Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 164

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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 164
“Little one.”
“…It’s Ye-hwa.”
“Let me ask you one thing.”
Dokgo Myeong narrowed his brow as he spoke.
“I heard that sovereignty of the Dokgo clan passed to Gwak. Can’t you control them through him and stop this fight?”
Ye-hwa’s eyes widened slightly before she shook her head firmly.
“If that were possible, my father wouldn’t have tried to slaughter all of Salgok’s assassins—he would have only killed the sect leader.”
“What do you mean?”
“My mastery of sorcery is inadequate. I can only lift the curse from one person at a time. And… if they truly are descendants of Salgok, they’ve likely cultivated a new mother gu.”
“So it’s not something easily obtained.”
Soon the group arrived at the entrance of the iron gate.
The entrance was thick with acrid incense.
Among poisons, those that disperse through the air like this are actually not particularly threatening. Moreover, the method to penetrate them is quite simple.
Dokgo Myeong looked at Geum Seok-du.
“Seok-du.”
“Yes.”
Geum Seok-du nodded.
He then pulled something from the bundle he was carrying and began hurling it in all directions.
Boom! Crack-crack-boom!
They were thunderbolt pellets.
The explosions weren’t particularly powerful, but the poisonous smoke that filled the air shot skyward in an instant.
As the sound of the explosions faded, a desolate voice echoed once more.
“I ask of you… who are you…?”
“Damn it, not this again?”
Dokgo Myeong openly ignored it and nudged Cheolmu-baek.
“Mu-baek, just go break down the door.”
“Understood.”
Whoosh!
Cheolmu-baek gripped his axe across his shoulder and lowered his body like a wild horse rearing up.
The moment his feet left the ground, the earth exploded with a thunderous crash.
Cheolmu-baek channeled the full force of his charge directly into his axe as he brought it down.
Crash-crack-crack-boom!
A massive furrow tore through the thick door, sending iron shards and splinters flying. It appeared to be made of resilient wood reinforced with iron plating.
“…”
The voice cut off abruptly, as if shocked by this turn of events.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled.
“Do I really have to listen to your nonsense again? And if you want to have a conversation, the least you could do is show your face. Where did you learn your manners? Oh, did you teach yourself?”
“…”
Whether Dokgo Myeong’s words had struck a nerve, the pretentious drivel ceased entirely.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled softly and spoke in a low voice to Cheolmu-baek.
“Mu-baek. I saw all your mistakes with foot propulsion. Can’t you break down a door this small in one strike? If you can’t break the next one, I’m making you study five chapters of martial arts manuals!”
“Grrrgh!”
Cheolmu-baek, who let out a loud clearing of his throat, flashed his eyes wide open.
Gripping the axe with both hands, Cheolmu-baek exhaled sharply.
-What is foot propulsion?
‘The method of using strength efficiently.’
Cheolmu-baek raised the axe high above his head, recalling Dokgo Myeong’s teachings.
-The technique is simple.
-At the exact moment of pushing off the ground with your heel, transmit all your strength through every joint and muscle of your entire body to the weapon. This is external force.
-Internal energy must be channeled at precisely the same instant. That moment when both forces explode simultaneously. That is foot propulsion.
Boom!
Cheolmu-baek’s foot drove into the earth.
The rotation of his ankle flowed elastically through his knee, waist, spine, shoulder, arm, hand, and into the axe.
Before that external force could be transmitted, the true energy surging from his dantian at nearly the same moment was channeled into the axe according to the internal cultivation method his mother had taught him.
‘All that remained….’
Was the explosion of power.
Crash!
A thunderous roar as if lightning had struck echoed across the walls of the gorge.
Soon, with a heavy sound, the iron door creaked and collapsed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
“Ha-ha-ha!”
Cheolmu-baek burst into a hearty laugh without thinking. He had perfectly achieved what he could only accomplish during training.
But now was not the time to laugh.
“Mu-baek! Snap out of it and fall back! I’ll take the right side!”
“Then I’ll take the left!”
Dokgo Ak and Namgung Sohwa joined the battle.
And someone slipped in behind the two of them.
“I’m with you, you bastards!”
“Ah!”
“Oh!”
“Let’s go!”
Dokgo Myeong shot forward like an arrow.
It was the moment the final battle to annihilate the Salgok sect began.
