Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 659

Ha Eun-gyo, having returned to her residence in an instant, placed her hand on Ji So-hyeon’s vital acupoint.

Whoooosh.

A rich and dense true energy instantly took over Ji So-hyeon’s body.

Ji So-hyeon’s condition was worse than expected. Ho Yeon-jong’s killing intent had penetrated her in an instant, ravaging all her meridians [energy channels in the body]. Her minor meridians were ruptured, and her dantian [energy center below the navel] was unstable.

It was just once, and even if she was exposed to such intense killing intent, this was a bit much.

He hadn’t even directly touched her or released his energy. Yet, the fact that she had suffered such severe internal injuries meant that Ho Yeon-jong’s killing intent had a special power hidden within it.

Ha Eun-gyo’s face contorted. She was enraged by the condition of her disciple, who was more injured than she had thought.

‘Calm down.’

True energy is the embodiment of one’s thoughts. If I get angry, my true energy will also become violent.

Ha Eun-gyo, having calmed her mind with deep breaths, carefully controlled the true energy that had penetrated Ji So-hyeon’s body.

How much time had passed?

“Hoo…”

Even while unconscious, Ji So-hyeon felt the oppressive forces that had been dominating her body recede.

With a deep sigh, her complexion returned to normal. It would take quite some time to fully recover, but this was enough for now.

After laying Ji So-hyeon down in the room, Ha Eun-gyo stood before the cliff again.

Koo-oo-oong!

The booming sound, coming from far away and beyond sight, was tremendous.

‘It’s not a one-sided fight.’

Ha Eun-gyo’s eyes wavered.

‘It’s a battle. A close battle is taking place.’

Just from the quality of the booming sound, she could tell that the two were launching powerful attacks at each other.

Ha Eun-gyo gritted her teeth.

‘Should I help?’

The face of Yeon Ho-jeong came to mind.

He was a young man she had met for the first time today, and he had even kidnapped her disciple. It was hard to have good feelings about him, logically speaking.

But the young man’s words, his sincerity, kept lingering in her mind.

Yeon Ho-jeong was genuinely worried about the Central Plains. And he genuinely hated the Three Religions [referring to a specific group of religious sects].

That could be seen as a righteous sentiment. If one’s homeland is groaning under the invasion of foreign forces, who wouldn’t be angry, who wouldn’t feel a sense of crisis?

Ha Eun-gyo, also born in the Central Plains, understood Yeon Ho-jeong’s feelings. If it weren’t for this situation, she would want to rush to his aid right away.

‘……’

Her clenched fist trembled.

Even though she was bound by her child, it was hard to ignore the courage of the young man who had risked his life to see her.

‘I have to go.’

Ha Eun-gyo gritted her teeth.

‘That young man is genuinely worried about countless unknown commoners. Otherwise, that level of blind sincerity wouldn’t come out.’

Even if it wasn’t true, she wanted to believe it. That was Ha Eun-gyo’s current state of mind.

‘I am…’

What should I do? What’s the right thing to do?

Just by having condoned the atrocities of the Evil Sound Sect, she had committed a great sin that made it impossible for her to live under the sky. But she had endured that immoral and sinful life with the sole desire to see her child again.

Should she endure again? They said that if this matter was over, they would let her see her child. If she stepped forward now, wouldn’t all the things she had endured so far become meaningless?

‘Even so…’

It wasn’t because the opponent was Yeon Ho-jeong.

It was important that anyone, not just Yeon Ho-jeong, had risked their life to come see her.

That level of courage was not something anyone could muster. Ha Eun-gyo felt her heart wavering not because it was Yeon Ho-jeong, but because of the appearance of a courageous warrior who had risked his life.

‘Even so, just watching such a talent die…’

It was then.

Sarasarak.

Numerous sounds carried by the wind.

Ha Eun-gyo turned her head to the right.

‘……!!’

Despair appeared on her face.

