Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1223

“Huff! Huff!”

Yayul Daeguk’s face was deathly pale as he coughed.

‘Damn it! How could this…!’

He desperately tried to draw upon the Yin Soul Great Demonic Power from the depths of his being.

His inner energy was still there. Although he had used a considerable amount, he had never had significant issues with Qi [internal energy] accumulation after reaching the Extreme State. It wasn’t as good as before, but Qi was still accumulating naturally.

However, having inner energy and being able to use it properly were two completely different things.

‘Why won’t it move properly!’

Thud!

The sound that echoed through his head was like a thunderclap.

With excruciating pain, blood streamed from his nose. He used some of his inner energy circulating through his blood points to constrict the blood vessels, stopping the bleeding and sealing the wound, but it was only a temporary measure.

Thump! Thud!

Sounds of something snapping echoed from his forearm and near his life gate.

‘Crazy!’

It was Penetrating Force [a type of energy that can pierce through defenses].

The intense Penetrating Force, still unresolved, was moving through his body, and it was now exploding without restraint in weakened areas.

It was a terrifying force. If he had been struck in the shoulder, collarbone, or shoulder blade, it would have been truly dangerous. Since the location was above the chest, if there had been any issues with the blood points or nerves leading to the brain, this Penetrating Force would have relentlessly penetrated and exploded there.

If that had happened, even Yayul Daeguk would not have escaped instant death.

But things weren’t good now either. In some ways, it was worse. The back was centered around the spine, and the spine was the center of the entire body.

The Penetrating Force that had spread along the spine was now branching out in several directions, targeting various parts of his body. He wasn’t dead yet, but it was a critical situation.

‘What kind of martial art is this?’

No matter how powerful the Penetrating Force was, if his inner energy was intact, Yayul Daeguk should have been able to extract it with his own power.

The same was true for this Penetrating Force. It was moving around his body like several living snakes, but if the Yin Soul Great Demonic Power had been working properly, he could have evaporated it in a few breaths.

In the end, that was the problem.

The inner energy stuck in his dantian [energy center] was not moving properly.

‘This isn’t some kind of demonic sorcery or Taoist magic. If it were, I would have known.’

Yayul Daeguk’s eyes wavered.

‘This is just martial arts and the harmony of Qi. But how…!’

It was then.

Swoosh.

One of the Penetrating Forces stealthily moved towards his dantian.

Yayul Daeguk was horrified. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if a Penetrating Force with a different nature entered his dantian.

Chi-i-i-ik!

He pulled some of the energy circulating through his blood points again to push away the Penetrating Force.

It was at that moment.

Twitch!

A terrifying pain surged in his lower abdomen.

His dantian was pulled in the same direction as the approaching Penetrating Force. It was as if his entire dantian was afraid of the Penetrating Force.

Of course, that was absurd. It was almost unheard of for the dantian to move so fluidly.

‘This is?’

However.

In the midst of the excruciating pain, Yayul Daeguk finally realized.

‘Incompatible…?’

That’s right.

The Penetrating Force that Yeon Ho-Jeong had unleashed, or rather, the true energy within it, was incompatible with Yayul Daeguk’s Yin Soul Great Demonic Power.

It wasn’t a complete incompatibility. It was an incompatibility at the level of natural enemies. If it had been a natural enemy at that level, his blood points would have been destroyed the moment it penetrated, and his inner energy would have reversed, killing him.

‘The Yin Soul Great Demonic Power is a demonic art close to the ultimate! It’s a high-density demonic art that can even fight against the supreme divine arts of Buddhism! How can such a demonic art…?!’

Even within the Evil Sound Sect, the only thing comparable to the Yin Soul Great Demonic Power was the Yin Desolate Martial Art. Beyond that, there were the arts of the gods, but those were not something humans could learn in the first place.

In other words, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s true energy was like a natural enemy to the demonic art that was considered the strongest in the Evil Sound Sect.

‘I can’t understand it. The Yin Soul Great Demonic Power has become more perfect with the demonic essence and evil energy of Mount Yeong. It’s a martial art that follows the lineage of the few orthodox demonic arts in the Blood Cult….’

It was then.

