The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 169

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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 169

“Gwanbaek?”
I spoke the name aloud as I confirmed the presence before me.
In the Central Plains, an absolute being who had made a name for himself through his activities under the title Geomcheon Muheo.
Yet in truth, he was a figure of Singyeo, the elder brother of the self-proclaimed ‘Divine’ who ruled that place, a man called Gwanbaek rather than by the name Muheo.
Though I seemed to have met him once in the past, even that I could not say with certainty—he was a being far removed from my world.
And now that very Gwanbaek stood before my eyes.
The words had come from none other than Yeom Ji-hak’s lips.
If so, then the Evaluator, Gwanbaek, and Muheo must all be one and the same.
But.
He was young.
The Gwanbaek I remembered was a figure who gazed upon me with a shabby appearance and eyes devoid of life.
Yet the man before me now was entirely different.
Young.
Not a single wrinkle creased his face, his eyes gleamed with vitality unlike any moment before, and his complexion was remarkably healthy.
Though his youthful appearance felt distant from the Gwanbaek of my memory, the expression and gaze with which Yeom Ji-hak regarded him undeniably proved his identity.
Thud—
Then Gwanbaek took a step forward, closing the distance.
Was that the reason?
Yeom Ji-hak retreated three steps.
“Ji-hak. Why do you withdraw? Are you perhaps afraid of me?”
“…!”
At his question, Yeom Ji-hak swallowed hard and sealed his lips.
Yet from his expression and eyes alone, I could tell.
He was terrified.
Though Gwanbaek had released no aura whatsoever, having merely taken a single step and spoken a single phrase, Yeom Ji-hak trembled like an aspen leaf in the grip of absolute terror.
Witnessing this side of Yeom Ji-hak for the first time, even I could not help but feel bewildered.
Especially since these men feared nothing save their ‘Divine.’
Yet from the current situation, I could confirm one thing with certainty.
It was undoubtedly Gwanbaek.
Was his youthful appearance achieved through inner cultivation, or perhaps through the legendary Reversal of Youth that existed only in tales?
“…So you… you were alive, after all?”
“Heh heh— would it not be shameful for an elder brother to die by the Priest’s blade? Or do you think otherwise, young man?”
Gwanbaek spoke naturally as he regarded me.
His tone seemed to seek agreement, yet I could offer no words, only observing the situation intently.
But Gwanbaek did not seem to mind greatly.
A faint smile played at his eyes as he turned his gaze away once more.
Then, having steadied himself, Yeom Ji-hak drew a breath and continued speaking.
“So you were using that fool to target the Jade Orb? This is… a betrayal of the Sect. The Divine Stone belongs solely to….”
Splurt—!
In an instant.
Something unfolded before my eyes that defied belief.
Gwanbaek merely stood there motionless, yet Yeom Ji-hak’s eyes—the very eyes that had been speaking—burst open.
“Gaaaahhhhh—!”
“Oh dear, are you alright? Does it hurt terribly?”
Drip, drip—
Despite the concerned tone of his words, Yeom Ji-hak’s eyes lay clutched in Gwanbaek’s right hand, freshly torn free.
Blood dripping steadily.
As if the screams of the writhing man fell on deaf ears, Gwanbaek merely clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Have I not told you repeatedly? When one speaks, it should be done in a manner that does not displease one’s listener.”
“Ahhhhh—ahhhhh!”
I swallowed hard, watching the scene unfold.
Clearly, he had targeted the eyes in the same manner.
Yet Yeom Ji-hak’s screams showed no sign of subsiding—far more intense than when the poison had pierced his eyes before.
Was that the reason?
Gwanbaek clicked his tongue once more at the sound.
Soon, as if unwilling to hear more, he furrowed his brow and approached.
Step by step.
Arriving before the man, Gwanbaek knelt down and gazed intently at him, whose hands covered his eye sockets, before extending a finger.
