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

Old Wolf's face was as white as a sheet of paper.

His lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Zhou Yang's heart sank as well.

He shouldn't have said that.

How could a nobody in Anyang County know about the secret ancient talismans hidden deep within the Heavenly Principle Sect?

It's like a beggar trying to discuss what the emperor ate for dinner.

"The Blood River Ancient Rune... How did you know?"

Old Wolf's voice was hoarse and dry, carrying a sense of impending death and fear.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Da Hu and A Si were so intimidated by the atmosphere that they dared not utter a sound.

They couldn't understand the meaning of those three words.

But they understood the old wolf's expression.

That was a horror that ran deep in my bones.

Zhou Yang's brain was working at lightning speed.

How did he know?

It seems that... the moment I saw that symbol, the information just popped up on its own.

It was as if someone had whispered in his ear, forcing the name into his head.

Is this an occasional side effect that occurs when using the burning life estimation technique?

An uncontrollable bloodline memory?

Or is there some secret hidden in this body that he doesn't know about?

Now is not the time to think about these things.

The sound of horses' hooves grew clearer.

There's no need to listen so closely anymore.

The dull, dense sound, like the heartbeat of a giant beast, struck the hearts of everyone.

coming!

"Ready!"

Shi Gun roared and drew his heavy Guan Dao from behind his back.

The blade reflected a cold, hard light under the moonlight.

Da Hu and A Si also hurriedly gripped their weapons tightly.

Only Old Wolf stared blankly at Zhou Yang, his eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.

Zhou Yang did not move.

His hand slowly rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

A long night.

This divine weapon, repaired with its lifespan, is now slightly warm.

He could feel the lingering warmth of the dragon spine fragment within the sword reviving.

Like a lurking wild beast, it opened its sleepy eyes.

A dozen or so dark figures emerged from the shadows of the sand dunes.

They were not on horseback.

The horses were left at a distance.

These people approached silently, like ghosts.

Everyone was dressed in black, their faces covered with black cloths, revealing only pairs of cold eyes.

That wasn't the look of a suicide squad member.

He is a hunter.

A professional, ruthless hunter who makes a living by killing.

The leader made a simple gesture.

The group immediately dispersed, forming a crescent-shaped encirclement.

The movements were fluid and seamless, without making a single unnecessary sound.

Their goal is clear.

That's Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang's pupils reflected the figures of those people.

My heartbeat became unusually steady at that moment.

He even had the leisure to do calculations.

A dozen or so people.

Their breathing was very calm and steady.

Even the weakest one is still a bit stronger than a stone roller.

This is definitely not a member of the Tianli Sect.

They are secret guards.

A dedicated force specifically for handling troublesome matters.

"laugh!"

There was no sound of the bowstring vibrating.

A very faint whooshing sound rang out.

Zhou Yang suddenly turned his head.

A short, jet-black arrow grazed his cheek.

The short arrow was like a venomous snake, silent and stealthy.

The arrows lacked the cold gleam of metal; instead, they seemed to absorb the surrounding light, appearing exceptionally deep.

It did not fly away.

Instead, it shot into the sand behind Zhou Yang.

With a soft "pop," it sounded like a ripe fruit being squeezed open.

Then, something strange happened.

The tail of the short arrow split open, spewing out black mist.

The fog spread rapidly, solidified in mid-air, and transformed into a distorted black curtain of light.

"Be careful!"

Zhou Yang just shouted it out.

Another whooshing sound filled the air.

This time, the target is the stone roller.

Shi Gun reacted quickly, roaring as he swung his sword to block.

But the black arrow seemed to have eyes, drawing a strange arc in the air and bypassing the blade.

It also shot into the sand at his feet.

Another black light curtain rose up.

The two light screens, one in front of the other, connected instantly.

It formed a semi-transparent black cage, completely trapping Zhou Yang and Shi Gun inside.

Big Tiger, Ah Si, and Old Wolf were all kept outside.

Outside the cage, the black-clad guards slowly straightened up.

Their movements were very composed.

It's like a hunter setting a trap, just waiting for the prey to run into it and die.

Shi Gun roared repeatedly, swinging his Guan Dao and slashing fiercely at the black light screen.

"clang!"

A dull, loud bang.

Sparks flew everywhere.

The light screen only shook violently for a moment, without even a crack.

