The incident occurred quite a distance from Linzi City, although it was along one of the official roads leading directly there. However, probably due to Su She’s prior arrangements, no one had passed by for a long time.

Jiang Wang was eager to return to Linzi and had no intention of collecting the corpses. The people of Hell Without Door would care even less.

Only Su She’s headless body remained at the scene, mixed with the wood fragments and flesh on the ground – the remnants of the coachman and carriage.

Ordinary people’s lives may be stable most of the time, but they also lack the ability to withstand the unexpected.

After the people of Hell Without Door and Jiang Wang departed, beneath that pile of wood, flesh, and blood, deep underground, the faint image of a giant golden ingot slowly ascended.

Upon reaching mid-air, the “golden ingot” solidified from illusion to reality.

Then, it split open from the middle, revealing a person lying inside with eyes closed.

If Yin Guan were to return, he would likely kill him again, for this was Su She.

The corpse on the ground remained, its head shattered by Yin Guan himself, appearing so unreal.

At this moment, the golden ingot resembled a “coffin.”

This “Su She’s” face was also much paler than before.

He slowly opened his eyes, floated up, casually shrunk the golden ingot and retrieved it, glanced at his own corpse on the ground, and flew away without much expression.

Now, he had to admit that he had made the worst decision in the history of the Jubaoshanghui since its establishment.

From a purely profit-driven perspective, choosing Chongxuan Zun was not a problem. However, he should not have cooperated with Chongxuan Sheng first, and then turned around and stepped on him. Or, if he were to step on him, he should have crushed him to death directly, instead of taking it for granted that he could not make waves in front of Chongxuan Zun.

Everyone underestimated Chongxuan Sheng, including himself, who had previously invested in him.

He had gambled on the Qiyang War, a cooperation that Chongxuan Sheng had initiated. Overtly and covertly, the Jubaoshanghui had been betting on Chongxuan Chuliang.

He certainly knew how remarkable it was that Chongxuan Sheng could maintain such firm resolve and methods under the brilliance of Chongxuan Zun. But he had indeed attributed more of it to Chongxuan Chuliang’s guidance, while Chongxuan Zun was simply too dazzling.

Of course, these things were in the past, and there was no need to dwell on regrets.

As the person who single-handedly developed the Jubaoshanghui to its current scale, Su She possessed keen insight. He was acutely aware that everything he had done since Xu Fang bared his heart outside the Qing Shi Palace was merely a desperate struggle.

Chongxuan Sheng’s two moves, sending Chongxuan Zun into the Jixia Academy and using Xu Fang as a sword, were both strokes of genius.

In the ruthless struggle for imperial power, even if the Jubaoshanghui was twice as strong, it would still appear vulnerable. Not to mention that his vital point was directly targeted.

From that moment on, he had already been considering an escape route.

Cutting off an industry as large as the Jubaoshanghui required incredibly decisive decision-making. And he had made that decision without hesitation.

When the major Qi State merchant guilds were greedily sucking blood from the wounds of the Jubaoshanghui, besides the Sihai Merchant Alliance and Chongxuan Sheng, the majority of the profits were actually swallowed up by a coalition of smaller merchant guilds. And these smaller merchant guilds were, in fact, all owned by Su She himself.

He completed the transfer of resources through a left-hand-to-right-hand maneuver. Of course, in this process, the losses were inevitably enormous. Less than one in ten remained, but some had survived after all.

After that, feigning death and inaction was merely a performance before shedding his mortal coil.

Of course, he was indeed “struggling” with all his might. Otherwise, he could not have deceived Chongxuan Sheng, let alone Qing Xi of the Sihai Merchant Alliance.

It would have been better if the Jubaoshanghui could have been directly resurrected, after all, the brand itself was a treasure of immeasurable value. If not, he would have to give it up.

After that, Cao Xing, representing the He Guojiu, withdrew, instantly dissolving all resistance from the Jubaoshanghui. The massive guild collapsed almost overnight.

Su She knew very well that without the Jubaoshanghui, even with his Outer Building Realm peak strength, he could not protect himself. Whether it was Chongxuan Sheng or Qing Xi, or other forces involved in dividing the Jubaoshanghui, no one could allow him to live.

Therefore, his second move had to be made. He had to “die,” and he needed to control his own “death.”

Directly killing a top-tier aristocratic scion like Chongxuan Sheng was impossible within Linzi City.

So he turned his attention to Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang, returning from Jicheng to Linzi, was undoubtedly a good target. Firstly, he had no background. Secondly, he was close friends with Chongxuan Sheng. Killing Jiang Wang itself would be severing one of Chongxuan Sheng’s arms. At the same time, releasing some clues might even lure Chongxuan Sheng over.

Kill Jiang Wang first, then kill Chongxuan Sheng. Then escape death amid the Chongxuan family’s revenge and start all over again. It was a very good plan.

As long as he changed his identity, and using those small merchant guilds as a foundation, he believed that with his abilities, he might be able to recreate a Jubaoshanghui.

Unfortunately, it was a matter of timing, luck, and fate. The previous Jubaoshanghui was on the verge of trampling the declining Sihai Merchant Alliance underfoot, but it was seized by the vital point and dismembered in a few moves. Coming back again, there might not be so many opportunities and possibilities.

Therefore, his hatred for Chongxuan Sheng was undeniable.

But what he did not expect was to encounter the people of Hell Without Door. Although he also achieved the grand goal of escaping death, he failed to kill either Chongxuan Sheng or Jiang Wang, which was a bit of a waste of this “death.”

It must be known that the price of feigning death was also terrifying.

But, so be it. Su She thought.

For a long period of time, he did not intend to target Chongxuan Sheng again. He would not even reveal the slightest bit of hostility towards any of his past enemies. Hatred itself was a trace, and he would not leave any traces. He would welcome a new beginning with a new identity.

When he stood on the summit again… they would meet again.

Jiang Wang traveled alone towards Linzi City, his mood actually quite complex. Having won the championship in the Seven Stars Building Secret Realm in one fell swoop, his future path was clear. He could fully utilize Qi State resources to become stronger step by step.

Moreover, this time he was returning to Linzi to continue helping Chongxuan Sheng. The trials of the three Seven Stars Worlds gave him enough confidence in himself.

But while still outside Linzi City, Su She had given him an unwelcome warning, almost costing him his life.

Death was truly a terrifying thing.

He had experienced those days in the Huanzhen Temple, lying under the offering table waiting to die. He never wanted to experience them again.

He did not want to, but he was still easily defeated by Su She.

The desire to become stronger had never been extinguished in Jiang Wang’s heart, but it was indeed burning even more intensely due to this near-death experience.

“I never want to lie on the ground waiting to die again,” he silently said to himself in his heart.

Let the heavens, the earth, and the winds of the four fields bear witness.

While traveling, Jiang Wang suddenly looked up and saw two figures rapidly approaching in the sky.

One was obese, the other was clad in black armor, both were people he knew all too well.

Jiang Wang ascended into the air to block their path.

“Jiang Wang!”

Chongxuan Sheng’s anxious face relaxed, but the bloodshot in his small eyes could not be erased for a moment. He looked Jiang Wang up and down: “You’re alright?”

“Almost wasn’t,” Jiang Wang raised his chin: “What’s this?”

“I received news that Su She was resorting to desperate measures to attack you. There was a lot of opposition within the family, and I couldn’t get my uncle to move, so I had to come myself.”

Chongxuan Sheng explained the situation in a few words, then narrowed his eyes and asked: “Where’s Su She? Didn’t you see him?”