Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 764

“Hee… hee!”

“Huh? Look at this one. Still clinging to life?”

“S, save me…”

Crack!

With a gruesome sound, the woman’s head was crushed. It was as if she had been struck with an iron mace, not stepped on. It was a truly horrific sight.

“Good.”

The man, with a drunken, dazed expression, looked around, his body covered in blood.

His lower body was barely covered, and his tightly packed muscles exuded a raw power. About seventy percent of his body was covered in blood and flesh, making him look like a demon who had survived alone in hell.

“Now I’m starting to unwind.”

Like his body, the huge room was also covered in blood.

More than ten corpses were scattered here and there, their limbs torn off. Eight of them were naked women, and the rest were sturdy men.

The man picked up a long pipe he had placed to one side.

Whoosh!

He ignited the pipe with Samadhi True Fire [a powerful, mystical flame] at his fingertips and took a deep drag.

The smoke that flowed out had a very strong scent. The scent quickly took over the air in the room, which was filled with the stench of blood.

“Very good.”

He had been locked in that iron room for a long time to recover his demonic power.

He had spent several days releasing the pent-up lust and murderous intent. The demonic power he had recovered to about ninety percent while staying in the iron room had also regained almost its full strength in the process.

“This is how people live.”

The pleasure he had gained after so long was so great that he now wanted to rest for a long time.

But he couldn’t. He was not the type to settle for reality.

If there was something to repay, he would repay it without fail. The debt was too great to ignore and live on.

The man, who had been staring at the ceiling with dazed eyes, suddenly had a terrifying demonic aura in his eyes.

Thwack!

The pipe in his hand was broken.

“That damn monk, I’ll tear him to pieces.”

Mu Heo’s face suddenly came to mind.

That face, where it was hard to grasp the true meaning behind his smile.

Even though he was an old man who was about to die, his fists were so fierce that every time they exchanged blows, he felt as if the bones in his body would shatter.

It was the first time. It was the first time he had felt respect for an opponent’s martial arts.

It was the first time he had felt fear, something he had never known in his life, from an opponent’s martial arts.

‘Was the difference that great?’

Although the names of the Three Sovereigns were rated lower than the Divine Immortal Emperor, the man did not accept it.

A contest was originally a matter of a hair’s breadth. It was natural that the stronger the martial arts, the higher the winning rate, but that did not guarantee an absolute winning rate.

If there was a difference of one level, he would be able to win somehow. He was confident of that.

And that confidence completely evaporated after taking three blows from Mu Heo’s fist.

Ten seconds.

It was exactly ten seconds. That was how long it took for him to lose his combat ability.

The fist of the Fist God, who was said to be the closest to the strongest in the current martial world, was that terrifying.

Of course, there was also a difference in compatibility. If the man’s demonic power had been just a little stronger than Mu Heo’s Subduing Demon Divine Art, he would have overwhelmed his opponent instead.

But.

‘Even so, the difference was severe. Before compatibility, his enlightenment and martial principles were different.’

At the time, he couldn’t admit it. The fact that their levels were different.

But now he admitted it. He realized that he could never surpass Mu Heo if he didn’t admit it.

‘Wait for me.’

Fwoosh.

The fallen pipe burst into flames on its own. Unlike the Heat Yang Art of the Divine Flame Church, the fire surged heavily like sticky blood.

‘I’ll come for you within three years. That day will be the last for Shaolin.’

He would kill the monk and burn down all of Shaolin. His anger, his resentment, was that great.

“Hoo.”

The man took a breath and controlled the murderous intent that seemed to overflow.

It was then.

“……?”

The man’s head turned south.

“This energy is……?”

It was a faint, very faint fragment of energy.

But the man’s senses were able to read the uncontrollable, violent nature within the fragment of energy that had sprung up from a place far away.

The man’s face brightened.

Whoosh!

The Blood Crystal Demonic Art activated on its own, and began to peel off all the scabs of blood that were stuck to his body.

“It’s him!”

It was an opponent he had never seen before. But he could tell.

That the opponent was strong. And that the opponent’s foundation was no different from his own.

He had fought against many hidden masters in the shadows, and some of them were even more cruel demons than himself.

But those guys were just possessed by the demonic, they didn’t control it. They were weak by nature, unable to control themselves against any temptation.

He was different.

He did not lose himself even with a heart-wrenching resentment and a bottomless anger. Beyond that, he was a superhuman who had opened the Limitless [a state of martial arts mastery] and stepped into a new world.

His heart was pounding. His anger towards the monk disappeared in an instant.

Flap!

The man, who was wearing only his lower garment, put on a long robe over his still bare upper body.

That was the end of his preparations. Demonic power was burning brilliantly all over his body.

Boom!

With a single gesture, the man blew away the outer wall of the room, as well as the corridor beyond it, and strode out.

A startled Taoist ran over.

“O, Elder?!!”

The man grinned.

The unusually prominent fangs pierced the Taoist’s eyes painfully.

“I’m going to receive a gift.”

“W, what do you mean……?!”

Boom!

With a burst of sound.

A blood-colored light soared high into the sky.

* * *

“……!!”

Gi Cheon-hyung’s face turned pale in an instant.

It wasn’t just him. All the masters who had come to the city gate with him were captivated by Yeon Ho-jeong’s aura.

Even though he hadn’t fully opened it, and had only revealed a part of his presence, their bodies had stiffened.

‘What is this?’

Whoosh!

Every time the wind blew past their bodies, they couldn’t help but flinch. The energy mixed in the wind, the presence of a Grandmaster, was overwhelming them.

