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

Chapter 750 The Corpse Emperor's Core is in Hand

As soon as the door opened, everyone outside arrived.

The cult leader is the fastest.

He had lost an arm, his sleeve empty, yet his steps were swift, like a wisp of gray smoke skimming the ground. The faceless golden corpse followed behind, the gash in its chest still unhealed, bulging beneath its golden skin as if something alive was wriggling inside. The remaining black-robed priests had also gone mad, their eyes fixed only on the black and red heart-shaped light in the center of the platform.

The third lock has been revealed.

The Book of Fate hung in mid-air, its pages turning, the locks forming concentric rings that firmly held the Corpse Emperor's core in the center. Beside the core, half a piece of ashen white fragment floated. It resembled a broken bone, or a section of a charred spine.

Dragon spine fragment.

Zhou Yang's eyelids twitched.

All the good stuff is here.

The cult leader saw it too, and a low chuckle escaped his throat.

"Whoever gets it first can open the gates of heaven."

"That depends on who's tougher," Zhou Yang replied, before rushing off.

The platform wasn't large, and when the three sides rushed up at the same time, it felt like they were squeezed into a meat grinder.

The priests were the first to make a move.

Knowing they couldn't win by force, they decided to reveal their trump card. The group simultaneously tore open the blood-red talismans on their chests and pressed them against the life-binding lock. The talisman's flame ignited, causing the lock's patterns to momentarily malfunction. Taking advantage of this opening, the faceless golden corpse slammed into the high platform, the entire stone platform thudding and sending loose stones crashing down.

The cult leader is even more wicked.

He didn't try to cut in front of him; he struck Zhou Yang directly in the back.

The palm strike landed, the smell of incense ash mixed with the stench of corpses, making one's head throb. Zhou Yang turned and swung his blade. The Life-Severing Slash swept horizontally, the blade grazing the cult leader's wrist and shaving off a layer of black skin. The cult leader didn't stop for a second, his other hand gripping the back of the blade, grayish-white corpse hairs sprouting from between his fingers.

"I've been watching your life for a long time."

"If you want it, pay more first."

Zhou Yang cursed, then slammed his knee into the cult leader's abdomen. The cult leader arched his back, and the faceless golden corpse attacked from the side, its golden fist aimed at Zhou Yang's head.

Qin Shuang finally moved.

She neither blocked the punch nor stopped the cult leader.

She stepped forward before the Life Lock, ran her hand across the blade, and blood trickled down its spine. The moment the blood appeared, the surrounding air seemed to cool. The Life Lock diagram flew from her sleeve, unfolded with a snap, and the Qin family's life runes on the pages lit up one by one.

Her face turned pale instantly.

"Zhou Yang".

"Just three breaths."

As soon as he finished speaking, the turbulent currents around the platform suddenly stopped.

It's not that the wind has stopped.

It was that unseen pull from outside the life-binding barrier that she forcefully held back. The cult leader's forward momentum faltered slightly, and the faceless golden corpse's fist, only three inches from Zhou Yang's forehead, was also slowed by half a beat. Even the blood talismans burning on the chests of the priests seemed to freeze in mid-air.

Zhou Yang understood.

Three breaths, a life-saving struggle.

He ignored the people around him, twisted his foot, and slid past the faceless golden corpse's fist wind, slashing straight at the third lock with the Life-Severing Slash.

As soon as he made the cut, he heard the system notification in his ear.

[High-level lockdown detected.]

[Lifespan prediction in progress.]

[Is it within its burn-in lifespan? Can it be forcibly opened with a third lock?]

"open."

[Deduct sixty years of lifespan.]

The blade first turns black, then shines.

In that instant, all Zhou Yang saw were cracks. Not from the knife, but from the life lock. The third lock was like an iron book that had been sealed for many years, which he had cleaved in two with his single strike.

Click.

The lock broke.

The Corpse Emperor's core ejected.

The moment the fist-sized core detached from its shell, the entire hall jolted. Black and red blood-red light darted wildly along the stone walls, like countless thin snakes searching for a hole. Zhou Yang reached out to grab it, but his palm was instantly burned through, and a burnt smell wafted out.

The system beeped again.

[The Corpse King's core has been discovered.]

[Can be fused immediately.]

[Warning: The current host's constitution is insufficient to compensate for the damage; forced fusion carries a risk of spiraling out of control.]

Zhou Yang didn't even hesitate.

Even being out of control is better than being dead.

He had just pressed the core to his chest when the priests beside him broke free from Qin Shuang's freeze and pounced like mad dogs. The cult leader was even faster; his eyes were filled with lust, and he grabbed the spurting blood from the core and swallowed it whole.

"Master!"

The priests' voices all changed.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

That's not food for humans.

The cult leader had barely swallowed half a mouthful when a bulge of black veins appeared on his neck, and it looked as if worms were wriggling beneath the skin. One half of his face collapsed, while the other half bulged out, his forehead protruded, his teeth grew out inch by inch, and the blood stopped flowing from his severed arm, only a grayish-gold bud sprouted out, crawling out like a tree root.

Half-human, half-corpse, and covered in something that didn't look human.

He stood there, his breath catching in his throat.

Upon seeing him, the faceless golden corpse actually took a half step back.

The cult leader raised his head, looked at Zhou Yang, and squeezed out a hoarse voice.

"You're blocking my way."

"Then go die."

Zhou Yang ignored him.

The heart core has been placed inside the chest.

The first sensation was cold.

It was as if someone had stuffed a piece of ancient, cold iron into his chest.

The second touch is hot.

The scalding heat burst forth from his bones, instantly coursing through his limbs and bones. His vision blurred, and all he could hear were the howls of corpses, as if countless things buried underground were turning over at once. His flesh tightened in waves, old wounds reopened, new tendons grew, and his spine cracked.

The system sounds were getting faster and faster each time.

[Integration begins.]

[The Corpse Emperor's physique is being improved.]

[Current progress: 50%...60%...70%...80%]

[Combat strength greatly increased.]

Zhou Yang suddenly opened his eyes.

The darkness in the whites of his eyes had completely subsided, but his pupils were frighteningly bright. He raised his hand and clenched it, and a layer of fine, corpse-like patterns appeared on his five fingers, as if cast in black gold.

The cult leader pounced.

The strange hand slammed down, and the force of its palm caused the stone platform to explode.

Zhou Yang raised his sword.

This time they didn't back out.

The clash of the blade and palm produced a dull thud that made several priests' ears bleed. The cult leader's mutated hand was blocked in mid-air, unable to press down even an inch. Just as he was about to exert more force, Zhou Yang was already close, crashing into his arms and thrusting his elbow straight into his chest.

boom.

The cult leader's sternum collapsed, and he flew sideways, crashing into a stone pillar behind him.

The stone pillar broke in two on the spot.

The entire room fell silent for a moment.

Qin Shuang leaned on the knife, her breathing erratic, and looked up at Zhou Yang. There was still blood at the corner of her mouth, but her eyes lit up.

"good."

Zhou Yang turned his head to look at her, his smile a little fierce.

"I told you, I won't die until all the money is distributed."

The faceless golden corpse still wanted to go up.

The moment it moved, Zhou Yang was already in front of it.

too fast.

It was so fast it was as if he had simply swept past it from its spot. The faceless golden corpse only had time to raise its arm before Zhou Yang's blade struck its neck. The blade sliced ​​through the golden skin, but didn't sever it completely. Zhou Yang's left hand then gripped its crown, and with a burst of strength from his five fingers, he forced its entire head into its chest cavity.

The golden corpse suddenly knelt down.

The remaining priests turned and ran.

Zhou Yang didn't chase after him.

Qin Shuang didn't use her knife either. Both of them knew that the biggest trouble was yet to come.

The cult leader rose again from the ruins.

His chest was sunken, his face was unrecognizable, and a layer of grayish-gold fleshy growths covered half of his body. Two fleshy bulges protruded from his back, as if something was about to burst out. He panted as he stared at the sky above the high platform.

That fragment of the dragon's spine never fell off.

After the third lock broke, it should have hit the ground, but instead, it seemed to be held up by an invisible thread, hanging in mid-air and trembling slightly. A muffled rumble came from the depths of the platform, and the ground cracked open, revealing a black fissure leading straight down.

At the end of the dark seam, there is a door.

It's neither a live door nor a dead door.

There were no patterns or words on the door, only a thin vertical slit. The fragment of the dragon's spine was slowly drifting towards it, like iron filings meeting a magnet.

Zhou Yang stared at it for a couple of seconds, and he already knew what was going on.

