Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 942

“……”

Tak Mu-Ja, who had been meditating for over three days, entrusting his body to the flowing spiritual energy, opened his eyes.

Whoo-oong.

The sound of the wind blowing through the valley was strangely eerie.

“Hmm.”

An old man with his hands behind his back stood next to Tak Mu-Ja, looking up at the sky.

“The air feels ominous.”

Tak Mu-Ja nodded.

“A guest has arrived.”

“A guest, you say?”

“I didn’t expect him to come here first. I knew I would meet him someday, but….”

“It’s nothing new, but I can hardly understand what you’re saying, Senior Brother.”

“Tongcheon is coming.”

At that moment, the old man’s eyes wavered.

Tak Mu-Ja gave a wry smile.

“I’m reminded of the conversation I had with that fellow, Yeon Ho-Jeong.”

It was quite a while ago, but it felt as vivid as if it had been yesterday.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to seek out Tongcheon Jin-In? No matter how skilled he is, if Senior Master is determined to catch him, he wouldn’t be able to escape.’

‘…I have considered that as well.’

‘It seems there’s something I don’t know.’

‘Who doesn’t have a story? However, even though I feel for those who are suffering, it doesn’t seem like the Heavenly Way has been distorted yet. So, I think it’s fortunate.’

‘In other words, if the Heavenly Way is about to be distorted, you will step in then?’

‘I should step in before that.’

Tak Mu-Ja looked up at the sky.

The sky was not clearly visible due to the hazy spiritual energy. It was as if a thick fog had settled.

‘Why is the one who used to sit still and look down upon the world coming now?’

He was puzzled, but not surprised.

He knew that unexpected things often happened in life.

Tongcheon was like that. He had thought he would live his whole life on that desolate cliff, yet he had come all the way here himself.

Even though he knew that he was being watched.

“My disciples, go into the Hidden Forest.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Hey, you. Who are you talking to?”

The old man chuckled.

“If you had put down your meditation and drawn your sword, I wouldn’t have to worry so much.”

“Don’t worry, go in and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Understood.”

The old man disappeared into the fog.

Tak Mu-Ja swept his hand through the air. The spiritual energy flowing like fog moved here and there. It was like a fish swimming in a sea without currents.

‘I don’t know why, but….’

Tak Mu-Ja closed his eyes.

‘Once again, is the world about to be shaken?’

With his eyes closed, Tak Mu-Ja fell into meditation.

On this peak, where the flow of time is different from the mortal world, time sometimes flows faster and sometimes slower than in the mortal world.

How is it now?

When Tak Mu-Ja opened his eyes again, the world was filled with darkness.

It was night. It was a night with a full moon, but it was hard to enjoy the beautiful night sky because of the spiritual energy that spread like fog.

Instead, a person who held the primal fear that night brings was sitting across from Tak Mu-Ja.

A gaunt appearance. His skin was black and dead, and his eyes were bloodshot.

The baggy clothes were blacker than the darkness. He didn’t know what kind of dye had been poured on it, but the black was so deep that it looked like a black hole where his body should have been.

Thus, the two men silently stared at each other.

How much time had passed?

“It must be hard to endure for long in this Immortal Sea, so shouldn’t you get to the point of your visit as soon as possible?”

Tak Mu-Ja’s voice was as calm and playful as that of a pure child, as always.

However, his eyes were different. His eyes, which were as deep and clear as a lake, were fiercely sharp, unlike usual. It was a majestic gaze that would make even ghosts run away in fear.

The man, Tongcheon Jin-In, opened his mouth.

“This is the first time we’ve met in person.”

His voice was hoarse. It wasn’t that he had phlegm, but it sounded like metal.

Come to think of it, his neat hair was also thinning and falling out, revealing half of his scalp. Blue veins were bulging out on his dark red skin, making him look like someone who would faint at first sight.

The corners of Tak Mu-Ja’s mouth turned up.

“Do you like it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about your appearance, ruined by the influence of the evil gods from beyond.”

The corners of Tongcheon Jin-In’s mouth also turned up like Tak Mu-Ja’s.

His skin had lost its elasticity, and the skin on his face was pulled up along with the corners of his mouth. It was a grotesque expression.

“We shouldn’t be obsessed with our mortal appearance, should we?”

“If you have eyes to see and a mind to think, how can you not be obsessed? Just by looking at your appearance, I can tell the danger of the god you serve.”

“There is nothing more dangerous than judging nine things from one. How can the one who was called the greatest Taoist since Sampung Jin-In [a legendary Taoist figure] say such things that only the uneducated in the mortal world would say?”

“It seems you don’t know that you can know ten things from just one.”

“It is not a good habit to denigrate the Tao of others just because it is different from your own.”

“If I were truly such a person, I would have lived in conflict with the Kwon-Shin [a title for a powerful martial artist] of Shaolin. Tao is not all the same, and seeing your appearance tainted by the Demonic Tao, the saying ‘The Tao is one foot high, the Demon is ten feet high’ feels new to me.”

“That is a narrow-minded view.”

“Was it that hard?”

“Hmm?”

“You say that divine abilities are not something a Taoist should pursue, but when you lost those abilities, did you feel like you were nothing?”

Tongcheon Jin-In’s eyes narrowed.

A subtle pity emanated from Tak Mu-Ja’s majestic gaze.

“I heard from Yongdu Bangju [a title for a leader of a group] that you stopped seeing the Heavenly Energy at a certain point in the past.”

