Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 561

Everyone was shocked by the sudden turn of events.

The Wind and Thunder Master, who had been attacking the experts on the mountainside, had been killed by an assailant who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

The situation was so sudden that all the experts were dumbfounded. With their overwhelming numbers and military strength, they had never even considered such a surprise attack.

Then, Pae-yul descended from the sky.

Tang Guk shouted,

“Attack! Attack them!”

Pararararak!

Numerous hidden weapons soared towards Pae-yul.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-jeong’s Coiling Dragon Chain moved first, binding one of Pae-yul’s legs.

Tiiiiing!

Pae-yul was pulled away at an incredible speed.

The thrown hidden weapons all missed, slicing through the air. It was a truly precarious moment.

Thud!

Pae-yul, landing on the ground, grumbled.

“That hurt.”

“It’s better than dying,” Myeong-jin retorted.

“Kill them! Kill them all!” Myeong-jin yelled.

Fabababak!

About fifty experts rushed towards Yeon Ho-jeong and Pae-yul.

Yeon Ho-jeong grinned.

“Excellent!”

Kwaaaang!

Yeon Ho-jeong charged forward, even faster than those rushing at him, and swung the White Dragon Axe.

Shhhhhh!

A white slash swept through the air, and the image of a white beast flickered above the axe blade of the White Dragon.

Jjeojeojeong!

He deflected all the incoming force with a single swing.

It was a powerful force. The White Tiger Energy, boosted by the power of the Yeon Family’s Divine Elixir [a powerful internal energy-enhancing potion], was at its peak output, further enhanced by the Transfer Force, increasing its destructive power.

The deflection of their attacks was instantaneous.

And in that moment, Yeon Ho-jeong’s body passed Myeong-jin and Tang Guk, plunging into the midst of the forty-odd experts.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The White Dragon Axe severed necks, and the Black Dragon Axe smashed limbs.

The two divine weapons knew their jobs very well. The black and white twin dragon divine weapons moved spectacularly in sync with Yeon Ho-jeong’s movements, instantly creating six casualties.

“Damn it!” Tang Guk shouted.

“Scatter!”

More than half of the forty-odd experts had mastered the Tang Family’s martial arts. And all of them were skilled in poison techniques and hidden weapons.

Poison and hidden weapons were deadly, but their efficiency was at its worst when they were clustered together. Unless they were attacking together, they had to scatter if someone like that madman broke through to the center, risking his life.

Fabababak!

The experts scattered.

Yeon Ho-jeong had no intention of letting them get away.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Chiririririring!

With an eerie sound, the Coiling Dragon Chain drew a huge circle.

Fububububuck!

It was as if a divine sword was attached to the end of the iron chain. The Coiling Dragon Chain pierced through the torsos of about a dozen experts.

“Kuaaak!”

“Aaaak!”

They couldn’t help but scream.

They weren’t stabbed by a sword, but pierced by an iron chain. The blunt iron chain tore through their insides as it passed through.

They wouldn’t die immediately, but they couldn’t move. They couldn’t even circulate their inner energy easily, let alone move.

But they weren’t just taking it.

Bang! Fubang!

The force they unleashed as they retreated struck Yeon Ho-jeong’s body.

Yeon Ho-jeong flinched a few times. He could have dodged it, but then he would have had to retrieve the Coiling Dragon Chain. That would have prolonged the battle, and if the battle dragged on, he wouldn’t be able to win.

He went for a tactic of giving flesh to take bone, right after taking advantage of the surprise attack. It was an extremely aggressive tactic, relying on his own skills and body.

Wooowoowoong!

The Azure Dragon Energy surged from Yeon Ho-jeong’s body.

The Azure Dragon Energy was responsible for the liver. The liver was the organ that removed almost all kinds of impurities that entered the human body.

That included poison. The extremely heated Azure Dragon Energy activated the liver’s abilities, and the activated abilities were drawn throughout his body, blocking the invading poison.

‘It’s okay.’

He already felt nauseous. A fishy smell rose from his throat.

‘I can handle it.’

Yeon Ho-jeong powerfully stomped his foot.

Kwaaang!

The earth shook, and a powerful shockwave spread out in a circle.

Those who had been retreating around Yeon Ho-jeong all staggered. Even though they were all outstanding experts, they lost their balance with a single stomp.

It was the White Tiger’s Imperial Step. It was the best combat footwork of the Four Divine Martial Arts, but for Yeon Ho-jeong, even footwork was a form of attack. He maximized the shockwave by pouring out his inner energy at maximum output and controlling it with incredible precision.

