Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 142

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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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“If Ma Dok-jin exists, then other groups might as well.”
Namgung So-hye had just finished her morning training and was heading back to her room when she spotted Dan Woo-hyun washing his face. The observation tumbled from her lips without preamble.
She understood well enough how matters stood at the Manor. Moreover, she’d fought Ma Dok-jin once before and knew firsthand the terror he inspired.
She clenched her fists, fixing Dan Woo-hyun with a hard stare.
“Are you truly planning to fight?”
“I didn’t bring this challenge. They did.”
“But the Demonic Emperor Castle won’t sit idle.”
“Should I live in fear of that crumbling fortress, then? Make my living with sword and rice bowl?”
Dan Woo-hyun smiled faintly, dabbing his face dry with cloth. His expression and bearing overflowed with such composure that he seemed untouched by any tension about the coming battle.
Whether that indifference was genuine or born of absence of feeling altogether—she couldn’t say.
“What about So-mi?”
“Already sent her to Hong Won-chang’s residence.”
“How thorough you are.”
Namgung So-hye studied him through narrowed eyes.
Something felt wrong.
The Dan Woo-hyun she knew would have withdrawn before troublesome affairs took root, putting distance between himself and danger.
There had been instances where he’d stepped forward directly, yes—but he’d always strived to remain uninvolved, a preference that revealed his deep reluctance to entangle himself with the Martial World.
But now?
It was different.
As though he’d become someone else entirely.
He was throwing himself actively into this coming fight.
As if winning this struggle would grant him something essential.
“What are you trying to gain?”
“Gain? Is there anything in this Martial World I’d want to gain?”
Namgung So-hye fell silent, turning the question over in her mind.
Dan Woo-hyun was profoundly self-centered—driven by need only for Dan So-mi’s sake. Strip away that necessity, and he’d live contentedly in a cave rather than a splendid manor like this one.
Could such a man gain anything from killing Ma Dok-jin?
It was inconceivable.
Then was it a desire for a quieter life?
That either was a lie.
If anything, he’d only be making enemies.
“Stop trying to think. Don’t attempt to read people’s thoughts at your convenience. What you imagine won’t come close to the truth.”
“Could you stop reading me, then?”
“Ha ha ha.”
Dan Woo-hyun laughed with genuine pleasure.
The petulant set of Namgung So-hye’s face struck him as endearing. He reached out a hand before catching himself—his habit of patting Dan So-mi had nearly made him reach out without thinking.
Namgung So-hye’s eyes flashed with indignation.
“That’s right! I’m just a child, aren’t I? Go ahead—try it.”
“That wasn’t what I meant—”
“I dare you!”
She gripped her sword hilt as though ready to draw it that very instant.
The sharpness in her gaze promised that if his hand came any closer, she’d cut it clean off. Yet when Dan Woo-hyun made no move at all, she eventually exhaled a long breath.
“The Dan Woo-hyun I know is more laid-back, someone who avoids making enemies. This feels… off.”
“And what exactly do you think you know about me?”
The words fell carelessly—but the tone that carried them was blade-sharp. Namgung So-hye flinched, her body trembling as she fought to steady herself and draw breath.
The moment her eyes met his, she felt as though she were being drawn into an abyss.
‘Yes… I’ve felt this before.’
The gaze Namgung Cheon cast down from the Alliance Master’s seat. The absolute authority she occasionally glimpsed in Sa Do-hak’s eyes. The look of a master—someone who knows that none shall ever surpass him.
And yet alongside that sensation—
A distant void.
Those eyes held knowledge of things that even Namgung So-hye, Namgung Cheon, or even Sa Do-hak could never perceive. The absolute majesty he’d concealed all this time seemed laid bare in an instant.
Namgung So-hye drew back a step, her breath caught in her throat.
“Don’t presume to know one you’ve never truly understood.”
“I… but still…”
Trembling, Namgung So-hye stumbled over her own words.
Others all claimed Dan Woo-hyun was frightening. Yet in truth, she’d found nothing frightening about him at all.
Until now.
The Dan Woo-hyun standing before him now truly frightened Sa Do-hak.
An atmosphere so oppressive that even words felt dangerous to speak.
“Ugh, I don’t care! Do as you please!”
Namgung So-hye, her double-layered eyes flashing wide, suddenly cried out with a sharp “Hmph!” Her flushed face suggested anger rather than embarrassment.
Without another word, she drew water from the well and began washing her face.
“Women are truly mysterious creatures.”
Dan Woo-hyun shrugged and turned his gaze away.
There sat Sa Do-hak, though it was unclear when he had arrived. Holding a cup of spirits, he chuckled softly before speaking.
“You’re a strange one, aren’t you?”
“Ha. I hear that often enough.”
“Tsk, tsk. Well then, let me ask you one thing. Why are you suddenly bothering with such refuse?”
“Refuse?”
Gulp, gulp.
Sa Do-hak drained the cup repeatedly.
Each time the sharp taste slipped down his throat, he remained sober yet felt his spirits rising—a sensation he found so pleasant that his eyes never left the liquor.
“Refuse, yes. Ma Dok-jin, the Demonic Emperor Castle, things like that—are they even worth a glance to us? If we so wished, we could march out and destroy them without hesitation.”
“Ha.”
Dan Woo-hyun laughed, but Sa Do-hak remained serious.
Those creatures were nothing but refuse.
They were beings unworthy of the name living—discardable at any moment without surprise.
The Manor held strength enough to match them.
With only Namgung Cheon, Sa Do-hak, and Dan Woo-hyun, they possessed the power to level the Demonic Emperor Castle within a day.
Yet now Dan Woo-hyun sought out those he had never even glanced at before. Was this not strange? He who could have seized reputation and strength whenever he wished.
