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

Zhou Yang crushed the token.

The broken copper pieces clattered to the ground, rolling into the dust. But what was hidden inside the token had only just emerged. It wasn't smoke, nor a poisoned needle. It was an extremely pure stream of yang energy.

boom!

The air seemed to ignite instantly. A scorching wave spread out. The blood shadow array in front of Zhou Yang emitted a piercing hissing sound, like cold water being poured into a boiling oil pan. The shadow formed by the dense blood energy was now being tossed and turned and dissipated by this yang energy.

The yin energy has been suppressed.

The opportunity that the hook-nosed captain seized was now at this moment.

His face was deathly pale, and his chest heaved heavily. But his movements were astonishingly fast. He pulled a wax-sealed pill from his waist pouch, and without even glancing at it, bit it open with his teeth. He tilted his head back and tossed the golden pill down his throat, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed it whole.

The next moment, he completely changed.

"Drink!"

With a roar, a faint golden light emanated from his skin. It wasn't a reflection, but a radiance emanating from his flesh and blood. It was as if a golden sun had ignited within his body. The aura that had been suppressed by the Yuan-Locking Array erupted like a volcano.

The Secret Manual of Zhenwu Guard, "Burning Evil True Qi"!

This aura of true qi was incredibly fierce, possessing a quality that could incinerate everything. Golden light rapidly formed a thin layer of armor on his body, even enveloping his facial features, making him appear both majestic and terrifying.

Zhou Yang's eyes narrowed.

The Blood Shadow Escape technique is far less effective against this kind of martial art that specifically targets evil spirits. Continuing to waste time would only be a pointless waste of lifespan.

"court death!"

The man with the hooked nose moved. His blade was no longer just gleaming; a layer of visible white flames coiled around it. He slashed out, and even before the blade reached him, the scorching heat was already overwhelming. The air was torn apart, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

Zhou Yang's figure flickered twice in the shadows, but he was ultimately locked onto. He couldn't hide anymore.

The bloody shadow dissipated, revealing his true form. Just as the blade was about to strike his body, he twisted his body violently, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. However, the aftershocks of the blade's energy still grazed his left arm.

scoff-

There was no sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh. It was more like a red-hot iron branding the skin.

A pungent, acrid smell filled the air. Zhou Yang looked down and saw a deep, bone-revealing wound on his left arm. The edges of the wound were charred black, still emitting wisps of smoke. Even more bizarrely, his powerful self-healing ability, acquired after his semi-corpse transformation, was completely ineffective. Instead of wriggling and regenerating, the flesh within the wound was being continuously burned by a domineering yang energy.

The "Burning Evil True Qi" technique could actually injure him and suppress the corpse poison, allowing him to recover.

Zhou Yang's pupils contracted slightly. This Zhenwu Guard captain is indeed quite something.

"Evil spirits should be purified!" The hook-nosed man's voice became hoarse and fanatical, his eyes filled with hatred beneath the golden light. He thought he had the victory in his grasp and was about to step forward to deliver the finishing blow.

A cold, sharp blade flashed, but it was faster than him.

It attacked from behind. Silent and stealthy, yet ruthless to the extreme. It aimed straight for his vital heart.

It's Qin Shuang.

She had been waiting. Waiting for Zhou Yang to hold off the enemy, waiting for them to reveal a weakness. She had risked everything for this sneak attack.

clang!

A crisp metallic clang rang out.

The hook-nosed man's reaction was unexpected. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, he didn't even turn around, but instead swung his sword back with lightning speed and precision, blocking Qin Shuang's Embroidered Spring Blade.

A tremendous force struck. Qin Shuang felt a violent tremor in her hand, and she almost lost her grip on the knife. She was sent flying backward by this domineering force, her body arcing through the air before crashing heavily to the ground several feet away.

puff.

She couldn't hold on any longer and spat out a mouthful of blood, staining her clothes red. Her face instantly turned as white as paper.

The man with the hooked nose didn't even bother to glance at her. His target, from beginning to end, was only Zhou Yang. He turned around with a sinister grin, the golden blade pointing at Zhou Yang.

"They should both die!"

He gripped the sword with both hands, raising it high above his head. White flames erupted from the blade, transforming into a massive, several-meter-long beam of light. This beam of light transformed into a roaring fire dragon, its mouth wide open, carrying an aura of utter destruction, descending upon Zhou Yang and the fallen Qin Shuang.

This move, with its wide range and immense power, has completely exceeded the limits that Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang can withstand at this moment.

The air seemed to be sucked away, and the ground cracked from the intense heat. The shadow of the fire dragon completely enveloped the two of them. The shadow of death drew ever closer.

Zhou Yang's brain was working at lightning speed.

