Origin Paradise!

Jiang He did not comment on this.

The two entered the tavern through the main entrance one after the other. The patrons were still cursing the fallen Lieutenant General Cangwu. Duke Merrick sneered inwardly, realizing that he was far inferior to them in their ability to distort the truth.

"Jiang Wu..."

Duke Merrick paused suddenly, unsure how to address the other party. To be honest, the alliance between the two sides was entirely based on interests. If the other party were to die suddenly, he would simply rejoice, provided it did not affect his own strength.

"Mo Ke," Jiang He said, but did not turn around.

Inside the tavern, a middle-aged man with a solemn expression leaned against the bar, looking straight ahead as he quietly watched the two approach.

Yu Jianyue had already moved to a corner to make way, while the old bartender stood behind the middle-aged man with his arms crossed, his expression indifferent.

Unbeknownst to the hundreds of patrons in the tavern, three rarely seen hero-level beings had gathered in this small space.

"Let me introduce myself," the middle-aged man said. "My name is Jing Ran, a member of the Jing clan, a powerful family in the Western Territory. I currently serve as the Governor-General of the Western Territory Investigation Department, with the rank of Lieutenant General in the Empire."

"Now, Major General Mo Ke, you may salute."

Chapter 475 Jing Shi

Inside the tavern, the old bartender's eyes narrowed.

Regarding "Mo Ke," it was clearly a title someone casually used when they first walked in, and theoretically there is no corresponding major general.

Jiang He remained calm and sat down in a chair. There was a file on the bar, its opening unsealed. He took out the document as if no one else was there; it was a letter of appointment as a major general in the military.

The seal containing special Dawn Source Power has been affixed, but the section for appointing the recipient is currently empty and will be filled in later.

—Western Border Investigation Team, Special Major General.

The middle-aged man frowned at the man's slightly arrogant behavior and said, "Cangwu Fortress is a snake trap, and its target is naturally the Dark Duke. If you think that one Merrick can make you feel at ease, I suggest you re-examine your surroundings."

The old bartender awkwardly raised his hand to indicate that, as the regional military governor, his superior was the king of the western border, and he was currently in charge of one link in the operation to close the net.

"Above the clouds, there is the Jing Clan's immortal warship," the old bartender reminded him directly, seemingly unconcerned by Jing Ran's almost murderous glare.

"Speak your mind." Jiang He wrote his code name on the appointment letter.

Seeing that the other party had given in, Jingran's expression softened slightly.

"With the Yu family's wanted notice, only the Jing family in the entire Western Region can protect you, but this is not without reward. You need to serve them. It's a simple exchange of equal value, where you give and you receive."

The old bartender picked up his glass again. The word "only" was clearly an attempt to elevate his status. Although the number of nobles in the empire was less than fifty, it was not enough to make the Jing family the only one in the western region.

Jiang He ordered a glass of the restaurant's signature Mirage Wine and asked, "Can I interpret this as the Jing family being unable to directly confront the Yu family, and therefore needing to act so stealthily?"

Jing Ran's face turned ashen. He said, "The Jing family is a prestigious clan, while the Yu family is merely a middle-class family. How can the two be compared?"

"The mere Duke of Yu is nothing more than a general under the King of Jingyang. The Yu family has married women from the Jing family for generations, which is how they obtained the position of guarding the western border."

"He holds a position but neglects his duties, resulting in two strategic defeats. He should be stripped of his title and post and exiled. Yet now he has colluded with the court, switching allegiances constantly. His crime deserves death!"

The old bartender secretly rolled his eyes. These members of the powerful clans really should change their overly strong sense of clan pride; otherwise, they'd easily sway others and relinquish control of the conversation.

Jiang He sipped his wine and pondered. It was obvious that Duke Yu had distorted the truth of the whole bone-scraping battle, and it wasn't just the Yu family's power that was at play. There were powerful figures in the court secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes.

