The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 270

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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 270
Another day passed, and then one more after the political council discussions had largely concluded.
The weather grew progressively colder, and I found myself acutely aware of the season’s abrupt transformation.
“Sigh…”
I watched the mist trail from my shallow breath and shook off the fatigue that clung to me.
“…I’m exhausted.”
Though I spoke of shaking it off, the truth was far different. My sleep had been poor, fragmented by countless thoughts that refused to grant me rest.
‘How could I possibly sleep?’
With a time bomb embedded in my very body, finding peaceful slumber was a luxury I could scarcely afford.
Beyond that.
‘…The Sword Emperor said he would teach me the blade.’
The Sword Emperor of the Celestial Demon had personally declared he would instruct me in swordsmanship.
The new epithet of Wol-hyeop that had emerged, the sudden cascade of events—there was much that required sorting and understanding.
That was how I spent the night.
I’d managed perhaps an hour and a half of actual sleep…
‘Yet the fatigue isn’t as bad as I’d expected.’
Though I complained of exhaustion, I felt oddly refreshed given the meager hours of rest.
‘Is this the benefit of my elevated realm?’
I suspected the vitality I felt stemmed from my ascended cultivation level.
Fatigue and vigor coexisting within me.
Or more precisely.
‘My vigor steadily pushes back the exhaustion.’
My forcibly strengthened body refused to succumb to fatigue easily.
It felt as though I could no longer even tire myself at will.
Confronted by this strange phenomenon, I found myself repeatedly clenching and unclenching my fists.
[You should grow accustomed to it.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke.
[As your realm elevated, your meridians strengthened alongside it. Regardless of the wager’s inherent danger, this is a dramatic leap forward. You should familiarize yourself with these changes so you won’t be caught off guard when real combat comes.]
“…”
So you won’t be caught off guard when real combat comes.
Those words struck something within me.
‘What he’s saying is.’
He’s certain I’ll face actual combat in this state.
‘Every time this happens, I wonder—what exactly is that old man’s purpose?’
Among all the questions that had arisen, the greatest concerned Yoo Cheon-gil himself.
‘I have no idea.’
He was a mystery incarnate. Unlike his initial request to uncover the reason for his death and identify his killer, he seemed largely indifferent to such matters.
What truly captured his interest was solely my martial advancement, fierce combat, or.
‘Talented individuals.’
He showed interest only in geniuses blessed with extraordinary gifts, like Heuk Taedo and Naelyong.
At the point where it became glaringly obvious that he harbored far greater interest in that matter than in my own death.
I found myself unable to properly discern his intentions or objectives.
‘Could he be scheming something?’
What purpose could he possibly have in treating me this way?
I could not comprehend it.
Both the Demonic Cult and Patcheon Gung had plenty to irritate me, and among them, the existence of Yoo Cheon-gil was included.
‘Even if we are traveling together by necessity.’
If Yoo Cheon-gil were someone I could trust completely, I would say otherwise.
So while listening to his words, I would remain endlessly vigilant.
‘Hmm.’
I gathered my thoughts and moved forward.
For now, there was a figure I needed to see—Yoo Cheon-gil and his body aside.

* * *
“You’ve arrived.”
The Old Man before me spoke. Upon seeing him, I immediately offered my respects.
“I greet you, Scholar.”
The person I had sought was none other than Cheon Rijin-an Jegal Jin—precisely the figure I needed to see from the break of dawn.
In response to my greeting, he sipped his tea and glanced sideways in my direction.
The conversation was brief. Without hesitation at his gaze, I took my seat.
“I heard you met the Younger Master yesterday.”
The moment I sat, Jegal Jin cut straight to the point. Hearing this, I let out a soft laugh.
“Ah, yes. He came to visit yesterday.”
“What did you discuss?”
“Did you not hear?”
“I did not bother to ask.”
He knew that Jegal Hyeong-yeon had sought me out, but he had not asked why—that was what he meant.
