The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 165

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Youngest Son of the Nakhyang Jin Family — Chapter 165

Chu Won stared at me with an expression of utter bewilderment.
He had every right to be speechless—I had stolen the Jade Orb from his possession using a method he could never have anticipated.
And my opponent was one of the Twelve Elders.
Considering that their martial prowess was so formidable that even those called the Ten Emperors would concede a step, I could understand his shock.
Yet the problem remained: the Jade Orb had not fallen into my hands.
I narrowed my eyes and fixed my gaze upon Yeom Ji-hak.
He, who had been examining the Jade Orb with curiosity, now smiled and turned his attention toward me.
“So you desired 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’s hilt.
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 Jade Orb into his robes.
“It seems our purposes align after all. And Shin Gak-ju, surely you wouldn’t be bested by a mere child?”
At Yeom Ji-hak’s rebuke, 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 strongest of the Demon Palace.
One of the Ten Emperors—those ten individuals who existed across all the Central Plains—the Demon King himself.
With such a fearsome presence bearing down upon him, even a moment’s carelessness would spell death.
Gu Gunbaek and Chu Won watched for gaps in each other’s defense.
Neither moved hastily, not out of caution, but because each sought a single, decisive, lethal strike.
Yet that moment was fleeting.
Gu Gunbaek moved first.
Boom—!
A flash and thunder erupted, and his fist hurtled toward Chu Won with terrifying force.
Gu Gunbaek’s strike was unmistakably different from anything I had witnessed before.
Power enough to reduce a person to dust was contained with exquisite precision.
Did Chu Won sense it?
He attempted to dissipate into mist, but Gu Gunbaek’s assault transcended expectation, affording him scarcely a moment to react.
Boom—!
The fists collided, and a tremendous shockwave erupted.
The gale that swept forth made it nearly impossible to stand, and though I braced myself against it, my body continued to slide backward.
“Ahhhhh! Young Master!”
“Hold on!”
Unable to overcome the strength, Chu Hyeongi tumbled across the ground with a cry, and I urgently threw myself forward to grab his hand and pull him up.
But there was no time to catch my breath.
Boom—bang bang—crash crash crash!
A barrage of fists and strikes came flying in succession.
With every gesture and movement they made, wind howled and the earth trembled, as if a natural catastrophe were unfolding before us.
Because of this, even those standing nearby had to back away.
As the battle between the two echoed like a signal flare, the war between the Sect Members and the Southern Barbarians erupted.
Crash crash crash—! Thud!
“Hahahaha! Die!”
“Sweep them all away!”
Those riding the momentum were none other than the warriors of the Demon Palace. With the determination to wash away past humiliation, their morale soared to the heavens.
Meanwhile, the Sect Members remained silent.
With composed expressions, they blocked the incoming attacks while maintaining perfect calm against the ferocious Demon Palace warriors.
It was fierce enough that either side could emerge victorious.
I turned my gaze away from the spectacle.
“Chu Hyeongi, go lend them support.”
“What about you, Young Master?”
“I’ll manage on my own. Don’t worry about me. Go join Namgung Yeon over there.”
I gestured subtly toward one side, and I could see Namgung Yeon swinging his sword amidst the Southern Barbarians.
However, there seemed to be a slight difference in skill compared to the Sect Members, as he appeared to be struggling considerably.
But if Chu Hyeongi coordinated with him, they would likely overwhelm their opponents far more easily and achieve results.
I sent a meaningful look to the hesitant Chu Hyeongi to urge him forward, then discreetly moved my hand behind my back and loaded the Odoksa from my bosom.
With the utmost composure.
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, clearly dissatisfied about something.
Because of this, he failed to properly notice my actions.
“This is… I clearly said it was mine.”
Just from hearing those words, I could discern Yeom Ji-hak’s purpose.
It appeared he had intended to target Gu Gunbaek to settle what happened in Anhui, but the unexpected bitter enmity between the two gave him no opening to intervene.
His furrowed expression proved it, but soon he sighed as if resigned to his fate, turned his head as if searching for someone, and eventually looked at me with a smile.
Thud thud—
Whoooosh—!
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 thought we’d meet again so soon.”
“Heh heh, I was different. I thought we’d meet soon enough. But I never imagined the masked man’s true identity would be the Young Master So of the Jin Family.”
Yeom Ji-hak’s eyes scanned me up and down, scrutinizing me carefully.
Though he sent a suspicious gaze questioning whether I was truly Jin Cheon-u or merely someone who resembled him, no matter how much he examined me or how many times he verified, the fact that I was Jin Cheon-u remained unchanged.
I shrugged lightly.
“Heh heh, don’t bother trying to deceive me. Now that I’m this close, I can feel it. Your spiritual energy then and now—it’s changed somewhat, but not enough to fool this old man.”
Whether to prevent me from evading the situation, Yeom Ji-hak’s eyes and expression radiated absolute certainty.
At this point, no amount of effort to deceive would matter.
So I made no attempt to hide it.
I tilted my chin slightly toward Gu Gunbaek and Chu Won.
“If you’d just return that and let us go, that would be ideal.”
“Heh heh heh—your grudge against the Evaluator 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 change locations? This place is far too noisy.”
Yeom Ji-hak lightly drove his staff into the ground.
