The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 319

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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 319
A day had passed since Seongheon collapsed.
The fact that Jang Moonin had collapsed during the meeting couldn’t be hidden from the disciples.
Because of this, word spread far and wide that Seongheon’s condition was critical.
One of the few remaining Celestial Demons.
A legendary figure in Hwasan’s history and a hero of the Jeongma Great War—Maehwa Ilgeom Seongheon.
The star of the Central Plains, who had been mentioned alongside Shin Chang as a candidate for League Leader, had fallen.
That fact couldn’t be met with mere sympathy, as the world might wish.
“Is it true that Jang Moonin has collapsed?”
“Lord of the Clan. Please answer us at once.”
Many people had gathered at the gates of Hwasan since morning.
Those gathered were all merchant guild personnel.
Their expressions revealed not worry, but an unmistakable urgency.
“Please tell us at once…!”
“Damn it… What are we to do now…?”
The reason the merchant guild members had come since morning was simple.
The fact that Jang Moonin had collapsed. Because of this, turbulent waves would sweep through the merchant guilds of Hwayeom County and even Shanxi itself.
“If this happens, our dealings with the Martial Arts Alliance will…?”
“Will we need to negotiate with Zhongnan from now on…?”
The replacement of Jang Moonin brought such repercussions.
Being merchants who valued the flow of the times, they would need to examine each of these details carefully.
“Please, all of you, exercise restraint…! At this moment, I cannot share any information.”
Those facing this situation were filled with nothing but difficulty.
“You can’t share any information…!”
One of the Merchant Leaders grew angry at the explanation.
“A massacre is happening in the county right now. Those Patcheon-gung thugs or whoever they are have infiltrated here and are causing chaos. How can you ask us to sit idle!”
“Damn it… Could it be that the heretics moved because they learned Jang Moonin was ill…? If so, how far have they already…?”
It was utter chaos. To their eyes, what would happen because of Jang Moonin’s collapse seemed more problematic than the collapse itself.
It was only natural. They were merchants, after all. And their instability would inevitably harm Hwasan.
Since the merchant guild was the one providing support, it was uncertain how their support to Hwasan would be affected by this instability.
“…For now, there is nothing I can inform you of, so I ask that you wait…!”
Shouts echoed back and forth. I could see disciples who looked frustrated.
“Hmm.”
Watching that, I nodded my head slightly.
‘What a mess.’
This was chaos of the highest order. I had anticipated this would happen, but seeing it directly made me want to laugh.
“So.”
I glanced to the side. Yeo Hyeok was biting his lip, hiding his discomfort.
Though it wasn’t something he could truly hide.
“What happened?”
I looked at Yeo Hyeok and asked again. Upon hearing my question, Yeo Hyeok moistened his lips before speaking.
“…The meeting has concluded.”
“Yes, I heard that much.”
The meeting that had been ongoing since morning. The attendees were the Elders of Hwasan and the Plum Blossom Sword Masters.
Since the Hwasan Sect’s Jang Moonin had collapsed, it was naturally a meeting they had to conduct among themselves.
As we belonged to the Cheongwol Sect, there was no point in us participating, so I hadn’t heard the details.
“What was the conclusion?”
That’s why I was asking Yeo Hyeok.
Upon hearing this, Yeo Hyeok spoke.
“Initially, it concerned the Jang Moonin’s illness.”
“Yes.”
“…They confirmed he was indeed poisoned. They said it was poison from Seomok Grass.”
“Seomok Grass?”
“…It’s a type of extreme poison. While not completely odorless, it has a faint scent, and when it contacts liquid, its toxicity manifests, causing the internal organs to become paralyzed.”
“You’re saying the Jang Moonin ingested that?”
“Yes…. He did consume an antidote that was prepared….”
Crunch.
Yeo Hyeok clenched his fist mid-sentence. There was no need to hear the rest.
From the beginning….
‘Seongheon’s spirit is here with me.’
Seongheon remained as a spirit by my side.
