Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 80

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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 80
“This wine lacks flavor.”
Dokgo Cheon sat before the ornamental pond of the Gajubu, filling his cup with wine.
As if a storm were about to break, not a single glimmer of moonlight touched the surface of the wine.
Instead, the colorful glow of torches danced and settled upon the rippling liquid.
“How many have been ferreted out?”
Lee Seong-cheon spoke in response to Dokgo Cheon, who had drained his cup in one gulp.
“It appears more than half have been processed.”
“Slow work.”
“The order was given without warning, so the operation fell behind schedule.”
Dokgo Cheon nodded silently and refilled his cup.
Clang! Crash! Whoosh!
A cacophony of sounds pierced through the tranquility of the Gajubu’s pond.
Angry shouts, the clash of weapons from resisting vassals, their screams, the roar of countless torches burning bright.
It was the sound of chaos unfolding within the Dokgo Family at this very moment.
Without warning even to his direct blood relatives, Dokgo Cheon himself had issued the order to turn the household upside down.
Dokgo Cheon set down the wine bottle and asked.
“So, was there truly one among the Black Dragon Sect as well?”
“…Yes, there was.”
“How many?”
“Two.”
“…”
“A squad leader and a member of the third squad. The third squad member was discovered early and captured alive, but the squad leader appears to have been targeting Young Master Dokgo Myeong.”
“A squad leader? You mean the Flashing Blade, Mak-rye?”
“Even that name appears to be an alias.”
“…The lamp at the base casts no light! Ha ha ha! What a fool I’ve become!”
Dokgo Cheon burst into laughter.
Whoooosh!
A murderous aura sharp enough to flay flesh erupted from his laughter.
Suddenly, the pillars of the pavilion darkened as if they had weathered centuries, rotting away to black.
With bubbling sounds, several fish floated up from the pond’s surface, their bellies turned skyward.
Lee Seong-cheon bowed deeply at the waist.
“This is my subordinate’s failure. If you wish to punish me, I shall accept it willingly.”
Dokgo Cheon muttered with an expressionless face.
“That man has served the Main Sect loyally for twenty years. I suppose I must account for that.”
“…”
“Of course, I shall still exact payment for those decades of deception.”
Crack!
Dokgo Cheon set down his cup roughly.
With a crumbling sound, the cup disintegrated. All that remained was a neat pile of jade-colored powder.
Tsk.
Dokgo Cheon clicked his tongue and muttered.
“The Swordmaster of Seclusion. That boy Myeong-i won’t have an easy time of it.”
Within the Black Dragon Sect, the elite force of the Dokgo Family, there existed a spy.
Each member of the Black Dragon Sect possessed martial prowess and abilities equivalent to a Sect Leader.
And Mak-rye, the Swordmaster of Seclusion, was the captain who led such formidable warriors.
“He previously stood at the very edge of the Pinnacle Realm. Should Young Master Myeong-i’s assessment be correct and his martial arts were concealed, there exists a possibility he may be a master of the Ascending Realm.”
“Did you not say that one of Myeong-i’s subordinates was moving alongside someone?”
“It is Seo Ryun, the White Tiger Sect Leader. However, just moments ago, a report arrived that the Tortoise Shell Sect Leader has vanished without a trace.”
….
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader was a man who, alongside the White Tiger Guards, formed one pillar of the Four Divine Sects, the main forces of the Dokgo Family.
A man whose loyalty was extraordinary….
“It seems the Swordmaster of Seclusion is something Myeong-i must face alone.”
….
“Is there any possibility the spies possess additional support forces?”
“It remains uncertain. I apologize….”
“From the start, that cunning bastard cobbled together this plan so haphazardly—there’s no way anything about it could be certain.”
Dokgo Cheon shook his head repeatedly.
The expression on Lee Seong-cheon’s face, as he observed his lord, was peculiar.
“Young Master Myeong-i—will he be alright?”
“What’s gotten into you, worrying like that?”
….
Dokgo Cheon let out a soft laugh and gazed upward at the sky. His gaze seemed to be measuring something.
After staring for a long while, a quiet voice escaped Dokgo Cheon’s lips.
“He hasn’t died yet.”
Dokgo Cheon closed his eyes gently.
