The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 102
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Youngest Son of the Jin Family of Luoyang – Chapter 163
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“Uhhhhh….”
Chu Hyeongi let out a groan and slowly opened his eyes.
Unable to comprehend what had transpired, he gazed blankly at his surroundings before spotting me, his eyes widening in surprise.
“…Young Master, that…!”
“Finally awake? I thought you were dead.”
I remained sprawled across Baek Gu’s warm, comfortable body as if it were a bed, observing him. The creature’s warmth was remarkably soothing—now I understood why Chaeseoha had slept so peacefully.
I slowly rose from Baek Gu’s embrace and approached Chu Hyeongi, whose eyes reflected utter disbelief.
“Don’t you think losing consciousness from a single blow is rather excessive?”
“When did I ever lose consciousness from a single blow?”
Unable to recall being struck, Chu Hyeongi’s expression and gaze suggested he wasn’t simply feigning ignorance to evade the situation.
From his demeanor alone, it appeared he genuinely had no memory of the incident.
“You must have hit your head and lost your memory.”
“That’s not true….”
He grumbled and attempted to deny reality, yet such protests could not undo what had occurred.
The moment Chu Hyeongi’s patience wore thin and he glared fiercely at Baek Gu, the golden beast’s eyes narrowed.
Meeting that gaze, Chu Hyeongi slowly turned his head away, looking elsewhere.
“…Rather, what is the meaning of this?”
“What do you mean? I’ve trained him well. We’ve become quite close.”
I patted Baek Gu’s torso with a laugh.
The moment my hand made contact, the beast flinched and looked toward me, but unable to bring himself to attack, he snorted and suppressed his anger.
He did not merely fear one who could manifest sword force.
Moreover, my incomplete and barely shimmering sword force posed little genuine threat.
Yet he still submitted.
The reason was simple—his spirit had been completely crushed.
I had utterly broken the aura and momentum of a creature that lived purely by instinct.
“Now that you’ve recovered, do what you came here to do.”
“Pardon? What am I supposed to do?”
“Why else would the Elder have placed you in this location?”
I gestured with my chin toward the wall constructed of gon-cheol.
Though I doubted his current level was sufficient to leave any marks, there was no question this was the sole reason he had been brought here.
Chu Hyeongi nodded in understanding.
He then slowly walked forward and stood before the gon-cheol wall.
As he steadied his breathing and clenched his fists, determination blazed in his eyes.
Observing the countless marks left by his ancestors etched before him, he began to release all the energy he possessed.
Having received considerable instruction during his journey to Namman, even the mere release of his energy created a sensation as though a massive boulder were pressing down upon him.
He gathered such energy into his hands.
Even if one were a Shin Gyo Warrior, if struck directly by such force, survival seemed unlikely—and that was before accounting for the divine power imbued within it.
I watched with keen interest.
Yaaaawn—
But Baek Gu was having none of it.
Despite the overwhelming power and momentum radiating through the air, he seemed entirely unbothered, stretching languidly with a prolonged yawn.
Soon after, he collapsed onto the ground and began snoring.
Snore… snore—!
The snoring that accompanied each breath was so thunderously loud that Jang Chuchyeong, who had been concentrating, turned to look at me with an expression of utter disbelief.
Without thinking, I flicked Baek Gu across the bridge of his nose.
Growl—
“Stop making noise. I need to concentrate, don’t I?”
Golden eyes glared at me fiercely, but then he snorted and shut his eyes once more.
The fact that no further snoring followed suggested this had been a deliberate provocation rather than genuine sleep.
I shrugged and sent Jang Chuchyeong a look urging him to continue.
Only then did he exhale deeply and begin drawing his energy once more, as a powerful pressure and storm-like force radiated outward.
Anticipating another attempt at disruption, I pinched Baek Gu’s nose shut, keeping my gaze fixed upon him.
In that instant, Jang Chuchyeong’s form vanished.
“…!”
Fast.
All I could perceive was a blur of movement.
