Inside the ancient temple.
Whoosh!
Huang Bai suddenly returned from the Resident Evil world, clutching the Dharma Altar.
He set the Dharma Altar and the box on the ground. Rather than immediately inventorying the supplies, he stared fixedly at the incense table in the temple.
The incense table was no different from those in ordinary temples. The sole difference was that, instead of enshrining a deity statue like other temples, it enshrined the Heavenly Dao Talisman Edict.
Perhaps the talisman edict's status was too lofty; no god was qualified to be enshrined above it.
Huang Bai had long grown accustomed to this gloomy environment, yet now he sensed that something was off.
Something had suddenly appeared on the incense table: a sheet of talisman paper, resembling the Dharma Register bestowed when Daoist priests received ordination.
The Dharma Register was covered in seal script that resembled tadpoles and auspicious clouds. When he focused his gaze upon it, the register seemed to move, flowing with profound and supreme radiance.
Huang Bai understood the words on the Dharma Register at a glance.
[Accept this Dharma Register and join with the Dao to establish your destiny; reject this Dharma Register and descend from sainthood into mortality.]
"Hmm? Only now have I gained the Heavenly Dao Talisman Edict's recognition?"
Huang Bai furrowed his brow and paced back and forth through the temple, digesting the immense flood of information in his mind.
Put simply, Huang Bai had previously only been a passerby of the Heavenly Dao Talisman Edict. His abilities had been too weak for him to earn its recognition.
Now, he had presumably passed its trial, and his own Dao accomplishments were sufficient for him to qualify to become the master of this temple.
The register before him was the key to becoming the master of this Heavenly Dao Temple.
If he accepted this Dharma Register, he would be bound to the ancient temple for all eternity, wandering through the multiverse.
If he rejected the Dharma Register, he would descend from sainthood into mortality.
"Does that mean I'll lose my memories, become an ordinary person again, and return to my previous Earth?"
That was probably it.
Huang Bai chose the first option without hesitation.
He could no longer return to Earth anyway. Even if he retained his cultivation and could rule supreme there, it would all be meaningless.
Adventures across an infinite multiverse were his path.
Whoosh!
The Dharma Register scattered, transforming into golden light that filled the sky.
With this talisman, a superior cultivator could ride the clouds and attain the Dao; a middling cultivator could frighten ghosts and gods; an inferior cultivator could govern a nation and bring peace to its people.
At that moment, the dark and eerie ancient temple became majestic and brightly lit, as pristine as new.
Huang Bai sat cross-legged within it, comprehending the abilities he had newly acquired.
First, [Preaching to the Myriad Worlds]: Establish temples in worlds, and as incense offerings accumulated, he could obtain incense offerings with different functions.
The specific functions still required gradual exploration.
Second, [All-Heavens Ritual Altar]: Establish a Dharma Altar within the Heavenly Dao Temple, and it could directly communicate with the ancient temple's Dharma Altar without needing to be rebuilt.
The specific details still required exploration.
"From this day onward, I am the master of the Heavenly Dao Temple."
Huang Bai opened his eyes. A dazzling golden gleam flashed through them, and the vague image of the Heavenly Dao Talisman Edict could be seen within his pupils.
This time, the Heavenly Dao Talisman Edict was no longer on his left arm.
Huang Bai rose to his feet and placed the Divine Troop Altar on the incense table.
Nurturing the Divine Troop Altar was extremely troublesome. Besides the altar itself, it required ceaseless incense offerings day and night.
"Still, the ancient temple has incense offerings that never go out. It's quite suitable here. And with the [All-Heavens Ritual Altar] function, I won't have to carry the Dharma Altar around every day."
In other words, even when Huang Bai traveled through the worlds without bringing the Dharma Altar, he could still summon evil ghosts through the ancient temple.
"Other than Yaksha, the evil ghosts from that battle basically all became nourishment for the Dharma Altar. I'll need to replenish them in the next world."
Still, the quality of souls in the Resident Evil world was slightly inferior. He did not feel sorry for them dying.
Evil ghosts with supernatural abilities were his targets, not a rabble of weaklings.
Next, Huang Bai summoned his Inner Elixir and slowly absorbed its medicinal power to cultivate.
