The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 104
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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 Nakhyang Jin Family – Chapter 165
Chu Won stared at me with an expression of utter bewilderment.
It was understandable—I had snatched the Gok Ok from his embrace using a method he could never have anticipated.
And my opponent was one of the Twelve Sovereigns.
Considering that their martial prowess was so exceptional that even those called the Ten Emperors would yield to them, I could understand his shock.
However, the problem remained that the Gok Ok had not ended up in my hands.
I narrowed my eyes and fixed my gaze upon Yeom Ji-hak.
He, who had been examining the Gok Ok in his hand with fascination, now looked at me with a smile playing at his lips.
“So you wanted to possess this?”
“…”
“Do you know what it is?”
I offered no response to his question.
I simply stared in silence, tightening my grip on the sword in my hand.
Ready to strike the moment an opening presented itself.
But had he sensed my intent?
Yeom Ji-hak regarded me with a playful expression before tucking the Gok Ok into his robes.
“It seems our objectives aligned after all. And Divine Sovereign, would you truly use something you’ve lost to a mere child?”
At Yeom Ji-hak’s jab, Chu Won’s brow twitched.
Yet he could not muster a response, his gaze fixed solely upon Gu Gunbaek.
He had no room for distraction.
Standing before him was the supreme master of the Demon Palace.
The Demon King himself—one of the Ten Emperors, of whom only ten existed across all the Central Plains.
With him radiating such a terrifying aura, even a moment’s carelessness could mean death.
Gu Gunbaek and Chu Won watched for gaps in each other’s stance.
Neither moved hastily, not merely testing the waters, but rather seeking that one decisive, fatal strike.
But that moment was fleeting.
Gu Gunbaek moved first.
Boom—!
A flash and thunder erupted, his fist hurtling toward Chu Won with terrifying force.
Gu Gunbaek’s strike was distinctly different from anything I had witnessed before.
Power enough to pulverize a human was contained with exquisite precision.
Did he sense it?
Chu Won attempted to scatter with mist, but Gu Gunbaek’s assault transcended expectation, granting him scarcely any time to react.
Boom—!
The fists collided, and a tremendous shockwave erupted.
The wind that swept forth made it nearly impossible to stand, and though I struggled to hold my ground, my body was relentlessly pushed backward.
“Argh! Young Master!”
“Hold on!”
Unable to overcome the strength, Chu Hyeongi tumbled across the ground with a cry, and I desperately threw myself forward to grab his hand and pull him up.
But there was no time to catch my breath.
Boom—bang bang—crash!
A barrage of fists and strikes came flying in succession.
With each gesture and movement they made, wind howled and the earth trembled, as if a natural disaster were unfolding before us.
Because of this, even those standing nearby had to create distance.
As the clash between the two echoed like a signal flare, the war between the Sect Members and the Namman began in earnest.
Crash—! Thud!
“Hahahaha! Die!”
“Sweep them all away!”
Those gaining momentum were none other than the Demon Palace warriors. Burning with the resolve to wash away past humiliation, their morale pierced the heavens.
Meanwhile, the Sect Members remained silent.
With expressionless faces, they blocked the incoming attacks while maintaining composure against the fierce Demon Palace forces.
It was fierce enough that either side could emerge victorious.
I turned my gaze away from the spectacle.
“Chu Hyeongi, go lend your strength.”
“What about you, Young Master?”
“I’ll manage on my own. Don’t worry about me. Go join Namgung Yeon over there.”
I subtly gestured with my chin toward one side, and I could see Namgung Yeon swinging his sword amid the Namman forces.
However, there seemed to be a slight difference in skill compared to the Sect Members, as he appeared to be sweating profusely.
But if Chu Hyeongi coordinated with him, they would likely suppress their opponents far more easily and achieve results.
I urged the hesitant Chu Hyeongi with a sharp glance, then discreetly moved my hand behind my back and loaded the Oduks from my sleeve.
Maintaining the most composed demeanor.
