The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 357

—————
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 357
My hands moved of their own accord.
That was the only way to describe it.
Truly, of their own accord.
My hands simply moved without my command.
Even with a blade pressed against my throat, even knowing the murderous intent behind that sword was genuine, my fingertips would not stop.
My hand rose to my chest.
Without hesitation, my palm made contact with Shin Chang’s decaying skin.
‘What is this?’
I was bewildered.
‘…Why am I moving like this?’
It contradicted everything I knew. The knowledge Seongheon had imparted suggested that observation through the eyes should come first.
Shiiiiing—!!!!
Yet my hands and body, defying that knowledge, moved freely across Shin Chang’s form.
As though they already knew the path.
Squeeze.
“…!”
My eyes widened. Pressure bore down upon my dantian.
Energy surged upward, flowing through my meridians as heat accumulated.
Tension gathered at my eyes as the Wol-an opened.
The Weonseongum.
In the eyes that perceive an opponent’s martial path, something else came into view.
[Look at this.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke with amusement in his voice.
He seemed to have discovered something.
And I shared that discovery.
‘I can see it.’
Lines.
Paths.
Something extending from my eyes became visible upon Shin Chang’s body.
Was I meant to follow these and touch? No. I understood it was not that simple.
This was.
‘The path of energy.’
I was meant to use my energy. The moment I understood, my dantian responded.
Whoooosh—!!!!
Energy flowed forth.
The azure energy of the Cheonwol Heart Method coursed through my hands, following the lines that encircled Shin Chang’s body.
“Wol-hyeop! If you do not cease, I will restrain you by force—”
“Wait—”
Cheon Rijin-an stepped forward to block the martial artist from the sudden transformation unfolding.
“…Wait a moment.”
Shiiiiing—!!!
I couldn’t even blink. Yet I distinctly felt the energy.
I had to follow the path, and even the slightest wavering seemed unacceptable, so I repeated my utmost concentration.
‘…This is difficult.’
It wasn’t easy. The energy was intense compared to the slow speed.
Why is controlling it so damnably hard? Was it the resistance against Shin Chang’s energy, or perhaps.
‘This rotting body corrupted by that energy flow is the problem.’
Controlling the flowing energy was impossibly difficult.
‘…If I slip even slightly.’
If I lost even a bit of the energy already released, backlash would strike me.
Seongheon’s knowledge speaks.
‘Deviation into demonic cultivation.’
One misstep here would twist the meridians, he said.
So then.
‘Don’t make mistakes.’
Not a single error was permitted.
치이이이이—!!!
As the energy flowed, a foul stench wafted from Shin Chang’s body.
“Ugh!”
“This is…!”
Everyone froze at the black smoke and the stench that rose with it.
They understood too. That touching me now could spell the end for both me and Shin Chang.
‘Ah…. Damn it.’
My lips trembled. Regret flooded in.
‘Why did I do it?’
What riches and glory did I think I’d gain doing this? Regret crashed over me immediately.
The problem was my body moved without time to deliberate.
Shiiiiing—!!
The energy continued to circulate. Each rotation released more stench, which also meant it was working.
‘The stench means the filth is being expelled from within.’
Drawing out the corrupted energy flowing through the body.
My energy was accomplishing that right now.
‘I see.’
I narrowed my eyes and observed the energy.
The flow direction was reversed. The energy flowing from Shin Chang’s body was moving backward.
Following that current, I was burning away only the malevolent energy from within.
‘Is this even possible by normal standards?’
Could one actually extract and burn away only the corrupted energy?
By a martial artist’s common sense, it was impossible, yet it was happening.
“…How is this possible.”
“The energy….”
Shin Chang’s energy was gradually being stripped away. Proof that it was working.
[That bastard Malko left behind something bizarre. Utterly useless.]
I heard Yoo Cheon-gil’s displeased voice, but I didn’t respond and focused instead.
Shhhhh—!!
I felt the energy flowing away gradually. I drained the malevolent qi spreading nearby, again and again.
“Ugh!”
The martial artists let out groans. The energy pouring from Shin Chang filled the room.
“…Scholar. I believe you should step outside for now.”
“It’s fine.”
I asked if there might be harm to Cheon Rijin-an due to the energy, but he simply gazed at me calmly.
‘How far will this go.’
Would I have to endure this energy further.
As I continued draining the energy while pondering this.
Thunk—!
“…!”
Something caught at the end. My eyes widened at the sensation I felt.
‘Is this it.’
The source of the energy.
The energy destroying Shin Chang’s body.
I felt it. Setting aside the physical aspects, it seemed I couldn’t proceed without removing the source of this malevolent qi.
So I tried to push and erase this energy as well.
Zzzzzt—!!!
“…!!!”
My body froze. The energy burrowed into my fingertips.
‘Insane.’
The intensity of this energy was extraordinary. This was.
‘Not just a mere concentration of energy.’
It wasn’t that the body was rotting and energy was being expelled. I felt it the moment I touched it.
‘I see.’
So this was why Shin Chang had deteriorated so severely.
‘It’s a curse.’
This was a curse. Why hadn’t I sensed it until now?
‘It was hidden so thoroughly that even I couldn’t detect it?’
Normally I should have felt it the moment I saw it, but I hadn’t.
Did that mean the energy was weak? No, that wasn’t it.
“Hah.”
I steadied my breathing. I reversed the energy I had been draining. I couldn’t push further here.
‘Can I retrieve it.’
I narrow my eyes. The corrupted energy on the surface has been cleared away. If I manipulate it correctly, it should be possible.
With this thought, I slowly rotated the energy. In the exact direction it had come from. Gradually, bit by bit, I withdrew it.
Whoooosh—
Only when the energy of the Cyan Moon Heart Technique had fully returned to my dantian did I finally—
“Haah—”
I exhaled the breath I had been holding back.
“…Phew.”
I’m exhausted. I wiped away the beads of sweat gathered on my forehead.
And with weary eyes, I looked toward Shin Chang.
He still hadn’t regained consciousness, and his wounds remained unchanged.
“I’ve managed to clear away most of the energy.”
The corrupted energy emanating from him in the form of a malevolent aura was now noticeably diminished.
Seeing this, I turned to look beside me.
“What do you think?”
I asked, looking at Cheon Rijin-an.
“…Could you give me a chance?”
“….”
Cheon Rijin-an didn’t answer. He simply stared at me with trembling eyes.
And that was answer enough for me.

