Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 166

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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 166
The moment the rain of arrows swept across the Sect Leader.
As if on cue, the fighting stopped abruptly.
Crack! Tap-tap!
Ye-hwa swiftly crossed between the buildings and stood before the Milmilgok Sect Leader.
Her footsteps were light as a cat’s, making no sound, yet her expression was anything but light.
“Cough, cough!”
The Sect Leader remained alive despite countless arrows embedded in his torso.
As he trembled violently and coughed repeatedly, Dokgo Myeong’s brow furrowed.
‘What is this? Why won’t this bastard die?’
Dokgo Myeong immediately yanked open the man’s front garment roughly.
Upon confirming what lay beneath, an involuntary laugh escaped him.
“Ha, truly. How resourceful….”
The man was wearing armor that extended down to his waist—not leather or chain mail, but a steel breastplate of the kind generals wore.
Gangho practitioners had their reasons for avoiding armor. It weighed down the body, hindered the use of inner energy, and made movements sluggish.
Yet this assassin had chosen to wear it….
‘Still, for a mere child to pierce this without even using Baek Si techniques—that’s impressive, I’ll admit.’
Dokgo Myeong glanced sideways at Ye-hwa.
Even Ye-hwa, whose expression had been rigid as stone, scrunched her eyes in disbelief at the sight.
Ye-hwa opened her mouth.
“You wanted to live so badly? Even after killing so many people, you wanted to live?”
“What would a fugitive like you know….”
“I’m not ashamed of being called a fugitive or a deserter. But you look ashamed.”
The Sect Leader trembled violently.
He had avoided instant death, but survival seemed impossible. The arrowheads had already reached his vital meridians.
In a sense, this was listening to his final words. And though she had not wished for it herself, as the sole Master of Salgok, this was an execution meting out punishment to a branch member.
“Ashamed? Me? Huff, huff! Why would I be ashamed?”
The Sect Leader’s face had turned pale. Whether from blood loss or from having his words strike true was impossible to tell.
“Why do you act so superior? You think by punishing someone like me, no more children like you will be born? Is that even possible?”
“Why do you think it’s impossible?”
“Of course it’s impossible. In the end, you….”
In that moment, the Sect Leader stopped mid-sentence and suddenly cried out as if seized by revelation.
“Ah! That’s it! Yes, I cannot die meaninglessly. This was my role all along.”
“What?”
“You were born as the child of the Salgok Sect Leader, trained by the Top Assassin of Salgok, and through my death, you are reborn as the Immovable Wisdom King. This was my destiny.”
The Sect Leader closed his eyes, his face even appearing pleased.
“Go ahead, shoot me. Thus it shall be completed. Through my death, create the Sal Emperor.”
Dokgo Myeong’s expression twisted.
What nonsense was this?
Perhaps this was the most vicious sorcery and curse of esoteric Buddhism. Even if he had to die, it could not end like this.
Dokgo Myeong couldn’t hold back any longer and tried to interject into the conversation.
“Hey, this…!”
But that was when it happened.
“Bullshit.”
Dokgo Myeong’s gaze shifted to the side.
The Sect Leader’s gaze turned as well, the vacant-faced guards averted their eyes, the commoners called patrons and Dokgo Myeong’s companions all looked in that direction.
“…?”
One person receiving everyone’s attention.
Surprisingly, the owner of that voice was Ye-hwa.
Ye-hwa approached with an impassive face and slowly lifted her foot.
‘Why is she lifting her foot?’
‘What is she doing?’
‘Could it be?’
While everyone wondered like this.
Ye-hwa brought that foot down and trampled directly on the Sect Leader’s mouth.
“Ugh! Gack! Uuugh!”
“Immovable Wisdom King nonsense. Thousand Buddha nonsense. Your mouth has caught a disease. I’m certain of it.”
What?
What in the world was happening right now?
Even Dokgo Myeong found himself dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open.
“You rat bastard. Now that I think about it, you ran away too. Why are you calling me a fugitive? What’s this Immovable Wisdom King business? Why should I do something like that?”
Ye-hwa spoke in a very calm tone, whispering her words.
She wasn’t excited, nor was she angry.
She simply poured out her words to the Sect Leader with her usual impassive expression.
That made it all the more terrifying.
“As for me, I’m going to go in the exact opposite direction from you all from now on.”
“Uugh?”
“I won’t use sorcery, and it will all become obsolete in my generation. Instead of kidnapping people, I’ll save them. Unlike you, I’ll choose and do whatever I want. Even if I want to kill, I’ll decide to kill and then kill.”
“…!”
“There’s no Bright King’s Palace Law anymore. I’ll give myself a new name, and I’ll create a new palace law. Then the Esoteric Sect’s messenger and Gok Sect’s legacy will all end. Do you understand? With this mouth that only spews shit….”
Ugh, his ears are going to bleed at this rate.
Perhaps he wouldn’t die from hemorrhaging but from falling into a demonic state instead.
‘Come to think of it….’
Dokgo Myeong suddenly realized a fact about Ye-hwa that he had forgotten.
That child grew up under Gwak Dae-ryong. While they called it a master-disciple relationship, wasn’t it almost a parent-child relationship?
