If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

The stone gate of the Demon Suppression Tower opened inwards.

The dark entrance resembled the mouth of a giant beast, spewing out stale air. The smell was mixed, a mixture of dust, mold, and a faint trace of rust, like blood spilled here long ago, dried and ground into powder by time.

Master Xuanji led the way. Behind him were seven or eight followers of the Heavenly Principle Cult, each with a deep and composed aura, yet their steps were light. They filed in, their figures quickly swallowed by the darkness.

Zhou Yang didn't rush to follow.

He waited at the corner of the tower, counting his heartbeats. One, two, ten. The wind howled outside the tower, like someone crying in the distance. Inside, however, there was only deathly silence, not even a single echo.

This silence, however, is what makes people feel even more uneasy.

He pressed himself against the wall and moved to the doorway. The cold, stoney touch crept up his fingertips and up his arm. Instead of peering inside, he pulled a small bronze mirror from his pocket. It was only the size of a palm, its edges worn smooth.

He slowly reached out and inserted the mirror into the door frame, adjusting the angle.

The mirror reflects the view inside the tower.

The tower was empty, with a deep well in the very center. The wellhead was made of bluestone, with incomprehensible runes carved on it. Master Xuanji was circling the wellhead, seemingly searching for something.

Zhou Yang immediately understood.

This is the hidden waterway. From the outside, it appears to be the foundation of the Demon-Suppressing Tower. From the inside, it's a deep well leading underground.

Master Xuanji pressed a stone brick on one side of the well. Click. A mechanical sound came, and a stone slab on one side of the well wall slowly slid open, revealing a dark opening just wide enough for one person to pass through. A cold wind blew out from inside, carrying a distinct moisture.

"Go down," Master Xuanji commanded in a low voice.

One of the believers peered in, then jumped in without a word. There was no splash, only a soft thud, like landing on slippery moss. Then, a second, a third…

When it was Master Xuanji's turn, he glanced back at the tower gate, his eyes sharp as knives. He seemed to be checking to see if there was a tail.

Zhou Yang had already retrieved the bronze mirror, shrank back into his body, and blended into the shadows in the corner. His heartbeat was steady, and his breathing was long and even.

Only after Xuanji Zhenren's figure disappeared from the cave entrance did Zhou Yang take action again.

He didn't jump down directly.

There must be a backup plan in such a place. The fact that Master Xuanji dared to go in like this shows that he was confident. But I am different.

He stood at the cave entrance and closed his eyes.

Consciousness sank deep into the mind. The burning candle flame, representing the length of life, reappeared.

"Burning life".

Five years.

A cold voice echoed in his heart. His body trembled violently, and an indescribable weakness instantly swept over him. It was as if a bone had been ripped out, and his internal organs sank downwards. His face turned pale at a visible speed, and even his lips lost their color.

The cost is enormous.

But the results were equally impressive.

Just as that feeling of weakness reached its peak, countless streams of information rushed into his mind. It wasn't words, nor images, but a pure "reason." The direction of every undercurrent in the waterway, the location of every poisonous barb, the arrangement of mechanisms on every pressure pedal... everything formed a three-dimensional, dynamic map in his mind.

He opened his eyes.

The pitch-black entrance held no secrets for him.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the overwhelming feeling of weakness, and then leaped down.

His body plummeted through the narrow passage. The damp, cold air brushed against his cheeks. He could feel a poisoned steel spike silently waiting just three inches to his left. And less than half a foot below his feet, a stone slab connected to a winch; stepping on it would unleash a barrage of crossbow bolts from the walls on either side.

Zhou Yang's body twisted slightly in mid-air.

Like a weightless leaf, he avoided all the deadly traps. His feet landed lightly with a "plop." Sure enough, beneath his feet lay a thick layer of slippery moss.

He steadied himself and looked up at the way he had come. The entrance to the passage was now shrouded in darkness.

He turned his head and looked into the depths of the passage. Master Xuanji's aura was already quite far away. Zhou Yang didn't chase after him, but instead determined the direction and walked along another fork in the road. This path was narrower and more slippery, but based on his previous deductions, it bypassed a necessary killing formation and led directly to the underground palace.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, light appeared ahead.

Zhou Yang stopped and hid behind the corner.

He had already arrived at the underground palace.

