Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 264
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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 264
In the early dawn, the rear garden of Sa Heon-gak’s residence.
Three-colored vital energy spread softly in all directions.
Whoooosh!
Three distinct energies, each spreading in different ways, began to be rapidly drawn inward.
Toward Dokgo Myeong, who sat in lotus position at the center of the training ground.
“Hah, that should do it.”
Dokgo Myeong exhaled once and clenched and unclenched his fists. Unlike before, he felt the power perfectly contained within his body.
Now, even without deliberate concentration, the mysteries of the Hyeon-cheon technique operated flawlessly. He could perfectly control the immense power of the Heavenly Ethereal Spirit Orb as well.
Then, a deep voice reached Dokgo Myeong’s ears.
“Have you finished your training?”
Dokgo Wi-hak approached with his hands clasped behind his back. Dokgo Myeong rose and offered a respectful bow.
“You’ve arrived.”
“It’s only now that your return is becoming apparent. The sound of training from early dawn gives it away.”
Dokgo Wi-hak examined Dokgo Myeong carefully.
“Even I can no longer fully grasp your depths. You’ve truly grown immensely.”
“I’ve endured considerable hardship.”
“A spirit orb, you say. I’ve heard that among the martial techniques of the Hyeon Mun Jeong School, some include secret formulas for creating inner elixirs, but I never expected you to create one.”
“I simply let the energy guide me. Though I came close to death in the process.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a wry laugh.
He had already recounted everything that had happened. He’d done so while offering his father an even stronger demonic creature liquor than what he’d given to the managers.
“At your level of attainment, growth typically slows, yet I sense none of that.”
“Isn’t it because my internal power has increased tremendously?”
Dokgo Wi-hak shook his head.
“In my eyes, your spiritual achievement feels far greater.”
“Is that so?”
“Your approach to martial arts seems to have changed.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened.
He soon nodded with a slight smile.
“How did you know?”
“From now on, you won’t need to learn from others. Whatever you see, hear, and feel, if you incorporate it directly, that will become your own martial art.”
In that moment, Dokgo Myeong felt his heart race.
Was it a sense of accomplishment?
It was the joy of having someone perfectly understand his heart.
“Did you experience such a time, Sect Leader?”
“Your path differs from mine. I chose the way of refining what I have to its end, rather than creating something new.”
Dokgo Wi-hak released his clasped hands.
In his hand was the Sword Breaker he had seen before.
“Shall we begin soon?”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
“Are you ready?”
“Me? I’m always in perfect condition.”
Dokgo Myeong grinned widely.
“But Sect Leader, are you alright? With your age, shouldn’t you at least do some warm-up exercises? One wrong move and you’ll lose face, won’t you?”
Dokgo Wi-hak did not smile at Dokgo Myeong’s provocation.
“You’ve grown considerably stronger, but you’re still too inexperienced to be arrogant.”
Shing!
Dokgo Wi-hak calmly drew his broken sword from its sheath.
The morning sun rising in the distance was split apart at the tip of the fractured blade.
“Come at me.”
“….”
“At last, I can show you everything I have.”
* * *
There was no talk of establishing rules for the match or granting three seconds of courtesy.
An unregulated, real combat duel.
The two martial artists had already agreed to this.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes flashed as he stamped his stance.
Kuuuung!
It was a stance that seemed to pierce through the earth itself.
The “standing method” of Immovable Stance transformed into a rooted position. Immediately after, that power was transmitted to the Extreme Limit Cloud Form.
Crash!
Dokgo Myeong’s fist and the broken sword collided head-on.
The shockwave made the ground tremble, and a whirlwind erupted around the two figures.
From the first clash, both fought at full power.
“Excellent.”
The corner of Dokgo Myeong’s eye twitched once.
In that instant, Dokgo Wi-hak’s broken sword swung in a wide arc.
Kwaaang!
Unable to correct his stance, he was pushed back in a long slide.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes flashed.
‘It’s coming again!’
Dokgo Myeong unleashed both palms without even properly assessing the situation.
Kwang!
With the impact, the protective energy of the Silver Han Wall was torn apart as if sliced by a razor.
Boom! Puh-boom-boom!
Wrapping his body in Saintly Heaven and spiraling Twilight Heaven around his limbs, he pressed forward like a tempest.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!
And everything shattered.
The realm barrier of the Heavenly Outer Realm burst like porcelain, painting the void in brilliant colors.
‘What is this?’
It was neither blocked nor deflected.
It was cut, shattered, and torn apart.
In that instant, Dokgo Wi-hak’s voice reached my ears.
“Your mind wanders.”
“…!”
“One careless moment and you’ll suffer grave injury. Focus.”
Kwaaang!
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed as he hastily deflected Dokgo Wi-hak’s thrust with Jecheon-gi.
‘His qi has transformed.’
Savage. Rough. Razor-sharp.
And above all else… formidable.
‘Is this the Sect Leader’s true form?’
Guuuuuuung!
Fierce qi waves flowed from Dokgo Wi-hak’s entire body.
Gulp.