The stone roller trembled violently in his hand, and the Guan Dao nearly slipped from his grasp.

His expression changed drastically.

"Damn it! What the hell is this thing?!"

Zhou Yang reached out and gently touched the light screen in front of him with his fingertips.

Cold, sticky, and a strange suction force emanated from the light screen.

His strength seemed to be being drained away by it little by little.

This thing is not just a simple energy barrier.

It carries a... corrosive quality.

Just like the feeling that the Blood River Ancient Symbol gives people.

Same origin!

The word popped into his mind again.

Tianlijiao.

Blood River Ancient Symbol.

And then there's this eerie shadow arrow before us.

All the clues point to the same place.

They were exposed.

From Anyang County onwards, they may have been constantly exposed to the other side's sight.

The previous pursuit was just a test.

Now, they're serious.

"Zhou Yang!"

The stone roller continued its futile hacking with the Guan Dao, producing muffled thuds.

He was trapped here, and his brothers outside were also in dire straits.

This feeling of powerlessness was driving him crazy.

Zhou Yang ignored him.

His gaze slowly swept over the dozen or so guards outside the cage.

The leader's eyes remained calm.

His calm demeanor carried a hint of scrutiny and...contempt.

It's as if to say, you are already birds in a cage, unable to fly away.

Contempt?

Zhou Yang's lips curled up slightly.

That kind of look is what he hates most.

Yeah.

I'll just use you guys to test it out.

How much power does this dragon spine fragment actually have left?

He slowly loosened the hilt of his sword.

Then, he placed his left palm on his waist and abdomen.

There, the blade of the Long Night sword was pressed against his body.

He could clearly feel the temperature of the fragment inside the sword rising.

What started as a slight warmth turned into a noticeably intense heat.

combustion!

It's not about wasting your lifespan to deduce.

Instead, he used his own pure true essence as a fuse to ignite the remaining traces of divine power!

This was an extremely risky decision.

He didn't know what the consequences of doing so would be.

Will it blow me to pieces like a bomb?

But now, he has no other choice.

"Buzz—"

The Long Night Sword emitted a soft hum.

A surge of scorching heat flowed from the sword through his clothes into his palm.

That power was domineering, tyrannical, and filled with ancient majesty.

Like a sleeping dragon, he abruptly awakened for a moment.

Zhou Yang's body jolted violently.

A sharp, needle-like pain shot through my meridians.

This force was too great, exceeding the limits of his body's capacity.

His face instantly turned bright red, and the veins on his forehead bulged out menacingly.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his face, dripped onto the sand, and evaporated instantly.

"Zhou Yang!"

The stone roller stopped chopping and stared at him in horror.

He noticed that Zhou Yang's behavior was strange.

That's not a sign of exerting force.

That's a sign that it's about to burst!

The leader of the guards outside the cage was also moved for the first time.

He sensed the sudden burst of power.

That wasn't the aura Zhou Yang should have had.

That is something of a higher level, completely outside this realm.

"Let's do it!"

He reacted very quickly and shouted sternly.

We can't give Zhou Yang another chance!

But it was too late.

Zhou Yang suddenly raised his hand, his five fingers spread wide.

A visible stream of true energy, tinged with a faint golden hue, gathered in his palm.

It is no longer simply the true essence of a martial artist.

There was a hint of... dragon's might mixed in!

That pale golden true essence seemed to have gained substance, like a pool of flowing lava.

"Break for me!"

He let out a low growl and slammed his right hand down on the black light screen in front of him.

There was no earth-shattering noise.

There was only a "sizzle" sound, like boiling oil being poured onto the snow.

The golden true essence made contact with the black light curtain at that moment.

The once incredibly solid light barrier, like thin ice under the scorching sun, began to melt rapidly.

Black smoke billowed up, accompanied by a pungent, acrid smell.

Where Zhou Yang pressed, a hole the size of a fist was burned out.

And this hole is expanding at an extremely rapid rate!

"impossible!"

The leader of the guards outside the cage cried out in alarm.

Their most prized Shadow Barrier was as fragile as a sheet of paper in front of their opponent!

That golden power carries an extremely yang and strong attribute, making it the natural nemesis of such yin and evil forces!

Zhou Yang didn't give him time to be shocked.

He gritted his teeth and pressed more of his true energy into his palm.

Each injection of true energy caused him to convulse in pain.

