Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 97

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

“…….”
“…….”
The two men faced each other in silence, neither willing to speak first.
Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze was cold and expressionless as he stared; from Sa Do-hak’s perspective, it was nearly maddening.
But a criminal must learn to hold his tongue.
One way or another, Sa Do-hak had destroyed Dan Woo-hyun’s manor.
Moreover, he had failed to defeat Dan Woo-hyun in the process, so Sa Do-hak had fallen into the abyss without even preserving his pride.
“Cough! Say something, won’t you? What are you doing, leaving a man suspended like this for so long?”
In the end, it was Sa Do-hak who raised his hands in surrender.
This silence did not suit him.
By nature buoyant and vivacious, Sa Do-hak found such silence deeply uncomfortable. He steeled himself to accept whatever words might come and fixed his gaze squarely on Dan Woo-hyun.
“You’re in one piece—I’m relieved. I thought you’d be bedridden for months.”
He meant every word.
Dan Woo-hyun had unleashed his assault with precisely that intent.
He had deemed it punishment for shattering the manor and had inflicted wounds grave enough to keep Sa Do-hak from walking properly for months.
Yet the man had opened his eyes and risen after only a few days.
Even Dan Woo-hyun had not foreseen this. Interest flickered across his face as he stroked his chin.
“Hmph. Don’t underestimate this seat’s demonic power. The majesty of the Heaven-Demon Divine Art runs far deeper than such a trifle.”
“No doubt. There’s no heretical art to match it in all of Jungwon.”
“Heretical? Heretical art?!”
Sa Do-hak’s body trembled with fury.
No one in Jungwon dared call the Heaven-Demon Divine Art a heretical art.
Only those who had reached the pinnacle of the Demonic Cult could master it, and among all the past Cult Leaders, those who achieved mastery could be counted on one hand.
And Sa Do-hak was one of them.
For such a demanding martial art, such a magnificent discipline, to be dismissed as heretical—his anger burned.
Sa Do-hak’s face flushed crimson as he glared at Dan Woo-hyun.
It seemed as though he might challenge the man to another bout at any moment.
But soon his rage subsided.
Looking into Dan Woo-hyun’s eyes, it did not appear to be mockery.
It seemed as though he had spoken those words while contemplating something, yearning for it.
The feeling was strangely wistful.
“Very well then. But who are you? Did you emerge from beyond the realm, some unprecedented master?”
“You ask where I emerged from—but I existed in the past and exist in the present, so your question lacks precision.”
“What, are you speaking in riddles now?”
Sa Do-hak clicked his tongue and glared at the unexpected reply. This youngster was speaking in oblique phrases to his elder, quite impudent indeed.
Only then did Sa Do-hak realize that this man had been speaking down to him all along.
Yet strangely, now that he recognized it, he found himself not particularly displeased.
Sa Do-hak, whose pride reached toward the very heavens—
—felt something peculiar stir within him.
At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze fell upon the Short Sword resting beside Sa Do-hak.
“A fine blade.”
“It has been passed down through generations of Cult Leaders. It can be nothing but fine.”
Those words brimmed with pride in the Demonic Cult.
Whether one searched through the Orthodox Sect, the heterodox schools, or the entire jianghu, there were only two places that had endured for over a thousand years.
One was the Demonic Cult, and the other was Shaolin.
As for Shaolin, it was a foreign monk called Dalma who had founded and guided it, yet he had never risen to the Samcheon rank. By contrast, Cheon Mu-gwang, who led and unified the Demonic Cult and established its system, had his name inscribed among the Samcheon and still commands the reverence of all Jungwon.
His influence was considerable.
“This blade must be…….”
“Cheon Mu-gwang’s, I’d wager.”
“……You know well.”
Sa Do-hak was taken aback.
The blade appeared quite ancient at first glance. It was neither beautiful nor refined—crude in form. Had it not been for the black dragon carved into the hilt and scabbard, it might have fetched less coin than the cheap swords sold in town markets.
It bore no distinguishing marks whatsoever.
Yet Dan Woo-hyun had divined its worth at a glance.
Sa Do-hak was profoundly astonished by this.
Puzzled, he tilted his head and studied Dan Woo-hyun, but the man rose from his seat without answering. He turned to leave without a word, without the slightest hesitation.
“That will suffice. Compose yourself—there is much work to be done. And I would suggest you trim that beard entirely, if you please.”
“…….”
Sa Do-hak turned his back to watch Dan Woo-hyun slip from the room. There was something almost pleasant about it, yet something bitter as well.
That indefinable emotion made Sa Do-hak’s brow furrow slightly.
“Undoubtedly, he’s overwhelmingly strong…….”
An opponent of a different caliber than mere strength. This realization came from the memory of the moment the Heaven-Demon Supremacy Technique had awakened.
He’d poured everything into it, unleashing a technique that would surely have killed even one of the Five Sovereigns. Or so he’d believed.
Yet the instant the opponent’s palms gathered wind for an attack, it was brutally shattered.
‘What kind of martial art was that, really?’
Sa Do-hak swallowed a groan and combed through that memory again and again. But no matter which recollection he retrieved, he’d never heard of such a martial art existing.
He couldn’t even determine the attribute of the technique itself.
“Seems like he might be decent, after all.”
Just then, the door opened quietly and a familiar figure entered.
An old man with one arm missing—the Sword Emperor, Namgung Cheon.
He laughed softly, his white hair streaming about him.
“You’re alive?”
“Of course I’ve got more life in me than you do, you old fool. But tell me—what did you think?”
Sa Do-hak immediately grasped what Namgung Cheon was asking about. He was asking about Dan Woo-hyun, no doubt.
Sa Do-hak could only smile awkwardly. There was simply nothing he could say. About Dan Woo-hyun, all that came to mind was the vague thought that he was strong.
If asked whether he could measure up, he would have to fall silent again.
“Tch, seems you were left quite speechless.”
“It’s not a matter of measuring up or falling short. I see nothing from him. He’s already beyond my sight—I couldn’t even see how he walked.”
“Heh heh heh, is that so?”
Unpleasant as it was, it was the truth.
Sa Do-hak felt it acutely now, meeting Dan Woo-hyun once more.
He saw nothing.
With any martial master he encountered, he could measure their level, gauge how far ahead or behind him they were. Such things were always visible.
But with Dan Woo-hyun, Sa Do-hak couldn’t tell if he stood before or behind him, couldn’t tell if he was running or walking.
Even if he looked to the heavens, he couldn’t perceive it. Measurement was impossible.
“Where in the world did such a monster crawl out of?”
“Well……. I do know one thing for certain.”
Sa Do-hak’s head snapped toward Namgung Cheon.
The old man wore a sly smile, as if toying with him.
Sa Do-hak’s expression darkened slightly as he pressed him.
“If you know something, out with it.”
“He is…….”
“He is?”
Namgung Cheon’s lips parted, a single word escaping before he fell silent. Then his gaze drifted to the ceiling. A long sigh escaped him, and his head turned back toward Sa Do-hak.
His eyes held a look of profound sorrow.
The expression one wears when regarding someone pitiful.
“……He is.”
“What! Speak up, you decrepit old fool!”
“Ahem! Give me a moment. This requires proper buildup for the shock to land properly.”
By the look on Namgung Cheon’s face, he was clearly enjoying himself at Sa Do-hak’s expense.
Exasperation flared in Sa Do-hak’s chest. He waved his hand dismissively and threw himself onto the bed, turning his back. Curious though he was, he’d not be made a fool of any longer.
“Not interested. Not interested. He’s probably not even a descendant of a Musin…….”
“…….”
‘Huh?’
No answer came.
He’d expected a laugh or some retort. But the silence that followed was so complete that unease crept over him.
Sa Do-hak carefully turned to look at Namgung Cheon.
“…….”
“…….”
The old man had turned his head away without a word.
Wait—no, the very fact that he said nothing felt far more suspicious.
Gulp.
Sa Do-hak swallowed hard.
Musin was a legendary figure among all martial masters.
Surely, surely…….
“That’s a lie, isn’t it?”
Namgung Cheon shook his head.
Sa Do-hak, having grasped the full truth of it all, went pale and lurched upright from his bed, then seized Namgung Cheon by both shoulders with trembling urgency.
His hands shook violently.
“This can’t be……!”
“Sometimes, what shouldn’t be possible still comes to pass.”
“……!”
That was enough.
In that single utterance, Sa Do-hak understood.
The truth burning in Namgung Cheon’s eyes—his actions were never meant to mock Sa Do-hak.
Sa Do-hak felt the tremor that had started in his shoulders ripple outward, spreading through his entire body.
His lips twitched, and a thrill ran across his skin.
“Ha…… haha!”
A short, brittle laugh.
A laugh born of accepting an impossible reality.
It began to grow, swelling with each breath.
“Pu-hahahaha! Yes! Yes indeed! That’s how it must be!”
Sa Do-hak’s laughter would not cease.

