Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 129

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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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Chapter 129
Silence seeped in like the night.
Neither the flickering firelight nor the clamor from outside could disturb the profound stillness.
Whoosh!
Wi Mu-jin’s qi wave was like a typhoon. As if there were no reason to conceal it, unrestrained violent energy coiled around his entire body.
Dokgo Ak and his companions’ bodies stiffened.
Their eyes were all fixed on the man. They had no choice but to be.
“I doubted my own eyes. I thought no one would dare come here unless they didn’t value their own life.”
“…”
“You put considerable effort into your disguise, but you couldn’t hide the gleam in your eyes. Dokgo Myeong.”
“Tsk.”
Rip!
Dokgo Myeong clicked his tongue and tore away the human-skin mask covering his face. Since he was already exposed, there was no point wearing the suffocating disguise any longer.
“After all this time, not even a single greeting?”
“When did we ever exchange warm greetings?”
“There it is. That gaze. Still the same.”
Wi Mu-jin chuckled softly.
“It never gets old. Despite the rather impressive spectacle I’ve created, not a single soul has ever looked at me with eyes like yours.”
“For me, it’s frustrating. For you, it’s fortunate.”
“How so?”
“What if there were three of me—or even just two more like me? Would you still be breathing? So it’s fortunate for you, and deeply frustrating for me.”
“That inexplicable hostility, that cunning tongue of yours—still unchanged. And yet…”
Wi Mu-jin laughed silently.
“Do you still think it’s acceptable?”
“What are you getting at?”
“You’ve just stepped boldly into Wi Mu-jin’s own domain.”
Wi Mu-jin slowly uncrossed his arms and let them hang at his sides.
“Do I look merciful enough to spare a brigand who created this chaos?”
In an instant, Wi Mu-jin’s momentum shifted.
Dokgo Myeong’s expression grew even more rigid.
Whooooom!
The qi filling the surroundings began to flow with purpose.
Qi like a gale swept across all directions, crashing down toward Dokgo Myeong and his companions like a tidal wave.
Dokgo Myeong’s lips slowly parted.
“I have no intention of seeking mercy, nor do I need it.”
A single phrase, delivered with composure.
Then Dokgo Myeong took a large step forward, cleaving through the incoming wave like a blade.
Crack!
Wi Mu-jin’s eyes flashed with intrigue.
Like untying a bound knot, Dokgo Myeong’s qi began to swell and rise.
Against the fierce tempest that was Wi Mu-jin, I became an unyielding barrier.
I revealed through my very being how utterly transformed I had become from our last encounter. I stood calmly to meet him, my posture unwavering and composed.
Crack! Boom!
But that was not the end.
Unlike before, I was no longer alone. Four Companions stood at my back, supporting me.
“….”
The corners of my mouth lifted.
What need had I for ten thousand soldiers and generals? These four were my ten thousand soldiers and generals.
Wi Mu-jin’s eyes swept across them with derision.
“Blue-eyed Frontier dweller.”
“….”
“A mediocre ruffian, a half-baked heir of an extinguished clan, a third-rate nothing….”
Wi Mu-jin examined each of the four in turn before turning his gaze back to me.
“Do you truly believe these four give you a chance at victory?”
“What if they do?”
“Then tell me—what price are you willing to pay?”
“Severe injuries to two of my companions, and one of my limbs. That should be more than enough to settle the debt.”
Wi Mu-jin let out a hollow laugh.
“Do you truly believe that will be sufficient to survive in this place?”
“Survive?”
I shook my head, my tone tinged with confusion at his question.
“I am not discussing survival. I am discussing your neck.”
Wi Mu-jin murmured softly.
“…My neck, is it.”
Soon a cold smile played across his lips.
“Your arithmetic is poor, Dokgo Myeong.”
“Have you already forgotten how that poor arithmetic of yours split four of my factions at the Jeongcheon Alliance?”
The tension in the air pulled taut at his relentless provocation.
Wi Mu-jin burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
His teeth flashed white as he laughed, his voice now mingling mockery with admiration.
“You come to plunder another’s storehouse and set it ablaze, yet you stand here with such audacity.”
“You bastard….”
Wi Mu-jin chuckled softly.
“Amusing. To think you’ve grown this much. You’ve even exceeded my expectations. The effort to come here was worthwhile.”
“….”
“Very well. Whether my neck or yours falls, it would be far too wasteful for either to be severed in a place like this.”
As Wi Mu-jin finished speaking, he withdrew all his force.
Whoosh!
In that instant, the momentum that had been locked in fierce confrontation between me and my companions lost its anchor and wavered.
Dokgo Myeong’s expression hardened once more.
