Chapter 1 Holy Fire Continent, Twilight City

The Holy Fire Continent, Twilight City.

Elemental Calendar, Year 307, June 24th—the last Monday of June.

Which is to say, the monthly Day of Judgment.

At 1:25 PM, after making sure that there wasn't a single speck of dirt on his priest's robe, Eamon, who had prepared everything, picked up his catechism, left his room, and walked downstairs.

"Leaving already, High Priest?"

When he reached the first floor of the inn, he heard a familiar female voice. It was the landlady speaking, an old woman who was wiping a wine bottle at the counter.

She had once been a guest at this inn when she was young, but fifty years ago, she was attracted by the superb fishing skills of the current boss. After a series of stories, she became the hostess of this inn. The white-haired old woman smiled and said to Eamon, "Are you preparing to leave for the square now? The old man originally planned to wait for you to go together, but the children at home were too enthusiastic and couldn't wait, so he left first."

"Yes, madam. Bearing witness to the judgment is the natural duty of us, the followers of the Lord of Judgment. It's a good thing that the children are enthusiastic."

Eamon smiled and bowed to the landlady, clasping his hands together. After paying for today's room, he walked out the door.

Outside the inn, the sky above Twilight City was gloomy and dark, with drizzle falling. However, the warm air of the seaside in summer did not make the rain feel cold. Instead, it added a touch of coolness to the humid atmosphere.

"My Lord..."

Twilight City was shrouded in a dim rain, but Eamon, who had just stepped out of the door, couldn't help but lower his head.

Because in front of him was an existence that could not be looked at directly, a 'god' whose face could not be directly gazed upon.

When Eamon saw that the Lord of Judgment, whose presence was far more dazzling than the sun, appeared before him without any warning, and that neither the innkeeper nor the passersby seemed to see anything, he was not surprised.

[—The Holy Word of the Lord of Judgment says: The Lord is righteous and omnipresent. All that is done will be known.]

People should revere God and despise crime, because God knows everything. All sins will be reckoned in the end.

"It is precisely because the Lord is omnipresent, watching everyone, and is the witness of all sins in the world, that punishment is effective and justice can be guaranteed."

Reciting the contents of the catechism in his heart, Eamon heard the voice of the Lord at this moment.

"Let's go."

A single, concise word, yet it seemed to shake the soul. Although Eamon still couldn't see the Lord's face clearly, the humble priest could feel that, compared to before, the Lord's tone was more solemn and more palpitation-inducing.

And this indescribable sense of majesty dispelled a trace of doubt in his heart... Yes, this is what the Lord should be. If He were too kind, how could the authority of the Lord of Punishment be guaranteed?

"Please allow me to lead you to the place of judgment."

He replied.

Thus, Eamon walked with God towards the square.

-Twilight City, Square-

The crowd gathered around the execution platform in the square. A semi-transparent, semicircular rain cover had been activated to block the slight drizzle today.

It was Monday noon. A small number of people continued to work to maintain the normal order of the city, but the vast majority of people, especially the followers of the Lord of Judgment, came to the square. Tens of thousands of people abandoned their work and gathered around the judgment field, forming a sea of people.

But unlike the usual festivals, this sea of people was not noisy. In the heavy atmosphere, everyone kept their mouths shut and did not whisper.

Apart from the slight sound of rain, everything remained silent.

And in the center of this crowd, on the execution platform in the center of the square, a middle-aged man wearing a white and gold high priest robe was just stepping onto the stage. He had a long beard that reached his chest, and a warm light radiated from his body. In his hand was the long draft of the sentence that was recited before every trial.

Glow, the Grand High Priest of the Twilight City Temple.

A Chosen One.

"In addition to his own power, there is also the power of other existences in his body. His soul is very strong."

Eamon heard the Lord beside him commenting on High Priest Glow on the stage, and he couldn't help but feel happy for the old man—what a great honor and recognition to be praised by the Lord? If Glow knew this, he would surely be delighted.

As for other existences... naturally. The cultivators of the Holy Fire Continent, in addition to the power they forged with their beliefs, also possessed the power of God.

