Chapter Forty-Eight: System Upgrade

Linck had finally gained a thorough understanding of the Celestial Spirit Church. Setting aside Lingmeng and the three enigmatic elders, the eight artifact guardians alone, all possessing power above the second tier, could easily crush most small and medium sects. With Lingmeng, the three elders, and other masters within the church, only the major churches of Red Moon Province could pose any threat to the Celestial Spirit Church.

Reflecting on this, Linck felt a surge of relief that the Celestial Spirit Church had not become an enemy of the Father God Church due to some absurd prophecy. Otherwise, this congregation composed almost entirely of women would threaten them more than even the Temple of the Mad God or the War God Church.

At the same time, Linck felt secretly delighted: such a deep-rooted church seeking alliance with the Father God Church was undoubtedly a boon, like adding wings to a tiger.

“If this advantage can be harnessed well, the Father God Church will develop even faster, and the Temple of the Mad God and the War God Church will no longer pose any threat.” Harboring visions of the future, Linck stepped into the basement, where he saw a square altar at its center, and above the altar hovered a blue crystal orb.

Lingfeng spoke with reverence, “Archbishop Neil, this is our founding sacred artifact, the Eye of the Prophet. We have guarded it for five hundred years. Now, it is time to return it to its rightful owner.”

Linck was taken aback, surprised by her words. “You mean that thing belongs to me?”

Lingfeng shook her head. “No, all sacred artifacts originate from the exalted True God. You are the messenger of the True God, so you are qualified to reclaim the artifact on behalf of the deity.” As she spoke, she and the other two elders stepped aside, clearing the way. “Archbishop Neil, please step forward and reclaim the artifact for the True God.”

Hearing this, Linck narrowed his eyes, silent for a moment before he spoke deeply, “I am not the messenger of the True God, but the representative of Father God Linck. Elder Lingfeng, I hope you won’t confuse the two.”

Lingfeng replied indifferently, “No matter what you call yourself, as long as you are the one foretold in the prophecy, you can take up the artifact. Archbishop Neil, please proceed.”

Lingfeng’s repeated urging made Linck wary. Her eagerness to have him take the artifact seemed peculiar—could it be a trap? Was the artifact merely a decoy, rigged with hidden dangers? Or perhaps this was a test to see if he truly was the prophesied one, hence the insistence that only the chosen one could wield the artifact.

The more Linck pondered, the more plausible the theory seemed, but uncertainty gnawed at him. He had no idea if he was the prophesied one; in truth, he hardly believed in prophecies at all, regarding them as nothing more than fortune-telling smoke and mirrors.

If he wasn’t the chosen one and triggered some hidden mechanism by touching the artifact, he would be in serious trouble.

With this in mind, Linck wanted to ask if there were any traps, but even if there were, his hosts would never admit it. He felt caught between advancing and retreating.

At that moment, Lingmeng seemed to sense his hesitation. She spoke coldly, “Stop dawdling. I’ll go up with you. Grab the artifact quickly—I don’t want to stay here any longer.”

Without waiting for Linck’s reply, Lingmeng strode forward, prompting Linck, after a brief moment of surprise, to hurry after her—after all, if the high priestess of the Celestial Spirit Church wasn’t afraid, why should he be? Time to act like a man!

Seeing Lingmeng and Linck approach together, Elder Lingmu opened her mouth as if to object, but Lingfeng stopped her, saying meaningfully, “Let Lingmeng go. Don’t forget the last line of the prophecy: ‘Accompanied by the Celestial Spirit High Priestess, the messenger of the True God shall reclaim what belongs to the deity.’ Lingmeng is simply making the choice foretold. We need only witness whether the prophecy comes true. If everything unfolds as predicted, handing over the artifact to Neil Night as the ancestors decreed is not unreasonable; but if not, we can free ourselves from the prophecy’s shackles and choose our own future.”

Lingmu exchanged glances with Elder Ling Shui, sighed deeply, and said no more.

Soon, Lingmeng and Linck stood before the altar. Linck gazed at the orb, floating in midair and radiating waves of blue energy. After a moment’s hesitation, he glanced at Lingmeng, and under her watchful gaze, gritted his teeth and reached out for the orb, secretly channeling his full strength in case of unexpected danger.

Yet, contrary to his fears, no mechanisms were triggered, nor did nothing happen at all. Instead, Linck was greeted by the voice of the system.

[Beep, detecting the aura of a divine artifact, containing extremely pure divine power. Does the host wish to absorb the divine power? Absorption will upgrade the True God system.]

“Upgrade the True God system?” Linck’s eyes lit up. The system’s current features had already hooked him, and an upgrade promised even greater abilities. Thinking this, he blurted out his assent, and instantly, the power of the Eye of the Prophet surged into his body, absorbed by the True God system.

