The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 251
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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 251
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Whoosh—
Moonlight poured down from a cloudless sky, draping the world in its gentle glow. It felt as though the heavens themselves were blessing the completion of a purpose, yet I could only manage a bitter smile.
I turned my gaze toward the corpse before me.
Muyong Jungcheon, the Sword Emperor.
I could see his lifeless form.
Even unto the very end.
His eyes remained bloodshot, displaying his will to survive at all costs, yet his murderous intent to kill me never wavered.
Because he understood that was the only path to his survival.
Knowing that I had hidden Gok Ok’s existence and used him, the only way for him and the Moyong Family to survive in this situation was to enter the Divine Sect.
For that, he would have needed a sacrifice.
Despite his internal injuries, he gritted his teeth and charged forward—clearly believing this was his only method to vent his rage at prey that had rolled into his grasp and to save the Moyong Family as well.
How foolish.
Moreover, though Muyong Jungcheon may have ‘believed’ he was judging the situation coldly and confronting me rationally, the truth revealed impatience seeping through with each move.
His failure to properly recognize that his condition was deteriorating and his desperation to kill me as quickly as possible was a grave miscalculation.
Along with his rage toward me for destroying Gok Ok.
I recalled once more the face of Muyong Jungcheon as he screamed here, venting his fury over the lost Gok Ok.
He resembled a vengeful spirit itself.
His obsession with Gok Ok transcended imagination.
As though he had lived solely to possess it.
I shook my head and smiled bitterly.
“Had I been you, I would have sought it out myself rather than waiting for power to be granted.”
If he desired power so desperately, there would have been ways to discover it himself, yet he did not.
Why?
Because he feared the Divine Sect’s power.
Moreover, because he needed the Divine Sect’s power.
I was certain Muyong Jungcheon’s ultimate objective was not merely to gain power and ascend to one of the Twelve Thrones.
As the Family Head of the Number One Sword Sect and bearing the title of Sword Emperor, should he rise to the position of Alliance Master and seize the orthodox martial world in his grasp, ultimately claiming a seat among the Twelve Thrones, he would become an unprecedented existence in this martial realm.
Had that come to pass, he might have inherited the name of a new Geomcheon and ruled over the orthodox sects.
“His ambition was excessive.”
I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
Had he truly believed that, it would have been far too excessive.
It exceeded his own capabilities.
I clicked my tongue lightly, steadied my breathing, and assessed my condition.
While there were deep cuts and puncture wounds scattered across my body, compared to my encounters with Yeom Ji-hak and Gang Cheonho, they were negligible.
“But thanks to that, it was far easier.”
I was facing none other than one of the Ten Sovereigns.
Though he had risen to his position through the power of the Divine Cult, considering the weight that the name “Ten Sovereigns” carried, I had believed that no matter the circumstances, it would not be easy.
Yet look at the situation now.
I had sustained some injuries, but they were not severe.
Using my abilities appropriately had been important, but more significantly, it meant that Muyong Jungcheon’s condition was far worse than I had anticipated.
In particular, Hye-myeong’s decisive move had been crucial.
On top of that, escaping from Jeongju and fighting countless members of the Myeongsuk clan had exhausted even the Sword Emperor.
Because of this, I had begun the battle with an enormous advantage.
It was almost laughable that I could not win under such circumstances.
Yet I had not created all of this situation myself.
Had I laid the trap and he had not taken the bait, I would have employed different methods.
However, Muyong Jungcheon lost his reason and charged forward.
Because of that, the events that unfolded led him to his death.
One of the great stars of the Central Plains martial world had fallen in such a pathetic manner.
“At least he will not witness the destruction of his family during his own lifetime. That much is fortunate.”
I wondered if that single tear of blood that had fallen at the end was because he knew what awaited the Moyong Family in the future.
Surely the Divine Cult would no longer lend its power, and the Moyong Family would have to bear the full consequences of the reckless acts committed by Muyong Jungcheon in his greed.
