Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 201

“What did you say?”\n\n”That is…”\n\nThe Illusion Serpent swallowed hard and spoke.\n\n”The core masters of the Yama Clan have been annihilated, and the Yama Clan leader has been defeated.”\n\nDefeated? This was a peculiar report.\n\nThe Yama Clan was a faction that he himself had placed at the bottom of the Thirty-Six Gates [a group of affiliated martial arts sects]. The faction’s power was yawn-inducing, but at least their spirit and loyalty were genuine.\n\nIn other words, it was a sect he had recruited with the intention of nurturing them. But even so, they were still just a bunch of nobodies.\n\nThe Yama Clan wasn’t destroyed, so why report just the defeat of their leader?\n\n’There’s something more to this.’\n\nYang Cheon was a smart man. Instead of asking why they would bother with such a report, he knew to consider why they were making it in the first place.\n\n”The Yama Clan’s power is the weakest among the Thirty-Six Gates. Their leader was nothing special either. There are countless martial artists in Hunan Province who could defeat him.”\n\n”That is certainly true, but this time was a bit different.”\n\n”Explain.”\n\n”That is…”\n\nThe Illusion Serpent hesitated.\n\nYang Cheon frowned.\n\n’Why is he acting like this?’\n\nAmong those who worked under him, the twelve known as the Zodiac Gods were masters who were not exaggerating when called the strongest in the Black Path [a term for the underworld of martial arts].\n\nTheir courage was as great as their martial prowess, and their ability to handle tasks was outstanding. But what was with the Illusion Serpent’s face?\n\n”Is it difficult to explain?”\n\n”Ah, no! It’s just that I thought there might be some misunderstanding in the process of me conveying this matter.”\n\nThe Illusion Serpent took out a letter from his pocket. It was quite a thick letter.\n\n”So, I have written down only the facts clearly. Please forgive me for causing you trouble.”\n\nYang Cheon’s lips curled up.\n\nThe Illusion Serpent seemed a bit clumsy at first glance. But he was thoughtful and cautious. In that respect, he was a subordinate that Yang Cheon cherished.\n\nWhoosh.\n\nThe letter floated up and landed in Yang Cheon’s hand.\n\n”Wait here for a moment.”\n\n”Yes.”\n\nSwish.\n\nYang Cheon unfolded the letter.\n\nThe letter was quite long. It seemed that quite a few things had happened.\n\nYang Cheon read the letter with an intrigued expression.\n\nSoon, his eyes became more serious.\n\n”Is this true?”\n\n”I have only written down the facts clearly. I have excluded all my personal opinions. I thought it was right for the Deputy Leader to judge for himself.”\n\nInterest sparked on Yang Cheon’s face.\n\n”The Martial Sect?”\n\nIt was a sect that almost no one remembered these days.\n\nHowever, the Martial Sect existed in Yang Cheon’s memory. It was a sect with unique characteristics that were hard to forget.\n\nThe Martial Sect was said to be a sect formed by masters of various martial arts.\n\nThat was the rumor, but no one knew the truth. What was important was that the martial arts of the masters from the Martial Sect were all outstanding, and their types and origins were all different.\n\n’I heard they were destroyed a hundred years ago.’\n\nOf course, how they were destroyed was also unknown. The Martial Sect was a group shrouded in mystery and suspicion.\n\nAnd the point to note now was.\n\n”Hidden weapons…”\n\nA faint smile appeared on Yang Cheon’s face.\n\n’This is quite a coincidence.’\n\nCurrently, he needed someone who could properly handle poison and hidden weapons.\n\nHe wasn’t expecting the level of skill of the Sichuan Tang Clan [a famous clan known for their mastery of hidden weapons and poison]. Of course, it would be great if they had that level of mastery, but in the current martial world, there was no sect as versed in poison and hidden weapons as the Tang Clan.\n\nHe just needed a master of hidden weapons who was among the best in the martial world, excluding the Tang Clan.\n\n”He’s quick-witted.”\n\n”That is correct.”\n\nThe Black Path’s spies and informants were fundamentally different from the White Path’s [the righteous side of the martial arts world] experts.\n\nHistorically, the Black Path pursued secrecy rather than strength, and survival rather than skill. Naturally, their development paths were different from the White Path.\n\nYang Cheon was first surprised by the Black Path’s power in that aspect. Even when he had completed his martial arts to a certain extent, he didn’t realize that the Black Path group was watching him.\n\n’In other words, those guys immediately recognized and killed the Black Path’s informants, who are difficult for even skilled masters to notice.’\n\nA strong desire arose in Yang Cheon’s eyes.