Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1116

After a battle that was both anticlimactic and astonishing, the thousand troops of the Divine Flame Church returned and immediately went into rest. Although they hadn’t actually fought, the mental strain of contemplating a battle against those they once shared meals with had been considerable.

Gi Cheon-Woong returned and went straight to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“Two of them…”

Gi Cheon-Woong shook his head.

“More than two, to be precise. Perhaps three of the Flame Kings came. I could have known if I had opened my upper dantian [an energy center in the body, according to traditional Chinese medicine], but I didn’t want to push myself unnecessarily.”

“You did well. Information about the enemy is important, but knowing that two Unrivaled Masters came is a great gain.”

“Furthermore, I estimate the number of troops behind the mountain range to be around twenty thousand. It’s just an estimate, so I can’t be certain.”

“I was thinking about that number as well.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, lost in thought, spoke again after a full quarter of an hour had passed.

“I saw a massive pillar of fire from afar.”

“I thought I could cut off one of his arms with a single blow. It didn’t work.”

“With the Church Leader’s insight, he wouldn’t make such a mistake. Was there something else?”

Gi Cheon-Woong was inwardly impressed.

Usually, in such cases, people would assume the enemy’s martial arts had improved, not that they had used some other trick.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was already suspicious of the very presence of those troops. That’s why he was asking such a question.

“There’s something called the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art (사흡화귀공).”

“Is it a martial art?”

“To be precise, it’s a study that fuses martial arts, sorcery, and even formation techniques.”

Yang Cheon was startled.

“Such a study exists?”

“It’s a secret technique that Flame King Cheol Heum-Gi has been devising for a long time. He draws formation diagrams on two dantians, which act as both formations and formulas for magical power. Once completed, it allows one to absorb any fire energy in the world, temporarily enhancing the body, amplifying internal energy, and increasing healing power.”

The people present were astonished.

Gi Cheon-Woong frowned.

“Before I went into seclusion, I told Cheol Heum-Gi to stop researching the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art. Ultimately, the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art was also based on the Fire Core. Even before my seclusion, I had doubts about the Fire Core.”

“Hmm.”

“I believe that any martial art or sorcery related to the Fire Core is not good. If the Fire Core is amplified to its limit, the soul and spirit will be shattered in the future, and if one draws on the energy of the Fire Core, it will also consume life force, which is never good.”

“That’s right.”

“But it seems he completed it after all. Cheol Heum-Gi thinks of himself as a scholar and inventor. A scholar’s madness tends to surpass a martial artist’s desire for strength.”

“……”

“Even so, to test it on his own body…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face became serious.

“If one can accumulate fire energy to enhance the body, internal energy, and healing power, it’s truly a dream-like martial art. If we exclude the problems related to the Fire Core, it seems like a flawless martial art.”

“That’s right. But when Cheol Heum-Gi first brought me the incantations and methods of the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art, I realized that the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art, which has only advantages, is not a study that anyone who has mastered the Fiery Yang Art can practice.”

“Then?”

“Unless one is born with an excessive amount of Yin energy, they could explode while practicing it.”

“Only those with an imbalance of Yin and Yang, and who are born with abundant Yin energy, can master it?”

Gi Cheon-Woong nodded.

“I don’t know how he completed it, but it’s still the same now. That was the absolute limit of the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art. Even if he completed it, he wouldn’t have solved the fundamental problem.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

“Whatever the case, if there’s a unit among their troops that has mastered the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art, it will be difficult for the Church Leader and the thousand troops to go to the front lines.”

“If we exclude the Fire Core problem, the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art is definitely an unparalleled martial art. However, everyone has their limits, and decisively, the limit of fire energy that can be absorbed also depends on the achievement of the Fire Core.”

Gi Cheon-Woong’s eyes sparkled.

“Just now, if Cheol Heum-Gi hadn’t fully opened the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art in advance to prepare, he would have suffered severe internal and external injuries. Furthermore, if I had continuously poured out my power, I would have been exhausted, but Cheol Heum-Gi would have also lost his life, unable to control the accumulated fire energy.”

That was the amazing part.

Cheol Heum-Gi was merely someone who had one foot in the Unrivaled realm. He became a Flame King because he was skilled in the Demonic Path, but in terms of actual martial prowess, he was not worthy of being called a Flame King.

Yet, he absorbed Gi Cheon-Woong’s Fiery Divine Palm. Although he wouldn’t be able to withstand a continuous attack, if he could endure several blows that could inflict fatal wounds, it was like carrying extra lives.

At least, against someone who had mastered the Fiery Yang Art, he was almost invincible. Since his body, internal energy, and healing power were all enhanced, it was an even more terrifying martial art.

“If.”

Yang Cheon’s face darkened.

“What if the Flame Kings have mastered that martial art?”

Gi Cheon-Woong shook his head.

“I don’t know about anything else, but the Flame Kings can never master the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art.”

“Why is that?”

“Didn’t I say that abundant Yin energy is needed? Cheol Heum-Gi had a natural talent for cultivating the Fire Core, so he was able to step into the Heavenly Flame realm, but he remained in that state even after several years. He could somehow master the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art, but for the Flame Kings, who possess much stronger Yang energy, practicing the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art would be no different from suicide.”

“Hmm, I see.”

At that moment, Yeon-Wi spoke.

“It’s hard to understand.”

