Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 610

Clang!

It was like striking a giant steel bell with a resilient hammer.

The sound became another shockwave, shaking the inside of the formation. Tang Gwan retreated, letting out a stifled groan.

Even the mighty Tang Gwan was thrown back by the shockwave.

But his opponent was different. The nameless white-masked man seemed unfazed by the powerful shockwave.

Whoosh!

The three-pronged spear, striking like a gale, came down.

It was a simple move, like a mountain pressing down, yet it was a subtle maneuver that made it difficult to choose between evasion and defense.

Tang Gwan’s hand drew a smooth arc, rising from below.

Clang!

‘Damn it.’

Tang Gwan had to retreat again.

There’s a reason why the ultimate technique of the Tang Clan’s Thousand Poison Hand is called the Diamond Thousand Poison Hand. To contain extreme poison, the internal and external strength of the hand must be as hard as a diamond.

Even after striking with such a hand, the shock was so great that his entire palm throbbed. The impact went beyond his hand, making his wrist and elbow joints creak.

‘What is this strength?’

Thwack! Thwack!

Tang Gwan dispersed the shock with a few steps and thrust his Three Yang Divine Palm into the white-masked man’s midsection.

It was the Tang Clan’s ultimate palm technique, a martial art with exceptional destructive power, unlike a typical poison palm.

The white-masked man met the palm strike head-on. Despite his stance being broken, the speed at which he transitioned from spear techniques to fist techniques was incredibly fast.

Wham!

With a thunderous sound, Tang Gwan was thrown back five steps.

On the other hand, the white-masked man was different. Despite the blow being a direct strike, he only staggered back a couple of steps.

‘This is absurd.’

Tang Gwan knew. The white-masked man’s martial arts level was similar to his own. There were slight differences, but not enough to affect the outcome of the fight.

Yet, the difference in destructive power was this significant. It didn’t seem to be due to the power of the martial arts itself.

‘Could it be…’

Thwack! Thwack!

Tang Gwan’s mastery of footwork shone even in this situation.

Although he was pushed back by the impact, he managed to dissipate the shock with incredible footwork while also finding an opening for a counterattack. It was a divine display of movement rarely seen anywhere in the Central Plains [a region in China, often used in martial arts stories].

Whoosh!

Tang Gwan’s Four Void Fist snaked forward like a serpent.

He closed the distance in an instant, aiming for the weak spot in the opponent’s flank. The series of movements was incredibly fast and sharp.

In that urgent moment, the white-masked man, despite seeing the strike coming at his flank, aimed the spearhead of his three-pronged spear at Tang Gwan’s back.

‘…!’

It was a suicide attack, pure and simple.

If the Four Void Fist landed, the white-masked man would suffer a fatal blow. But Tang Gwan couldn’t block the spear attack either. Judging by the density of the force, his spine would be shattered.

Tang Gwan, who was as ruthless as anyone, couldn’t help but hesitate.

‘It’s too natural.’

It wasn’t a matter of trading flesh for bone. It was a matter of trading bone for bone.

Those who are used to this kind of fighting don’t live long. Yet, the suicide attack came as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Whoosh!

Tang Gwan retracted his fist and quickly moved to the outside.

Thud!

The spearhead, having lost its target, struck the ground, causing a powerful impact.

“Indeed.”

Whoosh!

He casually placed the heavy weapon on his shoulder, moving just three fingers.

“You have a good sense.”

His tone and gestures were relaxed.

Tang Gwan, staring at the white-masked man with sharp eyes, had to make a decision.

‘I’ll retreat for now.’

Chirrrring!

The sound of metal scales clashing came from inside his sleeve.

It was the sound of disassembling the hidden weapons that were made like armor.

“Oh, you’re not going to use that terrifying hidden weapon technique from before?”

He could tell just by the sound. His insight and senses were remarkable, even beyond his skill.

