After spending a day there, the boy moved on towards his next place. His destination was where he was to meet the other trainees for the group mission: Kashgur.

Whee! Whee!

The wind that came from nowhere swept the boy roughly, swirling up the sand and stinging his eyes. The boy used his qi to shake off the sand, causing his clothes to flutter gently in the wind. Sighting to himself, he then started moving again. 

The boy trudged through the desert, albeit a bit dejected. 

I wish I had some more time to visit the safehouse. It’s a real pity.

The time given for personal missions was one full month. Now, there was only about one day left in that time. As he had originally planned, the mission should have taken less than a month.

The problem was that due to the climate of the desert, Woon-seong had to spend more time traveling than he had expected. 

Woon-seong was only able to travel during the day because at night, he was forced to huddle around a fire to stay warm. However, he couldn’t move at top speed since the scorching sun meant that he had to conserve water. Unless he was someone who had reached the level of ‘impenetrable to cold and heat’, limitations to his traveling were inevitable. 

I’ll have another chance to visit the Spear Master Sect’s safehouse, Woon-seong comforted himself. 

In addition to being located deep in the mountains, the warehouse was protected by genuine laws. Those who did not know the way would never find it. Of those currently alive, Woon-seong was positive no one else could touch the stuff in there but him.

The wind howled and sound whistled past his ear.

First, I should go to the promised location.

Although it was a pity, he should focus on what was at hand. Either way, completing the missions assigned by the Cult of the Heavenly Demon was beneficial towards his path for revenge. So he would go meet the others for his group mission. 

His target was in the southernmost region of the Cult of Heavenly Demon, adjacent to the realm of the Martial Alliance and Empire. In addition to the Cult in this area, there were a large number of smaller forces that were not tied with the Martial Alliance. Only, they had acknowledged that they were inferior to the Cult and had signed numerous treaties of nonviolence, so they were left as is. 

Sometimes, however, there were some people who were not in their right minds. 

There was only one group mission and the details given to the trainees by the Cult were sparse. It was said they were criminals who committed crimes at the Potala Palace and fled, blood lamas called the ‘Five Evils’. 

These bastards were vandalizing the territory of the Cult, not caring about where they were. In his heart, Woon-seong considered them idiots who thought too highly of themselves. 

Even the demonic cultivators who swore obeisance to the Cult were angered. The Cult could not ignore their duties to their followers. It is our duty to protect the commoners.

Woon-seong walked as he recalled more details about the mission. The mission was a kill order: get rid of all five of them. 

At this time, Woon-seong had long left the desert behind him and reached the branch of the Cult in Kashgur. Unlike Lop Nor, Kashgur did not try to hide its true nature — it was definitely a branch of the Demonic Cult. 

There were two guards at the gate to the town, who noticed the boy as soon as he got close. Maybe it was the weather, or maybe it was their occupation, but they were aggressive. 

As soon as the guards had seen him, their hands were on the hilts of their swords. 

“Who goes there!”

Woon-seong chuckled at them, not taking offense to their actions. He found their actions amusing, and seemed to understand the instinctive reasoning for the disrespect. After all, he was quite young and had approached without sound.

Even if they had acted, the guards wouldn’t have stood a chance against Woon-seong anyways. 

Woon-seong threw a slate at them, the one that identified him as a Demonic General. 

One of the guards caught the slate, using both hands. Looking at it, he began to tremble, possibly in fear or in shock. Despite his age, the young man before them was a Demonic General! Like in other places, it was considered a crime to act up against a higher ranked official, a crime that could cost you your life. Would he be unlucky today?

The other guard was put off by the seemingly arrogant boy in front of him and hadn’t noticed his partner’s change in demeanor. “Hey! You can’t just throw your slate like that!”

When the first guard cried out with an “Ah!”, the second asked, “What’s wrong?”, confused by the startled expression of his companion. 

The one holding the slate only awkwardly threw it back towards Woon-seong, still a bit shaken. 

Woon-seong only smiled as he caught the slate, not unkindly, though it seemed mocking to the guard. “I heard the 1st Latent Demon Squad is supposed to gather here.”

The guard who previously held the slate quickly changed his attitude and bowed, welcoming Woon-seong into the branch. “Everyone’s here. Follow me.” 

His companion mirrored his actions, partly out of habit and partly due to the look on the other’s face. Still, he could not hold his curiosity in until after Woon-seong had left the hearing range. “Hey. Who is that guy?”

“Shhhh!” His companion nervously put a finger to his mouth, shushing his companion and looking at Woon-seong’s retreating figure. “He’s just like Mok Dae-young, the Branch Manager of Kashgur, who we serve. A Demonic General, you idiot!” He then hurried to follow Woon-seong and guide him towards the inner branch area. 

Woon-seong walked along the streets, admiring the surroundings. While the streets weren’t unclean, it was bustling with activity. As he observed the people, he realized that many of them were martial artists, though their levels were too low to be of much use to the Cult. 

