The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 29

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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 029
Wol Seon-geom (月善劍) Cheon Seonghwa.
The fourteenth Sect Leader currently guiding the Cheonwol Gate.
He was invariably counted among the ten greatest swordsmen of the realm.
His age had long surpassed forty—the prime years of a martial artist’s life, as they say.
When he drew his blade, it blazed with such brilliance that even the darkest night would shine with radiance.
His graceful and meticulous swordplay, infused with profound enlightenment, drew admiration from all who witnessed it.
In other words.
‘A monster.’
A true monster who could kill someone like me in the blink of an eye.
I couldn’t even fathom his strength, nor dared I attempt to.
‘Shhhhh.’
I steadied my breathing slowly. Wol Seon-geom’s gaze was fixed upon me.
Those blue eyes, quietly observing me, felt oppressively heavy.
“We greet the Sect Leader.”
“We greet the Sect Leader.”
“We greet the Sect Leader….”
The kneeling members of Sowoldae were all hastening to pay their respects to Wol Seon-geom.
I had thought they were tense when guiding us here.
‘That wasn’t tension at all, it seems.’
Before Wol Seon-geom, even they were visibly on edge.
Furthermore.
“…Sect Leader.”
Cheon Euijin, who emerged from behind, dropped to one knee and bowed his head before the Sect Leader.
Wol Seon-geom glanced at Cheon Euijin briefly. It was but a moment.
Then his gaze returned to meet mine.
I did not avert my eyes from his stare, and after that uncomfortable, suffocating silence stretched on.
Only then did Wol Seon-geom’s lips part.
“You must have endured much hardship on your long journey.”
His voice was deep and measured, befitting his austere appearance.
“I am Cheon Seonghwa.”
“I am Bangseong-yeon.”
Upon hearing my name, Wol Seon-geom gave a brief nod.
“Let me show you inside.”
That was all he said. Wol Seon-geom turned his back and walked into the Cheonwol Gate.
As I watched this peculiar exchange.
[Heh, look at that fellow.]
Yoo Cheon-gil let out a hollow laugh.
[The snot-nosed kid has grown quite a bit.]
“….”
Calling that heavy-set man a snot-nosed brat—I barely managed to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside me.
I could hardly contain myself.

* * *
I followed Wol Seon-geom inside. This time, Sowoldae handled the escort as well.
I carried a coffin on my back that was impossibly heavy, and the place I entered was the Sect Leader’s Chamber.
The moment I stepped through the entrance, I felt one thing.
‘Quite refined.’
As expected of a sect enjoying such prestige, it was remarkably elegant.
Not only was there a large pond, but the supporting pillars were all exquisitely crafted.
And the floor? It practically gleamed.
I glanced around briefly before entering the chamber.
At that moment.
“Allow me to introduce myself once more.”
Wol Seon-geom spoke, looking at me.
“I am Cheon Seonghwa, the 14th Sect Leader of Cheongwol Gate. It is an honor to receive you.”
“I am Bangseong-yeon of the Yeolyeongbangga Clan.”
An honored guest. Hearing it put that way, it still didn’t feel real.
“I apologize for receiving word late and failing to greet you properly upon arrival.”
“Not at all.”
So they had indeed received word late. I had always found it strange.
Even though the successor of the Sword Sage had appeared, Cheongwol Gate’s response had been sluggish.
I had thought it odd, but this explained it.
As I spoke, Wol Seon-geom’s gaze shifted toward my side—toward Cheon Euijin.
Cheon Euijin flinched at the look, but Wol Seon-geom quickly withdrew his gaze.
‘Hmm.’
His own son, yet the look in his eyes was unusual. I managed my expression as I noted this.
Before speaking further, there was something I needed to show first.
“First, before we converse, could you take custody of what I’ve brought?”
At my words, Wol Seon-geom looked at the coffin.
Feeling his gaze, I opened the coffin.
“….”
The moment Wol Seon-geom saw what was inside, his eyebrows twitched.
He seemed to know what it was.
“…Manyeol.”
Emotion filled the expression of Wol Seon-geom, who had appeared expressionless throughout. It was shock.
“…How did you obtain this?”
“Ah, I discovered it in a dungeon in Anhui.”
“Anhui, you say?”
“That’s correct.”
Why would it be in Anhui? That was precisely the question that appeared on Wol Seon-geom’s face.
“…Would it be alright if I examined it once?”
“Of course.”
At my words, he ran his hand across the blade of the Full Moon Sword, examining it carefully. Wol Seon-geom, who had been tracing it slowly, looked at me and spoke.
“…It is indeed his sword.”
I wondered what he could possibly discern from merely touching it, but if it was genuine, that was good enough.
“I’ve recovered it, but it seems far too dangerous to keep in my possession… I thought it would be better to entrust it to my master’s sect if possible.”
Master. At that word, Wol Seon-geom’s eyes narrowed slightly.
‘Reaction confirmed.’
I had mentioned it deliberately to observe exactly this. Now, how would he respond?
I anticipated Wol Seon-geom’s reaction and made my guess.
“I understand.”
‘Hmm?’
His response was not what I had anticipated.
‘He understands?’
Did he just agree immediately? If so….
‘This is quite unexpected.’
It was rather unexpected indeed.
I never thought he would agree so readily to my request to entrust it to someone.
Normally, if someone claimed ownership, they would say something in protest, but Wol Seon-geom merely affirmed my words without objection.
“I shall preserve it as you wish with utmost care. As for further conversation, since you’ve only just arrived and must be fatigued, it would be best if we spoke again tomorrow.”
“…Yes. I think so as well.”
As I gave my answer, I frowned slightly.
I wondered why he had such a reaction. But I was beginning to understand dimly.
‘I see.’
That old man, it seems.
“Thank you for welcoming me so warmly. Then, I shall not decline your consideration and see you tomorrow.”
‘He doesn’t trust me.’
More precisely—yes, suspicion.
Wol Seon-geom was suspicious of me.

