The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 67
—————
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 067
[How have you been?]
It was around the time when dusk was gradually giving way to night.
As I lay quietly gazing at the ceiling, Yoo Cheon-gil suddenly materialized before me with those words.
I looked at him quietly and furrowed my brow.
“…Where did you go and why are you only now appearing?”
He vanished at dawn and only shows up after the sun has completely set?
As I stared at him in disbelief, Yoo Cheon-gil flashed that characteristic smile of his and spoke to me.
[I took a little stroll around the area, that’s all.]
“A dead man flying about taking a stroll—what nonsense is this?”
What kind of stroll could a frozen corpse possibly take?
As I clicked my tongue in disapproval, Yoo Cheon-gil chuckled.
[There was something I needed to check on, so I went to see it. Don’t worry—I didn’t venture far.]
“Worry? Why would you say something so ominous?”
With nothing else in the world to concern myself with, would I really waste my time worrying about this old man?
If I were going to worry about anyone, it should have been myself, not him.
What ordeal did I endure while he was away?
“I’ve been through hell and back, and now you show up leisurely as if nothing happened….”
[Well now, I had my own matters to attend to as well.]
“But you just said you were taking a stroll.”
[That was merely a metaphorical expression. I’ve been engaged in quite extraordinary affairs.]
“What exactly did you do?”
[It’s a secret~]
“….”
Yoo Cheon-gil answered cheerfully, poking his own cheek with his finger.
Watching him, my stomach churned.
I wished he had truly perished.
Even though he’s already dead, I wish he’d die three more times over.
“…I really wish his limbs had been torn to shreds when he died.”
[I can hear you.]
“I meant for you to hear it. Please, do hear it.”
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue sharply and rose to my feet.
As I pushed myself up, Yoo Cheon-gil smirked and asked.
[So, did you manage well?]
“…How do I look to you?”
[What do you mean? Since you’re still alive, you must have done fine.]
“….”
A rather grim way of confirming things. So if I had failed, I would be dead?
‘…I suppose that’s true.’
I couldn’t deny it. The conversation with Dokuou just moments ago had certainly been terrifying enough to warrant such fear.
Perhaps surviving was nothing short of a miracle?
It still didn’t feel real.
‘How did I even manage that?’
What audacity possessed me to act that way before one of the Five Kings of Heaven?
It was only because things turned out well—otherwise, I might have simply died right there.
I often felt it, but I truly wasn’t normal.
What madman would dare show such nerve before Dokuou?
And within the Dang Clan’s territory, no less.
[Anyway, nothing serious happened, right?]
Meanwhile, that Old Man, oblivious to my inner turmoil, kept cackling away—it was absolutely infuriating.
“…Nothing serious? That’s complete nonsense.”
[Hmm?]
“Old Man.”
I spoke to Yoo Cheon-gil with a sigh.
About what had happened with Dokuou.
* * *
[Hmm.]
After hearing my full explanation, Yoo Cheon-gil floated in mid-air, resting his chin in his hand.
I’d kept my account brief, adjusting the length carefully. Just the bare facts of what had occurred.
That Dokuou needed the previous incarnations of Manwol and the Sword Saint, and that an old man’s ghost was clinging to Dokuou’s back.
After hearing everything, Yoo Cheon-gil nodded slowly, lost in thought.
[A ghost, you say…?]
“He seemed to dislike you quite intensely.”
Judging by his expression alone, he was nearly as terrifying as a Demon.
Upon hearing that, Yoo Cheon-gil spoke with a hint of surprise.
[That’s absurd.]
“What do you mean?”
[Where in this world could there be someone who dislikes me…?]
“….”
Had he truly lost his mind?
As I stared at him with barely concealed contempt, Yoo Cheon-gil burst into hearty laughter.
[I jest. Don’t be so serious.]
“Of course it must be a jest.”
If he were serious, I could have overturned everything right then and there.
[Hmm. I’d need to see the fellow directly to know what he’s about.]
Yoo Cheon-gil stroked his beard thoughtfully as he spoke.
