Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 331

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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 331
The Left Army, which had been advancing triumphantly, came to a halt upon encountering Pacheonggun like a hidden reef.
In the ensuing clash with Pacheonggun, the Left Army was seized by shock.
While it was partly due to Pacheonggun’s astonishing martial prowess, that was not the greatest reason.
“Has the entire Moyong Family lost their minds?”
“An old man? And on top of that, a blood-soaked child with that kind of hair….”
There existed a line of comprehension in this world.
Laying hands upon Sima Waidao’s demonic arts fell within the realm of understanding. Which martial expert among the jianghu did not know the sweetness of shortcuts?
Their reckless methods, while shameless, still lay within the bounds of comprehension. Nothing was more convenient than turning a blind eye to righteousness itself.
But to commit such atrocities upon their own family, their own blood?
The elders of the clan, the very history of the house.
The young ones, precious as blood drops, the future of the family.
To gather distant and close relatives alike, loyal retainers, servants and neighboring cousins, and test grotesque and abominable sorcery upon them….
“They are demons wearing human faces! Show no mercy with your blades!”
“These monsters would twist their own bloodline like this! If we were to suffer defeat by even a hair’s breadth, what fate would befall our families?”
“Rather than be captured by wretches like you, we shall perish together!”
The morale of the Left Army burned fiercely, reaching toward the heavens.
But the stronger the flame, the faster it burns out.
“Annihilation Army, you have arrived.”
“I bring orders from above. From this moment, command of this sector falls to me.”
Pacheonggun welcomed Jimeol Magoon, and Jimeol Magoon’s orders were simple and direct.
“The Dokgo Family’s Left Army possesses a clear weakness.”
“What might that be?”
“The very fact that they value human life. These feeble Central Plains martial artists lack even the resolve to sacrifice themselves for their objective.”
“Yes.”
“The Left Army, though elite, are cowards who fear death. Pacheonggun, from this moment forward, focus solely on mounting casualties among the enemy. Until the Family Head and the Sect Leader command our advance.”
The moment the order fell, Pacheonggun threw themselves at the Left Army like demons and rakshasa.
When an arm was severed, they charged forward clutching the severed limb; when they fell to the ground, they bit at ankles with their teeth.
Once, twice, and then thrice.
With each successive clash, the soaring morale of the Left Army began to waver.
* * *
Upon the broad plain where Pacheonggun and the Left Army faced off.
Neungmyeong, the youngest martial artist of the Tortoise Shell Sect, stood gazing blankly at the battlefield where today’s battle had taken place.
“You there. What are you lost in thought about?”
“Ah, Sect Leader!”
“You weren’t dozing off while on watch, were you?”
Neungmyeong startled with a gasp.
“No such thing, sir!”
“In that case, just keep your eyes moving about.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll soon bring order to this chaos. Aren’t we the elite of the greatest family under heaven?”
“….”
A brief silence descended.
Neungmyeong gazed out at the battlefield once more. There, the bodies of senior officers and comrades still lay scattered, unattended.
“Heh, or perhaps losing half your mind is the source of our young master’s power?”
“Ugh! Please, stop calling me that. If the Bloodfiends hear, they’ll be scandalized.”
“Why are you so bothered by it? You are the young master Myeong, aren’t you?”
“In the Neung clan, you see. In the main house, there is only one young master Myeong.”
Neungmyeong sighed.
“Because the Sect Leader keeps saying such things, lately the other senior officers have taken to calling me the reincarnation of young master Dokgo Myeong.”
Setting everything else aside, I couldn’t fathom why I’d become the reincarnation of someone who wasn’t even dead.
If this reached the ears of the higher-ups, what would I do then?
“Those seniors call you that because they owe their lives to you.”
“….”
“Make no mistake—in the Left Army, you’re no different from the real young master Dokgo Myeong. When you return to the family, advancement awaits you.”
Neungmyeong had achieved remarkable feats on a battlefield that was nothing short of a slaughterhouse. His accomplishment wasn’t in killing enemies, but in bringing an enormous number of comrades back alive.
Already, his name was being mentioned frequently among the leadership. As the Tortoise Shell Sect Leader said, advancement was assured when he returned to the family.
“Advancement… I have no interest in such things.”
