The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 168

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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 168

The Jade Orb tumbled through the air, landing a distance of fifty zhang away.
I propelled myself forward in a single burst, closing the gap and extending my hand toward the solitary Jade Orb.
Shhhhk—!
In that instant, I twisted my body to evade the sword energy hurtling toward me.
As my outstretched fingers passed mere inches from the Jade Orb, I steadied myself and caught sight of Yeom Ji-hak rushing forward, his hand already reaching out.
Of course, I could not allow him to seize what I had so painstakingly wrested away.
I drew my sword.
The blade, shimmering with spiritual energy like heat haze, rose between him and the Jade Orb, flicking it downward once more.
But Yeom Ji-hak’s sword came sweeping down immediately after, striking mine aside before curving like a serpent toward my throat.
Yet it was merely a feint.
For him, the Jade Orb took precedence over my life.
I sidestepped the incoming blade and swung my sword again, aiming for the hand reaching for the Jade Orb.
Clang—!
“…!”
Yeom Ji-hak hastily withdrew his hand at the threatening strike, but my blade was faster—his hand suffered a shallow cut.
Yet for Yeom Ji-hak, surrender was not an option.
His sword came sweeping down again, laden with murderous intent.
Clang!
The blade scraped perilously across my chest as it rose, and in the moment I evaded it, I lunged forward again toward the Jade Orb.
There was no need to be drawn into prolonged combat.
I twisted my body, creating distance between myself and Yeom Ji-hak’s blade, and extended my sword.
Metallic ring—!
As our blades crossed, they locked together, and we began a relentless push and pull.
Ring—ring!
Throughout the exchange, offense and defense alternated ceaselessly.
Our locked blades shifted constantly, pushing and pulling, while our minds remained wholly focused on a single objective: claiming the Jade Orb.
Shhhhk—!
Soon our locked blades scraped across the ground, moving toward the Jade Orb.
We tangled repeatedly, drawing close to the Jade Orb only to be forced away again, as though locked in a struggle over who would claim it—until at last, Yeom Ji-hak seized the advantage.
Just as his blade tip was about to lift the Jade Orb, I abruptly shifted my momentum, channeling moonlight into my strike.
“Damn—!”
In a fraction of a second, I struck his blade aside and flicked the Jade Orb away, sending it tumbling even farther.
Simultaneously, both Yeom Ji-hak and I launched ourselves toward it.
Clang-clang-clang-clang—!
Our blades collided repeatedly as we flew through the air.
Each clash of steel sent forth brilliant flashes of light, beautiful in their intensity, as we struck endlessly without yielding ground.
Despite the overwhelming difference in our martial prowess, the battle remained balanced because Yeom Ji-hak’s entire focus was fixed upon the Jade Orb.
To the Singyeo cultists, the weight that the Jade Orb carried was nothing short of the divine presence they worshipped.
“You bastard—!”
Then.
Unable to restrain himself any longer, Yeom Ji-hak’s blade grew sharper still. His eyes blazed with lethal intent—he had resolved to kill me first and claim the Jade Orb afterward.
The blade sang through the air—
“Ugh?!”
I twisted my body to the side with desperate speed, but I could not evade the cut entirely.
In that same instant, a martial technique from another assailant lashed toward my faltering form with terrifying force.
The clash rang out—
Watching the vision that bloomed in my mind, I understood.
There was no escape.
Then I had no choice but to block.
Unlike before, I poured every ounce of my inner energy into my blade and met the incoming strike head-on.
The collision erupted in a deafening roar—
Yet the sword energy that shimmered like heat haze offered no salvation. Yeom Ji-hak’s blade came crashing down with even greater force, and in a single stroke, it shattered my sword in two.
Blood sprayed—
The blade that followed, swift as a striking serpent, pierced straight through my chest.
Had I not glimpsed even that fleeting moment of the future, the wound would have been fatal.
“Hehehehe—! Enough with the games!”
Seeing my blade broken, Yeom Ji-hak’s lips curled into a cruel smile. For all my remarkable growth, I remained a swordsman whose strength lay primarily in the blade.
With my weapon now shattered, he seemed certain the fight would not drag on much longer.
But a broken sword does not break the spirit.
I had spent over a decade fleeing from these men.
I would never have failed to prepare for such a contingency.
I had already experienced this on Mount Taeaksan.
I extended my fist.
The strike erupted—
“Ugh?!”

