Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 510

“It’s been a while, Brother.”

Yeop Seong nodded at Bu Seon’s greeting.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes, so-so.”

Yeop Seong gazed at Jeon Hong’s back as he walked away.

“That guy and you too…”

His eyes were completely different from when he looked at Jeon Hong. Yeop Seong’s eyes flashed with a different light as he turned back to Bu Seon.

“You’ve grown remarkably.”

He knew Bu Seon’s talent.

Bu Seon was indeed talented. However, she wasn’t someone who could contend for the world. Rather, in terms of talent alone, the third, Jeon Hong, was comparable to him.

But seeing her today, it was far different from what he had expected. Bu Seon, whom he thought lacked talent, had broken through the Wall of No Seed [a significant barrier in martial arts cultivation], while Jeon Hong had his right arm cut off and couldn’t even properly recover his energy.

Of course, even that unrestored energy was incomparable to what it used to be.

“I heard about it, but you really broke through the Wall of No Seed.”

He had heard, but he couldn’t believe it. That’s how well he knew Bu Seon’s talent.

Bu Seon nodded.

“I was lucky.”

Yeop Seong shook his head.

“If it were an area that could be broken through with luck alone, it would be disrespectful to the countless masters who struggle to break through that wall. Whether it’s talent or effort, you’ve achieved a truly great feat.”

Though he said that, Yeop Seong also thought that Bu Seon had some luck on her side.

However, luck doesn’t solve everything. Yeop Seong purely acknowledged Bu Seon’s effort and tenacity.

“If you have time later, I’d like to ask for a spar.”

She said it casually, but for Bu Seon, it was quite a courageous thing to say.

The reason was simple. Sparring in the Black Path [a martial arts faction] was different from sparring in the Righteous Path [another martial arts faction].

In other words, it was no different from a real fight. If you died during a spar, it was your own responsibility, and any underhanded tactics were allowed.

Moreover, their case was even more serious. They were rivals.

They were in a relationship where they would try to kill each other at any opportunity. Even though they were siblings and fellow disciples, they ultimately saw each other as obstacles to their own bright futures.

Now, Bu Seon was asking for a lesson even though she knew all of that.

Yeop Seong nodded.

“Anytime you want.”

“Thank you.”

Bu Seon bowed.

“I’ll go in first.”

“Alright.”

Shortly after Bu Seon disappeared, Yeop Seong chuckled.

“She’s grown a lot.”

She probably knew that her martial arts were weaker than her brother’s. Yet, seeing her speak like that, he could tell that her disposition itself had become stronger.

It was a development of character more precious than the growth of martial arts.

‘If she shows even that kind of side, I can’t just look down on her like before.’

Yeop Seong, with his hands behind his back, looked around.

“By the way, it’s really big. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, I don’t even know where anything is.”

He muttered quietly as he walked.

Shortly after.

Two of the leaders of the Black Dragon Unit [a martial arts organization], who were lined up in the main hall, followed him.

* * *

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was not only crossing his arms but also brazenly crossing his legs, looked quite serious, unlike his usual self.

‘Spear King.’

Spear King, So Hyun-Lip.

The martial world is generally divided into the Righteous and the Demonic paths, and the alliances of these two factions represent the martial world.

However, in this martial world, there were countless masters and groups besides the Martial Alliance and the Black Dragon Unit.

There were even many who wandered freely throughout the world without belonging to either the Righteous or Demonic paths. If you just consider the numbers, the number of such warriors would probably overwhelm the Righteous and Demonic paths.

Among the Thirteen Seats of Seongcheon [a group of powerful martial artists], there were also masters who did not belong to the Righteous or Demonic paths. And there were more than just one or two.

The martial artists belonging to each faction believed that the martial power of the masters between the Righteous and Demonic paths was inferior to those rooted in one place.

And as if mocking the prejudice and stubbornness of these people, there were four masters from between the Righteous and Demonic paths among the Thirteen Seats of Seongcheon.

Spear King So Hyun-Lip was one of them.

So Hyun-Lip began to make a name for himself in the martial world, similar to the Fighting King Yang Cheon, who is now the head of the Black Path Alliance.

Having been taught martial arts by a strange person, he came out into the world at the age of forty and engaged in exactly one hundred duels. And he won all one hundred of those duels.

Unlike Yang Cheon, who grew stronger through repeated defeats mixed with blood and tears, he was already strong when he entered the martial world. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve a perfect record without a single defeat.

Some criticized So Hyun-Lip for only choosing fights he could win, that is, only fighting mediocre martial artists.

However, such criticism disappeared after it was revealed who So Hyun-Lip’s hundredth opponent was.

‘It was Yul San, the Blood Hearing Demon.’

Yul San.

The last master representing the Demonic Path, one of the factions that dominated the martial world by dividing it into three parts during its prime, overwhelming both the Righteous and Demonic paths.

Yul San, who was called the living terror of the Central Plains martial world, was So Hyun-Lip’s last opponent.

And So Hyun-Lip showed the terrifying sight of killing Yul San, who had even shattered the Plum Blossom Sword Formation of the former masters of the Mount Hua Sect [a famous martial arts sect], after a fierce battle that lasted over twelve hours.

From then on, So Hyun-Lip’s title became Spear King. And the name Spear King had already taken a place among the Seongcheon, who were called the strongest in the martial world.

‘Now, even putting up the signboard of the Demonic Path is taboo, as the Demonic Path has died out. He wasn’t the Blood Hearing Demon. He was a true master who proudly proclaimed himself the rightful heir of the Demonic Path.’

