Almighty God of War - Chapter 194

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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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194

In one corner of the canyon shrouded in darkness, Neungnam Gwang’s gaze turned toward Gyo Myosangin, who sat with a gloomy expression.

Intense curiosity swirled in his eyes.

“Senior Gyo Myo.”

Neungnam Gwang spoke up.

Gyo Myosangin’s tightly closed eyelids trembled and slowly lifted.

“What is it, Brother Neung?”

Perhaps due to his humiliating defeat and the terror of the prohibition, his voice was parched like cracked earth in a dried-up rice field.

Neungnam Gwang pushed a branch into the campfire as he asked.

“Senior, why haven’t you left this Manhosan for such a long time?”

Gyo Myosangin’s wrinkled face stiffened subtly.

“Must there be a special reason for not leaving one’s home?”

Neungnam Gwang chuckled softly as he continued.

“Considering senior’s martial arts level, if you had joined a force like the Heavenly Death Department or Gunma Alliance, you could have immediately obtained a high position like elder or protector.”

Neungnam Gwang’s words were undeniably true.

A master of intermediate Transformation Realm could receive the finest treatment at any sect in Gangho.

“If not that, you could have established your own sect. With senior’s reputation and skills, building a mid-level or greater force in the dark path would have been child’s play.”

“Hmm…”

Gyo Myosangin’s eyes deepened as he let out a low groan, seemingly lost in thought.

Neungnam Gwang continued while watching him.

“So why do you stubbornly hole up in this mountain corner, refusing to come out into the world? Acting like common bandits, robbing the purses of passing merchants.”

His question contained pure curiosity.

Gyo Myosangin, a peerless master who had reached intermediate Transformation Realm.

There were countless people in Gangho who wondered why such a figure of the dark path proclaimed himself master of Manhosan like a common bandit, imprisoning himself.

Speculation ran rampant.

Some said he was hiding from enemies he couldn’t handle, others that he was cultivating special martial arts requiring the mountain’s earth energy, or simply that his eccentric personality had led him to turn his back on the world.

But Gyo Myosangin had never once revealed the reason.

He maintained consistent silence, and people had no choice but to bury their curiosity deep in their hearts.

Gyo Myosangin’s eyes, gazing at the blazing flames, swirled with complex light.

Guyang Cheongang also turned his head with apparent interest, watching Gyo Myosangin.

He too was curious about why this sinister old demon hadn’t left this mountain for nearly sixty years.

A cunning glint flashed in the eyes of the bowed Gyo Myosangin.

Inside the old demon’s head, fierce calculations seemed to ring like the sound of abacus beads.

‘If it’s that monster from the Bottomless Pit…’

Gyo Myosangin stole a glance at Guyang Cheongang.

He couldn’t understand the principle of the prohibition. But he instinctively sensed that the chains binding him were directly connected to Guyang Cheongang’s life.

What if Guyang Cheongang died?

The prohibition would be lifted, and he would regain his freedom.

‘It’s a place where this old man failed despite sixty years of attempts. No matter how exceptional that bastard’s abilities…’

As conviction settled in, a bitter smile spread across Gyo Myosangin’s lips.

It felt like seeing a ray of hope in the darkness that had contained only despair.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“The reason this old man couldn’t leave this place is…”

His cracked voice carried a strange weight different from before.

“Because there is treasure in the depths of Manhosan, underground in the Bottomless Pit.”

“Bottomless Pit?”

Neungnam Gwang narrowed his eyes as he asked back.

Gyo Myosangin nodded and continued in a meaningful tone.

“That’s right. It’s a massive pit located in the deepest part of Manhosan. So deep and treacherous that you cannot see the bottom, a place that doesn’t permit human footsteps. And in that darkness sleeps tremendous treasure.”

“What kind of treasure could it be to bind senior to this mountain for decades?”

Neungnam Gwang’s eyes flashed.

As a martial artist, curiosity about treasure could be called instinct.

Gyo Myosangin lowered his voice further, speaking almost in a whisper.

