Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1064

Cheon Hyo-rak opened his eyes.

The world had changed the moment he opened them.

“Young Master.”

Hwa-hyang’s face was flushed with emotion.

“…….”

Cheon Hyo-rak calmly looked around.

‘So, this is it.’

Even before reaching the Ten Stages of the Supreme King, it was possible to activate his senses or amplify his perception with internal energy. [Internal energy refers to the vital energy cultivated through martial arts practice.]

The Ten Stages of the Supreme King signified the mastery of divine skills. The mastery of an unparalleled martial art, even among the Divine Demonic Forest, meant he had naturally broken through the realm of martial arts.

It was only natural.

His enlightenment, as a genius of his era, had already surpassed the eighth peak of Mount Tai. [Mount Tai is a sacred mountain in Chinese culture, often used as a metaphor for great heights or achievements.] Otherwise, he wouldn’t have achieved the mastery of the Supreme King Demonic Art.

The enlightenment of a martial artist, hidden within the mastery of demonic arts.

It was perfectly awakening his body, which had completed the Ten Stages of the Supreme King, and showing him a new world.

‘It’s so different.’

There was a world of difference between consciously manipulating internal energy to amplify the senses and having true energy, circulating organically through all the acupoints of the body, reaching a state of unobstructed flow, delivering information about the world every moment.

His eyes could see farther and in more detail, and his ears picked up the sounds of nature he had never heard before. His sense of smell, taste, and touch were all different from before.

This was the world seen by a master, the realm only a master could experience.

‘It’s still not enough, though.’

How long had he yearned for this moment, even before learning the Supreme King Demonic Art?

In his imagination, fueled by intense desire, he moved like the wind and killed his enemies with deadly techniques, just like others did.

He wouldn’t be able to fully unleash that dreamlike enlightenment right now. He would need time to get used to it, and he also needed physical experience that could not be filled by imagination alone.

But even so, he was now.

Having crossed the mountain he had so desperately longed to climb, he trembled with the sense of accomplishment and pride that only those who had achieved their dreams could feel.

Hwa-hyang knelt and bowed her head.

“Congratulations on your great achievement.”

Cheon Hyo-rak smiled and said,

“I’ve only crossed one mountain. Only after reaching the tenth stage do I realize how many mountains are lined up before me.”

“You will surely be able to conquer those mountains, Young Master.”

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you that I am who I am today.”

“That’s too much praise, Young Master.”

Cheon Hyo-rak rose from his seat.

His body felt as light as a feather. It felt like he could soar to the ends of the sky if he kicked off the ground, and that he could grind rocks to dust with just the wind pressure of his fist.

Power that was overflowing and uncontrollable.

Even in this moment when he felt like he was losing his mind with pride, Cheon Hyo-rak tried hard to calm himself.

Whoooosh.

How could the endlessly heavy and solid Supreme King Demonic Energy move so smoothly?

‘Let’s stay calm.’

The fact that he had dreamed of this moment for so long meant that he had already thought about what he should do when he reached this moment.

Cheon Hyo-rak tried to calm down, and he actually did. The Supreme King Demonic Energy became a well-behaved red hare, swirling around his body and loosening the muscles that had tensed up with excitement.

Even the speed at which he calmed his mind was much faster than before. Cheon Hyo-rak realized that this was the state where the mind, intention, and energy were unified.

“Hoo.”

Cheon Hyo-rak, having lightly exhaled and released the remnants of excitement, felt the clash of storm-like energy waves in the distance.

‘Senior.’

Cheon Hyo-rak’s intense gaze pierced through the distance and captured the swirling snow powder.

“Hwa-hyang.”

“Yes!”

It was a fight between the Supreme Experts. Even if Cheon Hyo-rak had completed the Ten Stages of the Supreme King, he couldn’t interfere in that fight.

However, Hwa-hyang no longer stopped him.

Sometimes, her excessive devotion to her master made him frown, but at the same time, she knew better than anyone when she couldn’t stop Cheon Hyo-rak.

Trying to protect Cheon Hyo-rak any further would be tearing her master’s pride to the ground. If it were before he reached the tenth stage, she would have stopped him even if it meant earning his resentment, but she couldn’t stop her master’s progress now that he had reached the realm he had dreamed of.

