Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 774

Puh-uh-uh-ung!\n\nPeng Mu-gang, having deflected the incoming attacks with a clean strike, gasped for breath.\n\n”Now that I’m old, even this is hard!”\n\nPuh-puh-puh-pung!\n\nPeng Mu-gang’s movements, as he evaded the fiery palm strikes coming from all directions, were truly dazzling.\n\n’Is this enough? Ugh!’\n\nSwish!\n\nHe dodged an attack from the side and instantly severed a neck.\n\nThe weight of the sword was starting to feel heavy. He had wreaked havoc with his supreme martial prowess, immense inner energy, and high-level swordsmanship, but he had moved too aggressively to destroy the cannons, and his inner energy consumption was extreme.\n\nThanks to that, he was able to destroy far more cannons than expected, but…\n\nWhoosh!\n\nGi Cheon-hyeong, having closed the distance in an instant, swung his fists like a demon.\n\nPuh-puh-puh-puh-pung!\n\nPeng Mu-gang, wielding his heavy greatsword as if possessed, blocked Gi Cheon-hyeong’s fist attacks.\n\nCrack! Crack!\n\nUnsettling sounds came from various joints.\n\nThe burden on his body was increasing. The fire energy coming through the wide blade was making his nerves extremely sensitive.\n\nIf it were a fight between martial artists, he would have killed the strong opponent in front of him first and then looked for the next, but since the goal itself was to weaken the enemy’s forces, it was natural that he, who was now extremely exhausted, was being pushed back by Gi Cheon-hyeong.\n\n’I can’t go on like this.’\n\nAt this rate, he was bound to get injured. He had to retreat from here to prepare for the siege.\n\nPa-a-a-a-ak!\n\nPeng Mu-gang’s figure soared into the sky in an instant.\n\n”You bastard!”\n\nSurprisingly, Gi Cheon-hyeong moved at an equal speed to Peng Mu-gang and followed him.\n\n’That leech-like bastard.’\n\nHis speed with his movement technique was impressive, but his airtime and free movement in the air were superior to Peng Mu-gang’s. It was a movement technique that showed far more fluid movements than the Swift Wind Step, which was specialized in quickly moving and cutting down enemies.\n\nThe two men’s swords and fists clashed wildly.\n\nClang! Clang! Clang!\n\n”Kuh!”\n\nPeng Mu-gang retreated with a stifled groan.\n\nWeapon techniques exert much more power when both feet are on the ground. The same was true when using inner energy techniques to overwhelm an enemy. That was natural for a human being born to stand on two feet.\n\nHowever, the divine cultists’ energy techniques were more delicate and free than those of the Central Plains. Whether their feet were on the ground or not, the power of their strikes did not change significantly.\n\nPeng Mu-gang felt a slight sense of impatience.\n\n’Am I really going to get hit?’\n\nPuh-puh-pung! Puh-uh-ung!\n\nThanks to the opponent’s relentless attacks, he was getting closer to the imperial palace, but if this guy went over with him, it would be a problem.\n\n’Damn it, I have no choice.’\n\nPeng Mu-gang’s eyes turned to Gi Cheon-hyeong’s back.\n\n’Thanks to the Ghost Lord’s rampage, I have some leeway.’\n\nA moment ago, he had seen a peerless master, accompanied by an enormous aura that covered the surroundings, blast through the outer walls in a straight line, sending over two hundred enemies and dozens of cannons flying.\n\nThe enemies’ advance had stopped completely at that overwhelming appearance.\n\nThat was still the case now. But it wouldn’t be long before they started advancing again.\n\nWhoosh!\n\nPeng Mu-gang’s body fell as if sucked into the ground below the Jeo Palace gate.\n\nA triumphant light appeared on Gi Cheon-hyeong’s face.\n\nPa-a-a-a-ak!\n\nGi Cheon-hyeong, having stepped on the palace wall and soared high into the sky again, shouted towards the south.\n\n”They’re retreating! Move again! We’re pushing them back!”\n\nPeng Mu-gang’s mouth fell open.\n\n”That bastard?!”\n\nThe surprising thing happened next.\n\nWhirr!\n\nThe confident voice of the commander, who had charged into the inner palace gate, played a decisive role in raising the morale of his subordinates.\n\n”Smash them!”\n\n”Waaaaaah!”\n\nKwakwakwang! Puh-uh-ung!\n\nThe enemy’s advance began again.\n\nPeng Mu-gang cursed and reached out his hand.\n\nWoo-woo-woo-woong!!\n\nIt was the technique of manipulating objects in the air with powerful inner energy.\n\nGi Cheon-hyeong’s body, which had been floating in the air, plummeted downwards in an instant. He had lost his balance momentarily, and his falling speed had increased.\n\nHowever, Gi Cheon-hyeong was not to be underestimated either.\n\nClang! Clang! Clang!\n\nWith a dazzling clash, Peng Mu-gang retreated a couple of steps.\n\nGi Cheon-hyeong also flew and crashed into the palace wall, but he didn’t seem to have suffered much of an impact.\n\nWhirr!\n\nThe blades of the Fire Dragon Demon Sword flickered in Gi Cheon-hyeong’s hands.