Purifying the soul, sublimating the belief, and using it as the center to condense the power of the elements, one could control fire, wind, thunder, and even the rotation of all things and all elements in the world—this was the universal step for all cultivators on the Holy Fire Continent to purify and sublimate their souls. And at the Chosen One level, their souls could even be so strong that they transcended the flesh and temporarily merged with the elements, manipulating nature to fight.

In addition, the gods would also bestow a portion of their divine power to give the many priests even greater power.

It was said that if one reached the realm of the God-Blessed, the soul of the cultivator would even have some characteristics similar to the original soul. At that time, they could even receive God's blessing, exercise the authority of the gods, directly control the phenomena of nature, drive away natural disasters, and protect a region.

"Unfortunately, I just can't become a Chosen One."

However, when he thought that his strength was still only at the mere Enlightenment level, Eamon couldn't help but sigh—this was probably the confusion and demon in his heart. Eamon couldn't help but want to question the Lord, and even when the Lord was by his side, he couldn't completely believe it, but always couldn't help but doubt.

His belief was not devout enough. This was certain, even if he had memorized the entire codex.

"That's why I want to go to the Land of Divine Descent, to get closer to the Lord... and now, the Lord is by my side. This is the best opportunity to follow His path and dispel the confusion in my heart."

At this time, the long speech on the judgment platform was coming to an end.

"...Therefore, the Lord bestows us with fire to illuminate the darkness, and names all things in the world, establishing rules, precepts, and covenants. We live in this world, not by the grace of the Lord, but by the way of the Lord."

"Grace is not always available, only righteousness lasts forever. The love of the Lord is bestowed upon the world through His way. Those who abandon the way forsake the love of the Lord and reject the path of righteousness. They walk on a crooked path and enter a wicked path."

"Waiting for those who walk on a crooked path is only the punishment of the Lord of Judgment."

Using this passage as the concluding remarks before the verdict, High Priest Glow took back the long draft, and then solemnly announced: "The verdict begins!"

Then, he stepped down and began the process of the verdict.

The order in which the criminals were judged was random and not based on the severity of their crimes.

And the first one to be brought to the judgment platform was a male criminal who 'abused his family'.

An Enlightenment-level priest stood in front of the platform, and two knights escorted the criminal from below the platform to the stage. The priest swore to the three Lords that his statement was not false, but a 'sacred testimony' obtained by the temple after several investigations and inquiries of all witnesses. Then, he began to state the crimes of the criminal.

"This person is an alcoholic, has beaten his wife several times, has attempted to abuse his children several times, punched the neighbors when they tried to stop him, and resisted even after the Holy Knights arrived. He was finally arrested by the joint efforts of everyone."

"The catechism states: You shall love your family. Those who do not love their family cannot love others. This is a departure from the way of God."

The priest who pronounced the testimony was a local follower of the Lord of Judgment in Twilight City. He was very young, only in his early twenties, and his voice was loud and full of energy: "The apostate Boro violated the precepts for the first time, apologized, admitted his mistake, and promised not to commit it again."

"He violated the precepts for the second time, compensated with repentance, and was forgiven by his family."

"This time, he has violated the precepts for the third time, and his sin is unforgivable. Therefore, the temple declares that he is deprived of his rights as a father and husband. His wife does not have to love him, and his children do not have to support him in the future. From today onwards, he must pay money to his wife and children every month as compensation for their upbringing. If he does not work and has no money, the temple will force him to work, and the temple will be responsible for the expenses of raising them."

"Good!"

After hearing the verdict, the originally silent square immediately resounded with a unified shout of approval—at this moment, tens of thousands of people raised their hands in unison, all raising their thumbs and shouting loudly: "The way of justice has been revealed!"

This was a sign of agreement.

Everyone who came to witness this sentencing and verdict was a witness and a notary. If they felt that the sentencing was wrong, they would raise objections. If they felt that the sentencing was fair, they would applaud and agree. In other words, they were responsible for this verdict.

"Good, no more than three strikes, this kind of person really should be punished."

Eamon, who also raised his hand and gave a thumbs-up, noticed that the Lord also raised his hand and gave a serious thumbs-up.

At this, the priest couldn't help but feel happy for the Lord's approval, and then wrote this down.

No more than three strikes is indeed one of the precepts left by the Lord. People are not gods, nor are they perfect beings. It is common to make mistakes. This is the norm.