Jang Chuchyeong suddenly appeared before the stone wall, drawing his fist back with tremendous force as he channeled every ounce of his power and roared.
“Celestial Star Crushing Strike—!”
Boom—!
The moment his strike erupted, the earth trembled and the wind shook violently.
It felt as though dozens of divine thunderbolts had detonated simultaneously. Dust and debris scattered chaotically in the expanding shockwave.
Was it due to that devastating blow?
Baek Gu, who had been resting with his eyes closed as though utterly disinterested, cracked open one eye to observe the spectacle unfolding before him.
“Impressive. There is room for improvement compared to the past, but considering the timeframe, it’s an absurd level of progress.”
Celestial Star Crushing Strike.
A fierce blow that struck the stars themselves.
Originally, this was not a martial art learned by the Lord of the Beast Palace, but rather a new technique that Gu Gunbaek had created and mastered to suit himself best.
Therefore, Chu Hyeongi was currently mastering two different martial arts.
One was the Beast Heavenly Soul Technique that only the Lord of the Beast Palace could learn, and the Heavenly Shattering Star Fist that Gu Gunbaek had created.
From the look of it, it seemed that Gu Gunbaek had made him practice the Heavenly Shattering Star Fist with slightly more emphasis than the Beast Heavenly Soul Technique.
“Argh—! What is this thing? There’s not even a scratch on it?”
At that moment, Chu Hyeongi cried out while staring at the iron wall.
Despite gathering every ounce of strength and throwing his fist with all his might, the iron wall remained pristine without even the smallest blemish.
Among martial arts that utilized the fist, the Heavenly Shattering Strike possessed destructive power that could be called supreme, but it seemed he was not yet at the level to leave a mark on this iron wall.
“Well, there’s nothing to be done about it. That’s just your current level.”
My single remark seemed to be quite a shock, as Chu Hyeongi’s shoulders drooped and his expression and eyes openly displayed disappointment.
Certainly, it was a disappointing result for him, but considering when he had begun learning martial arts, his growth had been impossibly fast.
If he had unleashed that Heavenly Shattering Strike at Moryeong Hyeok just moments ago?
I was certain every bone in his body would have shattered.
As I thought such things and turned away with a smile.
Glimmer—
Suddenly, something gleamed.
That strange glimmer caught my attention, and I turned my head.
Above the center of the iron wall.
Upon examining closely the spot where the fist mark of the Lord, called the strongest of the Beast Palace, was clearly visible, something strange was embedded in the wall and gleaming.
I quietly enhanced my vision to confirm what it was.
“…!”
What entered my eyes was a violet-colored jade orb.
Slightly above where the fist was embedded, the jade orb lay buried as if trapped within the iron wall, revealing its presence from that spot.
In that instant, I found myself frowning without thinking.
“So that’s why you said it would crawl out on its own?”
I shook my head with an exasperated laugh.
The claim that I didn’t know where it was had been a lie, and the statement that it would come out on its own even if left alone stemmed from the belief that I would find and retrieve it myself.
In the end, there had been a reason for placing it here.
For Chu Hyeongi, it was experience, and for me, I was playing a supporting role while also tasked with retrieving the jade orb and eliminating those inside.
For the meal I ate here, the price was far too steep.
It was practically a loss, a situation that made my stomach turn.
“What’s there?”
“The item I was looking for.”
“Huh?”
I couldn’t understand why the jade orb was embedded in such a place.
Whether it was the Lord who had left the fist mark who had embedded it, or whether it had been revealed when striking the wall from inside the iron chamber itself.
But one thing was certain—it was right before my eyes.
I gripped my sword.
Creak?
Baek Gu, who had been lying as if asleep, glanced at me with questioning eyes—wondering what I was plotting. I suppressed a smile and steadied my breath.
The timing of this was far too perfectly aligned.
Upon entering the Forbidden Realm, I had faced countless trials and could not help but harbor lingering attachments to sword strength. Eventually, I succeeded in breaking through the barrier here.
Though incomplete, I had advanced further nonetheless, and managed to manifest a sword strength capable of severing Gon-cheol.