A rumbling sound echoed—
Simultaneously, a strange noise filled the air as the earth trembled, and soon a violent pressure erupted from where I stood.
A deafening boom—!
Without thinking, I leaped into the air, and as if waiting for that moment, Yeom Ji-hak’s staff materialized before my eyes and swung down.
A heavy impact—!
A crushing force slammed into my abdomen.
Feeling the protective energy surrounding me shatter uselessly, my body flew toward some distant point and crashed to the ground.
After rolling across the earth several times before finally stopping, I surveyed my surroundings while wincing at the surging pain.
It had been an incredibly brief moment, yet I had traveled an enormous distance.
I could neither see nor hear the sounds of those still 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 spiritual energy that erupted as it spread seemed as sharp and piercing as an awl—unstoppable.
I watched it intently and moved my body.
Confirming once more that his staff was swinging, I drew my sword.
“…!”
Clang, clang—!
The sword qi that shot forth disrupted Yeom Ji-hak’s attack.
He paused momentarily, his brow furrowing as he moved like a serpent to the side and pressed forward, his staff’s end extending cunningly to pierce through my chest.
A sharp tearing sound—!
My collar was sliced, and I felt a slight sting.
I had believed I dodged it, but my evasion was imperfect.
However, this barely qualified as a wound.
I extended my hand to guard my brow.
Whoosh—!
The viper shot forward at a maddening velocity, yet I had never entertained the notion that a mere dark serpent could threaten or wound Yeom Ji-hak.
Crack—!
Despite moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye, the viper shattered into fragments and vanished, while simultaneously the staff swung down struck the earth and sent debris erupting upward.
“…!”
It resembled the martial technique I had witnessed from Gu Gunbaek the previous day.
Was he remembering what had transpired in Anhui?
Boom—boom—crash—!
The ground split asunder with such ferocity that even as I watched, I could scarcely believe my eyes—debris surged upward like a tsunami born of the earth itself.
“How does the technique you learned last time suit you?”
His voice dripped with derision.
Faced with his expression—as though questioning whether I could withstand such a torrential onslaught—I smiled faintly and poured my spiritual energy into the tip of my blade.
No matter how perfectly Yeom Ji-hak replicated Gu Gunbaek’s technique, he could never achieve the same precision and devastating power.
I focused my gaze upon a single point.
Feeling the sword energy shimmer like heat haze and envelop my entire blade, I concentrated all my force into that one spot and thrust forward.
“…?!”
Boom—!
I pierced through the overwhelming torrent of force, broke free, and in a single breath aimed my blade at Yeom Ji-hak before me.
Even he had not anticipated this—his eyes widened in shock.
Slash—!
My blade cut across Yeom Ji-hak’s cheek as it drove forward.
His protective energy barrier had 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 hurled myself backward with even greater force, creating distance between us.
“Sword energy, is it… Heh, I cannot fathom whether to believe this or not. Such growth in a human being….”
For Yeom Ji-hak, this was cause enough for genuine astonishment.
The events in Anhui had occurred mere months ago.
That I, who had not even approached such heights, could now draw upon this power—even if imperfectly—was enough to unsettle anyone.
And then.
“However, your swordsmanship. It bears similarity to the Imperial Regent’s, yet the texture differs. There are aspects that suggest it is not his creation.”
“Rather, Hoyeon said it was the same. Truly, the difference between superior and inferior is unmistakable.”
The moment Hoyeon’s name was spoken, Yeom Ji-hak’s pupils trembled.
Having gathered considerable intelligence on his journey here, he would surely be searching for the reason behind Hoyeon’s sudden disappearance.
But with my single remark, he had found his answer.
“…I see. So you were the reason he vanished.”
“You came at me willingly. Why would I refuse when prey delivers itself to my doorstep?”
I could see Yeom Ji-hak’s lips trembling.
Hoyeon was among the elite ranks of the Twelve Angles—a trusted right hand, so to speak, and had he been fortunate, he might have grown far greater and aspired to the position of Elder.
Such was the tragic news regarding him.
I couldn’t help but feel my anger rising.
As I gazed at him with a small, provocative smile, Yeom Ji-hak, uncharacteristically, seemed to steady his breathing and suppress his rage.
Then his piercing eyes flashed with sharp intensity.
“Did Gwanbaek teach you that as well?”
“Who knows?”
My words came with a mocking laugh, and I watched as Yeom Ji-hak’s expression began to contort.
Without their knowledge, those who were like extensions of their own limbs were dying one by one. Witnessing such a situation, anyone would have reason to burn with fury.
Whoooosh—
Once more, the sound of him drawing in a measured breath reached my ears.
It was at that moment when Yeom Ji-hak’s voice, twisted at the corners of his mouth, struck into my consciousness again.
“Truly… you are one who must not be allowed to live.”
His momentum exploded.
A power entirely different from before erupted forth, pressing down upon all directions.
Like the aura of the Demon King that Gu Gunbaek had displayed—a spiritual energy that crushed the entire body and tore it asunder, now sharpened with lethal intent.
Faced with a situation where merely sensing it made cold sweat threaten to pour down, I gripped my sword more firmly and focused my mind even deeper.
I had to steel my resolve.
Today, I would cut him down.
Whooooom—!
As if in agreement with my determination, the sword sang out.
The blade itself, too, revealed its will to sever the bonds of the past this very day.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————