[Apocalypse + unconventional cultivation + zombies + no System + no mindless characters + punk fantasy + a somewhat slow start + return of a master + rigorous worldbuilding + hardcore]
Spiritual roots are special life forms that live inside the human spine.
Through cultivation techniques, they absorb solar energy, geothermal energy, fossil energy, and more from the heavens and earth. Refine essence into qi, refine qi into spirit, refine spirit and return to the void, refine the void and unite with the Dao, and one may achieve ascension.
However, if stimulated by hormones or driven into cultivation deviation, a spiritual root may devour the nerves and brain, turning its host into a zombie driven only by the instinct to consume and evolve.
Ling Shi awakens in a zombie-ravaged apocalypse with only his head and spine remaining. He has lost most of his memories, but retains his knowledge and instincts in the Way of Immortality: cultivation, spells, artifact crafting, alchemy, formations... he excels at it all.
In the apocalypse, he fights for survival one step at a time, crawling out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He hunts zombies, grows stronger through battle, returns to the peak of his cultivation, and gradually recovers the memories he lost long ago...
So this is the truth.
So it was all connected to him.
"Tell the people in the heavens that I'm coming to take their lives and make amends for the mistake I made back then."
"Now, I have returned from hell."
The setting is interesting. I originally thought that the themes of zombies and cultivators were a hard fusion, but I didn't expect to use the setting of spiritual roots to connect the two things. It was a bit unexpected, but it felt inexplicably reasonable. Moreover, there are many interesting and rigorous little details in the description of the apocalyptic ecology, which feel like they are real. I quite like these details. The plot is a bit cool, but it doesn't feel that dense or brainless. There are not many human characters in it, but basically all of them have online IQs, and they are each created with their own characteristics, which is quite praiseworthy. All in all, it is still very novel and interesting. If you want to read apocalyptic stories or immortality stories, I think it is a good choice.