But the ferocity in his eyes grew stronger and stronger.

"Snap!"

A crisp sound.

The entire Shadow Cage, like shattered glass, cracked with countless black lines starting from where Zhou Yang's hand was pressed.

The next second, with a loud "boom," it shattered completely!

It turned into a cloud of black smoke and dissipated in the night wind.

The moment the barrier was broken, the dozen or so guards simultaneously retreated rapidly.

The look in their eyes when they looked at Zhou Yang was no longer one of contempt.

All that remained was fear and... apprehension.

This is no longer a task they can handle.

Serious errors in intelligence could cost them their lives.

"Leave your belongings and retreat!"

The lead guard acted decisively, pulling out a yellow talisman from his pocket.

Without looking back, he flicked his wrist, and the talisman floated lightly onto the sand.

As soon as the talisman landed, the cinnabar symbol on it suddenly lit up with a red light.

A wave of heat burst forth from the talisman.

A fireball appeared out of thin air, rapidly expanded, and crashed down towards Zhou Yang and Shi Gun!

This was not only an attack, but also a cover for the retreat.

Zhou Yang was panting heavily. He had just broken the restriction, and all his strength seemed to have been drained from his body.

The remaining power of the Dragon Spine Fragment also subsided once again.

All that remained were the ravaged meridians within his body.

Seeing the fireball hurtling towards him, his pupils contracted, but it was too late to dodge.

At this critical moment.

A tall figure suddenly blocked his way.

It's a stone roller!

"Damn it! You want to hurt my brother? You'll have to get past this knife first!"

Shi Gun roared, wielding his massive Guan Dao (a type of halberd) in a whirlwind, and met the fireball head-on.

"Boom!"

A violent explosion rang out.

The blast wave churned up, lifting the surrounding sand several meters high.

The stone roller was jolted back seven or eight steps by the enormous impact, each step leaving a deep footprint in the sand.

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth, and his face turned deathly pale.

But in the end, they managed to stop it.

When the flames and smoke dissipated, the Heavenly Principle Sect's secret guards had vanished without a trace.

It was as if it had never existed.

On the sand, only the still-burning remains of the talisman remained.

Zhou Yang looked at the stone roller's back with a complicated expression.

This seemingly rough man just risked his life to protect him.

"Old Wolf! Are you alright?" Shi Gun called out as he turned around.

"No...it's nothing."

Old Wolf scrambled to his feet from the sand, his voice still trembling. He looked at the remains of the talisman, then at Zhou Yang; his eyes held a terror that defied description.

It was the look of someone staring at a monster.

The Blood River Ancient Talisman could break the Shadow Restriction, forcing the Heavenly Principle Sect's secret guards to retreat in disarray.

Who exactly is this young man named Zhou Yang?

How many secrets does he actually hold?

Zhou Yang ignored the stares of the crowd.

He walked step by step to the remains of the burnt-out talisman.

The fire died down, leaving only a small clump of black ashes.

Among the ashes was a faint symbol drawn with cinnabar.

He recognized the symbol.

It is a variant of the Blood River Ancient Symbol.

A rune used for tracking.

Although most of it has been burned, the core magic array structure is still intact.

He crouched down, stretched out his fingers, and picked up a bit of still-warm ashes.

A chilling sensation seeped into my body through my fingertips.

Fragments of information that did not belong to him resurfaced in his mind.

This talisman is called the Blood-Tracking Soul-Chasing Talisman.

Once you are stained with the target's blood essence, you can pinpoint the general direction within a hundred miles.

The guards retreated, not because they were afraid of them.

Rather, it was to ensure the talisman's power was fully activated so that it could be used to call upon even more powerful aid.

Zhou Yang stood up and looked into the endless darkness in the distance.

The night breeze ruffled the hem of his clothes, making him look somewhat thin.

The composure and calmness on his face had vanished.

Instead, there was an unprecedented solemnity.

He threw away the ashes in his hand.

"This is troublesome," he said in a low voice.

This time, the Heavenly Principle Sect is truly determined to fight him to the death.

Moreover, the next one will definitely not be the same kind of trash as today.

He glanced at Shi Gun, who also had a solemn expression, and then at the old wolf in the distance, who was hiding and looking fearful.

The group remained silent in the deathly still night.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

That brief exchange just now seemed to have exhausted everyone's strength.

It also shattered the last vestige of peace.