Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 436

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

Chapter 436
Namgung Sohwa swallowed hard, her body rigid with tension.
‘Who is that man?’
A nondescript black robe billowed in the wind.
His towering frame stood a full head taller than an ordinary man.
Pallid skin devoid of any trace of blood, contrasted sharply by eyes that burned a vivid crimson.
He appeared as though he were a specter from the underworld, come to claim the souls of the dead. His aura was utterly alien and otherworldly.
‘A master of extraordinary skill.’
I felt the fine hairs across my entire body stand on end.
Whoooosh!
The very landscape around the man seemed to distort. The moment I extended my senses to gauge his power, a dizzying sensation washed over me as though the earth itself were collapsing beneath my feet.
‘Could it be… a master at the Wuji Realm?’
That was when it happened.
I heard Dokgo Myeong’s murmur.
“The Bloodfiend Sect?”
“…?”
“What are you doing here?”
A chill ran down my spine.
Startled, I turned my head to look at Dokgo Myeong.
A murderous intent so fierce it seemed capable of burning heaven and earth itself radiated from him—something I had felt from him only on the rarest of occasions.
“…Myeong-i?”
Without thinking, I called him by his name.
Dokgo Myeong’s back trembled ever so slightly.
* * *
Dokgo Myeong held the Hyeonchul Sword at an angle, steadying his breath.
Whoooosh.
A biting wind swept between him and the Black-Robed Man.
That wind carried a stench with it.
A foul odor—whether of blood or iron, it was impossible to distinguish. It flowed through my nostrils and into my stomach, turning my insides.
I had not forgotten that smell. No, I could not forget it.
How could I?
That appearance, those eyes, that aura.
“What are you doing here?”
“…”
“Has the Bloodfiend Sect finally decided to intervene?”
The Black-Robed Man slowly turned his gaze from the Grand General to Dokgo Myeong.
With eyes that seemed to radiate ennui itself, he spoke.
“You know me.”
His words came in disjointed fragments.
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“I understand now.”
Crack!
My grip tightened on the Hyeoncheolung Sword.
“Hyeok Wi-sang.”
I spoke that name deliberately, savoring each syllable.
Leader of the Twin Horse Alliance, Sect Leader of the Bloodfiend Sect.
Called the Blood God by his disciples, the Bloodfiend by the martial world.
Hyeok Wi-sang now stood before me.
“You truly know me. How did you come to know of me?”
“You don’t know me?”
In that instant, Hyeok Wi-sang’s eyes gleamed with an eerie light.
“No, that’s right. Yes, I see now. I believe I know who you are.”
“….”
“Dokgo Myeong. The obstacle to my great cause and the heaven-defying prodigy needed to complete the supreme technique—that is you.”
Dokgo Myeong stared intently at the man before him.
Was his voice always like that?
It seemed right somehow, yet I couldn’t quite remember. In truth, many of my memories concerning him were hazy.
“Yes, I am Dokgo Myeong.”
“Then it is no wonder you know of us. If that is truly the case….”
Hyeok Wi-sang muttered words whose meaning I could not grasp, his gaze fixed upon me.
I asked him.
“So what is this about? Has the Bloodfiend Sect finally decided to move?”
Hyeok Wi-sang shook his head calmly.
“The time has not yet come. Today I came at the request of the Jeongheol Sect Leader.”
“The Jeongheol Sect Leader’s request?”
“He desired the aid of the Bloodfiend Sect in this battle.”
Hyeok Wi-sang added one more thing.
“…How presumptuous.”
His voice carried a certain fury and killing intent.
He showed no concern for this battlefield, utterly indifferent to the deaths of the Jeongheol disciples.
“A mere servant, drowning in the swamp of limited ability and knowledge, dares to command his master as he pleases. So worry not. Such a sin warrants death a hundred, a thousand times over, and our sect will not lift a finger to aid in his destruction.”
“I don’t care about cryptic words you’re spouting.”
My eyes flashed with intensity.
“The fact that you’ve come this far means you have some purpose.”
“….”
“What is that purpose? Is it me?”
Hyeok Wi-sang’s eyes narrowed.
“Your killing intent is considerable. However, if you attack, you will die. You know this truth well, yet you provoke me regardless. Do you not value your own life?”
“If I valued my life, I would never have come this far.”
Whoosh! Crack-crack!
Dokgo Myeong channeled his vital energy to stem the bleeding, reconnect his muscles, and realign his shattered bones.
