Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 867

“Who are you?” The gatekeeper of the Azure Dragon Gate stepped forward, his voice laced with suspicion.

Before him stood an old man with a sturdy build and a younger man of equally imposing physique. Both were disheveled, but the massive sword slung across the younger man’s back radiated an immense pressure.

‘They don’t look like common thugs.’

In the martial world, it was rare for a true master to carry a large weapon. Those who had mastered their inner energy could wield immense power with a mere flick of their wrist, rendering large weapons unnecessary.

Recently, the Overlord Yeon Ho-jeong had shocked the world by wielding an axe larger than a human, but the general perception of large weapons remained unfavorable.

Still, the gatekeeper was a member of the Martial Alliance. He suppressed his urge to look down on them, and a semblance of politeness appeared on his face.

The old man, Jongli Baek, spoke casually, “Tell Bong Gong or the elder, whoever’s in charge, that Jongli Baek has arrived.”

“Excuse me?”

What was with this arrogant, almost overbearing statement?

The gatekeeper’s expression turned bewildered.

Jongli Baek frowned and said, “They haven’t chosen a leader yet, have they? Or did they already do it?”

“Ah, not yet… but…”

The gatekeeper found himself answering. Normally, he would have chased them away immediately, but strangely, he ended up responding like this.

“So, contact your superiors. Tell them Jongli Baek has arrived. They’ll know when you tell them.”

The gatekeeper wanted to chase this old man away right now.

But what was this?

“Let them in.”

The gatekeeper, having relayed Jongli Baek’s words to his juniors, bowed his head. “Please wait a moment…”

“I’ve come a thousand miles, what more is there to wait for?”

“Yes, yes?”

“I won’t cause trouble, so open the gate. Whether I draw my sword inside or outside, it’s all the same.”

The gatekeeper was flustered.

He was flustered by the old man’s rudeness, and he was flustered by the fact that he, who should have chased the old man away, was not even angry but rather flustered.

“Th, then…”

It was incomprehensible. He shouldn’t be doing this, but the gatekeeper ended up telling them to open the gate.

It wasn’t that he was pressured by their aura, nor was he particularly intimidated by Jongli Baek. Yet, he found himself following his words.

It was truly a strange thing.

Kugugugung!

The gate opened, and Jongli Baek and Ogu-mun entered proudly.

The gatekeeper instructed his juniors to guide the two to the guest quarters. Then, he closed the gate again and stood guard.

“…?!”

Only then.

After closing the gate and losing sight of Jongli Baek, the gatekeeper’s face contorted.

“But that old man… !”

He had said he would enter so confidently. It seemed like he knew the Bong Gong people. That’s why he let them in.

The gatekeeper perceived his actions that way. He didn’t realize that he was acting differently than usual.

“Damn it, I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have let them in so easily.”

But it was too late to tell them to come back out.

The gatekeeper, who had been huffing and puffing, suddenly recalled the old man’s face.

‘That old man has a nasty look in his eyes.’

He didn’t even remember the face of the man who had followed him. The gatekeeper’s mind was filled only with the old man’s face and eyes.

‘He probably won’t cause any trouble, right? Yes, he won’t. It’s the Martial Alliance, after all…’

It was then.

The gatekeeper recalled the old man’s voice.

‘So, contact your superiors. Tell them Jongli Baek has arrived. They’ll know when you tell them.’

Jongli Baek…

He had been so confident, as if the superiors would take care of it. Seeing that, it seemed like he really did have connections.

‘Jongli Baek? That’s ridiculous. I’ve never heard of such a…’

The gatekeeper flinched.

Never heard of it? Really?

It felt like he was about to remember something, but he couldn’t. It felt like he had never heard of it, but it wasn’t unfamiliar either.

It was a name that he had no connection to, but he had definitely heard it before.

Who was it? Jongli Baek… Jongli…

‘Sword?’

In that instant, the gatekeeper recalled the sword that the man standing behind the old man was carrying.

