Almighty God of War - Chapter 214

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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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214

When the sun had risen high in the midday sky, Guyang Cheongang returned to Hoyeon Guesthouse.

The waiting group welcomed him back.

The moment he faced them, Guyang Cheongang’s eyes narrowed.

He examined the auras of O Gwi, Gyo Myosangin, and Lady Bloodrose, instantly reading their levels of power.

The brightness and size of their auras, and the density of power contained within them.

Now he didn’t even need to trust their words or gauge their presence. The auras spoke truths that their owners couldn’t hide even if they tried.

A world made of light, a world where energy danced.

Guyang Cheongang was now seeing through to the essence beyond what was visible to the eye.

The first person to notice his change was Neungnam Gwang.

“Brother!”

The returned Guyang Cheongang hadn’t merely recovered from his internal injuries.

The energy within his body had deepened like the sea, and the aura emanating from him was so pure it felt chilling.

Though it was hard to understand such earth-shaking changes that had occurred in just a few days by common sense, Neungnam Gwang convinced himself that Guyang Cheongang was a heaven-sent genius.

“You’ve recovered completely.”

A bright smile spread across Neungnam Gwang’s face.

O Gwi also nodded with eyes mixed with amazement, while Gyo Myosangin and Lady Bloodrose silently felt relieved.

Even Baek Muok’s cold gaze softened gently.

Guyang Cheongang looked around at everyone and slowly opened his mouth.

“I caused you all worry.”

His voice carried genuine sincerity.

“Now I intend to return to Guyang Family Estate.”

“Understood.”

As Neungnam Gwang nodded, Guyang Cheongang’s gaze turned to O Gwi.

“What are your plans going forward?”

Mukyongsan-in answered with hearty laughter.

“Hahahaha, Elder Neung already mentioned it. We’ve decided to accompany you to the family estate as well.”

“Watching over our youngest to the end is also our responsibility, isn’t it?”

Cheongtong Noein added his words.

Guyang Cheongang bowed his head deeply once more.

“Thank you. It’s truly reassuring.”

Then he turned his head toward Sama Yuhon.

The young man with sculpture-like handsome features stood quietly like a painting.

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes deepened.

The aura of Sama Yuhon reflected in his eyes showed a much deeper and clearer blue light than that of Neungnam Gwang and the other members of O Gwi.

This meant that the actual level of martial arts Sama Yuhon was hiding surpassed that of O Gwi.

Guyang Cheongang had already noticed that he had learned martial arts.

But he had never dreamed that his level would be so advanced as to surpass O Gwi.

The deep blue aura surrounding Sama Yuhon’s body was as quiet yet imposing as an unfathomably deep sea.

However, Guyang Cheongang calmly opened his mouth without showing any sign of his inner amazement.

“Young Master Sama, would you be able to accompany us to Guyang Family Estate?”

A look of surprise flashed in Sama Yuhon’s eyes.

He hadn’t expected the recovered Guyang Cheongang to make such a proposal.

“I truly want to repay the life-saving grace Young Master bestowed upon me. Right now I have only myself, which is insufficient, but once we arrive at the family estate, I’d like to show proper courtesy. Would you accompany us until then?”

Sama Yuhon answered refreshingly.

“That was what I was hoping for as well. I would have felt quite regretful to part with Young Master like this.”

A faint smile spread across Guyang Cheongang’s lips.

The group immediately began preparing to depart.

The journey to Guyang Family Estate was three days’ travel, not particularly far.

Just before leaving, Guyang Cheongang quietly gazed at the southern sky.

It was the direction where Bamboo Forest Manor was located.

Heo Choryeong would be there.

The desire to see her welled up like a deep well, but he suppressed that emotion with a heavy sigh.

‘Not yet.’

He knew all too well that stopping by Bamboo Forest Manor now would bring disaster upon them.

Cheonsa Bu, the Gunma Alliance, and many others targeting him were still watching his every move.

If he stopped by Bamboo Forest Manor, their attention would turn there as well.

