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

The night wind whipped up the fallen leaves on the lake, stinging Chen Qianhu's face.

He stared intently at the figure not far away, holding Qin Shuang's hand, his chest heaving violently like a broken bellows. The wound on his shoulder was still bleeding, staining most of his clothes red, but he felt no pain at this moment.

Hatred burned like a fire in his heart, crackling and popping.

"Zhou Yang!"

Commander Chen let out a low growl, his voice distorted with rage, like a wild beast being choked. He took a sudden step forward, and the blue bricks beneath his feet instantly shattered into dust.

Late stage of True Essence Realm.

This was his trump card, which he had been hiding in Anyang County. Before this, he had always played the role of a pampered official, but now, he no longer needed to act.

A surge of powerful true energy coursed wildly through his body, causing his aura to suddenly rise, as if a mountain were pressing down. The surrounding air seemed to freeze; the willow branches that had been swaying in the night breeze were now suspended in mid-air, motionless.

Qin Shuang clearly felt the pressure, and her body trembled involuntarily.

Zhou Yang stopped and slowly turned his head.

His gaze was calm, even carrying a hint of weariness, as if he were facing not a powerful expert in the late stage of the True Essence Realm, but a noisy street vendor.

"Lord Chen, you're supposed to be a respectable man, how could you go mad at a time like this?"

Zhou Yang's voice was light and airy, sounding particularly jarring in the oppressive atmosphere.

Commander Chen remained silent, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He suddenly exerted force with both legs, transforming into a blur and instantly appearing in front of Zhou Yang.

A thick layer of white light condensed in the palm of his right hand, and his true essence was compressed at high speed in his palm, forming a vortex that was visible to the naked eye.

He put all his strength into that palm strike.

"Die!"

The palm struck Zhou Yang's chest with a dull thud, like a heavy hammer hitting a thick iron plate.

A massive shockwave emanated from the two individuals and spread violently outwards. Several remaining wedding banquet tables were overturned, the sound of shattering porcelain plates echoing through the air as fragments danced in the air.

Qin Shuang gasped in surprise and instinctively tried to back away.

In her view, this palm strike was enough to turn an ordinary martial artist into a bloody mist.

However, the smoke and dust dissipated.

Zhou Yang remained standing in the same spot.

His body swayed slightly, like a reed swaying in the wind. Although a ring of cracks appeared on the ground beneath his feet, he himself was completely unharmed.

Moreover, under the moonlight, a faint layer of bluish-gray scales appeared on Zhou Yang's skin. These scales were small and hard, flashing with a metallic cold light for a short time before quickly disappearing into the skin.

Chen Qianhu's palm was still pressed against Zhou Yang's chest, his eyes fixed on the disappearing scales, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He felt his palm strike neutralized by some strange force the instant it touched the other's body. No, not neutralized, but rather "eaten up."

"How is this possible..."

Chen Qianhu's voice trembled. He abruptly pulled his hand back, took two steps back as if he had seen a ghost, and pointed at Zhou Yang, shouting, "You're a monster! How did you do that? This physique... you're a half-walking corpse!"

Walking corpses are taboo.

According to legend, only those who cultivate evil arts and become walking corpses can fuse death energy with true essence, achieving immortality and immense strength. However, walking corpses usually lose their reason and become killing machines.

The Zhou Yang before me had clear eyes, fluid movements, and a strong sense of self.

This is a perfect, living humanoid monster.

Zhou Yang listened without offering any explanation. He looked down at his chest, then at Commander Chen, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"A monster? I don't think so."

He uttered these words softly, and the [Dragon Devouring Technique] within his body officially began to operate at that moment.

The death energy and true essence that had been lurking in his blood began to intertwine wildly, forming an invisible vortex. Zhou Yang felt an intense thirst surging from his limbs and bones; he had only one goal—the rich true essence within Chen Qianhu's body.

He took another step forward.

This time, he didn't use a sword, but instead stretched out his hand, spread his five fingers, and gently grabbed Chen Qianhu's chest.

