Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1237

“Hmm?”

Yeon-wi turned his head.

“What is it?”

Even at Moyong Gun’s question, Yeon-wi didn’t answer. He was just looking at the far east with shining eyes.

Moyong Gun was not surprised by Yeon-wi’s behavior.

Yeon-wi sometimes showed such a look. He would often say that his vast upper dantian [a key energy center in the body, associated with spiritual power] ability showed him something ominous, like fortune-tellers who could see the future, making him feel uneasy.

Moyong Gun spoke calmly.

“Please understand. This man sometimes loses his mind like this.”

“It’s quite alright.”

The person who met Moyong Gun representing Botaam.

After their first meeting, they met again after several days. It was to discuss in detail how Botaam would operate in the future.

Surprisingly, Botaam’s representative was Yeon-sim.

“I couldn’t say it then, but I always wanted to meet Lord Yeon.”

Only then did Yeon-wi turn his head to Yeon-sim.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Yeon-sim smiled.

There was the next Sword Empress of Botaam, with a strong spirit and the dignity of a great master.

“Lord Yeon, or should I say, Lord of the Castle now. I have learned a lot thanks to you. If it weren’t for you, I would still be wandering in delusion, living underground.”

“That my son has been such a great help to the next Sword Empress, as a father, I cannot help but feel honored.”

“Of course, I learned more from the Vice Lord of Mukryong, or rather, the Supreme Elder of the Black Emperor Castle. Originally, I was going to be with him, but he sent me to Botaam, saying the world had changed.”

Yeon-sim bowed her head.

“After going around and around, we have ended up together like this. The ties between people are truly mysterious.”

A young person spoke like a high monk who had accumulated decades of Buddhist power.

That was Yeon-sim now. Her martial arts had reached a level comparable to Moyong Gun, and she had a great enlightenment that accompanied her martial arts.

“Also, I am not the next Sword Empress. There is Jeong-an, the successor of Bota Cheonmun [a specific lineage or school within Botaam], who has a great connection with Lord Yeon. Her achievements are greater than mine.”

“Greater than you now?”

“Yes.”

Yeon-wi shook his head.

“The potential of the mysterious sect Botaam is no less than the Nine Great Sects and the Six Families. It seems that was true.”

“You flatter me. I have wandered too far, lost in delusion. I am still lacking.”

“Those who are enlightened are never satisfied with themselves.”

“I am just stating the facts.”

Yeon-wi raised his hand.

“Let’s stop this conversation now. Soon, Vice Commander-in-Chief Yang will also come, so let’s save our reunion for then.”

“Understood.”

Yeon-wi got up from his seat.

“Regarding strategy, Moyong Clan Leader here is far more skilled than I am. Talk to him.”

Moyong Gun glanced at Yeon-wi.

“You said we would look at it together, why are you leaving?”

“It’s ominous.”

“That ominous feeling of yours, it’s always there.”

“I’ll go first.”

“Alright. If you have time later, let’s have a simple drink.”

“If I have time.”

Before they knew it, the two had become close enough to have such conversations. Of course, they were not consciously trying to get any closer, but human relationships did not always stay within the lines drawn.

With that, Yeon-wi left the two behind and went outside.

Fwoooosh!

He unfolded the Thousand Miles Cloud Travel [a technique for rapid movement] and immediately moved to the eastern end of the imperial palace.

‘Something is strange.’

After completing the Yeon Family Divine Elixir [a powerful cultivation technique], his precognitive abilities, which had been running wild, had calmed down.

But recently, his head had been strangely aching. It was as if something dangerous was approaching, sending him a signal.

‘There haven’t been many times like this. Whether it was Ho-jeong or Ji-pyeong, most of the precognitive sensations I felt were directed towards people.’

The deeper his upper dantian power became, the clearer his precognition became.

