Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 956

“……”

How long had it been?

He had entered meditation to calm his scattered mind, but he couldn’t truly reach the depths of his own being. If he did, he would surely forget the world and wander in his own inner world for a long time.

However, it wasn’t easy to gauge the flow of time on this peak of the Immortal Sea [a metaphorical name for a high, isolated mountain]. Even Tak Mu-Ja, who had reached a level of mastery among the highest in the history of the Wudang Sect [a famous Taoist martial arts school], found it difficult.

Awakening from his meditation, Tak Mu-Ja took three grains of Bigokdan [a type of medicinal pill] and descended the mountain.

Because it was such a steep and protruding place, ordinary people could neither easily climb up nor down.

Tak Mu-Ja descended from the peak using a simple method of leaping off the cliff.

Swoosh.

As if he had wings, he descended rapidly, then used his inner force to gradually slow down, and finally landed on the ground.

“It’s been a while.”

Tak Mu-Ja looked up at the peak.

The top of the peak was surrounded by a hazy mist.

Only after breaking through that mist and descending could he feel the flow of time with his whole body.

“Coming down from that place, and also…”

Tak Mu-Ja lowered his head and looked into the distant forest.

“Seeing you like this.”

Rustle.

The leaves rustled against each other in the blowing wind, creating a refreshing sound.

And in between.

There was a monk walking so naturally over the gently flowing stream.

He had a rather small physique. He was so thin that even the gray monastic robes inside his kasaya [a type of Buddhist robe] looked very loose.

However, the old monk’s presence was immense, unlike his frail body.

He was as gentle as the Immortal Sea that enveloped the peak, and as empty as the invisible air. At the same time, he possessed a solid and heavy center, like a writhing mountain range.

Surprise flickered across Tak Mu-Ja’s face.

It wasn’t because the old monk’s presence was great. Well, it was great, but more precisely, he was taken aback because the old monk’s condition was much better than he had expected.

“Bald monk.”

“Have you been well?”

The old monk’s voice, full of laughter, was very pleasant to hear.

It was like the sound of chanting echoing from a quiet mountain temple. The rhythmic voice of a high monk, carrying enlightenment on the blowing wind, was not at all burdensome and cleared Tak Mu-Ja’s complicated mind.

Tak Mu-Ja, who had been staring blankly at the old monk, asked in a playful voice.

“Am I so old now that I’m seeing things?”

“Don’t you think your enlightenment is too high to be seeing things?”

“Judging by that person’s shameless way of speaking, it seems like it’s definitely the bald monk I know.”

“Even if I haven’t seen the end of the Buddhist law, would I have come back as a ghost?”

Tak Mu-Ja burst into laughter. The old monk also laughed comfortably.

After a while.

The laughter faded, and Tak Mu-Ja’s face gradually became serious.

“What happened?”

The old monk turned his head towards the western sky in the distance.

Unlike when he was meditating in a quiet cave in Mount Song, his wrinkled eyes were the same, but there was no more discharge [referring to the release of spiritual energy].

“He ascended.”

“What?”

“To be precise, I don’t know if he ascended to immortality or entered Nirvana [a state of enlightenment and liberation in Buddhism]. However, it is clear that he has escaped the cycle of the six realms [the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth] and reached the heavens.”

“……!!”

“Otherwise, how could the hellish energy that was eating away at this body have disappeared as if washed away?”

Tak Mu-Ja’s mouth fell open.

“He ascended to immortality?”

“I don’t know since I didn’t see it myself.”

“Tell me in detail!”

The old monk smiled.

“He came to see me a while ago, and while we were having a conversation, he suddenly said he felt the presence of another Yellow Dragon [a mythical symbol of power and destiny].”

“……?!”

“I don’t know exactly what that means. However, I saw a certain desire in his face for the first time. And in that desire, I realized that there was an answer to what had been tormenting him.”

“So?”

“He left. And the result is as it is now. Before that, I suggested that he raise a disciple, and perhaps in that short time, he met a talent who was truly worthy of being his disciple.”

“You said it was a while ago?”

“You didn’t see him yourself, so you don’t know, but I know that his abilities were worthy of being called a god.”

“……”

“If he wanted to, it wouldn’t be strange for him to pass on everything he had to someone else in less than half a day.”

Agitation flickered across Tak Mu-Ja’s face.

“He left a disciple behind?”

“I told you, I don’t know for sure. However, he always wanted a successor. Someone with a good nature who could inherit everything he had.”

“You said that. That the reason he held onto his life until the end was to find a suitable successor.”

“If it wasn’t his own will, who could have driven him out of this world?”

“But that Shinok thing…”

“He said it was broken.”

“Broken?”

The old monk relayed the conversation he had with Cheon In-Ryong at the time, word for word.

Tak Mu-Ja’s expression became strange.

“That Shinok, or rather, that Blood Jade, wasn’t it said to be a demonic object and a divine object? If it was something that could break so easily, you wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble. Nor would I have prepared like this.”

“I think so too. But would he have any reason to lie to us?”

“That’s true, but…”

“So I thought about it. The reason why the Shinok had to break.”

The old monk closed his eyes.

“No matter how much I think about it, there’s only one answer.”

“What is it?”

“The Shinok, or rather, the Blood Jade, was said to be able to enable the art of soul separation, and furthermore, if all its power was extracted, it could even cause time reversal.”

“It’s an unbelievable thing, but anyway.”

