Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1330

Clang!!

The sound of thin, narrow iron plates colliding echoed.

“Kuh-euk!”

Staggering back, Yeon Ho-Jeong unconsciously clutched his head with both hands.

Sama Hyeon was no different. Even an absolute being who had obtained god-like martial power felt an extreme headache when the Mind Sword Synchronization was broken.

‘So that’s how it was.’

Amidst the pain, Yeon Ho-Jeong reviewed all of Sama Hyeon’s life.

‘This guy also had a connection with Master.’

A spy sent from the Saim Sect to seize the Blood Sect.

However, at some point, he was moved by Master’s inhuman abilities and swore true loyalty, becoming a traitor.

Furthermore, he realized what he truly wanted and finally stepped into defying the heavens, becoming the worst monster in the history of the Blood Sect.

‘So that’s why.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t just see Sama Hyeon’s past.

He also glimpsed his life during the Black Underworld Emperor era, which Sama Hyeon had not experienced.

‘He experienced a rebellion.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong struggled to turn his head and looked far away.

Though they were too far to see, he could feel it. He sensed the presence of a master comparable to the Limitless Hand and a young man with a sea-like depth of inner energy.

‘Jeok Heum. It’s Jeok Heum.’

More precisely, it was Sa Jeok-Heum.

One of the many seeds Sama Hyeon had sown, possessing the Immersing Heart Eye [a unique ability to perceive and manipulate the inner workings of others’ minds] comparable to Sama Hyeon, and the thirty-ninth generation of Mugan Jisu [a lineage of martial artists with exceptional spiritual power].

‘Ham Mu-Heon, that damned guy, is a step below Jeok Heum. That’s why he was sent as a spy.’

Ham Mu-Heon of the Southern Water Clan, one of the Five Great Generals of the past, who was known as Hong Ik-Cheon in his time, was a genius who could manipulate people’s minds with words.

However, he was only half-baked. Despite his abilities, he tried to understand and analyze people.

He had not reached the level where he didn’t need to wonder about such things. That’s why he was sent to the Central Plains.

But Jeok Heum was different.

‘It was that guy’s rebellion that severed the Saim Sect.’

Jeok Heum was the one who inherited Sama Hyeon’s blood most deeply.

The Black Underworld Emperor era was the past and a future that would not come for another ten years.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had regressed, changed the fate of the world, and the Three Sects also invaded the Central Plains much faster along with that flow. However, originally, the Three Sects should not have started the war so quickly.

In that future, Jeok Heum had rebelled and had already brought half of the Saim Sect’s masters under his command.

‘Since he was raised as prey anyway, he tried to change the master-servant relationship… The rebellion was inevitable.’

Jeok Heum secretly grasped the key to developing the Immersing Heart Eye and quickly became as strong as the leaders of the Three Sects.

He used that power and military force to start a civil war but failed to kill Sama Hyeon. However, he was able to inflict fatal damage on him.

‘Spiritual power removal. He removed the collective spirits.’

Sama Hyeon had increased his power by sucking the souls of qualified Mugan Jisu, his own children, and forcibly taking one of the Central Plains masters with outstanding spiritual power as his own.

Jeok Heum had released the collective spirits to reduce that power.

Using the Soul-Stealing Great Art, a modified version of the Blood Sect’s Soul Separation Great Art.

‘Amazing. And yet, he still had enough power left to fight us on equal terms.’

Before regression, Sama Hyeon’s power was so immense that he had the upper hand even against the three strongest masters of the Central Plains.

Although his soul was removed, he had not lost the inner energy he had accumulated for nearly four hundred years. Moreover, he had grown stronger by absorbing the martial principles that each of the plundered souls had realized.

Was it a natural outcome? Rather, the three people’s struggle to finally win against such a monster should be considered remarkable.

Even at that time, Sama Hyeon had achieved an even more complete Four Fiend Body [a state of enhanced physical and spiritual power] than he did now.

‘Then what about now?’

Although the Four Fiend Body was not as good as it was then, the current Sama Hyeon, who had accumulated countless souls, was an even greater monster than before.

If Yeon Ho-Jeong had not awakened the Yellow Dragon, or if he had not fiercely developed the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art while continuing the fight, it would have been an opponent that would not have even allowed a life-or-death battle to be established.

This was not simply a matter of being stronger or weaker.

‘Mind Sword!’

Sama Hyeon was the one who had studied the Way of the Mind Sword the longest in history. His Mind Sword had developed based on the plundered souls.

However, after losing his souls due to the Soul-Stealing Great Art, he reached a point where he could not even use his own Mind Sword properly.

This was because the Mind Sword had assimilated with the souls, causing him to lose that much power.

‘Ah.’

He knew everything.

He realized everything, and felt all the emotions.

And so did Sama Hyeon.

Whoosh!!

The Blood Emperor Energy, surging in all directions, created a unique, terrifying atmosphere.

‘Blood Emperor Art.’

The unique martial art of the Blood Sect Leader.

To be precise, it was a demonic art called Blood God Demonic Art, which had a simple and clear meaning, but it could only be practiced by the Cheon clan.

The Blood Emperor Art was a modified version of that demonic art to suit Sama Hyeon. Although it was modified, there was almost no difference in destructive power from the Blood God Demonic Art.

Moreover, the Blood Emperor Art even played a role in exponentially increasing Sama Hyeon’s martial arts. All martial arts used with the Blood Emperor Art became more destructive and intense than before.

The origin of the Blood Sect’s martial arts.

Perhaps it could be said to be a demonic art more suitable for the Blood Sect Leader than the Blood God Demonic Art.

“So that’s how it was.”

