The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 237

—————
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 237
A long, drawn-out breath.
In the distance, I could make out charred traces. Yes, as if scorched. Like ashes scattering in the wind.
At that sight, I furrowed my brow and bit my lip slightly.
‘Is it true?’
Yoo Cheon-gil’s claim that those were members of Patcheon-gung—could it actually be true?
I questioned him with my eyes instead of words.
I wondered if Yoo Cheon-gil, who read expressions well, would catch my meaning.
At that moment, Yoo Cheon-gil spoke to me.
[The vile aura is identical. You can deceive everything else, but not that.]
As expected, Yoo Cheon-gil caught my intent and answered.
“….”
The aura is the same.
Every martial artist’s aura is different. But to say they’re the same…
‘Is Patcheon-gung like a sect or noble clan?’
That didn’t seem to be the case. Moreover.
‘The aura Yoo Cheon-gil mentioned. If my bet is wrong…’
A thought flashed through my mind—could it be that repulsive form I just witnessed?
Though I couldn’t sense it, I could see it.
‘If that truly is the aura Yoo Cheon-gil spoke of…’
Why am I suddenly seeing something I couldn’t see before?
I definitely couldn’t see such things even during the Sichuan incident. Were those not Patcheon-gung members?
‘No, if that were the case, Yoo Cheon-gil wouldn’t have reacted like this.’
He reacted this way because he sensed it.
Those must be Patcheon-gung. Then that aura must be correct too.
‘Why am I suddenly seeing it?’
What was different between then and now? I tried to recall.
If there was a difference…
‘A change in realm… The mastery of Wol Seon-geom’s path…?’
That would be the most striking difference.
So, could this change be connected to what I’m seeing now?
My realm has grown and my Wol-an has strengthened, so perhaps that’s why I can see such things.
‘But that doesn’t quite fit…’
I recall that other Wol-an users don’t experience this.
Even if Yoo Cheon-gil is already a dead man, that could be an exception.
‘I’ve never heard of it from others.’
Wol-an, after all, merely opens blue eyes as the Cheonwol Heart Method takes root in the body. It was known to have no other effects.
The special power I gained was purely because of the strength Yoo Cheon-gil refined.
Therefore.
‘It’s better to think of this as my problem rather than a Wol-an issue.’
This feels less like a problem with Wol-an and more like a problem that has arisen within myself.
Though I cannot say what it is.
The issue is.
‘If the aura of those Patcheon-gung thugs is indeed what I sensed….’
Then what about Hyeong Yeong-hwa? Could it be.
‘A spy?’
Are Patcheon-gung operatives embedded within the Alliance? Moreover.
“Is something the matter?”
Daeju notices my troubled expression and asks.
“…No, it’s nothing.”
I shake my head deliberately, yet something surfaces in my mind.
If this is true, the situation becomes far more complicated.
And for good reason.
‘What about those I’ve seen until now?’
Those I encountered from the Martial Arts Alliance until arriving at this prefecture.
Within the Alliance, Hyeong Yeong-hwa is not the only one.
It meant there were more than just one or two.

* * *
Dawn broke. I returned to the inn and attempted rest, but could not sleep long. My mind was too cluttered with thoughts.
‘This is spinning out of control.’
It remained so.
‘The Demonic Cult alone is enough to drive me mad, and now Patcheon-gung?’
The mere existence of Baekcheon-in is already complicated and infuriating, but with Patcheon-gung added to the mix, this becomes truly troublesome.
‘What are they trying to accomplish?’
It’s clear they didn’t come for no reason.
Every faction has spies, but for them to have infiltrated the Martial Arts Alliance itself was grave.
That they’ve penetrated the Alliance means.
‘They could be anywhere else as well.’
I’m more irritated because I don’t properly understand Patcheon-gung’s objectives.
If they were simply villains, honestly, I wouldn’t care.
‘Evil men exist everywhere in this world.’
I know a clean world does not exist.
So I don’t even expect such things.
‘The problem is that these evil men seem likely to become entangled with me.’
It’s not simply that they’re villains, but that they’re villains who will become entangled with me—that’s the problem.
“Damn it.”
Should I be grateful or not that this has come to light so suddenly.
If that aura truly belongs to Patcheon-gung.
‘What could they be plotting.’
