Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 220

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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 220
“Master Clan Leader.”
At Lee Seong-cheon’s call, Dokgo Cheon slowly lifted his eyelids.
After gazing into empty space for a moment, he asked in a flat tone.
“…Has a month already passed?”
“Yes, it has.”
“Mm.”
Dokgo Cheon nodded once, then rose from his seat.
Fwump!
The snow accumulated on his body scattered and fell away.
“It seems snow has fallen.”
“Heavy snow fell just recently.”
Dokgo Cheon chuckled softly.
He clasped his hands behind his back and surveyed his surroundings.
“I meditated in sitting position and even caught the snow—quite the pointless endeavor.”
Fearing the snow might interfere with his cultivation, he hadn’t even brushed it away, leaving the Training Hall entirely white.
Lee Seong-cheon lifted his lowered head slightly to observe his master.
‘He has changed.’
This was what he had been thinking since receiving the order to come wake him if there was no word for a month.
Though he had served Dokgo Cheon his entire life, this was the first time he had witnessed him meditate in sitting position for such an extended period.
“Why do you stare so?”
“My apologies.”
“What, are you worried that your master has finally reached the end of his days, doing something he’s never done before?”
Though it was clearly a jest, Lee Seong-cheon bowed his head with a grave expression.
“You appear different from the Clan Leader I have always known, and it caught me off guard.”
“Different, you say.”
Dokgo Cheon murmured quietly.
“One must change. If the same method fails after a lifetime, shouldn’t one try a different path?”
Lee Seong-cheon faltered.
Dokgo Cheon was not someone who sought another path simply because he had lost his way. Rather, he was the type to push forward relentlessly and make what was wrong into what was right.
“Has some change of heart occurred, sir?”
Dokgo Cheon chuckled softly.
“Does an old man change so easily? I’m simply undertaking a challenge in my own way.”
Dokgo Cheon pulled up one corner of his mouth in a smile—that characteristic stubborn expression of his.
Yet something was amiss.
The aura that had seemed to place the entire world beneath his feet had vanished somewhere. There was even a sense that he had sacrificed or relinquished something.
“A challenge, you say?”
“I’ve set aside what I’ve accumulated over a lifetime and am carving out a different path. If I succeed, I’ll advance; if I fail, it will all crumble.”
“You have already reached the pinnacle of supremacy—is there truly a need to challenge yourself further?”
Dokgo Cheon tilted his head.
“When have I ever settled for anything?”
Dokgo Cheon spoke the words carelessly and began to walk.
Lee Seong-cheon stood frozen for a moment as if struck, then followed in his footsteps.
Dokgo Cheon had not changed.
He had always been the type to discard anything to achieve what he desired. This time, what he had discarded was merely his own methods.
‘But…’
Why had the years that had stood still for Dokgo Cheon suddenly begun to flow again?
Soon, Lee Seong-cheon recalled a certain person.
Like a dye that stained everyone he met with his own color—that person was Dokgo Myeong.
“Myeong-i. How many days has it been since that clever brat departed?”
As expected, the affectionate nickname for his favored grandson spilled from Dokgo Cheon’s lips.
“It has been one month and seventeen days as of today.”
“He must be in his prime time then.”
“If he adapted quickly, he would have already established himself. If he struggled with adaptation, he would be enduring difficult times.”
“Shall we wager? Which would you bet on?”
Lee Seong-cheon paused briefly before speaking.
“I would wager on the latter.”
“Truly?”
“…”
“You’ve become quite dull. You actually believe the former, but you wagered the latter because you cannot win against me?”
“My apologies.”
Dokgo Cheon let out a soft laugh.
One month and seventeen days.
That place was a world beyond martial arts.
Even one with formidable martial prowess could find their life in peril from a single mistake.
‘Yet I find myself unconcerned.’
Rather, he felt anticipation.
How much sharper would that already keen blade become?
‘Yes, perhaps the time has come.’
Dokgo Cheon reflected upon himself.
He had now released his grip on the clan. The clan would flow on of its own accord.
This imaginary sword test in which he had been absent would do the same.
Whether this was the right path or not, he had reached his limit.
Geom-jon, Dokgo Cheon. He was now contemplating what came next.
‘A time of choice, then.’
Through Dokgo Cheon’s eyes passed the weight of countless years.
His deliberation was brief.
Dokgo Cheon opened his mouth.
“I cannot fall behind that grandson of mine.”
“…?”
“Inform only the Outer Hall Master and the Elder Council Leader. Prepare quietly.”
