The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 118
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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 179
BOOM—!
“What?! What’s happening!”
The sudden explosion and terrible cry left everyone in a state of panic.
This was inside the Demon Sect, not outside its walls.
Could enemies have infiltrated the main headquarters? The thought crossed their minds as their eyes sharpened with alertness.
Ready to sacrifice their lives for the Demon Sect at any moment, they all drew their swords and rushed forward.
DONG—!
Suddenly, a massive bell tolled.
Everyone understood what that sound meant.
One by one, they turned their heads to identify who had rung the bell, yet strangely, no one was visible.
“Who is it?! Who started the advancement duel?”
“I have no idea! Is this some kind of joke?”
“What madman rings the bell as a prank? Unless they want to die.”
People began looking around in confusion.
They needed to know who rang the bell to either oppose them or cheer them on.
In truth, even though it was called an advancement duel, most warriors tended to band together to knock their opponent down.
After all, someone was rising above them, so naturally they’d be resentful.
Thus, they eagerly searched their surroundings for their opponent, but seeing no one was utterly frustrating.
At that moment.
“HYAAAAH—!”
Suddenly, a figure soared high into the air.
The intense sunlight made it impossible to see who it was.
Yet the figure gazed down at the gathered masses of the Demon Sect and smiled,
“Celestial Star Crushing Blow!”
unleashing a punch.
The terrifying strike contained enough force to shatter stars themselves as it was released.
The fierce power hurtled toward them.
BOOM—!
Power enough to obliterate everything around it.
When Chu Hyeongi’s innate divine power combined with Gu Gunbaek’s martial arts, it pushed the technique to its absolute limit—something that would make anyone’s blood run cold.
In an instant, over a dozen warriors lay sprawled on the ground.
Those who barely escaped turned their heads, gritting their teeth.
As if to show it wasn’t over, a blade flashed.
SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH—!
The Lightning Thirteen Sword technique unfolded in an instant.
Against those who couldn’t respond properly to Chu Hyeongi’s punch, it struck mercilessly, dealing fatal wounds.
Those who spewed blood collapsed helplessly.
Those who had kept their distance finally got a clear view of the two figures.
“…Chu Hyeongi?!”
“Is it real? They held a promotion match in Chu Hyeongi’s arena?”
“This is insane…!”
The Demon Sect disciples who witnessed this absurd spectacle were bewildered, yet dared not step forward recklessly.
There were no fools among them who could witness what had just unfolded and advance without thinking.
Perhaps because of this?
Jang Chuchyeong, now brimming with confidence, burst into raucous laughter.
“Ahahaha! Look at what I’ve accomplished! Worship me!”
“What nonsense….”
“What?!”
“Pardon?”
Namgung Yeon whispered softly beside him, but as if his senses were becoming increasingly bestial, Jang Chuchyeong shot her a piercing glare.
As the two of them growled and bared their teeth at each other again, a sigh echoed from behind.
“Stop fighting already and clean this up. There’s still much to do.”
Those who had been caught off guard by the sudden situation furrowed their brows at the newcomer’s appearance.
Someone who seemed to command even masters of such caliber.
Who was this person?
As the figure came fully into view, everyone’s expressions twisted with confusion.
An unfamiliar woman and man.
And one face they knew all too well.
Na Cheonmun.
This confirmed it—a promotion match had truly taken place in Chu Hyeongi’s arena.
But then, who exactly were these people?
Their eyes trembled without ceasing.
* * *
“Phew—quite the gathering here.”
I surveyed my surroundings, taking stock of those who had fallen.
There appeared to be roughly fifty of them.
They likely possessed varying levels of skill, but the reason so many lay defeated was that my sudden, coordinated strike had proven devastatingly effective.
Thanks to that, I had acquired far more Demon Sect Seals than I had anticipated in such a short time.
I wondered if such recklessness was permissible, but given that this was the Demon Sect, such actions were entirely acceptable.
Turning my gaze to one spot, I saw Chaeseoha humming contentedly as she collected the Demon Sect Seals from the fallen, while Na Cheonmun stood motionless, watching the spectacle unfold in a daze.
I furrowed my brow.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and collect the rest.”
“Y-yes! Right away!”
