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

Qin Shuang sat beside the base of the tower.

Her hand remained firmly on Zhou Yang's wrist.

His pulse was weak but steady. He didn't wake up, like a withered tree, lifeless. That luminous man who called himself the gatekeeper had done this to him.

The surrounding blue crystals emitted a faint glow. The light shone on Qin Shuang's face, making her complexion even paler than the light itself.

The wind stopped.

The wind that was whistling in my ears a second ago vanished completely the next. The air became thick and viscous, like syrup, and breathing it into my lungs felt heavy and sluggish.

Qin Shuang frowned. She looked up.

The sickly gray of the sky was deepening. Not the black of gathering clouds. It was a pure darkness, capable of absorbing all light. The gray was being swallowed by this darkness.

The light patterns beneath her feet, the defensive lines formed by the remaining energy of the tower's foundation, began to flicker uneasily with blue light. They dimmed and brightened, like a candle flickering in the wind.

not good.

Qin Shuang's heart sank. She immediately stood up, blocking Zhou Yang's path, her right hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

An indescribable chill crept up her spine. It wasn't physical cold; it was a chill that seeped from the very marrow of her bones, from the depths of her soul. Her knuckles turned white from gripping the sword hilt so tightly.

The blue crystals on the ground, those things that had been steadily emitting light, went out one by one. The light was taken away, like a lamp being blown out.

The entire ruins were plunged into darkness more profound than ever before.

Only the light patterns at the base of the tower are still struggling to hold on, but that light has become extremely faint.

Qin Shuang raised her head.

She saw a sight that could not be described in words.

The entire sky, the entire world, was shrouded in a massive shadow. It was neither a cloud nor any physical entity. It was like a higher-dimensional being projecting its outline onto this fragment of lower-dimensional spacetime.

Shadows have no shape and no boundaries.

It is darkness itself.

A fear stemming from an instinct for survival gripped Qin Shuang's heart. She wanted to move, to draw her sword, to escape with Zhou Yang.

But her body felt as if it were filled with lead; she couldn't even move a finger. It wasn't a physical constraint, but an absolute suppression from a higher level. Like an ant trying to look up and see what a giant bird flying overhead looked like, she was rendered immobile by the immense, incomprehensible presence itself.

Her breathing stopped. Her heartbeat became unusually slow.

A cold, ancient, emotionless "voice" echoed in her consciousness. It wasn't heard through her ears, but rather imprinted directly on her soul.

An idea.

【...humming...】

Like a watchmaker picking up a pocket watch and listening to its sound, that thought is the gaze cast by the "devourer." It scrutinizes this fragment of the continent as if it were scrutinizing its own backyard.

Qin Shuang felt as if her soul had been completely seen through. All secrets, all memories, all emotions—nothing could hide before that gaze. Small, helpless, like a fallen leaf in a storm.

She wanted to shout, but no sound came out. All she wanted to do was kneel down, prostrate herself on the ground, and offer all her reverence to that unparalleled power.

That's the difference. It's not a difference on a single level, or even a difference in the same concept.

Just as Qin Shuang's consciousness was about to be completely frozen by that icy pressure, the base of the tower beneath her feet suddenly burst forth with dazzling light!

The faint blue light patterns instantly became dazzling, even taking on a holy white hue. The light shot into the sky, forming a thick, semi-transparent dome that completely enveloped her, Zhou Yang, and a small area around the tower base.

Om-!

Where light and shadow met, a sharp, tearing sound, as if space itself were being ripped apart, emanated. Visible ripples spread outwards. The remaining power of the White Tower, in its final, tragic act, resisted the "gaze" from a higher dimension.

The shadow that had been looming over the world seemed to have been disturbed.

Its gaze, or rather its attention, was focused on this insignificant light shield.

The pressure suddenly increased tenfold!

Qin Shuang groaned, feeling her bones cracking. The light shield trembled violently, spiderweb-like cracks appearing on its surface. The light on the tower base was being consumed at a visible rate, its color fading from pure white to a weary blue once more.

That cold gaze lingered on the light barrier for a few moments.

For Qin Shuang, those few breaths felt longer than a century. Her consciousness was almost completely crushed.

Finally, the Devourer seemed to lose interest.

Just like people don't care about the pebbles blocking their way.

The shadow that had enveloped the entire fragment of the continent began to slowly recede. The terrifying pressure of souls being crushed also receded like the tide.

The grayness of the sky reappeared.

One by one, the blue crystals that had been deprived of light began to glow again, their eerie blue light once more bathing the ruins.

The air began to flow again. Qin Shuang took a deep breath, the icy air filling her lungs and bringing a burning pain. Her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to her knees, quickly using her sword to support herself.

She was covered in cold sweat, and her clothes were soaked through.

That brief moment was more terrifying than any life-or-death battle she had ever experienced. It was the despair brought about by absolute power, or rather, absolute status.

He survived...

The thought had barely crossed Qin Shuang's mind when her pupils suddenly contracted.

The shadow has receded.

But it did not completely disappear.

It contracted, condensed, and finally converged at the horizon. There, the once distorted outline of the mountains was now replaced by a deeper darkness.

Then, things began to emerge from the darkness.

One.

two.

ten.

Hundreds.

Countless black figures emerged from the darkness like a flood bursting its banks. They were silent, their movements carrying an eerie uniformity.

The figures had near-human outlines, but were more slender and their limbs were disproportionate. Their surfaces were pure darkness, with no facial features or details visible, like hollow human figures that had been cut out.

Each figure held a weapon in their hand: a knife, a spear, a sword, or a halberd. These weapons, though composed of the same darkness, exuded a chillingly sharp aura.

They are "hunters".

It was a tool that the Devourer casually tossed out to clear out the chess pieces.

As Qin Shuang looked at the ever-expanding black army on the horizon, her heart, which had just settled, sank to the bottom once again.

