"Master! It's not what you think," Qi Yu struggled.
Qi Nian held her, preventing her from leaving, and looked up at Li Yu. "There's nothing wrong with it, Master. I've decided to make Junior Brother Qi Yu my Dao companion, and then I'll lock him up and bully him every day."
"Second Senior Sister, how can you do this?" Si Qing pulled Qi Yu over. "Brother is mine!"
Qi Nian tried to pull Qi Yu back.
Si Qing held on, refusing to let go.
Qi Yu, unable to bear it any longer, pushed them both away, one on each side, and hugged herself. "I belong to myself! Stop fighting and give up. I won't belong to anyone!"
Si Qing and Qi Nian looked at Qi Yu together.
To protect herself, Qi Yu hid behind Yue Zhi Yin.
Just then, a horn sounded in the sky. An old man with a long beard, dressed in a white robe, stepped forward. He used his spiritual power and said in a loud voice:
"Welcome everyone to the annual Immortal Cultivation Grand Ceremony."
"First, please pay your respects."
Hearing the old man say this, everyone knelt and bowed towards a certain direction.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they all got up and returned to their seats.
Then, singing and dancing performers began to play music, a symphony of melodies.
Accompanied by the music, the old man stood in the center of the arena and chanted something in a language that many couldn't understand.
Ming Lou, who was listening beside her, felt sleepy. "Every time I attend, I wonder what this old man is singing about. It sounds like the language is similar to ours, but I can't understand the content at all."
"That's Divine Language," Qi Yu suddenly replied. "It's a type of sacrificial prayer from the divine race. When one reaches the Elder position, they have to learn these sacrificial prayers. However, it's too difficult to learn, so not everyone can master it."
"Wow, Junior Brother Qi Yu, you're amazing! You can understand it. Did you learn it specifically?" Ming Lou asked, shocked.
"Um... I heard a few phrases from a friend before, and then I memorized them," Qi Yu explained verbally, but felt a little uneasy inside.
Because she didn't understand why she could understand Divine Language.
She had been like this since she gained consciousness.
In the cultivation world, treasures cannot be displayed openly, and one's abilities must be concealed.
Therefore, she rarely mentioned her skills to others, at most only common techniques like Mirror Realm.
Si Qing glanced at Qi Yu silently. He knew the reason why Qi Yu understood Divine Language.
Divine Language was not something one could simply memorize.
Why were all the cultivators who understood Divine Language in the cultivation world elders, and why were there so few of them?
Because these elders were all cultivators born with divine bones.
In plain terms, they were destined to ascend as long as they did not commit evil deeds.
Only such qualifications would grant one the right to learn Divine Language.
Apart from this reason, the only other way to understand Divine Language was if both parents were innate true gods of the divine race, possessing immortal souls, and naturally understanding Divine Language.
This was also why Ling Ruo, a soul from another world, despite having possessed her sister's body and becoming the High God Ling Ruo, often used the excuse of insufficient magical power and a weak divine body to claim inability to complete the blessing of the Immortal Cultivation Grand Ceremony.
Because bestowing blessings at the Immortal Cultivation Grand Ceremony required Divine Language.
And no matter how much heavenly destiny Ling Ruo possessed, she was still just a soul from another world who had possessed a body, and was utterly incapable of learning Divine Language.
In fact, many in the Underworld of the Underworld and the Nine Heavens Palace of the Divine Realm were dissatisfied with Ling Ruo's situation, having the title of High God but being unable to perform the duties of a High God.
However, Ling Ruo had always been protected by her heavenly destiny. Everyone was unwilling to go against the heavens, so they had turned a blind eye.
If, one day, that heavenly destiny were to disappear.
Ling Ruo... would undoubtedly be the one to suffer the most tragic death.
Si Qing had been planning for this matter for many years. As he thought about it, he couldn't help but become lost in his thoughts.
At the same time, on the open ground of the Immortal Cultivation Grand Ceremony, a group of singing girls performed a dance. After they left, a square arena slowly rose from the center.
The white-robed elder stepped onto it and announced the start of the challenges.
Qi Yu and Yu Zhen simultaneously rose from their seats and glided onto the arena.
Yu Zhen drew her long sword and pointed it directly at the Xuan Yue Sect.
Qi Yu held a long whip, and an ice-element ancient zither floated behind her, emitting two resonant notes.
They stood side by side and spoke in unison:
"Qi Yu, male cultivator of the Bei Yuan Sect, late stage Golden Core, requests to challenge Shen Yunwen, the second disciple of the Xuan Yue Sect."
"Yu Zhen, female cultivator of the Bei Yuan Sect, newly ascended to the Transformation God stage, requests to challenge the Xuan Yue Sect Master, Dao Venerable Su!"
After speaking, they both froze for a moment.
Yu Zhen glanced at Qi Yu beside her, her red lips curving charmingly. She said in a voice only they could hear:
"The one who destroyed your original body is Dao Venerable Su, right? Qi Yu, watch how your 'mother' cripples this old man's cultivation in front of everyone."
Qi Yu's eyes instantly turned red.
Although she had already known that Yu Zhen wanted to avenge her at Mount Buzhou.
Hearing these words firsthand, she still felt like a wronged child seeing their elder stand up for them, with tears of sadness welling up in her eyes.
Below the arena.
Yue Zhi Yin stood with his arms crossed, looking around. Seeing that Dao Venerable Su and Shen Yunwen of the Xuan Yue Sect had already ascended the stage, he then turned to Ming Lou and said:
"Ming Lou, have your Second Senior Sister bring a few medical cultivators to prepare. They'll be treating the Xuan Yue Sect's injuries later."