Almighty God of War - Chapter 202

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

202

Inside the Mysterious Cavern Dwelling, Lady Bloodrose and Baek Muok watched the stone gate with tense expressions.

Rumble rumble rumble-

The faint tremor that started beneath their feet gradually shook the pillars of the great hall, and dust began pouring down from the ceiling like rain.

Lady Bloodrose’s complexion turned pale as her pupils shook violently.

“What on earth could be happening inside there to cause such a thing…?”

Her voice carried an undeniable tremor.

But the reaction of Baek Muok standing beside her was strangely calm.

Even amid the falling rocks and thick dust clouds, he maintained his composure and simply gazed into the stone gate.

Unable to bear that bizarre sight so unsuited to a boy’s age, Lady Bloodrose asked.

“Aren’t you afraid?”

Baek Muok slowly turned his head to look at her.

The boy’s eyes were as calm as a deep lake, filled with unwavering conviction.

“Not at all. Master is in there, isn’t he?”

His tone was matter-of-fact, as if stating an obvious truth.

“A place where Master resides cannot collapse, and even if it did, Master would never fall to something like a natural disaster. So there’s no reason to worry.”

It was a belief so terribly solid it could be called blind faith.

Lady Bloodrose was overwhelmed by the boy’s indescribable bond with his master and momentarily lost her words.

‘This child’s feelings toward his master have already transcended the stage of trust and become the sole value of his life.’

Lady Bloodrose suppressed a bitter laugh.

It was even wondrous that this boy who had just taken his first steps had a heart far deeper and more solid than her own, having weathered all of Gangho’s harsh storms.

Bang! Rumble rumble-!

The vibration instantly transformed into violent sounds of destruction.

Spider web-like cracks spread across the walls, and the magnificent pillars of the great hall collapsed one by one with thunderous roars.

The wave of collapse that began in the Bottomless Pit had finally reached this place.

At that very moment, the tightly closed stone gate exploded and dust poured out like a storm.

Three figures shot through it like arrows.

Leading was Guyang Cheongang, followed by Neungnam Gwang and Gyo Myosangin.

Their faces were uniformly pale and urgent.

“Evacuate outside immediately!”

As soon as Guyang Cheongang’s sharp command fell, Lady Bloodrose moved.

Deploying her Plum Shadow Divine Technique, she swiftly scooped up Baek Muok’s waist, tucked him under her arm, and flew toward the entrance at full speed.

Crash crash bang!

The escape was a race against collapse.

Dozens of pillars snapped as house-sized boulders came crashing down.

The treasures and artifacts Gyo Myosangin had collected over fifty years were instantly buried under piles of rock.

The five people threw themselves into the darkness with the collapsing dwelling at their backs.

Whoosh-!

Lady Bloodrose was first to soar into the air beyond the cliff while holding Baek Muok.

Then Guyang Cheongang passed through the entrance, and Neungnam Gwang and Gyo Myosangin were flung outside by a hair’s breadth.

Rumble rumble-!

As soon as they escaped the dwelling’s entrance, a thunderous roar that shook the entire mountain struck their eardrums.

The interior of the cliff completely collapsed and the dwelling’s entrance was buried without a trace.

House-sized boulders poured down like a waterfall from the cliff dozens of zhang high, and fragments that struck the ground scattered in all directions.

Explosively rising dust clouds became a brown curtain that covered the sky.

In the murky air where even breathing was difficult, Guyang Cheongang shouted again.

“We must retreat further!”

The group didn’t stop until they had fled another hundred zhang before halting their steps.

Breathing heavily as they looked back, they could see that all traces of the Mysterious Cavern Dwelling had vanished.

Beyond the thick dust, only the debris of a completely collapsed cliff was visible.

Gyo Myosangin’s fifty-year hermitage had returned to dust.

Where the dust settled, only miserably collapsed ruins remained.

Silence flowed.

The five people wordlessly gazed at those traces of destruction.

Gyo Myosangin’s complexion grew increasingly somber as time passed.

