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 valley carried a fishy smell and felt sticky on my face.

Zhou Yang was being supported by two soldiers, his toes leaving two shallow marks on the ground. He kept his head down, his eyes fixed on the ground, only a glint of light flashing in his eyes when he passed the corpse covered with weeds and bloodstains.

The Shadow Blade was right there, its hilt sticking out at an angle, as if beckoning to him.

Li Xuanji walked ahead, his steps steady. He didn't turn around, his voice as cold as ice: "To have survived here means you're tough. However, being tough doesn't mean you can escape my interrogation."

Zhou Yang sneered inwardly.

This man surnamed Li thought he had everything under control and focused all his attention on the word "interrogation," forgetting that in such places, the greatest threat often comes from the thing that looks most like a dead person.

Two soldiers threw him three steps away from Li Xuanji. Zhou Yang lay limply on the ground, as if he had no bones, half his face buried in the dirt, his breathing rapid and disordered.

Li Xuanji stopped and slowly turned around.

He wore a long black robe, with a white jade pendant hanging at his waist, which stood out conspicuously in the dim valley. He leaned down slightly, reached out and grabbed Zhou Yang's chin, forcibly lifting his face.

Nearly.

Three steps, two steps.

At this distance, Zhou Yang could smell the faint sandalwood scent emanating from Li Xuanji, a habit used by those in power to mask the smell of blood.

"Good eye, not quite dead yet." Li Xuanji curled the corners of his mouth in contempt.

In that instant, Zhou Yang's previously unfocused pupils suddenly contracted, and his previously limp body sprang up like a fully drawn bow.

He didn't shout or make any unnecessary movements.

The moment his right hand touched the ground, his fingertips precisely gripped the hilt of the Shadow Fiend Blade, which he had positioned beforehand—a result of how he had subtly tilted his body while being dragged, guiding the soldiers to "throw" him onto the hilt.

[Flame life: Two years.]

Zhou Yang roared inwardly.

In an instant, a violent energy shot from the spine straight to the top of the head, and the muscles expanded to their limit in an instant, so fast that they tore a small crack in the air.

The Shadow Blade was drawn, but instead of golden light, it flashed with a jet-black blade of light like a venomous snake, slicing directly towards Li Xuanji's neck.

Li Xuanji's pupils dilated suddenly.

He was, after all, a master of the True Essence Realm, and his body reacted extremely quickly in the face of life-or-death crisis. He let out a low shout, and his right arm quickly moved horizontally across his chest, his true energy condensing into a faint silver shield on his skin, barely blocking the attack.

"Clang!"

The ear-piercing sound of metal clanging echoed through the valley.

Although the fatal wound was blocked, the explosive power forcibly extended from two years of lifespan was extraordinary. Li Xuanji felt as if his right arm had been hit head-on by a mountain, and the silver true energy shield shattered instantly.

puff.

A deep, bone-revealing bloodstain burst open on Li Xuanji's right arm.

With a muffled thud, the severed arm was cleanly severed by the immense impact, and blood gushed out like a fountain, splattering all over Zhou Yang's face.

"what!"

The surrounding soldiers were stunned. They never imagined that a prisoner on the verge of death would transform into a killing machine in the blink of an eye.

Li Xuanji staggered backward, his face deathly pale, his severed arm still twitching violently. He stared intently at Zhou Yang, his eyes filled with terror for the first time.

"You...you actually..."

Zhou Yang didn't give him a chance to speak. His eyes were flashing red, like a wild beast just released from its cage. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and revealed an extremely sinister smile.

"We can discuss adding more money, but you'll have to pay for cutting off my arm."

The scene instantly descended into extreme chaos.

Dozens of Imperial Guard captains reacted immediately, drew their swords, and rushed forward, surrounding Zhou Yang in the center.

Zhou Yang remained calm. He had already taken advantage of the chaos while being dragged to tamper with the remaining array patterns of the Locking Yuan Array at the valley entrance.

He suddenly swung a specially made explosive talisman, which accurately struck the center of the array.

boom!

A deafening roar.

The already highly unstable residual energy of the Locking Yuan Array was instantly detonated. The massive shockwave knocked the soldiers around Zhou Yang to the ground, and thick smoke and debris instantly covered the entire valley entrance, completely obscuring visibility.

Amidst the chaotic smoke, Zhou Yang's figure moved with incredible speed, like a blood-red afterimage.

He didn't go after Li Xuanji, because escaping was his top priority. He rushed towards the direction, scooped up the unconscious Qin Shuang, and carried her tightly on his back.

"Blood Shadow Escape!"

Zhou Yang's footwork was unpredictable, his body constantly flashing and splitting in the thick smoke. Each step he took left a trail of dark red afterimages, completely disrupting the pursuers' target.

"There they are! Go after them!"

Li Xuanji roared angrily from behind, his voice hoarse and ferocious due to excessive blood loss.

Without turning his head, Zhou Yang leaped into a bottomless crevice of rocks at the moment when the smoke was thickest.

The wind whistled in my ears.

Qin Shuang, on his back, was as light as a leaf due to excessive blood loss. Zhou Yang felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest, a side effect of excessively burning his lifespan. His lungs felt like they had been burned, and every breath carried the metallic taste of blood.

But the expression on his face was one of excitement.

He could sense that as Li Xuanji was severely injured, a huge gap appeared in the surrounding encirclement.

Taking advantage of the lingering smoke, he darted swiftly through the rocky forest. Every so often, he would change direction, completely concealing his presence in the eerie winds of the valley.

Only when the noise of the soldiers ceased and the explosions behind him gradually faded into the distance did Zhou Yang stop in a secluded cave.

He gently placed Qin Shuang on the dry ground, panting heavily.

He looked down at his hands; his fingers were still trembling slightly.

Because of the forced burning of his lifespan, his skin appeared even paler than before, his eyes were sunken, and he looked like a sickly person whose life force had been drained.

But his eyes were frighteningly bright.

He took out the Shadow Blade from his pocket and casually wiped the blood off the blade with Qin Shuang's clothes.

"Commander Li, consider your arm as my travel expenses."

Zhou Yang slumped to the ground, his back against the cold rock wall. He closed his eyes, his mind racing as he calculated the remaining years of his life.

This raid was ruthless, but it also came at a high price. However, as long as they can get out of here alive with Qin Shuang, their "sugar daddy," these losses can be made up for in the future through various means.

He opened his eyes and looked at the unconscious Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang's brows were furrowed, clearly trapped in some unsettling dream. Zhou Yang reached out and gently touched her forehead to confirm that although she was weak, her vital signs were stable.

He suddenly chuckled softly, the sound echoing eerily in the gloomy cave.

In this world full of traps, the best way to survive is not to find a safe haven, but to become the one who creates the storm.

Zhou Yang stood up and patted the dust off his backside.

He looked at the sky outside the cave, obscured by thick smoke, and a smile curved his lips.

This identity crisis has been temporarily brought under control, but he knows that someone like Li Xuanji would never give up so easily. However, a mad dog with a severed arm is easier to deal with than a calm hunting dog.

He picked Qin Shuang up again and slowly walked forward in the darkness.

The steps were so light, as if they had never existed in this world.