Chapter 2: Innate realm

“Senior Brother!”

One of the nearby disciples reacted, and with a cry, he quickly formed a hand seal, producing a ball of green light that shot straight toward Song Yin. It swiftly reached him, and with a flick of his fingers, a cloud of green poison shot out from his hand and hit Song Yin.

Got him!

The disciple rejoiced. This poison was something he had concocted from mixing several venomous substances. Once it made contact, it would cause the body to rot as if it were on fire.

Bang!

But before he could even relish his victory, a large fist emerged from the green cloud, smashing into his forehead and sending him flying several meters. He landed on the ground like a rag doll, a massive dent in his skull, with red and white fluids leaking out. He was clearly dead.

From within the green poison, a surge of white energy exploded, dispersing the toxic cloud into the air. The white energy rose as Song Yin's hair danced wildly in the air, his fury clear on his face.

“Another evil cultivator!”

Song Yin gritted his teeth and glared at the person he was holding. "Who are you? Speak quickly!"

He had finally started cultivating immortality and had just entered a righteous sect. The joy of this was doubled when he thought about being part of a righteous sect, working with his senior brothers to subdue demons and uphold justice.

But why were there evil cultivators here?!

This was an insult to his master!

Smack!

At that moment, the person he was holding flailed their legs, accidentally kicking Song Yin near his lower back.

"Ah!"

Song Yin's eyebrows furrowed, a thunderous roar erupted from his throat, and the veins in his arms bulged as he flung the person downward.

Boom!

The blue stone slab shattered, sending sharp fragments flying in all directions. Several sharp pieces narrowly missed nearby disciples, grazing their hair and cheeks.

This terrifying scene left everyone speechless, trembling with fear as they watched this ferocious display.

"Stop!"

In the distance, a voice sounded.

Song Yin turned to look and saw his master staring at him blankly. His eyes narrowed. "Master, did you ask me to stop?"

Then he suddenly realized something and glanced around.

The dilapidated buildings resembling ruins more than a sect, disciples trembling in panic...

"Something's not right here..."

Song Yin's face darkened, and he said to Master Jin Guang, "Master, you're deceiving me, aren't you…?"

As these words came out, Jin Guang's face changed abruptly.

‘What a failure. I didn’t expect to fail at this step.’

He formed hand seals with a grim expression. "It's too late for you to know now..."

"Although the Golden Immortal Sect is righteous, it's not as powerful as you said, is it? It's just a small sect, isn't it, Master?!"

Song Yin smiled confidently.

Everything became clear.

This was just a small sect, likely built on the ruins of an old one, and the disciples were weak. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so terrified by the presence of evil cultivators. They probably hadn’t been here long.

That also explained why his master had delayed bringing him up the mountain. All that talk about impurities in his body preventing him from ascending was just an excuse. His master was afraid he’d see how rundown the sect was and get disappointed, then run away.

But… Song Yin wasn’t that kind of person!

Song Yin's expression softened. "It's okay, Master. You don't need to hide this from me. Since I've joined the Golden Immortal Sect, I will surely live up to your expectations and make the sect flourish!"

"Ah, yes..."

Jin Guang’s hand loosened, and he glanced at the disciple lying half-dead in the pit, then at Song Yin, whom he had nurtured for two months, and instantly made a decision.

He smiled. "I can't hide it from you, my disciple. There are indeed some grievances. It's my fault. I was careless and let an evil cultivator sneak into the sect, almost causing a disaster.”

Song Yin turned his gaze to the evil cultivator in the pit. The man was barely breathing, on the verge of death. Clenching his fist once more, Song Yin declared, “Indeed! These evil cultivators are far too rampant!”

He raised his fist high, white energy swirling around it, and brought it down heavily.

"Stop!"

Boom!

The shattered stones dispersed into a cloud of dust, and the shockwave blew nearby disciples' robes, leaving them pale-faced.

As the dust cleared, a large hole was visible in Zhao Yuanhua’s chest. He was dead.