If it were just one master from the Evil Sound Sect, whom she had never seen, it might be different.

But now it wasn’t. The old man with the divine skill who had threatened her, and his subordinates, who had also felt the unusual shockwave, were all moving together.

‘If it’s now.’

At their current speed, it would take them about a quarter of an hour to reach the battlefield.

For her, it wouldn’t even take half a quarter of an hour.

Would it be enough? Could she rush to help Yeon Ho-jeong without them knowing, kill the unknown master of the Evil Sound Sect, and then return here as if nothing had happened?

Thud!

Ha Eun-gyo slumped down on the spot.

“How could this happen…”

She couldn’t risk her child’s life for such a thing. She could arrive before them, but if the master fighting Yeon Ho-jeong chose to flee, she wouldn’t be able to end the fight in a short time.

Of course, her participation would be discovered.

Her child’s life would also be lost.

Trickle.

Bitter tears flowed from her eyes.

She was not an evil being. She was a mother who had no choice but to risk her life if her child had even the slightest chance of being alive.

“I’m sorry.”

Ha Eun-gyo, thinking of Yeon Ho-jeong, wept endlessly.

* * *

Boom!

With an explosion, Ho Yeon-jong’s body staggered backward.

Yeon Ho-jeong was the same. In fact, he was pushed back two steps further than Ho Yeon-jong.

“You bastard!”

Ho Yeon-jong swung his fist.

Clang!

The thick axe handle struck and deflected the energy emanating from his fist.

Flash!

The axe blade, falling diagonally like lightning, aimed for Ho Yeon-jong’s body in an instant.

‘This bastard…’

He had never seen anyone wield such a large axe so freely. No, it was the first time he had ever fought a super master who wielded such a large weapon.

He had thought that those who wielded large and heavy weapons were all clumsy, but he had to revise that thought.

He had never imagined that a descending axe could be so overwhelming. If he didn’t keep his mind focused, the initiative of the fight would soon pass to his opponent.

Clang!

To avoid losing the initiative, to win with momentum, Ho Yeon-jong chose a head-on confrontation.

In fact, his powerful fist was as strong as the Heavenly Passage’s slash. Yeon Ho-jeong was superior in terms of weight and power, but Ho Yeon-jong was superior in terms of fast and sharp explosive force.

Wind gathered around Ho Yeon-jong’s left foot.

Pow pow pow!

It was a flurry of kicks like a storm. It was swung with reckless speed as if dozens of legs had sprouted, and each one contained a deadly power.

What was surprising was Yeon Ho-jeong’s response.

Pa pa pang!

He was dodging all of those unpredictable and fast kicks at close range with just the movements of his upper body.

Ho Yeon-jong’s face hardened.

It wasn’t an attack with all his might, but it wasn’t an attack that just anyone could avoid. He had judged that it was enough to inflict damage on his opponent.

That judgment was completely wrong.

Moreover, it didn’t end there. Yeon Ho-jeong, having evaded Ho Yeon-jong’s kicks, suddenly abandoned the axe handle and charged in like lightning. His speed was faster than when he was wielding his weapon.

Kwaaaang!

Ho Yeon-jong’s body lurched greatly and retreated.

His face was full of surprise.

‘A body slam?!’

A martial art that pushed forward with the shoulder, showing the entire back.

It wasn’t a reckless body slam, but an ancient martial art. It was a martial art of pure intensity, forcefully pushing forward with powerful explosive force wrapped around the entire shoulder and back.

Flash!

At the same time as the push, he spun around and swung his hand, and a huge axe was already in his hand.

Ho Yeon-jong couldn’t tell when he had grabbed the axe handle again. There was a clear opening, but the ability not to make it an opening, the godlike movement that degraded the opponent’s perception, was there.

Kwaaaang!

Another explosion rang out.

This strike was truly tremendous. As if he truly intended to kill, the energy that instantly devastated the earth was enough to make one’s mind dizzy just by looking at it.

