Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 963

“……”

Gi Woo-hee, who had been focusing on the Wonmu Chisang Method [a meditative practice focusing on internal energy] with her eyes closed, opened them again around the end of the Yoo hour [5-7 PM].

A moment later.

“May I come in?”

“Yes.”

The door opened, and Great Master Gong Gong appeared.

Gi Woo-hee bowed her head.

“I greet the Alliance Leader.”

“Haha, did you know?”

“I’ve been a bit sensitive lately.”

Thanks to the Wonmu Chisang Method, her previously weak upper dantian [energy center in the body] had become solid. Combined with her innate spiritual eye, she could see everything around her with her mind’s eye. Her spiritual eye, further enhanced by the Wonmu Chisang Method, had now reached a realm that even masters of the Saintly Heaven [a high level of martial arts mastery] could not evade.

Of course, if they were aware of her presence and completely concealed themselves, it might be a different story, but even at her current level, she deserved praise.

“You’ve become quite thin in the past few days.”

“It’s nothing compared to the Alliance Leader’s work.”

“Don’t say that. What could be more sacred than saving a dying patient? In our alliance, I consider Gi Gak-ju’s [a respectful title for Gi Woo-hee] work to be the most important.”

Gi Woo-hee smiled.

A somewhat faint smile. She certainly looked tired.

Gong Gong Dae-sa pretended not to notice her fatigue, knowing that she preferred it that way.

“Please, sit down, Alliance Leader.”

“Then, I’ll take a moment to intrude.”

A short while later.

The two sat facing each other with herbal tea between them.

Gong Gong Dae-sa, who had been quietly observing Gi Woo-hee, smiled and said,

“I’m reminded of when I first saw Gak-ju.”

“Me?”

“You seemed very anxious back then.”

Gi Woo-hee lowered her head. She had nothing to say.

“But now, as the head of an organization, you seem very stable. It’s truly a good thing.”

“You flatter me.”

“How does this humble monk appear?”

It was an unexpected question. And in the midst of it, he referred to himself as a humble monk, not the Alliance Leader.

A very personal and sudden question.

Gi Woo-hee spoke calmly.

“You appear like a seated Bright King [a Buddhist deity].”

Gong Gong Dae-sa’s question was about how he appeared in her spiritual eye, and Gi Woo-hee, understanding his intention, answered accordingly.

“Is that so?”

“But you seem complex.”

“Hmm.”

“A figure of rage, yet your expression is benevolent. You are seated with flames all around, but none touch your body. Both eyes are closed, and you do not hold the Demon Subduing Sword in your hand.”

“……”

“And upon your seated legs lies a golden staff.”

Gong Gong Dae-sa sighed.

The raging flames of the Immovable Bright King symbolize wisdom that has reached the truth.

But she said that flames were raging all around, yet none touched his body. It meant he was far from wisdom.

The Bright King’s eyes signify the state of his practice. If only one eye is open, it means a state of constant practice, and if both eyes are open, it means the completion of practice.

However, she said that his expression was benevolent, yet both eyes were closed. It meant he was far from completing his practice, and rather, his practice was so lacking that even closing both eyes was not enough.

The fact that he did not hold the Demon Subduing Sword meant he had no intention of cutting off all worldly desires. The fact that there was a staff used by monks on the Bright King’s legs implied that he was a being who had become neither a monk nor a Bright King.

‘Truly amazing.’

Gi Woo-hee’s spiritual eye did not merely see the essence of a person.

It could also see the future that person was pursuing, or their current state. What Gi Woo-hee said now was undoubtedly the latter.

Gong Gong Dae-sa closed his eyes and said,

“Since I have strayed from the Law, it is understandable that I would appear that way. That is why I did not seek to enter the realm of infinite nothingness, nor did I seek to rise above the Alliance Leader.”

“But you do not regret it.”

“That is so. Because I realized that distinguishing between the mountains and the secular world is the beginning of narrow-mindedness in practice.”

“Alliance Leader, you are a great Buddhist.”