Small mistakes can be apologized for, and losses can be compensated. If the codex is violated, it is not without room for forgiveness. As long as it is not a serious crime, the first punishment will be relatively light.

Only truly unforgivable crimes will have no room for forgiveness. Even if it is done for the first time, it will be subject to absolute punishment.

For example...

At this time, under the notarization of everyone, this criminal named Boro, who abused his family, had already signed the temple's contract and was escorted away from the judgment platform by the knights, looking dejected.

And the second one was a thief.

—This was a truly unforgivable crime.

"Theft?"

At this time, Eamon heard the Lord's words again. He seemed to be puzzled: "In this world, there is still theft?"

Eamon felt that he could guess a thing or two about what the Lord was thinking.

Indeed, according to the codex set by the Lords for the Fire People, as long as people were willing to work, they would definitely not be reduced to the point where they needed to steal—as long as they stated that they were in trouble, had no food to eat, or urgently needed a job, everyone would help them. There was no reason to commit crimes in this world.

However, it should be noted that there was no need to agree to requests for help. The person being asked for help could completely refuse reasonably.

After all, asking for help was different from begging. When asking for help, one must state the future return, for example, before borrowing money or food from someone, one must repay more than before, up to three times the amount. If one was not satisfied with this amount, the person being asked for help did not have to respond.

And begging was a crime for healthy people. People should work to earn money. Anyone with healthy hands must work. And ordinary people did not have to give alms. Only the temple had the obligation to respond to beggars.

"The Lord is probably completely unaware of the inferiority of human nature—before the punishment arrives, no one knows how terrible the punishment is. Many people cannot empathize with the pain of being punished, so they have no reverence for the educational codex."

Thinking of this, Eamon couldn't help but shake his head slightly—that's why the catechism says that everyone should watch the sentencing process once a year if necessary. In this way, everyone can know how terrible it is to deviate from the way of God through the execution.

This thief was a typical example of someone who had no reverence for the codex. He was originally a fisherman who lived in the suburbs of Twilight City, but he was tired of the daily toil of going out to sea. A few days ago, he did not go out to sea and had no fish, and his family ran out of food. Taking advantage of the fact that the neighbors went to the port to inquire about news about the Divine Descent, he stole a sheep from his neighbors.

He originally wanted to disguise this theft as a wild animal attack, but he was noticed by a passerby, who informed the temple, and he was caught on the spot—when he was caught, he still wanted to escape, but how could ordinary people outrun the knights? Naturally, he was brought back.

"The thief's hand shall be cut off."

"Good!"

The straightforward sentence immediately caused a chorus of 'Good!'s! Everyone present raised their thumbs and righteously agreed: "The way of justice has been revealed!"

—The heart of a person who begins to steal is filled with filth. This kind of person does not want to work with their own hands, does not want to repay the help of others, and only thinks about gaining without working.

In that case, since the criminal did not want to work, then his hands would be taken back, so that he could never work again in the future, and could never steal again.

As for what would happen to the thief in the future after losing his hands, no one cared. Criminals had no human rights, especially those who committed unforgivable crimes. They were not within the scope of protection of the codex.

The knight raised his knife and dropped it, and the criminal's hands fell to the ground at the wrists. Then, the priest immediately cast a spell to stop the bleeding and heal the wounds.

But this time, the Lord did not give a thumbs-up in agreement.

The Lord did not say a word, but Eamon could feel that the atmosphere around the Lord was subtly heavy, as if He wanted to say something, but didn't want to.

"In a place where it's good to ask for help, you still have to commit crimes. It's not wrong to have your hands cut off."

Until the end, Eamon heard the Lord's soliloquy after a light sigh.

And this made the gray-haired priest confused.

Wronged?

How could such an undeniable crime be said to be a wrong?

Recently, there were no robbers or murderers—after all, with the Lord of Judgment around, even those pirates didn't dare to kill people on land, let alone in a big city like Twilight City.

After the thief, several verdicts were issued for criminals who had committed relatively minor crimes.

For example, 'using bad ingredients to cause guests to have diarrhea'. 'Using substandard materials and shoddy workmanship, resulting in low product quality'. And 'selling mutton under the guise of venison', and 'selling dead fish as live fish'.

