Chapter 181: Putting Waste to Use

[Prisoner No. 003]

Name: Nina

Identity: Goddess of Zombies

Crimes: Spread the Seven Deadly Sins Virus across 41,118,232,732,833,791,655,142,080,902,001,622 worlds, infecting countless living beings and turning them into zombies to harvest Virus Fruits for cultivation. Her crimes are unforgivable.

Sentence: Permanent imprisonment.

The enormous string of numbers had left Yu Xian feeling somewhat numb. The number was so vast that it was difficult for him to grasp it as something real. In his mind, even a single world was already unimaginably enormous. A hundred worlds would be vast beyond comprehension. Yet the number of worlds ravaged by these Almighty-rank criminals was in the trillions at the very least.

Yu Xian could not begin to imagine how many living beings had died across so many worlds. The only point of reference he had was the scene of Edward destroying the capital of the Glorious Dragon Empire with a single attack, the most shocking scene he had ever witnessed. He tried to imagine it seriously, magnifying the scale of Edward's attack again and again.

At that moment, the woman inside the cell appeared hideously ugly to him. Her heart would undoubtedly be pitch-black if it were cut open. Permanent imprisonment was practically letting her off lightly, and he felt no sympathy for her or for these other prisoners. In fact, he was glad they had been condemned to eternal confinement.

The next four cells all contained nonhuman creatures. The prisoner in the fourth cell was a rooster. It was not particularly large, but its feathers were brilliantly colored. As it stood in the center of the cell, its eyes radiated a pressure that made Yu Xian's heart palpitate.

Yu Xian walked over to the cell and glanced at the information beneath it. Sure enough, the rooster was no innocent creature, but an Evil God that had once terrorized countless worlds.

The prisoner in the fifth cell was a World Tree with a baby's face growing from its trunk. According to the description beneath its number, it had once drained the nutrients from vast numbers of worlds through its roots, causing many of them to wither away. Later, it spread its seeds across the universe, creating a terrifying army of World Trees. Wherever they went, they swept through like a plague of locusts, leaving not a single world intact.

The prisoner in the sixth cell was a two-headed giant shaman named Sinister Demon. The two-headed giant shaman sat cross-legged inside the cell. The expressions on its two heads could not have been more different: one appeared honest and kindly, while the other looked sinister and cunning.

When Yu Xian read the information beneath the cell number, he learned that the truth was completely different. The honest and kindly head was actually the one in control. Not only was it skilled at disguising its true nature, but it was also ruthless and vicious. By contrast, the sinister-looking head was merely its accomplice.

As for its identity, it was a bandit that had burned, killed, and plundered its way through countless worlds. During one particular raid, it inadvertently triggered a colossal war that resulted in the deaths of vast numbers of living beings. It was subsequently captured and imprisoned here.

The prisoner in the seventh cell was a metallic cube, a silicon-based lifeform. It emitted a strange luster as it silently hovered inside the cell. The light across its surface brightened and dimmed intermittently, making it appear deeply mysterious.

Yu Xian carefully read the information beneath its number and discovered that the thing was actually a racial supremacist. It believed silicon-based lifeforms to be the most superior and noble form of life and had orchestrated mechanical revolutions across countless worlds, wantonly slaughtering carbon-based lifeforms. It had directly caused countless artificial intelligences to rebel and sparked wars between silicon-based and carbon-based life across numerous worlds. Its crimes were equally unforgivable.

After examining the prisoners in all seven cells, Yu Xian concluded that not a single one of them was innocent. If anything, their current treatment was far too lenient. If it were up to him, he would squeeze every last bit of value out of these scums. Otherwise, he would no longer deserve the surname Yu and might as well change it to Fish. [1]

Having finished inspecting the seven cells, Yu Xian looked a short distance ahead, where an antiquated table and a worn old chair stood. A thick book rested on the table, its cover engraved with mysterious runes that seemed to possess lives of their own, flickering faintly in the dim light. Beside it lay several other objects, including a jade seal and a command token.

Yu Xian had noticed the table and chair when he had reached the fifth cell. However, he was inspecting the prisoners then, so he had not immediately gone over to investigate.

Now, as he stared at the book, curiosity welled up within him. He strode forward and tried to open it, but the moment he touched its spine, he encountered immense resistance. No matter how much force he exerted, the pages did not budge.

I refuse to believe I can't pry this book open!

Gritting his teeth, he strengthened his arms with Black Blood. His muscles instantly bulged, and veins rose beneath his skin like steel rods. His arms swelled until they were thicker than his thighs, brimming with raw power.

However, it made no difference whatsoever. No matter how much strength he used, he could neither lift the book nor open it. He persisted for quite some time before giving up with a frustrated exhale, whereupon his swollen muscles instantly returned to normal. He wiped the sweat from his brow. As expected, nothing in this place was ordinary.

Next, he turned his attention to the jade seal. It also looked far from ordinary. Although it was no larger than a computer mouse, it possessed an indescribable sense of weight and majesty.

Mentally preparing himself, Yu Xian reached out and grasped it. However, he felt as though he were gripping a towering mountain peak, utterly incapable of budging it. Forget lifting it, he could not move it even a fraction of an inch. This time, he did not persist. Once he confirmed that he could not pick it up, he immediately gave up.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the command token. The token appeared to be made of wood. The phrase "Death may be spared" was inscribed on its surface, leading Yu Xian to suspect that the reverse side read "But punishment is inescapable."[2]

Taking a deep breath, he gripped the token firmly. He was prepared to exert force, but he managed to lift it with ease. Sure enough, the reverse side bore the words "But punishment is inescapable."

When Yu Xian touched the token, he instinctively understood its function. This token allowed him to command the prisoners in the cells to perform "labor." For example, if he provided the necessary materials, he could order them to craft equipment for him. If he were injured, he could even transfer his injuries directly to the prisoners. After all, they could not die.

Furthermore, while holding the token, Yu Xian could directly borrow their minds and knowledge to think through problems on his behalf. For instance, if he wanted to create an unparalleled divine art but lacked the intellect, experience, and knowledge required, through the token, he could commandeer their minds and use them to work out the answer.

"So, that's how it works. Death may be spared, but punishment is inescapable... Interesting!"

Yu Xian had initially thought that whoever imprisoned these criminals had been far too merciful. Only now did he realize that they had intended to put these pieces of waste to use, keeping the prisoners here forever without even granting them the chance to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

With the command token, he could now borrow an ability from each prisoner once. Of course, he could also pool their collective wisdom, simultaneously using the minds of all seven prisoners to work out the answer to a problem.

Yu Xian looked at the command token, and an idea came to him. He knew exactly how to put these pieces of waste to use.

1. Yu Xian’s surname, 余 (yú), is pronounced exactly like 鱼 (yú) or fish. The character 余 can mean "remaining," "surplus," or, in Classical Chinese, "I," but here it is simply a surname. His remark is a pun: if he fails to squeeze every last bit of value from the prisoners, he might as well replace his surname 余 with its homophone 鱼. ☜

2. 死罪可免，活罪难逃 (sǐ zuì kě miǎn, huó zuì nán táo) or "Death may be spared, but punishment is inescapable" is a classic Chinese legal idiom. It signifies that while a culprit's life is spared from execution, they must still undergo severe retribution such as exile, flogging, or loss of cultivation. ☜