Chapter 776: With Buddha Competing for the Technique

The silver moon dipped towards the west, and the mountain winds blew in gusts. Fragrant orchids on the cliff swayed gently. The beautiful woman had long departed, leaving only a graceful silhouette that vanished into the horizon.

The charm of a smile and a plucked flower; a reunion after ten or even a hundred lifetimes. The Buddha spoke of predestined connections—are they found in a fleeting glance, or do they span an endless distance?

"Eternity or an instant? Invincible in this era, what do I have to fear? Karma, entanglements, karmic debts—I'll shatter them all!"

Ye Fan did not believe in an afterlife, only in the present life. This was not merely the distinction between Daoism and Buddhism, but his deeply held personal conviction.

"All of this can be broken through. I possess the strength to fight against the heavens, and the achievements to defy fate. Nothing is an issue."

Despite his bold declaration, a momentary tremor still stirred in his heart. Many people and things in this world could not be resolved by mere strength.

"I am the master of this era; what future do I fear!" Ultimately, his resolve solidified. Fearless, his gaze pierced into the distance, as if it could penetrate the very firmament.

In the east, the first ray of dawn appeared, cutting through the mist and illuminating the vast prairie.

The swirling mist lifted, revealing a layer of moisture across the entire prairie, which shimmered with various colors under the emerging morning sun.

"Dong!" The great bell boomed, making the magnificent ancient temple appear even more solemn and sacred. It stood quietly, like an immortal monument, imbuing a sense of grand, inviolable majesty.

In the morning light, the ancient temple no longer glowed independently but was bathed in a golden radiance, as if a grand Buddha sat enthroned within.

Upon Ye Fan's return, he witnessed a surprising sight: Yan Yixi, Li Tian, and little Tongtong stood motionless before the temple, as if in deep meditation.

Their state was one of profound enlightenment, their divine consciousness reaching into the Dao, their minds immersed within the ancient temple.

What particularly surprised Ye Fan was that even little Tongtong was "lost in thought" alongside them.

This ancient temple was extraordinary, left behind by a Saint. Inexplicable Dao imprints flowed within it, making one feel as if standing on the edge of an abyss or drifting in a boundless sea, as if transported to another realm entirely.

"This ancient temple of a Saint must have been left by a Buddha's disciple," Ye Fan murmured to himself.

Legend had it that Amitabha Buddha's fifth disciple once journeyed into the Northern Plains to propagate Buddhist teachings, preaching in the northern regions. He eventually passed away amidst the vast grasslands, leaving behind an imperishable ancient temple that contained supreme Buddhist Dharma.

Shortly after, Li Tian awoke, muttering, "This is truly strange. That Bodhisattva was incredibly beautiful, but impossible to approach."

Ye Fan felt an urge to slap him. This fellow was truly too perverse, even wanting to desecrate the imprint of a Bodhisattva.

"Don't judge my pure and genuine nature with your complicated thoughts," Li Tian retorted. "I was merely savoring the Dao realm I just experienced, nothing more."

"I didn't say anything. Are you confessing without being prompted?" Ye Fan smiled.

"Tell me quickly, what did you do last night?" Li Tian pressed. "Where is she? Why didn't she come back with you? That girl could rival Yi Qingwu!" Just then, little Tongtong also woke up, wailing, "Boo hoo... Pervert uncle, please let me go. I really, really don't like you."

"This child is truly becoming more and more annoying," Li Tian grumbled, casting a sidelong glance at the little one. "Someone as dashing as I am is constantly being disparaged by him."

Yan Yixi remained motionless before the temple, appearing to be connected to the ancient structure itself. Enveloped in the golden morning light, he was serene and deeply immersed in the Dao.

"Brother Yan seems to have gained something," Ye Fan remarked.

The owner of this temple was undoubtedly a Saint. He left not a single word, embodying an uninhibited and free-spirited nature.

"Saints imparting the Dao, with their lofty character, perfectly suit my senior brother, this flamboyant kind of lecher," Li Tian sneered, curling his lip. "They're all of the same ilk, like him, passing through a garden of flowers without a single petal clinging to them."

Much later, Yan Yixi roused himself, his expression grave. He stated that he had touched upon a vague understanding of the Dao, but could not precisely grasp it.

"Junior Brother, sense it with your heart. There is a Great Dao here, similar to our sect's; you must obtain it!"

"Are you certain?" Li Tian asked, surprised. "Can it truly be compared to the Great Dao of Human Desire?"

"Yes!" Yan Yixi nodded.

