Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1180

“Indeed.”

The two, having passed Twin Streams, decided to take a short rest.

Tang Yu-gwang, after quenching his thirst, looked up at the sky and muttered,

“The air isn’t good.”

The cloudy sky looked as if it would pour down a rain of fire at any moment.

“When a bloody battle occurs, the stench of blood permeates the area. But now, it’s worse than that. It’s as if a few drops of ink have tainted clear water, making the whole world dull and dark.”

Tang Hyeong, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, opened them.

“Do you feel it too?”

“The movement of the sky is also unusual. Though the stars are not visible, the energy is off.”

“Now you even look at the heavens?”

“Astronomy and geography are essential for a strategist. But now, unless you look beyond the heavens and into the celestial secrets, you can’t know what’s happening.”

“……”

“I can only feel that the flow of the air is ominous… that’s all.”

‘He certainly sees things differently,’ Tang Hyeong thought.

Tang Yu-gwang was a hidden master unknown to the world, a man who could subdue even the leaders of the Nine Great Sects within twenty moves if he were to enter the martial world. If he actively used poison and hidden weapons, he was a killer who could eliminate ten sect leaders before a fight even began.

Though he had not reached the pinnacle of martial arts, he was a true master standing at the edge of what a human body could achieve.

However, what was even more remarkable than his martial arts was his knowledge, insight, and experience as a strategist.

Tang Yu-gwang, with his strategist’s abilities, could sense what Tang Hyeong, a master of the supreme realm, felt. In other words, he had reached the supreme realm not through martial arts, but as a strategist.

“Anyway, anyone who exudes such a strong stench of blood must possess a calamitous level of power. Even you in your prime would have difficulty defeating him.”

“It’s not just about power.”

Tang Hyeong’s eyes deepened.

“That man is one of the leaders of the Three Teachings. I’ve heard that the Blood Demon Sect is the closest to orthodoxy even within the demonic martial world. He’s probably far more demonic than the Yin Demon Sect or the Divine Transformation Sect. The man we’re about to face can be considered the pinnacle of demonic beings of this era.”

“We’ve gotten ourselves into a mess.”

“And…”

Tang Hyeong smiled.

“My prime is right now.”

It meant that a martial artist’s prime could not be in the past. It was truly a prideful statement befitting the Dark King.

“I was worried because your complexion was getting paler, but I didn’t need to be.”

“The last flame is always the most brilliant and hot.”

Tang Yu-gwang grumbled.

“I know we came here risking our lives, but stop implying death. It’s grating on my ears.”

“For someone who is detached from life and death, that’s quite a statement.”

“Being okay with dying and not enjoying a fight are two completely different things.”

Tang Yu-gwang looked around again.

“So, when are the informants coming?”

“They will contact us soon.”

Tang Hyeong’s words were correct.

After a short while, a Tang Clan informant wearing a mask appeared.

“Greetings to the Supreme Clan Leader!”

“Where are they?”

“We cannot pinpoint their exact location! However, there is intelligence that those suspected of being the culprits were found near Mount Leshan!”

“Mount Leshan?!”

The two men’s eyes flashed.

They had moved from Mount Emei to Mount Leshan? It was a completely unexpected move.

Mount Leshan was south of Chengdu, and further south was Yunnan Province.

If they intended to go to Yunnan Province, there was no need to come all the way to Mount Leshan. Therefore, the culprits were likely to take the main road from Mount Leshan and head straight for Chengdu.

And the Tang Clan was in Chengdu.

“It seems like they’ve taken the wrong path? It might have been better to prepare at the main family’s estate.”

Tang Hyeong shook his head at Tang Yu-gwang’s words.

“Since they destroyed Emei, it would be most logical to assume they would destroy another branch of the Sichuan Three Clans. But for some reason, I don’t think they’re targeting the main family.”

“Why do you think so?”

“If they were targeting the main family, they would have come straight through from the beginning and attacked it before Emei.”

Tang Yu-gwang, after thinking for a moment, nodded.

“You’re right, I suppose.”

Chengdu in Sichuan was the most populous place in Sichuan.

At the same time, it was also the most heavily defended place. The reason was simple. The Tang Clan was there.

The Tang Clan possessed what the Emei Sect and Qingcheng Sect did not. It was a fortress with all sorts of poisons, hidden weapons, explosives, and various mechanical devices.

Of course, even if they had reached the supreme realm, it would be difficult for just two people to engage in an all-out war with the Tang Clan.

However, like the surprise attack on the Emei Sect, it was not impossible to bypass all the defenses and approach the Tang Clan directly. They were supreme masters, but the surprise attack was likely successful because they were unexpected enemies that were not being watched.

Besides, if rumors spread that the Sichuan Tang Clan had been devastated by two unknown figures, the entire martial world would be shocked.

Their behavior of revealing their presence by destroying Emei first, instead of taking that good opportunity, was not logical at all.

“It’s illogical, so they might actually be targeting the main family…”

Tang Yu-gwang, who had been moving his lips, nodded.

“If we’re talking about possibilities, their goal might be to escape Sichuan.”

“That’s just a possibility, but it’s more plausible than attacking the main family.”

Tang Hyeong said to the informant,

“We will move east immediately. Use all the resources of the intelligence unit to report to us every hour.”

“I will follow the Supreme Clan Leader’s orders!”

The two men, having sent the informant away, moved east again.

The two men’s speed was incredibly fast. Tang Hyeong’s movement technique was needless to say, and Tang Yu-gwang’s was no less impressive.

