Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 965

The confrontation instantly turned the atmosphere of the royal court icy cold.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor was watching the two with an intrigued gaze. The fact that he could remain unfazed amidst the tense standoff between absolute masters at the pinnacle of the world was enough to show his exceptional nature.

A moment of imminent crisis.

“How disrespectful.”

A single word halted the temperature from dropping further as time passed.

Standing beside the dragon throne, Gok Gyeong spoke in a chilling voice.

“This is where the Son of Heaven [Emperor] resides. His Majesty told you not to mind formalities, but if you truly care for His Majesty, you shouldn’t show such behavior.”

Gok Gyeong’s words were absolutely correct.

Gi Cheon-ung, who had been quietly observing Yeon-wi, soon smiled.

“Put your sword down. I was a bit excessive.”

He had reacted to Yeon-wi’s inexplicable power.

Clearly, the man was of a lower level than himself, yet he possessed an incomprehensible power. Since emerging from seclusion, this was the first time he had unconsciously provoked someone.

Yeon-wi slowly lowered his sword.

He bowed his head. Although Gi Cheon-ung was in front of him, his apology was directed towards the Emperor.

“I have shown a frivolous appearance in His Majesty’s court. Please forgive me.”

The Emperor waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s alright. Two tigers cannot live on one mountain. It’s only natural for you martial artists to engage in a battle of nerves when you meet.”

It was difficult to even guess the extent of the Emperor’s understanding with this much leniency.

He was an Emperor in name only; his actions were no different from a wealthy man with a simple nature. Except for the bare minimum of authority, he was the type who never tried to create a rigid atmosphere.

Gi Cheon-ung plopped down on one side and picked up a teacup.

Although he was sitting below the dragon throne, his posture was so relaxed that he didn’t look like a subordinate of the Emperor at all.

Yeon-wi, Yang Cheon, and Peng Mu-gang knelt and sat upright opposite Gi Cheon-ung.

They naturally sat in the positions where civil and military officials would line up on the left and right.

Gi Cheon-ung didn’t even glance at the three, but even as he drank his tea, his senses were subtly scanning their energies.

The Emperor opened his mouth.

“You must have had a long journey.”

Peng Mu-gang bowed his head and said,

“I am only ashamed that I could not come sooner.”

“It’s alright.”

The Emperor looked at the three, then back at Gi Cheon-ung.

“I would like to have a conversation with you in a secluded place about how you have been living, but I should first explain the situation to you, who have come all this way by squeezing out time.”

When the Emperor closed his mouth, Gok Gyeong opened his.

“After the Shin-hwa Cult Leader first broke through the northern gate…”

After that, Gok Gyeong explained in detail what had happened so far.

It was detailed, but because he explained it so logically, it didn’t feel long-winded. He was usually a sharp person who was difficult to approach, but he had accumulated many abilities while staying by the Emperor’s side for a long time.

After hearing Gok Gyeong’s story, the group looked at Gi Cheon-ung with different eyes.

Clear eyes, intrigued eyes, and eyes full of distrust.

Gi Cheon-ung chuckled.

“I can understand the Emperor, but we will be working together in the future, so don’t glare at me like that. I’m not in a good mood right now either.”

He spoke casually as if talking to a friend, but that made his tone even more intimidating.

After staring at him for a while, Yeon-wi bowed his head to the Emperor and said,

“Your Majesty.”

“Speak.”

“Would you like to have a private conversation with the person who will become the next Imperial Son-in-law?”

Gok Gyeong’s eyes widened.

“Hey, Clan Leader Yeon.”

“Good.”

The Emperor looked at Yang Cheon with great interest.

“I liked you from the first meeting. I am also eager to talk to a master of the Black Path Murim [a martial arts path focused on dark or unorthodox techniques] as soon as possible.”

“Then, would it be alright if I had a separate conversation with the Shin-hwa Cult Leader while enjoying the night breeze?”

“There is no reason why I wouldn’t allow it.”

The Emperor looked at Gi Cheon-ung.

Gi Cheon-ung chuckled.

“I thought the first meeting would be quite troublesome, but to be treated like this is truly frustrating.”

Yeon-wi rose from his seat.

“Then, I will return after the conversation.”

“You can go back to the lodgings you used before and rest. You will come again tomorrow.”

Yeon-wi bowed his head once more and left the royal court with Peng Mu-gang.

Gi Cheon-ung also put down his teacup and left the royal court with his hands behind his back.

Outside the royal court.

Along the grand and well-paved royal road, there was an incredibly long and ornate wall.

Yeon-wi smiled and said to Peng Mu-gang,

“You must be tired, yet you are not resting.”

“When else would I have the chance to have a deep conversation with the Shin-hwa Cult Leader?”

He was grinning, but there was an undeniable tension on Peng Mu-gang’s face.

Yeon-wi looked at Gi Cheon-ung.

Gi Cheon-ung was still walking leisurely in the distance.

His figure, looking at the night sky with his hands behind his back, was filled with breathtakingly majestic beauty.

He was an unfamiliar foreign beauty, but his golden hair fluttering in the breeze, his dignified physique, his bare feet, and his white clothes made him look like a hero god from mythology.

How long had it been when he approached?

“Good.”

Gi Cheon-ung took another deep breath.

“The air is very good. It’s strict yet very clear. The laws that the Emperor has built over the clear air of the Central Plains [the heartland of China, often used to refer to the traditional Chinese martial arts world] are like a painting.”

Yeon-wi thought.

‘Like a flame.’

