Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 854

It was dark.

There wasn’t a single speck of light anywhere. Without a boundary between the sky and the earth, it was impossible to distinguish up from down, and it was impossible to tell left from right, or front from back.

‘What is this?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked down at his hands.

Though it was pitch black, strangely, his body was clearly visible.

After staring at his hands for a long time, Yeon Ho-Jeong looked around again.

Then, a ray of light emerged from the darkness.

The white, pure ray of light gradually formed a curved shape. The light, which looked like a four-legged beast, soon drew a mountain range of darkness behind it.

‘Is that the right?’

Then what about the left?

Whooosh.

It felt like a light breeze was blowing.

From the darkness where nothing existed, a cyan-green snake-like thing gradually wriggled like an illusion.

Two horns and long whiskers swayed like waves from side to side.

‘A dragon?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked to the right again.

‘A tiger.’

Left Azure Dragon, Right White Tiger.

‘Then.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong slowly turned around.

Flap! Flap!

There was a flame-shaped bird flapping its huge wings.

Unlike the mystical divine beasts on the left and right, the firebird in the south was filled with splendor. Although no warmth was felt, its whole body was ablaze, making it feel hot just by looking at it.

‘…….’

After looking at the firebird for a long time, Yeon Ho-Jeong turned his head back to the front.

It was quiet.

A hexagonal tortoise shell-like torso appeared against the backdrop of deep darkness, with snake-like shapes wriggling on its face and tail.

‘Front and back, south and north.’

South Vermilion Bird, North Black Tortoise.

‘The Four Symbols [mythological creatures representing the cardinal directions].’

The divine beasts of the four directions that emerged from the darkness.

The source that had protected him until now, that had made his amazing journey possible.

The moment he realized that they were the Four Symbols, the world changed once again.

Flash!!

It was as if the sun, which had risen high in the sky, had struck the ground like lightning.

Behind the storm of light that spread like an explosion, a familiar sight appeared.

‘This is……?’

It was then.

“Hap!”

Thud! Thud!

A young man was pounding a rock with his bare fists.

His disheveled hair and emaciated body were pitiful to look at. He didn’t have shoes on, and he was hitting the rock repeatedly with his bare feet on the snow-covered ground.

Surprise flickered across Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

‘Me?!’

That’s right.

The person training by hitting the rock with his fist was his past self.

However, it wasn’t his past after regression [reincarnation or time travel].

Before he regressed, before he was called the Dark Emperor.

When his family was destroyed and he wandered aimlessly through the world, when he met his master and was taught the Hongcheon Spirit and the Four Symbols Martial Arts.

It was that time when he focused on training with new martial arts and a terrifying obsession.

‘How can this be……?’

The world was showing him that time, which was now a vague memory, so clearly. It was as if he had returned to the past.

‘…….’

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes wavered.

‘Then……?’

Me from decades ago. Me from when I had just started learning the Four Symbols Martial Arts.

If the world was showing me then?

Then?

“Stop it.”

Thwack!

With a heavy sound, blood burst from the fist of young Yeon Ho-Jeong.

It was already a blood-soaked fist, but the wound burst open once more.

“Huff! Huff!”

“I told you to train your martial arts, not to vent your anger.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong felt a chill run down his spine.

Step, step.

Heavy yet light as a feather, these contradictory footsteps.

Swoosh.

A white-robed old man, who had passed by Yeon Ho-Jeong, approached his younger self.

“Huk! Huk!”

“Your breathing is getting rougher. If you hadn’t stopped in the middle, you would have died from lack of breath or become a cripple.”

Whoooosh.

The old man’s hand, injecting internal energy into young Yeon Ho-Jeong’s back, looked very gentle.

“Hoo.”

Young Yeon Ho-Jeong exhaled a long breath.

Thud!

Perhaps it was because his tension was released? Young Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had collapsed on the spot, had a look of despair on his face.

The old man said.

“Your hands are a mess.”

“…….”

“When did your shoes wear out? You’re about to get frostbite.”

“…….”

Young Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at the ground without a word.

After looking down at him for a long time, the old man slowly crouched down in front of him and said.

“Does venting your anger on the rock bring back your family who were destroyed by those evil bastards?”

“……!”

“Even at this moment, they are eating well and living well.”

Swish!

Yeon Ho-Jeong was startled as he looked at his younger self.

The vivid killing intent was surprisingly greater than his current self. The fact that his younger self, who was not even a first-rate, let alone a second-rate, was emitting more killing intent than his current self, who had surpassed the Limitless realm, was beyond common sense.

A terrifying killing intent that could destroy one’s mind just by being near it.

Even though he was exuding a dense killing intent that could damage even a supreme master’s heart, his younger self was fine.

Whoosh!

The old man waved his hand, and the killing intent disappeared like smoke.

How that was possible was unknown. Even the current Yeon Ho-Jeong did not know how the old man had washed away the killing intent.

“That’s a terrifying killing intent.”

“…….”

“I once fought against the Demonic Cult that invaded this land. They were truly inhuman bastards. But even among those demonic bastards, I have never seen anyone reveal such extreme killing intent as you.”

