Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 871

A flash!

His eyes opened.

They opened slowly and gently, yet it felt as if lightning had struck both eyes.

Trickle.

A clear liquid flowed from his eyes.

It wasn’t that he was crying from sadness. The impurities remaining in his upper dantian [an energy center in traditional Chinese medicine] were being discharged through his optic nerves along with tears.

Those tears were tinged with the refreshing feeling of one who had washed away their worries, and the tension of one who was about to face new ones.

Fuss.

His beard fell out.

To be precise, the wiry, stiff hairs of his beard crumbled and fell off. The same was true for his eyebrows.

The remaining beard and eyebrows were black, thick, and surprisingly fine.

The wrinkles that had been etched on his face were nowhere to be found. Thanks to his unique features and deep gaze, he still looked to be middle-aged or older, but his skin alone could have easily passed for that of a young man in his twenties.

Whoosh.

Unspoken emotions carried on a light breeze.

From the pavilion behind Great Master Gong Gong, a calm voice was heard.

“You have sent even the last trace of lingering attachment and impurity into the wind, yet when I look back, another trace of worry is etched on your face like a thunderbolt.”

Great Master Gong Gong, who had been sitting in a meditative posture, rose from his seat.

How long had he been sitting there? He didn’t know for sure, but it must have been at least half a day. Yet, his body was as flexible as if he had just sat down and immediately stood up.

Great Master Gong Gong turned his head.

On the pavilion, two old men were exchanging cups of what looked like tea or wine.

Namgoong Seung, with his sharp yet strangely bold features, asked with a smile,

“How is the place you have reached?”

Great Master Gong Gong replied in a calm voice,

“It is quite different from what I had imagined.”

“Of course, it would be.”

“No matter how beautiful paradise may seem, how can one truly experience the joy of an enlightened being who has escaped the cycle of reincarnation unless they are a Buddha who has set foot there?”

“Oh ho.”

“Although I am in no position to even imitate the Dharma [Buddhist teachings], let alone reach paradise, I have come to realize once again that seeing, hearing, and smelling are not as good as directly stepping on, touching, and brushing against.”

Namgoong Seung burst into laughter.

“In the long history of the Murim [martial arts world], no more than three people have reached this realm in any given era. Except for now and three hundred years ago.”

“Yes.”

“It is absurd to think that one can know such a wondrous realm through mere conjecture.”

Namgoong Seung nodded.

“Welcome. To this realm.”

Great Master Gong Gong made a half-bow.

“I am grateful that you have granted the unspoken request of this unworthy monk.”

The unspoken request was none other than the request for protection.

Currently, there are only a few people within the Alliance who can perfectly control Great Master Gong Gong’s power.

Two of them were Namgoong Seung and Yeon-wi. Those two could control the powerful force erupting from a body that had reached an infinite realm, akin to the cycle of reincarnation of ordinary people.

That was why Great Master Gong Gong had come here.

However, Great Master Gong Gong did not directly ask the two for help. He simply knew that they would help him.

Namgoong Seung said with a smile,

“If you had intended to reach it quietly, there would have been no need to come here. You could have simply gone to any peak of Daebyeolsan and ascended alone.”

“…….”

“Nevertheless, there must be another reason why you came here, Great Master.”

“That is correct.”

“Would you be so kind as to tell me?”

Great Master Gong Gong’s eyes met Namgoong Seung’s.

In that instant, Namgoong Seung flinched without realizing it.

‘What a strange gaze.’

It was clear and deep. It was serene yet sparkled like a star.

It was closer to the gaze of a pure child who had grown up without knowing the chaos of the world than the gaze of an enlightened high priest.

Who would have thought that the eyes of the Shaolin abbot, who had actively intervened in the brutal affairs of the Murim, would look like that? If he had simply imbued his eyes with a superior true energy through a moment of enlightenment, he would have been less surprised.

‘He is an amazing person.’

