Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 59

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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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“So in the end, we have no idea who launched the attack, nor who took it away.”
Namgung Cheon, having entered Honam and arrived at Gunja Island, stood in Musin’s Secret Vault and murmured to himself while surveying the space.
His eyes, as they examined one by one the sword marks carved into every surface, were somewhat blank, and his tone was blunt.
Samcheon’s remains had vanished, and the identity of those who took them remained unknown.
The Orthodox Faction’s pursuit team was tracking the trail, but somewhere along the way it too had disappeared, leaving them unable to pursue further.
“I… I beg your pardon, Alliance Leader.”
The Murim Alliance Honam Branch Chief bowed his head deeply.
Self-recrimination washed over him at the thought that had he been wiser, things would never have come to this.
Whether it was the Orthodox Faction or the Demonic Cult, they had gained nothing and merely set up a favorable outcome for someone else.
At that moment, Jegal Un, the Murim Alliance’s Chief Strategist, murmured thoughtfully.
“It’s not the heterodox sects. We’ve been monitoring their movements from the start. That leaves either an unknown faction operating in the shadows, or someone operating outside the system altogether—”
At these words, Namgung Cheon reached out and traced the sword mark on the wall with his hand, then smiled.
“Or perhaps the Demonic Cult.”
“Pardon?”
“…!?”
Everyone present was startled.
Not only the Murim Alliance’s branch chief, but even Jegal Un.
Even Namgung So-hye, who had been bowing her head, snapped it up suddenly. The words that had left Namgung Cheon’s mouth carried that much weight.
The Demonic Cult? The Demonic Cult?
No one had entertained such a thought.
“A hypothesis, merely a hypothesis. But the visible world is not all there is—haven’t I always said so?”
“…I confess I had not considered it. We shall investigate that angle as well.”
Jegal Un bowed his head, his gaze now touched with admiration.
Namgung Cheon.
A member of the Namgung Clan, which stands foremost among the Eight Great Families.
His prowess, known as the Sword Emperor, already ranks among the greatest in the Central Plains, and his brilliant mind and foresight are said to be unmatched by any.
It was a blessing that such a man held the title of Alliance Leader.
This was precisely why one could follow him with confidence.
‘But not much time remains…’
Jegal Un exhaled deeply.
The selection of the new Murim Alliance Leader was not far off.
It was Namgung Cheon alone—bearing the title of Sword Emperor—who unified the Murim Alliance and kept others from misbehaving, but if he stepped down from his post and a new leader was chosen, the alliance would face considerable upheaval.
The mere thought of it made his head throb already.
“By the way, Alliance Leader, these sword marks…”
“Useless. It looks as though someone deliberately layered them to erase another’s traces. There’s nothing to be gained here.”
Namgung Cheon smiled bitterly.
As one of the Five Emperors, he lived a life he could not fault, yet even he harbored a concern that others knew nothing of.
A wall that blocked his path, one he could not break through.
Over a decade had passed without his surmounting it—how then could his frustration not run deep?
So when he had heard that Musin’s Secret Vault had been found, he could not contain his joy. But now that he stood here, it proved utterly worthless.
A small sigh escaped from his lips.