Yayul Daeguk’s eyes widened.

‘Yoo Cheon-Ju….’

Yeon Ho-Jeong had said that the Blood Demon Cult Leader had died at his hands.

He thought it was nonsense. Even if he had really died, there was no way he would have died at the hands of someone like Yeon Ho-Jeong. It was more believable that he had gone berserk from Qi deviation and died.

However.

‘A natural enemy of demonic arts… and even of the orthodox demonic arts of the Blood Cult… then what about Yoo Cheon-Ju’s demonic arts?!’

If Yeon Ho-Jeong had really killed Yoo Cheon-Ju, it meant that his martial arts were naturally opposed to the martial arts of the demonic heretics.

Now, Yayul Daeguk was finally approaching the truth.

If the Yin Soul Great Demonic Power he had mastered had the density of Cheon Wi-Ryong’s Twin Dragon Demonic Art.

If that had been the case, he would have almost certainly died the first time he fought Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Even Cheon Wi-Ryong, whose level of mastery and strength were on a different dimension, had been defeated by Yeon Ho-Jeong. Someone like Yayul Daeguk would have been crushed in less than thirty, no, twenty moves.

‘No way! No matter how much of a natural enemy relationship there is, there are countless types of demonic and divine arts! It’s not like it’s categorized into any one type, and there’s a divine art that’s the natural enemy of all demonic arts? Even Taoist or Buddhist martial arts can’t do that!’

But that was the truth.

The Yellow Dragon Divine King Art was the ultimate martial art created by Cheon In-Ryong, the orthodox successor of the Blood Cult, by combining the Five Colors Hell Art and the Death God Dance.

As someone from the Blood Cult, he knew well how vicious the Blood Cult’s demonic arts were, so he had imbued the Yellow Dragon’s formulas and methods with the power to crush the Hell Art.

The Hell Art was the pinnacle of all demonic arts and a demonic god’s secret art that humans could not master. Being able to break the Hell Art meant that it was the natural enemy of all demonic arts in the world.

Yayul Daeguk was also considered a genius, but he could not keep up with Cheon In-Ryong, the greatest master of martial arts in history. Unless he understood what his vision showed and what he had been seeking, Yayul Daeguk could never fully understand this incompatible relationship.

If Taoist and Buddhist martial arts were water, demonic arts were fire.

Fire could be extinguished with water, but conversely, if the fire was strong enough, it could evaporate the water.

However, the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art was a dark cloud.

If the user’s ability was sufficient, they could bring rain at any time, in any situation. No matter how fierce the fire was, it could not reach the sky, and in that sense, the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art formed a much more vicious incompatible relationship than the divine arts of Taoism and Buddhism.

‘I have to go.’

With an even paler complexion, Yayul Daeguk stood up.

‘I have to inform the Lord about this. It’s unlikely, but if his martial arts are also incompatible…!’

Thwack!

“Kuaaak!”

Finally, a strand of Penetrating Force pierced through the flesh below his right rib.

Chi-i-i-ik!

White smoke rose from the wound.

‘I’m going.’

He could give up his life at any time.

But thinking of the Lord, he absolutely could not die like this. Yayul Daeguk’s eyes began to be filled with fanaticism.

‘Move! I can’t lose to something like incompatibility! It’s just a Penetrating Force!’

Twitch!

The Yin Soul Great Demonic Power within his dantian finally stirred.

Thwack!

Another strand of Penetrating Force pierced through the flesh of his thigh.

The only good thing was that the Penetrating Force that had come out was released outside his body. The inner energy circulating through his blood points was somehow pushing out the Penetrating Force with the help of its master’s strong will.

However, he had to lose some nerves, muscles, and flesh.

“Uaaaaaa!!”

Thud! Thud!

Blood spurted from his upper arm, abdomen, and back.

His flesh was tattered, and several blood points were severely damaged. Each of the damaged blood points was a crucial path for the circulation of inner energy.

“Huff! Huff!”

Zing! Ziiing!

Only then did the Yin Soul Great Demonic Power surge and try to actively heal his body.

But he couldn’t heal it right away. Although it was a demonic art with advantages in body restoration, his blood points and some of his nerves were damaged, making it difficult even to use his movement techniques.

