Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1083

After running for quite some time, Tang Gwan still couldn’t sense any other enemies.

He once again activated the Return to Origin Divine Art [a technique that allows one to perceive their surroundings with heightened senses].

Even with his eyes closed, he could see the world. The high and low sandstone hills, the dry wind blowing from beyond, made him feel the vastness and ferocity of nature at the same time.

‘Nothing.’

No matter how hard he looked, there was nothing.

He ran at a speed that the Green Squad couldn’t dare to follow, opening his upper dantian [an energy center in the body] to the extreme. For a moment, he felt dizzy.

Even so, Tang Gwan couldn’t sense any sign of the enemy. Just in case, he ran to the right, but still, he couldn’t sense any enemy presence.

Even if they were operating with separate forces, they couldn’t have created this much distance.

This was beyond common sense. Those guys had smashed through several prefectures and were heading south at an incredible speed.

So, did that mean they only brought two thousand soldiers and the rest went back north? That also didn’t make sense.

‘Could it be that these guys…’

Tang Gwan, who had returned as fast as he had fallen back, gave an order to the Green Water Squad.

“All Green Water Squad members, go to the front line and report that three thousand enemy soldiers are heading south! The scouting party is annihilated, and the divided three thousand soldiers are likely to have bypassed to the vicinity of Qinghai!”

“… !”

“Move in a longitudinal formation, with a fifty-jang [approximately 15 feet] gap between each person. After delivering the information, immediately rendezvous with us. Follow the Thousand-Li Tracking Incense!”

“Understood!”

The Green Water Squad quickly lined up and moved.

The Green Wind Squad leader asked,

“Then what about the rear forces…?”

“I couldn’t find them anywhere. There’s no way they went back north. Those guys are leaving two thousand soldiers here and planning to pass through Gansu with the other three thousand.”

The Green Wind Squad leader’s face showed surprise.

“Th-then, are they using those guys as bait…?”

They killed the scouting party and made the two thousand soldiers advance slowly.

Even if they sent another scouting party, they wouldn’t be as fast as the Tang family. They would naturally go up north and then come down following the two thousand soldiers, and by that time, those two thousand soldiers would already be in central Gansu.

That’s when the decoy tactic would begin.

If the allied forces in Gansu jumped in to kill those two thousand soldiers, there would immediately be a gap in Gansu’s forces.

The forces chasing the three thousand soldiers who had advanced earlier would be greatly reduced. Then, they would not hesitate to break into Shaanxi.

If they passed through Shaanxi without fighting, then it would be Henan or Hubei. They would literally come into the central part of the Central Plains and run rampant.

They would somehow be stopped, but without knowing the enemy’s level, it would be difficult to know which forces to deploy. Even if they sent the right forces and fought, there was no way those who had broken into the center would simply commit suicide.

Moreover, what if there was even one Supreme Master among those three thousand soldiers?

‘A huge chaotic battle will break out in the heart of the Central Plains. Then, from the very first battle, the morale of the Martial Alliance, and even the Central Plains, will…’

Tang Gwan’s eyes flashed with killing intent.

“We will stop those two thousand soldiers. No matter what it takes!”

If there was a Supreme Master among the three thousand soldiers, it was right for Tang Gwan to go. However, even if he went there right now, who would stop the two thousand soldiers?

‘Damn it, I’m being forced to choose.’

He had to eliminate the two thousand soldiers first and then immediately chase after the three thousand soldiers. If he were only considering the battle of forces, he would have already run towards the three thousand, but if he left those guys alone, the damage to the civilians would be great.

He couldn’t stand to see that.

“Green Wind Squad, move to that place, behind the sandstone hills dyed in four colors, and take position.”

“What about you, Clan Leader?!”

“I’ll lure them out. I need to see their level. Those things aren’t just simple demonic creatures.”

Whoosh!

As Tang Gwan moved, the Green Wind Squad also moved, taking a detour.