Even though the difference in speed between a supreme master and a peak expert was not that great, Tang Yu-gwang’s skill was truly remarkable. It was hard to believe that he had retired with such great skill.

Numerous informants followed the two men as they moved quickly.

And each time, the two men’s route changed slightly.

“It has been reported that those suspected of destroying Emei were sighted in Zigong!”

“The identities of the culprits have become clearer! One appears to be a young man in his twenties or thirties, and the other appears to be close to fifty!”

“There is a report that the culprits have headed to Yibin! They stopped at a village along the way, but the village is safe and unharmed!”

“Thousands of members of the Togu Clan [A powerful clan known for their martial prowess] who entered Sichuan yesterday have formed an eastern front! The remaining Togu Clan members are moving south, and they are thoroughly blocking any outsiders from leaving Sichuan!”

“Five hundred veteran masters of the Old Togu Clan, former members of the Togu Clan, have appeared from the southeast!”

“Information from the Beggar Clan has also arrived! The culprits have reportedly returned to Mount Leshan!”

“Report! The culprits, who have been constantly moving, are still staying at Mount Leshan even though it’s time for them to leave! From now on, I will cut the reports to every half hour!”

“The culprits are still staying at Mount Leshan!”

“The culprits have moved! They are moving towards the Great Buddha Pavilion inside Mount Leshan!”

“It’s a disaster! All the civilians near the Great Buddha Pavilion have been killed!”

The two men, having circled back, returned to Mount Leshan.

Before heading to the Great Buddha Pavilion, the two men had no choice but to stop.

“Oh no… !”

Tang Yu-gwang involuntarily groaned.

Numerous corpses were scattered everywhere. They were the people who lived near the pavilion.

At a glance, there were hundreds of them. Not a single corpse was intact. Each one was either torn apart or grotesquely mangled, a sight so horrific that a weak-hearted person might die of shock on the spot.

Swoosh!

A ragged old man approached the two men from afar.

“Greetings to the Tang Clan’s Supreme and collateral lineage masters.”

Despite being well over seventy years old, he bowed respectfully.

Tang Yu-gwang frowned.

“How did you know I was from the collateral lineage?”

“Our clan’s intelligence network is quite remarkable.”

“With such good intelligence, you couldn’t predict that I’d be offended?”

“A collateral lineage is still a collateral lineage, not inferior to the direct lineage, so there’s no reason for you to be offended, senior.”

Even in this serious situation, his eloquence stood out. Tang Yu-gwang scoffed.

“The Beggar Clan has always been like this. I’ve never liked them.”

He crossed his arms and turned his head, looking like a teenage girl.

Tang Hyeong opened his mouth.

“What’s your name?”

Unlike Tang Yu-gwang, it was the question of an absolute master who should never let his guard down.

“I am Jang Gon of the Old Beggar Clan.”

“Weren’t you one of the former elders?”

“I’m honored that you recognize me.”

“You were someone I wouldn’t mind sharing a drink with. But given the situation, let’s have that drink later.”

“As you wish.”

Jang Gon pointed to the pile of corpses.

“Those two’s martial arts are beyond imagination. By the time the Old Beggar Clan members arrived, the massacre had already begun, and about thirty members, blinded by rage, charged at them but were unilaterally killed.”

Jang Gon’s voice was filled with unconcealed anger.

It was natural. Although they had half-retired and hadn’t seen each other often, they were proud comrades who had shared a generation.

“I thought about charging at them all at once, but I gave up.”

Tang Yu-gwang sneered.

“Why? Were you afraid for your life?”

“Even if the entire Old Beggar Clan were to be wiped out, we would have charged if we could have captured them.”

“……”

“Even if we all charged, I don’t think we could win. We might be able to catch one, but it would be difficult to catch both.”

Tang Yu-gwang’s face hardened.

They were people he didn’t even want to sit at the same table with, but five hundred members of the Old Beggar Clan were a force that could easily overwhelm most sects. Moreover, they were experts in organized combat, giving them an even greater advantage when facing a small elite force.

And those men were saying that even if they all charged, they would be annihilated, and they were lamenting that they didn’t have the confidence to kill both of them.

‘Indeed, the order to prepare the Wind and Earth Soul-Binding Formation was not an empty one.’

Tang Hyeong nodded.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

“Are you going to face the culprits?”

“I have to.”

“We will guide you.”

“No need, you all should retreat to a radius of two hundred yards from the battlefield.”

Jang Gon’s eyes wavered.

Not a hundred yards, but two hundred yards. Even for top experts, to retreat two hundred yards when only four people were fighting.

But he couldn’t argue. It was the Dark King’s word, after all.

“Understood.”

The two men, having sent Jang Gon away, began to walk slowly.

Tang Yu-gwang’s eyes, as he looked at the corpses, gradually became bloodshot.

“There’s demonic energy lingering on the corpses.”

“Indeed.”

“Thank you for calling me. It’s been a while since I’ve been this angry.”

And so, the two men finally reached the front of the Great Buddha Pavilion.

In front of the Great Buddha Pavilion, a large chair was placed with its backrest facing forward.

On that chair sat a man with his legs crossed, and next to him stood another man, respectfully attending to him.

‘……’

Tang Hyeong’s energy surged.

‘Incredible demonic energy.’

At that moment, the man sitting on the chair opened his mouth.

“I wanted to enjoy this peacefully for a few days, but I don’t know why you all are making so much noise.”

Tang Hyeong said coldly,

“If you like enjoying it so much, go to the afterlife and enjoy it to your heart’s content. Why did you come all the way here?”

“……Oh?”

“Let’s see that handsome face of yours. Get up.”