The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 225
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
The Heavenly Supreme Has Died – Episode 225
He’s looking for his grandson. Upon hearing those words, I moved immediately.
Returning to the place I’d just left felt strange, but there was no helping it.
“You’ve come.”
Following the guide into the quarters, Cheon Rijin-an, the League’s strategist, greets me.
Or should I say greets? He was regarding me with those characteristic gaunt eyes of his.
“Sit down——”
The moment Cheon Rijin-an was about to tell me to sit, he catches sight of the figure following behind and his expression hardens.
“Father-in-law. I hope you’ve been well.”
“…Why is that bastard——”
It was my father who had followed. As my father greets him, Cheon Rijin-an’s expression turns sour.
“What are you doing here?”
“My son said he was visiting his maternal grandfather, so how could I not come?”
“I called for only that one. An unnecessary burden has followed along.”
Saying so, Cheon Rijin-an glares at someone. It was Daeju, who had guided us.
“…My apologies.”
“Tsk. Never mind. Daeju, you’re dismissed.”
“Yes.”
Daeju leaves through the door, and now Cheon Rijin-an fixes his gaze on my father.
“You leave as well.”
“Pardon?”
“I hear you’ve even brought Baekwang along. No matter how ignorant you are, you must understand what it means for one of the Five Kings of the Martial World—a clan lord—to come to Hanan. Are you trying to make unnecessary trouble?”
“…”
Hearing those words, I listen carefully. One of the Five Kings of the Martial World coming to Hanan.
What significance could that possibly have?
‘Is there something so important about it?’
Since I don’t understand, I glance at Yoo Cheon-gil with my eyes.
[Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle.]
That old man simply laughs, showing no intention of explaining.
Is he suggesting I figure it out myself? In any case, his personality is detestable.
‘Hmm.’
It seems like something important, but I have no particular knowledge of it.
While I’m pondering this matter.
“Leave while I’m being reasonable. My business is with your son, not with you.”
“Come now. We came together anyway. Surely I can at least listen to the conversation——”
“Don’t test my patience. Didn’t I tell you to go handle your business?”
“…”
At Cheon Rijin-an’s words, my father hesitates. Business?
“What business do you have, sir?”
My father shouldn’t have any business with the Martial Arts Alliance. This man couldn’t possibly have such a thing.
I regard my father with suspicious eyes.
“Aha. I was just thinking of doing some sightseeing… I didn’t expect to get caught like this.”
“…”
As expected, it didn’t seem to be for any particularly important reason.
“Hmm… My son. Since your maternal grandfather dislikes my presence so much, I suppose I have no choice but to leave. Even if it’s lonely…”
“Just go already.”
“Right, I will.”
Unlike when he had rushed in, my father departs with light, graceful steps.
Click. The door closes, and as the noisy man vanishes, only Cheon Rijin-an, Yoo Cheon-gil, and I remain in the room.
Considering Yoo Cheon-gil is as good as invisible, it might as well be just the two of us facing each other.
“Well then.”
My maternal grandfather sips the tea placed before him. The moment I see the tea, I understand.
‘That’s the one from last time.’
It was the tea he had said he disliked. The fact that he deliberately poured two cups meant he had intended to call me from the very beginning.
“I thought we might have a conversation now.”
“…”
At those words, I slowly take a seat.
Cheon Rijin-an holds a teacup in one hand and a letter in the other.
As he sips his tea and directs his gaze toward the letter.
“It seems you’ve been achieving great results at the Yongbong Conference.”
He offers me words I hadn’t quite anticipated.
“Ah… Yes. Well, I’ve been fortunate enough to do so.”
“You defeated Naelyong through luck? That’s a ridiculous thing to say.”
Cheon Rijin-an lets out a soft chuckle.
“The Seven Pillars are not beings who can be overcome by luck, nor are they opponents one can defeat through fortune. You must surely know this.”
“…”
His certainty that I must know weighs heavily upon me. What kind of being do I appear to be in this old man’s eyes? I didn’t particularly want to imagine it.
“Once could be a miracle.”
I reference defeating Woon-ryong.
“But twice cannot be.”
Naelyong is different. This was certainty.
“Shin Chang mentioned it. He said you’re more talented than expected.”