“I’ve seen all manner of mad old fools now.”
Jang Sam-tae spat and twisted his face at the sound of laughter echoing from within. He had never thought well of Sa Do-hak, in anything.
“That aside, what’s to be done about the manor?”
Jang Sam-tae turned to Dan Woo-hyun and asked.
“We’ll build it again.”
“Pardon?”
“Did you not hear? We rebuild it.”
At those words, Jang Sam-tae and Kwon Mu-jin fell silent, exchanging long, searching looks. After a moment of heavy deliberation, they laughed awkwardly.
“Who will do it, sir?”
“You two.”
Jang Sam-tae and Kwon Mu-jin went pale and could not form an answer.
The statement was that shocking.
They recalled the last time they had tried farming.
They recalled when he had said he wanted to build a boat.
Running through those past ordeals one by one in their minds, they exhaled a long, weary sigh.
‘A house would be several times harder!’
‘The lord has truly gone mad.’
A house was not something one could bash together just because the desire struck. One had to think through all manner of details, arrange them properly, and if you made so much as one mistake—if you forgot even a single beam of the wooden frame—you might wake one night to sudden calamity.
And he wanted them to do this?
“……Surely, sir, there are people who build houses?”
“It takes time. More than that—where would you find the coin?”
“…….”
Kwon Mu-jin sat like a man struck dumb, unable to open his mouth.
Of course building a house would take time!
Was it reasonable to expect a house to be knocked together in a day or two?
And listening to him now, it seemed Dan Woo-hyun intended to work them ruthlessly without mercy. That was why he spoke of hired laborers as taking too long.
The very thought made his head spin.
“We’ll begin tomorrow. See that you’re ready.”
“Y-you mean we’re the ones doing it, sir?”
“What kind of question is that?”
Dan Woo-hyun looked at the two ashen-faced men and smirked slightly. His expression suggested he knew exactly what was running through their minds.
Yet he was thoroughly amused.
There was always joy in beginning something new.
Come—let us begin anew.
The blueprint of a new manor took shape in his mind.
“It will be harder than you think, won’t it?”
At that single remark, both men simply collapsed where they stood.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————