Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1075

As he watched the two figures dart away like arrows, Ki Cheon-woong settled back into his seat.

“Hoo.”

From his core, spiritual energy flowed ceaselessly.

They had been traveling with minimal food intake. Though they had managed to catch some sleep to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, even a master of the Heavenly Transformation [a high level of martial arts mastery] couldn’t escape fatigue.

However, at the peak of the Fire Core Art [a powerful martial art focused on fire energy], such weariness could be quickly dispelled.

That would have been the case for him in the past.

‘Did I push myself too hard?’

There is no end to martial arts.

As a human, it was impossible to unleash infinite power. However, the Heavenly Transformation realm, which draws in the energy of nature to form an extremely high-density inner force, undoubtedly granted power worthy of being called a one-person army.

He should have stopped there.

‘In the end, I’m killing my future to live in the present.’

After his seclusion, Ki Cheon-woong realized the drawbacks of the Fire Core Art.

The Fire Core Art turns a human into fire.

Fire, even when cut off, instantly grows in size. Like that fire, a person who has mastered the Fire Core Art can regenerate severed limbs, though it may take time.

Of course, if the neck is severed or the internal organs are shattered, even the Fire Core Art cannot restore them. But the fact that even severed bones can be regenerated meant that the Fire Core Art was a technique that broke the laws of this world.

That was the problem.

‘I shouldn’t have tampered with the laws of nature.’

Come to think of it, even the existence of a Limitless Master [a martial artist who has reached the pinnacle of power], who cultivates inner energy to reach the realm of a superhuman and wields god-like power, would seem to be outside the laws of nature to some.

However, that was an act that did not go against the characteristics of Qi [life force or energy], the flow of power that makes up this world.

The Fire Core Art twists the flow of power. And to twist the flow, it required not just natural energy, but a process of carving away parts of one’s own body.

It was an equivalent exchange. The Fire Core Art subtly, without the practitioner’s knowledge, took away parts of the flesh.

It wasn’t taking away the original essence of Qi. If the original essence of Qi decreased, life force itself would decrease. In that sense, the Fire Core Art was indeed an amazing technique.

Instead, it created holes throughout the body.

Just like how Ki Cheon-woong’s upper dantian [an energy center in the body] was damaged beyond repair because of his greed.

Someone might have a nerve in one of their limbs gradually die, or someone else might have their bones necrotize, making it impossible to heal even with the Fire Core Art’s regenerative power.

The reason why these side effects had not been properly known until now was that very few Divine Cult members died of old age or disease.

If Divine Cult members did not die before reaching old age, they would mostly pass on their Fire Core to their blood relatives or close friends and then disappear. Those who died in battle were not included in this category in the first place.

‘Even that is amazing, though.’

Growing old and having one’s body break down when there is no fighting to be done?

That’s how most people in the world are when they get old. It was natural for the body to break down with age.

But what if the soul were to shatter?

‘Everyone will be like me.’

Beyond the body breaking down, even if they died, their souls would be torn apart and scattered.

That was the real problem.

In the history of the Divine Cult, only five people had lived as long as Ki Cheon-woong. Three of them were from the generation before the Fire Core was completed.

The other two had their fire energy reverse, went mad, and turned to ashes.

Ki Cheon-woong had thought it was a demonic possession caused by reckless training. But he was wrong.

What he realized in seclusion was that the Fire Core Art itself was a technique close to a vicious demonic art.

The soul is a real concept. The Blood Demon Cult was trying to gain immortality with the Soul Separation Technique, and they had actually achieved some success.

‘We failed.’

The end for those who mastered the Fire Core Art to a certain level was the destruction of their soul.

Ki Cheon-woong himself had almost had his soul shattered by the reverse flow of fire energy during his seclusion, but he barely managed to stop it. Instead, he suffered a deep burn in his upper dantian.

After that, the power of his Fire Core was not the same as before.

Rather, it was fortunate. His Fire Core was gradually losing its power.

It was returning to its original state. To the state before he learned the demonic art.

‘The speed at which I lose power will increase over time. I have to finish this before then.’

His life, where the Fire Core was his life force, was not long. At most five years, or maybe three.

Still, Ki Cheon-woong could smile. At the end of his life, he had abandoned the blind will to conquer the continent that had been passed down from his ancestors and had set a goal to create a proper foundation for his own territory.

That was enough.

‘The Emperor must be happy.’

He had removed the formula that allowed the Fire Core to assimilate with the original essence of Qi and had taught it to him. He had also received his Qi, so while it would be difficult for him to become a master, his soul would remain intact, and his lifespan would greatly increase.

‘Well, he has lived shedding tears of blood for decades, so he deserves this much of a gift.’

Woo-oong.

Ki Cheon-woong, having calmed his Fire Core, glanced at the mountainside.

Yeon Ho-jeong and Mo Ja-seon were already out of sight.

“They’re fast. The young ones are different.”

* * *

Reaching the summit, Yeon Ho-jeong lay prone on a large rock, looking down.

Mo Ja-seon looked at Yeon Ho-jeong as if to ask why they had to lie down, but eventually, she also had to lie down beside him.

“There are many.”

The enemy troops were visible, encamped at the foot of the mountain.

