Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 356

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

Chapter 356
“This way! I’ll hold the front line! Just endure!”
“Krraaaagh!”
“Don’t try to win! Reinforcements are coming soon! Just hold on!”
Boom boom boom boom!
Neungmyeong commanded the chaotic battlefield with a flag in one hand and a sword gripped in the other.
Though still an inexperienced young martial artist, his voice carried the power to sway the masses. Martial artists scattered across the field began gathering beneath his banner.
“Our Lord Myeong!”
“If I make it back, I’ll celebrate in style!”
“Quiet and swing your blade!”
Just as they were desperately holding their ground, a tremendous military banner suddenly descended, and Pacheonggun’s forces shattered into disarray.
“The Second Group!”
“The Third Group is visible too!”
“We’ve won! It’s over now!”
The appearance of the Second and Third Groups here meant Pacheonggun’s forces had been completely annihilated.
It was finished.
This fierce war had finally come to an end.
“Hahahaha! Lord Myeong! We survived thanks to our fake Lord Myeong!”
“The reincarnation of Dokgo Myeong!”
“The best! Lord Myeong!”
In an instant, as the battlefield fell into confusion, Neungmyeong couldn’t regain his senses.
And for good reason.
‘What is this…?’
Neungmyeong’s eyes sharpened.
A strange sensation washed over him. Along with an energy signature slightly different from Pacheonggun’s forces, the scent of blood pricked his nostrils.
‘Behind!’
The moment Neungmyeong spun around urgently.
Crash!
Blood ghosts surged through the rear lines.
* * *
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes doubted themselves for a moment.
He thought the intensity of battle had made him see illusions. But the energy signature was far too distinct to be a hallucination.
“…Grand General, what are you doing here?”
What had happened to the center?
This front line that was nearly finished?
No, more importantly—had that bastard come alone?
As questions piled upon questions, the Grand General opened his mouth.
“Step aside for a moment.”
In an instant, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened as he stamped the ground.
Boom boom boom!
An enormous gale swept over Dokgo Myeong.
Unable to withstand the tremendous wind pressure, his feet lifted from the ground, and he was hurled backward beyond five zhang.
‘It’s not a leg technique or inner force. Just the pure power of wind itself.’
The Grand General paid no attention to Dokgo Myeong and walked forward with leisurely grace.
Swish, swish.
Only the soft sound of fabric trailing against the ground could be heard.
He walked across the chaotic battlefield as if taking a stroll, and came to stand before Jimeol Magoon.
“Divine… Lord… Heaven… I… *cough!* My faith was insufficient….”
The Grand General looked down at Jimeol Magoon, who spoke in ragged gasps, and shook his head.
His eyes held a depth that suggested he understood what was being said without needing to hear it.
“Child. Have you reached enlightenment?”
Jimeol Magoon’s eyes widened greatly, then he opened his mouth with difficulty.
“Not yet… not yet….”
“Then have you cast off your afflictions?”
“I have only… awakened to my own attachment… *cough!*”
Blood surged forth again with his cough.
The Grand General nodded.
“That is sufficient awakening.”
“It is… insufficient… I am no different from a heretic….”
“Just as there is no knowledge without doubt, there is no great enlightenment without affliction.”
“Ah… ah….”
“The Compassionate Mother will forgive you. There remains yet work for you to do.”
The Grand General extended his hand toward Jimeol Magoon.
Flash!
White light bloomed from his fingertips and touched the wound that crossed Jimeol Magoon’s body.
Jimeol Magoon’s eyes slowly closed, and his ragged breathing began to steady.
“He came personally to save one of his people….”
Tears formed in Dokgo Myeong’s eyes.
“Did you think I would allow that?”
Whoosh!
The Hyeonchul Sword shot forth with a piercing cry.
In that instant, the Grand General turned his body and spread his right hand wide.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened in shock.
“…!”
Whiiiing!
The Hyeonchul Sword stopped abruptly in the empty space one zhang before the Grand General, as if seized by something.
A flicker of surprise crossed the Grand General’s eyes.
“Incredible power. Yet this alone is difficult to comprehend. By what means did you capture this child?”
The Grand General slowly closed the hand he had spread open.
Whiiiiing!
The Hyeonchul Sword floating in mid-air warped like a strand of taffy.
It wasn’t just the Hyeonchul Sword. The colorless, transparent qi membrane erected in the void rippled like heat haze, distorting all the surrounding landscape.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, crimson flames burst forth around the Hyeonchul Sword. It was the heat from that calamity fire that had distorted the landscape.
“This is the Scorching Calamity Fire Hand. Let’s see if you can withstand it.”
Flash!
The entire area was engulfed in light, and the sound arrived a moment too late.
Booooom!
Was this what the flames of hell looked like?
With the explosion, a radius of fifty paces centered on Dokgo Myeong was swallowed by inferno.