His index finger touched the crown of Yeom Ji-hak’s head.
Pffft, pffft, pffft, pffft—!
In that moment, the unthinkable occurred.
Countless holes pierced through Yeom Ji-hak’s entire body, and blood erupted in all directions.
Trembling—
The light in the man’s eyes rapidly faded away.
Thud—
His lifeless form collapsed helplessly to the ground, continuing to spill every last drop of blood.
A pool of blood was slowly forming.
Gwanbaek, who had been quietly observing it, finally turned his gaze toward me.
Flinch—!
The moment his gaze fell upon me, I trembled involuntarily.
Gu Gunbaek, Hoyeon, Yeom Ji-hak, and Chu Won.
And the images of the Singyeo masters I had witnessed in the past flashed through my mind one by one, yet none possessed the overwhelming intensity of this man.
This being had transcended the very boundaries of strength that the warriors of the Central Plains Martial Arts World possessed.
Now I understood why he was called Geomcheon.
“Are you… Muheo?”
“Heh, an old name indeed. Though I am not called that now, there was a time when I was.”
Gwanbaek answered with composure, a hint of leisure in his tone.
He shows no signs of hiding or concealing anything.
Seeing how he seemed willing to answer any question, I nearly asked another, but caught myself and simply stared at him instead.
This was the man who had gouged out Yeom Ji-hak’s eyes over a single misspoken word.
The thought that I could easily find myself in such a situation made my lips seal shut.
“Heh heh— don’t be so wary. I’m grateful to you, after all. So, didn’t I give you the Dongfang Family’s treasure?”
“You… gave it to me?”
“Indeed. It was something I had originally intended to claim for myself. But one must repay kindness with kindness, mustn’t one?”
Kindness? Repayment?
Confused by words I couldn’t quite comprehend, I furrowed my brow as the Imperial Regent let out a soft chuckle.
Then he slowly approached me.
I felt nothing.
Neither his aura nor his presence.
It was as though he had become one with nature itself.
Yes, the Imperial Regent standing before me now was nature.
That thought refused to leave my mind.
“Did I not tell you? That your death would be my salvation.”
“…!”
The moment those words left his lips, I recalled the haggard old man I had seen in the past, my eyes widening.
What he had just said—those were the very words that old man had spoken to me.
Did that mean he was the same person?
“Correct. The same person. I understand it strains belief even upon reflection.”
He spoke casually and laughed.
As though such matters were hardly worth his concern.
“And through your death, you too were saved, were you not?”
“….”
I did not answer.
The fact that the Jin Family now stood intact and that I survived to stand here was undoubtedly because of that death—because it had been reversed.
As I pondered this, I realized something.
The moment I looked at him with startled eyes.
He nodded as though he had read my very thoughts.
“Precisely. The Emperor’s Jade Orb fell into my hands. I recovered several others as well. Thanks to that, I’m as vivid as this, am I not?”
It was the same as my situation.
Knowing the future, if one were to return to the past, one would know exactly what to prioritize.
While I had struggled to ensure my survival and protect the Jin Family, the Imperial Regent had prioritized recovering the Jade Orbs and seizing their power.
“And as you can see, I’ve claimed the Jade Orb in this place as well.”
Thump, thump—
With those words, he walked toward one side.
Returning to where the dead Yeom Ji-hak lay, he lightly picked up the sword that had fallen from his grasp and turned back to face me.
“At first, I considered giving it to you. I thought that if you possessed such power, you might restrain those on the other side somewhat.”
“Even with such power in hand, do you fear Singyeo?”
“Afraid? Hehehehe— mind your words. I fear not the Singyeo itself. Only the Priest… the Priest alone frightens me.”
“….”
I cannot fathom how many Jade Orbs he has claimed, yet I am certain the power of the Imperial Regent standing before me now far surpasses even the days when Mu Heo was called Geomcheon.
And still, such a man trembles before his own Priest.