Soon, the conversation he had shared with that boy yesterday flashed through his mind.
-At minimum, one of the military commanders or clan leaders must have infiltrated the Main Sect.
-By your account, don’t they possess only mediocre martial strength?
-Some do, and some don’t.
-….
-From the mid-tier military commanders onward, they are all masters who have reached at least the Ascending Realm.
A master of the Ascending Realm is recognized as the supreme expert in any given region.
An organization where dozens of such masters gather is said to specialize in information warfare rather than direct combat.
-Then I cannot permit your plan.
-….
-The truth of it remains unclear, and even if it were true, your current martial level would make it impossible.
-I understand.
-Yet you intend to proceed regardless?
-In a martial contest, I would lose. However….
-But?
-When it comes to a fight where death is the only outcome, I will emerge victorious.
-…!
-It matters not if my opponent is a greater master or if there are many more of them.
-How audacious.
-Do you not see? From the beginning, there is no one else capable of handling this matter but me.
Swish!
Dokgo Cheon opened his eyes, which had been closed.
“If a man speaks with such confidence, he must prove it with results.”
“Yes?”
“This is a matter he proposed himself. If he has caused an incident of this magnitude, he should have the confidence to resolve it.”
Lee Seong-cheon’s eyes widened.
Though the words sounded coldly rational on the surface, they carried a different meaning to his ears.
‘He has acknowledged me.’
Now that he thought about it, that was indeed the case.
Had Dokgo Cheon not acknowledged Dokgo Myeong, he would never have permitted such a grand incident to unfold.
Dokgo Cheon turned his gaze away.
“The night will be long.”
* * *
‘Martial arts are truly strange.’
Seo Ryun thought to himself.
‘Less than a year has passed. When I trained for a lifetime, my progress was so painfully slow, yet in this brief span, I have transformed so drastically.’
From the Jeongcheon Alliance through Zhejiang to Gi-wang’s hidden stronghold.
Seo Ryun’s martial prowess had advanced another step through the path he walked alongside Dokgo Myeong.
Was it due to actual combat experience?
Of course not.
The position of chief martial officer of the Dokgo Household had not been obtained for free. There had been far harsher real battles.
Then was it the endless sparring?
That was not it either. In terms of sparring frequency, he had likely sparred more with his subordinates.
The answer, he already knew.
‘My perspective on the world has changed.’
Because the person had changed, the martial arts had changed.
That was why.
He was now overwhelming Guigap Sect Leader Jo Pyeong-cheon, who had once been evaluated as standing a step above him.
Boom! Crash!
The Guigap Sect Leader was pushed back, his feet scraping the ground, before he planted his knees firmly to stop himself.
“…White Tiger Sect Leader, have you been concealing your true strength?”
“You speak such words after deceiving others your entire life?”
Originally, the Guigap Sect Leader employed a defensive sword technique using a broad, oddly-shaped great sword.
But now he was wielding a hand technique that stained his palms crimson with blood.
‘The Black Bloodfiend Asura technique,’ I mused.
I had glimpsed it once through Gi-wang’s secret manual, and I had also received instruction in it from Dokgo Myeong.
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader shook his head.
“Well, you’re not wrong. *Cough!*”
Splurt!
In that instant, blood poured from the Tortoise Shell Sect Leader’s mouth.
Seo Ryun watched him and lightly flicked his blade clean.
“Do you intend to continue? Surely you’re not ignorant of the vast difference in our levels.”
“I am well aware that my defeat was decided from the start.”
“Then why do you foolishly persist in resistance?”
“Because as long as the Blood Army Commander remains here, you have no possibility of victory.”
“….”
Seo Ryun glanced briefly toward the rear at those words.
Groooowwwl! Thuuuump!
An ominous aura was surging forth in waves.
‘A master at the Ascending Realm….’
I never imagined such a formidable expert could be a secret agent.
Since he suddenly unleashed his inner power, the aura had become increasingly ominous.
“Now do you understand? Everything shall unfold according to our sect’s will.”
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader brought both hands together in a reverent pose.
Uuuuummmm!
Was he preparing a forbidden technique?
A sinister energy began to coalesce between his joined hands.
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader muttered with glazed eyes.
“Only through blood can one be reborn as Jeongheol….”
“Hah!”