Deep within the central core lies the Heavenly Gate.

If you want to take everything and settle all your accounts, you have to fight your way to the door.

The cult leader understood as well.

He stared at the door, a series of strange laughs coming from his throat, coughing up black blood as he laughed.

"So that's where it was."

"It's always been there."

Zhou Yang drew his sword and walked forward.

One step, one sound.

Qin Shuang followed him to his left, raised her hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth, and gripped the knife firmly again.

Zhou Yang didn't turn his head, but asked a question.

"Does 50/50 still count?"

Qin Shuang looked at the door in front of her, then glanced at the still heaving black and red light on his chest.

"Calculate."

"Go and kill someone."

"I'll watch the road for you."

Zhou Yang grunted in agreement, then raised the tip of his knife, pointing it at the cult leader who had just gotten up.

"Then let's settle this mess first."

After saying that, he pushed off with his feet and lunged forward.

Chapter 751 The Black Tower Opens the Heavenly Gate

Zhou Yang's strike was aimed at the sect leader's throat.

The cult leader raised his hand to block, but the area near his severed arm was wide open, and his movement was a fraction of a second too slow. The blade grazed his shoulder, sending a spray of flesh flying. Qin Shuang seized the opportunity to finish him off, her blade moving straight towards his heart.

The two walked one after the other, without pausing for breath.

The cult leader retreated seven steps, his feet leaving a trail of glowing sacrificial patterns. He was still coughing up blood, but the ruthlessness in his eyes burned ever brighter.

"it is good."

"very nice."

He suddenly laughed, a hoarse laugh, like sandpaper grinding iron.

The faceless golden corpse moved in the next instant.

It didn't pounce on Zhou Yang, nor did it stop Qin Shuang. It took a step to the center of the sacrificial plate, its knees slamming to the ground. The bulging golden skin face finally cracked open. Inside, there were no facial features, only a swirling mass of black energy.

Zhou Yang's heart sank.

"No, let's retreat!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud bang came from the top of the Black Tower.

The entire tower looked as if it had been twisted in the middle. The top cracked, and the ground followed suit. Cracks spread out from beneath the sacrificial altar like a wildly growing net. Dust and rubble swirled upwards, while a black stone pillar slowly rose from below.

That's not a stone pillar.

That is the true center of the sacrificial altar.

Connecting to the top of the tower and to the earth's veins, its surface is covered with ancient life lines. Blood seems to flow within these life lines, as if someone had just fed it an entire city.

All three locks were shattered.

The Black Tower has finally revealed its true nature.

Qin Shuang held her sword in front of Zhou Yang and whispered, "The Heart Core is in your chest, and the Book of Fate is in your hands. If it opens the door, it will most likely come for you."

Zhou Yang stared at the rising central pivot, his palms sweating profusely.

The Book of Fate is shaking.

It's not the trembling you feel when you're recognizing a master.

It was like seeing an old master who should never have appeared again.

The cult leader stood by the sacrificial altar, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and tapped the forehead of the faceless golden corpse.

"It's your turn."

The faceless golden corpse did not hesitate for a moment.

It raised its hands, inserted its five fingers into its chest, and pulled them to both sides.

The gold-plated skin cracked.

There are no remains inside.

It is a life force that has been forged long ago.

The fire burned quietly, its color a dark black, yet its edges gleamed with gold. The moment it appeared, the entire black tower fell silent for a moment, as if a living person had suddenly held their breath.

Zhou Yang finally understood.

This thing was neither a protector nor a puppet from the very beginning.

It is a container.

Heavenly principles have nurtured and supported us for so many years, just waiting for this day to open the door.

The faceless golden corpse pressed the ball of life fire into the sacrificial plate.

It collapsed along with itself.

There were no screams, no struggles. The golden body, as if made of wax, melted away layer by layer along the sacrificial patterns, the molten gold flowing down the grooves and filling the entire sacrificial plate in the blink of an eye.

The cult leader knelt down and kowtowed heavily to the ground.

"We respectfully request the arrival of the celestial messenger."

On the other side of the crack at the top of the tower, the dark clouds suddenly contracted towards the center.

A muffled sound also came from deep underground.

Both ends opened simultaneously.

At the very top of the central stone pillar, a black disc slowly unfolded, resembling a door or an open eye. Inside, there was no light, only profound darkness. But as that aura pressed down, Zhou Yang's heart clenched, and his Corpse Emperor Battle Body tensed.

Immediately afterwards, a hand emerged from the darkness.

The hand was frighteningly white, with long knuckles like a human hand, but fine, corpse-like lines were visible beneath the skin.

It only extends halfway.

The space around the black tower began to distort.

Screams came first from outside the tower.

One sound, two sounds, then they blended together.

Zhou Yang turned his head and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Outside the tower in the City of Beasts, all those who were still fighting, fleeing, or watching in the streets stopped. Some people had just reached the alley entrance when their bodies suddenly collapsed; others, riding on the backs of beasts, were thrown down, horse and all. It wasn't flesh and blood exploding; it was life being ripped out in an instant. The skin and flesh rapidly collapsed, leaving only a layer of skin outside the bones.

Even the more distant mountains and forests are withering away.

The leaves had turned black in patches, the ground had cracked, and even the moisture buried in the soil seemed to have been sucked clean.

Outside the Black Tower, everything became a sacrifice.

Qin Shuang's expression changed, and she drew her knife, ready to attack.

The hand flipped over gently.

An invisible force pressed down, shattering the stone slab beneath Qin Shuang's feet. She was forced back three steps, and blood immediately appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Zhou Yang wasn't much better off.

He felt as if he had been struck in the chest with a hammer, and the Book of Fate almost slipped from his grasp.

A figure slowly emerged from the black disc.

It is not the complete true form.

Only a half-body projection.

It wore a wide robe, its face hidden behind a layer of gray mist, making it impossible to tell whether it was male or female. Yet, Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang were both familiar with its aura. The so-called celestial envoy from the upper realm was merely a fragment of this thing that had slipped through their fingers.

The cult leader lay prostrate on the ground, his voice trembling.

"Welcome, celestial messenger."

The figure didn't look at him.

It first looked at Zhou Yang's chest, as if it were looking at the Corpse Emperor's core. A voice came from behind the gray mist, not loud, but so loud it made people's ears buzz.

"So it was you."

"The body that suppressed me back then still retains a spark of fire."

With just one sentence, many things became clear.

The so-called celestial messengers from the upper realm are not celestial beings at all.

It was a wisp of the indestructible will of the Corpse God that the Corpse Emperor had suppressed back then.

The Heavenly Principle Sect has been worshipped for hundreds of years, and the royal family has been guarding against it for hundreds of years, but in the end, they have only been paving the way for this thing.

The cult leader pressed his forehead to the ground and said urgently, "The Holy Cult has been established for hundreds of years, and the royal family has offered sacrifices of blood and flesh from all the people. We only ask the celestial messenger to open the gate and grant us the path to transcendence—"

The figure finally looked down at him.

"Transcendence?"

It looked like it was smiling.

"Your kind of meat is not fit to be used as a container."

"Nothing else is worthy of your attention."

The cult leader froze.

The coldness in Qin Shuang's eyes deepened.

The score between the royal family and the Heavenly Principle Sect has finally been settled. The Qin family's extermination, the fragments of the Dragon Spine, the Life Lock Chart, and all the various things done in the name of the Immortal Envoy throughout the ages—it's all part of the same thread. The thread begins here.

Zhou Yang didn't have time to speak up for anyone.

He looked down at the Book of Fate.

The Book of Fate opened itself.

The first page, which had been blank, suddenly began to display names. People who died in the city, people who died outside the tower, beasts that died in the mountains—names surged up like a tide, filling page after page. The last page, however, contained only two words.

Zhou Yang.

Next to the name, there are three smaller characters.

It can be reclaimed.

Zhou Yang's throat tightened, and he suddenly realized what the missing piece was after the system was completed.

The Book of Fate is not as simple as adding years to his life.

It is part of the rules itself.

If one can take what belongs to others, one can naturally take what belongs to oneself. Whoever holds the book determines the fate. But the root of this thing is always tied to something higher up. The will of the Corpse God before us is probably drawing the lives of the entire city along this line.

To survive, you have to kill people.

We also need to cut off the rules in this booklet.

"Do you understand?"

The figure turned towards Zhou Yang.

"You're just supporting my books."

"Bring me the Book of Fate, and I'll spare your sliver of consciousness."

Zhou Yang spat out a mouthful of blood, but then laughed.

"You're quite arrogant."

