Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 361

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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 361
Namgung Sohwa’s fingertips trembled violently. Her body, which had been the most steadfast among all the Cheonma Sect members, was shaking pathetically.
“Ah, ah…”
Her throat constricted, and words would not come.
Sohwa reached out her trembling hand toward the man lying in the coffin.
“Father… Why, why are you here…”
The moment her fingertips touched the face of her father, Namgung Hyeon, whom she had only met in dreams.
She flinched in shock and withdrew her hand.
It was cold.
Hard and lifeless.
“Ugh… ah…”
Crack! Thud! Boom!
Sohwa sobbed as she wrenched open the lids of the other stone coffins.
Her family lay within them.
She had grown so much, yet her family remained unchanged.
Her older sisters and older brothers too.
Now she appeared older than they did.
“Sister Sung-eo, older sister… Hwan, older brother Hwan, and older brother Baek-i too…”
Sohwa collapsed where she stood and cried out the names of her family.
In this cold and harsh place.
Unable to even close their eyes in peace.
How long had they suffered in the clutches of those malevolent spirits…
Thud! Thud!
She pounded her own chest frantically. She could barely breathe. It felt as though her heart was being crushed.
Coming so late.
Having fled alone.
The years she had survived alone, laughing and talking as though nothing was wrong, now felt unbearably sinful and tragic.
Snap!
Dokgo Myeong seized her wrist. Warm energy flowed from his hand on her back.
“We need to arrange things first.”
“…Captain.”
“We must send them off to rest as soon as possible.”
“…”
Sohwa nodded weakly before collapsing into unconsciousness.
By then, Geum Seok-du had come down with the other disciples. Fortunately, there was someone among them who had learned the ritual of preparing the dead, so Seok-du proceeded with the cleansing alongside them.
The other disciples all rolled up their sleeves without hesitation. They carefully washed the bodies clean and fashioned crude but sturdy wooden coffins to seal the remains.
“Now… what shall we do?”
Ye-hwa asked.
It was a question of what to do with them now that they had been prepared.
“We need to leave as soon as possible.”
“Where are we headed?”
“To Anhui. I heard Cheonju Mountain was originally the ancestral burial ground of the Namgung Family.”
“Hasn’t that become Hwangsan Sect territory now?”
“We’ll manage somehow.”
“Surely… you’re not thinking of leaving right now?”
Even Geum Seok-du asked in bewilderment.
The war had only ended today.
And the Cheonma Sect had been the greatest contributors to this war. There would inevitably be much to do going forward.
Moreover, Cheonju Mountain in Anhui Province was not a distance one could cover in a day or two.
But Dokgo Myeong was resolute.
“Yes, right now.”
“….”
“I’ll handle my own affairs, Seok-du.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
Since there was not a single member of the Cheonma Sect without injuries, the Cheonggung Sect disciples and White Tiger Guards also helped with the funeral preparations.
Just as preparations were hastily completed, Dokgo Un-hak finally came to find Dokgo Myeong himself.
“So you’re leaving now? And on such a distant journey?”
“Yes.”
“Are you in your right mind?”
Dokgo Un-hak asked with an expression of utter incomprehension.
He was reproaching him for abandoning his post now, when the coming events would be so crucial not only to Dokgo Myeong but to the very fate of the realm.
“I cannot say how you view it, but this concerns someone as precious to me as my own heart. There is nothing more important to me right now than this.”
“Irresponsible. How many have died under your command anew, and how many lives have fallen by your hand? Weren’t you the one rushing about for those yet to die, not those already dead?”
“That is true. I also know this is irresponsible. But….”
Dokgo Myeong smiled bitterly.
“How can I speak of grand ambitions when I cannot even care for my own people? I will take responsibility for my people before the realm.”
“…!”
“I will return shortly. I’ll have the family send for my people, so until then you can consult with the Moyong soldiers. Their will is my will.”
As Dokgo Myeong turned to leave, Dokgo Un-hak spoke with a sigh.
“There may be conflict with Hwangsan. Since you once had a bitter connection with them, how the situation unfolds is uncertain.”
“Well, we’ll manage that too, won’t we?”
Dokgo Un-hak fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“Wait a moment. Let me arrange carriages. You cannot possibly travel that far while bearing a coffin.”
“…?”
“I’ll send word around. Rest at Cheon I-gak’s branch headquarters along the way. I’ll also send my personal letter directly to Hwangsan Sect.”
“Why… are you doing this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why show such kindness?”
“What exactly do you take me for?”
“Outwardly known as a bold man, but in truth a calculating cold-blooded pragmatist without blood or tears.”
“It seems I find myself having these conversations with you quite often.”
