Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 879

Whoosh.

A cold wind playfully tousled their hair as it passed by.

Yeon Ho-Jeong took off his outer coat and draped it over Bu-Seon’s shoulders.

Yeon-Wi, who had been quietly watching his son, asked abruptly,

“Did you say that the Mind Sword I awakened is eating away at my spirit and mind?”

“Yes. It’s not at a critical level, but it is happening.”

“And you said you can see it?”

“I can see it now, but I think I had a vague sense of it before.”

“……!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong carefully refilled his own cup.

Yeon-Wi, who had been staring at his son, emptied his cup. Yeon Ho-Jeong refilled Yeon-Wi’s cup.

“Was that why you told me to reach the Supreme realm quickly?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

“It wouldn’t have been just me. I heard you had a conversation with Senior Sword Emperor No. Didn’t he tell you?”

Yeon-Wi’s eyes wavered.

‘A remarkable practitioner who has reached the path of the Mind Sword, why have you not yet transcended the human body?’

‘The mind and body are one. You are bridging the gap with terrifying will, but there are limits.’

Namgoong Seung had said. If the body does not reach a similar level of enlightenment, one will inevitably lose everything they possess.

And Yeon-Wi had also suspected this.

However, he did not know that this enlightenment called the Mind Sword was eating away at his spirit and mind. He had only thought of it as a treasure that could disappear, not that it would destroy him.

“Father… I don’t know how you’ll take this, but I’m actually fine.”

“That’s not true. You’re not fine, Father. You just appear to be.”

Yeon-Wi’s eyes wavered.

His son’s answer was firm.

At any time, in any situation, his son’s actions were flawless. Unlike half-baked geniuses who were only smart but didn’t know which path to take, his son had a remarkable drive.

But on the other hand, he was also someone who cared for his family more than anyone else. Moreover, he still carried the guilt of surviving alone after the family’s collapse in his previous life, so he would never speak so aggressively in front of his father.

‘There must be something going on.’

A change that he himself could not feel.

Yeon-Wi trusted his son. There must be a reason why his son was saying this. If one were to look at only the realm of martial arts, setting aside enlightenment, Yeon Ho-Jeong was far superior to him.

“If that’s how it looks in your eyes, there must be a reason.”

Yeon-Wi sighed.

“I still have a long way to go.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly watching Yeon-Wi, asked abruptly,

“Why don’t you ask?”

“Hmm? Ask what?”

“What part of your spirit and mind is affected, why you can’t feel that you’re not fine, and how you can escape this state. Why don’t you ask?”

“That is…”

“Father.”

“…?”

“The war isn’t over.”

“……!!”

Why was it?

He had only heard a simple fact that he already knew from his son’s mouth, but Yeon-Wi felt a shock that made the back of his neck tingle.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been carefully observing Yeon-Wi’s face, spoke cautiously.

“My attempt to understand my father’s inner thoughts might be considered disrespectful in some ways. But this time, under the guise of caring for my father, I will try to tell you what I see.”

“…….”

“Father, you have achieved your dream.”

“Dream…?”

“There is no safe place anywhere in the Central Plains [the heartland of martial arts culture]. The world is extremely dangerous, regardless of whether it’s the righteous or the demonic path. It’s difficult for anyone to survive while proclaiming their beliefs in an environment where you don’t know when, where, who, or how someone might try to take your life.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Father, you have magnificently proven yourself in such a world. The reason why the Yeon family’s name stands shoulder to shoulder with the most prestigious families in the Central Plains is because of your efforts.”

“…….”

“But Father, you had a worry. A worry that all parents have, but one that no one else can understand the depth of.”

“Worry…”

“It’s about me and Ji-Pyeong.”

“……!”

Yeon-Wi’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“As children of a martial arts family, it is our destiny to go out into the world and prove ourselves. But this world of martial arts is extremely dangerous, and you can lose your life in vain with just one wrong step.”

“…….”

“I have proven myself in such a world. And now, Ji-Pyeong, though young, is also fully prepared to establish his own family.”

He was talented and skilled, but Yeon-Wi had already decided to make Yeon Ji-Pyeong the young head of the family.

In other words, both the eldest son, Yeon Ho-Jeong, and the second son, Yeon Ji-Pyeong, had already grown enough.

For Yeon-Wi, who had lost his lifelong partner, there was nothing more important than raising his children well. Protecting the family that his ancestors had built was also important, but his ultimate task was to raise his children well.

Fortunately, Yeon-Wi’s two sons had completed themselves much faster than others. They no longer needed to be under their father’s wing.

‘He achieved his dream.’

What was Yeon-Wi’s dream?

Was it to be the strongest swordsman in the world? Or did he want to live the life of a seeker who devoted his life to the sword, like the Sword Emperor of the Namgoong family?

