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

The rain stopped.

The air was so humid it felt like you could wring water out of it. The mountain path was washed into a muddy mess, and with each step you sank half a foot deep. Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang's clothes were half-dry and half-wet, clinging to their bodies, cold and heavy.

They finally stood at the foot of the Star-Picking Cliff.

Looking up, there was no mountain gate to be seen.

There was only one mountain. It pierced the sky like a giant, upside-down sword. The mountain walls were as smooth as a mirror, with no path to follow.

The only way out is a ladder.

A ladder stretches from the foot of the mountain all the way into the depths of the thick clouds.

Stone steps.

It was so narrow that only half a foot could fit inside. There were no railings on either side. Below was a bottomless abyss, with swirling clouds and mist like a pot of boiling water. The ladder hung there all alone in mid-air, as if it were a rope casually tossed down by a deity.

Qin Shuang frowned.

This place is even more unsettling than the imperial prison in the palace.

"The Star Gazing Pavilion, is it up there?" she asked, her voice tinged with seriousness.

Zhou Yang didn't answer. His gaze was fixed on the celestial ladder. His pupils contracted slightly. He was calculating. Calculating the length of the ladder, the height of the clouds, and the potential dangers within.

Just then, a voice floated down from above the clouds.

The voice was very old, indistinguishable by gender. It was devoid of any emotion, like the resonance of a bell, ringing directly in their minds.

"Those who wish to enter my Star Gazing Pavilion must rely on their true abilities."

"Only by breaking my Three Talents Formation can you demonstrate true skill."

The sound disappeared.

Only the howling wind remained between the cliffs.

Qin Shuang snorted coldly.

She hates this kind of pretentious behavior the most.

"What Three Talents Formation? I'd like to see just how powerful it is."

She gripped the embroidered spring knife at her waist. The strips of cloth wrapped around the hilt had darkened in color from the rain and blood.

She glanced back at Zhou Yang.

"Wait for me here."

Before the words were even finished, the person had already moved.

Her movements were swift, like a nimble cheetah. With a light touch of her toes on the muddy ground, she leaped forward and landed steadily on the first stone step.

The stone steps were slippery. Her shoes made a slight "squeak" sound as she stepped on them.

Without pausing, she walked upwards step by step.

Her steps were steady. Each step was firm and solid. Her back was ramrod straight, like a javelin.

Zhou Yang stood there, watching her figure grow smaller and smaller until it slowly disappeared into the clouds.

He didn't move.

He knew things wouldn't be that simple.

Sure enough, Qin Shuang stopped when she reached about a hundred steps.

She stood there, motionless, like a frozen statue.

Zhou Yang narrowed his eyes.

He couldn't see her expression. But he could sense that the air around them had changed.

That damp, cold wind seemed to carry an indescribable scent. It was like a temptation, yet also like a poison.

Formation.

He figured it out immediately.

It's not a martial arts style, but a pure formation. It utilizes the terrain, the clouds and mist, and the human heart.

This "Three Talents Formation" is probably not as simple as just the right timing, location, and people.

Zhou Yang stood still, not following immediately. He was observing. He was analyzing.

Qin Shuang stood on the stone steps; her world had changed.

The thick white fog dissipated. She was no longer on the cliffside ladder.

She walked down a familiar corridor. At the end was the warm pavilion of the East Palace.

That place was once her battlefield, and also her glory.

She opened the door.

There was no prince, no eunuchs, and no palace maids in the room.

There was only one person.

Zhou Yang.

He sat in the chair, his face deathly pale, devoid of any color. The outline of his body was becoming transparent, like a wisp of smoke, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

"Zhou Yang?" Qin Shuang's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly walked over.

She tried to grab his hand, but it passed right through his body.

Zhou Yang looked up at her, his face still bearing that carefree smile.

"Commander Qin, you've arrived."

"I have some good news for you."

"I've found the Dragon Spine Fragment."

"There's also bad news."

"My lifespan has just come to an end."

As soon as he finished speaking, his entire body turned to ashes. He floated lightly to the ground, leaving nothing behind.

"No!"

Qin Shuang let out a low growl, her eyes instantly turning blood red.

She drew her embroidered spring knife and began hacking away at everything around her. Tables, chairs, screens, windows... everything was chopped into pieces.

But the pile of ashes is still on the ground.

Her greatest fear was not death, nor failure.

It was the "knife" she had chosen herself, the most useful "knife," that broke before she had even had enough of it.

Zhou Yang, standing at the foot of the mountain, witnessed everything.

He could see wisps of black energy emanating from Qin Shuang's body. That was her inner demon. The formation had stirred up her deepest fears, amplifying them until they consumed her reason.

"Using desire and fear..."

Zhou Yang muttered to himself.

"That's interesting."

But he didn't have time to play this guessing game with the Star Gazing Pavilion.

Qin Shuang cannot collapse here. She is currently his biggest financial backer and a crucial part of his plan. If something happens to her, it will be very troublesome.

He took a deep breath.

The cold air filled his lungs, calming his head, which had been feverish from days of travel.

He closed his eyes.

A familiar feeling rose in my heart.

"Add more money."

He said to himself.

"Burn five years of your life."

"Deduction, the key to the Three Powers Formation."