“…”
Hearing praise even from the League Leader, I find myself somewhat at a loss.
‘The League Leader called me talented.’
The being known to be closest to the Heavenly Supreme praised me. While countless emotions arise, I cannot accept it entirely as something good.
‘This is also thanks to Yoo Cheon-gil.’
Since it wasn’t something I obtained myself, I hold only half of it and scatter the rest away.
“This is also unexpected for me. It’s remarkable that a child like you was born from that incompetent and irritating father of yours.”
“I share that sentiment as well.”
“…Huh?”
At least I could accept this much. Compared to that damned man, it was true that I was far superior.
Cheon Rijin-an hesitated slightly at my confident response.
“Anyway…”
He quickly regained his composure and spoke to me.
“Yes, I admit I underestimated you.”
Despite his calm words.
“However.”
As the conversation continued, my mind grew taut with tension. My instincts spoke clearly.
He hadn’t summoned me merely to offer such praise.
“If we exclude even this, it would be quite troublesome.”
Rustle.
Cheon Rijin-an withdrew a letter he’d been holding and handed it to me. When I saw what it was.
‘As expected.’
It was exactly what I had anticipated.
The anonymous letter sent to the Beggar Sect.
The one stating that the Baekwang clan was connected to the Demonic Sect and posed a danger—the very letter I had sent.
Seeing it, I swallowed dryly.
‘Fast.’
Even when I sent it through the Beggar Sect to Cheon Rijin-an, I had already expected to be discovered. Hiding my identity meant little when the Beggar Sect was essentially part of the Martial Arts Alliance.
If the League wanted to know who sent it, they could uncover it instantly.
Still, I had always thought Cheon Rijin-an would eventually learn of this.
‘Just faster than I predicted.’
As I regarded Cheon Rijin-an in silence, he spoke.
“You already knew I would figure it out, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t hide it.
“Indeed.”
Cheon Rijin-an had already known.
When Daeju came to find me and delivered his message.
That was when I realized.
That Cheon Rijin-an had seen through this.
This was also why he had shown it to me.
‘My grandfather seeks me.’
The man who swore he would never treat me as his grandson deliberately used such a word.
It was meant to create dissonance and confusion.
Beneath the countless implications lay a single essence.
‘Don’t be reckless. Come quietly.’
He would hear me out, so come first. That was what it meant, and I complied without protest.
“I will ask.”
So it begins now.
“Why did you send such a message?”
“It says exactly what was written.”
I needed to persuade Cheon Rijin-an in a direction that posed no loss or problem for me.
“The Baekwang clan is in danger. They may have already been destroyed.”
“By the Demonic Cult’s hand?”
“Yes.”
“…Ha….”
Cheon Rijin-an exhales sharply. That was no mere exclamation. If anything, it bordered on fury.
“Nonsense. Do you even comprehend what you’re saying right now?”
The emergence of the Demonic Cult. The resurgence of the Demonic Cult that Yoo Cheon-gil had ended was nothing short of catastrophic proclamation.
It meant the fragile peace we had barely constructed could crumble to dust.
However.
“For someone speaking so dismissively, you already knew, didn’t you?”
“….”
I was certain that Cheon Rijin-an had known this truth.
“Why do you think so?”
For a moment, Cheon Rijin-an, who had fallen silent, spoke again with a question.
And hearing that, I explained to him.
“At the very least, if you had not known, this atmosphere would not be so peaceful and serene. You would have conducted a proper interrogation instead.”
“….”
Calling for your grandson, telling your father to leave.
Even going so far as to offer tea.
Given that the Demonic Cult was involved, Cheon Rijin-an’s reaction could not have manifested this way.
‘If he had known, things would be different.’
If the Martial Arts Alliance itself had recently received word or information regarding the Demonic Cult, then the situation would change entirely.
Only then would his current reaction make sense.
“You knew, didn’t you? About information or rumors concerning the Demonic Cult.”
“….”
No answer came, but I could discern the truth from his expression and the peculiar silence.
A moment passed like this.
“What a waste of talent.”
At those words that slipped past like a breeze, I laughed awkwardly.
In any case, it was a compliment.
“Even if your assumption is correct, that does not answer my question. Answer what I asked.”
“What you asked?”
“Why did you send such a letter? Furthermore.”