[If that man truly created Manwol himself, as he claims, then I know who he is.]
“…Who is he?”
I asked cautiously, and Yoo Cheon-gil looked at me with the corners of his mouth lifting.
[This fool, asking as if you don’t already know.]
“….”
[Your suspicion is correct.]
At Yoo Cheon-gil’s words, I bit my lip slightly.
“Dokjon?”
[Correct.]
Yoo Cheon-gil nodded, and hearing that, I exhaled a long sigh.
So it really was Dokjon.
‘I had my suspicions.’
So it really was Dokjon?
I had to furrow my brow at the news.
Who was Dokjon?
He was the patriarch of the previous generation Dang Clan and one of the heroes who fought against the Demon Cult during the Great Righteous War.
The poison he unleashed was so potent it could blanket an entire region.
In terms of slaughter, he was a master who displayed even more overwhelming presence than the Sword Saint.
And at the same time.
‘He was also a craftsman blessed by the heavens.’
Dokjon not only reached the heavens through poison mastery, but was also a master of metallurgy.
All weapons created by the Dang Clan are forged in a space called the Steel Forge.
Weapons crafted in the Steel Forge receive one of four grades.
Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Special.
Even receiving just the Silver grade would earn one the reputation of a legendary blade or precious treasure in the Central Plains.
Yet the weapons Dokjon created invariably received at least the Gold grade.
The level of quality was such that.
‘It was said that merely possessing a Gold-grade weapon could bridge a single realm of cultivation?’
That’s surely an exaggeration. Realm differences aren’t trivial matters, and no fine weapon alone could bridge such gaps.
Of course.
‘I’ve never even seen such a weapon, so I can’t really judge.’
Even so, it was a claim difficult to accept readily.
In any case.
‘Dokjon was such an extraordinary craftsman that he could create such weapons with ease.’
A figure who reached the heavens not only in poison mastery but in other disciplines as well.
That was Dokjon.
But.
‘So that ghost is Dokjon?’
The ghost that glared at me from behind Dokuou.
If Yoo Cheon-gil’s words were true, that was Dokjon.
‘I heard he had died.’
Five years ago? I had heard news that the Dang Clan’s greatest star had fallen.
I couldn’t ignore it. One of the Heavenly Beyond who remained in the Central Plains—the very being capable of crafting the finest transcendent weapons for the Dang Clan—had vanished.
That alone was enough to set the entire Central Plains ablaze with gossip.
[Said he’d live until he could paint the walls with his own filth, yet the bastard kicked the bucket anyway. Should’ve lived virtuously. Kekeke.]
Yoo Cheon-gil burst into laughter at the news that Dokjon had died and become a ghost.
…They seemed to be close, so I wasn’t sure if he should be laughing like that.
After laughing for a while, Yoo Cheon-gil suddenly wiped the smile from his face and looked at me.
In that instant.
A chill ran down my spine.
The moment I met his azure eyes, goosebumps erupted across my skin.
[So, his secret technique came out?]
“…Well, more or less, yes.”
I averted my gaze, trying to hide my nervousness as I answered.
[Hmmmm.]
Yoo Cheon-gil seemed lost in thought, pondering something.
After a brief moment passed.
[Excellent.]
“Pardon?”
He spoke to me with the brightest smile.
[I’ve been meaning to peel away some things from the Dang Clan anyway. While I’m at it, I might as well take that too.]
“….”
I couldn’t help but wear a stunned expression at his brazen words.
How could he say something like that so casually?
Peel away things from the Dang Clan? I asked Yoo Cheon-gil with a bewildered expression.
“Where exactly are you planning to start, and how?”
[….]
I was far too curious.
When I asked with genuine sincerity, Yoo Cheon-gil regarded me with a rather peculiar expression.
[I see.]
“Yes, sir.”
[Usually people don’t ask that first— wait, your form of address changed again?]
“You’re mistaken.”
At my words, Yoo Cheon-gil made a bizarre expression.
Then he shook his head slightly and continued.
[I need to think about it for a bit, so I’ll tell you later.]
