Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 32

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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 32
“…Betrayal?”
The morning the Geumbunsesusik ceremony was to begin.
Imcheong-gun, the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, stiffened his expression upon hearing the news brought by his haggard-faced disciple.
“After discreetly sending people to investigate, we discovered that several of the Alliance’s elders appear to be holding secret meetings. Furthermore… we also spotted them making contact with an unknown individual.”
Kang Yeop-cheong’s fractured voice spread weakly through the Alliance Leader’s chamber.
“Master, did you already know of this?”
Imcheong-gun maintained his silence, his face lost in contemplation.
“…”
“…”
In the quiet dawn, the stillness that had settled over the Alliance Leader’s chamber made Kang Yeop-cheong feel as though he could not breathe.
Only after a long while did Imcheong-gun finally speak, his expression grave.
“…I never imagined it would come to betrayal.”
“…”
“I thought they merely harbored discontent. I believed that once this Geumbunsesusik ceremony concluded and time passed, they would come to understand.”
One of the purposes behind holding such a grand ceremony as the Geumbunsesusik was precisely this.
To introduce Kang Yeop-cheong to the martial world’s luminaries who had come to the Alliance as my successor, and to demonstrate his position solidifying through direct fellowship with them.
I believed that the discontented elders would naturally come to accept my disciple.
‘Fools. How can they not understand that they are unfit to become Alliance Leader?’
Imcheong-gun let out a sigh.
The elders of the Jeongcheon Alliance each held the position of sect leader within their respective factions.
No matter how impartial a person might be, the arm always bends inward—such is human nature. Therefore, they could never become Alliance Leader.
And precisely for this reason, Kang Yeop-cheong had to become Alliance Leader. He had no family background, no sect affiliation—only I had been his teacher.
Seeing his master’s grave expression, Kang Yeop-cheong spoke in a consoling tone.
“These are merely circumstances. It may not be betrayal.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
“…”
“So your frequent meetings with the Hyungbeopbang Leader recently were because of this.”
“…I apologize, Master. I held my tongue until matters became certain, not wishing to cause you unnecessary worry.”
Imcheong-gun nodded silently.
After a brief silence, Imcheong-gun opened his mouth again.
“What do you intend to do going forward?”
“…I intend to wait. Until the traitors make their move.”
“Wait?”
“Despite the Hegemon League Leader’s arrival, both you and I remained too composed. Moreover, I have continued to stay with the Dokgo Clan’s blood relative.”
“Why is that?”
“An unknown traitor’s heart would burn with anxiety, would it not? They will likely assume we have made preparations. If that happens…”
What becomes of a plan when events do not unfold according to one’s design?
“They will make mistakes.”
“…”
“All we need do is dangle the bait and let the traitor make their own mistakes.”
“Would someone who has hidden such dark intentions and orchestrated such schemes truly stumble so easily?”
“Yes, of course.”
Kang Yeop-cheong nodded with firm conviction.
“Greed clouds their judgment.”
A glimmer of something bright kindled in Im Cheong-gun’s eyes.
His disciple’s gaze shone with crystalline clarity, as if holding sunlight itself.
After studying his disciple for a long moment, Im Cheong-gun let out a hollow laugh.
“Heh… you surpass me, it seems.”
“Master?”
“I turned a blind eye to this calamity simply because I chose to trust them. I have grown old indeed.”
“….”
“This burden must weigh heavily upon you as well. How have you grown so strong?”
His master gazed at him with a weary smile.
Kang Yeop-cheong’s voice trembled with emotion as he spoke.
“I am still far from worthy. Myeong Sohyeop has guided me greatly.”
“Not all who receive instruction truly comprehend it.”
Yet he must have served as a catalyst nonetheless.
‘Dokgo Myeong…’
A remarkable young man.
Could he have truly read this far ahead?
His eye for reading the board rivals even the legendary masters of the Gangho.
“May I ask one thing of you?”
“Yes, Master.”