This is a vast underground space, even wider than the tower itself. The stench of blood and mildew in the air is even stronger. Dozens of enormous stone pillars support the dome, which is covered with carvings of Buddha statues.

What truly sends chills down your spine are the Arhat statues standing between those stone pillars.

Angry eyes, deep thought, joy, fury… each Arhat is lifelike. They are posed in different ways, holding various ritual implements. The stone statues are covered with moss and cracks, which adds to their eerie sense of "life."

This is the "Arhat Subduing Demon Formation".

Master Xuanji and his group have already entered. They are standing in the center of the underground palace, looking warily at the Arhat statues around them.

"Master, something's not right here," a follower whispered. "I feel like I'm being watched by countless eyes."

Master Xuanji's expression was solemn. He took out a compass from his robes. The compass needle was spinning wildly, emitting a buzzing sound.

"It's a formation," he said in a deep voice. "We've stepped on the core of the formation. Everyone, form the array! Prepare to attack!"

He had barely finished speaking.

The stone statue of the "Long-browed Arhat" closest to him suddenly had two red lights shining in its eyes.

"Buzz—"

A deep, resonant bell rang out, and the entire underground palace trembled.

The long-browed Arhat moved. Its stone-made body, with a fluid motion defying the laws of physics, raised its arm. The heavy staff in its hand, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, slammed down towards the nearest follower.

The cultist was terrified and raised his knife to defend himself.

"clang!"

The clang of metal clashing was deafening. The steel knife in the cultist's hand was instantly smashed to pieces, while the staff, still carrying momentum, slammed into his chest. The sound of bones cracking was clearly audible. The man flew out like a tattered sack, crashing into a stone pillar before collapsing softly and falling lifelessly.

One blow kills.

Immediately afterwards, all the Arhat statues came to life.

The underground palace instantly transformed into a battlefield. The stone statues wielded magical weapons with immense strength. Although the followers of the Heavenly Principle Sect were highly skilled in martial arts, they were powerless against these painless and terrifyingly powerful stone figures.

Even more terrifying are the illusions.

"Ah! Brother Liu! What are you doing!" a cult member cried out in terror, only to see his companion suddenly turn ferocious and slash at him with a knife.

"No! It's an illusion! Don't believe it!" Master Xuanji roared, slapping away a cultist who was attacking his companion. A look of confusion flashed in the man's eyes, and then he was struck on the head by the stone fist of another Arhat, dying instantly.

confusion.

Deaths and injuries occurred one after another. Although Master Xuanji was powerful, capable of shattering an Arhat with a single palm strike, there were simply too many Arhats. They were endless, seemingly inexhaustible. Every time he dealt with one, two more would take its place. His men were separated by the formation, fighting individually, facing constant danger.

Zhou Yang saw all of this.

He hid around the corner, like a detached spectator. His gaze wasn't fixed on the fighting crowd, but rather quickly scanned among the Arhat statues. His brain was racing, comparing the information he had just gained by expending five years of his lifespan with the scene before him.

The core of the formation is not these stone statues.

It is a node.

Like a net, if you grab a node, you can tear a hole in it.

He reached into his robes and touched three silver needles as thin as cow hair.

Barrier-Breaking Needle. A treasure found on the black market, specifically designed to break this kind of energy flow formation. It's quite expensive.

His gaze was fixed on a "Tiger-Taming Arhat" statue on the east side of the underground palace. A floor tile beneath the Arhat's feet was a slightly darker color than the surrounding tiles, almost imperceptible.

That's the first node.

He moved.

He didn't charge straight in. He kept his body extremely low, like a cat gliding along the ground. His movements were swift and precise, perfectly avoiding all the combatants and moving statues.

The battlefield unfolded around him. Swords clashed, stones flew, and screams and cries filled the air.

Zhou Yang, however, seemed to be taking a stroll in his own backyard.

He silently circled behind the Arhat who subdues tigers. The Arhat was kicking a follower of the Heavenly Principle Sect away and didn't notice him.

Zhou Yang squatted down, holding a barrier-breaking needle between his fingers, and aimed it at the gap in the slightly darker-colored floor tile.

No hesitation.

The needle was inserted.

"laugh."

A barely audible sound.

