Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 387

Kugugung!

The stone gate of the main hall was the same as before. However, it seemed to have been much more neatly carved than before. Unlike its previous appearance, which resembled a bandit’s den, it now exuded an otherworldly aura.

“It’s changed a lot since last time.”

Yang Cheon found it hard to suppress a snicker at Yeon Ho-Jeong’s calm words.

“You’re a truly shameless one.”

“What do you mean?”

“Whatever the reason, this was once a place you belonged to. Do you really feel no guilt?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“It was just a mission. If I felt guilty about every little thing, I wouldn’t be able to do this job.”

“You seem to have a knack for professional espionage.”

“I’ve never received any specific spy training. I didn’t have the time. I just did my best within my capabilities when I had to deceive someone.”

Not all members of the Black Path were vile or evil. In fact, the more chivalrous ones were often treated with more respect.

In other words, openly admitting to deception in front of Yang Cheon, who was even called the Fighting King, wouldn’t earn him any points. It would only increase suspicion.

And that was why Yang Cheon could trust Yeon Ho-Jeong’s abilities. Those who are harsh on themselves are often the most capable.

‘He’s not someone who wouldn’t know that. If this is also a calculated statement, he’s truly a snake.’

Of course, Yang Cheon didn’t think Yeon Ho-Jeong’s statement was a ploy. At least, the Yeon Ho-Jeong he had seen was a man of great intellect, but not a petty person.

Kugugung!

The door to the main hall closed.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smacked his lips.

“Baek Seo, that guy, his eyes were quite fierce.”

“It’s understandable. Baek Seo is the leader of the Twelve Zodiacs [a group of elite warriors] and my most trusted confidant. His sense of betrayal towards you would be greater than mine, if not equal.”

“I kind of figured.”

Yang Cheon sat down on a chair. It wasn’t the grand master’s chair, but a small chair in front of a table placed to the side.

“There’s no need to waste time here.”

“Of course.”

“I’ll ask you. How do you plan to detoxify the Yin Fiend Palm? Or before that, is it really a case of poisoning?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke directly.

“When I was the head of the intelligence department, didn’t Vice-Chief Yang suddenly lose consciousness?”

“…That’s right.”

“Didn’t you feel anything strange at that time?”

“It would be a lie to say I didn’t. But no matter how much I examined my body, there was nothing unusual.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes deepened.

“I know my body well. This isn’t arrogance. You’ve also broken through the Wall of No Seed [a significant martial arts breakthrough], so you know how the body and qi [internal energy] change after breaking through the limits.”

“Of course, I know.”

“The realm of Limitless, as people call it, is on a different level from the Wall of No Seed. When you reach that realm, everything changes. It’s different for everyone, but if you concentrate, you can even see the structure of things.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong also knew. He had also reached that realm.

“And that goes for my own body as well. I may not be a physician, but I’m confident that I’m better than any physician in the world when it comes to seeing my own body.”

“I think that’s a reasonable confidence.”

“Yet, you’re certain that I’m poisoned?”

“I’m certain. I’ll say it again, Vice-Chief, you must have felt something.”

Yang Cheon silently stared at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

As he said, Yang Cheon had felt something strange from the beginning. But it was just a suspicion, not a certainty.

“As Vice-Chief Yang said, masters who have reached the Limitless realm see the world differently.”

“…You speak as if you’ve reached that realm yourself.”

“That’s not important. What’s important is how you obtained that ‘eye’.”

“What are you talking about?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

“Many factors are needed for a master to reach a higher realm. But the foundation is qi.”

“Of course, that’s true. But that’s…”

“The golden palm print on Vice-Chief Yang’s chest isn’t a wound that causes poisoning. That palm print is just a factory.”

“A factory?”

“That’s right.”

“What kind of factory?”

“A factory to process and refine Vice-Chief Yang’s true qi, ultimately turning him into a puppet.”

“…?!”

Yang Cheon’s eyes widened.

Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed.

“It’s understandable that Vice-Chief Yang didn’t notice. The best physician in the Black Path, the Ghostly Life Divine Physician, examined Vice-Chief Yang’s body, but it’s not easy for a physician to discover it.”

“…”

“Vice-Chief Yang sees the world with qi. Because of the high level you’ve reached, your qi always surrounds your entire body, even unconsciously.”

“…That’s right.”

“What was poisoned by the Yin Fiend Palm wasn’t Vice-Chief Yang’s body, that is, his tissue. It was his true qi.”

“…!!”

Yang Cheon’s mouth slowly opened.

“You poisoned the true qi?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re saying that qi was contaminated by qi?”

“That’s right.”

“…I’ll ask again. Are you saying that my true qi, which has reached the Saintly Heaven realm [a very high level of martial arts mastery], was contaminated by the Yin Fiend Palm of the Demonic Cult Leader?”

“That’s right.”

Yang Cheon shouted.

“That’s absurd!”

He yelled without realizing it, but Yang Cheon was captivated by the thought that Yeon Ho-Jeong’s words might be true.

It’s practically impossible for a master who has entered the Limitless realm to lose consciousness without discovering any abnormalities.

Yet, Yang Cheon had lost consciousness. If it had been during a battle, he would have lost his life.

At that thought, Yang Cheon felt a chill for the first time in a long time.

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke in a somber tone.

“Have you never doubted it? The utility of the Yin Fiend Palm.”

“…?!”

“The Yin Fiend Palm is a terrifying martial art. It’s a type of hidden energy that explodes the opponent’s meridians [energy pathways in the body], so even masters of equal skill would be extremely wary of it. But it’s not impossible to counter. If you know the characteristics of the Yin Fiend Palm.”

