Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 393

“Team Leader.”

“…….”

“Am Pal is dead.”

The eyes of Sama Hyeon, the Yin God’s chief disciple, turned cold.

“Who did it?”

“He was killed by an acquaintance of Yaju.”

“…….”

“…….”

“And Yaju didn’t say anything?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then it’s fine. Focus on your assigned duties.”

“Understood.”

Swoosh.

Am Sa disappeared like smoke.

Sama Hyeon, who had been staring out the window for a long time, closed his eyes.

‘Go on ahead.’

He silently wished for Am Pal’s peaceful passage to the afterlife.

In his heart, he wanted to storm into Yaju’s residence right away. He wanted to knock him unconscious, destroy his dantian [energy center], and then, to ensure he couldn’t even faint, inflict all sorts of terrible torture on him for three months and ten days.

Of course, it wasn’t just because of Am Pal.

‘Because of your existence, so many people are suffering.’

It had been three years since Sama Hyeon had broken free from the Yin God’s Soul-Binding Technique.

How he had managed it, Sama Hyeon himself didn’t know. Suddenly, he had come to loathe his master, and he had become unfamiliar. Then, at some point, he realized there was something wrong with his memories.

As he tried to recall his memories, he was suddenly able to break the Soul-Binding Technique. He could only guess that the Yin Fire, Yin Cold, and Yang Seed energies had somehow interacted in a strange way.

Of course, that wasn’t important.

What was important was that the master he had believed in and followed for so long was his mortal enemy, and that he had to kill this master-turned-enemy no matter what.

‘There will be no petty revenge.’

Yayul Jeok probably didn’t know how much preparation he had made over the past three years.

How much information he had gathered, how many people he had won over, and how many assassins he had brought to his side.

‘And finally.’

Sama Hyeon took out a small document from his pocket.

‘The opportunity has come.’

Currently, the Martial Alliance’s Yu Army was entering Guangdong Province.

If the Yu Army had entered, then an intelligence organization to support them would also sneak in. He hadn’t confirmed which intelligence organization was coming or from which direction, but it was clear that they would come.

‘It’s probably the Beggars’ Union.’

Sama Hyeon opened his mouth.

“Am Jang.”

“You called, Team Leader?”

A masked man, who had appeared as suddenly as Am Sa, knelt beside Sama Hyeon.

Sama Hyeon handed him the document.

“Keep an eye on all of Guangdong Province. And if you are certain that they are Martial Alliance informants, deliver this document to them.”

Am Jang’s eyes glowed blue.

“Is it starting?”

“Yes, it’s starting now.”

Sama Hyeon closed his eyes.

“If the Martial Alliance doesn’t help, then I will not hesitate to cut off Hong Gwan’s head.”

* * *

“Young Master Yeon!”

In his haste, he even omitted the honorific ‘Daesu’.

Muk Bi approached with a worried expression.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“You just collapsed! How severe was the internal injury!”

“I didn’t get an internal injury.”

“…What?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong rotated his left shoulder.

“I know the Blood Sound Palm extremely well. It’s quite a terrifying martial art, but if you know the penetration path, blocking the hidden energy is as easy as splitting firewood. In that sense, it’s definitely a concept close to the basic skills of the Yin Desolate Martial Art.”

Muk Bi stared at Yeon Ho-Jeong with a dumbfounded expression. Ok Cheong and Yeo Guk had similar expressions.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“I’m not kidding.”

“If you’re not kidding! Why did you let the enemy go? Especially since they were a master from the Evil Sound Sect!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“Catching one fox is just a way to vent anger. The viper that has hidden in its cave will become more cautious.”

“……?”

“I’ve roughly planted the seeds, so if things go as planned, their camp will become quite lively soon.”

One of the strongest members of the Evil Sound Sect wouldn’t have been dispatched to be the Yin God.

That was obvious. At least as far as Yeon Ho-Jeong knew, the top masters of the Three Sects had great pride. Among them, there were many conservatives who scoffed at the idea of targeting the lowly lands of the Central Plains.

In other words, the current Yin God was overwhelmingly likely to be a master of a lower rank.

No, it was certain. The Yin God Yeon Ho-Jeong had met during his time as the Black Demon Emperor had no connection to the Evil Sound Sect, so he had probably risen to become the new Yin God, surpassing his master due to some incident.

If the opponent had been a top master from the Three Sects, even a genius would have had difficulty surpassing their master.

‘Moreover, Yayul Jeok has transformed himself into Hong Gwan, a disciple of Yang Cheon, to the outside world. If he were a demigod-level powerhouse, he wouldn’t have identified himself as a disciple of Yang Cheon due to his pride.’

Yang Cheon knew quite a bit of information about Yayul Jeok. However, he didn’t know how strong he was or what his position was in the Evil Sound Sect.

‘That damn woman’s martial arts were comparable to Beon Jak’s. Beon Jak is a demigod, a supreme master who hasn’t broken through the realm of the Limitless. Then that damn woman’s power is probably not less than the Yin God’s.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong was more knowledgeable about the Blood Sound Palm and Blood Sound Evil Energy than even the Evil Sound Sect.

Of course, he also knew the counter-measures. This was because many of the Black Demon Castle’s masters had been defeated by the half-bloods who inherited the Evil Sound Sect Leader’s blood, and they had gritted their teeth and dug into it.

Now, all that was left was ‘discord’.

‘A unit commander of the Martial Alliance can’t be that proficient in Evil Sound martial arts. Right?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke to Sobang in his mind.

‘Then who would have taught her the counter-measures? It’s highly likely to be someone close, an insider, right?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke desperately.

‘Say it’s true. Please.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke with sadness.

To Sobang, who he couldn’t see, with a voice that couldn’t reach her.