“Enough.”

“I heard that you were even more pleased because you were the one who used to say that a Taoist who should be following the Tao shouldn’t rely on such miraculous techniques.”

“……”

“What was it that made you, who inherited the lineage of Jeonjin [a Taoist sect], create a hole in the Taoist fortress you had built?”

Tongcheon Jin-In, who had been staring silently at Tak Mu-Ja, smiled coldly.

“The me back then was not perfect because I was deeply immersed in the mortal world, like you are now.”

“……”

“But because I was not perfect, I was able to open my eyes to another Tao, so it should be called a blessing in disguise.”

“What the hell is that….”

“Let’s stop talking about that. We didn’t come all this way just to criticize each other.”

Tak Mu-Ja, who had been gazing at Tongcheon Jin-In, nodded.

“Speak.”

“I came for negotiations.”

“Negotiations?”

It was an unexpected statement. Negotiations?

“As you know, it’s difficult for our side to move because you are watching me. Of course, it’s the same for you.”

In fact, Tak Mu-Ja had been unable to move from this place even before Tongcheon Jin-In had fallen.

There was a reason, but he had never properly told anyone the reason. He hadn’t even told Seung-Hyeon Jin-In, who was currently the head of the Wudang Sect, the exact reason.

In other words, even if it wasn’t for Tongcheon Jin-In, Tak Mu-Ja wouldn’t have been able to move for the time being.

If the world was truly about to be engulfed in war, he would have given up everything and gone down, but it was still okay. Moreover, since the unexpected spark of disaster called Tongcheon Jin-In was burning, he thought it was rather fortunate.

‘He doesn’t know.’

Tak Mu-Ja was certain. Tongcheon Jin-In thought that the best martial artist of Wudang was trapped on this peak only because of him.

Tongcheon Jin-In continued.

“I’ll be frank. I will die.”

“……?!”

Tak Mu-Ja’s eyes widened slightly.

“You will die?”

“Yes. No matter how much I have become a servant of the Blood God and am watching the world, if I don’t have a body, I can’t do such things anymore, can I? So, I will die.”

He spoke as if it was nothing, even though it was his own life. Even Taoists who had achieved the Tao and monks who had achieved the Dharma would find it difficult to say that they would die so willingly.

Once again, feeling the danger of the Demonic Tao, Tak Mu-Ja said,

“So?”

“If I die and disappear, you will no longer have a reason to stay here. Your side will see that the world is on the verge of collapse, so you will have no choice but to descend.”

“……”

“Go down and kill the leader of the Divine Fire Cult.”

It was getting more and more absurd.

Tak Mu-Ja frowned.

“The leader of the Divine Fire Cult is one of the three sects, and someone who could be called your ally, so why are you asking me to kill him?”

Tongcheon Jin-In sneered.

“An ally? Who says that?”

“What?”

“He is just one of the guys who has forgotten his master who has gone on a long journey and is acting like the master.”

“……!”

“However, the martial arts of the Divine Fire Cult leader are formidable. Frankly, among those you call the Saints, only the Three Emperors would be able to match him.”

It was a great overestimation. While saying that he was a nasty guy who had taken his master’s place, he was acknowledging his skills.

Tak Mu-Ja smiled strangely.

“Aren’t you underestimating the Saints too much? It seems like the master that the heretics serve can be dealt with by the Three Armies.”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. The Yin Emperor, Ha Eun-Gyo, was captured by the leader of the Evil Sound Cult. The damage the leader of the Evil Sound Cult suffered was only some internal injuries and a few scratches.”

“That’s probably true. He must have fought many battles before facing the leader.”

“I won’t deny that. But I guarantee that even if she was in perfect condition, the Yin Emperor would not have been a match for the leader of the Evil Sound Cult.”

“Hahahaha!”

Tak Mu-Ja suddenly burst into laughter.

Tongcheon Jin-In frowned.

“What’s so funny?”

“Even though you have the wisdom to discern the Heavenly Energy, you haven’t reached the realm of Limitless Infinity, so it’s not strange that you think that way.”

“……”

“Did you say that the leader of the Evil Sound Cult suffered internal and external injuries?”

“He suffered some damage.”

“If she inflicted that much damage on the leader of the Evil Sound Cult while not in perfect condition, it means that she is at least on par with him in terms of pure skill.”

“That’s an interesting statement.”

“The world calls the Saints divine emperors and the Three Armies, but in reality, there is no clear difference in martial arts between us. Rather, depending on the situation, even Kwon-Shin can be defeated by the Four Kings. Ah, has it become the Five Kings now?”

“……”

“If you’re going to praise them as your own, you don’t have to say that. No matter what you say, I will only see the world as I see it.”

Tongcheon Jin-In said in a gloomy voice.

“Then how about this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Originally, the Divine Fire was trying to take over the Imperial Palace. But they failed.”

“That’s proof that the Heavenly Way has not been distorted.”

“So, the leader of the Divine Fire Cult moved himself.”

“……?!”

Tak Mu-Ja’s expression changed.

Was his changed expression amusing? Tongcheon Jin-In also burst into laughter.

“Do you think the Emperor can stop the leader of the Divine Fire Cult? Yes, the Ghost Lord of Mad Soul is by his side. Then, do you think the leader of the Divine Fire Cult will go alone to take the Emperor’s head?”

“……!!”

“Now it seems like we can have a conversation.”