Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1317

Wham! Whoosh!

They were thrown back over ten yards, but it wasn’t from a lack of strength.

‘It landed properly.’

Sa Mun-hyang’s demonic eyes glowed with a blue light.

‘It was more anticlimactic than I thought.’

The Yin Desolation Blast of the Yin Desolation Divine Palm.

It was a technique not found in the existing Yin Desolation Martial Arts, a killing method that directly destroyed the opponent’s inner and outer being.

The Yin Desolation energy itself was a deadly poison. If that poison was infused with explosive force and penetrated, no one could be safe.

In other words, even with existing martial arts, the killing power was sufficient. The Yin Desolation Blast was a technique created by developing the killing power of such martial arts through numerous experiences and enlightenment.

Since it contained an internal explosive force that penetrated, it would shatter any protective energy, and if one tried to control their inner energy to protect themselves, the explosive force from the outside would cause bones and flesh to fly apart. It wasn’t an impossible technique to defend against, but that was from Sa Mun-hyang’s perspective; for an enemy, they would be hit nine times out of ten.

He was confident, and indeed, the palm force had landed directly on his opponent’s chest. It was bound to be a fatal blow.

Thud!

He planted the Gwangryong Axe into the ground and leaned on it.

Yeon Ho-jeong, kneeling on one knee with his head bowed, looked defeated to anyone who saw him.

Fwoosh.

A mix of golden and blue energy surged from his entire body. It was an unstable energy wave. It looked dangerous at a glance.

Sa Mun-hyang, who had been watching quietly, suddenly widened his eyes.

Fzzzt! Fzzzt!

Blue smoke seeped out from various parts of Yeon Ho-jeong’s body.

That smoke was the residue of the Yin Desolation energy. The Yin Desolation energy, which tore apart blood vessels and internal organs with extreme poison and sharp explosive force the moment it penetrated the opponent’s body, was evaporating, unable to withstand the power of the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art.

“How?”

Sa Mun-hyang didn’t launch a follow-up attack. He had the leisure to do so.

He was simply curious.

The Yin Desolation Martial Arts were an ancient evil art, and apart from the martial arts of the Evil Sound Sect, or rather, the Blood Sect, that he possessed, it was a martial art capable of dominating the world.

And yet, he didn’t die after being hit by such a martial art. Moreover, the one who used it was none other than himself.

“That hurt.”

They had been thrown back ten yards each, so they were nearly twenty yards apart.

Yet, Yeon Ho-jeong’s voice was clearly audible to Sa Mun-hyang.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been hit like that, it feels dirty and good, very.”

It was another incomprehensible statement.

‘It’s been a while?’ Sa Mun-hyang had never fought such a person before.

Then, it must be that the Color Maniac had switched to a new body. The Color Maniac’s martial arts were like the Five-Colored Hell Art, a martial art that no human could master.

But the opponent didn’t display the divine power of the Color Maniac.

The more he thought about it, the more puzzling the situation became. Even if it was the Color Maniac, he doubted they could have responded after being directly hit by the Yin Desolation Blast.

Sa Mun-hyang asked honestly.

“How are you alright?”

Yeon Ho-jeong didn’t answer, instead picking up the Gwangryong Axe and swinging it around.

The slightly awkward hand movements quickly returned to normal. The sound of the heavy weapon, weighing over eighty pounds, cutting through the air at an invisible speed was terrifying.

‘It feels stiff. But it’s not as bad as before.’

Wooong. Wooong.

The Yellow Dragon energy roared wildly, and the Divine King energy calmly watched the world.

‘Still, it’s dangerous if I take it wrong.’

The Four Divine Beast Energy was a perfect divine art.

It not only drastically developed the functions of the five viscera and six entrails but also controlled the four energies of fire, water, wood, and metal to elevate attack, counterattack, defense, and evasion to the realm of perfection.

In other words, it simultaneously handled the mutually incompatible energies of opposition and the energies of mutual generation, which were the ultimate fusion.

The enlightenment and method of operating such true energy became the most powerful shield against the Yin Desolation energy. The Yin Desolation energy pressing from the outside was repelled by the aggressiveness of the Vermilion Bird energy and the grandeur of the Black Tortoise energy, and the penetrated Yin Desolation energy was decomposed by the Azure Dragon energy, the pinnacle of detoxification, and then blown away by the steel-wall-like White Tiger energy.

