Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 152

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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 152
After wandering aimlessly, I ended up sleeping rough once again.
The moment I finished preparing, Dokgo Ak couldn’t hold back and pressed me for answers.
“Gungoe? You mean the Gungoe I know? The premier assassination collective of Zhongyuan, the masterminds behind the Salgok Sect Annihilation? The one the Mudang Sect Master mentioned?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
“Wait, so that person actually existed?”
Cheolmu-baek asked a moment later.
“But who is Gungoe, and what is Salgok?”
“How can you not know that?”
As Geum Seok-du made a fuss, Namgung Sohwa shrugged and raised her hand as well.
“Actually, I don’t know much about it either.”
“Ah, if I were to explain, the story would become quite lengthy….”
As Dokgo Myeong frowned as if annoyed, Geum Seok-du’s eyes sparkled.
“Then would it be alright if I told the story?”
True to his nature of enjoying talking, Geum Seok-du already appeared excited.
Whoooosh! Whooooosh! Whoooosh!
Around that time, the cry of an unnamed bird echoed from somewhere within the forest.
The dark sky barely showed any stars, the campfire wasn’t particularly large, and only the occasional bird cry pierced the silence of the night.
In such an eerie atmosphere, a tale of the ruthless Gangho’s assassins wasn’t unwelcome.
“Salgok was, in other words, a group of assassins infamous as the premier killers of Zhongyuan. They would kill anyone, anytime, anywhere for the right price—true public enemies of the martial realm.”
“But I’ve heard the greatest assassin under heaven is the Sal Emperor of Salmak?”
Among the Three Sovereigns, there exists the King of Death.
The Master of Salmak, the Sal Emperor.
One who was said to have no one in all creation they could not kill.
Geum Seok-du nodded.
“Ah yes, the greatest assassin under heaven is indeed the Sal Emperor. More precisely, it is Salmak. The problem is that Salmak is shrouded in rumors but their true nature remains unclear.”
“But how can they be the greatest if they’re unclear?”
“Because all assassins believe it and speak of it that way.”
“Hmm….”
Countless mysterious deaths, sudden deaths, and disappearances of masters occurred throughout Gangho.
Assassins believed Salmak was behind all of it.
“How can beings so great remain hidden from the world?”
“Assassins say that Salmak remains hidden from the world simply because they are capable of executing their kills so perfectly that they leave no trace whatsoever.”
Cheolmu-baek’s expression became peculiar. He was a man who only believed what he saw with his own eyes.
Geum Seok-du grinned widely.
“In short, you could understand it as something like a religion or legend among assassins.”
“A baseless tale. How can one believe in what cannot be seen?”
“Of course, that is a fair point….”
Decades ago, before the Eight Desolations Divine Sword, one of the Five Sovereigns and once rated as the foremost master of his generation, died so pathetically, even those in Gangho thought like Cheolmu-baek.
“There was only one time when Salmak’s assassination was revealed. It was when the Eight Desolations Divine Sword proclaimed himself the unified master and opened the Divine Sword Arena. He insulted Salmak at the opening ceremony and declared that if they truly existed, they should come before him and bow their heads. And yet, the very next day, he was found dead.”
“I heard they found him with the Xieqfeng Sword embedded in his heart.”
Dokgo Ak eagerly added to the conversation.
Geum Seok-du nodded and continued.
“Since legend became reality, the Slayer King earned his place as the greatest assassin.”
“But how do we know for certain that the Slayer King was responsible?”
“We don’t. However, there were those who believed in his existence, and the deaths of Gangho masters continued to occur. Thus the Slayer King claimed his position among the Three Kings. In contrast, the Slayer Valley was an openly known assassin organization. They killed indiscriminately for coin.”
Whooooo! Whoooooo!
Now that I listened carefully, the cry sounded like that of a wild beast.
Whether an owl, a wolf, or a stray dog.
As the unidentifiable animal cry continued for a while before fading into silence, Namgung Sohwa opened her mouth.
“Then is this master Gung-goe the primary culprit who annihilated them?”
“About ten years ago, the Mudang Sect Leader received an anonymous letter and personally investigated. That location turned out to be the Slayer Valley’s hideout. Everyone there had been killed instantly by arrows.”
At that time, the Mudang Sect Leader gazed upon the arrows embedded in all directions and left a remark with a sigh.