Dokgo Un-hak let out a hollow laugh before glancing toward Namgung Sohwa.
“Still… there are certain minimum duties that any person ought to uphold, I suppose.”
After all, I too was once a child who lost his mother. And someday, I will be a parent who passes the same sorrow to my own children.
Perhaps that is the difference between Dokgo Un-hak and Muyong Tae.
“…Then I humbly ask for your assistance.”
“Go swiftly and return. You have much to do.”
Thus the Cheonma Sect members, the White Tiger Corps, and the Cheon I-gak disciples set out on their journey.
“Mu-baek, you stay behind.”
“No. I am fine.”
“A man with one arm torn off shouldn’t push himself.”
“I wish to go. No—I must go.”
“….”
Thus the funeral procession continued, now with Cheolmu-baek joining their ranks.
Westward, ever westward.
Along the way, Cheon I-gak disciples attached themselves to the group and guided them, passing through checkpoints without a single obstruction as they crossed into Anhui.
Yet to reach Cheonju Mountain, they had to pass through Guhua Mountain and Hwangsan, where old memories lay buried, and venture even further west. Though they chose the least populated routes possible, they could not carry a coffin through mountain paths, so they followed the official roads.
Inevitably, countless eyes fell upon the procession.
“What in the world is that? Where do these people come from….”
“Oh my, whoever they may be, Namo Amitabha Buddha, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva… may they find eternal peace in the Pure Land.”
“Those are the Cheonma Sect members? Hurry and inform the main temple!”
One day, two days, three days….
As time passed, rumors spread. The news of this funeral procession spread even faster than word that the Cheonma Sect had taken Muyong Tae’s head.
An unprecedented event.
Because the Cheonma Sect’s reputation was stirring the entire martial world, the rumors spread all the more rapidly.
“The blood relatives of the Namgung Family who were kept in the Moyong estate?”
“Could it be… they are now heading to Cheonju Mountain, the ancestral burial ground of the old Namgung Family?”
“Such a thing….”
“Isn’t that land now under the control of the Hwangsan Sect?”
Though Cheon I-gak attempted to control the situation as much as possible, one cannot dam a river with human hands alone.
Moreover, despite their efforts to compose themselves, all the Cheonma Sect members bore the marks of those who had endured fierce combat. In particular, they could not shake off the killing intent that had naturally accumulated on their bodies from passing through the battlefield.
Thus the feared incident occurred.
“You approaching group—halt your steps for a moment.”
Martial artists bearing the characters of Hwangsan emblazoned on their chests blocked the path of the procession.
* * *
Seo Ryun stepped forward first.
“I greet the Daoist masters of Hwangsan. I am Seo Ryun of the Dokgo Family. We harbor no intention of offending the Hwangsan Sect. We merely escort the deceased. Please open the way for us.”
“I’m afraid that is not possible.”
An elderly Daoist from the Hwangsan Sect stepped forward.
“And you are?”
“I am the Current White Immortal of the Hwangsan Sect.”
“Current White Immortal. I bow to the master of the Seonpung Pavilion.”
“You seem to know of me. I too have heard of the Fierce Tiger Swordsman Seo Ryun’s reputation.”
The Current White Immortal’s eyes grew sharp.
“And you are….”
“Dokgo Myeong, Leader of the Cheonma Sect.”
As Dokgo Myeong stepped forward, the Current White Immortal’s gaze became even more piercing.
Unable to suppress the internal injuries, killing intent streamed from him in visible waves.
‘His aura is like that of a murderous fiend.’
One death alone would leave a man stained with killing intent, yet how many tens or hundreds had fallen by his hand and will?
Surrounded by the gloom of the funeral procession and his uncontrolled killing intent, Dokgo Myeong appeared almost like a legendary demon lord.
“This differs from what I heard. I was told you were a young man of composed spirit.”
“Composure and I are worlds apart, I’m afraid. Rumors tend to be exaggerated, do they not?”
“How curious.”
“Curious?”
“The Fierce Tiger Swordsman and the Cheonma Sect Leader. Did you two not once cripple one of this sect’s disciples here and let the matter fade away?”
“….”
“Moreover, you completely disregarded Elder Hyeon-un’s dignity at that time. Surely you won’t deny it.”
“I see no reason to deny what actually happened. Since it occurred, then….”
Dokgo Myeong fixed his gaze upon the Current White Immortal.
“Do you mean to block our path now because of what happened then?”
“How could that be? I merely wished to clarify that the matter remains unresolved.”
The Current White Immortal’s expression grew enigmatic.
“Furthermore, I cannot allow martial outlaws reeking of killing intent to disturb the peace of Anhui at their whim.”
