Origin Paradise!

"At that time, he came up with a plan to establish a hatred storage and extraction device, namely the extraction tower, within the empire, intending to replace the so-called human hatred aggregate with human power."

"At a suitable time, in conjunction with the blood tax system, the Obsidian Council will launch a human emotion cleansing program to eliminate the breeding ground for Abyssal Demons from the source."

Ah Da listened quietly, his face solemn, and couldn't help but ask, "If people have no emotions, what's the point of living?"

The legion commander replied, "How should I know? But we must survive first. The plan is now more than halfway complete, and the establishment of fifty extraction towers is the foundation."

Ah Da seemed to have thought of something, and said blankly, "But now the extraction tower of the Crimson Theater has been destroyed."

The legion commander nodded: "The accountability for this matter will be unimaginably severe. Without swift and decisive punishment, legion commanders and nobles in other places will waver when faced with similar attacks."

"In order to nip this possibility in the bud, and at the same time prevent the high-end combat forces from being pushed to the opposite side, the result will most likely be execution, but the gold will certainly not be spared. The main person in charge will have to pay at least the price equivalent to the core being destroyed."

The legion commander said meaningfully, "My core is already shattered, and I cannot afford the cost of the extraction tower's collapse."

"But as long as the nobleman Felix falls and takes all the blame, I can extricate myself and let it all end there. No one will pursue the matter any further. After all, the other gold will be watching closely, as the saying goes, 'When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves.'"

The feeling of being constantly on guard forced Ah Da to stop. He sighed softly, "I did manage to save you, after all."

"So," the legion commander laughed, "then save me one more time. I will remember your kindness forever."

For a normal peak Silver level being, even if a Gold level being is only half alive, it is still a great danger.

The legion commander was far from being at his wit's end; he immediately turned into steel and entered a state of semi-demonization.

boom!

The legion commander punched the imposter in the back of the head.

Ah Da sensed death approaching; his body couldn't keep up with the opponent's attack speed at all, but he remained calm in the slightest.

Having a boss to protect you when you're out in the world is undoubtedly a good thing. Since replacing Felix was a personal order from the boss, I will never be abandoned because of it.

In the blink of an eye.

The blood-red spear in Ah Da's hand disappeared.

A tall figure descended, with long platinum hair casually tied back. His black officer's uniform was somewhat torn, but that did not diminish his dangerous and chilling aura.

The heavy punch that was meant to kill the target on the spot was easily blocked.

Click!

Jiang He clenched his fist so tightly that it shattered.

Ignoring the excruciating pain, the legion commander was filled with terror. The presence of the other party here likely meant two things: either Emperor Yuan Gui had fallen, or he himself was about to die.

"According to your logic," Jiang He said coldly, "it seems that if the legion commander dies in battle, he can take all the blame, right?"

The legion commander forced a smile. "Sir, I was just joking with this gentleman. Things might not be that simple..."

boom!

At the same moment the two-second imprisonment was about to begin, the silver spear thrust out fiercely, blasting the legion commander's head apart.

Jiang He used a hand chop to pierce the opponent's heart and draw blood, thus raising the level of the Undying Blood Poison to LV55.

When he turned around, Ah Da gave him a simple and honest smile.

Jiang He didn't intend to pursue the issue of flaws in the performance. This legion commander had worked with Felix for many years and was not easy to fool.

"Continue to take over; I'll handle the extraction tower issue."

Ah Da bowed respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Chapter 402 The Tomb of Ten Thousand Abyss

Three hours after the attack ended.

The fighting in Carmel-by-the-Sea had just ended.

More than 50% of the street buildings were destroyed, and the population plummeted by hundreds of thousands. Everywhere you looked, there were ruins, as if a giant hand had wantonly crushed and carelessly discarded them.

Smoke, acrid grime, and the stench of blood—all symbols of death—mingled together. Countless dead lay scattered across the ruins, and the faces of many citizens were frozen in pain and fear. The heavily wounded soldiers of the Ironclad Legion barely maintained their patrols, finishing off the victims one by one, smashing their skulls.

