Chapter 2228 — Chapter 2228 A Broken Treasure

"W-What about me?" Xiao Meilin suddenly asked.

Yuan looked at her and replied with a question, "What about you? I never even accepted you as my servant in the first place."

"No way! How can you say that to me now?! That's too cruel, Master Tian! Are you really going to throw me away after using me for so long?!" Xiao Meilin exclaimed.

Yuan showed a stiff smile and said, "Don't make it sound so weird. You're not a toy. Also, while you're not my servant, you're still my disciple. Do you intend on staying as a disciple for the rest of your life?"

"Of course!" Xiao Meilin answered without any hesitation.

Yuan rubbed his eyes and sighed, "In that case, I have failed as your teacher and don't qualify to be one anymore."

"You're acting pathetic, Elder Sister," said Xiao Hua. "You should stop bothering Yuan."

"That's easy for you to say since you're always following him around! I've been wondering for a long time now, but why did you get to go with him while I am stuck here? And did you just call him 'Yuan'?! What happened to Master Tian? Did you really regain all of your memories? Or did you hit your head somewhere after awakening?" "Blame your own incompetence for not being chosen," Xiao Hua said with a calm sneer. "I was chosen because I'm not only more talented and powerful than you but, more importantly, I'm not annoying like you."

"You little bitch… are you looking for a fight with me now?" Xiao Meilin's eyebrows twitched nonstop at Xiao Hua's provocation. "Stop it. Both of you." Yuan sighed.

Xiao Meilin gritted her teeth and fell silent, but it was only for a brief moment.

"You didn't answer my other question. Why are you suddenly calling him by his name? That's disrespectful, and you should know that."

"That's none of your business," Xiao Hua said, refusing to answer.

Yuan then said, "I told her to stop calling me Master Tian. I'm sure I asked you to do the same when we first met."

"So not only is she annoying, but she's also disobedient? Why am I not surprised?" Xiao Hua chuckled.

Xiao Meilin trembled in anger, and her aura started to surge violently. However, before she could even say another word, Xiao Cangming hammered her head with his fist, instantly wiping away her killing intent.

"Your inability to control your temper is exactly why I never allowed you to follow Yuan," he said calmly. "Rather than be helpful, you'd only cause more trouble for him."

"..."

Xiao Meilin fell silent again.

"Don't be so down," Li Zhenwu finally spoke up. "You can always temper your control, and now that we'll be leaving the Primordial Realm, you'll have plenty of chances to—"

"I know." Xiao Meilin interrupted, but she didn't say more and fell silent again.

Some time later, Yuan spoke, "I have been thinking about something. The Primordial Realm… It's no longer filled with criminals like it was in the past, correct?"

Xiao Cangming nodded, "Yes, since most of the first generation are long dead. Why do you ask? Don't tell me you want to…"

Yuan smiled faintly. "I wonder… would it be alright to open the Primordial Realm and let those who wish to leave do so?"

He had been pondering this ever since his encounter with Wu Qi, and that thought had only deepened after witnessing the cultivators' desperation.

Xiao Cangming responded seriously, "Honestly, I have thought about this more than just a few times. While there are many who wish to leave this world, and we have the power to release them, the problem is what comes after."

"If the current Celestial Emperor wanted to release us, he would've done so long ago," Xiao Cangming said with a faint bitterness in his tone. "While it's technically possible to leave through the Supreme Heaven's Legacy, that so-called path is nothing but false hope—a cruel game that dangles freedom before the desperate. After all my time in the Primordial Realm, I can count on one hand those who've ever succeeded in fulfilling the legacy."

"So what you're saying is, we have to deal with the Celestial Emperor before we can release these people? I figured it would be like this." Yuan sighed.

"After all, even if the people get to leave, as long as they have the exile's branding on them, they won't truly be free."

Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "This branding… what is it? It can't be a curse since it didn't appear when I used the Sacred Chalice of Purification on you."

Xiao Cangming shook his head.

"I'm not sure either."

"It's a curse."

"What?"

Everyone in the room turned to Mu Xuelian, who'd just spoken.

"Lord Shiva said it's a curse."

"Can you elaborate? If it's a curse, why didn't my Sacred Chalice of Purification activate? It's a treasure that can remove all curses."

Shiva took control of Mu Xuelian's body and beckoned Yuan, "Show me that little treasure of yours."

Yuan didn't question her and handed her the Sacred Chalice of Purification.

"Hmph."

Shiva took a quick glance at it before tossing it back to Yuan as if it were trash.

"The curse was created with the power of an Eternal. A broken toy like that won't have any effect on it."

"Wait a second…" Yuan rubbed his eyes in a stressful manner and continued, "So you're telling me that not only is an Eternal involved, but my Sacred Chalice of Purification is a 'broken' treasure? Even though it functions properly and is powerful enough to remove most curses in existence?"

"An Eternal also created that treasure, and I happen to know its creator," Shiva revealed. "What? An Eternal creating treasures?" Yuan's eyes widened at this information.

"I didn't even think an Eternal would show such interest."

Shiva snickered, "Not even Gods are impervious to boredom, you know? And while that thing might be a treasure to you, it's nothing but a toy in our eyes. In fact, most of the treasures that appear 'naturally' in this world are our creation."