Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1166

The Double Deception (7)

Whoosh!

Ji So-hyeon was terrified.

‘So fast!’

The speed of the man who had suddenly grabbed her and started running was beyond her imagination.

She had heard from her master that the speed difference between a supreme master and a Limitless Master wasn’t that significant. Of course, that was referring to those among the supreme masters who were exceptionally skilled in movement techniques or were on the verge of reaching the Limitless realm.

‘I didn’t think I was slow either.’

It hadn’t been long since she had surpassed the peak of martial arts, but she was confident that her movement techniques were second to none.

That pride, that confidence, was being completely shaken by this speed.

‘Come to think of it, it’s only natural. For whatever reason, they consider me important. Moreover, it’s wartime. To kidnap me without being caught by anyone, they would have to dispatch one of the top masters in their organization.’

In that case, someone with exceptional skill in movement techniques would be the most suitable. It was only natural that this man’s speed was so astonishingly fast.

‘Anyway…’

Ji So-hyeon swallowed hard.

‘What was that? That killing intent?’

Her inner energy was sealed, weakening her senses. But her five senses were intact.

Her senses were telling her. The explosive killing intent that had emanated from somewhere a moment ago was so powerful that even a supreme master couldn’t handle it.

‘A Limitless Master?!’

It was a Limitless Master’s killing intent. Ji So-hyeon knew it instinctively.

And as soon as that killing intent erupted, the man who had kidnapped her was running.

‘Someone came to save me!’

It seemed that the secret code she had left with Jongnam had worked.

‘But there shouldn’t be a Limitless Master in the Jongnam Sect? Did they perhaps request support?’

Ji So-hyeon tried to calm her pounding heart.

‘Let’s stay calm. I can’t escape in my current state. The unknown Limitless Master might not be able to save me.’

The only fortunate thing was that she could still manipulate the minute external energy somehow.

If she could create an opening with that small move, and if that could lead to a chance to escape, that would be the best she could hope for.

‘But… who could it be?’

An uncontrollable curiosity.

Soon after, she got the answer to her question.

Swish, swish, swish!

Hanging on the kidnapper’s shoulder, Ji So-hyeon realized that she had entered a dark forest.

‘If the opponent is a Limitless Master, I won’t be able to confuse them? Why go through the forest?’

It was then.

Something round slipped out of the kidnapper’s sleeve.

Ji So-hyeon’s eyes widened.

‘A fire bomb?’

Boom!

It wasn’t a fire bomb, but a poison bomb.

The strange smoke that spread in all directions as soon as it exploded blurred Ji So-hyeon’s vision. She couldn’t smell it, but she knew at a glance that it was a deadly poison.

‘Damn it! It’s not a fire bomb, but poison!’

If it were a fire bomb, a Limitless Master’s monstrous inner energy could suppress the impact.

But poison was different. She had heard that while a Limitless Master could easily detoxify most poisons, they couldn’t detoxify all of them.

‘Damn it.’

Ji So-hyeon bit her lip.

“Interesting.”

It seemed that the pursuer was still quite far away, as she couldn’t see them yet. But the voice was clearly audible to Ji So-hyeon.

“A Wild Wind Poison Bomb… So it could be used like a thunderclap bomb instead of being shot with a golden iron cannon? They’ve made a lot of improvements.”

Ji So-hyeon’s eyes widened.

The voice was quite familiar. At the same time, it was quite unfamiliar. It was definitely a voice she had heard a long time ago.

Boom!

A loud explosion erupted, and a crimson blaze began to rise.

The red flames, smashing through the trees, poured out like a raging river. Ji So-hyeon instinctively turned her head. Even though she was quite far away, her whole face felt hot.

‘The Yang Energy Technique?!’

Was there anyone in the Central Plains who could use such a terrifying Yang Energy Technique [a martial art focused on generating heat and power]?

‘It’s incredible! Who is it?!’

It was then.

Clang, clang, clang!

Along with the sound of metal scales clashing, something huge drew a semicircle.