The barrier-breaking needle pierced the floor tile. The tip of the needle vibrated slightly, and an invisible ripple spread out from the floor tile in an instant.

The roaring Arhat who was subduing the tiger suddenly froze. The red light in its eyes flickered a few times, then slowly went out. Its raised arm fell limply to its side.

It stopped moving. It turned back into an ordinary stone statue.

Zhou Yang did not linger.

He immediately moved to the second node.

That was on the top of the head of a "Pagoda-Bearing Arhat" in the west. He needed to pierce the spire of the pagoda the moment the Arhat raised his hand.

It's very difficult.

But out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Master Xuanji was being attacked by three Arhats and was struggling to defend himself. This created an excellent opportunity for him.

He once again activated his ghostly movement technique, weaving through the chaos of the underground palace. Several times, stone fists nearly grazed his back. He didn't even turn his head.

He came to the side of the Arhat holding the pagoda. This Arhat was stretching out his arm, about to smash the pagoda towards Xuanji Zhenren.

opportunity!

Zhou Yang's legs suddenly exerted force, and his body soared into the air. He flipped in mid-air, soaring over the Arhat's head. In the instant of his descent, his arm shot out, and the Barrier-Breaking Needle pierced with unparalleled precision towards the fleeting spire.

"bite."

Another soft sound.

The energy flow on the pagoda was instantly cut off. The Arhat holding the pagoda froze, remaining motionless in his posture as he smashed the pagoda.

Master Xuanji sensed something was amiss. He glanced at the still stone statue with a puzzled look, but with danger lurking everywhere, he had no time to think further and could only continue dealing with the remaining enemies.

Zhou Yang has landed on the ground.

With the two nodes breached, the energy flow of the entire Arhat Subduing Demon Formation briefly stagnated. The previously frenzied stone statues seemed to slow their movements slightly.

enough.

Zhou Yang's gaze fell upon the deepest part of the underground palace.

There, in front of the passage leading to the secret chamber, stood the tallest "Dragon-Taming Arhat".

The third and most important node is located in its heart.

Zhou Yang pulled out the last barrier-breaking needle. His gaze became focused.

This time, he couldn't remain silent any longer.

He took a deep breath and stomped his feet heavily on the ground.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud. He transformed into a black shadow, charging straight towards the Arhat who subdued the dragon.

His actions finally gave him away.

"Who goes there!"

Master Xuanji was the first to discover him, and he was both surprised and furious.

"Zhou Yang!"

Some of his followers screamed in terror.

Zhou Yang seemed oblivious. In his world, only the enormous Arhat subduing the dragon stood before him. The dragon-shaped magical artifact in the Arhat's hand came to life, opening its stone mouth to bite him.

Zhou Yang neither dodged nor avoided.

His left hand shot out suddenly, his index and middle fingers joined together, precisely clamping the stone dragon's upper and lower jaws. The immense force sent a jolt through his arm, but he managed to steady himself.

Using this force, his body swung in the air, and the barrier-breaking needle in his right hand, like a shooting star piercing through the darkness, stabbed fiercely into the center of the Arhat Subduing Dragon's chest.

"puff!"

The entire needle, down to the end.

The Arhat Subduing Dragon's massive body trembled violently. Its eyes blazed with a bright red light, which quickly dimmed. The stone dragon in its hand shattered into dust.

Boom—

The Arhat who subdued the dragon fell backward, crashed to the ground, and shattered into pieces of stone.

As it collapsed, the shaking of the entire underground palace suddenly stopped.

All the Luohan stone statues that were still moving froze in place like puppets with broken strings, and then lost the red light in their eyes, turning back into lifeless objects.

The illusion vanished.

The Arhat Subduing Demon Formation has been broken.

All the surviving followers of the Heavenly Principle were stunned, staring blankly at everything before them.

Master Xuanji also stopped what he was doing. He stared intently at the figure standing in the pile of stones, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

He broke through the temple's protective formation all by himself?

Zhou Yang ignored the gazes behind him. He dusted off his hands and picked up three priceless barrier-breaking needles from the pile of rubble on the ground.

Then, he turned around and looked at the tightly closed stone door of the secret chamber at the deepest part of the underground palace.

A faint smile curved at the corners of his lips.

The fish were dead; now it was time to reap the harvest. He strode confidently toward the stone gate.