"Big Senior Brother!"
A nearby disciple reacted, and with an alarmed cry, his hand formed a seal, sending out a burst of green light that rushed towards Song Yin. He arrived swiftly at Song Yin's side, and with a wave of his five fingers, a green lump of Poisonous Disease sprayed from his hand, striking Song Yin.
It hit!
The disciple was pleased; this Poisonous Disease was a concoction he'd crafted from several poisons. Once it hit, it could rot a person's flesh as if afflicted by fire poison.
Bang!
But before he could relish his success for even a moment, a huge fist burst out from within the green Poisonous Disease, smashing ferociously into his forehead, sending him flying several meters away like a ragdoll, crashing to the ground. A large dent appeared on his Heavenly Spirit Cover, with red and white fluids oozing out. It was clear he wasn't going to make it.
Within the green Poisonous Disease, White Qi exploded, dispersing the poison into the air. The White Qi rose up, with Song Yin's hair fluttering wildly, his countenance overflowing with anger.
"It's the Demonic Path again!"
Grinding his teeth in anger, Song Yin immediately turned towards the person he was holding and growled, "Who are you, speak quickly!"
It had not been easy to cultivate into an immortal, and even more challenging to join an Orthodox Sect.
This double joy had brought him even more happiness. Song Yin had envisioned a harmonious time at the Sect with his fellow disciples, vanquishing demons and driving out monsters.
But why, why would there be someone from the Demonic Path here?
This was a direct slap to his master's face!
Smack...
At this moment, the person in his hand struggled frantically, inadvertently touching Song Yin's buttocks.
"Hmm!!"
A vein on Song Yin's forehead bulged, and a thunderous grunt exploded from his throat. His arm's veins protruded as he slammed the person down violently.
Bang!
The stone slab shattered, stone fragments flying everywhere, and sharp shards shot towards other disciples, grazing past their hair and cheeks.
The horror of this scene made the observers shiver, trembling as they watched this ferocious display.
"Stop!"
A voice rang out from afar.
Song Yin turned his head and saw his master staring at him, his eyes narrowing, "Master, you want me to stop?"
Soon after, he perceived something amiss and looked around.
The decrepit buildings resembling ruins more than Sect structures, and the terrified, trembling disciples...
"Something's not right here..."
Song Yin's face darkened as he said to Jin Guang, "Master, you are deceiving me, aren't you..."
As soon as these words came out, Jin Guang's expression changed abruptly.
So close to success, and yet to fail at this step.
He formed a seal with his hands, his expression dark: "It's too late for you to realize now..."
"Jinxian Sect may be of the Righteous Path, but it's not as formidable as you claimed. This is just a small sect, isn't it, Master?" Song Yin said with confident smile.
Everything was clear to him.
This was merely a small sect, perhaps even an ancient ruin refurbished by his master. The disciples were weak; otherwise, they wouldn't have panicked so much upon encountering the Demonic Path, indicating they probably hadn't been in the mountains long.
This also explained why his master kept delaying bringing him to the Sect, claiming his body was tainted with impurities that prevented him from ascending the mountain. His master feared he would disdain the dilapidated Sect and run away.
But... how could Song Yin be such a person!
Song Yin's expression softened as he said, "It's alright, Master. There's no need to hide this from me. Having joined Jinxian Sect, I will definitely meet your expectations and make our Sect prosper!"
"Ah, yes, that's right..."
Jin Guang's hands relaxed. He glanced at the Senior Disciple lying half-dead in the hole and then at Song Yin, whom he had painstakingly nurtured for two months, and instantly made a decision.
He showed a smile: "I can't hide anything from you. Disciple, you're right, there are indeed some scruples, and it's your teacher's fault. I was too careless, letting the Demonic Path invade our Sect, nearly causing disaster."
Song Yin then looked towards the pit where the member of the Demonic Path lay barely breathing, and wound up his fist again, "Indeed, such boldness from the Demonic Path is intolerable!"
His fist, surrounded by White Qi, soared high and then smashed down heavily.
"Don't!"
Bang!
The shattered stones lifted a cloud of dust, the shockwave billowing the robes of the nearby disciples and frightening them pale.
