Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1119

‘These bastards.’ Even as he tried to calm himself, he couldn’t suppress his anger. Although he had denied the existence of the Fire God, Cheol Heum-gi still respected, no, revered, Gi Cheon-ung. Who wouldn’t respect Gi Cheon-ung, who had spent so long as the leader of the Shin Hwa-gyo [Divine Flame Sect], mastering ultimate martial arts and implementing a conciliatory policy? From the start, he had a considerable hatred for the mainlanders, but after his encounter with Gi Cheon-ung, Cheol Heum-gi’s hatred for the enemy only intensified. The reason was simple. Gi Cheon-ung, who had lived his entire life as the proxy of the Fire God, seemed not only to be impressed by the martial artists of the Jianghu [Martial World] but also to be completely won over by them. He was not supposed to be like that. Although he had been stripped of his position as the leader of the cult due to Gi Woo-hwan’s schemes and then cast out, it was because he had been tricked, not because Gi Cheon-ung was unqualified. To Cheol Heum-gi, who was disappointed in Gi Cheon-ung but still respected him, the mainlanders were nothing more than devils who deserved to be slaughtered. “How ridiculous.” Cheol Heum-gi scoffed. “We were about to sweep them all away, starting with the imperial palace, but they couldn’t wait and crawled out here.” Yeon-wi’s eyes gleamed. ‘Just as I thought.’ Cheol Heum-gi had easily fallen for the provocation, which wasn’t even much of a provocation. And that statement. ‘We were about to sweep them all away, starting with the imperial palace?’ This meant that the Shin Hwa-gyo’s surprise attack was intended to seize not only the imperial palace but also the entire northeastern part of the Central Plains, including Hebei. “We are not so tolerant. Some people can ignore a buzzing insect and sleep, but we are not like that.” He degraded his opponent to the level of an insect. It was an unusually harsh analogy for Yeon-wi. The murderous intent emanating from Cheol Heum-gi grew even stronger. “I’ll give you a chance.” Cheol Heum-gi’s words, each one filled with intense anger, made him look like a demon. “Go back and wait for our attack. You’re going to die anyway, so wouldn’t it be better to breathe the air of the world a little longer?” Yeon-wi’s eyes narrowed. ‘So, Ho-jeong was right.’ From Cheol Heum-gi’s angry words, Yeon-wi sensed that they were fully prepared. Yet, they did not advance. The fact that they were waiting behind the mountain range despite being fully prepared for battle was proof that Yeon Ho-jeong’s guess might be true. “It’s not that I can’t grant your request.” With that statement, Cheol Heum-gi’s forceful recommendation became a request. “When making a request, shouldn’t you lower your posture and put respect in your voice?” One could turn a person’s stomach without using harsh curses or chilling murderous intent. Yeon-wi’s words were full of dignity and authority, making Cheol Heum-gi look like a mere thug acting without any sense of decorum. And that was what Cheol Heum-gi and the hundreds of experts who had followed him felt. “You crazy bastard!” Whoosh! Finally, intense fire energy mixed with murderous intent erupted from Cheol Heum-gi’s body. ‘I can’t let my guard down.’ The fire energy that Cheol Heum-gi was emitting was quite threatening. He had indeed stepped into the realm of the Supreme. The murderous intent contained within the fire energy, and the spiritual power within that murderous intent, signified that Cheol Heum-gi’s enlightenment had transcended the human realm. However. Yeon-wi’s eyes, as he looked at his formidable opponent, remained unwavering. ‘I can’t let my guard down, but it’s not like I can’t defeat him.’ This was not arrogance but a thorough analysis of their respective strengths. Yeon-wi was someone who knew that overestimating an opponent was as dangerous as underestimating them. ‘But it seems I won’t be able to play with him as I please.’ If he had approached just a little closer, he wouldn’t have even had such thoughts. However, the moment they appeared was perfect. Yeon-wi decided to provoke his opponent once more. “This is the only time I’ll give you a break. Retreat.” “Shut your mouth!” Cheol Heum-gi’s shout was filled with immense internal energy. The faces of the imperial palace guards all contorted. It was only because Yeon-wi had erected a massive internal energy shield in front that they were spared; otherwise, at least a few dozen would have suffered from severe tinnitus and dizziness from this sonic attack. “How dare you say such things to us! How dare you!” “If you’re not going to retreat, then let’s get started.” Yeon-wi drew his general’s sword and pointed it forward. Hong-un shouted. “Advance!” The two thousand troops immediately moved forward. Sparks flew from Cheol Heum-gi’s eyes. ‘I want to bury them right here!’ They had more than enough power to do so. Even if they brought just a portion of the troops from behind the mountain range, they could wipe them all out. However. ‘Damn it.’ Cheol Heum-gi did not forget that he had come as a general. This was his first time leading such a large-scale battle. That was why he had to be even more careful not to make mistakes. “Go ahead and try. You are welcome to cross the mountain range anytime you want.” At those words, Yeon-wi once again raised his general’s sword. The imperial palace guards stopped advancing. They were exactly one hundred and twenty ‘jang’ [approximately 1200 feet] away from the mountain range. Cheol Heum-gi inwardly rejoiced. ‘It must be painful to use your brain.’ It was a complete miscalculation. The fifth Fire King of the Shin Hwa-gyo had completed the astonishing secret art of the Four Absorbing Fire Demon Technique and was a rare genius who had created countless thermal weapons, various poisons, and sorcery. The problem was that he had no experience in this kind of situation. He was strong enough even without this kind of experience, but in a large-scale battle, individual martial prowess was not everything. Yeon-wi deliberately showed a hesitant appearance, and Cheol Heum-gi regained his composure at the sight of the enemy general. He would not know that Yeon-wi possessed an ability that even Gi Cheon-ung did not have. If a fight had broken out immediately, and if Yeon-wi had used his Mind Sword, the Purifying Swallow Sword. Then Cheol Heum-gi would have had his internal energy sealed and his limbs paralyzed on the spot. Of course, Yeon-wi would have attacked immediately, and the numerous experts who had come with him would not have been able to protect Cheol Heum-gi from Yeon-wi’s attack. So why wasn’t Yeon-wi using that absolute power? ‘Thirty-six… no, thirty-eight.’ That was not the case. Yeon-wi was currently deploying the Purifying Swallow Sword. However, the target was not ‘people.’ His Mind Sword and Mind’s Eye were surveying the entire mountain range. He was not looking at the enemy forces beyond the mountain range, but at the mountain range itself. Yeon-wi knew well that this battle would not end simply by killing one enemy general. Killing Cheol Heum-gi at this moment was an excessively short-sighted action. If he killed him and drew out the troops behind him, that wouldn’t be a bad thing, but in that case, the Martial Alliance forces would have to engage in unnecessary combat with the enemy, and countless soldiers would lose their lives in the process. When it was necessary to fight, they would fight bravely. But fighting when there was no need to fight was just a pointless death. Decisively, killing Cheol Heum-gi was not the problem, but if he used the Purifying Swallow Sword because of him, he would have to face the so-called Il-wang [One King] with pure skill afterward. Yeon-wi was prepared to fight in a group battle, but he was not confident that he could surpass Il-wang in a one-on-one duel. As he had said, he would risk his life when it was necessary to fight, but throwing away his life in that way would only harm his allies. Yeon-wi’s Purifying Swallow Sword, considering all of that, had no choice but to target the terrain, not people, and it finally achieved its own results. Cheol Heum-gi said curtly. “Are those guys over there artillery? Interesting. Why don’t you come over here? It wouldn’t be bad for you, the enemy general, to see for yourself if a mere cannon can stop the followers of the Fire God.” Surprisingly, after saying that, Cheol Heum-gi actually turned his back and returned beyond the mountain range. Naturally, the experts who had followed him also returned. Although he didn’t want to, Yeon-wi couldn’t help but chuckle at the enemy’s naivety. With this, all preparations