Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 216

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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 216
Dokgo Myeong’s face hardened as he watched the creature hurtling toward him.
With children tucked under both sides of his ribs, he had no choice but to swing his legs defensively.
Crash!
Surprisingly.
It was I who was pushed back.
“…?!”
Whoosh!
My feet lifted clean off the ground.
No matter how poorly I’d braced myself, I was carrying my own weight plus two children, yet this mere beast had sent us all flying backward.
“Tsk!”
I quickly hurled the children into the brush behind me.
“Yelp!”
“Ahhh!”
Thud!
The moment my hands were free, I immediately deployed the Immovable Stance.
The Unbreakable Posture followed by the Silver River Wall.
Clang! Crash-crash-crash!
My protective qi trembled violently.
I contorted my face, glaring directly ahead.
“Screech! You…me! You! R, run away!”
Behind the creature’s chilling cry came a human voice.
My eyes widened.
‘This monkey can talk?’
Its face was human, its body covered in stiff black fur like wire, and inside its mouth swirled crimson fire-qi. And it could speak human language?
Then, a young girl’s voice rang out.
“It’s a creature called Yeonhwa!”
“What?”
“Judging by the malevolent aura radiating from it, this beast has harmed people before! Its blood is poisonous, and its hide is as tough as iron! Be careful!”
What? A demonic creature?
In that moment, I recalled words I’d heard from my family.
– Once you enter, all manner of demons and poisons, strange phenomena and spiritual herbs, fierce beasts and creatures will greet you. It wouldn’t be wrong to call it a cursed realm.
– It’s quite a dangerous place, so please exercise caution.
The warnings came from Dokgo Cheon and Lee Seong-cheon respectively.
Since these were people who rarely spoke in such a manner, their words remained all the more vivid in my mind.
‘So they weren’t just calling them demons because they were unusually clever beasts—creatures like this actually exist?’
Crash!
My expression turned rigid as I deflected the charging monkey’s leg.
‘This bastard… it’s not just strong. It knows how to manipulate qi!’
The crimson aura flickering at its mouth was no illusion.
Moreover, with a physique fundamentally suited to a monkey, it darted freely between the trees and launched erratic attacks.
Whoosh! Snap!
In that instant, its tail coiled around my forearm.
Using the elasticity of pulling my arm, it sprang upward and raked both claws down toward me.
My eyes gleamed as I swung my opposite arm upward.
Crack!
The Inferno Strike erupted before Yeonhwa’s attack could land.
Yeonhwa’s jaw snapped upward violently.
Its body staggered.
“Screech! Chirp?”
Yeonhwa’s expression suggested something had gone wrong. It released the tail that had wrapped around my arm and kicked off the ground.
Or rather, tried to.
Crunch!
Had I not reversed the grip and seized its tail with an iron grip.
“Where do you think you’re running off to, you bastard?”
I swung my fist straight through.
The young girl behind me cried out urgently.
“Wait! No! Yeonhwa’s hide is as hard as steel…!”
Crack!
“…?”
Yeonhwa—a creature with hide thick and elastic as a sheet of metal.
A creature that would crack a hammer when struck, yet collapsed limply from a single punch.
“Hm? What did you say?”
“Ah, well… it’s like metal….”
I flexed my fist several times, checking if my hand was sore.
The young girl shook her head vigorously.
“It’s nothing at all.”
“More importantly, is your brother alright?”
“Eh? Ah… he’s, he’s just unconscious.”
“Well, that’s a relief then.”
I immediately turned my gaze to examine the unconscious demonic monkey.
‘So it wasn’t the Twin Horse Alliance.’
I had mistaken it due to similar energy patterns, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Regardless, why did its temperament seem so similar?
‘I may not know that… but still, look at this creature. Its disposition is certainly disagreeable.’
Yet it seemed that even the most disagreeable creature would behave once a fist was planted in its mouth. Healing humans, beasts, and demons alike… could this fist truly be the universal panacea?
Then the young girl approached with a cautious expression and clasped her fists in salute.
“Th-thank you for saving our lives… m-may I ask the honored savior’s name?”
In that moment, my eyes gleamed.
“Zhongyuan speech! Now that I think about it, you were speaking Zhongyuan earlier too, weren’t you?”
The young girl trembled with a start.
“Yes? Yes….”
“Your name?”