She could hold out for a while with the help of the White Tower's defenses.

But she couldn't hold on. The number of these hunters was countless. They would surge like a tide, wave after wave, crashing against the small protective shield until the tower's energy was exhausted and the shield shattered.

Behind her was Zhou Yang, who was completely powerless to resist.

She cannot back down.

Qin Shuang took a deep breath and wiped the cold sweat from her face. She loosened her grip on the sword, which was supporting her body, and tightened her grip on the hilt again. The icy touch from her palm cleared her mind somewhat.

She turned around and glanced at Zhou Yang lying on the ground.

His face remained pale, but his breathing was steady.

Qin Shuang's gaze became incredibly firm.

She turned away, facing alone the despair sweeping in from the horizon.

The sword was drawn.

The clear, melodious sound of a sword echoed through the deathly silence of the ruins, like a cry of defiance.

She stood alone at the edge of the light barrier. Her shadow was elongated by the light from the blue crystals, making her appear exceptionally small. But she did not retreat an inch in the face of the darkness that was about to engulf everything.

"You'd better wake up soon, Zhou Yang."

She said in a low voice.

It was as if she were giving him a final order, and also as if she were giving herself a final command.

Hunter Legion

The horizon is trembling.

It's not a hallucination.

Qin Shuang could clearly feel the tremors coming from the ground through her feet. It was a continuous, high-frequency rhythm, as if a huge heart was beating deep underground, and with each beat, the desolate ruins emitted a painful groan.

The encroaching darkness took shape.

It's an eye.

Thousands upon thousands of scarlet eyes lit up in the hazy twilight, like two flowing, burning rivers. They had no fixed shape, just two eerie points of light, suspended in mid-air. As the distance closed, the outlines behind the light gradually became clear.

Voidhound.

Their bodies resembled flowing black smoke, their four claws treading on thin air, leaving shallow scorch marks on the ground. Saliva dripped from between their sharp teeth, landing on the rocks with a sizzling, corrosive sound and wisps of blue smoke. Their numbers stretched as far as the eye could see, forming a black tide.

Above the horde of hounds lies an even more silent presence.

The Faceless Man.

Their bodies were no different from ordinary people, but their faces were covered with smooth skin, devoid of features, only a vague indentation. They wielded weapons of various shapes and moved silently, like ghosts in the forest. Hundreds of faceless figures floated above the beast tide like phantoms, bringing a deathly silence.

Their goal is clear.

White Pagoda.

The spire that emitted a faint blue glow amidst the ruins.

Qin Shuang's face was already as pale as paper. Her wounds still throbbed, and each breath strained her internal muscles. But her hand gripping the sword was as steady as a rock. The cold glint of the blade reflected in her resolute eyes.

She stood at the edge of the light shield at the base of the tower. That was the defensive line set up by Zhou Yang. At this moment, this thin layer of blue light was the only barrier against hell.

The beast tide is getting closer.

That high-pitched, ear-piercing scream was almost upon us. The air grew thick and pungent, carrying a stench of sulfur and rotting flesh.

"roar!"

A particularly large Void Hound suddenly accelerated, transforming into a black shadow and slamming heavily into the light barrier.

"Buzz—"

The light shield fluctuated violently, its color dimmed considerably in an instant, and the light patterns on the tower base flickered as well.

Qin Shuang's heart sank to the bottom. A single attack had caused such a huge depletion of her defenses.

She did not hesitate.

A flash of sword light.

Qin Shuang moved. Instead of rushing out of the light barrier, she precisely thrust her sword along the inner wall of the barrier the moment the hounds pounced again.

"Pfft!"

The blade pierced through the light barrier and embedded itself in the hunting dog's head. Black smoke exploded, and the dog let out a short, mournful howl before turning to ashes.

But her actions were like stirring up a hornet's nest.

"Awooo—!"

The beast tide went completely berserk. Dozens of hounds charged simultaneously, their bodies slamming into the light barrier with dull thuds. The light barrier rippled more and more violently, like water being pounded by a storm, and fine cracks began to appear on its surface.

"Click...click..."

A cracking sound came from behind.

Qin Shuang's pupils suddenly contracted.

The light shield can't hold up anymore.

She gritted her teeth, pouring all her inner energy into the sword. The sword hummed, and a brilliant blue light shone forth.

She was prepared to fight to the death.

Just then, a faceless being appeared silently before her. Its black scimitar pierced through the crack in the light barrier at an eerie angle.

The blade was aimed directly at Qin Shuang's throat.

fast!

too fast!

Qin Shuang had no time to change her move and defend; she could only watch helplessly as the blade's edge grew larger before her eyes. The shadow of death instantly enveloped her.

It’s over.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, a sudden change occurred.

A drop of warm liquid slid down from the already congealed wound on her shoulder, passed through the crack in the light shield, and landed precisely on the tip of the black scimitar.

"Sizzle!"

It's like a red-hot iron being plunged into cold water.

The faceless man's movements suddenly froze. That drop of blood carried a power that burned the soul.

In that moment of distraction, Qin Shuang felt a hand gently pressing on her shoulder.

That hand was very cold, without any warmth.

But that cold touch was like a thunderbolt, instantly shattering the chaos in her mind.

She turned around abruptly.

Zhou Yang had stood up at some point. He stood behind her, and she didn't know how long he had been standing there. His eyes were open, without a trace of sleepiness, only an abyss-like calm. It was as if the person who had just been on the verge of death and unconscious was merely her illusion.

"Step back."

His voice was low and somewhat hoarse, yet carried an undeniable command.

"Defend the tower."

After saying that, he gently took the longsword from her hand.

Qin Shuang looked at him, her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word. She simply took two steps back instinctively, retreating to the center of the tower's base. She watched him as he walked step by step towards the shattering light barrier.

