Chapter 16: Rising from the dead

"He has come back, but his condition is grave. He stands at the edge of death and for my heart now fills with fear that his last moments are drawing close!" The old man spoke with emphasis, his voice trembling as he glanced around at the gathered members of the clan, worry writ large on his face.

"It seems his journey was fraught with peril!" Xian Yue said gravely as he stood up, a sense of foreboding washing over him. Without another word, he vanished alongside the great elder, their figures blurring into nothingness. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the entrance of their family estate, recently repaired but now shrouded in an air of mourning.

As they approached, the scene before them seemed one of desperation. A throng of weeping elders and distressed clansmen stood around the inert body of a handsome young man whose pale face was white of color, stretched limply on the cold earth that had been cold so long. It was plain that life had gone and his presence remained only in its vestiges.

"The patriarch has arrived!" cried the great elder, desperation his voice, his composure crumbling.

"It is too late," said the Second Elder, Xian Yuanshan, his voice heavy with grief. "Xian Zhan is already gone."

"What? Dead?" The great elder stepped back, rage and pain complicated in his voice. "This is all my fault! If we had acted sooner and found him more quickly, perhaps we could have saved him!"

Just then, a thunderous laugh boomed over the Xian family estate. "Hahaha! You can't lay the blame solely on yourselves, for even if you had found him sooner, his fate would have been the same!"

The laughter boomed, sending shivers down their spines, as three dark figures descended from the sky and landed before the amazed assembly with an air of foreboding.

One of the robbers surveyed the plaque on the door, curling his lips in an insolent sneer. "Xian family, indeed! So that is the mighty clan into which Xian Zhan falls! All these years of our pursuit have reaped their reward, and all these years of effort have not been wasted!"

"Who are you?" demanded Xian Wu, stepping forward, his eyes narrowed with suspicion and anger.

The immigrants were oozing with some kind of vicious energy, their eyes glinting with malice. "Who are we? We are the Wang family of Kyoto. But to you peasants, our name is nothing," one of them sneered. "However, now that you know who we are, your time to die has come!"

"Wait! If you plan on killing us, at least enlighten us on what happened!" Xian Wu challenged, buying herself time.

"Haha, what difference does it make? Your tribe has no right to interfere in matters of the heart—especially those concerning the woman my young master desires!" The mockery dripped from his words, every syllable a dagger to the Xiao family's pride.

"Do you really think you have the right to pursue that woman?" another asked, his eyes flashing with contempt.

"Our young master merely eradicated a few annoyances for her's sake. But we, the Wang family, can't let a loose end lie. We had him follow you here to kill you all together. Only then can we be certain that there are no threats left behind after this!" The words were frosty, without a whiff of remorse as if discussing pests to be nixed.

"You see, despite the wounds, he should have died ages ago. But we secretly gave him that healing pills and let him return to all of you. So, bless us for our 'generosity.' If it weren't for us interfering, he wouldn't be back, either!" He said this with a smirk, as if he were playing with lives.

"Now that you understand the situation, can you die with some semblance of peace?"

One of the intruders suddenly became serious and raised his hand. He was going to kill the entire Xian family in one stroke.

Rumor had it that some kind of heavy hand lay behind Xian Yue, and it was said the intruders had been such formidable opponents at first that they now could only laugh at that appraisal. They were nothing but lower-ranked clan members, hardly worth noticing by an expert of Soul formation Realm.

But Xian Yue also had a look of firmness in the eyes. "You can indeed die with peace of mind," he said softly. "Given your warped logic, I shall grant you a swift end."

A little movement of his fingers spouted out three beams of golden rays, by which three invaders would be shot into their foreheads in perfect precise sight. The very next moment, their bodies fell onto the ground dead, with twisted faces in arrogant airs, as if they detested the Xiao family. These were executed by Xian Yue with utmost swiftness so that they wouldn't have to suffer for a long time.

