Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 759

Time relentlessly marches forward. It cannot be slowed, nor can it be stopped. Though the perception of time’s flow may differ from person to person, its ceaseless wheel rolls onward, unyielding to any individual’s will.

Thus, the world witnesses the creation of eras, and these eras, shaped by the passage of time, become history, relegated to the annals of the past.

And so, a new era, a new world, emerges.

Within the ever-shifting martial world, governed by the immutable truth of time, a rumor, like a thunderclap, began to spread.

The rumor originated from Sichuan.

The Sichuan Tang Family, thrown into disarray by a certain faction, suffered greatly at the hands of rebels. After enduring significant losses, they managed to quell the uprising.

And amidst this turmoil, a master emerged.

A tiger general, who, at the age of thirty, officially entered the martial world, quickly became known as the best among the younger generation, rivaled only by a warrior from the Moyong family.

A genius warrior who, alongside Tang Gwan, the head of the Tang family, quelled the rebellion and vanquished a supreme master of the demonic path who had ascended to the heavens while still in human form.

That warrior departed Sichuan and arrived in Shanxi, where he once again demonstrated his remarkable abilities.

The Battle of Mount Zhongnan.

It was through this conflict that the existence of a group known as the Three Cults of Madness became known to the world.

This was not a rumor whispered in secret. The names of each cult—the Shin-hwa Cult, the Sa-eum Cult, and the Gwang-hyeol Cult—along with the fact that each possessed incredible power capable of challenging the Central Plains martial world, became widely known.

It remained unclear who was responsible for spreading the rumor so swiftly and decisively. Some speculated it was the Beggars’ Union, while others pointed to the Black Dragon Unit, but ultimately, the source was irrelevant.

The crucial point was that the existence of these foreign forces, previously unknown to more than half of the Central Plains, had been fully exposed.

And that a peerless hero had been battling these outsiders for years, risking his life in the process.

It was also revealed that a supreme master from the enemy side, one who had opened the Limitless [a state of martial arts mastery beyond the ordinary], had appeared during the Battle of Mount Zhongnan.

The fact that someone had opened the Limitless without being listed among the Saintly Heavens [a group of the most powerful martial artists] was enough to send shockwaves through the world. Opening the Limitless meant wielding power akin to a natural disaster while still in human form.

And that ‘genius warrior’ once again defeated the enemy’s supreme master, turning the tide of the battle.

Even then, many remained skeptical of the genius warrior’s martial prowess. It was understandable. This genius warrior was still a young man, not yet thirty years of age.

There were many geniuses and monsters in the world, but the realm of the Limitless was not something that could be reached through talent alone. If talent were sufficient, there would have been hundreds who had opened the Limitless.

Even the strong among the Saintly Heavens were monsters with extraordinary talent. None of them had opened the Limitless before the age of thirty.

Therefore, people believed he must have used some kind of trick. Of course, even with tricks, eliminating such powerful enemies was a great achievement.

But the rumors about the genius warrior did not end there.

Bi Wang Gongson Baek-ryong.

A master of lightness techniques [a martial art focused on speed and agility] considered the best of all time, surpassing even the most skilled in the world. His martial prowess was considered equal to that of the Three Armies [a reference to a high level of martial power], and he was listed among the Saintly Heavens as a Divine Immortal King.

Shocking rumors circulated that he was not a quirky figure with enemies in the martial world, but rather a member of the foreign Three Cults.

And that rumor was soon proven to be true. None other than the Dragon Head Chief of the Beggars’ Union had announced it as fact.

The world was in shock.

The Thirteen Seats of the Saintly Heavens were the pride of the martial world. For some, they were considered a religion, and for others, they were objects of reverence.

For one of these absolute masters to have sided with the outsiders who were trying to take over the continent, there could be no more shocking revelation.

The myth of the Saintly Heavens. The unchanging sky.

A red brushstroke was drawn across that sky.

People struggled to recover from the shock. Some even claimed that the Dragon Head Chief’s words were false. They couldn’t believe it, even for the sake of their pride.

However, while they could ignore the revealed truth, they couldn’t dismiss it as a lie.

Before the shock of the world had subsided, another earth-shattering rumor struck the world.

The genius warrior, the Tiger of Byeoksan.

Rumor had it that the young master, known as the Tiger of Gangdong, had even eliminated Bi Wang Gongson Baek-ryong.

That rumor was even more shocking than the revelation of Gongson Baek-ryong’s identity.

No matter how much Gongson Baek-ryong was in league with the outsiders, his martial arts were real.

His pure martial power alone was at least equal to that of the Three Armies. And the Three Armies were also among the Thirteen Seats of the Saintly Heavens, and whether it was half a level or a full level difference, their greatness did not diminish.

Opening the Limitless and being listed in the Saintly Heavens were worlds apart.

With the series of shocking rumors, people gradually began to grasp the reality.

People clearly accepted three facts, the reality.

First, the Central Plains was no longer peaceful.

Although battles had always been frequent in the martial world, this was different.

Enemies who were difficult to defeat even if they were united were openly threatening from beyond the borders. It was no longer the time to focus on the power struggles within the Central Plains.

Second, no one could be easily trusted.

Even among the Thirteen Seats of the Saintly Heavens, who were revered like a religion, there were spies of the enemy. There were countless sects throughout the world, so there must be spies of the enemy lurking in many places.

People were not fools. The Battle of Mount Zhongnan, the Sichuan Rebellion, and so on, were not things that could have been prepared in just a few years.

They must have been trying to weaken the power of the martial world for at least decades, with astronomical financial resources and chilling schemes.

Enemies who were patient for the sake of a perfect victory, even if they had sufficient power.