“It’s… the treasure vault of Cheongi Jinjun, who shook Gangho to its core three hundred years ago.”

“Cheongi Jinjun!”

Neungnam Gwang’s complexion was colored with shock.

Cheongi Jinjun was a legendary figure who dominated his era three hundred years ago.

Though overshadowed by the massive shadow of the Heavenly Martial Emperor, praised as the greatest of all time, he was acknowledged as a genius who reached the highest realm in one particular field.

At the mention that his complete legacy’s treasure vault lay sleeping beneath this Manhosan, not only Neungnam Gwang’s but also Guyang Cheongang’s eyes rippled strangely.

Gyo Myosangin’s heart trembled as he observed Guyang Cheongang’s reaction.

‘That bastard needs to take the bait… if only he does… that place is a deadly maze designed by Cheongi Jinjun. The mechanisms, formations, and the monster guarding it would be more than enough to kill him.’

Neungnam Gwang’s voice trembled with excitement.

“Is Cheongi Jinjun’s treasure vault really there? That legacy that only comes down in legends?”

“This old man confirmed it directly over fifty years.”

Gyo Myosangin drove the point home with a confident tone.

“At the bottom of the Bottomless Pit, I reached the entrance to the underground east. There, Jinjun’s unique ‘Heavenly Mechanism Seal’ was clearly engraved. If Jinjun’s treasure vault weren’t there, why would the Heavenly Mechanism Seal remain in that place?”

Neungnam Gwang frowned as he asked.

“But why hasn’t someone of senior’s skill been able to obtain it until now?”

It seemed unbelievable that a master of intermediate Transformation Realm had only circled the entrance for nearly sixty years.

Then Gyo Myosangin’s complexion instantly turned ashen and darkened.

“That place is guarded by a monster.”

“A monster?”

“That’s right. If you descend vertically about a hundred zhang from the Bottomless Pit entrance, you’ll find a cave like a massive plaza, and a beast stands guard there. One that even this old man’s internal energy cannot dare to face…”

Thick fear appeared in Gyo Myosangin’s eyes.

“I’ve challenged it dozens of times over fifty years, but never once could I break through that thing.”

Heavy silence descended upon the canyon.

Neungnam Gwang fell into thought, while Gyo Myosangin bowed his head to the ground, harboring a bitter smile.

‘Now that bastard will be blinded by greed.’

What martial artist in the world wouldn’t bite at the bait of Cheongi Jinjun’s treasure?

‘Guyang Cheongang, no matter how great you are, you won’t be able to defeat the monster guarding the Heavenly Mechanism East. The moment you die, my prohibition will disappear like a mirage.’

However, Guyang Cheongang showed no particular reaction to Gyo Myosangin’s sweet temptation.

Cheongi Jinjun’s treasure was an interesting story, but it wasn’t something urgently needed by him at the moment.

In the first place, he didn’t even know what position Cheongi Jinjun held in Gangho history.

Returning to his family estate was the priority now, and there was no reason to take unnecessary risks battling some unknown monster.

However, he was curious.

“What kind of person was Cheongi Jinjun?”

When Guyang Cheongang asked, Neungnam Gwang thought for a moment before answering.

“He was somewhat overshadowed because there was such a massive mountain called the Heavenly Martial Emperor in the same era, but he too was a giant. Of course, in martial arts he couldn’t compare to the Martial Emperor, but in one field he surpassed him. That field was…”

Neungnam Gwang paused briefly and spoke with emphasis on each word.

“Mechanical formation studies.”

Gyo Myosangin added.

“Master, Cheongi Jinjun mastered astronomy and geography, mystical formation techniques, as well as precise mechanical arts. In that field, he’s counted among the ‘Ten Greatest Geniuses of All Time,’ referring to the ten most outstanding talents in Gangho history.”

The Ten Greatest Geniuses of All Time referred to ten people who had reached the pinnacle in one field throughout Murim’s long history.

Suddenly, Guyang Cheongang’s eyes changed subtly.

