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

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Zhou Yang opened his eyes.

His eyelids felt as heavy as lead. The underground collapse had exhausted his last bit of strength. He lay in bed, feeling every bone in his body screaming in pain.

But the little flame in my heart was burning brightly.

He pulled the black iron plaque from under his pillow and the crumpled parchment from his pocket. The items were still there. Master Xuanji's life had been exchanged for these two things, plus the mess at Wanfo Temple. It wasn't a bad deal.

He slowly sat up and stretched his stiff neck.

The room was quiet, save for the occasional bird call from outside the window. This was a secret residence outside Anyang County, a hiding place arranged for him by Qin Shuang. Safe and secluded.

Most importantly, there is a sturdy, sealed room here.

Zhou Yang stood up, walked to the wall, and pressed down on an inconspicuous brick. The stone wall slid open silently, revealing a downward staircase. He went inside, and the stone door behind him slowly closed, cutting off all light from the outside.

Inside the secret room, there was only a dim oil lamp.

Instead of rushing to look at Xuanji Zhenren's spoils, he walked to a hidden compartment in the corner of the wall.

He entered a complicated password, and the hidden compartment popped open.

Inside lay a small piece of metal, about the size of a palm.

It was jet black, with sharp edges, and engraved with some obscure and ancient patterns. This was the first fragment of the dragon's spine that he had obtained from the corpse of Fang Tian, ​​the leader of the Heavenly Principle Sect.

It was this thing that caused him to burn through ten years of his lifespan to deduce even a fraction of its secrets. And it was this thing that made his half-corpse, under the corrosive influence of the corpse poison, become increasingly bizarre.

Now, he has a second one.

Zhou Yang took a deep breath and carefully took out the fragment he had brought from the underground palace of Wanfo Temple from his pocket.

The two fragments were almost identical. Their size, shape, and patterns all suggested that they had been broken off by the same person.

He slowly brought the two fragments closer together.

Just when the two were less than an inch apart.

hum!

A low buzzing sound didn't just ring in your ears, it exploded directly in your brain.

The air in the sealed room seemed to freeze. The flame of the oil lamp was pressed to one side by an invisible force, almost going out. The tiny specks of dust on the table seemed to come alive, dancing and struggling.

Wisps of black smoke seeped out from the seam between the two fragments. The black smoke was not just ordinary smoke; it was like living, thin snakes, intertwining and swirling in the air, exuding an ancient and savage aura.

A tremendous suction force emanated from the fragment.

Zhou Yang felt his hand suddenly become heavy, and he almost dropped it. The feeling wasn't like two pieces of metal approaching each other, but more like two long-lost magnets eagerly wanting to rush towards each other.

He let go.

Two fragments of the dragon's spine hovered in mid-air, trembling violently. The black energy between them gathered more and more, eventually forming a small black vortex.

The next moment, the two fragments collided violently.

There were no sparks as I had imagined, nor was there a loud bang.

There was only one crisp "click" sound.

It's like gears meshing perfectly together.

The two fragments were put back together.

The fused fragment was nearly a third larger than before. The previously discontinuous patterns were now connected, and although still incomplete, the outline of what appeared to be a winding, coiled dragon could be vaguely discerned.

The cold metallic texture seems to have gained a subtle warmth.

[System notification: Initial resonance of dragon energy detected; repair progress +5%.]

Zhou Yang's heart skipped a beat.

5%?

This means that the progress he made by burning ten years of his lifespan was not as fast as if he had just touched these two fragments together. This thing really does need to be collected completely.

However, the matter is not over yet.

The black energy that had seeped out during the fusion process did not dissipate. It seemed to have found its home, twisting together and heading straight for Zhou Yang's brow.

Zhou Yang didn't even have time to react.

boom!

He trembled violently, an indescribable burning sensation instantly running from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

It wasn't the heat of flames, but a more primal, more domineering power. It was like being forcefully filled with molten lava, which surged and crashed through his limbs and bones.

