# Chapter 3487: Arbiter Venerable and Destiny Venerable
Because of the "reverse flow of the Fate River and the flooding of the Divine Temple" omen, and because his name appeared on the "God-Defying Scroll," Zhang Ruochen had indeed clashed many times with the Arbiter Department.
Most of the voices calling for Zhang Ruochen's death also came from the Arbiter Department.
Figures like "Zhuo Yunong," the number one arbiter below the divine realm, and Divine General "Yuan Tianzhi," had both targeted Zhang Ruochen, seeking to capture him.
Later, the Arbiter Department even deployed their number one War God, "Qian Mosang," but unfortunately, he was killed by Xuan Yi at the Divine Maiden Tower in the world.
Without a doubt, all of this confirmed that saying — those who failed to kill Zhang Ruochen only made him stronger!
Now, just a few thousand years later, Zhang Ruochen had reached a level where even Arbiter Venerable had to take him seriously.
But what kind of place was the Arbiter Department?
It was said that they would rather kill the wrong person than let the guilty go free.
How domineering was Arbiter Venerable?
Back then, Qi Linfei, son of Qi Lin, the Grand Chieftain of the Qitian Tribe, was captured by the Arbiter Department. Qi Lin personally went to plead for mercy, and Arbiter Venerable executed Qi Linfei right in front of her.
Was Qi Lin's cultivation not strong enough? Was her background not significant enough?
If Arbiter Venerable did not possess the courage to kill gods and buddhas standing in his way, how could Feng Tian have placed him in such an important position?
This time, although Arbiter Venerable only sent a letter, intending to resolve the past grievances between them, such a low posture was still somewhat unbelievable.
Qing Feiwei remembered that during the Xinghuantian crisis, when Heavenly Mother first emerged from the world and lent divine power to Zhang Ruochen to repel the Heavenly Court army, even with Heavenly Mother's might, Arbiter Venerable had only ordered the cancellation of all actions targeting Zhang Ruochen, without any intention of explaining anything.
After all, the Arbiter Department had ample reason to kill Zhang Ruochen, and the entire Destiny Temple backed the Arbiter Department.
Canceling the operation was merely to avoid provoking Heavenly Mother.
"Go back and tell Arbiter Venerable that I am confined to the Past Divine Palace by Feng Tian and cannot leave. I will visit the Arbiter Department another day when the opportunity arises."
Zhang Ruochen had no intention of inviting Arbiter Venerable to the Past Divine Palace.
If he reported the scene inside the Past Divine Palace to Feng Tian, Zhang Ruochen's good days would be over!
Besides, the Divine Penetrating Pill was still being refined in the divine palace, and it was not convenient for someone like Arbiter Venerable to know about it.
Qing Feiwei said, "Divine Venerable need not worry about that. The Venerable has already obtained a Heavenly Decree from Feng Tian. Divine Venerable can leave the Past Divine Palace now!"
Before she finished speaking.
"Whoosh!"
The light of the Heavenly Decree appeared above the Past Divine Palace.
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious, realizing that this matter was not simple. He glanced at the Earth Cauldron, which was in the pill-nurturing stage, and instructed Mo Yin: "Keep a close watch on the cauldron's flame for me!"
Walking out of the Past Divine Palace, Zhang Ruochen looked at Qing Feiwei standing outside.
She wore a purple-blue long dress with a moon-white inner garment and a veil. Her skin was like solidified fat and solidified snow, possessing both a sacred, pure beauty and the alluring, seductive charm of the Undying Blood Clan.
Unbidden, the memory of that arranged meeting arranged by Xue Jue War God surfaced in his mind.
Zhang Ruochen retracted his intimidating divine majesty, revealing a bright and sunny smile. He took the letter from her hand and said, "Miss Qing, lead the way!"
...
Fate Divine Mountain was vast and sprawling, with the three departments and twelve palaces each occupying a thousand miles of land.
The Arbiter Department was synonymous with ferocity throughout the entire Hell Realm. Even the gods of the ten great clans were extremely wary of them and dared not provoke them.
Arbiter Divine Temple.
Arbiter Venerable was eight thousand zhang tall, seated on a black iron throne. His entire being was like a majestic mountain, putting immense pressure on the few others in the hall, making it difficult for them to breathe.
