Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 313
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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 313
Late dawn.
Dokgo Un-hak convened a meeting without hesitation.
The senior officers, their appearances still disheveled, hurried into the barracks, yet none dared point it out.
“An attack on the main family?!”
“Is this truly the case?”
“Send reinforcements at once!”
The barracks transformed into a chaotic marketplace in an instant, until Shin Heum raised his hand to silence the commotion.
“Please, everyone, compose yourselves. Time is of the essence, so let us first hear from the Left Commander before proceeding.”
“Much obliged, Chief Military Officer.”
Dokgo Un-hak’s voice dropped to a grave tone as he began to speak.
“I will entertain no further opinions unless absolutely necessary. Let me explain the situation at once.”
Gulp.
Someone swallowed hard.
Dokgo Un-hak commenced his account in a manner that felt somewhat coercive.
“The main family is currently under assault from the Muyong Gaju. Several pavilions have collapsed, and there are casualties.”
“…!”
“Furthermore, Jeongheol Sect captains have been spotted in Yungjoong, Taesan, and Cheonjin as well.”
“Yungjoong, you say… The Jegal Family?”
“Taesan and Cheonjin would be the Hwangbo and Paeng families, would they not?”
Murmurs rippled through the assembled officers.
Dokgo Un-hak continued.
“Additionally, a Grand General has appeared at the Paeng family, it seems.”
Peng Jin-cheol, the Paeng Sect Leader, was counted among the five greatest swordmasters north of the Yangtze River. That a Grand General would personally take the field against such a formidable opponent spoke volumes.
“Are you certain of your intelligence sources? Could this be enemy deception…?”
Shin Heum’s voice trembled as he posed the question.
Dokgo Un-hak shook his head.
“Given the urgency, we have not yet had Cheon I-gak cross-verify the information, but since it came from the Gae-bang’s rear contingent, it should not be deception.”
“I shall confirm it once more myself.”
“Additionally, word has come that the Gae-bang will find cooperation difficult going forward.”
“Could it be that the Gae-bang has also come under attack?!”
“The whereabouts of the Yongdu Sect Leader remain unclear.”
“…!”
Whoosh!
At the mention of the Yongdu Sect Leader, uncontrolled vital energy erupted from one corner of the barracks.
It was Dokgo Myeong, who had been standing silently with his arms crossed. His control over his true essence had grown precarious due to his injuries.
“….”
As Dokgo Un-hak observed Dokgo Myeong, Shin Heum and the other officers murmured in bewilderment.
“Madness… How could they lack even the most basic understanding of military strategy? As if contending with the main family were not enough, they now seek to open yet another front?”
“What in the world are these Jeongheol Sect dogs plotting…?”
“They’re going to wage war on two fronts without hesitation and create chaos. That’s what this is, isn’t it?”
The Three Great Families and Gae-bang were allies of the Dokgo Family, but they were not the ones shedding blood directly.
Yet the enemy struck at them. When the Dokgo Family’s southern position alone required all available forces, they dragged these idle parties into the battlefield.
Then, Dokgo Myeong, who had been silent until now, spoke.
“They seem to have confidence.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward him.
“What do you mean by that, Sect Leader of the Cheonma Sect?”
“Though those bastards appear mad, they never act without calculation. They moved because they have confidence.”
“Confidence in what?”
“Confidence that Gae-bang cannot intervene fully, confidence that the masters of the Three Great Families will not move, or confidence that they can end this war before those families can even intervene.”
“…!”
It was absurd.
Absurd as it was… no one refuted it.
Because the one who spoke was Dokgo Myeong.
The man who had warned of the Jeongheol Sect before anyone else and prepared accordingly, who had faced them in direct combat. A man possessed of such absolute insight that nothing he said ever failed to come to pass.
At Dokgo Myeong’s words, even the leadership now realized the situation was far more dangerous than they had thought.
“Have there been no additional reports regarding the current situation?”
At Shin Heum’s question, Dokgo Un-hak shook his head.
“Cheon I-gak hasn’t moved until things reached this point. That means they’ve invested heavily in intelligence operations.”
“Then….”
“Therefore, we must make a decision here and now.”
