My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 139

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 139. Dok Go-yeong, the Black Killing Overlord
Upon arriving in Akyangn, a city of remarkable beauty, the Baeklang Dae wasted no time admiring its surroundings and headed straight for the Sadoh-maeng.
This was hardly a sightseeing trip, after all.
Naturally, not a single member of the Baeklang Dae harbored any complaint about it.
Before long, they had arrived at the Sadoh-maeng.
“So this is the Sadoh-maeng….”
The eyes of the Baeklang Dae widened as they faced the main gate.
First and foremost, the sheer scale of the buildings overwhelmed them.
Some of the Baeklang Dae, including O Chae-moo, had visited the Murim League before.
That too had been breathtaking, but—though reluctant to admit it—the buildings of Sadoh-maeng already dwarfed those by a considerable margin.
It felt less like a mere difference between the current Murim League and Sadoh-maeng, and more like a visible manifestation of the growing gap in power between the Orthodox Faction and the Heterodox Faction—a sight that left a bitter taste.
The great doors soon opened, and they were ushered inside.
And all of the Baeklang Dae felt it.
The unkind gaze directed at them.
Several warriors had gathered at the entrance of Sadoh-maeng, apparently to receive the Baeklang Dae.
Their eyes held displeasure—no, outright hostility. They made no attempt to conceal the feeling.
Though this was supposed to be the same kind of reception offered at Namgung, where everyone had come forward with unanimous gratitude, the atmosphere here was unmistakably different.
In truth, it was clear they were already restraining themselves considerably.
How could they be pleased to see them?
Yet no one dared approach or speak.
They knew the Baeklang Dae had come at the Black Killing Overlord’s invitation.
Of course, the Baeklang Dae had anticipated something of this atmosphere.
Besides, they hadn’t come seeking lavish hospitality.
They were, after all, Orthodox and Heterodox—natural opposites.
Yet the Baeklang Dae couldn’t help but feel aggrieved.
They hadn’t asked to come here in the first place.
‘Who summoned us anyway?’
That thought crossed all their minds.
Shortly after, Yeo Un-hwi and the Baeklang Dae were escorted directly to the Maengju Hall.
The vast hall was packed with towering figures of Sadoh—true titans of their age.
And at the place of highest honor sat an elderly man.
The gaze of the Baeklang Dae naturally settled upon him.
They knew at once.
It was him.
This was surely Dok Go-yeong, the Black Killing Overlord—the giant of the age.
Perhaps it was an obvious thing to say.
Yet even if he stood among those Heterodox masters rather than seated there, he would have been instantly recognizable.
The aura emanating from him was simply incomparable.
Was this what they called the bearing of an absolute master?
There was a presence about the old man that made one instinctively withdraw merely from facing him.
Presently, Dok Go-yeong, who had been regarding the Baeklang Dae calmly, gestured with his hand.
Whereupon the Heterodox masters who had filled the Maengju Hall began to depart one by one.
Soon, only he, the Baeklang Dae, and Chu Hoon-sang-geom, the leader of Myulhon-dae whom they had brought with them, remained in the hall.
“I have brought the Baeklang Dae at your command.”
“Well done. Go rest now.”
“Yes.”
Chu Hoon-sang-geom bowed and withdrew from the Maengju Hall.
A moment of silence hung in the air before Yeo Un-hwi moved first.
He stepped forward and offered a respectful greeting.
“I am Yeo Un-hwi, leader of the Baeklang Dae. It is an honor to meet you.”
It was a formal greeting, the kind one offered as a matter of course.
Ordinarily, such an arrival would be followed by predictable pleasantries—’Thank you for the trouble of coming,’ ‘No, it is our honor to have you’—the usual empty courtesies.
It had always been so, and this meeting would be no different.
So the Baeklang Dae, beneath their tension at standing before the Black Killing Overlord, were already thinking ahead to their assigned quarters, eager to rest their weary bodies.
But then—
“Are you truly glad? You cannot be. Surely you are thinking how tiresome it is—to have been summoned all this way by someone else’s whim.”
What?
The eyes of the Baeklang Dae flew wide.
What did I just hear?
Did we mishear because we’re tired?
Is this what you call questioning my orthodoxy after dragging me all the way out here?
Or is this some elaborate trap—dangle the bait, and the moment you catch a whiff of suspicion, you slit my throat?
Was the Black Killing Sword I left at the Peng Estate really… a fake?
The Baeklang Dae stood frozen, their minds grinding to a halt in the sheer absurdity of it.
But the reply that came from Yeo Un-hwi was even more remarkable.
“Well, to be honest with you… yes. That’s correct. The journey here was exhausting. Truth be told, I didn’t want to come at all.”
“What did you just say?”
Audacious. Or perhaps mad—such brutal honesty made Dok Go-yeong’s face contort visibly.
And he was not alone in his shock.
Every member of the Baeklang Dae stood speechless, their lips trembling as they stared at Yeo Un-hwi.
Our lord is about to face off against one of the Twelve Supremes…?
“Hm. If you truly didn’t wish to come, you could have refused and been done with it. Yet you traveled all this way to voice such complaints to my face—it seems you harbor considerable grievances against me.”
“You made it impossible for us not to come, forcing us here against our will. To then ask why we came when we didn’t want to would be rather unfair of you. So shall we simply move past this awkward greeting and call it even?”
The Baeklang Dae had now transcended shock entirely—they teetered on the brink of collapse.
And yet, even as they imagined what they would do if violence erupted, how they might stand beside Yeo Un-hwi and face one of the Twelve Supremes, their loyalty felt almost touching, admirable even.
