Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 222

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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 222
“Haaaaaah….”
With a single deep, prolonged breath, the air within the wooden house rippled. The intent that flowed forth from my breathing cultivation was already affecting the natural spiritual energy around me.
Beyond the mere increase in my inner power, it was evidence that Dokgo Myeong’s very realm of cultivation was transforming.
Uuuuuoooong!
In the end, it all circled back to the Cheonoe Gyeong, yet Dokgo Myeong delved endlessly into the Eight Divine Techniques.
‘So there are techniques like this.’
‘Can inner power be utilized in such ways?’
‘Not through martial combat, but by dismantling the opponent….’
The Cheonoe Gyeong was indeed a formidable divine technique, but the Eight Divine Techniques possessed traditions and history that the Cheonoe Gyeong lacked.
There was no end to what I was comprehending. Everything I had pondered and researched transformed into knowledge.
Enlightenments not about combat, but about the martial arts themselves.
As this knowledge seeped into the foundation of the Cheonoe Gyeong, changes began to manifest in Dokgo Myeong’s martial path.
‘It’s changing.’
Uuuuuoooong!
Not just the Hui Heaven, Hong Heaven, and Seong Heaven, but even the Hyo Heaven permeating my four limbs and body.
The true energy within my body had transformed.
Dokgo Myeong had reached the realm of bone-rebirth and the unity of essence, energy, and spirit. The transformation of true energy was seeping into my body, mind, and martial arts themselves.
‘My martial arts themselves are changing. There isn’t much left now.’
Dokgo Myeong sensed that a transitional period had arrived.
Only one final barrier remained before the next stage.
I did not know what lay beyond this wall.
‘I shall cross it soon.’
Dokgo Myeong exhaled another long breath and slowly opened his eyes.
Huuuoong!
As I clenched my fist, overwhelming power surged through me.
Dokgo Myeong shook his head slowly.
‘Compared to my past life, I’ve truly gained far more than I could have asked for.’
To be honest, even if I fought my past self who had reached the extreme, I felt I could win perhaps once or twice out of ten times.
But.
‘I cannot be satisfied with merely that.’
I was well aware that my power had not yet reached its peak.
And I also knew I could go further.
Having already reached the end in my past life, perhaps now I could glimpse something beyond that end.
Just as I was about to drive myself harder and return to cultivation.
“Grrrrr!”
“Woof! Woof woof woof!”
The sound of the Creatures barking came from outside.
‘What are these beasts doing in the dead of night?’
It was strange.
Why did those ferocious creatures’ cries carry a note of fear in them?
Dokgo Myeong rose from his seat and stepped outside, only to freeze in place.
“…!”
My senses snapped awake.
A colossal shadow filled my entire field of vision.
Against the backdrop of a refreshing waterfall’s roar and the soft moonlight, something resembling a tiger stood before me, its gaze fixed upon my form.
‘A Mystical Beast.’
They said one could distinguish a Mystical Beast from a Demonic Creature at first glance, and it was true.
Unlike Demonic Creatures, it bore no putrid stench nor emanated any ominous aura.
A tiger the size of a house, cloaked in the spiritual essence of the ancestral grounds like a master of martial arts—what else could it be but a Mystical Beast?
“Kee-ing! King!”
“Woof!”
The Creatures, trembling with fear, pressed themselves against my back, quivering uncontrollably.
“You’re twice my size, and yet you’re acting like this? Get inside, all of you!”
As I turned to look back at them in bewilderment, the Creatures gazed at me with expressions of profound disappointment.
Letting out a hollow laugh, I gestured with my chin toward the wooden house, and they scurried inside without hesitation.
“So….”
Only then did I turn my gaze back to face forward.
“…What brings you here, when you’ve never shown even a whisker before?”
It said nothing.
It merely stared at me with eyes as clear as a pristine lake.
‘Well, it makes sense that it wouldn’t speak.’
I regarded the Mystical Beast with a blank expression.
‘What’s this about? Did it come to pick a fight?’
Was I finally going to clash with a Mystical Beast? Though I couldn’t fathom a reason to fight.
‘Wait, hold on.’
Could it be?
There was indeed one reason it might have come!
“Ah, welcome!”
I immediately bowed deeply and broke into a beaming smile.
“Please, don’t be so reserved! I almost misunderstood! I’ve been waiting for you, after all. You came to repay a debt, didn’t you?”
“…?”
“I’ve been waiting so eagerly! Come now, let’s go! Quickly! Perhaps a gift for the human who hunted the Demonic Creature of the ancestral grounds….”
“….”
“Or perhaps a spiritual elixir…?”
“….”
“…You’re saying no?”
“….”
Silence descended.
My expression shifted dramatically.
“No, what are you trying to do by coming into someone else’s territory? You’re just disrupting our training!”
