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

Chapter 744 The First Lock, Bone Lock Collapses

A sound rang out first from all around the platform.

It was as if someone had tapped the edge of an empty well with their knuckles.

The next moment, the entire ground cracked open.

The black bricks slid to both sides, revealing a dense mass of white bones beneath. Human bones, animal bones, and other things that didn't look like they belonged to living beings, layered upon layer, forming a sea of ​​bones. The stench was long gone, leaving only a dry, cold, earthy smell that made one's teeth ache.

Without stopping, Zhou Yang pulled Qin Shuang backward with his other hand.

"Take a half step back."

As soon as he finished speaking, a giant bone suddenly rose up from the sea of ​​bones.

Then came the second one, and the third one.

The bones grew upwards like a tree, snapping and piecing together. In less than a dozen breaths, a hundred-foot-tall skeletal general stood before the high platform. It had no flesh, only a skeleton, with a section of dark red rib hanging from its chest cavity, its edges covered with fine lines, as if blood was slowly flowing inside.

Nine bone walls rose simultaneously around the high platform.

The bone walls closed, forming a prison.

The first lock opened.

The skeletal creature lowered its head, looking at Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang, its eye sockets glowing with blue flames. It didn't roar, but instead swung its arm down. The skeletal arm, pressing against the wind, caused the ground to collapse.

Zhou Yang slipped and slid to the side, then casually slashed at the joint of the bone arm with his knife.

With a clang.

The blade cut in half an inch, sparks flying.

It cracked, then instantly closed up.

The scattered bones on the ground seemed to come alive, flying up and sticking back to the bone general's body. The knife mark from before disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"It can regenerate bones."

Qin Shuang has already drawn her sword.

The chill arrived first, followed by the intent of the blade.

A layer of white frost crept up the ground, freezing half of the sea of ​​bones. The bone fragments that were about to take flight were stuck in the ice, slowing their movements.

The bone general paused slightly, then lifted his foot to stomp.

boom.

A large section of the ice layer shattered.

Qin Shuang pressed down with her sword again, layer upon layer of icy air pushing forward, completely sealing off the left side of the platform into a frozen wasteland. She didn't seek to injure the enemy, only to seal off the area and force that thing to eat less.

This is a familiar partnership.

She was in control.

Zhou Yang broke the deadlock.

"Hold on for thirty breaths."

Zhou Yang left with a single sentence and rushed forward.

As the Bone General threw a punch, Zhou Yang didn't retreat. Instead, he cut into the air, following the force of the punch, and swept upwards along the arm bone. The Bone General reached for his own chest with his other hand, trying to shove him in alive. Zhou Yang lightly touched his shoulder bone with his toes, then pulled himself up again, his blade moving along the center line, aiming straight for the section of dark red rib in the chest cavity.

Halfway there, a layer of gray light shone from the outside of the ribcage.

A bone shield appeared out of thin air.

Zhou Yang cleaved half of it in two with a single stroke, his wrist trembling from the impact.

The sea of ​​bones below churned, and dozens of bone spears shot up.

Qin Shuang raised her hand and pressed down.

"seal up."

A chill swept across the area, and the bone spears were covered in frost in mid-air, slowing their descent by seven or eight tenths of an inch. Taking advantage of this brief opening, Zhou Yang flipped over and landed on the bone general's back.

Upon closer inspection, he frowned.

This thing is wrong.

That rib in the chest is the core, but not the vital point. The vital point is hidden much deeper.

The bones undulate through the spine, segment by segment, as if countless fine threads are threaded through the gaps between them. With each repositioning, the power radiates outward from the third segment. Extremely fast, extremely subtle.

Zhou Yang did not try the knife again.

He flipped his left hand, and the black mark on his palm became hot.

"System, deduction."

Its lifespan is instantly burned out.

Five years.

ten years.

Twenty years.

The skeleton before him seemed to have been disassembled, its texture unfolding layer by layer. He could finally see how each joint was connected, how the bone sea was repaired, how the rib fragments were moved, and the dark indentation on the inner side of the third vertebra of the spine.

Rebellious eye.

They really hid it well.

As if sensing something, dozens of bone spurs suddenly exploded from the Bone General's back. Zhou Yang dodged three, but his clothes were still ripped open. Below, Qin Shuang also realized he had found a way out, and with a flick of her cold blade, she sealed the Bone General's legs and below into ice.

Bone General's body sank, enraged, and he slammed his arms wildly into the ground.

The bone wall vibrated.

The black and red core on the high platform beat even faster.

A trickle of blood spilled from the corner of Qin Shuang's mouth, but she didn't loosen her grip on the knife, only coldly uttering two words.

"hurry up."

"Know."

Zhou Yang grinned.

He never considered his life too precious, and he never hesitated to spend it. Life, if you hoard it and don't spend it, often ends up belonging to someone else.

He leaped upwards, his feet barely touching the bone spurs, and while he was in mid-air, the Soul-Stabilizing Needle slipped between his fingers from his sleeve.

The bone general suddenly turned his head and spewed a mouthful of green fire at him.

Zhou Yang slashed through the flames, but his shoulder was still singed black. He didn't care; using the wave of fire to flip himself, he moved even closer to his spine.

Three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

One zhang (approximately 3.3 meters).

The bones suddenly close the sutures of the spine.

Right now.

Zhou Yang flicked his wrist.

The Soul-Stabilizing Needle pierced silently.

The needle wasn't large, but its aim was incredibly precise, striking the thin line on the outer side of the third vertebra of the spine. The bone jerked violently, as if someone had grabbed it from the inside for a moment.

Only for a moment.

enough.

Zhou Yangren had already cut into the bone crevice, the blade angled, stabbing straight in along the newly deduced path, and twisting it hard.

Click.

A crisp sound came from within the bone.

The next moment, the blade's light exploded.

"Smash it for me!"

This strike was completely devoid of any fancy moves.

In short, the answer is: cut down.

The third vertebra of the spine split open from the inside out, and the tiny, fingernail-sized rebellious bone hole shattered instantly. The dark red ribs in the ribcage shuddered violently, as if their roots had been snapped. The entire hundred-foot-tall skeleton came to an abrupt halt from head to toe.

After it stops, it collapses.

First, his skull cracked.

Next are the arms.

Then the entire skeleton collapsed section by section, like a dilapidated building whose beams and pillars had been removed, crashing into the sea of ​​bones.

The surrounding bone walls shattered.

The first lock broke.

When Zhou Yang landed, his knees bent slightly, and he immediately regained his balance. He shook off the bone fragments from the knife, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and looked up at the center of the collapse.

The sea of ​​bones is rapidly weathering away.

Layers of white ash dispersed, until only two things remained.

A half-foot-long section of dark red rib.

There is also a bone pattern.

The bone pattern was only the size of a palm, deathly white in color, but its lines were ancient, resembling a coiled corpse snake. As soon as Zhou Yang reached out, it flew up on its own and stuck to the black mark on his palm.

The system panel immediately vibrated.

[Fragment of the Corpse Emperor's Bone Authority Detected: Corpse Emperor's Bone Pattern]

[Can be merged into the Corpse King's body]

Whether to merge

Zhou Yang didn't even think about it.

"melt."

The moment the bone inscription entered his body, every bone in his body cracked. It wasn't breaking, but rather like someone had hammered him from head to toe. The pain was intense, yet every part of his body was simultaneously contracting and tightening inwards. The corpse energy beneath his skin was suppressed once more, flowing more smoothly along his tendons and bones.

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, a hint of gray-gold flashed deep within them.

The system prompts you to restart.

[The maximum limit for the Corpse King's Body has been increased]

[Decreased lifespan extension and wear]

[Bone resistance enhancement]

Zhou Yang exhaled and smiled.

This trip was worthwhile.

Qin Shuang walked to his side and glanced at the bone lines on his palm that were gradually fading away.

"How much did you earn?"

Zhou Yang stretched his shoulders.

"Enough to dismantle a few more locks."

Qin Shuang hummed in agreement and looked up at the high platform.

The dark red core was still throbbing.