"Taking other people's lives to support themselves, do they really think they're some kind of saint?"

The figure raised its hand.

Zhou Yang's bones cracked all over his body, and his knees almost buckled. His Corpse Emperor Battle Body held on tightly, black lines crawling across his neck. Qin Shuang took a step forward, her sword deflecting some of the force, causing his hand to split open.

"Zhou Yang".

Her voice was very low.

Do you have a solution?

Zhou Yang stared at the Book of Fate, his eyes bloodshot.

"There's a losing proposition."

"After finishing this job, I might really be so poor that all I have left is my life."

Qin Shuang glanced at him sideways.

"Then spare my life."

"We can earn the rest later."

Zhou Yang grinned.

At this point, he actually calmed down.

He raised his hand and pressed the Book of Fate onto the core of his heart. The black and red heart fire and the gray light of the Book of Fate instantly intertwined. The lifespan numbers plummeted before his eyes, like a floodgate being opened. System notifications popped up one after another, but he didn't even glance at them, directly inputting them all.

Deduction.

It is not a cultivation technique.

It's not martial arts.

It is a loophole in the rules of the Book of Fate.

The Corpse King was able to suppress it once back then, so today he will weld this door completely shut.

The central hub of the Black Tower began to spin wildly, and the golden liquid on the sacrificial platter flowed backward inch by inch. The figure stopped for the first time, and the gray mist surged violently, as if sensing something was wrong.

"You dare—"

Zhou Yang suddenly looked up, his voice hoarse.

"What I'm best at is using my own money to cut off other people's paths!"

He slapped down with his palm.

The Book of Fate exploded with a burst of gray light, covering the entire sacrificial altar. All the names on it lit up simultaneously, and the life force that had been drained from the tower seemed to be pulled back from mid-air. The withered grass and trees stopped growing first, and those in the city who still had a breath left finally began to breathe again.

Enraged, the projection of the Corpse God reached out to grab Zhou Yang.

Qin Shuang drew her sword and charged forward.

She left no way out with that one strike.

The blade slashed into the palm, and the person was thrown backward by the shock. After landing, they braced themselves on one knee, but the blade remained firmly in place.

Taking advantage of this brief moment of respite, Zhou Yang poured the last bit of his lifespan into his heart core.

The core exploded brightly.

It's not black and red.

It is pure white.

Like the last breath left by the Corpse King, it has only truly awakened today.

The white light shot skyward from the sacrificial plate, piercing through the crack at the top of the tower and penetrating deep into the earth. The gateway between the upper and lower realms was severed in that instant. The black disc cracked first, then shattered. The projection of the Corpse God began to crumble from its fingertips, and a mournful roar echoed from the gray mist, engulfing the cult leader along with it in the white light.

The cult leader kept his head up until the very end, as if he didn't believe the thing he had worshipped his whole life, and didn't even glance at him.

The next moment, he turned to ashes.

The tower began to collapse.

Zhou Yang's vision blurred, and he swayed. Qin Shuang rushed over and caught him, her voice even steadyer than usual.

"Can you still walk?"

Zhou Yang closed his eyes and touched his neck first.

It's still warm.

He looked down at the Book of Fate again.

The booklet is gone.

There was only a faint mark left on my palm, like an old wound.

The system's light screen also fell silent, leaving only one line of text.

The rules have been broken; lifespan is determined by oneself.

Zhou Yang paused for a moment, then burst out laughing, coughing as he laughed.

"It's done."

"This time it really worked."

Qin Shuang didn't ask anything else, and helped him walk out.

The black tower crumbled, rubble splattering on both sides, dust covering them completely. By the time the two rushed out of the tower gate, it was already dawn. The City of Beasts was a scene of utter devastation; survivors lay sprawled, as if just pulled from the water. Some looked up and saw the black tower collapse, stunned for a long time before seeming to remember they were still alive.

The wind blew across the ruins.

It has a grayish odor and a grassy smell.

After Zhou Yang regained his footing, he looked at Qin Shuang first.

"Lord Baihu."

"How will we divide it this time?"

Qin Shuang raised her hand and wiped a streak of ash from his face, the knife still in her other hand.

"The Black Tower turned to ashes."

"Our survival is up to us."

She paused, and finally her lips relaxed a little.

"Fifty-five."

Zhou Yang nodded.

"OK."

"From now on, we'll collect debts together, earn money together, and live together."

Qin Shuang looked at him without saying a word, but took his blood-stained hand and pulled him towards the city gate.

The black tower behind them collapsed completely.

The sunlight was just right ahead.

Chapter 752 The Royal Family Has Arrived, Perfect Time to Calculate Everything Together

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There was a moment of silence outside the city after the Black Tower collapsed.

It was as if everyone was holding their breath.

The next instant, three beams of light split open in the sky.

One streak of gold, one streak of green, and one streak of black.

An old man emerged from the golden light, wearing a white cloak from the Imperial Ancestral Hall over his python robe, leaning on a dragon-headed cane. The man in the blue light was the Governor-General of the Censorate, whom Zhou Yang recognized; he had seen his seal on documents from Anyang years ago. The man in the black light was the slowest, as if deliberately putting on airs. When the black mist dissipated, a tall, thin old man was revealed, with a white face, no beard, and a neatly arranged hat and belt, standing on a jade seal.

Qin Shuang's hand tightened slightly.

Zhou Yang turned his head to look at her.

She stared at the tall, thin old man, her voice very low.

"Prince Ning".

"The person in charge of raiding the Qin family's property back then."

The moment the name was mentioned, even the wind seemed to cool down.

Prince Ning first looked at the ruins of the Black Tower, then at the Book of Fate in Zhou Yang's hand, and finally shifted his gaze to Qin Shuang's face. He stared at her for a few moments, then chuckled.

"There was one left."

"The Qin family certainly has backbone."

Qin Shuang didn't reply; she had already raised her knife.

The commotion also started on all sides of the city.

The people who had surrounded the Black Tower hadn't dispersed, nor had the remnants of the Heavenly Principle Sect retreated. The sect leader, with a severed arm but not quite dead, slowly emerged from the other side of the ruins, draped in a blood-soaked black robe. The several protectors following behind him were all wounded, but their eyes shone with a frightening light.

The Book of Fate, the Heavenly Gate, and the Core of the Corpse Emperor.

With these things right in front of them, nobody wants to go empty-handed.

The Inspector General glanced at the cult leader.

The cult leader also looked at him.

They only exchanged one glance, and that was enough.

The old man in the offering hall spoke calmly.

"Clear the area first."

"We'll divide the stuff later."

Zhou Yang was amused.

"You old fogies, you don't even bother to hide your share when you're distributing my things?"

Prince Ning looked down at him as if he were looking at a worm that had jumped a little higher.

"For a nobody to have come this far thanks to the Black Tower is already an incredible stroke of luck."

"Hand over the Book of Fate."

"I will leave you with a whole corpse."

Zhou Yang spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground.

"At your age, you're still so stubborn."

"Was it from using human lives to refine elixirs when you were young?"

The smile on Prince Ning's face gradually faded.

"The Qin family investigated too deeply."

Damn it.

"That year, the border regions were short of food, the court was short of silver, and even the imperial family lacked longevity pills. With a few hundred people, the change of dynasty stabilized the situation for three years, which was well worth it."

He spoke these words lightly, as if he were recounting an old grievance.

Zhou Yang didn't say anything.

Qin Shuang took a step forward.

She walked slowly, her shoes crunching over the gravel with a sound like the pounding of a coffin lid.

"Where's my dad?"

Prince Ning looked at her.

"Even as he was being led to the furnace of death, he was still cursing me."

"Keep your mother quiet. She didn't utter a sound when they were cutting her bones."

No sooner had she said that than Qin Shuang moved.

Her blade moved so fast that it sliced ​​through the air in front of her, leaving a white mark. Prince Ning raised his hand, and the jade seal crashed down. The blade and the seal collided, the shockwave sending most of the surrounding crumbling walls flying.

The elder of the temple and the governor of the censorate also took action at the same time.

One of them is Zhou Yang.

One of them stopped Qin Shuang.

The cult leader's side was even more direct; all the remaining protectors rushed forward, forming a dense, dark mass.

Zhou Yang flipped through the Book of Fate in his hand, and before striking anyone, he tossed it into the air.

"You want both, right?"

"Let the whole city see what kind of people you are."

The Book of Fate was flipped open with a clatter.

There aren't many pages, but each page feels alive.

The next instant, a huge gray curtain appeared in mid-air.

The words don't appear on the screen first; it's the people who appear first.

