Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1222

It’s outrageous.

No single individual can fight against the world.

That statement was both a truth and a symbolic metaphor. No matter how skilled an individual might be, facing a multitude is incredibly difficult.

The closest to reaching the pinnacle of individual skill are the masters who have ascended to the Supreme Extremes [a realm of martial arts mastery]. Having honed their essence, energy, and spirit to the utmost, they have transcended human limitations and entered the realm of the semi-immortal, wielding power beyond the common sense of the mortal world.

The power to stand against a great sect alone means that an individual can replace the strength of a group, and perhaps they could be considered rebels against heaven simply by existing.

But now, watching the demonic army of the Blood Demon Cult surging south like a giant serpent,

Yeon Ho-Jeong thought. Even he, who had risen to a considerable height, could never single-handedly defeat tens of thousands of troops.

Perhaps the Heavenly Dragon [a legendary martial artist] might have had a sliver of a chance. It was due to the nature of the demonic arts he had mastered, rather than the level he had reached.

If he were in the midst of a torrential downpour or crossing a river, he could use his overwhelming electric power to repel a large army, though it wouldn’t be an easy task.

Similarly, if Moyong Gun were to break through to the Supreme Extremes, he would be able to display martial prowess that could halt the advance of a large army, even if he couldn’t annihilate them all.

But it was impossible for Yeon Ho-Jeong.

While controlling fire and lightning is also a manipulation of energy, it is impossible to wield it limitlessly like the legendary Fire God or Thunder God. It was not a power granted to humans in the first place.

That’s why Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial arts were pure.

There were times when he unleashed the fire of the Vermilion Bird [a mythical fire bird] and times when he suppressed fire with the water of the Black Tortoise [a mythical water creature], but ultimately, his battles always came down to the forms of martial arts that humanity had built up over history.

At the same time, that was why Yeon Ho-Jeong had transcended the human realm.

The martial arts he had built up day by day since entering the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art [a powerful martial arts technique], accepting the power of nature without adhering to a single attribute, had ultimately reached the realm of the divine.

It was not that he was born a human and learned inhuman techniques, but that he had accepted the culmination of human skills and reached the ultimate realm.

Having reached this level with the ultimate power achieved through that purity, Yeon Ho-Jeong could not help but become stronger than anyone else.

And because he was human.

The unique supernatural power that a human could exert, the power of the mind, was loading his axe with the force of ten thousand pounds.

The Mad Dragon Axe, imbued with the power of a collapsing mountain, struck down at the waist of the serpent, the center of the demonic army.

Kwaaaang!!

It was a destructive force unlike anything he had shown before.

The strike, delivered from high above with the force of a thousand pounds, shook the mountains and rivers, and the heavens and earth groaned, announcing the appearance of the Four Divine Martial Lord to the world.

“Kuaaaak!”

It wasn’t a scream.

Over twenty demons caught in the force of the collapsing mountain were turned into a bloody mess on the spot. Seeing that, the demons rushing from the rear let out beast-like roars.

They weren’t just like beasts; they were practically beasts.

The appearance of those forming the central army was truly extraordinary. They all had iron chains around their necks and wrists, large tiger-like claws on their hands, and sharp fangs protruding from their gaping mouths.

Their skin was black, and their clothes were all tattered. Both men and women were dressed like this. They were even barefoot, their toenails as sharp as those of beasts.

They were somewhere between humans and beasts. Whatever they were, they were not in human form.

Even Yeon Ho-Jeong’s senses felt their presence as something special.

‘They’re dangerous.’

He had killed twenty or so, but there were still nearly five thousand beasts left.

There were five thousand in the central army alone, and roughly over two thousand in the front and rear armies. In other words, there were nearly ten thousand of these inhuman beings.

‘Their life force and demonic energy are twisted in a bizarre way. They’re mixed but not blended. Even a top master would be contaminated by the demonic energy if they got too close…!’

It was unbelievable.

It was said that the Blood Demon Cult was the group that inherited the most of the original Blood Sect’s traditions. What kind of organization was the Blood Sect to produce such absurd monsters?

“Advance!”

A shout echoed from afar.

It had a powerful authority, yet it felt somewhat vacant. It was almost like madness? It was urging unconditional advance.

‘Whatever it is.’

Kwaaaang!

He advanced from the center of the central army towards the rear, swinging the Mad Dragon Axe.

The triple strike of Ruthless, Collapsing Mountain, and Ascending Force exploded. With that storm-like energy release, over fifty beasts were sent flying with their limbs shattered.

‘I’ll hold them back as long as I can.’

He knew it from looking into their eyes.

They were mad.

Whether it was the death of the Blood Demon Cult Lord, Cheon Wi-Ryong, that had affected them, without exception, their eyes were vacant.

‘Their spiritual energy is strange too.’

Using the power of the Divine King Art, he could see faint threads on the Baihui points [the crown of the head] of the normal demons among the beasts.

The problem was that those threads were fluttering as if they were broken. No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t seem normal.

‘Is that what the sorcerers call spiritual threads?’

He was curious, but soon Yeon Ho-Jeong lost interest in it.

What was important now was to slow down their advance. It would be best if he could completely vaporize them, but that was impossible even for him.

‘It’s better this way.’

How many more had he killed in the meantime?

No, it must have been in the hundreds. The Mad Dragon Axe, swung with infinite power, showed no mercy to anyone.

‘They’re not forming ranks to attack, they’re just moving aimlessly. Their goal is to advance, not to fight. They don’t even care if they die.’

