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

The rustling sound continued.

Like countless venomous insects crawling in the night, they burrow into people's ears and gnaw at their nerves.

Shi Gun's face was even paler than the sand on the ground. He slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone behind him. These cultivators of the Heavenly Principle Sect, whose eyes had been shining with joy just moments before because they had escaped, were now filled with nothing but fear.

"They're here."

The sound of the stone roller was low, yet it was like a heavy hammer, striking everyone's heart.

Some people instinctively gripped their knife hilts, their fingers bulging with veins from the effort. Others began to look around anxiously, as if a mounted demon might leap out of the darkness at any moment.

"We can't wait," Shi Gun said decisively. "They've got us on our heels. If we wait any longer, we'll be trapped like turtles in a jar."

Zhou Yang didn't speak. He simply held the short blade horizontally in front of him and used a cloth to slowly wipe away the bloodstains. That blood belonged to the previous unfortunate man.

His movements were slow and focused. It was as if he would wipe the knife clean first, even if the sky were to fall.

This composure calmed the panicked followers nearby somewhat.

Shi Gun's gaze fell on Zhou Yang. He admired this young man. Ruthless, steady, and calm. Especially in this desperate situation.

"Shall we move?" Zhou Yang asked, looking up as he finished wiping the knife.

"Splitting into two teams," Shi Gun quickly decided. "One team will be led by me to set a trap here and try to hold them off. The other team will advance lightly to the water source marked on the map."

He paused, then pointed to a deeper darkness in the distance.

"That's our only hope. With water, we can get through this hellish place. Without water, we can't even make it thirty miles."

This arrangement is reasonable. Using a group of people as bait buys time for the majority to evacuate. Cruel, but effective.

"I'll go to the water source," Zhou Yang immediately declared. Staying behind as bait was something only a fool would do. His lifespan was precious; he couldn't waste it on something like this.

Shi Gun nodded, seemingly expecting this. "You'd better go." He pointed to two people, "Da Hu, A Si, you two follow. And you," he looked at the other archer who had been silent, "Old Wolf, you go too. The four of you, go and come back quickly."

The three men chosen were all skilled. Big Tiger was a typical burly man, wielding a thick-backed broadsword with impressive agility. Ah Si was small and thin, but a skilled scout with lightning speed. Old Wolf, on the other hand, possessed unparalleled archery skills.

"Then you guys..." Zhou Yang looked at the stone roller, then at the remaining seven or eight people.

Shi Gun grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Us? We're just giving those bastards some fun." He patted a leather pouch at his waist. "There's something good in here, enough to keep them entertained for a while."

Zhou Yang didn't ask any more questions. Everyone has their own fate. He couldn't protect everyone; he could only protect himself.

"Give me the map." He held out his hand to the stone roller.

Shi Gun took out a parchment scroll from his pocket and handed it over. "The water source is to the southeast, about ten miles away. Just follow that cliff, and you won't go wrong."

Zhou Yang took the map and glanced at it. It was drawn in a very rough hand, but the key landmarks were all clearly marked.

"Let's go." He waved to Da Hu and the other two, then turned and disappeared into the night.

The four people walked very quickly and very lightly.

Big Tiger and Ah Si stood guard on either side of the rock face. Old Wolf brought up the rear, his bow and arrows already removed from his back and held in his hand, ready to fire at any moment.

Zhou Yang walked at the front. He didn't rely entirely on that hastily drawn map.

In the Rocky Valley, the terrain is almost identical: gray-black rocks and endless yellow sand. Once you enter, it's easy to lose your sense of direction.

He stopped in front of a huge bluish-gray rock wall.

"What are you doing?" Da Hu asked in a low voice. He felt that Zhou Yang was acting strangely.

Zhou Yang didn't answer. He took out the cleaned short blade from his pocket and, without hesitation, slashed his left index finger.

A bloody gash opened, and blood beads immediately gushed out.

Ignoring the tiger's surprised gaze, he stretched out his finger and pressed it against the cold rock wall. He didn't write anything, but simply drew a simple arrow pointing into the depths of the valley.

His movements were casual, like a child doodling.

After doing all this, he withdrew his hand; the blood had already congealed.

"Let's go."

He continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

Da Hu frowned, staring at the bloodstained arrowhead. He thought the marking was too casual; a gust of wind or a layer of sand would probably obscure it. But he didn't say anything, and simply followed.

They continued walking like that.

Every so often, when he encountered a suitable rock face, Zhou Yang would stop and repeat the same action: pricking his finger to draw a simple arrow.

His fingers were covered in wounds, old cuts barely scabbed over before new ones burst open. But he seemed oblivious to the pain.

Da Hu went from initial doubt to numbness, and finally to an indescribable awe.

He discovered that the bloodstained arrows Zhou Yang had drawn possessed a peculiar texture. The bloodstains seemed not to be adhering to the surface of the stone, but rather to have seeped into it, becoming one with the rock. The color also gradually changed from bright red to a dark reddish-brown, like naturally grown veins on the rock.

This mark is more reliable than any chisel mark.

Halfway through the journey, a faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon.

The night was fading, but the chill in the valley was growing stronger.

"Wait a minute."

The old wolf, who was walking at the back, suddenly spoke. His ears twitched, as if he were listening to something.

"What's wrong?" Da Hu immediately tensed up and gripped the hilt of his knife.

The old wolf didn't speak, but instead raised his hand and pointed to a depression to his left.

"There's something over there."

Zhou Yang looked in the direction he was pointing.

It was a relatively low-lying area, covered with dew from the night before, reflecting a faint, cold light in the dim morning glow. In the center of the depression was a dark, indistinct circle.

It's like the earth opening its eyes.

"A well?" Ah Si exclaimed softly.

In this rocky valley where water is scarce to the point of madness, a well is worth as much as a mountain of gold.

The four exchanged a glance, all seeing the excitement and wariness in each other's eyes.

They slowed their pace, forming a fan shape, and carefully surrounded them.

Only when you get closer can you see that it is indeed a well.

The wellhead was made of rough, unpolished stones of varying sizes. Grayish-blue moss grew in the cracks between the stones, suggesting its age. There was no rope or bucket by the well; it was a desolate place.

It was obvious that the well had been abandoned for a long time.

"Shall we go down and take a look?" Da Hu asked, somewhat eager to try.

"Wait a minute," Zhou Yang stopped him.

He walked to the well, and a faint smell, a mixture of earth and decay, wafted up from the bottom. It didn't smell like fresh water.

He squatted down and brushed away a layer of loose soil from the edge of the well.

The dust settled, revealing the stones underneath. Then, Zhou Yang stopped moving.

His pupils contracted to the size of pinpoints in that instant.

On the stone wall inside the well opening, some strange symbols were carved.

The lines of those symbols were twisted and bizarre, as if they had been carved out with fingernails, or as if they were the tracks left by some kind of creature. Together, they formed a script that Zhou Yang had never seen before.

Each stroke is like flowing, congealed blood.

An indescribable evil aura seeped out from those symbols, following Zhou Yang's fingertips and drilling directly into his mind.

His temple throbbed, and a sharp pain shot through him.

"Zhou Yang?" Da Hu noticed something was wrong with him.

Zhou Yang did not answer. His entire attention was drawn to the symbols.

He was certain he had never seen this script before. But for some reason, as he looked at the symbols, blurry, fragmented images uncontrollably surfaced from the depths of his memory.

...a blood-red river, its water thick and viscous like syrup.

... Countless naked people knelt and worshipped by the river, cutting their skin with sharp bones and offering their blood as a sacrifice to the river.

...A shadow so enormous it defied description slowly rose above the River of Blood.

"hiss--"

Zhou Yang abruptly pulled his hand back, gasping for breath.

The fleeting illusion he had just witnessed made his heart skip a beat. He felt as if his blood was being drawn to those symbols, threatening to rush out of his body.

"What's wrong?" Old Wolf also came over, his gaze also falling on those symbols.

"Blood River Ancient Symbol".

Zhou Yang subconsciously uttered four words.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he was stunned. How did he know this name? He had never heard of it before.

Da Hu and A Si looked at each other, completely bewildered.

But Old Wolf's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

"How...how do you know this?" Old Wolf's voice trembled, and his eyes were filled with terror and fear as he looked at Zhou Yang, as if he were looking at a monster.

Zhou Yang's heart sank.

Oh no. It seems I've revealed something I shouldn't have.