"Damn those bastards! Do they really think I'll fight them to the death? Dream on."
Inside the ancient room, an old man with a long beard was turning the place upside down, sweeping everything into his storage ring.
"Spirit stones, check. Pills, check. Robes and silver... check. Now, what am I missing? Ah, yes... belly bands. My ultimate boredom-killers."
He took a quick sniff of the thin, translucent fabric before shoving it toward his storage ring along with the rest of the pile.
However, as he tried to cram the last few spirit stones in, the ring spat them back out.
"Already full?!"
He grunted, reluctantly pulling out a few belly bands to make room for the stones.
Knock! Knock!
"Uncle Lin, it's urgent! I'm coming in!"
Su Lin jumped, frantically stuffing a stray belly band back into his ring.
"Fuck! Juniors these days have no damn manners! Just two years. Can't anyone let this old man pass away in peace?"
As he cursed under his breath, the door burst open, and a middle-aged man in an intricately patterned white robe rushed in.
"Uncle, disaster! The Chen family has razed our spirit lands. Even worse, the Wang and Yu families have joined them! They're attacking the clan's protective formation right now. If this keeps up, we won't last the hour!"
Su Lin's eyes darkened, but it was his nephew, Su Qingsong, who looked even more devastated.
Drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, Qingsong's legs nearly gave out as he scanned the room.
His gaze drifted across the room, taking in the empty shelves, the ransacked cupboards, and the spirit stones scattered across the floor.
"Is the Ancestor... planning to run away in the middle of the night?" Qingsong's heart sank. "It's over."
Seeing the look of pure despair on his nephew's face, Su Lin cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Qingsong, you know I don't have many days left. Even if I throw my life away in a fight, there's no guarantee I could turn the tide. Not now that the Wang and Yu families have joined forces against us."
Su Lin straightened his back, projecting an air of calm, scholarly composure.
"There is no point in a meaningless suicide. I want us all to leave and go into hiding for now. As for revenge? We'll leave that to the next generation, provided they ever have the capital to seek it."
"Uncle, I... I understand," Qingsong stammered.
"I've already ordered the core members to retreat. Only a few of the older members stayed behind to defend the ancestral grounds. But the problem is..."
Before he could finish, a deafening roar shook the entire building.
"Su Lin! Don't get cocky! How long do you think you can hide? Well, we've got nothing but time, so go ahead and take your own time! Hahaha!"
After that mocking laugh, the echoes of bombardment began to roll in.
Su Lin turned to his nephew.
Whereas Su Qingsong remained silent, clearly at a loss for words.
"Uncle, we're surrounded. The enemy found the secret passage. And the members who left... we don't even know if they're still alive. I'm sorry, Ancestor. I'm powerless."
Su Qingsong collapsed to his knees. Two streaks of tears ran down his face, reaching the corners of his mouth.
For a long time, no one spoke.
Finally, Su Lin slumped back into a nearby seat. And in a voice that sounded both deep and hollow, he muttered a single word, "Leave."
Holding the wail inside himself, Su Qingsong pushed himself up from the floor.
His heart felt heavy, heavier than the weight of a mountain.
Their ancestor was an empty shell. They had known it for a long time, but Su Qingsong had still believed there was a way out. Even if they could not all be saved, he thought the bloodline would at least survive.
But now, there was nothing.
He cupped his hands, bowed low, and left the room.
Once, Su Lin was alone, the mask shattered.
"Why me?" he roared.
"I never asked the heavens for some broken cheat or heaven-defying luck after I reincarnated. I accepted the life I was given. I just wanted to live it properly. So why make things this difficult now... when I'm already at the end?"
He clenched his fist before slamming it into his thigh.
Crack!
"Ah... my leg!"
His old bones trembled. They felt numb, filled with a churning, crying ache.
As he grimaced, a strange, metallic voice rang in his head.
[Ding!]
[First cry detected. System integration initiated.]
The moment the voice faded, a blue virtual panel appeared before Su Lin's eyes, displaying a flickering progress bar.
[Auto-integration: 0%... 1%... 25%...]