Zhou Yang's steps were very steady.

He walked to the light barrier, looking at the densely packed enemies outside, at their faces twisted in crimson light. He felt no fear, only a faint... weariness in his eyes.

It felt like being surrounded by countless annoying flies.

He slowly took out the fragment of the dragon's spine from his pocket.

As soon as the fragment appeared, the surrounding void seemed to freeze. The gray sky and the twisted mountains seemed to lose their color at this moment, leaving only this irregular piece of metal that shimmered with dark golden light.

The whole world became its backdrop.

All the Void Hounds and Faceless Men stopped moving. For the first time, a kind of "fear" appeared in their crimson eyes.

They are afraid.

Zhou Yang took a step forward and passed through the light barrier.

The blue aura surrounding him parted to make way for him, as if meeting a king. He stood alone before the fortifications, before thousands of monsters.

He held the shard in one hand and Qin Shuang's longsword in the other. The wind blew, lifting the hem of his black robe.

At this moment, he was at the center of these ruins.

Qin Shuang's heart pounded wildly inside the tower. She didn't know what Zhou Yang was going to do, but she could feel an incomprehensible power awakening within him.

Zhou Yang raised his head and surveyed the legion before him. A cold smile slowly curved his lips.

"You're disturbing me."

He said it calmly.

"It's time to show you what real burning passion is!"

The moment the words fell.

He raised the fragment of the dragon's spine in his hand and aimed it at his brow.

"No!"

Qin Shuang cried out. She vaguely guessed what he was going to do.

That was madness fueled by life itself!

Zhou Yang ignored her. His eyes were resolute and crazed. He closed his eyes and, with his soul, gave the fragment the most direct command.

--combustion!

—Burn everything I have!

An invisible force was forcibly extracted from the depths of his soul. His lifespan, his essence, everything he had, all turned into the purest fuel at this moment, greedily devoured by the fragments of the dragon's spine.

His hair, starting from the roots, turned gray inch by inch.

His skin became dry and dull at a visible rate.

His powerful life force was draining away, like a flood bursting its banks. His body trembled uncontrollably, a protest against the rapid draining of his life force. Yet he still stood ramrod straight, like a javelin about to burn out.

The dragon spine fragment lit up.

It wasn't the dim light from before, but a dazzling golden sun that seemed capable of burning the heavens and earth!

"Buzz—!"

The fragment emitted a deafening roar. A terrifyingly high temperature suddenly erupted, centered on Zhou Yang. The air was ignited, and space itself was scorched and distorted.

He opened his eyes.

Two golden flames burned in those eyes.

"ember!"

He uttered a single word.

He gently swung the shard in his hand forward.

There was no earth-shattering noise.

Only a silence spread.

A golden wave of flames surged from the tip of the fragment. It neither rose nor fell, but spread outwards in a flat, sweeping manner in all directions.

That flame had no temperature.

Or rather, its temperature is so high that it transcends the realm of "heat." Wherever it passes, everything returns to "nothingness."

The Void Hound that pounced at the forefront vanished into thin air the moment its body touched the flames, before it could even howl. It wasn't burned to ashes, but completely erased from the material world, leaving not a trace behind.

The horde of beasts that followed seemed to have crashed into an invisible, moving wall. They were engulfed in golden flames in swathes and then vanished.

The golden wave continued to advance.

For the first time, terror appeared on the smooth skin of the faceless figures floating in mid-air. They turned to flee.

But it was too late.

The flames caught up with them.

These silent killers, like sand sculptures in the wind, crumbled and vanished without a sound in the golden flames.

Qin Shuang was completely stunned inside the tower.

What did she see?

She saw a golden ocean, gently yet cruelly washing over the land. All enemies, all Void Hounds, all Faceless Men, were as fragile as paper before this golden sea.

There was no struggle, no resistance.

Pure and overwhelming elimination.

The continuous tremors stopped.

The ear-piercing scream also disappeared.

The whole world fell into a deathly silence.

The wave of fire lasted for about a dozen breaths before slowly receding and shrinking back into the dragon spine fragment.

The ruins are still the same ruins.

But things are completely different now.

The ground, once covered by the beast horde, was now eerily clean. All the stones had been ground smooth, revealing a surface as smooth as obsidian. Within a radius of several hundred meters, not a single living creature could be found, not even a single corpse.

This is absolute "nothingness".

Zhou Yang stood in the center of the battlefield, his body swaying slightly.

"puff."

A mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth, splattering onto the dark ground like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow.

He looked like a seedling that had been drained of water, aged and weak. His once jet-black hair had turned gray, and his face was covered with fine wrinkles. It was as if he had aged thirty years in an instant.

The dragon spine fragment in his hand dimmed, regaining its ancient and unadorned appearance, so hot that he could barely hold it.

The longsword in his hand, unable to withstand the force, was covered with spiderweb-like cracks and could shatter at any moment.

Qin Shuang could no longer care about anything else.

She rushed out of the white tower, ran to his side, and caught his swaying body.

The only sensation upon handling it was its coldness and weakness.

"Zhou Yang!" Her voice trembled, choked with sobs, "How are you? Don't scare me!"

Zhou Yang leaned against her, feeling weaker and more exhausted than ever before. His vision was blurry, and he barely had the strength to speak.

He tried to laugh, but the movement only made the wrinkles on his face look even more comical.

"fine……"

He was panting and said intermittently:

"They just... cleared the area."

After saying that, everything went black before his eyes, and he completely lost consciousness, collapsing limply into Qin Shuang's arms.

The fragment of the dragon's spine slipped from his limp hand and fell with a clatter onto the clean, spotless ground.

Qin Shuang held him tightly, feeling his faint breathing and cold body.

Tears finally streamed down his face, burning hot.

The world is quiet.

All that remained was her crying.