It was a fire at the Qin family's old residence.

It's rows of people locked up in the dungeon.

Several members of the imperial clan sat behind a screen, staring at the churning blood in the alchemy furnace.

Then, the words appeared line by line.

List of members of the Qin family who were exterminated.

Details of blood sacrifice alchemy.

Order to purge the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The censorship approval document from the Supervision Department.

There is also the Prince of Ning's private seal, the handwritten letter of the Superintendent of the Censorate, and the bloody fingerprint pressed by the former chief officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard when he received the order.

The entire City of Beasts exploded instantly.

On the city walls, in the restaurants, at the alley entrances, and even among the scattered cultivators outside the city who hadn't yet left, everyone looked up.

Some people didn't understand it at first.

Those who understood immediately cursed out loud.

"Isn't this the Qingzhou disappearance case from seventeen years ago?"

"My brother is on the list!"

"The Censorate claimed it was the work of bandits!"

"Bullshit! That's the royal family using people to make elixirs!"

Chaos has also broken out on the Tianli Sect side.

It's not surprising that they do evil deeds, but when the royal family joins in, things take a turn for the worse. The outer sect elders, who had initially been waving the banner of righteousness, turned pale. Many wavering factions in the city, who had initially planned to side with whichever side won, now all backed down.

Once you peel away the veneer of morality, all that's underneath is rotten flesh.

The governor of the Inspectorate was ashen-faced and raised his hand to smash the projection.

Zhou Yang was already waiting for him.

He charged forward, unleashing his full Corpse Emperor Battle Body. His chest core trembled, and his fist, enveloped in black and red energy, slammed directly into the governor's wrist.

A snap.

The governor's half-arm was twisted into a grotesque angle.

Before he could get away, Zhou Yang kicked him in the chest again.

"You were the one who issued the arrest warrants for me and Qin Shuang."

"Those brothers in Anyang, you were the one who had them cleared out."

"I'll take you in today."

On the other side, Qin Shuang's sword strikes became increasingly fierce.

The Ning Prince's jade seal could suppress mountains and rivers, but she used a single breath to cleave it, leaving it covered in cracks. The old man in the offering hall tried to save her from the side, but she turned her blade and slashed back, forcing him to retreat three zhang.

This was the first time she had called out someone's name in front of so many people.

"Prince Ning".

"The Superintendent of the Censorate."

"Han Zhao, Left Garrison Commander."

"The Qin family's blood debts will start with the three of you."

On the east side of the ruins, Han Zhao, the former commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had been hiding and not coming out, suddenly lost all color in his face.

He had hoped to take advantage of the chaos, but the register of fate revealed his name. A group of his former subordinates, who had once been under his command, all turned their attention to him. Some, their eyes red with rage, drew their knives and charged.

"Han Zhao, you used my master to fill the furnace of death!"

"You said he was promoted and transferred out!"

"You bastard, I'll fight you to the death!"

The scene was completely chaotic.

Royal offerings are meant to maintain order and prestige.

The Inspection Department wants to silence them.

Seeing that things were not going well, the protectors of the Heavenly Principle Sect turned around and tried to slip away.

People from both inside and outside the City of Ten Thousand Beasts surged forward. Some came for family, some for old debts, and some simply wanted to deliver the final blow as these high and mighty beings had finally fallen.

Zhou Yang likes this situation the most.

When the water is muddy, the fish can't turn over.

He grabbed the governor by the neck and slammed him against the broken wall.

The governor still wanted to activate the magic seal, but Zhou Yang's scroll of destiny severed his connection with the remnants of the Black Tower formation. The next moment, Zhou Yang drew his long sword and slashed diagonally down on his shoulder.

The knife was stuck in the bone.

Zhou Yang kicked him again, and the governor knelt down halfway.

"Back then, when the Qin family sought help, you withheld the documents."

"Later, when Qin Shuang returned to the capital to report on her duties, you issued another death order."

"You're not very capable, but you're quite good at harming people."

After he finished speaking, he drew his sword and slashed again.

When the governor's head rolled out, a trail of blood was left on the ground.

The outcome for Qin Shuang has also been decided.

The jade seal of Prince Ning eventually cracked.

As he retreated, his sleeve was shredded by the blade's energy, revealing a withered wrist. Several thin red threads were wrapped around that wrist, the other end of each thread connected to his heart. Zhou Yang glanced at it and understood immediately.

This old dog has lived so long not for health, but by taking human lives to prolong his life.

Qin Shuang obviously saw it too.

Without asking, she simply severed it with a single cut.

As soon as the red thread broke, the skin on Prince Ning's face seemed to dry out in the sun, instantly sagging away. He finally couldn't hold on any longer, spitting out a mouthful of black blood, and staggered backward.

The old man in the offering hall rushed to save her.

Zhou Yang thrust his sword in, laughing until he was slightly out of breath.

"Old man, don't be in such a hurry."

"Die in line."

The cult leader had originally intended to seize the Book of Life amidst the chaos, but seeing the royal side collapse first, his eyes flashed, and he turned to leave. He had only taken two steps when an old spear flew out from the crowd, pinning him directly to the broken monument.

It was Chen Laoliu who fired the gun.

He followed Fang Tian in his early years, and later joined Zhou Yang.

He was carrying a gourd of wine, his face covered in ash.

"Master."

"You owe the sect leader that life, and I'll take it for him."

This was like the last straw.

The remnants of the Heavenly Principle Sect have dispersed.

The old man in the offering hall had lost all will to fight and tried to escape. Zhou Yang closed the Book of Fate, and the remaining power of the Heavenly Gate from the Black Tower pressed down, slamming him back to the ground. Immediately afterward, Qin Shuang pierced his throat with a single stroke, leaving him no last words.

Prince Ning lay on the ground, but was not yet dead.

He looked at Qin Shuang, his lips twitching, as if he still wanted to put on airs as a member of the royal family.

"To kill me... is treason..."

Qin Shuang thrust the tip of her knife forward, piercing his throat.

"The Qin family rebelled long ago."

"It's been the opposite since the day you walked in."

She pulled the knife out steadily, blood flowing down the scabbard and onto her shoes. She stood there for a moment before slowly exhaling. It was as if a stone that had been weighing on her chest for years had finally been lifted a little.

Zhou Yang walked over and took the Book of Fate back into his hand.

The gray curtain still hung in the sky.

A large number of people in the city were kneeling and cursing. Some were crying, and others were rushing towards the old yamen of the Censorate like madmen. The old subordinates began to surround Han Zhao, and not long after, a scream came from there as well.

The accounts are almost settled here.

Zhou Yang slammed the knife into the ground and turned to look at Qin Shuang.

"Lord Baihu."

"Your family's old debt has been settled."

Qin Shuang looked at the corpses scattered on the ground, and then at the still-unstable black and red light on his chest.

"And you."

"Can it still hold on?"

Zhou Yang grinned.

"We have to hold on, even if we can't."

"There are also follow-up accounts."

He raised his hand and tossed the Book of Fate into the air once more.

As the pages were turned to the last, the Black Tower's remaining power coalesced, the Heavenly Gate closed, and the chaotic formations within the city simultaneously ceased. Those who had still hoped to exploit the situation lost their courage. The wind above Beast City also gradually died down.

The sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

It wasn't warm, but the light on people was still more pleasant than the gloomy atmosphere from before.

Zhou Yang reached out and grasped Qin Shuang's wrist.

"Let's go."

"Go back and sort out the rest of the list one by one."

"Grab the living, dig up the dead."

Qin Shuang glanced at him and then grabbed his hand with her own.

"OK."

She paused, then added.

"Fifty-five."

Zhou Yang was taken aback, then burst out laughing.

"At a time like this, you're still thinking about splitting the money."

Qin Shuang sheathed her sword and dragged him forward.

"nonsense."

"There's a long road ahead."

"Money needs to be carefully calculated."

Chapter 753 One Cut, Three Accounts: Collecting Interest First

Thirty miles outside the imperial city, the blood sacrifice camp was still lit up.

The night hadn't completely ended; the braziers were arranged in circles, illuminating the central sacrificial plaque with a reddish glow. Nine black pillars were nailed to the plaque, their shafts bound with locks, the locks connecting to the cracked shadow of a door in the sky. The shadow wasn't large, yet it constantly dripped ash, as if something was trying to squeeze towards this side from the other end.

Zhou Yang recognized him at a glance.

That's a forbidden artifact of the royal family, the Heaven-Locking Disc.

Back then, the entire Qin family risked their lives for this thing.

