Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1226

Flash!

The eyes of a god, always fixed on the grand teacher’s chair, watching the world, flickered as always.

“Blood Sovereign?”

Whoooosh!

It seemed that his abilities were improving with time. Before, it took quite some time to concentrate his true energy, but not anymore. Now, he could condense his energy almost instantly, creating a huge gray sphere. The eerie energy emanating from the sphere of true energy seemed to darken the great hall even more.

“…I see.”

What kind of conversation did he have with the one called the Blood Sovereign inside the sphere?

A faint smile appeared on the face of the man, the master of Mount Yeong-eum, revered as a god in the Evil Sound Cult.

Even the heavy shadows could not suppress his radiant smile. It was a bright smile he had never shown before, like watching the unadulterated laughter of a child.

“Indeed, seeing you disrupt the enemy even in the midst of all this, you are more than qualified to be the high priest of the cult. Your insight is truly astonishing.”

If it had been Yayul Daeguk, he would have prostrated himself on the spot, calling it an honor.

But the man was not a god. He was just a monstrous being with god-like power, who had obtained most of the Blood Demon Cult’s secret arts, surpassing the Evil Sound Cult.

To be able to smile like a human even with such power, one might say that was even more remarkable.

“Where is Daeguk?”

The sphere vibrated with a whooshing sound.

The man nodded.

“Good. Your life is essential to our cult. Moreover, I pay my respects to your insight in devising a plan for conquering the continent even in the worst of situations.”

Whoooosh!

“Do not worry. You are not the only one who has been waiting for the right time. I, and all of us, have been waiting as well. Now is the time to unleash the mountain’s monster that has been crouching.”

His way of speaking was extremely archaic.

It contained the speech of commoners, gods, and ancient rulers. It was not that he changed his speech depending on the person, but rather that a fitting persona emerged, leading to a logical conversation.

“Hold on a little longer. The Shadow Ghosts are useful tools. If used properly, you will fully reach this mountain and enjoy generations of glory.”

Fwoosh.

The sphere of true energy scattered like dust and instantly seeped into the man’s body.

Whoom! Whoom!

A strange resonance arose from the man’s entire body.

“Jeok Heum.”

Swoosh.

A shadow emerged from behind the grand teacher’s chair.

A young man’s face, with perfectly structured features. His expressionless face did not seem human, but if it were to hold emotion, anyone would be in awe of his beauty.

However, from another perspective, it was ambiguous to call him a young man.

At first glance, he looked like a middle-aged man, and then again, he looked like a hundred-year-old elder. Although there was little light and many shadows in the great hall, it was still a strange appearance.

“Bring the incense burner.”

Without any reply, Jeok Heum brought an incense burner with nine holes from the corner.

“Scatter it.”

Jeok Heum took out a silk pouch from his bosom and sprinkled some strange powder inside onto the incense burner.

Soon after.

Flames erupted!

Greenish flames blazed from the nine holes of the incense burner, soon forming the shape of a giant man.

Those who knew called the powder that Jeok Heum had scattered ‘Sacred Fire Powder,’ and the technique of communicating with a person far away using the Sacred Fire Powder was called ‘Fire Transformation Art.’

“What is it?”

It was a voice that was not only intense but also filled with murderous intent.

It was amazing that the overflowing flames formed the shape of a person, but it was truly astonishing that a voice came out of the mouth of a fire being that was not a person but looked like one.

The man smiled and said,

“You seem very angry.”

“Did you waste precious Sacred Fire Powder to insult me?”

“It’s not an insult, but a fact. Isn’t it your fault that the Divine Fire is in its current state? None of us wanted you to go berserk first.”

The fire giant said nothing.

Only he would know if he had nothing to say or if he was speechless with disbelief.

After a while.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“I have good news for you, who has no patience and doesn’t even pretend to listen to others.”

It was clearly an insult, but the man’s voice was like a celestial melody, so it strangely didn’t sound like an insult.

The fire giant tilted his head.

The blazing fire moved delicately from side to side, vividly creating the giant’s expression.

“The only good news for me is that the former cult leader is dead. Could it be that he’s dead?”

“Stop with the insincere talk and start preparing to raise the great army.”

“…!!”

Red light emanated from the giant’s eyes.

The flames were greenish, but when his eyes shone, they emitted a red light. It was a magical technique that was more and more fascinating to see.

“Is it finally the beginning?”

“It is the beginning, but I must give you a warning. It would be troublesome if you act like a fool again without consulting us. The Divine Fire has already lost much of its power because of your mistake. If we and the Blood Fiends were to attack with a plan, the Divine Fire would have already been in our bellies.”

“…”

“Never forget that fact. We consider the Divine Fire to be the pillar of the Blood Demon Cult. At least for now.”

The man said with a clear smile.

“If you go around meddling again, we will tear apart the Divine Fire before conquering the continent. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

The fire giant twitched.

“You’re going to attack us?”

“Perhaps the biggest mistake of Gi Cheon-Ung was not that he failed to control the Divine Fire Cult properly, but that he failed to teach you properly.”

“You!”

“Or are you experiencing some side effects from your martial arts? You weren’t this foolish, were you? You should know that it’s basic to suppress internal instability before doing great things, right?”

“…”

“If you want to stand beside the glorious grand teacher of the Blood Demon Cult in the future, you should stop doing useless things. Even I have a limit to my patience.”