Hearing that, I nodded. It seemed I should speak plainly.
“Surely you already know the reason, which is why you didn’t bother asking?”
“…”
At my words, Jegal Jin’s brow furrowed slightly.
His brow, which had narrowed for a moment, soon relaxed, and he spoke to me.
“It seems you’ve grown somewhat presumptuous in a short time.”
“If that’s how you perceived it, I apologize. It simply came to mind without my realizing it.”
“Tsk.”
Dissatisfied with my response, Jegal Jin clicked his tongue.
“You worry too much about trivial matters. Do not concern yourself with it.”
Jegal Hyeong-yeon’s words meant I should not worry. This was also evidence that Jegal Hyeong-yeon knew the reason he had sought me out.
“I’m not particularly concerned. I gave him a similar answer as well.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. To be honest, whether the Peng Clan thrives or falters, or the Jegal clan for that matter—it hardly concerns me.”
“….”
“I have no intention of lending my strength to any faction. I can barely manage to preserve my own life as it is.”
These words were sincere. Even now, I was hearing warnings that my body couldn’t hold together, that it might rupture at any moment.
In such circumstances, I had no time to concern myself with the state of other clans.
“I believe you will handle your dispute with the Peng Clan as you see fit. You must have some plan in mind.”
“You speak with such certainty.”
“Seven parts?”
“Why?”
“You don’t seem like the type to sit idle if you hadn’t already devised something.”
“Heh heh.”
Jegal Jin merely laughed without denying it.
“…You’re an amusing one.”
“Take it as you will.”
This too was hardly a matter of importance.
The real reason I had sought out Jegal Jin today was something else entirely.
“So then, will you accept or refuse?”
The matter regarding the Deity that he had mentioned before. Whether I would accept that commission—that was why I had come to give my answer.
“I will do it.”
I spoke without the slightest hesitation. My decision had already been made.
Besides that.
‘I need to seek him out myself anyway.’
I thought it efficient to accomplish both tasks at once.
“I see….”
“However, since you mentioned persuasion, I require some additional information.”
Why he had framed it as persuasion, and what justification and reason such persuasion would require.
I needed to obtain all relevant details before accepting the commission.
“Is this truly something I am capable of doing?”
“Who knows.”
Unlike before, Jegal Jin offered an ambiguous response. Strangely so, at that.
“I cannot say whether it will succeed or fail. He is a man of stubborn conviction—he will cling to his words unto death.”
“…Words he spoke?”
“That he will never set foot in Hanan again. Those were his words.”
“….”
Physician Uiseon had said he was Maehwa Ilgeom, so this oath must have come from him.
‘He swore never to set foot in Hanan again?’
My brow furrowed.
“…Why would he say such a thing?”
Since Huashan’s location is in Shaanxi, there would be no need for him to come to Hanan anyway.
Yet I could not fathom the reason behind such a declaration.
However.
“Perhaps, if it were you, you might be able to persuade him. No—in fact, only you could make it possible.”
“….”
Only I could do it. Before I could even comprehend the reason behind those words.
“In any case, since you’ve already consented, I’ll take it that you’re going. The rest, you’ll hear from your Moonju.”
“…Moonju?”
*Creak.*
At that very moment, the door opened and Wol Seon-geom entered.
“Moonju…?”
So it really was Moonju? While I stood bewildered.
“Hmm?”
Someone followed behind Wol Seon-geom as he entered. A man whose expression was brimming with discontent toward the world.
He was a figure I recognized as well.
“…Daeju?”
“….”
The man’s identity was none other than Sochul Daeju.
What? Why is this man suddenly appearing here?
As I stood perplexed by his unexpected arrival.
“He’s the escort for this task.”
“Pardon?”
Wol Seon-geom brought up something peculiar.
An escort…?
…Sochul Daeju?

* * *
Around the time when the midday sun had grown brilliantly clear, just past noon. The hour when the sky reached its most pristine.