The punishments that these criminals would receive were nothing more than several times the compensation to the victims, and making them promise in front of everyone that there would be no next time—if they committed the crime again next time, they would be deprived of the right to work in this area, and they might even have scars branded on their faces, receiving lifelong shame, and might even be denied entry into the temple to pray.

Eamon saw that the Lord gave a thumbs-up to these as well, indicating agreement.

The sentencing process was very fast. The longest time was spent explaining what mistakes the criminals had made. After about an hour, no more criminals were being escorted to the judgment platform.

"Is it over?"

Eamon heard the Lord say this, His tone sounding a little subtle.

"How could it be?"

Eamon thought that the Lord was somewhat dissatisfied and was testing him again, so he hurriedly explained: "These are just crimes that have already been in the codex. For them, it's just a verdict, a punishment."

"And the real focus is on those behaviors that are not stipulated in the codex, but are considered by everyone to be crimes—the verdicts for those behaviors are the real 'judgment'!"

Speaking of this, the priest couldn't help but clasp his hands together and piously said: "A judgment presided over by the Lord of Judgment, by you!"

And at this moment, some changes took place on the stage.

First of all, someone began to add firewood to the bottom of the fire rack, add ropes to the cross, and next to the guillotine, there were knights checking whether it was working properly...

Then, with the presiding priest's announcement, everyone in the square became silent again.

"The judgment begins."

This time, the one being escorted onto the stage by the knights was an old man with disheveled hair and a gaunt figure.

"This person suffers from liver disease. Instead of seeking a cure or living alone outside the city, he has repeatedly tried to mix into the market and spit on the food being sold, intending to spread the disease to others. In addition to this, this person..."

After saying what the criminal had done, the priest solemnly said: "The Lord of Fire is above. There has never been such a sinful act in the catechism. There is no verdict for this crime, so now, we will hold a judgment."

And Eamon noticed that the Lord had already been moved when the priest on the stage had only said half of his words.

"Shouldn't this kind of person just be killed directly?"

To this, Eamon first nodded, and then shook his head helplessly: "My Lord, you can judge this person, but for us mortals, we do not have this right."

"If it is not written in the catechism how we should treat him, we cannot make a verdict on his crime... so, we can only pray."

"Pray?"

"Yes, pray to you."

Saying this, Eamon turned his head. He closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and prayed to the gaunt old man who was tied to the cross on the stage.

"Oh, Lord, God of Judgment—"

Not only Eamon, but at this moment, tens of thousands of people in the entire square all faced the person on the judgment platform, closed their eyes, clasped their hands together, and prayed in unison.

"Bestow punishment upon the sinner!"

Praying like this, everyone then raised their hands, and when tens of thousands of residents of Twilight City turned their thumbs down and waved them forcefully, they shouted in unison: "Punishment! Oh, Lord! Punish him!"

—In this world, as long as someone prays to the immortal Lord of Judgment, asking Him to punish the evil sinners, then the Lord of Judgment will inflict divine punishment on the criminal according to his sins.

This punishment may not necessarily have a response immediately, but the more people who pray, the faster the response will be. And if this person's crime exceeds a certain limit, the divine punishment will not only be punishment, but an endless and unforgiving death retribution.

Therefore, the Lord of Judgment is also known as the God of Thunder, the God of Judgment, and the Master of Punishment. He is also meant to be the God of Divine Punishment who will judge all people after the end of the world.

At this moment, as everyone prayed, Su Zhou stared at the gaunt old man on the stage.

He could sense that the old man had no remorse in his heart, but only regretted that he had not spread his pain to more people.

—Anyway, I won't live much longer. I want all of you to taste my pain!

Such a crazy idea proved that the priest's previous judgment was not false, and even had some reservations.

"Does this still need to be judged? Such an obvious crime!"

Thinking this in his heart, suddenly, Su Zhou suddenly sensed that among the endless power of faith entangled in himself and the individual space, a certain power of faith suddenly became active—it connected towards him, as if it was begging him for a part of his power.

[Punishment... Judgment... Inflict divine punishment on the sinner...]

