Chapter 31 – Return to the Cult

Thunk! Thunk!

When Woon-seong wore the iron rings, heavy weight crushed his body once more. It was like the iron rings imprisoned his body and senses, slowing him down. 

Of course, this did not mean that Woon-seong complained about the feeling. He had chosen this path himself; he would not complain now that he walked it. 

But not everyone felt the same. 

“I know you love to train, but why not take care of yourself for now?”

Gwan Tae-ryang had come back from ordering the members to procure the heads, politely advising. 

At that, Woon-seong shook his head lightly. “Unless your life is on the edge, it’s better to temper yourself even in extreme situations. So that way even in the worst cases, you won’t make an excuse that you lost because your body wasn’t in good condition.”

Those who made such excuses were useless, regardless of their actual strength or talent. Thus, Woon-seong was trying to prevent himself, and others, from that path. 

Was there any reason in those words?

Gwan Tae-ryang muttered a “true” and nodded. 

Seeing his eyes, as soon as they returned to the Cult, it seemed that Gwan Tae-ryang might also get some iron bracers. Either way, they were both likely to enter a state of practice. 

His talent is not bad, so if he tried, he could get quite a bit of achievement.

As the former Number 1, Gwan Tae-ryang’s talent had been ranked as the first. That was basically 900x better than the original Number 900. Even now, he boasted a more muscular physique and was even a couple of inches taller than Woon-seong.

Still, fortunately, Woon-seong was not much smaller in stature compared to his peers. Because of the constant use of ‘Heavenward Soul Earthen Body’, his body was improving day by day. 

I’m not far from achieving perfection.

In the beginning, he had looked forward to the completion of the martial body (天武之體) in ten years. According to that estimation, less than a year was left. The only problem was that the change would happen little by little. There was also no record of a person who had learned it to the end, so the limits of this martial art could not be known strictly. 

As a human being, there should be no limits to their road. It was slow, but endless. 

Nevertheless, Woon-seong’s goal was at least “completion”.

Woon-seong operated his energy with a faint smile on his mouth. The energy he used was that of the ‘Heavenward Soul Earthen Body’, which sped up his recovery process because an injured body was not considered a perfectly complete one. 

At this time Baek Woon-ji ran forward, in front of Woon-seong and his second-in-command. “All preparations are complete.”

Gwan Tae-ryang stared at Woon-seong, who nodded.

“We’re returning to the Cult!”

The return of the 1st Latent Demon Squad was accompanied by the 2nd. With the Blade Ogre and Nine Vices dead, their return was because their mission was technically completed. 

Both returned at the same time, but their atmospheres were completely different. Not only had the 1st Squad fulfilled their own mission, they had even helped another. On the other hand, the 2nd Squad not only struggled with their own, but required assistance. 

It was hard to use an unexpected variable as an excuse, since the variable in question, the Blade Ogre of the Green Mountain, was now a trophy under the hands of the 1st Latent Demon Squad’s leader. 

Practice missions were important in determining where they stood upon their return to the Cult. Purely based on results, the 2nd Squad could be said to be behind the 1st Squad at the starting line. 

In such an atmosphere, the 1st Squad led at the front. 

We’re about a day away.

Staring at Mt. Heaven in the distance, Woon-seong slowly closed his eyes. During this real-world training, he had accomplished a lot. Looking at it, he was likely to earn a good rank in the Cult. 

If so, I should set a clear goal.

Practically the Orthodox society as a whole was his target for revenge. The noble families, houses, and elite sects. Maybe not every single one, but it didn’t really matter much. Woon-seong couldn’t do it himself; he needed the power of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon. 

In order to properly use the power of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, just some rank won’t cut it. 

If he was smarter, the position of the Senior Strategist was not bad. However, Woon-seong was well aware that he was not that type of person. 

If so, what about a Demonic King?

No, that wasn’t enough. 

The Cult only had thirty Demonic Kings, but this rank was still not enough to use the full power of the Cult. It was the same for the Ten Demonic Masters. 

Then I only have one choice.

Cult Leader.

The Cult of the Heavenly Demon’s apex, the Heavenly Demon. At the same time, he would become the god of a religious cult. Only like this could he command all the people. And in order to be the Cult Leader, Woon-seong must first become the Young Leader.

What a coincidence that Cheon Ah-young’s father, the current Cult Leader, had publicly stated he would prioritize strength and talent in his search for Young Leader, not bloodline.

