Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 151

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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 151
Dokgo Myeong and his group moved without pause.
This wasn’t a figure of speech—they truly never rested.
Dokgo Ak blinked his eyes.
‘Ah, an unfamiliar sky.’
He’d lost consciousness at midday, but when he opened his eyes, the sun was setting.
What’s this? Time just vanished.
Just then, something flew past his vision and crashed into the ground.
Crash!
“Gaaahhh!”
A deep, heavy groan.
It was Cheolmu-baek.
Cheolmu-baek staggered to his feet with bloodshot eyes.
He managed to stay up for just a moment before collapsing back to the ground, writhing.
Dokgo Myeong spoke to him.
“Mu-baek.”
“Hnngh…”
“Foot technique—everyone makes it sound so grand, but it’s just a method of using force. There’s flowing technique that releases force outward, penetrating technique that channels it inward, explosive technique that detonates it… What good is having great power if you don’t know how to use it properly?”
“I… understand…”
“Do you really? You don’t seem to. Why can’t you grasp what even child martial disciples in Zhongyuan manage? Why not?”
“Grrrrgh!”
Cheolmu-baek’s forehead veins bulged as foam flecked his lips.
‘At this rate, he’ll fall into demonic obsession.’
Look at that devastating mouth of his.
The legendary realm of Heart Sword had nothing on this. That tongue of his was the true Heart Sword.
‘Come to think of it, most of those who fought him took several verbal blows before the actual combat even started.’
As he lay there thinking such thoughts.
Footsteps.
The sound of footsteps reached Dokgo Ak’s ears as he lay face-down.
Footsteps, footsteps.
Dokgo Ak suppressed his presence and held his breath.
And then…
“You’re awake?”
“Eek!”
Dokgo Ak sprang up like a frog, trembling violently.
“W-wait! I’m really dying. I have no inner energy, and my body hurts too much. This won’t work. I’ve really reached my limit…”
That was when.
Something erupted from the ground behind Dokgo Myeong and swung a sword.
“Die!”
It was Namgung Sohwa.
Dokgo Ak couldn’t help but admire her.
That pale-faced young lady had feigned unconsciousness and then launched a surprise attack?
And it had actually worked.
Whoooosh! Screeeech!
Dokgo Myeong was driven backward, his feet plowing furrows through the earth.
Whether sand billowed up or not, Namgung Sohwa swung her blade with wild abandon, her expression venomous.
“Die! Die! Dieeee!”
She wouldn’t have fought with such ferocity even against a mortal enemy.
The dust that had erupted settled and rose again repeatedly—a testament to how relentless Namgung Sohwa’s consecutive strikes were.
Then, in an instant.
Boom!
Namgung Sohwa’s blade stopped abruptly.
Dokgo Myeong had caught her sword between his palms with a masterful technique.
“Hisss! That one actually hurt. I didn’t expect your sneak attack to break through my protective technique.”
“…!”
“But Sohwa, it’s good that your inner strength has grown after taking the elixir, but your balance has collapsed. Don’t let raw power control you. Consciously maintain your equilibrium.”
“Y-yes. I will.”
“Good. Let’s do better next time.”
Crash!
“…Ugh!”
Namgung Sohwa collapsed to the ground as well.
As Dokgo Myeong’s gaze turned toward Dokgo Ak, who had already gotten to his feet, Dokgo Ak flinched.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled softly.
“That’s enough for today.”
“Haa….”
“Huuu….”
Heavy sighs escaped from the two who lay sprawled on the ground, catching their breath.
Dokgo Ak also collapsed onto his haunches, exhaling deeply.
‘Is this right? Is this actually right?’
It had been a week since they left Jangwon.
The group had been traveling through the mountains, training morning, noon, and evening—sparring, fighting, and getting beaten down.
‘They’ve all turned into monsters. But I wonder if this sparring is actually helping that guy too.’
Dokgo Ak laughed bitterly.
In truth, this fight had begun because Dokgo Myeong needed to train as well.
-I need to test out some new martial techniques. All of you attack me. I’ll only defend.
-Are you insane? What are you saying?
-It’s a martial art that requires actual combat to master properly.
-You could get hurt doing that.
-Ha! These incompetent fools worrying about me when I’m at an ascending realm!
-…!
The three of them took the bait and rushed at me in unison—that’s how it began.
At first, I truly only defended myself.
But then, at some point, I gradually got into the rhythm and started spouting nonsense like “the best defense is a good offense!” as I began advancing step by step.
‘Could we be interfering with his training?’
As this thought suddenly crossed his mind, Dokgo Ak, who had been watching me, widened his eyes in an instant.
‘Huh? Could it be…?’
My face had flushed a deep red.
