Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 175

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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 175
“Not the Dokgo Household, but the Cheonma Sect Leader?”
“Cheonma Sect? I’ve never heard that name before.”
This was the moment the name of Cheonma Sect became known to the martial world for the first time.
A name is identity itself. While there might be multiple forces bearing the name Cheonma Sect throughout the realm, the fact that someone of Dokgo Myeong’s renown would mention Cheonma Sect instead of his family name held profound significance.
Dokgo Myeong spoke.
“Including myself, there are six of us here. Though our numbers are still small, we are the organization that will soon become a martial force to shake the heavens and earth. I hope the leaders of the martial alliance will remember this name going forward.”
His voice carried no trace of nervousness despite speaking before so many.
At his confident demeanor, laughter rippled through the crowd.
“Hehe, I heard you were a reckless young master without propriety, yet your boldness is considerable. The epithet ‘Rogue Dragon’ is truly no empty reputation.”
It was a middle-aged man with a refined appearance.
Though his voice was gentle, it carried clearly through the bustling crowd.
Dokgo Myeong turned his head.
“May I ask who you are and where you hail from?”
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Yeong-han. I come from Wudang.”
The assembly stirred.
“Wudang, you say? And if the character is ‘Yeong’ with ‘Han’…”
“Could it be Jinmu Pavilion’s Willow Leaf Sword?”
Despite being the youngest among the Nine Great Sects, Wudang was boldly counted among the Three Great Families—that very name.
Moreover, Jinmu Pavilion stood shoulder to shoulder with the Plum Blossom Swordsmen of Huashan and the Arhats of Shaolin, the elite of the martial world.
“I pay respects to Immortal Yeong-han. What brings you to grace us with your presence?”
“I came because I was called, did I not?”
“Is that truly all?”
“Of course. What other reason could there be? I merely came to see a junior who stirs chaos in the martial world like a mudskipper.”
“May I ask what your assessment is?”
Yeong-han dropped a single word curtly.
“Blood cannot be hidden.”
At those words, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Dokgo Myeong regarded Yeong-han and the four young swordsmen behind him.
‘Jinmu Pavilion, Wudang… Yes, wasn’t that said to be connected to the Sect Leader?’
Everyone else would assume that remark referred merely to Dokgo blood, but coming from someone of Wudang, it could only carry a different meaning for Dokgo Myeong.
A game aimed at three targets—Moyong, the main family, and the Blood Sect—yet the entanglements of karma ran deeper than anticipated.
‘Acknowledged. All the better.’
Dokgo Myeong bowed with ease.
“Thank you for gracing us with your presence.”
“Then shall we hear the story? What was your reason for posting that wall proclamation and causing such an uproar?”
Dokgo Myeong answered calmly.
“I arranged this gathering to dispel my frustrations.”
At those words, sudden commotion erupted from all directions.
“You caused all this chaos for such a trivial reason? Do you not understand the current state of affairs? How could you… Tsk!”
A stern-looking middle-aged man spoke up.
Dokgo Myeong opened his mouth.
“Ah, that is….”
“Why did you invite those filthy Black Swordsmen? There were rumors you got along with them, surely not!?”
This time, a gruff old man with a goat beard cut off Dokgo Myeong’s words and spoke.
“No, what rumors….”
“What? Filthy?”
“You old fool! What did you just say!”
Before Dokgo Myeong could even respond, rough-looking men bristled up all at once.
“These pretentious White Swordsmen hypocrites!”
“Show some respect! Old man!”
“Kahahaha! Forget all that nonsense—I came here to test my skills! Isn’t that young man supposed to be the most renowned master lately!”
And so the chaos began.
“Listen here! Recent rumors say he’s learned some sinister blood technique, murdered his own family, and commits assault!”
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire!”
“Explain yourself!”
….
What a mess. An absolute mess.
I tried to answer, but my words were cut off. Tried again, cut off again….
Veins bulged across Dokgo Myeong’s brow.
‘What is this? Did I gather martial artists, or did I gather patients suffering from loose-tongue syndrome?’
