Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 145

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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 145
“Hahahaha!”
“Kehehehehe!”
Dokgo Myeong watched the two beggarly priests laughing uproariously, lost in thought.
‘These two beggars laugh like absolute beggars.’
Suddenly, something welled up inside me.
I was beginning to grasp what was happening in this situation, and irritation rose from the pit of my stomach.
Ju Won-gwang, noticing this, wisely stopped laughing and gently tugged at his master’s sleeve.
“Master, I think it would be best if you stopped laughing.”
“Why, you brat?”
“That look in his eyes is ominous. See there? That piercing blue aura flickering past? It’s a warning sign before his eyes roll back. If that happens, we’re in serious trouble.”
“Serious trouble?”
“Fire erupts in the streets, the black path gets annihilated and their pockets emptied. The white path usually gets beaten, humiliated, or loses their successors, and even intact sects are scattered to the winds. At minimum, several people die or get injured, so I think we should stop here.”
Smack!
“Ow! Why are you hitting me again!?”
“You man-child, your exaggerations and dramatics are absolutely insufferable.”
Bang Jong-san clicked his tongue, then suddenly tilted his head. Come to think of it, all of those things had actually happened.
Bang Jong-san asked Dokgo Myeong.
“Junior Dokgo Myeong. Are you on the verge of losing it right now?”
Dokgo Myeong hesitated at Bang Jong-san’s question, asked with a wry smile, then answered.
“No, that’s not quite it.”
“No?”
“I almost was, but after thinking about it, I realized I’m not confident I could beat Senior Bang yet. And besides, I tend to respect my elders, so I held back.”
“….”
A brief silence descended.
Bang Jong-san let out a hollow cough.
“Heh, heheheh, in all my years I’ve heard it all. So I’ve got a junior with no filter?”
“You’re not upset, are you?”
“Seems like I might be a little.”
“I bought you food and drink, so please forgive me.”
“Is that so?”
For a moment, the two of them exchanged soft chuckles.
Dokgo Myeong opened his mouth with a smile.
“Then would it be fair to say you’ve tested me enough?”
Bang Jong-san nodded.
“I apologize for putting on such a display. When did you figure it out?”
“I never figured it out until the end. You’re quite the actor.”
“Well, it wasn’t an act.”
“….”
“If you’d been an incompetent fool, I would have shut that blind-eyed disciple away. If you’d been twisted and wrong… I would have had to go to some lengths myself.”
Bang Jong-san ran his hand across the cudgel hanging at his waist.
Dokgo Myeong gazed intently at the handle and nodded.
“I’m relieved. We’ll need Gab’s help with many things, and fortunately nothing unfortunate has occurred.”
At Dokgo Myeong’s words, Bang Jong-san’s lips curved into a smile.
Then he turned to look at his disciple.
“You’ve gotten yourself into quite a predicament now.”
“Why is that, Master?”
“For me, the time spent alongside my junior will be brief, but you must share the same era with him. Since he’s not an enemy, perhaps I should call it fortunate instead.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Bang Jong-san turned his head.
“Would my junior be willing to look favorably upon this foolish disciple of mine for my sake?”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed.
“Does that mean you’re granting permission?”
“….”
“If not, then explain why you continue to assess me even after saying I’ve passed.”
Bang Jong-san’s eyes flashed.
Indeed, he was a remarkable talent. It made sense why his disciple had fallen completely for him.
He possessed conviction, integrity, and sharp intellect. This was the kind of person who pioneered the times.
The problem was his nature.
‘If he were merely sharp like his father, I wouldn’t worry so much.’
Was that anger burning in those eyes?
Why did he suppress it so calmly instead of raging wildly as befitted his age?
The Dokgo Household had raised a monster. Or rather, the monster had grown on his own.
“How did you become entangled with the Jeongheol Sect? Is there a particular reason?”
“The same reason as with the Black Tiger Sect and the Six Martial Sect.”
“The same?”
“Their actions displease me.”
Dokgo Myeong clicked his tongue sharply and drank straight from the bottle.
Bang Jong-san chuckled.
“Well, they do displease me too. Not like some adolescent—spouting nonsense about blood and martyrdom.”
“Why did you fight them, Senior?”
Bang Jong-san pondered for a moment, then smiled widely.
“Come to think of it, I had similar reasons. They forcibly turned people into beggars and planted them in Gab. I didn’t like it, so I started fighting.”
“How could such a despicable thing even happen?”
“My point exactly. Throwing decent people into a mob of beggars? And those who became beggars at their command—what are they? It’s absolutely despicable.”
“Hearing this, it seems Senior Bang is quite the rebel yourself.”
