Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 105

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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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“Ungh……!”
Namgung Yong, the current patriarch of the Namgung Clan, swallowed a groan and clenched his fists. The place was damp beyond measure, and the wind that blew through seemed to leech away even their body heat. The stones beneath them were so sharp that sleep was impossible.
Where was this place?
It appeared to be a cave somewhere in the Anhui region.
Yet they could discern nothing certain. There was too little information. And he couldn’t fathom why their opponent had let them live.
“Are you alright?”
Namgung Yong posed the question.
He was not the only one trapped here. More than half of them had fallen in the fierce battle, but some still clung to life.
His greatest concern was his son, Namgung Gang.
“Y-yes, Father…… I…… I’m fine.”
At the sound of a voice from one corner, Namgung Yong released a breath of relief. All of them bore grievous wounds, and having been confined to this place for over a month, he feared their bodies might simply waste away.
Though he sensed their vigor had waned, they appeared to still be alive.
“What of the others?”
“P-patriarch. We too are managing. But we fear far more for you…… Were you not struck by the blade?”
“Ha, ha. This much is nothing uncommon, is it?”
Namgung Yong opened his mouth awkwardly and let out a sigh.
For martial artists, being wounded by a blade was an ordinary thing. He had simply forgotten it, grown soft through too many years of peace.
Yes, the Martial World had always been cruel and merciless to those who dwelled within it.
“Ah, so some of you still live.”
Then came a voice.
Namgung Yong, his brow darkening, fixed his gaze upon the figure.
Footsteps echoed—slow and deliberate.
From one end of the cave came a man walking at leisure. Though one arm was missing, his eyes and Martial Presence were second to none.
This man was none other than—
Kang Do-hyul, master of the Blood Seal Society.
“Ugh. You…… Do you truly believe you’ll escape unscathed after this?”
“Ha ha, the result speaks for itself, doesn’t it? It’s been over two months since I reduced the Namgung Clan to this state. And all I lost was an arm.”
“…….”
“I thought the Murim Alliance would come storming in, but they haven’t. Seems the Orthodox Faction is as rotten as they come?”
“You…… Dare not speak so carelessly!”
“Am I wrong? In any case, hold on a little longer. There’s still one more I need to catch, but she refuses to show herself. Tsk, tsk…….”
At those words, Namgung Yong and Namgung Gang’s eyes went wide.
There was only one person not present.
Namgung So-hye.
From Kang Do-hyul’s words, it seemed she had managed to escape.
“Ah, so mention of your daughter sets those eyes aflame. Ho ho, I’ll see that you meet soon enough. And after that, I’ll take each of your heads one by one.”
“You devil! Why do this to us? What grudge could you possibly harbor to commit such atrocities!”
Clang!
Namgung Yong’s furious cry reverberated throughout the cave. But with his Dantian sealed, no real power behind it.
Kang Do-hyul was not one to be intimidated by a mere shout.
He opened his mouth with a bloodless grin.
“A grudge? There’s no such thing. You were simply…… unlucky.”
Namgung Yong trembled with rage.
Of course he didn’t believe him outright. Their actions had been far too extreme to harbor no ill will.
Yet his fury would not easily subside.
He gripped the iron bars confining them with a crushing force.
Had his Dantian been intact, this metal would have crumbled to dust.
Such was the depth of Namgung Yong’s rage—it pierced the heavens.
But Kang Do-hyul’s mockery was far from finished.
“Before I kill you, I’ll show you what becomes of your daughter. Ha ha ha!”
Kang Do-hyul’s laughter echoed endlessly through the cavern.

