The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 294

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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 294
Silence hung in the air. The Maehua Daeju’s already small eyes had widened several times over.
“…How did you discern this.”
Breaking through the frigid stillness, the Daeju spoke to me.
‘How did I discern it… indeed.’
At those words, I laughed inwardly. That was the old demon’s mistake.
‘He should have either questioned my credibility or maintained silence instead.’
What was he thinking, revealing such a reaction now.
‘He’s admitting he’s been shaken.’
It was as good as confessing his panic at the situation.
I pretended not to notice the Daeju’s reaction and continued speaking.
“These are things my informants and I have gathered. The credibility is reasonably sound, as I mentioned before.”
I paused briefly.
This subtle silence would surely create considerable ripples for him.
“Whether you believe it or not is your choice, Daeju.”
“….”
“It was right of you to trust your beloved disciples, but perhaps it is also something you should do—to view the situation rationally.”
I spoke as though respecting his choice, as if offering assistance.
Only then did the Daeju fall silent, as if lost in contemplation.
No, he was genuinely lost in thought.
Though perhaps for different reasons.
“…What do you want by giving me this.”
The Daeju spoke in a heavy tone.
“If you are willing to help, I will tell you then.”
“….”
“I hope you make a good choice.”
I finished speaking and rose to my feet. Then, bowing my head lightly with proper courtesy, I left the room.
I did not look back.
‘Now.’
I had laid the trap. Whether he would step into it or not, I had said many times before.
It was the old demon’s choice.

* * *
Even after concluding my conversation with Daeju, it was still before noon.
“Ugh.”
I walked with a dull ache in my lower back. The wound wasn’t deep, but if it had gone any deeper, I couldn’t imagine what would have happened.
‘…So he was Gwima.’
One of the Eight Demons, like the Sword Demon.
An absolute master among the elite of the Celestial Demon Divine Sect.
Facing him, I realized it once more.
‘I can’t afford to be careless.’
No matter how much my cultivation had advanced, the gap between me and an absolute master was undeniable.
If he had truly intended to kill me….
‘I would have died right there.’
It was fortunate that his only goal was to subdue me. Otherwise, I would already be dead.
‘This isn’t easy.’
That man with such formidable power. It really wasn’t easy.
‘And another thing.’
The Sword Demon and Gwima alike. They were known to have already perished.
How were those whose lifelines had been severed during the Demonic War now walking about alive?
‘What exactly are the Demonic Sect and Patcheon Gung after?’
What could their purpose be to come all the way to Shaanxi and engage in this?
Moreover.
‘Why do I keep getting entangled with them?’
I couldn’t fathom why those men kept getting tangled up with me.
“Damn it….”
My construction projects were already demanding enough. With these troublemakers complicating things, the burden felt doubled.
‘Let me organize this.’
I turned my thoughts inward. Work had piled up anyway. When things reached this point, there was only one method.
‘Handle what’s in front of me first.’
One task at a time without pause.
Having lived by rolling forward all this time, I’d found no better approach than this.
‘I’ve already shaken Daeju.’
The personnel I’d investigated and documented. Having seen that list, Daeju must have been greatly unsettled.
Moreover.
‘They’ll be more cautious about touching me now.’
I’d let slip that I roughly understood the personnel involved and possessed sources of information.
This would make them hesitate before moving against me.
It also meant I’d bought myself time.
‘I need to act now.’
Regardless of how they move, I know they’re not the type to act recklessly. So they’ll move quite carefully in this regard as well.
‘…Hmm.’
I stroked my chin in contemplation. Then.
“Wol-hyeop…?”
Hearing my name called, I turned around.
“Ah, Master Yeo Hyeok.”
It was Yeo Hyeok.
“So you were here.”
“Were you looking for me?”
“Yes. I was searching for you after hearing you weren’t at your residence.”
This wasn’t a chance encounter—he had come seeking me out.
“Are you feeling well?”
“Yes. Fortunately, I’m fine.”
Truth be told, I wasn’t entirely fine. But this much was manageable.
“I see…. That’s a relief.”
“This works out perfectly.”
“Pardon?”
“I was planning to visit you anyway.”
By order of priority, Maehwa Ilgeom should have come first, but this would do just as well.
“You mean me?”
“Yes. You came looking for me because you had a purpose, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“How fortunate. I also have something to tell you. I’ve just come from meeting with Maehua Daeju separately.”
“…!”
Yeo Hyeok flinches at my words.