However, at the edge of the platform, one of the nine green lamps that were originally lit has gone out.

As soon as the lights went out, the entire black tower seemed to sink for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, a voice came from deep within the tower.

Not big.

It felt like someone was whispering in his ear.

"Zhou Yang".

Zhou Yang's eyes turned cold.

The voice was tinged with laughter, and it was impossible to tell if the person was young or old; it just made people uncomfortable, like a snake rubbing back and forth on old skin.

"Fang Tian died at your hands, Chen Xuan died at your hands, and you even dug up the Qin family's debts."

"I've been looking for you for a long time."

Qin Shuang held her sword horizontally in front of her, spreading a chilling aura.

Zhou Yang didn't move, but only glanced deeper into the black tower.

"Hiding so far away, yet still spouting threats like others."

The voice laughed again.

"You have entered the tower and taken the bone mark, so consider this as paving the way for me."

"When all nine chains are shattered, I will come to see you in person."

"At that time, I will take your belongings one by one."

After he finished speaking, the tower fell silent again.

The heart on the high platform is still beating.

Qin Shuang turned her head to look at Zhou Yang.

"The leader of the Heavenly Principle Cult?"

"Eighty percent."

Zhou Yang drew his sword and walked towards the high platform, his feet treading over the pile of broken bones and ashes, making a soft rustling sound.

He locked down the location.

Are you scared?

Qin Shuang followed, her tone very flat.

"Creditors are lined up at the door, are you sure it'll work?"

Zhou Yang chuckled.

"Too."

He walked to the platform, raised his hand, and touched the still-beating black-red core; his palm was slightly warm. The first lock was broken, and the outer shell of the core was much thinner. Further inside was the second lock.

He turned his head to look at Qin Shuang.

"Rest for three breaths."

"Rest now, then keep chopping."

Qin Shuang slammed the tip of her knife on the ground and stood beside him.

"OK."

Below the platform, the last wisp of ashes was swept away by the wind.

The extinguished lamp left only a wisp of smoke, slowly drifting upwards.

Chapter 745 The Second Lock, Fishing for a Big Fish in the River of Souls

Three breaths later, the core in Zhou Yang's palm twitched again.

It's not hot this time.

Instead, a sinister force emanated from it, creeping into the bones of the palm.

A thin crack appeared in the center of the platform, and the black and red shell slowly parted to reveal a narrow bridge inside. The bridge was not wide, just enough for two people to walk side by side. Below the bridge was not water, but a long, grayish-white river. The surface of the river was still, like stagnant oil. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the color was not water, but rather the faces of people pressed together, slowly flowing by.

Something is hanging on the bridge.

It's not tall, only about half a foot from a person's head.

Densely packed, they were all remnants of souls.

Some were still wearing old robes. The sleeves were torn, the waist tags were ripped, and their faces were broken. Others only had half a face left, their mouths opening and closing silently, their eyes fixed on the bridge.

Qin Shuang took a half step forward with her sword. As soon as the blade approached, the remnant souls above her head all sank down.

It was like smelling the breath of life.

Zhou Yang reached out to stop her.

"Don't rush."

Qin Shuang glanced down at the bridge, her voice very low.

"A second lock?"

"Um."

Zhou Yang looked at the stone tablet at the bridgehead. There were only eight characters on the tablet.

If a living person crosses the bridge, one of their souls will be extracted.

The characters were carved out with fingernails, and black stains are embedded in the crevices. Judging from the age, it wasn't just a day or two ago.

Qin Shuang frowned.

"Whose drink is it?"

"Who else can we draw? The one who crosses the bridge."

Zhou Yang said this, but his feet didn't move. He stared at the bridge surface, his eyelids twitching slightly. The system panel popped up in front of him, and a line of text appeared.

[Soul Lock rule detected. Secret technique that can be deduced: Soul Substitution Technique.]

[Is it possible to extrapolate combustion life?]

Zhou Yang didn't rush to order.

The method of substituting a soul is obviously expensive. Under normal circumstances, he would accept it. But things are different now. Those tails who followed him all the way here thought they were well hidden. They're already inside someone else's stomach, and they still want to sit back and watch the tigers fight? There's no such thing as a free lunch.

He took out Fang Tian's incense master token from his pocket.

It has a dull bronze color and its edges are polished to a shine.

Ever since entering this underground palace, this thing has been unreliable. It recognized a fraction of the access permissions at the first lock. Now, Zhou Yang wanted to try it again.

He affixed the token to the monument.

Sure enough, the eight characters on the monument trembled slightly, and a wisp of gray smoke rose from the bridgehead, circling the token halfway around.

Zhou Yang was amused.

"Old Fang, you're dead, but you still have a big face."

Qin Shuang understood what he meant.

"When will the others make their move?"

"Wait a little longer."

Zhou Yang put the token away, glanced at the way he came, and spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft.

"This bridge is so nice, let's let the guests try it out first."

As soon as he finished speaking, the end of the corridor fell into dead silence.

It's like nobody's there.

Zhou Yang, too lazy to expose them, simply pulled Qin Shuang behind a stone pillar on the side of the bridge. The pillar was half-cracked, perfectly concealing the two of them. He then took out a Heavenly Principle Sect talisman he had previously collected, rubbed it in his hand, and the talisman burned into a wisp of green smoke, slowly drifting towards the bridgehead.

As soon as the smoke arrived, the lingering souls on the bridge fell silent.

The next moment, footsteps echoed in the corridor.

It's very light.

One in front, one behind, three paths.

The leader was a tall, thin man with half his face covered, carrying a short blade. Seeing the lingering dust at the bridgehead, his eyes lit up, and he immediately whispered, "The sect leader has crossed the bridge; hurry and follow."

The two people behind them didn't say a word and stepped onto the bridge.

The first step has been taken, nothing's wrong.

As the second step was taken, all the remaining souls on the bridge bowed their heads.

The third step: the River of Souls beneath the bridge overturned.

It wasn't waves, it was countless faces crashing into it all at once. The bridge shuddered violently, and just as the tall, thin man was about to retreat, a gray line suddenly descended from above, piercing straight into the top of his head.

He froze.

His mouth was open, but even his scream was choked back.

The two behind tried to jump off the bridge. But the bridge seemed glued to their feet; they couldn't pull themselves off no matter what they did. In the blink of an eye, all three of them were pinned to the top of the bridge by gray thread. Their skin wasn't injured, but their eyes were empty. The vitality in their faces gradually faded, like lamp oil being drained.

Zhou Yang stood behind the stone pillar, looking at it, and clicked his tongue.

"Killers are expensive to keep, but they're also quick to dismantle."

Qin Shuang stared at the bridge surface.

"There are more than three."

Zhou Yang nodded.

Two more figures emerged from the shadows of the corridor, clearly intending to rescue them. Just as they stepped onto the bridge, a cloud of gray mist surged from the River of Souls, engulfing them. The two men didn't even have time to draw their swords before they knelt, their foreheads slamming hard against the bridge planks. When they looked up again, only two spherical whites remained in their eye sockets.

Five people, all rendered useless in the blink of an eye.

The bridge surface then emitted a crisp sound.

The lingering souls suspended above suddenly scattered, like a flock of crows scattering from their nest. Something slowly emerged from the center of the bridge, about the size of a palm, entirely black, with a bell-like tongue resembling a thin bone.

The second lock has been discovered.

The Soul-Locking Bell.

Zhou Yang's eyes lit up, and the system also started displaying text.

[A wondrous artifact capable of devouring souls has been discovered: the Soul-Locking Bell.]

[After absorbing it, one can obtain the power of a remnant soul, some memory fragments, and lifespan.]

Qin Shuang has already made her move.

She slashed horizontally with her sword, the Xuan Yin sword energy sweeping across the bridge. The faces rushing upwards in the River of Souls froze instantly, a layer of gray frost forming on the surface. The frost wasn't thick; three breaths of pressure were enough.

"Go get it."

Without hesitation, Zhou Yang pushed off with his feet and plunged into the middle of the bridge.

