Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 160

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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 160
There was a reason why martial arts families were called “great houses.”
They were martial clans that wielded influence comparable to princes and generals across generations in their territories. At least within the regions they controlled, they exercised power that far surpassed even the Nine Great Sects.
It was only natural, for they possessed the power to control and manipulate the livelihoods of all who dwelt in their domains.
‘So this is what becomes possible.’
Moryong Han, the second son of Moryong Tae, the patriarch of the Moyong Family, smiled coldly as he glanced to his side.
There stood the Sect Leader of Baek Taek Gate, the largest Black Sect organization in Baek Taek County.
“Sect Leader. Let’s begin.”
“…Even so, this is too much. Surely we should at least leave them the means to sustain their livelihoods? Forced enforcement is excessive.”
“Baek Sect Leader. How dare a lowly Black Sect disciple overstep his bounds. Do you wish to be buried here as well?”
“…!”
“If you wish to preserve your family assets and keep yourself and your wife and children alive, do as you’re told. Don’t play at being some half-baked righteous hero.”
Baek Wang-gun, the Sect Leader of Baek Taek Gate, squeezed his eyes shut and commanded his subordinates.
Soon, cries of anguish began echoing throughout Baek Taek County.
“No, this can’t be! What are you doing, you bastards!”
“You shameless villains! Theft in broad daylight?!”
The disciples of Baek Taek Gate all spoke the same words.
“It’s not theft. The deadline has passed, so we’re simply recovering the assets.”
“What, what did you say? The deadline passed?! You said you’d extend it…!”
“Circumstances changed, so we’re enforcing the contract as written. If you have grievances, take them to the magistrate’s office. This is a lawful execution.”
“…!”
“If you’re upset, you shouldn’t have borrowed money in the first place. Kekeke!”
Screams and wails erupted from every corner. Those stripped of their means to survive wept tears of blood as they cried out in despair.
Days passed in this manner.
When the public sentiment toward Baek Taek Gate, once regarded as a relatively conscientious Black Sect organization, had completely reversed and resentment reached toward the heavens.
A group of people appeared in Baek Taek County.
“We heard there are Black Sect villains tormenting the common folk here. How dare you commit such atrocities in the territory of the great Moyong Family!”
They identified themselves as direct blood relatives of the Moyong Family—Moryong Han—and the Girin Sword Brigade, the family’s elite martial force.
In the eyes of the common people, they appeared as divine generals descending from heaven, accompanied by celestial soldiers.
Crash!
The plaque of Baek Taek Gate shattered under a single sword strike, the pillars burned to their roots in a single night, and all assets were recovered.
Rumors spread that the Sect Leader of Baek Taek Gate was a legendary demon lord, yet none of the common folk doubted these tales.
Only word circulated that the Sect Leader’s family, who had fled in the dead of night, was discovered as corpses torn to shreds by wild beasts.
“The demonic lair led by the chieftain of the Heterodox Path has been destroyed. The main family will now distribute all the assets that Baek Taek Gate had embezzled, so come and claim what is yours!”
“Why would the Moyong Family…?”
“Those who collected taxes so ruthlessly…why would they….”
“Does that matter now? Besides, they’ve already halved the taxes recently!”
Public sentiment is like fire. They had merely thrown a single spark, yet rumors spread far and wide.
“We are truly grateful! Sob, sob!”
“Oh my! We never expected such kindness!”
“Didn’t I tell you? Since ancient times, the Moyong Family has been a household of righteous swordsmen!”
Moryong Han let out a cold snort as he observed the endless praise for the Moyong Family echoing throughout Baek Tae-hyeon.
‘How easy this is. Such foolish people.’
He then had his subordinates spread the story of how the Moyong Family’s eldest son had been assassinated by a vicious murderer.
“The Moyong Family’s eldest son had his head taken?”
“There’s a blood-crazed madman in the Dokgo Household!”
“Everyone knows the Dokgo Family is ruthless! The true greatest household under heaven should be the Moyong Family!”
It wasn’t just Baek Tae-hyeon.
They had traveled through many cities of considerable size, accomplishing much.
Where Black Sect disciples appeared, they eliminated them. Where people starved, they provided relief. Where no problems existed, they created them, just as they had done here in Baek Tae-hyeon, then resolved them.
