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

The wind in the Sorrowful Soul Ravine carries a damp, cold, earthy smell.

Zhao Wuji stopped in his tracks.

His eyes were like an eagle's, sharply scanning the opposite cliff face. There were several unnatural scratches there, as if someone had deliberately left them, or as if they had been made in a panic.

"Fake," he uttered.

The two Zhenwu Guards behind him immediately gripped their sword hilts and kept watch on their surroundings.

"Sir, what do you mean?"

Zhao Wuji didn't turn around. His gaze fell on a stone platform at the bottom of the ravine. The place was flat, like a natural stage. It was surrounded by steep cliffs, with only a narrow path leading in.

"The marks are decoys. They want us to think he's already climbed up," Zhao Wuji said calmly. "In reality, his target is down there. That stone platform is a natural dead end. It's also a natural burial ground."

He knew these hunted outlaws all too well. The more desperate the situation, the more you had to do the opposite. Use the most unlikely terrain to set the most likely traps.

"Pass the order to the men behind," Zhao Wuji said, tilting his head slightly. "The target has entered the Sorrowful Soul Ravine and is trapped on the stone platform. Have them surround him from the tops of the cliffs on the east and west sides, sealing off all escape routes. Don't let a single bird fly out."

"yes!"

Without the slightest hesitation, one of the Zhenwu Guards turned and flew back the way he came. His movements were swift and silent.

Zhao Wuji led the remaining two men slowly toward the narrow path leading to the stone platform. His steps were steady, each one firmly planted on solid ground. The muscles in his face were taut. He knew there was a trap ahead.

A person capable of stirring up trouble in Anyang County and killing Commander Chen is no ordinary person.

He has to be professional. Because his opponent is just as professional.

On the other side of the rock, deep in the shadows.

Zhou Yang huddled close to Qin Shuang. Both of them held their breath, their heartbeats slowing to a crawl. He could smell the faint scent of soapberry in Qin Shuang's hair, mixed with the damp smell of earth.

It's a very peculiar combination. The silence of death and the warmth of the surroundings intertwine.

"See that?" Zhou Yang's lips barely moved, his voice slithering like a snake into Qin Shuang's ears, "That's how professionals are."

Qin Shuang's gaze was also fixed downwards. She saw the hook-nosed man, who, despite clearly sensing the danger, still walked in step by step. His calmness sent chills down her spine.

"Even if they smell poison, they have to take a bite," Zhou Yang continued in a low voice. "Because it's a mission. And because they're confident. Confident they can cure all poisons."

He paused for a moment, as if evaluating a chess game.

"This kind of person is worth me setting up this scheme for. If it were some kind of fool who runs away at the slightest intimidation, it would be rather boring."

Qin Shuang didn't speak. But the knuckles of her hand gripping the knife hilt were turning white. She was beginning to understand what Zhou Yang meant by "adding money." It wasn't just about money; it was a game where lives and wisdom were the stakes.

Zhao Wuji and the other two had already reached the stone platform.

The stone platform was very empty. The center was bare, with only a few scattered rocks. The surrounding stone walls were covered with some slippery moss.

The atmosphere was as oppressive as a block of iron.

Zhao Wuji didn't rush to search. He stood there, eyes closed, listening with his ears and feeling the movement of the air with his skin.

The sound of wind, the sound of dripping water. And... a very faint smell of blood.

He suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze locked onto a rock about half a person's height on his left. The rock looked ordinary. But he had just sensed a very faint fluctuation of energy.

"Clang!"

With a flick of his wrist, the longsword was drawn. The blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, so fast that its trajectory was impossible to discern.

With a soft "poof".

The blade struck the rock.

A burst of crimson flames erupted suddenly. A pungent, metallic scent instantly filled the entire stone platform. It was a pure blood essence, sealed within the rock using a special technique. Once triggered, it would explode.

"A trivial skill."

Zhao Wuji snorted coldly, a hint of disdain in his eyes. Did he really think he could deal with the Zhenwu Guard with such paltry tricks?

However, he had barely finished speaking.

A sudden change occurred.

The ground beneath his feet, the entire stone platform, suddenly lit up.

It was a blood-red pattern. One by one, stroke by stroke, like living things, it crawled out from the cracks in the rock. It spread rapidly, connected, and formed a complex and eerie pattern, completely enveloping him and his two subordinates behind him.

hum-

A deep, muffled sound, as if coming from the depths of the earth.

The entire space seemed to freeze. The air became viscous, like syrup that couldn't be dissolved. All three felt their internal energy cultivation stall.

Zhao Wuji's expression changed instantly.

His internal energy seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, becoming extremely sluggish. This feeling was like a tiger trapped in mud, possessing great strength but unable to use it.

"This is... a Yuan-Locking Array!"

One of the guards behind him gasped in shock, his face turning deathly pale.

The Locking Yuan Array is an ancient restrictive array. Once trapped within it, one's cultivation will be forcibly suppressed. The stronger the array, the more severe the suppression. A perfectly formed array can even cripple a Grandmaster.

How could that be?

How could such a thing possibly exist here? Setting up such a large array requires a massive amount of materials, a top-tier array master, and at least several months of work.

Where did that guy Zhou Yang get all these things while on the run?

Zhao Wuji's mind raced. He looked at the familiar array patterns on the ground, and his heart sank.

He recognized some of the materials used in these array patterns. They were from Commander Chen's treasury! That Zhou Yang had actually cleaned up Commander Chen's treasury!

What chilled him even more was the method of setting up the formation.

These array patterns appear simple and crude, even hastily connected in some places, clearly a last-minute decision. Yet, at their core, they are incredibly precise, with each element interlocking seamlessly without any flaws.

This is using the purest blood and energy to forcibly activate the formation!

Using one's own essence and blood as a catalyst?

Just how crazy is that person?

Zhao Wuji finally understood everything, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. He had completely underestimated his opponent. This was no longer a desperate man. This was a madman, a madman playing chess with his life on the line!

"Thump."

One of the guards behind him couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to his knees. Nearly 70% of his martial arts were suppressed, making it difficult for him to even stand.

The other man wasn't in much better shape; he was leaning on his knife, panting heavily. His face was covered in sweat and dust, looking utterly disheveled.

Only Zhao Wuji, with the deepest cultivation, managed to withstand the pressure of the formation. But he also knew that he couldn't hold on for long.

This formation is relentlessly draining his true energy and eroding his power, like a bottomless black hole.

He raised his head and stared intently at the opposite rock wall with icy eyes.

He knew the man was there. In the darkness, like a venomous snake, silently admiring his masterpiece.

Zhou Yang did not move.

He just watched coldly.

In the center of the stone platform, three prey had been locked in cages. The one with the hooked nose was very strong, worthy of being a captain of the Zhenwu Guard. Under the suppression of the Locking Yuan Formation, he could still stand upright.

But so what?

He traded ten years of his life for the Blood Shadow Escape technique and knowledge of formations. Add to that the formation materials he plundered from Commander Chen. This combination was his "gift" for the Zhenwu Guard.

Whether this deal was worthwhile or not will be answered soon.

He squeezed Qin Shuang's hand. Her palms were a little sweaty, but they weren't trembling.

"Next," Zhou Yang said softly, with a hint of a smile, "it's time to clear the area."