The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 11

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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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The Heavenly Supreme Has Died – Episode 011
Cheonwol Gate.
A sect bearing the intuitive name of the Blue Moon.
Located in Hannam, this sect, unlike the renowned schools of the Nine Great Sects and One Unorthodox Faction, boasts no particularly ancient history.
At most, two hundred years.
Stretching it generously, perhaps three hundred years.
Though their lineage pales in comparison to other sects, the standing of Cheonwol Gate bears no proportion to its brief history.
They were born alongside the Martial Arts Alliance itself, founded by the Blue Moon Sword Saint, the first sect master and inaugural Alliance Lord.
This meant they were rightfully considered a direct subsidiary sect of the Martial Arts Alliance.
As the Alliance’s influence soared to the heavens, their standing rose in equal measure.
The Alliance Lord—a position held by the strongest or most influential of the age.
Since the Alliance’s founding, eighteen individuals had ascended to the position of Lord.
Eight of those figures were martial artists of Cheonwol Gate, a fact that spoke volumes about their power and influence.
The Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Clans.
Though these were called the pillars of the Martial Arts Alliance, some subtly ranked Cheonwol Gate even higher.
And regardless.
‘Within the Martial Arts Alliance, Cheonwol Gate is like a god.’
Being a direct subsidiary sect certainly contributed.
But above all, it was due to the standing left behind by the previous Alliance Lord.
The Sword Saint Yoo Cheon-gil.
The thirteenth sect master of Cheonwol Gate and the previous Alliance Lord.
Furthermore.
The man who ended the Righteous-Demonic War instigated by the Celestial Demon, master of the Demonic Cult, forty years ago, earning the title of Heavenly Supreme.
Though he reportedly died of chronic illness some ten years past, he was such a legendary martial artist that even I, with no interest in martial affairs, had heard his name.
And Cheonwol Gate was precisely where such a Yoo Cheon-gil had served as sect master.
‘This bastard is from Cheonwol Gate?’
The white-haired young man who introduced himself as Cheon Euijin.
I found myself swallowing hard repeatedly as I regarded him.
Now it made sense.
‘Why the branch director was so cautious around him. And why… Daeju acted so absurdly.’
Of course he had backing.
I had wondered why the Namgung Clan was supporting him from behind.
‘It was Cheonwol Gate?’
If he was from there, everything became clear.
Even his name—or rather, his surname—posed a problem.
‘The Cheon surname… if I recall correctly, the current sect master’s surname is…’
The Moonlight Sword Cheon Seonghwa.
After the Sword Saint Yoo Cheon-gil’s death, the next sect master also bore the Cheon surname.
Was this coincidence? I absolutely did not believe so.
Which meant.
‘…Is that brat a descendant of the Cheonwol Gate Master?’
Whether a collateral or direct bloodline, it was certain he shared the blood.
So the Branch Leader was staring at him like that… no, he’s looking at me.
Even with Cheon Euijin’s arrival, the Branch Leader kept his hands respectfully clasped, his gaze fixed on me.
‘…Tch.’
What in the world was happening here?
Barely suppressing my bewilderment, I asked Cheon Euijin.
“…Who is what of whom, exactly?”
The words Cheon Euijin had just spoken to me.
Unable to comprehend the situation, I was asking him to repeat himself.
‘What? The Sword Saint’s predecessor?’
Where did that come from?
Why was the dead Sword Saint suddenly appearing, and where did this talk of a predecessor come from?
At my words, Cheon Euijin regarded me with a troubled expression for a moment.
His gaze seemed pitiful somehow, as if he were gauging my reaction.
Then.
“…Pardon me. I must take the liberty.”
He slowly brought his hand to his sword.
What the hell?
At the unsettling feeling, I flinched.
Shing—! The blade drew free.
“Huh?”
Cheon Euijin held the sword straight and held it up to reflect my face.
My reflection appeared on the beautiful blade.
“Why is this… what?”
The moment I saw it, my eyes widened.
I hurriedly touched the corners of my eyes with my hands.
“What is this?”
My eyes had changed.
My eyes had originally been a deep brown, yet somehow they were now blue.
How could this be? As I stood there in shock.
