Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 866

The Inaugural Martial Alliance Leader.

If it were the Abbot of Shaolin, he would be more than qualified to be the head of the Martial Alliance. Moreover, Great Master Gong Gong was one of the renowned sages of the martial world, known for his outstanding character, powerful martial arts, and constant self-cultivation, even before his rise to prominence.

So, when such a person became the leader, it was something anyone would agree with.

However, the fact that he, who had not yet formally declared his ascension to the position of leader, was confidently stating that he had become the leader in front of the prodigies of the Demonic Martial World was, in many ways, surprising.

“The Martial Alliance Leader…!”

“That’s right.”

Cheon Hyo-rak, who had been staring blankly at Great Master Gong Gong, turned his gaze to Jeagal Mun-ho and Seung-hyeon Jin-in.

‘…!’

The two men’s faces were utterly calm.

Jeagal Mun-ho was a strategist, so he would be skilled at managing his expressions. However, even Seung-hyeon Jin-in was looking at Great Master Gong Gong with a faint smile.

‘It’s real!’

They weren’t joking to surprise him, nor were they trying to test him with some pointless trick.

Those two truly recognized Great Master Gong Gong as the Martial Alliance Leader. And Great Master Gong Gong was not bothered by the trust-filled gazes of the two men.

Cheon Hyo-rak rose from his seat and bowed.

“I offer my respects again to the inaugural leader of the Martial Alliance.”

Great Master Gong Gong raised his hand.

“It hasn’t been formally announced, so there’s no need for such formalities. What’s important is the information about the Divine Devil Forest.”

“Yes.”

Cheon Hyo-rak, who had sat back down, spoke calmly.

“No matter what you say, I cannot reveal the weaknesses and attack methods of the demonic arts.”

“Is that so.”

“Please understand my position. It would be as shameless as picking at the side dishes when you’ve come to ask for help, but right now, you’re trying to cripple us with a single demand.”

He called him Leader, not Great Master.

Rather, it was because the other party was the leader that he was being even more assertive. If it were the Bong Gong [a group of martial artists], there would have been no avoiding conflicts of opinion among many people, but he believed that a leader would have a certain level of decisiveness.

Showing a consistently weak demeanor to such a person was like offering your neck to be bitten.

“Weren’t we supposed to become allies?”

“As you know, even if the Martial Alliance and the Divine Devil Forest form an alliance and move forward, things in the world don’t always go as one wishes. We cannot be certain how long this relationship will last.”

“……”

“Although we hope it doesn’t happen, if such a moment truly comes, we will be fatally vulnerable to the Martial Alliance, which knows the weaknesses of the Divine Devil Forest’s demonic arts.”

“Is that so.”

Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes deepened.

“You must understand this point as well, Leader. Yet, you are making unreasonable demands, so may I interpret that as meaning you have something else you wish to gain from us?”

“Perhaps.”

Great Master Gong Gong gazed intently at Cheon Hyo-rak.

When Cheon Hyo-rak met that gaze, he felt his heart beat twice as fast for a moment.

It was just a matter of putting strength into his eyes, yet his heart rate was rising on its own. He hadn’t drawn on his internal energy or revealed any killing intent, but in front of Great Master Gong Gong’s deep gaze, he became endlessly tense.

After looking at Cheon Hyo-rak for a long time, Great Master Gong Gong opened his mouth.

“Putting aside everything else, Young Master Cheon owes this humble monk a debt.”

“A debt, you say?”

“Didn’t you achieve something in demonic arts?”

“……?!”

Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes wavered.

Great Master Gong Gong smiled. A faint smile on his tired face, it was his usual expression.

“Mutual benefit and opposition are ultimately just a hair’s breadth apart. It is the same with the internal energy cultivation of Buddhism and the energy cultivation of the unorthodox demonic path.”

“……Are you saying?”

“In front of the Shaolin Divine Art that this humble monk has cultivated, Young Master Cheon was suppressed. When we first met here, Young Master Cheon even had difficulty looking at me properly.”

Although he didn’t show it due to his strong mental fortitude, Great Master Gong Gong had already seen through Cheon Hyo-rak’s inner thoughts.

When the Buddhist energy cultivation of subduing demons reaches its peak, no demonic arts of the unorthodox demonic path can flourish in its presence.

Conversely, when the demonic learning of defying the heavens reaches its ultimate level, any divine arts of Taoism or Buddhism will be shattered in its presence.

That is why they are opposites. If one side rises to a level beyond the norm, the other side is thoroughly broken down and weakened.

However, there are many variables in the world.

“If it were a low-level demonic art, by now, Young Master Cheon’s internal energy would have scattered, and he would be suffering from a high fever, making normal life impossible.”

“……?!”

“However, I knew from the first time I saw it that the level of demonic art that Young Master Cheon had cultivated was truly remarkable. It seemed to be a magnificent demonic art that did not falter even in the face of Shaolin’s Supreme Divine Power.”

Great Master Gong Gong’s eyes deepened.

“Regardless of divine or demonic arts, a great martial art always does its best to protect its master.”

“So, are you saying that you deliberately pressured me to raise my demonic power?”

“I wanted to see your will. I also wanted to see your sincerity. If you had crumbled in the face of the power of the Supreme Divine Power that this humble monk emits and revealed an unacceptable true nature, your residence would have become a five-story underground prison, not a guest house.”

Cheon Hyo-rak felt a chill run down his spine.

“But you hid nothing from us. You sincerely revealed everything. Since a demon from the Demonic Martial World, a historical enemy, had come, I also had a strong desire to test you.”

There was no apology. Rather, he was saying that he had tested him as if it were a matter of course.

Cheon Hyo-rak stammered.