These past few days, I've been traveling with Yu Jianyue, and she has told me a lot of top-secret information, including the "Blood Moon Resurgence" sixteen years ago, when the imperial central government began to centralize power. The current prime minister, Bai Gui, strongly advocates for reform. Before that, it was not necessary to go to the imperial capital to personally participate in the conferment ceremony to advance to the hero level.

This time, however, the Duke of Yu escaped unscathed from the responsibility of the two defeats, and even became a hero who turned the tide. This unusual performance attracted the attention and vigilance of the Jing clan, the leader of the powerful families in the western border.

The preliminary investigation revealed that Duke Yu was involved with the imperial court and had deviated from the camp of the local power, the Jing family.

The problem is that the Yu family was able to guard the Cangwu Province on the western border, which clearly meant they were highly valued. They had intermarried with the Jing family for generations, and such in-laws must have been the closest of confidants.

After a barrage of insults, Jingran calmed his extremely angry emotions in the face of Yu's blatant betrayal. He glanced at Yu Jianyue not far away and said, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. This applies to you, Mo Ke, and to Duke Merrick as well. That's why we can sit here and talk while the Immortal Warship is still high in the sky."

Jiang He remained noncommittal.

It's just a dogfight between the two sides. The fact that they can tolerate and intend to use the Dark Duke only shows that, in a conventional sense and on a moral level, the Jing family is no better; they're birds of a feather.

Jingran turned his head to look at someone and said seriously, "No matter what the reason is, if the Yu family is going to great lengths to arrest you, then I will protect you. I will oppose anything that the Duke of Yu agrees with, even if it is just to oppose for the sake of opposing."

"In about an hour, Duke Yu will arrive at Cangwu Fortress as acting lieutenant general and take full control of the defense."

"I will investigate his motives for causing the war to fail."

"The Yu family has secretly dispatched elite forces to find the famous spearman Da Li, and your mission is to thwart them."

Jingran handed over a slip of paper and solemnly said, "Major General Mo Ke, you have half an hour to exchange for military merits."

Jiang He took the slip of paper, which contained an address—Dark Canyon, a canyon that had once been the territory of Prince Severus.

"The Jing family doesn't seem very interested in famous guns," Jiang He asked directly, implying that there might be a trap.

Jing Ran sneered, "The fact that the unknown powerful figure who killed Prince Severus did not take the remains means that the worst has already happened."

"The spirit of the gun will surely perish."

"Without the spirit of the spear, Da Li cannot be considered a famous spear."

Jiang He's eyes changed slightly. Due to the existence of eternal death, the Time Ring could not restore a completely annihilated soul, which was not good news for him. However, if Da Li were intact, the contenders should be at the King level, not lower-level beings.

Jingran clapped his hands, and at a nearby table, an officer stood up to say goodbye to his drinking buddies.

He had regular features and was around thirty years old, but his overall appearance was rather strange. His Mediterranean-style hair should have been an easy problem for this strong man to solve. His left eye socket was completely empty, not because he was injured, but because there was nothing inside at all.

"Mediterranean" wore a gentle smile and nodded to someone.

Jing Ran introduced, "This is Jing Youxu, a powerful hero without a mythical form, who will be acting alongside you."

“He is my younger brother, and in terms of seniority, he is also the third master of that Miss Yu.”

Mediterranean said gently, "We can treat each other as equals. In a sense, Miss Fish seems to be older than me."

Yu Jianyue smiled politely but did not respond.

With the task accomplished, Jingran took out an antique-looking box from under the bar and handed it directly to someone.

Upon opening, one finds the top-of-the-line custom equipment of a major general in the military: an Undying-grade short sword with only the effects of sharpness and sturdiness; an Undying-grade bolt-action sniper rifle with heavy-hit effects and automatic calibration; various military supplies including ten Ultimate bullets; and an Ultimate-grade white light armor that looks more like a shirt.

Behind the bar, the old bartender raised an eyebrow. In any case, powerful families never disappoint when it comes to their wealth and power. To casually give away two immortal alchemical items was something that no superior family could afford to do.

