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

There is no wind at the bottom of the abyss.

Only deathly silence.

Stone Roller walked at the very front.

His footsteps were silent, like a shadow gliding across the ground. The metallic friction was gone, replaced by absolute silence. This silence was more unsettling than any sound.

Zhou Yang leaned on Qin Shuang and barely managed to keep up.

With each step, the wound on my back felt like it was being torn open again. The stench of blood filled my nostrils, along with the unique scent of deep rock formations, a mixture of dust and cold minerals.

He didn't speak.

He was calculating.

He has 28 years left to live.

The wound was so deep that bone was visible, and his vital energy was severely depleted. He was now just an empty shell; any third-rate martial artist with even a little skill could take his life.

But he can't fall here.

"How much longer?" Qin Shuang asked. Her voice was steady, devoid of emotion. But she tightened her grip on Zhou Yang's arm.

The stone roller did not turn around.

He simply raised one hand and pointed forward.

Ahead lay a vast, circular space. The dome was high, inlaid with some kind of phosphorescent crystal that cast a dim light below. In the center of the space, the ground dipped downwards, forming a giant concentric circle pattern.

That's not an altar.

It's more like the core of a dormant formation.

"This is it." The stone roller finally spoke, its voice dry and hoarse, like rusty iron being pulled. "The base of the Three-Colored Lamp."

Zhou Yang narrowed his eyes.

He saw the center of the pattern. There were three shallow grooves, arranged in a triangle. Their size and shape were exactly the same as the three dragon spine fragments in his arms.

"Put the fragments on," Stone Roller commanded.

"Who do you think you are?" Zhou Yang smirked, a movement that aggravated his wound, causing him to gasp in pain. "Here, only the one who contributes the most has the right to speak."

Qin Shuang glanced at him but didn't say anything. However, there was a hint of questioning in her eyes.

Zhou Yang understood what she meant. Now was not the time to play the hero.

But he had to do it this way.

The Stone Roller is like that; if you take a step back, it will take ten steps forward. The weaker you are, the stronger you must appear. This is the only way to negotiate with the Hungry Wolf.

Shi Gun remained silent for a moment.

"I... provide the coordinates, stabilize the energy field. Without me, you can't put it in," it states the fact. "My value has already been given."

Zhou Yang smiled.

He released Qin Shuang and steadied himself. He swayed slightly, but ultimately did not fall.

"it is good."

He took out the three dragon spine fragments one by one from his bosom.

The fragments were cold to the touch, yet they seemed to tremble slightly, as if they were alive. The closer they got to each other, the more violently they trembled, as if they were attracting each other while simultaneously repelling each other.

Zhou Yang walked to the center of the formation.

He looked at the three grooves in front of him. He took a deep breath and aligned the first fragment with one of the grooves.

Just as the fragment was about to touch the groove, a tremendous repulsive force suddenly erupted!

boom!

A muffled thud. The shard in Zhou Yang's hand was flung away, and he was jolted back three steps, feeling a tightness in his chest and a sweet, metallic taste in his throat.

"How are you?" Qin Shuang immediately helped him up.

"Interesting." Zhou Yang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes shining with an astonishing light. "This thing has a temper."

"Your blood," Stone Roller said again.

"What?"

"Use your blood to smear the fragments. The seal of the curse is guidance. It is also permission." There was not a trace of impatience in Shi Gun's voice, as if he were reciting an ancient scripture.

Zhou Yang stared at it.

"You seem to know a lot."

"I... just remember."

Zhou Yang didn't ask any more questions.

He extended his left hand and lightly ran his index finger along the sharp edge of the fragment on the right.

A gash opened, and blood gushed out.

He used his own blood to begin drawing a symbol on the surface of that dragon spine fragment.

He did not hesitate.

The knowledge in my mind was instantly ignited. I burned my lifespan in exchange for the answer.

[Burning life: 10 years.]

[Answer obtained: First-generation Dragonspine Enchantment Rune - Source Guidance.]

An extremely complex symbol, yet filled with a primal, savage beauty, was clearly imprinted in his consciousness. Every stroke, every line, seemed to contain the power of the beginning of time.

His fingertips moved swiftly across the fragments.

Bloodstains flowed, outlining mysterious patterns. The blood symbol seemed to come alive, emitting a faint red glow.

After doing all this, he held the fragments and walked back to the groove.

This time, there was no repulsive force.

The fragments seemed to have found their home, fitting snugly into the formation and perfectly integrating with it.

hum-

A deep, resonant sound came from the depths of the earth.

The light in the entire space seemed to dim a little.

Zhou Yang did not stop.

