"Young benefactor, you punish evil and champion good, keeping the common people in your heart. You are a great blessing to the Human Clan."
A resonant voice rang out. Caught completely off guard, Tang Yan jumped in fright.
He turned around, only to discover a Plain-Robed Monk looking at him with a smile.
"Buddha?" Tang Yan asked tentatively.
"Indeed, this humble monk is he." Buddha nodded.
Tang Yan bowed with his hands clasped. "Greetings, Buddha. May I ask why you are here?"
Buddha explained gently, "A hundred thousand years ago, the barriers between the myriad races broke down, and the Human Clan became prey for the other races.
"To protect their homeland, the Human Clan was forced into a resistance that lasted seventy thousand years.
"At that time, a man of breathtaking brilliance emerged among the Human Clan. He worked out a path of cultivation for humanity and became the Human Emperor!
"Relying on the Human Emperor's Cultivation Method, this humble monk was fortunate enough to gain enlightenment, attain mastery, achieve fruition, and transcend mortality to enter sagehood.
"As experts emerged among the Human Clan in great numbers, the balance between offense and defense gradually reversed, and the myriad races felt immense pressure.
"To control the Human Clan, the Demon King refined the Burning-Heaven Calamity Banner. Once unleashed, this evil object would automatically absorb human souls, turning people into walking corpses and nourishment for the myriad races.
"Under this banner's influence, the people of the human continent were plunged into misery.
"In just half a month, seventy million died unnatural deaths, and twenty million suffered severe damage to their souls.
"On the Human Emperor's orders, I led a hundred thousand elite warriors against the Demon Race and ultimately seized the Burning-Heaven Calamity Banner. The broken weapon fragments on this island