Jiang He picked up the box, took out a bullet to pay the bill, turned around and left the tavern, casually taking out a copy of "Border Area Handbook".

It provides a general overview of the wild animals and rare treasures in the border region, focuses on describing various special terrains, and includes detailed level markings.

The Bronze Age – common and rare.

The Silver Age – Exquisite and Perfect.

The Golden Age – Perfection, Enduring.

The Age of Heroes – Epic, Immortal.

The legendary era – legends, the holy spirit.

Duke Merrick followed someone out of the tavern. He looked up at the sky and saw an immortal-class void warship hovering in the air above the clouds, appearing and disappearing. It was as if a black hole had appeared in his senses; he could see it, but his perception was completely empty.

"I think we might need a car."

Mediterranean clapped his hands, and the Jing family's unique "Dream Like a Lifetime Sutra" began to operate. The power of dawn overflowed, and strands of light intertwined, eventually forming a dawn-type wilderness vehicle. Every inch of the material was indistinguishable from reality.

Jiang He turned his head, and Merrick said helplessly, "The Imperial Jing Clan's core bloodline has a special talent from birth. After being developed by the Dream Like a Lifetime Sutra, they can show the power to turn the false into the real. However, every time a new existence is born, a vacancy of the same magnitude must be paid for."

As soon as he finished speaking, a thin strand of hair flew up from the top of the Mediterranean-looking head and turned into dust in the blink of an eye.

"Get in the car," the Mediterranean man laughed. "A real man doesn't need an image. I look forward to the day I go bald."

Jiang He agreed wholeheartedly and went straight to the back seat, saying, "Let's go exchange for military merits first."

Mediterranean took the driver's seat, while Duke Merrick sighed and sat in the passenger seat.

Yu Jianyue was very self-aware; she first ran to the side to vomit, then sat in the back seat, her face flushed with drunkenness.

The Dawn Vehicle has a rugged and crude appearance, looking like a moving rock, but it is quite fast. Its energy comes from source gold, and its running speed is comparable to that of ordinary gold.

The annihilation of the main field force of the Cangwu Army has left the Cangwu Fortress lifeless. The once invincible officers and soldiers now seem to have had their necks broken, and they walk with their heads down.

Inside the fortress, the roads are straight, with a Cangwu Avenue running through it. The streets on the left and right are neatly arranged, with three auxiliary roads in total. The overall layout resembles the Chinese character "丰" (feng).

In the center stands the massive Wanjiangtai, forged entirely from highly refined Originium, its sturdiness astonishing, serving as the ballast for the fortress's overall defense.

Before the platform of ten thousand generals, the golden-armored figure has stood there since the start of the war. The imperial family's war envoys have always been known for their strength, loyalty, and fearlessness, and the minimum selection criterion is that they must be golden beings.

Mediterranean, gripping the steering wheel, glanced at the Duke of Merrick beside him and introduced:

"Iron Law of the Empire, Number One: Military Merit System Above All Else During Wartime."

"Even later emperors are not allowed to interfere with its operation."

"Imperial Iron Law No. 2: Progenitor-level beings are not allowed to cross the line of fire."

“Any imperial hero-level being who fails to fight to the death to stop the Dark Race Progenitor in the area will be executed without limit.”

"Imperial Iron Law Three: If a war zone is lost, the garrison officers and noble families of all ranks will be stripped of their posts and titles."

"These three ironclad rules come from Emperor Wuzong, a legendary human being from the empire's resurgence five hundred years ago."

Mediterranean spoke with longing, saying, "In the past five hundred years, Emperor Wuzong has awakened four times, all because the majesty of the iron law was challenged. The most recent one was about sixty years ago, when the progenitor of the vampire clan infiltrated the interior of the empire. The powerful guardians of the western border, whose life levels were equal, ignored it, which ultimately led to four provinces and billions of people becoming blood servants, an event known in history as the Bloodshed Incident."