Startled by my sudden command, Na Cheonmun hastily moved to gather what remained.
But this was far from over.
Thud, thud, thud—crack!
Clang—screech!
Jang Chuchyeong and Namgung Yeon’s blades continued their relentless dance, their determination to completely eliminate the remaining warriors in the streets abundantly clear.
The warriors from the various Halls, still reeling in shock, finally turned their gaze downward as they watched their comrades fall helplessly.
All manner of weapons lay scattered across the ground, belonging to no one in particular.
Having slipped from the hands of their unconscious masters, they seemed to search for new owners.
I approached one sword, grasped it, examined its blade, and tossed it toward Na Cheonmun.
“Discard that inferior weapon and use this instead.”
“This… this one? No matter how I look at it… this is a sword from the Shadow Guard Hall…”
Upon mentioning the Shadow Guard Hall, Na Cheonmun’s complexion turned ashen.
From his expression and pallor alone, I could gauge just how much he feared that place.
“What sort of place is it?”
“It… it is the Hall responsible for security and surveillance. The foremost of all Halls in this Demon Abyss.”
I nodded at his explanation.
So the Demon Abyss referred to this lower level?
And the Shadow Guard Hall appeared to be the strongest Hall in this place. Having provoked them, they would certainly not remain idle.
“Their numbers?”
“The largest of all.”
Even as he spoke, trembling emotion colored his voice.
His eyes glistened as well, as though he might shed tears from sheer fear, but I paid it no mind.
Whether they were strong or weak mattered little.
If they stood in my way of ascending, I would simply eliminate them.
Clang, clang, clang—crash!
I turned my attention toward the sound of clashing blades echoing once more. Someone appeared to be holding their own quite well against Namgung Yeon.
The man’s sword and Namgung Yeon’s blade collided frantically, flashing brilliantly.
It could be described as an evenly matched situation, but unlike Namgung Yeon, who was merely probing his opponent, the man was already wielding his blade with desperate intensity.
The shift in momentum came in an instant.
Namgung Yeon’s blade flowed in with cunning precision, toying with his opponent. The sword path changed in the blink of an eye, neutralizing the opponent’s weapon before striking the back of his neck.
Thud—!
“Ugh?!”
In the end, the man’s body crumbled.
Though he had put up a decent defense, Namgung Yeon had already grown through far more intense battles in Namman.
No matter how skilled a Demon Sect disciple might be, they could not ignore her blade.
“That… the Dharma Protector of the Golden Beast Hall fell so easily…!”
“He was a Dharma Protector?”
“…Yes.”
Na Cheonmun’s expression showed utter disbelief.
He could have anticipated that Chu Hyeongi, a disciple of the Demon King, would be formidable, but he had not expected the same from Namgung Yeon—his eyes betrayed that shock.
“Where in the blazes did this cursed Initial Soul Technique come from!”
Then, a thunderous roar pierced my ears from somewhere.
Simultaneously, something came hurtling toward us with terrifying speed.
The momentum was entirely different from those I had faced thus far.
As if brimming with confidence in his martial prowess, he charged forward with eyes that gleamed as though he alone could face us all.
I narrowed my brow and posed a question to Na Cheonmun.
“Who is that?”
“Ah… the Junior Prince of the Dark Water Hall…”
Indeed, there was reason for his exceptional momentum.
If he were the Junior Prince of the place called strongest here, it was only natural he carried such presence.
He rushed toward me.
The fact that he ignored Namgung Yeon and Chu Hyeongi, who were fighting in the thick of battle, suggested he had accepted me as the leader.
“I cannot let our Prince’s feelings be hurt.”
“…”
For a moment, I felt Na Cheonmun’s peculiar gaze turn toward me, but I paid it no mind and kept my eyes fixed on the approaching figure.
My gaze shifted to the sword he wielded.
Even from considerable distance, I could tell at a glance.
It was the finest blade I had seen thus far.
As expected, a Junior Prince was different.
Come to think of it, Ryu Gak of the Initial Soul Hall had also carried a respectable sword.
“You mad bastard! Die!”
Clang—!
His sword came swinging down.
The moment the blade flew toward my vital points with precision.
I extended my hand and lightly struck his wrist away.
Pop—!