The size of the sword was such that it could be called a heavy weapon among heavy weapons. The width of the blade alone was comparable to the shoulder width of an adult woman. It seemed difficult to even carry it, let alone swing it.

There were very few people who wielded such a massive weapon. The Overlord Yeon Ho-jeong was a prime example, and some of the swordsmen of the Habuk Peng family were like that…

‘Wait a minute, swordsman?’

The name Jongli Baek, and a swordsman.

“Gasp!!”

In an instant, the gatekeeper’s face turned pale.

The name was so great and grand that it didn’t come to mind right away. He was a gatekeeper of the Martial Alliance’s Azure Dragon Gate, but he had never imagined that he would meet such a person.

“Sword, Sword Emperor Jongli Baek, Master!”

The gatekeeper quickly banged on the gate.

“Open the gate! Quickly! I’ll go to the Museong Hall myself, so you guys escort the two to the highest-class guest quarters! Hurry!”

* * *

“They’ve entered.”

Namgoong Seung’s sudden remark, in the middle of a conversation, was like that.

Yeon-wi nodded. “Indeed.”

Around the pavilion in the detached room of the Mugok Hall were Namgoong Pyo and about thirty warriors. Namgoong In and Namgoong Hyeon were not there.

They were listening to the discourse of the two supreme masters on their knees. Namgoong Seung was one thing, but Yeon-wi’s enlightenment was also supreme, so even though he was the head of the rival Yeon family, he couldn’t help but be respectful.

Namgoong Seung smiled. “It seems the merits accumulated by our family’s ancestors are truly great. Even though the faults of me and my bloodline are so great, it seems there is still some fortune left to receive.”

Yeon-wi also smiled. “The family of one’s in-laws is always special.”

“Haha.”

Namgoong Seung’s smile was very bright.

Looking at that, the smile of his grandfather, Namgoong Pyo’s face was filled with unease.

The grandfather he remembered was always strict and taciturn. After he had grown up considerably, he would smile and give him various advice, but even those moments were not enough to call him bright, even as a figure of speech.

But what about now?

Starting with the splendid duel with Yeon Ho-jeong, the stiffness and anxiety that had been felt from his grandfather were gradually disappearing.

Not only that, but he was even using semi-formal language with the head of the Yeon family, who was a generation younger than him.

‘Is it really to that extent?’

There was a rumor that the Yeon family head’s enlightenment was the greatest among the family heads. It was hard to believe, but he was said to be a master who even manifested the Mind Sword [a legendary state of swordsmanship].

Of course, Namgoong Pyo didn’t believe it. The Mind Sword was known to be the final enlightenment that a swordsman, or rather, a martial artist could reach. It was impossible for someone who had not yet reached the Limitless [a high level of martial arts mastery] to have awakened to that level.

But looking at his grandfather’s expression and words, it seemed that he genuinely regarded the Yeon family head as his equal.

He might not have reached the Mind Sword, but it was clear that he had gained an enlightenment that even a master of the Saintly Heaven [a high level of martial arts] would respect.

‘Is the Yeon family of Gangdong really that great, to the point of overwhelming our Namgoong?’

The Namgoong family was the family that produced the greatest swordsman in the world.

The Byeoksan Yeon family was the family that produced the youngest Saintly Heaven.

Looking at those two facts alone, it was difficult to say which family was superior.

But if the Yeon family head’s martial arts were so great that even the greatest swordsman in the world was impressed, then the story would be different.

Even if a force was small, if the martial prowess and influence of each member were significant, it could be said to be great in itself.

“Hmm.”

Namgoong Seung’s eyes gleamed.

“It seems another guest is coming.”

“Yes.”

Yeon-wi’s smile deepened.

“It seems he has finally made up his mind.”

“Hmm? Made up his mind?”

“A person who is fully qualified to take responsibility for the White Path [a term referring to the righteous martial world] martial world has stubbornly refused the position due to his inner turmoil. But now, he has changed his mind.”

