Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1284

Gujo scoffed.

“I don’t know how you figured that out, but a warrior proves himself with martial arts!”

Ziiing! Ziiing!

It was as if a blue lightning bolt was coursing through his entire body.

Along with the blue lightning, crimson flames danced across his body. It was a mesmerizing sight, as if the gods of fire and lightning had descended.

“Shall we have a proper fight?”

“Proper, my foot.”

Kwaaang!

He deflected the combined force of the Flame God Swordsmanship unleashed by thirty or so people, causing his upper and lower body to shake.

Each of them possessed the inner strength of a master. Thirty such masters were focusing their power and attacking in unison.

Even if their inner energy was inferior in quality, it was not a force to be ignored. It wasn’t just a combined attack by masters; it was a unified power using the Divine Flame Command Formation, making it even harder to withstand.

However, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s expression remained unchanged.

The expression that had begun to twist the moment he heard about the Demonic Art of the Evil Sound Sect remained the same.

Boooong!!

Immediately after deflecting the power of the Flame God Swordsmanship, he spun and launched a horizontal strike.

The soaring strike, a powerful upward slash from the lower to the upper, transformed into a horizontal cut. The soaring strike, filled with hot air, swept across Gujo’s upper body in an instant.

Gujo grinned.

Jjeoeoeoeong!

He deflected it.

He received the force with the shaft of his crescent blade and unleashed a soft technique. It was a skill similar to the Tai Chi of the Wudang Sect [a famous Taoist martial arts school], but there were few masters in the world who could deflect the power that Yeon Ho-Jeong unleashed.

Gujo’s martial arts were not only fast and passionate but also possessed a softness, making it a truly complete martial art.

Kwaaang!

He was unharmed, but he couldn’t perfectly control the deflected force. The force spread by the soaring strike sent over ten swordsmen of the Divine Flame Order to the afterlife.

Surprise flickered across Gujo’s face.

“That’s an incredible power!”

“Shut up.”

Papang!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had closed the distance in an instant, unleashed the Golden Dragon Heaven Piercing Palm.

The golden palm force, covering a wide area, seemed to spread like a vast net, trying to envelop Gujo.

Gujo couldn’t help but be impressed.

‘He’s truly amazing.’

He was trying to ensnare him by spreading his palm force wide without adding more power.

The opponent’s true energy was of a higher quality than his own. It meant that it was impossible to tear or break it unless it was a devastating attack.

Moreover, with such a wide-ranging palm force, it couldn’t be deflected with a soft technique. The opponent had immediately devised a flexible countermeasure after seeing his technique just once.

‘But you should know this. How I, despite being a junior among the other Flame Kings, managed to become the second in command.’

Gujo’s left palm was thrust forward.

Hook!

A heavy sphere of crimson flame pushed in.

It was as if a mountain-like weight had been placed on the weightless fire. The Heaven Piercing Palm force, spread wide, was distorted by the force of the Fiery Mountain Cannon, one of the killing moves of the Heaven Burning Demonic Palm.

And it didn’t end there. The Fiery Mountain Cannon, having pushed through the Heaven Piercing Palm, reached Yeon Ho-Jeong’s chest.

It was an ascending martial art that pushed back the opponent’s force without destroying or tearing it. It wasn’t simply about having a high concentration of true energy; it was an amazing martial art that required the ability to accurately gauge the opponent’s power and one’s own.

The corner of Yeon Ho-Jeong’s mouth twitched.

‘Not bad.’

He pressed down on the extended left palm.

Kwaaang!!

The force of the Fiery Mountain Cannon exploded, wildly stirring up the Heaven Piercing Palm force before dissipating.

Gujo’s eyes wavered.

‘How?’

It was natural that leather compressed tightly was stronger than leather spread wide.

The same was true for true energy. Even if the opponent’s inner energy was of a higher quality, it was difficult to extinguish a force as concentrated as the Fiery Mountain Cannon. It should have pushed through the opponent’s palm force entirely, but it had dissipated in the middle.

Chiiiiik!

Crimson flames and smoke rose from various parts of the Heaven Piercing Palm force. At the same time, the humidity around them increased to the point of being stuffy.

