Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 151

“Hoo.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong relaxed his stance. Muk Bi also lowered his bow.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

Thud.

As soon as he put down the Gwangryong Bow [a powerful, large bow], he collapsed. It was an unusual sight for Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was known for his monstrous stamina.

Muk Bi asked worriedly,

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

He didn’t look fine at all.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face was still pale. His internal injuries hadn’t fully healed yet.

“You should rest for the next few days.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled bitterly.

“I’ll see how it goes.”

Muk Bi felt sorry for him.

The Myeolsa Army had suffered a major blow from the Hongyo Society’s surprise attack. They had always been the ones to launch preemptive strikes, never the ones to be ambushed.

And because of that ambush, more than ten people were seriously injured. It was a stroke of luck that no one had died.

At that time, Yeon Ho-Jeong had changed completely.

After calmly tending to the seriously injured and securing medical assistance, Yeon Ho-Jeong immediately took Muk Bi and some of the troops to strike back at the Hongyo Society.

Recalling that time, Muk Bi swallowed involuntarily.

‘He can become that terrifying.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong had become a demon, rampaging wildly.

It was a madness that was hard to describe. The assassins, who were willing to die for their targets, were so terrified that they fled. That was how bad it was.

Although he didn’t show it, Yeon Ho-Jeong cared deeply for the soldiers of the Myeolsa Army. It was almost like he treated them as his own children.

‘He must have been even angrier because of their tactics.’

It was inevitable for casualties to occur in a unit. No matter what tactics the enemy used, the one who was defeated was the fool.

But this was different. In Muk Bi’s eyes, the Myeolsa Army had almost been killed like dogs.

He had told them to be more vigilant, but Yeon Ho-Jeong must have felt the same way.

‘Huh?’

Muk Bi, who was looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong with a troubled expression, suddenly noticed that his hand was bleeding.

“Young Master Yeon, your hand is bleeding…”

“Huh?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked down at his right hand and clicked his tongue.

“I wondered why it was stinging a bit.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s the fate of those who wield heavy weapons. Unless your body reaches its limits, your hand can be crushed if you’re not careful.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong massaged his right hand.

“There’s nothing wrong with the bones or joints. It’s just a slight tear from being pushed. It’ll heal in a few days.”

Muk Bi sighed and took out a clean cloth from his pocket. It was a medical cloth that he always carried, in case someone got injured.

“Let me see your hand.”

“It’s fine.”

“Don’t be stubborn and give it to me.”

“Ah, I said it’s fine. Just leave it alone.”

“Give it to me before I put a hole in your forehead.”

“Here.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong held out his hand. Muk Bi wrapped the cloth around his hand with practiced movements.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“But is your finger okay? Pulling the string of the Hongryeon Bow [a powerful bow] is no joke.”

Muk Bi retorted in a calm voice.

“I’m fine. I’m not a fool like someone who can’t even take care of their own body.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong stared at Muk Bi and then suddenly headbutted him.

Bang!

“Ouch!”

Muk Bi fell backward. Sparks flew before his eyes. He almost lost his mind for a moment.

“W-What are you doing!”

“Hmph. I just felt like it.”

“You’re really… !”

Muk Bi thumped his chest as if he was fed up. When someone was worried about him, he should at least accept it gracefully. He was such an unpredictable person.

“I’ll take care of the rest myself!”

“I was going to anyway?”

“Ugh! He’ll only learn when he gets a good beating.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled as he watched Muk Bi’s retreating figure, huffing and puffing.

Then, as Muk Bi disappeared, his face twisted.

“Aish, that blockhead. Did he put an iron plate on his forehead? What is he?”

If he ever had to fight that guy, he should never headbutt him.

Still, after experiencing the throbbing pain in his head, it felt like his random thoughts had disappeared. Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed as he touched his forehead.

“My internal injuries aren’t healing again.”

This internal injury was from the explosion at the Hongyo Society’s headquarters.

He had tried to evade it as soon as he sensed it, but the jade energy had penetrated too deeply.

He had used the Bloodwing Sky Dance [a powerful martial art technique], consuming his inner energy to the limit. He couldn’t even remember how many times he had used it.

