Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 952

Under the starlit night sky, a young disciple, his soul marked by hatred and resentment, spoke with a clear and confident tone.

“Who is his master?”

For the Thousand Sky Dragon, Yeon Ho-Jeong was his first and last disciple. He had poured everything he possessed into him, making him truly worthy of the title. Yet, despite his fervent desire to mold his only disciple into perfection, he had fallen short.

The reason was stark. The Thousand Sky Dragon was, after all, human. Moreover, he was the oldest master in the history of the Jianghu [the martial world], having lived for three hundred years, perhaps even over three hundred and sixty if his time in the Blood Cult was included.

Longevity did not equate to ease. Making difficult things easy required effort, but the Thousand Sky Dragon had focused solely on cultivating his innate talent, neglecting all else. It was only upon meeting his first and last disciple that he realized he had squandered over three centuries.

He had formed a master-disciple bond and imparted his teachings, yet it was the master who learned and realized far more than his student. The Thousand Sky Dragon, who discovered a new world each day while facing his disciple, understood that he could not mend all of his disciple’s wounds.

‘Even if it were possible…’

He lacked the time, but even if he had it, he would not have healed those wounds intentionally. He knew that artificially healing a mental illness would only seal the surface, not provide true healing.

His only disciple held him in such high regard, despite all he had given and the regret he felt for not doing more.

And now.

The disciple, whom he had sent into the world armed only with the means to survive its harshness, now stood tall, having reached the pinnacle of the martial world, resembling a martial god.

Just as Yeon Ho-Jeong was awestruck by his master, the Thousand Sky Dragon was equally amazed by the growth of his only disciple. He had endured much pain and lost enlightenment because of it, but the years he had suffered to witness his disciple’s magnificent growth made this moment feel like a gift.

He could not dismiss the question of his disciple, who had given him such a precious gift.

“The history of the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts stretches back a thousand years, perhaps even longer.”

“…”

“I learned the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts from a hermit who appeared near the main altar a long time ago.”

Main altar.

Yeon Ho-Jeong realized that the main altar his master spoke of was the Blood Cult.

“To discuss that, I must speak of the Blood Cult.”

The Thousand Sky Dragon knew that his disciple was aware of the Blood Cult, and even his own identity. So, he spoke comfortably, and his words were calmly shocking.

“The Blood Cult was a group that should never have existed.”

The Thousand Sky Dragon’s tone was firm. In a way, the Blood Cult was his family, and the successive leaders could be considered his ancestors. Yet, he declared that their bloodline should not have continued.

“The first leader of the Blood Cult obtained a demonic artifact called the Blood Jade and manipulated time and space to create the most heinous group in history.”

“…”

“Many things changed over the generations, but from the first to several generations, the Blood Cult held several festivals. Among the most prominent were human sacrifice and drinking blood to nourish yang [a concept in traditional Chinese medicine referring to the vital energy of the body].”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes widened. Human sacrifice meant offering people as sacrifices to the heavens, and drinking blood to nourish yang meant consuming blood to strengthen the yang energy in the body. In other words, the Blood Cult drank the blood of those sacrificed each year to nourish their yang energy.

“Demonic path…”

“No, that was an act that did not even deserve to be called a demonic path.”

“…?”

“It was merely an evil act born from the greed of those in power who sought to keep their followers ignorant for the sake of their authority.”

“Evil act.”

“There’s no need to talk about defying the heavens or anything grand. It was just the foolish actions of fools who didn’t know their own foolishness. There is no great meaning in it, either good or bad.”

The Thousand Sky Dragon’s words were definitive, his voice calm and devoid of emotion. Yet, Yeon Ho-Jeong could sense his master’s hatred and pity for the early leaders of the Blood Cult.

“But the demonic path is not the only thing that goes against the heavens. There are many evil ways and cruel acts in the world, but most of these acts do not deviate greatly from the flow of heavenly principles. That is also a part of the world, a facet of human affairs.”

“…”

“The Blood Cult was different. There was a clear intention behind their evil deeds. And the moment that intention was carried on through generations, their evil acts were recognized as acts that went against heavenly principles, and they came under the watch of the heavens.”

It was difficult to grasp. Heavenly principles and defying the heavens were concepts that Yeon Ho-Jeong could not easily accept. He could not even discuss the soul like his master, so he could not fully understand his master’s words. However, Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded and listened, sensing the essence of what was being said.

“There were people in the Blood Cult. I don’t remember if it was the eighth or ninth generation. It was probably from the ninth generation. From then on, the terrible festivals like human sacrifice and drinking blood to nourish yang disappeared.”

“I see.”

“But the heavens were already watching the Blood Cult. It was like locking the stable door after the horse was stolen. Moreover, they had only banned the cruel festivals, and the Blood Jade, which could manipulate time and space, as well as the Great Demonic Art, remained, so the downfall of the Blood Cult was inevitable.”

