Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 951

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes trembled greatly.

‘Master.’

He was the benefactor of a lifetime who had saved him when he was wandering the mountains, his body and mind ravaged, neither dead nor alive.

If he hadn’t met his master back then, he would have become a madman wandering the wilderness, meeting a miserable end by a blind sword.

In other words, the fact that he could now stand against the Three Sects, and furthermore, that he could look back on himself and pursue a progressive life, was all thanks to his master’s grace.

Such a master, a benefactor he thought he would never meet again, had appeared before his eyes like this.

Yeon Ho-Jeong knelt and bowed.

“Master.”

What else could he say?

In his dreams, his face was blurry, and even after seeing him for the first time in decades, he first felt a sense of strangeness.

Come to think of it, his memories were also vague. He clearly remembered his master’s voice and actions, but he couldn’t quite recall his face.

Now, Yeon Ho-Jeong realized why he couldn’t remember his master’s face.

It was because his master had willed it so.

A great martial god who could control even natural energy with just changes in emotion, his ability to control energy had reached its peak, and with just a strong will, he could amplify or diminish a person’s cognitive abilities.

But now, it was different.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, having bowed, raised his head.

In appearance alone, there was nothing particularly unique or outstanding about him. To put it a bit exaggeratedly, he looked no different from an old man one could easily find in any village.

However, there was something different about his master’s face compared to other old men.

It was his eyes.

His deep, sunken eyes, as if they held something deeper than the abyss, were mysterious and made the viewer’s mind feel distant.

The wrinkles on his forehead, around his eyes, and on his cheeks were like the surface of an ancient tree that had survived a thousand years of weathering. His neatly combed hair was dyed silver-white without a single exception.

His not-so-large body was hidden by loose clothing, yet one could tell that it was perfectly balanced. It was so firm that one could not think of it as an old man’s body.

Yeon Ho-Jeong felt a renewed sense of awe.

Now, his master was clearly revealing his true form.

And because he too had trained in the same Yellow Dragon [a martial arts technique], he could properly see his master’s true nature.

‘A divine being.’

A human like a god. No other expression was fitting.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been staring blankly at his master, soon hardened his expression.

Swoosh.

Light dust scattered from his master’s shoulders and back.

His master’s figure seemed to be fading.

“Master.”

Whoosh.

The scattering light dust decreased in amount.

Yeon Ho-Jeong realized that his master had temporarily blocked his ascension [a spiritual process of rising to a higher plane of existence].

“Get up.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong slowly rose.

The Thousand Sky Dragon approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Yeon Ho-Jeong thought that the shoulder where his master’s hand touched felt strangely cool.

“Good.”

From his shoulder, upper arm, lower arm, to his wrist, the Thousand Sky Dragon’s touch was filled with deep affection.

“You have broken the framework of the Four Divine Beasts [a set of powerful martial arts styles] and reached the Yellow Dragon, so I guessed you had been constantly training, but to think you have even trained your physical body so wonderfully.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes twitched.

How long had it been since he felt his master’s warmth? His master’s hand stroking his arm, his very presence, was so welcome.

“However.”

The Thousand Sky Dragon lowered his hand and smiled.

Yeon Ho-Jeong saw his master’s smile for the first time. It was the first time he had seen his master’s face so clearly expressing an emotion.

“More impressive than your trained body and energy is that you have maintained that burning soul until now.”

His master spoke of the soul.

The soul. It was a concept that the current Yeon Ho-Jeong could neither see nor feel.

“In order for a person to have a human form, one must face others and find oneself. This master failed to do that properly. If I hadn’t met you, even after living for over three hundred years, I would have lived in the depths, never reaching the light, and dragged my rotten body to the underworld.”

“Master.”

“It’s so good to see you again like this.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong felt his vision blur.

His master’s warm words, which he had never shown such sincerity before, shook his heart more easily than any enemy’s blade.

Yeon Ho-Jeong lowered his head.

“I always wanted to see you again.”

“I know.”

“Your disciple was foolish and realized it too late.”

The Thousand Sky Dragon burst into a hearty laugh.

His master’s laughter was very elegant and had a deep resonance. Just listening to it made one’s ears feel refreshed.

“Your master attained the Yellow Dragon after living for more than sixty years. You were much faster than your master. Moreover, you encountered the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts after you were grown, so your natural talent and ability can be said to be truly outstanding.”

“If it weren’t for the teachings you bestowed upon me, I wouldn’t have even dared to dream of it.”

“Of course not. But if that were the case, what excuse would disciples who were worse than their masters use to overcome their shame?”

“I don’t know. But even if I reached the Yellow Dragon faster than my master, it is certain that I am not a better martial artist than you.”

“I didn’t know your eloquence was this good, just like when you had the memories of the past.”

“I was merely stating the truth.”

The Thousand Sky Dragon looked up at the sky.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was curious. How did the sky, how did this world look in the eyes of his master, who had reached the realm of a divine being?

The Thousand Sky Dragon, who had been looking up at the sky with a smile, lowered his head again and looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“The night sky is beautiful.”

