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

Beneath the Star Rain Tower, the night was as dark as ink. The distant mountain peaks were fragmented by the moonlight, the cold light dancing among the rubble. The banner of the Heavenly Principle Sect fluttered in the wind, like a colossal beast awakening.

The cult leader stood on the stone steps atop the tower, his brow furrowed. Before him lay a pitch-black plaza, a deep abyss recessed in its center—the very wound left by the Bloodstained Reversal Talisman from the previous attack. The blood had dried, yet still radiated a dark red warmth. The cult leader reached out and touched the stone slab, feeling a slight tremor in his fingertips, as if it were breathing.

"Prepare," he whispered, his voice echoing through the empty stone path. Three thousand True Essence Priests arrived from all directions, clad in silver-gray robes embroidered with star patterns on their chests. Each held a slender lantern, its flame flickering in the night breeze. The lanterns' oil was not ordinary refined oil, but a luminous liquid extracted from ancient True Essence ore, capable of reflecting hidden spiritual energy.

The priests were arranged in concentric circles. The outermost layer had three hundred priests, the second layer two hundred, and so on, decreasing until only ten remained in the center. Each layer was connected by a thin silk rope, with small pieces of star-shaped stones embedded in the rope. The star-shaped stones shimmered under the light, as if the stars in the sky had been pulled to the ground.

The cult leader raised his right hand, pointing to the heart of the Starry Array. Then, he chanted an ancient incantation, his voice deep and powerful. Each word of the incantation struck the air like a hammer. As his words fell, the Starry Stone shone even brighter. The beam of light descended vertically, piercing through the bodies of the priests and shooting straight into the abyss where the Bloodstained Reverse Rune resided.

"Gather Spirit!" a priest shouted, and instantly, a stream of pale blue true energy emanated from the lantern in his hand. The energy spiraled in the air, converging towards the center. The true energy carried a faint chill, like frost and snow at night. When the energy touched the Bloodstained Reversal Talisman, it instantly stirred up faint ripples, and the residual red warmth shimmered with dark red spots under the impact of the blue true energy.

Fine cracks began to appear on the surface of the Bloodstained Reversal Rune, from which tiny particles of true essence seeped out. These particles dripped like raindrops, landing on the shoulders of every priest within the formation. The priests did not panic; instead, they closed their eyes and chanted softly. The chanting echoed through the night sky, like an invisible river slowly filling the entire base of the tower.

The cult leader's eyes sharpened. He knew that this Soul-Locking Array was not just a seal, but also a tracking technique. They had already planted a locating talisman within the Bloodstained Reversal Talisman, ensuring that anyone carrying the talisman, no matter how far they hid in the mountains, would be detected by this beam of light. The wavelength of the beam was finer than that of ordinary locking arrays, capable of penetrating layers of mountains, rivers, and even the mist of dense forests.

"Star of Reincarnation, manifest!" the cult leader shouted again. The pillars of light from the Star Array suddenly burst forth in the night sky, forming a massive star chart. Each ray of light from the star chart was like a blade, pointing straight to the sky. The light intertwined with the flow of true energy, forming a vast net of light. The center of this net of light faced the Bloodstain Reversal Symbol, as if locking the Bloodstain in an invisible palm.

At that moment, the ground beneath the tower trembled. The once-silent stone slabs were torn apart by the tremor, and a faint blue light emerged from the cracks. The blue light spread outwards, touching the starstone, which emitted a piercing shattering sound. The shattering sound was like the lament of a mountain, echoing throughout the entire valley.

The priests' lanterns instantly brightened. The blue light merged with the lantern flames, forming a dazzling curtain of light. Tiny stardust swirled around the edges of the curtain, floating in the air like fine silver sand. The bloodstained inverted rune at the center of the curtain was completely enveloped, forming a luminous cage.

The cult leader stood outside the light barrier, his gaze piercing through the cage, seemingly able to see a figure in the distance. It was Zhou Yang's back, the figure that had just left the valley. The power of the light barrier had already locked onto his aura, like a net to catch mice.

"Everything is as I wish," the cult leader murmured to himself, a cold smile playing on his lips. A chill emanated from his body, flowing down his sleeves to the stone bricks beneath his feet. The bricks turned slightly white in the cold, as if lightly covered by frost.

Inside the light barrier, the cracks in the Bloodstained Reversal Rune continued to spread. At the end of the cracks, a faint blue flame appeared. The flame was shaped like an inverted "Y". The cult leader recognized it as the core symbol of the "Starry Soul Locking Array". As long as this flame was not extinguished, the array's locking mechanism would never fail.

