Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1056

The starlight was beautiful.

He had run hundreds of miles without rest, yet he wasn’t tired. His body was different from just a month ago, and even more different from two months ago.

It was inexplicable.

He was sleeping soundly every night, but he hadn’t been doing any particular training. Of course, once one reached this level, one’s mastery could increase without actual training, or, in unfortunate cases, regress.

However, there had to be a clear reason for the rise or fall of one’s mastery.

He felt that his body had become stronger than before, and that even the most minute parts of him had been activated.

It was a mysterious thing.

The moment he stepped into the realm of infinity, he felt that everything had become perfect. But as his mastery increased, he realized that what he had thought was perfect was actually flawed.

It had been like that before, and before that too.

He thought this time was different. Truly, his body was perfect in every way.

Yet, he had improved. Only after improving did he realize that his conviction had been wrong once again.

Only now could he truly accept one fact deep in his heart.

‘If there is no limit to martial arts, then there is no limit to the body that wields it.’

If one does not enter the realm of infinity, or even if one does enter but does not realize it, the development of the body will cease.

A body without development can only lead to decline. The world is such that everything, including body and mind, as well as objects and concepts, peaks and then slowly declines.

The young man realized.

His potential for growth was still limitless.

Even if not the body, there was no limit when it came to the principles of martial arts.

The young man felt relief, satisfaction, and a sense of vastness.

He had known before that there was no limit to martial arts. But he had only known it intellectually; he had never truly felt it.

Or rather, he had not felt it deeply enough to feel a sense of powerlessness.

‘It’s vast.’

Someone had said that the universe was infinite.

The young man finally realized that he had stepped into the universe.

Having stepped into an endless universe, he would naturally not be able to see its end. That made him feel powerless.

Having stepped into a universe of limitless vastness, there would be countless principles he had not yet grasped. That made him happy.

He knew that as he grew, the universe would also grow. That reassured him.

If no one could reach the end of the universe, then wouldn’t the battle between martial artists ultimately be decided by who had embraced a larger area of the universe?

‘No, that’s not quite it either.’

The universe is not simply a space.

Within it, there was direction, and there was time that contained the past, present, and future. All things existed, and there were flows of incomprehensible power.

Suddenly, the young man recalled a conversation with his former master.

‘The ancients called the world beyond the sky the universe. Some thought it was a truly infinite world, incomparable to this endless continent. Whether the universe is finite or infinite, if it encompasses all things in heaven and earth, then we are not bound but rather floating freely, wouldn’t you say?’

‘I do not understand your words, Master.’

‘Someday, when you surpass the Four Gods and step into the golden world, you will understand my words.’

‘Yes, Master.’

‘People are free. But no one thinks they are free. Enlightenment is repeated, and it is not easy to expand that vessel. To rise and rise again, you must know that you yourself are truly free.’

‘Freedom…’

‘To know that you were originally free, you must struggle to become free. In that paradoxical moment, the agonizing pursuit can finally be liberated.’

Crush.

The stone he stepped on naturally turned to dust.

The young man, who had stopped walking, looked up at the sky.

“Whenever I have these important moments, I always remember what my master used to say. I guess I’m still just a kid.”

A voice mixed with longing and bitterness.

It was as if he could hear the voice of his master, who had ascended to the heavens.

“You’re already starting to understand the world, and yet you’re still being dramatic.”

The young man smiled.

After looking up at the sky for a long time, the young man took out a letter from his chest.

It wasn’t to check the contents of the letter. It was because he wanted to read the heart of a beggar king that was embedded in the stained letter.

‘You truly left like a beggar.’

Hwa Jin-Cheon’s end, though he had grumbled about it, had been a great shock to the young man.

In the face of death, people tended to show a consistent pattern.

Anger, fear, sadness, bitterness, lingering attachments, regrets, frustration…

Even the young man, who had lived two lives, had not seen many people who had peacefully accepted their own death.

Among them, Hwa Jin-Cheon was particularly special.

He had died truly confident that he had lived his life to the fullest.

Indeed, no one had roamed the continent as much as he had. The young man had been running non-stop for the past few years to eliminate the spies of the Three Teachings and gather the strength of the Central Plains, but Hwa Jin-Cheon had been doing that his entire life.

Moreover, he had analyzed key information and pondered when and how to use it from the moment he became aware until the moment he died.

The criteria for living one’s life diligently would be different for each person.

Even so, it would be very rare to find someone who could face death with satisfaction, saying they had lived their life well, without a shred of regret, like Hwa Jin-Cheon.

‘Could I do that?’

He wasn’t sure.

‘Returning to one’s original form… I envy that.’

Though he had said, ‘Why would you come to a dilapidated house to die alone?’ the young man understood Hwa Jin-Cheon’s heart.

We come empty-handed, and we go empty-handed. Everyone who lives in this world is born from their mother’s womb with nothing.

Hwa Jin-Cheon was a man who was born empty-handed and reached the pinnacle of the Beggars’ Union. For him, who had lived his life more fully than anyone else, death was simply a natural cycle of returning to darkness.