“To become the highest.”
The moment those words fell, Namgung So-hye, who had been washing, and even Sa Do-hak himself looked up in bewilderment, eyes fixed on Dan Woo-hyun.
An entirely unexpected declaration.
“What?”
“I said I mean to become the highest.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Aren’t you already at the highest place?”
Sa Do-hak wiped the spirits from his lips as he spoke.
In his view, Dan Woo-hyun already stood at the summit. Others simply failed to recognize it—but whether it was Sa Do-hak, Namgung Cheon, or any of the other masters, none could imagine themselves surviving an encounter with Dan Woo-hyun.
His martial strength was immeasurable.
“Strongest and highest are not the same. I have always been the strongest, but never the highest.”
At these cryptic words, Sa Do-hak tilted his head in confusion.
Strongest yet not highest—how could that be?
The words felt subtly different, yet he could not grasp their meaning. Was it the drink clouding his mind, or was this man speaking in riddles?
He could not fathom it.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Ha, ha, ha.”
As Sa Do-hak spoke harshly, Dan Woo-hyun laughed.
It only deepened the curiosity.
“It means nothing in particular. Don’t trouble yourself over it.”
“Why speak meaningless words?”
“Ha, ha, ha.”
“Damn lunatic.”
Displeased with the expression on Dan Woo-hyun’s laughing face, Sa Do-hak cursed roughly and turned away. He felt as if he had come for answers only to leave with nothing.
“So I was not the highest, but the strongest…….”
Then a small voice sounded.
“Hmm?”
When Dan Woo-hyun turned, he saw Namgung So-hye standing with a vacant expression. Sensing his confusion, she hastily looked away.
“If you were the strongest, why weren’t you the highest? Isn’t being the strongest the same as being the highest?”
“Strength alone does not make one the highest. At that time, there was someone else who stood in the highest place…….”
“At that time…….”
“Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no! Rather, it’s strange. Why hasn’t Ma Dok-jin moved from Ak-yang? Given his nature, he should have attacked by now……?”
“He’s testing the waters.”
“Testing?”
Dan Woo-hyun nodded.
There were many reasons behind Ma Dok-jin’s actions. By revealing their presence here because of Kwon Mu-jin and seizing control of Ak-yang, the anger and resentment of all would fall upon Kwon Mu-jin and his clan—which included Dan Woo-hyun.
He sought to shatter the trust and faith that those close to them once held.
They were also testing the waters.
In other words, they were observing how this side would move.
Ordinarily, he would have attacked already—but because Dan Woo-hyun, a master of his caliber, stood in the way, the man was trying to gauge their response in advance and prepare his defenses.
Still, there was amusement to be had in playing along with his rhythm.
“What exactly are you planning……?”
“Do you know when Martial Artists receive the greatest fervor?”
“That…… well…….”
A Martial Contest, perhaps?
Or when they cut down some notorious villain and word spreads?
Namgung So-hye tilted her head, caught between two possible answers. She hesitated over which to give. Dan Woo-hyun was the sort of man who sometimes arrived at conclusions she’d never have imagined, and she found herself eager to guess correctly.
Whether or not he sensed her uncertainty, Dan Woo-hyun spoke.
“When they face a villain in a Martial Contest and emerge victorious with unmistakable clarity.”
“What kind of answer is that!”
She had been weighing two possibilities, and he had simply compressed them into one and delivered his answer. Namgung So-hye found herself regretting that she hadn’t thought of it sooner, cursing her own slowness.
“There’s nothing quite like it for gaining the greatest renown and carving out a name all at once.”
“Yes…… I suppose so.”
Wait, Namgung So-hye thought.
Going back over what he’d just said, line by line, it all pointed to a single conclusion.
“You’re not…… thinking of challenging them to a Martial Contest, are you?”
“Ha ha ha, who knows?”
Dan Woo-hyun laughed heartily as he walked.
Whether he was reluctant to say more or simply enjoyed watching Namgung So-hye puzzle things through, it was impossible to tell—but he looked deeply pleased.
Namgung So-hye sighed softly as she watched his retreating figure.
What on earth was he trying to accomplish……?
She stared intently at Dan Woo-hyun’s back as he gradually receded into the distance. Then, remembering something, her hand clenched into a fist of its own accord.

“The young master once said something: the strongest and the highest are not the same thing.”
“Sir?”
“The Martial God was the strongest, yet never achieved the highest station. The Blood Demon was the highest, yet never became the strongest. Ah, as his descendant, it seems he has gained some knowledge of those distant days a thousand years past—something detailed enough to understand the affairs that unfolded among those Cheon-oei-cheon masters. Remarkable, is it not? To hear of such doings among those figures lost to time. Heh heh heh.”

Watching Namgung Cheon’s laughter then, So-hye reflected.
Though it was the past, the mere existence of such Martial Artists was astounding. And she had found beauty in her grandfather’s expression as he spoke of such things with delight.
They were figures of Cheon-oei-cheon that no longer walked the world.
Simply to hear their stories, to stand as a fellow Martial Artist, how could one not feel joy, fascination, and keen interest?
But now Namgung So-hye found herself thinking differently.
‘No, Grandfather…….’
One who failed to reach the highest station might still be standing right before us…….
It’s possible, isn’t it?
Namgung So-hye turned over and over in her mind that name she had discovered in the Tomb of Samcheon long ago.

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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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