"Wu Zong was thus awakened, killed two peak-level heroes from both sides, and then fought against the legendary ancestor of the second clan from a distance before falling back into silence."

Jiang He looked out the car window. The Empire had legendary life forms that could revive and engage in high-intensity combat, so even though there were various problems inside, it could maintain overall stability.

Behind these three ironclad rules stood Emperor Wuzong, thus giving them an awe-inspiring and inviolable authority.

However, legendary life forms need to resist the internal erosion of the gradually perfecting mythical form, making it difficult to maintain an awakened state for a long time, and the centralization of power in the vast empire still seems to be struggling.

"What does it mean that Yu Jianyue is older than you?" Jiang He asked.

“Calling me Jian Yue is also acceptable,” Yu Jian Yue said with a cold laugh.

The man with the Mediterranean-shaped face said gently, "This matter should be considered a scandal for the Yu family. Given the Duke of Yu's choice, I will not mince words. Miss Yu was not directly conceived by a third-generation member of the Yu family and a woman from the Jing family..."

Yu Jianyue took over the conversation and said coldly, "I was indirectly cultivated. For the sake of potential, my direct parents had already perished before the embryo was formed. The Yin-Yang Double Fish Technique, which can also be called the Yin-Yang Transformation Fish Technique, not only has a longer cycle before birth, but my mission in life was actually to serve as the reincarnation vessel for my great-grandfather. Unfortunately, my gender is different."

In the mundane realm, the sex of a newborn can be intervened through technological means, but in the extraordinary realm, yin and yang are unpredictable. It's not a question of whether Duke Yu is willing to accept gender change, but rather that the two are simply incompatible.

Today, Duke Yu is already two and a half cycles of sixty years old, which is extremely long-lived among the human powerhouses who suffer from the eternal darkness curse. It is well known in the Western Region that this heroic powerhouse is exceptionally fond of life, and his research on life extension, life continuation, reincarnation, and blood exchange is endless.

But Jiang He knew that these actions were nothing more than the Duke of Yu's attempt to cover up his dark bloodline.

The Dawn vehicle arrived in front of the Wanjiangtai.

Because he had wiped out millions of dark creatures in the war, and through the process of ascending through the ranks, Jiang He's military merits had reached 16 Duke-level merits. Through the car window, he exchanged 8 epic cultivation techniques with the golden-armored warrior.

Mediterranean looked somewhat surprised, and he felt that Jiang Wuyang's contribution in the battle for the skeletons should be re-evaluated.

Duke Merrick sighed painfully, remembering the savage army he had painstakingly organized with his last breath.

Money and goods are both in order.

Mediterranean stepped on the gas, ready to leave.

"Wait a minute," Jiang He said.

The next moment, the final time loop was activated.

Once upon a time in the Infernal Fortress, a terrifying hellish disease swept through the area, causing the deaths of millions of people.

Time seemed to flow backward. The jade tablet captured the special mark of the kill, which was real and true. The Duke-level military merits rose from zero to a total of 16.

Then the second time loop was started.

He was awarded the title of Duke twice, totaling 32.

Jiang He chose to continue exchanging for epic cultivation techniques.

The golden-armored warrior glared at him, refusing to give it to him.

"Iron Law of the Empire, Number One: Military Merit System Above All Else," Jiang He said calmly.

The golden-armored warrior sneered, "Do you think I'm dead?"

Jiang He hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

—It turns out it wasn't; he thought it was a puppet.

Golden Armor Warrior: "..."

Good, good, good! (claps hands)

Jiang He obtained 16 more epic cultivation techniques. Including the reward for crafting the Black Judgment, as well as the Twin Fish Technique and the Sword Scripture, the total number of techniques reached 32, making his resources comparable to several top-tier families.

[Note: You have been blacklisted by the Spirit of the Empire - you will be unable to continue exchanging military merits until the review period ends within three calendar years]