Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1181

1182. Demon God and Dark Sky (1)

“Thirty members of the Old Beggar Clan were killed?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s face hardened.

He remembered each and every member of the Old Beggar Clan. Though he wasn’t close to all of them, as the next leader of the Beggar Clan, he had been taught by most of them.

‘I hope we can meet again in the next life.’

He felt a burning rage and sorrow, but now was not the time to be consumed by emotions.

“What about the others?”

“The remaining Old Beggar Clan members are surrounding Mount Ak. The New Beggar Clan members have formed battle lines in the east and south, preparing for combat, just in case.”

They were the ones who had annihilated thirty Old Beggar Clan members in less than fifteen minutes. If they decided to break through the lines, they would surely succeed.

The New Beggar Clan members were risking their lives, waiting to send information.

“This won’t do. We must move to Mount Ak as well.”

He had already arrived near Sichuan’s capital. He had intended to receive all the information here, but he could no longer endure it.

“Huga, you must remain calm. Even if you go to Mount Ak now, you cannot change the situation.”

It was a statement that clearly brought him back to reality. Ga Deuk-Sang shook his head.

“I’m not going because I’m angry. The Guanghyeol Church forces currently stationed in the northwest are not moving. The information we’d get from that side would be obvious.”

“A battle could break out at any moment.”

“Unless the Guanghyeol Church leader dies, they won’t move easily.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you understand? If they were planning an all-out war, they wouldn’t have dispatched only one thousand troops. That means those one thousand troops are waiting under the Guanghyeol Church leader’s orders. In other words, they are a unit that came down to escort the leader.”

“……!”

“I need to see the Guanghyeol Church leader from afar, even if it’s just for a moment, and then retreat. That’s the right thing to do now.”

“……Understood.”

It was then.

“Urgent news! It is reported that the Tang Family’s Supreme Elder, the Dark King, and one of the most skilled members of the collateral bloodline have entered Mount Ak!”

“What?!”

Unlike Cheolgon Gae, who was startled, Ga Deuk-Sang’s eyes shone brightly.

“The enemy I swore to kill has entered our front yard, there’s no way the Tang Family wouldn’t move.”

“But, for the Dark King to move personally……”

“It’s to save the family head.”

“Are you talking about the Tang Family Head, Tang Gwan?”

“If the Dark King doesn’t move, the Tang Family Head will surely move. He’ll most likely be defeated.”

Ga Deuk-Sang gritted his teeth.

He felt like he understood why Tang Hyeong had gone to the Guanghyeol Church leader.

Their actions were different, but it felt similar to when his master, Hwa Jin-Cheon, went to face death alone. Tang Hyeong was trying to save his family by dying, while Hwa Jin-Cheon was giving his successor a final lesson by dying. That was the only difference.

“He must have taken some measures. However, the problem is whether the Tang Family Head will listen to the Dark King’s advice.”

Tang Gwan’s martial arts were too precious to the Central Plains martial world. He was someone who should never die in such a battle.

“Let’s go for now.”

* * *

Squeak.

The back of the man slowly rising while holding onto the armrest was surprisingly straight.

Slow movements. The sleeves that covered his arms made a pleasant sound.

Even though a river flowed right in front of him, the sound of the chair creaking and the wrinkled sleeves rubbing against each other could be heard. It wasn’t just because Tang Hyeong had good hearing.

‘He’s strong.’

Although he didn’t reveal any aura, the moment the man stood up, Tang Hyeong felt as if the world had darkened.

‘I expected it, but… to this extent.’

Rumble.

Thunder rumbled in the cloudy sky.

It wasn’t a hallucination. Thunder was really echoing. Lightning flashed through the layers of clouds, and behind the fleeting light, the stern roar of the sky poured down relentlessly.

The man who had stood up stretched his arms upwards.

Then, strangely, the man seemed to grow a little taller. It wasn’t that his back was bent, but he seemed to have grown two or three inches taller in an instant.

Tang Hyeong knew he wasn’t seeing things. In that brief moment, the man had really grown taller.

Or rather, it was closer to him regaining his original form.

“Isn’t it nice?”

Still with his back turned, the man looked up at the head of the tall Buddha statue with his hands behind his back, exuding an air of leisure.

“The sleepy, half-opened eyes and large nose make it look lazy. But if you look at it slightly differently, it seems like a state of non-action, free from all worldly thoughts.”

The man’s voice was filled with admiration.

“An artwork that gives the viewer contrasting feelings. It’s truly amazing. How could a mere human create such an artwork?”

Even with the appearance of the Dark King, he didn’t show the slightest sign of tension. Even if there was a difference in skill, his life would be in danger from a surprise attack by a master of the Supreme Martial Arts, yet he still had his back turned.

Pride, confidence, any word would fit his attitude. Even without revealing his true aura, his presence was outstanding. The noble atmosphere was truly exceptional.

A man who had been supported and raised his entire life. At the same time, a man who had reigned his entire life.

Towards him, who possessed the dignity of an emperor, the ruler of all things in the world, Tang Hyeong spoke.

“Are you the Guanghyeol Church leader?”

In that instant, a terrifying demonic energy flowed from the body of Gyu Hong, who was standing beside him.

It was a powerful aura filled with anger and murderous intent. The demonic energy, which had been quietly dormant, spread out like an explosion, causing Tang Yu-Gwang to involuntarily step back three or four steps.

But that was all. He instinctively released his demonic energy, but his actions did not follow.

