Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 56

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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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“Yawn— I’m going to die of boredom, I swear.”
Jang Sam-tae stared out at Dongjeong Lake with a long yawn, his restlessness on full display.
This person called the proprietor had vanished somewhere for an afternoon nap and showed no sign of reappearing.
If it were up to him, he’d lie down and sleep right here.
But the hostile gazes raining down from all sides left him unable to move freely.
“Hey, is that the Twin Blades……?”
“Looks like it. Why is a Heterodox Faction member even here?”
Members of the Orthodox Faction and Demonic Sect who didn’t know the situation were keeping watch on Gwon Mu-jin.
He was renowned enough for that, and his influence in the Heterodox Faction made him impossible to ignore for even a moment.
“In all my days, I’ve never drawn stares like this.”
“Sometimes that’s not so bad, is it? Where else would you get looks like that?”
“You don’t get it—I hate this. I can’t even nap. Look at Hyun-ryung over there, scared stiff like a statue.”
“I-I-this fool! Who—who said I was scared? I, I’m…….”
“It’s fine, it’s fine! I understand. Stuck here among all these bloodthirsty warriors, of course someone without martial arts like you would be terrified.”
“……You’re not one to talk!”
“What? Who are you comparing with whom? I’ve been getting pretty strong lately, let me tell you!”
Hong Won-chang cleared his throat with a cough.
Now that he thought about it, Jang Sam-tae’s body looked different from before. It had only been a few months since they last met, yet he appeared transformed—his frame considerably more defined.
It didn’t look like simple exercise; he seemed to be training in martial arts properly.
“I’ve got some skill myself, you punk.”
“Save the fishing tales for home.”
“Seriously, this bastard?”
Watching the two of them bicker, Gwon Mu-jin let out a small sigh.
Wherever they went, Jang Sam-tae’s mouth spelled trouble.
Already under scrutiny, his rising voice drew even more eyes toward them.
Gwon Mu-jin exhaled a long, weary sigh.
“Idiots, the lot of you. Six of one, half a dozen of the other—just sit down and shut it.”
“Hmph!”
“Ahem!”
At Gwon Mu-jin’s words, Jang Sam-tae finally sensed the situation. So many eyes were fixed on them, their gazes sharp and piercing, that his own frame instinctively shrank.
Eventually, pretending indifference, he turned his gaze toward Dongjeong Lake and was about to sigh when—
He noticed something odd and tilted his head.
“What’s that?”
“What is what?”
“Those boats out there—dozens of boats, and they’re all facing this way.”
Only then did Hong Won-chang and Gwon Mu-jin look out at Dongjeong Lake. The other guests hadn’t noticed yet, but sure enough, dozens of vessels were oriented directly toward them.
And not merely pointed in their direction.
“Wait, are those—cannons? Are those cannons?”
“Cannons? That’s insane! What madman would mount cannons on boats in Dongjeong Lake?”
“No, really, look closely. Those are definitely cannons. Looks like each boat has three of them.”
Hong Won-chang watched the vessels with an amused smirk. They sat broadside to the shore, perfectly still, arranged in what could only be described as a firing formation.
But this was nonsense.
Where could anyone even get cannons?
Most such weapons required imperial authorization, and even if obtained illegally, capture meant execution for treason.
“Hahaha! You’re quite the jester. Let’s end this joke right here, shall we?”
Boom—!
The moment Hong Won-chang burst into hearty laughter, a thunderous roar split the air, and a cannonball shot from one of the boats, grazing past his side before slamming into the wall behind him.
Bang—!
“Gasp!?”
“Ugh!”
There was no time for shock.
In rapid succession, thunder-like booms echoed out, and dozens of cannonballs rained down on Gungjado. It was as if war itself had erupted.
Bang-bang-bang—!
“Kyaaaah!”
“Th-those are enemies!”
Screams and cries of pain erupted everywhere as the cannonballs found their marks. The once-quiet Gungjado had transformed into a battlefield in an instant.
Jang Sam-tae stared out at Dongjeong Lake with a stunned expression, then turned to Hong Won-chang with a sickly grin.
“Wait, hold on. Are you saying cannons?”
“What kind of madman—that’s not the point! We need to run!”
“Fall back. There’s nothing to gain by staying here.”
Gwon Mu-jin glanced at the vessels dotting Dongjeong Lake and made his decision.
He couldn’t identify who they were. No flags, no distinctive uniforms—nothing that stood out.
Yet the fact that they’d penetrated the boundary between the Demonic Sect and the Orthodox Faction with so many ships, and possessed cannons that weren’t easily procured, suggested they were no small organization.
‘The Heterodox Faction?’
That seemed most likely.
They too had pursued the Warrior God’s Legacy for years.
Especially—
‘The First Elder.’
In the moment he considered it, there seemed only one person capable of orchestrating something like this—someone who had devoted countless years to seeking the Warrior God’s Legacy.
Though he had no certainty.
Merely suspicion.
In any case, escaping this place took priority. Another shell came screaming toward them at furious speed.
“Dodge!”
Boom!