\n\n’I want them.’\n\nOutstanding hidden weapon skills. Extremely keen insight.\n\nFurthermore, the audacity to confidently declare in front of a Black Path faction that they wanted to meet the Tyrant King.\n\n’They’re arrogant, but I like that arrogance.’\n\nTo be precise, it was far from arrogance.\n\nAfter reviewing the contents of the letter once more, Yang Cheon imagined the young man who had defeated the core masters of the Yama Clan with bare-handed boxing.\n\n”He completely ruined them beyond repair… His methods are cruel. But his skills are really good. And he overwhelmed so many enemies at the young age of twenty.”\n\nIt was understandable that he would be arrogant, having mastered high-level martial arts at a young age.\n\nHowever, after reading the detailed contents of the letter several times, he felt that there was something different about this guy.\n\n’This guy has no hesitation.’\n\nIf he knew of the Tyrant King’s existence, it meant that he also knew something about their situation.\n\nIn other words, he had some level of intelligence. If so, he couldn’t be unaware of the power of the Thirteen Seats of the Heavenly Castle [a powerful organization within the Black Path].\n\nNo matter how spirited a young man was, it would be hard to find someone in either the Black or White Path who could so boldly declare that they wanted to meet the Tyrant King.\n\n’I can’t be sure just from the letter. But if my guess is correct…’\n\nYang Cheon’s face flushed slightly. He was quite excited.\n\n”This guy uses boxing?”\n\n”Yes, he does.”\n\n”His practical skills are excellent, and his fundamental martial arts are good too. With this level of skill, he’s no less than the One Dragon and Three Phoenixes that the White Path praises so much [a term for the most talented young martial artists].”\n\nA girl with the insight to see through the Black Path’s informants and who uses top-tier hidden weapon techniques.\n\nAnd a young man who, at the age of twenty, not only possessed the best martial arts of the White Path’s rising stars but also had the audacity to declare that he wanted to meet the Tyrant King.\n\n”He wants to meet me? Good. I’ll make sure he gets to meet me.”\n\nAn unusual light flickered in Yang Cheon’s eyes.\n\n”However, that is if they are truly descendants of the Martial Sect.”\n\n* * *\n\n”What, what did you say?!”\n\n”Keep your voice down.”\n\nGa Deuk-Sang looked around.\n\nFortunately, Dang Sang-A and Jeagal Ayeon were not nearby. Only Pae Yul was beside him.\n\nGa Deuk-Sang frowned.\n\n”So, the reason you brought Lady Dang was because you knew that Yang Cheon wanted a master of hidden weapons?”\n\n”That is correct.”\n\nYeon Ho-Jeong still treated him like his eldest brother, but Ga Deuk-Sang was different. He was not in the mood to play along.\n\nPae Yul asked.\n\n”Why does that guy want a master of hidden weapons?”\n\nOf course, it was like that in the past too.\n\nBut apart from that, Yeon Ho-Jeong would have done the same if he were in Yang Cheon’s position.\n\n”It’s a matter of efficiency.”\n\n”Efficiency?”\n\n”That is correct.”\n\n”Explain in detail.”\n\n”The Black Path has a different background from the White Path. You know that, right?”\n\nI don’t know…?\n\nPae Yul glanced at Ga Deuk-Sang.\n\nGa Deuk-Sang explained with a displeased face, but in the most polite tone possible.\n\n”The White Path, or the righteous sects, is a moral ideal created by the aspirations of the people.”\n\n”A moral ideal?”\n\n”The highest values of the White Path are chivalry and justice. It is a collection of ideologies that aim to destroy evil from the side of the weak and benefit the world, in other words, to pursue a peaceful world that the majority of humans desire.”\n\nPae Yul nodded.\n\nHe had only followed the path of the White Path, the righteous path, but had never thought deeply about it. But hearing it like this, he understood it clearly.\n\n”Right. That’s why they also value benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom.”\n\n”That is correct. But the Black Path is different. The Black Path can be seen as the remnants of aspirations that failed to rise to a moral ideal.”\n\n”That’s a rather complicated way of putting it. Remnants of aspirations?”\n\nYeon Ho-Jeong took over Ga Deuk-Sang’s words.\n\n”If the White Path is the ideal of the people, the Black Path is the reality of the people.”\n\n”Reality…”\n\n”They steal, kill, violate, and oppress. It is no different from the world of beasts. From the perspective that humans are also a species that makes up nature, the Black Path can be said to be a world that maximizes human nature, the instincts of beasts.”\n\n”Hmm.”\n\nIt was a unique explanation.\n\nNo one had ever explained the White Path and the Black Path in this way. That’s why it was interesting, and surprisingly, it was easy to understand.