Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1285

Bubbling.

The ground, melted by the ultra-high heat, was boiling fiercely.

It was a sight that made it seem like no expert in the world, not even one who had achieved the Vajra Body [a body as hard as diamond], could step there and remain unharmed.

There were dozens of such places. In the wide-open space, minerals boiled and screamed from the holes scattered everywhere.

And in between, two fire gods were engaged in a battle beyond imagination.

Kwaaang!!

A fist filled with blue flames struck Gi Woo-Hwan’s chest.

Gi Woo-Hwan, who was sent flying more than ten yards again, had an even paler face than before. His already white face had become even more pale.

However, Gi Cheon-Woong’s face was even paler than that. His senses were shaking due to the rapidly depleting divine energy in his upper dantian [energy center in the head].

‘Again.’

Whoosh!

The blue flames that covered his entire body instantly turned golden.

From Azure Flame Divine Art to Golden Refinement Divine Art.

Whirr!

The golden flames writhed and soon turned into reddish embers.

From Golden Refinement Divine Art to Flame Imprint Art.

Flame Imprint Art was the basic technique that the followers of the Divine Flame Order first encountered when learning martial arts. One could not advance to the next stage without mastering Flame Imprint Art.

Of course, the leader and the chosen ones did not need to train in Flame Imprint Art. Flame Imprint Art was the foundation of the Divine Flame Order’s Scorching Yang Art, but at the same time, it was a basic technique. Those with talent did not need to waste time on Flame Imprint Art.

Whether one mastered Flame Imprint Art within three years determined whether they could become a top warrior of the Divine Flame Order.

Gi Cheon-Woong was practicing such a basic technique.

“What is that!”

Bang!

With a stomp, Gi Woo-Hwan intensified the momentum of the Azure Flame Divine Art even more.

The internal injuries in his mouth were healing at a terrifying speed, and thanks to that, his momentum rose to almost the same level as before.

However, Gi Cheon-Woong was different.

His momentum, which did not recover his body with the Fire Essence [a core energy source], had decreased slightly but surely. Even so, he was still not lacking compared to Gi Woo-Hwan, but a slight crack had begun to form in his solid internal energy.

“I thought you were already broken, but I didn’t know you were so ruined! Still, a guy who was once the leader is practicing the lowly Flame Imprint Art?!”

Whoosh!

The Azure Flame movement technique, Azure Flame Soaring Void, was unleashed.

It wasn’t fast enough to cause a sonic boom. Yet, it was fast.

It was a bizarre and mysterious movement technique, like will-o’-the-wisps floating in a dark forest. For the opponent, it was an unpredictable movement from which direction it would appear.

‘Rear.’

Even when faced with such a movement technique, Gi Cheon-Woong’s reaction was swift.

He stomped the ground with his bare feet and twisted his upper body strongly, unleashing the Eight Styles of Flame Fist to the rear.

Thud!

Gi Woo-Hwan’s eyes shook.

He didn’t know how he knew he was aiming for the rear. That alone was surprising, but the martial art he unleashed was the Eight Styles of Flame Fist, a basic fist technique of the Divine Flame Order, just like the Flame Imprint Art.

The Eight Styles of Flame Fist was the foundation upon which various martial arts and qi techniques were built, culminating in the Eight Kings of Flame Fist. The Eight Kings of Flame Fist was a fist technique that represented the Divine Flame Order, and it was an outstanding masterpiece that could earn one the title of Fist King if mastered.

To use the Eight Styles of Flame Fist instead of the Eight Kings of Flame Fist, he was clearly looking down on him.

“How pathetic!”

Kwaaang!

Gi Cheon-Woong was sent flying more than ten yards back by the Azure Flame Soul Burning Palm.

He had crossed his arms to block, but his arms were already burning red. His upper garment had already turned to ashes and flown away.

“Dare you face me with such a pathetic martial art!”

Whoosh!

Again, it was the Azure Flame Soaring Void.

Gi Cheon-Woong’s reaction was immediate.

Bang!

Gi Woo-Hwan’s cheek twitched.

The martial art he unleashed towards himself, who had appeared from the left, was the Flame Depth Palm. This was also a basic technique like the Eight Styles of Flame Fist, and it was the foundation of the Blazing Flame Palm.

‘How?’

At this point, even Gi Woo-Hwan couldn’t help but be flustered.

