Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1177

With a single, effortless swing of the axe, a rather large piece of firewood split in two. The old man, though gaunt, clearly had been doing this for a long time. Each movement was imbued with familiarity.

After splitting dozens of logs and tying them into a bundle, the old man suddenly sensed a strange gaze.

He knew someone was watching him, but he was neither surprised nor flustered. He simply sat on the wooden platform and wiped the sweat from his brow with a roughly tossed cloth.

Having wiped his sweat, the old man took a long drink from a gourd of water, then put a long pipe in his mouth that was lying on the platform.

*Click!*

With just a snap of his fingers, a fire ignited without the need for flint.

The old man puffed out smoke a few times, then tapped the pipe to remove the ashes and spoke.

“There aren’t many who would come to see an old man who’s about to die. Almost everyone I knew is dead, and it’s been over twenty years since I cut ties with the world. There’s only one person left who knows me.”

He muttered to himself, but someone watching him heard every word.

The old man took another puff from his pipe, then took a sip of water and said,

“Is that you?”

*Swoosh.*

Surprisingly, Tang Hyeong appeared beside the platform.

“It is.”

The old man looked at Tang Hyeong.

His eyes were devoid of any emotion. It was clear that it had been a long time since they last met, yet he showed no sign of surprise.

“It seems like it’s the first time I’ve seen you since you passed the family head position to your son.”

“That’s right.”

“You’ve become quite thin.”

“You’ve aged a lot too, brother.”

Brother.

As the eldest son and direct descendant of the Sichuan Tang family’s former patriarch, he had no one he could call brother.

However, if he broadened his view to include the collateral branches, there were quite a few he could call brother. And among his brothers, only this old man was still alive.

“It’s been a long time, Brother Yu-Gwang.”

Tang Yu-Gwang.

A remarkable figure from the collateral branch of the previous generation of the Sichuan Tang family. He was one of the three from the collateral line who were allowed to train in martial arts that were only meant for the direct line. He was a prodigy who absorbed all of the Tang family’s martial arts at an incredible pace, though not quite as fast as Tang Hyeong.

However, due to his unfortunate birth in the collateral line, he was disliked by the family elders, and he was never able to fully realize his potential. He was a tragic figure.

And it was Tang Hyeong who had taken care of him and other members of the collateral line to some extent.

Tang Hyeong was an arrogant and autocratic ruler, but his attitude toward the collateral line was much more lenient than that of his predecessors. Those from the collateral line who had been frustrated and angered by the insurmountable wall between the direct and collateral lines did not direct their anger toward Tang Hyeong.

Tang Yu-Gwang was no different. However, the awkwardness unique to those with divided bloodlines was still there.

Tang Yu-Gwang tapped his pipe again.

“Is it the Heart Meridian [a vital energy channel in traditional Chinese medicine]?”

It was a sudden question, but Tang Hyeong nodded.

“It is.”

“It’s a wonder you’re still alive. If you weren’t such an anomaly, even a master of the Limitless Art [a powerful martial arts technique] would have turned into a puddle of blood long ago.”

“It’s not just you who’s about to go. I can hear the call of the heavens in my ears now.”

Tang Yu-Gwang chuckled strangely.

“Even the greatest ruler in the history of the Tang family, whom the world calls the Dark King, can’t escape the passage of time. I never thought I’d hear you say such weak words.”

“It’s the natural order of things. It’s not a matter of strength or weakness.”

“That’s true.”

Tang Yu-Gwang took a few pieces of dried blue leaves from a pouch at his waist and put them in his pipe.

“So, why has the former patriarch of the Tang family, who’s about to depart, come to see me?”

“Crane’s Crest Red [a type of poisonous herb].”

“……”

“And a bit of Purple Horn Grass, the raw material for Soul Severing Powder, and Red Yin Fruit, the raw material for Intestine Cutting Powder.”

“Your nose is as good as ever, even in your old age.”

“I’m the one who compiled the family’s poison techniques. Of course, I’d know.”

The tobacco Tang Yu-Gwang was smoking was none other than poisonous herbs. Among them were the raw materials for some of the most potent poisons in the Tang family.

It was such potent smoke that an ordinary person would experience symptoms of poisoning if they came within ten yards of it. There was a reason why he lived alone.

Tang Hyeong gave a faint smile.

“Are you still using poisonous herbs to prolong your life, to prove your usefulness until the very end?”

“You’ve definitely gotten old. You’re saying such ridiculous things.”

Tang Yu-Gwang exhaled smoke and yawned loudly. Even at his age, his teeth were still intact.

“It was Yu-Jong’s last wish. He told me to hold on until the very end. And if I couldn’t hold on any longer, then I could die. He said if the family didn’t reach out to help by then, I should consider our ties severed and die in peace. If it weren’t for that last wish, why would I have held onto this boring life until now?”

He spoke as if death was nothing, grumbling.

“When did Yu-Jong…?”

“Fifteen years ago.”

“I see.”

“He lived a long, miserable life. The funny thing is, I’m now five years older than he was when he died.”

Tang Hyeong nodded.

He didn’t say he was sorry or that he should have come sooner.

He had learned to say such things now, but he still didn’t. He and Tang Yu-Gwang were not that kind of relationship.

And it wasn’t just the two of them.

Everyone in the Tang family was like that, and that kind of temperament would continue in the future.

“So, why did you come to see me?”

“Yu-Jong may not have had much talent in martial arts, but he had the foresight to see the future. Well, he always did.”

Tang Yu-Gwang’s eyes flashed.

“Do you need me?”

“Yes.”

“For what?”