A life-burning knife

Click.

A soft sound.

Qin Shuang's heart sank.

The light shield in front of her, a thin barrier supported by blue crystal array patterns, had a spiderweb-like crack on its surface.

The gap was small, yet it seemed like a harbinger of death.

The monsters' roars instantly became several times sharper. They rammed into the light barrier even more frantically, their withered claws digging into the cracks, creating even more fissures.

Qin Shuang's sword was very fast.

Her longsword moved like rain, each swing precisely severing a monster's head. A faint, cold light flowed from the blade, the result of her internal energy.

But there are too many monsters.

They surged in from the horizon, endless, like black sores sprouting from this gray earth. The light shield's range was limited; she could only protect the front. The pressure from the sides and rear was mounting.

Her breathing began to quicken.

Her arms were sore and numb, and her hand gripping the sword was trembling slightly. Each parry sent a sharp pain through her tiger's mouth. Her internal energy was being rapidly depleted.

She glanced at Zhou Yang behind her. He was still lying there, pale and unconscious. Her defenses were there to protect him.

"Just a little more time," she told herself.

Another piece of the light shield shattered.

An exceptionally large monster seized the opportunity to squeeze in. It had no facial features, only a gigantic mouth filled with sharp teeth, and it lunged at Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang's eyes narrowed, and instead of retreating, she advanced.

With a flash of sword light, she lunged forward, the blade piercing through the gaps in the monster's sharp teeth and exiting from the back of its head.

Black blood sprayed all over her. The stench made her nauseous.

But she didn't have time to pay attention.

More monsters poured in through the gap.

The defenses have been breached.

Qin Shuang leaned against Zhou Yang, holding her longsword horizontally in front of her chest. Her gaze swept over the dense horde of monsters before her, her eyes showing no fear, only a cold, resolute determination.

She remembered what the shadow had said. She remembered the secret about Zhou Yang.

She didn't know how much longer she could hold on. A minute? Or ten seconds?

But she will hold on until the very last moment he wakes up.

Qin Shuang took a deep breath, preparing for a final, desperate battle. Just then, a soft cough came from behind her.

"Cough...cough cough..."

Her body stiffened abruptly, and she turned around in disbelief.

Zhou Yang opened his eyes.

His eyes were still a little blurry, as if he had just woken from a long dream. He shook his head, trying to make out what was in front of him.

Then, he saw it.

I saw Qin Shuang, covered in blood and surrounded by hundreds of monsters. I saw the wounds of varying depths on her body. I saw her eyes, filled with exhaustion yet still stubborn.

Zhou Yang's mind went blank.

Countless images flashed through his mind: the wariness at their first meeting, the scheming while traveling together, the tacit understanding in their repeated collaborations, and... that figure that had been etched into his heart long ago, without him even realizing it.

This woman, with her frail body, held up a sky for him.

But he lies here, like a piece of trash.

A surge of violent rage shot from the depths of Zhou Yang's heart to the top of his head. It wasn't directed at the monster, but at his own powerlessness.

He struggled to get up, but his body felt like it was falling apart, and he couldn't muster any strength.

"Don't move!" Qin Shuang was both surprised and delighted to see him awake, but her voice trembled slightly. "Lie down quickly! I'll deal with them!"

She turned around and shielded Zhou Yang with her back, like a mother animal protecting her cubs.

"You...protect me?" Zhou Yang's voice was hoarse and dry, with a hint of self-deprecating laughter. "When...did it become your turn to protect me?"

He gritted his teeth, supporting himself with one hand on the ground, while his other hand trembled as he reached for his waist.

There, hangs that inconspicuous fragment of the dragon's spine.

The fragments were cold to the touch, yet they seemed to pulsate slightly, as if they were alive.

Zhou Yang's expression changed.

That was a kind of crazy determination.

As he looked at the monster's gaping maw that was almost within reach, and at Qin Shuang's swaying back, an idea formed in his mind.

Pay more? No.

This time, I'm adding another life.

A faint, almost inaudible voice echoed in his mind.

[A strong desire from the host has been detected... Lifespan Burning System activated.]

[Does it burn through lifespan, instantly deducing cultivation techniques?]

Yes.

Zhou Yang roared inwardly.

Please enter the number of years the fuel has burned.

ten years.

He did not hesitate.

[Is it confirmed that ten years of lifespan have been burned? This process is irreversible, the host's remaining lifespan will be significantly reduced, and bodily functions will enter a brief period of decline.]

confirm!

As his last thought faded, an indescribable burning sensation suddenly erupted from his heart.

It wasn't the scorching heat of flames, but the pain of life being drained and ignited.

He felt his blood vessels, muscles, and even every cell in his body groaning and boiling in this heat.

Ten years, more than 3,600 days and nights, were transformed into the purest energy in an instant.

This energy, without reservation, surged wildly into the dragon spine fragment in his hand.

"Buzz—!"

The fragment of the dragon's spine emitted a clear and melodious dragon's roar.

A blinding golden light burst forth from the fragment, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day. On the previously unremarkable fragment, ancient dragon patterns were lit up one by one, as if a true dragon that had been sleeping for ten thousand years was slowly awakening.

Zhou Yang's system is currently operating at full power.

The power of "All Laws Return to Their Source" was unleashed to its fullest extent, with the essence of countless sword techniques and martial arts flowing, colliding, and recombining in his mind.

Ultimately, it all boils down to two words.

Breaking boundaries.

Break boundaries, transcend space.

Zhou Yang slowly stood up.

His movements were slow, each one making him feel as if every bone in his body was about to fall apart. Yet he stood ramrod straight. The strength he had gained from burning his life force temporarily suppressed his physical weakness.

His eyes became incredibly sharp.

All emotions vanished. Anger, worry, lingering fear... all melted into an ultimate tranquility. The tranquility of a craftsman facing his most perfect work.

