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

My fingertips are turning white.

Zhou Yang's hands trembled slightly. Not from excitement. It was because his body was nearing its limit. Having burned through ten years of his lifespan, that emptiness emanating from the very source of life was surging in from all directions. His vision was beginning to blur.

The silver fragment of the dragon's spine was right before my eyes.

It floated silently. Small, only the size of a palm. Shaped like a dragon's scale. A silvery halo flowed across its surface, illuminating the entire dark cave as if it were daytime. The surrounding air seemed to thicken because of its presence.

His shadow was stretched long by the light, distorted and cast on the stone wall behind him, like a struggling ghost.

On the altar, the dried corpse, shattered by a single sword strike, had turned to ashes, leaving not a trace of blood. It seemed its sole purpose in existence was to guard this fragment.

Ten years have passed.

Zhou Yang silently vowed to himself, "This deal has to be worth it."

He took a deep breath, a sharp pain shooting through his chest. It was the spot where the dried-up corpse had scratched him. Ignoring it, his somewhat unfocused eyes were fixed on the silver light.

Finally, his fingertips touched the shards.

It wasn't as cold as I had imagined.

It was a warm, smooth touch, like touching a piece of living jade. The surface was smooth, yet it seemed to be pulsating with life.

hum-

A low hum.

The sound didn't originate from the fragments, nor did it travel through the air. It resonated directly in Zhou Yang's mind, like a plucked string, its echo reverberating throughout his consciousness.

The next instant, blue and white light exploded.

Previously, the fragments emitted a soft silver light. Now, however, it is a blinding blue-white. This light has no warmth, but possesses a pure, unreasonable force.

The wave of light, centered on the fragment, formed a perfect sphere and suddenly spread outwards!

The shockwave of this light didn't push; it devoured. Wherever it passed, the air was displaced, the light was distorted, and even the hard rock surface of the altar was scraped away with a thin layer of stone dust.

Zhou Yang was the closest. He became the eye of the storm.

He had no time to dodge, nor could he dodge. The blue-white wave of light completely engulfed him the moment it spread.

The anticipated shock did not materialize.

The anticipated tearing sensation did not occur.

Zhou Yang just stood there, stunned. He felt as if he and that wave of light had become one. He was like a dried-out sponge, thrown into the ocean.

That pure, blue-white essence brought him no pain. Like a river that had found its home, it flowed wildly into him, following his breath and through every pore of his body.

His meridians, dried up and weakened from burning away his lifespan, were instead greedily absorbed by the dried-up walls of his meridians, instead of breaching the banks.

Every inch of bone, every piece of flesh, every cell rejoices. They all yearn for this power.

Zhou Yang could even "see" it.

He saw his meridians, under the cleansing influence of this true energy, regain their luster in areas that had become somewhat dim. Minor damage caused by rushing his cultivation was being rapidly repaired.

This true essence was too pure and too vast.

It far surpasses any cultivation technique he has ever practiced.

It far surpasses any rare and precious herbs he has ever consumed.

This is a flavor originating from the primordial era. Ancient, domineering, yet gentle. It's as if it's the embodiment of the first glimmer of life at the beginning of time.

The "Withering and Flourishing Heart Sutra" within his body began to circulate on its own. The cultivation method acted as a catalyst, a guide. It frantically drew in the external blue-white true energy, directing it to circulate within Zhou Yang's body along a specific route.

One great cycle.

Two major cycles.

Ten major cycles.

The external waves of light had not stopped pouring in. Zhou Yang's body was like a bottomless pit, refusing to be illuminated by anyone who came.

He felt like a piece of red-hot iron being thrown into a vat of quenching water. It hissed and steamed, white vapor rising from it. This was a transformation, a rebuilding of his foundation.

The true energy released from this dragon spine fragment was not intended to destroy him.

Instead, it was a complete "overhaul" for his body, which had become dilapidated due to overexertion.

The impact of the light waves lasted for a long time.

It may have been just a moment, or it may have taken several hours.

