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

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, stinging my skin like fire.

After walking for most of the day, my stomach started growling.

After becoming a half-walker, his craving for blood became exceptionally strong.

The sound of rushing water came from ahead.

Parting the tall grass, a deep, emerald-green pool came into view.

The water in the pool is clear, and you can see plump fish swimming around in it.

"Finally, I can have some meat!"

Zhou Yang planted the dragon's spine in the ground, took off his shirt, and jumped into the water.

He didn't need any special skills; he just saw a big fish swimming by and punched it directly.

"Bang!"

The water splashed, and the unfortunate fish floated to the surface, belly up.

Zhou Yang was holding the fish, preparing to go ashore.

From the depths of the pool, a huge black shadow suddenly leaped out.

It was a jet-black serpent with two small fleshy horns on its head. Its scales were falling off, and it looked somewhat weak.

The black dragon opened its blood-red maw and bit down on Zhou Yang's neck.

Zhou Yang reacted extremely quickly, raising the fish in his hand and stuffing it into the snake's mouth.

The black dragon swallowed the large fish whole, and its massive body coiled around it.

One lap, two laps.

A terrifying strangulation force came, and Zhou Yang's bones made a sound of being unable to bear the weight.

"Hold!"

Zhou Yang was being strangled so badly he could hardly breathe, and his face turned purple.

He grabbed the serpent's body with both hands, trying to pull it apart, but the beast was slippery and he couldn't get any strength in it.

In desperation, Zhou Yang opened his mouth, revealing two sharp fangs, and bit down hard on the snake's vital spot!

"Pfft!"

The fangs pierced the fragile scales of the serpent as it was molting, and a sweet, warm liquid gushed into its mouth.

[Detection detected that the host has consumed the essence blood of the black dragon, which contains immense vitality.]

[Life expectancy increased by fifty years!]

[Warning: The dragon is of Yin nature, its corpse-like transformation is deepening, and the suppressive effect of the Thirteen Needles of Taiyi is weakening.]

Zhou Yang's mind cleared, and he gained fifty years of lifespan!

But what's with this deepening of the corpse transformation? It seems I can't take the path of evil cultivation and blood-sucking anymore.

Sure enough, the next moment he felt the corpse energy in his body begin to surge uncontrollably, his skin became even paler, and even the sunlight felt more dazzling.

"You're asking for it!" Seeing that his body was on fire, Zhou Yang opened his mouth, his arm muscles bulging.

"Mighty Bull Demon Fist!"

He used all his strength to push the serpent's body, and the illusory image of the bull sent the serpent flying, slamming it hard into the rocks beside him.

With a deafening roar, the black dragon that was shedding its skin was smashed into a bloody pulp.

Zhou Yang crawled out from a pile of rotten flesh and spat out a mouthful of saliva tinged with blood.

He rummaged through the serpent's corpse for a while and pulled out a bead the size of a pigeon egg that emitted a faint, eerie light.

"Inner core?!" Zhou Yang didn't even think about it, he just threw it into his mouth and crunched it to pieces.

A cool breeze slid down my throat and instantly spread throughout my body.

[He consumed the Black Dragon's Inner Core.]

[Lifespan increased by 100 years!]

[Current remaining lifespan: 203 years.]

Zhou Yang was so happy that his mouth almost stretched to his ears when he saw the lifespan increase so much on the panel.

Two hundred and three years! Much faster than cultivation.

……

The scorching sun filled Zhou Yang with fear. He dived to the bottom of the pool, found an open-air cave, and released the acupuncture seals from his body.

A cold and violent aura emanated from his body, his fangs and nails grew longer again, and he completely transformed into a zombie, covered in white fur, a trillion times more evolved.

He walked to the cave entrance, sat cross-legged on a large rock, and instinctively looked up.

The moonlight in the sky seemed to be drawn in, transforming into streaks of silver light that flowed into his body.

This feeling is very comfortable, even more comfortable than sleeping.

Just then, his ears twitched.

A commotion of voices came from down the mountain.

"Brother, judging by the material of this carriage, there's definitely a fat sheep inside!"

