"Have you heard of contending for the Mandate of Heaven?" Zhang Fan asked.
"Mandate of Heaven, is that the primordial essence of the Heavenly Dao as in legends?" the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha inquired with surprise in his eyes.
"That's right. If I am unwilling, no one can force me into reincarnation. However, my past self had a fixation. To contend for the Mandate of Heaven, I abandoned everything. Although I perished in the end, I unexpectedly lived another life. I don't know if this can be considered success or failure, but since I have a second chance, no one can stop me this time," Zhang Fan said with a light tone, yet the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha felt an incredibly firm conviction from his words.
"Evil Buddha pays respects to Senior!"
Even though it was merely a remnant soul, the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha still held deep reverence for figures of the Immortal Emperor level. It wasn't their strength he respected, but their achievements in cultivation.
Before this, the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha had harbored doubts, but upon hearing the words 'Mandate of Heaven,' his heart became resolute. Even he had only heard of it once from an Immortal Emperor in his lifetime and knew nothing of the primordial essence of the Heavenly Dao. The Mandate of Heaven was not something cultivators at his level could access.
Zhang Fan could feel the will of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha and did not stop his prostration. Instead, he accepted it calmly and then smiled, "You are a remnant soul of a million years, and I am a person of reincarnation. It is truly wondrous to have the fortune to converse and discuss the Dao here today."
The Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha also showed a smile and said, "It is Evil Buddha's honor to discuss the Dao with Senior. If my Myriad Buddha Dao can be of some help to Senior, then my cultivation journey in this life will not have been in vain."
Zhang Fan nodded and said, "Since that is the case, then allow me to experience the marvel of this Myriad Buddha Dao."
Zhang Fan sat cross-legged before the stone statue. The remnant soul of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha lightly tapped his forehead. Immediately, the countless rule worlds within the dojo began to collapse and shatter, then condensed into a single point, surging into Zhang Fan's brow.
The Void Returning cultivators, who had been immersed in the rule worlds, struggling to comprehend and break through, were left bewildered as the rule worlds enveloping them suddenly vanished.
Zi Shan Kun Ming, who had already grasped the true intent of the Fire Element Great Dao, was filled with joy. It only took him some time to break through this Fire Element Rule Great Array and was then teleported to a Water Element world.
"Is the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha favoring me so much?" Zi Shan Kun Ming's heart was filled with excitement. He already grasped the true intents of the Five Elements Great Dao. If this continued, breaking through the seven rule worlds might not be too difficult. With this thought, his movements quickened.
If he could be the first to break through the seven rule worlds and obtain the Daoist inheritance of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha, his status within the family would likely skyrocket, becoming even more noble than the ancestor of the Dao Origin Realm.
Just as he was engrossed in breaking through the Water Element Rule Great Array, the array suddenly dissipated on its own. He then saw the infinite rule worlds vanishing before his eyes like bubbles.
"What happened?"
"Why have all the rule worlds disappeared?"
"Could someone have already broken through the seven rule worlds and obtained the inheritance of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha?"
Over a hundred Void Returning cultivators were filled with confusion and a hint of anxiety. If that were the case, wouldn't they have made this trip in vain, gaining nothing?
"Quick, look in that direction."
Someone noticed the convergence point of these rules. Brilliant light illuminated the entire space. Without any hesitation, the cultivators present transformed into streams of light and flew towards the direction of the stone pillar hall.
Cultivators from the Nine Abyss Star Domain and the Purple Heaven Star Domain gathered here, their eyes filled with astonishment. Even the experts of the Dao Origin Realm did not understand what had happened. They looked up at the Buddha statue at the end of the stone platform and saw a figure there.
"Is that Zhang Fan?"
Zi Shan Kun Ming and the white-haired elder recognized Zhang Fan. They exchanged glances, and shock was evident in their eyes.
"Who is that person? I've never seen him before."
Some Void Returning cultivators were confused. Although Zhang Fan was famous in the Star Battlefield, these Void Returning cultivators rarely paid attention to the situation in the Star Battlefield, so it was understandable that they didn't recognize him.
"He's just a cultivator of the Great Dao Realm, yet why has he arrived here before us? Is that the remnant soul of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha?"
"Could that brat have already obtained the Daoist inheritance of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha?"
This group of Void Returning cultivators became uneasy and rushed onto the stone platform, walking towards the Buddha statue.
Like Zhang Fan, every cultivator who stepped onto the stone would trigger the Dao rules contained within. These were the insights of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha during his lifetime. However, they had no time to comprehend them now. Compared to comprehending these Dao rules, the Daoist inheritance of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha was clearly the most precious.
At this moment, Zhang Fan was immersed in the Myriad Buddha Dao. The boundless and profound Daoist world left Zhang Fan in awe. The Myriad Buddha Dao lineage was indeed vast and immeasurable. Even the rarest and most profound Great Daos were touched upon, with the lowest level reaching the realm of Great Dao True Intent.
"Hmm?"
The remnant soul of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha stood before the Buddha statue. He felt honored and proud that his Dao could be comprehended by a Grand Unity Immortal Emperor. However, he suddenly noticed that over a hundred Void Returning cultivators had stepped onto the stone platform and were approaching him.
With a gentle wave of his sleeve, the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha caused the more than one hundred Void Returning cultivators to vanish from the stone platform and return to their original positions.
"Why have we returned to our original positions?"
"Is it because we haven't comprehended the Dao rules on this stone platform, so we can never ascend it?"
Zi Shan Kun Ming shook his head and said, "Impossible. The Dao rules contained on this stone platform are the Dao insights of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha during his lifetime. How could we, at our level, comprehend them? Moreover, Zhang Fan could ascend the stone platform and reach the Buddha statue, so why can't we?"
"Perhaps this stone platform is the final test. As for to what extent one must comprehend to gain the recognition of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha, we can only find out by trying."
Someone speculated this and, after stepping onto the stone platform again, did not rush forward but carefully sensed the Dao rules left by the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha. For a time, others could not think of any other way and could only follow suit.
The Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha was naturally aware of everything happening in the dojo. Seeing this, he paid no mind. His sole task now was to ensure Zhang Fan's comprehension of the Myriad Buddha Dao was undisturbed. As for what other cultivators did, he did not care.
"This dojo of the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha seems to have no danger. Wasn't it rumored that the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha fell into the Demonic Dao in his later years and was capricious?" some cultivators mused, still filled with doubt as they comprehended the stone platform.
What they did not know was that if Zhang Fan had not appeared and caused the Immortal Venerable Evil Buddha to dissipate all the rule worlds, then the cultivators trapped within the rule worlds, if unable to comprehend their Great Dao True Intent, would likely have been trapped there for their entire lives.
...