The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 98

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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 Nakhyang Jin Family – Chapter 159

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“Hhmmm….”
Sitting before the Forbidden Realm, Gu Gunbaek let out a groan and scratched his head.
Nine days had already passed since those two entered.
Yet despite this, the Forbidden Realm showed no signs of breaking or anyone emerging, which made me wonder if something had gone wrong.
But it wasn’t just anyone—it was Jin Cheon-u.
My disciple might die if things went poorly, I thought, but that’s precisely why I sent Jin Cheon-u in.
That cunning bastard will definitely pull it off.
He’ll break through this hell and reach the training grounds, and in the process, he’ll cleanly eliminate those wretches who defile the Forbidden Realm.
“Hehehehe, are you worried?”
“Worried? He’ll come out just fine on his own.”
“Then why are you fidgeting over there?”
At those words, Gu Gunbaek’s expression darkened menacingly.
He turned his head to look at the man.
The man averted his gaze from those sharp eyes.
“And what about you? Why were you just standing there watching those wretches enter the Forbidden Realm?”
“Well, the Palace Master said he’d return soon, and besides, even if I went in, I’d just become a meal, so what does it matter?”
“Good grief! And this fool is the second-in-command of the Demon Palace….”
“If you’re unhappy, make me first-in-command! Ahahaha! The Palace Master is always out wandering anyway, so I’ll manage things myself.”
“I swear! Keep running your mouth like that and I’ll rip your jaw clean off.”
At Gu Gunbaek’s blunt words, the man fell silent.
Gu Gunbaek never spoke empty threats.
If he kept babbling, his jaw would definitely be torn out. So, he clamped his mouth shut and merely smiled, communicating something to Gu Gunbaek through his eyes alone.
This only deepened Gu Gunbaek’s frown.
“He’ll come back! He’s coming back! Don’t worry. It’s him, after all. He’ll definitely emerge looking completely different from when he entered.”
….
“What? My disciple? That one… it’s fine if he gains something coming out, or if he doesn’t.”
In truth, I knew that with Chu Hyeongi’s strength, there was no way he could survive in that place.
Yet I threw him in anyway, hoping that he and Jin Cheon-u might gain something and emerge with it.
Jin Cheon-u will definitely gain something.
And he’ll soon realize it.
How great what one obtains in this place truly is.
One must abandon all preconceived notions and think from the perspective of a beast—sensing not just the five senses, but the scents carried on the wind, the subtle movements in the grass, and the tremors in the air.
Without mastering such things, one cannot survive.
Jin Cheon-u will surely awaken to this.
And I was certain he would master it.
As I thought about it, I found myself already anticipating his arrival.
Having steadied my resolve, Gu Gunbaek exhaled and turned my head once more.
“Anyway, did you find them?”
“…Can I speak now?”
“This bastard. Did you find them or not?”
“Ah- that? I’ve definitely caught their scent. But strangely, I can’t see them.”
“It’s not just one, is it? There are two familiar scents, and quite a few others besides.”
“That’s right. But they’re hiding so damn well. Why don’t we just release Baek Gu? That one seems a bit faster.”
At those words, Gu Gunbaek shook my head.
Certainly, using Baek Gu would make things somewhat easier, but it had been years since I’d seen him, and whether he was sulking or not, he rarely showed himself.
“You should have treated him better.”
“Ahahaha! Don’t worry. He’ll come out soon. How long can that bastard stay mad?”
“Don’t tell me he’s in there?”
“Well… I suppose so.”
Gu Gunbaek smiled and nodded.
Baek Gu’s scent was unmistakably coming from inside.
He’d wandered about marking his territory, but apparently even that had grown tedious, so he’d returned to his den.
Perhaps he would even encounter Jin Cheon-u.
That thought alone made me laugh.
“Enough. Search a bit more. They’re definitely nearby. We can’t afford to suffer like last time, can we?”
“Ahahaha! Of course not! I said I’d tear them to shreds this time. Everyone’s already sharpening their blades, so don’t worry.”
At the hearty laughter of the man, Gu Gunbaek nodded with satisfaction.
This time was different from before.
I could feel the clear determination to make them understand what the Namman Beast Palace truly was, and against whom they had drawn their blades.
The same was true for me.
I calmed my wildly racing heart and settled my mind.
Taking deep breaths, I restrained the urge to rampage.
“This time, there will be no escape.”
Recalling the face of that hunchbacked bastard from the past, I curled my lips upward.