Tang Hyeong calmly explained the events that had occurred in the Central Plains.

And the events that were currently unfolding in Sichuan.

“The Emei Sect [a famous Buddhist martial arts sect] was destroyed?”

“Not completely. Some of their main forces are at Mount Qingcheng. But their main headquarters was devastated, and the sect leader, elders, and many monks were all killed.”

“Hmm.”

Tang Yu-Gwang stroked his chin.

“The Emei nuns are quite fierce. Who on earth came and wiped out Mount Emei?”

“It must have been two masters of the Limitless Art.”

“Two masters of the Limitless Art.”

“I don’t know the exact details yet. But… I have a bad feeling.”

The premonition of a master of the Limitless Art could not be ignored. Especially the premonition of the Dark King, who had walked the path of the Limitless Art longer than anyone else.

Tang Yu-Gwang stared at Tang Hyeong for a moment, then asked casually,

“Are you alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“Even though we’ve cut ties, I still have ears. I know things weren’t good between you and Gwan.”

“The relationship between parents and children isn’t something that can be easily severed, even if you want to.”

“You reconciled?”

“My son reached out to his lacking father first. At that moment, my life was complete.”

Tang Yu-Gwang was inwardly very surprised, though he didn’t show it. He never thought Tang Hyeong would show such a human side.

“So, is that why you came to see me? To join hands and crush those two before your reconciled son’s family suffers great harm?”

“It’s not just my son’s family, it’s our family.”

Tang Yu-Gwang’s eyes wavered.

Unlike his expression, harsh words came out of his mouth.

“It wasn’t our family to me. It was just a cruel master’s house that whipped you if you didn’t bow your head.”

“It will be different from Gwan’s time.”

“How can I believe that?”

“I’ll stake my name on it.”

“……”

“Not the ridiculous title of Dark King, not the status of the former patriarch of the Sichuan Tang family, but my name.”

Tang Yu-Gwang’s face became complicated as he looked at Tang Hyeong.

“Then why didn’t you come to see me sooner?”

“If I had come? Would you have wanted to return to the main family?”

“……”

“Or would you have? Would your resentment have been resolved if you received my apology and my sincere cup of wine?”

“Of course not.”

“You and I have lived like this, and we’re going to die like this. At least I came to ask if you would die with me for the sake of the family at the very end. Isn’t that enough, even if it’s not completely satisfactory?”

Tang Yu-Gwang looked at Tang Hyeong for a moment, then a smile spread across his face.

“Alright. Whether I like it or not, I’m a Tang by blood, and your current appearance is enough for me.”

Tang Hyeong closed his eyes.

He thought that saying these words might be an insult, but he couldn’t help but say them, now that he had changed.

“I’m sorry. For coming too late, and for asking you to die with me.”

Tang Yu-Gwang’s smile became bitter.

Ten years ago, he would have told him to get lost after hearing those words, but now that he was truly close to death, he was grateful for Tang Hyeong’s apology.

“Since you came, even late, those who have left will smile.”

It was a sincere apology and a simple forgiveness.

Tang Yu-Gwang got up from the platform and said,

“Thank you for asking me to die with you. Thank you for making sure our lives don’t end as nothing.”

Tang Hyeong couldn’t say anything.

Tang Yu-Gwang puffed out smoke a few more times, then threw his pipe away and rinsed his mouth with water.

“So, what do you need me to do?”

“I was superior to you in every way, but there was one thing I could never match you in.”

Tang Yu-Gwang chuckled.

“What kind of formation do you need?”

“The thousand enemy soldiers waiting on the northern front are a unit focused on defense rather than offense. Their power is so strong that they are at least at the level of the Nine Great Sects [referring to the most powerful martial arts sects].”

“Those who came to swallow Sichuan wouldn’t be just any random group.”

“I intend to leave them to the Sichuan martial artists.”

Only then did Tang Yu-Gwang understand what Tang Hyeong wanted.

“You want to use the Fengdu Soul Binding Formation [a powerful formation used to trap souls] to catch those two?”

“I told you I had a bad feeling.”

“Even so…”

“Besides.”

Tang Hyeong tapped his chest.

“I really don’t have much time left. I’ll be lucky if I can use even seventy percent of my original strength.”

“…I see.”

Tang Yu-Gwang, who had been lost in thought for a moment, asked with a glint in his eyes,

“How much time can you give me?”

“Of course, the sooner the better. We need to leave by dawn tomorrow at the latest.”

“That’s tight.”

Tang Yu-Gwang took off his shirt.

His upper body was gaunt, but his frame was excellent. His bone structure was even thicker than Tang Hyeong’s.

“I’ll try to finish the preparations by dawn, so wait here. If you have nothing to do, kneel and offer an apology to the deceased elders of the collateral line.”

“My apology to you is an apology to everyone.”

“I thought you had completely changed, but some things never change.”

With that, Tang Yu-Gwang walked to the open space behind the house.

Tang Hyeong, sitting quietly on the platform, took a light breath.

‘I can somehow hold on.’

The thought of summoning other masters of the Limitless Art from other regions crossed his mind.

But he couldn’t. Even for a master of the Limitless Art, it would take at least five days to enter Sichuan. Moreover, as someone who had reached the pinnacle of poison techniques, Tang Hyeong felt it was better to fight with someone from the same Tang family.

Most importantly, Tang Hyeong had a last bit of pride he couldn’t let go of.

The absolute pride of Sichuan being protected by the ruler of Sichuan.

“The sky is so gloomy.”

That night at midnight.

Tang Hyeong and Tang Yu-Gwang set out on their journey.

It was the first and last journey for the cousins.