Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 333

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 333
Ye-hwa gazed at the North Black Sky Sect’s encampment while fidgeting with her fingers.
The sensation felt peculiar.
After years of injury and healing cycles repeating, her skin had become hardened and rough. By now, it felt almost like tree bark.
“You’re at it again, I see.”
Jin-sa approached from the concealed brush and spoke to her.
“Picking at calluses isn’t exactly an elegant habit for someone of your station.”
“I’m not picking.”
“Whether you’re picking or touching, a master of your caliber should mind her dignity.”
“….”
As Ye-hwa fixed Jin-sa with a displeased stare, he glanced nervously at her.
“I’ll make another round of the perimeter.”
Watching Jin-sa flee hastily, Ye-hwa’s brow furrowed.
‘I’m not a child, and now even my subordinates are nagging me.’
She couldn’t understand why the few disciples under her command, including Jin-sa, all acted this way. Despite being their captain, they constantly treated her like a child.
Actually, thinking about it, they were all similar. Only Dokgo Myeong treated her with a harshness befitting an adult.
Tap, tap.
When she came to her senses, her fingers were fidgeting again.
Ye-hwa examined her hands from different angles.
‘They’re not particularly beautiful hands.’
Her hands were rougher than Namgung Sohwa’s. Despite wearing a bowstring guard and having deep internal cultivation flowing throughout her body as protective energy, this was the result.
As her internal power deepened, the strength required to draw the bowstring increased proportionally. The force of her Sai-il Archery Bow was so tremendous that after firing more than twenty arrows, her skin would chafe and wounds would form.
‘It wasn’t this bad even when I was in Milgok.’
She, whose upper dantian had been forcibly developed, retained vivid memories of her childhood in Milgok.
Those times trapped in a pitch-black chamber, forced to learn and memorize everything.
Back then, every moment of her life had been consumed entirely by training.
-If you miss the target again today, you won’t drink water for three days.
Those were the words of the Milgok Master and her father. To survive, she had to draw the bow.
Yet it was strange. Since joining the Cheonma Sect, she had been drawing the bowstring far more frequently than back then.
“Hey, kid. Get ready soon. Manager Geum says the enemies are preparing to charge out any moment now.”
“Yes, Manager Ak. Understood.”
“What? Why that expression? Something wrong?”
Dokgo Ak tilted his head and asked.
Ye-hwa stared at him before closing her mouth.
No matter what, she didn’t want to bare her heart to this man.
“It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing. Are you nervous because of those North Black Sky Sect bastards? Don’t worry. If they swarm toward your position, I’ll cut them all down for you.”
Dokgo Ak grinned and flexed his arm muscles in a boastful manner.
She couldn’t tell if this man was perceptive or completely oblivious. She thought she hadn’t shown anything, yet Dokgo Ak was particularly quick to notice her mood.
Ye-hwa gazed at her hands and the Baek Si bow with an enigmatic expression.
“Lately, I’ve been feeling rather strange.”
“Hmm? Strange how?”
“It feels as though this place isn’t truly where I belong.”
Dokgo Ak’s expression became peculiar.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Becoming a Cheonma Sect disciple… it’s as if I’m developing the assassination techniques from Milgok that I tried so hard to forget. It doesn’t feel like the destiny I was meant to face.”
“Then what destiny do you think you were supposed to have?”
“Perhaps I would have hidden away in some rural village and eventually been caught up in Milgok’s debt of gratitude.”
Dokgo Ak flinched noticeably, his eyes darting about with concern.
“Wait, surely it’s not because the Cheonma Sect is too difficult for you? If things are hard, tell me anytime. Oh, that’s right—want some dried meat? Hmm?”
The way he fumbled about offering the dried meat was somehow endearing. Without realizing it, Ye-hwa accepted it and let out a hollow laugh.
“Perhaps even dying wouldn’t have felt so sorrowful then. I likely wouldn’t have felt sorrow at all. I think I would have simply accepted it as something inevitable.”
Suddenly, Dokgo Ak’s expression grew stern.
“Why would you think such terrible things?”
“Pardon?”
“That means we all would never have known you. That makes no sense. How could we charge forward without your support?”