Bare-handed combat.

In the past, I had merely imitated Jang Chuchyeong’s martial techniques.
But now, having witnessed Gu Gunbaek’s martial arts countless times and absorbed the more perfected techniques of Jang Chuchyeong, I had forged anew—a movement refined through my own interpretation.
The foundation drew from Gu Gunbaek’s Heaven-Shattering Star Fist and Beast Heaven Soul Technique, yet I had reinterpreted them in my own way.
To be precise, I had copied and rewritten them.
Though the internal methods differed, making them not identical, they had reached a level sufficient for use in this situation.
It was this nameless martial art that had twisted Moyong Hyeok’s bones to their breaking point.
The fist force blooming at my hands and feet—shimmering like heat waves—flew forward with terrifying speed, pressing Yeom Ji-hak relentlessly.
Faster than wielding a sword.
That was the essence of the Dual Palms technique.
Pap-pap-pap-pat!
For Yeom Ji-hak, who had only contended with water’s flow through his blade, my sudden transformation was not easily adapted to.
Even for one of the Twelve Elders who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Ten Emperors.
But it would not last long.
One must never underestimate the keen perception and experience of a master of high caliber.
He would adapt soon enough, and when that moment came, the danger would be mine.
Therefore, my target was singular.
The Jade Orb.
The only way to break through this situation was to absorb its power.
Though I could not discern what force dwelt within it, based on all I had experienced thus far, it could only aid me—never hinder.
“You dare mock me with such shallow tricks!”
Yeom Ji-hak’s furious voice cut through the air.
In that instant, his blade grew sharper still.
So keen that merely gazing upon it felt like being cut, I felt my entire body bristle with dread and retreated swiftly.
Shhhhaaack!
Then his sword swept forth.
A brilliant circular arc of light expanded in the blink of an eye.
Ching!
The moment I perceived it, I threw myself flat against the ground with frenzied speed.
Screeeech! Boom-boom!
Everything the great circle touched was severed.
Trees, rocks, and thickets alike.
The range extended a full ten zhang, and every cross-section was cut with such pristine clarity that it chilled the blood.
Scrape—Crash!
Rocks slid away and trees toppled, creating a tremendous sound.
But that was not the problem.
He comes.
Ching!
Yeom Ji-hak, rushing forward at insane speed, was suddenly before my eyes.
His blade swept down in an instant.
Shwaaaack!
I barely managed to evade the strike, yet I couldn’t fully escape the shockwave—blood erupted from my chest as the ground split deep beneath me.
Yeom Ji-hak’s blade, sharp enough to cleave even diamond with ease, showed no mercy, no restraint. Each strike grew more precise, more lethal, allowing no room for counterattack.
*Screech—!*
Something else was severed and sent flying, and I crashed to the ground.
Blood sprayed from my shoulder blade as I tumbled across the floor.
*Screech—!*
Yeom Ji-hak’s blade whistled past my head.
I felt strands of hair fall as they were cut away, yet I had no time to catch my breath—I could only roll and tumble desperately across the ground.
*Boom, boom, boom—!*
This was brutality of a different kind than Gu Gunbaek’s.
The Yeom Ji-hak who had once read my emotions and fought with leisurely composure was gone. Now his blade came savage, threatening, terrifying—relentless in its assault.
But I could not simply endure this forever.
If I continued to be pushed back like this, there would be no end.
I needed one move.
Something—anything—to break this momentum.
As I evaded his strikes, my eyes darted across the battlefield, searching.
Was there anything I could use?
Then my gaze caught the broken hilt of a severed blade. I threw myself toward it, seized it in my grip, and faced Yeom Ji-hak as he came at me again.
His expression was blank, his eyes devoid of emotion.
Not the gaze of a hunter regarding prey, but rather the cold indifference of crushing an ant beneath one’s heel.
The immense sword energy that wrapped around his blade as he descended again was enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart.
Then he swung.
The moment I saw it, I launched myself away.
*Whish-whish-whish-whish-slash—!*
Four strikes in rapid succession, and searing pain erupted across my thighs and abdomen.
But it was manageable.
The distance had been controlled perfectly—the wounds were shallow.