The Soul-Locking Bell seemed to recognize a living person. It trembled, and dozens of gray threads simultaneously stabbed towards him. Zhou Yang raised his hand and pressed it to his chest, directly burning his lifespan.

[Consuming twenty years of lifespan, the Soul Substitution Technique has been perfected.]

A chill ran down my spine.

He swung his left hand forward, forcefully pulling the remnants of the five assassins' soul shells towards him, using them as a shield. The gray lines changed direction, plunging into the empty shells. The shells shattered instantly, turning into a cloud of white ash.

Taking advantage of this moment, Zhou Yang clenched his fists and gripped the bell tightly.

It felt like grasping a piece of ice iron.

The next moment, the thing inside the Soul-Locking Bell frantically burrowed into his body.

It's not yin energy.

It is a shattered soul, a memory, the last breath that many people couldn't swallow before they died.

The system panel was jumping wildly.

[By absorbing the power of remnant souls, lifespan increases by 30 years.]

[By absorbing the power of remnant souls, lifespan increases by 47 years.]

[By absorbing the power of remnant souls, lifespan increases by 112 years.]

……

The numbers kept climbing.

Zhou Yang's temples throbbed with veins, almost letting the chaotic memories overwhelm him. He gritted his teeth and pressed the Soul-Locking Bell into the black seal in his palm. The black seal lit up, like a starving beast, swallowing most of the remnant soul within the bell in one gulp.

The bridge is now empty.

The River of Souls beneath the bridge has also thinned out.

Just then, a remnant soul, instead of being crushed by the system, broke free from the bell's body, stood at the bridgehead, and gave Qin Shuang a half-bow.

He was a middle-aged man with a half-broken Jinyiwei badge hanging from his waist.

Qin Shuang paused for a moment when she saw that face, her hand holding the knife.

"Han Dian?"

The remnant soul raised its head, its eyes cloudy, but it still looked somewhat human.

"Lord Centurion... I'm late."

Qin Shuang didn't say anything.

She recognized him. Before the Qin family was wiped out, Han Dian was one of her father's men. He later disappeared. The court said he had betrayed the Qin family. Now it seemed he had been sent to this hellish place to have his soul refined.

Han Dian didn't dare to delay and spoke very quickly.

"Commander Chen and his superior commander had long since defected to the Heavenly Principle Sect. They personally altered the Qin family case file. There was also Wu Bingbi in the palace, who delivered people, seals, and travel permits for the imperial family. Every year during the Ghost Festival, the Heavenly Principle Sect could borrow the inner court's fleet to transport live people into the Jianghuai region. That account book is under the floor tiles of the Imperial Guard's warehouse in the old city of Anyang, on the third row, the seventh tile."

At this point, his soul began to dissipate.

Han Dian gritted his teeth and spat out another sentence.

"Fang Tian didn't completely rebel back then. He stole a corner of the Life Lock diagram, intending to give it to Lord Qin. However, the news leaked out on the way, forcing him to join the Heavenly Principle Sect. Before his death, he engraved the authority for the second lock into the incense master's token, leaving it for future generations."

After listening, Zhou Yang finally understood the last piece of the puzzle in his mind.

No wonder Fang Tian acted that way before he died, as if he wanted to say something but dared not. It turns out he wasn't just pretending; he really had a backup plan.

Han Dian looked at Qin Shuang, his lips moving slightly.

"Lord Qin did not leave that night."

"He led his men to block the back door, forcing the young lady... to live."

Qin Shuang stood still, the tip of her knife lightly tapping the bridge plank.

It's very light.

She didn't cry, nor did she ask anything else; she simply replied in a low voice.

"I see."

Han Dian smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to her.

Before his soul dissipated, he glanced at Zhou Yang one last time.

"Lord Zhou, please make sure the accounts are cleaned up."

Zhou Yang nodded.

"Don't worry, we won't save them a single penny."

Han Dian then completely dissipated, turning into a wisp of ash that fell under the bridge.

The River of Souls has fallen silent.

The core at the center of the platform also cracked to its final layer. The outer shell shattered with a snap, revealing a finger-length black key. The key was engraved with fine lines, the missing section of the life-locking diagram.

The key to the third lock.

Zhou Yang picked up the black key and turned to look at Qin Shuang.

"Go out and grab the account books first, then chop up Commander Chen while you're at it, and drag those maggots out to bask in the sun. We'll turn your father's case upside down today."

Qin Shuang looked at him and hummed in agreement.

Zhou Yang weighed the black key in his hand, then glanced at the system lifespan column, unable to suppress the corners of his mouth.

This trip was worthwhile.

His life was saved, the money came in, and he finally had a target to settle his score with.

He put away the black key and patted Qin Shuang on the shoulder.

"Let's go, Lord Hyakujō."

"You lead the way, and I'll collect the spoils."

Qin Shuang turned around, sword in hand.

As she walked out of the bridge, she suddenly reached out, grabbed Zhou Yang's wrist, and pulled him half a step closer to her.

The stone gate in front was open, and the wind outside was blowing in, carrying the smell of blood and kerosene.

Clearly, the people outside were getting impatient.

Qin Shuang released her grip and raised the blade.

"This time, when we split the money, I'll get seven and you get three."

Zhou Yang was taken aback, then cursed.

"On what grounds?"

Qin Shuang left without looking back.

"Your tap on my shoulder just now, that's interest on it."

Chapter 746 The Third Lock, The Book of Fate Appears

As soon as the stone door opened, the wind rushed in.

It wasn't that wind outside that smelled of kerosene.

The wind was even colder, like it was pouring up from the bottom of a well, making one's teeth ache.

Zhou Yang paused, not in a hurry to go out.

There is no exit behind the door.

It's still an inner room on the first floor.

All around were black stones, the ground etched with fine lines. These lines climbed from the entrance to the high platform, like blood vessels, converging beneath the central core. The core was split in two, its outer shell now only a thin layer, within which a black and red light pulsated and expanded, like a living thing.

Qin Shuang stood to his left, sword in hand, and whispered, "The third lock is inside."

Zhou Yang hummed in agreement and looked up.

A book hangs above the platform.

It wasn't large, only about half an arm's length. The entire book was black and gold, the edges polished to a shine, as if touched by many hands. The pages hadn't been turned, but the spine was torn, several pages missing. It just hung there, neither up nor down. There were no chains or supports around it.

Zhou Yang looked at it for a while, and suddenly felt a heat in his palm.

That heat didn't come from the core.

It came from my arms.

He took out the tattered page.

It was something Fang Tian had branded into his hand, something he had painstakingly peeled away bit by bit. The paper was yellowed, the edges charred, and the words on it looked like they were carved with a knife, rough to the touch. The previous times he had taken it out, he had only used it as a key. Now, upon seeing that black and gold ancient book, the tattered pages trembled.

With a buzzing sound.

The life lines around the high platform all lit up.

Qin Shuang's eyes darkened, and she raised her blade to protect Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang didn't move.

It wasn't that he was brave; it was that thing that was aimed at him.

The torn page flew out of his hand and struck the gap in the black and gold ancient book. The two sides snapped shut, sealing it perfectly. The ancient book opened with a snap, turning to the middle page. There were no words on it, only a line of small, blood-red characters.

Core components matched successfully.

When Zhou Yang saw this line of text, he clenched his back teeth.

He knew that phrase all too well.

So familiar with each other that I want to curse.

From the day he transmigrated, the lifespan system was like a worm crawling in the cracks of his bones. Adding points, deducing, cultivating troops, breaking through realms—everything was deadly. Every time it gave him a way out, it also ripped flesh from his body. Now, these words jumped out of the ancient book, and the fog in his mind instantly dissipated.

"So this is where you came from."

He stared at the Book of Fate, his voice hoarse.

The ancient book did not respond.

The thin lines beneath the platform were moving, climbing upwards like water. Wisps of gray mist slowly emerged from the cracks in the core, seeping into the pages. The next moment, more words appeared on the pages.

The Corpse Emperor's Last Will and Testament.

It can record lifespan, interpret destiny, and trade old debts.

After reading it, Zhou Yang remained silent for a long time.

