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

The night is deep.

The two lanterns at the entrance of the Earthly Fiend Sect's headquarters had a slightly greenish light. When the wind blew, the lanterns swayed, like the eyes of two hanged ghosts.

The gatekeeper leaned against the doorpost and yawned. A tear welled up in the corner of his eye. He felt the night was unusually quiet, a quietness that was unsettling.

Zhou Yang leaned against an old locust tree not far away.

The tree bark was rough, digging into his back. But he remained motionless, even his breathing was very soft. His gaze was fixed like a nail on the gate of the Earthly Fiend Sect.

He is waiting.

The "message" that Doctor Liu gave to the Eastern Depot was about to ferment.

When this group of self-righteous jackals begins to kill each other.

Time flowed by, bit by bit. The sound of the night watchman striking the gong in the alley seemed exceptionally clear. One strike, two strikes…

suddenly.

"Ugh—!"

A sharp, piercing bugle call tore through the night sky.

The voice sounded neither like that of officials nor ordinary people; it was short, urgent, and filled with murderous intent.

The two guards at the entrance of the Earthly Fiend Sect suddenly stood up straight, their drowsiness instantly replaced by astonishment.

What was that sound?

Before he finished speaking, a large burst of flames suddenly erupted from the street corner.

Countless agents from the Eastern Depot, dressed in flying fish robes and wielding embroidered spring knives, charged forward like demons crawling out of hell, howling as they went. They didn't utter a word, hacking at anyone they saw.

"People from the Eastern Depot!"

"It's the Eastern Depot!"

Before the guards of the Earthly Fiend Sect could even process what was happening, a knife was already at their throats. Blood spurted out, staining the bluestone slabs beneath their feet.

The first guard kicked open the gate of the Earthly Fiend Sect, and more people poured in like a tide.

"Kill! Leave no one alive!"

"You traitors of the Heavenly Principle Sect, die!"

Shouts of battle, screams of agony, and the clash of weapons erupted instantly in the courtyard. The Earthly Fiend Sect's headquarters, the local tyrant that had dominated Anyang County for many years, was completely awakened from its slumber.

The disciples of the Earthly Fiend Sect rushed out of the various rooms in a panic, some of them not even properly dressed. They grabbed whatever weapons were at hand and went to meet them, bewildered.

"Fuck them! Has the Eastern Depot gone mad?!"

"Didn't we agree to cooperate?"

"They have no martial ethics!"

In the chaos, a minor leader of the Earthly Fiends Sect tried to reason with them. He had barely uttered the words "misunderstanding" when a red-tasseled spear pierced his chest. His eyes widened as he stared at the foreigner with a strange smile on his face, unable to understand it even in death.

Cooperation? In the eyes of the Eastern Depot, you are remnants of the Heavenly Principle Sect, a stain that must be eliminated. The "evidence" sent by Zhou Yang has already set the tone for this operation.

The Eastern Depot's agents were highly trained, working in groups of three to five with perfect coordination. Their swordsmanship was swift and ruthless, targeting vital points. Although the Earthly Fiend Sect disciples were numerous, they were used to their domineering ways and had never witnessed such a display of power. In an instant, they were routed, their bodies flying everywhere.

The flickering torchlight illuminated every contorted or terrified face. The entire headquarters of the Earthly Fiend Sect had been transformed into a bloody slaughterhouse.

Nobody noticed.

A dark figure, taking advantage of everyone's attention being drawn to the front door, silently crept up to the back wall of the headquarters.

Zhou Yang stared at the chaos before him, his eyes unwavering. The lives of these people were none of his concern. They were merely pawns on the chessboard, sacrificed by him.

He took a few steps back, ran up, grabbed the top of the wall with both hands, and used his core strength to flip himself over the high wall. He landed in the courtyard like a leaf, without making a sound.

He crouched low, pressed himself against the shadow of the wall, and moved quickly.

