Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1128

Yeon Ho-Jeong had a specific reason for requesting Master Mu Heo to bring troops. He understood the importance of morale in war better than anyone.

Even elite units become a disorganized rabble when their morale is low. They often can’t even perform at a tenth of their true ability.

Those who don’t know might scoff, but those who have experienced the unique pressures of war understand that morale is so crucial to an army that even a hundredth of their ability is acceptable.

In case of unforeseen circumstances, Peng Mu-Gang was leading the Hebei martial alliance, guarding the eastern defense line of Hebei.

He was a master who had the absolute trust of the Hebei martial world, but the problem was that he had been away from the imperial palace for a long time and was only grasping the situation through reports.

If they were told to return and help because the northern part of the imperial palace was under attack, Peng Mu-Gang might be fine, but his soldiers could become unnecessarily tense.

That’s where Master Mu Heo’s presence became crucial.

He was, without a doubt, the most respected figure in the Central Plains martial world.

Even if his actual skills were debatable, his reputation alone made him the most fitting person to be called the best in the world.

Moreover, Master Mu Heo was a saint among saints, giving even the most notorious villains a chance to repent. Despite wandering the martial world for a long time, only a handful of people had died by his hand.

The most respected figure in the Central Plains, the most revered master in the martial world, the former abbot of Shaolin.

Such a man was asking them to join him in annihilating the enemy. The morale of the soldiers, who had been stationed in tense anticipation, would skyrocket at Master Mu Heo’s words.

Furthermore, they were given a clear mission beyond protecting their homeland.

A mission to help their allies who were being pushed back by the large army, and to change the tide of the battle by ambushing the enemy.

With morale soaring to the heavens and a clear mission, the three thousand soldiers could charge with the combat power of ten thousand.

Master Mu Heo and Peng Mu-Gang had correctly understood Yeon Ho-Jeong’s intentions, and they had amplified the soldiers’ morale to its peak on their way to the battlefield.

And finally.

They were able to face the enemy soldiers advancing like ants.

* * *

The first attack was undoubtedly from Master Mu Heo.

He advanced about fifty yards ahead of the three thousand main forces and powerfully stepped forward.

Thud!

The entire vast northern plain seemed to shake.

The golden aura of Buddhism amplified. The supreme divine art of Shaolin, the Unsurpassed Great Power, gathered into a single fist with transcendent power.

Master Mu Heo forcefully threw his fist.

Whoosh!

The massive fist wind that surged forward seemed to calm the air that had been filled with murderous intent.

The translucent golden fist wind broke through a distance of over seventy yards, attacking the flank of the White Flower Troop, the elite of the Divine Flame Church.

Kwaaaang!

It would be difficult to achieve such a result even with a large cannon.

Several dozen White Flower Troop members who were directly hit by Master Mu Heo’s fist wind fell on the spot.

Not many actually died. However, the pressure of the fist wind showed a strength that human bones could not withstand.

Most of the fallen troop members had broken limbs, and some had their long bones, ribs, or collarbones crushed.

They were elites, but they had not reached the realm of the supreme masters. Even with the amazing secret art of Hwajeong [a technique that enhances physical abilities], it would take more than a day to restore crushed bones.

Paah!

Master Mu Heo charged again.

With this one fist wind, he had killed more people than he had in his entire life.

His clear and deep eyes were filled with endless sorrow and compassion.

‘I have finally broken the precept against killing.’

He recited the verses of the Diamond Sutra, which exceeded five thousand characters, as a habit.

However, it was only to steady his own mind. From the enemy’s perspective, it would be nothing more than hypocrisy.

Master Mu Heo thought it was fine. He was already breaking the precept against killing and taking lives. Whether it was hypocrisy or evil, it didn’t matter. At this moment, he was struggling just to protect his mind and spirit from being swept away by the demonic.

However, unlike his sorrowful heart, his fist moved like lightning.

Diamond, containing that infinite intensity.

Kwarurung! Kwarururung!

As he swung his fist twice in a row, two more massive golden gusts of wind struck the White Flower Troop again.