* * *
With his fierce charge, Dokgo Myeong’s form seemed to stretch and elongate. As his black robe of mysterious luster fluttered, he resembled a black dragon charging forward.
Crash! Boom-boom-boom!
The assassins gathered there burst apart helplessly.
Dokgo Myeong insisted on charging, charging, and only charging. He never looked back, paid no mind to his sides, hidden weapons, or arrows.
The reason was simple.
At last, and finally, he could entrust his back to his companions.
“Huff!”
Boom! Crack-crack-crack!
Cheolmu-baek completely shattered the fissures created by Dokgo Myeong’s charge. At times, he even surged ahead of Dokgo Myeong, disrupting their formation.
Dokgo Myeong shouted after confirming something.
“Mu-baek! Left side! They’ve toppled the building!”
“Understood.”
The assassins showed no regard for methods or means.
They had toppled a massive tower from the side directly over our heads.
The assassins pressed forward relentlessly, preventing any escape. They showed no fear of being caught in the collapse themselves.
Dokgo Myeong trusted Cheolmu-baek and left them to him.
And Cheolmu-baek lived up to that trust.
Crash-boom-boom-boom!
The tower’s debris scattered in all directions as if cannons had been fired into it.
“…!”
Even the assassins hesitated.
No matter how deadened their emotions had become, they couldn’t help but be shocked at the sight of an entire building being obliterated in a single strike.
And through that wavering formation, a single blade carved its path.
Slash!
Blood trailed in a line where Dokgo Ak’s sword passed.
Four or five assassins fell with that one strike.
If Cheolmu-baek was strength, then Dokgo Ak was sharpness.
And Namgung Sohwa was….
Whoosh! Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Perhaps the position requiring the most attention in battle—the rear guard—was where she stood.
Her blade handled every direction without fail.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened.
‘Could it be?’
Her blade alternated between accelerating and slowing.
When external and internal force harmonized perfectly, such destructive power naturally emerged.
At last, what had been lacking was being filled.
“…Hah.”
Namgung Sohwa seemed to know it too, deliberately overexerting herself to hold the rear alone.
Though it looked somewhat dangerous, Dokgo Myeong trusted her as well.
Now was not the time to worry about minor details, so Dokgo Myeong focused entirely on the battle.
“Everyone, don’t fall behind. We go through in one breath.”
Dokgo Myeong kicked off the ground.
Boom-boom-boom!
He didn’t even check if the others were following. Instead, he increased his speed further, concentrating on cutting down enemies.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
In an instant, his vision turned crimson red.
I wondered if it was a trap, but when I looked closer, flaming arrows with gourds attached were flying through the air, setting fires across the walls of the Milmilgok Sect that had become a chaotic mess. Upon closer inspection, the gourds appeared to contain oil.
Those bastards would never set fire to their own territory, so this meant…
“There! That’s it. Target over there—where the enemies are. That spot seems to be their weakness.”
“Yes.”
It was Geum Seok-du and Ye-hwa.
Though their support was passive, they were helping Dokgo Myeong.
‘I have the strength of ten thousand soldiers at my side.’
Dokgo Myeong grinned and focused on the battlefield.
There was nothing to fear. It had been far too long since I fought with such confidence.
Clang! Boom-crack!
With a thunderous sound, Dokgo Myeong struck the ground.
An explosion erupted where he landed.
Dokgo Myeong swept his gaze across the now-empty surroundings and smiled coldly.
The assassins stopped their assault as if by agreement and hesitated.
“You should have no fear, yet you’ve learned it in this place? Why don’t you come?”
Why couldn’t they dare to rush forward?
Arrows no longer flew easily either. Perhaps they had realized their futility.
Then it happened.
“…So you are monsters after all.”
In the distance, the Sect Leader and the Top Assassin revealed themselves.
The moment Dokgo Myeong and his companions turned their gaze toward them.
Whoooosh!
Suddenly, dozens of arrows poured down from all directions.
Dokgo Myeong did not move.
The three people around Dokgo Myeong drew their weapons toward their respective fronts from three directions, and that was sufficient.
“So that’s how it is. You filthy assassin. Did you think I’d let my guard down?”
“Indeed. However…”
The Sect Leader shook his head and spoke.
“I am not an assassin. These are the assassins.”
“Then what are you?”
“I am the Sect Leader of Milmilgok.”
Dokgo Myeong burst into laughter.
“The Sect Leader of Milmilgok? Don’t you even have a name?”
