The Envoy of Abundance from Onphalus

“Unfortunately,” Russell said in a voice as calm as if he were stating the weather, “today is your execution day.”

With his other hand, he casually flipped through the jade slip that emitted a faint glow. "As for your long list of blood-stained crimes..." He glanced at Bu Liren, who was trembling even more violently in the corner, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. "It's too much of a waste of breath to read it to a dead man."

A hoarse sound came from Bu Liren's throat; fear almost froze his blood.

“Oh, right,” Russell said as if he had suddenly remembered something, his gaze returning to Bu Liren with a hint of playful pity.

"Given the years you've been imprisoned, you probably haven't heard of me. Remember this: the one who sent you on your way was the Envoy of Abundance—Huai Xiu. I don't need to say anything more."

His eyes suddenly sharpened as he slowly said, "To die quietly, or... to die struggling. Choose one?"

"Om-"

With a low hum, the ever-flowing restrictive runes on the prison door suddenly went out, and the sturdy metal bars vanished without a trace, as if melted by an invisible hand.

The moment the suppressive force of the restriction disappeared, the last trace of reason in Bu Liren's eyes was completely devoured by the bestial instinct for survival!

Instead of rushing towards Russell, he suddenly twisted his body, unleashing the last of his strength, and ran desperately towards the dim light outside the cage and deep in the passageway!

As long as you can break through, as long as you can blend into the darkness... there is a chance!

However, just as he darted out of the cell door, a sudden change occurred!

Chi Chi Chi -!

Several thick, tough vines, shimmering with emerald green fluorescence, burst forth from the shadows beneath Russell's feet without warning.

Like venomous pythons with life, they moved so fast that they left only afterimages, precisely wrapping around a person's ankles, waist, and neck! The fine barbs on the vines instantly pierced his skin and flesh.

A powerful, abundant force, carrying the meaning of purification and deprivation, surged in, not only sealing off all his power but also bringing excruciating pain and weakness that penetrated to the bone.

Bu Liren's massive body was abruptly pulled to a stop and suspended in mid-air, like a giant insect caught in a spider web, twisting and struggling in vain, but even his roars turned into painful whimpers because his neck was tightly strangled.

"Tsk, what a non-cooperative person." Russell shook his head slightly, as if looking at an ignorant child.

With a flick of his left hand, an antique-style hand-held lantern appeared out of thin air. The lantern was neither made of gold nor wood, and bore the marks of time. It had no wick inside, yet a cluster of cold, flickering, pale blue flame burned eerily within it.

The flames were not warm; instead, they caused the surrounding air temperature to plummet, distorting the light and making the prisoners' shadows sway wildly on the wall like countless struggling ghosts.

Even more bizarrely, this lamp seemed to be... breathing? Faint, pulsating patterns could be vaguely seen on the lamp's surface.

At the same time, Russell raised his right hand slightly, and a small triangular banner appeared in his hand. The banner was a pure, seemingly vibrant emerald green, exuding a soft and sacred aura of abundance, which contrasted sharply with the coldness of the ghost lamp.

However, if one were to look closely at the top of the flagpole, one would discover a tightly closed, lifelike eyeball embedded there. The skin texture around the eyeball is clearly visible, carrying an indescribable eeriness.

This lamp is called the Ghost Lamp, and it was inspired by Bertrand Russell after a large-scale cleanup of the wolf pack.

Russell realized that these souls, deeply corrupted by the power of abundance and driven to "lunar madness," contained unique chaotic energy, and feeding them directly to the Abundance Ship would be a waste.

Thus, a vessel was born that could imprison and obliterate their personality and reason, and use their manic soul as a driving force and weapon.

Nourished by endless vengeful spirits, it also developed a kind of primitive and chaotic consciousness, becoming a living tool. For Russell, it was just an efficient waste recycling station.

That banner, named the Banner of Ten Thousand Banners, is the cleaner that deals with the enormous flesh of the abundant monstrous creatures. These excessively blessed bodies are themselves sources of pollution, and carelessly discarding them could trigger planetary-level mutations in the flesh.