In the end, he had managed to save everyone, but the internal injuries he had sustained were quite severe.

‘Well, considering that no one died, it’s practically a bargain.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong sat cross-legged and circulated the Byukra Jin Gyeol [a martial art technique].

Whoosh.

A refreshing blue energy filled his entire body. It was a sight that made one feel good just by looking at it.

The Byukra Jin Gyeol was almost at the tenth level. Once he reached the tenth level, there would be no further progress in the martial art itself.

From that point on, an endless period of time would begin. It was a battle of how to cultivate the Byukra Jin Gi [inner energy], not a battle to increase one’s achievements.

And the moment one perfectly paved their own path.

That was when one’s martial arts reached the twelfth level, the ultimate level.

The problem was now.

“Hoo.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

“Okay, I think I understand now.”

The reason why his internal injuries were healing slower than during his time as the Black Demon Emperor.

Immediately after his fight with Myeong Cheon, he had collapsed. And it had taken him much longer than expected to heal his internal injuries.

It was the same this time. The internal injuries he had sustained from the explosion were quite severe, but normally, he should have recovered more than half by now.

And Yeon Ho-Jeong had finally realized why his internal injuries were healing slower than during his time as the Black Demon Emperor.

“It was because of my inner energy.”

It wasn’t because of the Three Divine Energies. Nor was it because of the absence of the Azure Dragon Energy.

It was because of the Byukra Jin Gyeol.

To be precise, it was because the amount of inner energy that would become the foundation for the Four Divine Energies was much less than before.

From the beginning, Yeon Ho-Jeong was not someone who placed importance on the amount of inner energy. And that was the right perception.

Inner energy was about quality, not quantity. High-quality inner energy could produce ten times the efficiency of other inner energies with just a fraction of the power.

That was common sense and truth. Both orthodox and unorthodox martial arts did not deviate from that basic principle.

But the Four Divine Martial Arts wanted more than that.

‘From the beginning, the Four Divine Energies themselves produce a higher level of power than any other inner energy technique. Because of that characteristic, the quantity was just as important as the quality of the underlying martial art.’

The place where the Four Divine Energies resided was not the dantian [an energy center in the body], but the organs they were responsible for. In other words, the deepening of the Four Divine Energies meant that the abilities of the organs in charge were being activated more than before.

As the organs were activated, the body also underwent constant changes. As his master had said, the bodies of the masters of the Four Divine Martial Arts were as strong as diamonds.

‘I was like that too.’

During his time as the Black Demon Emperor, his body was like a weapon. He could easily crush steel plates with his bare hands, without even using inner energy.

‘So that’s why my master taught me the Hongcheon Gi [a martial art technique].’

The Hongcheon Gi itself was by no means a martial art that could be discussed in the world. It was worthy of being called first-class, but not to the extent of being called a divine art.

The biggest advantage of the Hongcheon Gi was the amount and speed of energy accumulation.

‘I had accumulated more inner energy than anyone else with the Hongcheon Gi, so the Four Divine Energies were maintained stably. There was no reason to shrink back just because I had internal injuries.’

In other words, to solve the problem of his recovery speed being slower than before, he needed to amplify the amount of underlying inner energy.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened.

‘Should I take the Socheon Gi Dan [a spiritual pill]?’

He still hadn’t taken the Socheon Gi Dan that Jeagal Ayeon had given him.

The Jianghu [the martial world] was dangerous. You never knew what might happen. It wasn’t an immediate problem, so he was saving it for later.

After thinking for a while, Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

‘No, I should give that to Ji-Pyeong later.’

Rather than taking a spiritual medicine to increase his inner energy, he should raise the level of his inner energy technique to increase his overall skills.

It was a slightly roundabout way, but it was better for the future. He was sure of it.

‘Now that I’ve learned the Four Divine Martial Arts, I should reach a higher level than in the past. I won’t be able to aim for the Yellow Dragon with the same simple approach as before.’

Taking one Socheon Gi Dan wouldn’t cause any problems with his martial arts growth. It might even make it better.

‘But.’

He would leave it for now. He believed that the path he had walked and the principles of martial arts he had realized would not betray him.

