Origin Paradise!

Jiang He left behind the golden skeleton of his prey; it would come in handy someday.

—The King's Arrival is activated.

……

Carmel, a noble mansion.

In the bedroom, Ah Da waited quietly in front of the mirror.

Jiang He used the Ultimate Transformation Technique, and A-Da's face gradually transformed into that of Earl Felix.

In the world of Ashes, nobility is divided into high nobility (earns) and low nobility (barons). There are no other ranks. Marquises and duchies are absolutely forbidden in parliamentary legislation.

After the change ended, Ah Da, from head to toe, and even his entire demeanor, became completely identical to Count Felix.

"Don't take the golden aura seriously, or you'll give yourself away if you make a move," Jiang He warned.

"Understood," Ah Da replied steadily.

Jiang He took out a flask of dragon blood wine and drank it all. Originally, he planned to use Dragon Spear Technique: Formless Calamity after flashing, and then use it in conjunction with Martial Saint Strike to instantly kill Felix. However, the fact that the opponent activated the spatial alchemy array actually reduced the difficulty of the hunt.

After the Martial Saint Strike is activated, all attacks are converted into true damage, but the cost is that stamina is depleted. He is not very used to this skill unless absolutely necessary.

The three of them rested for a while

Ah Da, playing the role of Earl Felix, orders the butler and head maid to bring the treasure map, which is still kept in the mansion.

Half an hour later, hundreds of servants gathered together, and A-Da announced in a affected tone: "This is a retired general from the Iron Legion whom I invited. He will be in charge of the treasure map from now on."

Facing the group of people from the mansion, Jiang He stepped forward and nodded symbolically. He didn't believe that there wasn't a spy among them, and he estimated that the news of his possession of the treasure map would spread very soon.

Among the group, some were amazed by the general's appearance, some harbored suspicions, and some noticed something amiss but couldn't quite put their finger on it. The newcomer's sudden rise to power and the count's mistress's disappearance were all rather strange.

This person knew about it but didn't care; even if it was just a perfunctory response, it depended on whether it was necessary.

The old butler stepped forward and reported, "Your Excellency, the banquet is ready, and the lady and young lady are waiting for you."

"I understand," Ah Da waved his hand.

The old butler lowered his head, his expression unreadable.

……

In the evening, Felix's family held a sin feast.

More than twenty barons from Carmel City arrived with their wives and concubines. The ladies and young women were adorned with jewels and danced and sang. They sat at a long table on the second floor, from which they could clearly see the performance in the hall on the first floor of the mansion and look down upon it.

Jiang He sat at the head of the left, refusing the baron's attempts to engage him in conversation; he was more interested in the food.

The beautiful waitresses introduced each dish in turn.

The bread with crystallized surface is a high-energy food made from concentrated ordinary white bread. During the production process, a byproduct of the extraction tower, "emotional fragments and aftertaste," is added, which makes the taste lingering.

The cold dish was a mutated mushroom that was half a foot tall. This mushroom had animal-like limbs and round eyes under its cap. Its scientific name was Abomination mushroom. The more abomination it was, the more delicious it tasted.

The maid carefully cut off a strip of mushroom tendril, held it delicately, and fed it to the guest, displaying impeccable manners.

Jiang He took a small bite; the taste was ordinary.

"Please wait a moment, esteemed guest." After calming the mushroom down, the maid plunged a knife into its heart. The mushroom let out a rather human-like wail, like a parrot, and then began to struggle wildly.

The maidservant, used to this, patiently cut off the limbs and removed the cap. She was so disgusted by the mushroom that she fainted from the pain, but woke up again in agony as it was gutted.

After using a whole host of professional tools, the maid finally managed to collect a bowl of mushroom soup that tasted like her heart's blood. After warming the soup slightly, its fresh aroma spread and enveloped the entire dining table.

"This mushroom soup is abhorrent, please try it, esteemed guest," the maid said with a sweet smile.

Jiang He took a bite, and the unprecedented freshness and aroma filled his taste buds. He immediately fed most of the mushroom soup to the little white snake around its neck.

sizzle~

The soup was so delicious that Zhuang Ya was almost transformed into a human form.

Just as everyone was enjoying the food, the Sin Feast performance had already begun in the lobby on the first floor.

One hundred people who failed to pay the blood tax were arrested by the mansion's guards, half men and half women.

The old butler announced in a loud voice: "The first act of the banquet performance is the Dance of Lies. Within thirty seconds, all participants must find a dance partner of the opposite sex. When the music starts, begin the Ash Waltz. For each wrong step, the dance partner will be subjected to a sword punishment."

The participants looked at each other. Ash Waltz was the Empire's signature piece, known to everyone from top to bottom, but for people who usually struggled to even fill their stomachs, mastering it was simply impossible.

The old butler fell silent, smiling as he looked down over the hall.

After a dozen seconds, someone finally took the lead, and the others followed suit.

Before the music started, eight people still hadn't found dance partners. When the time came, without any explanation, as the old butler waved his hand, eight long swords appeared from the second-floor ceiling and fell straight into the target's head, piercing through the mouth, throat, and esophagus, and finally severing the intestines.