were complete. “General Hong.” “Yes.” Hong-un silently brought five hundred artillerymen to the front. In preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, Yeon-wi also moved with the artillerymen, and the remaining fifteen hundred guards also raised their shields on the left and right of the artillerymen. “Deploy the heavy cannons.” The five hundred artillerymen, who had approached within ninety ‘jang’, simultaneously placed their mounts and mounted more than ten heavy cannons on them. Hong-un asked Yeon-wi. “How many shots do you need?” “A thousand shots will be enough. However, since I need them to fire accurately at the places I designate, I would like them to fire ten at a time in one place and then wait.” “Understood.” “Once all the designated spots have been hit, the remaining cannons can fire indiscriminately at the upper part of the firing points.” Hong-un didn’t know what Yeon-wi was aiming for, but he immediately bowed his head. “I will keep that in mind.” Shortly after. The five hundred artillerymen, divided into groups of ten, loaded the fire bombs. “First group, prepare to fire.” Yeon-wi pointed his general’s sword at a spot on the lower left side of the mountain range. Whoosh. Sword energy rose, turning the tip of the thick general’s sword blue. Divine light flickered in Yeon-wi’s eyes. Flash! The blue energy shot from the sword tip flew quickly and reached a spot on the mountain range. Thud! A small cloud of dust rose from the spot where the sword had pointed. The power was weak, but it was enough to indicate where the firing point was. Hong-un shouted. “Fire!” Boom! Boom! Boom! The sound was different from the small cannons of the Jeyeong Company. The ten fire bombs, which flew with tremendous force, landed precisely at the location hit by Yeon-wi’s sword energy. Boom! Rumble! The earth trembled, and the sky groaned. Yeon-wi quickly pointed his sword energy at the lower and middle parts of the mountain range. Then, the second, third, and fourth groups fired ten cannons each in turn. Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! The entire mountain range groaned. After smashing about twenty places with fire bombs, Cheol Heum-gi and the experts reappeared on the mountain range. They wanted to see what they were trying to do with the sudden bombardment. Yeon-wi completely ignored their presence and calmly indicated the remaining points. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! It was as if heaven and earth were turning upside down and mixing together. When they hit the thirty-first point. Crumble! Crumble! Crumble! The mountain range screamed. It was a metaphor, but the tremendous roar that echoed was so loud that it was hard to think of it as a metaphor. Only then did Cheol Heum-gi realize what Yeon-wi was intending. He was shocked and hesitated at the same time. Even if his guess was correct, this was something that would be absolutely impossible without having surveyed the mountain range’s ley lines in advance. While Cheol Heum-gi hesitated. The last thirty-eighth group fired their fire bombs. Boom! The last ten fire bombs emitted a particularly spectacular roar. And. Crumble! Crumble! Crack! The mountain range trembled and gradually, but noticeably, twisted. Yeon-wi’s face, who had grasped the entire mountain range’s structure with the Purifying Swallow Sword, was somewhat pale. However, his expression remained calm. Hong-un shouted. “All shots hit! All shots hit!” Whoosh! “The remaining groups, fire at the upper part of the firing points! After that, everyone fire additional shots!” Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! With a tremendous roar, six hundred and twenty fire bombs shook the mountain range horizontally. Shortly after. The mountain range swayed back and forth, causing a massive landslide. The heavy cannons had great power, but even if they fired a thousand shots, they did not have enough power to collapse an entire mountain. It was because Yeon-wi’s Mind Sword had targeted the weakest parts of the mountain range, its ley lines, and turned it into a house of cards that this was possible. “Everyone, retreat beyond five hundred ‘jang’! The mountain is collapsing!” The Fiery Demon King, who used cannons to clear away an entire mountain to form a battlefield against the followers of the Fire God. The mountain was getting lower.