At Dokgo Ak’s blunt words, Ye-hwa fell silent again, her fingers fidgeting.
“I simply find myself thinking such things from time to time.”
“Which is exactly why you should stop entertaining such pointless thoughts.”
Had Dokgo Myeong heard this, he would have been startled. Ye-hwa didn’t know it, but that had been her original destiny.
In any case, Ye-hwa was able to shake off her melancholy at Dokgo Ak’s words.
“Besides, if we’re being honest, my own destiny has changed quite a bit.”
“You mean Manager Ak?”
“I probably would have continued acting like a ruffian, thinking that was the right way.”
Dokgo Ak’s eyes dimmed slightly.
“I would have lived arrogantly, relying only on mediocre talent and my family name, never truly striving for anything.”
“….”
Ye-hwa stared at him in surprise, never expecting such words from Dokgo Ak.
“I would never have met a martial artist as impressive as Manager Namgung. I wouldn’t have found a worthy rival like that bastard Cheolmu-baek, no matter how many times we fought. I wouldn’t have understood that martial prowess isn’t everything if I hadn’t met Manager Geum. And naturally, the same goes for you, child.”
Dokgo Ak laughed refreshingly, meeting Ye-hwa’s gaze.
“And it’s not just me, is it? The other managers, the disciples, the Moyong soldiers, the Geumsan Sect Leader back home, my father… we’d all be the same.”
“In the end, it’s all thanks to the Captain.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Dokgo Ak gazed into the distance.
Boom! Crash!
Explosive sounds echoing like reverberations—the noise of Dokgo Myeong conducting a martial demonstration to draw attention.
“My brother often says it himself. That all he did was correct the angle that had gone slightly awry at first.”
“Yes?”
“After that, it’s up to us to move forward again.”
Dokgo Ak spoke with a more solemn tone.
“You haven’t spent much time reflecting on yourself all this while. It seems you’re only now beginning to question who you are. Perhaps that change is what’s shaking you.”
“….”
“I know well enough, having been through it myself. Especially since you belong to the Cheonma Sect without any personal goal of your own. That might be why you’re being shaken so much harder.”
“I do have my own goal.”
“But that goal isn’t for yourself, is it?”
My words caught in my throat. Her goal, exactly as she said, was simply to prevent people like herself from emerging in the martial world.
That was far too altruistic to be called a dream.
“So find your own goal too. Something a bit more selfish. Then you won’t be distracted by anything else—you’ll only think about pushing forward relentlessly.”
Ye-hwa looked at Dokgo Ak with surprised eyes.
Then she spoke as if taken aback.
“So you came all this way because you were concerned about me?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I always thought you only did reckless things, but it seems you can say surprisingly cool things too.”
Suddenly, Ye-hwa broke into a bright smile—one that didn’t suit her usual demeanor. At that, Dokgo Ak flinched.
But in an instant, Ye-hwa’s smile vanished and her eyes gleamed with intensity.
“We should end the small talk here.”
“What?”
“It’s time.”
Boom boom boom boom!
Suddenly, the front erupted into chaos.
A group of masters from the North Black Sky Sect’s encampment vanished in an instant.
Many of the enemy’s elite fighters had already withdrawn.
“I’m not sure what I want to accomplish, but putting arrows through bad people is definitely one of the things I enjoy.”
“Well, I can say the same.”
Dokgo Ak smiled confidently and drew his blade.
At the same time, all the Cheonma Sect disciples who had been hiding rose to their feet.
Crack crack crack crack!
A pure white bow drawn from the Baeksi Tradition was nocked onto the string of the Sailjeok Bow. As always, it was Ye-hwa’s arrow that announced the beginning of battle.
“Let’s go.”
Whoooooosh!
Baek Si’s arrow tore through the air with a tremendous sound of splitting wind.
* * *
“Waaaaaaaah!”
A roar erupted.
The Cheonma Sect descended the mountain like a whirlwind and clashed with the enemy forces.
“Who, who are you bastards!”
“Where did these enemies come from!”
Chaos broke out in the North Black Sky Sect’s encampment.
In that moment, pure white arrows of light pierced through the battlefield.
Screeeech! Thwack!
A figure was launched into the air and crashed to the ground.
