

Though it was a short time, the rise and fall of one family passed through his mind like a panorama.

[Doctor, this historical background provides important clues for understanding various problems the Guyang Family Estate currently faces, such as the family’s deteriorating financial situation, the possibility of internal power struggles, and the relationship between Dong Yeonhwa and Golden Tower Manor.]

‘I agree. In the end, the past and present must be connected.’

His gaze deepened.

In the evening, Guyang Cheongang sat face to face with Elder Hwang who had brought his meal.

He had something he wanted to ask.

“Elder Hwang.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Whether it’s the assassin or the Dong siblings from Golden Tower Manor… no matter how I think about it, there are many suspicious points in their actions.”

“What do you mean?”

“I suspect there might be some hidden secret I don’t know about in the main family estate, or some treasure that people would covet. Elder, do you know something?”

Elder Hwang swallowed dryly and hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth with a solemn expression as if he had made up his mind.

“Young Master, what I’m about to tell you may be a secret related to the survival of the Guyang Family Estate. So this is something you must never reveal to anyone else. Can you promise me that?”

Guyang Cheongang nodded silently.

Elder Hwang glanced around briefly, then lowered his voice even more.

“You asked if the Guyang Family Estate has precious treasures that others would covet. If the secret martial arts from the past had remained intact, those would have been treasures, but as you know, most were lost in the flames of the Righteous-Demonic Great War.”

Guyang Cheongang held his breath and listened intently to avoid interrupting.

“However, there is one story that has been passed down through generations in the Guyang Family Estate like a legend. If it were true, it could be called a real treasure.”

“A legend? What is it?”

Elder Hwang continued with a stern expression.

“This happened three hundred years ago when the Second Righteous-Demonic Great War broke out. At that time, the Demonic Cult’s momentum pierced the heavens, and their cult leader, the Absolute Heavenly Demon’s martial prowess was truly unprecedented, causing despair that the entire Central Plains Murim might be destroyed to cover the world. It was truly the darkest period in Murim history.”

“Hmm…”

“But unbelievably, the result ended with the Demonic Cult’s defeat. The Absolute Heavenly Demon also lost his life.”

Guyang Cheongang’s gaze intensified.

“Why did they lose?”

“Because an absolute master appeared in the righteous Murim, one whom later martial historians acknowledged as the greatest master of all time.”

“Ah!”

“He single-handedly routed the Demonic Cult’s one hundred thousand followers. And he defeated even the Demonic Cult’s leader, the Absolute Heavenly Demon, at the summit of Shixin Peak on Mount Huang.”

Guyang Cheongang asked.

“Who was he?”

“The Heavenly Martial Emperor .”

“Heavenly Martial Emperor… Isn’t his name known?”

“No, it’s not known. He wasn’t affiliated with the Murim Alliance, was active for such a short period, and disappeared mysteriously after defeating the Demonic Cult, so everything remains a mystery.”

Guyang Cheongang’s gaze deepened.

“Elder Hwang is telling me this story because the ‘legend’ of our main family estate is related to the Heavenly Martial Emperor, isn’t it?”

“That’s correct, Young Master.”

Elder Hwang nodded.

“The lineage of Iron Staff Great Hero Guyang Dam, who founded the Guyang Family Estate, is unknown. However, according to the story passed down, he inherited part of the Heavenly Martial Emperor’s hidden teachings in his youth.”

‘The founder’s lineage is unknown… and there’s a legend that he inherited the Heavenly Martial Emperor’s teachings…’

Elder Hwang continued with a serious expression.

“Decades after the Second Righteous-Demonic Great War ended, rumors of unknown origin spread widely in Gangho that the Heavenly Martial Emperor had left behind an unprecedented secret manual called the ‘Martial Emperor’s Great Scripture .'”

“A bloodbath must have erupted.”

“Correct. The entire world became truly desperate to find it. Masters and disciples cut each other’s throats, brothers and sisters fought like demons, and prestigious family estates were destroyed overnight – such tragedies occurred everywhere. But when the substance was never confirmed in the end, the rumors that had burned like fire eventually died down like ashes.”

“Are you saying the first family head obtained that Martial Emperor’s Great Scripture?”

“No. If that had happened, the Guyang Family Estate would have already become the world’s greatest family.”

“Then what’s the connection between the first family head and the Heavenly Martial Emperor?”

“Guyang Dam learned martial arts from a descendant of a servant who had served the Heavenly Martial Emperor his entire life. At the same time, the core of the legend is that he obtained a treasure map indicating where the ‘Martial Emperor’s Great Scripture’ was hidden.”

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes widened.

“A treasure map? Is this confirmed fact?”

Elder Hwang shook his head.

“If that had been true, the Guyang Family Estate would have already suffered complete destruction long ago by the countless Gangho forces targeting the treasure map.”

“That would have happened…”

“The rumor itself was known only to a very few, and Guyang Dam maintained his innocence until his death, claiming he had no connection to any treasure map.”

“Was his protest accepted?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Why is that?”

“Guyang Dam’s martial arts never surpassed the transcendent level throughout his entire life. If he had truly obtained the Heavenly Martial Emperor’s Treasure Map, such a thing would have been impossible.”

“Hmm….”

“Because of that, the rumor was dismissed as mere gossip and eventually forgotten with time. In this current era, those who remember that rumor could probably be counted on one hand throughout all of Gangho.”

Having finished his story, Elder Hwang left the room.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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