Screams erupted, and small explosions occurred. Those who died with their bodies shattered, spraying blood, those who exploded due to Hwajeong going berserk, and those who fell while advancing without realizing their heads were gone were all clearly visible to Master Mu Heo.

Master Mu Heo closed his eyes.

He closed his eyes and opened his mind’s eye.

Flash!

The world seen through his mind’s eye was nothing short of hell. Tens of thousands of demons, each driven by their own desires, were killing each other.

In that, what kind of being was he?

Whirr!

Master Mu Heo realized that his body was burning.

The tens of thousands of lotus flowers that had peeled away the fate of becoming a monster due to his innate demonic energy were turning into dust, one by one.

With each lotus flower that disappeared, it seemed that the Buddhist nature he had accumulated was also disappearing. The demonic nature, which had lost its power due to endless sealing and had become turbid and hardened, seemed to be emitting black smoke.

Woo woong!

He released the power of the Unsurpassed and drew up the power of Prajna [wisdom].

By protecting his upper dantian [energy center] with the divine art of wisdom, the Prajna Great Power, the energy naturally flowed down to his middle dantian, catching the disappearing lotus flowers.

The black smoke disappeared, and the demonic nature fell asleep again.

Master Mu Heo, who had regained his peace, calmly attacked the demons.

Kururung!

An pressure that was incomparable to anything before poured out.

A low stance, a powerful step, a fist that went straight without rotation.

The emitted power was like a landslide, and the golden true energy was filled with the enlightenment of the Unsurpassed.

Meng Gwak’s eyes widened.

‘That is?!’

Kwarururung!

An absolute martial art that swept away the flank of the White Flower Troop once again.

Among the seventy-two unique arts of Shaolin, the invincible fist technique, which was said to be the most famous and difficult to master.

‘Hundred Step Divine Fist!!’

Meng Gwak felt ecstasy.

The power of the Shaolin’s number one fist technique, unleashed by the best master in the world, was so captivating that he couldn’t take his eyes off it, even on a battlefield where lives were at stake.

Flash! Flash!

Master Mu Heo, who had unleashed the Hundred Step Divine Fist, entered the center of the White Flower Troop with a firm stance.

Kwakwakwakwang!

It was like a tiger rushing into a flock of sheep.

The world seen through his mind’s eye, Master Mu Heo, who maintained his Buddhist nature and sealed his demonic nature with the single desire to kill demons and benefit the world, unleashed Shaolin martial arts without hesitation.

Kwakwang! Puh-uh-uh-uhng!

Blood splattered everywhere.

It wasn’t a clash with a large army. It was just one master who had invaded the army.

However, the White Flower Troop had to feel a terrible fear from the overwhelming violence they had never experienced before.

Puh-puh-puhng! Puh-puhng!

The two fists he swung were soft and flexible.

They didn’t feel particularly fast, but they crushed the bodies of the troop members who tried to dodge or attack.

It was a combination of Shaolin’s unique techniques, the Arhat Divine Fist and the Dragon King Soft Fist. Just brushing against the fist wind would tear apart the body, and those within the fist pressure would be crushed beyond recognition and die without even screaming.

Master Mu Heo didn’t just attack the White Flower Troop.

His right palm advanced heavily.

Kwarurururung!!

The golden palm force, covering a vast area, instantly killed some of the White Flower Troop and the Silver Flower Troop members supporting them from behind.

It was the Great Vajra Palm, the most famous palm technique in Shaolin along with the Hundred Step Divine Fist.

It had the power to demolish even a fortress wall with a single blow. The White Flower Troop and the Silver Flower Troop couldn’t even attempt a charge due to Master Mu Heo’s frenzied Shaolin martial arts.

And then.

The three thousand troops of the Hebei martial alliance, who had been charging at a terrifying speed, targeted the flank of the Silver Flower Troop.

“Kill them!”

Kwakwakwang! Flash!

The left flank of the Silver Flower Troop was instantly destroyed.

