The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 14

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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 014
Shortly after Socheongeom Namgung Seong departed.
Only I and Cheon Euijin remained in the room, which had grown somewhat silent.
As the quiet atmosphere persisted.
After some time had passed, it was Cheon Euijin who broke the silence first.
“I apologize….”
At his apology, I tilted my head in confusion.
“What are you apologizing for?”
When I asked, Cheon Euijin clenched his fists slightly.
“Your health still isn’t good, yet I’ve created this situation.”
At his words, spoken as though he were a criminal, I awkwardly scratched my cheek.
‘It’s not really a situation he created.’
Rather, it was my doing.
No, it was more accurate to say that damned old man Yoo Cheon-gil had created this situation.
Cursed old fool.
“No… it’s fine.”
I answered while concealing my emotions as much as possible.
“It just shows how urgent things were for you.”
“….”
As I spoke as if understanding, Cheon Euijin’s mouth opened and closed.
“…Thank you.”
Then, finally uttering his gratitude, I gave a short nod.
“Don’t worry about it. After all, it’s only the Heavenly Supreme who’s been put in a difficult position.”
“….”
He came to Anhui with his identity hidden, working as a low-ranking sect member.
Then he was betrayed by the guards he trusted, and judging by the situation, his relationship with the Namgung Clan doesn’t seem particularly good either.
If anyone’s suffering mentally, it would be him.
“…That’s not… true.”
Cheon Euijin tries to deny it, but.
Words are not always truth.
Recalling that, I picked up a pastry from the table and ate it.
Then he asked me a question.
“Are you truly alright, Bang Disciple?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“About rejecting the Namgung Disciple’s proposal.”
“Rejected?”
Ah, he’s talking about that sponsorship matter.
“Well… it just didn’t feel necessary.”
Though I speak that way….
‘It’s not fine. Damn it….’
My true feelings were entirely different from what I said.
My stomach still ached terribly.
If I had accepted that support, my life would have been smooth sailing.
‘Life.’
One filthy old man’s interference had turned everything to ruin.
I suppressed my lips from pouting and asked Cheon Euijin.
“But tell me, Heavenly Supreme.”
“Yes.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“I… beg your pardon?”
Cheon Euijin’s expression turned puzzled at my question.
“I made a denial, not a refusal.”
It wasn’t that I wouldn’t accept the support.
I denied being the Sword Saint’s successor.
So why did Cheon Euijin accept it as a refusal?
Ah, of course, it was actually a refusal.
At such a question, he spoke with a flustered expression.
“That’s because…”
“Because I said I was indeed the successor?”
Those were words spoken through Yoo Cheon-gil, who had taken control of my body.
Thanks to that, rumors had already spread throughout the sect.
One thing.
“You believe merely on words?”
“…”
Mere words, at best.
As I mentioned before, words are not truth.
How could Cheon Euijin judge me as the Sword Saint’s successor based on mere utterances?
“Or is it because of this cursed Cheonwol Eye…?”
The sickly blue hue that stained it.
It felt alien every time it reflected in a mirror.
“No, it is not…”
But Cheon Euijin denied it.
If not because of the eyes, then what on earth did he believe in?
I had no way of knowing.
“Then what is it?”
“Apart from what you yourself have spoken, I have witnessed it.”
Witnessed? What?
“When I was very young, I once saw a small galaxy that the Sword Saint… unfolded before me.”
Lost in thought, nostalgia gleamed in Cheon Euijin’s refined eyes.
“The moonlight that he spread with his sword back then remained in my heart forever. However…”
That gaze turned toward me this time.
“The sword the Young Master wielded also possessed such radiance.”
“Mm.”
I nodded slightly upon hearing his words. Yet doubt still lingered.
“That’s nothing special. Don’t all the martial artists of Cheonwol Gate display such technique?”
The Sword Saint was also a martial artist of Cheonwol Gate.
Since the Cheonwol Sword Technique was their art, wouldn’t they all be similar?
That was what I meant to say.
“No, sir.”
He firmly denied it.
“No one in Cheonwol Gate has ever emitted a light from their sword like that person’s. Save only for the Bang Disciple.”
“….”