***

Pitter-patter.
Two figures stood motionless.
Behind the Estate.
Upon that small knoll stood Gwon Mu-jin and Jang Sam-tae, unmoving.
Whether they were about to do something or had come here for some purpose was unclear, but their expressions were grave, as if bracing for a momentous event.
“The fact that he called us to a place like this—it must be something important, right?”
Jang Sam-tae swallowed hard.
It was Dan Woo-hyun who had summoned them here. Since he had never called the two of them together before, perhaps they were about to hear or learn something of great significance.
“That seems likely.”
“Heh, he must have been watching our performance at Gunja Island. That’s why he’s about to teach us more advanced martial arts…”
“Stop getting ahead of yourself.”
“What?”
Gwon Mu-jin sighed quietly and shook his head.
He harbored the same anticipation as Jang Sam-tae. After all, the two of them had demonstrated exceptional skill on Gunja Island.
Yet standing before Jang Sam-tae, he couldn’t afford to smile openly; the effort of maintaining composure while suppressing his joy was considerable.
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, barely visible.
“Or perhaps he obtained something from Musin’s Secret Vault and means to give it to us!”
“Hah…… ahem! That’s hardly likely, is it? Our lord has never entered that place.”
“Ha! But our master is different! Slipping in without the Murim Alliance or those Demonic Cult dogs knowing would be child’s play for him!”
Gwon Mu-jin found himself unable to argue back.
Truth be told, Dan Woo-hyun was certainly capable of such a thing.
It was at that moment.
Crunch, crunch—
The sound of approaching footsteps drew their attention. Spinning around quickly, they spotted Dan Woo-hyun making his way up toward them.
In one hand he carried what appeared to be an expensive bottle of Sohong Wine, while in the other he held something large wrapped in cloth.
Dan Woo-hyun came to a stop and looked down at the two men.
“You’ve arrived?”
“Yes, my lord!”
“Hehe, we’ve been waiting for you.”
“My apologies for the delay. There were a few things I needed to attend to.”
Though his expression remained unreadable, his tone carried an unmistakable trust toward both men. And receiving the weight of his gaze, their hearts trembled involuntarily.
He truly seemed about to show or give them something.
After all, having labored so much for Dan Woo-hyun, it was only fair they receive something in return.
Then Dan Woo-hyun hurled the bundle he’d been holding onto the ground.
“What is this?”
“Open it and see.”
At last it had come!
Jang Sam-tae’s face brightened. This had to be something extraordinary. The moment they unwrapped it, something so magnificent would surely be revealed.
This fellow must have raided the Secret Vault while pretending to nap.
Giggle, giggle—
Their mouths curling upward simultaneously, he and Gwon Mu-jin peeled back the cloth.
At once both men’s eyes went wide.
“This…… what is this?”
It was Gwon Mu-jin who spoke first, bewilderment written across his face. He examined what lay before them intently while studying Dan Woo-hyun’s eerily composed expression.
But the man tilted his head without changing his countenance in the slightest.
“A shovel. You don’t recognize a shovel?”
“…… Ah, well, we do recognize it, but… why are you giving this to us?”
Contrary to what they’d imagined would be something tremendous, it was merely a shovel—a tool made for digging earth.
Was this a legendary shovel from the Secret Vault?
Had Musin done something with this shovel?
Gwon Mu-jin and Jang Sam-tae’s minds reeled in confusion.
But indifferent to whatever they were thinking, Dan Woo-hyun chuckled softly and opened his mouth.
“Dig.”
“Pardon?”
“Dig the earth.”
“…… Are you… serious?”
“Would I be lying?”
Jang Sam-tae felt a dull ache blooming in his head. Observing that tone, that demeanor—there wasn’t a shred of deception in it.
He was genuinely telling them to dig.
Was this some form of training?
Jang Sam-tae and Gwon Mu-jin exchanged glances. But lacking the courage to walk away, the two of them quietly picked up the shovel and began digging into the ground.
Roughly half an hour passed in this manner.
As Jang Sam-tae, who had been methodically digging to a depth of about half a zhang, ventured to speak, gauging Dan Woo-hyun’s mood.
“Is… is this enough?”
“Dig deeper, dig wider. I’d like it to exceed one zhang.”
Hearing those words, Jang Sam-tae’s face went pale.
It had already taken half an hour just to excavate half a zhang.
The earth was exceptionally hard, and stones were embedded throughout, making the work grueling.
‘Damn it! Why doesn’t he just do it himself!’
A thought he dared not voice aloud.
So another half hour elapsed, and the two men clambered out of the deepened pit, drenched in sweat.
Even climbing out demanded considerable effort, and by now their entire bodies were caked in dirt.
“Huff…… huff…… it’s…… all done.”
“That’s fine.”
“I… yes, thank you so much.”
Jang Sam-tae’s mouth twitched, his fists clenching. If he weren’t so disciplined, he would’ve thrown a punch.
That’s how shocking today had been.
Just then, Dan Woo-hyun’s voice cut through.
“Sam-tae.”
“What now?!”
He gasped, the words tumbling out before he could stop them—what he’d meant to think had spilled from his lips instead. Gwon Mu-jin’s startled gaze flashed across his vision.
Smack!
“Ow!”
“Think before you speak.”
“Y-yes… yes, of course. S-so what is it you need, sir?”
“Go carefully retrieve what’s hidden in that brush over there.”
‘What in the world could possibly be in that brush?’
Though he saw nothing, if Dan Woo-hyun said something was there, something had to be.
Jang Sam-tae approached slowly and searched the area, yet found no trace of anything at all.
“Reach out your hand.”
At that command, Jang Sam-tae’s hand shot forward.
Instantly, his fingers brushed against something.
He started, his eyes widening, but then realized this was a Formation Technique and kept his composure.
Carefully, he drew it out.
“What?!”
Three remains came into view.
He knew whose they were. They had just returned from Gunja Island, and that place held the three corpses known as Samcheon.
He turned to Dan Woo-hyun with a bewildered look. The man squeezed his eyes shut and murmured.
“Bury them.”

Dan Woo-hyun crouched before the newly made mound. No one dared ask a single question—they could only watch his every movement in silence.
The atmosphere was that grave.
Dan Woo-hyun poured wine over the mound.
“It was their favorite.”
Sohong Wine—that was what these three had loved most. A thousand years had changed its taste, but enough remained to stir old memories.
“I never thought I’d be pouring wine like this.”
A rueful smile played at Dan Woo-hyun’s lips. He had always assumed he would go first, but looking back now, they had departed before him, and he remained.
Truly, the world rarely bends to one’s will.
Pour, pour…
He filled his own cup, then poured three more, one by one, onto the mound. Dan Woo-hyun drank his share and lingered before the grave in silence.
Jang Sam-tae and Gwon Mu-jin, watching, felt something strange—as if this Dan Woo-hyun before them might vanish the moment they reached out.
And the tone of his words, too.
‘As if he actually knew Samcheon…’
They exchanged puzzled glances. How could a person of this age know someone from a thousand years past?
The question remained unanswered.
Neither spoke, choosing instead to simply watch.
Dan Woo-hyun’s figure seemed so solitary and forlorn.
Then Jang Sam-tae stepped forward.
“Would it be all right if I poured a cup as well?”
“Of course, go ahead.”
For some reason, it felt like the right thing to do.
Today, Dan Woo-hyun’s shoulders looked especially lonely.
Jang Sam-tae filled three cups and poured them onto the mound.
Then, raising the Sohong Wine to his lips for a sip—
Thwack!
“Ptooey!”
The wine sprayed from his mouth.
Dan Woo-hyun’s hand had struck him lightly across the abdomen.
A chill swept through his gaze.
“Who said you could drink?”
‘Damn it!’
Jang Sam-tae’s face crumpled in dismay.
The chance to taste the precious Sohong Wine had slipped away.

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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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