Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 53

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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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Namgung So-hye raced toward Ak-yang, her horse thundering toward the Murim Alliance branch.
Though the distance was considerable, she had chosen only the fastest routes, and spared no effort—not even sleep—to hasten her journey.
The situation was that urgent.
‘Musin?’
Even as she rode, Namgung So-hye’s mind churned with confusion.
Of course, she had heard legends of someone who bore the epithet Musin.
In that distant age when Jungma itself had barely formed a coherent structure, a figure who had reached the pinnacle in what was otherwise pure chaos—the martial world in its infancy.
One who slew tens of thousands of martial artists, so the tales claimed, before being killed by Pal-seon.
Even as a child, she had heard the stories of Musin.
But legends are legends.
She had thought them merely the kind of thing people enjoyed recounting—nothing more. To reach the highest peak in a martial world where the Three Heavens existed? It seemed impossible.
And to slay tens of thousands of warriors?
No single person could accomplish such a thing.
It was simply not realistic.
Many had thought this way until now, and Namgung So-hye held the same opinion: someone had fabricated a story that descended through the ages as legend, nothing more.
But then.
A secret cave?
‘And why in the world would the bodies of the Three Heavens be found there?’
Unbelievable reports kept pouring in.
The Three Heavens meant two supreme masters who represented Jungma, and the third was a woman of unknown affiliation but comparable power to the other two.
They were reckoned among the very pinnacle of the martial world at that time.
Aside from Nam Ju-ryeon, the other two each belonged to a faction; if Musin had truly slain tens of thousands, he must have been their enemy.
Yet their corpses had surfaced in Musin’s secret cave?
She began to suspect someone had laid a trap.
‘Move faster!’
Namgung So-hye drove her horse harder still.
She had to investigate before anything else unfolded.

