The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 179

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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 179
Dawn arrived. A day had passed since meeting Jegal Jin, and this was also the day the secondary preliminaries would begin.
“Sigh….”
In the early hours before sunrise, I remained alone in the training grounds.
Perhaps because many disciples had been eliminated in the first preliminary round, there were several empty spaces in the training grounds at this hour.
Thanks to that, I could train at my leisure.
“Ugh….”
I rose to my feet, drool trickling from my mouth. Every joint in my body seemed to creak.
Thud.
Thud, thud.
I lifted my upper body completely and removed all the sand pouches that had been bound to me.
“Phew….”
A loud sound erupted each time they fell. The weight was considerable. Thanks to my desperate efforts in seclusion, the amount of weight I could bear had increased significantly.
‘…That part is good.’
But every time I adapted, the old man would increase the weight like a ghost, so it remained just as difficult.
That ghostly old man.
[Is it all done?]
Yoo Cheon-gil, his blue eyes gleaming in the darkness, asked the question.
Had he known what I was thinking? I was startled.
“…Yes. I think this is sufficient.”
My voice sounded like an excuse, but I had actually done my best.
I needed to use my body today anyway, so if I trained excessively, only I would suffer. I had exercised some restraint.
[Hmm. Alright.]
Yoo Cheon-gil nodded as if telling me to do as I pleased. Seeing his response, I had to wear a puzzled expression.
‘That old man’s been like that since earlier.’
To be precise, from the moment I returned from Hyeon. He’d been reacting that way ever since. I had no idea what he’d done to wear such a frustrated expression.
‘Stop making me worry.’
It wasn’t that I was concerned or anything like that.
Why would I worry about that old man when I have nothing to worry about myself?
What I’m actually worried about right now is something else.
‘Not knowing what kind of impact his actions will have on me.’
Was he scheming something ridiculous again?
Would I get entangled in strange affairs because of it?
That was the entirety of my concern right now.
‘As if I don’t already have to think about Shin Chang and Jegal Jin and everything else.’
If Yoo Cheon-gil caused more trouble on top of all this.
‘Ugh….’
I didn’t even want to imagine it.
‘Sigh.’
I suppressed my sigh and drew my sword.
It wasn’t a wooden sword.
It was the divine blade I’d been carrying all along.
Since my physical training was complete, I thought I’d swing it a few times to wrap things up.
“Old Man.”
[….]
What?
“Old Man!”
[Huh? Oh, yes.]
When I called softly, he didn’t respond, so I shouted louder and finally got a reaction.
“Please keep watch of the surroundings.”
[Ah, I see. Understood.]
Why was he acting like that? His mind seemed to be half-absent.
It was quite unsettling, but I grasped the sword nonetheless.
And I closed my eyes.
Shhhhh.
The moment I closed my eyes, I felt the energy from my dantian. The Moonlit Heart Technique’s energy flowed through my body and poured into my meridians.
A gentle warmth rose behind my closed eyelids.
Power gathered in my Wol-an. Yet I still didn’t open my eyes.
Not yet.
‘It’s still difficult to open my eyes.’
Not only could I not maintain what I’d newly acquired for long, but whenever unnecessary images entered my vision, my head throbbed.
It was better to perceive within the darkness.
‘Is this an aftereffect of the closed meditation?’
It seemed like a problem born from how dark it was in there… but for now, it seemed right to simply grow accustomed to it this way.
Shhhhh.
I moved my energy. I applied a bit more force to my eyes. In that moment.
Whiiiiiiing.
Blue lines began to appear within my closed vision.
Some curved.
Others were straight.
Some seemed to glow brightly, while others were dimmer in comparison.
What did this mean?
It didn’t take long to understand this during my closed meditation.
Shhhhh.
The sword moved. As the divine blade I held began to move, I poured sword force into it.
Whoooosh!!
When the Moonlit Sword Technique enveloped the divine blade, light bloomed within my closed eyes.
I moved the divine blade. As I did, a line was traced against the dark background.
Shiiing.
I brought the sword’s tip to the end of the brightest line I could perceive.
As the lights converged into one, they began to shine brilliantly.
“Shhhhh….”
I exhaled steadily and moved with composure.
My blade followed the stream of light precisely.
With my eyes closed, the Luminous Moon Heart Mirror revealed whether I was progressing correctly.
Swish—!!
I drew upward toward the sky and continued the motion seamlessly. The contained line waited in the surrounding space.