Fang Tian climbed the ranks in the Heavenly Principle Sect with great effort, only to obtain a fragment. This fragment, once in his hands, became the system. In other words, his journey to where he is today wasn't due to any stroke of luck. It was something left behind by the Corpse Emperor. When complete, it should have rules and an owner.

This master is most likely gone now.

Qin Shuang also saw those words. Her face remained expressionless, but her voice grew even colder.

"The Qin family genealogy records a sentence: 'The Life Lock is not a killing formation, but a barrier-guarding artifact. Our ancestors participated in sealing the tower.'"

Zhou Yang turned his head to look at her.

"Whom are we guarding?"

"Guard the outer gate, and also guard the book inside."

She took a half step forward, her gaze falling on the life lines.

"The original purpose of the Life Lock was to 'exchange one's own life for the lives of others.' Whoever wants to open the door must first offer their own life as a sacrifice. The tower does not devour the innocent."

Zhou Yang smiled, but there was no warmth in his smile.

"Later, some people felt it was too unfair, so they changed it to using other people's lives to pay for it."

"Blood sacrifice, shortened lifespan, support of followers, and incidentally, paving the way."

Qin Shuang nodded.

"The methods of the Heavenly Principle Sect originated from this distorted approach."

In short, a lot of old grievances have come together.

Why does the Heavenly Principle Sect always focus on lifespan?

Why did Fang Tian risk his life to get the fragment?

Why can the system both extend its lifespan and consume the years of the person it killed?

It's not a given.

This thing has been twisted long ago.

As Zhou Yang stood in front of the platform, a very mundane thought suddenly popped into his mind.

The most valuable thing he had in his life was actually his life.

Fortunately, he was willing to spend the money.

"Can it be repaired?"

he asks.

Qin Shuang didn't reply. Instead, she unrolled the incomplete Qin family map and pressed it to the ground with one hand. The cracks on the map matched the life lines on the high platform in about 70% of their overlap. She squatted down, cut her fingertip with the tip of her knife, and smeared the blood on several broken points.

Zhou Yang's eyelids twitched.

"Do you Qin family members always bleed people out when you repair things?"

"A clumsy method passed down from our ancestors."

Qin Shuang didn't even look up.

"As long as it works."

Her fingers were steady, carefully correcting the misaligned lines one by one. The black lines on the ground flickered, some suddenly springing up as if to bite. Zhou Yang raised his hand and slapped away the rising gray mist. The Book of Fate turned its pages gently in mid-air; the familiar chill of the system traveled along his meridians before receding.

A moment later, a muffled thud came from the high platform.

It's like the lock cylinder turned one notch.

The innermost shell of the core slowly cracked open.

The crack wasn't large, revealing only a small section of something silvery-black. It was slender, with natural patterns, and gaps at the edges. As soon as it appeared, the fragment of the dragon's spine behind Zhou Yang began to vibrate, sending shivers down his spine.

Qin Shuang looked up.

"It's here after all."

Zhou Yang let out a breath.

Dragon spine fragment.

This line of events has been followed for far too long. From the back alleys of Anyang County to the altar of the Heavenly Principle Sect, and then to the depths of this black tower, wave after wave of people have died, and finally, another part of it has been revealed.

He had already stretched out his hand halfway, then stopped.

The chains of fate have not been fully broken.

If you grab this thing too quickly, there's a 90% chance something bad will happen.

Zhou Yang never worries about his precious possessions being too hot to handle, as long as he doesn't burn himself first.

"Don't touch it yet."

He said.

Qin Shuang withdrew the blood, stood up, and casually wiped the wound on the back of the knife.

"That's what I think too."

Zhou Yang walked around to the back of the platform, wanting to examine the lock cylinder's structure. He stopped abruptly as soon as he turned around.

There is a line of small characters engraved on the back of the life lock.

It didn't just surface; it was engraved into the metal long ago. The strokes are very deep, as if someone stood here for a long time, pressing them out stroke by stroke.

The celestial messenger is already outside the tower; breaking the three locks will open the Heavenly Gate.

Zhou Yang stared at the line of text for a couple of breaths, then cursed.

"Damn it."

Qin Shuang also came over. After looking at it, her expression didn't change, she just held the knife a little more steadily.

"There's a strong smell of blood outside; it's not just one group of people."

"Looks like we weren't just waiting impatiently, we've already arrived."

Zhou Yang turned to look at the stone gate.

A breeze blew through the crack in the door, carrying with it a faint, indescribable, sweet, and metallic scent. It wasn't the ordinary smell of blood. It was more like the aroma of a high-level martial artist's blood and qi, steamed up after a fire. He had smelled this scent countless times on his journey to this day.

The trouble is big.

But then again, there have been no small incidents along the way.

He raised his hand, and the Book of Fate slowly descended from mid-air, stopping three inches in front of his palm. The feeling was strange, like holding a quiet beast. It was icy, heavy, and carried a familiar sense of hunger.

The booklet turns to a new page.

There was only one sentence written on it.

Should the life lock rules be reset?

Zhou Yang looked at that sentence and suddenly smiled.

I laughed until I was a little tired, but also a little happy.

He got here by killing, by taking wounds, risking his life like it was nothing. All he wanted was to survive, to live comfortably. Now that this thing has finally revealed its hand, things have become simpler.

You need rules.

Then let's reschedule.

He didn't click immediately, but looked at Qin Shuang first.

"Lord Centurion, this is the last big deal."

Qin Shuang looked at him, her eyes calm.

Name your price.

Zhou Yang lifted the Book of Fate upwards.

"I'll risk my life to set this damn rule right. None of those people outside the tower will be able to steal anyone's lifespan here."

"As for those who open the Heavenly Gate, whoever dares to enter will die."

Qin Shuang hummed in agreement.

"What about the fragment of the dragon's spine?"

Zhou Yang grinned.

"Take it after you're done."

"The accounts must be settled one by one."

He had barely finished speaking when a loud bang suddenly came from outside.

The stone gate shook, and dust fell from its top.

Someone is banging on the door.

The force was ridiculously strong.

Then, a second, even closer strike. A sliver of white light squeezed through the crack in the door, like a blade, sweeping across half the ground. Several life lines beneath the platform hissed and smoked upon contact with the white light.

Zhou Yang raised his hand and placed it on the Book of Fate, uttering two words in a low voice.

"Revised".

The entire interior room shook violently.

The ancient black and gold book turned its pages on its own, and the life patterns on the ground lit up in unison. The murderous aura that had previously plundered life force gradually receded. The core at the center of the platform stopped drawing air out and instead stabilized. Like a heart that had been beating erratically for many years, it finally found its rhythm again.

Zhou Yang felt a tightness in his chest, and his face paled for a moment.

The Book of Fate is drawing away his lifespan.

Not a small amount.

He cursed and stood his ground, but didn't back down an inch.

Qin Shuang stood at the door, sword in hand, her clothes fluttering in the wind seeping through the crack. She didn't turn around, only uttering a single sentence.

"It's under your jurisdiction."

"Outside, I'll collect some interest for you first."

The third knock from outside the door signaled that they had arrived.

Chapter 747 The Cult Leader Enters, Who Serves Whom?

When the third blow came down from outside the door, the middle layer of the entire black tower bulged first.

It felt like someone had punched the tower hard through its walls.

The stone beams split open in the next instant.

It rained down like a shower of gravel.

Qin Shuang stood at the doorway, sword in hand. With a flick of her blade, she cleaved the oncoming half-stone pillar in two. Sparks landed on her sleeve, but she didn't even flinch. She simply took a half-step back, giving Zhou Yang time to turn the pages of the Book of Fate.

"The person has arrived."

Zhou Yang didn't look up.

"I can tell, it's quite a grand affair."

As he spoke, his palm pressed against the Book of Fate. The pages were heavy, like pressing down on a well. With each page he turned, the emptiness in his chest grew heavier, and his lifespan flowed along his meridians, into the black-red core beneath the high platform, and into the life lines of the entire central structure.

The door panel finally shattered.

It's not broken.

