Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1220

“……”

Ha Eun-Gyo’s eyes deepened.

It had been a long time since she had held the geomungo [a traditional Korean zither], but her mind was so disturbed that she couldn’t produce a good melody.

After sighing while looking at the moonlight for a while, she felt an unknown unease coming from the far east.

‘What is this?’

There was something that particularly disturbed her mind.

Energy? Atmosphere? She didn’t know how to express it, but it was clear that it made her feel unpleasant.

“Master?”

Ji So-Hyun, who was watching the moon with her, had a pure and innocent face.

Ha Eun-Gyo smiled silently and patted her shoulder.

Swoosh.

She pushed the geomungo aside and slowly got up, looking down the hill.

The scenery of a large city with colorful hues came into view. Clear and mournful melodies poured out from various courtesan houses. It was said that the gisaengs [female entertainers] of Sichuan’s capital were very skilled, and the rumors were true.

However, Ha Eun-Gyo could not feel admiration for the melodies.

Slowly, but surely.

As time passed, something that increasingly disturbed her mind was approaching.

‘Strange. What on earth is this?’

The unease was so strong that even her worries about Yeon Ho-Jeong were instantly blown away.

‘It’s like… I’ve felt it once before…’

Yet, she couldn’t remember.

She was now better at remembering people by their essence rather than their appearance. It would be the same for any master of the Supreme Extremes [a high level of martial arts mastery].

It was rare for a master of that level to mistake an energy they had felt before.

‘It makes me feel this unpleasant… It must not have been a good experience. But it feels so distant, yet strangely recent. Have I felt this kind of energy recently?’

She didn’t know. No matter how much she pondered, she couldn’t find an answer.

It was familiar yet unfamiliar. Like fragments of a dream that seemed within reach but faded away after waking up, it felt strangely distant when she focused on it.

‘I can’t figure it out at all. The important thing is that the malice this energy holds is not ordinary.’

Ha Eun-Gyo glanced down at the side of the large city.

It seemed to be in the middle of the city, yet somehow detached. The appearance of the number one family in Sichuan, standing tall around the huge village, was like a solitary, noble dragon.

‘You must be feeling it, if it’s you.’

Flash!

As if waiting for it, a reddish energy soared from the direction of the dragon’s house.

And.

Whoosh!

Something approached.

Within the vast family estate, a man was traversing through numerous buildings like lightning, instantly reaching the top of the hill where Ha Eun-Gyo was.

“Did you feel it?”

“Yes, I felt it.”

The man, Tang Gwan’s eyes, emitted a subtle red light.

It was a vivid glow that resembled flames rather than blood. There was a vibrant spirit and dignity in it.

“It’s an energy I’ve never encountered before… but it’s strangely familiar.”

“You feel it too?”

“Yes, I do.”

“There aren’t many energies that give off this much discomfort in all of the world. At least, it’s not a bright and righteous energy, so it must be a stagnant, sinister energy.”

Even as she spoke, Ha Eun-Gyo felt frustrated.

A stagnant, sinister energy? This statement itself didn’t make sense.

A master of the Supreme Extremes should be able to grasp even the nature of an energy they had felt once. Yet, she had clearly felt the energy, but she didn’t know where its nature was directed.

This was the first time this had happened. The first experience at this age should have its own charm, but she kept feeling ominous.

Tang Gwan spoke sternly.

“Currently, the forces of the Blood Demon Sect are pushing down into Gansu. By now, even if the Gungtong Sect has done its best to stop them, the defense line must have been breached. It’s highly likely they’ve entered Shaanxi.”

“I see.”

“It seems their target is the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance]. Geographically, they would have to face Shaolin before heading to the Murim Alliance, but their movements don’t seem to be a simple scorched-earth operation.”

“That’s right.”

“I would like to dispatch troops right now, but that shouldn’t be done. I’ve been pondering for a while, and I’m glad I held back.”