The banner could completely decompose and devour this flesh and blood, leaving not a trace. Surprisingly, after consuming a massive amount of high-quality nutrients, the banner also developed a nascent consciousness and a greedy stomach.

This guy can eat anything, he's even more gluttonous than the Abundant Divine Ship.

It has two combat forms: one is to be inserted into the ground, which can summon ferocious soldiers reconstructed from the flesh and blood it has devoured;

The second method involves waving a flagpole, which instantly unleashes a horde of ferocious flesh puppets.

Similarly, for Russell, it was simply a vacuum cleaner that cleaned up the battlefield faster. Russell had many similar garbage disposals around him, revitalized by the scent of abundance.

"Since you won't cooperate, then make the most of your last bit of value." Russell's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion. "Your soul will return to the ghostly lamp, and your body will be fed to the banner."

Before he finished speaking, the ghostly blue flame of the Ghost Lamp suddenly surged, transforming into a cold blue beam of light that instantly enveloped Bu Liren, who was tightly bound by vines.

There was no high temperature, only an extreme pain that penetrated deep into the soul, as if pierced by millions of ice needles.

Bu Liren's eyes bulged out, and his body convulsed violently, but he couldn't make a sound—Russell had already precisely gagged him with a vine.

Visibly, a twisted, struggling, and violent wolf-shaped phantom was forcibly pulled from his crown, emitting a silent shriek, and was greedily sucked into the lamp by the ghostly blue flames.

The pulsating patterns on the lamp wall instantly brightened, and the flame inside seemed to burn more joyfully.

At the same time, the eyeball at the top of the banner suddenly opened! It was a vertical pupil with no white, only a chaotic, eerie green!

It stared greedily at the massive, lifeless body of the Buliman. The flag moved without wind, its emerald light thickening and corrosive, flowing and covering the Buliman's body like a living thing. Flesh, bones, hair... all matter, upon contact with the green light, melted and decomposed silently, like ice and snow falling into strong acid.

Then the liquid, carrying abundant power, was frantically devoured by that small flag. The vertical pupil at the top of the flagpole turned slightly with satisfaction, and the emerald green luster on the flag became even deeper and more refined.

The whole process was swift and brutal, lasting no more than a minute.

A once fierce warrior of the Buli people, along with his soul and body, was completely erased from this world, becoming nourishment for two tools.

The blue flames of the Ghost Lamp pulsed more steadily and powerfully, and the banners of the Myriad Banners seemed to be billowing in an invisible wind, radiating an even stronger vitality and... appetite.

Russell withdrew his gaze expressionlessly, as if he had merely picked up a piece of trash.

He walked to the next cell, where a pale-faced alchemist was imprisoned, dressed in the secret uniform of the Medicine King. The alchemist had witnessed the miserable state of Bu Liren in the next cell and was already so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"No...no...spare me! Your Excellency! I repent! I..." Dan Shi's pleas for mercy came to an abrupt halt.

Russell didn't even bother to speak; with a slight thought, the prison door's restrictions silently dissipated. The ghostly lamps and myriad banners floating beside him, like sharks smelling blood, instantly intertwined their eerie blue beams and viscous green light and plunged inside!

"what--!!!"

"Repentance is useless. If we really let you go, who will the tens of thousands of people who were harmed by your poisoning turn to for their stories? So, you should just die."

A piercing scream, inhuman in its deafening intensity, instantly shattered the brief silence! This was followed by more desperate wails and hysterical cries for help erupting from the cells:

"Warden! Sir! Help! He's killing indiscriminately! Doesn't the Ten Kings' Court care?!"

"We're serious offenders too, but we don't deserve to die! Stop him!"

"A madman! He's a madman! The Ten Kings' Division condones a madman's murders! I want to appeal! Ah—!!"

In response, Russell met with a cold gaze and merciless vines. Several emerald green vines, like venomous snakes emerging from their holes, precisely pierced the prison door's restraints, entangled the most vocal prisoners, and roughly dragged them out of their cells.

It was thrown at the two pieces of tableware that emanated an ominous light. Screams and chilling sounds of being swallowed instantly replaced pleas for mercy.