As the dust settled, Zhao Yuanhua's chest sported a huge hole, and he was beyond help.
Song Yin turned his head to see that his master had arrived beside him, maintaining a reaching forward posture, though unsure of his intent.
"Master, what shouldn't I do?"
Jin Guang appeared to be stunned for a moment, then took a deep breath, looked once more at his Senior Disciple who lay lifeless, and forced a reassuring smile, "Don't... hold back."
Song Yin frowned, glance again at the corpse, and voiced his concern, "Master, I've heard the Demonic Path has some special Dharma Techniques. Could he have abandoned his body to escape?"
Abandoned his body?
Jin Guang's lips twitched. He, too, wished to learn such a technique. Putting aside its rarity, that had nothing to do with the Qi Refining Realm.
"Rest assured... He's dead, there's no doubt about it," Jin Guang said through gritted teeth.
Song Yin nodded with a smile, then turned to look at the Green Python lying on the ground, asking, "Miss, are you alright?"
The plump woman on the ground shook her head as if waking from a dream, her eyes displaying confusion. She glanced at Song Yin, who stared intently at her, and subconsciously clutched her dress bound tight like a sticky rice dumpling, her legs wrapped in her clothes, dragging them back.
"Demonic Path! What do you intend to do?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a glint flashed in Jin Guang's eyes. His hand seal, not yet fully released, discreetly pointed at her, and suddenly, the woman in the green dress was rendered motionless, as if bound by something.
Song Yin patiently explained, "Miss, I know you're frightened, but I'm not part of the Demonic Path; I am of the Righteous Path!"
The woman in the green dress could no longer speak, only her eyes frantically moved about.
Jin Guang spoke calmly, "She's having a fit of anger, compounded with having been hexed by this member of the Demonic Path, so she can't move. Don't worry, your teacher has cast a spell, she will recover after a short rest."
Song Yin realized and said, "I see, Miss, you need not worry, you are safe now!"
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The moment these words were spoken, the eyes of the woman in green swirled even more fiercely, as if she was somewhat angered.
Capturing this expression, Song Yin consoled, "Miss, I know you are anxious, but there's no need for haste. You should rest first; we can talk about the rest later. Our Jinxian Sect is, after all, from the Righteous Path."
"Indeed, that's correct."
Jin Guang chuckled, "Jinxian Sect follows the 'Righteous Path,' you will be very safe here. Someone come, help her to rest..."
No one responded.
The nearby disciples, as if subjected to a Binding Technique, were each frozen with faces of terror, their gazes leaping back and forth between Song Yin and the deceased Zhao Yuanhua, not daring to step forward.
"Did nobody hear me speak?" Jin Guang's countenance darkened, and he suddenly turned to the closest disciple.
That disciple's heart skipped a beat, he bowed his head but his feet remained rooted in place.
With a helpless sigh, Jin Guang murmured, "This is my newly accepted disciple. He has been consuming the Great Medicine Pill outside for a while, and I've now brought him back to the mountain to formally join the Sect."
Upon hearing this, the dozen or so disciples around all lifted their heads, displaying expressions of shock and disbelief.
This formidable person... is a Human Elixir?!
Song Yin gave them a cupped fist salute, baring his white teeth, "I am Song Yin, a newcomer to the Jinxian Sect. I hope my fellow Senior Brothers will take good care of me moving forward!"
Still, no one responded, the disciples each turned away, unwilling to meet Song Yin's gaze.
"Alright, let's leave it at that then. My disciple, follow me to the Elixir Room. I cannot wait to get you started!"
At this moment, Jin Guang re-grasped Song Yin's wrist and dragged him towards the Elixir Room.
As Jin Guang and Song Yin departed, the other disciples felt like they had been granted a pardon, each slumping in relief, nearly failing to stay on their feet.
"That scared me to death; I thought I was a goner..."
"But seriously, what's the deal with that violent criminal? He's a Human Elixir?"
"Who has ever seen a Human Elixir like that? It's terrifying, the Senior Disciple... right, the Senior Disciple!"
"The Senior Disciple is gone!"
The disciples were in a pronounced and chaotic uproar.
...
"Disciple, how exactly did you cultivate?"
