The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 558

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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 558
Absolute Demonic Way.
One who walks the path of demons must never cease their stride.
Or so the Celestial Demon once proclaimed.
No matter what calamity or obstacle arose, one’s footsteps must never waver with hesitation.
For one must ascend to the end and touch the heavens themselves.
Those who hesitate shall never achieve such heights.
Hani, let nothing stand in your way. Do not stop.
Simply destroy and cleave through all obstacles.
These were the words the Celestial Demon left with the Demonic Cult.
‘Disgustingly arrogant words.’
I could only laugh bitterly upon hearing them. Don’t stop? Destroy everything and push forward instead? As if such a thing were as simple as the words made it sound.
‘It’s absurd.’
When I first heard these words relayed, I could only laugh, but speaking directly with this man, I could believe he would say exactly such things.
‘Supreme above all, alone in existence.’
A man who lived in the same era as Sword Saint Yoo Cheon-gil and stood as his rival.
Though he ultimately fell in the end, if one were to discuss the greatest of all time, he would rank immediately after Sword Saint Yoo Cheon-gil.
Thus, such arrogant words carried weight because the power he possessed and the deeds he accomplished gave them justification and credence.
The Celestial Demon was an absolute being.
That was what was said until his defeat.
The Marin who existed under his command were formidable masters in their own right.
The Eight Demon Fists, called his elite forces, were more than half of Heavenly Supremes rank.
The Elders classified as pillars beneath Singyeo were of similar caliber.
Though some Elders have changed in the present day, there is one in particular—the First Elder.
‘Black Iron Sword Demon Gyemun.’
A Sword Demon who crossed blades with the Sword Emperor.
Evaluated as his equal, a so-called Heavenly Supreme rank martial artist—such a Marin operates on a different level entirely.
‘The absolute master of the current Singyeo.’
According to what Woo Yeongjin said, Gyemun was currently the strongest and most influential figure in Singyeo.
He possessed no legitimate claim and did not desire the seat of Celestial Demon, so he did not take it.
Yet he was evaluated as being fully capable of ascending to the position of Celestial Demon without shame.
An interesting matter.
‘Comparable even to the Celestial Demon, they say.’
So there exists one who could receive such an evaluation. That is curious, and yet—
[An amusing statement indeed.]
The Celestial Demon gave the same response as I would have. He could have evaluated it himself, but he neither affirmed nor denied it outright.
And regarding such rumors, Gyemun himself had warned that he would tear the mouths from those who spoke such things.
An extreme loyalist to the Celestial Demon.
His most precious subordinate who existed under the Celestial Demon’s command.
Gwima served as one of the Eight Demon Fists of that era, functioning as both a combat force and a strategist.
If the Sword Demon had taken the lead.
Gyemun was the guardian who directly protected Singyeo.
It was said that he was the greatest reason why the masters of Jeongpa, including Sword Saint Yoo Cheon-gil, had slowed their infiltration into Singang.
Black Iron Demon Blade.
A black sword wielding black sword force.
The descending sword force was like a waterfall, and the sword strikes he employed were like Taishan itself.
A heavy shield focused more on defense than offense.
Some called Gyemun an impenetrable shield.
A shield that even the Celestial Demon could not easily breach.
This was the evaluation that came from Singang.
Since Jeongpa had almost no records of him, I could not know for certain, but this was how Woo Yeongjin described Gyemun.
‘He did not directly support any clan or family.’
Yet he did not stand on the side of Yeon Socheon either—a neutrality.
Gyemun was almost the only neutral figure in Singyeo. Moreover, he did not even take disciples. While other Elders all took disciples and built their influence.
Gyemun simply remained still.
Of course, this did not cause Gyemun’s standing to wane or diminish.
Rather, it only burned brighter.
‘The greatest combat force besides the Celestial Demon and the Marin with the most renown.’
It was said that the disciple of Elder Jin had the greatest potential to approach the Celestial Demon.
