"Congratulations, Your Highness."

hearing this, Xie Lian looked up, and smiled before saying. "Thank you. But can I ask what you're congratulating me for?"

Ling Wen-zhenjun stood tall with her hands folded behind her back. "Congratulations, you have won first place on the chart of 'heavenly Official Most Hoped to be Banished Down to the Mortal realm' of this calendar cycle."

"Well, no matter what, first place is first place," Xie Lian said. "But since you're congratulating me, is there anything that's actually worth being happy about?"

"Yes," Ling Wen replied. "First place on this chart receives one hundred merits."

Xie Lian immediately said, "If there are any similar charts in the future, please absolutely call me up."

"Do you know who second place is?" Ling Wen asked.

Xie Lian pondered for a moment, then replied. "That's too hard to guess. After all, in terms of ability, I should be able to take the first three places myself."

"Pretty much," Ling Wen said "There isn't a second place. You're so far ahead that you've left everyone in the dust."

"That's too great of an honor," Xie Lian replied. "Then who was first place for the previous calendar cycle?"

"There is no previous winner," Ling Wen said, "because this chart was first established today."

"Huh?" Xie Lian was taken aback. "You don't mean to say that this was a chart set up just for me?"

Ling Wen replied, "You can think of it as, you just so happened to make it in time and just happened to steal first place."

Xie Lian grinned, his eyes squinting into crescents. "All right. I'll be happier if I think of it that way."

"do you know why you got first place?" Ling Wen continued.

"By popular demand? " Xie Lian guessed.

"Let me explain the reason to you," Ling Wen said. "Please look at that bell."

Xie Lian turned his head to gaze toward where pointed, and what he saw was an extremely beautiful sight. there were grand palace temples made of white jade, abundant towers, pavilions, and gazebos, with heavenly clouds lingering about as streams flowed and birds dance.

He took a good look for a while, then asked. "Did you perhaps point in the wrong direction? There's no bell anywhere."

"I didn't." Ling Wen said. "it's all right if you don't. There used to be a bell there, but when you ascended, it fell because of the tremors."

"..."

"That bell is older than you, but it has a spirited character and enjoys a good spectacle. Whenever someone ascends, it tolls a few times in applause. When you ascended, the tremors were so strong that the bell tolled like mad and couldn't stop at all. In the end, it shook itself off the bell tower before it finally ceased. And when it fell, it crashed down onto one of the heavenly officials passing by."

"Um...is everything better now?" Xie Lian inquired.

"Not yet. It's still under repairs." Ling Wen replied.

"I meant that heavenly official who was hurt." Xie Lian clarified.

"The one hit was a martial god," Ling Wen said. "A flick of his hand and the bell was chopped in two right then and there. Now, please look over at that golden palace. Do you see it?"

Again, Xie Lian looked to where she was pointing and saw amidst the haze of clouds the resplendent golden-glazed roof. 'Ah, this time I see it."

"It's not right if you see it," Ling Wen said. "There wasn't anything there before."

"..."

"When you ascended, the golden pillars of the golden palaces of a number of heavenly officials collapsed from the tremors, and their glazed roof tiles shattered. There are some that won't be so easily fixed, so the heavenly officials could only put together some last-minute palaces to make do for the time being."

"And I'm the one responsible?"

"You're the one responsible."

"Mm..." Xie Lian asked to confirm, "So I've offended many heavenly officials since the moment I arrived?"

"If you can make amends, maybe not," Ling Wen said.

"How do I make amends?"

"Easy. With eight million eight hundred and eighty thousand merits."

Xie Lian grinned again.

Ling Wen added, "Of course, I know you don't have even a tenth of that amount."

Xie Lian replied earnestly, "How do I say this? Even though I'm very sorry, if you want just ten-thousandth of that amount, I don't have it."

The faith of mortal believers was converted into the spiritual power of a heavenly office. every stick of incense they lit and every offering they gave were thus called "merits."

Xie Lian turned solemn in place of the smile and asked seriously "Are you willing to kick me down from here and give me eight million eight hundred and eighty thousand merits for it?"

"I'm a civil god," Ling Wen said. "If you're looking for someone to kick you down under, you'll need to find a martial god to do it. The harder they kick, the more merits they'll give."

Xie Lian heaved a long sigh. "Please allow me to think about what I should do."

Ling Wen patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, there will always be a path when the carriage reaches the mountain."

"Boats always sink when they reach the pierhead for me, thought,"[2] Xie Lian said.

If this were eight hundred years ago, when the Palace of Xianle was at its peak of prominence, eight million eight hundred and eighty thousand merits would be nothing; the crown prince could throw it out without batting an eye. But the present wasn't the same as the past, and all his temples in the Mortal Realm had long since been burned to the ground. He had no believers, no incense, and no offerings.

There was no need to say more on the subject. Either way, he had nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing!

