Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 343

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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 343
Dokgo Un-hak, who had issued the command, Seo Jung-baek’s right flank sharpening their blades, and Dokgo Myeong’s left flank—all had completed their final preparations. Less than half a day remained before the Dokgo Family’s total offensive would commence.
Every tactic had been meticulously prepared without a single flaw, and now, in this dim twilight hour, only the advance remained.
Geum Seok-du spoke of the enemy’s trap.
“A trap? What evidence do you have?”
“Well, the evidence… truth be told, it’s rather vague.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s not that there’s no evidence, but rather…”
“Seok-du. Stop stalling and speak plainly. My fingers are getting itchy.”
“It was merely intuition.”
“Intuition? You’re saying you just have a bad feeling?”
Dokgo Myeong carefully examined Geum Seok-du once more after a long while.
Consider this man Geum Seok-du—the youngest son of the gambling Geum family, born in Hangzhou, West Lake, Zhejiang.
A reckless fool who fled home dreaming of becoming a martial artist, a man whose pitiful martial talent had earned him the dismissal “Ah, you’re not quite cut out for this” even from con artists.
He’d learned only vice from his father, fallen into gambling, inherited Manpaknoesa’s legacy, and had his nose pierced by it as collateral.
‘But there are good things too. Many other things, aren’t there?’
Dokgo Myeong gazed intently at Geum Seok-du’s gleaming eyes.
A master of lightness kung fu worthy of being called Punggeok, a jack-of-all-trades with fewer weaknesses than strengths, the sole inheritor of Manpaknoesa’s legacy, the Cheonma Sect’s first captain.
Yet even these words could not fully explain the true nature of this man Geum Seok-du.
“Of course, I didn’t speak based on intuition alone. I went on reconnaissance, and the enemy camp seemed unusually bustling. The way they were organizing the main encampment, and also…”
The true ability of Geum Seok-du that even Dokgo Myeong, who had lived through past and present lives and met countless remarkable people, could only marvel at.
“Ah, of course, it could simply be due to the decisive battle ahead… Captain?”
This man possessed a survival instinct keen enough to preserve his own life even amid countless dangers, and in certain aspects, an intuition that even surpassed sensory perception.
“Why are you looking at me like that? I know too. That one cannot draw conclusions from this alone. So please, say something…”
“Geum Seok-du.”
Dokgo Myeong cut off Geum Seok-du’s rambling with a grave tone.
This insane gambling den called a battlefield, where the stakes were lives instead of money.
And it was none other than Geum Seok-du himself who had gone on reconnaissance to the enemy camp and returned with a sense of foreboding.
“Are you certain?”
“My apologies. Please, just forget what I said. I suppose I’ve grown nervous as the end approaches. However…”
Geum Seok-du wiped the cold sweat beading on his forehead as he spoke.
“I know that with preparations already complete and plans already drawn, there’s little we can do about it, but couldn’t we at least have the Cheonma Sect move with greater caution? Would that not be possible?”
“That’s enough. That reaction is the finest answer.”
With a sudden motion!
Dokgo Myeong unfolded his crossed legs and sprang to his feet.
“Why are you standing, sir?”
“I’m already convinced. But others won’t be.”
“Sir?”
“So let’s go on reconnaissance together. We’ll go right up to the front and verify it with our own eyes.”
“I, I think I may have misheard you just now. C, could you please say that again…”
“Let’s go. Toward the enemy camp.”
Geum Seok-du’s mouth fell open as he stammered in bewilderment.
Was he in his right mind? Did he really want to charge right up to the enemy’s doorstep?
Whether it was the Moyong Family or the Jeongheol Sect, both were desperate to kill Dokgo Myeong.
In fact, assassins had come searching several times already. How many had Ye-hwa and Jin-sa dealt with?
‘If they even suspected, they would surely try to kill him, even if it meant suffering considerable—no, catastrophic—losses.’
And yet he wanted to venture into the enemy camp, where nerves would be stretched taut on the eve of the final battle?
And take him along?
“Hehehehe, hehehehe!”
“Get ready quickly. Actually, there’s nothing to prepare. Let’s go right now.”
“I’ll wake the four and five squads and come back….”
“Hey, the kids are getting their last rest. How could I make them work?”
“Then….”
“You and me. Let’s go together, just the two of us, like old times.”
Geum Seok-du’s complexion turned deathly pale in an instant.
