"Brother Yang, you might be a little confused, right? About why my father refined me into an Artifact Spirit?"
As if sensing the doubt in Yang Xiao's heart.
Hanx Ziye began to speak.
Without waiting for Yang Xiao's reply, he continued on his own, "Actually, it wasn't that my father was cruel, or that I committed some grave mistake. It's because when I was born, I was innately deficient. My Essence Qi was withered, and I was unable to cultivate."
"My father exhausted every possible method, even willingly becoming a subordinate of the Northern Wilderness Divine King, just to barely get my Spiritual Power to the Divinity Communication Realm. I originally could have been reincarnated to cultivate anew, but right at that moment, the Northern Wilderness Divine King was about to battle a mysterious Great Emperor. Consequently, the forces under the Divine King's command also had to go to war."
"My father had no other choice, and he feared he might not return from this campaign, so he refined me into this Heaven-Fighting Palace, hoping someone in the future could release me."
Hanx Ziye's tone was flat.
As if he weren't talking about himself.
But Yang Xiao could see the profound depth in his eyes.
He thought about how in this life, he too had seemed to suffer from withered Essence Qi, unable to cultivate.
His father, Yang Zhentian, had rushed about on his behalf.
He hadn't hesitated to join the Purple Sun Sect as an Honored Guest Elder, to be at others' beck and call.
Later, for his sake, he had even gone to hunt a Tier Four Barbaric Beast and contracted a blood-withering disease as a result.
Although many of these experiences belonged to his predecessor...
...the feelings had been genuinely integrated into him and were constantly reinforced by Yang Zhentian's subsequent actions.
So, upon hearing Hanx Ziye's words...
Yang Xiao inexplicably thought of his father, Yang Zhentian.
Moreover, he could see the man's sincerity.
He was direct and to the point.
He also carried an open and magnanimous air.
"If you still have doubts about me, I can swear an oath to the Heaven and Earth Great Dao right here in front of you, guaranteeing that I have not deceived you in any way. How about it?"
As soon as these words were spoken...
Yang Xiao's heart was completely put at ease.
"Very well. Please, Brother Hanx, make your oath. If you truly haven't deceived me and will not take this opportunity to harm me, then after I obtain this Divine Palace, I will naturally repay you."
"Alright."
Without the slightest hesitation.
Hanx Ziye swore his oath to the Heaven and Earth Great Dao.
For a Martial Cultivator, once such an oath to the Heaven and Earth Great Dao is made, it must be followed.
If not, one would be forsaken by the Heaven and Earth Great Dao.
In their future cultivation...
...not only would they fail to make any progress, but what they had already comprehended would also gradually fade away.
And they would eventually become a cripple.
Yang Xiao believed...
...that no one would be willing to meet such a fate.
So, after Hanx Ziye truly swore the oath...
...he secretly made a decision.
'This man is someone worth befriending. I'm gaining his Divine Palace, and while that counts as rescuing him from his predicament, a True Divine Artifact is simply too valuable. In the future, I must find some other way to repay him to set my mind at ease.'
Yang Xiao thought to himself.
Hanx Ziye had already finished his oath and was smiling at him.
His candid expression gave him a very dignified air.
He didn't look like someone begging for help at all.
And this attitude...
...made Yang Xiao admire him all the more. This man was truly worthy of being a Divine King's son.
At this point, he also learned that Hanx Ziye's father was a Divine King from the Middle Ages named Hanx Zhantian, known as the Heaven-Fighting Divine King.
He was a heroic figure of the Human Race during the Middle Ages.
It was just a pity.
He was dragged down by his son's circumstances, which was why he became a subordinate to the Northern Wilderness Divine King.
Of course, the Northern Wilderness Divine King's power was indeed formidable. Even though Hanx Ziye's father was a Divine King, he was not the strongest expert under his command.
He could only rank in the top three.
And these top three experts guarded the three layers of the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion.
Hanx Ziye's father was the Guardian of this 2nd Layer.
This Heaven-Fighting Divine Palace was his residence on the 2nd Layer, a Low-Grade True Divine Artifact.
"I wonder, where is the control hub for this Divine Palace?"
Yang Xiao asked.
Since the other party had even sworn an oath, it would be faithless of him not to help.
So, Yang Xiao got straight to the point and started asking questions.