“That’s a shame. That brutal martial art, a truly unique skill. I really wanted to see it properly one more time.”

Tang Gwan silently looked around.

“Ughhh.”

“Krrrk.”

The corpses remained as they were.

The dark sky and the red earth were the same. The ominous atmosphere made it seem like fire rain would pour down and the ground would split at any moment.

‘I can’t figure it out.’

He could usually grasp the operational principles of most formations in less than half a moment.

But he couldn’t understand the purpose of this formation at all. When he fought Tang Ho, the corpses attacked him, but now they were just standing there, hunched over, watching him.

‘It’s not complete.’

That much was certain. This formation wasn’t fully deployed.

Nevertheless, there was no clear way out. The distinction between the path of life and the path of death was blurred.

‘Another thing that’s certain is that this place is a disadvantageous environment for me.’

The white-masked man shrugged.

“Your head must be spinning. You seem to be thinking a lot?”

Tang Gwan replied in a curt tone.

“You said I talk too much, but your mouth seems to be just as bad as mine.”

“I’m just not having any fun. I thought I’d have a spectacular clash with the best martial artist in Sichuan [a province in China, known for its martial arts], but you’re just testing the waters. It’s not fun at all.”

It was a provocative tone.

Perhaps it was genuine. It didn’t seem like he was trying to provoke his opponent.

Tang Gwan felt a strange sense of incongruity in the white-masked man’s words.

‘This guy is out of control.’

Whoosh!

The white-masked man, lowering his stance and twirling the three-pronged spear on his shoulder, glared.

“But you’re right. There’s no need for more words.”

Swoosh.

He took a step forward from his lowered stance, and in that instant, his energy changed.

Sssssss.

The already ominous world within the formation was suddenly filled with the stench of blood.

“If you have nothing more to show, then leave.”

Wham!

Tang Gwan’s eyes widened.

‘Fast!’

The speed at which he charged straight in was shockingly fast.

It felt twice as fast as before. Tang Gwan quickly used the Poison Dragon Step to evade the white-masked man’s attack.

Wham!

The thrusting blow shattered the ground, and the corpses behind it screamed and scattered.

“As expected!”

Whoosh!

Even after landing such a powerful blow, he immediately chased after Tang Gwan.

Was he finally unleashing his full power? The elasticity of his movements was on a different level than before. His joints were much more flexible, and the three-pronged spear he wielded drew dynamic trajectories that seemed to bend in an instant.

Tang Gwan’s hands moved like a whirlwind.

Clang! Wham! Wham!

Explosions rang out in succession.

The white-masked man had started a relentless assault, a sudden change. He was so fast and strong that even the mighty Tang Gwan had difficulty responding properly.

‘Damn it.’

He blocked with the Diamond Hand, imbued with extreme inner energy, but the more he blocked, the more the impact accumulated in his arms.

Tang Gwan forcefully stomped his foot.

Wham!

It was an attempt to break the opponent’s balance by stomping his foot.

But that attempt was also neatly thwarted. The moment Tang Gwan stomped his foot, the white-masked man leaped into the air and extended his three-pronged spear towards Tang Gwan’s midsection.

He was caught off guard. He didn’t know how the white-masked man had read the movement of his feet hidden under his robe in that split second.

Tang Gwan desperately rotated his body.

Screech!

The blade of the three-pronged spear, thrusting straight in, cut through his clothes and back.

Clang!

At the same time as he was cut, he threw three daggers at the white-masked man’s neck.

But even that was useless. Somehow, the white-masked man knew, and he turned the three-pronged spear behind him to deflect the daggers, moving precisely in the direction the three daggers were aimed, nullifying the attack.

It was as if he had eyes in the back of his head. Tang Gwan retreated and detonated a poison pouch inside his sleeve.

Pssssssss.

The mist of poison spread.

Finally, the Tang Clan’s secret Poison Dragon Technique revealed itself. The mist, which burst out like an explosion, emitted blue smoke, concealing Tang Gwan’s figure while engulfing the area where the white-masked man stood.

