Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 397

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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 397
Dokgo Ak blinked his eyes.
“So what you’re saying is….”
He glanced downward slightly.
In his trembling eyes lay a sword of unmistakably exceptional craftsmanship.
“A gift from the Sword Saint?”
“Yeah.”
“For me?”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“…Why?”
Dokgo Myeong’s face hardened abruptly.
“I don’t know, you bastard! What the hell!”
Here we go again. Nothing surprises me anymore.
Dokgo Myeong, flaring with anger, rested his chin on one hand while clicking his tongue repeatedly.
“Damn it, this is so unsettling. Somehow I’ve gotten my nose caught in this. I can’t let my guard down! I can’t let my guard down!”
Dokgo Myeong twisted his face grotesquely and even began tapping his leg.
‘Tsk! Of all people, why does he have to give it to that bastard….’
At first it seemed somewhat puzzling, but I realized it belatedly on the way back.
That gift was poison. Not the kind that spreads through the body, but the kind that spreads through the heart.
Baek Mu-heun had shown goodwill instead of hostility. He believed this would be more effective.
“Sigh.”
Dokgo Myeong exhaled a heavy sigh.
‘Well, if I think about it positively… honestly, there’s nothing bad about it. It’s just like extracting one weapon, that’s all.’
Dokgo Myeong tapped the desk with his fingers while organizing his thoughts.
Then suddenly, something appeared before my eyes.
“…Take it.”
“What?”
“Just take it, will you.”
Dokgo Ak was holding out the Lion Sword.
“It was given to you, not me.”
“Even at a glance, it’s a treasure sword. There’s no way he’d give it without reason.”
“…?”
“There was some kind of psychological warfare exchanged that I can’t quite grasp, wasn’t there?”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened.
‘Look at this kid.’
I knew he’d matured, but has he already become this grown-up?
“You don’t need to become indebted because of me. I don’t like being held back. Go return it and come back.”
“Are you serious?”
“A swordmaster shouldn’t covet things beyond their station, right? I should trust what I have.”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled softly.
“Brother.”
“Hm?”
“But why are you looking at the sword instead of me when you speak?”
“That, what are you talking about?”
“Your eyes are practically dripping with longing.”
“L, longing? That, it’s just that it seems like such a fine blade, and I haven’t even had a chance to wield it once, so I’m just a little, very slightly disappointed about that!”
Dokgo Myeong nodded as if he understood.
“I see. It would be a shame to simply abandon that legendary Lion Sword—the one that makes mountains tremble with its cry.”
Dokgo Ak’s body went rigid.
“What? The Lion Sword?”
“Yes, the Lion Sword.”
“The one whose cry makes the mountains and rivers shake?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
“The Lion Sword—the exclusive weapon of the Iron Blood Lion, the legendary invincible swordmaster from the Age of Secret Teachings?”
“How many times must I say it? Yes, that’s the one.”
Dokgo Ak stared down at the sword in his hand with bloodshot eyes.
Tremble, tremble, tremble, tremble!
Dokgo Myeong watched him with narrowed eyes.
“Why are your hands shaking like that?”
“W, what, wh, what are you saying? Shaking? What? I’ve just been holding it out for so long my arm’s about to fall off!”
“So you’re really going to give it back?”
“….”
“Why did you suddenly go silent?”
“Ugh! Fine! Take it! Take it!”
Dokgo Ak thrust the sword forward and turned his head away sharply, squeezing his eyes shut.
Anyone watching would think he was having a treasure stolen from him. Even though it was never his to begin with.
“This guy.”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and gave the back of Dokgo Ak’s head a light smack.
Smack!
“Ow! What now!”
“Forget it, boy. If you return something you’ve already received, that’s just asking for a fight.”
“R, really? Then… I can keep it?”
“Yes.”
Whoosh!
Dokgo Ak yanked the sword back like lightning and clutched it to his chest.
His twisted mouth twitched upward, and he was clearly struggling to contain his laughter.
“Draw it. Let me see it too. He wouldn’t have given you a sword that didn’t suit you.”
“Then should I? I suppose I should take a look?”
Dokgo Ak swallowed hard and gripped the handle.
Click!
Dokgo Ak’s eyes widened in astonishment.
How could I even describe this?
The sensation was entirely different.
It wasn’t that I had grasped the blade—rather, it felt as though the sword naturally wrapped itself around my hand.
‘This is a divine blade. No, a celestial sword.’
I slowly drew the sword.
Shhhhring!
In that instant, crimson light flickered across the room.
The blade was just under three feet in length, with the carved figure of a valiant lion adorning the crossguard, and as light reflected off the steel, subtle waves of crimson hue rippled across its surface.
‘This is the Lion Sword!’
I gently ran my fingers across the blade and infused it with my inner force.
Grrrrring!
A strange, otherworldly resonance erupted from the sword.
