The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 229

—————
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 229

As I hurled my body toward the gaping opening and plunged inside, sand immediately cascaded down where we had stood, flooding the space behind us.
Watching the sand pour down even through the opening itself, I could recognize just how perilous our situation truly was—enough to make even me catch my breath.
I turned my gaze to survey the chamber around us.
“Ah, I can’t see anything.”
Completely buried beneath the sand, not a single ray of light penetrated the interior.
Yet the space proved remarkably vast—my words echoed loudly off the walls.
“This way.”
“Young Master, can you see?”
“My eyes are hardly the same as yours, are they?”
“That’s basically saying I’m not human, isn’t it?”
I brushed off Chaeseoha’s pointed remark lightly and pressed forward, searching for a passage we could traverse.
The interior was far more expansive than I had anticipated.
Moreover, the passages twisted and turned like a labyrinth.
Here and there, I glimpsed enormous chambers—some submerged in sand, others not—and the sight made me wonder if some great structure had been swallowed whole by the desert.
Within the sand-filled chambers, I could see various furnishings scattered about, and from the scattered objects, I suspected this place might have belonged to a Daoist or Buddhist sect.
But that was merely speculation.
It was far too ancient to determine anything with certainty.
“It’s enormous. Do you think we can get out?”
“We entered unexpectedly, but there appears to be an exit. Finding it, however, may prove more difficult than anticipated.”
“Ugh…”
Chaeseoha shuddered, clearly uneasy, and pressed herself against me once more.
Though my eyes were gradually adapting to the darkness, I could see as clearly as in daylight—unlike her, who was still surrounded by impenetrable black.
I carefully guided her deeper into the chamber.
Where this place was or what it served didn’t matter at the moment. Our immediate priority was finding a way out.
We could ponder such questions later.
As I proceeded with this thought, I realized the passage ahead was blocked by sand—we could go no further.
I furrowed my brow and examined our surroundings.
During our approach, there had been no other paths.
Retreating would be pointless if we couldn’t advance, so finding a passage here was the wisest course of action.
I began methodically checking the walls.
I searched for hollow spaces within, but it proved difficult. All seemed blocked by sand—I felt no breeze coming through anywhere.
As I scanned the surroundings again, my furrowed brow still unrelaxed—
Creeeeak—
An eerie sound echoed from somewhere.
A noise that could not be described as human reached my ears.
And then—
Boom!
Suddenly, one of the walls burst open, and sand poured down in a torrent.
At the same time, a figure in human form broke through and revealed itself, then rushed toward Chaeseoha and me.
Like a beast driven by instinct alone.
Kaaaaang—!
I swung my sword and slashed at its chest, but the blade bounced off.
The creature’s body was as hard as diamond, which made my frown deepen. As it lunged at me like prey, I unleashed my sword aura and swung with all my might.
Screeeech—!
The creature fell, its body split in half.
Yet strangely, no blood spilled.
As if it were not a living being.
“…A Gangsi?”
“A Huncheon Gangsi.”
“What… is that?”
At the question, I let out a hollow laugh.

Huncheon Gangsi—a creature of the heavenly soul and corpse.