Dokgo Myeong swallowed hard.
I had witnessed many masters in my time.
Tuwang Wi Mu-jin was like a war chariot that crushes everything in its path.
Senior Bang Jong-san embodied a carefree freedom that extends in all directions.
Then what of Dokgo Wi-hak?
‘Murderous intent.’
He seemed like a different person.
Once he possessed qi closer to that of a scholar than a martial artist, yet now he was as infinitely rough and infinitely sharp as facing a demonic creature in the wilderness.
Dokgo Myeong slowly opened his mouth.
“…Could it be you’ve reached it?”
“You recognized it?”
“Have you crossed over this time?”
“I stepped upon that threshold long ago. I merely let it rust away in the interim.”
Dokgo Wi-hak gently brushed his sword with an expressionless face.
“Witnessing your transformation stirred something profound within me. Thanks to you, after countless years, I was able to sharpen my blade once more.”
Screech!
He merely brushed the sword through empty air, yet the pristine floor split cleanly in two.
Dokgo Myeong gasped in admiration.
“Could it truly be the Realm of Absolute Emptiness!”
The ultimate extreme of martial arts.
A pinnacle realm that can only be reached by never ceasing to strive upward, even upon reaching one’s limits.
The domain of the Nine Sects’ Patriarchs, the Three Family Lords, and the Three Kings and Two Demons—those who command the martial world itself. Dokgo Wi-hak had also reached that height.
“Let us end this conversation here.”
“Very well.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened with intensity.
“I’ll go at full strength.”
“Come then.”
Boom!
Dokgo Myeong’s feet struck the ground.
The air erupted with a sharp crack as the Guangji Extreme Thrust reached its zenith, and the two collided head-on.
Crackle!
Dokgo Wi-hak’s blade swept through the air with deceptive gentleness.
Yet its aftermath was anything but gentle.
‘Inhale!’
Screeeech!
The overwhelming output of the Heavenly Exterior Shadow Technique—the pulling and pushing forces it generated—were completely neutralized by Dokgo Wi-hak’s blade.
Unable to block or deflect, Dokgo Myeong found the blade descending diagonally toward him.
Clang!
“Huff!”
The fierce strike drove Dokgo Myeong back a step.
A flicker of surprise crossed Dokgo Wi-hak’s eyes.
‘He absorbed the impact? And deflected what he couldn’t block? Can he see it?’
How?
This boy shouldn’t have reached this level yet.
‘Then let’s try this.’
Dokgo Wi-hak’s momentum shifted.
The energy wrapping his blade compressed and compressed until it vanished entirely.
“…?!”
Dokgo Myeong’s expression hardened as the flash of light suddenly arrived.
Fast.
Within the realm where everything slowed, that blade flew at its true speed.
‘I already anticipated this!’
Dokgo Myeong gritted his teeth and threw his body along the vital point his senses revealed.
Boom!
Three explosive sounds overlapped as one.
Dokgo Myeong’s response was brilliant.
He twisted his firmly planted feet to evade the first strike, drove his palm forward to prevent separation, and endured the third blow with the Dragon Scale Technique.
“Huff!”
He suppressed the pain in his arms through sheer will. Dokgo Myeong drove his breath deep into his lungs and raised his hand straight, sweeping it forward.
Clang!
The hand knife strike finally sent Dokgo Wi-hak’s blade flying.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dokgo Myeong pressed forward relentlessly, continuing his barrage.
Dokgo Wi-hak inwardly marveled.
‘It’s not what he can see. If it were, he would have kept pace with the third strike too.’
Upon entering the realm of ascension, one experiences an omnipotence alongside the ability to grasp all flows of force in one’s hands, with perception maximized and time seeming to slow. Yet the Realm of No Extremes transcends mere perception—it commands.
The body accelerates in tandem with perception, and the flows of force that seemed merely graspable can now be truly twisted by one’s will.
The body accelerates in tandem with perception, and the flows of force that seemed merely graspable can now be truly twisted by one’s will.
‘Yet he managed to follow that.’
Surely not merely by intuition?
With nothing but instinct, he threw himself recklessly into danger and executed it through overwhelming internal force output?
Remarkable.
I felt genuine admiration.
Clang! Screeeech!
The overwhelming pressure of the spirit pellet released by Dokgo Myeong sent the Broken Sword tumbling backward, unable to withstand it.
At last, Dokgo Myeong seized the opening.
He did not waste this golden opportunity, beginning to excavate relentlessly.
Whoosh! Boom!
Sword waves rippled in succession from Dokgo Myeong’s movements.
It was the beginning of the technique he had created—the Limitless Heaven-Breaking Wave.
Clang clang clang!
Dokgo Wi-hak marveled once more.
The gaps that had been appearing as the sword waves stuttered were now invisible.
They flowed on and on.
The gracefully connected sword waves surged forth like the waters of the Yangtze River winding and flowing.
Boom! Kuuung!
Dokgo Wi-hak was driven backward in a long slide.
As if refusing to relinquish the advantage he had seized, Dokgo Myeong pursued relentlessly.