The problem was.
‘…Whether that poison was truly the cause….’
Yeo Hyeok said it was due to extreme poison. But I thought otherwise.
‘Seongheon told me himself.’
That he had been ingesting small amounts of poison daily.
Given that the result manifested today, it was highly likely this wasn’t Seomok Grass or anything of the sort.
‘If so.’
Then the physician who confirmed and reported this would be complicit as well.
‘…Hmm.’
I stroked my chin inwardly.
“…So what came next?”
“…Since the Jang Moonin has collapsed and there’s no knowing when he’ll awaken….”
Yeo Hyeok trailed off. I spoke in his stead on that matter.
“They must have brought up finding a new Jang Moonin?”
“….”
Instead of answering in words, Yeo Hyeok nodded.
Of course. Since the Jang Moonin had lost consciousness and couldn’t fulfill his duties, it was natural that a new leader had to be appointed.
However.
“Who was mentioned as a candidate?”
Who is being discussed as the next Sect Leader candidate at this Hwasan conference?
When I asked this question, Yeo Hyeok answered.
“…It is the Daeju, sir.”
“Tsk.”
The answer I had anticipated came. The Maehua Daeju.
He had been nominated as a candidate for Sect Leader.
‘Ah, as expected?’
The Maehua Daeju rising as a candidate. This was not particularly problematic either.
The justification was sufficient.
‘The greatest master of Hwasan, excluding Seongheon.’
He held the position of Daeju for the Plum Blossom Sword Masters, who were like symbols themselves, and had continued his activities in the current generation for a long time.
He had even accomplished considerable feats during the Righteous Demon War.
With Seongheon set aside, there was nothing strange about the Maehua Daeju being discussed as a Sect Leader candidate.
‘The reason it seems likely that man prepared this is what troubles me.’
Likely? No. I am certain of it.
This game had been orchestrated by the Maehua Daeju.
“…Damn it….”
Yeo Hyeok utters rough words beside me. His expression was filled with frustration.
“Not even a day has passed since the Sect Leader fell…. How can they….”
Search for a new Sect Leader? Does he not understand this? Watching him, I let out a low chuckle.
‘…This man has not been touched much by the ways of the world.’
Should we leave the Sect Leader, who collapsed in the grip of emotion, as he is? The rumors have already spread everywhere.
If we could suppress the rumors like we did with Shin Chang, perhaps. But this time, we cannot.
‘Those men are spreading the rumors.’
The people of Patcheon Gung are surely spreading the rumors throughout the world—how could we possibly conceal it?
Moreover, if there is a clear replacement available, it would be even more impossible.
‘Shin Chang was ambiguous, but Seongheon is not.’
The one being discussed as a replacement for the Martial Arts Alliance Leader is Seongheon, who has now fallen.
There is also the Peng Clan Leader, but that would come after Seongheon.
But Hwasan is different.
It was a place with a fairly certain replacement available.
Whether or not someone could match Seongheon’s strength, there existed someone with sufficient justification.
‘And that someone happens to be the Maehua Daeju.’
The rumors have spread everywhere, and the merchant guilds are on the verge of rising up.
Now that we know heretics exist in the prefecture, we cannot leave Hwasan shaken with the Sect Leader fallen.
A new Sect Leader had to be installed immediately.
‘Hmm.’
I nodded slightly.
“…Wol-hyeop.”
I hear Yeo Hyeok calling me.
“Ah, yes.”
“…I’m not sure what to do.”
He posed the question to me with a somewhat weary expression.
Was he looking for an answer from me? Ah, I’m not good at this sort of thing.
“…Well, before that.”
I asked while observing Yeo Hyeok’s anxious eyes.
“What does the Sect Master wish to do?”
“….”
“You’re anxious, aren’t you?”
Maehua Daeju is a suspect. If he becomes the Sect Leader, there’s no telling what might happen. In such circumstances, what did Yeo Hyeok want to do?
The moment I asked that.