The priests' breathing gradually calmed within the light screen. A faint mist of true essence emanated from each priest's chest, forming a halo that shimmered faintly under the lamplight. The halo seemed to coat each person's soul with a thin layer of starlight.

"Record it." The cult leader turned and called to the recorder beside him. The recorder quickly opened the bamboo scroll, the tip of his pen gleaming in the lamplight. The scroll read: "The Starry Soul-Locking Array is complete, the positioning talisman has been planted, and the reversal talisman has been locked." The words were few, yet contained immense power.

In the distant mountains and forests, the wind howled. It swept away the valley's remaining warmth, leaving only the cold gleam of the light barrier. The edges of the barrier trembled slightly, as if about to spread outwards. The sect leader reached out and gently stroked the edge of the barrier, faint black lines appearing on his palm. These were his unique true essence imprints, capable of reinforcing his will within the formation.

"Converge," he commanded in a low voice. The light from the light barrier immediately contracted, gathering around the Bloodstain Reversal Rune into a tight sphere. The blue light inside the sphere was scorching hot, but it was suppressed by the cold air on the outside, forming a strange balance of power.

At the center of the sphere, the shape of the reversed bloodstain became increasingly clear. It was no longer an ordinary bloodstain, but a rune engraved with a star map. Each line of the rune corresponded to the trajectory of the stars. The cult leader knew that this rune held the key to a higher level.

Outside the light barrier, the priests' lanterns gradually went out. The instant the lights went out, the starstone emitted a low hum, as if reminding them that the formation was still operating. The three thousand priests remained standing, their eyes fixed on the light barrier, fearing any unforeseen event.

On the other side of the valley, Zhou Yang's blade continued to slash through the darkness. Unaware that he was firmly ensnared in an invisible net, the light of the Bloodstained Reversal Talisman trembled slightly in the distance, like a silent cry to him.

The cult leader turned and left the tower top, his footsteps echoing on the stone steps. Each step stirred up faint stardust, as if leaving his own mark. His shadow was elongated by the moonlight, intersecting with the edge of the light curtain.

The night was deep, and the stars silently shifted. The Heavenly Principle Sect's Star Soul-Locking Array was complete, and the locked target awaited silently. A faint, lingering scent of blood drifted in the wind, as if reminding everyone: the real hunt had only just begun.

The light from the bloodstain-marked inverted symbol still trembled faintly in the distance.

Zhou Yang listened intently, and the aftershocks of the true energy echoed within the mountain.

He raised his hand and lightly touched his chest with his fingertips; the scar was slightly warm.

The heat flowed like a tide, drifting towards a dark rock face.

The surface of the rock wall has been eroded by time, making it uneven.

Suddenly, the patterns on the obsidian appeared on their own, like bloodstains spreading across the rock surface.

At the end of the lines, a recessed door frame appears, with a smooth, mirror-like surface.

Zhou Yang felt a chill run down his spine; this was the very entrance he was using to track down the source of the problem.

He pulled the dragon spine fragment from his pocket.

The edges of the fragments glowed with a pale blue light, like bloodstains stained with true essence.

He gently pressed the shard onto the center of the door frame, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Instantly, the fragments emitted a low rumble, and blue light spread rapidly.

The obsidian door opened slowly, emitting a deep hum.

Behind the door was a narrow passage, the walls of which seemed to be compressed by an invisible force field.

Deep within the passage, the flickering light of an oil lamp illuminated several lines of ancient runes.

The runes were imbued with true essence, shimmering with tiny starlight.

Zhou Yang stepped inside, his footsteps echoing on the stone wall.

With each step, the rock surface beneath your feet resonates slightly.

He looked up and saw an altar in front of him, made of obsidian and with an ancient style.

The altar is semi-circular in shape and decorated with withered branches and leaves around it.

At the center of the altar, there is a huge sealing stone.

The sealing stone resembles a smooth obsidian slab with dense patterns engraved on its surface.

At the center of the pattern is a heavy metal ring, engraved with ancient characters.

The words appeared and disappeared in the dim light, as if they were breathing.

Zhou Yang walked up to the sealing stone and bent down to examine it.

He lightly touched the stone surface with his fingers; it was cold and vibrated slightly.

The vibration did not come from the outside, but from the flow of true essence inside the stone.

He thought to himself that this place might contain another fragment of the dragon's spine that he was looking for.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew from the bottom of the abyss.

The cold wind carried a damp, earthy smell, as if it were flowing from hundreds of meters underground.

Zhou Yang looked up and saw a narrow crack on the back wall of the altar, from which a faint red light seeped out.

The light and the lingering warmth of the bloodstains seemed to remind him that the road ahead would not be easy.

He raised the dragon spine fragment in his hand again, and the fragment shone even brighter.

