Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1344

“How dare these….”

For Tang Gwan, the death of his younger brother was infuriating enough. But the sudden breakthrough of Moyong Gun, which led to the death of Sasa King Myeong Hwal, was beyond belief.

He had cast aside all emotions and come this far with the sole purpose of completing the Heaven-Defying Divine Pearl, yet now, more obstacles had appeared.

Hang Mu’s rage soared to the heavens.

Thud!!

The force of his stomp, even stronger than when he fought Tang Gwan, spoke volumes about his fury. He gathered his strength with such immense power that the already devastated ground trembled once more, and he unleashed a powerful punch. Hang Mu’s secret technique, the Dragon Wind God Fist, was unleashed.

Kwarururung!!

The fist wind, creating a vortex in the air, instantly shook the three arrows.

Even arrows shot with extreme internal energy could not withstand Hang Mu’s fist wind, launched with such intent. They tried to overcome the qualitative difference in internal energy with quantity, but if that were the case, the strongest person in the world would always be the oldest. [This implies that experience and age would always trump raw power, which is not the case here.]

Kwakwang!

Beneath the shattered arrows, like exploding fireworks, the fist wind continued forward.

Rather, the further it traveled, the larger and stronger the fist wind became. Like a whirlwind that gains power over time, Hang Mu’s Dragon Wind God Fist was a top-tier martial art specialized for long-range attacks.

At that moment, the archer moved.

Swish!

She evaded the area of the fist wind, which was sucking everything into its vortex.

It was a speed that was hard to believe even when witnessed. She avoided that storm-like blow, taken from the Dragon Whirlwind, with a movement technique that mimicked a dragon soaring.

Hang Mu’s eyebrows twitched.

‘She dared to evade it.’

It wasn’t an attack that could be evaded just because one wanted to.

While it didn’t contain the vast spiritual power that encompassed a large area like Myeong Hwal, the Dragon Wind God Fist had another subtle use: it diminished the opponent’s perception with a much more delicate and meticulous spiritual power formula.

“You do have a trick up your sleeve!”

Paah-aah-aang!

Hang Mu, advancing relentlessly, finally entered the battlefield of the monstrous beings.

Bloodscale shouted.

“Protect me!”

The elite of the Evil Sound Sect surrounded Bloodscale and ran.

Bloodscale wasn’t just receiving protection.

Swish!

He shot a blood-red light towards Mount Tai and muttered something in a low voice. It was a telepathic technique mixed with sorcery.

It was then.

Whooo-ooo-oong!!

A dark, yet more vibrant and majestic, crimson aura began to cover the sky, darker than Bloodscale’s blood-red light.

At the same time, an enormous energy gathered, creating a whirlwind. Bloodscale’s face became urgent.

‘Tang Gwan!’

Kwajik! Swish!

Tang Gwan, who had quickly gathered several weapons from the dead cultists, threw and detonated the swords.

The shattered pieces of the swords collided madly, creating a chilling sound.

It was a sudden, improvised Rain of a Thousand Needles. The Rain of a Thousand Needles, shot with the power of the Myriad Return Divine Art, was a Poison Dragon Strike that, although not fully prepared and unable to cover a wide area, still displayed immense power against a small number of targets.

Chiriring! Kwarururung!

The Rain of a Thousand Needles Poison Dragon Strike, which advanced while engulfing even the stones on the ground, resembled a dragon, just like its name.

Furthermore, it possessed a fiercer and more solid body than when it was deployed in the past to wipe out the subordinates of Cheon Hwa-ryong, the young leader of the Blood Madness Sect.

“Evade it!”

Bloodscale, who was telling them to evade, was certain that many cultists would die from that absurd martial art.

His upper dantian ability [an energy center in the body] was beyond that of a sorcerer like himself. He didn’t use it for sorcery but refined it extremely delicately to create destructive martial arts.

He would surely pursue them.

Puhwaaaak!!

The bodies of about forty cultists, caught in the advance of the Poison Dragon Strike, were torn apart and scattered.

Bloodscale’s eyes flashed.

It was certainly an immense power. However, after killing about forty cultists, the movement and destructive power of the Poison Dragon Strike had noticeably decreased.

