Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 477

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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 477
Screech!
A blade cut through the air with such chilling sharpness that it seemed to split the very void.
Whoosh! Crack!
Dokgo Gun’s expression remained utterly serene as he wielded his sword.
His movements were equally understated, so plain that one might mistake them for the sword path of an ordinary master rather than a true drummer.
Yet the true energy flowing through the blade was anything but simple.
Whoooosh!
In that instant, the true energy of the Mixed Origin Divine Breath—one of the Eight Divine Techniques—flickered along the sword’s edge.
Slash! Boom!
The downward strike unleashed a sound-breaking force that tore through the air.
Through the rising cloud of sand, a menacing sword aura extended outward.
Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss!
As Dokgo Gun steadied his breathing and corrected his stance, the sword aura dissipated in an instant.
He turned his body and spoke.
“Secretly observing another’s training hardly seems like commendable conduct.”
A response came immediately.
“Another? Are we not family?”
Dokgo Myeong, who had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, walked out slowly.
“Even among family, there are proprieties that must be observed, are there not?”
“Since you continued even after knowing I had arrived, I thought you were deliberately showing me.”
Dokgo Gun smiled softly, as if he had no choice but to concede.
“Your tongue has grown sharper during your time at the sect.”
“Is it only my tongue that has improved?”
“Indeed, merely looking at you now, I can see you have achieved great accomplishments. A true blessing to our house. Truly remarkable.”
Dokgo Gun’s smile deepened.
He was displaying the pride of an older brother who genuinely admired his younger sibling.
“But it seems you have also made considerable progress in martial arts, Elder Brother.”
“As the eldest grandson, I cannot afford to fall behind. I have simply trained diligently. Yet my achievements pale before yours.”
Pale, he said.
Dokgo Myeong stared intently at Dokgo Gun.
‘Now I surpass him.’
Having obtained the insights of the Ten Thousand Techniques and reached the realm of the Limitless, I was confident that I had surpassed Dokgo Gun in every aspect—in the refinement of my inner strength and my understanding of the blade.
‘Yet even so… I cannot see all the way to his depths.’
Then Dokgo Gun spoke.
“By the way, what brings you to the outer quarters?”
“I came to pay my respects after so long.”
“Respects?”
“Yes.”
Dokgo Gun looked at Dokgo Myeong with an expression of surprise.
But that was all. He offered nothing further.
The conversation lapsed into silence.
It was an unfamiliar situation even for me. Those I had encountered thus far would either press directly for the matter at hand or draw a line, saying we were hardly acquainted enough for pleasantries.
Yet Dokgo Gun did not add another word. He simply kept his mouth closed and nodded once.
Naturally, I opened my mouth again.
“What were you cultivating?”
“What does it look like to you?”
“It resembled the Three Emperors Divine Sword, one of the Eight Great Divine Arts. But the sword intent you were trying to embody appeared different.”
I continued immediately.
“The Nine Defeat Sword, the Nine Sword Forms?”
“You recognized it.”
“Yes, I’ve studied it as well.”
Dokgo Gun nodded.
“A secret manual arrived at the family not long ago. Since Father was away, I was fortunate enough to read it first.”
“What did you think of it?”
“It is indeed different from any martial art I have encountered thus far.”
….
“From the foundational heart method to the energy cultivation technique—each of the nine forms undergoes forty transformations, totaling three hundred sixty. Only after mastering all three hundred sixty variations perfectly can one barely achieve entry.”
Where in this world existed a sword technique requiring three hundred sixty forms to master?
Yet even that was merely the basic framework for entry. In the end, one had to forget it all.
“Moreover, the subtlety of formlessness—it feels like mere fantasy to me, a supreme insight I cannot yet grasp. I am constantly researching to understand it.”
I simply nodded calmly without responding.
Yet in truth, the very word “research” was far removed from the sword intent of the Nine Sword Forms. The Nine Defeat Sword and Nine Sword Forms yield only one conclusion: understanding and research make them absolutely impossible.
