The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 267

—————
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 267

Everything felt familiar yet entirely new.
The sights my eyes captured were sharp as a blade’s edge, and the sounds brushing against my ears possessed a texture so refined I could trace their grain.
The depth of vibrations transmitted through my soles and the very flow of wind bending and curling around obstacles—all of it felt tangible in my grasp.
Heo Baek’s presence stood directly before me, yet my senses swept in a circle, simultaneously capturing the breath and pulse of every Baek Myeon-in filling the gorge.
“This bastard….”
Heo Baek’s voice came low and heavy.
His upturned eyes betrayed an uncharacteristic lack of composure.
I could feel his anger and momentum vividly, yet he too seemed to understand what this moment signified, and he did not rush forward recklessly.
Yes, he sensed it instinctively.
That I had completely transcended the barrier.
Whoooosh—!
Yet Heo Baek did not hesitate.
In that instant, seizing the opening that revealed itself, he extended his blade.
The minute flexing of muscle and the whisper of wind being cut.
A combat method that allowed me to predict every nuance of my opponent’s movement was naturally formidable.
It was for this very reason that I could escape from Auk’s grasp and maintain composure even amid Mo Yong-cheon’s savage sword strikes.
Yet knowing who my opponent was and grasping his abilities meant nothing.
I moved my blade toward his swinging sword.
Claaang—!
A sharp and vicious clash erupted.
When blade met blade, the sound was similar yet its resonance differed.
At the moment of impact, the reverberating sound stimulated my hearing with a sharpness as if it carried melody.
Like a sonic attack itself.
“Kuh?!”
Was that the cause?
Heo Baek’s brow furrowed, his heightened senses momentarily disrupted.
Yet the determination to cast off his rage blazed clearly in his eyes, and his blade came flying with even greater roughness and force.
Clang clang clang—clang clang clang—!
With each collision of blades, not metal but the very air screamed. As the sword tips grazed, the gorge’s wind trembled thinly, and that resonance crashed into Heo Baek’s ears.
His cheekbone quivered slightly.
He immediately pressed the acupoint behind his ear to half-seal his eardrums, then began reading his next movements through the vibrations transmitted via his soles and the trembling of wind.
Yet even this proved meaningless.
I swung my blade to disturb the wind itself, and my stepping foot crushed the ground with overwhelming force.
Booom—!
The ground shattered without even the luxury of trembling, while my swung blade scattered the wind itself as it extended toward his opening.
I caught the shock on his face in my gaze.
Shiiing—!
It was then that I sensed a presence.
A dark shadow suddenly descended, cutting off the space between me and my opponent.
Yet the extended sword pierced through without hesitation, driving straight into the heart.
Fwuuush—!
“Kugh?!”
A groan tore from someone’s lips as blood sprayed forth.
The man shielding Heo Baek was gradually losing his vitality, yet a faint smile lingered in his eyes—perhaps from the honor of having protected his lord.
The moment I withdrew my blade, the man’s body crumbled.
I laughed incredulously at the sight.
“Such excessive loyalty. He hardly seems worthy of such devotion.”
“You…!”
Heo Baek’s teeth clenched as his eyes blazed at me like those of a vengeful demon.
At that same instant, as if they had been waiting, the Baek Myeon-in surged forward.
More than the will to avenge their fallen comrade, the sight of Heo Baek’s pathetic collapse seemed to drive them forward with greater urgency.
I narrowed my eyes and drew forth my inner strength.
The blade gleamed with a cold, razor-sharp edge, its perfect form radiating a fierce aura that dominated the entire gorge, overwhelming them all.
Screeeech—!
I swung my sword.
The crescent-shaped force that erupted forth sliced through the bodies before me like cutting through tofu.
The sight of them falling while spraying blood was truly gruesome, yet there was no time to dwell on it.
The sheer number of opponents rushing at me like a swarm of hornets was overwhelming.
Kwaaang—!
Someone flew in, swinging a staff.
As I evaded, the ground shattered, and immediately weapons of all kinds came flying from all directions.
A sword formation so dense it left no gaps.
It was a perfect technique where escape seemed meaningless, and even if I broke through it, I could see Heo Baek waiting for an opening.
Watching this, a hollow laugh escaped me unbidden.
Certainly, in my previous state, this would have been a technique that could have led me to death’s door.
I would never have ended this confrontation with Heo Baek so easily before.
I narrowed my eyes and gazed directly ahead.
I tilted my neck to evade the blade that had drawn close, then shifted half a step to let the second sword pass.
Simultaneously, I batted away the dagger fired at close range, spun my body, and let two more blades slide past.
In that instant.
The power contained in the swords began to overflow.
An unrestrained torrent cascading down relentlessly.
Such force seized control of the surroundings and poured down—a colossal power that no human body could withstand.
Kwaaaaaack—!
“…!”
There was no use in trying to flee in panic.
The water pouring from the waterfall would instantly crush their bodies, compress them, and hurl them into the violent currents in a heartbeat.
Screeeech—!
A piercing azure force swept outward like an unstoppable waterfall, and every body standing in that place shattered into fragments that scattered like dust.
Whoosh—!
All that remained were blood and scraps of flesh.
Everyone who witnessed the falling remains stood frozen in place, their faces twisted in shock as they stared at me.
But it was not over.
I extended my sword lightly.
Sword projectiles erupted toward Heo Baek.
As if he had anticipated it, the opponent gritted his teeth and swung his blade to deflect the projectiles, but I closed the distance faster than his movements allowed and swept my sword forward.
“…!?”
Clang—!
In that instant, Heo Baek’s sword was severed in half, yet the blade descending with undiminished force seemed poised to split his body in two.
Did he sense the danger?
His form moved with greater speed, retreating.
It was, quite literally, the instinctive movement of one clinging to survival.
Boom—!
A violent force tore through the air, sending debris scattering in all directions.
From the way Heo Baek’s pupils trembled violently as he evaded the blade by a hair’s breadth, the victor of this clash seemed already decided.
I looked at Heo Baek and spoke once more.
“Will you try again?”
“….”
I pressed forward, my eyes sharp and piercing.
Several of the Baek Myeon-in gasped as if suffocating beneath the overwhelming momentum that crashed down like a tidal wave.
The situation was already clear.
These men might willingly throw away their lives for Gwanbaek, yet in a situation where there was nothing left to gain, countless comrades had already fallen.
Further fighting was meaningless.
They were not here seeking vengeance.
The Baek Myeon-in’s gazes naturally turned toward Heo Baek.
All authority to decide rested with him.
If he resolved to kill me, they would charge forward with gritted teeth, even knowing the lamp of their lives would be extinguished.
But Heo Baek was no fool.
As expected.
The fury in Heo Baek’s eyes remained, yet as if he had regained control of his scattered mind, coldness settled once more upon his contorted features.
Then his voice resonated, laden with deep killing intent.
“I will never forget what happened today.”
These were not words spoken carelessly.
As if engraving his resolve to regard me as a perfect enemy, his gaze, expression, and every word he uttered carried a profound and deeply rooted murderous aura.
Once Gok Ok, once the Heavenly Technique Blade.
Having clashed twice on the same ground and failed to obtain what he desired, it was no wonder that from Heo Baek’s perspective, I was an enemy sworn unto death.
I smiled without concern and pointed toward the rear.
This was undoubtedly the place the wind had guided me to.
The hidden passage that once lay dormant there no longer exists, yet I cannot say there is no meaning in what remains.
Moreover, it is necessary if I am to escape this gorge.
“The way out lies in that direction. Or you could crawl up the cliff face like insects, if you prefer.”
“….”
At my casual remark, Heo Baek’s expression darkened.
Unwilling to display such a sight—all these people crawling up the cliff like insects—he turned without hesitation and began moving forward.
But that was not the only reason for his departure.
I suspected he wondered what might remain in that place.
Perhaps, even if only something small, he sought to verify whether anything of value could be obtained.
The sight of them departing with barely concealed frustration was pitiful.
The killing intent that still lingered and clung to the surroundings spoke volumes—their rage had reached the heavens themselves.
Watching their retreating forms, I recalled Gwanbaek.
“This is a debt repaid. The debt of showing Mu Heo’s final moment.”
Considering the events of the past, Heo Baek was an obstacle standing before me no less formidable than Moryeong Hyeok or the Sword Emperor.
The reason I spared him was simple.
I showed him Mu Heo’s final moment.
Just as he had surrendered the Gok Ok of the Eastern Families to me, I too settled my debt in kind—repaying what I had been taught.
With this, there are no more debts between us.
I let my thoughts fade with a smile and turned my gaze elsewhere.
Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo.
The sight of them slumped against the wall was so pitiful it seemed their breath had stopped entirely.
To any observer, they appeared no different from corpses.
I approached them slowly.
Their eyes remained tightly shut, unmoving.
Though they appeared to have already breathed their last, their pulses beat clearly and their breathing remained steady.
It was as though they were granting their exhausted bodies rest.
Despite the unbearable pain from their lacerations, they had fallen into such deep slumber that even suffering seemed forgotten.
I drew closer and checked their pulses once more.
The vital energy had clearly managed their internal injuries well—their condition felt more stable than before.
At this rate, they will not die.
However, the moment they open their eyes, the pain will be quite severe.
Having experienced it many times, I knew this better than anyone.
I did not wake them to move immediately.
Their bodies were undoubtedly putting them to sleep instinctively to facilitate recovery.
I left the two sleeping figures undisturbed and settled myself at a distance.
Then, closing my eyes gently, I allowed myself a moment of respite.
The wind and scent flowing from within the gorge.
A sensation that evoked the nostalgia of the past.
Simply by sitting and breathing, the breath of death I had once exhaled seemed to stir with life again, seeping into my mouth and nostrils.
Is this oddly overwhelming fatigue the reason why?
I surrendered myself to the relentless tide of sleep, sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss.