What are those thugs trying to accomplish? If they’re just going to infiltrate the Martial Arts Alliance and engage in scheming, that would be manageable.
‘But the fact that they’ve gathered from multiple provinces… that means something entirely different.’
Especially given that the Martial Arts Alliance has reinforced its forces for the Dragon Phoenix Conference.
Prodigies of the righteous sects, disciples of renowned families and prestigious schools—their presence means there’s far more to protect, so the Martial Arts Alliance invests all its resources into vigilance and security.
In such circumstances, any assault should be utterly unthinkable.
‘Yet they sent personnel regardless.’
Were these people already embedded in Hanan? There’s a possibility they could be operatives gathering intelligence from within.
‘…No.’
My instincts scream otherwise.
Rather, that kind of work seemed suited to someone like Hyeong Yeong-hwa, but these people…
‘They were genuine martial artists.’
The very atmosphere was different. They weren’t some intelligence unit—they were a true force of martial power.
And that’s what makes this even more troubling.
‘A martial force successfully concealed their identities and gained entry without incident.’
The fact that the Martial Arts Alliance, with its rigorous identity verification, allowed them through is the real problem.
‘Either their disguises were flawless…’
Or there was scheming involved in letting them pass.
‘Damn it.’
The more I uncover, the more rotten this situation becomes.
‘This is insane. I was practically standing on a knife’s edge.’
Unlike what I’d believed to be safe ground, I realize I’ve been standing in one of the most dangerous places imaginable.
“Ugh…”
I exhale deeply and head outside, descending from the inn.
Then I spot a familiar face.
“Oh, what?”
“…”
The person who notices me furrows their brow. Surprisingly, it’s Cheonhye-in.
“Finally you’ve come out? I hadn’t seen your face in days.”
Without responding to my words, Cheonhye-in simply devours her food.
Seeing that, I sit down across from her.
“What have you been doing all this time?”
Ever since the duel with Baekcheon-in, Cheonhye-in had barely left the interior of the inn, practically secluding herself.
Given how slightly gaunt her face has become, it’s clear she went days without eating properly.
But the fact that she’s come out now and is eating…
“Couldn’t bear the hunger anymore?”
“…That’s not it.”
“Sure it isn’t. Why don’t you put away those bowls first and then talk?”
“…”
There are already several empty bowls stacked right in front of her—what do you mean she wasn’t hungry?
“You were too embarrassed to come out, but your stomach was growling, wasn’t it?”
Crack.
Cheonhye-in reacted sharply to my words. The chopsticks she’d been holding shattered completely.
“…Oh my.”
If I kept teasing, those broken chopsticks might just fly straight at my forehead.
I stepped back slightly and raised my hands in surrender.
“…I heard you’ve fought many duels, but it seems you still have plenty of energy left to tease?”
“No. I’m exhausted to death.”
“I suppose so.”
“I’m serious, but you won’t believe me.”
I appear fine on the surface, but inside I’m completely burnt out.
If it were just the duels, that would be one thing. But the Demonic Sect and Patcheon-gung on top of it all.
Standing alone against nothing but complicated problems—there’s nothing fine about that.
“Anyway…. Where has my incompetent brother gone?”
“The Heavenly Supreme?”
“Yes. There’s no way that child could have won in the duels up until now, so is he training somewhere? I don’t see him.”
…No way he could have won. It was a cruelly certain conviction.
Though it was accurate.
‘Does she not know?’
It seemed Cheonhye-in was unaware of the situation.
Well, she’d only just emerged from her room after several days, so of course she wouldn’t.
Thus, I spoke to Cheonhye-in, who was about to resume eating.
“The Heavenly Supreme is in the medical pavilion.”
Stiffness.
Cheonhye-in’s expression hardened upon hearing my words.
“The medical pavilion?”
“Yes.”
“What injury did he sustain?”
“He’s injured. Since he’s injured, he’s in the medical pav-”
“Tell me. Where was he wounded?”
At her flustered words, I narrowed my eyes. Her reaction was peculiar.
‘What is this.’
Concern?
“…His abdomen was pierced by a blade. The treatment went well, and they said there would be no danger to his life if he rests-”
Bang-!
Upon hearing this, Cheonhye-in shot to her feet. Then she immediately bolted toward the door and vanished.