Woon-seong slowly opened his eyes. Suddenly under his scrutiny, Ah-young was a little uneasy.

Having made a decision, Woon-seong’s narrowed.

If you interfere, I can only get rid of you.

It was not so difficult to return to the Cult. As soon as they entered, familiar faces welcomed them. 

Woon-seong recognized them at once despite the distance.

Instructors, the Senior Instructor…and is that Senior Sang In-hyo?

The instructors ran to stand in front of the returned trainees.

“Good work. Although I see some damage…”

Sang In-hyo, who was at the forefront, opened the speech and looked at the 2nd Squad, whose numbers were significantly reduced.

Needless to say, Ah-young’s expression crumpled. 

The 1st Squad did not really change their expressions. This was not because they received no damage — many of them were injured and one was seriously injured — but because the 2nd Squad had exceeded the level of simply calling it ‘damage’. 

Of course, Sang In-hyo did not hesitate even after seeing Cheon Ah-young like that. She may have been the daughter of the Leader, but she was still lower in rank. Wasn’t she currently just a trainee of the Cave, the program he directly managed? 

“Either way, it seems like you all have completed your missions.” 

Once he finished, Sang In-hyo’s eyes travelled to Woon-seong. 

He wasn’t the only one. Among the instructors, all the top instructors also turned towards Woon-seong, slowly observing the boy. As the winner, he had already attracted attention after the Strife of Life and Death. It was natural that they wanted to gauge how much more he had improved since then. 

“Hoh.”

The instructors let out a little sound. They couldn’t read Number 900’s qi at all! There wasn’t a way to win. It was reminiscent of an unbending iron wall. No, not just an iron wall. His qi was like an iron fortress, thoroughly prepared to counterattack — something you could not, dared not, cross.

Half a year has passed, you’ve become a lot stronger.

It was a little different for Sang In-hyo, who was someone on the level of Great Demon, but he had also noticed that Woon-seong was now stronger.

I heard he beat the Blade Ogre of the Green Mountain.

What happened was not yet properly reported, but no matter how it was written, the fact that Woon-seong had beaten the Blade Ogre did not change. The Blade Ogre was definitely a martial artist on the level of a Great Demon. 

Sang In-hyo smiled. 

We produced an incredible monster in this time’s Cave of Latent Demons. I look forward to the future.

“Anyways, congratulations on your return. When you get back to the Cult, we will assign you a new place to live. Rest there. You longer need to return to the Cave of Latent Demons.”

General Director Sang’s voice rang out, piercing the now ex-trainees’ ears and hearts. These words were enough for their hearts to pound.

The change in lodging could only mean one thing…

“From this moment onwards, you are no longer trainees of the Cave of Latent Demons. You are now demonic people who will lead the next generation of the Cult. Be proud of yourselves!”

Their faces were filled with joy that could not be hidden. Even the 2nd Squad, who had been gloomy because of their poor results, were now excited. Despite the results of the mission, General Director Sang’s words meant that they were still the 1 in 100. As survivors, they’d finally graduated!

“The 3rd Squad has not yet returned. When they do, I will call you, so rest well in your new quarters.”

Luxuriously, the members were all given accommodation in single rooms. Still, the members of the 1st Squad had enjoyed similarly at the branch office in Kashgar, so they were somewhat accustomed. 

However, some did not rest comfortably. 

One such person was Woon-seong. 

He looked at the crushed spear in his hands, holding it up under the shattered moonlight. It’s too bad about this. He thought that it would be powerful because of the black iron, but the tip was broken because it couldn’t stand the sword of the Blade Ogre. 

Of course, he was not upset about the spear tip, per se. It was still usable, he just had to ask the Cult to help him reforge it. 

It was his own ability that he was sorry about. His lack of ability had caused it to be crushed. 

I should reflect on that.

Woon-seong recounted the fight, looking at his spear. He imagined fighting the Blade Ogre several times, but was unable to defeat him.

Seven times out of ten I lose. 

The three victories were after Woon-seong’s body saw terrible losses. It was difficult unless he gave up an arm or a leg. This way, he realized that he had been extremely lucky in reality.

He did have some gains though. Slowly, he was starting to remember some of the forms he had used that day. 

But he wasn’t satisfied. He closed his eyes and continued. 

Three days later, the 3rd Squad returned. 

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Il-Hwang, 일황]

[Translator – moonchildkhz]

[Proofreader – Mayank]