Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1126

Krrrrrr.

The Dragon Fang Cannon, unleashed with all its might, possessed the power to reverse the tilting battle situation in an instant.

The single strike, loaded into the iron cannon and fired, devastated the vanguard of the advancing White Flower Troop. Some managed to withstand the force with their intense heat-yang energy [a type of internal energy focused on heat and activity], but none who took the direct hit remained standing.

The battle momentarily ceased at the sight of such transcendent martial prowess.

Muk Bi quickly slung the iron cannon over her shoulder.

“Maeng Gwak!”

At her shout, Maeng Gwak, regaining his senses, yelled,

“Advance! Push forward while covering each other!”

The left and right flank forces began to push back the Qinghong cultists.

Even with numerical superiority, if the enemy initiated a forceful attack, they had to retreat for a while. Unless there was an overwhelming difference in martial arts, the power of a group could not be ignored.

The troops, who had been retreating while absorbing the enemy’s attacks, now began to push the enemy back.

The difference in power was still significant, but the atmosphere had shifted in an instant. That brief change in atmosphere worked a miracle, momentarily boosting their power by nearly twofold.

Of course, such a miracle would not last long. The important thing was that it momentarily confused the enemy, and that in that brief moment, a situation where hundreds could die could be turned to nothing.

For Muk Bi, that was all that mattered.

And to extend that brief miracle a little longer, she intended to pour out everything she had.

Thwack! Thwack!

Muk Bi advanced with the pushing Murim Alliance troops, drawing her bow once more.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The power of her ultra-high-speed rapid fire was as potent as ever.

Her iron cannon targeted only masters at the squad leader level or higher. In moments of crisis, Muk Bi’s senses became incredibly sharp, and those sharp senses were reading the martial prowess of each enemy with lightning speed.

Gon Hyang, grinding his teeth, shouted angrily,

“Spread out! There’s a powerful archer! Push them back with qi techniques!” [qi refers to internal energy]

The entire White Flower Troop retreated, extending their palms in a crisscross formation.

Gon Hyang, who had given the order, felt a sense of absurdity.

‘Is this even possible?!’

He could understand if the opponent was a master who had reached the Heavenly Flower Realm [a high level of martial arts mastery].

But no matter how he looked, the opponent was not a master who had reached the Heavenly Flower Realm. If it were a true Heavenly Flower Realm master, their head would have been blown off by the first arrow.

Yet, the entire White Flower Troop had stopped advancing because of one master.

Of course, it was also due to the flanking formations of the Azure Flower Troop and the Red Flower Troop. If they were on an empty plain, they would have already spread out and surrounded them.

Even so, the fact that they had stopped their charge because of just one archer remained unchanged. It was a moment so absurd that he felt like he was going to faint.

Whoosh!

The golden true energy gathered in the palms of the White Flower Troop gradually merged into one, emitting a tremendous heat.

Cold sweat beaded on Muk Bi’s forehead.

The heat that was released momentarily felt like it was burning her whole body. But what was more difficult for her than that pain was her inner energy.

‘Damn it.’

It felt like her dantian [an energy center in the body] was about to tear apart.

As soon as the battle in Liaoning ended, she had flown to the imperial palace. After that, she had only circulated her energy for less than two hours before jumping straight into battle.

Her energy accumulation was not complete, and her stamina was not in good condition either. The fact that she had unleashed the most powerful Dragon Fang Cannon ever just now was only possible because of her extreme mental strength.

‘Focus. I have to focus.’

For an archer, concentration was fundamental.

‘If that qi attack hits, many will be hurt. It’s a qi technique that takes into account the damage to the allies on the left and right. I can’t stop it with my power alone.’

The answer was clear.

‘I’ll shatter it before it comes.’

Whoosh!

The Red Heaven Energy surged once more, gathering in her hands.

It felt like her whole body, not just her dantian, was tearing apart. Terrible pain rose from every blood point in her body. It was due to the excessive use of her inner energy.

