Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1299

It had been a long time since they last met.

“Your injuries are severe.”

“And you look perfectly fine.”

Despite Tang Gwan’s curt reply, Moyong Gun’s expression remained unchanged.

“I heard you fought the strongest of the enemy commanders. How was his martial prowess?”

“It’s not like you’re capable of handling him even if I told you.”

“Whether I can handle him or not isn’t important. What matters is that many people know how strong the enemy commander is.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes sparkled.

Even though Moyong Gun had changed, they had a deep-seated history. But now that they were actually talking, he didn’t feel much like fighting.

Tang Gwan spoke honestly.

“What’s the point of talking about it? He was disgustingly strong.”

“So, what does that mean in terms of level? Is he at the level of the Four Kings?”

“What’s the point of ranking them now when it comes to the Saintly Heavens? Everyone has their own unique enlightenment, so you can’t predict the outcome without fighting them directly.”

Tang Gwan paused, then frowned and spoke again.

“But if the world were to evaluate him, he would easily be at the level of the Three Emperors.”

“Do you think Senior Eumje could win if he fought him?”

“Senior Eumje has such an unconventional martial art that it’s hard to imagine. He could win easily, or he could lose just as easily. If I were to compare him to the old masters of swordsmanship, I’d say he’s either on par or slightly behind.”

“So, you’re saying there were three more of those Limitless Ones?”

“One of the remaining three was waiting in the rear, and two participated in the battle. Although they were a bit weaker than the one I fought, they both seemed like monsters.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes deepened.

He had heard that the Blood Demon Church had their Four Demonic Commanders, and the Divine Flame Church had their Flame Kings. Then, naturally, the Evil Sound Church would have a group of experts equivalent to them.

‘How many are there?’

The Blood Demon Church was said to be able to summon the spirits of dead former masters using a technique called Soul Summoning, creating a force comparable to a Limitless One, albeit imperfectly.

The Flame Kings were even more serious in a way. They had a technique called Flame Essence, which allowed them to quickly recover from any serious injury unless their heads were cut off or their internal organs were completely melted.

‘Then what about the Evil Sound Church?’

Based on the battles so far, they didn’t seem to have any special abilities like the experts of the Blood Demon Church or the Divine Flame Church.

‘If that’s the case, this is even more serious.’

Moyong Gun’s eyes deepened.

‘Soul Summoning and Flame Essence are abilities that transcend common sense. The Blood Demon and Divine Flame Churches have developed such abilities through long years of effort. The Evil Sound Church is grouped with them as one of the Three Churches, and they are said to be the strongest in terms of pure combat power. It wouldn’t be strange if they had even more powerful techniques.’

But what if they didn’t have any special abilities that could be called extraordinary?

‘Then… they might have an overwhelming number of them.’

Perhaps there were ten or more experts under the church leader.

‘And there are four in Shanxi alone. Lord Yeon said he had tied up some guy called Sau in the middle. And he also fought a master called the Evil Sound Emperor. He said he sent that guy back north…’

Moyong Gun’s fist clenched.

‘We have to assume that at least three of them have entered Jiangsu Province. They wouldn’t think of pushing all the way to the imperial palace unless they had that many.’

Then where are the rest of them now?

At that moment, Tang Gwan spoke abruptly.

“You’ve changed a lot.”

Moyong Gun, regaining his senses, looked at Tang Gwan.

“What do you mean?”

“Who else would I mean but you?”

Moyong Gun chuckled and turned away.

“Take care of your body. You’re not someone who can die carelessly anymore.”

“Why can’t I die carelessly?”

“If you have the will to protect this Central Plains, you should naturally think that way. Sichuan is isolated from the Central Plains, but it’s a fertile land with good living conditions. It’s also good for defending against foreign forces.”

“…”

“Your existence alone could be directly linked to the fate of the Central Plains martial world. You should live with that much awareness.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes wavered at Moyong Gun’s words.

He was someone who couldn’t say such things because of his pride.

He wondered if there was some hidden agenda, but no matter how he looked at it, those words were sincere. He, with an upper dantian [an energy center in the body] comparable to Yeon Wi, couldn’t possibly misunderstand the sincerity in Moyong Gun’s voice.

Tang Gwan, watching Moyong Gun’s retreating figure, said as if throwing it away.

“It’s not just about your personality.”

Moyong Gun’s steps stopped.

After another moment of silence, Tang Gwan spoke in a somewhat bitter tone.

“It seems like your martial arts are ready to reach a new realm.”

He wondered if he should say this. He thought it might be more helpful to keep his mouth shut.

But he decided to say it. Of course, it wasn’t because he didn’t want Moyong Gun to succeed.

Looking at Moyong Gun now, he didn’t seem to care much whether he knew his own condition or not. If he was that kind of man, and if he had changed this much, he wanted to say something nice to him at least once.

Moyong Gun turned to look at Tang Gwan.

Tang Gwan continued.

“Perhaps the reason you’re ready to accept a new realm is because you’ve let go of your obsessions.”

“I’ve never let go of my obsessions.”

“I’m not talking about dreams, but obsessions.”

“…”

“I’ve realized that I’ve lived very arrogantly since reaching this realm. I unconsciously discarded what I should discard and took what I should take. But that’s something no one can tell you except yourself.”

