Uchiha Shin looked ahead, quietly pondering.
Then he suddenly asked, "Is Maitreya Buddha the Future Buddha?"
"Yes. He is the Future Buddha. After Tathagata, he can succeed him as the Buddha Patriarch," Great Roc said.
Uchiha Shin's heart jolted, and he seemed to understand.
Could Maitreya Buddha's words mean that he and Tathagata were also contending with each other? Did he want Tathagata to step down sooner so that he himself could take charge of the Buddhist sect?
If that was truly the case, then things would become interesting.
Of course, this was only Uchiha Shin's speculation. Whether it was true still needed to be confirmed.
However, Uchiha Shin felt that what Maitreya Buddha had said about Tathagata and the Carefree Great Emperor was only half true.
Inside the main hall, Golden Cicada was preaching scripture to the crowd.
What he began with was the same as Tathagata's and Jialuo Ye's teachings: self-cultivation. But after a while, Golden Cicada suddenly gathered his courage and secretly glanced back at his master.
Then, he began speaking of Buddhist teachings on saving all living beings—the so-called Mahayana Buddhism.
The Buddha Patriarch's closed eyes abruptly opened. He was clearly quite surprised. Though he did not forbid his disciples from cultivating such Buddhist teachings, neither did he advocate them.
Their Buddhist sect primarily cultivated Hinayana Buddhism. Tathagata believed that such teachings had to begin with self-cultivation.
Even during their usual internal scripture lectures, they did not dare casually discuss such teachings. Much less at this grand lecture held once every three thousand years.
The Spirit Mountain disciples around them all stared at Golden Cicada in shock, not daring to speak.
Jialuo Ye also frowned, signaling Golden Cicada, but Golden Cicada acted as though he had not seen it.
Tathagata watched quietly without saying anything.
Meanwhile,