The God of Death and the God of War - Chapter 76

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Evil Hegemon Martial God

 

Chapter 76

 

Gangho was turned completely upside down.

 

An unexpected turn of events – something no one had anticipated, or rather, something that far exceeded everyone’s expectations.

 

An unbelievable situation had unfolded.

 

Naturally, all of this was due to the incident that occurred in the Tongseong County area.

 

According to rumors spread by word of mouth, Sadocheon had unified Tongseong County.

 

Tongseong County was, as widely known, a place where all the major forces dividing the martial world had gathered.

 

It was a hellish place where large and small conflicts broke out constantly, and people died every day.

 

“Sadocheon conquered Tongseong County?”

 

All three major forces had coveted Tongseong County.

 

It was a strategic location where the hub of transportation, logistics, and shipping passed through, so it was obvious that everyone desired it, whether strategically or economically.

 

So even if rumors circulated about who died today or who was attacked yesterday, or if rumors spread that some force had taken Tongseong County overnight, it wouldn’t be strange.

 

However, the fact that the subject was Sadocheon was definitely strange.

 

“That Sadocheon that was beaten by the Martial Arts Alliance and pushed back by Heukpaesong?”

 

“Come on, if you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. Who would believe that?”

 

At first, everyone denied it.

 

The news that came in was just rumors, baseless gossip.

 

But it wasn’t uncommon for conclusions to be delivered first, followed by detailed processes.

 

“The rumors were true! The great battle of Tongseong County began to reclaim the divine artifact Seolhon Sutu that Heukpaesong had stolen…!”

 

“It started with the Martial Arts Alliance’s Tongseong County branch, so Dokbi Yeomlya Dangmaeng became the first victim!”

 

When specific justification and circumstances involving a divine artifact emerged, people’s interest began to focus rapidly.

 

Then, naturally, the first to step forward were the gossipmongers and storytellers.

 

People who simply loved to chatter and storytellers who made a living selling stories worked hard to understand the detailed circumstances.

 

“Oh! Seolhon Sutu!”

 

“…Huh? But wasn’t Seolhon Sutu with Heukpaesong? Why attack the Martial Arts Alliance?”

 

“Goodness, how frustrating. My friend, if they attacked Heukpaesong directly, the Martial Arts Alliance might have gained the fisherman’s profit. So they struck first.”

 

“Th-they attacked the Martial Arts Alliance first to prevent that? Isn’t that like the tail wagging the dog? Are they crazy?”

 

The question was valid.

 

Originally, this type of mission – such as recovering divine artifacts or eliminating targets – involved secretly infiltrating like an assassin and targeting only the objective.

 

This was common sense.

 

But to worry about a third force gaining the fisherman’s profit and launch a preemptive strike to eliminate that possibility.

 

Moreover, who was the person in charge of defending Tongseong County?

 

Wasn’t it Dokbi Yeomlya Dangmaeng, a master of Hwagyeong raised by the renowned Sacheon Family of Gangho?

 

Making a hundred concessions, no, making ten thousand concessions, if the main figure who caused this incident was a Danzu-level person from Sadocheon or someone at the level of Bucheonju above that, it might be understandable…

 

Surprisingly, the one who caused this incident was Pa-hwan Gwang-rang, Jegal Jeokun, who had been an object of mockery and ridicule.

 

“Dokbi Yeomlya Dangmaeng valiantly blocked the enemy’s fierce assault! Ah, how tragic and regrettable! As the saying goes, the rear waves of the Janggang push forward the front waves – how could Dangmaeng withstand this?”

 

The rear waves of Janggang pushing the front waves meant that the back waves of the Janggang River push forward the front waves.

 

At the same time, it was an idiom and metaphor mainly used when a senior was pushed down by a junior.

 

“What? Is it really…?”

 

“Really Pa-hwan Gwang-rang?!”

 

As people began to murmur, the storyteller became even more excited and spoke in a booming voice.

 

“He lost his life to Sapa’s rising star, so the front wave called Dangmaeng crumbled like a stream seeping into sandbanks. Ah, Gangho! Heartless Gangho!”

 

“Listen here, did Pa-hwan Gwang-rang really kill Dangmaeng? Not lies, but truly?”

 

“Indeed! According to survivors from the Martial Arts Alliance side, Pa-hwan Gwang-rang led the battle favorably throughout! They say his martial prowess reached the heavens!”

 

“Good heavens! Isn’t he barely past his coming of age? How could he achieve such things at that age…?!”