‘If not for the Celestial Demon Divine Art.’
The Cheonsal Sect, called a symbol.
Even if one possessed it, one could not ascend to Celestial Demon without the Celestial Demon Divine Art.
If the Celestial Demon Divine Art were not restored, then his disciple would be the closest to the Celestial Demon.
‘Whether this is true or not, I cannot say.’
But at least one thing was clear.
Clang clang clang—!!
“Ugh.”
This old man was insanely strong.
Clang—!!
My blade bounced back. The sword force I had painstakingly constructed shattered. I watched fragments scatter through the air.
I staggered, my center of gravity thrown off. My legs wavered. One foot barely touching the ground lifted away.
‘I’m going to spin.’
Everything I had built in a single strike crumbled. A gust of wind washed over me.
Gyemun’s blade poured down upon me.
I moved my arms to block, but my limits were showing. At this rate, I would be cut. I steadied my breathing and focused.
The moment I rolled my eyes searching for a way out.
“Hup!”
Woo Yeongjin intervened. He deflected Gyemun’s attack with sword force wrapped around his gauntlets.
Boom—!! The sound of air rupturing accompanied Gyemun’s sword path twisting.
Whoosh—!
Thanks to that, only my collar was torn, and my body sustained no direct impact. I seized the opportunity. Using my twisted torso as leverage, I closed the distance.
Once I drew near, I raised my blade high.
Yawol.
I conjured the night itself.
I brought it down in a direct strike aimed at Gyemun, but—
“How presumptuous.”
Gyemun lowered his stance with an unperturbed expression.
Boom—!!!
“…!”
He created a shockwave by striking the ground, and the terrain shifted beneath my feet.
“Damn it—.”
The moment my carefully constructed form collapsed, my body wavered. The power of Yawol diminished. Seeing this, I gritted my teeth.
I had to land a cut somehow. I poured more force into the strike.
Slash—!!
My blade never reached Gyemun. I only cut through empty air.
Crack—!!!
The ground erupted. The concentrated martial force I had gathered held destructive power, yet it merely scarred the earth.
“Do you truly believe moving so simply is the right approach?”
Along with Gyemun’s voice, something appeared before my eyes. It was his foot.
Smack—!
“Gack!”
My jaw snapped upward.
Crack. Even the protective energy I had gathered beforehand shattered.
I rolled my eyes to glare at Gyemun. I had to prepare for his next move.
His blade came flying again. At this rate, it was becoming dangerous. I channeled force into my lower dantian.
I needed to unleash Wol Cheon. If I did, I risked being utterly destroyed.
In the moment I was preparing for that perilous decision—
Whoosh!
“…!”
My body was pulled rapidly backward.
Slash—! The blade passed before my eyes. I had narrowly escaped.
When I checked what had happened, I saw that Woo Yeongjin had saved me.
“Huff… gasp.”
His face was drenched in cold sweat.
“….”
I steadied my stance and readied my blade. Gyemun remained standing in his original position.
“Is that all?”
He spoke in a flat tone.
“How disappointing.”
“…Aren’t you taking children’s games far too seriously?”
Capturing the Instructor—as if. What difficulty level is this supposed to be? The Instructor would find it tedious, yet here we are playing house with the Demonic Cult’s full strength. This isn’t right.
“Why are you doing this? What have I done so wrong?”
“I never said you did anything wrong. Your only sin is being a mere fledgling of Jeongpa. I harbor no particular ill will toward you.”
“…Then why are you doing this?”
No ill will, yet you’re coming at me like this? I barely suppressed my irritation as I spoke.
“It’s a verification process.”
“Verification?”
“You’re said to be Geomseong’s Predecessor? I’m verifying whether you can truly inherit his will.”
“What do you mean by that?”
My brow furrowed. Verification? What verification?
“What right do you have to verify that?”
Even Jeongpa hasn’t properly verified it, yet someone from the Demonic Cult claims to verify it? Wasn’t that a strange thing to say, even coming from him?