In Chen Qianhu's view, this operation was extremely slow and posed no threat whatsoever.

But the moment they made contact, Chen Qianhu felt his heart contract violently.

An indescribable emptiness exploded within him. He was horrified to discover that his true essence, which he had painstakingly cultivated for many years, was being forcibly drawn away from Zhou Yang's palm like a flood bursting its banks.

"what!"

Chen Qianhu let out a shrill scream. He tried to retreat, but his body seemed to be locked in place by some invisible shackles.

He could feel his vitality, inner strength, and even his spirit rapidly draining away.

It feels like being skinned alive, but the pain is in the soul.

Zhou Yang's face turned somewhat rosy at this moment, and the weariness in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a greedy excitement.

[Remaining lifespan: 215 years... 218 years...]

The numbers on the system panel were jumping rapidly.

Through the forced absorption of the [Dragon Devouring Technique], he was not only seizing the opponent's power, but also forcibly cutting off the opponent's lifespan in an extremely violent and inefficient exchange.

Although this method is extremely costly, it is the fastest way for Zhou Yang to "recover" right now.

Commander Chen was suffering repeated defeats.

He went from being a powerful expert in the late stage of the True Essence Realm to rapidly weakening to the middle stage, and then to the early stage.

His skin became visibly dry and withered, his once rosy cheeks quickly sunken, his eye sockets became deep-set, and in just a few dozen seconds, he looked as if he had aged ten years.

"Stop...stop! You're insane!"

Chen Qianhu's voice became hoarse and dry. He looked at Zhou Yang in utter horror, and for the first time, real fear appeared in his eyes.

He had previously thought Zhou Yang was just a lucky Imperial Guard, or a charlatan with some tricks up his sleeve.

But now he understands that the other party is a bottomless abyss.

Before Zhou Yang could drain the last bit of the opponent's true energy, he suddenly released his grip.

Chen Qianhu collapsed to the ground as if his spine had been removed, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, like a dead fish out of water.

He no longer had the strength to speak; he could only stare at Zhou Yang with lifeless eyes.

Zhou Yang stuck out his tongue and gently licked his lips.

"Lord Chen, consider that slap you just now as a little interest on your debt."

He turned around and looked at Qin Shuang, who was still standing there in a daze.

Qin Shuang's expression was complex. She had seen Zhou Yang kill people and scheme, but she had never seen him like this before.

That inhuman, cold-blooded strength created a sense of unfamiliarity within her.

But then, that feeling was replaced by a strange sense of security.

Zhou Yang took her hand again; the temperature of his palm was quite high, even a little hot.

"Let's go, it's too noisy here."

He didn't look at Chen Qianhu again, and directly led Qin Shuang to the other side of the lake.

Behind him, Chen Qianhu desperately scratched at the mud, trying to get up, but his body had already lost its ability to respond to his will.

The night wind blew again, casting their shadows long on the ground.

Zhou Yang stopped under a crooked willow tree by the lake and gently placed Qin Shuang on a clean blue stone.

He closed his eyes, feeling the surging true energy within his body and the newly increased lifespan.

Although it only lasted a few minutes, this battle made him completely certain of one thing: in this world, as long as you are willing to pay the right price, you can indeed become a god.

Or, become a monster who controls life and death.

He opened his eyes and looked at Qin Shuang.

"What's wrong? Did I scare you?"

Qin Shuang didn't speak. She looked down at her wrist, which was being held, where a faint red mark remained.

She suddenly whispered, "Who exactly are you?"

Zhou Yang did not answer the question. He took out a piece of silver from his pocket, played with it between his fingers, and then smiled lightly.

"Just a businessman who wants to live a little longer."

In the distance, the night patrolmen of the prefectural government finally noticed the chaos, and the sounds of shouting and footsteps grew louder as they approached.

Zhou Yang leaped lightly into the air, his figure once again transforming into a black shadow in the moonlight, disappearing into the depths of the dense forest before Qin Shuang's astonished gaze.

Only one sentence remains, drifting in the wind:

"As for the rest of the accounts, we'll settle them next time."