Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 794

“Give me the Black Path.”

It was a demand that was truly arrogant and presumptuous.

Yang Cheon, reaching the peak of absurdity, also thought. There was no one else who could make a person feel so thrilled like this guy.

*Whoosh.*

The powerful aura that had spread like flames had now subsided quietly.

It had only subsided, not completely withdrawn. Rather, Yang Cheon’s aura felt dangerously volatile, like a bomb about to explode at any moment.

Yang Cheon, who had been staring intently at Yeon Ho-jeong, asked as if throwing a stone.

“You’ll become my disciple?”

“Yes.”

“Are you saying you’ll become my successor?”

“Yes.”

“Then, as my successor, you’ll naturally become the next Vice Leader of the Mukryong Faction [Black Dragon Faction], and thus take control of the Black Path martial world, is that what you mean?”

“Yes.”

Yang Cheon felt confused by the utterly calm response.

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had been quietly observing Yang Cheon’s face, spoke to Muk Bi.

“No matter what you do, it will be difficult to even scratch the Vice Leader’s body. Step back and enter your meditative state. Don’t worry about me.”

Muk Bi retreated and entered her meditative state without the slightest hesitation, as Yeon Ho-jeong had instructed.

The world knew that the experts of the Saintly Heaven [a realm of martial arts mastery] were strong. In fact, she had witnessed the battles of experts who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, both up close and from afar.

However, the aura of a Martial King, genuinely enraged and unleashed at such close range, was on a different level from any expert she had ever seen.

Yeon Ho-jeong was right. With her skills, she couldn’t even scratch Yang Cheon’s body. She might be able to attack with her extreme mental strength, but in the end, she would face death without being able to do anything.

*Whoo-oong.*

A powerful internal energy emanated from Muk Bi’s body as she sat cross-legged. The internal injuries she had sustained were severe, requiring a large amount of internal energy to heal.

Yang Cheon smiled coldly.

“She trusts you, doesn’t she?”

“We trust each other more than anyone else.”

“It seems she’s confident that you’ll protect her?”

“If I can’t protect her, she’ll die anyway.”

“You speak so fluently. I’m very curious to see how you’d react if I decided to kill that archer you trust right now.”

It was a sharp and venomous remark. Until now, Yang Cheon had never spoken to Yeon Ho-jeong in such a provocative tone.

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled faintly.

“You won’t, will you?”

“Not now. But even I don’t know when my mind might change. I’m genuinely furious.”

It was an undeniable truth. Yeon Ho-jeong felt the sincerity behind those words.

“You’ll become my disciple… Your martial prowess has already reached the Saintly Heaven. There’s nothing you can learn from me.”

“It’s a misconception to think that a disciple only learns martial arts from their master.”

“Don’t play word games. Do you think this is a situation where such sophistry will work?”

“It’s neither a word game nor sophistry.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes sparkled.

“I have much to learn from you. There’s more than just martial arts.”

“……”

“A master can also learn from a disciple. I also have much to give to you.”

“A mutually beneficial deal?”

“If we analyze it coldly and objectively, that’s correct. Well, there are many cold master-disciple relationships in the world.”

“Nonsense. That’s just a superficial relationship. What you want is the substance. The power of this Black Path martial world itself.”

“You’re not far off.”

“You’re a funny one. Knowing your sly intentions, do you think I’d take you as my successor?”

Yeon Ho-jeong was relieved by Yang Cheon’s cold and indifferent reaction. It meant that at least he was willing to talk.

“I’ll have to persuade you.”

“Is there a need for persuasion? If I bury you here and declare the Yeon family as traitors to the martial world, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for the world.”

Yeon Ho-jeong asked seriously.

“Why are you angry?”

“…Are you even asking that now?”

“What I mean is, it seems you’re more shocked by the fact that I’m going to erase the boundaries between the government and the martial world with the Emperor and unify the world, rather than me becoming the Emperor’s son-in-law.”

Yang Cheon’s cheek twitched.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened.

“If it’s betrayal, fine. Let’s say I betrayed the martial world itself. Then, is it more shocking to you that I betrayed the martial world? Or is it more shocking that your dream of unifying the martial world as the future king of the Black Path has been shattered?”

“Is there any point in distinguishing between them?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

At that moment, Yang Cheon was inwardly surprised by the look of pity that flashed in Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes.

It was the first time he had been so harsh, but it was also the first time Yeon Ho-jeong had looked at him with such eyes. It was an even more shocking moment because their emotions were genuine.

“Let’s talk openly. Do you know how I see you?”

“……”

“I think you’re a reasonable person.”

“Ha!”

“You have ambition. An ambition to see the Black Path stand tall, suppressing the White Path [a rival martial arts faction]. Furthermore, you aspire to become the Martial King of a new era by unifying the martial world as the ruler of the Black Path.”

“……”

“Am I wrong?”

Yang Cheon couldn’t say no. There was no need to deny it. It was already a well-known fact.

Yeon Ho-jeong continued.

“Yet, you haven’t crossed the line. You know that the external forces with immense power must be driven out before unifying the martial world. You’re different from that reckless Moyong Gun of the Martial Alliance.”

“Moyong Gun, you say.”

“The reason I constantly reject and suppress him, but genuinely share drinks with you, lies there. Whether it’s for ambition or for the world, you’re someone who knows what takes priority.”

