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

The darkness felt like some kind of viscous liquid, obscuring my mouth and nose.

come down.

An endless fall.

Zhou Yang felt like a stone thrown into an abyss, surrounded by crushing forces that ripped at his flesh as if trying to pull his bones out of his body. He tried to open his eyes, but all he saw was a chaotic grayness, devoured even the light.

I don't know how much time passed; it might have been a moment, or it might have been a whole day.

A muffled "bang" was heard.

There was no excruciating pain like being smashed to pieces as I had expected. Beneath me was something soft, slippery, and wet, the texture of which was very similar to a swamp that had been rotting for years, or... a mountain of rotting flesh.

Zhou Yang rolled over awkwardly, forcibly propping himself up. A metallic taste rose in his throat, which he swallowed back down.

It's so quiet here.

It was so quiet that even the sound of a heartbeat seemed unusually jarring.

He looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting.

There was no opening above him, only a dark red rock wall, like a closed, gigantic mouth. He was currently standing on a massive circular altar. Around the altar stood nine pitch-black stone pillars, each wrapped with wrist-thick iron chains, the other ends of which were submerged in a pool of black water at the center of the altar.

The black water was still churning, bubbling and bubbling.

With each burst of a bubble, a pungent stench wafts out.

It was the smell of rust, rotting corpses, and some strange spice burning, which penetrated straight into the top of one's head.

"Is this the escape route left by the Imperial Advisor?" Zhou Yang wiped the sticky liquid from his face, his fingers touching the Dragon Spine Sword at his waist. The cool touch cleared his confused mind a little.

This is definitely not a good place.

He stood up, supporting himself on his knees; his legs were still a little weak.

Just then, the pool of black water suddenly began to churn violently.

Whoosh!

A phantom, semi-transparent figure slowly rose from the water. The figure had no feet, its lower body trailed a long trail of black mist, and its upper body was dressed in a tattered robe. Its face was indistinct, with only a pair of eyes that were frighteningly bright, radiating a chilling, eerie green light.

Zhou Yang's breath hitched.

This feeling... it's so familiar.

It was exactly the same as the previous so-called "celestial messenger," only more sinister and more pure.

"Another ant..."

The phantom opened its mouth, its voice like two rusty iron plates rubbing together, so grating it made one's teeth ache: "The physical body... though weak... is an excellent vessel..."

It didn't treat Zhou Yang like a human being.

That was an examination of the food, or the container.

Zhou Yang instinctively gripped the sword hilt, his muscles tensing instantly. But this surge of energy was immediately suppressed by an invisible pressure.

I can't move.

He couldn't even move a finger.

The phantom slowly drifted closer, its eerie green eyes revealing a greedy glint. It stretched out a withered, claw-like hand and slowly reached towards Zhou Yang's brow.

"Soul...sacrifice..."

The sound seemed to have a magical power, drilling into my ears and causing a throbbing pain in my brain.

Zhou Yang watched helplessly as the hand approached.

Am I going to die?

This feeling of not being able to control your own body is fucking disgusting.

"A container?" Zhou Yang bit his tongue, the excruciating pain keeping him conscious to a minimum. "Want to be in charge? You'll have to pay more!"

Deep in my mind, that gray book that had always been quiet suddenly began to flip through the pages frantically.

The system's cold, mechanical voice boomed without any emotion.

[Warning! High-level remnant soul will intrusion detected!]

[High concentration of divine blood and malevolent energy detected!]

[Analysis in progress... Analysis complete!]

[Passive devouring mechanism triggered!]

[Consumes one year of lifespan, activating "Big Eater" mode!]

Big Eater Mode?

What kind of weird name is that?!

Before Zhou Yang could even complain, an indescribable suction force suddenly erupted from his body. His previously lifeless dantian now spun wildly like a bottomless black hole.

The phantom's finger had barely touched the skin between Zhou Yang's eyebrows when, before he could even feel happy, the greedy look on his face froze instantly, turning into extreme terror.

"What...what is this?!"

It tried to pull its hand back.

But it was too late.

A dark gray light suddenly shone from between Zhou Yang's eyebrows.

That wasn't light; it was pure devouring power.

"No—! Impossible! Who are you! You are…"

The phantom let out a piercing scream, its voice filled with fear and disbelief. But its struggles seemed utterly futile in the face of the unreasonable and domineering power within Zhou Yang.

Its body began to collapse.

First, those eerie green eyes, like paint erased by an eraser, quickly dimmed and dissolved. Then, those withered arms transformed into wisps of black smoke, swirling and entering Zhou Yang's nostrils and pores.