Russell, like a meticulous cleaner, meticulously checked the list of serious crimes committed by prisoners on the jade slip, naming each person one by one. He then brought his two young children to eat casually at the buffet restaurant.

The blue flames of the Ghost Lamp grew brighter and colder, and the vertical pupils of the Myriad Banners rotated with even greater excitement.

These long-term imprisoned criminals, whose bodies are filled with abundant power, are excellent tonics for them.

At this moment, the mental link with the Abundance Divine Ship was established, and a vast, languid thought, filled with intense longing and grievance, surged directly into Russell's mind like a warm tide.

[My lord~ I'm hungry...so hungry...I smell it! So many delicious-smelling snacks! Right beside you! Let me out! Just a little bit!]

His mind was filled with a coquettish, drooling desire.

Russell didn't stop, heading towards his next target, while mentally replying, "No. This is the territory of the Ten Kings of the Immortal Ship, not our dining table. Rules must be followed."

With a wave of his hand, yet another fanatical follower of the Medicine King's secret teachings vanished in a glow of deep blue and emerald green.

[Ugh... It's so unfair! Why can they keep eating and eating?! They've already eaten over twenty! They smell so good! Leave one for me! Just one! Even the smallest one will do!]

Shenzhou's thoughts were like those of a child who couldn't get candy, filled with resentment and envy. Its massive body writhed restlessly in the subspace, imagining how delicious the abundant power that had been devoured must have been.

"Don't you even know how big you are?" Russell retorted in his mind. "Does this prison even have room for you? Stay put. I promised to take you to eat better food. When have I ever broken a promise?"

He dealt with a prisoner who tried to ambush him with illusions, his movements as fluid as brushing away dust. Even Aha would be amused to see someone use the power of abundance to attack themselves right in front of the Envoy of Abundance.

[Well... alright...] Shenzhou's thoughts sank into silence, filled with immense disappointment, but also with a growing anticipation for even better food.

Its vast senses lingered on the small snacks, imagining the grand feast promised by the envoy.

The prisoners' wails and curses gradually turned into desperate sobs. They finally realized that the guards of the Ten Kings' Court, the same guards they usually mocked with "Go ahead and kill me if you dare," were now like cold stone statues, completely indifferent to the "massacre" before them.

The jailers certainly heard it. The piercing screams that pierced through the thick stone walls were enough to make anyone's heart tremble.

But they remained silently at their posts, their eyes fixed on the direction from which the sound came with complex emotions.

Who among those imprisoned on this floor isn't a heinous criminal with countless blood debts, deserving of death?

Relying on the tenacious vitality brought by the blessings of abundance, they never stopped provoking and insulting others even in prison.

Now they've kicked a hornet's nest, and the scoundrel this general summoned is cleaning them up like trash...

For the Ten Kings' Court, wasn't this a heavy burden lifted? The Raven Judge's orders still echoed in their ears: Russell's actions were tantamount to an execution by the Ten Kings' Court. They only needed to ensure that this scoundrel didn't demolish the prison; the rest... let him be.

This man's moral character is worthy of their trust; if Russell is not worthy of trust, then there is no one in the entire universe worthy of trust.

The process of dying was not long, but for each prisoner it was the ultimate torture.

The soul was torn apart, burned, and devoured inch by inch by the icy flames of the ghost lamp, and consciousness was completely annihilated in boundless pain and madness.

The body was dissolved, decomposed, and absorbed by the green light of the myriad banners, leaving not a drop of blood or a single hair behind.

The abundant power they once took pride in and relied on for evil has been stripped away and recycled in the purest way.

Ultimately, the only trace they left behind was the cold name that was cleanly and crisply crossed out on the jade slip in Russell's hand by a green mark.

Russell's steps were steady and efficient. The anger in his eyes was not directed at these specific prisoners, but rather burned with a deeper, more expansive rage.

These scum, it is they, who have tainted the selfless grace of that deity with greed and violence, twisting the name of the compassionate Medicine King into a symbol of disaster and distortion.