* * *
“…His breathing has returned.”
The Physician taking Shin Chang’s pulse spoke.
“The scattered energy has also recovered to some degree. How on earth is such a miracle possible….”
In contrast to barely managing to prevent his body’s energy from dispersing,
now the flowing energy had become somewhat normalized, and his labored breathing had stabilized.
“This is truly a miracle.”
A miracle. The Physician dared to call it such.
“…A miracle, you say.”
Hearing this, Cheon Rijin-an narrowed his eyes.
Then the Physician left the room.
“Even that prideful Physician called it a miracle.”
Cheon Rijin-an’s gaze turned toward me.
“Was it truly a miracle?”
“I’m not sure.”
I was still catching my breath, exhausted.
“…I did put in considerable effort. Whether it qualifies as a miracle, I couldn’t say.”
“This transcends what could be called mere effort.”
His gaze carried a sharp intensity.
“What exactly did you do?”
“As I’ve already explained, what else is there to say?”
His gaze was piercing, yet his voice carried no discomfort.
“I observed, learned, and mastered it.”
“Nonsense.”
Cheon Rijin-an cut me off decisively.
“We’re talking about medicine—specifically, Physician Uiseon’s techniques. You claim to have mastered them in such a fleeting moment? Do you truly believe that’s possible?”
Learning medicine takes years. That’s merely acquiring the knowledge needed to treat patients.
The actual time required to practice treatment and achieve mastery would be far longer still.
Yet I supposedly mastered it in mere months—or rather, less than a month if we count only my time at Hwasan?
It was something no one would believe.
“It may not make sense. But.”
I simply shrugged and spoke.
“I did it.”
“…What?”
“The results are right before your eyes. I’m not sure what more needs to be said.”
I had accomplished it.
“That’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
The results proved it, and that was everything. As it always was.
“Ha…”
Cheon Rijin-an exhaled in disbelief.
“So you have nothing more to explain?”
“I’ve shown you and explained it. I’ve even proven it. What more could I possibly do?”
Perhaps from exhaustion, my tone grew somewhat sharp.
“I obtained what Physician Uiseon left behind. This was the only method available. You know that well.”
If I couldn’t bring Physician Uiseon here, I needed an equivalent approach.
“And you’re saying you can substitute for him.”
“Because there’s no other way.”
“Do you believe that’s possible?”
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
“There’s no certainty anywhere. But if I fail, there doesn’t seem to be time to find another method.”
I loosened my wrist slightly. My body didn’t hurt, but my dantian felt oddly numb.
“I wondered if the items I brought might help… but seeing things today, I’ll know soon enough.”
The Divine Altar I brought from Hwasan, obtained through Wol Seon-geom’s account.
I had hoped using it on Shin Chang might aid in his recovery, but today would tell.
‘That won’t work.’
I could tell from observing Shin Chang’s condition.
The same applied to what Wol Seon-geom demonstrated and the power Seongheon left behind.
Moreover.
‘The instrument.’
I felt the malevolent qi dwelling within Shin Chang’s body, and only then did certainty crystallize within me.
‘I must be the one to do this.’
Damn it all, it seemed there was no one else capable of handling this but me.
Even if Physician Seongheon came directly, it would have been the same.
“I must do this. If not me, the League Leader will die.”
“….”
I spoke with conviction. Though Cheon Rijin-an’s brow remained furrowed upon hearing my words.
“….”
Unlike before, no firm refusal poured forth.
As a brief silence settled between us.
“You—”
Cheon Rijin-an spoke to me.
“What exactly are you looking at?”
A question without clear meaning.
What am I looking at?
“I’m not certain. Must I be looking at something?”
There was simply too much to see, making it impossible to pinpoint any single thing.
“Right now, I’m only looking at saving the League Leader.”
“You must have experienced something at Hwasan. You’ve changed somewhat.”
“That may be so.”
I had endured so many calamities that my mind was in complete disarray.
So then.
“Please decide. May I attempt to save the League Leader?”
“You say you can save him.”
“No. How could I offer such certainty? People die in the attempt, after all.”
To demand an unconditional promise of success would be quite selfish.
“But I will do my utmost.”
“….”
Cheon Rijin-an deliberated. This was the first time I had seen such hesitation written across his face.
Soon after, the Old Man’s lips moved slightly.
“Do you require preparation?”
It was permission. At those words, I steadied my breath and replied.
“Grant me half a day.”
I needed just a little time.

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