Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 118

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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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Honam was the sacred ground that represented the Orthodox Faction of the Martial World.
First, the Thousand Year Shaolin, one of the pillars of the Orthodox Way, held its ground there, and the other was the Murim Alliance, which could be called the backbone of Orthodox Martial society itself.
Very long ago.
The Orthodox Murim Alliance was formed a very long time in the past, and it was because of the Martial God’s emergence.
At that time, when the very concepts of Orthodox Faction, Heterodox Sect, and Demonic Cult had yet to take shape, those who witnessed martial artists bleeding and dying at the hands of the Martial God
gathered people under the banners of righteousness and chivalry.
That, I believe, was the origin of the Orthodox Faction of the Martial World.
Afterwards, many schools and clans participated in that endeavor and stepped forth to subjugate the Martial God, and right after the Martial God disappeared, the Murim Alliance came into being precisely for the purpose of protecting the Orthodox Way—a sense of chivalry that defined the very foundation of their cause.
Which is to say that the Murim Alliance, much like the Thousand Year Shaolin, had existed for nearly a thousand years of history.
And yet this Murim Alliance.
Ho Cheon Gak.
At that very place where the figures of the Nine Schools and One House lodged, quite a considerable crowd had gathered despite the late hour—every one of them leading representatives of their respective schools, and all of them undisputed masters who would be formidable anywhere.
Leading these people was none other than Ja-un.
A pillar of the Thousand Year Shaolin and one who held a key position within the Murim Alliance as well.
“Are you truly resolved to do this?”
“Ja-un! We have reached a point where we can no longer turn a blind eye. The Alliance Master calls himself such, yet he wallows in excess and neglects his duties entirely—the Alliance itself has been paralyzed for some time now.”
The speaker was a middle-aged man.
He wore the robes of Wudang.
Go Dam-jin—one of the supreme masters called the Wudang Seven Swords, and their leader. An extraordinary intensity radiated from his eyes. There were even rumors that he was a man destined to reach the realm of Sword Saint or Demon Emperor in time.
“Will you truly stand by and merely watch?”
“Never forget that it was you who raised Mo Yong Hyuk-mun to power.”
Ja-un frowned deeply and voiced his disapproval.
By rights, the next Alliance Master should have been Seongjin of Shaolin. Given that Zhuge Yun, the former Vice Commander, had championed him most strongly, it meant he possessed the talent to warrant it.
But the Nine Schools and One House, along with several of the Eight Great Families, had elevated Mo Yong Hyuk-mun instead, and now they wanted to cast him down—a decision that did not sit well with Ja-un.
“That is…… well…….”
“With the Sword Emperor gone, we had no choice but to do so for the sake of unity within the Orthodox Faction…….”
He groped for justification, but nothing adequate came to mind. The truth was, he could not very well admit that he had made underhanded deals with Man Hou-ryang for the sake of each school’s interests.
‘No matter how powerful Man Hou-ryang is, there’s no way Shaolin would have let him touch them.’
Go Dam-jin smiled bitterly and let out a sigh.
Wudang’s thinking had gone astray as well.
Recently, with various expenses piling up, they had accepted money—but they had never imagined it would come back to haunt them this way.
Ja-un was certain that most of those gathered here, knowingly or unknowingly, were in debt to Man Hou-ryang.
But that was that.
And this is this.
Mo Yong Hyuk-mun had gone too far.
He had crossed the line that should never be crossed by an Alliance Master of the Orthodox Faction. With ominous rumors about him spreading both inside and outside the Alliance, it was high time to depose him and restore the strength of the Murim Alliance.
Moreover, this presented the Nine Schools and One House with a golden opportunity.
The Nine Schools and One House—places that had protected this Orthodox Martial realm since ancient times. Yet they had been overshadowed by the name of the Namgung Clan and even yielded the seat of Alliance Master—so this was their chance to reclaim what was theirs.
Had Ja-un read the intensity in their eyes?
Ja-un exhaled a long, heavy breath.
“Have you given thought to what the ripples of this act will be? A full confrontation with the Moyong Family will be unavoidable.”
“Who are we? We are those who have upheld the Orthodox Way with nothing but our sense of chivalry. Yet now that very root is being shaken—why would we fear the Moyong Family?”
Ja-un nodded slowly, his expression bitter.
With the Namgung Clan in ruins, the balance of power had effectively shifted from the Eight Great Families to the Nine Schools and One House. That being the case, their actions could be nothing but bold.
Could he stop them?
Ja-un exhaled deeply and tilted his head back, gazing at the ceiling.
The face of an old friend flickered before his mind’s eye.
‘Why did things go that way…….’
Namgung Cheon.
Had he still been alive, things would never have come to this point. He had been a man of exceptional talent, one who possessed a Martial Presence so formidable that even the Nine Schools and One House had no choice but to bow to him.
Now these men could not be stopped.
So there was nothing left but to move forward with them.
Ja-un regarded their eyes for a moment before opening his mouth.
“In this matter…… Shaolin will…… abstain.”
And with that, he spoke a shocking declaration.