Boom!
The impact was considerable.
When necessary, he flicked away the shattered floor debris with ethereal absorption, and extended his sweeping and killing strikes without hesitation.
‘But.’
Dokgo Wi-hak’s eyes gleamed.
‘Continuous strikes always have many weaknesses.’
Screeeeak!
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened in shock.
The tip of the Broken Sword carved into the gap with razor-sharp precision.
‘He severed the sword wave?’
It was as if a sword had cut through a waterfall.
At last, Dokgo Myeong’s movements lost their force.
The Broken Sword, targeting his now-defenseless torso, tore through space.
Kwaaaaaang!
With a deafening explosion, dust rose like clouds.
Within it, Dokgo Myeong was driven backward, smashing through the wall as he was embedded within it.
“….”
Dokgo Wi-hak did not pursue his son. Rather, he could not.
Throbbing pain!
The wrist of his right arm, which held the sword, was burning red. Moreover, as if fire were spreading, the wound continued to grow larger.
“Hah!”
Only after sharply shaking his wrist could he dispel the Hyeon-cheon energy that had invaded it.
A smile crossed Dokgo Wi-hak’s lips.
“Did you aim for the arm, anticipating that I would block from the start?”
Dokgo Wi-hak asked, looking toward the collapsed wall.
“Yes, that is correct.”
Soon Dokgo Myeong walked over casually, clearing away the debris.
“I did not expect you to push deeper into your wrist in that instant. I was trying to land a proper blow this time.”
“You already have. This arm is now useless.”
Dokgo Wi-hak naturally grasped the sword with his left hand.
Then his lips slowly opened.
“…Ha ha.”
Surprisingly, laughter flowed forth.
That Sect Leader was laughing—quietly but distinctly audible.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“You are surely….”
“Perhaps I have been waiting for this day all along.”
Dokgo Wi-hak gazed at his sword.
His face reflected in the blade was clearly smiling.
‘Martial arts learned to kill and destroy someone.’
The deeply rooted demonic nature made him resent the martial arts he had trained his entire life, causing him to break his own sword and turn his back.
Yet now, laughter came naturally.
Because the contest with his son was joyful, because this moment brought him happiness.
‘I am facing my son in combat. This child has grown to stand before me and meet me as an equal opponent.’
Suddenly Dokgo Wi-hak spoke to someone he missed.
“I am a man blessed beyond measure.”
“…I feel the same way.”
They say martial artists exchange much through martial contests.
What they have accumulated, what they have abandoned, what they will achieve ahead.
This moment where past, present, and future are shared.
Dokgo Wi-hak laughed refreshingly.
“Have you caught your breath?”
“Yes.”
“Surely this is not the end?”
“…Of course not.”
Dokgo Myeong answered, wiping the blood flowing from his lips with his sleeve.
“I too shall unfold my final technique. Give it your all.”
“I’m going.”
“I’ll go too.”
Moments later.
Whoooosh! Crash!
The sound of violent collision filled the training grounds.
* * *
The Old Physician exhaled deeply.
“If you don’t exhaust your body for even a single day, do thorns sprout on your tongue?”
The Old Physician was treating Dokgo Myeong’s injuries.
What was surprising was that his father, Dokgo Wi-hak, sat beside him as well.
“Much obliged.”
Dokgo Wi-hak needed bandages wrapped around his right forearm and abdomen.
The sight of Dokgo Wi-hak, famous for his composure, bearing wounds was quite unfamiliar.
“Still, the internal injuries have been corrected. You need only be careful with the external wounds.”
“Understood. Thank you for your trouble. Let’s be on our way.”
“Understood! Yes!”
The two father and son left the medical chamber and walked onward.
After a brief silence, Dokgo Wi-hak asked with slightly heightened interest.
“What was that footwork technique at the end?”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled.
“A martial technique I’m currently developing.”
“The footwork itself serves as a means of attack. Quite extraordinary.”
“Don’t you think it will become an interesting technique?”
“It will be difficult to complete.”
“Still, it must be done. More than that, I was quite surprised myself.”
That you wielded such a lethal martial technique.
Dokgo Wi-hak, who had been smiling, suddenly spoke as if remembering something.
“I heard you’re leaving soon.”
“Yes, it seems I have a day or two of leeway. I plan to leave after finishing one matter.”
“What matter?”
“It concerns equipment for the Demon-Slaying Corps. I intend to request specialized equipment from a place called Baekryeon Cheolbang.”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s expression changed.
“Baekryeon Cheolbang… where Craftsman Heo Yong-do resides.”
Dokgo Myeong blinked.
“Do you have an acquaintance there?”
“He forged this sword for me.”
Dokgo Wi-hak drew the broken blade from its sheath and showed it briefly as he spoke.
The moment Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened, Dokgo Wi-hak continued.
“He told me to extract even a bull’s horns in one breath. How about we go together?”
“Pardon? You mean to the smithy?”
“Very well. Let us take this opportunity to acquire your weapon as well. I suspect they will find you quite intriguing.”
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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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