Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1204

The old man’s appearance was wretched. Even for a lean physique, there’s a limit, but the old man’s body exceeded that, appearing almost skeletal. The clothes he had worn for a long time were nearly tattered, and even those looked more pathetic because they were loose on his body, which was nothing but skin and bones. His legs, crossed in a lotus position, were so emaciated that it seemed painful just to sit on the ground. All but three of his toenails had fallen out, and his fingernails were thick like those of a beast. The few remaining hairs on his scalp were sparse and sticking out haphazardly. He looked like a corpse that had died from a serious illness. In the midst of all this, his breathing was so shallow that it was questionable whether he was even breathing if one didn’t look closely.

Ssshhh.

Yet, something that spread like a mist was slowly being drawn into the old man’s nostrils. Each time he inhaled the mist, the old man’s eyebrows, fingertips, or torso would tremble faintly. Then, he would become still again like a corpse, and when the mist entered again, a part of his body would tremble or twitch. It was a sight that anyone would call bizarre. But that wasn’t the end of it.

“Huuuh.”

Suddenly, the old man, who had been groaning, slowly raised his head.

Thud.

A sound was heard as something was pulled out from behind the old man’s back. Horrifically, thin roots from the tree directly behind the old man were embedded in his back. There must have originally been dozens of them, but now only five strands remained.

“…You’re too late.”

The old man opened his eyes. A face reminiscent of a skull, and on that face, crimson eyes floating eerily. It was the moment a ghost was born from a corpse. He didn’t look human at all.

“Is this how it ends?”

The old man felt a sense of injustice. At the same time, a strong obsession with life surged up. He truly did not want to meet his end in such an unpleasant place, filled with ominous energy.

“Samaenhyeong… do you truly intend to abandon me?”

The old man’s eyes trembled. His ghostly eyes were filled with emotions such as anger, resentment, murderous intent, anxiety, sadness, and injustice.

“If you abandon me, you will never be able to unify the three teachings.”

His muttering voice was so weak. Even though he had only muttered a few words, his breathing had already become ragged. As a result, the surrounding mist also swayed. The old man glared at the mist with venomous eyes.

“You’re constantly trying to kill me.”

It was then.

-It is to return you to nature.

In an instant, the old man’s eyes flashed.

“Shut up, you cursed ghost!”

The personality that was thought to be dead resurfaced. The old man couldn’t believe it. After accepting the power of the Blood God and beginning to serve him, he thought he had quickly annihilated his previous foolish personality and soul, and that was indeed the case. But as death approached, the personality he thought had been extinguished was resurfacing and speaking to him. The personality of Tongcheon Jin-in, the best fortune teller and Taoist who read the heavens, once called one of the Three Wonders of the Jianghu [a term referring to the martial arts world].

-Do not fear death. We are beings born from the earth and return to the earth. You are the same.

“Shut up! I will never die! I am the linchpin that will unite the three teachings and the first soul to advance to an eternal world!”

-The only thing eternal in this world is the cycle.

“I said shut up! Get out of here!”

Thud!

As his emotions surged and he shouted, two more of the tree roots embedded in his back were pulled out. Now, only three roots remained. He had been forcibly clinging to life by processing the tree’s life force and the Wudang Mountain’s spiritual energy into demonic energy, but now even that seemed difficult. The old man gritted his teeth.

“I will never die. I can’t die like this.”

It was then.

Thump!

His heart beat strongly. The old man’s eyes widened.

‘What is this?’

Thump! Thump!

Something was approaching. As it did, his heartbeat quickened, and the worm that had taken root in his heart began to cry mournfully. Joy spread across the old man’s face.

“You’ve come!”

His body was reacting to the demonic energy of Jeokran. Before he knew it, the surrounding mist also began to churn violently. The powerful demonic energy was approaching, so much so that even the endlessly free spiritual mist was terrified.

“It’s not too late. It’s truly not too late.”

Shortly after. A shadow that cut through the mist was caught in the old man’s vision. It was Yayul Daeguk.

“You’ve come.”

Yayul Daeguk, who approached the old man, frowned for a moment. The old man’s appearance was too miserable.

“Blood Revered Master, is that you?”

In an instant, the old man’s face contorted. A horrifying appearance.

“You! Correct your tone! Show respect to the unique high priest of the Blood Sect!”

Yayul Daeguk laughed coldly.

‘A dying old ghost like you.’

He only acknowledged the one and only god, and he had no intention of acknowledging this foolish priest who had no value if he was not a god.

“Instead of worrying about your tone, you should conserve your strength.”

“You… !”

“You still have the strength to get angry, so it seems it’s not too late.”

The old man felt dizzy at Yayul Daeguk’s disrespectful attitude. Once he regained his strength and met Samaenhyeong, he would confidently demand that this guy be punished.

“Did you bring the Four White Coffin?”

Yayul Daeguk took out a box from his chest. The old man swallowed unconsciously.

“Quickly, quickly give it to me.”

“…”

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you giving it to me!”

Yayul Daeguk silently looked down at the old man. The old man, who had been swallowing anxiously, suddenly saw a cold madness in Yayul Daeguk’s face.

“…You, could it be that you’re trying to kill me?”

“Even if I don’t kill you, you look like you’ll die on your own.”

“You, you!”

“The god has spoken. If the Blood God’s energy and your natural life force are in balance, you can use the Four White Coffin, but if not, it would be better to seal the seed of the Blood God’s energy here and make another person the high priest.”

“… !”