The upper dantian is directly connected to the realm of the divine. The reason why Taoist masters who have ascended to immortality accumulate Yangshin [a form of spiritual energy] in their upper dantian is that the upper dantian, which handles the power of the soul, is the last place where one can shed their human form.

It is a place that handles spiritual power, the power of the divine, so one can see what ordinary people cannot. In the meantime, Yeon-wi’s upper dantian developed in a different way from most of the Limitless Masters, developing in a way that allowed him to see through the other side of the world rather than adding to the power of his martial arts.

Yeon-wi himself did not know why his upper dantian was different from others.

The important thing was that his upper dantian was working in a similar direction to that of the Tongcheon True Man, who was called the Blood Venerable Master.

‘It’s just endlessly ominous. It feels like dark clouds are hanging over this imperial palace… no, over the entire Gangso Province.’

Something unimaginable was approaching. Yeon-wi judged so.

Sreuk.

Yeon-wi, receiving greetings from the imperial palace guards, climbed to the top of the wall and looked towards the east end.

In a place not visible from here, there was the Yeon Family. And beyond the Yeon Family, there was the vast sea.

Yeon-wi closed his eyes.

Whoooom!

He moved his upper dantian, the Yeon Family Divine Elixir, and began to release divine energy.

‘…I don’t know.’

Even though he released his well-organized divine energy to its limit, he could not figure out the identity of this ominous feeling.

It was as if only his soul had left his body, freely floating in the sky and looking down at the world. Other than that overwhelming freedom, nothing had changed.

‘I really don’t know. This frustrating feeling is a first. Even during the imperial palace battle, it wasn’t this ominous.’

Sreureuk.

He folded his divine energy and tightened the Yeon Family Divine Elixir. Then, the infinite freedom disappeared, and his five senses returned.

It was when Yeon-wi opened his eyes.

“Not good.”

Startled, Yeon-wi looked to his side.

Surprisingly, Gok-gyeong was there.

“Lord Gok, how?!”

“It hasn’t been long since I entered the palace.”

Joy filled Yeon-wi’s face.

“It’s really good that you’ve returned.”

“My return is a given, and now is not the time to talk about me, but rather to check on Lord Yeon’s condition.”

“What do you mean….”

As if not wanting to waste time on pleasantries, Gok-gyeong spoke in a firm voice.

“I have mastered the Evil Art, so I am ignorant of the power of the Orthodox Divine Art that handles the upper dantian. But because I have mastered the Evil Art, I see more than others.”

“Yes?”

“The Evil Art at its peak does not pollute the mind and spirit. It focuses on managing the upper and middle dantian so that they do not waver, rather than strengthening them.”

“Ah, is that so.”

Anyone who practices the Evil Art will have their mind clouded. The fact that one becomes honest with their desires and even their subjectivity is shaken is because the evil and demonic energy devour human reason.

The Evil Art of the highest level, in a way, would have the profundity of the incantation that correctly protects the practitioner’s mind and spirit, no less than the divine arts of Shaolin and Wudang.

“So I can tell.”

Gok-gyeong’s eyes deepened.

“Lord Yeon, if you keep overusing your divine energy like that, you won’t live out your natural lifespan.”

Yeon-wi, who had been quietly looking at Gok-gyeong, nodded his head.

“Yes. I am aware to some extent.”

“Lord Yeon’s current condition is more serious than you think.”

Whoooom.

Clear evil energy flickered in Gok-gyeong’s eyes.

From Yeon-wi’s perspective, who had mastered the Orthodox Divine Art, it was an unpleasant energy, but the density of the evil energy was so high that the unpleasantness was not severe.

Anything that reaches its peak meets in a similar realm. True energy was the same.

“If you open your upper dantian divine energy to its limit like that, you can be possessed by a ghost at any time.”

“A ghost….”

“It means that a ghost enters an empty body. Even if it is not a ghost, the spirit and flesh are originally one, so the moment they are separated, miscellaneous energy can invade the body and weaken the flesh.”

Yeon-wi’s eyes wavered.