The map Dr. Liu had given him clearly came to mind. Zhao Kun's room was in a separate courtyard to the east. That was the core area of ​​the Earthly Fiend Sect, and its defenses should be the most stringent.

But now, everyone is rushing to the front gate to fight for their lives.

Zhou Yang easily bypassed several side halls. The stench of blood wafted on the wind, somewhat pungent. He frowned and quickened his pace.

Just as he was about to cross a rockery to head to the east courtyard, a strange smell entered his nose.

It doesn't smell like blood.

It has a sour and pungent taste, mixed with a sulfurous smell.

He stopped, his nostrils twitching. He recognized the smell. He'd smelled it back in the army when he was mixing gunpowder.

His gaze fell on an inconspicuous woodshed.

The aroma comes from there.

Zhou Yang's eyes narrowed, and an idea formed in his mind. He slipped to the door of the woodshed, which was secured with a large padlock. Instead of unlocking it, he went around to the side of the woodshed, where the windows were nailed shut with wooden strips.

He reached out, his fingers gripping the windowsill, and gently applied pressure.

"Crunch."

He tore a piece off the wooden window.

He leaned closer and peered inside.

In an instant, his pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints.

There was no firewood in the woodshed.

Rows and rows, layer upon layer, were filled with black wooden barrels. Each barrel was thicker than a person and sealed with tarpaulin. The pungent smell in the air was coming from these barrels.

Each wooden barrel had a large "fire" character painted in red on it.

It's gunpowder!

A whole room full of gunpowder!

Zhou Yang's heart skipped a beat. He roughly estimated that there were at least dozens of barrels of gunpowder here. If so much gunpowder were to explode all at once, not only would the Earthly Fiend Sect's headquarters be blown to smithereens, but probably half of Anyang County would be blown to smithereens.

What are those lunatics from the Earthly Fiend Sect planning to do with all this gunpowder? Are they going to rebel?

A bold plan instantly took shape in his mind.

This is no longer just a matter of collecting debts.

This is a royal flush that could turn the whole poker table upside down.

Zhou Yang's eyes burned with intensity. He suppressed his excitement, fixed the wooden window back to its original position, and then turned around, his gaze fixed even more firmly on the direction of the east courtyard.

Zhao Kun.

Now, you must die.

And you have to die at the perfect moment.

He passed through the artificial hill and arrived at the east courtyard. It was indeed eerily quiet there. All the guards had rushed to the front to join the battle.

The courtyard gate was ajar.

Zhou Yang pushed open the courtyard gate and went inside.

Directly opposite is a room with the lights on.

Zhao Kun is still awake.

Zhou Yang pressed himself against the wall and walked to the window. He heard pacing sounds coming from inside the room, along with a low growl that was suppressing anger.

"Damn it! Those dogs from the Eastern Depot!"

"They were talking so well in the letter, how did they suddenly turn on us?!"

Zhao Kun had obviously received word of the situation, but he was trapped here, and the sounds of fighting at the front gate were driving him crazy, yet he dared not make any rash moves.

Zhou Yang's lips curled up.

He stopped waiting.

He kicked the door open.

"boom!"

The door was shattered into pieces, with wood chips flying everywhere.

Zhao Kun, who was inside the house, was startled by the loud noise and turned around abruptly. When he saw Zhou Yang standing in the doorway, the anger on his face instantly froze, turning into extreme horror.

"Zhou...Zhou Yang?!"

The teacup in his hand fell to the ground with a "crash" and shattered. Tea splashed onto his trouser legs, but he was completely unaware.

"You... how did you get here?" Zhao Kun's voice trembled. He instinctively reached for the knife at his waist. But his hand froze the moment it touched the hilt.

Because he saw Zhou Yang's eyes.

There was no anger, no hatred in those eyes, only a deathly coldness. It was as if they were looking at a dead person.

