At that moment, Su Huanzhen had appeared before Yin Shiren within the Deer Garden Mandala.
"Su Huanzhen greets Master Yin," Su Huanzhen said.
Su Huanzhen had bowed respectfully as he spoke.
Hearing himself addressed as Master Yin, Yin Shiren's heart had not raced quite so wildly.
So long as it wasn't Senior or Old Friend, Yin Shiren had no particular reaction.
"Apologies—I cannot return the courtesy," Yin Shiren said.
Yin Shiren had gestured toward the Heavenly Sword before him, a trace of regret lacing his words.
"No matter. The important affairs come first," Su Huanzhen said.
Clearly, Su Huanzhen had already learned from the Buddha Emperor of the Nine Realms that Yin Shiren was restoring the divine power of Huang Shen.
Then, without hesitation, Su Huanzhen had taken a seat directly across from Yin Shiren.
Seeing this, Yin Shiren had voiced no objection.
"Master Yin knows of me?" Su Huanzhen asked.
"Indeed," Yin Shiren said.
Faced with such a straightforward answer, Su Huanzhen had abandoned further probing and cut straight to the heart of the matter:
"Then, may I ask what relation Master Yin bears to Yin Shiren the Hidden Corpse?" Su Huanzhen asked.
The directness of the question had given Yin Shiren pause.
He had not expected Su Huanzhen to be so blunt.
Yet, though surprised, Yin Shiren had remained unshaken.
He had long prepared his response.
In truth, the reason he had not altered his name was simple: he had never underestimated the wisdom of this world's strategists.
His actions bore flaws—if he tried to cover one lie with another, he would only weave an endless web of deceit.
Better, then, to speak nine truths and one lie.
"You are familiar with the Guides of the Yellow Springs, yes?" Yin Shiren asked.
"Those who fell victim to the God of Death in life, denied reincarnation, become the Guides of the Yellow Springs," Su Huanzhen said.
"Master Yin is also a Guide of the Yellow Springs?!" Su Huanzhen exclaimed.
"Not quite, but close enough," Yin Shiren said.
"On that day at Glazed Immortal Peak, under Grandmaster Tai Xue's palm, Yin Shiren the Hidden Corpse, Imperial Peng, and two Extinction Realm Spirits perished together," Yin Shiren said.
"I was but a wandering ghost, adrift in the mortal world. By fate's whim, I arrived at Glazed Immortal Peak," Yin Shiren said.
"Through a twist of fortune, five souls and four bodies merged, fused with the land's spiritual energy, and became what stands before you now," Yin Shiren said.
"This miracle exhausted all my merit of creation, yet it allowed the five of us to merge and be reborn," Yin Shiren said.
As he spoke, Su Huanzhen had truly glimpsed five distinct phantoms overlaying Yin Shiren's form:
Yin Shiren the Hidden Corpse, Imperial Peng, the two Extinction Realm Spirits—and one more, bearing Yin Shiren's face but with cropped short hair, dressed in attire utterly foreign to the Four Realms of Suffering, Extinction, Accumulation, and the Dao.
This last phantom had stood at the center, a miniature violet qilin perched upon its shoulder.
And the aura of that qilin—Su Huanzhen had recognized it instantly.
It was the spiritual essence of Glazed Immortal Peak's Qilin Vein.
The sight had convinced Su Huanzhen that Yin Shiren's words were true.
And indeed, they were true.
The only deception lay in the omission of his golden finger, which he had instead labeled as merit of creation.
The five phantoms were an ability Yin Shiren had recently discovered—and one he had resolved to use in persuading Su Huanzhen and others.
"Hmm..." Su Huanzhen said.
A Sudden Omen
Within the sacred Deer Garden·One Vehicle, the earth had darkened abruptly, the sky choked with storm clouds.
Such an omen had naturally drawn the attention of the monastery's inhabitants.
The high monks had understood its meaning at once.
But to outsiders—Su Huanzhen, Ye Xiao Chai, and Jiuzhou the Sword Sage—the phenomenon had been inexplicable.
As for Six Robes of Gold, he had still lain unconscious.
And Yin Shiren, secluded within the Deer Garden Mandala, had remained unaffected—so long as the monastery stood.
Su Huanzhen and Ye Xiao Chai had stayed behind, awaiting the Heavenly Sword's restoration and Six Robes of Gold's awakening.
Jiuzhou the Sword Sage, meanwhile, had lingered due to his yet-unhealed wounds.
Yin Shiren's arrival with Six Robes of Gold and Ye Xiao Chai had inadvertently slowed Jiuzhou's recovery—compared to the original course of events, his injuries had mended more sluggishly.
"Medicine Tathāgata, what has happened?" Su Huanzhen asked.
"The Buddha Emperor's ancient foe approaches," Medicine Tathāgata said.
"Is this the reason the Buddha Emperor of the Nine Realms refrained from acting against the God of Death?" Jiuzhou asked.
Not long ago, he had entrusted Silence of the Gods to the monastery.
Knowing the battle against the God of Death had failed, Jiuzhou had reasoned that a single Heavenly Sword would not suffice—but paired with a fully empowered Silence of the Gods, perhaps victory was possible.
And to achieve that, the Buddha Emperor's sacred blood was needed to temper the blade and amplify its might.
At this moment, the Buddha Emperor was absent—precisely because he was anointing the sword with his own blood.
In this brief span, the Buddha Emperor had twice sacrificed his sacred blood.
The first time, to lay the foundation for Huang Shen's restoration.
The second, to awaken Silence of the Gods.
But this was no ordinary blood—it was the essence of his divine vitality.
Two such expenditures in so short a time, even for one whose power touched the heavens, had exacted a heavy toll.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The story continues now! Dive into the next chapter and beyond—the first 26 chapters are free to read!
Ready for the full adventure? Get the complete book here:
https://f-w-o.com/novel/the-shade-corpse-thunderbolt/