Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 78

Moyong Gun offered a formal greeting to those assembled.

“I extend my sincere gratitude to the leaders of each faction who have gathered here despite the urgent activation of the Grand Assembly Authority. Although some of you were unable to attend due to pressing matters, I will send separate letters of appreciation to them as well.”

The attendees were truly a magnificent sight.

From the Nine Great Sects, the leaders of Shaolin, Wudang, Mount Hua, Zhongnan, and Qingcheng were present. From the Seven Great Families, the heads of the Moyong, Jeagal, Namgoong, and Peng families had come.

These were the leaders of the White Path martial world, gathered near Mount Rongzhong in Hubei Province. While the heads of other sects could not attend due to distance or pressing matters, it was still a considerable turnout for such a short notice.

‘And.’

Moyong Gun’s eyes turned towards the leaders of Shaolin and Wudang.

‘With those two here, it’s safe to say all of the Nine Sects are represented.’

Shaolin, the beacon of the north, the Taishan Beidou [a term referring to a leading figure or institution].

Wudang, the revered of the south, the Yuanwu Xian Mountain [a term referring to a sacred mountain].

These were the ultra-giants of the White Path martial world, known as the Northern Shaolin and Southern Wudang. With both of them present, it was no exaggeration to say that all the leaders of the White Path martial world had gathered.

“It must have been a long journey. We were quite surprised. We never expected the Moyong Family Head to invoke the Grand Assembly Authority.”

“Indeed. Actually, the one who uses the Grand Assembly Authority the most is the Yongdu Bang Master. It seems he is quite busy, as he is not here.”

They each spoke a word or two in a calm voice.

Moyong Gun smiled.

“I, too, would not have used the Grand Assembly Authority for just any matter, but the gravity of the situation is such that I had no choice but to invoke it.”

The faces of the people hardened.

Moyong Gun had just mentioned the ‘situation.’ The sense of crisis that word carried was immense.

The Shaolin Abbot asked,

“Amitabha. If the matter is so grave and urgent, perhaps we should postpone the greetings for later.”

He was suggesting they get to the point. It was exactly what Moyong Gun had hoped for.

“Very well. Since the leaders of each faction are busy, I will address this matter directly.”

“Agreed.”

“However, before that, I must inform those gathered here that you must make a great decision for the future of the White Path martial world.”

“Hmm?”

“I believe that this matter is sufficient to officially dismantle a force, to declare a group as the public enemy of the martial world.”

The leaders’ eyes widened.

A public enemy of the martial world meant a common enemy of the entire Jianghu [the martial world] martial world.

If an individual became a public enemy, the entire White Path martial world would move to capture them. If a force was branded as a public enemy, that force would have to be immediately dismantled.

Of course, they would neither surrender nor disband willingly.

But if that happened, only destruction would remain. Being branded a public enemy meant that their annihilation was deemed justified.

It meant they had no right to complain, even if they died. That was why the four words ‘public enemy of the martial world’ were a source of fear for everyone in the White Path.

The Wudang Sect Leader cautiously asked,

“What force are you referring to? No, what sect has committed such a great crime?”

“Those of you here are aware that there have been significant changes in the Henan martial world recently.”

The Peng Family Head from Hebei Province, quite a distance from Henan, tilted his head.

“The Henan martial world? Are you referring to the Henan where Shaolin and the Myeong Family are located?”

“That is correct.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes gleamed.

“The main force I wish to discuss today is the Guju Myeong Family.”

* * *

‘Impressive.’

Whoooosh.

The white White Tiger Banner flared up on its own. The black Black Tortoise Banner stirred with waves.

Tzzzzzz.

The Biseokjin [a type of energy] energy rising from his dantian [energy center] instantly swirled around his entire body.

Even with the power of the Biseokjin energy, the two divine energies did not calm down. The tense, sharp energies seemed to be making Yeon Ho-Jeong’s aura rough.

‘Even if it’s fake, to have mastered it to such a depth.’

Myeong Cheon, the head of the Guju Myeong Family.

Even though they were thirty yards apart, the moment he sensed Myeong Cheon, the two divine energies began to rage.

It was the fury of the real towards the fake, and the tension towards the unexpectedly powerful energy, despite it being fake.

‘It’s the Vermilion Bird energy. And it’s incredibly vivid.’

That’s right. It was the Vermilion Bird energy.

But it was the Vermilion Bird energy, and yet it was not.

The Vermilion Bird energy he knew contained the power of the sun itself. It was the king of the flying heavens, who had proven his divine status by surrounding himself with shining fire energy.

The Vermilion Bird energy that Myeong Cheon had mastered was different.

The energy itself was greatly distorted. It was like a half-fallen fire god who had lost his divinity. Even though it was the same fire energy, it seemed excessively narrow and dangerous.

It was a different kind of energy from the two guys who had come with that Myeonghak.

Because he had mastered it more deeply, the power was stronger, but the flaws were much more severe.

‘But his skill will be beyond compare.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

‘He’ll be a good opponent.’

And if things go well….

“You’re Yeon Ho-Jeong?”

Myeong Cheon’s lips twitched. Something was clearly bothering him.

“How dare you show up here without fear? Are you so desperate to die?”

“Well, why didn’t you come when I told you to?”

“What?!”

“You must have heard, right? Or didn’t they even tell you that? It seems you have unreliable subordinates.”

Murderous intent flared in Myeong Cheon’s eyes.

Flash!

A terrifying glare shot out across the thirty-yard distance. It was as if his gaze alone could cut a person down.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

‘As expected.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, having felt Myeong Cheon’s glare and its dangerous murderous intent, realized that he was an even more dangerous opponent than he had thought.

The problem was the madness contained in that gaze.