Song Yin turned to find his master standing nearby, frozen in place with his hand outstretched as if he had been trying to stop something but unsure of what.

"Master, what do you mean by 'stop'?"

Jin Guang was momentarily stunned. He took a deep breath and glanced once more at his lifeless eldest disciple before forcing a comforting smile. “I was just telling you… not to hold back.”

Song Yin furrowed his brow and looked at the corpse again, concerned. “Master, I’ve heard that evil cultivators have special techniques. Could he abandon his body and escape?”

Abandon his body?

Jin Guang's lips twitched. He wished he knew such techniques. Not only were they extremely rare, but they also had nothing to do with someone at the Qi Refining Realm.

“Don’t worry. He’s as dead as can be,” Jin Guang said through gritted teeth.

Song Yin nodded and smiled, then turned his attention to the green-robed woman lying on the ground. “Miss, are you alright?”

The plump woman lying on the ground shook her head as if waking from a dream, her eyes bewildered. She glanced at Song Yin, who was staring at her intently, subconsciously clutching the hem of her green robe tightly. Like a snake coiling in its clothes, she dragged her feet backward.

“Evil cultivator! What do you want?!”

Just as she finished speaking, Jin Guang’s eyes flashed. Before she could move further, Jin Guang discreetly pointed a finger at her, and the green-robed woman suddenly froze in place as if bound by something.

Song Yin patiently said, “Miss, I understand you’re frightened, but I’m not an evil cultivator. I’m on the righteous path!”

The green-robed woman couldn’t speak anymore; only her eyes darted around wildly.

Jin Guang smoothly interjected, “She’s overwhelmed with emotion and was also under the influence of the evil cultivator’s magic. She’ll be fine after some rest. I’ve already cast a spell to help her recover.”

"Ah, I see. Miss, you're safe now!" Song Yin said, realizing.

Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes rolled even more vigorously, seemingly filled with anger.

Song Yin caught this expression and reassured her, "Miss, I know you're anxious, but there's no need to be. Take a rest first, and we'll talk more later. We, the Golden Immortal Sect, are a righteous sect."

"That's right."

Jin Guang smiled and said, "The Golden Immortal Sect is indeed a 'righteous sect,' and you'll be very safe here. Someone, help her to rest..."

No one responded.

The nearby disciples, seemingly frozen in place, looked terrified, their gazes shifting between Song Yin and the deceased Zhao Yuanhua, too frightened to approach.

“Did no one hear me?” Jin Guang’s face darkened as he glared at the nearest disciple.

That disciple’s heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his head, but his feet remained glued to the ground.

With a sigh, Jin Guang softly explained, “This is my newly accepted disciple. He’s been taking the Great Medicine Pill outside the sect for some time. I’ve brought him back today to officially induct him.”

Upon hearing this, the ten or so disciples all looked up in unison, their faces filled with shock.

This terrifying man… is a human pill?!

Song Yin clasped his hands together and grinned, revealing his white teeth. “My name is Song Yin, a new disciple of the Golden Immortal Sect. Please take care of me, senior brothers!”

Still, no one responded, and the disciples all turned their heads, avoiding eye contact with him.

“Well, that’s that. Disciple, follow me to the pill room. I can’t wait to officially induct you into the sect!”

Jin Guang grabbed Song Yin’s wrist again, pulling him toward the pill room.

As Jin Guang and Song Yin walked away, the other disciples, as if finally released from a curse, slumped in relief, nearly collapsing.

“I thought I was going to die…”

“What’s with that guy? He’s a human pill?!”

“Have you ever seen a human pill like that? He’s terrifying! Wait… Senior Brother! What happened to Senior Brother?”

“Senior Brother… is gone!”

The disciples descended into chaos.

---

“Disciple, how did you manage that?”

After walking a short distance, Jin Guang couldn’t help but ask.

“Manage what?” Song Yin asked, confused.

“You know… that evil cultivator was quite strong. How did you defeat him? And what was that white aura?”