I reached out and grasped the sword held in Muyong Jungcheon’s hand.
The sword he had not released even in his final moment.
As if he knew that releasing this sword meant his own end, the traces of his desperate grip remained even in death.
Was this the final pride of a martial artist?
I smiled bitterly and planted the sword before Muyong Jungcheon.
Thunk!
The blade that pierced the earth stood tall and noble.
He was certainly a formidable enemy, and he had undoubtedly been used by the Divine Cult, yet I could not deny that he was an existence who had dominated an entire era.
This was my final respect for the Sword Emperor.
The blade wavered in the wind that blew somewhat harshly.
As if the departing spirit of Muyong Jungcheon was showing fierce resistance.
After watching for a long while, I exhaled a long sigh and turned my back, leaving the place. I did not stop walking, as if proving that no lingering attachment remained.
Upon leaving the manor and looking outside, I could not help but be surprised.
What caught my eye was a single horse standing outside.
Though the fierce battle must have caused all manner of loud explosions and vibrations, the fact that it stood firm in the exact spot where I had left it was truly remarkable.
“Did you stay there in case something unexpected happened?”
At my words that came out in exasperation, the creature whinnied and greeted me.
I gently reached out and stroked its head, then mounted its back.
“Let us go home.”
Neeeigh!
* * *
The Martial Arts Alliance remained unsettled.
Despite considerable time passing, they still had not located Muyong Jungcheon, and as the days wore on, everyone felt an creeping anxiety—what if something had gone wrong?
The Martial Arts Alliance’s Heaven and Earth Net was dense enough to boast of being the finest surveillance network throughout the Central Plains, yet he had somehow pierced through it.
Yet this was not entirely surprising.
The Sword Emperor Muyong Jungcheon had spent years within the Martial Arts Alliance, handling countless affairs.
Moreover, he had long served as acting Alliance Leader in Hye-myeong’s stead, placing him in a position to understand both the strengths and weaknesses of the Alliance’s forces.
Finding the gaps in the Heaven and Earth Net would naturally be child’s play for such a man.
He possessed the authority to freely access the Alliance Leader’s archives, where all such information was recorded.
“Amitabha Buddha.”
Perhaps for this reason, Hye-myeong could only view this situation as his own responsibility.
Burdened by the duties of Alliance Leader and consumed by the desire to transcend his current realm, he had secluded himself on Mount Song and never descended—thus he could not suppress the force the Sword Emperor wielded with malicious intent.
He could not escape the sense of responsibility that this current catastrophe had occurred because of him.
As he chanted sutras to calm his wavering heart, he suddenly sensed a presence from outside and turned his gaze toward the door.
Soon, a voice reached him.
“Alliance Leader, it is Jegal Daewun.”
“Enter.”
As the door opened, Jegal Daewun stepped inside.
He bowed lightly, approached slowly, and placed a bundle of papers on the table before exhaling heavily and shaking his head.
“There are no traces of the Heaven and Earth Net being breached. This means he is hiding somewhere in Henan, and I intend to gradually expand the search radius from here.”
“Not even a trace?”
“None.”
“Amitabha Buddha—how can a man in his condition simply vanish?”
Hye-myeong’s eyes narrowed with doubt at words he could scarcely believe.
His gaze toward Jegal Daewun seemed somewhat sharp, as though laden with the unspoken question: did you perhaps let him escape?
Was that it?
Jegal Daewun quickly bowed his head.
“I have also investigated whether he had accomplices. All remaining members of the Moyong Family within the Alliance have been captured, and those who followed the Sword Emperor are under surveillance, but…”
“There has been no suspicious movement… is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes.”
“You did not let him go yourself?”
“I stake the fate of the Jegal Family on it—I did not.”
“Amitabha Buddha.”
Complexity settled across Hye-myeong’s face as he chanted the sutra.
