The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 180

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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 181

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“Ugh….”
“Leader!”
The Leader of Amsudeon let out a groan as his eyes slowly opened.
Hearing the voice, he furrowed his brow and turned his gaze, taking in the familiar figures before him as he slowly pushed himself upright.
“….”
Then he slowly assessed his condition.
A long sword wound stretched across his chest, and he could see it was wrapped tightly in bandages—the work of a physician who had arrived in haste.
“Ha….”
He exhaled sharply, furrowing his brow once more.
There was no need to ponder how such a thing had come to pass. The memory of that final blade that had struck before he lost consciousness remained vivid and clear.
That terrifying attack had been far beyond anything he could have easily defended against.
“Leader….”
“Wait… wait, give me a moment.”
Hearing the voice, the Leader gathered his thoughts and surveyed his surroundings once more.
A narrow, cramped space of considerable modesty.
This was unmistakably a warehouse used by the Shadow Assassins.
The fact that he lay in such a place pointed to a single, inescapable conclusion.
Unable to smooth away his troubled expression, he rose from his position.
Soon after, he quietly opened the door and stepped outside.
“…!”
The sight that greeted his eyes was truly shocking.
Several massive buildings of the Shadow Assassins lay in ruins, and across the vast courtyard, countless warriors lay strewn about, bearing injuries both severe and minor.
If one were to count them, the number would exceed two hundred.
“…Listen here, Deputy Leader.”
“What became of them?”
“They… ascended to Ma-un Peak.”
“There were five of them, yes? All of them went?”
“Yes….”
At the sight of the Deputy Leader nodding, the Leader let out a hollow laugh and swallowed hard.
Merely five.
They were supposed to obtain five hundred Demonic Disciples. Given the sheer number—enough to face the elite forces of each Hall—success should have been virtually impossible.
Yet they went anyway?
He was so dumbfounded that words scarcely formed.
“Has such a thing ever occurred in the history of the Ascension Battle?”
“Never, sir.”
Throughout all the Ascension Battles that had taken place, not a single person had ever succeeded by directly assaulting a Hall.
To obtain the greatest number of Demonic Disciples, while the method proved effective, not a single soul had ever succeeded because the risks involved were simply too immense.
The Leader clutched at his abdomen, where pain radiated through him, and walked slowly.
He then stepped outside the Amsudeon and surveyed the surroundings.
Below, the buildings of Geum Sujeong blazed with raging flames.
Unlike this place, the very sight of the towering main hall was nowhere to be seen, which alone suggested that the state of that location was incomparable to this one.
“Hah… hah…”
At that moment, hearing breathing from somewhere, I turned my head.
The figures that entered my view were far too familiar.
Having observed them for so long, there was no possibility of failing to recognize them.
Ryu Jin-hong, the Leader of Demon Awakening War, and his son, the Deputy Leader.
“…Are you well?”
“Yes… I am fine.”
The Amsudeon Master steadied his breathing and observed Ryu Jin-hong, whose own breath came in ragged gasps.
I recalled the younger version of him from when he first became Leader of Demon Awakening War—confidently vowing to cultivate those he would send to Ma-un Peak.
Even my own mocking visage, dismissing it as impossible, surfaced in memory.
Releasing a long sigh, he bowed his head toward Ryu Jin-hong.
“I have wronged you all this time. I never imagined you would truly accomplish it. And to display such confidence as to orchestrate such a grand spectacle—remarkable indeed.”
“Ah… no, that is…”
“Haha, where have you hidden such a blade all this while, only to draw it now? I find myself in awe of your capabilities. They shall undoubtedly become a formidable pillar supporting the Demon Sect.”
“Ha… haha… truly?”
His anxious demeanor, marked by cold perspiration and faint groans, was evident, yet from the Amsudeon Master’s perspective, it appeared as a display of humility.
“In this moment, you need not conceal your joy out of concern for me. The Demon Sect thrives on survival of the fittest. Should you not rejoice that those you cultivated have surpassed me? Hahaha.”
“Ha, haha… haha…”
“Let us raise a cup to the Demon Sect’s new talents!”
“…Very well. Ha, haha…”

