Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1169

The sword energies, wielded like a giant pair of scissors, swept through the spirit beasts.

Kwarurung!

The fiery sword energy, accompanied by a thunderous sound, incinerated the upper bodies of the spirit beasts. Those who managed to dodge by lowering their stances were caught in Gang Ryang’s scythe-shaped sword energy, meeting a gruesome end.

Gang Ryang’s eyes gleamed sharply.

‘Got it!’

The combined attack of two masters, intersecting like a pair of scissors.

Fifteen spirit beasts were killed in that single strike.

This was the effect of a surprise attack. Moreover, it was a surprise attack launched by two supreme masters, both stronger than the majority of the enemies.

However, the fight was not over, and Jin Yang had to be even more vigilant than Gang Ryang.

Originally, they had intended to take down more than twenty, but fewer had died. This meant that the enemies were more skilled than even a supreme master could have predicted.

A large spirit beast, one of the five leaders named Sa Pil-hap, shouted.

“Hide!”

Whoosh!

The surviving spirit beasts vanished from sight in an instant.

Even Jin Yang couldn’t help but be taken aback. Not only were they invisible, but their presence also completely disappeared. He couldn’t tell where they had vanished to in that instant.

At that moment, Gang Ryang moved.

Whoong.

The Ghost King’s energy surged through his body, instantly moving him in front of the bonfire.

Flash!

From the trees, dozens of throwing knives flew towards them.

Their shape was completely different from those of the Central Plains. They were similar to willow leaf blades but more curved and smaller, flying in arcs rather than straight lines.

Gang Ryang’s sword drew a circle.

It was the Ghost Call Wheel of the Ghostly Fire Demon Sword Style.

Chiriririring!

A rich, dark gray sword energy rose like a cloud, sweeping away the throwing knives.

It wasn’t about breaking them, but rather a soft sword technique that flowed with the sword energy, freely redirecting them. It was a magnificent move, showcasing Gang Ryang’s enlightenment, unlike the sharp and aggressive nature of the Ghostly Fire Demon Sword Style.

Purpurpurpung!

The moment the Ghost Call Wheel unfolded, small explosions erupted around the bonfire, accompanied by black smoke.

‘Poison!’

Gang Ryang’s eyes widened.

Jing! Jing!

He was at a level where he could absorb and neutralize most poisons with his Ghost King energy.

But this poison was different. Even before it touched his body, a danger signal was detected in his upper dantian [an energy center in traditional Chinese medicine].

It was an extreme poison. Even a single breath of it would disrupt the flow of his energy and cause fatal damage to his internal organs.

Of course, Gang Ryang, who had fought hundreds of battles, hadn’t rushed into this dangerous situation without any countermeasures.

Flash! Hwareureureuk!

A large greatsword unfolded like a quick sword technique.

The massive fire energy spread in all directions. It was Jin Yang’s Soaring Sky Thunder Fire Blade, with a range, temperature, and explosive power that were incomparably more advanced than before.

Pa-ba-ba-ba-bak!

Lightning flashed and evaporated in various spots within the thick smoke.

He was not only burning away the poison with fire energy but also blocking any remaining poison or hidden weapons with the external explosive force contained within, threatening Gang Ryang.

It was a defensive martial art. The action was an attack, but his control over his energy had reached its peak, allowing him to limit the range of his explosive force with extreme precision.

This was the current Jin Yang. Aside from the Limitless Hand, there were few in the Central Plains who could control such explosive martial arts with such precision.

“Gang Ryang!”

“I see them!”

Gang Ryang’s ghost eyes captured the scattering spirit beasts.

“Twenty to the north! You’ll have a hard time alone!”

The Ghost King energy was a supreme technique even among the black arts, naturally adept at seeing through stealth and illusions.

He hadn’t had many opportunities to use it properly, but in this kind of special battle, the true value of the Ghost King’s martial arts was revealed.

Pa-a-a-a-ang!

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jin Yang charged north.