‘Mechanical formation studies…’

Those words strongly stirred Guyang Cheongang’s heart.

Memories from Pungnimgok flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

The precise formations and mechanisms he had encountered while breaking through the Seven Great Gates.

Those systematic principles that strangely distorted space, twisted the laws of gravity, and broke down the boundaries between reality and illusion.

It was undoubtedly a crystallization of mystical formation studies that could be called Heavenly Beyond Heaven.

There, supernatural phenomena that even modern science could not fully explain were manifested through ancient wisdom.

That wondrous mechanism, which seemed to transcend the laws of physics, violently stimulated the curiosity of Guyang Cheongang, who had been a scientist.

Akasha was also reacting along the same trajectory.

She analyzed the formation data of Pungnimgok and glimpsed new possibilities.

The result was the Nine Heavens Black Tortoise Grand Formation for fortifying the family estate and the Flying Star Heavenly Net Sword Formation deployed with seventy-two secret swords.

However, both Guyang Cheongang and Akasha knew that these were incomplete.

The current formations were merely at the level of imitating superficial phenomena without perfectly understanding the essence of Pungnimgok.

Due to failing to penetrate the core principles, the system lacked depth, and there was far too much room for development in terms of energy efficiency and variability.

‘Cheongi Jinjun’s treasure vault…’

If Gyo Myosangin’s words were true, there was a high possibility that profound secret manuals penetrating the essence of mystical formation studies existed in the Cheongi Cavern.

The research results of a genius called the greatest three hundred years ago.

There would be recorded the essence of great wisdom that had now been lost.

If he could obtain that, he could further develop the Nine Heavens Black Tortoise Grand Formation and the Flying Star Heavenly Net Sword Formation.

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes grew intense.

He could see clear value, and a reason to acquire it had emerged.

‘He said a monster was guarding it.’

The fact that it had blocked the footsteps of a cunning master like Gyo Myosangin for fifty years suggested that the danger there was by no means trivial.

However, Guyang Cheongang was not afraid.

Even without Akasha as his wondrous partner, his own abilities had already reached an amazing realm.

He looked at Gyo Myosangin and spoke.

“Gyo Myo, guide us to that place called the Bottomless Pit.”

An undeniable ecstasy flickered in the depths of Gyo Myosangin’s eyes.

His heart pounded as if it would burst, but like the old monster who had experienced all manner of trials, he did not reveal it.

“It is located inside my quarters, the Mysterious Cavern Dwelling. We just need to go fifty more li north from here, Master.”

Gyo Myosangin bowed so low his forehead nearly touched the floor and respectfully added.

“This old one will lead the way.”

Guyang Cheongang nodded.

Neungnam Gwang did not try to dissuade him.

Seeing Guyang Cheongang’s determined gaze, he instinctively knew that no advice would reach him.

Above all, Neungnam Gwang himself was also feeling the unique fervor of a martial artist rising within him, wanting to see the legendary treasure vault of Cheongi Jinjun.

‘They say it even devours people, but with this brother’s aura, he might really be able to catch that monster.’

Meanwhile, Gyo Myosangin’s mind was filled with one thought.

The Bottomless Pit that had frustrated him for the past fifty years—after dozens of attempts, his conclusion was that the monster guarding that place could not be overcome by human strength.

‘That bastard is crawling into the monster’s maw with his own feet. Die. And thus return freedom to this elder once again.’

The group began moving toward the depths of Manhosan following Gyo Myosangin’s guidance.

After leaving the canyon and traveling about thirty li north, the scenery gradually transformed into something bizarre and treacherous.

Cliffs rose like sharp beast fangs, and ancient trees that blocked the sky formed a dense forest.

In the silence where not even the cries of mountain beasts could be heard, let alone human presence, the fishy smell of earth and humidity wrapped around the group’s ankles.

Eventually, a massive cliff appeared before the group.

The rock wall that rose vertically as if to pierce the sky was thickly covered with dark green moss, as if proving the passage of countless years.

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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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