The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 419
—————
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 419
Screeeech—!!
Boom—!!
The mechanism groaned open, and the door swung wide. I peered inside and my body went rigid.
“…Huh.”
A hollow breath escaped me. An unexpected sight unfolded before my eyes.
It was utterly different from anything I’d witnessed before.
Rustle.
As my foot touched the ground, a soft sensation registered beneath me.
‘Grass.’
It was grass. Upon entering the secret chamber, a sprawling meadow stretched before me.
“This is insane.”
I couldn’t believe it. A field inside a secret chamber? The floor was carpeted with lush grass, and I could even hear the sound of water nearby.
Whoooosh.
A gentle stream flowed around the space, its waters caressing the surroundings with crystalline clarity. It was undeniably beautiful and well-maintained. But that was precisely the problem….
‘Inside a secret chamber, no less.’
A secret chamber carved within a cave. The fact that it was decorated like this was simply bizarre. No—bizarre didn’t even begin to cover it.
‘What in the world is this.’
It was beyond comprehension. What had been constructed here? It made no sense whatsoever.
Did Yoo Cheon-gil create this, or was it Dokjon’s work?
There was no way to know, but whoever it was, they certainly weren’t ordinary. Come to think of it, none of his associates were remotely normal.
‘I’d momentarily forgotten that.’
I’d overlooked something I shouldn’t have. I nodded to myself. Despite facing an absurd situation, once I recalled that Yoo Cheon-gil was the owner of this secret chamber, everything made perfect sense.
“…Right.”
What did it matter.
Clink.
I sheathed the sword I’d been holding. As the Divine Blade slid into its scabbard, I took my first step forward.
Rustle.
The grass crunched beneath my feet.
“How is this even being maintained?”
The ceiling was solid stone. Sunlight should have been impossible to reach this place. Yet how could this grass and space possibly be sustained?
Moreover, it was bright. Why was it bright? I looked up at the ceiling but saw no fixtures or lanterns hanging there. Without any light source, how was this illumination maintained?
Was this some kind of special mechanism? What sort of device could sustain something like this?
‘…In the Central Plains, of all places—not even the modern world.’
If this were the Korea of my past life, it would be conceivable. But to create such a scene in the Central Plains, so far removed from that era…
‘Is Dokjon some kind of monster.’
Beyond his mastery of tempering, his ability to construct something like this was extraordinary. I couldn’t even fathom how he’d managed it.
‘…Well then.’
Setting such questions aside for now, I ventured deeper and examined the walls. There was something more pressing I needed to find.
‘The passage to the next chamber.’
I needed to find the passage leading to the next chamber of the Secret Vault. Out of habit, I channeled power into my Wol-an and surveyed my surroundings.
But then.
‘What is this?’
I saw nothing. There was no path forward to the next location. What was going on?
‘Am I unable to find it?’
Or perhaps there was nothing more. Then again, if I’d already emerged in a place like this, it wouldn’t be strange if there was nothing else beyond it.
‘Still.’
If the owner of the Secret Vault was Yoo Cheon-gil, it didn’t seem like he would have ended things so simply.
‘…There must be something here.’
Since I couldn’t see anything, I focused my attention elsewhere rather than searching for it.
‘What’s in the Secret Vault?’
I looked around. Fields and flowing water. At the center of it all.
‘A tree?’
A single tree came into view. Ah, now I understood.
“The light is coming from there.”
Light was emanating from the tree. What was that? Why was it emitting such light?
‘It’s so bright.’
Remarkably bright. The light from the tree itself was at the level of a massive lantern.
I gradually approached the tree. Beyond that, I saw nothing else.
‘Why is the Secret Vault so empty?’
Could there really be this little? Just a single tree? I was standing there in disbelief when.
‘…Hmm.’
I finally reached right in front of the tree. As I was about to curiously touch the luminous tree.
[Do not touch it.]
“…!”
My body went rigid at the sound of that voice.
[Ha.]
The Celestial Demon. It was his voice.
Clang, clang—!
The Divine Sword trembled. What was happening?
[That damned Yoo Cheon-gil.]
His voice was filled with fury. Whether the emotional backlash reached the sword itself, it shook violently.
[He stole the Divine Wood and planted it in his Secret Vault. Ha!]
Divine Wood? Was that the tree’s name? It sounded quite grand. Divine Wood, no less.
‘A tree bearing the name of divinity.’
It certainly looked the part. Where else would you see a tree that shone like this? It wasn’t strange for such a name to be given to it…
“Ah.”
As I was thinking and looking at the tree, I noticed something when I looked deeper into it.
“This is…”
[I told you.]
The Celestial Demon speaks to me.
[Do not touch that.]
“…What is this?”
[As I thought, you would be able to see it.]
“What kind of tree…”
contains something like this? A chill ran down my spine. This was.
“It’s a Deity.”
It truly was a Deity.
It wasn’t merely called a Divine Tree in grandiose fashion—it meant that a Deity itself was contained within the wood.
What is this?
‘A Deity. Among them.’
A higher-ranked Deity. One capable of directly influencing the natural world, an exalted Deity. In my previous life…
‘I would have had to stake my life on it.’
It was such a vast Deity that I wondered if I could repel it only by throwing myself at it with the resolve to truly die. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be a Demon God.
“Why is something like this contained here?”
Could such a higher-ranked Deity even be contained within a tree?
[That is why it is a Divine Tree. Did you think it was merely a name?]