“…!?”
In an instant, his swung blade was blocked, and a massive opening appeared.
I lightly drove my palm upward against his jaw.
Crash—!
“Crack!”
With a brief cry, the man’s body stiffened like deadwood before crashing forward.
Thud—!
The fallen man didn’t so much as twitch at the violent impact, and if not for the faint sound of breathing, one might have thought him dead.
“Gasp—!”
Na Cheonmun couldn’t help but gasp in shock at the sight.
His mouth hung open as he looked back and forth between me and the fallen man, rubbing his eyes as if to confirm it wasn’t an illusion.
“…Y-you, Cheon of the Imperial Guards… you’re quite strong….”
“Ha, is that what you should be saying?”
I turned my gaze away, taking in the astonished expression on his face.
Despite losing consciousness, Sojeonju still hadn’t released his grip on the sword, so I pressed my foot gently against his hand to pry it free, then took the blade for myself.
Certainly different from Na Cheonmun’s, the blade surface was smooth and the edge was in reasonably good condition.
When I flicked it lightly, the sound rang clear.
Ting—!
“Good, at least I’ve obtained a usable sword.”
“Stop gloating over the sword and help me out, would you?”
Chaeseoha, who had been collecting the demon sect tokens one by one from the fallen, approached with her arms full and set them down at my feet.
The amount was considerable.
It looked to be roughly fifty or sixty tokens.
“Quite a haul.”
“We ransacked the market district, so of course there are.”
At Chaeseoha’s words, I scratched my cheek and turned away.
This was the central market district of the lower echelons of the Demon Sect. Having stripped all the warriors belonging to the Hall here, it made sense that so many tokens had accumulated.
However, not everyone belonged to the Hall, so there were quite a few spectators watching from a distance without participating in the fight.
And beyond what was visible, there were also gazes fixed upon us.
“Who are those people?”
“Ah, they’re from the Corner Hall Tower. It’s unrelated to the promotion tournament… they’re people dispatched from the Heavenly Demon Ridge.”
“So the Hall manages it, but they oversee that management.”
“Yes… well. And when the promotion tournament occurs, they also verify that no underhanded tactics are being used.”
I nodded in understanding.
Those people served to manage and monitor what could happen if all power were concentrated in the Hall.
And now, with the succession of the sect leader approaching, they appeared to be keenly observing the promotion tournament and assessing the situation.
Beyond that, I suspected there were also quite a few who belonged to no faction.
The gazes I’d been feeling from unseen places—I suspected they came from such people.
I turned my head, organizing my thoughts for a moment.
Clang clang clang—!
Whoosh whoosh!
I watched Namgung Yeon and Jang Chuchyeong as they continued unleashing relentless strikes against their opponents.
Just from the way they fought without a hint of fatigue, I could sense the considerable gap in skill between them and their foes.
But we didn’t have much time.
I need to reach the top before the Demon King’s enthronement ceremony.
I casually kicked a stone lying on the ground.
Crack—!
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
The moment my foot connected, the stone shattered and its fragments flew like hidden projectiles, striking the heads of those nearby with perfect precision.
Unable to withstand the impact, they collapsed one by one, and Namgung Yeon and Jang Chuchyeong seized the opening to finish them off.
“Phew— Young Master, how much longer do we need to do this?”
“It seems like it’ll be faster than expected, Junior Prince.”
“Ah—.”
At my pointed remark, Jang Chuchyeong finally realized his mistake and hastily clamped his mouth shut.
But words already spoken cannot be taken back.
Na Cheonmun looked back and forth between me and Jang Chuchyeong, and as if realizing something, he trembled while holding his breath.
I turned my head with an indifferent expression toward the nearest building.
“What is that place?”
“…It is the Golden Water Hall.”
The Golden Water Hall was where those men I’d seen earlier were stationed. Their smug faces flickered briefly in my mind, but faded quickly as if they weren’t worth remembering.
“Earlier, you said the Dark Water Hall had the largest concentration?”
“Y-yes! …That is correct, but….”
“Then let’s go there first. We’ll gain something on the way anyway. If that’s still not enough, we can decide what else to target then.”
At my unexpected words, Na Cheonmun’s complexion turned ashen.
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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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