It flew in as a whole piece.

An old man in a gray robe walked in first, barefoot, carrying a string of white bone bells. The bells didn't ring, but the layer of gray beneath his feet spread out first. Following closely behind were four streams of energy, one on the left, one on the right, one in front, and one behind, as steady as four nails, directly locking down the four corners of the central control.

The last person to enter wore a black and gold cloak and had only a wooden hairpin in his hair, looking like a wealthy gentleman entering a temple.

But as soon as he stepped inside, all the lingering corpse energy in the tower shrank behind him.

Qin Shuang's knife tip sank.

"Leader of the Heavenly Principle Sect".

The man nodded, as if attending a banquet.

"Commander Qin, it's been a long time."

His gaze shifted to Zhou Yang, paused for a moment, and then he smiled.

"Fang Tian did not die unjustly."

"He tried for me for more than ten years, but he only managed to cultivate a half-finished, useless meridian."

"You've managed to pave your own way."

Zhou Yang closed the Book of Fate, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, but he remained calm and composed.

"Before you praise someone, give them a price."

"I can't stand listening to nonsense."

The cult leader chuckled.

The four Dharma Kings have dispersed.

One wore a red robe and dragged an iron chain. Another carried a large umbrella with ribs made of human bones. Another was as short as a winter melon, with all ten fingers covered in brass rings. The last one was the quietest, his face covered with a white cloth, revealing only his eyes.

Behind them was the priesthood.

There were at least a dozen people surrounding the door, their feet treading on a ring of blood-stained patterns.

Further away, it was a dark, dense mass.

The legion of undead soldiers crawled inwards along the blasted-out tower walls, using both hands and feet like ants. They occupied all the stone platforms in the middle level that hadn't collapsed yet.

Zhou Yang glanced at it and understood what was going on.

The cards are big enough.

This was meant to be swallowed whole.

The leader raised his hand, stopping the four Dharma Kings from approaching.

"Zhou Yang, I didn't come here to argue with you."

"Hand over the authority to the Book of Fate."

"Hand it over, and I'll spare Qin Shuang's life and give the Qin family's old case a clear ending."

Qin Shuang sneered.

"You'll give it to me?"

The cult leader ignored her and only looked at Zhou Yang.

"Thirty miles outside the tower, the imperial army has already surrounded it. The Demon Suppression Division, the Imperial Guards, and the people from the Eastern Palace—everyone has arrived. Who do you think they've come for?"

"For the Book of Destiny."

"It is the dragon's spine."

"Also for you."

"If you keep it, you won't live past today. Give it to me, and I'll shield you for a while, and I might even save you a place."

After listening, Zhou Yang reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of oil paper packets, then casually shook them.

A dozen or so rubbings lay on the ground.

There are hidden pages in the account books related to the Qin family's old cases.

There is a list of people sent by the Imperial Guards of Anyang County to the Heavenly Principles Sect.

There are also a few copies, which are rubbings of imperial seals from the palace.

As soon as the paper hit the ground, Qin Shuang turned her head and glanced at him.

She had no idea when he had replaced all of these items.

Zhou Yang stepped on the top one and grinned.

"You're using the Qin family case to pressure her, and the imperial court to pressure me. You're making quite a show of it."

"Unfortunately, I haven't been idle along the way."

"The royal family has been involved, local tyrants have had their fill, not to mention the Heavenly Principle Sect itself, even that mad dog Chen Qianhu is just leftovers on the table."

"I've written down all the accounts."

"Who lives and who dies today is not up to you to decide."

"Even if I die here, the things will still be delivered."

The smile on the cult leader's face slowly faded.

"You are smarter than Fang Tian."

Unfortunately, intelligent people are often not satisfied.

He raised a finger.

"Take it down."

The four Dharma Kings moved simultaneously.

The red-robed Dharma King was the first to pounce, his iron chains whipping around, creating a series of ear-piercing whistles. Qin Shuang stepped forward to meet him, her long sword slicing through the gaps in the chains, the blade leaving a trail of sparks. The two had barely touched when the Dharma King behind her, carrying an umbrella, opened his large umbrella, and with a whoosh, dozens of fine needles shot straight towards the high platform.

Zhou Yang cursed and grabbed the Book of Fate, flipping through it.

The life lines on the ground lit up.

Three black lines shot out from the crack in the rock, wrapped around the umbrella-wielding Dharma King's ankle, and dragged him down.

He didn't really intend to starve the other party to death; just holding them off for a breath was enough.

"Second pillar from the left, chop!"

Qin Shuang understood immediately. She braced her blade against the chain, using the force to retreat, and swung her sword back at the stone pillar to her left. The pillar looked ordinary, but its base pressed against a corner of a sacrificial array. As the sword struck, the pillar cracked first, and the blood-red patterns outside the door immediately darkened.

Someone in the priesthood groaned, and blood immediately appeared at the corner of their mouth.

The cult leader's eyes darkened.

Taking advantage of the opening, the short, stout Dharma King burrowed into the ground, his ten copper rings reaching for Zhou Yang's ankle. Zhou Yang didn't dodge, but instead stomped on it. The life runes on his foot exploded, sending the stout man tumbling over. The next moment, the Dharma King, draped in a white cloth, was in front of Zhou Yang, pressing a palm against his chest.

This palm strike was delivered without a sound.

The quieter it is, the more gloomy it feels.

Zhou Yang felt a burning sensation on the black mark on his chest, as if a needle had pierced his brain. He immediately activated his life force, and the chilling energy of the half-corpse emperor within him surged up. His shoulder slumped, and he rammed directly into the attack.

boom.

The two men each took three steps back.

For the first time, a change appeared in the eyes of the White Cloth Dharma King.

"really."

The cult leader spoke at this moment, his voice not loud, yet it drowned out the entire room.

"Fang Tian's line was just a test."

"The Black Tower's Heart-Nourishing Core and the Qin Family's Life-Protecting Lock are merely paving the way."

"He was never the true vessel."

"It's you, Zhou Yang."

"Half-corpse imperial body, recognized by the Book of Fate, close to the dragon's spine. A person like you might not appear once in a hundred years."

"You think you're cutting off my way, but you've actually been walking on the path I've paved for you all along."

Zhou Yang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled wickedly.

"You old codger, you just love to pat yourself on the back."

"When I crawled out of Anyang County, you didn't even know where you were offering incense to people."

"I cut down the road myself."

Qin Shuang's blade strikes became even faster.

She stopped fighting and focused her attention on the corner of the sacrificial formation.

The second corner, broken.

The third angle, a crack.

As the undead soldiers surged in from outside, several chains suddenly descended from above the central control area. These were sealing chains that had risen automatically after the Book of Fate took over, specifically designed to suppress the corpse energy. As soon as the chains fell, the first dozen or so undead soldiers were instantly pinned to the ground, black smoke billowing from their bodies, the stench so foul it made one's nose numb.

Zhou Yang seized the opportunity to flip to the next page of the Book of Fate and pressed his finger down hard.

"Sever another corner!"

Qin Shuang forced the red-robed Dharma King back with a single strike, her toes barely touching the rubble before she swept past the side of the platform. The Dharma King with the umbrella tried to stop her, but she didn't even turn her head, taking a needle to the shoulder while her blade had already pierced the last pillar of the array.

A snap.

All four corners are broken.

The blood-red patterns beneath the priests' feet vanished.

More than a dozen people were struck as if by a stick at the same time; some knelt down, while others fell backward.

Zhou Yang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The cult leader showed no sign of panic.

He glanced at the broken array patterns on the ground, as if they were a dish that hadn't been properly arranged.

"Have you made enough of a scene?"

After saying that, he stepped aside.

Only then did Zhou Yang see clearly the thing that had been standing behind him.

A golden corpse.

It was covered in dark gold armor, taller than a normal person, with broad shoulders and arms that reached to its knees. Most strangely, it had no face; its face was covered only by a smooth layer of golden skin, without even the contours of facial features.

It didn't move.

There was no breath.

But after the leader stepped aside, the chill that had been pressing down on the tower was immediately revealed.

