Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 218

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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 218
“So what am I supposed to do after finding the cause?”
“How should I know?”
“You don’t know all the important things, do you?”
As Dokgo Myeong grumbled, the Old Man offered a meaningful smile.
“When heaven moves in reverse, earth moves in order. Because this is born, that is born. Because that comes to be, this arises.”
“What in the…”
“Surely the discord between heaven and earth isn’t yours alone to bear?”
“…!”
“You are a result. Perhaps you are also a cause. Either way, if you are one of the two, then the opposite wouldn’t be so different from your situation.”
Dokgo Myeong’s fists clenched tight.
“Then Hyeok… I mean, the one who made me this way—are you saying he’s in a similar situation?”
Hyeok Wi-sang.
That bastard with those ghostly eyes was living a new life too?
The Old Man spoke.
“It could be, or it might not be.”
Dokgo Myeong’s brow furrowed sharply.
“What kind of answer is that?”
“There is a possibility, is what I’m saying.”
“So nothing is certain in the end?”
Dokgo Myeong scratched his head vigorously.
Ah, this was maddening.
He had always despised such convoluted, abstract talk. Listening to it continuously made his stomach churn.
“So what exactly am I supposed to do?”
“If I told you, would you obey quietly?”
“Well… at least I’d listen first.”
The Old Man laughed—a smile that carried an air of detachment.
“Then just live as you have been.”
“Isn’t that awfully convenient for you to say, as if it’s someone else’s problem?”
“Whether you find the answer in yourself or in the cause… you’ll live according to your nature anyway, won’t you?”
Dokgo Myeong paused for a moment, then let out a small laugh.
‘According to my nature.’
Well, that was true enough.
If someone told him to shut himself away in the mountains and cultivate the Way, would he follow it?
‘I’d sooner overturn the mountain itself.’
On the other hand, if he had to find the answer from the cause…
‘That means I have to meet Hyeok Wi-sang.’
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed.
That was what he intended anyway.
Whether Hyeok Wi-sang had come from the past or found himself in some other circumstance, he would face him again and settle the score.
So in the end, there was only one answer.
The Old Man suddenly broke into a smile.
“Correct. You are not someone swayed by human will or the principles of heaven, are you?”
It was a peculiar feeling.
The Old Man spoke as though he had known me for a long time.
I nodded in acknowledgment.
“Just as I have until now, I will continue living as I always have. If a question is given to me, the answer will naturally reveal itself.”
“Then so it shall be.”
“In that case, might we proceed to the main matter now?”
The Old Man nodded.
“The Ancestral Tomb, you mean.”
“Yes. Could you explain? What exactly is this place?”
“What else? It’s the mountain and burial grounds where the ancestors of the Dokgo Family are laid to rest. Its name is Yongryeong Mountain.”
“An unusual name indeed. Anyone would think a real dragon was buried here.”
I had merely made a jest, but the Old Man’s eyes widened.
“Hmm? Did you know?”
“Pardon?”
“A dragon is buried here. Why else would it be called Yongryeong Mountain?”
What?
What did you say?
‘Wait, really? Dragons actually exist?’
Well, if spiritual creatures and ghostly beings exist, why not dragons too?
“Though I’m not certain if it’s true or not.”
“This old man is something else!”
As I bristled, the Old Man chuckled softly.
“There’s an old legend. And the reason that legend feels like truth lies in the Ancestral Tomb itself… but you’d be better off seeing it directly.”
“What exactly is inside? I’ve heard talk of some trial and poison and such…”
I furrowed my brow slightly.
“And what about that monkey? The children said it seemed to have flowed out from the Ancestral Tomb.”
“Yeonhwa is also a ghostly being of the ancient tomb. It’s one of the creatures that flowed out due to an unexpected incident this time.”
As I tilted my head in confusion, the Old Man suddenly spoke.
“Time’s up.”
“Pardon? Time for what?”
The Old Man smiled meaningfully and gestured toward the outside.
“In Zhongyuan, there’s a saying that seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times, yes? Go have a look for yourself.”
* * *
When I emerged from the hermitage, light struck my eyes adjusted to darkness, and I found myself squinting involuntarily.
It seemed I had been inside for quite a while, yet apparently little time had actually passed.
“Was it a good meeting?”
Dan-hu, who had remained outside, was waiting for me in that very spot.
Dokgo Myeong’s expression grew clouded.