‘That bastard….’
Of course, Wi Mu-jin hadn’t been idle while I grew stronger. Just from the way he recovered his energy, I could gauge that Wi Mu-jin’s growth was terrifying in scale.
“I will let you go.”
At Wi Mu-jin’s sudden words as he stepped aside from the entrance, Dokgo Myeong and his companions’ eyes widened in shock.
“What did you say?”
“Exactly as I said. I will let you leave.”
“…?”
Dokgo Myeong narrowed his brows, then let out a snort of laughter.
“The legendary Tuwang avoiding a fight? You expect me to believe that?”
“Yes, because a conflict has truly arisen for the first time in ages.”
“A conflict?”
Wi Mu-jin stared intently at Dokgo Myeong.
Slowly, his lips parted.
“Dokgo Myeong. I find you quite appealing. Your killing intent, that unyielding gaze… and most of all, you carry a scent very similar to my own.”
“Scent? How absurd. If you’re going to lose your mind, do it gracefully. I’m not a dog, and this talk of scent is ridiculous….”
“Did you truly not understand my meaning?”
At his words, spoken with a hint of mockery, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes wavered for a moment.
Then he fixed Wi Mu-jin with a piercing gaze.
Wi Mu-jin smiled and spoke.
“That look in your eyes. It’s not something you gain from killing just three or four people. It’s the gaze of a seasoned butcher of men.”
“….”
“That is why this conflict arises. Because I understand someone like you so well.”
Dokgo Myeong is a source of trouble. A poison, a spark.
All this time, I had been keeping track of Dokgo Myeong’s deeds.
In merely a year or so, how much had Dokgo Myeong accomplished?
‘This one will surely become a great enemy to me and my sect.’
Therefore, he must be killed, and therefore, I anticipate it.
Even now at this level, what if this one grows larger and steps into the arena of battle in the future?
Wi Mu-jin was the type of person who, if faced with a grand feast, would save the most delicious dish for last. Therefore, he chose patience.
But then.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Dokgo Myeong pulled up one corner of his mouth and spoke.
“You claim to understand me? That’s laughable. You don’t understand me at all.”
“…?”
“You are one who enjoys the leash around your neck and the prison you’ve built for yourself. Martial arts, fighting, conquering the realm—you’re a fool who finds value and interest only in such worthless things.”
“Are you saying you’re different? For a martial artist born in Gangho, what could be more important than that?”
At Wi Mu-jin’s leisurely words, Dokgo Myeong shook his head firmly.
“No. In life, there are things far more important than that.”
“What?”
“Everyone lives that way. I did too. But because of bastards like you, everyone has learned to endure and live with restraint. You think they hold back because they’re weak and cowardly, don’t you? How ignorant. They endured out of a sense of responsibility.”
“What are you talking about now?”
“I’m saying I was one of them, not one of you. Simply a person who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—bear that frustration.”
“….”
“I see the confusion on your face. I expected as much. You’re no different from a frog in a well.”
“Are you calling me a frog in a well?”
“Yes. No matter how vast and expansive the world you inhabit may be, it’s ultimately nothing but a slightly larger well. So don’t presume to understand me or speak carelessly.”
Silence descended.
In the frigid air, Wi Mu-jin regarded Dokgo Myeong with an unwavering gaze.
“One day.”
The killing intent that had flickered in his eyes slowly faded.
“We shall see whose thoughts were correct.”
Wi Mu-jin spun around abruptly.
“Leave now. You must hurry.”
“What?”
“I alone am granting you passage. Whether you can escape depends on you.”
“…!”
Dokgo Myeong’s expression hardened as he grasped the meaning.
He immediately called out to Wi Mu-jin.
“Wait. Let me ask one last thing. Why are you in Mandeungga, the rear area, when you’re in the midst of war?”
“I see no reason to tell you that.”
Wi Mu-jin walked out with unhurried steps.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed as he watched that retreating figure.
* * *
“We… we survived.”
“Hah, what kind of monstrous energy was that….”
“Wow, you actually exchanged blows with someone like that? You’re truly amazing.”
“To think such a person exists….”
The three men who had been tensely standing guard behind Dokgo Myeong let out long sighs. Even Cheolmu-baek gazed toward the door with an enigmatic expression.
“All of you, stop your whining and hurry!”
Geum Seok-du, snapping back to attention at that voice, asked.
“Pardon? Why the rush?”
“Didn’t you hear what that bastard said?”
“Pardon?”
“He said only he was letting us go. That means the Blood Sect will be pursuing us!”
“Gasp!”
“Damn it!”
Everyone quickly came to their senses.