His words about it being difficult alone meant nothing. It might be challenging, but they had the Yin Master Ha Eun-gyo on their side. Even if her Yin energy wasn’t at its full potential, she wouldn’t let the spirit beasts escape.

And so, the battlefield was instantly divided in two. Jin Yang to the north, Gang Ryang to the south.

Unfortunately, Gang Ryang’s battlefield was not easy either.

Flash!

Sa Pil-hap, who had broken his stealth for a moment, launched a surprise attack on Gang Ryang.

Piiing!

He shot a dagger from his hand and simultaneously changed direction, moving behind Gang Ryang.

Gang Ryang instinctively swung his sword.

Jjeo-eo-eong!

‘Damn it.’

The sword that had deflected the dagger trembled. He felt considerable pain in his wrist.

‘As expected.’

There were three supreme masters among the spirit beasts. Two of them had followed Jin Yang, and one had remained here.

That one was Sa Pil-hap, the leader of the group.

‘A master of hidden weapons, is he?’

Chiriring!

The deflected dagger hit a tree and flew away in an arc.

Sa Pil-hap launched a palm strike towards Gang Ryang’s head.

Peo-eo-eong!

The base of a tree was completely shattered along with the bonfire.

Ujigeun!

Gang Ryang, who had hidden himself beside the falling tree, was about to unleash the Ghost Shadow Step when.

‘…!’

Numerous objects flashed between the sky and the trees.

They were hidden weapons. Hidden weapons that were as light and small as steel wool, pouring down in countless numbers.

They couldn’t be compared to the Tang Clan’s Rain of Pear Blossoms [a famous hidden weapon technique], but they were comparable to the skill of directly scattering cow hair needles. Moreover, the attack was so wide-ranging that it covered not only the front, back, left, and right, but also the area above, making it seem impossible for anyone to avoid.

One was the driver, and the rest were the hunters.

At that moment, Gang Ryang saw through the essence of this battle.

‘Three Swords.’

Huuuuk!

The Ghost King energy, hastily drawn up, linked with his sword, instantly forming three rotating sword energies around Gang Ryang.

Pusssseuseuseu! Jjeojeojeong!

The numerous fine needles were crushed or deflected by the three rapidly rotating sword energies.

Gang Ryang, who had flown into the area where the hidden weapons had been cleared first, was followed by.

Pa-ba-ba-ba-bak!

The pouring needles turned the ground upside down.

“Impressive.”

Sa Pil-hap, who had approached Gang Ryang’s side, was holding another dagger in his hand.

It was the same dagger he had thrown earlier. It was unclear whether he had charged to where the dagger had fallen and found Gang Ryang there, or if he had predicted that the only place the prey could escape to was that spot.

Sa Pil-hap’s dagger moved menacingly.

Jjeojeojeojeong!

‘Fast.’

Although dagger techniques were a type of swordsmanship, Sa Pil-hap’s dagger techniques were different. The power of a single strike was weaker than swordsmanship, but the speed was much faster, and the forms were abnormal.

‘Killing techniques!’

An attack method closer to an assassin’s killing techniques than a martial artist’s orthodox martial arts.

However, it was also difficult to simply call it a killing technique. Although the power of a single strike was lacking, it possessed a robustness that was not significantly inferior even against Gang Ryang’s ghost sword.

It was a combination of orthodox martial arts and assassination techniques. Despite combining two martial arts, it was not mediocre. Rather, it skillfully utilized the strengths of both sides, driving the opponent into a corner with the martial arts of a killer.

Jjeojeong! Shuk! Piiing!

Even after colliding several times, there seemed to be no significant impact. Rather, he inflicted a sword wound on Gang Ryang’s shoulder and created an attack range for his subordinates by creating a three-jang [about 10 feet] distance with his amazing footwork.

Pa-pa-pa-pang!

More than ten palm strikes poured in from all directions. No matter how great the difference in skill, he couldn’t take that head-on.

Moreover, his positioning was amazing. In the short time he exchanged blows with Sa Pil-hap, he had blocked all escape routes, making it impossible to get away.

‘Six Swords!’

Huuuuuung!!