“You must be formidable indeed. Strong enough to trouble even you as you are now.”
“Hehehehe— you bear much resemblance to the Priest as well. In terms of raw talent alone, you are among the rare few who can stand comparison with him. Observe what you have accomplished in this brief span of time. To the Singyeo, you are a monster.”
Shhhhwiiing—!
In that instant.
The Imperial Regent drew his blade with effortless grace.
A mere flourish through empty space, yet the wind itself seemed to cleave apart, unleashing a torrent of violent air.
“In any case, this meeting is fate, and since I harbor great expectations of you as an obstacle to the Singyeo, I shall impart one lesson.”
“To me?”
“Hehehehe— consider this the teaching of Mu Heo, not the Imperial Regent.”
With those words, the Imperial Regent began to move his blade with deliberate slowness.
A dance.
The sword, cradling moonlight, gleamed as it flowed with serene grace.
It was as if wind itself, drifting forth, then soaring toward the heavens, playing among clouds before becoming the moon, casting twilight’s glow, then transforming into rain that poured without warning.
At times it held thunder and lightning; at others, it breathed frost and chill alongside snow.
Soon it became a tranquil waterway, flowing with the breeze, then surging into torrential rapids that shattered embankments and swallowed the very course of rivers.
This was nature itself.
All of nature dwelt within a single blade.
And the one who wielded it seemed to have become the heavens.
A sensation of endless enchantment, merely from witnessing it.
Each movement etched itself upon my eyes, refusing to fade.
This was Geomcheon Muheo.
I understood now why people raised their thumbs in reverence toward him—the sword’s movements unfolding before me transcended mere beauty into something ineffable.
As the Imperial Regent slowly ceased his movements, he observed the light in my eyes, then smiled faintly and cast the blade from his hand.
“Consider this Mu Heo’s final farewell. Should you gain anything from it, that would be fortune.”
“…Does this mean Mu Heo no longer exists?”
“Hehehehe, now that I have returned as the Imperial Regent, I must abandon Mu Heo’s life. And now, all debts are repaid.”
“Debts….”
I gazed at the Imperial Regent, my brow furrowing.
He would not have revealed such a thing for that reason alone. Considering the value of the Jade Orbs, merely refraining from seizing them from the Eastern Families would have sufficed to repay any debt.
Therefore, there could be only one conclusion.
He intends to use me.
Did he perceive such thoughts?
The Imperial Regent’s smile deepened with warmth.
“Did you not use my name as well? I too must make use of you. Hehehehe— so, do not die so easily.”
With that, he turned away.
As he departed with light, unburdened steps—as though he harbored no lingering attachment—I found myself moving forward without thought, reaching out to seize the Imperial Regent.
There were still so many questions I wanted to ask.
If not now, I had no way of knowing when I could hear the answers, so I moved swiftly to close the distance.
Whoosh—!
A blade suddenly flew toward me.
It was not merely a sword.
As if to sever the space between Gwanbaek and myself, soldiers emerged one after another from the shadows.
They wore masks to conceal their faces.
Unlike me, who bore the inverted visage of a Yaksha.
These beings, adorned in plain white masks devoid of any pattern or design, leveled their blades at me with unmistakable menace.
Do not approach.
We will cut you down.
Their eyes conveyed such resolve that I furrowed my brow.
These were no ordinary opponents.
Whether cultivated directly by Gwanbaek or not, each one radiated considerable presence.
Had such warriors not existed, retrieving the Jade Orb would have been impossible.
In the end, I halted my advance and could not proceed.
I watched as the White-Masked Figures, who had threatened me with their blades, vanished one by one in pursuit of Gwanbaek.
“This game has grown far too large.”
I furrowed my brow and released a weary sigh.
The Singyeo alone was already overwhelming, and now the Emperor’s Forces as well.
Was I to face a three-way conflict?
Ah…
A hollow laugh echoed across the plain.

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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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