Dokgo Un-hak’s eyes gleamed sharply.
This was an unprecedented crisis.
Dokgo, Jegal, Hwangbo, Paeng, Gae-bang.
Names that had reigned like Mount Taesan in the martial world until now. Giants of the martial realm that no one would have thought mere heretical sects could dare touch.
Yet as if to declare that their authority meant nothing before this descending age of chaos, the Jeongheol Sect had trampled through their inner sanctum with such ease.
This was no longer an incident that could be stopped or contained.
The fall of authority.
Now the Nine Sects and One Gang, and the martial families, had lost their inviolable names.
“Grand General. What are your thoughts?”
“…First, we must assemble forces and dispatch them to the main family immediately.”
“Reasonable. And the Three Great Families and Gae-bang?”
“Though they are allies of the main family, the distance is far too great.”
“I heard the Yongdu Sect Leader is in Fujian.”
“Even so, sending all our forces there would be inefficient. If it’s Fujian, we’d need to mobilize our allies there, but our allies, including Captain Seo Jung-baek, still require more preparation.”
Dokgo Un-hak turned his gaze.
His eyes fell upon Dokgo Myeong, who sat in silent contemplation.
“I thought you’d say to mobilize the Cheonma Sect immediately.”
At this unexpected remark, everyone turned their gaze to follow Dokgo Un-hak’s.
Dokgo Myeong opened his mouth heavily.
“Moving now would be futile, sir.”
Dokgo Un-hak’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“Cold logic. Then what do you propose we do?”
Everyone leaned in to listen.
What would he suggest?
Would he downplay it and strongly request support from the main family?
Or perhaps aid from the Yongdu Sect Leader or the three great families in Fujian?
But it was none of those.
“We should launch an attack on Zhejiang, sir.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes flashed with intensity.
“Right now. Immediately.”
A middle-aged man asked with bewilderment in his voice.
“But the main family? What of the main family!”
“We must abandon it. We cannot afford to spare even a single master to send to Hunan at this moment.”
“…!”
“Do not forget. Defense is ordinarily easier than offense, yet our enemy outnumbers us in overall strength. The main family’s only advantage is in the number of masters. This is precisely our opportunity—while the enemy’s masters are away from their posts.”
Everyone held their breath at Dokgo Myeong’s cold assessment.
“The clan is burning. Yet you suggest we simply abandon it and advance?”
“Look at the situation. Is this not an opportunity?”
“An opportunity?”
“A chance to crush the enemy’s forces in Zhejiang while the Jeongheol Sect’s main strength has not yet engaged.”
“…!”
“The enemy surely did not anticipate we would strike at Zhejiang. The moment they learn of it, they will have no choice but to rush back.”
Thwack!
Dokgo Myeong struck a location on the map forcefully.
“In this window of opportunity, let us see the face of that Pacheonggun and claim the heads of a few enemy masters.”
The atmosphere in the tent stirred at his boldness.
Dokgo Myeong continued without hesitation.
“The main family’s honor is already tarnished by the attack. Rather than defend it, let us use it as bait and seize real advantage.”
“You….”
Bait.
This was unlike Dokgo Myeong at all. The way he spoke with such certainty, as if possessed by a ghost, had even Dokgo Un-hak taken aback.
Dokgo Myeong spoke with even greater resolve.
“This is a race against time. We must strike. Now. Immediately.”
I was grateful my voice did not waver.
I simply hoped this was the right choice, that I would not regret it.
* * *
Crack! Boom!
A building collapsed with a thunderous roar.
Everything was in chaos.
What in the world had he done?
The pavilion, its pillars and walls severed, had collapsed leaving only its skeletal frame, and corpses lay scattered about amid flames.
“Cough! Hack!”
Clang!
Dokgo Yeon-sin pushed himself upright using his sword as a crutch.
Dokgo Hwi-hwa rushed toward him urgently.
“Yeon-sin. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t pretend to be strong—tell me the truth!”
“It’s merely been so long since I’ve wielded a blade that it feels unfamiliar, but I’m perfectly capable.”
If this rigid man said so, then it was true. He still possessed strength to fight.
Dokgo Hwi-hwa quickly lifted her gaze.