“It matters not whether I am your true target. Now that you have revealed yourself, do not delude yourself into thinking you can depart unscathed.”
Dokgo Myeong wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and laughed with lethal intent.
Shhhhh!
The air surrounding Hyeok Wi-sang warped and twisted into complete distortion.
In that instant, Hyeok Wi-sang, whose face had contorted like a malevolent demon, slowly closed his eyes.
“My purpose in coming here today does not concern you, however….”
“…?”
“Very well. There is no reason to ignore treasure that has fallen to the ground. I shall accept your provocation.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes snapped wide open.
Hyeok Wi-sang was already before him.
Boom!
Dokgo Myeong was sent flying backward, spraying blood profusely.
When had he drawn it? Hyeok Wi-sang flicked his blade once—a sword that radiated an ominous blood-crimson light—and muttered to himself.
“Did I wound him in that fleeting moment?”
Hyeok Wi-sang’s eyes gleamed.
That was when it happened.
“Ugh! Captain!”
Namgung Sohwa, startled, drew her Imperial Divine Blade.
The ultimate technique of the Infinite Sword—Infinite Expansion—extended outward.
Boom!
Only the sound of air splitting echoed. Hyeok Wi-sang was already gone. She had merely severed his afterimage.
Hyeok Wi-sang paid Namgung Sohwa no attention whatsoever, instead targeting Dokgo Myeong directly.
Crash!
Another shockwave erupted in the distance.
Screech! Boom!
Dokgo Myeong was driven backward in a cloud of dust, then collapsed, blood streaming from his body.
‘I-I have to help! Otherwise he’ll truly die…!’
Namgung Sohwa clenched her teeth.
The moment she extended a foot forward, her body twisted and wavered.
“Cough!”
Black blood gushed from her mouth in a torrent.
As Namgung Sohwa stared at the blood staining her hands, despair flashed across her eyes.
She had no strength left. Even if she did, it would not be enough to aid in that battle.
In that moment, another explosion erupted.
Crash!
The hem of Dokgo Myeong’s dragon-scale robe fluttered as he was sent flying backward once more.
“As I suspected.”
Dokgo Myeong spoke, his gaze fixed upon the Divine Bloodfiend Sword.
“You should not be this weak at this juncture. No matter how incomplete you are, this is far too feeble.”
Dokgo Myeong’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“You… you’re not the Hyeok Wi-sang I know.”
The Hyeonchul Sword and the Divine Blood Demon Sword collided.
Crash!
Hyeok Wi-sang staggered back a single step.
Conversely, Dokgo Myeong, unable to dissipate the impact, was sent flying backward.
“Captain!”
Boom! Whoosh!
Namgung Sohwa, squeezing out her remaining strength, barely caught Dokgo Myeong’s body.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Now fall back like I told you.”
“How can I do that!”
Dokgo Myeong let out a hollow laugh as he pushed himself up.
Hyeok Wi-sang furrowed his brow, staring at Dokgo Myeong.
“Persistent.”
“I told you. This won’t end easily.”
Dokgo Myeong exhaled sharply and split the Hyeonchul Sword into two.
‘I don’t think I’ll experience the Boundless Realm again.’
So there was only one way to seize an opportunity.
The Shattering Heaven Technique.
‘Even with the incomplete Shattering Heaven Technique, I caught Baek Mu-heun off guard. For just one brief moment, I can create an opening. Even if I have to sacrifice one of my limbs… I’ll trust in the Dragon Scale Cannon and the Hyeonchul Sword and charge in.’
Ignoring the path of life that my senses revealed, I saw only the path of death where my enemy fell.
I could do this.
Dokgo Myeong, with his usual confident smile, rallied his fighting spirit.
“….”
But Hyeok Wi-sang did not smile.
His gaze was fixed on the northwestern sky.
The sun, already beginning to set.
The battle that had begun at dawn had continued until this hour.
Hyeok Wi-sang, his eyes fixed on the western sky, opened his mouth.
“…Already here. How troublesome.”
Hyeok Wi-sang clicked his tongue. A flash of urgency and irritation crossed his face.
He turned his head and looked at Dokgo Myeong again.
In their locked eyes burned fierce determination. Dokgo Myeong, willing to face death, was clearly far more tenacious than anticipated.
Whoosh!
In that instant, Hyeok Wi-sang withdrew all his momentum.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes twitched.
“What are you doing?”
