Chapter 1: The Night I Died
The rain came down in sheets, washing away the neon glow of the slums like someone was trying to erase the whole damn city.
Zhao Feng stumbled down a cracked alley behind Lotus Market, blood dripping from the slash in his side. His hoodie was soaked through, but it wasn't the rain making him shiver.
It was the betrayal.
"Don't take it personal, Zhao," Liu Jian had said with that smug smile. "You were always the weakest."
The weakest. That was what they thought of him.
Lin Yue had stood there too—his childhood friend, the girl who'd once sewn the talisman on his jacket. She hadn't said a word. Just watched as Liu Jian shoved him into that cursed ruin and sealed the gate behind him.
They left him for dead.No—worse.They offered him as bait.
And now something was following him.
Urban Wraith
He could feel it in the fog.
A cold, wet pressure that crawled beneath his skin. Every step he took echoed too loud. The alley felt longer than it should've been. Too narrow. Too still.
Then it came.
A flicker. A blur of shadows. A hiss.
Zhao spun, dagger drawn, but it was already behind him.
Claws raked across his back—slicing through fabric and flesh. He cried out, crashing into a trash bin. His vision blurred.
"No," he gasped. "Not like this…"
The creature stood above him. Humanoid. Smoke-bodied. White eyes that gleamed like ghostfire.
Urban Wraith (Lv. 12)[Soulbound to Void Flame Sect]
He didn't know how he saw the name. It was like the world had started labeling things.
He tried to move. Couldn't. His fingers were numb. His blood, cold. He was dying.
And then—
Everything stopped.
Death Triggered
A voice filled the void.
[Fatal Condition Detected]System Reboot in Progress…Awakening Soul Core: PRIMORDIAL GOD SYSTEMInitializing Emergency Protocol…Do you wish to survive? Y/N
Zhao's mind reeled. Was this another hallucination? A final flash of madness before death?
But something deep inside—older than him—whispered:
Yes.
He thought the word.
The world erupted in gold light.
⚙️ System Awakens
The rain froze mid-air. Time itself hiccuped.
[System Activated]Welcome, Zhao Feng. You are the final inheritor of the Primordial God Core.Initializing Resurrection Protocol. Consuming emergency Divine Spark.You have been granted: Beginner Package (x1), System Core Fragment (x1), and Quest Module.
A surge of heat exploded through his chest. Zhao arched backward, gasping. His wound stitched itself closed with threads of golden qi. His heartbeat returned—stronger, deeper, like it pulsed in sync with something vast and ancient.
He stood.
Alive.
The wraith shrieked. Whatever instinct it had told it something had changed. It lunged—
New Skill Unlocked: Qi Pulse (Rank F)Emits a directional burst of condensed soul force. Effective against spirits.
Zhao raised his hand.
"Qi Pulse!"
A shockwave of golden light blasted from his palm, slamming the wraith into the alley wall with a sizzle and screech. It evaporated like mist under the sun.
Silence returned.
Then—
Enemy Eliminated: +120 XPQuest Received: Survive the Night (0/1)Reward: System Functionality Unlocked, Stat Page Activation, Soul Path Selection
Zhao dropped to one knee, panting.
What the hell was happening to him?
*Flashbacks of Another Life*
Images started flooding in. Not memories—echoes.
A world burning.A man in black robes holding back a god.A woman's voice whispering, "You failed us…"
Zhao clutched his head. "Get out… get out of my head…"
[Core Synchronization at 12%]Warning: Full Memory Integration Locked Until Soul Path is Stabilized.
This wasn't just a cheat code.
This was someone else's legacy.
Or maybe… his own.
🧍 The Broken City
He staggered out of the alley and looked up at the city skyline.
Shimmering towers in the distance. Smoke rising. Sirens echoing in the north.
This was New Luyang — a city ruled by crime syndicates, underworld clans, and corporate cultivators. Spirit-tech had replaced religion. Soul essence was the new currency. The poor sold their life force just to pay rent.
And Zhao Feng… was no one.
An orphan. A dropout. A street scavenger who'd never awakened a Spirit Root. The clans had ignored him. The sects never looked twice.
Now he had a system.
And a second chance.
💢 One Rule
Zhao opened the Beginner Package.
You have received:• Minor Healing Pill (x1)• Tattered Soul Map (Fragmented)• Hidden Quest Token• System Manual (Unreadable)
The pill dissolved on his tongue. Warmth filled his limbs.
He checked the soul map. One glowing dot pulsed in the west slums. No name. Just: "She waits."
Who?
Zhao didn't know.
But the system had a rule.He could feel it in his bones.A rule that would define everything from here forward:
Strength was truth.Power was justice.And weakness… was death.
He looked down at his trembling hand.
Quest Active: Survive the Night.Enemies Remaining: Unknown.Allies: 0
He grinned.
Then whispered:
"Come and try me."