If the rumors were true, the martial arts of the Blood Hearing Demon were not significantly lacking compared to the strong of the current Seongcheon.

So Hyun-Lip entered the martial world at the age of forty and defeated Yul San just before reaching the age of sixty.

It was enough martial power to take a seat in Seongcheon.

‘The Spear King didn’t establish a sect, and it was said that he had no disciples or siblings. He was just a seeker who staked his life on his one spear.’

That’s what the world knew.

However, according to the information about So Hyun-Lip written in the letter Yang Cheon gave him, he was far from the word seeker.

‘He’s the easiest one? Then the others must be even harder.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong recalled the ten superhumans among the Thirteen Seats of Seongcheon, who were classified as Divine Immortal Emperors.

– Fist God, Master Mu Heo

– Sword Immortal, Tak Mu

– Demonic Immortal, Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi

– Sound Emperor, Ha Eun-Gyo

– Blade Emperor, Jong Ri-Baek

– Sword Emperor, Namgoong Seung

– Spear King, So Hyun-Lip

– Dark King, Tang Hyeong

– Flying King, Gongson Baek-Ryong

– Fighting King, Yang Cheon

Those ten were the masters closest to being the strongest in the world.

Among them, Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi was particularly noteworthy.

The Blood Hearing Demon Yul San called himself the rightful heir of the Central Plains Demonic Path, but in fact, that title should have been taken by Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi.

The absolute master of the Demonic Path, which had collapsed so much that it was now difficult to find even a few sects.

The Demonic Immortal, who had put on the shackles of the Demonic Path himself, built a palace in an unknown region that no one could find, and was continuing the lineage of the Demonic Path.

‘A person who has never properly revealed himself to the world.’

The reason why Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi was named among the Thirteen Seats of Seongcheon was extremely simple.

It was because of the statement of Master Mu Heo, the Fist God, the greatest fist in the world and the old monk who was considered the closest to being the greatest person in the world.

‘Hmph, he is a true master who has reached the realm of an immortal while embracing the Demonic Path. Even I cannot guarantee that I can defeat him. It’s fortunate that his nature is pure. If someone like him had decided to embark on a path of blood, the Central Plains would have suffered a great illness.’

That one word made the unidentified monster called Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi be called a strongman of Seongcheon. It was a scene that showed how much weight Master Mu Heo’s words carried.

‘Including Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi, four of the Divine Immortal Emperors walk the Middle Path, excluding the Righteous and Demonic paths.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened.

‘Can I really do it? Can I successfully lead the task of making all four of them allies?’

From the beginning, he had no intention of making all of them allies.

However, since he had taken on such a mission, he wanted to unite them all. In fact, that would be helpful.

‘The operation to bring the Spear King to our side… I can’t just think about that one thing. I have to get the maximum I can get. Then this one mission is important. I have to use my head well.’

It was when Yeon Ho-Jeong was deep in thought.

“Brother!”

“Hmm?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had come out of his thoughts, raised his head.

Gang Ryang smiled and said.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“Just thinking about this and that. But why?”

“Someone has come from outside.”

“Someone?”

Only after hearing those words did Yeon Ho-Jeong feel his senses become keenly alert.

As his senses sharpened, he immediately knew who had come.

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“Tell them to come in.”

“Yes.”

As Gang Ryang left for a moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong looked back at his own condition.

‘What is this.’

Both when he came here and now.

‘I keep making mistakes, unlike myself.’

This was enemy territory.

Even though they had formed an alliance, it was right to think of it as enemy territory for now. If so, he should always keep at least one strand of his senses sharp.

But what about now?

‘It’s dangerous.’

On the way to the Black Dragon Unit, there were Pae Yul and Gang Ryang, but if something happened here, it would be difficult for the two of them to stop it.

Yeon Ho-Jeong slapped his own cheek with a loud sound.

‘Let’s get a grip. It’s good to concentrate, but I shouldn’t forget who I am.’

Shortly after, Jeong An came in.

“Commander Yeon.”

“You’re here?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“Not bad? Your energy has deepened a lot in the meantime.”

Jeong An also smiled back.

“That’s just like you, Commander. You start talking about martial arts as soon as we meet?”

“It’s the biggest change, isn’t it? It’s obvious that you’ve been through a lot.”

“Really?”

“I may curse, but I don’t make empty words.”

“Why do you curse again?”

Jeong An burst into laughter.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes shone.

‘She’s become much brighter.’

It wasn’t just her energy. The Black Dragon Unit was an organization of enemies for Jeong An, but even after spending a long time there, her disposition had become brighter and her energy had deepened.

It was the result of training with more concentration than anyone else in a place where it was more difficult to concentrate than anywhere else. Just like the monks of Shaolin deliberately do wall-facing meditation, Jeong An’s arduous training seemed to have produced good results.

“Did things go well at the Martial Alliance?”

“Thanks to you.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I’m glad you seem to be doing well too. I was relieved.”

“Then why did you make me come first? You weren’t even thinking about it, were you?”

“I was thinking about it.”

“Oh, come on.”

Her brightened appearance somehow reminded him of Muk Bi.

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled and then changed the subject.

“By the way, you seem to be doing well, but what about the others? Like Yeon Sim.”

“Ah…”

Jeong An’s face clouded over.

Yeon Ho-Jeong tilted his head.

“It seems you’ve met a few times in the meantime.”

“Actually, I saw her this morning. She came to see me in person…”

“She came to see you? Yeon Sim to you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Jeong An sighed.

“She said she was grateful for everything so far, and that it seemed like the time had come for her to leave.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

“Leave… That won’t do.”