Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 100

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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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“What…what are you saying?”
Namgung Cheon’s lips trembled slightly.
The Namgung Clan was a place with a thousand years of history. It had guarded the Central Plains and earned its name since before the very terminology of the Eight Great Families—or even the Five Great Clans—existed.
No matter how diminished Namgung Cheon might become, the hidden forces within the clan could never be underestimated. They were formidable enough to stand as equals to any sect.
And yet it had crumbled?
Hong Won-chang did not look away, his gaze steady and grave. He fixed Namgung Cheon with an unwavering stare, his voice low and measured, making clear that this was no jest.
“It is the truth.”
“How!? How could such a thing be? The Namgung Clan destroyed? What was the Murim Alliance doing, and the members of the clan—”
“According to the reports I’ve received, there was a recent conflict with a group called the Blood Sect.”
Hong Won-chang relayed the information he had gathered, piece by piece.
The Blood Sect had laid waste to the area surrounding the Namgung Clan as though they had targeted it specifically. The clan ultimately revealed its strength and managed to capture the attackers, but in an unexpected ambush, Namgung Gang, the eldest son, was assaulted. While they rushed to rescue him, the clan itself came under bombardment.
“Many have perished. Even now, they say the stench of corpses hangs over the Namgung lands…”
“Ah…ah…”
Namgung Cheon’s legs gave way beneath him, and he sank to his knees.
His entire body shook violently.
While such horrors unfolded at the Namgung Clan, he had been here in this pleasant place, in good company, spending time in joy. The weight of that guilt crashed down upon him.
A long breath escaped his lips. A sickness beyond words settled over him.
It was then that Dan So-mi approached carefully and took his hand. She said nothing, but the warmth of her touch seemed to calm his trembling body ever so slightly.
“Then…what has become of Gang? And the clan leader? What of So-hye?”
“Their whereabouts are unknown.”
“Ah…”
Namgung Cheon could not even speak, his heart too heavy.
It all felt as though it were his fault.
“I should have gathered information more swiftly!”
“Perhaps this is the work of those who seek your life.”
At Dan Woo-hyun’s words, Namgung Cheon’s head snapped up.
The group that had attacked the Manor before flashed through his mind.
But there were others too, and he should have considered from the start that their true target might have been the Namgung Clan itself, not him alone.
He had simply been here, and when they appeared, he had concluded without hesitation that their goal was the Sword Emperor, Namgung Cheon.
It was his own failure—overestimating his own importance.
“I…I must go.”
Namgung Cheon rose to his feet.
There was no time for this. If the clan had fallen and the children had vanished, he had to move at once and search for them. He had to set things right before the situation grew any worse.
“With that arm?”
Sa Do-hak looked at Namgung Cheon with a somewhat skeptical expression.
His Internal Energy had recovered to a certain level, but it fell far short of what it once had been. Moreover, though he had spent so long training with a single arm and could wield his blade with considerable skill, he could only manage against one opponent at a time. In a multitude-against-one situation, he would be gravely limited.
“It could be a trap designed to lure you out…”
At Sa Do-hak’s words, Namgung Cheon gritted his teeth.
Perhaps. Perhaps every reason they had attacked the Namgung Clan was because they had learned the Sword Emperor yet lived, and this was all bait to draw him out.
But what of it?
The children were dying. One by one, their faces rose in his mind.
He had to save at least one more of them.
Even if it would take him a long time to arrive even at his fastest, he had to go. He could only hope the children would endure for as long as possible.
“I’m going. Don’t try to stop me.”
“Stop you? If you go and die, that’s nothing but a convenience for me.”
Sa Do-hak let out a dry chuckle.
With the Sword Emperor gone, the Demonic Sect’s strength would only grow.
Either way, it was no bad thing.
But there was someone who did not take kindly to those words. Someone came scurrying over and began patting Sa Do-hak’s leg repeatedly.
Looking down, Namgung Cheon saw Dan So-mi, her eyes glistening with tears, swinging her small fists at him.
“Don’t say such things!”
“Ah, very well, very well!”
Sa Do-hak, flustered, tried to soothe Dan So-mi.
After so long together, it seemed affection had grown between them naturally.
“Anhui…Anhui…”
Then Dan Woo-hyun, who had been silent until now, murmured softly. He seemed to be gazing up at the sky for a moment, then his gaze shifted to the Cliff behind the Manor.
After staring at that place for some time, Dan Woo-hyun closed his eyes tight.

“Namgung…… Is your name Namgung?”
“Yes. Does it displease you?”
“……It’s strange, but it’s fine.”
“Ha ha!”

