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

The Blood Slaughter King's swollen face looked even worse.

"Quest for the Heart? That's your Star Gazing Pavilion's assessment; it's useless against our Heavenly Principle Sect!"

"The rules were set by me."

The Celestial Elder said calmly, "When you're on the Star Gazing Pavilion's territory, you must abide by the Star Gazing Pavilion's rules."

He raised his hand and pressed down on a spot on the stone platform.

"boom--"

The stone chamber trembled.

The star map brightened, and the eight stone statues simultaneously opened their eyes. A dim light shone from those eyes, like stars from the night sky fallen to earth.

"I forgot to mention."

The voice of the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets rang out the moment the stone statue opened its eyes.

"The Path of Inquiry consists of eight stages. Each stage you pass increases your strength by one point."

He looked at the Blood Slaughter King and smiled slightly.

"Your Majesty, please."

Blood Slaughter King snorted coldly and formed a strange hand seal in front of his chest.

He muttered to himself, his voice low and hoarse, like countless insects crawling in the dark.

Black mist rose from his body, carrying a sweet, fishy smell. Within the mist, tiny insects could be vaguely seen wriggling, emitting an eerie green glow, like fireflies from hell.

"Heavenly Demon Blood Gu, activate!"

Blood Slaughter King suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils now a deep red.

He took a step forward, and was instantly engulfed by the black mist. The black mist writhed in the air like a living thing before crashing into the vortex at the center of the star map.

A sickening scraping sound came from the stone chamber, like someone scratching glass with their fingernails.

The figure of the Blood Slaughtering Dharma King appeared and disappeared in the Star Chart Corridor. With each step he took, the black mist around his body dimmed a little. One by one, the insects fell from the mist and turned into a puddle of pus on the ground.

"This is burning his natal Gu."

Qin Shuang's voice was soft, but carried a hint of coldness.

Zhou Yang nodded. The Blood Slaughter King was forcibly breaking through the barrier using his own natal Gu. This method would have endless consequences, but it was indeed effective at the moment.

However, the cost was also very high.

A few minutes later, the Bloodthirsty Dharma King's figure finally disappeared at the end of the corridor. He left a dark red trail where he had walked, as if someone had drawn a bloodline on the ground.

"The Dharma King has passed away. And what about you two?"

The old man Tianji looked at Zhou Yang and the others, his eyes still holding that faint amusement.

Zhou Yang glanced at Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang looked back at him, then turned to the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets: "Let's go."

After saying that, she took the lead and walked towards the star map.

Zhou Yang followed closely behind.

The moment they stepped into the corridor, everything around them changed.

The stone chamber vanished, and the ground beneath their feet transformed into transparent glass. It was covered with tiny specks of starlight, each glimmer flowing slowly, like a river made of stars.

The corridor was shrouded in unfathomable darkness on both sides, with only occasional blurry shadows flashing by. These shadows resembled both humans and beasts, gliding silently past and bringing with them a chilling breeze.

Hold my hand.

Qin Shuang's voice suddenly rang in Zhou Yang's ear.

Zhou Yang was taken aback, then felt a slightly cool hand grasp his wrist. Qin Shuang's hand was steady; her nails were a little cool, but her palm was warm.

"Don't let go on this road."

Her voice carried a rare seriousness.

Zhou Yang nodded and took her hand in his. Their hands remained clasped as they walked forward along the starlit corridor.

The corridor seemed endless. They walked for quite a while, and nothing around them changed. The starlight beneath their feet flowed slowly, while the darkness on either side remained unfathomable.

Until the corridor turned a corner, the view ahead suddenly changed.

Zhou Yang saw a mansion engulfed in flames. Flames soared into the sky, dyeing half the night sky red. The air was filled with the smell of burning and blood.

A plaque hangs above the gate of the mansion, bearing the words "Qin Mansion".

Seven or eight corpses lay at the entrance of the mansion, all dressed in the uniforms of the Qin family's servants. Their deaths were gruesome; some had arrows in their chests, while others had their necks severed, and blood gushed from their wounds, meandering like a river on the bluestone slabs.

Qin Shuang suddenly stopped.

Her hands were trembling, her nails digging deeply into Zhou Yang's wrist.

"No..." she murmured.

Zhou Yang followed her gaze and saw a familiar figure staggering out of the firelight. It was Qin Shuang's father, Qin An.

