The One Who Returned
"Mi-An… I missed you… I never thought…"
XiaoYan's voice trembled heavily.
The words barely left his lips, yet everyone around him heard the emotion behind them.
For so long, he had carried the weight of losing her. There had been moments when he wondered whether he would ever see her again. He had imagined this moment countless times, but never like this.
Now she was standing before him.
Alive.
Real.
XiaoYan could hardly believe his eyes.
The disciples stared in shock.
No one dared to speak.
The gods looked horrified, their expressions revealing a fear they could not hide. They had witnessed the impossible before, but the sight before them seemed to carry a different kind of terror.
HaoNan's expression became pale.
"XiaoYan…" she whispered weakly.
There was something in her voice.
A warning.
Fear.
But XiaoYan could not hear her.
His attention was completely fixed on Mi-An.
He moved toward her.
His arms wrapped tightly around her.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Mi-An…"
He held her as though he could somehow make up for every moment they had spent apart simply by refusing to let her go.
"I missed you…"
His voice cracked.
"I never thought I would see you again."
His shoulders trembled.
The powerful cultivator who had stood against countless dangers now looked like an ordinary man who had finally found someone he thought he had lost forever.
But Mi-An did not respond.
She simply remained still.
Her arms did not embrace him.
Her face did not change.
XiaoYan was too overwhelmed to notice.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
He only wanted to enjoy the moment.
Then suddenly—
SHK!
A sharp sound echoed softly.
XiaoYan's body froze.
His eyes widened slowly.
The warmth disappeared from his face.
For a few moments, he couldn't understand what had happened.
Then he felt the pain.
He slowly looked down.
A weapon had pierced his body.
Mi-An had stabbed him.
Blood slowly trickled down from the wound.
The disciples gasped.
HaoNan's eyes widened in horror.
"XiaoYan…"
XiaoYan's lips trembled.
He looked at Mi-An.
"Mi-An…"
His voice was barely audible.
There was no anger in it.
Only disbelief.
Why?
Why would she do this?
He looked into her eyes.
And his heart sank.
Her expression was empty.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
There was no recognition in her eyes.
No warmth.
No trace of the person XiaoYan remembered.
"Why?"
The word came out quietly.
The wind suddenly began blowing violently through the deserted village.
Dust swept across the ground.
The atmosphere became suffocating.
The sea in the distance moved restlessly.
XiaoYan continued staring at Mi-An.
"Why?"
He asked again.
This time, his voice carried more pain.
He had faced death before.
He had endured injuries before.
But this was different.
The person who had just stabbed him was the very person he had desperately wanted to see again.
Behind them, someone smiled.
The INSHI.
His smile was calm.
Almost amused.
XiaoYan slowly turned toward him.
The pain in his body made him groan softly.
The INSHI smiled again.
"What did you do to her?" XiaoYan asked weakly.
"I didn't do anything," the INSHI replied.
His voice was almost casual.
"I merely revived her like you wanted."
XiaoYan's eyes widened.
"What did you do!!!!"
His scream exploded across the village.
The waters in the sea rose violently.
Huge waves surged upward.
A mountain came crashing down in the distance.
The sky rumbled greatly.
The earth began to shake.
The disciples struggled to remain standing.
Yet the INSHI remained calm.
"Little boy," he said, "you're just a shadow of your father."
He looked directly at XiaoYan.
"No matter what you do, you can never defeat me!"
And with that, the INSHI prepared to leave.
But HaoNan moved.
She quickly ran toward him.
"HaoNan, no!!"
XiaoYan screamed.
But it was already too late.
The INSHI turned his attention toward her.
He didn't need to raise his hand.
He merely shifted his eyebrow.
BOOM!
HaoNan was sent crashing down.
XiaoYan's expression changed instantly.
Despite his injury, he prepared to attack.
Energy began gathering around his body.
He was preparing to use a skill.
But before he could complete it—
SHK!
Mi-An stabbed him again.