Creak.
My feet rotated. As my body spun, the blade turned in unison.
Swish—! Another strike, tracing a semicircle.
And then the next blade strike.
Whoosh—! Whish—!!
I moved my body continuously, determined not to lose the line.
This was all sword path.
Not a technique from the Azure Moon Sword Method, but truly just the sword path itself.
The light’s line showed me where the blade needed to go.
I simply continued moving so the path wouldn’t break.
However, as I swung, the end of the line would sometimes break.
When I lifted the blade to strike, the broken line would suddenly appear a few steps away.
Tap—!
I adopted a footwork stance and lowered my posture.
How should I move to make this possible? Sometimes when I brought the blade to bear, the line would disappear.
‘Slightly downward… as if the blade is scraping the ground?’
Though abstract, I attempted it. Creak! The blade touched the distant line.
Fortunately, the line didn’t disappear. It meant I had the right answer.
‘Like this.’
Without even a moment to feel relief, I continued the blade strikes.
My breath grew ragged. The sword path had no end, but my breathing was reaching its limit.
‘…I’ll be finished soon.’
Maintaining the Luminous Moon Heart Mirror itself was a difficult task.
At first, four or five repetitions were my limit, but now I could endure up to ten.
Ten blade techniques.
Ten sword paths.
As I moved that way and reached the final stage.
‘Just one more.’
A small greed arose within me.
‘A little more.’
Just one more blade strike.
Let me cut through just one more line before my eyes.
My energy had reached its limit, and my body felt heavy and sore.
It felt like I could strike one more time if I tried now.
‘Let’s go.’
So, just as the tip of my final sword was about to leave one line and touch another to continue the sword technique—
[Hey—!!! Stop!]
“…!”
A loud voice rang out.
I had to freeze my body in place at the sudden shout.
Whoosh—!!
‘Ah.’
The line disappears. It means my energy has dissipated.
‘Damn it.’
What a shame. If I’d succeeded just now, I felt like I could have gained something.
The moment I stopped, the sensation vanished.
“Sigh….”
I exhaled deeply. Then I furrowed my brow and opened my eyes.
I was about to complain to Yoo Cheon-gil, but—
“What suddenly—. Huh?”
The moment I opened my eyes, I could only stare blankly at the figure before me.
Standing in front of me was—
“Geombong…?”
Maehua Geombong Yoo Yeon.
She was standing right in front of me, and my sword had stopped beside her neck.
“Insane.”
Realizing this, I gasped in shock and withdrew my sword.
I immediately sheathed it and put distance between us.
“…What are you doing right now?”
“….”
Even at my words, Geombong’s face remained expressionless.
“Are you crazy? You almost got your throat cut.”
This was absurd. If Yoo Cheon-gil hadn’t stopped me, I would have followed through.
Of all people, it had to be Geombong standing there?
‘Have I lost my mind?’
Irritation surged through me. Never mind the interruption to my training or nearly slicing her throat—
‘Why didn’t you warn me?’
This anger was directed at Yoo Cheon-gil.
I’d clearly told him to let me know if anyone was approaching so there wouldn’t be a problem.
Why was he only telling me now?
[Ahem….]
Yoo Cheon-gil, aware of his mistake, was awkwardly clearing his throat.
‘Bastard.’
It meant I hadn’t told her because I was distracted with other thoughts.
“Sigh.”
I exhaled deeply. I could always tell Yoo Cheon-gil later.
“Do you have some grudge against me?”
I furrowed my brow and asked about the Geombong standing before me, and she shook her head.
No grudge?
“Then why are you acting like this?”
Then why are you being difficult with me?
It had been like this since our first meeting, and I couldn’t understand it.
So as I looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Whoosh.
She suddenly pulled two letters from her bosom and handed them to me.
“What…?”
Was she telling me to take them?
When I looked at her with a confused expression, Geombong nodded as if to confirm.
“…”
I took them first and unfolded the letters.
They were letters bearing the plum blossom insignia.
“Huh?”
As I read the words written inside, my expression went blank.
The letter contained quite a lot of content, but if I summarized it by removing unnecessary words and formalities, it would be roughly this.
‘I wish to recover the long robe. Also, I have something to give to Geomseong’s Predecessor, so I hope you will come to Hwasan.’
That was what it said.
‘Something to give?’
They have something to give me? Could it be.
‘The Old Man’s long robe?’
That long robe the Old Man left behind at Hwasan. I wondered if that was it.