What would she have learned from watching?
This was why family education was so terrifying.
‘Right. It’s not my fault. There’s no way she learned from watching me already.’
Then, Ye-hwa applied more force with her foot.
“Gack! Uugh!”
“Now let me end this.”
Twang!
Ye-hwa drew her bowstring without hesitation, aiming the arrow directly at him.
At that moment, Dokgo Myeong stepped forward and stopped her.
“Wait, hold on.”
“….”
Ye-hwa glanced sideways at him.
Dokgo Myeong flinched slightly.
Flash!
A girl who rarely smiled, yet her eyes gleamed with such brilliance…
“Don’t tell me not to kill him.”
“What are you talking about? Of course I have to kill him.”
“Then why?”
“Could you lower your bow and talk about this?”
Ye-hwa narrowed her eyes and gazed at her bow as if contemplating the matter.
Why was she hesitating? This girl was truly strange.
Dokgo Myeong quickly continued speaking.
“Let’s change our approach a bit.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll give you a gift.”
Dokgo Myeong pressed down on the Sect Leader’s vital meridian point.
It was a technique to forcibly stop the bleeding. Since its duration wouldn’t last long, this man’s lifespan was at most a quarter of an hour at best.
“Could you kill the Solitary Demon’s inner demon dwelling in this bastard’s body with a Hundred Strikes?”
“…?”
Ye-hwa blinked, looking puzzled.
* * *
Dokgo Myeong looked ahead.
Companions, patrons, novice monks, and finally assassins with hollow eyes were all tangled together.
Especially the assassins—they didn’t move an inch. Once the Sect Leader was subdued and faced death, they simply stood motionless like puppets with severed strings.
A sigh escaped me. What should I do with them? Kill them all?
Killing was easy. What difficulty was there in killing puppets that offered no resistance? Now that I had already subdued the Sect Leader, it would be enough to just command him to unleash all his solitude upon them.
So I thought I’d try taking the harder path once.
“I am Dokgo Myeong of the Dokgo Family. I am called the Fallen Dragon in the streets, I lead these people, and as of today, I will erase Milmilgok from existence. In other words, you are now unemployed. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
There was no answer.
As I stood there talking to myself, I wanted to beat those tightly shut mouths open, but I held back for now.
My gaze turned toward the commoners who had gathered in one place.
“You patrons there.”
“…Y-yes.”
“Take the novice monks and get out of here.”
The people hurriedly withdrew, taking the children with them.
Dokgo Myeong glanced over the assassins and spoke.
“Normally, if someone introduces themselves, it’s only courteous to introduce yourself in return, but these bastards have no manners… Anyway, let’s get to the point.”
“….”
“Any of you who feel frustrated, raise your hand.”
Naturally, no one raised their hand.
“Then… those of you who wanted to kill the Sect Leader, raise your hand.”
Only silence flowed.
Dokgo Myeong exhaled a deep sigh.
“Ak. Kill three of them.”
Swish!
With a single stroke of Dokgo Ak’s blade, three assassins’ heads flew skyward.
Yet the assassins didn’t even flinch.
Dokgo Myeong continued in a tone as if scolding them.
“How is it that your comrades died meaninglessly and you feel nothing? No matter how severe the brainwashing, if you’re human, you should feel something and have thoughts.”
Dokgo Myeong’s killing intent radiated outward in waves.
“I came here intending to kill all of you. I’m giving you a chance now, so answer with all your effort, well, and to the best of your ability. This is your last chance. Those who wanted to kill the Sect Leader, raise your hand.”
Only then did several begin to raise their hands.
Quite a number of them. With so many already dead, roughly a hundred remained, and about thirty or so raised their hands.
It was fortunate.
“Those with your hands up, come forward and stand to the side.”
People shuffled forward.
“Wanting to kill the Sect Leader also means you didn’t want to die yourselves. Listen carefully, you who don’t want to die. Among you, has anyone completed an assassination mission?”
“….”
Again, some hands rose.
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“Why did you go on an assassination mission? Because you were ordered to? Anyone can answer. It doesn’t matter who.”
“Because I was ordered to.”
Dokgo Myeong turned his head sharply.
The voice had come from where those who hadn’t raised their hands were gathered.
“Who are you?”
“Number 113.”
“Do you want to die? Is your tongue a bit short?”
“….”
“Not a number. Your name.”
“I don’t have one.”
Dokgo Myeong clicked his tongue.
“Why not? Don’t you remember your childhood name from before you were abducted?”
“I don’t.”
“Did you want to have one?”
The assassin said nothing.
Right, it seems we can’t push this any further. Dokgo Myeong gestured.
“Don’t stay there. Get out of here. And take anyone else you want to extract with you.”
Several assassins withdrew.
Dokgo Myeong observed the remaining assassins gathered together.
“Everyone, remove your masks.”
Swish! Swish!
The assassins removed their masks in perfect unison.
Almost simultaneously, they unveiled their faces in identical posture—a display so mechanical it was unsettling rather than impressive. What kind of training could produce such uniformity?
“….”