Although the distance was quite far, Tang Gwan’s Thunderous Steps were as fast as ever.

Because it was an open terrain, even the two thousand soldiers who were advancing while only looking ahead couldn’t help but notice Tang Gwan’s appearance.

“Kyaaaaak!”

The two thousand demonic beings, who were advancing in a line, screamed.

Tang Gwan frowned.

The sound of beasts howling from afar. But it wasn’t just a sound.

‘Sonic attack!’

Their voices, which seemed unable to speak and only howled, were filled with considerable demonic energy.

If an ordinary person heard that sound, their legs would tremble, and they would lose their strength. Unless they were a first-rate expert who had trained their inner energy for a long time, they would be overwhelmed with fear.

‘It’s real demonic energy.’

The demonic beings he had faced in Sichuan and Qinghai.

Their level of demonic energy was lower, but their exposed ferocity was greater. It was a demonic sound that clearly conveyed the feeling that they had lost their reason.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Tang Gwan increased his speed.

His lightness skill was truly amazing. It was already fast, but it became faster and faster, and soon he was moving forward without even touching the ground.

He wasn’t flying in the sky, but it was as if he was walking on air. Pushing away the air layers and using that abundant elasticity to achieve a speed faster than usual, it was a technique that was impossible without reaching the extreme of the upper dantian’s divine energy.

Seeing Tang Gwan approaching faster than expected, the demonic beings yelled.

The formation began to break down. They all turned their bodies, glaring at Tang Gwan, and each of their appearances was abnormal.

The black fingernails were sharp like hawk’s claws, and their bloodshot eyes were red even in the pupils. Their skin was black, and their exposed teeth were particularly jagged and sharp.

It was like looking at evil spirits that roughly imitated human forms. Even the great Tang Gwan couldn’t help but be surprised by their detailed appearance.

“The Five Beast Squad, go and kill him.”

A clear voice echoed from within the two thousand soldiers.

There was a normal person. Tang Gwan also knew it. He could sense someone with well-refined demonic energy among the violent beasts.

‘I figured.’

To control those beasts that clearly had no reason, there had to be a normal person.

‘I’ll crush them as they are.’

The demonic beings called the Five Beast Squad began to run wildly towards Tang Gwan.

Their backs were bent, and their shoulders were muscular. Even though they were running on two feet, they showed bizarre movements that made one think they were running like four-legged beasts.

There were as many as four hundred of them.

From the First Squad to the Fifth Squad, a total of two thousand soldiers.

A faint red aura began to rise from Tang Gwan’s hand as he ran forward.

‘Three Yang Divine Claws.’

There was poison essence from the Emperor’s Poison Scripture, but he had blown away all the poison except for the pure true energy of that poison essence.

He could use poison techniques whenever he wanted, but there was no need to do so. The Return to Origin Divine Art could manifest all of the Tang family’s martial arts. Releasing the right martial art at the right moment was the shortcut to victory.

Tang Gwan’s two hands slashed through the air.

Fwoosh!

Even though the distance was more than one jang, the bodies of the five demonic beings running at the very front were shattered.

A strange light appeared in Tang Gwan’s eyes.

‘Look at these guys?’

He hadn’t used all his strength, but as it was the first clash, he had unleashed his killing intent without hesitation.

Considering the capacity of his huge upper dantian, he should have been able to send at least ten of them to the afterlife. But only half of them died.

The guys who were within the influence of the remaining techniques were only severely injured in their arms or legs and did not die. Rather, they seemed even more excited after seeing blood.

‘Their bodies are tough.’

Whoosh!

Tang Gwan’s body, which had penetrated into the Five Beast Squad, spun like a top.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Fwoosh!

The blood of the demonic beings was as dark as their skin.

Dark red blood splattered everywhere. But not a single drop of blood splattered on Tang Gwan, who was at the center.

Tang Gwan, who had killed about twenty demonic beings in an instant with the Three Yang Divine Claws and Three Yang Divine Palms, jumped high into the sky.