Of course he would. This was the situation where Yeo Hyeok had expressed his suspicions about Maehua Daeju.
But the fact that I had just met with the Daeju alone would naturally startle him.
“How could….”
“I needed to verify something.”
“Verify something…?”
-I came to confirm whether the Daeju is truly a traitor as you suggested.
-…!
When I switch to a whispered transmission, Yeo Hyeok stiffens.
-Did you… reach a conclusion?
-Yes.
I nodded as I spoke.
-From what I observed, the Daeju does not appear to be a traitor.
-Ah…?
Yeo Hyeok is taken aback by my differing opinion.
Looking at him, I continued.
-Hani, I wanted to ask why you came to view the Daeju as a traitor.
-…That is….
-If it’s a difficult matter to discuss, you needn’t force yourself. But I’d appreciate it if you could share, if possible.
-….
Yeo Hyeok fell silent for a brief moment. After a span of time short enough to count on one’s fingers.
-…It’s nothing unusual. More of an intuition, really.
-An intuition?
-Yes. It’s been a few months now…. New disciples have recently entered Hwasan.
-I see.
Disciples come and go, certainly. But is there a problem with that?
When I wondered what connection this had to Daeju.
-…But Daeju hasn’t memorized those children’s names.
-…What?
I narrowed my eyes. What did he mean by that?
-…He hasn’t memorized them?
-…Yes.
-Why not?
I couldn’t fathom what the problem was. It made no sense to me.
-He used to memorize all of them.
-….
-That’s not the only strange thing.
-There’s more, then.
Right, this isn’t the end of it. There must be something else.
-His personal cultivation time and the hours spent instructing his disciples have decreased dramatically.
-…What?
What problem could that possibly be?
I felt dizzy beginning to set in.
-What’s the problem with that….
-Normally, most of his time was spent guiding his disciples and cultivating himself. Now, those hours barely exist.
-No….
I understand. I can see that Daeju has changed in some way from Yeo Hyeok’s perspective.
-So what exactly is the problem with that?
No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t see what connection this had to the conspiracy.
I held back a sigh.
-And the most important reason is.
Yeo Hyeok added his words to me, as if this was truly significant.
-His eyes have changed.
-…His eyes?
-Yes. His gaze… it’s different from the Daeju I knew.
-Exactly how so?
-They’re cold. Frigid and… somehow dark.
-….
I wiped my face.
So in the end, he’d simply guessed and happened to be right.
‘…I thought he’d have some basis for his suspicion.’
Had he truly suspected based on mere intuition?
That was even more remarkable.
‘To dare suspect Daeju on nothing but a hunch.’
This man was clearly not normal either. I wondered if he possessed some crucial evidence, but it seemed he didn’t.
‘Is he truly just a beast?’
He had suspected purely on instinct.
That statement was even more absurd.
-…No. That….
I stopped myself mid-sentence.
-Never mind. Let’s drop this….
Let’s just move on. If I dragged this out any further, I felt my insides would burst.
-…I have a different question.
-Yes? You don’t need to hear more?
-There’s more…? Ah, no, never mind.
It would likely be the same anyway, so let’s forget this.
-You mentioned something before.
-Something I said…?
-That there was a matter at Hwasan.
-Ah….
-Can you tell me what that matter is now?
Something was happening at Hwasan. I asked, wanting to understand this properly.
-…That’s.
Yeo Hyeok hesitated greatly. He showed signs of difficulty speaking, but ultimately he broke through his hesitation and told me.
-…An incident has occurred at Hwasan.
My complexion darkened in an instant.
-An incident, you say…?
-…The disciples… More precisely, the Plum Blossom Sword Masters,
At the words he spoke next,
-…Several have gone missing.
-…!
My mind reacted.
‘Ah.’
I see.
With just that brief statement, I understood.
‘…These bastards….’
Why they had established their position in Seomseo.
I could anticipate the reason.

* * *
Caw—!
Caw—!
Beyond the dark silence, a raven cried out. In the quiet, fixed gaze of the black bird lay an abundance of misfortune.
Above the wild beasts tearing at corpses for lack of sustenance, the young man advanced with deliberate steps.
Crunch.
As the figure appeared, the famished beasts displayed caution. Yet moments later, they trembled and fled in haste.
“Hm~hm hm~.”
A slow, hummed melody.
As if amused by the desolate atmosphere, the young man treaded fearlessly upon the ground.
As he continued thus, walking slowly on and on.