“I’m Hong Lu, a shrine maiden of the Daesan Clan.”
What was the Daesan Clan, and what exactly was a shrine maiden?
Dokgo Myeong tilted his head and asked.
“And your younger brother?”
“This is Hong Ta.”
“Your village certainly has unusual names. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dokgo Myeong.”
Hong Lu’s eyes widened at the introduction.
“The Dokgo Family?”
“Hmm?”
“The Dokgo Family! Are you perhaps from the Black Dragon Clan that was supposed to visit?”
Dokgo Myeong let out a hollow laugh.
“So it seems you’re the clan that maintains this sacred mountain.”
“Yes! That’s right! Hong Lu of the Daesan branch pays respects to the elder of the main family!”
At that moment, only one thought crossed Dokgo Myeong’s mind.
Ah, finally my days of sleeping rough are over.
* * *
The village’s name, in the local dialect, seemed to mean the “Great Serpent’s Tail” tribe.
When pronounced in Zhongyuan speech, the meaning changed, so it was simply called the Daesan Clan….
“We heard we were a distant branch of the Dokgo Family as well. However, we were told we were a clan of practitioners who split off long ago.”
“Is this the left-path heterodoxy of the Dokgo Family?”
“Left-path heterodoxy…? What is that?”
“Such things exist.”
The term “left-path heterodoxy” itself was coined in Zhongyuan as a contemptuous reference to sorcery. I had spoken it carelessly, but it was hardly appropriate language to use before a clan of practitioners.
‘I can roughly understand what sort of people the Daesan Clan are.’
In the current Gangho, it was natural to look down upon shamanism and sorcery, but in truth, such a trend had only emerged because of the Esoteric Sect incident.
Perhaps these people had inherited the sorcerous lineage of the Dokgo Family from long before?
“By the way, may I ask what kind of place the main family is?”
“Hmm?”
Hong Ta, the younger brother, clearly showed signs of being intimidated by Dokgo Myeong, while Hong Lu displayed interest and chattered away about all sorts of things.
“I’ve only heard stories about it. What kind of place is Zhongyuan? They say the main family is called the greatest clan under heaven….”
“Why are you so curious about it? It’s called the main family, but now it’s just like any other place. I’m a clueless outsider, so what’s there to marvel at.”
Hong Ta, following alongside, grumbled.
Seeing her brother like that, Hong Lu giggled softly.
“Please understand. He’s just being difficult because he doesn’t want to show that he’s grateful and sorry.”
“That’s not it!”
“Are you going to keep speaking informally to your older sister?”
Watching the bickering siblings, Dokgo Myeong chuckled quietly.
“What kind of place is our home? Well, it’s much the same. A place where people live.”
“A place where people live?”
“We spend all day fighting and brawling just like you do.”
The problem was that those fights were rather brutal.
No, not rather—they were extremely brutal.
Dokgo Myeong changed the subject.
“Anyway, I followed the map exactly, but where was the village? I’ve been searching for days.”
“Ah, well, that’s because….”
Hong Lu wore an awkward expression, while Hong Ta spoke with a wry face.
“It’s because of the main sect.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Well, they just opened the tomb gate and left in a hurry… so what was sealed inside escaped, and the elders hid the village.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened in surprise, and Hong Lu hastily jabbed Hong Ta in the ribs.
“Why must you say such unnecessary things!”
“What! Why! It’s not wrong, is it!”
“Regardless, how can you speak to your benefactor that way?”
Hong Lu turned her head and laughed awkwardly.
“Please don’t mind it. Besides, we’re almost there now.”
“Almost there?”
“Yes.”
True to her word, I soon sensed something strange.
‘A formation.’
Following in the exact footsteps Hong Lu and Hong Ta had taken as we climbed the mountain, at some point—
A heat shimmer wavered, and a new landscape unfolded before my eyes.
“Wow….”
An exclamation escaped involuntarily.
Countless houses nestled against the mountainside, scattered throughout the forest.
Between the buildings, trees and grass grew without fail, and the people seemed unwilling to cut them down.
‘Is this the village of the Daesan clan?’
Sunlight fell gently upon the houses harmonizing with the mountain and the terraced fields.
Was this what they called a pastoral landscape? It was a mystical sight that blended with nature far better than any Daoist sect in Zhongyuan.
Dokgo Myeong, who had been marveling continuously, soon followed the siblings toward the village.
