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

Before the altar, the Wolf King raised his scepter high.

"The blood sacrifice begins!"

Black smoke billowed from the Myriad Souls Cauldron, and countless wronged souls wailed. Zhou Yang hid in the crowd, his eyes fixed on the bronze cauldron.

"Make your move!" he hissed.

Qin Shuang flicked three signal flares from her sleeve. Red fireworks rose into the sky.

At the ancient bridge north of the city, the White Horse Cavalry saw the signal and immediately charged. The sound of their hooves thundered, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Protect the king immediately!" The Wolf King's expression changed.

Before the Imperial Guards could even form ranks, the White Horse Cavalry had already stormed through the city gates. Swords flashed, and screams of agony filled the air.

Amid the chaos, Zhou Yang moved swiftly.

The altar was surrounded by guards; he had to fight his way through.

"Follow me!" Qin Shuang cut in from the side.

With a swift movement of her scythe, she felled three imperial guards first.

Zhou Yang followed closely behind, his Blood Dragon Short Sword slicing through the obstruction.

The two worked together seamlessly, one attacking and the other finishing off the enemy, clearing a clear area in the blink of an eye.

The Wolf King finally realized something was wrong.

"There's an assassin! Take him down!"

He gave the order, and more guards surged toward them.

Ignoring everything else, Zhou Yang headed straight for the Myriad Souls Cauldron.

The cauldron is three zhang tall, covered in bronze and rusted green. Incantations are engraved all over its body, and faint dragon roars can be heard emanating from it.

This is what he wants.

"Those who block my way shall die!"

A messenger from the Heavenly Principle Sect emerged from the shadows and swept a whisk toward Zhou Yang's face.

Zhou Yang dodged to the side, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"It's the Heavenly Principle Sect again!"

He held back no longer and unleashed the full power of his Blood Dragon Short Sword.

The sword flashed like blood, disappearing in an instant.

A thin line of blood appeared on the envoy's throat. His eyes widened in disbelief that he had been defeated so quickly.

Zhou Yang didn't even glance at the corpse.

His goal is the Myriad Souls Cauldron.

With the cauldron right in front of him, Zhou Yang channeled his true energy and struck the cauldron with his palm.

"open!"

The bronze cauldron remained completely still.

"Interesting." Zhou Yang narrowed his eyes.

He activated his true energy again, this time using all his strength.

"boom!"

Cracks appeared on the body of the cauldron, and black smoke billowed out.

Countless wronged souls tried to escape, but Zhou Yang ignored them.

He sensed something inside the cauldron responding to him.

The Blood Dragon Short Sword emitted a buzzing sound and its blade trembled slightly.

"Now!"

Zhou Yang plunged his knife into a crack in the cauldron.

"Snap!"

The Myriad Souls Cauldron shattered completely.

A golden light shot into the sky.

Fragment! Zhou Yang was overjoyed.

He activated the Blood Dragon Divine Art, and the fragment was pulled by a suction force, flying towards the Blood Dragon Short Sword.

The sword shone brightly.

A system notification sounded in my mind:

[The third fragment has been fused. Congratulations on your breakthrough to the late stage of the True Essence Realm!]

Zhou Yang's aura surged instantly.

His true energy surged within his body, widening his meridians several times over.

The surge of power made him want to roar.

But now is not the time.

"Let's go!" Qin Shuang's voice came.

The White Horse Cavalry have fought their way out, and the city gate is right in front of them.

Zhou Yang mounted his horse and glanced back at the altar.

The Wolf King was roaring frantically, ordering a pursuit.

"The pursuers are here!" Qin Shuang urged.

Zhou Yang spurred his horse, and with a long neigh, the warhorse charged out of the city gate.

The shouts of battle behind them faded into the distance.

The night wind on the grassland was cold, but Zhou Yang felt his blood boiling.

With the third fragment in hand, his strength increased even further.

The Heavenly Principle Sect, and the Azure Wolf Kingdom.

He made a note of this debt.

The road ahead was unknown, but Zhou Yang was no longer afraid.

At the late stage of the True Essence Realm, one is capable of dealing with even stronger enemies.

He gripped the sword hilt tightly, his eyes sharpening.

"Next goal," he murmured to himself.

Four fragments of the dragon's spine remain.

The wind on the grassland carried a chill, stirring the torches around the altar.

The Wolf King stood on the high platform, surrounded by three hundred guards, their blades gleaming coldly in the firelight. Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang stood below the altar, neither of them moving.

"Take them down," the Wolf King ordered.

