Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 60

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

Chapter 60
Those who witnessed Dokgo Myeong’s arrival found themselves doubting their own eyes for a moment.
Dokgo Myeong stood before Hyeon Un-jin, draped in a billowing robe of absolute black.
The garment itself appeared to be no ordinary cloth, and combined with the extraordinary aura that emanated from him, it created an air of mysterious intrigue.
Thump! Thump!
Each step Dokgo Myeong took radiated absolute confidence.
Dokgo Myeong helped Geum Seok-du to his feet and grinned widely.
“You’ve endured well.”
“Yes, truly exhausting work. I was prepared to become a ghost and haunt you if I’d died, but I’m grateful it didn’t come to that.”
“Why would you haunt me of all people?”
“Didn’t we swear to share life and death together? You must honor that promise.”
“….”
What kind of man is this fellow anyway?
Whether he’s audacious or timid, I can’t quite tell….
“In any case, I’m relieved you’re unharmed.”
“But Swordsman Seo….”
At that moment, Hyeon Un-jin, who had been staring intently at Dokgo Myeong, finally spoke.
“So you were alive. You must be the one called Dokgo Myeong.”
Thud!
Hyeon Un-jin removed his foot from Seo Ryun’s chest and turned to face Dokgo Myeong directly.
Dokgo Myeong glanced at Seo Ryun lying on the ground, then slowly opened his mouth.
“As you can see.”
“As I can see? Ha ha!”
Hyeon Un-jin let out a laugh.
To think this boy would dare such an attitude before him, an elder of Gupha.
The amusement faded from Hyeon Un-jin’s face, replaced by a savage coldness.
“So tell me—why does an elder of Mount Hwang torment my companions so viciously?”
“The Dokgo clan are truly beneath association. You know your own crimes!”
“Crimes, you say.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes changed.
“Shouldn’t you be grateful to me instead?”
“What?”
“I spared your disciple’s life rather than taking it.”
The atmosphere froze as if ice water had been poured over it.
“Had my guard and companions not stopped me, I would have killed him right there. You should be thanking me.”
“You insolent, arrogant wretch!”
Hyeon Un-jin’s face twisted like that of a demon.
Boom!
There was no room for discussion.
The blade of the enraged Hyeon Un-jin shot forward like a beam of light.
“Young Master! Evade!”
Seo Ryun cried out.
Even at a glance, his inner energy was depleted and his injuries appeared severe. It seemed impossible to block the attack.
Whoooosh!
Yet Dokgo Myeong did not retreat.
He merely swept his robe’s sleeves in grand, billowing arcs as if unfurling a banner.
‘This cannot be!’
That was the moment.
Clang!
Dokgo Myeong’s hand flew backward, scattering blood.
“No…?”
Hyeon Un-jin’s eyes widened. The assembly held their breath.
It hadn’t cut through. That vicious blade hadn’t even pierced the fabric of his robe.
“How dare you. Those are my words to say.”
Thud!
Dokgo Myeong did not let slip a single groan.
He simply took another confident step forward.
“Hyeon Un-jin of the Hwangshan Sect. Are you truly an elder of Gupha?”
“What did you just say!”
“Your disciple mocked me and my people, insulted my bloodline. And he even raised his killing intent.”
His voice rang low yet heavy.
From his battered body, a chilling aura streamed forth in waves.
“If the Hwangshan Sect presumes itself a great elder of the hundred schools of the martial world, and if you truly claim to be an elder there, then before questioning your disciple’s grudge, you should have apologized first.”
“…!”
“Yet you seek resolution through the blade? Through blood?”
Dokgo Myeong scoffed.
“Is that the righteous path that Gupha pursues so earnestly?”
Two characters resonated low through the chamber.
Righteous path.
Those two words stirred the assembly.
Already, Hyeon Un-jin’s conduct seemed closer to that of the heterodox sects, yet the young man did not grovel for his life nor invoke his family’s prestige.
A youth in his prime, broken and battered, had cried out to the Hwangshan Sect elder in full strength—with only those two words: righteous path.
“…”
They say that when anger reaches its peak, one becomes calm instead.
Hyeon Un-jin’s eyes, now cold as ice, turned toward Dokgo Myeong.
‘A dangerous man.’
His martial prowess was no trivial matter, but he’d assumed him to be like any other late-stage master.
He had been wrong.
Such bearing and such unwavering confidence.
The Dokgo Clan harbored a dragon.
