Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 819

“Hoo.”

Moyong Gun, puffing on the rising steam, looked somehow simple.

“Your skills have deteriorated so much. How long were you in seclusion that you can’t even get the water temperature right? Tsk, I’m getting old too.”

Moyong Gun chuckled, took a careful sip of tea, and set the cup down.

“So, how have you been?”

“…Yes, brother.”

Moyong Woo seemed somewhat stiff.

Moyong Gun burst into laughter.

“Impressive.”

“Yes?”

“We haven’t seen each other often because we’ve been busy with our own affairs, and then you went into seclusion. I always thought of you, but I had my own things to do, so I focused on myself.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’m very happy to see my younger brother after so long, but your achievements are even more surprising.”

Moyong Gun’s face showed genuine admiration, as if truly surprised. He was one to fully express his emotions.

“The sharp sword energy has become as soft as flowing water. But it’s not just soft. It boasts a high density that could pierce steel if needed.”

“……”

“You’ve really improved a lot. It’s hard to believe even when I see it with my own eyes.”

It was an unusually emotional expression for Moyong Gun.

Moyong Woo lowered his head.

“You flatter me.”

“No. It’s not flattery at all. You were great even before mastering the family’s secret martial arts, but your progress after learning them is incredible. Your current achievements are not much different from mine a few years ago.”

He was referring to before he had mastered the ancient techniques, the Thunderclap Skill (雷霆功) and the Unfeeling Heavenly Thunder Style (無情天雷式).

Moyong Gun, as the head of one of the Six Great Families, also had exceptional talent in martial arts. Moyong Woo had advanced his skills by ten years, making him worthy of being called a genius of his generation.

“With a little more effort, you’ll have the martial prowess to be the head of the family.”

Moyong Woo’s eyes wavered.

“Brother.”

“Hmm? Surely you haven’t forgotten?”

“……”

“Haha, didn’t you say that your dream was to make me the leader of the Martial Alliance and for you to become the head of the family, making us the greatest family in the world?”

“…I did.”

“You’re growing well. You have no idea how much your progress stimulates and empowers this foolish brother.”

He had changed.

Moyong Woo thought. Moyong Gun, who had come out of seclusion, had changed a lot from before.

Moyong Gun had always been relaxed. But that relaxation was a cultivated one. It was a hard mask, like tempered steel, honed by the belief that a ruler should never waver at any moment.

But the current Moyong Gun was different.

He was genuinely overflowing with ease. He would have instantly seen that the atmosphere of the Martial Alliance was not the same as before, yet he was showing a relaxed and human side, as if there was nothing to worry about.

And Moyong Woo knew where that ease came from.

‘He’s become stronger.’

If Moyong Gun was surprised by Moyong Woo’s progress, Moyong Woo was equally astonished by Moyong Gun’s.

‘I can’t feel even a trace of that powerful thunder energy.’

Thunder energy is the most dangerous and destructive force among the energies of heaven and earth.

He had completely concealed that powerful force. Just by looking at him, one might doubt if he was even a practitioner of internal energy cultivation.

‘He wasn’t like this before. He was clearly concealing it well, but his presence would occasionally reveal how powerful his martial arts were. But now…’

I don’t know.

His skin and eyes seem younger. Of course, he hasn’t lost his martial arts.

Yet, there’s nothing to be felt. It’s as soft and empty as a cloud that exists when you step away but disappears when you try to touch it.

“How much…”

“Hmm?”

“Just how much stronger have you become?”

Moyong Woo asked without realizing it.

Moyong Gun burst into laughter.

“Is there any point in talking about getting stronger? Even before I went into seclusion, I had reached the end of this realm.”

That was true.

Even before going into seclusion, Moyong Gun was a powerful figure who was hard to match, except for the strong of the Saintly Heaven. He was so powerful that it was difficult to even discuss a match with the Great Master Gong Gong of Shaolin. This showed how great Moyong Gun’s martial prowess was.

Then what about now?

“I was just greedy.”

“Yes?”

“Seeing the monsters next to me growing day by day, I thought I shouldn’t fall behind, so I pushed myself to improve. That’s how it was back then.”

Pushed himself to improve? It was hard to understand. If improvement was something that could be achieved as intended, there would be no one who wasn’t a master in the world.

“For a while after going into seclusion, my mind was troubled. How much stronger would my rivals have become while I was like this? Wouldn’t they have gained more power, more influence… I was eating away at myself with worries every day.”

“Brother.”

“But at some point, I realized it was all unnecessary.”

“Yes?”

“Hahaha, can you reach the top by playing on the same stage as others? Only after I complete my own stage and expand it to the world can I truly aim to be the best in the world.”

It was a statement that was both understandable and incomprehensible.

Moyong Gun smiled.

“It just means I’ve gotten rid of useless worries and distractions. I improved too quickly for my vessel. The improvement itself is commendable, but I missed a lot in the process of getting there.”

“So now…”

“I’ve embraced it all.”

“…!!”

“I’ve picked up everything I’ve missed, everything I’ve tried to ignore. I’ve also given up the desire for the ultimate. I realized that it’s not important to me now.”

Even if you know that a worry is useless, it’s never easy to get rid of it. Even if you try to relax, worries come back like ghosts.

