[Hello, mission taker. There is only death, no reincarnation.]

The system's cold words shattered Jia Xitong's innocent dreams.

"System, how many days have I been asleep?"

It must have been thirty days, right?

You will wake up in three more days.

Sigh, the last time she asked, there were still three and a half days left. Without any reference points, each second felt like an eternity.

##

Inside the ruins

Shang Yanting's martial arts training started from scratch once again.

Although the revised cultivation method combines magic and martial arts, it still requires more spiritual energy.

It took him half a month to progress from the early stage of Martial Apprentice to the middle stage.

The scarce spiritual energy in the surrounding area severely hindered his leveling up until he took out the high-grade spirit stone coffin.

Excessively concentrated spiritual energy cannot be used directly, but simply placing it aside to absorb the surrounding dissipated spiritual energy will make cultivation twice as effective.

When he takes out this item, he will be reminded of that magical beast that was soaked in a coffin and sprinkled with flower petals.

What exactly is a system?

Shang Yanting took a deep breath, deciding to seek a way to save it after taking revenge. He couldn't believe that such a magical and bizarre thing would disappear so easily.

He's about to break through.

Shang Yanting closed his eyes, and the surrounding spiritual energy gradually became turbulent and active. He calmed his mind and entered a meditative state.

Not long after, a noise came from above.

The snake woman's shrill voice pierced through the thick layer of earth on the seventh floor, accompanied by shouts of clashing swords.

"Yu'er, go downstairs quickly!"

Someone shouted and then fell down. Several more fell down in quick succession.

"Yu'er, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, where's Father?"

"Father is here."

"grandfather?"

"I am fine as well. It's pitch black here, everyone be careful. Jiuming, where is the luminous pearl?"

The four who landed were none other than Shang Jiuming, Shang Zhenyun, Song Yuer, and the Song clan chief.

Shang Mingyi's assassination attempt failed, and five of the Shang family elders died, severely weakening the Shang family. Left with no other option, Shang Zhenyun could only place his hopes on this mysterious ruin.

In order to keep the Song family here, Shang Zhenyun had no choice but to agree to let them come.

They lost more than half of the merchants' top experts before they finally made it to the bottom level.

It was truly a do-or-die situation.

So even Shang Zhenyun came along, hoping to find something beneath the ruins that could revive the Shang family.

Shang Jiuming took out the luminous pearl, its pale green light barely illuminating the surroundings. Instantly, the crystal-clear, high-grade spirit coffin, radiating spiritual energy, caught their attention.

Top-grade spirit stones!

It's so big!

Even if there's nothing left below, such a treasure would be enough to bring the merchant back to his peak, or even better.

Not to mention Shang Jiuming, even Shang Zhenyun, who had been the head of the Shang family for many years, couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"Congratulations, Clan Chief Shang!"

Clan Chief Song laughed so hard his eyes almost closed, because before they came down, they had agreed that whatever treasures appeared on the eighth floor, they would have to split them 30/70 with him. Such a large, high-grade spirit stone—30% of it belonged to the Song family!

They were too happy for long, and only half a day later did they realize that someone was sitting next to them.

"who?"

The four men drew their weapons and pointed them at Shang Yanting.

Shang Jiuming brought the luminous pearl closer to illuminate the other person's face, "Yan Qing!"

How did he end up here?

The four were on high alert until they discovered that the person opposite them was not moving.

He entered a meditative state.

Therefore, normally speaking, although one's cultivation level increases extremely rapidly when entering a meditative state, it is difficult to react to the outside world. For this reason, martial arts practitioners usually only dare to enter a meditative state in an extremely safe place, or even in a place with someone protecting them.

Shang Jiuming instantly felt like "heaven is helping me".

"Is he Yan Qing?"

Shang Zhenyun looked at the person in front of him, who was dressed in a disheveled manner with his eyes closed, and felt a strange sense of familiarity towards him.

Clan Chief Song also curiously went over to take a look at what the disciple who had ruined the merchant family looked like—he was plain-looking and somewhat disappointed when he saw him.

Shang Jiuming had already entered, his longsword raised high.

Without any further ado, the knife fell swiftly!

Shang Yanting was no ordinary cultivator. The moment he sensed the killing intent, he forcibly paused his breakthrough and dodged the incoming sword.

The interruption of his cultivation caused his true energy to flow outwards. Shang Mingyi was taken aback the moment he noticed the abnormality. "Your cultivation has regressed?"

Shang Yanting looked at the four people coldly.

Shang Jiuming frowned slightly; he particularly disliked that expression.

"You're the one who caused Uncle Shang and Brother Jiu Ming so much trouble? You're about to die!"

Having been completely deceived by Shang Jiuming, Song Yu'er couldn't help but say, "He's just a piece of trash who hasn't even reached the level of a martial arts master, yet he looks at my brother Jiuming with such disdain."

After saying that, she leaned against the stone coffin, her heart pounding faster.

She had already begun to fantasize about becoming a matriarch of a merchant family, breaking through to the level of Martial Master or even Martial Spirit, and being revered by thousands.

Everyone harbored their own ulterior motives.

Shang Yanting suddenly looked at Shang Zhenyun, who was only five meters away from him, and said, "Grandfather, how have you been?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Zhenyun was shocked and surprised, even taking a step back. "You...you are Yan Ting?"

He...he is Shang Yanting?

Shang Jiuming also had an incredulous expression on his face.

Clan Chief Song and Song Yu'er were stunned. Wasn't Shang Yanting dead?!

If he really is Shang Yanting... no wonder he would stop at nothing to destroy the Shang family; it all makes sense now.

"Didn't your uncle tell you? Oh, I almost forgot that I cut off his limbs and abolished his cultivation. He's now a useless piece of trash."

Shang Yanting spoke very softly, as if he had done something insignificant.

Shang Zhenyun's body trembled slightly. Complex emotions welled up inside him: guilt, regret, but mostly anger.

"So it turns out you were the one pulling all the strings behind the scenes!"

You've murdered your own family and left your business in dire straits. Do you really want to kill me and ruin your business as well?!

How can you face me with such behavior? How can you face your parents? How can you face the ancestors of the merchants?!

Shang Zhenyun launched into a barrage of questions and reproaches, leaving Chief Song feeling ashamed.

Back then, Shang Yanting worked like a slave for the Shang family, single-handedly securing the Shang family's position among the eight great families.

And what was the result?

Once a person's foundation is destroyed, they are discarded like weeds.

If he were Shang Zhenyun, he certainly wouldn't have said such things about the despicable things they've done.

But since things have come to this point, he will eliminate the root of the problem!

The two sides have long since broken ties completely, and the former blood relatives are now locked in a life-or-death struggle.

From having his foundation completely destroyed to becoming the dean's personal disciple, Shang Yanting, with almost no cultivation, has turned the Shang family and even the eight great families upside down. If he is kept alive, he will definitely cause endless trouble in the future!

Shang Zhenyun thought the same way, so he wanted to get rid of this traitor for the Shang family!

"Jiuming, kill this rebellious son for me."

Fortunately, Shang Yanting is currently only a martial arts apprentice, and his advancement was interrupted.

Remembering his earlier words, Shang Jiuming gripped the knife with both hands and slashed at Shang Yanting's arm—

He wanted Shang Yanting to be humiliated like his father, and to suffer a terrible death!