‘Dokgo Myeong, Dokgo Myeong… Blood doesn’t lie, they say…’
Hyeon Un-jin felt the rage that had filled his mind suddenly wash away.
And what filled that void was a sense of crisis.
‘Can the later generations of the Munui Sect handle that child?’
Severing limbs and moving on?
That won’t solve anything. An ill-fated connection has already been forged.
And he’s not even fully grown yet, already showing such prowess. That boy would surely become a source of calamity.
Hyeon Un-jin made his decision.
“Indeed, you are one who cannot be left alone.”
Whoooosh!
In an instant, a tremendous wave of qi surged forth, creating a violent gust around them.
“Ugh!”
“Gahhh!”
Those who were injured or possessed weaker inner strength groaned in pain.
Even in decline, he was still an elder of Gupha.
Moreover, he was a master among masters, renowned throughout Anhui as an undefeated swordsman wielding the Single Malice Blade.
“A mere child whose head is still wet with mother’s milk… daring to lecture me? You’ll pay the price for that loose tongue!”
At first glance, he appeared enraged by Dokgo Myeong’s words and behavior.
But Dokgo Myeong, piercing through those now-cold eyes, let out a scoff.
“Playing games, are you? An old codger who must’ve eaten his age through the back door.”
“You brat! Hastening your own demise!”
Boom!
Hyeon Un-jin stomped the ground.
Dokgo Myeong focused his consciousness on his sensory perception.
The pattern of this fight was as predictable as fire.
But just once.
If this secret art—which opened possibilities in any situation—could create just one opportunity…
And then it happened.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew through.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened in shock.
Crash!
Hyeon Un-jin’s blade was sent flying with an explosive sound.
And before them, a swordsman descended lightly.
“You’ve finally caused trouble, my son.”
* * *
His bearing was like that of a crane in flight.
Silken hair cascaded over the shoulders of an immaculate white martial robe without a single blemish.
“You are…? Could it be!”
Hyeon Un-jin’s eyes widened as if they might split open.
Dokgo Wi-hak offered no response, simply drawing his sword upward in a light, descending arc.
Whoosh! A piercing shriek!
Yet the aftermath was anything but gentle.
“…Ugh!”
In a single strike, Hyeon Un-jin’s energy barrier shattered completely.
Hyeon Un-jin hastily deployed a defensive formation, his body sent flying backward.
‘The Sect Leader?! Why is the Sect Leader here?’
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened in shock.
Dokgo Wi-hak let his sword hang at his side, then turned his head with the same impassive expression as always.
“Nothing ever seems to proceed without complications.”
The sun had fully risen, casting Dokgo Wi-hak in silhouette against its light.
The very air seemed to shift.
The moment Dokgo Myeong laid eyes upon Dokgo Wi-hak, he felt every threat that had seemed so palpable dissolve like morning mist.
“Sect Leader, how did you come to be here….”
“It seems you should explain first.”
“….”
Why was it?
His tone was as dry as ever, yet goosebumps erupted across my entire body.
“…I came the moment I received word. Your message caused quite a stir in the family. More importantly….”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s brow twitched slightly.
“Are you unharmed?”
“Ah, yes. I’m perfectly fine.”
“….”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s gaze deepened.
“You bear many wounds.”
“Ah, I’ve sustained a few injuries along the way.”
“A few?”
It was then.
Whoosh! Crash!
Hyeon Un-jin, who had been sent flying, quickly regained his footing and approached.
His face was twisted into a grotesque, demonic visage.
“My eyes do not deceive me! Dokgo Wi-hak! The Sword Demon of the Dokgo Clan!”
Dokgo Myeong tilted his head in confusion.
‘Sword Demon?’
It was a title he’d never heard before, and one that hardly seemed to suit the Sect Leader.
“What brings you to this place?”
“The same as you, it seems. I came for my child. Hardly cause for such astonishment.”
“Of course it is strange! Surely you remember the Covenant of Broken Swords? I was present at that very moment!”
“I dare say.”
An edge crept into Dokgo Wi-hak’s voice.
Even for Dokgo Myeong, it was a tone he’d never heard before.
“That promise belongs entirely to me. You and the Hwangsan Sect have no right to discuss it.”
“The Mudang won’t sit idle, will they?”
“That is also not a matter for your interference.”
“This…!”
Everyone watching the situation was astonished.
Hyeon Un-jin’s face had flushed crimson with rage, yet he couldn’t even raise his voice.