Well, that would make sense.
It was the same person’s technique, after all.
Of course, given the extreme difference in our cultivation levels, I couldn’t call them identical. But it seemed Cheon Euijin had noticed subtle distinctions I was unaware of.
“I’m grateful for the enlightenment you granted me in the night, and for revealing yourself to save me.”
What in the world had I done?
What had this body accomplished to earn such a gaze?
Without my memories, it was difficult to know.
“…Yes… Well… Yes.”
Unable to deny it, I gave a shallow nod.
As I moved, my mind spun tautly.
“Therefore… I have a request for you, Young Master.”
Now we were approaching the main point.
I had anticipated this flow.
What Cheon Euijin had wanted to tell me since yesterday.
The moment I wished to hear it.
“…Would you perhaps consider becoming the Sect Master of Cheonwol Gate?”
“Pardon?”
Upon hearing the request, my turning mind suddenly froze cold.
“…Sect Master?”
“I understand this is an abrupt request. I also understand that you’ve been living in hiding….”
“No, forget that. Why?”
“Sir?”
“Cheon Disciple. Weren’t you the one trying to become Sect Master?”
“I…?”
From Cheon Euijin’s reaction, I realized I had misunderstood.
Wait, that’s not it.
Feeling embarrassed at my apparent misinterpretation, I laughed awkwardly through my nose.
“…I thought you were asking me to help you become Sect Master instead.”
Cheon Euijin’s eyes widened in surprise at my words.
“…Ah….”
Then he added something, his expression growing somewhat subdued.
“At first, I did consider making such a request.”
He spoke as if smiling, yet there was something mournful in his tone.
“…To obtain it through greed would be unfitting for both my vessel and the weight of that position. Rather… I believe it is right that the Disciple who inherits his legacy should be the one to reach it.”
“….”
Is he sincere? I studied Cheon Euijin quietly, but unfortunately, I had never learned the art of reading hearts through eyes alone.
“Yes….”
Does he harbor some other intention? That suspicion doesn’t arise.
It simply weighs on my mind.
Perhaps he misread my expression, for he continued.
“I understand… that the Bang Disciple wishes to live concealing his identity. This must be because you are aware of Cheonwol Gate’s circumstances.”
I have no idea whatsoever.
‘Cheonwol Gate’s circumstances?’
What is he talking about now?
I decided not to answer and simply listened.
“That is precisely why I understand I am in no position to harbor such ambitions.”
“Mm.”
“…If she were to ascend to the position of Rumor Master of Cheonwol Gate….”
“Ah, stop there.”
I cut off Cheon Euijin mid-sentence.
“…Wait. I have much to sort through, so I’ll hear the rest later.”
The rest seemed most crucial, but I halted him. If I heard all of that now, I couldn’t manage it.
“For now, it’s different from what I expected… but it’s fine. You could say I’ve become more at ease.”
“Disciple, what do you mean….”
“I’ll do it. Rumor Master.”
“…!”
Cheon Euijin’s eyes widened like lanterns upon hearing my answer.
Yes, I had to do it. That cursed Rumor Master position.
There was no way around it.
‘If I don’t, I’ll die, they said.’
What was it again?
Did they say I should become Rumor Master of Cheonwol Gate as a side task before becoming the Heavenly Supreme?
No matter how I think about it, it’s absurd.
‘What advancement could a son from some backwater failed household possibly achieve?’
Even reconsidering it, it’s ridiculous, but there was no choice.
I had desired advancement so much, yet I never intended to achieve it in this manner.
“…Ah, it’s not because of the Heavenly Supreme, so don’t give me that look.”
After speaking, I waved my hand and stood up.
“…If that’s all you have to say, I’ll be taking my leave. My entire body is still rather sore.”
“Ah…!”
As I turned toward the door, Cheon Euijin spoke up hastily.
“Well then… should I perhaps send a letter to the Namgung Disciple again?”
“Pardon? That fellow… why would you contact him?”
I had just sent him away—what purpose would another message serve? As I spoke with that question in mind, Cheon Euijin replied.
“However… if you wish to become the Sect Master, the power of the Namgung Clan would certainly prove beneficial. Even though I myself was not favored by them….”