Beyond the sheer scale, the heat was extraordinary. The earthen ground turned red-hot, then began melting white-hot.
Though countless martial artists throughout the realm wielded extreme yang qi, directly manipulating flames of this magnitude could only be described as sorcery.
But then it happened.
Craaaaaash!
Scattering the flames in all directions, Dokgo Myeong rose to his feet.
The Dragon Scale Armor surrounding him flashed repeatedly with gold and silver light.
“Simultaneous application of martial arts and sorcery. I wasn’t mistaken. The Grand General truly has come to this place.”
Within the sizzling heat, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed with the golden light of Seoncheon Qi.
His appearance resembled the Heavenly Great Sage from legend, who had escaped the Eight Trigrams Tower and obtained the Golden Fiery Eyes.
“Now I understand why this child suffered so.”
The Grand General’s eyes narrowed with interest.
“It was because of the true qi obtained by absorbing that elder’s and the water dragon’s inner cores. You truly cleansed away the blood qi and killing intent.”
Step.
He took a long stride and faced Dokgo Myeong directly.
Dokgo Myeong suddenly spoke.
“Say, Grand General.”
“…?”
“Were you really so concerned about this place? Enough for the head of the Jeongheol Sect to abandon the war?”
“I simply felt there was no need to shed more blood once I had obtained everything worth obtaining.”
“Hehehehe!”
In that moment, Dokgo Myeong laughed with a twisted expression.
“That’s not it, is it?”
“What?”
“You have no more blood to shed. You threw everything you had, real or imagined, into this battle to settle the score, but… what’s this? I’ve swallowed it all whole.”
Click!
Dokgo Myeong reached for the Hyeonchul Sword that had been driven into the ground along with the flames.
Sizzzzle!
The heated metal seared his palm, acrid smoke rising. Yet Dokgo Myeong drew the Hyeonchul Sword with utter composure.
“Regrettably, if it’s come to this, you should just close up shop. As of today, take down the Jeongheol Sect signboard.”
“…”
A chill settled over the Grand General’s expressionless face.
After staring at Dokgo Myeong in silence for a moment, he curved his lips into an enigmatic smile.
“You pretend to be strong, don’t you, child?”
“…!”
“You’ve lived that way your entire life. Like a wounded child, the harsher the trials that befell you, the more fiercely you bristled with thorns to feign strength.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Your three-inch tongue was indeed sharp, but you should have anticipated this situation. Isn’t that so?”
The Grand General raised his hand with a graceful motion.
Tss tss tss tss!
Soon the oppressive heat dissipated, and the presence of others became palpable.
This aura—how could I not recognize it?
The vital signatures of blood cultivators.
The Grand General had brought every surviving captain of the one hundred and eight legions to this place.
“With that secret art of Life and Death you’ve mastered, see for yourself. Does your premonition show you life in this moment, or does it show you only death?”
There was no time to ask what Life and Death was.
Regardless, my senses screamed that there was no path to survival here.
“You questioned our sacrifices. I care not. Through those deaths, we have gained certainty, and we shall obtain a piece for our great endeavor as well.”
“A piece?”
“Dokgo Myeong. You.”
Whoosh!
The Grand General’s body vanished like smoke, appearing in an instant before my very face.
“Let’s see if you can even block the Swastika Seizing Palm.”
Whiiiiing!
An ominous white radiance gathered in his palm, transforming into a tremendous pressure that bore down toward the crown of my head.
I desperately swung both palms to meet it.
Crash! Boom boom boom boom crash!
My feet sank into the earth up to my ankles, and I was immediately driven backward, gouging the ground beneath me.
Screeeech!
The sleeves of my Dragon Scale Robe, already torn in countless places, finally reached their limit and split wide open.
“Gack!”
An enormous torrent of blood poured from my mouth.
* * *
The moment Geum Seok-du heard Ye-hwa’s warning, he broke away from the formation of the Second and Third Groups.
“Hwa-a! You’re absolutely sure this is the right direction!?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I can feel it.”
“What do you mean you can feel it… Ugh! Fine!”
Ye-hwa pointed the way with drunken, hazy eyes.
Geum Seok-du clutched at his own hair and shouted.
“Damn it, this direction is completely different from where the soldiers are fighting…! Cheonma Sect, move faster!”
Geum Seok-du had no way of knowing that Dokgo Myeong was fighting in a place entirely separated from the Jimeol Magoon. Only Ye-hwa could see what lay ahead.
‘This is dangerous. This is truly dangerous!’
Zzzt!
Hwa-a felt a sharp, needle-like pain pierce through one side of her head.
It was a premonition only she could sense—one who had mastered countless incantations and whose upper dantian had been opened through the heterodox arts of the Left-Hand Path.
‘Even when I lived surrounded by bizarre tomes and ritual implements at Salgok, I never felt anything like this.’