“…I understand your desire to conceal this, truly I do.”
“What? Conceal what… what?”
Cheon Euijin, who had been reflecting my face in the blade, carefully opened his mouth.
“Given the dangers that lurk, you must believe the time is not yet right.”
“…No, that’s not it.”
“Even knowing you are my savior, I am sorry to have appeared before you in this manner.”
“Damn it.”
The man speaks earnestly, yet I don’t acknowledge him from any direction.
I thought his attitude had changed, but isn’t he just backhanded insulting me?
I was so frustrated that such thoughts even crossed my mind.
“Please… would you be willing to hear me out for just a moment?”
I frowned slightly at Cheon Euijin’s earnest plea.
He wouldn’t even listen to what I had to say, yet now he wanted me to listen to him.
It was absurd, yet I found myself wondering what could make him so desperate.
‘Cheonwol Gate—why would the bloodline of its sect leader come all the way to Anhui just to join the Martial Arts Alliance as a low-ranking member?’
It seemed clear he had some purpose in coming here.
‘That’ dungeon must have wanted something from him.
Recalling that, I spoke.
“…First.”
At my words, I felt the physicians around us, the branch leader, and Cheon Euijin all pause.
They were all watching my expression.
I felt like I might burst. Managing that, I asked.
“What happened to Senior Yoo?”
“Yes…?”
It was an unexpected question, and confusion appeared on Cheon Euijin’s face.
“I’m talking about our senior who was stabbed in the abdomen by your escort.”
“…!”
Cheon Euijin and my senior.
Yoo Hyeong-in. The man who was ambushed due to the betrayal of that bastard Pung Yeon.
What had become of him?
Asking that, I furrowed my brow.
“I understand you’re in a hurry. I understand this situation is a mess.”
Irritation welled up inside me.
“But right now, shouldn’t you first tell us what happened to the person who was protecting us against the escort you brought, rather than explaining your circumstances?”
The irritation that had risen soon transformed into anger.
“Ah… that is….”
At my words, Cheon Euijin seemed flustered for some reason.
I wondered if it was strange that I was angry, but as Cheon Euijin was about to respond, he worked his lips for a moment before continuing.
“…I apologize.”
It seemed he had some excuse he could have made, but he chose to apologize instead.
“Young Master Yoo is currently resting in the medical quarters.”
“His condition?”
This time, Physician Gakju interjected with the answer.
“The surgery went well… there will be scarring, but with about six months of recuperation, he should have no trouble moving.”
“…Phew.”
Hearing this, I let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
That Yoo Hyeong-in hadn’t died, and that the treatment had gone well.
All of it was a relief.
I could finally let out a breath I’d been holding. With that thought, I lifted my head again.
Cheon Euijin’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, as if he was about to begin his explanation.
But seeing that expression, what I was about to say was something else entirely.
“Then, please step outside for a moment. And if possible, come back tomorrow.”
“…What?”
Everyone froze at this sudden request to leave.
Cheon Euijin’s expression in particular was priceless.
“I’m not saying I won’t discuss this.”
However, this was a necessary measure.
“I simply need time to think things through, so I’m asking you to step out for a moment.”
I needed to assess the situation, and I’d heard so much that I required time to process it all.
This request to leave was for that purpose.
Hah….
‘Never thought I’d actually issue a request to leave in my lifetime.’
And to a branch director at that.
If I told the Leader himself to leave right now, I’d get beaten to a pulp.
Yet here I was, telling someone far above even the Daeju to leave.
This might not be so bad after all…?
‘Anyway….’
At my words that I needed time and wanted him to leave, Cheon Euijin’s eyes twitched slightly.
“Understood….”
He then gave his consent.
What else could he do? The person in question didn’t want to talk right now.
And besides.
‘He seems quite urgent about this.’
I could glean much from Cheon Euijin’s attitude.
He didn’t push his own circumstances or force additional conversation.
This could be a matter of temperament, but if Cheon Euijin’s backing is the Cheonwol Gate, then things are different.
Of course, this was also because he harbored some strange misunderstanding about me.
‘But the point is, he has great expectations of me.’
In the end, it meant I held the clear advantage in this position.
