Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 55

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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 55
“How many have arrived?”
“The Huangshan Sect, Moyong Family, Blood Mountain Valley, Baek Jeong Geommun, and Miri Gate along with Cheonjung Gate have joined. Including the smaller sects and independent martial artists, the numbers reach around two to three hundred.”
“Hmm, fewer than expected.”
“It appears to be due to the battle that occurred before entering Bidong. Additionally, there was an unexpected response from somewhere.”
“Unexpected?”
“Someone from the Dokgo Family, the Dokgo Household, has arrived.”
Guhwasan Hwaseongsa.
In a serene temple far across the peninsula, where the incarnation of Jizang Bodhisattva was enshrined, two men were conversing.
“The Dokgo Household? Who?”
“It is Dokgo Myeong.”
“Dokgo Myeong? Ah, you mean that dullard?”
“Recently, he has been called the Unretreating Fist.”
“The Fist that does not retreat? Has such a grand epithet been attached to him?”
“Have you not heard the news from Guizhou?”
“It is a matter of the southern frontier, after all.”
“They say he withstood three strikes from that King of Fists himself. Without taking a single step back.”
“I see. Has the Dokgo Family become directly involved?”
“It appears to be Dokgo Myeong’s individual action. The Family does not seem to be involved.”
“That is fortunate. Is there anything else?”
“Nothing.”
“Then it will begin soon.”
“Will you withdraw now?”
“Yes, I must. There is still much to do.”
After their cryptic exchange, the two men vanished into the darkness.
* * *
-Upon the muddy ground a step removed from life itself.
-Sensory perception blooms in such places.
A person whose connection was far too brief to be called a master.
That person, who did not even wish to be called a master, spoke thus.
-Initiation is merely the beginning. The more you transcend life and death, the more experiences you accumulate, the more paths you will come to see.
And Dokgo Myeong had experienced life-and-death crises dozens, even hundreds of times more than martial artists who had lived through them roughly.
It took time to grasp the feel of this new body, but since I had already completed my initiation, it mattered not. The experiences stacked like pages in a book immediately showed me the way forward.
“That way.”
“Stop.”
“One step to the right.”
“No, to the right! To the right!”
Whoosh! Thud-thud-thud!
“Gasp! Arrows!”
“This smell… poison! Hold your breath!”
“Yes!”
“Hah!”
Whoooosh!
The Hyoecheon Qi lingered around Dokgo Myeong’s eyes like a halo of light.
Traps with arrows and blade strikes, poison gas suddenly erupting, and even formation techniques obscuring it all.
It was fortunate that Dokgo Myeong could anticipate them—otherwise, there would have been countless traps capable of causing grave harm.
“Phew. Let’s rest for a moment.”
Dokgo Myeong stopped walking, exhaling shallow breaths.
Seo Ryun unscrewed a water pouch and handed it over.
“Are you alright?”
“Of course. Ahhh, the water tastes refreshing.”
“Indeed, this is the legendary Bidong. To think the Old Master prepared something of this caliber.”
Just then, Geum Seok-du suddenly spoke up.
“But doesn’t something seem odd?”
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
“What do you mean?”
Geum Seok-du flinched.
“Ah, it’s nothing. If you two didn’t sense anything, then I must have been mistaken.”
In that instant, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed.
“No. Speak.”
“Yes?”
“You might have seen something we missed.”
“Ah, yes.”
Geum Seok-du rubbed the back of his head with an awkward expression.
Dokgo Myeong often showed boundless trust like this. It was strange—such a simple gesture, yet it kindled a confidence I had never possessed before, a tingling sensation spreading through me.
“The traps, sir. There would be no reason for the Old Master to install something like this, would there?”
“Isn’t this much necessary to prevent intrusions?”
“What intrusions?”
“Obviously, intrusions by martial artists.”
The reason Bidong was created.
According to common knowledge, in his later years, the Old Master was so tormented by martial artists that he built this place to hide his creations.
“Then why did he create Jangbodo?”
“…That’s…”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes changed.
A place meant to be hidden. Yet a map exists to find it.
“It could be that he left a secret inheritance for his descendants.”
Dokgo Myeong spoke as if reciting, organizing his thoughts aloud.
Rather than refuting, he seemed to be thinking through the matter by speaking.
“That could very well be the case.”
Geum Seok-du nodded in agreement.
“But then, why would they install such a massive trap in the space where their descendants would enter? Doesn’t that seem even stranger?”
“…!”
“…!”
Dokgo Myeong and Seo Ryun’s eyes widened dramatically.
‘Come to think of it.’
Dokgo Myeong narrowed his eyes, peering beyond the mist.
‘I’ve never heard any rumors that this place was like this in my previous life.’
The intense moments on the battlefield had been enough to erase memories of the events that occurred in Zhongyuan.
Still, it wasn’t as though I had completely forgotten.
‘The ground collapsed due to the fighting in Bidong, killing several people, and only a handful of survivors emerged carrying old weapons. That was all that was known.’
There had been no rumors of traps or mechanisms in the mechanism chamber.