"ah--!!!"

The screams echoed through the empty altar, sending chills down one's spine.

Zhou Yang felt like his body was about to explode.

It wasn't a feeling of fullness, but rather a swollen sensation as if my belly was about to burst.

A surge of cold, violent, and bloodthirsty energy rushed into my meridians, like a herd of wild horses rampaging through my body. Wherever it passed, my meridians ruptured inch by inch, only to be forcibly repaired by some mysterious force in the next instant.

pain.

A pain that goes deep into the bone marrow.

Zhou Yang curled up on the ground, his fingers digging into the soft, rotten earth, his nails splitting open, blood and mud mingling together. He tried to scream, but no sound came out; only weak, breathy noises escaped his throat.

This feeling is worse than death.

If it were an ordinary person, they would have died from the pain long ago.

But Zhou Yang was a ruthless man, even more ruthless to himself. He remained silent, transforming all his pain into an obsession.

eat!

Give it to me!

I'll see if you, you damn thing, are more powerful, or if my life is tougher!

I don't know how much time passed.

The excruciating pain gradually subsided, replaced by an unprecedented feeling of comfort.

It was like a long-awaited rain after a drought, a clear spring suddenly flowing into a dried-up riverbed.

The originally broken meridians were not only completely repaired, but also more than twice as wide as before. The energy flowing inside was no longer ordinary true energy, but a kind of profound power with a faint gray hue.

That's malevolent energy.

It is also divine power.

Zhou Yang slowly opened his eyes.

What was once pitch black now became incredibly clear. He could see the dust particles floating in the air, the fine cracks on the stone pillar a dozen meters away, and even... the faint gray lines on his own arm.

He raised his hand.

The skin was still the same skin, but it was unnaturally white, with a faint metallic, cold, and hard texture.

"That's... all?"

Zhou Yang was somewhat dazed.

The system's voice sounded in my mind again, this time with a hint of pleasure in its tremor.

[Devouring the remnant soul of a Heavenly Principle Sect protector (pseudo-immortal status), lifespan increased...]

[System Correction: Lifespan increased by 50 years!]

[Current life expectancy: 51 years, 8 months, and 3 days!]

[A mutation in the host's constitution has been detected!]

[Congratulations, host! You have achieved a special achievement: Second Stage Awakening of the "Half-Corpse" Physique - Asura Battle Body!]

[Asura Battle Body: This physique is formed by the fusion and mutation of divine blood, baleful energy, and corpse poison. It is impervious to all magic and poisons, and its strength, speed, and recovery ability are increased by 300%. Moreover, its combat power doubles in areas with abundant baleful energy!]

51 years!

Asura Battle Body!

Zhou Yang suddenly sprang up from the ground. This jump sent him soaring three or four meters into the air, his head nearly hitting the low dome of the altar.

It landed silently, like a nimble black panther.

He clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.

Such incredible power!

He felt that even without a sword, he could tear those dozen or so men in black in half with just his bare hands. The anxiety that had been constantly calculating how many days he had left to live vanished completely.

A lifespan of over fifty years!

For him right now, this is a huge sum of money, enough for him to squander for a long time.

"This is hardly a desperate situation." Zhou Yang looked down at the pool of black water that had returned to calm, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "This is clearly a buffet restaurant."

He twisted his neck, making a cracking sound.

Although the phantom was eaten, the good stuff in this altar hasn't been completely devoured yet.

Zhou Yang walked to the edge of the altar, squatted down, and reached into the pile of dark silt to search.

Since it's a "big eater" mode, we can't waste food.

A moment later, he pulled a crystal the size of a fingernail from the mud. The crystal was dark red, and it seemed to contain a flickering flame, radiating a chilling heat.

This is the core that remained after the phantom disappeared.

It is also the most precious thing in this altar.

[Divine Blood Crystal Fragment Detected. Absorb?]

"Devour!"

Without any hesitation.

Keeping this thing around is just asking for trouble; it's better to turn it into real lifespan and strength.

[Successfully absorbed. Lifespan increased by 5 years. Cultivation breakthrough!]

boom!

A surge of heat rose from his dantian, instantly breaking through the barrier within his body that had always been difficult to overcome.

Zhou Yang felt as if his body had been thrown into a furnace and reforged. The overwhelming sense of power made him want to roar to the sky.

But he held back.

Showing off at a time like this is likely to invite trouble.

