Tak- 

“So that’s what happened.” 

Chun Hwi put down the report in his hand. It was related to the Orthodox factions.

“The secret vault of the ‘Sword Emperor of Ice and Light’…”

According to the report he had just read, rumors about the secret vault were causing chaos within Zhongyuan. The Sword Emperor of Ice and Light was an invincible martial artist from 500 years ago. Unparalleled at the time, his sword skills were still considered legendary to this day. 

Knowledge about his vault was enough to cause commotion in Murim, including within the Cult. It was to the extent that there was talk about moving the Cult to investigate in secret.

“What do you think, Senior Strategist?”

“It’s a fake.” 

The Senior Strategist’s words were decisive. 

In response, Chun Hwi motioned for him to explain his thoughts. 

“If the secret vault of the ‘Sword Emperor of Ice and Light’ was really discovered, the word should have spread silently. But this one is spreading very quickly. Too quickly.”

“Someone is spreading the word on purpose.”

The Senior Strategist nodded. “Someone is trying to make the factions fight each other. ‘If you really want the vault, fight for it.’ I say it’s best not to get involved.”

There was no need to get tangled in unnecessary battles. 

The Heavenly Demon was thinking the same thing. 

“An objective perspective, I see… It looks like residing in the barren lands outside of Zhongyuan helps in times like this.”

The Senior Strategist only bowed in response. 

The Heavenly Demon took his gaze off the Senior Strategist and held a new report in his hand, reading over it silently. As he finished the report, he started to lightly chuckle. 

“Huh, I haven’t heard such pleasant news in a while…”

The Strategist was surprised by the Leader’s happiness, as it was not often for him to show such surprise. That was the Heavenly Demon! He had seen many geniuses and walked the path of success.

In this situation, the delighted surprise was marginal, but still very rare.

“The Charred Dragon Unit has fulfilled its mission.”

Chun Hwi chewed over the contents of the mission again, slowly. 

It was not the most difficult task to give to one of the Twelve Supporting Units, but it was also no easy feat. 

According to the report, there were some unexpected variables, namely those from the Qingcheng Sect. 

However, the Charred Dragon Unit had accomplished its mission brilliantly. Not only had they successfully saved Branch Manager Un-un, they had also destroyed more than half the personnel of the Martial Branch. All those that had come running after them were finished off too — even the Swords of Qingcheng and Orthodox branch manager.

This was an unexpected result, especially for a mission at the heart of the Martial Alliance. 

Even more surprising was the planning of the entry and escape. 

So brilliant that it makes me doubt if this is an individual who spent half of his life in the Cave of Latent Demons.

The Senior Strategist thought about the report too. Woon-seong seemed like someone with experience in the world of Murim. Even he had been surprised. 

“There was not a single death on our side in the process…”

Even with the secret vault, this was still a dazzling accomplishment.

Chun Hwi asked his supervisor quietly, “How many children have shown such achievements?”

Instead of answering the question, the Strategist lowered his head. 

That was a rhetorical question — the answer was absolutely none. 

A young man who had achieved something like this would not appear for decades. 

No, it would be hard to find someone similar if you turned both the Cult and the Alliance upside down.

“Not bad.”

The Strategist’s eyes deepened. Does the Leader like this child named Hyuk Woon-seong?

“I wonder how much this child will surprise me.”

That answered it. 

Obviously, the Heavenly Demon was fond of this young man named Hyuk Woon-seong. 

Twenty years old. Strong enough to become a Great Demon, leading the Charred Dragon Unit. 

Soon, he would catch the attention of the entire Cult. 

By then, if the successor had not been appointed… Now that this young man had caught the Heavenly Demon’s eye, it was very likely he would become the Young Leader.

“Let’s set up a stage. It was about time to do some replacement anyway.”

The Senior Strategist did not speak of his thoughts. It was the Heavenly Demon who would appoint his successor. There was no need for him to choose between this young man or the Young Lady.

I will continue to help my master accomplish what he wants.

“Prepare the ‘Banquet of the Heavenly Mountain and Divine Flame’.” 

The Cult Leader’s voice echoed across the palace.