At Dokgo Cheon’s calm words, Lee Seong-cheon’s eyes trembled like a ship caught in a storm.
“It has been quite some time since I ventured into Gangho.”
* * *
Every martial art under heaven carries its own theory of ultimate strength. Even the three great sects, always mentioned together, hold different views on what true power means.
Mudang emphasizes softness, Shaolin emphasizes solidity, and Hwasan emphasizes speed and brilliance.
Thus Mudang culminates in the Tai Chi Fist, Shaolin in the Muscle Change Scripture, and Hwasan in the Plum Blossom Sword.
And Cheonoe Gyeong spoke of sensation.
-Only sensation mastery. Do not think and act—trust your senses.
-That damned sensation! Why not just teach and beat something into him!
My Master said sensation mastery must be learned through the body, and he beat me relentlessly to prove it.
My Master also said this.
-The moment you properly enter any specific martial art before achieving sensation mastery, Cheonoe Gyeong will not choose you.
-But Master, I’m already a peak expert?
-That’s just a sloppy realm built from miscellaneous techniques that street thugs learn, stacked together however you pleased. What you do is fighting, not martial arts.
It stung my pride somewhat, but my Sect Leader was someone who could say such things.
My Sect Leader declared it plainly.
-If you can perfect sensation mastery, there is no need to learn other secret techniques.
-Hui Tian, Hong Tian… all the secret techniques that follow are merely side paths to inscribe sensation mastery into your body more easily and efficiently.
Everything formal in this world has rules. Even if one becomes an absolute master, humans cannot escape rules and habits.
But sensation is different.
-Once sufficient experience accumulates in your instincts and begins to manifest as sensation mastery, that is all.
-Because there is no form, enemies cannot break you down.
-Because you follow sensation, you can choose the best method available in any situation.
-Sensation mastery, only sensation mastery.
Now I understand those words.
So I, Dokgo Myeong, always focused on sensation mastery. Learning the Eight Divine Techniques was merely a means to inscribe experience and knowledge into my sensation mastery.
Then what must one do to cultivate sensation mastery?
Ultimately, one must throw oneself into experience and danger.
In that sense, this absurdly troublesome sacred mountain was the perfect space for cultivation.
Whoooosh!
In the forest at dawn.
Trees shook wildly in the gust of wind that blew in.
Remarkably, that wind was artificially created.
Boom! Crash! Craaaaaash!
Explosions erupted in the darkness as something flashed, and then flashed again in the distance.
Then something was suddenly sent flying, carving a deep furrow into the ground before stopping.
“Ugh… I’ve never met anyone stronger than Mu-baek. Cough! Spit!”
The moment it crashed into the earth, something sprang up—it was Dokgo Myeong.
That was when it happened.
“Hisssss!”
A serpent erupted from where I had fallen, its jaws gaping wide.
Crack! Thud!
Without even looking, I stomped down, crushing the creature’s skull beneath my heel.
Then, flowing like water, I reversed my grip on the sword and thrust it backward without hesitation.
Squelch!
“Kieeeek!”
From the darkness came a grotesque bird, its spine-chilling shriek echoing as it collapsed lifelessly.
Shing! Hisssss!
As I withdrew the blade, an acrid stench and a sound like boiling water emanated from it.
Toxic qi.
The creatures dwelling in the heart of Seonsan were inherently poisonous.
I didn’t even turn my head, as accustomed to this as I was.
‘This one I’m fighting now… only something of that caliber deserves my attention.’
I pierced through the darkness of the forest ahead with an unwavering gaze.
Boom!
Something stirred beyond the shadows.
The earth trembled.
Boom! Thud!
“Grrrrr…”
A pair of eerie, glowing eyes emerged from the darkness.
Two legs standing upright, two arms reaching down to the knees.
It resembled a human in form—if not for its colossal frame, reminiscent of an ox, or perhaps an elephant.
Crack!
It swept aside the trees blocking its path like curtains, its massive arms clearing the way as it revealed itself.
A creature bearing an uncanny resemblance to an ape—a Simian.
I spat onto the ground and gripped the Geonkun Sword with fierce intensity.
“A mere beast daring to posture? Prepare yourself. I won’t retreat today.”
“Kieeeek!”
Boom!
The Simian shrieked and stamped the earth.
I swung the Geonkun Sword with all my inner force channeled into it.
Clang!
A clear, crystalline sound.
Remarkably, it came from the creature’s hide.
‘What kind of skin does this beast have?’
My face twisted in frustration.
