The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 138
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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 138
I set out on the road from Sichuan toward Henan.
During my departure, I ultimately did not meet with Dokuou separately.
Seeing that Do-hyeong alone came to bid farewell while others were leaving suggested something had come up.
Regardless, with a letter and the Young Lord of the Clan offering proper courtesy in his stead, I didn’t find it particularly inconvenient.
‘I’ve already secured what needed securing anyway.’
I had already collected all the rewards from the transaction agreed upon previously.
The Great Restoration Elixir I had quietly obtained here was no different.
‘Excellent.’
Both my hands felt heavy with weight. They were filled with things that hadn’t been there when I departed.
That fact alone was enough for me to judge this wasn’t bad at all.
The problem was.
‘Concerning the incidents I experienced.’
The matters I had encountered in Sichuan—those involving Patcheon Gung and Yoo Cheon-gil—these were the issues.
‘I did send a preliminary report ahead, but….’
I had already dispatched a message to the Cheongwol Sect regarding this matter.
It was scheduled to arrive at the Cheongwol Sect either now or within a few days.
‘Hmm.’
When that happened, what should I do?
‘First, I need to start laying groundwork.’
I needed to identify those worth knowing within the Cheongwol Sect and gradually recruit people to my side.
It was a necessary step if I intended to properly participate in the struggle for the position of Young Sect Leader.
‘I really didn’t have much.’
All I possessed was the single reputation of being Geomseong’s Predecessor.
While this held considerable value, it was admittedly somewhat ambiguous.
But.
‘Now things are different.’
The situation had changed. Though only for half a year, I had the Dang Clan backing me, and beyond that.
‘I’ve accumulated quite a bit from this commission.’
This matter would bring tremendous benefit to the Cheongwol Sect.
In terms of standing, I could gain considerably.
‘When that happens.’
I truly needed to begin recruitment.
‘People who would support me.’
Those who would push me to become the Young Sect Leader of the Cheongwol Sect.
Currently, I had none, but now was the time to find them.
‘Those I would seek….’
There was already one person I had prioritized in my mind.
What I needed to consider now was how to bring him to my side.
‘Well, this too.’
I had already found a way to do it long ago.
Before I even came to Sichuan.
So just as I was about to formulate a plan to fine-tune the process slightly,
“What are you planning to do from now on?”
A delicate voice shattered my thoughts.
At her interruption, I furrowed my brow and looked ahead.
“…From now on?”
“Yes. From now on.”
Sitting calmly before me was a beautiful woman with a cold impression.
It was Muyong Youngsoon, the daughter of the Muyong Clan and my former fiancée.
“From now on? Well, naturally I need to return to the Cheongwol Sect first…”
I trailed off and asked, looking at her.
“…But why did you follow me, Moryong Sojeo?”
“It’s been nearly a month now. Isn’t it strange to be asking this only now?”
Youngsoon laughed softly as she spoke.
That’s right. It had been quite some time since we left Sichuan.
When I first opened the carriage door and sat down, I was so startled to see Muyong Youngsoon sitting casually in front of me.
I cried out in shock and asked why she was here, and Youngsoon replied confidently.
‘Because we’re traveling together.’
She was so confident that I had nothing to say.
Something about how our paths were the same? They also needed to return to Hannam, so she suggested we travel together.
I asked why they couldn’t just use a different carriage.
‘This carriage is ours.’
Youngsoon shrugged as she said this.
Now that I thought about it, the carriage we were riding in had indeed changed.
It was far more spacious and far more luxurious.
As for the chairs we sat in, they were incomparable to what I had been sitting in during the previous journey to Sichuan.
So what happened to the carriage we brought from the Cheongwol Sect? The moment that question arose, Youngsoon spoke.
‘We’ll take that with us too. Just travel comfortably with us, won’t you? It’s better when you’re comfortable. That goes for you, and for the others too.’
‘…’
At those words, I looked around. Do-hyeong and Cheon Euijin also seemed shocked by the chairs, their faces filled with contentment.
After riding in this, could I ever be satisfied with the original carriage?
‘No. We still have a long way to go. I can’t be stuck with her like this.’
That’s what I thought briefly, but in the end, I chose the current situation.
‘…Damn it. It’s always about money.’
In any world, materialism prevails.
Expensive things are worth their price.
Because of that, I had to travel alongside Muyong Youngsoon.
With a deep sigh at my greedy choice, I reached out my hand.
“Water.”
The moment I spoke casually, something was pressed into my hand. It was a water cup.
As I lifted the cup, water poured in with a gentle splash.
The one pouring water for me was none other than Dok-ryong.
“More. More. More. Ah, that’s right. Stop.”
“….”
I swallowed a handful of the water that filled the cup.
My thirst subsided, and I felt somewhat better.
“Indeed. Water tastes best when our Dang Cheon-il pours it, doesn’t it?”
“….”
At my praise, Dang Cheon-il made a face as if he’d bitten into something foul.
“Look at that expression? I told you not to squint your eyes like that, brother.”
“…Ugh.”
The moment I pointed it out, Dok-ryong lowered his head.
