Senju Yukika never believed that anything in the world happened without reason—there was always a hidden cause behind every change.
The sudden transformation on Mount Jufeng still held many secrets he couldn't yet unravel.
Now, a monstrous army of locust-like beasts, numbering in the tens of millions, had finally emerged. The skies were completely blotted out by the dense swarm; not a single ray of light pierced the darkness overhead.
In the blink of an eye, the world atop Mount Jufeng had shifted from daylight into an apocalyptic night.
At that very moment, in several cities near the mountain range, elite warriors rose into the sky, landing atop city walls with eyes full of disbelief and wariness. They stared into the distance, toward the shadow-covered mountains, trying to make sense of what was happening.
That region had been blanketed in a massive dark shroud. For a fleeting moment, hints of prismatic light had flickered within it, but they were soon engulfed by an overwhelming blackness.
No one in the area knew what was really going on, but everyone could sense one thing—it was definitely not normal.
Some bold individuals couldn't resist their curiosity and secretly made their way toward the mountains, eager to uncover the truth.
But as soon as they approached the vicinity of Mount Jufeng, they made a swift decision to retreat—without hesitation.
They had no choice. The moment those colossal, terrifying locust creatures sensed intruders, they immediately turned to attack. Several elite warriors were ripped to shreds on the spot, while the others fled in terror at breathtaking speed.
At this point, the entire Mount Jufeng area had become a living hell. Everyone who could flee had already done so, desperately avoiding any entanglement.
For those already trapped in the mountains, escape was no longer an option. Their only hope was to cower behind makeshift cover and pray the catastrophe would pass quickly.
Meanwhile, deep within a hidden cave, Senju Yukika retracted his spiritual pressure. In his eyes, this storm could rage for who knows how long, but it no longer concerned him.
No matter how large the swarm, those monsters dared not enter the cave. He and Tanaka Koyuu had stayed behind for one reason—to uncover the secrets hidden within the cavern.
Strange murals adorned both sides of the stone walls, depicting Buddhist monks performing odd gestures and rituals.
Yukika recognized some of these postures. In the human world, he had been a Buddhist monk himself, often meditating and chanting in the standard poses of the Buddha.
But something about the figures on these murals felt... off. The aura they emitted was unlike anything from this world—entirely foreign, nothing like the Ōtsutsuki clan native to this planet.
Unknowingly, Yukika had wandered deep into the cave. Time seemed suspended; he hadn't even realized how far he'd walked.
Finally, he arrived at a pile of ruined statues. At that moment, his internal Buddhist energy surged, and an ethereal image of the Immovable Wisdom King (Fudō Myōō) materialized above his head.
The statues around him lay in utter disrepair—shattered fragments scattered everywhere, their original forms unrecognizable.
Yukika gently extended a hand. A mysterious force stirred within him, lifting the broken pieces into the air.
Like time flowing in reverse, the fragments began to reassemble midair. Piece by piece, the statue came back together under Yukika's control.
Soon, a complete statue stood before him. It resembled an ancient Buddha—round-bellied, short in stature, arms crossed, a kind and serene smile gracing its face.
But there was something unusual. A distinct lightning-shaped mark was etched into the statue's forehead—sharp, jagged, and completely out of place for a Buddhist figure.
It stood in jarring contrast to the statue's calm demeanor—an odd and disturbing detail.
Yukika could sense a vast and ancient aura emanating from the statue, something sacred and formidable, a trace of an ancient Buddhist kingdom.
He murmured, "The Buddhism on this planet... it's completely different from what I knew on Earth. Though it shares the same roots, it has changed in extraordinary ways."
Indeed, from Yukika's perspective, while their powers may have originally stemmed from Buddhist teachings, the Buddhist path followed by the Ōtsutsuki clan on this world was far more aggressive—almost domineering.
The lightning symbol said it all. They revered personal strength, unlike Earth's Buddhism, which focused on retreating from the world and cultivating inner peace.
Yukika began to ponder the vastness of the universe. With its endless races and countless planets, could it be that Buddhism wasn't unique to Earth?
Perhaps, just like the Ōtsutsuki clan dominated this world, Buddhism too had once taken root on a planet of its own—then spread its influence across the stars.
It wasn't hard to believe.
And if that were true… then perhaps the Buddhist power within him had already caught the attention of this greater, mysterious force.
If Yukika wanted to further evolve his spiritual path, he might need to blend Buddhist energy with other elemental attributes—creating something entirely new.
This thought began to take root in his mind—an entirely new path opening up before him.
Meanwhile, outside the cave, Tanaka Koyuu sat quietly near the entrance, his entire body shrouded in flowing chakra.
Though the world outside was being ravaged by chaos and swarms of furious locust monsters, none of it disturbed his focus. It was as if he had completely shut out the noise of the world.
Time passed slowly, but steadily. And then, a breakthrough—his aura suddenly spiked. He had advanced from a low-tier warrior to a mid-tier one!
Just then, a faint pulse rippled from Tanaka's body. Deep within the cave, Yukika felt it for the first time.
He was slightly taken aback. "Already? He's progressing this fast?"
Not long ago, Tanaka had been little more than a weakling, the lowest among even beginner warriors, barely able to sustain chakra flow.
That weakness had cost him everything. His father had thrown him out, leaving him to flee for his life, nearly captured by hired assassins.
And yet, in such a short time—with little direct guidance—he had climbed all the way to mid-tier warrior status through his own effort.
Yukika couldn't help but wonder—did this have something to do with that mysterious monk from the Buddhist order?
Had that monk gifted Tanaka a deeper understanding of spiritual law? If so… what was the monk's true intention?
Yukika felt uneasy. He was wary of Buddhist monks like that. After all, the man had somehow predicted Tanaka's fate, known that someone like Yukika would appear, and shifted Tanaka's destiny accordingly.
That kind of foresight was disturbing—as if an unseen presence had been watching Yukika all along.
The thought made his skin crawl.
In his mind's eye, Yukika suddenly saw the vast starry sky… and in its darkness, a colossal pair of eyes, silently watching everything.