My hair and neck were completely drenched in sweat, and whether I was trying to hide my ragged breathing or not, my nasal sounds were oddly loud and my chest heaved noticeably.
Then I suddenly turned my head.
“What are you looking at?”
“You right now…”
“What? Damn it!”
With those words, I started trudging off somewhere.
Dokgo Ak casually asked.
“Where are you going?”
“I got hungry from moving around. Check the carriage for some dried meat.”
“Are you really going because you’re hungry?”
“What else would it be?”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“Nothing at all.”
I trudged off toward the carriage and disappeared.
A moment later, Namgung Sohwa and Cheolmu-baek began staggering to their feet.
“Ugh…”
“Ow! Hnngh!”
Cheolmu-baek groaned and got up in an awkward crouch, while Namgung Sohwa followed, swallowing back the tears that had spilled out.
Dokgo Ak asked.
“Um, is everyone alright?”
“We’re fine. Phew.”
“I’m alright.”
In a moment of silence, the three of them looked at each other.
Then they slowly opened their mouths.
“You saw it, right?”
“Did you see it?”
“I saw it.”
The three of them grinned widely.
Dokgo Ak spoke.
“It seems we’ve grown as well.”
In the end, all three of us took a thorough beating, but for the first time, I had been pushed back.
Moreover, as my realm advanced, I had experienced explosive growth.
“Someone who never fell for ambushes just got caught in one.”
“He looked exhausted and out of breath.”
“And seeing him switch from purely defensive techniques to offensive ones suggests he was really struggling.”
The three of them chuckled with dark amusement.
Then Namgung Sohwa suddenly spoke with a sinister expression.
“But why didn’t Geum participate?”
“He said he was deciphering some old manuscript.”
“A manuscript? Ah!”
* * *
“How’s it coming along?”
“Yes, Master. I’ve managed to decipher some of the formulation methods.”
Geum Seok-du answered while scribbling furiously with portable brush and ink inside the carriage.
“But where are you hurt?”
“Hurt? Why?”
“Why do you look so exhausted? Your eyes are hollow and your breathing is unstable.”
“Those kids have gotten too rough. If I don’t want to get hit from behind, I need to train harder.”
Dokgo Myeong grumbled and flopped down inside the carriage.
“So, what’s the progress?”
“Ah! That’s right. I had something to ask you about.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Master, didn’t you say there were only two restorable elixirs in total?”
Geum Seok-du pointed to the Divine Medicine Compendium he’d stolen from Mandeung Pavilion.
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“One medicinal elixir, one inner strength enhancement elixir. Those should be the only two, right?”
“It doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“Hmm?”
Geum Seok-du carefully turned the pages of the Divine Medicine Compendium with his fingertips.
“There are indeed two complete ones. Decoding their ciphers was relatively straightforward. But it seems there are two more complete formulation methods beyond those.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s difficult, but if I can figure out the decryption method, I think I can obtain both of those as well.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed.
This was an unexpected windfall.
Why would elixirs be called elixirs for nothing?
Elixirs are concoctions that artificially imbue spiritual essence equivalent to that of thousand-year snow ginseng or the inner cores of spiritual beasts by blending all manner of ingredients together.
‘But four of them? And complete formulation methods at that?’
Even the prestigious Great Gate Sect considered two or three elixir formulation methods a considerable treasure. If these were all supreme-grade elixir formulations, no windfall could compare.
“What kind of effects do these medicines have? You must have figured out at least that much?”
“I’ll need to do more decoding to determine that.”
“Ah, hurry it up. I’m dying of curiosity.”
“So am I. But some of this is written in Western languages, so I’ll need more reference materials.”
“Do what you can for now. Once we return home, I’ll procure as many resources as needed.”
“Understood.”
I let out a soft chuckle.
‘The elixir that Paedobyeon boasted about in my past life is finally coming into my hands. And on top of that, two additional formulas that were never known!’
I had been wanting for elixirs anyway.
While obtaining Hongcheon Gi had increased my qi absorption efficiency, I still suffered from insufficient inner energy reserves.
Not just myself, but aside from Dokgo Ak who had grown up eating well, my other companions also lacked inner energy. Namgung Sohwa had consumed the Heavenly Spirit Pill this time, but it was still far from sufficient.
“By the way, what will you do about that?”
Geum Seok-du gestured with his eyes toward the interior of the carriage.
Inside were twelve Windheaven Blades inserted into leather sheaths.
“I can’t use those right now. In this rusted state, they’re worse than cheap bronze daggers.”
“What? Aren’t those one of the Gangho’s Ten Great Divine Weapons?”
“They were, until the Esoteric Sect sealed them. Three hundred years ago, they were still the secret weapons of the master Windheaven Deity.”