‘It’s certain. The Vermilion Bird energy has invaded his upper dantian.’

The Four Divine Beasts represent the divine beasts of the four directions. Divine beasts are equivalent to gods, so their energy is inherently difficult to contain within a human body.

Just as the wrong medicine can become poison, the divine beast energies are too sacred and can harm a person. A complete understanding of the true energy and gradual training are essential.

The reason Yeon Ho-Jeong could handle the Black Tortoise and White Tiger energies so skillfully was all thanks to his enlightenment during the time of the Dark Emperor. Having fully mastered the Four Divine Arts, he could safely wield them without gradual training.

But Myeong Cheon was not like that.

Not just Myeong Cheon, but all fifty of the experts had only superficially learned the Four Divine Arts.

They had hastily trained the distorted energy without a complete understanding. There was no way their bodies, let alone their minds, could have remained intact.

Thud!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s foot shook the ground.

“No need for long talk, right?”

“……”

“Come. I’ll split your head open.”

Myeong Cheon was dumbfounded. He was so angry that he almost laughed.

“Do you really think I’ve kept you alive until now because I was afraid of you?”

“You should have come when I told you to, why so much talk?”

“That bastard?!”

The way he spoke was outrageous.

Even as his anger rapidly surged, he felt it was a good thing. Wasn’t it because of that one guy that his family had been plagued by rumors?

He was going to destroy the Yeon Family anyway. There was nothing to hold him back now.

Myeong Cheon roared,

“Someone go and drag that brat here! I’ll personally rip his head off!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than one of the warriors kicked off the stirrup of his warhorse.

Thud!

It was a movement technique that soared high into the sky. It was a powerful movement that felt both free like the wind and strangely heavy.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

‘White Tiger!’

Cooong!

Myeong Ro, who had landed three yards in front of Yeon Ho-Jeong, spoke coldly.

“How dare you utter such nonsense to the Family Head? I will break your limbs.”

Fwaaa!

Myeong Ro charged forward.

It was an incredible speed. It was as if he had truly become a gust of wind.

It was a movement technique worthy of admiration, but to Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes, the gaps and weaknesses in that technique were clearly visible.

Kooong!

Myeong Ro’s eyes widened.

The moment he tried to swing his Qilin Claw, his opponent had already penetrated his defenses. He had penetrated the blind spot of the Qilin Movement so naturally.

Crack!

“Gasp!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s left hand seized his wrist.

“It’s a mess.”

The Black Tortoise energy was contained in his hand.

Kwaang!

“Kuaaak!”

Myeong Ro’s wrist shattered as if it had been engulfed in exploding gunpowder.

He had unleashed the Triple Turtle Wall of the Northern Heaven Twelve Walls. Myeong Ro’s hand, which had been filled with aggressive energy, was crushed by the explosive recoil.

Yeon Ho-Jeong raised his axe.

“In the next life, learn to walk before you run.”

“No…!”

Thwack!

The axe that split Myeong Ro’s head open pierced all the way to his chest.

Yeon Ho-Jeong kicked Myeong Ro’s chest.

Bang!

The flying corpse rolled across the dirt floor and stopped in front of the warhorse. The stopped corpse twitched repeatedly.

A moment of silence descended.

Even Myeong Cheon was surprised and stared at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

‘What is that guy?!’

The sword masters he had brought were all great experts. And since they had mastered the Four Divine Arts, they were far beyond the level of late-stage disciples.

He had selected only the most outstanding among the sword masters, so how could he have been killed in just a few exchanges?

Yeon Ho-Jeong wiped the blood off the axe blade with his sleeve and said,

“Did you think that everything would be over if you just brought these guys to attack the main family?”

“Wh-what?!”

“Good reaction. As I expected.”

Chiiiiik!

The Biseokjin energy swirled around the axe blade. The powerful energy evaporated the blood remaining on the blade.

A terrifying murderous intent flickered in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes.

“Even in this overlapping past, we remain as enemies to the end.”

Before his regression, the Myeong Family had annihilated the Yeon Family.

After his regression, he had pushed the Myeong Family alone to prevent the annihilation. But they couldn’t even wait for that short time and had sent troops to attack the main family again.

It was a terribly tangled fate. There was no affection to begin with, but at this point, he had truly lost all respect.

Thud!

With a step more powerful than ever before, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body erupted with explosive murderous intent.

“I will make you pay the price for your recklessness today, right here.”

Myeong Cheon shouted,

“Kill him!”

Fwabaak!

More than ten sword masters rushed towards Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Their movements were as swift as lightning. It was an attack that would make even the greatest experts gasp.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes emitted the divine energies of the Black Tortoise and White Tiger, black and white.

‘Here!’

Parararak!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body skillfully evaded the sword masters’ attacks.

He had evaded the swords of ten top experts with a single movement. Everyone watching was shocked.

But he had not evaded their attacks.

The substitute of the Black Tortoise, the Divine Turtle Technique.

The substitute of the White Tiger, the Divine Qilin Technique.

He had read their attack lines, and had simply taken a step with the White Tiger Overlord Step towards their weakest point.

Thud! Thud!

One step forward, two steps to kill.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s axe created the teeth of a mountain beast, the claws of the king of beasts.

Fubububuck!

The bodies of three sword masters caught in the Tiger King Nine Wall Stance were torn to shreds.

“Gasp!”

“Keep attacking!”

Fwabaak!

The remaining seven sword masters attacked again, but Yeon Ho-Jeong was no longer there.

Thud! Thud! Kwaang!

It was a merciless advance. It was an explosive charge.

Leaving the seven experts behind, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes, as he advanced like a storm, were drawn to the forty or so experts as if they were being magnified.

He swung his axe with all his might.

Kwarurung!

The Four Divine Beast General pierced through the enemy lines head-on.