Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1367

‘It’s there. I feel the vibrations coming from there.’

‘Huh?!’

‘But we can’t go there. The clash of power is too intense. It seems like Limitless masters are fighting… If so, that means a Limitless master from the Blood Fiend Sect has arrived as well. Most likely, it’s their young sect leader.’

‘I don’t understand what you’re saying…’

‘Let’s go to the right instead. We’ll be needed on that battlefield. The shockwave density is lower than on the left, but it seems like they’re struggling to fight.’

‘……’

‘The Tang Clan will be here soon, so there’s no need to overdo it. The person there is probably Elder Pae Yul. If we just support him from behind, we can prevent the enemy from advancing south.’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about… but we will follow you, Miss.’

‘Thank you. Let’s go.’

‘Yes!’

Whoosh!

Her elegant movements resembled a crane, and her upright posture showed the spirit of a steadfast scholar.

It was like watching the Yeon Family’s Heavenly Flight [a movement technique], but with a more flexible and fluid flow.

Three hundred soldiers from a prestigious family, known more for their formations and tactics than martial arts in the Central Plains, entered the battlefield.

A woman who was the first in the Jianghu [the martial world] to see through the danger of Sichuan.

Her face, as she charged forward in her black robe, was more like a warrior than a strategist.

* * *

How long had he been fighting?

Clang! Clang! Clang!

It was becoming increasingly difficult to defend.

‘Damn it.’

Pae Yul almost cursed out loud.

‘How embarrassing.’

How long had it been since he had confidently declared that he wouldn’t let a single one escape and that they should fight without running away?

‘These guys are developing frighteningly fast.’

It wasn’t that their individual inner energy or physical strength had increased. Nor had their bodies become any tougher.

But killing them was becoming increasingly difficult. In fact, since killing three more in the previous half-turn, he hadn’t been able to inflict a single casualty.

‘Are they really zombies? Now they’re practically…’

There was no separate combat unit.

Pae Yul was still guarding the path well. It was a wide area for one person to handle, but his incredible martial arts, adaptability, and practical sense made it possible.

In response, the Black Corpses’ combat abilities were also developing rapidly.

After suffering heavy losses from charging in a triangular formation, the Black Corpses formed small groups of three to five, pressuring Pae Yul from three directions.

‘It was fine at first.’

It was surprising that they formed small groups on their own without anyone’s command.

However, they had only formed the formations; the coordination between the formations was not proper. Pae Yul shattered four small formations in an instant.

And what followed was what was happening now.

After completely destroying the small formations of three, the Black Corpses were calmly pressuring Pae Yul while coordinating between the formations.

‘Their changes are surprising, but what’s truly amazing is this formation. How can a small combat formation be so sophisticated…’

While attacking the left and right flanks simultaneously, they left room to retreat, and they clung to their target until the end for the formation that would penetrate from the center.

They weren’t just using techniques specialized in external martial arts, but they were also drawing and wielding small swords from their waists, and their martial arts were top-notch.

Even though the power of their martial arts hadn’t increased, he felt a great difficulty. It was even more frustrating because he had the experience of easily killing them when they charged recklessly.

‘Even so, this is truly amazing. Their martial arts level hasn’t increased, nor has their inner energy deepened, but just by coordinating their formations, the fight has become difficult.’

Even the young masters of Mount Emei wouldn’t be able to perform such natural and powerful small formation combat. Mid-level masters might be able to, but the small formations of Mount Emei are inherently independent, making it impossible to coordinate with each other.

At this level, it could be considered to boast a level of utilization comparable to the Shaolin’s Lesser Arhat Formation [a famous Buddhist formation]. The power of the formation itself might be superior in the Arhat Formation, but the flexibility and utilization seemed to be greater here.

‘And yet, it’s insidious. It’s a demonic formation. But… I never thought a demonic formation could be this advanced.’

The leader of the central formation swung his sword powerfully.

Clang!

Pae Yul’s eyebrows twitched.