In the distance, wisps of black smoke were still slowly rising.

The old priest, who had rushed back from the wilderness, arrived in front of the church, where faint cries could be heard from the collapsed ruins.

The members of the End Society paid considerable attention to this prominent building in the inner city of Carmel. Although there was no strong resistance as expected, the Fallen Demons that followed almost completely destroyed it.

Click!

The old priest accidentally broke the neck bone of a small, charred corpse. He held his breath and focused his senses on his surroundings. The light of death appeared before his eyes. If nothing unexpected happened, of all the orphans, only the oldest, Rorona, had survived.

"How am I supposed to live?!" The old priest couldn't help but kneel down and wail.

Jiang He, who was walking slowly from a short distance away, was taken aback when she saw this.

The old priest looked truly heartbroken. He turned around, tears streaming down his face, and said in anguish, "Amber, years of hard work have been destroyed in an instant. Can you understand this pain?"

"As a sorcerer of sin, how many more years do I have left to live? My idiotic children, who were supposed to be caring for me in my old age, have suffered heavy casualties. I might as well just die. Damn the End Society, I will avenge them!"

Jiang He took out a flask of dragon blood wine to rinse his mouth and said, "The Sin of the Blade Sorcerer probably hasn't gone far."

The old priest paused for a moment upon hearing this, then said, "Let's just forget about it. The cycle of revenge is a tragedy of our times."

Jiang He casually tossed away the empty wine jug, realizing he was overestimating his opponent's conscience and willingness to fight to the death.

Logically, the Sin of the Blade mage shouldn't have decided to retreat before the support team arrived. The punishment for failure by such a terrifying organization as the End Society is probably no less severe than that of the Empire. Unless there is absolutely no hope, the enemy will not easily give up the opportunity to salvage the situation, such as by secretly stabbing an important figure.

However, Jiang He had no intention of pursuing the Sin of the Blade Sorcerer. If no one relayed the news of the Ninth Angel's capture, wouldn't his capture have been in vain?

Among all the angels, Jiang He's true target was only that violator who had betrayed the Origin.

In the ruins of the church, the old priest's mournful cries echoed endlessly. He found the only surviving girl, Lorona, and the two embraced, tears streaming down their faces.

Jiang He suddenly turned her head. At the end of the street, a silver-haired woman strode towards them, her long sword at her waist was quite exquisite.

In fact, she possessed a stunningly beautiful face, far more dazzling than the long sword at her waist. Her school uniform clung to her delicate body, revealing her graceful and captivating curves.

Along the way, both the soldiers of the Iron-Burning Army and ordinary people were involuntarily drawn to her unparalleled beauty, yet she exuded an extremely subtle strangeness.

Sugon Intelligence quickly provided its analysis conclusions in this regard.

"The distance of each step, the amplitude of each arm swing, the depth of each breath—all are perfectly aligned, suggesting a bionic humanoid life form, or a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder."

Jiang He nodded to himself. He took out a pair of white gloves that matched his officer's uniform from his personal imperial bag, then reached out and smeared a mixture of blood and dust on the broken wall. Finally, he put on the white gloves as if nothing had happened.

The silver-haired woman did not slow her pace, but merely frowned.

A moment later, when she discovered that the other person had chosen to wear only one glove, her expression immediately turned serious.

Hiss!

A finger protruded from the glove.

Jiang He looked down, seemingly surprised by the quality of the gloves. He adjusted his strength, and three consecutive tearing sounds rang out.

The silver-haired woman was initially agitated, but as each finger was revealed, her expression calmed down.

Suddenly, Jiang He abruptly stopped the final adjustment.

The silver-haired woman's expression changed drastically. When she saw the other party use his dirty hand, which had four fingers sticking out, to straighten the collar of his uniform, she, who could remain calm even when facing a human assassin, completely lost her self-control.

