Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!

Early the next morning, the Fang family stood draped in mourning, the air felt heavy with the smokes and sorrow as the clan gathered for the funeral.

Rows of pyres had been prepared, each one waiting to carry a young soul back to the heavens.

Fang Sun sat motionless, his eyes lifeless as he stared at the pyre where his grandson's body lay, soon to be claimed by fire.

His lips trembled as he tried to form words but no sound came out.

From behind, Fang Chen walked over to Fang Sun's side in silence, his face ashen.

He reached out and clasped Sun's hand, his voice low and rough.

"Old friend… it's okay to cry. I'm sorry for your loss."

For a moment, Fang Sun didn't respond.

Then, with a sudden burst of motion, he seized Fang Chen by the collar.

Gasps rippled through the mourners, until Fang Sun collapsed forward, dragging Fang Chen into a desperate embrace.

His voice broke, torn from the depths of his chest.

"He was… he was only twelve! Yuwei… oh, Yuwei, the heavens are so cruel! Tell me—tell me, what should I do now?"

Fang Chen's own eyes shone red, but his tone was steady as he gently patted the man's back, then his head, like calming a child.

"Let it out, old friend. Let it all out."

Similar scenes played out across the courtyard. Fathers held lifeless bodies for the last time before laying them slowly on the pyres.

Mothers clutched at ash-stained hands until the flames forced them to let go.

The cries of parents rose into the smoky air, a grief so deep it seemed to drown the heavens themselves.

The Fang clan wept as one.

Fang Yuan stood apart, watching in silence.

His gaze swept over the pyres, over the broken parents, the sobbing elders, the wide-eyed children too young to understand the permanence of death.

Every cry, every name called into the smoke, was a blade carving into his heart.

He raised his hand, and slowly the wails quieted, replaced by the crackle of fire.

His voice carried, steady and deep, yet thick with an undercurrent of sorrow.

"Children of the Fang family. Brothers. Sisters. Fathers. Mothers. Today, we send off our kin. Blood of our blood, flesh of our flesh. They walk ahead of us into the heavens, but they will forever remain in our hearts."

He let the silence linger, allowing the clan to breathe together. Then his tone hardened.

"The heavens have been cruel. The world has been cruel. But mark my words, this will not be the end. The Fang family will endure. We will endure, for them."

Fang Yuan looked to the flames, his eyes reflecting the inferno.

His fists clenched at his sides, unseen by most, nails biting into flesh.

He could not bring them back, but he could damn well make certain their deaths were avenged.

As the pyres burned, the flames roared higher, devouring the last traces of innocence the clan had lost.

Smoke curled heavenward, blotting the sky in gray.

Then, suddenly the world dimmed.

The sun vanished behind a shadow that spread like ink across the heavens.

Gasps tore from the mourners as they looked up.

Dozens of winged figures descended, their metallic feathers gleaming with cold light.

At their head hovered an old man, wings vast and sharp as blades, his body radiating a suffocating presence.

His eyes burned like twin furnaces, and the mark of Yinglong coiled across his chest in black.

The pressure of the Nascent Soul Realm washed over the Fang estate like a tidal wave. Even the flames of the pyres guttered beneath it.

The childrens whimpered while the elders stiffened.

But Fang Yuan only narrowed his eyes.

Around him, Fang Lian and the others immediately drew their weapons as killing intent surged.

Yet before they could act, Fang Yuan lifted his sleeve.

With a single motion, his divine qi erupted outward, unseen yet undeniable, spreading like the descent of heaven itself.

The air shuddered, the earth quaked, and in an instant the oppressive aura of the winged intruders was suppressed, their wings trembling against the force.

The old man's pupils shrank, his expression twisting. "You—!"

Fang Yuan's voice cut through the smoke and fire, calm and cold as a sword.

"You juniors truly must not have seen Mount Tai."

And in that instance, the heavens seemed to still.

Fang Yuan's gaze swept over the winged intruders as he spoke the next word in a careful tone, calm and almost casual.

"Kill yourselves."

The words struck like an imperial decree, one that they could not defy.

At once, every one of these newcomers, their body stiffened.

Terror flashed in their eyes as their bodies betrayed them.

Their hands rose, fingers twitching toward their own throats, unable to defy the command.

Desperation flickered in their expressions, Nascent Soul or not, they were as powerless as insects before him.

But just before their trembling fingers could pierce flesh, a single word echoed through the air.

"Wait."

The single word cut through the air like a blade. Instantly, every hand froze, then dropped limp.

The winged men staggered back, gasping as if torn from drowning. Relief washed across their faces, their trembling arms lowering—no longer puppets bound by Fang Yuan's will.

Now, they stared at him as though he were some unspeakable beast.

The old man who led them quickly stepped forward, voice trembling yet eager.

"Thank you, Senior, for sparing us. The Feng Clan has overstepped our bounds. We… we wish to make amends."

Fang Yuan did not even glance at him.

"Fly away," he commanded, voice low but absolute. "And never return."

The old man's expression soured, his lips grumbling inaudible curses. But he knew better than to linger. Without waiting for his followers, he vanished on the spot, carried away by a formation.

One by one, they activated their formations, bodies flickering into motes of light as they teleported away.

Silence returned.

The Fang clan stared, stunned and confused.

Fang Lian, unable to contain herself, stepped forward.

"Master… why?" she asked, bewildered. "Why let them leave?"