After that, Cheon Euijin led the branch director and the others out of the room.
By observing the order in which they left, I could measure that Cheon Euijin held a higher position than the branch director.
Valuable information, all of it.
I committed each detail to memory. And then.
“Well then.”
Once everyone had disappeared, I turned my head toward the window.
The window where sunlight streamed through.
There was someone standing there, watching me the whole time.
Or rather… it would be more accurate to call them a ghost than a person.
“…So what exactly is going on here? Care to explain?”
[Tsk tsk.]
The ghost with azure eyes laughed at my question.

* * *
The Branch Director’s office in Anhui.
A slick-looking man and a middle-aged figure sat facing each other.
“I find this difficult to comprehend.”
The slick-looking man.
Jin Gyeong-chan, the Leader of Squad Two, spoke to the Branch Director.
“Suddenly claiming that… no, Bang Disciple is the predecessor of the Sword Saint? That’s absurd.”
The Branch Director, sensing his disbelief.
Cheon Euijin, known as the Military Saber, let out a sigh.
“Leader Jin. I’ve already explained everything.”
“Perhaps, but it’s a difficult matter to accept so readily….”
“Does the truth change simply because you refuse to believe it?”
“I heard that even he himself denies it… but….”
“Tsk.”
The Branch Director clicked his tongue sharply in frustration.
Only then did Jin Gyeong-chan fall silent.
“Bangseong-yeon… Bang Disciple’s eyes. If you saw them, no one would doubt those words.”
“…His eyes, you say?”
“Lunar Eyes.”
“…!”
At the Branch Director’s words, Jin Gyeong-chan drew a sharp breath.
“Bang Disciple is one who has awakened the Lunar Eyes.”
“Surely not!”
Jin Gyeong-chan could only gasp in shock.
He truly awakened the Lunar Eyes?
Hearing this truth, Jin Gyeong-chan’s saliva went dry.
The Lunar Eyes were a martial art of the Cheonwol Gate.
When one elevated the Cheonwol Heart Technique to a certain realm, the pupils would resonate with the cultivation and transform into an azure hue.
Yet not everyone achieved this.
At best, only a handful from the Cheonwol Gate.
To be precise, perhaps one in ten among hundreds—if that.
Moreover, this was not merely a matter of the eyes turning blue.
The Lunar Eyes were a form of certification.
The Cheonwol Heart Technique, called the Divine Art of the Cheonwol Gate.
It was proof that martial art and flesh were in perfect harmony, and a sign that one would become a master worthy of historical record.
All Alliance Leaders from the Cheonwol Gate had awakened the Lunar Eyes.
The Sword Saint Yoo Cheon-gil was no exception, nor was the sect leader who succeeded him in the next generation.
‘…Those competing for the position of Minor Sect Leader also include those who possess the Lunar Eye.’
In particular, the Heavenly Supreme, sister of Cheon Euijin and the most promising candidate for Minor Sect Leader.
She too was an awakened bearer of the Lunar Eye.
Given such circumstances.
“In a situation like this, would you believe the words of Bang Disciple?”
“…Even so, it is difficult to simply accept.”
“You…!”
“It has been a year. That man… has kept Bang Disciple with him for a full year.”
It was unsatisfactory.
No, it wasn’t merely unsatisfactory—it fell far, far short of acceptable.
Such was Jin Gyeong-chan’s assessment upon seeing Bangseong-yeon.
He understood the letter of recommendation he had brought, but the man possessed virtually no skill and couldn’t even manage his morning runs properly.
I couldn’t fathom how he had been accepted in the first place, and I had even questioned the Branch Leader about it.
Why accept such an incompetent fool?
Each time, the Branch Leader would laugh self-deprecatingly and say perhaps he himself had made a mistake.
And now he claims to have hidden his identity?
Jin Gyeong-chan could not believe it.
He would have believed it if it were Yoo Hyeong-in instead.
Yes, if that man had been from Cheonwol Gate, I would have accepted it.
But Bangseong-yeon? It was absurd.
“Even if he possessed blue eyes, that doesn’t necessarily mean he possesses the Lunar Eye, does it?”