The posture I had lowered straightened again, and my expression became as brazen as a back-alley ruffian.
“Just because you’re a Mystical Beast, you can do whatever you want? This isn’t some place where you can just come and go as you please….”
“Grrrrr….”
“Ugh, you startled me.”
At that moment, the Mystical Beast lifted its front paw slightly.
‘What kind of paw pad is the size of a human head.’
If that hit me, I’d really end up going somewhere I shouldn’t.
Thud!
The Mystical Beast didn’t swing the paw it had lifted; instead, it turned its body gently and planted its feet back on the ground.
Then it simply tilted its head and locked eyes with me.
That gesture was as if….
“Follow me?”
The Mystical Beast nodded.
And so I found myself embarking on a mountain journey with the Mystical Beast in the dead of night.
* * *
Whoosh! Crack!
The scenery became a blur and rushed past.
I unfolded my lightness technique and pursued the nameless Mystical Beast, which seemed a blend of tiger and lion.
‘In all my years, not only have I grappled with Demonic Creatures, but now I’m chasing after a Mystical Beast’s tail.’
Suddenly, I felt as though I was approaching a world beyond my domain. Perhaps my very life as Dokgo Myeong had been a transgression of boundaries from the start.
‘Setting that aside….’
Bang!
I kicked off the ground and exhaled sharply.
‘Incredibly fast.’
Whoosh!
Each time the Mystical Beast moved its paws lightly, several zhang of distance vanished in an instant.
It was like watching a true master of lightness technique. Not only was the speed extraordinary, but despite that massive frame striking the ground and running, it made no sound.
Human, Demonic Creature, or Mystical Beast—ultimately, all are animals at their core.
‘In the end, all excellence must stem from qi.’
Then couldn’t I learn the Mystical Beast’s methods as well?
I watched the Mystical Beast intently, my eyes gleaming.
In that moment, an unexpected clue seemed to brush against my mind.
“Yelp!”
From within the Mystical Beast’s mane, a Golden Fur Ball suddenly popped out.
My eyes widened.
“What? You?!”
“Yelp! Yelp!”
It was the one that had been following me all this time!
I could tell the moment I saw it.
A creature resembling a tiger cub grinned widely, its bright eyes gleaming with delight.
“Grrrowl!”
Screeeech!
The joy was short-lived as the Mystical Beast suddenly halted, scraping the ground beneath it.
I brought myself to a stop as well, tilting my head in confusion.
‘Near the gorge?’
It was nothing particularly remarkable.
A place with reasonably clear water and abundant flow.
Yet the Mystical Beast approached the gorge with newfound caution.
Naturally, my own footsteps became measured as well.
As I came within sight of the gorge, I instinctively drew upon my Seoncheon Qi.
Whiiiiing!
The Dragon Scale Robe resonated with my Seoncheon Qi, wrapping protective energy around my body.
‘What in the world….’
My eyes wavered.
The gorge held no water. The once-abundant stream had receded to expose the bare bottom, and what little remained had turned a sickly brown, emanating a putrid stench.
Crackle!
The vegetation beneath my feet crumbled to dust. Not only had the water vanished—the surrounding plants had withered and twisted, drained of all vitality.
“What on earth is this….”
I stared at the Mystical Beast that had led me here, bewilderment flooding my gaze.
“….”
The Mystical Beast met my eyes with a gaze that spoke of reason and wisdom.
-You already sense it, do you not?
That was what those eyes seemed to convey.
The creature then moved slowly onward, as if to say this was merely the beginning.
“…!”
Along the side of the gorge.
I could see vegetation and trees growing along the slope had been uprooted or snapped as if by tremendous force.
The ground nearby bore massive furrows, resembling the trail of some colossal serpent.
‘It’s him. The Gwisucheolmang.’
The king of demonic creatures from the sacred mountain—incomparable to mere Simians.
He had appeared in this place.
‘A creature that dwells in the marshlands near the old tombs on the mountain’s midslope… why has he descended so close to the entrance?’
I had seen him move only once before, from a great distance.
At first, I thought it was a log rolling past. Something so thick, so massive, so impossibly long had moved through the forest—far too substantial to be called a mere creature.
According to the siblings, he remained confined to his own territory, so why had he ventured down here?
Then.
“Grrrowl….”
The Mystical Beast growled softly, its senses alert to the surroundings.
My instincts issued a warning.
Dokgo Myeong narrowed his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.
A flash of light!
In that instant, countless demonic creatures materialized from the darkness.
The desolate valley was completely overrun with demonic creatures.
Could it be an exaggeration to think that those demonic creatures also sensed the malevolent aura that the water serpent was emanating?
And why in the world…
‘I’m sensing the vital essence of the Twin Horse Alliance from those creatures.’
A fierce glint flickered across Dokgo Myeong’s eyes.
