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

Deep in the dense forest, the light was dim.

Zhou Yang sat down cross-legged, the burning sensation from the burning of his life force still lingering in his chest. He could feel that power flowing through his body for three years, the meridians feeling as if they were being washed with warm water, a sensation so comfortable it made him want to groan.

But it was too comfortable.

"Well……"

He groaned, his features contorted in pain. The power didn't stay still in his dantian; instead, it raged like a crazed beast, rampaging wildly. With each impact, his soul felt as if it were being struck by a hammer, excruciating pain exploding from the depths of his being.

"Did you succeed?" Qin Shuang squatted down next to him, holding the sickle horizontally in front of her chest, and warily watching her surroundings.

"Success my ass..." Zhou Yang gritted his teeth, sweat rolling down his forehead. "These three years of lifespan... they're not listening to me."

They really don't listen.

Normally, lifespan energy, after burning, should be converted into pure energy to nourish the body and repair hidden injuries. But this time was different. After those green light spots entered the body, they spontaneously gathered and surged in one direction—

The Blood Dragon Sword on his back.

"Buzzing—"

The sword began to tremble.

Qin Shuang's pupils contracted: "It's awake?"

"Wake up my ass! It's a sword, not a snake." Zhou Yang forcibly suppressed the chaotic energy surging within his body, his voice squeezing out from between his teeth, "But... it's draining my lifespan."

That's right, it's bloodsucking.

The green dots ignored Zhou Yang's wishes and flowed directly through his meridians into the scabbard on his back. The Blood Dragon Sword, like a ravenous beast, devoured this "food" with ravenous hunger.

A deep hum suddenly echoed through the valley.

It wasn't a sword's cry.

It is the roar of a dragon.

The sound came from within the Blood Dragon Sword, like a ferocious beast that had slumbered for millennia opening its eyes. Qin Shuang abruptly stood up, her scythe held protectively in front of her. She could feel a massive aura awakening within her; it wasn't an illusion, but a real, tangible pressure.

"Zhou Yang!" she called out.

"I know!"

Zhou Yang tried to stand up, but his body wouldn't obey him. The life-sustaining energy that had been absorbed by the Blood Dragon Sword was now flowing back—no, not flowing back, but reacting.

After the sword had consumed his lifespan, it began to "spit" things out.

It's spiritual energy.

An absurdly powerful spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy surged through Zhou Yang's meridians like a flood bursting its banks. His physical body had already become younger due to the burning of his life force, and his meridians had been widened considerably, but now the spiritual energy was still pushing it up, as if someone was treating his meridians like a riverbed, determined to fill them completely.

"boom--"

The meridians emitted sounds of unbearable strain.

Zhou Yang began to bleed from his seven orifices.

"Something's not right..." He struggled to lift his head, his eyes bloodshot. "This sword... is it feeding back at me? No, it's using my life... to sustain itself?"

Support yourself?

Qin Shuang's expression changed drastically. She had heard of evil weapons recognizing their masters, but this sword clearly exceeded the scope of "evil weapons." It was using its host's lifespan to complete some kind of evolution.

"Click—"

The Blood Dragon Sword suddenly emerged an inch from its sheath.

The sword was blood-red, but no longer a lifeless dark red; it was so vibrant it seemed about to drip. Even more terrifying, dense patterns appeared on the spine of the sword, resembling veins or some kind of ancient runes.

"roar--"

The dragon's roar exploded completely.

This time, the vibration wasn't from within the sword itself, but rather it truly came from all directions of the valley. Qin Shuang covered her ears, but the sound seemed to penetrate her body, echoing directly in her mind.

The scabbard on Zhou Yang's back suddenly popped open.

The Blood Dragon Sword was fully drawn and flew in front of him.

A blood-red dragon shadow slowly emerged on the sword.

The dragon shadow was only three feet long, but its oppressive aura was so heavy that it was hard to breathe. It coiled around the sword, its dragon eyes shining with two blood-red beams of light, coldly scanning its surroundings.

Then, it looked at Zhou Yang.

"This is bad..." Alarm bells rang in Zhou Yang's mind.

That look in his eyes was off.

It's not meekness in acknowledging God, but rather...hunger.

The phantom of the blood dragon moved.

It opened its mouth, revealing fine fangs, and pounced towards Zhou Yang.

"Be careful!"

Qin Shuang took a step forward and slashed horizontally with her scythe.

The blade struck the dragon's shadow, producing a metallic clang. The blood dragon phantom was knocked back by the strike, but only paused briefly before lunging forward again, this time with even greater speed.

"It wants to suck my blood!" Zhou Yang finally understood. "This sword... it's not recognizing a master, it's looking for a host! It wants to possess me!"

A true possession.

The Blood Dragon Sword is no ordinary weapon; it seals within a remnant soul, or rather, a will. This will has been waiting—waiting for a suitable host, a host that can provide a sufficient lifespan.

Now, the injection of Zhou Yang's three years of lifespan has activated it.

"Get out of here!"

Qin Shuang unleashed a flurry of scythe strikes, each slash carrying a sharp, piercing wind. But the blood dragon phantom remained unfazed; her attacks could only temporarily repel it, not destroy it.

The dragon shadow pounced again, this time breaking through the scythe's defenses and baring its fangs and claws as it grabbed at Zhou Yang's face.

At the critical moment, Zhou Yang forcibly mobilized the remaining spiritual energy in his body and struck the sword with his palm.

"clang--"

The sword was sent flying backward by the palm strike, and the phantom of the blood dragon also dissipated.

But Zhou Yang himself was also in bad shape. That attack had almost drained his newly recovered spiritual energy, and he looked like he had been pulled out of the water, completely soaked.

