Chương 10: The Triumphant Return

In the front courtyard square of the Lei Clan, the wind swept through fallen leaves, yet the world remained eerily silent. The vast bluestone plaza was large enough to hold a thousand people, and at this moment, it was packed to the brim. Members of the direct lineage, collateral branches, elders, and deacons stood shoulder to shoulder. Everyone stood with their hands at their sides, their breathing so shallow it was almost non-existent.

The only sound in the heavens and earth was the low whistle of the wind against the beams and pillars, accompanied by a deathly silence that made hearts tremble with dread. Every gaze was fixed intensely on the two figures standing in a tense standoff at the center of the square. On one side was Lei Wanren, the Fifth Uncle—a man of high seniority who had once wielded absolute power within the clan, acting with unbridled tyranny for decades. On the other side stood Reyn.

He had returned home in glory, having journeyed back from his cultivation at the Xuanxiao Sect, completely reborn and transformed. The difference in their mere presence was enough to determine the victor immediately. Reyn was dressed in simple, plain robes, his posture as straight as a spear. His frame still retained the lean litheness of youth, yet the aura swirling around him had long since shed the humility and desolation of his past.

It was the cold, ethereal pressure unique to a cultivator—formless and invisible, yet it weighed heavily upon the hearts of every Lei clansman present. These people, who had spent their lives practicing martial arts and dominating Thunder Abyss City, found themselves gripped by an instinctive awe, unable to even lift their heads to look him in the eye. At this moment, no one dared to treat Reyn as the bullied, destitute youth whose family had been destroyed years ago.

Everyone understood that today's confrontation was no simple internal dispute. This was the culmination of a blood feud suppressed for years; it was the final reckoning for the massacre that had wiped out his household. Lei Wanren stood rooted to the spot, his back already drenched in cold sweat. His face shifted between shades of pale and ashen, his hands and feet trembling slightly. He no longer possessed even a fraction of the overbearing arrogance he once used to command the clan.

In the past, relying on his seniority and deep-rooted influence, he had acted without restraint, suppressing any who opposed him. He was the one who had orchestrated the tragedy of Reyn's family, personally ensuring the death of Reyn's parents and the destruction of their entire line—a truly monstrous crime. For years, he had comfortably consumed the clan's resources and held the reins of power, believing that the bloodbath of the past had been buried beneath the snow and wind.

He thought no one would dare investigate, and no one could shake his status. He never imagined that the boy who had narrowly escaped—the boy who should have frozen or starved to death in the mountain wilderness—would not only survive but enter an immortal sect and achieve the Great Dao. Today, Reyn had returned with overwhelming power, trampling over all of Lei Wanren's stability and bravado. Reyn's eyes were as cold as an eternal glacial pool. He cast a faint glance at the shivering Lei Wanren.

His voice wasn't loud, yet it pierced through the square, falling into the ears of every clansman like a death knell.

"Lei Wanren."

"on a bitter, snowy night, greed took hold of your heart. You coveted the clan's treasures and envied my father's opportunities. You disregarded our shared bloodline and cast aside all brotherly affection."

"You personally committed acts of violence, beating my mother to death with your own hands. You orchestrated the plot that slaughtered my entire household."

"My father was forced into exile, and when he fought his way back home with his last breath, you allowed your subordinates to shatter his bones. Finally, under your direct orders, his head was severed. His blood stained the courtyard, and his bones were left without peace." Reyn's voice was flat and direct, devoid of screaming or explosive rage. Yet, the calmer he remained, the more it radiated a bone-chilling coldness and absolute resolve.

The thousand Lei clansmen in the square felt their hearts shake violently; their breathing stopped. Among the Lei Clan's upper echelons, that incident had never truly been a secret. Everyone knew in their hearts that Lei Wanren, blinded by a lust for power, had murdered his own kin to create the massacre of the Second Branch.

However, because Lei Wanren was powerful, and because Clan Leader Lei Wanjun remained silent and indulgent while the second uncle, Lei Wanhe, watched with cold indifference, no one dared to speak of it. Everyone had chosen to hide the evil and maintain a facade of peace. Today, Reyn had publicly torn away all disguises, laying the years-old bloodstains and monstrous crimes bare before the entire clan. Every sentence was ironclad evidence. Every word was a debt of blood.

Lei Wanren's face turned deathly white instantly. His legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed onto the bluestone floor. He hurriedly raised a finger, pointing at Reyn with a frantic and distorted expression, attempting to argue his way out: "Nonsense! Pure fabrication! It was mountain bandits who went on a rampage back then, slaughtering our kin! It had nothing to do with me! Reyn!