“What are you scheming?”
The old man who had been following behind spoke. Hwasan’s Maehua Daeju posed the question.
At those words, the young man—Gwima—turned his head.
“What do you mean, sir?”
At Gwima’s innocent inquiry, a tempest swirled in the Daeju’s eyes.
“Don’t pretend you don’t understand. You know full well I’m asking why you let Wol-hyeop live.”
Shhh.
Silence hung heavy in the tense atmosphere. The pressure of an absolute master bore down upon all sides.
Snap.
Yet Gwima, unbothered by the situation, merely unfolded his fan to conceal his face.
“Why did I let him live, you ask? How frightening, to hear such words from the great Maehua Daeju himself. One mustn’t simply kill people indiscriminately. Life is inherently precious….”
Shing—!
The blade’s tip touched Gwima’s throat.
“Do I seem to be jesting with you?”
“Oh my, how terrifying….”
“Enough of your foolish games. Answer my question. Gwima. Why did you let Wol-hyeop live?”
He could have killed him.
Gwima could have slain Wol-hyeop without difficulty. So why had he let him escape?
The Maehua Daeju could not fathom it.
Because of that.
“That wretch is more meticulous than expected. You do realize that your oversight has tangled matters, don’t you?”
Whoosh—!
The Maehua Daeju, angered, hurled the letter he held.
“Mere days at most. In such a brief span, he uncovered so many of our agents. It was astounding.”
Gwima glanced at the letter lying on the ground. Though he merely glimpsed it without picking it up, his eyes widened slightly.
“My. Is that so? Far more accurate than I expected.”
A monotone response. Even upon learning that their planted agents had been discovered.
“Is that truly all your reaction amounts to?”
Whether it was Gwima’s reaction that was the problem, the Maehua Daeju’s furrowed brow narrowed even further.
“If only you hadn’t let Wol-hyeop live.”
“Oh my. Really now.”
Twang!
“…!”
At Gwima’s gesture, the sword that had been pressed against his neck flew away.
“You keep blaming me for everything, don’t you?”
Gwima smiled with his eyes as he retrieved his fan.
“Then, if I had killed him back then. What would we have done after that? Should I have fought Sochul Daeju right there and then?”
That demon-like human?
Gwima laughed even louder as he spoke.
“Everything was beyond our calculations. You should understand that too. In the first place, the fact that Wol-hyeop even found that place was already a problem.”
It was a fortress I had constructed so that no one could find it.
I had invested considerable effort in laying down the formation. Even if the Jegal clan came forward, it should have taken at least four days to break through.
And yet.
“He really broke it in an instant.”
Wol-hyeop dismantled it in a moment.
How could that be possible?
Gwima couldn’t understand that part.
‘I heard he was of Jegal Jin’s bloodline….’
Upon gathering information, it was revealed that he was indeed of the Jegal clan’s blood.
Did that help?
‘No. Even so.’
Four days is far too fast. Even if the legendary Jegal Jin himself came, I would have held for two days.
Yet he broke through in less than half a day?
It makes no sense.
“There are so many things that don’t make sense piling up. This isn’t the time to blame anyone, is it?”
He keeps blaming me, and it’s starting to irritate me.
“If anything, shouldn’t I be suspecting you for failing to deal with Wol-hyeop and letting things come to this?”
“What?”
The Daeju frowns. Just as killing intent begins to gather at the tip of his sword.
“But you’re not doing that, are you?”
Gwima smiled brightly.
“Let’s not fight each other. It’s a pointless struggle. Our goals are the same, so why make this so difficult?”
Gwima gently touches the Daeju’s shoulder as if to calm him.
“You get Hwasan for yourself. I achieve my purpose. That’s all we need.”
The Daeju brushes away Gwima’s hand in disgust, but Gwima pays no mind.
“Wol-hyeop’s matter was unexpected. Sochul Daeju’s matter was also beyond our expectations… but it’s fine. Because I gained something from it.”
“You gained something?”
What could he have gained? The Daeju asks, unable to understand.
“Thanks to Wol-hyeop stepping forward, I obtained the information I desired.”
Gwima advanced with a light, dancing gait.
Yes, it was a harvest.
The reason Patcheon Gung had gone all the way to Shaanxi and established their position here.
“I discovered the whereabouts of Physician Uiseon.”
Physician Uiseon.
It was to find him.
“Maehwa Ilgeom. So he is Physician Uiseon.”
Gwima had uncovered his true identity.

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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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