# Chapter 3836: Wen Tianjun
A seven-story lamp tower built from golden-thread divine wood, each floor spacious with tables and chairs arranged. In days past, it was bustling with activity, capable of gathering a thousand people.
But today, it was exceptionally quiet, each floor completely empty.
Zhang Ruochen ascended to the seventh floor of the lamp tower. Half of it had a golden dome overhead, while the other half was open to the sky.
A Le and Yin Yuanchen sat at two different tables. The commonality between them was that each had a sword placed on their table.
Zhang Ruochen felt somewhat surprised, because before entering the lamp tower, he had not sensed Yin Yuanchen's aura at all.
Who had concealed all of this?
His gaze shifted past the two of them to the nine-panel screen behind them.
Under the lamplight, the nine-panel screen appeared golden, with the text and paintings on it clear and transparent.
Behind the screen was the stargazing terrace, connecting to the deep night.
Zhang Ruochen could clearly see behind the screen, under the night sky, a tall figure holding a brush. The silhouette cast on the screen was mysterious and unfathomable, exuding a formless yet tangible momentum.
Yin Yuanchen smiled at Zhang Ruochen and made a gesture of invitation.
On his table, wine vessels had already been arranged.
Zhang Ruochen stood still, his gaze falling on A Le.
A Le's cultivation had long since returned to the divine realm, far surpassing his former self. He was now the "Earth Envoy" of the Death God Temple, the assassin organization, responsible for all matters in the Hell Realm.
A Le said, "I met them by chance. I used my Divine Realm World to bring them into Undying Divine City."
Yin Yuanchen said, "Actually, it wasn't by chance. An exceptional sword cultivator like you would be highly valued in any major world, by cultivators of any level. Additionally, our reason for entering Undying Divine City wasn't to borrow your Divine Realm World, but to use your identity to avoid detection."
In the way of the sword, A Le and Yin Yuanchen followed very similar paths—both were "unconventional and ruthless."
Meeting A Le, how could Yin Yuanchen not be interested?
Unfortunately, due to having to re-cultivate after death, A Le was currently far behind Yin Yuanchen in cultivation realm.
From beyond the nine-panel screen, a resonant voice sounded: "Ruochen, we finally meet! Take a look at this calligraphy of mine—how is it?"
Zhang Ruochen walked around the screen and arrived at the stargazing terrace.
The night breeze was cool, the view before him wide open, allowing him to take in the lights of the divine city below the mountain.
A few steps away, there was a three-zhang-long wooden desk, with a long white paper scroll spread across it.
A middle-aged man, standing as steady as a mountain, put down the brush in his hand and fixed his gaze on Zhang Ruochen, waiting for the ink to dry in the wind.
This gaze illuminated the night, making Zhang Ruochen feel as if the entire universe were filled with light.
His temples were touched with frost, no longer young, but his handsome face had not a single flaw. His thick eyebrows showed he still possessed abundant spirit. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing an unfathomable smile.
His posture was straight, his attire refined—possessing both the majestic strength that could not be toppled even if mountains crumbled and the elegant charm of a gentle breeze brushing one's face.
Ji Fanxin's moving, clear silhouette stood at the edge of the stargazing terrace, separated by over ten zhang, blending with the night. When Zhang Ruochen emerged from behind the nine-panel screen, she turned her head to glance at him and nodded slightly.
How could Zhang Ruochen not know the identity of this middle-aged man before him? Yet his state of mind was calm, unruffled. He lowered his head to look at the characters on the desk and said, "Wen Tianjun's calligraphy is vigorous and profound. The vertical strokes are like swords, the horizontal strokes like blades. Every stroke is infused with spirit and Dao. This carries the intent of slaughter! Where is this slaughter directed?"
"What if it's directed at the Undying Divine City beneath our feet?"
Wen Tianjun's gaze was deep, containing the power to annihilate heaven and earth. He continued, "In that battle in the Hell Realm back then, led by Yan Renhuan and Shi Bei'a, the clan leaders of the ten clans led the gods, setting up the Nine Wastelands Divine Formation. They killed my beloved son, destroyed my comrades-in-arms. Only I escaped with a crippled body. Should I not avenge this blood-deep hatred?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "The old clan leader of the Undying Blood Clan is already dead."
"But the hatred between the Undying Blood Clan and the Kunlun Realm, spanning hundreds of thousands of years, still remains," Wen Tianjun said.
Within the nine-panel screen, Yin Yuanchen and A Le both had grave expressions, knowing full well that Zhang Ruochen would not allow Wen Tianjun to destroy Undying Divine City. How would events unfold?
Zhang Ruochen looked at the desk again and recited: "'Cultivate oneself with reverence, cultivate oneself to bring peace to others, cultivate oneself to bring peace to all beings'... This is a passage left by the Third Confucian Ancestor. I think, Wen Tianjun's killing intent is not directed at Undying Divine City, is it?"
Since he had written words like "cultivate oneself," it clearly represented Wen Tianjun's inner restraint, putting the welfare of all beings first and personal grievances second.
Wen Tianjun had once been a student of the Third Confucian Ancestor, so it was not strange for him to be influenced by his thoughts.
Wen Tianjun looked up at the stars above, the Yellow Spring Star River spanning across the sky. He said, "Ten eons ago, a world-shaking divine war broke out between heaven and earth. Someone opened up a peaceful era for future generations. Unfortunately, I was too young then and could not witness it with my own eyes. It was that war that gave rise to this era of ours, and to people like us."
"Three hundred thousand years ago, Teacher and the others, along with the Inverse Heavenly Venerable, went on an expedition—to clean up the remnants of that war from ten eons ago. Unfortunately, they suffered a complete defeat. The heavens fell in battle, and not even their bodies were brought back."