Thinking back on it, Jin Guang remembered that when Song Yin had started fighting, the white aura surrounding him had made even Jin Guang’s own qi tremble, as if it had encountered some sort of natural enemy.

How could an ordinary person achieve such a level?

Jin Guang even suspected if this person was a disciple from some major sect, sent here to eradicate demons and uphold righteousness in the Golden Immortal Sect.

But upon further thought, it seemed unlikely.

Jin Guang was certain that when he encountered Song Yin, this fellow was truly just an ordinary person, and who would come to this desolate place like the Sumeru Mountain Range?

It wasn’t the sign of someone with internal energy cultivated through qi refining. It was just raw physical energy coursing through his body. But even so, Jin Guang couldn’t understand how it was possible.

"Master you taught me this," Song Yin said.

"I taught you?"

Jin Guang was taken aback. In the past two months, aside from teaching him how to absorb the Great Medicine Pill, he hadn’t taught him anything else.

“Yes, Master. These methods are basic, so you might not remember. You told me to purify the turbid qi and elevate the clear qi, to unify my body and spirit, and I would naturally enter the Innate Realm. Then you taught me a body-strengthening technique.”

Song Yin beamed. “I figured that with my Great Immortal potential, reaching the Innate Realm was a sure thing.”

"You thought?" Jin Guang was taken aback.

"Did I say that?"

Suddenly, he remembered.

He did say it!

At that time, this kid was so excited and absorbed the medicinal pills so quickly that he casually threw him two sets of body techniques to prevent him from running around. Then, he tossed out a few words of encouragement and left him to it.

He really had said that! Back then, this kid was so excited and absorbed the Great Medicine Pill so quickly that, to stop him from running off, Jin Guang had casually thrown together a couple of random body-strengthening techniques and said some vague nonsense to calm him down.

He had mentioned something about the "Innate Realm," but…

That was fake! He had made it up! That technique didn’t exist at all. If there were such a method to make an ordinary person this strong, wouldn’t Jin Guang have practiced it himself by now?

Besides, even the strongest martial artists in the mortal world couldn’t stand a chance against a qi cultivator, let alone someone as strong as his eldest disciple!

"Could it be that his talent is truly exceptional?"

This thought only lingered in Jin Guang’s mind for a moment before he dismissed it.

Even if his talent was exceptional, it couldn't create something out of nothing. Jin Guang had never heard of the "Innate Realm" from the books he'd read.

Besides, he had already lost his eldest disciple. Even if Song Yin were the reincarnation of one of the Four Great Heavenly Kings, Jin Guang would still proceed with his foundation building!

Jin Guang swiftly led Song Yin towards the main hall. As soon as they entered, Song Yin furrowed his brow.

The interior of the building was even more dilapidated than the exterior, covered in dust. The pillars supporting the main hall were ragged, some even broken, and lying on the ground. 

Strange insects nested in the broken parts, and cobwebs filled the corners of the hall.

At the front of the hall stood a statue, dressed in a Taoist robe. The lower half was human, but the upper half had wings like sharp spikes, extending to the left and right of the hall. The upper chest and arms were missing, leaving its original form a mystery.

The statue was also covered in scars, as though it had been slashed by sharp weapons. Song Yin even noticed a massive claw mark on its stomach.

It didn’t look like a human statue. When Jin Guang opened the door to the side hall, Song Yin’s frown deepened, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

The pill room was just as run-down as the rest of the building. Dust covered the floor, and along the walls were several rows of broken shelves. On those shelves lay various materials.

There were unknown green-leafed herbs, yellow vines, and red roots. Familiar herbs, like ginseng, were also present. However, on one of the shelves, Song Yin saw preserved organs, human skulls, and even… a baby’s corpse!

In the center of the room was a large, brand-new furnace, seemingly made of brass. It was supported by three legs, covered in cloud patterns, and divided into two sections. The lower part resembled a traditional furnace, while the upper part was shaped like a pagoda, short at the bottom and tall at the top, looking like a steamer big enough to hold a person.

“Disciple, today I will officially induct you into the sect!”

Jin Guang turned around, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light.