And now, from this moment forward—
As Yeom Ji-hak’s eyes flashed with light, I burned his movements into my mind and prepared for what came next.
*Swish-swish-swish—!*
His blade swept through the air.
The sword pattern was achingly familiar as it unfolded before me, and I moved with sudden speed, evading each strike one after another.
I watched Yeom Ji-hak’s emotionless eyes widen with each dodge, and I swung the broken blade in my hand with ferocity.
*Clang—!*
But with that swing, my blade shattered further.
It was then that a smile crossed Yeom Ji-hak’s lips.
The distance had closed sufficiently, and now there was nothing—no weapon, no defense—that could stop his blade.
And yet, the same was true for him.
*Whoosh—whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh—!*
“…?!”
Thwack—thwack-thwack—!
In an instant, I unleashed every remaining poison dart in rapid succession.
Yeom Ji-hak, startled, swiftly wielded his sword to deflect them, but the distance had already closed, and the darts moved faster than anticipated.
No matter how exceptional one’s reflexes, it was impossible to block every projectile fired in such a barrage.
Moreover, my target was a place his protective energy could not defend.
Squelch—!
“Gahhhhh—!”
The final dart, arriving a fraction too late to intercept, pierced cleanly through one of Yeom Ji-hak’s eyes.
The opposite eye from the one I had severed before.
Clutching both eyes with his hands, he staggered backward, his screams echoing through the chamber as his body convulsed in agony before his breathing grew ragged and labored.
I gazed upon him with a cruel smile.
“The other side suits you better. Quite the improvement, wouldn’t you say?”
“You… you… you—!”
With a savage roar, Yeom Ji-hak reached out his hand.
He tore the embedded dart free, and his eyeball came away with it.
“Ahhhhh—!”
Splatter—!
Blood dripped as he hurled the object from his grasp, his body trembling in evident torment, yet despite the opening before me, I did not advance.
A sharp tingle—
My senses rang out a piercing alarm.
Do not approach.
Yeom Ji-hak’s perception had sharpened to an unprecedented edge. No matter how anguished his cries, the moment I stepped within that razor-sharp awareness, his counterattack would come faster than ever before.
Soon, his breathing steadied, and he turned his gaze back toward me.
A far more explosive momentum erupted—fury and murderous intent crashed against my skin like a physical force.
Words like “chilling” could not capture the full weight of what I felt.
He had drawn upon every ounce of his power.
Crackle-crackle-crackle—!
The very ground split and the wind convulsed from his aura alone.
His remaining eye blazed a sickly crimson with blood, and the sword in his grip now rippled with a blood-red blade energy of incomparable ferocity.
“This is not good. As expected?”
The very form I had witnessed atop Mount Taeag’s summit.
His true power was finally revealed.
Whoosh—!
“…?!”
“…!”
Yet something extraordinary occurred.
The surging momentum vanished as though severed by something unseen. The oppressive tension that had filled the chamber dissipated without a trace, and even the howling wind fell silent.
Footsteps—
Then came the sound of someone’s approach.
Gu Gunbaek?
No, that’s not it.
Footsteps far too ordinary, utterly unremarkable.
Not a trace of tension in that sound.
The rhythm of those approaching steps was so composed that with each echo, I found myself forgetting this dire battlefield entirely—as though the urgency of our situation were dissolving into the cadence of that serene walk.
“This… this is….”
Then.
Yeom Ji-hak’s mouth fell open.
His face had turned an eerie shade of pallor, his eyes trembling visibly.
As though terror itself had seized him.
The moment I swallowed hard and carefully turned my head.
A shadow figure emerged from the darkness.
With an air of absolute certainty—as though the Jade Orb were his by right—he extended his hand and grasped the fallen artifact, then.
Crack—!
Shattered it in an instant.
The broken Jade Orb crumbled to dust in moments, swirling through the air before being slowly absorbed into his very body—a sight both wondrous and terrible to behold.
Staring at him in stunned silence.
At last, the man emerged fully from the darkness.
Simultaneously, Yeom Ji-hak’s voice struck my ears with piercing intensity.
“…Gwanbaek!”

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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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