{The world needed the Yin Immortals. They are the only thing keeping some resembnce of bance in it since their creation.

  By consuming the yin energy to power their cultivation, they are bancing the good natural energy of the world with the yin energy produced from people’s negative emotions.

  Sadness, jealousy, fear, anger, frustration, envy, depression, guilt, grief, despair…

  They are natural emotions, that the natural Yin energy produced by the world can bance easily, but now more than ever, they have become unnatural. All the injustices happening daily make these emotions overpower the natural energy of the world.

  And I… I feel helpless to stop it.

  The Yin Energy is tainting everything and making it much worse.

  If Humans don’t make a radical change soon, all will be lost…}

  ****

  Seph recited his tale to the elder of the Yin disciples, and told him of the fruit he grabbed while showing it to him, and how he got hit by a big rock to the chest, and lost consciousness ter.

  “We don’t have a lot of time to expin this new life to you, son, but you have become a yin immortal. Some call us undead, or unliving, but it doesn’t matter to us in the least. We cultivate using yin energy, the accumution of years of injustices, prejudices, and horrors among humans. And use them to cultivate our bodies, become stronger, to fight for our very existence. We have as much right to be here as any person on this earth. There are myriad ways to become like us. Usually we are born from having a great injustice done to us or our desire for revenge right before our death. And in your case, your desire to save your mother, as for the fruit you found, it’s a Yin Fruit. It can enhance certain aspects of your new body, but I advise against eating it now.”

  Seph looked at him wide-eyed and in complete horror, he looked at his blue hands, and then back at his face again, and thought, he isn’t joking with me, all humans want to be immortals, but no one wants whatever this unholy existence is!

  “How do I go back?!” he blurted out, looking between him and the disciples. Some were looking at Seph with pity, others with ridicule, the stronger ones with indifference!

  The man looked at him coldly. “There is no going back now, boy. You either move forward with your cultivation or you die, you are better off joining our Yin Sect. We can protect you against immortals and mortals alike. You cannot look at your reflection in a mirror right now, but you look like a corpse as much as any of the other disciples behind me. Mortals will attack you on sight!”

  Seph looked at the disciples behind him, taking in their macabre appearance.

  “But my mother, she needs a vitality grass or I’ll lose her forever,” he was on the verge of crying but no tears were coming out…

  “You are in luck kid, I am the elder of the yin Disciples sect. We are here to send these new disciples inside the tree behind your back. I think it’s your fate to join them for a chance to get Scorn’s legacy. Once you are inside, time will flow differently. It’s your only way to become strong to either continue your trek across the mountain to attain the grass for your mother and pass whatever violence the mortals will meet you with, or you can get lucky and find the grass inside. It’s not that rare after all. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Whatever you find in there is yours. All that the sect requires is the Annals of Scorn. We need his wisdom to give us purpose. This is one of the many pces that potentially hold his wisdom, but the only way to get inside is if you are a brand new Yin immortal who made no progress in cultivation and has no skills, or any special gear to give you an advantage. What do you say? Do you accept my generous offer? The next words coming out of your mouth better be yes or no. I have no more time to waste on this.”

  Seph gulped nothing at all, for parched was his mouth. Looking wide-eyed at the yin disciples ahead, who still had the same expressions from before, the wind blowing their robes, and their hair… those of them who still had hair anyway, the scene looked very bleak, very macabre!

  Seph answered, “Yes, I accept your generous offer, Lord Elder sir!”

  Many of the disciples chuckled at Seph’s awkwardness at not knowing how to address the powerful man in front of him.

  “Good choice son, our lives may be hard, but by all the power we can amass, we can push through it, and we are no pushovers. We can’t teach you anymore about your new situation. I bet you feel your senses have become dull, and you have become weaker than even your mortal self, but all of that will change once you get to cultivating. You will be good in our hands. That’s, of course, if you survive the coming trial.”

  “Wait a minute, what do you mean if I survive?! I could die there? Again? I don’t want to die twice on the same day! And what happens if I die this time? I cease to exist? My mother dies without me saving her?”

  Seph bombarded him with these questions back-to-back, panicking.

  He knew his journey would be dangerous, but this was wilder than his wildest dreams.

  He never even had wild dreams beyond becoming a schor. He was a water carrier…

  The Elder leaned towards him, put his palm on his shoulder, looked deep into his soul, if he still had any anyway! and said.

  “Listen, kid, trust me when I tell you. This opportunity is the best thing that happened in your new life. We don’t know what is beyond that portal, but whatever is in there will set you up with an amazing start on your path of cultivation. Many of you can come out alive and well with substantial rewards for cultivators at your levels. Many of you might not come out, but it’s the w of the immortal way now. Want to survive? Fight. Want to save your mother? Fight. Want to be strong? Fight. Want to be rich? Fight. Want to be immortal? Fight. Fight till your st breath, fight with all your being, fight because fighting is all we will do from now on. And by Scorn I swear, WE WILL DEFY THE HEAVENS.”

  The disciples behind him exploded in war cries and cheers, and it dawned on Seph that, even though regarded, they were as unholy creations. They were not afraid of the immortals. They did not feel scared at all!

  He steeled his resolve and put on his most serious face. It’s all or nothing. The climb of this mountain was a death sentence anyway in these conditions, and he made it. Not really, but at least he was still here.

  He can still save her, who is dear to his heart. He looked at the Elder and said: “I am ready, let’s do this”.