“Why not just tell me now? It would be better if I knew and could prepare accordingly. What secrets could there be between us?”
[Hmm.]
That’s a fair point. Yoo Cheon-gil nodded as if he agreed with that reasoning.
[Fine then. I’ll tell you, so I see, you should also tell me your secret—]
“I’ll tell you once things are decided.”
[Very well.]
We came to a mutually satisfactory agreement.
‘What a terrifying old man.’
I truly could not afford to let my guard down for even a moment.
What the old man had just said was connected to the previous incident.
It referred to what I had done to whoever that was at Pacheongung.
Killing them, extracting their soul from their body, and drawing out information.
Even after witnessing that, Yoo Cheon-gil asked me nothing.
He merely gazed at me with an eerie smile.
That was far more frightening. I would have preferred if he had simply pressed me with questions.
But Yoo Cheon-gil was not like that.
‘Whatever secrets I harbor are of no concern to him.’
Regardless of my circumstances, it mattered not, and there was no need to speak of it.
Such was Yoo Cheon-gil’s disposition.
It remained the same even now.
Yoo Cheon-gil was using it as his justification.
He knew I possessed secrets.
He would not pry, so neither should I dig into his affairs.
Against such an ironclad rationale, I could ask nothing.
‘…Tsk.’
I rose and moved. There seemed little point in lingering further.
It was time. Do-hyeong and Cheon Euijin were likely already waiting, so I needed to depart as well.
“Then please remain here. If you came along unnecessarily, complications might arise. I must take my leave for now.”
[Hmm? Where are you going?]
Yoo Cheon-gil asked, watching me.
I dressed myself as I spoke.
“…A welcoming banquet, of all things.”
I had to attend to something extraordinarily tedious.
* * *
I dressed and stepped outside. The moment I emerged, a Guide from the Dang Clan was waiting for me.
“It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Not at all. Thank you for your kindness.”
After exchanging brief courtesies, the Guide began leading me forward.
As I followed, my thoughts wandered.
‘Come to think of it, where did the Sword Emperor go?’
Chugong, pretending to be a stable hand.
I had no idea where he’d disappeared to.
After he parked the carriage, I hadn’t seen him since.
‘It’s convenient not seeing him, but it’s also rather bothersome….’
His sudden absence was itself a source of concern.
‘What could it be?’
I still couldn’t figure out the Sword Emperor.
Throughout the journey, I’d subtly observed and tried to gauge his intentions, yet I remained clueless about his true purpose.
‘Will I understand if I observe more?’
I wasn’t sure, honestly.
I simply hoped nothing would happen, since I didn’t need to uncover anything anyway.
As I walked with that thought, a building came into view ahead.
It was far larger than Cheongwol Hall.
If I had to compare it, it was like a Training Hall used collectively by the martial artists of Cheonwol Gate.
The building was ablaze with lanterns, and I could sense many people inside.
As I drew closer, the Guide spoke.
“Bangseong-yeon, Young Master of Cheonwol Gate, is entering.”
Seriously? Did he really have to announce it so loudly? I felt slightly embarrassed but didn’t show it.
Creeeeak—!
The doors swung open, and the interior came into view.
A bright atmosphere, quiet yet lively.
Long tables laden with abundant food stretched before me.
Scanning the room, I spotted Do-hyeong and Cheon Euijin seated at the center table.
Was that where I should go?
There was clearly one empty seat.
I walked slowly toward it.
As I moved, I observed my surroundings.
‘Why go through all this trouble….’
I just wanted to sleep, yet they insisted on holding a welcome banquet.
I couldn’t refuse without losing face.
Just as I carefully moved to take the empty seat.
Crash—!
Suddenly, the sound of something shattering echoed through the hall.
I turned my head naturally toward the sound.
“…Ah… No–!”
There stood a delicately featured Lady, trembling as she stared at me with an expression of shock.
What was this…?
I looked, wondering what it could be.
“Ba….”
Ba?
“Bang Disciple…?”
“…Yes?”
At the Woman’s words, the noisy surroundings fell silent in an instant.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————