“I’m not sure what’s good about it, but….”
He glanced furtively toward the wooden house before asking cautiously.
“Who exactly is that person?”
“That person?”
“The old man who was inside.”
Dan-hu smiled gently.
“He’s lived here for a very long time. A wise man, truly.”
“Though he did seem a bit senile….”
“Heh, he has a mischievous side to him.”
Dan-hu deftly changed the subject.
“Shall we visit the Ancestral Tomb?”
“No point dragging this out. Let’s go now.”
Dokgo Myeong and Dan-hu crossed the village again without delay.
Soon, a massive three-tiered gate appeared before them.
“Beyond this lies the ancestral burial ground.”
“Hmm?”
Dokgo Myeong blinked and surveyed his surroundings.
It was just an ordinary mountain.
Beyond the solitary gate stood what appeared to be merely the entrance to a densely wooded mountainside.
Or rather, since one was crossing from one mountain into another, perhaps it should be called the midslope… in any case.
‘This is less impressive than I expected.’
Dokgo Myeong closed his mouth and approached the gate.
Dan-hu asked.
“What do you think?”
“Well, it’s just a scenic mountain path? Is that all? Is there something more inside?”
The scenery beyond the gate was indeed beautiful and mysterious. It was dense with trees unlike any he’d ever seen, and the ground bloomed with flowers of every color imaginable.
But he hadn’t come here as a tourist, had he?
“A scenic mountain path, you say. At first glance, that’s certainly what it appears to be.”
“What do you mean?”
“Wait just a moment… Ah! There it comes.”
Dan-hu pointed ahead.
Following his finger, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes caught something.
“Oh?”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes brightened.
A fluffy mass of fur darted past with nimble movements.
Rustle! Whoosh!
The creature hiding behind the branches poked its head out cautiously to observe them.
Pointed ears, an elongated snout, narrow eyes.
‘A fox? Whatever it is, it’s quite cute….’
In that moment, the Fox slowly opened its mouth.
And then.
“Kiiiieeeeek!”
A cry that seemed to shatter eardrums erupted from the creature’s maw.
The beast then kicked off from a branch and launched itself into the air.
“…!”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened to the size of lanterns.
‘The Fox is… flying?’
It was no mere leap.
Dokgo Myeong’s jaw dropped as he pointed frantically at the Fox descending from afar.
“That, that thing!”
Something had unfurled across the Fox’s back.
The identity of that white, expansive thing was…
‘Wings!’
No, what kind of place was this where foxes had wings?
But in that very moment.
“Kyaaaack!”
Kwaaang!
An unidentifiable shadow came crashing down, scattering leaves everywhere as it engulfed the Fox.
Crack! Crunch!
The sickening sound of breaking bone echoed through the air.
The massive shadow savagely devoured the Fox, crunching away with methodical ferocity as it enjoyed its meal.
Dokgo Myeong blinked, his expression utterly vacant.
‘Dammit, what is this now. A dog…?’
Of course, its size was as large as a tiger’s, its snout resembled a pig’s, and its teeth were like saw blades….
But could this really be called a dog?
“Grrrrr….”
The dog-like creature, having finished its feast, now growled before the gate with crimson eyes.
Dokgo Myeong internally summoned his inner strength, but the beast could not cross the threshold and eventually slinked away into the thicket.
“….”
“….”
Silence fell.
Dokgo Myeong glanced cautiously at Dan-hu.
“So….”
Dokgo Myeong hesitated before speaking, then carefully asked again.
“Is it normal in this region for foxes to fly through the sky and wild dogs to be as large as tigers?”
Without realizing it, he had even shifted into formal speech.
Dan-hu responded in a calm tone.
“Heh, surely not? But as you can see, those are not mere foxes and dogs.”
“Then what are they?”
“Their names are Pye-pye and Gal-jeo respectively. The creature with a fox’s body and wings is called Pye-pye—a bizarre being that absorbs water vapor. Its distinctive feature is a cry that resembles a wild goose’s call.”
I wish he hadn’t explained it as casually as if describing some ordinary animal.
Wings! Actual wings!
A winged fox that even makes goose sounds?
And honestly, that’s not a cry at all. Even being generous, it’s a shriek!
“So that beast is called Gal-jeo?”
“Indeed. It has quite a ferocious temperament. It has a taste for human flesh.”
