The Thorne Estate, once a symbol of unshakeable military might, smelled of fear.
Since the "Eclipse" at the Altar of Heaven—where the Emperor faltered and the World Tree flickered—the family's cultivation had been crumbling. The ambient Qi in the estate felt thin and sour.
General Thorne, whose strength was tied directly to the Imperial Dao, felt his Level 55 foundation cracking like dry clay. The Matron, once terrifying, was now bedridden with "Qi-Rot"—a mysterious condition where her skin turned grey and flaked off like ash.
They were drowning. And then, a ship arrived.
A black carriage bearing the Imperial Crest and the personal banner of the Pale Alchemist rolled through the front gates. The iron-shod wheels crushed the gravel with a sound like breaking bones.
The family didn't greet him with arrogance. They greeted him with the desperation of starving men looking at a loaf of bread.
Aris stepped out.
His tall figure was draped in robes that seemed to swallow the morning light. The Mask of the Faceless shone like a polished moon in the gloom. Behind him, Nox walked in the form of a massive black wolf-hound, its violet eyes scanning the "geniuses" of the family like a butcher inspecting cattle.
"General Thorne," Aris said, his voice modulated to a deep, resonant hum that echoed through the silent courtyard.
The General, once a man of iron, looked ten years older. His armor hung loosely on his frame. He looked at the masked figure and did the unthinkable.
He bowed.
It was a deep, waist-low bow of submission.
"Master Alchemist," the General rasped. "The Emperor said you were the only one who could stabilize our bloodline. Please... enter."
Aris watched the General bow. Inside his chest, his human heart didn't feel warmth; it felt a cold, sharp laugh of malice.
You bowed to the Emperor because he owned your loyalty, Aris thought. Now you bow to me because I own your life.
"Lead the way," Aris commanded.
The "Purification" Ritual
He walked past the training grounds where he had once been called "trash." He saw Kaelen, his second brother, looking pale and withered. The "Blazing Tiger" physique was now little more than a flickering candle.
[Abyssal Eye: Structural Scan Initialized]
[Target: House of Thorne (Collective)]
[Average Level Decrease: 15% (Due to Root-Admin Throttling).]
[Analysis: Bloodlines are rich in 'Iron-Fire' essence. Highly harvestable.]
They entered the central Ancestral Hall. The leadership of the family was gathered. The Matron was propped up in a chair, wheezing.
"Your bloodline is not fading," Aris lied, standing in the center of the room. "It is congested. The Imperial Root has evolved into a higher state, but your bodies are still running on the old 'software.' You are incompatible with the new era."
"Can you fix it?" Kaelen asked, his voice cracking with fear.
"I must perform a Total Purity Overhaul," Aris stated. "I will install a 'Blood-Refining Formation' directly into your meridians. It will filter out the rot and replace it with 'Refined Abyssal Qi'."
The Matron reached out a shaking hand. "Anything... Master. Just make the pain stop."
Aris produced a series of glowing, crystalline needles—items crafted from the World Tree's bark and infused with his own Abyssal Poison.
"This will hurt," Aris said. "Evolution always does."
He began the "treatment."
One by one, he drove the needles into the acupuncture points of the Thorne family members. To them, it felt like a surge of incredible heat followed by a numbing, blissful cold. Their Qi-levels, which had been dipping, suddenly spiked.
[Action: Installing 'Abyssal Siphon' Nodes.]
[Connection Established.]
"I... I feel it!" Kaelen shouted, flexing his hands. His fire returned, darker and hotter than before. "My level is rising! I'm Level 18 now!"
The General also gasped. His aura stabilized, climbing back toward Level 56. "It's a miracle! You truly are a Saint of Alchemy!"
Aris watched them celebrate, his featureless mask hiding a predatory grin.
I'm not giving you power, he thought. I'm giving you a loan with 50% interest.
[Skill Activated: Reverse Refinement - Mass Link]
[Status: 42 Thorne Family Members Connected.]
[Effect: The 'Tax'.]
50% of all future cultivation progress is automatically siphoned to Aris. Hidden Effect: Their bodies are becoming 'Human Cauldrons'. After 30 days, their bloodlines will be fully refined into 'Iron-Abyssal Essence' and ready for lethal harvesting.
He had turned his entire family into a server farm. Every time the General trained, Aris got stronger. Every time Kaelen ate a spirit pill, Aris's physique evolved.
The Stable Hand's Revenge
"I require a private space for my research," Aris announced as the family wept with gratitude. "I specifically request the West Pavilion."
The Matron blinked, confused. "The West Pavilion? But Master, that place is a ruin! We have the Gold-Jade suites prepared—"
"I work best in solitude," Aris cut her off cold. "Do not question my methods."
"Of course! Of course!" The General waved his hand. "Give him whatever he wants!"
Aris walked to the West Pavilion. He walked past the rotting wood and the cold stones. He saw the old coal pits. He saw the spot where he had first summoned Nox.
He entered the small, drafty shack.
"Mother," Aris said softly.
Elena was huddled in the corner, terrified by the arrival of the "Imperial Alchemist." When she heard the voice, she froze.
Aris reached up and dissolved the Mask of the Faceless.
Elena gasped, falling to her knees. Her hands flew to her mouth. "Aris? You... you are the Pale Alchemist? But... how? The Emperor... the family..."
"The family are no longer people, Mother," Aris said, helping her up. His voice was no longer modulated; it was the voice of her son, but colder, harder.
"They are ingredients."
He looked out the window toward the main house, where the General's aura was flaring.
"Soon, I will harvest the General's heart to brew the pill that will make you a Core Formation expert. They thought I was a stable hand. Now, they are the horses, and I am the one holding the whip."
He reached out his hand.
A massive surge of Qi from the "Siphon Network" flowed into him. He didn't need to meditate. He didn't need to train. He was growing stronger just by breathing, fed by the labor of the people who had enslaved him.
[Abyssal Nexus: End of Chapter Status]
The "Tax" from the Thorne family is being processed. Because 42 people are unknowingly "cultivating for him," Aris's stats are skyrocketing in real-time.
Host: Aris Thorne
Level: 27
Class: Forbidden Alchemist (Rank 3 - Ascendant)
[Attributes]
Strength: 110 (Can dent enchanted steel with a flick) Agility: 95 Intelligence: 60 Qi Capacity: 2,500 / 2,500 (Peak Core Formation Density)
[Physique: Abyssal Sovereign Body (24% Awakened)]
New Skill: 'Alchemical Cannibalism' – You can now instantly absorb the cultivation of anyone you have 'marked' with a siphon, killing them in the process.
[Resource Harvesting]
Daily Passive XP Gain: 5,000 XP (from Thorne Family 'Tax'). Nox Progress: Level 15 (Can now manifest as 'Abyssal Armor' around Aris).
[World Status]
House of Thorne: 100% Infected. (The 'Human Cauldron' countdown: 29 Days remaining). The Emperor: 15% Addicted.