“Cough… cough…”

He coughed up blood, his chest heaving violently.

Qin Shuang quickly steadied him: "How are you?"

"I won't die." Zhou Yang gasped for breath, his eyes dark as he stared at the Blood Dragon Sword lying to the side. "This sword... there's something wrong with it. It's not an ordinary weapon; there's something inside."

"That was...?"

"A sword spirit," Zhou Yang uttered, "or rather, a remnant soul. It wants to possess my body and use my lifespan to complete its evolution."

Qin Shuang paused for a moment, then said, "This sword is too evil. Should we throw it away?"

"Throw it away?" Zhou Yang sneered, struggling to his feet. "Do you know how many years of lifespan this sword is worth? It absorbed three years of my life force just now, barely managing to awaken a sliver of its true spirit. Throw it away... can I bear to?"

I can't bear to part with it.

That's just Zhou Yang's personality.

Danger as it may be, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. The stronger the Blood Dragon Sword, the more terrifying its future power will be. Suffering this backlash today doesn't mean it will happen again.

He bent down and picked up the Blood Dragon Sword.

The sword was still trembling slightly, but it no longer resisted. The phantom had also disappeared, as if it had shrunk back into the sword, lying dormant.

"Looks like it's been suppressed for now." Zhou Yang exhaled a breath of stale air. "Three years of lifespan for one awakening. Worth it."

"You were almost drained dry just now." Qin Shuang's tone was somewhat cold.

"Almost, I wasn't completely drained." Zhou Yang smiled, but his smile was somewhat pale. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Qin Shuang stared at him for a while, then said nothing more.

The two rested for a while before preparing to continue their journey.

But just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from deep within the woods.

Zhou Yang's expression changed slightly: "They've caught up?"

"So fast?" Qin Shuang gripped the sickle tightly.

The sound of hooves grew closer, and moments later, a troop of cavalry charged out of the woods. Leading them was Tuoba Tao, who sat astride his horse, still holding the fragment of the dragon's spine in his hand.

But his attention wasn't on the dragon spine fragments.

Instead, they were staring at Zhou Yang, or rather, at the Blood Dragon Sword in Zhou Yang's hand.

"Just now..." Tuoba Tao spoke slowly, his eyes burning with fervor, "Was that a dragon's roar?"

Zhou Yang didn't say anything.

"I saw it." Tuoba Tao licked his lips. "A blood-red dragon shadow. The sword in your hand... is no ordinary weapon."

"Not simple," Zhou Yang replied calmly.

"Hand it over." Tuoba Tao raised his riding whip, pointing it at the Blood Dragon Sword. "I can spare your lives."

"Quite the boast," Zhou Yang sneered.

"You think you can still run?" Tuoba Tao waved his hand, and the cavalry formed an encirclement formation. "The commotion just now was heard throughout the entire valley. Not only me, but also the people from the Heavenly Principle Sect... they were nearby too."

Qin Shuang's eyes sharpened.

Sure enough, footsteps came from the woods not far away. A middle-aged man from the Heavenly Principle Sect appeared on the other side with several followers.

A three-way standoff.

Zhou Yang glanced at Tuoba Tao, then at the people of the Heavenly Principle Sect, and finally his gaze fell on the Blood Dragon Sword.

The sword was still slightly warm, as if it too was anticipating the battle to come.

"It seems..." he gripped the hilt of his sword, "that things won't end well today."

Qin Shuang walked to his side, holding the sickle horizontally in front of her chest: "Fight?"

"Fight," Zhou Yang said, "but not now."

He suddenly grabbed Qin Shuang's shoulder and leaped into the air.

"Trying to run away?" Tuoba Tao roared.

"Chase them!" shouted the members of the Heavenly Principle Sect.

But Zhou Yang had already used the momentum to leap onto the treetops. With a few leaps, he disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

The sounds of pursuers from behind grew fainter and fainter.

Zhou Yang carried Qin Shuang as they darted rapidly through the treetops. His spiritual energy had been completely drained, but it had somehow recovered—thanks to the Blood Dragon Sword's healing effect.

That sword... was helping him.

"It's helping me recover." Zhou Yang was somewhat surprised. "Some of the lifespan that was absorbed just now has been returned as spiritual energy."

"Is it trying to make amends?" Qin Shuang asked.

"Perhaps," Zhou Yang glanced down at the Blood Dragon Sword, "or perhaps it's waiting. Waiting for its next meal."

Ahead lay an even deeper, denser forest.

Behind them, the enemy was relentlessly pursuing them.

The Blood Dragon Sword trembled slightly in his hand, as if it couldn't wait to drink blood.

Zhou Yang squinted.

What exactly is the origin of this sword?

He had a guess in his mind, but he needed to verify it.

The most important thing now is to shake off the pursuers, and then—

He looked down at Qin Shuang: "Can you still run?"

"Nonsense." Qin Shuang glared at him. "Put me down, and you'll be faster."

"You're right." Zhou Yang actually put her down.

Qin Shuang: "..."

"But I don't want to." Zhou Yang smiled and took her hand again. "What if you get arrested? Who am I going to ask for more money?"

Qin Shuang paused for a moment, then turned her head away: "...Boring."

The two continued to wander through the forest.

Behind them, the sounds of the pursuers gradually faded into the distance.

But Zhou Yang knew that this matter was not over.

Tuoba Tao witnessed the extraordinary phenomenon of the Blood Dragon Sword, and the Heavenly Principle Sect also learned of his location. From now on, his situation would be even more dangerous.

but……

He looked at the sword in his hand.

The greater the risk, the higher the potential reward.

He was determined to keep this sword.