Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 737

“……!”

Muk Bi’s eyes wavered.

‘This collision?!’

It was too far away to see clearly. In the first place, it was a clash of power that erupted behind the mountain range, so even with good eyes, it was impossible to see.

However, this power, the subtle vibrations caused by the collision of martial gods far beyond imagination, could be clearly felt.

‘Young Master Yeon?’

Shortly after, Jin Yang appeared.

“Did you feel it?”

“Yeah.”

“Could this be…?”

“That’s right. It’s Young Master Yeon.”

Jin Yang’s face hardened.

‘This can’t be.’

During the Jongnam War, he was too preoccupied to feel the energy waves when enemy commanders clashed.

He only saw Yeon Ho-Jeong appear completely exhausted. Even then, the sight of him wielding a massive axe and defeating numerous enemies had sent chills down his spine.

But this power was on a different level.

He couldn’t feel the shockwave, but he could feel the vibrations caused by it.

“How far away is it for it to reach even here….”

Martial arts on a different level.

The clash between half-saints [a term for martial artists who have reached a level close to enlightenment] who had transcended the limits of humans and martial arts was like a natural disaster in itself.

“Wait.”

Jin Yang said urgently.

“Is it okay to stay here? We should go quickly…!”

“Young Master Yeon told us to wait here with Doctor Gi.”

“But!”

“Young Master Yeon has always kept his word. Especially when it comes to battles.”

“……”

“It’ll be alright. It’s not the first time.”

Jin Yang inwardly shook his head.

‘Isn’t he being too carefree?’

It was hard to tell if he was carefree or if he had absolute trust.

Whatever the case, since Muk Bi, the leader here, had decided to hold their position, he had no choice but to follow.

“I understand. I’ll stay by Doctor Gi’s side, just in case.”

“Do as you please.”

Jin Yang moved towards where Gi Woo-Hee was sleeping.

As he disappeared, Muk Bi’s eyes wavered again.

‘It’ll be alright.’

Some say that Yeon Ho-Jeong can be reckless at times.

But she knew. Behind his seemingly reckless actions lay meticulous calculations and confidence.

If he had clashed with an enemy in this situation where they had to move so carefully, there must have been a reason for it.

It was easier to think that way. No, she had to think that way to endure this position.

Sweat soaked the hand that held the Red Lotus Palace.

* * *

Thwack!

Gok Gyeong stopped his movement technique.

Gang Ryang and the masked men who were following him also stopped at once.

“……!”

Gok Gyeong’s eyes, turning to look at the collision site, trembled slightly.

Gang Ryang was the same. The surprise on his face soon turned to worry.

“……That’s incredible.”

Such an intense collision.

It was a head-on clash between masters who had opened their Limitless State [a state of martial arts mastery]. The fierce aftereffects seemed to shake the heavens and the earth.

“A head-on clash with the Bi-Wang…?!”

Gang Ryang looked back at Gok Gyeong.

Gok Gyeong nodded slightly.

Gang Ryang gritted his teeth and said.

“Let’s go.”

“……”

“Brother is fighting in his own battlefield. We must do our part….”

“Wait a moment.”

“……?”

“Wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

Gang Ryang, who was about to say that there was no time, hesitated for a moment.

Gok Gyeong’s expression was truly strange. The face that had been dyed with bewilderment was gradually becoming more and more intrigued.

“Senior?”

“Huh!”

“……?”

“What is it… clumsy demonic energy, a head-on collision… and….”

“Yes?”

“Senior?”

As Gang Ryang tilted his head.

An expression of shock appeared on Gok Gyeong’s face, which had been subtly changing.

“He won?!”

What is this guy doing?

If Gang Ryang activated his senses to the extreme, he would be able to understand what Gok Gyeong was saying.

But this was not the situation. Gang Ryang couldn’t understand Gok Gyeong’s reaction at all.

“Let’s go to the Wudang Sect first.”

“We can go slowly. That guy caught the Bi-Wang.”

“……Yes?!”

