SSS rank Mother-In-Law to an Invincible Family

Xu Qianghua's parents exchanged a glance, both sensing the peculiarity of the situation.

"This old man wasn't supposed to arrive here for another few hundred years," his father murmured, his sharp gaze lingering on the traveler standing before them. "Something changed… and I don't like unexpected changes."

His mother nodded, her violet eyes gleaming with curiosity. "The fragment of the Space & Time Clock must have redirected his course. It's the only explanation."

His aunt, who had been silent, tilted her head slightly. "That artifact has only ever existed in legends… yet here he is, carrying a fragment of it like it's nothing." She smiled wryly. "This universe truly never runs out of surprises."

The old man in question remained calm under their scrutiny, a faint smile on his wrinkled face.

His demeanor was neither hostile nor defensive—just that of a man who had seen countless worlds and had long since learned to accept the mysteries of the universe.

"I can tell that you've already seen my past and future," he said with a chuckle, as if he were talking to old friends. "So you should already know that I mean no harm."

Xu Qianghua's father remained silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. "That may be true… but that doesn't change the fact that your presence here is an anomaly."

His mother studied the old man carefully. "Your cultivation has regressed significantly. You were once at the Nirvana Realm, yet now you barely hold onto the Peak Voidbreak Realm. It must have been the fragment's doing."

The old man laughed heartily. "Indeed! It's quite amusing, isn't it? I was once a force to be reckoned with, yet here I am, reduced to an old traveler, relying on fate to take me where I need to go." His eyes twinkled.

"But I do not mind. This universe has so much left to show me."

Xu Qianghua's father tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair, deep in thought. "Since we know you have no ill intent, I see no need for drastic measures." He met the old man's gaze.

"However, this world is at a critical turning point. We cannot allow any variables to disrupt the coming upgrade."

The decision was made.

"We will seal you here until the world has finished its upgrade," Xu Qianghua's mother stated firmly. "Once everything is stable, we will release you and send you back on your journey."

The old man stroked his beard, considering the offer. "I suppose that is fair. I wouldn't want to cause any ripples in your grand plans." He sighed, almost nostalgically. "I shall wait, then."

"But it is surprising that all of you are here, as I was able to take a glimpse into the future when I was being teleported here, and no one as powerful as you three would be here.

And to add on, I did not see such a powerful family in that snapshot, and to be able to build such a fleet is not something a lower-level world should be able to do, but here we are." The old man muttered as he tried to understand the general situation.

But he did not get an answer as with a wave of Xu Qianghua's father's hand, a dimensional lock formation wrapped around the old man, gently sealing him in a pocket space where time would flow differently.

And just like that, a once-powerful cultivator, a wanderer of countless worlds, was placed on pause—waiting for the time when he could walk freely once more.

Meanwhile, far away from Nexara, a fleet of Xu family ships patrolled the vast emptiness of space.

Among them, a sleek Reconnaissance Cruiser hovered silently, its sensors scanning the depths of the void for any signs of movement.

Around the Cruiser, there were Stealth Frigates hovering around with Scout ships patrolling the front.

This was the standard formation used for exploring and scouting.

Within the Cruiser, the captain watched as the scans returned clear. There was nothing in the vicinity, and there was no sign of the Zerg exploration ship.

"How long have we been searching now?" the captain asked, his voice quiet.

"Five days," the first officer replied, his tone equally subdued.

"And still no trace."

The captain exhaled, frustration evident on his face.

"We've covered most of the designated patrol zone," one of the officers reported. "No major movements detected so far."

The captain exhaled, rubbing his temples. "Keep scanning. We know there are at least five Zerg ships out there. We need to find them before they find us."

Just as he finished speaking, a sudden ping echoed through the cabin.

"Sir!" the sensor officer called out, his voice urgent. "We just received a transmission from one of our scout ships. They've found something!"

The bridge fell silent.

"Put it through," the captain ordered.

The viewscreen flickered, and soon, the image of a stealth scout pilot appeared. His face was tense, his expression grim.

"Captain, we've spotted traces of the Zerg," he reported. "We followed an energy trail leading us to a resource planet on the outskirts of the system. And we found one of them."

The image on the screen shifted, and the video feed from the scout ship's long-range sensors was displayed.

The planet in question was a barren rock, mostly uninhabitable—but what caught everyone's attention was the shadow looming over it.

One of the Zerg Vanguard Ships.

It was massive, its organic structure pulsing with dark energy, its tendrils burrowed into the planet's surface like a parasite feeding on its host.

Smaller Zerg creatures moved around it, swarming over the landscape, extracting resources, and constructing organic outposts.

The bridge crew fell into stunned silence.

"Looks like they have recently found this planet as most of the source energy is still inside the planet, but the Zerg efficiency is very fast, so this won't last long," the captain muttered.

"Have you engaged?" he asked, his gaze focused.

"Negative, sir," the pilot replied. "We stayed at a safe distance and relayed the information back to the fleet."

"Good work," the captain praised.