* * *

Heo Baek’s gaze traced the sword marks etched across the stone.
Traces so overwhelming that his eyes could not tear away.
They defied imagination—no mortal hand could have wrought such devastation.
It was as though a giant wielded a blade so immense that no ordinary person could lift it, each swing carving these marks into existence.
A battle between those who sought to defend and those who sought to destroy.
Though the passage of ages had erased most traces, what remained before his eyes seemed less like coincidence and more like providence itself.
The opponent had claimed there was nothing more to gain here, yet now Heo Baek wondered if those words were merely deception or self-delusion.
How could one witness this and deny it was providence?

Heaven Beyond Heaven.

A spectacle created by those who had reached the realm of the Immortals and The Divine themselves.
Merely beholding it sent shivers down the spine.
Even those present could not tear their eyes from each line, and though immediate gains might be absent, this was a tremendous providence that would provide immense support in the future.
Enough to understand why Jin Cheon-u shattered the wall.
Perhaps he had even gained something greater still.
Though it left him unsettled, since it was not entirely absent, it mattered little.
Then came that moment.
Crrrack—!
Suddenly, with a strange vibration, countless sword marks began crumbling away.
As though their purpose had been fulfilled.
Slowly, one by one, every trace surrounding them lost its form, corroding and scattering like dust.
Heo Baek’s brow furrowed as he watched.
“You will not show us, then?”
Indeed, the will left behind by an Immortal was not easily swayed.
His brow twitching, Heo Baek clicked his tongue and began moving again, desperate to commit every remaining detail to memory before the last traces vanished.

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