His words were extremely harsh. The man had never spoken like this to the fire giant before.

But now it was different. They were about to embark on something truly great. The harsher the man’s words became, the more the fire giant could feel that the time had truly come.

“When is it?”

“It would be best to move as soon as tomorrow if you can.”

“That’s what I’ve been hoping for.”

“I hope you haven’t forgotten the conversation we had in the past. The place you will attack has been decided since then. I hope you will be faithful to that role.”

“What are you planning to do?”

The man chuckled.

“If you guys appear in the chaotic continent, they will feel extreme confusion. Naturally, they will be wary of us and try to build a barrier in the north.”

“…”

“Therefore, we will use the Sea God.”

“Then…?”

“We will move today.”

The man rose from the grand teacher’s chair.

He didn’t realize it when he was sitting, but when he stood up, he was a towering seven feet tall. The rings on each of his fingers, the dazzling necklace, and the earrings made a loud noise.

“So, you guys need to move faster than us.”

In the dark palace of the mountain that the world did not know.

Finally, the three cults, the three ferocious dragons, were about to take a huge step towards the Central Plains.

* * *

Cheon Hwa-Je’s face turned pale.

Clang!

An enormous pain surged from the fist that had struck the massive weapon.

It was not just the pain, but the power was truly immense.

It was a perfect punch, rotating from the toes to the knees, hips, waist, and shoulders. The movement was flawless, and the power contained within was more than enough to destroy everything in front of it.

However, as soon as he faced the blow, the impact that felt like his bones were about to shatter accumulated in his fist, shoulder, waist, and hip in that order.

‘Monstrous strength!’

Thwack!

Cheon Hwa-Je was definitely extraordinary.

He instantly removed his supporting foot and neutralized the shockwave with a step back.

His ability to manipulate internal energy was more natural and faster than Mak Won’s. His body and energy were perfectly combined. He could break down or generate explosive force with just his movements, at a speed that was hard to believe even when seen.

But.

Clang!

Yeon Ho-Jeong charged towards Cheon Hwa-Je without hesitation.

He had already surpassed the level of ‘mind-to-action’ [a state where one’s thoughts and actions are perfectly synchronized]. Most of the Supreme Masters were like that.

Then, the key to the battle between them would be who could operate their true energy more creatively, whose ‘mind-to-action’ was more advanced, and whose upper dantian [an energy center in the body] was superior.

And Yeon Ho-Jeong was superior to Cheon Hwa-Je in all of those aspects.

Clang!

After the Azure Dragon Axe came the White Dragon Axe. Even though the weapons differed drastically in size and weight, his movements were harmonious and exquisite.

“Ugh!”

From Cheon Hwa-Je, who had been encouraging the demon troops, only groans now escaped.

That was how deadly Yeon Ho-Jeong’s presence was. Cheon Hwa-Je was a demon king who was second only to the cult leader in terms of techniques and combat talent within the Blood Fiend Cult, but in that aspect, no one could match Yeon Ho-Jeong.

It was as if a master who had reached the pinnacle of one field had met the greatest master of all time. Cheon Hwa-Je’s fist techniques and footwork were exquisite, but in front of Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was charging while wielding two black and white axes like a whirlwind, he could not use his strength at all.

‘Incredible!’

Even while defeating the demons behind Yeon Ho-Jeong, Mak Won clicked his tongue.

‘This isn’t human martial arts! How did he grow this much?!’

He knew that he had improved greatly, but he didn’t know that he had grown this much.

It is said that the difference between Supreme Masters is like a sheet of paper. But Mak Won thought. The difference of a sheet of paper that determines victory or defeat is only possible if their strengths are different.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was overwhelming most of the strengths that Cheon Hwa-Je was showing. Yeon Ho-Jeong was doing what Cheon Hwa-Je could do, but better.

In such a battle, the expression ‘a sheet of paper difference’ cannot be used. This was simply being stronger.

“Brother!”

It was an astonishing thing.

Even while being overwhelming, he was still fighting a life-or-death battle with a master of the Three Emperors level. Yet, he shouted confidently.

“Please block their charge from the front! You don’t need to overdo it!”

“Understood!”

He was trying to clear the surroundings first, worried that the demons might attack Yeon Ho-Jeong.

It was a needless worry. Before the shockwaves created by the clash of the two masters, the faces of the advancing demons were filled with clear fear.

It was fear towards the Dark Emperor Yeon Ho-Jeong, but Mak Won did not know the reason. The important thing was that they would not rashly attack his sworn brother.

Moreover, Yeon Ho-Jeong was clearly overwhelming Cheon Hwa-Je.

‘Then!’

Whoosh!

He moved across the cliff horizontally with godlike footwork.

It was much faster than the advance of the demon troops. It was natural that an individual’s speed was faster than the advance of an organized group. Moreover, he was also a master of the Hundred Soldiers [a martial arts style focused on weapon mastery].

How long had he been running like that?

‘I’ve come a long way.’

Now he could see the leading demons. The guys who were drooling and running wildly didn’t look human at all.

Divine energy flickered in Mak Won’s eyes.

‘I will stop them no matter what!’

It was then.

Dudududu.

The sound of horses’ hooves was heard from far ahead.

Mak Won’s eyes widened.

Flap!

Above the flag that was unfolded magnificently, the soaring military spirit was shot up like fireworks.

‘Enemies?!’