Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 668

“Cough!”

I frantically gulped down internal injury medicine, somehow managing to stabilize the chaotic inner energy and trying to restore my internal balance.

However, my body, which was in complete disarray, showed no signs of recovery. At best, I could only cough up blood, close to a hemorrhage, like just now.

‘Damn it!’

Woo-oong! Woo-oong!

The Yin-Demonic energy kept trying to seep into my muscles and skin.

My internal injuries were severe, but my external wounds were no less serious. Even with a body as tough as steel, I had been struck countless times by heavy weapons wielded by a master of similar caliber. It was a miracle I was still alive.

The problem was that I had never experienced such a situation before.

I had been on the verge of death in countless battles, but I had never been this broken. That was why my inner energy was so erratic. Even I, Ho Yeon-jong, was unsure where to even begin the recovery process.

Chi-i-i-ik!

The Yin-Demonic energy seeped into my burned left leg, emitting a white smoke.

“Kuh-euk!”

A groan escaped my lips involuntarily. My mental fortitude, which had been able to endure even the most extreme pain, was reaching its limit.

Ho Yeon-jong, panting, looked around.

‘Crazy…!’

The Divine Investigator and the members of the Gold Squad who had fled with me were sprawled out haphazardly.

No one paid any attention to Ho Yeon-jong. Some were trembling, huddled with their legs drawn up, while others were unconscious or foaming at the mouth.

Not a single one of them was in their right mind. They had somehow managed to escape with their survival instincts, but their minds, exposed to the devastating killing intent, were on the verge of collapse.

Even the Divine Investigator was sitting blankly, drooling. Despite not being exceptionally talented in martial arts, he had always been as strong mentally as he was skillful, but even he had lost his senses.

‘This won’t do.’

They were all practitioners of the Demonic Cult’s mind techniques. There would be individual differences, but they would recover their mental faculties within a day or two.

The problem was that there was a gap in the expected forces.

Fifty of our allies had been killed by that bastard’s axe. If I were in good condition, it might be manageable, but with this level of forces, it would be difficult to attack one of the Nine Great Sects.

That’s right. This won’t do.

Even if I die, I must succeed in my mission. Then, at least my soul can be saved.

Furthermore, there was a way to both succeed in the mission and not die immediately.

‘Should I do it?’

Various emotions flickered across Ho Yeon-jong’s face.

‘Damn it, do I really have to call that bastard?’

I had endured the inconvenience and come all this way to suppress that bastard. If I could achieve the feat of destroying one of the Nine Great Sects, I could become a new wave in the succession battle and have a chance to become the master of the new world.

But that was impossible now. If I retreated or the operation failed, I could be rendered incapable of recovery.

Should I set aside my personal feelings and call my rival, or should I risk my life in a fight?

Should I endure the humiliation of biding my time once more, or should I gamble my life on a slim chance?

“…Damn it!”

Ho Yeon-jong rose to his feet.

His whole body ached as if it were breaking apart. Stars flashed before his eyes. He could have fainted at any moment.

He gritted his teeth and walked towards the Divine Investigator. It was truly pathetic to be hobbling like this.

“Old man.”

Ho Yeon-jong called out to the Divine Investigator, panting.

The Divine Investigator, as if he hadn’t heard Ho Yeon-jong’s voice, remained in a daze.

Ho Yeon-jong shouted.

“Old man! Get a grip!”

Crack!

He put what little inner energy he had left into his shout.

The Divine Investigator startled and looked at Ho Yeon-jong. His posture suggested he was ready to flee at any moment.

Ho Yeon-jong felt a deep sense of defeat.

Such immense killing intent that it could turn the Divine Investigator into this? It was unbelievable that a young brat had overwhelmed not only himself but the entire force.

Ho Yeon-jong took a light breath.

“Summon the Divine Phoenix Bird.”

“…The Divine Phoenix Bird?”

“Damn it! Yes! The Divine Phoenix Bird! He should be in the northern part of this damned Shaanxi province!”

The Divine Investigator’s eyes widened.

“Are, are you thinking of summoning him?”

“What else? Do you think we can carry out the mission with this force that’s become a bunch of cripples? The opponent is one of the Nine Great Sects! If I were in good condition, it might be possible, but as it is now, it’s impossible!”