Dokgo Myeong clicked his tongue sharply as he thought of Wi Mu-jin.
“Tch, this petty bastard really is something.”
He’d been putting on airs all by himself, but wasn’t this the moment when he truly needed to clear the path perfectly?
Dokgo Myeong glanced back over his shoulder.
“If you’re ready, let’s move quickly.”
“Can we trust the Paedo Sect Leader? Is it really going to be alright like this?”
Geum Seok-du asked with a worried expression.
The Paedo Sect Leader had clearly been a shock even to Geum Seok-du, whose martial prowess was relatively weak.
Dokgo Myeong let out a quiet laugh.
“It’s fine. There’s a reason he can’t touch me right now, and it seems there’s another reason he came to Mandeungga in the first place.”
Now all that remained was to escape.
Dokgo Myeong stretched and spoke.
“Phew, that was exhausting. Let’s get moving.”
“…I’ll never believe another word about staying quiet and leaving peacefully.”
“We’ve experienced every kind of trouble imaginable.”
“Let’s go, everyone!”
“Right.”
The noisy group began their escape.
And then…
“There they are!”
“Found them! It doesn’t matter how! The Sect Leader has promised a fortune to whoever captures them!”
“Kill them! Kill them all!”
Dokgo Myeong and the four others unleashed their lightness technique frantically and fled.
Whoosh! Thud!
“Those treacherous bastards! Poison, hidden weapons, arrows too? Oh, what a tragedy! The way of Gangho has fallen to the ground!”
“Please! Just shut up and run, you bastard Dokgo Myeong!”
“This won’t do. I’ll strike those fools down in one blow and—!”
“Ah, come on!”
The flames gradually subsided, and the acrid smell spreading in all directions began to fade.
The sun rose, and dawn arrived.
The five figures rushed through the dim light of early morning.
* * *
“Lord Ryeon-ju.”
Baek caught up beside Wi Mu-jin, who walked with a stern expression without using lightness technique.
“I apologize for failing in my duty.”
“It’s done. I simply left you behind.”
“…”
Baek stole a glance at his master and lord’s face, then swallowed dryly.
When Wi Mu-jin had first left that place, his face had been filled with joy and delight, but now an indescribable, subtle emotion was etched across his features.
‘What happened?’
In the eyes of the one who stood alone, the Tuwang, there was a anguish that didn’t suit him.
“Rest for now.”
“Pardon?”
“Do you think I’m a frog in a well?”
“…Dokgo Myeong. Did he dare speak such words to Ryeon-ju?”
“Just answer the question.”
“How could that be? Ryeon-ju is already swimming through the vast ocean of the world.”
Wi Mu-jin nodded at his disciple’s words.
“Right. If I were truly a frog in a well, I wouldn’t try to escape it—I’d destroy it entirely. That’s my way.”
A brief silence settled over them.
The two masters proceeded through the devastated streets.
From all directions, the Blood Sect’s elite martial artists could be seen pouring their internal energy to suppress the flames.
“What should we do about the Blood Sect Leader?”
“A fool who got lucky with a good blade and grew fat from it. Now that he’s lost his blade, he’ll be torn apart by vultures from all sides if we leave him be.”
“Then regarding the pursuit of Dokgo Myeong…?”
“We can’t break the covenant with the Dokgo clan so soon after painstakingly forging it. Let the Blood Sect Leader capture him if he can, but don’t make any moves of your own.”
“Jeon Myeong.”
“A confrontation with the Dokgo clan is premature at this time.”
The words carried a heavy weight. “Premature” meant that one day, they would fight.
That was when it happened.
*Thump.*
Wi Mu-jin stopped in his tracks.
Then he slowly turned his body around.
“The scent of blood is thick.”
“Hehehehe. Indeed, the name of Tuwang is well-deserved. Your perception is remarkable.”
Against the backdrop of the slowly rising sun, an elderly man in a shabby robe and black hat came into view.
“It seems I’ve arrived at an inopportune time. I hope my presence hasn’t been a hindrance amidst all this chaos?”
“The breach of etiquette was on my side. I apologize for the welcome filled with nothing but the stench of smoke.”
“Not at all. Such things hardly matter when having a conversation.”
The old man slowly raised his hand and removed his black hat.
Paedo Sect Leader narrowed his eyes, gazing at the old man’s hands holding the hat.
Like the buildings around them scorched red by the flames, the old man’s hands were stained a deep crimson.
*Swish.*
As the hat was removed, the kindly face of an elderly man was revealed.
The old man smiled warmly and spoke.
“Jeongheol Singyeong, Heukhyeol Singgun. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Wi Mu-jin of Paedobyeon.”

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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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