Ye Fan suddenly understood, realizing immediately that An Miaoyi was here likely because she also valued this Dao. It was indeed a method they needed, perhaps a truly significant opportunity.

This time, they entered the temple side-by-side, pausing at every corner to sense with their hearts. Ye Fan was no exception.

"Dong..." The ancient bell boomed. In the rear hall, a massive bronze bell weighing ten thousand catties rang on its own, untouched, its surface covered in a mottled patina.

"What a pity," someone remarked. "It's not a Saint's weapon, just an ordinary bell, not meant for combat."

"Oh, wait, that's not quite right. This bell was clearly blessed by a Saint; it contains Buddhist light within. Otherwise, it couldn't have endured in the mortal world for so long."

The group noticed its unusual quality and pondered it carefully, extending their divine senses to perceive it. However, they were ultimately disappointed, finding nothing.

It seemed to be merely an ancient bell that a Saint had frequently blessed and personally struck, without leaving behind any divine patterns imbued with fundamental laws.

Great Buddhas adorned all the halls. Li Tian and Yan Yixi finally found the source, focusing their attention on an ancient Buddha statue in the center, whose gilding had peeled away, leaving only a mottled green patina.

Soon, they entered a meditative state, immersing themselves in a profound and distant Dao realm. They became so deeply absorbed that they couldn't extricate themselves, and before long, they acquired a complete Dao method.

Ye Fan did not go elsewhere, remaining standing before the ancient bell. After an unknown period, he suddenly unleashed a punch!

"Dong!" The bell's roar was deafening, making the entire magnificent ancient temple tremble as if on the verge of collapse.

Inside the great hall, Yan Yixi and Li Tian were astonished. Little Tongtong quickly covered her ears, seeking refuge within the divine light emanating from Li Tian.

"What in the world is this kid Ye doing?" Yan Yixi exclaimed in surprise. "He couldn't shatter that ancient bell with one punch; it's certainly no ordinary item. That was a punch from a Sacred Body!"

"Dong..." Ye Fan unleashed another punch, his golden vital energy soaring into the sky. The great bell suddenly erupted with boundless Buddhist light, emitting an even grander sound that resonated for over a thousand *li*.

Across the boundless prairie in all directions, every blade of grass was flattened, forming a green carpet beneath the powerful sound waves. Even the waters of several lakes rippled with surging waves.

"Break for me!"

With a mighty roar, Ye Fan delivered another punch. The great bell instantly cracked, and Buddhist light surged skyward, engulfing the entire land.

"That prodigal!" Li Tian exclaimed, stomping his foot in frustration. "That was a Buddhist treasure, and he just broke it!"

"Om!" Just then, a great Buddha materialized from the cracked bronze bell, lifelike amidst the golden light. With a solemn and majestic countenance, it sat cross-legged.

"Retreat!" Ye Fan roared, bringing forth the incomplete Saint Weapon—the Purple Gold Hammer.

Li Tian and Yan Yixi felt a chill run down their spines. Grabbing little Tongtong, they turned and vanished from the great hall in an instant.

"Om!"

A Zen sound, not exceedingly loud yet resonating across the entire great prairie, seemed to pierce through the barriers of ancient time, reverberating throughout the land.

The entire ancient temple silently disintegrated. This ancient sound struck the Purple Gold Hammer in Ye Fan's hand, producing a crisp "clink" and leaving a crack on its surface.

In the distance, Li Tian and Yan Yixi turned pale with shock. What was the Purple Gold Hammer? It was a fragmented Saint Weapon, capable of granting its wielder the power to traverse the world unchallenged.

Yet, at that moment, a mere roar had caused a crack to appear on it. This was utterly unbelievable, like something out of a myth.

"This is merely an imprint," Yan Yixi said, shivering, "yet the divine sound it emitted is so terrifying. It's truly horrifying." Li Tian, too, felt a chill run down his spine.

However, after emitting such a powerful sonic wave, the great Buddha's form instantly faded, unable to manifest its previous might.

Ye Fan put away the Purple Gold Hammer and stepped forward, reaching directly for the Great Buddha's glabella, seemingly intent on seizing it.

"This kid Ye is snatching techniques from the Buddha!" even Li Tian, usually so perverse, exclaimed in astonishment. "Instead of paying respects, he's just forcefully taking it. This is truly..."

"Om!" Ye Fan bellowed this sound, striking the golden Great Buddha, causing it to revive and react.

Though he projected immense power, his heart was inwardly thrilled. He knew he had stumbled upon a heaven-defying opportunity, encountering one of the ancient sounds of the Buddhist Six-Syllable True Mantra.