“Daeju Jin. Then what, are you suggesting Bang Disciple employed sorcery?”
“That is something we must investigate on our end….”
“Gal-!”
“…!”
At the Branch Leader’s shout, Daeju’s body trembled.
A sharp, tingling energy reverberated through the room.
“Did you, called Daeju, fail to read the report properly? It should be written clearly there.”
“….”
The Branch Leader exhaled his fury. Yet Daeju’s expression remained unchanged.
The report? He had read it well.
‘Dongbaek-u is dead, and the Leader has also perished.’
The survivors were Yoo Hyeong-in, Cheon Euijin, and Bangseong-yeon alone.
Sanchen Gwiin had gathered the corpses of the Namgung Clan Martial Artists he had slaughtered in the dungeon.
He intended to lure and kill more, though the reason remained unclear.
Cheon Euijin’s escort also participated in that affair and attempted to betray and kill everyone in the dungeon, it is said.
The reason for that too remained unclear.
What mattered here was that it was Bangseong-yeon who had stopped those two martial artists in that situation.
‘…He killed two masters of the pinnacle realm? And alone at that?’
Particularly when the reinforcements arrived belatedly, the state of the escort was a sight to behold.
Not a single joint in his body remained intact, and his face was so caved in from the beating that it was impossible to recognize his former appearance.
In short, he had been beaten to death.
A martial artist of peak caliber, beaten to death without mercy.
‘This makes no sense.’
How could Jin Gyeong-chan believe such a thing?
‘Bangseong-yeon is a third-rate martial artist.’
I had witnessed and felt it myself.
He had hidden himself through extreme acting all this time, and now he reveals himself? And claims to have sliced down two peak-level martial artists? Furthermore.
‘The Sword Saint’s disciple…?’
There were more than one or two things I couldn’t believe.
Feeling this doubt, Jin Gyeong-chan spoke to Daeju.
“Branch Leader. No matter how I look at this, something is off. So….”
Then.
Thud.
The branch leader tossed something in front of Jin Gyeong-chan.
“…What is this?”
“A letter of recommendation from Bang Disciple.”
“Why are you suddenly mentioning this?”
Why was he suddenly giving this to me?
Jin Gyeong-chan carefully received what had been thrown to him.
Then the branch leader continued speaking.
“I’ve always had my doubts about it.”
As I listened, Jin Gyeong-chan unfolded the letter.
“I even suspected it in reality. But in the end, hasn’t it turned out this way?”
“What exactly are you saying… Huh…?”
The branch leader, about to voice his confusion, unfolded the letter and froze in place.
The letter contained text recommending Bangseong-yeon to the Martial Arts Alliance. It was somewhat formal and written in the typical manner most used.
But the recommender’s name written at the end of the letter.
That was the problem.
Jegal Jin.
“This….”
Upon seeing the name, Daeju could not continue speaking.
From the surname alone, it was obvious he was a member of the Jegal Clan, one of the Five Great Houses.
Moreover.
“Have you ever heard of him writing a letter of recommendation for anyone?”
The current patriarch of the Jegal Clan.
The strategist known as the eyes and ears of the Sword Saint Yoo Cheon-gil.
Jegal Jin of the Thousand-Li Divine Eye.
He was Bangseong-yeon’s recommender.

* * *
While such a remarkable situation was unfolding in the Branch Director’s office, Bangseong-yeon wore an expression of equal astonishment.
Bangseong-yeon was experiencing shock similar to Jin Gyeong-chan’s.
“…So what you’re saying is…”
His facial muscles refused to cooperate properly.
Bangseong-yeon spoke while exerting every ounce of effort to compose himself.
“You’ve arbitrarily inscribed profound martial techniques into my body. If I don’t want to die, I must listen to you and learn martial arts. Is that what you’re saying?”
The Old Man laughed at his words.
[Hahaha! I explained at such length, yet it’s remarkable how you’ve condensed it into just that sentence.]
“….”
[Indeed, you’re a clever lad.]
Watching the Old Man laugh with such delight, Bangseong-yeon asked carefully.
“Old Man.”
[Hmm?]
“Are you perhaps insane?”
I could not hold back.

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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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