Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1238

“……”

The man’s eyes deepened.

“Master?”

Even at the question from Dan Gong, the First Evil King of the Demonic Sound Sect, the man did not open his mouth.

He simply stared with endlessly deep eyes at some distant place to the south. His eyes, which seemed ordinary due to the extreme of his wickedness, were filled with a strange eeriness.

Dan Gong stood silently.

How much time had passed?

“Impressive.”

A heartfelt exclamation burst from the man’s lips.

“I was doubtful. Even just a few months ago, it wasn’t this level. Still, something kept making me feel uneasy, so I didn’t bother to step forward even in situations where I could have moved quite boldly.”

Dan Gong was inwardly very surprised.

He could not understand what the words of his master, who was like the sky, meant. However, one thing was certain: ‘something’ had been holding back his master’s actions.

“Dan Gong.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Do you know anything about this?”

The man tapped his head with his index finger.

The splendid rings collided, making a strange sound.

Dan Gong lowered his head and said,

“I thought I understood, but as time passes, the ambiguity only deepens.”

“I suppose so.”

The man smiled.

“The upper dantian [an energy center in traditional Chinese medicine, located in the forehead] is a place where the divine resides. To awaken the power of the divine, one must reach this realm. That is why you are great. Although it is only a ‘part,’ you have obtained the power of the divine, or at least a fragment of it, and are moving towards your own completion.”

Dan Gong lowered his head even further without a word.

Although he said they were great, it probably meant they were great as humans.

His master, right before his eyes, had transcended the realm of humans and reached the realm of the divine. Everyone in the sect thought so.

Except for one person, Sa Woo, no one would doubt the divinity of their master.

“The three of us tried to achieve immortality in different ways. Among them, the Divine Flame Sect used the most vulgar method. They possessed excellent martial arts, but they did not properly touch the upper dantian. The physical body will eventually crumble, yet they tried to achieve immortality, the realm of the divine, through the regeneration of the physical body.”

“……”

“The more the density of the fire essence increases, the more it depletes the upper dantian. It is a natural result. It is far from immortality, but the fact that they can regenerate the physical body is also amazing. Such regeneration techniques go against the laws of nature, so it is also a defiance of heaven. Whether it is following heaven or defying it, the power of the upper dantian is essential to reach the extreme, and therefore, an incomplete upper dantian is overworked and soon breaks down. That is also the limit of the Divine Flame Sect.”

The man looked up at the hazy sky.

Under the sky full of dark clouds, only a desolate land stretched endlessly.

“In that sense, the Blood Demon was great. Since their days as the Demonic Clan, they have been very interested in the separation of spirit and flesh. When a person dies, the soul and the body separate. The soul ascends, and the body scatters on the ground; this is also the providence of nature. The Blood Demon developed a secret technique to prevent the spirit from ascending, and then they tried to achieve eternal immortality by using a technique to cover other people’s bodies.”

The man chuckled.

It was a voice and laughter that were too human for someone called a god.

“But a spirit that has left the flesh is never stable. Moreover, the blood flowing through the blood vessels is different for each person, and the shape and size of the organs are different, as well as the body’s memories. The separation of spirit and flesh means that they were originally one. The Blood Demon overlooked the fact that the body also has a will.”

Dan Gong was flustered.

It was the first time that his master, who was like the sky, had spoken so long, especially about the immortality that the three sects had pursued.

So he was surprised and touched at the same time. He was probably hearing something that even the Four Kings, no, even the Demonic Sound Emperor, would not have heard.

“By will, do you mean…?”

“The spirit is consciousness, and the flesh is unconsciousness. The perfect unity of consciousness and unconsciousness, that is what a person is. Consciousness without unconsciousness cannot hold its will on this earth, and unconsciousness without consciousness has no reason to exist on this earth and will perish.”

It was a unique concept. At least, Dan Gong had never thought of a person’s spirit and flesh in this way.

His ears opened naturally.

“True immortality means that the spirit and flesh are fixed in one place without flowing anywhere. The soul does not leave the body, and the body does not perish. The spirit and flesh never change and maintain their existence for countless eons; that is true immortality, is it not?”

It was difficult to understand.

Yet, Dan Gong felt a chill. It was because he understood to some extent what his master’s words meant.

The world changes.

People, animals, technology, currency, organizations, mountains, seas, and even temperatures change.

To exist eternally without changing in this world, which has reached the extreme of change.

It would be a thrilling and terrifying thing at the same time. How terrible a blessing it would be for only one being in the universe to remain unchanged and continue to live.

If such a being truly existed, it would be worthy of being called a god.

Because a god is an immortal being.

“But this world does not tolerate unchanging beings. Looking at various myths, the appearance of gods is not fixed in one form. In many regions, the appearance of gods is depicted extraordinarily, but at the same time, they show different aspects in each era.”

“……”

“If gods are also part of nature, then such fluid changes are inevitable….”

The man’s smile faded.

“The Blood Demon Sect Leader, Cheon Wi-Ryong, almost died.”

“Yes?”

“When he was young, his father tried to take over Cheon Wi-Ryong’s body. He tried to overlay his own spirit onto his son’s body.”

“……!!”