That is what is called agony and obsession. And only by freeing yourself from agony and obsession can you glimpse a truly bright future.

Moyong Gun had accomplished that obvious yet incredibly difficult task.

“Now, I can see the light in my eyes.”

“…!!”

“I haven’t reached it, but I know I can. That alone is enough for me.”

Reaching the light.

Moyong Woo knew what that light meant.

That’s why he felt a chill.

“Brother…!”

“Hahaha, it was a lot of hardship, but there’s no need to be so surprised. I was confident that I would reach that realm even when I was young. The only question was when.”

“I see.”

“That mindset was wrong. Instead of worrying about when I would reach it, I should have been thinking about how to reach it. If I had, I could have seen the light sooner.”

Moyong Gun smiled wryly.

“It can’t be helped. There’s no point in regretting it. I’m satisfied with my current level.”

He had become frightening.

Moyong Woo thought that Moyong Gun had become much more frightening than before he went into seclusion.

Moyong Woo, who had been quietly watching Moyong Gun, said as if throwing a stone.

“You came out three days ago.”

“Hmm? Oh, yes, I did.”

“You should have told me in advance. I would have come to see you.”

“Haha, why would I tell you, when you’re busy training the soldiers and doing your own training? But I’m sorry if you felt left out.”

“It’s nothing.”

“As soon as I came out, I went to see the military. I was so curious about how the Martial Alliance was doing and how the world had changed.”

Moyong Woo’s eyes wavered.

But his voice did not waver.

“Did you hear everything you needed to hear?”

“I did.”

“I see.”

Moyong Gun, blowing away the smoke rising from the teacup with a wave of his hand, said,

“I heard that he made a name for himself in the Saintly Heaven.”

“That’s right.”

“He killed the Bi King?”

“Yes. The Bi King, Gongsun Baekryong, was said to be a puppet of the Three Teachings.”

“Yes, I heard.”

Moyong Gun chuckled.

“The Tyrant King… a grand and flamboyant title. It seems to suit him well.”

“And…”

“It’s also a very fitting title for the young master of the Mukryong Clan.”

He knew it after all.

“The world has changed more than I thought.”

“No.”

“Yes?”

Moyong Gun shook his head.

“It’s not that the world has changed, but that Yeon Ho-jeong’s actions have changed.”

“…?!”

“Yeon Ho-jeong’s influence is immense. Enough to shake the world. It was certainly like that until now.”

“Even now, it’s enough…”

“That’s true in the Black Path. But not here anymore. The moment he became a disciple of Yang Cheon, his influence to control the White Path martial world has almost disappeared.”

Moyong Gun smiled and drew two circles in the air.

The area where the two circles intersected was very large.

“He might have wanted this much power.”

Moyong Gun drew two circles again. The area where the two circles intersected had shrunk to a speck.

“The opposite happened. He was able to gain everything in the Black Path, but he lost his power here.”

“But he has…”

“The Yeon family head. There’s also the Jeagal strategist, the people who helped him, and many who like him.”

“……”

“But within that, he is not there.”

Why?

Moyong Woo felt a chill run down his spine at Moyong Gun’s words.

“I also heard about what happened at the Imperial Palace. He proposed the position of Imperial Son-in-law to Yang Cheon… It’s a very like-him idea. I was so impressed when I heard that. His preemptive moves are still as unconventional as ever.”

“That’s right. The young master of the Mukryong Clan has the Emperor on his back.”

“That’s not it.”

“Yes?”

“We all have the Emperor on our backs.”

What does that mean?

“Since Yang Cheon has become the Emperor’s son-in-law, we cannot touch the Black Path. Yang Cheon is no longer the head of the Black Path martial world.”

“That’s right.”

“Conversely, the Black Path martial world cannot touch us either. Because Yeon Ho-jeong doesn’t want that.”

“…?!”

“He will unite the White and Black Paths to counter foreign forces. Yeon Ho-jeong’s judgment is correct. He is moving solely for that one purpose. That’s why this result came about.”

“……”

“The position of the Emperor’s son-in-law is a barrier protecting the Black Path from the White Path, and at the same time, it’s a powerful shackle that prevents him from touching the White Path. And Yeon Ho-jeong is the one holding that shackle.”

“…!!”

“A forced peace has been established from a nominal alliance. Of course, that’s not all, but that invisible chain is not easily broken.”

Moyong Gun burst into laughter.

“That guy’s skills are truly unmatched.”

Broad and deep.

Moyong Woo felt it anew. Moyong Gun’s perspective and insight were definitely different from his own.

Moyong Gun could see where the invisible flow of power was heading, where it was bound, and how it would be released.

Even though he was called a great hero, his abilities were not gone. With his sharp insight, his strengthened martial arts, and the ease he had never had before, Moyong Gun had become much more difficult to deal with than before.

Moyong Woo said,

“Did you also hear about that? The Martial Alliance Leader…”

“He’s still a commander.”

“Yes?”

“I’m talking about your position.”

“Ah, yes.”

“That won’t do. Since Yeon Ho-jeong has become the young master of the Mukryong Clan, the position of the Grand Commander has become ambiguous. We can’t let that position go to the wrong person.”

Moyong Gun smiled and stood up from his seat.

“Let’s go take the Grand Commander position.”