* * *

Macheon Palace, located within Cheon-ma Ridge.
Within one of the countless halls that existed there, Ma Un, who would ascend as the new Sect Leader under the title of Ink Thunder Sword Demon, resided.
Perhaps due to the approaching inauguration ceremony, the surroundings were extraordinarily bustling and chaotic, yet Ma Un alone maintained perfect serenity.
Someone stood before his chamber door.
The moment I sensed a presence, my gaze turned toward it.
“Enter.”
Creeeeak—!
The door opened and a middle-aged man stepped inside.
He was Baek Gong, the Grand Master of the Demon Sect.
As he approached with a light bow, my gaze remained fixed upon him as I posed a question.
“Is there some matter?”
“An incident has occurred at Chohwon Hall.”
“An incident?”
At the word “incident,” my brow furrowed.
Merely Chohwon Hall.
The very fact that something happening in such a place had reached my ears seemed almost laughable, and the Grand Master’s serious manner in mentioning it felt peculiar.
I wondered what on earth could have transpired.
“A Demon Ascension Battle was held.”
“Haha, at Chohwon Hall? And with the inauguration ceremony approaching?”
“Yes.”
Certainly, this was worth bringing to my attention.
With the inauguration ceremony imminent.
All demon cultivators should exercise caution in their actions, yet a Demon Ascension Battle had been conducted, causing a disturbance.
It was only natural that the Grand Master’s face bore an expression of embarrassment.
However, I did not concern myself greatly.
It was, after all, merely Chohwon Hall.
I believed they would not endure long before collapsing.
They were an organization lacking sufficient capability.
“Leave it be. They will not even last long enough to become a proper concern.”
“Five of them have already ascended to Ma-un Peak.”
“…!”
At the Grand Master’s words, my eyes widened with interest.
Even for Chohwon Hall, I would have thought that with fortune, perhaps one might manage to ascend to Ma-un Peak.
But five?
How could they have acquired five hundred demonic disciples?
Rendered momentarily speechless by this absurd revelation, the Grand Master, sensing my shock, spoke with a bitter smile.
“Geum Sujeong has been completely devastated, and Amsudeon has been half-destroyed.”
“Hahahaha—!”
I burst into uncontrollable laughter.
This was what had transpired at Chohwon Hall, a place from which I had harbored not the slightest expectation.
Even Geum Sujeong was utterly devastated, and Amsudeon was half-destroyed?
Such a feat would be impossible without considerable martial prowess.
“What became of those who ascended Ma-un Peak?”
“Whether their objective is to reach Cheon-ma Ridge or not, the Demon Ascension Battle continues with constant pursuit and counter-pursuit. Though there are merely five of them, their skills are formidable enough that everyone is being drained of their strength.”
Ma Un, as well as the Grand Master who spoke, found the situation utterly bewildering.
Ordinarily, upon ascending Ma-un Peak, one would enter a new Hall, receive their role, and refine themselves anew.
The difference between Mayeonji and Ma-un Peak was that significant.
Yet to ring the bell immediately meant they possessed confidence in their abilities.
And those wretches clearly aimed to reach Cheon-ma Ridge.
“Impressive indeed. Most entertaining.”
“Thus, with the coronation ceremony approaching, I intended to halt the Demon Ascension Battle by my authority. What are your thoughts?”
“Let them be.”
“…Is that truly acceptable?”
Ma Un nodded readily.
It was acceptable.
Yes, perfectly acceptable.
The Demon Sect was an organization that revered strength.
One could not halt the Demon Ascension Battle—the trial by which one climbs higher in such a place—merely because of a coronation ceremony.
Rather, was it not fitting to consider it an Eve Festival?
Ma Un smiled faintly.
Whoever they were, could they truly ascend?
The situation appeared to favor failure, yet those who had obliterated both Geum Sujeong and Amsudeon suggested the odds were not entirely impossible.
As I contemplated such matters, the Grand Master’s voice reached me.
“However… there is something.”
“What other matter troubles you?”
“The martial techniques of two among the five… give me pause.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“We have not yet conducted a thorough investigation, so I cannot speak with certainty, but according to those observing from the Halls, one man employs the exclusive martial arts of the Fierce Tiger Emperor.”
“The Fierce Tiger Emperor’s?”
“Yes, but that is not the problem.”
The Grand Master’s brow furrowed.
Seeing him hesitate as if uncertain whether to speak, Ma Un urged him forward with a sharp glance.
Then, with a sigh, the Grand Master’s words flowed forth.
“There are those who have witnessed techniques resembling the Namgung Family’s Cheonggung Muwae swordplay.”
“…!”
In that instant, Ma Un’s eyes grew cold and piercing.

