Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 694

“Kuweeeek!!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s condition after vomiting blood was alarming.

“Young Master Yeon!”

Muk Bi, who quickly approached his side, supported Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes became blurry.

‘Is that Muk Bi?’

He couldn’t tell if she was touching his back or grabbing his shoulder.

His whole body was burning. Even in his confused state, the pain engulfing his entire body was vivid. Thanks to that, he didn’t pass out, but he couldn’t judge if that was a good thing.

‘It was too much after all.’

The final stance of the Hundred Kings’ Heaven Shaking Dance that he had poured out was an attack that his current body shouldn’t have unleashed.

That was the case not only for the White Tiger Force but also for the Vermilion Bird Force and the Black Tortoise Force. The Azure Dragon Force could be deployed flexibly depending on the situation, but the final stances of the other three Divine Arts caused extreme damage to the bones and muscles.

Moreover, if he wielded the Gwangryongbu [a heavy, dragon-shaped halberd], which weighed over eighty geun [approximately 48 kilograms], it would only cause more problems.

‘There were no problems before reaching the Supreme State. Rather, it’s because I reached the Supreme State that its true power is unleashed. That’s why it puts even more strain on my body.’

He tried hard to analyze his martial arts. He tried to forget the pain by doing so.

The extreme pain was so severe that even Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was second to none in his tenacity, wanted to turn away from it. Even the most hardened individuals would have died from the pain.

However.

‘I have no regrets.’

He somehow pulled up the remaining energy of the Light Divine Pill, which was as small as a fingernail, and attempted to circulate it.

‘If I hadn’t poured it all out, I wouldn’t have been able to kill him.’

Thanks to the Gwangryongbu, a peerless weapon, he was able to match the enemy’s Six-Section Sword. If not for that, he would have likely been defeated.

Besides, the Gwangryongbu had great power but also put a heavy burden on the body. If his body was in its normal state, it wouldn’t be a problem at all, but now that his life was hanging by a thread, even the weight of the Gwangryongbu was a huge burden.

In other words, the final battle was a gamble for Yeon Ho-Jeong as well. He had decided to use the Gwangryongbu, which drained his stamina and inner energy but unleashed a sure power, to take down his opponent.

Fortunately, the gamble was successful.

Srrr.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was staring blankly at the ground, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

‘It’s opened up.’

The wound on his abdomen, pierced by Myeong Geuk’s Peach Blossom Heavenly Godly Seal, was slowly opening up.

Yeon Ho-Jeong clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘This is bad.’

There was a limit to sealing it with inner energy. With the power of the Light Divine Pill now, it was difficult to even maintain his consciousness, let alone keep the wound closed.

‘Damn it, what should I do?’

It was then.

Whoooom!

True energy flowing in from his Mingmen acupoint [an acupuncture point on the lower back] was gradually bringing vitality back to Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes wavered.

‘This energy is?’

It was a familiar true energy.

The nature of the energy was subtly different, but the color was the same. The energy of the Crimson Heaven Energy, which he had learned as the basis of the Four Divine Arts during his time as the Dark Emperor, was flowing in.

It was Muk Bi. Muk Bi was pouring her true energy into his body.

‘Crazy! What is she doing?!’

It was an absurd act.

Of course, when inner energy reached its peak, it was possible to guide true energy even if one had learned a different inner energy cultivation method.

Muk Bi was similar. Her true energy was refined and pure, and in terms of purity, she was second to none.

However, things were different if the opponent was a master of the Supreme State.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s inner energy had a concentration several times denser than Muk Bi’s.

Naturally, his body had also developed to match his true energy, so even if she poured out all her inner energy as a master, it would be difficult to recover even a fraction.

‘Stop it! You’ll be devoured if you’re not careful!’

Whoooom!

He couldn’t stop it with his will.

In a situation where the energy coming in through his breath was insufficient, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body welcomed the energy coming in through his Mingmen acupoint and began to greedily absorb it.

Tzzzz!

A faint haze rose from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

‘This is bad!’

He was recovering slowly, very slowly.

However, the recovery rate couldn’t keep up with Muk Bi’s inner energy consumption rate. If she gave ten, he should recover at least six or seven, but he wasn’t even reaching one-tenth of that.

If this continued, Muk Bi’s inner energy would be depleted. If her inner energy was forcibly depleted, her life would be in danger.

‘Stop!!’

A silent cry.

It was then.

“It’s okay.”

Muk Bi’s voice echoed in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s ears.

