Monochrome Sovereign (Novel) - Chapter 14 - Activation of the Four Gods (4)
Chapter 14 – Activation of the Four Gods (4)
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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The bustling and noisy Tower of the Chu Sound fell silent in an instant.
“Hmph! So you’ll keep hiding until the end? Fine! I’ll make sure you can’t bear not to crawl out!”
Pung! Peopeopeung!
Flames soared from all directions of the Tower of the Chu Sound.
“Uaaaaak!”
“F-Fire!”
“Heok! It’s martial artists!”
The people who had visited the Tower of the Chu Sound were seized with terror.
Perhaps oil had been sprayed, as the speed at which the flames rose was incredibly fast. The Tower of the Chu Sound, which boasted its own history and recognition, was instantly trapped within walls of fire.
Zhuge Jun, who had been resting, quickly rushed out.
“Sister?!”
Zhuge Ah-yeon had come out even faster and was looking out the window.
“Sister! What on earth is this fire?!”
“It’s them.”
“Pardon?”
Zhuge Ah-yeon’s face was stained with sharp, chilling anger.
“They’re in league with those bastards I crushed yesterday.”
“……!!”
Zhuge Jun gritted his teeth.
“How did they find this place?!”
“That’s not the problem right now!”
Deol-keong!
Zhuge Ah-yeon opened the window and rushed out, leaping over one of the buildings.
It was a noble movement technique, like a single crane. It was the movement method of the Heaven’s Secret Divine Walk, the representative lightness art of the Zhuge Clan.
In an instant, Zhuge Ah-yeon, who had ascended to the roof of the central building, turned pale.
‘There are many!’
It was well over a hundred in number. At a low estimate, there were at least a hundred and fifty.
‘How did so many get here?!’
She had only punished some ruffians who were assaulting a merchant on the street. Looking at the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like the merchant was in the wrong, and most importantly, it looked like he was going to die.
Afterward, the Unorthodox sect that backed those ruffians had chased her. Since they were an Unorthodox sect only slightly better than third-rate and few in number, she had defeated them in an instant and leisurely come to the Tower of the Chu Sound.
She had thought that was the end of it.
But isn’t that bastard shouting at the top of his lungs over there the Sect Leader of that Unorthodox sect she had defeated then?
“Heok! Hall Master! Do you see her there on the roof? That’s the bitch!”
“I see her too.”
Zhuge Ah-yeon looked down at the man called the Hall Master.
‘An expert?’
Was he around forty? He was a man with a slender build and a gentle face.
However, contrary to his appearance, the man’s gaze was out of the ordinary. Across the long distance, the man’s eyes glaring at her were as eerie as those of a beast.
“Hall Master! Hurry, catch that bitch and beat her to… !”
Crack!
“Keuk!”
The man rolled on the ground just like that. Seeing the blood pouring from his nose and mouth, he seemed to have suffered severe internal injuries.
Zhuge Ah-yeon’s face frowned.
‘Yin Palm?’
It was not a martial art that discharged force outside the body. It was a Yin Palm-type martial art that penetrated force into the body to cause chronic illness.
The Hall Master dusted his hands.
“You pathetic piece of shit. That’s why you’re called third-rate. Can’t you see just by looking that this girl is an expert raised in a prestigious clan?”
Zhuge Ah-yeon shouted clearly.
“Who are you!”
“Who are you? Hmm, look at this young bitch’s foul mouth. Well, I suppose all those bastards who learned from prestigious Orthodox clans are like that.”
“……!!”
“It’s hard to look up, so come down. If we’re to introduce ourselves, we should be face to face.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Well, if you refuse, there’s nothing I can do.”
The reply was playful, but what happened immediately after was no joke.
Leather pouches flew in from all directions.
Pung! Peo-eong! Pung!
“Kuaaaaak!”
“Uaaaa! S-Save me!”
The already threatening flames became twice as large and violent as before. It seemed the leather pouches contained oil.
Zhuge Ah-yeon shouted.
“Stop! I’ll come down!”
“You should have done that from the start. You Orthodox folk are impossible to talk to.”
Sarararak!
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuge Ah-yeon landed opposite the man.