He recalled the frail, shabby woman.
Whether she was truly his disciple or merely a companion from a brief journey together—it hardly mattered now.
That moment of parting with her came back to him.
All she had was a single sword and three characters for a name.
Now, having abandoned even that name to embrace seclusion, the only gift he could offer her was another name by which she might live.
Dan Woo-hyun had chosen it because they first met at the Southern Gate.
The woman had managed a smile, and Dan Woo-hyun had turned away.
Dan Woo-hyun’s eyes opened slowly.
All those distant scenes shifted and faded, and the present rushed back. One by one, the overlapping images dissolved, until his eyes focused on those before him now.
Dan Woo-hyun reached out and stroked Dan So-mi’s hair.
“So-mi.”
“Yes?”
“I think a journey now and then wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Really?”
Dan So-mi’s eyes sparkled, and she drew closer, seizing his hand with a bright smile. She seemed already to have some inkling of where they might be headed.
“Yes. It will be quite a distance, but a sightseeing journey might suit us well.”
“Yes! Let’s go! Let’s go now!”
Dan So-mi circled around Dan Woo-hyun, laughing brightly.
Then she approached Namgung Cheon and seized his hand.
Namgung Cheon’s eyes widened as he looked at her. Dan So-mi gazed back at him with an innocent, radiant smile.
“Come on! Where is this place called Anhui? What makes it beautiful?”
“……You…… do you truly wish to go?”
“You spoke of a sightseeing journey. You shall guide us to Anhui.”
At Dan Woo-hyun’s words, spoken with a smile, Namgung Cheon found himself at a loss.
The anxiety that had weighed on his heart washed away.
He had gained an ally as steadfast as this.

Man Hu-ryang walked through a forest he could not name.
The surroundings were thick with shadow. Though it was surely broad daylight, this place seemed swallowed by darkness.
Dense trees pressed in on either side, thick undergrowth choked the way, and a heavy mist hung over everything, creating an uncanny unease.
Even the wind here was cold. It bit with a chill that seemed to freeze to the bone.
Man Hu-ryang held his breath and pressed onward.
He seemed to be wandering aimlessly through this unknown place, when suddenly a strange sight opened before him.
Whoooosh—!
The mist parted, and the sight came into focus.
A grand palace.
It was vast and magnificent enough to rival the imperial palace itself, radiating majesty and power. And everywhere—every figure visible—they emanated the presence of an Absolute Master, their eyes fixed upon him.
There were not merely a few of them. Hundreds, perhaps more.
Judging by their auras, any one of them would command the Central Plains itself.
Man Hu-ryang broke into a cold sweat.
No matter how many times he came, he could never grow accustomed to this place.
“The master summons you. Why do you delay?”
At the man’s words, Man Hu-ryang quickened his pace, hurrying toward the largest of the palaces—as if eager to escape the weight of all those watching eyes.
At last, he stepped inside the main hall.
The moment he crossed the threshold, he felt countless presences, and with each step across the vast chamber, his whole body shrank.
A crimson light filled his vision.
A strange, searing light emanating from human eyes.
He sat upon his throne without interest, chin resting on his hand, regarding Man Hu-ryang with an idle gaze.
Man Hu-ryang swallowed hard and opened his mouth.
“M……My lord. I greet you.”
“I trust you have not come to report something trivial.”
“No, no, my lord.”
Man Hu-ryang drew another breath to steady himself.
Still a terrifying presence. A mere word, tossed out without effort, could shrink a person so thoroughly. It was a sensation he’d never felt before, not even standing before the Sword Emperor or the Sword Saint.
“As you commanded, I killed the Sword Emperor and elevated Moyong Hyuk-mun to Alliance Leader. Furthermore, I’ve driven the Namgung Clan to the brink of extermination.”
“To the brink? Not extermination itself?”
The man let out a hollow laugh, as if at some pathetic joke.
Then he flicked his finger lightly.
Crack!
“Huurgh!”
Man Hu-ryang hadn’t even sensed anything coming before his abdomen took the blow, and he flew backward. He skid across the ground for more than a dozen lengths, his body scoring a trail in the dust.
“Ugh… hack… I… I’ll erase that clan’s name from the world soon. You… you needn’t worry.”
“Namgung, Namgung… I’ll crush them without leaving a trace. That’s what you’re here for. Do you understand?”
“Y… yes, I understand.”
The man ground his teeth, rolling the name Namgung over and over in his mind.
His face revealed nothing of his thoughts, yet his eyes burned with the flames of hell itself.
“And yet, given all that time, you couldn’t even exterminate a single clan? I’ve never seen such foolishness.”
“I… I’m sorry! Forgive me!”
Thud, thud, thud!
Man Hu-ryang smashed his head against the floor again and again.
The impact rattled his skull, blood bursting forth. His vision spun violently, and it felt as though his eyes might burst from their sockets.
Yet even so, he had to beg mercy from the absolute master before him, inflicting pain upon himself in hopes of absolution.
“Good. I’ll give you one final chance. Go now and erase those wretched Namgung dogs.”
“Y… your will!”
Man Hu-ryang raised his voice in affirmation and withdrew from the chamber.
The man watched him go, then snorted softly through his nose.
“Such a fool.”
Not all subordinates were equal—this one had taught him that lesson again.
Yet in the end, matters were progressing step by step as intended.
“Next, then—the Demonic Sect?”
The man stroked his chin thoughtfully, wearing a strange smile.
Memories of the past surfaced in his mind.
He had held everything in his grasp and molded it at will.
No one in the Central Plains possessed power greater than his—not even the Emperor himself. When all knelt beneath his heel, when he looked down upon them from that height, that thrill was unforgettable.
Yet there was one person.
Crack!
The man’s jaw clenched, and his gaze shifted away.
A figure he’d rather not think of had surfaced in his mind.
“I’ve always been the greatest, but never the strongest. But this time will be different.”
The man leaned back in his chair, and his smile deepened with grim satisfaction.
This time, he would be both the greatest and the strongest.

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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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