Before his regression, Yeon Ho-jeong was the one who almost single-handedly blocked Sa Mun-hyang’s Yin Desolation Martial Arts. The framework of that fight was that as he blocked and repelled the Yin Desolation Martial Arts and advanced, Moyong Gun and Tang Gwan would exploit the openings to kill Sa Mun-hyang.

And now, Yeon Ho-jeong had become even more perfect than during his time as the Dark Emperor.

The Yellow Dragon energy, including the Four Divine Beast Energy, had become complete with the Five Elements energy, perfectly defending against the intrusion of evil external energy, and even if it did penetrate, the divine power of the Divine King energy had reached a realm where it could remove impurities with will alone.

In other words, for Yeon Ho-jeong, the Yin Desolation Martial Arts were a powerful martial art, but not one that possessed absolute killing power.

The true power of the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art, which he had not realized in the past, was finally showing its true potential against his lifelong nemesis.

“Then.”

Srrr.

His stance lowered once more.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.

Wham!

He closed the twenty-yard distance in a single step.

It was an astonishing speed, but Sa Mun-hyang could have easily avoided it.

However, he deliberately didn’t avoid it. It was because of the doubt and shock he felt towards an opponent against whom his Yin Desolation Martial Arts, which he had unleashed after reaching the realm of a demigod, didn’t work, and because his interest in the opponent had deepened.

What kind of martial art would this strange nemesis use to surprise him?

Whoosh!

The Gwangryong Axe was swung, leading a storm.

It was the first move of the Gwangryong Art, Ruthless Strike. Sa Mun-hyang had also experienced this move before.

But this Ruthless Strike was different from the previous ones.

Clang! Clatter!

It was an axe strike accompanied by a storm containing lightning. It was such a powerful blow that if one was careless after blocking the initial strike, they would feel as if their entire body would be torn apart by the aftershock.

Sa Mun-hyang clenched his fist for the first time.

It was the Wind God Strike of the Yin Desolation Divine Fist.

Boom!

The Wind God Strike, which crushed and exploded the entire area up to the point of impact, shattered the attack power of the Ruthless Strike and even blew away the ensuing storm.

And yet, it still had enough power to press down on Yeon Ho-jeong’s upper body. It was an astonishing level of power.

But Yeon Ho-jeong was not flustered.

If his opponent started to show his true skills, then he would simply have to unleash everything as well.

The Gwangryong Axe, which had been knocked away, smoothly drew a circle and soared from the lower to the upper position.

The second move of the Gwangryong Art, Ascending Sky Force.

Whoooosh!

The wind that blew again was not a storm but a typhoon.

It was a wind so strong that even Sa Mun-hyang, the master of the world, found it difficult to keep his feet planted on the ground. It felt as if his body would be blown away by the ferocious slash of the Ascending Sky Force.

Thud!

The Yin Desolation energy erupted, binding Sa Mun-hyang’s body to the ground.

At the same time, he brought down a hand blade. It was a technique called the Extreme Evil Blade of the Evil Sound Sect, imbued with Yin Desolation energy.

Wham!

Yeon Ho-jeong staggered and retreated. Sa Mun-hyang’s body only paused, not moving even a step.

Ugh!

Blood flowed from his nose due to the tremendous pressure, but Yeon Ho-jeong gritted his teeth and took another step forward.

With the advance, he brought down the first move, the third move of the Gwangryong Art, Mountain Crushing Force.

Wham!

It was a spectacle of destruction.

A large pit was created in the already cracked ground. Considering that he wasn’t trying to break the ground but rather to unleash a slash forward, one could see how powerful the Mountain Crushing Force was, having broken the ground with its residual force.

Crack!

Sa Mun-hyang endured the force of the Mountain Crushing Force with one hand, but his feet broke the ground, creating furrows. The force of the Mountain Crushing Force had pushed him back three yards.

Yeon Ho-jeong didn’t stop.

Flash!

As if it had been created as a continuous attack from the beginning, the White Dragon Axe, which had risen into the air immediately after the Mountain Crushing Force, rotated at high speed, aiming for Sa Mun-hyang’s head.

The fourth move of the Gwangryong Art, Raging Wind Flash.

Sa Mun-hyang glared at the White Dragon Axe with wide eyes and swung his fist.

Bang!

The White Dragon Axe, which had flown using the secret technique of controlling a sword with one’s mind, was easily knocked away, almost as if it was nothing. It was just a single punch.

However, Yeon Ho-jeong could see it. The blood that had burst from Sa Mun-hyang’s fist.

