Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 301

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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 301
A narrow gorge nestled deep within the mountains.
A thin stream of water flowing between large and small boulders was stained with blood.
“There is no poison.”
Geum Seok-du wiped the moisture from his lips as he spoke.
“There’s a lot of limestone mixed in, so it tastes a bit chalky, but it should be safe to drink.”
“Come, everyone gather!”
“Quench your thirst in turn! Hurry!”
The martial artists immediately bowed their heads and began drinking water.
Crack!
Geum Seok-du skillfully cut down nearby bamboo and fashioned it into a water container, then carried it somewhere.
“Captain, please drink some water.”
Dokgo Myeong sat atop a flat stone.
With his elbows resting on his knees, his head hung low. Blood dripped steadily from his disheveled hair.
“Captain? Captain!”
“….”
“No, Captain… Young Master! Please come to your senses!”
“Ugh… My ears are ringing. Keep it down.”
Dokgo Myeong finally lifted his head slightly.
“I’ve been peeling night watches and I’m exhausted, yet I can’t even rest.”
Dokgo Myeong slowly lifted his head completely.
Geum Seok-du paused upon seeing Dokgo Myeong’s face, then whispered so nearby allies couldn’t hear.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“….”
Dokgo Myeong gulped down the water from the bamboo container.
He ran his sweat and fatigue-dampened hair back carelessly and spoke.
“How long did I sleep?”
“…Not even a moment, sir.”
“Then gather whatever rations remain—dried meat, elixirs, anything—and distribute it all. Even if they can’t eat, force it down their throats. Tell them to cultivate their energy to manage their internal injuries.”
The first thing he does upon regaining consciousness is give orders.
Namgung Sohwa, standing right beside him, sighed and spoke.
“I understand, so please rest a bit more. They’re all elite, so they’ll handle it themselves.”
“Are you doing alright?”
“Haven’t I been through this once or twice before? I’m fine.”
Namgung Sohwa laughed boldly.
Her already pale complexion appeared even more ashen, but she didn’t mention it. She was stronger than anyone else here.
Dokgo Myeong turned his gaze.
“Bring me the strategist.”
“I’m here. What are your orders?”
Moryong Sohgyo’s condition looked relatively manageable. She had avoided standing on the front lines for command purposes. Of course, that was merely a matter of degree.
“Do we have an assessment?”
“…Are you asking about casualties?”
Dokgo Myeong nodded heavily.
“Currently just over five hundred. We haven’t confirmed exact numbers, but three Daejoo-level fighters, five Deputy Leaders, and over a hundred ordinary martial artists have fallen. As for the wounded….”
“They’re all wounded anyway. If I hear anyone whining about pain here, I’ll twist their mouth around.”
“Haha.”
A hollow laugh drifted through the air before fading away.
Dokgo Myeong asked in a subdued voice.
“What about our people?”
“….”
“Tell me.”
“Two of them…have died.”
Dokgo Myeong paused to collect himself.
He swallowed blood-tinged saliva and asked.
“Who?”
“Jang Han-chung and Wang Geum-cheon from my unit.”
Geum Seok-du interjected abruptly.
Jang Han-chung from Shaanxi—he had a beautiful singing voice. Wang Geum-cheon, a native of Honam, was an excellent cook.
“We separated your unit members, keeping only the most skilled martial artists. Those two weren’t among them, were they?”
“They couldn’t bear to sit idle while the disciples were suffering, so they went to gather food and water. That’s when it happened.”
“….”
“They went smiling. They said it was brief but joyful, and asked me to tell you they were grateful to serve you as their commander. Ah, they also asked me to look after their families.”
Geum Seok-du spoke calmly.
Dokgo Myeong asked nothing more.
That was when it happened.
Tap! Thud!
A man came rushing over noisily and collapsed onto the ground.
“Huff, huff! I, Jang Han-chung, have just finished the reconnaissance.”
Jang Han-chung spoke while gasping for breath.
“Catch your breath first, then speak. The enemy?”
“They’ve surrounded the base of the mountain. They’re not approaching, but their vigilance is extremely tight.”
“Surrounded the base…so it’s an encirclement.”
Have they already won? Or are the enemy also regrouping for one final assault?
Should I be grateful we have even a brief moment to rest? Or should I dread that they’re preparing for their final offensive?
“I’ve already erased our traces and scattered decoys. Hoa was commanding the wild beasts. Thanks to that, it went smoothly.”
“Meow!”
Hoa appeared from nowhere and planted her paws on Dokgo Myeong’s lap.
As if asking for praise, Dokgo Myeong chuckled softly and stroked Hoa’s mane.
“You’ve worked hard. Rest a little.”
“Th-thank you.”
Dokgo Myeong turned to look at Moyong Sohgyo.
“How much farther?”
“If we can just descend successfully, it becomes flat terrain, and then we’ll reach the wide river we originally planned for. It seems this valley stream flows into that river.”
