The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 172

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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 233

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Gang Cheonho, who remained in the guest hall, paid no mind to the Commander’s prattling beside him.
He simply continued to recall the images of the two men.
First and foremost, Chu Hyeongi, who had begun to be called the Feral Beast of Radiant Blood.
Judging merely from his solid physique and savage aura, he appeared to have some connection to Namman.
An aura similar yet different from their own.
He possessed such a thing.
Undoubtedly exceptional.
Considering his age, his level was unbelievably high, and if one thought of his future growth, it would not be strange to recruit him as an equal.
Then was it he who obstructed the Divine Path?
No.
I could be certain of this.
It was undeniable that he was more exceptional than I had thought, but he was not at a level to commit such audacious acts against Auk and the Sword Emperor.
If that were the case….
“Jin Cheon-u….”
The subordinates who had observed the matter with Hyang Do-un from a distance all praised Chu Hyeongi and excluded Jin Cheon-u, but Gang Cheonho’s thoughts differed.
It was him.
The way he calmly received the faintly released Ferocious Tiger Momentum, and how he remained completely unshaken even standing before me, speaking his piece without hesitation.
The one Auk had been searching for was undoubtedly Jin Cheon-u.
“Listen here! Are you hearing me?”
“Hm?”
In that instant, a rough voice pulled Gang Cheonho from his thoughts. When his eyes, like those of a Mountain Lord, turned to regard the one who had shouted, he saw the Commander’s face flushed crimson.
“I asked if you were listening!”
“Ah—I hear you now. Really, stop shouting. My ears are killing me.”
“What did you—Kghhk?!”
Before the Commander could even voice his rage, Gang Cheonho had already extended his hand and seized his throat.
Then—
Crack!
As he mercilessly shattered the man’s neck, the Commander’s body went limp like a puppet.
Confirming this, Gang Cheonho rose from his seat and turned his head.
“The men?”
“All gathered, sir.”
“Good. I’ll open the Binghua Yujing now, so you clean this up. The path will be noisy enough as it is, and opening the door will make it worse.”
-As you command!
Whoosh!
The moment ten figures vanished like the wind, Gang Cheonho stretched languidly and began to move slowly, rotating his neck left and right.
“Where could he be?”