‘Damn, it hurts.’
My wrists and chest, which I’d been moving to defend with, throbbed with a sharp ache.
It felt as though cracks had formed in the bone. Why am I like this from just a few hits? And I wasn’t even struck—I only defended.
Yet here I was.
‘This isn’t easy.’
He was strong. I knew that from just one exchange.
“A reason? I have one.”
Gyemun smiled. That smile sent chills down my spine.
“The predecessor of that bastard I’ll tear to shreds can’t afford to be weak, can he?”
“So you’re verifying directly…?”
“Yes. How about it? Aren’t you thrilled?”
“Thrilled my ass.”
I knew Singyeo was an abnormal place, but I never expected it to be filled with only such deranged individuals.
I held back a sigh with effort.
Then I spoke, looking toward Woo Yeongjin.
“If you see an opening, exploit it. You were doing well earlier.”
“What?”
“From your reaction, it seems you can’t escape, so try something anyway.”
“….”
“If you want to make a proper impression on your end, prepare yourself.”
Crackle.
I unleashed my energy. I immediately attempted Wol Cheon. Pure white energy enveloped my entire body.
The momentum of Gwangwol Seomgyeong surged to the crown of my head.
Crack.
The ground split open. I decided to go all out as well. My speed doubled.
In an instant, I reached Gyemun’s front.
Whoosh.
I unleashed my energy in a torrent.
In an instant, time slowed.
‘Sword and Body as One—’
I entered the Realm of Emptiness. Blade and flesh became unified.
I moved toward Gyemun. I prepared my trajectory with the intent to perceive each of his movements.
“…!”
As I moved, my skin prickled with dread.
Gyemun’s eyes were watching me. I could see his pupils tracking my every motion.
‘He can see this?’
That wasn’t all. Within my field of vision, Gyemun moved with terrifying speed.
His descending blade came toward me.
Shwing—!
I barely evaded by adjusting my angle minutely. Even with my speed doubled, this happened. Which meant—
‘He hasn’t increased his speed at all.’
And—
‘This sense of alienation…’
Sword and Body as One.
I had felt this during my battle with Yoo Yeon.
This was—
“You’ve truly reached it. Impressive.”
Gyemun was using Sword and Body as One as well.
All five senses converged upon the blade. A sensation like living in a different temporal flow.
‘Of course.’
I had anticipated this naturally. It made no sense for Singyeo’s absolute force to be incapable of wielding Sword and Body as One.
Yet facing it directly, the difference in what I felt was profound.
“Still, merely this won’t suffice.”
Clang—! Crash crash—!!
Blade met blade. A relentless exchange. I barely parried each strike, repeating my defense.
I was being pushed back steadily.
‘This is—’
I thought I had grown strong, but was it still beyond my reach?
‘Not yet—’
Facing a true absolute master still seemed too much for me. I gritted my teeth and struggled to create an opening.
‘Now.’
I forced power into my strike and drove him back.
Clang—!! My arm strained, but Gyemun’s blade soared skyward.
Woo Yeongjin dove in as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Huah!”
I extended my fist energy and prepared a strike, but—
“Hold back.”
Thud—!
“Crack!”
Gyemun twisted his waist and struck Woo Yeongjin’s jaw with a vicious blow.
Thud! Was it an intentional opening? Woo Yeongjin took the hit hard and lost consciousness.
‘Damn it.’
This isn’t good. What do I do? Just as I was thinking of the next approach.
“Now the onlookers have finally disappeared.”
Gyemun spoke in a soft voice.
“Now show me.”
“…What?”
What? I looked at him in confusion.
“How are you using Magi? That’s what I’m curious about.”
“…!”
Gyemun had dropped a bombshell.
“And.”
Even worse.
“How is the Geomseong’s Predecessor learning the Celestial Demon Divine Art?”
An absolutely nuclear revelation.

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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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