Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 468

The two, father and daughter, silently gazed at each other.

More precisely, the father looked at his daughter with his eyes, while the daughter perceived her father with her mind’s eye.

How long had it been?

*Swoosh.*

With her eyes still closed, Tang Sang-ah took a step forward.

*Pshhhh.*

From beneath her foot, a hazy smoke rose. Surprisingly, it was poison. She had dispelled the poison that had seeped into the ground with just one step.

A subtle sense of pride emerged on Tang Gwan’s usually expressionless face.

‘She’s doing it properly.’

What Tang Sang-ah had evaporated was the extremely potent poison known as ‘Ghost Immortal’s Call’.

Ghost Immortal’s Call. It was said to be a poison breathed in by a ghost-possessed immortal [a mythical being].

It was highly volatile, losing its potency the moment it dispersed, so it was usually used by infusing it with the inner energy of a poison essence. [Inner energy refers to the life force or spiritual energy used in martial arts.]

It was extremely difficult to handle, and just as powerful. Though not widely known, it was one of the most potent poisons even within the Tang family.

And she had evaporated such a poison with just one step, without even being poisoned herself. If she had carelessly scattered it, her leg would have rotted away in an instant.

That wasn’t all.

*Whoooosh.*

With a flick of Tang Sang-ah’s hand, the hot summer breeze gently changed direction.

The wind was heading towards Tang Gwan. And carried on that wind was the ‘Seven Steps Soul Severing Powder’, which she had poisoned him with at some unknown time.

Tang Gwan’s eyes gleamed.

*Swish.*

Tang Gwan’s face flushed red for a moment as he inhaled all of the Seven Steps Soul Severing Powder carried by the wind.

But it was only for a moment, as his complexion returned to normal.

The Seven Steps Soul Severing Powder was one of the most famous poisons of the Tang family. No matter how skilled a poison master was, it would be difficult to survive after inhaling such a large amount at once.

It was a testament to how high a level Tang Gwan had reached as a ‘Poison Man’ [a master of poison arts].

Tang Sang-ah’s hands moved smoothly once more.

*Swish. Swish.*

The air became heavy in an instant.

It was the same this time. No matter when she had poisoned him, even a skilled master would not have noticed. It was that subtle and natural.

‘Good.’

She had poisoned him with five different poisons, in precise amounts, causing them to interlock with each other. None of them were particularly potent on their own, but when combined, they were a deadly poison that could paralyze an opponent.

Tang Gwan waved his hand for the first time.

*Whoosh!*

A gust of wind blew, and the formless mass of poison flew back towards Tang Sang-ah. The poison she had released was returning to its owner.

At that moment, a faint green haze rose from Tang Sang-ah’s body.

A very beautiful green. The poison cloud turned into white smoke and vanished as soon as it touched the green light.

Tang Gwan opened his mouth.

“That’s enough.”

The silent poison battle was over.

Tang Sang-ah opened her eyes. A flash of green light flickered in her beautiful eyes before disappearing.

Tang Gwan nodded.

“You have finally reached the realm of ‘Collapsing Peak, Ascending Emperor’.”

A genuine smile of joy appeared on Tang Sang-ah’s face.

“It’s all thanks to you, Father.”

“Of course, it’s thanks to me. If I hadn’t passed down the ‘Emperor’s Poison Scripture’ [a secret manual of poison arts], you wouldn’t even have dreamed of reaching this level.”

Tang Gwan was a man of great pride, but his words were not just for show.

“However, the realm of ‘Collapsing Peak, Ascending Emperor’ is not a realm that can be reached with anyone’s help. It is a realm that can only be reached through self-torture and constant recovery. You can be proud of yourself.”

“…”

“You’ve worked hard.”

Tang Sang-ah’s eyes trembled.

A strange emotion welled up inside her. His unique, gruff tone remained the same, but she could read the pride hidden within.

It was the moment she received genuine recognition from her father, and the head of the Sichuan Tang family. It was truly an unforgettable moment for her.