Then I quietly shifted my gaze to focus on one person.
Yeom Ji-hak.
While everyone else maintained distance and engaged in fierce combat under the overwhelming aura emanating from Gu Gunbaek and Chu Won, he alone stood his ground in that spot, displaying dissatisfaction as if something displeased him.
Because of this, he failed to properly notice my actions.
“This is… I clearly stated it was mine.”
Just from hearing those words, I could discern Yeom Ji-hak’s purpose.
It appeared he had been targeting Gu Gunbaek to settle what happened in Anwhui, but the unexpected ill-fated connection between the two gave Yeom Ji-hak no opening to intervene.
His furrowed expression proved it, but soon he sighed as if resigned to it, turned his head as if searching for someone, and then smiled as he looked at me.
Thump thump—
Whoosh—!
He walked casually through the fierce gale and approached where I stood, coming to a halt.
I looked at him and offered a bitter smile.
“I never expected we’d meet again so soon.”
“Heh heh, I was different. I thought we’d meet soon. But I never imagined the masked man’s true identity would be the Young Master of the Jin Family.”
Yeom Ji-hak’s eyes scanned up and down, scrutinizing me.
He sent me a suspicious gaze, wondering if I was truly Jin Cheon-u or merely someone who resembled him, but no matter how carefully he examined me or how many times he verified, the fact that I was Jin Cheon-u remained unchanged.
I gave a light shrug.
“Heh, don’t think you can fool me. Now that I’m this close, I can feel it. Your energy then and now—it’s changed somewhat, but not enough to deceive these old eyes.”
Yeom Ji-hak’s gaze and expression revealed unwavering certainty, as if he was determined not to let me evade this situation.
At this point, no amount of effort to deceive would matter.
So I made no attempt to hide it.
I gestured subtly with my chin toward Gu Gunbaek and Chu Won.
“If you’d just return that and let them go, that would be fine.”
“Hehehehe—the grudge against that fellow is one thing, but don’t I have a debt to collect from you as well?”
Yeom Ji-hak spoke while touching one of his eyes.
The eye that had been severed was now perfectly intact.
It was unmistakably Chu Won’s handiwork.
Yet it seemed the resentment from that time had not faded easily.
“Wait, shall we move to a different location? It’s too noisy here.”
Yeom Ji-hak lightly drove his staff into the ground.
Rumble—!
Simultaneously, a strange sound echoed as the earth trembled, and soon a violent pressure erupted from where I stood.
Boom—!
I leaped into the air instinctively, and as if waiting for that moment, Yeom Ji-hak’s staff appeared before my eyes and swung down.
Crash—!
A heavy force struck my abdomen.
Feeling the protective energy I had woven shatter uselessly, my body flew toward something and crashed hard into the ground.
After tumbling across the earth several times and finally stopping, I furrowed my brow against the rushing pain and looked around.
It had been an incredibly brief moment, yet I had flown an enormous distance.
I could neither see nor hear the sounds of those fighting.
Only Yeom Ji-hak descending before my eyes was visible.
His staff, descending from the air, struck the ground once more.
Boom, boom, boom, boom—!
Violent pressure surged up from beneath the earth, targeting me.
The energy that erupted as it spread seemed as sharp and piercing as an awl that could penetrate anything.
I watched it intently and moved my body.
Confirming his staff swinging again, I drew my sword.
“…!”
Clang, clang—!
The sword energy I released disrupted Yeom Ji-hak’s movement.
He paused momentarily, then furrowed his brow and moved like a serpent to the side, driving forward as his staff’s end extended cunningly toward my chest like a piercing lance.
Rip—!
My collar was torn, and I felt a sharp sting.
I had believed I dodged, but it wasn’t perfect.
However, this much hardly qualified as a wound.
I extended my hand to guard my brow.
Whoosh—!
The viper shot forward at a frenzied speed, but I never entertained the notion that a mere dark technique could threaten or wound Yeom Ji-hak.
Crack—!
