Cloud Crossing Mountain
After the Grand Academician's assault on Glazed Immortal Realm, leaving it in ruins, Qu Shitu had led the injured Qin Jiaxian and Ye Tuling to Cloud Crossing Mountain to recuperate.
It was also a convenient way for Su Huanzhen to find them.
After all, if Su Huanzhen returned to the destroyed Glazed Immortal Realm and found them missing, his first thought would be that they had come here.
Yet, the once-sacred Cloud Crossing Mountain now lay desolate and bleak.
Ever since Yi Ye Shu had left, the mountain had become the stronghold of the righteous factions in the Bitter Realm.
Here, they had faced the Heavenly Emperor of Annihilation.
Under the might of the Heavenly Emperor, Cloud Crossing Mountain had been reduced to ruins.
Of course, the mountain was bound to Yi Ye Shu's fate. So long as his destiny remained strong, his return would restore its former sanctity and vitality.
But Yi Ye Shu had not come back.
After aiding Mo Zhaonu in Dongying, he had suffered grave injuries battling the War God, Genbu the Unshaken, and had remained there to recover.
Once healed, he had been thrust into the calamity of the Heavenly Emperor of Annihilation, devising desperate strategies to oppose him.
Then, joining forces with Feng Zhihen at Endless Desert, he had clashed with the Heavenly Emperor—only to be grievously wounded and lose the foundation of the Eightfold Dragon Divine Flame. Thus, he had retreated to Serene Meditation Peak to recuperate.
After partial recovery, he had journeyed to Buddha's Fiery Prison to restore his lost power.
So, the mountain's current state was inevitable.
Yet today, the already bleak Cloud Crossing Mountain was swallowed by an unnatural darkness—as if the world itself were ending.
"D-Death?! The God of Death?!" Qin Jiaxian exclaimed.
Qin Jiaxian's heart lurched at the sight.
This was the same omen that had preceded the Grand Academician's attack on Glazed Immortal Realm.
"Follow me!" Qu Shitu urged.
Qu Shitu urgently motioned to Qin Jiaxian and Ye Tuling.
Having survived one disaster, they had no desire to face another.
"Go, go!" they shouted.
The trio hastily retreated toward the mountain's rear peaks.
Not long after their departure, the dark energy fully engulfed Cloud Crossing Mountain.
A figure, shrouded entirely in shadow, ascended step by step.
It was Yin Shiren, his heart drowned in isolation, his body overtaken by the power of Death.
Aimless, he had wandered here.
Now, for reasons unknown, he halted before the massive boulder inscribed with the words "Cloud Crossing Mountain."
This was not by his will—his body had moved on instinct.
Thus, enveloped in darkness, he stood motionless.
Then, in an instant—change.
Deep within the abyss of Death's power, a faint golden light flickered.
Dim yet unyielding, it resisted the consuming dark.
This radiance was the awakening of Yin Shiren's latent Buddhist energy, now clashing against the Death force.
As his inner light surged, the mountain itself responded.
The dormant sacred energies of Cloud Crossing Mountain—one of the world's greatest Buddhist nexuses—stirred.
The gathered spiritual power now fought against the darkness shrouding Yin Shiren.
His mind slowly calmed.
Then—a dragon's roar echoed within him.
The Divine Dragon's Aura, another force within him, joined the struggle.
The loneliness in his heart began to fade.
But the battle within him raged on.
Death's power refused to relent.
The conflict intensified.
Agony tore through him.
And then—
BOOM—
Yin Shiren's body exploded.
Yes—exploded.
The clash of three supreme forces had torn him apart.
Yet no flesh or bone remained—only water, spreading across the barren earth, nourishing it.
Seconds later, the liquid gathered, swirling as if alive.
And from it, Yin Shiren reformed.
As he did, the darkness shrouding the mountain lifted, restoring its sanctity.
The three forces within him settled once more.
"Hah… hah… hah…" Yin Shiren panted.
Gasping, Yin Shiren shuddered at the memory.
He recalled everything—how close he had come to irreversible corruption.
Only the perfected Corpse Revival Art had saved him. Without it, the conflicting energies would have annihilated him entirely.
He steadied his breath, fearing another outburst—or worse, another explosion.
Death was avoidable. Pain was not.
Calmer now, he gazed at the stone before him.
"Cloud Crossing… ferrying all sentient beings across suffering," Yin Shiren murmured.
He understood Yi Ye Shu's intent in naming this place.
And he realized why his body had brought him here.
Instinct—the lingering will of the original Yin Shiren, the Corpse Rebel.
In times of peril, the Corpse Rebel had always sought Yi Ye Shu's aid.
To him, Yi Ye Shu could resolve any crisis.
Though the monk was absent, his essence remained.
It was this lingering sanctity that had quelled Yin Shiren's turmoil, awakening his inner light and the dragon's power.
With the mountain's aid, he had broken free.
Even if it had cost him an explosion.
"Who are you?" a voice demanded.
A voice, thick with a nasal tone, cut through the air.
"Was that disturbance your doing?" the voice questioned.
Yin Shiren's response was instinctive.
"Boss?!" Yin Shiren exclaimed.
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