He crouched by himself on the side of the main street of the Heavenly Capital feeling distraught for a while before suddenly remembering: he'd ascended for almost three days now, but he still hadn't entered the communication array of the Upper Court. He'd forgotten to ask what the verbal password was.

The heavenly officials of the Upper Court had gotten together and set up an array that could instantaneously allow the consciousness to communicate and pass on messages. Once ascended, one must enter the array, but a password was required for the consciousness to find the designated channel. The last time Xie Lian had entered the array was eight hundred years ago, so he didn't remember the password at all. He let his consciousness scatter to search and saw a channel that seemed to be what he was looking for, so he went in randomly. The moment he entered, he was blasted by an outpouring of crazed yelling from all directions.

"Place yoour bets and no take-backs! Let's wager on how long our Royal Highness the Crown Prince can last before going down again!!"

"I bet one year!"

"One year is too long; last time it was only one incense time! it'll be three days this time, I think. I put my merits down on three days, three days!"

"Don't, you dimwit! three days is almost over already, do you even know how to gamble?!"

…Xie Lian silently exited the array.

He'd entered the wrong one. That couldn't be it.

The heavenly officials of the Upper Court of Heaven were all big-wigs who guarded a given region. They were widely known by every household and kept occupied by a myriad of state affairs. Since they were deities who ascended respectably, in keeping with their status, they were generally more reserved and often put on airs. Xie Lian himself had been the only one who dragged out every single heavenly official inside the communication array to greet them out of excitement the first time he ascended, incomparably earnest and exceedingly thorough in introducing himself from head to toe.

After he exited that array, he went on another, random search and entered a different one. This time, he relaxed, thinking to himself How quiet-it's probably this one.

Just then, he heard a voice say softly, "So, You're Highness is back?"

It was a very comfortable voice, the sound soft and gentle, the tone decorous. However, if one were to listen closely, one would discover that the voice was quite cool and indifferent, the same as the sentiment it carried, causing that soft gentleness to turn into something more malicious in intent.

Xie Lian had intended to enter the array in a proper manner, then lie low, but since the other party had already addressed him, he couldn't keep pretending to be dead and mute. Besides, he was still delighted that there were actually heavenly officials in the Upper Court who would willingly start a conversation with a God of Misfortune like himself.

Thus, he quickly answered, "Yeah! Hello, everyone, I'm back again."

Yet little did he know, after this exchange, every single heavenly official who was currently inside the communication array perked up their ears.

That heavenly official said languidly, "Your Highness certainly ascended with tremendous force this time, huh?"

Within the Upper Court of Heaven, emperors, kings, generals, and chancellors were everywhere, and heroes flowed like water.

In order to become a deity, one must first achieve greatness. Within the Mortal Realm, those who had obtained accolades or ones in possession of great talent had always had a better chance at ascension. So it wasn't an exaggeration to say that rulers, princesses, princes, and generals weren't a rarity here. Everyone was a Darling of the Heavens. Everyone acted courteously with each other, so they would address one another as Your Majesty, Your Highness, Lord General, Alliance Chief, head Chief, whatever, as long as the title was flattering. However, the words from this one heavenly official seemed to have something lurking beneath their tone.

Although he said "Your Highness" this, "Your Highness" that, Xie Lian couldn't sense a bit of respect from him at all. it was more like he was poking him with a needle. There were also several heavenly officials inside the communication array who were authentic crown princes, and they were feeling the hairs on their backs rise from such an adress, incredibly uncomfortable. Xie Lian could tell that this other party didn't come with good intentions. but he didn't want to fight, so he chose to run instead.

He smiled. "It wasn't too bad."

However, that heavenly official wouldn't give him the chance to run. he said tepidly, "It's Your Highness, after all, so it wasn't too bad for you. But my luck doesn't seem to be as good."

"Suddenly, Xie Lian heard a private message from Ling Wen.

She only said one word: "Bell."

Instantly, Xie Lian understood.

So this was the case, then the other party wasn't angry without reason. Xie Lian had always been adept at apologizing, so he immediately said, "I've heard about the accident with the bell, and I'm dreadfully sorry. I do apologize."

The other party humphed, the meaning unclear.

There were a great number of renowned martial gods in the Heavenly realm. And many of them were newly ascended dignitaries who came after Xie Lian's time. Xie Lian couldn't be sure who this person was by voice alone, but he couldn't stay ignore of his name after apologizing either. So Xie Lian inquired, "Might I ask how I may address my lord?"

The other fell silent at this.

Not only did the other fall silent, it was like the entire communication array froze, and the air was assaulted with stagnation.

From the other end, Ling Wen sent him another message. "Your Highness, although I think you should have recognized him after talking for so long. I still want to give you a hint. That's Xuan Zhen."

"Xuan Zhen?" Xie Lian asked.

He was stumped for a moment before he finally came around, then sent a voice message back in shock. "that's Mu Qing?"