There were rumors that when twelve blades flew through the sky, thunder and lightning would fall from above and violent winds would rise from the earth.
But that wasn’t exaggeration or the result of martial arts—it was the actual ability of the weapons themselves.
“Then why are they in this condition?”
“The Esoteric Sect’s monks placed a seal on them. Only a monk with deep cultivation, a sorcerer skilled in heterodox arts, or perhaps a Daoist priest versed in mystical techniques could release the blocked qi.”
“Should I make some inquiries?”
“Never mind. I already have someone in mind.”
The descendants of the Zhenzheng Sect, the main headquarters of Daoism, still lived and breathed in this world.
“Once I break the seal, I’ll melt them down and forge a single sword.”
“…What did you just say?”
“Melt them down and forge a sword.”
Geum Seok-du’s mouth fell open.
I simply chuckled.
“Anyway, we should arrive around tomorrow.”
I leaned against the carriage wall and exhaled deeply.
* * *
Contrary to expectations, I had to wander the roads for quite some time.
After spending days searching through various parts of villages, I finally found my destination and could proceed.
Dokgo Ak grumbled.
“What do you mean you don’t know the exact location if you’re going to find someone?”
“The man lives so deep in seclusion. How could even I know the exact location of some remote mountain village in this vast realm? Besides, this fellow might get a bit lost. Where are you looking? Cut it out!”
At the sight of me suddenly raising my fist, Dokgo Ak closed his mouth.
The carriage rattled on.
Geum Seok-du, sitting on the coachman’s seat, cautiously asked.
“Young Master. You said the person we’re looking for this time is an assassin—is it perhaps a village of assassins or something?”
“No. It’s just an ordinary mountain village.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes! I’m certain! Nothing will go wrong! We’ll just meet the person!”
“As if.”
“Who would believe that?”
“Hmm.”
No one in the group believed Dokgo Myeong’s words.
Dokgo Myeong grumbled and slumped against the backrest of the jolting carriage.
“Could you at least explain what kind of person he is? We’ll be traveling together, so it would be good to know beforehand.”
“His name is Gwak Dae-ryong.”
Dokgo Myeong spat out the name.
In my past life, during the time I’d beaten Dokgo Ak and faced death’s door.
Thanks to the Saheon Sect Leader’s petition, I—or rather, Dokgo Hyeon—was spared from being cast out of the family and sold to the Murim Alliance, my crime commuted instead.
The place I entered was the Chamma Division, and the first division master I met there was Gwak Dae-ryong.
-So you’re the new recruit coming in this time?
The image of Gwak Dae-ryong grinning wickedly as he spoke came flooding back.
Zhongyuan at that time was on the eve of the full-scale war with the Blood Cult.
The Murim Alliance needed people to handle the dirty work necessary for the Alliance to be established. In other words, they needed assassins like Moyong’s Hidden Sword or the Dokgo family’s Black Dragon Division.
The Chamma Division played that role, and Gwak Dae-ryong handled his duties so flawlessly that even the Alliance’s leadership would shake their heads in amazement. The higher-ups even discussed reevaluating the Chamma Division and promoting it to an official establishment.
But there was something they didn’t know.
About the Chamma Division before I joined it.
There wasn’t a single master of peak level or higher besides Gwak Dae-ryong.
-Do it right. Do it properly.
I remembered his distinctive laugh, pulling both corners of his mouth upward in a grin.
A man who had been captured and brought in from the assassin ranks.
All those difficult and deadly tasks were handled under Gwak Dae-ryong’s command.
“Gwak Dae-ryong… you said he was an assassin, correct?”
“Precisely, he was one. Now he’s chosen the life of a fugitive to leave that life behind.”
“An assassin?”
Namgung Sohwa and Dokgo Ak wore slightly peculiar expressions.
In Gangho, assassins were objects of contempt much like thieves. They weren’t those who tested their martial arts against each other, but cowardly and treacherous night visitors.
“…It seems he has quite a formidable reputation?”
“The opposite. He’s an assassin with no reputation.”
“Pardon?”
“Do you understand what it means to be an assassin whose name isn’t known?”
An assassin whose name is known is not first-rate. A truly skilled assassin is always nameless.
Gwak Dae-ryong was such a man.
“However, there was one time he made a name for himself. He even earned a grand epithet from that deed.”
“That sounds like the story of the Killing Emperor, the master of Killing Marsh.”
“Not quite that grand, but he’s heard similar things said about him.”
“Really? What kind of person is he?”
“The Bow King. Or the Bow Fiend.”
“…!”
“His name is Gwak Dae-ryong. One of the Three Kings and Twin Monsters. The man who single-handedly annihilated the assassin group Salgok—he is precisely the person we must seek out.”

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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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