He wouldn’t have wanted to go that way while seeing the faces of his loved ones filled with sorrow. Furthermore, that dilapidated house must have been a special place for him as well.

In such a place, he had called for him right before he died, which was truly an honor. It was an honor not because he was the Dragon Head, but because it was a call from someone who had completed his own life.

Such a great man, on his final journey, had left a gift for those who would live on in this world, tormented by their worries.

That was this letter.

‘I will not forget this gift.’

The young man unfolded the letter once more.

After reading the contents several times, he carefully folded the letter and put it back in his chest.

The young man asked, facing somewhere in the forest.

“Are you there?”

Swoosh.

A masked man appeared like a ghost and knelt before the young man.

“Loyalty! The leader of the Dark Mist Unit greets the Lord.”

The Dark Mist Unit.

It was the best information unit in the black martial world of the era, created by the King of the Heavenly City with astronomical funds over many years.

Only the King of the Heavenly City and the young man knew how many information agents belonged to the Dark Mist Unit.

And only the two of them knew how terrifying they could become in an emergency.

The young man asked.

“What is the latest information regarding the Ice Palace Lord?”

The leader of the Dark Mist Unit briefly explained what had happened.

“Is that so? So, she is heading south with Commander Gang?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“What is their route?”

“It seems they will continue south from Shaanxi, take the river route in Hubei to Wuhan, and then enter Hunan.”

“What is their current location?”

“The report is that they passed by Dangyang three days ago.”

“I understand. Have the men contact Commander Muk. Tell him I will go to meet the Ice Palace Lord.”

“I obey the Lord’s command.”

With those words, the leader of the Dark Mist Unit vanished like smoke.

It was a miraculous stealth technique that was hard to believe even when seen with one’s own eyes, though not as good as Sama Hyeon’s. While he might be inferior to Sama Hyeon in stealth, his movement technique was likely superior.

Moreover, the leader of the Dark Mist Unit was a versatile individual who was not only the head of the information unit but also possessed formidable martial prowess. Except for a few people who had personal connections with the Five Great Commanders, he was the most reliable person in the Black Emperor’s Castle.

Having sent the leader of the Dark Mist Unit away, the young man stretched his body, turning his head this way and that.

“Shall we go?”

Whoosh!

The moment a golden flash seemed to appear.

The young man had already crossed a mountain.

* * *

“…”

In the dark night.

Moyong Gun’s eyes, gazing at the vast river like the sea, deepened.

“It’s quite chilly. Ah, but it wouldn’t be for the Palace Lord.”

“It’s fine at night. It’s pleasant weather.”

“Is it very difficult during the day?”

“The cold and heat have no effect on my body. It’s just a matter of the mind.”

Gang Ryang nodded.

He also possessed a body impervious to cold and heat. Many people possessed such bodies even before reaching the level of a martial master, depending on the martial arts they had learned and practiced.

Moreover, Moyong Gun was an absolute master who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts. Changes in the weather might affect her mind and spirit, but they would not cause her physical pain.

“We need to change boats again at dawn tomorrow. Please get some rest, even if just a little.”

“There’s no need.”

“Well, given the Palace Lord’s level, that’s understandable, but still…”

“That’s not why.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know what might happen. A very powerful expert is coming.”

Gang Ryang’s eyes deepened.

Moyong Gun’s expression and aura were unwavering. But if she said that someone was a very powerful expert, it was highly likely that they were a master of the Supreme Realm [a level of martial arts mastery].

‘Damn it.’

There were countless experts and eccentrics in the world, but the thought of another master of the Supreme Realm appearing made him feel overwhelmed.

Perhaps masters of the Supreme Realm could attract other masters of the Supreme Realm. He had heard that they could sense each other’s presence even from ten miles away, so it wasn’t entirely wrong.

‘But not now.’

Basically, masters of the Supreme Realm were all unpredictable. People like Yeon-Wi, Yeon Ho-Jeong, and Gong Gong were extremely rare.

Gang Ryang whistled.

Shortly after.

Swoosh.

The Dragon Corps, who had been resting in their respective quarters, lined up in front of Gang Ryang.

Moyong Gun said calmly.

“Your training is very well done.”

“Is that so?”

“But they won’t be needed. Against an expert of this level, numbers are meaningless.”

“Even so, we can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

“That’s true.”

Moyong Gun’s pupils gradually widened.

“He’s almost here.”

Shortly after.

Whoosh!

There was an aura that instantly blew away the cold river wind.

Gang Ryang’s eyes widened.

‘This aura?!’

Thud, thud.

As if there was nothing to hide, a person emerged from the shadows of the distant bushes.

The young man, who was walking with only the Black Dragon Hand Axe hanging from his right hip, without the Great Axe of the Mad Dragon, seemed to fit perfectly into the darkness.

Gang Ryang knelt on the spot.

“I greet the Lord!”

The entire Dragon Corps knelt.

“We greet the Lord!”

The young man, Yeon Ho-Jeong, stopped walking and looked directly at Moyong Gun.

“A demon king… you certainly don’t look like one.”