Wham, wham, wham, wham!

A black axe, shattering everything in its path.

The huge axe, darker than the darkness of night, looked like a bat with a deformed body. The bat, with its wings spread wide, was flying wildly from side to side, smashing the giant trees.

Ji So-hyeon’s eyes widened.

‘A Great Axe?!’

Was there anyone in this martial world, among the Limitless Masters, who used such a large axe?

Suddenly, she recalled a past conversation that had been buried in her memory.

‘Why do you keep telling me to eat?’

‘Because you must be hungry.’

‘Is it right for someone who claims to care about others to kidnap someone’s disciple to lure them out?’

‘Indeed. I find this situation quite deplorable myself.’

Ji So-hyeon’s mouth dropped open.

‘Yeon Ho-Jeong!’

The Azure Wall Tiger General, or more recently, the person more famous by the alias Black and White Emperor and the title of Black Emperor Castle Lord.

The man who had kidnapped her in the past to lure out her master, and the unprecedented prodigy who was said to have been born with the greatest talent in the history of martial arts. The world called him the owner of an unfathomable talent that had deviated from the natural flow of the heavens, and there were even voices saying that it was okay to declare him the next greatest martial artist of all time.

That Yeon Ho-Jeong had come to find her.

“Ji So-jeo, are you listening?”

Even though he didn’t shout loudly, his heavy and cold voice echoed in her ears.

Ji So-hyeon didn’t answer. For some reason, her heart was pounding like crazy with a sense of joy, but she couldn’t open her mouth rashly, as the kidnapper might harm her.

“The life force I feel from your presence is considerable. You don’t seem to be unconscious. Just wait a little longer. I’ll save you.”

Ji So-hyeon wanted to say something. She wanted to joke that her fate might have been dragged into a kidnapping crime because of him.

‘Damn it, I’m so glad to see you!’

It was then.

Thump, thump, thump!

Ji So-hyeon’s body shook wildly. The kidnapper was moving dynamically from side to side, smashing the tree trunks.

Crack! Crash!

Even if you are a master who breaks through everything in your path, if your vision is limited by the falling trees, your martial arts implementation will naturally slow down, and the speed at which you break through will also slow down.

They couldn’t just break through everything in front of them. Because the kidnapper was carrying a victim.

It was a rather intelligent tactic. Even though it was his first time kidnapping someone, he seemed to have a lot of experience in escaping pursuers and chasing those who were escaping.

But all that experience was useless in front of Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Flash!

The moment a streak of fire took the shape of a great roc’s wings.

Boom!

Appearing like a bolt of lightning through the center of the falling trees, it was like watching a pillar of fire erupt from an exploding palace.

Ji So-hyeon’s face brightened.

Blood Wings Soaring to the Heavens, unleashed by pouring out all of his Yellow Dragon Energy, finally, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s figure began to appear to her.

“Yo.”

A cheerful tone that didn’t suit the situation.

Ji So-hyeon suddenly realized that Yeon Ho-Jeong’s complexion was very pale, but she slightly forgot about it because of her overwhelming joy.

“The Yin Emperor senior came with me to save you. Just wait a little longer.”

Ji So-hyeon’s eyes widened.

She couldn’t help but respond to those words.

“M-Master is here?!”

“Yes.”

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t miss the slight disturbance in the kidnapper’s energy.

‘As expected!’

They were definitely from the Evil Sound Sect.

Furthermore, those clothes and that movement technique were extremely familiar. They were definitely the clothes of the Spirit Turtle Guards, and the movement technique was also that of the Evil Sound Sect.

Ji So-hyeon shouted.

“How could Master… !”

Flash!

“Agh!”

Ji So-hyeon couldn’t help but scream at the white wind blade that was shot at an incredible speed.

It was the wind blade of the White Tiger Energy that Yeon Ho-Jeong had unleashed. The wind blade grazed the kidnapper’s shoulder and pierced a hole in a rock in front of them.

