Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 71

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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 71
“How dare you wag your tongue so freely before me? You’re like a reckless thunderbolt, always causing trouble.”
Tap! Tap-tap!
Dokgo Hwi-hwa walked forward, striking her cane against the ground as if venting her irritation. Yet a peculiar smile lingered at the corners of her lips.
That was when it happened.
“Will you crack the floor that way? Why not channel your inner energy into it instead?”
A solidly built middle-aged man approached with a smile.
Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s brow furrowed.
“Aren’t you the Master of the Outer Sect?”
“I greet the Chairman of the Council of Elders.”
“What brings you here?”
“Heh, I was merely taking a stroll.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa stared at him intently.
“A stroll? You cunning fox.”
“Ha, would you care to walk together for a moment?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa let out a snort and curled up one corner of her mouth.
“Here comes the legendary Sword King himself asking for a stroll, and this old woman doesn’t know where to put herself.”
“What’s the harm in that?”
“Well then, since I’m indulging in such luxury, come support my arm a bit. My knees have been aching lately.”
“Of course, gladly.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa extended her arm without hesitation, and Dokgo Un-hak approached readily and supported her.
At first glance, it appeared a warm scene.
That is, if the two of them were not adversaries, or if they were not masters capable of killing with a mere gesture.
Tap-tap! Tap!
For a time, only the sound of the cane striking the ground continued.
A person who needed no support and a man who could never serve another—this strange pair walked side by side.
“The way you came rushing here so frantically tells me you were quite flustered.”
It was Dokgo Hwi-hwa who spoke first, her gaze fixed ahead without turning her head.
“I simply did not anticipate that someone of your station as Chairman would move personally, disregarding propriety.”
“Tsk tsk! Seeing that eager face of yours, I’m glad I came myself.”
Dokgo Un-hak’s eyes sharpened.
“So, did you gather any harvest?”
“He asked how much I had learned.”
“Pardon?”
“That cunning brat wants to play tug-of-war with information.”
“Hah? Hehehehe!”
Dokgo Un-hak burst into laughter.
“You look quite ridiculous. You were thoroughly outmaneuvered, weren’t you?”
“And you think you look dignified, rushing here in such haste?”
“So then, what is your assessment?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s brow furrowed.
“It’s worse than I heard. Now I understand why you’re so eager about this.”
“I’m merely fond of my talented nephew, that’s all.”
Thud!
Dokgo Hwi-hwa suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Dokgo Un-hak naturally released her arm and faced her directly.
“Even tigers are cute when they’re cubs.”
“….”
“But I’m different. What do you think he looked like to my eyes?”
His voice suddenly changed. Dokgo Un-hak showed no concern, his eyes gleaming with interest.
“I’m curious. How did he appear to you?”
“A great tiger speaking human words with blood smeared across its lips.”
“…!”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s voice turned icy cold.
“No matter how much you try to hide it behind shallow smiles and jokes, that vicious stench of blood cannot be concealed. Yet his eyes burn with such brilliance.”
“….”
“Do you know what happens when a tiger that has tasted blood becomes clever?”
A calamity of tigers begins.
Dokgo Hwi-hwa clicked her tongue and muttered.
“Why is such a creature only now emerging?”
He could not have hidden his talents. The rumors of him being a dullard spread so far beyond the family that claiming it was all an act made no sense.
In truth, Dokgo Myeong had been slow to learn letters as a child, spoke with a stammer, and was clumsy enough to injure himself while practicing basic cultivation. How else would rumors have arisen that something was wrong with his upper dantian?
‘…The upper dantian?’
Dokgo Hwi-hwa squinted her eyes.
Then she hastily brushed away the thought that had crossed her mind.
‘Secret teachings? What a ridiculous notion.’
Those grotesque and abominable creatures who had sparked the great war.
The image of those fanatics had crossed her mind without reason.
“You speak so highly of him that I grow more interested.”
“Do you think that arrogant wretch would follow you?”
“That’s something we’ll only know with time.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa turned her head with a faint sneer.
“We’ll walk only this far today. I’ve been out here too long and my stomach feels unsettled.”
“As you wish.”
“I’ll take my leave first.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa departed, leaning on her cane.
No sound came from the cane striking the ground. There was no weight behind it to begin with.
“Things are about to get interesting.”
* * *
“Because of you, there’s never a peaceful day.”
“Hehe, what are you saying, Father?”
“…Why exactly are you pleased with yourself?”
“Pardon? Weren’t you thanking me?”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s eyes narrowed.
How could anyone interpret that as gratitude?
“You were always confined to the house, but thanks to me, you’ve gone out and met people. Wasn’t that good for you?”
“…”
“I understand filial piety so well. You don’t need to be so moved.”
“Did you just say filial piety?”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s face turned glacial in an instant.
Dokgo Myeong flinched.
“So you thought you could brush this off as a joke? Do I seem so easy to fool?”
“Ah, no—why are you suddenly like this?”
“It’s not sudden.”
Dokgo Myeong swallowed hard.
His body trembled uncontrollably in that moment.
