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

The man in black no longer drew his sword.

They lifted Zhou Yang, their steps steady, and walked through the stone beams to the top of the observatory.

The cold wind whipped up the tattered flags, and the night grew even darker high above.

There was only one lamp on the top of the platform, and a person was sitting under the lamp.

He was draped in a long robe woven from the night, the cuffs of which seemed to be touched by starlight.

He looked up, his gaze like a cold star piercing through the mist.

"Zhou Yang." The voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to penetrate the wall.

Zhou Yang raised an eyebrow, the blood in his chest still gushing silently.

A hint of wariness flashed in his eyes, but he dared not move.

The supervisor did not get up, but tapped his finger lightly on the table.

A bronze plate rolled out, its surface engraved with ancient patterns, and the central groove was clearly visible.

The grooves fit the shape of the tortoise shell on Zhou Yang's chest with astonishing precision.

"I already knew your background," the supervisor said calmly, his voice devoid of emotion.

"The bloodline of the half-corpse and the patterns of its lifespan system are all in my records."

Zhou Yang's breathing became slightly tense.

He remembered the bloodstains of that night, the dark patterns left by Fang Tian, ​​and the years he had burned out.

The supervisor continued, "The plan to mend the heavens was not the Crown Prince's idea."

"Those were the chess pieces I moved behind the scenes."

He spoke with a slight furrow in his brow, as if he were deducing a thousand games.

"I made the Crown Prince insist on pursuing the remnants of the Heavenly Principle Sect for only one purpose."

"Let the guardians of the dragon bones appear."

He pointed to the bronze plate and added softly, "You are the one destined for this calamity."

Zhou Yang's gaze was fixed on the trading screen.

The coolness of bronze penetrates the fingertips, as if a gentle stream is echoing in the blood.

He wondered to himself what it would mean if this plate could really trigger the dragon bone.

The supervisor handed over a thin piece of paper with an ancient battle formation drawn on it.

"The boot disk needs your lifespan as fuel," he explained.

"I can use the 'Life-Extending Secret Technique' in exchange for your cooperation."

Zhou Yang raised his hand, his fingertips lightly touching the cracks in the tortoise shell.

The crack then emitted a faint glow, like the rings of an old tree breathing.

He felt the life force within him tremble slightly, but it did not dissipate immediately.

The supervisor laughed, but there was no echo.

"I'm ready, waiting for you to light it."

A sudden rustling sound arose from the audience, as if someone were whispering.

Outside the door, Zhang Fengzi's figure lingered in the shadows, a fierce glint in his eyes.

Qin Shuang's figure appeared and disappeared in the distance, the token she held tightly in her hand flashing a faint cold light.

Zhou Yang's thoughts raced.

He understood that if he did not cooperate, he would be trapped in this tower forever, his lifespan flowing away like sand in an hourglass.

Cooperation might offer a glimmer of hope amidst a life already shattered.

"I'm not afraid of death," Zhou Yang said in a low voice, his tone cold and hard, like the sound of rust.

"But I don't want someone to cut my back with a knife."

The supervisor raised his hand and ignited the central rune on the bronze plate.

The runes danced like sparks on the screen.

The light shone through the grooves and onto the tortoise shell.

The main crack in the tortoise shell suddenly spiraled, as if it had been pulled open by an invisible hand.

Crimson light flowed through the cracks, reflecting ancient characters.

"A secret technique to prolong life." The supervisor murmured the incantation, his voice carrying on the night breeze.

A faint blue mist rose from the plate and enveloped Zhou Yang's chest.

Zhou Yang felt a change in the cold energy within his body.

It is not the chill of death, but the fire that has been rekindled.

The tortoise shell on his chest trembled slightly in the blue mist, then emitted a low hum.

"In that case, your lifespan will be halved within a few days," the supervisor warned.

"And I will seal the core of the 'Life-Extending Secret Technique' into your bloodline."

Zhou Yang nodded, his voice without any hesitation.

"make a deal."

The light from the bronze disc accelerated, as if it were about to tear the sky apart.

The sound of metal clanging came from afar, and Zhang Fengzi had already rushed up the stairs.

Qin Shuang's footsteps were hurried, and the token shone even brighter.

The supervisor stood up and walked towards the wall of the observatory.

He tapped an ancient stone with his finger, and the stone wall slowly opened, revealing a hidden passage.