He stood up and exhaled a long breath. The breath condensed in the air into a grayish-white arrow that lingered for a long time.

"The road is open."

Zhou Yang turned around and looked at the corner behind the altar that had been blocked by the phantom.

There is a door there.

To be precise, it was a massive crack. The edges of the crack were jagged, as if it had been violently forced open by something. From the depths of the crack, a faint glimmer of light shone through, and the sound of wind could be heard.

That was the sound of the wind.

It wasn't the eerie wind from this deathly altar, but the wind from the outside world carrying the scent of dust.

Zhou Yang strode over.

As he approached, the crack widened, and a rush of fresh air made his nose, which was already used to the stench, itch slightly.

He stood at the mouth of the crack, looking out.

Outside was a long passageway, at the end of which traces of man-made structures could be vaguely seen. Unidentified luminous moss hung on the walls, illuminating the path ahead.

This is not the way back to Anyang County.

The imperial advisor left this path not so that he could escape, but so that he could go somewhere else.

Zhou Yang narrowed his eyes, his fingers gently stroking the cool hilt of the Dragon Spine Sword.

Beijing?

Or is it the headquarters of the Heavenly Principle Sect?

No matter where.

Zhou Yang touched his chest, where a heart was beating strongly, thump, thump, thump, each beat full of vitality.

He is no longer the Jinyiwei junior officer who had to be constantly cautious and take every step with care.

Fifty years of lifespan, Asura Battle Body.

This deal was worthwhile.

"Since you've given such a generous gift," Zhou Yang said with a bright smile, but his eyes were cold, "then I'll accept it without ceremony."

He straightened his clothes and patted the flying fish robe, which was covered in mud and blood, a little. Although it was still dirty, at least you could see its original appearance.

"The Imperial Preceptor, and the Heavenly Principle Sect..."

Zhou Yang stepped across the crack, his figure disappearing into the shadows of the passageway.

The sound echoed in the empty corridor, carrying undisguised arrogance and murderous intent.

"Put it in the account. We'll collect it later."

The wind in the passageway suddenly picked up, making his clothes flutter loudly.

In the darkness, a cold light flashed, like the fangs of a wild beast.

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

It didn't fall.

It felt like the whole world was spitting it out.

In the instant Zhou Yang lost weight, everything before his eyes distorted. The beams and pillars of the ancient temple, the moonlight, the corpses on the ground—all were stretched, crushed, and turned into chaotic streaks of color. Then, the streaks of color disappeared.

He fell into a void of white mist.

There was no up, down, left, or right here. His body floated, like a speck of dust. Deathly silence surrounded him; he couldn't even hear his own heartbeat. Only a sense of oppression pressed in from all directions, threatening to crush his bones to dust.

Gray mist flowed around him.

Occasionally, a dark red bolt of lightning would flash through the fog.

The thunder was silent. It flashed briefly, like a giant eye opening in the depths of the void, coldly glancing at him.

A chill ran up my spine to the top of my head.

This is not a place for humans.

The moment Zhou Yang had this thought, an indescribable pressure descended upon him. It was as if an invisible mountain was pressing down directly on his soul. His thoughts instantly became sluggish, and his body became unable to move.

That oppressive aura... came from the direction the Imperial Advisor had fled.

No, it's not just the Imperial Advisor.

It's that "celestial messenger".

Even a wisp of remaining willpower would be enough to crush his current broken body.

Zhou Yang felt a stinging pain in his seven orifices, as if he were being pricked by needles.

He tried to twist his neck, but he couldn't see anything. But he could "feel" something.

Countless black tentacles, thinner than a human hair, emerged from the gray mist. Silently, carrying an aura of decaying death, they coiled around his body. Their targets were his ears, nose, mouth, and eyes.

We need to get inside his head.

He abruptly closed his eyes and mouth. But the tentacles were everywhere. A cold, piercing itch came from his nasal cavity and deep into his ear canals.

[Warning! Encountering corruption from a higher-dimensional will!]

The system panel exploded in his mind. It was no longer the familiar pale blue, but a glaring blood red.

[Warning! Mental barrier compromised!]

[Warning! Lifespan loss is accelerating! Current rate: 1 day per breath!]

The red numbers were jumping wildly in front of his eyes, like his heart was bleeding.

He had just accumulated lifespan through killing, and now it was like a tattered sack, leaking out water everywhere.

Every breath you take is one day less.

If this continues, he will turn into a dried-up corpse in less than ten breaths.

Zhou Yang was extremely anxious.