After the last wisp of blue-white true essence flowed into Zhou Yang's body, the cave finally returned to calm.

The silver dragon spine fragment dimmed considerably. It no longer hovered, but instead fell onto the altar with a "thud," transforming into a seemingly ordinary metal scale.

Zhou Yang remained standing in the same spot.

He looked down at himself.

The wounds on my body haven't healed. The deep-seated fatigue remains. The deficit from burning through ten years of my lifespan still exists.

but……

He sensed something.

A warm current. It slowly, gently spreads from the heart, flowing to every part of the body. This warm current is faint, but incredibly real.

It's like finding a warm piece of charcoal in your pocket when you're half-frozen in the dead of winter. It won't instantly revive you, but the feeling of dispelling the chill and bringing life back is undeniable.

This is not true essence.

He has already absorbed the true essence.

This is something more fundamental. It's the "degree" that constitutes his life form.

Zhou Yang suddenly understood.

It is lifespan.

He spent ten years acquiring this fragment. Now, the fragment is giving him a part in this way. This isn't a transaction. It's more like...compensation. Or rather, some bits and pieces that escaped when it couldn't be fully controlled.

He closed his eyes and felt the warm current.

He could even roughly estimate how much he had increased. Not much, but not little either.

Five years.

He lived a full five years.

Zhou Yang grinned.

The smile was somewhat sinister. His pale face showed stiff, taut muscles, but his eyes gleamed with an almost manic light.

Worth it.

Too much value!

He burned ten years of his lifespan to slay the dried-up corpse and obtained a fragment of a divine weapon with a terrifying origin. This was his initial capital. Now, the fragment has gifted him another five years of lifespan.

This is equivalent to interest!

He only suffered a net loss for five years, but in return, he acquired a priceless treasure and an unknown future. No matter how you look at it, this deal was incredibly worthwhile.

Zhou Yang no longer hesitated.

He stepped forward, bent down, and picked up the dull scale.

It's quite heavy. Much heavier than it looks. The flowing lines on the silver metallic surface have disappeared, replaced by ancient engravings. Touching it, you can feel an astonishing hardness.

He knew that this was simply because its power had been exhausted. Once it was replenished with enough true essence or lifespan, it would shine again.

He held the fragments in his palm.

This time, he didn't use his divine sense to investigate directly. He had learned his lesson. This thing was too domineering. He simply used his eyes. He used his extraordinary eyesight, gained at the cost of ten years of his lifespan, to see.

He saw that within the scale, countless extremely fine runes seemed to be creating and disappearing. These runes formed a complex structure that he could not comprehend at all. It resembled a star map, or perhaps the core of an array.

It needs to be repaired.

Moreover, the cost would be astronomical.

Zhou Yang knew very well that with his current wealth, trying to repair it was nothing short of a pipe dream.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

He gripped the shards tightly.

The important thing is that it's now in our own hands.

With it, one gains the means to engage in dialogue with higher beings. Whether it's repairing it or using it to trade for other things, the initiative is in one's own hands.

Zhou Yang carefully tucked the shards close to his body, placing them against his chest. The cool, metallic touch instantly cleared his mind, which had been somewhat groggy from exhaustion.

He glanced at the ravaged cave.

The ashes of the dried corpse, the altar with a layer shaved off, and the marks scraped by the light waves on the stone wall—everything here proves that what just happened was real.

I can't stay here any longer.

The energy fluctuations here are so strong; it might attract other trouble. He's in terrible shape right now, barely hanging on. If another enemy comes, he'll be dead.

Zhou Yang dragged his weary body down the third-level altar step by step.

With every step, my legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

But his steps were very steady.

The path he had come by was still clearly imprinted in his mind. He walked back along the dark passage. The cave was quiet, with only the echo of his own footsteps.

Monotonous, yet full of power.

The road back is as long as the road we came in.

But when I returned, I had an extra world in my arms.

A faint smile lingered on Zhou Yang's lips.