Chapter 4 Anyone Who Dares Trespass into the Mercer Family Shall Not Leave Alive!

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Anyone Who Dares Trespass into the Mercer Family Shall Not Leave Alive!

The atmosphere in the courtyard was suffocating.

Julian Mercer stood in the middle of the bloodstained courtyard, his gaze moving slowly across the remaining Rourke Family members before settling on the three Marlow brothers.

His expression was calm.

That somehow made the three men even more frightened.

"How long have you three worked for the Mercer Family?"

Elias Marlow swallowed.

He lowered his head.

"R-Reporting to the Patriarch... we’ve served the Mercer Family for ten years."

"Ten years?"

Julian repeated the words.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Has it really been that long?"

He paused.

"Over ten years, even keeping a dog would create some attachment."

His gaze became colder.

"But some people seem to be worse than animals."

He looked directly at the three brothers.

"Would you say I’m wrong?"

The Marlow brothers’ faces turned pale.

None of them dared answer.

Elias finally gritted his teeth and dropped to his knees.

Thud!

"Patriarch, we were wrong!"

"We chose the wrong side. We were blinded by fear. Please give us another chance. We swear we’ll never do this again!"

Julian looked down at him.

"Never again?"

His voice was quiet.

"You think this is something that can simply be forgiven because you promise not to repeat it?"

Elias lowered his head even further.

Julian continued.

"Ten years ago, your cultivation was only at the Meridian Opening Realm."

"You had provoked enemies you couldn’t defeat, so you came to the Mercer Family seeking protection."

"We took you in."

"We dealt with the trouble you brought to our doorstep."

"And we gave you cultivation resources that helped you reach the Heavenly Origin Realm."

Julian’s voice became colder with every word.

"After everything the Mercer Family gave you..."

"This is how you repay us?"

A trace of murderous intent spread through the courtyard.

Elias’s body trembled.

The other two brothers could no longer stand.

Their legs weakened, and both dropped to their knees.

"Patriarch, we were wrong!"

"We were fools!"

"Please show mercy!"

"Considering the years we’ve served the Mercer Family, please give us one chance!"

Julian looked at the three men without expression.

"Ridiculous."

His voice was almost emotionless.

"Ten years ago, your enemies should have killed you."

"You survived because the Mercer Family gave you shelter."

"Today, I’ll personally take back what we gave you."

The pupils of the three brothers shrank.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Then Julian raised his hand.

A faint wave of power swept through the courtyard.

Whoosh!

The three brothers suddenly spat out blood.

Their bodies went limp.

They collapsed onto the ground one after another.

Dead.

Julian lowered his hand.

There was no hesitation in his eyes.

He turned toward the remaining Rourke Family members.

The sight of their fallen allies made the Rourke cultivators tremble.

Julian had not shown even the slightest mercy.

Not to people who had once served his family.

Not to people who had betrayed him.

Nothing.

One of the Rourke cultivators forced himself to speak.

"Patriarch Mercer!"

His voice shook.

"Are you really going to tear all ties between our families apart?"

Another immediately followed.

"Don’t forget! Our Rourke Family still has an Ancestor!"

"Do you really want a full-scale war between our families?"

Julian didn’t answer.

He didn’t even look at them.

Instead, he turned toward the Mercer Family members behind him.

His voice carried across the courtyard.

"Mercer Family members."

Everyone immediately straightened.

Julian’s gaze swept across them.

"Listen carefully."

"Anyone who dares trespass into our family grounds..."

His eyes turned cold.

"...shall not be left alive."

He raised his hand.

"Kill."

"Yes, Patriarch!"

The response came like thunder.

The Mercer Family members surged forward.

The fear that had weighed on them earlier was gone.

Their Patriarch had returned.

Their enemy Patriarch was dead.

And now there was only one thing left to do.

Fight.

The courtyard erupted.

Weapons clashed.

Energy exploded.

The Rourke Family members tried to resist, but without Gideon Rourke, their formation collapsed almost immediately.

Under the combined assault of Julian and the Mercer Family cultivators, the remaining Rourke forces were overwhelmed.

Cries rang across the courtyard.

Some begged for mercy.

Others cursed.

None of it changed the outcome.

The battle ended quickly.

When the noise finally faded, corpses covered the courtyard.

Blood ran between the cracks in the stone.

Several Mercer Family members were exhausted.

Some had fallen to the ground, breathing heavily after the intense battle.

Yet their faces were filled with relief.

They had survived.

The Mercer Family had survived.

At the center of the courtyard, Julian stood with his hands behind his back.

Bodies surrounded him.

Yet there was something strange about them.

Every corpse had only one wound.

One strike.

One death.

The Mercer Family members looked at their Patriarch with a mixture of awe and disbelief.