This was not something to just listen to and let go. At least, he knew nothing about this.

“Of course, Lord Yeon’s level is supreme, and your training of the upper and middle dantian is outstanding, so it is unlikely to happen. But there is no harm in being careful.”

“That’s right.”

Yeon-wi clasped his hands.

“I will take your valuable words to heart.”

“That’s not the end of it.”

“Yes?”

Gok-gyeong placed his arms on the wall.

It seemed he had been very busy as well, as fatigue was plastered all over his face.

“The more the vessel of spiritual power, the spiritual plate, the upper dantian, develops, the more one relies on the sixth sense rather than the five senses. The sixth sense is the sense of the spirit, and it means perceiving what cannot be grasped by the five senses with an unknown power.”

“……”

“If the sixth sense develops, the five senses become dull. Dull five senses are like abandoning the body. Furthermore, if one becomes proficient in the sixth sense, the body no longer acts, and one sees the world only with the sixth sense.”

Gok-gyeong reached out his hand towards the void.

It was as if he was trying to grab something invisible.

“Do you understand? If you overuse divine energy, your body will collapse. It doesn’t mean it will get worse, but that your spiritual power can completely leave your body.”

“……!”

“You must know what the separation of spirit and flesh means.”

Death.

When the soul and the body, the spirit and the flesh, are separated, a person dies. Gok-gyeong was saying that if Yeon-wi kept overusing his divine energy like that, he would die.

Yeon-wi’s face became serious.

“Then… what should I do?”

Gok-gyeong smiled.

“Just take care of your body. There are people in the world who use their upper dantian as actively as Lord Yeon. It’s just that the direction they use it is different.”

“Ah….”

“I don’t know beyond that because I haven’t realized it myself. However, I believe that Lord Yeon will learn that method.”

For some reason, Gok-gyeong’s voice seemed more flexible and deeper than before.

It seemed he had gained some great enlightenment while dispatched to the Martial Alliance. Whatever it was, Yeon-wi liked Gok-gyeong’s change.

“But this time, something is different.”

Yeon-wi’s face became serious again.

“I have never felt this level of ominousness before. It’s like everything I see is burning. It feels like the cries of the common people are filling my ears.”

Gok-gyeong could not even imagine what that feeling was.

But there was something he could say.

“You must have heard that the forces of the Blood Demon Cult have entered the Central Plains.”

“Yes, I have.”

“We are the ones who protect the imperial palace. Moreover, the righteous martial world is stopping them, so we will just wait here and protect His Majesty the Emperor. Our place is here.”

“That’s right.”

“But what about Lord Yeon?”

“Yes?”

“Lord Yeon’s two children have joined the battle against the large forces of the Blood Demon Cult. You must know that.”

In an instant, Yeon-wi’s eyes shook violently.

That’s right. He knew that. Yet, he had not thought of his children because of the ominous feeling that was slowly tightening around his whole body.

No, to be precise, he had no time to think about his children.

“The Lord Yeon I know is someone who worries about his children and loses sleep at night, even while pretending not to. But you don’t seem like that now.”

“……”

“What is the reason?”

“……Those kids.”

Yeon-wi looked far to the northwest.

“Those kids will do well. I truly believe in my children.”

“It’s not like you didn’t believe in them before.”

“That’s right.”

“Then why are you so different now?”

Gok-gyeong’s question suddenly made Yeon-wi realize his own condition, which he himself had not known.

“It’s because I realized that their battlefield is there.”

Gok-gyeong’s eyes sparkled.

“Then what about you?”

“My battlefield is….”

Only then did his head, which had been in chaos, become clear.

His head, which had only been ‘feeling’ something with the sixth sense of his upper dantian, regained the sharp wisdom of the Judge’s Sword.

“My battlefield is here.”

“Let’s prepare.”

Gok-gyeong turned his body.

“If your battlefield is here, then our battlefield will also be here.”