“Yes.”

“Shall we take a walk for a while?”

The two disciples walked around the foothills.

“Is that your weapon?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Let me see it.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong respectfully handed over the Gwangryong Axe.

The Thousand Sky Dragon, who had picked up the Gwangryong Axe with one hand and was examining it, was filled with admiration.

“It’s an amazing weapon. Judging by the vitality of the iron, it doesn’t seem to be an ancient divine weapon. Who is the maker?”

“There is a skilled artisan near my family’s estate. He is the one who made this weapon.”

“It’s a skill that’s hard to describe with the words ‘skilled artisan.’ I’ve lived for a long time, but I’ve rarely seen a weapon with such high perfection. He can be called a divine artisan who will mark a milestone in a hundred years of history.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong was seeing his master praise someone like this for the first time.

Was it because he was about to ascend? Or was it because he was moved by seeing his disciple who had grown so much?

His master was revealing vivid emotions that he had never shown in the past, without hiding them at all. Just looking at this rich emotionality, one would doubt if he was really the same person.

The Thousand Sky Dragon handed the Gwangryong Axe back.

“Even the most famous masterpiece is no better than a butcher’s knife if the one wielding it is not qualified. Before reaching the Yellow Dragon, you must have wanted to let go of it quite a bit.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong was startled.

“How did you know that?”

“It’s not something to be so surprised about. It’s just that you couldn’t see it clearly because it was your own matter. When you look at the martial arts and weapons of others, you can analyze them with a gaze no less than mine.”

That was not the case at all.

When he first obtained the Gwangryong Axe, Yeon Ho-Jeong wielded it in every fight. The weight and destructive power of the weapon helped him exert power beyond his own abilities.

However, as his level increased, he somehow didn’t want to hold the Gwangryong Axe.

He found the reason for this in the changes in his martial arts. In fact, he had grown explosively by encountering various martial principles while putting down the Gwangryong Axe.

But to think that it was not because of his own changes, but only because of the greatness of the weapon.

“Divine weapons are originally like that. They show the way to surpass one’s own abilities, while rejecting those who are not qualified or even causing them to regress.”

“… !”

“Your axe is the same. Because of its size and weight, it was a weapon that even you couldn’t easily handle. You instinctively realized that you were not suitable for a weapon with such outstanding perfection, and after several attempts, you grew rapidly. This can also be seen as the greatness of a divine weapon.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at the Gwangryong Axe with a renewed gaze.

He knew it was a masterpiece that was second to none compared to any other weapon, but he had never thought of it as such a great weapon.

“On the other hand, the two hand axes on your waist are different. They may also be divine weapons, but they don’t have as much soul as this black great axe. There wouldn’t have been much burden in holding and wielding them.”

“… I see.”

“Even a mere weapon can overwhelm its owner if it is imbued with a proper soul. It is no exaggeration to say that you owe your life to the artisan who made that weapon for you, so be sure to take the time to visit him in the future.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Still, the fact that you unconsciously felt whether you were qualified or not means that your senses are very keen. If you hadn’t had constant training and self-cultivation, you wouldn’t have been able to reach such a period of change.”

The Thousand Sky Dragon’s voice was like a distant song coming from the far side of the sky.

“The world is all like that. You find yourself in others, and you are also influenced by external objects like weapons. Then, wouldn’t this mountain path we are walking on, the night sky, and even the invisible air be important factors that change us?”

“…”

“Enlightenment is everywhere. People change even by encountering any form or substance. You must open yourself up to always feel the world with all five senses, and only then will the possibility of growth increase in probability and number.”

The Thousand Sky Dragon smiled.

“Fortunately, you have tried to feel the world much more and more sensitively than others. Even though you have less martial talent than others, the reason why you have grown faster than anyone else is because of your natural disposition to always look at and feel your surroundings.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong listened to his master’s words calmly.

It was a strange feeling.

When his master first regained his original memories, he couldn’t hide his trembling heart, but once they started walking together, he felt very calm.

That was why he was able to take each of his master’s words to heart. In the past, he had forgotten many of his master’s precious teachings because he had no time, but now he couldn’t.

The time they could spend together was too short.

Faced with that definite farewell, Yeon Ho-Jeong intended to show his master all of his developed self.

“There is one thing I am curious about.”

“It wouldn’t be just one thing.”

“Of course, that’s right.”

“Ask me anything.”

A voice filled with ample composure.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was about to ask about the Blood Cult, but he changed his mind and brought up another question.

“You said that the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts is the culmination of combat martial arts with a long history, which has been supplemented over several generations and has become a unique martial art with an extremely free form.”

“That’s right.”

“Also, you said that those who have mastered the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts are called the Four Divine Beasts Generals and can exert physical power to end any war.”

“That is also correct.”

“However, the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art was created based on the Blood Cult’s Five Colors Hell Art.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong stopped walking and looked at the Thousand Sky Dragon.

“What is the true nature of the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts? How did you become the successor of the Four Divine Beasts Martial Arts?”