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With my eyes covered, I raised the sword hilt.
I could see nothing, yet I knew with absolute certainty.
I sensed that Chu Hyeongi standing before me also had his eyes covered, and the distance between us seemed to be roughly three zhang.
Neither of us made the first move.
Whoever sensed the flow first would strike.
A whisper—
In that instant, I felt the air vibrate.
Simultaneously, the acrid stench of sweat carried on the wind reached me.
A sharp whoosh—!
As I leaned my body back, I felt something brush past me, and at the same moment, I grasped the trembling current of air and thrust my sword hilt toward it.
A heavy impact—!
“Kugh?!”
I felt Chu Hyeongi cry out and collapse. Rolling across the ground, he gritted his teeth, then swiftly deployed his lightness technique.
The distance between us closed in an instant.
A rapid flurry—!
Fists and kicks came flying like madness.
Feeling his strikes whirl like lightning, I moved my body naturally with the flow.
Though attacks rained down like a downpour, not a single one touched me.
Soon, sensing his strength waning and his movements slowing with openings appearing, I swung my sword hilt.
“Ugh?!”
A sharp slash—!
I thought I had aimed perfectly, but Chu Hyeongi read it and threw his body away to evade.
Yet that was not the end.
I stepped forward half a pace and swung my sword hilt.
Like the countless consecutive strikes Chu Hyeongi had shown earlier, I unleashed attacks that left no room to escape.
Rapid strikes—thud! Slash! Thud!
I felt the contact in my hands.
He dodged to some degree, but not perfectly—I could sense it.
Yet the fact that he had grown to this level in just nine days was truly remarkable.
I let out a slight chuckle and removed my blindfold.
“Well done. You’ve reached a decent standard.”
“…A decent standard?! And why haven’t you been hit even once, sir?!”
“Well… your attacks are lacking.”
“That makes no sense…”
Chu Hyeongi stared at me with a bewildered expression.
The situation was becoming clear—while he was still showing deficiencies, I had achieved such perfection that not even the edge of my garment had been touched.
This difference was unmistakable.
It came down to one thing: whether one possessed memories of a past life.
Thanks to the experience accumulated through countless life-or-death battles, I learned and grew at a pace several times faster than others.
To the uninformed observer, it would seem almost like cheating.
I smiled as I looked at him.
“This seems sufficient. There’s no need to waste more time.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“We search for a training ground or whatever it is. In my judgment, that location has the highest probability.”
Those creatures were after Gok Ok.
If it existed in this place, I believed it would be in the training ground that Gu Gunbaek had mentioned.
During nine days of cultivation and exploration of the surroundings, neither they nor we could find any path leading to the training ground.
That meant the path was hidden within the formation itself.
Finding it first had to be our priority.
Chu Hyeongi and I hurriedly began our preparations.
We only gathered simple provisions and water, but since we didn’t know when we’d return, we were careful to conceal the entrance as much as possible.
Thus we proceeded cautiously.
Not knowing where threats might lurk, I moved while concentrating as much as possible on the tremors of wind and air.
Then.
Whoosh-whoosh!
A sudden sound accompanied by rustling reached my ears.
I immediately threw my body to the side.
Crash!
Something massive revealed itself where I had been standing.
The moment I saw it, I understood what it was.
The brute I had seen on my first day here, standing before the corpse of a Sect member.
It resembled a monkey but was far larger and more powerful.
As I narrowed my eyes watching it beat its massive arms against its chest in a threatening display, Chu Hyeongi moved first.
“You bastard-!”
Chu Hyeongi charged forward with a bestial ferocity.
He closed the distance faster than a fired arrow and raised his fist.
For a moment, I wondered if I was seeing things correctly.
Chu Hyeongi’s arm muscles swelled terrifyingly.
His muscle mass seemed to double in an instant.
Then he swung it.
Boom!
“Ugh?!”
The force pierced through its thick hide and burrowed deep within.
The destructive power sent the giant beast’s body sliding backward, and as I watched in disbelief, Chu Hyeongi launched himself again, striking the reeling creature’s head.
“Who do you think you’re targeting-!”
Crack!
A sight I couldn’t believe even with my own eyes.
The moment his fist struck the giant beast’s head, the sound of shattering bone echoed out, and blood poured from its nose and mouth.
Soon that overwhelming bulk collapsed.
Thud!
Thinking back to those days when even cutting with a sword was so exhausting, this was truly an absurd sight.
Before such overwhelming power, thick and resilient hide meant nothing.
I approached Chu Hyeongi with a hollow laugh, lightly patting his back and grinning widely.
“I’m counting on you from now on.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I mean, when something like this happens, you should step forward first.”
“Hehe! Of course, sir. Protecting you is my job, after all.”
Hearing those sensible words, I nodded readily in agreement.
As a bonus, I decided that if any more of these troublesome creatures appeared, I’d leave it entirely to this brute strength.
With such thoughts, I continued moving forward.
Fortunately, no more beasts came attacking.
Yet that very fact weighed on my mind.
From the first day until now, those creatures kept appearing and tormenting us, but at some point they vanished completely, leaving no trace of their presence.
It was impossible not to be concerned.
That was when it happened.
“This way—!”
A sudden voice rang out.
I suppressed my presence and lowered my body, checking where the sound came from, and a considerable number of people gathered together came into view.
They were covered in blood from head to toe, breathing heavily—just from that, I could tell they had endured something quite brutal.
“What of the others?”
“All dead. Only we remain.”
“Damn it… things aren’t going as planned. Many other groups have died as well. It seems we shouldn’t be scattered like this.”
“I agree. Moving together would likely increase our survival rate.”
The gathered people were none other than members of Sin Gak and the Snake Clan. They had divided into groups and scattered to assess the situation, attempting to dismantle the formation and recover the Gok Ok, but this place was too treacherous to wander about separately.
Their numbers seemed to have decreased enough to inspire unease.
Yet even so, there were enough to overwhelm us.
At minimum, there had to be fifty of them?
It was impossible to tell just how many personnel they had mobilized.
I watched them while suppressing my presence even further.
Chu Hyeongi beside me tapped my shoulder and pointed at them.
It seemed as if he were asking, shouldn’t we wipe them out?
“No, not now.”
The immediate priority wasn’t killing them.
First, finding that training ground was paramount.
From the looks of it, they too seemed to be prioritizing dismantling the formation and finding the training ground.
Shouldn’t we get there before them?
Moreover, considering the ecosystem of this place, even if we found it, our numbers would decrease—if anything—but wouldn’t remain the same.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
I quickened my pace and moved forward.

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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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