A being with a body of steel that cannot be cut without sword aura.
This was undoubtedly the work of Zijiao.
That meant this place had some connection to the Divine Sect, and I suspected it might be an abandoned site.
I had no memory of such a place.
“Stay close to me. No matter what happens, do not stray.”
“Surely… these creatures won’t keep appearing, will they? How do you intend to fight in your condition?”
“I had hoped to avoid them, but it seems impossible.”
Fwoooosh—!
Another wall burst open, and three or four Huncheon Gangsi emerged.
Pale, lifeless faces and vacant eyes.
Though they gazed upon their target, only emptiness emanated from them.
No killing intent, no hostility—not even a trace of presence. If one were not facing them directly, they would be undetectable.
Judging by their appearance, they had not been sent here recently.
They had been guarding this place for a very long time.
Ten years? Twenty years?
No—considering how this place had been buried in sand and lost its very form, it was likely far longer than that.
Certainly far older than the Huncheon Gangsi I had faced before.
“Their level is low.”
Screeeech—!
There was no need to unleash my sword aura.
If I simply sharpened my blade with a bit more sword qi, I could cut through them easily. From this alone, I could deduce they were incomplete creations, merely thrown here to guard this place.
The scattered human bones scattered throughout confirmed my suspicion.
I then stepped into the space the creatures had broken through.
In that instant, a narrow passageway as intricate as a labyrinth came into view.
And there, visible before me, were the Huncheon Gangsi.
From the way they moved about in patrol, there was no doubt.
They were standing guard.
To prevent any uninvited intruders from entering this place.
Did they sense the beating of a living heart?
The gaze of the Huncheon Gangsi, which had been moving in patrol, suddenly turned toward me in unison.
“Gasp?!”
Whether frightened by the overwhelming convergence of their stares, a gasp of alarm escaped from Chaeseoha’s lips.
“Fall back and stay behind me.”
I gripped my sword as I faced them.
It seemed there was no way forward without cutting through them.

* * *

Chaeseoha, who remained safely behind, watched as the gangsi fell one by one as the battle intensified.
Though the sight of their severed heads and bodies scattered about was utterly repulsive, she steadied her breathing carefully and approached to examine the corpses.
First, their clothing.
It was so tattered from prolonged wear that it was beyond even use as rags.
However, the style and material of the garments differed greatly from those worn in the present day.
Confirming this, she slowly extended her hand to feel their skin.
It was so hard that she wondered whether even wielding a blade could cut through it.
But soon, she discovered strange scars and marks upon the skin.
It was not just one or two—all of them bore these marks.
Spread like a plague, they revealed that these creatures had died while suffering from illness in their former lives.
As she furrowed her brow with this thought.
Crash—!
Jin Cheon-u severed the chest of the last remaining gangsi and hurled it against the wall. The tremendous impact sent tremors through the ground, and simultaneously, sand began to fall from the ceiling.
Rumble—
Then came the sound of something cracking.
“This way. Hurry.”
“Yes, understood!”
At Jin Cheon-u’s word, Chaeseoha snapped to attention and rushed forward.

