Chapter 11 Shocking News Sweeps Through Wexford City! Clan Meeting!

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Shocking News Sweeps Through Wexford City! Clan Meeting!

"What?"

"Could that be Julian Mercer, the Mercer Family Patriarch who swept through his peers several years ago, entered seclusion, and then vanished without a trace?"

"Didn’t the rumors say he was already dead?"

"Why would he suddenly appear here?"

"Wait..."

"They came out of the Rourke Family residence."

"Could it be..."

The onlookers were filled with astonishment.

Not long afterward, someone bold enough entered the Rourke Family estate to investigate.

The moment they saw what had happened inside, their faces turned pale.

Some couldn’t even endure the sight and immediately turned around to vomit.

The news spread rapidly.

The Rourke Family had been exterminated.

The moment this news reached the streets, the entire Wexford City was shaken.

It was like an explosion in the middle of a peaceful field.

Wexford City, which had remained relatively calm for decades, suddenly experienced a heaven-shaking upheaval.

Commoners.

Martial Artists.

Members of noble families.

Everyone who heard the news wore expressions of disbelief.

That was the Rourke Family.

One of the four major families of Wexford City.

Not only did they possess numerous experts, but the four strongest brothers of the Rourke Family had also been supporting the Clan for years.

Every one of them was a Heavenly Origin Realm cultivator.

And their Old Ancestor had reached the Purple Mansion Realm several years ago.

Yet even such a powerful family had been unable to resist the Mercer Family?

What was even more terrifying was the aftermath.

Inside the Rourke Family estate, not a single surviving Rourke Clan member could be found.

And among the Mercer Family members returning through the streets...

There wasn’t a single corpse.

In other words...

The Mercer Family had annihilated the entire Rourke Family without suffering a single casualty.

Such a terrifying battle record immediately caused countless people to speculate.

Could it be that Julian Mercer hadn’t died?

Could it be that he had successfully broken through to the Purple Mansion Realm?

The thought alone made countless people tremble.

The Rourke Family Old Ancestor was dead.

If Julian had truly reached the Purple Mansion Realm, then the position of Wexford City’s strongest family might very well belong to the Mercer Family from this day onward.

One person told another.

Then another told another.

The news spread faster and faster.

Before long, the entire Wexford City was discussing the return of Julian Mercer.

...

Meanwhile.

Inside the City Lord’s Mansion.

In a secluded courtyard beside a pond, City Lord Darius Fenwick stood by the water.

He held a few crumbs of food between his fingers and scattered them into the pond.

The fish immediately swarmed toward the surface.

But the City Lord’s attention wasn’t on them.

His expression was solemn as he listened to his subordinate’s report.

After the subordinate finished explaining everything that had happened to the Rourke Family, Darius scattered the last of the crumbs.

Then he slowly withdrew his hand.

"The destruction of the Rourke Family itself isn’t particularly important."

"But the three Rourke brothers were reportedly killed by a single sword strike."

"And the Rourke Family’s Old Ancestor also died."

His eyes narrowed.

"That changes things."

"Someone relying solely on Heavenly Origin Realm strength could never accomplish this."

The commander lowered his head.

"Could it be..."

"Julian Mercer?"

Darius was silent for a moment.

"If my guess is correct..."

"He has probably reached the Purple Mansion Realm."

A trace of emotion appeared in his eyes.

"The younger generation truly is formidable."

"A Purple Mansion cultivator below fifty years old is rare even among the major Sects."

"It’s a pity."

Darius sighed.

"With talent like his, he could have joined a top-tier power and pursued a much higher Realm."

"Instead, he chose to remain Patriarch of a small family."

"He willingly tied himself down with Clan affairs."

"What a waste of such extraordinary talent."

The commander remained silent.

Darius continued.

"If he had abandoned the Mercer Family and joined a major force, it wouldn’t have been impossible for him to pursue Realms above the Purple Mansion."

"But now..."

"He has probably exhausted the foundation of the Mercer Family just to reach the Purple Mansion Realm."

"After that, he’ll be dragged down by endless Clan affairs."

"His future progress will likely become extremely difficult."

"The Purple Mansion Realm may very well be the peak of his life."

There was a trace of regret in the City Lord’s expression.

The commander couldn’t help being surprised.

He hadn’t expected his City Lord to hold Julian in such high regard.

After a moment, he cautiously asked,

"Then what about the Rourke Family?"

The destruction of an entire major family inside Wexford City was no small matter.

As City Lord, Darius would inevitably have to make a decision.

Darius closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

"These noble families..."

"They don’t respect the imperial court."

"They refuse to accept discipline."

"They contribute nothing when the court needs them."

"And for their own interests, they even dare to interfere with the interests of the imperial court."

"They’re parasites."

His expression remained indifferent.

"The conflict between two parasites doesn’t concern me."

"The imperial court cares even less."

"There is no need to bring this matter before me again."

The commander nodded.

Darius continued.

"However, the Rourke Family does have some connection with the Rourke Family of the Imperial Capital."

"Now that the Rourke Family has been exterminated within my jurisdiction, we should still give them an explanation."

"As for the details..."

"I’ll personally visit the Mercer Family tomorrow."

"I want to see what exactly happened."

"After that, we’ll decide what to do."

"Yes, City Lord."

...

Meanwhile.

At the Mercer Family estate.

Clan Conference Hall.

