The Being Forgotten by Time

Chapter 5 - The Fall of the Lan Clan

His father was wounded, his clothes stained with blood. Even so, his expression was one of pure fury, teeth clenched, muscles tense as he struggled to break free.

Xu Jian yanked the chain brutally, forcing Lan Feng to his knees.

“Tsk, tsk… what a pitiful sight. The great Lan Feng, chained like a dog.” Xu Jian sighed theatrically.

“What a waste of talent.”

Lan Yue tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t obey. The poison made her too weak.

Xu Jian turned to her, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

“My dear Lan Yue… you were splendid in this fight. Too bad you never really had a chance.”

“You bastard!” Ji Han, surrounded as well, growled, his fists clenched.

“What did you do?!”

Xu Jian laughed.

“What did I do? I simply ensured that the vermin of the Lan Clan wouldn’t become a problem.” He shifted his gaze to Lan Feng.

“Your father was foolish enough to trust the wrong allies… and now he’s paying the price.”

The sound of blades slicing through flesh echoed in the arena.

Lan Yue looked around. And her heart stopped.

Her older brothers and family members of the Lan Clan were dragged to the center of the arena for all to see. Swords were unsheathed, and before the eyes of everyone present—be they commoners, nobles, or cultivators—each watched in horror as the family that had ruled them so well for generations was falling, one by one.

The Xu Clan soldiers drove their swords into the cultivators of the Lan Clan without hesitation. Lan Wu, Lan Yue’s second eldest brother, tried to fight, but a blade pierced his chest, his helpless gaze meeting Lan Feng’s as he collapsed to the ground. Lan Tian, the youngest, took advantage of a moment of distraction and lunged shoulder-first into a guard, creating an opening to escape—but a spear ran him through.

Blood poured onto the arena floor.

The stench of iron filled the air.

Lan Yue’s eyes widened, tears streaming like rain.

“—NO!”

She tried to stand, but her strength was completely gone.

“—NO!!”

She watched her blood brothers fall, their lifeless bodies hitting the ground like discarded dolls. Memories of her childhood flashed before her eyes—her eldest brother taking her on her first trip to the bustling city, her second brother sneaking sweets to her behind their mother’s back. And now, she saw that same brother with a spear impaled through his abdomen, blood dripping from his mouth.

Their eyes met, his lips moving as if trying to say something. But no words came out.

Xu Jian’s laughter thundered in her mind.

The crowd screamed in terror. People scrambled to climb the stands, but the soldiers cut down anyone who moved too quickly. It was a massacre.

Ji Han gritted his teeth, his muscles trembling with rage.

“I’LL KILL YOU!” he roared, trying to move.

The soldiers’ blades pierced his body all at once.

Blood sprayed across the arena.

Ji Han spat blood but didn’t fall. His body trembled. He took one step forward… and more swords drove into his abdomen.

This time, he fell to his knees, coughing up another mouthful of blood.

Xu Jian clicked his tongue.

“Ah… what a shame. He truly was a promising talent.”

Lan Yue looked around. The bodies of her brothers, the screams of despair, the blood staining the arena. She couldn’t do anything.

Xu Jian smiled and turned to Lan Feng.

“You thought you could challenge the Xu Clan? That you could change anything in this rotten world?”

He yanked the chain hard, pulling Lan Feng closer. His eyes narrowed.

“You never had a chance, Lan Feng. Your clan… your family… were nothing more than insignificant pieces in a game you never even understood.”

Lan Feng spat blood but smiled.

“Go fuck yourself, Xu Jian.”

Xu Jian gave a small smile.

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

He raised his blade.

Lan Yue’s eyes widened.

“NO!!”

The silver gleam of the sword fell.

Lan Feng’s body collapsed.

His head rolled across the bloodstained arena.

Lan Yue screamed.

The pain tore through her soul like a thousand knives. Her scream echoed across the arena, louder than any other sound. Despair, hatred, fury—all of it poured into that single cry.

But it didn’t matter.

The massacre was already complete.

Xu Jian wiped his blade with a white cloth and sighed, looking upon the remnants of the Lan Clan.

“And thus ends the lineage of a weak clan.”