* * *

I surveyed my surroundings.
Countless Demon Sect Disciples were rushing toward us, their teeth bared and their expressions twisted with such malice that one could scarcely find composure.
“Quite a lot of them.”
“Enough to make one’s teeth ache, wouldn’t you say?”
Chaeseoha, standing beside me, shook her head with an expression of disbelief as she regarded me.
Her gaze carried the unmistakable weight of someone asking why I feigned ignorance of the chaos I had created.
I simply shrugged with continued bewilderment, turning my gaze elsewhere, when a blazing hall suddenly came into view.
“That fire is making it unbearably hot. Extinguish it, would you?”
“The very person who set the fire is asking me to put it out? And you’re the one who struck down everyone attempting to do so, Young Master.”
I laughed at her words.
This was indeed how one conducted warfare between the few and the many.
When unable to face all opponents simultaneously, the supreme strategy was to scatter their attention in multiple directions.
Furthermore, one must hide and strike from ambush to ensure certain victory.
By creating such circumstances and persisting through them, one could endure.
However.
“Their skill is certainly superior to those below. Their momentum is distinctly different.”
I observed Namgung Yeon and Jang Chuchyeong as they moved about, targeting the scattered few.
The mere fact that they spent considerable time against merely two or three opponents proved they possessed markedly superior abilities compared to those at Mayeonji.
“Haah, haah, haah….”
Even Jang Chuchyeong, whose stamina exceeded Namgung Yeon’s, was breathing heavily, and unlike Mayeonji, the Demonic Disciples were gathering at a considerably slower pace.
Such a disparity in strength meant that Jang Chuchyeong and Namgung Yeon, standing at the forefront, could gain experience, but at this rate, we would not obtain the Demonic Disciples within the allotted time.
I turned to glance beside me.
Na Cheonmun, who had worn an expression of utter disbelief since ascending to this place, caught my eye.
He appeared to genuinely doubt that someone like himself had actually climbed Ma-un Peak.
“How many remain?”
“Th… Three hundred and twelve, sir.”
“Still quite a ways to go.”
I scratched my head and sighed.
Jang Chuchyeong and Namgung Yeon, whom I observed once more, were moving desperately, yet they were already reaching the limits of their stamina and mental fortitude.
At that moment.
Screeeee-!
A sharp sound pierced the air from somewhere.
Was someone hurling a projectile?
No.
Then what was the target?
My keen senses seized upon it, and the instant I directed my gaze toward Namgung Yeon, a blurred Shadow Figure materialized before her eyes.
Simultaneously, I moved.
Claaaang-!
The blade aimed at Namgung Yeon collided with mine, producing a sharp metallic cry, and she, startled, retreated a step, hastily creating distance.
In that moment, I regarded the figure before me.
A middle-aged woman exuding a thick, palpable demonic aura.
The sheer presence she radiated differed so starkly from the others that I couldn’t help but suspect she held the rank of Leader or something approaching it.
Soon, the woman’s eyes fixed upon me sharpened with intensity.
“How bold for a mere whelp of Chohwon Hall!”
“I know not who you are, but underestimate Chohwon Hall at your peril.”
“Bah! An untested pup dares speak!”
My blade and the woman’s clashed simultaneously.
Clang—!

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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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