***

“Musin’s secret cave?!”
Gwon Mu-jin, who had been seated, shot to his feet, his expression hardening.
He had suspected something grave from the look on Namgung So-hye’s face, but this was no simple matter.
A figure known only through legend.
Musin—or the God of Martial Arts, as some called him.
The revelation that the secret cave of an entity whose very existence remained unconfirmed even after a thousand years—whether real or merely someone’s invention—was no light matter to dismiss.
Jang Sam-tae, who had brought this information, felt the same.
In fact, he had enlisted even Hong Won-chang’s intelligence network because he couldn’t quite believe it himself.
“Musin… a secret cave, you say…?”
Yet Dan Woo-hyun alone remained composed.
He muttered absently, stroking his chin. His expression gave no hint of what occupied his thoughts.
Gwon Mu-jin spoke hastily.
“We must go. It is proof that Musin truly existed, and we may obtain something of great value.”
“That’s right, Lord Jang! This is a rare opportunity like no other!”
Gwon Mu-jin and Jang Sam-tae spoke in unison, their voices rising with excitement.
A figure who had slain countless warriors of the Central Plains.
One who possessed not merely supreme martial skill, but the ability to survive any circumstance.
One who legend claimed was killed by Pal-seon.
To touch even a thread of such legend was priceless.
Yet Dan Woo-hyun’s expression showed little interest.
“Where did you say it was?”
“Gunja… Gunja Island.”
“Two days’ journey then.”
“We can reach it in no time if we set our minds to it! Before the Murim Alliance or the others get wind of it, we should—”
Dan Woo-hyun watched Gwon Mu-jin’s fervent outburst with an amused smile, then shook his head dismissively, his expression unmoved by the prospect.
“There will be nothing to gain even if we go.”
“Pardon?”
“Because there’s nothing there.”
“That… how could you…?”
Gwon Mu-jin regarded Dan Woo-hyun with an odd expression.
How could he possibly know whether something existed in a place he hadn’t even entered yet?
But looking at that expression, it didn’t seem like he was lying.
Then a thought struck him.
‘A fortuitous encounter from Musin…?’
Dan Woo-hyun’s strength was no ordinary thing.
Among masters of similar age, not a single one ranked among the Hundred Masters, yet now he seemed to have risen to the level of the Seven Stars or even the Ten Venerables.
It was clear he must have obtained some fortuitous encounter, given that he was by no means ordinary.
“It’s not what you’re thinking. I obtained no such fortuitous encounter, so set your mind at ease.”
“But… then how…”
A soft chuckle escaped.
Dan Woo-hyun laughed.
Gunja Island… Gunja Island?
That’s what they call it now, it seems.
But in his time, it had been a desolate island without even that name.
No one could enter it, and even if they did, they could never leave alive—a place like hell itself.
‘Was there a thousand-year water drake?’
The memory surfaced, dim and distant.
In the depths below, a thousand-year water drake crawled out every night to hunt, and both inside and outside the island were creatures of unimaginable strangeness.
What lay scattered about were poisonous plants and venomous insects, and even a single wild boar was many times larger than the ordinary ones one might see.
All of it was due to the spiritual force radiating from the water drake.
Because of this, sleeping at night was unimaginable, and one could not survive without remaining on constant guard, day and night alike—such was that island.
‘Twenty years. That’s how long it took me to clear that place and escape.’
He had entered the island around fifteen and emerged past thirty-five.
The survival methods Dan Woo-hyun now possessed, the way he effortlessly subdued opponents using his overflowing talent, even the Cheonil Jowhwa-gong that formed the very foundation of his being—all of it had been forged for the sake of surviving in that place.
Of course, he had failed countless times and experienced so many near-deaths that the phrase “by the skin of one’s teeth” seemed laughable. In truth, the fact that he lived at all was miraculous.
‘What remains is merely the traces of training carved into the stone walls.’
He had no desire to return just to see those marks again.
Dan Woo-hyun had already acquired power far more overwhelming than the sword marks he’d left behind in those days.
He took a long sip of tea.
Dan Woo-hyun sat in thought.
If there were those who gained enlightenment merely from seeing such sword marks, could that not also be called their fortuitous encounter?
“Oh dear, Master! The Martial Alliance Master himself is descending from Hannam as we speak! They say Gunja Island is being swept by a tide of blood as people flock there seeking fortuitous encounters… if we don’t hurry…”
“Is a fortuitous encounter something gained so easily?”
Dan Woo-hyun regarded Jang Sam-tae and Gwon Mu-jin calmly.
These two desired to obtain a fortuitous encounter.
A fortuitous encounter from Musin.
“You can’t even properly handle the power you already possess. What use would gaining something else be?”
“…”
“But… the men currently on Gunja Island…”
“Even if they enter inside, do you truly think they’ll obtain anything?”
To gain a fortuitous encounter from mere sword marks, one would need to possess talent not merely excellent, but truly rare—that of a genius.
The sword marks were of such a high caliber that to ordinary people they would appear as nothing more than scratches on a wall.
“To polish a single sword and master it in one’s hands takes ten years. To acquire a single martial art and internalize it into one’s body takes a lifetime and more.”
“That… that is true…”
Though the words scarcely touched Jang Sam-tae’s understanding, he nodded in agreement, listening intently because they came from Dan Woo-hyun’s lips.
“The higher the caliber of a martial technique, the longer one must spend perfecting it. At your level, merely seeing such things will yield you nothing whatsoever.”
“Then what of the Martial Alliance Master or the current leader of the Demonic Cult, the Demon Emperor?”
“The Demon Emperor?”
“Yes. One of the Five Sovereigns and the pinnacle of the Demonic Cult.”
“Demon… Emperor?”
“Indeed.”
Dan Woo-hyun pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose.
The title “Five Sovereigns” struck him as absurdly strange.
The more he heard of it, the more he wanted to laugh.
Things were not like this in the old days.
If anyone who knew the truth heard this, they’d be doubled over laughing.
“Might they not be capable of obtaining a fortuitous encounter? And even if we cannot understand it now, perhaps in time…”
“Stop wasting breath on idle talk and focus on your cultivation. If fortune favors you, perhaps that opportunity will reach you.”
Dan Woo-hyun chuckled softly.
These men didn’t even realize the opportunity stood right before their eyes. Which made it somewhat amusing, and undeniably entertaining.
He’d never known that mocking people could be so exhilarating.
He drew another sip of tea without continuing the conversation. He’d already resolved not to go, and no amount of words would change his mind.
“It’s unfortunate all the same. You might have seen it.”
“Seen what?”
“The remains of the Three Heavens.”
In that instant, Dan Woo-hyun’s hand froze mid-sip. His eyes snapped toward Jang Sam-tae with such force it felt as though they might devour everything in their path.
Thud!
“I… I…”
Jang Sam-tae collapsed where he stood.
The moment his gaze met Dan Woo-hyun’s lethal stare, all strength drained from his body. Standing became impossible. His breath came in gasps, his throat bone-dry.
“What did you say?”
“T… t… the Three Heavens…”
“Their remains?”
“Y… yes… I… I heard that remains presumed to be the Three Heavens were discovered in that place…”
Jang Sam-tae forced the words out through violent trembling.
He’d witnessed many things in his time, but nothing like this. That gaze—he’d never seen its equal, never felt terror grip him with such intensity.
Gwon Mu-jin felt it too.
Unlike Jang Sam-tae, he hadn’t collapsed, but his hands shook uncontrollably despite his efforts to steady them, and cold sweat poured down his face.
That frigid stare and its overwhelming aura gave him the illusion of witnessing the legendary realm of Sim Jeuk Sal itself.
“Tell me what happened.”
“In… in the Secret Cave of Musin we discovered this time… the remains of the Three Heavens were found… Tae Gong-jin and Cheon Mu-gwang of the Demonic Cult… and Nam Ju-ryeon’s remains… that’s why there’s such turmoil…”
Jang Sam-tae stole a glance at Dan Woo-hyun. The intensity had diminished slightly, yet that savage light in his eyes showed no sign of fading.
Rather, with each name—
it seemed to deepen further.
Terror gripped him.
He wanted nothing more than to flee this room.
The air itself had grown thick and stale, the very breath of wind cut off.
Beads of sweat formed and fell.
Clink!
When Dan Woo-hyun finally set down his cup, everything that had stopped began to flow again. The suffocating air revived.
The two men were too stunned to speak.
“I’ve changed my mind. Let’s go… to Gunja Island.”

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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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