* * *

The interior of the grand palace contained countless chambers.
With enough space to accommodate those who had come for the assembly, several people were crammed into each expansive room, and at the entrance where they could be admitted, I stationed the Imperial Guards along with Chu Hyeongi, Namgung Yeon, and Cheon Yul.
Though their expressions appeared tense, as if preparing for something—the guards and warriors alike bore the weight of apprehension—this was not the moment to ease their anxieties.
Even Chu Hyeongi seemed somewhat on edge, swallowing hard as he cautiously approached and spoke.
“Will it truly happen?”
“Yes. It may already be unfolding.”
“Ah— this is the legendary Northern Ice Palace, after all.”
“A Northern Ice Palace in its twilight.”
Chu Hyeongi stared toward the main palace, unable to believe my words, as if the very silence contradicted any notion of impending conflict.
The profound quiet made it impossible to accept that something was truly about to occur.
“As I said, hold your position and do not abandon it. If you disappear, there will be considerable casualties. No—everyone will perish.”
“…What of the Northern Ice Palace people? Should we not warn them?”
“This is the Northern Ice Palace. They will not fall easily, so do not worry. Besides, I will go myself.”
I turned away from Chu Hyeongi’s ominous gaze.
Within the vast chamber.
It was unmistakably prepared for an honored guest.
Not only the opulence, but also the abundance of wine and food.
I approached the table laden with provisions and placed a piece of fruit between my lips. Then, grasping a wine bottle nearby, I secured it to my waist with a cord.
“What are you doing with that?”
“You said we’d share a drink.”
At my casual remark, Chu Hyeongi’s expression turned blank, as though he had never expected me to take it seriously.
I smiled faintly and turned my gaze away when—
Crash!
A tremendous sound erupted from somewhere, and the main palace shook violently.
Simultaneously, a wall shattered, and several men came into view, bleeding as they were hurled outside.
“It has begun.”
“What! Truly!”
“Hold your position steadfast. They will surge here soon—it will be quite fierce.”
At my words, Chu Hyeongi hastily departed the chamber.
Following him outside, I observed that Namgung Yeon, Chaeseoha, and Cheon Yul bore expressions of grave concern.
They too had sensed it.
An extraordinary aura suddenly enveloped the surroundings like a siege.
Among these, one particularly formidable presence—though not visibly before us—caused flesh to tremble from its sheer intensity.
I regarded Cheon Yul.
“Soocheonchu must be commanding this place. I cannot imagine that the one who leads Sa Do-cheon would be incapable of this much… What are your thoughts?”
“Haha— leave it to me. If I may, I wish to plunge into this alongside you.”
“Please, remain calm.”
I tapped Cheon Yul’s shoulder lightly and moved forward.
From not far away, I sensed a presence approaching the auxiliary palace—an ominous aura that could not possibly belong to the warriors of the Northern Ice Palace.
Narrowing my brow slightly, the moment I closed the distance with certainty.
Swish—!
Figures that easily leaped over a dozen men revealed themselves.
Unmistakably, Hojak Warriors.
Displaying the savage nature of ferocious beasts, they rushed toward me.
I swung my sword toward the extended claws of the beast.
Clang—!
The force felt through the blade’s edge was heavy and sharp.
Unlike the sword Nam Tae-cheon had shown, this revealed a decidedly respectable level of skill.
Clang, clang, clang—!
I blocked the countless claws raining down upon me.
The relentless assault, leaving not even the smallest gap, was the kind that could not be easily evaded nor readily defended against.
Of course, if there is no gap, one simply creates one.
I extended my sword.
Clang—!
Sharply deflecting and pushing back someone’s blade, I did not miss the opening that appeared in that instant.
Slice—!
The moment I cut down one of them and he fell, their formation crumbled.
I did not miss the opening again.
Like moonlight shot through the air, the blade gleamed with lunar radiance.
Slice, slice, slice—!
One cannot see who was cut where or how they fell.
I simply swung my sword and severed my enemies.
Moving instinctively, engaging them, and cutting off their breath as though this had always been my true purpose.
Thud, thud—!
Those who rushed at me collapsed and scattered, yet I made no effort to take in their forms with my eyes.
I moved forward.
Toward where I sensed a powerful presence.
The moment I stepped out of the auxiliary building and entered the main palace.
I could not help but furrow my brow.
Countless corpses came into view.
There were innumerable who could not even mount a proper defense, and everywhere bore traces of those who had resisted but proved no match.
Though the Northern Ice Palace was undoubtedly in decline, considering its status as a power of the realm, it had collapsed far too easily, enough to cause bewilderment.
It was entirely different from Namman.
I had thought, recalling the fierce battle I had fought while blocking the attacks of Yeom Ji-hak and Chu Won, that they would hold out to some degree—a completely mistaken judgment.
Etching that scene into my eyes, I moved slowly forward.
Suddenly, I sensed a presence.
As I grasped the sword and turned my gaze, a woman trembling as she stared at me from a distance came into view.
Shiver—
Her lips quivered.
Was it because of the corpses scattered all around?
