Chapter 589

**Chapter 589: The Lazy Falls into Despair (4)**

Desolate.

That was the only word that could come to the mind of the **Supreme Sovereign (권극)** as he gazed upon the battlefield.

The land was devastated, cracked, and destroyed, and upon that chaotic landscape, those who had lost their minds were screaming aimlessly. Those who failed to escape in time lay as cold corpses, slowly losing the warmth of life. Blood gushed from the lifeless bodies, forming small rivers that flowed without end.

Defeat.

A defeat so cruel that even in the longest days of battle he had never experienced anything like it.

Not even the **Demon Cult (마교)** had inflicted such a crushing defeat upon him. He had lost before, yes, but he had also achieved victories. Even in the worst defeats, he had always had the opportunity to seek revenge.

But not now.

Now he had no more opportunities left. He had to carry this defeat until his death.

That thought saddened him a little.

*”An absolute defeat.”*

He knew that there were battles in which losing brought something valuable. Sometimes, a defeat could be more significant than a victory.

But this battle was not one of them.

They had gained nothing.

They had discovered nothing.

In the eyes of the Supreme Sovereign were reflected those who, unable to overcome madness, wandered aimlessly. At least half of those present suffered from these symptoms.

If they had found the cause of the change…

If they had discovered why they had gone mad at the same time, perhaps they would have had a chance to counterattack. But although the Supreme Sovereign managed to save some of those who were destined to die here, he could not save those who would die later.

Without a solution, all he had done was slightly delay the tragedy that was to come.

*”How blue…”*

Lifting his head slightly, he saw the blue sky. No matter what atrocities occurred on the earth, the sky remained just as blue.

The Supreme Sovereign wished to live like that.

Even if his body was soaked in blood and death, he wanted his heart to remain forever pure.

But all that remained was regret.

—Leader.

The Supreme Sovereign slowly turned his head.

—…Young Master Baek.

**Baek Hoemyung (백회명)** tightened his lips the instant his eyes met those of the Supreme Sovereign.

His resentment towards the martial world was deep, very deep. But… even so, he could not hate this man.

How could he hate someone who had given everything for the martial world and was now dying like a withered flower? He could only feel admiration.

—In the end, it’s just the martial world.

An ephemeral voice.

Like smoke that rises and disappears into the air, his voice sounded just as fleeting.

—Even if you cannot forget your resentment, I can still offer forgiveness.

—…

Baek Hoemyung could not say anything.

He had a thousand rebuttals, but all of them seemed too cruel for a man who was dying.

—Please, follow your own path. As a veteran of the martial world, this is all I can tell you.

—…Do you still consider me a disciple of the martial world?

The Supreme Sovereign smiled faintly.

—I already said it, in the end, it’s just the martial world. The conflicts, the grudges… in the end, it’s all part of the same world. When you look back, they will only be days of meaningless fights.

—I…

Baek Hoemyung moved his lips, but finally shook his head.

No, no.

Just let it go.

As if he understood his thoughts, the Supreme Sovereign looked up at the sky again.

—How blue…

Only regret remained.

But there were no remorses.

Perhaps he could have done better, but he had given everything he had. His stupidity was also something he had to carry. He had done his best. That was enough.

*”Yanho, boy…”*

In his last moments, the face that came to his mind was not that of **Jo Hyun (조현)**, the **Master of Divine Abilities (신기수)** who had been his friend and rival throughout his life, nor that of his family, whom he had left behind.

It was **Wei Yanho (위연호)**.

The image of Wei Yanho was faintly superimposed on the sky.

*”I am leaving you too many burdens…”*

Even so, he was not too worried. For some reason, that boy had a way of making people trust him.

—…It’s just the martial world.

**Supreme Sovereign Sima Cheonse (권극 사마천세)**.

Those were his last words in this world.

Baek Hoemyung let out a soft sigh as he watched the body of the Supreme Sovereign, who stared at the sky until he became stiff and cold.

*”Is this revenge?”*

It was not as satisfying as he had imagined.

Nor was it as pleasant.

There was not that emotion of making the enemy suffer as much as they had suffered. Only a feeling of inexplicable discomfort and a little sadness remained.

—Young Master, I will cut off this man’s head.

—…What did you say?

—It’s the head of the leader of the **Righteous Martial Alliance (정무맹)**. It will be of great help in lowering the enemy’s morale and raising ours…

—Hey, **Ghost Warrior (귀혼)**.

Baek Hoemyung’s unusual tone made **Ghost Warrior** lower his head.

—Yes, Young Master.

—As a servant of the **Baek Family (백가)**, your words are admirable.

—Thank you.

—But as a martial artist, you are the worst. This man, at least, deserves respect as a martial artist. Isn’t that so?

—…It was my mistake.

Baek Hoemyung made a disapproving sound with his tongue.

—Bury him in a sunny place. A tomb may be a luxury for these traitors, but he has the right to that luxury.

—It will be done as you command.