The guards swarmed forward.

Qin Shuang charged out immediately, her longsword slicing down the first charging cavalryman. Zhou Yang followed closely behind, his broken sword piercing another man's throat. The two, back to back, worked in perfect coordination, felling seven or eight guards in the blink of an eye.

But there were simply too many enemies.

The guards fought fearlessly, surging forward wave after wave. Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang were separated and each found themselves locked in a fierce battle.

"This can't go on," Qin Shuang shouted, forcing the enemy back with a single strike.

Zhou Yang glanced at her: "Scared?"

"nonsense."

"it is good."

Zhou Yang took a deep breath.

Golden light shone from within him.

This is his last trump card.

"System, burn five years of your lifespan."

[Confirmed. Five years of lifespan were consumed to advance martial arts to perfection, repair the divine weapon, and comprehend the corresponding moves.]

A massive surge of power instantly coursed through his limbs and bones. Zhou Yang's aura skyrocketed, reaching the peak of the late True Yuan Realm, and then he broke through—

Innate Realm!

Golden dragon energy swirled around him, condensing into a faint dragon shadow. His broken sword was completely repaired, its blade turning pure gold and emitting sword light.

"The Blood Dragon Descends from the Sky."

Zhou Yang raised his hand.

Golden dragon energy surged into the sky, condensing above their heads into a gigantic golden dragon thirty feet long. The dragon bared its fangs and brandished its claws, looking down upon all living beings.

Everyone was in a daze.

Including the King of the Blue Wolf.

"What...what is this?" The Wolf King's voice trembled slightly.

Zhou Yang did not answer.

He raised his hand and pressed down.

"kill."

The golden dragon swooped down.

With a swipe of its claws, the dragon's guards fell in droves. Blood splattered, limbs flew everywhere. Wherever the dragon passed, not a single survivor remained.

The Wolf King turned and ran.

But how could he possibly outrun a dragon?

The dragon's claws reached out, grabbed his shoulders, and dragged him back to the altar.

"No--"

The Wolf King's voice was mournful and stern.

Zhou Yang walked up to him and looked down at him.

"You killed so many people of the Great Zhou Dynasty, did you ever think this day would come?"

The Wolf King struggled: "I am the Wolf King! You cannot—"

"puff."

The broken sword pierced his chest.

Golden dragon energy surged into the sword and exploded inside the Wolf King's body.

His eyes widened, then quickly dimmed.

"thump."

The body fell to the ground.

The golden dragon vanished.

Zhou Yang swayed and almost fell.

The cost of five years of his life was greater than he had imagined. A strand of his hair had turned white, and his face showed signs of fatigue.

Qin Shuang ran over and helped him up.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Zhou Yang forced a smile. "I'm just a little weak."

"Let's get out of here first."

"Um."

The two exchanged a glance and began to finish in tacit agreement.

The Wolf King's personal guards were all dead. Blood flowed like rivers around the altar, and corpses littered the ground.

"Where are the people from the Heavenly Principle Sect?" Zhou Yang suddenly remembered.

Qin Shuang glanced around: "They ran away."

"When?"

"Just when you unleashed Blood Dragon Descent."

Zhou Yang frowned.

It seems the people of the Heavenly Principle Sect are quite sensible.

But it's okay, we can settle the score later.

"Take their heads first," Zhou Yang said.

Qin Shuang nodded, stepped forward, cut off the head of the Wolf King, and wrapped it in a white cloth.

Blood splattered on her face, but she remained unfazed.

"Let's go."

"Um."

The two helped each other down from the altar.

The King of the Azure Wolf is dead, and the Azure Wolf Kingdom is finished.

The threat from the north has been temporarily averted.

But Zhou Yang knew that this was just the beginning.

The Heavenly Principle Sect will not let him go. Nor will the remnants of the Canglang Kingdom give up easily.

However, he was not afraid.

Now that we've come this far, there's no turning back.

"Where to next?" Qin Shuang asked.

Zhou Yang looked north.

"Return to the Great Zhou."

"and then?"

"Heal your injuries, then continue searching for the remaining fragments."

Qin Shuang remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"it is good."

The two mounted their horses and disappeared into the distance at the edge of the grassland.

The head of the Wolf King will become Qin Shuang's capital for promotion.

Zhou Yang will also gain more resources as a result.

This is equivalent exchange.

The wind howled across the grassland, carrying the stench of blood.

Zhou Yang glanced back.

There, it is a battlefield, a graveyard, and also a new beginning.

Tianlijiao.

We'll settle our score slowly.