Had I not advanced, I would never have been able to recover it.
Could it be that Gu Gunbaek calculated even this and placed it here?
“…That’s absurd.”
I shook my head and rejected the thought.
It was simply unbelievable that Gu Gunbaek—a man who did nothing but drink and laugh boisterously—could have devised such a plan.
“Huuu—.”
I drew in my breath and elevated my momentum.
The power drawn from my dantian flowed through my meridians, and in an instant, it was channeled into my blade.
The form of the sword energy transformed, creating an increasingly deep azure hue, until finally it rose like a heat shimmer.
“Wh-what?! What is that?”
“Don’t speak.”
I dismissed Chu Hyeongi’s question and refocused.
What I needed to do was sever Gon-cheol.
To extract the deeply embedded Gok Ok, mere scratches would not suffice.
I would unleash the greatest martial art I currently possessed.
The Heavenly Flow Sword Intent.
I wielded my blade with the power of the Heavenly Flow, surging past the turbulent rapids.
Rising in one fluid motion, I swept away everything in my path.
The moment my sword touched Gon-cheol, the force exploded outward, consuming all resistance.
Crash—!
One strike would not suffice.
Penetrating merely two cun deep would be insufficient to extract the Gok Ok buried so deeply within.
Thus, I swung again, and again.
Clang—!
Steel scraped against my blade with a deafening screech that bored into my ears, yet I paid it no mind—my gaze and consciousness remained fixed solely upon the Gok Ok and Gon-cheol.
Crash—!
Successive strikes followed, burrowing ferociously into Gon-cheol.
From one cun to two, from two to three.
I stared at one point, feeling the blade sink deeper with each blow.
My target was the weakest section.
I concentrated all my spirit and strength toward that spot, unleashing everything.
Crash—!
In that instant, the embedded Gok Ok soared high into the sky.
As it tumbled to the ground and rolled across the earth, I finally retrieved my sword and descended slowly.
“Wow! What was that!”
“The flow of the Heavenly Stream.”
“I don’t understand it, but that was incredible! Wouldn’t that mean you could beat your master?”
Jang Chuchyeong’s gleaming eyes turned toward me with an intensity that felt burdensome. The expression and gaze, as though she regarded me more highly than her own master, were not entirely unpleasant.
As I turned my head away from those reverent eyes, I finally beheld the violet Gok Ok—the very reason I had come to this Namman.
As if to prove it was a stone imbued with divine power, it radiated an ethereal brilliance.
Merely gazing upon it felt as though I might be drawn inside.
Was that the reason?
Jang Chuchyeong’s eyes transformed.
A covetous gleam and expression.
She looked as though she might dash toward the Gok Ok at any moment.
I swiftly extended my hand and struck the back of her head.
Smack—!
“Oof!”
“Regain your senses and look away. Once caught in heart-demon delusion, there is no escape.”
Jang Chuchyeong rubbed the back of her tingling head and nodded, turning her gaze away. Only then did I exhale slowly and approach the Gok Ok.
Then.
Something strange began to unfold.
Whoosh—!
The atmosphere shifted abruptly.
The twisted sensations that had filled the forbidden zone vanished in an instant, and gradually, everything seemed to return to its proper place.
As if the formation itself had been shattered.
In the instant I widened my eyes in shock at the sudden turn of events.
Whoooosh—!
Something hurtled toward me.
Terrifying speed and destructive force.
The moment I urgently grabbed Chu Hyeongi and leaped away.
Boom—!
A massive crater opened where I had been standing.
“Well, well—so my suspicions were actually correct.”
I held my breath at the voice that followed.
Simultaneously, thick mist surged forward.
It coalesced into a single mass, hurtled toward me, then halted before my eyes and dispersed.
What emerged alongside it was.
“Yeom Ji-hak….”
“Hehehehe—.”
Yeom Ji-hak appeared with a staff in hand, and Chu Won with his hunched back and crooked spine.
The worst scenario had unfolded—two lords of the Twelve Angles appearing simultaneously.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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