He had reduced more than half of the Fiery Mountain Cannon’s power with the Yellow Dragon Water Qi. For Yeon Ho-Jeong, who could control not only his Qi [life force or energy] but also all the energies of the Five Elements, Gujo’s force was just a slightly unique power.

And it didn’t end there.

Tueoeong!

He kicked the Flying Dragon Talisman, which was floating in the air, as if he had thrown it.

Kicking the end of the crescent blade, the huge Flying Dragon Talisman shot towards Gujo like an arrow. It looked like a giant bat spreading its wings and flying.

Gujo unleashed the Heaven Burning Demonic Blade, the Fiery Flame One Cut.

Jjeoeoeoeong!

The weight was immense.

The vibration traveled through the entire crescent blade that had struck the Flying Dragon Talisman. It felt as if the Heaven Burning Demonic Qi was being shaken from its roots.

‘Strange.’

Paah-ah-ahng!

Immediately after striking the Flying Dragon Talisman, Yeon Ho-Jeong charged forward, and Gujo, reading Yeon Ho-Jeong’s actions, approached from the side and unleashed the Heaven Burning Demonic Palm again.

The red Heaven Burning Demonic Palm and the golden Golden Dragon Heaven Piercing Palm collided, creating a terrifying shockwave in the area.

‘This guy can’t fully concentrate on the fight right now.’

Because of the Divine Flame Order.

Some of the Divine Flame Order were advancing, avoiding Yeon Ho-Jeong, and most were constantly targeting him. Even with the martial prowess to contend for the title of the strongest in the world, it was difficult to overwhelm a master with the power of a Three Emperors level and hundreds of Divine Flame Order members.

That was what Gujo, who was facing Yeon Ho-Jeong, knew best. In fact, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s movements were extremely fast and effective, but each time, he lost his rhythm due to the power of the Flame God Swordsmanship that enveloped him.

That was enough. Gujo acknowledged that his opponent was stronger than him. And he also knew that even a strong person was not guaranteed victory in a fight between masters who had reached the level of Heavenly Transformation.

The fact that such a strong master was losing his rhythm and couldn’t fully concentrate was enough for them to gain the upper hand.

‘But how can he have such explosive power…?!’

Peopeopeopeong!

The power of the Heaven Burning Demonic Palm, which he had struck with a series of palm strikes, scattered with a loud bang due to the opponent’s strange palm technique.

Just like with the Fiery Mountain Cannon earlier, the young master in front of him was using an unbelievable explosive technique. Even if there was a difference in power or inner energy, it shouldn’t be an overwhelming difference, yet every time their Qi collided, his power was shattered, and the opponent’s power pushed through.

If it was a difference in power, he would have understood immediately. He could tell the difference in the quality of inner energy just by the opponent’s Qi wave.

He was taking all of that into account when he launched his attacks, so why were they so powerless?

‘This guy can use Water Qi. Fire and Water Qi are opposites, but it’s not possible just because they are opposites….’

It was then.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed as he bounced Gujo away with his crescent blade.

“They’ve come.”

‘What?’

Confusion settled on Gujo’s face.

Yeon Ho-Jeong grinned and jumped straight into the middle of the Divine Flame Order.

‘That crazy bastard!’

Gujo was horrified, and the Divine Flame Order was even more surprised than Gujo.

Kwakwakwang!!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, covered in Yellow Dragon Water Qi, unleashed the Golden Dragon True Evil Fist and the Golden Dragon Heaven Piercing Palm in succession, looking like a tiger entering a pack of wolves.

Chiiiiik!

White Water Qi rose in all directions. The Water Qi was evaporating as it met the Fire Qi, and the amount was so great that for a moment, some of the Divine Flame Order and Yeon Ho-Jeong’s figure were not visible.

“Divine Flame Order, spread out and scatter!”

It was then.

‘……?!’

Gujo instinctively turned his body, feeling a chilling sensation run down his spine.

Saaak!

A chilling sound, and a sensation even more chilling than the sound, flowed along his side.

It was a sword wound. Surprisingly, a master of Gujo’s caliber had been ambushed.

‘An assassin?!’

He was so focused on the fight with Yeon Ho-Jeong that he didn’t even notice the assassin approaching.

Still, a Flame King was a Flame King. If it were an ordinary assassin, he would have noticed their presence as soon as they entered a radius of two yards. Although only his flesh was cut, the fact that he didn’t know until he was struck on the side meant that the opponent’s skill was so great that even a Heavenly Transformation master couldn’t ignore it.