“Even if my inner energy can’t keep up with yours, I can at least match you in quantity.”

In fact, when she had just come out of Gwanil Valley, she had an unimaginable amount of inner energy latent within her.

But……

“Your mind and body are exhausted, so you can’t make rational judgments. I don’t take reckless risks either. I can cut it off at the right time, so let’s seal your abdominal wound first.”

In that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong felt his mind snap back to reality.

That’s right. Muk Bi wasn’t the type to stop just because he was worried, and she wasn’t the type to act recklessly in the first place.

‘I had forgotten.’

Was it because he hadn’t seen her for a long time? Or was it because his mind and body weren’t in their normal state, as Muk Bi had said?

Muk Bi wasn’t a foolish person. She was someone who would risk her life for him, but she wasn’t stupid enough to throw her life away for something like this.

Besides, her level of cultivation had deepened even more while he hadn’t seen her.

‘I should trust her.’

He had to trust Muk Bi.

The ally who had appeared at the crucial moment to help him, the one and only archer he could entrust his back to.

Yeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes.

Flash!

The energy of the Light Divine Pill, which had been slowly circulating through his acupoints, rushed to his Mingmen acupoint.

Whoosh!

Muk Bi’s face turned pale.

The amount of inner energy being taken away in an instant was tremendous. The moment his will kicked in, the inner energy that had been flowing like a stream began to pour out like a waterfall.

‘It’s enormous.’

Even with this vast amount of inner energy being taken away, he wasn’t recovering quickly.

That was how different Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body was. As much as it held great power, it was difficult to restore it to its complete state.

‘It’s okay. You have absolute inner energy, and even the Crimson Heaven Energy, which is the best for accumulating energy. You can definitely endure it.’

Muk Bi accelerated the penetration of her inner energy.

Tzzzzzz.

The wound on Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body, which had been slowly opening up, began to close again.

She prioritized sealing the wound over eliminating the pain. It was a superhuman mental strength.

‘This is enough.’

He breathed a sigh of relief. The pain was still there, but the firmly sealed wound would no longer open.

Whoooom.

When he rejected the true energy pouring into his Mingmen acupoint, Muk Bi’s true energy circulated throughout his body and returned to its owner.

‘I wondered if it was possible, but she really is recovering it.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong couldn’t help but be impressed.

Not only had she poured true energy into a superhuman body, but she was also recovering it. Just resisting the gravitational pull of the Light Divine Pill, which had extreme suction power, showed how great Muk Bi’s enlightenment was.

How much time had passed?

“Hoo!”

Muk Bi, who had taken a breath and wiped away her sweat, stood up.

Yeon Ho-Jeong slumped down on the spot.

“……Huh! Shit.”

A curse word slipped out without him realizing it.

He had sealed the wound and added the power of the Light Divine Pill. The Light Divine Pill was moving slowly but surely, sending true energy to his entire body’s meridians.

The pain had lessened. Then, his body became languid.

Yeon Ho-Jeong muttered in a weak voice.

“Every time it’s a near-death experience… This is a mess, really……”

“You can say that again.”

Muk Bi chuckled and squatted down.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Muk Bi.

“Your skin got a bit tanned?”

Muk Bi grumbled.

“I stayed in Guangdong Province for too long. The sun was fierce.”

“I see.”

“Young Master Yeon is the same as ever.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Every time we meet again, you’re covered in blood.”

“My life is twisted.”

“I know. I wonder when things will get a little easier.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

Muk Bi took out a pouch from her bosom.

“Take a pill. I brought it from the Martial Alliance. I left two just in case.”

“Internal injury medicine?”

“Yes.”

“I wonder if it’ll even work.”

Even as he said that, Yeon Ho-Jeong quickly tossed the pill into his mouth.

“Do you want to circulate your energy more?”

“No, I can’t do that.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong got up from his seat.

He didn’t feel energized, but the Light Divine Pill had regained its original vitality. That alone made combat possible. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to unleash the power of the Supreme State.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Myeong Geuk’s corpse.

The remains were scattered everywhere, hardly even resembling a corpse. It was no wonder, considering he had been directly hit by the Hundred Kings’ Heaven Shaking Dance.

“I killed the enemy’s leader. What’s left is……”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes turned towards the Jongnam Main Sect.

The mountain was burning, and even from this distance, he could hear the screams of the enemy and allies.

“First, to the main sect…… Ugh!”

“What is it?!”

“Damn it! I forgot!”

“What, what is it?”