That power of faith faintly revealed such information, and Su Zhou could be sure that the source of these powers of faith was the tens of thousands of people in Twilight City around him.

"...Let's try it."

Hesitating for a while, Su Zhou frowned slightly, and finally tentatively transmitted a portion of his power to that power of faith.

Immediately, faint flashes of lightning flickered around the youth's body, and then gradually disappeared into nothingness.

"This?!"

And Eamon noticed the change on the Lord's body beside him. He opened his eyes and saw the flickering cyan-blue arc, and his heart was shocked: "Has it really responded? Is this the response of God?"

But before he could think about it carefully, in an instant, in the sky above, in the churning clouds, an invisible force began to condense.

In the next moment, a strong flash of light burst out from the high-altitude clouds, followed by rumbling thunder—everyone in the square, including the priest, looked up in horror. They all saw a cyan-blue lightning bolt falling straight down, striking the criminal on the cross on the judgment platform.

—The True Dharma of the Five Extremes Divine Thunder!

Su Zhou could sense that the power of this thunderbolt, which was formed by mixing his own power with the power of faith, was no different from the power of the Divine Thunder True Dharma that he was good at—and in the real and true bombardment of the thunderbolt, the criminal on the cross was directly turned into charcoal and died on the spot.

"...Lord of Judgment is above... there is no need for such a big lightning strike. Just a little sign, a little thunder, or a little lightning, and we will strangle him..."

Although he thought so in his heart, Eamon actually felt extremely happy. Not only that, but the doubts in his heart were almost completely dispelled—if this could not prove that the existence in front of him was the Lord he admired, then what else could prove it?

And in reality, that was the case.

At the first moment when the lightning struck, the entire square was silent. Everyone just stared blankly at the cross that was already burning, and the charcoal on it that had begun to turn into dust, without saying a word.

But then, a mountain of ecstatic praise rang out.

"Oh oh oh!! It's a miracle! It's a miracle!"

"Our Lord has responded! This is judgment, true judgment!"

"Not only that, but it's also thunder punishment! The most sacred and most solemn divine punishment!"

In just an instant, almost everyone in the entire square knelt down and worshiped the place where the lightning struck, the small judgment platform—that was worship, worship of this lightning, of this sacred punishment.

Even the priest in charge of the sentencing knelt on the ground, and he shouted in joyful disbelief: "This is the basis of the codex! Our Lord has responded to us!"

"Quick! Where's the recorder?! Take it down with the photographic crystal! We want to send this scene to the central temple. This is a 'holy迹' that can accelerate the application of the covenant rules!"

The priest couldn't help but be serious and happy—thunder punishment was an extremely sacred proof of judgment for the humans in this reincarnation world. With such a miracle as an example, then this crime of 'deliberately spreading the plague' would have the endorsement of God. The next time the eighteenth book of the covenant was written, this crime would be written into the covenant and become a new example.

"What is there to kneel for?! Does this kind of person still need God to judge him?"

Frowning, Su Zhou stood in place. He glanced around at the people who were still kneeling and praying, feeling absurd in his heart, but also a little subtle.

He could sense that the power of faith that was pouring towards him had increased a lot in an instant—it was as if ten thousand thoughts were returning to one, which brought him a certain amount of power, but also made the power of restraint heavier.

However, Su Zhou didn't want to refuse... Since these people had asked him for help, and they were still asking him to punish that kind of sinner, Su Zhou would definitely have to respond.

After all, what if he didn't take action, resulting in no divine punishment, and allowing this person to escape punishment? He couldn't stand this kind of thing the most.

The prayer for miracles was long, but it would eventually end.

As the priest took the lead in getting up, ordering the knights to clean up the charred ashes of the previous criminal, the other ordinary people in the square also stood up one after another, waiting in silence for the next trial.

And this time, the criminal who was escorted up made Su Zhou feel inexplicable.

It was a couple, probably husband and wife. Their clothes were very exquisite, and it was obvious at a glance that they were not ordinary people, but wealthy people.

And according to the priest, this couple were engineers at a shipyard. The 'crime' they committed was driving a new type of steamboat out to sea to explore an island not far from Twilight City.

"What kind of crime is this?!"