It was a power he had never experienced before.

It wasn’t because of the momentum, but the power of the strike itself had become stronger. How could this be when their inner energy and physical strength were the same?

‘Qi Transmission!’

They were even displaying Qi Transmission, which was only possible for those who had mastered the same sect’s inner cultivation method. It was a tactic that increased the attack power of one person by transferring inner energy between the martial artists forming the formation.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

The attacks from the left and right became even more intense.

He had only blocked the stronger attacks, and he hadn’t retreated much further. Yet, the left and right sides accurately read the gaps and launched attacks.

‘They’re reading me.’

Pae Yul realized another fact.

These monsters no longer screamed or drooled like diseased beasts.

The ones in the far rear still made bizarre noises, but the Black Corpses directly clashing with Pae Yul did not.

They simply stared at their target with eerie eyes, quietly shining. Furthermore, they seemed to be learning tactics instantly by watching the fight between the target and their comrades, moving slightly to take their positions.

‘This won’t do.’

Pae Yul made a decision.

‘I have to hold out until the Tang Clan forces arrive. But I can’t give these guys any room to think. Even if it’s a bit of a waste, I have to use it when I need to.’

Whoosh! Whoosh!

From the Northern Darkness Divine Art to the true energy of the Heavenly Dragon Supreme Heart Method [inner cultivation techniques].

The dark, fierce, and heavy energy changed into a bright and majestic energy.

The Black Corpses sensitively captured the change. Even before reacting, their eyes changed.

Pae Yul swung his sword greatly.

Whoosh!

A large gust of wind swept past the Black Corpses.

It was a heavy but refreshing wind. The wind gathered on Pae Yul’s left sword, drawing out a rich sword energy.

The pinnacle sword technique of Mount Emei, which had been sealed to prevent excessive inner energy consumption.

The Heavenly Dragon Supreme Sword Method, carrying the essence of the Returning Wind Sword, advanced.

Crack! Thud!

Two of the Black Corpses forming the central formation were shattered into pieces by the merciless sword energy.

The movement was large, revealing a gap. The Black Corpses of the left formation did not miss the gap and swung their swords.

Shing! Swish!

He blocked two of the swords, but the last one grazed Pae Yul’s shoulder.

‘It’s not shallow.’

It wasn’t deep, but it wasn’t shallow either. Fortunately, it wasn’t a fingernail, so it wasn’t poisoned.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

He swung his spear, imbued with the flow of the Qi Peak Sword.

Thud! Thud!

It was a martial art like the flapping of a great roc’s wings. The unusual weight in each strike caused the heads of two Black Corpses to explode.

Swish! Swish!

Sharp blades grazed his side and thigh.

It was a shallower wound than the one on his shoulder. It was an attack that could be ignored.

However, if he continued to use martial arts with large movements and high inner energy consumption, he would suffer countless such wounds. Naturally, his stamina would decrease over time, and there would be a limit to using true energy to stop the bleeding.

Then he would lose.

‘I know, but…’

Clang!

With a powerful stomp, he swung his spear widely.

Clang! Clang!

His inner energy was rapidly draining.

The sword energy of the Heavenly Dragon Supreme Sword, spreading out from the tip of the spear, created a wave-like ripple. Some of the Black Corpses tried to join to rebuild the broken formation, but they were pushed back.

At that moment, Pae Yul’s eyes blazed.

Thud!

Another powerful stomp.

He drew the power of the earth into his whole body and swung his left sword like a shot.

It was the Piercing Sun Sword. The Piercing Sun of the Immortal Archer of the Piercing Sun Art was unleashed.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The bodies of seven Black Corpses standing where the left sword was aimed were pierced through.

It was the technique with the least inner energy consumption in the Piercing Sun Art. It was a technique that annihilated enemies in its path with a straight flash, without the penetrating power that spread out in dozens of lines after the qi emission.

Clang!

He blocked the attacks of two Black Corpses who had managed to escape the sword energy of the Heavenly Dragon Supreme Sword with his spear.