Muk Bi completely ignored the pain and simultaneously fired hundreds of needle-like arrows made of formless energy.

Ta-a-a-ang!

The formless energy barrage spread out like a net the moment it was fired.

It was both an attack and a defense, a formless murderous intent and a martial art imbued with clear killing intent.

The Dragon Killing God Net of the Nine Dragons Breaking Sky Bow was unleashed. Its speed was slower than the iron cannonballs Muk Bi fired, but it covered a vast area.

Gon Hyang, sensing something was amiss, shouted angrily,

“Fire!”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The fiery palm strikes fired by the White Flower Troop merged into one, forming a massive force.

But it was a little too late.

Just before the fiery palm strike was fully formed, the formless energy barrage of the Dragon Killing God Net swept through the flames first.

Flash! Kwaaaang!

The explosion of power that erupted right in front of them swept away and killed over two hundred White Flower Troop members.

They literally evaporated without leaving a single piece of flesh. Gon Hyang’s decision to capture the archer at the cost of his own troops had resulted in the worst possible outcome, sacrificing only his own men.

Of course, the White Flower Troop was not the only one to suffer damage.

Thud!

“Kuh!”

Muk Bi, who was pushed back, knocking down six imperial palace guards, had a face as white as if she had applied powder.

She had read the enemy’s breathing and preempted their timing to unleash the Dragon Killing God Net, but in order to control the energy of the Dragon Killing God Net, even a single strand of inner energy had to be connected.

Naturally, the shockwave of the exploding fiery palm strike was transmitted directly to Muk Bi along that line of inner energy.

“Cough!”

The color of the blood she spat out was ominous.

Hong Woon asked involuntarily,

“A-are you alright?”

There was no way she could be alright.

Even with inner energy as vast and deep as a lake, she could not completely offset this shockwave. Muk Bi momentarily thought of ‘death’.

‘Not yet.’

She wouldn’t die from this much.

Muk Bi believed in her body, in the inner energy cultivation method called Red Heaven Energy, and in the immense power of inner energy that had been dormant within her from the beginning.

She believed in the enlightenment she had gained from clashing with Yeon-wi, in the physical body that had developed through the martial arts discussions she had with Yeon Ho-Jeong, and in all the efforts she had poured into it.

‘How many more shots can I fire?’

Muk Bi, staggering to her feet, glared at the enemies.

The battle stopped once more. The masters of the Azure Flower Troop and the Red Flower Troop had also suffered considerable damage from the massive explosion that had occurred at close range.

Surrounded by the imperial palace guards, Muk Bi glared at the enemies, even as she was sweating profusely.

Her senses were a mess. But her terrifying mental strength managed to control her inner energy and maximize her senses.

‘There.’

Click.

Was drawing the bow of the Red Lotus Bow always this difficult?

Holding the bow horizontally, she muttered softly,

“Support me from behind.”

Hong Woon, who was looking at Muk Bi with a look of dismay, gestured to the soldiers.

Then, two soldiers placed their shoulders against Muk Bi’s back. And behind those two, countless soldiers extended their hands to prepare for the shockwave.

Whooooosh.

The breath that escaped Muk Bi’s lips was unusually cold.

Although the surroundings were noisy, Muk Bi could hear nothing but her own breathing.

Woo-oong! Woo-oong!

The Red Heaven Energy screamed as it gathered in her hands.

Flick! Flick!

Small tears appeared in various places on her fingers as she drew the bow, and blood flowed out.

Muk Bi was not even aware of that. She was focused on one target with extreme concentration.

‘This is the last shot. I’ll shoot without regrets.’

Muk Bi recited the secret formulas of the Nine Dragons Breaking Sky Bow from beginning to end, in one breath.

The ultimate technique she had created through training with Yeon-wi, the Nine Dragons Destruction Formation, was absolutely impossible to use in her current condition. But it seemed like she could somehow use the original secret technique of the Nine Dragons Breaking Sky Bow.