\n\nPeng Mu-gang’s eyes became as cold as frost.\n\n”Who do you think you are, wielding a sword in front of me?”\n\nAlthough it was a blade of fire energy made of true energy, not a weapon, it was the same to Peng Mu-gang.\n\n”Shut up, you bear!”\n\nGi Cheon-hyeong shouted angrily.\n\n”I will kill you and take the emperor’s head!”\n\nWhoosh! Clang! Clang! Clang!\n\nA look of surprise appeared on Gi Cheon-hyeong’s face.\n\nPeng Mu-gang, having closed the distance in an instant, swung his greatsword. But his swordsmanship was different from before.\n\nIt was faster and more fluid. His unique powerful strength and terrifying cutting power had disappeared, but the flow of his attacks continued endlessly, as if it would never stop.\n\nClang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!\n\nThe two men’s blades clashed several times.\n\nPeng Mu-gang’s face remained stern. His eyes and breathing did not change.\n\nOn the other hand, Gi Cheon-hyeong’s arms were becoming increasingly chaotic.\n\nOnce a flow was caught, it was never easy to turn it to one’s advantage. He was swinging his greatsword without giving him a moment to breathe, and even if he tried to escape, he couldn’t.\n\nIt was a prison of swords. The power was not the same as before, but once trapped, it was difficult to get out.\n\n’Damn it!’\n\nWas the tide turning in an instant?\n\nGi Cheon-hyeong gritted his teeth and squeezed out his fire energy.\n\nWhirr!\n\nThe fire energy became stronger for a moment.\n\nPshhh!\n\nSurprisingly, the sword energy that pierced through the wall of fire energy left five lines of sword wounds on Gi Cheon-hyeong’s body.\n\nIt was not a situation where he could escape with the power of the Fiery Yang Art. With countless sword strikes continuing in succession, Gi Cheon-hyeong felt bewildered.\n\nClang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!\n\nHow many times had they clashed?\n\nGi Cheon-hyeong couldn’t even open his mouth. His breathing was becoming increasingly labored.\n\nHe was meeting and deflecting the opponent’s sword with extreme concentration, but even that was becoming increasingly difficult. For some reason, the opponent’s sword speed seemed to be getting faster.\n\n’What? What is this?!’\n\nClang! Clang! Clang! Whoosh!\n\nIn an instant, Peng Mu-gang stopped his sword strikes, and Gi Cheon-hyeong’s arms were swung diagonally.\n\n’……!!’\n\nGi Cheon-hyeong’s face turned pale.\n\nThe opponent had stopped his sword, but he had swung his arms in a large motion due to inertia.\n\nIt was a basic mistake. He was so out of it that he had fallen for the opponent’s trick.\n\nPeng Mu-gang’s eyes flashed.\n\n”Farewell.”\n\nFlash! Kwaaang!!\n\nThe lightning-fast Chaos Breaking Thunder Sword shattered Gi Cheon-hyeong’s Fire Dragon Demon Sword and sent his body flying into the inner palace wall.\n\n”Uweeek!”\n\nEven after breaking through three walls and flying away, Gi Cheon-hyeong did not die. He had only deep sword wounds on both arms, and he was vomiting blood due to internal injuries.\n\n”Hah, look at how tough that guy’s body is?”\n\nTrickle.\n\nBlood also trickled from the corner of Peng Mu-gang’s mouth.\n\n”Damn it, it’s disgusting. How many of those guys do they have?”\n\nIn an instant, he had seized the flow and unleashed the Heaven and Earth Linking Soul-Snatching Blade fifteen times. [A powerful sword technique]\n\nIt was impossible not to suffer internal injuries. The excessive consumption of inner energy and the vibrations from the collisions put extreme strain on his body.\n\n”Anyway, I’ve incapacitated one enemy commander, so now…”\n\nIt was then.\n\nWhirr!\n\nPeng Mu-gang’s body stiffened.\n\nNot only that, but Gi Cheon-hyeong, who had been sent flying, as well as the divine cultists, the Evil Sound Cult, the Blood Frenzy Cult, and the Changwi [Elite soldiers], who were all charging towards the imperial palace, all stiffened.\n\n’What is this?!’\n\nPuzzled, Peng Mu-gang quickly climbed onto the palace wall and looked south.\n\nPuh-buh-buh-buh-buk! Flash! Flash!\n\nCrimson blood light was moving back and forth at an incredible speed.\n\nAnd every time that blood light moved, blood splattered in the air.\n\nJust when it seemed that the thick red color would surge up once more, the blood light became slightly faster. It was as if the more people it killed, the more it absorbed their lives and increased its speed.\n\nThat bizarre movement was one thing, but the energy wave was even more terrifying.\n\nKwadududududuk!\n\nThe demonic energy created by the blood light moving at an incredible speed.\n\nAnd behind it, the enormous evil energy and the imposing divine energy.\n\n”T-this!”\n\nKugugugugung!! Kwang! Kwang!\n\nA sound that was twice as ferocious as the sound of cannons attacking rang out.