Their movements shook not only the regions near Zhejiang, but also the merchants passing through Zhejiang, the common people’s sentiments—everything trembled in their wake.
Moryong Han glanced back as he walked through the streets of Baek Tae-hyeon.
“Girin Sect Leader.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“What did you just say?”
“Pardon?”
“Your form of address. How long has my brother’s funeral been over, yet you still call me Young Master? Once this matter is concluded, I will be the true eldest son of the main household. Unlike my brother, who was only half-qualified, I am the successor who has mastered even the core techniques of the main family. Be mindful of your address.”
“…My apologies, Eldest Son.”
The Girin Sect Leader bowed his head deeply.
“More importantly, it seems this place is now wrapped up. What do you think?”
“Yes, I shall finish it.”
“What a tedious affair this has been.”
Moryong Han moved forward with a cold smile.
After all, public opinion in the Gangho was shaped by the circumstances of those above, and with the common people’s sentiments turning as well, the rumors would spread quickly.
“I hear the Dokgo Family can’t even stop themselves from killing their own members… For us, that’s fortunate. How do you think things will develop from here?”
“If public consensus continues to gather like this, the Dokgo Household may even abandon Dokgo Myeong.”
“Well, judging by how they’re acting now, it already looks like they’ve abandoned him.”
Moryong Han walked on with a slight laugh.
That was when it happened.
One of the Girin disciples approached them urgently.
“Young Master, Sect Leader. An urgent message has arrived from the main headquarters. You are ordered to return immediately.”
The Girin Sect Leader asked.
“What on earth has happened?”
“Chaos has broken out near Shaanxi and Hubei.”
“Chaos?”
“Dokgo Myeong is attacking organizations and forces under the main household’s influence in the Shaanxi and Hubei regions.”
“What did you just say?”
“Moreover, after destroying them all, he posted a proclamation… The contents are here…”
“He posted a proclamation? Let me see it first.”
Moryong Han snatched the enormous proclamation and began reading it carefully.
Moryong Han’s face flushed red and then pale.
“What does this letter contain?”
“This bastard has declared war on us.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
“A madman.”
Moryong Han hurled the letter to the ground with a contorted face.
The Girin Sect Leader picked up the letter again and read through it.
Dokgo Myeong, bloodline of the Dokgo Household, exposes the true nature of the Moyong Family.
Dizziness washed over him from the very first sentence.
The sentences that followed were indeed about the Moyong Family’s atrocities.
Extorting tributes from the Black Sect Disciples, selling young girls who couldn’t pay their taxes to pirates, raising assassins and dispatching them….
…Furthermore, it revealed that they had coveted the Namgung martial techniques, slaughtering survivors and kidnapping others.
Where was the righteousness of the Gangho? Certainly not in the Moyong Family.
Was this man insane?
‘What in the world is he relying on to do this?’
The Gangho was conservative. It did not welcome such audacity. Even if this were the truth.
But that wasn’t the most shocking part.
I will never hide again, nor will I avoid confrontation.
So if the Moyong Family truly claims to be a swordsman’s household, then don’t cowardly send assassins—face me in honest combat.
I have no intention of bringing shame to my household. I will face you not as Dokgo Myeong of the Dokgo Household, but as a single warrior.
I desire a direct confrontation with the Moyong Family.
‘Is he in his right mind?’
A mere youth barely in his twenties had challenged a great household with centuries of history.
* * *
“Is this real?”
“Is he truly mad?”
“Say something, Lord Hu-gudang.”
Ju Won-gwang, traveling alongside the carriage, nodded.
“Indeed. He’s mad. I can say with certainty that nothing like this has ever happened in the history of the Gangho. Yet here I am, becoming the one who helps him. Sigh.”
Ju Won-gwang let out a hollow laugh and thought to himself.
‘These fellows grumble under their breath yet carry out everything he orders. They don’t seem normal either.’
As Dokgo Myeong visited places where assassins were presumed to gather, he simultaneously began systematically demolishing every branch and establishment touched by the Moyong Family’s influence.
It took less than an hour to destroy each branch and stronghold.
More shocking was that there were no casualties in the process.
Dokgo Myeong and his group destroyed only the buildings, sparing all except those directly dispatched from the Moyong Family’s main residence.