Dangerous but beautiful, if you look at it, you will soon lose all thoughts.

It was the very image of a flame that freely surged, burned the entire world, and lived a short but brilliant life.

“So.”

Gi Cheon-ung had reached a foot in front of Yeon-wi.

He looked big from afar, but he was even bigger up close.

Was it his presence?

His frame was different from that of the people of the Central Plains. It wasn’t just the atmosphere; his long limbs and broad frame seemed to make him look bigger.

“Why did you ask to see me separately?”

Gi Cheon-ung’s lips curled up.

“Perhaps, do you want to scold me?”

“How many people in the world can scold you?”

“Do they even exist?”

“However, killing is a different story.”

The smile remained, but Gi Cheon-ung’s eyes turned cold.

Yeon-wi spoke calmly.

“Do you see? How I can kill you?”

“……”

“It seems you can’t see it well.”

The smile on Gi Cheon-ung’s face had also disappeared.

Tension filled Peng Mu-gang’s face, while Yeon-wi’s face was filled with his usual indifferent expression.

“I will ask directly.”

“……”

“Why is your upper dantian [an energy center in the body, often associated with spiritual power] in that state?”

Gi Cheon-ung was silent for a long time.

Yeon-wi patiently waited for his answer.

How much time had passed?

“Can you see that?”

“I can see it clearly even now.”

A smile returned to Gi Cheon-ung’s face.

It was a strange smile that contained bitterness, admiration, sadness, and sorrow.

“Impressive.”

“……”

“I heard from the Emperor that your son captured and killed many of our cult members.”

“It was a relationship that warranted it.”

“I didn’t bring it up to blame your son for harming our cult.”

“……”

“Considering your age, your son must be in his thirties at most, but I doubted how such a great genius could be possible.”

“……”

“Now I see. The talent of the father, his ability is so outstanding, so the ability of the child who inherited that blood cannot be ordinary.”

“My son is stronger than me.”

Gi Cheon-ung nodded.

“That could be. Nothing is strange in this world.”

“……”

“But if I were to choose an opponent for a life-or-death battle, there would be no one as dangerous as you.”

“You said you couldn’t see it.”

“I can’t see it, but I can feel it a little.”

Gi Cheon-ung’s finger pointed at Yeon-wi’s forehead.

“There is something terrifying lurking in your upper dantian. If you can freely control that power, you could incapacitate any opponent with a single blow.”

“If they give me the chance.”

“Of course.”

Gi Cheon-ung turned and sat leaning against the wall.

His feet and clothes were strangely clean. Yeon-wi also sat next to Gi Cheon-ung.

Peng Mu-gang felt awkward for no reason and just stood leaning against the wall.

“You said you were in seclusion for fifteen years?”

“I was.”

“To become stronger?”

“There is no martial artist who goes into seclusion for any reason other than to gain strength.”

“You have become stronger.”

“And weaker at the same time.”

“What I want to know is.”

Yeon-wi turned to look at Gi Cheon-ung.

Suddenly, he realized that he was sitting next to a monstrous beast who could plunge the entire Central Plains into fear.

And that realization did not give Yeon-wi any emotion.

“Whether you made a mistake, or whether you were harmed by someone.”

“……”

“Senior Touwang Yang Cheon understood my abilities thoroughly as soon as he saw me. But you can’t. It must be because half of your upper dantian is destroyed.”

“……”

“I can’t believe you’re still alive in that state, even after seeing it.”

“It’s thanks to Hwajeong.”

Gi Cheon-ung said in a calm voice.

“Our cult has a technique called Hwajeong. If you complete Hwajeong and raise its level, you can preserve your life even after suffering a fatal wound.”

“Did that even stop the collapse of your upper dantian?”

“It stopped it, but I won’t live long.”

It was an honest statement.

Given Yeon-wi’s personality, he wouldn’t be aggressive from the first meeting, even if the other person was an enemy leader. Yet, the reason he was so forceful was because Gi Cheon-ung’s existence itself was so bizarre.

He thought that he was using demonic sorcery or evil demonic arts to maintain his current state. If that was the case, he thought he might have to make a firm decision for the future.

But when he actually talked to him, he didn’t feel any evil energy from Gi Cheon-ung. Rather, he was hiding a more desolate and bitter emotion than anyone else with a strong presence and slightly sharp words.

“What on earth did the Saeum Cult do to you?”

“Before blaming the Saeum Cult, it must be that I raised my child poorly.”

“……”

“Furthermore, I was not a good ruler. My intentions were good, but…”

“……”

“In the end, I brought it all upon myself.”

“Did your son rebel?”

Gi Cheon-ung’s eyes deepened.

“My son’s talent is greater than mine. Like your son, he reached the Heavenly Flower Realm [a high level of martial arts mastery] more than twenty years ago with a talent given by the heavens. He must be around fifty years old now.”

Fifty years old, and more than twenty years before that, he reached the Heavenly Flower Realm before the age of thirty.

If that was true, it was truly a talent given by the heavens.

“He couldn’t become the cult leader for a long time despite having such talent, so how much resentment must have built up. I told him that he would become the cult leader someday, but I don’t think my son thought so.”

“He had no patience.”

“He had patience. His desire was just too great.”

“……”

“The person who fueled that desire and manipulated him from behind to seize control of our cult is the Saeum Cult Leader.”

Gi Cheon-ung’s blue eyes were filled with vivid anger.

“Saeum Cult Leader Sa Mun-hyang. Because of him, the current Shin-hwa Cult has become practically a branch of the Saeum Cult.”