“……?”

“I understand that the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art is an amazing study. But if the opponent hasn’t mastered the Fiery Yang Art, isn’t it useless?”

“Hmm.”

“To come here relying only on that seems like an overly simplistic idea. Of course, an army of twenty thousand is impressive enough.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong opened his mouth.

“If there’s a technique to generate strong fire energy, the situation could change.”

“Strong fire energy?”

“Just now, Cheol Heum-Gi’s power was temporarily boosted by the Church Leader’s blow. If there’s a way, such as an item or sorcery, to generate such strong fire power, the abilities of those who have mastered that martial art could be greatly amplified temporarily.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked Gi Cheon-Woong.

“Do you think they brought fire weapons as well?”

“It’s hard to be sure. At first, I thought they would have brought them, but now I’m not so sure. If they’ve trained a unit in the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art, as you said, I wonder if they would have bothered to bring fire weapons. The distance is too far.”

“Hmm.”

Gi Cheon-Woong said definitively.

“Not all members of the Divine Flame Church have mastered martial arts. Especially the women, who lack natural Yang energy, are not suited to the Church’s martial arts. Of course, there are women who have reached the ranks of masters with exceptional talent, but there are still limits.”

“Then?”

“That’s right. If they distributed the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art, the majority of them would likely be women. Even if the balance of Yin and Yang is broken, if the Yang energy is strong, they can just practice the orthodox martial arts of the Divine Flame Church. However, if the Yin energy is strong, the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art would have been a great help.”

What did that mean?

“Reinforcement of power.”

“You see it well.”

If all the women, who were not many in number, had mastered martial arts with the power of the Death-Sucking Fire Demon Art, the forces of the Divine Flame Church would have undoubtedly increased greatly in a short period.

Of course, the time was so short that each of them would not have grown to a threatening level. However, they had a good chance of gaining enough power to become soldiers.

“Perhaps, in addition to the twenty thousand troops mobilized, there may be many more troops waiting in the Church.”

“I understand for now.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked around at the people present and said.

“Let me summarize. The enemy’s numbers are estimated to be between twenty and thirty thousand, and at least two Unrivaled Masters are participating as enemy commanders. One of them has mastered a strange technique that absorbs fire energy to temporarily enhance the body, internal energy, and healing power, and it is highly likely that they have used a method to generate strong fire energy.”

Everyone nodded.

“I don’t think it’s wise to recklessly clash with the enemy in this situation. However, I don’t think it’s right to just wait for the enemy to attack either.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Yeon-Wi.

Yeon-Wi smiled and nodded.

It was an action that showed his willingness to follow whatever was said or ordered. Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled slightly and said.

“Tomorrow morning before dawn, two thousand troops of the Martial Alliance, led by Martial Chief Yeon-Wi, will attack the enemy.”

The people were startled.

They estimated the enemy’s numbers to be at least twenty thousand, so attacking with only two thousand troops was absurd.

However, they didn’t bother to ask Yeon Ho-Jeong any questions. They believed that he had his own reasons.

“I will conclude today’s meeting here. Martial Chief Yeon-Wi, Vice-Consort, Great Master Mu Heo, Taoist Tak Mu-Ja, and Church Leader Gi Cheon-Woong, please remain. The rest of you may leave.”

After they cleared the area, only silence filled the vast throne room.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was looking down at the map, asked without turning his head.

“Great Master Mu Heo.”

“Speak.”

Since there were many people, he spoke casually. If they were alone, he would have spoken respectfully to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“People say that you, the powerful minister, are the closest person to being the strongest in the Central Plains.”

“Haha, it’s just an empty name I’ve gained from living long.”

“Do you have any intention of proving whether that’s an empty name or not?”

Tak Mu-Ja was startled and looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“You?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned his head and looked at Great Master Mu Heo.

Great Master Mu Heo’s eyes were reminiscent of a clear stream. It seemed like he wouldn’t be shaken by anything he heard.

“Do you wish for this old monk to participate?”

“You have managed Senior Tak Mu-Ja’s upper dantian well enough, so I think Senior can take care of His Majesty’s safety alone for about fifteen days, don’t you think?”

“That’s right.”

If something were to happen to Great Master Mu Heo, Tak Mu-Ja’s upper dantian would also be in danger. It would be difficult to endure here, unlike the peaks of the Wudang Mountains, which are full of spiritual energy.

“It’s important to consider whether to participate, but there’s something more important before that.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes became cold.

“When killing the enemy, do you have the confidence not to hold back?”

Tak Mu-Ja looked at Great Master Mu Heo with uneasy eyes.

The nature of the powerful minister Mu Heo was truly that of a Buddhist. He would try to reform even the most wicked people, but he would not decisively take their lives.

To ask such a person to participate in a war and kill the enemy? It was an unstable choice, regardless of his abilities.

Great Master Mu Heo said calmly.

“The reason why Malco and I were in charge of His Majesty’s protection was because we had nothing else to do and, decisively, because we didn’t want to get our hands dirty with blood.”

“I know.”

“I think of the enemy and our allies as all the same people. The path to enlightenment is open to everyone. Even the wicked.”

“……”

“For me, asking if I can kill the enemy is no different from asking a rabbit to fly in the sky.”

“So, what will you do?”

A bitter look appeared on Great Master Mu Heo’s face.

“……I will try to fly.”