Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 297

Winter days were known for their early sunsets.

As the sun dipped far to the west, Muk Bi stormed into the Pagun Pavilion, fuming.

“Where is that man? I’m going to settle things today… Huh?”

Muk Bi, who had been seething with anger, broke into a bright smile.

“Pyeong-ah.”

“Oh? Sister, you’re here?”

Yeon Ji-Pyeong greeted Muk Bi with delight.

He hadn’t had a proper chance to meet Muk Bi since regaining his senses. Although they had fought together, they hadn’t had a chance for a relaxed conversation due to the chaos.

“You’re up? How’s your body?”

Yeon Ji-Pyeong blushed, looking embarrassed.

“I’m fine. It’s embarrassing. I shouldn’t have been lying down for so long.”

“What are you talking about? It was your first real battle. That kind of shock is normal.”

Muk Bi raised her hand and flicked it above her head.

“Anyway, even back then, you’ve really grown a lot, haven’t you?”

“Have I grown that much…?”

“Of course. You’re taller than me now, aren’t you?”

Although he was still shorter than Yeon-wi or Yeon Ho-Jeong, Yeon Ji-Pyeong had grown to surpass Muk Bi. Considering that Muk Bi was also tall for a woman, his growth was remarkable.

Muk Bi gave an uncharacteristic sly smile.

“You’re tall, handsome, and even talented. You’ll be shaking the hearts of all the female martial artists in the world.”

She playfully nudged Yeon Ji-Pyeong with her elbow, her expression full of mischief.

Yeon Ji-Pyeong waved his hands in embarrassment.

“Female martial artists? That’s absurd. It’s not the time to think about such things…”

“Such things? What kind of things?”

“S-Sister!”

“Hahahaha.”

Muk Bi burst into laughter, a rare occurrence. Perhaps she was happy to have met the first person who responded to her jokes.

Yeon Ji-Pyeong cleared his throat.

“You’ve changed a lot too, Sister.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You seem much brighter than before.”

“Is that so? Well, a lot has happened. It was too bleak to live as a quiet archer.”

In Yeon Ji-Pyeong’s eyes, Muk Bi’s change wasn’t just in her personality.

‘She’s amazing!’

He could feel a sense of ease from Muk Bi that he hadn’t felt before.

That ease came from the dignity of a strong person. She exuded the aura of a master who would never be flustered, no matter the situation or battle.

His sister, who had been naive about the world, had overcome the harshness of the martial world and changed so much. Yeon Ji-Pyeong thought that was a great growth as well.

‘Indeed.’

Yeon Ji-Pyeong’s smile deepened.

‘Before I knew it, my sister is becoming like my brother. They are truly a well-matched pair.’

Muk Bi narrowed her eyes.

“What’s with that meaningful smile?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”

“What is it? Are you hiding something from your sister after all this time?”

“It’s not that…”

Yeon Ji-Pyeong said with an innocent face.

“I was just wondering when you and my brother would get married.”

Muk Bi’s face hardened.

It wasn’t just a surprised expression. Yeon Ji-Pyeong was momentarily flustered, wondering if he had done something wrong.

“D-Did I perhaps say something wrong…?”

“That man!”

“…Yes?”

“Come to think of it, where is that man! Do you know where Yeon Gongja [Young Master Yeon] is? He should have come to the residence?”

Yeon Ji-Pyeong pointed to the second floor with a bewildered expression.

“He said he had something to think about and went into his quarters…”

“That damned man!”

Muk Bi turned and entered the building without looking back. She was so agitated that the sound of the door opening was like a cannon firing.

Yeon Ji-Pyeong was flustered.

‘Did my brother make some kind of mistake?’

Judging by his sister’s momentum, it seemed like something bad would happen if he stayed still. Yeon Ji-Pyeong quickly followed Muk Bi.

Muk Bi, who had quickly reached the second floor, threw open Yeon Ho-Jeong’s door.

Bang!

“That damn man, leaving the training to the kids when he’s tired to death and slacking off here…!!”

Muk Bi suddenly stopped talking.