The figure of Peng Mu-Gang wielding a giant sword at the forefront was reminiscent of an enraged tiger.

Flash!

The sword strike that fell like lightning caused an explosion, instantly splitting three or four troop members.

It was the Peng family’s sword technique, the Chaotic Thunderous Blade.

Puh-buh-buh-buh-buk!

After suppressing the enemy with the Thunderous Blade, he swung the heavy weapon like a quick sword. Every time the sword passed, one person died, and such fast and sharp sword strikes were unleashed eighteen times in an instant.

This was also the famous Peng family’s sword technique, the Universe Linking Soul-Reaping Blade. If the Chaotic Thunderous Blade overwhelmed the enemy with endless power, the Universe Linking Soul-Reaping Blade was a martial art that ravaged the enemy with lightning-like speed.

A highly difficult sword technique that one could not even begin to learn without an understanding of heavy weapons.

Kwarururung!

The Thunderous Blade and the Soul-Reaping Blade were unleashed like a divine dance, massacring the Silver Flower Troop members.

The Silver Flower Troop couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

Unlike what a third party might see, it was extremely difficult for a thousand-strong force to rotate and face the enemy.

It was an issue unrelated to the strength of martial arts. It was simply a characteristic of army formations. The reason why they couldn’t react immediately when ambushed from the flank was because armies themselves were organizations that were difficult to adapt to immediate changes.

This was why special forces were kept separately. The existence of a unit that trained a small number of highly skilled individuals to harass the enemy with agile responses was very important to the entire army.

In other words, the Hebei martial alliance had not simply ambushed them, but had exploited the weaknesses of the army organization itself, inflicting an overwhelming blow on the enemy from the start.

“Kill them! Kill!”

“Close the distance! Chi attacks are coming!”

“Ignore them and advance! But don’t rush!”

The voices of the numerous sect leaders leading the three thousand troops were filled with powerful inner energy, easily controlling the actions of their allies even in the chaos of battle.

The five thousand Silver Flower Troop members, who had even been responsible for Chal Geuk-pyeong’s escort, had to lose a thousand of their numbers before they could even show their true strength.

But that was the same for the Hebei martial alliance.

“Kuaaaak!”

“Aaaak!”

“P-push forward!”

Although they were flustered, the Silver Flower Troop was still an elite force that could not be ignored.

About three hundred warriors fighting at the front lines were killed.

However, their morale overwhelmed the Silver Flower Troop. Even with burns on their arms and legs, and even with a spear piercing their abdomen, they gritted their teeth and advanced.

‘Damn it.’

Even while constantly swinging his giant sword, Peng Mu-Gang felt impatient.

‘We should have charged in and overwhelmed them in one go. Master Mu Heo reversed the atmosphere, so we should have taken advantage of that gap and destroyed one of their units.’

But reality was different.

It was a great achievement to have killed a thousand enemies, but whether the number was a thousand or two thousand, it didn’t matter.

The important thing was to cut off the enemy’s flow and induce their annihilation. To do that, one unit should have been completely destroyed by now.

‘He’s coming.’

The reason why Peng Mu-Gang’s heart was so urgent.

Whoosh!

Cheol Heum-Gi, who was leading the five thousand Ghost Soldiers, could no longer hold back and was flying in using his movement technique.

It was an incredible speed and an overwhelming momentum. Even though the distance was so far, his bones ached.

‘Damn it! Am I going to die before the ambush even succeeds?!’

Of course, that wasn’t going to happen.

There was someone here who saw the world with his mind’s eye, and in his mind’s eye, the existence of Cheol Heum-Gi, who was spitting out blue flames, was clearly visible.

Kwaaaang!

Master Mu Heo, who was charging while sending dozens of enemies flying high into the sky.

He passed through the very center of the Silver Flower Troop in an instant and unleashed the Great Vajra Palm towards Cheol Heum-Gi.

Kwarurung!

Master Mu Heo, the most respected figure in the Central Plains, and Cheol Heum-Gi, the Five Fire King of the Divine Flame Church.

The two masters engaged in a fierce battle.