"Lord Patriarch, would you prefer tea or alcohol? I'm preparing a drink for myself. This will be a rather long… and strange conversation."

  Chen Zhenlong shook his head, refusing any drinks the boy might prepare. Although he was willing to hear what Xue Hui had to say, his guard remained firmly raised.

  Earlier, the boy had slipped from his grasp using only the strength of a Bronze Rank demon spiritualist.

  Such a display was more than enough to make Chen Zhenlong wary of the boy he thought he knew.

  Noticing the obvious caution directed at him, Xue Hui merely shrugged, showing no sign of discouragement. He knew how suspicious he appeared right now.

  All he could do was convince Chen Zhenlong that he harbored no ill intent—and that he truly had a method to help his daughter.

  across from Chen Zhenlong, Xue Hui placed his cup on the table between them. He drew in a deep breath before he began to speak.

  "Lord Patriarch, allow me to say this first. I will answer all of your questions—but only after I finish telling my story. Let us avoid interruptions. What I am about to explain is already quite confusing as it is; constant interjections will only make it more baffling."

  Closing his eyes, Xue Hui withdrew his soul force completely, leaving himself unguarded against any soul techniques.

  "You may place me under your truth-detection soul technique, so you can judge whether my words are genuine."

  Hearing this, Chen Zhenlong was momentarily taken aback. He had not expected Xue Hui to willingly submit himself to such a method.

  Which, admittedly, was quite convenient.

  He had already intended to test the boy's story for its authenticity and had been planning to request that Xue Hui submit to his soul technique.

  Since the boy had offered it himself, Chen Zhenlong saw no reason to refuse.

  As for the possibility of the boy using some underhanded method to falsify the results of the truth-detection soul technique, Chen Zhenlong was not the least bit concerned.

  He did not believe that a mere Bronze Rank cultivator could defend his soul against the Divine Family's truth-detection technique—especially when it was being personally performed by him.

  "Very well. I will listen to your story first. But afterward," he shot a piercing glare at the boy. "You will answer every question I ask," Chen Zhenlong said.

  Nodding at his words, Chen Zhenlong released his soul force, gently enveloping Xue Hui before carefully extending his consciousness into the boy's mind to Initiate the truth-detection soul technique.

  Under normal circumstances, when a member of the Divine Family invoked the truth-detection technique, the target endured excruciating mental torment—often to the point of mental collapse.

  This was because most subjects instinctively raised their mental defenses in resistance, a futile attempt that only made the process far more painful than it needed to be.

  Moreover, Divine Family members typically used forceful pressure to erode the target's will, making them more likely to confess.

  After all, those subjected to the truth-detection technique were usually criminals or offenders.

  But with Xue Hui, Chen Zhenlong deliberately made the process as gentle as possible.

  Coupled with the fact that Xue Hui offered no resistance whatsoever, the entire procedure proceeded with remarkable smoothness.

  Unbeknownst to Chen Zhenlong, Xue Hui was more than capable of erecting a formidable mental defense against the truth-detection soul technique.

  This was due to his overwhelming mental strength.

  This is because, despite appearing as a mere child, he had once entered the space of the [CREATION ORIGIN ANCESTRAL MANUAL] and spent an unknown amount of time studying within it.

  The tempering of his mind during that period far surpassed what ordinary cultivators could achieve.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  He simply allowed the technique to be used on him so that Chen Zhenlong would be more easily convinced that everything he was about to reveal was true.

  With his current mental strength, he could subtly guide the technique, choosing which truths he was willing to reveal while concealing those he wished to keep hidden.

  "You may speak," Chen Zhenlong said after successfully casting the truth-detection soul technique on Xue Hui.

  Xue Hui nodded and began.

  "Lord Patriarch, do you believe that there are people in this world who can defy the heavens, escape death, and return to the past?"

  Without waiting for a response, he pointed to himself and continued,

  "I am one of those people."

  Under normal circumstances, Chen Zhenlong would have immediately dismissed such words as utter nonsense. Yet his truth-detection soul technique clearly indicated that Xue Hui was telling the truth.

  After a brief moment of silence, Chen Zhenlong adjusted himself in his chair. He gave a slow nod and gestured for the boy to continue.

  "In my previous life—or perhaps it is more accurate to call it another life—you also adopted me from the orphanage and brought me home to serve as Linlin's attendant," Xue Hui said.

  He took a sip of his tea, allowing his words to settle in Chen Zhenlong's mind.

  "The difference is that, in that life, you chose me because of my poor innate talent and my excellent ability to draw portrait."

  Xue Hui watched as Chen Zhenlong's expression gradually shifted in confusion.

  "Aside from taking care of Linlin, I would often go outside the mansion to sketch the world around me and show it to her."

  Xue Hui took out a pieces of paper, and pass it on to the man Infront of him.

  Chen Zhenlong look at the boy before spreading the paper and see it's content.

  The drawing was a portrait of a girl lying in bed—frail, emaciated, her eyes dull and lifeless.

  Chen Zhenlong's entire body froze. His breath caught in his throat, his aura turning chaotic and unstable.

  The face on the paper…

  It was an older version of his daughter.

  "Through those drawings, she was able to see the world beyond her room. You even ordered your men to escort me beyond the city walls so I could capture more of the scenery for her."

  Noticing the confusion and doubt on Chen Zhenlong's face, Xue Hui continued calmly.

  "As you can probably tell, the 'me' from that lifetime was very different from the current me. Even as a child in the orphanage, I was far more mentally and emotionally present than I was at the start of this life."