‘He overdid it.’

It was only natural. Immediately after the fight, he had traveled thousands of miles and fought the Four Kings without proper rest. Even if there was nothing wrong with his internal energy, his physical and mental fatigue would be extreme.

Rather, it was amazing that he could even unleash such a martial art in that state.

Bloodscale shouted.

“Charge in! The Heaven-Defying Divine Pearl will resurrect you!”

“Uwaaaa!”

The cultists, crazed with madness, rushed towards the Poison Dragon Strike without hesitation.

Tang Gwan’s face, advancing from afar, was filled with shock.

‘That madman!!’

Even beasts cherish their young. Even the most twisted villains value their subordinates. Yet, that man was using his fanatics to save himself, telling them to take their own lives.

What was even more absurd was that the cultists, with their eyes wide open, were rushing into the Poison Dragon Strike.

They were all going to be wiped out anyway, but he didn’t want to kill them like this.

Tang Gwan’s face showed hesitation.

A slight, very slight hesitation soon reduced the power of the spiritual energy within the Poison Dragon Strike. It was only natural.

Kwaddeuk! Bang! Puh-puhng!

The Poison Dragon Strike swept through about thirty more people before finally shattering completely.

With a single move, he had killed seventy elite masters of the Evil Sound Sect. It was a destructive power that could be discussed throughout history.

Bloodscale shouted.

“I’m going!”

“Go!”

Bloodscale, having received permission from Hang Mu, immediately kicked off the ground.

Swish!!

It was a speed that surpassed imagination.

That lightness technique was surprisingly comparable to Tang Gwan’s, almost on par with Moyong Gun’s movement technique that had toyed with Myeong Hwal.

Moreover, Moyong Gun’s speed was achieved by exerting power beyond his limits for a short-term battle. Yet, Bloodscale was displaying such speed.

This was also the power of the upper dantian. Bloodscale’s lightness technique, which covered over twenty yards with each step as if floating in the air, was so incredible that it was hard to believe even when witnessed.

Tang Gwan’s eyes flashed.

“Catch him!!”

His voice, filled with immense internal energy, seemed to echo throughout Mount Tai.

Kurururung!!

The invincible Yu Army unit, the Righteous Army, waved their flags and detoured, rushing towards the direction Bloodscale was heading.

But it was futile. No matter how excellent their horses were in speed and endurance, it was difficult to catch Bloodscale, who was running with a lightness technique comparable to Moyong Gun, who had reached the pinnacle of the Limitless Realm with the Thunderclap Technique.

It was then.

“Change positions!”

A general’s shout, making a decision in a split second. Despite being a woman’s voice, it carried a terrifying dignity.

Muk Bi, who had developed her martial arts and acquired the ability to command her troops through countless battlefields.

She, who was already considered a master of a hundred battles, had reached the peak of her practical abilities and judgment after the battle in Jiangxi Province.

Even if that judgment resulted in casualties among her own troops.

Still, to win, they fought while accepting sacrifices. There were battles where winning was as important as protecting the lives of her people, and now was such a battle.

Kururung!

The Righteous Army’s horsemanship was astonishing.

They quickly turned their horses to form a formation, and their speed had increased even more after the recent battle in Jiangxi Province.

Seeing the Righteous Army charging with tremendous momentum, Hang Mu momentarily felt his breathing falter.

‘What are these guys?!’

He had thought they were a great unit even from afar. But when they formed a formation and charged right in front of him, the word ‘death’ flashed like an illusion.

‘An incredible unit. They rival the Mountain and River Unit!’

If a mere five hundred or so cavalry could remind him of the Mountain and River Unit, they were truly no ordinary unit. [The Mountain and River Unit is likely a renowned, powerful military unit.]

While the Mountain and River Unit was superior in defense, the Righteous Army was superior in offense. Moreover, the Righteous Army, having traversed all kinds of terrain in the Central Plains and fought numerous formidable enemies, could be said to have more practical experience than even the Dragon Tooth Iron Cavalry. [The Dragon Tooth Iron Cavalry is another military unit, likely known for its strength.]

Hang Mu’s face was filled with conflict.