Dokgo Myeong’s posture immediately became crooked.
The Cheonma Sect Elders who saw this whispered urgently.
“Young Master, you promised to behave with dignity today.”
“That’s right! Calm down! Deep breaths!”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes flickered wildly.
“Ah, so I’m the problem? Grrr! I’m the problem! The ones running their mouths are those bastards… Ugh! Mmmph!”
“Ah, please! Young Master! I beg you!”
“Read the room, will you.”
Thanks to the elders rushing in like hawks and clamping his mouth shut, Dokgo Myeong managed to avoid becoming a public enemy of the martial world.
The Martial Arts Alliance Leaders watched the spectacle with a lukewarm gaze, as if observing a theatrical performance.
“Fine, I get it—let go, you fools!”
Dokgo Myeong brushed away the hands covering his mouth and glared at the crowd with fierce eyes.
“A rebuttal to the rumors? Good. I’ll do it. But a little later!”
Dokgo Myeong shouted loudly and pointed his finger at someone.
“You want to test your skills? Which one are you? Where are you?”
“Hehe, it’s me. My name is Baek Heum the Bloodthirsty! I am…!”
“Enough. Come up a bit later. I’ll give you a real match. Get ready to be folded in half.”
“Uh, um….”
Dokgo Myeong spilled out his words and turned his head sharply away.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire? An explanation? But how am I supposed to explain something I didn’t do? Aren’t these people just completely unreasonable?”
“So you won’t refute their claims?”
“I will! Just wait!”
Dokgo Myeong shot back with an angry voice, then breathed heavily through his nose.
“Look at this insolent brat.”
“His manner of speech is absolutely outrageous!”
Naturally, the stubborn martial artists didn’t view Dokgo Myeong’s words and conduct favorably.
‘Fine, this actually works out better.’
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes flashed as he slowly raised his hands.
Crack!
The sound of his palms clapping together amplified and spread in all directions.
The followers’ eyes widened at the sheer, almost overwhelming power of his inner energy.
As silence suddenly fell over the surroundings, Dokgo Myeong took a martial stance and spoke.
“Esteemed leaders of the martial world.”
“….”
“When someone is speaking, please listen.”
These martial artists were hardly the type to listen quietly.
Just as someone was about to raise their voice and speak, Dokgo Myeong beat them to it.
“I!”
“….”
“…have recently annihilated five assassin organizations.”
So what?
That was everyone’s reaction.
But as Dokgo Myeong continued speaking, their reactions gradually began to change.
“One of them was the Milmil Sect. It turned out they were the successors of the Sal Sect. I rescued innocent commoners and children from that place. The Gae-bang can vouch for this.”
While not quite as notorious as the Sal Sect, the Milmil Sect was still an infamous assassin organization. And they were the descendants of the Sal Sect!
“Furthermore, I stopped the Blood Killers in Anhui, and before that, I prevented a war in Guizhou. In Zhongqing, I… well, I’ll skip the rest. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is….”
At that point, I noticed the faces of the malicious martial artists.
Suddenly my chest twisted with irritation, and my lips began moving of their own accord.
“While this arrogant and disrespectful junior has been running around the realm so frantically, what have you seniors been doing? Where have you been playing around? I haven’t even caught a glimpse of you?”
“What?”
“Arrogant…!”
After speaking, I felt better, but inwardly I thought, oh no.
‘Ah, I was planning to be more dignified today.’
This is why having a loose tongue was so dangerous.
But what could I do?
I’d already said it, so I might as well push forward.
“…Have you been cultivating? Making money? Were you too busy gathering strength because of the chaos? Or were you too busy exploiting the commoners?”
“I, I….”
“If you have any shame, you should at least lend me your ears. I think I have the right to say at least this much as your junior. Don’t you agree?”
The arena fell silent.
Fortunately, most of them possessed some sense of shame.
Of course, some lacked it entirely.
“Gaaah!”
“You insolent brat! I’ll teach you some manners!”
Two middle-aged men bellowed and rushed toward the arena.
Unfortunately, they never quite made it to the stage.