Despite moving faster than the eye could follow, the viper shattered into fragments and vanished, while simultaneously the staff he swung came crashing down, kicking up debris.
“…!”
It resembled one of Gu Gunbaek’s techniques from the day before.
Was he remembering what he had endured in Anwhui?
Boom—boom—crash—!
The ground tore open with such ferocity that even as I watched, I could scarcely believe it—debris erupted skyward like a tsunami of earth and stone.
“How does the technique I learned last time suit you?”
His voice dripped with mockery.
Facing his expression as if to ask whether I could withstand such a violent deluge, I smiled faintly and poured my energy into the tip of my blade.
No matter how identical the technique to Gu Gunbaek’s, it could never possess the same precision and power.
I focused on a single point.
Feeling the sword energy bloom like heat shimmer, wrapping around my entire blade, I concentrated all my force into one spot and thrust.
“…?!”
Burst—!
I pierced through the overwhelming force that came crashing down and slipped free, immediately targeting Yeom Ji-hak directly before me in one fluid motion.
Even he hadn’t anticipated it—his eyes widened in shock.
Slash—!
My blade cut across Yeom Ji-hak’s cheek.
His protective energy had been shattered.
In that instant, an enraged Yeom Ji-hak unleashed his full power.
Boom—!
The moment I blocked the incoming force with my sword, I extended my arm and threw my body backward with even greater force, creating distance between us.
“Sword energy… Heh, I don’t know whether to believe this or not. Such growth is possible for a human….”
For Yeom Ji-hak, this was certainly cause for astonishment.
The events in Anwhui occurred merely months ago.
That I, who hadn’t even approached that level, much less possessed sword energy, could now draw upon such power—even if incomplete—was enough to perplex anyone.
Soon after.
“However, your swordsmanship. It resembles Gwanbaek’s, yet the texture differs. There are aspects that make it difficult to attribute it to his work.”
“Rather, Hoyeon said it was the same. Indeed, the difference between the superior and inferior is quite clear, it seems.”
The moment Hoyeon’s name was mentioned, Yeom Ji-hak’s pupils trembled.
He too, having encountered countless pieces of information on his way here, must have been searching for the reason behind his sudden disappearance.
But with my single remark, he now had his answer.
“…I see. So you were the reason that bastard vanished.”
“You came at me willingly. Why would I refuse when my prey delivers itself?”
I saw Yeom Ji-hak’s lips tremble.
Hoyeon was among the elite of the Twelve Angles—a master of such caliber that he was trusted as a right arm, and had fortune smiled upon him, he might have grown further and aimed for the position of an Angle Lord.
Such was the tragic news.
I couldn’t help but feel anger rising within me.
As I gazed at him with a small, provocative smile, Yeom Ji-hak, uncharacteristically, seemed to steady his breathing and suppress his rage.
Soon, his piercing eyes gleamed with a sharp, icy light.
“Did Gwanbaek tell you that as well?”
“Who knows?”
Speaking with a laugh as if toying with him, I watched Yeom Ji-hak’s expression gradually contort.
While they remained ignorant, their extensions—their subordinates—were dying one by one. Witnessing such a situation, anyone would have reason to be furious.
Whoooosh—
Once more, the sound of him steadying his breath echoed out.
It was in that moment that Yeom Ji-hak’s voice, his lips twisted in a grimace, pierced my ears once again.
“Truly… you are one who must not be allowed to live.”
His momentum erupts.
A power entirely different from before explodes outward, pressing down upon all directions.
Like the aura of the Demon King that Gu Gunbaek had displayed, a force that crushes the entire body and tears it asunder—sharp and merciless.
In a situation where merely sensing it threatens to draw cold sweat from my skin, I grip my sword anew and focus my mind even more intently.
I must steel my resolve.
Today, I will cut him down.
Whooooom—!
As if in agreement with my determination, the blade resonates with a sharp cry.
The sword, too, reveals its will to sever the bonds of the past this very day.
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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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