Baek Hoemyung looked again at the body of the Supreme Sovereign. His back, now reduced to something insignificant, seemed to continue speaking to him.

*”It’s just the martial world…”*

Shaking his head, Baek Hoemyung passed by the body and moved on. He heard something fall behind him, but he did not bother to look.

He did not want to see how that man fell.

—The situation?

—Those who managed to escape the encirclement joined the **Beggar Sect (개방)** and are fleeing.

—Pursue them.

—We have already begun the pursuit. But, what do we do with these…?

Baek Hoemyung looked at the crazed people who were growling like beasts and curved his lips.

—What should we do?

His original plan was to make these madmen and the Righteous Martial Alliance kill each other. But that plan failed due to the sacrifice of the Supreme Sovereign.

What remained was useless garbage. These demented people had no reason. They could become violent, but they did not follow orders.

—Leave them.

—But…

—Killing them would be a solution, but facing them would cause us casualties. There is no need to get our hands dirty with them when they will die alone anyway.

—You are right.

Those who have no reason do not act on their own. They only react to stimuli. If they were left alone, they would die of hunger or from the collapse of their vital energy. Why bother with them?

—Instead…

Baek Hoemyung reached a clear conclusion.

—We must focus on the pursuit.

—Yes!

Pursuing the retreating enemy was the most basic thing in military strategy. There was nothing easier than sticking a sword in the backs of those who were fleeing without resistance. Most of the casualties in a battle occurred during the pursuit.

—Finish them off. The battle is not over yet!

—Understood!

As he watched his subordinates move, Baek Hoemyung frowned slightly.

*”Is this the true strength of the martial world?”*

Something completely unexpected had happened. But even that could be attributed to his ability. In that situation, only someone like the Alliance Leader could lead them in that way. How could that be called luck?

Although he felt that the plan had deviated from the beginning, it was still fine. Perhaps they had achieved something more significant than simply killing many enemies.

The fact that the Supreme Sovereign had died here would be a devastating blow to them.

—The demons of the Demon Cult who do not die easily will surely cause problems, but we will have to endure it.

Baek Hoemyung shook his head and moved on. He felt the urge to look back, but in the end he did not.

He had already stored in his heart the image he had to remember. It was better that he remembered the martial artist who, although he was an enemy, deserved respect.

—

The atmosphere could not be more glacial.

An absolute silence filled the room, so dense that even the sound of a pin dropping would have resonated like thunder.

—So…

**Chilji Singae (칠지신개)** let out a deep sigh.

—That was the last thing I saw.

His voice was tinged with melancholy.

—I don’t know what happened to the Grand Master after that. I did not see his body. But… the result is obvious.

Everyone knew it.

The chances of the Supreme Sovereign, abandoned alone, surviving were nil. Perhaps the enemy would try to capture him as a hostage, but he was not the kind of person who would choose to live in that way.

He would prefer death to becoming a hostage. That was **Supreme Sovereign Sima Cheonse**.

—After that, the pursuit began. It was horrible.

—How many died?

Chilji Singae shook his head.

—I don’t know.

—You don’t know?

—I had priorities. My mission was not to save those who were left behind. Anyone could do that. What I had to do was run faster than a bird and bring the news back to headquarters. That is why I left them behind. I was the fastest.

Looks of reproach and resentment were directed toward Chilji Singae.

They accused him of abandoning the Supreme Sovereign to his fate and returning alone to save his own life.

But the **Master of Divine Abilities (신기수사)** did not lose his composure.

—You have been through a lot.

—…Strategist.

—Thanks to your bringing us the news quickly, we can discuss a plan. The martial world will not forget the sacrifice of the Beggar Sect.

Chilji Singae tightened his lips.

Everyone lowered their heads.

Just by seeing his amputated arm, it was evident the difficulties he had faced to get here. In addition, the beggars he led were, in general, weaker than the disciples of other sects.

If he had abandoned the command to come here, it was inevitable that the losses of the Beggar Sect would be the greatest. The Master of Divine Abilities pointed out that point.

—So the Grand Master has departed.

The voice of **Wei Jeonghan (위정한)** sounded bitter.

Although they knew it was not time to show sadness, no one could continue speaking. They feared that, by saying something more, they would be admitting that the Supreme Sovereign Sima Cheonse had really died.

—Let’s discuss a plan.

Finally, it was the Master of Divine Abilities who broke the silence.

—I know what everyone is thinking, but that is not what the Grand Master would have wanted. What would he say if he saw us now?

—Mmm…

—The Strategist is right.

The eyes of the Master of Divine Abilities rested on Chilji Singae.

—Master Chilji, I know it is difficult, but we need more information. Are those who went to Anhui still being pursued?

—Probably. By now, it will be over… but I am not sure. I got information from some beggars I left on the road, but it was all very chaotic.

—Then, shouldn’t the first thing be to support them?

Voices of agreement arose from all sides, but then a soft but firm voice was heard, impossible to ignore.

—Before that, there is something we must resolve.

**Wei Yanho (위연호)**.

The gazes of those present turned toward him.