General Xuan Zhen was the Martial God of the Southwest who possessed seven thousand temples; his name in the human world was considerably distinguished, and this General Xuan Zhen's real name was Mu Qing. eight hundred years ago, he was a deputy general at the Xianle Palace of the Crown Prince.

Ling Wen was also quite shocked. "You really didn't recognize him?"

"I really didn't." Xie Lian replied. "he didn't talk to me like this back then. Besides, I can't even recall when we last met; it was either five or six centuries ago. I can barely remember what he looks like, so how can I possibly remember what his voice sounds like?"

The communication array was still deep in silence. Mu Qing didn't utter a sound. The other heavenly officials were pretending they weren't listening while waiting on the edge of their seats for whichever one would continue the conversation.

Things were rather awkward when it came to those two. The complicated plot had been spread in rumors for so many years, and everyone basically knew the story at this point. Back then, when Xie Lian was still the esteemed crown prince of Xianle, he trained at the Royal Holy Temple. This Royal Holy Temple was a royal cultivation hall in the Kingdom of Xianle, with a very strict standard for selecting disciples. Mu Qing came from the slums, and his father was an executed criminal; someone like that didn't qualify for acceptance to the royal Holy Temp, so he could only run errands. Within the temple grounds, he was someone who cleaned the royal highness's room and served tea and water.

Xie Lian saw how hard he was working, so he requested that the state preceptor make an exception and accept Mu Qing as a disciple. it was only by the golden mouth of the royal Highness that Mu Qing could enter the temple to cultivate and be trained alongside the crown prince. Then, after ascension, Xie Lian appointed him his general and took him along to the Heavenly Capital.

However, when the Kingdom of Xianle fell and Xie Lian was banished to the mortal world, Mu Qing didn't follow him. Not only did he not follow, he never even spoke a word in Xie Lian's favor. Either way, the crown prince was gone, so he was free. He found a cave on a piece of auspicious land and trained arduously, and not a few years later, he passed a Heavenly Tribulation and ascended to heaven himself.

In the past, one was in the heavens and one on earth. Now, there was still one in the heavens and one on earth-it was simply that their positions had switched completely, that's all.

On this end, Ling Wen said, "He's very upset."

"I figured as much," Xie Lian said.

"I'll go start another topic of conversation, you'd best take the chance to leave" Ling Wen suggested.

"Nah, it's okay," Xie Lain replied. "It's fine as long as we pretend nothing's happened."

"Are you sure?" Ling Wen said. "I feel awkward just watching you two."

"It's not that bad!" Xie Lian replied.

For someone like Xie Lian, everything besides death really was okay; he didn't have a lot, but he could definitely still lose a lot of face. He had already done plenty of things that were many times more awkward than this, so he really felt okay in his heart. But who would have thought he shouldn't have said that so early; Xie Lian had just said the words 'still okay' when he heard a voice roar.

"Who the fuck knocked down my golden palace?! SHOW YOURSELF!!"

This angry roar was going to make the heads of all the gods explode.

While they were already filled to the brim with surging complaints, still, each other of them held their breaths, waiting soundlessly to hear how Xie Lian was going to answer this accusatory cry. Yet unexpectedly, things only got more exciting. Before Xie Lian had opened his mouth, Mu Qing spoke up first.

Or rather, he only snorted. "Heh."

The newcomer spat coldly, "You knocked it down? Good. Just you wait."

Mu Qing replied coolly, "I didn't say it was me; don't make false accusations."

The other said angrily, "Then what are you laughing about. Are you out of your mind?"

"No reason. You just sound funny, that's all," Mu Qing said. "The one who knocked down your golden palace is in the communication array right now. Go interrogate him yourself."

With things reaching this point, Xie Lian was too embarrassed to run away just like that.

He cleared his throat. "It was me. I'm sorry."

The moment he spoke, the one who came after also fell silent. Next to his ear, Ling Wen messaged him again. "Your Highness, that's Nan Yang."

"This one I know," Xie Lian said. "But it seems he doesn't recognize me."

"He does," Ling Wen confirmed. "It's just that he spends most of his time roaming the Mortal Realm and rarely comes back to Heavenly Capital. He didn't know you had ascended again, that's all."

Nan Yang-zhenjun was the Martial God of the Southeast. He possessed eight thousand temples and was incredibly loved by the people. His real name was Feng Xin, and eight hundred years ago, he was the number one heavenly general of the Xianle Palace of the Crown Prince.

Feng Xin was loyal to a fault, and he had been Xie Lian's imperial bodyguard since the crown prince was fourteen years old. He grew up with Xie Lian; they entered the heavens together, were banished together, and drifted together. Unfortunately, they couldn't endure all eight hundred years together. In the end, it was an unhappy separation as each went their own way, never to meet again.

-Chapter 1 End-

[2] "When the boat gets to the pierhead, it will go straight with the current" is a proverb that means "Everything will be alright."