  He took another sip of tea, but this time a faint frown appeared on his face. He knew that what he was about to say next would be heavy—for both of them.

  Chen Zhenlong seemed to sense it as well.

  "Life continued on like that. I spent most of my childhood and teenage years taking care of Linlin," Xue Hui said with a quiet sigh, lifting his head to meet Chen Zhenlong's gaze directly.

  "Over time… Chen Linlin's condition worsened."

  At those words, Chen Zhenlong's hand tightened unconsciously, crushing the armrest beneath his grip. A flicker of panic flashed through his eyes before he hastily suppressed it, his chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. For a brief moment, the image of his frail daughter lying motionless in her bed surfaced in his mind, and the mere thought made his heart clench painfully.

  "Gradually, her condition stole away what little mobility she had left. By the age of twelve, Linlin had become completely paralyzed. In the years that followed, even her internal organs began to fail. The Divine Family expended enormous resources just to prolong her life."

  Remembering the real cause of his friend's illness, a faint killing intent flickered from Xue Hui's body before he swiftly suppressed it.

  The brief surge was enough to startle Chen Zhenlong, yet the patriarch chose to remain silent, his gaze sharpening as he observed the boy more closely.

  'Now isn't the time to speak of the poison,' Xue Hui thought to himself, deliberately ignoring the probing gaze the other party was directing at him.

  He continued in a steady voice,

  "But all those efforts were ultimately in vain… because, in the end, she still died."

  Before Chen Zhenlong could fully drown in the grief brought on by hearing the fate his daughter had suffered—and the possibility that the same fate awaited her in this lifetime—Xue Hui dropped another bombshell.

  "We all died."

  Chen Zhenlong's head snapped up, his eyes locking onto Xue Hui once more.

  "Nine to ten years from now, Glory City will be under the attacked of a demon beasts hordes—so vast that even Lord Ye Mo will be rendered helpless and fall in battle.

  Almost everyone in Glory City will perish… including you and me."

  Hearing this revelation, Chen Zhenlong finally lost his composure. He shot up from his chair and demanded, "Are you certain that the same thing will happen in our time!?"

  He wanted to dismiss Xue Hui's words as nonsense. Because if they were true, it meant that everything he had sworn to protect would be reduced to nothing in less than a decade.

  But with the truth-detection soul technique confirming every word as genuine, he found himself at a complete loss.

  "Although some things are different between my previous life and this one, most events are still unfolding exactly as before—certain incidents are repeating themselves almost identically," Xue Hui said

  Upon hearing this, Chen Zhenlong began pacing back and forth across his office, his mind racing as he tried to grasp a solution to the impending catastrophe.

  "Lord Patriarch, please calm yourself and hear me out before you rush off to Lord Ye Mo and reveal everything I've told you."

  Xue Hui quickly rose to his feet, raising both arms as if to block Chen Zhenlong's path.

  "Even if you choose to believe me, there's no guarantee the others will. And even if they do…" His gaze darkened slightly. "What could they truly do about it?"

  Chen Zhenlong stopped pacing and looked at the boy.

  Chen Zhenlong stopped pacing and turned to look at the boy.

  "If Lord Ye Mo himself—the strongest guardian of Glory City—failed to protect it and ultimately fell in the previous timeline, what makes you think this one can be so easily changed?"

  His voice grew heavier with each word.

  "Would you evacuate every citizen to some unknown refuge? Or force every protector in Glory City to break through to Legend Rank overnight?"

  Xue Hui's voice grew firmer. "Please, just listen to me first. I already have a plan for everything. I only need your cooperation Lord Partriach."

  Sensing that Chen Zhenlong was on the verge of rushing straight to the City Lord's Mansion, Xue Hui immediately stopped him and urged him to stay and hear the rest of his explanation.

  "Think about it, Lord Patriarch. If you reveal my situation to the other lords, two outcomes are likely."

  Xue Hui raised a finger.

  "First, they might believe me, yes. But someone would definitely try to silence me. While knowledge of the future may benefit the majority, some would see it as a threat." Xue Hui frowned. "Groups like the Dark Guild would certainly consider me dangerous."

  Chen Zhenlong nodded. That was indeed a possibility.

  Xue Hui raised another finger.

  "Second, no one believes me at all… yet the Sacred Family would still want me dead regardless."

  This made Chen Zhenlong halt in his tracks and look at the boy in confusion.

  "The Sacred Family? Why would they want you dead?" he asked.

  Thanks to Xue Hui's words, Chen Zhenlong gradually steadied himself and returned to his seat, deciding to hear everything before making a judgment. Yet at the mention of the Dark Guild and the Sacred Family, he could not help but press for further answers.

  "Because,"

  Xue Hui said coldly,

  "the main reason Glory City fell to the demon beasts was that the Sacred Family betrayed their duty as its protectors. They abandoned the city during the attack and fled, leaving the west gate completely exposed for the demon beast horde to invade."

  Chen Zhenlong nearly exploded with rage at the revelation of the Sacred Family's betrayal. However, remembering that Xue Hui sat only a few feet away, he forcefully suppressed his fury.

  It did not matter that the boy was already a Bronze Rank Demon Spiritualist—if he were to lose control of his Soul force here, Xue Hui would undoubtedly suffer the backlash.

  He slowly sank back into his chair, drawing in deep, measured breaths in an effort to calm his turbulent heart.

  "You know what… hand me that liquor. I absolutely need it right now," Chen Zhenlong said, massaging his temples. This was, without a doubt, the strangest day of his life.

  And yet, he knew the boy was far from finished.

  End of Chapter 12