Do not think that just because you have cultivation from an immortal sect, you can invent crimes out of thin air to slander a clan elder and incite internal strife!"

"Mountain bandits?" Upon hearing this, the corner of Reyn's mouth curled into a look of supreme, icy mockery. This sliver of a smile appeared like the gaze of Yama, the judge of the dead, in Lei Wanren's eyes. It made his hair stand on end as a primal terror surged from the depths of his soul.

"You fabricated the lie of banditry to deceive the clan and blind outsiders, all to wash away the blood of your kin-slaying sins."

"Did you think that with the passing of time, no witnesses would remain? Did you think that because the clansmen stayed silent, your crimes would be erased?" Reyn took a slow step forward. As his foot touched the ground, an invisible pressure of spiritual energy erupted! Buzz— A visible ripple of air swept across the square with him as the center. The pebbles on the bluestone plaza vibrated violently.

Many of the collateral branch members with low cultivation felt their legs go weak, and they couldn't help but retreat, their spirits trembling with fear. Standing at the front of the crowd, Clan Leader Lei Wanjun's brow furrowed slightly, yet he maintained his habitual silence. He did not plead for mercy, he did not block the path, and he did not speak. Years ago, he had watched with cold eyes and allowed the tragedy to happen; today, he would silently bear the consequences.

He was guilty of indulgence, but he was not the primary murderer. He knew his place and understood that Reyn was only here to settle scores with the main culprit, not to purge the entire clan. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Beside him, the second uncle, Lei Wanhe, had a stiff expression. His fists were clenched slightly, and a hint of trepidation and panic hid in his eyes, yet he too remained silent.

He was a bystander and an accomplice back then, but not the mastermind. Now, he could only watch this long-overdue reckoning, not daring to make a single move. Among the thousand people present, no one dared to speak up for mercy. Everyone knew that Lei Wanren was beyond redemption. Reyn's gaze locked onto Lei Wanren, his voice suddenly turning sharp and echoing through the entire courtyard: "Today, I, Reyn, return to the Lei Clan not to seize power, not to bring chaos, and not to slaughter the innocent!"

"I am here for one thing only—to settle a blood feud!"

"For those of the Lei Clan who merely followed orders, those who were bystanders, and those who remained silent—I shall not pursue you! To the innocent young and old, and the law-abiding members of this clan—I shall let you go!" As his words fell, countless clansmen felt a massive weight lift from their chests. Their hearts, which had been in their throats, finally settled.

Everyone had prepared for a clan-wide massacre and rivers of blood; many even thought Reyn would take out his anger on everyone who knew the truth back then. But his vision was clear, and his sense of justice was precise! He would not practice collective punishment or kill the innocent! He would only strike the head of the evil and spare the rest! Reyn's eyes fell back onto the pale, trembling Lei Wanren. His gaze was now completely frigid, devoid of any familial sentiment.

"Only you, Lei Wanren!"

"You are the sole primary culprit of the massacre. You are the one who personally killed my parents, destroyed my home, severed my bloodline, and caused a lifetime of misery!"

"You were blinded by power, ruthless in your actions, and murdered your own kin. Your crimes are unforgivable!"

"Years ago, you relied on your influence to bully others and commit murder, and no one could bring you to justice!"

"Years later, I, Reyn, have returned. Today, I shall use the power of my cultivation to act on behalf of Heaven and settle the accounts of your life's sins!" Lei Wanren completely broke down. Extreme terror filled his eyes, and he could no longer maintain any semblance of an elder's dignity. He scrambled to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly. His forehead slammed against the bluestone floor with loud thuds, and blood immediately began to seep out.

"Reyn! I was wrong! I admit my mistake!"

"Back then, I was momentarily confused, blinded by greed! For the sake of our shared bloodline, for the sake of me being your elder, spare my life! I am willing to hand over all my power in the clan, give away all my wealth, and spend the rest of my life guarding the ancestral hall to atone for my sins! I beg of you, leave me with a life!" He kowtowed frantically, his forehead a bloody mess, his voice shrill and pathetic.

The once arrogant and overbearing clan elder now looked like a stray dog, begging for his life in the most hideous manner. The clansmen watched this scene in silence. No one felt sympathy; no one felt pity. This was the harvest of his own sowing—he deserved it. Reyn's eyes showed no emotion. His heart was as firm as stone, without a single ripple.

His parents' tragic deaths, the destruction of his home, his years of wandering as a youth, and his brush with death countless times—could these years of suffering and blood be erased by a single admission of guilt or a promise of atonement? The most useless thing in the world is the regret an evil man feels only after he has been caught.

"Too late." Two words, cold and decisive, pronounced the final judgment.