It was already astonishing that he was preempting the direction faster than he could move with the Azure Flame Soaring Void. Yet, he was unleashing power that could make his whole body tremble even with the basic techniques of the Divine Flame Order.

It wasn’t as powerful as the Azure Flame Divine Art, but each strike was heavy. If he hadn’t absorbed Gi Cheon-Woong’s fire energy with the Azure Flame’s fire energy, he would have already suffered several internal injuries.

‘How dare you!’

Thud!

The earth cracked with a strong stomp.

By gathering all the earth’s energy and unleashing a single fist, a vortex of blue fire energy flew towards Gi Cheon-Woong’s head.

At that moment, Gi Cheon-Woong’s body twisted diagonally.

‘……?!’

Gi Woo-Hwan’s expression changed.

The fist flying in a straight line, the Azure Flame Divine Energy wrapped around that fist.

That blue fire energy was being sucked into Gi Cheon-Woong’s face, neck, and shoulder area as he narrowly dodged it.

Flash!

A powerful energy wave erupted from Gi Cheon-Woong’s body.

Gathering all his strength, he charged into Gi Woo-Hwan’s chest and struck him with his entire body.

Kwaaang!

It was an impact he had never experienced before.

Gi Woo-Hwan, who was flying through the air, realized that most of his sternum had been crushed by this blow.

With terrible pain, he was left breathless. The fire energy that had been flowing freely throughout his body was cut off in places, depriving him of the freedom of his body.

‘Fire Essence!’

Whoooong!

The Fire Essence, activated in an instant, enveloped his entire body, guiding his true energy and mending his broken bones.

Crack!

Before he even hit the ground, his crushed bones were almost completely healed. The Fire Essence, stimulated by the Azure Flame Divine Art, was releasing its power to the extreme.

In an instant, Gi Woo-Hwan felt his vision blur.

Even though he was full of vitality, his vision was dizzy. It felt like the fire energy of the Fire Essence had penetrated his brain past the Jade Pillow point [acupressure point at the base of the skull] and was coming down.

And at that moment, Gi Cheon-Woong was already right in front of him, unleashing the Eight Styles of Flame Fist.

“Haaap!!”

With a shout, he unleashed the Azure Flame Soul Melting Fist.

Bang! Crack! Thud!

The first style of the Eight Styles of Flame Fist, Side Burn, Heavy Thrust, Light Palm Advance, shattered and exploded the power of the Azure Flame Soul Melting Fist’s Mountain Bursting Fire.

Gi Woo-Hwan was shocked beyond words.

The Azure Flame Soul Burning Palm and the Azure Flame Soul Melting Fist were the highest-level fist and palm techniques that utilized the fire energy of the Azure Flame Divine Art to the extreme.

No matter how much one was the creator of that martial art, one could not block the Azure Flame martial art, which had received the power of the Fire Essence opened to the extreme, with just the Eight Styles of Flame Fist. It was a matter of power, not martial principle.

Even a single style had extinguished the power that could make even rocks boil. It was an unbelievable ability to cope.

“This!”

Gi Woo-Hwan, who was about to launch a follow-up attack.

Gi Cheon-Woong’s posture lowered.

Thwack!

He struck the inside of his naturally opened legs with a swift kick.

In an instant, the Azure Flame Divine Energy gathered in Gi Woo-Hwan’s fist scattered haphazardly, then gathered again.

‘What is this.’

It was the power that should have been driven straight down to blow his head off. Yet, just by getting hit in both legs, the fire energy gathered in his fist was about to scatter completely.

‘Why the hell?!’

He swung his fist while still questioning. The question was a question, and the attack was an attack.

It was then.

Whoosh!

Blue flames surged from Gi Cheon-Woong’s body, then turned red again.

In that short moment, the fire energy of the Azure Flame Soul Melting Fist that had been driven down was once again absorbed into Gi Cheon-Woong’s face and neck. Because he had turned his head to dodge by half an inch, the area where the fire energy seeped in could only be above his neck.

That was the question for Gi Woo-Hwan.

How could a human whose Fire Essence was completely broken absorb the Azure Flame Divine Energy? No matter how much they had learned the same martial art, the difference between someone with a healthy Fire Essence and someone with a broken one was significant.

Thud!

The kick that was launched from below struck Gi Woo-Hwan’s neck.