***

“D…… Devastation.”
So was Sa Do-hak’s assessment as he gazed upon the Namgung Clan Residence. The scene looked as though struck by a cannonball itself. Indeed, the marks of actual bombardment were everywhere.
Not a trace remained of the once-magnificent Namgung Clan Residence—now only ruins stood in its place, occupying the space with hollow desolation.
The plaque of the Namgung Clan, which had ruled Anhui for a thousand years, left not a trace behind.
The bloodstains visible everywhere were undoubtedly from someone who once dwelled here. It made one wonder if this truly was the Namgung Clan, that pinnacle of the Eight Great Families.
It was too wretched for words.
Namgung Cheon sank to his knees and traced the fractured plaque with his palm.
“Heh… heh…”
A hollow sigh escaped his lips.
Until he’d seen it with his own eyes, he’d never imagined it could be this devastated. Even without confidence, there remained a pride in being of the Namgung Clan—and now that pride lay shattered, the shock was beyond measure.
Sa Do-hak found no words of comfort to offer Namgung Cheon. Were the Demonic Sect reduced to such ruin, he too would wish to hear nothing.
“Hmm…”
In contrast, Dan Woo-hyun remained composed.
He was no stranger to ruins so thoroughly trampled and destroyed. If one counted the sects and clans that had crumbled beneath his hand, the number would easily exceed a hundred.
“They came in considerable numbers. The cannonballs are one thing, but the strength of those who attacked is far from ordinary.”
This was somewhat surprising.
The attackers were said to be the Blood Seal Society. Yet examining the remaining traces of the enemy and the marks left by their martial techniques, it was clear these were no mere drifters.
Such vivid marks rarely persist unless something extraordinary had occurred.
Moreover, there was something oddly familiar about it all.
Dan Woo-hyun narrowed his brow.
The memory hung at the edge of his mind, just out of reach.
“You said they called themselves the Blood Seal Society? Does anything ring a bell?”
“Nothing.”
Namgung Cheon had turned that name over in his mind many times since hearing it on the way here. Yet no face came to mind.
He suspected them to be bearers of some grudge, though wasn’t that the nature of the Martial World—a place where countless threads of enmity tangled endlessly?
One could hardly remember every grievance ever made.
“The fortunate thing is that they took their survivors with them.”
“How can you tell?”
“By the traces left behind.”
Dan Woo-hyun smiled faintly, gesturing to the ground.
Much time had passed—this they already knew. Yet certain things could not fade so easily. Especially if the masters who left them had reached considerable heights; their marks ran too deep to vanish.
Moreover, if no one had disturbed the scene, something was bound to remain.
“We have a visitor.”
And if the Blood Seal Society existed somewhere, they would necessarily watch those who came to visit the Namgung Clan.
Since no one had stopped them from entering, someone would inevitably appear to deal with these intruders.
Whoosh!
A group of figures emerged from the shadows.
But the feeling was somewhat different from what had been expected.
“The Blood Seal Society?”
Every one of them wore a crimson mask. Though Dan Woo-hyun did not know who the Blood Seal Society were, he considered that such masks might be their mark.
He studied them carefully, puzzled.
“What is your purpose in coming here?”
One figure muttered softly.
Coming to the Namgung Clan meant there was connection.
It was possible they sought Namgung So-hye, or something related to her.
A Martial Presence flared as he drew his blade, resolute in his intent not to let them escape.
“Then what brings you to this place?”
It was Namgung Cheon who stepped forward in a blur. The mask he wore seemed to transform his aura into something altogether alien.
Flinch.
The masked figures recoiled.
Shing!
Namgung Cheon slowly unsheathed his blade.
The sharp metallic ring pierced the ears sharply.
Simultaneously, a fierce momentum radiated outward, pressing upon them with an oppressive weight beyond description.
Ominous.
Yes—the energy flowing through Namgung Cheon’s body was ominous beyond measure. It bore no resemblance to the gentleness he’d shown in his days as the Sword Emperor.
Yet the masked figures did not flinch.
They accepted even the killing intent without wavering, as if fear were an emotion foreign to them. Their eyes gleamed sharply as they adopted a stance for combat.
“Ho!”
Both Sa Do-hak and Dan Woo-hyun were startled.
Were they fools who couldn’t read the difference in skill?
Overwhelmed by the mere pressure of his aura, yet they still raised their blades—it was nothing short of reckless.
Yet somehow… amusing.
Dan Woo-hyun glanced around the space and found a corner where he could sit.
Sa Do-hak settled beside him without hesitation.
“Don’t make this a tedious fight.”
“Right, right—if we’re going to do it, we might as well make it spectacular.”
Dan Woo-hyun and Sa Do-hak murmured in agreement.
At their words, Namgung Cheon shot them a look of disbelief. Here he was, fury rising to the crown of his head, and these two were acting as if they were mere spectators.
His brow furrowed—but then he let out a soft laugh.
The sharp killing intent that had been rising began to settle.
Only then did he calm his mind with deliberation.
“A tedious fight? This is a one-sided slaughter. Of course there’s no pleasure in it.”
“One-sided or not, you can make it interesting. There’s no profit in killing them, so why not take it slow?”
“Heh, heh, heh.”
At Dan Woo-hyun’s words, Namgung Cheon let out a rueful chuckle.
Did he really understand it would be a one-sided affair and still speak like that?
He gripped his sword in one hand and fixed his gaze on his opponent.
This was his first real combat in a long time.
His senses sharpened to a razor’s edge.
“He’s mad.”
In contrast, the masked figures’ eyes snapped open to slits.
What was the source of such confidence?
It was absurd. They had numbers, and their martial arts were formidable. The thought of losing to some strange creature with barely one arm was inconceivable.
Regardless of how imposing his aura might be, an aura alone could never decide the outcome of a fight.
“Kill him.”
Soon the figure who appeared to be their leader spoke.
In that instant, Dan Woo-hyun, Namgung Cheon, and Sa Do-hak’s eyes gleamed with sudden clarity.
Now they had identified who the strongest among these men truly was.
The masked figures rushed forward in unison.
They pushed off the ground with speed and shot toward Namgung Cheon like arrows. Their movements in the darkness created the illusion that they had become one with the night itself.
“Dark Shadow Footwork?”
Sa Do-hak recognized the technique.
At his single utterance, the masked figures visibly flinched—but they should have known better than to let their attention waver from Namgung Cheon.
Whish!
In that moment, something flashed with the moonlight.
The one who had rushed toward Namgung Cheon first suddenly felt the world spin, leaving him staring up at the moon in the sky. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, the world twisted again, and at the same instant, blood erupted from the neck of a body he recognized all too well—his own.
Splash!
“Even with but a single arm, one can crush an ant. Take heed, all of you.”
Then Namgung Cheon’s icy voice cut through the darkness.

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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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