Guyang Cheongang swallowed a sigh inwardly and turned his back.

“Let’s go.”

With his brief words, the sound of the group’s horse hooves echoed, breaking the silence.

Three days later, around noon.

Guyang Cheongang’s group arrived at a hill from which Guyang Family Estate could be seen in the distance.

The grounds spread before their eyes were vast, and the halls rising within the high walls boasted an ancient and dignified majesty.

An elegant charm suggesting long heritage flowed through the place, though it couldn’t completely hide signs of decline somewhere.

Deep emotion flashed in Guyang Cheongang’s eyes.

It was his return after nearly two years.

When he left, he had been an eighteen-year-old boy, but now he was returning to the family estate as a twenty-year-old young man.

The family’s exterior had improved considerably compared to when he left.

Even from a distance, he could see that the buildings were in better condition, the gardens were well-maintained, and the number of people staying at the family estate had clearly increased.

It was a natural result.

Wasn’t this the family where the Divine Physician of Life and Death had stayed, and which the Emperor was known to personally take interest in?

That alone had elevated Guyang Family Estate’s reputation, and moreover, the profits from selling Byeoksa Sindan remained with the family estate.

Under the Imperial Palace’s invisible protection, everything was gradually returning to the family estate’s golden age appearance.

However, something bothered Guyang Cheongang’s eyes.

The family’s changes weren’t that dramatic.

While the exterior had certainly improved, it was hard to call this true prosperity in the full sense.

He felt a strange sense of incongruity, as if they were intentionally keeping quiet and exercising restraint.

A faint smile spread across Guyang Cheongang’s lips.

‘Father is putting on quite an act.’

If there had been the Emperor’s full support, it would be typical to erect new buildings, expand land on a large scale, and show off their power.

However, Guyang Baek hadn’t done so.

He was intentionally slowing the pace of growth.

Guyang Cheongang saw through the strategy behind this perfectly.

‘Even with the Imperial Palace’s protection, if the family estate had prospered rapidly before my return, Dong Hyeondo of Golden Tower Manor wouldn’t have stayed idle. He surely would have used every means to try to drag our family estate back into the abyss.’

Guyang Family Estate’s growth meant breaking free from Dong Hyeondo’s influence.

That was a situation he could never tolerate.

Guyang Baek knew this fact better than anyone, so he must have been cautious.

Even under the Emperor’s attention, he hadn’t revealed substantial growth outwardly while maintaining a balance of strengthening and preserving the family’s inner foundation.

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes sank deeply.

He could clearly see how arduous a battle his father must have continued to protect the family in his absence.

It must have been a perilous tightrope walk where one wrong step would lead to falling into an endless abyss.

‘Golden Tower Manor… I’ll have to reach a conclusion with them soon, one way or another…’

Guyang Cheongang lightly leaped from his horse and spoke to the group.

“I’ll go ahead first to inform my father of our arrival. Please come slowly.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his body movement became a streak of wind shooting toward Guyang Family Estate.

* * *

At that moment, the study of the Guyang Family Estate was filled with heavy and murderous air.

Before Guyang Baek, the head of the Guyang Family Estate, stood Chief Manager Woo Pung in an arrogant posture.

He was originally the leader of the servants sent by Dong Hyeondo, the Trading House Master of Golden Tower Manor, to monitor and control the Guyang Family Estate.

It was true that in recent years, as the family’s circumstances improved, the number of servants and maids that Guyang Baek personally took in had increased.

However, with Woo Pung at the head, those who received monthly wages from Dong Hyeondo still occupied key positions in the family and wielded real power.

They thoroughly oppressed the newly arrived servants and maids, isolating Guyang Baek.

Woo Pung swept his gaze over Guyang Baek with contempt-filled eyes and snapped.

“Family Head, my patience has reached its limit. When there’s clear evidence of massive funds of unknown origin flowing into the family estate, how can you keep your mouth shut to the end? As one acting on behalf of the Trading House Master’s orders, I have the legitimate right to identify the source!”