Even as he spoke, his head was spinning. He couldn’t breathe properly.

The Divine Investigator stammered.

“If we do that… not only you but we will all be in danger. We’ll be held accountable when we return.”

“Since when have we cared about being held accountable…!”

Ho Yeon-jong couldn’t continue.

The Divine Investigator was not in his right mind. The real him was not so clumsy as to hinder his work out of fear of death.

The axe-wielding bastard’s brutal killing intent was triggering the Divine Investigator’s fear. He would return to normal in a day or two, but the problem was that there was no time.

Ho Yeon-jong gathered as much Yin-Demonic energy as he could. His massive dantian [energy center] was constantly generating inner energy, but as soon as it was generated, it seeped into his body to accelerate the healing process.

‘Huuup!’

His vision went dark for a moment before returning to normal.

Just concentrating his inner energy into his hand for a moment felt like he was about to lose consciousness. Ho Yeon-jong held onto his sanity with superhuman patience.

Whooo-oong!

The Yin-Demonic energy gathered in his hand was being refined at a terrifying speed.

A rough, toxic, and destructive inner energy. The characteristics of Yin-Demonic energy had disappeared from that energy. What remained was a pure and dense power of the Supreme Void.

Ho Yeon-jong pressed his hand onto the Divine Investigator’s crown.

Woo-oo-oo-oo-oong!!

The Divine Investigator’s eyes snapped open.

Chi-i-i-ik!

Black smoke rose from his seven orifices.

It was similar to the smoke rising from a fire, and it was the killing intent of Yeon Ho-jeong that remained in the Divine Investigator’s upper dantian [energy center]. It was only a tiny amount, but that alone had been enough to make the Divine Investigator lose his senses.

The Supreme Void inner energy that filled the Divine Investigator’s upper dantian extracted the killing intent.

‘It’s toxic!’

Ho Yeon-jong gritted his teeth.

The amount of residual killing intent was less than a tenth of the inner energy in his hand. Yet, it couldn’t be cleaned up immediately. Although the amount was small, its density was so high that it was constantly destroying a person’s mind.

But that was only for a moment.

Hook!

As Ho Yeon-jong’s hand fell, the Divine Investigator coughed up blood.

“Uwehk!”

The blood he vomited was dark red.

Flash!

A light flickered in the Divine Investigator’s eyes.

“You!”

Ho Yeon-jong collapsed on the spot.

The Divine Investigator hurriedly supported his upper body.

“Are you, are you alright?”

Ho Yeon-jong gasped for breath.

The Divine Investigator’s voice echoed in his ears. He could no longer stop his consciousness from fading with his will.

Ho Yeon-jong’s lips moved.

“Contact the Divine Phoenix Bird… we must summon that bastard…”

With those words, Ho Yeon-jong lost consciousness.

* * *

Around dawn.

“Huu.”

Gang Ryang, who had been meditating in a cross-legged position, opened his eyes.

Woo-oong.

The Ghost King’s inner energy stretched greatly.

The injured blood vessels tingled. The wounds from the sword energy were the same.

It was a good sign. The wounds that had only been stiff were now tingling. The internal injuries and muscles were almost healed, and now only the skin and blood vessels needed to return to normal.

‘Amazing?’

Gang Ryang was surprised.

‘These aren’t wounds that should heal this quickly.’

Was it because I broke through the Wall of Martial Arts? Or does the Ghost King’s inner energy have some unknown properties?

Whatever it was, I had achieved an incredible rate of recovery overnight. It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough to wield a sword without any problems.

Gang Ryang got up.

“You’re awake.”

Hwang Seok-tae, who was sitting to one side polishing his spear, looked the same as yesterday.

“Didn’t you sleep?”

“I slept a little.”

“You have great stamina.”

Hwang Seok-tae tapped the spear blade with his finger.

“The air is such that anything could happen at any time. Forcing myself to sleep would be more of a strain on my mind.”

His words made me wonder if I had been too carefree.

Gang Ryang looked around.

Paeyul was nowhere to be seen, and on the mat, Yeon Ho-jeong was still meditating.

Surprisingly, Yeon Ho-jeong’s complexion had improved significantly in the meantime. Just by looking at his complexion, one could say he was completely normal.

