Chapter 3

"Acquired psychic energy replenishment, Daoist lineage system activated!"

Unknown how long he had been unconscious, a cold voice suddenly echoed in Huang Shang's mind, waking him up.

However, upon regaining consciousness, he found himself in a boundless, dark space that seemed like an endless abyss.

This space appeared to have no sky or earth, and was completely silent. Apart from Huang Shang himself and a faint blue light in the distance, there was nothing else.

"What is this place? What happened?"

Recalling the events before he lost consciousness and the voice he just heard, a sense of doubt, confusion, and panic arose in Huang Shang's heart.

"Host, there's no need to panic. You are now in your sea of consciousness, which is also the host environment of the system."

Almost as soon as the thought crossed Huang Shang's mind, the mechanical voice from the blue light spoke again: "This system is called the Daoist Lineage System. It was created during the great calamity of the End of the Law to preserve the seeds of civilization and save humanity."

"System? Host? Wait, let me process this..."

Hearing the voice from the blue light, Huang Shang felt his brain was not enough to process everything.

He occasionally read novels, so he was not unfamiliar with terms like "system" and "host." But the Daoist Lineage System?

When did ancient things like Daoism combine with high-tech systems?

"Ancient does not mean backward. In fact, Daoist civilization is far more advanced than the civilization of your era, just in a different form."

"Moreover, the method of inheritance is just the surface; the content of the inheritance is the core. If the host is uncomfortable with the system's method of inheritance, the system can switch to a spirit artifact mode or any other mode for inheritance."

The blue light seemed to understand Huang Shang's thoughts, so it answered his questions before he even spoke.

"Are you the jade pendant? Why did you choose me?"

Special life experiences in his childhood and his career as a forensic doctor gave Huang Shang nerves far stronger than the average person. Despite the shock and confusion, he managed to calm himself and asked in a steady voice.

"Heaven's will!"

Perhaps because it was a crucial matter, the blue light, which called itself the system, suddenly flickered: "Since the great calamity that destroyed all gods and demons, countless eras have passed, and the system has been owned by countless people. However, only during the time it was in the host's possession did the great calamity finally dissipate, and the tide of spiritual energy began to appear, allowing the system to awaken and select the host."

"What is the great calamity, the tide of spiritual energy, and what are the gods and demons?"

Huang Shang's doubts only increased upon hearing the system's words.

"The great calamity refers to the ancient event where the spiritual energy of the universe was depleted, and all powerful beings, lacking energy, gradually perished."

The system quickly provided an answer: "In fact, the gods, immortals, demons, and monsters that the host knows of are all such powerful beings."

"Wait, let me think. My mind is a bit jumbled. You mean the gods and monsters we know are real, but they have all perished?"

Huang Shang quickly found an inconsistency: "But that doesn't make sense. You said the great calamity caused all gods and demons to perish countless ages ago, so why are there still legends and religions about these gods and demons?"

"Although these powerful beings have perished, their influence on the universe continues due to their immense power."

"Thus, when intelligent civilizations emerged, these beings instinctively influenced them, and these civilizations described and spread the legends of these beings in their own ways."

"So, despite the gods and demons having perished countless ages ago, and many civilizations having risen and fallen, every intelligent civilization has legends of gods and demons, including the one the host is in."

The system answered Huang Shang's questions and revealed the most important point: "The only difference is that the host's civilization is now experiencing the tide of spiritual energy, and the gods and demons will awaken again. The host must, with the system's help, revitalize Daoism, eliminate evil, and ultimately lead humanity through the great calamity."

"Wait!"

Hearing the word "great calamity," Huang Shang was startled: "Didn't you say the great calamity of the End of the Law has passed? Why is there another great calamity?"

"The great calamity of the End of the Law has passed, and the tide of spiritual energy is returning. This is both an unprecedented opportunity and an unprecedented great calamity for humanity."

"The return of the tide of spiritual energy will allow a world without gods and demons to create new gods or, more accurately, new demons!"

"In simple terms, as the tide of spiritual energy grows stronger, everything humans believe in, worship, fear, or even imagine can become real!"

The system, mentioning the "great calamity," clearly took it very seriously: "This change will start small and grow stronger until true rulers, whether gods or demons, emerge. The zombies the host encountered today are just the beginning. As the tide of spiritual energy grows stronger, more and more terrifying things will appear!"

"Zombies are just the beginning?"

Huang Shang was shaken by the system's words.

Zombies are already terrifying enough to destroy the world, but the system says they are just the beginning. Could it be that, as the system suggests, even more terrifying beings, including the legendary gods and demons, will appear?

What will become of humanity, who consider themselves the rulers of Earth, then?