Thud thud thud.

Thick dust rose, and small stones that had flown high into the sky fell to the ground.

“…Amazing.”

Ho Yeon-jong, who had retreated to a distance of five yards, lowered his stance.

“I thought I could win by fighting casually, but I guess I have to go all out too.”

Saaaaaaah!

Veins popped out in Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes.

Ho Yeon-jong, with his upper body lowered as if touching the ground, looked up at him, like a beast about to hunt.

It was the beginning stance.

That stance, that gaze, that momentum.

It was the will to ruthlessly implement a single evil martial art.

Dark Wilderness Martial Art.

The Evil Sound Sect Lord had mastered countless martial arts that were different from those of the Central Plains.

Among them, the martial art he favored the most was the Dark Wilderness Martial Art. The Dark Wilderness Martial Art, which was adept at penetration, contained a unique poison, and if one was struck properly, even the greatest master in the world would be in danger.

And Yeon Ho-jeong had faced that martial art countless times.

Clench!

A strong force entered the hand holding the Heavenly Passage. The force was so strong that the steel axe handle seemed as if it would crumble.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s head lowered on its own.

“…Kuh.”

Ho Yeon-jong’s eyebrows twitched.

‘What is it?’

The opponent’s atmosphere was unusual.

‘Is he laughing right now?’

Then, Yeon Ho-jeong’s shoulders shook.

“Kuh kuh.”

He seemed to be trying to hold back the laughter that was leaking out, but the laughter that managed to break through was bizarre.

But that was only for a moment.

“Hahahaha!!”

The terrifying laughter shook the entire forest.

The mad laughter that erupted from his stomach. From Yeon Ho-jeong’s body, who was tilting his head back and laughing madly at the sky, an unusual energy flowed out.

Swish swish!

The dark energy, which had become much darker, repeatedly merged and scattered, becoming a thick smoke.

“Hahahaha! Hahahaha!!”

The laughter grew rapidly, and soon it began to affect the external world.

Thud! Thud thud! Thud!

The fallen trees, unable to withstand the mad laughter, burst again.

Crack crack crack!

On the desolate ground where Yeon Ho-jeong’s two feet stood, thick and deep cracks spread out like a spider web.

Ho Yeon-jong’s eyes wavered.

Ch ch ch ch ch.

Behind Yeon Ho-jeong, who was holding a huge axe in one hand and covering his eyes with the other, a huge something began to appear.

Even though it wasn’t real, it couldn’t be more vivid.

‘What is that?!’

No matter how deep the true energy of the Four Gods was, no matter how bright the altar of light was, could it even remove a fraction of the darkness he possessed?

For him, who had fought all sorts of enemies while wandering through battlefields overflowing with death, the fact that the worst enemy was the Evil Sound Sect Lord was needless to say.

As an enemy who had inherited his martial arts, his blood, and his power finally appeared, Yeon Ho-jeong couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at the cloudy sky that had been obscuring the inevitable.

“…Even if I don’t try so hard to hide it, I have never forgotten what my nature is that I have yet to burn away.”

Damn sky.

Thanks to it, he had resolved his grudge with his family, so was it now telling him to resolve his grudge with his enemies?

He shuddered at the kindness of the sky that was constantly throwing problems at him.

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had been laughing and looking up at the sky, slowly lowered his head.

Whoosh!

The face of Yeon Ho-jeong, looking at Ho Yeon-jong, was now filled with colorless transparency.

Crack!

The Heavenly Passage, stuck in the ground, slowly lifted, and the spearhead that protruded from its end pointed at Ho Yeon-jong.

“Let’s put aside the headache for a moment and resolve some of the loathing that makes me sick.”

“What nonsense…!!”

“Come.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s stance lowered.

His madness increased.

“Come at me with everything your damned father had!!”

Kwaang!

Ho Yeon-jong’s figure shot out like lightning.