“The traitors themselves are beyond redemption, but I beg you—show mercy to their families and their sect.”
“They too are family to me. Do not worry.”
Im Cheong-gun smiled at this answer and nodded.
“Then? How shall we proceed? Or rather, what can I do to aid you?”
His master posed the question.
Not offering instruction, but asking his disciple’s will—a tone that revealed complete recognition of him.
And the disciple answered.
“Master need do nothing at all.”
Caught off guard, Im Cheong-gun’s eyes widened.
“So you mean to relegate this master to a back-room elder already?”
“That is precisely what you are. Did you not declare today the beginning of your retirement ceremony?”
“You impudent wretch.”
“Master should simply accept wine from your late-acquired disciple and spend your remaining years at ease, letting time flow as it will.”
“And then?”
“The Paedobyeon, the Jeongcheon Alliance… I shall handle them as best I can. I cannot burden an elderly master with such toil, after all.”
Beneath the light tone lay an unshakeable resolve.
‘He’s truly grown up.’
A smile returned to Im Cheong-gun’s lips, which had been twisted with helplessness.
“Yes, I will trust you.”
“Yes, Master.”
Kang Yeop-cheong grinned widely.
That smile bore a striking resemblance to Dokgo Myeong’s.
* * *
The promised day had arrived.
Countless guests streamed into the Banquet Hall in succession.
“…This is truly an honor. I never expected the Venerable Yuanzheng to grace us with his personal presence.”
“Venerable? I am merely a humble monk. Hehe!”
“And the disciple who accompanied you possesses remarkable spiritual cultivation. Surely one of the great pillars of…”
Representatives from the Three Great Sects, the Gupaibang, the Five Great Clans, the Heavenly Assembly, and various minor factions gathered alongside merchants and government officials.
Though their stations and influence varied, all these masters of the realm conversed in small groups, their voices mingling.
And how much time had passed?
“We shall now commence the Ceremony of the Golden Basin!”
With Kang Yeop-cheong’s resonant voice, the ceremony began.
At the front of the Banquet Hall, a golden basin gleamed brilliantly atop a table adorned on an ornate platform.
In the solemn silence, an old man walked forward toward the basin.
A sword hung at his waist, and long whiskers draped over his pristine martial robes.
It was Im Cheong-gun, Leader of the Jeongcheon Alliance.
*Clang!*
Im Cheong-gun grasped his sword by the hilt in reverse, observing the proper etiquette of the Gangho.
“I offer my sincere gratitude to all the fellow practitioners of the Gangho who have graced us with their presence despite their pressing duties.”
It was an excessively formal bow for an old master of the Gangho.
“From this day forward, I conclude my life as a swordsman, as the Leader of the Jeongcheon Alliance, and as a practitioner of the Gangho, and I declare this before Heaven and Earth…”
The Ceremony of the Golden Basin proceeded in a solemn and reverent atmosphere.
‘Still hasn’t arrived.’
Yet Dokgo Myeong could not focus on the ceremony.
With arms crossed, he narrowed his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.
“Young Master, what is the matter? Is something uncomfortable?”
“It’s nothing.”
Dokgo Myeong gave a vague response while tapping the innocent table absently.
“…Cleansing one’s hands in the golden basin, releasing all debts and grievances of the Gangho…”
The ceremony continued unfolding.
And in that instant.
Dokgo Myeong’s head snapped around.
“He’s here.”
*Thud! Thud!*
Those footsteps pierced through the silence.
Far in the distance, toward the entrance of the Banquet Hall.
A man was walking forward, leading a group of followers.
*Whoosh!*
In that instant, the air felt thick and suffocating.
He had neither released his qi nor displayed his momentum.
Simply by walking, an overwhelming presence began to dominate the entire Banquet Hall.
“….”
The gazes of the martial artists gathered on the platform gradually turned toward the entrance.
When finally every eye had shifted backward.
*Thud!*
The man finally stepped into the Banquet Hall.
“I’m late.”
The man’s mouth opened.