"Everyone's here." Zhou Yang held the knife across his shoulder and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. "It saves me the trouble of searching for them one by one."

Before the sacrificial altar, the governor of the Inspectorate, clad in a purple robe, slowly turned around, holding a bronze wheel in his hand. The wheel was engraved with secret characters and emitted a dark light, completely encasing the sacrificial altar.

"Zhou Yang." The governor stared at him, his voice hard, "You really think you've won?"

Zhou Yang didn't answer, but first glanced around.

On the left are the former members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The old chief officer in charge is wearing a robe with python patterns. His face is still the same old face, but his eyes are unfocused, like he hasn't quite figured out how to turn the beads on an abacus.

The old prince is standing on the right.

The old man, draped in a golden fox fur coat, had a face so loose it could barely hold up his flesh, yet he stood the most steadily. The jade box beside him was still open, inside which lay a blood pill, its redness glaringly obvious.

Qin Shuang took a half step forward, sword in hand.

"Which one to kill first?"

Zhou Yang smiled.

"One cut, three accounts."

"Whoever is in a hurry will die first."

The governor made his move before he could finish speaking.

With a flip of the bronze wheel, the nine black pillars on the sacrificial plate resonated simultaneously, and a dark light pressed down on the center, sealing off the ground beneath Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang's feet. Lock patterns emerged from the ground, binding their legs, their knives, and even the life force within them.

The governor raised his hand and pressed down, causing the veins on his forehead to bulge.

"With the Heaven-Locking Disc here, your evil tricks won't work today."

Zhou Yang glanced down at the shackles wrapped around his ankle and grinned.

"You really have no manners when taking other people's things."

He didn't try to force it.

The next instant, he thrust the knife forward.

The knife is not sharp.

Like chopping wood casually.

The governor was taken aback at first, then his expression changed drastically. The life flame in his chest flickered, as if half of it had been wiped away from him. Before he could activate the bronze wheel, Zhou Yang had already taken his second step onto the edge of the sacrificial plate, pressing his entire body against it.

Severing lifespan.

This strike didn't cut into the flesh; it went straight for the life-giving fire.

The governor's eyes lost their light, his hair turned white in large patches, his hands became wrinkled, and even the five fingers gripping the bronze wheel trembled.

"you……"

Zhou Yang grabbed his wrist with one hand and snatched the bronze wheel with the other.

"Let me borrow it."

The governor wanted to retreat, but he was already stuck. With his life force destroyed, his cultivation was like a leaky water tank, water pouring out. Zhou Yang swung his blade upwards, piercing the man through.

Blood was spilled on the edge of the sacrificial plate, and steam rose slightly.

Zhou Yang hooked the body with his foot, and it rolled off the stage.

"First payment received."

The Heaven-Locking Disc trembled in his hands. Restricted artifacts recognizing their masters was troublesome, so Zhou Yang didn't bother with that and directly pressed the Book of Fate onto it. With a flip of the Book of Fate, the dark light on the disc immediately shifted direction, no longer binding him, but instead turning to entangle the shadowy gate in the sky.

The cracked door sank down, and the gray rain stopped.

The old official finally spoke, his voice still carrying that bureaucratic tone.

"Zhou Yang, why go to such lengths? You are, after all, a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and many things you did back then were orders from above. The old case of Commander Chen has long been closed. If you are willing to back down today, I will protect you—"

"You'll bail me out?"

Zhou Yang turned his face to look at him, as if he had heard a joke.

The old official subtly tucked his fingertips into his sleeve, seemingly still trying to maintain his airs.

"Rules cannot be broken. Nor can the imperial court—"

"You're telling me the rules."

Zhou Yang pulled the old booklet out of his pocket and threw it on the ground.

The booklet was opened, and inside was a page of confession, with the bloody handprint still visible.

"Commander Chen colluded with the Censorate to frame the Qin family for treason. You approved the transfer order."

"The escort roster was stamped with your seal."

"You were the one who transferred the patrol officers from the south city the night Fang Tian was killed."

The old official's face twitched, and he finally stopped talking.

Some of the former Imperial Guards around bowed their heads, some retreated, and some secretly reached for their knives.

Zhou Yang didn't give them a chance.

"You used us as a weapon back then, and now you're using the rules as a shield. Too bad, that won't be tested today."

He stepped forward, and the old officer suddenly drew his sword.

The knife had barely extended half an inch when Zhou Yang was already upon him.

One slash, and it's across.

The head flew up, but the official's hat was still neatly placed on it. It rolled twice when it landed and stopped next to the confession.

Several former subordinates knelt down on the spot.

Zhou Yang didn't even glance at it.

"The second stroke also leveled off."

Now, only the old prince remained in the room.

The old man stared at the two corpses on the ground without moving his eyelids, and slowly picked up the blood pill from the jade box.

"Young man, being too quick with your hands isn't necessarily a good thing."

He put the blood pill into his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbed, and suddenly a muffled sound came from his body. It wasn't a cracking of bones, but more like something new had been stuffed into his skin. The golden fox fur coat burst open, and streaks of blood surfaced from beneath the old skin, crawling from his heart all the way up to his neck, and then covering half of his face.

The breath rose higher and higher.

The stone bricks around the offering plate were cracked one by one.

Qin Shuang had already drawn her sword and walked out.

Zhou Yang reached out to stop her, but then lowered his hand again.

"Can it work?"

Qin Shuang did not turn around.

"I'll settle the Qin family's scores myself."

The old prince raised his eyes, the whites of his eyes were stained red, but his voice was still steady.

"Your father didn't know what was good for him back then. It's a blessing for the Qin family to serve the royal family."

Qin Shuang didn't stop walking.

"I know."

"That's why I'm not being reasonable today."

She drew her sword.

The first strike is aimed at the throat.

The old prince raised his arm to block, and the sacrificial patterns in his sleeve lit up, actually deflecting the sword. He then took a step closer, his five fingers like hooks, aiming straight for Qin Shuang's heart. That hand no longer resembled a human hand; beneath its thin, dry skin, veins bulged, and each grab brought a sharp whistling sound.

Qin Shuang spun around to avoid it, but still got a cut on her shoulder.

As soon as blood appeared, a hint of lust immediately appeared in the old prince's eyes.

"The Qin family bloodline is still there after all."

Zhou Yang moved his feet.

Qin Shuang raised her hand to signal him not to interrupt.

The next moment, she flicked her longsword, and the blade suddenly turned heavy. She skimmed across the edge of the sacrificial plate, using the lock pattern that Zhou Yang had just pressed down on, and cut straight at the old prince's lower body.

The old prince stomped his foot, causing the sacrificial patterns to explode, forcing her to pause slightly.

This is the meal I've been waiting for.

The old prince unleashed both palms simultaneously, his blood and qi pressing down.

Qin Shuang didn't back down; instead, she went to meet her.

She took a hard blow to her right shoulder, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. But in that instant, the sword in her hand slashed upwards, piercing through the gap in her palm, first breaking through her protective blood aura, then penetrating three inches into her lower abdomen.

It made a soft, muffled "poof" sound.

The old prince looked down and saw the tip of the sword protruding from his lower back.

Qin Shuang spoke, word by word.

"This sword strike will wipe out the entire Qin family."

With a flick of her wrist, the sword's edge twisted within his dantian.

The power of the Blood Pill was immediately released.

The sacrificial patterns covering his entire body suddenly darkened, as if they had been pinched off.

The old prince staggered two steps, trying to raise his hand, but Qin Shuang had already drawn her sword and advanced again, the second strike landing on the old mark on his heart. That was the main pattern on the sacrificial plate, the origin of the death pact that the Qin family was forced to imprint years ago.

The tip of the sword was pushed forward.

The main tattoo is broken.

The old prince seemed to collapse, blood foam kept coming out of his mouth, and he finally showed some real fear.

"You can't kill me..." He stared at Qin Shuang, then looked at Zhou Yang. "The emperor is already formed. He's only one step away from being reborn through a celestial corpse. It's too late for you to act now. Once the new body is complete, the one in the imperial city will no longer be an ordinary person..."

Zhou Yang narrowed his eyes.

"Who forged the new body?"

The old prince laughed until his mouth was covered in blood.

"Haven't you seen it? The immortal corpse in the Black Tower is just a shell. The true soul needs to be nourished by royal blood sacrifices. The Qin family, the Surveillance Bureau, and the Heavenly Principle Sect are all just kindling. Even this Heaven-Locking Disc is used to suppress his soul and fix his form."

As he spoke, his breathing became intermittent, but he still forced himself to keep going.