"The dragon bone is at the end of this road," he said, his voice carrying a hint of anticipation.

Zhou Yang stood before the bronze plate, with the supervisor's back behind him and the unknown darkness in front of him.

He took a deep breath, the blue mist in his chest undulating slightly with his heartbeat.

"Let's go," he whispered to himself.

The lights on the stage flickered, and the night wind swirled the pages of a scroll, like an ancient chessboard.

Every step was marked by blood and choices.

The supervisor turned around, his gaze piercing through the shadows of the passageway.

"In this game, I've reached the final step."

Zhou Yang looked back, his gaze firm, yet with a hint of a smile that was barely perceptible.

He took his first step into the passage, and the blue mist slowly solidified behind him.

The stone walls of the observatory murmured in the wind, and the starlight twinkled in the distance, like countless chess pieces waiting to be placed in the next game.

The stone steps descend, spiraling endlessly.

The air grew colder, carrying the stale scent of ink and a metallic stench. With each step Zhou Yang took, he felt the invisible pressure intensify. The power didn't flow into his body; instead, it pressed directly onto his bones and his will, as if he were being slowly crushed by an unseen mountain.

The true energy within his body completely solidified. The moment the thought of burning his lifespan arose, it was extinguished by this power. This was a higher level of suppression, bypassing the energy level and acting directly on life itself.

At the end of the passage was a spacious stone chamber.

There were no windows; the only light came from a few lamps that burned perpetually on the walls. The dim light cast a distorted and enormous shadow on the wall behind a person.

The man stood with his back to him before a huge star map. The star map was carved into the stone wall, its lines intricate and shimmering with a faint light.

"You brought the tortoise shell."

It was still that calm male voice. There was no discernible emotion in it, as if he were stating something that was destined to happen.

Zhou Yang remained silent. His gaze swept quickly across the entire stone chamber. It was very empty, containing only a star map, a stone table, and two stone chairs. It was as simple as a place for ascetic practice. But such people are often the most terrifying. He could sense that every stone in this chamber was connected to that person, becoming a part of his power.

He is now a bird in a cage. The cage is not big, but it is so sturdy that there is not a single gap.

"Come here." The man turned around.

Zhou Yang finally saw his face clearly. It was ordinary, the kind of face you'd easily lose in a crowd. Neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin. The only striking feature was his eyes. Those eyes held no emotion, only a bottomless night sky. It was as if if you gazed into them, you would be drawn into that starry expanse.

He is the supervisor.

Zhou Yang stepped forward and walked to the stone table. The two sat facing each other across the table.

The supervisor's gaze fell on the spot Zhou Yang was tucked in his pocket. The tortoise shell was inside.

"I'll give you two choices," the supervisor said, his voice seeming to come from a great distance. "First, hand over the tortoise shell to me. We'll cooperate to unlock the secrets of the Dragon Bone. After it's done, we'll share the Dragon Bone. I'll also teach you the method to prolong your life."

He paused, then held up one finger.

"Second, you die now. I'll still take the tortoise shell."

His tone was as if he were discussing the weather. One option is cooperation and mutual benefit. The other is a lose-lose situation. The logic was clear, simple, and blunt.

Zhou Yang's lips were very dry. He licked them and suddenly smiled.

The laughter was low, sounding somewhat jarring in the deathly silent stone chamber.

The supervisor looked at him without saying a word, waiting for him to continue.

"Heh..." Zhou Yang stopped laughing, leaning forward slightly. "Why should I?"

He stared into the foreman's eyes. "Just because you're stronger than me? So I should risk my life and fortune, gambling on your 'promise'?"

He spread his hands, appearing relaxed. "Your Excellency, this deal doesn't seem equitable. I'm a businessman, and business is about transactions. Since it's a transaction, there should be a deposit, right? Your promises are worthless. I need to see something tangible."

The corner of the supervisor's mouth seemed to twitch slightly, like a clumsy smile.

"You're very smart. Smarter than I thought."

"You'll live longer if you're smart," Zhou Yang replied.

Just then, a series of rapid footsteps came from outside the stone chamber, accompanied by the sharp sound of weapons being drawn. The door to the stone chamber was forcefully kicked open from the outside.

"Let him go!"