He looked at the enormous monster that was lunging at Qin Shuang.

He slowly raised the dragon spine fragment in his hand.

In his hands, the fragment resembled a complete divine sword.

He didn't use any techniques. No complicated opening moves, no fancy footwork. He simply raised his hand and then swung it out.

A sweeping attack.

An ordinary sweep.

But the world changed the moment his blade struck.

The air stopped flowing. Time seemed to stand still.

An indescribable flash of light extended from his fingertips.

That was not light. It was pure nothingness.

Where the blade flashed, space itself seemed to crumple like a piece of paper, creaking and twisting under the weight. Dark cracks spread around the blade's edge.

At the center of the blade's flash, a lifelike golden dragon silhouette streaked past. Scales, claws, and whiskers were clearly visible. It wasn't merely attached to the blade's light; it was the blade's light itself.

This strike was silent.

It struck a monster.

The enormous monster, as large as a small mountain, didn't even get a chance to scream. Its body vanished swiftly and silently, like a pencil drawing erased by an invisible eraser, starting from the spot where it was struck.

It will not turn into flesh and blood, nor into dust.

It was utter annihilation. Even the very concept of its existence was erased.

The blade's edge flashed, its momentum undiminished.

It swept out.

A vacuum zone, hundreds of meters long, was forcibly carved out of the ruins.

Wherever the blade flashed, more than a hundred monsters, regardless of size or strength, vanished without a trace in an instant.

One second it was a roaring, earth-shattering horde of monsters.

The next second, only a clean, eerie passage remained, devoid of even a speck of dust.

The edge of the passageway, the ground, was as smooth as a mirror, like butter cut by a hot knife.

The surviving monsters froze.

Their rudimentary intelligence was incapable of comprehending what was happening before them. Their instincts told them that this human being was an absolutely untouchable being.

Fear—for the first time, these monsters experienced the emotion of fear.

They began to retreat, then turned and scattered in all directions, fleeing without a care in the world.

The world fell silent.

Qin Shuang stared blankly at all of this.

She remained in the stance of drawing her sword, but the monster had vanished. She stared at the vacuum stretching into the distance, at the smooth, even edges of the ground, her mind blank.

What just happened?

She slowly turned her head and looked at Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang remained in the posture of swinging his knife.

But the dazzling golden light had faded. The fragments of the dragon's spine had also returned to their simple, unadorned appearance.

The color drained from his face at a visible speed, turning him as pale as paper. His skin quickly lost moisture, becoming dry and shriveled, and even fine wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes, wrinkles that shouldn't belong to someone his age.

The strength that had sustained him vanished without a trace with the swing of that blade.

His body swayed, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

Qin Shuang snapped out of her daze, dropped her sword, rushed over, and caught his collapsing body.

It feels cool to the touch.

A bone-chilling cold emanated from his body, as if he were not a person, but a stone just pulled out of millennia-old ice.

"Zhou Yang!"

Qin Shuang's voice was choked with sobs.

Zhou Yang raised his head, wanting to smile at her, but he didn't even have the strength to move the muscles at the corners of his mouth. His breath was weak, like a candle flickering in the wind.

He was panting and said intermittently:

"fine……"

"They just... cleared the area."

After saying that, everything went black before his eyes, and he completely lost consciousness, collapsing limply into Qin Shuang's arms.

The fragment of the dragon's spine slipped from his limp hand and fell with a clatter onto the clean, spotless ground.

Qin Shuang held him tightly, feeling his faint breathing and cold body.

Tears finally streamed down his face, burning hot.

The world is quiet.

All that remained was her crying.

Two people working together

Qin Shuang's tears were still clinging to her eyelashes.

The person in my arms is very heavy.

Zhou Yang's body was like a block of ice, devoid of warmth. His breathing was faint, almost imperceptible. The fragment of the dragon's spine lay on the ground, its luster completely gone, resembling an ordinary piece of scrap iron.

The surroundings were deathly quiet.

That attack just now cleared the entire plaza. But it also exhausted everything Zhou Yang had.

Qin Shuang held him, feeling a hollowness in her heart.

She didn't know what to do.

The shadowy voice still echoed in his ears. "Live on." But now, Zhou Yang was about to die.

Just then, a low humming sound came.

It wasn't the sound of the tower.

It came from the edge of the square.

Qin Shuang suddenly looked up.

At the edge of the plaza, the boundary that Zhou Yang had forcibly cleared with his power, cracks appeared. These weren't cracks in the ground, but cracks in the space itself. Tiny black lines spread out like a spiderweb.

Black mist seeped from the black lines.

Immediately afterwards, a claw emerged from the black lines.

It was a claw made of pure black mist, without a physical form, yet it exuded a chilling aura. The claw slashed through the air, making a tearing sound, as if it were ripping cloth.

Then came the second one, and the third one.

One after another, hounds emerged from the spatial rifts. Their bodies were translucent, as if sculpted from the deepest shadows. Eerie green flames burned in their eye sockets.

They did not rush towards Qin Shuang.

Instead, they bypassed her and Zhou Yang and headed straight for the tower base in the distance.

The light patterns on the tower base are their target.

Qin Shuang's body tensed instantly.

She got it.

Zhou Yang's attack only killed the monsters already in the square. But it tore open the "walls" of this place, drawing in even more things from outside.

These black mist hounds are more agile and eerie than the previous gargoyles.

Can't wait any longer.

She carefully set Zhou Yang down, letting him lean against a relatively intact rock. Then, she stood up.

She drew her knife.

"Clang—"

The blade was drawn, making a clear, sharp sound.

The profound Yin energy surged through her meridians. A chilling aura emanated from her. She didn't look at Zhou Yang; all her attention was focused on the approaching hunting dogs.

The first hunting dog pounced in front of the light shield.

It opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of black mist. The black mist corroded the light shield, making a sizzling sound. The light patterns flickered erratically.

Qin Shuang moved.

Her figure moved as fast as a ghost.

A flash of light, and the blade aimed straight for the hound's neck.

The hound reacted with lightning speed, twisting its body and transforming into a cloud of black mist to evade the blade. At the same time, its tail swept across like a steel whip.

Its tail was shrouded in a thick black mist, carrying a putrid stench.

Qin Shuang advanced instead of retreating.

She made a sword incantation with her left hand, and a stream of profound Yin energy shot into the ground.

"rise!"

An ice wall rose up from the ground in front of her.

The ice wall was thick and rough, with white frost condensed on its surface.

"Bang!"

The hound's tail lashed against the ice wall, instantly creating countless cracks. But they were just cracks; the ice didn't shatter. The black mist was frozen by the icy true energy, turning into a layer of black ice that hung on the wall.

The hound, having missed its target, immediately retreated, attempting to transform into black mist and escape once more.

But it can't be returned.

Qin Shuang's knife has arrived.

It wasn't the previous vicious straight slash, but a sweeping attack.

The blade flashed close to the ground, carrying a thin layer of ice shards.

"Sizzle!"

The hound's two front legs were cleanly severed. Black mist gushed from the wounds like flowing water. It let out a silent howl and struggled violently.

Qin Shuang didn't give it a chance.

The second cut, the third cut.

The knife work was swift and precise, each strike landing in the same spot. The hound's body was continuously dismembered, and the black mist grew thinner and thinner.

Finally, Qin Shuang pierced its head with a single stab.

The eerie green flame went out.

The black fog completely dissipated.

But the crisis was not over.

More hounds poured out of the crack. There were far more of them than the gargoyles they had seen before. They surged towards the light shield at the base of the tower like a tide, wave after wave.

Qin Shuang alone cannot hold out.

Just then, a faint voice rang out.

"On the left... three... use the back of the knife."

It's Zhou Yang.

He had opened his eyes sometime earlier. He sat cross-legged, his face still as pale as paper, his forehead covered in cold sweat. But his eyes were unusually bright.

Qin Shuang's heart skipped a beat, and a surge of immense joy welled up within her.

He woke up.

Without hesitation, she turned around immediately. Sure enough, three hounds had circled the ice wall on the left and were about to pounce on the side of the light barrier.

Her swordsmanship changed.

It's no longer about pursuing ruthlessness that kills with a single blow.

The glint of the blade became heavy and still.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Three muffled thuds.

She used the back of her knife to strike the three-headed hound's skull with precision. The force was not great, but it contained a spiraling, vibrating energy.

The three-headed hound's body stiffened, its movements momentarily frozen.

It was in that very moment.

The light patterns on the base of the tower suddenly lit up.

A beam of light shot out from the light shield, precisely enveloping the three-headed hound.

"laugh--"

It was like a red-hot iron being branded into ice and snow. The three-headed hound didn't even have time to howl before it turned into wisps of smoke in the beam of light.

Qin Shuang immediately understood.

These hounds are composed of black mist, making them relatively ineffective with physical attacks. However, striking their vital points with specific techniques can cause them to become stunned. Tower attacks are particularly effective against this type of monster.

One is responsible for control, and the other is responsible for output.

Perfect fit.

"Two on the right, stab their throats with the tip of a knife." Zhou Yang's voice rang out again. As he spoke, he took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured out a drop of crystal-clear spring water, and drank it.

That's the Vitality Spring Water.

Qin Shuang has taken action again.

Her figure weaved through the pack of hounds. Her swordsmanship was sometimes wide and sweeping, sometimes incredibly precise. She obeyed the commands of the weakened commander behind her completely.

"Strike the joint with the back of the knife."

"The blade sweeps across the lower body."

"True essence condenses at the tip of the blade, then pierces the space between the eyebrows."

She was like a highly precise dancer, performing a dance on the edge of a knife on a stage of death. Zhou Yang's instructions were like a beat, guiding her every move.

And that tower, like the most loyal musician, followed the fatal chord the moment she created the opportunity.

One hunting dog after another fell down.

Qin Shuang's breathing became increasingly rapid. The consumption of her Xuan Yin True Essence was enormous. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her temples were soaked with sweat, clinging to her cheeks.

But she didn't stop.

She knew that Zhou Yang was also persisting.

With each command he issued, his face grew paler. Most of the power restored by the Vitality Spring was used to keep him conscious and able to observe the battlefield.

The two of them are like a single entity.

One fought bloody battles on the front lines, while the other strategized and planned from within.

This was the first time they had cooperated so closely. There were no many words, only the most direct trust. She unconditionally carried out his every command. He, in turn, entrusted everything to her knife.

"Shuang'er".

Zhou Yang suddenly called her name.

Qin Shuang's heart skipped a beat, and his sword strike faltered slightly. This was the first time he had ever called her that.

"Step back to my side." Zhou Yang's voice carried an undeniable decisiveness.

Qin Shuang didn't ask why.

With a swift movement, she forced back the two hunting dogs in front of her, then retreated quickly, landing beside Zhou Yang.

Upon seeing this, the pack of hounds immediately pounced.

Just then, Zhou Yang stretched out a hand and pressed it onto the ground.

The fragment of the dragon's spine in his palm had somehow returned to his hand.

"In my name, by your light..."

He chanted ancient syllables in a low voice. His voice was hoarse, yet it carried a strange power.

A faint light appeared on the fragment.

The light flowed from his palm and into the ground.

Centered on him, streaks of blue light rapidly spread across the ground. These streaks were finer and more complex than those at the base of the tower, resembling a giant net.

The moment the first hound stepped onto the light net.

"Buzz!"

The entire optical network exploded.

