The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 208

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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 208

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Cheon Yul and I burst from the location at a frenzied pace. Though we had already traveled considerable distance, I couldn’t afford to slow down—the anxiety was too overwhelming to risk stopping.
Chasing after Mo Yong-cheon for days without food or drink had been grueling, but this escape demanded several times that effort, pushing me to my absolute limits.
If anyone pursued us, it would be either Muyong Jungcheon, the Black Emperor, or Heobeob Auk of the Sect.
I desperately wanted to avoid another confrontation with those two in circumstances like these.
“Gasp, gasp, gasp…!”
As we fled, I heard Cheon Yul’s ragged breathing beside me.
He kept glancing backward anxiously, and his demeanor made it clear how precarious our situation truly was.
He had lived as Sa Do-cheon’s Soocheonchu, never knowing fear.
So experiencing genuine death looming before him for the first time must have been terrifying beyond measure.
“More than an hour has passed now. I believe we can finally breathe easier…”
“What if they’re still chasing us?!”
“There’s no sign of pursuit. Besides, if they were coming, a battle would have erupted by now.”
Auk and the Sageuk Warriors were being held back by the masked martial artists.
The Regent’s vassals possessed considerable skill.
They could match the Sageuk Warriors without falling back, and I suspected they might even gain the upper hand.
And then there was Auk, the greatest threat of all.
Yet even he posed little concern.
Contrary to my expectations, Auk hadn’t played a significant role—so much so that my earlier calculations about when he’d properly enter the fray seemed almost laughable.
Had circumstances been different, the situation wouldn’t have unfolded this way.
Gok Ok would never have been destroyed.
Of course, my survival wasn’t solely due to Auk’s limitations.
Mo Yong-cheon deserved the greatest credit for his spectacular blunder.
His eyes had been so consumed by greed for Gok Ok that he’d failed to see anything else clearly—which allowed this outcome to occur.
But this had revealed one crucial card.
Having witnessed two masked beings both coveting Gok Ok, the Sect would erase any doubt from their minds that they were on the same side.
“This is unfortunate.”
I smiled bitterly.
Operating under the guise of the Regent had been convenient—they’d willingly deceive themselves. Now that wouldn’t work anymore.
They would grow more suspicious and dig deeper.
They might even believe we were a splinter faction.
While organizing these thoughts, Cheon Yul glanced at me as we ran and asked:
“What exactly is that bastard? Why does the Black Emperor associate with such people?”
“The world contains many hidden existences. Surely he’s one of them?”
“Then… the Black Emperor has allied himself with forces seeking to overthrow the martial world?”
Cheon Yul stared at me with wide eyes, swallowing hard, as if that was the only conclusion possible.
Those who operated in the shadows typically harbored grand ambitions, and pursuing the overthrow of the martial world seemed like a natural progression.
I laughed at Cheon Yul’s words and shook my head.
“They have no interest in such things. If they decided to move now, Sa Do-cheon and the Martial Arts Alliance would crumble in less than half a day.”
“…!”
If one only considered what was visible—Heobeob Auk being held back by mere Baek Myeon-in and unable to exert his full strength—one might not believe my words.
However, Heobeob Auk’s martial prowess surpassed the Twelve Angles.
Could one truly imagine such a master being stopped by the Baek Myeon-in?
No.
I had confirmed it through my investigation.
The relationship between the Baek Myeon-in and myself.
Their true purpose.
The martial techniques they displayed, the manner in which they faced the Sageuk Warriors, and the methods employed by those who drew their blades against me.
If the Baek Myeon-in had truly escaped from Auk unscathed, it was undoubtedly because they had been allowed to leave.
As I pondered this, my brow furrowed.
Or perhaps…
A strange question lingered in my mind.
I glanced down at my hand.
The sensation of shattering Gok Ok remained vivid in my palm. Simultaneously, an inexplicable sense of discord refused to fade.
This stemmed from none other than Heobeob Auk’s existence.
Since he moved only by the Divine’s command, much remained concealed.
Considering that even I did not know his true capabilities, it was natural to sense something ominous in that recent confrontation.
He had revealed his presence, yet shown nothing of his actual power.
As I steadied my breathing, unable to ease my furrowed brow.
Cheon Yul’s anxious voice reached me.
“The Sword Emperor didn’t realize you were the one, did he?”
“There’s no need to worry. He wasn’t in his right mind, and all his attention was focused on me.”
I was certain his obsession with Gok Ok had prevented him from paying much attention to his surroundings.
Even if he had sensed something, confirming it would be nearly impossible.
Moreover, this incident would cause Mo Yong-cheon’s value to plummet in the eyes of the Sect Members, and if fortune favored us, he would lose access to the Sect’s power entirely.
His mind must be in considerable turmoil.
With the emergence of Hye-myeong already threatening his standing in the Martial Arts Alliance, if he failed to obtain Gok Ok’s power and lost his influence over the Sect as well?
The Moyong Family would effectively begin its decline.
Would the other Eight Great Families remain idle?
No.
They would begin to suppress the Moyong Family to claim the title of the greatest martial family under heaven, and factions would emerge throughout the realm.
I let out a quiet laugh.
“My friend though he may be, that man is truly absurd. The way he orchestrates such affairs without batting an eye—has his courage grown so immense?”
“One grows accustomed to it. But how is your condition?”
“I have a few cuts here and there, but I’m fine. Better than you, at least.”
Cheon Yul looked at me and laughed in disbelief.
Only then did I realize my shoulders and chest bore wounds.
I had sealed the pressure points, so blood wasn’t seeping out, but the moment I became aware of the wound, a dull ache began to throb through me.
Yet this was hardly an uncommon occurrence, was it?
Living perpetually on the edge of a blade’s point, I was grateful enough that my head remained attached to my shoulders and that I could still draw breath—far more grateful than I was bothered by the pain coursing through my body.
I tore strips from my clothing and wrapped them around my shoulder and chest like bandages, then issued a stern warning to Cheon Yul, who was wearing a hollow smile.
“Don’t breathe a word of what happened today to anyone.”
“What? I can’t?”
“Unless you wish to see Sa Do-cheon crumble, it matters not.”
“Damn it all…! Not even to grandfather? I want to slit that Sword Emperor bastard’s throat!”
“You cannot.”
At my firm tone, Cheon Yul swallowed his protest.
It seemed he had intended to report everything to Cheon Gong-hak like a child running to his parents after a beating, hoping to have the Sword Emperor punished.
Alternatively, he might have been considering strangling the man in secret, with no one the wiser.
Either way, it would be something the Death Emperor might do.
While it would certainly be magnificent, I wished to avoid a situation that could spiral into a full-scale confrontation between the great powers.
I could deceive others’ eyes, but not those of Gonghuang Hye-myeong.
The Martial Arts Alliance had already lost Hoyeon.
Nothing good would come from further complications.
Moreover, I had no desire to draw the attention of the Sect any further.
I issued one final warning to Cheon Yul.
“You must not speak of this to anyone.”
“Yes… I understand.”
His eyes still held doubt, but faced with the cold intensity of my gaze, he dared not voice further objections. He swallowed hard and nodded obediently.
I was satisfied with that for now.