‘First, I’ll master the Byukra Jin Gyeol to the tenth level. Then, after gradually amplifying my inner energy to reach the twelfth level…’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

‘I need to master the Five Great Divine Arts.’

If he mastered all of the Yeon family’s Five Great Divine Arts, the ultimate secret divine art would reveal itself. At that time, he would be able to obtain both the quantity and quality of inner energy.

Yeon Ho-Jeong carefully made his plans. He had been too busy running around to have any personal time, so he thought it was a good thing.

He was lost in thought when.

“Brother?”

“Huh?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned his head. Peng Man-Ho was blinking at him with an innocent face.

“Oh? When did you get here?”

“I walked here with loud footsteps on purpose, but you didn’t even notice?”

“Ah, really? But what’s the matter?”

“Jeagal Noona [older sister] is calling for you.”

“Oh, I understand.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong got up from his seat and frowned at a sudden thought.

“Hey.”

“What is it?”

“Can you stop calling me ‘brother’?”

“Why? Do you not like it?”

“It’s not that, but we’re the same age, so why do you keep calling me ‘brother’?”

“If someone is worthy of respect, you should call them ‘brother.’ Do you know that Guan Yu was older than Liu Bei?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was about to retort, just sighed and waved his hand.

“Do as you please.”

“Yes.”

“But what is it about me that you respect?”

“You use heavier weapons than me.”

“…That’s all?”

“That’s all? It’s enough to be respected, that’s for sure. I’m not one to be pushed around when it comes to strength, but I can’t even compare to you, brother…”

“You, don’t call me brother.”

“Why?”

“If I tell you not to, then don’t, you bastard.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was walking away, felt a sudden surge of anger.

“Damn it, if there’s nothing else to respect, why respect that!”

“You’re here? Hmm? Why do you look like that?”

“Why do I look like what?”

“You just look sullen. And why is your forehead so red? Did you hit it on a rock or something?”

“I hit it on something harder than a rock.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had plopped down on the floor, asked.

“So, why did you call for me, strategist?”

Jeagal Ayeon chuckled.

“Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not teasing you. You are a strategist, aren’t you?”

“Okay, just look at this.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face instantly turned serious as he looked at the letter Jeagal Ayeon had handed him.

“The Return Alliance…?”

“They said they’re calling us to commend the unit’s achievements and give us some rest. At least, that’s the stated reason.”

“The stated reason… Is there something else?”

Jeagal Ayeon took out another letter from her pocket.

“That one is from the Martial Alliance, and this one is from Hu Gae separately.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong read the letter that Ga Deuk-Sang had sent.

His eyes sparkled.

“Oh ho.”

“It’s suspicious, isn’t it?”

A subtle tension appeared on Jeagal Ayeon’s face.

“The Tang Clan head is not someone who has many worries. If it’s not, it’s not, and if it is, it is. At least, that’s how my father saw him.”

“But he still took the lead in the Myeolsa Army’s return to the alliance?”

“It smells fishy, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it smells fishy.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong thought of Tang Gwan.

The face of the proud wolf, with dangerous flames in his eyes.

“In the end, he joined hands with Moyong Gun.”

“…”

“I expected it, but it’s much faster than I thought.”

Jeagal Ayeon asked worriedly.

“What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean what am I going to do? The official order has been issued by the alliance.”

“If you feel uneasy, you can stall for a bit longer…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong said firmly.

“No. The Myeolsa Army is an independent unit. We have a lot of freedom, but we must follow the orders from above. At least, we have to show that we do. That’s our responsibility.”

“Hoo, it’s difficult.”

“How are the others?”

“They don’t have any major difficulties moving around. But they need to rest for a few more days to avoid any complications.”

“Good.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong was secretly disappointed.

‘Jin Yang might be at the next destination.’

Jin Yang.

One of the five great generals of the Black Demon Fortress, a man who spread fear throughout the orthodox martial world with his cheerful nature and flexible martial arts.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been lost in thought, shook his head.

‘This might be better.’

Both he and the Myeolsa Army had been rushing too much.

They needed to reorganize the unit during this opportunity. It was a shame, but now was not the time to be greedy.

“We’ll return to the alliance in three days. I’ll tell the others myself.”