“…What.”
I’d never seen her run that fast before.
Left alone at the table, I simply stared at the bowl before me.
It was the food Cheonhye-in had been eating, but it was nearly untouched.
“….”
My stomach was rumbling anyway—should I eat that?
As I hesitated for a moment.
[That wouldn’t be quite right, would it?]
“…You’re right, aren’t you?”
I nodded at Yoo Cheon-gil’s contemptuous remark.
I simply ordered thin noodles and filled my stomach haphazardly.
Whether the food went up my nose or into my mouth hardly mattered at this point.

* * *
After eating, I entered the main arena directly.
Being the final day of the martial arts tournament, the crowd was unusually dense.
I scanned the throng while maintaining a rigid expression.
‘Perhaps.’
What if that thing I saw yesterday appeared again? What if that black silhouette was mixed among the crowd?
Thinking of it, I examined my surroundings.
‘Phew….’
Fortunately, I saw nothing of the sort.
Just as I was about to exhale in relief.
“Nervous?”
A voice came from beside me. It was Heuk Taedo.
“…A little?”
Speaking honestly, Heuk Taedo burst into laughter.
“Ha ha. As if. That can’t be you.”
“….”
What do you mean that can’t be me?
“I’d rather you were nervous. But you won’t be.”
“Why are you so certain?”
“Just a hunch.”
“Even Cheonmu Jiche’s hunches can be wrong.”
“Really? Even if you were nervous, it wouldn’t be because of me, would it?”
“….”
I was momentarily at a loss for words.
I’d felt it before, but this man was remarkably perceptive.
Certainly, right now I was preoccupied with something other than my duel with Heuk Taedo.
Had he seen through that? As I was suppressing a small admiration that rose within me.
“Still, I’m somewhat disappointed. I even went so far as to display my technique, hoping you’d pay attention.”
Technique.
At those words, I looked at Heuk Taedo.
The technique he mentioned—it must refer to the Black Cloud.
Certainly, that was something I should have focused on.
However.
‘I’ve been distracted by other things and forgot about that.’
The immediate matter before me wasn’t Patcheon-gung or the Demonic Sect—it was Heuk Taedo’s duel.
I had forgotten about it.
‘Sigh.’
Right, this isn’t the time for me to be looking at other things.
Damn it, but things keep catching my eye, and that’s how I ended up like this.
“You should be a bit more cautious. If you underestimate me and lose… I’ll be quite disappointed.”
Tap, tap.
Heuk Taedo taps my shoulder as he speaks.
It seemed this was what he had wanted to say all along.
‘…What an odd fellow.’
Does he really come all this way just to warn me?
To caution me about his strength?
This is absurd. It’s not even just a duel—it’s the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. Moreover.
‘The man who even wagered a bet.’
He was the man who had made a wager with me.
A wager.
Remembering that, I turned my gaze back to the audience stands.
I was searching for someone.
As I scanned briefly, my gaze stopped somewhere.
I found her quickly.
Because she was looking at me too.
She didn’t even have the veil she usually wore.
A woman with black hair and sharp, piercing eyes.
Muyong Youngsoon sat somewhere in the audience stands, gazing at me.
Youngsoon, who had been holding a fan and covering her mouth, met my eyes and then.
Flutter.
She waved her hand, revealing her pale fingertips.
At that moment.
“Ahahaha! Yes! I’m here!”
“…?”
Heuk Taedo beside me waves his hand vigorously.
Seeing that, Youngsoon waves her hand back even more enthusiastically.
“Hahahaha!!!”
Seeing that, Heuk Taedo laughs even louder with excitement, and Youngsoon suddenly lowers her fan and whispers something with her lips.
Because she spoke so clearly and distinctly, I could interpret it just from the shape of her lips.
-You must win.
Youngsoon had certainly said that, and.
“Ahahaha! I shall certainly win…!!”
Kuuuoong—! Heuk Taedo scatters his momentum outward, drawing even more fighting spirit into the fray.
Insane.
‘…I’ve made a mistake?’
Provoked, I glanced at Muyong Youngsoon in alarm.
She was smiling with evident satisfaction.
‘…What is this?’
Somehow.
Muyong Youngsoon appeared to have deliberately provoked Heuk Taedo.
…Damn it all.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————