167: Let's leave Chapter 167 for now.

Although Lin Xiao was smiling, he was actually quite annoyed inside.

If it hadn't been for the two Puppets discovering that something was wrong with this Life God Tree, Lin Xiao wouldn't even have known that an outsider was living inside his Divine Kingdom!

His settlement page currently listed millions of names, and this Life God Tree was also being processed in the normal settlement.

That was why he hadn't noticed it all this time; if the two Puppets hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have known how much longer this tree intended to hide!

Jiang Tiansheng (the Life God Tree) was speechless at the moment. He had originally thought he could develop quietly without being detected.

But damn it, how did a little guy who was only a Divine Being a while ago, and is now merely a Demigod, suddenly show up with two Spirit Puppets?!

Jiang Tiansheng, a second-generation superstar direct descendant of the Jiang Family from the top-tier Tianwu Star Domain!

A top-tier Sixth-order Deity, hailed as the one with the most potential in the Jiang Family in ten thousand years to achieve a Breakthrough to a High-rank God!

Unfortunately, he was ultimately betrayed by his own clansmen, besieged by ten Sixth-order alien beings, and killed in battle. Because that battle was too tragic, his Law turned into a Divine Artifact, but it carried a huge Innate defect.

It was later discovered by a First-order Deity, and after changing hands several times, it was eventually purchased by Lin Xiao at an auction house.

Although he didn't know how a Divine Being could have so many resources, for Jiang Tiansheng, this was undoubtedly the best possible outcome.

As a former absolute Prodigy, he had reached the Peak of the Sixth-order in less than ten thousand years. He was only one step away from becoming a Seventh-order High-rank God.

Even though he had been betrayed by his clansmen and reduced to a Divine Artifact, Jiang Tiansheng still had no intention of giving up. In the past, there had been no mighty figures in the Divine Domain who had achieved success with the body of a Divine Artifact.

So today, he, Jiang Tiansheng, would be the first to set this precedent!

Unfortunately, his great undertaking hadn't been completed yet, but he had been suddenly discovered by the owner of this Divine Kingdom. While feeling embarrassed and speechless, Jiang Tiansheng was also thinking of an excuse.

The person who plotted against him was considered one of the best among the second generation of the Jiang Family. Without him around, the Family would surely tilt more resources toward that group.

Over two thousand years had passed, and given that person's methods and ruthlessness, he was likely already one of the powerful Elders of the Jiang Family.

If the other party found out he wasn't dead, they would definitely not give him any more chances. After all, conspiring with alien beings to harm a Prodigy within the clan was a crime that even a powerful Elder could not bear.

To keep his secret from being exposed, Jiang Tiansheng wouldn't be surprised if the other party came personally to silence him.

Lin Xiao stared at the Life God Tree in silence, as if it were truly an ordinary Divine Artifact without any abnormalities.

He tapped the tree trunk lightly with his right hand.

"I've heard that Magic Treasures refined using Divine Artifacts as the main material possess the special Law effects of the Divine Artifact itself. If I cut this tree down to make furniture and put it in my room, I imagine the effect would be quite good, right? What do you think?"

As Lin Xiao spoke, the Life God Tree swayed slightly. A strange, deep male voice emerged.

"Sigh… I am but a drifting lonely soul. It is fortunate that you, my lord, took me in and treated me, allowing me to finally recover a bit of Origin Qi. As for matters from before I died, I truly don't remember much…"

Hearing the Life God Tree's answer, a sharp light flashed in the Spirit Puppet's eyes. Without waiting for Lin Xiao to ask, it began to explain.

"A Divine Artifact is a special product born from completely absorbing everything of a deity, and it inherently has a very high compatibility with the fallen deity.

If the remnant soul of the deity has not completely vanished, there is a high probability that it will occupy the main body of the Divine Artifact and become its spirit.

Because some remnant souls are too fragmented, their remaining memories can be very limited. There have even been precedents where they completely forgot everything from their past lives."

After listening to the Spirit Puppet's explanation, Lin Xiao nodded thoughtfully.