‘If I can’t create discord, I will despise myself for letting you go today. Please, don’t make me miserable.’

Muk Bi opened her mouth.

“If you have any ideas, please tell us in advance…”

At that moment, Muk Bi couldn’t continue her sentence.

Trickle.

A stream of blood flowed from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s lips. It was because he had been unconsciously biting his lip.

He had bitten it so hard that the bleeding was getting worse. But Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t seem to be aware of it.

Muk Bi looked into Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes with trembling eyes.

‘……’

Muk Bi felt dizzy.

It wasn’t just her. Ok Cheong and Yeo Guk also looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong, sensing the unusual atmosphere, and were speechless at his terrifying gaze.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was speaking with his eyes. He expressed it with his eyes, and he contained it with his eyes.

His eyes held all the emotions that a human could feel. Surprisingly, there were also glimpses of joy, love, and fun.

And those positive emotions were surrounded by an unimaginable amount of malice.

So, in his eyes, there was nothing.

‘Burn fiercely.’

The emotions that were rising uncontrollably gradually converged into one, showing Yeon Ho-Jeong a huge illusion.

‘Burn and burn again, so that you all cannot escape the flames of hell that rise to the sky and suffer.’

He had met his true enemy.

He had never met that woman before, but just the fact that she belonged to the Evil Sound Sect made her an enemy that Yeon Ho-Jeong would not be satisfied with tearing into ten thousand pieces.

The Divine Light Sect? The Mad Blood Sect? Of course, they were also enemies. They were going to turn the Central Plains into a sea of fire anyway, and they were actually starting such a plan, so he had to eliminate them for the sake of his family. That was the only way to prevent future troubles.

But the Evil Sound Sect was different.

How many of his subordinates had died horribly at their hands? Those remnants of the Evil Sound Sect, who had caused him to lose his subordinates who had given him faith and love again after he had lost his family and his humanity, were mortal enemies that he could not forgive even if he repeated a million lives.

What about the Black Sheep he had seen in the old Muk Ryong Unit? Of course, he was also from the Evil Sound Sect.

But he was a bug. A bug sent by the Evil Sound Sect. He was like a venomous insect that lived in the southwest.

However, the woman who had just escaped was different.

He had encountered a true Evil Sound Sect member. How many years had it been since he had faced an enemy he had wanted to meet so badly since returning to the past?

He had sent away the enemy he hated so much and wanted to meet right away with his own hands.

Grind.

The sound of his teeth grinding echoed in all directions, piercing through the sound of the roaring fire.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes became increasingly bloodshot.

‘The reason I spared you, you must not ruin my mercy and my plan. If, by any chance, discord does not arise, at least I will make sure that you neither live nor die.’

It was a terrifying curse.

A curse filled with a human’s hatred was conveyed even without being spoken. Muk Bi, Ok Cheong, and Yeo Guk felt chills as Yeon Ho-Jeong’s anger deepened.

How much time had passed?

“……Hoo.”

He sent out the boiling emotions with a light sigh.

Yeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes.

‘True Man.’

He recalled Seung Hyun Jin-In, who had taught him at the Martial Alliance training grounds.

His kind expression, his worried voice, and even his good and pure eyes.

‘Those who have power cannot be free from the responsibility that comes with that weight. The moment you forget that responsibility, the world will fall into chaos. You may wonder if one person’s madness can do that, but it is certainly possible. That is the martial world and the world.’

‘I don’t know what kind of karma will stain your future red, but I want to plant even a ray of warmth in your tired heart. That’s all.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong murmured in a small voice without realizing it.

It was the enlightenment that Seung Hyun Jin-In had given him. It was not about cutting and suppressing human emotions, but about the fundamental reason why the world was beautiful and the scholarly yet easy-to-understand teachings on how people should live in it.

As Yeon Ho-Jeong recited the enlightenment that Seung Hyun Jin-In had imparted, his mind, which had not been calmed by even the inner energy of the Yeon Family Divine Pill and the Evil God Energy, gradually began to stabilize.

Of course, it wasn’t just because the Dharma [Buddhist teachings] was great. Yeon Ho-Jeong had put aside his personal desire for revenge and prioritized his mission, and he was now reaching a point where he was contemplating what the greater good was beyond his mission.

Such a change was making Yeon Ho-Jeong’s vision wider and clearer, using the Dharma that Seung Hyun Jin-In had given him as a channel.

If there was no will to change, even the teachings of a sage were nothing more than kindling.

Yeon Ho-Jeong had already changed like that. He was gradually moving away from the Black Demon Emperor he had been before his death.

Flash!

Yeon Ho-Jeong opened his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.”

The calm voice reassured the three of them. It wasn’t just pretending, it was clear that he had really regained his composure.

“If my prediction is correct, the enemy camp will fall into great chaos. Considering that woman’s personality and position, the Yin God’s headquarters might be paralyzed for a while.”

“Then, what do we do next?”

“What do we do? If we’ve created an opening, we have to stab them without mercy.”

Chiririring!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had tied the Azure Dragon Chain to his upper body and raised the Mad Dragon Axe, said in a cold voice.

“Contact the Beggars’ Union. Tell them to start moving. Before we get to the main event, we need to clean up the fallen leaves.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong hadn’t come simply to capture the Yin God.

On a small scale, it was to capture the spies of the Evil Sound Sect, but on a large scale, it was to collapse the assassin world and revitalize the weakened southern martial world.

Beyond killing the organization and the enemy’s leader, he was also aiming for the stability of Guangdong Province.

The strongest vanguard, Byeoksan Tiger General Yeon Ho-Jeong.

In this operation, he had to become a ruler who would correct the livelihood of a region, beyond being a vanguard.

Even if it was just for a short while.