The Book of Fate in Zhou Yang's hand trembled slightly.

It was as if they had recognized something.

Qin Shuang also stopped, lowering the blade.

She had smelled this scent on the celestial messenger from the upper realm before.

It's not real corpse energy.

It's more like incense mixed with iron ash and doused with human blood.

The cult leader raised his hand and gently patted the faceless golden corpse's shoulder.

"Come, let's meet the source you've been searching for."

"The celestial messenger from the upper realm is nothing more than a wisp of energy peeled off its body."

As soon as he finished speaking, the faceless golden corpse raised its head.

The golden skin on its face suddenly bulged, as if something was about to push out from within.

Chapter 748 The Four Kings Die Together, the Cult Leader Loses an Arm

The moment the faceless golden corpse raised its head, the entire stone hall seemed to sink slightly.

It wasn't an earthquake.

The air pressure has come down.

It's like a millstone being placed directly on top of a person's head.

Zhou Yang felt a sweet taste in his throat, swallowed the blood, and casually stuffed the Book of Fate into his pocket, cursing, "Old man, quite the showman."

The cult leader stood before the high platform, his sleeves and robes motionless, his eyes devoid of life.

"The thing Fang Tian couldn't accomplish before he died has led you to this point."

"Unfortunately, it's come to an end."

As soon as he finished speaking, the four stone walls cracked open at the same time.

Bone powder fell down in a flurry.

Four figures stepped out one after the other.

Different robes give off different auras.

The only thing they all had in common was the distinctive stench of the Heavenly Principles Sect. It smelled like aged incense ash mixed with corpse oil, and if you smelled it for too long, it would make your head throb.

Zhou Yang glanced at it and clicked his tongue.

"Fine, if you can't beat them, call for backup."

Qin Shuang stood to his left with her sword drawn, her voice indifferent.

"Don't you love these kinds of gatherings?"

Zhou Yang stretched his neck.

"More people, more money."

The first to act was the First Dharma King.

The man swung his arms, and his ten finger bones exploded, transforming into a patch of ghastly white palm bones that snapped back together in mid-air, instantly forming a bone array. As soon as the array patterns landed, dozens of bone hands immediately arched out from beneath the stone bricks, specifically targeting the legs and feet.

Zhou Yang's feet sank, and the soles of his shoes were gripped by bone hands.

The First Dharma King grinned maliciously and clasped his hands together.

"combine!"

The bone array immediately contracted.

Qin Shuang didn't retreat; instead, she took a step forward.

Her blade flashed diagonally, the chill seeping straight in through the crack in the ground. It wasn't a random sealing attack; it was aimed directly at the core of the formation. She had observed it for a long time while guarding the gate, and had already figured out the basics of this kind of thing.

With a click.

The main bone at the heart of the formation froze first.

A layer of frost appeared on the surface of the bones, followed by fine cracks.

Zhou Yang's eyes lit up. He raised his hand and shattered the bone hand at his feet, then darted away, skimming the ground. He didn't bother with the bone fragments; he was focused on finding the person.

Just as the First Dharma King was about to retreat, Qin Shuang swept the back of her sword across him, blocking his escape route.

Zhou Yang had already bumped into his arms.

The short knife slashed upwards from bottom to top.

It was as fast as crossing out a dead account with an accountant's pen.

The First Dharma King clutched his neck, his eyes bulged, blood spurted from between his fingers, and he staggered back three steps, not even managing to kneel properly before plunging headfirst into his own bone array.

The metacarpal bones scattered all over the ground with a clatter.

"one."

Zhou Yang flicked the blood off his knife and had just finished counting when suddenly everything went silent.

It's too quiet.

There were still the gasps of the corpses and the footsteps.

Now they're all gone.

The Second Dharma King stood not far away, a smile on his face like white powder applied to a theatrical stage. He held a copper bell in his hand, but the bell did not ring. The stone hall before Zhou Yang's eyes had already changed.

Qin Shuang has disappeared.

The cult leader has disappeared.

The ground was littered with corpses.

There was Fang Tian, ​​the Qin family patriarch, and those unlucky souls who died at his hands first. Even Commander Chen stood in the blood, grinning at him.

"Lord Zhou, the score isn't settled yet, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Zhou Yang paused for a moment, then twitched his nose.

He may not be accurate in judging people, but he rarely makes mistakes in judging character.

Illusions can confuse the eyes, but they can't confuse the stench of blood.

He raised his hand and wiped the wound on his shoulder, blood smearing half his face, and then pulled out the Book of Fate.

The Second Dharma King's expression changed slightly.

"You dare to touch the Book of Fate at this time?"

Zhou Yang laughed, his teeth covered in blood.

"You're the kind of person who's most vulnerable to being told what to do."

He pressed his fingers sharply onto the Book of Fate.

The life line suddenly lit up.

The surrounding dummy figures swayed slightly.

When the Book of Fate was turned to the middle, a thin, dark red thread suddenly shot out, following the scent of blood, and bit back, wrapping itself around the Second Dharma King's brow.

The Second Dharma King screamed in agony as the white powder on his face cracked, revealing the withered flesh beneath. He frantically tried to sever the lifeline by making hand seals, but the Book of Fate flipped through the pages even faster.

Splash, splash.

It was as if someone was calculating his lifespan.

His hair had visibly turned gray, his face was sunken, and the back of his hands was wrinkled.

"You...you're holding the Book of Fate?"

Zhou Yang rushed up to him and smashed his nose with a punch.

"You answered correctly, but there's no prize."

The Second Dharma King's body went limp, his lifespan already nearly emptied by the Book of Fate. Zhou Yang didn't give him a chance to catch his breath, grabbing his chin with his other hand and stabbing the short knife into his ear, the tip protruding from the back of his neck.

The copper bell fell to the ground with a tinkling sound and broke in two.

The illusion dissipated.

Qin Shuang was forcing the Third Dharma King back with her sword when she turned around and glanced at him.

"Too slow."

Zhou Yang drew his sword and took a breath.

"This old codger lives a long life, but it takes a lot of money."

The Third Dharma King was a tall, thin old man with eight bone chains trailing behind him, each chain covered with memorial tablets. Seeing his two companions die in the blink of an eye, his face turned ashen, and he raised his hand to smash all the memorial tablets to pieces.

As soon as the fragments hit the ground, a horde of corpses surged out of the cracks in the earth.

There were black corpses, bronze corpses, and several old monsters whose bodies were half rotten. They rushed towards Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang like sewage from a burst dam.

"Step back," Qin Shuang hissed.

Zhou Yang did not withdraw.

He stared at the eight bone locks, and his expression suddenly changed.

The first lock was already broken, and a portion of the core access fell into his hands. The bone lock was originally part of that life lock set.

If the Third Dharma King can expel it, he might also be able to seize it.

Zhou Yang stepped into the horde of corpses, letting a bronze corpse grab his left arm, while his right hand gripped a bone lock. The black mark on his palm was burning hot, and the bone lines crawled down the back of his hand to his elbow.

The Third Dharma King first sneered, then his expression changed.

The bone lock wouldn't obey him anymore.

"Get back here!"

He made three hand seals in quick succession, and the bone lock lashed out at him.

With a loud slap, half of his face was torn open.

Zhou Yang grabbed the second and third bones, his temples throbbing, his mouth full of blood, but he still managed to pull most of the eight bone locks over.

The horde of zombies paused.

The next instant, all the corpses in the front row turned around and rushed back towards the Third Dharma King.

The Third Dharma King panicked completely and turned to run away.

It runs very fast.

It wasn't faster than the zombie horde.

Dozens of corpses swarmed forward, some grabbing his legs, others biting his neck. Just as the old man had shaken two black corpses away, a bone lock pierced his chest, and he was hoisted high into the air.

Zhou Yang's hand trembled, and his bone lock snapped shut.

The Third Dharma King was torn into several pieces on the spot, and his blood rained down on the followers behind him.

"The third one."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Fourth Dharma King retreated to the bridgehead.