‘This can’t be!’

Like a wave crashing on a calm sea.

A sudden, tremendous aura emanated from the opponent, who had seemed like someone who had just learned a few martial arts moves.

An aura that overwhelmed even top-tier masters was not something that could be easily found anywhere. Even within the same level, the difference in skill varied greatly depending on the level of mastery, but the presence the opponent was exuding now was in a realm that was too unrealistic.

“……Limitless?!!”

The words slipped out involuntarily.

Whoosh!

In an instant, intense heat surged from all the masters around Gi Cheon-hyung. Upon hearing Gi Cheon-hyung’s mutterings and facing reality, their inner energy had involuntarily erupted.

Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.

“You guys are sensitive. Can you feel it that quickly?”

“……!”

“Well, that’s not important, so just listen to my demands quickly.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s face turned expressionless.

“Bring all your troops inside the palace. Before I snap this girl’s neck.”

Gi Cheon-hyung swallowed hard.

He couldn’t say anything. In a sudden moment, a monster that was hard to handle had appeared. And in that monster’s hands, one of the two Saintesses of the Divine Flame Church was being held hostage.

‘What is this? What is this? What the hell is going on?’

His mind was frozen and wouldn’t work.

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what decision to make, what to say.

Flash!

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed with fire.

“Why? Don’t you want to?”

“…….”

“I can assure you that I can kill you all right now. After that, I can immediately storm the palace and wipe out all your comrades.”

“…….”

“Bow your heads quietly when I show mercy. My patience is not that deep.”

Even if his mind wasn’t working, if he hadn’t been so flustered, Gi Cheon-hyung would never have hesitated to listen to this proposal.

It was natural. Although they were shocked by the opponent’s presence, they were the glorious warriors of the Divine Flame Church.

If they died fighting an opponent they couldn’t handle, it couldn’t be helped. For the Divine Flame Church, for the sake of the Incarnation of the Fire God who would burn everything in the world to create a new world, death was not something to be feared.

But unfortunately, Gi Cheon-hyung couldn’t easily come up with that obvious choice.

His mind was shaken by the mental attack, and the burden on his shoulders was too great.

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had been staring at Gi Cheon-hyung silently, shouted.

“Can’t you decide quickly!!”

“Huk!”

Gi Cheon-hyung was startled by the tremendous shout and took a step back.

Yeon Ho-jeong let out a hollow laugh. Gi Cheon-hyung’s face turned bright red.

“This is not even a ragtag group, I wonder if there was even a need to do this hostage situation.”

It was then.

Gi Woo-hee looked up at Yeon Ho-jeong.

Yeon Ho-jeong did not look down at Gi Woo-hee. But he could clearly feel her gaze.

[What’s going on?]

Gi Woo-hee swallowed hard.

“S, someone…….”

A voice filled with subtle fear.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

‘Someone? What does she mean?’

It was then.

Whoosh!

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed blue.

‘This is?!’

Just as Gi Cheon-hyung had felt an overwhelming pressure from Yeon Ho-jeong, Yeon Ho-jeong also felt the same emotion from a surge of energy that was burning from the west of the imperial palace.

‘Demonic energy?’

Flash!

The moment he felt the energy, a blood-colored light soared into the sky far above.

Krrrr!

Even though it wasn’t falling from the sky to the ground, it was like watching a meteor.

He could tell what had happened just from the sound. The moment that blood-colored meteor rose into the sky, a tremendous shockwave would have devastated the area.

And that meteor was flying towards this place at an incredible speed.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes changed.

‘Damn it!’

Swoosh!

Yeon Ho-jeong grabbed Gi Woo-hee’s collar and sent her behind him, then swung his crescent blade diagonally.

It was the White Tiger Art, the Tiger King’s Barrier. The white whirlwind of blade energy distorted wildly and rushed into the Divine Flame Church members inside the open city gate.

Gi Cheon-hyung and the other top-tier masters instinctively leaped to the left and right. The elite masters behind them moved a beat slower.

Kwaaaang!

The raging blade energy tore apart more than ten elite masters and knocked down two imperial cannons. If the masters hadn’t blocked it with their bodies, there would have been sword marks on the wheels and even the barrels.

Gi Woo-hee involuntarily shouted.

“Commander Yeon!”

“Damn it! The negotiation is off! This is not the time to be doing this!”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes followed the meteor.

The meteor, which had been incredibly far away, had closed the distance by thirty percent in that short time. The level of his lightness skill [a martial art technique for moving swiftly] was amazing, but the concentration of demonic energy that supported that level of lightness skill was truly terrifying.

It was then.

Boom!

From somewhere far away, a brilliant flame soared up.

He couldn’t tell the exact direction. However, it was clear that it had sprung up from beyond the place where the Curved Path had penetrated.

And the energy rising from that flame was in no way inferior to the aura of the blood-colored demon flying like a meteor.

“This is a mess!!”

Bang!

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had gained power from a tremendous stomp, swung his fist towards the meteor.

Boom!

The red and white fist wind, which was fired with an explosion greater than a cannon, flew towards the meteor.

But.

‘……?!’

The meteor, which had been rushing in a straight line, suddenly bent like a willow tree and avoided Yeon Ho-jeong’s fist wind.

It was a truly terrifying movement. Even for a master of the Limitless, to show such movement in the air, and even to avoid an attack from a master of a similar level, was extremely difficult.

‘He’s a master. Even more than me!’

And.

Kwaaang!

A beast, with a brilliant demonic aura, landed in front of the city gate and grinned savagely at Yeon Ho-jeong.

“You’ve come.”