“Gab was always a rebel. Similar to you.”
“Doesn’t Gab walk alongside the Nine Sects? There seems to be some distance between him and me.”
“I should tell my junior about Gab.”
Bang Jong-san cleared his throat with a hum and opened his mouth. His voice flowed out with a melodic quality, as if he were singing.
“How did we lowly beggars ever gain such prominence? Time marched forward, leading us into an age of chaos and war.”
“Well said!”
“What are you doing?”
“I was just adding encouragement, sir?”
“Good grief… Just listen quietly, will you?”
“Yes.”
Bang Jong-san muttered with an exasperated expression, then cleared his throat once more and continued his tale—whether song or story, it was hard to tell.
“When conflict erupts, what multiplies most? Beggars, of course. And what’s easiest to oppress? Beggars as well.”
“….”
“So these beggars, desperate to survive, began gathering one by one—thus the Beggar Faction was born. From its very inception, it was a sect of the weak seeking to endure against the strong. But after the wars ended, who were the strong? Those who had won through force and power.”
“The powerful ones….”
“Yes. And as history repeats itself, the powerful are toppled by the weak, the weak gain strength, and they in turn….”
When chaos ends, peace arrives.
And peace inevitably breeds chaos anew.
The strong and weak have constantly shifted, yet beggars remained the weak through every age.
“So the beggar masses could only grow larger. With more people came more information, and among them emerged skilled fighters and clever minds….”
“So that’s how the Beggar Faction became what it is today.”
Bang Jong-san’s expression grew dissatisfied, his brows narrowing slightly.
“I told you to stay quiet. That was the grand finale of my song.”
“But Senior Bang, for a beggar, your singing voice is rather lacking, isn’t it? How do you manage to survive begging for food?”
“This junior really has no manners….”
Suddenly Geum Seok-du interjected with flattery.
“Master Bang, to my ears, it was a simple and beautiful song.”
“Ah, thank you. In any case.”
Bang Jong-san scratched his head and broke into a grin, baring his teeth.
“We gathered to survive against the strong. What do we care for the Nine Sects? What do the righteous and unrighteous paths matter to us? As our numbers grew, we bound ourselves together—we are simply the Beggar Faction.”
“Indeed.”
“The Beggar Faction isn’t some chivalrous association. What chivalry can penniless beggars practice? So we can only be rebels.”
“….”
“And from what you’ve said, you’re similar to us. We share a common purpose—we are ‘protectors,’ are we not?”
“Mm.”
Dokgo Myeong fell silent for a moment.
In truth, unlike Bang Jong-san, I didn’t particularly enjoy protecting things. Rather than fretting and suffering over guarding something, I thought it better to simply hand it over and turn the other party’s words against them.
Dokgo Ak, Geum Seok-du, Namgung Sohwa, and Cheolmu-baek seemed to share the sentiment, tilting their heads in confusion, though they had the sense not to speak.
I possessed enough sense myself, but that didn’t stop me from saying what I wanted.
“Now the Beggar Faction has become powerful too. Why speak so confidently of being protectors? You have no conscience.”
“….”
“Why’s the mood like this? Did I say something wrong?”
The atmosphere had turned as cold as if ice water had been poured over it.
‘Sigh, really. What a sage.’
How could a person remain so unchangingly true to themselves?
You need to lose some of that conviction! Please!
While everyone wore bewildered expressions, Bang Jong-san laughed.
“I’ll admit it. That’s precisely the problem.”
“Pardon?”
“Why the Jeongheol Sect infiltrated the Gaebang, a sect of the powerless. When even my disciple harbors dreams of rising to prominence, what more is there to say?”
“Why do you keep bringing me into this?”
“Be quiet, you fool.”
Ju Won-gwang grumbled.
“…”
Dokgo Myeong met Bang Jong-san’s gaze.
It was like looking into a mirror—similar yet subtly gazing in a different direction.
Suddenly, I realized that Bang Jong-san might be the person most similar to me.
“Do you also suffer from inner demons, senior?”
Bang Jong-san nodded.
“Frustrated, I drowned my inner demons in drink day and night until I became a drunkard. What about you?”
“This is the first time inner demons have driven me to madness. Whenever I see those who wear leashes and wield them, rage boils up inside me.”
“A case of demonic possession through anger.”
Here I am, being understood by a beggar of all people.
Yet strangely, it didn’t feel bad, so Dokgo Myeong let out a small laugh.
“Then might I finally receive an answer?”
Bang Jong-san nodded.
“Truth be told, I like this. I like that a junior like you has appeared anew in Gangho. I like your spirit that won’t be broken even when I pressure you.”