“Hoo.”

“I have also confirmed and agreed to it. However, it is not everything just to ascend to that position. One also needs the power and martial prowess befitting the position. It seems he is about to regain the enlightenment he had given up and enter the realm of infinity.”

Namgoong Seung shook his head. “There are so many talented people in the world, and masters are as numerous as grains of sand on the beach. Even so, it is indeed Shaolin [a famous Buddhist temple known for its martial arts].”

“The preparations must be complete. Still, the reason he is coming here is…”

“To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.”

“That must be it.”

It was then.

Whoosh!

A powerful aura that swept through the surroundings was felt.

It was an ethereal energy wave that could only be felt by someone who had entered the realm of infinity, invisible to the eye and imperceptible to the skin.

That ethereal energy was not ethereal to Namgoong Seung and Yeon-wi.

Yeon-wi exclaimed. “Amazing.”

“Hmm.”

Namgoong Seung’s expression became strange.

When he met Yeon Ho-jeong, he felt a competitive spirit. And when he met Yeon-wi, he felt a sense of camaraderie.

And now.

Facing the provocative aura of someone who possessed a martial prowess that was almost the same as his own, someone who could be considered his equal, Namgoong Seung felt the intense fighting spirit he had resolved resurface.

The power struggle between the sword and the saber, two weapons with extremely similar yet fundamentally different properties, had continued throughout the history of the martial world.

Later, the sword was called the king of all weapons, but in reality, both the sword and the saber showed the same efficiency in the hands of a master. The tension between those who wielded the two weapons was like that of sworn enemies.

And now, the martial god called the greatest swordsman and the martial god called the greatest saber wielder in the world were in the same realm.

“Sword Emperor Jongli Baek.”

Namgoong Seung’s eyes deepened.

“The man who was nowhere to be seen when I was looking for him is finally showing himself.”

As if he were right in front of him.

Namgoong Seung was speaking calmly.

“You don’t seem to care about the people around you, so if you have business, come out now.”

The solemn voice did not even leave the detached room.

However, Namgoong Seung’s strong will reached beyond the inner walls to the outer walls.

Whoosh!

How much time had passed?

Woo-oong!!

A subtle and deep golden aura naturally made one feel at ease.

It made one feel at ease, but everyone knew how terrifying the true nature of that power was. It was such a noble and powerful aura.

It was the appearance of the Shaolin Abbot, Great Master Gong Gong.

Whoo-oong! Thud!

Simultaneously with Great Master Gong Gong’s appearance, a huge sword that had flown in an arc from high in the sky was embedded in the soft ground next to the detached room’s pavilion.

The distance from which it had flown was unimaginable. The legendary sword control technique, its freedom, was so outstanding that it could be argued to be the best in the Central Plains [a region in China].

Flutter!

There was a person standing on the top of the pavilion next to the detached room, with his hands behind his back.

He was a master with an imposing physique, loosely releasing an incredibly powerful aura. Although he looked shabby, his solemn aura alone exuded the dignity and grace of a palace owner.

The Sword Emperor and the Saber Emperor, along with a master who had reached the Mind Sword and the first leader of the Martial Alliance.

Never in the history of the Martial Alliance had such powerful masters gathered in one place.

Namgoong Seung looked at Jongli Baek, and Yeon-wi looked at Great Master Gong Gong.

Namgoong Seung said, “Come down.”

Yeon-wi said, “Come in.”

Swoosh.

The Saintly Heaven’s Saber Emperor and the Shaolin Abbot slowly approached the pavilion.

Unable to withstand their terrifying presence, Namgoong Pyo and the warriors had to leave the detached room, their faces pale. Even if they tried to endure, it seemed like they would vomit and suffer internal injuries, so they couldn’t endure it.

Clunk! Clunk!

Soon, all the doors leading to the detached room were closed.

And a moment later.

Flash! Kwaaaang!

A huge explosion echoed along with a golden light ascending to the heavens.