The scene in Yukika's mind shifted. He saw a bald man in a white robe walking through the desert. Although lotus-like Buddha light shimmered with each of his steps, it was clear that he was vastly different from the cosmic Buddha who had traversed the universe. The great sun had set—it seemed to have been destroyed by the sudden appearance of the White Eye.
Senju Yukika frowned in his consciousness. That colossal White Eye spanning half a starfield—if he wasn't mistaken, it must belong to the Ōtsutsuki Clan. But why would the Ōtsutsuki suddenly strike at this Buddha figure?
Even without considering the mysterious White Eye, the Buddha incarnated as a mortal already possessed terrifying power. To roam the universe freely and observe the stars—this surpassed the limits of this world. Few would believe such a thing.
Suddenly, the monk in white paused and turned to look in a specific direction.
Yukika was startled. The monk's gaze aligned exactly with his own, as if they were staring directly at each other. Could the monk have sensed his presence? Impossible. This image hadn't appeared for millennia; it was only the system's power that allowed Yukika to witness it as an observer.
A hundred monks gathered slowly, silently chanting four words.
Yukika's hairs stood on end, and his consciousness nearly shattered. He was certain those four words were meant for him:
"Senju Yukika!"
Impossible! According to Yukika's calculations, this vision wasn't from just ten thousand years ago—it was even older. How could a monk from that distant era know his name!?
Before Yukika could think further, he saw the monk in white extend his right palm. In the center of the palm appeared a White Eye, struggling fiercely as if trying to escape, but the Buddha's glow suppressed it, keeping it contained.
This White Eye was identical to the massive one in the cosmos, though its central cross was dimmer. The monk slammed the White Eye to the ground. Instantly, heaven and earth shifted; the earth quaked as if countless dragons were writhing below. Such was the ferocity of the chakra within the White Eye!
The monk chanted and formed Buddha seals, his voice resonating to the skies. Buddha light surged, and in a flash, a golden dragon burst forth, striking the White Eye's location. The apocalyptic vision vanished with it.
When the dust settled, both the White Eye and the monk had disappeared, leaving only a towering pagoda standing between heaven and earth.
With a loud boom, Yukika's consciousness seemed to snap back to the present. He jolted up from the ground, gasping for breath and clutching his head in pain. He couldn't tell if the roar was from inside his mind or his ears.
Mixed with the system's emotionless voice, he heard a growl:
"Successfully obtained the Buddhist Dharma inheritance from 3,000 years ago."
"Currently unlocked: 10% of the Buddhist Dao inheritance."
A sharp noise blared in his head, as if splitting his skull in two. Golden light flashed, countless White Eyes appeared, and Yukika's head throbbed in agony.
"Master? Master?"
"Senju Yukika?"
A voice by his ear cut through the chaos. Yukika slowly opened his reddened eyes to see Sara looking at him anxiously.
Yukika shook his head and said softly, "I'm fine. Don't worry."
"And stop calling me Master—it sounds weird."
Sara let out a breath of relief. Just moments ago, Yukika had been examining the seal on the Dragon Vein when he suddenly collapsed and wouldn't wake up. His pained expression made Sara panic. She had only just acknowledged him as her Master—was he really about to die?
Yukika sat quietly on the ground, eyes fixed on the seal, the previous vision lingering in his mind.
Thanks to the system, he now had some valuable information. The Dragon Vein didn't originate from this world; it had been brought here by the Buddha from beyond the stars, like planting a seed. The Buddha, crossing galaxies and illuminating the cosmos, had clashed with the powerful Ōtsutsuki. The outcome of that battle was still unclear, but judging from the disappearance of the Buddha and the White Eye he left behind, it seemed to have ended in mutual destruction.
In the end, the Buddha transformed the White Eye into chakra, sealed it with Buddhist seals to form the Dragon Vein, and left it in the Lost Tower before departing.
This explained why Kaguya Ōtsutsuki didn't leave chakra here, yet the Dragon Vein still contained power enough to shake the earth.
Yukika was puzzled. How had the Buddha known his name?
He boldly speculated that the Buddha had gazed into the far future, using supreme Buddhist insight to predict what would happen. Buddhism emphasizes karma—cause and effect. The Buddha of the White Cloud had seen the "effect" and planted the "cause" with the Dragon Vein.
If that were true, did it mean the Dragon Vein was left here for him?
Yukika's expression turned strange. The idea was unbelievable, yet something deep inside told him it was true.
To traverse countless starfields, foresee events from ten millennia ago, and leave behind a cause and effect—such a level of power truly existed.
Yukika sighed. He had thought himself proud, but after witnessing that scene, he realized how insignificant he was in the vast universe.
Where had the Buddha gone after leaving the Dragon Vein? Had he perished or set out to find the White Eye's master?
His face grew serious as the words "White Eye" echoed in his mind. Spanning half a starfield, those distant stars seemed like mere dust before it. It was as if a single blink of the White Eye could annihilate everything and reduce the world to nothingness.
Was this the true power of the Ōtsutsuki Clan?
If anything could compare, whether the White Buddha or the White Eye, only the power of gods could match them. After all, the Ōtsutsuki Clan claimed to be gods.
Yukika raised his head and looked skyward through the Lost Tower, as if peering into the far-off heavens.
"Gods? I'll take down gods."