Fifty years. The sanctuary he had devoted half his life to creating had become ruins in just a moment.

Though the gold and silver treasures accumulated over a lifetime were buried underground, he felt no regret.

Such things could be collected again anytime.

What truly drove him to despair was the prohibition still intact within his body.

Even without deliberately circulating his internal energy, he could clearly feel the living traces of the prohibition.

Betrayal meant death.

That monster-like young man who had miraculously returned alive from the Bottomless Pit was emanating an even more brilliant aura than before.

Freedom had receded like a mirage, and now only submission remained.

Gyo Myosangin’s shoulders sagged powerlessly.

His back was deeply steeped in the futility of a fallen hero whose century of fame had crumbled.

Guyang Cheongang coldly surveyed that pitiful figure.

There was no sympathy.

The collapse of a tower of greed built upon others’ bloody tears was karmic retribution.

“Let’s go. We’re leaving Manhosan now.”

Gyo Myosangin nodded weakly.

“…Yes, Master.”

Leaving his dispirited answer behind, the group began to move.

Neungnam Gwang took one last look at the cliff reeking of dust before turning his back, and Lady Bloodrose quietly followed.

Only Baek Muok silently matched his steps to Guyang Cheongang’s pace.

Before they knew it, morning had arrived.

The sky was blue as if nothing had happened, and Manhosan’s wind still brushed the forest indifferently.

From behind came the sound of the last rock fragment rolling down.

Thud-

With that sound, complete silence arrived.

The secrets of the Mysterious Cavern Dwelling and Bottomless Pit, along with traces of Cheongi Jinjun, were forever buried beneath the earth with the collapse.

* * *

About one hour after Guyang Cheongang’s party left Manhosan.

Over a dozen figures appeared above the ruins of the Mysterious Cavern Dwelling.

Dressed in blue martial robes, they all wore swords, and the aura flowing from their bodies was extraordinary.

At their head stood Namgung Gyeol, the elder of Namgung Sega who had revealed himself at Pungnimgok.

To his left and right stood two men and women with refined features – his children Namgung Je and Namgung Ram.

Namgung Je, known by the alias Meteor Sword, was a prodigy who had already reached the pinnacle realm in his mid-twenties.

And Namgung Ram, in her early twenties, was famous as one of Anhui Province’s three great beauties and a talented woman whose martial arts were not inferior to her brother’s.

Namgung Gyeol surveyed the miserably collapsed cliff and muttered lowly.

“To think the Mysterious Cavern Dwelling has become such ruins. What on earth happened inside?”

Namgung Je examined the ruins and carefully spoke.

“I suspect Guyang Cheongang and Gyo Myosangin clashed, Father. The dwelling must have collapsed from the aftermath.”

Namgung Ram, who had been silently analyzing the terrain nearby, calmly added.

“The corpses of Iron Scaled Dragon’s group discovered fifty li away are probably an extension of this incident. Father, those four demon heads were all killed by one person. There were traces of being subdued instantly without a chance to resist.”

“Isn’t that already confirmed? Why bring it up again?”

At Namgung Gyeol’s question, Namgung Ram pointed to the debris of the ruins.

“If Gyo Myosangin, known for his caution, targeted Guyang Cheongang, he would never have moved alone. Most likely, he launched a surprise attack with the four dead demon leaders and Yeonsu.”

“Hmm… So you’re saying Guyang Cheongang killed all those who ambushed him and chased Gyo Myosangin all the way here?”

“Yes.”

Namgung Ram’s voice carried conviction.

Though she was known in Gangho only as a talented woman, she was actually a genius with such sharp insight that even her father Namgung Gyeol would listen to her opinions.

“The collapse of the eastern region must be evidence of that fierce battle. If Guyang Cheongang left here alive, then Gyo Myosangin is probably…”

She trailed off, but the meaning was clear.

Either dead or utterly defeated.

A subtle tension flowed among the azure-robed martial artists standing guard nearby.