Looking at them now, they were merely youths on the cusp of adulthood or just barely past it. They had either recently begun their work as assassins or were hovering on that threshold.
In short, they were still young.
“Those of you who withdrew—there appear to be roughly thirty of you. Listen well.”
Dokgo Myeong fixed his gaze upon each of them.
“From this moment forward, the Milmilgok Sect Leader will die.”
“….”
“You must make a choice. Long ago, when emperors died, their slaves were buried alive with them as sacrifices. Will you die the same way? You don’t want that, do you? You said so just now. So I’ll give you a way to live.”
Dokgo Myeong seized the Sect Leader by the collar.
Then he hurled him toward the gathered group.
“Ugh!”
The Sect Leader gasped in pain.
An arrow lodged in his body struck a vital spot, and blood trickled across the floor.
As the assassins’ eyes fixed on the scene, Dokgo Myeong spoke.
“Your way to live is that man right there.”
The assassin who had answered before turned his head slowly and spoke.
“We have loyalty.”
“Loyalty doesn’t exist.”
“We cannot believe that.”
“So what? Just believe it. Do I need to earn the trust of you assassin bastards? You lot really can’t grasp the situation.”
“….”
Dokgo Myeong crossed his arms and regarded the assassins with an impassive gaze.
“Kill him. With your own hands.”
* * *
With the assassins’ assistance, Dokgo Myeong and his companions were able to locate and open the Milmilgok Sect’s warehouse.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed with golden light.
Literally golden.
“Wow, how much is all this worth?”
“Indeed. Wow….”
Geum Seok-du’s expression was equally astonished.
The warehouse overflowed with jewelry, silver coins, sculptures, and scrolls. It was a treasure trove beyond measure.
“Damn, that filthy bastard. Spouting off like some ascetic while accumulating this much wealth through his assassin work?”
What infuriated me most was the dust accumulated on those items.
Why would that anger me, you ask?
Because it meant the money was never spent.
It proved he was a bastard who didn’t know how to spend money, had no intention of spending it, and simply received it while committing atrocities.
“Hehehehe, this works out perfectly for me. Phew! How much is all this worth?”
Dokgo Myeong rubbed his hands together eagerly, then turned his head as he felt sharp gazes from beside him.
Everyone in the group was staring at Dokgo Myeong with half-lidded eyes.
“What? Tsk!”
“Sigh.”
“Tch!”
Just then, a beggar approached from behind.
“Alas! The arrangements are complete, Pae-ryong Master!”
It was Yeong-pal, the branch leader of the Gaebangs who had been sent to fetch Geum Seok-du after the work was done.
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“I have some matters to attend to.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Understood.”
“If anyone so much as touches a single coin, I’ll break their arms!”
The group sighed and shook their heads in resignation.
Dokgo Myeong left his companions behind and stepped outside with Yeong-pal.
“Handle the disposal as I instructed.”
“Of course, sir.”
“And…”
Dokgo Myeong glanced back slightly.
“Give half of the treasures in that warehouse to the kidnapped commoners and children.”
“Pardon?”
Yeong-pal’s eyes widened in shock.
“They suffered enough—they should at least receive some compensation.”
“…!”
Yeong-pal stared at Dokgo Myeong in astonishment.
His words and actions were far too different from the public’s perception of him.
‘…But half?’
Not all of it?
Soon, Dokgo Myeong and Yeong-pal arrived at the clearing where the battle had taken place.
The surviving assassins were burying the dead ones in a pit.
Dokgo Myeong clicked his tongue.
Both the ones being buried and those doing the burying wore similar expressions.
“Where are the commoners and novice monks?”
“Over there, sir.”
Dokgo Myeong shifted his gaze.
Beggars surrounded the commoners.
Standing before the novice monks was Ye-hwa.
“…Find what you wish to do. And once you’ve chosen, take responsibility for it. Don’t choose something you cannot bear. You will be capable of it.”
Ye-hwa had gathered the children and was imparting these words to them. The excitement from before had vanished, replaced once more by her usual composed demeanor.
Yet within those impassive eyes burned a light unlike her ordinary gaze.
A light she had kindled within herself.
The children simply nodded blankly.
Yeong-pal spoke.
“Please don’t worry. I’ll have those children see a physician first, and do my utmost to find their parents.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Yeong-pal grinned.
Soon Ye-hwa approached Dokgo Myeong.
Dokgo Myeong spoke.
“Is it finished?”
“Yes.”
“They’ll all turn out well like you. Don’t worry.”
“Yes.”
Ye-hwa bowed deeply at the waist.
“Thank you.”
“What thanks? You little rascal.”
Dokgo Myeong roughly ruffled Ye-hwa’s hair.
With her hair now disheveled, Ye-hwa slowly opened her mouth, her hand still raised to her head.
“Please don’t pat my head like I’m a child anymore.”
“…What?”
“There’s quite an age difference between us.”
What’s gotten into her? The girl seems a bit strange.
“What will you do with them?”
Ye-hwa gestured toward the assassins.
“You’re not actually trusting the assassins, are you?”
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“That’s why I’m planning to entrust them to someone for some proper ideological education.”
“…What?”

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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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