Tang Hyeong didn’t even pay attention to Gyu Hong. He hadn’t even glanced at him in the first place.

Gyu Hong frowned at that attitude.

It was then.

“Your information is indeed fast.”

The man was still looking up at the stone Buddha statue with his hands behind his back.

“How did you know that I am the master of Guanghyeol?”

“There are no secrets in this world.”

“That’s true.”

The man smiled.

Although he couldn’t see it because his back was turned, Tang Hyeong could tell that he was smiling.

“People say that demons are wicked and ominous, and should be avoided. Yet, they try to get rid of the demons in their hearts by training, atoning, and seeking enlightenment.”

“……”

“Aren’t they truly foolish? If demons are something that people are born with, then demons are the very essence of human nature, the direction to move towards, and destiny. Why try to abandon what you were born with?”

“That’s what people are.”

Tang Hyeong’s eyes deepened.

“That’s what people are.”

Innate stubbornness and arrogance developed into arrogance and dignity as he grew.

Even Tang Hyeong was able to throw it all away as he correctly restored his relationship with his son. The reason why Tang Yu-Gwang was so surprised to see him after a long time was because Tang Hyeong had let go of the demons that had troubled his mind in the past.

With that, Tang Hyeong was complete.

And he realized. This is what it means to be human. If it is the fate of everyone to be born with demons in their hearts, then washing away those demons and completing life is the destiny given to all humans.

The man’s face, which had been smiling as he looked up at the Great Buddha, gradually turned expressionless.

For some reason, even though Tang Hyeong wasn’t facing him, he could read the expression of the demon god.

“You are a peculiar one. May I know your name?”

“Tang Hyeong.”

“Tang Hyeong… I’ve heard that name before. If it’s Tang and the name is Hyeong…”

The man nodded.

“I heard that the masters who have reached the level of a saint are called the Thirteen Seats of the Saintly Heavens in the continent. Among them, the one called the Dark King is named Tang Hyeong.”

“I am that Tang Hyeong.”

“Truly peculiar. I thought that among the masters of the Saintly Heavens, the one closest to demons was a man named Gwak Jun, the Blood Jade Demon Lord.”

It was an unexpected answer. Although he was already dead and gone, wasn’t Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi, the Demon Immortal, the one who was revered as the true grand master of the demonic path? Yet, the man mentioned Gwak Jun instead of him.

Whether it was because he was already dead and gone, or because he didn’t like him in the first place, or whether he really thought that the Blood Jade Demon Lord was closer to demons than the Demon Immortal, it was impossible to know.

“Except for him, I thought the one closest to demons was the one called the Dark King.”

“That’s unexpected. There are many masters of the evil path.”

“Ah, are you talking about the scraps of miscellaneous demons who couldn’t withstand the demonic path and fell off?”

That answer made it clear.

The man didn’t think of someone as a demon just because they had mastered the evil martial arts. He seemed to measure the distance to demons by looking at a person’s character, their actions, and the degree of their corruption.

“I heard that the Dark King’s poison and hidden weapons have caused fear throughout the continent. It was said that no master in the world would want to fight the Dark King, not even the Great Master Mu Heo, who is said to be the best in the world.”

“It is only natural for a high monk with deep enlightenment to avoid fighting. You, a demon, cannot understand such a person.”

“You’re saying more and more interesting things. Perhaps you have killed more people than I have.”

Tang Hyeong thought that the words might be true.

In fact, he had risen to the position of family head after seeing a great deal of bloodshed. Even after becoming the family head, he had made great contributions to organizing the sects of the Southern Barbarians and establishing the status of the Tang Family, but that was for the sake of the Tang Family, not for the world.

If you were to name the person who had killed the most people in that era, Tang Hyeong would always be the first.

“Don’t misunderstand, this is a compliment.”

“To compliment someone for killing many people, you are certainly fit to be the leader of a cult.”

“Harming people without reason is just being a madman. But you, for your own desires, for your family, haven’t you seen the blood of thousands?”

“It seems you’ve done quite a bit of research on me.”

“There are no secrets in this world, aren’t there?”

Only then did the man turn his body.

Fwoosh.

Even before his body had completely turned, the large chair crumbled into dust.

Tang Hyeong’s eyes deepened.

‘Incredible.’

The chair turned to dust just from the external energy that was lightly emitted. It wasn’t intentional, but he had destroyed the surrounding objects.

If such a person were to appear in the world, it could truly be a disaster. Before his skills, he was someone who didn’t even think about controlling his own power.

A person who was extremely free and therefore not hindered by anything.

The lives of people, the wars between groups, and the conflicts of the world would not be more than an interesting matter to him.

“Let me formally introduce myself.”

His appearance was incredibly splendid. His skin, jawline, eyes, and nose were unlike those of a person of the mortal world. His face was as if the concept of beauty had been gathered into one place.

That was why it was difficult to guess his age. If you just looked at him, he seemed like a young man in his twenties, but because of his mysterious appearance and bizarre presence, he looked like he could be in his forties, fifties, or even sixties.

“I am Cheon Wi-Ryong, the leader of the Guanghyeol Church of this era, and the only one to inherit the direct lineage of the Blood God.”

“I am Tang Hyeong.”

The title of Dark King, the position of Supreme Elder, were unnecessary. He was simply Tang Hyeong.

“I have come to melt the Guanghyeol Church leader, the enemy of the Sichuan martial world and a rare adversary, into a puddle of blood.”