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

He turned to look at Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang leaned against the tree trunk, her face deathly pale, clearly still in shock.

"Sir, please take a rest."

Zhou Yang plopped down on the ground and stuck the dragon spine next to him.

Qin Shuang struggled to get up. "We can't stop."

"Commander Chen and his men must be catching up."

Zhou Yang waved his hand. "I can't run anymore."

"Let's wait for them here."

"Waiting for them?" Qin Shuang retorted, "Are you crazy!"

"How can I fight you looking like this?"

Zhou Yang touched the fangs in his mouth. "What's wrong with looking like a ghost?"

"Don't judge a book by its cover." He moved his shoulder; the wound had scabbed over, and black corpse energy circulated on his skin.

Although his body became somewhat stiff and the internal energy circulation of the Innate Yang Skill was hindered, his strength was surprisingly great.

"They're here."

The scent of human essence wafting in the air made Zhou Yang involuntarily restless.

Zhou Yang stood up and pulled out the dragon's spine.

The bushes were parted, and Li Wei helped Chen Qianhu out.

Chen Qianhu's chest was wrapped in thick bandages, and blood was still seeping out.

His face was deathly pale, and he was panting heavily.

"You little bastard, where do you think you're going?"

Commander Chen launched into a tirade of curses.

He froze as soon as he finished speaking.

Li Wei's eyes widened as well.

"You...you've turned into a zombie? And you even have sentience!"

Li Wei pointed at Zhou Yang, his face filled with disbelief.

Zhou Yang grinned, revealing two long fangs.

"Surprised? Unexpected?"

"Thanks to you guys, I feel great right now."

Commander Chen sneered, "Turned into a walking corpse by corpse poison."

"It's truly a blessing from heaven."

"Li Wei, kill him!"

"He's too slow now; he's no match for you!"

Li Wei swallowed hard and drew his spare longsword.

"Boy, prepare to die!"

Li Wei shouted and charged forward with his knife.

The blade aimed straight at Zhou Yang's head. Zhou Yang neither dodged nor avoided it.

He raised his left arm directly to block.

"when!"

Sparks flew everywhere.

The long knife struck Zhou Yang's arm, but didn't even break the skin.

Li Wei's hand went numb from the shock, and he almost dropped the knife.

"How is this possible!" Li Wei shouted.

Zhou Yang then slapped him across the face.

The speed is indeed a bit slower than before.

But Li Wei was too close, and there was no way to avoid him.

"Bang!"

Li Wei was slapped and sent flying.

Half of his face collapsed, and his teeth mixed with blood sprayed all over the ground.

Commander Chen was dumbfounded. How did this kid's defensive power become so abnormal?

"waste!"

Commander Chen pushed Li Wei aside and forcefully activated his true energy.

His chest wound reopened, and blood stained the bandages.

"I'll personally send you on your way!"

Chen Qianhu formed a hand seal.

True essence gathered in the palm, forming a huge sphere of light.

"Die!" The ball of light hurtled towards Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang charged forward, unleashing a slash. He didn't use the Torrent Dragon Slash because his internal energy was in disarray.

But his current strength is in no way inferior to that of the True Essence Realm, plus the copper skin and iron bones of a walking corpse.

The blade shattered the ball of light.

Commander Chen suffered a backlash and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Zhou Yang started fighting uncontrollably and strode forward.

They lifted Chen Qianhu up and pressed their sharp teeth against Chen Qianhu's neck.

"Old man, you had a good time chasing me, didn't you?"

Blood bubbles were coming out of Chen Qianhu's mouth.

"You...you dare to kill me..."

"You won't get away with this..."

Suppressing his craving for blood and energy, Zhou Yang retracted his teeth.

"Go down and complain to King Yama."

With a swift stroke, Chen Qianhu's head rolled to the side.

A commander of a thousand households died so tragically in a mass grave.

But Li Wei had already fled at some point. Zhou Yang clapped his hands and walked back to Qin Shuang's side.

"It's done," he thought. Although his instincts told him that drinking Chen Qianhu's blood would be very beneficial, he was worried about losing his mind and becoming a blood-sucking demon.

Qin Shuang looked at Zhou Yang as if he were a monster.