 

Naturally, what people talked about most was Jeok-un, the main figure of this incident.

 

“According to rumors, Pa-hwan Gwang-rang is said to be a hidden disciple taken in by Sadocheonju Dokgo Cheon!”

 

“Is that really true?!”

 

“Well, even if it’s true, otherwise how could the wastrel of Jegal have killed Dokbi Yeomlya who was at the peak of Hwagyeong?”

 

“Right, exactly!”

 

People were shocked by Jeok-un’s achievements and martial prowess, and claims began to emerge that he might be the successor of Saja Dohuang.

 

The treatment was completely different from before when he was treated as a rebellious son and wastrel of the Jegal Clan.

 

A being who had been a laughingstock and subject of crude jokes had killed Dangmaeng, whom the Sacheon Family had been proud of.

 

Jeongpa martial artists let out heavy sighs and kept their mouths firmly shut, and Heukpaesong’s side was also deeply sorrowful.

 

Only Sadocheon’s martial artists cheered and praised Jeok-un.

 

Because Jeok-un’s recent actions were so astonishing.

 

To put it nicely, it was the conduct of a hero, but in fact, most evaluated it as pure madness.

 

He openly targeted the Martial Arts Alliance branch, declared war telling them to get lost, and fought a life-and-death battle with a master from the Sacheon Family.

 

What was even more surprising was that not content with what he did to Dangmaeng, he also left Heukpaesong in a miserable state.

 

“Th-they say even Hae-il Gwon-gwang Seo Do-yeom died?”

 

“That’s right. They say the state of the corpse was extremely gruesome.”

 

“No, does this make sense? Dokbi Yeomlya aside, Hae-il Gwon-gwang is a seasoned master in Gangho. How could someone like Pa-hwan Gwang-rang kill such a master…”

 

In an inn within Sadocheon’s territory, when someone mentioned Jeok-un’s nickname, a nearby friend was startled and warned him.

 

“Shh, quietly! Why are you carelessly mentioning that nickname when you’re trying to cause trouble?”

 

“Uh, huh?”

 

“Don’t you know that Sadocheon’s martial artists these days treat ‘Heukcheon Gwang-ryong’ as their hero and boast about him?”

 

“I-I see. I’ll be careful. Th-that was close.”

 

Reputation was reversed in an instant.

 

Contemptuous titles like Jegal Pa-ryong and Pa-hwan Gwang-rang disappeared without a trace.

 

People, especially Sadocheon’s martial artists, were calling Jeok-un Heukcheon Gwang-ryong and revering him.

 

Since Sadocheon, which had long been pushed back by Heukpaesong and beaten by the Martial Arts Alliance, had suddenly achieved a great victory, this was natural.

 

There were even rumors that followers of Jeok-un had emerged within Sadocheon, so his popularity could be imagined.

 

Moreover, Jeok-un’s status wasn’t just changed in title.

 

“They say Heukcheon Gwang-ryong has newly been listed among the Sacheon Sip-ung.”

 

“Isn’t that natural? Who else could accomplish such a feat?”

 

“Right, exactly. How fortunate that such a hero appeared in Sapa.”

 

“Really, just until recently they were saying Pa-hwan Gwang-rang was Sapa’s shame and whatnot.”

 

“Hey, when did I ever say that, you bastard!”

 

If Jeongpa had the Nine Dragons Four Phoenixes, Sapa had the Sacheon Sip-ung.

 

Both Nine Dragons Four Phoenixes and Sacheon Sip-ung were glorious titles referring to the rising late-generation disciples of the orthodox and unorthodox paths.

 

But Jeok-un’s treatment was somewhat subtle.

 

Since he was barely past coming of age, he was first listed among Sacheon Sip-ung alongside martial artists of his age group.

 

But Gwang-ryong Jeok-un was someone who had killed two masters who had reached the peak of Hwagyeong – something the Nine Dragons Four Phoenixes and Sacheon Sip-ung could never accomplish.

 

People also acknowledged this, so as soon as he was listed among Sacheon Sip-ung, they placed him above the first among them, Cheon-gwi Hyeol-eung Jin Yeo-mong.

 

Cheon-gwi Hyeol-eung Jin Yeo-mong was the direct disciple of the Heukpaesong leader and had been the unshakeable number one of Sacheon Sip-ung before Jeok-un’s rise.

 

But now, Jin Yeo-mong had been pushed back to second place by Jeok-un.

 

All of this was because of the Tongseong County incident.

 

The Tongseong County incident was that significant, and its aftereffects were considerable.