To take the hit head-on? That's suicide. To dodge? Qin Shuang is still on the ground; dodging her would mean certain death. Blood Shadow Escape? It's already been proven that it's not very effective against the "Burning Evil True Qi," and it consumes a lot of energy. Even if he could escape, he wouldn't be able to leave Qin Shuang behind.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through my mind.

He watched the fire dragon getting closer and closer, watched Qin Shuang struggling to get up not far away, and watched the fleeting determination in her eyes.

Oh shit.

Zhou Yang cursed inwardly.

This is the feeling he hates most. Being cornered, facing a dead end on either side.

"The Money-Generating Layman's" principle is to make money and then live a good life, not to perish together with a madman here.

But sometimes, choices are not something we can make ourselves.

The fire dragon was already close at hand, and the scorching hot wind was already making his hair curl.

Qin Shuang closed her eyes and gripped the knife tightly in her hand. Since there was no escape, she would fight to the very end.

Zhou Yang suddenly moved.

He didn't retreat; instead, he took a step forward. He didn't look at the fire dragon, but instead looked down at his arm. The charred wound was still emitting smoke.

He reached out his right hand and gently touched the wound.

"hiss--"

An indescribable, excruciating pain shot through him. Yang energy and corpse energy clashed wildly within his wound, as if two armies were locked in a fierce battle within his flesh and blood.

His face showed no sign of pain, but rather a calm that bordered on focused concentration.

"It's cooked perfectly..."

He murmured softly.

"Since it's yang fire... then let's borrow it."

A glint of madness flashed in his eyes. It was the kind of look one has when burning away their lifespan.

"System, deduce the result!"

"Derived cultivation technique... 'Burning Evil True Qi'!"

[Ding! Five years of lifespan consumed.]

The cold, robotic system notification exploded in my mind.

In an instant, Zhou Yang felt something being drained away. It wasn't the strength in his body, nor the internal energy in his dantian, but something deeper, more fundamental. It was as if a piece of his soul had been forcibly torn off, or as if the wick of the candle of life had been shortened considerably. A massive sense of exhaustion swept over his entire body.

But then, an even more violent torrent of information flooded into his brain.

[The derivation of "Burning Evil True Qi" begins...]

[Database collision... Technique conflict... Mutation in progress...]

[Foreign energy detected within the host's body—cadaveric poison...]

[The deduction path has changed... Using corpse energy as a guide, stealing yang fire, and transforming yin into yang...]

[Deduction complete! Mutated cultivation technique—]

Countless characters tumbled, collided, and reassembled within his consciousness. It wasn't learning; it was more like a savage grafting. The cultivation path that originally belonged to the "Burning Evil True Qi" technique in his mind shattered inch by inch, making a sound like breaking glass. Meanwhile, cold, eerie new meridian routes, like living black vines, forcibly entwined and took root, constructing a completely new framework.

The Secret of Stealing Yang and Transforming Yin.

Those five words, like a red-hot branding iron, were deeply imprinted on his soul.

This cultivation method was naturally and perfectly suited to his half-corpse body. It no longer focused on cultivating pure Yang internal energy, but instead transformed the existing Yin-cold corpse energy within his body into a greedy beast. The sole purpose of this beast was to devour the Yang energy from the outside world, converting it into the purest nourishment to replenish itself.

The fire dragon had already pounced down on them.

The intense heat from the metal-smelting process distorted the air itself. Qin Shuang could even see the dry pebbles in front of her spontaneously combusting due to the extreme heat.

She instinctively lowered her head further, awaiting death.

However, the anticipated destruction did not come.

She heard a strange sound.

It wasn't the terrifying sound of a blade piercing flesh, nor the scream of bones shattering.

It was a soft "sizzle" sound, like a red-hot iron being plunged into ice water.

Qin Shuang looked up in surprise.

She witnessed a scene she would never forget.

Zhou Yang did not dodge.

Just before the fire dragon engulfed him, he actually took a step forward and stretched out a hand to meet the long sword burning with raging flames.

His right hand, fingers spread wide, neither dodged nor evaded, simply reached straight for the dazzling blade.

madman!

This was the only thought in Qin Shuang's mind.

The hook-nosed captain was also stunned for a moment, then a wildly joyful smile spread across his face. He hadn't expected Zhou Yang to seek death by using his own flesh and blood to withstand his supreme Yang blade energy. This was simply the best possible outcome!

"Go to hell!"

He roared and strained his wrist, making the blade press down even faster.

However, just as the blade was about to touch Zhou Yang's palm, a sudden change occurred.

Centered on Zhou Yang's point of contact, the white flames burning on the longsword seemed to have encountered a natural enemy, suddenly surging violently. The flames no longer expanded outwards, but instead poured wildly back towards Zhou Yang's palm!

"This...this is impossible!"