He understood better than anyone the gentleness and equality of that being—He never looked down upon anyone, but simply gazed upon all beings with compassion, bestowing the nectar of life. The demise of each of these monsters condemned to death was an act of vindication for Him.

The corridor was nearing its end. Russell glanced at the two pieces of tableware surrounding him.

The ghostly lamp burned steadily with its blue flame, the pulse on its walls growing stronger; the myriad banners fluttered without wind, their emerald surfaces shimmering, their vertical pupils at the top half-closed in contentment—clearly, they were all thoroughly satisfied with their meal. It was obvious it was very pleased with the food.

"Quite an appetite," Russell muttered to himself, a hint of helplessness in his voice. These "garbage processors" he created all seemed to have inherited a gluttonous nature.

Even Ah Jin's two revolvers, which required regular feeding with special ammunition to maintain their optimal condition, were no exception. It was as if they were maintaining their vitality through eating.

Not to mention the creations that followed.

He stood at the end of the corridor, his gaze fixed on the dark iron gate that led to the true deep prison, exuding a heavy, oppressive aura.

A flicker of expectation crossed his eyes. Jing Yuan had said that an even greater threat was imprisoned there—Hu Lei. If that guy could really escape as planned… it would mean that door would be opened.

That will be the true time for a thorough cleaning. A complete cleansing, uprooting the deepest filth! Restoring His tarnished glory!

He gently stroked the cold wall of the Ghost Lamp, then flicked the sturdy surface of the Myriad Banners. "Have you rested enough? There might be a main course ahead..."

Both objects seem to convey a more excited fluctuation.

The trial continues deep within the prison, bloody and efficient. Meanwhile, at the distant Tabuan Observatory, the interrogation of Kafka is about to begin…

...............

Chapter 2 today, 4K5. One more chapter, 24 more to go. Goodnight everyone. Requesting monthly tickets and death threats.

The Golden Branches: Chapter 159 The Cold Throne

The cold, metallic feel emanated from the seat of the Supreme Governor of Soteria.

Bai'er leaned against it, his gaze piercing through the tall French windows, landing on the leaden-gray sky of Onpharos, stained by the chaotic smoke of war.

A thousand years. For him, who has been adrift in the river of time and experienced more than 30 million reincarnations, this is not a long time.

If you really include the total of countless lives that have been repeated, it would be thousands or even tens of thousands of times longer than this.

However, this thousand years had left him feeling an unprecedented weariness, a kind of exhaustion that seeped into his very bones. This was something he had never experienced before.

Everything he once cherished, the glory he once protected with blood and fire, has long been quietly altered and distorted by those so-called "gods" high above the stars—Laigushi.

The epic tales of heroes, those blood-stained chapters written with sacrifice and courage, are now covered by a thick layer of dust and forgotten by the world.

Instead, there was endless infighting, deception, greed, and oppression.

People only remember how to extract the greatest benefit with the least cost, and how to pave the ladder of advancement with lies and betrayal.

Bai'e possesses absolute power. He can use an iron fist to forcibly subdue every city-state and crush every rebellion.

But what comes after the suppression? Nothing more than the brewing of an even larger and more insidious upheaval. For ten centuries, no one understood his painstaking efforts to restore order.

In the eyes of everyone in Onphalus, this "savior" was the greatest and most detestable enemy.

He destroyed their accustomed "rules" and forced them to accept a completely new set of standards, which he considered to be the true moral code.

In their eyes, this behavior was no different from that of a tyrant. And their resistance against Bai E was seen as absolute justice, a stubborn refusal to bow to the forces of evil.

Thus, rebellion was everywhere. Open attacks and covert schemes, intrigues and poisonous plots, all were employed, with only one goal—to kill Bai Er, who sat enthroned on the throne of Soteria.

Unfortunately, they will never succeed in this, not even if the supreme god himself intervenes.

Perhaps it was the subtle influence of his abundant heart, or perhaps the ideas of White's had taken root in his heart through Russell's influence.

He did not choose the simplest yet cruelest path—to cleanse everything with ruthless killing.