A sky unmarred by a single cloud—breathtakingly beautiful.
The weather was so radiant that anyone would gasp in admiration.
“Cough–!”
Yet what unfolded beneath that sky was anything but beautiful.
Someone collapsed, blood spilling from their lips. Blood fountaining from their wounds was merely a bonus.
A figure staggered and lost consciousness, crumpling to the ground.
It was the last moment of his life.
Such bodies filled this land. Lifeless corpses lay scattered in all directions.
And when even the last standing figure finally succumbed to death.
Thud.
A sword was lowered, sweeping across the surroundings.
A young man caught in that gaze.
Baekcheon-in, bearing a considerably displeased expression.
No—the Young Master of the Demonic Sect.
He questioned the old man, Pacheon Gungju, with a dissatisfied look.
“Was there truly a need for this?”
The Gungju regarded the Young Master as he spoke, observing the scattered corpses.
“I merely disposed of what was useless.”
Pacheon Gungju answered in a calm voice. The Young Master’s question arose from a specific concern.
He cared nothing for killing humans. But.
“They were your own subordinates.”
The dead were, remarkably, the Gungju’s own men. This meant the Gungju had eliminated all of his subordinates.
Why? The Young Master could not comprehend this.
“I told you.”
“What….”
“Useless pawns are disposed of.”
Snap. Pacheon Gungju snapped his fingers as he spoke. In that instant, flames erupted, engulfing the bodies of the dead.
Whoooosh!!
Fire spread, consuming countless bodies. Not even ash remained.
“Moreover, there were many witnesses. It eases the mind to clean up.”
“You eliminated the witnesses, then.”
The Gungju did not refute this.
“I disposed of what was useless.”
Merely a repetition of what he had said before. The Young Master did not press the matter further.
After all, they were his subordinates, not the Young Master’s own men.
Thus, all the martial artists of Patcheon Gung who had attacked Hannam breathed their last.
Upon the blood-stained ground, Pacheon Gungju retrieved his sword.
Clink. As the blade slid into its sheath, the Young Master posed a question to him.
“So, did you obtain what you desired?”
The Gungju, upon hearing these words, turned his gaze toward the Young Master. He was smiling.
“I did.”
His objective had been singular. It was regrettable that he could not dispose of the extraneous nuisances that required elimination, but ultimately, the Pacheon Gungju had succeeded in his most critical purpose.
“By now, Jegal Jin must have sensed something amiss.”
Right about now, or perhaps even earlier.
Given Jegal Jin’s abilities, he would have noticed it before long.
However.
“It matters not. He is simply too late.”
Once the object had fallen into my hands, there was no difference between late and never.
The Gungju, certain of this, laughed in a manner that sent shivers down one’s spine.
“….”
The Young Master narrowed his eyes at this eerie atmosphere.
“But even if you obtained it, what use is it if you cannot decipher it?”
The object he had acquired was filled with cipher. What meaning could such a letter hold, crafted so that no one could interpret it?
With such doubts in mind, he asked.
“It matters not. It is merely that I cannot read it myself. All I need do is find someone who can read it in my stead.”
“Someone to read it in your stead, you say…?”
“Gungwi.”
“…!”
At the Gungju’s plainly spoken words, the Young Master’s eyes widened.
“She possesses eyes that see what others cannot. With such eyes, she will surely be able to see this as well.”
“Gungwi, you say….”
She was already a vanished Celestial Demon. Moreover.
“She is not even a person of the Central Plains.”
Gungwi is a figure from the Northern Sea. Yet how could he possibly find her?
Unable to comprehend, the Young Master pressed further.
“Do not worry.”
The Gungju spoke to the Young Master without erasing his smile.
“She will return to the Central Plains before long.”
In his eyes as he spoke thus.
“I shall ensure it comes to pass.”
There dwelt an inexplicable certainty.

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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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