"Of course I'm here to collect debts," Zhou Yang said calmly. "What you owe me, it's time to pay it back."

"You! It was you! You're the one who did this!" Zhao Kun reacted instantly, pointing at Zhou Yang, trembling with rage. "You're the one who brought the Eastern Depot here!"

"Yes and no." Zhou Yang walked into the house step by step. "I just gave them a reason to kill you. Whether they kill you or not is their business."

"You're insane! You're courting death!" Zhao Kun finally drew his knife, roaring menacingly, "Even if I die, I'll take you down with me!"

He roared and lunged at Zhou Yang. A flash of light appeared, and the blade slashed straight at Zhou Yang's face.

Facing a martial arts realm assassin, Zhou Yang didn't even draw his sword.

He simply raised his hand.

"Too slow."

Zhou Yang's hand moved with lightning speed, precisely gripping Zhao Kun's wrist. Then, he gave it a gentle twist.

"Snap!"

A crisp sound of bone cracking rang out.

Zhao Kun's knife flew out of his hand, and he let out a shrill scream. He fell to his knees, clutching his deformed wrist, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He stared at Zhou Yang in disbelief. This guy's speed and strength were completely beyond his comprehension. This wasn't just a lowly captain; this was a monster!

Zhou Yang looked down at him as if he were an ant.

"Zhao Kun, do you still remember Fang Tian?" Zhou Yang asked softly.

Zhao Kun was startled.

"Did you think about this day when you killed him?"

Zhou Yang's voice was soft, yet it struck Zhao Kun's heart like a heavy hammer. The color drained from his face, leaving only fear.

"No...don't kill me! I was wrong! I'll give you money! I'll give you lots of money!" Zhao Kun completely cowered, and he scrambled to grab Zhou Yang's leg.

Zhou Yang raised his toes and kicked him in the chest.

Zhao Kun flew out like a tattered sack, crashing heavily into the wall and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Zhou Yang slowly drew his knife from behind his waist.

The blade was very thin, reflecting a cold light under the lamp.

"Money?" Zhou Yang laughed. "I don't lack money."

"I'm just missing one thing... fun."

He walked up to Zhao Kun and squatted down. The tip of the knife was gently pressed against Zhao Kun's throat.

The icy touch made Zhao Kun's body tremble violently. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word; tears and snot streamed down his face.

"No...don't kill me..."

Zhou Yang looked at his pathetic state without any emotion in his eyes.

He moved his wrist.

A flash of light.

It was so fast that it was impossible to see clearly.

Zhao Kun's shout abruptly stopped. His eyes were still open, filled with resentment and fear. A thin line of blood spread from his neck.

His head slowly slid off his body, fell to the ground, rolled twice, and landed right in front of the door.

The room fell silent.

Only a strong smell of blood quickly filled the air.

Zhou Yang stood up and used Zhao Kun's clothes to wipe the blood off the knife. Then he sheathed the knife.

He didn't look at the corpse on the ground again.

He turned and walked out of the room, glancing up at the front yard.

The shouts of battle there were still intense, but they had begun to subside.

The Eastern Depot had too many advantages.

Zhou Yang's gaze shifted to the woodshed filled with gunpowder.

The corners of his mouth turned up again.

He walked to the door of the woodshed and looked at the large lock. Instead of trying to pry it open, he grabbed the lock with his hand and squeezed it hard.

"Click."

He twisted the iron lock into a pretzel shape.

He pushed open the door.

The even stronger smell of gunpowder wafted over.

Zhou Yang went inside and gently patted one of the huge wooden barrels. He could almost feel the terrifying power contained within.

This thing is much better than a knife.

A new picture had already emerged in his mind. A picture that could turn the entire Anyang Prefecture, and even the Northern Garrison Command, upside down.

Outside the gate, agents from the Eastern Depot were cleaning up the battlefield.

At the heart of this chaos, Zhou Yang found the greatest bargaining chip that could completely control the chaos.