The low, heavy vibration—like the cry of a beast—drew a long exclamation from me.
“Hhhhaaaa….”
“What do you think?”
“It’s strange. It’s as if it’s drawing in my inner force and amplifying it, making it sharper.”
“Hmm?”
“This is a divine weapon, isn’t it? Not a demonic or cursed blade?”
I was bewildered.
A true divine weapon is not merely sharp and sturdy—it must contain mystical power within it.
The Lion Sword appeared to be precisely that.
By nature, a sword’s essence lies in perfect balance between offense and defense, with endless adaptability. Yet the Lion Sword was so steeped in ominous and aggressive qualities that one might mistake it for a cursed blade.
‘That Baek Mu-heun certainly has an eye for such things.’
He had gifted me a weapon perfectly suited to enhance my aggressive nature.
“Truly, if you don’t like it, just hand it over. Sohwa or Bang Dan-a would be absolutely delighted with it!”
“Who, who said I don’t like it? That’s absurd!”
Dokgo Myeong let out a scoff.
“Originally, divine and cursed blades differ by only the finest thread. Once you perfectly control and subjugate the nature and essence the sword possesses, only then will it truly become your Dokgo family weapon.”
I swallowed hard and nodded vigorously.
Then, uttering exclamations of wonder, I examined the sword from every angle, plucked it with my fingers to hear its ring, and swung it through the air several times.
‘Could he be this pleased?’
It was fortunate that he was delighted, yet my feelings remained strangely complicated.
Every time Dokgo Ak wielded the Lion Sword henceforth, the fact that Baek Mu-heun had given it to him would come to mind. And it seemed Baek Mu-heun had calculated for precisely that.
‘Still, I should soon procure proper Dokgo family weapons for Sohwa and Mu-baek.’
Mu-baek’s iron axe had been damaged and never properly repaired since. Sohwa had also broken the weapon that Heo Yong-do and Ma Jang had crafted for her during the war.
‘Now that I think of it, he promised to forge a proper sword for me as well.’
I was thoroughly satisfied with my Hyeoncheoljung sword.
But Heo Yong-do had boasted that he would craft me a proper blade.
‘Several years have passed now, so research into the Gwisucheolmang must have progressed considerably.’
I might actually be able to forge a truly usable sword.
‘Good. I should visit him once I return this time.’
Dokgo Myeong nodded and watched Dokgo Ak, whose face was beaming with delight, fiddling with the sword.
“Hehe, hehehehe.”
Seeing him so pleased made my fingers suddenly itch.
Smack!
“Ow! Why’d you hit me again!”
“Your smile just annoyed me.”
“Don’t you see I’m holding a sword? Watch it!”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened.
“Well, well. Looks like the Lion Sword really is a demonic blade after all. The sword’s aura clearly invaded my upper dantian.”
“I’m not who I used to be, you know.”
“Is that so?”
A sharp gleam flashed in Dokgo Myeong’s eyes.
Crash! Boom!
Dokgo Myeong and Dokgo Ak burst through the window and collided in the inn’s courtyard.
* * *
Four days later.
“I finished all my business, but that sluglike bastard made me waste four days doing nothing. Ugh.”
“That’s because you beat him half to death!”
“You?”
“I mean, brother, captain…”
“Right. Watch your tongue.”
“Y-yes.”
The truth was that our departure was delayed because Dokgo Ak needed four days of recovery.
“Ugh… it still aches.”
“Stop whining.”
“Whining?! Even after I surrendered, you kept pounding me while going on about the demonic influence from the Lion Sword!”
“That’s a touching display of brotherly love to set your mind straight.”
“Touching love that makes people cry. Damn it…”
It took Dokgo Ak’s jaw being twisted around several times before he finally came to his senses from the demonic influence caused by the Lion Sword.
Whether the demonic influence from the Lion Sword was real didn’t really matter. What mattered was that he had recovered, didn’t it?
‘But now controlling my strength isn’t easy. I’ve grown a lot, truly.’
In the past, I wouldn’t have been able to graze my own collar, but things had changed. There were several close calls where I nearly hurt myself.
“Because of this, I couldn’t even greet the people I got close to at the martial tournament. Will I be able to see them again when the Martial Alliance opens?”
“You’ll have no choice but to.”
“Huh?”
“Once the Martial Alliance opens, they’ll start organizing the martial corps right away.”
If it’s like my past life, they’ll assemble elite forces, and then we’ll naturally have to face each other.
“And that’s when the real monsters cultivated by the Nine Sects will emerge too.”
“Masters of Baeksong Lady’s caliber….”
Dokgo Ak chuckled softly.
“At the very least, we won’t lose in war. If the Martial Alliance’s forces are that strong. Right?”
“We won’t lose….”
In my past life, even at this point, the Jeongheol disciples had caused all manner of blood conspiracies. Many renowned figures of the martial world had died under mysterious circumstances, and those deemed dangerous were eliminated beforehand.
