The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 109

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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 170

Once Gwanbaek and his subordinates vanished from sight, I stood alone, left to guard the empty space.
As the tension drained away, pain flooded in from every direction.
From the Forbidden Ground until now.
It felt as though I had reached the end of one chapter in a journey where nothing had come easily.
Though I had not obtained what I truly desired, neither was the harvest without merit.
I had awakened Sword Force, and I had gained Mu Heo’s final sword dance.
In truth, the latter was far more precious than the former.
I etched everything that had unfolded before my eyes into my memory once more, then exhaled a long breath.
Soon after, I approached the corpse of Yeom Ji-hak.
I examined the sprawled body.
The first place I checked was none other than the crown of his head.
“All it took was a single finger….”
A small hole pierced through the crown of Yeom Ji-hak’s head.
Recalling how he had sprayed blood from his entire body as he died, it seemed he had channeled some form of energy through that opening, rupturing not only his limbs and meridians but his very life channels as well.
I had never heard of such a technique, not in all my years.
And that was not the only thing that troubled me.
Every member of the Divine Sect I had encountered thus far possessed no memories of the past.
Considering the movements of the Divine Sect, it was highly likely that even the entity calling itself “The Divine” lacked memories of the past.
Yet how was it that only Gwanbaek could accomplish such a thing?
It was the most perplexing aspect of all.
“In any case, this is not good.”
I scratched my head and sighed.
Soon after, I turned my gaze to the ground.
Both the Divine Sect and Gwanbaek were problems, but what weighed most heavily on my mind now was the broken sword.
A gift from my grandfather—a legendary blade forged by the greatest blacksmith of the age.
Now that he had passed from this world, it was impossible to create another like it.
Though his successors existed, their skill could not match his, and even if a new sword were to be forged, there remained the question of whether it could possess the same strength and sharpness as this one.
It had been a battle where I gained much and lost much.
I sighed once more and gathered every fragment of the broken blade.
I then tore a strip from my garment and carefully wrapped them, before departing the area.
I moved with urgency.
Given the caliber of my opponent, if the battle were still ongoing, I needed to lend what aid I could.
Thus I unleashed my lightness technique and propelled myself forward with terrifying speed.
As the Forbidden Ground where the fierce battle had raged drew closer, the sounds of collision ceased—the fighting had ended.
The moment I descended into the arena.
I saw the figures of countless people.
Most of them were warriors of the Namman Demonic Beast Palace.
Covered in blood as proof of the fierce battle they had waged, they sat scattered about, catching their breath.
All around them lay corpses—torn, trampled, slashed, and severed.
As I turned my gaze away from the evidence of how brutal the fighting had been, I spotted Baek Gu sitting motionless to one side.
It seemed he too had made considerable contributions to this battle, for his once pristine white fur was now stained a deep crimson.
He licked himself as if grooming.
While it resembled ordinary grooming, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was savoring the taste of blood, given that he was a beast.
As I turned my head with a bitter smile, a familiar face caught my eye.
“Young Master—!”
The first to rush toward me was none other than Jang Chuchyeong.
Like the others, he looked considerably battered.
It was proof that he had endured this battle well. The same could be said of Namgung Yeon standing beside him—both bore evident exhaustion in their eyes.
Yet it seemed there was something more urgent than rest.
He came rushing over with a pale, strained expression, gasping for breath.
I greeted both of them warmly.
“I’m glad to see you both look well.”
“Ah—Lady Namgung helped me greatly. Thanks to her, I survived.”
“Jang Guard helped me earnestly. I received much assistance from him.”
The same meaning, yet something felt different.
Jang Chuchyeong, who had spoken first, glared at Namgung Yeon with a dissatisfied expression, but she met his gaze without flinching.
It seemed another fight might break out if I didn’t intervene.
I sighed and asked.
“So, what’s all this fuss about?”
“Ah, it’s not that! My master has collapsed!”
The Demon King himself?
As Jang Chuchyeong pointed in one direction, I naturally turned my head to look.
Gu Gunbaek, massive in build, lay sprawled on the ground.
His entire body was covered in blood, evidence of the intense battle he had fought.
Seeing him so utterly motionless made me wonder if he was already dead.
Fortunately, however, Chaeseoha was at his side.
Moving her hands busily, applying medicinal herbs and brewing herbal decoctions, it seemed his breath had not yet ceased.
I slowly approached her.
The strong scent of herbs pierced deeply into my nostrils.
“How is his condition?”
“He’s badly wounded. There are places where flesh and bone have been torn away in chunks. I can’t imagine what kind of person he fought to end up like this….”
Chaeseoha, who had been murmuring while looking at Gu Gunbaek in response to my question, glanced at me and fell silent.
Soon after, she examined the wounds scattered across his body, then pressed her fingers against her brow and sighed.
“What on earth did you do to end up like this?”
“We fought. And quite brutally at that.”
At my words, Chaeseoha’s face went pale as she drew in a sharp breath.
Soon after, she exhaled a long sigh and looked at me, asking again.
“Do you enjoy flirting with death?”
“Things just happened to turn out this way. But since I’m still alive, isn’t that what matters?”
“Sigh— First, take off your clothes and lie down.”
“You’re the elder here, not me.”