"What a pity that a young man with such great promise has been wasted this way," said Xian Wu in a dejected murmur, staring down at the lifeless form of Xian Zhan. The deaths of Wang family members evoked no surprise in them; they had long known how much power Xian Yue possessed.

But in a way that no one could have foreseen, this loss was compounded by the loss of Xian Yue, their own foster child whom they had cared for and nursed over the years. Indeed, each knew how the sorrow would seriously pierce the hearts of the clan as a whole.

Still, when Xian Yue looked down at the lifeless corpse, he flicked his fingers once more to cast that golden light into Xian Zhan's forehead and then uttered a simple command: "Awaken!"

In a flash of time, Xian Zhan's eyes opened wide, and he took in a deep breath as if breaking through the water, panting madly at the air around him.

"A false corpse?" Xian Yin blubbered, taking herself two steps back in horror.

"This? Resurrection from the dead?" Xian Yuanshan's eyes widened at this point, with his face inscribed with disbelief because he had personally checked that Xian Zhan had no life force in him. Who was it who could bring another person back to life?

"Second Elder, did you make a mistake during your inspection? We can't afford such lapses with life and death! " The First Elder reprimanded sternly.

"That's impossible! Of course, I am right!" Xian Yuanshan protested loudly.

"I checked too. Xian Zhan was dead indeed!" Xian Wu confirmed, worry etching deeper in his voice.

Then, all eyes were on Xian Yue, with everyone willing and waiting for him to tell them the state of things. He took a deep breath and declared, "He was certainly dead, but I have revived him."

"Ahh? Could someone who's dead be returned to life?" The crowd gasped in awe.

"While some may not have the capability, I do!" Xian Yue boldly claimed.

His was a cultivation that defied the understanding of mortals, distorting the fabric of fate and surpassing the potential of existence. He was able to reverse the common course of life and death and remake reality to suit his whims.

"It's just not possible! What can't you do in your world?" the great elder exclaimed, shocked by the discovery.

"I can do anything you imagine and even what you deem impossible!" Xian Yue declared confidently, beaming with pride.

"Xian Yue? Elders?" Xian Zhan's voice stumbled, as if he were collecting himself while gazing with a bewildered face.

A moment ago, he felt he had entered the underworld - surrounded by ethereal ghosts and shades - a place of darkness and sorrow. Now, within a heartbeat, he is back at the family estate, before his relatives.

Looking upon his own body, he found that all his early wounds had been washed clean away, and rejuvenated, so to speak, he looked at the older man, dazed and asked, "What in the world has happened?"

"Rejoice! You are awake, and that is all that matters," said the great elder with tears of relief welling in his eyes.

"Great Elder, did I really die? I thought I saw the underworld surrounded by spirits!" said Xian Zhan bewildered at his experience.

"Yes, you were really dead, but it was the patriarch who resurrected you!" the elder went on proudly.

"The patriarch?" Xian Zhan repeated with shock and amazement to look at Xian Wu standing by his side.

Now, with a new sense of life flashing in the handsome features, Xian Zhan's stature regained its majestic bearing that likened him to the strength and pride of his family at that moment.

"Haha, don't look so surprised. I'm no longer the clan leader. That position now belongs to Xian Yue!" Xian Wu chuckled with warmth gushing out from him.

"Xian Yue? He is now the leader of our clan?" Xian Zhan widened his eyes at the announcement.

"What? Am I not fit to lead?" Xian Yue said playfully, an expression that was teasing yet prideful.

"No way. I'm just curious! Uncle Wu is in the best phase of life; I didn't think he would step down this soon," Xian Zhan said while still in shock.

Xian Wu smiled, the smoke of all recent events burning up in his eyes. "Circumstances have dictated this change, and so I entrusted the leadership to Xian Yue. You must be spent from your travels; rest now, and we'll discuss everything later."

"Yes!" Xian Zhan nodded gratefully, the tiredness spreading over his bones. A good rest is what he needed to trudge through the whirlwind of emotions around him.