Qin Shuang appeared at the doorway, dressed in a flying fish robe, holding an embroidered spring knife, her face icy cold. Behind her followed a dozen elite Imperial Guards, each exuding a murderous aura.

However, they stopped at the door.

They seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't advance any further. Several of the bolder Imperial Guards tried to slash at it with their swords, but the blades cut through the air as if they had struck solid ground, producing a dull thud and sending sparks flying.

The supervisor didn't even glance back.

He just looked at Zhou Yang, as if to say: See, your foreign aid has arrived, but it's useless.

Zhou Yang's smile remained unchanged. He had known this would happen. If the Supervisor hadn't had a backup plan, why would he have set up this scheme? Qin Shuang's arrival only proved one thing—this was part of the Supervisor's plan.

"What do you want to see for the deposit?" the supervisor asked.

"Something that can convince me," Zhou Yang held up two fingers. "First, proof that you truly possess a method to prolong life. Second, proof that this method works for me. My life is precious; I don't want to gamble it away on a vague and uncertain hope."

The supervisor remained silent for a moment.

He slowly raised his hand and took something out of his sleeve.

That was a book.

The book is very thin, with a cover made of some kind of yellow leather that has dried and curled at the edges. On it are four characters written in ancient seal script: "Qing Nang Xu Ming Pian".

Zhou Yang's pupils suddenly contracted.

He recognized those words. He also recognized the aura emanating from the book. Ancient, desolate, and carrying a faint, almost imperceptible, vitality.

"This book records a method for prolonging life," the supervisor said softly. "It doesn't require rare and precious herbs, nor does it require dragon liver or phoenix marrow. It only needs one thing."

"What?" Zhou Yang asked instinctively.

"gas."

When the supervisor uttered that word, Zhou Yang felt his heart skip a beat.

"The pure energy between heaven and earth, the vitality of all things growing, and even... the death energy dissipating after slaughter." The supervisor's description was plain and unremarkable, yet it stirred up a storm in Zhou Yang's mind. "Through special secret methods, one can refine these 'energies' into one's own body to replenish the deficiencies in one's lifespan. This is the true art of immortality."

He gently placed the book "Qing Nang Xu Ming Pian" on the stone table and pushed it in front of Zhou Yang.

"This is the deposit."

"You may not believe my promises. But you cannot disbelieve this book. Take it, study it. Once you've confirmed its value, then we can discuss collaboration."

Zhou Yang stared intently at the book.

His breathing became somewhat rapid.

His cheat ability is to exchange his lifespan for power. It's a process of constantly overdrawing his resources. By killing powerful enemies and acquiring treasures, he's also recharging this overdrawn account.

But what if one day he can no longer find the treasure or kill the powerful enemy?

Then he can only wait to die.

But the method proposed by the supervisor is open source! It establishes a completely new and sustainable channel for obtaining lifespan! This is more tempting than any rare and precious material.

All he needs is "qi".

Where in this world is there no air?

Zhou Yang slowly reached out his hand, his fingers touching the rough cover of the book.

A faint coolness spread from my fingertips throughout my body. It wasn't a chilling cold, but rather a kind of... tranquility that had been tempered by time.

He picked up the book and opened it.

The handwriting inside was handwritten, with vigorous strokes, each character seemingly containing a peculiar rhythm. He couldn't understand it, but his body, his soul, seemed to be able to decipher the power surging behind those words.

This is a completely new world.

A world of cultivation about "qi" that he had never encountered before.

He raised his head and looked at the supervisor. The supervisor remained calm, as if he had taken out not a miraculous book, but an ordinary farmer's calendar.

Zhou Yang glanced at the doorway again.

Qin Shuang was still struggling against that invisible wall, her face filled with anxiety and helplessness. Her imperial guards, each with tears in their eyes, were unable to advance even half a step.

This choice is no longer just his own.

The supervisor gave him a deposit he couldn't refuse.

At the same time, it also gave him an inescapable shackle.

By possessing this book, he was essentially bound to the position of the Imperial Censor. The Heavenly Principle Sect, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the entire martial arts world would become his enemies because of this book.

Zhou Yang slowly closed the book.

His laughter rang out again.

This time, the laughter was even louder and more unrestrained than before.

"Great! What a great deposit!"

He carefully tucked the "Qingnang Xuming Pian" into his bosom, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he were carrying the rest of his life into his pocket.

"Supervisor, I'll take this job!"