“So you wish to join the Cheonma Sect instead?”
“N-no! I intend to bury my bones in the Tortoise Shell Sect.”
“Come now. When the opportunity arises next time, give it a try. I hear there’s no place with better treatment than that.”
“….”
“In any case, people with the character Myeong in their names seem blessed with fortune. A fresh young thing like you… wait, did the real young master also show his talents from his youth?”
The real young master? Then what did that make me—a fake one?
Neungmyeong grumbled.
“He became a hero of Guhwahyeolsa during that time. There’s no comparison between us.”
“That’s true. He’s beyond the normal standard. Still, you’re doing well.”
“I still have far to go.”
Even as I spoke with humility, I couldn’t hide my satisfaction.
Over the past few years, among those who had passed through the main family’s martial arts division, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t admire Dokgo Myeong. I too had wielded my sword with that same yearning in my heart, reaching this point, so the title of young master Myeong was nothing but a joy to me.
“I just hope this battle ends soon. I’m sick to death of fighting these madmen.”
“Who wouldn’t feel the same? I wish we’d hear some good news.”
“…Will things be alright?”
“Tch, of course they will be.”
Neungmyeong knew little of tactics or strategy, but he could sense that the Left Army needed kindling to reignite its morale.
“Huh?”
In that instant, Neungmyeong’s body stiffened as he gazed upon the battlefield.
In the very heart of this battlefield where even a rat wouldn’t dare approach carelessly, a human silhouette had appeared.
“Sect Leader!”
“Wait, I see it too! That is… surely not? Why here?”
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader’s eyes widened as he concentrated his inner force on his gaze.
Flap!
A black robe billowed in the wind, and a long iron sword gleamed with a subtle dark luster in the fading sunlight.
It was a figure now known to everyone in the Dokgo Family—perhaps even unknown to few in the martial world.
“Run to the command tent right now!”
“Pardon?”
“If my eyes don’t deceive me, that’s Young Master Dokgo Myeong! Hurry!”
“Ah, yes!”
Neungmyeong startled and spun around hastily.
“No need for that. I’m already here.”
But Neungmyeong couldn’t take more than a few steps before freezing in place.
“Captain Neungmyeong!?”
A group of people was approaching where Neungmyeong stood.
They were the leadership including Dokgo Gun and Dokgo Hye, along with their attendants.
Snap! Snap snap!
Soon a makeshift tent was erected where Neungmyeong had been standing guard, and chairs and a low table were placed.
Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Neungmyeong hesitated awkwardly in place.
“What is your name?”
“Yes, yes?”
“Your name, I said.”
“This humble one is called Neungmyeong of the Tortoise Shell Sect!”
“Neungmyeong? Neungmyeong… Ah, the one who brought back dozens of comrades alive from the battle with the North Black King?”
Dokgo Gun’s eyes brightened as he took his seat.
“So you’re the young martial artist they call the reincarnation of Myeong-a.”
“N-no, that’s far too much! It’s merely an undeserved reputation.”
Neungmyeong bowed in embarrassment.
If only there were a mouse hole to crawl into. Why did they have to keep teasing me like this!
“You seem qualified for this. Watch from there.”
“Pardon?”
“Observe what unfolds and report back to me what you see.”
Just then, an elegant voice came from beside Dokgo Gun.
“So you intend to simply watch with such leisure, giving no orders at all?”
It was Dokgo Hye. At her words, Dokgo Gun smiled faintly.
“The child requested this, so I thought I would oblige.”
“How unlike you, to take such a request at face value. What if this ‘greeting’ escalates into a major conflict?”
Dokgo Gun shook his head gently.
“My mere presence here will be sufficient help for Myeong-i.”
“Hmm… I see. I understand what you mean.”
Neungmyeong was utterly flustered. What was Dokgo Myeong trying to do standing there? Why weren’t the leadership, including the captain, stopping him?
Then it happened.
“My name is Dokgo Myeong. I am the Cheonma Sect Leader you’ve been searching for.”
My voice rang across the battlefield—provocative to some ears, overwhelming to others.
“I challenge the masters of Pacheonggun to a duel. If you have confidence in your martial prowess, if you possess even a shred of awareness as a martial artist, then face me and test your skills.”
Neungmyeong’s mouth fell open.
