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

The torches on both sides of the valley formed a long dragon.

Tuoba Tao rode on his horse, followed by three hundred iron cavalry. The wind of the grassland carried a chill, ruffling the fox fur on his cloak. Qin Shuang stood before Zhou Yang, her scythe held horizontally, blood still dripping from its blade.

"Still going to resist?" Tuoba Tao spoke in Mandarin with a grassland accent. "You can't escape."

Zhou Yang coughed twice, a metallic taste of blood in his throat. He could barely stand; the price he had paid for forcibly activating the Blood Dragon Sword was too high. His consciousness began to blur, and his breathing sounded like a broken bellows.

The system has detected that the host's life is in critical condition.

[Unlock temporary trading function: Consciousness Burn.]

Option 1: Exchange increased consciousness for three years of lifespan.

[Cost: Damage to the soul; unable to use spiritual sense techniques for a short period.]

Zhou Yang closed his eyes. Another deal like this. Last time it was lifespan, this time it's consciousness. It seems the system really isn't letting him die completely.

"Qin Shuang," he said in a low voice, "don't linger in the fight later."

"Nonsense." Qin Shuang didn't turn around. "You think I can defeat three hundred cavalry?"

"We can't win. But we can hold them off for a while." Zhou Yang took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay alert. He stepped forward, walked to Qin Shuang's side, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Tuoba Tao. "Chief, we have no grudge against each other, why are you attacking us?"

Tuoba Tao sneered: "You killed my men."

"They killed the members of the Heavenly Principle Sect," Zhou Yang corrected. "Did those shady rats have a grudge against their leader?"

"I have an alliance with the Heavenly Principle Sect."

"An alliance?" Zhou Yang's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive. "May I ask, leader, what exactly does the Heavenly Principle Sect want?"

Tuoba Tao narrowed his eyes slightly.

This question clearly touches on something. There must be a reason for the cooperation between the grassland royal court and the Heavenly Principle Sect. Those madmen of the Heavenly Principle Sect searching the world for fragments wouldn't be doing the grassland people's work for nothing.

"You're asking too many questions." Tuoba Tao waved his hand. "Kill."

The cavalry moved.

Three hundred warhorses started moving at the same time, their hooves thundering like muffled thunder. Qin Shuang charged forward, her scythe slicing through the air, and the heads of the first rank of cavalrymen flew off. She was incredibly fast, cutting down seven or eight men in the blink of an eye.

But there were too many cavalry.

A spear came thrusting from the side, but Qin Shuang dodged it, grabbed the shaft, and yanked the cavalryman off his horse. Her movements were swift; as she landed, she casually slit the man's throat.

"Zhou Yang!" she cried, "Is he still alive?!"

"Live!" Zhou Yang gritted his teeth and replied. He didn't make a move; he couldn't even lift his sword right now. But he was observing—observing Tuoba Tao's position and the surrounding terrain.

Also, observe those who follow the Tenrikyo sect.

Accompanying Tuoba Tao this time were not only steppe cavalry. There were also a dozen or so disciples of the Heavenly Principle Sect dressed in black robes, riding on horseback to reinforce the rear. The middle-aged man at the head of the group held a bone flute in his hand, his eyes fixed on the sword behind Zhou Yang.

Blood Dragon Sword.

There were still traces of blood on the sword, which gleamed with a dark red glow under the torchlight.

Suddenly, the middle-aged man's expression changed.

He suddenly stood up, pointing at the Blood Dragon Sword: "This aura... it's the Blood Dragon Divine Weapon!"

"What?" Several disciples of the Heavenly Principle Sect crowded around.

"There's no mistake." The middle-aged man's voice trembled. "How could something the cult leader has been searching for for a hundred years be in the hands of someone like this?"

"Senior brother, could it be that we're sensing something wrong?"

"No!" The middle-aged man stared intently at the sword. "I entered the ruins with the cult leader back then and saw the murals with my own eyes. I will never mistake the aura of the Blood Dragon!"

He dismounted and strode towards Tuoba Tao.