Those were not Yeon-Wi’s goals. They might become goals to aim for once this chapter of his life was over, but not now.

To be a husband who would not shame his wife.

To meet his wife, who had left this world before him, in the afterlife and laugh heartily, rejoicing that their children had grown up so wonderfully.

If he could not achieve that dream, his life would be worthless. For Yeon-Wi, Yeon Ho-Jeong and Yeon Ji-Pyeong were like a lifelong dream in themselves.

‘Why did I hone my sword?’

Yeon-Wi was a man who loved the sword.

But he was also a man who loved his children ten thousand times more than that sword.

For him, the sword and martial arts were just means. They were merely fences to protect his children.

And unfortunately, the world was chaotic. He realized that the crisis of the world, which he had not known before, had come right before his eyes only after his son had gone out into the world and fought against external enemies.

That was when Yeon-Wi began to grow explosively. He risked his life to hone his sword to protect his children in that harsh world, before anything else.

But what about now?

“It was peaceful, wasn’t it?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked around.

“After rejoining the Martial Alliance, I have spent such peaceful and tranquil days for the first time in a long time. To put it somewhat negatively, it was full of mundane routines.”

“…….”

“But Father, countless powerful individuals are flocking to that peaceful Martial Alliance. Grand Master Gong Gong is trying to reach the Supreme realm and become the first leader, and even unexpected talents from the Divine Demonic Forest have come. What could be the reason?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened.

“The battle with the Three Sects is not over. Rather, a more insidious and treacherous war awaits us. In other words, the current peace is the calm before the storm.”

Yeon-Wi’s fist slowly clenched.

“Father, you must know that as well. But you have already achieved your dream.”

“Does that mean…”

“Yes.”

“…….”

“Having completed your lifelong goal, your journey has ended here.”

“……!”

“But the first goal has only been completed. You must move towards higher places next year and the year after that. Because human life does not end just because one goal has been achieved.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong emptied his cup.

“To cut through another’s spirit and mind means to have a powerful influence on their spirit and mind. And furthermore…”

“…….”

“It even harms one’s own spirit and mind. Because all enlightenment in the world is like a mirror.”

Distress appeared on Yeon-Wi’s face.

As his son said, if he knew that there was something wrong with him, he should have asked what was wrong. And he should have tried to fix it.

But Yeon-Wi did not ask Yeon Ho-Jeong about it.

Because he was fine.

Because he was satisfied with this feeling, with this life.

His two sons had grown up so well, there was no greater satisfaction than that. For Yeon-Wi now, only the fact that he had achieved his lifelong dream was important.

This was something unimaginable considering Yeon-Wi’s original personality.

The Mind Sword he had achieved was as dangerous as its supreme influence, making him maintain the current state that he desired the most.

His sword, knowing his satisfied heart, had cut away everything else.

“That power is not something that someone who has not reached the Supreme realm should wield. Because it cannot be controlled.”

“…….”

“If you reach the Supreme realm, you will be able to control the rampaging Mind Sword. Furthermore, the ability that has become a demonic sword (魔劍) [a sword imbued with dark or chaotic energy] that unconsciously influences people may no longer be able to be manifested.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“I want to see you lose that wicked enlightenment that has grown on its own because it could not be controlled.”

Pshhh.

The cup that Yeon-Wi was holding turned to dust and scattered.

It was not because his inner energy had been released. It was the energy of the Mind Sword that had unconsciously flowed out that had turned the cup to dust.

It was trying to erase what he was holding in his hand, reading Yeon-Wi’s confused feelings and self-loathing.

Yeon-Wi was startled and looked at his hand.

“The Mind Sword is acting up.”

“Is this…?”

“It’s gradually escaping your control. No, you haven’t even tried to control it. You must have thought that enlightenment is something natural.”

“……!!”

“It’s not your fault, Father. But as a martial artist, this is shameful. Isn’t it?”

“…….”

Yeon Ho-Jeong stood up from his seat.

“Tomorrow is the leader’s inauguration ceremony, isn’t it?”

“…….”

“As you’ve heard, the inauguration ceremony will be extremely short and simple. It’s a very Grand Master-like action.”

“…….”

“After the inauguration ceremony, there will be a small festival. A splendid festival befitting martial artists. And the main characters of that festival will be me and Senior Disciple No.”

Yeon-Wi looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong with surprised eyes.

“At that festival, this splendid eldest son will show you. How beautiful strength is, and how terrifying perfectly controlled power is.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong bowed his head and then turned his body.

Before leaving the Pagun Pavilion, his voice, like a melody, lingered in Yeon-Wi’s ears.

“Do not forget. Father, you are the head of the Gangdong Byeoksan Yeon family, the Judge Sword Yeon-Wi.”