Crack! Boom!
The men became stars in the sky.
Struck by something, they rocketed skyward, traced a parabolic arc, and plummeted straight down.
The gathered crowd watched the two with bewildered eyes before turning their gaze back to Dokgo Myeong.
Dokgo Myeong smiled faintly as he surveyed the martial arts leaders.
“Well then, is there anyone else who wishes to interrupt? Please raise your hand if so. Wouldn’t it be proper etiquette for this junior to visit you personally? No one? Truly no one?”
As silence settled, Dokgo Myeong nodded with satisfaction.
“Then allow this junior to speak before the martial arts leaders of the realm.”
At this point, everyone listened intently without a word.
Dokgo Myeong took a deep breath, then began speaking calmly.
“To dispel frustration—the meaning of those words is precisely this gathering itself.”
Thud!
Dokgo Myeong lightly stomped his foot. The arena trembled faintly, and dust rose into the air.
People regarded Dokgo Myeong with puzzled eyes.
“What is the martial realm, after all…?”
Dokgo Myeong swept his gaze around the surroundings.
“Isn’t it a place like this?”
Everyone wore expressions of confusion, unable to grasp his meaning.
They remained so until Dokgo Myeong jabbed his thumb against his own chest.
“When someone bearing false accusations steps forward to air their grievances before the people, those with no prior connection gather from all corners of the realm, thinking, ‘Well, let’s hear them out.'”
Dokgo Myeong shifted his gaze.
“We place value in a mere moment of combat, worthless compared to wealth and power.”
“…”
“We acknowledge even enemies, cross blades when our ideals clash, drink together when our hearts align, and sometimes become sworn brothers—a strange and peculiar world.”
“…”
“Isn’t that what the martial realm is? At least, that is the realm I know.”
Dokgo Myeong looked directly ahead.
In truth, most of those gathered here had come with the thought: ‘That arrogant bastard keeps causing trouble. Let’s see what he’s made of.’
A world of competitive spirit and meddling.
Not minding their own business, people were quick to point fingers at others, and problems were resolved by the blade—that was the martial world.
A savage realm inhabited by troubled, bloodthirsty barbarians.
Yet why was such a martial realm, such a world, respected and maintained?
Because the martial realm’s pointing finger was also directed at themselves.
It was always martial artists who punished other martial artists. They watched the strong with competitive spirit, and displayed concern for the weak through meddlesome interference.
The martial world was a stagnant lake, yet simultaneously a flowing river.
That was true.
It certainly had been.
“But what of now? If someone causes even minor losses, they think murder first and ask questions later for satisfaction. Assassination and extermination have become standard everywhere, and instead of honorable duels, people resolve matters through baseless rumors and political scheming… You should feel ashamed of yourselves.”
The final words echoed low and desolate.
Dokgo Myeong’s gaze, which had been fixed on the now-quieter Alliance Leaders, shifted toward some distant point.
It was westward. The direction where Zhejiang lay.
Dokgo Myeong’s voice continued.
“That is why I have come forth like this. Without hiding, without retreating, with confidence. I have stood before you Alliance Leaders in the manner of the martial world I know.”
The atmosphere began to stir.
For them, words they had neither expected nor anticipated had been spoken.
Then, someone muttered in a cautious voice.
“Are you not afraid? What exactly are you trying to do….”
It was a young martial artist standing near the arena.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes snapped toward him.
“Who are you and where do you come from?”
“Ah, ah yes.”
The young martial artist stammered his response.
“I, I am called Wei Yang of Socheonbang.”
“If you have something to say, come up here and speak.”
“That is….”
The young man hesitated, intimidated by Dokgo Myeong’s presence.
To him, Dokgo Myeong spoke.
“Are you not also a martial artist?”
“…!”
The young martial artist’s eyes widened, and soon he climbed onto the arena with a resolute expression.
And he asked.
“Y-you speak of the principles of the martial world, yet are you not afraid? With so many people here, if you were to be harmed….”
Speaking nervously and incoherently, Dokgo Myeong understood perfectly and answered.
