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

dark.

Boundless darkness.

The wind howled like knives, scraping against Zhou Yang's eardrums.

He was falling very fast. The feeling of weightlessness was like an invisible hand, gripping his heart and trying to drag him deep into the earth's core.

The only source of light was the two fragments in his arms.

They had completely merged together, forming a blinding ball of light. The light was not warm; instead, it possessed a metallic, icy quality. It enveloped Zhou Yang, shielding him from the howling winds and from everything outside.

Within this small halo of light, Zhou Yang could clearly see his situation.

Above, boulders and dust continued to fall. The cave had completely collapsed.

Two other figures fell with him.

One is the Heavenly Law King. The other is the Xie family's retainer.

They were all bathed in the light of the fragments, but their condition was completely different from Zhou Yang's.

The Dharma King's body stiffened, his eyes wide open, his pupils reflecting nothing but empty white. His face wore an expression a mixture of greed, shock, and utter terror. He was utterly stunned by this sudden power, far beyond his comprehension.

That Xie family retainer wasn't much better. His mouth was wide open, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth, and his body swayed wildly as he fell, like a puppet with its strings cut.

They were all stunned.

This is an opportunity.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Zhou Yang's mind was frighteningly clear at this moment.

He assessed the situation.

The Dharma King is a half-step Grandmaster. Under normal circumstances, he could fight to the death by burning through ten or fifteen days of his lifespan, but the outcome would be uncertain, let alone killing him in one blow.

But now, the other side is a sitting duck. A sitting duck that has lost all ability to resist.

Now or never.

"Burning life!"

Zhou Yang roared inwardly.

He did not hesitate at all.

Survival is the highest law. Any price can be paid to live. A mere fifteen days of lifespan is far more valuable than the life of a half-step Grandmaster, or even more valuable than this fragment of a divine weapon!

[Lifespan burned for fifteen days!]

The system's cold voice echoed in my mind.

An indescribable feeling of weakness instantly swept over my entire body.

Zhou Yang felt as if his marrow had been drained; his skin had become withered, his eye sockets sunken, and even his hair seemed to have lost its luster. His life force was draining away at an alarming rate.

But beneath this weakness lies an unprecedented strength.

A deluge of information, like a flood bursting its banks, washed over his mind.

That's all about the "Great Compassion Hand".

From the most basic introductory techniques to the subtle variations of each move, and the various tricks of regulating one's breath... everything that was vague and unclear before became incredibly clear at this moment.

It was as if he had practiced this martial art for hundreds of years, and knew every inch of his muscles and every tendon like the back of his hand.

Derivation complete!

The Great Compassion Hand is no longer a martial art.

It became an instinct.

An instinct imprinted deep within the soul.

Zhou Yang slowly raised his hand.

His movements were slow and gentle, as if he were caressing a rare treasure.

But in his own perception, this hand contained the power to crush mountains.

"The Great Compassion Hand".

He read it out softly.

His voice was hoarse, yet it carried an undeniable decisiveness.

The next moment, he moved.

His falling body twisted inexplicably in mid-air. This action completely defied the laws of physics, as if an invisible hand had caught him, giving him a brief moment of stillness.

He was like a fully drawn bow, all his strength and energy poured into his right palm.

His palms had an eerie, jade-white color.

There was no palm wind, no internal energy.

There wasn't even the slightest energy fluctuation.

This palm strike was utterly unremarkable.

It's simply about pushing forward.

The target is the heart of the Dharma King.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

Zhou Yang could clearly see that in the Dharma King's empty pupils, he finally saw his own hand getting closer and closer.

The Dharma King's soul seemed to have broken free slightly from the shock of that power. Fear reached its peak on his face. He wanted to hide, to fight back, to use every means at his disposal to save his life.

But he couldn't do it.

His body sensed the threat of death even before his soul. It was an absolute suppression from the level of life itself. His muscles stiffened, his inner energy stagnated, and he was like a nailed clay puppet, only able to watch helplessly as that hand, inch by inch, approached his chest.

That wasn't a single palm strike.

That was a death sentence handed down by Heaven.

It is incomprehensible, irresistible, and unavoidable.

"No……"

The last word of his life was squeezed out of the Dharma King's throat.

"puff!"

A soft sound.

It's like using a chopstick to pierce a piece of soaked brown paper.

Zhou Yang's palm sank into the Dharma King's chest without any resistance.

He didn't stir it up or tear it apart.

It just sat there quietly.

Then, he slightly clenched his five fingers.

"Click."

A faint, almost inaudible, crisp sound.

The Dharma King's incredibly strong heart, which had been beating for nearly a hundred years, was easily crushed into a lump of minced meat by Zhou Yang.

The Dharma King's body suddenly stiffened.

The light in his eyes was extinguished instantly, like a candle flame blown out by a strong wind.

Life, in the most thorough and decisive way, left this body.

Zhou Yang withdrew his hand.

The Dharma King's body, like a tattered sack that had lost all support, continued to fall downwards.

he died.

A half-step Grandmaster, the Dharma King of the Heavenly Principle Sect, died here. He died silently and swiftly.

