Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1219

‘……?!’

How long had he run?

He had crossed mountains and rivers for three days and nights. During those three days, he had only rested twice, and those rests were taken in dark forests where no one passed.

Even a master who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts could not help but feel fatigue. He had engaged in a life-or-death struggle with a superior master just before fleeing, so it was natural for his stamina to be depleted.

Moreover, he had used a tremendous technique that shook his upper dantian [an energy center in the body], so it was a wonder he hadn’t collapsed already.

However, Yayul Daeguk thought his own fatigue was insignificant.

The truly important thing was to accomplish his mission. Fulfilling the divine command was his top priority.

And now, Yayul Daeguk realized.

‘They’re gone?’

While resting, he focused on controlling his upper dantian rather than accumulating energy. Thanks to that, he had returned to a state where he could use his techniques again.

That meant he was at a level where he could sense the spiritual energy of the Shadow Demon disciples. Yet, he could not find where they were.

‘Of course, I can’t know exactly. But I should at least know their direction. They’re under a subjugation technique, so I should be able to sense them…….’

Yayul Daeguk’s eerie eyes swept over his surroundings.

The dark night. The stream flowing under the faint moonlight looked ominous.

‘This can’t be. Not even being able to sense their direction means…… have the disciples been defeated?’

That was impossible.

Even if they had not reached the pinnacle of martial arts, the Shadow Demons were fundamentally all-rounders. They were equipped with martial arts, techniques, formations, and strategies. They were also skilled in handling gunpowder weapons and were extremely capable in hand-to-hand combat. They were complete warriors.

Moreover, if they were disciples, they might not be able to win a fight, but they could easily escape from a master at the pinnacle of martial arts. The final gate to becoming a Shadow Demon disciple was surviving the hands of a master who had reached the pinnacle.

There were ten of them gathered. They might have been able to escape even more easily than he could, so they couldn’t have been defeated so easily.

‘They wouldn’t have been defeated. There’s no way.’

He had to assess the situation calmly.

He tried to forget his physical and mental fatigue and even blocked his upper dantian’s spiritual power. Then, he burned his inner energy of the Yin Demon Great Power, making his body more flexible.

As his fatigue lessened, his anxiety decreased. Even for a master, deep breathing was important.

‘They could not have been defeated. If even one of them had died, I would have felt the sign of their spiritual thread being severed. No matter how depleted my upper dantian’s power is, I am not someone who wouldn’t feel that.’

It was an accurate assessment. As he calmed his mind, he could see the world with a different perspective than when he was in a hurry.

Yayul Daeguk’s eyes shone sharply.

‘Then there are two possibilities. Either the disciples deliberately severed the subjugation technique…….’

If he broadened the possibilities, there could be many reasons.

‘No, that possibility is extremely low.’

The Shadow Demons were the pride of the Yin Sound Mountain. To obtain their all-around skills, they needed not only outstanding talent but also loyalty to the sect.

Especially in the case of Hoyeonhap, he was a guy who would never betray the Yin Sound Mountain even if every piece of flesh was peeled off his body. For such guys to deliberately sever the subjugation technique without consulting him? That was impossible.

‘Then…….’

The remaining possibility was one.

‘It’s the Blood Revered One.’

Yayul Daeguk’s eyes blazed.

‘The Blood Revered One was on the verge of death, so he would need some time to recover his original power. However, the Shadow Demon disciples who have not reached the pinnacle of martial arts can be controlled with just a command.’

If inner energy is the foundation for martial arts masters, then the upper dantian’s divine energy is the foundation for sorcerers.

If a sword is a means for a martial arts master to harm an opponent, then words are the weapons of sorcerers.

Incantation is the basis of all techniques. If you put your power and will into the voice that comes out of your mouth, it becomes the sorcerer’s wish, and they can unleash unrealistic techniques into this world.

The reason why sorcerers who use techniques without saying a word are dangerous is that they are like the ultimate masters of the martial world. They can use bizarre techniques even without incantations.

Of course, even if they reach that level, the incantations they chant through words are much more powerful.

Words are important even for sorcerers who have reached a high level.

Then?

‘The Tongcheon True Man, who is the basis of the Blood Revered One, was said to be a man with divine power who had mastered the ultimate Taoist techniques. And he has obtained the Blood God’s energy, so it wouldn’t be difficult to control the Shadow Demon disciples.’

Of course, if he had that much power.

Did he recover enough power to cast a command in that short time?

Yayul Daeguk could not understand. It was impossible even for the high priest of the Blood Cult.

Even if he had recovered his power, there was still a problem.

‘Did the Blood Revered One betray us?!’

The Blood Revered One was a smart man. He would not have betrayed them. Now that the Blood Cult Leader might be dead, the only place he could take root was the Yin Sound Mountain.

‘I can’t understand…….’

At that moment, Yayul Daeguk’s eyes flashed.

‘No. He didn’t betray us. He is a man who is self-willed, but not one to betray us. At least not now.’

Then?

‘If the Blood Revered One has regained his power, then the spiritual threads are hidden by the power of the Blood God’s energy. No matter how outstanding my upper dantian’s divine energy is, it is no match for someone who has directly received the power of the Blood God.’

As a sorcerer, not a martial artist.

He finally reached the answer.

‘Instead of going north, he poured out a command to hide the spiritual threads…… then?!’

Yayul Daeguk exclaimed inwardly.

‘He changed direction! He judged that it was dangerous no matter where he went!’

It was an amazing deduction. Beyond martial arts and techniques, his ability to read the other party’s mind and situation was truly outstanding.

