# Chapter 3852: The Heavenly Venerable's Speculation
Powerful divine energy fluctuations came from the Shura Star Pillar Realm. At the very top, the Shura Battle Soul Sea was burning, forming surging, boiling torrents of force.
The four demon flags behind Yan Jun rustled loudly. Countless human shadows, ghost shadows, dragon shadows, and phoenix shadows appeared, like four clan armies, their momentum vast, resembling an endless sea of demon souls.
"From the very beginning, you had this all planned out, didn't you?" he said.
Zhang Ruochen replied, "If there had been a thorough plan, I wouldn't be the only one who came to the Yama Clan. What matters is an unyielding determination to move forward. If you believe something is right, you do it, with a clear conscience."
Yan Jun stared intently at Zhang Ruochen and laughed. "Your combat power is formidable, but you are still far from being my match. If I were to strike with the force of thunder, defeat the three of you, and seize control of the 'Book of Life and Death' and the main formation platform of the Life-Death Line, the outcome of this battle would be uncertain!"
"Yan Jun may try if he wishes."
Zhang Ruochen's tone was calm, yet it carried an unshakable will.
In a contest between experts, the brave prevail, and mental fortitude often plays a decisive role.
Yan Jun said, "You are merely putting on a brave front. You may fool others, but you cannot fool me."
"I can see the heavenly secrets of Yu Jingzhen, Wan Zunzhe, and Wumu Golden Insect upon you. Suppressing three supreme experts with your Great Unbound Infinite cultivation is already stretching your limits. If you were to fight me with full force, the three of them would surely break free from their seals. Then, who lives and who dies, you should know very well."
Zhang Ruochen had long anticipated that someone of Yan Jun's caliber would possess a powerful divine soul, impervious to deception, and capable of finding a thread of heavenly secrets in the invisible. Thus, he remained composed.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Since I can suppress them, I naturally have the ability to kill them. There is no need for Yan Jun to worry."
"So confident? Let me see what other trump cards you have."
Yan Jun raised both arms, and the four flags unfurled simultaneously.
Within the four demon clouds, countless human shadows, ghost shadows, dragon shadows, and phoenix shadows transformed into four clan demon armies. Their battle aura soared to the heavens as they surged majestically toward Zhang Ruochen.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's body burst forth with billions of rays of light, and countless talisman patterns erupted outward.
With the empowerment of the Emperor Talisman, he took a step forward, his body like a bow and his fist like an arrow.
The Immovable Bright King Great Venerable struck out fiercely, shattering the incoming four clan demon armies.
The entire Yama Outer Heaven trembled, and the fist force transformed into the sound of divine thunder, echoing across the starry sky.
Talisman light and demon shadows enveloped nearly half of the World Tree, accompanied by bolts of lightning, like an apocalyptic scene.
"Dare you fight me on the Santu River?"
Yan Jun charged toward the death cemetery on the right side of the Life-Death Line. Within the cemetery, numerous corpse rivers connected to the tributaries of the Santu River in the void.
Yan Jun had to leave.
The appearance of the Emperor Talisman shattered his fantasy of a swift victory over Zhang Ruochen.
Meanwhile, Yan Zheng at the Heavenly Venerable Hall had been subdued by the Sword Bone Avatar and the Yama Clan's Infinite Realm cultivators. The main formation platform there had lost control.
If he didn't leave now, he might truly be unable to escape.
Daiyue Zhenren said, "Don't chase him. Beware of a trap."
"It's fine. In a chaotic space like the Santu River, I can protect myself."
Zhang Ruochen knew full well that Yan Jun was luring him into the Santu River with some scheme, and he was aware of the danger. But how could he not go?
If Yan Jun escaped and went into hiding, he would become an endless source of trouble, just like Kui Huang and Qishier Pin Lian.
Moreover, Yan Jun's cultivation had not yet fully recovered. This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate him.
Naturally, Zhang Ruochen alone was not enough.
But with Void Heaven, Undying War God, Stone Heaven, Gong Xuanzang, and other top-tier Hell Realm Heavenly Venerables stationed at the Starry Sky Defense Line, how could they allow Yan Jun to escape?
Zhang Ruochen only needed to hold Yan Jun off for a period of time, without needing to clash head-on with him.