After ruthlessly demolishing everything, they would leave a single pillar standing in the ruins, and the disciples would affix this letter to it.
‘Damn it, what am I helping with?’
Beyond audacity, something unprecedented in Gangho history was unfolding.
‘Actually, thinking about it, this group’s composition itself is absurd. One master at the Ascending Realm, one at the Peak Realm, two masters approaching the Peak, and that child is supposedly a disciple of Gung-goe….’
Even elite small units had their limits—this was an unreasonable force.
“Lord Ju, do you truly believe things will proceed smoothly like this?”
At that moment, Namgung Sohwa asked with a worried expression.
Ju Won-gwang found her somewhat irritating. Despite following Dokgo Myeong’s orders without hesitation and cleanly severing a building’s pillar with a single strike, she dared to question him.
“Ahem! Of course there’s a problem.”
“Is there?”
“Especially you, young lady. Now that you’ve openly revealed yourself as a descendant of the Namgung Household, the Moyong will covet you even more.”
“….”
“But at the same time, you’re also living proof.”
“I have no means to prove I’m from the Namgung Household.”
“What does that matter?”
“Pardon?”
“Do you know what truly matters in a war of public opinion? Not whether evidence exists, but whether you can stir people’s emotions. In that sense, you possess a narrative that will lodge itself in the hearts of the martial world.”
“…!”
“It’s absolutely absurd. The atmosphere in the martial world is flowing in a rather peculiar direction.”
Voices criticizing Dokgo Myeong as so-called “presumptuous” had begun to emerge.
Yet favorable voices were also heard from certain quarters—primarily from younger generations and martial artists with aggressive inclinations. Dokgo Myeong’s audacity had left quite an impression on them.
It was only natural.
Drawing a line between one’s status as a direct descendant of the greatest household under heaven and challenging a massive clan as a mere individual and martial artist was no simple feat.
Furthermore, the battles with the Nine Flower Blood Assassin and Jeong Cheon-maeng, the Paedo Sect Leader, had once again become the talk of the town, and when it was revealed that the Girin Sect Leader had assisted in resolving all these matters, followers and supporters of Dokgo Myeong began to emerge.
‘He likely didn’t predict all of this.’
It seemed like something he’d blurted out in a fit of anger, but could such a thing actually work?
“What exactly is he trying to accomplish?”
“Ah, it’s frustrating. Do they think only they can shape public opinion? I’ll do it too, then.”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled as he spoke.
In truth, rumors were only just beginning to spread, so how public opinion would turn remained uncertain.
However, it was true that the blade directed solely at Dokgo Myeong had begun to waver.
“Ah, how noisy. This much should draw proper attention. Now hurry with the investigation. Set the board.”
“They’re already moving as if their feet are on fire. The Sect Leader also seems to be traveling about.”
“Senior?”
“Yes, I heard he recently ascended Mount Hua.”
“Impressive. How reassuring.”
The Girin Sect Leader of all people was lending his aid.
The effect of sharing bibimbap together had been remarkable.
“The aftermath of this visit won’t be significant. Since we won’t escalate further, it will settle quickly.”
“I understand. But since you’ve laid the groundwork, the Moyong will dispatch forces.”
“You’ll have to crush all of it. You need to focus the martial world’s attention.”
“Yes, that’s my intention. And this incident will be part of that plan.”
Dokgo Myeong, who had been nodding with a serious expression, suddenly opened his triangular eyes and glared at Ju Won-gwang.
“If you’re done talking, get out and do your job, you wretched bastard. You didn’t even help when we were fighting?”
“…Really, what a temperamental ass. Just try not to die somewhere pointless.”
Ju Won-gwang departed in a swift motion.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and turned his head.
The carriage, rattling along, advanced into the mist-shrouded mountains of western Hubei.
Ye-hwa swallowed dryly and asked.
“Is this the place?”
“It seems to match.”
The atmosphere matched perfectly with what I had heard during a drinking session with Gwak Dae-ryong long ago.
A stone mountain where an ominous atmosphere permeated.
Beyond the mountain range lay a great gorge, and the river flowing from there ensured that mist blanketed the entire mountain year-round.
“This is where the survivors of Salgok dwell. Today, let us shatter your final remaining chain.”

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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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