The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 186

—————
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 Jin Family of Luoyang – Chapter 186

* * *

The following morning.
The moment I opened my eyes, I rose immediately and washed myself.
Glancing at my reflection in the mirror, I found the disheveled hair rather displeasing, yet I had to be satisfied that such a simple method could easily conceal my identity in this situation.
Donning light garments and shifting my gaze, I noticed one or two people trickling into my quarters.
As if by prior arrangement.
Chaeseoha settled onto the bed while humming softly, Jang Chuchyeong took a seat at the table, and Namgung Yeon stood rigidly against one wall, watching me as though awaiting orders.
The promised hour of Chen.
I regarded them and opened my mouth.
“Then let us seek out this place called the Heavenly Demon Forging Hall.”
“That all sounds well and good, Young Master, but how do we find it? We have no one to guide us.”
“There exists a most convenient method. Do not worry.”
As I opened the door while observing Jang Chuchyeong’s puzzled expression, men emerged from various corners as if they had been waiting.
Startled by the sudden appearance, Namgung Yeon drew his sword in alarm, while Chaeseoha placed a hand over her heart, struggling to calm herself.
“You… startled me.”
“I thought my heart would stop.”
Unlike these two women, Jang Chuchyeong remained composed.
His training in the Namman Forbidden Lands had clearly not been in vain—sensing the subtle scent and tremor in the air, he had apparently anticipated someone’s arrival.
As I regarded him with an approving expression, Jang Chuchyeong straightened his chest confidently and smiled.
As if to say, this much is nothing.
I found myself smiling despite myself, and in that moment I turned my gaze.
A man’s voice reached my ears.
“Are you intending to depart?”
“Is there an objection?”
At my question, the man shook his head.
Muk-hwang had granted permission, and these men were his. Even if they disliked the order, they would never refuse it.
“We shall provide escort. Please bear with any inconvenience.”
“That is acceptable. Rather, would you provide us with directions?”
“Do you have a destination in mind?”
“The Heavenly Demon Forging Hall.”
“…!”
At those words, the man regarded me with evident surprise, as if asking how I knew of such a place’s existence.
Even the Martial Arts Alliance would pay little attention to this internal organ of the Demonic Sect, so his shock was entirely justified.
It was a place outsiders had no need to know of.
I offered the man an answer.
“Have you not heard? This one is a disciple of the Fierce Tiger Emperor….”
“…I understand.”
The man’s brow twitched as he regarded Jang Chuchyeong.
Perhaps recalling what he had endured at the hands of the Namman people, his gaze was decidedly hostile.
Yet, as if accepting that any Namman would naturally know of the Demonic Cult, he exhaled a small sigh and nodded.
“I shall guide you.”
I began to follow in the footsteps of the man ahead.
The moment we departed from Muk-hwang’s quarters.
I felt gazes pouring down from all directions.
Though unseen, there were those concealed in the shadows everywhere. They seemed to be observing this place with vigilance or suspicion, attempting to scrutinize our every movement.
It was hardly surprising.
Were we not unprecedented beings—originating from Cho Hon Jeon, who had opened the gates of the Heavenly Demon Realm in less than ten days?
With such individuals arriving and immediately entering Muk-hwang’s quarters, there were surely many eager to glean information about who we truly were.
“There are many watchful eyes.”
“It is only natural, given that you are to become the new Sect Leader.”
At the man’s words, I could not help but let a scoff escape my lips.
What fool would dare surveil the quarters of an absolute being destined to become Sect Leader?
These gazes were undoubtedly directed at us.
They likely believed us to be Muk-hwang’s hidden trump card.
Thus, their intention was to gather whatever information they could.
Perhaps many also suspected that the openly revealed Sect Leader was a facade, and that one of us was the true Sect Leader.
The gazes continued to follow us.
The man could not possibly be unaware of this, yet seeing that he showed no concern whatsoever, I surmised that this too was part of Muk-hwang’s design.
After all, had it been otherwise, granting us freedom to move openly would make no sense if we were meant to remain hidden.
While entertaining such thoughts, we traveled for some time.
The man then leaped away from the vast settlement.
We journeyed far beyond the Heavenly Demon Realm, moving swiftly.
As we gracefully navigated through jagged cliffs and boulders with barely room to set foot, ascending all the while, a vast landscape unfolded before us, revealing countless peaks.
A grandeur as if a masterpiece had been painted across the earth.
Merely beholding it was enough to awaken one to the majesty of nature itself.
Even Namgung Yeon, who harbored negative views toward the Demonic Cult, seemed eager to commit this scenery to memory, his expression one of astonishment as he continuously surveyed the surroundings.
Observing this, I posed a question.
“Is the Heavenly Demon Forging Chamber located here?”
To my inquiry, the man offered no particular response, merely nodding and turning his gaze away.
One peak among countless others.
Yet if there was something that distinguished it from the rest, it was that a grand hall had been erected there, and within it, the figures of numerous people were visible.
As we drew closer, peculiar sounds reached our ears.
Was it the sound of bellows being worked?
A scorching heat seemed as though it would sear the flesh, and from within came the ringing of hammers, sharp and piercing to the ears.
As if dozens of people were striking in unison, a constant, unbroken rhythm echoed forth.
There was no need to ask—I understood immediately.
This is the Celestial Demon Forging Pavilion.
Whether it’s the finest in all the realm, I cannot say, but it’s a place where a blacksmith of exceptional skill resides—one vouched for by Gu Gunbaek himself.
I stepped onto that peak.
“This is indeed the Celestial Demon Forging Pavilion, but I’m uncertain whether we can achieve what you desire, Young Master.”