The fragment beam shot directly at the metal ring of the sealing stone, instantly igniting the ring.

The flames leaped across the stone surface like sparks, then converged into a thin beam of light.

The beam of light pierced through the sealing stone and shot straight into the depths of the crack.

The dark red light inside the crack then spread, as if the stone pillars of the entire altar were ignited.

The dust between the stone pillars was swirled up, drifting in the air like tiny feathers.

Zhou Yang stood before the altar, a calculating glint in his eyes.

Without hesitation, he stepped directly into the crack indicated by the beam of light.

The crack was just wide enough for one person, and the cold, hard stone wall sent a sharp pain through his back.

After entering the crevice, there was a pitch-black abyss ahead.

A faint golden light could be seen at the bottom of the abyss, like a distant lighthouse.

Zhou Yang struck the rock wall with his fist, producing a dull echo.

The echoes were absorbed in the abyss, forming faint echoes.

He took a deep breath and felt the scar on his chest throb again.

The heat from the scars was a reminder that every expenditure of his true energy was shortening his lifespan.

But at this moment, all he wanted was to open the abyss before him.

Zhou Yang inserted the dragon spine fragment into the groove on the crack wall, and the fragment was immediately swallowed by true essence.

Instantly, the rock walls on both sides of the crack began to split open, revealing a passage.

The passage was wide enough to accommodate his entire body, and the golden light at the bottom grew even brighter.

He stepped into the passage, and the ground beneath his feet trembled slightly.

The runes on the ground lit up, as if a mechanism had been reactivated.

At the end of the passage, a huge stone gate stands, with ancient sacrificial patterns carved on it.

The surface of the stone gate is covered with fine cracks, as if it has been eroded by time for thousands of years.

Zhou Yang stood in front of the door, lightly tapping the door with his fingers.

The facade emitted a low, resonant sound, as if responding to his arrival.

He picked up the dragon spine fragment again, and the fragment's light instantly expanded.

The light shone directly on the stone gate, and the cracks on its surface began to glow.

The light converged into a single, direct laser beam, striking the center of the stone gate.

The pattern at the center of the stone gate was ripped open by a laser, revealing a dark vortex.

An invisible current of true energy surged within the vortex, seemingly devouring all light.

Zhou Yang took a deep breath, holding the fragment in his hand, and stood in front of the vortex.

He forcefully threw the fragment into the vortex, and the fragment shattered instantly, turning into countless tiny points of light.

The light spots spread within the vortex, touching every inch of obsidian.

The obsidian began to emit a low sigh, and then cracked.

A faint blue light seeped from the crack, the light like the breath of the abyss.

As the last stone slab fell, the entire stone gate collapsed completely.

The sound of the collapse echoed through the valley, like thunder awakening the sleeping mountain spirits.

Behind the door, a huge platform was revealed, with an ancient altar in the center.

The base of the altar was inscribed with dense characters, between which flowed crimson true energy.

Zhou Yang stood at the edge of the platform, looking down at the altar.

At the center of the altar, there was a sealing stone even larger than the Dragon Spine fragment.

The surface of the sealing stone is covered with ancient runes, which tremble slightly in the wind.

Light and darkness intertwine, forming a strange halo.

He reached out and gently stroked the sealing stone, feeling a faint chill at his fingertips.

The chill carried an intense sense of oppression, as if an invisible force was resisting it.

Zhou Yang smiled and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"If it's worth it, I'll tear it open."

He poured the remaining lifespan into his true essence, which burned rapidly within his body.

The burning true energy, like a raging fire, instantly broke through the scar on his chest.

The residual heat of the Bloodstained Reversal Talisman ignited in his chest, forming a small fireball of true essence.

The fireball hurtled towards the sealing stone, and upon impact, the stone surface cracked, unleashing a blazing beam of light.

The beam of light pierced through the mountain wall and shot straight into the clouds.

A low, rumbling sound echoed through the valley, as if the heavens and earth were trembling.

Zhou Yang stood before the altar, his gaze resolute.

He knew that the entrance to the abyss had been opened, and the next step would still be filled with bloodshed and scheming.

He took a deep breath, withdrew his gaze from the fragments, and turned to leave.

Behind them, the halo of the sealing stone gradually dimmed, and the fallen light dust scattered with the wind.

The mountain wind howled, carrying away his aura and the memory ignited by true energy.

At the boundary between light and darkness, Zhou Yang's figure gradually receded into the distance, his steps still steady.

Not far away, the Star Soul Locking Array of the Heavenly Principle Sect has been activated, and the undercurrents are quietly approaching.

But at this moment, the entrance to the abyss has opened a door for him to a deeper secret.