It wasn’t a high mountain, but the slope was gentle, so they were quite far away. Even with their eyesight, it was difficult for the two to discern the individual Qi of the enemies.

However, they could confirm the overall number and the calm military discipline formed by their gathering.

“It’s jaw-dropping.”

The speculation that there were over a thousand was true. However, the number was too large.

It looked like at least five thousand troops. Considering that each of the Three Cults had almost equal power to the Central Plains martial arts world, it was an extremely small number, but considering that each one was a martial artist, it was not a small number at all.

‘Impressive. The combined military discipline is like a blade.’

The military discipline and fire energy carried by the wind.

They were not the elite, but they had not sent just anyone. They had sent troops suitable for the initial battle.

‘There’s probably at least one Limitless Master.’

There was no way they would not include a Limitless Master when trying to fight the initial battle with such a large force. They also knew the importance of the initial battle.

“It seems okay.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a considerable force, but I think we can somehow drive them out on our own.”

It was great confidence.

In fact, one person in the Saintly Realm [a high level of martial arts mastery] possessed enough power to handle a large sect. If Yeon Ho-jeong and Mo Ja-seon, along with Ki Cheon-woong, joined forces, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to confront that force.

However, Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“There’s no way they came with just swords and spears. They might have weapons we don’t know about.”

“We’ll know that when we clash.”

“Decisively, don’t overestimate your own power. Those who reach this realm all make the same mistake. Even if you have the power to tear apart dozens of masters in one blow, it’s not as easy to fight when facing properly organized enemies.”

“Is that so?”

“There are countless techniques specialized for battles against high-level masters, including formations and siege tactics. If we engage in a head-on battle with enemies who are charging with a strategy, and even one of us dies, we will suffer a great loss.”

It was a warning to raise awareness, and it was also true.

In the past, during the Black Emperor era, Yeon Ho-jeong, confident in his rapidly developing martial arts, had fought alone against a unit of the Evil Sound Cult.

The number was three hundred, and they were elite, but to Yeon Ho-jeong, who had a lot of combat experience and was full of confidence, they seemed like an opponent he could easily defeat.

And in that battle, Yeon Ho-jeong had to retreat after only killing fifty enemies.

That was the case even though there were no poison bullets or gunpowder weapons that could harm a Limitless Master. They were just fighting with a strange formation and large shields, but strangely, he couldn’t break through.

If the Evil Sound Cult was like that, then the Divine Cult, and even the Blood Demon Cult, would also have their own secret techniques. That was why war was not just about Limitless Masters rushing in to fight.

“Do they have that much skill?”

“I don’t know. But the Three Cults also have many Limitless Masters. Of course, they would have also developed ways to deal with Limitless Masters.”

People make preparations to survive and win. Even a Limitless Master was useless in the face of that fierce struggle and madness.

Those who didn’t know that would die without even knowing why.

That was why those who didn’t know war were said to be brave.

“Decisively, this is war. We shouldn’t be too relaxed, but we don’t need to be too hasty either. Moreover, the enemy is not just the Divine Cult. We need to observe the overall situation and respond accordingly.”

“I see.”

“That’s also why I came here myself.”

Mo Ja-seon did not say that he was the opposite of them, so wouldn’t it be advantageous.

“We should observe their movements here for a day or two.”

Yeon Ho-jeong, having come down from the rock, sat leaning against a tree with his arms crossed.

Mo Ja-seon also got up and sat next to him.

“You seem to have a lot of experience in this kind of thing.”

“Well, as much as others.”

“Where did you gain such experience at such a young age?”

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.”

Mo Ja-seon’s eyes deepened.

“You must know, since you have reached this realm. We can lose ourselves if we are not careful.”

Limitless and Boundless, a realm that signifies that a human has reached the level of a half-immortal.

Even though they were human, they had become something other than human, so naturally, their vision, hearing, skin sensation, and even their thoughts would change.

“This realm is a land that humans should not step on. That’s why the human mind cannot understand the power of chaos. That’s why there are many people who suffer from madness. They often do things that ordinary people cannot understand.”

“I know.”

“I have constantly tried to escape from those side effects. Are you doing the same?”

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled bitterly.

“I haven’t really done that, but I only have one goal in life, so nothing has changed from before.”

“If that’s true, then your sense of purpose cannot be explained even by the word madness.”

“I am crazy.”

Mo Ja-seon nodded.

“I almost lost myself again just now. If you hadn’t stopped me, I might have gone down that slope and fought them.”

“That’s why I told you not to come.”

“You’re right. Those who have entered this realm must use their heads well.”

Mo Ja-seon sighed.

A cold sigh. White smoke puffed out.

“To have the power to shake the heavens and earth, yet be destined to become a madman. The word half-immortal doesn’t suit us.”

“We are not half-immortals.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s voice lowered.

“We are just warriors who are a little stronger than others.”

“……”

“The moment we forget that, we go mad, and we lose in war.”

Two days later.

Just as they were about to retreat, seeing that the enemy troops were still not moving, an intelligence officer from the Black Emperor Fortress’s intelligence department in southwestern Liaoning Province rushed over.

“Lord! Urgent news! Five thousand demonic troops are descending from the northwest!”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes blazed with fire.

“Blood Demon?!”