Dokgo Myeong gazed down at the valley stream, which flowed with streaks of blood mixed throughout.
“If the main family’s forces arrive in time, that river will become our escape route.”
If the opposite happened, that river would become the river of death.
Everyone knew this fact, but no one spoke it aloud.
“Moyong strategist. Tell me what I need to be aware of. My mind isn’t working well, perhaps from depleted inner energy.”
“That the enemies know our destination, that our casualties are severe, and….”
Moyong Sohgyo exhaled deeply.
“That no notable forces have emerged from the enemy camp until now. If the Moyong Family or Jeongheol Sect deploy their core masters, now would be the opportune moment.”
“Understood. I know what you mean. Then I’ll cultivate for a while, so those with energy to spare should take turns standing guard.”
There was nothing more to discuss.
Dokgo Myeong immediately sat in lotus position and entered breathing meditation.
I channeled what inner energy I had into my depleted dantian, and drew upon my Hyokcheonggi to the fullest so my convulsing muscles could recover.
“I’ll go first….”
“I’ll stand guard.”
Cheolmu-baek and Dokgo Ak, who spoke simultaneously, blinked and looked at each other.
“Let’s both do it.”
“Fine.”
Soon only silence hung over the water’s edge.
Cheolmu-baek, who had been watching Dokgo Myeong, slowly opened his mouth.
“He asked us to stand guard. The captain.”
“…Yeah, that’s right.”
Since returning from the sacred mountain, our captain had transcended human limits not just in inner energy reserves but in their application as well. In fact, I could count on one hand the times he’d stood guard since joining us.
“It seems he has no more reserves left.”
“Keep quiet. Don’t let anyone hear.”
Cheolmu-baek looked down at Dokgo Ak with fresh eyes.
“Right now we need someone extraordinary, someone beyond common sense. And our brother is that extraordinary person. If we just support him like always, he’ll be rampaging like a monster again soon.”
“….”
Dokgo Ak suddenly felt a gaze and jerked his head up.
“What? What are you looking at?”
“You’ve grown much.”
“This foreign bastard sometimes treats me like a kid, I’m telling you.”
“Not ‘seems to’—you did.”
“You bastard?”
“But that needs to change now.”
Dokgo Ak’s eyes widened in surprise.
Cheolmu-baek closed his mouth again, and Dokgo Ak just blinked in astonishment.
“I can see you two are quite close, so why don’t we switch now? I’ll take over the watch.”
Geum Seok-du rose unsteadily and took his place beside Dokgo Myeong.
After that, a silence as heavy as death settled over the rest period.
Then, as the sun climbed toward its zenith.
Crash! Thud!
Jin-sa came barreling through the trees and tumbled across the ground.
The martial artist, whose habit was to conceal his presence, gasped roughly as he shouted.
“Enemies! Enemies are approaching!”
“…!”
“But it’s strange. Not the entire force—only a portion of their troops are advancing.”
“What do you mean?”
A wave of aura surged up from the base of the mountain, its presence fully revealed.
“Some of their forces are climbing the mountain separately from within the encirclement. And they were formidable masters.”
“Understood.”
Ye-hwa, who had been listening quietly, suddenly leaped up and perched atop a tree.
She drew upon her inner sight to survey the area below the mountain.
“Who are they…?”
Ye-hwa’s eyes widened in shock, and she quickly descended before Dokgo Myeong, who had already crossed his legs in meditation.
“Captain.”
“Speak.”
Dokgo Myeong’s lips moved slightly.
“I’ve confirmed the characters for Geonkon. It’s the Geonkon Sect.”
Only then did Dokgo Myeong’s eyes slowly open.
“The Geonkon Sect is coming alone?”
“Yes.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a bitter laugh.
“Of all times… Well, there’s nothing for it. Everyone stay put. I need to go greet them.”
Dokgo Myeong rose lightly as he spoke.
Chaos erupted immediately.
“Go greet them? What are you saying now?”
“Surely you’re not thinking of going alone?”
“That’s impossible!”
“Young Master! Have you lost your mind!”
Who was that last one? Damn it!
Dokgo Myeong chuckled lightly and replied.
“The Geonkon Sect are my guests. I can’t very well turn away guests who’ve come to visit.”
“This is hardly the time to concern yourself with such matters!”
“Don’t worry. If things go wrong, I’ll flee without looking back.”
Dokgo Myeong approached Moyong Sohgyo with steady steps.
Then he slowly extended his hand.
“Commander. It seems the time has come to retrieve what I entrusted to you.”
“…Yes.”
When the war began, there was one thing I had entrusted to him to keep him unencumbered during battle.
Moyong Sohgyo drew the scabbard from my waist and offered it forward.
The Geonkon Sword.
It was once the keepsake of a swordsman whom Dokgo Myeong had defeated at the Deungryong Grounds.