* * *
Still, there was one person who needed to know. If she raised an alarm about him missing, it would be a disaster.
So I told Moryong Sohgyo, who was at least somewhat rational.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Our Moyang soldier, your language grows harsher with each passing day, doesn’t it?”
“If you truly intend to go, then step over my body to do so.”
“How could I step over Jeol Gangjemil on Jeol Gang’s own land?”
“Then….”
As expected, she thrashed about furiously, so I adjusted it so she’d wake in about half an hour, knocked her out gently, and dashed out.
Thump-thump-thump!
Dokgo Myeong and Geum Seok-du immediately raced toward the enemy camp.
The main encampment of Pacheonggun, not far away, gradually drew closer.
“I’m insane. What was I thinking…. I’m really insane. I should have just stayed quiet….”
Geum Seok-du’s face was completely ashen, yet he still had the leisure to speak. Truly a remarkable fellow.
‘Seo Ho Lake.’
Seeing the moon rippling on the water’s surface, I was seized by strange sentiments.
“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”
“My feelings are renewed.”
“…Sentiments while charging toward the enemy camp? What do you mean by that?”
He grumbled, but Geum Seok-du seemed to understand the meaning behind my words.
Seo Ho Lake was where the two of us had met years ago. And now we were running side by side through that same place once more.
‘If only Seo Daejoo were with us here, the old combination would truly be complete.’
What was Seo Ryun’s condition?
I hadn’t heard any news since the exchange of messengers and letters was disrupted.
‘He must be safe.’
In truth, I had merely been fortunate until now. War, by its very nature, spares no one.
‘So I must be more certain.’
Dokgo Myeong paused intermittently to suppress his presence, hid in the undergrowth when encountering enemy scouts, and drew steadily closer to the enemy encampment in swift strides.
Soon he arrived at elevated terrain from which he could observe the heart of Pacheonggun’s main camp.
“….”
Dokgo Myeong stared at the enemy camp with rigid eyes, his senses screaming warnings like a madman.
“…Seok-du.”
“Yes.”
“Do you feel what I’m feeling right now?”
“Not exactly. But this….”
Something was wrong.
Very wrong indeed.
‘Are Pacheonggun’s numbers really this few?’
‘I don’t see any masters of exceptional skill.’
Which meant.
‘They’ve withdrawn their forces. Primarily the masters. And they’re still departing even now.’
Dokgo Myeong and Geum Seok-du exchanged stares, their faces hardened with tension.
“Since we’ve come this far, we might as well confirm where they’re heading before we leave.”
“You’re confident we won’t be discovered?”
“Yes. Which direction will you take?”
“I’ll take the more dangerous route. I’ll track them and see where they’re going.”
“I’ll check the southeast direction, toward Sohung.”
“No need to see everything. Just confirm and come straight back. We’ll meet right here.”
“Understood.”
Dokgo Myeong and Geum Seok-du split up to investigate different areas, then reunited after half an hour.
“Black or white?”
“Black. This confirms it. Now we should——”
“No, this isn’t enough. It’s still uncertain.”
“To be more certain than this, we’d have to infiltrate the enemy camp directly.”
“Well said. Then that’s what we’ll do.”
“…?”
“We infiltrate the enemy encampment. I need to confirm directly whether the Four Heavenly Kings are in those barracks.”
* * *
Dokgo Myeong and Geum Seok-du slipped into the enemy camp the moment the moon hid behind the clouds.
They moved with careful discretion, yet the perimeter defenses were riddled with gaps. This only confirmed that the number of elite martial artists had been drastically reduced.
‘That path leads to a dead end. It appears to be a false route prepared for enemy infiltration.’
‘Seems so. Let’s go around.’
With Dokgo Myeong’s instincts and experience combined with Geum Seok-du’s knowledge and perception, they penetrated deep into the enemy camp without difficulty.
As the two moved between the barracks, they soon discovered the largest structure among them.
‘We must withdraw! We’ll be discovered!’
‘Just a bit closer.’
Then, voices murmured from within the tent.
The moment urgency flickered across Geum Seok-du’s eyes.
Whoosh!
The tent flap opened and someone stepped out.
Fortunately, the two of us had concealed our auras perfectly and remained hidden behind the adjacent tent.
The problem was.
‘I sense nothing.’
If there had been masters of the Demon Lord’s caliber, or even those Four Heavenly Kings, my senses would have detected them.