“Young Master, what shall we do?”
Seo Ryun asked with heightened tension in his voice.
After gathering his thoughts, Dokgo Myeong exhaled a long breath.
“We have to go.”
“….”
“Whatever it is, we need to see it through to the end. I have a feeling about this. Let’s move forward.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed as he stepped forward without hesitation once more.
Clack!
“Ah.”
“…Young Master? What did you step on?”
“Well, that’s….”
“Young Master!!”
“I was just thinking about something else for a moment….”
Boom!
Then, a heavy sound echoed through the air.
The three of them slowly turned their gazes backward.
Boom-boom! Whoosh!
The corridor trembled as sand and dust rained down.
Even though the mist blocked their senses, the vibration was felt distinctly.
“….”
“….”
Gulp!
The sound of someone swallowing hard.
Whoosh!
The mist suddenly cleared, and something revealed itself.
It was… a sphere.
A sphere as large as a house, absolutely enormous.
“Y-Young Master!”
“Gasp! L-Look there!”
Dokgo Myeong laughed hollowly.
“Ah, a textbook trap indeed. Well, it would be disappointing if something like this didn’t show up.”
Dokgo Myeong nodded with satisfaction, chuckling.
“Ahhhhh! Is this really the time to be admiring it!”
Dokgo Myeong spun around sharply.
“Run!!”
“Young Master! There are traps ahead too!”
“Is that the problem right now?! If you don’t want to get crushed, just follow me through the formation!”
“Oh my! Seriously!”
Boom! Crackle-crackle-crackle!
“This way!”
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The group began running frantically.
* * *
“True Dragon Squad! Is everyone safe!”
“Yes!”
“Tsk, this cursed fog makes it hard to fight properly.”
Dokgo Myeong’s group wasn’t the only one wandering through the formation.
The True Dragon Squad of the Moyong Family, where Jangbodo was first learned, and Moyong Ryung, the youngest brother of the current Moyong Family head who led them, were in the same predicament.
“Have you identified the attackers?”
“Their robes bore clouds and red patterns.”
“Isn’t that the Anhui Miri Sect? When I return, I’ll settle this debt thoroughly.”
Moyong Ryung’s face was filled with irritation.
The formation, the traps, and even a maze on top of it all.
In the midst of the chaos, he had to fight against the martial artists who had entered Bidong.
‘Tsk! If only the information about Jangbodo hadn’t leaked, we wouldn’t be rushing about so helplessly.’
He hadn’t requested detoxification from the Jekal Family. Those bastards denied it, but hadn’t the information spread immediately after the Jekal Family finished the detoxification?
‘Still, I’m grateful it’s this manageable. At least we have a guide.’
Moyong Ryung turned his head to look to the side.
The moment he saw the person there, the irritation that had been etched on his face vanished without a trace.
“Lady Gi. Do you happen to know how much longer?”
“Don’t worry.”
A young beauty with charming eye-smile answered with a gentle grin.
“It seems we’re truly almost at the end now.”
“You mean the formation is nearly complete?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“That’s a relief to hear. Having Lady Gi with us is truly reassuring.”
“I’m grateful even for such kind words.”
Gi Sohwa smiled gently and gave a slight bow.
“I’m not exaggerating. Lady Gi, you’re far more trustworthy than those pampered scholars of the Jeegal Family who can’t even manage information properly. Haha!”
“Hehe, you flatter me too much. I’m merely a woman who knows a little about formations.”
At Gi Sohwa’s charming laughter, Moyong Ryung’s face flushed slightly.
“How fortunate it is that Lady Gi serves as a guest of the Main Sect. Once this matter concludes successfully, I shall ensure the Moyong Family rewards you handsomely.”
“Ah! Look over there!”
As Gi Sohwa suddenly pointed ahead, Moyong Ryung’s gaze snapped toward it.
A massive cavern large enough to house an entire building loomed before them.
“Could that be it?”
“Yes, I believe we’ve reached the end. The mist is growing thinner as well.”
Moyong Ryung exhaled sharply and shouted.
“Chamryong Unit! The formation has ended! Hurry and exit the array!”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
Whoosh! Crash!
The Moyong Family forces rushed toward the passage with bright faces.
“Gasp!”
“What is this place?”
Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief at the sight that unfolded before them.
It was an enormously vast space.
The oppressive feeling from wandering through the maze dissolved instantly. The hemispherical chamber narrowed toward the ceiling and was spacious enough to easily accommodate three hundred people.
And in the very center of that expansive chamber.
There stood an unidentifiable structure.
“What is that?”
Moyong Ryung approached the center cautiously, his eyes gleaming.
“Could that be… a tomb?”
Upon the elevated platform sat a single stone coffin.
Before the coffin lay ritual vessels on a narrow table, and around them stood twelve zodiac statues as if guarding the deceased.
‘So Bidong wasn’t merely a cave—it was a burial chamber containing the remains of an ancient master.’
As Moyong Ryung stood dazed, surveying the surroundings.
“That altar appears to be the central hub of Bidong.”