It was an incredibly graceful movement technique. The middle-aged man also seemed quite surprised, his eyes widening.
“Heh! What a remarkable lightness art. So, which sect’s descendant are you?”
“I am Zhuge Ah-yeon of the Zhuge Clan.”
She was someone who disliked using her family’s name to oppress others. However, given the situation, she had no choice. If she was not careful, the harm to innocent people would increase.
“Godly Strategy Zhuge! To see a child of the Seven Great Clans like this.”
The man looked Zhuge Ah-yeon up and down as if she were a strange animal.
Zhuge Ah-yeon’s face hardened.
‘What is this?’
He was not intimidated.
Not to mention ruffians, even ordinary Unorthodox sects would flee immediately at the mention of the Seven Great Clans. This was because their lives would be in danger, let alone winning.
Yet the man showed no such signs at all.
‘Hmm?’
Zhuge Ah-yeon realized that the man’s eyes were somehow clouded.
His aura was clearly that of a first-rate expert, but his gaze was murky?
‘What is it? Is he addicted to some strange drug?’
Parararak!
Before she knew it, Zhuge Jun appeared beside Zhuge Ah-yeon.
The man clapped his hands as if to show off.
“Ho! It’s an amazing movement technique every time I see it! Would you happen to teach me that technique? I’m a bit weak when it comes to movement methods.”
Just as she thought he was a strange fellow, it was getting even more ridiculous.
Zhuge Jun spat out an oath despite himself.
“Crazy bastard!”
“Shall I pull out your tendons and carve out your flesh while you’re alive? Then will you tell me? Hmm?”
It was a chilling remark.
It was not a simple threat. The man’s eyes were gradually becoming stained with madness. Judging by his gaze and voice, it seemed he had done such things more than once or twice.
“Who exactly are you?”
“Ah! Now that I think about it, I haven’t introduced myself. I am the Hall Master of the Thunder Fire Hall.”
It was a sect they had never heard of. Then again, they had no interest in Unorthodox sects to begin with.
“I won’t mince words. Have your subordinates put out the fire immediately.”
“Why should I?”
“What?!”
“Whether you bastards are here or not, once I’ve set the fire, that’s the end of it.”
The Zhuge siblings’ faces distorted with rage.
The Thunder Fire Hall Master burst into laughter. Madness could be felt in his laughter.
“Since you’ve crawled out obediently, I’ll at least spare your lives! Now, how should I deal with you two?”
“You vicious bastard!”
“Since the boy looks sturdy, I can sell him to some old men who are crazy for male beauty, and since the girl is pretty, I’ll enjoy her to my heart’s content and then sell her off to a brothel!”
“You!”
Pa-ang!
They could not listen any longer. The Zhuge siblings kicked off the ground.
An evil energy appeared on the Thunder Fire Hall Master’s face.
“Ha!”
At that moment, dozens of hidden weapons flew from the bushes quite a distance away on the left and right.
It was not a particularly impressive hidden weapon technique. However, it was an unexpected ambush. Being ambushed while in a state of extreme anger, they could not help but be flustered.
“Hap!”
Chwareureureuk!
Following Zhuge Jun’s hand gestures, the hidden weapons flying through the air changed direction.
It was the Lesser Heavenly Star Palm Method, a secret technique of the Zhuge Clan. The palm force, spread out like a piece of silk, disrupted the attack direction of the hidden weapons. It was a high-level technique, hard to believe it came from a youth who had not even reached twenty.
Thump!
“Keuk!”
“Jun!”
It was an amazing technique, but he had not considered another ambush. Three daggers were embedded in Zhuge Jun’s thigh.
The Thunder Fire Hall Master smiled and flicked his fingers. Daggers were held between his knuckles.
“A mere fledgling.”
Zhuge Jun gritted his teeth and stood up.
Their martial arts were high, but they lacked experience. Both he and Zhuge Ah-yeon had no experience in group battles or chaotic brawls.
“This much is…… Cough!”
Suddenly, Zhuge Jun coughed up blood.
It was red blood, but the smell was foul. Zhuge Ah-yeon’s eyes shook.
‘Poison?!’
She looked at the Thunder Fire Hall Master.
“You filthy bastard!”
“What’s wrong? This much is basic in the martial world.”