Ha Eun-Gyo couldn’t help but admire Tang Gwan’s mental fortitude.

The Blood Demon Sect’s lackeys currently advancing south were the subordinates of the Blood Demon Sect Leader, Cheon Wi-Ryong, who had killed the Dark King, Tang Hyeong.

He hadn’t even avenged his own enemy, so he must have wanted to wipe out the Blood Demon Sect’s forces. Yet, as the family head, and as a member of the Murim, he did not move his troops.

He prioritized the big picture over his personal feelings. It was a transcendent mental strength.

‘Yes, this kind of junior…’

He was a junior, but there was much to learn from him.

Unlike herself, who had repeatedly regretted making fatal mistakes and almost harmed the Central Plains, this tough junior was perfectly controlling himself.

Ha Eun-Gyo nodded and said,

“What should I do?”

“The reason why only you and I could sense this ambiguous energy is not simply because we are masters of the Supreme Extremes. You have gained enlightenment in the realm of the Supreme Extremes for a long time, and I have trained the power of the upper dantian [an energy center in the body] more powerfully than the middle and lower dantians, which made it possible.”

“Hmm, that’s probably right.”

“If the identity of this energy is an enemy, there’s no need to lead troops recklessly. We don’t know when or where they will move.”

“Then?”

“Whatever it is, we have to catch it.”

Crack.

A chilling sound echoed from Tang Gwan’s hands.

“This is the land of Sichuan that my father protected with his life. We cannot be defeated again by some unknown, grotesque demon. If the identity of this energy is an enemy, I will obliterate it without leaving a single piece of flesh in this world.”

“Good. Then I will help you.”

The Blood Venerable had forgotten. No, he couldn’t have known.

He knew about the death of the Dark King, Tang Hyeong, through the appearance of the Blood Demon Sect Leader, but he didn’t know that there were two other masters in Sichuan who were just as powerful.

One of them was a master who had dominated the same era as Tang Hyeong, and the other was the son who had succeeded the Dark King as the ruler of Sichuan.

The power of those two would be difficult for even the Blood Venerable to handle.

* * *

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

Whoosh.

The ominous air that had been slowly approaching turned into a fierce heat, tingling his entire body.

‘This is?’

It was a very familiar energy.

Yet, there was so much of it. Not just a few hundred or a few thousand, but a massive force of tens of thousands.

Even though the distance was so far, he could feel it on his skin. His senses, which he originally possessed, seemed to have become twice as sensitive.

Rumble.

Dust fell from the ceiling of the mind’s dwelling where the Yellow Dragon resided.

The sleeping Yellow Dragon raised its head. Then, as if a battle was about to break out, his entire body was filled with power and a proper tension.

‘Demonic energy.’

That’s right.

The swirling demonic energy was detected from a much greater distance than usual.

While fighting the Blood Demon Sect Leader, Cheon Wi-Ryong, the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art had forcibly grown. Due to that growth, he could read the energy of the demonic path with exceptional sensitivity.

Not to mention those who were burning even such a massive military force.

‘They’ve already entered Shaanxi.’

From Gansu to Shaanxi.

It was a natural path. That’s why it was dangerous.

In the middle of the path they were taking, there was the Jongnam Sect. They had suffered great damage in the past Jongnam War, and they had lost many troops again in this Shaanxi War.

Now, the Jongnam Sect had only a few elite members and about a hundred promising disciples left. And it would be the same for the Hwasan Sect.

‘The fact that they’ve come this far from Gansu means that many of the Gungtong Sect’s swordsmen have also died.’

In the end, three of the nine major sects representing the north had lost their power. It would take more than a generation to regain their original strength.

The important thing was not that.

‘If their goal is to pass through, they will avoid fighting as much as possible. Even if they don’t ignore those who attack them, they will try to push into the central region in the shortest amount of time.’

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong hesitated.