He did the same thing, using his blood to draw the same runes on the other two fragments.

The moment the third fragment also embeds itself into the groove.

A sudden change has occurred!

The three fragments were no longer cold. They lit up simultaneously: one with a dazzling golden light, one with a deep blue light, and the other with a thick, inky black light.

Three-colored rays of light shot into the sky, piercing straight to the dome!

The entire underground space shook violently, the crystals overhead rattled, and rubble kept falling.

"The energy is beginning to coalesce!" Qin Shuang said urgently, supporting Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang's face was as white as paper.

Drawing those three runes cost him ten years of his lifespan. His already weakened body felt even more empty now. He felt his life slipping away like sand in an hourglass.

But it's not over yet.

He looked at the three converging and rotating energy vortexes at the center of the formation, which seemed capable of tearing everything apart, and took a deep breath.

"It's not over yet."

He staggered and walked back to the center of the formation.

He stood in the very center of the three fragments, where the energy was most violent. The immense pressure threatened to crush him.

"Are you crazy!" Qin Shuang exclaimed.

"Only the crazy can survive." Zhou Yang grinned, his smile full of composure.

He raised his left index finger, which was still bleeding.

This time, he didn't draw on the fragments.

He drew it in the air.

Blood trickled from his fingertips as he drew talismans in the air. His movements were slow and deliberate, each step as if he were dragging a thousand-pound weight.

It was a more complex and larger symbol than the one before.

[Burning life: 15-10 years.]

[Answer obtained: Dragon Spine Array - Force Radiation Array Eye - Guidance. In Zhou Yang's eyes, only this symbol remained.]

The bloodline solidified in mid-air, transforming into a mysterious array core. It hovered at the center of the energy vortex, like a miniature sun.

After doing all this.

Zhou Yang fell straight backward.

Qin Shuang immediately rushed over and caught him.

The moment Zhou Yang lost consciousness, the blood array eye he had drawn suddenly burst out with a dazzling red light!

It was like a magnet, frantically devouring the three-colored energy released by the three fragments!

The three distinct forces of gold, blue, and black were forcibly mixed together and poured into the blood-red array eye.

The array's core spun faster and faster, eventually transforming into an indistinct point of light.

Boom!

A deafening roar, seemingly from the primordial chaos, came from beneath our feet.

Visible to the naked eye, a torrent of energy mixed with three colors radiated outwards from the center of the array in all directions!

This energy is not violent.

It is gentle and profound, yet it carries an irresistible will.

It swept across the ground, washing away the ancient dust.

As it swept across the rock face, smooth patterns emerged on the rugged stone surface.

As Qin Shuang held Zhou Yang, she felt a warm light sweep over her. Her physical exhaustion and the pain from her injuries were mostly soothed away.

She watched all of this in shock.

The energy surge continued to spread, penetrating the rock layers and breaking through the earth's surface.

……

On the mountain range.

The Blood River outpost, which had just experienced a bloody battle, was still smoldering with wreckage.

The few surviving Imperial Guards and assassins stood in a wary standoff. No one dared to make a move.

Suddenly, a member of the Imperial Guard pointed to the distant sky, his voice trembling.

"What...what is that?"

Everyone looked up.

A massive, semi-transparent golden shield illuminated the entire land, centered on the mountain range beneath their feet. Faint blue and black light flashed across the shield's dome.

The light reached a distance of three miles!

The moment the protective shield rose, the lingering smells of blood and burnt flesh in the air were swept away. In their place came a fresh scent, like grass after rain.

An assassin touched his face, and a hideous scar on his face was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye under the light.

Everyone was so shocked by this scene that they were speechless.

Is this... a miracle?

……

Inside the underground space.

Qin Shuang looked at Zhou Yang.

He had completely lost consciousness, his breathing was weak, and his face was frighteningly pale. Holding him was like holding a bundle of dry firewood.

But a slight smile still lingered at the corners of his mouth.

He seemed pleased with his deal.

The shield has been formed.

An absolute domain with a radius of three miles, isolating the inside from the outside and abundant in energy.

They are safe.

At least, we're safe for now.

Qin Shuang lowered her head and gently wiped away the blood from the corner of Zhou Yang's mouth.

Her movements were very gentle, as if she were polishing a rare treasure.

"Add money, lay Buddhist..." she murmured softly, "How much money did you add this time?"

The stone roller stood quietly to one side, its metallic body reflecting the tri-colored light and the brilliance of the protective shield.

It looked at the unconscious Zhou Yang, then at the direction of the huge protective shield in the distance, and said dryly.

"The door is open."

"But outside the door, is it rebirth... or destruction?"