It was a display of creativity at the highest level, rarely seen anywhere in the world. The entire unit was bewildered by the flamboyant display of power.

Yeon Ho-jeong shouted,

“Red Spear!”

Kwarurung!

From far away, at the end of the street, Hwang Seok-tae charged in at an incredible speed, swinging the Red Spear.

Kwaaaang!

It was an incredible destructive force.

Even though he was unarmed, he generated power as if he were charging on a giant warhorse. The murderous aura unleashed with the Red Spear turned three experts into a bloody mess.

Once again, it was the power of a surprise attack. A force that would have taken dozens of exchanges to defeat in a head-on confrontation was finished off with a single blow.

Myeong-jin’s face was contorted.

“These bastards!”

A surprise attack, and then another surprise attack.

Even though it was just one person attacking at a time, the damage inflicted on the entire unit was indescribable.

That was the essence of tactics. No matter how small the force, a well-timed surprise attack could demoralize an entire unit and eventually drive them to fear.

“Don’t panic! They’re just three!”

Flash!

At Myeong-jin’s shout, the remaining experts’ eyes changed.

That’s right. They were just three. Each one was an amazing expert, but the difference in power was still significant.

The morale that had been falling due to panic was reignited by Myeong-jin’s words.

Myeong-jin shouted again,

“Attack them steadily! Poison users, keep your distance…”

That was when it happened.

Jjeoeoeoeong!

“Kuh!”

Myeong-jin staggered back a few steps.

It was Pae-yul who had attacked him. He had been jumping around, looking for the right moment to attack, and now he had attacked Myeong-jin with all his might.

“Indeed, you have great skill.”

Woowoowoong.

A terrifying murderous aura emanated from Pae-yul’s short spear.

That murderous aura was comparable to Hwang Seok-tae’s. However, while Hwang Seok-tae’s murderous aura was rich and imposing, combined with military spirit, Pae-yul’s murderous aura was sharp and piercing.

“Let’s have a separate match.”

“You son of a bitch!”

Fuhuhuhung!

The Vajra Subduing Tiger Fist [a powerful fist technique] was a technique worthy of being called a divine fist.

The power felt from the short spear was truly terrifying. It seemed to vibrate through the spear, up to his wrist and elbow. If he hadn’t been holding it properly, he would have dropped the spear with that one blow.

Fabababak!

Even so, Pae-yul didn’t panic. He wasn’t intimidated, and he didn’t back down.

His martial arts always demanded forward movement. Pae-yul, who had instantly plunged into Myeong-jin’s embrace, raised his short spear from below to above.

Myeong-jin coldly swung his hand.

Jjeoeong!

The short spear, which had been about to pierce his chin, lost its way.

Pae-yul’s body also tilted to the left, following the path of the short spear. It was an incredible force.

‘This guy.’

Myeong-jin’s fist aimed for Pae-yul’s head. It was a force that could blow his head off with one punch.

That was when it happened.

Pae-yul’s left hand, which had been rotating as his body tilted, was now holding a short sword.

Jjeoeoeong!

“Kuh!”

Myeong-jin grimaced and retreated.

“Hoo.”

Pae-yul, breathing heavily, lowered his stance.

In his right hand was a short spear, and in his left hand was a short sword.

Through rigorous training, he had become able to wield a spear and a sword with either hand. To perfectly master the Piercing Sun Technique, which would later be praised as the greatest technique of the Jeomchang Sect, there should be no restrictions on the movement of both hands.

“You bastard!”

The two men charged at each other fiercely.

Kwaaaang!

Amidst the explosion and the gust of sand that swept in.

Whirrrrr!

The Vermilion Bird Fire that surged from Yeon Ho-jeong’s body instantly heated the Coiling Dragon Chain.

Chiiiiik!

“Kkkuaaaaak!”

“Aaaaak!”

With terrible screams, the experts pierced by the Coiling Dragon Chain collapsed.

They weren’t dead, but they were probably in a worse state than death. The Vermilion Bird Energy’s firepower, which burned the pierced areas, caused them terrible pain.

Fuuuuh!

A dark green energy was drawn from Yeon Ho-jeong’s body.

He was immediately detoxifying the poison with the Azure Dragon Energy, and then blowing away the remaining poison with fire.

But.

Bang! Fubang! Fufufubang!

To fight against so many experts, he had to endure attacks that he would never have allowed under normal circumstances.

Trickle.

Blood flowed from Yeon Ho-jeong’s nose and mouth. His complexion had also turned pale.

‘It can’t be helped.’

If he considered the sacrifices of his allies, there was no need to do this.

