Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 341
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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 341
The battlefield fell silent. It was the calm before the decisive storm.
Of course, “silent” was relative to what had come before. Blood continued to flow.
Seo Jung-baek’s right army did not halt its advance. He spurred his subordinates forward with desperate determination, pushing back the enemy forces.
Dokgo Un-hak’s main force swept away the remnants of the Yukyuk Unit and Jeongheol Disciples with an unstoppable momentum.
And on the western battlefield of the Left Army, fighting raged far too fiercely to be called a calm before the storm.
“Do not retreat! Do not—gack!”
“These demons were supposed to be on the flanks! Why are they in the center…!”
The Namcheon Unit, clad in crimson armor, conducted merciless slaughter.
The Seocheon Unit in white armor, the Dongcheon Unit, and the Bukcheon Unit as well.
There was no direct collision, but small units of Pacheonggun continuously erupted forth, creating friction with the Left Army’s forces.
“These cursed madmen!”
“Stand and fight! Stand and fight!”
Thud-thud-thud!
Blood never dried on the open plain.
Pacheonggun seemed indifferent to victory. They did not appear to be acting reluctantly under orders either.
They were living demons. They tormented the Left Army like creatures whose sole purpose was to kill, destroy, and desecrate.
A clean death in combat with them was fortunate. They did not leave even the dead untouched.
“Stop! Stop this! Are they not already dead? Do not dishonor the fallen… No! This is an outrage against heaven and man!”
In any battlefield, it was natural to ignore the fallen and move on. There was neither reason nor need to waste effort on the half-dead.
But they wielded their weapons against the fallen. They tore flesh, shattered bone, and pulped organs.
The sacrificed could not close their eyes peacefully even in death. Their corpses remained defiled.
“You demon-like bastards! What do you take people to be!”
Slash!
A Left Army warrior severed the back of a Natchal who was desecrating his comrade’s corpse.
“…Eh?”
He was bewildered. He had simply charged down in a surprise attack, yet it had worked.
Then the Natchal with the severed back spoke.
“Please wait a moment.”
“…?”
“I shall face you next.”
The tone was far too courteous to be heard in the midst of battle, and far too polite to come from such a demon.
And the Natchal turned his head back.
Squelch! Thud! Crack!
Even as blood poured from his back, he drove his dagger down repeatedly into the body of the already-dead Left Army warrior.
After finishing five or six strikes in quick succession, he finally rose to his feet.
“This… this madman…”
His eyes were hollow.
There was no madness in them. Like someone simply doing as ordered, he committed atrocities with an utterly businesslike expression.
‘These creatures are not human.’
No human could do such a thing.
If one had lost their mind, I could understand it. But unless they had truly become a demonic Natchal, how could anyone commit such horrific slaughter with such an expressionless face?
“Ugh, uuugh, uuuaaahhhhh!”
The morale of the Left Army’s front lines, which had once soared without knowing the limits of the sky, crumbled lower with each passing moment.
“Don’t assume they’re dead just because they’ve suffered fatal wounds! Kill them for certain! Those creatures will finish their resurrection in half a day and appear again!”
“Don’t be afraid! Don’t retreat!”
“If we retreat, our families will become like those demons!”
Yet the Left Army proved itself truly valiant and unyielding.
They held their ground even amid the chaos of hell.
For every one who fell, they claimed one in return. Blood flowed freely, but they prevented the line from collapsing.
In the midst of that desperate struggle.
“Right flank! Reinforcements!”
“Who? We had no word of reinforcements?!”
“Black-scaled armor! Obsidian scale mail!”
“The Cheonma Sect…!”
The Cheonma Sect had entered the battle.
Having prepared for such a conflict long ago, they swept across the battlefield relentlessly, driving back the enemy.
“Third unit! Disperse the poison!”
“Block the flank! Don’t let them approach!”
“Don’t engage recklessly! Arrows first!”
The Cheonma Sect split into three divisions, each sweeping across the field.
The enemy numbers dwindled steadily.
Yet their military achievements continued to accumulate.
It was because the Cheonma Sect did not fight like martial artists. They tormented their enemies using every means available—poison, arrows, throwing blades, traps.
“We, we’re saved!”
“But that… doesn’t that resemble their fighting methods?”
“Whose methods?”
“The Jeongheol Sect’s, I mean. They also employ such crude tactics….”