One, two, and before I could count three.
Screech! Boom!
Another person flew headfirst as if struck by a carriage, collapsing a tent beneath him.
“What, what is this!”
Before they could even properly engage, the North Black Sky Sect’s martial artists began falling one after another.
Each fallen body had an arrow embedded in its chest without fail.
Someone cried out.
“The Demon Bow…! It’s the Demon Bow! The enemy is the Cheonma Sect!”
“The Cheonma Sect has appeared!”
The piercing power of sniping from an invisible distance, completely penetrating bodies.
The Moyong Family called this the Demon Bow.
Rat-a-tat-tat! Crash!
In that chaos, the Cheonma Sect was able to penetrate the enemy lines with little resistance.
However, without Dokgo Myeong present, command fell to one person.
“Set fires first! Burn the provisions and supplies! Han Chung! Take your team and scatter—gather all documents that look valuable!”
“Yes!”
“First unit! Manager Namgung, take the front!”
“Let’s go!”
After issuing orders swiftly, Geum Seok-du spoke to the woman beside him.
“Changbong, I’m counting on you.”
“Just give the order. I’m here as a guest warrior, after all! Hahahaha!”
With a booming laugh, Dokgo Yeon threw herself into the enemy lines.
Crash and boom!
Her wild strikes brought down a barracks with a crunch, and those who rushed to block her burst like overripe fruit.
“Unleash the North Black Divine Art!”
The enemy did not remain idle.
They were elite forces carefully cultivated by the Moyong Family. Though the Cheonma Sect had seized advantage in the chaos, their response was distinctly superior to any they had faced before.
“You wretched bastards!”
Boom!
Finally, a figure emerged from among the enemy ranks, displaying tremendous martial power.
‘A strong one!’
Geum Seok-du’s eyes gleamed.
The momentum is considerable. Is this one of the Rakshasas I’ve only heard rumors about?
“I’ll go.”
“Manager Cheolmu!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cheolmu-baek walked forward, shaking the earth.
His pace quickened, then he leaped up and collided with the master.
“Can you withstand my axe!”
“How dare this arrogant barbarian presume to—!”
Whoosh! Crash!
Cheolmu-baek’s iron axe thundered through the air.
The North Black Sky Sect wielded a martial technique built on raw power and stubborn strength. And that was precisely the domain Cheolmu-baek commanded within the Cheonma Sect.
Clang! Boom! Crash!
A massive weapon nearly the size of a man was swung with devastating force, while the enemy countered with a heavy iron mace.
Cheolmu-baek was displaying a layer of martial prowess he had recently shed.
Dokgo Myeong had warned everyone not to touch him once he got going. Geum Seok-du trusted him enough to leave him be.
“Manager Geum. Our unit simply cannot accomplish much. The numerical disadvantage is far too great.”
Moryong Sohgyo offered her assessment from beside him. Geum Seok-du nodded and shouted.
“Keep it light and get out! Don’t get carried away—just say hello and leave!”
“Kahahaha! We had quite the fun visit! Hahahaha!”
“See you next time, you bastards of the Moyong Family!”
The Cheonma Sect disciples, having thoroughly stirred up the enemy camp, withdrew their bodies in an instant with raucous laughter.
It was movement swift as lightning. Even the North Black Sky Sect, whose minds were half-scattered, could not hide their bewilderment.
“Don’t let them escape! How dare they! How dare they mock the Pacheonggun of the great Moyong!”
A shout erupted from somewhere. The North Black Sky Sect disciples’ eyes went wild as they pursued the Cheonma Sect.
But what awaited them were countless traps created by Cheonma Sect members who lacked combat talent.
“Poison! These bastards—!”
“Projectiles?!”
Crack! Boom!
“Boulders are rolling! Take cover!”
Whoosh! Bang!
“Arrows! Arrows from a demonic bow!”
With the Heavenly Kings and the main force of masters absent.
The pursuit could not proceed properly, and the North Black Sky Sect, thrown about by unexpected circumstances, ultimately lost track of the Cheonma Sect. All that remained for them now were burned barracks and the corpses of command-level masters.
The Cheonma Sect had thus made their first impression in an irritatingly clever manner and successfully escaped.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————