"Khan, we mustn't kill them."

Tuoba Tao frowned: "Why?"

"This person possesses the Blood Dragon Divine Weapon. The sect leader has ordered that anyone encountering a holder of the Blood Dragon Divine Weapon must be captured alive and brought back to the main altar."

"But many of my men have died."

"The leader will compensate us," the middle-aged man said. "Our Heavenly Principle Sect can help the royal court obtain the twelve tribes of the grasslands."

Tuoba Tao remained silent for a while, clearly weighing his options.

"Alright." He raised his hand to signal a halt to the attack. "Leave them alive."

Qin Shuang was panting heavily, blood dripping from her sickle. She didn't know what had happened, but the fact that the other side had suddenly stopped was a good thing for them.

"Zhou Yang," she whispered, "something's not right."

"I know." Zhou Yang watched as the Heavenly Principle Sect disciples dismounted one by one and walked towards him. The middle-aged man at the head of the group had a fanatical expression, as if he had seen some rare treasure.

"Young man," the middle-aged man spoke, "where did you get this sword from?"

Zhou Yang didn't answer. He stared into the other person's eyes, his mind racing. The system's trading options were still displayed before him.

[Consciousness ignites in exchange for three years of lifespan.]

[Confirm transaction?]

He was waiting for the right opportunity.

"The Heavenly Principle Sect..." Zhou Yang suddenly laughed, "Your sect leader wants to take this sword himself. You're not qualified."

"How dare you!" A young disciple nearby drew his sword.

The middle-aged man raised his hand to stop him, staring at Zhou Yang for a moment: "Kid, you're arrogant. But looking at you now, you probably can't even hold a sword properly, can you?"

"You can give it a try."

The middle-aged man didn't move. He could sense the death aura emanating from Zhou Yang; this man was about to die. But the aura of the Blood Dragon Divine Weapon wouldn't lie.

"You won't live much longer," the middle-aged man said, "but I can help you. As long as you come back to the main altar with me, the cult leader has a way to save you."

"Save me?" Zhou Yang's smile widened. "Use my life to exchange for this sword."

You have no choice.

"I've always had a choice." Zhou Yang took a deep breath and turned his gaze to Tuoba Tao. "Khan, I have a question. Aren't you afraid of being betrayed by the Heavenly Principle Sect when you cooperate with them? The twelve tribes of the grasslands... their appetites are so huge, aren't you afraid of being overwhelmed?"

Tuoba Tao's expression changed slightly.

"Leader," the middle-aged man sensed something was wrong, "Don't listen to this man's instigation..."

"Let him speak," Tuoba Tao said, raising his hand.

Zhou Yang sneered inwardly; the fish had taken the bait.

"The Heavenly Principle Sect wants the entire world," Zhou Yang said slowly. "Their support for the grassland royal court isn't to help you unify the twelve tribes, but to stab the Central Plains in the back. Chief, think carefully, who will benefit when the Central Plains descend into chaos?"

"Go on."

"If the Central Plains are in chaos, the Heavenly Principle Sect can take advantage of the confusion to rise up. The grassland royal court is pulling chestnuts out of the fire for them, but what will they get in the end? Ruins? A pack of hungry wolves?" Zhou Yang coughed twice. "The leader is a smart man; he should understand."

Tuoba Tao remained silent.

He was thinking.

The middle-aged man from the Heavenly Principle Sect changed his expression: "Khan, don't believe him. He's trying to sow discord!"

"Whether it's provocation or not, I will judge." Tuoba Tao raised his hand to silence him, then looked at Zhou Yang. "No matter how eloquently you speak, it doesn't change the fact that you're about to die. Why should I let a dying man go?"

"Because I can show you what the Heavenly Principle Sect really wants," Zhou Yang said. "What they want is a hundred times more precious than the twelve tribes of the grasslands. If you get it, you can unify the grasslands. If you don't get it, you're just doing all the work for someone else."

Tuoba Tao squinted his eyes.

He was weighing the pros and cons.