"The celestial messengers are also waiting in the palace. Go ahead, you still have time... you might even see the emperor open his eyes."

Upon hearing this, Qin Shuang raised her hand and with a single stroke of her sword, severed his neck.

The head didn't fly too far before it hit the edge of the sacrificial plate and stopped.

She stood there, breathing heavily, blood dripping from the tip of her sword. Zhou Yang walked over, helped her up, and casually pulled a black leather ledger from the old prince's arms.

The Qin family's old name was written on the inside of the cover.

Qin Shuang took it, her fingertips lingered on the edge of the seal, and she flipped through two pages. Her eyes weren't red, but her hands were pressed very tightly.

Inside were lists, dates, who received the money, who gave the order, and who divided the Qin family's bloodline and shops.

They're all there.

This line has now come to a complete end.

Zhou Yang stared at her for a while, then coughed.

"This one is yours."

"What about the others, are they still on a 50/50 basis?"

Qin Shuang put the account book into her bosom, looked up at him, and finally her lips twitched slightly.

"You've already taken the forbidden artifact, and you're still trying to argue with me about this."

Zhou Yang looked down at the Locking Heaven Disc in his hand and genuinely felt that this deal was worthwhile.

"Fine, I'll take the loss."

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and pressed the bronze wheel into the center of the sacrificial plate. The Book of Fate turned a page, and the Corpse Emperor's core trembled. Black and red energy climbed up the nine black pillars, and the lock patterns originally used for blood sacrifice were forcibly changed by him.

The Heavenly Locking Disc no longer draws life downwards, but turns upwards to lock the door.

The crack in the sky closed inch by inch.

A muffled thud came from the crack in the door, as if something had hit nothing.

The wind stopped.

The blood-red light on the sacrificial plate gradually dimmed.

Zhou Yang sheathed his sword, let out a long breath, and his face turned deathly pale. Qin Shuang pulled him closer to her to prevent him from collapsing on the spot.

"Can you still walk?"

Zhou Yang pressed half of his body onto her shoulder, but he remained stubborn.

"able."

"The emperor and the celestial envoy still owe a large sum."

Qin Shuang hummed in agreement and helped him walk out.

By the time we reached the camp gate, the sky was already turning white. In the distance, the imperial city was shrouded in morning mist, its towers appearing cold and hard, like a bone that hadn't been swallowed.

Zhou Yang watched for a while, then suddenly turned his head to the side.

"Does 50/50 still count?"

Qin Shuang did not let go.

"Calculate."

"Come back alive, then we'll divide it up slowly."

The two walked towards the imperial city, stepping on the ashes of the dying braziers.

Chapter 754 Dragon Spine Patches the Sky, Divine Weapons Return to One

The crack in the sky above the imperial city has not yet closed.

It's like someone has slashed open the sky with a knife.

A grayish-white current pressed down, causing layers of bricks on the city wall to peel off, and the bronze bells on the palace eaves to clang erratically, their noise irritating. Zhou Yang looked up, his throat filled with the taste of blood, and the Corpse Emperor's core in his chest was still pounding; with each pound, his vision would go black for a moment.

The cult leader stood at the highest point of the sacrificial altar, where half of his severed arm had already grown back, covered with a layer of golden skin. The great formation beneath his feet was no longer just connected to the imperial city, but also to the underground morgue, the old path of the River of Souls, and the deathly aura that had dispersed after the collapse of the Black Tower.

This is the moment he's been waiting for.

"The gates of heaven have been opened."

The cult leader stared at Zhou Yang, his smile thin.

"Giving you the Book of Fate saves me a lot of trouble."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a muffled thud was heard from the center of the sacrificial altar.

It looked like something had turned over from the rock layer.

The dragon spine fragment in Zhou Yang's arms first burned, and then, from the four corners of the imperial city, deep underground, and the crack in the Heavenly Gate, three beams of dark blue light flew out simultaneously, heading straight for the core of the sacrificial plate.

The dragon's spine is recognizing its master and returning to its rightful place.

The cult leader reached out and grabbed.

Zhou Yang cursed and lunged forward first.

"You're not worthy to touch my things."

Qin Shuang was half a step faster than him.

She slashed her sword at the cult leader's hand, the blade sending sparks flying, forcefully deflecting his hand. The cult leader's sleeve trembled, and Qin Shuang staggered back three steps, her shoes scraping two long marks on the stone slab, blood immediately appearing at the corner of her mouth.

She didn't turn around, only leaving behind a sentence.

"Go in."

Without wasting any words, Zhou Yang charged headfirst into the center of the sacrificial altar.

Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet gave way to emptiness.

The human figure fell into a deep well.

All around were ancient patterns. Life patterns, corpse patterns, and sacrificial patterns, intertwined layer upon layer. At the very bottom hung a broken piece of spine, no more than three feet long, yet its joints were clearly defined, each inlaid with cracked dark gold patterns. A few remaining fragments were circling around it, like a pack of ravenous wolves.

The Book of Fate opened itself.

The paper rustled loudly.

A line of blood-red characters appeared.

[Completing the dragon's spine requires a lifespan of 3,900 years.]

Zhou Yang's eyelids twitched.

"Why don't you just rob it?"

The system ignored him.

The second line of text immediately followed.

[You can draw from the Sacrifice Array for Life Storage, the Corpse Soldier Legion, and the Aftershocks of the Soul River. Would you like to exchange?]

Zhou Yang grinned.

"That sounds more like human language."

He pressed down on the Book of Fate with one hand and slapped the bottom of the sacrificial plate with the other.

"smoke."

The sound sent a shiver through the entire imperial city.

The crawling corpses outside the city froze instantly, their flesh collapsing rapidly like deflated sacks. The bones buried beneath the Black Tower ruins, the vengeful spirits churning in the old river of souls, and the incense and life force accumulated in the sacrificial array for hundreds of years all poured into the sacrificial plaque.

Zhou Yang felt his palms were first cold and then hot.

The Book of Fate is like a bottomless pit, devouring everything without any restraint.

The cult leader outside finally panicked.

"stop!"

With a single palm strike, a large amount of rubble exploded from the edge of the sacrificial plate.

Qin Shuang drew her sword to block the attack head-on, the impact causing her to bend over, but she still held firm against the line. She took a breath, raised her blade, and cleaved through the layer of golden skin that had just grown on the cult leader's shoulder.

"You're too late."

The cult leader's face was so dark it was almost dripping with water.

He suddenly changed his tactics, no longer pressing Qin Shuang, and reached back to grab the three falling fragments. The moment his hand touched them, the dragon spine fragment trembled violently, and a fierce force exploded from its joints, instantly splitting the sect leader's palm, with blood flowing down his wrist.

For the first time, he showed that look of utter disbelief.

"Has it recognized its master?"

Zhou Yang also heard this sentence from beneath the sacrificial plate.

He looked down at the last line of words on the Book of Fate, which slowly burned to ashes.

[His lifespan is sufficient. He can mend the heavens.]

The characters for "mending the sky" are written in a strange way.

It's not like a killing move, it's like a duty.

Zhou Yang had no time to think; the surrounding fragments simultaneously lunged at the central section of the dragon's spine. *Crack*, the first sound. Like bone meeting bone. Another sound. A third sound. The fragments pieced together, section by section, dark gold patterns gleaming along the seams, the cracks rapidly mending.

With each section, Zhou Yang felt a jolt in his chest.

As the last fragment was inserted into the end, the bottom of the sacrificial plate suddenly shone brightly white.

Zhou Yang subconsciously raised his hand to block.

In the white light, the dragon's spine had changed.

No longer like a dead skeleton.

It resembled a long, narrow, straight blade, or a section of a dragon's spine that had been forcibly pulled out. The back of the blade was made up of raised bone ridges, while the edge was frighteningly thin, with dark gold lines flowing along the rim. It hovered in mid-air, first circling the Book of Fate, and then slowly fell into Zhou Yang's hand.

Zhou Yang gasped when he touched it.

It's too heavy.

It's not just about pressing down on your hand, it's about pressing down on your life.

It's like grasping the spine of a living dragon.

Immediately afterward, something both strange and eerily familiar rushed into his mind. It wasn't a martial arts technique, nor a sword manual; it was a killing move. Just one strike. And its name was simple.

Broken dragon spine.

Zhou Yang closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the bloodshot color had disappeared from his eyes.

The Book of Fate turns another page.

It didn't describe how the murder was committed; it only wrote two lines.

[Dragon Spine True Use, Boundary-Severing Anchor.]

[The true application of the dragon's spine breaks the lock.]