Seeing his somewhat wrinkled expression, I had to suppress my laughter.
‘At least having this fellow around kept me alive.’
The entire journey wasn’t boring at all.
That’s right. I spent that long time tormenting and playing with Dok-ryong.
It felt necessary to do something like that to survive.
[…You’re relentless. I thought you’d at least rest for a day.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke to me with a look of disgust.
No, that’s unfair.
‘I simply did as Dokuou instructed.’
According to my agreement with him, I conducted lessons under the pretext of teaching Manceon Hwau.
I merely played a little under the guise of instruction.
‘Dang Cheon-il enjoyed it too, didn’t he?’
He surely wasn’t bored spending time with me.
Look, he can’t even lift his head—how much fun he must have had.
“Hehe. Ahem.”
I forcibly suppressed the laughter that escaped unbidden.
Then.
“We’ll be in Hanan soon.”
Cheon Euijin spoke while looking out the window. At those words, Do-hyeong also peered outside.
‘That’s right. A familiar neighborhood.’
Familiar scenery was gradually coming into view.
Seeing it, I steadied my mind. Apart from the nostalgia of returning home.
‘Time to use my head again.’
It meant the troublesome time of having to think had returned.
Thinking of that, I scratched my head slightly.
“Things will get busy from now on.”
Muyong Youngsoon spoke to me. Hearing that, I flinched.
‘What is this?’
Does she know what I’m about to do?
Is Muyong Youngsoon really that perceptive?
‘No, this isn’t just perceptiveness. This is foresight.’
Not mere prediction, but genuine foresight.
There was no other explanation for it. So I found myself staring at her with a somewhat tense expression.
“Everyone will be looking at you, after all.”
Muyong Youngsoon spoke with a subtle smile playing at her lips. Hearing that, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow in confusion.
“…What do you mean?”
What an odd thing to say. I asked, genuinely puzzled.
“Hmm? The rumors must have spread all throughout Hanam by now, so you’ll be bothered for a while. You’ve even earned a nickname, haven’t you?”
“Ah.”
So that was it.
It wasn’t about what I was about to do at the Cheongwol Sect, but rather about what I had done in Sichuan.
‘That cursed Socheongeom.’
The epithet I gained from slaying Mahyeok-chang in Sichuan.
At the time, it had only become famous in the Dang Clan and a few counties in Sichuan.
“It’s just a minor rumor, though.”
I was already here in Hanam—why worry about that?
I thought it was merely gossip that would fade away quickly.
At my words, Muyong Youngsoon’s expression suddenly turned peculiar.
“A minor rumor?”
“Yes.”
“What is that… Oh.”
Muyong Youngsoon, who had been about to say something, suddenly fell silent.
After that.
“I see?”
As if she had just realized something, she clapped her hands together.
“I think it would be better to go and see for myself.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
She said so with a bright smile.
What was that? Why did she seem so unsettled?
Her attitude was making me anxious without my realizing it.
[…Sigh. Tsk, tsk, tsk.]
Yoo Cheon-gil’s disapproving click of his tongue only amplified my unease.
* * *
What on earth could it be?
My mind swirled with questions, yet I could find no answers.
But within mere days of arriving in Hanan, the truth revealed itself.
The moment I set foot in the city, the whispers began.
“So the Protagonist is saying…”
“Geomseong’s Predecessor, from Sacheon, apparently…”
“Then the Predecessor surpasses the Seven Prodigies by far?”
“The Seven Prodigies? There’s no comparison—or so I heard!”
“He supposedly cut down a resurrected absolute master with a single stroke…”
“And even Dokuou couldn’t accomplish such a feat?”
“…Huh?”
Hearing the murmurs from all directions, I found myself utterly speechless.
What is this?
I stood dazed, unable to comprehend the absurdity unfolding around me.
Then.
“Merely a small rumor?”
Muyong Youngsoon leaned close, whispering softly.
“Hardly.”
…
Unable to respond, I could only manage shallow breaths as the weight of her words settled upon me.
[Didn’t I tell you so?]
Not only Muyong Youngsoon, but Yoo Cheon-gil, hovering in the sky above, added his voice.
[Listen. You need to truly understand your own worth.]
I could muster no reply to Yoo Cheon-gil’s words.
‘This is…’
Something had clearly spiraled far beyond my control.
And it was growing worse by the moment.
* * *
In the northwestern region of Guangdong Province.
This place was perpetually shrouded in thick mist, and with so many wild beasts roaming about, it had become a desolate area devoid of human presence.
The locals had forbidden anyone from approaching it for safety reasons.
Recently, ominous rumors had spread of ghosts emerging from the depths within, causing even fewer people to venture near—those who did had a habit of disappearing.
Yet from such a place
-끄아아아아아아—!!!!
Agonized screams pierced the air relentlessly.
-끄악……. 사, 살려줘—!!!
Harrowing cries erupted in rapid succession, and they were not from a single voice but many, their screams tangled together in desperate wails.
—P, please—!
-말할 테니까……!! 말할 테니—!! 끄아아아악–!!
How long had the screaming continued?
Coming from such depths, the sound would never reach the villages outside.
