The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 146

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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 146
Sochul Daeju.
A title that literally refers to the highest figure of Sowoldae.
In the eyes of the world, the only existence that could claim to be the strongest blade of the Cheongwol Sect.
The Moonju is indeed the absolute authority of the Cheongwol Sect, but the blade that truly guards it is ultimately the Sochul Daeju.
What is Sowoldae?
An elite force composed of the strongest martial artists of the Cheongwol Sect.
The Tai Chi Sword Masters of the Wudang Sect and the Plum Blossom Sword Masters of the Hwasan Sect.
Or rather, they were a group comparable to the Changryong Eight Squads, which includes the guard unit known as the Martial Arts Alliance’s escort corps.
Therefore, the renown and martial prowess of the Sochul Daeju who leads such a force could not be ignored by anyone in the Central Plains.
Because of this, I could not fathom just how formidable the figure standing before me truly was.
A giant of a man gazing down at me with sharp, brilliant blue eyes.
Baek Yucheon, the Sochul Daeju.
Watching the man regard me with an expression of utter disbelief, I quietly swallowed hard.
‘Good grief… this is unsettling.’
There was no way around it.
‘What kind of eyes are those?’
His gaze was far too sharp.
It was different from when Wol Seon-geom looked at me. With him, I couldn’t even tell what emotion lay behind his eyes, and his naturally fierce appearance simply made me nervous.
‘But this one… he’s just openly hostile.’
The Sochul Daeju simply disliked me outright.
He made no attempt to conceal his negative feelings whatsoever.
His gaze carried a fierce aura that was palpable in every direction.
“…What did you just say?”
The Sochul Daeju questioned me as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.
I hesitated upon hearing that.
‘Should I just pretend I didn’t say anything?’
Claim I misspoke, ask him to forget he heard it, and then flee?
‘…No, it’s already too late for that.’
Whether I deliberated deeply or superficially, the outcome remained the same.
I’d already spoken the words, and now that he’d heard them, there was no way the Sochul Daeju would simply let it pass.
So then.
“I believe I need to become a bit more prominent, sir.”
I repeated the same words to the Sochul Daeju, suppressing my anxiety.
“I was hoping you might push me forward a little-”
Krrrraaaaahhh–!!!
‘Ugh!’
The aura radiating from the Sochul Daeju was violent. Even at my peak, the pressure forced my mouth shut involuntarily.
‘He’s lost it.’
Cold sweat poured down my face. Feeling it again, I had to wonder—were these absolute masters truly even human?
‘How could a human emit such an aura?’
This was absurd.
Truly absurd.
‘My life is no different.’
I had to survive in a place where such monsters held dominion.
My fate was nothing short of pitiful and cursed.
“…So you truly do mock me, it seems.”
Sochul Daeju’s fury seeped into his voice.
With the intensity of his mingled emotions, his aura exploded outward, coiling around me.
“I made it clear I would not acknowledge you. Yet here you stand before me, spouting nonsense—this is nothing but contempt toward me, is it not?”
The air grew heavy.
Simultaneously, Sochul Daeju’s eyes gleamed with brilliant light.
“You seem to be under a grave misunderstanding.”
I was terrified.
What kind of person’s eyes shone with such radiance?
“Because Moonju regards you favorably, you assume I would do the same? Or perhaps.”
Crack.
Sochul Daeju placed his hand upon the hilt at his waist.
My eyes instinctively fixed upon it.
“You believe that because Moonju favors you, I would not dare lay a hand upon you?”
“….”
My instincts screamed a warning.
If that blade were drawn, I would truly be finished.
So hurry and stop him, my mind cried out desperately.
“Either way, it is arrogant delusion.”
My lips felt heavy. The pressure bound my mouth shut against my will.
Ah, this was bad.
‘I didn’t expect the pressure to be this severe.’
I hadn’t anticipated being completely silenced like this.
I was truly going to be ruined.
Screech.
The blade begins to draw. What do I do?
As I struggled to swallow in this precarious moment.
[갈—-!!!]
Yoo Cheon-gil unleashes a furious roar.
In that instant, wind came howling.
화아아아아아아—!!!!
The air within the room surged upward like a violent gale.
Crack-!
I felt the aura enveloping my body crumble from the shockwave.
“…!!”
As the situation shifted, Sochul Daeju’s eyes widened as he reached for his sword.
Watching him, I moved my gaping mouth.
“I understand you hold great respect for my master.”
“What?”
When I brought up my master—the Sword Saint—Sochul Daeju, whose eyes had been wide, immediately furrowed his brow.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Is that not the case?”
“A foolish jest. Do you truly believe there exists anyone in Cheongwol Sect who does not respect him?”
He was right. Yoo Cheon-gil was the most respected martial artist across the entire Central Plains.
Moreover, Cheongwol Sect was his own sect.
There would be no one here who did not respect him.
However.
“Among all those people, your respect for him stands out particularly, does it not?”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Exactly as I say. Your respect is so profound that—”
I paused mid-sentence, then continued with the corners of my mouth raised.
“You’ve even instructed the disciples not to spread rumors that I am your student, have you not?”
“….”
The wind that had been pressing down ceased its assault.
The air that had been suppressed by Sochul Daeju’s momentum revealed itself once more.
A moment drifts by.
Silence hangs in the air as an instant passes.
“…What do you mean?”
Sochul Daeju’s belated feigned ignorance reached my ears.
The expression on Sochul Daeju’s face as I observed it was nothing short of remarkable.