His voice was low and resonant, as if echoing from a cavern.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed.
‘The Paedobyeon Leader, Wi Mu-jin.’
One of the Five Lords, the Undefeated King Wi Mu-jin, had revealed himself.
* * *
He crossed the threshold and walked forward.
Silence enveloped everything, and only his footsteps could be heard.
*Thud-thud.*
With a face draped in ennui, he lifted his feet slowly—a gait as light as a leisurely stroll.
In truth, his footsteps were barely audible. Only the faint friction of his soles touching the ground lingered in the air.
Yet the crowd felt that subtle sound like rolling thunder.
“The Undefeated King….”
Someone uttered that name, as if sighing or marveling.
Wi Mu-jin, the Paedobyeon Leader, the Undefeated King.
Was he truly of this caliber?
Even the epithet of “rising sage” seemed like an understatement. Wi Mu-jin’s martial spirit was already that of a perfected warrior.
*Thud!*
He stopped at the center of the Banquet Hall. All eyes converged upon him.
As if it were only natural, the Paedobyeon Leader swept his gaze across the assembly with eyes brimming with indifference.
“Hmm. I didn’t expect it had already begun.”
The assembly, which had been utterly entranced, finally regained their senses and examined his appearance.
Though everyone gathered here possessed tempered martial bones, his physique was so towering that most appeared diminished in comparison.
The deep indigo robe enveloping his massive frame had its front lapels half undone, exposing his broad chest, while an ornate dragon mantle hung loosely across his wide shoulders.
His attire bore no formality or courtesy—beyond casual, it verged on barbaric.
Yet no one dared speak of his appearance. Rather, they could not.
‘There was indeed reason for him to claim a position among the Five Lords in merely two years.’
‘How could such a being walk the path of the Dao?’
‘Is the Paedobyeon Leader truly at this level?’
Everyone stared at him intently, their expressions alternating between admiration and shock.
I took in his presence as well.
‘Finally, we meet.’
*Clench!*
Beneath the table, I squeezed my fist tightly.
‘A monster. Already at this stage.’
If Dokgo Cheon was like Mount Tai shrouded in clouds, this man was like a typhoon that would sweep away everything around him with a single touch.
‘The gap is not insignificant.’
The distance between us was greater than I had anticipated. For now, it seemed I would have to look up at him.
‘But it is not insurmountable.’
Yes, so this is where you stood in this era.
Not so distant after all.
I curled the corners of my mouth upward in a smirk.
At that moment, Wi Mu-jin’s gaze fixed upon me.
“…Hmm.”
A flicker of flame danced across his pupils.
“I thought you would not come, yet you have graced us with your presence, Wi Sect Leader.”
Im Cheong-gun broke the silence and spoke.
Wi Mu-jin’s lips curled into a smile as he turned his head.
“Indeed, I am late. Have I caused disruption?”
His tone was audacious. Despite being far younger and lower in rank than Im Cheong-gun, he showed no deference.
Yet somehow, it suited him. Even his disrespectful words seemed to emanate the majesty of a hegemon.
“Indeed. We had already begun.”
Im Cheong-gun’s response was equally sharp.
The crowd looked at Im Cheong-gun in surprise.
“Even so, a guest has arrived, yet your words carry thorns.”
“You are emanating such a menacing aura as if preparing for war itself. How could I welcome you as a mere guest?”
“War, you say. Is that not too ominous a word for such an occasion? But then again….”
Wi Mu-jin smiled.
“It is not impossible.”
“…!”
“In fact, I prefer that to this tedious gathering.”
The assembly stirred.
Even Im Cheong-gun, who had remained composed throughout, hardened his expression.
The Hegemon speaks of war.
It was absurd, yet this man seemed capable of doing it. Everyone held their breath.
Then it happened.
“What a mess.”
A crude curse suddenly erupted from where the Dokgo Clan’s delegation was gathered.
It was Dokgo Myeong.
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock as they stared at Dokgo Myeong.

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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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