It wasn’t an appropriate emotion for the situation, but Yang Cheon felt a slight surge of emotion.

He had traveled the world and reached the pinnacle of the Black Path, and he didn’t acknowledge many people. Among those few, there were only a handful he considered to have outstanding talent, capable of being equal to or greater than himself.

Yeon Ho-jeong was one of those rare geniuses.

And that genius was acknowledging him. The acknowledgment of a genius who was not a rival but also not quite an ally, gave even the strongman of the Saintly Heaven a certain sense of emotion.

“But let’s think about it coldly.”

“About what?”

“What do you think is the probability of us winning this war?”

Yang Cheon was dumbfounded.

“How would I know that?”

“Exactly.”

“What?”

“We can’t know that. Unlike them, who have grasped much about us, we haven’t even made a rough assessment of them yet.”

“……!”

“Nevertheless, if we dare to speculate, they are probably stronger than we expect, not weaker. Perhaps they use tactics that we can’t even imagine, or there might be monsters much stronger than the Saintly Heaven.”

“That’s absurd!”

“Or they might have twice as many experts at the Saintly Heaven level as the Central Plains martial world. The important thing is not that. It’s the fact that we can’t gauge our chances of victory in the war against them.”

“So?”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened.

“Do you think you can win with that kind of thinking?”

“What?!”

“Before the fact that we must defeat the Three Teachings [powerful external forces] to unify the martial world, is it normal to assume that you will survive the war and take control of the world?”

“……!!”

Yang Cheon’s face turned pale.

*Whoo-oong!*

The aura that had subsided quietly began to fluctuate erratically.

It was rare for the aura of an expert who had broken through to the pinnacle to fluctuate so much just because their mind was disturbed. It meant that Yang Cheon had received a great shock.

Yeon Ho-jeong said in a somewhat somber voice.

“You must have vaguely known it too. That the war against them would be difficult. Perhaps… the Mukryong Faction itself could be destroyed, and in the worst case, your own life could be taken.”

Yang Cheon wanted to say no. But he couldn’t.

Objectively speaking, Yeon Ho-jeong’s words were correct.

And Yeon Ho-jeong went a step further.

“Furthermore, never turn a blind eye to one fact.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes blazed.

“You have already been defeated once by the Lord of the Demonic Cult.”

*Thud!*

Yang Cheon’s fist pierced the ground.

The faint trembling in his eyes. A fact that no one had ever spoken of, a humiliating past that should not have come out of anyone’s mouth but his own, pierced his head painfully in the cold winter wind.

“Can you beat him now? I don’t know. You’ve become stronger than before. The problem is that the opponent might have grown as much as you have.”

“……!”

“There are three such adversaries in the outer regions. And that’s the minimum.”

Yeon Ho-jeong closed his eyes.

“Preparing for post-war ambitions is a luxury for both you and me.”

A flood is about to engulf the village. People cannot stop the flood, which is the wrath of nature itself. They can only prepare for it.

That flood, in this situation, meant war.

The war will definitely happen. The flood will definitely come.

Then, how many people can survive that flood? We cannot eliminate the natural phenomenon of the flood itself, but can’t we minimize the damage?

“You’re trying to win the war. You shouldn’t. War is just a phenomenon. You have to eliminate the ones who cause that phenomenon.”

“……”

“The problem is that the crisis of the flood is already upon us. In other words, the war cannot be stopped. Therefore, it is important for everyone to end this war as quickly as possible by eliminating the ones who caused it.”

Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.

“If you truly want to achieve your ambition, it’s better to open up that possibility to the ‘Black Path’ you belong to, not to ‘you’.”

“……!”

“If you truly dream of unifying the world, you must do that. At least, the possibility of the Black Path unifying the martial world in your generation is almost non-existent.”

“……”

“But let’s think about it. Even if your successor grows up and survives the war, can you pass on the task of unifying the Black Path to that successor?”

“Of course…”

“If there was truly that much potential, you wouldn’t have tried to overturn the Black Path’s system so forcefully. It would be easier to leave it to the next generation.”

Yang Cheon spat out as if chewing.

“One cannot know the future of a person. Bu-seon is a talented and capable individual.”

“That’s right. So, is there no one else in the world with more potential and talent than Bu-seon?”

“……!!”

“I’ve always wanted to say this, but since things have come to this, I’ll say it now. You’ve completely gone down the wrong path.”

“Gone down the wrong path?”

“If you truly wanted to unify the martial world, it would have been faster to join the Three Teachings, set the world ablaze, and then receive permission as the ruler of the martial world.”

“What?!”

“You’re thinking of passing on the task to the next generation? Then you shouldn’t have made Bu-seon your successor. Even if Bu-seon had that much potential, you should have hidden and nurtured her by mobilizing all the power of the Mukryong Faction. If you wanted post-war unification, that would have been much more efficient. Otherwise, everyone who knows of Bu-seon’s existence will attack her.”

“……”

“But if Bu-seon is not the only one alive after our victory, it will be nearly impossible for Bu-seon to unify the martial world. Because the Mukryong Faction is not the only one aiming for a world of warring factions after the war.”

Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.

“If you want to unify the martial world, you’ve completely gone down the wrong path.”

“……”

“At this moment, having reached this point by building up day by day, the possibility of the Mukryong Faction unifying the martial world is lower than the probability of a dragon rising from a ditch.”