Just like the Blood Guard Corps of Cheon Wi-Ryong, who had swarmed into the Sichuan Evil Mountains.

These guys were the same. The madness in their eyes was practically identical.

‘Then, as expected.’

Kwarururung!!

Using the Yellow Dragon Footwork, he dodged the claws and chains swinging from all directions with extremely controlled movements.

‘As far as my strength reaches!’

Kwaaang!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial arts were astonishing.

It wasn’t because his level had risen, or because the destructive power of his martial arts was great.

He dodged the attacks of the swarming demons with minimal movement, and the movements of swinging the Mad Dragon Axe were also concise and clean.

Furthermore, within those concise movements was a power beyond imagination. As if the god of wind had descended, when a semi-transparent golden gale swept through the surroundings, tens of demons were torn apart and sent flying without fail.

The power was strong, but there was no sign of him using all his strength. It was closer to achieving maximum effect with minimal power, but considering the density of the gale he was emitting, it was hard to call it minimal power.

Bang! Kwarurung!

It was an amazing divine power.

It was the martial art that had continuously grown while fighting Cheon Wi-Ryong and chasing Yayul Dae-Geuk.

It was now a martial art that was truly beginning to discuss invincibility. Even if he didn’t have the power to annihilate the demonic army like those who wielded fire and lightning, it wouldn’t be easy for those who wielded fire and lightning to defeat Yeon Ho-Jeong.

The martial art that was approaching completion, the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art that had bloomed, was proving to the world why it was called the pinnacle of human martial arts.

Chiriring!

Perhaps knowing that they couldn’t handle it, the demons swung their chains even as they charged.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes narrowed.

There were various types: those who swung the long chains like axes, those who shot them out, and those who spun them wildly.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s response to them was simple yet effective.

Kwajijijik! Puhuhuhung!

The long, heavy Mad Dragon Axe moved horizontally and vertically, smashing all the chains that were pouring in.

The overwhelming difference in power, combined with the martial god’s ability to see through all the world’s forms, was added. Without even needing to use the Mad Dragon Art, the demons’ chains were shattered like straws by the simple swings of the Mad Dragon Axe.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Next was the White Dragon Axe.

When he had taken it out, the white fang in his left hand was piercing the crowns of the demons one by one.

It was a gruesome sight, but strangely, it didn’t evoke disgust.

It was dynamic yet smooth. Fierce yet natural.

The Mad Dragon Axe, a long and heavy weapon, and the White Dragon Axe, a short and light weapon, intertwined harmoniously like the martial arts of the Wudang Sect’s Tai Chi [a Chinese martial art]. Both axes were equally dangerous to the enemies, but one axe easily did what the other could not, further pressuring the enemies.

The enlightenment given by Seung-Hyeon Jin-In and the enlightenment of the Four Divine Martial Arts, the completed form of practical forms, were combined. Yeon Ho-Jeong’s movements, which had always been passionate, were now beginning to embody the truth of all martial arts in the world.

Kwarurung! Bang! Kwaaang!

Explosions were rampant.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s simple and natural movements changed into something more spirited as time passed.

He held two axes, one long and one short, and looked as if he were performing a sword dance. As his body rotated, the two axes sprouted like wings, and when one foot began to rotate, the other foot came up to maintain balance. It was a sight that resembled a graceful crane.

Or perhaps it was like a dragon’s dance. It didn’t even feel like he was fighting enemies. If the demonic army wanted an unconditional charge, then Yeon Ho-Jeong, dancing within it, was intoxicated by the enlightenment he had brought upon himself and unleashed a martial dance.

‘This can’t be.’

Mok Won, who had rushed over from afar, was in a hurry.

Just as he was about to rush into the front lines, he witnessed that unbelievable sight.

‘What am I seeing right now?!’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s dance was the very martial arts that humanity had built up.

It was no exaggeration to call it the culmination of enlightenment. Even Mok Won, who was far away, was simply staring blankly at Yeon Ho-Jeong, immersed in mystery and ecstasy.

‘Over there… like that?’

Each movement was filled with profound principles. Even if one were to imitate a simple movement, they could not bring about the flow of power.

He was showing the level of the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art, which was beginning to rise vertically, moment by moment, while entrusting himself to the flow.

Puhuhuhung!!

The bodies of the demons exploding like fireworks could not obscure Yeon Ho-Jeong’s figure. Rather, they were being swept away in all directions by the golden wind that Yeon Ho-Jeong had created.

Amidst the scattering red blood and flesh, in the dragon dance that governed death.

Finally, a supreme master who was not tainted by madness appeared from the demonic army’s side.

“Halt the entire army! Do not approach him any further!”

The front army and part of the central army that had been cut off were still advancing.

However, the central and rear armies that had been cut off in the area where Yeon Ho-Jeong stood were blocked from advancing.

It was truly unbelievable. Over a third of the tens of thousands of troops had been stopped from advancing by a single master.

Into that pure white painting, which was nothing short of a myth, a brush filled with dark ink flew.

Pa-ba-ba-bak!

A single demon flew in, stepping on the shoulders of the demons in an instant.

As if to prove that the entire Blood Demon Cult had mobilized, the energy wave of the charging master surpassed that of the former Earth Demon Queen.

It was inevitable. He was the teacher who had directly taught the Earth Demon Queen and the fourth-ranked member of the Blood Demon Cult, the Heavenly Calamity Emperor.

“Who dares!”

At that moment, Mok Won shot out the White Lightning Spear towards the Heavenly Calamity Emperor.

It was the moment when the White Lightning Divine Army was swept into the battle that would change the fate of the Central Plains.