\n\nThe sound was similar, but it was a violent reverberation that seemed to collapse the entire ground. Every time the three monsters moved at an incredible speed, the outer objects around them exploded, creating a terrifying storm.\n\nKwarurururung!!\n\nSeveral buildings collapsed as the formless storm blew from the west.\n\nIt wasn’t just because of the speed. The wind, carrying the immense power of the three people, who were clearly in a hurry, was destroying the surroundings.\n\nPeng Mu-gang’s face turned pale.\n\n”Limitless!” [A level of martial arts mastery]\n\nThat blood light was the demon from the south, and the owner of the evil energy was clearly Gok Gyeong.\n\nAnd the owner of that mysterious and imposing divine energy, the three huge monsters were rampaging madly, turning the outer walls of the imperial palace into ruins.\n\n”What is this, you son of a bitch!!”\n\nThe vulgar curse that he had forgotten while trying to cultivate himself came out without him realizing it.\n\nPeng Mu-gang shouted towards the imperial palace.\n\n”Everyone, protect the imperial palace! Limitless masters are here… !”\n\nIt was then.\n\nWhirr!\n\nA huge sword energy soared into the sky and approached at a terrifying speed.\n\nPeng Mu-gang’s eyes widened.\n\n”Lord Yeon!”\n\nPa-a-a-a-ak!\n\nYeon-wi passed Peng Mu-gang in an instant.\n\nHis face was pale, and he had not yet properly controlled his upper dantian [Energy center]. His inner energy had recovered quite a bit, but his internal injuries were severe, and his movements were not as good as before.\n\nStill, he was fast. As fast as a Limitless master.\n\nHis appearance, running with all his might, was somehow even sublime.\n\nCha-a-a-a-ang!\n\nYeon-wi, having climbed onto the huge wall at the border between the inner and outer walls, drew the Heavenly Net Imperial Sword. [A legendary sword]\n\n’Just one more time.’\n\nHe had sensed the presence of that demon even faster than Peng Mu-gang.\n\nPuh-hwa-a-ak!\n\nIt was an incredible speed.\n\nHe was moving as if he had become a beast, using both hands to push off the ground, and even the fast Gok Gyeong was still unable to catch up.\n\nAnd beyond that.\n\n”You bastard.”\n\nYeon-wi smiled.\n\nHis face, as if he had forgotten the pain from his internal injuries and the uncontrolled upper dantian, was remarkably bright.\n\n”You managed to get there before your father.”\n\nWhy was that?\n\nAs he drew the Imperial Sword and confirmed the face of his son, who had reached a higher level than him.\n\nYeon-wi felt as if all the damage and fatigue he had suffered had disappeared. He didn’t feel even a single bit of fatigue, nor the headache from his internal injuries and upper dantian imbalance.\n\nPuh-uh-ung! Puh-uh-uh-ung!\n\nEven at that moment, the sounds of impact continued to ring out.\n\nThe demon of blood light had ripped off the heads of about thirty divine cultists in that short time and was rampaging, soaked in their blood.\n\nThen, Yeon Ho-jeong’s moon blade cut through the air.\n\nFlash!\n\nA streak of light severed the demon’s left arm completely.\n\n”Kuaaaaak!”\n\nThe demon’s movements finally stopped. The demon, who was looking around like a beast, completely out of his mind, and screaming, was a pitiful sight.\n\nPuh-uh-ung!\n\nGok Gyeong’s Black Evil Palm struck the demon’s torso.\n\nPusss!\n\nSurprisingly, the demon was fine. He seemed to have felt the impact, but he was emitting an even stronger demonic power than before, as if he had absorbed the evil energy emanating from him.\n\nWhen Gok Gyeong’s face showed dismay, and Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes showed murderous intent.\n\n”Don’t rampage, demon.”\n\nThe voice of a great hero, flowing clearly.\n\nFrom the peerless swordsman who held the Emperor’s Sword, which protected the empire with a net of the heavens, an indescribable auspicious energy emanated.\n\nFlash!\n\nYeon-wi was caught in the eyes of the demon, who turned his head.\n\nA stern look appeared on Yeon-wi’s face, which had been full of smiles.\n\n”How dare you cause such chaos in this place!”\n\n”Kuaaak!”\n\nPuh-uh-uh-uh-ung!\n\nThe speed of the demon, who was rushing towards Yeon-wi, was faster than before.\n\nAt that moment, Yeon-wi could hear.\n\nThe urgent voice of his son, who had grown bigger than him.\n\nThe voice of the sect leader of the Dao Meridian [A martial arts sect], who had reliably supported him from behind.\n\nAnd somewhere far away.\n\nThe worried voice of his partner, whom he had never forgotten for a moment, and whom he missed so much.\n\n’Don’t worry. I won’t go yet, leaving behind those who have grown up but still have many shortcomings.’\n\nA divine light appeared in Yeon-wi’s eyes.\n\n’It’s not time to go yet, so please bear with it even if you miss me.’\n\nFlash!!\n\nThe mind sword that soared from the tip of the Imperial Sword contained a power like lightning.\n\nPuh-uh-uh-uk!\n\nWith a gruesome sound of flesh tearing, the man and the beast fell down the wall, entangled together.