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

The bronze gate closed behind him.

There was no loud noise as I had imagined, just a dull "click".

The light dimmed briefly, then was filled with the light of the sky again.

Zhou Yang stood at the doorway, sunlight streaming onto his face, carrying warmth and a familiar dusty scent. He squinted, readjusting to the open space.

The altar was deathly silent.

All the Imperial Guards stood frozen in place, like clay statues. Their gazes passed over Zhou Yang's shoulder, fixed on the bronze door that had closed again, their eyes filled with a mixture of shock and confusion.

Qin Shuang stood at the very front.

She maintained her sword-wielding stance, her body taut like a fully drawn bow. The invisible wall vanished, but she didn't relax immediately. Her gaze remained fixed on Zhou Yang.

He was still wearing that tattered flying fish robe, its original color obscured by blood and dust. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and his lips were cracked and peeling. He swayed precariously, as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

But those eyes were frighteningly bright.

There was no weariness from surviving a disaster, no fear of being surrounded. There was only a bottomless calm, as calm as an ancient well, at the bottom of which burned a ghostly blue flame.

Zhou Yang moved.

He walked forward.

The footsteps were slow, even somewhat unsteady. The soles of the boots tapped softly on the bluestone slabs. On this deathly silent altar, the sound was exceptionally clear, as if it were stepping on everyone's heartbeat.

He didn't look at anyone.

His gaze fell on the enormous bronze instrument in the center of the altar.

The instrument had stopped operating. The previously flowing eerie light had completely disappeared, leaving only a lifeless, dull darkness.

Zhou Yang walked up to the instrument and stretched out one hand.

His palms were clean, with traces of blood still under his fingernails. He gently stroked the cold bronze surface, as if caressing a lost treasure that had been found again.

Then, everyone heard a sound.

That wasn't Zhou Yang's voice.

The voice seemed not to come from the altar, but to resound directly in their minds. It was ancient, desolate, with a metallic, abrasive quality, yet exceptionally clear.

"Jianzheng."

There is only one word.

But it sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

Qin Shuang shuddered violently, the veins on the back of her hand gripping the knife bulging. She could clearly "hear" the voice, but her ears were completely silent. The feeling was extremely eerie.

Far above the observatory, in that secret room for stargazing.

The supervisor sat upright on a prayer mat, his eyes closed. Before him was an ancient bronze mirror, its surface smooth as water, reflecting the altar below.

His eyelids twitched slightly when the voice rang out.

In the mirror, Zhou Yang was still stroking the instrument.

"I've taken care of the 'guest beast' you mentioned."

The voice in my mind continued to ring out, calm and without a ripple.

"Now, let's talk about the issue of 'venue fees'."

The moment the words left his mouth, a sudden change occurred!

The entire observatory, or rather, the entire mountain, emitted a deep rumble.

It wasn't an earthquake. It felt more like... a sleeping behemoth being forcibly awakened from its slumber.

The Imperial Guards on the altar felt a violent tremor beneath their feet, lost their footing, and fell to the ground. The stone slabs cracked, and fissures spread out like a spider web.

Qin Shuang swayed, but she didn't fall. She stared intently at Zhou Yang, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints.

She saw that on Zhou Yang's palm, where he was touching the instrument, a bluish mark was glowing faintly. The light traveled down his arm like tiny bluish snakes, burrowing into his body.

Beneath his clothes, on his chest, a bronze light flickered, outlining an ancient and intricate pattern. At the heart of that pattern, a steady beat was occurring.

Each jump perfectly coincided with the tremors of the earth beneath his feet.

He's manipulating all of this.

The thought rushed wildly into Qin Shuang's mind, making it hard for her to breathe.

Inside the secret chamber at the top of the observatory.

The supervisor suddenly opened his eyes.

The bronze mirror before him rippled with waves, almost shattering. For the first time, the calm on his face was broken, replaced by an undisguised astonishment.

He chuckled softly.

The laughter was somewhat dry, and even carried a slight tremor that he himself was unaware of.

"you……"

He looked at the young man in the mirror, the one he thought was just a pawn, a variable who had just happened to intrude.

"You actually grafted the dragon bones and the formation directly onto yourself!"

He finally understood.

Zhou Yang neither broke the formation nor gained control of it.

He transformed himself into the core of the formation! He became the new "dragon bone" of this observatory!

What an insane idea! What a tyrannical method! This is not something a human could do; it's more like a blood sacrifice from ancient gods and demons!

The supervisor laughed for a long time, his laughter filled with shock, disbelief, and a hint of...excitement.

He set up this scheme to select a useful weapon or a piece that could withstand pressure.

Now, the chess piece has flipped the board itself and wants to take the dealer's position.

interesting.

That's so interesting.

The tremors on the altar below gradually subsided.

Zhou Yang withdrew his hand and slowly turned around.

He looked at the Imperial Guards lying on the ground, his gaze sweeping over their faces one by one. Those men felt a chill run down their spines under his gaze and dared not meet his eyes.

Finally, his gaze settled on Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang also looked at him.

Eyes facing each other.

On Zhou Yang's pale face, his lips moved slightly.

This time, it was a real, spoken voice. The voice was somewhat hoarse, yet carried an undeniable authority.

"From now on, I'm using this observatory."

He paused, as if giving everyone time to process what he had said.

I'll return it to you in three days.

He added.

"No one may enter during this period."

After saying that, he stopped looking at anyone.

He turned and walked towards a platform at the edge of the altar. From there, he could see a wide view overlooking the entire Anyang County at night.

He found a comfortable spot and sat down cross-legged. With his back to everyone, he seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, or perhaps he was ruling over his own territory.

The entire altar was completely silent.

Only the wind howled through the air. The air was filled with the smell of dust and stone chips.

After a long while, Qin Shuang slowly sheathed her sword.

She walked a short distance behind Zhou Yang and stopped. She didn't sit down, but stood quietly, like a guardian statue.

She didn't know what Zhou Yang had gone through, nor why he had become like this.

But she knew that from the moment he stepped out of that door, something completely changed.

The weather in Anyang County is about to change.

And the person who started all of this sat right in front of her. His back was still slender, yet he seemed to hold up an entire sky.