"Get the hell out of here! Kill the men, leave the women alive, we brothers can have some fun!"

Zhou Yang stood up. "This is going to be interesting."

With a few leaps, he landed silently on the canopy of a large tree at the foot of the mountain.

There were seven or eight burly men wielding weapons surrounding a magnificent carriage.

A bandit leader kicked the driver's corpse and reached out to lift the carriage curtain.

"You guys inside, get out here!"

Just then, a sharp-eyed bandit looked up and saw Zhou Yang in the tree.

Under the moonlight, Zhou Yang's pale skin, bluish-purple lips, and two long fangs stood out conspicuously.

"A ghost...a ghost!"

The bandit was so frightened that he fell to the ground.

The bandit leader turned around and was stunned at first, then his face lit up with ecstatic joy.

"Not a ghost! It's a walking corpse!"

He lowered his voice and shouted to his brothers beside him.

"Damn, we're rich! This zombie actually has intelligence; it's much better than those idiots we caught last time!"

"The Xiangxi Corpse-Driving Sect loves these kinds of top-quality goods; catching one can fetch a fortune!"

"Don't touch the carriage, get this treasure for me first!"

The bandits immediately changed direction, took out specially made black nets and talismans from their pockets, and surrounded Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang was stunned. Did they think he was merchandise? They wanted to sell him?

"Those ignorant fools."

Zhou Yang jumped down from the tree, carried the dragon spine on his back, and walked step by step toward the group of bandits.

"Guys, he's coming!"

"Lay down the net!"

A large, pitch-black net descended upon them.

Zhou Yang didn't even look at it, and waved the dragon spine.

"Rip!"

The seemingly sturdy net was sliced ​​into pieces by the blade.

The bandit leader was greatly alarmed.

"This is a tricky idea! Let's all work together!"

Seven or eight people, brandishing swords and knives, rushed forward.

Zhou Yang didn't even bother using the Chaotic Step; he simply threw a punch and drew his sword.

"Bang!"

One of the thugs was sent flying by a single punch, his chest collapsing completely.

"Snap!"

He easily snapped another bandit's knife in two with his fingers.

In less than ten breaths, the ground was covered with corpses.

Only the bandit leader remained, his legs trembling, a foul-smelling liquid leaking from his crotch.

Zhou Yang walked up to him.

"Who did you say you were going to sell me to?"

The bandit leader knelt on the ground with a thud and began kowtowing frantically.

"Sir, spare me! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness! I'll never dare to do it again!"

Zhou Yang raised his foot and crushed his head.

He wiped his hands and turned to look at the carriage.

The carriage curtain was lifted by a slender hand, and a woman in a white dress with stunning beauty stepped out of the carriage.

Although her face was a little pale, she remained calm.

The woman bowed gracefully to Zhou Yang.

"Thank you so much for saving me, my benefactor. I am deeply grateful."

Zhou Yang, carrying a knife, tilted his head and sized her up.

"You're welcome. I just don't want to be sold like a pig."

Su Qingwan bit her lip, as if she had made up her mind.

She knelt down in front of Zhou Yang again.

"I have a favor to ask!"

"My father was a wealthy businessman in Haicheng. He unfortunately passed away a few days ago. My cousin, a wolf in sheep's clothing, wants to seize my family's property and even tries to take me by force..."

"If my benefactor can escort me back to Haicheng and help me reclaim my vast fortune, I am willing... willing to offer myself in gratitude, and all my assets will belong to you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yang immediately perked up.

Offering yourself in return?

He looked at Su Qingwan's beautiful face, then touched his own cold fangs.

just forget it.

How much wealth do you have?

Zhou Yang asked, his voice hoarse and unpleasant.

Su Qingwan was taken aback; she hadn't expected him to ask that.

"My Su family has been in the silk business in Haicheng for a century, with businesses all over Jiangnan. Our assets... are at least 500,000 taels of silver!"

Five hundred thousand taels!

Zhou Yang's eyes lit up. "Forget about offering yourself in return. When are we leaving?"