Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 383

Bu-seon’s eyes widened, her body trembling as if an earthquake had struck.

‘This can’t be happening.’

Crack! Crack!

She retreated ten yards, but the intensifying pressure shook her internal energy, forcing her back another five yards.

Even after retreating a total of fifteen yards, the immense pressure made her feel nauseous. Despite pushing the Blood Lion Qi, a supreme martial art she learned from her master, to its absolute limit, her limbs trembled uncontrollably.

The sheer power of an absolute master far exceeded her imagination. When a master of Seongcheon [a high-level martial arts realm] unleashed their full power, all living things in the vicinity, regardless of their martial arts level, were filled with terror.

‘I can’t even think of fighting back. I can’t even face him, let alone fight! But…’

Bu-seon looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong with trembling eyes.

‘How can that man be so calm?!’

Flutter! Flutter!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, emitting a blue jade-like aura as clear as a cloudless sky, was looking at Yang Cheon with unwavering eyes.

The huge axe in his hand was swirling with a red and white firestorm. His stance was low, his left hand was on the ground, and his bulging thighs were filled with terrifying power.

It was the posture of a beast about to pounce on its prey. A ‘Tiger General’ refers to a general as brave as a tiger, but Yeon Ho-Jeong now seemed to have actually become a giant tiger, emitting a ferocious gaze.

And on Yang Cheon’s face, as he looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong, an unbelievable faint smile was forming.

‘That man’s martial arts are by no means comparable to my master’s. He may be stronger than me, but he’s only in a similar realm, not at the peak! But how can he be so unscathed? Moreover…’

Bu-seon’s eyes shifted from Yeon Ho-Jeong back to Yang Cheon.

Roar!

The dark red energy that was slowly rising was repeatedly merging and scattering, creating the shape of a giant beast.

‘That’s not Blood Lion Qi.’

Bu-seon swallowed hard.

‘It’s similar to Blood Lion Qi, but much more advanced…!’

At that moment, Yang Cheon opened his mouth.

‘Since exchanging blows with the Demonic Cult Leader, I have re-examined my martial arts.’

‘…’

‘It was inevitable. I, who had been sharpening my fangs to surpass the realms of the Fist God and the Sword Immortal while traveling the world, never imagined that I would be half a step behind a strongman from beyond the world.’

Bu-seon was startled.

She also knew about the Demonic Cult Leader. But until now, she thought that her master and the Demonic Cult Leader had only exchanged blows lightly.

This was because, to her, her master, Yang Cheon, was an invincible powerhouse who would not lose to anyone in the world.

‘The internal injuries I suffered from him were healed in less than half a month. But the wound to my pride has not healed even after a year. Rather, it was festering and rotting.’

‘…’

‘Although I established the Black Dragon Unit by borrowing the financial power of the Demonic Cult, I have never bowed my head to them. I couldn’t. I am an inherently arrogant person. I have lived my whole life thinking that I am the best, so how could I tuck my tail between my legs just because I lost once?’

Whoosh!

The dark red energy that had been creating tremendous pressure, as if causing an earthquake, was instantly sucked into Yang Cheon’s body.

‘Therefore, I poured blood and sweat to complete one of the three divine arts I have learned, the weakest but most promising because it is incomplete. And…’

Yang Cheon raised his right hand.

A subtle tension appeared in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes, which had been endlessly sharp. He felt an invisible flame burning in Yang Cheon’s right hand.

‘It is now on the verge of completion. This martial art is the Black Lion Qi.’

Swish, swish, swish.

The invisible flame slowly took on the color of darkness.

It was a blackish-gray, murderous energy, not the previous dark red. The flickering blackish-gray flame resembled a lion’s mane.

‘Disciple.’

Yang Cheon said without turning his head.

Bu-seon bowed her head.

‘Yes, Master.’

‘Your understanding of Blood Lion Qi is truly admirable. I will pass this power on to you soon.’

‘Th-thank you!’

The corners of Yang Cheon’s mouth curled up.

‘Let’s start soon. I hope you can withstand at least one exchange.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

‘Don’t worry.’

‘I’m going.’

Thud!

Yang Cheon took a step forward.

In that instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong felt as if the world was darkening. It was just one step, but it meant that Yang Cheon’s will was fully manifested.

‘Three.’

Whirrrrr!

Since he had refined the Yeon-ga Divine Elixir [a powerful internal energy cultivation method], it had never rotated this fast.

He hadn’t even done this when fighting the powerhouses of the Divine Cult. The fight with them was in the realm of destiny, but the fight with Yang Cheon was in the realm of death.

Even Yeon Ho-Jeong, the incarnation of battle, could not help but feel extreme tension. All the energy in his body was activated beyond its limits, and the innate talent was embedded in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes as he looked at Yang Cheon.

‘Two.’

Sweat soaked the hand holding the Gwangryong Spear [a legendary spear].

Without realizing it, he was looking for Yang Cheon’s weakness. He scanned the opponent’s posture dozens of times in the blink of an eye, but he had not yet seen any significant weakness.

No, perhaps he would never see it in his life.

‘One.’

If there is no weakness, then create one. The problem was whether this side could respond to the opponent’s power and speed.

Then?

In an instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes emitted a pure white flame.

‘He’s coming!’

Flash!

Before Yang Cheon could move, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s foot moved three and a half inches to the left front.

Boom!

Yang Cheon’s fist, which had already reached his nose, pierced the air. At the same time as a tremendous shockwave erupted from his fist that pierced the air, four or five trees ten yards away collapsed.

‘…!!’

It was not human power.