Zhou Yang was taken aback at first, then smiled.

He laughed so hard his throat was full of blood and foam.

"OK."

"So it turns out you weren't meant to be used to chop people up."

The cult leader outside was frantically bombarding the sacrificial altar.

Qin Shuang took a blow to her left shoulder, and her entire arm drooped down. She simply switched to holding the knife in one hand, using the surging sacrificial fire to move around, preventing the cult leader from crossing the line.

Zhou Yang, carrying the complete dragon spine, stepped out from the core of the sacrificial plate.

The moment his foot landed, the entire stadium fell silent.

The cult leader stared at the knife in his hand, his breathing becoming heavy.

"Give me."

Zhou Yang raised his knife slightly.

"Does it respond when you call it?"

Without another word, the cult leader blurred into a streak of golden ash and charged forward. He was truly going all out this time, pouring his physical body, incense offerings, and corpse energy into this single attack. Half of the crumbling walls of the imperial city trembled in his wake.

Zhou Yang did not dodge.

He simply opened the Book of Fate, lifted the dragon's spine, and gently swiped it forward.

It's not the leader of the Chong Cult.

It is a gray line invisible to ordinary people, located below the crack in the sky.

The thread connected to the Heavenly Gate, with the other end embedded deep within the sacrificial altar and also within the body of the cult leader.

This is the boundary anchor.

The dragon's spine fell, and the gray line broke silently.

The gate paused for a moment, then shrank sharply.

The edges of the tear curled wildly, like a piece of paper burned by fire. The cult leader froze in mid-air, then a burst of blood erupted from his chest, as if some reliance had been snatched away with a single blow. He staggered to the ground, the golden skin on his face cracking inch by inch, revealing the withered, blackened old flesh beneath.

"impossible……"

He stared intently at Zhou Yang.

"That's a lock left behind by the upper realm, what right do you have...?"

Zhou Yang walked over, his voice not loud.

"Because my life is short."

"And it's all thanks to you bastards who have saved up so much capital for me over the years."

The cult leader still wanted to pounce.

Qin Shuang has arrived.

Her knife sliced ​​into the cult leader's neck from the side, suffocating him. Zhou Yang casually handed him the Dragon Spine Blade, its blade piercing through his chest from the front. The two of them, one in front and one behind, pinned the cult leader who had tormented the entire book to the sacrificial altar.

Blood was gushing from the cult leader's mouth.

He looked at Zhou Yang, then glanced at the Book of Fate, as if he had figured something out, and squeezed out a half-smile.

"So... you were the one that the booklet was waiting for."

Zhou Yang drew his sword.

"You found out too late."

The cult leader slumped to the side and became completely still.

The Heavenly Gate has lost its anchor and is collapsing.

The opening above slowly closed, and the leaking ash quickly dissipated. The evil spirits in the imperial city that weren't quite dead yet collapsed into ashes one by one. The fire on the distant palace wall finally died down with the wind.

Zhou Yang stood for a while, then his legs went weak and he almost knelt down.

Qin Shuang reached out and helped him.

"Still holding on?"

Zhou Yang shoved the dragon's spine into the ground to steady himself.

"We can hold on."

After he finished speaking, he looked down at the Book of Fate.

The last few pages of the Book of Fate were completely blank.

The system's small print slowly appeared.

[The Heavenly Gate has been severed. The host's lifespan has been restored.]

[Balance: 127 years.]

After reading it, Zhou Yang let out a long sigh of relief.

After fighting until today, at least I haven't really lost everything.

Qin Shuang also caught a glimpse of it, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

"good."

"That's enough for you to keep haggling."

Zhou Yang turned his head to look at her.

"Commander Qin, how should we settle this time?"

Qin Shuang sheathed her knife and wiped the dried blood off his face.

"Fifty-five."

"Our fates are in our hands."

"The money is yours and mine too."

She paused, then added another sentence.

"There's no need to run away anymore."

Zhou Yang looked at her and suddenly smiled.

The dark clouds on the horizon were dispersing, and the morning light peeked through the gaps, illuminating the half-collapsed sacrificial plate and the newly repaired dragon spine sword in his hand. A dark gold hue flowed around the blade, then quickly subsided, leaving it as still as if asleep.

Zhou Yang closed the Book of Fate and tucked it back into his bosom.

He then handed his other hand to Qin Shuang.

"Let's go."

"First, go and confiscate the emperor's assets."

"Let's find another place and divide it up slowly."

Qin Shuang glanced at him, but still placed her hand on it.

"OK."

The two walked towards the palace gate, stepping on the pebbles scattered on the ground.

The Heavenly Gate behind him completely closed, leaving only a clean expanse of sky.

Chapter 755 The Cult Leader's Final Value

The square outside the palace gates is completely dilapidated.

The white jade bricks cracked into pieces, the seams filled with black blood. In the distance, a section of the palace wall had collapsed, revealing the gray sky behind it. The wind rushed in through the gap, causing the ashes of paper on the ground to swirl.

Zhou Yang carried the repaired dragon spine and walked slowly.

He had many wounds, but his steps were steady. With each step, the dark gold patterns on the blade shone brighter, as if he were finding his way.

Ahead, the emperor's body had already shriveled up.

The cult leader stood behind the corpse, half his face hidden in shadow, black smoke still rising from his severed arm. He watched Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang without moving. Only when the two approached within ten paces did he chuckle softly.

"It's really gotten to this point."

Zhou Yang didn't reply, only glanced at him.

The Book of Fate was burning hot in my arms.

The system panel is also jumping.

[Suitable for observing longevity.]

Zhou Yang narrowed his eyes.

Suddenly, the cult leader raised his foot and crushed the remaining bone in the emperor's chest.

"You think you can defeat me by killing a few useless people and finishing off a broken sword?"

As he said this, his voice suddenly changed.

It sounded like several people were squeezing out of one person's mouth.

The old, the mute, the shrill—all mixed together, making one's scalp tingle.

Qin Shuang held her sword horizontally in front of her and took a half step to the left, blocking Zhou Yang's chest.

The cult leader looked at her with the same gaze he would give an old object.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Imperial Family, the Corpse Emperor's lineage, and the Heavenly Principle Sect."

"For hundreds of years, they've been taking turns being the dealer."

"I am nothing more than a bowl on the table; whoever is hungry can use it to scoop up blood."

He raised his hand and pressed it against his forehead.

The skin and flesh split open inch by inch.

It's not a wound.

Like a crack in a wax shell.

There was no blood in the crack, only a layer of dark gold. Further inside, there were other faces. Men and women, old and young, huddled under that layer of skin, like a nest of people who hadn't quite died.

Zhou Yang watched for a while, then cursed.

"I knew you smelled like an old dog."

The cult leader smiled.

"You want to know who I am?"

"I am the first leader, the seventh leader, and the nineteenth leader."

"The leaders of the Heavenly Principle Sect have all shared the same body."

"The original body has long since rotted away. What remains is merely a shell nurtured by the will of the Corpse God."

"Whoever sits inside becomes the cult leader."

"Whoever is weak will be eaten."

As he spoke, his chest suddenly bulged, and a series of cracking sounds came from the ruins behind him.

The remains and spirits of the priests, Dharma Kings, and Dharma Protectors who had died in the Black Tower and the Imperial City were pulled back as if by a rope. Black energy swirled in from all directions and clung to his body.

layer.

Two layers.

Three floors.

His body grew taller and taller, his skin tearing and healing repeatedly. Four human faces sprouted from his shoulders, a dozen hands were embedded in his waist and abdomen, and a fleshy tumor arched up his back, with half a sacrificial flag stuck in it.

When that thing stood firm, it was already taller than the palace gate.

The entire square suddenly went dark.

Qin Shuang spat out a mouthful of blood, but her hand on the knife became even more steady.

"A thousand sacrifices to the corpses."

The cult leader's head, hidden in his chest, grinned.

"This is the last gift I'm leaving for you."

Zhou Yang looked at him but didn't rush to go up.

As soon as the longevity gate was opened, the scene before my eyes immediately changed.

The massive corpse was surrounded by layers of deathly aura, but inside it wasn't a single, unified mass. It was made up of fragments of life-giving embers, varying in color and length. It looked as if someone had twisted hundreds of nearly extinguished lamp wicks into a bundle and then forcibly glued them together with blood.

Beside each fragment of life-giving fire hung a shard of shadow.

A village caught fire.

Children were dragged into the altar.

An official boat sank in the river.

The entire city closed its gates at night, and not a single living person came out.

Zhou Yang's brows twitched as he watched.

