Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 241

‘……?!’

Yeon Ho-Jeong raised his head to look at the sky.

‘What is it?’

The setting sun was a vivid, intense red.

The world would be dark within half a *sh辰* [a traditional Chinese unit of time, roughly equivalent to two hours]. Already, a faint moon was beginning to appear in the distant sky.

‘The atmosphere is fluctuating.’

Just a little further and they would be near Changsha.

Yet, the air felt strange there.

‘It’s too chaotic. Has something happened?’

Changsha was the capital of Hunan. Even as the day ended, there would be many people. No, it would be even more lively with people gathering to enjoy the nightlife.

But this wasn’t the chaos of a large crowd. It was something else.

Kyaaaak!

The Vermilion Bird Qi in his heart let out a rough cry.

‘Murderous intent?!’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes blazed.

Kwaaang!

A powerful foot stomp shook the earth.

Sensing that the situation was unusual, Yeon Ho-Jeong began to awaken all the powers he had suppressed due to his mission.

Tzzzz!

From Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body, which had been moving with minimal internal energy to conceal his presence, a flame-like energy surged.

Whirr!

The awakening Vermilion Bird Qi heated his heart. His heart rate increased, boosting his cardiac output, and the surging blood coursed through his body, making all his nerves extremely sensitive.

Whoooosh.

The White Tiger Qi he inhaled maximized his lung capacity.

A rapid increase in cardiopulmonary function. Power surged through his limbs, and his senses became even more acute. He could almost grasp the flow of the air, his bones and flesh became firm, and all the joints in his body became flexible.

Woo-oong!

The Ten-Layered Biseon Jin Gyeol [a technique to protect the body] minimized the strain on his body. However, the Vermilion Bird and White Tiger Qi were so fierce that even with the protection of the Biseon Jin Gyeol, he couldn’t completely prevent muscle fatigue.

Then, the Azure Dragon Qi soared.

Cheeeeee!

His liver function activated, instantly dispelling the accumulated fatigue. The divine energy of the Eastern Sky, the heated Azure Dragon Qi, reached the peak of recovery.

The power of the Three Gods, pushing his body and energy utilization to their limits.

But even that wasn’t enough. He was in a state sufficient to unleash explosive martial arts, but using too much power could lead to a loss of finesse. A misstep could disrupt his body’s balance and even cause internal injuries.

Whoaaaaa.

The divine energy of the Northern Sky, balancing everything from an unseen place.

It was the Black Tortoise Qi. As the Black Tortoise Qi soared, it completely eliminated all the impurities that had been generated and perfectly restored his body’s balance.

Yeon Ho-Jeong took a deep breath.

‘Good.’

Until now, he had only used one or two powers depending on the situation.

But the true value of the Four Divine Beasts Martial Art was revealed when all energies were controlled freely.

‘Now, there’s nothing to hold me back.’

In Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes, the four colors of energy flashed sequentially. It was the first time in a long while that the Four Divine Beasts Qi had been unleashed, and that legendary martial art was finally making its appearance in Hunan.

Yeon Ho-Jeong kicked off the ground.

Kwaaaang!

The surface of the earth flipped over.

Paah!

He was moving at nearly twice the speed as before. The Yeon family’s supreme movement technique, the Heavenly Soaring Flight, received the power of mutual generation, granting him incredible speed and limitless freedom.

Pararararak!

The hem of his robe fluttered wildly. If he increased his speed any further, the edges would likely be torn to shreds.

Yeon Ho-Jeong entered the vicinity of Changsha in an instant, and his senses immediately picked up the presence of the task force.

‘West!’

Paah!

It was an astonishing movement technique.

He accelerated again by stepping in the air.

He was moving like a beam of light. Unleashing the power he had suppressed in an instant, it felt as if all the pent-up energy was cheering and elevating his martial arts to a new level.

And finally.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had soared high into the sky after kicking off the roofs of several buildings, saw the task force.

Puh-uh-uhk!

Three warriors, emitting sinister energy, fell on the spot from a powerful sword strike.

It was Paeyul. It seemed he had further refined his Sun Piercing Sword, as the explosive power in his strikes had become even stronger.

He was the most outstanding among the group. All the sword techniques, starting from the middle stance, were simple yet practical, and with each swing, the heads of the enemies fell like rain.

He was strong enough without using the martial arts of the Jeomchang Sect. Indeed, the youngest elder of the Jeomchang Sect, his rising killing sword honed through countless battles, was ravaging the enemies.

Pa-pa-pa-pang!

Tang Sang-Ah’s martial arts were also astonishing. Her martial arts, as the best talent of the Sichuan Tang Clan, were already comparable to those of seasoned veterans who had experienced many battles.

Moreover, she wasn’t using hidden weapons.

Her movements were fast and light. She wasn’t even using poison, but one palm strike was enough to bring down an enemy.

Her footwork was as insidious as a snake, and her palm strikes, while soft, targeted fatal pressure points. Her flexible yet chilling fists and kicks became a dance of death, mocking the White-Clad Corps.

Kwaang! Kwaaang!

The most unexpected was Jeagal Ayeon.

Whether in battle or on a mission, she had always taken a step back. From the start, she was more skilled at using her mind than her martial arts, and she enjoyed devising new strategies even if the results weren’t satisfactory.

That was not the case now.

Crack! Thud! Bang!

The noble martial arts of the Jeagal family had transformed into ruthless killing techniques, taking down enemies.

Surprisingly, Jeagal Ayeon’s practical combat skills were exceptional. Whether she had acquired them while commanding the Myeolsa Army, her utilization of killing techniques was even better than Tang Sang-Ah’s.

Jeagal Ayeon, enraged by the deaths of innocent civilians, was unleashing terrifying martial arts that she had never shown even to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

And Ga Deuk-Sang.