She would put her soul into this shot.

Her trembling hand slowly stopped.

“……”

An unknown silence.

One of the soldiers involuntarily swallowed.

At that moment.

Ta-a-a-a-ang!!

The tremendous recoil caused Muk Bi and seven soldiers to fall.

The formless arrow that left the Red Lotus Bow flew low, then gradually curved upwards, and in an instant, soared above the center of the White Flower Troop.

And.

Muk Bi, spitting blood from her nose and mouth, muttered,

“Die.”

Kwaaaang!

The formless arrow that had soared high into the sky exploded, splitting into dozens, hundreds of arrows that rained down.

Even though they were formless arrows made of true energy, they seemed to block out the sun. The countless formless arrows that poured down covered the White Flower Troop like a rainstorm.

In terms of the destructive power of a single strike, nothing could match the Dragon Fang Cannon, but when it came to mass slaughter, this was the only option.

The Nine Dragons Breaking Sky Bow’s secret technique, the Rending Dragon Scatter Shot Formation.

The invisible rain of arrows covered the White Flower Troop.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Kwa-kwang! Kwar-r-r-r!

Each formless energy projectile had a different power. Some were like arrows shot by a master of the pinnacle realm, some were like arrows shot by someone without inner energy.

Some were like arrows shot by a master of the transcendent realm, and some were…

They unleashed power similar to a small Dragon Fang Cannon.

And one powerful arrow headed straight for Gon Hyang.

Gon Hyang, realizing he could not avoid it, swung his one remaining left hand, but he was unable to block the attack, having suffered internal injuries from being barely caught in the blast radius.

Thwack!

Gon Hyang’s body disappeared in a spray of blood.

With this, the leader of the White Flower Troop was dead, and over two hundred members of the White Flower Troop were incapacitated.

The numbers of the Divine Army’s central force were still far greater. But the battle had temporarily entered a lull due to the incomparably shocking martial prowess that Muk Bi alone had displayed.

Or rather, it was about to enter a lull.

Whoosh!

The atmosphere, which had been gradually calming down, boiled up again like a hot spring.

Behind the bleeding White Flower Troop.

Oh Hwa Wang, Cheol Heum-gi, appeared with his eyes gleaming, leading five thousand troops.

Muk Bi gritted her teeth.

Hong Woon said hastily,

“Escort this person to the imperial palace! Absolutely, absolutely, she must not lose her life here!”

Muk Bi hurriedly opened her mouth.

“I, I’m fine.”

There was no strength in her voice.

Not only her voice, but her vision was also blurry. Due to excessive inner energy consumption and severe internal injuries, her eyes were momentarily going blind and then returning.

Hong Woon, while admiring her fighting spirit, added strength to the order he had given.

“What are you doing not escorting her quickly!!”

“N-no!”

Muk Bi cried out in a weak voice.

Hong Woon smiled gently and said,

“I remember now. You are the Muk Bi Yeohyeop, known by the alias of Divine Archer, aren’t you?” [Yeohyeop is a term for a female martial artist]

“……!”

“Thanks to you, Yeohyeop, we have prevented unnecessary sacrifices. I sincerely thank you. We will convey the rest of our gratitude when we return alive.”

Muk Bi shouted once more. But no more voice came out.

In the meantime, her ears had also become muffled. Both her vision and hearing were gradually disappearing.

‘No! I can endure more! Let me fight with you!’

Another enemy general had appeared. With his appearance, these people would all die.

Muk Bi could not stand to see that. Even if she died, she had to be with her allies. That was the right thing to do.

‘No… don’t die…’

Beyond Muk Bi’s silent cry.

The emotions of despair and sorrow rode the wind, circling and landing in one place on the battlefield.

Muk Bi’s desperate fight, having poured out everything she had and then fainted.