“Kyaaaaak!”

“Kuaaaa!”

The faces of the demonic beings, who were screaming while looking up at Tang Gwan, were filled with terrible killing intent.

The fact that they had no reason meant that only their instincts remained. If they had instincts, they should have felt fear in the face of an opponent they couldn’t match.

But they didn’t show any fear. It was as if they had been stripped of the emotion of fear.

‘At this rate, even I won’t be able to handle it.’

Whatever martial art they had learned, the bodies of these demonic beings were as hard as rocks.

That level of strength was nothing to Tang Gwan, but if there were two thousand of them, the loss of inner energy would be enormous.

Even if their strength wasn’t that high, two thousand would be difficult with that level of reaction speed. Tang Gwan never overestimated his abilities.

Fwaaaang!

Tang Gwan’s figure, which had been floating in the air, moved at a right angle.

It was an ultimate lightness skill that was hard to believe even when seen. Yet, the demonic beings only screamed while looking up at Tang Gwan.

Tang Gwan’s eyes turned towards the center of the demonic forces.

In the center, looking down from the air, a young man with red hair was looking up at Tang Gwan with a bothered expression.

Tang Gwan’s hand reached out towards the young man.

Immediately, about ten demonic beings jumped into the air and blocked the young man’s path.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

At the same time as a chilling cracking sound, the demonic beings fell down. Five of them were spitting blood and writhing in pain. It was the Tang family’s unique technique, the Lightning Sky Finger.

Fwoosh!

Tang Gwan, who had moved again by stepping on the air, saw an unbelievable sight for a moment.

“Kyaaaaaaaak!”

The demonic beings around the young man jumped towards the injured demonic beings.

It seemed that they couldn’t control that. The young man shouted angrily.

“You bastards! Stop it and back off!”

Still, they listened to their leader’s words.

Among the demonic beings who were slowly retreating with regret, the necks and limbs of the demonic beings who had been hit by the Lightning Sky Finger and were spitting blood were left with only bones. Flesh had been torn off in between.

It was amazing that they were tearing off the rock-hard skin with their teeth, but what was even more terrifying was the ferocity of those beasts, who had no sense of camaraderie.

‘They’ve completely lost it.’

Even the great Tang Gwan couldn’t help but shudder.

The distance between Tang Gwan, who had moved away and landed on the ground, and the demonic forces was now more than twenty jang.

The demonic beings belonging to the Five Beast Squad rushed towards Tang Gwan once again.

Tang Gwan, who had been watching them quietly, sighed.

“Why do I always end up dealing with guys like these?”

He raised his right hand.

A crimson glow flickered on his trembling right hand, and then the color gradually faded and began to turn green.

What did he sense?

The young man in the center shouted urgently.

“Back off!”

“Too late.”

Even though the power of the true energy contained was reduced, the martial art that was more fatal to living things was unleashed.

Tang Gwan roughly waved his right hand.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The demonic beings who were rushing in were knocked back as if they had been hit by a hammer, breaking the formation.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

“Kuaaaaak!”

The skin of the demonic beings began to burn horribly. Even though they hadn’t been burned by fire, their skin, muscles, and bones burned in that order.

“Well, since I don’t know when or where I’ll be deployed, I can’t show my true strength to you guys.”

Tang Gwan, who had poisoned the demonic beings with fire poison, waved his left hand again.

It was the Tang Family’s Thousand Poison Hand. Of course, the combination of poisons hidden within the Thousand Poison Hand was up to Tang Gwan.

Fwoosh!

When he released the poison wind of the Seven Steps Soul Severing Powder without any physical impact, about fifty demonic beings who had been screaming fell to the ground and writhed.

The red-haired young man’s mouth dropped open.

Tang Gwan frowned.

“I’m not as good as my father, after all.”

The young man shouted angrily.

“All of you, rush in and kill him!”