At Dokgo Myeong’s words, the Sect Leader nodded.
“What does a name matter? We abandon everything when we die anyway.”
“Even unborn babes in the womb are given names, yet a full-grown adult has none? Is that something to be proud of?”
“…”
The Milmilgok Sect Leader’s eyes grew cold.
But soon he let out a twisted laugh.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Your words and actions are ridiculous. You seem to look down on us….”
The Sect Leader glanced around briefly.
“Look here. What difference is there between you and us? Your hands and your companions’ hands are stained with so much death. What is different about what we do and what you do?”
Dokgo Myeong stared intently at the assassins and the Sect Leader before speaking.
“Of course there’s a difference.”
“How is there a difference?”
“How dare a collared slave who doesn’t even possess his own will—a mere puppet that follows orders—presume to stand equal with a person?”
The Sect Leader’s expression twisted.
While everyone around him remained expressionless, he alone bore an expression, making him stand out as distinctly alien.
“I have no collar. I am the one who places collars.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
“What?”
Dokgo Myeong burst into laughter.
As the Sect Leader furrowed his brow, Dokgo Myeong asked.
“What number were you?”
“…!”
“You must have been an assassin who survived by hiding or fleeing when the Salgokhyeol Assassins existed. That means you possessed a talent resistant to brainwashing, just like Gwak—the former Top Assassin of Salgok. Thanks to that, you could gather supplies and escape.”
“…That’s true. But how do you know all of that?”
“That’s not the point. Despite having such talent, you became neither a rebel nor Gwak Dae-ryong nor a defector. You had the chance to be free, yet you chose slavery? Are you an idiot?”
“Solitude dwelled within my body.”
“Listen. Gwak defied the Sect Leader of his time while bearing that solitude.”
“….”
“What must such a slave have thought after fortunately escaping Salgok’s cage….”
Dokgo Myeong pointed an accusing finger at the Sect Leader.
“Ah, now I can become a Sect Leader too. Is that it?”
“…!”
The Sect Leader’s jaw muscles trembled slightly.
Perhaps this man was trapped in the most solid prison I had ever witnessed, bound by the most stubborn of chains.
He was a slave who didn’t even know he was a slave.
“Even Salgok was a slave of the Secret Sect. A Sect Leader from that place is merely a slave commander. To aspire to nothing more than a slave commander—are you still even human?”
The Sect Leader’s expression hardened.
“How dare you! Do not insult Salgok. Had there been no betrayal, I would have given birth to a great new Salhwang….”
“I’ve never seen such a foolish creature.”
In that moment, a hollow laugh escaped me.
We speak the same language, yet why can’t he understand a single word?
The reason my words multiplied and my anger surged was simple.
‘Because of that idiot….’
The life of the man called Gwak Dae-ryong and the life of Ye-hwa were destroyed.
All because of that worthless thing.
And because of creatures like him, the Gangho has become this way.
As his thoughts reached that point, Dokgo Myeong felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over him.
‘Is this the Secret Sect’s influence?’
More than a century had passed since the Secret Sect’s destruction, yet its teachings and will remained like a noose, strangling people in its grasp. Perhaps its essence was no different from the Twin Horse Alliance.
Dokgo Myeong exhaled as if sighing, then posed a question to the Sect Leader.
“Did the Sect Leader perhaps know of your existence?”
“He couldn’t have known. That’s why I survived.”
“Are you certain?”
The Sect Leader furrowed his brow in brief contemplation before answering quietly.
“Perhaps he did know. But why do you ask?”
Dokgo Myeong let out a sigh.
“So the Top Assassin knew of your existence yet left you be. He must have departed with a smile because of you. How pathetic.”
At those words, the Sect Leader stiffened as though he’d forgotten to breathe, his gaze fixed upon Dokgo Myeong.
After glaring for a long moment, he slowly parted his lips.
“You’re like a demon using your tongue to plunge monks into torment and delusion. This won’t do. I must kill you and silence that mouth.”
“Those who’ve been struck at their weak point always grow angry.”
Dokgo Myeong smiled wickedly, letting the momentum fade.
“Now that you have nowhere to flee, are you confident?”
“The same applies to you.”
“I only flee when I face someone stronger than myself.”
Dokgo Myeong pointed accusingly at the Sect Leader.
“You are weaker than me.”
In that instant.
Whoosh!
An arrow shot by the Sect Leader came flying and struck.

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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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