If her body had shaken even slightly, Ji So-hyeon’s body would have been pierced.

Ji So-hyeon realized. This wind blade was aimed at her.

And it was entirely thanks to the kidnapper’s skill that she had avoided it.

‘Why?!’

The answer to her question came immediately.

“They used the Yin Emperor senior and kidnapped you as well. It seems that you two, master and disciple, are essential talents for the Evil Sound Sect.”

Whoosh.

The killing intent emanating from Yeon Ho-Jeong was as fast as a gale and as fierce as a storm.

“His movement technique is too fast. I don’t know what obstacles might be ahead.”

“… !”

“I’m sorry to the Yin Emperor senior, but if I can’t save you, I think it’s better to kill you. I believe you understand.”

Ji So-hyeon felt her whole body stiffen at Yeon Ho-Jeong’s cold words.

Her tension was directly conveyed to the kidnapper.

“I don’t understand!”

Ji So-hyeon shouted angrily.

“You said Master came! How can I die like this without even seeing Master’s face… !”

“If you are dragged away by them, you won’t be able to see your senior in the future anyway.”

“… !”

“For the sake of the Central Plains, and for the sake of your master, it would be better to die here than to be dragged away.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes narrowed.

“I can’t wait any longer. I’ve wasted too much time.”

Clang, clang, clang!

The Azure Dragon Chain stretched out.

“I’m sorry.”

“No!”

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong launched the Mad Dragon Axe in a straight line.

At the same time, the kidnapper and Ji So-hyeon soared high into the sky.

Whirr!

The Mad Dragon Axe swept through the spot where the kidnapper had jumped.

At that moment, the kidnapper realized.

‘I can’t shake him off.’

He was confident that he wouldn’t be caught in the pursuit. But he wasn’t confident that he could protect the hostage’s life.

If that guy decided to throw his axe or shoot wind blades, Ji So-hyeon would be in danger. He wasn’t confident that he could prevent her from being hit even once.

In the end, he had to end it here.

Wham!

At the same time as retrieving the Mad Dragon Axe, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s movement speed, as he flew up after the kidnapper, was dazzling.

The three of them fell to the ground.

The kidnapper, who landed first, turned around and unleashed a palm strike.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

Whirr!

A powerful palm technique that blew away everything in front of him. But Yeon Ho-Jeong, yielding to the force of the palm strike, spun like a falling leaf and landed safely on the ground.

It was the Azure Dragon Skill, the Azure Dragon Cloud Step. It was a martial art he hadn’t used in a long time, but it seemed even more skillful than before he had ascended to the Yellow Dragon [a higher level of martial arts mastery].

Cling, cling, cling!

The sound of the chains clashing was particularly harsh.

Yeon Ho-Jeong and the kidnapper glared at each other.

“Have you given up on escaping?”

“… I have no choice.”

Ji So-hyeon, who had been hanging on the kidnapper’s shoulder, floated up and was placed on a rock behind them.

Ji So-hyeon stared at the kidnapper with cold eyes, without resisting.

Even without looking back, the kidnapper realized. That Ji So-hyeon’s words and reaction were not genuine.

He realized that she was ready to end her own life without hesitation if necessary.

‘She managed to hold on all the way here.’

If they had left the continent, she would have truly ended her life then.

“There’s no other way. I’ll have to kill you and then head back to the mountains.”

“That’s a good decision, but you’re overconfident.”

Even as he spoke, Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

‘What is this guy?’

The voice was somehow familiar.

Yeon Ho-Jeong tapped the Mad Dragon Axe.

“What’s your name?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“You’re too strong to be a member of the Spirit Turtle Guards?”

At that moment, the kidnapper’s eyes blazed.

“You know about the Spirit Turtle Guards?”

A sinking voice.

“… Well, it seems you’re a guy I shouldn’t have let live anyway.”

Swoosh.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes widened.

Three claw-like blades appeared on the man’s fist.

“Flying Demon of the Heavens, Sa Woo.”