Countless blue beams of light shot into the sky, engulfing the remaining dozens of hunting dogs in the square. The dogs struggled violently within the beams of light, emitting silent howls. The black mist was purified and evaporated at a visible speed.

In just a few breaths, all the hunting dogs disappeared.

The light dissipated.

Zhou Yang coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell backward.

Qin Shuang immediately helped him up.

"You're insane!" she growled, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Don't... move," Zhou Yang said weakly. "They... will come again. It just... will take time."

He looked at Qin Shuang, his eyes full of apology.

"I'm sorry... this is all I can do."

Qin Shuang didn't say anything.

She just hugged him tighter.

She could feel his body trembling slightly. That last thrust had undoubtedly been another huge drain on him.

But she had a strange feeling in her heart.

It was neither sadness nor emotion.

It's more of a sense of... peace of mind.

As long as this person is still here, even if he is so weak that he can't even stand up, as long as he is still thinking and still giving orders, she feels that the sky will not fall.

She looked down at his pale face.

Under the moonlight, his eyelashes were long, still stained with her tears and the blood he had just spat out.

She reached out and gently wiped it off with her sleeve.

The movements were very light and gentle.

Zhou Yang's breathing gradually calmed down. He leaned against Qin Shuang's chest and fell asleep. Truly asleep.

Only the two of them remained in the square.

And there's that tower standing silently, and the blue light net on the ground that hasn't completely dissipated.

Qin Shuang held him and sat there.

She didn't cry.

I just quietly gazed into the distance.

Those spatial rifts have already closed. But no one knows when they will reopen.

She gripped the knife tightly in her hand.

She will always be here.

Stay by his side.

Purifying Light

Zhou Yang's body is very light.

In Qin Shuang's arms, he was as light as a handful of ashes about to dissipate.

She held him tightly, afraid that if she let go, he would really turn into smoke and slip away through her fingers.

The tears have all been shed. Now only an empty, aching pain remains.

It was very quiet around.

The devastating battle left not devastation, but an eerie cleanliness. Not a trace of blood remained on the ground. Only the blue crystals continued to emit a faint glow, like a silent sea of ​​stars.

The distant horizon is no longer flat.

It is wriggling.

That's not an illusion.

Qin Shuang's eyes sharpened instantly. She saw it clearly. The black tide was surging up from below the horizon. Endless, blotting out the sky.

Those are the monsters.

More monsters.

They were startled by Zhou Yang's earth-shattering attack. Like sharks smelling blood, they converged from all directions.

The light shield was still there, but its light was much dimmer than before. The tower seemed tired too.

Qin Shuang's heart sank.

She carefully laid Zhou Yang flat on the ground, letting him rest his head on her lap. Then, she stood up and gripped the embroidered spring knife that had been with her for many years once more.

The blade was cold, just like her expression.

She knew she was no match for those things. She had seen it all clearly. Zhou Yang had exhausted the power of the dragon spine fragments just to barely clear a space. And now, he didn't even have the strength to stand up.

But she couldn't back down.

The person lying behind her was her bottom line.

She stood at the edge of the light shield, the black tide drawing ever closer. She could already make out the distorted outlines and hear their unsettling hissing sounds.

Just then, the person in her arms stirred.

A very soft groan, like that of a wounded little animal.

Qin Shuang immediately lowered her head.

Zhou Yang's eyelids were trembling. He tried hard to open them, but it was as if they were stuck together by something.

"Zhou Yang?" Qin Shuang's voice trembled slightly, without her even realizing it.

He heard it.

This voice, like a key, pried open his chaotic consciousness.

Something dripped onto his face. It was warm and salty.

Were those his tears? No.

He struggled to open his eyes a crack.

In my field of vision, I could see Qin Shuang's blurry profile. Her eyes were red.

It turned out she was crying.

A dry sound came from Zhou Yang's throat. He wanted to speak, to tell her not to cry, but he couldn't catch his breath, and a violent cough made him feel like he was going to cough up his lungs.

"Don't move!" Qin Shuang immediately pressed him down. "You just..."

She didn't finish her sentence because she saw Zhou Yang's eyes.

The lifelessness that had filled those eyes was gone. In their place was a cold, clear-headed awareness.

He saw it.

In the distance, I saw a black tide that resembled a painting of hell.

His eyebrows furrowed.

"Not... done yet?" His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper being rubbed.

"Yes." Qin Shuang didn't hide anything.

Zhou Yang tried to sit up, supporting himself on the ground. But his arms were as limp as noodles, and he failed twice. In the end, Qin Shuang supported his back, letting him lean against her.

He gasped for breath, each breath sending stabs of pain through his chest. His internal energy was completely stagnant, his meridians felt like burned-out wires, and he felt utterly powerless.

It’s over.

This was the first word that popped into his head.

He was now weaker than a scholar who couldn't even kill a chicken. Let alone dealing with that army of monsters, even a newly formed little monster crawling by could bite him to death.

He leaned against Qin Shuang's chest, feeling the warmth of her body and her slight trembling. He could even smell the faint fragrance emanating from her hair.

It smells so good.

He thought, "If I were to die here, it wouldn't seem so bad."

No.

The moment the thought popped into his head, he ruthlessly extinguished it.

He can't die. He still has a lifespan left to live. He hasn't lived enough. He hasn't... completely drained Qin Shuang, this cash cow.

The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything.

He forced himself to calm down, and with the last bit of strength he had left, he rolled his eyes and observed his surroundings.

The plaza, the blue crystal, the white tower, the light shield, and the restless monsters outside the light shield.

and many more.

Zhou Yang's pupils suddenly contracted.

He noticed a detail.

The monsters lingered, roared, and crashed outside the light barrier, but none of them dared to actually step inside its range.

No, that's not right.