“You fool, watch your tongue! How many soldiers from both Left and Right Armies owe their lives to the Cheonma Sect?”
Though poison and arrows had been distributed to the Left and Right Armies and the main force at Dokgo Myeong’s suggestion, few units could utilize them effectively.
The Cheonma Sect was different. As if prepared from the start, they deployed their resources without restraint against the enemy.
“The enemy’s Four Heavenly Kings!”
“Gather the wounded and withdraw the front line! Quickly!”
Of course, they deliberately avoided direct confrontation with the enemy’s elite masters. This was per Dokgo Myeong’s orders—the time had not yet come.
As blood continued to flow endlessly.
At last, the information everyone had been waiting for arrived, and Dokgo Un-hak’s command was issued immediately.
“So the Wei Commandant truly did betray us. General, has the veracity of this intelligence been confirmed?”
“Yes, it has been confirmed.”
“Has it been fully incorporated into the plan?”
“The main family’s strategists have worked day and night for three days adjusting the military tactics accordingly.”
“Then…”
“It’s possible right now. The enemy’s main camp’s morale, excluding Pacheonggun, has already hit rock bottom.”
Dokgo Un-hak nodded.
“Set a date and send messengers to both the Left and Right Armies. There’s a chance they’ll be intercepted on the way, so double the numbers.”
“Yes.”
“Now let’s bring this fight to an end.”
Multiple messengers departed from the Dokgo Family’s main headquarters.
They carried orders detailing the final operation tucked within their garments.
* * *
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed as he exhaled sharply.
“Phew!”
Whoooosh!
Resplendent vital energy of five colors, defying singular classification, was drawn into my body in one breath.
‘Done. Now I can maintain it freely with just concentration.’
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes sparkled.
The Dark Heaven Art was approaching mastery.
It hadn’t reached the point where it could operate without conscious effort yet. The Dark Heaven Art had been a difficult martial technique even in my past life, so it was inevitable.
‘It’s certainly more troublesome than the Hyeon Heaven Art.’
Unlike the Hyeon Heaven Art, which my body had quickly grown accustomed to, the Dark Heaven Art was proving genuinely difficult.
The Hyeon Heaven Art is a martial technique of dual-wielding. Simply put, it’s akin to learning to wield all manner of polearms—weapons that originally could only be used one at a time to avoid tangling—with both hands simultaneously. Those polearms are the secret techniques of the Heavenly Exterior Scripture.
Conversely, the Dark Heaven Art is a martial technique of fusion and amalgamation. It’s as if all those various polearms were melted down and forged into one.
All manner of secret techniques with different properties became one. Naturally, controlling it wasn’t easy. And if a divine weapon is wielded incorrectly, it cuts only its own wielder.
What if I couldn’t maintain control?
I didn’t even entertain such thoughts.
‘The Heavenly Exterior Soul Fragment, which surpassed my past life’s cultivation, gave me trouble.’
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed once more.
‘But there’s nothing impossible if you persist until success.’
Whoooosh!
As I summoned the vital energy, brilliant light flashed despite the name “dark heaven.”
A remarkable achievement.
Even with experience from my past life, this growth was unbelievable.
But now Dokgo Myeong was focusing his mind elsewhere, not on the Heavenly Exterior Scripture’s progress.
‘Then shall I try again.’
Dokgo Myeong lifted the Hyeon Iron Sword and stomped the ground with force.
Boom! Crash!
My strike extended straight ahead.
Energy waves rippled across the empty air where nothing existed.
Whoooosh!
It didn’t end with a single strike. The energy waves that had spread out didn’t scatter but instead coiled around the Hyeon Iron Sword.
Whiiiing!
Hyeon-cheol’s sword unleashed a tremendous blade aura. Accumulated power erupted forth, and my qi shot outward.
Whoooosh!
A terrifying sound of splitting air. It was a simple downward strike from above, yet it seemed as though heaven and earth would be cleaved in two.
‘Thanks to achieving the Dark Heaven Technique, breaking down martial arts and rebuilding them has become far easier. With each passing day, the foundation grows more solid.’
The seed called Cheonwae Gyeong met the foundation of Geom-jon’s teachings, and the countless insights I had accumulated over time sprouted forth as roots.
Internal energy circulation, footwork, leg techniques, combat forms and stances—everything was new.