But when facing these ruthless bastards, none of his companions should die. He knew how dangerous such a mindset was in actual combat, but at least in this fight, he didn’t want to lose any of his allies.

So, Yeon Ho-jeong sacrificed himself.

Because he was the strongest and had the sturdiest body among his companions.

The infinite power of the Four Divine Energies would somehow keep him going until the end of this fight. That was like a religion to Yeon Ho-jeong.

Fabababak!

As if mocking Yeon Ho-jeong, hidden weapons flew in from all directions.

He could easily block poison attacks. But hidden weapons were a different story. Unless one was an invincible Vajra [a mythical indestructible weapon or body], it was difficult to prevent hidden weapons from piercing the skin.

And among the hidden weapons, there were many dangerous ones that not only cut through the skin but also tore through the inside along the blood vessels.

Yeon Ho-jeong spun around on the spot.

Booooooong! Jjeojeojeojeong!

The Black Tortoise Energy surged from his spinning body, creating a powerful water energy barrier.

It was a barrier of true energy. By using water energy, the densest of all energies, to create a dense barrier, no hidden weapon could penetrate Yeon Ho-jeong’s body.

But the enemies weren’t fools either.

Fufufubang!

The defensive power of the Northern Sky Twelve Walls [a defensive technique] was weakening at an alarming rate.

It was because of the poison attacks. The poison energy embedded in the force was perfect for contaminating the Black Tortoise Energy, an intangible barrier, and the Black Tortoise Energy contaminated by poison was creating gaps in the condensed barrier.

If it were the Northern Sky Twelve Walls created with extreme concentration, it would easily block even poison attacks. However, the problem was that he couldn’t perfectly create the Northern Sky Twelve Walls due to his shaken insides, worsening internal injuries, and the urgent situation.

‘It’s okay.’

Yeon Ho-jeong threw the White Dragon Axe.

Fuhuhuck!

The White Dragon Axe, which had blown off the head of an expert who was about to throw a hidden weapon, returned in an arc and was caught in his hand again. He had already connected the Coiling Dragon Chain to it.

‘If it’s this much, I can endure it as much as I want…’

Kwaaang!

Yeon Ho-jeong staggered and moved to the side.

“You son of a bitch.”

The experts from the Qingcheng and Emei sects, who had been watching the situation, finally stepped forward to capture Yeon Ho-jeong.

They were all transcendent experts who had broken through the Wall of No Species [a high level of martial arts mastery]. With the Wind and Thunder Master dead and Myeong-jin fighting Pae-yul, there were as many as nine remaining transcendent experts.

Yeon Ho-jeong wiped the blood flowing from his mouth.

“It’s a real shame.”

In a one-on-nine fight, he could somehow manage with all sorts of tactics and combat experience.

However, in this chaotic battle, the situation where nine experts were targeting him was overwhelming. He could laugh off and blow away three or four, but nine was too much.

A large nun, Do-seon, said,

“Forget the others. We have to kill that axe wielder first. That guy is the core of this force.”

The corners of Yeon Ho-jeong’s mouth curled up.

“Are you the smartest one in this group?”

“Shut up!”

Boooooong!

It was impossible to think that it was the martial art of a nun.

The heavy fist wind that pushed through the air was impressive. It was a fist wind that had abandoned speed and focused solely on destructive power, slow but capable of delivering a fatal blow if it hit.

Yeon Ho-jeong snorted and swung his hand.

Kwaaaang!

With an explosion, the fist wind shattered into pieces.

Do-seon’s face contorted. She had never expected her fist wind to be so easily shattered.

Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.

“I take back what I said earlier. How did you learn martial arts like that? There’s a limit to how ignorant you can be, this is just…”

“You bastard!”

That was when it happened.

Flash!

A domineering sword light that cut through the air poured down on Do-seon’s head.

Startled, Do-seon blocked the sword light with her fist.

Bang!

She prided herself on not being inferior to anyone in terms of strength, but the power of this sword light was truly great.

Yeon Ho-jeong frowned.

“I told you to wait for the signal!”

“Before that, it looked like you were about to die, Brother!”

Fabababak!

Gang Ryang, who had launched a surprise attack, was also someone they didn’t know where he had come from.

Faaaak!

Yeon Ho-jeong ran towards the retreating Do-seon, and the experts on Do-seon’s left and right raised their murderous intent and launched an attack. And Gang Ryang blocked the experts chasing after Yeon Ho-jeong.

Jjeojeojeojeong!

Gang Ryang, who had deflected the hidden weapons with his godlike quick sword, swallowed hard.

‘Isn’t this really fucked up?’

Can we really win this fight?