Gong Gong Dae-sa, who had opened his eyes again, smiled and said,

“Thank you. Those words are certainly a comfort.”

“It is nothing.”

Gi Woo-hee asked calmly,

“Do you have any other instructions for me?”

Gong Gong Dae-sa nodded.

“There is one strange thing.”

“What is it?”

“To be precise… I don’t know. I don’t know if this is my own intuition or just a feeling.”

“……”

“The strategist said it was completely incomprehensible.”

“Incomprehensible?”

“Due to the Sinhwa Sect Leader’s attack on the imperial palace, we sent Yeon Ga-ju [Head of the Yeon Family] and Peng Ga-ju [Head of the Peng Family]. We also contacted the Mukryong Deputy Leader, and even the Mukryong troops headed to the imperial palace.”

A bitter smile appeared on Gi Woo-hee’s face.

It was an unavoidable reaction. No matter what, the Sinhwa Sect Leader was her father. Just the mention of him was enough to shake her heart.

Gong Gong Dae-sa continued,

“Considering the Sinhwa Sect’s movements so far, the Sinhwa Sect Leader’s sudden attack on the imperial palace is difficult to understand. I hadn’t even thought of it, but after listening to the strategist’s detailed explanation, I saw that it was indeed the case.”

“I see.”

“That’s why I recommended Yeon Ga-ju even more. Yeon Ga-ju’s Mind Sword can exert absolute power at least once in any situation. You are not a martial artist, so you may not know.”

“No, I know how terrifying Yeon Ga-ju’s Mind Sword is.”

In fact, Gi Woo-hee had seen Yeon-wi, who had reached the pinnacle, several times.

And she was very surprised. Compared to before reaching the pinnacle, the size of his upper dantian had not changed, but its power had become incomparably stronger.

It was as if the harmony of mind and body was perfectly aligned. The huge sword that resided in his upper dantian contained the power of a god that could destroy not only physical matter but also human emotions and ideologies.

If he so desired, it could become an absolute strategic weapon in a battle against a master.

‘It’s similar to my spiritual eye, yet different.’

The spiritual eye only looks into the existence of others; it cannot manipulate them.

However, Yeon-wi’s Mind Sword can force others the moment it recognizes their existence. The origin is the same, but the usage is a completely different divine skill.

“After hearing that, I felt something was strange.”

“What do you mean by strange?”

“Isn’t it so? The Sinhwa Sect is a formidable enemy of the Central Plains martial world. It is one of the successors of the Blood Sect that caused the Blood Sect Rebellion three hundred years ago. Even if we only consider the power of one of the three sects, they could inflict fatal damage by attacking the unprepared Central Plains.”

“……”

“The leader of such an organization suddenly comes to the imperial palace? Why?”

Gi Woo-hee cautiously said,

“Could it be that they want something else…?”

“Of course, they would. There’s no way someone of that stature would go to the imperial palace without wanting something. However, the problem is what that something is.”

“Isn’t it to… assassinate His Majesty the Emperor?”

“That’s what everyone thought. I did too.”

Gong Gong Dae-sa’s eyes deepened.

“But no matter how many times I think about it, I don’t think that’s the case.”

“……?”

“Even the leader of a religion, or rather, especially because they are a leader, should not move directly. In the current situation, there are no more than two cases where someone of that stature would move directly.”

“……”

“Either to lead the followers in a full-scale attack, or a strategic outing close to a game, due to absolute confidence.”

“I see.”

“The problem is that no matter how I think about it, it’s a situation that falls outside of those two cases. It’s obviously not a full-scale attack, and even if it were a strategic outing close to a game, why would they enter the Central Plains with a half-hearted force?”

Gi Woo-hee nodded.

“You are right.”

“Then what could it be? Why would he go to the imperial palace? If he had headed to the heart of the Central Plains martial world, I would have understood it as a strategic deception.”

“What are you saying, Alliance Leader…?”

“Why did we think the Sinhwa Sect Leader would attack the imperial palace?”

“Yes?”