The Demonic Cult?

Yeon Ho-Jeong could not understand the meaning of those words. He didn’t even remember if he had actually said those words.

‘I guess so.’

His younger self was completely out of it.

He couldn’t even express his hatred, and even the killing intent that could stain the world with blood had been taken away, so he was probably not in his right mind.

“You weren’t born with martial bones, but your spirit is greater than anyone else’s. It’s just a pity that your spirit was created by piercing sorrow and frustration. If you had been born with such a vessel, you could have reached the path of immortality faster than anyone else.”

The old man sighed and grabbed young Yeon Ho-Jeong’s hands.

Then, an amazing thing happened.

Whoooosh.

The air seemed to be distorted. That’s how it looked to Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was seeing an illusion.

It was an illusion, but it was also not an illusion. The flow of the air was so strange that he could clearly feel it on his skin.

‘Qi [life force or energy]?!’

Surprise flickered across Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

‘External Qi to this extent!’

The mountain’s essence, filled with abundant spiritual energy, entered his younger self’s body at a terrifying speed.

‘This can’t be.’

It was more than surprise, it was awe.

‘Master…… how did you have such an ability……?’

He was someone who had never properly shown his abilities in front of him. That’s what he thought.

But it wasn’t.

He just didn’t remember, but his master was freely displaying abilities that surpassed even a half-immortal.

No, his younger self didn’t have the eyes to see how great his master’s abilities were. In fact, he had never even used a single movement technique except when he was teaching him.

‘It can’t even be described as transferring power through the body. How is this possible?’

Transferring one’s qi to another to increase their internal energy is called transferring power through the body. Of course, using one’s qi to correct another’s internal injuries could also be considered a type of transferring power through the body.

However, the master’s ability went beyond that dimension.

Using his own body as a medium, he instantly healed another’s wounds with near-infinite natural qi.

Qi has healing properties, and even masters of the Limitless realm can completely restore broken bones in less than a day.

However, no one has the ability to heal all wounds so quickly and instantaneously. It was an ability that could not exist, that should not exist.

‘It’s like a demon.’

Should it be said that it was similar to the super-recovery of someone who had reached the pinnacle of demonic arts?

Of course, the master’s ability surpassed even that. It wasn’t the impure ability of extremely yin demonic energy, but the ability to draw in natural qi as a whole.

“Look.”

Young Yeon Ho-Jeong slowly raised his head.

His eyes were blank, and his face was full of confusion.

The old man didn’t smile as if to reassure him. He just maintained his unique, gruff expression and spoke in a calm voice.

“You must have heard the saying ’cause and effect.’ It means that those who have accumulated evil deeds will surely pay the price.”

“…….”

“That is the truth. But it does not apply as truth to humans.”

“…….”

“Many of those who have done bad things live well and happily end their lives. If there really is such a thing as cause and effect, that should not be the case. But the heavens do not punish the wicked.”

“…….”

“Who can know the vast and deep will of the heavens? But if the heavens are so great that they cannot be understood by human perception, wouldn’t it be possible to say that they understand and accept even human revenge and hatred?”

“…….”

“I passed on some of my martial arts to my comrades who fought with me. Their descendants went out into the world and established respectable families. Over the years, those families were called the best in the world and were respected by the world, but behind the scenes, they were accumulating all sorts of evil deeds.”

“…….”

“The heavens did not punish them. Even though their sins had accumulated for decades. So I tried to punish them myself, but their martial arts were somehow twisted. They had also lost much of their ancestors’ martial arts.”

“…….”

“It is clear that they will soon walk the path of ruin. In other words, it is their own doing, and it can also be said to be a hammer blow from the heavens. There is no need for me to even lift a finger.”

“…….”

“But where will the people who have been harmed by them find relief from their grievances? Will they even be able to close their eyes in death?”

The old man, the master, held young Yeon Ho-Jeong’s hand tightly.

“I cannot tell you to deliver the hammer of retribution on behalf of the heavens. Nor can I tell you not to. I understand your resentment and anger, but because I am not you, I do not know everything.”

“…….”

“I am giving you this power not simply because I pity you. Nor is it because you were harmed by that wicked family that has a connection with me, but whose connection has been severed since the previous generation.”

“…….”

“I am teaching you because I believe in your innate talent.”

Young Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes trembled slightly.

“I will teach you many things. But I will not force you to live this way or that way. If you want revenge, then do it, and if you want to take over the world, then do so. If you want to punish the wicked, then kill them, and if you want to go to another world across the sea, then that is also fine.”

“…….”

“However, to do that, you need to develop yourself. Unleashing anger and hatred can be done at any time. But you must not waste this time when you can grow greatly because of those emotions.”

“……Master.”

“Yes, I know. How could I not know? But your life doesn’t end right now, does it?”

The master pointed to the sky with his index finger.

“Light has descended upon this world that was filled with darkness, and that light has reached me and you.”

“…….”

“Be free. From hatred, from resentment. At least for a few years, suppress those piercing emotions.”

“…….”

“After that, if you continue my progress and become truly free in the future, then the Yellow Emperor will seek you out.”