But in that instant,
“Hahahahaha!”
Dok Go-yeong, who had been glaring down at Yeo Un-hwi as though about to leap from his seat, suddenly burst into booming laughter.
Now the gaze of the Baeklang Dae shifted toward Dok Go-yeong—surely this man had lost his mind.
They quickly realized the folly of what they were doing and looked away.
“Hahaha! Yes, you’re right. I have been stubborn enough to exhaust even myself. Your grievances are well-founded!”
“I’m relieved you see it that way.”
“Haha! Still, I’ve been curious. Work keeps piling up, and I simply couldn’t bear it any longer. My apologies.”
The Baeklang Dae could make no sense of what was happening.
They had witnessed it with their own eyes, heard it with their own ears, yet felt as though they understood nothing at all.
For someone to openly question one of the Martial World’s absolute rulers—the Tyrannical Lord himself—in his own hall, demanding to know why he had summoned them so tiringly; and for that very Tyrannical Lord to acknowledge the complaint and apologize…
It felt as though they were dreaming.
The overwhelming aura that had pressed down upon them vanished without trace, and Dok Go-yeong approached with a chuckle.
“So it’s you all. Those who lifted the burden from my heart.”
Dok Go-yeong stood facing the Baeklang Dae and greeted them warmly.
“I truly apologize for compelling you to undertake such a long journey for my own selfish reasons.”
Another apology.
His smile gentle and sincere.
From that Tyrannical Lord.
That terrifying king of the Heterodox Faction.
“But I have never been so eager, so desperate to meet someone. Haha.”
“Isn’t that what you say every time you invite someone?”
“Ah, did it seem that way? Hahaha! No, not really. I am actually quite sparse in extending such invitations.”
Why are the two of you speaking so familiarly with each other?
And why is our lord suddenly being so particular and grumbling today, making our hearts pound so?
The Baeklang Dae, having come all this way, had never imagined they would find themselves on edge because of Yeo Un-hwi rather than the Heterodox Faction itself.
Of course, they had believed that with Yeo Un-hwi at their side, they could face any enemy without fear. Yet watching this unfold before their eyes made their hearts shrivel in their chests.
They were, after all, ordinary men.
In truth, Yeo Un-hwi had already heard all about Dok Go-yeong’s temperament from Jin So-baek before arriving at this place.
Dok Go-yeong despised needless flattery, empty praise, and those who concealed their true thoughts in conversation.
On the contrary, he favored those who revealed themselves openly, even if somewhat roughly.
Though he had walked the Tyrannical Path, he was a man who had never committed anything cowardly or shameful.
It was rather amusing.
That such a man had become the king of the Heterodox Faction.
In any case, Yeo Un-hwi had chosen his approach accordingly, without hesitation.
Besides, he was somewhat irritated.
How much time had he spent separated from his family because of this old man’s summons?
Had this affair not seemed to carry some genuine weight, he would never have come at all—not for a mere messenger, not for anything.
Thus he had allowed himself to grumble rather more roughly than he might have otherwise intended.
And apparently his manner pleased Dok Go-yeong, who laughed heartily throughout.
In this way, conversation became far easier.
Soon the Tyrannical Lord—or rather, the elderly man grateful for his sister’s revenge—spoke to his benefactors with genuine sincerity.
“I hope the time you spend here will bring you joy.”
***
After the brief greeting concluded, they decided to rest and conduct proper conversation during the evening feast.
Above all, the distance from Hebei to Akyangn, where the Sadoh-maeng was located, was so vast that the accumulated fatigue was considerable.
And so the Baeklang Dae was guided to the place where they would stay.
It was a magnificent annex building that made one’s jaw drop.
In consideration of their position, the area around the annex had been cleared completely, and they received the courtesy of being told they could use it at ease.
The Baeklang Dae had decided to stay in Akyangn for four days.
It was a span of time that could be considered either long or short, depending on one’s perspective.
Soon after the room assignments were finished, the Baeklang Dae members gathered in one room as if by prior agreement and began to chat.
“Somehow it feels different from what I imagined, doesn’t it?”
“Who? Dok Go-yeong?”
The Baeklang Dae members exchanged glances with one another, then nodded vigorously in unison.
It was certainly nothing like what they’d pictured.
“I thought he’d be like some terrifying bandit king, you know?”
“Right. I imagined someone more rough and brutal-looking, but he wasn’t. In fact…….”
“Mm?”
As they spoke, a certain someone came to mind who matched exactly what they’d envisioned.
Some Clan Patriarch from a renowned family in Hebei…….
“Ahem.”
“Mm-hmm!”
They quickly realized it was something they shouldn’t think about and simultaneously erased the face of that person from their minds.
And they hastily changed the subject.
“Anyway, we’ve lived long enough to receive treatment like this.”
“And from the Sadoh-maeng, no less.”
“Ha ha. Strange things really do happen.”
“Yeah, it still feels odd somehow. I’ve gotten so used to training hard all day long and then eating until my stomach bursts in the evening before collapsing into sleep.”
“I find that more comfortable too, honestly.”
There was something oddly awkward about it all.
After doing nothing but training, training, training, and then making such a long journey and resting here, their bodies felt restless.
Watching the Baeklang Dae members think about training even after arriving here, Yeo Un-hwi let out a quiet laugh.
“Enjoy this leisure while you can. Who knows when something will break loose?”
…….
The Baeklang Dae members thought it was chilling how casually he said such a thing.
All the members of the Baeklang Dae lying in bed silently prayed that no such thing would happen.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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