Having walked a certain distance, Jin Guang couldn't help but inquire.
"What do you mean by how?" asked Song Yin, puzzled.
"It's just... um, that person from the Demonic Path did possess some strength after all. How did you defeat him, and what exactly is that White Qi you have?"
Upon closer thought, the White Qi emitted by Song Yin during the fight caused his own Qi to tremble as if it had encountered some kind of natural enemy.
How could a mere Mortal achieve such a feat?
He began to suspect whether this person was a disciple from some great Sect, sent to the Xumi Vein to vanquish Demons and uphold the Righteous Path.
Still, it seemed unlikely.
Jin Guang was sure that when he first encountered Song Yin, the fellow was purely a Mortal, and moreover, who would come to the desolate lands of the Xumi Vein?
It wasn't the indication of Qi Refinement with Qi concealed within the body; it was simply the stirring of physical energy. Nonetheless, this made Jin Guang even more baffled.
"You taught me, Master," answered Song Yin.
"I taught you?"
Jin Guang was taken aback by the question. In the past two months, aside from teaching him how to absorb the effects of the Great Medicine Pill, he hadn't taught him anything else.
"Yes, Master. It's natural that these basic techniques didn't concern you much. You said, to remove impurities and elevate the pure, to coalesce into unity, one could enter the Innate True Realm. Hence, you taught me a set of physical cultivation techniques."
Song Yin broke into a smile and said, "I thought about it. With my Great Immortal's Talent, entering the Innate True Realm is a sure thing."
"You thought about it?"
This remark left Jin Guang dumbfounded yet again. "Did I... really say that?"
He then remembered.
He had indeed said it! When this youngster was uncontrollably excited and absorbed the Great Medicine Pill quickly, to prevent him from wandering off, he had casually concocted a couple of physical techniques to give to him, and then he didn't bother with it further after a few coaxing words.
What he said at that time seemed to be about some 'Innate True Realm,' but...
That was all made up! He had made it up on the spot, there was no such technique that actually existed. If there really was a technique that could make a Mortal so powerful, wouldn't he have practiced it himself long ago?
Plus, even warriors from the mundane world couldn't handle a Qi Cultivator, let alone his own Senior Disciple!
"Could it truly be a gifted talent?"
This thought only lingered briefly in Jin Guang's mind before he discarded it.
Even the greatest talent couldn't create something from nothing. He had never heard of the Innate True Realm...
Besides, he had already lost a Senior Disciple today. Even if Song Yin were the reincarnation of one of the four Heavenly Venerates, he was determined to complete the Foundation Establishment!
Jin Guang, leading Song Yin, hurried forward towards the great hall. As soon as they entered the main hall, Song Yin's brow furrowed.
The interior of the building was even more dilapidated than the exterior, covered in dust. The pillars that supported the hall were battered and broken; some had snapped off completely, lying aside. Strange bugs nested on them, and spider webs filled the corners of the hall.
In the front was a statue clad in a Taoist robe, with the lower half of a human body but the upper half featuring a pair of sharp, spike-like wings, extending throughout the left and right of the hall. The area from the chest upward and both arms were missing, and its original form could not be discerned.
This statue, too, was marred with scars as if slashed by sharp weapons. Song Yin also noticed a massive claw mark on the statue's abdomen.
It didn't look like a human statue...
Waiting for his Master to push open the door to the side chamber, Song Yin's frown deepened, and his pupils constricted in the blink of an eye.
The Elixir Room's structure was just as decrepit, with dusty floors and several rows of dilapidated medicine shelves on the walls, adorned with various materials.
Unrecognizable green leaves, yellow flowers, and red roots, among which were familiar items like ginseng. Yet on one of the medicine shelves, he saw preserved organs, human skulls, and… the remains of infants!
At the center stood a brand new, massive cauldron, seemingly made of brass, formed with three legs and decorated with cloud patterns, comprising two sections—the lower looked like a conventional cauldron, while the upper part resembled a treasure pagoda that tapered towards the top, almost like... a steaming basket large enough to accommodate a person.
"Disciple, today I will formally initiate you into our Sect!"
Jin Guang turned back, a faint gleam flashing through his eyes.
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