“It’s true that the Sinhwa Sect Leader headed to the imperial palace. But what made us believe that he would attack the imperial palace?”

Gi Woo-hee was a little bewildered.

“It’s natural to target the most important figure of the enemy…”

“It’s natural. But as I said, if that were the case, they could have done it long ago.”

“Then?”

“It’s Tongcheon Jin-in [a Taoist title].”

“……?!”

“Tongcheon Jin-in said that the Sinhwa Sect Leader would attack the imperial palace. And after hearing that, Elder Tak Mu-ja urgently contacted us.”

“……!!”

“It’s not something we can just ignore. Even if it’s a lie, we have no choice but to move. It’s like a small checkmate. Knowing that, we dispatched only those who could achieve the maximum efficiency with the minimum force, in preparation for any eventuality.”

Gi Woo-hee’s eyes trembled.

“Are you saying that the Sinhwa Sect Leader’s attack on the imperial palace itself could be a lie…?”

“I can’t be sure, but I don’t think it’s an aggressive intention.”

Gong Gong Dae-sa’s eyes became intense.

“If the Sinhwa Sect Leader has the dignity of an absolute being who has built a high realm.”

“……!”

“That’s why I came to confirm it with you.”

“Me, how can I do that?”

“You practiced medicine for a long time before coming to the Central Plains and treating patients. You also learned internal energy cultivation at that time, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Even if you lived forgetting your surroundings, you wouldn’t have forgotten all the memories of your father. No, rather, if you are the owner of such a great upper dantian, you would remember it clearly.”

“Of course, I remember.”

“What are your memories of your father like? Was he just scary?”

It was a sensitive question, but there was no sign of apology on Gong Gong Dae-sa’s face. It was because the matter was that important.

“My father was…”

Gi Woo-hee recalled the past.

“My father was a benevolent person. He was firm, but benevolent.”

“And?”

“But that changed around the time I was ten years old.”

“Changed?”

“I could feel it. That my father loved me very much. But I felt like he was trying to distance himself from me.”

“……”

“Then, at some point, he seemed to look down on me… It’s not appropriate to say this, but it felt like he looked down on me.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s when I delved into medicine. I took the idea that blood was lowly at face value, and I wondered why people’s blood was different, which was the beginning of my medical practice.”

“I see.”

“And at that time… I also saw the Saeum Sect Leader.”

Gong Gong Dae-sa’s eyes flashed.

Gi Woo-hee’s eyes trembled.

She still couldn’t forget it. The Saeum Sect Leader’s gaze.

A gaze that was so evil and venomous, the gaze of a true demon who was ready to soar to the highest place because he resided in the lowest place in the world.

Her father, whose blue eyes held flames, intense majesty, and an inhuman coldness, and the Saeum Sect Leader, who seemed to be the embodiment of evil itself.

His gaze was so sharp that she didn’t even try to recall the Saeum Sect Leader.

Later, when she came to the Central Plains, the first time she recalled the Saeum Sect Leader was when she saw Yeon Ho-jeong.

When she first saw Yeon Ho-jeong, she was surprised to see that his presence, captured by her spiritual eye, was not inferior to that of her father and the Saeum Sect Leader.

“Did the Sinhwa Sect Leader have any connection with the Saeum Sect Leader?”

“I don’t know about that. However, I first saw the Saeum Sect Leader around the time I thought my father’s gaze had changed.”

“In your spiritual eye, was your father the same person?”

“Of course.”

“……”

“No, actually…”

Gi Woo-hee’s eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

“I don’t know, Alliance Leader. The upper dantian of those who have reached that realm is so powerful that my spiritual eye cannot capture their existence unless they allow it. Just like you, Alliance Leader.”

“I see.”

“But it was definitely my father. Even just by his appearance…”

“The disciples of the Gwanghyeol Sect possess others’ bodies and become different people with the same appearance.”

“……!!”

Gong Gong Dae-sa rose from his seat.

“We are now living in an era where we cannot be sure of anything just by looking at the surface.”