“Kek! Kekekekik!”
It bared its teeth in what seemed like mockery, shrieking as it lunged at me with flailing limbs.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Whenever that creature’s arm swept past, the surrounding terrain was left in ruins.
This beast possessed a power of an entirely different caliber—so formidable that even other creatures at the heart of this place, let alone its own kind, would flee from it.
Flash!
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed as I stamped the ground.
‘Left.’
Boom!
‘One step forward from here.’
Crash!
‘Now, leap.’
Whoosh!
My feet barely brushed the earth as I pushed off.
I evaded without seeing or sensing anything—and did so without panic.
Seonsan, where threats lurked from every conceivable direction.
In just a short span of time, my senses had been honed to an unprecedented sharpness.
And that was not all.
“Chirp?”
The Simian’s eyes widened in shock.
My feet did not touch the ground. I glided through the air as if flying, barely hovering above the surface.
Of course, I was not truly flying.
Grass-Skimming Flight.
In less than two months, I had transcended mere adaptation to the environment—I had mastered the true art of ascension itself.
I grinned wickedly.
“Never seen anything like this, have you? I’ve been grinding my teeth and training relentlessly just to catch you, you bastard!”
The grass beneath me sprang lightly as I shot forward.
Bang!
This time, I properly stamped the ground and drove a palm strike directly into the Simian’s solar plexus.
Thunderous boom!
The Penetrating Force struck true.
For the first time, the Simian’s face contorted as it was driven backward.
That was when it happened.
“Roooaaarrr!”
The Simian suddenly smashed a boulder beneath it with its fist.
Crash!
I flinched in alarm and halted my charge, retreating hastily.
“Did this thing lose its mind? Hitting innocent—wait, this insane ape!?”
My eyes bulged as my grin vanished.
The Simian scooped up the shattered stone fragments and hurled them forward.
Thunderous crash!
Sharp stone shards rained down like arrows. A single strike would easily pierce through a human body.
“Damn! This thing never runs out of tricks!”
I swiftly swirled the Dragon Scale Robe to shield my front, crouching my body low.
Simultaneously, a mingled aura of gold and silver enveloped my entire form.
The Dragon Scale Robe and the Seongcheon Technique—they were my greatest defenses.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-bang!
I clicked my tongue.
This was already the third encounter with the Simian, yet each time we met, it grew increasingly cunning.
‘Fighting a martial master, not a mere beast.’
The moment I swept my robes aside.
The Simian lunged forward.
Clang! Crash! Boom!
Explosive sounds erupted.
My blade could not cut through it.
‘I already anticipated it wouldn’t pierce.’
Yet that didn’t mean I had no way to wound the creature.
Whooooosh!
My sword vibrated, releasing a peculiar resonant hum.
The Simian flinched momentarily.
Clang!
Again, the Geom-jon Sword bounced away without piercing its hide.
“Screech! Screech-screech!”
The Simian shrieked mockingly once more, swinging its fists.
Yet from the start, that first strike had been the weakest technique.
Whoosh!
I used the rebound from my blade’s deflection to trace an arc through empty air.
The Jecheon-gi technique.
Clang!
It bounced away again.
Yet with each successive strike, my sword grew increasingly heated.
Clang! Clang!
Third strike, fourth strike, fifth strike….
Only then did the Simian sense something amiss.
With each successive attack, the power contained within that skewer-like weapon grew progressively stronger.
“Growl?!”
Whoosh-crack! Crash!
On the sixth strike, blood finally sprayed from the Simian’s forearm.
On the seventh strike, the Simian was driven back, its balance shattered.
“Screech! Grrrrrowl!”
And the eighth strike.
My sword surged upward in a devastating arc.
Whoooosh! Shriek!
The simian’s jaw snapped back violently, and blood erupted from its mouth.
A technique that had never existed in the Cheonoe Gyeong before.
It was the Mugeuk Cheonpa Gyeong—conceived by me and named by Dokgo Cheon.
“Kieeeeeek!”
The creature shrieked and was hurled backward, crashing into the wall.
“One more blow coming, you bastard!”
I flew after it like a streak of lightning, swinging my fist.
Kwaaaaaaang!
A deafening explosion erupted, and smoke billowed upward.
The monstrous simian lay motionless.
“Ha, you bastard. Finally got you.”
I slung my sword across my shoulder and exhaled sharply.
It had been over a month and a half since entering the sacred mountain.
I had moved beyond mere adaptation—I was now hunting down creatures as I encountered them.

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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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