It was a woman in a red robe, carrying seven soul lamps, and accompanied by more than a dozen priests. She wasn't after Zhou Yang; she was after the Heart Core. With a flick of her red robe, she pushed all the priests onto the stone bridge, and the soul lamps lit up simultaneously.

The wick doesn't burn oil, it burns the soul.

If it explodes, the entire bridge will collapse, and the core behind it will also suffer.

"Zhou Yang," Qin Shuang called him only once.

The people have already been taken away.

Ignoring the priests' cries, she drew her sword and landed directly in the middle of the bridge.

The sword intent deepened, and frost formed on the bridge surface.

The next instant, she slashed down with her sword.

The middle section of the stone bridge suddenly cracked open.

The Fourth Dharma King's expression changed, and he lunged towards the other side with his lantern, intending to use the priest to detonate the other end of the bridge as well. Zhou Yang pounced from the side, not even looking at the lantern, and grabbed her wrist, forcefully twisting it outwards.

Click.

My wrist is broken.

The Soul Lamp slipped from his grasp.

Qin Shuang swung her blade backhand, sweeping all the lamps into the abyss below the bridge. Explosions erupted below, and black flames shot upwards, but failed to reach the bridge surface.

The Fourth Dharma King still wanted to shout.

Zhou Yang had already circled behind her, pressed his palm down on the top of her head.

He slammed his knee into her.

The woman in the red robe had a hunched back.

Qin Shuang's blade swept across the surface smoothly.

The head rolled a long way before hitting the edge of the broken bridge and coming to a stop.

All four kings died.

For a moment, only the crackling of corpse fire remained inside the stone hall.

Zhou Yang's chest heaved violently. He was just about to grin and say that it was worth the price of admission when the cult leader suddenly raised his hand.

"That's enough."

His voice was very soft.

The faceless golden corpse suddenly swelled up.

It wasn't the whole body, just the left half. The gold skin bulged, like a furnace was stuffed underneath. Zhou Yang's scalp tingled, and he roared, "Retreat!"

Too late.

boom!

Half of the golden corpse exploded on the spot.

The mixture of golden flesh, corpse fire, and bone fragments slammed into Qin Shuang. Zhou Yang shoved her aside, and Qin Shuang took the hit head-on, flying backward and crashing through three stone pillars before coming to a stop.

A trail of blood was left on the ground.

His left chest had collapsed, and the bone structure was cracked.

The cult leader was not unscathed either.

The explosive force was so powerful that he was closest to the target. His right sleeve was shattered first, and half of his arm, along with his skin and bone, was blown away. The broken end was charred and still smoking.

His brow twitched, as if he was only now beginning to feel the pain.

Qin Shuang landed and immediately stood up, sword in hand, ready to charge.

Zhou Yang coughed up blood and raised his hand to stop him.

"No rush... I'll advance a large sum first."

He took out the Corpse Essence Pill from his pocket and swallowed it along with the blood.

As soon as the pill entered the abdomen, the two opposing forces of heat and cold clashed immediately.

Zhou Yang's vision went black, and he almost collapsed to his knees. The Book of Fate, Bone Patterns, and Core Authority all seemed to be frantically drilling into his body at that moment. The flesh on his back split open inch by inch, and black and gold bone patterns crawled all over his body along his spine, even darkening his pupils.

The cult leader stared at him, his expression changing for the first time.

"Corpse Emperor Battle Body"

"How dare you go this far?"

Zhou Yang slowly stood up straight, wiped the blood from his mouth, and smiled at him.

That smile wasn't very attractive.

"The debts your Heavenly Principles Sect owes me will be settled today."

Qin Shuang walked to his side, without asking how much longer he could hold on, and simply handed him the knife by half an inch.

Zhou Yang didn't take the knife; he just turned his head to look at her.

"Does 70/30 still count?"

Qin Shuang glanced at the one-armed cult leader in front of her and slightly raised the blade.

"You survive first."

"I'll take a loss, fifty-fifty."

Chapter 749 The Book of Fate Recognizes Its Master, System Completed

The cult leader had lost an arm, his sleeve hanging limply, yet only a few drops of blood had dripped from it.

The cut was black, and granulation tissue was still growing outwards.

It looked like an arm that no longer belonged to a living person.

Zhou Yang glanced at it and mentally noted it down.

This old man's lifespan is abnormally long.

On the high platform, the Book of Fate is still turning.

Page by page, it was as if someone was turning the pages inside. The black lines crawled outwards along the tabletop, and when they reached Zhou Yang's feet, they suddenly shrank back, as if recognizing him.

The cult leader's face finally darkened.

"Give me the ancient book of life locks."

He spoke calmly, but his feet had already begun to move.

The faceless golden corpse pounced first, followed by the cult leader. The golden skin on the corpse's face bulged out into half a human face, its eye sockets were empty, but its mouth was open, emitting a strange laugh. The laugh was like a copper basin scraping the ground, making one's teeth ache.

Qin Shuang stepped forward with her sword drawn, and with a flick of the blade, she blocked the golden corpse outside.

"You're in charge of the books."

"I'll take it for you."

Zhou Yang responded, and just as his palm touched the Book of Fate, the sect leader's intact hand reached out to him.

With five fingers forming claws, he directly gripped the book.

He wasn't trying to steal Zhou Yang, he was trying to steal the Book of Fate.

The grab was so fast that even the afterimage couldn't be seen clearly.

But the Book of Fate was moved first.

It slammed shut with a "bang," like someone slamming their hand on the table. The next instant, the entire ancient book flew out of his hand, not heading towards the cult leader, but instead bypassing him and crashing straight into Zhou Yang's chest.

The black mark on Zhou Yang's chest immediately became noticeable.

Like a tiny red ember that has been suppressed in a charcoal fire for a long time, it comes alive when the wind blows.

He grunted and took half a step back.

The fragment of the system page in his arms flew out on its own.

The tattered page, yellowed and curled at the edges, had followed him all the way, usually half-dead, but now it seemed to have seen its own father. It was pasted onto the cover of the Book of Fate, a flash of black light, and it was gone without a trace.

A "click" sounded in Zhou Yang's mind.

It's like a lock has been opened.

Not one.

It's a whole string.

His vision went black for a moment, then brightened again. Many words he couldn't see before suddenly appeared. They weren't written in a booklet; they were imprinted directly into his mind.

Lifespan extrapolation system, complete.

Watch longevity.

Borrow longevity.

Shortened lifespan.

When the three names came up, Zhou Yang's first reaction wasn't happiness, but heartache.

"Oh shit."

"So you were castrated all along."

Upon hearing this, the cult leader's eyelids twitched violently.

"You have the system fragments?"

Zhou Yang didn't reply to him.

He glanced at the cult leader first.

This glance wasn't the usual scrutiny; it was an instinctive sweep. Upon seeing it, Zhou Yang nearly ground his back teeth to powder.

A layer of grayish-white mist rose from the top of the cult leader's head.

It's not a clump, it's a stack.

Layer upon layer, like countless stacks of paper money on an altar. Each layer contained distorted human faces, men and women, old and young, all with their eyes wide open. Those faces were pressed against the cult leader's head, constantly seeping into his body.

This is not his birthday.

This was filled in by someone else.

Zhou Yang understood immediately.

"No wonder you're so heat-resistant."

"Using offerings to prolong one's lifespan, no wonder he ended up looking like this."

The cult leader's pupils contracted.

"Can you see?"

Zhou Yang grinned.

"You can see it very clearly."

"The debts you've accumulated are enough for me to keep calculating until dawn."

For the first time, a crack appeared on the cult leader's usually composed face. He stopped testing the waters and stomped down. The ground collapsed three feet, and black energy surged in from all directions, pressing down on the platform.

"Now that you've acknowledged me as your master, I can't let you live any longer."

"With the new master of the Book of Fate appearing in the world, the inheritance of the Corpse Emperor is complete."

"Today, I will first summon the celestial messenger to descend, and then refine you, this vessel."

As he finished speaking, he bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood into the air.

No blood fell.

A crack appeared at the top.