In truth, I merely thought of it as creating martial arts suited to myself, but it was undoubtedly the birth of an entirely new concept of martial lineage. The qualities of a Grand Master—one who creates martial arts, a rarity even in the long history of the martial realm—were blooming in the midst of the battlefield.
Boom! Crash!
With the final strike, fragments scattered in all directions, raising clouds of dust.
The power was unbelievable. Yet I retrieved Hyeon-cheol’s sword with a dissatisfied expression.
“The power shouldn’t scatter like this. It should be perfectly controlled by the blade….”
I fell into contemplation.
Should I try controlling the flow of power using Jahagyeol’s techniques? Or perhaps incorporate the sword arts of the Namgung Family or the secret formulas of the Eight Grand Techniques….
As I delved deeper, the martial techniques of those I had faced suddenly flashed through my mind.
“…The Four Heavenly Kings.”
I murmured lowly, my eyes gleaming.
‘Their martial arts definitely had similarities. And not just any—the Cheonwae Gyeong.’
The extremity of dividing the nature of martial arts, combat forms specialized in power and defense.
If one were to think about it that way, there would be no martial arts in the world that weren’t similar.
But having learned the Sensory Knot, I felt a sense of déjà vu. I couldn’t simply dismiss it.
‘If one merely took the shell of the Cheonwae Gyeong without completing the Sensory Knot, wouldn’t it result in such martial arts?’
Or perhaps attempted to recreate it in some fashion.
Was it only the Northern Black Technique that was like this? Or was it the same for the other martial arts of the Four Heavenly Kings and even Muyong Tae’s Northern Ming Divine Technique, which was surely a completed form?
“…I need to investigate this time.”
Crack!
I clenched my fist.
In the end, fighting reveals the truth. I hadn’t properly fought the Four Heavenly Kings, the strongest of Pacheonggun, so I couldn’t be certain, but now I could be.
‘That concludes my verification.’
My eyes gleamed.
It was around then that I was gathering my energy.
“Commander.”
Moryong Sohgyo came to find me.
“Speak.”
“A messenger has arrived from the main force. The Sword King has set a date.”
* * *
I exhaled a long breath.
“What’s with the sigh?”
“Pay it no mind.”
Dokgo Gun and I were walking side by side.
“Your perception has grown even sharper. I heard you’ve been busy training ever since returning from your recent sortie.”
“Yes, well. Anyway, it seems your injuries have fully healed, brother.”
“To some degree. Are you concerned about me?”
“Have I lost my mind?”
Dokgo Gun flashed that familiar smile again.
Watching that smile made my stomach turn once more. It felt like conversing with a demon wearing a human mask.
‘Even recalling memories from my past life, I cannot clearly determine what kind of person he truly is.’
Of course, I remembered precisely what he had done. That’s why I maintained distance, ensuring he wouldn’t cross a certain line.
Better to openly display hostility than feign familiarity—that way, he wouldn’t suspect I knew anything about him.
‘I’ll have to fight back-to-back with this man.’
At least for now, while he remained an ally, it would be manageable. This man was Geom-jon’s eldest grandson and the Sword King’s son.
Dokgo Myeong spoke with feigned composure.
“The enemies must have noticed as well.”
“Surely.”
“Has the plan been fully verified?”
“Of course. It’s thorough and airtight, so don’t worry.”
Yes, if he says it like that, everything must truly be finished.
‘It’s time to settle things with those irritating bastards too. I wonder how it will unfold.’
Dokgo Myeong exhaled deeply once more.
Suddenly, my life as Dokgo Myeong flashed through my mind.
Nearly a decade of running in all directions across heaven and earth.
I’ve finally come this far.
No, I’ve already come this far.
‘This moment, this very battle, will become a massive turning point.’
How much preparation had I done for this.
I cultivated martial strength, wealth, reputation, and influence, walking on thin ice to gain a voice in the main family.
I cast my own life as bait to hook the Moyong Family, seized the Jeongheol Sect by the throat and dragged them into the light, and persuaded the demonic powerhouses of the Dokgo Family to gather at this table.
Endless cycles of building the board, overturning it, and building it anew.
After passing through so many battles, I finally stood before this most crucial watershed.
“Are you mentally prepared?”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled softly.
Mental preparation?
I’d been ready since my past life.
A battle to sever the Moyong Family’s lifeline and a battle to shipwreck the Twin Horse Alliance’s grand scheme.
At last, the final confrontation.
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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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