His bones were creaking, as if they were about to snap under the force. Beneath his skin, dark blue veins bulged wildly, like grotesque earthworms, before slowly receding.

He knelt on the ground, clenching his teeth to keep from groaning in pain.

This force is reshaping his body in an extremely brutal and tyrannical way.

He felt his heart no longer simply beating. Each contraction, each expansion, was like a drumbeat—heavy, powerful, and filled with explosive force.

The chill and deathly stillness brought by the half-lined corpse was being washed away, covered, and assimilated by this scorching power.

After an unknown amount of time, the violent force finally subsided.

Zhou Yang was drenched in cold sweat. He was panting heavily, feeling as if his body had been disassembled and reassembled.

[System Notification: The half-corpse has absorbed the aura of the true dragon and mutated. Its physique has evolved into the [Dragon Corpse].]

[New Passive Skill: Dragon's Might. Has a suppressive effect on creatures of lower cultivation level than you.]

Dragon Corpse?

Zhou Yang slowly stood up and flexed his fingers.

He felt...something was different.

The lingering chill within his body vanished, replaced by a restrained, composed strength. His power didn't seem to have increased much, but his physical resilience had risen to a new level. His skin, muscles, and bones all seemed to have been infused with genuine high-quality steel.

He looked up, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across the corner of the wall.

There, a mouse, which had somehow slipped in, was nibbling at a grain of rice that had fallen to the ground. But now, it froze in place.

Its fur stood on end, and its small body trembled violently. Its black bean-like eyes were filled with pure, primal fear.

It tried to run, but its paws seemed to be nailed to the ground, unable to move.

Zhou Yang did nothing, he just glanced at it.

Is this the Dragon's Might?

Can it even suppress a rat?

A strange sense of pleasure welled up in Zhou Yang's heart. This feeling was far more exhilarating than simply increasing his internal strength. It was a crushing victory stemming from bloodline and level.

He looked away, and the mouse squeaked, bursting with all its might, and scrambled away into the dark crevice.

Zhou Yang slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

The aroma carried a faint, sweet, and slightly fishy scent.

He walked to the bronze mirror in the secret room and looked at himself in the mirror.

His face was still somewhat pale, but there seemed to be an inexplicable sharpness in his eyes. His gaze was deeper than before, like an ancient well with no bottom.

He raised his hand and looked at his palm.

The skin was still white, but upon closer inspection, a faint dragon-shaped shadow seemed to be moving beneath it. It flashed by so quickly it was almost an illusion.

power.

An unprecedented sense of control, as if in complete control.

He smiled.

This time it wasn't a grin, nor was it a calculating sneer. It was just a simple, heartfelt smile.

He looked down at the fused fragment of the dragon's spine on the table.

This thing is an enormous treasure.

What would he become if he collected it all and repaired it? Zhou Yang dared not think about it. But he knew it would be a realm he had never explored before.

He carefully put the fragment back into the hidden compartment, and then picked up the black iron plaque and parchment belonging to Master Xuanji.

The iron token was cold to the touch, and it was engraved with the character "玄" (Xuan). This must be some kind of identity token. The parchment, on the other hand, contained a star map and some strange symbols.

Zhou Yang couldn't understand it.

But he knew that this thing must be related to the fragments of the dragon's spine.

Master Xuanji, a righteous master who claims to be eliminating demons, is secretly entangled with the Dragon Spine fragments. This situation is far more complex than he imagined.

However, that's all for the future.

Now, he only does two things.

First, properly digest this improvement.

Second, wait for Qin Shuang to send the money.

Paying more money is the foundation of his existence in this world.

Zhou Yang carefully put the iron plate and parchment away from his body, blew out the oil lamp, and left the secret room.

Daylight had already broken. A ray of golden sunlight shone through the crack in the window, casting a bright patch of light on the ground.

Zhou Yang stretched, his joints making a series of crisp popping sounds.

A new day has begun.