“I have never done anything shameful enough to feel ashamed of, so there is no reason not to be confident. Naturally, there is no reason to be afraid either.”
Dokgo Myeong smiled faintly and turned his gaze away.
“Next!”
Then a middle-aged martial artist raised his hand and shouted.
“I am Yang Yu-jang from Hunan! I have something I wish to ask!”
“Speak, Master Yang.”
“A suspicion has been cast upon me regarding a murder case that occurred in a remote mountain village in northern Hunan. What are your thoughts on this matter?”
“A murder case?”
“Indeed.”
“I did not do it.”
“But the eyewitness accounts and rumors….”
“Then bring evidence to the main house. Isn’t that the proper procedure? If you bring evidence, I won’t avoid it. I promise before all the seniors and juniors of the martial world gathered here.”
“Hmm….”
“But this doesn’t seem to be your own matter. Why are you so curious about it?”
The middle-aged man hesitated before speaking.
“Somehow I ended up receiving a request to find the culprit….”
“Ah, so you’re a chivalrous wanderer.”
“Pah, a chivalrous wanderer? I was simply trying to ease someone’s grievance.”
“That’s what makes one chivalrous.”
The middle-aged man seemed somewhat moved as he hesitated before speaking.
“Th, thank you.”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and turned his head away.
“Next.”
After the halting questions, the atmosphere suddenly grew heated.
The Cheonma Sect members who had originally intended to guard Dokgo Myeong couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions.
‘Can such a gathering even exist? It looks like something from the pages of ancient tales.’
Geum Seok-du was particularly astonished.
The image of the martial world he’d read about in books—one he would have scoffed at—was unfolding right before him.
And then it happened.
“Gaaaah! You’re all being deceived by that bastard!”
A voice filled with malice erupted from somewhere.
“You said you could draw your blade if you didn’t like something? Then let’s test our skills right now! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me!”
A rough-looking man shouted this and suddenly leaped onto the martial arena.
He was a man with a sword and saber crossed and strapped to his back.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened slightly.
“Wow, isn’t this the dual-blade senior?”
“Dual-blade?”
“The special-class wanderer Yeom Jeok!”
The crowd stirred.
He was none other than the wanderer who had been subdued by Dokgo Myeong at the Mandeng House gambling arena.
Though startled by this unexpected visitor, Dokgo Myeong tilted his head in confusion.
“But why did you come here?”
“What, what? Are you saying you’ve forgotten?”
“You might get beaten for that. You didn’t come here for revenge, did you?”
“You heartless bastard!”
Yeom Jeok shouted with a voice full of grievance.
“Do you know how much money I lost because of you? I’ve been furious every day and tracked you down to this place!”
“Are you confident?”
“Confident or not, I’ll do it! If I’ve suffered, I repay it—that’s Yeom Jeok’s code! Prepare yourself! Hyaaah!”
Clang!
Yeom Jeok drew his sword from his waist and rushed at Dokgo Myeong.
And then.
Crack! Snap! Boom!
Still, despite being a master at his peak, Yeom Jeok managed to hold out for three seconds before crashing into the arena floor and losing consciousness.
Dokgo Myeong’s expression grew displeased.
‘Why does that fellow always end up crumpled whenever we meet?’
A twinge of guilt flickered through him, but it vanished just as quickly. Something he had forgotten suddenly came to mind.
“Ah, that’s right! Where is that bastard from before! Baek Heum the Bloodthirsty! Come out here, you dog!”
Dokgo Myeong bellowed loudly.
At that very moment, chaos erupted.
But wasn’t the martial world always chaos?
“Please, allow me to test myself against you!”
“I have questions I wish to ask!”
It was absolute pandemonium. A spectacle that could scarcely unfold in these times when everyone held their breath in fear.
Delighted by this mayhem, Dokgo Myeong smiled with satisfaction.
‘Everything according to plan.’
His gaze, still wearing that pleased smile, turned westward once more.
‘But… why haven’t they arrived yet? The Mogyeong Household.’
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed sharply.

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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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