An indescribable fear and disgust arose among the participants, and immediately a baron sinner clapped and cheered excitedly, while the VIP diners seemed to have their appetites whetted.

Jiang He put down her cutlery, picked up the Dragon Blood Wine and took a sip, saying calmly, "Does this kind of sin banquet have any special significance?"

The baron beside him chuckled smugly, “As you know, this Abyss Demon is born from human hatred. In fact, there is a small group of people who are born with the ability to draw upon hatred, forming a special energy, which is commonly referred to as sin energy.”

The crowd silently labeled this officer as a country bumpkin. Even basic aristocratic knowledge was not something a guy of unknown origin could know.

Across the table, a noblewoman with a piercing gaze smiled and said, "Only those who possess sin energy are qualified to become superior sin sorcerers by relying on their affinity with the Abyss Ghosts. The innate attraction to the Abyss Ghosts will lead those who possess sin energy onto the destined path of sin sorcerers. Any misfortunes that may occur along the way are merely trials given by heaven, just like the famous Pope Adam Mister."

The Baron continued solemnly, "When a sin feast is held, the surrounding hatred will be particularly intense for a period of time. Being in it will significantly accelerate the growth of our sin energy."

"There is no sin sorcerer in the world who has never participated in a sin feast. According to the conclusions drawn from countless studies, the hatred generated when a person dies is the most intense."

Jiang He raised an eyebrow: "It seems far less desirable than going to the battlefield."

The noblewoman covered her mouth and chuckled: "Look at what you're saying, people die on the battlefield."

Upon hearing this, the nobles couldn't help but burst into laughter.

“Interesting.” Jiang He said thoughtfully, “Human hatred gave birth to Sin Masters and Abyss Demons, so what can the hatred of Sin Masters and Abyss Demons give rise to?”

The laughter gradually subsided, and the nobles looked at each other in bewilderment. Some looked astonished, some were deep in thought, and some frowned deeply. This question seemed to have never been fashionable before.

“The hatred is strongest when a person dies, in short…” Jiang He deduced, “If I kill all the Sin Masters and Abyss Ghosts, wouldn’t all the hatred in the world belong to me? There would be a small price to pay, though. The transcendent would face annihilation, which you might not be willing to accept, but if everyone dies, there shouldn’t be any resistance.”

Jiang He assessed the likelihood of success. The flow of hatred was: humans – Sinners and Abyss Demons – himself. By eliminating intermediaries, all the evil in this world would be concentrated in one person. The result should be worth anticipating, encompassing an entire world. Perhaps it could accomplish a heroic feat and forge the rough outline of a mythical form.

The baron's expression was blank, and he began to tremble instinctively.

The noblewoman turned pale and stammered, "You must be... joking."

Silence fell over the long table, and a faint smell of blood began to spread, as if the cries of millions of living beings were echoing in their ears.

Jiang He shook her head, wiped her mouth with a silk scarf, and said calmly, "I enjoyed dinner tonight, but without practice, it's hard to distinguish between theory and speculation. I can only trouble everyone here to lend me a hand. After all, opportunities don't come often, and I'm not a very patient person."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Baron stood up abruptly.

The noblewoman turned pale, as if realizing something, and began to scream wildly. The nobles rose and fled, leaving tables and chairs scattered all over the ground.

Jiang He remained seated and motionless.

A black sun rose from behind, its solemn and cold outline distorted with eerie light, and the air howled sharply, as if countless wronged souls were screaming.

The tables, chairs, and benches scattered on the ground seemed to be suddenly pulled by an irresistible force, sliding rapidly toward the black sun with a crackling sound. The crystal floor shattered, the crystal chandeliers fell one after another, and glass shards shot through the air like bullets.

The nobles screamed in terror, fleeing frantically but only to be pushed back. Famous paintings and sculptures were all twisted and deformed by the terrifying devouring force, shattering at an incredible speed. The baron cursed as he was swallowed by the black light, and the noblewoman's delicate body disintegrated.

In a short period of time, the entire second floor went from bustling and lively to empty and deserted, almost entirely reduced to dust.

Only the black sun still hangs high.

"Your Majesty." Ah Da awaited the order.

Behind Jiang He, a humanoid Dharma image appeared. He thought about it carefully, and then stuffed the epic-level item, the navigation light, into it. This thing was originally the energy device of the Saint Lilith during its peak period.

"If we consider the mythical form as a warship, then the three special effects of the navigation lights don't seem to play a significant role," Jiang He thought to himself.

Effect ①: Energy Capture Converter – Captures various extraordinary factors in the surrounding environment and converts them into tangible energy.

Effect 2: Fusion - The navigation light can be integrated into non-living objects, and will detach when damaged.

Effect 3: Navigation and Guidance - It has a deep-seated inertial guidance for capturing extraordinary factors, and the efficiency will be significantly improved by capturing and charging for a long time.