They had painfully realized that Guyang Cheongang’s martial arts far exceeded their expectations.

Namgung Ram continued her cold analysis, counting on her fingers one by one.

“He killed two Cheonsa Bu elders of intermediate Transformation Realm level in Geumneung, and here in Anhui Province, he dispatched four renowned demon leaders in a single strike. If he also defeated Gyo Myosangin, then he must be a peerless master of intermediate Transformation Realm or higher.”

Her gaze turned to Namgung Gyeol.

“The Guyang Family Estate originally has its roots in the orthodox faction. With the emergence of someone like Guyang Cheongang, it’s only a matter of time before they rise as the foremost family in Gangxi. Making an enemy of such a person over the uncertain treasures of Pungnimgok would be foolish.”

Namgung Gyeol quietly gazed at his daughter.

Though he was not one to easily show emotion, a look of satisfaction crossed his face at his daughter’s astute judgment.

“Ram, then do you believe our main family should build a friendship with him?”

“Yes, Father. Guyang Cheongang is someone whose future is assured. Building a good relationship with him would certainly be of great help in strengthening our main family’s position and pursuing long-term benefits.”

Namgung Gyeol slowly nodded and asked again.

“If that is your intention, how specifically should we move?”

His question contained both a desire to confirm his daughter’s wisdom and the nature of seeking counsel on a matter that might have significant impact on the family estate’s future.

Namgung Ram answered without hesitation.

“How about having our main family escort him until he completely leaves Anhui Province territory and enters Jiangxi Province?”

Namgung Gyeol’s eyebrows twitched.

Namgung Ram continued calmly.

“Though it might seem like rather obvious goodwill, that would actually be the way to clearly convey our intentions to Guyang Cheongang. If we publicly announce to all under heaven that the Namgung Family Estate values him, even the petty criminals eyeing the treasure wouldn’t dare approach. There would be no surer courtesy than helping him return home safely.”

Namgung Gyeol stroked his beard and nodded.

“Not a bad approach. Rather than approaching him directly, you mean to make his journey comfortable. Then, who would be best to send on this important mission?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Namgung Ram stepped forward.

“I will go.”

Instantly, both Namgung Gyeol and Namgung Je’s eyes widened simultaneously.

The answer that she, a precious daughter and core talent of the family estate, would personally go to escort an unknown man was completely unexpected.

“You would go personally?”

“That’s right. If a strange man approaches, no matter how much he’s from our main family, Guyang Cheongang might perceive it as a threat or surveillance. But if I, a woman, approach him, I could ease his wariness.”

Namgung Ram’s voice carried firm conviction.

“I think being a young woman would be advantageous for natural approach and building friendship. Above all, I want to see with my own eyes what kind of person he is.”

The curiosity embedded in her calm tone was genuine.

Namgung Gyeol closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

Sending out the family estate’s precious daughter when Guyang Cheongang’s temperament wasn’t perfectly understood carried significant risk.

However, Namgung Ram was a talent who possessed not only the beauty that ranked her among Anhui Province’s three great beauties, but also martial arts and wisdom that overwhelmed most martial artists.

There was no one more suitable than her to naturally work her way into Guyang Cheongang’s side.

Finally making his decision, Namgung Gyeol opened his eyes.

“Very well. I give my permission.”

At her father’s approval, a faint smile spread across Namgung Ram’s lips.

“However, you must not move alone.”

His gaze turned toward the ten azure-robed martial artists.

They were members of the Changung Sword Corps, famous throughout Gangho as part of the Namgung Family Estate.

“Take them with you.”

“I will, Father.”

“Remember this, Ram.”

Namgung Gyeol’s tone became solemn.

“Build a good relationship with Guyang Cheongang, but do not lose that sense of distance. You must maintain our main family’s dignity and act prudently. Do not forget that your every action represents the face of the Namgung Family Estate.”

“Yes, Father. I will conduct myself so as not to cause you worry.”

After bowing deeply in greeting, Namgung Ram turned around without delay.

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