“Martial outlaws?”
“Every village and city you have passed through is rife with rumors. As part of the Nine Great Sects, I cannot idly watch you disturb the order.”
“What is it you wish to say?”
“It would be best if you withdrew from Anhui now.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a dry laugh.
“How strange.”
“What is?”
“To my ears, it sounds as though the Immortal is looking down upon us.”
The Current White Immortal scoffed.
“And does the Dokgo Family think they can do as they please simply because they won a war? Such outrageous conduct in this sect’s territory.”
“….”
“Moreover, your destination appears to be Cheonju Mountain. How dare you set it as your goal without this sect’s permission?”
“Cheonju Mountain was once the domain of the old Namgung Family.”
“By that logic, who in this world would have any land of their own?”
Had he come with the intention of obstructing the procession from the start?
Not only the Current White Immortal but also the Hwangsan Sect Disciples following behind him raised a murderous atmosphere.
“….”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes closed tightly.
What could their intention possibly be?
Were they trying to crush the main family’s spirit, or was it truly because of old grudges? Or perhaps they wanted something else entirely?
“…This is unbearable.”
Soon Dokgo Myeong let out a hollow laugh as he looked at them.
“What did you say?”
Under normal circumstances, he would have turned those bastards’ composure completely upside down with just a few words, but now he lacked both the stamina to see through their intentions and the mental fortitude to engage in a war of words.
“Gwak.”
“Yes, brother.”
“Go on ahead with the children for a bit.”
Upon hearing those words, the Current White Immortal’s eyes gleamed.
“Are you truly going to act so recklessly?”
Dokgo Myeong turned his head.
At the unexpectedly expressionless face, the Current White Immortal flinched momentarily.
“Current White Immortal.”
Thud.
His body froze at the toneless voice. He could not muster a single word in response to the oppressive weight contained within that voice.
“Guide me. I will ascend Hwangsan at once.”
“W-what are you saying….”
“I mean to visit the Hwangsan Sect directly myself.”
The Current White Immortal paused to consider those words, then cried out in shock.
“With those meager forces, you would wage war against this sect?!”
“War?”
Dokgo Myeong’s expression hardened.
“Is that what you desire?”
“…!”
The Current White Immortal’s face visibly stiffened.
In that moment, Dokgo Myeong let out a peculiar laugh and spoke.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I merely said I would ascend Hwangsan. When did I ever speak of war?”
“That is….”
It was ridiculous. He had panicked and made a fuss without thinking.
Just as the Current White Immortal’s face was beginning to flush with embarrassment, Dokgo Myeong uttered another shocking statement.
“I will ascend Hwangsan alone. I will seek out the Sect Leader and inquire of his intentions, then settle this matter. Guide me at once.”
“Alone? You said you would ascend alone right now?”
“That is correct.”
The Current White Immortal doubted his own ears.
‘Is he mad?’
Did he not know what would happen to him if he ascended to the sect alone?
Plainly, they could dispose of him however they wished and simply claim he had desecrated the sect. Once he set foot within Hwangsan, there would be no eyes or ears within the sect to take his side.
‘But….’
The Current White Immortal’s eyes trembled as he gazed upon Dokgo Myeong.
There was not the slightest wavering in those eyes that met his own. It was not recklessness, but confidence. An overwhelming pressure emanated from him.
“No, this cannot be. You speak as though you could meet the Sect Leader of my school…without any prior arrangement, with merely a few words?”
“This displeases you, that is unacceptable….”
Dokgo Myeong’s voice dropped coldly.
“If you insist on such conduct, then I have no choice but to act as I see fit.”
“Are you, are you threatening me? Here in Anhui, to me, an Elder of the Hwangsan Sect?”
“Immortal. It seems you do not know me well. Such things hold no meaning for me.”
Dokgo Myeong smiled faintly.
At that smile, the Current White Immortal felt the hair on his entire body stand on end.
“I have never lived concerning myself with such matters. Rather, I have lived sweeping all such things from before my eyes. What has occurred in Zhejiang is precisely the result of that.”
“…!”
“This is my final word. Choose one of two paths. Guide me, or clear the way. If you attempt any further tricks even once more….”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed desolately.
“There will be no further mercy.”
The Current White Immortal’s eyes trembled as though an earthquake had struck.
‘I misjudged. I touched something I should not have.’
Cheonma Sect Leader Dokgo Myeong.
He was far more than merely a promising hero. I had thought the Dokgo Family had exaggerated rumors to create a hero, but that too was wrong.
Dokgo Myeong had already reached the pinnacle of the realm. It was simply that they, that the world, had yet underestimated him.

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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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