Chapter 5 Annihilation Mission, Gold-Level Clan Member Discovered!

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Annihilation Mission, Gold-Level Clan Member Discovered!

Foundation-Stabilizing Pill?

The Grand Elder’s eyes widened.

He wasn’t unfamiliar with this Medicinal Pill. It was a Yellow Rank, Top Grade Medicinal Pill of considerable value.

Even if the Mercer Family spent a large amount of its assets, they couldn’t purchase many of them.

Its effects were also remarkable.

Once consumed, it could accelerate the recovery of injuries and stabilize one’s Foundation.

Before Julian Mercer had entered seclusion, he had spent a considerable amount of resources to obtain one.

"Th... Thank you for the Patriarch’s gift."

The Grand Elder was extremely excited.

His hands trembled as he carefully accepted the Medicinal Pill with both hands.

Then, without hesitation, he swallowed it.

The pill entered his stomach.

Before long, the pale color on his face began fading at a visible speed.

His complexion quickly became healthier.

At the same time, the System’s notification sounded inside Julian’s mind.

[Ding! Investment successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining one bottle of Marrow Cleansing Pills! They have been automatically stored in the System warehouse and can be retrieved at any time.]

Julian nodded.

Not bad.

The System had certainly been generous.

He looked toward the Grand Elder.

"How long has it been since I entered seclusion?"

"What has happened during these years?"

Earlier, Julian had sensed the crisis inside the family using his Purple Mansion Divine Sense and immediately rushed over.

However, he still didn’t know exactly what had happened during his absence.

Hearing the Patriarch’s question, the Grand Elder immediately put away his excitement.

He gathered his thoughts and began recounting everything that had happened.

"Reporting to the Patriarch, it has been more than six years since you entered seclusion."

"During these years, news of your seclusion gradually spread. Many people began speculating that your breakthrough had failed and that you had already died."

"Because of this, the Rourke Family became increasingly bold."

"They began seizing our fields and deliberately provoking conflicts with us, testing whether you were still alive."

The Grand Elder’s expression darkened.

"As the years passed and you never appeared, the Rourke Family completely lost their fear."

"They joined forces with the Bellamy Family and Kessler Family, continuously occupying our mineral veins and fields."

"They also caused trouble in our shops and taverns throughout the city."

"Many customers began complaining, and we lost a large portion of our market share."

"The situation of the Mercer Family became increasingly difficult."

Julian listened quietly.

The Grand Elder continued.

"Two years ago, we had a particularly fierce conflict with the Rourke Family."

"During that conflict, your cousin, Caleb Mercer, died at the hands of the Rourke Family."

Julian’s expression remained calm, but his eyes became slightly colder.

The Grand Elder continued.

"Afterward, Caleb’s son, Adrian Mercer, displayed remarkable cultivation talent."

"Our Clan sold several shops and taverns and converted nearly thirty percent of our assets into wealth."

"We used that wealth to establish connections and eventually arranged for Adrian to enter the Aldercrest Order as an Inner Disciple."

"With the protection of the Aldercrest Order, the Rourke Family, Bellamy Family, and Kessler Family restrained themselves considerably."

"But recently, the Rourke Family somehow obtained news that Adrian had been attacked by the Ashen Thorn Sect while carrying out an Order mission."

"His Dantian was shattered."

"The Aldercrest Order expelled him afterward."

"Once the Rourke Family learned this, they lost their remaining restraint."

"Today, Gideon Rourke personally led his Clan members here."

"They intended to annihilate our entire family."

The courtyard became quiet.

Julian’s expression gradually turned strange.

The actions of the three major families were exactly what he had expected.

The Rourke Family, Bellamy Family, and Kessler Family had simply been waiting for an opportunity.

But Adrian’s experience...

For some reason, it gave Julian an intense sense of déjà vu.

A talented young Clan member.

Entering a powerful Order.

Carrying out an Order mission.

Being ambushed by a rival faction.

Dantian destroyed.

Expelled from the Order.

Julian narrowed his eyes.

Could it be...

He shook his head.

How could such a massive Karma fall upon the Mercer Family?

Weren’t these kinds of situations usually reserved for families with names like Ye, Lin, Xiao, Su, and the rest?

He quickly pushed the thought aside.

Those things didn’t matter right now.

What mattered was what he should do next.

The Rourke Family had already attacked the Mercer Family.

Gideon Rourke was dead.

Their forces had been slaughtered.

The relationship between the two families had been completely shattered.

Since things had already reached this point...

Why remain passive?

Julian’s eyes gradually became colder.

How could one allow an enemy to sleep peacefully beside one’s own bed?

