Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 322

“I really don’t like this.”

The expression on Gyujeok’s face, usually known for being stoic, was unusually distorted.

The sun had long set, and the world was completely dark. He still couldn’t get used to the weather in the Central Plains during winter.

Even though he was immune to both heat and cold, there was still a feeling that the weather gave. Gyujeok didn’t like the winter weather in Henan at all.

‘I still can’t get used to it after all these years.’

His hometown was the best, after all. The Central Plains were vast and fertile, so they had to be conquered for the expansion of their religion, but Gyujeok still disliked this land.

‘I’d rather just have a good fight.’

Of course, he knew that war wasn’t just about power.

The sooner a war ends, the better. And to end a war quickly, overwhelming power and influence are necessary.

That was why the Divine Path, the Four Sounds, and the Blood Fiends were slowly infiltrating the Central Plains without revealing themselves. They needed to achieve an overwhelming victory.

However, what one knows in their head and what one feels in their heart are different. Gyujeok was a brilliant strategist, but he was also a passionate hothead.

The reason he didn’t usually show his emotions was to control his fiery temper. Forcing himself to be merciful to his subordinates was also for the same reason.

‘Damn it.’

He wanted to burn all the mountains he could see.

He understood it in his head, but his heart grew more frustrated with each passing moment.

‘I can’t even remember the last time I had a real fight.’

Was it because of his frustration?

His stagnation hadn’t shown any signs of breaking for five years. If he could just break through this stagnation, he could easily enter the top ten generals.

It was all because of the environment. It had been five years since he came to the Central Plains and became a military figure in Henan Province.

He couldn’t properly throw a punch, so his martial arts were bound to stagnate. That’s what he thought.

“Hmm.”

Gyujeok looked around.

He had traveled over fifty miles from the base. It seemed like he could pick up the pace now.

Whoosh!

A crimson glow enveloped his entire body, and his movement speed doubled.

As he tore through the wind, his frustration seemed to ease a little.

When he was in a bad mood, it was good to run like this. Gyujeok’s expression became much more relaxed.

How long had he been running like that?

‘…….’

Gyujeok tilted his head.

‘What is it?’

Thump, thump!

He slowed down by kicking off the air several times and landed on the top of a huge tree.

It was a large tree, but the branches were thin at the top. Even though he stepped on them, the branches didn’t bend. It was an incredible feat of lightness skill.

He looked around.

“…Hmm. I definitely felt a surge of energy.”

A very subtle fluctuation of energy.

In fact, it was so faint that he could have just ignored it. If he thought about it, he could have dismissed it as a mistake. He was running so fast, after all.

But Gyujeok was cautious.

Frustration was just frustration. As one of the Eighteen Martial Generals of the Divine Path, he didn’t forget his identity.

‘It’s unlikely, but there’s always a chance.’

Swish. Swish.

The fiery energy that had been surging from his body gradually lost its color.

The energy wave changed from tangible to intangible. He was spreading the true energy that filled his dantian [an energy center in the body] like a spider web in all directions.

It was a method of sensing energy. It was an extremely delicate manipulation of true energy that only masters who had broken through their limits could achieve.

Woong. Woong.

The wind was blowing fiercely.

The wind was strong, so the true energy he had spread out was constantly fluctuating. The density of the true energy was low, and its foundation was fire energy, so it didn’t match the winter wind.

‘Hmm.’

Still, his skills were not lacking.

He forcefully poured his inner energy to probe the surroundings more thoroughly, and then he gathered his true energy.

‘Was it just a simple mistake?’

Gyujeok chuckled and was about to step off the branch when it happened.

Right then.

Whoosh.

A sharp gust of wind rose from below the tree.

Gyujeok’s hand moved like lightning.

Clang!

A force as fast as lightning and as heavy as a rock.

With one blow, he shattered the ground and crushed half of a thick tree root. It was an incredible power.

Whoosh!

Gyujeok, who had descended in an instant, looked around.

“Which bastard is it…?!”

In that moment, Gyujeok felt a chill run down his spine.

Thud!

A foot-long axe was embedded in the tree, handle and all.

It was a truly stealthy and fast technique. Even Gyujeok, the great, would have had his head cut off if he had been a moment slower.

Of course, the attack didn’t end there.

Whoosh!

Hotly burning true energy approached Gyujeok’s nose.

‘Fire energy?!’

It was fire energy. But that fire energy was no ordinary thing.

Surprisingly, it was so powerful that it was comparable to his own fire energy. Seeing the overflowing firepower and burning killing intent, he even wondered for a moment if it was someone from his own sect.

And the hand blade of the owner of that fire energy was already two inches away from Gyujeok’s Adam’s apple.

Whoosh!

A long cut appeared on Gyujeok’s neck. The wound, which had bled a few drops, was instantly burned.

It was unbelievable. Gyujeok, a master of the Yang Flame Art, had not only been injured by a hand blade attack based on fire energy but had also been burned.

“You bastard!”

Bang!

The attacker was thrown backward by the sudden explosion of power.

Gyujeok’s eyes shook.

‘What is this?’

The Fire Worshipping Force Breaking Art was a unique martial art of the Divine Path, faster than the Central Plains’ inch force and twice as powerful.

Moreover, the person who used that technique was one of the Eighteen Martial Generals. Any ordinary master would have had their upper body blown apart on the spot.