“Sohgyo. What will you do? Will you come with me?”
I called her by name rather than title. I was asking whether she would join me as someone who had been present at that moment of debt.
Moyong Sohgyo nodded.
“Yes, I will go.”
“Then we must go as well.”
“Indeed.”
The managers all rose and fell in behind me.
I was about to stop them, but meeting their fierce, determined gazes, I simply continued forward.
Following the mist-shrouded gorge downward, a group soon came into view.
The Geonkon Sect was waiting for us.
* * *
“It has been a long time.”
A man stepped forward before the Geonkon Sect and spoke.
His gaze turned toward Moyong Sohgyo.
“I see you have made such a choice. I respect that.”
I let out a hollow laugh in greeting.
“Well, well. An old acquaintance. So you’ve taken the position of sect leader? I’m certain back then you were called the Deputy Leader.”
“That’s right. I wasn’t able to greet you properly then. I am Moyo-eun, Leader of the Geonkon Sect.”
“Dokgo Myeong, Leader of the Cheonma Sect.”
He was someone I knew. A martial artist who had come to the Deungryong Grounds with the former Geonkon leader whose head I had severed.
At that time, he had pressed Dokgo Ak hard and displayed quite a respectable fight.
“You seem like a different person. You’ve grown considerably stronger.”
His martial aura was so different that I hadn’t recognized him until I saw his face. The careless and arrogant martial artist had vanished, replaced by a swordsman radiating gravity and weight.
“I devoted myself entirely to cultivation.”
“Indeed it shows. A realm of ascension.”
“I did not cling to realm.”
“Your spirit is admirable as well.”
One could not reach such heights without grinding one’s teeth and cultivating martial arts with a heart corroded by genuine resentment.
“But you are still insufficient.”
“…”
At my words, Moyo-eun clamped his mouth shut.
I asked.
“Are you prepared? Do you have confidence?”
“I cannot say. I have simply come because it must be done.”
“You’ll stake your life without even being certain?”
“A swordsman cannot fear death.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a soft chuckle at Moyong Eun’s composed response.
“Very well. I’ll return the Geonkon Sword to you right now.”
“…?!”
Whoosh! Clang!
Moyong Eun caught the Geonkon Sword that Dokgo Myeong tossed without hesitation.
“Why…?”
“What do you mean why?”
“Why are you simply returning it?”
Dokgo Myeong answered with a faint smile.
“Moyong Aejeon, the previous leader of the Geonkon Sect was an enemy, but he was a respectable martial artist. And his dying wish was for me to safeguard the Geonkon Sword until his subordinates came to reclaim it.”
“And so you’re simply returning it like this?”
“Because that was the promise.”
As Moyong Eun’s expression grew complicated, Dokgo Myeong added an explanation.
“The reason the previous leader entrusted me with the Geonkon Sword was because he hoped you would all train diligently even in his absence. You understand that, don’t you?”
“I suspected as much. But I never thought you would return it so easily.”
“I never intended to hand it over like this either. It was a promise between martial artists, between men. If your martial prowess had been mediocre or if you had chosen the easy path, I would have melted it down instead. But the promise has been fulfilled, so I have no choice but to return it.”
“…!”
The easy path—he meant the blood technique.
Moyong Eun stared at Dokgo Myeong, then bowed respectfully and answered in a subdued voice.
“…I express my gratitude.”
“Think nothing of it.”
He drew the sword at his waist, exchanged it for the Geonkon Sword, and unsheathed his original blade.
“Then will you accept my challenge now?”
Thud!
Without hesitation, he threw the scabbard to the ground. His unwavering resolve was palpable.
“You won’t use the Geonkon Sword you just reclaimed?”
“A blade one’s hand knows well is the finest sword of all.”
“Truly admirable.”
Grrr!
Dokgo Myeong gripped the heavy iron sword.
Moyong Eun spoke.
“I know it is cowardly to challenge one who has just endured a fierce battle. Yet since you are clearly my superior, I cast aside shame and come forth.”
“I take no issue with it.”
“However, if you emerge victorious, I will grant you any one promise you wish.”
It was an ambiguous statement.
After pondering those words for a moment, Dokgo Myeong realized the promise included withdrawing the Geonkon Sect, and he smiled faintly.
“I’m grateful for your goodwill.”
“And I am grateful that you would accept my challenge.”
“Then, now.”
Dokgo Myeong let the Hyeoncheolung Heavy Sword hang diagonally at his side.
“Come.”
No longer could he feel the devastating force of his martial energy, and his body was battered beyond recognition, yet in that singular moment of blazing spirit, Moyo-eun felt an inexplicable pressure bearing down upon him.
But Moyo-eun’s gaze was no less fierce than Dokgo Myeong’s. His eyes flashed with intensity.
Clang!
“Haaah!”
Thus the two collided.

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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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