Chen Qianhu, a True Essence Realm expert, and Li Wei, a mid-stage Hundred Battles Realm expert.

He killed him in just a few blows.

Although Commander Chen was seriously injured, his record was still quite frightening.

The sky was turning a pale white. The sun was about to rise.

Zhou Yang felt extremely uncomfortable.

There was a tingling sensation on the surface of my skin.

He quickly retreated into the shade of a large tree.

"Sir, I think I die when exposed to light."

Zhou Yang frowned as he looked at the sunlight outside.

Qin Shuang leaned against the tree trunk to stand up. "Walking corpses belong to Yin and fear pure Yang energy."

"Your current body cannot be exposed to sunlight. If it is exposed for too long, you will surely die."

She walked slowly to Zhou Yang and took out a yellowed ancient book from her bosom.

"This is the Qin family's secret technique, the Thirteen Needles of Taiyi."

"Take it."

Zhou Yang took the ancient book. "What's this?" "A rich woman's dowry?"

Qin Shuang rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "Stop being so cheeky."

"This acupuncture technique should be able to seal the corpse energy in your body." "It will allow you to move briefly during the day."

"However, the time cannot be too long, otherwise the corpse energy will backfire and even a god cannot save you."

Zhou Yang tucked the ancient book into his pocket. "Thanks."

Qin Shuang tidied her disheveled hair. "I need to get back to Haicheng right away."

"My grandfather is critically ill, and I'm worried about potential changes in the family situation."

"I must go back to take charge."

Zhou Yang nodded. "Take care, sir. I won't see you off."

Qin Shuang looked at Zhou Yang, "What are you planning to do next?"

Zhou Yang leaned against a tree trunk. "I'll sleep during the day and travel at night. I just don't know what to eat."

Qin Shuang nodded. "Avoid towns, and be careful when traveling at night."

"The Great Qian Dynasty deeply abhors walking corpses, and there are cultivators in various places who specialize in hunting down evil spirits."

"If you go into the city looking like that, people will treat you like a demon and kill you."

Zhou Yang waved his hand. "Okay, okay."

"Sir, let's hurry up and leave, or the sun will be high in the sky."

Qin Shuang sighed. She turned and walked towards Haicheng.

She walked a dozen steps, then stopped and turned back.

"Zhou Yang." Zhou Yang poked half his head out, his bluish-purple face no longer as handsome as before.

"what?"

"We'll talk about adding more money later."

Qin Shuang's lips moved slightly. "Be careful, and come find me in Haicheng."

After saying that, she left without looking back.

Zhou Yang watched Qin Shuang's figure disappear into the woods and lay down in the shadows.

"This rich woman is quite concerned about me."

He got up, sat cross-legged, and opened the "Thirteen Acupuncture Points of Taiyi".

[Detected the mid-grade Xuan-level martial art, "Taiyi Thirteen Needles".]

[Will it consume ten years of lifespan to reach perfection?]

Zhou Yang was overjoyed.

"Deduction!"

Anyway, we have plenty of lifespans now.

One hundred and sixty-three years, build as you please.

[Sacrificing ten years of his lifespan, he began to deduce the "Thirteen Needles of Taiyi".]

In your first year, you memorized the acupoints and mastered the basic techniques of acupuncture.

[In the fifth year, you will be able to use your Qi to control needles and seal off meridians.]

[In the tenth year, you will have mastered the Thirteen Needles of Taiyi, reaching a state of perfection, capable of sealing away death energy and regenerating life.]

[Current remaining lifespan: 153 years]

A flood of information rushed into my mind.

Zhou Yang flicked his hands and tapped himself a few times.

The corpse energy that was originally released was completely sealed inside the body.

Her pale skin regained some color, and her long nails retracted.

Apart from his two fangs, he looks no different from an ordinary person.

Zhou Yang stood up and tried to walk into the sunlight.

My skin is still a little burning, but it's bearable now.

But he was immediately dissatisfied. As his corpse energy decreased, his lifespan was reduced by 50 years.

There are only 103 years left.

Zhou Yang carried the dragon's spine on his back and decided to find a pool to soak in, so he headed towards the depths of the mountains.