But that future had been completely blocked.
In this lifetime, the martial world under Baek had preserved much of its strength unlike the past life, and now stood on the brink of forming the Martial Alliance.
“Yes, that’s probably how it will be.”
“Probably?”
“Well, how can I know the outcome? Still, I’d say I’m about fifty percent confident in victory.”
The uncertainty of the remaining half stemmed from two issues.
‘The factional conflicts will likely intensify unlike the Martial Alliance of my past life. And….’
I couldn’t be sure if the Sinheol Sect of this life would be the same as the one from my past life.
‘There’s no point worrying about it now.’
After all, even the Jeongheol Sect had only been half-destroyed; the Headquarters Master still lived, and I hadn’t captured the Grand General or the Sect Leader.
As always, I simply do what I can in the present moment.
“Anyway, if preparations are done, let’s depart. There’s much to do.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, don’t be surprised—someone will be traveling with us.”
“Surely not Baek Jangmunin?”
“Do I look mad enough to travel with that man?”
“Then who?”
“You’ll see when we meet.”
A moment later.
Dokgo Ak instantly grasped the meaning of those words.
“Infinite Buddha. Ah, meeting you for the first time. Are you the young man called the Fierce Dragon Palm, whose reputation echoes throughout the land?”
“H-Heo Un-jin….”
Dokgo Ak trembled violently, his breathing ragged.
* * *
Heo Un-jin’s appearance was truly unremarkable.
He wore a worn Taoist robe patched here and there with scraps of cloth, a dust-covered bamboo hat that appeared handmade, and carried only a small bundle on his back.
The only thing that seemed remotely distinctive was the walking staff he held, apparently carved from a jujube tree struck by lightning.
‘He didn’t even bring the Song Family’s Ancient Sword.’
His aura was so faint that anyone seeing him would mistake him for an ordinary old man.
“Is it truly acceptable for you to come alone without a single attendant?”
“My, does that burden you? I’m not as high-maintenance as I appear, so don’t worry yourself.”
At his mischievous tone, Dokgo Myeong let out a hollow laugh.
“It’s not that—surely the Heaven’s Supreme Martial Emperor must maintain a certain dignity and bearing.”
“Titles, dignity, bearing—they’re all meaningless things created by people. What use is there in concerning oneself with such matters?”
Can he really do this?
From Dokgo Myeong’s perspective, there was nothing to hesitate about, but the Mudang Sect’s position would surely be different.
‘Come to think of it, in my past life, he would often drop by the barracks unannounced to inquire about the situation or offer guidance.’
Glancing to the side, I noticed that Ak-i was still in a daze, his body rigid, but somehow things would work out.
“If you don’t mind, let’s travel on foot. It’s not such a distant journey—we might as well enjoy a leisurely wandering through the martial world after all this time.”
“Yes, that sounds wonderful. Shall I carry any baggage for you?”
“There’s nothing of importance in it, so don’t worry. Come, let’s go.”
After that, the journey continued without incident.
When there was a path, we walked; when we encountered a river, we simply leaped across.
When hungry, we satisfied ourselves with dried provisions and hunting.
When we discovered a village as evening fell, we rested at an inn, but otherwise we slept under the stars.
‘I could have hurried a bit more.’
Heo Un-jin walked slowly.
If I had deployed the Mudang Sect’s supreme technique, the Jeuwunjong, I could have covered a thousand li in a single stride, yet I walked leisurely, observing the surrounding landscape.
Generously speaking, it was a leisurely journey; harshly speaking, it was tedious.
Because of this, Dokgo Myeong often passed the time lost in thoughts of martial arts, while Dokgo Ak practiced his cultivation or wielded his sword whenever he had the chance.
Then one day, Heo Un-jin suddenly spoke.
“Actually, I sometimes wander about like this, observing how ordinary people live their lives.”
“Yes?”
“Look there—see those diligent farmers preparing for spring? Over there, I can spot herb gatherers too. The south certainly seems warmer. Flower buds are already visible, you see.”
“….”
“Most people look upward, searching for meaning in their lives. But truth be told, life exists below and beside as well. Try looking broadly. There is truly much to see in this world.”
Though the journey remained tedious, surprisingly, a different feeling bloomed within me than before.
When I thought about it, this was a rest I hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
Upon realizing this, my heart became remarkably at ease, and despite sleeping under the open sky, I fell into a deep slumber.
From then on, I abandoned all thoughts of hurrying and walked alongside Heo Un-jin, engaging in leisurely conversation.
At some point, Heo Un-jin suddenly let out a laugh.
“That’s right. Hehe, you’re shedding it quickly.”
“Yes?”
“It’s nothing. Anyway, where were we in the story….”
Heo Un-jin slowly opened his mouth.
“Yes, you asked if I was curious about your father and your clan, didn’t you?”

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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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