Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1347

‘Damn it.’ Muk Bi felt a shiver run down her spine. ‘Is it still going on?’ Just how many enemies had come here? How many masters were there? Could the leader of the Demonic Cult really be at the top of that mountain? Woo-woo-woo-woong!! Even from this distance, it was difficult to move her limbs. And that heaviness only increased with time. It meant the enemy was getting closer. Flash! Muk Bi, having used every ounce of her strength for the Dragon Flight [a movement technique], created some distance and shot a steel dart towards Hyeol Lin. Ti-i-i-ing! Thud! It missed. Muk Bi’s body, feeling the pressure of the enemy’s presence, wasn’t able to exert the same power as before. Still, her arrow was accurate. It was just that Hyeol Lin had somehow managed to roll his body to avoid the arrow. Woo-woo-woong! How much spiritual energy had he squeezed out? Hyeol Lin’s hair was gradually turning white. Not only that, but his skin had also become more haggard, and his eyes were hollow. In the process of gathering more depleted spiritual energy, there was a problem with his origin. ‘I’ll kill him before he gets here!’ Muk Bi immediately drew her bow. There was no time to load a steel dart. The Crimson Lotus Bow spat out fire like crazy. Thud-thud-thud-thud! Bang! Four invisible bullets missed, but one finally hit Hyeol Lin’s shoulder. Hyeol Lin didn’t even scream. He just twitched his fractured shoulder once and tried to climb the slope again. Muk Bi’s eyes flashed. ‘Three more shots.’ The speed of the enemy coming down from above was too fast. It was a movement technique comparable to the Dragon Flight. She drew her bow. Thud! Thwack! Hyeol Lin’s upper body twisted. His shoulder had been struck again. Normally, a hole would have been pierced through his shoulder, or his arm would have been torn off. This was the difference between facing a supreme master with full power and facing one who was extremely exhausted in terms of stamina and inner energy. ‘The compatibility is also an issue.’ Muk Bi, who had fought many masters, now had the insight to read the opponent’s energy and even see their compatibility. ‘The one coming now is an upper dantian user [a martial artist who focuses on the upper energy center] who specializes in manipulating objects in the air. It’s fatal for me right now.’ Muk Bi drew her bow again. It was much harder than the last time. Her arms were trembling. Pee-ee-ing! Thwack! The invisible bullet that flew hit Hyeol Lin’s thigh. Hyeol Lin staggered for a moment, but he quickly regained his posture and ran with gritted teeth. Unlike his shoulder, there seemed to be nothing wrong with his thigh bone. He had squeezed out even the last bit of his spiritual energy and focused it on his legs, so it was understandable. This time, Muk Bi had misjudged her target. ‘The last shot.’ Her back was getting clammy with anxiety. Had the Crimson Lotus Bow ever felt this heavy before? ‘Here I go.’ It was then. ‘……!!’ Muk Bi, realizing it was already too late, kicked off the ground and simultaneously turned her body to fire an invisible bullet. Pa-a-a-a-ang! Was it because of the extreme sense of crisis? This attack had the same power as usual. Thwack! The master who appeared deflected the invisible bullet with one hand. Muk Bi’s eyes wavered. ‘So, this is the level they are at.’ A supreme master in perfect condition could easily block an invisible bullet. Not only could they read the trajectory, but they could also eliminate an invisible bullet that could easily pierce through a steel plate with a single wave of their hand. However, Myeong Yu was greatly surprised. “The impact is considerable. To have such archery skills against a master who has reached the extreme… You must be Muk Bi, the Divine Archer of the Ghost Bow, the best archer in the world?” Muk Bi gave a wry smile. “It seems I’ve become quite famous.” “Whether you’ve reached the extreme or not is not important. You are a great person who has earned the title of the best in the world in this vast continent. There’s no way I wouldn’t remember you.” His voice was eerie, but his tone was old-fashioned and polite. A shadow fell over Muk Bi’s face. ‘This is really dangerous.’ Now she knew what the politeness of masters meant. Real masters never get excited. It was a separate issue from whether they had reached the supreme level or not. A master who had been through thick and thin would never panic at any moment and would thoroughly maintain their own perspective. The person in front of her was the same. She would have thought it was a good thing if he had cursed or even made fun of her. It would have meant that he had a weakness in his mind. ‘He’s someone who won’t show any weakness.’ Muk Bi naturally thought of Yeon Ho-Jeong. ‘Young Master Yeon. How should I fight against a master like this?’ Yeon Ho-Jeong’s voice sounded like a hallucination. “No weakness? Then you have to create one. Still can’t find an answer? Then run away.” He was someone who actually said those words as if it was a daily routine. Thinking of Yeon Ho-Jeong calmed her down. To her, Yeon Ho-Jeong was that kind of person. Someone who could relieve tension and bring calmness, no matter how urgent the situation was. Myeong Yu’s eyes flashed. “You’re quick to calm your mind. And that inner energy and skill… If you reach out your hand, you’ll immediately reach the door of the extreme.” “…….” “I can’t let someone with this much skill live. It’s a pity for your talent and skill, but your life ends here.” Muk Bi’s face immediately turned cold. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think my life is so unfortunate that it will end at the hands of someone like you.” “Everyone thinks that way. Then they die unexpectedly from the poison of a third-rate or die a lonely death. Isn’t that life?” “At least, that’s not my life.” “I like your guts. How great it would have been if you were born in our sect.” He seemed relaxed, but Muk Bi knew. The opponent was constantly checking her hands, feet, and true energy. She knew he was a flawless opponent, but she didn’t expect it to be this much. Even if a martial artist was flawless, they would usually let their guard down a little in front of a novice, but this person didn’t even have that. And that unwavering momentum would soon lead to a fierce attack. “Then.” Pa-a-a-a-ak! With one kick off the ground, he created a distance of fifteen yards. Myeong Yu was genuinely impressed. ‘To jump that far within my domain? This one is the real deal.’ That’s why his vigilance grew even more. She was a person who was already halfway to the extreme, and she also had the experience of a hundred battles and extremely sensitive senses. He had to kill someone like that. Those who were born with such talent would grow rapidly in a few years, or even a few months, and become a formidable enemy. Maybe it wouldn’t even take months, but just a few days. Myeong Yu reached out his hand towards Muk Bi. Whoosh! Muk Bi felt as if her body was being sucked into a huge hole. Wh-a-a-a-a-ak!! Everything was being sucked into Myeong Yu’s hand. It was an enormous pulling force. If he used his full power, it seemed like he could suck in even a rock weighing hundreds of pounds. ‘Incredible power!’ Hook! She used the Crimson Heaven Art [a martial art technique] to its extreme and planted her feet firmly on the ground. Myeong Yu’s eyes flashed with a different color. ‘Is her inner energy more than I expected?’ No. The opponent’s inner energy was exactly as he had expected. She was already comparable to him, so it was impossible for her to have more than that. ‘This is a divine art.’ The Crimson Heaven Art, which had received a piece of the Yellow Dragon, was producing an output beyond its inner energy. Myeong Yu’s gaze immediately turned cold. He was going to kill her anyway, but he decided that he should kill her without letting his guard down. He wasn’t the type to let his guard down in the first place, but the more impressive Muk Bi was, the more he felt like he was facing a life-or-death enemy. Cold sweat formed on Muk Bi’s face. ‘I’m going to lose no matter what.’ They say you only know after fighting, but this person was on a different level. It would be better to fight someone stronger than him. This person was someone who wouldn’t leave even a single ant free in his world. Myeong Yu, fixing his gaze on Muk Bi, said to Hyeol Lin. “Move quickly. I’ll watch your back.” “Thank you.” Pa-a-ak! Hyeol Lin ran again with renewed strength. In the first place, the bead that was synchronized with him could not be transported by anyone else. That was why Myeong Yu couldn’t take the bead from him. Muk Bi gritted her teeth. Hyeol Lin was staggering but quickly creating distance. It was less than half the speed he had before, but he was at least moving at the speed of a top-tier master. ‘Is it over?’ Myeong Yu opened his mouth. “This is why armchair theories are dangerous. Without coming here yourself, even a strategist blessed by the heavens wouldn’t know how the war situation is unfolding.” “I don’t know about that.” “Hmm?” “Among the people I know, there is a strategist who can see the war situation clearly without fighting.” “Ah, you mean Yeon Ho-Jeong.” Myeong Yu nodded. “I admit he’s a great man. But what does his existence have to do with our fight?” “…….” “I was just saying what I wanted to say. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” Myeong Yu’s eyes changed again. He was really going to kill her. “Let’s begin…….” Ta-a-a-a-ang!! The flames that erupted from the Crimson Lotus Bow flew towards Myeong Yu’s head. It was an attack that contained the fastest loading, the maximum inner energy, and the best trajectory. It was a desperate attack that targeted the moment when the opponent was the most rigid, even though there were no openings. Thwack! Myeong Yu’s upper body shook slightly. However, Muk Bi’s body was still within his domain. She had not done any damage to Myeong Yu. “……That one was quite painful.” Myeong Yu’s left hand turned red. It had broken through the inner energy of the extreme and inflicted damage. He forcefully stepped forward. Ku-ru-rung!! The thick dust that rose created an even stronger pressure. Muk Bi’s face turned pale. It was already difficult to keep her body upright, and now it was even hard to breathe. ‘It’s an incredible pressure.’ She tried to emit the Crimson Heaven Art, which had been raised to its maximum output, even more strongly. Chi-i-i-i-ik! White smoke rose from Muk Bi’s body. Surprisingly, she had exceeded the limit output of her divine art just by thinking about it. Her body regained a little bit of freedom. Myeong Yu’s left hand slowly turned into a fist. Kwa-rung! From his fist that cut through the air, a gray fist wind poured out. Without even saying the common words of ‘die,’ he immediately unleashed a killing move. He didn’t even save his strength. He was attacking with the strongest power he could muster, and it seemed like he intended to leave no room for counterattacks, let alone evasion or defense. ‘Evade it.’ Myeong Yu’s fist wind was approaching, creating waves. It looked slow even though it was fast. But what was slower than that was her own body and breathing. ‘Evade it!!’ It was then. Muk Bi felt a cool sensation on her back. That wind was not the breath of the King of the Underworld. It meant that it was not yet time to die. There was the will of the cool wind blowing from high in the sky, the Heavenly Wind, within it. Kwaang! The Heavenly Wind Sword Strike that had curved in met Myeong Yu’s fist wind and created a strong shockwave. “Kuh!” Muk Bi, swept away by the shockwave, flew backward and then stopped with a thud. “You’re doing a good job.” It was a familiar voice. Muk Bi turned her head. Tang Gwan was supporting her. “Your archery skills are sky-high, but why is your internal energy technique so poor? Should I have taught you the internal energy technique as well?” “Clan Leader Tang!” “Isn’t this not the time for that? Leave that guy to the senior, and let’s chase that red guy.” Muk Bi turned her head again. There was an old swordsman with white hair fluttering in the wind. It was a noble figure. The light of the cloudless sky was gathering on the long sword that was tilted to one side. Myeong Yu’s eyes deepened. “Sword Emperor Namgoong Seung.” “Yes, I am Namgoong Seung.” Namgoong Seung raised his sword straight forward and aimed it at Myeong Yu. “There’s no need for long words.” Pa-a-a-ak! The two masters rushed towards each other, and Tang Gwan and Muk Bi leaped over them and dashed towards the top of Mount Tai. It was a battlefield more fierce than ever, a fight with the fate of the world at stake.