“I….”
Yeo Hyeok speaks in a trembling voice. Hearing his voice, I understood.
‘This man also has no clear answer, it seems.’
Having no answer himself, he turned my question back to me.
There was no way anything would come from that.
[….]
Seongheon gazes at Yeo Hyeok with an ambiguous expression. What did those eyes mean? Concern? Pity? Or something else entirely?
I could not read Seongheon’s emotions. To be honest, I didn’t want to.
‘An answer.’
As for the answer I possessed, I had already decided at that point.
Regardless of what reaction they showed.
Then.
“Bangseong-yeon.”
Someone called out to me and appeared.
It was Do-hyeong.
“Ah, yes. Senior.”
Do-hyeong glances subtly at Yeo Hyeok beside him. Seeing that, I spoke.
“It’s fine. Please speak.”
At my reassurance, Do-hyeong nods and tells me.
“Everything you mentioned. I’ve confirmed it all.”
“Oh.”
I expressed admiration at those words. It was faster than I expected.
Whoooosh.
Light swirls rapidly around Do-hyeong. It was the Guardian Spirit I had always questioned.
Seeing that, I felt a slight jolt internally.
‘It seems angry somehow?’
Its rotation is faster than usual. From the feeling of it, it seems angered.
‘…Is it because I sent it on errands?’
Could it be because of that? During the danger in Sacheon before, it showed no reaction whatsoever, so it was absurd that it would be angry over something like this.
‘…Why does he look so terrifying?’
Still, he was a Guardian Spirit of Mountain Deity caliber. If he grew angry, I had no idea what would happen, so I had to suppress my nervousness slightly.
In the end, nothing significant occurred.
“So… did it, how did it turn out?”
Suppressing my anxiety, I asked, and Do-hyeong continued his explanation to me.
“Just as you said.”
The rest came through a whisper technique.
-Stakes existed all across the ground.
“….”
Upon hearing this, I narrowed my eyes.
‘…Damn it.’
This confirmed it.
‘These bastards….’
The Patcheon-gung Thugs were connected to the Heretics.
And for good reason—what I had asked my companions to do was to go to certain locations and check if stakes were present.
The way I knew the locations.
The reason was simple.
‘The Six-Fate Formation.’
It was the location of the sorcerous array they had been using.
‘…So those positions remained unchanged?’
Every part of my prediction aligned perfectly.
This was an infuriating development.
“Damn it….”
A sigh escaped involuntarily.
I pressed my fingers against my brow.
‘The Heretics, in the end.’
I had anticipated the stakes from the beginning, but never imagined it would be the Six-Fate Formation.
‘…They intend to do that?’
The Heretics’ Six-Fate Formation meant….
‘Pouring all manner of sacrifices.’
It was akin to summoning a Calamity Deity. However….
‘It doesn’t end with merely summoning.’
It goes beyond simply summoning the Calamity Deity. If summoning were the only purpose, they wouldn’t resort to such troublesome measures.
The Six-Fate Formation wasn’t aimed at summoning the Calamity Deity.
‘Possession.’
It meant to place the Calamity Deity into a single body and possess it.
In other words, resurrection.
These bastards seemed intent on resurrecting the Calamity Deity.
Whoosh.
I rose to my feet.
“…Wol-hyeop?”
Yeo Hyeok stared at me with a puzzled expression.
“…Ah, I had a feeling you’d be coming soon.”
So naturally, the next operation became predictable. The moment when Jang Moonin falls and the Six Paths of Destruction are being planned?
Then the next sequence was already determined.
“Pardon my intrusion.”
A Hwasan Disciple arrives as if he had been waiting for this moment.
Looking at him, I anticipated what he would say.
‘The Maehua Daeju wishes to hear about the upcoming schedule.’
“…The Maehua Daeju wishes to hear about your upcoming schedule, so he seeks you, Wol-hyeop.”
“….”
I let out a quiet laugh.
It was exactly as I had predicted.

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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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