“The children! Those bastards were targeting the Taoists and the scholars! If Chief Hwang doesn’t know about that……!”

“Ah, you’re talking about that place.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes widened.

“That place?”

“I passed by it on the way here. I briefly joined the fight and roughly balanced things out before coming straight here.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face became serious.

“Explain it to me.”

Muk Bi told him exactly what she had seen.

Yeon Ho-Jeong breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s a relief. It seems they thought that far ahead.”

“You didn’t know?”

“Yeah. I didn’t think those crazy bastards would even think of killing the children.”

Muk Bi’s eyes became strange.

‘He didn’t know? Young Master Yeon?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong picked up the Gwangryongbu.

“Even if the Beggar Clan came, I’m still uneasy. I need to go back there first.”

“Okay. I’ll……”

“You go to the main sect and help Jongnam. They must be having a hard fight right now.”

“Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned his body.

“Once the surroundings are cleared up, I’ll go to the main sect then. Hold on until then.”

Whack!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who leaped forward first.

The look on Muk Bi’s face as she watched Yeon Ho-Jeong’s back became wistful.

‘He’s the same. Yet, he’s also……’

He’s changed.

Muk Bi liked both Yeon Ho-Jeong’s consistency and his subtle changes.

She slapped her cheeks with both hands.

“We can catch up later. Let’s run for now.”

Paah!

Muk Bi, who had caught up with Yeon Ho-Jeong in an instant, turned towards the Jongnam Main Sect.

* * *

Clanggggg!!

With a sharp resonance, Ga Deuk-Sang was sent flying.

Shhhhk!

Ha Bok, who was about to swing his twin swords again, gritted his teeth at the crescent blade rising in an arc from below.

Clang!

A downward strike from above.

Considering the position of the sword and the inner energy, Ha Bok should have been in a more advantageous situation.

But surprisingly, it was Ha Bok who retreated. He staggered back two steps to regain his stance, while Jin Yang, who had swung his sword from below to above, didn’t retreat at all.

Ha Bok was dumbfounded.

“Where did this guy come from?!”

“Shut your mouth, you bastard!”

Whoooom!

The Azure Dragon Crescent Blade, rotating and aiming for his neck.

It was a heavy blade. Regardless of the imposing aura of the weapon itself, it was bound to be slow.

However, Jin Yang’s Azure Dragon Blade possessed not only immense strength and weight but also the speed that amplified that power.

Ha Bok kicked the ground hard.

Clang!

Jin Yang staggered back.

This blow was truly fierce. He had casually swung his twin swords to deflect it, but each strike contained ten thousand geun [approximately 6,000 kilograms] of power.

“Shit, really!”

He was born with divine strength, but there was nothing he could do against a blow that contained supreme power.

Jin Yang shouted.

“Hey! You beggar! What are you going to do?! That bastard keeps counterattacking! Do something properly!”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s face contorted.

A beggar? What an impudent way to address him.

But what was even more surprising was the fact that he was still talking while fighting against such a powerful enemy.

‘He’s a complete pro, isn’t he?’

Ga Deuk-Sang shouted.

“Aim for his left leg! It’s his weak point!”

“Who doesn’t know that, you idiot! Do you only have noodles for brains?! Do you think I can just aim for it?!”

Finally, a curse word burst out of Ga Deuk-Sang’s mouth.

“You son of a bitch! If you curse me one more time, I’ll break your head first!”

“This bastard is crazy…… Ugh!”

Thwack!

Jin Yang and Ga Deuk-Sang were both pushed back by the Blood Wolf Saber’s pressure.

Cold sweat dripped down Jin Yang’s forehead.

“That monster is a real monster.”

“You owe me one. If I hadn’t blocked him in front, you’d be dead.”

“What are we going to do? You’re the strategist, right? Use your smart brain and come up with a solution.”

“Ah, stop whining!”

Whoooosh!

The two men’s mouths closed on their own.

“To be cornered like this by such lacking fools, it is truly shameful.”

Chiiiiik!

The red energy flowing from Ha Bok’s twin swords formed the shape of a giant wolf.

It was a strike that drew out all of his inner energy. A different dimension of martial arts was coming at them.

Ha Bok spoke coldly.

“The kids are done for. After I turn you two into jerky, I’ll slowly go and catch them.”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s face was filled with tension.

Then, Jin Yang whispered.

“He said he’ll turn us into jerky? Is he serious?”

A hollow sigh escaped Ga Deuk-Sang’s mouth.

The future was bleak.