Yeon Ji-Pyeong, flustered, grabbed Muk Bi’s sleeve and shook it.

“S-Sister. Calm down. Let’s hear what my brother has to say first…”

“Shhh.”

“Huh?”

Only then did Yeon Ji-Pyeong see Yeon Ho-Jeong’s appearance.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

A faint green aura flowed from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body as he sat cross-legged on the bed.

‘Huh?’

Yeon Ji-Pyeong’s eyes widened.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face, with his eyes closed and sitting cross-legged, looked very peaceful. However, the clear green aura flowing from his body revealed a terrifying power, contrary to its serene light.

The unique thing was the flow of his true energy [internal energy].

‘It’s converging inward?!’

Normally, the operation of power to the extent that true energy is released outside the body creates intense energy waves that are immediately noticeable to sensitive masters.

But Yeon Ho-Jeong was different. Yeon Ji-Pyeong only realized how intense his brother’s energy cultivation was after seeing it with his own eyes. When he was in the yard, he didn’t even know that his brother had entered a state of energy cultivation.

This was because the emitted external energy was immediately converging into his body, increasing the density of his power.

‘What kind of martial art is he cultivating?’

At that moment, Muk Bi said in a small voice.

“He’s started.”

“Yes?”

She knew that he wouldn’t easily lose his focus. Muk Bi murmured softly.

“I told you before. That the time for a leap would come soon. But he was checking when to start, and it seems like it was today.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Five Great Divine Arts.”

“…!!”

“He’s fixing the perfected Byukra True Energy and cultivating one of the Yeon family’s Five Great Divine Arts.”

Yeon Ji-Pyeong’s eyes shook for a moment.

‘If it’s an endlessly powerful, deep green true energy…?’

A true energy that felt like the scent of green shade. In a vast forest that even the sunlight couldn’t penetrate, a legendary divine beast that had not fallen was writhing.

There was an unrevealed ferocity there. It looked very peaceful and stable on the outside, but in that forest, there was a mythical being crouching that could tear even the sky apart.

‘Dragon Robe Divine Art!’

Yeon Ji-Pyeong’s mouth fell open.

‘He’s learning the Dragon Robe Divine Art right after the Byukra True Energy?’

The Yeon family’s Five Great Divine Arts were all stable orthodox martial arts.

However, they were also famous for their distinct characteristics. Among them, the Byukra True Energy was the least unique, but it was suitable for overall skill improvement because it made the mind and body stable and harmonious.

The Dragon Robe Divine Art was not an exaggeration to say that it was completely opposite to the Byukra True Energy.

Although it was an orthodox martial art, it pursued the maximization of output and explosive power rather than protecting the heart and energy like the Byukra True Energy.

It was a martial art full of competitive spirit that increased the overall power of the martial arts being used. It was the most destructive and powerful of the Yeon family’s martial arts, and it was more suitable for short-term battles than long-term battles because it also increased the consumption of internal energy due to the increase in output.

‘The reason why my brother cultivated the Byukra True Energy is clear. It’s good for complementing my brother’s nature, techniques, and skills.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial arts could be expressed in just two words without any need for description.

Fast and strong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was fast and strong at the same time. His movements and stances were like lightning, and the power of the martial arts he used was like a landslide.

That meant that he could easily become excessive. Even a perfectly cultivated martial art could ruin the owner’s mind and body if it caused more bloodshed than necessary.

In that respect, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s insight in choosing the Byukra True Energy was outstanding. He had never been swayed by inner demons as he reached his current level.

That was what Yeon Ji-Pyeong was worried about.

‘Is it okay for him to learn the Dragon Robe Divine Art now?’

Yeon Ji-Pyeong recalled his brother’s martial arts.

The decisive hand that split assassins aiming for Gi Woo-Hee like firewood.

The martial arts of a war god who led the situation with a cold eye that was chilling despite the explosive power.

Even while using such exhilarating and energetic martial arts, he never got excited. It was a level of self-control that even veteran masters of the martial world found difficult to show.

What if his brother lost his composure while learning the Dragon Robe Divine Art?

‘……’

Yeon Ji-Pyeong felt his fists clench tightly.