As I furrowed my brow with that thought, the woman drew her blade and closed the distance between us with frenzied speed.
Clang—
Screech—!
The moment I blocked the strike, I felt an intense, piercing cold.
As I tried to retreat, feeling a chill that seemed capable of freezing the very marrow of my bones, the woman swung her sword relentlessly, refusing to grant me respite.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang—!
“How dare you—! How dare you!”
The woman’s voice, filled with fury, rang out loudly.
Her cold expression contorted with rage, and her upturned eyes burned like flames, incongruous with the Northern Ice Palace, radiating heat.
She wielded an exceptionally formidable blade.
It would not be strange to say that the very essence of the Northern Ice Palace was contained within it, and the biting cold that surged with each clash of swords was equally formidable.
With each step I took, the ground beneath the woman’s feet froze, and soon the surrounding floor became entirely iced over and treacherous.
As a result, I began to be pushed back gradually.
Clang—
Screech—!
Unlike the woman, who moved across the ice without hesitation, I was being driven backward and could not execute proper footwork.
Was this the martial art of the Ice Palace?
I could not help but be impressed.
Moreover, the woman’s level was so exceptional that it would not be strange to compare her to Cheon Yul, and I feared that any carelessness would result in grave consequences.
But.
Crack—!
I planted my foot firmly and closed the distance with my blade.
In that instant, sword energy infused with intense power enveloped my entire blade, and the unleashed force immediately overwhelmed the woman.
Startled by the sudden shift, the woman’s eyes widened.
Unlike before, she struggled to retreat, but I was not merciful enough to let her escape so easily.
I swung my sword forward.
Crash—!
Shattering the ice, a vicious blade energy shot forth.
Extending in a straight line, it seemed as though it would cleave her body in two, but by the thinnest margin it grazed past and struck someone else instead.
Squelch—!
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
The presence that had been stealthily approaching us amid our fierce exchange.
Hojak Warriors.
Without even properly comprehending that their body had been severed, they let out a final groan before being split in half, spraying blood.
“…!”
The unknown woman’s eyes widened in astonishment as she watched my display.
She seemed startled by how effortlessly I cut down those she had considered allies, yet her gaze remained fixed upon me with an unguarded wariness that refused to relent.
“Are you affiliated with the Northern Ice Palace? There seems to be some misunderstanding. I am Jin Cheon-u of the Jin Family.”
“The Jin Family of Luoyang….”
As she spoke the name of my family, her expression grew peculiar, studying me intently. From the way her eyes compared my features to someone else’s, I could understand her thoughts in an instant.
“You bear little resemblance to Elder Brother Myeong, even in comparison. We share different mothers, after all.”
Among my siblings, only my sister truly resembled me. The others shared some vague similarity, yet felt entirely different in character.
The woman nodded as if she understood.
“…Yes, that appears to be the case.”
“Yet you haven’t sheathed your blade. Do you intend to continue our confrontation?”
She understood, but her guard remained raised.
Unable to discern whether my words were truth or deception, she seemed deeply conflicted, her hand reluctant to lower her sword.
It was natural enough to question how a member of the Jin Family had cultivated martial arts of such caliber.
Just as I was about to invoke Cheon Yul’s name as the key to dispel her doubts—
Kwaaaaaang—!
Another thunderous collision echoed from somewhere, shaking the entire palace violently.
Had she identified the source of that sound?
The woman’s expression shifted to alarm as she spun around, launching herself forward with all her strength, kicking off the ground.
I followed suit, propelling my body after her.
Then I posed a question.
“Do you know where that sound came from?”
“…Yaobing Tian Lu.”
Though I couldn’t grasp what that place was precisely, the urgency etched across her face suggested it was among the most vital locations within the Northern Ice Palace.
Considering where Gang Cheonho intended to go, the answer became clear.
The passage leading to Binghua Yujing.
The sounds likely originated from that direction.
Crash, crash—Boom, boom, boom, crash—!
The sounds grew increasingly violent.
As if the Gung-ju and the Northern Ice Palace’s greatest masters were expending every ounce of their power to block Gang Cheonho’s path.
“We must hurry.”
“….”
The woman didn’t respond, but her pace quickened further.
Yet progress proved far from smooth as I had anticipated.
Whoosh—!
Hojak Warriors suddenly converged upon us from all directions.
Unwilling to allow interference with Gang Cheonho, they drew their blades with formidable presence.
I exhaled slowly at the sight.
Then I gradually unsheathed my sword, manifesting a blade aura that shimmered like heat haze.
“…!?”
Shock flooded the woman’s eyes once more upon witnessing this, yet she merely offered a faint smile before launching herself forward with even greater ferocity, her feet striking the ground with renewed intensity.
Screeeech—!

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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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