Behind him, the devilish Tang Gwan was chasing, and in front of him, an invincible cavalry unit that was difficult to overcome was charging.

‘Escape is impossible.’

It was obvious. If he escaped here, these monstrous beings would surely climb up to Mount Tai.

He didn’t know how the Heaven-Defying Divine Pearl was made, but it was hard to believe that the correct sorcery would be performed amidst the chaos.

‘Indeed, this must be my place of death.’

The decision was instantaneous.

Hang Mu fearlessly unleashed the Dragon Wind God Fist towards the front.

Kwarururung!!

The fist wind, creating a whirlwind, split into seven streams in an instant.

It was one of the secret techniques of the Dragon Wind God Fist, the Heaven-Collapsing Seven-Headed Dragon.

At that moment, Yeo Guk shouted.

“Tai Chi Return to Stillness, Eight Armies!”

Kururung!

The Righteous Army instantly split into eight units.

The seven streams of fist wind twisted erratically, heading towards the seven units.

Hang Mu’s eyes wavered.

‘They twisted the trajectory?!’

The fist wind of the Heaven-Collapsing Seven-Headed Dragon, which should have collided and moved away from each other, completely destroying the area, was caught in the Righteous Army’s formation and directed towards each unit.

The faces of the Righteous Army soldiers were all flushed red. They were all pouring out their internal energy to control the immense martial art of a Limitless Realm master. [Limitless Realm is a high level of martial arts mastery.]

Yeo Guk, who was controlling the formation with his sword in the center, shouted loudly.

“Return to Heaven!”

“Understood!”

The soldiers forcefully swung their weapons upwards.

Booooooom!!

The seven streams of fist wind twisted and shot straight into the sky.

It was an amazing sight, a sight that was creating a legend in the martial world. They had neutralized a secret technique used with all his might by a Limitless Realm master, using only the power of their formation.

Yeo Guk pointed his sword at Hang Mu.

Even while launching an attack against a Limitless Realm master, there was not a hint of fear in his sword or in the eyes of the soldiers.

“Charging Dragon Slaughter!”

Hehehehing!!

The horses, emitting tremendous fighting spirit after receiving their masters’ true energy, all lowered their heads and charged.

In that instant, Hang Mu felt a pain as if the muscles in his entire body were tearing.

‘What the hell are these guys?!’

Immense internal energy consumption, extreme physical exhaustion.

He was not in a normal state. But even if he were normal, it seemed difficult to remain unscathed in the face of that terrifying energy.

‘They surpass the Mountain and River Unit?!’

The eyes of all the soldiers shone brilliantly.

Most of them had been pushed out of their positions as successors of their respective sects or had not received important tasks.

Such individuals had formed a unit with one heart and mind, and had gone through life and death in countless battles.

Even though they belonged to the Martial Alliance, they had left the Martial Alliance and traveled all over the world, slaughtering villains and defeating formidable enemies. [The Martial Alliance is likely a governing body for martial artists.]

The moment they became the Yu Army, they had already forged their destiny. Furthermore, they had participated in the battle of Jiangxi Province with their own will, achieved merits, and rushed to Shandong again according to the information network of the Black Path. [The Black Path is likely an underground network of information and influence.]

They always went wherever they were needed, without any fixed destination. The existence of the Righteous Army had already escaped the net of the heavens, and they were shining with the indomitable will to win any battle.

Even if their opponent was a Limitless Realm master, they were not afraid. They moved with the pride of being the strongest. Even if individuals died in battle, the Righteous Army would not die or be defeated.

A pride akin to faith, and madness.

That steel-like conviction, even without reaching the Limitless Realm, formed a group and displayed tremendous intimidation.

Hang Mu’s face darkened.

‘In the end, I’ll have to finish this with these guys.’

It was the moment he was about to unleash the Dragon Wind God Fist once more.

“Righteous Army!”

The female general’s shout.

Her uncharacteristic urgency was clearly evident.

“Be careful of the rear! Enemy attack!”

Kurururung.

To the side of the world’s greatest archer, who was chasing Bloodscale.

A thousand Dharma protectors were descending. [Dharma protectors are likely a group of powerful warriors or monks.]