***

“He’s later than expected.”
Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak, who had entered Honam, kept to the inn despite drawing glances from all quarters—a consequence of the masks they wore.
In Honam’s city center, this inn was one of the finest places to await Dan Woo-hyun, situated not far from the Murim Alliance. Moreover, since they’d agreed to meet here, he ought to arrive soon.
Yet two days had passed without any sign of him.
“Has he lost his way?”
“Lost his way? Him? Impossible. Even if he did, that monster would fly straight to us.”
Sa Do-hak spoke flatly, and Namgung Cheon burst into laughter. One had to wonder how highly he regarded Dan Woo-hyun to speak like that.
Of course, Namgung Cheon agreed with the assessment.
Dan Woo-hyun was the sort of monster who seemed capable of surmounting any obstacle without hesitation.
“That aside, what mischief is that Sword Saint up to, that his reputation has fallen even lower than mine?”
Sa Do-hak scratched at his ear where the mask didn’t quite cover and spoke his mind.
In the brief time they’d been sitting in the inn, the conversations drifting past had been nothing short of shocking. The legendary Sword Saint had fallen into debauchery. Young girls had been seen entering the Alliance Master’s residence.
Day and night, wine flowed in and out, and the coquettish moans of women never ceased, or so they said.
“…Rumors are just rumors, are they not?”
Namgung Cheon adjusted his mask and laughed hollowly. He was a childhood friend. The more he heard these dark rumors about someone he’d grown up with, the heavier his heart became.
‘What in heaven are the Moyong Family doing?’
He was also angry with Mo Yong Gwan-cheon, the current family head.
When a father errs, it falls to his son to set things right—that is a child’s duty. Yet the Moyong Family seemed only to exploit the Murim Alliance’s power for their own interests. It was lamentable.
“We have returned.”
Just then, Kwon Mu-jin and Jang Sam-tae drew near to where they sat and bowed deeply. Beside them, Dan So-mi busied herself with eating something intently.
Namgung Cheon watched her for a moment, then drew her close and seated her upon his lap.
“Well, what have you found?”
“Nothing remarkable, it would seem. Things remain quiet, and there is no sense of anything stirring.”
“I see…”
“What do you propose to do?”
Kwon Mu-jin regarded Namgung Cheon quietly.
Truth be told, the stares had been growing sharper for some time.
The Orthodox Faction members had recognized Kwon Mu-jin, and the weight of their gaze was telling. The strange masks the two of them wore discouraged easy approach, but a fight could break out at any moment.
He was deeply troubled about keeping Dan So-mi at his side in such circumstances.
“The Sect Master should arrive soon, surely.”
“That is not the issue. I—”
“Kwon Mu-jin!”
Bang!
The inn’s door shattered suddenly, and a band of figures surged into view. Their eyes brimming with killing intent, they scanned the common room before fixing on Kwon Mu-jin and drawing their blades.
“You! What fortune to find you here! Your luck has run out!”
Clang!
His voice rang through the inn.
Because of this?
Those who had wavered—uncertain whether Kwon Mu-jin was indeed the subject of the Heterodox Sect’s gossip—now rose abruptly from their seats. Certainty had at last taken hold.
From every corner, those who bore swords fixed their gaze upon Kwon Mu-jin.
“I fear I have earned the enmity of quite a few… though the telling comes rather late.”
“Heheheh.”
“This is absurd.”
Namgung Cheon laughed and Sa Do-hak snorted. The two of them, unmoved by the killing intent suffusing the room, swept Dan So-mi into their arms and rose from their seats.
“W-where are you going? Uncle Kwon!”
“Do not worry. This man will not be harmed.”
“That’s not it—it looks dangerous. What if something happens to Uncle Kwon?”
Dan So-mi squirmed in Namgung Cheon’s embrace.
She kicked and fussed to be let down, but there was no resisting his strength. Realizing that force would not avail her, Dan So-mi huffed and bit his finger.
“Ow!”
Namgung Cheon laughed helplessly and set her down gently. It was a child’s bite—neither painful nor itching—but her spirit was impressive enough that he decided to see how matters would unfold.
Dan So-mi scampered forward and spread her arms wide, positioning herself between Kwon Mu-jin and the crowd.
Her cheeks then swelled to bursting.
“Why are you picking on my Uncle Kwon!”
“What…? Uncle? Do you know who this man is before you shield him!”
“I don’t know! I don’t want to know! Uncle Kwon is Uncle Kwon!”
Kwon Mu-jin’s eyes widened in astonishment.
He had long known that Dan So-mi possessed a stubborn streak. There had been times when she remained at his side even as she watched his blood drain away, and if Jang Sam-tae’s account was true, she had once tried to protect him in a situation where death itself seemed certain.
This was precisely that moment.
“You, you wretched little brat! If you don’t want to die, then right now——!”
Crack!
In an instant.
Not a soul in the inn understood what had just happened. The man who’d been raising his voice, poised to draw his blade against Dan So-mi, simply vanished.
Crash-bang-bang!
Only when the sound reached their ears did the crowd comprehend.
He’d been sent flying.
The man himself.
He’d smashed through the inn’s tables and furnishings before slamming into the wall.
His body convulsed violently, foam flecking his lips—a sight that boded nothing good. It seemed he wouldn’t survive the night without a physician’s immediate care.
“Who dares raise their voice before my daughter?”
At those words, the entire inn fell cold.
Even the fallen man’s companions froze, unable to move. Each syllable that left his mouth cut through them like an awl, piercing their very bones.
“Father!?”
Dan So-mi’s eyes widened in shock.
When had he arrived?
And why was the man who’d been standing before her now sprawled on the floor over there?
Without understanding, she couldn’t make sense of it.
“Well, you’ve finally come?”
“Am I late?”
“No. Your timing is perfect. Had you been any later, this would have ended very badly indeed.”
Shink!
Namgung Cheon, who’d already drawn his blade halfway, slid it back into its sheath with a chuckle.
Had he allowed this to continue even a moment longer, had he let them lay another finger on Dan So-mi, not one of them would be standing on two legs.
“Hmph…….”
Even Sa Do-hak withdrew his hand and snorted.
The Demonic Energy that had gathered at his fingertips dissipated like mist.
“So what do we do with them?”
Dan Woo-hyun glanced around with a slight smile, observing the frozen figures who remained utterly motionless.

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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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