After doing all this, Zhou Yang could no longer hold on.

The strength he had mustered vanished rapidly with the successful strike. An overwhelming sense of weakness washed over him once more. His vision blurred, and he nearly fainted.

He clung tightly to the shards in his arms, letting his body continue to fall.

I don't know how much time passed.

"Thump!"

A muffled thud.

He fell into a pool of icy, frigid water.

The impact brought him fully awake. He struggled to swim to the surface, climbed onto the shore, and gasped for breath.

He looked around.

This is a huge underground cavern. Above, there is the collapsed entrance, but it has been completely blocked by huge rocks, with only a few weak rays of light shining down.

The place where he fell into the water was a deep pool. Not far away, another "plop" sound rang out; it was Xie family retainer who had also fallen in and was thrashing about in the pool.

The Dharma King's body did not fall. It was probably stuck in a crevice in the rocks halfway down the road.

Zhou Yang didn't care about any of that.

He immediately checked the shards in his arms.

The two fragments had completely merged into one, becoming a broken sword about a foot long. The blade was ancient and covered with the marks of time, yet it still exuded a chilling sharpness.

This is a fragment of the dragon's spine.

He succeeded.

"Cough...cough cough..."

The Xie family retainer also climbed ashore. He lay on the ground, coughing up water, and looked at Zhou Yang in terror, his eyes as if he had seen a ghost.

Zhou Yang ignored him.

He sat down cross-legged and began to regulate his breathing.

The cost of burning fifteen days of his lifespan was no joke. He now felt like a rice sack riddled with holes, his life force constantly draining away through them. He had to stabilize his injuries as soon as possible.

Just then, the Xie family retainer struggled to crawl over.

He didn't dare to get close, but stopped three zhang away from Zhou Yang, and then made a move that surprised Zhou Yang.

He knelt down with a thud.

It wasn't the kind of tentative, hesitant kneeling.

Instead, it was a full-body prostration, with the entire body pressed against the ground in a kneeling position.

"Senior! Senior, spare my life!"

The Xie family retainer's voice, shrill and distorted with extreme fear, cried out, "I...I was blind to your greatness! I beg you, senior, for the sake of your master, spare my life! I'm willing to serve you like a slave! Please, senior, spare my life!"

As he spoke, he kowtowed repeatedly.

His forehead struck the hard rock, and blood quickly appeared, but he seemed not to feel the pain, only kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Zhou Yang slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at the worshipper whose head was bleeding profusely from kowtowing, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

"Was the Dharma King invited by your Xie family?"

Zhou Yang's voice was calm, but to the worshipper, it was more terrifying than thunder.

"Yes...yes..." The worshipper trembled like a leaf. "It was the patriarch...the patriarch was forced into it! The Heavenly Principle Sect...the Heavenly Principle Sect is powerful, and our Xie family...our Xie family dares not disobey!"

"Oh?" Zhou Yang's lips curled into a cold smile. "You dare not disobey? I see you're cooperating quite well."

"We're innocent! Senior!" The elder was almost in tears. "We only wanted to use this fragment to make a deal with the Heavenly Principle Sect, in exchange for the Xie family's place in Jiangnan! We never intended to offend a master like you! We were blind! We deserve to die!"

Zhou Yang did not speak.

He just watched him quietly.

This silence is more terrifying than any questioning.

Under the invisible pressure from Zhou Yang, the psychological defenses that had been built up for the offering completely collapsed.

"Senior!" He suddenly raised his head, tears streaming down his face. "Senior! I am willing to pledge my loyalty! From this day forward, my Xie family will be your representatives in Jiangnan! If you point east, we will never go west! If you want anyone to die, we will never say 'no'! We only beg you... to spare the lives of hundreds of members of the Xie family!"

"Spokesperson?" Zhou Yang pondered these three words.

Does he need a spokesperson for Jiangnan?

Of course.

Although Qin Shuang came from a wealthy and powerful family, her roots were in the capital. Jiangnan was a place where all sorts of people mingled, with canal gangs, salt merchants, and various gentry families deeply entrenched. To establish oneself here, killing alone was not enough; one needed a handy knife.

The Xie family, having operated in Jiangnan for a century, is undoubtedly a formidable force.

"What makes you think I'll believe you?" Zhou Yang asked calmly.

"His Holiness...His Holiness has a storage bag!" The enshrined monk said hastily, as if grasping at a straw. "It must contain all the secrets of the Heavenly Principle Sect! I...I can get it for you, senior! In addition, I can inform you of all the Xie family's properties and secrets in Jiangnan! I am willing to offer all of this to you, senior!"

Zhou Yang's gaze shifted to the collapsed area above his head.

The Dharma King was indeed stuck. But with his physical strength as a half-step Grandmaster, even if he was stuck, his storage bag would definitely be safe and sound.

"Go up and take it down."

Zhou Yang gave the order.

"Yes! Yes! I'll go right away!"

As if granted a pardon, he scrambled towards the cave wall. He climbed upwards using both hands and feet, moving as nimbly as a monkey, clearly possessing some skill.