“The central hub, you say?”
“Yes, look there.”
Gi Sohwa pointed her finger around the chamber.
Multiple entrances similar to the one they had passed through were scattered across the walls of the vast cavern.
“It appears the formation-based maze is designed so that any path leads to this chamber.”
“That means…”
“If the ancient master left behind any legacy, it would be here, wouldn’t it?”
And she was right.
The Chamryong Unit, cautiously approaching the altar while watching for traps, soon discovered what they sought.
“The stone statues are holding something!”
“Soldier’s weapons! There are soldier’s weapons!”
The Twelve Zodiac statues stood carved in solemn posture.
In the hands of those who appeared to be ordinary stone sculptures were clearly objects that were not stone—unmistakably soldier’s weapons.
Moyong Ryung’s face brightened.
“Hahaha! I found it! I found it! What are you all doing! Extract them at once and bring them to me!”
“That is… they’re fixed so firmly that we cannot remove them!”
“Then simply destroy the statues…”
Moyong Ryung began to shout but suddenly whipped his head around.
‘The scent of blood?’
Flinch!
An unfamiliar smell of blood—not from the Moyong Family’s forces—brushed against his nostrils.
Moyong Ryung’s face tensed as he stared toward the rear.
Thud, thud!
Footsteps echoed from behind.
Moyong Ryung spun his body and fixed his gaze in that direction.
“Damn it. It’s finally over.”
“Phew! You’ve worked hard, Lord of the Sect.”
“Wait! Lord of the Sect! There are people here!”
Moyong Ryung recognized the man standing at the front of their group and cried out.
“Gong Cheong-hu, Lord of the Heavenly Sect?”
“You lack manners. Who are you to address the Lord of a sect by his name?”
A lean man with a weasel-like cunning smile.
None other than Gong Cheong-hu, the Lord of the Heavenly Sect who ruled the northern night streets of Anhui.
“We are the True Dragon Unit of the Moyong Family.”
Gong Cheong-hu’s eyes gleamed.
“I heard that the Peerless Fist had come to Guhwasan, and you’re Moyong Ryung, the younger brother of the current family head?”
“That’s correct.”
“Indeed, no wonder you arrived before the main sect.”
Then Gong Cheong-hu’s eyes fell upon the altar at the center of the chamber.
“Could that possibly be…”
Moyong Ryung quickly blocked his line of sight and confronted Gong Cheong-hu.
“The legacy of the ancients belongs to the main sect. If you wish to avoid bloodshed, abandon your greed and withdraw.”
“Did the ancients change their surname to Moyong? Stop spouting nonsense and get out of the way before we kill you all!”
Clang! Clang, clang, clang!
At those words, the Moyong Family forces drew their blades in unison, and the Heavenly Sect forces unsheathed their soldier’s weapons.
It was then.
Boom! Crash!
With a strange sound, more people began pouring into the tomb chamber.
But it wasn’t just one or two.
“What?”
“What in the world is that?”
“Lord of the Sect! It’s the Baek Clan Brothers of Anhui’s Three Absolutes!”
“The Blood Mountain Valley’s Single Mountain Blood Blade?”
“Even the Silent Blood Blade!”
*Murmur murmur!*
The vast cavern erupted into chaos in an instant.
Righteous and demonic sects alike, those belonging to independent masters and factions—all manner of martial artists flooded in, and a murderous aura began to permeate the chamber.
“….”
Moyong Ryung’s expression twisted.
‘Damn it all.’
How could they all pour out at once like this?
It was far too deliberate to dismiss as mere coincidence.
“What’s happening here?”
“There! The divine soldier’s aura is over there!”
“What? Where?”
At the cry from an unknown voice, the gleaming eyes of the martial artists turned toward the Moyong Family.
“Stone statues! The stone statues are holding weapons!”
“The Moyong Family bastards plan to take them all!”
*Roooaaarrr!*
*Clang! Whoosh whoosh!*
It didn’t take long for the chamber to descend into complete pandemonium.
The flood of martial artists surged forward with blazing eyes toward the altar.
The sight was no different from a pack of wolves that had caught the scent of prey.
“Damn!”
Moyong Ryung gripped his sword tightly.
“Chamryong Brigade! Half of you hold them back, and the other half destroy the statues and seize the weapons!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Lady Gi! You must find the exit at once!”
Battle erupted. Screams and the clash of steel filled the air as chaos consumed the chamber.
And there was yet another group joining this pandemonium.
“Huh? What’s that?”
“…A person being chased by a boulder?”
*Rumble rumble rumble rumble!*
Those on the outer edges of the battle saw a massive stone rolling down from a corridor, shaking the very earth.
And three people were fleeing desperately before it.
*Whoosh!*
The three barely threw themselves out of the corridor.
*CRASH!*
Immediately after, the rolling stone wedged itself into the entrance, sending a cloud of dust billowing up.
“Phew! I really thought we were dead!”
The young man rose abruptly with a sneering laugh.
It was the moment Dokgo Myeong finally arrived at the hall.

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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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