“…!!”

“The Demonic Cult Leader is strong. Strong enough for Vice-Chief Yang to be defeated. Why do you think such a master, who uses a powerful martial art that becomes vulnerable once its secrets are known, left Vice-Chief Yang alive?”

Yang Cheon’s eyelids trembled.

“…Because he’s confident. Confident that I won’t go against him.”

“That’s exactly it.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes turned cold.

Just mentioning the four words ‘Demonic Cult Leader’ made him feel down.

“When I was the head of the intelligence department of the Black Dragon Unit, I felt something strange in Vice-Chief Yang’s true qi. It was an enormous qi wave, but I felt a strange disruption in the qi that was leaking out. Of course, the qi wave itself was impressive, but I felt that the qi was turbid, not befitting the reputation of the Fighting King.”

“…”

“The person himself wouldn’t know. Because he sees the world with already contaminated qi. Unless he had a life-or-death battle with someone, he wouldn’t find the answer by just looking at the wound. He hasn’t even squeezed out his ultimate power.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong pointed at Yang Cheon’s chest with his index finger.

It was quite a provocative act, but Yang Cheon couldn’t scold Yeon Ho-Jeong’s actions.

“Just like paper slowly soaking in water, Vice-Chief Yang’s true qi was gradually being infiltrated by the evil energy of the Yin Fiend Palm.”

“…I can’t believe it. No matter how strong he is, it’s almost impossible to contaminate the true qi of someone who has reached the Limitless realm.”

“The Demonic Cult Leader is the one who wields that near-impossible ability. The martial arts of the Demonic Cult have always been adept at infiltration. Perhaps no one in the Central Plains can match the Demonic Cult Leader in the field of hidden energy.”

That was why it was difficult to capture the Demonic Cult Leader during the era of the Black Demon Emperor.

If you engage in a life-or-death battle, you must capture him immediately. If you allow him to attack, you will have to fight later while being poisoned by the Demonic Cult Leader’s evil energy.

Of course, even Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t know at the time that the Yin Fiend Palm had the ability to contaminate true qi.

However, his intuition, gained from countless battles, told him. That he shouldn’t allow even a single blow from the Demonic Cult Leader’s Yin Fiend Palm. If he allowed a single blow, he should at least not let him escape.

And that was why Yeon Ho-Jeong tried to subdue the Demonic Cult Leader with Moyong Gun, who was revered as the Sword God. Regardless of their martial arts level, he was too dangerous of an enemy.

“Then.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes had become as cold as Yeon Ho-Jeong’s.

“If you knew that, why didn’t you tell me when you were the head of the intelligence department?”

“Are you even asking? You’re the Fighting King. Such a big figure secretly founded the Black Dragon Unit, and you were even the enemy. Why would I do something good for the enemy?”

He spoke so confidently that Yang Cheon was speechless.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“And, I didn’t know well at that time either. But after returning to the main camp, I thought about it. I even consulted the best physician.”

“Physician?”

“Yes, there is such a person. She’s young, but her skills rival the Ghostly Life Divine Physician.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smacked his lips.

“Anyway, that person gave me a detoxification method. It will take some time, but with Vice-Chief Yang’s skills, you should be able to correct the contaminated true qi in less than two days.”

“…Good.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes hardened.

“I’ll bury the past. So, how do I detoxify this?”

“The detoxification method is surprisingly simple. However, it costs a bit of money.”

“Money?”

“That’s right. But I heard that the Black Dragon Unit’s financial power is quite impressive. So it shouldn’t be difficult. Ah! Just in case, it would be good to call the Ghostly Life Divine Physician to detoxify together.”

“What kind of method is it?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong gave a wry smile.

“Do you have any elixirs in the warehouse? An elixir with medicinal power comparable to the Great Reversion Pill of Shaolin [a legendary Buddhist monastery known for martial arts and medicine]?”

* * *

Two days later.

“Yeon…”

Moyong Woo, who almost called him Yeonje without realizing it, cleared his throat and bowed politely.

“Have you arrived, Great Commander?”

“Yeah, yeah. You guys must have been waiting. Did you hear from Gang Ryang?”

“Yes, I did. But I can’t believe it. You really went to the Black Dragon Unit?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“Why? Did you think I went to some courtesan house instead of leaving my subordinates?”

Moyong Woo waved his hands in embarrassment.

“N, no, I didn’t think that…”

“Haha, I know.”

“So, how did it go?”

“How did what go? I saw him return with a perfectly fine body.”

“…Heh heh.”

Gang Ryang, who was standing with his arms crossed in the distance, grumbled.

“It’s a relief that you returned safely, but it seems like you received a gift?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“You have a keen eye. Is it that obvious?”

“It can’t help but be obvious. You fought fiercely with the Fighting King, yet your body is not only fine, but your qi is blazing.”

The soldiers of the Righteous Army, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, were shocked. They had never imagined that Yeon Ho-Jeong had fought with the Fighting King.

“That’s true.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smacked his lips.

“I received a good medicine as a gift. I was going to save it, but he told me to eat it. He said it was the price for the Fighting King’s life? So I ate it.”

“Of course, you would.”

“I’m serious, man.”

“I’ll believe you.”

“It’s not about believing, it’s the truth!”

“Okay, okay.”

At that moment, Moyong Woo spoke.

“Anyway, it’s a relief that you returned safely. Then…”

“Yeah. It’s time to move.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked south.

His mischievous eyes immediately turned cold.

“I also received information about the target. We can skip the trivial search.”