He quickly disappeared into the darkness.

After a short while, he slid down, carrying a dusty cloth bag in his hand.

He held the cloth bag with both hands and respectfully presented it to Zhou Yang.

"Senior, please take a look."

Zhou Yang took the storage bag and probed it with his divine sense.

There were quite a few things inside. Several bottles of pills, a pile of gold and silver, and several martial arts manuals. Most importantly, there was a map and a list of members of the Heavenly Principle Sect in the Jiangnan region.

This thing is priceless.

Zhou Yang put the storage bag into his pocket.

Then, looking at the worshipper kneeling on the ground, not daring to raise his head, his voice remained icy.

"I don't want a third person to know what happened today."

"I understand! I understand!"

"To the outside world, we claimed that there had been a lot of rain in Qixia Mountain recently, resulting in landslides, the destruction of the Xie Family Ancestral Hall, and the unfortunate death of the Dharma King."

"Yes! I'll arrange it right away! I'll make sure it's done flawlessly!"

"What's your name?" Zhou Yang asked.

"This humble man...this humble man is Xie An."

"Xie An." Zhou Yang nodded. "Go back and tell your family head that I accept his 'pledge of allegiance.' However, I despise betrayal the most. If I discover any improper actions by your Xie family..."

Zhou Yang didn't finish his sentence.

He simply extended a finger and gently touched a rock next to him that was taller than a person.

No sound.

There was no light.

That hard rock, like a pile of sand, collapsed silently, turning into dust.

Xie An's eyes widened instantly.

His mouth was agape enough to fit an egg, his body trembling violently. He stared at the pile of stone dust, then at Zhou Yang's unremarkable finger, making strange hoarse noises in his throat.

He tried to scream, but no sound came out.

He tried to escape, but found that his legs felt like they were filled with lead and he couldn't move at all.

Extreme fear, like a large net, bound him tightly.

He finally understood what kind of being he was facing.

This is no longer the level of a master.

This is a god! A god or demon who can control life and death, and destroy everything with a flick of their finger!

"Do you understand?"

Zhou Yang withdrew his finger and asked calmly.

"Ming...Ming...Ming...I understand..."

Xie An squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, his whole body soaked and radiating cold air, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

"Get lost."

Zhou Yang waved his hand.

"Thank you... thank you, senior!"

Xie An scrambled to his feet and ran in a panic towards the depths of the cave, where there should be another way out prepared by the Xie family.

Soon, his figure disappeared into the darkness.

Zhou Yang did not rush to leave.

He remained seated, continuing to regulate his breathing.

The aftereffects of burning lifespan were severe; he felt he would need at least three to five days to recover. And that was without any combat.

He needs time.

Just then, he suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.

The fragrance is very light, yet refreshing, like grass after the rain, with a hint of sweetness.

He followed the scent.

The few drops of blood that had seeped into the cracks in the rock where Xie An had kowtowed earlier were now undergoing a strange transformation.

A small white grass sprouted from a crevice in the rock.

The little grass has only three leaves, shaped like a human heart. Its entire body is translucent, like a jade carving. That peculiar fragrance emanates from this little grass.

"Does the blood... contain medicinal properties?"

Zhou Yang frowned.

He recalled that earlier, the Xie family's retainer and the Dharma King seemed to be fighting over something. Could they be consuming some kind of rare and precious herb?

This little plant is clearly no ordinary plant.

He reached out and carefully pulled the grass up by the roots.

The grass felt cool to the touch, and a pure life energy flowed slowly into his body through his palm.

This energy, though weak, was just enough to fill the void left after he burned through his lifespan.

Zhou Yang had a sudden thought and put the grass into his mouth.

The grass melts in your mouth, transforming into a clear stream that flows into your limbs and bones.

His previously parched body felt like parched land receiving timely rain. The weakness was visibly receding. Injuries that would normally take three to five days to heal now seemed to take only a day at most.

"nice one."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Yang's eyes.

He glanced at the pile of stone dust, then at the broken sword in his hand.

This harvest far exceeded his expectations.

Not only did they solve the big problem of the Dharma King and obtain the fragments of the divine weapon, but they also subdued the Xie family's sword and even unexpectedly obtained a spiritual herb that could make up for the loss of life.

Although the price was fifteen days of life, it was a worthwhile deal.

He stood up and stretched.

Apart from still feeling a bit weak, I'm fine now.

He did not go to find the body of the Dharma King.

The corpse of a half-step Grandmaster is a hot potato; keeping it will only cause trouble sooner or later. Let him be buried here forever, along with those stones.

He took one last look at the cave.

Dark, damp, and deathly silent.

But they witnessed a thrilling massacre and the quiet submission of a new force.

He gripped the broken sword in his hand tightly.

The sword was cold, just like his current state of mind.

He turned and walked in the direction Xie An had left in.

It's time to see what surprises this so-called "spokesperson for Jiangnan" can bring him.

From deep within the cave came the sound of water.

Zhou Yang's figure quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Only a pile of stone dust and a few dried bloodstains on the ground remain, testifying to what happened here not long ago.