“You’re saying that my Middle King Demonic Art [a specific type of demonic martial art] raised its achievement on its own to avoid being intimidated by your Supreme Divine Power.”

“I tested you without any prior notice. If it was a lie, it would be death, and if it was sincerity, it could induce growth.”

“……You are amazing.”

“Indeed. As someone who follows the teachings of Buddha, I used worldly calculations to test a person, so how could I not be amazing?”

His voice felt somewhat stifled.

However, even if he felt stifled, he had no regrets. The gaze of Great Master Gong Gong, who had begun to surpass ‘something,’ was filled with a brilliant will amidst the confusion that had not yet been completely cleared away.

“I knew from the first time I saw you that you had a great talent, but your skills did not match it, and you were born with a congenital inability to manifest your martial arts.”

“……”

“Since you were honest in front of all of us, consider it a gift in return.”

Cheon Hyo-rak, who had been staring blankly at Great Master Gong Gong, sighed.

“That’s what you meant by owing a debt.”

“That’s right.”

“Somehow, I thought I would need a little more time, but my true energy became vigorous too quickly.”

“There are also divine and demonic arts where the opposing power weakens. The demonic art you have cultivated was not like that. Seeing that it grew even while being exposed to the light of the Supreme Divine Power, it seems to be one of the most outstanding demonic arts in the Divine Devil Forest.”

In other words, he had induced the growth of such a great demonic art, so he owed a great debt. If he had not been honest, he would have been sent to prison, but since he had received an unexpected gift, it was definitely a debt.

“Thank you. But still…”

“……”

“I cannot reveal the weaknesses and attack methods of the Divine Devil Forest’s demonic arts.”

Cheon Hyo-rak, who bowed his head, was very polite, unlike a demon.

Great Master Gong Gong smiled.

“I see, that’s how it is.”

“……”

“Then, there’s no helping it.”

Cheon Hyo-rak raised his head and looked at Great Master Gong Gong.

A tired-looking face, but with no regrets.

Cheon Hyo-rak cautiously asked.

“You knew I would refuse, didn’t you?”

“I guessed that you would.”

“Then why did you make such an unreasonable request?”

“It was an unreasonable request, but if by any chance Young Master Cheon had said he would tell us, wouldn’t that have been a great thing?”

“……!”

“As the Martial Alliance Leader, if there is something to be gained from the other party, it is my intention to obtain it by any means. Even if it seems somewhat petty and foolish.”

“……I see.”

“But I can’t torture or beat the envoy who came as a representative of another sect to find out what I want, can I? If I did that to someone who came to ask for help, how would the world view the Martial Alliance?”

“They would see it as a lawless group.”

“That’s right. That’s why I only went this far. This is my limit.”

It was not a limit. Rather, Great Master Gong Gong had broken through his limits.

If one becomes accustomed to worldly calculations, there is a high possibility of drifting away from the Buddhist law.

However, even the ruffians of the secular world can gain profound enlightenment in their lives and attain the Buddhist law.

Great Master Gong Gong no longer tried to be aloof. He did not fear immersing himself in the secular world, even if it meant becoming violent and petty.

“I have made a decision. I have also received my own answer from you, so the rest can be discussed with the strategist.”

Great Master Gong Gong rose from his seat.

Why was it?

He could have just bowed his head and said he would see him later, and thanked him, but Cheon Hyo-rak asked without realizing it.

“Are you trying to go further?”

Great Master Gong Gong smiled.

“Can you see it?”

“……I don’t know.”

“Now that I have become the inaugural Martial Alliance Leader, I am trying to obtain the qualifications befitting that position.”

“……!”

“The world is full of vexations, so even if I close my eyes and move forward, it doesn’t mean that the dregs of vexation won’t cling to me. It’s just that they were not visible to my eyes.”

“……”

“Now, I am trying to face the vexations of the world with my eyes wide open.”

Flash!

Great Master Gong Gong’s golden aura pressed down on Cheon Hyo-rak’s shoulders.

Cheon Hyo-rak swallowed involuntarily.

‘This is…!’

Great Master Gong Gong’s aura, his energy.

It was similar to when they first met, yet different. The nature was similar, but the direction in which the energy was facing was different.

The true energy was turning its head towards a higher place, a more distant place.

A person who had transcended human limitations but was still clearly human was now trying to shed his human shell and embark on the path of a god.

To that realm that was the same yet different, and different yet the same.

“I sincerely hope… that you will have great achievements.”

“Great achievements are already in my heart.”

Great Master Gong Gong turned his body.

“All I have to do is throw my body into that heart.”

Cheon Hyo-rak felt a pang in his heart. Great Master Gong Gong’s last words somehow resonated with him.

As Great Master Gong Gong disappeared, Jeagal Mun-ho said.

“Since it has not yet been formally announced, please do not spread the rumors.”

“Although I am an inexperienced and clumsy guest, I know the difference between when to keep my mouth shut and when not to. Do not worry.”

“That’s a relief.”

Cheon Hyo-rak cleared his throat.

“Then, how about the support…?”

“We plan to send it after the leader’s inauguration ceremony is over. There is no need to worry that it will be delayed too much. It will be announced three days later, and the inauguration ceremony will be simple.”

“Thank you.”

“However, we need to consider who would be best to send as support troops…”

Cheon Hyo-rak tensed up.

Jeagal Mun-ho looked at Seung-hyeon Jin-in.

Seung-hyeon Jin-in nodded. Jeagal Mun-ho smiled wryly.

“It is someone I am very sorry to ask in this situation, but there is also one person who can handle it better than anyone else.”

“Who is that?”

“The problem is that he… is no longer affiliated with the Martial Alliance.”

At that moment, Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes widened.

Jeagal Mun-ho sighed.

“Would you like to go ask him together?”