“No, there’s no need for us to go alone. It would only give a bad impression at the beginning. And now there’s no reason to go.”

Gok Gyeong sat on a flat rock and crossed his arms.

“I’ll wait for him.”

Gang Ryang was dumbfounded.

“Are you saying that Brother caught the Bi-Wang?”

“Yes. He killed him.”

“……!!”

Gang Ryang’s eyes wavered.

‘He killed that Bi-Wang?’

Of course, he believed that Yeon Ho-Jeong had his own reasons.

In fact, when facing a highly skilled enemy, Yeon Ho-Jeong preferred one-on-one battles rather than fighting multiple opponents. He was so good at provoking and exploiting weaknesses that he was capable of taking down even masters who were one or two levels above him.

But to have caught the Bi-Wang?

The Bi-Wang was one of the Divine Celestial Emperors, a true master who had his name on the Thirteen Seats of the Holy Heaven [a group of the most powerful martial artists]. The masters Yeon Ho-Jeong had faced so far were also great, but even if they had opened their Limitless State, the difference with the Holy Heaven was clear.

‘This can’t be!’

Gang Ryang clenched his fist without realizing it.

‘Brother defeated a member of the Holy Heaven!’

Shivers!

His whole body was covered in goosebumps.

The Thirteen Seats of the Holy Heaven were the invincible masters who were considered the best in the world.

There would be differences in the power and characteristics of each master, but the Holy Heaven was still an impregnable fortress. No one thought they could defeat a member of the Holy Heaven, and that was indeed the case.

That legend of the era, that myth, had been broken.

By the hands of his most trusted and relied-upon sworn brother.

‘Brother!’

It was an amazing display of power.

At this point, it couldn’t be dismissed as mere luck. Whether he was more or less skilled than his opponent, if he had caught one of the kings of the Holy Heaven, he deserved praise for that alone.

While Gang Ryang was clenching his fist and savoring the excitement.

‘What is it?’

Although he seemed calm, Gok Gyeong’s neck was actually burning hot.

His surprise was much greater than Gang Ryang’s. He was so surprised that he had to use all his internal energy to maintain his composure.

‘How did he win? He’s clearly below me? And he even endured a head-on collision?’

When he faced Gongson Baek-Ryong.

Gok Gyeong could tell at a glance that his true power was not worthy of being called a Divine Celestial Emperor.

No, if you only considered the depth of his fighting skills, he was not even as good as the Three Armies [a group of powerful martial artists]. That was Gok Gyeong’s judgment.

But he thought. He could never catch the Bi-Wang alone.

No, he thought that in a one-on-one battle, he would most likely lose.

The reason was simple. The Bi-Wang’s movement technique was so out of the ordinary.

Absolute speed that defied common sense. A divine lightness skill [a martial art focused on speed and agility] that reached close range before you could even read and react to the killing intent.

It was a non-human martial art that directly broke the principles of martial arts. Such an extreme martial art could not be found in the orthodox sects, the black or evil sects, or even the demonic sects.

Moreover, the Bi-Wang’s level was comparable to the Three Armies. Although the depth of his fighting skills was low, his martial arts achievement was no less than that of the Three Armies.

Gok Gyeong seriously considered it.

‘If I had engaged in a one-on-one battle without any hesitation, the outcome would have been decided within ten seconds.’

Gongson Baek-Ryong’s speed was not something that could be maintained indefinitely like the lightness skills of other members of the Holy Heaven. If he could maintain that speed endlessly, he would already be called the best in the world.

In other words, the life-or-death battle he wanted would be within ten seconds, or at most thirty seconds. If he couldn’t decide the outcome within a short period, the balance of the battle would shift drastically.

And Gok Gyeong had no means to catch Gongson Baek-Ryong’s speed.

In other words, he would most likely face defeat.

Crack!

A rough sound echoed from his fingers that were gripping his forearm.

‘He had it.’

Gok Gyeong’s cheeks twitched.

‘Does that mean that he had a way to respond to that speed, which was difficult to even react to?’

What kind of martial arts did he learn?

What did he see, what did he gain, and what did he live for?