Gang Ryang couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Is everyone with the Supreme Void like that? To recover so much in just one night.”

Hwang Seok-tae shook his head.

“Didn’t Senior Yin help him?”

“Even if someone helps, it’s still up to me to heal my body.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s a relief. It’s a real relief.”

Although I didn’t say it, I had been worried about Yeon Ho-jeong, who was fighting such a fierce battle that it could be felt from so far away.

But seeing him now, it felt like my worries had completely disappeared. Gang Ryang felt a deep sense of relief.

It was then.

“You’re awake.”

“Ah, Senior.”

Gang Ryang and Hwang Seok-tae straightened their postures and bowed their heads. It was because Ha Eun-gyo had come out of the hut.

Ha Eun-gyo waved her hand.

“The greetings are enough. What’s with the formality?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Anyway, are you alright, you?”

Gang Ryang tilted his head.

“Are you talking about me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Yes. I’m perfectly fine.”

“That’s a relief.”

As Gang Ryang was looking puzzled, Hwang Seok-tae whispered.

“When you were in a trance, Senior treated you.”

“Huh!”

Gang Ryang was startled. He never imagined that a powerhouse of the Saintly Heaven would directly treat his body.

Ha Eun-gyo smiled awkwardly.

“Treatment is too much. I just gave you a little boost. Fortunately, your injuries were lighter than Yeon Dae-su’s. It was over in less than half an hour.”

“Th, thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me.”

Not only had I been indebted for a night’s stay, but she had also given me such a great gift.

“By the way, are you a descendant of the Ghost Immortal Sword?”

“Yes?”

The Ghost Immortal Sword?

Gang Ryang, who was inwardly flustered, widened his eyes for a moment.

“Could it be that you know my grandfather…?”

“I see. That inner energy, I thought I had seen it somewhere. I wondered who it was, but it was exactly like the inner energy of the Ghost Immortal Sword.”

The Ghost Immortal Sword, Gang Pyeong, was the former head of the Ghost Iron Sword Clan and an unparalleled swordsman who was known as the best swordsman of the Black Path at the time.

He was Gang Ryang’s grandfather, and he was famous for living a particularly romantic life before he died.

“Se, Senior, have you met my grandfather?”

“Met him? We even exchanged blows.”

“Yes?”

“It was a duel that arose from a misunderstanding. It was a fight that ended without anyone getting seriously hurt. Of course, I think I lost.”

“Huh?!”

“He’s one of the few people who have defeated me in my life, so I still remember him. Well, it couldn’t be helped. I was young and immature back then.”

Even so, to think that my grandfather had fought the Yin Demon of the world and achieved victory.

Looking at the bewildered Gang Ryang, Ha Eun-gyo continued.

“I met the Ghost Immortal Sword a few more times after that. He was a man who enjoyed romance and was as magnanimous as a man of the Black Path could be. He was uncontrollably playful, but his sword was the real deal.”

“…!”

“You seem to have even more talent than him. If you continue to train diligently, you could become a master as great as Yeon Dae-su.”

It was praise from a master who was discussing the best in the world. Gang Ryang couldn’t come to his senses.

Ha Eun-gyo, who smiled at such Gang Ryang, looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.

“Are you going to get up soon? A messenger is coming.”

Hook!

The energy of Yeon Ho-jeong, which had been rising like a heat haze, converged inward in an instant.

Yeon Ho-jeong opened his eyes.

“I see.”

“How is your body?”

“Thanks to you, Senior, it’s very good.”

“You’re still far from it, aren’t you? You should at least wet your lips before lying.”

Yeon Ho-jeong wet his lips.

Ha Eun-gyo’s expression became blank.

After a while.

“It’s damn hard, shit. From now on, I’ll leave this to that bastard…”

Paeyul, who appeared while muttering curses, pointed at Gang Ryang, then cleared his throat when he found Ha Eun-gyo.

Yeon Ho-jeong asked.

“How is it?”

Paeyul’s face became serious.

“It seems that your guess is correct. Although I can’t be sure yet.”

“…I see.”

“Shouldn’t we meet with Elder Cheoljanggae?”

“We should.”

Gang Ryang asked with a puzzled face.

“What’s going on?”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened.

“…Something’s strange.”

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