In an instant, Gi Woo-Hwan’s face flushed red. The power of the kick, which struck like a whip, was truly fierce. If he hadn’t instinctively drawn up the Azure Flame Divine Energy to protect his neck, his neck would have been broken as it was such a powerful kick.

He unleashed the Azure Flame Soul Melting Fist once more.

Kwaaang!

Around the fist that pierced the earth, the melted ground was bubbling.

Gi Cheon-Woong was already three yards away from Gi Woo-Hwan. It was a speed as fast as a ghost.

“You……!”

Gi Woo-Hwan’s eyes were bloodshot.

“What kind of sorcery are you using!”

Gi Cheon-Woong looked at Gi Woo-Hwan with deep eyes, without saying anything.

The son wouldn’t know. What his current appearance was like.

Red, bloodshot eyes, clear fire energy surging around his eyes. It meant that the fire energy was wreaking havoc on his upper dantian.

Also, the son wouldn’t know. Why he kept getting defeated.

From a young age, Gi Cheon-Woong had engaged in bloody battles with the elders of the Divine Flame Order every day. Even after becoming the leader, he had fought near-death battles without internal energy with several former Flame Kings, including Chal Geuk-Pyeong.

The followers tried to dissuade him, saying it was not befitting of the leader’s dignity, but Gi Cheon-Woong’s thoughts were different.

Whether a leader or a follower, the foundation of the martial arts they learned was the same. Also, the first martial art was based on unarmed combat and weapon techniques that did not use qi, and further, they followed the movements of animals, developing their own characteristics and systems.

To truly understand martial arts, one must know how to move the body, and to see the end of martial arts, one must know how to control qi.

Gi Cheon-Woong was the one who had seen the end of all the martial arts of the Divine Flame Order. To see that end, he rolled in the mud with the most noble status, developing his own martial arts.

It had been a long time since he had experienced a proper real battle, but he had fought with several experts after entering the Central Plains. It was enough time to reacquire the forgotten experience.

That experience, that effort.

It was because of the martial arts he had diligently cultivated day by day that he existed now. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been able to create the Azure Flame Divine Art, and even if he had, he would have died from a burst long ago.

Even if Gi Woo-Hwan used the Azure Flame Soaring Void without limit, it was not difficult for Gi Cheon-Woong, who knew all the opponent’s habits and the characteristics of the martial art, to respond in advance.

However, Gi Woo-Hwan was different. He was only eager to learn more superior martial arts and more magnificent techniques, and he treated the followers as mere objects who lived and died for the leader.

Whether it was martial arts or governance, the foundation was important. If the foundation of martial arts was movement, the foundation of governance was the people.

Gi Woo-Hwan did not know the importance of such a foundation.

And one more thing.

‘It’s getting better.’

When he fought with the Guangxue’s Young Leader and his group, he fully opened his upper dantian and used the Azure Flame Divine Art to the extreme.

That experience was also a great lesson. It was a martial art that consumed the divine energy of the upper dantian, but conversely, if he opened it for just a moment, he could avoid danger at crucial moments.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of it before, but it was impossible before.

What made the impossible possible was the Primordial Martial Healing Method that he had taught Tak Mu-Ja.

‘If it’s a momentary opening, I can maintain the upper dantian stably.’

The Primordial Martial Healing Method was a study of the soul that governed the divine energy of the upper dantian and made the dantian itself as solid as an iron wall.

His upper dantian, which had already been hardened by practicing the Primordial Martial Healing Method for a long time, did not waver with just the momentary opening of the Azure Flame Divine Art. If he used it often, he didn’t know, but against his inadequate son, this was enough.

“It’s getting more and more familiar.”

Flame Imprint Art, Eight Styles of Flame Fist, Flame Depth Palm.

Although they were basic techniques, the water they contained was the clearest and deepest water in the world. The real reason he could respond to Gi Woo-Hwan’s absolute firepower was ultimately thanks to his deep internal energy.

“Let’s finish this soon.”

“Of course, we must finish it!”

Whirr!

Gi Woo-Hwan’s eyes stretched like a ghost.

His bloodshot eyes had turned blue. Fire was pouring from his eyes, and blue flames were mixed in his breath.

In an instant, Gi Cheon-Woong’s eyes shook.

“You……?!”

“I’ll turn you into a handful of ashes!”