“The realm of ‘Collapsing Peak, Ascending Emperor’ is close to the ‘Wall of Martial Arts’ that the martial world speaks of. You are still at the beginning, but depending on your efforts, you will be able to break through the ‘Wall of Martial Arts’ soon.”

“Yes.”

“It seems like your poison skills are sufficient.”

Tang Gwan took out a dagger from his chest.

It was a dagger about the length of an adult man’s forearm. Even at a glance, it didn’t seem like an ordinary dagger.

Tang Gwan removed the sheath covering the blade.

*Flash!*

The magnificent blade was finally revealed.

The reddish hue flowing over the blade was impressive. Even without inner energy, it looked sharp enough to cut through a rock.

Tang Sang-ah’s eyes gleamed.

‘The Underworld King’s Dagger.’

It was one of the Tang family’s treasures. It was a weapon worthy of being called a divine weapon.

“Take it.”

Tang Gwan threw the Underworld King’s Dagger.

It was a dangerous blade, but Tang Sang-ah caught the dagger very naturally.

Tang Gwan pulled out another dagger from his waist. This dagger, slightly shorter than the Underworld King’s Dagger, looked very ordinary.

Tang Gwan held the dagger in a reverse grip.

At the same time, Tang Sang-ah also held the Underworld King’s Dagger in a reverse grip and lowered her stance.

“A true Tang family member must be able to handle both poison and hidden weapons. However, knowing how to handle them and mastering them are two completely different things.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes gleamed.

“I intend to hone both to their extremes. That is what a family head must do. However, until you reach that level, you must inevitably focus on one of the two. If you try to chase two rabbits at once, you may end up losing both.”

The martial world is a ruthless place where you can lose your life in an instant.

You can only train if you are alive. It is a priority to focus on the area where you are better at to ensure survival.

“I was better at hidden weapon techniques than poison. And I will continue to be. That’s why I pay more attention to poison. I am now at a stage where I need to compensate for my weaknesses rather than maximizing my strengths.”

“…”

“It seems like you are similar to me. But you have not yet reached my level. Before erasing your weaknesses, you must first maximize your strengths.”

“Yes.”

“There are countless hidden weapons in the main family. But in the end, the foundation of all hidden weapons is the dagger. And the dagger is not just about throwing it. You must know how to handle a dagger properly to make your hidden weapon throws sharp.”

Tang Gwan also lowered his stance.

He raised his left hand to the middle, and his right hand, holding the dagger, was placed directly below his left hand.

His arms were extended forward, neither fully extended nor fully bent. It was a stance that felt somehow eerie.

“Daggers are fast, sharp, and insidious. In this sparring match, I will see if you are properly utilizing those characteristics.”

On the other hand, Tang Sang-ah’s stance was different from Tang Gwan’s.

While lowering her stance, she extended her left foot forward. Her left hand defended the lower area, and her right hand, holding the dagger, was positioned next to her temple.

She looked ready to charge and kill at any moment. Her stance was even more brutal than Tang Gwan’s.

This was the ‘Deadly Dagger Unrivaled Stance’, one of the highest-level martial arts of the Tang family. It was a martial art passed down along with the Emperor’s Poison Scripture, and it was a brutal martial art that maximized the advantages of the dagger itself, beyond simple power.

Tang Gwan nodded.

“Come.”

*Paaang!*

It was completely different from the silent poison battle.

Tang Sang-ah, who had closed the distance in an instant with the ‘Thunder Step Technique’ [a fast movement technique], swung the Underworld King’s Dagger at a terrifying speed.

*Flash! Flash! Flash!*

The reddish blade of the dagger emitted a terrifying glow.

It was an incredible speed. Although the dagger was much lighter than a sword, it seemed even faster than the fist techniques or palm techniques used with bare hands.

Tang Gwan dodged Tang Sang-ah’s dagger with a relaxed expression.

Unless thrown, martial arts using a dagger would inevitably become close-quarters combat. The faster Tang Sang-ah’s martial arts became, the more Tang Gwan’s evasion skills shone.

*Slice! Slash! Slice!*

The series of movements of striking down, slashing, and stabbing diagonally were as natural as flowing water.