‘……!’

Pae Yul’s forehead was beaded with sweat.

He hadn’t been able to prepare properly because of the inner energy he had poured out in an instant. He knew their attacks were coming, but they were more powerful than he had expected.

Shing! Shing!

He swung his spear horizontally, pushing the enemies away, and immediately unleashed the Splitting Light Sword.

Clang! Clang!

One Black Corpse’s head was cut off by the Splitting Light Sword, imbued with the power of the Returning Wind Sword, and another Black Corpse’s neck had a small crack.

‘Damn it!’

Originally, both of them should have died from that strike.

It was because the sword’s elasticity had decreased. Using techniques that consumed a lot of inner energy had created gaps in his continuous movements, and the power in his quick sword had decreased.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Clang! Clang!

Fortunately, he hadn’t allowed a single one of the Black Corpses’ fingernail attacks.

Of course, the situation hadn’t improved.

‘……!’

He had unleashed the Heavenly Dragon Sword and the Qi Peak Sword countless times, and when the opportunity arose, he had used the Piercing Sun Art.

His inner energy had already dropped to less than half. His valor in single-handedly annihilating nearly half of the monstrous zombies deserved praise.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

Pae Yul’s eyes wavered.

‘These bastards?’

The Black Corpses, who had only been thinking of breaking through Pae Yul, suddenly changed their tactics.

The Black Corpses, who had been lined up behind the three small formations, split into two columns and suddenly began to climb the cliff.

Thud! Whack! Crack!

It was a bizarre movement.

They were climbing the vertical cliff using their hands and feet, moving by digging their hard fingernails into the wall.

Yet, their movement speed was considerable. It looked similar to the Gecko Technique, but it was much more ferocious and faster.

‘Is this the end?’

If they entered from the left and right cliffs, Pae Yul wouldn’t be able to stop them.

‘There’s no point in retreating further. If they’ve started climbing the walls, it means they can also move above the canyon.’

He had fought well enough.

His body was covered in blood, and his inner energy had dropped to less than half. He still had some stamina left, but if he continued to fight like this, he would die before annihilating them.

Finally, Pae Yul made a decision.

‘Then I’ll kill as many as I can and follow them.’

It was then.

‘……?’

While facing the fierce energy of the Black Corpses, Pae Yul’s sharp senses detected another energy.

‘This is?!’

Surprise appeared on Pae Yul’s face.

‘It’s not the Tang Clan?’

At first, he thought they were people from the Tang Clan.

But this elegant and flowing energy was not from the Tang Clan. It was a completely opposite energy to the Tang Clan’s unique, poisonous, and fierce energy.

But it was strong.

A force that was advancing in a solid formation, a force that would be treated as an elite unit in any sect, was rushing from behind.

‘Could it be!’

Pae Yul had felt this energy before.

It was from the Martial Alliance.

‘The Wise Bamboo Unit, all in a Formation Breaking Charge!’

The clear voice that rang out was truly beautiful.

The female general’s voice, which echoed on the battlefield, was sharper and firmer than Muk Bi’s. Yet, it revealed an amazing fighting spirit.

Clang!

Pae Yul, pushing back the Black Corpses in front of him, couldn’t help but look back.

His face showed a hint of joy.

‘The Jeagal Clan!’

That’s right.

They were the Wise Bamboo Unit, one of the elite forces of the Jeagal Clan, a prestigious family in Hubei and led by the Martial Alliance’s Chief Military Strategist, charging with endless variations.

And the person leading the Wise Bamboo Unit was none other than the Chief Military Strategist’s precious daughter, Jeagal Ayeon, who had been dispatched to the Black Demon Fortress.

Jeagal Ayeon drew her sword.

Instead of the thin and straight ceremonial sword unique to the Jeagal Clan, a thick iron sword, suitable for use on the battlefield, emitted a fierce glow.

‘Don’t leave a single one alive!’

‘Understood!’