[Beep, absorption complete. True God system upgrading. Estimated upgrade time: one hundred twenty hours. During the upgrade, all system functions will be unavailable.]

“All functions unavailable? One hundred twenty hours? That’s five days! Damn, tomorrow is the All Gods Festival, and the day after is the monthly lottery. What does ‘unavailable’ mean? Are both opportunities gone?”

Linck was shocked and anxious, but with others nearby, he could only call to the system inwardly. Yet the system, already upgrading, ignored him completely, leaving him no choice but to suppress his urge to ask.

Meanwhile, as Lingck took up the Eye of the Prophet and its power vanished, Lingmeng and the three elders were astonished. Lingmeng immediately took the orb from Linck and examined it, frowning. “This thing has become just an ordinary crystal ball.”

Her words left the three elders even more stunned. They hurried forward to inspect it, finding it exactly as Lingmeng described. Unanimously, they turned their gaze to Linck, who felt a bit awkward, but, thick-skinned as ever, quickly composed himself and put on a mystical expression. “Father God above, I apologize, everyone. I just received a divine message from Father God—he has reclaimed the power within the Eye of the Prophet through me. I’m sorry, as Lingmeng said, it’s now just an ordinary glass sphere.”

Lingmeng and the three elders were amazed. After a long pause, the elders exchanged glances, and Lingfeng sighed. “Everything has happened as the ancestors’ prophecy foretold: the messenger of the True God has reclaimed what belongs to the deity, and in a manner none of us anticipated.” She looked at the crystal ball, then brightened and smiled, “Archbishop Neil, congratulations. You’ve succeeded. From now on, the entire Celestial Spirit Church will obey your commands. Whatever you order, we will carry out with all our strength.” This time, her address to Linck was honorific, showing her genuine acceptance of his status.

Linck was overjoyed but remembered his role, so he replied modestly, “No need for such formality. The Celestial Spirit Church is itself, and the Father God Church is itself. We need only cooperate closely—there’s no need to obey me.”

Lingfeng shook her head, insisting that it was the ancestors’ command, which must be followed. Linck demurred further, and the two sides kept politely deferring to each other, until Lingmeng, growing impatient, started complaining, at which point the exchange ended.

Linck’s attitude won the elders’ favor—whether genuine or not, his modesty after gaining such benefits was appreciated. Although none spoke it, the elders’ eyes betrayed disappointment; clearly, they were not enthusiastic about becoming dependent on another. If not for reverence for their ancestors’ instructions, Linck would never have had the chance to touch the artifact.

Now that the Eye of the Prophet was spent, there was no point lingering in the basement. Lingfeng carefully stored the now-defunct artifact, and everyone departed together, including the eight female warriors who guarded the sacred artifact.

The events in the basement were kept discreet by Linck and the three elders, and Lingmeng couldn’t be bothered to speak of it, so word didn’t spread. After all, it concerned the fate of the entire church—a matter even high approval couldn’t guarantee acceptance among the rank and file. The elders needed time to reassure the congregation.

That day, Linck and his companions stayed at the Celestial Spirit Church. Finding the hour still early, Linck decided to visit Count Lothar at the City Lord’s mansion.

After Linck left, the three elders gathered in the church’s great hall, gazing at the emblem of the Celestial Spirit Church for a long time. Finally, Lingmu broke the silence, sighing, “The last link in the prophecy has been fulfilled. Without the Eye of the Prophet to suppress it, in a few days the dark demon will break its seal, plunging Red Moon into darkness.”

Ling Shui nodded with a heavy sigh. “Every generation of the Celestial Spirit High Priestess has used her life and soul to reinforce the seal, but without the Eye of the Prophet as its source, their sacrifice becomes meaningless. I truly do not know whether giving the artifact to Neil Night, as the ancestors instructed, was right or wrong.”

Lingfeng shook her head. “It is fate. All is predestined. The Eye of the Prophet has lost its power; further speculation is pointless. It’s time for the three of us to fulfill our final duty.”

Lingmu and Ling Shui nodded, directing their gaze to the ruined Eye of the Prophet. At its center, the ordinary crystal ball now teemed with a faint black mist, swirling like a vortex—its form grim and sinister.

Soon, Priestess Sunny entered the hall. Greeting the three elders, Sunny was told by Lingfeng, “Sunny, all things foretold by the prophecy have come to pass. After the All Gods Festival, we will take the Eye of the Prophet to Spirit Mountain, and with the ancestral array and our lives, suppress the dark demon. After we leave, you and Lingmeng should lead the congregation to join the Father God Church. The Celestial Spirit Church has fulfilled its mission; it is time for it to fade into history.”

Sunny solemnly accepted the instructions. The elders, trusting her completely as a loyal member, dismissed her to make preparations.

Yet none of the three noticed that, as Sunny turned away, her eyes flashed with a dark, twisted gleam—deep and monstrous, as if from the endless abyss.