"When you raised your hand to kill, you didn't spare a thought for our bloodline. When you committed your massacre, you didn't leave my parents a single path to survival."

"You created a debt of blood, and now you shall pay with your life!" With those words, Reyn wasted no more breath. He slowly raised his right hand. A faint glow of spiritual energy condensed in his palm—pure, biting, and domineering. This was the power of a cultivator from the Xuanxiao Sect, a celestial force that secular martial artists could not hope to resist. Lei Wanren stared at that glow of spiritual energy, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

Scared out of his wits, he tried to scramble up and flee like a madman: "No! Don't! Mercy!!" But in the face of an absolute gap in cultivation, all his struggles were laughable and futile. Reyn flicked his finger, and a concentrated, sharp bolt of spiritual energy shot through the air. It was incredibly fast, crossing the distance of several yards in an instant! Puchi! The silent energy pierced through his body. Lei Wanren's sprinting figure suddenly froze. Every movement stopped instantly.

In the next breath, a fine line of blood exploded across his chest. His internal meridians were all severed, and his organs were instantly crushed. His eyes bulged, his face still frozen in a mask of extreme terror and unwillingess. A gurgling sound came from his throat, but he could no longer make a sound. Thud. His large frame crashed heavily onto the bluestone square, kicking up a cloud of dust. The tyrannical clan elder, the sole primary culprit of the massacre years ago, Lei Wanren, was executed on the spot.

His life and his path ended there. Blood slowly soaked into the bluestone floor, a piercingly bright red that seemed to wash away years of grievance and evil. The square was dead silent. Every member of the Lei Clan looked at Lei Wanren's corpse and the pool of scarlet blood. Their spirits shook, unable to find peace for a long time. No one was not shocked; no one was not in awe. The youth before them was clear in his rewards and punishments, and decisive in his killings.

He did not kill indiscriminately, nor did he practice collective punishment, but he absolutely would not tolerate the root of the evil! Those who should be spared were given mercy. Those who should be settled were given no quarter! After a moment of silence, Reyn slowly retracted his gaze, the spiritual energy in his palm fading as the biting killing intent around him settled. He turned his head, his calm gaze sweeping over the assembled clansmen, finally resting on Lei Wanjun and Lei Wanhe.

The two men stiffened slightly, their expressions solemn, yet they remained standing tall, not attempting to hide or flee. They were bystanders and enablers; they were guilty, but they were not the primary murderers. Reyn's gaze passed over them faintly. He did not strike, nor did he make things difficult for them. Today, he only settled the blood debt with the main culprit. Other old accounts would be set aside for now.

Reyn's voice rang out clearly once more, echoing through the square to reassure the clan and set new rules: "Today, I have slain Lei Wanren only to settle a private grudge and a blood debt. It has nothing to do with the rest of the clan!"

"The old grievances and oppressive rules born from his power over the past years are hereby abolished!"

"From this day forward, the Lei Clan shall operate as usual. Elders shall perform their duties, and clansmen shall attend to their business! I will not purge the old members, I will not harm the innocent, and I will not overturn the foundation of this clan!" These words completely settled the hearts of everyone present. The clansmen, who had been terrified and fearing for their lives, all breathed a sigh of relief. The massive stone weighing on their hearts finally dropped.

The way everyone looked at Reyn now was devoid of any contempt or disdain; there was only deep awe and submission. Decisive in killing, clear in justice, and possessing a breadth of mind that far surpassed any of the clan's older generation.

"We thank Young Master Reyn for his magnanimity!" It was unknown who started it, but in the next instant, a thousand Lei clansmen bowed in unison, their voices shaking the square.

"We thank Young Master Reyn for his magnanimity!" The synchronized shouts echoed in layers, reverberating far and wide above the Lei Clan estate. Reyn stood quietly in the center of the square, watching the clan members bow before him. His expression was calm, showing neither pride nor arrogance. Returning home in glory was not for the sake of showing off his power or seizing hegemony. It was only to wash away injustice, console the spirits of his parents, and settle the blood feud of his youth.

Today, the primary evil was executed, and the blood debt was paid. The knot in his heart that had lasted for years finally unraveled. The wind blew across the square, fluttering his robes. The youth stood tall, the ferocity in his eyes slowly fading, replaced by a steady resolve. Lei Wanren was dead, his name scrubbed from the past and future of the Lei Clan. But for Reyn, the path had only just begun.

The peace of the clan was only temporary; the road of cultivation was still long, with countless powerful enemies in the world and an endless Great Dao to pursue. He showed mercy to his clansmen today because he held onto benevolence and did not wish to create unnecessary slaughter. However, if anyone dared to harbor ill intent, provoke him, or harm those close to him in the future, he would still be just as decisive and merciless.