He believed this explanation, but he didn't quite trust this Life God Tree. If it weren't for the Spirit Puppet, he wouldn't even have known that this thing was problematic!

It was also at this moment that a message from Patriarch Fang Hong came through.

Regarding Patriarch Fang Hong's concerns, Lin Xiao was not nervous at all. It just so happened that the Spirit Puppet hadn't been tested for its power yet. If these Families and factions really wanted to resort to force, he wouldn't mind getting a good look at what the Spirit Puppet was capable of.

After comforting Patriarch Fang Hong, Lin Xiao glanced at the Divine Artifact in front of him, wondering if he should just throw it away. But this thing had been in his Divine Kingdom for quite some time. What if it fell into the hands of someone with ulterior motives? Would it have an adverse effect on him? Destroy it completely? The person was already so miserable, and they hadn't done anything against him yet. Doing so would make him seem like some kind of vicious villain…

Jiang Tiansheng sensed something bad just from Lin Xiao's expression. Before Lin Xiao could speak, he immediately began to introduce himself.

"According to the Legacy memories of the Divine Artifact, as a Life Domain Divine Artifact, I can actually help you, my lord, raise the potential of your Believers without any side effects.

If you are willing to Cultivate me, once my strength is powerful enough, I can even breed special Life Domain clans."

"Additionally, although I don't remember much about my past life, I still have memories regarding Cultivation. If there is anything you don't understand, my lord, I can help answer it."

"No matter how I was in the past, I am now just a Divine Artifact in your hands, my lord. My life and death are all in your hands…"

Having experienced this tribulation, Jiang Tiansheng no longer had his former arrogance. In the past, even if it meant death, he would never have uttered words of submission.

But now, he understood what it meant: a temporary expedient, and having to bow one's head when under someone else's roof…

At this moment, the Spirit Puppet shone a beam of light onto the Life God Tree, and in the blink of an eye, it provided the appraisal result.

"After inspection, the danger level of this item: None."

In the end, Lin Xiao decided to keep the thing, but he arranged for a Spirit Puppet to monitor it within the Divine Kingdom at all times.

This kind of sneaky behavior meant either a great secret or a great enmity. Who knows? He might be able to gain some benefits from it.

Anyway, with the Spirit Puppet monitoring it, he wouldn't let this thing out. Once the other party realized the situation, he wasn't afraid that they wouldn't talk to him.

After receiving a clear reply from Lin Xiao, Patriarch Fang Hong's heart finally settled. Before he even returned to the Fang Family, his communicator kept sounding with message notifications.

The Chen Family, the Liu Family, the head of the Spirit Grain Chamber of Commerce, the head of the Divine Weapon Workshop, and so on—even Hu Chai, who had previously looked like he wanted to fight him in person.

They had all sent messages to Patriarch Fang Hong. Although what everyone said was different, the core meaning was surprisingly consistent: "Are you free? Let's chat privately? There's compensation!"

Seeing these messages, Patriarch Fang Hong's back straightened up immediately. A look of undisguised complacency hung on his face.

"Hmph! These old foxes, just a moment ago, everyone was eager to fight us. And yet, how long has it been? They're already sending messages wanting to chat with me? And they specifically mentioned there would be benefits? Hmph! Do they think that mere petty favors can shake the position of my lord in my heart?!"

"They are delusional! Let's go over together in a while. I want to see what these old foxes have to say!"

In the past, for such private talks involving clan chiefs, Patriarch Fang Hong would not have voluntarily informed the Family Elders unless necessary.

But now, he constantly kept his identity in mind. What if these old foxes were just inviting him for tea or idle chatter, and then went out and loudly proclaimed that they had reached a major cooperation agreement? Wouldn't that be like mud falling into his pants—he wouldn't be able to clear his name?!

Private talk? Nowadays, there was nothing he couldn't tell his lord!

If they wanted to talk, they would talk properly in front of all the Elders. And he would record the whole thing! He would absolutely not give anyone the slightest chance to sow discord between him and his lord!