Yayul Daeguk, who had been moving north as if possessed, suddenly twitched.

‘Is someone watching me?’

That couldn’t be.

Even if that were the case, now was not the time to think about such things. He had to report this unbelievable fact to the Lord as soon as possible. For him, the Lord’s safety was ten thousand times more important than the safety of the Blood Revered Master.

So he headed north again.

Although he couldn’t use his movement techniques for the time being, he gritted his teeth and limped north.

While he was doing so, the eyes of the Yellow Dragon, whose very existence had become incompatible with him, were gathering in Shanxi, having foreseen the various variables of his actions.

* * *

The White Lightning Spear, flying silently, was like lightning itself, just as its name suggested.

Kwaaang!

With a single punch, the White Lightning Spear was sent flying high into the sky.

Although he was said to be Ji Ma-Hoo’s teacher, the age difference was not significant. However, Cheon Hwa-Je was a true master who was well-versed in the numerous demonic martial arts of the Blood Demon Cult.

Mok Won’s eyes flashed.

Pa-ba-ba-bang!

He deployed the White Steel Armor and instantly broke into the outer edge of the central army.

He didn’t think he could kill him with the White Lightning Spear. But he also didn’t expect it to be deflected so easily.

A great master, at least his martial power was comparable to the Three Emperors.

‘That’s why I have to stop him.’

There must be a reason why Yeon Ho-Jeong was trying to stop this great army. Well, any martial artist would have to stop them.

The important thing was that Yeon Ho-Jeong couldn’t handle even a master of this level.

‘Ho-Jeong’s martial arts have developed dazzlingly. He cut through the waist of tens of thousands of troops alone.’

It was there that Mok Won found what he had to do.

‘Ho-Jeong always sought out and eliminated the enemy’s leader. It’s because he knows that it’s the easiest way to dismantle the enemy’s group. But now, he’s putting aside the leader and stopping the great army first.’

That meant it was that urgent.

Even though it was urgent, he cut through the waist alone. He couldn’t really stop them all, but for the time being, he could at least block the path even if he was rampaging alone.

Then, what Mok Won had to do now was to take on the enemy’s leaders.

Thwack!

Mok Won, who had blown away five demons with a brutal punch, instantly flew up and grabbed the White Lightning Spear.

At that moment, Mok Won and Cheon Hwa-Je’s eyes met.

“You!”

“You come here.”

Pa-ba-ba-ba-bak!

The White Lightning Spear, empowered by the Heavenly Martial Divine Weapon, unleashed the Dragon Whisker Spear Technique.

It was the spear technique of the White Army General, who had surprised So Hyun-Lip, known as the Spear King. Although it was originally a martial art of the Martial Sect, each phantom spear boasted a hardness greater than steel, making it a powerful force with a wide range of attacks.

Cheon Hwa-Je’s two fists moved like crazy.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!

It was a battle between absolute masters that unfolded in the upper part of the demon army, in the sky.

The shockwaves were so intense that about thirty demons from the rear army fell on the spot. Their joints were crushed by the pressure generated above their heads.

Kwaang!

Mok Won’s hand holding the White Lightning Spear trembled faintly.

‘He’s strong!’

Demonic martial arts techniques were unleashed with bare hands.

They had already clashed three times, but he couldn’t find a weak point. The power was immense, but the continuous attacks that flowed naturally had no openings.

‘Even in this urgent situation, he’s showing off such martial arts.’

Flash!

With a straight White Steel Armor, he immediately broke into the middle of the rear army.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The White Lightning Spear, wielded with one hand, and his left hand, which was not holding the spear, followed the Body-Weapon Combat Path, blowing off the heads of the demons.

“You infidel!!”

Cheon Hwa-Je, descending with a roar, had an enormous killing intent exploding from his eyes.

“Don’t engage him head-on, move quickly! Do you really want to die?!”

At that moment, a monstrous roar echoed.

Following that, loud screams were heard from the end of the rear army.

With an earth-shaking tremor, the rear army was pushed to the left and right even as it advanced.

And beyond that, a huge something was rushing towards Mok Won at an incredible speed.