A faint white light emanated from the crack, like rotten bones soaked in corpse fluid. The strange odor that Zhou Yang had smelled before suddenly became ten times stronger.

Qin Shuang forced the golden corpse back with a single strike, then looked up and frowned.

He wants to open the door early.

Zhou Yang didn't respond.

The burning sensation in his chest was still seeping deeper. After the Book of Fate recognized its master, the third lock fully materialized. What was originally a blurry mass now seemed to have been cleaned, revealing two things sealed inside.

A fragment of a dragon's spine.

A Corpse King's Core.

The core was only half the size of a fist, its surface covered with fine lines, and it was pulsating. With each pulsation, the heat emanating from Zhou Yang's Corpse Emperor Battle Body within his bones would tremble.

Those locks in front were just empty shells.

The real thing was hidden in the third lock.

Zhou Yang finally understood.

The path left by Fang Tian, ​​the map guarded by the Qin family, and the Heavenly Principle Sect's frantic search for the Book of Fate over the years—they weren't looking for a book, but for this core, the complete legacy of the Corpse Emperor.

The cult leader recognized him too.

He stared at the black mark on Zhou Yang's chest, his voice becoming hoarse.

"It was you after all."

"Good, very good."

"So I don't have to raise another one."

As soon as the words fell, the faceless golden corpse suddenly went berserk, spreading its arms and forcefully knocking Qin Shuang's knife away. Qin Shuang slid back two steps, a spark flying from the sole of her boot, her wrist slightly slumped, and a gash appeared on her hand.

Zhou Yang noticed this and his eyes turned cold.

almost.

The debt should be collected.

On a whim, he decided to try the second one first.

Borrow longevity.

With this thought, the Book of Fate flipped open with a "whoosh," and the entire battlefield seemed to be swept away by the wind.

The remains of the four kings, the fragments of the corpse soldiers, the lingering shadows in the River of Souls beneath the bridge, and even the remnants of the dead followers floating in mid-air were all pulled over by an unseen force.

It's not their souls, it's the last bit of life they have left.

It is as fine as smoke and as tangled as ash.

You never even bump into them normally.

Now everything is being poured onto Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang felt a jolt in his chest, as if someone were forcibly pouring water into his empty chest. His cracked meridians gradually opened up, and his depleted dantian rapidly warmed up. Even the hidden injuries left from activating the Corpse Emperor Battle Body were pushed back up by this force of destiny.

Shouyuan Panel's stock price immediately surged.

Replenish.

It's still rising.

Zhou Yang let out a long breath and stood up straight.

Cool.

That was fucking awesome.

After scrimping and saving for hundreds of chapters, risking my life for it, I'm finally seeing a return on my investment.

The cult leader's face finally turned ugly.

"Are you living out your remaining years in the arena?"

Zhou Yang stretched his neck.

"You can steal, but I can't lend?"

"Let's be reasonable, you old man."

Upon hearing this, Qin Shuang drew her sword and charged forward again, her lips even twitching slightly.

"Remember to split the profits from what you borrowed."

Zhou Yang smiled.

"Okay, I'll give you credit for this later."

He took a step forward, the Book of Fate hanging beside him, black lines creeping up his arm to his fingertips.

The third ability coalesced into a line in the palm of his hand.

Shortened lifespan.

The cult leader seemed to recognize this, and his footing faltered, a thought of retreating arising for the first time. He raised his hand, and the crack in mid-air suddenly widened, a bone-colored finger emerging from the white light, pointing directly at Zhou Yang's brow.

"Celestial messenger, descend!"

Zhou Yang looked up.

"Fuck your mother."

Instead of dodging, he went to meet him head-on and pointed a finger at the cult leader.

The finger landed very lightly.

Like making the last entry in an account book.

In an instant, the stack of grayish-white longevity flames above the cult leader's head trembled all at once. The top layer snapped off. Then came the second layer, and the third. The life essence of the sacrificial offerings scattered as if sliced ​​open by a knife.

The cult leader froze instantly.

The skin on his face dried up quickly.

Her eyes were sunken, her cheekbones were prominent, and even her once black hair had turned mostly gray in the blink of an eye.

"you……"

He uttered only one word.

Zhou Yang was already in front of him and punched him in the chest.

The Corpse Emperor's battle form is fully activated.

This punch left no room for retreat.

The cult leader's sternum collapsed on the spot, a cloud of blood mist exploded behind him, and he flew straight backward, crashing into the stone wall behind the platform. The stone wall first cracked, then collapsed, burying half of his body in the rubble.

The skeletal finger in mid-air lost its guide; it had only extended halfway when it was swept back into the crack by the black light of the Book of Fate. The crack snapped shut, as if it had been slapped in the face.

The faceless golden corpse also stopped.

The golden skin on its face cracked open inch by inch, revealing not a face, but emptiness. The next moment, the entire golden corpse turned to ash from head to toe, scattering across the ground.

The hall was silent for two breaths.

Only the sound of rolling gravel remained.

The cult leader isn't quite dead yet.

He was trapped under a pile of stones, his fingers still moving, and he managed to squeeze out a few laughs, like a broken bellows.

"Killing me won't make a difference..."

"The higher realms have already remembered you."

"The Book of Fate has recognized its master, and the Corpse Emperor's core has been born. Sooner or later, someone will come down to take you away."

Zhou Yang walked to the pile of stones, squatted down, and looked at him.

"Then let them line up."

"I have a lot of debts, let's deal with them one by one."

The cult leader stared intently at him, then looked at Qin Shuang, and suddenly seemed to understand something, his lips twitching.

"The Qin family line has guarded it for so many years, only to have it ultimately benefit an outsider."

Qin Shuang approached with her knife, and with a flick of the tip, she removed the stone that was pressing down on half of his face.

"Whether it's outside or not is none of your business."

"The Qin family's feud will be settled today."

She didn't say much, and her knife was even faster.

With a single stroke, the cult leader's head rolled into the rubble and remained motionless.

The life runes around them slowly faded away.

The black and red core on the high platform shone a little brighter.

Zhou Yang stood there, watching the last page of the Book of Fate unfold on its own. Only two lines of text remained.

The Corpse Emperor's core is fusible.

Fragments of the dragon's spine can be repaired.

Below that, there's an even smaller line.

If one's lifespan is sufficient, a new law may be established.

Zhou Yang stared for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

Throughout his life, he survived by paying more money and turned his life around by burning his way out. After all that burning, he finally burned something that could change the rules.

value.

Qin Shuang sheathed her sword and walked to his side.

"it's over?"

Zhou Yang closed the Book of Fate, and the black seal was put into his palm.

"almost."

"The rest is just wrapping things up."

He raised his hand and pressed the third lock.

The Corpse Emperor's core and the fragment of the dragon's spine trembled simultaneously, transforming into two streams of light that entered his body. The soaring corpse energy and ferocity did not explode; instead, it seemed to be suppressed by something, slowly sinking into his limbs and bones.

Zhou Yang closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the darkness in his eyes had faded considerably.

The entire underground palace began to shake.

There was dirt falling down from above.

Qin Shuang turned her head to look at him.

"Can you walk?"

Zhou Yang reached out, glanced at her previously split tiger's mouth, and crossed out a portion of her lifespan from the Book of Fate. The wound immediately healed, and even the bleeding stopped.

Qin Shuang was taken aback.

Zhou Yang withdrew his hand, his expression natural.

"Interest."

Qin Shuang looked at him without saying a word.

After a moment, she said, "Then, does the 50/50 split still count?"

Zhou Yang walked out, laughing as he went.

"To be counted".

"The Book of Fate belongs to me, everything else is yours."

Qin Shuang followed, and the two walked side by side through the swaying hall. When they reached the doorway, she suddenly asked a question.

"Zhou Yang, what do you want to do in the future?"

Zhou Yang kicked the door open, and the sunlight streaming in instantly.

The mountain wind carries the scent of blood, and also the scent of the living.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Live as long as possible first."

"And collect all the debts owed to us."

After saying that, he turned around and reached out his hand to her.

"Let's go, let's split the money."

Qin Shuang glanced at him, but still offered her hand.