Of course, there was a third point.
Zhang Ruochen was very curious: with Heavenly Mother controlling Lihentian, what trump card did Yan Jun still have to deal with him?
Drawing out the crisis in advance was always better than having it erupt at an unknown time.
In an instant, Yan Jun and Zhang Ruochen had already left Yama Outer Heaven, one after the other, following a tributary of the Santu River, clashing as they moved farther away.
Wangqing Popo gazed at the divine light gradually disappearing deep within the death cemetery and sighed. "This Emperor Dust has an aggressive edge and exceptional mental acuity. At the peak of Great Unbound Infinite, he dares to confront the peak of Indestructible Infinite. He will surely attain the Ancestor Path in the future. Fortunately, the Yama Clan is his friend, not his foe."
"Unfortunately, I am too severely injured to fight alongside him." Daiyue Zhenren sighed.
Wangqing Popo's divine eyes turned toward the direction of the Teaching Divine Hall. "First, purge the clan!"
...
At the Heavenly Venerable Hall.
Over three hundred Yama Clan true gods hovered above the clan mansion, each exuding intense battle intent. Some manifested their divine realm worlds, some radiated a thousand beams of divine light, and others stood atop seas of fire...
The black-robed cultivator named Yan Zheng had been severed into three parts by the Sword Bone Avatar. Three Infinite Realm cultivators led the gods in sealing him separately.
The Sword Bone Avatar and Mi Tian War God opened the gates of the Heavenly Venerable Hall and walked inside.
Inside the hall, it was pitch black, empty, and silent.
The Sword Bone Avatar said, "Such dense Yama Heavenly Dao rules. They have squeezed out all other heavenly and earthly rules from the divine hall. An ordinary god, upon stepping into the Heavenly Venerable Hall, would be killed by these rules."
"It's the Yama Heavenly Dao Esoterica being activated. The Heavenly Venerable should still be inside."
Mi Tian War God was both excited and worried, uncertain of what had truly happened.
From the darkness came a faint sound.
A dim light flickered to life.
The Sword Bone Avatar and Mi Tian War God looked over together. They saw an old man with disheveled hair, leaning sideways on the divine throne. His hair was white, and his expression was listless.
"Heavenly Venerable..."
When Mi Tian War God spoke these two words, his voice trembled.
The Sword Bone Avatar represented Zhang Ruochen's spiritual will, and even his eyes were filled with shock and confusion.
When they had met at White Clothes Valley, Yan Renhuan had possessed such extraordinary bearing—cold but not ruthless, majestic but not arrogant.
But now, he seemed to have aged by hundreds of thousands of years. There was no trace of a Heavenly Venerable's demeanor left; he looked like a lonely old man on the verge of death.
"Ruochen, you've never seen a Heavenly Venerable in such a sorry state, have you?" Yan Renhuan said with a hoarse laugh.
Mi Tian War God stepped forward and helped Yan Renhuan's withered, skeletal body upright, searching for his crown.
"Mi Tian, don't bother. We're not outsiders. What does a mere disheveled appearance matter? What's so shameful about being downcast?" Yan Renhuan said magnanimously, completely unconcerned with how others saw him.
Mi Tian War God asked, "What happened? How did it come to this?"
"It's a curse—the Xun Blood Curse."
Yan Renhuan was still smiling, but his teeth were clenched, and his laughter carried a chilling coldness.
The Sword Bone Avatar's expression changed again. "So, the Heavenly Venerable activated all the Yama Heavenly Dao Esoterica and gathered the Yama Heavenly Dao rules to seal himself inside the Heavenly Venerable Hall, cutting himself off from the outside world to isolate the Xun Blood Curse?"
"Who cast the curse?" Mi Tian War God asked in a deep voice.
Yan Renhuan did not immediately answer Mi Tian War God's question. Instead, he looked at the Sword Bone Avatar. "You should know the origin of that one in Yan Land by now, right?"
"Not entirely certain. I was hoping the Heavenly Venerable could enlighten me. Is he Bone Yanluo or the Great Demon God?" the Sword Bone Avatar asked.
Yan Renhuan sighed. "I only recently learned that the Great Demon God's remnant soul possessed Bone Yanluo ten eons ago."