Crack! Crack!

The Blood Emperor Energy covered a radius of several dozen yards.

He unleashed his limitless inner energy to his heart’s content. The Blood Emperor Energy, writhing and seizing the air, possessed a terrible demonic power that could turn even a commoner who had not learned a single martial art into a demon.

Whoooosh!

A pure white energy surged from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

He blocked the encroachment of the Blood Emperor Energy with the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art. It was not impossible with the Four Divine Energies, but if it were not for the Yellow Dragon, just facing it would have been overwhelming.

“You… you came back in time with the miracle of the Blood Jade!”

Sama Hyeon raised his head.

In that instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong felt a pain as if his eyes were burning.

He felt the opponent’s terrifying emotions.

Intense anger and jealousy, and a hatred of unfathomable depth.

Those emotions were so intense that they surpassed even the past Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was swayed by killing intent at the mere mention of the Three Sects.

“You are a disciple of the Young Sect Leader.”

A disciple of the Young Sect Leader.

Not a disciple of the Madman of Colors, but the title of a disciple of the Young Sect Leader came out. It meant that Sama Hyeon’s mind and emotions had returned to that time in the past.

“You dare, you lowly thing!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!!

The energy wave that erupted with his shout shook the heavens and the earth.

The sky cried and the earth groaned with just a simple energy wave emission.

It was impossible with just the power of inner energy. The power of the Mind Sword was naturally imbued with his burning anger and hatred. True Mind Sword comes from a human heart, and when the Mind Sword and inner energy are unified, it creates such unbelievable destructive power.

“After leaving like that, all you did was pass on the Five Color Hell Art to a talentless fool like you!!”

It seemed he had forgotten the evaluation of him as a heaven-sent rival, another genius.

However, Sama Hyeon’s words were not entirely wrong. Yeon Ho-Jeong was also born with great mental strength, but he was not born with any ability that could be called a special power.

That was why Yeon Ho-Jeong was confident.

Even without being born with a divine power like Gi Woo-Hee, without being born with unbelievable martial arts talent like the Cheon clan, without being born with the Immersing Heart Eye like the Sa clan.

He had reached this place simply as a single person with a strong mental strength. Rather, it was because he was not born with talent that he was able to reach this place.

“He chose me. And through me, he was able to break free from the shackles of this world and reach the heavens.”

“……!!”

“Completing each other. That is the master-disciple relationship created by fate.”

Fire ignited in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes as well.

He had finally returned to the Sama Hyeon he knew. That was fueling his anger.

“You, who have only coveted and plundered like a beast without respecting others, cannot understand such a natural gift.”

“Shut up!”

This fight was no longer a fight for the fate of the Central Plains.

Both had experienced unbearable setbacks, yet they had not given up and had risen to run towards their goals. And with those goals right in front of them, in a sense, they had lived lives that were like twins.

However, the process was completely different.

Yeon Ho-Jeong had returned by borrowing the power of defying the heavens, even though he did not want to, but he had once again moved forward as a human. He had not forgotten that he was human, and he was a Four Divine Generals who wanted to move forward with everyone.

Sama Hyeon had walked the path of defying the heavens because he wanted to, and he had returned to this place as a demon of defying the heavens until the end. He had abandoned being human himself and stood in this place as an evil god to become a unique god.

Unless they understood each other’s lives, they were not natural enemies.

Only now had the fight between heaven-sent rivals, true natural enemies, been established. The fight, the fists, and the axes that had been misaligned because they did not know each other until now could finally reach the other’s soul.

“Heavenly Human Dragon!!”

Kwang!

He burst forward, and he was right in front of him.

The speed was no different from before. But Yeon Ho-Jeong knew he couldn’t block it.

The immense anger and hatred had even blurred his vision. It was a beastly emotion that could not be contained in a human body, something that could only be described as an evil god.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was pushed back, coughing up blood.

Kwak!

Supporting himself with one right foot, he abandoned his axe and charged.

Whoooosh!!

A whirlwind arose.

The pure white wind swirled. A fist filled with white-hot anger flew towards his rival’s head.

Kwang!!

One blow could have crumbled a mountain.

Sama Hyeon’s body, which had been hit directly in the face, dug into the ground. Even the Four Fiend Body could not withstand the impact.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked down at him with cold eyes.

“Get up.”

Whack!

He grabbed Yeon Ho-Jeong’s ankle while still buried in the ground.

Po-eong!

Sama Hyeon, who had risen with an explosion, swung the hand holding his ankle.

Kwang!

It was as if a huge iron pillar had been driven into the ground. A thick heat rose above the cracks that extended for dozens of yards.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s hand moved.

Kwang!

It was a Heaven-Turning Palm that accurately struck his elbow. Sama Hyeon’s hand opened on its own.

At the same time, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body disappeared from that spot.

Po-eok!

Sama Hyeon’s upper body bent. A fist had landed squarely on his solar plexus.

Thud!

Blood spurted from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s mouth. Sama Hyeon’s elbow, which had been swung upwards, had struck his jaw.

However, both were fine.

The cold and calm anger, and the anger that was exploding like a volcano, were extremely activating the Mind Swords of both of them. Because it was a more informal and brutal fistfight than before, it was more destructive, and therefore, the recovery speed was even faster.

The two threw punches at each other.

Kwa kwa kwang!

The Mind Sword and anger were going wild.

There was no need to shout out loud. Each of their fists contained their own hearts. With each blow exchanged, the two continued a brutally honest conversation.

How much time had passed like that?

When the world darkened and the moon rose high in the sky.

Crack!

With the sound of bones breaking, one shadow knelt down.