‘I did call Shaolin, but…’

If it was Grand Master Gong Gong, he would definitely summon the Arhats [enlightened Buddhist disciples] of Shaolin. He might even mobilize all the troops except for the minimum number of people guarding the Shaolin gates.

Shaolin Temple.

It was the Tai Shan Bukdu, the pinnacle of the righteous martial world, in any era. No one knew the true power of Shaolin.

However, even if Shaolin was strong, it wouldn’t be enough to face one of the three religions. What made them great was not only their amazing martial arts and military strength, but also their respectable attitude and influence.

‘Yael Dae-Geuk…’

Yeon Ho-Jeong hoped that Yael Dae-Geuk would become truly cowardly. He hoped that he would head to Yeong-Eum Mountain without caring about anything.

But that guy had turned southwest. Of course, Yeong-Eum Mountain wouldn’t be there.

Then?

‘I have no choice.’

If Yael Dae-Geuk had gone north.

And if he had headed to Yeong-Eum Mountain, Yeon Ho-Jeong was going to follow him coldly. He was not going to get involved in the bloody war in the Central Plains.

That was because he thought it was the way to end the war faster. Besides, there were many other masters in the Central Plains besides him.

However.

If Yael Dae-Geuk was heading southwest, the story was different.

‘Not everything goes according to my predictions. If this land, if the situation is calling for me…’

The approaching forces of the Blood Demon Sect, the Arhats of Shaolin going to stop them.

The Murim Alliance forces spreading a net in southern Henan, and the devastated Gansu and Shaanxi.

It was a terribly complicated situation, but it was not complicated at all to make one choice.

Kwaaaang!!

He moved like a ray of light.

There was no need for further concealment. Thanks to the fatigue and impurities he had blown away with the wind, he was in perfect condition, or rather, he was spreading the power of his body and true energy, which were more vibrant than ever.

Hwaaaaaaak!!

A golden shockwave that had been dormant suddenly exploded.

Yael Dae-Geuk, who was advancing ten li [a Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 meters] ahead, felt a terrifying energy wave rising up his spine, making him stop breathing.

‘This is?!’

It was as if a giant dragon was writhing and chasing after him. A body hundreds of feet long, a white beard flowing like waves, and thunder and lightning were raging between two horns that were hundreds of times thicker than those of a deer.

Even though he didn’t look back, his entire vision was filled with the illusion of a dragon. It was the illusion of a Golden Dragon, no, a Yellow Dragon. It was the power of the king of all divine beasts, the emperor himself who ruled the world.

Yael Dae-Geuk turned around.

Flash!!

He was coming through the sky.

But he was fast. He seemed to be at least twice as fast as the sword technique he had used to catch up with the levitation technique back then.

An uncontrollable, overflowing power. A mysterious dragon riding a black, huge axe, holding a pure white hand axe diagonally in one hand, was flying like a storm, emitting a tremendous killing intent.

“That bastard!!”

He didn’t believe it. He suspected it.

But he never imagined that the guy would be chasing after him directly. He hadn’t felt his energy.

Pa pa pang!

He squeezed out all the power of his upper dantian and increased his speed. Yael Dae-Geuk’s figure instantly leaped over a hill.

But he was slow.

It was because he was not in his best condition due to the fatigue and internal energy consumption that he had not been able to resolve for more than three days. Even if he was in perfect condition, he couldn’t gain an advantage in speed, but the opponent was shooting towards him at a much faster speed than before, as if he had chewed on a ten-thousand-year-old wild ginseng.

He was a master who had reached the ultimate. The only warrior in the martial world who was the nemesis of all demons and could stand against the gods was flying towards him, emitting a tremendous killing intent.

Yael Dae-Geuk shouted without realizing it.

“Yeon Ho-Jeong!!”

“I’ll deal with you later.”

Kwaaaang!

Yael Dae-Geuk was sent flying, spitting blood from the Golden Dragon Sky Piercing Palm strike.