Whoosh! Crash!
Seo Ryun kicked off the ground without hesitation and swung his blade.
He aimed for the arm.
It was a sword strike meant to subdue, not to kill.
But in that moment, the Tortoise Shell Sect Leader twisted his body.
Shhhhk!
“…!”
The blade pierced deep into the Tortoise Shell Sect Leader’s chest.
He had driven his own body forward onto it.
Thunk!
Seo Ryun’s eyes widened.
‘Could it be mutual destruction?!’
“Krahaha! You’ve fallen for it!”
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader laughed wildly, drenched in blood.
Whoooosh!
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader’s strike descended like lightning.
“Ugh!”
Terrifying speed.
I leaped backward in haste, but his strike was faster still.
‘I’m caught.’
Seo Ryun gritted his teeth and braced for impact.
CRACK!
Suddenly, a sound like something bursting erupted through the air.
“….”
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader’s eyes went blank.
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader collapsed forward, and behind him stood a man with his fist extended.
“Sect Leader Seo! Are you unharmed?”
“I’m fine! But, how did you….”
“Even a master of great skill can be subdued with a single blow to the back of the head.”
Seo Ryun’s mind went blank as he watched Geum Seok-du mutter in a serious tone.
That moment.
Snap!
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader, who had collapsed on the ground, seized Geum Seok-du’s foot.
“Argh! What is this!”
Geum Seok-du leaped up with a start.
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader looked up at Geum Seok-du with unfocused eyes.
“Only… through blood….”
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader, with a sword piercing his chest and his skull shattered.
He muttered with eyes stained crimson.
“This filthy… Gangho… and now I become Jeongheol….”
The Tortoise Shell Sect Leader’s voice faded as he breathed his last.
Chill!
Both Seo Ryun and Geum Seok-du felt their hearts grow cold.
Seo Ryun especially was shocked, for he knew the Tortoise Shell Sect Leader.
He was rough but steadfast, bold, and loyal. He was never such a madman.
Or so he had believed.
Geum Seok-du swallowed hard.
“…Look, look at that. He’s smiling.”
“How could….”
Despite attempting a dishonorable mutual destruction at the end of a life-or-death duel and failing, the Tortoise Shell Sect Leader wore a smile without regret.
‘Such a vicious….’
What exactly were the teachings of Jeongheol, and what kind of place was it?
‘No, this is not the time for this!’
That was when.
CRASH!
A deafening explosion erupted.
Geum Seok-du and Seo Ryun, who had turned their gazes toward the sound, froze in place.
‘What… what is that…?’
Seo Ryun’s lips trembled uncontrollably.
Have you ever gazed down into a deep well in the dead of night?
A chilling aura enveloped the man—the same eerie sensation one felt staring into that bottomless abyss where no end could be seen.
A living demon.
This could not possibly be merely a martial artist.
Even if it were Dokgo Myeong… this was…!
But then.
CRASH!
Something was being hurled backward.
It was Yalul-ryeong.
* * *
BANG!
Dokgo Myeong was driven backward, his feet tearing furrows in the earth.
Only after pressing down with his heels to anchor himself in the displaced soil did his body finally halt.
Whoooosh!
From Yalul-ryeong’s slightly parted lips, dark smoke coiled and drifted outward.
THWACK!
Yalul-ryeong stamped his foot in a martial stance.
The shadow blood energy that spread like mist caused Dokgo Myeong’s body to stagger.
“The Shadow Demon Sword and Shadow Blood Energy—do you know why my martial arts bear the name ‘shadow’?”
Shadow—the darkness and obscurity that conceals all trace.
“Because they burrow into an enemy like a shadow itself, leaving no mark, and shred their vital energy to pieces.”
“…”
“Kehehehe! Though I must channel blood energy to my lower dantian to trigger it in such a short span of time.”
The unnaturally discolored pupils and writhing blood vessels across his face were proof of this.
“Still, anyone who receives it is destined to perish. Just as you are now.”
“Cough!”
Suddenly, as Dokgo Myeong coughed, white flesh fragments mixed with blood spilled from his lips.
Yalul-ryeong burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! You cannot even endure half a moment longer. No matter what you attempt with your inner energy, it will be futile. Now you…”
That was when.