"stop!"

Jiang He seemed not to hear, and with a flick of her wrist, she ran her hand over her head, easily messing up her neat platinum blonde hair.

The silver-haired woman gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, her expression suggesting she was concerned about something. She then loosened her grip, but finally couldn't resist and pulled the sword out of its sheath by half an inch.

Fortunately, the person has stopped the disturbing behavior.

Jiang He directly reduced his opponent to a non-threatening level, revealing a weakness that was too obvious and could be fatal in battle.

The two sides were locked in a standoff. After the old priest came to his senses and realized what had happened, he came out with Rorona in his arms to smooth things over.

"This is Duchess Sylvia of Ash, the only S-rank chief student of Ash Academy, and also the Obsidian Special Envoy sent by the Council. There was a slight accident on the way, and the others cannot come for the time being."

The old priest carefully chose his words; the phrase "can't come" was, of course, a euphemism for "completely hopeless."

"This is an unknown powerhouse, Amber Ash, currently under the command of the Eye of Ash. His life level is not important, but all I know is that he is very powerful. He is my right-hand man."

The old priest secretly reminded the silver-haired woman that even though the overlord was only silver, bullying ordinary gold would be a piece of cake for him. Given that the overlord had survived being chased by elite gold players for several hours and had theoretically undergone a huge enhancement after the settlement of the battle, it was probably only a matter of time before he killed two gold players, including himself.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Ashes Duchess silently sheathed the knife; when it came to combat, she possessed ample rationality.

Jiang He stood still, her expression unchanged.

“Then let’s start cleaning up the mess,” the old priest said, clapping his hands. “Carmel’s condition is so terrible, we have to report it in a good way.”

With a gentle wave of her hand, the Ashes Duchess unleashed her sin energy, causing the ground to distort its original shape. Through manipulation and shaping, a set of stone tables and chairs appeared amidst the architectural ruins.

The three of them took their seats.

The old priest gestured, and the Duchess of Ashes said directly, "I hope that you can become a temporary student of Ashes Academy."

She took a folded draft document out of her pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

"The specific time was three days ago."

Jiang He took the document; it was clearly a hastily drafted document, with neither the wording nor the formatting revised.

If he had become a temporary trainee three days ago, then the Obsidian Special Mission wouldn't have been entirely without merit in the Carmel incident. At the very least, their achievements in destroying Emperor Abyss, killing the Cardinal, and capturing the Ninth Angel could have overshadowed the mission's demise.

"Battle losses" and "defeat" are the same fact, but they can lead to drastically different outcomes.

Jiang He put down the document and nodded slightly.

He doesn't care about fame or recognition, nor does he mind if others' merits and demerits are balanced, provided that he receives commensurate compensation.

Seeing that the other party agreed, Duchess Ash said, "At Ash Academy, the final winner of the annual competition can get a chance to go to the Tomb of Ten Thousand Abyss to cultivate sin energy. For the past four years, I have been the winner."

"The Tomb of Ten Thousand Abyss is located underground in the academy. It imprisons more than four thousand Abyss Demons. The hatred that fills it powers the entire Holy City, including but not limited to its daily operations, defense facilities, and industrial production."

"According to the academy's rules, those who win three times will be eligible to exchange for a masterpiece-level surgery, which will be personally performed by the chief instructor, alchemy master Arska, and is expected to take three months."

"One of the masterpiece surgeries can replace the contracted Abyss Ghost of the recipient. Since contracts are usually unchangeable, it is equivalent to giving the sorcerer a new life to choose from."

"Most importantly, this surgery contains a key premise: the recipient can enter the Tomb of Ten Thousand Abysses and freely choose a suitable Abyss Ghost, provided that they have the ability to establish themselves inside."

The Ashes Lady said slowly and deliberately, "Your Excellency is probably not a Sorcerer. You can choose the Abyss Ghost and then refuse the surgery. The chief instructor is often not in the academy; he would be happy to save time."