Bang Jong-san drew out his words. “But…”
“Your joining hands with us cannot be decided by my will alone.”
Dokgo Myeong’s expression changed completely.
“That ‘us’ doesn’t refer only to the Gaebang, does it?”
“The Gaebang is part of it.”
My head spun.
What did he mean?
Were there others fighting against the Jeongheol Sect? If so…
…Baek Mu-heun?
In that instant, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes flashed sharply.
“Since you’ve considered using the Gaebang in your fight against the Jeongheol Sect, you now require our permission.”
Then Bang Jong-san’s aura shifted.
Whoosh!
His ordinarily unremarkable energy suddenly intensified.
Bang Jong-san spoke.
“The reason I tested you. It’s because the Jeongheol Sect runs deeper and darker than we anticipated. And…”
Bang Jong-san’s eyes transformed.
“That’s because I still don’t know if you’re Baek.”
Thud! Whoosh!
Bang Jong-san extended his palm forward.
It was the Open Palm Absolute Technique, the Descending Dragon Palm.
Boom!
Dokgo Myeong was a beat too late, meeting Bang Jong-san’s palm with his own hand.
Two palms collided.
A clash of inner energy had begun.
* * *
Crash!
Namgung Sohwa, Dokgo Ak, and Cheolmu-baek shot to their feet and immediately drew their weapons.
“Wait, hold on! Calm down! Once they’ve entered a power struggle like this, both of them could die!”
Ju Won-gwang scrambled up and moved to block them.
Namgung Sohwa paid no heed and brought her sword to Bang Jong-san’s throat.
“If Young Master Myeong is injured, I will draw this blade. I’m certain we all feel the same way.”
“…!”
That was when it happened.
Crack!
Veins bulged across Dokgo Myeong’s forehead.
As he relentlessly pushed his inner force forward, the Dragon Head Sect Master’s energy began to intertwine with his own.
‘The Realm of Infinite Extremity. An inner force that has transcended the state of essence, energy, and spirit!’
It was profound. And overwhelming.
It was like facing a landslide cascading down from a great mountain.
‘How does a person contain a landslide within their body?’
This was the inner force of No Gang-ho, acclaimed as the finest of the Five Clans.
He was a master capable of contending with those at the Transcendent Heaven Realm, so it was no wonder he was formidable, but this exceeded all expectations.
‘Worthy of being called a master of the Infinite Extremity. But… I too have walked that path!’
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened.
Whiiiiing!
With a sound like a swarm of bees, the true energy of Cheonoe Gyeong surged forth.
Hyo Heaven Energy protected his bones and meridians, while Hwi Heaven Energy struck and moved.
When it penetrated, Hong Heaven Energy followed, and when it was pushed back, Seong Heaven Energy held firm.
Bang Jong-san’s eyes widened.
“Hmm.”
Sweat trickled down Bang Jong-san’s temple and beaded at his jaw.
“Quite the monster. Your inner force reserves fall short of my disciples, yet this density and purity are absurd.”
“Did you… really have to do this? At this rate, huff, huff! Both of us… will die….”
Dokgo Myeong managed to finish speaking with difficulty.
Bang Jong-san’s voice also grew slightly slower.
“I’ll sustain serious internal injuries. You’ll die.”
“Very well. Let’s see how this plays out.”
“No, let’s end this amicably.”
“On the count of three, then.”
“Agreed.”
“One.”
“Two.”
Three!
Boom!
A violent shockwave erupted with the explosion.
Dokgo Myeong and Bang Jong-san were hurled in opposite directions.
“Cough! Ugh! Damn, I’m injured.”
Dokgo Myeong coughed and spat blood.
Bang Jong-san calmly wiped his sweat and staggered to his feet.
“It was white. Thank goodness.”
“If I had drawn black, I would have been decapitating your commanders left and right, wouldn’t I?”
“Those bastards would fabricate it anyway.”
Yes, that was possible.
I knew the Jeongheol Sect’s methods better than anyone.
Then, Bang Jong-san paused briefly, swallowed, and lifted his head.
“Good. From now on, you’ve become an ally of the Gaebangs. I permit it in the name of the Gaebang Lord.”
Though spoken matter-of-factly, the weight behind those words was immense. The master of the Great Gaebang, who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Nine Sects and ranked among the top ten masters under heaven, had just become an ally to a mere young man.
“It’s difficult to even shake hands. Really.”
I exhaled a deep sigh.
“If you hadn’t spoken that man’s name, you wouldn’t have suffered this much.”
That man.
My eyes gleamed.
There was only one man worthy of mention from the Gaebang Lord’s lips.
I spoke quietly.
“Baek Mu-heun.”
“Yes, how do you know him?”

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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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