Cheon Rijin-an’s eyes grew cold as he questioned me.
“How is it that you know of this matter?”
His voice carried thick suspicion.
I steadied my breathing.
About the Baekwang clan, about the Demonic Sect.
Sending it all while concealing my identity.
Every bit of it screamed suspicion.
Setting aside that Cheon Rijin-an was my maternal grandfather, I could expect nothing from the look in his eyes.
‘Ruthless.’
It was daunting.
No matter how aged and decrepit he appeared, this was the man once called the God of War.
A figure whose martial prowess was meager, yet commanded and manipulated absolute masters with intellect alone.
Looking into his gaze, I found myself swallowing hard without thinking.
‘Well, what should I do.’
Having come this far, I had to push through regardless.
No, it wasn’t just about pushing through—I had to do something.
‘If I don’t, the situation will clearly take a turn for the worse.’
That Baekcheon-in, whether I knew him or not, wouldn’t have simply sought out Hani without reason.
At the very least, the Demonic Sect? There was clearly something he intended to accomplish.
‘This smells like trouble.’
Without fail, this looked like a situation I’d get tangled up in.
I had to extract myself from this affair by any means necessary.
Hopeless and unable to see the path forward?
It was fine.
Because I had a trump card.
“The reason I know of this is none other than this.”
I set down the teacup I was about to drink from and chose my words carefully.
A calculated silence hung in the air before I spoke to Cheon Rijin-an.
“My master, the Sword Saint, died precisely because it was connected to the Demonic Sect.”
“…What?”
[Huh?]
The trump card.
Selling out the Sword Saint.
It was an ace move that worked in any situation.
* * *
A mountain behind Hanan.
It was positioned not far from the Martial Arts Alliance, and with so few people around, it was a quiet forest that emanated an eerie, unsettling atmosphere.
In such a place.
“Yeongtong has gone missing?”
A young man spoke.
The figure kneeling before him answered.
“…Yes, that is correct.”
Upon hearing the answer, the young man’s brow furrowed.
“It has been only days since I assigned Yeongtong this task, and now he’s vanished? What of the traces?”
Baekcheon-in, the young man, spoke with a face full of displeasure, and the man before him swallowed hard before responding.
“There are no traces to be found, but… he has not made contact for several days now.”
“…”
Yeongtong.
He was quite a capable and exceptional subordinate. His cultivation realm was among the stronger, and he took pride in his concealment techniques, so I was certain he would never be discovered.
‘…What is this?’
Baekcheon-in narrowed his brow.
‘How is this possible?’
Was he captured? If so, by what means?
By whose hand? Surely not.
‘Could it be… him?’
The Protagonist.
Baekcheon-in bit his lip, thinking of those blue eyes that radiated killing intent at the mere thought of him.
‘If it is him…’
He might know of my plans.
Yeongtong would not speak even if captured, but everything had to be anticipated.
‘This is troublesome.’
I did not wish for matters to become further entangled.
It was already an annoying time because of the martial contest.
‘That damned fool from Cheongwol Sect.’
The weak one tried to use me to gain enlightenment.
My anger at that caused me to handle matters excessively.
“Sigh…”
But if the Protagonist becomes entangled in this situation as well.
‘I cannot predict how the protectors will act.’
The old men of the main sect.
No one knows how those ancient demons will respond.
“Damn it.”
Baekcheon-in finally clicked his tongue sharply and spoke.
Since I could not know how matters would unfold, I could not simply leave it as is.
“Sangyon.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Send word to Patcheon Gung.”
Fortunately.
“Tell them I wish to accelerate the plan.”
There were still options available.
“I shall obey your command!”
The man called Sangyon vanished without a trace.
“….”
Left alone, Baekcheon-in’s expression hardened as he turned to leave.
In that empty space where no one remained, where not a whisper of presence could be felt.
“Hmm.”
A man exhaled through his nose.
Then a faint smile played at his lips, and the man’s laughter seemed to brighten the entire surroundings.
His handsomeness was that striking.
“Well, well.”
The man.
Bang Cheon-ho of the Yoryeong House spoke with a sigh.
“The Central Plains are always such a mess.”
Yet paradoxically, his words carried a note of delight.
Quite unmistakably so.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————