‘No, that’s not it.’
I had already confirmed that Geombong was wearing that one.
So if it’s not the long robe, then it must be something else.
‘What could it be?’
I wondered why the Hwasan Sect was looking for me. While the question arose.
‘What about the other letter?’
So I unfolded the remaining letter to check what it was.
But.
“Huh?”
This time I had to furrow my brow upon seeing it.
Unlike the previous letter, this one contained only a single line of text.
[You don’t know me?]
“…What.”
What is this supposed to mean? You don’t know who I am?
I stared at Geombong with a bewildered expression after reading the letter.
“What? Where did you go?”
Geombong had already vanished from her seat.
Did she really just hand me the letter and flee?
In that brief moment?
It was absurd. So I looked toward Yoo Cheon-gil, wondering if he had seen anything.
“…Old Man.”
[Huh? What? Why are you like that?]
Yoo Cheon-gil had been lost in thought, but he startled at my words and responded.
“….”
When I glared at him, Yoo Cheon-gil laughed awkwardly.
[That… well…. Um…. Hahaha.]
Then he tried to brush it off with laughter.
As if that would work.
After letting out a slight sigh, I glared at Yoo Cheon-gil and shouted.
“You damned old fool! What’s been wrong with you since earlier!”
I finally couldn’t hold back and exploded.

* * *
As dawn passed and noon approached.
When the sky became clear and bright, I was climbing the mountain behind the main hall.
I wasn’t alone—countless others were climbing with me.
They were the disciples who had completed the first preliminary round.
“…I’m nervous.”
Cheon Euijin murmured as we climbed the mountain together.
“It should be fine. You said you’d be with your senior, didn’t you?”
“…Yes. I’ve become a burden to you, senior.”
“A burden, my foot.”
The preliminary matches would proceed in pairs.
Cheon Euijin said he would team up with Do-hyeong.
Strictly speaking, Cheon Euijin was weaker than Do-hyeong, so it made sense for him to say that.
‘Still, Cheon Euijin is decent enough.’
Compared to some random nobodies, I thought pairing with Cheon Euijin would actually be more reliable.
With that thought, I continued climbing the mountain.
‘…Ah, this is getting tiring.’
My lower body felt numb. The training I’d done at dawn seemed to have been too intense.
“Little Sword Saint!”
As I trudged along, enduring the fatigue, a loud voice called out.
Turning around, I saw Naelyong approaching me.
“So you were here.”
“Naelyong.”
“I thought you’d abandoned me and run off since I hadn’t seen you in so long. Hahaha.”
“….”
To be honest, I did have that thought for a moment.
“How could I do such a thing?”
Still, Naelyong was one of the Seven Prodigies.
Since it was convenient to have him on my side, I had no such intention.
“…Naelyong.”
Cheon Euijin’s eyes widened as he looked at Naelyong. Upon seeing that, Naelyong nodded toward Cheon Euijin.
“So you’re the Heavenly Supreme. I’ve heard much about you from Wol Muhui.”
“…You mean about me? That seems unlikely.”
“Ah, how careless. I’ve been caught.”
At Cheon Euijin’s firm words, Naelyong laughed awkwardly.
It appeared to have been a lie.
“Still, I know of you regardless. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He extended his hand, and Cheon Euijin grasped it in return.
They exchanged a brief handshake before parting, and that was the end of it.
Naelyong showed little interest in Cheon Euijin, his gaze cold and indifferent.
Perhaps something displeased him.
His expression changed in an instant, making the atmosphere feel rather ominous.
‘This one is also of the Peng Clan lineage.’
Peng Dojun.
The expression Peng Dojun wore when looking at Dok-ryong resembled the expression Naelyong now directed at Cheon Euijin.
‘…In any case.’
All of the Seven Prodigies seemed peculiar in their own way.
I had sensed it from the beginning, and the further I went, the more I felt it.
‘The same applies to her.’
I held the same thought while watching the woman walking in the distance.
Geombong.
The woman walking alongside Peng Dojun, her gaze fixed only forward.
Watching her, I recalled the letter I had received at dawn.
‘You don’t know me?’
I don’t know.
I do not know Geombong.
And yet.
‘The fact that she said such a thing.’
Does it mean she knows me?
When?
No matter how much I search my memories, nothing comes to mind.
‘…How strange.’
It bothered me.
It felt as though insects were crawling through my mind.
As if I should be remembering Geombong—that nagging sensation persisted.

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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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