The humanoid Dharma face suddenly lit up like a lamp, and intense hatred surged and gathered in the surrounding environment. At present, the absorption was obviously still in the stage of quantitative accumulation.

The experiment was successful.

Jiang He stood up, and the Dharma image dissipated.

On the stairs between the first and second floors, the old butler, his face filled with terror, cried out in a hoarse voice, "Don't come any closer, or I'll kill everyone involved!"

Jiang He chuckled: "What does this have to do with me? People should pay the price for their weakness."

"They are like that, you are like that, and so am I."

boom!

The Judgment Eye shattered the old butler's head.

Jiang He turned to A Da and said, "I'll leave the cleanup to you. I'll keep a Blood Spear. If anyone steps into the trap to assassinate you, report to Dawn Intelligence immediately."

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Ah Da replied, bowing his head.

Chapter 397 Crimson Celebration

Night fell.

It was pitch black outside the noble mansion.

Along the dilapidated streets, a few streetlights flickered with a dim yellow light. Due to the commotion that had just occurred, a squadron of Iron-Burning troops stationed around the Scarlet Theater immediately rushed over and was confronting the noble guards.

The Iron Legion is the Empire's most elite field force, with approximately 30,000 soldiers stationed in each major city. Every soldier is a rigorously trained new human, organized into squads of 100, companies of 1,000, and battalions of 10,000.

Legend has it that each legion has a squadron of Howlers directly under the legion commander. These rarely seen outcasts are all transplanted with the flesh and blood of the Abyss Demons. With their power significantly increased, the Howlers will irrevocably descend into spiritual depravity, becoming expendable resources of war.

At the entrance of the mansion, a young man walked out as if no one else was around. His long platinum hair was casually tied back, and the blood moon mark between his eyebrows looked a little eerie. He was extremely handsome.

"Halt!" The squadron commander's eyes narrowed, and he decisively drew his sidearm from his waist. The soldiers behind him, who had been fighting for their lives, all raised their guns.

All the guns have blood-red patterns engraved on their surfaces. After being imbued with the blood of the Abyss Demon, these standard weapons can affect the Abyss Demon, but their lethality is vastly different from that of a Sorcerer.

Seeing that the young man did not stop, the squadron commander frowned, and the murderous intent in his eyes intensified.

Squeak!

The mansion doors opened, and Earl Felix stepped out, exuding an air of authority and power.

"Sir, please do not disturb my guest."

Facing the nobleman, the squadron commander could only put away his sidearm and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "My lord, the Holy City's Eye of Surveillance has sent a notification that there are signs of the birth of the strongest Abyss Demon in the nobleman's mansion. The Legion Commander is on his way back from the wilderness."

Felix laughed it off, "Do you think that's possible?"

The squadron commander did not answer. In fact, if the strongest Abyss Demon had really been born, including the Earl, they should have been wiped out. At this point, it was uncertain whether the legion commander would come over.

However, the surveillance eye deployed in the core city of San Francisco did detect a strong concentration of hatred, and the estimated number of the dead was a staggering tens of millions.

"Felix" invited, "Come in and have a seat. Perhaps because the End Society just launched an attack, some nobles have died inside, and I'm short-handed to deal with them."

"Yes," the squadron commander replied.

……

The distance from the noble mansion to the church is only a few kilometers.

At the entrance of dilapidated houses, countless skulls swayed in the wind, occasionally striking the door with a crisp sound.

Jiang He walked along the roadside and saw a line of ragged commoners heading towards the extraction tower.

Every adult citizen is required to contribute 800cc of blood per month. Those who violate this rule will be executed and implicated as a result. Given the physical condition of the new humans, this burden is not enough to drive people to the brink of despair, provided that they receive adequate nutrition.

Due to the relatively heavy blood tax and declining productivity, the Imperial Rebellion has sprung up like mushrooms after rain, but compared to the End Society, the number of sin sorcerers within the Rebellion is pitifully small, and it has never been able to gain any real power.

Once someone becomes a Sorcerer, citizens and their immediate family members are exempt from blood tax, and food and water are provided in sufficient quantities by the main city. In most cases, there is no reason for them to participate in resistance.

We continued on our way back to the church.

An unusually noisy chattering sound came from inside.

The church, which had seemed desolate and dilapidated before I left, seemed to have come alive again. The old priest, with a Bible between his fingers and a bread basket in his hand, distributed black bread to the church's orphans one by one.

After the distribution was completed, a slightly taller girl led the orphans up to the second floor of the church.

Jiang He walked in, found a place to sit down, and casually mocked, "In the ancient times of the Great Xia Dynasty, there were kings and nobles who begged for a bowl of honey water on their deathbeds but could not get it. I don't think you will be able to eat black bread before you die."

Objectively speaking, as one of the leaders of the secret force, raising orphans was a complete sin. Once he falls from power, none of these guys will escape, and of course, the outcome is none of his business.

“Hey.” The old priest smiled mysteriously, “You don’t understand. Children are the easiest works of art to be molded. I guide them to grow up, and they will become my loyal subordinates. The only cost to me is time.”