Then the System’s voice rang inside Julian’s mind.

[Ding! Crisis resolved. Defying the heavens and changing fate, allowing the Clan to survive. Clan Fortune +300.]

Julian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Clan Fortune?

He still didn’t know exactly what it could be used for.

He thought about it for a moment.

Then decided not to waste time on something he didn’t understand yet.

He shook his head and turned toward his family.

Just as he was about to walk over, another System notification sounded.

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

Julian stopped.

Another line appeared.

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

His eyes lit up.

According to the memories he had inherited, the Marrow Cleansing Pill was a Profound Rank, Top Grade Medicinal Pill.

Once consumed, it could wash away impurities within the body and increase the user’s ability to absorb Spiritual Qi by at least thirty percent.

It could also repair hidden injuries and restore the Foundation of Martial Artists below the Origin Sea Realm.

It even had the additional effect of slightly improving one’s Innate bones.

Such a Medicinal Pill had never appeared in Wexford City.

Julian’s predecessor had only heard of it.

He had never seen one.

And now...

The System was offering him an entire bottle in exchange for a single Foundation-Stabilizing Pill.

Julian couldn’t help smiling.

The System was becoming more interesting by the minute.

He followed its guidance and walked toward the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder immediately noticed him approaching.

"Greetings, Patriarch."

He instinctively prepared to bow.

Julian stepped forward and stopped him.

"Forget the formalities."

He reached out and supported the Grand Elder with both hands.

"You’ve carried the family for six years."

His voice softened.

"You’ve worked hard."

Because he possessed the memories of his predecessor, Julian knew exactly what the Grand Elder had endured.

During his six years of closed-door cultivation, the entire Mercer Family had depended on this man.

Without him, the family might have collapsed long ago.

And if the Mercer Family had fallen...

The System’s Total Clan Sum would have been useless.

The Grand Elder slowly straightened.

Then he looked at Julian.

Because they were standing so close, he noticed several details he hadn’t seen from a distance.

Julian’s features seemed sharper.

His skin was clearer.

Even his entire temperament had changed.

There was something difficult to describe about him.

He seemed calmer.

More distant.

Almost as though he had stepped beyond the world around him.

The Grand Elder remembered the power Julian had displayed earlier.

His heart began beating faster.

He hesitated before asking.

"Patriarch..."

"Have you reached the Purple Mansion Realm?"

The courtyard suddenly became silent.

Every Mercer Family member turned toward them.

They had all been wondering the same thing.

Nobody wanted to miss Julian’s answer.

Under the countless expectant gazes, Julian simply nodded.

"I was fortunate enough to break through."

"My Purple Mansion has only just formed."

The moment his words fell, a unique aura spread from his body.

It was subtle at first.

Then it grew stronger.

The aura belonging to the Purple Mansion Realm filled the courtyard.

A terrifying pressure descended.

For an instant, everyone felt as though a mountain had fallen onto their shoulders.

Their breathing became difficult.

Some of the younger members nearly dropped to their knees.

Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the pressure vanished.

Julian had withdrawn it.

The Mercer Family members slowly recovered.

Then the courtyard exploded.

"The Patriarch reached the Purple Mansion Realm!"

"Hahaha! Our Mercer Family finally has another Purple Mansion cultivator!"

"Let’s see who dares bully our family now!"

"After hundreds of years, our family has produced another Purple Mansion expert!"

"Our ancestors truly haven’t abandoned us!"

The excitement spread through the entire courtyard.

It wasn’t that the Mercer Family members had lost their composure.

This was the Purple Mansion Realm.

The Mercer Family had existed in Wexford City for hundreds of years.

Yet only one ancestor had ever reached this level.

Now they had another.

Their Patriarch.

A cultivator at this level could command enormous respect even outside Wexford City.

If Julian joined the powerful Aldercrest Order, he could become an Elder and receive authority over important matters.

If he entered the imperial court, he could be entrusted with the rule of a distant city.

A Purple Mansion cultivator was already a major force.

And now the Mercer Family had one.

The Grand Elder, usually the most composed person in the family, couldn’t contain himself.

His entire body trembled.

His lips moved as he murmured,

"Fortune has truly turned..."

"Fortune has finally turned..."

The Mercer Family members looked at Julian with excitement and admiration.

Julian remained calm.

He didn’t care about their praise.

Instead, he reached into his robes and took out a pitch-black Medicinal Pill.

He handed it to the Grand Elder.

"The exhaustion you’ve accumulated over these years has destabilized your Foundation."

"Take this Foundation-Stabilizing Pill first."

The Grand Elder stared at the pill in Julian’s hand.

For a moment, he didn’t move.

He had no idea that the next investment the System offered Julian would soon change his own future.