“By the way, you already knew of the Nine Sword Forms. I heard you visited the Ten Thousand Complete Records the day after joining the Elder Faction. Was that when?”
I had no need to consult the copies housed in the Ten Thousand Complete Records; I had received instruction directly from Dokgo Cheon, even learning the essential keys. My visit to the Ten Thousand Complete Records was solely to investigate the hidden currents Dokgo Cheon had mentioned.
Of course, there was no need to inform Dokgo Gun of this.
“Something like that.”
“I see. So what brings you here today?”
I no longer beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
“What will you do about the Elder Faction?”
“Hmm.”
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s unexpected.”
Dokgo Gun stared at me intently.
“You suspect I’m the one behind this, don’t you?”
….
“The old you would never have sought me out. If you intended to intervene, you would have investigated separately and acted first. And….”
….
“In the first place, you have no intention of intervening in this matter at all. This affair is already concluded. And you wished to keep your hands clean of family matters, did you not?”
Every word Dokgo Gun uttered struck true.
“That’s why it was unexpected. I never imagined that when you sought me out, it would be for something like this.”
“You understand me better than I expected, it seems.”
“I’ve come to know you somewhat through watching you often, simply because I took an interest in you.”
Dokgo Gun’s eyes crinkled with amusement. Shallow wrinkles etched the corners of his gaze.
“To answer first… I haven’t even considered doing anything about it. I was never involved in the first place, so what intention could there be?”
“You’re saying Sin Gakju acted alone in his betrayal?”
Dokgo Gun stared at me silently for a moment, then let a single phrase drop.
“But was it truly Sin Gakju who betrayed first?”
“…!”
“This incident didn’t occur because of interests and gains, but because of relationships between people. How could I have involved myself in what transpired between the Elder Council Leader and Sin Gakju?”
Words that pierced to the heart of the matter.
Dokgo Gun opened his mouth once more.
“Does that answer your question?”
“Not at all. So what will you do about it?”
Dokgo Gun’s expression grew troubled.
“It seems you weren’t listening to me properly.”
I let out a soft laugh.
“Don’t be like that. Neither you nor I are fools, are we?”
“…?”
“And Sin Gakju isn’t a fool either. The fact that he emptied the Elder Council Leader’s coffers—something he’d held onto for all these years—means someone appeared willing to pay a high price for it.”
Silence settled between us.
Dokgo Gun’s expression vanished from his face.
“You always exceed my understanding.”
“What do you mean so suddenly?”
“I don’t understand what I’ve done to deserve such hostility from you. Is it because of your relationship with your father? But you maintain a decent relationship with Yeon. Is it a political matter? But you have a decent relationship with the Elder Council Leader as well….”
Dokgo Gun shook his head repeatedly.
“I have never been hostile toward you. I’ve even shown you goodwill… yet you always bare your fangs to me.”
I gazed silently into Dokgo Gun’s eyes.
Those pupils with their stark contrast between black and white felt like hollow knots in wood.
What exactly was this man?
Respected below, acknowledged above—a perfect man with flawless ability and character.
Yet I sometimes felt an unbearable unease.
‘What exactly is this man?’
I turned the question over in my mind again.
Dokgo Gun. Was he truly the unfilial wretch who, as people whispered in my past life, had gone mad for power and destroyed his family and father?
Or was it merely prejudice from my past life? Were the rumors just rumors, or had something happened in my previous life that changed everything in this one?
Only one thing was certain.
The lightless gaze in Dokgo Gun’s eyes.
“The reason lies with you, doesn’t it?”
“With me?”
“Every time you speak, you’re wearing a mask. How can you expect me not to be cautious?”
For a moment, Dokgo Gun’s pupils trembled ever so slightly.
“…A mask?”
“No one likes someone whose true thoughts are difficult to discern.”
“I have never attempted to hide my true self from you.”
“You hide equally from everyone from the start, that’s all.”