“The power contained in that demonic object must have been used up.”

“……!”

Tak Mu-Ja’s face hardened.

“Bald monk, are you saying that someone used all the power of that Shinok?”

“I don’t know if someone used it or if the demonic object used its power on its own.”

“……I still don’t understand. I know that there are spiritual beings and demonic objects that exist even if you don’t see them directly, but that Shinok thing is beyond standard no matter how I think about it.”

“When he first revealed himself, I also found it hard to believe that he had lived for well over three hundred years.”

Just as the existence of the Shinok was beyond standard, so was the existence of Cheon In-Ryong.

In other words, there are still countless mysteries in the world that we do not know about.

“The important thing is not that. Elder Mu-Jang has left this world. He even collected all the hellish energy in my body. Well, I don’t know if he collected it or got rid of it.”

“Hmm.”

Tak Mu-Ja’s face flushed slightly.

Was it excitement? He couldn’t be sure. It had been too long since he had felt such a turbulent emotion.

“Then, does that mean I can now get involved in worldly affairs?”

The reason he had secluded himself on that peak for so long was to cultivate himself as the next vessel for the hellish energy.

In that process, there were enlightenments and failures. It was truly shameful that he had problems in his upper dantian [an energy center in the body] because of his greed.

Furthermore, he had realized the existence of Tongcheon Jin-In, who was possessed by the Blood God, and had been constantly watching him to keep him in check.

At least one of the two reasons for his seclusion had been resolved.

“What about Tongcheon Jin-In?”

“He came to me a while ago and proposed a ridiculous deal.”

Tak Mu-Ja also told the old monk about his dealings with Tongcheon Jin-In. Even about contacting the Murim Alliance [a coalition of martial arts sects].

“Hmm.”

The old monk stroked his chin.

“The Murim Alliance must have dispatched experts to the imperial palace.”

“They probably did.”

“Tongcheon Jin-In asked to kill the Shin Hwa Cult leader. Then he said he would die….”

“It was a deal I couldn’t understand at all. It doesn’t make sense that he would bring a deal that wouldn’t benefit him.”

“In other words, you think that Tongcheon Jin-In sees his own death as beneficial.”

“I don’t know if it benefits him or the Three Sects. He’s been possessed by a minor god, so maybe it benefits the Blood God he serves. If such a being even exists.”

“Then the answer is simple, isn’t it?”

“Answer?”

The old monk smiled.

“Shall we go on an outing and catch the Shin Hwa Cult leader for the first time in a while?”

* * *

The vast continent.

Those who struggled to make a living day by day paid no attention to whether war broke out on this land or not. Rather, for them, every day was a battlefield.

Those who had lived in the same village since birth gave up on venturing into the wider world and chose stability. Thanks to this, they gave birth to descendants who inherited their blood, continuing the endless cycle of life.

Scholars who were striving to revive the lost empire devoted themselves to their studies day and night for the sake of the past glory of the nation. And it was the same for those who aspired to become military officials.

Farmers, merchants, scholars, martial artists.

Besides them, countless people who lived by their own choices or were urged to make choices lived their own lives in various parts of the vast continent.

However, in places beyond their interest, there was another world.

Those who coveted the fertile land of the continent and those who traveled day and night to oppose them glared at each other and shouted on the melody of blood and death.

Those who shed blood and sweat to invade, to defend, to kill, and to save.

Finally, their secret war, which had been fought and fought again, was also coming to an end.

There was a limit to fighting while looking for each other’s weaknesses or predicting them.

In this situation where what each side wanted was clear, there was only one thing that those who could not retreat could choose in a limit situation.

All-out war.

In the distant future, when people debated what event marked the beginning of the Great Three Sects War, most people pointed to one event.

It was the Shin Hwa Cult leader’s invasion of the imperial palace.

However, the remaining people argued differently. They argued about exactly which event within the Shin Hwa Cult leader’s invasion of the imperial palace caused the war to break out.

The true beginning of the Great Three Sects War, they said, was the Shin Hwa Cult’s Guardian General’s assassination of the emperor.

* * *

Late at night.

The emperor, sitting alone on the dragon throne and looking at the dark palace, suddenly saw the fire in the right brazier of the grand preceptor turn a bizarre color.

Whoosh!

The fire in the brazier, which had turned turquoise, flared up for a moment and then soared to the ceiling of the imperial court in an instant.

It was a mysterious and bizarre sight, but the emperor was not surprised. He simply looked at the brazier with deepened eyes.

The huge turquoise flames gradually transformed into a certain shape.

It was the upper body of a person. It was a giant of flames with clearly defined curved muscles, a thick beard, and long hair.

The emperor silently looked at the flames.

The giant’s mouth opened.

“Emperor.”

It was a surprisingly clear and solemn voice.

The emperor, resting his chin on his hand, asked.

“Who are you?”

Perhaps surprised by the emperor’s calm attitude.

The giant was silent for a moment.

The emperor’s lips curled up.

“I asked who you are.”

It was not as solemn as the giant, but his voice and presence, which could make anyone’s legs tremble, were truly terrifying.

The giant opened his mouth.

“You are extremely arrogant…”

At that moment, the emperor threw a wine bottle placed beside him into the brazier.

Splat! Sizzle!

The turquoise flames disappeared in an instant.

The inside of the brazier cooled down, and white smoke rose.

The emperor leaned back on the dragon throne.

“Where did you learn such ghostly tricks?”