Only Destiny Venerable appeared somewhat composed.
He was of normal human height, clad in silver armor, and had three heads. From bottom to top, they were a lion's head, a male human head, and a female human head.
Destiny Venerable sat upright with a straight back, saying, "He has already left the Five Realms Heaven. Since we intend to resolve the conflict, we should not maintain a high posture. Meeting him at eye level is sufficient. Sitting there in your divine form, you will be looking down on him!"
Arbiter Venerable said, "I was born eight thousand zhang tall. Even when I see Feng Tian, I do not deliberately suppress my form. Why should I change my appearance for him? If it weren't for..."
"Haha!"
Laughter rang out from outside the Divine Temple. Zhang Ruochen's voice sounded: "The Venerable naturally need not be overly deliberate. How could a divine dragon transform into an ant?"
Amidst the laughter, streaks of human-shaped light rushed into the Divine Temple.
The light figures overlapped and condensed into Zhang Ruochen's true form.
At this moment, every inch of Zhang Ruochen's skin radiated dazzling divine light. Every breath he took created tidal waves, and the rules of heaven and earth moved accordingly, fully displaying his divine majesty.
Qing Feiwei, who had entered the Divine Temple a step later, was inwardly shaken and immediately stopped, daring not to advance further.
Only now did she realize that Zhang Ruochen had treated her with a warm, spring-like smile earlier because of their past acquaintance. When facing Arbiter Venerable and Destiny Venerable, he naturally displayed his domineering aura, without needing to suppress his divine power.
Just as Arbiter Venerable was unwilling to suppress his physical form.
Strong people had their own way of communicating.
This was supposed to be an invitation to resolve past conflicts, but upon their first meeting, the atmosphere became tense and confrontational.
"Zhang Ruochen is trying to force the Venerable to bow his head!" Qing Feiwei thought to herself.
After a brief exchange of glances, Destiny Venerable stood up. His female head let out a pleasant, bell-like laugh: "There are neither divine dragons nor ants in this hall. Divine Venerable Ruochen is truly a hero of our time; even a casual joke is so interesting."
Zhang Ruochen showed him no respect, saying, "Xionghai Divine Venerable is one of the Quantity Venerables. Destiny Venerable has always followed his lead. How can you still stand here so calmly?"
The smile on the female head faded, and the male head below smiled calmly, saying, "Xionghai was my master, but since he betrayed the Destiny Temple, he has become my enemy. The Destiny Department has its own principles, which transcend the relationship between master and disciple."
In the Hell Realm, or indeed in the entire cultivation world of the universe, even the closest familial bonds were fragile in the face of interests and life-and-death situations.
As for the master-disciple relationship, it was naturally even less significant.
Since Feng Tian could spare Destiny Venerable and allow him to continue leading the Destiny Department, it was clear that this person had been thoroughly investigated and could not possibly be connected to the Quantity Organization.
Having already seized the initiative, Zhang Ruochen did not pursue the matter further. His gaze shifted to Luo Cunzhen, who was standing beside Destiny Venerable, and his pupils contracted as he released a sharp aura.
Luo Cunzhen was a first-rate ancient god under Destiny Venerable of the Destiny Department, with formidable cultivation. But under Zhang Ruochen's gaze, he immediately felt a pain as if ten thousand swords were stabbing him. His divine soul was being continuously split apart, on the verge of exploding.
Luo Cunzhen's face instantly turned pale, and his legs trembled.
In the end, he knelt on one knee, his palm firmly supporting the ground to keep from collapsing.
Destiny Venerable knew about the enmity between Luo Cunzhen and Zhang Ruochen, so he did not release divine power to protect him.
In fact, by bringing Luo Cunzhen to the Arbiter Department, he intended for Luo Cunzhen to bear all the blame.
Back then, Zhang Ruochen's father, Zhang Ling, under the alias Qi Tian, had joined the Destiny Department and had made great contributions to rescuing Tai Shang, who was imprisoned in the Destiny Department's divine prison.
Later, when Zhang Ling was imprisoned in the Destiny Department's divine prison, Luo Cunzhen, to vent his anger, subjected him to the "Demon Mill Torture."
Strictly speaking, from Luo Cunzhen's position, he had done nothing wrong.
But right and wrong in this world were not decided by the weak.