If her master was in danger, she would step in. Even if her body was torn apart and she faced a miserable death, she would save her master.

“Let’s go.”

Whoosh!

The two of them kicked off the ground.

Hwa-hyang had run with all her might, and the distance from here to the battlefield was considerable.

Cheon Hyo-rak was using his movement technique for the first time.

The first step was fresh, the second step was awkward. By the time he left his third footprint on the ground, his body was even swaying.

But from the fourth step, it was different.

The best movement technique of the Divine Demonic Forest, the Demonic Emperor’s Wings, began to find its proper rhythm. His movement technique, which had not even reached half of Hwa-hyang’s speed, instantly caught up with her speed.

Surprise and pride filled Hwa-hyang’s face.

‘He’s already using the Demonic Emperor’s Wings!’

As a supreme expert, she knew the gap between imagination and reality better than anyone.

Cheon Hyo-rak’s fourth step, having perfectly understood the state of his body and true energy, and the difference from the movements he had imagined, in just three steps, was a clear demonstration of what a genius sent from heaven was like.

He flew like a shot. He shot like he was flying.

Hwa-hyang had to run with all her might to keep up.

Regardless of his realm, Cheon Hyo-rak’s dantian [Dantian refers to an area in the lower abdomen considered the center of vital energy in traditional Chinese medicine.] held internal energy that could contend for the pinnacle of the world. On top of that, the Demonic Emperor’s Wings was a supreme movement technique that was not inferior to the Golden Bell of Shaolin Temple or the One Reed Crossing the River. [These are references to famous martial arts techniques and legends.]

It was only natural that Cheon Hyo-rak would show a speed greater than Hwa-hyang’s. Moreover, the faster he ran, the faster his speed became.

He controlled the subtle swaying of his body’s center as his feet touched the ground, and his arms, which had been swinging back and forth, stretched back like a bird folding its wings.

Internal energy was not everything. Even if martial arts reached the ultimate realm, everything changed depending on how one moved their body.

Flash!

Cheon Hyo-rak, who had already created a distance of about twenty yards from Hwa-hyang, slowed down again and ran in step with her.

Admiration filled Hwa-hyang’s face.

“You are amazing, Young Master.”

“We’re walking a path where we might die. It doesn’t seem like a situation where you should be admiring me.”

“Then, I can leave, right?”

Cheon Hyo-rak smiled.

“Where are you going? We’ll die together. You swore loyalty to me, didn’t you?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be right for me to just slip away alone, would it?”

“Let’s live with loyalty, us.”

It was the first playful conversation they had shared since forming their master-servant relationship.

They were in a situation where they could suffer fatal injuries from the shockwaves caused by the Supreme Experts alone. It was a death zone, but there was no fear or tension on their faces.

Whoosh!

But that feeling was short-lived.

As they reached a distance of about three hundred yards, they began to feel breathless.

Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes wavered.

‘This is the fight of those who have reached the ultimate realm.’

He didn’t know before reaching the tenth stage. It was because Hwa-hyang had either blocked the overwhelming pressure or they had been far away from it.

‘Amazing. It’s so difficult to even breathe. Hwa-hyang was protecting me even in this situation?’

Cheon Hyo-rak looked at Hwa-hyang.

Tension was also rising on Hwa-hyang’s face. But there was no problem with her breathing. She seemed quite free even amidst the pressure she felt on her body.

It was the demeanor of a master who had gone through all sorts of hardships to protect her master, regardless of her martial arts realm.

‘She’s really suffered a lot because of me.’

The gap between what he knew in his head and what he felt in his body wasn’t just limited to martial arts.

Cheon Hyo-rak felt a renewed sense of gratitude towards Hwa-hyang. She must have faced countless moments like this. Yet, she had never once shown any sign of difficulty.

‘Thank you.’

He would have to repay this gratitude for the rest of his life. And even then, it wouldn’t be enough to repay the favor. She was a subordinate, but she was an benefactor to him, no less than his parents.

Cheon Hyo-rak, putting aside his gratitude, looked back at the fight between the two superhumans.