Mi Tian War God shook his head. "Impossible! Bone Yanluo was brought back to the Yama Clan by the old clan leader ten eons ago. If he had been possessed, how could the old clan leader not have known?"
Yan Renhuan seemed exhausted and closed his eyes without speaking.
Mi Tian War God said, "The old clan leader knew?"
Yan Renhuan nodded. "There's no point in hiding it now. I think my father must have known about this, but he just never told me. It's even possible that my elder brother knew as well."
The Sword Bone Avatar said, "I have a doubt. Why did the old clan leader bring Bone Yanluo back to the Yama Clan? And why did he send him to the Yama Clan of Lihentian? It all seems deliberately arranged. Didn't the old clan leader realize that this could plant a great disaster for the Yama Clan?"
"You guessed correctly. It was all deliberately arranged."
Yan Renhuan's sagging eyelids opened again. His eyes were no longer murky but sharp and piercing. "My elder brother once hinted to me that the Yama Clan was threatened by an irresistible force. I didn't understand at the time. I couldn't comprehend what force in the world could threaten the supreme Yama Clan."
"Not until the Xun Blood Curse appeared did I understand. The one who threatened my father back then must have been the Nether Ancestor."
Yan Renhuan became emotional, his eyes bloodshot. "The Nether Ancestor is not dead. He is the Immortal. Ten eons ago, he set up this very game. Zhang Ruochen, you must be careful of the Nether Ancestor, careful of the curse. He will not let you go. You have the potential to become an Ancestor, and you are his greatest threat."
"I speculate that ten eons ago, an unimaginable battle must have erupted in the universe. The Nether Ancestor was severely injured and could no longer control the situation. In his severely wounded state, he set up this game."
"And the Great Demon God must have a close relationship with the Nether Ancestor. The Great Demon God's rise was likely the Nether Ancestor's doing. The war of annihilation began in the Luan Gu era... cough, cough..."
The Sword Bone Avatar said, "Heavenly Venerable, take your time. Speak slowly."
Yan Renhuan pushed away Mi Tian War God, who was trying to support him. "I have been waiting for you to tell you all of this. There's no time to waste. My time is running out. You must defend the Kunlun Realm. Do not let Bone Yanluo break through it."
"I promise you," the Sword Bone Avatar said.
When they had met at White Clothes Valley, Yan Renhuan had treated Zhang Ruochen like a nephew, warm and open, telling him everything honestly.
Including the speculation of "using heaven and earth to command all living beings."
Yan Renhuan said, "Remember to take care of Zhexian and Ying'er. You promised me."
"I remember," the Sword Bone Avatar said.
Yan Renhuan stared intently at Zhang Ruochen. "Do you know why I have been waiting for you? Because I know too well how terrifying the Nether Ancestor is. In this world, the only one I can see who can be his opponent is you."
The Sword Bone Avatar remained unmoved by praise or criticism. "The Xun Blood Curse on the Heavenly Venerable's body—does it come from the Nether Ancestor?"
"If the Nether Ancestor had cast the curse, how could I still be alive? It was Bone Yanluo. This also proves the relationship between the Great Demon God and the Nether Ancestor."
Yan Renhuan's figure gradually straightened. Every inch of his skin began to glow, containing explosive divine power within. He walked step by step toward the entrance of the Heavenly Venerable Hall.
"Give me the spear! Zhang Ruochen, remember, you owe me a great favor. You must repay it in the future. If the Yama Clan faces life or death, you cannot stand idly by."
Yan Renhuan took the divine spear from Mi Tian War God's hand. He stopped at the entrance of the Heavenly Venerable Hall. "Mi Tian, go to the Jade Emperor Realm and bring back my elder brother. Together, we will guard the Yama Clan. The dignity of the supreme clan must be defended by someone."
The Sword Bone Avatar understood clearly that once Yan Renhuan stepped out of the Heavenly Venerable Hall, the Xun Blood Curse would erupt, and he would surely die today.
Something major must have happened to Zhang Ruochen's true body.
Yan Renhuan was using his own life to exchange for his dignity, for the dignity of the Yama Clan, and to make Zhang Ruochen owe a heavy debt of gratitude.