“That’s why I came instead of the Four Kings. There aren’t many people who are well-versed in sorcery and can fully see the internal state of the high priest.”

The old man felt like he was about to vomit.

‘Samaenhyeong, that damn bastard!’

He was treating the high priest of the Blood Sect like a servant who could be replaced at any time. He never imagined he would suffer such humiliation. But the old man did not get angry. It would only provoke this madman in front of him if he cursed the sect leader.

“Then you should give it to me even faster. You can see it. That my body’s life force and Blood God’s energy are in balance.”

“…Yes, it does look like it.”

Yayul Daeguk’s eyes deepened.

“But that life force is based on wood energy, not your natural life force.”

“… !”

“How can we waste the precious Four White Coffin like this?”

The old man shouted.

“You fool! The fact that I absorbed the life force of the tree means that I can be resurrected at any time! I am the one who can convert all the energy of the world into life force!”

“Hmm.”

Yayul Daeguk pondered for a moment.

‘Is it really okay to save this guy?’

He was clearly desperate, but the old man’s words were true. If he could convert the energy of all things into life force, then even if the nature was slightly different, there wouldn’t be a big problem in terms of balancing with the Blood God’s energy. The real problem was this guy’s character. Of course, he didn’t think he would dare to act wickedly in front of the god, but looking at his vicious nature, it seemed like he could become a big problem in the future. Seeing Yayul Daeguk’s gaze becoming colder, the old man hurriedly said.

“Unlike the previous high priests, I gained power by connecting with the Blood God myself. With my abilities, I can be of great help to your sect leader, and with the sect leader’s abilities, he can get rid of me at any time.”

Thud.

Another root embedded in the old man’s back was pulled out. As a result, the remaining two roots also began to gradually shrink. As his emotions intensified, his life force was consumed, and the Blood God’s energy fluctuated. That rebellious energy began to reject the wood energy. The old man gritted his teeth.

“Quickly, quickly give me the Four White Coffin. The sect leader must want to unify the three teachings as soon as possible. Even if you create a new high priest, it might take years to qualify. Don’t you really know that I am the high priest that the Evil Sect Leader needs?”

Yayul Daeguk’s cold gaze deepened.

‘What he says isn’t wrong.’

He was just worried that he might do something disrespectful to the god, but he wouldn’t be able to harm the god’s safety. Because the god is a god. Then the important thing was his usefulness.

‘I was thinking of finding Tak Mu-ja, but…’

Considering Tak Mu-ja’s martial arts, making him a high priest would not be an easy task either. Yayul Daeguk smacked his lips.

“Alright. I will give you the Four White Coffin.”

Sleek.

When he opened the box, a tiny golden worm, as small as an eye booger, was wriggling on the red silk. It was the Four White Coffin. The old man smiled brightly and reached out his hand towards the Four White Coffin. It was then.

Whoooosh!

The mist that had filled the surroundings began to scatter in all directions at once. Yayul Daeguk’s eyes flashed.

“Who is it!”

The old man shouted.

“Give me the Four White Coffin!”

Yayul Daeguk handed the box to the old man and looked around. The old man, with trembling hands, grabbed the Four White Coffin and cut his wrist with his fingernails.

Sluuurp.

As blood flowed, the Four White Coffin went wild with excitement. In an instant, the Four White Coffin escaped from the old man’s hand and headed for the wound on his wrist, chasing the blood. Its golden body was instantly dyed as red as blood. And the moment the Four White Coffin entered the blood vessels through the wound.

Thud! Thud!

All the tree roots were pulled out.

“Kuh!”

The old man clutched his chest and collapsed. His eyes rolled back, and he was foaming at the mouth, looking like someone who had collapsed from malaria. But Yayul Daeguk didn’t pay attention to the old man. He knew that the old man’s appearance was a seizure after accepting the Four White Coffin. The problem was the presence of the unusual masters who had begun to surround this place. It didn’t seem easy to handle them with the spirit ghost disciples he had brought.

“Spirit ghost disciples, protect the high priest.”

Sasaak.

The disciples, who had appeared in an instant, stood around the old man. Yayul Daeguk walked towards the forest and said.

“Stop playing ghost and come out.”

It was then.

“That guy, he really has no manners.”

Jo Yang-jin, grumbling as he walked out of the forest, scratched his head.

“But he has a reason to be rude. A young guy has trained in such great martial arts.”

“…”

“Although it’s very wicked.”

Yayul Daeguk’s lips curled up.

“So you’re old. And your martial arts are considerable.”

“Tsk! Even so, I’m old enough to be your grandfather, so your tone is too harsh.”

“Who said you’re old enough to be my grandfather? I’m already sixty years old.”

“Oh? Really? You’re older than I thought?”

“You’re not one of the current elders of Wudang, are you? Are you from the previous generation?”

“You’re quick to notice. These days, kids are different.”

He was playful, even though he had gauged the opponent’s strength. Murderous intent flickered in Yayul Daeguk’s eyes.

“I’m wasting time. Tell them all to come out. I’ll kill them all.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Jo Yang-jin tilted his head.

“They’re all already out.”

Flash!

In an instant, five streams of sword energy, led by Jo Yang-jin, soared high into the sky. Yayul Daeguk’s face hardened. He could feel an unusual density of spiritual energy from the five sword energies. Jo Yang-jin’s face became serious.

“Do you think you, who are not even a Primordial Martial God, can dare to stand against the people of this mountain?”

“…”

“Look forward to it. I’ll make you a nutritious snack for the main mountain.”