“Hack! Ptooey!”
Dokgo Myeong spat blood again.
This time too, white flesh fragments were mixed within, but something was different.
“…?”
“I’m just spitting blood because the inside of my mouth is torn up—what are you going on about?”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled softly, cracking his knuckles with deliberate snaps.
“How is this possible…?”
“Did I not tell you I know you lot well?”
Boom!
Dokgo Myeong brushed his sleeve lightly.
In that instant, ashen energy scattered in all directions.
It was the true qi of Shadow Technique. The Shadow Technique that should have penetrated never even managed to breach his defenses.
The black divine garment wrapping around Dokgo Myeong’s body gleamed with refined elegance.
“That’s all? Nothing else to offer?”
“…”
“Then… I suppose it’s time I returned the favor?”
Soon after, Dokgo Myeong’s foot stepped upon the ground with precision.
Crash!
The already precarious earth split wide open with the explosion.
Simultaneously, Dokgo Myeong charged forward.
“You insignificant wretch!”
Yalul-ryeong raised his blade in opposition, but its trajectory was already known to me.
Whirrrrr!
Every hair on my body stood on end, every sense awakening as if reborn.
I had entered the state.
I knew this sensation well.
Countless paths revealed by sensory perception unfolded vividly before my eyes.
Lines of evasion and lines of attack.
The choice was obvious.
‘Only attack!’
Boom!
A shockwave erupted from my fist, and a sound like beating a drum reverberated through the air.
“Gack!”
I did not let Yalul-ryeong fly backward uncontested.
To Yalul-ryeong’s eyes, I appeared suddenly before him as though I had folded the very earth itself.
“Roaaaah!”
Yalul-ryeong unleashed his blade in desperation.
It was the ultimate technique of Shadow Demon Blade—Hundred Demon Dance.
Clang clang clang clang!
Deep scars carved into the stone walls grazed by the blade energy, while the precarious ground and ceiling shattered and crumbled repeatedly.
“You dare challenge me when you are weaker than I?”
“What foolish words you speak.”
Crack!
I clenched my fist as I spoke.
“Since when has the Gangho been a place where the strong alone survive?”
The sword force was absolutely devastating. It certainly surpassed Dokgo Myeong’s level.
But strength alone does not guarantee survival.
Why, is there not a famous saying?
The one who survives is the strong one!
Boom!
Each step forward, each fist unleashed.
I thrust out a simple punch.
“I’ll crush your fist to dust!”
Yalul-ryeong’s narrow-blade sword shot forth like a wild beast.
It was a speed I could not evade.
But then.
Clang clang clang clang!
A strange sound rang out.
A sound that could never come from a human body.
Yalul-ryeong flinched.
‘What is he holding in his hand?’
It was a chain.
The eternal iron shackles and chains that had been placed to restrain me were now somehow in my hands.
‘When did he—?!’
The chain moved like a serpent, coiling around the narrow-blade sword.
Whoosh! Clang!
I pulled the chain taut.
A martial art that distinguishes not between weapons and bare hands—Cheonoe Gyeong.
It applied to Jecheon-gi as well.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
The narrow-blade sword slipped from Yalul-ryeong’s grasp.
He tried to grip it with all his strength, but it slipped away as if by sorcery.
And then.
Boom! Splatter splatter splatter!
Hwacheon Strike and Jecheon-gi tore through Yalul-ryeong’s body.
“Aaaahhh!”
An enormous spray of blood erupted in all directions.
‘I’ve only lost my sword. Defeat is unthinkable!’
Yalul-ryeong tried to ignore the pain and regain his stance.
But in that moment.
“Where are you going!”
“Ugh!”
Whoosh!
Suddenly sand erupted upward, burrowing into his eyes.
I kicked up sand with the tips of my feet, cutting off Yalul-ryeong’s vision.
“Gahhhhk!”
Strike and retreat.
Evade and strike.
Blinding with sand, exploiting the terrain, wielding the eternal cold iron and fabric of my robes.
This was no longer what one could call martial arts.
“Ugh, ahhhhh….”
Writhe! Writhe!
Yalul-ryeong, now a mass of blood and pulp, cried out in agony.
“Only through blood…!”
I drove my fist downward.
Boom!
“Then bleed plenty—for yourself.”

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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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