Had anyone heard it, they might have wondered if the rumors were true—if ghosts truly haunted this place.
But the reality was far different from any ghost.
Deep within the mist, there stood a structure someone had constructed.
Though not meticulously maintained, it was far from being a ruin.
The screams were emanating from within.
—UGHHHH—!
—AHHHHH…. AHHHHHHH….
As the screams gradually faded into silence,
the interior of the structure had become a scene of utter despair.
The floor was littered with corpses torn to shreds, their blood pooling across the ground in dark stains.
These appeared to be those who had been screaming moments before.
“Huh… huh… huh…. D, don’t do this….”
The last survivor, a man, sobbed with terror etched across his face.
“P, please…! I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything…! Everything—!!”
He clasped his hands together in desperate supplication.
“You’ll talk?”
The figure who had heard his pleas—
the one who had orchestrated this carnage—merely laughed softly.
In that instant.
“Please—!”
Shlick—!
A sickening sound rang out as the man’s pleading hands were severed clean from his body.
Spurt—!
Blood erupted from the stumps, spraying across the woman’s pale cheek.
She wiped the blood away casually with her hand, then swung the blade she held.
The blood clinging to the steel was swept away by the wind pressure, arcing gracefully before the sword slid back into its sheath.
Clang.
The woman who had sheathed her sword relaxed her body.
Despite the brutal scene before her, a subtle sense of refreshment crossed her face.
“Ah. Now I feel alive again.”
What did she mean by feeling alive? She hummed a tune as she moved forward.
The sound of splashing echoed from the accumulated blood.
The woman continued making noise as she stepped outside the building.
Outside was still thick with fog, and corpses lay scattered there as well.
However, there was one difference from inside. The condition of the corpses was far cleaner.
The bodies inside had been severed in various ways, but the corpses outside all had their necks cleanly cut—instant deaths.
Upon confirming this, the woman spoke with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
“Oh, I missed a few.”
A response came to her regretful words.
“I’ve always told you to stay focused, yet you always let some slip through.”
The one who answered the woman was a veiled figure whose face was hidden. From her voice, one could tell she was a woman, but her true age and appearance were difficult to discern.
“Haha. My apologies, Master.”
“…Sigh.”
The veiled figure was the woman’s master.
She seemed displeased with the woman’s attitude, but she did not press further criticism.
She had learned from years of experience.
This woman was not one who would improve through scolding and nagging.
“Did you hear anything of value?”
“No?”
The woman spoke firmly.
“As you know, there’s nothing to gain from interrogating these creatures.”
The master did not deny it. She was right.
“Instead.”
The woman retrieved something from her bosom.
“I found this.”
It was a letter from inside the building. The master accepted it.
She then unfolded the letter to examine it.
“….”
The master’s shoulders trembled slightly.
It seemed she had confirmed something of great importance.
“Is something the matter?”
“Yes.”
She folded the letter and placed it in her bosom. Then she spoke to the woman.
“I wondered why those rabble from Patcheon Gung went out of their way to establish themselves in Gwangdong. Now I understand their purpose.”
Shing.
As she spoke, the sound of the master drawing her sword rang out.
Yet strangely, my master held no sword.
Then where had that sound come from? The question had barely formed when—
콰아아아아—!!!
With a deafening roar, the place where the woman had emerged was engulfed in light and vanished.
“My goodness.”
The woman’s eyes widened slightly at the sight.
“Honestly, you’re always so extreme. Do you know how much effort I put into keeping it from collapsing?”
“We obtained what we needed, so it’s only right to erase it.”
“Yes, yes. If you say so.”
“Now let’s head to Hannam.”
At my master’s words, the woman smiled brightly.
“Are we finally going?”
“Yes. Now we can.”
“You said before that meeting the Alliance Leader would be awkward?”
“It’s something we must face eventually… And besides, I need to look into matters concerning your younger sibling as well.”
Younger sibling.
At those words, the corners of the woman’s eyes curved beautifully upward.
“That’s wonderful.”
The woman had been incredibly curious about this anyway.
‘What has that cute rascal been up to behind this sister’s back?’
The rumors that had reached her ears recently.
The Geomseong’s Predecessor, who was said to be dead, had appeared, and he had supposedly killed the Namgung Clan’s Socheongeom, Dok-ryong of the Seven Sects, and even Sanchen Gwiin and Mahyeok-chang, who were said to be masters of the demonic path.
For someone not yet in their twenties, the record was extraordinarily brilliant.
If one only heard of it, no one would believe such rumors.
Especially not this woman.
‘What on earth has my clever one been doing?’
The subject of those rumors was none other than her own younger sibling.
What could he possibly have been doing to suddenly become the Geomseong’s Predecessor?
The woman couldn’t comprehend it.
“We’ll understand once we see him, won’t we?”
She didn’t dwell on it deeply. After all, she would know everything once they met face to face.
Thinking of this, the woman—Bang Seo-jin, the eldest daughter of the Yeoryeong Clan—laughed.
….
My master, who had been watching her.
The leader of the Celestial Demon.
The Sword Empress Yeo Ryeong-seon exhaled softly.
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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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