Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 765

“……!!”Yeon Ho-jeong’s face visibly hardened.Whirr, whirr, whirr!It wasn’t the Shin Hwa Cult’s Scorching Yang Energy. Nor was it the Saeum Cult’s unique divine skill. It didn’t seem like the Gwanghyeol Cult’s demonic art either.It was a clear demonic energy, the likes of which he had never felt before, its origin unknown, burning like a flame.Jiiing. Jiiiiiing.The crescent blade in his hand cried out on its own.The blade, resonating with Yeon Ho-jeong’s spirit, cried out, betraying its master’s will. A tense blade-cry, it seemed the state of unity between body and blade, which had been achieved naturally, had broken on its own.Whoooosh!The Radiant Divine Core spun fiercely, emitting a massive amount of energy in an instant.Fwaaaah!Against the demonic energy, sticky like blood and fierce like fire, an infinitely intense and solid aura surged like a wave.The two energies collided head-on.Kwa kwa kwa kwang!”Ughhh!””Kuaaaaak!”A tremendous gale and shockwave erupted, turning the area into a wasteland.The ground, spanning over ten yards in radius, cracked and sank, and a section of the majestic outer wall of the imperial palace crumbled.Several buildings far behind Yeon Ho-jeong also collapsed. A few trees slowly bent, then naturally revealed their roots and were uprooted.It was an incredible sight.Yeon Ho-jeong had faced several masters of the Limitless realm, but none had ever displayed such destructive power.He was a master who required the full force of all internal energy just to face him. Though the nature of their energies differed, judging by the sheer overflowing power, he seemed stronger than Gongson Baekryong, and even Gok Gyeong.’Just what is this bastard…?!’The abundant demonic power, the effortless release of strength, was exceptional.If not for the ferocious energy, it was a force that would have earned endless admiration. Since his regression, this was the first time an opponent’s energy alone had made his bones ache.Yeon Ho-jeong reached out to Gi Woo-hee.Whoosh!Gi Woo-hee was sent flying dozens of yards away without even a scream.At the same time, the Mukryong Unit moved in the direction she was thrown. Muk Bi was already hidden there, so Gi Woo-hee would be safe.Now, there was no one else around. Even the hidden beggars had long since fled far away.Yeon Ho-jeong’s pupils gradually turned red.Chiiiiiiiiik!A terrifying killing intent settled within the surging energy.The Vermilion Bird Energy was a Yang-based energy that was second to none, but it wasn’t a martial art that burned enemies with firepower like the Shin Hwa Cult’s techniques.Killing intent, killing method.The essence of the Vermilion Bird Art was to transform the dangerous and deadly energy into killing intent, eliminating the enemy in an instant.Kugugung!The heavy and fierce energy of the White Tiger swelled his fighting spirit, and the dark and solid energy of the Black Tortoise instilled calmness within it.Whirr, whirr!The flexible and mysterious energy of the Azure Dragon pushed his body’s durability to its limits, and the dangerous and murderous energy of the Vermilion Bird burst forth, ensnaring the opponent.The Four Divine Energies were unleashed from the start. This was not an opponent to be trifled with, nor was there any reason to test his strength.Failure was certain if he didn’t go all out from the first strike. Yeon Ho-jeong knew this instinctively.A bright smile appeared on the man’s face.With nothing holding him back, the energy he unleashed was twice as fierce, impressive enough to disrupt even his breathing. Even after feeling Yeon Ho-jeong’s power, the man was only filled with joy, not tension, even when facing an opponent who could kill him.”It was worth waiting patiently!”Crack!The man’s hands twitched uncontrollably.His fingernails had become sharp like those of a beast. Their color had turned black, making them look like the hands of a demon.His pupils were bloodshot, and veins were visible even in the whites of his eyes, overflowing with madness.His hair, as lustrous as fine silk, shot straight up into the sky. His skin grew paler, and blue veins bulged out all over his body beneath his robe.It was a truly eerie sight. He no longer looked like a human.Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes wavered.’There was a guy like this!’Thud!Just moving one step created a shockwave like an earthquake.The man, Gwak Jun, smiled whitely.”No questions asked, let’s see how hot your heart is?”Yeon Ho-jeong’s pupils widened.’He’s coming!’Whoosh!Yeon Ho-jeong’s body moved diagonally.Using his immense waist strength, he evaded the opponent’s attack with the elasticity of his upper body alone. Or so he thought.Sizzle.Yeon Ho-jeong’s left arm was already stained with blood.His left shoulder blade had been blown away. The shoulder blade, which had flown into the air and fallen to the ground, was torn to pieces.He thought he had dodged it, but the opponent’s martial art was so fast and sharp that he was hit anyway. If he had been just a little slower, his left arm would have been completely severed.’Damn it!’He had checked the opponent’s strength and moved accordingly, yet this happened. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had been hit by such an unexpected blow.’He’s strong! This bastard is incredibly strong!’Yeon Ho-jeong swung his crescent blade powerfully.The diagonal strike contained a force like a mountain. It was not just the power, but the speed was like lightning.Yeon Ho-jeong predicted that the opponent would retreat. He naturally thought of a follow-up attack.That’s when it happened.Clang!As if swatting away a bothersome fly, the man swung his left fist and deflected the crescent blade.Yeon Ho-jeong was surprised once again. It was a strike meant to induce evasion, so he never thought it could be blocked. It was not an easy blade strike that could be blocked with bare hands.”Hoo?”Gwak Jun licked the back of his left hand with his tongue.”This is stronger than I thought, isn’t it?”His left hand, which had deflected the crescent blade, was horribly broken. Flesh was torn, and even bone was exposed. No matter how great the healing power of the Limitless realm was, he wouldn’t be able to swing it for a while.Yeon Ho-jeong’s left hand grabbed the shaft of the crescent blade.Flash!He unleashed eighteen consecutive blade strikes in an instant.They were as fast and sharp as lightning. While maintaining the power of the previous strike, he was launching much faster and more diverse attacks.At that moment, Yeon Ho-jeong saw a sinister smile on Gwak Jun’s face.Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang! Crack!His wildly swinging hands deflected each of the crescent blade’s strikes.Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes wavered.’His left hand?!’His right hand was one thing, but his left hand shouldn’t be okay. Yet, the opponent was swinging his broken left hand to block the blade.Whoosh!Yeon Ho-jeong created some distance.It had been a long time since he had created distance first in a close-quarters battle where instantaneous judgment and combat experience were crucial. It was a shocking first encounter in many ways.”Hmm? What is it? Why are you backing away?””……!”Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes looked at Gwak Jun’s left hand.Surprisingly, Gwak Jun’s left hand was almost completely healed. The only difference from when it was fine was that a reddish demonic energy was swirling like smoke from the skin that had not yet fully healed.Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes wavered.’Reverse Heaven Recovery!’In that instant, he recalled his master’s words.’There are all sorts of strange arts in the world. Human imagination is endless, so they create bizarre martial arts. If you cannot complete the Yellow Dragon, there will be martial arts that are difficult to deal with even with the Four Divine Arts at their peak.'”…….”‘Among them, the best is demonic art. Demonic art is a martial art that defies the natural order, and the way it increases energy is different from ordinary martial arts. Many people misuse this method and suffer from qi deviation, becoming crippled or dying.'”…….”‘However, if you train such demonic art to its extreme, open the gate of ascension, and continue to improve its quality even after reaching that point, then true reverse heaven will raise its head.”True reverse heaven…”Of course, you will rarely encounter someone so obsessed with demonic art. It’s hard to even find someone who has learned demonic art in the first place. However, if you encounter such a person before you bring out the Yellow Dragon… I recommend retreating. Martial arts are for use against people, not ghosts.’True reverse heaven.Reverse heaven meant going against the natural order, deviating from the flow of the heavenly way.The heavenly way was nature, and nature moved forward with proper reason. Reverse heaven was the complete denial of that reason.The extreme of reverse heaven was immortality.It was an act that defied the laws of nature. When demonic energy reached its peak, even if one suffered severe injuries such as broken bones or torn flesh, they would recover instantly.It was completely different from the Shin Hwa Cult’s Hwajeong [a technique that uses fire energy to heal]. Compared to reverse heaven recovery, the Shin Hwa Cult’s martial arts were much more stable and orthodox.And now.Yeon Ho-jeong was seeing a master who was clad in the true reverse heaven demonic energy that his master had spoken of.”I know. You haven’t unleashed your true power yet.”Gwak Jun smiled sinisterly and walked forward, step by step.Kugugung! Kugugung!Each time he stepped on the ground, a small earthquake erupted.He was releasing the demonic energy that filled his entire body without holding back. There was no hesitation about whether to go for a long or short battle. He was simply expressing the power he possessed to his heart’s content.He was a walking disaster. His power was beyond the comprehension of humans, and even with Yeon Ho-jeong’s wise insight, it was difficult to grasp the true nature of this demon’s appearance.”You, what are you?”Thud!Gwak Jun stopped walking.”Are you asking me now?””Who else would I be asking here besides you?”It was a blunt tone. They had already exchanged killing blows, so there was no need for respect.Gwak Jun stared at Yeon Ho-jeong for a moment, then burst into wild laughter.”Hahahaha! You’re bleeding all over, and you’re asking for introductions? Were you that curious about my name?””I’m asking because I’m curious.””……Huh.”Gwak Jun frowned.”It’s strange. You have a vicious instinct in your heart, yet your actions are similar to those of the righteous fools.””…….””Aren’t we going to capture and tear each other apart anyway? Why? Are you going to run away if you hear my name?””……If you’re not going to tell me, then forget it.”Whirr, whirr, whirr!Yeon Ho-jeong, raising his blood-soaked left hand and aiming it forward, lowered his stance.Crack!His left foot dug into the ground. He had put immense power into his left half.Gwak Jun grinned.”Good. Very good. I was worried you might disappoint, but you are indeed…””I never thought the day would come when I’d fight the Blood Jade Demon Lord.””Hoo? What? You knew?”The corners of Yeon Ho-jeong’s lips curled up.”There are only two people who have mastered demonic arts among the Saintly Heavens, excluding Gongson Baekryong. Your demonic energy is certainly impressive, but isn’t it too crude to be the martial art of a Demonic Immortal?””…….””And if you were a Demonic Immortal, I would already be dead. So, your identity can only be the Blood Jade Demon Lord.”Gwak Jun’s face turned expressionless.He wasn’t angry, but he looked like something was displeasing him.But that was only for a moment.”Wonderful.”Whirr, whirr, whirr!Gwak Jun’s eyes turned completely bloodshot, even the whites.”You’re leading the flow into a fight. Amazing. I think I’m really falling for you.”Whoosh!Yeon Ho-jeong, approaching at lightning speed, coldly swung his blade.”Don’t get close, you pervert.”Kwaaaang!