The Mercer Family’s upper echelon had gathered.

The surrounding area was also packed with Clan members.

Everyone was excited.

They spoke in low voices, discussing the battle and sharing their joy.

Adrian Mercer stood among the crowd with his head lowered.

From the conversations around him, he gradually pieced together what had happened.

Listening to everyone describe the Patriarch’s overwhelming might...

How Julian had treated Heavenly Origin Realm cultivators like helpless animals...

How he had personally slain the Rourke Family Old Ancestor...

Adrian’s expression became increasingly stirred.

His eyes were filled with yearning.

It felt as though he had personally witnessed the battle.

His blood began to boil.

Yet he also felt a trace of regret.

He wished he had gone with them.

At the head of the hall, Julian slowly stood.

His gaze swept across the crowd.

Then the System’s voice suddenly sounded.

[Ding! Green-Level Clan member discovered. The host can initiate an investment.]

[Invest one Marrow Cleansing Pill to obtain three bottles of Qi Enhancement Pills.]

[Qi Enhancement Pill: Profound Rank, Top Grade Medicinal Pill. It can greatly increase the user’s speed of absorbing Spiritual Qi.]

Another notification followed.

[Ding! Green-Level Clan member discovered. The host can initiate an investment.]

[Invest one Marrow Cleansing Pill to obtain one bottle of Marrow Cleansing Pills.]

Then another.

[Ding! White-Level Clan member discovered. The host can initiate an investment.]

[Invest ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones to obtain one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.]

[Invest three Qi Guiding Pills to obtain ten bottles of Qi Guiding Pills.]

...

Julian silently observed the available targets.

He soon noticed something.

The Green-Level Clan members were precisely those who had performed particularly well during the battle at the Rourke Family estate.

A thought appeared in his mind.

Since the Rourke Family had been destroyed, merit naturally had to be rewarded.

Julian looked toward the Clan members.

"Now that the Rourke Family has been destroyed, merits should be rewarded."

"Those whose names I call..."

"Step forward."

The hall immediately became quiet.

Julian began reading names.

"Caleb Mercer."

"Edwin Mercer."

"Adrian’s uncle, Marcus Mercer."

"Leon Mercer."

One name after another rang through the hall.

The Clan members whose names were called stepped forward.

Their faces were filled with excitement.

By the time the roll call ended, more than twenty people were standing before Julian.

Every one of them stood straight.

They accepted the envious gazes of the Clan members behind them.

Although they tried to maintain calm expressions, their hearts were already pounding with excitement.

They had contributed the most during the battle.

And now...

The Patriarch was personally rewarding them.

Julian looked at the group.

Then he took out a bottle.

"Your performance during the battle was witnessed by this Patriarch."

"This is the Marrow Cleansing Pill."

"Take one each."

The moment he said this...

Everyone froze.

Their eyes widened.

The entire hall fell silent.

Marrow Cleansing Pill?

Had they heard correctly?

The legendary Profound Rank, Top Grade Medicinal Pill?

The Marrow Cleansing Pill required nine precious medicinal herbs to refine.

Its refining process was extremely complicated.

Even throughout the entire region, it was considered exceptionally rare.

In the past, forget about an entire bottle.

Even if a single Marrow Cleansing Pill appeared before them, they wouldn’t have been able to afford it.

Even if the Mercer Family exhausted a large portion of its wealth, it might only have been able to purchase one.

Yet now...

The Patriarch was giving one to each of them.

Everyone accepted their pill with trembling hands.

Their hearts were deeply shaken.

The surrounding Clan members erupted into an uproar.

Many secretly felt regret.

If they had known this beforehand...

If they had fought harder...

If they had performed better...

Would they be standing there now?

Would they also have a Marrow Cleansing Pill in their hands?

The thought made many people feel bitter.

They silently lowered their heads.

Their expressions were sour.

Then one by one, they made a decision.

In the future, they would work harder for the Clan.

They would make sure the Patriarch noticed their efforts.

Julian saw all their expressions.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Then another System notification sounded.

[Ding! Blue-Level Clan member discovered. The host can initiate an investment.]

[Invest one Marrow Cleansing Pill to obtain one bottle of Top-Grade Purple Spirit Pills.]

[Top-Grade Purple Spirit Pill: Earth Rank, Low-Grade Medicinal Pill. When consumed by a Heavenly Origin Realm Perfected cultivator, it can increase the probability of breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm by ninety percent.]

Another notification followed.

[Invest Pure Yang Technique to obtain one stalk of Top-Grade Soul-Soothing Grass.]

[Top-Grade Soul-Soothing Grass: Earth Rank, Low-Grade Spirit Herb. It can nourish a cultivator’s remnant soul.]

Julian’s eyes lit up.

This really is a good thing.

He immediately walked toward the Grand Elder.

"Grand Elder."

"You’ve worked hard all these years."

"The Mercer Family was able to survive until today because of your efforts."

"You deserve immense credit."

The Grand Elder’s body trembled slightly.

A faint mist appeared in his eyes.

For years, he had carried the burden of the Mercer Family.

He had endured pressure.

He had watched the Clan weaken.

He had watched enemies circle closer.

He had desperately held everything together while waiting for Julian to return.

Now, hearing the Patriarch personally acknowledge his efforts...

The weight he had carried for years seemed to finally ease.

His heart churned with emotion.