The order has been issued.

An indescribable emptiness exploded from his heart and spread to every part of his body. He felt as if his body had been punctured, and his life force was leaking out wildly.

His face turned pale at a visible speed.

But at the same time, his mind entered a state of unprecedented clarity.

It was as if the world before my eyes had been deconstructed into countless basic runes and lines.

He "saw" it.

I saw that celestial ladder. It wasn't a path at all, but a massive array. Each stone step was a rune node. The clouds and mist were the medium of the array, and the wind was its power source.

But at its core is "people".

The person who steps into this formation becomes part of it. The formation will read your memories, probe your fears, and then tailor a cage specifically for you.

Qin Shuang saw Zhou Yang turn to ashes.

If someone else went in, they might have witnessed the destruction of their family or the loss of all their skills.

This formation is unsolvable.

Because you can never overcome your fear. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink.

Therefore, it cannot be "broken".

A cold smile, unnoticed by anyone, curled up at the corner of Zhou Yang's mouth.

His greatest strength is his ability to break the rules.

Since it's a dead end, then we shouldn't play this game.

His gaze swept rapidly across the deconstructed world, searching for the weak point of the formation. He wasn't looking for the formation's core, but rather for its "back door."

Every formation, as long as there is a way out, must have a "gate of life" to maintain its operation. That is the pathway for energy.

He found it very quickly.

Not on the Heavenly Ladder.

And next to the Heavenly Ladder, under a crooked pine tree growing in a crevice of the mountain wall.

There, in a spatial fold, was a tiny passage left by the formation to draw energy from the outside world. Even an ordinary person standing there wouldn't sense anything unusual.

But from Zhou Yang's perspective of "deduction," it was like a beacon in the darkness.

That's it.

Zhou Yang opened his eyes.

The world before him returned to normal. He was still standing on the muddy mountain path. In the distance, the clouds and mist swirled, and Qin Shuang's figure remained blurred and still.

He moved.

He did not ascend the ladder to heaven.

Instead, they walked to the edge of the mountainside and, using both hands and feet, slowly made their way along the slippery rock face towards the crooked pine tree.

The mountain wall was very steep and covered with moss, making it slippery.

Several times, he almost slipped. But he used his strength skillfully, always finding some bumps or gaps to use for leverage.

It took him the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before he finally reached the pine tree.

His clothes were torn by the rocks, and his hands had several cuts. He looked rather disheveled.

He leaned against the tree trunk and caught his breath.

Then, his gaze fell on Qin Shuang, who was standing halfway up the mountain.

He couldn't just pull her out. He was still covered in mud and blood. If he touched her, these external "impurities" would stimulate him, who was trapped by the formation, and could very well cause her to completely go berserk.

He can only rely on his voice.

"Qin Shuang".

He spoke, his voice not loud, but with a unique penetrating power, precisely delivering his voice to Qin Shuang's ears.

"Stop looking."

"That's all fake."

Qin Shuang, who was immersed in the illusion, suddenly shuddered.

She stopped moving. The embroidered spring knife, its blade dulled from the cutting, was still in her hand.

Fake?

She looked at the pile of ashes on the ground, her eyes filled with confusion and resentment.

Don't trust your eyes.

Zhou Yang's voice rang out again.

Trust me.

"Go to the left."

A thunderclap seemed to explode in Qin Shuang's mind.

Should we go to the left?

To the left is a cliff. A bottomless abyss.

She hesitated.

"You want to die here?" Zhou Yang's voice turned cold. "If you die, who will I hold accountable?"

These cold and realistic words were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing Qin Shuang's inner demons.

She suddenly came to her senses.

Yes, the account.

Between her and him, it was an account. It was about interests.

He cannot die.

Her eyes regained their clarity.

She threw away the knife in her hand and, without thinking, took a step to the left.

He stepped into thin air.

A feeling of weightlessness came over me.

But she did not fall.

A hand supported her waist, stabilizing her posture.

It's Zhou Yang.

Before she knew it, he was already standing beside her.

Qin Shuang looked back and saw that behind her was no longer the cliffside ladder, but a solid flat ground.

The clouds swirled beneath their feet.

In the distance, there is a dazzling Milky Way.

It was as if the entire night sky had been pulled into their view.

They were already on the platform of the Star Gazing Pavilion.

The night sky above was as deep as ink, filled with countless stars, so large and bright they seemed almost blinding, as if one could reach out and pluck them from the sky. Beneath one's feet was a smooth, mirror-like surface of white jade, reflecting the myriad stars, making it impossible to distinguish where the sky ended and the earth began.

In the center of the platform stood a huge bronze armillary sphere. It was covered with the tracks of stars, gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the night.

Beside the armillary sphere stood an old man.

The old man wore a loose white robe, and his hair was completely white and reached his waist. His face was covered with wrinkles, but his eyes shone like two stars.

He just watched them quietly, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Qin Shuang was still a little scared, her chest heaving slightly.

Zhou Yang, however, remained calm. He simply looked at the old man as if he were looking at an ordinary business rival.

The old man spoke.

The voice was the same one we heard down the mountain before.

"So many people are on the ladder, exhausting their entire lives."

He spoke in a calm and unhurried tone.

"You two have taken a shortcut."

"interesting."