He wore a brocade robe stained with blood, and an arrow was stuck in his left arm. He was running very fast, and it seemed that someone was chasing him.

"Run! Shuang'er, run!"

Qin An ran while shouting back, his voice hoarse.

Just then, several dark figures emerged from the firelight. They were dressed in black, wore ferocious masks, and wielded curved swords. They pounced on Qin An like hunting dogs.

Qin An turned and drew his sword, but just as it left its sheath, a curved blade struck his right hand. The sword fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Father!"

Qin Shuang suddenly screamed. She tried to rush over, but Zhou Yang held her hand tightly.

"This isn't real," Zhou Yang said in a low voice. "It's an illusion."

Qin Shuang seemed not to hear, her eyes fixed on the front.

Qin An collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his wounds. The men in black surrounded him, their curved blades gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

No! No!

Qin Shuang's voice trembled more and more, and her tears fell, looking like shattered crystals under the starlight.

"Shuang'er, live on..."

Qin An's last voice could be heard from the firelight.

Then, Zhou Yang saw a curved blade raised high and then slash down fiercely.

"ah--!"

Qin Shuang let out a heart-wrenching scream and collapsed backward, but Zhou Yang caught her in time.

"Wake up!" Zhou Yang shook her shoulders forcefully. "It's fake! It's all fake!"

Qin Shuang's pupils were unfocused, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to say something, but she could only utter broken syllables.

"Father...Father..."

Zhou Yang frowned as he looked at her.

The illusion was powerful, directly attacking the deepest wounds of her heart. Qin Shuang had always been strong, but the annihilation of her family was her greatest scar. This illusion tore open that wound, revealing the raw, bloody flesh beneath.

"Qin Shuang, look at me." Zhou Yang cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. "This is the Path of the Heart; it's designed to break you down."

Qin Shuang's eyes were somewhat vacant, and tears streamed down her cheeks, wetting Zhou Yang's hands.

"They're all dead...they're all dead..." she murmured.

"Then avenge them."

Zhou Yang's voice suddenly turned cold, "But now, you need to wake up. If you fall here, their deaths will have been in vain."

Qin Shuang's body trembled.

Zhou Yang continued, "Didn't you always say you wanted to find the truth? Didn't you always say you wanted to make those people pay the price? Now you're just lying here? What do you mean by that?"

Every word was like a knife, piercing Qin Shuang's heart.

Her gaze slowly regained focus, and the emptiness in her eyes gradually disappeared.

"I..." Her voice was still trembling, but at least she could speak in complete sentences.

"Yes, that's it." Zhou Yang softened his tone. "Take a deep breath, concentrate. This is all fake."

Qin Shuang closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, the fire and the corpse were still there, but her gaze had become much calmer.

"I understand," she said softly, then slowly straightened up. "Thank you."

Zhou Yang released his grip and nodded: "Let's go."

The two continued walking forward, and this time Qin Shuang's steps were noticeably heavier. With each step she took, it felt as if she were stepping on her own broken heart.

The corridor turned another corner, and the view ahead changed once more.

This time there was no fire, and no corpse. All around was a thick white fog, obscuring everything.

Zhou Yang suddenly stopped.

He saw a figure slowly emerge from the mist.

That is himself.

But not myself now, but an old man.

The old man looked exactly like him, except his hair was completely white and his face was covered with deep wrinkles. His skin was withered, like dried tree bark, and his eyes were cloudy and lifeless.

The old man sat in a rocking chair, covered with a thin blanket. His hands were so thin they were just bones and skin, his knuckles slightly deformed. His breathing was very light, as if it might stop at any moment.

"This is you."

A voice rang in Zhou Yang's ears. The voice was exactly the same as his own, but it carried an eerie echo.

"You've sacrificed too much of your lifespan for power."

The old man slowly opened his eyes in the mist, his cloudy eyes staring straight at Zhou Yang.

"You got what you wanted: wealth, status, and her," the voice continued. "But what did you give up?"

Zhou Yang didn't speak, but just quietly looked at the old man.

"You paid with your life."

The old man suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse and aged.

"You burned thirty years of your lifespan to acquire your first cultivation technique. You burned another fifty years to gain even greater strength. You burned a hundred years to repair that fragment of the dragon's spine."

The old man spoke slowly, as if he were telling a story that had nothing to do with him.

"Right now, you seem powerful. The Heavenly Principles Sect is utterly vulnerable before you, and even the Embroidered Uniform Guard is at your mercy. But look at you."