The improved environment put him in a much better mood for cultivation.
He was no longer in such a hurry to leave.
Before long, the Heavenly Dao Talisman Edict appeared in midair.
[Go to Zombie: Seven Days to Resurrection, kill the zombie, and obtain the Mount Mao Talisman Register.]
"Zombie: Seven Days to Resurrection?"
Huang Bai recalled the film's plot.
It was the final dance of the zombie era. It told the story of Xiao Hao, an actor who had once been immensely popular, but whose career had fallen to rock bottom with the decline of zombie films. His wife had left him, and his family had fallen apart.
He moved into a dilapidated public housing block and took up residence in the 2442 Haunted House, which held twin Vicious Ghosts, intending to kill himself there.
With his life hanging by a thread, Xiao Hao saw the twin Vicious Ghosts and was saved by A-You, the last Mount Mao Arts practitioner.
Not long after, Uncle Dong accidentally fell to his death. Overwhelmed by grief, Aunt Mei sought A-Jiu, a man who specialized in evil arts, to bring him back to life. A-Jiu, who had terminal lung cancer, actually intended to use Uncle Dong's corpse as a vessel to raise ghosts and prolong his own life.
After that, A-Jiu subdued the twin Vicious Ghosts. The Vicious Ghosts possessed the zombie, making it even more ferocious.
In the end, Xiao Hao and A-You joined forces and used the Five-Elements Formation to destroy the zombie.
"The zombie in the story was extremely formidable, but with Mount Mao's Five-Elements ritual implements, it shouldn't be too dangerous."
That was what Huang Bai thought.
"By the way, what exactly is the Mount Mao Talisman Register? Did it ever appear? I'll go take a look first."
With that thought, he packed up his ritual sword, shackles, and viral mutation strain, then vanished from where he stood.
Hong Kong.
On the streets of twenty-first-century Hong Kong, neon signs and clusters of skyscrapers formed an impenetrable canopy overhead.
Double-decker buses wound through narrow alleys, while trams clattered along century-old tracks.
People of every kind of appearance flowed endlessly through the streets.
Huang Bai stood at the head of a pedestrian street, gazing out at the cityscape.
Sure enough, modern cities had a proper sense of life. Food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all convenient.
His handsome looks and flowing hairstyle drew quite a bit of attention. Bold, open-minded city women immediately came up to ask for his contact information.
"Handsome, add me on WhatsApp..."
"Sorry, I'm gay."
Huang Bai answered without even turning his head. Those words immediately discouraged the woman.
He considered his next move.
"Forget it. I'll establish a temple first and test the ability of Preaching to the Myriad Worlds while I'm at it."
The temple would be established near the dilapidated public housing block, allowing him to get in touch with Xiao Hao, A-You, and the others.
The Heavenly Dao Talisman Edict's transfer distance was generally not too great. If he asked around nearby about A-You and A-Jiu, he would basically be able to find them.
After all, there were very few people in that line of work, much less people who had built up contacts over several decades.
To establish a temple in a place like Hong Kong, where every inch of land was worth a fortune, money was indispensable.
"Macau, here I come!"
He never carried money while traveling through the worlds. Casinos were his savings bank, where he could deposit and withdraw as needed.
The public housing block's streets were old, and its alleys were dark.
A scruffy man in a tank top guarded a shabby little eatery, dozing off.
Noisy voices approached. Several smartly dressed real estate agents led a young man around a small field overgrown with weeds.
Because there were few children and nobody maintained it, the place had long become desolate and dilapidated, reduced to a public dump and an open-air toilet for thugs.
A few needles could occasionally be seen on the ground.
The agent raised a thumb and rattled on enthusiastically.
"This place has unbeatable feng shui. Esteemed customer, you truly have a fine eye. Build a house here, and it'll bless three generations of your family. Your wealth and status will be beyond measure."
"How much?" Huang Bai asked.
"Uh, this place is close to the city center. There are schools, attractions, and hospitals within three miles. Land ownership in Hong Kong is permanent, so the price..."
Before long, Huang Bai bought the plot of land.
A-You heard their conversation, snorted, and muttered, "Bloody lunatic."
(Please vote with your monthly tickets.)
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