Crash—!
With a tremendous roar, the hidden passage collapsed.
The way back was completely sealed off, leaving only the path forward as our option.
“Things rarely go as planned.”
I scratched my head and looked back.
It was Chaeseoha’s fault for keeping her mouth shut since earlier.
When I expressed my confusion at her contemplative expression, she scraped her lower lip with her finger and furrowed her brow.
“Young Master, about that Huncheon Gangsi from before.”
“Did you figure something out?”
“They’re infected with Soul Plague.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a disease where the soul becomes twisted and life withers away. It’s a condition rarely seen, and it’s also a disease so obscure that even you wouldn’t know of it.”
I nodded at Chaeseoha’s words.
Though I know the names of countless illnesses, I’ve never heard of Soul Plague before. I had no doubt that any physician I asked would say the same thing—it was that unfamiliar.
“Normally it’s a fatal disease where the Life Gate collapses, and it’s particularly devastating to those who’ve cultivated martial arts, with high contagion rates.”
“So?”
“And as far as I know, the last time this disease appeared was… eight hundred years ago.”
“Eight hundred years? Are you certain?”
“If those who fell ill back then became Huncheon Gangsi, then it’s certain. Of course, it’s possible the disease broke out again after my time, but considering the form and material of the clothing so different from now… perhaps… ?”
Watching Chaeseoha speak with such caution, I also furrowed my brow. If everything she suspected was true, then this place had been used at least eight hundred years ago.
And by The Divine.
Considering the larger-than-expected scale, I wondered if this might be their headquarters or an undisclosed branch.
Or perhaps this was once their Child Sect in the past.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
We moved quickly.
Cutting down the Huncheon Gangsi blocking our path and searching for the way forward, we finally reached a space distinctly different from what we’d seen before.
A massive chamber revealed itself.
Countless enormous pillars supported the ceiling and floor, and the vast expanse stretching straight ahead was spacious enough to comfortably accommodate thousands of people gathered at once.
And at the very end of it all.
There were stairs.
The stairs stretched so high that I had to crane my neck just to see them, resembling a space built to honor someone. At the very top stood an enormous chair for a single person.
As if symbolizing an Emperor’s throne.
I swallowed hard without realizing it.
“This is…”
The moment I took in the sight, I understood.
My heart raced unnaturally, and my body trembled.
The empty throne, though worn and weathered by time, seemed to retain the presence of whoever once sat there—an intense pressure emanated from it.
The Divine Seat speaks.
Dare not raise your head without permission.
I felt that oppressive force and clenched my teeth firmly.
Soon after, I took a step forward and climbed the stairs.
As if rejecting one who was not the master, I felt a powerful force pushing me back.
“Young Master?!”
“Do not come up.”
I ignored Chaeseoha’s urgent cry and continued climbing higher. With each step upward, the energy I felt pushed against me with increasing intensity.
Even as the sensation threatened to send me tumbling down the stairs in an undignified heap, I did not stop and continued ascending.
If my thoughts were correct, there could be no doubt.
This was the Divine Sect, and this seat belonged to the one who had been revered as “The Divine.”
Though the one currently occupying it would surely be different, I thought perhaps I could gain some understanding of the meaning behind the throne that venerated “The Divine.”
For that reason, I could not give up.
“Ugh….”
With each step higher, my body swayed.
Blood flowed from my mouth and nose under a pressure incomparable to when I had been struck by the Heavenly Thunder Technique.
Merely the remnants of that consciousness alone caused such damage.
But I did not stop.
I pressed forward with each step, climbing ever higher.
At last, the moment I reached the summit.
I could see the Divine’s throne sitting solitary before me, and behind it, countless images carved upon strange circular bricks arranged in a ring.
“Haa, haa….”
Trembling—
My entire body shook, and I could not even maintain my balance.
As I collapsed and gazed at the throne while gasping for breath, I felt a dizzying vertigo alongside the sensation of my soul being devoured.
As if “The Divine” himself stood before my eyes.

Kneel and bow.

As if hearing such words, I forced my collapsed body to rise, managing a strained laugh as I moved.
Time was running out.
Before my vital energy depleted entirely, I had to commit every sight in this place to memory.
Just as I passed the Divine’s seat and tried to take in the murals hanging beyond it, an even more crushing pressure descended upon me, draining my strength.
My legs gave way in an instant, and my body staggered.
I reached out to grasp the Divine’s seat, steadying myself against collapse.
That was when it happened.
A flash—
“…!?”
I felt a gaze upon me.
A chilling sensation.
The blood burning fiercely through my veins turned to ice in an instant.
Even the sweat flowing down my body seemed to freeze solid.
My heart began to thrash as if it would burst, and a dizzying vertigo crashed over me, consuming my mind in a single breath.
I could feel it.
This was unmistakably the gaze of the Divine.
I realized that creature was looking at me, and simultaneously, a strange energy boiling up from within my body surged forth as if to block that gaze.
Was that the reason?
The Divine’s gaze swept over me with even greater interest.
As if possessed by the will to pierce through everything from beginning to end, I clenched my teeth and roared harshly toward that creature.
“I will kill you without fail!”
The words I had harbored within.
The very words I had intended to spit out when I finally stood before that creature.
I unleashed them with the force of a volcano erupting, projecting my fury outward.
In that instant, all strength drained from my body, and I was thrust backward.
As if someone were commanding me to descend.
My consciousness shattered as I felt myself suspended in empty space.
“Young Master?!”

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