The village had no fence.
Sparsely grown trees served as a fence instead, and a roughly constructed mountain gate stood prominently in the middle.
And before that gate, there was someone waiting for me.
“So you’re the one from the Dokgo Family. I’ve been expecting you.”
A man wearing a wide-cut, flamboyant crimson robe greeted Dokgo Myeong at the entrance.
The moment the siblings spotted him, their faces turned pale.
“Oh, ah. Village Chief!”
“Why, why are you here….”
The man looked at them and spoke briefly.
“You said you were getting some fresh air, but you’ve been outside the village.”
“That, that’s because! I went to fetch Hong Ta…!”
“I’ll hear the details later.”
The siblings’ shoulders drooped.
The man turned his gaze back to me.
“Thank you for rescuing the children from the creatures. I am indebted to you for saving their lives.”
I was startled.
This man, who hadn’t been present, knew the exact cause and effect of what had happened.
“How did you know that?”
“An elder told me.”
“An elder?”
“Yes, you’ll be able to meet them soon. That person will also explain why the village was hidden with a formation.”
….
“Will you go now? Or would you prefer to rest first?”
“Let’s go. There’s no reason to waste time.”
I shrugged and took a step forward.
The two siblings naturally followed behind me, but the man blocked their path.
“You cannot go.”
“Pardon?”
“But we brought him here?”
“And you’ve already caused trouble for our guest.”
At those words, the two siblings could only gape before their shoulders drooped again as they retreated.
“Tell us more about Zhongyuan next time!”
I waved back at Hong Lu, who shouted loudly, then followed the man into the village.
‘This feels somewhat like observing a large Daoist sect.’
Some appeared to be ordinary farmers, while others scattered throughout possessed a subtle spiritual aura.
Some wore symbols made of wood or bronze hanging abundantly, and each one looked distinctly unusual in form.
‘There are martial artists here too.’
Were there such people among those serving the Main Sect?
Peculiar. Distinctly peculiar individuals.
Then the man spoke.
“I’ve heard you’re called Dokgo Myeong. May I address you that way going forward?”
I turned my head.
“However you’re comfortable.”
“Then I’ll call you that. I am Dan-hu. In the Main Sect’s records, I’m registered as Dokgo Hu. In Zhongyuan terms, you might think of me as a retainer or the head of a branch family.”
“Then what should I call you?”
“Similarly, call me as you wish.”
“Then let’s go with Dan-hu. It’s much cleaner that way.”
“Cleaner? Why do you think so?”
Dan-hu tilted his head with a puzzled expression, gazing at me.
I answered with an unruffled face.
“Everyone in my household shares the same family name, so the naming gets terribly confusing. It’s all Dokgo this and Dokgo that… So let’s just call you Dan-hu. That’s your real name, isn’t it?”
“….”
Dan-hu wore an awkward expression, as if uncertain how to respond.
“You truly are… a most extraordinary person, Young Master.”
Extraordinary? Wasn’t that a strange choice of words?
I’d often heard myself called peculiar or eccentric, but extraordinary?
That was when it happened.
“Hm?”
Following Dan-hu diligently, I suddenly whipped my head around.
‘What was that?’
I sensed something strange—an unusual gaze directed at me.
A peculiar presence from my right suddenly shifted to face me directly, then vanished toward my rear just as quickly.
It felt as though something was trailing me. The deeper we ventured into the village, the more palpable the sensation became, so I swiveled my head this way and that.
“What troubles you?”
“No, something keeps….”
I whipped my head around again.
Dan-hu’s eyes gleamed.
“It seems the Divine Spirit has taken an interest in you, Young Master.”
“Divine Spirit? What is that?”
“In the tongue of Zhongyuan… a spirit beast or divine creature, as you might say. The foremost among the myriad mystical beasts dwelling in the southern mountains, and the guardian of our clan.”
At that moment, I sensed something intensely and turned my head.
‘Hm?’
My instincts had detected a presence.
Far in the distance.
Within the shadow cast upon a building’s wall, something pale was staring directly at me.
‘A tiger? No, a wolf? What is it?’
But the moment my gaze fell upon it, the creature vanished like smoke.
As I scanned the surroundings, searching for traces of it.
“We’ve arrived.”
I had reached the center of the village, standing before a colossal tree that towered majestically.

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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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