Unlike in Lop Nor, the Kashgur had a whole division of officers stationed. Thus, there was no need for Woon-seong to hide his identity. In fact, if he were less loyal to the Cult, Woon-seong could use his identity to stage a rebellion and take over the branch. 

Kashgur was territory firmly held by the Cult, so most of the people living in the area were followers of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon. Since this was the case, there was no reason to hide and put up pretenses. 

At the same time, Kashgur was a much more militarized branch than Lop Nor. Since Lop Nor was so remote, the branch there was almost solely used for scouting and intel purposes. This could be seen in the way the branch doubled as a bookstore, where the branch manager couldn’t even be considered Demonic General level. Here, not only had they outright checked his status in the Cult at the guarded entrance, the branch manager was a relatively famed Demonic General. 

The two guards who had been at the entrance brought him to the inner branch area, where they opened a second gate for him. Much of the branch was organized like a fortress, with roofed walls and a few guarded gates. 

“This way, sir.”

When Woon-seong walked in, he saw a young man waiting for him by a tall tree. The man had his hair cut short and multiple scars across his face, the most noticeable one a large scar running across his right eye. 

“You’ve arrived.” The man appeared happy to see Woon-seong, and lifted his hand awkwardly, as if to wave. 

“It’s been a while, Gwan Tae-ryang.” Woon-seong hadn’t been so sure how to interact with this other trainee, who had been under the name Number 1 in the Cave of Latent Demons. 

Back then, Woon-seong had beaten Gwan Tae-ryang until he passed out in the ‘Strife of Life and Death’ and lectured him. They hadn’t necessarily parted on bad terms, as everyone in the Cave at that point naturally understood the concept of ‘survival of the fittest’ and ‘winner takes all’. Now, six months later, Gwan Tae-ryang was to be Woon-seong’s Lieutenant, his second-in-command. 

“It’s good to see you safe, Squad Master!” The young man was almost beaming, as he welcomed Woon-seong. 

Naturally, as the strongest in the Cave of Latent Demons, Woon-seong had been tasked with the leadership position during the group mission, becoming the Squad Master for the 1st Latent Demon Squad. Although Gwan Tae-ryang technically also had the power to lead his own group, it seemed the Cult wished to challenge Woon-seong and raise the difficulty of their group mission.

They smiled at each other as Woon-seong observed the other. 

It seems like he’s been through a lot ever since then. He’s a much more humble man than back at the ‘Strife of Life and Death’. 

Woon-seong knew that Gwan Tae-ryang appearing here meant that his individual mission had been completed. As he knew the difficulty of the missions assigned and his own strength, he was sure that everyone else would have been given a relatively difficult mission as well. Though it would not be impossible, subjugating a faction by themselves wasn’t a walk in the park. As they could be considered friends, partners at worst, Woon-seong was glad to see that Gwan Tae-ryang had earned a lot through his journey to the real world. 

“Oh…It looks like I was the last to arrive.” Waking up from his musings, Woon-seong turned his head to the otherside of the courtyard. There, numerous other trainees were sitting at tables, all gathered together, as if waiting for him. 

Once these other trainees saw that he had arrived and acknowledged their presence, they simultaneously stood up and walked in front of the tables. As a group, they lined up in front of him, with Gwan Tae-ryang at the front, leading them. They bowed and greeted him in an orderly fashion. 

“1st Latent Demon Squad, reporting for duty, Squad Master!” 

Woon-seong chuckled at their actions, understanding that this was a required formality. This too, was a step towards gathering power and authority in the Cult, as well as a step towards revenge. 

The 1st Latent Demon Squad was just as the name suggested. 

For their training outside, the trainees of the Cave of Latent Demons were divided into three different groups. These were said to be temporary, but received missions much like actual forces of the Cult. 

As Woon-seong was the strongest of the Cave, he was commissioned to command the 1st Latent Demon Squad. 

“I’m glad to see that all of you are well.” He waved his hand, motioning for them to stop. “But why are you all here and not waiting inside?” 

There were only twenty or so of them; no way the branch was unable to give them a place to stay. If they had been random members of the Cult, it might have been understandable. But they were here with a mission of the Demonic Cult Headquarters. 

“I requested everyone to do so,” Gwan Tae-ryang answered. “We’re about to carry out an important mission and we shouldn’t relax too much.”

Woon-seong was surprised at first, but soon let out an amused huff. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“Right?” Gwan Tae-ryang grinned, obviously quite proud. 

Woon-seong only smirked and turned to the rest of his group members. “However, resting and getting rid of fatigue is also important. Being in poor conditions and losing to people weaker than you is a common thing in the martial society.”

The other trainees didn’t look scared or worried, but they had awkward looks on their faces as they imagined losing to someone weaker to them.