In the distance, she could see Muyong Tae pressing down on Dokgo Yeon and Eon Yeop-pyeong.
‘Is that all he has?’
The martial prowess of Muyong Gaju Muyong Tae was merely this much?
‘How much time has passed since his assault began?’
Half a quarter hour? No, not even that long.
Look at what that monster had accomplished in such a brief span.
“We must combine our forces.”
Dokgo Yeon-sin spoke as he rose unsteadily to his feet.
“…Elderly men gathering to join forces against such a young whelp?”
It was a blow to one’s pride.
Yet Dokgo Yeon-sin shook his head.
“He has reached it.”
“Reached what?”
“Not merely the threshold, but a complete realm.”
“…!”
Though he had omitted which realm, Dokgo Hwi-hwa understood immediately.
The Realm of Absolute Emptiness.
He had transcended the void of nothingness that dwelt at the edge of martial mastery and arrived at the pinnacle that mortals could attain.
“Moreover, there is something peculiar about his martial techniques. Exposure to his energy causes the upper dantian’s balance to collapse.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I cannot be certain, but…it reminds me of the techniques of the Esoteric Sect.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s expression twisted sharply.
“What are you saying now!”
“It is uncertain. Merely speculation.”
“You mean the Heretical Qi Technique? Has his inner cultivation reached such heights?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s eyes trembled slightly.
Her gaze turned forward.
Boom!
“Kugh!”
With a heavy thud, Eon Yeop-pyeong was sent flying backward.
Time is merciless. Once, I had stood alongside Dokgo Cheon to criticize the world, yet now I could not easily deflect a single blade from Muyong Tae.
“Die!”
Crash!
Dokgo Yeon fearlessly circled behind Muyong Tae and swung her spear with reckless abandon.
Whoosh! Clang!
A casual flick of her wrist was all it took.
Even accounting for her injuries, the spear strike—delivered with terrifying force—was deflected without effort.
“Hah!”
Dokgo Yeon’s complexion turned ashen. Her wounds had healed, but she was far from fighting at full strength.
Yet one could only admire the sheer willpower of someone who threw herself into battle without even looking back.
“Quite impressive for a young woman.”
Muyong Tae’s eyes gleamed with interest.
His blade became dozens of streaks of light.
Clang clang clang clang!
In the span of a single breath.
Between Dokgo Yeon and Muyong Tae, explosions large and small erupted without pause.
Splash!
“…!”
Blood sprayed across Dokgo Yeon’s entire body.
The scars that had healed were tearing open again under the onslaught of his energy.
‘Again…! Must I collapse helplessly like this once more?’
Dokgo Yeon’s eyes blazed like flames.
‘If that’s my fate, I’d rather die right here!’
Dokgo Yeon gritted her teeth and drove one foot backward into the ground.
Crack!
It was a devastating stomp that shattered the earth and drove her ankle deep into it.
Immediately after, Dokgo Yeon’s spear erupted with a thunderous roar.
Boom!
As the spear tore through the air, the shockwave scattered debris in all directions.
I was pushing my inner energy and body beyond their limits.
“Huff, huff, huff?!”
After unleashing that desperate technique and catching her breath, she suddenly froze.
Flash!
A chilling blade light materialized in the void.
Boom!
With a single sword strike, Dokgo Yeon was helplessly sent flying.
“Now I understand who you truly are.”
Muyong Tae spoke with ease.
Dokgo Yeon screamed desperately.
“Enough of this nonsense! A bastard with no lineage takes the seat of family leader and struts about like he’s something special!”
Despite Dokgo Yeon’s vicious outburst, Muyong Tae’s expression remained unmoved.
“Are you finished?”
“What?”
“I’m asking if that’s all you have to say.”
Muyong Tae’s foot pressed against the ground.
Whooom!
Something surged outward. Dokgo Yeon’s body staggered backward.
“No! Melsa Daeju! Fall back!”
The moment Eon Yeop-pyeong, who had belatedly adjusted his stance, cried out.
Tssssss!
The erupting qi waves made Dokgo Yeon’s protective energy flicker like a candle before the wind.
Muyong Tae did not miss the gaping opening that lay exposed.
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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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