Zhou Yang knew it was almost time. The trading options on the system interface were still flashing; time was running out.

"Leader," he said finally, "I'm dying. Before I die, I only want to know the truth. What... what exactly does the Heavenly Principle Sect want?"

He was asking Tuoba Tao this question, but he was also asking the system.

The middle-aged man's face changed drastically: "It's unspeakable!"

Tuoba Tao glanced at the middle-aged man, then at Zhou Yang. After a moment, he smiled.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Just because..." Zhou Yang pressed his hand to his chest, where there was a light blue stone shard, something he had obtained from the tomb. "I can give you this stone shard. It was brought out from the ruins of the Heavenly Principle Sect, and it should be worth some money."

Tuoba Tao gestured to his men to bring over the stone slab.

He weighed the stone in his hand and felt a slight coolness on it.

"Dragon Spine Fragments," Tuoba Tao suddenly said. "The thing the Heavenly Principle Sect is looking for is called Dragon Spine Fragments. Collecting all seven fragments will allow you to summon a divine dragon."

Zhou Yang's heart sank.

really.

The thing that the Heavenly Principle Sect is looking for is the same material that the system needs to repair the Blood Dragon Sword.

"Chief!" the middle-aged man shouted urgently, "This matter must not be leaked!"

"Get out." Tuoba Tao glanced at him. "Do I need you to tell me how to do things?"

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth, but dared not say anything more.

Zhou Yang got the information he wanted.

Without further hesitation, he silently repeated in his mind: "Confirm transaction."

Transaction confirmed.

[Consciousness level is decreasing...]

[Redeem successful. Lifespan increased by 3 years.]

[Soul Damage: Unable to use spiritual sense-based techniques for seven days.]

A warm current surged from his chest, instantly spreading to his limbs and bones. Zhou Yang felt the weakness of being on the verge of death dissipate considerably. Although a sharp pain emanated from the depths of his consciousness, as if someone were pricking his soul with needles, he was still alive.

Three years.

They have three more years to live.

However, the price of damaging his soul was not small. For the next seven days, he was just an ordinary person, and could only use the most basic form of his divine sense.

"Qin Shuang," he said softly, "let's go."

"Can we escape?" Qin Shuang glanced around. Although the three hundred iron cavalry had stopped fighting, the encirclement was still in place.

"Okay," Zhou Yang said. "They won't make a move now."

Why?

"Because Tuoba Tao wants to know what secrets I still hold." Zhou Yang smiled. "Only the living have value."

Qin Shuang glanced at him but didn't ask any more questions. She sheathed her sickle and took Zhou Yang's arm for support.

The two slowly walked out.

The disciples of the Heavenly Principle Sect tried to stop him, but Tuoba Tao raised his hand to stop them.

"Khan!" the middle-aged man exclaimed urgently, "Are we just going to let them go like that?"

"They can't escape on my territory." Tuoba Tao toyed with the dragon spine fragment. "Have someone follow them. Let's see what other tricks they have up their sleeve."

"Yes."

The wind was still blowing in the valley.

Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang supported each other as they walked out of the encirclement. Behind them were three hundred iron cavalry and a dozen or so disciples of the Heavenly Principle Sect, but none of them made a move.

After walking quite a distance, Qin Shuang finally spoke: "What did you just do?"

"We made a deal," Zhou Yang said.

"What kind of deal?"

"He traded one thing for three years of his life."

Qin Shuang was silent for a moment: "Is it worth it?"

"Just being alive is worthwhile," Zhou Yang said. "As long as you're alive, there's always a chance."

Ahead lies a dense forest.

The two stepped into the forest, where the shadows of the trees concealed their figures.

Zhou Yang glanced back.

Tuoba Tao was still on his horse, holding the dragon spine fragment in his hand. The middle-aged man from the Heavenly Principle Sect was staring at him with a sinister look in his eyes.

This score isn't over yet.

He turned around and continued walking forward.

Qin Shuang supported him, and their shadows swayed in the woods, like two points of light about to be swallowed by darkness.

But the light was still shining.