Namgoong Seung was impressed. No, he was moved.

‘Before the Muscle and Marrow Changing and the Washing of the Marrow [advanced stages of martial arts training], a transformation and rebirth are nearly impossible without outstanding enlightenment. And he has trained in Shaolin’s Supreme Divine Art, so it would not be strange if he were to grasp a martial prowess close to the Three Sovereigns with a single leap. But…’

The energy that filled his body.

More impressive than that energy was that gaze.

‘He deliberately abandoned a piece of his enlightenment.’

He couldn’t know the details. Great Master Gong Gong had also broken through the Limitless, so Namgoong Seung could no longer see through him.

However, he knew that he had given up a great enlightenment that would have allowed him to fly even higher.

“Why did you do that?”

It was a question without context.

However, Great Master Gong Gong knew what Namgoong Seung’s question meant.

“I would have become arrogant.”

“Arrogant?”

“This unworthy monk has now realized the limit of the worries that I can handle. And I have also realized that I cannot become a Buddha.”

“…….”

“However, just because I have realized that I cannot become a Buddha does not mean that I should distance myself from the Dharma. If I cannot become a Buddha, I should try even harder to grasp at least the edge of the Dharma.”

Namgoong Seung sighed.

It was a subtle sigh mixed with admiration, emotion, and regret.

“So, you are a monk before you are a martial artist?”

“That is correct.”

“I heard that you have become the first Murim Alliance Leader.”

Jongli Baek, who had been drinking from his cup across from him, had a glint in his eyes.

Great Master Gong Gong nodded.

“That is what happened.”

“The Murim Alliance Leader is the position that oversees the entire White Path Murim. The one who oversees is also the one who bears the most responsibility. There are times when you have to make cold and ruthless decisions, so why did you choose the path of a Buddhist rather than a martial artist?”

“It is precisely because it is such a position that I must walk the path of a Buddhist.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the balance is broken.”

It was a strange statement.

Namgoong Seung felt like he understood Great Master Gong Gong’s words, but he also felt like he didn’t understand them at all.

Swoosh.

Namgoong Seung rose from his seat and descended below the pavilion.

He bowed slightly.

“I greet the first Alliance Leader.”

“Such greetings are too much for me to bear.”

“This meddlesome old man has retired from active duty. However, I have come here to worry about the children of my family, so I am merely a guest, not a member of the Alliance.”

“…….”

“Since I have come as a guest, I must pay my respects to the host.”

Great Master Gong Gong smiled.

Namgoong Seung turned his head towards the pavilion.

“What are you doing? You came as a guest as well, so you should pay your respects to the host.”

Jongli Baek grumbled.

“I didn’t help that man. If we make a separate occasion later, I’ll try to flatter him then.”

Host, guest.

If it had been the previous Great Master Gong Gong, he would have felt a great burden from those titles.

But the current him was different.

“I must go see the officers. I will be busy with various matters for the next two days, so please come to the temple three days from now.”

Jongli Baek chuckled.

“Well, let’s do that.”

With those words, Great Master Gong Gong disappeared.

Pure admiration appeared on Namgoong Seung’s face.

“Diamond Immovability.”

A gust of wind carried the power of a thousand pounds. But Great Master Gong Gong’s movements were so sudden that it was hard to believe even after seeing it.

Like a giant rock that had withstood the fierce wind and rain for a thousand years in the same spot.

Namgoong Seung closed his eyes, feeling the heavy and stable enlightenment that Great Master Gong Gong had left behind.

“The world is vast and wide, and there are so many talented people. I hope that my own bloodline can also sprout the seeds of that genius.”

“Don’t be too greedy.”

Namgoong Seung turned his body.

Jongli Baek, who was sitting in the pavilion and sipping his wine, said as if grumbling.

“Even the disciple I’ve been holding onto and teaching for ten years is only now starting to understand something. It took ten years just to awaken a talent that is no worse than mine. You haven’t even done that, have you?”