The three sword energies rotating around Gang Ryang’s body doubled, evolving into six sword energies.

A sword energy technique that consumed considerable internal energy. In this situation, it would be better to drop the protective sword energy and break the palm strikes with unconventional movements and attacks, but Gang Ryang couldn’t make that choice.

Purpurpung! Jjeo-eo-eong!

He blocked some of the palm strikes with his six sword energies and shattered others directly.

At that moment, Sa Pil-hap, seizing an opening, approached with a snake-like movement and swung his dagger once more.

Jjeojeojeojeojeong!

‘He’s not giving me an opening!’

Gang Ryang unknowingly gritted his teeth.

He had experienced countless battles, but these guys were a first.

They hadn’t deployed any particularly great formation, but once he started to be pushed back, it was endless. Their ability to move as a group was superior to any organization in the martial world.

‘No, it’s not just that.’

Flash!

A black sword energy, curved like a scythe, sliced through the spirit beasts diagonally.

However.

Jjeo-eo-eo-eong!

Sa Pil-hap, who had moved in the meantime, blocked the sword energy from the middle with his dagger and palm strikes.

Just before the sword energy was blocked, other spirit beasts approached Gang Ryang.

If Sa Pil-hap hadn’t blocked the sword energy, half of them would have been in mortal danger. Yet, they fearlessly stepped forward and charged. It was because they firmly believed that their leader, Sa Pil-hap, would block the attack.

It was the result of an immense trust built up to the point of ignoring the risk of death.

‘They’re moving as if they’re parts of a machine, moving to where they must be. It’s not just trust, but they couldn’t have shown this level of organization unless they had trained to the point of death, whether in small or large numbers.’

Although there were several attackers, Gang Ryang felt as if he were facing a single giant.

Jjeo-eo-eong!

Gang Ryang, who had deflected the threatening dagger from below, created some distance.

‘If that’s the case.’

They were a true elite, trained to kill even highly skilled individuals.

Even a supreme master would likely die without even putting up a fight if they tried to push through with only top-tier martial arts and skills. And most martial artists would have a high chance of dying that way.

Then what about me?

‘So, you’re going to come at me like that, huh?’

Gang Ryang’s eyes changed.

‘Then I have no choice but to get dirty too.’

Chiririring!!

Gang Ryang, who had deflected several throwing knives, planted his sword into the ground.

The Ghostly Fire Demon Sword energy was injected like lightning.

In that instant, Sa Pil-hap whistled briefly.

The moment Gang Ryang’s gaze intensified.

Purpurpurpurpung!!

The surrounding ground was violently overturned.

He had unleashed dozens of sword energies at once, overturning the ground with an explosive force.

In an instant, a three-jang radius around Gang Ryang was devastated. Huge amounts of dust rose from the collapsed and broken ground.

“Retreat.”

It was an act that required an excessive amount of internal energy, more than a technique used to catch his breath.

Sa Pil-hap sensed that his opponent had gained an advantage, so he ordered a temporary retreat. There was no reason to lose a subordinate by being needlessly swept up in the attack.

There was no pride or anything else. They would do anything to kill their enemies.

Sa Pil-hap’s rational nature showed just how dangerous the spirit beasts were as an organization.

But he didn’t know.

That the young swordsman in this place was one of the few geniuses recognized by the embodiment of practical combat that the Central Plains praised.

And he didn’t know how fiercely this genius swordsman had strived to reach this point for the sake of the one person he trusted.

Gang Ryang’s foot lightly tapped the ground.

Kwang!

With an explosion, numerous stones flew into the air.

Gang Ryang’s left hand moved like lightning.

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pang!!

Dozens of stones, shot like hidden weapons, filled the space in front of him and flew towards the spirit beasts.

Pa-ba-bak!

Sa Pil-hap and the senior members deflected or dodged the stones on the spot, while the other spirit beasts scattered in all directions, hiding in the trees and bushes.

Right then.

Flash! Thud!

A flying iron sword pierced through two spirit beasts hiding behind a tree.

It was the moment when two parts of a well-functioning machine were broken.