He had been struck twice by the Hundred Step Divine Fist and took a solid hit from the Great Diamond Fist—techniques that should have left even the Sword Emperor grievously wounded.
Moreover, not only the Nine Sects but the Eight Great Families had joined forces in their assault, so he must certainly have sustained severe internal and external injuries, yet the fact that he showed no sign of himself troubled Hye-myeong deeply.
A man must seek treatment, eat, and drink.
Even if one wished to hide such activities, within the reach of the Heaven and Earth Net, there would be no escape from its gaze.
They had trained for precisely this purpose.
Furthermore, even if he had exploited weaknesses in the Heaven and Earth Net to slip through, rumors of Muyong Jungcheon had already spread throughout the Central Plains, so someone somewhere would surely speak of him.
Yet there was nothing.
As if I had soared into the heavens or sunk into the earth.
“Heh heh— so such a thing could occur.”
“Alliance Master….”
Hye-myeong shook his head and steadied his breathing.
The mere fact that such a horrific incident had unfolded in the grand assembly hall—the most crucial space of the Martial Arts Alliance—would surely invite harsh judgment from the world, and failing to capture the culprit even with the Heaven and Earth Net deployed would be a catastrophic blow to the Alliance’s reputation.
All responsibility for this disaster fell squarely upon Alliance Master Hye-myeong.
“Is this not the time to do what must be done?”
Then, Jin Cheon-u’s voice suddenly echoed in my mind once more.
Life returned to Hye-myeong’s eyes, which had been contemplating shouldering all blame and stepping down from his position.
“What became of the Jin Family’s youngest? Did he return safely?”
“Fearless as he is, he stopped somewhere other than Luoyang before heading toward it just now, or so I’ve heard.”
“Somewhere else?”
“Yes, the information came from those who deployed the Heaven and Earth Net, so it is certain.”
“Somewhere else… somewhere else, you say?”
Despite knowing he was being hunted by the Sword Emperor, he had made a detour elsewhere. While I could not determine the exact location, it was clear he had moved somewhere unexpected.
Why? At this moment in time?
An incomprehensible question clung to me.
As I furrowed my brow in thought, every event from the assembly hall flooded back into my mind.
Muyong Jungcheon’s expression and gaze from the moment Jin Cheon-u appeared.
Each word he spoke pierced like a hidden blade, his emotions shifting constantly, accompanied by a palpable killing intent.
The final punctuation came when the pure white jade orb shattered.
I could not discern what it was, but it was undeniable that something had severed Muyong Jungcheon’s reason.
“Perhaps….”
“What troubles you, Alliance Master? Is something bothering you?”
“No, it is nothing.”
Hye-myeong shook his head in denial, yet once a doubt had taken root, it multiplied endlessly.
The situation had been too urgent at the time, so this question had only arisen now, but despite Muyong Jungcheon’s strike landing precisely, Jin Cheon-u had sustained only minor internal injuries.
Even accounting for the fact that it was a hastily unleashed strike born of lost reason, considering the opponent was the Sword Emperor, he should have been pulped and breathless, or at best, had his bones shattered.
Yet his intact state suggested he had prepared for it beforehand, did it not?
Even when he regained consciousness, he remained composed.
Despite being a situation that would unsettle even a disciple of Geomcheon, Jin Cheon-u calmly observed his surroundings and spoke without hesitation.
As if watching a picture he had already drawn unfold before him.
Hye-myeong furrowed his brow and rose from his seat.
“Where are you going?”
“I shall briefly meet with the Jin Family’s youngest and return. Continue searching for the Moyong Family Head.”
“Why him…?”
“A puzzle has presented itself that requires solving. Amitabha Buddha.”
Hye-myeong chanted softly with a gentle smile and slipped away from his seat.
Following that, I unfolded a lightness of body as swift as a flying immortal, swiftly escaping the Martial Arts Alliance in an instant.
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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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