Suspicion of those around them and fear of the Three Cults of Madness slowly spread among the people.

But it was fortunate. The martial world, this world with thousands of years of history, found new strength even in the face of enemies that were difficult to handle.

The Martial Alliance was like that, and so was the Black Dragon Unit. They were not just power groups, but command centers that could fight against the enemies, so they could be somewhat reassured.

And there was another master.

The third truth that people recognized and accepted was the martial prowess of the Tiger General.

Byeoksan Tiger General Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Born as the eldest son of the Gangdong Yeon family, a prodigy who quickly became known as the best among the younger generation based on his powerful martial arts, his unyielding decisiveness, and his outstanding intellect.

Now, several years after entering the martial world, Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was called the best among the younger generation, had now surpassed even that and had risen to the ranks of absolute masters who truly discussed the best in the world.

He was no longer a name that could be underestimated because of his young age. Rather, a divine being had appeared who should be evaluated even more highly because of his youth.

Tyrant King Yeon Ho-Jeong.

A title that was too rough and fierce to be given to a member of the prestigious Six Families of the White Path [a group of righteous martial arts families].

However, looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong’s actions since entering the world, there was no other title that suited him better.

He was not a tyrant king because he was the ruler of the era. It was the martial arts he wielded, his ruthless methods, and his brutal tendency to quickly settle fights and forcibly correct situations that made him be called the Tyrant King.

The king of the tyrannical path, the Tyrant King.

A martial art of monstrous power that was worthy of being called ‘Strength to Uproot Mountains, Spirit to Cover the World,’ an undefeated champion who had never lost in any battlefield.

The Tiger of Byeoksan finally took the king’s seat that Bi Wang Gongson Baek-ryong had occupied.

An absolute master who had become the leader of the new era, pushing out the old era that had become dusty.

It was the moment when a symbol of the new era was born, instantly diluting the fear of the Three Cults of Madness.

* * *

“Tyrant King, huh…”

Hwa Jin-Cheon smiled bitterly.

“That’s a damn arrogant title. But for some reason, it suits that guy.”

“You can say that again.”

Ga Deuk-Sang, who was fanning himself with a thick stack of documents, was drenched in sweat.

He had been running all over the world and had come to see his master in a hurry. No matter how amazing his lightness techniques were, he was exhausted after running for several nights without sleep.

“That’s why the world is interesting.”

“I don’t find it interesting. But what is?”

“We were the ones who spread the rumors about Yeon Ho-Jeong, but it was the people of the world who gave him that title. And the people of the world, surprisingly, define others accurately, as if they had seen it themselves.”

“Hmm.”

“Tyrant King Yeon Ho-Jeong… Tyrant King… Hmm, that’s a rather ominous title. I wonder if he’ll get stabbed and die in his later years.”

“How many martial artists die of natural causes without getting stabbed?”

“That’s true, but still.”

“Besides, why are you worrying about someone who suffered from poison because of that guy?”

“You little brat, that’s that, and this is this. To be honest, I don’t like him, but if it weren’t for that guy, the continent might have been cut in half by now.”

Ga Deuk-Sang grinned.

“Now you’re finally recognizing that guy’s true worth, Master?”

“Why are you so happy? Do you like him?”

“I do.”

“You creepy brat.”

“Enough, let’s talk about work first.”

“Look at you changing the subject. You’ve become quite relaxed, haven’t you?”

“Aren’t you busy?”

Hwa Jin-Cheon couldn’t help but chuckle. Even in the midst of this busyness, his disciple seemed strangely relaxed. It seemed like it was time to hand over the leadership of the union.

Ga Deuk-Sang said with a serious face.

“The imperial palace is in chaos. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

The two were in Dezhou, Shandong Province. Dezhou was very close to Hebei.

“We received a message from the Peng family. They eliminated Eunuch Wu-heon, or rather, a spy of the Shin-hwa Cult, and killed several masters.”

“And they requested military support from the Martial Alliance.”

“You know everything?”

“You’re always one step behind your master.”

“Anyway, things have become complicated. The imperial palace is a den of devils, even worse than the martial world. No one knows how many spies of the enemy are hiding in the imperial palace right now.”

Ga Deuk-Sang frowned.

“There are probably one or two absolute masters.”

“I think so too.”

“Although Grandmaster Yeon is heading to the imperial palace, he won’t be able to handle it alone.”

“He’s the one who defeated Bi Wang in a head-on fight, isn’t he?”

“I’m close to him, but if I’m being objective, he’s not yet strong enough to be called a king. He’s good at fighting, so he somehow managed to get his name on the Saintly Heavens, but he’s definitely lacking.”

“How do you know that?”

“There are some things you can know without seeing them. Just like how the people of the world gave him the title of Tyrant King.”

“You’re so great, really.”

“Stop joking around, what are you going to do? No matter how many troops you mobilize, it’s dangerous without an equal master. In the worst case, they could turn the imperial court into a mess and run away.”

Hwa Jin-Cheon nodded.

“Yes, there’s a high risk of that.”

“What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean, what am I going to do? Do you think those lazy Saintly Heavens will come running to the imperial palace just because I contact them?”

“If they don’t come, we should bury them, those rude bastards.”

“…Don’t say things like that anywhere. You could die without anyone knowing.”

“I know.”

“Let’s wait and see for now.”

“Wait? This is an urgent situation!”

“If I say wait, then wait. Why are you so talkative?”

Hwa Jin-Cheon closed his eyes.

“Yeon Ho-Jeong and Gok Gyeong are moving together. The worst-case scenario won’t happen.”

“Master!”

“If we rashly bring in troops of the Saintly Heavens level, things will get bigger.”

“…”

“Just wait a little longer. A solution will come. Definitely.”