“Today is not the day I claim your life. Be grateful that fortune smiles upon you.”
Hyeok Wi-sang turned his body and walked toward a certain location.
It was where the Grand General’s corpse lay.
“I will take this one with me.”
“By whose authority?”
Dokgo Myeong immediately walked toward Hyeok Wi-sang, his voice rumbling like a growl.
Hyeok Wi-sang unleashed his killing intent.
“Do you wish to see the end?”
Dokgo Myeong came to an abrupt halt.
“It is not that you release him, but that I will release him. Do not interfere. Then I shall spare not only you, but your subordinates as well.”
At the mention of subordinates, Dokgo Myeong’s expression twisted.
He glanced sideways.
“….”
“….”
Namgung Sohwa’s eyes were resolute, as if telling him to do as he wished.
That only made his heart heavier. It was clear she would not flee even if he told her to.
‘I have no strength left to fight.’
Yes, it was already a corpse anyway.
‘Now is the time to retreat. I have confirmed the death clearly. Let us hand it over and withdraw.’
That was right. That was what he should do.
But then, why….
‘…Why does this feel so unsettling?’
Uuuuung!
His sensory meridians stimulated his instinct.
Some intense intuition directed itself toward Hyeok Wi-sang and the Grand General’s corpse.
Suddenly, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened.
‘An extinguished flame?’
Dokgo Myeong looked at the Grand General, then looked back at Hyeok Wi-sang.
‘…A spark?’
The words the Singnyeo of the White Lotus Sect had spoken before she left.
Recalling those words, Dokgo Myeong made his decision.
“Very well.”
Dokgo Myeong released the tension from his body.
“However, you must collect the Grand General and leave immediately.”
“Do you believe yourself in a position to set conditions? But… it matters not. I shall agree.”
Hyeok Wi-sang cradled the Grand General in his arms and bent his knees slightly, as if to push off the ground.
To Dokgo Myeong, every movement appeared sluggish.
In that very instant his feet pushed against the earth.
Kuung!
Dokgo Myeong suddenly hurled his Hyeonchel Heavy Sword.
Kwang!
A piercing sound erupted through the air.
The Hyeonchul Heavy Sword flew in a straight line.
“Repugnant.”
Hyeok Wi-sang twisted his body in mid-air as if he had anticipated it.
But Dokgo Myeong had never been aiming for him in the first place.
Whoooosh!
The Hyeonchul Heavy Sword, launched in a straight line, grazed the Grand General’s body by mere inches.
A devastating wave of force carved deep wounds across his lower body, abdomen, and head, scattering blood in its wake.
“…!!”
Hyeok Wi-sang’s expression twisted.
Dokgo Myeong, still holding his arm extended from the throw, grinned wickedly.
“Even a dying flame can reignite. So your true purpose for coming here was him all along?”
“….”
Thud!
Hyeok Wi-sang descended to the ground once more.
His eyes gleamed ominously as he carelessly hurled the bloodied Grand General onto the floor.
“You dare….”
Tssssss!
Hyeok Wi-sang revealed his full power.
Undulating crimson energy took on the form of a malevolent spirit.
“With that rigid stubbornness, you rush Myeong-i toward his doom. I have no choice but to kill you now.”
Dokgo Myeong quickly extended his hand to the side.
“Sohwa, lend me your sword.”
“Huh? Ah, yes!”
Sohwa hastily handed the Sovereign Divine Blade to Dokgo Myeong.
Hyeok Wi-sang sneered.
“Can you even withstand ten of my techniques with a blade unfamiliar to your hand?”
“Probably not. But I never intended to duel you in the first place.”
“What?”
Dokgo Myeong did not point the blade at Hyeok Wi-sang.
Swish!
The Sovereign Divine Blade’s edge spun around.
In an instant, its tip was directed at Dokgo Myeong’s own neck.
“What?!”
“…!”
Both Namgung Sohwa and Hyeok Wi-sang’s faces contorted in shock.
“Seeing how you went out of your way on this long journey to retrieve the Cheonsal Ma Army’s corpse, and how you immediately discarded him once his body was damaged….”
“…!”
“You don’t care if I die, but you need me in the most pristine condition possible, don’t you? That’s the only way you can use me, isn’t it?”
Dokgo Myeong laughed with a sinister edge.
“Care to make a wager? Which will be faster—me slitting my own throat, or you stopping me and killing me instead?”
Hyeok Wi-sang’s face contorted with pure fury.

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