‘Even if you have the means, you can’t win if you don’t use them properly. If he had used them clumsily, he would have been counterattacked by the Bi-Wang.’

Gulp.

Gok Gyeong swallowed dryly without realizing it.

‘It means that he has the sense to use the means he has most efficiently.’

In other words, he was skilled in combat. Beyond just being good, he was so skilled that he could defeat a master who was far more skilled than him through technique, experience, and instinct.

‘He’s an unbelievable genius.’

There are walls that cannot be overcome even with a lot of experience.

He had crossed that wall.

He had leaped over the gap that could not be overcome by experience, technique, or instinct.

‘Does such a guy really exist?!’

How much time had passed?

Whoosh!

Unstable energy, a strong smell of blood.

Yeon Ho-Jeong arrived in front of the group.

“Brother!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled wryly.

“So you didn’t go.”

He had used a short but explosive amount of power. His senses were not what they used to be.

Gang Ryang hurriedly approached Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m not alright. I want to rest for a few days. Damn it, how long has it been since I recovered, and I’m in this mess again.”

Judging by his grumbling, he didn’t seem to be in a serious condition.

Gang Ryang’s eyes trembled.

“Brother. You caught a member of the Holy Heaven.”

“No.”

“Yes?”

“That guy wasn’t a member of the Holy Heaven. He was just a moron who was living off the glorious name of the Holy Heaven.”

“How can you say that? He was still the Bi-Wang!”

“He was just a tool of the Three Teachings [a group of antagonistic factions].”

“The people of the world are not stupid. There is a reason why they gave him the title of Bi-Wang.”

Gang Ryang said with a moved face.

“Congratulations, Brother.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“You’re congratulating me after I killed someone. You’ve become quite ruthless.”

“They were the enemy!”

“That’s true.”

At that moment, Gok Gyeong stood up from his seat.

Whoosh!

Gok Gyeong’s evil energy easily covered Yeon Ho-Jeong’s unstable energy.

Gang Ryang’s face hardened involuntarily.

He hadn’t noticed it when they were fighting, but Gok Gyeong’s energy, when faced head-on, was comparable to that of the Bi-Wang.

“You’ve come.”

“I have.”

“Did you kill him?”

“I did.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong carelessly threw the head of Gongson Baek-Ryong, which he had been carrying on his waist.

Thud!

Gongson Baek-Ryong’s head rolled on the ground.

His pale face was stained with shock and emptiness.

Gok Gyeong, who had been quietly looking down at the head, opened his mouth.

“How did you kill him?”

“I don’t think this is the time to discuss that.”

“……”

“I managed to win, but it would be good to stop by the Wudang Sect. Their masters must have felt the shockwave of the battle that took place here. There’s no need to create anxiety and leave….”

“You.”

“……?”

“How old are you?”

At the sudden question, Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

“I’ve been living a busy life, so I forgot. I don’t think I’m thirty yet.”

“Not thirty yet….”

A monster.

Gok Gyeong’s eyes deepened even further.

At the same time, the concentration of evil energy being emitted also intensified.

“You said you were the eldest son of the Gangdong Byeoksan Yeon family?”

“That’s right.”

“…….”

“Is there a problem?”

“A problem….”

Crack!

Another chilling sound echoed from Gok Gyeong’s hands.

Gang Ryang tensed up and raised his greatsword. It seemed as if Gok Gyeong was about to attack Yeon Ho-Jeong at any moment.

But Gok Gyeong didn’t even pay attention to Gang Ryang.

“The alliance leader connecting the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance] and the Mukryong Unit.”

“……?”

“The best of the younger generation. The young general who took the lead in breaking the Three Teachings’ schemes.”

“…….”

“And on top of that, martial arts that defeated the Bi-Wang before the age of thirty.”

“…….”

“You’re too dangerous.”

“So.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled coldly.

“Are you going to kill me?”

“I’ll listen to your answer first.”

“Answer?”

Gok Gyeong raised his chin.

“You, become a person of His Majesty the Emperor.”