Geum Seok-du noticed sweat pouring from Hwa-a’s brow like rain and asked.
“Hwa-a, what’s wrong?”
“We need to hurry more, faster….”
“Did you see something? Are you sensing something right now?”
“Calamity has arrived. At the very least, I must go first. The Captain is in danger. It’s not just a matter of life and death—she might suffer something far more terrible!”
“Understood! Let’s move!”
But the Cheonma Sect, already exhausted from the fierce battle, could not increase their pace any further.
Geum Seok-du’s expression twisted.
‘Damn it, is there no reinforcement to save the Captain? Anyone will do…!’
His heart was being torn apart. He wanted to run as fast as possible, yet his legs felt unbearably heavy.
At that moment, Geum Seok-du sensed something amiss and turned back to look at Hwa-a.
“…?”
Hwa-a stood gripping the Crimson Bow of Baek Si, an esoteric treasure, her gaze fixed on the distant sky.
A strange luminescence flickered in her eyes—not the sharp, clear gaze she normally possessed, but a hazy, unfocused light as if she were possessed by a spirit.
Then suddenly, Hwa-a stopped in her tracks.
“Hwa-a! What is it!”
“Not this way.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“From the south… a path is opening from the south. I need to show you where we should go.”
“What in the world are you talking about right now?”
“We need to take a detour. We don’t need to go alone. No, we can’t go alone. The Captain’s accumulated virtue is holding back the calamity. They’re closer than we are! I just need to show them where to go!”
“V-Virtue? Calamity? What are you even saying?”
“We’re saved! Reinforcements have arrived!”
Geum Seok-du’s eyes widened.
Reinforcements?
Could she be referring to the reinforcements that departed from Namchang?
“Don’t bother explaining—just do as you see fit, Hwa-a!”
Hwa-a smiled brightly and grasped an arrow in her hand.
They would not miss the sound of the signal arrow she was about to loose.
A joyful connection was heading toward Dokgo Myeong.
* * *
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thump!
The sound of feet pounding the earth echoed out.
Two men rushing forward at an unbelievable speed exchanged words.
“You’re saying it might all be over by the time we arrive?”
“Indeed.”
“Well then, why are we heading out?”
“There’s bound to be a gap between information from the front lines and the rear. Something could have gone wrong, and even if it hasn’t, every additional fighter means less blood spilled.”
“I understand what you’re saying. If nothing’s wrong, that’s all the better.”
“But you and your….”
“Disciples.”
“Yes, disciples. How exactly did you come to aid the Commander?”
Thud!
The man who stomped the ground forcefully grinned and spoke.
“Aid is the wrong word. We’re going to teach that insolent bastard a lesson.”
Boom boom boom boom!
Two masters shot forward like arrows.
And behind them, countless martial artists followed in their wake.
Flutter!
A banner fluttered in the center of the group.
At the banner’s center was emblazoned the symbol of a white tiger.
Whoooosh!
Then, from somewhere, came the sound of wind being split.
The man running tilted his head in confusion.
“What is that sound?”
“A signal whistle! It’s showing us which way to go!”
“…!”
“This isn’t the right way! It’s that direction!”
“Wait! Are you certain?”
“Of course!”
The man leading suddenly changed direction and turned his gaze elsewhere.
The formation moved as the man rushed forward ahead.
And not long after.
Kaboom kaboom kaboom!
In the distance, a terrifying explosion erupted skyward.
“It was true!”
“This won’t do. I need to fire one shot before we go. They seem to be in danger.”
“Fire one shot? There’s still several hundred paces to go….”
“That’s practically right in front of us.”
Screech!
The man skidded to a halt, dragging against the ground.
In that brief moment, a fully drawn bow was already in his hands.
Twang! Kaboom!
The moment he released the string, a gust of wind erupted with a sound like cannon fire.
An iron arrow soared through the sky.
Flying, flying, and flying once more.
At the end of dozens upon dozens of arrows in flight….
“…!”
There stood the Grand General Cheonma Jimeol Magoon, who had been targeting Dokgo Myeong.
He hastily reached out his hand.
Kwaaaaaang!
An explosion erupted across the Grand General’s upper body, engulfing the area in thick smoke.
Dokgo Myeong, witnessing the spectacle from mere steps away, widened his eyes.
“These arrows…?”
Dokgo Myeong knew of only two masters in all the realm capable of displaying archery with such devastating power.
‘Could it be…?’
Dokgo Myeong’s gaze turned toward the direction from which the arrows had come.
“A direct hit.”
The man, Gwak Dae-ryong the Bow King, lowered his bow, his eyes gleaming with light.
Then, as if he could see Dokgo Myeong across that vast distance, he flashed a subtle smile.
“Brother, it has been quite some time, has it not?”
It was a smile that resembled Dokgo Myeong’s own—or perhaps one that Dokgo Myeong had always wished to emulate.

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