-The world is said to have eccentrics as numerous as grains of sand, yet here stands one who has reached the realm of supernatural strength through the bow.
That was the birth of the Bow Eccentric.
“But here’s where it gets interesting—there’s a theory that the Bow Eccentric’s deeds were actually the work of the Slayer King. What this means is….”
“That’s not it.”
“Pardon?”
Dokgo Myeong shook his head firmly.
“Not the Slayer King. It was an assassination driven by personal vendetta.”
“Really? Ah….”
Geum Seok-du let out a sigh of slight disappointment.
Dokgo Myeong snorted.
“If it were truly the Slayer King’s assassin, we’d be crawling into a tiger’s den right now. Why would you be disappointed about that?”
“Ah, I see your point.”
“But is he counted among the Five Masters? In the region where I lived, the Hwasan Sect Leader and the Peng Clan Lord were selected instead.”
“So that’s why you weren’t familiar with the Bow Eccentric. Indeed, the Bow Eccentric is someone who enters and exits the Five Masters list along with the Vagrant King.”
Dokgo Myeong spoke up.
“In practical terms, the Five Masters should be considered on par with the Nine Sects’ leaders or the supreme masters of the great families. That’s why the roster varies by region.”
The family lords and sect leaders rarely display their martial prowess to the Gangho. This was why the Five Masters list differed depending on the region and who was evaluating it.
Regardless, merely being mentioned among the Five Masters indicated a status equivalent to that of a Nine Sects leader or a great family patriarch.
Crack! Snap!
Cheolmu-baek, who had just thrown firewood into the campfire, suddenly let out a low laugh.
The sight of Cheolmu-baek’s shoulders trembling with laughter against the flickering firelight looked quite eerie.
“Why are you suddenly laughing in this situation?”
“Sounds interesting.”
“….”
“I’ve never fought someone who practices the assassin’s way. I’m looking forward to it.”
Then he laughed again with a ‘Hehehehe!’
Everyone regarded Cheolmu-baek with slightly uncomfortable expressions.
“Expectations? Don’t make me laugh. What’s a fool who can’t even use basic footwork techniques talking about?”
“….”
Cheolmu-baek’s shoulders drooped slightly.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled softly.
‘Gwak Dae-ryong. It’s really, truly been ages since I’ve seen him.’
My heart lifted a little without my realizing it.
I had treated Namgung Sohwa, Cheolmu-baek, and Geum Seok-du all like close friends, but truthfully, Namgung Sohwa and Cheolmu-baek had joined after Dokgo Hyeon took command of the Chamma Unit, so they weren’t quite complete friends in that sense.
Geum Seok-du had entered the Chamma Unit before Dokgo Hyeon, but….
‘I was a bit unlucky back then. That’s why it took time to become close with Seok-du.’
In that sense, Gwak Dae-ryong was someone rather special.
A superior, a subordinate, a teacher, an older brother, and a friend all at once.
And he was someone who had witnessed both before and after Dokgo Hyeon’s transformation.
‘He’s not an easy man, but his straightforward personality means I can bring him along without major incident.’
There weren’t zero entanglements of karma between us, but that would be something to worry about in the distant future.
A few cups of wine and some honest conversation would have him following along naturally. That’s precisely why I’d gone out of my way to bring along expensive local premium liquor that didn’t quite fit the occasion.
“After Tuwang, the Intoxicated Demon Lord, and the Drunken Demon Patriarch, now the Drunken Demon Lord? Following Myeong Sohyeop around, it seems I’ll end up meeting all the famous names of Gangho.”
“But isn’t there also the Sword King Dokgo Un-hak, the uncle of Young Master Dokgo Ak?”
“Well, that’s true… but he doesn’t even pay attention to me, so I’ve barely exchanged words with him a few times.”
“A bow. I wonder if an axe could match it.”
The chatter of my friends continued around the campfire.
Dokgo Myeong laughed.
“Hehehehe.”
“What? Why are you laughing?”
“Oh, just.”
Once Gwak Dae-ryong joined, the four generals of the Chamma Unit would be complete.
But that was when it happened.
Dokgo Myeong suddenly clamped his mouth shut and furrowed his brow.
As my energy suddenly shifted, everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“What is it?”
Dokgo Myeong spoke abruptly.