Chiiiiik!

The ground touched by the poison began to bubble and boil, emitting smoke.

Of course, it wasn’t just a simple deadly poison. It was Tang Gwan’s unique inner energy poison, the Gentleman’s Mist, which combined the properties of Bone-Melting Powder and the penetrating power of Heart-Severing Powder.

Tang Gwan, who had awakened to the extreme realm of a poison master, contained one hundred and eight types of deadly poison in his inner energy. If not awakened, it would unleash high-density inner energy, but the moment he controlled the poison, it would become a storm of deadly poison that no one could withstand, poisoning anyone who approached.

A poison power that could temporarily paralyze even a poison master, if not a poison master.

But.

‘…?!’

Tang Gwan instinctively moved his upper body diagonally downward.

Whoosh! Screech!

The white-masked man, becoming one with his three-pronged spear, shot out like a cannon, grazed Tang Gwan’s shoulder, and went past him.

‘A follow-up attack!’

It didn’t end there. The killing intent, which had been charging straight in, quickly and smoothly turned, aiming for his back.

At this moment, even Tang Gwan felt a threat to his life. He pushed his Emperor Poison Art to its extreme and unleashed the Lightning Step, maximizing the force of his Three Yang Divine Palm.

Wham!

The impact was so powerful that the entire formation shook.

Blood gushed from Tang Gwan’s nose and mouth. His face was pale, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot.

Unlike before, he couldn’t completely negate the shockwave. He had suffered a rather severe internal injury, and his stomach was churning.

“You managed to evade that? As expected…”

Whoosh!

The white-masked man, gracefully placing the three-pronged spear back on his shoulder, shook his head.

“If we had fought head-on without the formation, I really can’t say who would have won. Amazing. I thought the only masters among the leaders of the Nine Great Sects and the Six Great Clans who could match me right now were the leaders of Shaolin and Wudang [two famous martial arts schools in China].”

“Cough!”

“I have more to report. It was a good decision to come here myself. Well…”

The white-masked man lowered his stance again.

“I don’t know if the higher-ups, who aren’t in their right minds, will take my report seriously.”

He muttered to himself.

Of course, Tang Gwan had no time to pay attention to his words.

‘…As I thought.’

An unknown unease became a reality, giving Tang Gwan an understanding.

‘This guy isn’t just strong. He knows what kind of attack I’m going to make, where I’m going to evade, and how I’m going to block.’

That was it.

In terms of skill, there was no difference. Yet, the reason Tang Gwan had been at a disadvantage in just a few exchanges was because his opponent could see through his offense and defense.

He couldn’t understand how that was possible. However, what was clear was that he couldn’t underestimate his opponent’s greatness.

Even if he had predicted his opponent’s movements, it was not something anyone could do to execute an efficient counterattack and lead the flow of offense and defense at that moment.

In other words, the white-masked man was a veteran of a hundred battles. He couldn’t have shown such ability without having crossed countless life-and-death situations.

‘And the reason this guy could read all my movements is…’

It was then.

“You must be having a hard time because of those damned corpses.”

Wham! Wham! Wham!

Along with a relaxed voice, a tremendous explosion occurred outside the formation.

The white-masked man’s eyes changed.

Those inside the formation, whether they were the master or an intruder, could not know what was happening outside. It was a completely separate world.

“I wonder which moth is willingly stepping into this hell.”

Whoosh!

As if the world had been split in half.

In the bright light that stretched in a straight line from the high sky to the earth, a young man wielding two axes appeared.

Tang Gwan’s eyes wavered.

“You?”

“You went to capture him with confidence, but what is this? You can’t even handle a guy wearing a strange bucket on his head. I’m very disappointed.”

“You brat!”

Yeon Ho-jeong glared at the white-masked man with cold eyes.

“Hello?”