"Your Excellencies, it is an honor for my Starfall Minor World to have you grace us with your presence today."
As all the cultivators quieted for a moment.
At this moment, Su Chang, the protagonist of this succession ceremony, looked towards the three celestial beings, his face also displaying a fawning expression.
It was natural that Su Chang, a cultivator above the seventh level of Mahayana, would not be unaware of certain things.
Yet, even so, faced with the three celestial beings at this moment, Su Chang was so subservient.
At this point, among the three celestial beings, one of them chuckled softly.
Li Qi, standing in the corner, could sense that this was the celestial being who had appeared in the tribulation space that day and killed Su Tianhao.
And at this moment, this celestial being's tone was very gentle, as if he were not the same person who had coldly killed Su Tianhao.
"Heh heh, no matter. The Starfall Minor World is considered one of the most powerful minor worlds surrounding our Upper Realm. Now that it has a new Plane Master, we naturally have to come and see."
As he said this, the celestial being paused, a look of regret on his face.
"It is truly a pity. Su Tianhao was one of the ones I had the highest hopes for, but he failed his tribulation. I had thought there would be one more cultivator above Mahayana. What a pity, what a pity."
If Li Qi hadn't known that Su Tianhao was killed by him, he might have been deceived by this celestial being's tone.
Similarly, the cultivators who had witnessed Su Tianhao's cause of death, just like Li Qi, had grim expressions on their faces.
Only the group of cultivators whose cultivation was below the seventh level of Mahayana were still looking at the celestial being with admiring eyes, full of joy.
"My Lords, please rest assured. In the future, I will surely lead the Starfall Minor World to even greater glory."
Su Chang declared this, patting his chest.
As Su Chang's words fell, the crowd immediately erupted in cheers.
A cultivator at the fifth level of Mahayana also chimed in.
"I am well aware of Daoist Su Chang's strength. With Daoist Su Chang's capabilities, within ten thousand years, I believe the Starfall Minor World will surely see a brand new elevation."
"Perhaps within ten thousand years, Daoist Su Chang might even achieve the realm that Daoist Su Tianhao never reached, and successfully ascend to become a celestial being."
If these words were spoken, they would surely attract more agreement and Su Chang's feigned modesty.
But in reality, the moment these words were uttered by this cultivator.
Li Qi could clearly feel Su Chang's expression stiffen.
The faces of the cultivators who had witnessed Su Tianhao's death also subtly darkened.
The remaining group, who were clearly trying to curry favor with the three celestial beings, wore peculiar smiles, a mixture of amusement and sarcasm.
Li Qi took in this scene.
At this point, he had definitively confirmed that cultivators above the seventh level of Mahayana seemed to be aware of the truth.
But not a single one of them dared to reveal this truth to outsiders.
Just then, Su Chang quickly said.
"Daoist, you flatter me, you flatter me. I know my own capabilities. I am currently only at the seventh level of Mahayana. To reach the ninth level of Mahayana within my lifetime would be good enough, let alone the peak of Mahayana, or even becoming a celestial being."
As he spoke, Su Chang's gaze occasionally flickered towards the three celestial beings beside him.
But in reality, only those like Li Qi who knew the truth understood.
The realm above celestial beings was not so easily attained.
Even if one truly reached it, they might not escape the dark schemes of these three celestial beings.
Su Chang's words appeared to be modest, but in reality, he was reassuring the three celestial beings that he had no intention of breaking through to become a celestial being himself.
And as expected, only Su Chang himself knew.
When he uttered these words, the intense sense of danger that had suddenly appeared on him finally subsided.
Su Chang secretly let out a breath, maintaining a smile on his face, while internally cursing the person who had just praised him for reaching the celestial realm.
The subsequent plot unfolded with the arrival of the three celestial beings, which brought the atmosphere of the succession ceremony to its peak.
This grand ceremony lasted for more than half a month.
Only after more than half a month did the fervor gradually subside.
As for the three celestial beings, they naturally would not stay for so long.
They departed not long after their arrival.
...
Li Qi's divine sense returned to the Netherworld Realm.
The succession ceremony of the Starfall Minor World had reached its conclusion, and the third natal spirit puppet had returned as arranged by Li Qi.
Li Qi took a slow, deep breath.
After attending the succession ceremony this time, he finally realized.
It turned out that all cultivators above the seventh level of Mahayana who were eligible to enter the public tribulation space seemed to have some understanding of the actions of the three celestial beings.
Some, like Su Tianhao, still tried to break free from the oppression of the three celestial beings, while others, like the new Plane Master Su Chang, had already surrendered to the three celestial beings.
This was something that could be easily discerned with a little attention.
"As expected, it's best not to reveal myself. There's no need to think about joining forces with other powerful cultivators; who knows if those cultivators might defect to the three celestial beings one day."
Li Qi narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Perhaps, from now on, I need to find a way to conceal my tribulation traces."
Li Qi even wanted to start researching more powerful formations to completely shield his tribulation fluctuations.
Without the tempering of lightning tribulations, he might be slightly weaker, but at least his safety would be guaranteed.
After all, every time he appeared in the tribulation space to undergo tribulation, it would attract more and more attention.
It was fine now that his strength was low.
But when he became stronger in the future.
If Li Qi's strength reached above the seventh level of Mahayana, perhaps due to his terrifying breakthrough speed, he would be noticed by the three celestial beings.
His fate might be even more tragic than Su Tianhao's that day.
From today onwards, Li Qi would not solely focus his efforts on cultivation.
Researching more powerful isolation formations was also placed on Li Qi's agenda.
Speaking of formations, he hadn't touched formations for almost a thousand years.
Therefore, Li Qi's focus was divided: a part of his mind remained on cultivation.
The other part of his mind began to recall all the formations he had mastered.
After all, compared to directly seeking out new formations to learn, Li Qi believed.
It was better to rely on his increasingly powerful cultivation to gain new insights into formations.
Then, he could first re-examine and fill in the gaps in his previous understanding of formations, and then research new formations, which would be more efficient and of higher quality.
After all, there is a saying:
A ten-thousand-foot tower.
Starts from flat ground!