“It is a commendable method. Even if it is someone else’s body, if it is connected to my flesh and blood, the settlement of the soul can be much deeper and more stable. A group of blood relations sharing the same bloodline… Since the days of the Blood Sect, some sect leaders have tried to continue their souls by sacrificing their children.”

Dan Gong swallowed unconsciously.

Even animals know the value of their young. Yet, a person would try to continue their immortal life by using their own child.

What kind of eyes did this man, who said that it was commendable, see the world with?

“Someone said that although immortality is the extreme of defying heaven, the true defiance of heaven is to violate the natural order. Moreover, since he tried to achieve immortality by taking his child’s body, there was a reason why the heavens did not allow the Cheon family to have a bloodline.”

It was truly an evil act that could only lead to such thoughts. Dan Gong truly thought so.

“That’s ridiculous. The heavens have no interest in this world. It was like that a hundred years ago, two hundred years ago, and… three hundred years ago.”

‘Three hundred years ago?’

He didn’t know why.

In the midst of such a shocking array of words, Dan Gong strangely felt a sense of incongruity with the words ‘three hundred years ago.’

It was as if his master was speaking as if he had seen that era directly, not as if he had heard about it from someone.

“The reason why Cheon Wi-Ryong kept the souls of his followers in his body was because of his near-death experience when he was young. It is also amazing that he still respected his father. However, he did not try to follow the same path as his father.”

The man stretched his hand into the air.

As if trying to grab something invisible, his hand, full of jeweled rings, gradually closed.

“The faith of the Blood Demon Sect followers towards the Cheon family is terrifying. Even if my body dies and my soul wanders, there is a firm belief that the Blood God will always lead them to paradise on earth. That is why it is possible to grasp the spiritual power of all the followers.”

“Grasping spiritual power means….”

Dan Gong’s face became serious.

“Is it that the Blood Demon Sect Leader also tried to achieve immortality by using them?”

“He almost achieved immortality. Almost.”

“Yes?!”

The man’s eyes deepened.

“He is a man who has constantly ignored the heavenly order and cultivated the Hellish Art by using the spiritual power of tens of thousands of followers. If he had not been defeated, if he had ever mastered the Hellish Art and melted all the spiritual power of his followers… he might have become the closest being to immortality.”

“……”

“The reason why the Blood Demon Sect followers are running wild now can be seen as the unconscious, that is, the instinctive behavior of the flesh, to find their lost souls. Wouldn’t anyone do that?”

“Are you saying that it is not because they are afraid of death, but because their bodies want it?”

“They have already given their lives to their leader. From that moment on, death is nothing to them.”

“……”

“But the leader himself died. They believe in the afterlife, so it’s okay to die, but if they can’t control what their bodies want, the entire sect will be in danger of collapsing. The leaders of the Blood Demon Sect could not stand by and watch that.”

The man’s smile deepened.

“Thanks to that, we have gained another opportunity.”

Dan Gong lowered his head once more.

He did not fully understand all of his master’s words. However, he could be certain of one thing.

His master could see everything.

He was well-versed in the behavior patterns of the people of the three sects, and he also knew well how the Central Plains would react.

“The problem is.”

A stern look appeared on the man’s face, which had been full of smiles.

“Far away in the east of the continent, there is an existence that cannot be ignored.”

“……?!”

“It is rare to find someone who has honed their upper dantian to this extent. Although it is still somewhat lacking, if a little more time passes, he will show a more vigorous divine energy than that Blood Venerable Master.”

“Yes?!”

“As I thought… it won’t do.”

Whoosh!

A red and murky aura of indescribable color emanated from the man’s body.

“Although there was a betrayal by the madman, there were many talented people there even then. It’s as if, in response to our movements, the heavens are releasing terrifying geniuses into the world to protect the continent.”

“……”

“I can’t stand to watch that anymore, can I?”

The man looked at Dan Gong.

At that moment, Dan Gong realized that he was already prostrating himself in the five-body-throw position [a gesture of deep respect in some Buddhist traditions].

The eyes of a god, the voice of a god.

The presence of the one and only absolute being, who placed everything under his eyes, had reached a supreme realm that even the power of the First Evil King could not resist.

“Summon Jeok Heum. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone out.”

* * *

Thud thud thud!

The sound of the hoofbeats of the Righteous Army’s cavalry was more urgent than ever.

“Brother, are you sure about this?”

Peng Man-Ho asked with a somewhat worried face.

“Even so, I’m still uneasy about leaving Mount Hua and Mount Jongnam behind. Those people must have wanted to come south so badly.”

“No.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s voice was firm.

“Those people must first control their minds, which are intoxicated with the sword of slaughter. Even if they come now, they will not be able to change the tide of the war. Therefore, it would be better for them to reflect on themselves for the sake of the future.”

“But still, brother, at a time when even one person is precious….”

“The forces of the Martial Alliance are enough. And there is also Mount Wudang. Although Wudang is more peaceful than Shaolin, they are not so easygoing that they will stay put even when a demonic army of five thousand is right in front of them.”

“Hmm, I suppose so.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked far to the south.

“It seems like we can somehow deal with the Blood Demon Sect… but the remaining two sects cannot just sit back and watch this chaotic situation. That keeps bothering me.”