"Congratulations, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Hearing those words, Xie Lian raised his head and smiled before he spoke, "Thank you. But may I ask what you're congratulating me for?"
Ling Wen ZhenJun1 stood with her arms crossed as she said, "Congratulations for getting first place on the list of 'Heaven's Officials most anticipated to be demoted and banished to the mortal realm'."
Xie Lian replied, "No matter how you say it, it's still first place. But I think that if you're congratulating me, then it should still be a position worth being happy about?"
Ling Wen stated, "Yes, if you're first, you can get one hundred merits."
Xie Lian responded immediately, "Next time, if there's another list like this, by all means, please put me on it."
Ling Wen asked, "Do you know who is in second place?"
Xie Lian thought for a moment before replying, "That's too hard to guess. After all, just based on strength, I alone ought to be able to take the top three places."
Ling Wen answered, "That's more or less right. There isn't a second place. The moment you started, others could only see your dust with no hopes of catching up."
Xie Lin said, "I dare not accept the honor. Who was the first place winner from the previous years?"
Ling Wen stated, "There wasn't one because this list was created this year. More accurately, it was set up today."
"Eh," Xie Lian blanked for a bit before asking, "Based on what you said, this list wasn't created specifically for me, was it?"
Ling Wen responded, "You can think of it as luckily winning merely because you were coincidentally in time for it."
Xie Lian said with a face full of smiles, "Alright, if I think about it like that, I'll be slightly happier."
Ling Wen continued to say, "Do you know why you would seize first place?"
Xie Lian replied, "Everyone expects it."
Ling Wen explained, "Let me tell you the reason. Please look at that clock."
She lifted her finger to point, and Xie Lian turned around to look in that direction. What one could see there was extremely beautiful. Gazing into the distance, one could see a palace made out of white jade, pavilions and kiosks, immortal clouds curling about with flowing streams and flying birds.
Xie Lian gazed for a long time before asking, "Did you perhaps point in the wrong direction? Where's the clock?"
Ling Wen replied, "I didn't point in the wrong direction. It's there, have you seen it yet?"
Xie Lian looked carefully again before truthfully saying, "I don't see it."
Ling Wen responded, "You're right not to see it. Originally, there had been a clock there, but it was shaken off when you ascended."
"..."
"That clock was even older than you. Nevertheless, it had a lively and vivacious character. Every single time someone ascended, it would ring a few times to cheer them on. But on the day you ascended, it rang like it had gone crazy, unable to stop. Only when it fell down from the clock tower did it calm down. However, when it fell down, it smashed into a passing Heavenly Official."
Xie Lian asked, "This... Then, are they okay now?"
Ling Wen: "No, they're still being repaired..."
Xie Lian: "I'm referring to the Heavenly Official who was hit."
Ling Wen replied, "The one who got hit was a martial god. He turned his hand over on the spot and split that clock into two halves. But now, please look over there at that golden palace hall. Do you see it?"
She pointed again, and Xie Lian's gaze followed her finger once more. He saw a vast area covered in mist and clouds, before seeing the top of a resplendent palace roof made out of gold glass. Xie Lian said, "Ah, I see it this time."
listened to it closely, they would realize that the voice sounded extremely cold, and the speaker's tone appeared very indifferent as well. Thus, it made that gentleness seem as if it harboured some evil intentions.
Originally, Xie Lian had wanted to enter the array in a restrained and well-behaved manner. Silently lurking there was good enough. However, since someone was already looking for him to chat, he couldn't pretend to be mute and deaf. He was also extremely happy that a Heavenly Official in Heaven was still willing to take the initiative to talk to him, a god personifying pestilence. Thus, he quickly replied, "That's right, ah! Hello everyone! I returned again."
How would he know that after this one question and response—every Heavenly Official in the spirit communication array at that moment all perked up their ears.
That Heavenly Official continued to speak in a leisurely manner, "This time, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince's ascension made a really big commotion, ah."
Within Heaven, it could even be said that monarchs were walking around everywhere, while heroes were as common as water flowing in rivers.
If one wished to become an immortal god, they must first become an outstanding individual. In the mortal realm, people who achieved and accomplished many goals or people who had a lot of talent, of course, had a larger opportunity to ascend. As a result, it wasn't exaggerated to say that princesses, princes, and generals weren't a rare sight to see here. Who wasn't a proud child of the Heavens? However, everyone was still extremely polite and courteous to each other, calling one another 'Your Majesty' or 'Your Highness' or 'General Lord'. They would say whatever sounded more complimentary. But for the prior words spoken by the Heavenly Official, that title he used no longer sounded like a polite gesture.
Although Xie Lian had been a Crown Prince, and the other had greeted him thus—his tone didn't have even a bit of respect. It rather sounded as if he was trying to use a needle to stab someone. There were many other Heavenly Officials who had been genuine Crown Princes within the spirit communication array, and those few greetings simply made goosebumps appear on their backs as they felt uncomfortable from head to toe. Xie Lian also heard the ill intentions in the other's voice, but he did not want to make a scene. Thinking to himself that he would escape, he replied with a smile, "It was okay."
However, the Heavenly Official didn't give him a chance to escape. He spoke in a voice that was neither warm nor cold, "Huh, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince is okay? My luck was not that good."
Suddenly, Xie Lian heard a whisper from Ling Wen.
She only said a single word, "Clock."
Xie Lian instantly understood. So this had been the martial god who got smashed by that clock!
If that was the situation, then the Heavenly Official being angry wasn't something without reason. Xie Lian had always been extremely good at apologizing and thus immediately said, "I've heard about the incident with the clock. I'm extremely sorry, please pardon me."