“You must maintain the best condition to perform at your best. I know you lived most of your lives disciplining yourselves, and resting might feel awkward, but it’s about time you learn how to take care of your own bodies.” Woon-seong massaged his own palms, still slightly swollen and bruised from pushing himself during his fight with the Sword of Men. “If you don’t, you might just run into big trouble sometime. For today, let’s rest well.”

The trainees seemed startled at these words, as if remembering for the first time that they had left the world inside the Cave of Latent Demons. They had spent almost half of their lives sleeping in a rundown cave and learning to torture themselves. They tried too hard to survive, too hard to keep going. It was time to learn how to take care of their condition. Who knows when or where they were going to get attacked next.

They contemplated his words, schooling their previously excited auras. 

“You all must be tired because of your personal missions.” 

Woon-seong turned his head to the side, where a building with multiple floors stood. Although no person could be seen on the corridor, which was open to the air, he had felt a powerful presence in that direction. 

“Can we get assigned to some resting rooms?”

The person behind the presence was startled that Woon-seong had noticed, as they had obviously been trying to hide. Since they had already been caught, they appeared in a flash, melting from the walls like a shadow. 

Gwan Tae-ryang and another trainee who was close by were startled by the sudden movement and unfamiliar presence. With years of battle instincts kicking in, they moved quickly and approached the wall as they drew their weapons. 

They were in a branch of the Cult, whoever was inside and could mask their presence was likely not an enemy but someone relatively high-ranked in the Cult! 

Woon-seong quickly restrained the actions of his men. 

“Stop!” 

“Hahaha. Rumors say that the current Cave of Latent Demons produced the best members in the history of Caves…” The shadow that had flashed into their view stepped into the sunlight. “And it seems true.”

It was a middle-aged man, obviously also from the Cult. There were numerous long, red scars covering both of his arms as well as his neck, which the man didn’t try to hide. 

Woon-seong’s thoughts flashed through his mind as he rapidly tried to place the man’s identity based upon his appearance. This man was at least Demonic General level! There was only one person skilled enough in this branch who could hide from the senses of the Cave of Latent Demon trainees. 

When he appeared, the trainees bowed their heads. “Good to see you!”

Woon-seong did not bow, but he quickly greeted the other. “It’s an honor to meet you, ‘Fire Demon of Scars’, Mok Dae-young. I am Hyuk Woon-seong, Leader of the 1st Latent Demon Squad.”

“Kashgur’s Branch Manager, Mok Dae-young. The Cult has contacted me in advance about you. I heard you’re the strongest amongst the Cave’s trainees.”

“I’m flattered by the overstatement.” 

It was true, but Woon-seong hoped to stay in the good graces of this branch manager. As a person, he also wasn’t overly self-confident and did not like to brag. He was a bit interested in the way that the Cult spoke of him, but that wasn’t something he could ask about. 

“Overstatement?” Mok Dae-young leaped from the second floor, where he had been standing, to the floor in front of Woon-seong. “You all are our fellow comrades who will lead the next generation of the Cult. I am excited to work with you.” The man had decided that he approved of the young man before him, and stuck out his hand to shake. 

“Me too.”

“Hahahah! Although it’s not like some branch manager in the middle of nowhere can do much!”

“You don’t need to be so modest, ‘Spider of Thousand Ears’.”

Mok Dae-young was startled at being addressed by his lesser known nickname, especially by someone so young. “So you even know about that?”

“Senior Sang told me that you used to work at the ‘Thousand Miles Communication Department’.”

The ‘Senior Sang’ that Woon-seong mentioned was obviously Sang In-hyo, who worked as the General Director of the Cave of Latent Demons. Before Woon-seong had left the Cult, Sang In-hyo had described the branch managers and people that they could encounter if they needed information along their way. 

Mok Dae-young smiled slightly, he remembered the guy. “I see…”

The Thousand Miles Communication Department was an information organization run by the Demonic Cult; it was to be the eyes and ears of the headquarters. General Director Sang had been up there in the past, with a position as a middle-level executive. 

The star at the time though, was a ‘Spider of Thousand Ears’. That was man whose information channels wouldn’t miss facts as thin as spider silk and had the ability to spread it delicately like a web. 

Now, because of infighting, few still remembered this man.

However, General Director Sang obviously still remembered him, placing high importance on this man. 

“You are the ‘Spider of Thousand Ears’ who worked as the eyes and ears of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.” Woon-seong clasped his fist in front of him, in a martial bow.  “That’s why I need help from you for this mission.” 

“My help huh…Since you mentioned ‘Spider of Thousand Ears’, I assume you want the information that only I could have.” Mok Dae-young was silent for a moment, as the trainees waited apprehensively. “Alright! Let’s talk about it over a cup of tea. I’ll tell my men to assign new accommodations for your squad.”

“You heard him.” Woon-seong turned to the others as he followed Mok Dae-young into the building. “Start resting well until we start the next mission. Of course this doesn’t mean to become lazy. Maintain your condition while resting and keep yourself prepared so you can fight at your best at any time.”

“Yes, sir!”