“I’ve given you basic treatment, so don’t worry. You didn’t die, after all. Now, lie down.”
Faced with such an uncompromising tone, I had no choice but to nod.
One more refusal and she looked ready to use paralytic poison to force me down.
I stripped off my upper garment without hesitation.
Despite my nakedness, Chaeseoha nodded as if it were routine, then began moving her hands deftly as she applied herbal remedies across my body.
There were countless tears and cuts scattered across my skin.
In my haste to arrive, I hadn’t even properly stopped the bleeding, so blood still flowed from many wounds. Chaeseoha couldn’t help but sigh.
“You’re just like the young master or the elder. Goodness… how can you treat your body so recklessly?”
“There were circumstances that demanded it. I’m fortunate to be alive at all.”
“That’s exactly the kind of fighting you always do, young master.”
Another sigh escaped her lips as Chaeseoha’s sharp gaze fixed upon me.
Unable to meet those reproachful eyes, I found myself looking away toward Gu Gunbaek lying beside me.
He was like a towering ancient tree that seemed as though nothing could ever topple him.
Yet seeing such a figure now lying there drenched in blood felt strangely unsettling.
He must have pushed himself to the limit.
Whatever enmity existed between him and Chu Won, the killing intent he displayed—the resolve that they could not share the same sky—meant he had thrown his fists with nothing but the will to destroy.
Which meant he had spared his body nothing.
Though Gu Gunbaek loved his drink and spoke carelessly, I knew that once battle erupted, he judged situations with clarity and moved with precision beyond anyone else. This was somewhat unexpected.
“You did something foolish.”
“What? Want to die?”
The moment the words left my mouth, a thick voice struck my ears as if he’d been awake all along.
I understood immediately.
Ah, so he’d been feigning unconsciousness out of embarrassment.
I turned my head slightly to meet Gu Gunbaek’s gaze, and his eyes were lethal.
The gleaming light seemed to kill a person’s spirit in an instant.
Though he lay there, the Demon King had not departed.
I met that gaze with a bitter smile.
“I thought you’d lost consciousness.”
“I was just lying here. Do I look weak enough to lose consciousness?”
I shook my head.
I knew well enough that he was stronger than anyone and far removed from weakness.
But the fact remained that he was lying here receiving treatment just the same.
Against an opponent inferior to himself, no less.
I was about to deliver a slightly mocking remark when his eyes flashed with even greater menace, forcing me to swallow my words and speak something I didn’t mean.
“Of course I believed you would win. But it seems you took an unexpected blow.”
“Tch, what could that bastard do to me? I just kept pounding him and ended up like this.”
Gu Gunbaek furrowed his brow as he recalled the events of that time.
One could tell from his expression alone.
I knew Chu Won’s nature better than anyone.
The moment it seemed like he might lose, he would flee by any means necessary.
It seemed he had believed that the only way to kill him was to press the attack as swiftly as possible and sever his lifeline in one fell stroke.
That must have been why he had no choice but to overextend himself.
He understood the nature of Chu Won with such precision.
With such thoughts, I naturally became convinced that it was highly likely this clash between Gu Gunbaek and Chu Won was not their first encounter.
Just as I was organizing my thoughts for a moment.
Gu Gunbaek’s voice reached my ears once more.
“Setting that aside, how did you manage to stay alive?”
“Well, I wonder the same thing myself. Should I call this heavenly fortune?”
This was the truth.
Had Gwanbaek not appeared at that moment, I would have certainly become a corpse.
There was nothing strange about calling it heavenly fortune.
Did he sense such feelings within me?
Gu Gunbaek broke into a grin.
“You’ve broken through a barrier, haven’t you?”
“I have not advanced beyond that.”
“Hehehehe, the fact that you broke through at your age is remarkable in itself. If the Central Plains knew, there would be an uproar, an absolute uproar.”
“It is all thanks to your arrangement. Without it, I would never have even considered such a thing.”
At my words, Gu Gunbaek snorted.
Yet his expression showed no displeasure, his lips curving into a satisfied smile.
“Simply entering that place and emerging alive would have yielded much. But you took one step further, so I cannot claim all the credit. More importantly, what of that stone?”
“It was taken from me.”
“What? By whom?!”
At the sudden question, I hesitated for a moment.
Whether I should speak or remain silent.
Even if I spoke, whether I should use the name Gwanbaek or Mu Heo.
Though they were the same person either way, the name most likely to strike deeply in Gu Gunbaek’s mind was none other than Mu Heo.
After a brief moment of deliberation, I chose not to speak it aloud.
“It was taken by Cheon-un.”
At my words, Gu Gunbaek looked at me as if bewildered and snorted. But soon, as if he had no interest in Gok Ok whatsoever, he waved his hand dismissively like swatting at a fly.
“Never mind. It wasn’t something I was meant to possess anyway. Though the formation has been broken because of it, I’ll be satisfied that the lands I can traverse have expanded.”
Despite the formation—a symbol of the Namman Demon Palace—being broken, Gu Gunbaek spoke as if it were of little consequence and laughed.
From his gaze and expression, I could understand.
He seemed to want to savor the lingering satisfaction of having achieved his original purpose.
At his demeanor, I turned my head with a small smile.
I could feel Chaeseoha’s cautious touch.
Each time her hand made contact with my skin, the pain that had been overwhelming began to fade, and it felt like a lullaby.
My eyelids grew heavy, and my eyes slowly closed.
I was gradually pulled deeper into the abyss of slumber.

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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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