“Ah, never mind that.”
What was he even saying?
Without hearing him out, I turned away.
“There’s no need to summon him for such reasons.”
“Sir?”
That’s right—there was no reason to call Namgung Seong back again.
‘We’ll meet again soon enough anyway.’
I would encounter Namgung Seong again before long.
Perhaps as soon as tomorrow.

* * *
[Welcome back.]
Upon returning to my room, Yoo Cheon-gil, who lay upon my bed, greeted me.
At the sight of him, my face twisted in displeasure.
“…Old man. I told you not to lie there.”
Somewhere along the way, my form of address had shifted from “sir” to “old man.”
It was the only resistance I could manage, given that I could not bring myself to show him proper respect.
Yoo Cheon-gil himself seemed rather indifferent to such forms of address….
[An old codger like me merely wishes to rest a bit—how stingy you are.]
“You’re already dead, for heaven’s sake. When a ghost lies down, it brings spiritual contamination. Get up.”
[Ugh… tsk.]
Yoo Cheon-gil finally rose, and I had to vigorously shake out my bedding.
If one lies in the same spot where a ghost has lain, one will inevitably be pressed down by the nightmare demon.
This old man possessed an unusually strong presence, so the effect would be all the more potent.
As I busied myself shaking out the blankets, Yoo Cheon-gil picked his nose and asked me a question.
[Did you speak with him well?]
“Yes. I covered everything adequately.”
I omitted the part about “as you instructed.”
[What was he like, this Socheongeom?]
Yoo Cheon-gil immediately asked about Namgung Seong.
But I had little particular impression to offer regarding him.
“He truly looked insufferably arrogant.”
[…Is that all?]
“Yes. Remarkably handsome, despite everything.”
It had been ages since I’d seen someone as striking as my own father.
Even if his clan crumbled, he’d never starve.
‘He could simply seduce women and live off them.’
Judging by how my father survives that way, it seemed entirely possible for him as well.
[Tsk. So all you observe is a man’s face? How shallow.]
“No, well—just a few conversations and you claim not to understand? He simply seemed like someone with a functioning mind, that’s all.”
There were moments during our exchanges when my head would spin.
He was skilled at politics and manipulation, with what felt like serpents writhing in his depths.
[A glib tongue and hidden schemes—boy, that makes you no different from him, does it?]
“Sir, your words are rather harsh. Where else would you find a young man as pure as I am?”
[The ancients said even madness is a disease.]
“So that’s why you died, sir… I jest. Merely jesting.”
Faced with that glare, I apologized without thinking. The old man’s expression was truly terrifying.
[Enough nonsense. Did you observe anything besides his face?]
“What do you mean?”
[Those things that girl carried with her.]
“Ah…”
I nodded at Yoo Cheon-gil’s words.
“Yes. I saw them.”
How could I not, when they were so vivid?
Especially since it had been so long.
‘How many years has it been?’
Seeing someone accompanied by so many malevolent spirits.
‘My entire body trembled.’
Merely recalling it made my mouth go dry. I had to exert every ounce of strength to avoid looking at them.
Why are they called malevolent spirits?
Malevolent spirits are ghosts corrupted by obsession and deception, layered upon themselves.
Their fixation is beyond description, and the moment they realize I can perceive them—
‘My remaining life will become hell again, just as before.’
The mere thought made me want to retch.
“…Hah…”
I wiped away cold sweat and exhaled heavily.
Only after returning to my room did the tension release, my hands trembling violently.
[It was the same before, but that one’s household never seems to change.]
“Before?”
I asked while hiding my shaking hands, and Yoo Cheon-gil replied flatly.
[There was this one. Called himself the Lightning Sword, always acting tough. I beat him to death out of frustration during a conversation. That girl resembles him exactly. I find it most disagreeable.]
“…”
Well, they would resemble each other.
‘…The Lightning Sword is the previous Namgung Clan Lord.’
He defeated and disposed of the Namgung Clan Lord.
How could anyone possess such a chilling way with words?
Worse still, because it was him speaking, it felt disturbingly plausible.
“…So.”