‘If not north, then it’s left, right, east, or west.’

Yayul Daeguk had no idea where he had arrived. He only guessed that he was somewhere between central and northern Shaanxi [a province in China].

‘East and west are both dangerous. Then…….’

Yayul Daeguk’s mind raced.

The distribution of martial arts forces, the strength and influence of various sects, all flashed through his mind.

‘West. It’s the west. If the Blood Revered One led the disciples, then the answer must be in the west.’

He wasn’t certain. They might have tricked him and headed east, or even south.

However, the west was the most likely place. The Blood Revered One’s situation was too bad to use a trick strategy.

‘And…….’

Yayul Daeguk’s eyes blazed.

‘They are moving south. The forces of Yuchun.’

At that moment, Yayul Daeguk could read the Blood Revered One’s thoughts.

Whoosh!

Yayul Daeguk, who had been heading north, changed direction to the southwest.

And at that very moment.

“Look at this guy?”

Yeon Ho-jeong, who was chasing him, had a sharp glint in his eyes.

‘He changed direction? Why?’

There could be many reasons. For now, that guy was running separately from his group.

‘I see. Something must have happened.’

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.

‘The Blood Revered One.’

Just from the fact that the enemy had changed direction, he quickly found the answer.

Yayul Daeguk’s mind was great, but Yeon Ho-jeong’s intuition was like lightning. As he applied the Divine Dragon King’s Technique to his body, he shook off all fatigue and impurities. Like a dynamic training, his energy accumulation ability improved over time, and his mind became exceptionally sharp.

‘They concentrated their forces in northern Sichuan [a province in China]. It was to prepare for any remnants of the Blood Cult moving south. But right now, it’s not northern Sichuan. It’s Gansu [a province in China]. If they start sweeping down from Gansu, they can enter Hubei [a province in China] through Shaanxi.’

The Blood Cult Leader was dead. The Blood Guard Corps, even from that far away, knew of the leader’s death.

The forces moving south could not be unaware of that. Even if they were, they had to assume that and act accordingly.

‘I see. There was a reason why they went west. If they fled to the east or south, they would be caught. If they went up to the northwest through southern Sichuan, they would hardly be chased, even if the terrain was rough. And…….’

A burst of light erupted from Yeon Ho-jeong’s mind.

‘The Blood Cult fanatics moving south will strike the forces of the Martial Alliance. If the Martial Alliance forces move following the Blood Revered One, they can cut them off in the middle.’

It was a terrifying insight. He was one step ahead of Yayul Daeguk.

‘Then…….’

Whoosh!

He could think while running.

Even as Yeon Ho-jeong ran in the direction Yayul Daeguk had moved, he quickly figured out which region, which county, and how to leave information.

‘It would be good to stop the guys moving south, but if there are too many of them, the Martial Alliance forces, already exhausted from one war, will not be able to win.’

Gansu and Shaanxi were already devastated. They could never stop them.

‘Two layers of defense won’t work either. It would be good to contact the Martial Alliance forces, but at this point…….’

The corners of Yeon Ho-jeong’s mouth curled up.

‘It would be better to call out their natural enemy.’

That’s how a day passed.

While chasing Yayul Daeguk’s energy, he contacted the Black Emperor Castle’s information network and the Beggars’ Sect’s information network.

And that contact changed the landscape of the war between the Central Plains and the Three Teachings.

* * *

“How cruel.”

Grand Master Gong Gong’s face was filled with worry as he looked up at the sky.

“The Central Plains are groaning like this, yet how can the sky be so clear?”

It was as if the position of the Martial Alliance Leader had removed half of the remaining Buddhist faith.

Every day was a worry, and every day was a sorrow. Already, thousands of casualties had occurred due to the war with the Three Teachings. That was just the number of Martial Alliance forces dispatched. If you added the lives of the powerless commoners, it would not be an exaggeration to say that tens of thousands had vanished.

‘Is this really the right way?’

At this point, he could not shake the thought that the Three Teachings were really trying to see the end.

Grand Master Gong Gong’s face grew darker.

‘The allied warriors, including Lord Yeon, are handling it well, but…… if we continue like this, there’s no telling how long the war will last.’

Was there really no way to end this war as soon as possible?

‘If only we knew the enemy’s base.’

It was then.

A message that would ignite a spark in Grand Master Gong Gong’s troubled mind arrived.

“Alliance Leader! It’s an urgent message from the Black Emperor Castle Lord!”

“Bring it here quickly!”

Grand Master Gong Gong’s eyes widened as he hurriedly received the letter.

A moment later.

“Yes, that’s right.”

A bitter yet determined look in his eyes.

Not the Buddhist Gong Gong, but the Mount Tai Bukdu Shaolin Abbot, the one called the Fist King, Gong Gong, raised his head.

“How can we focus only on cultivation when the world is groaning like this? So many sects have already disappeared, so it is not enough to just protect our position.”

Grand Master Gong Gong spoke to the informant.

“Contact Shaolin right now.”

“Y-yes? S-Shaolin?”

“That’s right.”

Grand Master Gong Gong looked far to the north.

“The demons sent by Mara [a demon in Buddhism] are pushing into the center of the continent, and it has always been said that Buddhists are the ones who catch demons. Shaolin has been protecting its position for too long.”

The legend of the martial world, the Shaolin Arhats [enlightened Buddhist disciples].

It was the moment when the legends of Mount Tai Bukdu, who had been immersed in Buddhist scriptures and martial arts in a secluded temple, finally jumped into the world of worldly karma.