Chapter 2227: As a Friend "Did I hear that right? The Crimson Empress just called that man her ’Master’!" the cultivators gasped in shock, their eyes wide with disbelief. "One!" Yuan suddenly started counting down. "Fuck! Are we really going to leave? What about those who had perished before us?!" Some cultivators hesitated to leave. To them, retreating now felt like a betrayal—an insult to the countless comrades who had already fallen. If they turned their backs, it would be as though their companions’ sacrifices had been for nothing. "Two!" Yuan continued to count. "Stay here if you want, but I’m out of here!" one shouted. "If you’d rather waste your life like the others, be my guest!" Many cultivators didn’t hesitate. To them, the dead mattered little compared to their own survival, and they refused to be counted among those who’d already fallen. In the blink of an eye, the majority of the remaining cultivators fled. "Three!" However, a few indecisive ones remained even after Yuan finished his counting. Without waiting for another breath, Xiao Meilin suddenly charged at those who stayed behind. "Aahh!" Seeing this, these cultivators immediately made up their minds and started running away. Yet, Xiao Meilin didn’t care and chased after them. "W-Why are you chasing us?! We’re leaving!" one of them cried out in despair. "I was ordered to kill anyone still here after three," Xiao Meilin replied coldly, her voice devoid of mercy. "As far as I’m concerned, running now won’t save you." Without hesitation, she continued her relentless slaughter, killing everyone who stayed after Yuan counted to three. Once the area was quiet again, Yuan said, "Let’s return." Xiao Cangming nodded, and the Asura Clan followed him back into their world. Some time later, Yuan and the Asura Clan gathered in a room to talk about Xiao Hua’s situation and the Asura Clan’s future. The moment they sat down, Xiao Cangming shifted his gaze toward Xiao Hua and spoke, "Even though it’s normal for cultivators who have changed vessels to regain their cultivation quickly, you have recovered your cultivation a little too quickly. Did something happen?" Xiao Hua’s body trembled at Xiao Cangming’s words, but not out of fear that he would discover what had happened. Merely recalling the moment she had attacked Yuan was enough to send a shiver through her. "I don’t know. It just happened," she calmly replied. Xiao Cangming turned to look at Yuan to see if he knew anything, but he also shook his head. "In that case, what about your memories? How much did it regress?" Xiao Cangming continued to question Xiao Hua. "That’s..." Xiao Hua hesitated to tell the truth this time. After all, if Xiao Cangming learned that she’d tried to kill Yuan, regardless of her situation, he’d definitely be enraged. Of course, she wasn’t afraid of him and preferred not to deal with him. "Don’t worry, she’s regained all of her memories already," Yuan suddenly answered. "And it was all because of her." Xiao Cangming followed Yuan’s gaze to Lingyue, who was quietly sitting beside him. "You’re..." "My name is Lingyue," she introduced herself. "What?" Xiao Cangming’s eyes widened with bewilderment after hearing her name. It was a reaction that puzzled Xiao Hua and the others in the room. After all, it was a secret that Yuan had revealed only to him. "I gave her that name," Yuan explained. "..." Xiao Cangming fell silent for a moment before muttering, "Is that so..." Like Xiao Hua, Lingyue’s cultivation had risen since her awakening, though not as dramatically. She had only managed to reach the peak of the Divine Ancestor realm. That said, it wasn’t unnatural. After all, Xiao Hua had reached the peak of God Ascension in her past lives, while Lingyue was just someone who’d received her memories. Soon, they moved the topic to the Spirit Tree. "What about the Spirit Tree?" Xiao Cangming asked. "It entered my Dantian," Yuan replied. "Without the Spirit Tree, this world will collapse soon," Xiao Cangming remarked. In the Primordial Realm, only the Asura Clan had the luxury of having their own world because it required an immense amount of spiritual energy to maintain one, something they could only achieve with the Spirit Tree. Seeing the guilty look on Yuan’s face, Xiao Cangming smiled and said, "Well, it doesn’t really matter since we won’t be staying in the Primordial Realm for much longer." "Does that mean you plan to leave the Primordial Realm?" Yuan asked even though he already knew the answer. "That’s right. Now that you have returned and I have fulfilled my mission, there’s no longer any reason for us to stay in here." "I see... What will you be doing once you are outside?" Xiao Cangming pondered for a moment before asking, "The Shadow Army, do they still exist?" He nodded, "Yes, and they’re more active than ever." "In that case, I’ll stay with them and work towards recovering my cultivation. Only then will I be able to serve you properly again." Yuan smiled and said, "Cangming, you have already served me long enough. Now that you have a wife again, you should focus on your family." "That’s unacceptable. I swore to be your sword until I draw my last breath," he quickly refused. However, Yuan shook his head and said, "Don’t take this the wrong way, but a lot of time has passed since then, and I already have a reliable sword by my side. You have done enough for me." "..." Xiao Cangming fell silent again. After several minutes of silence, Yuan spoke, "With that being said, I will likely still need your help from time to time, and when that time comes, I hope you will be willing to assist me as a friend." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚 "As a friend, huh?" A profound smile appeared on Xiao Cangming’s face. "If this is what you truly want, then I have no reason to decline." "Just call me Yuan from now on." "Alright, Yuan." "Thanks." Xiao Meilin stared at her father with wide eyes, utterly surprised that he had agreed to something like this so easily. "W-What about me?" she suddenly asked.