"System, if the gods and demons were so powerful, and if the spiritual energy is reviving, wouldn't they be the first to revive?"

Suddenly, Huang Shang thought of a very important question: "If so, why did Daoism need to create a lineage artifact like you?"

"The situation is not as simple as the host thinks. The gods and demons are indeed powerful, but precisely because of their power, the energy required to revive them is immense."

"On the contrary, weak beings can form with minimal energy. Once formed, these weak beings can strengthen themselves by consuming other life forms, and they might even become as powerful as gods and demons."

"More terrifyingly, the morality of these beings is unknown. If an evil being becomes invincible and rules the world, it will be the end of all living beings."

"Therefore, for the sake of Daoism, for the sake of all living beings, and for the host's own sake, the host must prevent these things from happening."

The system's voice remained stern and cold, making Huang Shang's mood even heavier.

If all this is true, humanity will face the greatest catastrophe in history!

What can he do in this catastrophe?

"How do I stop all this?"

Huang Shang is not a saint, but he understands the principle that when the nest is destroyed, no egg will remain unbroken. So, even for his own sake, he must do as the system says and prevent this from happening.

"With the return of the tide of spiritual energy, all living beings have the opportunity to become stronger. The host must, with the system's help, become stronger than any other being!"

As the system's cold voice echoed, a blue light shot out and hovered in front of Huang Shang, forming an ancient-looking booklet.

However, the text on the cover of the booklet was extremely ancient and mysterious, and Huang Shang could not understand it.

"This is the Daoist Lineage System's strongest foundation-building technique—The Valley Cloth Body Strengthening Technique!"

The system: "Practicing this technique will strengthen the host's body, laying the foundation for the practice of various Daoist secret techniques. It will also quickly enhance the host's strength to help the host deal with the great calamity."

As the system spoke, the booklet shattered, and the blue light fused into Huang Shang's body.

At the same time, Huang Shang felt a buzzing in his mind, and data he had never encountered before began to appear in his mind.

This data was extremely profound, and Huang Shang had never seen it before, but for some reason, as the data appeared in his mind, he instantly understood its content.

The Valley Cloth Body Strengthening Technique is a very profound body-strengthening method. Its core is to treat oneself as a piece of clothing, using the spiritual energy of the universe as threads and one's will as the needle to continuously "weave" and strengthen oneself, making oneself increasingly powerful.

However, although Huang Shang understood this method, he did not know what the spiritual energy of the universe was.

"Now that the great calamity of the End of the Law has ended, the spiritual energy of the universe is everywhere. The host will naturally be able to perceive it upon leaving the sea of consciousness. However, without external assistance, it would take even a highly talented person thirty years to achieve the initial stage of the Valley Cloth Body Strengthening Technique."

The system understood the questions Huang Shang had, but its answer made Huang Shang feel as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water.

"Are you kidding? It takes thirty years to achieve the initial stage, so the advanced stage would take over a hundred years. This is just a foundation-building technique. What's the point? I might as well find a place to wait for death!"

At first, Huang Shang had some expectations, but now he felt only despair.

"Thirty years is without external assistance. With the return of the tide of spiritual energy, various spiritual energy artifacts are appearing. The host can destroy these artifacts to absorb their power and accelerate cultivation."

Fortunately, the system was not trying to doom Huang Shang and quickly provided a solution: "For example, the zombies the host encountered earlier have one unit of spiritual energy. If the host kills one, it is equivalent to a year of cultivation. Killing thirty will bring the host to the initial stage of the Valley Cloth Body Strengthening Technique."

"So there is a way, like killing monsters to level up?"

Huang Shang's mind was stirred: "But with my current strength, even killing one is very difficult. How can I kill thirty? What if I get infected?"

"With the energy of the Valley Cloth Body Strengthening Technique, minor toxins will not be fatal to the host."

The system: "Moreover, these zombies have no intelligence and a limited range of attacks. As long as the host is careful, the task is not impossible. More importantly, the host will become stronger with each zombie killed. Once the initial stage is passed, these ordinary zombies will no longer pose a threat."

At this point, the blue light, which represented the system, seemed to be running out of energy, gradually weakening, and its voice became intermittent: "The system's energy is about to be depleted. The host will be sent out of the sea of consciousness. Please try to protect yourself. The system will restart in three days."

As the system spoke, Huang Shang felt a jolt, and his vision brightened. He found himself back at the accident scene, with the zombie's remains lying in front of him, as if everything had been a dream.

But the clear presence of the Valley Cloth Body Strengthening Technique in his mind and the slight warmth in his chest from the jade pendant made Huang Shang realize that everything was real!

The true end of the world has arrived!