Jiang He asked a question, "How do students of Ash Academy become Sin Masters?"

If the college makes arrangements in this regard, then the so-called opportunity is not that valuable.

The old priest added, "The students of Ash Academy are divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D. As for the additional S level, I don't think it needs any further explanation. Only Gold level is qualified for it. Among them, A level corresponds to the peak of Silver level, and C level corresponds to an ordinary Silver level Sin Master."

"As for D-rank, which makes up the majority, it refers to those who haven't yet been able to form a contract with the Abyss Ghost."

"The academy has always adhered to the policy of preparing for war. The students must be able to immediately fill positions at all levels in the empire. Therefore, there is no unified arrangement for capturing and contracting Abyssal Ghosts. They basically have to find their own ways, and there are not many restrictions."

The old priest explained the general situation in detail: all students who could enter the Ash Academy had sin aptitude, and those with local noble bloodlines and the offspring of officers from the Iron Legion had a clear advantage.

Students capturing Abyss Demons on their own does not mean they cannot obtain external assistance. This policy aims to save the academy's training costs and to encourage local strongmen to intensify their efforts to combat Abyss Demons.

In return, those with ordinary sin-attribute abilities face significant challenges in contracting with Abyssal Demons. Therefore, the council president specifically supported the academic faction, adopting a system similar to the ancient master-disciple relationship to counter the aristocratic faction and maintain a balance between the two.

The old priest joked, "If a student refuses to join either side, it's tantamount to refusing to serve the Empire. In that case, the Abyss Ghosts they can contract with will be nothing more than mediocre ones like Tomato Abyss Ghosts or Mushroom Abyss Ghosts."

Jiang He pondered for a moment and said, "I will be responsible for imprisoning the Ninth Angel; I will not hand him over to anyone else."

Duchess Ash replied, "Someone will probably cause you trouble, but it's not relevant to the present, so I have no objection."

With their strength as collateral, the three reached their first agreement.

Seeing someone sign the recruitment document, the old priest said with a slightly serious expression, "The next step is to discuss the destruction of the extraction tower."

Duchess Ash's expression darkened slightly. Before the group set off, Principal Ash had repeatedly warned them that even if Carmel City became a dead zone, the Extraction Tower could not be damaged in the slightest.

This imperial weapon, with a manufacturing cycle of several decades and a massive amount of resources invested in its defense, could withstand an attack from ordinary gold for half a day without any problem. However, it encountered the Emperor's Abyss Ghost, which was specifically designed to target imperial buildings, and shattered upon contact.

"The Eye of Ash, the great nobles and the legion commanders, one of them must die to stop this. All the barons with real power in the thirty-six satellite cities of this state will be stripped of their titles, and the senior officers of the Iron Legion will be demoted by three ranks." Duchess Ash sighed, "There is precedent for this."

During the construction phase before the extraction tower was fully completed, the End received the news and launched a massive attack. At that time, the plan had just begun, and the punishment was still within reasonable limits. If it were now, there would likely be a massive bloodbath. Compared to the golden beings, even if a truckload of barons died, it wouldn't cause any fundamental upheaval.

At this moment, the old priest and the Ashes Duchess were unaware of the legion commander's death. The aftermath involved gold, which multiplied the complexity of the situation.

Jiang He tapped the table lightly and said, "I can restore the extraction tower, provided that the nobles and officers pay the price."

The old priest was filled with mixed emotions upon hearing this. He had participated in the siege against this person and knew about that unreasonable special ability. But it wasn't limited to himself; it could also affect external objects. Wasn't that a bit too overpowered?

A fleeting look of surprise crossed the Ash Duchess's face as she repeatedly confirmed, "Your restored extraction tower must not be a mere imitation. The amount of abomination energy gathered in the Holy City differs from our expectations. Verifying its authenticity will be a matter of days."

Jiang He remained calm and casually replied, "I have my own place to daydream, I wouldn't joke about it here."