“…That’s right.”

“Don’t expect too much. Just correct them when they are going down the wrong path. That’s your job.”

Although it was the first time they had met face to face, Jongli Baek’s words felt comfortable and sincere, like the advice of an old friend.

Namgoong Seung smiled wryly.

“Perhaps the person most engulfed in worries here is me.”

Jongli Baek, who had been staring at Namgoong Seung, stood up with a grunt.

Confusion appeared on Namgoong Seung’s face.

“Aren’t you going to drink more?”

“I was going to have a drink and then discuss the superiority of swords, but your face is so dull that I’ve lost the mood.”

“My worries and the competition are in different realms.”

“You have to burn away your worries for the competition to be fun. Besides, there are two more opponents who are more interesting than you right now.”

“Two, you say…?”

A subtle anticipation appeared on Jongli Baek’s face.

“Isn’t it unprecedented for so many Saintly Heavens [a high level of martial arts mastery] to gather in one place? If so, I should thoroughly explore the enlightenment of those who are called Emperor and King besides myself.”

* * *

“Hoo.”

Moyong Woo’s body, who had dismissed the training soldiers of the Righteous Army and was now wielding his sword alone, was drenched in sweat.

The cold mountain air could not cool down Moyong Woo’s intense passion and fiery desire. A faint tremor ran through his hand holding the greatsword, Tangma Divine Sword.

‘I can’t swing it anymore.’

It was okay.

Although he didn’t show it to others, Moyong Woo repeated training that pushed his strength and inner power to their limits two or three times a day.

The reason he could still appear fine in front of his unit members was because he had become accustomed to rapid recovery after extreme training.

Whoooosh.

A blue aura surged from Moyong Woo’s entire body.

As soon as he activated the Qiankun Eight Extremes Divine Art [a powerful martial arts technique], a deep blue aura drew in the surrounding natural energy.

It was a terrifyingly refined divine art. The martial art itself was great, but Moyong Woo’s enlightenment, which had modified the martial art to suit his own situation, shone brightly.

‘The world is vast.’

It had only been a quarter of an hour.

In just a quarter of an hour, he had replenished thirty percent of his depleted inner energy. It was a speed that no one could easily believe.

However, Moyong Woo felt a sense of inadequacy.

‘There are so many talented people in the world, when did I start limiting myself?’

Although he didn’t show it outwardly, Moyong Woo felt an unspeakable shock when he faced Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had returned to the Alliance.

And yet, in the midst of it all, he had gained another enlightenment and entered a deeper realm.

The period from entering the Alliance to gaining enlightenment was less than three days. It was truly an achievement that defied imagination.

‘What is lacking?’

As the commander of the Righteous Army, it was his responsibility to control and train the soldiers under his command.

However, just because he was responsible for the soldiers did not mean that he could neglect his own training as a martial artist. He thought that he had also done his best.

But now, looking back, he wondered if he had really done his best.

‘Yeon-je was different.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s talent was far superior to his own. Moyong Woo acknowledged that.

However, it was not because he was more talented that he had reached the Limitless realm faster than him. Moyong Woo knew that.

‘Yeon-je led his soldiers well even before reaching the Limitless realm. Yet, he reached the Saintly Heaven faster than anyone else. It is not a position he reached solely through talent.’

He must have sweated similarly to Yeon Ho-Jeong. Yet, there was such a difference.

Was it the difference in practical experience? Of course, that could not be ruled out either.

‘It’s different.’

Moyong Woo’s eyes sank deeply.

‘No matter what factor I bring up, I cannot explain Yeon-je’s achievement. What could it be?’

Moyong Woo, who was lost in his own worries.

As he stared blankly at the training ground floor, he suddenly felt his vision darken.

And then, a voice was heard.

“You seem to have many worries.”

He raised his head.

In that instant, Moyong Woo felt his eyes dazzled.

Before him stood a golden martial god with a comfortable smile.