“…Is everything like this deeper inside?”
Dan-hu chuckled bitterly and nodded.
“Since we’re at the entrance, it’s relatively quiet. Pye-pye and Gal-jeo are just… somewhat savage beasts, you could say.”
“If those are savage beasts, then every tiger in Zhongyuan must be a docile kitten.”
“That’s quite the amusing jest.”
It’s not a jest. I’m serious.
Dan-hu stared intently beyond the triple gate as he spoke.
“There are far more dangerous creatures deeper within. Though admittedly, things have only become this severe recently.”
“Say, about that…”
Dokgo Myeong asked with a hardened expression.
“Didn’t you say this was our family’s ancestral tomb? An ancestral tomb is supposed to be a sacred and solemn place where our forebears are laid to rest, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
Dokgo Myeong bristled with indignation.
“This is insane! What kind of ancestral tomb has monsters like that prowling about!”
To perform even basic grave maintenance, we’d need to bring an entire contingent of peak-stage masters.
Dan-hu let out a soft laugh.
“Didn’t you sense something when you first entered the village, sir?”
“Sense what?”
“The mountain where our village is situated. Isn’t it somewhat different from other places?”
“…Somewhat? It was far more than somewhat special. But what does that have to do with anything?”
The Ten Thousand Great Mountains themselves were a rare and sacred land.
But this place called Dragon Spirit Mountain, where the Dae-san clan had settled, felt distinctly different.
The spiritual energy was so thick it made breathing difficult, and that oppressive force pressed heavily upon the surroundings.
“While the Ten Thousand Great Mountains are sacred, Dragon Spirit Mountain in particular lies at their heart. I’ve heard it was already a special place before our family settled here.”
“And?”
“Beyond this gate is where the spiritual energy of Dragon Spirit Mountain concentrates most intensely.”
“If it’s such a magnificent sacred land, shouldn’t spiritual beings appear instead of these grotesque creatures?”
“Where there is light, shadows are cast, and where things stagnate, decay follows—such is the way of nature.”
Dan-hu placed his hand on the pillar of the triple gate and slowly brushed it clean.
“In short, because this place concentrates the spiritual essence of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, it also concentrates demonic energy, giving rise to bizarre creatures and rare herbs. The ancestral tomb itself may even be drawing them here.”
Ah, these mad Dokgo Household descendants really…
‘Stop it! Just stop! What kind of family uses such a deranged place as an ancestral tomb!’
Don’t they know geomancy? Don’t they understand the principles of mountains backing and water facing!
Wait, could it be?
‘Was it this? Could it have been this all along?’
I’d wondered where all that absurd nature of the Dokgo Household came from, and now I knew….
‘It’s all because they chose the wrong location for the ancestral grounds! Settling the ancestors’ tomb in such a cursed place brought ruin upon us!’
As I ground my teeth together, Dan-hu continued speaking.
“Still, it wasn’t this severe until a few years ago. The world always seeks balance, after all.”
“…A few years ago?”
A sudden sense of dread washed over me, and I snapped my head around.
“Ever since the celestial qi reversed its course, not only has the Great Mountain’s energy become uncontrollable, but the Dragon Spirit Mountain’s aura has grown fierce as well. The ancestral tomb’s ghostly essence strengthened alongside it.”
I trembled involuntarily.
Hadn’t I already heard about this from that old man or whoever he was earlier?
“It’s only natural, of course… I only realized it long after the seal was undone. Truth be told, we’re in a precarious situation right now with ghostly creatures slowly seeping out. For now, we’ve managed to plug the gaps, but…”
“So in other words….”
I swallowed hard.
“This place was already terrifying, but now it’s become even more terrifying?”
“Indeed.”
“And I’m supposed to not only survive in there but also handle some kind of trial?”
Dan-hu nodded.
“I’ve heard there’s an ancestral tomb at the center. Surviving the journey there is part of the trial itself.”
“Is there any chance it becomes safer as you approach the center….”
“Being at the center would only make it more dangerous, not safer.”
“Hehehehe.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Then I slowly turned my head to gaze ahead.
Just then, mountain birds suddenly burst into flight from somewhere deep in the forest.
“KYEEEEEEEEK!”
“Ugh, damn! That scared me!”
I let out an involuntary cry and grimaced.
The mountain path that had seemed beautiful now looked like the entrance to a realm of demons.
This was absolutely maddening.

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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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