Krak-

A sword and a spear collided, sparks flying. The surroundings were burnt to a crisp or thrown upside down, flung into the air.

An impregnable sword wall. A spear that could pierce through everything under the Heavens.

A fierce battle took place outside of reality, in the mind of Woon-seong.

“Hmm.”

He was still processing the battle with the First Apprentice. He had gained an epiphany about the new divine art, but his opponent had still been strong. 

Woon-seong’s unexpected power-up had startled the First Apprentice, giving Woon-seong the chance to cut an arm off.  If the First Apprentice had been more prepared, the fight would have been even harder. 

Thankfully, the gap between the two was gradually decreasing. 

The first simulation took about 300 seconds. Now, Woon-seong had shaved off a good 100 seconds.

I will need some proper training to further decrease the time.

Woon-seong already knew where he wanted to go, since the harder the training area, the better. After all, martial artists became stronger through adversity.

I just hope I’ll be allowed to.

It was likely that he would be rewarded for completing this mission safely. If it was possible for him to choose his reward, he would ask. 

I really hope so. 

But, he couldn’t help it if it didn’t work. Even if he was given a reward, the final say was not his. 

You’re not in bad shape, so if you keep trying, you’ll get results no matter what.

He opened his eyes and checked his condition, the gold light in his eyes fading.

It seemed that the internal injuries inflicted during the battle had healed. 

Glancing to the side, Woon-seong saw the Charred Dragon Unit. Despite spending the night in the mountains, the unit had only just started the fire. 

He then turned to look at his lieutenant. Gwan Tae-ryang had also suffered some minor injuries. Fortunately, most wounds seemed to have healed. Internal injuries… Well, those would heal with time too. 

Next to the Lieutenant, Branch Manager Un-un sat with his back against a tree stump. He hadn’t bled much, but the fatigue of prison could not be underestimated. This man would be returning with them, as he could no longer serve in Sichuan now that his face was known.

Woon-seong looked at the fire. He was ordered to return to the headquarters of the Demonic Cult in Xinjiang, which was now about five days away.

Even if there had been no trackers so far, they should still move more carefully. Nothing was irreversible and mistakes happened when you were careless.

Still, it is a bit suspicious that there’s been nothing so far.

He had used many tricks to slow down any pursuers, including scattering the bodies and constantly changing course. 

Why is there no one after us?

He had guessed a few reasons. 

One of them was that the troops had been gathering for an all out attack, which was the worst possible outcome.

But it doesn’t seem like that.

Several members had been sent to a nearby village to procure supplies. They had returned with nothing to say about pursuers altogether. Rather, they spoke of rumors that something big had happened in Murim.

It was likely the discovery of a divine treasure; even if a gold mine was found, it wouldn’t cause so much commotion. 

Either way, it didn’t matter to Woon-seong. He just got lucky. 

I feel like Heaven is helping me, hearing such news at the moment.

The more the Alliance was focused on that side, the easier it would be for him to leave. 

If the rumors keep spreading, we might be able to get out of Sichuan safely.

Just before the sun came up, it was time to move again.

Maybe it really was because of the rumors, but the Charred Dragon Unit was able to leave Sichuan without encountering another problem. 

Just as quickly, they also passed through Qinghai, reaching Xinjiang. 

Xinjiang was the realm of the demonic. Here, they could travel at full speed without care. 

The Charred Dragon Unit sped up as soon as they stepped upon Cult soil.

It was an unconscious decision. It was only natural to speed up once there were no dangers and your heart yearned for home.

Nevertheless, they weren’t tired at all. Unlike in the mountains, when resting, they could eat and sleep properly too. 

By the tenth day, they had arrived at the headquarters. 

The first thing they did was to head to the Charred Dragon House. 

Technically, they should have reported their mission’s success as soon as possible, but they wished to tidy themselves up before visiting the Divine Palace.

The Heavenly Demon obviously thought otherwise. 

The moment that the Charred Dragon Unit arrived, someone was already waiting for Woon-seong. 

“As soon as the Captain of the Charred Dragon Unit arrives, he is to stop by the Palace.”

Woon-seong had been summoned.