“….”
“What are you looking at, brother?”
“Naturally, the position of Family Head.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a soft laugh and shook his head.
“There it is. You’re lying without even moistening your lips. You have no interest in the Family Head position whatsoever.”
“I say it’s so—why do you presume otherwise?”
“Your eyes are transparent, brother. Too transparent and too deep. Like a lake.”
“…?”
“That’s why I cannot see you. I can only see my own reflection in them.”
“….”
“You may deceive others’ eyes, but you cannot deceive mine. You have absolutely no interest in the Family Head position.”
Dokgo Gun still wore a faint smile, but it was distinctly different from before.
“Amusing.”
Dokgo Gun laughed aloud.
“Truly, you are such an entertaining child.”
The low, resonant laughter was chillingly cold. This laughter seemed to be Dokgo Gun’s genuine laugh.
“A mask, you say. I never had any such intention. That you cannot fathom my true thoughts, that you cannot discern what I gaze upon—it is simply because everything in this world holds merely indifferent value to me.”
“….”
“At least this much is sincere. Though I cannot know what you think of it.”
Dokgo Myeong gazed quietly into Dokgo Gun’s eyes once more.
‘There is nothing more to be discerned.’
The true heart that had briefly surfaced was once again concealed behind a thick mask.
Yet now, he felt he understood this man called Dokgo Gun somewhat.
He harbored no ambition toward the Dokgo Family, nor any sense of belonging.
Then what was it?
Was he simply such a transparent person?
Dokgo Myeong did not believe so.
And now, he felt he knew the answer.
* * *
Having exchanged only vague pleasantries and departed the outer hall, Dokgo Myeong immediately turned his steps elsewhere.
He rarely visited this place—the quarters where the direct lineage of the main house gathered—he who typically spent his time in the Chammaewon or with Sa Heon-gak.
And soon, Dokgo Myeong encountered the person he sought.
“I pay my respects to you, Aunt. Forgive my intrusion without prior notice.”
“I am merely passing time with nothing to occupy me. What importance could a notice hold?”
It was none other than Dokgo Hye.
She was Dokgo Cheon’s eldest daughter and my aunt.
“What brings you here today?”
“Actually, I was just visiting my brother Gun.”
“Gun?”
Dokgo Hye nodded.
“I heard the two of you weren’t on the best of terms. Has something happened?”
I opened my mouth, my eyes gleaming with intensity.
“Aunt, I’m actually a very straightforward person. When I see something delicious, I must eat it. When I’m curious, I must know. When something is blocked, I must break through it. That’s why I absolutely despise ambiguity.”
“So that’s the kind of person you are. Then, why did you say such a thing?”
“Because I think it’s time I understood exactly who you are, Aunt.”
….
Silence descended.
Dokgo Hye stared at me for a moment, then smiled elegantly and spoke.
“Then ask. What is it about me that you wish to know?”
“Words alone seem insufficient, so I’d like to try another method. Do you remember the promise you made before?”
“Did you and I make a promise?”
“Don’t you remember agreeing to test our martial skills against each other?”
“Ah… you mean from back then?”
A glimmer of interest flashed across Dokgo Hye’s eyes.
“You wish to do it now, like this?”
“Should we set another day instead?”
“No. What does timing matter? Then let us go to the back courtyard. There’s no proper training ground, but there is ample open space.”
She rose from her seat without hesitation, as if she had been waiting for this.
And so I stood face to face with Dokgo Hye.
Suddenly, she asked in a low voice.
“Do you think you’ll understand something through a martial contest?”
…?
In that moment, a leisurely smile played at her lips.
“I hope that this contest will resolve the misunderstandings you hold about me.”
It was a follow-up remark that obscured the intent of her previous words.
I stared at Dokgo Hye in silence for a while, then let out a soft laugh.
“Don’t worry. It will be.”
Whether she served the Jeongheol Sect, the Sin Sect, or something else entirely.
I would settle this matter conclusively today.

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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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