The old man raised his hand; it was a hand covered with age spots and wrinkles.

"This is what you'll soon become. An old man on his deathbed. Lacking strength, lacking dignity, needing help even to drink water."

Is it worth it?

The voice suddenly became shrill, "Is it worth wasting your entire life on these ephemeral things?"

Zhou Yang frowned slightly.

This illusion truly touched upon his deepest fears. Although his lifespan system was powerful, it was constantly draining his life force. He knew he didn't have long to live, but he had always been unwilling to think about what exactly would happen to him.

Now, this illusion has laid bare the cruelest reality before him.

"You're deceiving yourself into thinking it's an equal exchange," the voice continued. "But now, think about it carefully, is it really equal? ​​Is what you traded your most precious life for truly what you wanted?"

The old man in the mist suddenly began to cough violently. He hunched over, as if he were about to suffocate. After coughing for a while, he slowly stopped, but blood was already seeping from his mouth and flowing down the corner of his lips.

"Look at this," the voice said with a malicious mockery, "this is your end. To die alone, forgotten by all. All your efforts will turn to dust."

"Why?" The old man looked at Zhou Yang, a single tear suddenly welling up in his cloudy eyes. "Why did you choose this path?"

Zhou Yang stared silently ahead.

The old man lay in the rocking chair, his breathing growing weaker and weaker. His eyes slowly closed, and his life was slipping away bit by bit.

"Stop it." The voice softened. "It's not too late. Give up those pointless pursuits and cherish the time you have left."

"You still have the chance to live like a normal person. To get married, have children, grow old, and die naturally. Not like this..."

The old man in the mist suddenly stopped moving. His chest ceased to rise and fall, and his face was bloodless, like a puppet that had long since died.

"Whether it's worth it or not, you tell me."

The sound disappeared, and all around was deathly silent.

Only the old man lying quietly in the rocking chair seemed to be waiting for Zhou Yang's answer.

Zhou Yang stood there, motionless for a long time.

He looked at the old man, and at his own possible future. An indescribable feeling welled up inside him—not fear, nor despair, but a complex mixture.

He was indeed afraid of death; who isn't?

But what he fears even more is having no choice.

In this world, the weak have no choice. Like Qin Shuang's family, like those innocent victims of the Heavenly Principle Cult. Didn't they want to die? Didn't they ever think about living a good life?

But their will is worthless in the face of absolute power.

That's why he wants to become stronger.

Even if the price is one's lifespan, even if the ending might be just like in the illusion.

Is it worth it...?

Zhou Yang muttered to himself softly.

Just then, he felt a hand grip his hand tightly.

It's Qin Shuang.

Her hands were warm, carrying a resolute strength.

"Zhou Yang." Qin Shuang looked at him, her eyes filled with a firmness he had never seen before. "Whatever decision you make, I will support you."

Zhou Yang turned to look at her.

Qin Shuang's eyes were clear, without the slightest hesitation.

"You're not alone," she continued. "Even if you really have to face that kind of future, you won't be alone."

Zhou Yang's heart was suddenly touched by something.

He had always thought of himself as a lost soul, someone utterly alone in this world. But Qin Shuang's words made him realize that he was not alone.

At least not now.

Whether it's worth it or not is up to me!

Zhou Yang suddenly spoke loudly, his voice carrying an undeniable determination.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he mobilized the last bit of his deductive ability.

That familiar burning sensation surged up again, more intense than ever before. He felt as if he were burning from the inside out, every inch of his skin was burning hot.

"break!"

With a low shout, he instantly tore a hole in the fog ahead.

The old man lying in the rocking chair, and the entire white, illusory world, shattered like glass at that moment.

Zhou Yang's eyes lit up as he realized he was standing at the end of the corridor.

The starlight still flowed beneath my feet, and ahead stood an ancient wooden door. The door was carved with intricate patterns and emitted a faint glow.

Qin Shuang stood beside him, her face somewhat pale, but her eyes remained resolute.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Zhou Yang shook his head, then suddenly stumbled and almost fell.

Qin Shuang quickly helped him up.

"I'm fine," Zhou Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "Just a little tired."

Forcibly breaking the illusion just now exhausted his last bit of deductive ability. Now his body feels completely drained, and he doesn't even have the strength to stand up.

But it's worth it.

He looked at the door in front of him, then at Qin Shuang beside him.

No matter what the future holds, at least for now, he has comrades-in-arms.

This is enough.