In this era, the syllables "Om, Ma, Ni, Pad, Me, Hum," much like the Nine Secrets, were almost entirely lost. Only a few ancient temples in the Western Desert each possessed one, making it incredibly difficult to gather them all.

Encountering the "Om" syllable here was indeed a tremendous opportunity, provided he could successfully obtain it.

Ye Fan himself had been cultivating this particular sound, already harnessing a tenth of its power, which he found immensely vast and terrifying. Now, having encountered the authentic sound, he naturally did not want to miss this chance.

"Break for me!"

He unleashed a Six Paths Reincarnation Fist, the blow sinking into the Great Buddha's form. It was not a physical entity, but merely an imprint.

Then, endless "Om" syllables reverberated, accompanied by mysterious Zen chants.

"Take refuge in my Buddha..." A vast divine sound emanated, causing both Li Tian and Yan Yixi in the distance to momentarily lose themselves. They felt an irresistible urge to walk forward, to prostrate themselves and kneel before the Great Buddha.

If even those at a distance reacted this way, how much more so for Ye Fan, who was mere inches away? Sweating profusely, he found himself enveloped by this Buddhist light imprint.

This was a secret transcendence technique, invading his primordial spirit to forcibly convert him to Buddhism. While not causing physical harm, it was akin to cleansing one's will, utterly transforming their being.

"Propagate the Dharma, convert to my path..." A sound like a Buddhist chant emanated, deafening and assaulting one's divine soul.

The "Om" syllable rotated, merging into Ye Fan's primordial spirit. It roared within him, aiding in his transcendence, and Ye Fan found himself unconsciously reciting the divine "Om" sound.

This was a forceful form of transcendence; to learn this true mantra, one would inevitably enter Buddhism. This power of vow was terrifyingly immense, left behind by three ancient Buddhas.

As Ye Fan chanted the "Om" syllable, an immortal Great Buddha appeared majestically behind him, and several more materialized around him.

Buddhist light shone universally, seeking to compel him to prostrate himself and forever join the Buddhist path.

"Such powerful Buddhist light! It truly befits the legacy of Amitabha Buddha's fifth disciple. Countless ages have passed, yet a mere imprint remains this terrifying!" Ye Fan gritted his teeth, drenched in sweat, but his resolve remained as unyielding as iron.

"Transform the Buddha!" Ye Fan roared.

At that moment, he activated the 'Fight' Character Secret of the Nine Secrets, discarding the Buddhist light of the "Om" divine sound while retaining its inherent power. He used the Nine Secrets to transmute it, transforming the Buddha using the supreme secret art of Daoism.

"One day, sooner or later, I will be invincible in this era! Even if Amitabha Buddha himself comes, he will not be able to force me. I will shatter everything with a single punch!" Ye Fan's black hair danced wildly, his eyes flashed like lightning, and his clothes ripped open, revealing his robust, bronze-colored physique.

He roared, still uttering the "Om" syllable, but the Great Buddha behind him gradually dissolved. In its place, a completely new figure emerged: himself.

"This deviant," one mumbled, "he learned their supreme divine art, but in the end, he only reveres himself. He even dissolved the Buddha!"

"He offers no sacrifices to the earth, no bows to the heavens; he believes only in himself. This is a conviction! But to refuse to yield even to the ancient Great Emperor Amitabha—that is truly abnormal."

Both Li Tian and Yan Yixi muttered these thoughts.

Ultimately, all the Buddhist light was completely transformed by Ye Fan. The Great Buddha was entirely replaced by his own divine image, which became an immortal demon god.

Finally, with a mighty roar from him, the cracked ancient bell shattered completely, turning into fine powder. All the Buddhist light vanished, and the ancient temple itself crumbled into dust alongside it.

In the vast cosmos, he stood alone, his divine-demonic aura radiating brilliantly behind him, illuminating all directions. It merged with him, making him the sole, supreme ruler.

Using the 'Fight' Character Secret of the Nine Secrets, he thoroughly transmuted the "Om" syllable, transcending its original purpose and making it serve his own being.

To forge a path of invincibility in this era—this was his promise to An Miaoyi. From now on, he would shatter all obstacles!

"Where are you, Human Saint Body? I have come specifically to kill you; do not disappoint me," declared a terrifying young primeval being on the distant lands of the Southern Ridge. He was a direct descendant of an ancient emperor.

Wang Teng, Hua Yunfei, Li Xiaoman, the Divine Sons and Daughters of the two ancient assassin dynasties, and others were also waiting quietly in the Southern Ridge, anticipating Ye Fan's return.