He tried to burn his lifespan, hoping to use the system's power to activate his protective true energy and push back the erosion.

But it didn't work.

The moment he burned his lifespan, those black tentacles, like sharks smelling blood, tightened their grip even more. The lifespan he consumed didn't provide any effective resistance; instead, it became nourishment for those tentacles.

This is not a confrontation, it is a one-sided predation.

Zhou Yang panicked completely.

Am I going to die here today? Be sucked to death by some unknown "shadow"?

He was not reconciled.

In that moment of despair, his gaze inadvertently swept across the scene.

In the void beneath their feet, there seemed to be a faint, indistinct thread.

It was very faint, as if someone had drawn it with extremely light ink in clear water. The thread was made of wisps of pure corpse energy, winding and extending into the depths of the gray mist.

It was left behind by the Imperial Advisor!

The guy ran away, but his corpse left a trail in the mud like a wet dog's tail.

This is the only way.

Zhou Yang was overjoyed and immediately wanted to use his true energy to follow.

But as soon as he struggled, he felt a wave of weakness wash over him.

The battle against the elite of the Heavenly Principle Sect had taken a heavy toll on him. His deduction techniques had exhausted his mental and physical strength. Now, oppressed by the will of the Immortal Envoy and having his lifespan drained, he could barely move a finger.

He watched helplessly as the lifeline lay not far away, yet he couldn't reach it.

This is more torturous than having no road at all.

More black tentacles coiled around him. His skin began to lose sensation, as if he had been given anesthesia. His mind grew heavier and heavier, and his eyelids felt like they were weighed down with iron.

It's all over.

The lifespan number on the system panel has jumped to "1 year and 6 months".

Another breath.

"1 year, 5 months, and 29 days".

Zhou Yang's consciousness began to blur.

Just then, the thickest black tentacle finally found a breakthrough and pierced his forehead!

Excruciating pain!

It felt like a red-hot iron poking in.

But the expected feeling of having one's soul torn apart did not occur.

Instead, he was met with a familiar, nauseating, fishy stench.

The corpse poison in his body.

The corpse poison that lurked in his blood and meridians, which he regarded as garbage and a hidden danger, instantly went berserk when it came into contact with the invading black tentacles, just like a mad dog that hadn't eaten for three days smelling meat!

A cold, greedy aura, filled with a devouring desire, suddenly exploded from inside his body.

What was originally just a toxin, the corpse poison, had now come alive. Following the black tentacle, it lunged back towards its source in the outside world!

Zhou Yang could even "see" the blackish-red, viscous corpse poison in his blood vessels transform into countless tiny hungry mouths, frantically gnawing at the foreign immortal envoy's will.

The black tentacles trembled violently.

It tried to pull back, but was held fast by the corpse poison.

Two equally sinister and death-laden forces engaged in a silent tug-of-war between his brows.

Zhou Yang was stunned.

What... is going on?

Corpse poison... can it be used to treat this?

He suddenly realized that his half-zombie body was itself a product of mutation. Previously in the Anyang County dungeon, the corpse poison allowed him to devour corpses and strengthen himself. Now, could it even devour this ethereal will?

A crazy idea took shape in his mind.

Trying to resist by burning through one's lifespan is a dead end.

Relying solely on the instinctive fight against the corpse poison makes victory uncertain.

But... what if we take the initiative to guide them?

He treated the system as a tool and his lifespan as a bargaining chip. So why can't this suddenly awakened corpse poison also be used as a card?

Fortune favors the bold!

In the current situation, there is nothing worse than "dying immediately".

Zhou Yang used up the last bit of his clear mind, no longer trying to burn his lifespan to protect himself, but instead bit his tongue hard, using the excruciating pain to maintain his last bit of consciousness.

In his mind, he issued an unprecedented instruction to the system.

"system!"

His voice echoed in my mind, hoarse, yet carrying a resolute determination.

"Stop wasting your life!"

"in turn!"

"Absorb it!"

"Suck all of this dry!!"

The moment the command was issued, the flashing red warning on the system panel stopped abruptly.

The entire panel seemed to freeze for a second.

next second.

A suction force far more domineering and thirsty than ever before erupted from between Zhou Yang's eyebrows!

The corpse poison in his body was no longer just tearing and biting, but under the guidance of the system, it transformed into a real, bottomless vortex!

The black tentacle piercing his brow was instantly straightened and taut. Then, amidst the terrified "trembling" of the immortal envoy's will, it began to be slowly...drawn back into Zhou Yang's body!