“Give me the antidote this instant!”
“Don’t worry. His internal organs will be a bit damaged, but he won’t die. Didn’t I say I’d sell him to those old men who enjoy male beauty?”
Even in the midst of her extreme rage, her heart sank. That madman intended to actually carry out the words he had spoken.
“Next is your turn.”
Seureureuk.
The martial artists who had thrown the hidden weapons from the bushes revealed themselves. It seemed they intended to capture Zhuge Ah-yeon in earnest.
She might have been fine alone, but her movements were difficult because of her injured brother. Zhuge Ah-yeon’s face was filled with dilemma.
* * *
Koong! Kugugugung!
The sound of the walls surrounding the Tower of the Chu Sound collapsing in various places could be heard.
One could not tell how strong the fire demon was for even the stone walls to collapse. Yeon Ji-pyeong, who had ascended to the top floor of the main building of the Tower of the Chu Sound before anyone knew it, shouted.
“Squad Leader Shin!”
“Yes, Second Young Master!”
“First, have the squad members control the fire! A-and over there! We must help those from the Zhuge Clan!”
Yeon Ji-pyeong, who was no less composed than Zhuge Jun, was equally flustered by the sudden situation.
Shin Mo answered hurriedly.
“It seems we should evacuate the people first.”
“Ah! T-That’s right! Then first, I should help the Zhuge Clan folks… !”
It was then.
“Wait.”
The two quickly turned around.
Yeon Ho-jeong was standing there. Perhaps because he had walked near the wall of fire, there was soot all over his face.
“Brother?!”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes! But Brother, what do you mean, wait?”
Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Shin Mo.
“Squad Leader Shin.”
“Yes, Eldest Young Master.”
“I’ve opened paths in the backyard of the Tower of the Chu Sound and in the northeast and southeast directions. But that’s not enough. To the left and right outside the southwest gate, there are piles of earth and sand. If you go thirty zhang further from there, you’ll find the riverside.”
“P-Pardon?!”
“I’m saying break down the southwest gate. The final escape route is there.”
“H-How did you……”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.
In that moment, Shin Mo felt his back straighten.
“I obey the Eldest Young Master’s command!”
Shin Mo moved immediately.
Yeon Ho-jeong passed Yeon Ji-pyeong and stood at the edge of the railing. In his eyes, he saw Zhuge Ah-yeon embracing Zhuge Jun.
‘Now, show me your martial arts.’
A faint Qi rising from Zhuge Ah-yeon’s body was visible. It seemed she intended to give her all.
‘Hurry!’
Yeon Ji-pyeong asked urgently.
“Brother! We have to open a path for the Zhuge Clan people over there too! There are many people in that direction!”
“It’s fine.”
“Pardon?!”
“The fire will not spread further. Since the wind is blowing against it, there’s no need to worry about inhaling smoke. It will be fine for the time being.”
“Still, if people panic and an accident occurs… !”
“Everyone will survive once the match is over anyway. Do not panic.”
“T-Then let’s go help the Zhuge Clan! We have to defeat them as soon as possible to open the gate… !”
“Wait.”
“……Brother?”
“Wait.”
Yeon Ji-pyeong was about to ask what that meant, but he suddenly fell silent.
Above the high and sharp bridge of his nose, the blue-shining gaze was truly murderous.
It was a pair of eyes he had never seen before. It felt like looking not at a human’s eyes, but at the eyes of a demon.
Teok!
Yeon Ji-pyeong, who had unknowingly taken a couple of steps back, caught his foot on a table leg. However, he didn’t even realize it. This was because he felt a sense of estrangement and fear at his brother’s completely changed impression.
The same was true for Yeon Ho-jeong. His five senses and intuition, which were always searching in all directions, were focused solely on Zhuge Ah-yeon.
‘If your clan is the mastermind.’
Strength entered his hand gripping the window frame.
Kwat-deuk!
The wooden window frame broke. The Jade Gauze True Formula had been operated unconsciously.
“……Starting with you two, I will turn all of Hubei into a sea of fire.”
Pung!
Dozens of daggers poured toward Zhuge Ah-yeon.
In that moment, white energy surged from Zhuge Ah-yeon’s body.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes widened.