“…”

“Maybe you’ve discarded something you don’t even know about. But don’t try to discard more than you have now. At your level, artificial changes could lead to regression.”

Moyong Gun smiled.

It wasn’t the mask-like smile that Tang Gwan remembered, but a slightly awkward yet sincere smile.

“To hear these words from you, it seems like I’ve lived a long life and seen everything.”

“I’ll return those words to you.”

“Take care of yourself.”

“Wait a moment.”

“Why? Do you have more to say?”

Tang Gwan said, rotating his shoulders.

“I heard from afar that the Moyong family is defending Hebei?”

“That’s right.”

“Let me join you.”

Moyong Gun, looking at Tang Gwan silently, shook his head.

“If you’re worried that I might have some sinister thoughts, that’s not…”

“That’s not it.”

Tang Gwan’s voice became curt again.

“I’ll send back the main family forces and the Sichuan martial arts forces that came with me. But I will go.”

“Don’t think that Sichuan will be safe. I heard that the vice leader of the Blood Demon Church has also escaped, and if he targets Sichuan again, there won’t be any experts there to defend against him.”

“There will be.”

“…?”

“I plan to send Senior Eumje there.”

Moyong Gun frowned.

“Why are you so determined to come to Hebei?”

“It’s the same reason you said. If by any chance they invade the north, and if they target Hebei, there won’t be any experts there to fight them.”

“I heard there are four Limitless Ones who escaped. You alone won’t be able to do anything.”

“If they know I’m coming, I can at least buy some time.”

Tang Gwan raised his chin.

“I am the head of the Sichuan Tang Family. My specialty isn’t just martial arts.”

“…”

“And I don’t need your permission. I’m just going where I need to go.”

What could he say when he said this much?

Moyong Gun nodded.

“Do as you wish.”

Tang Gwan’s lips curled up.

Of course, he was also worried that there were no Limitless Ones in Hebei. But there was another reason.

‘Every bit of power is precious in this situation…’

Tang Gwan’s face, looking at Moyong Gun’s retreating back, was filled with determination.

‘I don’t know how much I can do, but if it’s possible…’

* * *

“Urgent report! Urgent report!”

“What is it now?!”

The face of the deputy chief of Kaifeng in Henan was more serious than ever before.

“Half of Shandong has been overrun!”

“Already?”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s face was filled with shock.

He had heard that an unknown expert was indiscriminately slaughtering people from the coast of Shandong. That was three days ago.

But in just three days, half of Shandong had been overrun.

He couldn’t help but curse.

“Shit, did I hear that right?! Half of Shandong has been overrun in just three days? And it’s not like tens of thousands of troops have landed!”

“It’s a group of experts who transcend common sense! Especially… it’s said that there are at least three experts who are presumed to be Limitless Ones!”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s face turned pale.

When he heard the information that a suspicious group had appeared on the coast of Shandong, he was worried, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. The battles currently taking place in Jiangsu Province and the northern part of the Central Plains were too massive.

But because his unease didn’t disappear, he ordered continuous investigation. But half of it has already been overrun?

“According to the branch chiefs of Shandong, their advance is surprisingly leisurely. They find good taverns or breweries at sunset and have drinking parties, and then they start indiscriminately slaughtering again when the sun rises the next day. And their speed of advance is so fast that it defies common sense!”

“Damn it! Slaughter? Are they killing all the civilians too?!”

“That’s… ambiguous.”

“What do you mean! Speak clearly!”

“One day, they not only spared the civilians but also scattered gold and silver treasures. So, there were rumors that a god of wealth had descended in the area, but the next day, they turned every village they saw into a wasteland!”

“…!”

“Look at this report.”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s face was instantly stained with anger as he read a part of the dozens of reports.

“These crazy bastards…!”

The contents were written honestly and without embellishment.

It was so blatant that it provoked the anger of the reader. The men were all killed, and the women were raped countless times. There were also testimonies that they cut off the heads of children and played with them, and that some of them filled a building with people and set it on fire, drinking while listening to their screams.

There were countless other unimaginable atrocities. Even the handwriting of the report kept changing. It was clear that the members of the Beggars’ Union, unable to contain their anger, had rushed in themselves.

It was obvious what had happened to the lives of the members of the Beggars’ Union who had rushed in.

“If half of Shandong is overrun, where does that reach?”

“Taian!”

“Taian… Shit, they’ll be pushing into Mount Tai by tomorrow.”

Of course, even if they had overrun half of it, they wouldn’t have gone around every piece of land and committed acts of slaughter.

But the number of martial artists who died, as written in the report, was already in the thousands. In just three days.

“Report this fact to the Martial Alliance right now! Immediately! Contact the Black Emperor Castle as well!”

“Understood!”

It was then.

“Chief!”

Another beggar came running from afar.

“What is it? Shit, don’t tell me something else happened in the north?!”

“We have received a message from Lord Yeon!”

“Lord Yeon?!”

Joy and confusion simultaneously settled on Ga Deuk-Sang’s face as he hastily opened the letter.

“Lord Yeon… Damn it, he shouldn’t go there alone right now!”

A report that Yeon Ho-Jeong was heading to Shandong with his escort and a few experts.

Ga Deuk-Sang shouted.

“Gather all the experts of the Beggars’ Union in the central region and send them to Shandong! Right now!”