“…Normally, yes. Who would have thought of it?”
That a Deity could be contained within a tree.
‘If it were an object, perhaps. But a tree?’
I had rarely seen it happen with objects that had been used long and broken in. But being contained in a tree like this was peculiar.
And it was even emitting light.
‘Is this light also the influence of the Deity?’
I stopped my hand before it could touch. There was no telling what might happen if I carelessly touched something like this.
“Hmm…”
A Divine Tree. According to the Celestial Demon’s words, Yoo Cheon-gil brought this tree here.
“For what purpose…”
And if he stole it, no less.
“This. You were the one who had it?”
[Yes, it belongs to me.]
‘If it belongs to the Celestial Demon.’
In other words.
‘It’s an artifact of the Demon Cult?’
The Celestial Demon Cult. An object that had been owned by those who once sparked the great war.
‘Tsk.’
Why does he keep stealing such things? What is this mad old man thinking?
‘The Divine Sword was like that. And the Divine Tree is too.’
I cannot fathom what his intention is.
‘…And in this empty chamber, there is only this…wait?’
As I turned my gaze, I discovered something around the tree.
“Huh?”
There was something here. An object.
‘A sword?’
It was a sword. A thin blade, a single one. It was resting against the tree.
“….”
The moment I saw it, something came to mind.
-Please find the sword.
Those were Cheonhye-in’s words. The blade her mother had carried.
‘The weapon to kill Wol Seon-geom.’
That’s the sword she had described.
‘Could it be?’
Was this it?
I felt a faint hope.
“Hmm….”
I doubted it at first, but then the crescent moon pattern embedded in the hilt caught my eye. This….
‘Wasn’t there a similar marking on Cheonhye-in’s sword too?’
I recalled that her blade had borne a comparable symbol. It seemed to match.
‘This must be the sword Cheonhye-in was searching for.’
I lowered my head to examine it more closely.
“…Tch.”
After seeing it, I stepped back slightly. Ah, this.
“It’s already been consumed.”
The spiritual energy is far too potent. Because it had been attached to the divine tree, all manner of things that shouldn’t be there had accumulated on it thickly.
[It’s already been influenced by the divine tree. It won’t be an intact object.]
The Celestial Demon spoke as if she understood. She possessed the same divine sight as I did—or had once possessed it—so she seemed to have grasped the situation.
[Are you thinking of taking it with you?]
“I’m considering it.”
At this point, the matter becomes different.
“It will be quite difficult.”
Should I bring Cheonhye-in here and have her pull it out herself? That was also problematic.
“…If I have her pull this out.”
Everything attached here would be directed entirely toward Cheonhye-in.
“And if that happens….”
No matter how much it isn’t a Demon God, it would definitely have an effect.
‘Truth be told.’
It wasn’t my concern what happened to Cheonhye-in. But spreading this aura to a human was problematic.
“Ah, damn it. I shouldn’t have made that promise.”
It would have been better if I hadn’t discovered this. Now it’s become a needless complication.
Tsk. I clicked my tongue briefly.
I reached into my robes. With a rustling sensation, I pulled out several talismans.
[How meddlesome.]
The Celestial Demon’s voice grew somewhat cold.
“Yes. It is meddlesome.”
I sense he understands what I’m attempting to do.
Perhaps that’s why his voice carried an inexplicable disappointment.
Why would he be disappointed?
His disappointment didn’t truly reach me.
“There isn’t that much blood.”
I dip my finger into the pig’s blood I’d collected and inscribe characters onto a talisman.
I crumple it and hold it in my palm as I touch the blade.
Uuuuuuuung—!!! The spirit resonates.
“Oh my.”
It’s strong. Blood drips steadily. The inscriptions are being erased. This won’t be enough, will it?
If this continues….
‘I’ll need to completely purge the sword’s spiritual essence.’
I crumple the talisman and tuck it away. A simple method won’t work.
I retrieve two more talismans. I pick up a stone nearby, affix the newly made talisman to it, and grip another talisman in my hand as before.
As I grasp the hilt in this state.
Uuung—!! Uuuung—!!!
A different vibration resonates than before.
Fortunately, I succeeded in deflecting the karma, but it is only momentary.
‘Inside.’
Something dwells within the blade. It was an object saturated with divine essence. This isn’t a matter of exorcism.
‘I’ll need to beseech it to depart.’
Since a master has already taken residence in this dwelling, it’s time to ask it to leave. That’s what it meant for a deity to dwell.
I close my eyes.
And I contemplate.
‘This is why.’
One should never make careless promises.
Thud—!
I pour my consciousness into the blade with singular focus.
When I opened my eyes again.
[…save me…please save me…!]
I stood within someone’s memory.
[Please… please save my mother.]
A young girl. She knelt on the ground, her eyes brimming with tears.
Her hands were covered in blood. With her small frame, she cradled a woman far larger than herself.
The woman.
‘Was dead.’
It was clear her life had already ended. A blade had pierced her abdomen. The sword wound was visible, blood flowing from it.
I gaze at it calmly and examine the child. I recognize who this is.
Though the azure eyes have faded from that youthful face, replaced by dark pupils, the distinctive features reveal her identity.
‘Cheonhye-in.’
The child was Cheonhye-in.
‘…And before her.’
The man standing before Cheonhye-in. The figure holding a blood-stained sword, looking down upon Cheonhye-in, was.
‘…Wol Seon-geom?’
Cheonseongwha.
Her father himself.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————