‘It’s a needless worry. My brother is a genius that I can’t even fathom. He’s learning it because it’s time to learn it.’

He trusted his brother. He trusted his brother’s abilities, talents, and some unknown destiny.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. It was closer to a vague anxiety that blood relatives inevitably felt.

How long had it been?

Whoooosh.

A green smoke mixed with his deep breath.

It was a color reminiscent of the poison of a toxic art. But the true energy emanating from his breath was filled with the scent of the forest, which had become denser after the rain.

Ziiiiiiiiing.

It was a strange sound.

A sound like gears turning could be heard from somewhere in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

Even Yeon Ji-Pyeong, who was well-versed in the Yeon family’s martial arts, could not know what was happening inside Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

If Yeon-wi had been here now.

If the Sword Sect of Byeoksan, who was not only well-versed in the Yeon family’s martial arts but could also easily use even uncultivated martial arts to the level of a master just by reciting the formulas, had been here.

Then, he would have accurately seen what was happening in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

A smile spread across Yeon Ho-Jeong’s lips.

The cold sweat that had formed on his forehead flowed down his cheeks past his temples.

‘It’s done!’

It was finally a success.

‘This is the Yeon family’s divine core, the beginning of the unification of the Five Great Divine Arts.’

The Yeon family’s divine core. It refers to a sphere of true energy created by increasing the density with condensed power.

It was the culmination of true energy created by wrapping and surrounding it with hundreds and thousands of invisible thin threads. In other words, it had formed a gaseous body similar to the inner core of a spiritual beast.

The Yeon family’s divine core was the source that allowed those who had mastered all of the Yeon family’s Five Great Divine Arts to use the Yeon family’s greatest secret technique, which was created by reassembling them.

Its location was the center of the human body, the middle dantian [energy center]. The fact that the Yeon family’s divine core was located in the middle dantian, which controlled emotions and the movements of the five internal organs and six bowels, meant that Yeon Ho-Jeong’s nature was that intense.

‘The location where the divine core is located varies from person to person. For some, it may be the lower dantian, and for others, it may be the upper dantian.’

It was a fact that he didn’t know during his time as the Dark Emperor.

In the first place, he was cultivating the Hongcheon Energy at that time, so he couldn’t know the limitlessness of the Yeon family’s divine core just by knowing the formulas. This was because the divine core itself could only be created by mastering multiple divine arts.

‘Yes, this is better.’

His father must also know of the existence of the Yeon family’s divine core. Nevertheless, the reason why he did not cultivate multiple divine arts was because his father had his own martial path.

If Yeon Ho-Jeong had not had the enlightenment of his time as the Dark Emperor, he would have ended with the Byukra True Energy.

‘For me now, I need practical power itself more than a serious pursuit of the martial path.’

Even so, he didn’t know that he would be able to create the Yeon family’s divine core. What he intended was to fill the place where the Byukra True Energy was located with the Dragon Robe Divine Art, so he had not even thought about the formation of an inner core.

‘Four Divine Martial Arts!’

It would have been impossible to form an inner core if the four divine energies of the Four Divine Martial Arts had not been balanced.

And that was probably one of the reasons why the Yeon family’s divine core was located in the middle dantian.

This was because the four divine energies were the energies that controlled the organs of the human body.

“Hoo!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who took a deep breath, opened his eyes wide.

Whoooosh.

In his clear and deep eyes, a powerful force that seemed ready to burst out was pulsating.

It was the power of the Dragon Robe Divine Art, a new power to replace the Byukra True Energy.

“…It’s done.”

Suddenly, fatigue washed over him like a tidal wave.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at the two people with a tired face.

“Why did you come in without a word… Huh?”

Thud!

Yeon Ho-Jeong collapsed onto the bed.

The two surprised people quickly approached him.

“Yeon Gongja!”

“Brother!”

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong snored softly. He had fallen asleep due to extreme fatigue.

Muk Bi glared at Yeon Ho-Jeong as if she was dumbfounded.

“…Isn’t he pretending to be asleep on purpose?”

She was annoyed with Yeon Ho-Jeong.