The light barrier was already quite dark, and their claws could reach inside. But they recoiled as if they had seen something extremely terrifying, as if they had been electrocuted.

They are afraid.

They are not afraid of the light shield.

It's a tower!

Zhou Yang's gaze was fixed on the quietly standing white tower. The tower still emitted a soft light, which illuminated the entire square, like... like the first rays of dawn before sunrise.

What the monsters feared was the light of the tower.

This discovery was like a lightning bolt that cleaved through the fog in Zhou Yang's mind.

There's a way!

He suddenly raised his head and looked at the tower.

He wants to rely on the power of the tower.

But how could he borrow it? This tower was unlike any object he had ever seen before. It had no array core, no energy nodes; it was like... a living, sleeping life form.

communicate?

Zhou Yang tried to send out his faint thoughts. It wasn't speaking; it was more like a rambling, instinctive plea.

help me.

Give me strength.

I can give you anything.

His thoughts, like an invisible wisp of smoke, drifted toward the White Pagoda.

The moment it touched the tower, a cold, grand, and emotionless will surged back.

That will contains no language, only a clear image.

A scene.

In the image, a bright red, beating heart is cut open, and blood flows out, dripping onto an ancient stone.

cost.

It is demanding a substitute price from Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang understood instantly.

Essence and blood.

It is not ordinary blood, but the essence of a person's life.

His body is already extremely depleted; if he were to donate his essence and blood again, he would likely suffer a severe blow to his vitality, or even...

Are there any other options?

Behind him stood Qin Shuang. Before him, an endless array of monsters.

There was no other choice.

A bitter smile appeared on Zhou Yang's face. This damned fate always likes to corner people, leaving them with only one path. A path leading to the abyss, yet one they have no choice but to take.

"Qin Shuang," he suddenly said.

"Hmm?" Qin Shuang looked down at him.

"Hold my hand." Zhou Yang's voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable command.

Although Qin Shuang didn't understand, she did as she was told. She reached out and grasped Zhou Yang's left hand. That hand was icy cold and had no strength at all.

Zhou Yang used all his strength to raise his right hand and reach for the sword at his waist.

The familiar feel of the hilt brought him a sense of peace.

He looked at Qin Shuang, his eyes filled with complex emotions she couldn't understand.

"If... I can't hold on any longer," he gasped, "you'll have to run away."

"Shut up!" Qin Shuang interrupted him sharply. "Don't spout this nonsense. We'll die together!"

Zhou Yang was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

She laughed weakly, but also very happily.

"it is good."

He only said one word.

Then, to Qin Shuang's horrified gaze, he gripped the blade and slashed it across his own palm!

"Pfft."

The sharp blade sliced ​​through the flesh. A bloody gash appeared in the palm of his hand, deep enough to expose the bone.

A sharp pain shot through Zhou Yang, causing his body to tremble violently and beads of cold sweat to instantly appear on his forehead. But he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

He did not drip the blood down immediately.

He is waiting.

Waiting for the purest drop of blood, brimming with life force, to seep from the depths of the wound.

One second, two seconds...

Finally, a drop of dark red blood slowly condensed and took shape in the center of the wound on the palm. Unlike ordinary blood, which was bright red, it had an almost gem-like texture, thick and heavy.

It is it.

With his last bit of strength, Zhou Yang aimed his palm at the ground in front of him.

That drop of blood, carrying his last life essence, fell.

"Smack."

The sound was very soft.

But the moment it hit the ground, the blue crystals in the entire square suddenly shone brightly!

The drop of blood did not seep into the ground. It seemed to have its own life, transforming into a blood-red line that meandered towards the white pagoda not far away.

Wherever the blood streaks passed, the air seemed to vibrate.

When the bloodline finally touched the base of the white pagoda—

The whole world lit up.

It wasn't the kind of blindingly bright light.

Rather, it is a pure, warm light that seems capable of washing away all filth.

The white pagoda erupted with a tsunami-like burst of light. Rings of white light spread outwards from the pagoda in all directions!

The speed of light waves is extremely fast.

Before Qin Shuang could even react, the light wave had already swept across her body.

She felt no discomfort whatsoever. On the contrary, she felt a warm, pure energy flowing through her limbs and bones, which greatly alleviated the fatigue and pain of the past few days.

Outside the light barrier, however, lay a different hellish scene.

Those black, twisted monsters, the moment the white light wave touched them, were like scalding wax meeting a raging fire.

There were no screams, no roars.

They dissolved directly.

It wasn't a bloody, mangled death, but a more thorough "dissolution." The massive body turned into black smoke, the hard shell turned into powder, and the viscous flesh was wiped away like stains by an invisible hand, erased from the level of existence.

Wherever the light waves passed, the black tide receded rapidly, like snow meeting the sunlight.

Wave after wave.

The White Pagoda is like a perpetual motion machine, continuously emitting purifying waves of light.

As Zhou Yang gazed at this earth-shattering yet sacred scene, his eyes began to glaze over.

He saw the black tide retreat in defeat before the waves of light, disappearing in large swathes.

He knew he had won his gamble.

The price he paid was that he felt the last bit of warmth in his body being drained away along with that drop of semen.

cold.

Bone-chilling cold.

Consciousness is like a kite with a broken string, drifting further and further away.

The last thing he saw was Qin Shuang's face, which was filled with shock and worry.

Then, everything went completely black before his eyes, and his body went limp.

This time, I didn't have the strength to say "I just cleared the place out."

He completely lost consciousness and fell forward.

Qin Shuang did not cry.

She simply reached out, her movements so fast they were almost blurry, and caught his falling body steadily.

She held him, feeling his almost non-existent body temperature and his breath so faint it was almost gone.

She held him in her arms, and slowly sat down on the ground in this square that had been thoroughly purified and was so clean it seemed unreal.

It's like holding a lost treasure that has been found again.