Just as Zhang Ling, from his position back then, had also done nothing wrong. It was because he was weak that he had to endure the torture.
Just as Zhang Ruochen back then had also done nothing wrong. It was because of the ominous omen and his name appearing on the "God-Defying Scroll" that he had to suffer the pursuit of the Arbiter Department.
The fundamental reason was that he was too weak at the time.
Fengdu Dadi was also on the "God-Defying Scroll," but because of his powerful cultivation, he was considered blameless.
"Bang!"
Luo Cunzhen's divine soul exploded, and he collapsed to the ground, blood continuously flowing from his mouth.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his sword soul and snorted coldly: "Killing you has no meaning. Go back to the Destiny Department's divine prison and receive thirty thousand rounds of Demon Mill Torture yourself!"
Luo Cunzhen's divine soul thoughts re-condensed, and he slowly climbed to his feet. He cupped his hands and bowed to Zhang Ruochen, saying, "Thank you, Divine Venerable, for sparing my life!"
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's demeanor, Arbiter Venerable secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Even Luo Cunzhen could be spared. It seemed that the grievances between the Arbiter Department and him could be resolved. However, given Zhang Ruochen's aggressive stance, resolving the grievances would likely come at a considerable cost.
Destiny Venerable, on the other hand, had a different thought.
"What does 'killing you has no meaning' mean?"
Was Zhang Ruochen planning to settle accounts with him, the master of the Destiny Department?
Arbiter Venerable spoke up, saying, "Divine Venerable Ruochen, in the past, the Arbiter Department and you had many unpleasant incidents due to various misunderstandings. Fortunately, no irreparable losses were caused. Today, on behalf of the Arbiter Department, I extend my apologies. Bring them up!"
Immediately, dozens of cultivators at the Great Saint realm carried iron divine chests into the Divine Temple and lined them up before Zhang Ruochen.
The chests were opened one by one, revealing rare treasures within.
Destiny Venerable shook his head inwardly. These treasures were indeed each worth a fortune, enough to make gods fight to the death over them.
But what kind of person was Zhang Ruochen?
Not only was he incredibly wealthy himself, but he also had a Sword Realm backing him. How could these things catch his eye?
Destiny Venerable truly did not understand whether Arbiter Venerable was sincerely trying to resolve the conflict with Zhang Ruochen. Everyone in the world knew the name "Sword God of Romance," yet he sent a pile of this?
Who was he insulting?
Destiny Venerable secretly thought that he needed to take action himself and truly send something that would reach Zhang Ruochen's heart.
Sure enough, Zhang Ruochen did not even glance at the treasures in the chests. Instead, he seemed provoked — at least, that was how Destiny Venerable interpreted it.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Didn't the Venerable say that no irreparable losses were caused? So, there is no need for compensation! I do have one presumptuous request, and I hope the Venerable can grant it."
"Speak freely," Arbiter Venerable said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I have heard that Arbiter Venerable is one of the strongest below the Great Unbound Infinite realm, with extremely high attainments in the Path of Death and the Path of Darkness. I wonder if I could request some guidance?"
Arbiter Venerable showed surprise, thinking he had misheard, "You want to challenge me?"
"You can understand it that way," Zhang Ruochen said.
Both Arbiter Venerable and Destiny Venerable knew that Zhang Ruochen's cultivation achievements would definitely surpass theirs in the future, and it would not take long.
But now, Zhang Ruochen had only just broken through to the Infinite Realm, and he already dared to challenge them?
Arbiter Venerable was a Half-Step Great Unbound Infinite, rarely encountering opponents below the Great Unbound Infinite realm.
Although many legends about Zhang Ruochen had emerged from the Battle of Rakshasa Divine City, according to the information received by Arbiter Venerable and Destiny Venerable, Zhang Ruochen had borrowed the power of the Great Luo Divine Seal and Heavenly Mother. His own combat strength might not be that strong.
In Destiny Venerable's view, this was clearly because Arbiter Venerable's compensation was insufficient, leading to the opposite effect. With Heavenly Mother as his powerful backing, Zhang Ruochen was now truly emboldened, knowing he could not win but still wanting to fight.
Even if Arbiter Venerable won, what would it accomplish?
It would only deepen the enmity with Zhang Ruochen.
(End of Chapter)