Crack!

The formless energy that was ejected after the collision created a huge groove in the ground.

It was a trace as if a giant serpent had thrashed about. Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes wavered.

‘Just the remnants of the ejected power are enough to create that kind of force.’

As they entered within one hundred and fifty yards, it became easier to breathe. In that short time, he had changed his breathing and minimized the burden on his body.

And so, the two of them entered within a hundred yards, almost seventy yards.

At that distance, they could see the battle of the superhumans very vividly.

Flash!

So Hyun-rip launched dozens of black spears at Mak Won, who was floating in the air.

Hwa-hyang’s mouth dropped open. Surprise also appeared on Cheon Hyo-rak’s face.

‘Sword Control. That’s Sword Control.’

And it wasn’t ordinary Sword Control. To create dozens of spears with overwhelming internal energy and attempt Sword Control was a realm that was unheard of.

‘No, I know a martial art similar to that.’

Tang Gwan’s Myriad Falling Flowers was like that.

And.

‘It’s similar to the Ten Thousand Demons Advance Formation.’

One of the ultimate techniques of the Divine Demonic Forest’s strongest sword technique, the Solitary Demon Sword, would show a similar power.

‘Senior!’

At that moment, Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes captured something moving like lightning in the explosion in the air.

Whoosh!

Cheon Hyo-rak and Hwa-hyang’s legs tensed up.

Even at this distance, the considerable pressure made their bodies sway.

Even at seventy yards, it was this much. The pressure the two of them were receiving inside would be beyond imagination.

Cheon Hyo-rak’s demonic eyes followed Mak Won like lightning.

A cold, hard energy like steel rose from Mak Won’s body. He was covered in blood, but considering the explosive power, it was no exaggeration to say that he was almost unscathed.

‘But his power…!’

Both Mak Won and So Hyun-rip were emitting unstable energy waves. The quality of their energy was still immense, but in terms of the amount of internal energy, it had fallen to less than half of Hwa-hyang’s.

And those two were finally about to deliver their final blows to each other.

Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes widened.

In that moment, splitting a split second, his senses, which had become extremely sensitive, captured that the immense energy emanating from So Hyun-rip’s spear had slightly surpassed Mak Won’s energy wave.

Thwack!

It was instinct.

Before Hwa-hyang could stop him, Cheon Hyo-rak flew out and unknowingly reached out his hand.

He concentrated all the power he could muster into his palm. The instinct driven by urgency manifested the manipulation of true energy at a speed close to the speed of sound.

Bang!

The energy that exploded from his palm rotated and created a black whirlwind.

It was the ultimate martial art of the Divine Demonic Forest, the Heart-Rending Palm, which he had practiced tens of thousands of times in his imagination.

So Hyun-rip’s momentum, pushing in with the Dragon Soaring to Heaven, faltered. It was because the palm force that had flown like lightning just before the collision was targeting the entire back acupoint.

‘This!!’

Rumble!

With a loud explosion, So Hyun-rip’s body was thrown in the opposite direction.

“Cough!”

Mak Won, who had spat out a mouthful of blood, looked at Cheon Hyo-rak with trembling eyes.

“You?!”

“Ugh!”

The recoil was so strong that Cheon Hyo-rak also had to spit out a mouthful of blood.

But he didn’t die. He couldn’t die.

It was because the Supreme King Demonic Art had automatically activated and began to heal his injured insides at a terrifying speed.

“Senior.”

Mak Won, who had been looking at Cheon Hyo-rak with surprised eyes, then looked at So Hyun-rip, who had been thrown far away.

So Hyun-rip, who had fallen, was not moving. He wasn’t dead, but he was in a state where it wouldn’t be strange if he died soon if no action was taken immediately.

Mak Won, with a complicated expression, looked at So Hyun-rip and sighed.

“I didn’t want this kind of result.”

Cheon Hyo-rak lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“I unknowingly interfered in the match. Because of me, your pride…”

“Looking back, you’ll think it’s a good thing you saved your life rather than your pride. You can use the life you gained as a bonus more preciously.”

Contrary to his words, Mak Won’s face was full of bitterness.

“…This match will have to be postponed again.”