“Please, just listen to my explanation first. I can explain everything. There was so much I couldn’t tell you because you left so quickly back then…”
“What explanation? That you lurked around gambling dens? That you destroyed the Black Bear Sect? That you devoured every last coin? That you beat Hwangsan’s disciples senseless?”
“That, that’s…no, there were reasons for all of it…”
“Or are you referring to how you had Geum Seok-du ghost-write the letter you were supposed to send to me?”
“Cough!”
His mouth went dry.
Dokgo Myeong swallowed painfully, struggling to steady his trembling voice.
“That, Sect Leader. I haven’t even recovered from my travels yet, and I’ve been meeting with the Patriarch and the Council of Elders. I’m quite exhausted. Could we do this tomorrow instead?”
Flash!
Dokgo Wi-hak’s eyes sharpened.
“You’ve been wandering about outside a few times, and now your pride reaches the heavens.”
“…”
Resignation flickered across Dokgo Myeong’s eyes.
Ah, this is finished.
That was definitely a slip of the tongue, wasn’t it?
“Stand up.”
“Yes?”
“Your injuries seem to have healed completely.”
“…!”
Dokgo Wi-hak raised one hand.
Whoosh! Clang!
The sword hanging on the stand behind him was drawn into Dokgo Wi-hak’s grasp as if magnetized.
A technique of supreme mastery.
Dokgo Wi-hak displayed that exquisite art as naturally as breathing, then slowly rose from his seat.
“Your martial skills have improved of late, and it seems you’ve grown rather arrogant. I shall correct that behavior for you today.”
Dokgo Myeong’s face drained of all color.
* * *
Dokgo Myeong, sent flying through the air, crashed into the wall with a thunderous impact.
“Ugh…!”
“If you lose focus, you’ll suffer grievous wounds. I have no intention of going easy on you today.”
Thud! Thud!
Dokgo Wi-hak approached slowly, his sword hanging gracefully at his side like a soaring crane, as he spoke.
“Cough! Sect Leader! At this rate, someone will die in this sparring match!”
“Sparring? It seems you’ve misunderstood something. I distinctly said I would correct your behavior.”
“…!”
Whoosh!
In an instant, my vision flooded with sword light.
From the left, striking downward.
Following the danger signals screaming through my senses, I hurled my body aside immediately.
Above me, Dokgo Wi-hak’s Shattering Sword descended without mercy.
Screech! Boom!
After that chilling sound of severance, the wall was cleaved cleanly in two and crashed to the ground.
I broke out in cold sweat.
‘How can a blade that’s half-broken and completely dulled still be this sharp?!’
I clenched my teeth.
There had been several opportunities to spar with Dokgo Wi-hak before, but each time he had used a wooden sword.
But today, he had drawn a real blade.
“Hah.”
I exhaled sharply, then broke into a grin.
‘The fact that he’s drawn a real sword means I’ve reached that level.’
It meant a wooden sword would no longer suffice against me. That’s how I understood it.
‘Good. Then I must show him what I can do.’
I smiled and took my stance.
Whoosh!
Hwicheon rose like flames, and Hongcheon spread forth with serene grace.
“Since we’ve come this far, today I shall land a strike on the Sect Leader and succeed in my transgression.”
“…Arrogant.”
“Hah!”
I stomped the ground.
Whoosh! Crash!
My fist descended upon Dokgo Wi-hak’s blade.
In that fleeting instant, the breathing of master and disciple intertwined in the void.
It was I who moved first.
Clang! Rat-a-tat-tat!
Truly, an overwhelming speed.
It wasn’t merely swift yet lacking in power—that velocity was being entirely converted into destructive force.
Yet it failed to penetrate Dokgo Wi-hak’s defense.
Thwack! Whoosh!
Dokgo Wi-hak lightly swept his blade to sever the flow of the attack.
A single step extended forward, and a diagonal sword arc was drawn.
Screech! Boom!
The sword wind lashed against Dokgo Myeong’s forearm before dissipating harmlessly.
It had failed to penetrate the defense of the Dragon Scale Armor.
“Hah!”
Dokgo Myeong seized the opening and rushed at Dokgo Wi-hak.
Flash! Crash!
With each strike, thunderous explosions erupted.
‘My inner energy reserves have grown tremendously.’
It was incomparable to when I had left the family.
‘Could I have consumed a spirit elixir?’
Of course, Dokgo Myeong had consumed the spirit elixir he’d received as a gift, but that alone wasn’t the reason.
The true cause was Hongcheon Gi.
Having acquired Hongcheon Gi, which specialized in accumulation and release, my inner energy reserves had become distinctly different from before.
Tap-tap-tap! Boom!
Dokgo Myeong pressed forward without losing momentum.
A rising kick from the ground struck the side of the tilted blade.
Crash! Tremor!
The blade bent as though it might shatter. My hand trembled from the vibrations of the blade as it absorbed the impact.
“Ugh!”
Dokgo Wi-hak swept the vibrating blade in one great arc.
The sword energy of Hwacheon Technique’s Flame Palm technique rotated along the blade itself.
‘A grafting technique?’