Hanx Ziye smiled faintly, then unexpectedly spat a golden pearl out of his mouth and handed it to Yang Xiao. "This is the control hub of the Divine Palace. You just need to drip your blood on it to refine it, and you will gain control over the entire Divine Palace, including me, its Soul Body. The one thing you must remember is, do not release me here. Otherwise, you won't be able to take me out with you."
"Not even with the Inheritance Sword Order?"
Hanx Ziye shook his head.
"Aside from the master of the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion, no living being inside can leave on their own. This is a method the Northern Wilderness Divine King uses to control his subordinates. However, if it's just an Artifact Spirit, it can be taken away along with its Divine Artifact. This is also the reason my father refined me into an Artifact Spirit in the first place."
Yang Xiao nodded.
When he saw Hanx Ziye spit out the Divine Palace's control hub from his mouth, he understood the good intentions of that Divine King-level expert.
If someone wasn't truly sincere about helping his son escape...
...then Hanx Ziye could have simply not handed over the control hub. With his abilities as an Artifact Spirit, he could have easily vanished right before his eyes.
At that point...
...no matter how hard he searched, he would never be able to find the hub.
He would have had to return empty-handed.
Only by agreeing to his terms...
...helping him escape and earning Hanx Ziye's trust...
...could one obtain this Divine Palace.
Such were his painstaking efforts.
Yang Xiao naturally believed...
...that everything Hanx Ziye had said before was true.
Not to mention, he had also sworn an oath to the heavens.
It couldn't be fake.
"I understand."
Yang Xiao nodded.
He didn't have much time, so he naturally wouldn't waste any more of it.
He immediately began to refine the Divine Palace's control hub.
Soon, Yang Xiao had refined the Divine Palace's control hub.
He had taken control of the Divine Palace.
However, he could clearly sense that his control over the Divine Palace was not complete.
It seemed he had even less control than Hanx Ziye.
Moreover, he had no way of controlling Hanx Ziye.
He sighed inwardly.
He knew this was another backup plan left by that doting Divine King father.
This way...
...even if he had malicious intentions, he would probably be eager to release the Artifact Spirit, Hanx Ziye.
Otherwise...
...whether or not the Divine Palace would even listen to his commands was another question entirely.
"You actually refined it so quickly?"
It was Hanx Ziye's turn to be surprised. He was astonished that Yang Xiao had refined the Divine Palace's control hub in just a moment.
This was a Divine Artifact, after all.
Even just refining the control hub shouldn't be so simple.
'Could he have refined a Divine Artifact before?'
To this, Yang Xiao just smiled.
In his first life, his cultivation was at the Divine King Peak, and his combat strength was comparable to a Great Emperor. He was an existence on the same level as the Northern Wilderness Divine King. Never mind that this Divine Palace was merely a Low-Grade Divine Artifact...
...even an Upper-Grade Divine Artifact...
...would not have been a challenge for Yang Xiao.
What's more, he had the control hub and the cooperation of the Artifact Spirit, Hanx Ziye.
To refine it...
...was almost too easy.
"Brother Hanx, hide inside the Divine Palace for now. I'm going to put it away. There's a big fellow outside staring at me."
Yang Xiao said.
"A big fellow? A Barbarian Beast King? If that creature has any intention of harming you, Brother Yang, you can use the Divine Palace to fight it. I will support you with my full strength."
An idea struck Hanx Ziye, and he spoke up.
Hearing this, Yang Xiao was overjoyed.
He had just been worrying about how to deal with that Purple-scaled Blood Horned Flood Dragon.
Although he had obtained the Divine Palace, it was almost impossible for him to unleash its full power.
However, if Hanx Ziye was really going to help him...
...with his Divinity Communication Realm Spiritual Power and his identity as an Artifact Spirit, suppressing that Flood Dragon would be incredibly easy.
"Excellent. In a moment, if that Flood Dragon has no ill intentions, then so be it. But if it does, then I will have to rely on Brother Hanx's might."
Yang Xiao smiled, filled with confidence.
"Brother Yang, you're too kind."
Hanx Ziye also smiled. What he didn't tell Yang Xiao was that although his Essence Qi was withered and he couldn't cultivate, he was born with discerning eyes, exceptionally skilled at seeing through people's hearts. That was why he had been so open and candid with Yang Xiao.
Because he could see that Yang Xiao was the type of person who repays kindness with kindness and vengeance with vengeance.
Schemes and plots would have been counterproductive.
And now, hadn't he achieved his wish?