‘Why don’t I feel anything?’

He didn’t feel the sensation of the force exploding from his palm when it hit the target.

It was as if he had hit a wall of rippling water. Gyujeok had never felt this way when using the Fire Worshipping Force Breaking Art.

In a split second, Gyujeok saw a flow of translucent, water-like true energy flowing from the front of the attacker in the darkness.

‘Water?!’

The slowed time began to speed up rapidly.

Swoosh!

A fist that had pierced through the center of the water wall was heading towards Gyujeok’s solar plexus at a terrifying speed.

It was too fast to dodge. Gyujeok instantly used the Azure Furnace Purification Art and swung the Fiery God Palm.

Bang! Crack!

He couldn’t completely offset the penetrating power of the straight punch. Gyujeok’s body was pushed back, shattering a large tree.

Thump, thump, thump!

Gyujeok’s eyes widened.

‘Fast!’

The attacker was emitting a fire-like energy wave, drawing numerous lines in a straight path.

It was a truly terrifying movement technique. Or was it a footwork technique?

Whatever it was, its speed was superior to his own.

Whoosh!

The attacker, who had been moving erratically, suddenly swooped down towards Gyujeok’s lower body.

It wasn’t just fast, but also extremely flexible. With his unimaginable movements, Gyujeok couldn’t help but admit that his opponent was superior to him in terms of lightness skill.

Clang!

The two men’s fists and palms collided, creating a loud explosion.

‘Ugh!’

A thick vein bulged on Gyujeok’s forehead.

The attacker wasn’t just fast. He had both fast and flashy lightness skills, as well as strength that was just as powerful.

Gyujeok retreated madly. The attacker quickly followed, swinging his legs wildly.

Thump, thump, thump! Bang!

Even his leg techniques were fast.

It was a kick without any mystical enlightenment or refined forms. But it was fast and strong. He couldn’t follow where and how he was aiming with his eyes.

Gyujeok’s palms slashed wildly through the air.

Bang, bang!

Gyujeok’s hands were thrown backward.

‘Strong!’

Fast. And strong.

That was all. And that was the essence of martial arts.

If one was fast enough to be difficult to see with the naked eye and had the power to break through any defense, that was the ultimate martial art.

The attacker was pushing him this hard with a martial art that was nothing special. It meant that he had completely grasped the path to the pinnacle of martial arts.

Bang!

After being pushed back several times, he exploded the fiery palm force he had been quietly gathering, pushing the attacker away.

Again, he didn’t feel anything in his hand. In terms of power, it was clearly superior to the Fire Worshipping Force Breaking Art, but it was useless against that translucent water wall.

But it was okay.

With this blow, the distance between him and the attacker had widened to over five yards. That distance was enough for him to catch his breath for a moment.

“Hoo.”

Gyujeok, who had taken a short and quick breath, had eyes that burned as red as fire.

“What kind of bastard… !”

Gyujeok had to lower his upper body before he could finish his sentence.

Clang!

This blow was huge.

It was as powerful as firing a cannon at a huge wall. With the formless double palm force, the three trees behind Gyujeok were completely shattered.

It was a palm technique of great power. But what was even more amazing was that he hadn’t noticed the flow of true energy even though the technique had such destructive power.

Gyujeok’s eyes, which had been burning like flames, gradually turned into a sticky, blood-red color.

Clang! Clang! Whoosh!

The attacker, who was about to attack again, stopped.

Clang! Bang! Whoosh!

Gyujeok’s indiscriminate barrage of palm strikes shattered the surrounding trees. And an unusual flame rose from the shattered trees, creating a wall of fire in the area.

The turning point of the burning flames.

Gyujeok asked in a cold voice.

“Who are you? Reveal your name.”

Flinch.

The attacker stopped his follow-up attack.

The attacker, who had been staring at Gyujeok, relaxed his stance. The terrifying killing intent in his eyes was still there, but his expression was puzzled.

“A formal introduction? In this situation?”

“I’ll say it again. Reveal your name. I don’t want to fight someone who can’t even reveal their name.”

Gyujeok said it was a fight.

That’s right. Although he had been pushed back, Gyujeok had completely acknowledged his opponent after a few exchanges.

Crack.

A fierce sound echoed from Gyujeok’s tightly clenched fist.

His martial heart was burning hot. His exploding competitive spirit momentarily suppressed even his faith in the sect leader.

A strong desire that he had been suppressing in his heart.

The appearance of an opponent who was worthy of his full strength made Gyujeok forget even his own situation and become excited.

Attacker, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes narrowed.

“…You’re a strange one.”

He was the one who attacked, but Gyujeok should have been trying to kill him no matter what. He shouldn’t be looking at him with such eager eyes and asking for his name.

A name could be asked after half-killing the opponent. In the first place, an attacker wouldn’t reveal their name in their right mind.

Gyujeok spoke again.

“Whether it’s this land you call the Central Plains or the place I came from, it’s not easy to meet someone this strong. We’ve already exchanged blows, so asking for a reason is meaningless. But I want to know your name.”

“Before that.”

“……?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face contorted.

“Why are you wearing those clothes?”

“…Hmm.”

“Why are you wearing the uniform of a Jhinmu [Imperial Guard] of the Imperial Guard Command?”