\n\n”So, the two paths have developed in completely different directions. The White Path, which has grown straight with the aspirations of the people, has created a clear system of power, formality, and law.”\n\n”The Black Path is different.”\n\n”That is correct. There is no such thing in the Black Path. They do not look far ahead and only focus on survival in the present. If they can survive today, that is enough. Their world is unstable, so they do not have time to safely accumulate power.”\n\n”Why?”\n\n”Because the laws have collapsed.”\n\nPae Yul’s eyes lit up.\n\n”That’s right. Even if they were lucky enough to obtain a peerless martial art, they might be stabbed to death by a thief while practicing it.”\n\n”That is correct.”\n\n”They are truly without any leeway. Is that also because the laws have collapsed?”\n\nA bitter look appeared on Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.\n\n”People say that the world must be fair and just. If you interpret that statement in reverse, it means that the world is still unfair and unjust.”\n\n”… !”\n\n”The ideal that politics pursues has always been like that. And it has always failed. Reality has not improved. Rather, the gap between the ideal and reality has only widened.”\n\n”That’s a bit… sad.”\n\n”Still, we must pursue the ideal. If we don’t reach out our hands because we can’t reach the sky, everyone will just become beasts crawling on the ground. The minimum rules will collapse.”\n\n”Hmm.”\n\nYeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes sparkled.\n\n”Returning to the Black Path, in the end, they can never defeat the White Path with power alone. Unless the fundamental problem is solved.”\n\n”They can’t even develop their power because there are no minimum rules.”\n\n”Yes. And Yang Cheon probably knows that. The Black Path’s intelligence and survival skills are great, but in order to truly fight against the enemy, they need real power.”\n\nAt that moment, Pae Yul exclaimed.\n\n”Ah! So that’s why hidden weapons?!”\n\n”That is correct.”\n\nYeon Ho-Jeong raised his fist.\n\n”Even a child who has not learned a single martial art can kill a master if they are given poison and hidden weapons. If Yang Cheon has any sense, he will try to fix the chronic problems of the Black Path from the root, but the problem is time.”\n\n”To ensure survival until the Black Path is fully armed, he needs poison and hidden weapons with the greatest killing power in the martial world.”\n\n”That is correct.”\n\nPae Yul smacked his lips.\n\n”I understand why you brought the Tang Clan’s daughter.”\n\n”…”\n\nGa Deuk-Sang glared at Yeon Ho-Jeong with a menacing look.\n\n”Young Master Yeon.”\n\nThis time, even Yeon Ho-Jeong could not treat him like his eldest brother.\n\n”Speak.”\n\n”You are my friend. And I thought that even if you made rash decisions, you would not make the wrong ones.”\n\n”…”\n\n”But this time, you went too far. Lady Dang came without knowing anything. It’s as if you dragged in someone who had nothing to do with it, just because you needed her.”\n\n”So what?”\n\n”What, what did you say?”\n\nYeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes turned cold.\n\n”There are many things I could argue about, but I will only say one thing for now.”\n\n”…”\n\n”To fight against those who fight without rules, we must also put aside morality for a while.”\n\nGa Deuk-Sang shouted.\n\n”That’s the problem when you face them! You could have explained it to Lady Dang beforehand… !”\n\n”What if she said she wouldn’t come?”\n\n”Then we should have come up with another way!”\n\n”We can’t.”\n\n”Why!!”\n\n”Because we can’t fail.”\n\nGa Deuk-Sang, who was looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong with angry eyes, turned and walked away.\n\nPae Yul coughed awkwardly.\n\n”That guy, he’s got quite a temper.”\n\n”He’s a good person.”\n\n”Huh?”\n\nYeon Ho-Jeong smiled. It was a strange smile mixed with bitterness and stubbornness.\n\n”The righteousness and simplicity of that junior, hidden beneath his jokes and rough exterior, is the very symbol of the White Path.”\n\n”…”\n\n”That’s why I like that junior. That junior is the true chivalrous person that this world cannot do without.”\n\n”But that chivalrous guy seems to be disappointed in you, the leader of the task force. What if it interferes with the mission?”\n\n”There will be no interference.”\n\n”Are you confident?”\n\n”Yes.”\n\n”Why?”\n\nYeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes.\n\n”Because I believe that junior will understand me.”\n\nTwo days later.\n\nSeven masters, completely covered in black cloaks, appeared at the Yama Clan, which Yeon Ho-Jeong’s group had taken over.\n\n”Who are the ones claiming to be descendants of the Martial Sect?”