Silence descended upon the assembled forces.
“If you’re scared, then die.”
I smiled wickedly and muttered under my breath, inaudible to others.
* * *
Pacheonggun differed fundamentally from the Jeongheol Sect in one critical way.
They were not fanatics who chose and sacrificed their lives through conviction, but rather mindless drones who blindly obeyed orders.
‘And they still retain at least some awareness of being Moyong Clan warriors.’
After all this, would they not come?
If they came, excellent. If they didn’t, that was fine too. If they refused, I could mock them as cowards and boost our army’s morale—a satisfactory outcome either way.
‘But there’s no way they won’t come.’
Sssssss!
I felt the enemy’s military qi trembling and surging.
Immediately after.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
The earth suddenly thundered.
The vibration created when multiple masters struck the ground simultaneously.
As expected, sand and dust rose from the horizon.
“Dokgo Myeong!!”
A roar erupted from the distance.
Black armor gleaming. The North Black King, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
“One, two, three… ten of you? We agreed to a duel, yet you come for a combined assault?”
“Why should we follow your terms!”
“My point is, if you were going to gang up on me, you should have brought more.”
I chuckled and unleashed the Heavenly Void Spirit Technique.
Whoooosh!
A tremendous wave of qi exploded outward.
Immediately after, I collided head-on with the enemies.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
The metallic ring of weapons resumed across the silent battlefield.
But the noise was brief.
Boom!
Not a single opponent could properly block my strikes.
I needed no more than three moves to subdue each foe. A mere moment was sufficient to overwhelm all ten.
“Hack! Ugh…”
Crash!
Having swiftly felled all the enemies, I planted my Hyeonchul Sword into the ground and spoke.
“Surely this isn’t the end, is it?”
I curled up the corners of my mouth.
In a situation like this, there was always something that needed to be said.
“Next.”
* * *
“The West White King has suffered considerable injuries. Order the distribution of blood pills to treat his internal wounds.”
“Yes.”
“What is the situation with the East Blue Army?”
“It appears manageable.”
Jimeol Magoon was issuing orders frantically to the messengers of the Pacheonggun.
“Better than expected. If we continue like this, it should work. Advance the true energy toward the enemy formation.”
The benevolent appearance of an elder monk that Jimeol Magoon once possessed was nowhere to be found now.
His hands were pitch-black up to his elbows, and his eyes continuously flickered with a sinister light. Dark blue veins bulged across his face in patches, making it clear he was not in a normal state.
‘Controlling the true energy of the Bloodfiend Divine Art is not easy.’
Jimeol Magoon, leaning back against his chair, slowly closed his eyes.
But that was not what truly mattered.
A doubt that had recently surfaced in his mind.
Or perhaps, a question that had tormented him for a long time.
Was the Moyong Family, was this battle, truly worth the blood that his disciples had shed?
Ever since he had sent off the Bloodfiend, who had been like a brother to him for so long, with his own hands, his doubts had grown uncontrollably.
‘I don’t know. I don’t know.’
Jimeol Magoon shook his head repeatedly.
Faith must not waver. Faith with conditions is a false path. He simply believed and followed.
That was when it happened.
“Urgent report!”
“What is it?”
“Sect Leader! Dokgo Myeong has appeared on the battlefield!”
Jimeol Magoon’s eyes widened.
“Dokgo Myeong? Exactly where?”
“At the center, between the enemy lines and the North Black King’s forces. He appeared suddenly and alone.”
“Alone? More importantly, are you certain it’s him? Could he be in disguise?”
“We have verified his appearance against our records.”
“Then it is certain. So he has come here….”
Jimeol Magoon muttered in a chillingly cold voice before asking.
“And then? What is the situation?”
“He has invaded the North Black King’s encampment and taken position. He is demanding a one-on-one duel to the death, saying he wishes to test himself against a true martial artist.”
“…Did I hear that correctly?”
“That is….”
“A one-on-one duel to the death? At a time like this?”
Was he truly concerned with the martial way on a battlefield?
Jimeol Magoon’s expression twisted.
“Tell the North Black King not to act rashly! I will go there immediately!”
“That is….”
“What is the matter?”
“Several masters of the North Black King have already fallen.”
“…!”
Jimeol Magoon’s expression twisted.

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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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