Su Zhou was shocked on the spot—he never expected that this kind of thing could be equated with the previous 'deliberately spreading the plague' and made to surround him.

However, he heard Eamon beside him shake his head and say: "No, my Lord, only the followers of the Wind God can explore the ocean and islands by driving sailboats and fishing boats."

"But this time, they are driving a new type of steamboat. It is not written in the codex, so we need God's verdict to determine whether this is a crime."

To be honest, Su Zhou sometimes completely couldn't understand the logic of people in this world... Leaving aside the fact that only the followers of the Wind God could explore, if driving fishing boats and sailboats was a mistake, then driving steamboats wouldn't be? It wasn't written in the covenant codex, so it couldn't be determined whether it was right or wrong?

What was the difference between this and a robot?

And at this time, Su Zhou could also hear the ordinary residents of Twilight City whispering.

"What if these two people are spies for the pirates?"

"Yes, running to the sea for no reason. If it's to contact the pirates, then it makes sense."

"But I know the Antuer family. They are very good people. They are just a little crazy and don't know the codex very well... It's probably just an accident."

"Is that so? Then it doesn't matter, right..."

It could be felt that, unlike before, the reaction of the people this time was not so enthusiastic, and the subsequent prayers were not very sincere. Everyone didn't care about this matter.

Su Zhou could also sense that the power of faith that was gathering towards him this time was almost non-existent. If he wasn't a Hegemon-level being with a soul power far superior to others, he might not have been able to sense this trace of power of faith.

Naturally, Su Zhou did not respond... Too stupid. Because it wasn't written in the covenant whether it was okay or not, so doing it was a crime?

This kind of thinking was simply a mess!

"No divine punishment, no signs... God has forgiven them!"

On the stage, after waiting for five minutes and confirming that there was indeed no sign, the priest simply pronounced them innocent: "Release Mr. and Mrs. Antuer."

As long as you pray, God will respond, and as long as there is sin, judgment will come.

But, if tens of thousands of people's public trial did not lead to the descent of judgment, then no matter what the person being judged did, they would be acquitted at this moment.

The knights untied the ropes that bound Mr. and Mrs. Antuer, and then the two engineer couple immediately hugged each other and cried bitterly—when the previous thunder punishment descended, their legs were about to give way, and they thought that they would also endure this thunder punishment. Now that they had been declared innocent, their legs were too weak to stand up for a while.

Even so, the priest still warned them—although this behavior was temporarily acquitted, if they were to explore the sea next time and were found to be communicating with pirates, then they would be arrested immediately, because the Lord had said that one should not make friends with apostates. They did not deserve any dedication or friendship.

And at this moment, Eamon suddenly heard Su Zhou mumble to himself in confusion again.

"Divine punishment means there is guilt. No divine punishment means there is no guilt... But what if God doesn't have time to take action? What if the person being judged is really guilty, but God misunderstood?"

Therefore, the priest seriously replied: "Mortals may misunderstand, but can God misunderstand? Lord, you are forever righteous."

"Moreover, even if it is not repaid now, there will definitely be retribution in the future. It is recorded in the covenant that someone had not received divine punishment for ten years after being judged, but then one day ten years later, punishment descended and killed him at home—judgment may be late, but it will never be absent. Any criminal will be punished, it's just a matter of time."

"Unless, they run to the sea and leave the divine domain that you protect."

To this, Su Zhou was silent.

To Eamon's trust, he could only raise his hand, stare at the lines on it, sigh softly, and mutter to himself in his heart.

"—No, God is not righteous."

"I'm just... a Devouring Demon Lord with a conscience and free judgment..."

Mr. and Mrs. Antuer left the judgment platform.

Soon, the last person to be judged was escorted up.

Su Zhou regained his composure and looked at the stage.

Then, he found that the person who was being escorted to the stage was very young, only about ten years old, and the gender was probably female.

Her whole body was covered with exoskeletons, and it could be seen that the bloodline of the Wind People was very strong. Behind her, there was even a pair of wings that could not fly, mimicking the appearance of brown, waist-length hair.

"She does not follow the covenant and does not believe in the Lord!"

And the explanation for this defendant was so brief that it was only this sentence. The priest didn't even bother to say even half a word more: "A non-believer, the child of pirates!"