"The threat still exists, like a blade hanging over everyone's head. Once it falls, ten thousand realms will wither into silence."
Zhang Ruochen was moved. "Is Wen Tianjun referring to the Immortal?"
Wen Tianjun nodded. "There may be more than one Immortal. They steal the Dao of heaven and feed on cultivators across the world to extend their lifespans. Whenever all things flourish and gods stand in abundance, that is when they feast to replenish themselves. No one knows how many once-powerful civilizations were destroyed this way, including the Sword Dao Civilization you know of."
"In history, these have all been called Minor Calamities!"
"Three hundred thousand years ago, although the heavens fell, they also severely wounded a certain Immortal, causing him to lose the ability to destroy the world and sustain himself. That gave rise to the subsequent war of the Hell Realm against the Heavenly Court Universe! Three hundred thousand years—this world has been in chaos for three hundred thousand years..."
Zhang Ruochen had long known that behind the Hell Realm's war against the Heavenly Court Universe, there was an invisible hand. Now, everything was surfacing one by one.
Some of these people, naturally, were unwilling to remain in the Yellow Spring Star River. They wanted to start a war, plunder cultivation resources, devour living beings, and grow stronger quickly.
The Hell Realm had indeed succeeded. In just three hundred thousand years, countless powerful beings had emerged.
Others, however, were provoked and coerced by the Quantity Organization, pushing the war forward.
Wen Tianjun said, "Three hundred thousand years ago, even though the heavens had fallen, the Heavenly Court Universe's strength still far surpassed that of the Hell Realm. The Immortal could only use the Quantity Organization to push the Hell Realm into war against the Heavenly Court Universe, causing them to constantly exhaust each other and weaken all sides. This was to prepare for the next Minor Calamity."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Doesn't that mean that at that time, the Immortal's power had already weakened to the point where he could not act?"
"That should be the case. Otherwise, He would not have waited until a hundred thousand years ago to launch the Minor Calamity," Wen Tianjun nodded.
Zhang Ruochen then recounted the words left by the Second Confucian Ancestor in the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror. There was no need to hide it; Wen Tianjun might have already entered the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror and knew what was inside.
Wen Tianjun listened quietly.
Then, Zhang Ruochen also told him about Luo Tongluo and the matters of the Sword God Temple.
"Sword Soul Hollow, dark and strange..."
Wen Tianjun assumed a contemplative expression and shook his head. "Sword Soul Hollow should not be the target of the heavens' expedition back then. It belongs to another faction. To uncover the truth, one must go there personally."
Zhang Ruochen said, "The strength of the dark and strange is likely unfathomable."
Wen Tianjun laughed heartily, looking up at the sky, and said boldly, "If they were truly invincible, they would have already emerged and swept across the world."
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "After all, Wen Tianjun's cultivation is also unfathomable."
Wen Tianjun did not feign modesty and accepted the compliment gladly. He said, "Ruochen, do you know that now is not the time to go to Sword Soul Hollow?"
"Does Wen Tianjun mean that Ba'er, Qishier Pin Lian, Beixi, Kuai Huangliang, and the others are hiding in the shadows and must be dealt with first?" Zhang Ruochen said.
"Yes, but not entirely."
Wen Tianjun said, "In that star region of the Rakshasa Clan, I fought with Qishier Pin Lian. But a sword light, slashed out from Lihentian, blocked me, allowing her to escape. I suspect that sword light must be connected to Sword Soul Hollow."
"In other words, Sword Soul Hollow, Qishier Pin Lian, Luo Tongluo, and those hall masters of the Space Divine Temple who returned from remnant souls belong to the same faction."
"As for Beixi, Ba'er, including the returned Chaos Ancient Demons, they are related to the unknown that the heavens fought against three hundred thousand years ago. Of course, even within the Chaos Ancient Demons, there is not just one way of thinking. For example, the Fifth Pillar, Meng Ge."
Zhang Ruochen was curious. "Why does Wen Tianjun believe that the Chaos Ancient Demons, led by Ba'er, are not of the Sword Soul Hollow faction?"
"Because this world-destroying struggle likely began as early as the Chaos Ancient Era. I have been to the Nether Prison and obtained some information left by the Heavenly Demon. The Great Demon God may be connected to a certain Immortal, and that Immortal might be the Nether Ancestor. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the Immortal deliberately set up this trap to lead us to guess the Nether Ancestor. All possibilities exist," Wen Tianjun said.
Wen Tianjun's words corroborated the information Zhang Ruochen had previously learned.
In the Great Demon God's demon heart, clues had already been found.
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned grave. "If that's the case, then wouldn't Jiusi Yitianhuang also belong to their faction?"
Given the relationship between Jiusi Yitianhuang and the Great Demon God, it was hard for Zhang Ruochen not to associate him with it.
Wen Tianjun said, "To become a powerful being, Jiusi Yitianhuang must have his own thoughts. How could he not want to attain the Ancestor Realm? How could he not want immortality? How could he willingly submit to others? But after this battle, the Darkness Temple was completely destroyed, his forces were wiped out, and Jiusi Yitianhuang's divine soul was severely wounded by your grandmaster. He has likely lost the will to fight alone and will probably form a deep alliance with Ba'er."
"Earlier, I said you were not entirely correct. I was referring to Jiusi Yitianhuang. At present, his threat is greater than anyone else's."
"It is said that Ba'er has fully recovered his Half-Ancestor cultivation?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Wen Tianjun said, "He is more threatening than Ba'er. No matter how strong Ba'er is, the Heavenly Mother can still contend with him. But do you know about the anomaly in the Nether Prison of the Kunlun Realm? The Great Demon God may not be completely dead."