Yet, it was filled with killing intent. Even without emitting killing intent, the martial art itself was a killing technique that had reached its extreme, making it extremely dangerous.

Tang Gwan, who had been dodging dozens of attacks with ease, swung his dagger without warning.

*Clang!*

It was an unbelievable sound for a clash between the divine weapon, the Underworld King’s Dagger, and an ordinary dagger.

Tang Sang-ah felt as if her entire arm holding the dagger was numb for a moment.

‘Incredible!’

To load such tremendous inner energy into a thin, sharp dagger!

If she hadn’t experienced all sorts of pain to reach the ‘Collapsing Peak, Ascending Emperor’ realm, she would have dropped the dagger from this clash. It was that powerful of a blow.

*Whoosh!*

Tang Sang-ah’s body rotated smoothly, heading towards Tang Gwan’s side.

Tang Gwan’s eyes gleamed. It was excellent how she didn’t lose her grip on the dagger, but rather dispersed the impact and penetrated the blind spot with her footwork.

Tang Sang-ah swung the Underworld King’s Dagger.

*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*

She quickly stabbed at the carotid artery, between the ribs, and the femoral artery. If Tang Gwan’s forearm hadn’t struck and blocked Tang Sang-ah’s wrist, there would have been massive bleeding.

It didn’t end there. When the Underworld King’s Dagger lost its path, she lowered her stance to evade the counterattack, and immediately tried to slash at his throat and abdomen.

It was an incredibly brutal attack. It was a battle that was hard to believe was between family members.

Tang Gwan’s dagger moved at a terrifying speed.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

He accurately deflected the blade of the Underworld King’s Dagger with his short dagger.

It was a sword technique that had reached the extreme of speed and precision. If he were to target vital points at this speed, it would be more dangerous than any hundred-hit technique.

*Clang! Swish! Whoosh! Thud!*

He didn’t use palm or fist techniques. He only used the dagger held in reverse, and the wrist and forearm holding the dagger to attack and defend against each other.

A terrifying dagger battle. In some ways, its brutality was more vicious than poison.

How long had it been?

*Thwack!*

Tang Gwan, who had created some distance, raised his hand.

“Stop.”

Tang Sang-ah, who was about to charge again, paused.

“Hoo…”

Only then did Tang Sang-ah exhale a long breath.

Surprisingly, she hadn’t taken a single breath during this long exchange. It was literally a breath-less killing technique.

Incredible cardiopulmonary capacity. Before inner energy, her physical abilities had reached their peak. With pure cardiopulmonary endurance alone, she was already worthy of being called a supreme master.

Tang Gwan, who had been quietly watching Tang Sang-ah, nodded.

“Well done.”

The essence of a dagger is a one-hit kill. Most people know that.

However, the true essence of a dagger is not a one-hit kill, but a series of kills.

It can inflict a fatal blow with one stab, but it is also difficult to kill instantly.

Unless you manifest sword energy, you cannot cut off a head. The length of the blade itself is not suitable for that.

Quickly stabbing the vital points of the human body to gradually render them unable to fight.

It would be ideal to kill with one stab, but in case that is not possible, you stab and cut all sorts of vital points and dangerous areas. Instead of a single fatal blow, you steadily drive the opponent to death with multiple attacks.

That is the best martial art that a warrior who engages in close combat with a dagger can perform.

And Tang Sang-ah had clearly grasped the essence of that dagger.

“Focus on the ‘Deadly Dagger Unrivaled Stance’ from now on. As your achievements increase, your hidden weapon skills will naturally improve.”

“Thank you.”

Tang Gwan, who had been quietly watching Tang Sang-ah, said in a casual tone.

“I’ve called your younger sibling.”

“Yes?”

“He will be coming to the Alliance soon.”

“… !”

Tang Sang-ah’s eyes gleamed.

“Yang-seon… !”

“Before that, let me ask you one thing.”

Tang Gwan asked with a slightly confused expression.

“Do you think Yang-seon is suitable to be the family head?”