* * *
Shortly after Bangseong-yeon’s departure, only Manyeol and I remained in the empty room.
Someone suddenly appeared beside me as I gazed quietly at Manyeol.
It was as if they had simply dropped from thin air, yet I showed no reaction—I had already known they would come.
“Do you believe him?”
The man who had appeared asked me directly.
“I’m uncertain.”
A rather ambiguous answer came in response.
“It’s too difficult to believe readily, yet equally strange to dismiss entirely.”
“Then why did you not question him at all?”
….
I took a sip of the tea before me, already grown cold.
Why had I asked nothing?
There were countless questions I could have posed. Had I wished to interrogate him, I would have seized him from the start with mountains of inquiries.
One thing.
“That too was ambiguous.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Those eyes were unmistakably the Lunar Gaze.”
….
The man called Daeju did not deny my words.
The Lunar Gaze—evidence that the Cheonwol Heart Technique had been properly mastered and that body and technique were in harmony.
By tradition, the Sect Leaders of Cheonwol Gate were those who had awakened the Lunar Gaze.
The young man Bangseong-yeon had met at least that minimum requirement.
But that was not all.
“Setting aside the Lunar Gaze, the stability of his inner technique is remarkably high. You would know this as well, wouldn’t you?”
….
Again, Daeju remained silent. Observing Bangseong-yeon, I could not help but be astonished.
The Cheonwol Heart Technique’s energy is extraordinarily delicate and sensitive.
Should it falter even slightly, the energy would not circulate properly.
“The circulation has already begun.”
Imperfect though it was, the energy was already flowing through Bangseong-yeon’s body.
Observing this.
“It means he has not been studying the technique for merely a day or two.”
He would need at least several years of rigorous cultivation to reach such a level.
Bangseong-yeon’s body bore exactly that mark.
Yet there was one puzzling matter.
“His realm appears far lower than his mastery of the technique would suggest.”
For some reason, both the volume and depth of his energy seemed considerably lower than expected.
What I observed was merely second-rate level. Considering this, I voiced my doubt.
“Surely, he said he defeated Socheongeom.”
“That is correct….”
“Are you certain?”
“There were multiple witnesses, or so I’m told.”
Socheongeom of the Namgung Clan. There were rumors that he was a promising swordsman of considerable skill, and upon investigation, this proved to be true.
‘He defeated Socheongeom.’
If Bangseong-yeon truly is the successor of the Sword Saint, it wouldn’t be impossible.
‘But how, with that body?’
I couldn’t comprehend how such a frail frame could have overcome Socheongeom.
Could he be hiding his strength? No, that couldn’t be it.
That would mean he could conceal his cultivation level even from my eyes….
“Hmm.”
Wol Seon-geom recalled the young man he had just faced.
A handsome youth claiming to be the successor of the Sword Saint. His presence was quite peculiar.
‘Arrogant.’
Yes, arrogant. That was exactly it. Though he appeared courteous, there was something discordant in his manner and tone.
The way he didn’t tremble when meeting my gaze, or how he seemed tense yet unconcerned—such an attitude.
“Mm.”
Yet it wasn’t unpleasant. That was the feeling.
Those steady eyes that didn’t waver when meeting mine—could one be so confident without possessing something?
Furthermore.
‘That aura within his body.’
The Sect Leader’s brow furrowed as a hypothesis came to mind.
‘It was that person’s inner energy technique.’
An aura rough and free, different from the ordinary Cheonwol inner energy.
It bore a striking resemblance to the energy the Sword Saint once wielded.
Everyone had attempted to learn and master it, yet not a single person had succeeded.
To blend delicate and sensitive energy with roughness and freedom in one’s cultivation—it was like mixing water and oil.
This was something only the Sword Saint could use.
Yet Bangseong-yeon, who claimed to be his successor, possessed even a faint trace of that energy.
That was why. Though there were many suspicious points and countless impossible occurrences, I had let them pass for now. This alone was the reason.
“His inner energy is already rooted within his body, and he’s even opened the Lunar Gate. For now, it’s best to keep him close and observe.”
Especially since he appeared with the Full Moon cultivation as well, it was more prudent to keep him nearby and assess him rather than send him away or treat him harshly.
“Daeju.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Monitor his movements and report immediately if anything seems amiss.”
“Understood.”
“Furthermore.”
Cheon Seonghwa regarded Daeju with a gaze that had grown slightly colder.
“Investigate the Yeolyeongbangga Clan thoroughly as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man with refined manners disappeared, and I, the Sect Leader, let out a shallow sigh while gazing toward the entrance.
“This is not simple.”
An unexpected arrival. It had been troublesome in multiple ways, even when I first heard the news.
In a situation like this, his successor was like a typhoon that had suddenly descended.
What troubled me most was this.
“It has already reached that child’s ears.”
Bangseong-yeon’s arrival would have reached my daughter’s ears the moment he arrived at Cheongwol Gate.
If that happened, my daughter would move first before I could even grasp the situation.
“…Hmm….”
What would happen then.
Amid shallow anxiety, a sharp curiosity stirred within me.
Wol Seon-geom’s blue eyes gleamed as I closed them for a moment.
And I recalled something.
Perhaps she was already moving.

* * *
After my meeting with Wol Seon-geom, I was being guided toward my quarters.
However, I found myself tilting my head at the figure standing before me.
“Nice to meet you.”
An abrupt greeting. It was a woman with long hair.
I looked into her blue eyes and asked.
“Who are you?”
“Who do you think I am?”
“Hmm.”
After hearing her response, I nodded. She seemed to be quite mad.

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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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