“Sound.”
“Pardon?”
“The animal sounds have stopped.”
That was when it happened.
Shiiiiik!
The sound of wind being cut through the air rang out.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes snapped open, and I hastily reached out toward the carriage behind me.
Kwaaang!
My hand extended into empty space.
The explosion erupted directly in front of the carriage wall.
* * *
“Gasp! M-Master?”
“An ambush?”
The horses tied beside the carriage startled and kicked up a fuss, while the rest of the party scrambled to their feet and scanned their surroundings warily.
Ssshhh.
White smoke curled from Dokgo Myeong’s extended fist. He slowly opened his hand.
Dokgo Ak’s eyes widened.
“An arrow?”
An arrow was clutched in Dokgo Myeong’s palm.
It had an unusual form—roughly half the length of an ordinary arrow. It was a special projectile known as a fragmentary arrow in distant lands far from Zhongyuan.
“Wait, that was an arrow just now?”
“How did an arrow generate such an impact?”
“Ah, I knew it! If he let this slide easily, he wouldn’t be Dokgo Myeong!”
While everyone else panicked, Dokgo Myeong muttered in a voice barely audible to others.
“…A shadowless arrow. It’s been a while.”
My palm throbbed.
The skin had scraped slightly.
‘Still, I got off cheap.’
If I’d caught it even a moment later, one wall of the carriage would have been torn open, and we’d have been traveling in the wind.
Cheolmu-baek spoke with a grave expression.
“I sense no presence of the enemy.”
“How far away did they shoot from?”
The party had already seized their weapons and were vigilantly scanning all directions.
Dokgo Myeong raised his hand horizontally and made a calming gesture. A signal to stand down.
The party’s eyes widened before they lowered their guard.
Dokgo Myeong twirled the arrow between his fingers and infused his voice with inner energy.
“It doesn’t seem you view us as prey. You appear to have some business, so why not show yourself, night visitor?”
Whoooosh!
The trees shook violently.
Then, accompanied by the rustling of branches, a single voice echoed out.
“Martial artist. There will be no second warning. Leave this place.”
It was an eerie timbre—impossible to discern whether male or female, old or young, near or far.
Namgung Sohwa’s eyes widened.
“The Six Harmonies Transmission Voice?”
“Six Harmonies Transmission Voice? No, it’s just a crude technique—manipulating the vocal cords with inner energy to distort the voice and project it outward.”
This time, Dokgo Myeong made an “ah” sound and cleared his throat slightly, then projected his voice in a similar manner.
“If you intended to attack us, you would have aimed for the neck, not the carriage wall. State your business.”
As Dokgo Myeong mimicked the technique almost perfectly, both the party and the night visitor from the darkness seemed startled.
After a moment, the darkness answered again with the sound of rustling branches.
“…The next one, I’ll shoot to kill. Leave at once.”
“We harbor no intention to harm anyone, nor did we come here with any grand purpose. Why do you insist we depart?”
“I cannot trust those words. I cannot permit entry into this place. Leave now. If you depart immediately, I will neither pursue nor attack.”
“Hmm…”
I furrowed my brow.
‘What is this? Something feels off.’
The tone, the threats—everything felt amateurish.
Gwak Dae-ryong had a somewhat frivolous temperament, but he was never someone who handled matters sloppily.
“…Could it be.”
My eyes began to emit a piercing blue light.
“Are you a survivor of Salgok?”
“…”
No answer came.
Had the timeline shifted again?
Then, from the darkness, a muttering voice echoed once more.
“I cannot send you back. How do you know that name.”
Disappointment flickered across my face.
“This won’t do.”
I gripped the arrow I had been spinning and swung my arm in a wide arc.
Boom! Kwaaang!
The arrow shot forth like a projectile, and an explosion erupted in a corner of the forest.
A tree trunk tilted precariously, and amid the loud crash of snapping branches came a shallow cry of pain.
“…Ugh.”
“There you are.”
I crouched low, my body sinking.
The moment my thigh muscles swelled powerfully, I burst forward like an arrow.
Kwaalung!
It was the Gwang Geuk Un-hyeong—a technique of explosive advance and extreme speed.
At that very speed, I was about to unleash a punch without hesitation.
“…Huh? What is this?”
I stopped my fist and widened my eyes in shock.

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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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