Our Paths Know No Bound

Chapter 1: The Laughingstock of the Heavenly Realm Ascends Thrice!

Notes:
Xie Lian ascends for the third time! He lands in a heap of debt, gains a mission, meets his old friends(?), and announces his happy marriage to the heavenly officials! Overall, a normal day in the life of the third-time god.

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For the first time in many, many years, the Heavens shook.

The ground quaked and mountains rumbled as many heavenly buildings toppled. The sky thundered and the flames of the altar lamps that burned day and night trembled as the centuries-old bell that welcomed ascensions tolled to madness until it fell.

The heavenly officials gathered in awe, wondering which new god had a power so mighty that the Heavens were on the verge of utter destruction. There was no doubt that this new youngster would be highly respected, however, it was also without doubt that the youth had landed themself in a heap of debts thanks to their tumultuous ascension.

Eventually, the shaking ceased and dust cleared as curious murmurs rose in volume. When it was finally visible, the sight that welcomed the officials silenced the crowd.

Standing before them was a young man dressed in white cultivator robes. The young man appeared to be languidly holding a long, slender sword whose blade was akin to a black mirror were it not for the dark crimson liquid dripping off its ends towards the ground and almost staining his robes. His head was tilted upwards and to the left, almost completely obscured by the white, silken tulle veil that hung from a bamboo hat. Following the newly ascended god's hidden gaze, the officials could see the young man gazing at the white flower he held up with his left hand.

This silence, however, only reigned for a brief moment as the cultivator seemed to come to consciousness and faced forward. A wind picked up his veil and flew it over the hat to reveal a beautiful face and a tender smile.

"HAAAH!" The indignant voices of the officials blended in absolute shock and incredulity.

The famous weirdo, the laughingstock of the three realms, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of age-old legends of the Xian Le nation, he, he- he ascended to godhood again!

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Xie Lian had been traveling with his Hua Cheng for some time. Upon the request of one of the villagers by which they were passing, they had looked into a case of a ghost that had been rumored to capture and kill the travelers that went by the exit roads of the village. It had become a growing concern to the merchants of the village that needed to travel to and from the village to conduct their business.

Hua Cheng had stepped back from the fray of the fight, content with supporting Xie Lian by lazily deflecting the attention of the binu the wraith commanded while Xie Lian took care of the main problem.

The fight was relatively short. Hua Cheng stood behind while Xie Lian finished the final rites in sending off the spirit to the reincarnation cycle again. Rising from the ground with Fangxin at his side, Xie Lian caught the flower his husband allowed a butterfly to carry to him, a warm feeling of contentment arising from deep in his bones.

However, a second later, he was met with a blinding light and new, oddly familiar surroundings. Heavenly officials gathered around him exclaimed their shock at his appearance.

He calmly smiled as Ling Wen ZhenJun approached.

"Taizi Danxia, congratulations on your ascension."

He internally cringed, intending to respond but was distracted by much welcomed interruption.

[Gege?]

Xie Lian pressed two fingers to his temple as he connected to his private communication array with his husband.