‘He likely knows it himself.’
That it’s far too late to play innocent.
His answer was already evident from his reaction just now.
Still.
“Is that not so?”
“….”
“Then, it seems I was mistaken.”
Even knowing everything, I gave Sochul Daeju an escape route.
More precisely.
‘It’s blackmail.’
I know about this matter.
That was the nature of this threat.
On that day long ago, when I first arrived in Hannam and pondered this mystery.
‘Who exactly suppressed rumors about me?’
Once word of my becoming Geomseong’s Predecessor spread from Anhui, it was only natural that it would blanket the Central Plains before long.
To be honest.
‘This is more shocking than me capturing Mahyeok-chang.’
The direct emergence of Geomseong’s Predecessor.
This would be a far greater matter than my being called the Sword Saint and having rumors spread throughout the entire Central Plains.
And yet.
‘Those rumors vanished without a trace.’
The rumors of Geomseong’s Predecessor did not spread for some time. It was strange. How many people witnessed my duel with Socheongeom in Anhui, and how many reports were filed when Sanchen Gwiin died?
Accounting for all of that, the rumors should have spread long ago.
‘My rumors spread because of what happened in Sichuan.’
They had been spreading gradually before that anyway.
Even those who recognized me right after arriving at Cheongwol Sect.
The Dang Clan, one of the Five Great Houses, had even grasped my existence beforehand and sent correspondence.
What this meant was.
‘The major powers knew about me.’
But beyond them, the rumors had been suppressed from spreading.
If rumors were being blocked, then who could it be?
The answer to this was simple.
‘It had to be the Martial Arts Alliance.’
There was a saying that all rumors in the Central Plains began and ended with the Martial Arts Alliance.
It meant that no one could match the Alliance when it came to information.
Conversely, it also meant that the Alliance could control rumors.
‘The Alliance blocked my rumors from spreading.’
At the same time, they allowed the rumors to reach the major powers.
This explained why rumors of Geomseong’s Predecessor did not spread well.
‘Of course, some rumors inevitably leaked out.’
But even accounting for that, it was remarkably quiet.
Perhaps if I hadn’t caused that incident in Sichuan, it would have remained even quieter.
‘Someone must have made another move with the Alliance.’
Just as someone had blocked my rumors.
Someone else had allowed them to spread.
I couldn’t determine whose doing this was.
‘But that’s not what matters right now.’
More than whoever spread my rumors.
Whoever blocked them was more important.
When I tried to identify the culprit, I narrowed down the suspects to a few.
Among them.
‘This man had the highest probability.’
The man before me.
Sochul Daeju seemed most likely to me.
‘I was right.’
My instincts had proven correct after all.
I’d started with a light probe, but his reaction alone told me everything.
“Setting aside the misunderstanding for now… let’s return to the main matter. I was hoping you might lend me your support, Daeju.”
I shifted back to the heart of the issue.
At my words, Sochul Daeju’s brow furrowed deeply.
The same words, but with a different meaning than before—he would understand that.
If something had indeed been done.
‘It’s likely Sochul Daeju acted alone, without Moonju’s knowledge.’
He must have handled it without Wol Seon-geom knowing. Otherwise, his reaction toward me wouldn’t make sense.
Moreover.
“…How dare you—”
That was evident from Sochul Daeju’s current reaction.
“Are you trying to blackmail me?”
“Blackmail? How could I possibly dare attempt such a thing?”
I kept my smile in place.
Fear rose within me. If this man were to draw his blade here, I wouldn’t even be able to react before my neck was severed.
“This is a request and a longing I offer to you, Daeju. Since you respect our master, I hoped you might take my side.”
“….”
“Of course, I’m well aware that I’m not to your liking, but as they say, there’s always a possibility in human affairs.”
I spoke without pause. I couldn’t afford to hesitate for even a moment.
Besides, even if Sochul Daeju had truly joined hands with Gaebangs and suppressed my reputation.
‘This alone wouldn’t be enough to bring him over.’
It was impossible to sway Sochul Daeju to my side with just this.
This was merely groundwork.
‘To show him I’m more capable than he thinks.’
I was establishing in his mind that I was no ordinary person.
Once I’d planted that seed in his thoughts.
‘Then I’d deliver the real blow.’
I needed to unleash the prepared ‘true’ move.
“Fine.”
“As expected, I knew you would say so. However, if you were to take my side, Daeju… Pardon?”
I stopped mid-sentence.
What?
“…Did you just say ‘fine’?”
“Yes, I said fine.”
“…Huh?”
[Huh?]
I found myself pausing involuntarily. Fine? Even Yoo Cheon-gil above tilted his head.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
‘What is this?’
Why did he say it was good?
‘I haven’t even used what I prepared yet?’
Just as I was about to speak words that would make anyone salivate, my focus scattered at Sochul Daeju’s words.
‘Why?’
Why did he say it was good? He should have naturally objected? Facing an unexpected situation, I looked toward Sochul Daeju.
“However, there is a condition.”
Sochul Daeju spoke to me.
“A condition…?”
Upon hearing his words, I furrowed my brow. Then Sochul Daeju told me about the condition.
“…What?”
I had to be utterly bewildered by this unexpected revelation.

* * *
Time passed in such a manner until the sunset began to gently descend.
I stood at the center of a space where countless people had gathered in a circle.
Moreover.
“Are you glad to see me?”
“…Yes.”
Facing Cheonhye-in while holding a wooden sword.

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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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