‘There’s no one here now.’
Even after searching the perimeter, not a shadow of a master could be found.
It was certain.
Their main force of masters had abandoned the encampment.
Why? What was their intention?
‘We must return.’
‘Yes!’
I had to inform Dokgo Gun of this intelligence immediately.
They had laid a trap. Whatever that trap was, we couldn’t fight using the tactics we were currently preparing.
‘Is there time to prepare? No—but we must make time.’
The fact that we had little time before launching our offensive didn’t matter. Since the enemy had clearly deployed a deception strategy, all military tactics had to be discarded and redrawn.
Thud-thud-thud!
The two of us kicked off the ground urgently, yet discreetly.
“Now just run openly! We’ve put enough distance between us!”
“Huff! Huff! Yes! Y-you can leave me behind! Just go first, sir!”
“Stop talking nonsense and move your legs!”
There was no time to waste.
Once we had gained sufficient distance, both of us abandoned caution and kicked off the ground without restraint, accepting that our movements would be heard.
“Almost there. Halfway now. They’re busy with their preparations, so from here we just go straight—”
That was when it happened.
Whoooosh!
My spine chilled. My hair stood on end.
A warning from my senses.
The moment Dokgo Myeong’s expression twisted.
Crash!
Scattering branches and leaves wildly, someone burst forth from directly ahead in a surprise attack.
The dark figure immediately extended a palm strike, and Dokgo Myeong responded as if he’d been waiting, unleashing a fist.
Boom!
“Ugh! Aaaargh!!”
Geum Seok-du was sent rolling across the ground, flying backward from the tremendous shockwave that spread in all directions.
Conversation was pointless. Without even confirming the enemy’s face, Dokgo Myeong immediately unleashed a second fist strike.
Boom! Crash! Whoosh!
My fists collided in mid-air, erupting with countless impacts.
‘What?!’
My eyes widened in shock.
It wasn’t something to boast about, but I had more confidence in surprise attacks than anyone else, and since I had prepared in advance, I launched my strike from the very beginning—yet it was blocked.
This meant the opponent was either my equal or perhaps even a master of greater skill.
‘This aura… Could it be…!’
Boom!
A shockwave erupted in the air, and both of us were simultaneously pushed backward.
Beneath the dark sky, sand swirled upward in thick clouds.
From within them, the opponent’s voice rang out.
“This technique, this ferocity. Could it be… Dokgo Myeong?”
Whoosh!
The sand clouds settled.
As if by miracle, the clouds obscuring the moon parted, and blue moonlight descended.
My expression hardened instantly.
‘Damn it. Why is this bastard here?’
Wasn’t this a bit too much?
Of all people, why did this wretch have to be here?
“…Jimeol Magoon.”
“Dokgo Myeong. So it truly is you.”
The two of us faced each other in the middle of the battlefield.
* * *
“Seok-du, are you alright!”
“J-j-j-Jimeol Magoon?!”
“Calm yourself!”
“I-I’m fine! First, the poison! I’ll deploy the poison first!”
“The moment you spread poison, I will strike, Wonmyeon Pung-gaek.”
“Move a single finger and I’ll shatter your skull.”
“Should you move, you will witness your subordinate withering like dead wood.”
“Try it if you can!”
A standoff of chaos and shock.
Geum Seok-du seemed to have completely lost his mind.
“Captain! I’m deploying it! I’m really deploying it! Extreme poison and fire bombs first!!”
“You fool! Calm down!”
Seok-du looked impressive just a moment ago—did his dantian get shaken? Why is he like this?
But I was equally flustered.
I came out for reconnaissance in secret, and now Jimeol Magoon? I wasn’t caught even when I slipped deep into the camp and came back out, yet of all times!
Whoooooosh!
Jimeol Magoon’s and my true energy rose up menacingly.
Crack! Crackle!
As their qi collided, a small whirlwind erupted in the empty air.
Two people glared at each other as if ready to kill, yet neither dared move rashly.
The reason was none other than Geum Seok-du’s position.
‘If that bastard charges toward me, I’ll have to give ground or risk taking a direct hit.’
‘He’s only a step—no, half a step closer to me. If he targets Seok-du first, I can’t stop him. Damn it, this is infuriating.’
Thus a stalemate was created.
Dokgo Myeong had to swallow the curse that had risen all the way to his throat.

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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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