The Thousand Sky Dragon looked up at the sky.

“That is why it became increasingly difficult for successive Blood Cult leaders to have children. The world did not tolerate their blood, which had gone against the heavens with their ruthless evil deeds.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes trembled. The Mad Blood Demon Clan inherited the blood of the Blood Cult leader. But the Mad Blood Demon Clan leaders were said to have had few children for generations. It was exactly as his master had said.

Some guessed that it might be a side effect of the demonic art, but they were wrong. The reason they had difficulty having descendants was because their existence itself was against the heavens.

‘It’s amazing.’

Could there truly be something called heavenly principles in the world?

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was doubtful, suddenly remembered what his master’s thought fragment had said before he ascended to the Yellow Dragon.

‘You have already been to a mountain filled with divine energy left by a being who has shed his human form and become an immortal.’

It was his master’s answer to Yeon Ho-Jeong’s question about how it was possible to put a thought fragment into a human’s mind and make it appear when he reached the Yellow Dragon, an act that was only possible in fictional stories.

That’s right. His master had already transcended the realm of humans. Even if he displayed any unbelievable act or ability, he could only accept it because it was his master. He was born with a human body and reached the ranks of immortals, so it was impossible for Yeon Ho-Jeong, who still had the perception of an immature human, to fully understand everything about his master.

His master continued.

“I was born when the evil deeds of the Blood Cult reached their peak. Ironically, I was said to have been born with the greatest talent in history, and it was true. Before I reached adulthood, I had compiled all the demonic arts of the Blood Cult and stepped into the realm of becoming a demon, or what the people of the Central Plains [the heartland of China] called the Limitless Realm.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong was genuinely impressed. The reason he was able to reach the Limitless Realm in his twenties was because he had brought his enlightenment from his previous life. His body was that of a twenty-year-old youth, but in reality, he was an old man over fifty years old.

His master was different. Not through time regression, but solely through talent and understanding, he had glimpsed the Limitless Realm before he was even twenty years old. It was truly a talent bestowed by the heavens, a genius that defied the common sense of a martial artist.

“From then on, I questioned the existence of the main cult. I devoured demonic art books, as well as techniques, formations, and the writings of ancient sages, and made it clear that the Blood Cult was an extremely abnormal group.”

Even if one had a talent bestowed by the heavens, if one was exposed to a group for a long time, it would be difficult to correct it even if the group went astray. The Thousand Sky Dragon was different. He looked at the world with a more cold-blooded gaze than anyone else, and that was the same for the group he belonged to.

“My family was displeased with me. They knew that I could dominate the world with my talent, but they tried to control me, who neglected my studies as a successor and went out into the world at every opportunity.”

“…”

“While I was wandering between my family’s wishes and my own path, I finally met my master.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed. A faint longing appeared on the Thousand Sky Dragon’s face as he looked up at the night sky. It was a strange thing. Could such a poignant emotion remain in a divine being who had become more than human and was on the verge of ascension?

“My master was the one who was born with the worst talent among the successors of the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts. At the time, he was over fifty years old and had not yet reached the pinnacle of the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts.”

“…”

“But my master possessed a power greater than martial arts.”

“What is it?”

“The eye to see the right path.”

“…!”

“He was a person with a steadfast heart who, once he was convinced that a path was right, could walk forward without wavering in the face of any temptation.”

The Thousand Sky Dragon looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong. At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong saw starlight in his master’s eyes.

“It was three years. I learned the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts from my master for three years. He saw that there was a right path within me, the successor of the Blood Cult and a potential evil incarnate who could stain the world with blood, and he willingly passed on the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts to me.”

“…”

“I mastered the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts in three years. But I could not even reach my master’s feet.”

A master who had not reached the pinnacle of the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts. A disciple who had reached the pinnacle of the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts in three years. Yet, the disciple said that he could not even reach his master’s feet. It did not mean in terms of martial power. It meant that his righteous spirit, his heart about how to live in the world, was incomparably more pathetic than his master’s.

“Is there anything more important to a martial artist than the strength of the body? I thought there wasn’t. My thought was that justice without power is empty. I was also an inevitable member of the Blood Cult.”

“Are you different now?”

“I am different.”

“Do you mean that justice without power is good?”

“Power without justice is not right, but justice without power is weak, but it is strong because it does not deviate from righteousness.”

“…!!”

“Like you have been.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes trembled.

“After that, my master passed on the Four Divine Energies to me and passed away. He was wary that I could be intoxicated by power at any time because the demonic energy I had been cultivating was too strong.”

“…”

“My master showed me the light. He showed me what was right.”

The Thousand Sky Dragon smiled.

“And so, I became a Four Divine Beasts General who built another cornerstone in the thousand-year history, instead of being the successor of the Blood Cult.”