I nodded at those words.
The meaning eluded me, yet something extraordinary seemed to dwell in this place.
I glanced about restlessly, moving toward the sound of hammering.
Then, the man ahead of me suddenly bowed.
It was a gesture of respect toward someone emerging from the forging pavilion.
As the figure approached slowly, noticing the man’s courtesy, he wore a somewhat displeased expression and asked a question.
“Hmm? Surely you’re… one of Muk-hwang’s bodyguards?”
“I am Gu Ma-hyeop.”
“Ah, yes, that’s right—I recall that name now. Haha, what brings you to this place?”
“I am carrying out orders.”
Perhaps because of his curt tone—as if to say he was under orders and shouldn’t elaborate—the young man furrowed his brow and studied us.
As his gaze swept across each of us and finally settled upon me, his expression shifted, as though he’d discovered something of interest, and the corners of his mouth lifted.
“Could it be them? The ones from Cho Hon Jeon who entered the Celestial Demon Territory?”
“Yes.”
“Haha, I’ve heard that Muk-hwang secretly planted and cultivated them there. Is that true?”
“…”
“Since you won’t answer, I’m all the more curious. Why don’t you tell me yourself? Is it true that Muk-hwang raised you?”
The man’s gaze turned arrogant as it fixed upon me, posing his question. His eyes, expression, and bearing all conveyed the conviction that when he asked something, an answer must surely come.
Laughter escaped me unbidden.
He reminded me of someone—one who had recently become Emperor.
“Who are you?”
“Ha…? You don’t know me?”
“I do not.”
“Haha, well, I suppose that’s possible since you’ve been in the Demon Realm. My father is none other than Nam Tae-cheon, the Blood Rights Jin Family. Does that answer your question now?”
At the epithet “Blood Rights Jin Family,” laughter spilled from me once more.
Nam Tae-cheon, the Blood Rights Jin Family.
Even in the Central Plains, that name is well known.
I’ve heard that for a long time, two men contended for the position of sect leader, but as time passed, he could not overcome the widening gap and was ultimately defeated.
The arrogant and contemptuous expression and gaze of this man seemed to reflect the inferiority complex and rage of his father, who failed to ascend to the sect leader’s position.
Moreover, he appeared to take considerable pride in his father, who bore the epithet of Blood Rights Jin Family.
I nodded and answered briefly.
“Is that so?”
“Well then, tell me. Haha, is it truly so?”
“If I may answer… it could be true, or it could be false.”
“What?”
“Think of it as you wish. Whatever I say, you’ll interpret it however you desire anyway.”
In that instant, the man’s expression twisted into something harsh and menacing.
Sharp eyes fixed upon me with cutting intensity, as if he believed I had spoken with unforgivable arrogance toward the Son of Bloodline Demon Lord himself.
Even his bodyguards, witnessing this exchange, seemed to regard it as an unbearable insult—their hands already moving to their sword hilts as though they might draw at any moment.
But the man raised his hand, restraining his guards from acting.
Though I could not determine the exact nature of his relationship with Muk-hwang, the mere fact that Muk-hwang’s own bodyguard remained attached to him suggested he was no ordinary figure.
If he possessed any sense at all, he would not risk using force without knowing what consequences might unfold.
It seemed he retained at least that much composure.
“You there… what is your name?”
“I have none.”
“…”
The man’s brow furrowed even deeper.
Though his eyes gleamed with murderous intent, as if he might tear me to shreds on the spot, he seemed acutely aware that he could not actually act—and so he bit his lip in frustration before turning away.
“We shall see. Let us see how much longer you can regard me with such eyes.”
With those words, the man quickened his pace and departed. The warriors following him withdrew their gazes from me and hastened after him.
The moment all of them vanished from the forge, the tension finally lifted from my shoulders.
At the same time, I felt a gaze settling upon me.
“What is it?”
“You did not seem troubled upon hearing the name of the Bloodline Demon Lord.”
“I understand it is a formidable name. Was he not once counted as an equal to Muk-hwang?”
Gu Ma-hyeop nodded.
The oldest family of the Demonic Sect, still wielding considerable influence.
Though I understood that in terms of the righteous path, he would be comparable to the Sword Emperor of the Moyong Family, my composed demeanor seemed to trouble him somewhat.
I allowed a small smile to cross my lips.
“But I heard he is not what he once was?”
“…I cannot speak to such matters.”
Gu Ma-hyeop seemed reluctant to answer, but I had already gathered considerable information about the Demonic Sect through Na Cheonmun.
Since being surpassed by Muk-hwang, the Bloodline Demon Lord’s strength had reportedly diminished—whether from lost confidence or other causes, many spoke of his decline.
No matter what methods he employed or how fiercely he struggled to ascend, an insurmountable mountain like Muk-hwang stood before him, blocking his path.
Whether his confidence had waned because of this, or for some other reason, I could not say—but it seemed he had not broken through that barrier; rather, he had been pushed back by it.
And those of such circumstance invariably harbor poisoned hearts.
I smiled faintly and turned my gaze away.
I watched the figure depart the forge with movements as graceful as a flying bird.
Observing the Son of Bloodline Demon Lord, I had perceived something.
Within the thick demonic energy he emanated, a faint strand of power lay concealed.
Incomplete though it was, it unmistakably leaked forth—and it was certainly one of the Twelve Horns that upheld the Divine Sect, the Tiger Horn.
The moment I confirmed this, a smile bloomed unbidden upon my face.
Thus I could finally comprehend Muk-hwang’s death that had occurred upon his ascension in the past.
But such a thing could not be accomplished now.
For my desire to forge a new sword burned far greater than the Bloodline Demon Lord’s hunger to overthrow Muk-hwang and claim his throne.
I withdrew my gaze and turned my attention once more toward the forge.
Then it is time to meet the master of the Forging Hall.

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