I deliberately shifted the conversation, asking Yoo Cheon-gil.
“What should I do now?”
I listened to Yoo Cheon-gil’s words and did exactly as instructed.
Namgung Seong would come looking for me, and he would test me, so I should conduct myself appropriately.
That’s what Yoo Cheon-gil told me, and I followed it meticulously.
[Meticulously, my foot. Don’t you remember spouting nonsense at the end?]
“Well, the situation was so predictable I couldn’t help myself.”
[Predictable? What was predictable about it?]
I had told Namgung Seong not to act recklessly toward someone—a message I wanted conveyed.
There was something behind Namgung Seong. That’s what I judged, and that’s why I said it.
“Even gathering just information, any fool could figure it out. How could I pretend not to know?”
[Turning most of the world’s people into fools—truly a remarkable ability.]
“…Enough. What do you want me to do now?”
[This one’s tone is getting worse…?]
Yoo Cheon-gil was about to fire back another remark but ultimately closed his mouth.
He seemed to realize that saying more would be pointless.
[…Fine. Let’s move past this. Tell me about Socheongeom instead.]
“What do you mean?”
[That girl. Is her name spreading through the Central Plains?]
“Yes. It is.”
Not just spreading—it was spreading widely and deeply.
Socheongeom Namgung Seong, one of the candidates for the next Namgung Clan Lord.
I think he was twenty-two or twenty-three years old.
I’m not entirely certain about that, but Namgung Seong is quite a famous figure among the later generation prodigies who haven’t yet reached their thirties.
‘He’s evaluated as being just below the Seven Heroes tier.’
The ones commonly called the Seven Heroes.
In the Central Plains today, there are seven individuals selected as those who will shoulder the future.
Geniuses among geniuses.
The Seven Heroes occupied such a position, and Socheongeom was a later generation prodigy comparable to them.
[The Seven Heroes, you say….]
After hearing this, Yoo Cheon-gil pondered for a moment before speaking.
[The Central Plains remains earnest about such trivial rankings, no matter how time passes.]
True enough.
They really do love that sort of thing here.
The Seven Heroes, the Hundred Masters, the Five Kings of All Under Heaven—they loved assigning numbers to everything.
And amid all this.
‘That old man said he’d reached the peak.’
The Heavenly Supreme.
Recalling that, I remembered the previous matter.
‘The Heavenly Supreme, huh….’
He said he’d make me achieve that. Could it really happen?
Could I really.
If I follow that old man’s orders.
‘…Could I ever reach such a position?’
While I was lost in such contemplation.
Sword Saint Yoo Cheon-gil suddenly nodded.
[Yes, that’s just about right.]
His azure eyes gleamed with a faint light.
[Let’s try it.]
“…Pardon? Try what?”
I asked, my mind uneasy.
[What do you mean, what.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke to me with a smile.
[Socheongeom. That fellow. Let’s test him once.]
“Huh?”
I wondered what nonsense this was.
“All of a sudden? Test him how…?”
What was he planning to do to a perfectly fine person? And the son of the Namgung Clan at that.
Bewildered, I asked, but Yoo Cheon-gil wasn’t even listening to my words.
[Then, send the letter as planned. He probably hasn’t left yet.]
“But….”
[Tsk, instead of talking back, just send it. If you’re late, there’s no answer….]
“I’ve already sent the letter.”
[Huh?]
At my answer, Yoo Cheon-gil stiffened slightly this time.
[…When?]
“Before I came into the room earlier, I had someone send it.”
[Why…? I hadn’t told you to yet.]
Why indeed.
“I thought it was about time to send it.”
[….]
After hearing my answer, Yoo Cheon-gil paused for a moment, then.
[Tsk tsk.]
He broke into a clearer smile than before.
[I see.]
“Yes.”
[From the moment I first saw you, I’ve found you quite appealing.]
“That’s really not something I want to hear.”
I meant it sincerely.
Shaking my head with visible displeasure, I opened the drawer beside me.
As the drawer slid open, something inside rolled out with a soft rumble.
A sphere suffused with azure light.
This was an object I had taken from Sanchen Gwiin.
It was also something Namgung Seong was frantically searching for at this very moment.

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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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