The single strike of the Raging Wind Flash, which had been unleashed with the power of imagination imbued with the divine power of the Divine King energy, had injured Sa Mun-hyang’s fist. The body that had completed the Four Desolate Body.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-jeong’s imagination became richer, and his will became stronger.

‘I can kill him.’

From ‘I can win’ to ‘I can kill him.’

From ‘I can kill him’ to ‘I can eliminate him.’

Thump!

Sa Mun-hyang’s eyes wavered.

‘He’s gotten stronger?’

The golden energy wave that exploded in an instant spread wider than before.

At the same time, the density of his power deepened. It was a divine power that had risen to the point where it felt dangerous for a moment.

And the Gwangryong Axe pointed to the sky.

At that moment, Sa Mun-hyang moved.

Clack!

Sa Mun-hyang, who had approached like a ghost with his unique metallic sound, aimed for Yeon Ho-jeong’s vital points with the Yin Desolation Finger, following the Yin Desolation Divine Palm and Yin Desolation Divine Fist.

Whoosh!

It was a wave of immense power that surged in an instant. Although it was a martial art executed with the same true energy, the forms and properties of the palm force, fist energy, and finger wind were completely different.

‘At this rate, it’ll be too late.’

The moment his will arose, the power imbued in the Gwangryong Axe became stronger.

Flash!

The golden true energy that had spread into the sky fell like meteors.

The golden meteors that poured down with the descending Gwangryong Axe were like a downpour. It was the fifth move of the Gwangryong Art, Torrential Dragon Descent.

Wham! Boom! Rumble!

The palm force was shattered by the pouring slashes, the fist energy exploded, and the finger wind was arbitrarily split, scattering into the ground and sky.

It was the first moment he had gained the upper hand in a battle of strength against strength. It was the power of the Divine King energy that had reached its limit.

But Sa Mun-hyang was not flustered.

He was an opponent who had already injured his body. Moreover, he had increased the depth of his power through a momentary strengthening of his spiritual power.

Against an opponent of this level, he couldn’t afford to be careless. He was surprised, but if he could finally have a proper match, he would have no choice but to unleash his true power after a long time.

Zzzzzzz!

The area was darkened by the Yin Desolation energy that spread in all directions in an instant.

Sa Mun-hyang’s right hand came down from above, and his left hand came up from below.

And the moment his two hands overlapped perfectly, hundreds of bars were shot out from all over the darkened world.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.

‘Yin Desolation Demonic Formation Kill.’

It was one of the secret techniques of the Yin Desolation Divine Palm, a secret art that could potentially kill even those who had reached the pinnacle by exhausting all their true energy.

In the first place, it was difficult to even deploy, as there was a time lag between the preparation and activation. In that time, even a master could deliver dozens of sword strikes.

But Sa Mun-hyang’s Yin Desolation Demonic Formation Kill was different.

It activated almost instantly the moment it was deployed. Moreover, each bar that was shot into an unavoidable area was touching the essence of the Yin Desolation Martial Arts.

‘He deployed it faster than I thought. He’s planning to kill me properly.’

Yeon Ho-jeong gripped the Gwangryong Axe with both hands.

Bang!

At that moment, the White Dragon Axe, which had been knocked away, pierced through the darkness. The Raging Wind Flash was still being maintained.

Sa Mun-hyang’s eyes wavered slightly.

The White Dragon Axe, which had flown like a ray of light, attacked the bars while rotating at high speed.

Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!

Even though he was using the secret technique of controlling a sword with his mind, the Gwangryong Axe was imbued with immense power. It was the subtlety of the divided mind he had gained through actual combat.

Bang!

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had advanced with a powerful step as always, swung the Gwangryong Axe.

‘…!’

In an instant, the Gwangryong Axe disappeared from Sa Mun-hyang’s sight.

The moment he realized it had disappeared, the blade of the Gwangryong Axe appeared right in front of his nose. The sixth move of the Gwangryong Art, Raging Dragon Sprint, had engulfed Sa Mun-hyang.

And then.

Clang!

A hand blade that drew a half-moon at an incredible speed pierced through the blade of the Gwangryong Axe.

Rumble!

With the shockwave, the two were pushed back, and the White Dragon Axe, which had been wandering around the shattered area of the Yin Desolation Demonic Formation Kill, was shot towards Sa Mun-hyang’s neck, and five streams of Yin Desolation finger wind, which had been launched the moment he was pushed back, flew towards Yeon Ho-jeong’s vital points.

A look of difficulty appeared on both of their faces.

Thud! Thud!