If danger was already knocking on the door, the correct response wasn’t to wait for it to knock again.

It was to remove the danger entirely.

As Julian’s murderous intent slowly rose...

The System’s voice suddenly rang out.

[Ding! How can Clan majesty be trampled by others? Clan Mission triggered! Annihilate the Rourke Family and deter the petty villains in the city!]

[Mission Reward: Determined by the score. The higher the score, the more generous the reward. If a full score is reached, a mysterious reward can be obtained.]

Clan Mission?

Julian’s eyes brightened.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

Very good.

This System mission was exactly what he wanted.

Now that the System itself had issued the mission...

The Rourke Family would have to be completely exterminated.

Julian looked at the people surrounding him.

"The Rourke Family has gone too far."

"How can the Mercer Family tolerate such humiliation?"

His voice carried throughout the courtyard.

"Such a blood feud must be washed away with blood."

"Are all of you willing to follow this Patriarch to the Rourke Family?"

"We will make them pay blood for blood."

"And we will demand justice for everything they have done to our Clan!"

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Then the Mercer Family members erupted.

"My elder brother and second uncle died at the hands of the Rourke Family!"

"Such a blood feud can only be settled by destroying the Rourke Family!"

"Now that the Patriarch has returned to lead us, we are willing to follow!"

"The Rourke Family has bullied our Clan for years! This time, we must demand justice!"

"Hahaha! The Patriarch has already reached the Purple Mansion Realm, while the Rourke Family’s Ancestor is already old!"

"What is there to fear from the Rourke Family?"

"They’ll probably collapse with a single blow!"

Every Mercer Family member clenched their fists.

Their blood was burning.

The humiliation they had endured for years had finally reached its limit.

Now, they had someone strong enough to lead them.

The Grand Elder watched the scene.

A flame seemed to burn deep within his eyes.

"The debt the Rourke Family owes our Mercer Family..."

His voice was low.

"It’s time to collect it."

Julian looked around at everyone.

He nodded in satisfaction.

"Let’s go."

With those words, Julian turned and walked toward the Mercer Family’s main gate.

The others immediately followed.

One after another, the Mercer Family members left the courtyard behind their Patriarch.

Soon, a long procession formed.

It moved through the family grounds like a massive dragon heading toward battle.

Julian quickly reached the main gate.

His front foot had just stepped outside when his expression suddenly froze.

His movement stopped.

The people behind him also halted.

They looked at each other in confusion.

Why had the Patriarch suddenly stopped?

The answer came a moment later.

The System’s notification appeared inside Julian’s mind.

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

Julian’s eyes widened slightly.

Gold Level?

Even the Grand Elder, who had reached the Heavenly Origin Realm Seventh Layer, had only been classified as a Green-Level Clan member.

So what kind of person could possibly be worthy of a Gold-Level evaluation?

Curiosity filled Julian’s heart.

He immediately followed the System’s guidance and looked around.

A moment later, he found the target.

Around a hundred meters away, on the street outside the Mercer Family residence, a young man was slowly making his way toward them.

He wore ragged gray clothes.

His body was thin.

His hair was messy.

His complexion was pale.

Every few steps, his body swayed as though he might collapse at any moment.

Yet despite his condition, he continued walking toward the Mercer Family.

Julian frowned.

Who is this person?

He searched through his predecessor’s memories.

He had never seen this unfamiliar face before.

But the doubt had barely surfaced when the Mercer Family members behind him suddenly recognized the young man.

"Adrian Mercer?"

"Adrian is back!"

"It really is Adrian!"

"But why is he in such a terrible condition?"

"Could what Gideon Rourke said actually be true? Was Adrian really expelled from the Aldercrest Order?"

The crowd became increasingly agitated.

Some members clenched their fists.

Others looked furious.

"The Aldercrest Order has gone too far!"

"How old is Adrian? Even if his Dantian was destroyed, they didn’t need to abandon him like this!"

"If he had returned any later, he might have starved to death on the street!"

"The Aldercrest Order is far from Wexford City. Could Adrian have actually walked all the way back?"

The anger among the Mercer Family members continued to grow.

They had been humiliated enough already.

Now one of their own had returned in such a miserable condition.

The Mercer Family shared the same blood.

They were branches of the same Clan.

How could they tolerate outsiders treating one of their own like this?

Julian remained silent.

His gaze stayed fixed on Adrian.

The System had classified this young man as a Gold-Level Clan member.

That alone meant Adrian’s current appearance could not possibly tell the whole story.

There had to be something more.

And Julian intended to find out exactly what it was.