“Do you think you can brush this aside so carelessly? Your son harmed the first disciple of our sect! Can you bear the consequences!”
“That’s precisely what I wish to say.”
Coldness settled into Dokgo Wi-hak’s eyes.
“My son showed mercy rather than taking the life of one who insulted the Main Sect. You should be grateful for that.”
“What?”
“Does the Hwangsan Sect have the confidence to bear the consequences?”
Dokgo Wi-hak spoke the same words as his son.
Hyeon Un-jin let out a bitter laugh.
“Hahaha! You dare speak of bearing consequences? Do you think I don’t know your standing in the family?”
“It seems you’ve misunderstood my words.”
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Dokgo Wi-hak drew his sword.
It was not a complete blade. The middle section was cleanly broken, as if someone had struck it down—a half-sword.
“I wasn’t asking whether the Main Sect can bear the consequences. I was speaking of myself alone.”
Roooaaar!
A terrifying wave of qi spread across the mountain valley.
In that instant, mountain birds convulsed and scattered into the sky.
‘The Sect Leader has been concealing martial prowess of this caliber?’
It was tyrannical and violent. The upright, serene demeanor he’d shown until now was nowhere to be found.
He was strong.
Extraordinarily so.
‘Perhaps the Sect Leader is…’
That was when it happened.
“S-stop!”
Hyeon Un-jin cried out, his face drained of all color.
Whoosh!
The momentum was instantly withdrawn.
Dokgo Wi-hak remained standing as gracefully as a crane.
“…”
Hyeon Un-jin trembled for a long moment, glaring at Dokgo Wi-hak.
Soon he loosened his clenched fist and spoke with malice.
“This matter will not end here. My retreat does not mean the Hwangsan Sect has retreated.”
“…”
“I will remember this. The day will come when your son receives the sword of Mount Hwang.”
Hyeon Un-jin bit his lip and spun around sharply.
Just as he was about to tend to his fallen disciple with a face stained by humiliation and shame.
“Ah, no, Young Master! Not now. Please!”
“Hold it in! I said hold it! You mad Young Master!”
“Mmph! Mmmph mmmph!”
Geum Seok-du and Seo Ryun were restraining Dokgo Myeong’s limbs and covering his mouth.
‘What are they doing?’
Hyeon Un-jin’s brow furrowed without his realizing it.
“Immortal Master!”
Crash!
Dokgo Myeong shook off Geum Seok-du and Seo Ryun and strode forward.
“You dare….”
Snap!
And suddenly he took a respectful bow.
“I have learned much from your technique.”
“…?”
“Truly, the Hwangshan Sect lives up to its reputation as a great orthodox school. I am genuinely impressed by your conduct, Immortal Master.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“That composure in promising a future meeting! That boldness even while turning your back!”
Hyeon Un-jin’s face contorted with increasing fury.
“Such spiritual cultivation that empties the mind—I could never attempt it. Only the Hwangshan Sect, a school of cultivators who have accumulated such discipline, could achieve this. Truly, my eyes have been opened!”
“…You!”
The atmosphere froze.
Geum Seok-du pressed his forehead.
‘Wow….’
He twists words like that again.
That destructive mouth of his.
The Young Master’s skill at manipulating speech has truly reached the realm of mastery….
Grind grind!
Hyeon Un-jin glared at Dokgo Myeong with murderous intent, grinding his teeth.
In that moment, Dokgo Myeong lifted his lowered head slightly and curled the corners of his mouth upward.
“You said a future meeting?”
Words whispered like a murmur.
Soon the smile vanished from his lips.
“I hope it does not take too long. In the near future, I will become someone you could never dare to look upon.”
“…!”
Dokgo Myeong turned his body.
Hyeon Un-jin trembled while carrying his disciple, then gritted his teeth and turned away.
“Y-Young Master….”
“I should’ve just stuck to gambling….”
Seo Ryun and Geum Seok-du muttered with flustered expressions.
“Phew! Finally it’s over!”
Dokgo Myeong let out a small laugh and collapsed to the ground.
But then.
“It’s over, is it.”
“Huh?”
Dokgo Wi-hak approached Dokgo Myeong, who sat on the floor, with heavy footsteps.
“Myeong. It seems I have quite a lot to say to you.”
“…!”
“This time, I won’t let it slide.”
Dokgo Myeong’s face drained of all color.
It didn’t seem to be from blood loss at all.

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