 

The first to groan was the Martial Arts Alliance.

 

“Jeok-un, that rebellious son is not of the Grand Strategist’s bloodline! Then shouldn’t the Jegal Clan take responsibility?!”

 

“What kind of nonsense is that! That bastard is already someone expelled from the Jegal Family! Rather, don’t you truly know that the former Tongseong County branch leader’s reckless actions caused this incident!”

 

“What? Are you done talking!”

 

“So what if I am!”

 

Problems that had been festering within the Martial Arts Alliance finally exploded.

 

The Sacheon Family side blamed the Jegal Clan for responsibility, citing that Jeok-un was from the Jegal Clan.

 

The Jegal Clan side fought back, arguing that Dangmaeng’s hasty judgment had lost Tongseong County.

 

This wasn’t simply a feud between two families.

 

The discord between the Alliance Leader faction that the Jegal Clan belonged to and the Elder faction that the Sacheon Family belonged to had begun to flare up in earnest.

 

Meanwhile, the evaluation of Sadocheon, which had been rated as the weakest among the three major forces due to Heukpaesong’s aggressive expansion, changed.

 

Due to Heukpaesong’s endless expansion, Sadocheon was being evaluated as the most declining among the three major forces.

 

Even right before the Tongseong County incident, it was revealed that the spy Heukpaesong had dispatched was Noh Hwang-mun, the Geumwol Daeju who was one of the Ten Heavenly Commanders, causing them to become a laughingstock of Gangho.

 

For such a Sadocheon to cause an incident that would be talked about for at least ten years, how could they not be elated?

 

There had already been many opinions that Sadocheon had no notable figures except for Saja Dohuang Dokgo Cheon, making their future uncertain.

 

Through this incident, Sadocheon was evaluated as having found a new direction and future, making their previous assessments meaningless.

 

Naturally, Heukpaesong had no choice but to take this situation very seriously.

 

“Was his name Jeok-un? How would you describe that man in one word?”

 

“He’s an extremely cunning fellow.”

 

“The reason?”

 

“He anticipated that the Sword Saint and I would come and drew in the government officials. Before that, he deliberately escalated the situation to attract the branch leader’s attention. All of this cannot be mere coincidence.”

 

Though all of this was indeed coincidence, Dan Gyo-ik and the Heukpaesong leader would never dream of knowing this.

 

The image Jeok-un showed of combining literary and martial prowess was actually a terrible coincidence he stumbled upon while acting recklessly.

 

But deliberately escalating the situation to draw the government’s attention, then using his connections with the government to resolve the situation like cutting through a tangled mess when the Sword Saint and Gwiwol Janma arrived.

 

People couldn’t help but admire this series of events.

 

Words spread everywhere that Jeok-un was truly of the Sleeping Dragon’s bloodline, and that such blood wouldn’t go anywhere.

 

While Jeok-un was thus riding high on success, there was also a place experiencing a sharp decline in contrast.

 

That was Geumhwang Sangga.

 

“But I heard there are signs that Geumhwang Sangga’s warriors helped in this incident…”

 

“No, but why on earth would Geumhwang Sangga help Jeok-un? The enemy who killed Jin-jun’s daughter??”

 

“Tsk, they probably helped Pa-hwan Gwang-rang. They must have been trying to secretly attach themselves to Sadocheon for profit. This is why merchants are problematic!”

 

When rumors spread that Geumhwang Sangga had betrayed the Martial Arts Alliance and sided with Sadocheon to fight against the Tongseong County branch, the Martial Arts Alliance warriors were furious.

 

“Jin-jun? What Jin-jun! He’s more like Jin-chung (Golden Insect)! Truly a vermin-like bastard!”

 

“He’ll pay a harsh price for this! I heard the Sacheon Dang Family is extremely enraged – can he even handle the consequences?”

 

“Indeed, would Dok-se Am-jon just endure his brother’s death?”

 

Dok-se Am-jon was the alias of Dang Cheon-hwi, the head of the Sacheon Dang Family.

 

Despite his cruel methods, he was well-known for cherishing his brothers dearly.

 

“It’s obvious that the severely wounded Sacheon Dang Family will bare their venomous fangs, and Heukpaesong, having lost the Sinmul, absolutely won’t stay idle either.”

 

“Huh, the future of Gangho won’t be smooth.”

 

“It’s frightening, so frightening… What is Gangho trying to become…?”

 

People all chattered while watching Gangho turbulently changing beyond control.

 

Expressing fear and excitement, or interest and terror.

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