The captain with the hooked nose's face froze in horror.

He felt the connection between himself and the longsword being forcibly severed by a strange force! The pure Yang internal energy he had poured into the sword was like a flood bursting its banks, completely out of control, surging towards the young man in black!

There was no pain on Zhou Yang's face.

Or rather, there is. But above that pain lies a more extreme, morbid pleasure.

"Sizzle—"

His palm touched the blade, and his skin instantly charred and carbonized, revealing the stark white finger bones beneath. But in the next instant, a thick black aura emanated from his wound, and the rotting flesh visibly wriggled and regenerated. The carbonized skin peeled away, and the new skin, though still pale, was perfectly intact.

This black aura is the mutated corpse energy within his body.

With the "Stealing Yang and Transforming Yin Technique" activated, his corpse energy opened its maw, frantically devouring the opponent's violent yang energy.

Yang fire enters the body.

It felt as if someone had plunged a red-hot iron rod into his heart, starting from his fingertips. The intense burning pain caused his muscles to spasm. His skin, veins, and bones seemed to wail under the scorching heat of the fire.

But at the end of this extreme pain comes an indescribable sense of comfort.

His parched corpse energy, like poisonous weeds receiving rain after a long drought, grew and thrived wildly. Each time it devoured something, it increased his power. His half-dead body seemed to be reforged and revitalized. The corpse energy washed over his limbs and bones, repairing every hidden injury.

"suck!"

Zhou Yang let out a low growl, his five fingers suddenly clenched together, gripping the blade tightly!

"ah--!"

This time, the one screaming was the hook-nosed captain.

He felt like a punctured balloon, his internal energy draining away at an unprecedented rate. He tried with all his might to pull back the longsword, but found it was as if welded to Zhou Yang's hand, completely immovable.

The white light on the longsword was fading at a visible speed.

It transformed from a roaring fire dragon into a flickering flame, and finally, it went out completely.

The entire knife had turned into a charred, blackened block of iron, icy cold.

Zhou Yang loosened his grip.

With a clang, the iron block fell to the ground.

He looked up and gazed at the other side.

The hook-nosed captain collapsed to the ground, soaked to the bone, his eyes sunken and lips cracked. Overnight, he seemed to have aged twenty years, transforming from a spirited martial arts master into a frail old man.

"Youkai...youkai..."

He pointed at Zhou Yang, his voice hoarse and filled with immense fear.

Qin Shuang was also stunned. She covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief. She stared intently at Zhou Yang, that familiar figure now utterly unfamiliar. Grabbing the Fiery Blade with his bare hands, draining his opponent's inner strength... what kind of evil technique was this? Was this still the same Zhou Yang who was usually greedy, cowardly, and always had "more money" on his lips?

Zhou Yang ignored the captain's curses.

He flexed his fingers, feeling an unprecedented fullness within his body. The corpse energy became viscous and powerful, each breath carrying a cold, corrosive quality. The wound on his arm, burned by the "Burning Evil True Qi," had completely healed, leaving only a faint mark.

He looked at the hook-nosed captain who was lying on the ground and walked over to him step by step.

His footsteps were light, but they landed on the ground like heavy hammer blows to his heart.

"You...you stay away!" The captain scrambled backward, but his body was limp and unresponsive due to depleted internal energy. "I am a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! You dare kill me, you..."

Zhou Yang stepped on his chest, silencing him completely.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Zhou Yang leaned down, his voice as soft as a lover's whisper, yet carrying a chilling aura. "Just now, when you were trying to kill us, why didn't you mention you were from the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"I...I was wrong...Spare my life..." The captain was terrified, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"You're wrong?" Zhou Yang laughed, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth. "You're not wrong. You're just... too weak."

The words fell.

He raised his right hand. His hand moved slowly, without even a fluctuation of internal energy. He simply placed it lightly on the captain's crown.

"No!"

A final look of despair flashed in the captain's eyes.

"puff."

A muffled thud.

It was like crushing a ripe watermelon. The hook-nosed captain's head instantly caved in, and red and white matter splattered everywhere. His body convulsed twice violently, then remained completely still.

[Ding! Killed a Jinyiwei Captain (Peak Martial Arts).]

[Bonus lifespan: Eight years.]

A surge of pure life energy flowed into his body through his palm, quickly replenishing the five years of life force he had just consumed, and even adding an extra three years. The feeling of exhaustion from having his life force drained away vanished instantly.

Zhou Yang stood up and shook the sticky liquid off his hands.

He turned around and faced Qin Shuang, who was stunned.

At this moment, the red light in his eyes had not completely faded, and there was a trace of bright red blood on the corner of his mouth, which made his pale face look sinister and ferocious.

He grinned, revealing a smile.

"This fire feels very comfortable."