***

“What—what is this?!”
Namgung So-hye, who had been searching for and approaching the entrance, suddenly went wide-eyed at the commotion that erupted without warning.
This was no ordinary tremor.
Thunder roared from all directions—the sound of cannon fire—and she realized the screams of people were woven through it.
This could only mean—
“Enemies?!”
“Who on earth—”
Go Dam-jin, one of Wudang’s seven swordsmen, ground his teeth and cried out. Fury blazed in his voice at those who would rain fire upon this sacred ground.
All who had been entering froze where they stood.
“Miss Namgung, it seems the first priority is to assess what’s happening outside?”
Gu Hwang, a renowned master within the Demonic Sect itself.
He raised his sword with a subtle motion. Given the extraordinary nature of this situation, it seemed prudent to first secure the exterior.
They had found the entrance. Now they only needed to hold it.
Since no one outside their group had entered the depths, whatever lay within would remain safe until the seal was breached.
Namgung So-hye turned her gaze toward the Honam Murim Alliance branch chief. He too seemed to wrestle with the decision, but soon nodded his assent.
“We don’t know how much deeper we must go. For now, repelling this assault seems the immediate priority. You agree, Go Daehyup?”
“Wudang stands as one with the Murim Alliance. Though it pains us not to meet Master Jang face-to-face this moment, it falls to us first to punish those who would set fire to this sacred place.”
When even Go Dam-jin nodded, there was no further hesitation.
They turned back and retraced their steps, moving with lightness arts far swifter than before, leaving that place behind.
Less than a moment had passed before they emerged outside—and before them lay Gungjado engulfed in cannon fire, flames licking up across the island.
It was indeed a vision of warfare.
“Who in blazes—”
Snap!
As Go Dam-jin ground his teeth and turned his gaze, he saw shells arcing down from far across the water.
He hurled himself into the air and unleashed a series of violent strikes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The incoming projectiles exploded in mid-air with violent cracks. When he stopped what none had managed before, the gathered people stared at him.
“It’s—it’s Go Daehyup! The master of Wudang’s Seven Swords!”
“Damn it! Whoever you bastards are, you’ll rue the day you touched our Demonic Sect!”
Roooaarrr!
Morale surged in an instant.
Not only did Go Dam-jin appear, but even Gu Hwang, whose name resounded through the Demonic Sect, emerged as well.
With a stream of skilled fighters pouring forth behind them, the spirits of those who had been suffering inevitably soared.
Everyone present threw themselves into action.
At the same time, the barrage from the ships grew fiercer, yet before even a full moment could pass, it ceased.
Whether the ammunition had run dry or for some other reason, the vessels began moving slowly toward Gungjado.
The chaos of battle had begun.

“Hyah!”
Crack!
Jang Sam-tae drove his headbutt forward, smashing it into his opponent’s face. His movements lacked polish, but he struck and withdrew with enough precision that no one could land a grip on him.
He fought as though toying with his enemies.
Gwon Mu-jin’s Twin Blades, by contrast, cut with surgical precision.
Screech—!
His footwork blazed with dazzling flourishes, but each movement carried such weight behind it that anyone foolish enough to stand before him would not walk away alive.
Blood sprayed. Flesh split open.
The place had become nothing short of pandemonium, forcing both men into the thick of the fray.
The enemies converging on them moved with considerable skill, their patterns tight as a battle formation, making defense no simple matter.
“Ugh?!”
Clang-clang-clang—!
A familiar sound cut through the chaos.
Jang Sam-tae’s head snapped sideways to look.
Four figures in black garb had circled Namgung So-hye, their blades flashing forward at lethal speed.
The strikes hurtled through the air with killing intent so pure they seemed certain to pierce straight through her.
For a moment, it looked as though her whole body would be skewered.
Jang Sam-tae threw himself forward.
‘Damn it—she’s a woman!’
He cursed under his breath and bolted toward her, swinging his fists.
With a metallic ring, all the blades deflected at once—but Jang Sam-tae’s knuckles, for having blocked them, tore open and bled.
He couldn’t cry out in pain even if he’d wanted to.
The situation didn’t allow it.
The one mercy was that Namgung So-hye planted her feet and drove her sword forward without hesitation.
Screech—!
“Gahhh!”
In a single fluid motion, her blade swept across one man’s throat, then she pivoted, closed the distance, and drove her elbow into his neck.
As he toppled forward, she kicked out to strike his jaw, then dropped low just as another blade whistled over her head where her neck had been.
Then.
Crack!
Jang Sam-tae’s fist snapped into his opponent’s nose.
Crash-boom—!
All three figures in black crumpled. Jang Sam-tae and Namgung So-hye caught their breath, their eyes meeting across the sudden quiet.
“Not bad at all. You saved my life.”
“I nearly died, you fool!”
“Then work harder not to die!”
Namgung So-hye finished speaking and flicked her sword back into motion without pause.
This was no time for casual conversation.

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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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