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened.
In an instant, the blade descended like a waterfall toward my crown—a strike with the momentum to cleave heaven and earth.
“…Hah!”
Whoosh! Crash!
Sand and dust erupted in a cloud.
My body was driven backward, scraping against the ground.
“Your inner energy reserves have deepened considerably. Impressive that you blocked that.”
“Huff! Huff!”
“Again.”
Crash!
A thunderous explosion erupted.
Dokgo Myeong was shaken by those overwhelming sword strikes.
‘Extraordinary. Every conceivable footwork technique, the Heavy Blade, the Swift Blade, the Ten-Thousand Blade, the Grafted Flower technique… How does he command such an arsenal?’
Directional approaches that even my past self never acquired are being unleashed in endless succession. It’s not merely the realm of martial prowess that inspires awe, but the realm of martial theory itself.
Flash! Screeeech!
My eyes blazed with intensity.
Head-on.
In an instant, the blade fractured and descended like scattering flower petals.
‘The Phantom Blade!’
And not merely the Phantom Blade. Each afterimage of the blade carried genuine inner force within it.
‘Then allow me to demonstrate what I have newly acquired.’
Whiiiing!
My sensory perception reached its absolute limit.
My feet pushed gently against the ground.
Jahagyeol, Cheonryu Yubo.
Thud! Crash-crash-crash-bang!
The blade strike lashed across the earth.
Dokgo Wi-hak’s eyes widened in shock.
‘An evasion technique! He’s mastered something new!’
That was when it happened.
Whoosh!
I halted my retreat, kicked off the ground, and charged forward with my hand extended.
The moment Dokgo Wi-hak swung his blade.
Swish! Clang!
“…!”
The blade went wide.
Or rather, it was deflected.
The instant my collar grazed the blade’s edge, that strange violet inner force bent the direction of his strike.
‘It’s not over yet.’
I kicked off the ground again and charged forward.
Dokgo Wi-hak repositioned his blade and thrust it forward.
Boom!
Dokgo Wi-hak’s gaze wavered.
The blade’s tip pierced through empty air.
‘…!’
In a flash, I lowered my center as if touching the ground.
I could see his thighs swelling as if about to burst.
And in that instant.
Crash!
I threw my full weight into a body check against Dokgo Wi-hak’s waist.
A technique Dokgo Wi-hak had never experienced before—a torso tackle.
‘Perfect!’
My eyes flashed with intensity.
Dokgo Wi-hak’s two feet lifted off the ground, suspended in mid-air.
Jecheon-gi was working perfectly.
Just as I prepared to follow up with the next technique without lowering my guard.
“You’ve learned quite an unusual technique.”
“…!”
My eyes widened in shock.
Boom!
After the explosive sound, I was sent flying backward and landed on the ground with a stumble.
“You dodged that too. Do you have eyes in the back of your head?”
Dokgo Wi-hak clicked his tongue.
As if his balance had never been disrupted, Dokgo Wi-hak stood once more in a posture as rigid and upright as a crane.
“Just now… how did you do that?”
“What do you think it was?”
“Was it True Footwork?”
“You saw it correctly.”
Dokgo Wi-hak nodded with satisfaction.
‘My inner energy flow and balance were clearly disrupted, yet from that very state, he generated another burst of power.’
A realm where one can generate force from any situation, any state—whether through inner energy or the body itself.
Dokgo Wi-hak’s martial path had already reached that pinnacle.
“Martial arts fundamentally begin with True Footwork, the contact between foot and earth. Yet upon reaching enlightenment, one transcends even the distinction between ground and empty space.”
“Remarkable. I offer my sincere admiration.”
“That’s my line.”
Dokgo Wi-hak made no attempt to hide his emotions.
“That technique… was it not a strike, but a combination of grappling and pushing?”
“Impressive. You discerned that immediately?”
“I realized it when I saw you hook and lift my knee in that final moment.”
“Well, it failed regardless.”
Dokgo Wi-hak regarded me with an enigmatic gaze.
‘Does he truly call that a failure?’
In that brief instant, I had burrowed into the embrace of an opponent clearly superior to me, seizing complete control of both inner and outer energy.
Had I harbored killing intent….
I would have come dangerously close to disaster.
No—I had essentially witnessed it.
“What is the name of this martial art?”
“It is called Jecheon-gi.”
“It bears a resemblance to a technique you learned previously.”
My eyes widened in an instant.
Hwicheon Gi and Hongcheon Gi.
Jahagyeol and Geuk Shin Gyeol.
No one else could have spotted the connection between such seemingly unrelated martial techniques, yet Dokgo Wi-hak had discerned it.
“They share the same root. Only the branches diverge.”
“Truly, you have mastered something extraordinary.”
Dokgo Wi-hak nodded in acknowledgment.
“We can discuss the details later. Let us begin again.”
“…Pardon?”
“Why do you hesitate?”
“Did it not seem like we were finished?”
“Nonsense.”
Dokgo Wi-hak clicked his tongue coldly.
“I clearly stated this was not a formal match, did I not?”
“…!”

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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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