It turns out that every time this old man had his life extended over the years, it was preceded by a bloody incident.

The cult leader raised his foot and pressed down, causing the ground to shake violently.

"die."

Qin Shuang made the first move.

She didn't fight him head-on; instead, she slashed diagonally, aiming for the side of his knee. The blade left a white trail as it grazed the outermost layer of the corpse, slicing off a large chunk of blackened flesh.

Inside that shell wasn't flesh, but rings of bone.

The bone ring was stuck in her hand with a single cut, causing the corpse of Wanji to pause in its movements.

"Zhou Yang!"

"Did you see that clearly?!"

Zhou Yang grinned.

"I saw it clearly."

"This old dog is covered in tents."

He pushed off with his feet and shot forward.

When the dragon's spine was unsheathed, there was little commotion, only a very short ringing sound. It was like a bone that had been broken for many years, finally being reattached.

The first strike landed on his left rib.

Instead of splitting the corpse shell, it went straight into the connection point of the life fire.

With a click.

One section of the life-giving fire broke off on the spot.

The woman's face on the chest of the Wanji corpse screamed, then went silent. The tall corpse swayed, and its left shoulder quickly caved in.

The cult leader cursed.

"How can you see that!"

Zhou Yang swung his knife again with a backhand motion.

"You have to pay extra to watch it."

The second cut severed the grayish-white life-giving flame on the right side of the abdomen.

A shattered shadow exploded.

A river embankment flashed before Zhou Yang's eyes, with people kneeling below it. A brazier had been burning all night, and the river water was red the next day.

When the life force was extinguished, a large gash appeared in the abdomen of the corpse, and more than a dozen hands drooped down.

The cult leader finally panicked.

The head on his chest suddenly burst out halfway, spewing a mouthful of corpse flames at Zhou Yang. The fire, mixed with human faces, melted the bricks and stones upon contact.

Qin Shuang darted in, using the back of her knife to knock Zhou Yang aside.

She herself was also hit on one shoulder by the corpse flames, and her clothes were immediately scorched.

Zhou Yang started cursing as soon as he landed.

"What are you robbing?"

Qin Shuang's face turned pale, but she didn't lower the knife.

"Fifty-five."

"If you die, who will I get my share of the money from?"

Zhou Yang smiled, and the blood that had been gushing out of his chest finally eased a bit.

Taking advantage of that moment, the cult leader raised his hand and plunged it into his chest, forcefully pulling out a clump of sticky essence and stuffing it into his mouth.

As soon as that essence entered his stomach, he tried to rekindle the few fragments of his life force that had been severed.

Zhou Yang's eyes turned cold, and he directly took out the Book of Fate.

The pages of the book flipped open with a rustling sound.

Life lines crawled out from the ground and wrapped around the cult leader's lower body in circles.

The cult leader looked down and his face contorted in shock.

"Why does the Book of Fate recognize you!"

Zhou Yang approached with his knife raised, his voice flat.

"Because you've supported them your whole lives."

"In the end, I benefited anyway."

He brought down his third knife.

The blade sliced ​​down the neck, cutting from the outer shell all the way to the innermost lifeline. Once the line broke, the entire corpse seemed to deflate; the faces on its shoulders withered away, the Dharma King's spirit turned to black smoke, and the priest's lingering will was dragged away by the Book of Fate.

The cult leader finally couldn't hold on any longer, and his enormous corpse collapsed to his knees.

Another section of the palace wall collapsed.

Dust filled the air.

Zhou Yang didn't stop. He stepped on the gravel and leaped onto the corpse's shoulder, making the fourth, fifth, and sixth cuts, peeling away the flesh all the way down.

Each time a piece of life fire is severed, a layer of shell is removed.

First came the priests.

Then there is the Dharma King.

Then there's the borrowed royal dragon energy.

Finally, even the trace left by the Corpse God in his bones was scraped away bit by bit by the dragon's spine.

The cult leader's body grew smaller and smaller.

From the height of the palace gate, it shrunk to the height of an ordinary person.

Then it shrank back to the shape of a gaunt old man.

He lay in the pit, his chest sunken, his eye sockets deep like two holes. The cult leader's robe he wore was long gone, with only a few blood-stained pieces hanging from it.

He looked at Zhou Yang, his lips trembling.

He cursed Qin Shuang, the royal family, the Corpse Emperor, and finally Fang Tian.

"That good-for-nothing...he wanted to escape too..."

"You're all the same...you're all dogs..."

"The royal family uses me to protect their nation, the Corpse Emperor uses me to nurture his shell, and successive cult leaders have used me as a bridge..."

"I've outlived so many people, why should it be your turn to reap the rewards...?"

Zhou Yang stood at the edge of the pit, looking down at him.

"Because you're lying here now."

"I'm still standing."

The cult leader paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

He laughed until he was covered in blood.

"Fang Tian did not die unjustly."

"He was just like you back then, wanting to flip the bowl off the table."

"But he never understood until his death that no one in this world gets something for nothing."

Zhou Yang's expression didn't change much after listening.

"What you said makes sense."

"It's a pity it's too late."

He raised the Book of Fate.

The book stopped at the last page.

The words that were originally blurry are gradually becoming clearer.

Zhou Yang pressed down on the cult leader's forehead.

"You've planned your whole life."

"Give me more lifespan now."

The fate book was shocked.

The last vestige of life force within the cult leader's body was forcibly extracted from him throughout the entire book. Not just a wisp, but the whole thing. Decades of blood sacrifices, stolen, cheated, and robbed—it all leaked out from his seven orifices.

The cult leader's eyes bulged out, and a sound like a broken bellows came from his throat.

He also tried to grab Zhou Yang's hand.

They stopped halfway up.

His entire body turned into a layer of ash, which scattered along the cracks at the bottom of the pit.

[Lifespan accumulated: 3,726 years.]

[Collect the remaining religious legacy, the mark of the Corpse God, and the obsessions of past religious leaders.]

[The Book of Fate is complete.]

[The host has a long lifespan.]

The system text lit up one by one.

The tight emptiness in Zhou Yang's chest finally eased. He stood there, letting out a long breath, feeling a little uneasy.

Living a long life is finally not just an empty phrase.

Qin Shuang walked over from the other side, the burn on her shoulder still smoking. She looked at the layer of ash in the pit, then at Zhou Yang.

"Is it all cleaned up?"

Zhou Yang closed the Book of Fate and tucked it back into his bosom.

"They even included bone fragments in the bill."

Qin Shuang nodded, seemingly relieved.

Zhou Yang looked down at the injury on her shoulder.

"Can you still walk?"

Qin Shuang sheathed her knife.

"able."

She paused for a moment, then stretched out her hand in front of Zhou Yang.

"How should this be settled?"

Zhou Yang was taken aback at first, then burst out laughing.

He hoisted the dragon's spine onto his shoulder, took her hand in his other hand, and gently pulled her towards him.

"Fifty-five."

"The leader is mine, but the rest of the confiscated property is yours."

Qin Shuang did not pull her hand away.

"OK."

The two walked through the broken bricks into the palace.

The last layer of dark clouds on the horizon dissipated, and the sun peeked out, shining on the half-collapsed palace gate. Uncollected accounts still lay on the ground, and undistributed money still piled up in the treasury; the days ahead were long.

Zhou Yang calculated as he walked.

"Half of the imperial treasury and half of the private treasury."

"I'll take 60% of the remaining dragon vein, and the rest will be used to support the Imperial Guards."

Qin Shuang turned her head to look at him.

"Not 50/50?"

Zhou Yang coughed.

"Even a husband-and-wife business needs someone to manage the accounts."

Qin Shuang paused in her steps.

Zhou Yang also stopped, turned to look at her, and surprisingly didn't make fun of her.

The wind blew through the gap in the palace wall, stirring up some dust that landed at their feet.

Qin Shuang looked at him for a moment, then reached out and brushed the bloodstains off his collar.

"become."

"From now on, I'll manage the accounts, and you'll be in charge of chopping people up."

Zhou Yang was amused.

"Then I won't lose out."

"Have a few more babies later, then someone will take over the ledger."

Qin Shuang's ears burned slightly, and she kicked him lightly.

"Let's confiscate the imperial treasury first."

Zhou Yang took a kick, but laughed even harder, holding her hand tightly.

The palace path was long, and a few new grasses were sprouting from the cracks in the bricks.

The two walked on, not in a hurry.

The main gate of the Golden Palace was wide open, and inside lay the last remaining remnants of the world's old accounts.

Zhou Yang glanced at it, then drew his knife and charged in.

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