It didn’t take long to annihilate all the demonic creatures.
Sizzzzzzle!
Dokgo Myeong rose from the fray, drenched in the blood and toxins of the demonic creatures, smoke billowing from his form.
He then fixed his gaze upon the Mystical Beast with eyes brimming with killing intent.
“Could it be that there are no Mystical Beasts left because of that creature, and only demonic creatures are overflowing?”
The Mystical Beast nodded once more.
“What exactly is that serpent? Even so, there has to be a limit. How can a mere insignificant creature do such things?”
“…”
“No, I mean, yes, they’re called Mystical Beasts and demonic creatures, but if you said they were simply beasts that naturally accumulated spiritual power, I could understand. But this doesn’t make sense.”
Dokgo Myeong recalled the first demonic creature he had encountered here.
That simian monster named Yeonhwa who had escaped beyond the village.
It had emanated a vital essence so similar to the Twin Horse Alliance that it could be sensed from afar.
And now, Dokgo Myeong sensed that same aura from the traces of Gwisucheolmang.
“You came seeking me out for a reason. So explain yourself. How did a mere insignificant creature acquire such a peculiar aura, and what is it you’re trying to tell me?”
“Grrrrruuung…”
As if in sorrow, or perhaps in worry.
The Mystical Beast’s clear eyes turned toward somewhere down the valley.
Dokgo Myeong followed its gaze and turned his head, only to click his tongue. There were only the demonic creatures that had fallen during their recent battle.
“Tch, dammit, what am I supposed to do talking with a creature that doesn’t understand speech…”
Suddenly, Dokgo Myeong froze.
“…?”
He stared intently at the valley below where the Mystical Beast had been looking.
Yongryeong Mountain had the appearance of two peaks joined together. The higher one was the ancestral tomb, and the village of the Great Mountain clan existed on the lower side.
And…
“The village?”
If one descended through this valley, there existed a gorge that connected to the mountain where the Great Mountain clan dwelled.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes trembled.
“That creature is targeting the village?”
* * *
Deep within the remote mountains of Yongryeong Mountain.
On a vast flat land that seemed out of place for a mountain, there existed a deep and expansive swamp that no creature could easily approach.
Or rather, it had existed.
Crack! Crack!
Withered and rotting trees and grass.
Something glided smoothly through the blackened, dead earth like it was swimming.
A head resembling a wolf or perhaps a tortoise, a body thick and elongated enough that calling it a water serpent wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
It was the Gwisucheolmang.
Death followed in the creature’s wake. After moving for quite some time, it raised itself up.
At the center of this land filled only with death stood a grayish-white structure, ensnared by vines.
The ancestral tomb of the Dokgo Family.
The creature gazed at the tomb, then turned its head.
As if waiting for something.
* * *
The hour when the bright sun rose.
Snap!
Dokgo Myeong tightened his belt while muttering to himself.
“That’s right, doubts and all that nonsense. Once I capture it, everything’s solved anyway.”
Dokgo Myeong grinned wickedly and slung the Dragon Scale Robe across his body. Then he fastened the Heavenly Sword to his waist and finally inspected himself one last time.
Waist, thighs, ankles, chest.
All manner of weapons made from demonic creature teeth and bones hung from leather straps fastened across his body.
After checking each weapon one by one, Dokgo Myeong turned around.
There, a young mystical beast basked in the sunlight, waiting for me.
“Grrrrr….”
Dokgo Myeong closed his mouth with a click.
“Listen, nothing here can disappear, understand?”
The mystical beast glanced away, looking down at the ground.
“Yelp!”
A creature resembling a tiger cub walked over with remarkable confidence and nodded its head.
As if saying, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll protect it!’
Dokgo Myeong’s expression grew weary.
‘Have I been alone too long lately? Now I’m starting to understand what these animals are thinking just by looking at their faces.’
Without realizing it, Dokgo Myeong shook his head and looked at the creatures standing beside the young mystical beast.
“Stay put. Understood?”
“Bark! Bark!”
“Woof!”
The creatures that had been guarding the house approached Dokgo Myeong’s feet.
Their faces full of worry.
Whether these beasts had actually grown attached or not, they looked at him with expressions so human it was uncanny.
“Watch the house well with her.”
“Yelp yelp yelp!”
The young mystical beast cried out with a strangely mocking sound, looking at the demonic creatures.
Despite the significant size difference, the three creatures couldn’t move and only flinched.
Dokgo Myeong spun around sharply.
“Then let’s go, you mystical beast.”
“Growl.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
“You’d better have an inner core, or I swear I’ll make you regret it. I’m talking snake liquor, snake soup, raw snake—everything! I’ll devour every last bit of you!”
The hunt for serpents—no, the hunt for the great serpent beast—had begun.

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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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