* * *

Auk moved silently along the mountain path with no one else in sight, trailed soundlessly by the Sageuk Warriors behind him.
No one spoke easily, for nearly half of them bore grievous wounds, and the dead were considerable in number.
One of the Twelve Horns that upheld the Sect.
Warriors bound together by pride in their station could not easily shake off such shock.
Yet Auk, leading the way, remained unmoved.
He simply walked and reflected.
Several scenes replayed endlessly in his mind.
First among them, the masked martial artist who had captivated his attention and stolen the Gok Ok.
By his appearance, he was undoubtedly the one who had continuously obstructed the Sect’s affairs, not to mention the Shadow Assassins.
Exceptional skill, unrestrained action, composure maintained regardless of circumstance, and the audacity to achieve his purpose—these were his hallmarks.
And layered atop it all, a seasoned cunning in exploiting situations.
Truly, he lived up to his reputation as the one who had thwarted the Sect’s plans.
The sword he had drawn when stealing the Gok Ok remained vivid in my mind.
Extended with grace, withdrawn with elegance.
A technique that had pierced my weakness while I stood before him—Auk, renowned throughout the realm.
Though I had faced many opponents, rarely had I encountered such a flawless exploitation of an opening.
Yet that was not all.
In the handful of times our blades had crossed, I felt something.
He certainly understood my methods.
Moreover, his movements were as though he read the fleeting future itself.
I wondered if he had perhaps seized the power of the Gok Ok.
Observing the subsequent clash with Mo Yong-cheon, I confirmed this suspicion had become near certainty.
I witnessed several instances where, just as Mo Yong-cheon’s move seemed certain to land, he moved as though he had glimpsed the future.
“Fascinating.”
Auk smiled faintly.
Though the masked one had captured my attention most, the others who appeared were hardly inferior in caliber.
They were perfectly prepared for this confrontation.
It seemed they had selected only the finest to face the Sageuk Warriors, and the sword formation they had deployed to block my path was undoubtedly a technique designed to exploit weaknesses in martial prowess.
Moreover, the aura emanating from their blades.
There was no need for deep contemplation.
The Regent.
His survival had been proven once more.
“When I heard that Yeom Ji-hak and Chu Won had fallen, I harbored some doubt. But as expected, his words contain no falsehood.”
The Regent himself had certainly killed the two Twelve Horn Lords.
It would have been impossible for the Baek Myeon-in who appeared now.
And one thing had become clear.
“They were different factions.”
Auk smiled slightly.
At first, I had wondered if they were allies, but observing how each pursued the Gok Ok revealed they stood on different ground despite sharing the same objective.
With such thoughts, Auk turned his gaze.
“What has transpired?”
-We pursued them for quite some time, but they suddenly vanished without a trace. When we followed their path, we discovered a formation array had been installed.
“As expected….”
Auk nodded, his thoughts turning to the masked martial artists.
In such circumstances, it would be inconceivable for them to shake off pursuit and escape, yet it appeared they had prepared a formation array in advance.
With such a thing in place, even my subordinates’ pursuit would prove futile.
Auk exhaled slowly.
An existence that anyone knowledgeable of the Sect could not help but watch closely.
That was none other than Muyong Jungcheon, the Sword Emperor.
If Gok Ok fell into the hands of such a man, they would not remain idle. The Divine had anticipated that the Regent’s faction would surely appear seeking it.
Everything had unfolded precisely as foreseen.
However.
“I aimed for one, yet two have appeared—now I find myself uncertain which to strike first.”
Speaking thus, Auk withdrew something from his robes.
A beautiful jade orb emanating pristine white radiance.
It was incomprehensible how an object that should have been shattered to fragments now rested in his grasp.
Auk gazed upon it intently, and a smile crossed his lips.

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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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