If Jeagal Ayeon was the most unexpected, then Ga Deuk-Sang was the most worrying.

‘Die!’

Crack! Thud! Thud!

The excitement was evident in his movements.

Even though he could kill an enemy with one strike, he was taking at least three strikes to completely destroy them.

Perhaps he was still holding onto a thread of reason. He was using the unique offbeat and seemingly clumsy yet powerful strikes of the Beggar Sect, but thankfully, he hadn’t unleashed the Beggar’s Secret Technique.

‘They’re the ones! Call them all!’

‘Contact the leader! Everyone here…!’

Paah!

Ga Deuk-Sang, who had closed the distance in an instant, kicked a White-Clad Corps member in the chest.

Crack!

The White-Clad Corps member who had been struck in the chest fell without even screaming. His sternum was caved in, so he wouldn’t survive.

‘Yes, call them all!’

A dark murderous intent flickered in Ga Deuk-Sang’s eyes. It was so intense that it seemed to pierce through the hood of his blood-soaked robe.

‘Call them all! I’ll kill them all!’

It was a terrifying momentum.

His martial arts had become more powerful due to his rage, but he had lost his finesse and balance.

Each strike was stronger, but his stamina was being depleted quite severely. Ga Deuk-Sang’s breathing was gradually becoming rougher.

The leader of the White-Clad Corps’ Third Division, Gwi Do, shouted.

‘Everyone, fall back! Don’t approach recklessly! Surround them until reinforcements arrive…!’

At that moment, a gust of finger wind pierced through the air.

Puh-uh-uhk!

With a chilling sound, Gwi Do’s eyes glazed over.

His head slumped, and he fell to the ground.

Whirr!

The intense heat spreading in all directions captured everyone’s attention. All the martial artists present turned their heads to where the finger wind had been fired.

Kwaaang!

A tremendous gust of wind split the center of the battlefield.

It wasn’t from the sky, but from the ground. Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had deceived everyone’s eyes with explosive fire energy, unleashed the White Tiger Qi at maximum output and charged into the densely packed White-Clad Corps.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s fists unleashed a storm of fierce blows.

Thud thud thud thud!

Strong and fast.

At the same time, precise and delicate. The fangs of the Beast King, the White Tiger of the West, accurately struck the hearts of fifteen White-Clad Corps members.

Puhwaaaak!

The White-Clad Corps members fell, spitting blood.

The panicked remaining forces turned their attention to Yeon Ho-Jeong, but he was no longer there. He had judged that his face shouldn’t be revealed since he wasn’t wearing a hood like the others.

To annihilate the enemies in the shortest time with the most efficient movements?

Puh-uh-uhng!

The exploding Solar Qi propelled Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body to the realm of divine speed.

Thud thud thud thud! Crack! Kwaaang!

It was the reincarnation of a fire god unleashing merciless fists and palms.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, having maximized his murderous intent, became an invincible general breaking through the enemy lines, sweeping away the wicked who had abandoned humanity like fallen leaves.

The panicked White-Clad Corps members belatedly tried to create distance, but Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t allow them to retreat.

He was moving at extreme speed. The White-Clad Corps members couldn’t even read Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes, let alone his face.

Thud thud thud thud!

The number of enemies Yeon Ho-Jeong had killed was greater than the number of enemies the four others had defeated.

‘Huh?!’

Surprise flickered across Ga Deuk-Sang’s face, who had been more excited than anyone else.

‘Young Master Yeon!’

Among the group, except for Jeagal Ayeon, he was the one who had seen Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial arts the most.

Jeagal Ayeon shouted.

‘North!’

Paah!

Paeyul and Tang Sang-Ah immediately headed north as soon as Jeagal Ayeon finished speaking.

Kwaaang!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had burned down five or six White-Clad Corps members on the spot with the twin-palm death technique, the Crimson Flame Six Kill Technique, was immediately launched towards Ga Deuk-Sang.

Paah!

There was no time to panic. Yeon Ho-Jeong’s movement technique, which was already carrying Ga Deuk-Sang on his shoulder, was so fast that it was dizzying.

Ga Deuk-Sang shouted.

‘Two of them are left!’

He was about to kill them all. Ga Deuk-Sang’s face, glaring at the two retreating enemies, was distorted like a demon.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shouted.

‘More enemies are coming from behind! Now is the time to create distance!’

‘Shibal! Do you know what those bastards did?!’

‘Staying here will only turn this place into a battlefield! It’s better to lure them away!’

‘……Damn it!’

He seemed extremely frustrated. Ga Deuk-Sang’s eyes welled up with tears.

‘Damn it! Damn it!’

Regardless of the reason, dozens of innocent civilians had died because of the Martial Alliance’s mission. Among them were even young children who couldn’t have been more than ten years old.

‘I’m sorry.’

His feelings were more of self-loathing and guilt than anger. He had never imagined that those bastards would do such a thing.

‘Hoo-gae.’

‘……’

‘Let’s not think about anything right now and just focus on getting out of here.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong immediately understood the situation. He was also angry, but there was no point in staying there any longer.

Not for the task force, nor for the civilians.

Ga Deuk-Sang said through gritted teeth.

‘If those bastards do it again…’

‘Yang Cheon is a man who knows what’s right. The same goes for his subordinates. They know that causing such chaos won’t do them any good.’

‘……’

‘Regain your composure.’

‘……Let me down now.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong took a breath and threw Ga Deuk-Sang far away.

Parararak!

Ga Deuk-Sang landed on the ground with a stylish movement technique and ran alongside Yeon Ho-Jeong.

‘Young Master Yeon.’

‘Speak.’

‘……Thank you.’

‘Let’s talk about that after we get out of here.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed with intensity.

‘They are swarming from all directions. The mission is not over yet.’