The funds that Woo Pung was pressuring about were actually the sales profits from the Dragon Nourishing Pills and Yin Dragon Pills that the Guyang Family Estate and Bamboo Forest Manor had secretly sold, as well as the massive dividends sent from Dongryeong Salt Field.

Since these were lifelines for the family’s revival, Guyang Baek could never reveal them.

He replied calmly with an emotionless face that suppressed his feelings.

“Chief Manager Woo, how many times must I tell you before you understand? There are no funds secretly entering the main estate. I’ve made all the family’s financial transactions go through your hands, so if such money existed, there’s no way you wouldn’t know about it.”

At those words, Woo Pung’s eyes flashed like a viper’s.

He roughly struck the desk in front of Guyang Baek and raised his voice.

“Family Head!”

A thunderous shout shook the study.

Woo Pung cast aside even the minimum courtesy toward the family head, thrust his face right up to Guyang Baek’s chin, and smiled with a fishy grin.

“Will you continue to deceive the Trading House Master with such shallow lies? When the Trading House Master’s wrath falls, will you only come to your senses after seeing this ancient tiled house burn down entirely? How do you plan to bear the endless consequences!”

It was clear intimidation and an attitude that insulted his master.

Guyang Baek’s eyes trembled slightly, but Woo Pung seemed to enjoy it and continued with mockery.

“When you don’t even know if your son is dead or alive outside, you seem to have something to rely on? Quickly reveal the source of the funds. Otherwise, I’ll immediately report to the Trading House Master and have the Guyang Family Estate shut down!”

It was at that moment when Woo Pung’s arrogant and rough words filled the main hall.

“Woo Pung, you’re dying to be killed!”

An ice-cold voice cut through the study’s air and pierced Woo Pung’s eardrums.

Woo Pung, his body hair standing on end from the terrifying killing intent, turned around like lightning in great alarm.

As a trusted subordinate sent by Dong Hyeondo, he was a master with peak-level skills, so he instinctively crossed both arms to protect his chest.

In his field of vision as he turned, he saw a youth of bewitchingly beautiful appearance standing just one jang away.

It was Guyang Cheongang.

Guyang Baek’s eyes trembled upon discovering him.

“Gang-a… Finally, you’ve finally returned.”

Guyang Cheongang gave a cupped fist salute toward his father and bowed deeply.

“I have returned, Father. I apologize for being late.”

Guyang Cheongang straightened his back and raised his head, his gaze stopping on Woo Pung.

A chilling killing intent flashed in his emotionless eyes devoid of feeling.

“How dare you insult Father. Commit suicide right now. That’s your last chance to preserve your corpse intact.”

Bewilderment and madness flashed simultaneously in Woo Pung’s eyes.

He had not yet heard the miraculous rumors that Guyang Cheongang had achieved in Gangho.

He was merely wary of the technique that had occupied his rear without any presence, but couldn’t even guess what level the youth’s skills might be.

Woo Pung shouted in frustration.

“Grand Young Master! How dare you threaten me, aren’t you afraid of the Trading House Master! The moment you lay a hand on me, the Guyang Family Estate will become a sea of blood!”

Even at Woo Pung’s threat, there was not a single change in Guyang Cheongang’s expression.

Only a chilling smile crossed his lips.

“I’m not afraid.”

Before the echo of that brief answer could even fade.

Woo Pung felt an overwhelming invisible force crashing down like a tsunami.

That was the last sensation he felt in this world.

Bang-!

With a roar like thunder from a clear sky, Woo Pung’s entire body exploded without even a chance to scream.

Just before his body could turn into blood mist and defile the study, intense heat energy emanating from Guyang Cheongang’s body burned it to ash.

Then a refreshing breeze arose and cleanly blew even those ashes out the window.

During this entire process, Guyang Cheongang didn’t move a single finger.

It was an execution carried out purely through mental power.

Guyang Baek’s eyes widened greatly in shock.

He realized that Guyang Cheongang’s martial arts had reached a realm beyond imagination.

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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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