It was not a power that could be contained in a human body. Apart from the speed, the fist pressure alone knocked down trees ten yards away like straws.

‘The realm of the Martial God. And this realm is…’

Yang Cheon opened his mouth.

‘You read the attack line and moved in advance to prevent your upper body from flying away. It’s truly amazing, but…’

He glanced down at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

The distance between the two was less than four feet.

‘You avoided it instead of receiving it? Are you not going to follow the rules?’

In an instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s Gwangryong Spear was swung, creating a tremendous storm.

Kwaaang!

Yang Cheon’s body shook.

It was truly an amazing sight. Yang Cheon had easily blocked the power of the Gwangryong Spear’s single strike, which could tear apart the bodies of three or four supreme masters with one swing, with one hand.

Even more, not a single drop of blood oozed from the palm that blocked the axe blade. It was an unbelievable sight.

Nevertheless, there was a look of composure on Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

‘Come to think of it, something is a little strange.’

‘Strange?’

‘I know the rules of the Black Path well. You might see me as a traitor.’

‘Of course.’

‘But I am not a traitor. I just deceived you.’

‘Do you want to play word games?’

‘I want to talk about fairness. I’m sorry, but I’m not a member of the Black Path.’

Not a member of the Black Path.

As Yeon Ho-Jeong said those words, he peeled off the past as the Black Emperor, layer by layer.

‘I am the eldest son of the Gangdong Byeoksan Yeon family, a righteous sect of the White Path. The Black Path’s rule is three seconds, but my rules don’t have such things.’

‘…?’

‘Let’s stop this nonsense about three seconds. You must also have unresolved feelings, so let’s fight properly, as befits your title.’

Bewilderment appeared on Yang Cheon’s face.

‘Not endure, but fight? With me?’

‘Yes.’

Whoosh!

A flame-like murderous aura erupted from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

‘You are going to fight with me.’

Kwaang!

The aura of a white tiger was imbued in his powerful step.

‘Uwaaaah!’

It was a rare shout from Yeon Ho-Jeong. Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had squeezed power from every muscle in his body, twisted his upper body with tremendous force.

Roar!

Yang Cheon’s face gradually became filled with surprise.

The hand that was holding the axe blade of the Gwangryong Spear remained the same. In that motion, in that posture, he was pushed back five feet.

‘Look at this guy?’

There was nothing particularly surprising. If the opponent had entered the realm of the Limitless.

The problem was that it was surprising because of that.

A young genius who had not even glimpsed the peak in the realm of the transcendent had pushed him back with force.

That was not all.

Sizzle!

The Gwangryong Spear was turning bright red.

It was fire and murderous intent. By amplifying all the power of the Yeon-ga Divine Elixir and adding power to the Vermilion Bird Qi, the temperature was so high that even Yang Cheon felt burdened.

Of course, that level was not enough to penetrate Yang Cheon’s internal energy shield. He was just momentarily surprised by the unimaginable power.

‘This guy…’

Yang Cheon’s eyes deepened.

‘Was he hiding his power back then too? It wasn’t this much.’

No, it was ridiculous to even say it was this much.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was now showing power that far exceeded his own capabilities.

He didn’t know how that was possible. However, one thing was certain: whether it was mental strength or something else, this guy defied common sense.

And surprisingly, in front of the murderous intent and fighting spirit that Yeon Ho-Jeong was showing.

The heart of Yang Cheon, the king of battles and the absolute master of the martial world, began to beat faster.

Flash!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had released his hand from the Gwangryong Spear, unfolded the Blood Wing Soaring Heaven [a high-speed movement technique].

He had not only released his weapon but also unfolded a super-speed footwork at a distance of less than one yard.

No matter how powerful Yang Cheon was, this distance and speed were bound to be burdensome.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s fist was swung like lightning.

Flash!

Yang Cheon, who had set up a perfect shield with his internal energy, was surprised once again.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s fist, which had been swung to target his solar plexus, suddenly bent and, in an instant, targeted the reverse joint of his right elbow.

Crack!

Yang Cheon’s arm lightly bounced upwards.

Of course, it was not because Yeon Ho-Jeong’s power was strong. Yang Cheon had deliberately raised his arm to protect his joint.

Whack!

Yeon Ho-Jeong stepped into Yang Cheon’s embrace with two short steps.

That movement was another surprise. No one would easily think of stepping into the embrace of someone far stronger than themselves.

Soon, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s two fists were swung at tremendous speed.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Bang! Bang!

The fists were not even visible.

It was not just fast. It was also filled with power, and even though he was swinging at that speed, the smoothness of the combo was clearly alive.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A tremendous explosion erupted as he deflected the exploding fist strikes.

Yang Cheon’s face was full of composure as he reacted to the rapid attacks. He was completely breaking down Yeon Ho-Jeong’s fist techniques, which he was seeing for the first time, with soft and gentle hand gestures.

‘Fast and strong. His understanding of combo attacks is truly high. Has there ever been a junior who has shown this level of ability in close-quarters combat?’

But, that was all.

A determination appeared in Yang Cheon’s eyes.

‘He’s definitely amazing, but he’s not yet capable enough to challenge me.’

Yang Cheon’s foot moved like lightning.

Bang!

‘Ugh!’

Yeon Ho-Jeong flew three yards and landed on the ground.

Yang Cheon’s eyes deepened.

‘You’re strong indeed. But you can’t let your guard down.’

Trickle.

Yang Cheon looked down at his leg.

The clothing near his shin was neatly cut. And spots of blood were on the cut clothing.

Yeon Ho-Jeong raised the Black and White Twin Dragon Blades [a pair of legendary swords] with a cold face.

‘May I go again, Fighting King?’