And it didn’t end there.

Papababa bak!

Formless sword energies poured down from the surrounding air, targeting Gujo’s entire body. The net of sword energies, densely layered like a net, seemed impossible for even a flying bird to escape.

Murderous intent filled Gujo’s eyes.

“You bastards!”

Boooong!!

The crescent blade rotated at high speed, emitting a tremendous blade energy.

Kwakwakwang!

The tenacious net of sword energies was torn apart.

It was the Heaven Burning Demonic Blade, the Heaven Burning Fire Net. It was a wide-area technique that devastated everything in all directions.

‘An assassin, and a top-tier one at that!’

Huuuung.

Even with so many assassins moving, there was no sound.

In the midst of the chaos, a slight sound of wind could be heard. But that was all. In such a noisy battlefield, their presence was, in a way, as terrifying as that of a master approaching the Heavenly Transformation level.

“Who are you?!”

It was then.

Pishuk!

Gujo’s eyes twitched.

A formless sword energy, flying from a distance of twenty yards, tore through his cheek. If he hadn’t read the subtle flow of air, a hole would have been pierced through his head.

Gujo looked at the swordsman standing far away.

It was a man who had covered everything below his eyes with a hood. He was so devoid of presence that he seemed like a ghost, yet when their eyes met, a strange aura could be felt.

He was Han Jung-Myeong, the leader of the Guardian Corps, the closest escort unit of the Black Emperor.

“You bastard!”

The moment Gujo tried to rush towards Han Jung-Myeong.

Kwaaaang!

With a tremendous explosion, about twenty members of the Divine Flame Order were sent flying into the sky.

Kwang! Kwakwang! Kwaaang!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had entered the Divine Flame Order and was rampaging wildly, had read Gujo’s opening and was rushing straight through the Divine Flame Command Formation.

The moment a flustered Gujo tried to unleash the Heaven Burning Demonic Blade.

Huuuung.

A net of sword energies, seeping in like fog, tried to envelop his lower body.

It was the technique of the Guardian Corps’ Formless Killing Formation, the Formless Death. It was the best assassination formation of the Black Path, which slaughtered enemies while hiding in the darkness.

“Tsk!”

Jjeojeojeojeojeong!

Gujo shattered all of the Formless Death’s net of sword energies with his crescent blade.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong had reached within a yard of him.

Paah-ahng!

He created distance and unleashed the Heaven Burning Demonic Palm, but Yeon Ho-Jeong had already taken out the White Dragon Axe and was swinging it.

Kwang!

Immediately after splitting the palm force, he used the Yellow Dragon Footwork, instantly circling to Gujo’s side.

Unless the Flame God Swordsmanship of the Divine Flame Order came flying, nothing could stop Yeon Ho-Jeong. Gujo was surprised and swung his crescent blade horizontally.

At the same time, the White Dragon Axe drew a crescent moon.

Seogeok!

Gujo’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

The shaft of the crescent blade, filled with Heaven Burning Demonic Qi, was cut by the opponent’s hand axe. Even though he had poured in as much inner energy as he could in his haste, it was still cut clean.

“The moment you practiced Demonic Arts, you were already defeated.”

If he had only intended to kill Gujo, he could have killed him long ago.

The problem was whether he would be injured or not. In a situation where he didn’t know what the outcome of the fight between Gi Cheon-Woong and Gi Woo-Hwan would be, there was no need to rush and kill him while sacrificing his own flesh.

The moment he heard Han Jung-Myeong’s telepathic message, he had already planned his strategy up to that point. He would tie up Gujo and wear down the power of the Divine Flame Order, then wait until he could cut down Gujo in one go.

That time was now.

Kwaang!

Gujo’s shoulder slumped after being struck by the Golden Dragon True Evil Fist. Due to his broken shoulder, the broken shaft of the crescent blade in his hand also fell to the ground.

Peobeobeobeok!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, having broken Gujo’s balance with a series of divine palm strikes, coldly raised the White Dragon Axe.

Urgency filled Gujo’s face.

“No…!”

“No, my foot.”

Kwaduk!

The White Dragon Axe split Gujo’s head vertically.